RTHK: Malaysia's king to name latest PM on Friday

Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah is expected to announce the appointment of the country's new prime minister following a meeting with other royal rulers on Friday.

The conference of royals, comprising the Southeast Asian nation's nine sultans, including the king, will meet at 2.30 pm local time.

Ismail Sabri Yaakob is poised to succeed Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister, after the latter stepped down on Monday conceding he had lost support from his parliamentary alliance.

Muhyiddin's resignation ended a troubled 17 months in office, in which he was routinely plagued by infighting within his ruling alliance while battling rising Covid-19 infections and a dampened economy.

If confirmed, Ismail Sabri's appointment would mark the return of his party, the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), to the premiership, three years after it lost an election due to corruption allegations, mostly linked to the multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Malaysia's king was tasked to appoint the new premier by determining the lawmaker most likely to gain support from a majority of parliamentarians, after elections were ruled out due to the pandemic.

Ismail Sabri, who was Muhyiddin's deputy from rival party Umno, emerged as the top candidate after securing the backing of Muhyiddin's coalition.

The 61-year-old has the support of 114 lawmakers out of the 222-seat parliament, Umno lawmaker Ahmad Maslan told reporters on Thursday.

Muhyiddin, now serving as caretaker PM, said his alliance's support was conditional on Ismail Sabri ensuring that the new cabinet members were free from graft charges.

Several Umno lawmakers were charged with corruption after the 2018 election defeat, including party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former premier Najib Razak, who faces dozens of charges linked to 1MDB. They have both denied wrongdoing. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-08-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: SA collaborates with foreign varsities to preserve indigenous African languages

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has commended South African universities for collaborating with foreign universities in an effort to revive and preserve indigenous African languages.

The Universities of Rhodes, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape have collaborated with foreign universities on indigenous African languages, through Project Baqonde (meaning let them understand in Nguni languages).

Project Baqonde is funded by the European Union, and aims to facilitate and promote the use of indigenous African languages as mediums of instruction at higher education institutions in South Africa.

As South Africa, we welcome this important initiative by the four South African universities and also appreciate the Salamanca University in Spain, Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, who are the three partner European institutions taking part in the initiative, Nzimande said.

He reiterated his long-held view on the importance of the development of African languages in the education system.

Over the years, we have witnessed the gradual dearth of our languages, apart from English and Afrikaans, in the absence of their development as languages of teaching and learning, commerce and academia more generally.

The debate is no longer whether we should develop African languages as languages of scholarship in academia, but rather when and how these languages should be part of our academic discourse beyond the mere symbolism that is currently at play at most of our universities, Nzimande said.

Language Policy Framework

The Minister acknowledged a number of other initiatives in this regard from other universities in the country.

He called upon all South African universities to intensify work on this front, as part of implementing the South Africas Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions, which he signed in August 2020.

Project Baqonde will undoubtedly contribute to the higher education policy framework, and also build on the results of a similar initiative I had initiated in October 2010, in my former capacity as Minister of Higher Education and Training, to strengthen and develop African languages as languages of science and academia, Nzimande said.

The South African Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institution aims to provide a framework for the development and strengthening of all South African 11 official languages, with a particular focus on the development of African languages as languages of scholarship, teaching, learning and communication at universities, amongst others.

The policy provides guidelines for the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of institutional language policies and contributes to transformation in higher education, with specific reference to universities, through enhancing the status and roles of previously marginalised South African languages to foster institutional inclusivity, as well as social cohesion.

The development of African languages is an indispensable component of transformation and of higher education in our country. The development of African languages is tied to social justice, which is an indispensable element of nation building and the promotion of social cohesion, the Minister said.

The development of all official languages is a necessity for human rights and dignity, access and success at post-school institutions, preservation of heritage, communication and culture, Nzimande said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-08-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: Futures contract approval welcomed

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government welcomed the announcement made by the Securities & Futures Commission today about the approval for Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing to launch the MSCI China A-share index futures contract in the city.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam thanked the central government for its support during the process.

She noted that with the central governments support, a number of mutual capital market access schemes were successfully launched over the past years.

Launching the A-shares index futures contract will expand the product scope offering in Hong Kongs capital markets, strengthen the citys offshore renminbi businesses and deepen the collaboration between the two capital markets.

This would contribute to the further development of the Mainlands capital market towards internationalisation, demonstrating that Hong Kong can fully leverage its advantages and integrate into the national development.

Mrs Lam said: I would like to express deep appreciation to the central government for supporting Hong Kong to reinforce its status as an international financial centre, and will continue to implement the targets laid down in the National 14th Five-Year Plan.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan thanked regulators of the two places for their efforts in taking forward and implementing the initiative.

He pointed out that the futures contract to be launched by Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing would be an offshore A-share index futures product formally approved by the Mainland authorities.

It could serve as a useful risk management tool for offshore investors participating in the A-share market while broadening the offering of financial products in Hong Kong at the same time.

Mr Chan said launching the product will further reinforce Hong Kongs function as a global offshore renminbi business hub, an international asset management centre and a risk management centre as outlined in the National 14th Five-Year Plan.

It would also enhance Hong Kongs competitiveness as an international financial centre, he added.

This story has been published on: 2021-08-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Unpacking economic recovery support interventions

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) has unpacked the R3.75 billion Economic Rebuilding Package for the restoration of businesses adversely affected by the violent looting and unrest that took place in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng recently.

Government has set aside funds to ensure that businesses are able to rebuild as quick as possible It will be distributed through the department, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), the departments Deputy Director-General (DDG) Susan Mangole said on Friday.

Addressing a webinar on the economic recovery support interventions, Mangole said the Economic Rebuilding Package is part of the broader R38 billion relief package that was announced by the Minister of Finance.

The funding package to support business recovery efforts for the dtic amounts to R2 billion.

The IDC has tailored a comprehensive package that includes funding for business and communities affected by the unrest. The considered response comprises a total recovery package totalling more than R1.5 billion, Mangole said.

About R1.4 billion has been set aside for the Post Unrest Business Fund to assist all businesses (existing and new clients) that operate in sectors the IDC funds.

The funding will be available at concessionary rates to ensure significant development impact.

A grant allocation for R100 million is to provide technical and financial assistance to small businesses in townships, rural areas and small towns that have been affected by the unrest and associated supply chain disruptions.

Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives have been allocated R10 million to support food security and recovery efforts in affected communities.

This funding will cater for school infrastructure rebuilding, support for care facilities and clinic. The IDC will focus mainly on rural, outlying and less developed areas that now face increased vulnerability. The IDC will be working with its established NGO partners to ensure reach and impact

In addition, the IDC will be administering the (dtics) R400 million Manufacturing Competiveness Enhancement Programme (MCEP) Economic Stabilisation Fund to support manufacturing companies affected by the unrest and offer concessionary funding to affected companies through interest free loans, Mangole said.

The National Empowerment Fund (NEF) in partnership with the dtic has established the Economic Stabilisation and Rebuilding Fund to support businesses that were adversely affected by the unrest.

Support will be provided in all sectors of the economy with the focus on manufacturing, retail and services businesses. The NEF will support any business that has been adversely affected in all sectors of the economy for an amount of R250 million, she said.

In addition, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has established a Temporary Financial Relief Scheme aimed at providing financial relief to vulnerable workers.

It is targeted at workers not paid (partial or in full) remuneration owing to the closure of a workplace as a result of the unrest in KZN and Gauteng. Workers qualifying under this relief scheme will receive a monthly flat rate of R3 500, UIF Director for Communication and Marketing Makhosonke Buthelezi said.

The benefit is intended to be paid from 9 July until 15 December.

To avoid any in-person employee applications for the temporary financial relief under the scheme, an employer who has had to close its business as a result of the unrest must apply for temporary financial relief under the scheme for and on behalf of its affected workers in accordance with these regulations, Buthelezi said.

Applications can be submitted online at www.uifecc.labour.gov.za.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Sexual offences show increase

Sexual offences have increased by 74.1% in the months between April and the end of June this year after lockdown regulations were further relaxed.

This was revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele on Friday when he released the Quarterly Crime Statistics.

Cele said the high increase is a distorted number when compared to the same period last year when the country was under level 5 lockdown with the numbers presented now recorded under lockdown levels 1, 2 and 3.

In the first quarter, the Sub- categories of crimes such as Contact crimes, Sexual offences, Aggravated robberies, Contact-related and Property-related crimes have recorded a never seen before double digit increases. Ordinarily, this would have been catastrophic BUT I assure the nation, this is NOT the case. I repeat, we cannot compare the same period of this year and last year, due to the skewed and abnormal crime trends, caused by the different levels of lockdown, Cele said.

All of the crimes listed under sexual offences recorded an increase of over 70%.

10 006 rape cases were opened  487 of which were related to domestic violence.

1 900 sexual assault cases were opened.

514 more attempted sexual assault cases opened.

282 more contact sexual assault cases opened.

Inanda police station in KwaZulu-Natal reported the most rape cases with 73, followed by the Western Capes Delft police station with 72 new cases and Lusikisiki police station in the Eastern Cape with 71 rape cases in the reporting period.

The most sexual assault cases were reported at Delft Police Station in the Western Cape with 17 new cases, the Mitchells Plain station with 14 and Gautengs Temba police station with 13.

Related to crime within the home, over 15 000 cases of common assault and assault with intention to do grievous bodily harm related to domestic violence were opened.  SAnews.gov.za

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RTHK: Merkel asks Putin to free Kremlin critic Navalny

German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to free his jailed opponent Alexei Navalny on the anniversary of a nerve-agent attack on the politician, whose life was saved by Berlin doctors.

"I demanded from the Russian leader that he free Navalny," Merkel - who blames Moscow for the poisoning - said standing next to Putin at a Kremlin press conference.

"And I made clear that we will keep doing that," she said, calling the situation around Navalny "distressing".

Putin - who denies ordering the poison attack and refuses to say Navalny's name in public - referred to his challenger as "the defendant". He denied Navalny was jailed for his political activity, saying he was behind bars for "criminal offences".

"I would ask that the judicial decisions of the Russian Federation be treated with respect," he said, claiming that Russia had an inclusive political system.

"The fight against corruption should not be used to achieve political goals," the Russian leader, in power since 2000, said of Navalny's work, which seeks to uncover the riches of Russia's political elite.

Merkel's demand comes as French President Emmanuel Macron also asked Putin to release Navalny in a phone call with the Russian leader on Thursday.

The UK on Friday announced new sanctions against several figures it says are Russian security agents that were involved in the poisoning.

The pair also discussed Afghanistan and Ukraine in the symbolic visit that is Merkel's last to Russia before leaving office next month.

The chancellor will travel to Russia's rival Ukraine after visiting the Kremlin chief, who infrequently receives Western visitors in Moscow.

Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany, and Putin, a former KGB agent stationed there, speak each other's languages.

During the chancellor's 16 years in power, the pair always kept a dialogue despite strained relations.

Merkel visited Navalny when he was treated at the Charite hospital in Berlin following the near-fatal poisoning.

Navalny is now held in a maximum security prison colony in Pokrov, 100 kilometres east of Moscow.

This month he was charged with new crimes that could prolong his jail time by three years. If found guilty, he could only be released after 2024, the year Russia is scheduled to hold a presidential election.

In a message from prison posted on his Instagram by his team on Friday, Navalny said the 20th of August - when he thought "he died" after losing consciousness on a flight over Siberia - was his "second birthday".

He thanked his supporters for calling for him to be taken out of Russia for treatment.

"Thanks to you I survived and landed in prison," he joked, adding "sorry, I could not help myself".

The 45-year-old's movement has faced unprecedented pressure ahead of September parliamentary polls in Russia, in which Putin's United Russia party is expected to struggle.

In his first comments on Afghanistan since it was taken over by the Taliban, Putin said the world community should prevent the "collapse" of the country.

He said the Taliban controlling the country is a new reality from which the world "must proceed".

Both leaders said Afghanistan figured prominently during their talks.

Putin also criticised the "irresponsible policy" of imposing "outside values" on war-torn Afghanistan.

The Russian president highlighted the importance of preventing "terrorists" from entering neighbouring countries from Afghanistan, including "under the guise of refugees".

The German leader also expressed her hope that peace talks on the conflict between Kiev and pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine should continue after she leaves power.

Germany has been a major player in efforts to broker peace in eastern Ukraine.

She told Putin that "even if the progress isn't as fast as we hoped", the peace talks should be kept "alive".

She is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, whose troops continue to fight separatists in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 since 2014. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-08-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Biden promises Americans 'We will get you home'

President Joe Biden, rejecting criticism of his handling of the chaotic US pullout from Afghanistan, warned on Friday that the operation to evacuate thousands through Kabul airport carries risks and promised Americans there that "we will get you home."

Biden, in a speech and answering questions from reporters, dismissed criticism that the administration misjudged the speed with which the Taliban would take over Afghanistan and that he was slow to start evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies of the 20-year long US presence there.

Biden called the airlift one of the largest, most difficult of its kind. Amid US concerns about the possibility of a militant attack in Kabul, Biden said the operation is risky.

"Make no mistake, this evacuation mission is dangerous. It involves risks to our armed forces and it's being conducted under difficult circumstances. I cannot promise what the final outcome will be or that it will be without risk of loss. But as commander in chief, I can assure you that I will mobilise every resource necessary," he said.

The United States is desperately trying to evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan by an August 31 deadline, although Biden said this week that US troops at Kabul airport providing security for the evacuation could stay longer if necessary.

Biden is counting on cooperation from the Taliban, the Islamist militant group that the United States fought. The Taliban ousted the Kabul government a week ago as US forces withdrew, plunging Biden into his biggest foreign policy crisis.

Biden said US officials are in constant contact with the Taliban. He warned the group that "any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with a swift and forceful response.

"Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home," he said.

He also vowed to get out as many Afghan allies as possible. Many are facing difficulties getting past Taliban checkpoints to the Kabul airport for evacuation flights.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers say Biden did not act swiftly enough to withdraw vulnerable people from Afghanistan in the face of the rapid Taliban advances.

Bolstering the critics' case was disclosure of an internal "dissent" memo dated July 13 from some diplomats at the US embassy in Kabul. They warned of swift gains by the Taliban coupled with a collapse of Afghan security forces, according to a source familiar with the situation who confirmed an account of the document published by the Wall Street Journal.

The memo came less than a week after Biden said a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was "not inevitable."

The source said the dissent cable was acted upon, saying it called for an airlift operation, which was announced a day after the cable was received.

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield told MSNBC on Friday that Biden's focus "is on getting every single American out of Afghanistan who wants to get out of Afghanistan and getting our Afghan allies as well."

The White House has promised a review of the administration's performance in the crisis, but a source said this has been set aside for now while attention is paid to the evacuations. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-08-20. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Pakistan suicide bomber targets Chinese workers

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives on Friday near a vehicle carrying Chinese workers in restive southwestern Pakistan, killing two Pakistani children playing by the roadside, the interior ministry and police said.

A Chinese and two other Pakistanis were wounded in the attack in Baluchistan province. Hours after the bombing, the separatist Baluch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the bombing in the port town of Gwadar.

The police said the Chinese workers were travelling in three vehicles and were being escorted by security forces. The attacker detonated his device when officers tried to intercept him.

The area is a key district in southwest Pakistan where the Chinese are working on projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The projects, including road construction and power plants to agriculture development, has cost billions of US dollars.

China has in recent years played a key role in developing the deep-water port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. But, there have been some attacks on Pakistanis and Chinese working for the economic corridor projects.

Last month, a bus carrying Pakistani and Chinese workers fell into a ravine in northwestern Pakistan after a suicide bomber targeted the vehicle. Nine Chinese and four Pakistanis were killed in that attack in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan. (AP)

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NEWS PROVIDED BY

Catholic League

Aug. 20, 2021



NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on what is being said about so-called Christian nationalists:

Hardly a week goes by without some pundit claiming that the United States is being taken over by Christian nationalists. Accusations are being made that are completely without foundation, and few in the media are taking them to task.

Proponents of this view like to point to the presence of a few Christian signs that were evident in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. This has had almost no effect on most Americans, and with good reason: those who stormed the Capitol were men and women who came to express their anger at the American ruling class. It was not an exercise in Christian nationalism. But to those who distrust white Christian patriotic Americans, the signs were proof that Christian nationalists are on the march.

No one beats Samuel L. Perry, a sociologist at the University of Oklahoma. "The Capitol Insurrection was as Christian nationalist as it gets." His baseless charge was endorsed by the likes of Thomas B. Edsall of the New York Times and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Merely asserting that culpability belongs to Christian nationalists is all that matters these days. No proof is required.

Robert P. Jones is another author who is sold on the threat of Christian nationalists. Looking at the Capitol riot, he is convinced that "a significant number of the attackers on Jan. 6 were Christian nationalists and white supremacists." He said he spotted a Christian flag at the event, adding that "Many people may not be familiar with it." Good point: We took a poll of our Catholic League staff and no one had ever heard of it.

If the presence of a little-known Christian flag is enough to convince some activists and pundits that Jan. 6 was a Christian nationalist uprising, then it should follow that the burning of the American flag at Black Lives Matter and Antifa ralliesit happened regularlyis overwhelming proof of their anti-American agenda. They are the real threat to peace and safety, not Christian nationalists, whoever they are.

Author Katherine Stewart also maintains that Christian nationalists are a menace to society. In March last year, she cited evidence that Christian nationalists are "running the country." Her proof? A remark made by President Trump that "by Easter" the Covid crisis would ease. That was all the evidence she neededhis dropping of the "E-word."

Andrew Whitehead is a sociologist at Indiana University-Perdue University Indianapolis who wrote a book on Christian nationalists with Samuel Perry. Two years ago he said that Christian nationalists "think you have to be Christian to be truly American." He did not quote anyone to that effect. Quite frankly, as one who runs in Christian circles, I never heard anyone make such a stupid comment.

Perry and Whitehead are quite the dynamic duo. They argue that if someone believes the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are divinely inspired documents, that proves they are Christian nationalists. The bar is obviously not set very high.

According to Perry, no one epitomizes the mind-set of Christian nationalism better than evangelical pastor Greg Locke. Edsall was so impressed by Perry's observation that he cited Locke's book, This Means War, as the definitive source of this dreaded movement.

Having never heard of Locke, I bought the book, which was published last year before the election, and searched in vain for anything Locke said about Christian nationalism. He never mentions the term. The best I could find was one throw-away sentence near the end of the book where he says, "When it comes to an election, you'd better be a Christian first and a Christian last."

That was it. Most of the book is comprised of Protestant musings on the need for Christians to stand fast against challenges to our Judeo-Christian heritage. If this is supposed to be Exhibit A in the arsenal of those convinced that Christian nationalists are about to take over the nation, they had better retire before more people find out about their fairy tales.

The lies about Christian nationalism have real-life consequences. Three months ago, Anthea Butler, who teaches religious and African studies at the University of Pennsylvania, accused white evangelicals of posing "an existential crisis to us all." She said their ideas "may end up killing us all." It is this kind of incendiary comment that should be challenged with regularity, but never is. That's because Butler is black and white liberals don't have the guts to confront her.

Just as unnerving is the spectacle of states bent on adopting a new curriculum wherein teaching the truth about our Judeo-Christian heritage is considered taboo.

In Florida, one of the items deemed problematic for 7th graders holds that students should "Recognize how Judeo-Christian values influenced America's founding ideals and documents." Also found objectionable is the requirement that "Students will recognize the influence of the Protestant work ethic on economic freedom and personal responsibility."

Both of these declarations are indisputably true. The problem is with those who object to them, not those who applaud them.

Christian nationalism is not only a myth, it is a pernicious lie. We should be celebrating patriotic Americans who are Christian, not castigating them.
Advocate Health Care Must Revise Illegal Exemption Form

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Liberty Counsel

Aug. 20, 2021



CHICAGO, Ill., Aug. 20, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter to Advocate Health Care (also known as Advocate Aurora Health) regarding its unlawful religious exemption form that excludes protected legal religious beliefs regarding the undeniable association between COVID-19 injections and aborted fetal cell lines. Liberty Counsel is prepared to file a lawsuit if the medical organization does not respond by Monday, August 23, 2021, and revise its form and honor these federal protections and entitlements to accommodate those employees who have already submitted their forms and been denied.



Advocate Health, the largest health system in Illinois, employs over 70,000 employees in the state and elsewhere. Many of these employees are requesting religious exemptions and accommodations from the "Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy" which makes false claims about the use of aborted fetal cell lines in the injections.



However, all three of the currently available COVID injections are produced by, derived from, manufactured with, tested on, developed with, or otherwise connected to or "associated" with aborted fetal cell lines. There is no question about the accuracy of this determination, and Advocate Health is categorically false in its contrary directive to employees.



Many of the employees have sincerely held religious beliefs that because life is sacred from the moment of conception and abortion is the murder of an innocent human in violation of Scripture. Many also hold sincere religious beliefs against taking any "vaccines" or taking those derived from aborted fetal cell lines or those sold by companies that profit from the sale of products derived from abortion.

Illinois law dictates that employees at Advocate Health have the fundamental right to determine what medical care to accept and refuse. In fact, Illinois has a Health Care Right of Conscience Act that provides strong protection to all residents against discrimination based on health care choices. It states: "It shall be unlawful for any person, public or private institution, or public official to discriminate against any person in any manner, including but not limited to, licensing, hiring, promotion, or any other privileges, because of such person's conscientious refusal to receive, obtain, accept or participate in any way in any particular form of health care services contrary to his or her conscience" (emphasis added).

Advocate Health employees with these sincerely held religious beliefs should include their objections to abortion-associated vaccines on their exemption forms. If they are denied religious exemptions, they should seek legal representation immediately.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, Advocate Health Care must immediately revise its religious exemption form to include protected religious beliefs based upon the association of COVID-19 injections with aborted fetal cell lines. Advocate must also honor the religious exemptions of those employees who have already been denied based on this false directive. This is a violation of both state and federal law.

Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.



SOURCE Liberty Counsel



CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org



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Xi calls for enhanced China-Arab BRI cooperation to boost development, advance ties

Xinhua) 08:20, August 20, 2021

-- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday China is ready to work with Arab states to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality and advance China-Arab strategic partnership to a higher level.

-- Bound by the history of the ancient Silk Road, China and Arab states are natural partners for BRI cooperation and have notable complementarity.

-- China will now work to meet the need for COVID-19 vaccines in Arab countries, and work with Arab states to further cooperate on the local production of vaccines, said Zhai Jun, China's special envoy on Middle East affairs

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday China is ready to work with Arab states to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality and advance China-Arab strategic partnership to a higher level.

Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory letter to the fifth China-Arab States Expo, which opened Thursday in Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the main venue of fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The four-day event will feature trade fairs and forums on digital economy, clean energy, water resource, modern agriculture, green food, cross-border e-commerce and tourism cooperation. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

More than 1,000 domestic and overseas enterprises have registered as exhibitors in offline and virtual events.

As one of the expo's major events, the Belt and Road Investment Promotion Conference held on Thursday afternoon witnessed the signing of 13 cooperation projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), involving a total of 4 billion yuan, or about 617 million U.S. dollars.

FRUITFUL COOPERATION

China and Arab states have in recent years continued to strengthen strategic coordination and synergy of actions, and the joint construction of the Belt and Road has achieved fruitful results, Xi said in the letter.

Bound by the history of the ancient Silk Road, China and Arab states are natural partners for BRI cooperation and have notable complementarity. So far, China has signed BRI cooperation documents with 19 Arab countries and the Arab League.

The initiative serves as an opportunity to achieve the common development of participating countries and advance China-Arab strategic partnership, as noted in a declaration of actions on China-Arab BRI cooperation inked in 2018.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the healthcare exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The fifth China-Arab States Expo opened Thursday in Yinchuan.(Xinhua/Wang Peng)

Xi said that China remains the largest trading partner of Arab countries.

In 2020, the total trade volume between China and Arab states was 239.8 billion U.S. dollars. Arab states' imports from China reached 122.9 billion U.S. dollars, up 2.1 percent year on year despite the impact of the pandemic. That is proof of the great resilience, potential and concrete achievements of China-Arab cooperation.

Xi also said that in the face of COVID-19, China and Arab countries have joined hands to fight the pandemic, setting an example of helping each other and overcoming difficulties together.

China and Arab states have shown great sincerity in jointly countering pandemic challenges. Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was among the first foreign heads of state to hold a phone call with Xi voicing support for China's COVID-19 response back in 2020, and China and the United Arab Emirates jointly conducted the world's first international phase three clinical trials of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines. So far, China has donated and exported more than 72 million doses of vaccines to 17 Arab states and the Arab League.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the digital economy exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

"The construction of the BRI in the economic and health sectors, among others, has been gaining momentum during the pandemic, which demonstrates progress toward the construction of a China-Arab states community with a shared future, oriented to the new era," said Su Xiaohui, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies.

China will now work to meet the need for COVID-19 vaccines in Arab countries, and work with Arab states to further cooperate on the local production of vaccines, said Zhai Jun, China's special envoy on Middle East affairs, at the opening of the expo. "We will build on the BRI cooperation momentum to further synergize development strategies and help realize the dreams of national rejuvenation for both sides," he said.

PROMOTING COOPERATION, DEVELOPMENT

China is ready to work with Arab states to seek cooperation and development, promote peaceful development, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, Xi noted in the letter.

The expo features exhibition areas with themes including the digital economy, clean energy and cross-border e-commerce.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the cross-border e-commerce exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.(Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)

"These arrangements stand as barometers of the continuous upgrading of the BRI in the post-pandemic era, indicating new growth areas in technology-empowered sectors -- not including infrastructure and production capacity cooperation -- as well as new cooperation dividends for both sides," said Ding Long, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute at the Shanghai International Studies University.

Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said via video that Arab countries and China are highly complementary in economy and enjoy broad prospects for cooperation. He noted that Morocco has actively participated and played a constructive role in the BRI, and has seen great progress in the country's infrastructure.

Kazakhstan's First Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said that the BRI has proven to be practical and successful, and the proposal of building a digital Silk Road and a green Silk Road will make contributions to the low-carbon development of the world.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the green food exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

Stressing that new opportunities will be brought to countries along the Belt and Road, Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi said that joint efforts to safeguard regional security and stability are vital for the further development of the initiative.

"China-Arab BRI cooperation will help rally forces to build clusters and highlands of advanced economies, providing powerful engines of technology, expertise and service so as to promote global recovery and contribute to maintaining an open world economy that benefits all," said Gao Shangtao, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at China Foreign Affairs University.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Tunisian FM stresses cooperation with China as China-Arab expo starts

Xinhua) 08:59, August 20, 2021

TUNIS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi on Thursday highlighted the importance of cooperating with China as the 5th China-Arab States Expo kicked off.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the expo, Jerandi highlighted the importance of strengthening the partnership between China and the Arab countries under the framework of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Jerandi spoke of his country's aspiration to host the first Arab-Chinese ministerial meeting in tourism sector in 2022. He also proposed to create an Arab-Chinese observatory for sustainable tourism and green economy.

On the domestic situation of Tunisia, Jerandi conveyed a message of reassurance from Tunisian President Kais Saied to Tunisia's friends and partners, pledging its full commitment to guarantee fundamental rights and freedom within the framework of respecting constitutional institutions and rule of law.

The fifth China-Arab States Expo, scheduled from Aug. 19 to 22 in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, features trade fairs and forums on digital economy, clean energy, water resource, modern agriculture, green food, cross-border e-commerce and tourism cooperation.

More than 1,000 Chinese and overseas enterprises have registered as exhibitors for offline and virtual events at the expo.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese FM urges keeping up with the time when viewing the Taliban, which is more sober and rational in media reports

Global Times) 09:24, August 20, 2021

Has China been in contact with the Taliban recently? Under what conditions will China recognize the Talibans rule? Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying replied that many media believed the Taliban is more sober and rational than last time it was in power, and China encourages and hopes the Taliban will implement its positive remarks.

China has maintained contact and communication with the Afghan Taliban and other factions on the basis of fully respecting the national sovereignty of Afghanistan and the will of various factions in the country, Hua said at the press briefing on Thursday.

Many media believe that the Taliban today is more sober and rational than last time it was in power. China encourages and hopes the Taliban will implement their positive remarks and build a political system that suits its domestic situation, supported by their people with broad inclusiveness, Hua said.

The Taliban should curb terrorism and criminal acts, to ensure there is peace in Afghanistan, so that the Afghan people who have suffered from the war can live peacefully, the spokesperson said.

Hua continued, some repeatedly stress distrust of the Taliban, but what I want to say is nothing in the world can stand still. I prefer to look at things dialectically, to see its past and present, and its words as well as actions.

You wont be able to draw practical conclusions if you dont keep pace with the times and only keep a conservative and fixed mindset and ignore the development of the situation, Hua said.

The rapid evolution of Afghanistans situation actually shows that the outside world lacks of objective judgments over the situation in Afghanistan and accurate grasp of the public opinion of Afghans. In this regard, I think that some Western countries in particular should learn a lesson, Hua said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China, Tajikistan hold joint anti-terror drills

Xinhua) 09:32, August 20, 2021

DUSHANBE, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Ministry of Public Security and the Tajik Ministry of Internal Affairs held joint anti-terrorist exercises on Wednesday and Thursday in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.

The Anti-Terrorist Coordination-2021 drills were conducted to cope with terrorist and extremist threats facing the two countries and increase the level of cooperation between law enforcement departments.

Some terrorist groups are moving towards and concentrating in northern Afghanistan, posing a grave threat to China, Tajikistan and regional security, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and the Tajik Ministry of Internal Affairs noted.

Through the drills, the two sides aim to raise combat readiness, improve tactical skills, demonstrate their commitment to counterterrorism, and deter terrorist forces.

Nearly 100 SWAT officers from both countries practiced flying drones for anti-terrorist operations, firing various kinds of arms, and clearing explosive devices.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Nigerian expert warns of consequences of politicizing COVID-19 origins tracing

Xinhua) 09:43, August 20, 2021

ABUJA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A politically motivated COVID-19 origins tracing will not help contain this pandemic, and will discourage international cooperation on preparation for the next possible pandemic, a Nigerian expert has warned.

Despite clarifications by scientists that COVID-19 "most likely originated from nature and not in laboratory," the U.S. government kept turning the origins tracing saga from genuine scientific inquiry to "another cold war ideological armoury to besmirch China," Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies, wrote in an article published Tuesday in local daily newspaper Vanguard.

"This is not helpful and will rob mankind of adequate understanding of the trigger of the malicious and vile virus that has caused humanity of untold sorrows," said Onunaiju.

He echoed some scientists' calls for turning down the heat of the rhetoric, as recriminations have not and will not encourage international cooperation and collaboration that might help to prevent a future pandemic.

While escalating the rhetoric about origins tracing of the virus and accusing China of lacking transparency, it appears that Washington's rhetoric is smokescreen to cover its own shocking failure in epidemic control and containment, Onunaiju said.

"While wagging fingers at the Chinese laboratory in the city of Wuhan, the United States has not mentioned or demonstrated any concern about the U.S. Army medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease at Fort Detrick," he said.

An outbreak of disease with similar COVID-19 symptoms happened just after the lab's serious safety accident in 2019, he noted, adding that the United States is "the world's largest funder of coronavirus research."

Noting that a research team at the University of North Carolina has long developed coronavirus synthesis, Onunaiju said a wide-ranging origins tracing of the virus should definitely include an investigation of those U.S. facilities.

China demonstrated a high sense of responsibility when its scientists published the genetic sequencing of the virus shortly after the outbreak of the disease in Wuhan and instituted the most rigorous lockdown of the city, in a bid to contain the spread of the disease, Onunaiju said.

"Had the American leadership and other Western countries then taken a cue from China's rigorous epidemic control measures, extended support and refrained from stigmatisation, the virus may have been contained much earlier," he said.

For developing countries, especially those in Africa, while tracing the origins of the virus is essential, the control and containment of the pandemic is of utmost concern, he stressed, adding that "China's support with materials and practical experience-sharing in pandemic control has been of tremendous value and unforgettable."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Rwanda receives Chinese-donated vaccines to boost fight against COVID-19

Xinhua) 09:50, August 20, 2021

A worker unloads the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine at the Kigali International Airport in Kigali, Rwanda, on Aug. 19, 2021. Rwanda on Thursday received 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine along with syringes donated by the Chinese government as the country is stepping up efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible against COVID-19. (Photo by Cyril Ndegeya/Xinhua)

KIGALI, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda on Thursday received 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine along with syringes donated by the Chinese government as the country is stepping up efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible against COVID-19.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday along with Rao Hongwei, Chinese ambassador to Rwanda at the Kigali International Airport, Rwandan Minister of Health Daniel Ngamije said that the vaccine will help vaccinate more Rwandans in a short period of time.

"This is a sign of international solidarity, and we appreciate that China is supporting the government of Rwanda to get these vaccines," said Ngamije.

He said that from the first day, China has been supporting the government of Rwanda in different areas towards fighting against the spread of COVID-19.

"Today, we have received vaccines from China in addition to Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) we got from China. It is a symbol of strong collaboration between both governments," said Ngamije.

He said that the vaccine will be rolled out to eight districts in Rwanda that are among the leading hotspots of new COVID-19 infections.

The donation is a valuable contribution to Rwanda's ongoing vaccination drive, targeting the most vulnerable across the country, according to Ngamije.

Speaking to reporters, Rao Hongwei said that the donation came at a critical time when Rwanda wants more vaccines to immunize a great number of people in an effort to curb the spread of the pandemic.

"The donation from China is a sign of existing warm and cordial relations between China and Rwanda," said Rao.

China has been supporting Rwanda's anti-coronavirus efforts since its first case was confirmed in March last year.

Rwanda launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on March 5, starting with people from risk groups, including health personnel, frontline workers, and those older than 65 years or with underlying health conditions.

Rwanda targets to vaccinate 30 percent of the population by the end of 2021 and 60 percent by the end of 2022. The Central African country has so far administered about one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China again urges Canada to release Meng Wanzhou immediately

Xinhua) 09:53, August 20, 2021

China's Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou leaves her residence for the extradition hearing in Vancouver, Canada, Jan. 20, 2020. (Photo by Harrison Ha/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China urges the Canadian government to immediately correct its mistakes and release Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, so that she can return to China safely at an early date, the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Hua Chunying said Thursday.

China has, from the very beginning, stressed that the Meng Wanzhou case is a political incident through and through, which was created by the U.S. government out of nothing but attempts to suppress China's hi-tech companies and thwart China's progress in science and technology, Hua said.

This has been increasingly evident as more and more people have fully understood and recognized the facts around the case, she added.

Stressing the fact that Meng, who did nothing in violation of Canadian laws, has been arbitrarily detained for nearly 1,000 days, Hua said this is a textbook case of coercion and human rights infringement.

She said that the Canadian government has been acting as an accomplice for the U.S. side and bears inescapable responsibilities in this incident, which certainly infuriated the Chinese people.

"We have taken note that some insightful people in Canada have also called for the government to stop Meng Wanzhou's extradition process in accordance with the Canadian law," she said.

China urges the Canadian government to heed the call for justice, show the spirit of independence and courage, and release Meng immediately, she added.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Why reinvent the wheel in second phase origin tacing of COVID-19

10:27, August 20, 2021 By Zamir Ahmed Awan ( People's Daily Online

Worldwide coronavirus cases have reached 209,670,370, with a death toll of 4,399,468, while 187,927,346 people have since recovered. The worst-hit countries are the US, India, and Brazil, with the current number of confirmed cases in these countries having reached 37,909,829, 32,295,224, and 20,417,204, respectively. The highest aggregate number of deaths in any one country has the US at the top: 640,181; followed by Brazil and India: 570,718 and 432,834.

The whole world is a victim of COVID-19 and humankind is facing severe challenges at present. Most nations are struggling hard to overcome the impacts of the pandemic. China was the first country to become its victim, but due to the countrys visionary leadership and correct policies, it became the first country to win the battle against COVID-19, all within a minimum amount of time, minimum loss of life, and minimum economic losses. After China contained the COVID-19 virus at home, it generously helped many other countries abroad by providing medical advice, materials, and vaccines. China is the only country that has continually helped developing countries and underdeveloped countries to such a magnitude. Chinese vaccines have become the most popular in the international market and the most trusted ones, with no evidence of any side effects yet. China is also continuing to make a large contribution in the worldwide fight against COVID-19.

However, a few countries and most especially the US, are trying to bash China, blame China and fix responsibility onto China. They have launched a comprehensive campaign against China, even though the WHO earlier clarified the matter concerning the origin of COVID-19.

China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu speaks at a briefing on COVID-19 origin-tracing for diplomatic envoys in China on Aug. 13, 2021. (Photo/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China)

On Aug.13, 2021, Chinas Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu chaired a briefing on COVID-19 origin-tracing for diplomatic envoys in China. Held both online and offline, the briefing was attended by more than 160 diplomatic envoys and representatives of international organizations in China. Professor Liang Wannian, team leader from the Chinese side of the China-WHO joint study team; Dr. Yuan Zhiming, Director of the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory; Academician Xu Jianguo from the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Deputy Director-General Zhang Honggang from the Department of Major Science and Technology Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology; and Deputy Director-General Gu Jinhui from the Department of Science, Technology, and Education of the National Health Commission spoke at the briefing.

Ma pointed out that since the onset of COVID-19, acting on the vision of a global community of health for all, China has shared response experience with the international community promptly, provided anti-COVID assistance to the world to the best of its ability, and taken the lead in conducting the largest scale global vaccine cooperation, thus making an outstanding contribution to global public health security. China has all along taken a scientific attitude as it engages in global cooperation on science-based origin-tracing. China invited WHO experts to China twice for origin-tracing research. In March this year, WHO officially released the Joint Report by the WHO-China joint study team, which provides the most authoritative, professional, and science-based conclusions on origin-tracing and sets out detailed recommendations for future work in origin-tracing. Chinese experts also took the initiative to submit to WHO China's proposal on the second phase of origin-tracing.

Ma pointed out that China's position on global origin-tracing is consistent and clear-cut. First, origin-tracing is a matter of science. It should be and can only be left to scientists to identify, through scientific research, the virus's zoonotic source, and animal-human transmission routes. No country has the right to put its political interests above people's lives, nor should a matter of science be politicized to slander and attack other countries. Second, the findings and recommendations of the WHO-China joint study report are widely recognized by the international community and scientists and must be respected and implemented by all parties, including WHO. The future work of global origin-tracing should and must proceed from that basis, instead of reinventing the wheel. Third, China has all along supported and will continue to take part in science-based origin-tracing efforts. What China opposes is politicizing origin-tracing, or origin-tracing that goes against the WHA resolution and disregards the joint study report. Fourth, the WHO Secretariat should act on the WHA resolution, conduct a thorough consultation with member states on the global origin-tracing work plan, including the follow-up mechanism, and fully respect the views of member states. Very importantly, the plan for origin-tracing involving a particular country must be decided through consultation with the country concerned, as it provides the basis for effective cooperation to be conducted.

Ma stressed that the virus knows no borders and does not distinguish between races. China, like other countries, is a victim of the pandemic, and we all hope to find out the origin of the virus and cut off its transmission as early as possible. Given the ongoing spread and rebound of the virus, the priority remains to be stepping up equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and enhancing solidarity and cooperation. Origin-tracing cooperation must be based on science, and politicization must be firmly rejected. China will work with other parties to carry out science-based global origin-tracing and contribute China's part to humanity's final victory over COVID-19.

Liang Wannian gave a detailed account of the origin-tracing work by the WHO international team in China, highlighting the scientific and authoritative nature of the findings and key recommendations of the joint study report. Yuan Zhiming briefed on the coronavirus research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and refuted the "Wuhan lab leak" theory with facts. From the perspective of medical science, Academician Xu Jianguo explained the scientific requirements and complexity of origin-tracing as well as the necessity to study virus transmission via cold chain. Zhang Honggang reviewed China's studies on origin-tracing and the global origin-tracing research, referring in particular to the early cases found in multiple countries and regions. Gu Jinhui gave an account of China's active cooperation with WHO and explained China's proposal for the next phase of origin-tracing.

Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov stated at the briefing that Russia stands against politicizing origin-tracing and supports a coordinated, transparent, and multilateral approach. WHO mechanisms should conduct origin-tracing within the mandate defined by member states, comply with the guidelines of member states, and be based on available scientific data. Somali Ambassador to China Awale Kullane observed that the findings of the WHO-China joint study report are science-based. Origin-tracing should proceed in line with the WHA resolution. Fighting COVID-19 is a pressing task and a high priority for the international community. China has provided more than 800 million doses of vaccines to more than 100 countries, pledged to donate US$100 million to the COVAX Facility, and will provide two billion doses of vaccine to the world in this year. This is a major contribution to the global fight against COVID-19.

It is a desired end that the international community can join hands and struggle collectively to fight against the pandemic. It is not the time to blame each other or bash any individual country. It is a time to save human lives and win the battle against the virus. COVID-19 is a common enemy and therefore needs to be addressed jointly. Only by uniting together may we defeat the COVID-19 virus once and for all. The developed nations and advanced countries of the world ought to bear more responsibility voluntarily and come forward with solutions.

Zamir Ahmed Awan is a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. E-mail: [email protected]

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Tibet's progress a powerful message for Western naysayers

Xinhua) 10:31, August 20, 2021

A grand gathering is held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet at the Potala Palace square in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

LHASA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Tibet Autonomous Region celebrates the 70th anniversary of its peaceful liberation this year, a triumphant moment for its socialist system and governance that delivers a powerful message to Western politicians who fail to acknowledge its enormous progress.

In 1951, the Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, known as the 17-Article Agreement officially proclaimed the peaceful liberation of Tibet.

That liberation, together with the epochal democratic reform in 1959, has helped Tibet cast away its regressive, autocratic, and isolated past to embrace prosperity and an open future.

Nearly 3.65 million people live in the region, up 21.52 percent from 2010. Over 86 percent of the population is Tibetan.

Tibet's average life expectancy increased from 35.5 years in 1951 to 71.1 years in 2019.

The region has more than 1,700 sites for Tibetan Buddhist activities with 46,000 monks and nuns. In an effort to preserve traditional Tibetan culture, the state and the region have invested over 5 billion yuan (770 million U.S. dollars) in the renovation of cultural relics. Tibetan opera, Gesar, Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa have been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Having eradicated absolute poverty, Tibet is in an accelerated drive of economic development with modernized infrastructure.

Tibet's achievements should be sufficient to prompt certain individuals in the West to drop their fixation on the Shangri-La myth, which idealizes eternal theocratic rule and a spiritual world, and sees any modern development as worthy of condemnation.

Over the past 70 years, leaving the dark ages behind, Tibet has replaced the cruel, feudal serfdom system with a socialist system, exercised regional ethnic autonomy, and carried out reform and opening-up along with the rest of the nation.

As a region that occupies an important place in the nation's security paradigm, Tibet receives significant attention from the central authorities, and massive assistance from other provinces to boost its development. The central budget has funded key infrastructure projects in the region, including railways and airports.

In order to maintain lasting stability and sustain development, Tibet steadfastly opposes secessionist plotting. The 14th Dalai Lama and his followers, supported by Western anti-China forces, have over the years continued attempting to promote "Tibetan independence" by provoking incidents that jeopardize peace and stability in Tibet.

These political exiles, as well as certain Western politicians and organizations, have launched a misinformation campaign targeting Tibet. They call liberation "repression" and demonize China's policy in the region. Their cries of "cultural destruction" and "genocide" do not carry a shred of truth. Their frequent accusations regarding ethnic, religious, democratic and human rights issues are in fact driven by the idea of "Tibetan independence" to meddle in China's domestic affairs.

These narratives concerning Tibet reflect either sheer ignorance or hegemonistic thinking tied to imperialist aggressions in the region in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Since the 1980s, Western forces have played an active role in the outbreaks of unrest that have taken place in Tibet.

China, with its ironclad resolve to safeguard national sovereignty and ethnic unity, will never allow the meddling hands attempting to play the "Tibet card" to turn the tables. And any secessionist attempts, which go against history and the common will of various ethnic groups in the region and the whole country, are doomed to failure.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, people in Tibet now live moderately prosperous lives, which would have been unimaginable before the region's peaceful liberation. They are sure to create an even brighter future through unity, modernization drive and continued support from the central authorities.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China ramps up cybersecurity regulations

Xinhua) 10:40, August 20, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- With the latest moves to strengthen IT infrastructure security and cyberspace regulations, China is ramping up efforts in protecting the country's cybersecurity.

China on Tuesday published an administrative regulation on major IT infrastructure security, which will take effect on Sept. 1.

The regulation stipulates that key IT infrastructure projects, which refer to IT network facilities and information systems of major industries in key areas, will come under the country's special protection.

Measures including monitoring, defense, and proper handling of cybersecurity risks and threats from both home and overseas will be carried out so as to ensure that relevant facilities are protected from attacks, intrusions, interference and sabotage.

The regulation came as the country's major IT infrastructure faces severe security challenges including frequent cyberattacks, according to a State Council statement.

The regulation also called on operators of major IT infrastructure projects to bear their primary responsibility of maintaining the integrity, confidentiality and availability of relevant data.

Requirements for these operators include conducting security checks and risk assessments every year, and prioritizing safe and creditable internet products and services in procurement.

Personal information and important data collected and produced by the operators during their operations within the Chinese mainland should be stored in the mainland, the regulation said, adding that security assessments will be necessary for business needs of providing such data overseas.

China's cyberspace authority last month solicited public opinion for a draft revision to the country's cybersecurity review regulations.

According to the draft revision, information infrastructure and data operators that possess over 1 million items of personal information shall be subject to cybersecurity review before seeking a listing abroad.

Risks such as critical information infrastructure, core data, important data, or a large amount of personal information being influenced, controlled, or maliciously used by foreign governments after going public overseas will be evaluated in the review.

Last month, authorities launched an on-site cybersecurity review by a joint team of regulators on the ride-hailing company DiDi Chuxing.

Observers believe that efforts to balance development and security have become a major issue facing the country's digital and internet industries.

The cybersecurity-related industry in China reached 170.2 billion yuan (26.2 billion U.S. dollars) in scale in 2020, according to the latest report issued at this year's China Internet Conference.

Wu Hequan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, believes that the latest moves highlight strengthened governance in cyberspace. He, however, stressed that regulation does not mean discarding development. "It is about attaching equal importance to both sides."

Strengthened governance will provide a healthier environment for the development of the internet sector, Wu said, calling for greater emphasis on national security and protection of users' rights in the process.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese economy set to defy short-term headwinds

Xinhua) 10:42, August 20, 2021

File photo shows view of the city of Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Growth in major economic indicators in China softened last month amid extreme weather conditions and an unexpected COVID-19 resurgence, but the short-term headwinds will not change the long-term growth prospects of the economy, analysts said.

Latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) pointed to an upturn in industrial production, retail sales and fixed-asset investment in July, but the growth pace was slower than in June.

The dip was mainly a combined result of sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19, high temperatures and torrential rains this summer, said the Bank of Communications in a research note.

As the rain season ends, the impact of extreme weather on economic activities will diminish, the bank said, cautioning that uncertainties lie in the containment of the pandemic as the global spread of the Delta variant could hurt both external and domestic demand.

China has acted swiftly to contain the latest COVID-19 resurgence, which first emerged in the airport of Nanjing in eastern China, and quickly spread to multiple other cities.

With massive nucleic acid testing, accelerated vaccination, closed-loop management and travel restrictions in place, the country has seen an apparent downward trend in new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, with only 5 new locally confirmed infections reported Wednesday.

Strict epidemic control has proved to lay a solid foundation for economic recovery. In the first half of this year, the country's gross domestic product jumped 12.7 percent from a year earlier as factories resumed production and people restarted their traveling in China.

The stable growth this year can be attributed to the country's holistic approach in managing domestic and international situations and coordinated measures in epidemic control and economic development, said Wang Likun, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council.

The country's ongoing structural reforms have made the economy less prone to external shocks. In line with the goal of high-quality development, China's investment in high-tech manufacturing surged in the first seven months, supporting short-term growth while making the economy more self-sufficient in the long run.

As the country pushes the new development paradigm and deepens the supply-side structural reform and fosters innovation, the quality of growth will be further enhanced, said NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui, predicting a stable recovery of the Chinese economy in the second half of this year.

With a stable outlook, policymakers are steadily pushing the agenda of promoting common prosperity to make economic development more balanced and inclusive.

A key meeting Tuesday attended by the country's top leaders stressed a people-centered development philosophy and promoting common prosperity in the pursuit of high-quality development.

"Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese-style modernization," the meeting said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Tax reforms key to common prosperity

China Daily) 10:50, August 20, 2021

Local levies, direct taxes to improve public services, redistribute wealth

Expected acceleration of reform of China's tax system this year could help drive policymakers' initiatives for ushering in common prosperity, a national goal, officials and experts said on Thursday.

Tax reforms will focus on improving local government levies and raising the proportion of direct taxes like income tax and property tax in the nation's overall tax system.

"Pilot programs of the property tax are expected in three to five cities this year, to be gradually expanded afterward," said Shi Zhengwen, director of the Center for Research in Fiscal and Tax Law at the China University of Political Science and Law.

The property tax pilot has been in the pipeline for a while, and now a plan has been drafted for its rollout. The target cities will be those where runaway home prices are common. The tax pilot is expected to be a breakthrough, and it will likely be launched before the enaction of a new property tax law, Shi told China Daily.

The much-anticipated tax reform will mark progress toward common prosperity through high-quality development, a goal set for the nation by the top leadership.

Property tax revenue will go to local governments, to be used for improving public services and redistributing wealth, he said.

A meeting of the Communist Party of China's Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission on Tuesday called for wealth redistribution through efforts to expand the middle-income group, increase the incomes of lower-income groups and rationally adjust higher incomes.

"After the high-level meeting, the property tax pilot may acquire a certain sense of certainty and urgency, although the country's economic growth may face headwinds in the second half of this year," said Shi.

China will "actively yet prudently" promote the legislation and reform of the property tax, said Vice-Finance Minister Xu Hongcai in a report to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, when the nation's top legislature held a plenary meeting in Beijing on Wednesday.

Xu also urged improvements to the local government tax system, particularly the direct taxes, and a study to change the method of levying the consumption tax and to gradually move the consumption tax revenue to local governments.

On May 11, a notice from the Ministry of Finance indicated that it and three other government departments held a meeting in Beijing and discussed the property tax pilot program, including inputs from representatives of some cities and experts.

The meeting sent a signal that the authorities agreed to start a pilot program ahead of finalizing the final version of the property tax law, as the legislation process will take a longer term, analysts said.

Shi Yinghua, director of the research center for macroeconomics at the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences, said China will deepen the reform of its wealth distribution system this year and adjust the revenue sharing structure through adoption of fiscal policies, including tax measures.

The reform includes improvements to individual income tax to adjust income and attract talent, she said.

Shi Zhengwen from the China University of Political Science and Law said he expects a big move in individual income tax reform sometime next year.

The rate of tax on individuals' comprehensive income, which is now at 45 percent, may fall to 35 percent, a measure that aims to encourage the middle-income group. The special additional deductions of individual income tax may also expand, he said.

Yang Zhiyong, deputy head of the Institute of Financial Strategy at the National Academy of Economic Strategy, said that methods of wealth redistribution include tax, social security, and government's transfer payments. Besides, the government can also promote the fairness of redistribution by improving public services.

The improvement of public services in the fields of education, medical treatment, housing and elderly care can increase the disposable income of individuals.

The current tax system should focus more on increasing the proportion of direct tax income, especially to narrow the gap of personal income and property between different income groups, said Yang.

In addition, the social security system needs to be further improved to provide more adequate protection for the elderly, employment and medical care, Yang said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Les Cayes, mourning and struggling to return to normal life in aftermath of massive quake

Xinhua) 10:58, August 20, 2021

LES CAYES, Haiti, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- As the first rays of sunlight arrived, several families in rural Les Cayes, Haiti, woke up in their backyards or makeshift tents after Saturday's massive earthquake and possible aftershocks.

In a more remote area, people gather at the Camp Perrin River to recover logs and pieces of wood from destroyed homes that have been washed away by the fast-flowing current for cooking or rebuilding homes.

In the center of Les Cayes, the scene is radically different, as people try to return to their normal daily lives in the wake of the quake and tropical storm Grace.

The streets are bustling with vehicles, motorcyclists and pedestrians, with collapsed buildings in the background.

At a popular market crowed with people, vendors start to offer fruits, vegetables and other products as before.

It is a different scene inside the Immaculee Conception Hospital, where the aftermath continues, with hospital beds and corridors overcrowded with the injured.

People with fractures, cuts or concussions are being treated in one area of the hospital while more severe cases in another.

Suddenly, an aftershock sent everyone scrambling for the exits, some carrying injured loved ones on stretchers and others helping them walk out.

After the aftershock passed, everyone returned to the hospital, only to find a 52-year-old woman lying dead in a bed in the corner, surrounded by her family. She eventually succumbed to her injuries. Those who survived remained silent, with their sadness and regrets speaking for them.

As hospital staff completed the task of registering and marking the bodies, the woman became yet another statistic of this catastrophe.

Less than a week after the earthquake rattled the island, Haitians struggle to survive and return to normal life in the Latin America's least developed country.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Patchwork COVID-19 policies in EU spark worries, though border towns may benefit

Xinhua) 11:01, August 20, 2021

ROME, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Responses to the COVID-19 Delta variant have varied in strictness from country to country in the European Union (EU), sparking an economic boom in border towns with more relaxed policies, while likely to quicken the spread of the virus.

Health restrictions are strong and strictly enforced in France and Germany, but are relatively limited in countries including Spain, Belgium, and Italy, which may attract customers.

In Saint-Jans-Cappel, France, where proof of vaccination is required in restaurants and bars, and on long-distance trains and flights, restaurants are nearly empty, while across the border in Heuvelland, Belgium, where health rules remain relatively relaxed, eateries are bustling, with many customers from France.

"Since the health rules went into effect (on) Aug. 9, we have very few customers," said Duyck Benedicte, a Saint-Jans-Cappel restauranteur. "They prefer to eat in Belgium and be peaceful, without presenting a health pass."

"We have seen the flow of customers in our restaurants increase by about a third" since the health restrictions started, said Zheng Guodong, owner of a Chinese restaurant in Mouscron, a Belgian city adjacent to the country's border with France.

"Things are better," said Antonio Ricci, manager of a restaurant outside San Remo, an Italian city on the Mediterranean coast that France and Italy share. "Let's just say I have started printing a lot more French-language menus than I did in the past."

The restrictions in France sparked rounds of protests involving more than 200,000 people.

Germany, which has seen infection rates climb from mid-July, was prompted to require anyone except children under the age of 12 entering the country without proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to provide a negative test result from Aug. 1.

The imbalance has aroused worries that the 26-year-old terms of the Schengen Agreement that abolished most internal EU border checks as a way to encourage the free movement of labor and capital -- one of the central principles of the EU -- could be counter-productive in containing the virus.

The cross-border movement in the EU is "less than ideal" considering the 27-nation bloc's efforts to curb the spread of the virus, said Fabrizio Pregliasco, director of Milan's Galeazzi Institute of Hospitalization and Scientific Care, calling it an "inevitable question of practicality" that health officials have to deal with.

"Until there is a uniform health policy across the EU we are going to see these kinds of discrepancies, and open borders mean people will take advantage of them," Pregliasco told Xinhua.

"This kind of situation could be a factor in the spread of the virus, and local health officials in border areas will have to take the steps necessary to address problems that arise," he said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese ambassador calls for cooperation among scientists, gov'ts in COVID-19 origins-tracing

Xinhua) 11:05, August 20, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 origins tracing is a scientific question that requires the collaboration of scientists around the world and joint efforts and cooperation of governments and people of all countries, Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Feng Tie has said.

Feng made the remarks in an article published Wednesday on the website of The Copenhagen Post after Denmark's TV2 television channel aired a documentary on origins tracing.

"This documentary, full of specious assumptions and vague inferences, is not based on facts but presuppositions and aims to smear China and politicize the origin studying issue by misleading the audience," the Chinese ambassador said in the article.

Attaching great importance to the study into the origins of the virus, China has actively participated in global cooperation with an open and science-based attitude, and has been firmly supporting and coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO), said Feng.

The WHO-China joint report "has been proved to be a valuable and authoritative report that can stand the test of science and history," said the ambassador. "Any attempt to overturn or distort the conclusions of the joint research report is a result of political manipulation and disrespect to science and scientists from different parts of the world."

Meanwhile, the article noted that Peter Ben Embarek, head of the WHO origins-tracing mission to China, said the relevant media distorted his views by publishing his words out of context online.

Embarek "has been always upholding the China-WHO joint mission report on origin study," said the article.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Malaysia takes first delivery of China's CanSino COVID-19 vaccine

Xinhua) 14:15, August 20, 2021

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of the single-dose COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese company CanSino Biologics arrived in Malaysia on Friday, boosting the country's capability in the fight against the pandemic.

The first batch, comprising some 200,000 finished products, is part of a total of 3.5 million doses that have been ordered by Malaysia, the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry said in a brief statement.

This supply will be able to further intensify the National COVID-19 Immunization Program especially in low access areas and in turn help Malaysia to achieve immunity targets, the statement said.

Malaysia conditionally approved emergency use of the vaccine in June. The COVID-19 vaccines developed by China's Sinopharm and the vaccines made by the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech have also received approval.

Among them, Sinovac's Coronavac finished vaccines imported from China and the locally fill-and-finish products have been used in Malaysia's national immunization program.

Malaysia has been ramping up its vaccination drive which started in February. As of Thursday, 54 percent of the population has received at least one dose of vaccine and 36 percent are fully vaccinated.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese astronauts complete second time EVAs for space station construction

Xinhua) 15:39, August 20, 2021

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming waving their hands after conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese astronauts have completed their extravehicular activities (EVAs) and returned to the space station core module Tianhe, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Friday.

This was the second time that the astronauts conducted EVAs during the construction of the country's space station. The CMSA has declared the EVAs a complete success.

Astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming left the core module in the morning and completed all the scheduled tasks after approximately six hours of EVAs.

They returned to the space station core module at 2:33 p.m. (Beijing Time), about one hour ahead of schedule, according to the CMSA.

Astronaut Tang Hongbo has been staying inside Tianhe in cooperation with Nie and Liu for their EVAs.

The scheduled tasks of the EVAs, including extravehicular extended pump sets installation and panoramic camera lifting, were accomplished with close coordination between space and the ground, as well as between the astronauts inside and outside the spacecraft.

The EVAs further tested the performance and function of the new-generation homemade extravehicular mobility units and the coordination between the astronauts and the mechanical arm, as well as the reliability and safety of related EVA supporting equipment, said the CMSA.

The three astronauts were sent into space onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship and entered Tianhe on June 17. Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo completed the first EVAs on July 4.

The Shenzhou-12 spaceship crew will continue to carry out the scientific and technological space experiments before their planned return in the middle of September.

Before their return, the Shenzhou-12 spaceship will conduct circumnavigation and radial rendezvous tests, the CMSA added.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Sheng Chuyi)
U.S. white-collar worker's happy rural life in China captivates netizens

People's Daily Online) 15:11, August 20, 2021

James Wemyss, a white-collar employee has lived in China for over 15 years working as a data analyst. However, apart from his long work experience in China, what intrigued online Chinese Internet users the most was another aspect of his life  namely, that he loves doing farm work in the countryside.

Photo shows James Wemyss doing farm work. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

Video footage showing Wemyss busy with farm work garnered tens of millions of thumbs-up from Chinese netizens. The young man, born in New Hampshire in the U.S., noted that what he wanted to display is his down-to-earth lifestyle.

Wemyss's fascination towards Chinese culture can be traced back to his childhood when his father often took him to enjoy delicious food at the local China Town, along with the little boy's grandma, who took great pleasure in collecting pieces of Chinese artware.

In addition to obtaining a double bachelor's degrees in environmental science and international business, Wemyss also took advantage of an opportunity to study Chinese at a Confucius Institute in Washington. The young man has been rooted in China since 2006 when he decided to pursue a master's degree in business administration at Tsinghua University.

Photo shows James Wemyss in a farm field. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

In 2019, Wemyss started a family in southwest China's Chongqing municipality with a local girl surnamed Lin. Since Lin's grandparents lived in the countryside of Peng'an county, Nanchong city, southwest China's Sichuan province, which is not far away from Chongqing, Wemyss and Lin spent almost all their weekends and holidays visiting the old couple.

When Wemyss arrived in the countryside for the first time, he was amazed by the rich variety of farm work people did there. "There is merely a rural population of 2,000-3,000 in a U.S. village, while this figure is about ten times that in China," Wemyss explained, joking that "I could experience new types of work every time when I arrive at the grandparents' home."

James Wemyss gives a speech at his workplace. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

"I live a happy life in China," said Wemyss, who took great pleasure in spending his spare time learning to transplant rice seedlings, grow vegetables, pick fruits, make bean curd, feed pigs and chickens, and plow fields.

According to Wemyss, although his video clips went viral on the Internet, he will continue to concentrate on his career as a data analyst. "One year or two years later, it will be great if netizens still like me. But my routine life will still be the same," said the Internet celebrity who has over one million followers on social media.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Most of you will have seen their watches on social media, where their dramatic interpretation of mechanical watchmaking makes them popular on visually-oriented platforms such as Instagram. The largest tourbillon in a wristwatch, for example, comes in the form of the Kerbedanz Maximus, while the Tribute series depicts various countries in cartographic form using a variety of artistic techniques. But as familiar as you may be with individual timepieces, how much do you really know about this brand?

Maximus  Kerbedanz

Ancient Roots

The name Kerbedanz is the family name of brand founder and president Tigran Kerbedanz, of Armenian extraction, which means the brand is tied to one of the worlds oldest civilisations. The company is based in Neuchatel, widely acknowledged alongside of the Vallee de Joux as the cradle of watchmaking. Tigran Kerbedanz was drawn to the watch industry through the story of his ancestor, a famed blacksmith who also repaired clocks.

Youthful Spirit

Despite being rooted in tradition and heritage, the company Kerbedanz itself is a relative newcomer in the industry, being founded in 2011. This makes 2021 the 10th anniversary of the brand, bringing a full decade of watchmaking experience under its belt.

Hidden Codes

One of the unique approaches towards watchmaking taken by Kerbedanz is their love of weaving secret meaning into their timepieces, through the use of decorative symbols and techniques with special significance. As a watch company with a strong emphasis on personalised timepieces, Kerbedanz can work with clients to create a watch that is truly built around the stories that matter to them.

Paon  Kerbedanz

Artisanal Craft

A range of decorative techniques is used in the creation of Kerbedanz watches, from micro-sculpture and enamelling to miniature painting and guillochage. Working with only the best craftsmen in the region, Kerbedanz harnesses watch decorative crafts to tell horological stories with their timepieces.

Artisanal Craft  Kerbedanz

Technical Vision

Finely decorated dials and cases are only the outermost expression of haut de gamme watchmaking  what beats within is equally, if not more, important. To inhabit their watches, Kerbedanz works with respected movement specialists such as Technotime and Concepto, ensuring that their timepieces are as beautiful on the outside as they are powerful on the inside.
Instead of fishing with her husband on the Yangtze River, Chen Lanxiang, a 48-year-old ex-fisherwoman, found new businesses on dryland after moving ashore. Chen, who lives in the city of Ma'anshan in east China's Anhui Province, bid farewell to her old fishing life after a fishing ban was implemented in 2019 on the local section of Yangtze to protect the river from over-fishing. At a loss away from the water at the beginning, Chen has adapted to her new life with the subsidies and job support from the local government and feels motivated by her new venture. Running a clean-up company with eight former fisherfolk in Ma'anshan, she developed a new routine negotiating businesses, employing workers and contacting customers. "Previously, I had just worked with my husband fishing. It never occurred to me that I could define my own future or live in an urban community," said Chen, who had her life centered on a drifting boat for over 20 years. Chen and her husband used to live in Xuejiawa, a harbor on the Yangtze River where people have been fishing for generations. Just like many others who fish for a living, the couple would steer the boat to catch the fish before dawn and hurry to sell the fish ashore in the early morning. "Life was hard then. The 20-meter-long boat was our home, and it was chilly in winter and muggy in summer. We also felt alienated from society as we spent almost all the time on the boat," she said. After the fishing ban, more than 10,000 local fishers in Ma'anshan bid farewell to the trade and settled on land while 5,651 fishing boats were dismantled. Chen also docked her fishing boat for the very last time and started her new journey on dry land. The new venture was never easy sailing. Just like many other uneducated fishers, there are few job options for Chen after coming ashore. Though attending several job fairs organized by the local government, she failed to find a satisfactory one. Things started to change when the local government paid a visit to her home and proposed that the fishers could work together to run a clean-up company and they would provide free office space and practical guidance. "On second thought, I decided to give it a try even though it's a big challenge," said Chen. After full preparations backed by the local government, the company started to operate at the end of last year. To be a qualified boss, Chen participated in relevant skill training and participates in continued learning. "I learned to use the computer, handle the budget and reach out to businesses. These were all brand-new experiences for me," said Chen, adding that she always keeps notes of what she does not understand and consults others later. Thanks to her continuous efforts, the company now provides cleaning services for city roads as well as a vegetable market. The net profit of the company reaches about 10,000 yuan (about 1,543.6 U.S. dollars) a month. "I have high standards on the cleaning work, which earns us a good reputation among customers," said Chen, adding that it further boosts her confidence. Members of the former fishing community also benefited from programs to help them adapt to their new lives ashore. With subsidies of 240,000 yuan from the local government, Chen and her husband spend much less than the market price to buy a 100-square-meter house. Chen's husband also joined a patrol team to stop illegal fishing and clear wastes on the Yangtze River, earning over 3,000 yuan a month. Keen to make the most of her newfound business acumen, Chen has plans for another business venture in the pipeline. "I am getting ready to open a local specialty shop in the local scenic spot. The store is being designed now. I'm happy to see that my future has so many possibilities now that we live ashore," said Chen. Enditem


As a staunch champion for the international humanitarian spirit, China, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, has taken the lead in providing international aid to various countries. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, Xi put forward the proposal of jointly building a community of common health for humankind, calling for active engagement in jointly battling the pandemic and enhancing global public health governance. Having initiated the largest global humanitarian efforts in its history, China by April had provided or was offering anti-epidemic aid to 151 countries and 14 international organizations, and sent 37 medical expert teams to 34 countries, said a white paper released by China's State Council Information Office in June. Xi promised on various occasions to make China's COVID-19 vaccines a global public good, and China has joined COVAX, a global initiative backed by the World Health Organization, to ensure effective and equitable global access to vaccines. "China will provide $2 billion over two years to help with COVID-19 response and with economic and social development in affected countries, especially developing countries," Xi said on May 18 as he announced concrete measures to boost global fight against COVID-19, addressing the opening of the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly via video link. China will work with the United Nations to set up a global humanitarian response depot and hub in China, ensure the operation of anti-epidemic supply chains and foster "green corridors" for fast-track transportation and customs clearance, he said. When the pandemic started to rage in the Arab world, China delivered much-needed supplies and shared its experience combating the disease via video conferences with medical staff from 21 Arab states and sent medical experts to eight Arab states. China and Arab states have offered mutual assistance and staunch support to each other, and engaged in close cooperation since the COVID-19 outbreak, Xi said in a congratulatory letter to the 9th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum held on July 6, 2020, stressing that under the current circumstances, it is more necessary than ever for the two sides to step up cooperation and join hands in tiding over difficulties. When Africa was short of anti-pandemic goods last year, China overcame difficulties in international transportation and delivered anti-pandemic goods to 53 countries in Africa. The African Union in July 2019 praised China for its continuous support for public health in the continent as China fulfilled the promises it had made to the African people, referring to Xi's announcement during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing in September 2018, that China decided to upgrade 50 medical and health aid programs for Africa, particularly flagship projects such as the headquarters of the Africa Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. In January 2017, when delivering a keynote speech at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Xi said that China had provided foreign countries with over 400 billion yuan (about $58.4 billion then) in aid between 1950 and 2016, pledging that China would remain unchanged in its commitment to pursue common development. Also in the speech, Xi announced that China decided to provide an additional 200 million yuan (about $29 million) of humanitarian assistance for refugees and the displaced of Syria. In April 2016, China provided two million dollars in cash and humanitarian aid worth $9.2 million for Ecuador hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed almost 700 people, injured nearly 5,000 and displaced much more. "China will take an active part in Ecuador's post-quake rebuilding, and continue to provide support in housing, medical treatment, human resources and disaster prevention and reduction," Xi said in November 2016 when visiting the headquarters of Ecuador's national emergency response system ECU-911.


Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronaut Tang Hongbo working inside the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming had both slipped out of the space station core module Tianhe by 10:12 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Friday to conduct extravehicular activities (EVAs) for a second time, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Nie opened the hatch of Tianhe's node cabin at 8:38 a.m., the CMSA said.

Donning Feitian, new-generation homemade extravehicular mobility unit spacesuits that literally means "flying to space," the two astronauts have completed installing the foot restraints and extravehicular working platform on the mechanical arm, the CMSA said.

They will continue to work together to install other relevant extravehicular equipment with the aid of the mechanical arm, it said.

Astronaut Tang Hongbo has been staying inside Tianhe in cooperation with Nie and Liu for their EVAs.

The three astronauts were sent into space aboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship on June 17. Liu and Tang completed the first EVAs during the construction of the country's space station on July 4.

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronauts conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronaut Liu Boming preparing to slip out of the space station core module Tianhe to conduct extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday called for a comprehensive approach to fighting terrorism.

Although important progress has been made in international counter-terrorism cooperation, the current world situation on this front remains complex and severe with terrorism and violent extremism intertwined, said Dai Bing, the charge d'affaires at the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

In the first half of this year, the Islamic State has regrouped in places such as Iraq and Syria and has further infiltrated the African region. COVID-19 has posed economic and social challenges, which may bring a new wave of terrorism, he told the Security Council.

"The international community needs to attach great importance to this matter and adopt comprehensive measures to jointly respond to the threat of terrorism," said Dai.

Terrorism is a common enemy of human societies and combating terrorism is a common responsibility of the international community. Countries should strengthen cooperation at national, regional and global levels by stepping up counter-terrorism efforts in early warning, counter-terrorism financing, travel restrictions, border supervision and intelligence exchanges, he said.

In fighting terrorism, emphasis should be placed on the prevention and elimination of its root causes. Counter-terrorism measures should focus on long-term solutions by addressing both symptoms and root causes, he said.

It is important to adopt comprehensive political, economic, judicial, and social means and stick to peaceful solutions to hot-spot issues through political means. It is important to assist member states in eradicating poverty, strengthening capacity-building, promoting sustainable economic and social development, and advocating mutual respect and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations, religions, and ethnic groups, he said.

Young people are susceptible to extreme ideologies. Therefore, special attention should be paid to strengthen youth education and employment in order to provide a favorable environment for their growth. Countries should carry out exchanges and cooperation on terrorism prevention and de-radicalization, such as vocational training and community correctional measures so as to help vulnerable countries strengthen their counter-terrorism capacity-building, he noted.

In fighting terrorism, it is important to focus on key issues while taking into consideration new development, he said. "We must be highly vigilant against terrorist forces using COVID-19 to instigate terrorist activities, and we must strive to solve outstanding problems, such as the abuse of the internet and emerging technologies by terrorists, diversification of terrorist financing channels, and the confluence of organized crimes."

China will continue to actively work with counter-terrorism platforms like the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Global Counter-terrorism Forum, and to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with all sides in a joint effort to respond to terrorist threats and maintain world peace and stability, he said.
After completing 14-day quarantine and nucleic acid tested negative, 100 peacekeepers of the 2nd echelon of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping construction engineer contingent to Lebanon by taking a special plane taking off at 16:00 on August 17 from the Pingtan Airport in Huizhou city, Guangdong province arrived in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan Province. At 7 a.m. next morning, they boarded a special plane at the Kunming Changshui International Airport and flew to Lebanon to perform a one-year peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
Members of the 19th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon check in at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport on August 18, 2021. (Photo by Liu Pan)

BEIRUT, Aug. 20 -- The second echelons 200 members of the 19th Chinese peacekeeping forces to Lebanon safely arrived at Kunming Changshui International Airport on August 19. All the 410 members of the 19th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon have returned home.

The 19th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon consists of a multifunctional engineer contingent, a construction engineer contingent and a medical contingent. The three contingents were deployed in the mission area in southern Lebanon in August 2020.

Under the severe pandemic situation and the turbulent security situation, the 19th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanoners had completed peacekeeping tasks with high standards, such as post-disaster aid after Beirut Port explosion, mine sweeping and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), architectural engineering construction, medical assistance and humanitarian aid with "zero infection" of the COVID-19, and all members were awarded the UN Peace Medals of Honor.

The first echelon of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon arrived at the mission area on July 29, local time, the two Chinese peacekeeping forces had completed force command and equipment handover before the 20th Chinese peacekeeping force started to perform its missions.

The second echelon of the 19th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon arrives at Kunming Changshui International Airport in Kunming, capital city of southwest Chinas Yunnan Province on August 19, 2021. (Photo by Liu Pan)
By Ma Yichong and Zhang Yandong

KHARTOUM, Aug. 20 -- On the morning of August 19, local time in Abyei, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) awarded the UN Peace Medals of Honor to all 86 peacekeepers of the 1st Chinese peacekeeping helicopter contingent to Abyei on the occasion of the second anniversary of this contingent's deployment to Abyei. This is the second UN Peace Medal of Honor the peacekeepers of the Chinese peacekeeping helicopter contingent have been awarded during their continuous peacekeeping missions overseas.

At the medal awarding ceremony, the UNISFA Force Commander Major General Kefyalew Amde Tessema signed an order of commendation for each awardee in recognition of their outstanding contributions to promoting the peace process in the Abyei region.

"Being awarded two UN Peace Medals consecutively is not only a recognition of us peacekeepers but also a recognition of China's efforts in safeguarding world peace. I am proud to be able to win this honor on behalf of our motherland," pilot Liu Yifu said excitedly.

It is learned that the 86 members of the 1st Chinese peacekeeping helicopter contingent to Abyei are selected from China's 3rd peacekeeping helicopter contingent to Darfur, Sudan, which had been deployed to the mission area in Darfur in August 2019. The contingent is mainly responsible for military and civilian tasks including air patrol, battlefield reconnaissance, personnel transportation and material delivery.

Abyei is one of the disputed regions between Sudan and South Sudan with an area of about 10,000 square kilometers. In June 2011, the UN Security Council decided to establish UNISFA to oversee the military withdrawal of Sudan and South Sudan from the Abyei region.
South Korea has dropped two spots to rank 44th in the latest report on media freedom by Reporters Without Borders.

Topping this year's World Press Freedom Index by the nonprofit organization were Finland and Norway, while Eritrea placed bottom of the list. North Korea was one slot higher at 178th.

The group, which campaigns for the rights of imprisoned journalists, said that last year's wave of democracy protests in the Arab world led to the worst ever rankings for Syria, Bahrain and Yemen.

Japan dropped 11 spots for excessive restrictions following last year's tsunami and Fukushima nuclear accident. However, no inquiries were returned on why South Korea scored marginally worse this year.
U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to stay in Afghanistan until all U.S. citizens who want to leave have been evacuated, as he stands firmly by his decision to leave the country, despite the chaos that has ensued.

"I don't think it could've been handled in a way that there -- we're -- going to go back in hindsight and look, but the idea that somehow there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens," Biden said in an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News. He dismissed questions about scenes of Afghans clinging to a U.S. aircraft as it took off as something that happened "days ago."

The president stressed that the U.S. military is now in control at the airport and evacuating thousands with the goal of getting everyone who needs to be evacuated out, both American and Afghan, by August 31. When pressed whether troops will stay if the U.S. doesn't meet the Aug. 31 deadline, Biden said, "If we don't, we'll determine who's left... and if there's American citizens left, we're going to stay until we get them out."

The omission of at-risk Afghans and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants in his answer is likely to disturb the thousands yet to be evacuated and their American allies who are desperate to get them out. Pentagon officials said Thursday that to date, the U.S. military had evacuated 7,000 people in recent days, for a total of 12,000 evacuated since the end of July.

Concern is growing with reports that Afghans and American citizens are having trouble getting to the airport due to Taliban checkpoints. The U.S. is continuing to communicate with local Taliban commanders on the ground to move people through the checkpoints.

"It comes down a lot to the credentialing and making sure that they can prove -- and we can prove -- that these are appropriate people to move through. And we have indications this morning that that process is working," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters Thursday.
Armenian musician Astrid Poghosyan finds permanent home in Shanghai

By:Wu Qiong, Jiang Meiqing | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-08-20 10:18

One has to encounter many firsts in life. For Astrid Poghosyan who comes from Armenia, many of her first experiences are connected with Shanghai. She is the first Armenian student admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the first foreign student to get a work permit in Shanghai and the first foreign administrative staff member at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Over the past 12 years, she has let her musical talent bloom and pursued her dream in Shanghai.

Astrid Poghosyan works as executive assistant to the President of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. She is at the same time a violinist. What tune would she use to describe the city of Shanghai? In her reply, she said Shanghai cannot be described by a single song. Instead it is an album which includes all sorts of melodies. That reminds people of Shanghais city character: inclusiveness.

(Astrid Poghosyan)

Proud to live in Shanghai

Last year, when Astrid was taking a holiday in the US, the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in China. Due to the flight restrictions, she had to fly for over 30 hours to get back to Armenia. It wasnt until nearly half a year had passed that she was allowed to return to China. This is the first time in my life [since coming here] that Ive left China for so long, said Astrid. I dont want such an experience again.

Astrid is now a staff member at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO), the first Armenian employee in the SSOs history over the past 140 years and more. Not far from the SSO is her alma mater, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The school is the reason why she came to China 12 years ago.

Starting to learn violin at the age of five, Astrid planned to go to Europe to study music after graduation from high school. But at that time, China was the only country that accepted music students through a scholarship program. For 16-year-old Astrid, China was a far-away country she knew little about, beyond some basic knowledge about Beijing or Shanghai. A week before her departure, she was told that she would go to Shanghai.

(Astrid Poghosyan [first from left] plays the violin in her graduation performance)

In 2010, Astrid was officially admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She then continued her masters degree in the school, and in 2016, she began to work for the SSO. Over the period, she spent eight months learning Chinese and passed HSK Level 4. She also stepped on various stages to show Armenia to the Chinese audience through music. In addition, she used her spare time after class to participate in various practical activities. Now the young lady is used to her life in Shanghai, and furthermore, she is proud of being an expat in Shanghai. As she said, she is now learning Shanghai dialect from her colleagues, because in her eyes, To be an authentic Shanghainese, one must speak Shanghai dialect.

Looking back, Im very grateful for the decision (to go study in Shanghai) at that time, said Astrid. If she went to Beijing, she would now lead a different life. Shanghai is where I should be, she added.

China and Shanghai have partially raised me

Like most artists, who are often sensitive, Astrid has emotional sympathy about little things in her life, even when she sees a mother taking the hand of a son on the street.

(Astrid Poghosyan takes part in a TV variety show)

Since coming to Shanghai, Astrid has made acquaintances with many foreign students. Few of them stay in Shanghai for so long as Astrid. She confided that there have been many times she has met difficulties while living in the country alone, but she has never given up. While studying in the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, she studied hard and earned her first job.

In August 2016, the SSO hosted the first Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, for which Astrid volunteered as a receptionist of visiting foreigners. Due to her excellent work, she was offered a job at the SSO. The next year, the Chinese government used a new policy regarding international students work permits. Qualified foreign students can work in Shanghai directly, without going back to their home country. With the help of SSOs HR department, Astrid became the first qualified applicant and obtained the permit.

Having been here for so many years, I can say that China and Shanghai have partially raised me, Astrid said, adding that, as a foreigner she wishes to thank Shanghai for this. She will also stick to her goal in life, which is to make some contributions to China and be a bridge between China and Armenia.

Astrids story in China has made her widely-known in her hometown. She joked that she has become a hotline for many young students who plan to go to China. Each time she gets inquiries from them, she will think of the time when she first came to Shanghai in 2009. I really understand their feelings, so I will try my best to help them. Of course, Ill tell me in the end: Dont be afraid. You should come here because here is the best!

An artist in the cultural center

Astrids responsibility at the SSO is to coordinate various international projects and administrative affairs. Nevertheless, the violin is still a part of her daily life. She joined a band called Polymorph Extra a few years ago as the lead violinist. Different from the jazz musicians in the band, she is the only artist with an educational background in classical music. She believes it is very special and fun to work with several people from different backgrounds. The band combines classical and jazz with creative visual and dance elements, so as to create a fantastic immersive musical experience for the audience.

Music is part of Astrids life and it is also part of Shanghai. During the Shanghai Music in the Summer Air (MISA) Festival which concluded in July, Astrid showed some teenagers around the Shanghai Symphony Museum. Some of the six and seven graders among the visitors left a deep impression on her. She recalled, I asked one of them if he likes classical music. He said, Of course. That surprised me. Then he started to explain to me what kind of experience it is to listen to music on vinyl. She discovered that many of the children develop the habit of listening to classical music under the influence of their family. That motivated her to share classical music with more young people.

As Astrid said, Shanghai is a city that can represent the future of art, and it is a must-go city for many world-renowned orchestras and musicians who want to perform in Asia. It proves that Shanghai is not only an international science, technology and economic center, but also a global cultural center, she added.

Story by Wu Qiong

Video by Jiang Meiqing

(Photos provided by Astrid Poghosyan)
New test kit available for both COVID-19 and flu virus

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-08-20 14:54

What are the differences between the novel coronavirus and influenza virus? A new test kit was allowed to enter the market on August 16, said the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality.

Approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), the product was developed by a Shanghai-based biomedicine company, as Chinas first PCR test kid for both novel coronavirus and influenza A and B viruses.





Cases of COVID-19 can generally be categorized into five groups: Asymptomatic, Mild, Moderate, Severe, and Critical. Some mild cases are easily confused with influenza in clinical manifestations. People infected with the novel coronavirus will have symptoms like fever, sore throat, myalgia, dry cough, and fatigue, which are similar to normal flu symptoms. Whats more, radiological manifestations of flu also sometimes feature patchy ground glass opacities, which are typical appearances of COVID-19. Due to the similarities, diagnosis through etiology is needed to tell between COVID-19 and influenza.









The launch of the new test kit will solve the problem by helping doctors identify the cause of fever and choose a reasonable treatment plan for different patients. Two types of infectious pathogen detection results can be obtained only by a single experiment, and the ORF1ab/N/E genes can all be covered. It is so far one of the most comprehensive tools for COVID-19 related gene detection. Another advantage of the product lies in its sensitivity with a minimum LOD value of 200 copies/mL.
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Comal County's active COVID-19 case count reached 1,377 on Friday, another new all-time peak, while local hospitalizations declined slightly, but still at high levels with most of those patients unvaccinated.

County health officials reported 195 new cases and 155 recoveries Friday, increasing the number of active cases by 40 compared to the previous day and 33 from a week ago. Of the new cases, 143 are confirmed and 52 are probable.

Thirty of the new cases, including three infants under 12 months of age, are people under 20, 34 are in their 20s, 67 are in their 30s and 40s, 47 are in their 50s and 60s and 17 are older than 70.

No deaths were reported on Friday. The fatality count remained at 354 since the pandemic arrived locally in March of 2020.

COVID surge pushes event on redistricting to go virtual The League of Women Voters of the Comal Area announced Thursday that due to the resurgence i

State officials on Thursday reported 10,772 new confirmed cases and 3,285 new probable cases, an increase of 3,546 cases compared with the seven-day average a week ago.

Thirty-one Comal County residents were hospitalized with the virus on Friday, up six from the previous day and down five from a week ago. Almost half of those in hospitals are younger than 60.

Of those hospitalized, one is aged 18 or younger, two are 19 to 29, three are in their 30s, three in their 40s, six in their 50s, seven in their 60s, eight in their 70s and one older than 80.

The number of patients in local hospitals fell to 88 on Friday from Thursday's mark of 93, unchanged from a week ago, with 23 of those patients in intensive care and 15 on ventilators. About 90% of those patients are unvaccinated, according to health officials.

Local hospitals have cared for a mix of county residents and those from outside the area since the pandemic began, and some local patients have been treated in outside hospitals.

With more than 12,700 Texans hospitalized with COVID-19, the state is nearing its previous pandemic peak.

As of Wednesday, 12,705 Texans were hospitalized for the coronavirus, an increase of 1,914 patients compared with a week ago.

The state's single-day hospital usage record is 14,218, set on Jan. 11.

The percentage of hospital beds being used by COVID patients across the 22-county region that includes Comal and Guadalupe counties increased to 20.36% on Friday from Thursday's mark of 19.98%. The rate was 18.51% a week ago.

State health officials reported 435 available staffed hospital beds in the region, including 46 available staffed ICU beds. The region's hospital capacity is 6,730 beds.

State health officials on Wednesday reported 7,567 available staffed hospital beds, including 417 available staffed ICU beds statewide. COVID-19 patients currently occupy 19.4% of total hospital beds.

The county's seven-day positivity molecular rate on Friday was 14.7%. The antigen rate was 9.3%. The rates are broken down by the type of COVID test that is used.

According to DSHS data, 66.57% of Comal County residents over the age of 12 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 56.49% are fully vaccinated as of Friday. The statewide rates stand at 66.12% and 54.92%, respectively.

The vaccination rates in Guadalupe County, which includes a portion of the city of New Braunfels, stood at 59.73% with one dose and 50.73% fully vaccinated.

Comal County health officials said this week they are gearing up to provide booster shots to people previously vaccinated with Moderna and Pfizer, but with vaccine widely available, hoped they wouldn't need to do mass clinics like they did earlier in the year.

The Comal County Public Health Department continues to offer vaccination appointments for those over the age of 12. The Moderna vaccine is used for those 18 and older, while the Pfizer is used for those between the ages of 12 and 18. There are no approved vaccines for those under the age of 12. Those interested in receiving a vaccine can call 830-221-1150 to schedule an appointment.

Residents can visit covidvaccine.texas.gov to find a provider in Comal County and surrounding areas.

Residents can also utilize TDEM's State Mobile Vaccine Program by calling 844-90-TEXAS and selecting Option 3 to schedule a mobile vaccine clinic to vaccinate groups of friends, families, employees and volunteers.

Homebound Texans can also call 844-90-TEXAS and choose Option 1 to request a mobile vaccine team to come to their home.

Curative Labs has temporarily closed its testing facility in the New Braunfels City Hall parking lot, but those needing a COVID-19 test can call their primary care physician or visit a local pharmacy, such as Walgreens or CVS.

DSHS provides a map of testing locations available at https://covidtest.tdem.texas.gov/.

The Texas Tribune contributed to this story.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

A few passing clouds. Low near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. Hot and humid. High 96F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low near 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
A growing number of parents across the nation are concerned about what their children are being taught in public schools.

Chief among those issues of concern is critical race theory. CRT, in part, teaches kids of color that they are natural-born victims and teaches white kids that they are natural-born oppressors.

In todays KXDJ Did You Hear That? segment with Chris Samples, he recently asked Gruver ISD Superintendent Wade Callaway about dealing with these issues here at home.

Click https://highplainsobserverperryton.com/clients/highplainsobserverperryton/wadeccrt.mp3 target=new>here to listen.

The Texas legislature, while they did already pass legislation relating to CRT, has promised to address it again in the special session underway now.

Other states are doing similar things as well. According to the Oklahoman, K-12 educators in Oklahoma could have their teaching licenses suspended and schools could have their accreditation docked for teaching banned concepts about race and racism under administrative rules approved by the State Board of Education.

Amid pressure from Republican state lawmakers, the board approved on a 5-1 vote emergency rules to implement a new law that prohibits the teaching of certain topics on race and gender on Monday.
Press Release

August 20, 2021 De Lima thanks 'Laban Leila Cebu' for unwavering support Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima thanked her supporters in Cebu for showing their unwavering faith and support for her by joining forces to volunteer in the campaign network called "LabanLeila2022," which kicked off in the province today (Aug. 20). In a message read by her niece, Meg Serranilla, De Lima said the support she has been receiving from co-warriors who are tirelessly fighting for truth and justice gave her further courage to seek reelection amid her unjust detention. "I chose to fight back. My continuing persecution only strengthened my determination to see this battle to the end, in justice and vindication. We have been living precariously in a shrinking democratic space for the past 5 years, where the price for speaking your mind, or for simply being poor, is persecution or death. Despite this, our people refuse to be silenced. What right do I have to give up?" she asked. "Maraming salamat, Laban Leila Cebu. Thank you for believing in my innocence and for courageously declaring your support. Thank you for fighting with me. I am beyond grateful. Tuloy ang laban," said De Lima, who marks her 1,639th day of unjust detention today. #LabanLeila2022 consists of volunteers who committed their talents and resources to campaign for De Lima and support her advocacy as she continues to be detained over politically-motivated charges. Among them are representatives from Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Pamilya ng Pantawid (SNPP), the urban poor, the youth sector, women, and the agriculture-fishery sector, among others. The launching of #LabanLeila2022 was led by former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Francisco "Bimbo" Fernandez, who delivered the opening message in Cebu. He was joined in a recorded video message by Cebu Vice Governor Junjun Davide. The lady Senator from Bicol maintained that her story cannot end yet even if it means running a reelection campaign from what she described as a small, spartan detention cell in Camp Crame, and with limited resources and logistics. "It is largely because of people like you who continue believing in me, who soldier on in our shared causes that my story refuses to go down the dustbin of irrelevance and obscurity. It has become a part of our people's continuing struggle for truth and justice. A part of a far greater narrative, I must say," she said. "I owe it to my family and to the memory of my father to clear our name. I owe it to the brave women who first came to my rescue when I was being maligned at the House of Representatives." "I owe it to the mothers, widows and orphans of EJK victims who vowed to fight with me, even as they grieve the loss of their loved ones. I owe it to the young, the poor, and the workers who continue to write me letters of hope. I owe it to all of you," she added. De Lima confirmed that she would seek reelection in the 2022 national elections in an indictment letter addressed to Mr. Duterte last July 21. Meanwhile, the launching of #LabanLeila2020 in Iloilo, Bicol and NCR are scheduled on Aug. 23, 24, and 26, respectively.
A team of security agents comprising of officers attached to Central Police Station and the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) on Thursday, August 19 arrested at least 100 commercial sex workers in Nairobis central business district.

The crackdown followed complaints of daytime prostitution from traders and members of the public.

The businesspeople lamented that the twilight girls were operating in broad daylight near their stores, causing a nuisance and distracting their would-be customers.

A senior Central Police Station officer reportedly told The Standard that the crackdown also targeted street families, parking boys and muggers.

The traders filed a number of complaints against the group, particularly sex workers whom they claimed were operating in broad daylight near their stalls, the cop was quoted.

Some of the women openly entice men walking on the streets. Several victims have complained of sexual harassment by a section of the sex workers, who pull them to corridors for negotiation.

The officer observed that the 10 pm-4 am curfew might have pushed the sex workers into daytime prostittuion.

The traders said the sex workers were using foul language near their shops, making their customers uncomfortable. The most affected businessmen and women are those operating on Luthuli, Duruma Road, and its neighbouring streets.

Some of the complainants threatened to stop remitting taxes to the county government if action wont be taken against the sex workers.

Central Day Nursery School on Ngariama Road had written a letter to the police and the NMS about sex workers presence outside the schools gate. The management complained that the twilight girls had littered the entrance to the school with cigarette sticks, miraa leaves and stems, condoms, among other unwanted matter.

The House of Judah Church on Ndumberi Road has also filed complaints about the nuisance by sex workers.

The sex workers even show up outside the church on Sundays, when congregants are entering or leaving the worship centre, a member of House of Judah Church reportedly said.

NMS officer, William Kangogo, who is in charge of the crackdown to rid the CBD of sex workers, beggars, and muggers said the exercise will last one month and would be conducted randomly thereafter.

The directive was issued by the National Government, he said, adding that some of the people posing as beggars are foreigners who are in the country illegally.

We are investigating who is housing the foreigners because we understand that some of the beggars, mostly those living with disabilities, are usually taken to Huruma every evening, added Kangogo.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is looking to evacuate Kenyans stranded in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.

In a statement on Thursday, August 19, the ministry said it is working closely with the Kenya High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan, to gather information on any Kenyans who need evacuation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Kenya High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan which is the nearest Mission to Afghanistan has reached out to our allies to get information of any stranded Kenyans and prospects of evacuation, the statement read.

Foreign Affairs CS Raychelle Omamo said 52 Kenyans have since been evacuated from Afghanistan. 12 Kenyans who were working for private contractors in Afghanistan were evacuated to Birmingham in the UK.

Another group of 40 was evacuated to Kazakhstan on Wednesday night.

Omamo said the evacuation was enabled by the Kenyan Embassy in Beijing, China.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that despite a lack of diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, the safety of Kenyans is of paramount importance.

Kenyan missions in the region continue to reach out to Kenyans employed in the security sector and others engaged by private companies who are yet to be evacuated by their employees, Omamo said.

She added: For those who wish to be evacuated, the Kenyan Missions will continue to reach out to the private companies to ensure the safety and welfare of the Kenyan nationals.
A suspected serial phone snatcher was arrested on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, after robbing a policewoman in Nairobis Ngara area.

According to witnesses, the middle-aged man snatched a phone from a policewoman who was undercover on a mission to nab criminals in the area.

The suspect reportedly quietly walked towards the cop and snatched her phone before taking off towards the CBD on Muranga Road.

Witnesses added that the cop fired in the air to scare the suspect and alert members of the public.

We heard a scream from a lady whom we later learnt was a police officer. She immediately gave the young man a chase and fired two gunshots in the air. She was calling on the passers-by and on-lookers to assist her to apprehend the thug. The public got alerted and caught him and he was eventually handcuffed by the officer, said a witness.

The undercover officer further protected the thief from being lynched by the angry mob.

The suspect was taken to the Central Police Station ahead of his day in court.

Also Watch  Boda Boda Thief Snatches Phone from Traffic Police Officer
Media personality Janet Mbugua recently opened up about a little-known story about the most desperate thing she has ever done to get someones attention.

Speaking with Citizen TVs Jeff Koinange for a show on YouTube, the former news anchor said she once screamed at a celebrity boyband during her early 20s.

At the time, Janet was studying in Malaysia when she bumped into the American group Boyz II Men in the streets.

There was this time in Malaysiait was shortly after the tsunami but I went there for universityand three days in, there was a benefit concert and all these celebrities were in town. I was a young college student with my friends and so Boyz II Men were walking past and we screamed like crazy to the point where we had the presss attention because we needed their (Boyz II Men) attention. We were like its Boyz II Men and we will never see them again, she narrated.

Janet told Jeff that she was the leader of the screaming party, and they did manage to get autographs from four-time Grammy winners.

That was the one thing I remember because we were almost climbing over the rails trying to scream their name and I was leading the chants so maybe the craziest thing Ive done is scream after a celebrity and eventually, they came back and we had a chat and signed autographs and that was that, Janet recounted.
A man, his girlfriend, and his former ex-girlfriend found themselves in court after they were involved in a fierce bar brawl in Upper Hill, Nairobi.

According to a police report, David Masenge Nyangau, a doctor at the Kenyatta National Hospital, was in the company of his ex-girlfriend Lucy Wanjiru Kimiti and his new girlfriend Naomi Natasha drinking beer at the said bar on January 17, 2021.

Before they went drinking together, Lucy said she had visited her ex-boyfriend David at his house and left her bag which allegedly had Ksh30, 000 and her phone.

When she returned to collect the bag, she found David with his new catch Naomi, a 24-year-old model. Lucy claimed that money was missing from her purse.

She reported the incident at Kenyatta Police Post after which they were all summoned and the matter was solved amicably.

The trio then went for drinks at the Pronto bar and restaurant, where their newfound peace was shattered. A brawl between the love rivals started after David went to the washroom.

When he came back he found the two ladies fighting. Naomi, who is the complainant, was on the ground while the accused was on top beating her mercilessly. Lucy bit Naomi on the nose, and she started bleeding, read the cover report.

When the doctor tried to intervene, Lucy allegedly took a pool ball and hit him on the forehead. He also started bleeding.

The three were jointly charged with creating a disturbance, but Lucy was charged with an additional file of assaulting Naomi.

Naomi told Magistrate Esther Kimilu that she was badly injured and that she is awaiting a second surgery to correct her disfigured nose.
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Workers display liquid detergent produced at a factory in the Cambodian village of Chheuteal Phlos. The factory is part of a Chinese pilot project aimed at alleviating poverty in the Southeast Asian nation. [ZHANG ZHAO/XINHUA]

By XU WEI

Range of aid provided to scores of neighboring countries

The annual rainy season in Southeast Asia used to be a miserable experience for Mao Tith and his family, as the hut they lived in, built from bamboo with a thatched roof of palm leaves, barely offered protection from torrential downpours.

However, the rain also provided an important source of water for the family, which lives in the small Cambodian village of Svay Ampear. During the dry season, they had to fetch water from a pond shared by the village.

A lack of secure housing and access to safe drinking water were not the only challenges faced by a team of Chinese experts that arrived in the village in 2017 to launch a pilot project aimed at alleviating poverty in Cambodia.

The project was part of a regional poverty reduction demonstration program announced by China during the 17th ASEAN-China, Japan and Republic of Korea leaders' meeting in 2014. China provided combined funding of 100 million yuan ($15.4 million) to pilot poverty reduction in a total of six villages in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Liu Xiaolin, an official from the bureau of rural vitalization in Sichuan province who took part in the project, said, "We took action based on the experience drawn from China's poverty reduction campaign to try to identify the cause of poverty for each household before coming up with a targeted plan for each of them."

With the joint efforts of Chinese experts and the Cambodian authorities, two villages in CambodiaSvay Ampear and Chheuteal Phloswere transformed by the end of last year. A community center was built to offer training sessions for villagers, and water supplies and electricity were connected to all households. A total of 71 homes were rebuilt and another 190 renovated.

Launched in tandem with methods tailored for the villagers to reduce their spending and earn more, the program introduced them to growing mushrooms, vegetables and also to other professional skills.

The program in Cambodia typifies China's broader steps to promote international development cooperation as the world's largest developing nation. With China achieving its goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, officials and analysts said the nation would remain committed to furthering South-South Cooperation in its international development cooperation, with greater focus placed on improving livelihoods and building capacity for less-developed nations.

President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has made renewed commitments to enhancing the well-being of humankind.

In a keynote speech to the CPC and World Political Parties Summit last month, Xi said eradicating poverty has been a common aspiration for people from all countries and is an important objective for political parties. The CPC is willing to contribute more Chinese solutions and Chinese strength to reducing poverty worldwide, he said.

In a congratulatory message marking the fifth anniversary of the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund and the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development, Xi pledged to work with developing countries to further unleash the potential of South-South cooperation, share development opportunities with them and continue helping them achieve sustainable growth.

In a speech delivered at the APEC Informal Economic Leaders' Retreat on July 16, the president unveiled a three-year $3 billion aid package to support COVID-19 response and economic and social recovery in other developing countries.

According to the China International Development Cooperation Agency, or CIDCA, China has provided various types aid to more than 160 developing nations, carried out thousands of aid programs and offered over 400,000 training sessions to staff members.

Chinese experts conduct a field study during the regional poverty relief project in Cambodia. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY]

Priority treatment

Early last month, Luo Zhaohui, head of CIDCA, wrote in a signed article that China has always given priority in its international aid programs to improving people's livelihoodsespecially eliminating hunger and poverty.

"China's foreign aid is conducted in ways that are similar to friends helping each other. It not only helps beneficiary countries improve people's livelihoods and promote economic growth, but also creates a good external environment for China's own development and the happiness of its people," he wrote.

Lin, the project official, said the Chinese experts had to start from scratch when they arrived in Svay Ampear, which is about 50 kilometers from Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital.

The fact that many villagers do not have their own farmland was the biggest obstacle to poverty alleviation, and the project officials had to match their expertise to meet local conditions.

The high cost of electricity, with private power companies charging as much as $200 to connect each household, is another hurdle to improving livelihoods. According to the World Bank, 9.1 percent of the rural population in Cambodia did not have access to electricity in 2019.

Lin said: "There were no statistics for the number of people or households in the village. We planned to divert water from the Mekong River to supply tap water to the households, but there were no data or observation locations to provide any clues to the water quality."

Impoverished farmers such as Mao Tith were the focus of attention for the project officials, who decided to help the 75-year-old and his family relocate to a new home.

Mao managed to raise $350, while the project funded another $830 to rebuild his home, a house made from a metal framework and which had a toilet made of concrete. The project officials helped him grow pepper on a patch of land he borrowed from a relative. The project also allowed him to raise a calf.

Yuan Gang, a leading Chinese official for the project, said special attention was paid to letting poor households come up with their own initiatives to alleviate poverty.

For households without farmland, the experts helped them grow vegetables in pots, reducing their annual spending by $180 to $250. For those with farmland, a program was launched to help farmers grow mushrooms.

The project also provided 20 calves for the village and encouraged residents to share them as a source of income. A factory producing detergents was set up to offer job opportunities, with the farmers becoming shareholders.

Yuan said: "We paid special attention to getting poor farmers involved during implementation of the project. Their views were respected and their advice was adopted."

A water tower built by China supplies safe drinking water to more than 800 households in two villages in Cambodia. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY]

Greater role

K. Y. Sophal, director of the Cambodian Ministry of Rural Development's Department of Rural Economy Development, who also took part in the regional poverty reduction demonstration project, said the Chinese funds were directly channeled to the beneficiariesthe residents of the two villages. "China's expertise was instrumental in reducing poverty in both locations," Sophal added.

"The Chinese experience proved more than useful to the villagers, the local government and especially my department. The project enabled us to learn a lot about the successful experience in China," Sophal said in an online interview.

Although the project was only applied in two villages, the experience gained from it can be used to aid poverty reduction throughout Cambodia, he said.

With COVID-19 pushing more people below the poverty line in developing nations, including Cambodia, Sophal said China has a greater role to play in the global fight against extreme material deprivation.

According to official estimates in Cambodia, the poverty rate in 2014 was 13.5 percent compared with 47.8 percent in 2007, with more than 90 percent of the poor living in rural areas.

The pandemic, which has caused a sharp deceleration in most of Cambodia's main growth engines, including tourism, exports and construction, has raised the rural poverty rate to 20 percent, Sophal said.

Xu Xiuli, dean of China Agricultural University's College of International Development and Global Agriculture, said future international development assistance from China could place more focus on poverty reduction demonstration projects.

With the pandemic threatening to reverse the progress made toward achieving the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, China has stepped up to contribute its strength and wisdom, she said.

The most recent example of this is Xi's announcement of the $3 billion aid package for developing countries, which Xu said would be "the helping hand such nations need the most".

"China has given priority to contributing to the 2030 goals with its own development aid to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind," she said.

"Poverty alleviation and reducing inequality will continue to be China's strong focus."

China Daily APP Aug 20, 2021

 
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Whelan seeks expulsion from Russia for sentence completion in U.S.  Moscow court

 Moskva city news agency, Sophia Sandurskaya

15:53 20/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 20 (RAPSI) - Former American marine Paul Whelan sentenced to 16 years in high-security prison for espionage against Russia has lodged a motion seeking his expulsion from Russia and transfer to the U.S. to serve the remainder of his sentence there, the Moscow City Courts press service has told RAPSI.

Earlier, his attorney Vladimir Zherebenkov told RAPSI about this desire of the convict. Other details are not revealed, as the case is classified.

Whelans defense also filed complaints over impossibility to contact their client with the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) and the Prosecutor Generals Office, according to Zherebenkov.

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 earlier in August.

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.
Navalnys employee restricted of liberty for breaching sanitary rules at illegal rally

 Moscow's Tverskoy District Court, AGN Moskva

16:19 20/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 20 (RAPSI)  The Preobrazhensky District Court on Friday sentenced Oleg Stepanov, ex-head of the Moscow branch of Navalnys Offices, the organization recognized as extremist, one-year restriction of liberty in a case over violation of sanitary norms during the illegal rally held in Moscow in January, the courts press service told RAPSI.

According to the ruling, Stepanov is banned from changing her permanent place of living without notifying authorized bodies, attending mass events and participating in them, leaving Moscow and Moscow Region without pernmission, leaving his place of residence from 10 pm to 6 am.

Earlier, several other defendants in the case were convicted and received similar sentences.

According to the Interior Ministry, coronavirus-positive persons ordered to isolation were identified among participants of the rally held in Moscow on January 23, 2021. A criminal case over violation of sanitary and epidemiological rules was opened over this fact.
Every day - up to thirty times a day, in fact - one of Mark Mason's employees at Nature's Reward Farms in Monterey County, California brings him the results of a soil test for discussion.

Mason supervises fertilizer and irrigation for the farm's 5,000 acres along California's Central Coast, which is nicknamed "America's Salad Bowl" and is one of the most productive and diverse agricultural regions in the world. Those soil test results are key inputs for one of his newest tools: CropManage, which is operated by the University of California Cooperative Extension and uses data from NASA and other sources to create customized irrigation and fertilizer recommendations. In addition to satellite measurements of crop development, it gauges local weather, soil characteristics, and irrigation system efficiency.

"CropManage gives a recommendation back to the person that's gone out and pulled the soil sample," Mason explained. "He gets the results, then discusses that with me. I know what the field looks like, so I'll take CropManage's recommendations and make a decision based on what I know about the irrigation method, when it will be harvested, the soil type, how the crop looks, and the history of that ground for that time of year."

If you ate a fruit, vegetable or nut today, chances are good that it came from a farm like Nature's Reward Farms in California's Central Coast, or from the nearby Central Valley. Covering more than 20,000 square miles in the Golden State, these regions are home to thousands of farms that grow hundreds of different crops, annually producing more than one-third of the United States' vegetables and two-thirds of their fruits and nuts.

But central California doesn't get much rain. Most of the Central Valley's water comes from streams and reservoirs that capture mountain snowmelt and groundwater stored in porous deposits deep below the surface. These water sources face increasing pressures due to climate change, human use and natural variability, making water management a complex and evolving issue. Monitoring how much water is available to grow our groceries has never been more vital, and NASA's Earth-observing satellites and partnership programs help farmers, water resource managers and policymakers monitor and allocate increasingly scarce water resources throughout their state.

The first question NASA researchers studying freshwater on Earth ask is: Where is the water? As it constantly cycles between water vapor, rain and snow, and reservoirs above and below ground, water is tracked by a fleet of NASA satellites.

Credits: NASA / Katy Mersmann

Watching the Water Supply

In an ideal year, heavy snow falls in California's mountain ranges and accumulates over the winter and spring. The snow acts as a natural reservoir, holding and releasing water gradually into rivers and streams as the weather warms in spring. From there, a system of aqueducts, canals and pipelines carries the water to drier regions of the state. Many farmers in the central parts of the state use this water to irrigate their crops, and also rely heavily on groundwater from wells.

But not every year is an ideal year. In 2021, for example, extreme heat and drought have continued to pummel the West. The winter's below-average precipitation and exceptionally small snowfall evaporated quickly in high spring temperatures or melted and soaked into soils still parched from a dry autumn and winter. As a result, little water remained to fill reservoirs and nourish plants further down the valley. Already tightly allocated, water supplies in the region have become even more scarce, and some farmers must make hard decisions on which crops will get that water.

NASA researchers closely observe central California's water sources, how they're changing over time, and why - and produce information that can be used to determine what to do about it. Satellites, airborne and field missions track snowfall, rainfall, soil moisture levels, groundwater depletion, crop health and evapotranspiration. By providing better information on the quantity of water entering and leaving the system these indicators help farmers determine how much water they will need and how much will be accessible.

Matt Rodell is the associate deputy director of Earth sciences for hydrosphere, biosphere, and geophysics at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. He studies groundwater around the world, using data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission. Groundwater is especially important in places like the Central Valley and Central Coast that don't get much precipitation and face frequent droughts.

"Groundwater is hugely important because it's typically always available," Rodell said. "It's stored up over many years, or decades, or centuries, or millennia - it's like your savings account. You always want to have that water set aside so it's there for hard times."

California is one of the global hotspots GRACE researchers are studying. It's one of many areas where groundwater is being depleted more quickly than it's being recharged.

"People become overly reliant on groundwater," Rodell said. "Ideally, like your savings account, you'd want to spend less than you invest in it over the long period. But in California, they use so much groundwater that the level has been declining for decades now."

California recently passed its first statewide groundwater regulation policy, partly in response to groundwater depletion concerns, said Claudia Faunt, a hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey and program chief for the groundwater availability and use section at the USGS California Water Science Center in San Diego, California. In some areas, falling groundwater levels lead to subsidence: The land surface sinks as water is extracted from the deposits beneath, and these deposits settle and compact.

"Subsidence issues affect other parts of the infrastructure, and wells are going dry in areas when the water levels have been drawn down," Faunt said. Drilling deeper when a well runs dry, or drilling new wells in search of water, is expensive and can contribute to even more groundwater depletion.

Other threats to the region's water supply - like the declining snowpack and changing winter precipitation patterns - are driven by climate change. Also, warming climate will increase evapotranspiration, which contributes to soil moisture deficits and plant water stress, and can affect local weather. As precipitation patterns change, future rainfall scenarios could become increasingly extreme. In California and other parts of the western United States, this will likely look like drought, threatening food production.

Putting NASA Data to Work for California Farmers

To cope with changing conditions, California farmers are looking to new tools and technologies to help them produce the fruits, nuts and vegetables in constant demand by U.S. consumers.

In addition to GRACE-FO studying groundwater, missions like SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) measure soil moisture and evapotranspiration, and GPM (the Global Precipitation Measurement mission) tracks rain and snowfall. The workhorse Landsat program, a joint effort of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, has measured crop health and growth for nearly 50 years. Furthermore, NASA collaborates with universities, private companies, research institutions and other government agencies to create tools and programs that put all this data to work. Through NASA Applied Sciences and its Food Security and Agriculture programs, including NASA Harvest, farmers can access usable information to make better decisions on their farms.

Lee Johnson is a senior research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and California State University at Monterey Bay (CSUMB). In partnership with Forrest Melton of NASA's Applied Sciences program and Alberto Guzman and Will Carrara of NASA Ames, he supports the Satellite Irrigation Management Support (SIMS) system, an online data platform that uses publicly available Earth satellite data and open-source models to map evapotranspiration at the quarter-acre scale.

"Evapotranspiration is a really big part of the hydrologic cycle, and yet in the past, a lot of information on it has been difficult to get or expensive," Johnson said. "Everyone knows about precipitation; it's on the home screen of your phone. But evapotranspiration is kind of the reverse process. For growers who want to use it to guide their crop production, this information has been scarce. And if you can't reliably measure it, it's harder to manage it."

"For most crops, evapotranspiration represents the minimum amount of water that has to be replaced through irrigation or precipitation to maintain a healthy crop and maximize crop yields," said Melton. "Linking satellite-based data from SIMS with CropManage helps farmers like Mark Mason and his team at Nature's Reward take the guesswork out of estimating the irrigation and fertilizer needs for their crops."

Another water management tool, GRAPEX (Grape Remote-sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration eXperiment), also uses Landsat data, this time to help vineyard owners. Thermal and visual Landsat images give growers information about their vineyards' evapotranspiration and plant health and help them make sure they don't get too wet or too dry.

"The goal of our work is to find ways to put NASA data into the hands of farmers and irrigators in the field, where it can help improve the sustainability of California agriculture," said Guzman, a senior software engineer at NASA Ames and CSUMB who began his career working in the fields of California. "Partnerships with innovative producers like Nature's Reward are the key to ensuring that we can take petabytes of satellite data and turn it into information that can be used for day-to-day decision making."

Keeping Food on the Table

Whether tracking the first winter snows falling in the Sierra Nevada range or helping a California farmer allocate scarce water supplies in summer, NASA missions and programs help growers continue to produce the fruits and veggies we love to eat - while also preparing for and adapting to a warmer, drier future.

To learn more about how NASA supports food and drink industries, visit https://www.nasa.gov/subject/20266/food/.



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It's suspected that about 5,000 years ago a comet swept within 23 million miles of the Sun, closer than the innermost planet Mercury. The comet might have been a spectacular sight to civilizations across Eurasia and North Africa at the end of the Stone Age.

However, this nameless space visitor is not recorded in any known historical account. So how do astronomers know that there was such an interplanetary intruder?

Enter comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4), which first appeared near the beginning of 2020.

Comet ATLAS, first detected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), operated by the University of Hawaii, quickly met an untimely death in mid-2020 when it disintegrated into a cascade of small icy pieces.

In a new study using observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomer Quanzhi Ye of the University of Maryland in College Park, reports that ATLAS is a broken-off piece of that ancient visitor from 5,000 years ago. Why? Because ATLAS follows the same orbital "railroad track" as that of a comet seen in 1844. This means the two comets are probably siblings from a parent comet that broke apart many centuries earlier. The link between the two comets was first noted by amateur astronomer Maik Meyer.

Such comet families are common. The most dramatic visual example was in 1994 when the doomed comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) was pulled into a string of pieces by Jupiter's gravitational pull. This "comet train" was short-lived. It fell piece by piece into Jupiter in July 1994.

But comet ATLAS is just "weird," says Ye, who observed it with Hubble about the time of the breakup. Unlike its hypothesized parent comet, ATLAS disintegrated while it was farther from the Sun than Earth, at a distance of over 100 million miles. This was much farther than the distance where its parent passed the Sun. "This emphasizes its strangeness," said Ye.

"If it broke up this far from the Sun, how did it survive the last passage around the Sun 5,000 years ago? This is the big question," said Ye. "It's very unusual because we wouldn't expect it. This is the first time a long-period comet family member was seen breaking up before passing closer to the Sun."

Observing the breakup of the fragments offers clues to how the parent comet was put together. The conventional wisdom is that comets are fragile agglomerations of dust and ice. And, they may be lumpy, like raisin pudding.

In a new paper in the Astronomical Journal, after one year of analysis Ye and co-investigators report that one fragment of ATLAS disintegrated in a matter of days, while another piece lasted for weeks. "This tells us that part of the nucleus was stronger than the other part," he said.

One possibility is that streamers of ejected material may have spun up the comet so fast that centrifugal forces tore it apart. An alternative explanation is that it has so-called super-volatile ices that just blew the piece apart like an exploding aerial firework. "It is complicated because we start to see these hierarchies and evolution of comet fragmentation. Comet ATLAS's behavior is interesting but hard to explain."

Comet ATLAS's surviving sibling won't return until the 50th century.

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Ideal Perception was not a horse that many would have considered a 2021 Gold Cup and Saucer contender a few months ago, but it only took one race for trainer Anthony Beaton to quickly realize he might have something special.

After returning to racing in mid-June Ideal Perception had logged five miles at Woodbine Mohawk Park, finishing between fourth and seventh in those conditioned events. Beaton sent him to Grand River Raceway on July 30, and the horse made headlines with his stellar performance.

We drew very well in Grand River, and I felt he was the best in that race. I was expecting a 1:53 or 1:54 in that group, not 1:51. I needed to change the horse's attitude a bit and I felt he was getting beat up on the big track.

A punching bag no more, Ideal Perception won at Grand River in a lifetime best 1:51.1 trouncing the competition by more than 14 lengths. I was joking about the Gold Cup and Saucer back in March. After that night in Grand River, it was for sure something I was pushing for. I had to get approval from the owner, and he let me as trainer do what we needed to do.

Ideal Perception arrived at Beatons barn in the late summer of 2020, and he did not know what to fully expect from the horse at the time but he was able to receive some insight from former trainers of the horse. I remember Casie Coleman had this horse earlier in the summer of 2020 and they had some high hopes for him. I also spoke to Andrew Harris and he said I was really going to like this horse.

Beaton is convinced that all this horse needed was to get out of his funk on the large seven-eighths mile at Mohawk and take his skills to the half-mile where hes now posted four of his nine lifetime wins. Hes shown some flashes he was going to be a nice horse, but he got into a lull. A change of scenery and attitude was needed.

That attitude was a winning one this past Saturday (Aug. 14) when Ideal Perception made his first start in Prince Edward Island for the second trial of the 2021 Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer. Keeping his half-mile track form, Ideal Perception won again in 1:51.1 with Gilles Barrieau guiding the four-year-old to a wire-to-wire win.

Its always nice on the half-mile track to get up close. The front is the place to be and after his trip in Grand River a few weeks before, we thought the front would be the best opportunity to get the job done. When Ideal Perception hit the stretch, he felt the breath of his competition on his neck, but he and the Maritime Magic Man were still able to pull out the victory. I thought he would have enough in the tank to get to the wire. The stretch is not that long, and you get to the wire before you know it. Gilles had enough to get him there.

Beaton is from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and has spent his fair share of time at Old Home Week. A win in the Gold Cup and Saucer would mean the same to him as it would any Maritime horsemen. It would be very special. Some buddies and I used to have some horses together and wed go over every year. That would be our road trip and we never had any luck, but we met a lot of good people. I always look forward to going to Old Home Week. The Gold Cup and Saucer is very special but if we get a good trip, we have a legitimate chance at getting it.

Ideal Perception, Beaton and owner Ed James' S S G Stables have drawn post position seven, and they will rely on the experience of their driver to get them into the winners circle. Its obviously going to be way tougher in the final and the best horses are going to be there. Its up to Gilles on what he thinks he can do. Thats what we got Gilles for and the horse is in very capable hands.

Not only would a win be special for Beaton, but the win would be historic for Barrieau. If the tandem can find the winners circle, Barrieau would be tied for the most Gold Cup and Saucer wins by a driver. Barrieau currently sits at four wins, most recently in the 2017 Gold Cup and Saucer with Shadow Place. He first won in 1997 with Comedy Hour before winning again in 2000 (Canaco Simon) and 2002 (London Mews N). The current record of five wins is held by Mike MacDonald who won in 1975, 1977, 1984, 1985 and 1995.

The Guardian Gold Cup and Saucer Final will be the final race of Saturdays card at Red Shores Charlottetown, with an approximate post time of 10:58 p.m. (ET).

2021 Gold Cup & Saucer Final

Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer

1 - Somewhere Fancy - David Dowling - Chris MacKay

2 - Legion Seelster - Richard Simard - Victor Puddy

3 - Racemup - Brodie MacPhee - Victor Puddy

4 - Rock Lights - Jason Hughes - Chris MacKay

5 - Smooth Lou - Robert Shepherd - Patrick Shepherd

6 - National Debt - Austin Sorrie - Colin Johnson

7 - Ideal Perception - Gilles Barrieau - Anthony Beaton

8 - Time To Dance - Marc Campbell - Marc Campbell

9 - Day Delight - Walter Cheverie - Victor Puddy

(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Trey Colbeck)
NAE Launches 2021 'Bless Your Pastor' Initiative in Midst of Church Leader Burnout

NEWS PROVIDED BY

National Association of Evangelicals

Aug. 19, 2021



WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) has announced the launch of the 2021 'Bless Your Pastor' campaign, looking toward Pastor Appreciation Month in October. Earlier this year, the Barna Group found that 29 percent of the Protestant pastors they surveyed had given "real, serious consideration to quitting being in full-time ministry within the last year."



According to Brian Kluth, national spokesperson of Bless Your Pastor, "Pastors and church staff are emotionally drained. They have tirelessly served their churches and communities through a very difficult season with little respite. Now is an important time to let them know how appreciated they are. Let's bless pastors and church staff across America like never before."



What the Numbers Say: Pastors Are in Crisis and Need Our Care

The NAE's national research has shown that pastors face very real personal and financial challenges:

90% of pastors are experiencing financial stress (which has increased since COVID-19).



83% of pastors are providing both in person and online worship services to care for their flock.



60% of pastors receive no retirement, health care or employee benefits.



40% of pastor spouses serve the church 20 or more hours per week, normally without any pay.



34% of churches have seen their giving decrease because of COVID-19.

The Bless Your Pastor movement, sponsored by the NAE through a generous grant, has spread across the nation over the last two years. More than 2,000 churches have participated and collected $1.2 million+ in appreciation offerings for their pastors. The NAE has provided $500,000 in Amazon gift cards to thousands of senior pastors.



"Even before this crisis, the majority of pastors and their families were walking a financial tightrope  teetering on the edge of serious debt and wondering how they could pay essential bills," Kluth said. One grateful pastor commented, "There is a special feeling when you are blindsided by love." According to NAE's research, half of America's pastors earn less than $50,000 per year and work 5070 hours per week.



It's Easy as 1-2-3 to Bless Pastors

The Bless Your Pastor campaign (English  Spanish) offers three steps for churches to help their pastors feel appreciated. The plan includes: sharing a list of 50 Creative Ways to Bless Your Pastor and Staff with congregation members; taking up an appreciation offering or giving a year-end bonus for their pastor; and celebrating the pastor publicly. For every new church that participates and completes all three steps, the senior pastor will be sent a grant-funded $100 Amazon gift card from the NAE.



Bless Your Pastor Tour to Over 100 Cities

To help spread the word on the Bless Your Pastor movement, Brian Kluth and his wife are traveling to over 100 cities across America in their RV motorhome. Kluth will be available for in-studio and Bless Your Pastor interviews at radio and TV stations. Watch CBN TV news https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyIo0Isty-Y&t=90s and the 700 Club news story (click for video) on their ministry travels. Kluth is also available to speak for free at local Pastor Appreciation Meals and special city-wide events for pastor groups. Obtain free 15-30-60 second PSAs and social media graphics for media ministries to use to promote the Bless Your Pastor movement in preparation for October Pastor Appreciation month.



Founded in 1942, the National Association of Evangelicals includes more than 45,000 churches from 40 denominations and serves a constituency of millions. The NAE provides resources, connection and influence to help evangelical leaders foster thriving communities and navigate complexity with biblical clarity.



SOURCE National Association of Evangelicals



CONTACT: Carolyn Shaw, CShaw@BlessYourPastor.org


TBN to Air Special Report on the Crises in Afghanistan and Haiti Tonight, 8/7c

Hosted by Erick Stakelbeck with Special Guests Franklin Graham, General Boykin and More



NEWS PROVIDED BY

TBN

Aug. 19, 2021



LOS ANGELES, Aug. 19, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- TBN, the world's largest religious broadcaster, will be airing a TBN Special Report on the crises in Afghanistan and Haiti TONIGHT at 8/7c. Hosted by Erick Stakelbeck, the former director of Christians United for Israel's Watchman Project and host of the TBN program The Watchman With Erick Stakelbeck, this special program will feature guests Franklin Graham, General Boykin and more.



Top experts will share what the chaotic withdrawal and Taliban takeover means for America and the world. Retired Lt. General Jerry Boykin will offer a unique perspective from his former role as Delta Force Commander and a high ranking Pentagon official who now serves as executive Vice President of the Family Research Council. The program will also feature commentary from those on the ground in Haiti.



For more information on how to watch on TBN, visit: http://bit.ly/FIND_TBN



Trailer: URL: https://vimeo.com/589509851



About Trinity Broadcasting Network

Trinity Broadcasting Network is the world's largest and most watched faith-and-family broadcaster, reaching over 175 nations across the earth with inspirational and entertaining programming 24 hours a day in 14 languages and on 32 global networks. As the world's most influential non-profit religious broadcaster, TBN has led the way in expanding the impact of faith-based television across the earth through the creation of innovative content designed to reach every viewer demographic with the life-changing message of hope and grace. To find out more about the TBN Networks, visit us at tbn.org.



SOURCE TBN



CONTACT: Jennifer Willingham, Jennifer@epic.inc; Jessica Brown, Jessica@epic.inc


Leading global engineering conglomerate thyssenkrupp has announced the sale of its infrastructure business unit to FMC Beteiligungs, an entrepreneur-led independent German investment company. The deal is likely to be closed in the second half of the 2021.

FMC, an entrepreneur-led independent German investment company, makes long-term investments in businesses with a focus on sustainable value growth to the benefit of employees and company.

The two parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction, which is subject to merger control approval and subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board of thyssenkrupp AG. The closing is expected to take place in the second half of the 2021 calendar year.

Thyssenkrupp Infrastructure is a leading supplier in the fields of civil, marine, foundation and structural engineering that employs around 480 people.

In the 2019/2020 fiscal year the business unit generated sales of around 140 million. Its portfolio includes steel sections and anchor technology, flood protection solutions, pile driving and extracting equipment, drilling, trench shoring and scaffolding systems.

In October last year, thyssenkrupp Infrastructure was allocated to the Multi Tracks segment in order to find a new owner. With swift execution, the successful sale is the next step in the initiated transformation of thyssenkrupp.

The aim is to create a high-performing Group of Companies with independent businesses, a lean holding company and a focus on systematic performance improvement across all businesses, said a top official.

"With the successful sale of the Infrastructure business we are taking the next step in sharpening the portfolio of Multi Tracks and making a further contribution to the transformation of thyssenkrupp," remarked Dr Volkmar Dinstuhl, CEO of the Multi Tracks segment.

"We are convinced that the business plan behind the transaction offers promising prospects to the employees of thyssenkrupp Infrastructure," stated Dr Dinstuhl.

"The high purchase interest underlines Infrastructure's leading product and service portfolio as well as the capabilities and expertise of its employees," he added.

Thyssenkrupp said the infrastructure business will profit from the new owners strategic plan for the gradual further development of the company.

In particular this includes necessary investment in digitization and the development of existing and new markets. Furthermore, a best and fair owner-agreement has been concluded with the buyer, which in particular includes job and site guarantees, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Ritchie Bros., the worlds largest heavy equipment auctioneer, said its recent partnership with leading Kuwait-based auction house, Q8 Auctions, has driven online auction sales in the Middle East and Africa region to new heights.

The partnership come sclose on the heels of the Ritchie Bros. pivot in March last year from live in-person auctions to an entirely online auction format; a transition accelerated due to pandemic lockdowns.

These record online auction results are proof of widespread customer acceptance of online auctions and evidence they can be an effective solution to mitigate the effects of pandemic lockdowns, said the statement from the top auctioneer.

As part of the long-term agreement, Ritchie Bros. provides its range of multichannel online auction solutions and access to a global audience of buyers to Q8 Auctions.

In return, the Kuwait City company, a division of Masaha Global, provides on-the-ground customer assistance and access to its extensive network of buyers and sellers throughout the country.

"Our partnership is a good example of how companies in different Gulf nations can collaborate to create mutually beneficial solutions; not only to address challenges brought on by the pandemic, but also to provide local business owners with more effective and borderless disposition services," remarked Eduard Faig, Regional Sales Manager at Ritchie Bros. MEA. "It can lead to stronger results," he added.

Faced with border closures and travel restrictions, Q8 Auctions had to quickly implement a new online selling method since buyers were unable to fly into Kuwait City for an extended period.

Largely due to the Kuwait deal, Ritchie Bros. Dubai quarterly auction held last month set three new company records for its May-June auctions, including

The highest number of registered bidders - a 26% increase over the same auction last year

Highest number of new bidders

Highest number of new buyers

In total, 322 pieces of Kuwait-based equipment, including generators, light towers, trucks, cranes, wheel loaders, and ADTs, were sold to buyers across the region. Particularly strong performing categories at the auction were truck tractors, wheel loaders, rough terrain cranes and water trucks.

The next Dubai online Timed Auction with hundreds of equipment items for sale  including items sold from Kuwait - will take place in September, with bidding opening on September 21, 2021, and ending at staggered times on September 28 and 29.
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by Vladimir Rozanskij

As with ISIS there is a considerable post-Soviet diaspora among the Afghan guerrillas. The problems of ties between the Taliban and the galaxy of jihadist movements in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - In Russia and throughout the Caucasus and Central Asia everyone is waiting to see the evolution of the new Taliban government, installed in Kabul. Many believe the Russian government's attempts to maintain good relations with the new masters of Afghanistan will legitimise the jihad and radical Islam among the youth of these countries.

Others, instead, maintain that the consequences of the events in Afghanistan will fail to undermine the solidity of the Russian-Asian Muslim Umma, and the Taliban itself may distance itself from its more radical allies. In an interview with Rossijskaja Gazeta on August 18, the Russian ambassador in Kabul, Dmitrij Zirnov, claimed that "with the Taliban we are already better off than in the past days, and not a single shot can be heard".

President of the Moscow-based European Analytical Club Nikita Mendkovic, an expert on Central Asian economics and the fight against international terrorism, gave an interview to Kavkaz.Realii, pondering how far the consensus that the Taliban enjoys inside and outside Afghanistan goes. He says: "They have a certain support, otherwise they would not have put together an army of 100 thousand people, but it is difficult to say which side the majority of the Afghan people is on. Many have accepted them only out of distrust of Ashraf Ghani's government."

The Taliban are members of a nationalist movement with a religious ideology, coming out of schools where the youth cadres of the so-called mujaheddin were prepared, fighting against the communist regime of Najbullah and its Soviet sponsors (which according to the Russians today would have resisted the attacks of the Taliban "at least three more years").

Combining the nationalism of ethnic Pashtuns, the idea of a united Afghanistan and radical Islam, they began a war of national unification, waged with rare violence and ferocity. The problem, according to Mendkovic, is that "the old mujahideen had already held important government roles, while the current Taliban are an unknown in this regard."

A key question concerns the Taliban's relationship with al-Qaeda and other extremist movements. There are a number of groups active in Afghanistan, such as Jamaat Ansarrulah, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the Tekhrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Imam Bukhar's commando and others, all banned in surrounding countries and very interested in relaunching themselves in the new Taliban Afghanistan. If it does not want to lose the international funding aimed at a "legal" economy and peace, the new government will have to cut its ties with these movements.

Many Russian sources also speak of a great activism together with the Taliban of the exiles from the North Caucasus, especially from Chechnya, therefore originating in the Russian Federation. According to Mendkovic, "these are extremists who could not realize their plans in their homeland, and sought their fortune elsewhere." The advisor to the president of Chechnya for religious affairs, Adam Sakhirov, has also declared on Instagram that "maturidity-khanafity (Chechens close to the Taliban) are great guys".

They are a sizable post-Soviet diaspora who have militated in the ranks of Isis, bringing knowledge and experience far superior to that of young Arab militants, thus achieving leadership roles in the armies of terrorism. In Syria, Chechens were the instructors, as they were also for the Taliban, and now it is not known what role they will play in the new scenario.

Mendkovic does not believe that the radical Taliban will be able to significantly attract the Muslim community in Russia, "no more than the Mormons in Utah attract other Christian communities around the world." If anything, the radicalization of Muslims from the Caucasus or the Oltrevolga may occur behind the impetus of social discontent, which is increasing due to the various dimensions of the economic crisis in Russia and countries in the area.

Will Russia recognize the Afghan regime? As another Central Asian expert, Arkadij Dubnov, suggests, "For now it cannot recognize a regime formed by a movement prohibited by its own legislation, as terrorist." The question is whether to recognize Taliban Afghanistan unilaterally, or together with the international community, depending on what is most convenient.
Struggling with the catastrophic effects of its one-child policy, the Chinese Communist Party plans changes to its three-child policy. Couples will be able to have four or more children without punishments. However, most people, especially in urban areas, see large families as unsustainable because of the cost of living.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  Although recently introduced, China is already considering amending its three-child policy to allow couples to have four or more children without being penalised by the authorities.

After scrapping its one-child policy, which limited the birthrate because of fear of overpopulation, the Chinese government is now looking at new ways to increase the size families and encourage couples to have more children.

According to Chinas official Xinhua agency, an amendment to the Population and Family Planning Law was submitted the National People's Congress on Tuesday to scrap any punishment for having four or more children.

If approved, the amendment would lift all limits on the number of children, notwithstanding the official policy promoted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of three children per family.

The one-child policy of 1979 resulted in decades of human rights violations with forced late-pregnancy abortions, forced sterilisations and fertility controls by government authorities.

In late May, the Politburo announced that married couples could have up to three children. This decision follows a warning issued in April by Chinas central bank, urging the government to abandon birth control policies to prevent the country from being weakened economically.

In 2020 Chinas population topped 1.4 billion, but births dropped by 18 per cent compared to 2019, from 14.65 to 12 million. Young Chinese do not want to have children due to the high cost of living and poor state incentives.

Beijings decision follows measures by provincial and municipal authorities, promoting large families by extending benefits, such as an extra month's vacation, financial incentives of up to US$ 80, and parental leave.

Chinas capital, Beijing, has already announced its own policy, with 30 extra days of parental leave for a total of 98 days. In Sichuan, some local administrations have announced subsidies to large families for children up to age three.

However, in spite of the sweeping changes to family planning, most Chinese do not appear to be very impressed. In a poll posted on the official Xinhua news agency account on the Weibo social media platform, 29,000 out of 31,000 respondents said they wouldn't consider having more children.

For Beijing resident Ye Jinghuan, it is absurd to think that families would have four or more children, especially in large urban areas. Most of the people in my social circle have one or two, but mostly one.

If you have a fairly high annual income, you can afford a nanny, Ye explained. It's pretty expensive raising a kid in a city, where a single can of milk powder costs 300 yuan (US$ 46).

Speaking to Radio Free Asia (RFA), Zhang Jianping, an analyst and commentator originally from the eastern province of Jiangsu, believes that the state has no business in the matter.

Family planning rules infringe on human rights and should be abolished, Zhang said. Family planning policies are a form of administrative intervention, which is unconstitutional.

Yang Haiying, a lecturer at Japan's Shizuoka University, notes that the CCP still regards the Chinese population as a strategic asset. They have realised that their population is their greatest weapon, and they want more people around to obey them, Yang said.
Overnight Israeli fighters and missiles hit sensitive targets on the outskirts of Damascus and Homs. Syrian anti-aircraft defense system activated. There is no confirmation of casualties or material damage, no comment from Israel. Lebanese minister slams the use of airspace to attack Syria, in violation of UN resolutions.

Damascus (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Late last night the Syrian anti-aircraft defense was activated to repel a new attack by "hostile elements" in the skies over Damascus, in the latest in a series of similar raids in the recent past by Israeli air force fighters.

"Around 23.03 local time - reads a note of the official Sana agency, which relaunches a military source - the Israeli enemy conducted an air aggression with missiles, coming from southeast of Beirut (Lebanon), targeting positions near Damascus and around Homs". "Our anti-aircraft defense," the statement concluded, "responded to the missiles and shot down the majority of them.

In the official communication of the Syrian authorities there are no references to victims or material damage. The overflight of the Israeli fighter jets was clearly heard in the Lebanese capital and in different areas of country, where military vehicles and missiles have raised panic and concern among the civilian population.

Lebanese Interim Defense Minister Zeina Akar condemned the attack, stressing that operations of this nature "blatantly violate Lebanon's airspace" with "low altitude" overflights that cause "fear among citizens." It, he adds, is also contrary to the resolution 1701 of the UN Security Council that governed the end of the war in Lebanon in 2006; hence the appeal, followed by a letter of complaint, to the UN to dissuade Israel from carrying out attacks in Syria using the airspace of the Land of the Cedars.

In the past, Israel has carried out numerous operations in Syria and Lebanon, thanks to the green disk received by the then US President Donald Trump, who during his four years in office has formed a strong alliance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In Syria alone, 50 operations against strategic targets were recorded in 2020, according to Israeli military sources. The situation does not seem to have changed under the new administration led by Democrat Joe Biden, who so far has tolerated - if not authorized - Israeli military operations across the border that in many cases also involve Lebanese territory.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (Sohr) "Israeli missiles have targeted weapons depots and Lebanese military positions of Hezbollah in the region of Qara, between the suburbs of Damascus and the south-western suburbs of Homs. Also for the NGO, based in the United Kingdom and a dense network of informants on the Syrian territory, there would be no deaths. Lebanese media add that two missiles fell in the Qalamoun region, in a border area.

Conversely, there are no official comments on the operation from the Israeli army.
by Alessandra De Poli

The young MEP missionary edits Khmer-language Wikipedia. Speaking to AsiaNews, he talked about the challenges and joys of evangelisation via culture. The online encyclopaedia "is not a tool for proselytising, but a public agora to seek the truth.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews)  Wikipedia is like a public agora for the search for truth. This is how Fr Guillaume Conquer sees the most famous online encyclopaedia. For him, the mission relies on it as well.

Fr Will, as everyone calls him, has been in Cambodia for almost two years. The young missionary with the Missions Etrangeres de Paris (MEP) was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Monaco and then left for the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh.

Now he finds himself literally immersed in the mission, amid the rice fields of the tiny village of Chom Lak at the head of a small congregation. At the same time, he has edited Wikipedia since 2008, and on Tuesday, he held a Wikimania seminar with 15 participants.

Organised and funded by the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikimania is an annual conference that celebrates access to free knowledge through volunteers around the world. This year however, due to the pandemic, the event was held online rather than in Bangkok. For his part, Fr Will organised one in Cambodia, where people did meet.

Khmer Wikipedia was created 15 years ago, but since 2016 there have been fewer writers, he told AsiaNews. It's up to the new generations to pick up the baton. His goal is to double the number of Cambodian-language (Khmer) articles by next year. At present, there are more than 8,000 articles; by comparison, those in English exceed 6.3 million.

A cross-section of people took part in Fr Wills Wikimania, especially young students, but also a Korean entrepreneur, a Cambodian who works for a German cultural institute, an Australian who organises cultural events, and a 60-year-old man who was "the first Cambodian to earn a doctorate in archaeology in Germany. He came with his grandson, who listened in silence all the time, Fr Will said.

The COVID situation in Cambodia is far better than in Thailand, Vietnam or Myanmar. There has been no confinement, but schools have been closed for more than a year. Many students have dropped out. When I saw girls who had told me they wanted to study, they were pregnant.

What has the mission to do with Wikipedia? For Fr Will, this goes back to a long French missionary tradition.

"In the 19th century, scholars were interested in Pali and Sanskrit languages, which are Asias equivalent to our Latin, he explained. Back then, Cambodian was a spoken vernacular.

Missionaries wrote the first French-Khmer dictionaries and some were so accurate that they are still in use today", the missionary explained. "My work at Wikipedia is the same. It's a huge but lively task."

Where can we find the mission in dictionaries? It is the Incarnation of the Word. The knowledge that becomes flesh. But, as the 32-year-old missionary is keen to point out, Wikipedia is not the right tool for proselytising. Its success lies in its neutral point of view. It's a space for knowledge, not preaching. This is still a big challenge.

I wrote the article on Thomas Aquinas. But how can one make Cambodians understand that he revolutionised philosophy? It's not easy. There are many other challenges, linguistic ones, even for pere Will.

"Here in the village everyone treats me with respect, but when I leave it, people don't know how to relate to me. Whats a priest to a Buddhist? Where does the Church fit in a country with such a rich history? Sometimes it is difficult to translate even Christianitys basic concepts.

There are the material challenges as well. Most people do not own a computer. For this reason, we only have a dozen contributors even though we have three million visits a month.

The data of those who access the Cambodian pages of Wikipedia offer Fr Will great insights.

I see how old they are and what they read. Cambodians are interested in their history, in their politicians. Everyone uses their mobile phones, but there are no computer courses in schools."

The pandemic comes with its own challenges as well, such as a high dropout rate, and the fear of government restrictions.

During the four-year Khmer Rouge communist regime, schools were closed. People are afraid the same could happen or that the government will not tell the truth about the number of deaths from COVID-19".

Finally, there are the economic challenges. Since the Cambodian government requires at least two weeks of quarantine for anyone entering the country, there are no more tourists.

Everyone who worked in the sector is out of work, and there are a lot of them. Companies have laid off employees out of necessity. But there are also some signs of hope.

Large-scale events have been banned, but we are still holding Mass, Fr Will said. In my parish I have 20 people; in Cambodia, thats the size of a single household!

Yet, there have never been so many Christians in the country, in every province. It is a unique moment for the Church. We are conscious that we are living in a privileged situation.
British researchers have conducted modeling studies simulating what happens when a person on one side of a barrier  such as a customer in a store  exhales particles while speaking or coughing under various ventilation conditions. The screen is more effective when the person coughs because the larger particles have greater momentum and hit the barrier. But when a person speaks, the screen does not trap the exhaled particles  which just float around it. Although the store clerk may avoid an immediate and direct hit, the particles are still in the room, posing a risk to the clerk and others who may inhale the contaminated air.
The Office of the State Prosecutor said Friday that Ivan Gonzalez, a 14-year veteran who garnered just 670 votes in the Republican primary, was sentenced to probation before judgment  meaning he will have no criminal record when his probation ends  and, as part of his plea, resigned from the police force.
Maamah was stopped by Howard County police and agents from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Border Enforcement Security Team in January 2019, after he arrived at a location that was under surveillance by police because a stolen 2019 Toyota 4-Runner was parked there. Maamah largely denied any knowledge of the exportation of stolen vehicles, and claimed not to have been involved with shipping any vehicles for years, according to his plea agreement.
The advisory captured some of the pandemonium, and what many Afghans and foreigners see as their life-and-death struggle to get inside. It said: We are processing people at multiple gates. Due to large crowds and security concerns, gates may open or close without notice. Please use your best judgment and attempt to enter the airport at any gate that is open.
Lets be clear. Baltimore has been losing residents for years. Recently-released U.S. Census figures show the total population has dropped to 585,708, a 5.7% reduction from a decade earlier and the lowest tally in a century. A 5.7% decline may not sound like much  two rural Maryland counties (Somerset and Allegany) fell by more on a percentage basis over that same period  but it adds up to more 35,000, the equivalent population of an Owings Mills or Severna Park. In 1950, Baltimore had 950,000 residents at its peak. And this gradual attrition has consequences in lost tax dollars, employment opportunities, economic development and on and on. The affluent have the means to leave the city if they choose. Quite often, those living at or below the poverty line do not. There are any number of reasons for these losses from red-lining and racism to crime, drug addiction and excess incarceration. But the bottom line is the bottom line: The last thing Baltimore should be doing is encouraging anyone, let alone its own employees, to leave town let alone underwriting that opportunity. Taxpayers have every right to scream about that.
The people I talked to often named their three enemies: the Taliban, the Afghan government, and the United States. No one I met liked the Taliban, which they viewed as ruthless and primitive. They hated the Afghan government, which consisted of war criminals with violent pasts at least as horrible as the Taliban. As for the U.S., no one viewed the country favorably. Our bombing campaign was killing civilians in huge numbers and Kabul was overrun with internally displaced refugees living in the most horrible conditions. No one believed that the U.S. was in Afghanistan for benign reasons. They believed, with good evidence, that the U.S. presence was due to its desire for new bases that could threaten Iran, Pakistan, and China, all of which has common borders with Afghanistan. Or, they believed that it was to protect a new pipeline being built across Afghanistan, one that would benefit the West, but not Afghanistan.
First, you are not protected by the vaccine for at least three weeks after your first dose at which time you have partial protection. You should submit to regular testing until you can be regarded as protected. Second, if you refuse the vaccine and you test positive in mandated testing, undoubtedly with the highly contagious delta variant, you will have to quarantine at home and everyone you have been in recent contact within your health care setting (potentially hundreds) should be notified to quarantine until they have been tested and declared uninfected.
We cannot allow such grossly misinformed mob behavior dictate public policy, yet this is exactly what former President Donald Trump encouraged through both of his campaigns and his term in office. His followers got the message loud and clear and feel free to inflict it on us, even if it risks making us all less safe.
But rules on the funding deadline have changed, confusing some local jurisdictions. Starting Sept. 30, states and local governments are supposed to have contracts to spend 65% of ERAP funds. Those that dont risk needing to return unspent funds to the federal government for reallocation, although that decision is ultimately left to the discretion of the U.S. treasury secretary.
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The domestic tobacco sector which has been hard done by the passing of the controversial Tobacco Control Bill is pinning its last hopes on the President of the country, who is the ultimate person to sign the Bill into law.

The Bill, despite much criticism from all and sundry, has gone through parliament. Players in the multi-million Pula sector, have complained that the passing of the bill will have sweeping socio-economic impact which will bring the sector to a near collapse. The sector has maintained the ministry of health has not consulted them. "As far as we are aware, the proposed Tobacco Control Bill went through the Third Reading earlier this week. Our understanding is that this proposed Bill will still need Presidential Assent. Our position remains the same, extreme regulation is not a solution, it only brings about unintended consequence like give rise to unregulated counterfeits and exacerbates illicit trade in tobacco products.

We still request for an impartial and independent Regulatory Impact Assessment Study (RIA) as this is the ONLY solution to balanced regulations  this is Batswanas central principle of Therisanyo. At this point, we remain hopeful that we will be heard and as such, we will continue to engage on this proposed Bill accordingly, stated Mdu Lokotfwako, British American Tobacco Botswana (BAT)'s Head: Legal & External Affairs.



BAT Botswana is the biggest tobacco company in the country, selling over 300 million sticks annually and contributing millions of Pula in taxes to government of Botswana. The company has maintained that, the Bill, in its current form will put many informal traders on the edge due to proposed tough trading requirements for those who trade in tobacco.

Majority of hawkers in Botswana sell tobacco and the product is regarded as the biggest profit generator for many of them. The BAT Botswana spokespersons argument comes amidst a new snap survey conducted on the impact of the proposed legislation on hawkers in the Greater Gaborone. Ahead of the recent passing of the Bill.

Briggs and Associates conducted the survey on 114 hawkers. The sample was drawn from a base of more than 1800 hawkers within the greater Gaborone area. The objective of the survey was to determine the transparency of the proposed amendments, communication and consultation with traders affected, impact that the legislation would in terms of business sustainability, affect on socio economic factors and perception of the proposed legislation, said Briggs and Associates.

The study was limited to hawkers and did not include many other traders such as tuck-shops. The random selection made provision for a representation of traders that have operated for different periods from a minimum of a year to 26 years.

According to insights from the survey, hawkers were in agreement that, with the proposed law, there is too much uncertainty about acquiring a license, allocation (of licenses), costs, among others. Hawkers also have concerns over the Tobacco Control bill as it will put pressure on selling of tobacco, which is one of their major drawcards for casual shoppers.



The proposed law calls for cigarettes to be sold in a twenty cigarettes packet. Due to the level of support provided by family, the loss of sales to customers buying single cigarettes will decimate this sector, noted the survey.

"I plea with the government not to sell cigarettes in packages because 90% of us rely on selling one on one." The survey concluded that, some of the unintended consequences of the proposed Tobacco Control Bill will result on illicit trade, as sale of cigarettes will be curtailed.

People will look for new ways to get hold of cigarettes. This will open floodgates for even more illicit tobacco coming into the country. Unlawful sale of cigarettes will increase, but it will be more surreptitious, noted the survey, adding cost of enforcement on the side of government will also go up.

As government will enforce sale of 20 cigarettes packs only, there will be relative price reduction. Customers will be forced to buy from formal traders. This will mean they are purchasing for a cheaper unit price. This will mean that it will be cheaper to smoke, and so inevitably people will smoke more, said the survey.

As a result of the proposed Tobacco Control Bill, there will be more unemployment once the bill is signed into law by the President. As hawkers are pushed into a situation where they are not making profit, they will be forced into unemployment.

Many hawkers are the sole supporters of extended families and additional loss of income will have severe economic and social repercussions for themselves, their families and society in a broader context."
For help reaching an expert on deadline , please contact UB's media relations team at 716-645-6969 or ub-news@buffalo.edu .

Shawn J. Donahue

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Shawn J. Donahue is an expert in law and political science.

A primary part of his research focuses on redistricting, representation, partisan and racial gerrymandering, voting rights and campaign finance. He can speak to the media about these issues, including in the context of states and local governments redrawing districts for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, the state legislature and local offices.

Donahue is also an expert in other areas of politics, such as campaign and electoral strategy This includes issues of campaign finance, public opinion, voter turnout, ballot design, and state and local politics, including in Buffalo and New York State.

In addition to his research, Donahue has 10 years of experience as a lawyer, including eight as a prosecutor. He submitted an amicus brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in Gill v. Whitford, a 2019 case that dealt with issues of partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin. He also contributed to a report that helped lead to a ruling that the Virginia U.S. House map was a racial gerrymander in 2016.

Additionally, Donahue served as a research assistant in relation to campaign finance cases in Texas and the District of Columbia. He often checks relevant campaign finance disclosure reports, including locally, to see where contributions are coming from.

Donahue has taught courses in Constitutional law, and can comment on issues involving the First Amendment, including freedom of speech, the Establishment Clause and free exercise of religion; the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms; the Fourth Amendment and protections on search and seizure; other criminal procedure rights; and many other provisions of the U.S. Constitution.
In April 2021, Washington began the long-awaited withdrawal of its military forces from Afghanistan, a process that is expected to be completed by September this year. This is being done in the wake of an agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban as a condition for reaching peace in Afghanistan. However, the victorious Taliban began a sudden offensive in some northern provinces bordering Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The Afghan military surprisingly retreated instead of resisting the insurgents. Some even crossed the Afghan border with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. As the Taliban have swiftly moved to take control of most Afghanistan, including Kabul, Central Asia is facing strategic uncertainty.

BACKGROUND: The U.S. launched its military operation in Afghanistan in October 2001 as retaliation for the 9/11 terrorist attacks organized by Osama Bin Laden who was hiding in the country. The overall operation was later rebranded as the War on Terror, recognizing that Afghanistan was just one theatre in the global and comprehensive counter-terrorism campaign. Further on, this mission was complemented with NATOs Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs)  a non-military and humanitarian mission to help Afghanistan reconstruct the country ravaged by war. In the last several years, this task was pursued in parallel with the U.S. undertaking to Assist-advise-train-equip Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. All these tasks were logically intertwined as parts of one grand holistic strategy.

The U.S. war in Afghanistan, lasting for 20 years, turned out to be the longest war in U.S. history, which motivated a change of strategy. When Bin Laden was killed in May 2011, the first goal of the retaliation action was achieved. This was perhaps the only main achievement of the international military presence in Afghanistan. Perennial negotiations with the Taliban ended with a secret U.S.-Taliban agreement on a drawdown of forces. In all likelihood, the agreement stipulated an end to Taliban violence in Afghanistan and the establishment of long-awaited peace in the country.

The Talibans new offensive in Afghanistans northern provinces in the middle of the withdrawal process of U.S. forces as well as the Afghan military forces retreat raise a number of questions pertaining to the possibility of a new civil war in Afghanistan; the capacity of the Taliban to establish real control over the countrys entire territory; the possibility that instability and conflict may spill over into Central Asia; and the geopolitical consequences for the region and the world.

Previous U.S. administrations talked about a conditional, not unconditional, withdrawal. The current administration began the drawdown despite warnings from U.S. generals of the dire consequences of such a decision. The emerging operational environment in the Afghan theater is uncertain and explosive.

Central Asian states, especially Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, have been quite hopeful and optimistic about overall developments in Afghanistan not least due to the U.S. and NATO peacemaking and peace enforcement mission in this country. These states are now facing strategic uncertainty and new challenges from the territory of this war-ravaged country. These challenges are not only related to security and trade but are also geopolitical.

IMPLICATIONS: The fall of Kabul caused chaos in the capital and across the country  chaos that constitutes a source of threats to the Afghan population as well as regional and international security due to the high probability of escalation into adjacent territories and beyond. Although the Taliban declared that they have no intention of threatening Central Asian neighbors, threats can emerge from numerous other sources that may be out or their control. For instance, the Taliban have not yet declared that they will expel Al-Qaida, IS and other terrorist groups from Afghanistan; from now on the Taliban in power will be directly responsible for terrorist threats to regional and international security emanating from the Afghanistans territory.

The Talibans surprise offensive and victory and the surprise retreat of the Afghan regular army obviated the surprising failure of the U.S. Assist-advise-train-equip mission. Against this backdrop, the local population in some areas, primarily in the Panjshir valley, is taking up arms to protect themselves. Thus, the possible beginning of a civil war is emerging.

The U.S. and Afghanistan adopted a Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement in September 2014 and a Strategic Partnership Agreement in May 2012. Article 6 of the 2014 documents says: In order to contribute effectively to the security of Afghanistan and the region, the United States agrees to cooperate with Afghanistan to continue the development of ANDSF capabilities consistent with Afghanistans status as a Major Non-NATO Ally. How these important agreements are to be implemented in the current conditions is a crucial question.

Uzbekistan is eager to promote the initiative Central Asia-South Asia: regional connectivity. Challenges and opportunities and counts on U.S. support for it. Since 2002, the U.S. and Uzbekistan are strategic partners and expect to develop their relationships accordingly. In 2020, the two states established a Dialogue of strategic partnership. Strategic Partnership per se should primarily be focused on security and long-term cooperation. Temporary deployment of a U.S. military contingent in Uzbekistan, providing shelter for Afghan refugees at U.S. request, or other forms of military cooperation aiming to strengthening regional security should all be considered on the basis of their potential to bring peace, security and stability to Afghanistan.

The withdrawal has been dotted with controversial statements from Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the military drawdown in Afghanistan does not mean that the country is left to its fate. However, leaving the country without military assistance appears to have meant just that. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated that the Biden Administration will remain committed to its promise to work with the Afghan government in order to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a shelter for terrorist groups threatening U.S. security. The statement addressed the security of the U.S. (which is not challenged by Taliban), but not the security of Afghanistan and the region. Finally, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that Afghanistan under Taliban rule would not receive international recognition if fighters seized the country by force and again established repressive Islamist rules. While this is a correct position, it is unclear to what extent U.S. recognition is a concern to the Taliban.

In this context, strong strategic communication of actions and explanations is essential. For instance, those who were pessimistic about the prospect of peace enforcement in Afghanistan and underline why the overall counter-terror operation failed in this country often argue that this is an asymmetric, nonconventional war, which is difficult to win even for a superpower such as the U.S. However, the concept of non-conventional war is to some extent misleading: it is non-conventional only in the sense that non-state fighters wage a guerrilla war and are hiding in villages among local residents; they do not have regular units and a single command; they are more mobile and can conduct sudden operations. However, when they enter the war theatre and conduct direct attacks they engage in conventional military operations and cannot but confront state forces in battles which, in turn, become conventional. Therefore, the overall strategy of waging the war on terror should be revised and modified. In particular, the role of the United Nations might be made more visible.

CONCLUSIONS: Afghanistan is now in limbo, reminiscent of the operational environment of the 1990s. The total chaos emerging in the wake of the U.S. drawdown has already damaged the U.S.s moral reputation as a world leader and a peace maker. This is one side of the problem; the other is the geopolitical victory of the U.S.s rivals  a hard blow to U.S. global interests. Although President Biden made the point that Americans cannot fight a war that Afghans themselves do not want to fight, he overlooked the implications of a civil war in this country for global geopolitics and international security threats.

Afghanistans territory is one of the theatres in global war on terror. Once, Al-Qaidas leader was hiding in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban. Is there any guarantee that other international terrorists will not seek Taliban protection in the future?

In recent years, Central Asia has faced a new round of geopolitical great power rivalry. The U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan will definitely create a power vacuum in this part of the world, which geopolitical competitors can use to their advantage. This tragic turn of events in Afghanistan, which was predictable before the withdrawal of international forces, also reveals the dilemma of geopolitics versus peacemaking.

AUTHOR'S BIO:

Dr. Farkhod Tolipov holds a PhD in Political Science and is Director of the Research Institution Knowledge Caravan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Image Source: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Albert F. Hunt accessed 8.20.2021


General admission tickets are $75, which includes appetizers and two drinks. The event includes a few sponsorship levels that offer dinner with former Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich before the reception: $250 is fight for kids, $500 is stop masking kids and $1,000 is stop CRT, which refers to the term critical race theory, which teaches that racism is embedded in many aspects of society and leads to different outcomes by race.
The investigation team was led by a post-major command Navy captain and included six judge advocates, an officer with the Brigade Honor Program and an academic department chair, who is also an officer. The team reviewed website browsing history to determine whether the midshipmen violated the exam rules that mandated that midshipmen not use outside resources on the exam, including visiting sites other than myopenmath.com, which is the site used to give the exam.
Over the past two weeks, the IRCs Baltimore and Bethesda offices have resettled about 30 Afghans evacuated on an emergency basis in Maryland, Chandrasekar said. But the pace is picking up. Usually, he said, they get three weeks notice that a family is arriving through a Special Immigrant Visa, enough time to rent an apartment. In many cases, thats not possible, so theyve been arranging temporary housing through Airbnb.
Community colleges dont have a precedence for requiring vaccines; four-year institutions do, because they have housing and people are living together, she said. We do not have housing and havent required vaccines in the past. So right now, were not seriously considering them. If there was some reason to do so, I dont see that right now.
In the defenses sentencing memorandum, Reeder claimed he was a registered Democrat who did not support former president Donald Trump. According to the documents, he attended the rally because he had nothing better to do and intended to visit several monuments when he heard that people were going to the Capitol. The documents further state that he did not know he was not allowed to enter the Capitol.
The woman tried to push the man away and kicked him off the bed with her feet. The man held a knife to her throat, she told police, and struck her over the head with the end of the knife. The man told the woman to turn over on her stomach and tried to pull down her pants. During the struggle, the woman scratched the man. He placed her in a chokehold and stabbed her in the chest. She also suffered neck and leg injuries.
As a state senator, I sponsored or managed much of the Maryland bay legislation while serving on the tri-state Chesapeake Bay Commission. Looking back, the greatest success came in reducing nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater plants. This was responsible for 84% of Marylands nitrogen reductions achieved since 1985. Despite substantial increases in sewerage flows, we are removing 21 million more pounds of nitrogen and 2 million more pounds of phosphorus yearly under mandates for the 67 largest plants. This remarkable achievement was due to the Flush Tax raising $1.4 billion and my legislation banning detergent phosphates.
I encourage any resident of Anne Arundel County who cares about any child in this county to watch the meeting starting at the 5-hour, 59-minute mark. See for yourself and decide which of these people you want making decisions about our childrens education. We owe it to our children to be informed citizens and voters, and this meeting is genuinely one that showed the true colors of each of our board members.
Cooler temperatures are expected in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area Friday due to the rain, but humidity is expected to remain high and storms are forecast to loom through the weekend, according to the service.
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Our goal has been  and continues to be  to bargain in good faith with the BCTGM leadership across our U.S. bakeries and sales distribution facilities to reach new contracts that continue to provide our employees with good wages and competitive benefits, including quality, affordable health care, and company-sponsored Enhanced Thrift Investment 401(k) Plan, while also taking steps to modernize some contract aspects which were written several decades ago, the company said in a statement.
I want people to feel my music, so in order to feel what Im saying, youve got to feel the beat too, she said about selecting beats. Listening to tracks like new single $pend It and Get It, this much is apparent. Boldens music has a certain star quality woven within its construction. Nothing about her artistry is subtle, making her music all the more enjoyable. I really like a song when I know I can sit there and listen to the beat with nothing on it, she said. If I can sit there and I can vibe and me and my friends can kick it and freestyle, then thats the beat.
Burson said he only used cannabis after work, never on the job, but was forced to pass more tests in the months after that to prove he was clean. He said he did so, but one day, his sample was considered contaminated. He was asked to have someone watch him give a urine sample, which he said he reflexively refused. Two weeks later, in 2019, records show, he was fired.
Police have not yet identified a man who was killed while riding on a northbound CTA Red Line train near the Garfield stop in Fuller Park on Thursday afternoon. No one was in custody for the shooting, police said Friday.
But the company declined to say at what point during Williams nearly yearlong incarceration it got in touch with prosecutors, or why it prepared a forensic report for a gunshot that allegedly was fired in Williams vehicle, given the fact that the system had trouble identifying gunshots in enclosed spaces. The report itself contained contradictory information suggesting the technology did, in fact, work inside cars. Clark, the companys CEO, declined to comment on the case, but in a follow-up statement, the company equivocated, telling AP that under certain conditions, the system can actually pick up gunshots inside vehicles.
We are spending taxpayer dollars to have him there, away from his family and away from his clear potential, said Zunkel, who is the associate director of a legal clinic at the University of Chicago Law School that took on Whites case, with the help of law students. I had every resource to be able to tell this story. I shudder to think about all the other Dwaynes who are in prison and who dont have access.
The grandchildren of legendary Chicago gangster Al Capone will sell 174 family heirlooms at an Oct. 8 auction titled "A Century of Notoriety: The Estate of Al Capone" in Sacramento, California. The family heirlooms include his favorite gun that he called "Sweetheart" (estimated value $150K), his diamond-monogrammed watch ($50K), engraved jewelry, furniture from the Palm Island home, family photos and more.
PCBs, toxic contaminants that were used as insulating fluids for electrical equipment, were banned in 1979, but the pollutants build up in fatty tissues and stick around in the environment, leading to ongoing caution against eating too much fish from many Illinois waterways. Exposure to the pollutant can harm infants, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified PCBs as probable human carcinogens.
Forgive us for chuckling. We know all about Rods love affair with the limelight. There he was, 18 months removed from the commutation he received from Donald Trump, soaking up the cameras outside the Dirksen building, the very edifice in which he was convicted of multiple counts of corruption and sentenced to 14 years in prison. His message: Hed been wronged because hes barred from hitting the Illinois campaign trail again.
A motion for summary judgment is filed when there is no longer a dispute over the law and the facts, House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs said. The release of the Census data is game-set-match against the Illinois Democrats. Now knowing that their original map is unconstitutional, the Democrats are now scrambling to draw a new backroom map on short notice. There is no way to put the toothpaste back into the tube as discussed in our summary judgment motion.
For nearly 30 years I have worked with President Biden on behalf of the American people, and I am honored that he has nominated me to serve as ambassador to Japan, Emanuel said in a statement released by the White House. The alliance between the United States and Japan is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific, and I would proudly represent our nation with one of our most critical global allies in one of the most critical geopolitical regions.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels performed a scaled-back flight demonstration on Aug. 21 as replacement for the Air and Water Show, appearing without their usual skydiving and jumping associates. They are scheduled to perform again on Aug. 22 at noon.
An ancient coin from nearly 1,900 years ago will fly with the second Israeli astronaut to space, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Thursday.

The coin, recently uncovered in the Cave of Horror in the Judean Desert in southeastern Israel, bears the first name of Simon bar Kokhba, the leader of the third Jewish revolt against the Romans, between 132 and 136 AD.

Both sides of the coin also bear Jewish symbols, including a palm tree and a vine leaf.

Eytan Stibbe, the astronaut, is scheduled to fly into space on a private flight aboard a SpaceX spacecraft in early 2022.

Stibbe was presented with the coin on Thursday during a visit to the IAA Dead Sea Scrolls laboratory, where he viewed scrolls written in the Aramaic language over 2,000 years ago, which already then discussed celestial bodies.

"I will be taking to space a bag filled with items that have a special meaning to me. It was clear to me that one of them will be a symbol of Jewish history," said the astronaut.

Eli Eskosido, Director of the IAA, added that "the Jews who struck this coin while fighting for their independence could not have imagined in their wildest dreams that it will make its way to space with a Jewish astronaut who lives in an independent Jewish state."

He added that "Bar Kokhba means 'son of a star' in Hebrew, and today this name receives an added symbolic meaning."
China held a meeting to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, on Thursday.

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, delivered a speech and introduced Tibet's progress in economy, travel, education and cultural protection over past years.

Tourism development

Tibet is a popular tourist destination with a rich ethnic culture, natural resources and beautiful scenery. The region has 116 tourist areas with a continuously developing tourist industry and improving tourist facilities.

According to Wang, during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016  2020), Tibet hosted close to 160 million tourists visits. The autonomous region now has a well-connected infrastructure, with Fuxing bullet trains travelling past snow-capped mountains.

Also, the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway has begun operations since the end of June. It runs through southeast Tibet, allowing travelers to explore the magnificent hinterland. The 435-kilometer railway shortens the journey between Lhasa and Nyingchi by 3.5 hours. More than 106,000 passenger trips were recorded in the first month of operation with a daily average of 3,500 trips, according to a China State Railway Group statement released last week.

Every administrative village is also linked by roads, and 140 flights connect Tibet with the rest of the country and other parts of the world, Wang added.

Cultural treasures

Besides the beautiful scenes, Tibet has been known of precious deposits of cultural treasures, which, after decades of exploration, are regaining glitz.

The central government has invested a lot of manpower, resources and funding to preserve and develop Tibet's fine traditional culture. The Tibetan language is used extensively. Precious classics such as "Epic of King Gesar" were saved and collected, Wang said. Close to 800 projects, including thangka, Tibetan Opera and Tibetan medicine have been placed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

In 2018, Tibetan medical bathing was listed in the World Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), bringing the land and the wisdom of its residents to the world once again.

Besides the ancient therapy, two other cultural items from Tibet have also been listed  Tibetan Opera and the "Epic of King Gesar." They are only a small piece of the cultural treasures on the plateau.

Since Tibet launched its project on protecting the intangible cultural heritage in 2006, at least 300 million yuan (about $46.2 million) has been invested in the project, 195 million yuan of which from the central government.

To preserve Tibet's cultural relics in the area, starting in 2016, the autonomous region's government built the Museum for Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was completed on May 18, 2018.

As a region where religion plays a critical role, the rise and prosperity of the cultural resources could also be owed to the pervasiveness of Lamaism and the harmonious environment which breeds it.

According to a Xinhua report in 2018, Tibet has about 1,780 temples or sites where religious activities are conducted regularly, as well as more than 46,000 registered monks and nuns. Alongside Lamaism, other religions exist in the region, including Islam and Catholicism.

The Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple, and other temples and sites have been renovated and are under protection. Also, large-scale religious activities, such as Kora around holy mountains and rivers, Saga Dawa Festival, Shoton Festival, and Shining the Buddha, are all practiced, protected, and inherited, adding charm to the roof of the world.

"Today's Tibet enjoys freedom of religious belief, social harmony and ethnic amity," said Wang, "We should protect and keep alive the fine traditional culture in Tibet and promote its creative evolution and development."

Education and welfare

In addition to tourism development and the protection of cultural treasures, people's life in the region have improved over the past 70 years, which is reflected in education and medical care.

Wang indicated that in old Tibet, over 90 percent of Tibetans struggled for subsistence, and up to 95 percent were illiterate. Today, hunger and poverty are a thing of the past for people of all ethnic groups in Tibet, and per capita living space in Tibet is close to 40 square meters.

Also, the 15-year public-funded education is granted across the region, ending the long-standing issue of school dropouts, Wang said.

Students attending public schools in Tibet can enjoy exemption of a list of fees, including tuition, accommodation, textbooks, meals, transportation and other miscellaneous costs, from preschool to senior high school. Parents who were once reluctant to send their children to school for fear of fees are now free from pressure.

Traditionally, Tibet's education was centered in and almost completely gripped by monasteries, except for a few old-style private schools.

Back in that time, monks were teachers, lections were textbooks and praying halls were classrooms. There was no organized educational system nor an institution to take charge. The study of modern sciences, like math, physics and chemistry, was virtually nonexistent.

Things began to change following the peaceful liberation in 1951 when the central government of the People's Republic of China and the local government of Tibet signed a 17-article agreement, in which they agreed "school education of the Tibetan nationality shall be developed step by step."

Tibet's modern education was virtually built from scratch. From the first Qamdo Primary School to a group of new primary schools in Xigaze, Chagyab, Bome, Nyingchi, Ngari and Lhasa that emerged afterward, Tibet's modern education system gradually came into being.

Tibet now boasts an all-level education system that covers kindergarten, elementary, higher education, vocational education, adult education and special education.
You are here: China

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Thursday called for strengthened efforts in COVID-19 containment and medical treatment to better protect people's health and well-being.

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a visit to Peking University First Hospital.

Sun extended festive greetings to medical workers on the occasion of China's Doctors' Day, also known as Medical Workers' Day.

Commending the contributions made by medics in the battle against COVID-19, Sun stressed the importance of unwaveringly implementing containment measures as the pandemic has yet come to an end.

She called on medics to protect themselves, and strengthen their awareness of and capability to guard against hospital-acquired infections.

Both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine must be harnessed, Sun said, and efforts should be made to enhance capacity for treatment and maximize recovery rates while minimizing fatality rates.

She also urged more care for medical workers.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) can be proud of a century of successful internal and external struggle for China's rejuvenation and modernization. Its leadership, its domestic and foreign policies, despite many challenges, led to China's eminent status today as a major power commanding international respect. The results of a century of dedicated work and action speak for themselves.



A country's foreign policy can be judged by results benefitting the nation and the interests of its people. Fortunately for China the CPC formulated and conducted a beneficial foreign policy line over the last decades since the emergence of new China in 1949.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics can apply to external policy as it does to internal policy. The CPC and its leadership from the beginning have reflected deeply on Chinese history as well as on lessons learned from bitter experience at the receiving end of Western imperialism.

While foreign policy can and should adjust to the times and to the international situation, it must rest on fundamental principles. Premier Zhou Enlai announced the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" in 1954 and they were subsequently accepted by the Bandung Conference of Asian and African countries in 1955 in its declarations.

The Five Principles are mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, peaceful co-existence.

Based on this solid foundation of principles, China proposed in recent years the concept of "a community with a shared destiny for mankind." This formulation rests not only on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence but also on China's focus on global governance and the United Nations and international law.

Although Western imperialism became a guiding force over the last five centuries, still Western international law held to some principles involving state sovereignty and non-interference at least among Western powers. In Western diplomacy, the Peace of Augsburg (1555) and the Peace of Westphalia (1648) upheld such principles as a basis for the European states system.

Today, China's emphasis on the United Nations and international law puts some Western nations to shame not the least of which is the United States with its unbridled hegemonism and disrespect for the UN and international law. To some observers, the US undermines UN processes and avoids traditional international law attempting to replace it with so called alternate "rules and norms."

China's concept of a "community with a shared future" can also be translated as "a community with a common destiny". In either case, the formulation embodies a "win-win" ethos in which there is mutual respect and mutual benefit. Logically, it also embodies the principles of non-interference and peaceful co-existence.

The concept was introduced originally in 2007 at the 17th National Congress of the CPC and referenced the common destiny of Chinese mainland and Taiwan. In 2012 at the 18th National Congress, it was expanded adding the phrase "for all mankind" and thus involved all countries of the international community. The concept envisioned a world of "enduring peace and common prosperity".

In 2012, Xi Jinping himself developed the concept saying that the international community was progressively becoming a community with a shared future. President Xi then raised the concept in 2013 at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and then again at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2017.

The concept was placed into the Chinese Constitution in 2018 at the 13th National People's Congress of China. The formulation promoted building a community with a shared future and emphasized diplomatic, economic, and cultural relations.

Thus, the concept of a "shared future" or "common destiny" for mankind became an important stated goal of China's foreign policy. Because the international system is becoming more multipolar, polycentric, and pluralist the world is changing. There is a new emerging correlation of forces while the basic trend of the times calls for peace and development.

So China's foreign policy orientation and goals are not only keeping pace with a changing world but they are also providing constructive leadership. Of course, mankind seeks a future worth looking forward to rather than a world of endless confrontation and war. China's vision is realistic and responsive to the changing international situation and calls for international cooperation on pressing issues confronting the international community.

China's positive formulation of a shared future reinforces the United Nations as it was envisaged by its founders. China's emphasis on improving global governance through the United Nations processes and through international law is realistic and reflects a growing role for China in international affairs. Continuity with the original spirit of the UN for international consultation and cooperation plus innovation in global governance makes China's efforts relevant.

China has called for "a new type of international relations". Strengthening global governance through the UN and through international law is a fundamental aspect of such a task. At the major power level, President Xi put forward the idea of a new type of major power relations so as to promote cooperation rather than confrontation. For the international community, China's concept of a shared-future links directly to peace and development.

Some Western critics have said that the Chinese concept of a shared future is China-centric. But actually, the Chinese concept entails the values of the international community as embodied in the UN and in international law. China seeks to advance such values in the changing world.

Such Western critics ignore the last several centuries of Western international law and its values of peace, diplomacy, and cooperation. One need only reflect on the great contribution of Western thinkers such as the Dutch humanist and diplomat, Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), the Swiss jurist Emer de Vattel (1714-1767), and the German jurist Samuel von Pufendorf (1632-1694).

China's call today for a community with a "shared future" based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence with strengthened UN processes and international law is fully in line with progressive thought in the West over the last several hundred years.

Of course, some Western powers clinging to hegemonism and imperialism reject China's calls for a community with a "shared future." But their influence is in decline as are their troubled societies. Their rejection of the United Nations and international law is a dead end for them in today's changing world.

The international community needs a fresh approach and the elements are already available. Combining China's Five Principles and "shared future" concepts with traditional Western humanist concepts provides a basis for discussion and common cooperative and constructive action.

At the time of the centenary of the founding of the CPC, its contributions to international relations deserve recognition. Who can ignore the contribution of the CPC to the defeat of Fascism and Japanese Militarism in World War II?

Since World War II, China's contribution, from the pioneering diplomatic work of Zhou Enlai to the most recent articulation of theory and practice by President Xi Jinping, the record of the CPC and its leaders is a significant contribution to the international community.

Dr. Clifford A. Kiracofe is an author, journalist, photographer, educator, consultant, and former Senior Professional Staff Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
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Fueled by wind and dry conditions, the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County in Northern California had scorched 65,474 acres (264.9 square km) as of Thursday, over 10 times in size from two days ago, showed data from Inciweb, an interstate incident information system.

According to Inciweb, spotting and rollout continued to be the main contributor to fire spread throughout Wednesday evening and multiple new spot fires were expected Thursday, so the blaze sparked Saturday had potential to grow further.

The latest data released by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services Thursday morning showed that 25,000 people had been evacuated in El Dorado County due to the fast-moving fire.

There are 653 firefighters battling the fire, which is zero percent contained.

As of Thursday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said 86 structures had been confirmed destroyed by the fire and nearly 7,000 structures remain threatened.

Meanwhile, the Dixie Fire, California's second-largest in history which has been active for more than a month, also swelled more than 60,000 acres in two days. It prompted a new round of evacuation orders Wednesday as gusty winds helped spread the fire within about 15 km of Susanville, a town with 15,000 residents.

The Dixie Fire, the nation's largest active fire, burned down 678,369 acres with 35 percent containment as of Thursday, about three times the size of Manhattan.

It had destroyed more than 1,200 structures, including 645 single residences, Cal Fire said. At least 16,085 structures were still threatened by the flames. Three first responders had been injured fighting the fire, according to officials.

Cal Fire Director Thom Porter said Wednesday that the Dixie Fire was the first wildfire burned across the range of Sierra Nevada in history.

"The Dixie Fire is the first fire that we're aware of that has burned from the west side of the mountain range all the way over and to the valley floor on the east side of the mountain range. We don't have any record of that happening before," Porter said. "It is exceedingly resistant to control."

Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the Western United States. The huge mountain runs 400 miles (640 km) north-south and is approximately 70 miles across east-west.
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Canada's British Columbia Supreme Court concluded the hearings of Chinese Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou's extradition case Wednesday afternoon, with a final decision expected to come later in October.

The ruling on the extradition now rests with the court's Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes, who reserved her decision on Wednesday and adjourned proceedings until Oct. 21 this year, adding that she would not have a verdict at that point.

Wednesday afternoon after the hearing ended, Huawei Canada made a statement on Twitter, saying "in Ms. Meng's defense, counsel raised four branches of abuse of process: political motivation, unlawful detention, material omissions and misstatements, and violations of customary international law."

"From the start, Huawei has been confident in Ms. Meng's innocence," said the statement, adding that Huawei "has been supporting Ms. Meng's pursuit of justice and freedom."

Meng, who did nothing in violation of Canadian laws, was arbitrarily detained on Dec. 1, 2018 at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the United States.

China urges the Canadian government to immediately correct its mistakes and release Meng, so that she can return to China safely at an early date.
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The Group of Seven (G7) on Thursday sought to secure close cooperation in personnel evacuation and the resettlement of refugees as chaos continues at the Kabul airport amid the hasty withdrawal of the U.S.-led military troops in Afghanistan and the Taliban's swift takeover of the Asian country.

The foreign ministers of G7, including Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as the high representative of the European Union, met online Thursday and "spoke about the gravity of the situation and the significant loss of life and internal displacement in Afghanistan over recent days," according to a statement issued by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in his capacity as the chair of the meeting.

"G7 Ministers support the statement of the UN Security Council on 16 August, and affirmed our commitment in particular to the urgent need for the cessation of violence, respect for human rights including for women, children and minorities, inclusive negotiations about the future of Afghanistan," it said.

Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan over the weekend, scenes of chaotic evacuation at the Kabul airport and desperate Afghans who fell from the sky after clinging to planes taking off shocked the world.

Thousands of the nationals and local support staff of the United States and its allies are still left stranded in Afghanistan, waiting to be evacuated.

The latest development came as the rift between Washington and its European allies seemed to have widened over the Afghan crisis.

On Tuesday, French daily Le Monde said "Europeans were trapped in hasty American withdrawal". British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace said last Friday that the U.S. decision to pull its military forces out of Afghanistan was a "mistake".

The G7 will continue efforts to evacuate vulnerable persons from Kabul airport and call on all parties to facilitate that, the ministers concurred during Thursday's meeting, which set the stage for a virtual meeting of G7 leaders on the Afghan situation early next week.

British Home Office has introduced a "bespoke" resettlement plan, promising to take in up to 20,000 Afghans "in the long-term," with some 5,000 being in the first year. The plan was considered far from enough to deal with the Afghan crisis by British lawmakers who met for an emergency parliament session on Wednesday.
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Australia's most populous state of New South Wales (NSW), the epicenter of the country's current COVID outbreak, announced Friday to extend the lockdown on Greater Sydney until the end of September and to impose a curfew on some areas of concern.

For residents and businesses in the local government areas of concern, the curfew will be introduced from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time except for authorized workers, emergencies or medical care from Monday, Aug. 23. Outdoor exercise will be limited to one hour per day.

In Greater Sydney, mask-wearing will be mandatory when the residents are outside home, except when exercising, from Monday, Aug. 23.

The current lockdown on Greater Sydney and surrounding areas, which is scheduled to end on Aug. 28, will be extended until the end of September.

The announcement came after the state recorded 644 new locally acquired cases and four deaths in the past 24 hours to 8:00 p.m. Thursday local time.

There have been 10,582 locally acquired cases reported in NSW since June. 16, when the first case in this outbreak was reported, accounting for roughly one-fourth of Australia's total COVID-19 cases since the initial outbreak early last year.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the tightened restrictions came as a response to two factors.

"The first was the sudden escalation of cases, and secondly the feedback from police about a handful of people flagrantly disregarding the rules," she told the daily press conference on Friday.

The government also announced some new restrictions around workplaces and authorized workers from the areas of concern, such as childcare workers and disability support workers who live or work in these areas must have their first vaccination dose by Aug. 30.

Authorized workers who work outside these areas are only permitted to work if rapid antigen testing is implemented at their work-site or they have had their first vaccination dose by Aug. 30.

Authorized workers from these areas and people entering these areas for the purposes of work have to carry a permit from Service NSW from Aug. 28.

The state police force will also be given more power to ensure compliance including the power to lockdown apartment blocks while health assesses the COVID risk, to declare a residential premise a COVID-risk premise, and require all people to present to police during compliance checks and to direct a person who has been issued with an infringement notice to return to their place of residence.

Those from outside who enter these areas without a reasonable excuse will be fined 1,000 Australian dollars (about 714 U.S. dollars) and required to isolate at home for 14 days.

NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller said 3,500 tickets had been issued this week and it is difficult for police on the ground to manage those areas of concern.

Meanwhile, a permit system for travel between Greater Sydney and regional NSW will take effect from Saturday, Aug. 21. People who need to travel more than 50 km from Greater Sydney for work purposes, inspecting a potential new residence, or permanently relocating could apply for a permit.

Despite the tightened restrictions, Berejiklian flagged that there might be some freedom for those fully vaccinated people at the end of August without revealing more details.

Epidemiologist Professor Michael Toole from Burnet Institute told Xinhua that the current situation needs the government to "put in a kind of circuit breaker", and the harder restrictions should be imposed on a wider range.

"The seven-day average is 538 today and the doubling time is 10 days. So that means if the trend continues, there would be more than 1,000 on Sept. 1. You can't allow that trend to continue."

"The curfew is only in 12 local government areas of concern. It is not across Sydney. I think we need to have that across Sydney otherwise, we are always behind the virus." he said.
Global Sealing & Strapping Packaging Tapes market is accounted for $14.26 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $25.51 billion by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period. Expansive acknowledgment of bundling tapes because of simplicity of pertinence and broad scope of uses in the bundling business are fueling the market growth. However, increases in raw material prices are restraining the market growth.

Sealing & strapping tapes utilized while bundling boxes and containers help amid transport and reinforces the bundles bearing critical weight. This tape is best reasonable for palletizing, general bundling, shading coding, unitizing, packaging and container fixing.

By Type of Adhesive, Acrylic segment fuels the market share during the forecast period due to various favorable circumstances of acrylic glues in fixing and tying bundling tapes incorporate prevalent waterproofing and superb bond.

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Based on geography, Asia Pacific Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the market during the estimated period owing to largest exporters of packaging materials globally. biggest exporters of bundling materials universally. Cheap work costs and the accessibility of locally delivered crude materials have additionally added to the development of the market in this region

Some of the key players in Sealing & Strapping Packaging Tapes market include Wuhan Huaxia Nanfeng Adhesive Tapes, Mactac, Nichiban, Shurtapes Technologies, Scapa Group PLC, Tesa SE, Intertape Polymer Group, Nitto Denko Corporation, 3M Company, Avery Dennison Corporation, Berry Plastics Corporation, Advanced Tapes International, CCT Tapes and Ajit Industries.

Type of Adhesives Covered:

 Silicone

 Rubber

 Acrylic

 Other Type of Adhesives

Place a Direct Purchase Order @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/13574/Single

Materials Covered:

 Polyvinyl Chloride

 Polypropylene

 Paper

 Other Materials

Applications Covered:

 Strapping & Bundling

 Carton Sealing

Regions Covered:
Global In-Wheel Motor market is accounted for $757.21 million in 2017 and is expected to reach $9,860.13 million by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 33.0% during the forecast period. Increasing preference for in-wheel systems over conventional systems and the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles are driving market growth. However, lack of infrastructure associated with vehicle charging services in developed as well as developing. In addition, the introduction of technologically advanced in-wheel motors is providing ample opportunity.

In-wheel motor systems are used to control rotating speed of individual wheels independently, while directly transmitting momentum to the tires without a drive shaft intervention. In-wheel motor helps supply torque to its associated tire and generates more power to improve the efficiency of a vehicle.

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Based on Motor Type, the radial flux motor segment accounted is the most common motor type adopted for in-wheel motors as the rotor can be directly fixed to the wheel. Moreover, in radial flux motors, the outer rotor design is about 15% lighter than the inner rotor machine, which generates the same torque due to their longer air gap diameter.

By Geography, Asia Pacific is the major in-wheel motor market. China is the largest market because the Chinese government provides massive support for the electrification of vehicles. Growth in sales of electric vehicles will lead to an increase in sales of in-wheel motors as only electric vehicles are equipped with in-wheel motors.

Some of the key players profiled in the In-Wheel Motor market include are Schaeffler, YASA, Elaphe Ltd, NSK, ECOmove, e-Traction, TM4, Ziehl-Abegg, Printed Motor Works, NTN, Protean Electric, BMW, Volkswagen, Nissan Motor Corporation and BYD.

Power Output Types Covered:

 Up to 60 KW

 6090 KW

 Above 90 KW

Motor Types Covered:

 Radial Flux Motor

 Axial Flux Motor

Propulsion Types Covered:

 Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

 Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)

 Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)

 Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)

Cooling Types Covered:

 Liquid Cooling

 Air Cooling

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Vehicle Types Covered:

 Commercial Vehicles (CV)

 Passenger Cars (PC)

 Electric Vehicles

Components Covered:

 Regenerative Braking System

 Wheel Bearings

 Rotor and Stator

 Suspension

Regions Covered:
Global Reclosable Films Market is accounted for $107.45 million in 2017 and is expected to reach $250.01 million by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2017 to 2026. Some of the factors such as growing demand for reclosable films due to its re-closability feature and rise in utilization of flexible lidding are fueling the market growth. However, legislative regulations are negatively impacting the market growth. The usage of a reclosable lidding films as a promotional medium acting as an opportunity for the market growth.

Amongst Packaging Type, Trays segment is driven by due to the ease in opening and reclosing. For tray-sealing, the trays are equipped with two opening points that are positioned diagonally opposite each other. This makes it irrelevant in which way the trays are placed on the in-feed conveyor, thus preventing costly errors due to rotation of the trays. It is Easy-to-grip peel corner for effortless removal of top film is of the major benefit for this segment. By geography, the North America region is dominating the market during the forecast period due to the demand for reclosable films in the food industry.

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Some of the key players in Reclosable Films market include Winpak Ltd., Termoplast srl, TCL Packaging Ltd, Sudpack Verpackungen GmbH + Co. KG, Stratex Group Limited, Sealed Air Corporation, Schur Flexibles Holding GesmbH, Plastopil Hazorea Company Ltd, Parkside Flexibles (Europe) Limited, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Korozo Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret AS, Industria Termoplastica Pavese SpA, HFM Packaging, Ltd, Folian GmbH, DowDuPont Inc., Coveris Holdings S.A., Buergofol GmbH, Berry Global Group, Inc., Bemis Company, Inc. and AS Estiko Plastar.

Thicknesses Covered:

 Up to 100 Micron

 Above 200 Micron

 100 to 200 Micron

Peel Strengths Covered:

 Medium Peel Films

 Easy Peel Films

Material Types Covered:

 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

 Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA)

 Polypropylene (PP)

 Polyethylene (PE)

 Other Material Types

Packaging Types Covered:

 Trays

 Pouches & Bags

 Cups

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End Users Covered:

 Industrial

 Personal Care & Home Care

 Pharmaceutical

 Food & Beverages

 Other End Users

Regions Covered:
The global autonomous last mile delivery market size is expected to reach USD 84.9 million by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is projected to register a CAGR of 32.4% over the forecast period. The need for high-tech and efficient delivery solutions is driving the market growth. Technological advancements in aerial and ground vehicle platforms are expected to provide a new horizon to the last mile delivery services.

Automation in the warehousing and fulfillment centers is growing rapidly. A remarkable subset of this is the use of robots for automating movement-based tasks. This field includes drones and autonomous delivery vehicles, which transfer the goods from the origin to the destination. This technology provides an unmatched level of control to customers over how, where, and when they purchase and receive goods, thereby delivering exceptional customer experience.

With the capability to reach remote and weather intense areas, robots hold enormous potential to improve customer services by providing quick and hassle-free delivery. Robots enhance the vendor's communication capabilities by providing a high level of accuracy in delivery timings and real-time tracking of parcels. Many industries, including retail, food and beverages, hospitality, and pharmacies, are looking forward to leveraging lucrative opportunities.

Browse Details of Report @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/autonomous-last-mile-delivery-market

Asia Pacific continues to exhibit a strong CAGR over the forecast period. China, with e-commerce giants such as JD.com and Alibaba, is constantly working on the development of autonomous delivery robots. The testing of indoor delivery robots and contactless delivery initiatives taken by delivery app Meituan Dianping has led to increased use of robots for delivering groceries and food orders in Beijing. Japanese robot companies such as ZMP Inc. are evaluating the potential of autonomous robots that can deliver products from nearby warehouses. The Japanese government is also imparting its contribution to the development of autonomous delivery services to alleviate the labor shortage caused by the aging population and low birth rate.

Autonomous Last Mile Delivery Market Highlights

 The aerial delivery drones platform segment is expected to expand at a significant CAGR over the forecast period owing to their ease of use and high maneuverability

 The Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) model is expected to gain momentum in the coming years, registering a strong CAGR for the service segment

 The adoption rate of autonomous robots for long-range deliveries is expected to increase over the forecast period on account of the growing demand for providing quick and cost-efficient services

 Increased investments in R&D activities and venture funding are expected to provide new business opportunities for companies specializing in autonomous last-mile delivery space. New startups are also expected to enter the market, attempting to capture the market share

Autonomous Last Mile Delivery Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global autonomous last mile delivery market based on platform, solution, range, end-use, and region:

Autonomous Last Mile Delivery Platform Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2027)

 Ground Delivery Vehicles

o Delivery Bots

o Self-driving Vans & Trucks

 Aerial Delivery Drones

o Fixed-Wing

o Rotary-Wing

o Hybrid

Autonomous Last Mile Delivery Solution Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2027)

 Hardware

 Software

 Service

Autonomous Last Mile Delivery Range Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2027)

 Short Range (<20 Kilometers)

 Long Range (>20 Kilometers)
New World Capital Advisors Sdn Bhd (NWCA Malaysia) has appointed Rahimin Aziz and Jalil Rasheed to its Board of Directors LONDON, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NWCA Malaysia was established earlier this year by New World Group (NWG), a London basedA global diversified investment company, in partnership with Berjaya Corporation Bhd (BCorp), a leadingA MalaysianA conglomerate. New World Capital Advisors Ltd (NWCA) is the advisory and merchant banking division of New World Group and acts as a fiduciary to institutional and sovereign capital across the asset management, technology, and venture capital verticals. NWCA Malaysia provides advisory services including mergers and acquisitions, strategy, and operations advice to diversified businesses, corporations, and institutional investors in Malaysia as well as neighbouring countries in the region. NWCA Malaysia is focused on exclusive opportunities in Asia, with Malaysia being the launchpad into the region. The group continues to strengthen its partnership and leadership team in Southeast Asia and beyond, with Rahimin Aziz and Jalil Rasheed joining Tan Sri Dato' Seri Vincent Tan (Chairman & Founder of Berjaya Corporation Bhd), Adam Sadiq (Co-Founder & CEO of New World Group) and Lena Tan (Chairman and Managing Director of NWCA Malaysia) on the board. Rahimin Aziz is the CEO of a strategic Family Office in the region and brings extensive investment experience across the Energy, Real Estate and Financial Services sectors, focusing on Asia and the US. Prior to his formal appointment, Aziz has supported NWG co-founders, Adam Sadiq and Zeiad Idris, in an advisory capacity. Jalil Rasheed is currently the CEO of Berjaya Corporation Bhd. Prior to joining BCorp he was CEO ofA Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), one of the largest government asset management companies inA Malaysia. Jalil Rasheed previously held positions at Invesco and Aberdeen Islamic AssetA Management,A basedA inA KualaA Lumpur andA Singapore. Lena Tan, Chairman and Managing Director of NWCA Malaysia, said: "We are delighted to welcome Rahimin and Jalil to the Board. With growing international investor interest in Malaysia and the region, a board of such high calibre and international experience would be a tremendous asset to unlock significant opportunities for investments. Rahimin and Jalil are highly respected with outstanding track records in value creation across the developed and emerging markets." Tan Sri Dato' Seri Vincent Tan, Chairman & Founder of Berjaya Corporation Bhd, added: "I am delighted to welcome Rahimin and Jalil to the Board of NWCA Malaysia and I extend my best wishes to this group of business leaders and entrepreneurs. The NWCA Malaysia business has hit the ground running since Q2 this year and I am excited to see them work on unlocking the immense opportunities that Malaysia and the broader region have to offer. All of us here at BCorp are delighted to be a part of this journey with New World Group as the company continues to expand into Asia." Co-Founder and CEO of New World Group, Adam Sadiq, added: "We are excited to formalise the appointments of Rahimin and Jalil to the Board, bringing their extensive experience, ranging from asset management to consumer business. They will bring tremendous value-add to the NWCA Malaysia team as we continue to build globally recognised brands." New World Group, through its NWCA Malaysia division, will focus on exclusive opportunities in the region which enhance the firm's global portfolio of businesses. In the last year, NWG has made several strategic investments, including the launch of its GP programme by taking a stake in real estate investor The Valesco Group, which has successfully grown its AUM to EUR 2 billion. NWG furthermore invested in Algbra, a global digital bank focusing on banking the world's underbanked, and which sees Southeast Asia as a pillar region for the company's global expansion. AboutA NewA WorldA Group The New World Group is a global diversified investment company which builds, acquires, invests, and scales businesses, focusing on long-term growth around the world. New World Group adds value to its partners and portfolio companies, from deal origination and execution to value realisation. AboutA BerjayaA CorporationA Berhad The Berjaya Corporation group of companies is a diversified conglomerate under the flagship of Berjaya Corporation Bhd (BCorp), with core businesses across industries including Retail, Food and Beverage, Property, Hospitality and Services. AboutA NewA WorldA CapitalA AdvisorsA SdnA Bhd New World Capital Advisors Sdn Bhd (NWCA Malaysia) is the advisory and merchant bankingA division of New World Group ("NWG") and acts as a fiduciary to institutional and sovereign capitalA acrossA theA assetA management, technologyA andA ventureA capitalA verticals. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1599032/New_World_Group_Logo.jpg
Join Edith Salas of Salas Properties & host Jenn Barlow as they visit the Coronado Shores community. The towers have amazing views including the world famous Hotel del Coronado, downtown San Diego, San Diego Bay, the City of Coronado, Point Loma, and the Pacific Ocean.
Litchfield, CT (06759)

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Thody still harbors some reservations about whether Project Longevity can be as effective in Hartford today as it is in some other communities. In addition to the old problems, he says the nature of gun violence is changing: formal gangs and more loosely-affiliated groups accounts for just 30-35% of the citys violence, according to the departments recent analysis  not the 60-70% estimated by the national network of GVI programs.
It has been heartbreaking to see the photos and video of Afghans desperate to find passage to America that have filled the news this week, and we feel a deep sense of responsibility to assist however we can, said Mark Scheinberg, president of Goodwin University. If we have learned anything from the recent challenges of the pandemic, it is that we all need to look out for one another, and we quickly realized we could help.
As municipal leaders, we urge you to use your office and authority to establish a statewide mandate instead of a patchwork of municipal mandates,' East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc said in a letter to Lamont Thursday. Since the transmission of COVID-19 does not stop at municipal borders or regional boundaries, we also worry that an imposition of a mask mandate on a town-by-town basis would not be as impactful as a statewide mandate.
We were the last state in our region that had a state income tax to institute the EITC, Looney said. And that was because Gov. [John G.] Rowland and Gov. [M. Jodi] Rell had opposed it ever since I first introduced it in about the year 2000. And their argument was that its a refundable credit. Its a windfall for people. It shows you how little they understood.
As part of our effort to respond to our customers and communities who are requesting more natural gas, weve been working to make it available in South Windsor over the past three years,' Mitch Gross, a spokesman for the company said. In collaboration with our communities, we work to coordinate repaving schedules with our new gas connections in order to minimize disruption to new roads.
For his latest deep dive into modern White House history, Woodward has joined forces with fellow Washington Post reporter Robert Costa. The two conducted more than 200 interviews with individuals at the heart of the intense presidential transition in preparation for their ambitious joint project, billed as a spellbinding and definitive portrait of a nation on the brink.
The prayer marks the beginning of Imeldas Secret, a novel that chronicles the lives of two women  Imelda and Gloria  who took different paths in coping with the trauma endured during the war. While Gloria talked openly about her experience, Imelda initially hid hers to protect her family.
A little more than 100 years ago, when and how folks took their meals was a bit more rigid than it is now. There was a time for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and though there was some fluidity, thats the way it was.
Were going to have some officers that if its mandated, they may make the choice to leave the job. Ive heard that already, said Schrad, the VACP executive director. We want our people to be vaccinated, obviously...but we are also very much concerned with this being a decision point for people to determine whether or not they will stay in a job.
In mid-March, while at sea to test those repairs, crew members found another leak, requiring a return to port to replace a deteriorated tank top. In early April, as the crew prepared to head out to sea again, they discovered bits of metal and welding slag in the lube oil system. Cleaning and flushing it took another two weeks,
Of that number, 49 were enrolled in fall courses  meaning that a good number of the remaining students may not have been planning to return to the University this fall at all, U.Va. spokesperson Brian Coy said in an email to The Virginian-Pilot.
Lyndon German Staff writer

Lyndon German is a Virginia native born in Mechanicsville. After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2016, he went on to work for the Hopewell News, the Progress Index, the Richmond Free Press and Virginia Public Media. He has a passion for news, radio, podcasts and the NBA.
That speaks to the horror of the journey. We can never know how many people ripped from their homes and sent across the Atlantic died en route to North America. But we know those 20 Africans were likely not the first enslaved people brought to this continent. And we know they were far from the last.
Lubbock, TX (79409)

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The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to businessman Raj Kundra in connection with a porn films racket case registered by the city police in 2020.

A single bench of Justice S K Shinde directed the police to respond on August 25 to the pre-arrest bail plea filed by Kundra.

Interim protection granted till then, Justice Shinde said.

Kundra, the husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, is currently in jail after being arrested in July in another case related to production and distribution of pornographic clips on some mobile apps.

He filed the anticipatory bail plea in the HC last week in connection with the 2020 case, after a sessions court rejected his application seeking pre-arrest bail.

In his plea, Kundra claimed that another accused in the case was granted bail and hence, he too should be given bail on parity.

Opposing the plea in the HC on Wednesday, Additional Public Prosecutor Prajakta Shinde submitted that Kundras role in the case was different from the other accused in the case.

She sought time to take more instructions on the application.

Granting her time, Justice Shinde directed for an interim order protecting Kundra from arrest till the next hearing date -August 25.

The FIR against Kundra was registered in October 2020 by the Mumbai polices cyber crime cell for alleged broadcasting of nude erotic content on an OTT platform.

Kundra in his plea submitted that he was falsely implicated in the case.

He claimed there was not a single iota of evidence with the prosecution to connect the Hotshot app with the offenses alleged, as none of the actresses arraigned as accused in the case had raised any grievance.

PTI
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said a special programme will be taken up to give "qualitative upgrade" to SC, ST, OBC and minority children residential schools in the state, to bring them up to CBSE standards.

"It is the thinking of our government that in the days to come SC, ST, OBC and Minority residential schools- we have invested a lot in these schools for infrastructure- There's a need to give them a qualitative upgrade," Bommai said.

Speaking at an event to mark the 106th birth anniversary of former chief minister D Devaraj Urs, he said, there is a need to create opportunities for students studying there not only for higher education, but also international education and to create job opportunities.

"So, we're coming out with a special programme for this. Whether it is NEET exam or CET, we want to boost their confidence to take up competitive exams. Karnataka started Adarsha Vidyalayas on line with CBSE. We want to create a system in which these residential schools will be of CBSE standards," he added.

There are about 800 residential schools catering to students from various social groups in the state.

Stating that the state government will also start three new residential schools for children belonging to nomadic tribes this year, the Chief Minister said. there are already four schools and a corporation.

"Of the four schools, two don't have their own buildings. For that, we are giving Rs 6 crore each......We will also take decisions to safeguard the unique nomadic cultures," he said.

Further, he said, that his government would work on three 'Es' for the development of the poor and downtrodden, they are - education, employment and empowerment.

The Chief Minister gave away the D Devaraj Urs awards instituted by the state government.

Remembering Urs and his "revolutionary" land reforms, Bommai said, "he liberated the land and he liberated the sons of the soil."

The Chief Minister also recalled his contribution to hydroelectric power and irrigation projects in the state.

Noting that several programmes started by Urs were still running.

Every year, we give away scholarships to students worth Rs 625 crore....also residential schools for backward class students are also being run."
Sanjay said that he would take stock of all their issues and grievances and base the poll manifesto on them. (DC)

Hyderabad: BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Thursday called upon the party cadre to fight against the TRS and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and keep exposing its irregularities till BJP comes to power in Telangana state. He told them to take cue from Karnataka karyakartas, who fought for years to come to power even when the Congress had filed thousands of false cases and had harassed them.

He was addressing workers who will be participating in the Praja Sangrama Yatra, listed for take-off on August 24. He expressed happiness that hundreds of activists were ready to walk with him and recalled that his padayatra's main aim was to understand problems of the people first-hand and subsequently support them. Sanjay said that he would take stock of all their issues and grievances and base the poll manifesto on them.

He accused the Chief Minister of making false promises and for having diverted Central funds to his image boosting schemes. He said that the people want to see a BJP government in 2023.

SC Morcha state in-charge M.P. Muniswamy assured to give importance to dedicated workers and loyalists. He stated that his team will tour all the mandals, divisions and districts during the padayatra.
DRDO has developed an advanced chaff technology to safeguard fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) against threats. (Photo:PIB)

Nellore: Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an advanced chaff technology to safeguard fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) against threats.

Chaff is used to cheat enemy missiles and divert them away from aircraft.

According to DRDO scientists, the importance of the new technology developed by them lies in the fact that very less quantity of chaff is deployed in the air.

The technology has been given to the industry for production in large quantities to meet the annual rolling requirement of the Indian Air Force.

Defence Laboratory Jodhpur, a DRDO establishment, developed the advanced chaff and chaff cartridge-118/I in collaboration with the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), a Pune-based laboratory of DRDO.

The IAF has started the process of induction of this technology after completion of successful user trials, DRDO said.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh has lauded DRDO, IAF and industry for indigenous development of this critical technology, terming it as one more step of DRDO towards Atma Nirbhar Bharat in strategic defence technologies.

Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, secretary department of defence R&D and DRDO Chairman, congratulated the teams associated with the technology.
TIRUPATI: Union minister for tourism and culture G. Kishan Reddy on Thursday announced that a new scheme Dekho Apna Desh would be launched soon. This is endeavoured to promote domestic tourism. He said that his ministry is readying a road map for the sectors development in the coming calendar year.

Earlier, along with finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Rajya Sabha member C.M. Ramesh, BJP state chief Somu Veerraju and others, he paid tributes to martyrs at the Amar Jawan memorial near Kapila Theertham. Felicitating ex-servicemen and family members of martyrs, he announced that the Centre would extend all possible help for their welfare.

Reddy also visited the Covid-19 vaccination centre at Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) campus and enquired with SVIMS Director and vice-chancellor B. Vengamma about the present situation.

Earlier in the morning, he and his family members offered prayers to Lord Venkateswara.

Kishan Reddy alleged that the YSR Congress government has been staking claim for Central projects.

The state government has done nothing except claiming credit for the projects and schemes that have been sanctioned by the Union government. They are affixing its labels to such Central schemes and hoodwinking people, he said.

Maintaining that the Centre believed in equal distribution of development projects towards which it has been sanctioning funds pragmatically, the minister alleged that there has been no development in Andhra Pradesh. He pointed out that several Central schemes, which were sanctioned long back, are not taking off because the state government has not come up with its share of funds.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice N.V. Ramana Speaking at a function organised at the residence of Chief Justice of Telangana High Court Justice Hima Kohli where the trust deed was registered. (Photo:DC)

HYDERABAD: In a leap forward in realising the dream project of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice N.V. Ramana, trust deed for the proposed International Arbitration and Mediation Centre was registered on Friday.

Speaking at a function organised at the residence of Chief Justice of Telangana High Court Justice Hima Kohli where the trust deed was registered, Justice Ramana said, The proposed International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad will go a long way in helping not only investors abroad but also those from India in settling their disputes in the shortest possible time. It will cost less for litigants compared to other international arbitration centres.

He thanked the Telangana government and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for immediate response to his proposal and said he did not believe that his proposal would fructify within span of three months. However, he asked the Telangana government to allot around five to 10 acres of land nearby the financial district to setup the centre as it would be convenient to all the litigants to approach.

Justice Ramana, during his first visit to the city after swearing in as the CJI recently, expressed his desire to set up first centre for international arbitration and mediation in Hyderabad and to make the city a legal and arbitration hub in the lines of IT and industry hubs as Telangana government came forward to provide all necessary infrastructure.

The CJI then discussed his dream project with the Chief Minister of Telangana and sought infrastructure to establish the centre in Hyderabad.

Within a fortnight of the meeting, the Telangana government responded positively, sent a group of officials headed by the Chief Secretary to the Supreme Court and expressed its readiness to provide all infrastructure including land, buildings, electricity, water and other facilities. The office of the CJI entrusted the responsibility of setting up of the Centre to retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ravindran, who is an expert in arbitration. Justice Ravindran and Justice Lavu Nageshwar Rao would be the life members of the trust set up to establish the centre in Hyderabad.

The trust deed registration programme was also attended by Supreme Court judges Justice Lavu Nageshwar Rao, Justice R. Subash Reddy, retired SC Judges Justice Ravindran, Justice M.S. Jaganatha Rao and all judges of Telangana High Court, ministers K.T. Rama Rao and Indra Karan Reddy.

Justice R. Subash Reddy and Justice Nageshwar Rao explained the opportunities and scope for Hyderabad with the setup of the International Arbitration Centre. Rama Rao hoped that more industries and opportunities would line up to Hyderabad and Telangana, if speedy justice dream came true with the setup of the centre as international companies were hesitating to come to the India as redressal of disputes took a long time.
Vijayawada: SpiceJet cancelled services from Vijayawada International Airport to Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru for lack of passengers.

It stopped booking tickets as it was getting less than 30 per cent occupancy. It will announce resumption of its flight services from the airport after two months.
Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy addressing the meeting during the Jana Aaseervada Yatra in Vijayawada. (DC)

Hyderabad: Union tourism and culture minister G. Kishan Reddy said on Thursday that Prime Minister Narendra Modis government had effectively cut Pakistans tail. It will not be easy for Pakistan to support terror activities anymore, he said.

Reddy said the Indian military has wide experience and knows how to handle the terror activities along the LoC and the other border regions, as was evident from the surgical strikes done by soldiers under Prime Minister Modis leadership.

The minister was speaking at a reception at Kodad to welcome him into the state for his first visit after his promotion. The event was set up by the state BJP. The minister began his Jan Ashirvad Yatra, which will culminate in Hyderabad.

State BJP leaders including its president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, party vice-president D.K. Aruna, party Madhya Pradesh incharge Muralidhar Rao, MP Soyam Bapu Rao, MLA T. Raja Singh, former MP Vivek Venkataswamy, former MLC and Tamil Nadu co-incharge Sudhakar Reddy and others received the minister at the Telangana-Andhra Pradesh border, at Ramapuram Chowrastha.

Kishan Reddy started the Jan Ashirvad Yatra at Nalla Banda Gudem by a car rally from Kodad. Partymen welcomed him with dance and songs. The rally passed through a 10-km stretch.

At the meeting, the Union minister felicitated Venkateshwarlu, an organic farming expert who recently got the Best Farmer award from the Central government.

Addressing the meeting, Kishan Reddy urged the public to wear the mask and check the spread of Covid-19.

He said Prime Minister Modi expanded the cabinet with 23 new faces and wanted to introduce them in Parliament the traditional way but the oppositions thwarted the attempt. For this reason, the PM said the new ministers will go to the public and take the blessings of the people by undertaking the Jan Ashirvad Yatra.

He said that under the leadership of Modi, India is making its own ventilators, oxygen units, and vaccines.

Kishan Reddy accused Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao of using his photographs at PDS rice supplying centres and hiding the photograph of Modi even as the Centre paid `37 per kilo of free rice under the scheme.

Kishan Reddy said that Ramagundam Fertiliser Company started production with support from the Prime Minister and hence there is no shortage of urea for farmers in Telangana. The Union government allocated thousands of crores for national highways, schools, anganwadis and the health sector. But, in Tealangana, the Chief Minister does not visit the Secretariat and spends time in farm houses or Pragathi Bhavan, and hence does not know what is happening around, Reddy alleged.

KCR is trying to save his CM seat and not interested in developing the state, he said, and alleged that if Chandrashekar Rao continued as CM, Telangana state would not develop and plunge into deep debt.

He appealed to the people to give a shock treatment to the Chief Minister in Huzurabad bypoll. KCR is spending crores of rupees in Huzurabad for a TRS win as he is fearful of losing the CM seat if the ruling party is defeated in the poll, the Union minister said.

Reddy urged the people to vote against TRS in the bypoll and vote for the BJP and its nominee Etala Rajender. The BJP is the only party that can develop the state. Under the leadership of Modi, the states growth rate is impressive, he said.

During the tour, Kishan Reddy went to Suryapet and visited the residence of Sankineni Venkateswar Rao, had dinner there and had a night stay at the Police Guest house in Suryapet.

On Friday the Minister resumes his rally and heads for Warangal and Yadadri. He would address public meetings at several places en-route.
The Union minister was addressing a huge gathering at Thorrur of Mahb-ubabad district on Friday, as part of his Jan Ashirwad Yatra. (Photo:DC)

HYDERABAD/WARANGAL: In a strongly-worded criticism, Union minister of tourism and culture G. Kishan Reddy alleged that Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao had been pushing Telangana to bankruptcy for the last seven years, adding that thousands of crores of public money was stolen in the name of contracts all these years.

The Union minister was addressing a huge gathering at Thorrur of Mahb-ubabad district on Friday, as part of his Jan Ashirwad Yatra. Reddy said Chandrashekar Rao would stoop to any low for the sake of his party and family. He blamed the state government for not providing development funds to villages despite the Centres allocation.

However, some Dalit community elders, along with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leaders, tried to obstruct his yatra demanding that the SC classification Bill be passed in Parliament. The police arrested the protesters and cleared the ministers route.

On the second day of Jan Ashirwad Yatra, Kishan Reddy paid floral tributes to late Colonel Santhosh Babus statue in Suryapet district headquarters. The minister visited residence of municipal worker Martamma who did not take even a single day leave during Covid-19 pandemic situation and felicitated for bagging the Centres Best Covid Warrior Award. Reddy congratulated her and had breakfast at her residence.

Addressing the media on the occasion, Reddy stated that he would take the Centres welfare schemes and services to people which was the main aim of Jan Ashirwad Yatra.

He said the Centre would soon announce the vaccination drive for kids and appealed that the people to take the vaccine to control the Covid-19. The minister said he would extend the free rice distribution scheme up to Diwali if it was necessary, adding that the Centre was implementing Rs 50 lakh insurance scheme for Covid warriors. Reddy informed that the Central government was also implementing Rs 5 lakh Bima for journalists across India. The Centre would take care of Covid deceased children's education, he said and appealed to the people to be involved in Centre's schemes.

In Warangal, Kishan Reddy was welcomed by BJP leaders at the Naidu Petrol Pump in the city. Addressing a roadshow, Reddy said the country had become a pioneer in confronting the coronavirus pandemic with vaccines and better equipment under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. He recalled that in the past, it took 15 years for the vaccine to come to our country after the outbreak of polio.

He said Telangana was taken hostage by the Chandrashekar Raos family. He said while it was taking seven years to give a two-bedroom house to the poor, Chandrashekar Rao built a mansion on 10 acres in four months as the Chief Minister.

The people of Telangana want change. We will bring KCR down and raise the saffron flag here, said Kishan Reddy. Reddy also expressed confidence that Etala Rajender would win the Huzurabad by-election despite Chandrashekar Raos plots.

Stating that the Central government was committed to setting up an airport in Warangal, he said but the state needed to respond. He also said he would work towards developing Warangal as a tourism hub.

As part of his tour, Reddy inspected the Covid-19 vaccine centre in Government Maternity Hospital. He also visited the Bhadrakali and 1000 pillar temples.

Speaking at a roadshow in Kamalapur, of poll-bound Huzurabad constituency, the Union minister said he, along with Rajender had took part in the separate Telangana agitation with the slogan Neellu, Nidhulu and Niyamakalu (water, funds and employment). Many people fought for separate Telangana, but betraying the aspirations of the people, Chandrashekar Rao continued his family rule. Time has come for the people to fight for their self-respect, he added.

Speaking on occasion, Rajender said the TRS introduced the Dalit Bandhu scheme only because he had resigned. Imagine how many more schemes would come covering all sections of the society if more people resigned from the TRS. The BJP will surely form the government in Telangana in 2023 and give a people-friendly government, he said.

Rajender challenged Chandrashekar Rao that he would defeat the TRS candidate in a way he lost his deposit. After the Warangal tour the Union minister reached Yadadri of Bhongir Assembly constituency and halted for the night stay at Haritha guest house.
Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority President and CEO Scott Brockman was the keynote speaker at the Southaven Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Luncheon event at the Landers Center.
Spectra Laboratories held a grand opening this week at its new 200,000 square-foot facility in Southaven.
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The Elk Grove Unified School District board stand with leaders from the Miwok and Wilton Rancheria communities at the boards Aug. 10 meeting. Christopher Hoffman (far right), Elk Grove Unifieds superintendent, received a traditional blanket as a gift.
The Elk Grove Unified School Districts middle and high school students started their new school year by returning to school for full-time instruction on Aug. 12. Students and staff are required to wear masks if they are indoors on campus. Pictured is Joseph Kerr Middle School.
FILE - In this Monday, May 10, 2021 file photo, technicians prepare Pfizer vaccines at the newly-opened COVID-19 Vaccination Centre in Sydney, Australia. As Australian health officials encourage eligible high school students to get vaccinated for COVID-19 before upcoming in-person exams, social media users are spreading unsubstantiated claims that their efforts involve forcibly injecting children. The false posts have amassed millions of views in mid-August 2021.
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Emporia, KS (66801)

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On Thursday, the Biden administration announced that 323,000 debtors would have their federal student loan debt forgiven immediately.

Biden Administration Cancels Student Loans

In a recently published article in The Hill, the government will cancel debtors' federal student loan debt through the Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge program. Student loan borrowers who are unable to sustain significant, gainful work due to a physical or psychological medical disability may have their federal student loans discharged through the TPD Discharge program.

However, handicapped student loan borrowers must file a formal application to have their debts forgiven under the program, which may be difficult for individuals dealing with severe health problems, and many borrowers may not even know they qualify.

Under federal law, student debtors with TPDs may apply for forgiveness of their federal student loans on the basis that they would not be able to repay them. Those with TPDs may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which means the Social Security Administration (SSA) would likely have the information needed to evaluate whether they qualify for student debt forgiveness, according to a published report in Forbes.

Read Also: Stimulus Bill Won't Cancel Student Loan Faster

The Education Department Released an Announcement

The Education Department stated that individuals designated as completely and permanently handicapped by the Social Security Administration (SSA) would no longer be eligible to seek for discharge of their federal student debts. Instead, due to a new regulation enabling student loan servicers to connect client data with the SSA, borrowers with TPDs will be eligible for immediate forgiveness.

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement "Today's action removes a major barrier that prevented far too many borrowers with disabilities from receiving the total and permanent disability discharges they are entitled to under the law," according to a published report in The Washington Post.

Furthermore, the Education Department had already negotiated an automatic debt forgiveness agreement with the Department of Veteran Affairs, but the new Thursday regulation will exclude non-veterans with TPDs from the procedure.

Advocates Praised the Recent Action of Biden Administration

Student Defense Vice President and Chief Counsel Dan Zibel in a statement that the Biden Administration's decision to forgive Student Loan is life-changing news for hundreds of thousands of student loan borrowers with disabilities, according to Student Defense Vice President and Chief Counsel Dan Zibel in a statement in a published article in VNExplorer.

They have been urging the Department to take this step for a long time, removing needless red tape that has kept far too many individuals trapped in debt. According to the group, today's action is another sign that the Department is paying attention to student loan borrowers' concerns.

Meanwhile, the Department's move comes as a regulation rewriting process to reform major federal student loan forgiveness and repayment programs, including the TPD Discharge program, which gets underway today. Although final rules may be years away, the revamp may result in substantial changes to these programs.

Persis Yu, director of the National Consumer Law Center's Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project, also said in a statement that they are ecstatic to see the Department of Education finally offer automatic discharges to the hundreds of thousands of handicapped borrowers who have been waiting years for this relief.

Related Article: Stimulus Bill To Exempt All Student Loan Forgiveness From Taxation



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United States President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday to start requiring nursing homes to vaccinate their staff against COVID-19 if they want to be eligible for federal funding programs under Medicare and Medicaid, an announcement that caused concern among facilities due to employees possibly quitting.

The decision will mark the first time the United States government has implemented any sort of vaccination requirement other than for federal government employees. During a speech at the White House, Biden said that there have already been more than 130,000 nursing home residents who have become infected with the virus and lost their lives.

Vaccination Requirements for Nursing Homes

The Democratic leader noted that vaccination rates among nursing home staff were significantly less than other demographics across the country. Biden said that studies discovered that highly-vaccinated nursing home staff were associated with 30% fewer coronavirus cases among long-term care residents.

Vaccination requirements have not yet been imposed by many nursing homes that are reliant on funding from Medicare and Medicaid. Across the United States, vaccination rates among nursing home staff have varied by each facility. Because of how vulnerable nursing homes can be to the pandemic, federal health officials have urged staff to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, CBS News reported.

The new regulations that Biden announced would affect more than 15,000 nursing home facilities and 1.3 million workers nationwide. The same requirement was already implemented on federal employees, who are mandated to get the vaccine or undergo weekly testing.

Read Also: Joe Biden Threatens Nursing Homes Staff Receiving Medicare, Medicaid Will Be Withheld If Workers Not Get Vaccinated

Only about 60% of staff members at long-term-care facilities are fully vaccinated as of data up to early August from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It also reported that about 82% of residents were also fully vaccinated. Since the beginning of the health crisis, roughly 664,000 nursing home residents have become infected with COVID-19.

During his speech, Biden said that people working, living, or visiting a nursing home are at high risk of contracting the virus. The Democrat also noted the surge of Delta variant cases contributed to the decision, Yahoo News reported.

Risk of Losing Employees

But the new mandate gives nursing homes across the country a new dilemma, get vaccinated or don't get paid. A Seattle-based facility is run by Marita Smith while another is managed by Janet Snipes in Denver. The two share years of experience in the industry and with the coronavirus.

However, they have greatly varying perspectives regarding Biden's new announcement. Smith said that unvaccinated people should not be caring for nursing home residents because of how vulnerable they are to the virus. On the other hand, Snipes argued that requiring a vaccination should not lead to the removal of employees due to a lack of funds from the government.

Across the country, several major nursing home chains, along with some states, have already implemented vaccine mandates. Industry officials strongly encouraged employees to get inoculated but said their position on the new policy was similar to Snipes'. Mark Parkinson, the president, and chief executive of the American Health Care Association, argued they could lose tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of workers due to the mandate, the New York Times reported.



Related Article: Cave in Saudi Arabia Hides Massive Pile of Bones Including Human Remains, Mystery Puzzles Researchers

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A fierce clampdown as the Taliban wages Jihad against beauty parlors and cosmetics as they become 'Lords of Kabul.' They consider salons as dangerous elements in their rule, like women's gossip is terrible for the Jihadis in general.

The insurgents did not waste showing the world its dislikes for anything that concerns women, like salons where they fix themselves to look better. Taliban View this as an example of the power that women wield.

Beauty salons were a definite target for the armed Jihadis against hairspray and beauty products in all the places they have ruled.

Taliban fears salons empower women

Pictures have emerged of a beauty salon defaced by fierce Jihadis. Photos of women had been spray-painted in black. Other images with a Taliban extremist with a rifle on his shoulder, passing the defaced picture, reported the Express UK.

Despite attempts to prove they would respect women under Islamic law, relations with western nations seem to have fallen flat, contrary to a statement last Tuesday, noted AP News.

According to Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson, the Taliban does not want to make enemies. Later they formed a ring around the airport perimeter to stop people from entering the airport.

Though he said, women can work with them as long as they follow an Islamic framework. The Taliban wages against beauty parlors as part of their strategies to control women by cutting access to salons.

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has raised serious concerns about the treatment of women in the country moving forward.



Read the latest: https://t.co/FxEs3pMcXN pic.twitter.com/sZ2397xLUe  Sky News (@SkyNews) August 19, 2021

Read Also: Afghan Woman Mutilated by Evil Taliban, Had Her Nose, Ears Chopped Off After Trying to Escape

What the Islamic Emirate says about women equality

All women can do different activities in several areas aligned with their rules like education, health, and other sectors of concern.

Called discrimination against women will not exist under the Taliban, but they must follow the subjective framework, said Zabihullah Mujahid.

Wary of the Jihadis, who is now the Afghan government only a few days earlier, the European Union (EU) said it would acknowledge the extremists if they keep women's rights intact and not harbor terrorists in the country.

EU comments on the Afghan situation

According to Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief read a statement about the current events in Afghanistan after meeting with EU officials on the crisis, cited the DW.

The new government should cooperate for the welfare of women and youth, dealing with ethnic minorities, end corruption, and avoid the country getting used as a base for anti-west terrorists to act like a civilized member of nations.

Stress access for humanitarian assistance to all Afghan citizens who need it. The US and EU asked the Taliban to guarantee the right of women and girls in good faith.

Despite assuaging western nations of their misgiving based on the former action of the Jihadis, many are not confident if the atrocities done by these insurgents won't ever happen.

Intense fears that western aid will never reach those intended because these people will summarily be silenced by the Taliban harshly.

Now, the UK and other US allies are wretched over the monumental mistake of Joe Biden creating one of the worst crises for NATO allies and putting the US on alert for the worse to come.

Taliban wages Jihad against beauty parlors to prevent its evil influence on Islamic women; by the same token, their savage treatment is deplorable.

Related Article: Taliban Betrays Promise Not to Murder Civilians As Photos Reveal Traitors Disposing Dead Bodies of Victims in Mass Graves

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Former President Donald Trump has slammed his successor, Joe Biden, for describing the Taliban's ascension in Afghanistan as the "greatest humiliation in American history." Trump also supported the deal that his administration reached with the Taliban last year, describing the terrorists as "excellent soldiers."

The 75-year-old lambasted Biden's handling of the US troops pull out but also laid some of the blame for the Taliban's stunning uprising in Afghanistan on Afghan soldiers. Trump went on to hail the Taliban as "great soldiers" and even stated "you have to give them credit for that," saying he got along with the Islamic extremists better than recently deposed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country as Taliban troops closed in.

US troops withdrawal in Afghanistan

Per The Times, Donald Trump stated yesterday night that he would have pulled all US citizens and military equipment from Afghanistan before the country's troops if he were running for president again. Trump justified his meetings with Mullah Baradar, a prominent Taliban member, stating that he promised Baradar that if the Taliban sought to grab land or equipment ahead of the US withdrawal that he negotiated, he would "bomb up your village."

As Joe Biden attempts to withdraw American forces from the nation, Donald Trump warns that the US is being "set up" by the Taliban. Despite Trump's statements, it is widely acknowledged that the Taliban have been around for decades, not centuries.

The former President went on to caution Americans that the events in Afghanistan would not go away, but he did not say that the pullout was bad in and of itself. In February 2020, the Trump administration reached an agreement with the Taliban to remove US forces from Afghanistan in exchange for security assurances, Express.co reported.

The 45th President, on the other hand, proceeded to use his TV appearance to launch broadsides at his successor in the White House, accusing him of presiding over "the greatest embarrassment in the US history." Trump even claimed that the situation in Afghanistan was far worse than Jimmy Carter's hostage crisis in Iran.

Biden's failure in Afghanistan appeared to be linked to domestic concerns in America, especially the US-Mexican border, according to the ex-President, who is believed to be considering a re-run in the 2024 election.

Read Also: China's Xi Jinping Puts Wealthiest Citizens on Notice to Give Back to the Society, Signals Stricter Regulation of Incomes

Trump claims his relationship with Kim Jong Un prevented nuclear war

Meanwhile, Trump praised his relationship with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday for preventing a "nightmare" war between the two countries. In 2019, Trump met with Kim and became the first sitting US president to visit North Korea, which is one of the world's most isolated countries.

Trump's friendliness toward Kim, a cruel dictator, sparked criticism; but he held firm in his support for North Korea's peacekeeping and denuclearization efforts. Trump told Newsmax that as the White House changed administrations, former President Barack Obama told him that North Korea and Kim Jong Un were the "single biggest problem" the US was facing.

Kim tested a missile capable of reaching the United States for the first time during Trump's first year in office. It spurred Trump to threaten him with "fire and fury as the world has never seen," igniting an insult war in which Trump referred to Kim as "rocket man." In the aftermath of the UN's stronger sanctions, Kim urged Trump to meet with him, and the former president agreed, as per Newsweek via MSN.

Related Article: Donald Trump Calls for Joe Biden to Resign as Administration Admits Miscalculation Over Pace of Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan

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Despite the fact that the topic was largely irrelevant during the campaign, Republicans continue to raise concerns about Biden's mental health.

Republican Lawmakers Questioned Biden's Mental Capacity

In an interview with conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Hagerty openly questioned Biden's mental ability, concerning the manner he handled the problem in Afghanistan, as reported in a recently published article in MSN News.

Additionally, Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott said earlier this week that Biden's management of the Afghan government's collapse was enough to consider impeaching him under the 25th Amendment. Meanwhile, it can also be remembered that Democrats have spent most of Trump's presidency pushing for the 25th Amendment to be invoked.

During an exchange of conversation between Hewitt and Hagerty, the Republican Senator from Tennessee said that this has caused uncertainty not just in his mind, but also in the minds of many Americans. The President's lack of interest in this and his reluctance to confront it have been stunning, according to a published article in the USA Today.

Read Also: Joe Biden's Health: 'Something's Not Right' says Former White House Physician

Biden's Age is Associated With his Mental Capacity

Jim Geraghty wrote: "The president turns 79 in November. He last released a summary of his health condition in December 2019. In May, a White House spokesman said Biden had not had a medical checkup or taken a physical this year, but that he would by the end of the year," according to a published article in the National Review.

He also added that President Joe Biden did not update his health status or there were no updates about his mental capacity since 2019. In his article entitled "Something is wrong with the President," he also said that they are all being asked to pretend we don't notice.

Meanwhile, the president's incoherence, the insistence that he was incorrectly briefed, his denial that he was warned by his military advisers, and his unusually low profile in the past week raise troubling questions about his ability to perform his duties, according to the transcript of his interview with ABC News's George Stephanopoulos.

Is There Something Wrong With the President?

President Biden delivered a 20-minute address from a teleprompter on Monday afternoon after making no public appearances for four days amid a significant international crisis. He took no questions. He returned to Camp David right away. He had nothing planned on Tuesday.

He delivered another 20-minute lecture on vaccine boosters from Camp David on Wednesday, but this time he did not take any questions. The president also appeared for an on-camera interview with George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday, which did not go well.

Moreover, Pres. Joe Biden will meet with his national-security team and hear the president's daily briefing from the intelligence community. He is expected to return to his Delaware home today, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

However, this is a very uncommon itinerary for a president in the midst of a foreign policy crisis. A president may carry out his duties from any place, whether it is Camp David or his own home. But Biden is seldom seen in public, says little when he goes public, refuses to answer any questions outside of his lone planned interview, and appears irritated when confronted with Stephanopoulos' queries.

Related Article: Former White House Physician Predicts Biden Will Resign, POTUS Needs To Take Cognitive Test



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With the Taliban group taking control of Afghanistan's government, many fear for their lives as officials of the militants have promised to give residents their rights but denied democracy, saying the region will be under Sharia law.

In the first-ever press briefing since the Taliban invaded the capital city of Kabul, a spokesman for the group said that women's rights would be respected "within the framework of Islamic law." However, they have not yet discussed details of what the idea would include in practice.

The Taliban's Rule

The militant group is infamous for being a strict follower of Sharia law, which includes punishments as harsh as public executions of convicted murderers and adulterers. What exactly is incorporated in Sharia law, and how will it affect residents, especially women, in Afghanistan?

The law is derived from the holy book Quran of the Islam religion and takes after the Sunnah and Hadith, which are the deeds and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. If authorities cannot find an answer to a specific issue, they will ask religious scholars to give rulings as guidance on a particular topic or question, the BBC reported.

The word "Sharia" is literally translated to "the clear, well-trodden path to water" under the Arabic language. The law acts as a way of living that all Muslims must follow, which includes praying, fasting, and donating to the poor. The law assists followers in how they should live their lives according to God's wishes.

The Taliban also pledged that they would prevent Afghan territory from being used to target other countries. Officials said they sought to allay concerns that they intend to reimpose Islamic fundamentalism in the war-torn country.

Read Also: Myanmar Chaos Continues as Human Rights Activists Claim More Than 1,000 Civilian Casualties Resulted From the Military Coup

However, the militant group's history comes in contrast to their promises, as they have previously been a mark of extremely conservative interpretation of Sharia laws. Under Taliban rule, women were stoned and sentenced to execution for non-compliance to authorities, Bloomberg reported.

The leader of the Taliban, Waheedullah Hashimi, said that democracy had no place in their country at all. He said they would not discuss what type of political system would be implemented in Afghanistan because it was clear that only Sharia law was applicable.

How Will Sharia Law Affect Women?

Many interpreted the group's announcement of respecting women's rights as a broad interpretation that could return the country to its state in 1996 when the Taliban first took power. At the time, the group forced women to wear burqas, covering their body from head to toe. The law also warned female residents they could be beaten if they are seen going out in public without a male escort, the Washington Post reported.

While the militant group said that women should work in the government, they have not detailed the exact workings of their plans They have also allowed female students to go back to school, handing out headscarves at the door. Previously, the Taliban have forced women to wear burqas and prevented girls over the age of 10 from attending schools.

Despite their assurances, many are skeptical of what the militant group plans to do regarding their governance within the country. One woman in Kabul said that she did not believe a single word they were saying, fearing for women across the region.

Another female resident said, "As long as my right to study and work is protected, I don't mind wearing a hijab. I live in an Islamic country and I'm willing to accept the Islamic dress code - as long as it's not a burqa though because that's not an Islamic dress code," Fox News reported.

Related Article: Is the Afghanistan Defeat the Same as the Saigon's Fall in the Last Days of the Vietnam War in 1975?

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Russian President Vladimir Putin warned US President Joe Biden at the June 16 US-Russia conference in Geneva that his country was opposed to US soldiers deploying in surrounding Central Asian countries.

The previously undisclosed remarks appeared after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan following the start of the US withdrawal. Thousands of Americans and Afghans who aided the American effort are currently being evacuated by US forces.

Putin suggests Biden scrap plans in Central Asia

A Russian foreign ministry official backed up Putin's views in a statement to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, saying the circumstances in Afghanistan had not changed his country's position. Putin is also said to have told Biden that China will not allow the US military to operate in Central Asian countries.

Russia is bolstering its position through diplomacy and military action. In recent weeks, the US adversary has held combat games near the Afghan border with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan are all "stans" in Central Asia that were previously part of the Russian empire and have long been considered part of Russia's "sphere of influence." Furthermore, both Russia and China put pressure on these countries to reduce military cooperation with the US.

The Russian resistance to US forces in Central Asia will most certainly make it more difficult to maintain stability in the nation after the withdrawal. Because there are no bases in Central Asia, the US must rely on sites in the Persian Gulf, such as Al Udeid in Qatar, where the US has a significant military presence.

Hundreds of Russian armored vehicles and artillery pieces were readily seen hundreds of miles away, on the Tajikistan border, as the Afghan government disintegrated this week in Kabul and the US tried to speed up its evacuation attempt.

They were taking part in a high-profile military drill roughly 12 miles from a Taliban stronghold, and they were there to make a message, according to a Russian general. The exercises indicated that Russia will now be the one to protect Central Asia from any turmoil next door.

In the protracted post-Soviet struggle for power and influence in Central Asia, dubbed the "new Great Game," an increasingly powerful participant has arisen from Afghanistan's disarray and confusion: Russia, at least in security matters.

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Russia is ready for Taliban win in Afghanistan

Russia's strengthened stance in Central Asian security problems is part of a larger shift brought about by the Taliban's ascension to power. With the West's retreat, Russia, China, and Pakistan hope to gain influence in regional affairs while the US and India stand to lose.

While the chaotic American pullout reminded Moscow of Russia's humiliating 1989 exit from Afghanistan following a disastrous 10-year operation, it was a global propaganda victory for Moscow. Russia has sought influence in Latin America and Eastern Europe by claiming that the United States cannot be trusted. The secretary of Russia's Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, has warned that America's allies in Ukraine may soon be disappointed as well.

President Ashraf Ghani's government's fast fall was also a vindication of Russia's years-long strategy of cultivating a diplomatic connection with the Taliban. While Western diplomats hurried to evacuate Kabul this week, Russian officials remained, with the Taliban assuring the Russian Embassy's protection.

The Taliban guaranteed that its military gains would not pose a threat to Russia or its interests at Russia's most recent round of talks with the Taliban in Moscow in July. Although the Taliban is legally listed as a banned terrorist organization in Russia, the country has hosted the group for many rounds of talks, making any association with it a potential felony, as per the New York Times.

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Russia was prepared for the quick changes following years of planning to set the framework for relations with the group, which it still considers a terrorist organization.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this week that Moscow was "not in a rush" to accept the Taliban as Afghanistan's new rulers, but that there were "encouraging signals" of their willingness to allow other political organizations to join the government and allow girls to attend school.

In 2003, the Taliban was added to Russia's list of terrorist organizations; and Moscow has yet to take anything to remove them. Russian law makes any communication with such groups illegal, but the Foreign Ministry has reacted to inquiries about the seeming inconsistency by arguing that its interactions with the Taliban are critical to international efforts to stabilize Afghanistan, as per SFGate.

Related Article: Joe Biden Discusses Military Withdrawal in Afghanistan With Boris Johnson; World Allies Express Concerns at US President's Poor Communication

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United States President Joe Biden announced that U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan can stay past the withdrawal deadline until every American who wishes to leave the country is safely accounted for.

During an interview on August 18, Biden said the American government will suspend the withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from Afghanistan. The Democratic leader said that officials would determine "at the time who's left" in the country.

Withdrawing All Americans From Afghanistan

He said that if there were any American civilians left, the troops would work on getting them safely back home. However, the White House did not immediately reply to questions regarding the situation.

Biden said that there were still around 10,000 to 15,000 Americans in Afghanistan who were waiting to be evacuated. He also said that the American government wanted to evacuate around 50,000 to 60,000 Afghan allies and family members from the war-torn country.

"It depends on where we are and whether we can get to ramp these numbers to five, to 7,000 a day coming out. If that's the case, they'll all be out. The commitment holds to get everyone out," Biden said during an interview, MSN reported.

Within this year, more than 270,000 people in Afghanistan have been displaced from their homes due to the advance of the Taliban. The numbers were an estimate of a report by the United Nations released on July 13.

Biden's announcement comes after a chaotic scene was observed at a Kabul airport where hundreds of residents flooded American planes in an attempt to flee the country. The situation is made more difficult as the militant group is blocking Afghans from entering the airport without travel documents. However, even those who have valid authorization are struggling to pass through.

Read Also: Donald Trump Describes Afghanistan Withdrawal The Greatest Embarrassment in US History, Praises His Relationship With Kim Jong Un

When shown pictures of the chaotic scene in Kabul and images where some residents fell off a flying U.S. plane, Biden said that the American government should immediately take control of the situation. He added that things have to move quickly to get a handle on the airport and the panic that has ensued, BBC reported.

Resistance Against the Taliban

With the Taliban taking control of the Afghan government, many people have expressed their resistance by protesting. Despite militant fighters patrolling the streets on Thursday, residents continued to decry the group's violent attacks.

However, the Pentagon said that their focus was to maintain the airport perimeter and increase the number of evacuees from Kabul. Residents held up the Afghan flag in their continued resistance against the rule of the Taliban.

Dozens of protesters, including women, marched through the streets of the city on the country's Independence Day. Despite Taliban members firing warning shots into the air, people continued to resist the unjust rule.

Several provinces also observed protests on Wednesday, one of which was in the eastern province of Jalalabad, where the Taliban flag was torn down and replaced with the Afghan national flag. The sign of the country was erected in a public square to show the people's solidarity in times of crisis, ABC News reported.

Related Article: Taliban Betrays Promise Not to Murder Civilians As Photos Reveal Traitors Disposing Dead Bodies of Victims in Mass Graves

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The chances of the fourth round of federal aid stimulus checks are extremely slim. The federal government does not appear to be willing to give the money to the residents of the United States of America.

However, a few states are doing everything possible to ensure that the people receive the money, having received a total of $200 billion to fulfill the needs and address the problems posed by the country's coronavirus pandemic.

What states provide more stimulus payments?

The deadline for distributing the funds is on December 31. Some states have already started handing out stimulus checks as a result of this.

An extra stimulus payment has been or will be mailed to cash-strapped Americans in a dozen states. The extra cash comes as lawmakers in Congress continue to fight over a fourth payment, as per The Sun.

As part of the American Rescue Plan, states like Florida, California, and New Mexico are providing additional stimulus payments to their populations as the possibilities of more stimulus checks dwindle. The third $1,200 payment for struggling Americans was approved when the last stimulus package was passed in March.

It did, however, put aside an additional $350 billion for states and local governments to use if they wanted to make further direct payments to their populations. As part of their efforts to promote the economy, states have decided on various ways to transfer the money directly to people to assist with mortgage and rent payments.

California has chosen to use its state cash rather than the money from the American Rescue Plan to issue the second of its state stimulus checks. It comes after California incurred a significant budget surplus due to tax loopholes, a record-breaking stock market, and other issues. In September, residents earning $75,000 or less will receive between $0 and $600.

California, Florida, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Michigan are the states linked with the exclusive version of the stimulus check payments. California is the only state that has paid out federal aid to its qualified residents using funds generated by the state.

Per Digital Market News, the tax surplus is the primary cause for this. It has been stated that the money will be distributed to persons who received a stimulus check unemployment payments between March and October in the state of Colorado. The checks will be worth a total of $375.

Officials from the state of New Mexico have announced that a total of $5 million will be awarded to residents who did not get federal stimulus checks. The money was delivered to the teaching staff by officials from Georgia, Michigan, Florida, and Tennessee. Although no official announcement has been made in the state of Texas, there are a few localities that are distributing money to their employees in the form of raises or bonuses.

Read Also: Prevent Missing Your Next Stimulus Check; Make Sure To Do This by the End of the Month

New stimulus checks handed to these states

Teachers in Florida and workers that assisted in the search and rescue activities following the condo collapse in Surfside were also given checks. Teachers in Irving, Texas will receive a stimulus check worth up to $2,000 when they return to the school.

Employees who have worked a minimum of 20 hours per week are eligible for the bonus. By August 31, all payments must be deposited. Employees in the Fort Worth and Arlington school districts will earn a 4% wage rise.

Mansfield employees will see a 2% pay raise, while Denton employees will receive a $500 retention incentive. More than 4,000 low-income households in New Mexico received an emergency payment worth up to $750 earlier this month.

Senators in Tennessee approved a plan that gave teachers in the state a $1,000 bonus instead of a 2% wage rise. Colorado residents received a stimulus check worth up to $375 between March and October of last year.

Meanwhile, the Maryland Relief Act 2021 had a provision that gave families an extra $500 and provided $300 to individuals who filed for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Teachers and staff workers in Georgia districts received an extra $1,000 earlier this year.

According to MLive, Michigan teachers got $500 as part of the MI Classroom Heroes Grants proposal in February. More than $50 million was made aside for teachers, with another $20 million allocated to support staff.

The incentives were only for full-time or part-time K-12 teachers; substitutes were not eligible. The White House does not appear to be planning a fourth wave of stimulus payments anytime soon.

President Joe Biden appears to be prioritizing the increase of the child tax credit, as 36 million households received stimulus checks worth up to $300. In July, unemployment declined from 5.9% to 5.4 percent, indicating that the economy is progressively improving.

According to Yahoo Finance, roughly 900,000 jobs were added to the labor market last month. Politicians in Washington, DC, are on summer break until mid-September, reducing the chances of a fourth check before the fall.

Related Article: Recurring $2,000 Stimulus Checks: Will Americans Receive Another Payment Soon as Petition Earns Millions of Support



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According to a UN document, the Taliban have intensified their hunt for individuals who worked with NATO troops or the former Afghan government.

Taliban Threatens Different Families

In a recently published article in BBC News, according to the report, militants have been going door to door, looking for targets and threatening family members. Since taking control, the hard-line Islamist party has attempted to reassure Afghans by pledging "no vengeance."

The Taliban group has "priority lists" of people it wants to arrest, according to a secret study given by the UN's threat assessment experts and reviewed by several news outlets. It also threatens to murder or jail family members if they do not surrender.

Christian Nellemann, who heads the group behind the report, said, "There are a high number of individuals that are currently being targeted by the Taliban and the threat is crystal clear. It is in writing that, unless they give themselves in, the Taliban will arrest and prosecute, interrogate and punish family members on behalf of those individuals," according to a published article in ALJAZEERA.

Read Also: IMF Refuses to Release $450 Million to Afghanistan; Taliban Cannot Access Most Afghan Central Bank Assets

Taliban's First Officially Released a Statement

In a recently published news article in Federal Inquirer, during the Taliban's first formal news conference, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid promised Afghans, including those who worked with the U.S. and partner troops, that they would be secure.

Mujahid said that all those who became masters against jihad will be pardoned, and this particular pardon is considered because they do not want the war to happen again and they do not want any elements of the war to stay. This is despite a report from the UN that anybody on the Taliban's "blacklist" was in grave danger and that mass killings were a possibility.

Mujahid added, "We are assuring the safety of all those who have worked with the United States and allied forces, whether as interpreters or any other field that they worked with them," according to a published report in the Epoch Times.

Protests Spread Across Afghanistan

At least two individuals were killed after the Taliban opened fire at a gathering in Asadabad, commemorating the country's independence day; the unfortunate event caused panic. It was unclear if the deaths were caused by the rush or by the gunshot. The Taliban did not respond to the event right away.

In Kabul, there were also sporadic flag-related demonstrations, with individuals, including women, marching through the streets past Taliban militants carrying the old flag and declaring, "Our flag represents our identity."

The U.S. State Department Released a Statement

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that he had read a study compiled by at least one NGO. He is, however, not just able to corroborate those facts. He also said that whenever they come across a detail like this, they take it extremely seriously and do all possible ways to follow up on it.

Meanwhile, approximately 2,000 individuals were flown out of the U.S.-controlled airport in Afghanistan in the last 24 hours, according to the U.S. military officials speaking to reporters in Washington on Thursday. There are approximately 300 Americans among them. According to Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby, the majority of non-American passengers are Afghans who have been given special immigration visas and are on their way to military facilities in the United States.

Related Article: Taliban Fighters Harass Afghans From Reaching Kabul International Airport, Contradicts Public Promises



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After an hours-long standoff with authorities that forced the evacuation of parts of the federal complex, a North Carolina man who claimed to be carrying a bomb in a pickup truck parked near the US Capitol surrendered calmly to police.

Floyd Ray Roseberry, 49, was identified as the suspect by US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, who crawled from the crowded cab of his pickup, ending an extraordinary confrontation - some of which was live-streamed on Facebook by the suspect.

Roseberry had lately suffered personal losses, according to Manger, and was coping with "other challenges" at the time of the incident. The chief stated that detectives were still looking for any probable explosive devices in Roseberry's truck, implying that the search could take several hours.

Manger said officials first saw the vehicle at 9:15 a.m. Thursday after Roseberry claimed to have a device and what appeared to be a detonator in his hand and drove it on the street outside the Library of Congress building, USA Today reported.

Roseberry live broadcast at least part of the standoff with police on Facebook, when he made repeated appeals to President Joe Biden, alluded to an impending "revolution," and warned of four more devices concealed throughout the city. Roseberry was identified in the video by police.

Man in a pickup truck yells "bomb" near the Capitol

Per The Independent, an eyewitness said she observed a man in a black pickup vehicle in front of the Library of Congress yelling "bomb" and throwing dollar bills out the window. After a man in a pickup truck threatened to detonate an explosive device near the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, Capitol police reacted to an "active bomb threat investigation."

"Come out here and talk to me Joe, America is tired of it," the suspect said. On Thursday morning, the neighborhood surrounding the Capitol Hill Library was evacuated, and residents were advised to avoid the area.

Sydney Bobb, a 22-year-old UW-Madison student, said she was on her way to a race in politics class near the Library of Congress at 9.25 a.m. when she noticed a man in a black pickup truck shouting that he had a bomb. To communicate with authorities, the suspect in the truck is using a dry-erase whiteboard. The North Carolina man also uploaded several videos to Facebook before they were taken down by the social media platform.

Since a crowd of thousands of Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in an attempt to prevent lawmakers from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, Capitol Hill security has been beefed up. A pipe bomb was left at the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee buildings in Washington the day before the uprising.

Read Also: Woman Accused of Hiding Roommate's Corpse Who Died of Overdose

The January 6 Capitol riot prompted high security

Following the riots on January 6, around 25,000 National Guards were stationed around the US Capitol to ensure security for President Joe Biden's inauguration. Thousands of National Guard troops have been stationed there for months, despite the potential of political violence.

Officer William Evans of the Capitol Police Department was killed and another officer was injured when a vehicle hit them at the heavily guarded northern entrance to the US Capitol on April 2. Noah Green, a 25-year-old Indiana man, was shot and died.

The Library of Congress is the world's largest library, located near the US Capitol and the Supreme Court. On Thursday morning, staff at the Library received a security warning informing them of the bomb threat.

The US House of Representatives and Senate were not in session on Thursday, so the Capitol complex was comparatively quiet. As fire and rescue vehicles and federal officials arrived on the scene, police closed off routes surrounding the Capitol complex.

The US Supreme Court, as well as other nearby facilities, were evacuated. After the January 6 incident, high-security fencing was installed in the area, but it was removed by mid-July, as per Strait Times.

Related Article: Georgia Woman Pleads Guilty of Bank Fraud Worth $7.9 Million in COVID-19 Relief Funds

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North Korea has issued a warning to people not to speak about national leader Kim Jong Un's health after he recently lost weight, describing such discourse as a "reactionary act."

Government Says North Korea's Leader is Healthy

In a recently published article in RFA, government officials have been pushing the narrative that Kim, also known as the "Highest Dignity," is healthy and that his recent weight loss demonstrates that he is suffering alongside his people, who are dealing with chronic food insecurity exacerbated by the effects of a long-running COVID-19 pandemic.

When Kim reappeared in state media in June after a lengthy absence, he looked significantly slimmer, sparking widespread curiosity. Meanwhile, officials regarded the propagation of allegations regarding Kim's health to be treasonous and initiated an inquiry to find out where the reports started.

A resident of the northeastern port city said, "As stories of health problems related to the Highest Dignity's weight loss spread among the residents, many of the neighborhood watch units here in Chongjin made official statements to the people at their weekly meeting, saying that it is a 'reactionary act' to talk about the leader's health," according to a published article in VOA News.

Read Also: Kim Jong Un Orders Execution of Choir Conductor, Riflemen Fire 90 Shots in Front of Crowd

North Korean State Television Admitted Kim's Weight Loss

Kim Jong Un's apparent weight loss has been recognized by North Korean official media, which even admits that the leader's health is a source of worry in Pyongyang. According to the Yonhap news agency in South Korea, the statement was made during a state-run Korean Central Television interview with a North Korean citizen.

The remarks were in a separate KCTV broadcast that included street interviews with people who expressed their thoughts on a range of subjects, including a recent cultural performance. Kim's health problems were not mentioned in the report. Analysts say it is still significant that Pyongyang is recognizing his new look, according to a report published in BBC News.

The 37-year-health old's has long been a source of concern, most recently when he appeared on state television looking considerably slimmer than he did a few weeks before. Though Kim's altered body was obvious in his smaller face and baggy clothing, one news source used state media pictures of the leader's $12,000 IWC Portofino Automatic watch to potentially corroborate the weight reduction.

Kim's Health Status Intensified Last Year

Last year, after skipping a big public birthday party for his late grandpa, North Korea's founding leader, rumors concerning Kim's health grew. Kim has been missing from official media for many long periods of time without explanation since then.

Kim, who smokes a lot of cigarettes, looks much heavier now than when he first came to power in 2011. Kim weighed over 136 kilos last year, according to South Korea's intelligence service. When Kim was out of the public eye for many weeks in 2014, rumors regarding his health began to spread. He soon reappeared, accompanied by a cane, and state media cryptically said that he felt "discomfort," but did not explain.

Kim's family has ruled North Korea for three generations. Kim Jong Il, his father, died of a heart attack in 2011 when he was 69 years old. Despite his untimely demise, he looked ill towards the conclusion of his life.

Related Article: Kim Jong Un Weight Loss Speculation Unlikely; Geopolitical Consequences May Imply as He Gets Thinner



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An 11-month-old baby from northern Indiana was reported missing and found dead in a wooded area after a man who volunteered to watch her for a few days led authorities to her body.

Prosecutor Nelson Chipman Jr. of Marshall County announced on Thursday that a man, Justin Miller, 37, would be charged with negligence of a dependent resulting in death. Miller initially told authorities that he left her with a neighbor on Sunday, but later modified his tale, claiming that he awoke Saturday to find the baby dead and then disposed of her body.

Babysitter disposed of missing baby in Indiana woods

Mercedes Lain's body was discovered in a very wooded region of Starke County on Wednesday night after Miller led officers there, ABC7 reported. According to Chipman, the girl's parents are charged with one count of neglect of a dependent for allegedly leaving their child with Miller.

The 11-month-old baby who had been reported missing was discovered dead in Starke County, Indiana, on Thursday, according to officials. The girl was last seen Saturday when her parents left her under the care of a friend named Justin Miller.

Per Fox13, Mercedes' father, Kenny Lain, reported her missing on Sunday, prompting a silver alert. Miller was caught by police on Monday; and after a series of interrogations, Miller led them to the girl's remains, according to authorities.

Kenny Lain and Tiffany Coburn, the girl's parents, are also facing accusations of neglect of a dependent. Investigators found no evidence that the girl's parents were aware of her fate when they reported her missing on Sunday.

Officials are awaiting the results of an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death. According to officials, more charges may be filed as an outcome of the autopsy results.

A silver alert was issued across Indiana as authorities launched a desperate hunt for the missing baby, who was last seen with Miller about 12.30 a.m. Saturday. Miller was found in the early hours of Monday morning, but Mercedes, who was dressed in a white onesie with pink trim, was nowhere to be seen.

He was taken into custody for interrogation, which led to Lain and Coburn's arrest the next morning. CBS Indianapolis reports Miller initially told the family that he had dropped Mercedes off with one of their neighbors, but this was shortly shown to be false.

Read Also: Woman Accused of Hiding Roommate's Corpse Who Died of Overdose

Authorities suspect crime as a drug-related case

Miller finally led authorities to Mercedes' remains in a wooded location in Starke County on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday morning, right before cops reported the finding of Mercedes' body during a press conference, the silver alert issued for her was revoked.

Mercedes is believed to have died on Saturday night and drugs may have played a role in her death. They also claim that Lain and Coburn were unaware of their daughter's death when they reported her missing.

The couple reportedly gave Mercedes to Miller so they could take a break. He was supposed to bring her back on Saturday, but that was postponed until Sunday.

Miller, however, was unable to be reached when the baby was supposed to be returned, and she was reported missing. After the allegation was filed, cops stated the girl's mother, Coburn, had left a duffel bag with "illegal narcotics" at a neighbor's house.

The babysitter reportedly told investigators that Lain contacted him on August 12 about purchasing synthetic marijuana, just one day before he took Mercedes. When he was with the baby, he acknowledged "smoking synthetic marijuana multiple times" and said he had talked with the baby's parents about how they were having problems with Mercedes.

Miller stated that he would keep an eye on her for a few days to give them both a break. However, authorities said his account of events altered many times after he claimed to have dropped Mercedes off with another relative at an Economy Inn.

Mercedes' parents were unable to be contacted after the missing person report was lodged. Authorities discovered Lain "under the influence of an unknown substance," and Coburn admitted to using methamphetamine "numerous times," as per The Sun.

Related Article: Ohio Mom Pleads Guilty of Abandoning 3 Children, Killing 6-Year-Old Son and Dumping His Body in River



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Nearly half of the world's children could face "extreme risk" due to the impacts that climate change could bring in the future if the current generation fails to alleviate the problems of global warming.

In a statement, youth activists, including Greta Thunberg, said that children around the world cannot afford any more false promises at this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). They said that every child will have to endure the effects of global warming across all nations.

Climate Change Effect on Children

The U.N. children's agency UNICEF found that nearly all of the 2.2 billion worldwide are exposed to at least one climate or environmental risk, ranging from catastrophic floods to toxic air. A climate panel of the agency, filled with the world's top atmospheric scientists, warned last week that global warming was dangerously close to spiraling out of control.

Experts said that the effects of climate change could include deadly heat waves, hurricanes, and other extreme environmental events that are expected to get worse. The UNICEF index confirmed that children would be the most vulnerable to the effects of global warming, 18-year-old Thunberg said, Yahoo News reported.

The youth activist said that when world leaders meet in November at Glasgow for COP26, they should commit to acting rather than just discussing the issue at hand. Ahead of the index's publication, Thunberg said she did not expect lawmakers to do so but hoped that they could prove her wrong.

Read Also: Donald Trump Describes Afghanistan Withdrawal The Greatest Embarrassment in US History, Praises His Relationship With Kim Jong Un

The report found that one billion children across the world live in one of 33 countries labeled under the highest level of risk in terms of vulnerability to climate change. The countries included in the report are the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau, among others.

In a statement, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said that the report provided the first-ever "complete picture of where and how children are vulnerable to climate change, and that picture is almost unimaginably dire," The Hill reported.

Fixing the Problem of Global Warming

The report also found that the 10 countries with the highest emissions include China, the United States, Russia, and Japan. These nations account for nearly 70% of global emissions that contribute to climate change. However, children who live in those higher-emitting states face lower risks than other nations.

Many of the higher-risk countries are poorer countries in the southern parts of the world and are where the majority of the effects will be felt. While there are less than three months until COP26, climate scientists are suggesting that if world leaders are to act against global warming and its effects, that time is now.

Some are arguing that the world's younger population is more at risk of suffering the effects and consequences derived from the decisions and actions of previous generations. With that threat, activists and scientists will continue to show the world the reality of the situation and sound the alarm for everyone to be aware, the New York Times reported.



Related Article: Nursing Homes Worry About Losing Employees Over Biden's Requirement to Have Staff Vaccinated

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When it comes to your company's brand identity, corporate uniforms are an invaluable asset. Not only do they present a visual image of your identity, as well as the message you want to portray to potential customers but wearing corporate clothing is also a way to easily identify staff members associated with your business. Employees dressed in a specific uniform help to build your brand by setting your business apart from your competitors.

Customers can have a positive perception of a company based on the appearance of your employees or not, and it's up to you to make sure that your uniform helps brand identity remain robust and intact. Initially, customers form opinions about your business based on a number of factors such as your business premises, packaging, marketing materials and how your team is presented. You only have one chance to make a great first impression so you had better make sure it is a good one.

Continue reading to learn why corporate uniforms and brand identity are essential in putting forth the right image of your company.

Brand Identity Is Reflected In Your Uniform

If you want your business to be seen in a positive light, it's crucial that your employees look their best and fit the image you want to project. Think about who your target audience is and what kind of clientele you are trying to attract. Is your goal to create a niche market and cater to a specific group of people? Is it important to create an atmosphere of relaxation and comfort, or would you prefer an upscale or luxurious feeling over a more casual one? Answering these questions can help you to design an employee uniform that will align with your brand identity so you can best position your business for success moving forward.

Consider Functionality

Functionality is a major consideration when it comes to corporate wear. Depending on what sector your business is in, there are different design features that you can include to ensure that your employee unforms are appropriate to the work environment. For example, if you employ warehouse workers, it may be a good idea to have extra pockets to allow for a hook knife and other day-to-day tools to be easily stored and accessed. On the other hand, if you operate a kitchen, you will need fire retardant clothing for your cooks as they will be working near an open flame. Designing a uniform that is intended for purpose can help to show your clients that you are a business that takes worker welfare, productivity and efficiency seriously, which is always appreciated.

Your Branding

Nowadays, branding extends far beyond a business name, colour scheme and logo. However, when it comes to designing an employee uniform that will bolster your brand image, these criteria are still vitally important. If you want your company uniform to represent your brand, you need to ensure that your brand colours, business name and logo feature Again, depending on the type of business you run. These may be included in a subtle way or they may be front and centre. If you are in the luxury hotel business, for example, you may choose to display your logo in a very subtle manner, creating an image of your business that oozes sophistication. Conversely, if you have a fast-food restaurant, you may choose to don your team in loud, bright vibrant coloured uniforms that have your logo covering the back of the employee uniforms. Branding your uniforms in a way that matches your niche is key in creating the right image.

Create The Right Image For Your Business With Your Corporate Uniforms

Designing the perfect company uniform is a great opportunity to add an extra layer of complexity to your brand identity. Through your employee uniforms, you can help to emphasise what makes your business different and reinforce your business image. Be bold and creative with your design choices and make sure that you choose an employee uniform that represents what your business stands for and showcases what you want to be known for moving forward.

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Gangs reportedly abducted two doctors working at hospitals to treat earthquake victims in the capital city of Haiti, forcing one establishment to declare a two-day shutdown.

Officials said that the kidnappings occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday and dealt a heavy blow to attempts of controlling criminal violence. The situation has caused concerns regarding the risks that disaster response personnel face in Port-au-Prince.

Gangs Abducted Doctors

One of the doctors, Dr. Workens Alexandre, was one of the country's few orthopedic surgeons and was desperately needed to treat patients with broken limbs after the devastating earthquake. It was found that 45 out of 48 patients at the Bernard Mevs Hospital needed orthopedic surgery, an official said.

Earlier in the week, gangs in the rough Martissan neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital announced a truce to allow rescue efforts to pass through. The area in the southwestern part of Haiti was the hardest-hit region during Saturday's earthquake.

However, authorities are unsure whether or not those gangs were related to the abductions of the two doctors. But Dr. Ronald La Roche, the founder of the DASH network of affordable hospitals, said criminals from beyond Martissant have been involved in kidnappings, ABC News reported.

The second doctor who was kidnapped was an obstetrician who was on his way to the emergency cesarean delivery room. He was allegedly abducted in Petionville, which has long been considered one of the safer and wealthier areas in the capital. The patient, who was waiting for the doctor, died along with her child, due to the delay in the treatment.

Read Also: Biden Says US Troops to Remain in Afghanistan Until Evacuations are Completed

Roche said he was "furious" at the gang for the atrocious act they have committed. He said they were responsible for the death of the woman and her child. As protests against the abductions, Roche's hospitals opted to shut down for two days to non-emergency cases.

Devastating Haiti Earthquake

The Haitian earthquake has taken the lives of nearly 2,200 residents, and officials expect the number to rise in the coming days. Authorities reported more than 12,000 people have been injured, flooding hospitals that are already struggling to fight the coronavirus pandemic, The Week reported.

While the kidnappers have contacted the families of the two doctors who were abducted, they have not yet revealed if they had ransom demands. The Bernard Mevs Hospital official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the situation has become worse, forcing doctors to stay in hospital rooms for two or three days to avoid traveling.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the former head of neurosurgery at the hospital, said that the government cannot rely on the truce that the gangs announced. "I have already given orders that for traveling from Port-au-Prince to the south, security is provided on the route from Martissant to the worst-hit areas," he said on Wednesday.

Officials also had to escort 18 Colombia volunteer search-and-rescue workers away from the quake-damaged city of Jeremie. Police were deployed to act as security forces after a rumor circulated that they had been involved in the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the Los Angeles Times reported.



Related Article: Missing Baby Found Dead in Indiana Woods; Family Relative Arrested, Parents Also Charged

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Research and development of new bearings

June 17, 2021-Saint-Gobain has developed a new type of bearing that makes it easier for automakers to provide end users with the comfort they need. This innovative technology perfectly combines the low friction performance of PTFE-lined sliding bearings and the radial spring characteristics of the tolerance ring. For automobile manufacturers, the installation of this universal self-tightening bearing is very convenient; for end users, the use of this bearing can get rid of the annoying passenger cabin noise and easily adjust the mechanical devices, thereby achieving a pleasant driving Experience.

Christoph Wirtz, Marketing Manager of Saint-Gobain Bearing Interiors, said: We are very proud of our extensive cooperation with major automakers over the years. For this reason, we are deeply aware of the various challenges our customers face, such as In the design process, torque and abnormal noise cannot be taken into account. Our innovative bearings make up for this shortcoming, and can ensure a constant sliding force under varying loads, tolerances and offset compensation, and maintain a constant sliding force during the life of the bearing Zero gaps to minimize abnormal noise. We are happy to share this innovative technology and look forward to working with partners to design new systems to improve user comfort."

This controllable new low-friction bearing has zero clearance fit under various tolerances of the mating parts, and its spring characteristics significantly expand the possibilities of shape design. This provides a lot of opportunities for automakers to continuously improve the driving experience of end users. As drivers drive longer, their demands for interior comfort are also increasing. Compared with the quality of car seat cushions, comfort can affect the overall driving experience of the driver. In addition, annoying noises such as abnormal noises and time-consuming and labor-intensive mechanical device adjustments also increase the commuting pressure of the driver.

The impact of new bearings on product name in the automotive industry

The 25581 bearing is mainly used to complement the host industry, including automobiles, home appliances, medical equipment and other industries. The development of related industries will drive the demand of the industry. China auto market has maintained a trend of rapid growth in recent years. Considering factors such as car ownership, per capita income, and per capita car ownership, cars are still in the incremental market and have not been transferred to the stock market. According to the "2015-2020 China Bearing Manufacturing Industry Production and Sales Demand Forecast and Transformation and Upgrade Analysis Report" released by the Foresight Industry Research Institute, the high growth rate of the automotive industry will continue for a period of time, and the future growth rate will not be less than 15%.

With the process of miniaturization and electrification of automobiles, the corresponding component products are constantly increasing. Therefore, the automotive-related parts market will continue to expand in the future. The development of automotive bearings will focus on safety, improving efficiency and reducing harmful substances. Automobile radiator cooling fan motor, wiper motor, exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR) valve frame and anti-lock brake system (ABS) represented by oil pump motors and their application systems are the main application areas of miniature bearings.

In particular, the 25581 bearing for ABS was only used for high-end cars in the 1980s. After that, it was used as an important product for safety measures in the direction of miniaturization and popularization, and its use has been continuously expanded since the mid-1990s. The automobile spindle developed at present is developing towards multi-function and safety. It not only uses the 25581 bearing to control the brake intermittently, but also links with the sensor that monitors the driving situation, and transmits different braking forces to the front, rear, left, and right wheels. Control safe driving as a whole. The future development trend of miniature bearings. This system is an ABS upgrade system. Different manufacturers have different product name such as ESC, EPS, VSC and so on.

The development of ABS system is a typical example of the development of automobile-related products. In the future, product name will derive many new application products with increasing requirements for safety and environmental protection. The imported bearing market aims at hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles to try to create new types of car-related products. In this development, the field of miniature bearings will continue to expand, and its precision will continue to improve. With the continuous development of China\'s automobile industry, there is huge room for domestic enterprises to develop. If you are looking for 25581 bearing or get more information about 25581 bearing, please send an email to sales@spark-bearing.com

The impact of new bearings on product name in the home appliance industry

The market scale of China household appliance industry has been expanding year by year, and the growth rate has declined in the past two years. The Institute of Foresight Industry predicts that the market scale of China household appliance industry will continue to expand year by year.

The product name for home appliances represent motor bearings for vacuum cleaners and air conditioners, mainly motors with an outer diameter of 22mm. The characteristic of the vacuum cleaner is that the rotation speed of the motor is as high as 40,000 rpm/min, and the motor of 100,000 rpm/min has also been used in vacuum cleaners sold in large quantities in the market. Air conditioners are equipment used indoors for a long time and have high requirements for low noise. The current problem is that the electrical corrosion caused by the electrical connection between the inner and outer rings of the 25581 bearing can only be solved by using non-conductive ceramic balls, which will improve the technical level of the 25581 bearing for household appliances.

The impact of new bearings on product name in the medical industry

In recent years, the market scale of China medical device industry has maintained rapid growth. The Prospective Industry Research Institute predicts that China medical device industry will maintain a growth rate of more than 20%.

In medical equipment, the use of product name also involves many aspects, mainly used for blood pumps for artificial dialysis, drug injection pumps, and air pumps for ventilators. These devices are used on the pillow side of the hospital bed, so they must be treated with low noise.

An extreme example is the dental drill used by the dentist. The drill bit is 400,000 to 500,000 revolutions per minute, which is difficult for the doctor to bear under the stimulation of the high pitch. A major issue in the name of medical device products is the corrosion resistance of the 25581 bearing to chemicals and acids. This is an issue that cannot be separated from bearing materials.

From the future development trend of bearings in the above application fields, the product name are mainly developed in the direction of precision and bass, so the future development direction is the name of precision products. In view of the wide application of precision product name, the development of various industries has increasingly higher requirements on the accuracy, performance, life and reliability of product name, and the number of requirements is also increasing. In recent years, China domestic machine tool industry and automobile industry have developed rapidly. In order to meet the needs of product upgrading and replace imports, China precision 25581 bearing products have a broad market prospect.

Wuxi Spark Bearing Co., Ltd is a modern high-tech professional high-quality roller bearing manufacturer integrating R&D, manufacturing, sales, and service. Our bearings are mainly supplied to OEM customers in many industries, such as mining, petroleum, chemical, coal, cement, heavy machinery, wind power, construction machinery, and other industries. We have a complete supply chain and can provide customers with almost a full range of standard and non-standard customized bearings. Welcome to send an email or click on the product to send an inquiry for the latest price of related bearings. Looking for the 25581 bearing or get more information about any other bearings, please send an email to sales@spark-bearing.com. Or visit the following website: https:/www.spark-bearing.com/
Google celebrated Perseverance's six months on Mars. Since it has landed, Perseverance has captured over 125,000 images and videos of the Red Planet for researchers to study. The largest search engine in the world posted a video to simulate what the Mars rovers' Google Photos would look like if it had one.

NASA's Perseverance Rover Has Spent 6 Months on Mars

It has been six Earth months or 177 sols on Mars since the Perseverance Rover landed on the Red Planet with the Ingenuity helicopter hitching a ride, Digital Trends reported. It landed on the Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021.

Since its landing, Perseverance has driven 1.24 miles or 1.99 kilometers across the crater, carrying out its mission.

Im headed over toward some layered rocks that I spied from a distance a few weeks ago. Can already see the landscape around me changing. Itll be interesting to see what clues this next spot holds.



Track my location: https://t.co/uPsKFhW17J pic.twitter.com/MBk5lROLR6  NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) August 13, 2021

Its mission is to seek signs of ancient life, collecting rock and regolith samples to take back to Earth one day, NASA explained. It is also helping scientists see the viability of supporting life on Mars, for when astronauts one day make it to the Red Planet. Perseverance has also documented the little Ingenuity helicopter's first days on its mission, like a proud older sibling.

During the past six months, Perseverance has captured 125,438 photos using its many cameras. It has also provided an astonishing 360-degree panoramic view of "Van Zyl Overlook."

Perseverance sends the images back to Earth for scientists, researchers, and space fans to see. In fact, all of NASA's published images are free for anyone to download.

Skirting a boundary between rough rocks and soft dunes. Views from orbit teach us so much about Mars, but theres nothing like being here and seeing for yourself.



Latest images: https://t.co/Ex1QDo3eC2 pic.twitter.com/reydl42ftB  NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) August 17, 2021

Read Also: NASA Hubble Images: Space Telescope Captures Birth of Star in Gemini Constellation!

Google Shows Off Google Photos Features With Perseverance's Images

Google took NASA and the rest of us down memory lane with Perseverance's photographs and videos. The search engine giant released a video celebrating the rover's half-year stay with a montage of images of rocks, landscapes, selfies, and the Ingenuity helicopter, CNet said.

To set the mood of the whole video montage, "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" by Jerry Herman plays in the background. Those who have watched "WALL-E" would know that this is the very same song the loveable little garbage robot would hum along to.

The video incorporated features found in Google Photos like its organization system that tags different images and keeps them in specific categories, Digital Trends said. This makes it easy to locate certain photos or videos, especially when you remember the subject of the image but don't remember when it was taken.

When youre in a new land, you cant help but take lots of pictures. In my six months as a Martian resident, Ive built up quite a collection. See all my photos here, and even upvote your favorites to become Image of the Week: https://t.co/Ex1QDo3eC2 https://t.co/gsYF55bczE  NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) August 18, 2021

Perseverane's Google Photos categories include "shadow selfies," landscapes," "rocks," and "additional rocks." Google also included a short clip of the incredibly crisp video captured during the rover's descent to the Martian crater last year.

Another Google Photos feature Google showed off was its search function, which allows users to search for any image linked to certain keywords. As a cheeky little move, the first search term entered in the video was "Martians" which obviously came up empty. "Water" also returned with no results but "dunes" did pull up quite a lot of images of the Red Planet's sandy land formations.

Perseverance continues to take photographs and collect rock and regolith samples for scientists and researchers back here on Earth. If the studies and missions go right, Perseverance just might meet humans without having to fly back to Earth. NASA is already working on building its team of astronauts for its Mars mission. Those interested in joining the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog can do so until September 17, 2021.

Related Article: NASA Space Construction: ISS Tests Regolith 3D Printer for Artemis Lunar Program; Is This the Start of Space Colonization?
SpaceX filed an amended application to the FCC and proposed to use Starship spacecraft for Starlink satellite improvement. This new plan teased big improvements for Starlink users, including faster internet speeds and bigger service coverage globally.

In these last few years, SpaceX conceptualized an advanced broadband internet system delivered by satellites orbiting around Earth. To emphasize, thousands of satellites would be launched in the program that would mimic constellations found in the skies. That internet provider is now called Starlink satellite system, which entered its beta phase in April 2020.

Although reasons may vary, many beta testers enjoyed the Starlink internet service provider. Its current speeds reportedly run at 50Mbps to 150Mbps at a latency from 20ms to 40ms. However, these numbers would eventually improve as Starlink progresses its development.

On Wednesday, SpaceX wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about their "Amendment to [the] Pending Application for the SpaceX Gen2 NGSO Satellite System." As previously mentioned, SpaceX wants to use its incoming rocket to deploy more satellites to space.

What Is SpaceX Starship?

Starship is a human landing system (HLS) developed by SpaceX in their pitch for NASA's next big mission to the moon. This is a massive rocket built with a fully reusable launch system. Ideally, this spaceship should be strong enough to survive the harsh space environment.

However, the evidence is yet to be seen. SpaceX Starship is still in development, with no date of completion. All news on this rocket, including SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's tweets, indicate that the rocket is still in its construction and testing phase.

Starship Fully Stacked pic.twitter.com/Fs88RNsmfH  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2021

Read Also: Space Satellite, Junk Tracker: Old Part of Russian Rocket Crashes on Chinese Satellite!

SpaceX Starship Responsible for Starlink Satellites Launch

The idea SpaceX proposed is simple: a bigger rocket means a higher payload. Starship would also have the ability to deploy satellites on their operational orbit in weeks instead of months. These two features should significantly speed up the progress for Starlink satellite deployment.

For reference, Starlink has more or less 1300 satellites launched in space. However, they received prior approval from the FCC to launch 12,000 satellites total. Starlink satellite system is conceptualized to have more than 29,988 satellites, which might further increase depending on their customers.

If Starship would be used to deploy the Starlink satellites, PCmag highlighted two configurations to the process. First, Starship could position the satellites in "multiple inclinations to more evenly spread capacity by latitude, ensuring better, more consistent global coverage." Second, it will double the number of satellites deployed in a "sun synchronous orbit optimized for service to polar regions" so their internet service could reach areas like Alaska.

PCmag reported that SpaceX also filed a secondary plan for the Starlink Satellite deployment. The company plans to use reusable Falcon 9 rockets to deploy 60 next-generation Starlink satellites.

If the filed application is approved, Starlink might deliver high internet speed to the rural and remote regions north of Earth.



Related Article: NASA Mars Rover Pictures: Google Celebrates 125,428 Photos From Perseverance With Cool Video
08/20/2021

By Buffy Lockette and Sydney Jones-Wright

Friends and colleagues at Jacksonville State are mourning the loss of a university legend today, as Dr. Louise Clark - who worked on campus for more than 50 years - has passed away following a short battle with cancer. She was 77.

Dr. Clark spent the bulk of her career in the College of Business and Industry as associate dean before joining the Division of Academic Affairs as an associate vice provost last fall.

She joined the faculty at JSU in 1969 after earning a BS in marketing and MA in business statistics from the University of Alabama. She became the first woman faculty member to earn a doctorate when she was awarded a Ph.D. in business from UA in 1984. Shortly afterwards, she was promoted to full professor and became the first woman to serve as an academic administrator when she was appointed associate dean of business.

She was one of the smartest women and hardest working people I have ever worked with, said Provost Emerita Rebecca Turner, who was Dr. Clarks friend and colleague for decades, even before they worked together at JSU. She became the universitys first accreditation expert and we turned to her every 10 years for her advice and opinions as we changed and progressed over the years. She always had solid input that you could count on. In my opinion, the College of Business and Industry would never have been able to survive, thrive and become AACSB accredited without her.

During her time on campus, Dr. Clark assisted with five of the universitys 10-year accreditation site visits with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), as well as numerous self studies for reaffirmation and individual program-level accreditations. She was instrumental in the College of Business and Industry receiving and maintaining its Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. She also chaired several accreditation teams reviewing peer institutions across the country, from California to Florida.

Due to her numerous contributions to the university and to higher education, starting from a time when she was the only woman in the board room, Dr. Clark is regarded as a trailblazer by women on campus.

Dr. Clark's contributions to our institution and our college can't be overstated, said Dr. Dana Ingalsbe, head of the Department of Applied Engineering. She was a mentor, a friend, and a leader who worked tirelessly to make Jacksonville State University a better institution for everyone.

Provost Christie Shelton said, Dr. Clark was a legend at JSU, plain and simple. Her contributions to this university are endless. Recently, she had assumed the role of associate vice provost in my area and proved invaluable in assisting with numerous tasks associated with accreditation. She was a superb leader and mentor of many. My prayers continue to be with the family during this time.

University President Don Killingsworth, who regarded Dr. Clark as an advisor and friend, said, Dr. Clark dedicated her entire career and most of her life to Jacksonville State. She was valued for her wisdom, her encyclopedic knowledge of the university and its accreditation, and her honesty and her humor. She will never be replaced.

A celebration of Dr. Clark's life is being planned for next month. More details will be announced in coming weeks.
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) / Courtesy of the SPO



By Park Ji-won





The poster for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO)'s third season, from September to December / Courtesy of the SPO
Seen are the promotional images from Woori and NongHyup banks, which show their adoption of the Equator Principles. Courtesy of each company



By Park Jae-hyuk



Woori and NongHyup banks joined the Equator Principles Association this week, leaving Hana Bank behind as the only major commercial bank here that has yet to adopt the risk management framework intended to prevent financing for large-scale projects that can cause environmental damage or human rights abuses.



The banking unit of Woori Financial Group became a new member of the association, last week, with an aim of bolstering environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors in its management. It organized a taskforce earlier to set up a process to follow the principles.



"The adoption of the Equator Principles has enabled us to have an ESG management system satisfying global standards and to strengthen our competitiveness in sustainable management," Woori Bank CEO Kwon Kwang-seok said. "As a global financial institution, we will enhance our ESG management with sincerity by fulfilling our responsibility for the environment and society."



The banking unit of NongHyup Financial Group also became a member. It announced that it will nurture experts in assessing environmental and social risks in projects during the first-year grace period for new members as well as reform its bylaws to avoid any possible participation in projects that can have significant negative impacts on the climate or human rights.



"Based on our recent decision to adopt the Equator Principles, we will make ESG management prioritizing the environment and society take root in the financial investment sector so that the name of NongHyup reminds the public of the ESG," NongHyup Bank CEO Kwon Jun-hak said.



Shinhan and KB Kookmin banks, both of which are the nation's leading commercial banks, adopted the Equator Principles in September 2020 and February 2021, respectively.



Korea Development Bank (KDB), which joined the association in 2017 as its first Korean member, was appointed last month as the new representative of Asia, which will start its two-year term from the annual general meeting in October, replacing its predecessor, Japan's Mizuho Bank.



In contrast, the banking unit of Hana Financial Group did not join the association, despite the group's declaration in March that it would adopt the Equator Principles by the end of this year as part of its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.



The bank's spokesman refused to disclose the specific timeline for this goal, although he emphasized that the group's plan to join the association has remained unchanged.



"We are trying to prepare more thoroughly before our joining," he said. "It is just a matter of timing, and we will definitely join the association."



Among the country's state-run banks, the Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) said in April that it seeks to become a member of the association by the end of next year.






Rival parties on Thursday agreed to raise the tax base for a comprehensive real estate tax imposed on single-home owners from the current 900 million won ($765,000) to 1.1 billion won, complying with growing public calls for property tax cuts.







The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party reached the agreement during a subcommittee meeting of the National Assembly's Strategy and Finance Committee.







The agreement calls for lifting the lowest limit for levying the Gross Real Estate Tax, a national tax imposed on owners of multiple or high-end houses, by 200 million won to 1.1 billion won in case of single-home owners.







It means that the Gross Real Estate Tax, separate from property taxes levied by local governments, will be imposed on owners of a single home whose government-assessed value exceeds 1.1 billion won after a relevant bill passes parliament.







Multiple home owners were excluded from the proposed tax reductions, as the tax threshold for individuals who own two or more houses will remain unchanged at 600 million won in terms of combined appraisal value.







Soaring housing prices have pushed up the government's assessed property values in recent years, resulting in steep increases in the Gross Real Estate Tax, particularly for high-end homeowners.







Prior to the bipartisan agreement, the DP had pushed to change the threshold for the Gross Real Estate Tax levied on single-home owners from 900 million won in appraisal value to the top 2 percent of housing in appraisal value.







But the ruling party abandoned the 2 percent scheme amid criticism that the threshold will fluctuate every year, running counter to the general taxation principle.







A revision of the Gross Real Estate Tax Act based on the bipartisan agreement is scheduled to be submitted to the Assembly's plenary session on Aug. 25.







The government and the ruling party have been under pressure to address growing public discontent over the overheated real estate market after runaway house prices drove up tax burdens on home owners while raising costs for home lenders. (Yonhap)


This image shows the map of the excavation site where a set of dragon-headed roof tiles was found in the tidal flats of Taean, South Chungcheong Province, in June and 2019. Courtesy of National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage







By Park Ji-won



Ornamental roof tiles, used to decorate the royal buildings of the early Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), were discovered in the tidal flats of Taean, South Chungcheong Province, in June, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday.



The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage found two pieces of a dragon-headed roof tile (giwa) known as "Chuidu," while conducting an archaeological survey. This is the first time that Chuidu of the early Joseon period still in its original shape has been excavated.



The relics will be on display at the Taean Maritime Museum from Aug. 31 to Sept. 5, along with similar roof tiles uncovered previously. In September 2019, a local resident uncovered the lower piece of a Chuidu while clam digging. The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage also found one piece called "Japsang" of a sculpture of a military commander recovered from the same site in October 2019.



During the Joseon period, Chuidu and Japsang ornamental roof tiles were used only on the roofs of royal buildings such as palaces, the government organization said. Chuidu is a dragon-headed ornamental tile placed on both ends of the highest ridge on a roof. It was usually made of two to three parts  a top part and bottom part. Japsang is a tile that decorates the hips of a roof and has various types of shapes. Pieces shaped like military commanders are placed at the end of the roof.



The shape of the newly found Chuidu is similar to the patterns of one used in Sungnyemun Gate, National Treasure No.1 which was destroyed by fire in 2008, the administration said.








The World Health Organization said it plans to allocate about 3 million doses of Chinese-made vaccines to North Korea, but did not disclose a timeline.







Edwin Salvador, head of the WHO office in Pyongyang, said that 2.97 million doses of China's Sinovac vaccines are to be delivered to North Korea, Radio Free Asia's Korean service reported Wednesday.







"We are still waiting for [North Korea's] response to this offer," Salvador said.







According to the U.N. official, the Kim Jong Un regime has already developed the national vaccine deployment plan and that a "Technical Assistance plan for its rollout has also been developed."







"With COVID-19 vaccines now being able to be stored between [35.6 and 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit], and [with North Korea] having a good track record on routine immunization, the [country's] immunization system and network is expected to manage the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination with adequate technical support such as on cold chain logistics and monitoring and surveillance during its implementation," Salvador said.







It is unclear whether North Korea will accept shipments of Chinese vaccines.







South Korea's spy agency said in February that China most likely approached North Korea with vaccine offers, but the nation did not respond. The Sinovac vaccine was revealed in January to have an efficacy rate of about 50 percent in trials.







North Korean workers in China may already have received Chinese vaccines. Yonhap reported earlier this month that North Korean restaurant workers were waiting to be vaccinated at a hospital in Shenyang, Liaoning Province.







North Korea has not publicly confirmed receipt of any COVID-19 vaccines after requesting to receive 1,7 million doses of vaccines from the World Health Organization's COVAX Facility earlier this year.







COVAX has said it would eventually allocate a total of 1.99 million doses to the country. (UPI)






North Korea held a series of technology conferences on construction, information technology and the power industry this week, state media said Friday, in a move seen as aimed at tackling economic challenges with science and education.







A conference on information technology was held from Tuesday to Thursday via video links to discuss ways to "continue providing education to students in emergencies such as the public health crisis or natural disasters," the Korean Central News Agency said.







The North appears to have organized the conference to explore new ways to educate its students amid prolonged measures against the coronavirus.







North Korea claims to be coronavirus-free, but it has taken relatively swift and drastic antivirus measures since early last year, including sealing its borders and imposing strict restrictions on movement.







Also held this week were conferences on construction technology and power industry, the KCNA said.







Since taking office in late 2011, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has shown keen interest in education and the development of science and technology, apparently trying to boost the country's economy as it struggles with crippling global sanctions. (Yonhap)


People stand in line to receive coronavirus tests at a testing center in Gangnam District, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap



Gov't extends current social distancing measures for 2 more weeks



By Lee Hyo-jin



The government's decision to extend the current social distancing measures has drawn controversy, as many believe that such measures will not help curb the virus spread while only driving more self-employed up against the wall.



Along with the extension, the government also tightened the curfew on eateries and cafes, and expanded incentives offered to people who have been fully vaccinated for the coronavirus.



Small business owners criticized the strengthened limit on operating hours as excessive, while medical experts viewed that the "vaccine incentives" would have limited effects on boosting consumption.



As the current social distancing measures expire Sunday, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Friday to extend the current rules  Level 4 in the greater Seoul area and Level 3 in other parts of the country  for another two weeks through Sept. 5.



In addition, eateries and cafes in regions under Level 4 will be required to close at 9 p.m., an hour earlier than the current 10 p.m., amid an increasing number of infections linked to the facilities.



The government, however, has partially eased the gathering ban on groups of more than two people after 6 p.m. Under the new rules, up to four people are allowed to gather at eateries and cafes if the group includes two fully vaccinated individuals.



The health ministry noted that the new rules apply only to eateries and cafes, not to other facilities such as indoor gyms and singing rooms.



It also explained that the eased gathering ban is aimed at boosting consumption in a bid to relieve the financial woes of small business owners, while giving more freedom to the vaccinated, considering the deepening public fatigue from prolonged restrictions.





People are observed for possible side effects after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Dongjak District, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap




By Kang Seung-woo







The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has stepped up efforts to provide support for Iraqi women victimized by its war against the Islamic State (IS).







The state-run overseas aid agency agreed, Aug. 5, to provide $2.99 million (3.52 billion won) by 2023 to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to implement a project to support gender-based violence and sexual violence victims amid the conflict in northern Iraq.







It aims to establish two One-Stop Support Centers for Women Victimized by War Violence, which will provide legal support and adaptation assistance to women affected by war violence, as well as treatment and psychological counseling.







"Some 93,000 Iraqi women are expected to benefit from the services," a KOICA official said.







In addition, the project will provide a capacity-building program for Iraqi government officials, offering consulting services to improve systemic deficiencies while launching a wide-ranging campaign to overcome deep-seated discrimination against women in the local community, KOICA added.







It is not the first time KOICA has reached out to war-torn Iraq.







It has provided a total of $360 million in grant aid for Iraq's economic and social development over 17 years since 2003. Recently, KOICA has been working closely with Iraq's government ministries and various international organizations to support socio-economic recovery in the war-affected areas of northern Iraq.







As Iraqi women have limited access to education, jobs, land ownership and financial resources, the rate of their social participation is low, with only 13 percent of women currently participating in economic activities and only 29 percent attending university.







"The IS (Islamic State) war is still ongoing, in that it continues to cause great suffering to the Iraqi people and especially women," said Jang Kyung-wook, the Korean ambassador to Iraq, who also said he hoped the project will provide an opportunity to heal the wounds of Iraqi women, who have been victims of war violence, and to empower them to recover their lives.






South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, will hold separate bilateral talks with his U.S. and Russian counterparts next week on efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea, the foreign ministry said Friday.







Noh will hold talks with Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, on Monday, and with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov on Tuesday, the ministry said. Morgulov doubles as the point man for Pyongyang.







Kim is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Saturday for a four-day visit. Morgulov will make a six-day trip here running through Thursday.







At the upcoming talks, they will "discuss ways for cooperation for substantive progress in the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of lasting peace," the ministry said.







No trilateral session among the diplomats is planned during their visits, according to a ministry official.







Morgulov will also meet with Yeo Seung-bae, South Korea's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, on Monday for a senior policy dialogue on bilateral relations, cooperation and other issues, the ministry said.







Their visits come amid heightened tensions after Pyongyang blasted Seoul and Washington for going ahead with their joint military exercise running through next week and warned of "a serious security crisis."







Speculation has arisen that the North could take provocative actions in protest.







The North had reportedly issued a navigational warning for early this week for ships off the east coast, a possible indication that it had prepared a weapons test, such as a missile launch, although no such activities took place.







During his last visit in June, Kim said the U.S. is ready to meet with the North "anytime, anywhere without preconditions" and looks forward to a positive response from Pyongyang. (Yonhap)


Defense Minister Suh Wook / Yonhap



The ongoing combined military exercise between South Korea and the United States is "optimal" for preparing for contingencies, Seoul's defense chief said Friday, dismissing concerns that the scaled-down drills would not be enough to maintain a readiness posture.



Seoul and Washington are staging the joint summertime exercise from Monday through next Thursday. The computer-simulated exercise does not include outdoor drills and involves a smaller number of service members than previous ones amid the COVID-19 pandemic and peace efforts involving North Korea.



"The exercise under way by the Combined Forces Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and component commands may be seen as troops doing computer games, but it is being taken under the scenarios very close to real war situations," Minister Suh Wook said during a parliamentary session.



"Despite unfavorable conditions due to COVID-19, we organized this exercise by making utmost efforts in coordination with the health authorities," Suh said. "What we are doing is the optimum way of being prepared for a war."



Critics and some opposition lawmakers have claimed that such scaled-back exercises without outdoor drills will badly affect the combined defense posture, criticizing the government for caring about North Korea too much.



Pyongyang has long bristled at the South Korea-U.S. combined exercises, calling them a rehearsal for invasion. Last week, it lambasted the two nations and warned of a "serious security crisis."



Since 2019, their major combined exercises, which usually take place twice a year, have not included outdoor drills. The defense ministry has said that outdoor maneuvers have been carried out throughout the year rather than being done intensively at a specific period of time. (Yonhap)






Former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon announced Friday he will run in the presidential election slated for March as an independent.







"I will run in next year's presidential election," Kim said during a press conference in his hometown of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province.







He added he would win the race outside of the political establishment, explaining the ruling and main opposition parties are only interested in maintaining their vested rights rather than improving the livelihoods of the people.







Kim said he will do his best to move forward with his campaign, likening his endeavor to that of French President Emmanuel Macron, who came to power by first leading an independent political grassroots movement in the country.







When asked on the prospects of meeting with Ahn Cheol-soo, head of the minor opposition People's Party, to discuss forming a political alliance, Kim said he does not have such plans.







"As of now, we're essentially a small start-up company with no money or organization but we will complete the race by rallying new political forces," Kim said.







The former career bureaucrat, mostly in economy and budget-related areas, served as President Moon Jae-in's first finance minister from June 2017 to December 2018. He resigned after reportedly clashing with senior presidential aides over the administration's income-led growth policy.







Before joining Moon's Cabinet, Kim served as president of Ajou University. He is particularly well-known as a self-made man who attended a vocational high school and an evening college while working to support his family at an early age. (Yonhap)


Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, the leading presidential contender of the main opposition People Power Party, has created an account for his pet dog Tory, in which he uploads photos of Tory and his other pets, often featuring Yoon together with them. Captured from Instagram account tory.stagram



Critics say presidential hopefuls not engaging actively enough on social media



By Jung Da-min



With the competition to win Cheong Wa Dae heating up, presidential contenders of the ruling and opposition parties have been jumping on the bandwagon of using various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, sharing their personal selves in a bid to create an image friendly to the public.



The presidential election to pick President Moon Jae-in's successor is scheduled for March 9, 2022.



Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, the leading presidential contender of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), and former Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) Chairman Choe Jae-hyeong, another presidential hopeful of the PPP, both created accounts on Facebook and Instagram recently to appeal to voters.



Yoon even created a separate account for Tory, his pet dog, to upload photos of Tory and his other pets, occasionally featuring Yoon spending time with them. Yoon has a total of seven pets  four dogs and three cats.



As for Choe's social media activity, he's been uploading photos of himself spending time with family members and old pictures of himself.





Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choe Jae-hyeong, a presidential contender of the main opposition People Power Party, created a Facebook account in late July, in an effort to appeal to members of the public. Captured from Choe Jae-hyeong's Facebook



Among presidential contenders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), former DPK Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon has been drawing attention on Instagram for sharing "Suk-hee's Diary," his life story told in cartoon format from the perspective of his wife Kim Suk-hee.





An Instagram post of a cartoon from the "Suk-hee's Diary" cartoon series, telling the life story of former ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Rep. Lee Nak-yon, a presidential contender of the DPK, from the perspective of his wife Kim Suk-hee. Captured from Lee Nak-yon's Instagram



Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Rep. Park Yong-jin, also presidential contenders of the DPK, have also received attention for creating TikTok accounts in which they have revealed videos of themselves dancing in an attempt to appeal to young voters.





Rep. Park Yong-jin, a presidential contender of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, recently received attention for creating a TikTok account in an attempt to appeal to young voters. Captured from Park Yong-jin's TikTok

Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, a presidential contender of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, recently received attention for creating a TikTok account in an attempt to appeal to young voters. Captured from Chung Sye-kyun's TikTok account



Five-term lawmaker Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, a presidential hopeful of the PPP, has about 443,000 subscribers for his YouTube Channel "TV Hongcacola." Hong's YouTube channel has caught on with Hong's straightforward and witty comments on political and social issues, and he is beating other presidential contenders in terms of YouTube channel subscribers.





Five-term lawmaker Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, a presidential hopeful of the main opposition People Power Party, has over 443,000 subscribers for his YouTube Channel "TV Hongcacola," more than any other presidential contenders. Captured from YouTube



Gyeonggi Provincial Governor Lee Jae-myung, the leading presidential contender of the DPK, has also drawn popularity with his straightforwardness when talking about thorny social issues and strong policies, often through social media. But political watchers say the governor has seemed relatively less active on social media platforms in recent days as he is trying to defend his position as the leading presidential contender of the ruling bloc.





The Facebook page of Gyeonggi Provincial Governor Lee Jae-myung, the leading presidential contender of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. / Captured from Facebook
Alice Stephens / Courtesy of Alice Stephens



This article is the 11th in a series about Koreans adopted abroad. Among the first wave of transracial adoptees from Korea to the United States, Alice Stephens shares her journey to the truth of the origin of her life. Her story enlightens us to the fact that adoptees' lives are closely intertwined with the political turmoil of Korean's modern history beyond our imagination.



By Alice Stephens



Born in 1967 to a Korean mother and an American soldier father, I was one of the first generation of inter-country adoptees.



Indeed, inter-country adoption began because of mixed-race children like me. We were considered as a blight upon the blood-line, unworthy of being Korean. According to the system of census taking that existed then, in order to be entered into the family registry, the child had to be fathered by a Korean man. Those of us with foreign fathers were unable to be registered, and therefore ineligible for essential government services, such as education and medical care. From the beginning, the bureaucracy conspired to erase us from existence.



Ironically, women like my mother were crucial to Korea's struggling economy, bringing in desperately needed U.S. dollars. Though prostitution was ostensibly illegal, the government not only tolerated but abetted it. U.S. military and Korean local and national government officials coordinated efforts to regulate prostitution and monitor sex workers for sexually transmitted diseases. Both countries saw the sex trade as vital to keeping the massive contingent of U.S. troops in the country, their presence essential to the national economy.



But the government's profit-taking off these women's bodies did not stop there. When the women had babies, another business opportunity presented itself. Americans like Henry Holt and Pearl S. Buck offered to take these unwanted children away. It turned out that white couples in wealthy nations would pay money for them.



But how to make the export of children morally palatable, both for the sending and receiving nations? By reframing the narrative from that of poverty, prostitution and military colonialism into one of rescue and redemption. By extirpating the past, doctoring documents, and rebranding the children as orphans.



With this influx of Oriental orphans, adoption in the Global North went from shameful secret to inspirational story of the human capacity to love even across racial lines (the vast majority of inter-country adoptions have been into white families). I was part of that changing narrative when my adoption story was featured in a national magazine under the headline "Instead of Their Own: The heartwarming story of one young couple's ingenious answer to the population explosion."





Her story was featured in a U.S. magazine. Courtesy of Alice Stephens



But I was not an orphan. I had a mother, and a father, too, who had returned to America three months before I was born. My mother sent him my baby photos, but she must have known it was futile because shortly after I was born, she relinquished me to Korean Social Services, Inc. (KSS).



For the first 51 years of my life, all that I knew of my origins was to be found in my KSS, case study. A mere three pages, this sacred text revealed my Korean name, description (eyes are Caucasian shaped), and date and location of birth; as well as was my mother's name, physical description, city of birth, brief biography (ran away from abusive school teacher husband), and her summary of my birth father ("SP/4 in the U.S. Armysturdy builtcommon law husband"). His nationality is noted as "Caucasian-American."



It wasn't until I received the results of a DNA kit in 2018 that I began to question the details of the KSS case study. Turns out, my birth father was not Caucasian but Mexican American. I was simultaneously thrilled to discover Native American and Latino roots and devastated to know that part of my heritage has been taken from me forever.



The following year, I visited KSS and was shocked to discover that my mother's name was an alias, the Korean equivalent of Jane Doe. I knew then I could believe none of the information in the study, not my Korean name (the first name distinctive for being monosyllabic), not my birth date (suspiciously, the same date the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed), not the location of my birth.



The more closely I inspected my adoption documents, the more discrepancies I noticed. The date of my relinquishment varies from document to document. My birth place is described as Uijeongbu, Seoul and Andong. My health document is a single piece of paper with no medical statistics.





Alice's "orphan hojuk" was included in her KSS file. Courtesy of Alice Stephens
SK Innovation's booth at Inter Battery 2021, an annual battery exposition, at COEX in southern Seoul, June 9 Yonhap



By Kim Bo-eun



Local electric vehicle (EV) battery makers are seeking to secure greater market shares amid the growth of EV markets around the world.



Korea's three battery makers have claimed some of the largest global market shares. LG Energy Solution (LGES) ranked second after China's CATL in the first quarter of this year. Samsung SDI ranked fifth and SKI sixth.



The battery manufacturers have moved quickly to set up joint ventures with global carmakers in an effort to secure long-term clients. LGES has joined hands with GM, and SKI is set to launch a joint entity with Ford.



SKI and LGES have specialized in pouch cells, while Samsung SDI has focused on prismatic battery cells. Each have been supplying respective clients according to the type of battery the carmakers employ in their models.



But SKI is now seeking to develop prismatic cells, in an apparent attempt to diversify its product lineup to be able to supply more carmakers. SKI is hiring for positions in prismatic battery R&D, in one of its battery division's largest-ever recruitment drives.



This is keeping Samsung SDI alert, as its researchers could move to SKI, which is known to offer better pay. A battle is set to unfold in securing skilled workers, as the market for EVs is projected to grow exponentially. LGES is hiring for battery development divisions throughout the year. Samsung SDI is set to launch its recruitment campaign next month.



"The EV market is growing rapidly but the industry's talent pool is hardly sufficient to keep up with market growth. This is why companies are doing their best at recruitment," an industry official said.



SKI's latest battery division recruitment and move to develop a new battery type are seen as part of efforts to boost the value of its battery division, as it is set to separate from the company as a new entity. SKI as a holding company is seeking an IPO for the new company.






Korean Air Lines, South Korea's largest carrier, will retire its four-engine passenger aircraft within the next 10 years to shift its business model to smaller jets for long-haul flights, company officials said Friday.







Korean Air plans to phase out its Airbus A380s within the next five years and Boeing 747-8I fleets within the decade, CEO Cho Won-tae said in an interview with FlightGlobal. Company officials confirmed the report.







Korean Air currently operates 10 A380-800s and 10 B747-8is, while Asiana Airlines has six A380-800s, which have been mostly grounded since March 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.







Korean Air aims to launch a merged entity with Asiana in 2024 after completing a takeover process by next year, with regulatory processes currently underway.







The A380 and B747 have mostly flown on long-haul routes, but airlines are gradually turning to two-engine aircraft that can transport a large number of passengers at competitive costs, including Airbus' A350 or Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.







The full-service carrier is one of the major airlines that plans to retire the full-length, double-decker aircraft, which is popular with air travelers but considered too large for current demand in the pandemic era. (Yonhap)


In this May 21 file photo, President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden smile during summit at the White House in Washington, D.C. Yonhap





U.S. President Joe Biden said that allies like South Korea and Taiwan are fundamentally different from Afghanistan when it comes to U.S. commitment to keeping its troops.







Biden made the remarks in a media interview on Thursday (U.S. time) as the U.S.' pullout of its troops from Afghanistan has raised doubts over Washington's security commitments to allies.







"There's a fundamental difference between Taiwan, South Korea, NATO," Biden said in an interview with ABC.







"We are in a situation where they are entities we've made agreements with, based on not a civil war they're having on that island or in South Korea, but on an agreement where they have a unity government that, in fact, is trying to keep bad guys from doing bad things to them," he said.







Biden stressed that the United States has kept "sacred commitment" that it would respond if anyone were to invade or take action against its allies in Europe.







"Same with Japan, same with South Korea, same with Taiwan," he said.







Biden's remarks follow similar comments made by his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, early this week.







Sullivan said that the Biden administration has no intention of reducing the American troop presence in South Korea or Europe, stressing that "our commitments to our allies and partners are sacrosanct and always have been."







Biden has defended the withdrawal from Kabul and chided the Afghan military for its unwillingness to fight and Afghan leaders for disunity, while stressing the U.S. goal had been preventing terrorism rather than "nation building." (Yonhap)


Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a televised address following a cabinet meeting, in Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 19. AP-Yonhap



Faced with a potential new migration wave from Afghanistan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on European nations Thursday to shoulder the responsibility for Afghans fleeing the Taliban and warned that his country won't become Europe's ''refugee warehouse.''



In a televised address following a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan also said his government would ''if necessary'' engage in talks with a government that could be formed by the Taliban '' for the stability and security of this country.''



Erdogan's comments come amid an increase in recent weeks in the number of Afghans making their way into Turkey across the border from Iran. Anti-migrant sentiment is running high in Turkey as it grapples with economic woes _ including high unemployment  that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, and there is little appetite in the country to take in more people.



''We need to remind our European friends of this fact: Europe  which has become the center of attraction for millions of people  cannot stay out of (the refugee) problem by harshly sealing its borders to protect the safety and well-being of its citizens,'' Erdogan said.



''Turkey has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europe's refugee warehouse,'' Erdogan said.



Erdogan said his country is home to 5 million foreign nationals  including 3.6 million Syrians who fled the civil war in the neighboring country and 300,000 Afghans. Around 1.1 million are foreigners with residence permits, he said.



In 2016, Turkey and the European Union signed a deal for Turkey to stem the flow of hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees towards Europe, in return for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and substantial EU financial support. Erdogan has frequently accused the EU of not keeping its side of the bargain.



The president said he was aware of the Turkish public's ''unease'' about refugees. He reiterated that the country had reinforced its border with Iran with military, gendarmerie and police and that a wall being erected along the frontier is nearing completion.



''Our state is primarily responsible for the safety and well-being of its 84 million citizens. On the other hand, we are not a society that lacks character, thinks only about itself and turns its back on those who come to our door,'' Erdogan said.



In reference to the millions of Syrians in Turkey, Erdogan said that those who have learnt Turkish, acquired professional skills and adapted to the country would remain in Turkey, while others would have to return to Syria once conditions in the war-torn country improve.



''It is our responsibility toward our own citizens to help those who do not succeed to return to their homes in parallel with an improvement of the situation in their own country,'' Erdogan said.



Around 450,000 Syrians have already returned to Syria, he added. (AP)




SUMMARY OPEN UNTIL FILLED - Review of applications will begin 8/26/21 Under the direction of the Director of Facilities Management and the Maintenance Supervisor, competently perform preventive maintenance which includes routine inspections, basic machinery and equipment installations, and minor repairs to ensure their proper operation and function. Provide maintenance support on both the Dallas Campus and the Kimbrell Campus as assigned. Assignments may include general internal and external building and grounds maintenance, light carpentry, painting, changing light bulbs and fixtures, repair of minor electrical devices, and light plumbing or HVAC according to training and experience. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Perform all assignments in a competent and timely manner. Adhere to all safety requirements and wears the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the job and champions overall safety in the department. Reports possible safety issues and recommends appropriate changes. Perform preventive maintenance which includes routine inspections, basic machinery and equipment installations and minor repairs to ensure their proper operation and function. Perform general internal and external building maintenance which may include light carpentry, painting, light plumbing, changing of light bulbs and fixtures, and repair of minor electrical devices, and light plumbing or HVAC according to training and experience. Maintain all records, such as work orders, and necessary reports to ensure accurate recording of activities. Process work order requests in a timely and professional manner. With approval, order necessary parts, devices, etc. to properly repair or complete assigned work orders. Maintain adequate inventory of related parts and related items to perform assigned duties. Regularly and effectively communicates possible preventive and other maintenance-related needs. Set up and operate various hand and machine tools (e.g., saws, drills and drill presses, grinders, torches, welders, hoists, cranes, and measuring and testing instruments). Maintain all tools and equipment in clean, safe, working order. Read, interpret, and follow specifications, blueprints, manuals, and schematic drawings as needed. Perform troubleshooting and diagnostics as necessary to repair equipment and systems. Make recommendations on tasks or projects that may require the use of an outside contractor or specialist. Operate motor vehicles and powered industrial equipment (e.g., forklift) and transports materials as needed. Perform minor repairs to janitorial power cleaning equipment. Respond professionally to customer needs and maintain friendly, efficient, positive customer service at all times. Interact effectively, build relationships and demonstrate a high level of cooperation. Serve on departmental and/or college committees as requested and needed. Must be flexible with schedule and be on call as needed. Maintain technical skills and required certifications to perform job duties. Perform other related duties as assigned. MINIMUM EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS High school diploma or GED/HSE required.

Specialized vocational courses preferred. MINIMUM EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS

At least two years of maintenance experience in an institutional or industrial environment required.

General skills in plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and preventive maintenance required.

Strong technical, mechanical and problem-solving skills required.

Experience with HVAC systems, gas and oil fired boilers, and welding preferred.

Electrical or HVAC licensing preferred.

Must possess basic math skills and the ability to read blueprints, wiring diagrams, and schematics.

Valid driver's license required.

Fingerprinting required upon hire.

Eligibility to obtain and maintain a Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) certification required. In addition to the standard background check, this position requires having a clear fingerprint-based criminal records search through the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Must be able to perform maintenance-related duties as described herein for at least 8 hours per day. Additional hours per day may be required occasionally.

Ability to walk continuously and at times on uneven surfaces.

Must be able to tolerate weather conditions such as extreme heat and cold and work in tight or confined spaces and at heights.

Must be able to climb ladders and stairs and to lift, carry, push, and/or pull up to 50 pounds. Gaston College provides a comprehensive, affordable insurance and benefits program. We are continuously investigating new benefit offerings that are responsive to the needs of our regular** employees. State Health Plan

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

Employee Assistance Program

Additional Supplemental Insurances

NC State Retirement Plan

Supplemental Retirement Plans

Disability Benefits, Long- and Short-Term

Longevity Pay

State Employees' Credit Union Eligibility

Leave (Vacation, Sick, FMLA, Civil and Military, Child/Student Involvement, Education, and Voluntary Shared)

Paid Holidays

Educational Advancement Compensation

Tuition Assistance

Employee Discount Program

Benefits Overview Booklet **Please note: Temporary (part-time) employees do not earn benefits. Gaston College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Click "Apply" to submit your application today!

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YAMHILL COUNTY

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

Mental Health Associate/QMHA

(HS Associate)

Enhanced Residential & Outreach Programs

Pro-rated Salary (.6 FTE): $2096- $2783/month ( DOE) with Excellent Benefits

Job #ER21-081

Recruitment closes August 27, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. Our Community

Yamhill County has approximately 109,000 residents and is a very desirable place to live in the heart of the Willamette Valley wine country. Yamhill County is home to Linfield University and Chemeketa Community College in McMinnville and George Fox University and Portland Community College in Newberg. Yamhill County is centrally located in the Willamette Valley, within close proximity to the Oregon Coast, the Portland and Salem metropolitan areas, and the Oregon Cascade Mountains. Wide varieties of indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities are available. We have the benefits, appeal and superior quality of life found in a small town community, while enjoying active social and cultural lifestyles found in larger metropolitan areas. The Mental Health Associate

This is a regular, part-time position (24 hours per week) for a Mental Health Associate/QMHA in the Yamhill County Enhanced Residential and Outreach programs. There are currently 2 positions available. These positions provide behavioral health services in licensed residential settings to older adults and adults with disabilities who experience serious & persistent mental illness and co-occurring medical conditions. The MH Associates work as part of a cohesive, multi-disciplinary team to deliver individualized, person-centered services and supports to program residents. Duties include implementing individual service & support plans and behavioral support strategies, facilitating enriching group activities, offering individual skills training, documenting services provided, and other duties as assigned. The Benefits - Benefit premiums will be pro-rated for part-time.

Health coverage - Group medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage is available for the entire family. For the 2021- 2022 plan year, the County will pay 98% of the monthly premium and employees will pay 2% ($35.78 per month) for the Base Plan. With this plan, employees are eligible for a $100 a month contribution into an HRA VEBA account. Buy-up plans are also available.

Retirement - PERS (Public Employee Retirement System) contribution is 100% employer funded, which includes both contribution to PERS pension and IAP accounts (IAP contribution is 6% of salary).

Short-Term Disability  100% County paid.

Life insurance - $10,000 for employee/$2,000 for spouse and children  100% County Paid.

Vacation/Sick Leave - Flexible Earned Time (FET) is a combination of vacation and sick leave. To start, employees earn 13 hours per month and future accruals increase based on years of service. After a year of service and depending on FET balance, employees may sell-back up to 40 hours of FET per year. Yamhill County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and values diversity. All qualified applicants

are encouraged to apply. A completed County application is required. Applicants are considered for

employment based on their qualifications without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national

origin, age, marital or veteran status, medical condition or disability, or any other factor prohibited by law or

regulation. Veterans are encouraged to apply. In order to receive Veterans Preference Points, please be sure to

submit the required Veterans Hiring Preference Form. Please notify the Human Resources Office if you need

accommodation or assistance with any part of our application process.

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INTRODUCTION:



The Department of University Housing at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is seeking a Facilities Maintenance Specialist Advanced (FAC MAINT SPEC ADV).



The University of Wisconsin System is engaged in a Title and Total Compensation (TTC) project to redesign job titles and compensation structures. As a result of the TTC project, the mapped job title for this position is: Facilities Technician III (FP031) . Job duties and responsibilities will remain the same. This job title will go into effect November 7, 2021.



JOB DUTIES:



This position reports to the Assistant Director of University Housing Facilities and provides routine and complex maintenance, repair and renovation work for the residence halls. Duties will include facilities repair and preventative maintenance work. Additional responsibilities may include the direction and training of student crews and current FRWs. The normal academic year work schedule for this position is 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is required to participate in the emergency on-call system.



40% A. University Housing Facilities Maintenance and Repair

Build, repair, and remove walls including installing and repairing drywall or plaster Install flooring including laying tile, carpet and cove base. Make flooring repairs as needed. Install / Repair ceiling tile (including grid work) Install and repair window glass, rollers, and frames. Repair and install screens. Repair, remove, and install furniture, shelves, bookcases, cabinets or desk. Install, repair toilet partitions. Repair or replace doors, panels, frames, auto closures and hinges. Hang bulletin boards, mirrors, pictures, etc Fabricating new signage, mounting and replacing Prepare interior and exterior walls, ceilings, floors, and other surfaces for painting. Fill cracks, holes, and joints with caulk, putty or other filler, using caulking gun or putty knife. Apply primer materials. Paint surfaces, using brushes, spray gun, or rollers. Cut stencils, brush and spray lettering and decorations on surfaces. Mix and match colors of paint, stain, or varnish. Erect scaffolding or set up ladders to work above ground level. Complete necessary work order documentation 35% B. University Housing Renovation and Project Planning

Assist the Assistant Director of University Housing - Facilities in the planning and scheduling of needed renovations and projects to enhance housing spaces. Complete building construction projects including space remodeling and/or additions. Construct from own sketches or from blueprints submitted by others small additions to the facility to expand or enhance the operation of the facility Serve as a resource on such things as roofing, masonry, insulation and related problems and perform roof inspections; determine emergency roof repairs; inspect masonry problems and recommend corrections. Order materials and supplies for completing renovations and projects. Maintain proper documentation and budget information for future reference. 25% C. Lead worker and Facilities Staff Support

Assigned duties include training, assisting, guiding, instructing, assigning and reviewing the work of University Housing FRWs Interview, hire, train and supervise summer student assistant crews. These student workers perform room checks and take care of simple maintenance repairs. Instruct students on job safety, lifting and small power tool operation. Maintain an inventory of parts, tools and equipment and ensure that they are in proper and safe working condition. Requisition maintenance supplies, tools and recommend equipment to purchase to maintain the Residence Halls. Support craft workers with needed support to complete required duties Schedule and make inspections of buildings to ensure that standards are met. QUALIFICATIONS:



Minimum Qualifications:

A valid Wisconsin Drivers License required or the ability to obtain upon hire

Ability to operate and maintain equipment such as sanders, hand/table saws, planers, paint sprayers and other various pieces of powered equipment and various hand tools Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Ability to work collaboratively with co-workers, staff and supervisors

Ability to interact respectfully with people from diverse socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds

Ability to provide customer service, treating internal and external customers with respect

Ability to lift a minimum of 50 pounds

Ability to perform tasks requiring bending, standing for long periods, stooping, kneeling and walking significant distances

Knowledge of various wood types

Ability to work with and understand blueprints

Knowledge of computerized maintenance management software

Willingness and ability to be an active participant in following applicable safety rules and regulations including necessary training and drills CAMPUS INFORMATION:



Founded in 1868, UWWhitewater is one of eleven comprehensive universities in a public higher education system that also includes two doctoral institutions and a statewide Extension. In the fall of 2018, as a result of the University of Wisconsin Systems restructuring of the states 13 two-year campuses formerly known as UW Colleges, UWRock County began operating as a branch campus of UWWhitewater under the new name of University of WisconsinWhitewater at Rock County. Together, these campuses form a preeminent academic institution driven by the pursuit of knowledge, powered by a spirit of innovation, and focused on transforming lives. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Main Campus and Rock County Campus are located conveniently near Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago, and thus offers the advantage of beautiful small-town environments with easy access to the cultural and commercial opportunities of major metropolitan areas.



The Warhawk family led by caring faculty and staff is devoted to student success within a broad range of academic programs. UW-Whitewater has a special mission within the UW System to serve students with disabilities and, as such, embraces the principles of universal design and is one of the most accessible campuses in the state. The campuses have more than 200 student organizations and UW-Whitewater is a Division III NCAA university. UW-Whitewater is committed to seeking and sustaining a culturally and ethnically diverse campus environment, building a diverse faculty and staff with expertise and interest in serving students with diverse needs, backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities and other distinct characteristics in respectful, sensitive and understanding ways. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and actively seeks and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and veterans.



ORGANIZATION INFORMATION:



The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is part of the 13-campus University of Wisconsin System.



Wisconsin Statute 19.36(7)(b) provides that applicants may indicate in writing that their identity should be kept confidential. In response to a public records request, the University will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful final candidate will be released. See Wisconsin Statute 19.36(7)(a).



Per Regent Policy Document 20-19, University of Wisconsin System Criminal Background Check Policy and UW System Administrative Policy 1275 Recruitment Policies, UW-Whitewater requires criminal background checks as a contingency to employment. A criminal background check will be conducted prior to an offer of employment. All final candidates must be asked, prior to hire, whether they have been found to have engaged in, are currently under investigation for, or left employment during an active investigation in which they were accused of sexual violence or sexual harassment. When obtaining employment reference checks, these same sexual violence or sexual harassment questions must also be asked.



The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater requires that all employees be active participants in following applicable safety rules and regulations including necessary training and drills.



For UW-Whitewater Campus safety information and crime statistics/annual Security Report. If you would like a paper copy of the report please contact the UW-Whitewater Police.



To learn more about UW-Whitewater's competitive benefits packages go to our webpage, which is our interactive benefits decision support tool.



CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT:



University of Wisconsin-Whitewater does not offer H-1B or other work authorization visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire and maintain work authorization throughout the employment term. If you have questions regarding this, please contact Human Resources. UW-Whitewater is not an e-verify employer, therefore STEM extensions are not options for work authorization.



The University of Wisconsin - Whitewater has the authority to implement temporary workforce reduction and cost saving measures to address financial challenges resulting from the COVID-19 Crisis, consistent with Wisconsin law and Board of Regents, UW System, and UW-Whitewater policy and procedure.

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NOTICE OF VACANT POSITION Applications are being accepted for the following vacancy on the Non-teaching Professional staff at the Capital District Educational Opportunity Center, which provides vocational and academic training to economically and educationally disadvantaged adults. Counselor  EOC-NTP-CounselorF21 Please Note: In order to be considered an applicant for this position you must meet the minimum qualifications as stated in this announcement. HVCC does not sponsor Visas. Applicants must currently hold an unrestricted employment authorization to work in the United States and appointment will be contingent upon completion of a background check. Minimum Qualifications: Bachelors Degree with two (2) years relevant, paid work experience or; Associates Degree with four (4) years paid relevant work experience. Employment Experience Preferred: Experience in in goal setting, educational and program support counseling with adults, preferably in a post-secondary school setting. Pertinent Other: Demonstrated organizational skills. Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse and multicultural population. Basic computer competency. Knowledge and familiarity of local community services. Duties and Responsibilities: The basic responsibilities of the Counselor are to retain students in adult education through counseling, rapport building, connecting students with community services; help students to balance family, jobs, and school; respond to and work with students in crisis and teach students appropriate behaviors and responses to difficult situations through modeling and practicing skills with the students. The Counselor reports to the Coordinator of Student Services and performs the following duties: Monitor student progress, following up on attendance problems, helping the student to cope with barriers that may prevent program completion, and discontinuance from a program;

Enforce policies and procedures outlined in the Student Handbook;

Collaborate with faculty and administrators to provide effective services to students;

Provide individual and or group counseling to assigned students;

Conduct Orientation for new students, and provide course schedules and Student Handbooks;

Refer students to appropriate community services and or programs for services unavailable at the EOC;

Maintain records of student counseling sessions;

Submit all reports in a timely fashion;

Provide support for other counselors' students, in the event of a counselor absence;

Participate in weekly Counselor and Instructional Department meetings;

Conduct on -going academic counseling sessions with each student to determine his/her needs and goals;

Maintain open communications with community agencies/resources;

Establish and implement a professional development plan;

Assist in the development and implementation of Center wide activities;

Perform other related tasks as Salary: $45,000 as per Alliance Contract Visit our Employment Opportunities page www.hvcc.edu/jobs to apply before the close date September 12, 2021 Women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Bi-lingual applicants strongly encouraged to apply. Hudson Valley Community College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Description

Req #16520 Monday, August 16, 2021 Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a subscription-led and digitally focused media and marketing solutions company committed to empowering communities to thrive. With an unmatched reach at the national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of millions with our Pulitzer-Prize winning content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products and services.



Our current portfolio of media assets includes USA TODAY, local media organizations in 46 states in the U.S., and Newsquest, a wholly owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom with more than 120 local news media brands. Gannett also owns the digital marketing services companies ReachLocal, Inc., UpCurve, Inc., and WordStream, Inc., which are marketed under the LOCALiQ brand, and runs the largest media-owned events business in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures.



To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com . FLORIDA TODAY, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is seeking a reporter consumed by a love of local government and politics to cover county and municipal authorities on Floridas Space Coast. Were looking for an experienced, proven journalist who loves to dig, who can handle a demanding mix of daily beat coverage and long-form enterprise, and who is deeply curious about political power and those who wield it.

We value accuracy, fairness and fearless reporting. If you settle for simplistic answers from bureaucrats, this is not the job for you.

Brevard County, with a population more than 600,000, faces environmental, growth, social justice and political challenges. You will have a commitment to holding those in power accountable, reporting on solutions, a passion for storytelling and innovation, using video and social media to tell stories as well as to find stories, develop sources and promote your reporting.

The ideal candidate would have some background covering politics, government and elections and a proven track record of using public records and data to find hidden stories. You can produce smart, context-filled stories on tight deadlines, and you understand the difference in writing for print and digital platforms. A distinctive writing style is important, as is the ability to collaborate.

The successful candidate will regularly break news, tell stories about how policy and the actions of the county commission and other government bodies impact Brevard Countys diverse residents and communities.

As government and politics reporter you will be responsible for developing sources on your beat, using public records and databases to uncover stories, tracking the money, from government spending to campaign contributions and expenditures, and writing a mix of daily and enterprise stories. You will know when to quickly post stories online and then develop them further as needed. You will also know how to use social media tools to develop, distribute and enhance stories.

Requirements: Bachelor's degree in journalism or related discipline

At least three years of reporting experience

Excellent communication and time management skills

Ability to produce accurate and detailed content in a competitive environment

Expertise with all major social media platforms

Video production skills a plus

A valid driver's license is required

This is a high-profile position in the Florida Today newsroom and requires a versatile journalist. This position is full-time with benefits and you'll be based in our office in Rockledge on Floridas Space Coast, where beach trips and rocket launches are part of our communitys daily life. We're surrounded by water and beautiful parks. The communities that make up the Space Coast are growing and we're a short drive from Orlando. As part of the USA TODAY Network, there are opportunities for a statewide and national platform, as well as growth potential.

Please include a cover letter to tell us why youre right for this job.

We are dedicated to improving our newsroom, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds.

#content

Gan.content

#LI-NR1 Gannett Co., Inc. is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a diverse workforce. As such, we will consider all qualified applicants for employment and do not discriminate in connection with employment decisions on the basis of an applicant or employees race, color, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, citizenship status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, marital status, personal appearance (including height and weight), sexual orientation, family responsibilities, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy status (including childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), education, genetic characteristics or information, political affiliation, military or veteran status or other classifications protected by applicable federal, state and local laws in the jurisdictions where Gannett employs employees. In addition, Gannett Co., Inc. will provide applicants who require a reasonable accommodation, as a result of an applicants disability or religion, to complete this employment application and/or any other process in connection with an individuals application for employment with Gannett Co., Inc. Applicants who require such accommodation should contact Gannett Co., Inc.s Recruitment Department at Recruit@gannett.com. Job Family Frontline Journalists

Job Function Consumer

Pay Type Hourly Other details

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Requirements

None






CIVIL DESIGNER / CAD DRAFTSMAN Kenneth Horne & Associates, Inc., (KHA) a civil engineering firm located in Pensacola, Florida is currently seeking an experienced draftsman / civil designer with proficiency with AutoCAD Civil 3D. KHA offers competitive salaries, health benefits, 401K plan and a challenging and friendly work environment. Responsibilities and required qualifications for the position are provided below. Responsibilities: Provide comprehensive design support to Project Engineers and Managers

Develop existing digital terrain models from survey and publicly sourced data

Produce designs based on civil specifications, engineering notes, sketches and/or detailed drawings and design information

Efficiently prepare aesthetic site plans, land development plans, subdivision plans, stormwater plans, erosion and sedimentation control plans, grading plans, details, utility plans, roadway plans, profiles, cross-sections, piping plans.

Compile data and perform calculations required for drawing preparations, scheduling, and exhibits.

Maintain well organized design files and adhere to structured file naming and directory structure conventions

Identify and resolve problems in a timely manner

Ensure the quality and timeliness of project design deliverables

Suggest, justify and implement design and standards improvements

Work cooperatively and efficiently with others

Communicate with clients and a variety of professionals including architects, subcontractors, etc.

Expertise using AutoCAD Civil 3D including style editing and development, or willingness/ability to learn quickly

Familiarity with local regulations relating to Stormwater Management, Land Development, BMPs (Best Management Practices), NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) Qualifications: The candidate will have demonstrated ability to communicate complex issues into practical solutions. The candidate will be capable of handling multiple projects within a fast-paced environment and be able to develop and maintain positive working relationships with all contacts both inside and outside the company. It is expected the candidate will achieve results with minimal supervision and absence of day-to-day guidance. The ideal candidate will have common sense, remain calm under pressure, be a team player, be customer focused and have the ability to inspire confidence. Qualified candidates will be contacted for interview. Submission must include a cover letter and a full resume in Word or PDF format with contact information and work experience with references attached. Reply to this job posting by clicking "apply" to submit your materials by email.





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Description



System ID 724270

Category Food Service

Relocation Type No

Employment Status Full-Time

Unit Description

Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment where change is the only constant? Sodexo Senior Living is seeking a Food Operations Manager to provide regional operations support to our Northern California Market as well as support new business. This position will require travel with the typical schedule being 10 days on with 4 days off. The ideal candidate will reside in San Francisco or San Jose area. This is an exceptional career growth opportunity with the strong possibility of moving into a permanent role within the district. As a Food Operations Manager, the selected candidate will be eligible to apply to permanent Sodexo positions. The successful candidate will: be responsible for the creation and development of innovative, inventive and ground-breaking menus;

direct and supervise kitchen operations and designated back of house staff;

ensure that the highest possible standards of food handling and preparation are achieved;

control and ensure the company's and client's financial targets are achieved;

engage with peers, colleagues and patrons in a manner that invites interaction and feedback. Is this opportunity right for you? We are looking for candidates who: Have a culinary background;

continuously update industry knowledge on current food trends and ingredients, making sure they lead the way in innovation and originality;

are experienced in high quality cuisine, ideally to Rosette or Michelin standard;

have commercial acumen and a good level of computer literacy;

are enthusiastic, confident and warm;

have a positive approach to tasks with a can-do attitude and impeccable attention to detail Learn more about Sodexo's Benefits Not the job for you?

We offer Food Service Management positions in a variety of business segments, including Corporate, Schools, Universities, Government and Agencies, Healthcare, Senior Living and Sports and Leisure locations across the United States. Continue your search for Food Service Management jobs.



Working for Sodexo:

At Sodexo, you will find the ingredients for a great career in food service management. With benefits including schedules that encourage work-life balance and continuing education opportunities, you'll enjoy an improved quality of life that's unique in the hospitality industry.

Position Summary

Provides leadership and supervision for the on-site food service exempt and non-exempt level staff in the delivery of our contractual agreement with the client. Provides supervision for food services at account/unit to ensure client satisfaction and retention for the company. Implements business practices in order to uphold company mission, values and commitments made in the Sodexo client contractual agreement.

Key Duties

- Establishes a safe work environment - Utilizes Sodexo tools and programs to develop client, customer, and staff relationships, to ensure account retention - Implements and fully utilizes all Sodexo tools and programs to ensure financial outcomes - Directs daily operations of food service to ensure employees have appropriate equipment, inventory and resources, ensures operating standards and regulatory requirements are met - Develops and implements plans, projects, with defined objectives, methods, timetables and budget to support client and Sodexo strategic plan - Ensures adherence to all HR standards for Sodexo, client, and regulatory agencies

Qualifications & Requirements

Basic Education Requirement - Associate's Degree or equivalent experience

Basic Management Experience - 2 years

Basic Functional Experience - 2 years work experience in food or culinary services including restaurants, fast food, vending, catering services, institutional services, mall food courts, etc. Sodexo is an EEO/AA/Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran employer.



Requirements

See Job Description






SLCC is looking for a Student Experience QualitativeResearcher who will be part of a highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary team focused on improving the college experience, and driving student retention and completion. This position will represent our students voices by conducting surveys, focus groups, and interviews, evaluating qualitative and quantitative data, defining key metrics and measurements, and delivering written reports and presentations. The incumbent will be a subject matter expert on the student experience and how it contributes to student success from a human centered design perspective. The incumbent blends a creative mindset, the ability to ascertain issues before they become problems, and sound decision making in planning and conducting key activities in the human centered design process.



This position will directly impact student success by providing equity-minded insights, recommendations, and consultation to leaders throughout the College, while also aligning with the Colleges strategic vision.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Essential Responsibilities and Duties Continued

Preferred Qualifications

 Experience creating user experience deliverables (personas, journey maps, service blueprints, value proposition, usability reports, workflows, etc.)

 Experience administering focus groups and/or interviews

 Experience with design visualization

 Demonstrated ability to communicate about data visually and verbally

 Experience with equity-minded research or analysis

 Excellent written and verbal communication skills

 Experience with Qualtrics (nice to have)

 Understanding of the strengths and shortcomings of different quantitative and qualitative research methods, including when and how to apply (nice to have)

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelors degree in social sciences (i.e., Human Factors, Psychology, HCI), analytics, or related field of study.

Or, Bachelors degree in another field with two years of relevant full-time work experience

Demonstrated experience with experience design

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

 Knowledge of experience design research, including deliverables such as personas, journey mapping, value propositions wireframes, workflows, prototypes, service blueprints, usability reports, etc.

 Knowledge of mixed methods research (quantitative methodology  survey design, advance sampling design, survey statistics, analysis; qualitative methodology  text analysis, analyzing data from focus groups and interviews, ethnographic and case studies)

 Exceptional interpersonal skillsthe incumbent has experience working with cross-functional teams

 Possesses a real passion for setting new standards for survey research methods as well as crafting and executing impact-driven research

 Excellent written and verbal communications skillsexcels at telling stories with data, rather than just reporting on trends and statistics. Can translate raw data into a language stakeholders can relate to.

 Ability to turn complex problems into simple hypotheses and survey recommendations

 Ability to self-direct, multitask, and prioritize a constantly evolving workload

 Ability to communicate with a broad range of diverse people, ability culture, ethnic background, to maintain good working relationships across the College

Ability to work with all groups in a diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic background of community college students, faculty, and staff, including those with disabilities

Non-Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Special Instructions

Cover letter is required

FLSA Exempt

SLCC Information

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) is fully committed to policies of equal employment and nondiscrimination. The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, religion, protected veteran status, expression of political or personal beliefs outside of the workplace, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.



SLCC is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (URS).



This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check.

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Salt Lake Community College believes that people are at the center of our work and the communities we serve. As our organization moves forward with an ambitious strategic plan and continues its significant growth, we want our employees to understand and to utilize their Benefits. This position provides advice, assistance, and follow-up to employees and departments regarding benefits and other HR processes. Process all part time separations. Performs data input to various benefit providers, maintain files, records and other documents. Work closely with employees regarding application for Long Term Disability.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Meet with employees to answer general benefits questions. Provide information regarding benefits forms and processes. Explain policies and benefits and provide information within the scope of knowledge. Collaborate with the HR Benefits Coordinator for the open enrollment process, including scheduling, advertising, disseminating information, collecting forms, data entry. Work together with the HR Benefits Coordinator to support the benefits fair, including room setup, advertising, vendor notification, etc. Coordinate benefits trainings, including room setup, advertising, and registration. Coordinate required mailings, including preparation of materials, preparing labels, stuffing envelopes, etc.

Certify all part time and adjunct new hires in the Utah Retirement System (URS) online portal. Work with HR Analyst to create reports that can be analyzed to ensure compliance and correct reporting of individuals. Enter data into the HRIS system. Process separation paperwork for all part time and adjunct employees in a timely manner. Work closely with the Payroll office. Maintain a system to track and terminate all part time employees leaving the College in the URS online portal.

Advise employees regarding the requirements and benefits of Long Term Disability. Work with employees regarding application for Long Term Disability, including completing and submitting initial paperwork and follow-up. Work with insurance vendors and other college departments to ensure the appropriate paperwork is processed. Maintain and track records of payments received from the disability provider. Participate in the RFP process.

Prepare files for the annual Employee Years of Service and Retiree Recognition event. Review and research information to ensure accuracy. Work with various College departments to provide the requested information.

Facilitate the Early Retirement application and Emeritus nomination process, collect applications, review for eligibility, and route for signature. Coordinate the awarding of Emeritus Status with various departments. Enter information into the HRIS system.

Work with Benefits Director to schedule appointments.

Other duties as assigned.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties Continued

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge of College policies

Banner experience preferred

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelors degree in related field.



Zero (0) to two (2) years of direct, full-time work experience.



Trade off 1:1 in experience/education requirement.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Knowledge of:

 Insurance, retirement plans, disability plans and other standard benefit programs

 Spreadsheet, word processing, presentation and report writing software

 Human Resource practices

 State, Federal and Human Resource guidelines required, College guidelines preferred

 College administrative software including imaging software, benefit enrollment portals

 Business English, writing and vocabulary, and business math



Ability to:

 Work effectively in a team environment

 Use functions in a spreadsheet application at an intermediate level (ex. Vlookup, IF, conditional formatting, mail merging, etc.)

 Collect and analyze data and information

 Demonstrated ability to work with sensitive and highly confidential information and keep data secure

 Create and maintain a good working relationship with vendors, College departments, and internal staff

 Create understanding when working with individuals and groups as it pertains to benefits

 Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing

 Communicate effective with a broad range of diverse people, ability, culture, ethnic background, to maintain good working relationships across the College.

 Work with all groups in a diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic background of community college students, faculty and staff, including those with disabilities.

Non-Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Special Instructions

Full consideration will be given to applicants who apply on or before the priority review date indicated above. More information about Salt Lake Community College benefits: http://i.slcc.edu/hr/benefits/benefitsinformation.aspx Please indicate on your resume if your work experience is full time or part time. Successful completion of a criminal background check may be required for this position. FLSA Non-Exempt

SLCC Information

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) is fully committed to policies of equal employment and nondiscrimination. The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, religion, protected veteran status, expression of political or personal beliefs outside of the workplace, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.



SLCC is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (URS).



This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check.

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Intrinsically motivated individual will work under minimal supervision providing oversight, administration, and management of the Purchasing Card (P-card) Program. This position reports to the Director of Purchasing and Accounts Payable. The Purchasing Card Specialist will perform the following tasks: Reviewing and approving P-card applications and ordering new and replacement cards.

Serving as the primary contact for all faculty, staff, and external customers and providing a high level of customer service and guidance related to the College P-card program.

Problem solving for each cardholder within the program.

Resolving administrative issues related to the P-card program.

Developing and maintaining P-card policies, procedures, manuals, and forms.

Tracking accounts and transactions.

Auditing all transactions made using the College P-card, and addressing audit findings with SLCC administration.

Developing and providing mandatory one-on-one and group training regarding the P-card program for all new cardholders, and refresher training as needed

Compiling financial and business transaction reports from internal and external computer systems.

Identifying short- and long-term opportunities for quality improvements of the P-card program and implementing solutions.

Acting as the administrator for the College P-card Expense and US Bank systems.

Coordinating with the Travel Specialist regarding travel expenses made with a P-card.

May assist in supervising or directing the work of part-time employees.

Other duties as assigned. Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Oversee and manage the College Purchasing Card (P-card) program. This includes:

Reviewing and approving P-card application;

Ordering new and replacement cards;

Managing P-card limits and MCC controls/restrictions;

Resolving administrative issues related to the P-card program;

Developing and maintaining P-card policies, procedures, manuals, and forms;

Tracking accounts and transactions;

Developing and providing mandatory one-on-one and group training regarding the P-card program for all new cardholders, and refresher training as needed;

Identifying short- and long-term opportunities for quality improvements of the P-card program and implementing solutions;

Coordinating with the Travel Specialist regarding travel expenses made with a P-card;

May assist in supervising or directing the work of part-time employees. Provide quality customer service to staff, faculty, administrators, and vendors related to the College P-card program. Assist users in utilizing the US Bank system to reallocate expenditures and resolve cardholder issues. Research and resolve inquiries concerning P-card expenditures. Find solutions to unique P-card-related issues. Act as a liaison between the College and US Bank. Coordinate P-card auditing activities to ensure that all transactions made using the College P-card to ensure that each expenditure is in compliance with program guidelines and College policies and procedures. Address audit findings with SLCC administration. Maintain a record of P-card program violations. Correspond with staff, faculty and administrators to resolve documentation or policy compliance discrepancies. Take corrective action, which may include retraining, suspension, or revocation of card privileges, when necessary. Compile financial and business transaction reports using data from the Colleges and the issuing banks computer systems. Maintain and perform administrative tasks related to Chrome River, the Colleges P-card Expense system. This includes, administering user access, providing training, researching and resolving system issues, and maintaining workflow approval queues and proxy access. Perform general office duties, such as gathering and sorting data, maintaining records and accounting system data, creating and updating forms, emailing/faxing, filing and copying to include document imaging. Maintain physical and electronic record filing system and retrieve documents for audit and inquiry purposes. Appropriately handle and secure all confidential information pertaining to cardholders and the P-card program. Other duties as assigned.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties Continued

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with purchasing card programs

Knowledge of Banner Finance software

Knowledge of Chrome River

College and university work experience

Other educational accomplishment (national certification or other special training) evidencing greater competence in the purchasing card function Minimum Qualifications

Associates degree in a business-related field and four (4) years of work experience in a business field; OR

Six (6) years of work experience in a business field

Part-time related work experience may be substituted for full-time work experience on a prorated basis Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Knowledge of

accounting principles, processes and internal controls

Microsoft Office software, including Word, Excel

computerized information systems

Skills

excellent customer service and inter-personal relations skills

general clerical skills, including document creation, copying, filing, and emailing

detail-oriented

Ability to

communicate clearly and effectively

operate a computer and general office equipment

communicate effectively with a broad range of diverse people, ability, culture, ethnic background, to maintain good working relationships across the College

support SLCCs commitment to diversity, equity, justice and inclusion by working with vendors and College staff with diplomacy, tactfulness, and fairness and resolve discrepancies/conflicts in a professional manner. make sound decisions and draw accurate conclusions

resolve issues and create solutions

organize and coordinate effectively

train others in both a one-on-one and group environment

Ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of diverse people, ability, culture, and ethnic background, to maintain good working relationships across the College.

Ability to work with all groups in a diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic background of community college students, faculty, and staff, including those with disabilities. Non-Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Special Instructions

Full consideration will be given to applicants who apply on or before the priority review date indicated above. More information about Salt Lake Community College benefits: http://i.slcc.edu/hr/docs/benefits/benefits-summary-current.pdf FLSA Non-Exempt

SLCC Information

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) is fully committed to policies of equal employment and nondiscrimination. The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, religion, protected veteran status, expression of political or personal beliefs outside of the workplace, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.



SLCC is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (URS).



This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check.

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Provide exceptional customer service as front office receptionist for integrated student medical and mental health clinics. Utilizing electronic medical records, student enrollment records and common office equipment and software, schedules patients for various appointment types, manages provider schedules, handles cash and credit card transactions, maintains medical records, answers busy phone lines, checks patients in to clinic, and provides support services to medical and mental health staff.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Managing patient care flow for three clinics by answering phones, scheduling appointments, ensuring the completion of patient intake requirements, taking payments and notifying provider of patient arrival as follows:

 Assist patients with the registration process, including obtaining demographic information, checking eligibility in Banner, assisting the patient in completing required documents on the patient portal or on paper forms.

 Enter patient intake information into electronic medical record, Medicat, and ensure information is complete and accurate. Scan documents into the record as needed.

 Assemble accurate medical information by compiling and maintaining electronic and/or physical patient records.

 Responsible for answering Center for Health and Counseling main telephone lines as well as assist all staff and patients.

 Greet patients professionally both in person and on the phone.

 Quickly answer or properly refer questions and issues.

 Optimize provider schedules and patient satisfaction with efficient scheduling.

 Comfort patients by anticipating anxieties and effectively answering questions and providing updates.

 Ensure availability of treatment information by filing, retrieving, and updating patient records.  Obtain revenue by collecting and recording payments, paying attention to account balance, and explaining copayments and balance limits to patients.

 Protect patients rights by maintaining confidentiality of personal and financial information.

 Maintain office inventory and equipment by checking stock to determine inventory levels; anticipating supply needs; placing and expediting supply orders; verifying receipt of supplies; and scheduling equipment service and repairs.

 Facilitate communication between medical and mental health providers and patients.

 Maintain patient accounts by obtaining, recording, and updating personal, medical, and financial information.

 Maintain operations by following policies and procedures; reporting needed changes.  Contribute to team effort by reporting and assisting in resolving issues with clinic processes.

Attending staff meetings and participating in required College and center-specific trainings.

Travel between clinics, attending to supply needs, maintaining a clean and organized workspace.

Other duties as assigned.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties Continued

Preferred Qualifications

Certified Medical Administration Assistant or Medical Receptionist

Business office specific education or training

Ability to read PPDs (tuberculosis skin tests)

Proficiency in language in addition to English

Minimum Qualifications

High School Diploma or equivalent.

One (1) year experience working in a busy medical practice, mental health practice or other office setting in a receptionist/front desk role.

A valid drivers license is required.

Part-time experience may be considered on a prorated basis.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Ability to provide friendly and efficient services to patients, providers and members of the campus community.

Ability to handle confidential material.

Familiarity with electronic medical record databases and common office equipment and programs.

Competency in basic math and cashiering.

Self-motivated, able to work independently and as part of a team.

Organization and time-management skills to manage a variety of tasks effectively.

Ability to handle crisis situations in a supportive manner and resolve customer concerns

Follow written and oral instructions and directions effectively. Strong business English skills, including effective writing, spelling and vocabulary.

Greeting patients professionally in person and telephonically and quickly answering or properly referring questions and issues.

Ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of diverse people, ability, culture, ethnic background, to maintain good working relationships across the College. Ability to work with all groups in a diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic background of community college students, faculty and staff, including those with disabilities.

Non-Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Special Instructions

Cover letter and resume required with dates of employment and references.

Full consideration will be given to applicants who apply on or before the priority review date indicated above.

More information about Salt Lake Community College benefits: http://i.slcc.edu/hr/benefits/benefitsinformation.aspx

Please indicate on your resume if your work experience is full time or part time.

Successful completion of a criminal background check may be required for this position. FLSA Non-Exempt

SLCC Information

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) is fully committed to policies of equal employment and nondiscrimination. The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, religion, protected veteran status, expression of political or personal beliefs outside of the workplace, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.



SLCC is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (URS).



This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check.

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Magnolia, AR (71754)

Today

Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 99F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia extended a grant of USD 10 million to the Republic of Mauritius, through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Fund (KSHARF), to provide humanitarian support to victims of cyclones, floods and other natural disasters.

A Memorandum of Financial Grant between the Government of Mauritius and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in connection with the grant of USD 10 million, was signed on 12th May 2019, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The grant was reallocated to the Prime Ministers Cyclone Relief Fund.

An amount of Rs 150 million was allocated to the NDU to finance capital projects where damages by flooding and other environmental occurrences have been observed.

Three drains have been constructed at Piton, LAmitie and Baie Malgache (Rodrigues). These works were essential for the effective evacuation of water during heavy rains as well as to reduce the risks of flooding and potential threat to life. Effective land drainage systems represent a crucial part of modern infrastructure that are intended to reduce the impact on human health and socio-economic activity.

(1) Drainworks at Piton

The project amounting to Rs 61,971,723.25 was awarded in January 2020. The scope of works comprised construction of 

(a) a drain of 1.5 metres wide along 70 metres;

(b) an open reinforced concrete drain along about 1.4 kilometres;

(c) a culvert 5.5 metres wide by 2 metres deep across track road; and

(d) a track road along drain and fencing works.

Works were completed on 07 December 2020.

(2) Drainworks at LAmitie

The project totalling Rs 56,223,110.15 was awarded in December 2019. Main components of the project are construction of 

(a) a new reinforced concrete drain 4.75 metres wide by 2.5metres deep along 350 metres;

(b) a new reinforced concrete drain of 2 metres wide by 1.3metres deep along 70 metres; and

(c) a new reinforced concrete drain 2.25 metres wide by 1.3 metres deep along 180 metres.

Works were completed on 26 May 2021.

(3) Drainworks at Baie Malgache

The project to the tune of Rs 33,940,869.90 was awarded in June 2020. The project comprised mainly the 

(a) demolition of the existing ford structure;

(b) construction of new reinforced concrete culvert bridge of 17metres span and height 1.5metres and width about 8.5 metres wide;

(c) vertical realignment of existing road profile inclusive of asphalt works over about 120m; and

(d) construction of retaining wall on both sides of road.

Works were completed on 30 June 2021.
I really do believe he enjoyed his job, Jennifer Kurtz said. He was great at problem solving, knowing the rules of the book and he was able to help a lot of people. And I think he was a very active man. He wouldnt know what to do with himself if he retired because he was always on the go.
We had our first successful Retail Week earlier this year as we were climbing out of the holiday season, Downtown Bethlehem Association manager Tammy Wendling said in the release. It was a great bump for our retailers in February, so we decided to have another week of savings. With the new variant and increase in Covid cases, maybe some safe retail therapy is what we all need right now. As we continue to encourage everyone to shop local, our merchants continue to provide a safe environment for all their guests.
The agreement would actually reset the base return on equity for PPLs transmission formula rate from 11.18% to 9.9%, the company said in a news release. In a filing later Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, PPL said the rate would rise twice, eventually reaching 10% by June 1, 2023. PPL also said in the SEC filing the settlement will lower its profit approximately $36 million per year.
In 2006, she was stationed inside Afghanistan. She flew helicopters out of Bagram Airfield  recently abandoned in haste by the U.S. military  and she also participated in a site survey of the airport at Kabul, now being used for an evacuation portal.
Everyones life is at risk there, but especially people that have family members in America  that associated with Americans, said Noorull, who asked that his last name and the names of his wife and children not be published because it could further endanger their loved ones. The woman translating for Noorull also asked that her name not be published because she has family members who work for the Afghan government.
One of the T-6 Texan plane that is part of the GEICO Skytypers team scheduled to perform at the Great Pocono Raceway Airshow, is parked at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport Friday in Avoca, Pa. A small plane that was due to take part in an upcoming air show crashed shortly after takeoff at an airport in eastern Pennsylvania, killing the pilot. Authorities say the crash at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport occurred around 12:35 p.m. Friday. (Mark Moran/The Citizens' Voice via AP) (Mark Moran/AP)
Police said Washington, who was a fugitive for two days after the shooting, had a relationship with the woman who lived in the home. Washington surrendered to police after police asked for the publics help to locate him.
However, he also made clear that, aside from ending slavery, Marxs and Lincolns goals were not aligned: The Government of the United States has a clear consciousness that its policy neither is nor could be reactionary, but at the same time it adheres to the course which it adopted at the beginning, of abstaining everywhere from propagandism and unlawful intervention.
As for their danger to students and staff who are old enough and healthy enough to be vaccinated but arent, its time to stop worrying about that. Theyve chosen their lot. If they wear masks properly, they will have some protection.
As a current print subscriber, you receive 24/7 access to our website and online e-edition at no additional charge. All you have to do is activate your access. To activate digital access, you will need your account number. You can find your account number on any recent subscription notice or bill.
Sayre, PA (18840)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High near 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers late. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 54F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
State

Yannu village refutes allegation

DIMAPUR, AUG 20 (NPN) | Publish Date: 8/20/2021 12:25:15 PM IST

Yannu village has refuted the allegation of land encroachment levelled against it by Yansa village, while reiterating its claim of its plantations and properties having been destroyed by armed men on August 18.

Reacting to the allegations of Yansa village, Yannu village chief angh N Awang Jongwang in a rejoinder said that Yannu and Yansa had cordial relationship, extending help to each other as and when required. However, Yannu had faced a major health crisis  it was hit by a major epidemic that affected the whole village in late 1940s. People left the village for a brief period, only to come back to their own land led by their angh in early 1950.

He claimed that Yansa extended help to Yannu only after three years when people had already come back and were dealing with the crisis on their own. Nevertheless, he clarified that the help was readily accepted in good faith.

However, Jongwang alleged that it soon came to light that Yansa extended help as part of a conspiracy to subjugate Yannu, which he said was totally uncalled for without any regard to past cordial relation and tradition.

He said a host of other villages, including Chatting, Zangkham, etc. genuinely helped Yannu during the crisis and never claimed authority over Yannu.

Mentioning that Yannu historically remained one of the prominent villages with Pongven status, which can be testified by other prominent villages of Konyak Jatnu, the chief angh said to think that Yannu was governed by Yansa at any point of time was a sheer illusion.

He also refuted the allegation that Yannus history began in 1957, terming it as total disregard of historical truths.

Claiming authority by Yansa over Yannu is nothing short of self-mockery. The meaning of NU and SA speaks for themselves and other villages of Konyak are aware of it, the rejoinder stated.

Further, claiming that Thamnu and Konhoa areas had been historically cultivated by Yannu both before and after the major health crisis faced by the village, Jongwang asserted that there was no question of encroachment. He said there was no history of any other village cultivating the area, except Yannu village.

In fact, he pointed out that several plots of land were actually purchased by individuals of Longting village from Yannu along the fringes of Thamnu. Similarly, he claimed that several plots of eastern fringes of Konhoa area were purchased from Yannu by Loakho village and the land purchase agreements proved who the original owners of Thamnu and Konhoa were. In addition, he said the agri-link roads in Thamnu and Konhoa were constructed by the government over recognised Yannu land.

Reiterating the allegation that crops and tea plantation were destroyed and huts burned down on August 18, Jongwang alleged that nearly a thousand people, including those remaining at standby, came armed with guns and machetes.

Mentioning that no sane person would be able to justify such cowardice act, he alleged that the group had overshot their bounds by saying they had come to evict people and thereby took law into their own hands.

Despite the restraining orders from district administration to both the parties on retaining status quo and maintaining peace in the area, he accused the group of indulging in condemnable conduct to settle the matter and called for initiating an inquiry.

Jongwang clarified that setting up of police outpost at Yannu was the administrations prerogative and was not done at the behest of Yannu as alleged. As everyone knew that hooligans and unruly youth in Tizit came commonly from a few villages to Yannu neighbourhood, he said a police outpost was set up at the village by law enforcing authority apprehending breakdown of law and order.

Being one of the pioneers in terms of bringing education and embracing Christianity in Tizit, the chief angh claimed Yannu had been advocating peace and development for Tizit area in general. But, he accused Yansa of serving summon letters to Yannu by wrongly incriminating the former in recent times.

However, believing in mutual trust and respect, he claimed that Yannu elders made sincere efforts to amicably resolve the issue and proceeded for dialogue.

However, our respected Smt Lt Zennon, SDEO of Yansa, passed away on the proposed date of meeting and therefore the meeting was postponed in her honour, he added.

In the second instance of proposed meeting, he said the personnel assistant (PA) to deputy commissioner (DC) of Mon district had stated that spot verification team to Mankhoa was arranged, but it coincided with the proposed meeting and the inability to attend the meeting was intimated to Yansa Wanghoa. Thereafter, Covid situation followed by lockdown and other health protocols only delayed the meeting.

However, Jongwang assured that Yannu still believed in sitting across the table and resolving the issue peacefully.

We hope that wisdom will prevail over personal ego and YEN-system in our area for lasting solution, he added.
Businessperson Strive Masiyiwa says the Zambia transition is African class and he will be watching new President Hakainde Hichilemas policies to decide on possible new investment in the country.

Masiyiwa owns Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africas largest fibre company, which has operations in Zambia and across the continent.

Like most Africans, I had my eyes fixed this last week on following the Zambian elections, Masiyiwa posted online on Monday.

Hichilema defeated the incumbent, Edgar Lungu, by a landslide of more than a million votes. First of all, I would like to extend my congratulations to President-elect Hakainde Hichilema, his supporters, and all the people of Zambia. By any electoral precedent this is a landslide victory rarely seen these days, Masiyiwa said.

He added: I would also like to commend outgoing President Edgar Lungu for the manner in which he conceded the election: As I told a friend in America, it was a bit of African class.

Liquid launched operations in Zambia in 2011 when it partnered with Zambian power company Copperbelt Energy Corporation to build Zambias fibre network. In 2018, Liquid acquired the remaining 50% of the company, CECLiquid.

As a company, we have been invested in Zambia now for over 15 years, and we are there to stay for the long term. We will be watching closely for policy changes that could encourage us, and other investors to put more money in, and create more jobs, Masiyiwa said.

Liquid has laid some 100 000 km of fibre across Africa. Last year, the company invested in a network corridor that connects Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Congo Brazzaville, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Hichilema ran on a pro-business platform, and had the backing of large corporates operating in the country. He has pledged to fix Zambias debt crisis, negotiate for an International Monetary Fund bailout and protect jobs, including in the key copper mining sector, which was hit by low copper prices over recent years.

But when the celebrations die down, Hichilema, 59, a former chief executive officer at an accounting firm before entering politics, will need to focus on resuscitating a flagging economy.

Zambia became Africas first pandemic-era sovereign default in November after failing to keep up with its international debt payments.

It is in no doubt what the instruction is to all of us (that you)  elect us to office at a very difficult time, he said, hinting at the task ahead as he addressed supporters in the capital, Lusaka We will not let you down.

The default was driven by depressed commodity prices  which had pushed Zambia into recession well before the Covid-19 pandemic  worsened by the pandemic itself.  NewZWire/Reuters.
After the photo was published Wednesday, Florida health officials said they had increased the number of wheelchairs at the facility. They also said it is open seven days a week and has plenty of cots, as well as ambulances on standby to transfer the sickest patients to the hospital.
Enzo Dalmazzo, 43, and Daniela Dalmazzo, 31, were taken into custody Aug. 11, shortly after they arrived in Honolulu for a family vacation. According to court documents obtained by NBC News, the couple created phony vax cards for themselves and their two children, who were born in 2016 and 2017.
Im coming at it a different way because a lot of people love X, and X loved a lot of people, Swizz Beatz told The News. I just want to keep it non-traditional but fun, and not like hes gone but like hes still here because his presence, his energy, is still here with the music and all of the messages that he left, and all of his kids that are here, too.
Omar Amanat defrauded investors of millions of dollars through years of lies and deceit. Among his many fraudulent tactics, Amanat teamed up with Kaleil Tuzman and others to manipulate stock prices and hide investment losses through years of false account statements, said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss.
There is no truth to this allegation and the supporting record is substantively worthless. Having served as Carmines lawyer, I can attest that he was not an informant nor did he provide information to the Government. Until this day, Carmine remains a giant among men, and I was honored to represent him in the many contentious legal battles he fought against the Government, attorney Anthony DiPietro said.
Independently of this document, two lawyers who represented Mr. Persico in the past have said that they had solid reason to believe that this information is accurate, as did another cooperating witness who gave examples that he believed proved the point, Schoen wrote in a Friday email to defense lawyer Anthony DiPietro. I would never have filed such a document without having taken these steps.
He crossed the street and went up the steps with a drink in his hand, a witness, who asked not to be named, said at the time. The shooter had to be watching him.
Hip-hop news outlets reporting Bryans death online said that on Wednesday night, Bryan and Nas hung out together at the Queensborough Houses in Long Island City, where Nas  who was born Nasir Jones  grew up. Bryan and Nas were childhood friends, the reports said.
The woman, whose identity was not immediately released, was hit several times in the chest, said cops. A 30-year-old man nearby was shot in the arm, cops said.
I regret the fact she doesnt know how much I love her and, after all she has done for me, I didnt get a chance to do nothing for her...She was all I had and she has taken away from me tragically, he added on GoFundMe.
Erick Minto, 49, is facing a charge of robbery with a deadly weapon for allegedly using a folding pocket knife to take the candy bar by force with intent to temporarily or permanently deprive the Wawa worker of it, according to a Pinellas County Sheriffs Office affidavit obtained by the outlet.
Little Mercedes Lain was last seen alive around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday in the city of Mishawaka. She was dressed in a white onesie with pink trim at the time, according to a police statement. The 11-month-old was reported missing the following day by her father, triggering a silver alert and massive search effort involving the FBIs Indianapolis office.
Babbitts death has become a rallying cry for far-right extremists who have come to see her as a martyr and demand the name of the officer responsible for shooting her. Trump, who campaigned as a law and order candidate, indicated last month that officer should be singled out.
She claimed to have a very impartial role and it very much quickly turned into her spewing her own opinions, Phan said. Her opinions were often very hurtful and very much either racist or homophobic and she would say it in front of everybody in class not knowing whether people are LGBT+ in the classroom.
While we are extremely disappointed with the judges decision and plan to appeal, we take solace knowing that the truth will come out at trial. My client is innocent of any criminal wrongdoing, and did all he could to save lives during Nikolas Cruzs abhorrent massacre, Eiglarsh said in a statement to CNN.
The 35-year-old was arrested in the first week of August after allegedly admitting to the abuse and apologizing in a recorded phone call with the older victim, whos now 16, Phoenix police said at the time. The accused perv resigned after the arrest but maintained his innocence, saying he was stepping down to prepare his criminal defense.
With four days left before the official transfer of power, a handful of state workers and movers were seen along with the U-Haul van Friday outside the historic Queen Anne-style brick residence that Cuomo and dozens of previous governors have called home.
House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, gavels in with a quorum present at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Thursday Aug. 19. A standoff in Texas over new voting restrictions that gridlocked the state Capitol for 38 consecutive days ended Thursday when some Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C., dropped their holdout, paving the way for Republicans to resume pushing an elections overhaul. (Jay Janner/AP)
I think what were going to see now, what were already seeing now, is a bit of a mass exodus. And so in the wake of things moving very quickly, I think were going to see LGBTQ persons be potential targets, which means more outreach to us, she added. We are currently relying on our deep international network and our contacts within the country to try to reach more people.
Investigators have reached out to numerous members of the public, and have also gone through many hours of security camera footage  but they still hope to hear from anyone who was in the area around Cemetery Park during the early hours of Monday.
DeSantis order, couched as protecting parents rights, in fact constrains the liberty of thousands of moms and dads who seek only to send their kids  about half of whom are too young to be vaccinated  to classrooms with reasonable safeguards against COVIDs highly contagious delta variant. In Tampas Hillsborough County schools, a permissive opt-out policy made masks wholly optional. Little coincidence, just one week into the academic year there, more than 10,000 students and 300 staffers have been quarantined or isolated for contact with COVID-positive people.
I personally spent hours being interviewed by Kim. Much of that time was spent on inane and sometimes bizarre lines of questioning. (Did the governor ever throw dried apricots at me? No. Did Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, wear high heels? Sometimes, but she wore Converse more.) It was clear they were fishing for facts to support a narrative while disregarding testimony that did not comport with their agenda.
Interwoven throughout are the subways, buses and commuter trains that bring people into, out of and around the region. Riders  and our economy  depend on a strong and functional transit system. Even as the MTA has been battered by the pandemic, it is on more stable financial footing thanks to COVID relief funding, and riders should feel assured it will stay on track to get them where they need to go. There is strong leadership in place with Acting Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, Interim New York City Transit President Craig Cipriano, LIRR President Phil Eng and Metro-North President Cathy Rinaldi to continue the significant work that lies ahead, and we believe that continuity is important during these critical times.
They may demand more money to work in freedom schools, but they shouldnt demand a penny more. Without mask mandates in place, it is fair to say these schools will be places where teachers can more accurately gauge their students moods. Educators and children will hear each other more clearly. There will be less confusion. Kids can smile or grimace to one another, connecting in ways that masks make impossible. (These are very good things, and that is not said with even a hint of sarcasm.)
Im tired of getting cheated on and being embarrassed behind the scenes. All 12 of yall bums (the ones that I know of theres probably more) can have him, she wrote on Instagram Stories on Wednesday. Yall very much knew he was in a relationship with a baby and yall decided to f*** him anyway. I saw all the texts and DMs. Yall were well aware but yall dont owe me any loyalty so its whatever.
I think that its impossible for [COVID] to not have affected the film, he admitted. So it probably is like a bunch of deeper psychological stuff that just, without you really realizing it, works its way into the movie. ... And it probably has to do with the sort of anxiety and tension thats in the movie.
I dont think theres a standout industry thats impacted. I think a lot of employers are feeling the impacts, Adrienne Johnston, the departments chief economist, told reporters in a conference call. Again, it just takes a little bit of time. If you think back to the last recession that we had, it took years for people to get connected back into the labor force. And this is already happening at a much faster rate.
Disney Genie+ and the Lightning Lane system also level the playing field between savvy guests and more casual visitors who had to compete to reserve FastPass+ time slots weeks out from their trips, he said. With ride windows available throughout the day and Disney Genie+s adaptation with the flow of visitors to the park, guests have more opportunities to shape their trips, Speigel said.
Senator Wicker is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, is in good health, and is being treated by his Tupelo-based physician, a statement from his staff read. He is isolating, and everyone with whom Senator Wicker has come in close contact recently has been notified.
Also, deaths will continue to be reported at higher numbers in the coming weeks, Pino said. So far in August, 39 people have been reported dead with a positive COVID-19 infection. Of the 16 new deaths, Pino said four were in long-term care facilities, and he applauded the directive from the Biden administration to require vaccination of staff.
Central Florida added 31,926 resident cases this week, based on the actual date the state opened the case, for a total of 583,205: 8,946 more in Orange for 190,722; 2,683 more in Osceola for 60,128; 6,998 more in Polk for 100,347; 2,460 more in Lake for 42,712; 542 more in Sumter for 11,718; 2,786 more in Volusia for 62,575; 4,588 more in Brevard for 64,323; 2,923 more in Seminole for 50,680.
A lot of history gets lost if no one ever brings it up again, and when we found out who Ms. Bessie was and what she had done for female riders ... with the solo rides that she made during the Jim Crow era, we thought it was important to keep her legacy alive, said the events historian, Lynette Wigfall. We just want to make sure that her history is preserved.
In February 2021, Chef Mike Collantes along with his business partner, Christian Ziegler, introduced Perlas Pizza and temporarily subleased within Thirsty Topher for six months, which expired at the end of july, 2021. Chef Collantes and Mr. Ziegler have mutually resolved to close up the operation of Perlas Pizza at the Thirsty Topher. Chef Collantes will be exploring new locations for Perlas Pizza in the near future.... Both partners wish each other the best in their future ventures.
Another woman with an incarcerated family member at South Florida Reception Center described a similar scenario: her loved one remains sick with COVID-like symptoms, but has not been tested and has been unable to see a doctor. Others said that, despite the agencys official position that vaccines remain available for incarcerated people, many have recently been denied that option or placed on indefinite waitlists for a shot.
Blow told police her son had licked dirt at the playground the day before as a possible cause for his condition.
The move comes as more School Boards are defying orders by Gov. Ron DeSantis and two state agencies to allow parents to choose whether their children must wear masks in schools. School boards in Miami-Dade, Hillsborough and Palm Beach counties have passed strict mask policies this week that require most students to comply regardless of their parents wishes.
It is important to remember that this issue is about ensuring local school board members, elected politicians, follow the law, said Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, in a statement after both districts were notified they could soon face financial penalties. These public officials have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Florida. We cannot have government officials pick and choose what laws they want to follow.
They have been eating their body from the inside, trying to stay alive because there is no food. I dont know if it hurts them because Im not a manatee but I can tell you that if you havent eaten for a week or two weeks, there is pain, Peterson said.
SeaWorld Orlando Animal Rescue Team specialists Becca Downey and Ashley Killo release the two babies after their bottle-feeding in the Manatee Rehabilitation Area of the parks backstage, 5-acre Rescue Center, photographed Thursday, August 5, 2021. In July, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) reported 866 manatee deaths so far in 2021  the highest death toll ever recorded in the state in a single year. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
They did so because it felt like their Hillsborough votes did not count, Clearwater Historical Society president Allison Dolan said. Government didnt work for them. Nothing was getting done for them. There were no highways, so it took three days to get there, so they were often ignored.
Willy Lloyd was driving 75mph in a 45mph zone when he hit a sedan while trying to pass on July 30, lost control of the SUV he was driving, and struck a tree, St. Petersburg Police said.
President Joe Biden acknowledged there were questions about the legality of the new eviction freeze. But he said a court fight over the new order would buy time for the distribution of some of the more than $45 billion in rental assistance that has been approved but not yet used.
The sheriff essentially lied to [the school board] and he also lied to the committee, Melendez said. That is the most frustrating part of the sheriff, that he doesnt give direct answers... it constantly evolves and it mutates into something different that is convenient for him, as opposed to being a straight-shooter and letting us know what his intentions are from the very beginning.
If Minnesota had a law like the one Rizos proposing, Chauvin and other officers who stood by could have told Frazier to back off. Had she refused, she might have been arrested and her now famous recording of Floyds killing would have been halted. Officers could also have arrested other bystanders who yelled at police, pleading with them to help Floyd.
A school teacher wearing a burqa from Takhar province, who identified herself by her first name, Nilofar, left, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press inside her tent in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan. Many women in Afghanistan remain at home because they are too terrified to venture into a new world ruled by the Taliban. The extremist group that once stoned women and restricted their every move is now back in power. (Rahmat Gul/AP)
Next, another area of disturbed weather has developed in association with a low pressure system and is about 500 miles south-southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands. The system is moving at 15 mph west toward an area where slow development is possible. Like the first system, this low has a 10% chance of development within two days, and 40% within five days.
New York, US (PANA) - UN chief Antonio Guterres has expressed grave concern about the situation in Ethiopia, particularly the unspeakable violence against women and others in Tigray
PARLAMENTUL REPUBLICII MOLDOVA

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The Moldovan Parliaments website design was supported by the Democracy Support Programme in Moldova"  an initiative financed by the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
Welcome back pirates! As you make your return to campus The East Carolinian has created a forum that centers around topics within the community where readers can express their experiences and concerns. With the new guidelines set in place by East Carolina University do you feel as these precautions will keep you safe?

Survey
Salt Lake Potash Ltd (ASX:SO4) is primarily focused on the development of the Lake Way Project where its long-term plan is to develop an integrated Sulphate of Potash (SOP) operation.

The companys portfolio comprises nine lakes, spread across the Goldfields region of Western Australia.

It aims to become a globally significant exporter of premium quality sulphate of potash through the development of potassium-rich salt lakes.
Carter is experienced in structuring corporate transactions, focusing on junior resource companies, and has worked in ongoing corporate advisory roles with numerous ASX listed entities over the last 18 years.

( ) ( ) (FRA:PF8) has appointed Michael Carter as non-executive director, effective from August 31.

Current executive director Kimon Gkomozias is stepping down from the board of the European lithium project developer as of August 31, 2021, as he transitions to a strategic role at Singapore-based Welsbach Holdings.

Financial experience

Carter is experienced in structuring corporate transactions, focusing on junior resource companies, and has worked in ongoing corporate advisory roles with numerous ASX listed entities over the last 18 years.

Previously a director of Indian Ocean Capital, he has worked as a stockbroker since 1999 and is currently an associate director of CPS Capital Group.

He graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1998 with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting and finance and has also completed a graduate diploma in Applied Finance and Investment at Finsia in 2002.

Gkomozias thanked for crucial contribution

EUR non-executive chairman Tony Sage said Gkomozias was appointed to the role of executive director as part of the companys strategic engagement with Talaxis.

On behalf of the board, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kimon for his crucial contribution to the company during his appointment, in driving our financing efforts to secure the funding required for the completion of our Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and securing strategic development partners for the Wolfsberg Project as well as accessing a number of EU incentive programs that will assist with the mine development in the future.

EUR well placed

Commenting on his role, EUR executive director Kimon Gkomozias said: It was a pleasure working with the board to secure financing for the DFS stage of the Wolfsberg Project in Austria, which I believe is now well placed to become the first local lithium supplier and a significant EU partner into an integrated European battery supply chain.

Strong Wolfsberg drilling results

On August 16, European Lithium received the results of its phase-2 resource extension drilling at Wolfsberg Lithium, which intersected up to 1.91 metres of true thickness with up to 2.4% Li2O and is expected to lead to a resource upgrade after.

The ambitious infill drill campaign is part of Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) work at Wolfsberg, with 20 drill holes now completed for a total of 7,925 metres of core.

With such results as these, the company is confident of achieving its resource update aim of 11 million tonnes at 1% Li2O and then conversion into reserves when a mining schedule is completed.
Helium One Chairman Ian Stalker joined Steve Darling from Proactive to bring news the company is starting a drilling program at the Tai-2 exploration well at Rukwa Project in Tanzania.

Stalker tells Proactive Helium One has commenced exploration drilling at Tai-2, which is the second exploration well targeting the Tai prospect. Tai-2 is located roughly 20m from Tai-1 and will use the same drill pad, saving time and money.
It intends to play a role in the global energy transition by responsibly investing in the development of clean, low carbon dioxide, unconventional natural gas resources in the Beetaloo Sub-basin.

( ) is targeting to become a net-zero gas producer when it starts production by the year-end of 2025 by integrating renewables and carbon offsets.

The natural gas company is focused on accelerating the commercialisation of the Beetaloo Basin, within the Greater McArthur Basin in the Northern Territory  a world-class shale basin similar in scale and with the high-quality reservoir properties as the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, US.

It intends to play a role in the global energy transition by responsibly investing in the development of clean, low carbon dioxide, unconventional natural gas resources in the Beetaloo Sub-basin.

Tamboran plans to de-risk substantial prospective resources that can supply affordable gas to meet predicted gas shortfalls in Australia.

It also has multiple commercialisation pathways to market, including an infrastructure plan to deliver gas to the Australian markets.

Six sustainability pillars

The company is targeting the development of clean, low carbon dioxide gas from the Beetaloo Sub-basin through its six sustainability pillars:

 Health and Safety: Putting health and safety first;

 Climate Change: Playing a role in the transition to a lower-carbon economy;

 Environment: Applying leading North American drilling technologies to promote efficiency and minimise environmental impacts;

 People: Attracting, developing and retaining a diverse, inclusive and competent workforce;

 Community: Partnering with its local and host communities to share value; and

 Economic Sustainability: Generating economic growth and value for its investors, employees, customers and communities.

Core Beetaloo focus

Tamborans key assets - EP 161 and EP 136 - are located in the 'Core Beetaloo' area.

It has low carbon gas characteristics, with the reservoir gas containing very low carbon dioxide (around 3%) and has no major impurities.

It holds a 25% working interest in the EP 161 exploration permit and is the sole owner of the EP 136, EP 143 and EP(A) 197 tenements, which also sit within the Beetaloo Sub-basin.

It is committed to a three-well drill campaign to de-risk the resource and accelerate development.

The current and upcoming drilling by partners Santos QNT Pty Ltd and Tamboran is primarily focused on 'Core Beetaloo', which is positioning to deliver first commercial pilot development by year-end 2025.

It has 31 trillion cubic feet (TCF) total net resources in Beetaloo Sub-basin depocenter position.

Here the mid-Velkerri B shale is thickest with very limited faulting and superior reservoir qualities.

The EP 161, its 25% net interest, Santos-operated asset, has 12 TCF net resources and the Tanumbirini #1 vertical flow test showed strong performance with 10 mmcf/d peak flow rate, 1.5 mmcf/d average rate from the first nine days of testing.

Two horizontal wells (Tanumbirini #2H/3H) are underway with the delivery of flow test results targeted by year-end 2021.

The 100%-owned and Tamboran-operated EP136 has 19 TCF net resources.

The acreage is on-trend with Santos EP 161 and ( )s EP 76 drilling activity in 2021.

The Maverick #1 horizontal well is planned within 12 months.

Jemena and Tamboran commercial deal

In 2020, Tamboran and Jemena agreed on a detailed commercial framework to form a joint venture (JV) to build, own, and operate long term midstream gas infrastructure.

The industry-leading development costs and JV partnership with Jemena will enable Tamboran to be one of the lowest-cost gas producers to the domestic market.

 Local Northern Territory Market 2023-24  Targeting 15 PJ/y to local NT gas market;

 Australian Domestic Market 2025  Joint Venture with Jemena targeting first Beetaloo pilot development (40 PJ/y) to domestic markets by end 2025; and

 LNG Backfill (Darwin or Gladstone) 2028+  EP 161 or EP 136 full field development (+200 PJ/y) targeting potential LNG backfill markets in Darwin or Gladstone in 2028+.

Operating team with US shale expertise

The company is focused on an accelerated reduction of costs by applying US shale expertise and the latest 7-gen drilling technology.

In August 2021, the company appointed exploration and production executive Faron Thibodeaux as chief operating officer, who will be supported by five experienced technical and operational professionals who recently joined Tamboran from ( ) Co, the largest producer in the Permian Basin in the US.

These professionals served Pioneer for a combined 40 years, where they applied industry best practices and leading-edge technology in unconventional shale development in what is today considered the premier basin in the United States.

Collectively, the Tamboran executive and operational team has more than 200 years of direct experience in the energy industry and has a strong track record of safely drilling.

Tamboran COO Faron Thibodeaux said: This is one of those rare situations in our careers where our knowledge from decades of experience in the unconventional sector in the US can have an immediate impact on the Beetaloo Subbasin and the overall Australian energy market.

Our ability to execute begins with the superior geology that exists in the Core Beetaloo and the application of next-generation proven technology and know-how to getting this low-emission energy into the market.
Graphite is a naturally occurring form of carbon with exceptionally high conductivity, making it useful across a broad range of industries.

By some estimates, the global market for graphite - a naturally occurring form of carbon that converts to diamond under high pressure and temperatures - is set to exceed $30 billion by 2027.

It is predicted to grow at around 5.3% per year and has a surprising number of use cases - graphite is used in pencils, lubricants, batteries, solar panels and steelmaking.

Graphite occurs naturally in the earths crust, in three different forms: high-grade metamorphic rocks as disseminated crystal flakes; in veins or fractures as vein graphite; and in thermally metamorphosed coal deposits as amorphous graphite. It can be mined by both open pit and underground methods.

It is also in the news of late, following an announcement by the Western Australian Government of $2 million in funding to establish the states first graphite processing plant.

Graphite growth

Graphites growing usage is well outlined in a report by Mordor Intelligence, which reports a significant increase in steel production in Asia and the Middle East.

Graphite electrodes are currently the only products available that have high levels of electrical conductivity and the capability to sustain the high levels of heat generated in an electric arc furnace for producing steel, it says.

The other important application for graphite in the steel-making industry (in high-purity synthetic graphite form) is as a carbon raiser additive.

This market consumes a significant portion of the graphite market and drives market growth to some extent.

Mordor also points to its growth in the field of batteries, where graphite is a key element in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells.

Batteries are one of the few applications where natural and synthetic graphite compete with each other, Mordor says.

Synthetic graphite is costlier than natural graphite, which is encouraging battery manufacturers to shift their focus toward natural graphite.

Graphite in Australia

Thats good news for the handful of Australian graphite players with projects at varying stages that should interest investors.

In 2017, Geoscience Australia estimated that there were 7.14 million tonnes of Economic Demonstrated Resources (EDR) below our feet, an astonishing 636% increase on previous estimates dating back to 2013.

That increase has been driven by renewed interest and exploration of the material, thanks to its suitability for battery technology.

BlackEarth Minerals

( ) is a vertically integrated graphite developer with advanced mining projects in Madagascar and base metal prospects in Western Australia.

It recently concluded a successful pilot at its flagship Maniry Graphite Project in southern Madagascar, resulting in very high yields and coarse flake production results - in fact, the project hosts some of the worlds highest-grade, large and jumbo flake graphite products.

Not only are the results better than we had expected, they also validate our developed strategy to build a plant that can produce high-grade graphite concentrate to meet the expanding demand for graphite, BlackEarth managing director Tom Revy said.

Additionally, Maniry graphite, once produced on a commercial scale, will immediately feed our proposed expandable graphite production plant in India and also be available to meet the demand from EV manufacturers and their supply chain.

Volt Resources

( ) has been generating plenty of news headlines in recent months, as it transitioned to become a producer.

It did through an acquisition of a 70% controlling stake in the Ukrainian Zavalievsky Group (ZG) of graphite companies, which has a host of advantages for the $63.7 million business:

Located in Eastern Europe in close proximity to key markets with significant developments in lithium-ion batteries (LIB) facilities planned to service the European based car makers and renewable energy sector;

Plans to produce battery anode material using existing graphite production to become a fully integrated supplier to LIB cell makers based in Europe;

Makes graphite products across the range and has the potential to significantly increase its high-value large flake production;

Produces a high value green purified 99.5% TGC product;

Long-life multi-decade producing mine that has further exploration upside;

Existing customer base and graphite product supply chains which Volt expects to be able to leverage in developing its existing Bunyu graphite project in Tanzania;

Excellent transport infrastructure covering road, rail, river and sea freight combined with reliable grid power, ample potable groundwater supply and good communications;

An experienced workforce that can assist with training, commissioning and ramp-up for the Bunyu graphite project development;

Potential to generate material cashflow which could make Volt internally funded for corporate costs and working capital into the future;

Co-products of quarry stone for the domestic market and garnet for the European market that could generate material cash flow for relatively low capital; and

A 79% interest in 636 hectares of freehold land, with the mine, processing plant and other buildings and facilities located on that land

Walkabout Resources

( , ) is on the verge of receiving all the funding it needs to bring its flagship Tanzanian-based Lindi Jumbo Graphite Project into development and production.

It recently appointed Tony Allen to the role of chief financial officer, effective from July 19, coinciding with the company completing companion equity requirements to enable the drawdown of its US$20 million project debt with CRDB.

With expertise and technical knowledge in all aspects of operations, corporate finance, financial planning, taxation and accounting, I believe Tony is a great addition to our executive team as we look forward to the development and operations of the Lindi Jumbo Graphite Mine and the growth options that provides, Walkabout CEO Andrew Cunningham said.

Comet Resources

( ) owns the Springdale Graphite Project in Western Australia.

At present, it is conducting graphite flake test-work, with production of the bulk sample of graphite concentrate completed in the June quarter.

The concentrate was sent to a specialist facility in Germany where test-work has commenced to assess amenability to produce battery anode material suitable for use in EVs.

We now have material for testing in Germany, both for ourselves and a third-party producer of anode material, Comet managing director Matthew OKane said.

The results of these test-work programs will determine the suitability of Comets natural flake graphite from the high-grade zone at Springdale for use in the manufacture of battery anodes for electric vehicles.

With the continued push towards an electrified transport network, demand for these graphite products is expected to continue to grow.

Marvel Gold

As the name suggests, ( ) is focused on gold but is spinning out its Tanzania-based Chilalo Graphite Project under the new name of Evolution Energy Minerals Ltd following an IPO.

Marvel recently secured the backing of prolific German-based junior resources investor Delphi Unternehmensberatung AG as part of a A$4.2 million capital raise.

The placement price demonstrates the deep value potential in our gold and graphite assets, with the value of our graphite assets soon to be unlocked by our proposed spinout of the Chilalo Graphite Project, which has the potential to be highly value-accretive, managing director Phil Hopkins told investors.

The spinout of Chilalo is in the advanced stages, pending only final in-country regulatory approvals.

In a key development, a share exchange agreement (SEA) has been executed under which Marvel has agreed to sell the Chilalo Project to Evolution in exchange for Evolution Energy shares valued at A$10 million.

- Daniel Paproth
( ) ( ) (FRA:D860) Dr Chris Gilchrist talks to Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam for an update on how the current quarter is progressing.

He also explains how BHP approving $5.7 billion in capital expenditure for the Jansen Stage 1 potash project in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada impacts the entire industry. With the CEO coining the potash 'future facing commodity.
Australian graphite players looking to produce high-value material used in everything from pencils to batteries and solar panels

By some estimates, the global market for graphite - a naturally occurring form of carbon that converts to diamond under high pressure and temperatures - is set to exceed $30 billion by 2027.

It is predicted to grow at around 5.3% per year and has a surprising number of use cases - graphite is used in pencils, lubricants, batteries, solar panels and steelmaking.

Graphite occurs naturally in the earth's crust, in three different forms: high-grade metamorphic rocks as disseminated crystal flakes; in veins or fractures as vein graphite; and in thermally metamorphosed coal deposits as amorphous graphite. It can be mined by both open pit and underground methods.

It is also in the news of late, following an announcement by the Western Australian Government of $2 million in funding to establish the state's first graphite processing plant.



Graphite growth

Graphite's growing usage is well outlined in a report by Mordor Intelligence, which reports a significant increase in steel production in Asia and the Middle East.

"Graphite electrodes are currently the only products available that have high levels of electrical conductivity and the capability to sustain the high levels of heat generated in an electric arc furnace for producing steel," it says.

"The other important application for graphite in the steel-making industry (in high-purity synthetic graphite form) is as a carbon raiser additive.

"This market consumes a significant portion of the graphite market and drives market growth to some extent."

Mordor also points to its growth in the field of batteries, where graphite is a key element in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells.

"Batteries are one of the few applications where natural and synthetic graphite compete with each other," Mordor says.

"Synthetic graphite is costlier than natural graphite, which is encouraging battery manufacturers to shift their focus toward natural graphite."
Cobalt Blue progresses strategy to meet growing cobalt needs worldwide

Snapshot



Cobalt Blue's global sample strategy validated by strongly supported $15 million private placement

Cobalt Blue attracts interest for cobalt samples produced at Broken Hill Pilot Plant

Cobalt Blue updates on pilot plant and production of MHP at Broken Hill



About the company

Cobalt Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX:COB) is a pure-play cobalt exploration and project development company focusing on advancing the Broken Hill Cobalt Project in New South Wales as well as downstream value-adding.

The company's commercial aim is to make battery-ready cobalt sulphate from a new pilot facility on a scale sufficient to provide test samples for global commercial partners.

This pilot plant in Broken Hill will allow COB to produce varying specifications of cobalt products, which are in strong demand for new generation batteries, particularly lithium-ion batteries now being widely used in clean energy systems.
A glance at some of the day's highlights from the Proactive Investors US and Canada newswires

Trillion Energy International Inc has reported oil and gas revenues of US$1,957,817 for the six-month period ending June 30, 2021, a 53% year-over-year increase, due primarily to increases in the sale price for oil and gas. The company said modest production increases also contributed to increasing revenues.

( ) has filed its 2020 year-end financial statements showing the firm managed to narrow its loss by a significant margin as it progresses its clean technology initiatives. The Vancouver-based company posted a net loss of around $672,000 for FY2020, compared to the $1.4 million it posted in the same 12-month period a year prior.

NEO Battery Materials Ltd has announced that the first prototype of silicon (Si) anode active materials has been successfully produced. In addition, the company said samples have been sent to non-disclosure agreement (NDA) partners for full cell evaluation and electrochemical characterization. "The first working set of NEO's proprietary silicon anode materials has been manufactured through our unique process, said NEO CEO Spencer Huh in a statement. Our prototype will be utilized by third-party partners for evaluating the performance and efficacy of NEO's Si anodes in each respective party's cell system and environment. NEO will complete due diligence during and after testing to refine and strengthen the prototype for commercialization."

( , ) reported its unaudited sales for July hit a monthly record of $3.2 million, marking the fifth monthly sales record in 2021. The Toronto-based vertically integrated cannabis company said the record sales figures reflect its growing market share after it introduced innovative products and expanded distribution channels. As sales momentum builds, the company said it remains focused on increasing margins and containing costs. Gross margins for July also achieved a monthly record, while selling, general and administrative (SGA) expenses continued to decline from the level reported in the second quarter. Heritage also updated investors on its proposed acquisition of California-based Bloom Brands, which was announced on June 1, saying a due diligence is continuing.

Loncor Gold Inc has revealed further significant assay results from a drilling program on its 84.68%-owned Imbo Project in the eastern part of the Ngayu greenstone belt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Canadian gold exploration company reported that the deepest borehole drilled to date at its flagship Adumbi deposit, LADD016, intersected 25.59 metres grading 2.39 grammes per tonne (g/t) gold, including 6.09 metres grading 4.78 g/t Au, and 8.09 metres grading 1.90 g/t Au. Lancor said borehole LADD016 had an inclination of minus 75 degrees and azimuth of 218 degrees at the start of the hole and regular measurements of inclination and azimuth were taken at 30-metre intervals down the hole. All core was orientated, and it is estimated that the true widths of the mineralised sections are approximately 71% of the intersected width. All intercepted grades are uncut with maximum internal dilution equal to or less than 4 metres of intersected width, said the company.

( ) Inc. announced that its name will change to SpotLite IOT Solutions Inc. from the start of trade on Tuesday, August 24 to better reflect the companys capabilities. The Vancouver-based technology company said its shares will continue to trade under the ticker LITE on the Canadian Securities Exchange and no action is required to be taken by shareholders with respect to the name change, which follows a resolution by its board of directors. The capabilities of IoT (Internet of Things) technologies are a very important part of what we offer to our clients in their supply chains because of the visibility they provide into the events and circumstances that can materially affect their bottom line, Spotlite president James Greenwell said in a statement. As such, we have sought to make this a more prominent element of our corporate identity with our updated name, he added.

( ) said the TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation with respect to its non-brokered private placement announced July 2, 2021, which will see the issue of 5,003,808 flow-through shares at a purchase price of 90 cents per flow-through share with 24 places.

( , ) said the TSX Venture Exchange has consented to the extension in the expiry date of 1,043,567 warrants (of which 236,994 were issued in the first tranche, 671,622 were issued in the second tranche and 134,951 were issued in the third tranche) with an original expiry date of Augugust 28, 2021, for tranche 1 warrants, September 5, 2021, for tranche 2 warrants and September 13, 2021, for tranche 3 warrants and an original exercise price of $4.25. The new expiry date i :March 13, 2022, for all the warrants with a new exercise price of $3.40 for all the warrants. The warrants were issued under a private placement, including a total of 2,087,139 common shares and 1,043,567 warrants, which was accepted for filing by the exchange, effective on July 23, 2020.

( , , ). said that Toko Mnyango, an independent non-executive director of the company, has been appointed as a member of the nominations committee with effect from August 19, 2021.

OTC Markets Group Inc said that Inc, a leading provider of real estate capital to state-licensed cannabis operators, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. begins trading on Friday on the OTCQX under the symbol "NLCP." Trading on the OTCQX Market offers companies efficient, cost-effective access to the US capital markets. To qualify for the OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. The OTC Markets Group operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 US and global securities.

has issued a note on Nasdaq-listed ( ). which can be viewed via the following link: https://www.watertowerresearch.com/content/3q21-results-247-revenue-growth-fueled-by-bitcoin-mining-management-raises-fy21-guidance/
Nvidia offered a behavioural remedy but this was not sufficient to alleviate the concerns

Nvidia Corpoation's proposed US$40bn acquisition of UK chip designer Arm Holding PLC should face a full competition probe according to UK regulators after finding serious competition concerns.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the deal could harm the competitiveness of Nvidiass rivals by restricting access to Arms processing IP and impairing interoperability between related products, so as to benefit NVIDIAs downstream activities and increase its profits.

That could also lead to a loss of competition and stifle innovation across a number of markets leading to more expensive, or lower quality products, the CMA added.

Nvidia has offered a behavioural remedy but this was not sufficient to alleviate its concerns added the watchdog.

In April, the UK government ordered the CMA to undertake a preliminary study on national security grounds, the results of which were published today, after persistent criticism about the deal from observers and those in the industry.

Herman Hauser, one of Arms co-founders, was especially vocal about the deal and said it would create the next tech monopoly alongside Google, Facebook and Amazon and be a disaster for the UK, Europe and the tech industry.

Cambridge-based chip designer Arm licenses its IP to hundreds of manufacturers to power mobile phones, laptops, tablets and increasingly artificial intelligence applications, where US group Nvidia is keen to grow.

Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary, will decide if any inquiry is carried out by the CMA and purely focused on competition issues or also covers national security concerns.
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Export of marine mammals from Russia temporarily banned by authorities

 flickr.com / Putneypics

12:02 20/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 20 (RAPSI)  Russias Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed an order to ban export of whales, dolphins and porpoises within the next six months.

The kea goal is to protect the population of marine mammals being in high demand abroad, including their use in aquariums and dolphinariums, the document reads.

In 2018, the so-called whale prison story made front page headlines, the Cabinet reminded. During the probe into a mammal poaching case launched in November 2018 investigators established that 90 white whales and 11 orca whales were mistreated in a local oceanic mammal adaptation center.

In February 2019, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russias Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Ministry of Agriculture to seal the fate of mammals held in the so-called whale prison in the Primorsk Territory of Russias Far East.

In November 2019, all orca whales and white whales, which had been illegally captured in the Primorsk Territory of Russias Far East, were returned to the high sea.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday expressed his gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ensuring supply of pure drinking water in all schools and Anganwadi centres in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the stipulated time.

Taking to twitter, he said, "Jammu & Kashmir is becoming synonymous with peace and prosperity under the leadership of Narendra Modi. I express my gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for ensuring supply of pure drinking water in all schools and Anganwadi Centres of Jammu & Kashmir before time".

"Previous Governments deprived citizens of Jammu & Kashmir of development for decades and only cared for their own families. Modi has initiated a new era of development which connects poor citizens to the mainstream and as a result Jammu & Kashmir is marching ahead in all fields," Shah further said in another tweet.

Under the Jal Shakti Minister's scheme, the 22,422 schools and 23,926 Anganwadi centres of Jammu and Kashmir will have tap water supply ahead of schedule.

In October last year, Shekhawat launched a 100-day campaign to provide potable piped water supply in schools and Anganwadi centres.

Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the states and Union Territories are to ensure that during the campaign, Gram Sabhas were convened at the earliest to pass a resolution for providing safe water in all schools, anganwadi centres and other public institutions in the village in the next 100 days.

Jal Jeevan Mission aims at the universal coverage of provision of tap water connection to every rural home by 2024 with the special focus on women and children.
Another 36,572 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 6,392,160, according to official figures released on Thursday.

The country also reported another 113 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 131,373. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Britain's Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Thursday that he is "confident" that Covid-19 booster vaccine will begin to be given to the most vulnerable from next month.

The government is still waiting for the final advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the booster jabs. The JCVI is meeting on Thursday to discuss the potential booster campaign.

"So, we're waiting for their final opinion and, looking at everything and the timing of that, I'm confident that we can start in September when we will start with the most vulnerable cohorts and start offering that third jab," Sajid said.

More than 87 per cent of people aged 16 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 75 per cent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he is ready to talk to the Taliban that has taken over Afghanistan amid fears of widepread human rights abuses.

"I'm ready to speak myself when it is clear with whom should I speak, for what purpose," he said on Thursday at a briefing for reporters.

While answering a question about contacts with the Taliban, he said, "I have not spoken myself, but our people in Afghanistan are in close contact with the Taliban and very strongly conveying that message" of respect for human rights and preventing the use of the territory by terrorists.

Guterres said that he was in touch with Qatar, which has facilitated talks between the Taliban, the previous Afghan government and other countries and is now working on getting an inclusive government installed in Kabul.

"I was in close contact yesterday, the day before yesterday, with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar (Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani)," Guterres said. "We are following the Qatar Initiative and supporting it. Let's hope that there will be a way for an inclusive government in Afghanistan."

He said that the only leverage the international community has with the Taliban is its quest for legitimacy and all nations should be united and "speak with one voice" to be able to use this bargaining power.

The conditions that the Taliban would have to meet for recognition are "full respect for human rights, and, in particular, the question of women's rights," allowing the evacuation of people in danger, and assuring that the territory is never be used again by any terrorist organisation, he said.

Asked if he would seek from the Council a broader mandate in Afghanistan, Guterres said that it has to be reviewed but that it would depend on how the situation develops there.

"If we are successful on this (of getting Taliban agreement on the terms), I think there is a perspective for a renewal of the (Security Council) mandate with one kind of characteristics. If things go wrong, of course, we will have to look into a mandate adapted to whatever will come," he said.
France has rescued some Indians trapped in Afghanistan and taken them to Paris, according to India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

He told reporters here on Thursday, "I thanked the French Foreign Minister (Jean-Yves Le Drian) yesterday because as part of what France did, they also took back some Indians to Paris."

"I think that was the right thing to do," he said.

The priority for India is repatriating Indians stranded in Afghanistan that has been taken over by the Taliban, he said.

He said that India was in contact with the United States on bringing home Indian from Afghanistan because it controls the Kabul airport.

India has flown in some people from Afghanistan on Air Force planes.

He said, "The immediate issue that we are looking at is really the repatriation of our nationals, in the case of India. India's nationals, other countries have their concern."

"We are working with international partners in this regard, especially, principally the United States because they control the airport," he added.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, ruled out the United Nations taking control of the international airport in Kabul, which now serves as the main gateway for repatriations.

"I don't think we have the capacity to run the airport. We can cooperate, obviously, with all the parties, if our presence is considered useful, but to think the UN can run the airport in the present circumstances, knowing what our presence is on the ground is, of course, I think not realistic," he said at a separate briefing for reporters.

One of the conditions that the Taliban will have to fulfil before there can be international recognition is enabling the evacuation "without problems those people that would be in danger," he said.

US President Joe Biden, who rushed thousands of troops to control the airport, has said that he would consider having them stay beyond the August 31 deadline if needed to complete the evacuation of US citizens.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
New research shows that the magnetic field of our planet was relatively weak (less than half the strength of the long-term average field) for tens of millions of years between 332 and 416 million years ago; the similarities between this and a later period of low field strength provide further evidence for a 200- million-year-long cycle linked to deep Earth processes.

Our findings, when considered alongside the existing datasets, supports the existence of an approximately 200-million-year long cycle in the strength of the Earths magnetic field related to deep Earth processes, said Dr. Louise Hawkins, a researcher in the Geomagnetism Laboratory at the University of Liverpool and CGG Satellite Mapping.

As almost all of our evidence for processes within the Earths interior is being constantly destroyed by plate tectonics, the preservation of this signal for deep inside the Earth is exceedingly valuable as one of the few constraints we have.

In the study, Dr. Hawkins and her colleagues performed thermal and microwave paleomagnetic analysis on rock samples from two localities from the east coast of Scotland, United Kingdom.

They measured the strength of the geomagnetic field during key time periods with almost no pre-existing, reliable data.

They also analyzed the reliability of all of the measurements from samples from 200 to 500 million years ago, collected over the last 80 years.

The researchers found that between 332 and 416 million years ago, the so-called Mid-Palaeozoic Dipole low (MPDL) period, the strength of the geomagnetic field preserved in these rocks was less than quarter of what it is today.

It is similar to a previously identified period of low magnetic field strength that started around 120 million years ago.

The study supports the theory that the strength of the Earths magnetic field is cyclical, and weakens every 200 million years, an idea proposed by University of Liverpools Professor Andy Biggin and colleagues in 2012.

Deciphering variations in past geomagnetic field strength is important as it indicates changes in deep Earth processes over hundreds of millions of years and could provide clues as to how it might fluctuate, flip or reverse in the future.

A weak field also has implications for life on our planet. In 2020, University of Southamptons Professor John Marshall and colleagues suggested that the Devonian-Carboniferous mass extinction is linked to elevated ultraviolet-B levels, around the same as the weakest field measurements from the MPDL.

This comprehensive magnetic analysis of the Strathmore and Kinghorn lava flows was key for filling in the period leading up the Kiman Superchron, a period where the geomagnetic poles are stable and do not flip for about 50 million years, Dr. Hawkins said.

This dataset compliments other studies we have worked on over the last few years, alongside our colleagues in Moscow and Alberta, that fit between the ages of these two locations.

Our findings also provide further support that a weak magnetic field is associated with pole reversals, while the field is generally strong during a Superchron, which is important as it has proved nearly impossible to improve the reversal record prior to 300 million years ago.

The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

_____

Louise M.A. Hawkins et al. 2021. Intensity of the Earths magnetic field: Evidence for a Mid-Paleozoic dipole low. PNAS 118 (34): e2017342118; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2017342118
The criticisms against Bidens withdrawal from Afghanistan are coming from all corners. But most are missing the point.

by Sonali Kolhatkar

President Joe Biden is under a tremendous amount of pressure from his own Democratic Party and the liberal media establishment for daring to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan and allowing the country to fall back into the hands of the fundamentalist Taliban regime. Biden, in a statement on August 14, said, 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. Just two days later, after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled and the Taliban stormed into the capital, Kabul, President Biden in a speech from the White House defiantly maintained that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces, but was forced to admit that the Taliban resumed control of Afghanistan more quickly than we had anticipated.

Republicans predictably jumped on this demonstrable foreign policy failure, neglecting to mention that it was Bidens predecessor Donald Trump who laid the groundwork for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and worked with the Taliban to do so. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) expostulated, This debacle was not only foreseeable, it was foreseen, as if Trump would have done any better as a second-term president. Trumps former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an interview on Fox News with Chris Wallace chimed in, saying, It looks like the Biden administration has just failed in its execution of its own plan, even though of course the Democratic president was essentially carrying out Trumps plan. The Republican National Committee has now deleted a page on its website that had celebrated Trumps dealings with the Taliban, perhaps hoping no one would notice.

The corporate media was equally unforgiving of Biden. The Washington Posts editorial board issued a scathing opinion blaming Biden for any future deaths, saying that the U.S. assumed at least partial responsibility for all Afghans. Leaving them now means walking away from that responsibility. The Post also worried about Americas global prestige, saying, at risk is the United States reputation as a partner, as would-be allies around the world watch and calculate the value of an American commitment.

In a similar vein, the New York Times Bret Stephens demanded to know, What on earth was Joe Biden thinkingif, that is, he was thinking? Like the Post, Stephens was deeply concerned about the nations reputation, asking, What kind of ally is the United States?

Such criticisms miss several glaring points. First, if a foreign military occupation made no progress toward democracy and human rights in 20 years, it is unlikely to do so in 20 more. Second, they are more concerned about the U.S.s reputation as a global superpower (which is what the term ally really implies) than human lives. And third, although a majority of Americans once supported the Afghanistan War and occupation, today most Americans want the occupation to end.

Moreover, most critics of Bidens botched exit from Afghanistan appear to have missed the fact that the entirety of the occupation has been flawed and led to the debacle of the Talibans resurgence. Bidens missteps were apropos of the entire occupation. Every step of the way, the United States made the wrong choice, regardless of which president, Republican or Democrat, was in power, from George W. Bushs decision to work with corrupt and violent warlords, to Barack Obamas choice to validate the Taliban by being the first to engage in peace talks with the ostensible enemy forces.

Bidens fellow Democrats also joined in the criticism against him but got much closer to the questions that really need to be asked about the disastrous turn of events in Afghanistan. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, I am disappointed that the Biden administration clearly did not accurately assess the implications of a rapid U.S. withdrawal. More importantly, he made the astute observation that We are now witnessing the horrifying results of many years of policy and intelligence failures.

Even though the U.S.-backed Afghan government has been ineffectual and corrupt directly as a result of choices that successive administrations made over the years, the Biden administration could have chosen to coordinate more closely with the institution if only to ensure that billions of dollars of U.S.-bought weapons would not fall into Taliban hands. Instead, according to Associated Press, the ultimate beneficiary of the American investment [in Afghanistans military] turned out to be the Taliban, who grabbed not only political power but also U.S.-supplied firepowerguns, ammunition, helicopters and more.

To summarize, the U.S. went to war against Afghanistan in October 2001 in order to punish the Taliban and Al Qaeda for the September 11 terrorist attacks, spent nearly two decades fighting a war on terror, and ended up leaving its ostensible enemy empowered both politically and militarily. American taxpayers, who naively backed the invasion and occupation, spent trillions of dollars in a brutal decades-long exercise in futility that resulted in lost lives, a traumatized Afghan population and a renewal of the forces that terrorized them.

The Taliban couldnt have asked for a better war.

It may be hard to believe that things could have been even worse under Trump. But if the former Republican president were in power now, it is likely we would be witnessing a similar situation but with even more violence. Former Secretary of State Pompeo in his Fox interview advised the Biden administration to crush these Taliban who are surrounding Kabul, adding, We should do it with American airpower, we should put pressure on them, we should inflict cost and pain on them. Past wars have demonstrated with striking reliability that such infliction of pain is never precise and always results in so-called collateral damage, a euphemism for civilian casualties. Trump had a proven penchant for using massive firepower with no regard for civilians, and with Pompeo offering him advice, we would likely have seen the same situation as we are seeing today but with the added horror of bombs falling on people attempting to flee the Taliban.

The Talibans takeover of Kabul is being likened by many to the fall of Saigon. Before the Afghanistan War, there was the Vietnam War. And there were many other wars during and before Vietnam and Afghanistan that garnered less attention. If there is a lesson that Americans as a nation ought to take away from these devastating militaristic exercises that consistently do more harm than good, it is to ensure we never again rally behind a desire to bomb, raid, occupy and militarily strike another nation. This means standing up to the liberal and conservative establishments that find a detached comfort in the cold calculus of warfare with no concern for life, safety, or democracy.

This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of Rising Up With Sonali, a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations. She is a writing fellow for the Economy for All project at the Independent Media Institute.
COVID presents an opportunity for all Sri Lankans to recognise they are human beings first, and then whatever else after that.

by Raj Gonsalkorale

D M Shaw, from the Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, writing in the journal of Bioethical Inquiry (Invisible Enemies: Coronavirus and Other Hidden Threats) saysthat COVID-19 is our invisible enemy, changing our lives radically without ever revealing itself directly. He says First, I analyse the virus itself and how its stealthy nature has transformed our lives. Second, I describe how the invisible epidemic of social media sharing of fake news about the virus worsens the situation further. Third, I explore how the virus has revealed to us what really matters in our lives and has forced us to re-evaluate our priorities. Fourth, I go on to explore the underlying structural weaknesses and disparities in society that have been exposed by the virus but previously remained unconsidered for so long that they too have become camouflaged, even if their effects are all too apparent; like the virus, neoliberal capitalism is an invisible enemy that has made prisoners of us all. I conclude by suggesting that the coronavirus pandemic represents a hidden opportunity to overcome perhaps the biggest invisible enemy of all: the moral distance that separates us from others. Only by rendering the rest of humanity morally visible to ourselves can we overcome capitalism and stop treating other people as invisible enemies

COVID 19 is the ultimate socialist. It does not discriminate and does not know a beggar from royalty, a Prime Minister from a President or a man from a woman or a General from a Private soldier. It does not know a Tamil from a Sinhalese or a Muslim. A Buddhist from a Christian or a Muslim, a Harijan from a Brahmin. For COVID, all are human beings, as all new born are; just human beings.

COVID presents an opportunity for all Sri Lankans to recognise they are human beings first, and then whatever else after that. Labels are freely available to divide and segment human beings, create anger and anguish amongst those divided and self-create imaginary superiority and inferiority positions amongst the divisions. This surely is not the time for that. COVID couldnt care less. It will infect anyone.

Sri Lankan politicians accuse each other about the response to contain and eliminate COVID and persons in leadership positions offer medical advice about medicines to use against COVID in total ignorance of facts relating to medicines,and raising unfounded hopes amongst people that there is a cure for COVID, when COVID knows there is no medicine to cure it, and has the last laugh about the stupidity of these utterances. The COVID community must be preying for more fools like these so called responsible politicians.

A discredited previous health portfolio holder pontificates about how this pandemic can be ended and teams up with similarly discredited persons to mislead the public who are in such a desperate position, ready to swallow not just the Peniya, but any concoction sent by the divine. COVID laughs heartily and deliberates why it should not redouble its spread to get more such low breeds to pontificate even more and further hamper efforts being made to contain it. The winner is COVID.

When common sense, which no doubt ordinary people are expected to have in a country that boasts of a 2500 year history, great civilisations which could have taught a things or two to the rest of the world, dictates that one should wear a protective mask to cover ones nose and mouth and not the chin, and not congregate in numbers, and maintain a distance between two people to avoid infection;they do the opposite. COVID cheers saying we want more of this.

Opposition parties in Parliament organise demonstrations, totally disregarding health advice, helps COVID to spread, and then blames the government for not containing the spread. Perhaps COVID coffers are rich and overflowing to fund and support these campaigns. Or this brazen political opportunism is a heaven sent gift to COVID where it can spread without any need to spend for it.

Some people imagine an enemy that can be beaten by brawn, when what is needed are brains. Some think that what they cannot see, cannot cause any harm to them. So they congregate, have parties and disregard health advice. Some do this under the protection of highly placed politicians.

Without the knowledge of these brainless people, COVID crashes these parties and leaves its imprint with ever spreading clusters. Hospitals fill up, ICU beds and ventilators have waiting lists, with some not making it to them and ending up in over crowded morgues. COVID probably raises a glass to these morons who deprive people who are sick with other serious medical conditions.

COVID must be laughing and having a grand time knowing they have already infected more than 200 million human beings around the world and killed more than 4.4 million people, brought the worlds mighty economies to their knees, all without spending a red cent. Political leaders grandstand about their achievements in containing the pandemic. Infections have risen markedly in the US, UK, Japan, South Korea and virtually in all parts of the world with the Delta variant. COVID has more weapon in their arsenal and Delta will be followed by other variants which are very likely being tested by COVID now. In fact Sri Lankan medical authorities have stated that there are three Delta variants already in Sri Lanka. COVID has struck.

Vaccination is the only weapon available to human beings to lessen infections, lessen the impact of infection and lessen the need for hospital interventions. There is nothing else on the table. No omnipotent force can contain COVID. Only vaccines can. Despite this patently obvious situation, millions are refusing to get vaccinated. COVID is cheering for more of such people.

In this climate, a situation faced by all countries, big and small, rich and poor, coping with a health fiasco and an economic disaster, recovery from this disaster is even further than a distant dawn. There is very little light at the end of the tunnel, if at all. All Sri Lankans have to come to terms with this reality.

While not intending any disrespect to Bangladesh, Sri Lankas begging bowl has been extended to a country which was a virtual beggar economically not so long ago. The countrys health service is bursting at the seems and its health care workers have been pushed beyond endurance. In this climate, some people march the streets and congregate in large numbers without any regard to health advice and their fellow human beings.

While many would point fingers at the government, it is not the intention here as whatever government in power would have faced a similar, if not a worse situation should some of the discredited politicians who were booted out resoundingly by the people at the last election were in power.

The intention of this article is firstly to appeal to all parties in the current Parliament to call a halt to all forms of partisan politicking at least for 2 years, and secondly for them to work with the government in the health and economic front. A structure is needed for this, as words alone would not amount to anything.

Perhaps a National governing council under the President, with the inclusion of the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Health, the Leader of the Opposition, leaders of all other political combines if any political party is part of a political combine and leaders of political parties who are not part of a combine (for example the UNP), could be formed with specific responsibilities (to be determined by the President) in the area of health and economic management.

At this juncture, one hopes that politicians place the country above their political interests, and recognise that both the President and the government has been given an overwhelming mandate by the people in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Destabilising the President or the government at this stage will only hand over even a longer lasting victory to COVID.

Paraphrasing the message placed before all countries by D M Shaw, COVID could well be saying that we, COVID 19, are providing an opportunity to overcome perhaps the biggest invisible enemy of all: the moral distance that separates human beings from one another, the fortunate from the less fortunate, and only by rendering all of humanity morally visible to each other could human beings overcome the disparities that exist amongst them and stop treating other people, the less fortunate, as invisible enemies
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ARISS contact is scheduled for students at Carl Fuhlrott-Gymnasium, Wuppertal, Germany

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts.

ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).

This will be a direct contact via amateur radio between students at the Carl Fuhlrott-Gymnasium, and Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, amateur radio call sign KE5DNI. Students will take turns asking their questions. Appropriate local Covid-19 protocols are adhered to as applicable for each ARISS contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the radio relay ground station.

Amateur radio operators, using the call sign DN1CFG will operate the ham radio ground station for this contact.

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for August 23, 2021 at 9:54:53 am CEST (Wuppertal, DE), (7:54 UTC, 3:54 am EDT, 2:54 am CDT, 1:54 am MDT and 12:54 am PDT).

Carl-Fuhlrott-Gymnasium (CFG) (with students ages 10-19 years), provides curricula leading to the A-levels (Abitur), an exam which entitles their students to study any subject at any university. CFG is a certified European School and also certified as a MINT (STEM equivalent) excellence center. Their MINT/STEM curriculum includes courses in Astronomy and collaborates with Bergische Universitat to provide astronomy training for students and teachers. Students extracurricular activities include using the schools onsite astronomical observatory that has six telescopes (Celestron C11) and one Planewave CDK20. Amateur radio is also part of student activities with an onsite amateur radio station and planned activities that would involve studies in radio astronomy, and software defined radio. Students have participated in the launching and radio tracking of a high-altitude balloon flight and have used that experience to prepare for this ARISS contact.

As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. How do you like being in space and what do you do all day?

2. How do you brush your teeth up there? Can you take a shower?

3. Do you live sustainably on the ISS?

4. What do you do in your free time? I hope you have some at all.

5. Do astronauts have privacy? How do you manage living with so many astronauts in a confined space?

6. Does zero gravity and the remoteness of the station have any effects on your psyche?

7. Are there any implicit rules among the astronauts and cosmonauts on the ISS?

8. Did you take any personal items with you to remind you of your expedition?

9. Where does the oxygen on the ISS come from? Is the photobioreactor experiment using algae still working and which usage could it have?

10. How does an EVA-activity feel?

11. Have you ever experienced/seen anything that you could not explain scientifically?

12. At our observatory, we have observed several exoplanets with the transition method. Do you also have experiments on sky observation on the ISS? Maybe even exoplanets?

13. How optimistic are you while searching for black matter?

14. How does zero gravity influence muscle building and muscle loss during and after your mission? Could you help influence this with muscle building drugs?

15. Sufficient sleep forms the basis for an effective muscle build-up. Is it therefore necessary to prepare yourselves for sleeping in the Space station or do you need to get used to the conditions first to get a restful sleep?

16. What do you think of private companies building rockets for manned space flight instead of the national space agencies?

17. Do you think it will be possible to live on Mars or on other planets until 2050, as Elon Musk plans to?

18. Is CIMON-2 still with you on the ISS? What would you like a robot companion do for you?

19. What are the advantages of cancer research in space? Are there already any benefits for patients on Earth?

ARISS  Celebrating 20 Years of Continuous Amateur Radio Operations on the ISS

About ARISS:

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASAs Space communications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org.

Media Contact:

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR
NASA seeks student tech ideas for suborbital launch

NASA is calling on all sixth through 12th-grade educators and students to submit experiments for possible suborbital flights as a way of gaining firsthand experience with the design and testing process used by NASA researchers.

The NASA TechRise Student Challenge invites students to design, build, and launch experiments on suborbital rockets and high-altitude balloons. The challenge aims to inspire a deeper understanding of Earths atmosphere, space exploration, coding, electronics, and the value of test data.

Central to NASAs mission is inspiring and educating the workforce of the future. The research areas students can explore through TechRise are endless, from technology to better understand our planet to innovative systems for deep space exploration, said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. We hope to see entries from students across the country, showcasing the diverse talent and ideas of the next generation.

Guided by an educator, student teams affiliated with U.S. public, private, and charter schools can develop and submit creative experiment ideas. The entry period is open until Nov. 3, 2021.

Each winning team will receive $1,500 to build their experiment and an assigned spot to test it on a NASA-sponsored suborbital flight operated by Blue Origin, UP Aerospace, or Raven Aerostar.

Flying experiments on suborbital rockets and high-altitude balloons takes technologies from ground-based laboratories into relevant testing environments. The flights replicate microgravity, solar exposure, radiation, extreme temperatures, vacuum, and intense vibrations.

Understanding how payloads respond to these conditions allows researchers to validate their designs and adjust or make improvements as needed.To enter the competition, teams should submit their experiment ideas online using the TechRise proposal framework. NASA plans to announce the competition winners in January 2022. The selected student teams will build their experiments and watch them take flight in early 2023.

Take a virtual field trip

NASA and Future Engineers, the challenge administrator, will host a TechRise virtual field trip Friday, Sept. 24, to share more information about the challenge and inspire research questions and experiment ideas.

Educators and students can tune in to hear from NASA experts and special guest Dr. Raven Baxter, also known as Dr. Raven the Science Maven, and explore on-demand educational content at their own pace. Interested participants can register online. In addition, various resources on the challenge website aim to help students choose a vehicle and plan experiments on topics ranging from climate to remote sensing to microgravity research.

Its an honor to be part of the virtual field trip, and I cant wait to work directly with students who will build and test designs that will explore microgravity, said Baxter. Our goal is to inspire them, and Im sure their ideas will inspire us.

Volunteer to judge

NASA is also seeking volunteers to help judge the entries. U.S. residents with expertise in engineering, space, and/or atmospheric research who are interested in reviewing NASA TechRise submissions can apply to be a judge here.

For challenge details, visit: https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise

NASAs Flight Opportunities program, based at the agencys Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, manages the challenge. The program is part of NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate.
He faced a maximum of 30 years in prison on those counts, but was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 12 years and three months each. In handing down the sentence, Broward Circuit Judge Tim Bailey rejected a defense request for a downward departure, which would have permitted a less severe sentence.
Over the past 18 months COVID has made a devastating impact at home and abroad, new Fort Lauderdale police chief Larry Scirotto said. We have seen the pain and suffering has affected first responders across the country. We have mourned losses of neighboring agencies and suffered with them. Many of those agencies are here today, and we thank you for your support.
Eiglarsh said he was disappointed in the ruling. We take solace knowing that the truth will come out at trial. My client is innocent of any criminal wrongdoing, and did all he could to save lives during Nikolas Cruzs abhorrent massacre.
Mohammad Naim, who said he used to be an interpreter for U.S. forces, has been in the airport crowd for four days trying to escape. He said put his children on the roof of a car on the first day to save them from being crushed by the mass of people. He saw other children killed who were unable to get out of the way.
Olive told prosecutors she didnt give the consultant or anyone else permission to use her signature on bank or tax forms but didnt tell him not to use it, either. Asked why he wouldnt have had her sign the paperwork herself, she speculated it was because such a request might have dissuaded her from going along with fronting the committee.
I hope our president is ok, Scott wrote in the Fox article. I hope he is strong and healthy enough, at this crucial time, for this critical job. ... We must discern whether this is incompetence on the part of his administration, or something far more serious. The American people deserve answers and, frankly, to know whether this president is truly fit to still lead the United States.
Unless the U.S was willing to remain forever in Afghanistan, the decision to withdraw now was the only prudent choice. President Biden summed it up perfectly when he stated that 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. The rapidity of the Taliban victory proves this: Despite 20 years of American training and billions of dollars of arms and aid, the Afghan military basically surrendered; they dont possess the will to fight for their freedom, even though our brave U.S. soldiers have done that for them. American troops would have had to remain in the country forever to keep it free from Taliban control. I dont believe that most Americans are ready to accept that grim reality. Former President Trump began this process of U.S. withdrawal during his administration, and President Biden will be concluding it. The losers in all this, of course, are the Afghan people, and I feel badly that many of them will suffer and die as a result. Hopefully, the U.S. will be able to bring over as many Afghans as possible before its too late. The entire situation is quite tragic and a real-life Catch-22.
The best batch of 2021 bull's ball tomatoes is worth 1,550 euros. The Guadalhorce Agrifood Market took place last weekend and it included a charity auction of the finest examples of this type of tomatoes, so-named because of their huge size and distinctive shape. This is one of the star events of the summer in the Guadalhorce valley area, and this year the money raised is going to the DeColores association, which helps children with functional diversity.

The auction marked the end of a busy weekend at the 'Sabor a Malaga' market, where prizes were also awarded for the best locally grown fruit and vegetables including an 80-kilo pumpkin, garlic and nectarines, among others.

Hundreds of visitors visited the more than 20 stands in the market this year, and although the bull's ball tomato was the star there were plenty of other local products bearing the provincial government's 'Sabor a Malaga' seal of approval. Cheeses, essential oils, cured meats, cakes and potato crisps were just some of the items available for sale.

After a morning of numerous tastings and samplings, the moment came to award the prize for the best batch of bull's ball tomatoes, which this year were grown by Juan Francisco Torres. As soon as they were declared the best tasting tomatoes the traditional auction began, and the aim was to raise at least as much as last year: 1,550 euros.

After some fierce bidding, the winner was Sergio Cuberos, who is the president of the Malaga Chamber of Commerce and general manager of the Maskom Supermarket chain, for exactly that same price. All the money will be given to the DeColores association.

"We are very happy. It is a great help for our cause, especially in a year when it is difficult to obtain financing," said the president, Fuensanta Solano.

Juan Francisco Torres was not the only person to win a prize for his tomatoes; the second prize went to Loli Mena, and the third to La Huerta de Carmen. Paco Garcia, the manager of El Lago restaurant in Marbella, received a special award for his work in promoting this type of tomato.

The prizes for other types of local produce, including the 80-kilo pumpkin grown by Cristobal Guerrero, Antonio Gonzalez's garlic and the nectarines also grown by Guerrero were awarded by different authorities including the Junta de Andalucia's Elias Bendodo; the regional Minister of Finance, Juan Bravo; Mayor of Coin, Francisco Santos; Vice-president of the Diputacion de Malaga, Juan Carlos Maldonado; President of the GDR Valle del Guadalhorce, Felix Lozano; Second Vice-president of the Diputacion, Margarita del Cid; the Junta's delegate for Agriculture in Malaga, Fernando Fernandez; and the region's Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Ana Corredera.

The day finished with a tasting of bread and tomato with David Llamas, the runner-up in the national artisan breadmaking competition and a demonstration of artisan pizza cookery with local produce by Salvador Macias, ofGastrocortijobenitez in Coin. There was also a cocktail workshop led by Camila Rodriguez Molet, of Restaurante El Higueron in Fuengirola, who created several recipes using bull's ball tomatoes as the main ingredient.
A court in Marbella has ordered an autopsy to be carried out on the body of a 20-year-old woman who died on 8 August with coronavirus at the Costa del Sol Hospital.

The young woman's family has claimed that there was "malpractice", since, according to their version of events, they went to the hospital accident and emergency department on more than five occasions.

On the first visit the 20-year-old was diagnosed with gastroenteritis, but she got worse. "Despite having been vomiting and having diarrhoea for several days, they did not give her fluids," claim the family.

The parents complain that, despite having gone to the emergency department "many times" and their daughter having tested positive for Covid-19 on 4 August, "at no time did they consider keeping her in for observation."

Apparently, according to the family, when they asked why she was not admitted, they were told that there were no beds and that she was not "so serious." The family said that on the 7 August they went to the emergency department again and that, after the young woman fainted in a wheelchair, the hospital admitted her to the intensive care unit, where she died some hours later.

In the familys complaint, presented by the lawyer Francisco Damian Vazquez, from El Defensor del Paciente, the parents demanded that an autopsy be performed.

According to sources from the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia, the Marbella judge has now asked the Costa del Sol Hospital to carry out this procedure to determine the cause of death.

The hospital said at the time that the health care was "adequate and correct" according to clinical criteria and that the young woman had associated risk factors, in addition to the fact that she had not been vaccinated.
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Weather Alert

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM EDT WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING... The Flash Flood Watch is now in effect for * A portion of central Pennsylvania, including the following areas, Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Clearfield, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northern Centre, Northern Clinton, Northern Lycoming, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Southern Centre, Southern Clinton, Southern Lycoming, Sullivan, Union and York. * From 5 AM EDT Wednesday through Thursday morning. * Heavy rain associated with the remnants of Ida will overspread the region Wednesday, bringing the potential of flash and urban flooding to the watch area. The area of greatest risk is across the Laurel Highlands northeast into the Pocono Mountains. Rainfall totals of 4 to 7 inches are forecast in this area, resulting in significant flooding. Rainfall totals are likely to be slightly less near I-80 and for areas southeast of Harrisburg. The rain should taper off from west to east across central Pennsylvania Wednesday evening. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. &&
New Delhi, Aug 20 (UNI) American pharma giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has sought permission from India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to conduct a study of it's COVID-19 single shot Janssen vaccine in India in adolescents aged 12 17 years, the firm told UNI on Friday.

"On 17 August 2021, we submitted an application to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to conduct a study of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in India in adolescents aged 12  17 years," the company's spokesperson informed.

"To ultimately achieve herd immunity, it is imperative that COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials continue to move forward in this population, and we remain deeply committed to the critical work needed to make our COVID-19 vaccine equitably accessible for all age groups, she added.

The single-shot vaccine from J&J has shown 85 per cent efficacy in preventing severe disease in its Phase 3 human clinical trials.

This is the second Covid-19 vaccine that has been granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) through the fast-track approval route by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). The vaccine was given EUA status on August 7.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had announced on Twitter about the single-shot vaccine being granted the Emergency Use Authorisation in India.

India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnsons single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has 5 EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nations collective fight against #COVID19, Mandaviya had said in a tweet.

The firm had earlier also sought approval to conduct a phase-3 clinical trial of its vaccine on approximately 600 participants in two age groups  those aged 18 and below 60 years and those aged 60 years and above  to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of the jab in healthy Indian adults.

However, after the liberalised vaccination policy of the Centre came into force, the firm withdrew its proposal on July 29, CDSCO's minutes of meeting noted.

The Union government changed the policy for regulatory approvals for foreign manufacturers to commercially market their Covid-19 vaccine in the country in April, waiving the pre-condition of phase 2-3 clinical trials for those vaccines that have been granted emergency approvals by regulators in the US, EU, UK, and Japan, and those listed by the WHO.

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New Delhi, Aug 20 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said destructive forces and reign of terror cannot last for very long, citing the example of the Somnath temple which was looted and demolished several times, and was repeatedly resurrected.

The comments come in the backdrop of Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

"Faith cannot be suppressed by terror... This temple was demolished several times, the statues were broken, but as many times as it was demolished, it was resurrected again," the Prime Minister said addressing an event related to projects in the Somnath Temple, the Prime Minister

"Somnath temple is an example and assurance for the world that destructive forces, the ideology that builds empires based on terror, may dominate for some time in some period of time, but, its existence is never permanent, it cannot suppress humanity for long," Modi said.

The Somnath temple is said to have been destroyed several times. According to a website of Gujarat's tourism department, the temple was destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1024, The temple was again razed in 1297, 1394 and finally in 1706 by Aurangzeb, as per the website.

The event was also attended by veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani, and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Advani had taken out a 'rath yatra' in September-October of 1990 from Somnath to Ayodhya, to stir up support for the demand for the construction of a Ram temple at the spot of Babri Mosque. Modi was among the key organisers of the 'yatra'. The mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992.

After years of court cases, on November 9, 2021, the Supreme Court ordered that the disputed land be handed over to a trust to build the Ram Temple.

The Prime Minister also mentioned the Ram Temple, and said the the temple would be a "tower of light" of India's pride.

He also said that lessons of past will help India build course for its future.

The projects inaugurated by the Prime Minister through video conferencing include the Somnath Promenade built at a cost of Rs. 47 Crore, Somnath Exhibition Centre and reconstructed temple precinct of Old (Juna) Somnath, done at a cost of Rs. 3.5 Crore.

He also laid the foundation stone for a Shree Parvati Temple.



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London, Aug 20 (UNI/Sputnik) UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that he had discussed the situation in Afghanistan with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Discussed Afghanistan with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi today. We noted the importance of addressing security concerns, regional stability and addressing the humanitarian crisis, Raab wrote on his Twitter page on late Thursday.

Later, Raab said that he had also discussed the developments in Afghanistan with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu.

"UK & Turkey are working closely together in Afghanistan to ensure evacuations can continue safely. I expressed gratitude for Turkish foreign minister @MevlutCavusoglu's commitment to safeguarding Kabul airport alongside our troops," Raab wrote on Twitter.

The Taliban (a terrorist group, banned in Russia) entered Kabul on August 15, ending a weeks-long offensive and resulting in the collapse of the US-backed government.

Internationally-Recognized Afghan President Ashraf Ghani resigned and left the country. The seizure of power has forced thousands of Afghans to seek escape from the country for fear of reprisals from the militants.

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Bengaluru, Aug 20 (UNI) Vice President Venkaiah Naidu here on Friday expressed confidence over nation's security and safety after seeing HAL's impressive infrastructure in aerospace and defence.

"I am assured of our nations security and safety after seeing this impressive infrastructure in Aerospace and Defence," he said in his address to senior officers of HAL and ADA.

Naidu paid his maiden visit as Vice President to HAL facilities accompanied with Governor Thawarchand Gehlot here on Friday.

He also praised the ongoing public-private partnership in various defence projects of HAL and said all efforts should be made to develop cutting-edge technologies indigenously to strengthen Indias defence against the background of the complex geo-politics.

The dignitaries visited LCH, ALH Hangars, and LCA Tejas division.

"HAL has attributes of a global leader and I envisage the company to play a greater role in realizing Indias dream of self-reliance in aerospace and defence in the future. I am proud of the role the company has played for the past 80 years ever since its inception."

"I am happy that Indias homegrown fighter LCA Tejas will be produced in large numbers and the government has taken initiatives to galvanize the Indian Defence Industry," he added.

Hailing HALs sterling contributions, Gehlot said HAL is a unique aerospace company with a diverse range of products and is transforming itself as a lead integrator on most of the projects. "There are a lot of expectations as the company steps into the future," he added.

HAL CMD R Madhavan, in his welcome address, said that the company would further the cause of initiatives taken by the government.

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ELIZABETH URBAN is News Editor for The Vidette. Urban can be contacted at emurba1@ilstu.edu. Follow Urban on Twitter at @eliizabethurban.

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University students put their V's up at a Summer Asia Internship Program in Shanghai before the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Increase of Visitors to ERS

Elderly Residential Services are pleased to announce that, as from Monday 23rd August 2021 visits will be increased from 1 designated visitor per week to 1 designated visitor per day to all ERS sites.

This decision has been based on the absence of positive cases amongst residents and/or staff and the decreasing prevalence of the virus in the community.

The decision to increase visits has been taken on Public Health advice as the absence of COVID-19 cases among residents and staff has reduced the risk of an outbreak. However, due to the high prevalence of the virus in Gibraltar, strict procedures must be adhered to in order to safeguard residents and staff.

The procedure will be as follows:

 Visits will be permitted as long as there are no confirmed positive cases in ERS sites.

 In line with Public Health recommendations, in the event that a positive COVID-19 case is detected, visiting in that particular site will be suspended until the situation is resolved.

 PPE must continue to be worn indoors at all times. Social distancing must be maintained at all times between different social bubbles.

 Visitors must contact their particular residential floor in order to book their visit in advance of the allocated visiting times.

 Visits will be allowed daily between 1pm and 6pm.

 Only 1 designated visitor will be allowed to visit during the day. The designated visitor can be changed from one day to another.

 Visitors will require a lateral flow test at the entrance at each visit.

 Any visitors with a positive lateral flow test will require a diagnostic test, which will be taken on site by ERS.

 Visitors will be required to answer the questionnaire prior to each visit, for any symptoms identified by the questionnaire, the visitor will be required to book a diagnostic test via the COVID 19 Drive Thru.

 All visitors must provide proof of receipt of, at least, one dose of a COVID -19 vaccination in order to be allowed in to any ERS site during visiting times.

 If the visitor has only had 1 dose of the vaccine, there must be a gap of no more than 14 days between the first dose of vaccine and visit.

 Non-vaccinated visitors will be allowed to see their loved ones in the external communal areas in the respective site.

This procedure will be under constant review, and will be amended according to the prevalence of the virus in the community, in order to provide the ERS residents with a safe system to enjoy the visits of their families and friends. ERS says it urges families to remain vigilant at all times and thanks them for their ongoing support and cooperation with this.
(The Center Square)  A federal judge in Louisiana has issued a temporary restraining order preventing Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine from mandating COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of student enrollment.

The decision is the latest development in a dispute involving several students, the private medical college operating at the University of Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.

Landry actively opposes vaccine mandates, while VCOM asserts its mandatory vaccination policy is critical to keeping students, staff and patients safe.

Even during a pandemic, we must protect the rights of our citizens, Landry said immediately after the ruling. I'm pleased with the courts decision and glad these students can focus on what's important; their education.

Landry first approached the school when three students said they were retaliated against for refusing COVID-19 vaccinations.

These complaints have included recordings of conversations with VCOM staff engaging in harassing and coercive conduct targeting students who have exercised their right to opt-out of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, Landry said in July.

The school rejected accusations of wrongdoing and maintains it has acted appropriately regarding health and legal obligations.

The intention of VCOMs coronavirus vaccine policy, is and always has been the safety of our students, the safety of our employees and workplace, as well as the safety of the patients being cared for by our students, faculty and staff, VCOM said in an emailed statement.

The school granted the students religious exemptions after they filed a federal lawsuit, along with the attorney general, Aug. 4. Landry later backed out after Judge Terry Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana questioned the states standing.

The students continued their lawsuit, in part, because of restrictions that came with the religious exemptions, such as required vaccine education trainings, a prohibition on activities involving patients and only working with student lab partners who agree to work with unvaccinated students.

VCOM has responded to the Attorney Generals letters twice by making minor amendments to our policy, but vaccination remains a requirement. This requirement is important as our students become medical providers in their first year, the school said.

Physicians and VCOM students, as medical providers, also have no right to be a vector in spreading the virus or infecting the unknowing patients they will care for, who would naturally believe the students would be vaccinated, VCOM said.

Doughty sided with the students in his Tuesday ruling, saying the restrictions attached to the schools religious exemptions would cause irreparable harm to the students. He added all VCOM students share the same risks outlined by the schools administration by virtue of being at the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

Although VCOM has an interest in protecting its students, its students are allowed to attend ULM functions, participate in ULM intramural events, study in the ULM library and mingle with ULM students, who are not required to get the vaccine, the decision said.

Michael DuBos, the attorney representing the aggrieved VCOM students, said he was happy with the legal outcome.

We feel it is important to respect individual rights, especially in a time of crisis. If not, it sets a dangerous precedent, DuBos said.
West Hartford, CT (06107)

Today

Periods of rain. High 68F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Periods of rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Potential for flooding rains. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected.
This drawing shows the footprint for the new terminal at Barkley Regional Airport. When the final terminal design drawings are completed, contractors will be able to bid on construction phase. PHOTO:Barkley Regional Airport website

Barkley Airport Gets More Funding for Terminal

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Barkley Regional Airport is set to receive another installment of federal funding to help build a new terminal.U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Congressman James Comer announced Friday the airport will receive a full, second installment of $10 million to construct the new terminal.The federal funds, distributed by the Federal Aviation Administrations Airport Improvement Program, build upon the first $10 million installment secured last year as part of a larger award for the airport.McConnell said the terminal improvement will provide Paducah with first-rate air infrastructure.Comer said the funding is critical for transportation and job creation in West Kentucky, and further solidifies Paducah as an important economic driver in middle America.Our community is grateful for the continued support of the FAA as we work to build a much needed, new terminal at Barkley Regional Airport. We appreciate the support of Senator Mitch McConnell and Congressman James Comer in securing this funding, said Sandra Wilson, President of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce. The news that the FAA is going to award Barkley Regional Airport the second installment of their grant of $10 million in one payment is certainly good news as this will keep the project on time and on schedule."
McKendree Church Road Reopened After Accident

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MCCRACKEN COUNTY - A section of McKendree Church Road in McCracken County was blocked for several hours on Thursday when a 70-ton superload traveling along a marked detour ran off the road.The extended-length truck was hauling a large section of a piece of construction equipment when it ran off the road between KY 286 and US 62.Once the site was cleared, KYTC personnel had to repair damage to the shoulder and pavement before the road was reopened. More repair work will continue today.The 140,000-pound load is still parked at KY 286. It will need to be escorted to its eventual destination of the Shawnee steam plant site, and may require some temporary road or lane closures along the route.
Semi Crash Closes US 62 at Childress Road

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A crash in McCracken County closed US 62 Thursday night.The McCracken County Sheriff's Office said an accident involving a semi at around 10:30 p.m. closed US 62 at the Childress Road intersection.
McConnell: Federal Aid Should Help Fight Addiction

By The Associated Press

SAINT CATHARINE, KY - Sen. Mitch McConnell says addiction recovery efforts deserve to rank as a priority when looking for ways to spend massive amounts of pandemic aid coming to Kentucky.McConnell discussed the states opportunity to steer federal pandemic money into recovery programs as he visited an addiction treatment center in Washington County. He said Thursday that the state has a one-time opportunity with the enormous amounts of federal money coming to Kentucky.Decisions on how to allocate Kentuckys share of pandemic aid will be made by the states leaders.Opioid abuse remains a deadly scourge in the Bluegrass State. Fatal drug overdoses in Kentucky were up nearly 50% last year, and a recent state report says isolation caused by the pandemic was a major contributing factor.Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron joined McConnell at Crown Recovery Center in St. Catharine. Cameron said he hopes the state could receive several hundred million dollars in a $26 billion settlement with pharmaceutical companies, and that money would go toward fighting addiction.Last week, McConnell announced $3.3 million in funding for the Fletcher Group from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program. Part of that money may help bring the Re-Life Project's two 100-bed inpatient facilities to Marshall and Calloway County. Former Governor Ernie Fletcher and Marshall/Calloway Circuit Court Judge Jamie Jameson announced the plan in May.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 03:16:57|Editor: huaxia

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A man, holding his little daughter in his arms, is seen at a remote village in Midi District, Hajjah Province, north Yemen on Aug. 14, 2021. In the besieged districts of Hajjah province in northern Yemen, about 11,350 children have not been vaccinated for more than three years against preventable diseases, according to local health authorities. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua)

by Mohammed al-Azaki, Mohammed al-Wafi

HAJJAH, Yemen, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- In the besieged districts of Hajjah province in northern Yemen, about 11,350 children have not been vaccinated for more than three years against preventable diseases, according to local health authorities.

Three-year-old Amani is one of them.

"My daughter is at risk of infection. She has not received polio vaccine or any other type of vaccine since she was born and I'm worried about her health," father Abdullah Fayed told Xinhua in the northern Hayran district.

"No jobs, no food, no medicine and fears hang over us," he added.

Fayed's family was one of those families forced by the war to flee to displacement camps near the Saudi border. When the family returned this year to their village in Hayran, they found their home had already destroyed in the war.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million and pushed the Yemeni people to the brink of famine.

Another Yemeni, Ali Abdo, complained that his daughter Siham has not received any vaccinations since she was born three years ago.

Dr. Tariq Miswak Hibah, director of the health office in Hayran district, told Xinhua that "around 2,450 children younger than one year old and 8,900 children under the age of 5 in the government-held northern districts have not received any type of vaccine, including the polio vaccine, for over three years."

"Many pregnant mothers are also at risk for not receiving health care due to the lack of medicine and vaccination teams," he said.

"I appeal to the international humanitarian organizations working in Yemen to coordinate with the Ministry of Health for urgent delivery of these vaccines to these embattled districts," Hibah stressed.

In addition to Hayran, the government also controls the neighboring Red Sea districts of Midi, Haradh and Abs, which all are located in the northern part of Hajjah province.

According to the health office in Hayran, an average of 300 patients visit health centers on a daily basis in these areas, mostly children and women.

"Polio vaccination is among the most needed for children in these areas, as well as the vaccinations against diphtheria, measles, hepatitis B, whooping cough, and rubella," Dr. Mohammed Al-Fahidi in Hayran health office told Xinhua.

He said that the lack of those vaccinations could lead to serious illness or permanent disability.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Sharabi, in the same health office, said that the main reasons for the spread of diseases in these areas are water pollution and malnutrition.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the polio virus invades the nervous system of children under the age of five and is capable of causing complete paralysis within hours. The virus spreads between children through contaminated water and food and one case out of 200 infections leads to permanent paralysis in the legs.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimated in its June report that a child dies every 10 minutes in Yemen from vaccine-preventable diseases. According to the report, UNICEF and WHO in May vaccinated a total of 3,791,511 children under the age of five in 14 provinces in three days, covering 89 percent of the total vaccination campaign target. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-17 09:07:56|Editor: huaxia

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LIMA, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- 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.

GDP recovery "supports" the Central Reserve Bank of Peru's 10 percent growth forecast for 2021, which would be "the highest rate since 1994," it said.

"The favorable result of economic activity in June was influenced by the relaxation of restrictions and progressive progress in the vaccination process, which have allowed a greater operation of economic activities," the ministry said.

Authorities have seen generalized growth in economic sectors, including a 90.7 percent increase in construction and a 39.3 percent rise in manufacturing, while electricity production was up by 8 percent. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-18 06:19:59|Editor: huaxia

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DOHA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Qatar and Germany on Tuesday called for stepping up necessary efforts to achieve national reconciliation and peaceful power transition in Afghanistan.

The two sides issued the call during a phone talk between Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the emir's office said in a statement.

The Qatari emir stressed the importance of continuing peace talks and efforts to achieve reconciliation and a peaceful power transition in Afghanistan, it said.

During the call, the two leaders exchanged views on the latest developments in the region and the world, especially the drastic change in the situation in Afghanistan, after Taliban retook control of the country following the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Qatar has for years hosted peace negotiations between Taliban and the United States, which led the two sides to reach an agreement in February 2020 on withdrawing foreign troops from Afghanistan.

Since last September, Qatar has also hosted rounds of negotiations between Taliban and the Afghan government, which have not made any significant progress due to the differences between the two parties.

Taliban has a political office in Doha, as Qatar hosts several Taliban leaders, including its political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who left for Kandahar on Tuesday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-19 22:38:44|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits Peking University First Hospital in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 19, 2021. Sun extended festive greetings to medical workers on the occasion of China's Doctors' Day, also known as Medical Workers' Day. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Thursday called for strengthened efforts in COVID-19 containment and medical treatment to better protect people's health and well-being.

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a visit to Peking University First Hospital.

Sun extended festive greetings to medical workers on the occasion of China's Doctors' Day, also known as Medical Workers' Day.

Commending the contributions made by medics in the battle against COVID-19, Sun stressed the importance of unwaveringly implementing containment measures as the pandemic has yet come to an end.

She called on medics to protect themselves, and strengthen their awareness of and capability to guard against hospital-acquired infections.

Both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine must be harnessed, Sun said, and efforts should be made to enhance capacity for treatment and maximize recovery rates while minimizing fatality rates.

She also urged more care for medical workers. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 02:57:16|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2021 shows closed shops in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua

G7 sought close cooperation in personnel evacuation and the resettlement of refugees amid the hasty withdrawal of the U.S.-led military troops in Afghanistan and the Taliban's swift takeover of the Asian country.



LONDON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Group of Seven (G7) on Thursday sought to secure close cooperation in personnel evacuation and the resettlement of refugees as chaos continues at the Kabul airport amid the hasty withdrawal of the U.S.-led military troops in Afghanistan and the Taliban's swift takeover of the Asian country.

The foreign ministers of G7, including Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as the high representative of the European Union, met online Thursday and "spoke about the gravity of the situation and the significant loss of life and internal displacement in Afghanistan over recent days," according to a statement issued by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in his capacity as the chair of the meeting.

"G7 Ministers support the statement of the UN Security Council on 16 August, and affirmed our commitment in particular to the urgent need for the cessation of violence, respect for human rights including for women, children and minorities, inclusive negotiations about the future of Afghanistan," it said.

The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (C, rear) attends a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan over the weekend, scenes of chaotic evacuation at the Kabul airport and desperate Afghans who fell from the sky after clinging to planes taking off shocked the world.

Thousands of the nationals and local support staff of the United States and its allies are still left stranded in Afghanistan, waiting to be evacuated.

The latest development came as the rift between Washington and its European allies seemed to have widened over the Afghan crisis.

Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2021 shows a road in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua)

On Tuesday, French daily Le Monde said "Europeans were trapped in hasty American withdrawal". British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace said last Friday that the U.S. decision to pull its military forces out of Afghanistan was a "mistake".

The G7 will continue efforts to evacuate vulnerable persons from Kabul airport and call on all parties to facilitate that, the ministers concurred during Thursday's meeting, which set the stage for a virtual meeting of G7 leaders on the Afghan situation early next week.

British Home Office has introduced a "bespoke" resettlement plan, promising to take in up to 20,000 Afghans "in the long-term," with some 5,000 being in the first year. The plan was considered far from enough to deal with the Afghan crisis by British lawmakers who met for an emergency parliament session on Wednesday. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 03:32:44|Editor: huaxia

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NOUAKCHOTT, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Forty-seven migrants were found drowned on Aug. 16 off the coast of Nouadhibou, northwest Mauritania, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced in a joint statement.

According to the statement received on Thursday by Xinhua, a boat carrying the migrants left on Aug. 3 from North Africa's Atlantic coast for the Canary Islands and was carrying 54 people, including three children.

"After two days at sea, an engine failure left the passengers stranded without food or water for almost two weeks. When they were spotted by the Mauritanian coast guards on Aug. 16, only seven people were still alive, four of them in critical condition," the statement said.

The tragedy came 10 days after the death of 40 other migrants on the same route, the two agencies added. According to the IOM, in January 2021, more than 350 people died, while more than 8,000 refugees and migrants reached Spain via this sea route.

Since October 2020, more than 1,200 people have been rescued off the Mauritanian coast and received medical assistance as part of a first aid program set up by the IOM.

The IOM and UNHCR are appealing for more support to be able to continue their lifesaving interventions, including screening and medical and psychosocial aid. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 05:14:47|Editor: huaxia

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A trail of smoke is seen in the sky over Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 19, 2021. Israel launched missile strikes at some sites in Damascus and the central province of Homs on Thursday night, Syrian state TV reported. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Israel launched missile strikes at some sites in the Syrian capital of Damascus and the central province of Homs on Thursday night, Syrian state TV reported.

The Syrian air defenses responded to the attacks, intercepting most of the Israeli missiles, reported the TV, citing a military source.

The Syrian authorities were assessing the damages caused by the strikes, it added.

The sounds of explosions were clearly heard in Damascus as the Syrian air defenses were responding to the attack.

A Xinhua reporter in Damascus saw Syrian air defense missiles chasing targets in the sky before loud explosions were heard.

The Israeli attack was the second to hit Syria within two days, after a missile attack targeted military sites in the country's southwestern province of Quneitra on Tuesday.

Israel has repeatedly launched attacks at Syrian military sites under the pretext of targeting the sites where pro-Iran militias are located. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 09:48:11|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writer Gao Wencheng

TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Recent developments in Afghanistan have stirred up concerns in other nations over the spillover effect of the Afghan crisis. Among them, Iran, a neighboring country that already hosts millions of Afghans, must now prepare for a possible surge in refugees.

"As long as the political landscape in Afghanistan is unclear, the flow of refugees from Afghanistan will not subside," Iranian news network Press TV reported, citing Iran's border police.

FURTHER INFLUX

Video on social media show that large groups of Afghans, carrying simple baggage on their backs and holding their children's hands, crossed the Afghanistan-Iran border to seek asylum.

Press TV's camera recorded the story of pregnant Maryam and her family, who had walked for 48 hours before reaching Iran.

In their journey from Afghanistan, they took the wrong path that led them to climb the border wall overnight. Unfortunately, Maryam fell on her stomach on the Iranian side of the border and lost her baby.

According to Press TV, "upon their arrival in Iran, the Afghan family were caught by Iran's border police, who then took them to this temporary camp, filled with hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers who have fled an uncertain future in their country."

The Taliban said Tuesday it intends to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan and does not want to have any internal or external enemies after the group has taken over most parts of Afghanistan and President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country.

In response to recent conflicts in the neighboring country, Hossein Ghassemi, director-general of border affairs at Iran's Interior Ministry, said in an interview with official news agency IRNA that temporary accommodation has been prepared for Afghan refugees in all three Iranian provinces neighboring Afghanistan.

Considering the recent developments in Afghanistan, Iran is expected to encounter an inundation of Afghan refugees, he said, adding that particular attention will be paid to the possible spread of the coronavirus.

According to Iranian media, based on the latest data before the possible new tide of immigrants, more than 3 million Afghans are living in Iran -- some 780,000 Afghan refugees, over 2 million undocumented Afghans, and another 600,000 Afghan passport-holders with Iranian visas.

MULTIPLE CHALLENGES

"Insecurity in Afghanistan would have high negative impact on the internal conditions" of regional countries, international affairs analyst Hassan Hanizadeh told Iran's Arman Melli daily.

"Flood of Afghan migrants to the surrounding countries, especially to Iran in the eastern borders, will leave high economic, security and cultural consequences for Iran," Hanizadeh warned.

In a webinar on Afghanistan's situation held by IRNA, Abdol-Mohammad Taheri, former Iranian charge d'affaires in Afghanistan, termed the U.S. hasty withdrawal from the country as betrayal, and said it had the most negative consequence for Iran, as Iran would face at least 3 million Afghan refugees, possibly including malign forces like the Islamic State and al-Qaida.

Similarly, "Iran has become one of the largest recipient countries of Afghan refugees due to the connected border, close culture, mature social network and other factors," Su Xin, a Chinese expert on Iran, told Xinhua, adding the influx of immigrants will significantly add to pressure on Iran, which has suffered the dual impact of U.S. sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Su, the financial pressure due to the sanctions and pandemic impacts health care, education and subsidies. Furthermore, though Afghans in Iran are mainly engaged in the labor-intensive occupations, Iran's high unemployment rate has led to competition between Afghans and Iranians for economic resources and in the labor market.

Meanwhile, illegal entry and work and the drug trade, Su said, could also pose a threat to social security in Iran. The combination of these factors could lead to an undeniable opposition among Iranian society to the acceptance of refugees.

Assal Rad, a senior research fellow at the National Iranian American Council, tweeted that "while Iran sees an influx of Afghan refugees, Iranians themselves are suffering through the pandemic & economic strangulation."

"The U.S. has a central role in both parts of this disaster, and so it has a distinct responsibility to help instead of compounding the devastation," she added.

CALL FOR HELP

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Aug. 9 that it is "extremely concerned by the rapid escalation of conflict in Afghanistan," adding "many more Afghan civilians may find themselves trapped if they are unable to escape from the highly volatile situation."

In cooperation with Iran's Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants' Affairs, the agency said it has already provided immediate assistance to new arrivals, including food and water. Hygiene packs, including soap and face masks, will also be distributed to help families arriving to stay safe amid the ongoing pandemic.

The UN agency also appealed to the Iranian government to continue its tradition of hospitality and lifesaving protection in hosting Afghans fleeing protracted conflicts and violence for over 40 years, while urging the international community, in face of any major influx, to "step up immediate and sustained support to both Afghanistan and its neighbors, in a spirit of responsibility and burden-sharing."

Likewise, the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday called on the international community to help displaced Afghans and welcomed the establishment of a coordination council to ensure a "peaceful transfer of power."

"We hope the international community and the responsible bodies will pay serious attention to this issue, and especially in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, will hasten to their inherent duties to help these displaced persons without delay," said the ministry's spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh.

Also on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif touched on the issue of displaced Afghans and their flood toward neighboring countries as "one of the most important and vital issues arising from the Afghan developments."

This needs serious attention, especially with regard to the difficult situation the pandemic has created, he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 10:04:22|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday strongly condemned Wednesday's attack in northern Burkina Faso, where dozens of people were killed and several others wounded.

Guterres conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and wished a speedy recovery to the injured in the attack perpetrated by unidentified gunmen on a convoy near the town of Arbinda, said Eri Kaneko, an associate spokesperson for Guterres, in a statement.

The UN chief called on the Burkinabe authorities to spare no effort in identifying and swiftly bringing the perpetrators to justice, Kaneko said.

According to a statement released by the government on Thursday, the death toll from the attack has risen to 80, among whom were 59 civilians, six pro-government militiamen and 15 military police.

The secretary-general is deeply concerned by the spiral of violence orchestrated by extremist groups in the Liptako-Gourma region, Kaneko added.

The secretary-general reiterated the solidarity of the United Nations with the government and people of Burkina Faso and the Sahelian countries in their efforts to counter and prevent terrorism and violent extremism, promote social cohesion and achieve sustainable development, said the spokesperson. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 11:02:09|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 origins tracing is a scientific question that requires the collaboration of scientists around the world and joint efforts and cooperation of governments and people of all countries, Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Feng Tie has said.

Feng made the remarks in an article published Wednesday on the website of The Copenhagen Post after Denmark's TV2 television channel aired a documentary on origins tracing.

"This documentary, full of specious assumptions and vague inferences, is not based on facts but presuppositions and aims to smear China and politicize the origin studying issue by misleading the audience," the Chinese ambassador said in the article.

Attaching great importance to the study into the origins of the virus, China has actively participated in global cooperation with an open and science-based attitude, and has been firmly supporting and coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO), said Feng.

The WHO-China joint report "has been proved to be a valuable and authoritative report that can stand the test of science and history," said the ambassador. "Any attempt to overturn or distort the conclusions of the joint research report is a result of political manipulation and disrespect to science and scientists from different parts of the world."

Meanwhile, the article noted that Peter Ben Embarek, head of the WHO origins-tracing mission to China, said the relevant media distorted his views by publishing his words out of context online.

Embarek "has been always upholding the China-WHO joint mission report on origin study," said the article. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 12:52:27|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- A law on legal aid was adopted by China's top legislature on Friday amid the country's efforts to regulate and promote legal assistance to better safeguard social fairness and justice.

The law was adopted after the third reading at the 30th standing committee session of the 13th National People's Congress, which opened on Tuesday.

The law specifies that law firms, grassroots legal service agencies, lawyers and primary-level legal service workers are all obligated to provide legal aid services in accordance with laws.

Under the circumstances when close relatives of heroic martyrs safeguard the personal rights and interests of heroic martyrs, or when people claim civil rights and interests relevant to their righteous and courageous acts, the applications for legal aid will not be restricted by their financial difficulties, according to the law.

Law firms, lawyers and legal aid volunteers are encouraged to offer legal aid services in areas with insufficient legal resources, according to the law.

The law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2022. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 13:13:54|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has encouraged veteran Party chiefs from border villages of southwest China's Yunnan Province to play an exemplary role in leading villagers in building a beautiful homeland, maintaining ethnic unity, and safeguarding territorial integrity.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks Thursday in his letter replying to 10 veteran Party chiefs from nine border villages of Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 14:58:32|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) concluded its 30th session Friday in Beijing.

At the closing meeting, lawmakers voted to adopt four new laws on personal information protection, supervisors, legal aid, and physicians, as well as a revised Military Service Law.

They also adopted a decision to amend the Population and Family Planning Law and a decision to appoint Huai Jinpeng as the education minister, replacing Chen Baosheng.

President Xi Jinping signed presidential orders to promulgate the laws and decisions.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 15:19:30|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported two new imported cases of COVID-19 on Friday, taking the total tally to 12,049.

The new cases involved patients from Germany and Russia, respectively, according to the CHP. A total of 45 cases have been reported in the past 14 days, including one untraceable local case and an import-related case.

Since the launch of a government inoculation program in late February, around 3.86 million people, or 57.3 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one shot of the vaccine in Hong Kong, while around 3.02 million people have been fully vaccinated. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 16:15:26|Editor: huaxia

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TAIYUAN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Taiyuan Customs on Friday said that the imports and exports of north China's Shanxi Province totalled 133.57 billion yuan (about 20.54 billion U.S. dollars) from January to July this year, up 93.7 percent year on year.

The province's exports increased 106.9 percent to 82.05 billion yuan, and its imports reached 51.52 billion yuan, an increase of 75.8 percent year on year.

Shanxi's three major trade partners during the period were the United States, Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with import and export values respectively totaling 23.46 billion yuan, 15.35 billion yuan and 14.68 billion yuan.

From January to July, Shanxi's imports and exports to countries and regions along the Belt and Road reached 30.57 billion yuan, up 92 percent year on year and accounting for 22.9 percent of the province's total foreign trade.

The province's private enterprises posted rapid growth in imports and exports during the period, with the figure growing 143.9 percent to 39.21 billion yuan.

Customs data shows that exports of traditional products including cellphones, solar cells, and medicinal materials and medicines increased significantly during the period. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 16:25:19|Editor: huaxia

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The China Railway Harbin Group Co., Ltd. began trial operation on Thursday morning of a new railway linking the cities of Mudanjiang and Jiamusi in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Located in the easternmost part of China, the 370-km Mudanjiang-Jiamusi high-speed railway line is expected to be ready for operation by the end of September.

The construction of the railway began in November 2016 and the track-laying work was completed in November 2020. With a design speed of 250 km per hour, there are seven stations along the line.

The operation of the new railway is expected to boost the region's economic and social development.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 17:36:00|Editor: huaxia

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Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming waving their hands after conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese astronauts have completed their extravehicular activities (EVAs) and returned to the space station core module Tianhe, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Friday.

This was the second time that the astronauts conducted EVAs during the construction of the country's space station. The CMSA has declared the EVAs a complete success.

Astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming left the core module in the morning and completed all the scheduled tasks after approximately six hours of EVAs.

They returned to the space station core module at 2:33 p.m. (Beijing Time), about one hour ahead of schedule, according to the CMSA.

Astronaut Tang Hongbo has been staying inside Tianhe in cooperation with Nie and Liu for their EVAs.

The scheduled tasks of the EVAs, including extravehicular extended pump sets installation and panoramic camera lifting, were accomplished with close coordination between space and the ground, as well as between the astronauts inside and outside the spacecraft.

The EVAs further tested the performance and function of the new-generation homemade extravehicular mobility units and the coordination between the astronauts and the mechanical arm, as well as the reliability and safety of related EVA supporting equipment, said the CMSA.

The three astronauts were sent into space onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship and entered Tianhe on June 17. Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo completed the first EVAs on July 4.

The Shenzhou-12 spaceship crew will continue to carry out the scientific and technological space experiments before their planned return in the middle of September.

Before their return, the Shenzhou-12 spaceship will conduct circumnavigation and radial rendezvous tests, the CMSA added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 20:07:50|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to work to ensure the success of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), which will be convened in two parts this year and next year in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks on Friday, saying the two-part schedule had been decided by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and China, the host country.

The first part of the COP15, including an official opening and a high-level segment, will take place both online and offline on Oct. 11-15, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

The second part, to be held in-person in the first half of 2022, will see broad and deepened negotiations towards an ambitious and practical post-2020 global biodiversity framework, said the ministry.

Hua said the COP15, themed "Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth," is expected to set new goals for global biodiversity conservation.

China will continue to push forward preparations for the COP15 in an orderly manner, and will work with all parties to overcome the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure the success of the COP15, she said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 20:29:32|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China has passed a law on protecting the lawful rights and interests of physicians, providing a legal guarantee for the implementation of the Healthy China strategy.

The legislation was adopted at the closing meeting of a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Friday.

The law, consisting of seven chapters and 67 articles, stipulates that Aug. 19 is observed as China's Doctors' Day.

It also makes provisions on the qualification examination and registration, rules of practice, training and assessment, supporting measures, and legal liabilities for physicians.

The law requires strengthening the training of medical professionals in general practice, pediatrics, psychiatry, geriatrics and other disciplines that are in short supply.

It also asks measures to cultivate high-level professionals of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine and general practitioners who are able to provide integrated traditional Chinese and western medical services.

Doctors shall 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 shall support them, reads the law.

It also stipulates that medical and health institutions should improve security measures and take the initiative to resolve medical disputes in a timely manner, thus ensuring the safety of doctors.

The law will take effect on March 1, 2022.

The number of practicing physicians and practicing assistant physicians in China hit nearly 4.1 million in 2020. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 20:42:21|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The increasing penetration of the internet, ownership of smartphones and low cost of data in Somalia has spurred the growth of online commerce in the Horn of African Nation.

Soomar Online, one of the largest e-commerce marketplaces in Somalia is enabling customers to get products they see in global markets at their nearest picking points or even in the comfort of their homes.

According to Soomar Online executive officer, Mohamed Mohamud, the company has established pick-up points in major cities such as Mogadishu and Hargeisa.

But what makes Soomar Online unique is that it has established itself as the source of goods from China whereas other platforms still go for traditional markets known to many Somalia nationals such as Turkey and Gulf States.

"We chose to specialize in Chinese products because of several reasons," Mohamud told Xinhua during a recent interview in Mogadishu.

"We can get all varieties of products and in good quality to the liking of our customers from China. They range from home appliances, mobile phones and accessories among others and the prices are affordable," he added.

Mohamud said it is easy to negotiate and get suppliers from China who can facilitate and connect their clients to shipment agencies, easing one of the challenges of importation in business.

"Perhaps one of the most interesting reasons we choose China is because the suppliers send us high-quality resolution images of the products to enable us to make a good judgment on how the products look," Mohamud said.

Soomar Online has a wide range of products ranging from electronics, shoes, rugs, kitchenware, and beauty products among others.

"We contact the suppliers directly through online platforms such as Alibaba or AliExpress. We also get in touch with factories and agencies," said Mohamud.

Through this, the company is able to compare prices and settle for the best offer.

Some of the clients who spoke to Xinhua expressed confidence in Chinese products.

"I love products from China because you can get every type of product you want. China enables us to get a variety of products," said Mohamed Muse, an avid fan of Chinese products.

Abdifitah Mahdi, a client, said he likes Chinese products because they are good and cheap at the same time.

"I am a regular customer of the Chinese products and now I can order them online. This will make me use the Chinese products with much enthusiasm," said Mahdi.

Despite the boom in online business, challenges abound but Mohamud contended they will be able to overcome them with time.

"Sometimes it takes a long time to receive products in Somalia and the COVID-19 travel restrictions have worsened that situation," he added

Mohamud said that as a result of COVID restrictions, he has not been able to travel to China to meet new suppliers.

He said the lack of defined home and postal addresses in Somalia also makes it difficult to deliver products to clients. Additionally, poor road networks always present challenges in reaching clients either in their homes or localities.

However, with a growing young population that is technology savvy coupled with experiences from those returning back to the country from abroad, e-commerce will no doubt become entrenched in Somalia's cultural psyche. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 20:46:17|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Torrential rains are again expected to sweep across the western regions of China from Saturday and then move eastward, according to the National Meteorological Center on Friday.

On Saturday, torrential rains are expected to lash parts of the Gansu, Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, as well as the Sichuan Basin.

On Aug. 22, the rain belt will move eastward and bring downpours to the provinces of Shandong and Henan.

The center warned that certain areas of Henan will see heavy rainfall and severe convective weather, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds.

Over the coming weekend, rains in the northeastern region will continue, and certain areas of the Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces will see torrential rains.

As heavy rains are set to again hit Henan Province, meteorologists have warned that efforts should be made to guard against setbacks to post-disaster reconstruction work in the province. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 20:48:20|Editor: huaxia

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YINCHUAN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- In ancient times, vast deserts and arduous journeys failed to stop Arab and Chinese merchants from striking deals with one another. Today, China and Arab countries continue to expand economic and trade cooperation while jointly fighting the raging pandemic, setting a positive example of overcoming difficulties together.

Their strengthened strategic coordination and the synergy of their actions are evident at the fifth China-Arab States Expo, which is being held in northwest China and has seen active participation.

More than 1,000 domestic and overseas enterprises have registered as exhibitors for offline and virtual events. A total of 239 companies are displaying their latest products and innovations in offline exhibitions covering an approximate total area of 12,000 square meters.

This year's event is an extension of the exchanges between China and Arab countries, which feature peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, mutual benefits and win-win results.

Despite the impact of the pandemic, the foundation of Chinese-Arab trade and economic cooperation remains solid. China is the largest trading partner of Arab countries. Last year, the total trade volume between China and Arab states neared 240 billion U.S. dollars. Arab states' imports from China hit 122.9 billion U.S. dollars, up 2.1 percent year on year.

The expo has shown both sides' willingness to expand cooperation in extensive areas. The expo's in-person events are themed around healthcare, clean energy, new materials, the digital economy, and cross-border e-commerce, which are key areas in which China and Arab states can bolster exchanges and achieve win-win cooperation.

The two sides, both advocates of multilateralism and a fair and just international order, are also expected to take measures to facilitate bilateral trade and investment, and jointly safeguard free trade and the multilateral trading system.

Joint efforts have also been made by China and Arab countries, bound by the history of the ancient Silk Road, to promote the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The expo witnessed the signing of 13 cooperation projects under the BRI, involving an approximate total of 617 million U.S. dollars. Highly complementary in terms of their economies, China and Arab countries are taking practical actions to fulfill their commitment to building a community with a shared future, and passing down the time-honored spirit of openness and cooperation.

China has so far donated and exported more than 72 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 17 Arab states and the Arab League. Arab states were among the first to cooperate with China on vaccines.

The ongoing expo has seen opportunities for the two sides to strengthen their anti-pandemic cooperation, including their procurement of medical supplies, investment in their medical and health sectors, and their future joint production of vaccines.

The pandemic is fraught with uncertainty, but it is certain that China and Arab states will stand in solidarity to build a Chinese-Arab community with a shared future for the new era. The expo has demonstrated the determination, great resilience and potential of Chinese-Arab cooperation. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 21:28:22|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- A mainland spokesperson on Friday lashed out at Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority for its provocations in seeking "Taiwan independence," saying such attempts will be severely punished.

Ma Xiaoguang, the spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the statement after the DPP authority thanked for the United States for its leaders remarks on the Taiwan question.

The DPP authority has been making separatist attempts and relied on the illusion of external support, which will bring nothing but disaster to Taiwan people, Ma said.

The DPP authority must stop all kinds of separatist activities or face harsh punishment, Ma warned. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 21:41:53|Editor: huaxia

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by Nick Kolyohin

JERUSALEM, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Ministry of Environmental Protection is expanding its use of drones to fight more effectively against environmental offenders.

The cameras on drones make capturing environmental offenses in real-time much easier as the video footage in high resolution of wrongdoings can serve as substantial evidence in court.

Moreover, the ministry's Green Police even has drones with specialized cameras able to record videos at night using infrared or thermal vision.

For each operation, Green Police drone operators adjust the machines for specific conditions. For example, sea missions require drones that can fly in high winds, while in open fields, quiet drones with a long-distance lens can do a better job.

As the main enforcement and deterrence arm of the ministry, the Green Police has the power to conduct investigations, hand out fines and sanctions, and monitor polluters such as vehicles.

Eyal Yaffe, chief of the unmanned aerial vehicle department at Green Police, said that currently "most Green Police cases have drone footage that is very helpful in the court, by making the cases unambiguous."

Green Police inspectors are monitoring and enforcing environmental laws, regulations, and decrees with a focus on illegal dumping, sewage, air quality, hazardous materials, and construction waste.

Several times a month, the environmental ministry sends press releases about catching another illegal dumper. Usually, it is a general contractor that prefers to save money by skipping the cost of a legal landfill.

In one of the recent operations in mid-July, Yaffe and his team worked undercover for about a month next to the farmland where criminals were dumping construction waste illegally.

Yaniv Green, a senior inspector of Green Police, said that criminals were collecting waste from different construction sites during the daytime and then driving to an unauthorized landfill in agricultural lands without permission or any appropriate infrastructure.

Trucks full of construction waste were dumping their loads during nights in complete darkness to avoid any possible surveillance, but what they did not take into account were the drones with night-vision video cameras.

Nir Shorashi, an inspector of Green Police, told Xinhua that "criminals are not aware of our work with drones" because they are invisible and quiet, hence the chance of being noticed is slim.

The drones' cameras capture in high-resolution the faces of environmental criminals and license plates of their vehicles. "Drones can go as far as 500 meters without being detected," said Yaffe.

The environmental criminals that were entering the fenced illegal landfill site next to the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion while driving without lights were documented meticulously from the air.

After gathering all the needed evidence, police forces ambushed the illegal site and arrested the offenders.

"Drones are a game-changer. Previously we needed to sneak inside those kinds of places and risk our lives. Today we can sit kilometers away from the crime scene and produce incriminating evidence just with drones," stressed Shorashi.

"In the past, we needed to hide on the ground or find vantage points on hills and use cameras, night vision, or even binoculars," said Green.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection stated that it was the first ministry in Israel to set up a drone unit, and its name is Squadron 11. "We started with the first footage operation in 2017," noted Yaffe.

In 2020, Squadron 11 dealt with some 700 incidents in all parts of the country, gathering intelligence, overseeing the removal of asbestos roofs, and identifying illegal operations and other environmental hazards in various areas, the ministry stated.

The groundbreaking ability of drones is to fly above dangerous places and provide a crucial real-time picture of what is going on and enable the Green Police to enforce law anywhere and anytime.

"A picture is worth a thousand words, and we say now also, a drone is worth a thousand supervisors," said Yaffe in an interview with Xinhua.

Currently, Green Police has about 10 drones in its possession. "We intend to purchase about 35 additional drones with different equipment including hyperspectral and multispectral cameras to detect, shoot and monitor soil, water, and air pollution," Yaffe noted. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 21:45:18|Editor: huaxia

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Ismail Sabri Yaakob leaves for an audience with Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Aug. 19, 2021. Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has appointed former deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as new prime minister of the country, the national palace said on Friday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)



KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has appointed former deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as new prime minister of the country, the national palace said on Friday.

In a statement, the national palace said Ismail Sabri had received the backing of 114 out of the 220 members of the parliament (MP) in the lower house of parliament, a simple majority to form the government, hence Sultan Abdullah had agreed to appoint him as the prime minister in accordance with the constitution.

Ismail Sabri is scheduled to be sworn in on Saturday, the statement added.

Ismail Sabri's appointment came as Malaysia was mired in political fighting despite a dire situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Malaysia saw a new record high of daily COVID-19 infections for the third consecutive day with 23,564 reported on Friday, bringing the national total to 1,513,024,

"His Majesty expressed his view with the appointment of the Prime Minister, the government must continue its efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic immediately for the benefit and security of the people and the well-being of the country, which is greatly affected by the crisis and the threat caused by the pandemic," the national palace said in a statement.

"His Majesty expressed the hope that with the appointment of the new Prime Minister, the political crisis can be ended immediately and all members of parliament can set aside their political agenda to unite and unanimously work to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the interest of the people and the country," it said.

Ismail Sabri is succeeding Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned on Monday after losing majority support in the lower house of parliament.

Ismail Sabri, 61, is the vice president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and has served in Muhyiddin's cabinet as defense minister before being appointed as deputy prime minister in July.

He has received backing from his own party UMNO and other parties in Muhyiddin's government, which gave him the simple majority in the lower house of parliament.

However, Ismail Sabri might not have much "honeymoon" on his new post as he would face an immediate task to consolidate his power and form a cabinet which is capable of handling the pandemic and the economic hardship.

With an identical political coalition of Muhyiddin's, Ismail Sabri came to power with a slim majority and this poses challenges for him to enjoy a stable government, political analysts said. Muhyiddin was forced to resign after about a dozen of UMNO MPs withdrew their support.

Political observer Azmi Hassan said the new prime minister will face pressure from his coalition partners as well as from his own party, with each competing to secure their interest.

He said the new prime minister needs to ensure that his cabinet appointments are made based on merit, and that he forms a capable cabinet.

"Ismail Sabri needs to demonstrate that he will design his cabinet not according to the party hierarchy but according to capabilities," he said.

Oh Ei Sun, principal advisor for Malaysia's Pacific Research Center, said Ismail Sabri will need to rapidly consolidate his political position to face the COVID-19 situation.

On politics, he is likely to face the same problems as Muhyiddin because he would have a very slim majority and if any of the coalition's components who are not happy with whatever policy or positions, they could throw tantrums just like UMNO did to Muhyiddin, and then his administration would be unstable just like Muhyiddin's, Oh Ei Sun said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 21:46:20|Editor: huaxia

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Cargos containing the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines are seen upon arrival in Manila, the Philippines, Aug. 20, 2021. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte thanked China for supporting the fight against COVID-19 after a batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government arrived in Manila on Friday. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

MANILA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte thanked China for supporting the fight against COVID-19 after a batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government arrived in Manila on Friday.

"My deepest gratitude goes to China for the various COVID-19 assistance extended in the past, including the donation of vital medical supplies and equipment and the provision to the technical support of COVID-19 response," Duterte said in a speech at the virtual ceremony welcoming the vaccines.

"These initiatives are indeed a testament of the goodwill of the Chinese government and the deep, strong relations between the Philippines and China," he added.

Duterte said the additional Sinopharm doses would boost the Philippines' efforts to ramp up its vaccination rollout.

"We are receiving these life-saving vaccines with much gratitude and high hopes as we continue our fight against the COVID-19," Duterte added.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian vowed to continue to help the Philippines fight the COVID-19.

"This difficult time highlights our friendship and partnership between our two nations and two peoples," Huang said, adding that China is "committed to continuing this cooperation with the Philippines and providing more vaccines to help defeat the virus and revitalize the economy."

China was the first to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the Philippines. It donated the first batch of CoronaVac to Manila on Feb. 28, allowing the country to kick off its vaccination drive on March 1. As of Friday, China has been the biggest supplier of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines.

The Philippines now has over 1.8 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 31,198 deaths. On Friday, it recorded 17,231 new COVID-19 infections, the highest ever daily tally since the outbreak began in January last year.

The Philippines has administered over 29 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with nearly 13 million people having been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far. The government aims to vaccinate up to 70 million people this year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 21:59:41|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun urged on Friday the United Nations (UN) to take actions to end the alleged Israeli violations of Lebanon's airspace, a day after an attack by Israeli warplanes on targets in Syria from over the country, a statement by Lebanon's presidency reported.

The Lebanese president made the remarks when meeting at Baabda Palace with the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, saying the incident constitutes a breach of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

Meanwhile, Chief of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Stefano Del Col tweeted that "overflights of Lebanese territory by Israeli fighter aircraft are violations of Lebanon's sovereignty."

The incident came after a period of increased tensions on the border as Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire earlier this month. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 22:06:22|Editor: huaxia

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NANJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's Yuanwang-5 space-tracking ship returned to its homeport on Friday after completing a maritime monitoring mission for the launch of the Zhongxing-2E satellite.

The Zhongxing-2E satellite was sent into space by a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Aug. 6.

The tracking vessel conducted a space-ground information exchange and provided significant data support to ensure the smooth execution of key stages of the launch, including the satellite's orbit determination and entry.

Yuanwang-5 was at sea for 33 days and has sailed more than 10,000 nautical miles for this round of mission.

After docking at the port, crew members will examine the facilities and replenish supplies for the upcoming missions. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 22:18:52|Editor: huaxia

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YINCHUAN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Energy cooperation plays a vital role in China-Arab strategic partnership as both sides face the issue of ensuring energy security and realizing energy transition amid the global background of carbon neutrality, Zhang Jianhua, head of China's National Energy Administration, said Thursday.

Zhang made the remarks at a forum held on the sidelines of the ongoing fifth China-Arab States Expo, which opened Thursday in Yinchuan, the capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

China and the Arab states should deepen cooperation in traditional energy to achieve win-win results and mutual benefits, and join hands to push forward the transition to clean, low-carbon energy including solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear power, Zhang noted.

He added that China welcomes the Arab states to join the Belt and Road Energy Partnership, an energy cooperation platform inaugurated in 2019 under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, to facilitate collaboration in the area.

Arab states are the most important source of crude oil imports for China, and a number of China-invested enterprises have engaged in energy projects in Arab countries including Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, Zhang said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-21 02:37:27|Editor: huaxia

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Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who is leading a central delegation to Tibet, presents a congratulatory plaque, on which Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, wrote inscriptions "building a beautiful and happy Tibet and together fulfilling the great dream of national rejuvenation" to the city of Nagqu, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Wang Yang, leading a division of the central delegation, visited the city of Nagqu on Aug. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

NAGQU, Tibet, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Yang on Friday visited the city of Nagqu in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, on the occasion of the celebration for the 70th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, led a division of a central delegation to conduct the visit.

Wang met with members of local Party leadership groups and representatives from various ethnic groups and from all walks of life.

He presented a congratulatory plaque, on which Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, wrote inscriptions "building a beautiful and happy Tibet and together fulfilling the great dream of national rejuvenation" to the city.

Wang also extended warm greetings, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core, to local people.

Wang recognized the tremendous changes taken place in Nagqu during the past 70 years since the peaceful liberation of Tibet, calling for more efforts to fully implement the CPC proposed guidelines for governing Tibet in the new era.

When visiting an ecological animal husbandry industry demonstration park, Wang commended its efforts to help local people increase incomes.

He also inspected the building of primary-level Party organizations in a local village and paid a visit to a local family.

In a school, Wang learned about educational assistance work to Tibet, while urging improving local education to foster talent.

Giving credit to medical workers involved in medical assistance to Tibet in a hospital of Nagqu, Wang stressed the importance to bring health and well-being to local people.

During the visit, Wang was also briefed on tree planting on plateau and announced the opening of an expressway linking Nagqu and Yangbajain.

Two other divisions of the central delegation -- both led by senior officials -- visited other areas of Tibet on Friday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-21 03:51:56|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, on Aug. 20, 2021 shows a screen displaying U.S. President Joe Biden (C) delivering remarks on Afghanistan at the White House in Washington, D.C. Biden on Friday once again defended his administration's handling of withdrawal from Afghanistan, denying America's allies questioning the country's credibility over the ongoing chaotic evacuation. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday once again defended his administration's handling of withdrawal from Afghanistan, denying America's allies questioning the country's credibility over the ongoing chaotic evacuation.

"This is one of the largest, most difficult air lifts in history, and the only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision is the United States of America," said Biden, who has been widely criticized on the botched pullout, in a televised speech from the White House.

Biden said he has "seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world."

"And all our allies have agreed with that ... every one of them knew and agreed with the decision I made to end - jointly end - our involvement in Afghanistan," said Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan standing behind him.

"Let's put this thing in perspective here. What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point with al Qaeda gone? We went to Afghanistan for the express purpose of getting rid of al Qaeda in Afghanistan as well as getting Osama bin Laden, and we did," Biden said.

Calling the past week "heartbreaking," Biden said the United States has made "significant progress" and evacuated from Afghanistan over 18,000 people since July and 13,000 since Aug. 14.

He pledged to use the full force of the U.S. military to complete the withdrawal and bring Americans and their Afghan allies who assisted the United States in the 20-year conflict to safety.

Nearly 6,000 troops are on the ground, providing runway security, and standing guard around the airport to assist civilian departure, said Biden, acknowledging the evacuation mission is "dangerous."

"We will get you home. Make no mistake, this evacuation mission is dangerous and involves risks to our armed forces. And it's being conducted under difficult circumstances. I cannot promise what the final outcome will be," he said.

This is Biden's second press conference at the White House since the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital of Kabul last weekend.

The world was shocked to see scenes of chaotic evacuation at the Kabul airport.

In his speech on Monday, Biden said Kabul's fall to the Taliban came much sooner than Washington had anticipated.

While saying he bears responsibility for the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, Biden has also cast blame on top Afghan leaders, Afghan forces and his predecessor Donald Trump.

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Biden said he believed the withdrawal could not have been executed without chaos ensuing and he was open to extending the Aug. 31 deadline for a total withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan just two weeks before the United States was planning to complete its withdrawal of troops from the war-torn country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-21 04:24:22|Editor: huaxia

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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. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Calling the past week "heartbreaking," President Joe Biden said the United States has made "significant progress" and evacuated from Afghanistan over 18,000 people since July and 13,000 since Aug. 14. Nearly 6,000 troops are on the ground to assist civilian departure.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday once again defended his administration's handling of withdrawal from Afghanistan, denying America's allies questioning the country's credibility over the ongoing chaotic evacuation.

"This is one of the largest, most difficult air lifts in history, and the only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision is the United States of America," said Biden, who has been widely criticized on the botched pullout, in a televised speech from the White House.

Biden said he has "seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world."

"And all our allies have agreed with that ... every one of them knew and agreed with the decision I made to end - jointly end - our involvement in Afghanistan," said Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan standing behind him.

"Let's put this thing in perspective here. What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point with al Qaeda gone? We went to Afghanistan for the express purpose of getting rid of al Qaeda in Afghanistan as well as getting Osama bin Laden, and we did," Biden said.

Afghan Taliban members are seen at a security checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2021. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Calling the past week "heartbreaking," Biden said the United States has made "significant progress" and evacuated from Afghanistan over 18,000 people since July and 13,000 since Aug. 14.

He pledged to use the full force of the U.S. military to complete the withdrawal and bring Americans and their Afghan allies who assisted the United States in the 20-year conflict to safety.

Nearly 6,000 troops are on the ground, providing runway security, and standing guard around the airport to assist civilian departure, said Biden, acknowledging the evacuation mission is "dangerous."

"We will get you home. Make no mistake, this evacuation mission is dangerous and involves risks to our armed forces. And it's being conducted under difficult circumstances. I cannot promise what the final outcome will be," he said.

This is Biden's second press conference at the White House since the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital of Kabul last weekend.

The world was shocked to see scenes of chaotic evacuation at the Kabul airport.

In his speech on Monday, Biden said Kabul's fall to the Taliban came much sooner than Washington had anticipated.

Taliban fighters are seen in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

While saying he bears responsibility for the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, Biden has also cast blame on top Afghan leaders, Afghan forces and his predecessor Donald Trump.

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Biden said he believed the withdrawal could not have been executed without chaos ensuing and he was open to extending the Aug. 31 deadline for a total withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan just two weeks before the United States was planning to complete its withdrawal of troops from the war-torn country. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-21 05:05:18|Editor: huaxia

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Afghan Taliban members are seen at a security checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2021. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

550,000 people had been forcibly displaced inside Afghanistan this year, there were also 2.9 million internally displaced persons from prior crises, and 2.6 million Afghans who had fled worldwide over the past decades, according to UN officials.



GENEVA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The situation across Afghanistan remained extremely fluid and bolstered support for the humanitarian response inside Afghanistan was urgently needed, said UN officials on Friday.

Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said at a press briefing here that while widespread fighting had decreased since the takeover of the country by the Taliban on Sunday, the full impact of the evolving situation was not yet clear.

The vast majority of Afghans were not able to leave the country through regular channels, Mantoo said, adding that some 200 UNHCR colleagues, both national and international, remained in Afghanistan.

The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (C, rear) attends a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

"UNHCR was working with 18 local non-government partners with some 900 staff throughout the country. At present, they were able to access all provinces and working in two-thirds of all districts," she said.

Mantoo told reporters that 550,000 people had been forcibly displaced inside Afghanistan this year, but there were also 2.9 million internally displaced persons from prior crises, and 2.6 million Afghans who had fled worldwide over the past decades.

Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), said at the press briefing that WHO was also committed to staying in Afghanistan and delivering critical health services.

Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2021 shows a road in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua)

At the start of 2021, he said, half the population of Afghanistan, including more than four million women and nearly ten million children, already needed humanitarian assistance.

"One-third of the population was facing acute food insecurity and more than half of all children under five years of age were malnourished. The current drought was expected to elevate those figures," he said.

According to the WHO spokesperson, most major health facilities in Afghanistan were functional, and health workers had been called to return to, or remain at their posts, including female health staff. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-21 05:07:51|Editor: huaxia

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RAMALLAH, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of Palestinian protesters were injured on Friday in clashes with Israeli soldiers in several West Bank cities and villages, Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses said.

Ahmed Jibril, director of emergency in the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, told Xinhua that dozens of Palestinian protesters were injured.

Eyewitnesses said that clashes broke out near the village of Beita, south of the West Bank city of Nablus, for the 107 consecutive days against the establishment of a settler outpost and seizing part of the village's land.

They said that Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber bullets and teargas canisters at the protesters, who threw stones at the soldiers, waved Palestinian flags and chanted anti-Israel slogans.

The injured have been sent to hospital, where medical teams treated over 90 protesters who suffered suffocation after inhaling tear gas, Jibril added.

Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians, including children, suffered suffocation from tear gas during clashes with the Israeli army in the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya.

Every Friday, the Palestinians demonstrate in different areas in the West Bank against the Israeli settlement building and expansion and usually clash with Israeli soldiers. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-21 05:12:16|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on March 16, 2020 shows the White House Visitor Center in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The U.S. sanctions against Russia came amid the first anniversary of the alleged poisoning of Alexei Navalny.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Friday announced new sanctions against Russian individuals and entities over the alleged poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

The Department of the Treasury said in a statement that it designated nine Russian individuals and two Russian entities "involved in Navalny's poisoning or Russia's chemical weapons program." Many designated are members of Russia's Federal Security Service.

In addition, the Department of State designated two Russian Ministry of Defense scientific laboratories that have engaged in activities to develop Russia's chemical weapons capabilities, according to the statement.

These sanctions came amid the first anniversary of the alleged poisoning of Navalny.

The U.S. intelligence community assessed that Russia's Federal Security Service officers used a nerve agent known as Novichok to poison Navalny on Aug. 20, 2020. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden in March this year announced multiple sanctions and restrictions against Russian individuals and entities over the issue.

Russia repeatedly denied such accusations, saying the Navalny case is a purely domestic affair and foreign intervention is not allowed.

File photo taken on Oct. 8, 2012 shows Nord Stream pipeline equipments before the opening ceremony of the North Stream second gas link in Portovaya bay, in northwestern Russia. (Xinhua)

In a separate move, the Department of State said Friday it had submitted a report to Congress pursuant to the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act of 2019 (PEESA), as amended. The report lists one Russian vessel and two Russian persons involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

"With today's action, the Administration has now sanctioned 7 persons and identified 16 of their vessels as blocked property pursuant to PEESA in connection with Nord Stream 2," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

The 1,230-km gas pipeline, expected to be completed soon, would bring 55 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.

The United States has long claimed that the Nord Stream 2 is a geopolitical maneuver by Moscow that will undermine Ukraine's role in transiting energy to Europe and increase European dependence on Russian gas. Germany and Russia insisted that the project is purely commercial.

Citing the importance of relations with Germany and the difficulty to stop the nearly completed pipeline, the Biden administration in May waived sanctions against a company behind the pipeline project and its German CEO, which led to opposition from bipartisan lawmakers.

The United States and Germany reached a deal in July over the controversial pipeline project. Berlin agreed to support Ukraine to strengthen its energy sector and act against Russia if it weaponizes the energy. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-19 00:52:21|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority said Wednesday that the East African country's export of coffee, tea and spices recorded higher in volume and revenue than the planned target in July 2021.

Having planned to secure 73.38 million U.S. dollars by exporting 22,487.08 tons of coffee, tea and spices in July, Ethiopia earned more than 116.63 million dollars by exporting 31,939.10 tons of the commodities, with upsurge both in export volume and revenue, said the authority in a statement.

Compared to the same month last year, the country's export performance of the commodities has shown a volume increase of 11,889.73 tons and a revenue of 51.22 million dollars.

While the plan was to export 21,339.80 tons of coffee, the country has managed to export 31,145.70 tons of the commodity in the month.

More than 115.46 million U.S. dollars has been earned from coffee export in July, exceeding the planned export of the month, whereby China was one of the top ten buyers. With a share of 20 percent of the revenue, Germany was ranked the first top destination for Ethiopia's coffee export in the month of July.

Germany, the U.S., Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, South Korea, Italy, France and Australia are the top 10 destination countries for Ethiopia's coffee export in July this year.

Ethiopia, which is known as the origin of Arabica coffee, is recognized worldwide for its rich coffee quality and flavor, which ranges from winy to fruity and chocolate, making the country's coffee varieties on demand across the globe.

The East African country has been commissioning strenuous quality measures to enhance its coffee export earnings, according to Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 10:08:48|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Concerns about water shortage in Libya are mounting due to climate change and vandalism of major supply systems, the United Nations Humanitarian Office (UNOCHA) said Thursday.

"Recent heatwaves across Libya, amidst acute power cuts and the rapid spread of COVID-19, as well as continuous damage to the water system and the drying of the Wadi Kaam Dam pose acute threats to people's lives while time is running out to act," the UN body said in a statement.

"We are extremely worried about extreme weather and climate change in Libya at a scale that people and the humanitarian and development communities cannot help manage," said Justin Brady, UNOCHA Head of Office for Libya.

Repeated attacks on the Great Man-Made River, a network of pipes supplying 60 percent of all fresh water used in Libya, are threatening national water security, the statement warned.

Recent years have seen armed groups cut off the network several times to extort political concessions.

The Wadi Kaam Dam, once holding about 33 million cubic meters of water, has dried up due to the ever-warming climate, affecting farms and projects directly dependent on it for irrigation, it added.

Noting that disrupted supplies and drying reservoirs are just a few visible scenarios of the crisis, Brady called on the international community to take action now.

Otherwise, "we are putting millions of lives at immediate risk of losing access to safe water," he warned. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 13:16:58|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Head of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov on Thursday called for global action to stem the expansion of the Islamic State (IS) in Africa.

"A global response is urgently needed to support the efforts of African countries and regional organizations to counter terrorism and address its interplay with conflict, organized crime, governance and development gaps," said Voronkov.

The most alarming development in the counter-terrorism arena over the past six months has been the spread of the IS in Africa, with spillover from Mali into Burkina Faso and Niger, incursions from Nigeria into Niger, Chad and Cameroon, and from Mozambique into Tanzania, he told the Security Council in a briefing.

IS affiliate in the "Greater Sahara" has killed several hundred civilians since the beginning of the year in large-scale attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and the situation in the wider region could be aggravated by the relocation of terrorists and other foreign fighters from Libya, he warned.

The expansion of the IS in Central Africa, and especially in northern Mozambique, could have far-reaching implications for peace and security in the region and needs to be addressed through a coherent, regional approach as a matter of priority as the group's affiliates may seek to exploit inter-communal disputes and illicit trafficking activities, Voronkov said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 18:31:19|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Somali National Army (SNA) said Friday that its forces foiled two attacks by Shabab militants on its two bases in southern Somalia.

The SNA said it foiled the early morning attacks by the militant group on Sabiid and Anole districts, in the Lower Shabelle region.

"These attempts were foiled by our brave troops stationed there," it said in a statement. "In the process, we have killed numerous terrorists and seized equipment."

However, al-Shabab, which has been conducting almost daily attacks on government forces, claimed to have taken control of Sabiid, about 8 km from Afgoye, and seized military vehicles and ammunition.

Somali security forces and African Union peacekeeping troops liberated the strategic town of Sabiid on April 2, 2019.

Shabab militants have intensified their attacks in Somalia despite intensive operations by government forces against the extremists in central and southern regions in recent months. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 22:44:22|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Panamanian-flagged and Japanese-owned ship Ever Given on Friday crossed the Suez Canal for the first time since it blocked the waterway for six days in March, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement.

"The 400-metre, 220,000-ton container ship that was docked at the UK port of Felixstowe, has returned to Port Said on Thursday night," the statement.

"Accompanied by two tug boats and most professional guides, all security measures were taken to ensure the safe crossing of the ship," the SCA said.

The ship ran aground in Egypt's Suez Canal and jammed global shipping traffic for nearly a week until it was refloated on March 29 by a fleet of Egyptian tugboats and diggers.

The ship was seized for more than three months until the SAC and ship owner reached a deal in July allowing the vessel to leave Egyptian waters. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 22:57:44|Editor: huaxia

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An artist paints at a studio during a charitable art symposium in the resort city of New Alamein, Matrouh province, Egypt, on Aug. 17, 2021. At the crystal beaches of Egypt's Mediterranean tourist resort city of New Alamein, a charitable art symposium brought together dozens of painters from different countries to hold discussions, in addition to raising funds for children with special needs. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

by Ahmed Shafiq

NEW ALAMEIN, Egypt, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- At the crystal beaches of Egypt's Mediterranean tourist resort city of New Alamein, a charitable art symposium brought together dozens of painters from different countries to hold discussions, in addition to raising funds for children with special needs.

Dubbed Artmarsana, the week-long event, which kicked off on Tuesday, is organized by Egypt's Omar Saada City in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. It gathers 40 painters from 25 countries, including China.

"The symposium aims to raise awareness of the importance of art in defending the rights and causes of people with special needs, founder of Omar Saada City and head of the symposium, Yasser Ragab, told Xinhua.

When it comes to art, he said, no one pays attention to colors, genders, nationalities, religions, or social status differences, adding that "art is a message of inspiration that feeds every soul."

In addition to live painting by the beach, artists also hold daily discussions and workshops to share their ideas amid a lively atmosphere at the seaside outdoor painting studio.

Furthermore, an exhibition will be held by the end of the symposium where the artists' paintings will be sold and the revenues of their works will go to Omar Saada City, an Egyptian foundation that cares for children with special needs.

"One of the goals behind holding this event is providing funds for children with special needs through selling the works the 40 artists painted during the symposium... our dream is bigger than this event, we plan to turn this symposium into an annual festival for all kinds of arts from different cultures," Ragab revealed.

In addition to the human message, the symposium also helps artists from different schools and backgrounds meet in one place where they can share ideas and work jointly, Ragab said.

The idea of joining the symposium was received warmly by the artists who expressed high willingness to participate.

Doaa Alaa, an Egyptian artist from Cairo, said the symposium is a platform where she can share her ideas about helping people with disabilities through painting.

"Helping people with special needs has been the case that I always wanted to demonstrate in many of my works since I was a college student," Alaa told Xinhua as she cleaned her brushes after a long day of painting by the beach.

She expressed happiness that the idea of helping the "differently-abled" people through art has been tackled, adding that art should always be used to address human cases.

Alaa also said that the symposium is unique because it managed to bring together many painters from different countries and cultures to work together.

"It is the first time to be surrounded by such a big number of artists who have different painting styles... this is very inspiring," she said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 23:04:15|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan King Mohammed VI granted pardon to 371 prisoners on the anniversary of the Revolution for Independence celebrated on Friday.

A statement by the Moroccan Ministry of Justice said the prison terms of 247 inmates were reduced, 12 prisoners were granted freedom, while four were commuted from life imprisonment to fixed prison terms.

The other pardoned prisoners had their prison terms reduced or fines canceled.

The Revolution for Independence, also known as the Revolution of the King and the People, marks the revolution launched by the Moroccan people on Aug. 20, 1953 after French colonial authorities exiled the late king Mohammed V. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-21 02:43:53|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Uganda announced on Friday that starting Sept. 3, all inbound travelers will be subjected to mandatory COVID-19 tests regardless of their vaccination status.

Health Minister Ruth Aceng told reporters that the travelers including children will be required to arrive with the negative result of a PCR test done within 72 hours prior to travel.

The mandatory screening and PCR test will be carried out at the cost of the traveler, according to the ministry.

Aceng said any traveler, national or foreigner, who tests positive for COVID-19 will be evacuated by the ministry to a designated COVID-19 isolation facility.

Children who test positive for COVID-19 will be allowed to undergo home quarantine with their parents or guardians.

The minister also announced that India has been moved from "category one" countries to "category two" effective Aug. 20. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 10:51:14|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand is providing 3 million NZ dollars (2.05 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian assistance to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations refugee agency in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Friday.

These organizations are providing life-saving humanitarian support for crisis affected communities in Afghanistan, and those seeking refuge in neighboring countries, Mahuta said in a statement.

"The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is dire, with millions in need of assistance and hundreds of thousands displaced by the recent conflict, 80 percent of whom are reported to be women and girls," said Mahuta.

In Afghanistan the ICRC is currently focusing on protection of civilians and provision of essential services including emergency health care, water and sanitation, she said, adding the United Nations refugee agency is providing a range of protection and assistance support to internally displaced Afghans. It is also supporting Afghan refugees in neighboring countries.

New Zealand calls on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect aid workers and civilians from harm, and support the right to freedom of movement, Mahuta said.

The minister also calls on those in positions of power to ensure the rights and freedoms of women and girls are protected as this humanitarian crisis deteriorates. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 11:26:21|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand reported 11 new Delta cases of COVID-19 in the community on Friday, bringing the total number of cases associated with the current Auckland community outbreak to 31.

All cases have or are being transferred safely to a managed isolation facility under strict infection prevention and control procedures, including the use of full PPE, according to the Ministry of Health.

Of the 11 new cases, eight are in Auckland and three in Wellington, the first time this community outbreak seen out of Auckland. The three in Wellington had recently travelled to Auckland and visited a location of interest there, said a ministry statement.

Among the 31 total cases, 19 cases are now confirmed as part of the Auckland outbreak, with the remaining 12 under investigation to confirm the linkage to the outbreak. Initial assessment shows most cases have a plausible link, it said.

The Auckland cluster is linked to the Sydney outbreak in Australia - a returnee from Sydney who arrived in Auckland on a flight on Aug. 7 tested positive of Delta COVID-19.

Five of the newly reported cases on Friday are from family bubbles of previously confirmed cases, according to the ministry.

COVID-19 was also detected in wastewater samples collected on Wednesday from the Waitakere area in Auckland, it said, adding testing is in progress for a number of samples.

More higher risk locations have been identified by public health staff as they are currently engaged in contact tracing work, it said.

New Zealand has moved to the top level 4 national lockdown from midnight Tuesday after the first identified Delta COVID-19 case in the Auckland community.

The alert level is being reviewed and a decision will be announced later Friday on whether to extend the current lockdown.

Under the Alert Level 4 lockdown, businesses and schools are closed except for essential ones such as supermarkets, pharmacies and service stations. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 13:44:46|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia on Friday confirmed 1,841 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, pushing the national tally to 190,248, according to the country's health ministry.

The death toll from the viral disease nationwide rose by one to 892, according to the ministry.

More than 2,038,500 Mongolians have been fully vaccinated against the virus since the Asian country launched a national vaccination campaign in late February to inoculate at least 60 percent of its total population of 3.3 million, according to the ministry. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 13:58:45|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has encouraged Aussies to persevere through lockdowns as the country continues to battle a third wave of COVID-19 infections and the vaccine rollout accelerates.

Australia recorded 711 new locally-acquired cases of COVID-19 on Friday morning, a second day in a row to report more than 700 new cases.

Addressing the media in Canberra at Parliament House, Morrison issued a reminder to state and territory leaders that restrictions should be eased when 70 percent of the population is vaccinated under the four-stage plan out of the pandemic.

As of Friday approximately 28 percent of Australian adults were fully vaccinated but Morrison said the rollout was ramping up with more than 300,000 jabs administered on two consecutive days for the first time.

"That is really hitting the marks that we need to hit for us to achieve the objectives of our national plan," he said.

"We've said you've, you've persevering the lockdowns. You're taking the instructions. You're making the sacrifices...And the national plan is a deal with Australians, which says when we achieve those marks of 70 percent and 80 percent, there'll be changes. And I'm committed to that plan."

About half the Australian population in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was still in lockdown on Friday.

A vast majority of Friday's new cases were in NSW, Australia's most populous state, with Sydney as the capital city, and 55 in Victoria, where Melbourne is the capital city of the state.

The NSW, the epicenter of the country's current COVID outbreak, announced on Friday to extend the lockdown on Greater Sydney until the end of September and to impose a curfew on some areas of concern.

Twelve of the new cases were in the ACT, taking the total number of cases linked to an outbreak in Canberra to 94 as the nation's capital enters its second week of lockdown.

"It's gone from one case to nearly 100 in a week," ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said on Friday.

"If there was no lockdown and we just let it rip, it wouldn't be 100 cases, it would be possibly in the low thousands and we would have a serious problem, a Sydney-scale problem."

The Northern Territory (NT) on Friday recorded zero new cases for the consecutive days and lifted its lockdown. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 19:16:55|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh will reopen the iconic monument of love, Taj Mahal, for night viewing, officials said Friday.

"Night viewing of the Taj Mahal will now be available for tourists from tomorrow," an official in charge of the monument said.

As per the directive, the night viewing will be available on three days and in three-time slots.

"It will remain open on 21st, 23rd and 24th of August. Also due to COVID-19 lockdown, only three slots will be available, i.e. 8:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., 9.00 p.m - 9:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. (local time)," reads a statement issued by the officials.

Officials said in every slot, 50 tourists would be allowed as per guidelines of the country's Supreme Court. Tickets for the night viewing can be booked a day in advance.

According to Indian officials, the decision is part of COVID-19 relaxation and a step towards the revival of the tourism sector in the state.

Night viewing of the marble monument was suspended on March 17, 2020 during the first COVID-19 lockdown. The Taj Mahal is one of the world's leading tourist attractions.

It was first closed on March 17 last year during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic, and then it was reopened on Sept. 21, 2020 with several restrictions.

This year the monument was closed again on April 16 because of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. Later on, authorities reopened it after two months of closure on June 16.

According to India's cultural ministry, tens of thousands of tourists used to visit the Taj Mahal every day.

Previously the Taj Mahal was closed during wars. However, officials said the closure had not been so long.

Reports said prior to COVID-19, the Taj Mahal attracted 7 million visitors every year with a large number of foreign tourists.

Earnings generated from the tourist destination contribute massively to the revenue of the Uttar Pradesh government. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 21:29:45|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian National Police said on Friday its counterterrorism squad, known as Densus 88, has arrested 53 suspected terrorists who have plotted to commit terrorist acts during the country's independence day in 11 provinces.

Of the 53 suspected terrorists, 50 belong to the outlawed Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group and the other three are from the banned Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), the police's spokesman Inspector General Argo Yuwono said.

"They have planned to use Aug. 17 moment, Independence Day (to terrorize)," Yuwono said, adding that the arrests were made from Aug. 12 to 17.

Eight suspected terrorists were held in North Sumatra, three in Jambi, one each in West Kalimantan and Maluku, three each in East Kalimantan and South Sulawesi provinces.

Meanwhile, six suspects were apprehended in Banten, four in West Java, 11 in Central Java, six in East Java, and seven in Lampung provinces. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 23:11:26|Editor: huaxia

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YANGON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's State Administration Council has further extended the public holiday period to the end of August to curb the spread of COVID-19, according to the council's order on Friday.

The council has set a public holiday period since July 17.

According to the council's order, the Central Bank of Myanmar and its subordinate government banks and private banks will be exempted from public holidays.

During this period, all basic education schools will be closed.

Myanmar reported 3,009 new COVID-19 infections with 151 more deaths in the past 24 hours, said the Ministry of Health's release on Friday.

As of Friday, the number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 368,768 in the country while the death toll was recorded at 14,096, the ministry's release said.

Myanmar detected the first COVID-19 cases on March 23 last year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-21 01:07:19|Editor: huaxia

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TASHKENT, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan has been cooperating with a number of countries to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan, and over the past few days 1,982 people have been evacuated through Uzbekistan, Uzbek Foreign Ministry said Friday.

"Currently, joint efforts are being made with such states as Germany, Russia, USA, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Kazakhstan with the provision of services for the use of airport infrastructure, permits for flying through the airspace, takeoff and landing, provision of the necessary technical and logistic assistance," it said.

The ministry said coordinated efforts were ensured together with foreign partners on orderly evacuation from Afghanistan and their transit through Uzbek territory, both citizens of foreign states and citizens of Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan has also sent back to Afghanistan 150 Afghan citizens who illegally crossed the Uzbek border seeking safety in a Uzbek border town after receiving security guarantees from the Taliban side.

"As a result of agreements reached with representatives of the Taliban leadership to prevent any measures of violence, persecution against this category of persons, 150 Afghan citizens were returned to their homeland of their own free will," the ministry said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 11:14:56|Editor: huaxia

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ROME, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Responses to the COVID-19 Delta variant have varied in strictness from country to country in the European Union (EU), sparking an economic boom in border towns with more relaxed policies, while likely to quicken the spread of the virus.

Health restrictions are strong and strictly enforced in France and Germany, but are relatively limited in countries including Spain, Belgium, and Italy, which may attract customers.

In Saint-Jans-Cappel, France, where proof of vaccination is required in restaurants and bars, and on long-distance trains and flights, restaurants are nearly empty, while across the border in Heuvelland, Belgium, where health rules remain relatively relaxed, eateries are bustling, with many customers from France.

"Since the health rules went into effect (on) Aug. 9, we have very few customers," said Duyck Benedicte, a Saint-Jans-Cappel restauranteur. "They prefer to eat in Belgium and be peaceful, without presenting a health pass."

"We have seen the flow of customers in our restaurants increase by about a third" since the health restrictions started, said Zheng Guodong, owner of a Chinese restaurant in Mouscron, a Belgian city adjacent to the country's border with France.

"Things are better," said Antonio Ricci, manager of a restaurant outside San Remo, an Italian city on the Mediterranean coast that France and Italy share. "Let's just say I have started printing a lot more French-language menus than I did in the past."

The restrictions in France sparked rounds of protests involving more than 200,000 people.

Germany, which has seen infection rates climb from mid-July, was prompted to require anyone except children under the age of 12 entering the country without proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to provide a negative test result from Aug. 1.

The imbalance has aroused worries that the 26-year-old terms of the Schengen Agreement that abolished most internal EU border checks as a way to encourage the free movement of labor and capital -- one of the central principles of the EU -- could be counter-productive in containing the virus.

The cross-border movement in the EU is "less than ideal" considering the 27-nation bloc's efforts to curb the spread of the virus, said Fabrizio Pregliasco, director of Milan's Galeazzi Institute of Hospitalization and Scientific Care, calling it an "inevitable question of practicality" that health officials have to deal with.

"Until there is a uniform health policy across the EU we are going to see these kinds of discrepancies, and open borders mean people will take advantage of them," Pregliasco told Xinhua.

"This kind of situation could be a factor in the spread of the virus, and local health officials in border areas will have to take the steps necessary to address problems that arise," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 18:24:29|Editor: huaxia

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Omer Habib, a 40-year-old Algerian refugee who came to Istanbul six years ago with his wife and child, talks to reporters at his shop in Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 18, 2021. Turkey is home to over 4 million refugees, including 3.6 million Syrians, according to official figures. However, experts believe the number is much higher when considering undocumented migrants. (Photo by Serkan/Xinhua)

by Zeynep Cermen

ISTANBUL, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- It was an ordinary day in one of the central commercial districts of Istanbul filled with numerous shops of all kinds, with a stream of people lingering and shopping.

Several customers were lining up in front of a small shop for Syrian desserts, while a couple was waiting for a barista to grind some coffee beans at a nearby kiosk.

A majority of the shops in this market zone of the Fatih district on the European part of Istanbul belong to refugees, mostly Syrians, who flocked to the city with the dream of living better.

Mahir, 57, is one of them. He arrived in Istanbul in 2015 with his family of four, fleeing from the civil war in Syria.

"For a person in my age, it was difficult to leave the entire history behind. I left my country with too many memories. Sometimes I feel sad," Mahir, who wanted to be identified by his first name, spoke of his sentiments about his past to Xinhua.

After arriving in the city, he opened a shop for mobile phone accessories with all his savings.

The family does not plan to return to their hometown, satisfied with their life in Istanbul. "People here in Fatih do not make us feel like strangers or refugees. We are like brothers here," Mahir noted.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu announced Tuesday that the population of Turkey's largest city has reached 20 million with a growing number of refugees.

"Istanbul's population, which was 10 million in 1999, has reached 20 million today," Imamoglu said. "Istanbul has never been exposed to such uncontrolled growth in its history."

In 2020, official figures put the city's population at 15.46 million.

Turkey is home to over 4 million refugees, including 3.6 million Syrians, according to official figures. However, experts believe the number is much higher when considering undocumented migrants.

The vast majority of these migrants, including Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians, and many from countries in Africa, are in Istanbul, Turkey's financial and cultural hub.

Imamoglu stated that refugees constituted 20 percent of the population, with the potential to change the city's demographic features.

"We must work on how to rehabilitate these people, how to provide humane living conditions, how to protect children and women," the mayor noted, calling on all parties to discuss the matter urgently.

Didem Isci, a researcher at Ankara's Social Sciences University, said the huge ratio could indeed lead to a significant demographic change in the city, which has received a considerable amount of migrants beyond its capacity.

"Istanbul residents at certain socioeconomic levels are more confronted with the refugee problem than any other Turkish people," Isci told Xinhua, referring to the impact on local incomes.

Labor prices are declining, as migrants provide cheap labor and thus intensify competition with Turkish workers, while rents are rising due to increased demand, Isci explained.

"The high number of refugees also leads to a ghettoization," Isci said. "The quality and the content of the service provided by local municipalities change, from childcare assistance to landscaping, everything is affected."

Omer Habib, a 40-year-old Algerian refugee, came to Istanbul six years ago with his wife and child. The couple have two children now.

"When I first visited Istanbul in 2003, I liked it very much. People were very kind, living a beautiful life, going to work and having a good time at home with their families," he told Xinhua at a bee products shop where he works.

"But there is a huge difference between then and now. It is very crowded now, and problems arise among communities with different nationalities," Habib said.

In Isci's view, the refugee issue in the country should not turn into violence against immigrants.

"Authorities should focus on preventing the use of violence against them, which is unacceptable under all circumstances," said Isci, who cautioned against the growing anti-refugee sentiment among Turkish people. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 18:41:23|Editor: huaxia

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SARAJEVO, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Film fans are thrilled by this year's live Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF), but opinions on the festival's preventive measures against COVID-19 diverge, with some expressing worries of a possible infection outbreak.

During last year's lockdown amid the pandemic, the SFF went online. This year's live edition will, however, continue to offer movies online to a global audience.

Mirza Mehanovic, a 45-year-old communication engineer in Sarajevo, describes himself as a "die-hard film fan."

"I have been following the SFF since its very beginning, and I'm probably their biggest fan," said Mehanovic, noting he used to report on the SFF in the late 1990s as he worked for different TV channels.

"I fell in love with this SFF fever. The whole city comes alive. It's unlike any other event in the region and every business in town thrives. Everyone makes money," said Mehanovic.

"It's a great thing to meet old friends during the SFF and also to get to know some new people."

Noting he and his wife had COVID-19 last year, with himself having excessive sweating and his wife suffering from occasional migraine-like headaches, Mehanovic said, "I am not taking COVID-19 lightly at all."

Bosnian nationals usually spend their summer holidays along the Adriatic coast, he said. "I think that could be more dangerous than the SFF. Having a live SFF this year was well worth a risk, especially with all preventive measures in place."

Every SFF guest should be fully immunized, be fully recovered from COVID-19, or test negative for the virus.

"It may be a risk to some degree but, after all, what is life without culture, and without socializing, and without a bit of risk?" Mehanovic said.

Dario Sakotic, a 48-year-old Bosnian national who has been living in the Netherlands for years, said he recently visited Sarajevo but had to leave shortly before the SFF started.

"Luckily they still have their online platform, so I managed to see a few films online," he said.

Sakotic said he is not sure if this year's live SFF is a good idea as it may cause a rise in new cases.

Sakotic said a friend living in Sarajevo told him that the bars and streets surrounding SFF headquarters were packed with people without masks.

"I am not sure, however, that the SFF could be held responsible for that," said Sakotic.

Leila Kurbegovic, editor-in-chief of the culture program at the Sarajevo Canton Television, said this year was the first time in many years that she did not have to report on the SFF, so she could enjoy the festival in full.

"I am impressed by the preventive measures taken by the SFF management," she said, noting that she liked the extra room allowing her to stretch her legs as the chairs in the SFF's open air cinema were widely spaced.

"I also liked the fact they kept their last year's online platform and I could also watch movies in my pajamas," she added.

Kurbegovic said she bought all her tickets online and all journalists could also get their accreditations online, just like last year.

"I wear a mask and keep my distance. At no point I felt that I was at risk, as there were no lines at the entrance, and no crowded cinemas," she said.

Still, she feels life must go on despite the pandemic.

"We are potentially exposed to the virus as we go to work, visit doctors, buy groceries or gas," she said.

The 27th SFF, which kicked off on Aug. 13, will close on Friday night with the world premiere of impressionist film TOMA by Serbian director Dragan Bjelogrlic.

Founded in 1995 during the Bosnian War, the SFF has grown into a major cultural event in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Southeast Europe. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 23:00:39|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- A senior Metropolitan police officer in London hit out Friday at a planned two-week campaign in the British capital by climate campaign group Extinction Rebellion.

"They (Extinction Rebellion) do not have the right to cause serious disruption to London's communities and prevent them going about their lawful business ... Extinction Rebellion's intention is to once again cause significant disruption to London and to London's communities through acts of civil disobedience," said Matt Twis, deputy assistant commissioner at the Met.

"Officers from the Met are developing a comprehensive policing plan alongside the City of London Police. Due to the time frame of Extinction Rebellion's activity, and experience of policing the previous occupations, the scale and complexity of resources needed to respond will stretch across all areas of the Met," said a spokesperson for the Met.

According to the group, the demonstrations will start Monday in London's Trafalgar Square, moving to the City of London area in week two.

The theme of the rebellion in Trafalgar square is Crisis Talks, as campaigners accused the British government of refusing to hold its own emergency talks with the British public. Campaigners also plan to make demands for a halt to all fossil fuel investment.

Extinction Rebellion cofounder Clare Farrell described the upcoming COP26 climate conference as "not fit for purpose".

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, will be held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, in November. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-20 12:30:58|Editor: huaxia

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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Los Angeles crossed a grim milestone of losing more than 25,000 residents to COVID-19 with a daily count of 35 fatalities, local health authorities said Thursday.

The most populous county in the United States, home to over 10 million residents, also reported 3,239 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the overall tally since the start of the pandemic to 1,362,848 positive cases with 25,002 related deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Health officials said in a daily release that there are 1,790 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized in the county in western U.S. state of California and 23 percent of them are in the intensive care units.

The county's 7-day cumulative case rate is now 204.2 new cases per 100,000 residents, which represents a 5 percent increase from last week. Between July 11 and Aug. 11, hospitalizations rose by 333 percent to an average of 1,622 beds filled with people testing positive for COVID-19 on any given day, and deaths rose 275 percent to an average of 15 deaths per day, said the department.

County health officials noted they are monitoring school cases in outbreaks among staff and students as many school districts countywide are reopening this week.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced last week that the most populous U.S. state would implement first-in-the-nation measure to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated as schools return from summer break amid COVID-19 Delta variant spread.

"It is with much sorrow that we mark this devastating milestone of 25,000 deaths in our County. This virus continues to cause debilitating and dangerous illness among many who are infected," Barbara Ferrer, the county's director of public health, said in the release.

"Losses we suffer now are particularly sad because almost all of them are preventable with extremely safe and widely available vaccine," she added, urging people to act with a sense of urgency to reduce community transmission as quickly as possible.

Official data showed that around 63 percent of nearly 10.3 million Los Angeles County residents have received at least one dose, and 55 percent have been fully vaccinated. Enditem
I t was on this day, August 15 th , in 1971, that I first landed in Italy. It was a 20 th birthday gift, with a little help from my friends...
Titular de la PCM, @GuidoPuka, y un equipo del @MEF_Peru liderado por el titular del sector @pedrofrancke, sostuvieron una reunion para evaluar detalles del presupuesto para el ano 2022, en la que manifestaron su intencion de asignar recursos a los sectores que mas lo necesitan. pic.twitter.com/fNwUS14E3Y
In statements to the press, he said the presentation will address concrete proposals on challenges concerning education, health, employment, agriculture, and economic reactivation, which is quite important for the Executive Branch.

According to the Cabinet chief, granting the vote of confidence depends on the willingness and discretion of legislators, but he also believes that legitimacy cannot only be provided by Congress, but also by the population.

"Within this framework, there are social and political organizations at the national level that in the free exercise of their right to express themselves support the Government and the Ministerial Cabinet that I represent," he stated.

Vaccines





In addition, the Prime Minister denied that the supply of vaccines had been stopped, noting that a Vaccinathon will be held this week, whose goal is to vaccinate half a million citizens.





"No. (There is no delay). Absolutely not. On Wednesday, the minister of health made it clear that the vaccination process is not affected at all. There is a schedule that is going to be restored," he said.




El #GobiernoDelBicentenario hoy hace historia con el inicio de obras del proyecto de agua potable y alcantarillado Nueva Rinconada. Mi compromiso es con los beneficiarios de San Juan de Miraflores, Villa Maria del Triunfo y Villa El Salvador, y con los mas necesitados del pais. pic.twitter.com/ZYOHRVY0qJ
"With our visit to La Atarjea, we verify the water production and distribution endeavor to make this resource available to more Peruvians," the top official pointed out.

Mr. Castillo considered that it is essential that Sedapal's continuous works ensure water supply in Lima.

"The Government will promote the care and conservation of this resource so that more Peruvians can have access to sanitation services," he emphasized.

During this visit on Thursday, the President was accompanied by Environment Minister Ruben Ramirez, as well as by Housing, Construction, and Sanitation Minister Geiner Alvarado.

In said activity, Mr. Castillo affirmed that he is reviewing names to appoint the new minister of foreign affairs, and noted that no one has been ruled out for the post.

El presidente @PedroCastilloTe , junto con los titulares de @viviendaperu y @MinamPeru , asi como del presidente de @SedapalOficial , realizo una visita de inspeccion a la planta de tratamiento de agua potable La Atarjea. pic.twitter.com/FvN5CP3N5u

Presidente @PedroCastilloTe: Es indispensable que los continuos trabajos de @SedapalOficial aseguren el suministro de agua en Lima. Desde el Gobierno impulsaremos el cuidado y conservacion de este recurso, para que mas peruanos cuenten con servicios de saneamiento. pic.twitter.com/jQnp5lUib9
Presidente @PedroCastilloTe: Es honroso estar en el Hospital Loayza donde se salva la vida de los peruanos. Vamos a romper con el monopolio del oxigeno, que sera un derecho del pueblo. No se puede seguir traficando con la salud. pic.twitter.com/bE584QMv1j
Ahora | El jefe de Estado, @PedroCastilloTe, preside la 131 sesion del Foro del Acuerdo Nacional, donde se presentaran los lineamientos "Consensos por el Peru".

?? En vivo: https://t.co/dJIna2EqZF
While inaugurating the "Respira Loayza" (Breathe Loayza) medical oxygen plant at Lima-based Arzobispo Loayza National Hospital, the Head of State affirmed that his administration will work without distraction to save lives and preserve all citizens' health.

Desde hoy el emblematico Hospital Loayza cuenta con su central de oxigeno, para una atencion oportuna a sus pacientes. El trabajo coordinado entre varios sectores es vital para afrontar unidos la tercera ola. Con voluntad politica y el compromiso de todos, #ElPeruSeraGrande. pic.twitter.com/3YC8erPHmj
YEREVAN, 20 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 20 August, USD exchange rate down by 0.58 drams to 490.11 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.71 drams to 572.15 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.04 drams to 6.58 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 4.42 drams to 667.33 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 55.31 drams to 28080.48 drams. Silver price down by 5.64 drams to 367.78 drams. Platinum price down by 491.41 drams to 15316.19 drams.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 20, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a message to Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II on birthday.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the President's Office, the message runs as follows,

''Your Holiness,

On the eve of your birthday, I convey to you my warmest wishes of health and prosperity.

The Armenian Apostolic Church has been and remains one of the most important pillars of our national identity, the axis that unites us, the one that ensures the continuous presence of our faith, history and traditions in our values and inner world.

During the 22 years of your patriarchy, our church life has been living a more active life, with the appreciation of the past, the present activity, the vision of the future. The past 22 years have been years of strengthening, reform and church building for the Armenian Church. During that time, measures were taken to make the mission of the Armenian Church more effective and to regulate the church life.

As the Catholicos of All Armenians, especially these last years of your enthronement coincide with a period when our country and people are going through many difficulties and challenges.

There is only one way to overcome any difficult situation - unity. In today's rapidly changing world, humanity is experiencing, among other crises, an identity crisis. Existing challenges and problems make it more than important to unite around the spiritual and moral values that are enduring due to our church.

Our people need hope, faith and trust, they need moral purity, solidarity and unity, mutual respect and tolerance, they need rebirth and redemption. It is appreciated that, along with words of consolation, encouragement and support, as a unique lesson of patriotism, this is also voiced by His Holiness.

Let your patriarchal care continue being a support for our country and people for the benefit of our Homeland and world-spread Armenians, the strengthening of the people-state-church relations between

I wish you spiritual strength and all the best. 
An alleged organiser of a proposed anti-lockdown protest in central Sydney this weekend has been sentenced to at least three months' jail for failing to comply with NSW public health orders.

Police, meanwhile, will station some 1400 officers around the CBD on Saturday to ensure the protest doesn't occur.

Queensland-based Victorian Anthony Khallouf, 29, pleaded guilty on Friday to breaching public health orders by driving to Sydney last weekend.

NSW Police Force says Khallouf was staying at a North Sydney hotel but was located on Thursday afternoon at Hornsby train station.

Khallouf, an online anti-lockdown activist, told officers he was lost and couldn't give a reasonable excuse for travelling to Hornsby.

He was arrested and charged with failing to comply with public health orders, encouraging the commission of crimes and making false representations prompting police involvement.

Khallouf appeared at Hornsby Local Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to all offences.

He was sentenced by magistrate Robyn Denes to a non-parole period of three months' imprisonment, with an aggregate term of eight months.

NSW police and the government, meanwhile, urged all state residents to not attend any planned protests amid COVID-19 lockdown.

An anti-lockdown protest in Sydney last month attracted some 3500 people and prompted multiple arrests.

"Do not engage in any illegal activity, full stop - we still do not (know) the impact of that initial protest," Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

"When people are diagnosed, you ask them what they've done, I doubt they'll tell us they were at an illegal protest. Let's not underestimate the impact of those massive events on spread."

Police Minister David Elliott said the lockdown marked "the toughest days the people of NSW have faced in nearly a century" but protests would be met with "full force".

"(Police) will not hold back," Mr Elliott told reporters.

Story continues

Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the 1400 officers stationed around Sydney on Saturday would include the riot squad, mounted police unit, dog squad and highway patrol.

People would be stopped to confirm their reasons for travelling into the Sydney CBD were essential.

Splinter protests in regional NSW would also be monitored.

"This isn't about stopping free speech - this is about stopping the spread of the virus," Mr Lanyon told reporters.

Mr Elliott encouraged people to express their freedom of speech online or through the media, rather than in person.
Pakistan to expect new US chasm as Taliban win Afghan demonstrators in Brussels burn a flag of Pakistan as they protest the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

After the September 11 attacks, the United States gave Pakistan a harsh ultimatum to break with the Taliban. Pakistan offered help but insisted -- it will not be abandoned again, as in the 1990s after Washington lost interest in Afghanistan.

Twenty years later, the Taliban has retaken Afghanistan from a US-backed government -- and it looks likely that Pakistan will be abandoned again.

"Pakistan is too important to be permanently ignored by the US but this time Americans will take longer to determine the depth of their relationship with Pakistan," said Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former ambassador to Washington.

The two-decade US war in Afghanistan has been accompanied by a turbulent relationship between the United States and Pakistan, whose then military ruler Pervez Musharraf vowed "unstinting support" after September 11.

Hoping to woo a skeptical Pakistani public, then senator John Kerry in 2009 spearheaded a civilian aid package that devoted $1.5 billion a year.

But US suspicions that Pakistan's powerful military and intelligence were playing a double-game came into stark relief when Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted man, was found and killed by US commandos inside Pakistan in 2011.

The United States finally cut military aid in 2018 under president Donald Trump.

Haqqani, now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said Pakistan sought credit for bringing the Taliban to the table with the Afghan government as part of the US withdrawal.

But in Washington, "what everyone remembers is what Americans see as Pakistan's role in allowing the Taliban to survive the blow the Americans inflicted on the Taliban after 9/11," Haqqani said.

While many Pakistanis feel "scapegoated," Haqqani said Pakistan's case was not helped by the "triumphalism" of Pakistanis including Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Khan said the Taliban have "broken the chains of slavery" while his climate minister in a since-deleted tweet hailed the Taliban's sweep as a "gift" to historic rival India.

Story continues

- India lens -

Pakistan, a Cold War ally of the United States, worked with Washington in the 1980s to back Islamic guerrillas who fought out Soviet troops.

Afghanistan stayed mired in war as US interest waned and Pakistan openly backed the Taliban, who imposed a draconian version of Islam under their 1996-2001 regime.

Pakistan has long seen Afghanistan through the lens of India, which remembers how the Taliban welcomed virulently anti-Indian militants and has pumped in $3 billion in aid since 2001.

Madiha Afzal, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the Pakistani establishment nonetheless did not likely want a complete Taliban win.

"This sort of total military victory of the Taliban puts Pakistan in a position where it's probably less able to control the Taliban because the Taliban feels it's victorious," she said.

Islamabad privately also fears "terrible security implications" as Afghanistan could embolden Pakistan's Taliban in their own violent campaign, she said.

US President Joe Biden withdrew troops from Afghanistan arguing in part that the grinding conflict was a distraction from the greater challenge of a rising China.

Amid talk of a Cold War-style rivalry between the world's two largest economies, Islamabad has emerged as one of the closest allies of Beijing, which is investing heavily in an "economic corridor" in Pakistan at a time that Washington sees India as a leading partner.

Afzal said China will also be reliant on Pakistan's Taliban ties as it seeks to take advantage of Afghanistan's mining riches, such as lithium used in electric vehicles.

- Other ties limited -

Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said the United States could still decide Pakistan is the avenue to influence the Taliban or, if Islamabad agrees, to base counterterrorism operations.

If Washington "seeks engagement and wants to get Taliban assurances on issues of rights and governance, then the familiar pressure game will return" on Pakistan, Kugelman said.

Visiting Washington shortly before the Taliban takeover, Pakistan's national security advisor, Moeed Yusuf, called for a long-term relationship that looks beyond single issues.

But even though Pakistan has the world's fifth largest population, it was the 56th trading partner of the United States in 2019 at just $6.6 billion.

"The non-security relationship is not strong enough to make up for the lack of a security relationship," Haqqani said.

Afzal said that if the United States steps back, it "will just confirm Pakistan's existing notions that the US is only using Pakistan opportunistically when it needs it."

"If there isn't an abandonment and disengagement this time around, I think Pakistanis might take a step back and say, okay, something has changed," she said.

sct/ft
Also on this day in 2020 voters in Georgia returned to the polls for runoffs to settle party nominations in four congressional races and 17 legislative races, as well as a closely watched contest for the Democratic nod for district attorney in Fulton County. See more top news photos as selected by the Associated Press.
The application notes the school tried to submit an application in February 2021 but the academy was notified by a SUNY Charter School Institute officials "that the package we had sent in had several holes. She stated that it would be in our best interest to withdraw our application and resubmit in the July round for 2021."

Charter schools are publicly funded intuitions that operate independently from public school districts. Supporters of traditional public schools, which also require public funding, have long argued that charter institutions drain money, students and resources from public schools. Advocates for charter schools contend that these facilities have more autonomy since they are independently operated but still must live up to the standards in their individual charters and have a lot of positive aspects for students.

The Finger Lakes Academy said in the application that the school was expecting to pull 30% of its enrollments from the Auburn Enlarged City School and 20% from the Port Byron Central School District. The balance of the enrollment would be spread over 11 other districts: Clyde-Savannah, Jordan-Elbridge, Seneca Falls, Cato-Meridian, Weedsport, Southern Cayuga, Union Springs, Moravia, Skaneateles, Marcellus and West Genesee.
"Everybody's boats are gone, everybody's docks are gone," she said.

Forshee, who moved to Brookhollow Drive about two years ago, said neighbors who've lived there for decades told her the levels of Owasco Lake have never been this bad. Her boat, and those of some neighbors, already escaped once this summer, about a month ago. The dock was also damaged then, she continued, but not destroyed the way it was this week.

"I've only been on the boat for fun twice this year, and I had to rescue it twice this year," she said. "It's really been a struggle."

Further south at Camp Y-Owasco, the high water levels washed away about 15 kayaks, head counselor and lifeguard Rachel Pflueger told The Citizen. The camp also lost some of its sailboats, its docks are completely submerged, its drainage pipes are clogged by rocks and logs that have washed into them, and its north driveway is closed due to overflowing gullies.

The camp itself was rained out as well, Pflueger said, as the conditions led several children and staff to miss the last few days of their summer at Y-Owasco.

"We are left with a lot of unsaid goodbyes," she said. "We are all left upset and devastated from this storm. No one expected the storm to be as dangerous as it was."
After being closed for a little more than a year, the storefront at 35 Columbus St. in Auburn is serving meat again.Rosenkrans Local Market op
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation, his spokesperson said Thursday.

Senator Wicker tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after immediately seeking a test due to mild symptoms," his communications director, Phillip Waller, said in a statement. "Senator Wicker is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, is in good health, and is being treated by his Tupelo-based physician. He is isolating, and everyone with whom Senator Wicker has come in close contact recently has been notified.

Wicker is 70. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2007 after fellow Republican Trent Lott stepped down. Wicker was elected to the U.S. House in 1994 after having served in the state Senate.

Wicker has not been in Washington since last week. His activities in Mississippi this week included a meeting with Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan and Jordan's staff and an interview Wednesday at the WTVA-TV studio in Tupelo.

U.S. Sens. Angus King of Maine and John Hickenlooper of Colorado also announced Thursday that they had tested positive for COVID-19. They had also been vaccinated.
HIT: An Auburn family's collection of historic photographs is headed to the Library of Congress in Washington to become part of its Veterans History Project.

Carl Chamberlain's World War II service included participating in the invasions of Sicily and Italy and the battles at Alta Villa, Mount Sammucro and Anzio. He also took part in the invasion of southern France in August 1944 and served in the Battle of the Bulge. And he carried a camera into those war zones. His son, Michael, researched, scanned and archived about 900 photographs his father had taken, and a formal ceremony is set for September when the images will be donated to the Library of Congress. The Veterans History Project includes stories, letters, documents and photos from about 110,000 veterans and is accessible online at loc.gov/vet.

MISS: There is no cause for alarm, but low levels of toxins associated with harmful algal blooms have been detected in the raw water entering Auburn's treatment plant from Owasco Lake. The Cayuga County Health Department said that the treatment system successfully removed the toxins and no toxins were detected in the samples taken of treated drinking water.
In New York state alone, an estimated 410,000 New Yorkers are currently living with the Alzheimers disease. These numbers are expected to rise to 460,000 by 2025, making Alzheimers a growing public health care crisis. As a result, the Alzheimers Association remains focused on their core mission: to provide and enhance care for all affected and to reduce risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

The Alzheimers Association supports policy changes that will improve the quality of life for people and families impacted by Alzheimers. Here, in central New York, we thank Congressman John Katko for his commitment to this mission by endorsing the following bipartisan federal priorities.

 Comprehensive Care for Alzheimers Act: A proven model of chronic care management will be trialed as an innovative means of reducing costs of care and improving quality of care for those persons, caregivers and families living with dementia.

 The Equity in Neuroscience and Alzheimers Clinical Trials Act (ENACT): Research demonstrates that Alzheimers and other dementia disproportionately affect minorities. This act will focus on increasing inclusion and participation in clinical trials and develop culturally sensitive education.
President Biden and Secretary Blinken did the right thing by putting American interests first and extending the waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act despite the pressure from the Armenian lobby. It is important to continue assisting Azerbaijan, one of the only U.S. and NATO partners in the Caucasus and Caspian regions, in its counter-terrorism efforts.

For many years, Azerbaijan has served as a transit point for resupplying U.S. and NATO troops. At the peak of the war in Afghanistan, more than 30 percent of U.S. non-lethal military supplies such as fuel, food and clothing passed through Azerbaijan either by land or air. Azerbaijan plays an important role in supporting the operational readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces and coalition partners to counter international terrorism.

It is also the time to consider a complete repeal of Section 907 in the face of growing danger from Russia and Iran. It is time we put American interests above the interests of Armenian lobby organizations. It is time we correct our mistake and repeal Section 907.

Rauf Shahbazov

Fayetteville

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Nepal's startup Yatri Motorcycles is on a mission to push the Himalayan nation's automotive scene towards electrification. It believes that it can help to clean up the country's toxic air, reduce petrol imports, save money and also help Nepal with its climate goals.

Established in 2017, Yatri Motorcycles plans to design, engineer and manufacture world-class electric vehicles from the ground up in Nepal. Ashim Pandey, founder of Yatri, told Reuters recently that the switch to electric vehicles is crucial for the country. It is only a matter of time when battery technology surpasses

the energy density hurdle to make internal combustion engines obsolete," he said.

Pandey also developed Project Zero, a top-end motorbike, in 2019. It comprises a digital dashboard, in-built 4G connectivity with a range of 240 km and a keyless start. It has a maximum speed of 140 kmph and can be recharged in two hours.

(Also read | Tata Motors launches Nexon EV in Nepal. Check out price here)

Following this, the EV startup also launched a more affordable model, Project One, for 500,000 Nepalese rupees. The report says it received 50 orders within a week. Yatri founder shares that once the company start producing these EVs at a larger scale, the initial will come down. We are well on track to meeting our 200 unit sales milestones for 2021," he says.

(Also read | Before India, Tesla EVs touch down in Nepal. Models, prices and other details)

Motorcycles are one of the key modes of transportation in the country as it constitutes up to 80% of Nepal's registered vehicles, shows government data. The country's government has set out plans to transition to e-vehicles through reduced taxes and customs duties on imports and the installation of more charging stations. As per the Electric Vehicle Association of Nepal, the nation currently has about 700 electric cars, 5,000 electric scooters, and 40,000 electric rickshaws.

(With inputs from Reuters)
FAW Group boosting demonstration of Hongqi intelligent cars

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- To promote the demonstration of Hongqing-branded intelligent cars, FAW Group is vigorously pushing ahead with the construction of the second phase of its intelligent-connected vehicle (ICV) pilot project in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, and quickening the R&D and deployment of Hongqi intelligent cars, the Chinese state-run automaker said on Aug. 19.



Hongqing intelligent cars for pilot operation; photo credit: FAW Group



The building of the aforesaid ICV project phase  will be conducted in two years and will be supported by Jilin provincial government, Changchun municipal government, and local authority of Changchun Automobile Economic and Technological Development Zone. The facility will embrace main downtown areas in Changchun and cover multiple scenarios including closed and semi-closed industrial parks, city roads, expressways, and airports.

FAW Group said it plans to deploy around 100 ICVs in the yet-to-be-completed pilot zone to technically boost the human-machine cooperative driving mode and explore commercial mix-flowed operation models.

Currently, the constructor is soliciting bids for engineering design projects about 52.7-km smart roads, 20 Hongqi E-HS9s with Level 4 intelligent features, a self-driving operation center, a data center, and a factory dedicated to scenarios research.

For the first phase of the Changchun-based ICV pilot project, FAW Group has constructed 10.5-km smart roads, deployed 4 Hongqi E-HS3 Level 4 intelligent cars, built a cloud-based autonomous driving platform, and started pilot operation of smart mobility services. As of now, the ICVs deployed there have run for nearly 30,000 kilometers.
Evergrande confirms preliminary talks with Xiaomi

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Evergrande Group confirmed that it had preliminary talks with Xiaomi as it tries to find strategic investors for its electric vehicle business, but both parties didnt enter into advanced discussions.

Photo credit: Hengchi, EV brand of Evergrande Auto

On Thursday, the property conglomerate was reportedly in talks with Xiaomi, NIO, XPeng about selling the stake in its electric vehicle business, but no final decision has been made.

Xiaomi said that it has talked with many exterior teams for its automobile business, but it hasnt made final decision for cooperation. The tech giant will not comment on any rumor, it added. And there are also reports that say Xiaomi will build vehicles by itself and that the location may be officially announced next week.

Earlier this month, Evergrande Group announced it is in talks with several independent third-party investors about selling its partial assets, including part of its interests in China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group Limited (Evergrande Auto) and Evergrande Property Services Group Limited.

Since the announcement of its foray into the electric vehicle industry, Lei Jun, CEO of the group, has visited numerous automakers and suppliers, such as Changan, GAC Group, SAIC GM Wuling, Great Wall Motor, CATL and Bosch.
China issues regulations for car owner privacy, automobile data security

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- China released the Regulations on the Management of Automobile Data Security (for Trial Implementation) (called the Regulations for short) earlier this month to regulate processing of automobile data, protect personal information, national security, and public interests, and promote the rational development and utilization of automobile data.

The Regulations were jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Transport of China. They will formally come into effect on October 1, 2021.

Photo credit: SAIC Motor



In this document, the automobile data refer to the personal information and important data generated across the entire lifecycle of automobiles, including design, production, sales, operation, maintenance, and management of automobiles within the territory of the People's Republic of China.

Personal information refers to the information of car owners, drivers, passengers, pedestrians, etc., and various information that can infer personal identity, describe personal behaviors, etc.

Important data under the Regulations include operating data of the car-charging network, surveying and mapping data higher than the accuracy of publicly released maps of the state, data about vehicle types and vehicle flow on roads, external audio and video data including faces, voices, license plates, and other data that may affect national security and public interests as specified by Chinas Cyberspace Administration and relevant departments of the State Council.

The Regulations advocates several key principles for automobile data progressing, including handling in the car, anonymization, and non-collection by default. Besides, the document notes the data retention period shall be determined based on the types of functional services provided, and the coverage area and the resolution ratio of camera, radar and etc. shall be specified according to requirements on the data accuracy of functional services provided;

The Regulations stress that when handling personal information, operators must get the consent of the car owner whose personal information is being collected, unless laws and regulations do not require personal consent. Such biometric data as fingerprints, voiceprints, face, heart rhythm, etc. of drivers can only be gathered when operators has the purpose and find it necessary to improve driving safety.
Yanfengs biggest-ever smart cockpit project to be launched in Lin-gang Special Area

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On August 19, Yanfeng International Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. (Yanfeng International), a Shanghai-based manufacturer of automotive interior components, and Lin-gang Special Area Administration signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the launch of an intelligent cockpit project, according to a post on Shanghai Lin-gang WeChat account.



MoU sigining ceremony for Yanfeng International's Lin-gang smart cockpit project; photo credit: Lin-gang Special Area Administration

Under the MoU, Yanfeng International plans to build in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area a R&D and export base for its automotive interior and seating components and intelligent cockpits, which will be larger than any of relevant bases Yanfeng has so far constructed.

Yanfeng International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems Co.,Ltd. (Yanfeng), which is entirely controlled by SAIC Motor-backed HUAYU Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. (HASCO), according to the business information provider Tianyancha. With over 55,000 staff members and more than 240 R&D and manufacturing bases around the world, Yanfeng focuses on automotive fields like interior, exterior, seating, electronics and passive safety. It was included in the Automotive News 2021 list of the industry's top suppliers, ranking 17th worldwide and 1st in China with its 2020 sales reaching $12.183 billion.

Last year, Lin-gang Special Area saw its annual production value of its intelligent new energy vehicle (NEV) industry surge 141.6% to 75.8 billion yuan ($11.702 billion). The full-year value is expected to exceed 150 billion yuan ($23.157 billion) in 2021 and surpass 300 billion yuan ($46.315 billion) in 2025. Besides, local smart NEV outputs and export volume are anticipated to hit 600,000 units and 100,000 units respectively this year.

Currently, Lin-gang Special Area has gathered over 100 automotive companies, including Tesla, SAIC Motor, CATL, Joyson Electronics, Horizon Robotics, and Tusimple, with products covering such domains as complete vehicle, engine, power battery, exterior & interior, automotive chip, and autonomous driving system.



On August 18, Lin-gang Special Area Administration and Lingang Group, the largest industrial park developer in Shanghai, signed an agreement with CATL for building of the latter's high-end manufacturing base.
Gasgoo Daily: China's PV retail sales likely to drop 9% YoY in August

With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

China's PV retail sales likely to drop 9% YoY in August



The retail sales of passenger vehicles in China may drop 9% year on year to 1.55 million vehicles in August, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

Geely publicizes autonomous related patent application



Zhejiang Geely Holding made public a patent application which is about a control method and system for autonomous vehicles. The application was made in June, this year.

FAW speeds deployment of intelligent vehicles

To accelerate the pilot operation of Hongqis autonomous vehicles, FAW Group is speeding the development and operation deployment of Hongqis intelligent vehicles and will deploy 100 intelligent vehicles for operation.

Photo credit: FAW Group

Zeekr related company increases registered capital

The registered capital of Zhejiang Zeekr Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. increased from $49.99 million (about RMB320 million) to RMB2 billion.

RoboSense starts to deliver RS-LiDAR-M1 to American automaker

RoboSense started to deliver its second RS-LiDAR-M1 lidars to an American new energy vehicle manufacturer. The company has delivered more than 10 batches of RS-LiDAR-M1 lidars to customers.

Great Wall Motor targets annual capacity of 100,000 vehicles in Brazil



Great Wall Motor (GWM), one of Chinas top SUV and pickup manufacturers, has entered into agreement with Mercedes Benz to buy a factory in Brazil from the Germany automaker, the Chinese company announced on Wednesday.



CATL signs agreement to build manufacturing base in Shanghai

On August 18, CATL signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Shanghai municipal government to set up a high-end manufacturing base in the megacity, the Chinese power battery giant announced via its WeChat account.



FABU.AI secures 100 million yuan in Series B+ funding

FABU.AI, a Chinese autonomous driving startup, announced on August 19 it has banked 100 million yuan ($15.438 million) in Series B+ funding round from Cowin Capital and DYEE Capital. The proceeds will be used for the deployment of the company's car-road-cloud integrated solution in more scenarios like port transportation and city shuttle service.



Chinas MOFCOM encourages greater facilitation for NEV promotion in charging, parking

Local governments in China are encouraged to further facilitate the promotion of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in charging, traffic management, parking, and other links, Gao Feng, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said on August 19.
Chinese self-driving startup FABU.AI secures 100 million yuan in Series B+ funding

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- FABU.AI, a Chinese autonomous driving startup, announced on August 19 it has banked 100 million yuan ($15.438 million) in Series B+ funding round from Cowin Capital and DYEE Capital. The proceeds will be used for the deployment of the company's car-road-cloud integrated solution in more scenarios like port transportation and city shuttle service.

FABU.AI's self-driving trucks at Meishan terminal



Notably, the company just closed its Series B funding in late May with hundreds of millions of yuan raised. The round was led by Fortune Capital and also attracted the aforementioned investor DYEE Capital.

Founded in 2017, FABU.AI is dedicated to developing proprietary technology for advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving vehicles to usher in a new era of safer roads and intelligent transportation. It focuses on developing the self-driving technology by pouring its engineering resources not only in algorithm optimization, but also in building AI-enabled chips.

The startup started the R&D of port-used self-driving technologies in 2019. Its autonomous trucks were put into routine operation at the Meishan terminal at China's Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in May 2020 and have been stably worked for over one year.

FABU.AI announced in Feb. 2019 the strategic partnerships with China Post and Deppon Express for autonomous package delivery service. Powered by FABU.AI's technologies, delivery trucks of the two logistics giants have so far conveyed over 1 million parcels.

Earlier this week, Chinese self-driving startups QCraft and Neolix announced completion of a $100 million Series A funding and a 100 million yuan plus Series B financing round respectively.
Chinas MOFCOM encourages greater facilitation for NEV promotion in charging, parking

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Local governments in China are encouraged to further facilitate the promotion of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in charging, traffic management, parking, and other links, Gao Feng, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said on August 19.

Wuling Hongguang MINIEV; photo credit: SAIC-GM-Wuling



Meanwhile, Mr. Gao said local authorities are urged to relax NEV purchase restriction by enlarging license plate quotas and ease the application for NEV license plates. Local governments should adopt diverse measures to boost the deployment of NEVs in the fields like bus, taxi, and logistics delivery.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China's NEV sales amounted to 1.206 million units in the first half of 2021, surging 201.5% compared to the year-ago period. Mr. Gao revealed over 70% of the semi-annual NEV sales were contributed by private users, marking a greater inherent dynamism for the domestic NEV market.

The CAAM's data show that China's NEV sales reached 1.478 million units in the first seven months of 2021, soaring 197.1% year on year and topping the full-year volume of last year (1.367 million units). NEVs accounted for 10% of the country's Jan.-Jul. auto sales, 6.1 percentage points more than that of the prior-year period.
CHATSWORTH, Calif.Sexual wellness brand Wicked Sensual Care has revealed the winners of its Wicked Sweet Summer Retail Display Contest.

The in-store challenge invited brick-and-mortar retailers from around the world to create attention-getting displays featuring Wicked Sensual Cares flavored lubricants. Bonus points were allocated to displays utilizing the companys latest lubricant flavors, Blueberry Muffin and Mango.

Participating retailers were encouraged to create fun, eye-catching displays and post photos of them on their stores social media pages using the hashtags #WickedSweetSummer and #EatSleepLubeRepeat.

By category, the winners are:

Most Innovative Display: Adam & Eve, Houston, Texas

Best Use of Product: The Love Shack Boutique, San Antonio, Texas

Most Creative Submission: Venus Pleasures, Texarkana, Arkansas

The winner in each category will receive a gift card valued at $250.

"We loved the submissions we received for our Wicked Sweet Summer Retail Display Contest," said marketing director Cassie Pendleton. "The creativity put forth was truly amazingwe recognize the work thats put into these and are always amazed at the submissions. We thank everyone who participated.

To follow future promotions, sign up for a complimentary subscription to the company B2B newsletter. Retailers are also encouraged to create a business-to-business account on wickedsensualcare.com for exclusive access to revamped retail assets.

For real-time updates, including sexual health and wellness tips from resident sex educator Jessica Drake, follow Wicked Sensual Care on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: www.instagram.com/ wickedsensualcare, www.Facebook.com/WickedLubes, and www.Twitter.com/WickedSensual.



For review samples contact [email protected].
But beyond the flooding itself, during the same meeting Andreani said the recent events highlight the importance of additional forest treatment projects that need to occur around Flagstaff and across Coconino County.

The storm event that flooded the Rio dumped more than 2 to 3 inches over the area of Fort Valley.

But if that same area had seen a significant burn, Andreani said the flooding that storm created would have been far more devastating.

The city has been long been working with the Army Corps of Engineers on a flood control project to manage larger flows coming down the Rio de Flag. But Andreani said even once that project is complete, it would be unlikely to stand up to a post-fire flooding event.

I want to plant the seed that this event shows us why we need to focus on forest restoration on the west side of the Peaks. It is just a time bomb, a ticking time bomb, Andreani said. If that burns and we have an event like we did [Tuesday] downtown, irrespective of the Army Corps project, it will be just a horrible event.

At the moment, the forested slopes on Bill Williams Mountain, just south of Williams, are still the highest priority for forest restoration. Phase two of a forest restoration project in that area is starting later this month.
The Flagstaff Police Department says a Minnesota man has been arrested after attempting an armed robbery at a Verizon store near South Woodlands Village.

Police say Verizon employees reported the man had entered the store on Wednesday afternoon with a knife and told them to call the police because he intended to commit a robbery.

Upon arrival, responding officers were quickly able to identify a subject matching the description walking in the area, according to a statement from the Flagstaff Police Department. The suspect was later taken into custody.

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Police say the man was given an undisclosed amount of money after the incident at the Verizon store before fleeing to the parking lot. He then discarded the money and entered a Gamestop store across the street, where he again took out a knife and asked employees to call the police.

Flagstaff Police officers were able to de-escalate the situation after several minutes of talking with him and the subject dropped the knife and was taken into custody without injury, the FPD said in a statement.
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The latest quarterly report released this week shows several of the wolves have died this year.

Environmental groups had been hoping the wolf captured in Flagstaff could stay, even if it was beyond the northern boundary of the designated recovery zone. The groups have been referring to the animal as Anubis," a name chosen by students in a contest not associated with government agencies.

The groups said the wolf fed on elk carcasses, stayed away from livestock and didn't exhibit any signs of danger.

I'm disappointed to hear that Anubis was captured, said Emily Renn, executive director of the Flagstaff-based Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project. Most people chose to live surrounded by the national forest for a reason, because they love the seclusion and are willing to coexist with wild nature.

Arizona wildlife officials said the wolf had crossed Interstate 40 at least three times, and the agency received reports that it had been spotted by people six times. Under a 2017 recovery plan, the Arizona Game and Fish Department is required to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to capture and release any wolf that ventures north of the highway.

Federal officials are currently rewriting the regulations in response to lawsuits filed by conservation groups.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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I liked it because, apart from a doctor, you really could spend time with people as a physical therapist. With a therapist, you could see that patient for a month or two and really see them and get to know them, whereas doctors get to know their patients but not as intimately as PTs.

She left farm life behind to pursue a PT degree at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Thats also where she met Carl, who was enrolled in the same program. The two, upon graduation, lit out for the West, landing jobs in Sacramento for four years in the 1970s. But the DeRosas wanted to start a family and sought a smaller town that would fit their lifestyle.

Carl ended up interviewing for a faculty position at the newly formed physical therapy program at Northern Arizona University. And, in an ironic twist, it was Marlene who ended up getting a job in Flagstaff first, as a PT at Flagstaff Medical Center.

(Carl) came to interview here, and I was still in Sacramento. After the interview, Carl met with one of the (FMC) administrators and told them about me and said that we may be moving here if he got this job. So he came home and said, You know, I think I got that job at NAU. And I said, Well, I hope you did because I already have a job in Flagstaff. The administrator called me and, sight unseen, said wed like to hire you.
The Legislature gutted parts of the tax in the session that ended in June, but backers of the Invest in Education Act are collecting signatures to block the new tax cuts and asking voters to repeal them.

The court was focused on the spending limit during oral arguments in April. Justice Bill Montgomery noted that about $600 million of the new cash might not be able to be spent if the court finds it was not legal for an exemption in the initiative to dole out the money as grants.

Thursday's ruling did just that.

Writing for the court, Chief Justice Robert Brutinel said declaring the entire initiative unconstitutional if it caused school spending to exceed limits at any point was the only way to properly analyze the case, and said suggestions embraced by Timmer that excess money could be spent in later years was unworkable.


BERLIN  Germany says it has flown out more than 1,600 people from Kabul this week.

The Defense Ministry on Friday said that the German military has carried out 11 evacuation flights so far, with more planned.

The German government has pledged to help bring all citizens and local Afghan staff who worked for the German military, aid groups or news organizations out of the country.

Senior German officials have also said efforts will be made to help Afghans who are particularly vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban, such as human rights defenders.

But Germanys commanding officer in Kabul, Gen. Jens Arlt, said the evacuation has been hampered by the large number of people outside Kabul airport hoping to get onto planes out of Afghanistan.



COPENHAGEN, Denmark  A plane with people who have been evacuated from Afghanistan landed Friday at the Oslo airport in Norway.

Norways Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Norwegian news agency NTB that onboard were citizens from the Scandinavian country, family members to local employees and some other European citizens. Eriksen Soereide didnt give any figures or elaborate.
Arab News (Link: Advances in artificial rainfall hold big promise for water-scarce Arab region)

DUBAI: Drone technology has more applications than most people imagine, including manipulating the weather. In the UAE, scientists are planning to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles to penetrate clouds and generate rainfall using electrical charges  a process that builds on the success of cloud seeding.

In common with other Gulf countries, heat and aridity are the bane of life in the UAE, where just 1.2 mm of rain fell in the first three months of 2021 and where summer temperatures often hit 50 C. Scientists are therefore exploring innovative solutions to the interrelated problems of extreme temperatures, heat waves, water scarcity and poor air quality.

The results of their efforts could bring benefits not only to the UAE but also to other Middle East and Central Asian countries with water-scarce environments.

This is a very important and interesting initiative for the UAE, not only as a scientific or research experiment, but to make the country a global hub in cloud-seeding knowledge, Dr. Mohamed Shamrukh, a civil engineer who participated in cloud-seeding feasibility studies in the Kingdom in 2007-2008, told Arab News. Such an initiative is urgently needed in our region.

As one of the driest countries on earth, the UAE has precious few freshwater resources of its own. As a result, its economy is highly reliant on imports and desalination  the process of removing salt from seawater  to irrigate crops and meet the demands of its growing population.

In fact, the UAE accounts for some 14 percent of the worlds desalinated water, second only to Saudi Arabia, which has also tapped cloud-seeding technology as a potential way of addressing its freshwater shortage.

Riyadh last year approved a cloud-seeding program aimed at increasing rainfall in the Kingdom by almost 20 percent. In the UAE, that work began earlier, in 2017, when the government invested $15 million in nine rain-enhancement projects.

Using experimental drone technology, scientists can create man-made downpours by delivering electric shocks to cumulus clouds, causing them to clump together and produce precipitation.





A pilot and a UAE official from the National Center for Meteorology and Seismology inspect a Beechcraft plane at the Al-Ain airport before another cloud-seeding sortie. (AFP/file photo)

The small, remote-controlled gliders, equipped with a payload of electric-charge emission instruments and customized sensors, fly at low altitudes to deliver an electric charge to air molecules.

Clouds naturally carry positive and negative charges, but by altering the balance of these charges, these electric shocks enable water droplets to merge into larger raindrops and fall from the sky.

Of course, once the rain has fallen, the next challenge is to prevent it from evaporating or simply flowing off into the sea. To this end the UAE has built around 130 dams and levees with a storage capacity of about 120 million cubic meters.

There are several methods of triggering rainfall that scientists are exploring, including the spraying of salt compounds, silver iodide and dry ice into the atmosphere.

If the drone technique proves successful in the long run, cloud seeding could play a major role in enhancing the wider regions sustainable water supply for years to come. Rain-enhancement projects could help to mitigate drought conditions without the environmental, cost and efficacy concerns associated with methods involving salt flares.

The UAE has similar weather and climate to the other Gulf countries and this leading experiment in the UAE is very useful to them, Shamrukh said.
A herd of 14 wild Asian elephants has recently returned back to their traditional habitat in Mojiang county of Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province following a 1,300-km trek northward that captured the public's imagination.

During 110 days of wondering, the elephants found food in farm fields and even in villagers' homes. Luckily, local residents showed great tolerance towards these cute animals.




(Xinhua) -- For a long time, the United States has proclaimed itself as a "beacon of human rights." The facts, however, show that America not only acts too slowly to protect human rights, but also incessantly violates human rights in various aspects. Human trafficking is one such widespread and deeply-rooted human rights problem in the United States.

Many consider a significant starting point to slavery in America to be August 1619, when more than 20 captive Africans first landed at Point Comfort in the British colony of Virginia. These men and women had been kidnapped from their homes in Africa, forced to board a ship, and sailed for months into the unknown. From this fateful moment on, America began a 400-year story filled with tragedy, inequality and oppression.

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, wrote that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence, and yet enslaved more than 600 people over the course of his life.

Jefferson even measured the yield of slaves on his plantation. In a letter sent to President George Washington, he counted the agricultural profits and losses of his plantation and said he was making a 4-percent profit every year on the birth of black children. The enslaved were yielding him a perpetual human dividend at compound interest.

Today, more than 150 years after slavery was officially abolished, human trafficking remains rampant in the United States.

The State Department itself conceded the United States is a "source, transit, and destination country for men, women, transgender individuals, and children -- both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals -- subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor."

"Trafficking occurs in both legal and illicit industries, including in commercial sex, hospitality, traveling sales crews, agriculture, janitorial services, construction, restaurants, care for persons with disabilities, salon services, massage parlors, fairs and carnivals, peddling and begging, drug smuggling and distribution, and child care and domestic work," said the 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report.

How serious is human trafficking in the United States? In the past five years, cases of forced labor and human trafficking have been reported in all 50 states and Washington D.C. Up to 100,000 people are trafficked into the United States for forced labor annually and half of them are sold to sweatshops or enslaved in households. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, the number of reported cases increased significantly from more than 3,200 in 2012 to more than 8,500 in 2017.

Women and children account for a significant proportion of human trafficking cases in the United States, and many of them are victims of sex trafficking. According to a 2020 report by DeliverFund, a U.S. counter-human trafficking intelligence organization, it is estimated that between 15,000 to 50,000 women and children are forced into sexual slavery in the United States every year.

The United States is the number one target country for sex trafficking in the world, said Laura Riso, a victim specialist with the FBI, at the foreign press center in New York. She said the youngest victim she had met was only 10 years old.

Behind rampant human trafficking in the United States is lax law enforcement and the frequent absence of the justice system. According to a 2014 study by Northeastern University in collaboration with the Washington-based Urban Institute, labor trafficking investigations were not prioritized by local or federal law enforcement agencies.

Although the majority of victims in the study were willing to cooperate, investigations and prosecutions of their traffickers were rare, said the study, adding that civil actions or back wage claims were also rarely pursued, further compounding victims' debts and stolen wages.

"It's a vicious cycle that law enforcement in the U.S. sees time and time again," Detective Bill Woolf with the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force was quoted by the Atlantic as saying.

Luis Cabeza deBaca, former U.S. anti-trafficking ambassador-at-large, said the gravity of the human trafficking problem reveals systemic flaws in the U.S. governance system. "This is not one bad apple that needs to be dealt with," he said. "The entire barrel has a problem."

A typical case is American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who had long been engaged in sex trafficking. However, because of his close ties with celebrities, artists and politicians, he had been for years treated leniently by the U.S. justice system.

Human trafficking is just the tip of the iceberg of America's human rights violations. With such terrible human rights records, the United States holds no moral high ground to judge the human rights situation in other countries.

For Washington, the top priority is not to seek personal political interests or maintain American hegemony under the cover of human rights, but earnestly respond to the needs of people in the country and improve their basic rights of survival and development.
Face masks have become commonplace on airplanes  and are here to stay for quite a while  but not every airline allows every kind of mask.

This week, Finnair became the latest carrier to ban fabric face masks onboard, accepting only surgical masks, valve-free FFP2 or FFP3 respirator masks, and N95 masks, the company tweeted.

"The safety of our customers and employees is our first priority. Fabric masks are slightly less efficient at protecting people from infection than surgical masks," the company wrote in a statement.

Finnair isn't alone in banning cloth face masks. Air France and Lufthansa have each mandated medical masks be worn, prohibiting fabric masks and those with exhaust valves.

LATAM Airlines has also banned fabric and reusable face masks on domestic flights within Chile, allowing only surgical masks with three layers, KN95, and N95 masks. The carrier also requires doubling up on face masks for passengers connecting in Lima, even if they remain on board the aircraft.

While cloth face masks are generally allowed in the United States, several domestic carriers have restricted other kinds of face coverings with many banning features like exhaust valves. Delta Air Lines prohibits bandanas, scarves, masks with exhaust valves, and any masks with slits, punctures, or holes. Similarly, United Airlines bans bandanas and specifies a face shield alone is not considered adequate protection.

For its part, Southwest prohibits bandanas, scarves, ski masks, balaclavas, and single layer masks; American Airlines bans balaclavas, bandanas, exhaust valves, scarves, and gaiters; JetBlue doesn't allow masks connected to tubing or battery-operated filters; and Hawaiian Airlines won't accept scarves, ski masks, balaclavas, and bandanas.

On Wednesday, the Transportation Security Administration extended a federal mask mandate until January 2022, requiring face coverings be worn on all public transportation, including on planes and in airports. The mandate was first implemented in January and was previously set to run out Sept. 13.
When asked if it were unusual to involve the special office, he said in a follow-up email that law enforcement regularly works with prosecutors when building cases.

Due to the circumstances involved with this investigation, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers requested an independent review of the case by the legal experts at the Alaska Department of Law, McDaniel said.

Tim Murtaugh, a senior adviser to Tshibakas campaign, said she attended the 2019 Kenai River Classic in her capacity as commissioner.

He said her confirmation hearings were public and it was well-known she had just returned to the state.

The event organizers asked if she had a current fishing license, and when she said she didnt, they issued her one, Murtaugh said in an email to the AP.

The form was filled in for a license that expired after one day, going from August 22nd to the 23rd, which is only available to non-residents. This shows clear intent to purchase a non-resident license, not a resident license, he said.

Tshibaka announced her resignation from the state on March 29, the same day she said she would challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
The Delta variant came up during Monday night's Board of Trustees meeting, including when Upham described a Zoom meeting he had had with a superintendent at a small Mississippi school district featured recently in a Wall Street Journal story. Pearl River County District schools had to close after its first week and go to remote learning after cases went up from 10 teachers and 45 students on a Monday to 17 teachers and 101 teachers by Thursday. Upham, said that the takeaway from his conversation with the superintendent in that district was that the Delta variant "is different."

The superintendent, Alan Lumpkin, told the WSJ in reference to the previous school year that "We never saw it spread that quick within a week." The district had been in person for the entire previous school year and had avoided shutdowns. The closure implemented after the first week would remain in place for two weeks before school resumed with a mask mandate reinstated, the WSJ reported.
A Billings man was sentenced to 20 years in the Montana State Prison Thursday for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl who may have been as young as nine when the assaults began.

Christopher Douglas Lowery appeared before Yellowstone County District Judge Collete Davies who sentenced him to 20 years for each count, but set the sentence to run at the same time. He will also be forced to register as a level two sex offender.

Lowery pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault in June as part of plea agreement with the county attorney. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped two additional counts of rape, which carried a possible life sentence.

The judge heard directly from Lowerys survivor who described how the abuse had affected her emotionally and mentally.

It [has] made me a little nervous around men, the girlnow 13told the judge, It kind of made me shut myself out from the world, afraid that it might happen again.
Rembold has joined forces with Marguerite Jodry, co-founder and manager at Zest. They are working to launch culinary classes as well as intend to bring more fresh foods to downtown and a cheese, beer and wine program.

Our goal is to have a really good downtown fresh food area at Zest, said Rembold. She is the first culinary professional to take up residence in the Zest Kitchen, and Jodry hopes that in the future she can support other entrepreneurs as the launch their culinary brands.

Though its still in development, Jodry said she plans to have an incubator program for small food business that includes monthly access to the kitchen paired with business development services, marketing, website and graphic design support, social media assistance, and more. Products developed will be featured at Zest under an exclusivity clause for three to six month and the organization will help promote the new product.

For now, Zest is looking to launch cooking classes in the fall.

Our mission to get the right tools knowledge and equipment into the hands of people who want to cook at home more and cook more exciting things, said Jodry.

For Rembold, the merging of their talents has resulted in an encouraging partnership.
The lawmakers also said they want Biden to make clearer that the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops is not a firm one.

The deadline "is contributing to the chaos and the panic at the airport because you have Afghans who think that they have 10 days to get out of this country or that door is closing forever," said Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., who served in Iraq and also worked in Afghanistan to help aid workers provide humanitarian relief.

With mobs of people outside the airport and Taliban fighters ringing its perimeter, the U.S. renewed its advisory to Americans and others that it could not guarantee safe passage for any of those desperately seeking seats on the planes inside. The Taliban are regularly firing into the air to try to control the crowds, sending men, women and children running.

The advisory captured some of the pandemonium, and what many Afghans and foreigners see as their life-and-death struggle to get inside. It said: "We are processing people at multiple gates. Due to large crowds and security concerns, gates may open or close without notice. Please use your best judgment and attempt to enter the airport at any gate that is open."
The sudden increase in coronavirus cases has also had other ramifications in federal courts. In West Texas, concerns about the surge recently ground many court functions to a halt. On Aug. 9, the chief federal district judge in San Antonio suspended jury trials and grand jury proceedings until Oct. 3, although bench trials, sentencings and some other hearings will continue.

Along with other cases, the move is likely to slow the federal investigation into corruption claims against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The probe into bribery and abuse-of-office allegations is being led by a San Antonio-based federal prosecutor whos been using a grand jury in the city to issue subpoenas, including for records of renovations made to the Paxtons million-dollar home in Austin.

Paxton, who is running for re-election in a competitive Republican primary, has broadly denied the allegations from eight of his former top deputies that he used his office to help a wealthy donor.
Under the new action, both demands will be met. Starting in September, the Education Department will start erasing student debt for 323,000 Americans identified in Social Security records as being permanently disabled.

Borrowers will be notified once they have been approved for relief. All of the loans are expected to be discharged by the end of the year.

The department also plans to eliminate the program's three-year monitoring period, which was previously suspended during the pandemic. That change is expected to be cemented during a federal rulemaking process set to start in October, the agency said.

"This is going to be a smooth process for our borrowers," Cardona said in a call with reporters. "They're not going to have to be applying for it or getting bogged down by paperwork."

Advocates celebrated the change as a victory. Aaron Ament, president of the National Student Legal Defense Network, called it a "life-changing" step.

"This is a huge moment for hundreds of thousands of borrowers with disabilities who can now move on with their lives and won't be trapped in a cycle of debt," he said.
NEW YORK (AP)  A key accuser at the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial returned to the witness stand on Thursday, first claiming Kelly had a Girl Scout fetish and then weeping when a prosecutor asked her to read out loud from a journal entry describing how he allegedly beat and choked her the last time they were together in 2010.

Jerhonda Pace, who had remained stoic during nearly two days on the witness stand, read how Kelly cursed at her and slapped her three times, telling her, Its not going to be an open fist next time. She wrote that he choked her and sexually assaulted her before she became fed up with him and left.

Pace testified she believed Kelly gave her herpes, backing allegations by prosecutors that he broke the law by knowingly transmitting the STD. They offered more evidence on that point by calling his personal physician to the witness stand later Thursday to testify the singer had a long history of treatment for herpes.

Pace, who is pregnant and only a few days from her due date, asked for a break so she could compose herself.
As cases of COVID-19 and related hospitalizations increase in Montana, medical leaders on Thursday asked residents to take actions to prevent the spread of the respiratory virus and help avoid the impacts on health care systems and schools seen in other states.

We see whats happening in other portions of the U.S., said Dr. Pamela Cutler, president of the Montana Medical Association, referring to overwhelmed health care systems in Mississippi and Louisiana and school closures in Texas and Kentucky due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

Our statewide emergency rooms, businesses, and schools depend on each Montanan to follow the proven prevention methods that we know work  get vaccinated and wear a mask indoors, Cutler said. By working together, we can prepare and slow the spread.

The messaging is not new, but the arrival of the delta variant is making it more urgent.

Weve seen a sixfold increase in average daily COVID cases since July 1 and the current trend will lead to a doubling in two weeks, Dr. Greg Hanson, the chairman of the board of the Montana Hospital Association, said during a virtual news conference.
The Montana Department of Corrections reported the three new cases on its website on Wednesday. The update brings the total cases among inmates at Montana State Prison to 493 since the first case infiltrated the facility in October. Six people incarcerated at the prison have died from complications due to the virus. One inmate is currently hospitalized due to COVID-19, Department of Corrections spokesperson Alexandria Klapmeier said in an email Thursday. The prison is not on lockdown but positive cases have been isolated at the facility, she said.
CHEYENNE, Wyo.  The outdoor gear and clothing company Patagonia has stopped providing its merchandise for sale at a Wyoming ski resort to protest the owners' sponsorship of a Republican fundraiser featuring Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and other top supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Well known for decades for its outspoken support of progressive causes and environmentalism, Patagonia in the past has brought unwanted attention to Facebook and Instagram and the Outdoor Retailer shows in Salt Lake City.

Now, the company's activism could spell trouble  among left-leaning skiers at least  for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. A major tourism destination in Wyoming, the resort known for its bright red gondola car and logo with a silhouetted bucking horse and rider is among the best-known brands from one of the most Republican states.

We join with the local community that is using its voice in protest. We will continue to use our business to advocate for stronger policies to protect our planet, end hate speech and support voting rights and a strong democracy, Patagonia spokeswoman Corley Kenna said in a statement Wednesday.

The boycott, first reported by WyoFile, means Patagonia merchandise won't be available in three shops at the resort which Kenna said were Patagonia's largest account in Jackson Hole.
The agencys newly announced mask mandate requires visitors, employees and contractors to wear a mask inside all Park Service buildings, and in crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status or community transmission levels.

The requirement also applies to outdoor spaces where physical distancing cannot be maintained, such as narrow or busy trails and overlooks, and will be in effect until further notice.

The mandate is sure to aggravate tensions at a time when tourism industry insiders report an ongoing trend of discourteous behavior by travelers in dining rooms, on airplanes and in public spaces across the country. Some managers have cited rude customers as one factor in labor shortages, as workers grow weary of conflicts over masks, physical distancing, crowds and higher prices.

Yellowstone spokeswoman Linda Veress said park managers are taking steps to help cope with the record crowds.

Entrance tickets and fishing permits can be bought online, and additional campgrounds are accepting online reservations, she said, moves that are already easing congestion in some places.

The park has also this summer launched an automated vehicle shuttle pilot program with the intent to test this new technology, especially as visitation continues to increase, she said.
As I write this article, wildfires have once again covered much of Montana in a thick layer of unhealthy smoke.

There are 25 active fires burning 250,000 acres from Hardin to Troy. Even if you dont see the flames, the smoke and poor visibility is hard to ignore. Yet, ignoring the issue and letting politics get in the way of action is exactly the problem in Washington, D.C.

Last year, fires across the west burned a record 10+ million acres and nearly 18,000 structures. The cost to taxpayers was in the billions and the loss of life and habitat tragic. Unfortunately, we are on track to surpass that grim marker in 2021. The Forest Service estimates a backlog of 80 million acres of unhealthy forest in need of restoration and 63 million acres have a dangerously high fire risk. When Department of Interior lands are added to the mix, the scale of forest mismanagement from years of neglect is staggering.

There is little doubt that the fire season is longer and drought and elevated temperatures have created a perfect storm.
Water in Montana has a tough job. It must irrigate our fields, float our boats, spin our turbines and brew our beers. It must also provide a home for fish and habitat for wildlife. As a result, water law has a tough job too  it has to balance private rights and public interest.

To promote early development, Montanans made water property. This allows individuals and businesses to invest in water-necessary endeavors with confidence. We then decided that, in times of scarcity, the users here first get priority.

But todays reality is there simply isnt enough water to meet our ever-growing demand. When drought strikes, Montanas first water users get dibs while everyone else eats dirt. The result is a legal system painted into a corner.

Whether we like it or not, Montana has changed. Our states economy is characterized as much by technology, health care, hunting, fishing and national parks as it is by timber harvest, hard rock minerals and alfalfa.

In other words, we gain as much revenue from the protection of our natural resources as we do from their cultivation and extraction. Each year, more than 12 million Americans visit Montana in search of clean air, clean water, open space and public land. Those folks collectively spend $7.1 billion on outdoor recreation in Montana annually.
Joe covered other wars over the years. Notably, his story of a major tank battle at a place called 73 Easting in the Persian Gulf War, written with the help of a young company commander named H.R. McMaster, was one of the first accounts to pierce the highly secretive veil surrounding information from that conflict.

He also became a mentor for generations of younger journalists. I had the honor of working with him at the Washington bureau of the Knight Ridder (later McClatchy) newspaper chain.

In 2003, Knight Ridder sent dozens of reporters and photographers to the Middle East to cover the American invasion of Iraq. Ill never forget the simple set of instructions Joe wrote with common-sense advice for those colleagues. One was to dress like a private of whatever front-line combat unit they were embedded with, so as not to draw the attention of snipers. Other tips were more ordinary, such as not to drink too much water before going to sleep, so that they wouldnt stumble over tent stakes looking for a latrine in the dark.
OMAHA, Neb.  The economy continues to grow in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states , according to a new monthly survey of bankers in the region, but some bankers in the region are worried that worsening drought could threaten their operations.

The overall Rural Mainstreet economic index dropped slightly in August to 65.3 from Julys 65.6. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy.

The survey showed nearly 16% of bankers believe that continuing drought conditions are the greatest threat to their banking operations over the next year. More than 40% of bank CEOs see low farm loan demand  due to strong farm finances, according to the report  as their banks greatest challenge over the next year.

Bankers were less optimistic about the economy over the next six months than the previous month, with August's confidence index dropping to 59.7 from July's 65.6.

Rising COVID-19 infections, the turmoil in Afghanistan and negative views of current infrastructure bills before Congress damaged the economic outlook of bank CEOs," said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey. Only 9.4% of bankers support passage of the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill currently winding through Congress.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

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North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring is encouraging farmers to consult with their agronomists or chemical suppliers after the Biden administration said it is banning the use of chlorpyrifos, a widely used pesticide long targeted by environmentalists.

The Environmental Protection Agency banned the pesticide on food crops because the agency said it poses risks to children and farm workers. The EPA acted after a federal appeals court ordered the government in April to determine quickly whether the pesticide is safe or should be prohibited.

The EPA had initiated a ban during the Obama administration, but the agency reversed that decision shortly after President Donald Trump took office in 2017. President Joe Biden has pledged a review of more than 100 of his predecessor's environmental regulatory actions.

Chlorpyrifos is in common products such as Lorsban, Dursban, Cobalt and many others, according to Goehring.

Chlorpyrifos is a widely used insecticide in the Midwest and in North Dakota, he said. Although the 9th Circuit court decision may have incorrectly assessed the scientific evidence, it is just as unfortunate that the current administration and EPA chose to ban chlorpyrifos altogether instead of simply issuing rules permitting the continued safe application of this critical pesticide.
This is a classic case of confirmation bias. There was really no real investigation after April 4 focused on anybody except Dr. Isaak, Quick said. The arrest was premature. And everything done after that was to confirm the judgments that they prematurely made.

Quick, who addressed jurors in a chatty and casual way, often gesturing with his hands, alluded to other potential suspects.

RJR, which manages rental properties, is in a tough business, he said, one in which employees had to evict tenants, deal with angry owners and at times file lawsuits. Law enforcement also failed or chose not to investigate tips about unhappy former employees, he said.

The defense team disclosed an alleged affair between Robert Fakler and a former employee, whose husband had a violent past. The man was never interviewed, nor were any members of a motorcycle club who were allegedly kicked out of a party at the RJR building, Quick said.

He also pointed to a lack of blood on the suspects clothing when seen on video the day of the crime. If someone inflicted 100 or more stab wounds there had to be significant blood on the suspect or suspects, Quick said.
The defense rested its case on Wednesday after calling six witnesses.

Defense attorney Bruce Quick during his closing argument Thursday maintained that the case was one of confirmation bias -- that authorities three days after the slaying concluded Isaak was the killer and focused only on him after that, looking for things that fit their theory.

He said authorities might have overlooked or ignored numerous other potential suspects, including angry tenants, the ex-husband of a woman with whom Robert Fakler had had a longtime affair, and members of a motorcycle gang kicked out of an RJR shop party.

He questioned the gun evidence, the handling of the crime scene, and the collection and editing of video footage. He wondered how one person could have killed four people in the 21 minutes that authorities say the killer was inside RJR. He touted Isaaks clean military record as a former Navy medic and his lack of any criminal history. He noted that the prosecution also showed no motive for Isaak to kill four people.

Walstad said there is information about Isaak that was not considered during the trial, that could come out in the presentence investigation.
The delta variant of the coronavirus is increasing its hold on North Dakota, helping push active COVID-19 cases near 1,500 and virus-related hospitalizations over 50.

Active cases statewide on Friday were at 1,495 -- the fourth straight day of an increase of more than 100. They've more than tripled since the start of the month. They stood at 301 in Burleigh-Morton counties on Friday, according to the state's coronavirus dashboard.

The dashboard reflected another death, raising the state's pandemic death toll to 1,550. The state no longer publicly reports the county, sex and age range of newly confirmed virus-related deaths, but Burleigh and Morton counties' death totals on the dashboard did not change, at 199 and 102, respectively.

COVID-19 cases are spiking nationwide due primarily to the highly contagious and fast-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus.

Confirmed delta cases in North Dakota have more than doubled in the past two weeks, rising to 373, according to Kirby Kruger, head of the Health Department's disease control division and forensic pathology section. Confirmed delta cases in the state at the start of the month numbered only about three dozen.
But Blinken also admitted, "the fact of the matter is, we've seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated."

On Monday, Biden confirmed that he was taken by surprise by the rapidity of the Afghan government's collapse but said it was because the Afghans were "unwilling" to fight. He made the obligatory "the buck stops with me" nod but also insisted the calamity was the fault of the Afghan army, which was trained and organized to depend on U.S. support.

"In the wake of President Biden's withdrawal decision," the Wall Street Journal reported, "the U.S. pulled its air support, intelligence and contractors servicing Afghanistan's planes and helicopters. That meant the Afghan military simply couldn't operate anymore."

You'd think adults would have understood this and planned accordingly. The collapse of the Afghan government wasn't inevitable until we made it inevitable.

When I say "we," I mean the entirety of the U.S. government and the foreign policy establishment. The military should have understood that immediately cutting off support would cripple the Afghan military. Knowing this, someone should have threatened to resign as a way to forestall this calamity.
Lais lawyers deny the claims. In a recent Bloomberg article, journalist Chloe Lo comments on the immense pressure the NSL places on its defendants in a quasi-fair-trial, saying: The laws broad wording, long sentences and restrictions on jury trials put pressure on defendants to plead guilty before facing a panel of judges specially vetted by Lam. []

Two convicted Hong Kong activists Aug. 20 pinned jailed media tycoon Jimmy and his former top aide Mark Simon as the masterminds in a push for foreign countries to sanction China. The claim against Lai was revealed as part of a plea deal.

The two activists, Andy Li and legal assistant Chan Tsz-wah, pled guilty to conspiracy in colluding with foreign forces to endanger National Security under Hong Kongs wide sweeping and restrictive National Security Law, or NSL. The two men agreed that Lai and Simon were behind a publicity campaign that encouraged U.S. sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials.

The presiding Judge, Alex Lee, did not proceed with mitigation and adjourned the activists case until Jan. 3, 2022, because Lai has yet to stand trial on charges of collusion with foreign forces and unauthorized assembly. Lais trial is set for Oct. 12.

During the trial of activists Andy Li and Tsz-wah, lead prosecutor Anthony Chau read aloud a list of facts about the Lai and Simons plan to interact with foreign countries, including a description of Lai and Simon as masterminds of the conspiracy.

I agree to the facts and I would like to say sorry, Li told the court.

Chau also stressed that Lai had provided substantial financial support to an international propaganda campaign. The campaigns mission later included foreign sanctions on Hong Kong or China.

Lais lawyers have not commented on Thursdays hearings but deny any collusion allegations against Lai. Simon is not currently in Hong Kong and says that it is no secret that he placed ads in global newspapers to raise awareness about what is happening in Hong Kong, but that Lai had nothing to do with these actions.

In a text sent by Simon, he denies the prosecutors descriptions of him and Lai: But as for masterminds of anything? No, my vanity isnt that great.

In a recent Bloomberg article, journalist Chloe Lo comments on the immense pressure the NSL places on its defendants in a quasi-fair-trial, saying: The laws broad wording, long sentences and restrictions on jury trials put pressure on defendants to plead guilty before facing a panel of judges specially vetted by Lam.

On top of defendants facing immense pressure under the NSL, there are also reasons to confess early on in trial. According to Sharon Fast, a law lecturer at the University of Hong Kong, a guilty plea could help a defendant get their sentence reduced by one-third. It is most beneficial to defendants to plead guilty early, in order to be granted concurrent rather than consecutive sentencing on account of their charges.

Andy Li and Tsz-wah entered among the first guilty pleas in Hong Kong under the NSL, which was enacted in June 2020. The Bejing-imposed law bans subversion, secession, terrorism, and colluding with foreign forces, and can carry up to a life sentence.

Li and Chans guilty pleas represent the fear that is embedded in the Chinese judicial system. The restrictive NSL, its daunting sentences, and the Chinese Communist Partys state-appointed judges who preside, leave little room for truth and justice. The ever-restrictive NSL blurs the line between the truth and what is confessed out of fear.
https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2021/08/19/report-state-department-memo-warned-of-afghanistan-collapse-back-in-july

The current fraudulent admin did everything backward.
A married couple, their 1-year-old daughter, and their dog died under mysterious circumstances while hiking in Sierra National Forest in northern California. Authorities have ruled out suicide or murder, and they are now considering the possibility that they were exposed to toxic algae blooms.

People who knew Ellen Chung and her husband, John Gerrish, said the couple were experienced hikers.

"This is a very unusual, unique situation," Kristie Mitchell, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, told NPR. "There were no signs of trauma, no obvious cause of death. There was no suicide note."

From NPR:

The area in the Sierra National Forest where the bodies were found on Tuesday had been treated as a hazmat site after concerns were raised about the deaths being linked to potentially toxic gases from old mines nearby. But the hazmat declaration was lifted Wednesday, and Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said he didn't believe the mines were a factor, the Fresno Bee reported Thursday.

Photo by Lissy L'Amoreaux on Scopio
As president, George W. Bush was proud of his brave victory in just about banishing the Taliban from Afghanistan. "Thanks to our military, our allies, and the brave fighters of Afghanistan, the Taliban regime is coming to end."

He then passed the baton to President Barack Obama, who was proud of his efforts as well. "And we trained Afghan forces to take responsibility for their own security."

Former president Donald Trump, who thought he had invented the baton, predictably tooted his own horn on the matter. "The spirit is tremendous over there of your Afghan forces and of the American forces. We're training, and we're working with them. I'm hearing it from everybody. Everybody that goes over there comes back and says, 'Really, it's like a different place.'"

And President Joe Biden, now holding the baton, brings it home. "The likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely."

The group effort to invade and then abandon Afghanistan involved four very confident US presidents. In the process they wasted 20 years, sacrificed 2,352 American lives and at least 66,000 Afghan lives, and spent US$2,261,000,000,000 (more than $2 trillion), all so that we could, as one YouTube commenter succinctly put it, replace the Taliban with, er, the Taliban. The US really nailed it this time.
None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. Here are the facts.
All 106 Starpoint High School students whose Advanced Placement exam papers were lost for three months will receive $440 to compensate them for the trouble.

The word came from Sen. Charles E. Schumer's office Friday. The money will come from United Parcel Service.

Schumer announced that all 106 students will be compensated by UPS with $95 to refund their original fee, another $95 for a retest and an additional $250, which UPS has dubbed a scholarship.

Im excited to announce that UPS saw the struggles faced by the students and has agreed to do right by them, giving each $440  including a $250 scholarship  for their troubles," Schumer said in a statement Friday.

"It's kind of a nice little cherry on top," Starpoint Superintendent Sean M. Croft said.

Schumer's aid was enlisted last month by Starpoint students who took the literature and U.S. history tests for college credit in May.

He responded with a letter to Carol B. Tome, the CEO of UPS, calling for intensive efforts to find the missing box. Schumer also made a video call to two of the students July 30, assuring them of his concern.
Further, an acquaintance who had expressed interest in taking over the restaurant bailed on Turco. That's why Turco, after a particularly brutal day at the restaurant, reluctantly called it quits on May 17.

However, after The News reported on Louie's closing, a raft of people reached out to Turco to express interest in keeping the place going or acquiring the rights to the name  LaMarca included.

"I went to Florida," said Turco, who spends the offseason in the Sunshine State, "and I kept thinking of my dad and the customers. And I couldn't walk away. I couldn't do it. My heart is attached to this business."

Over the weeks and months that followed, occasionally over coffee and biscotti, Turco and LaMarca talked about what a business arrangement would look like.

Thursday morning, they finalized a deal that has LaMarca joining Turco as a partner in the business. Turco, for his part, agreed to stay on for at least the next year, possibly two, to guide LaMarca through every part of running the restaurant.

"It's going to be like we never closed," Turco said.
The mothers pleaded Thursday for witnesses to come forward.

God forbid  this happens to one of your loved ones, and youre standing in the same spot. You would want the community to bring justice and have it be solved, Bigham said.

The effort comes as Buffalo is in the middle of a wave of gun violence.

"Lately, we've heard so much about the spike in homicide statistics in the City of Buffalo. There are numerous graphs of percentages that detail the grim rise in shootings and homicides in the first half of this year, but often lost in the translation are the victims themselves," said Frank Christiano, chairman of the board of directors for Crime Stoppers. "We hope the billboards ... will help put a face to these crushing numbers."

Joining Christiano and the mothers Thursday were Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn, Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard and Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood.
A Bills Mafia booze cruise? Book it

Bills fans are known far and wide for their raucous tailgate parties, but if a single morning of drinking and table-crashing isn't enough, this takes it to a whole new level: An official Bills Mafia booze cruise will set sail in May of 2022.

It all came about when lifelong Bills fan Victoria Pascuzzi posted the idea on Twitter, mostly as a joke. But the post gained traction and so she got a local travel agent on board. The cruise, run by Carnival from May 2 to 7, 2022, will set sail from Miami  not exactly a Buffalo fan's favorite port of call. But given the Bills' recent ownership of the Dolphins, maybe that's not such a bad thing?

A standard two-person cabin costs $1,050, and includes meals, gratuity and day trips in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. The cost for the alcohol-included package is extra, but given the clientele that seems like a no-brainer.

How many cases of Labatt fit on a cruise ship, anyway?

No word yet on whether Carnival is building in the cost of broken tables.

Interested? Email victoria@richtertravel.com for details.

 Eric DuVall
OLAF FUB SEZ: A directive from Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president of the United States, born on this date in 1833, Our mission is not to impose our peculiar institutions upon other nations by physical force or diplomatic treachery, but rather by internal peace and prosperity.

. . .

GET YOUR KICKS  Ten teams will compete as Ten Lives Club Cat Adoption Group holds its first Kickball for the Kitties tournament starting at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Lyds Complex, 3401 South Park Ave., Lackawanna. There also will be raffles and concessions for purchase. Admission is free. For more info, call 830-8930 or email klpags@gmail.com.

. . .

WELCOME MAT  Get another stamp in your EC 200 Erie County Bicentennial passbook from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Lancaster Historical Society Museum, 40 Clark St., Lancaster.

. . .
WASHINGTON  Most Canadians will continue to be barred from crossing the United States land border for another month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday, even though the Canadian side of the border opened to vaccinated Americans last week.

"To minimize the spread of #COVID19, including the Delta variant, the United States is extending restrictions on nonessential travel at our land and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico through September 21, while continuing to ensure the flow of essential trade and travel," the Department of Homeland Security said in announcing the move on Twitter.

The ban on nonessential travel by land from Canada and Mexico had been scheduled to expire Saturday. The decision to extend the ban has been extended on a monthly basis since it was first imposed near the start of the Covid-19 pandemic on March 21, 2020.

The Canadian government has taken a different approach, reopening its side of the land border on Aug. 9 to vaccinated Americans who can show that they have tested negative for the virus within 72 hours prior to their arrival in Canada. That reopening proved to be relatively painless, with many vaccinated Americans able to cross into Canada without significant delays.
In Washington, some veterans in Congress were calling on the Biden administration to extend a security perimeter beyond the Kabul airport so more Afghans could get through.

The lawmakers also said they want Biden to make clearer that the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops is not a firm one.

The deadline is contributing to the chaos and the panic at the airport because you have Afghans who think that they have 10 days to get out of this country or that door is closing forever, said Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., who served in Iraq and also worked in Afghanistan to help aid workers provide humanitarian relief.

With mobs of people outside the airport and Taliban fighters ringing its perimeter, the U.S. renewed its advisory to Americans and others that it could not guarantee safe passage for any of those desperately seeking seats on the planes inside. The Taliban are regularly firing into the air to try to control the crowds, sending men, women and children running.
Prosecutors say she first drove over a curb and struck the 12-year-old Black boy, saying she ran him over because he's just like ISIS" and he's not supposed to be there and he's going to take me out. She narrowly missed the boy's older sibling who was walking alongside him.

Minutes later, Poole Franklin drove up over a sidewalk, prosecutors said, striking a 14-year-old Latina girl, who had bruises, cuts and a concussion. Poole Franklin said she targeted the girl because she thought she was Mexican, was taking over our homes, and our jobs and wasn't supposed to be in the country, the filing said.

Poole Franklin fled after both crashes and was later arrested after going to a gas station where she called an employee and customers racial epithets.

Holding Poole Franklin accountable, not only for her intentional actions, but for the malicious beliefs behind them, is what our justice system should be, and a must to provide just punishment, afford adequate deterrence, and protect the public from further crimes by this defendant, prosecutors wrote.
Catholic Health said it will comply with the mandate and urged the community to get vaccinated. Hospice and Palliative Care Buffalo stepped up early in requiring employees be vaccinated for Covid-19. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center last week announced it would mandate in three to four weeks that its employees be vaccinated or be subject to regular testing. Cuomo strongly urged private businesses to adopt similar policies.

By this time, the battle lines over Covid-19 vaccination are well-established. On one side are people suspicious of the vaccines and the people recommending them. On the other are the billions worldwide who have been vaccinated and know that until billions more get the shots, our health and our economy remain at risk.

We hope Cuomo  or Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who becomes governor on Tuesday  go further. Other health care workers would be high on our list. So would teachers and other school employees. Vaccines still arent approved for kids younger than age 12. They are vulnerable. It is societys responsibility to do everything we can to keep them safe.

Here is a list of some of the companies requiring Covid-19 vaccines for employees. *

 Cisco: All employees entering its offices.
Both governors of Texas and Florida have refused to mandate mask wearing in their respective states despite an increase in the Delta strain of Covid-19.

Medical masks have been in usage for over 2,000 years but people still resist wearing them. Pliny the Elder used animal bladder skins to filter dust while crushing mercuric sulfide  13th century servants wore silk scarves to prevent contamination in preparing the emperors food. In the United States, some states mandated compulsory mask wearing in 1918 to try to combat the Spanish flu.

Since mask wearing became common last year I have noticed that some people actually look more attractive (myself included) while wearing a mask. The French would describe it as raffine or haute couture, which if I remember my high school French translates as, OMG put the mask back on, youre scaring the kids!

Many of my boyhood heroes wore masks, the Lone Ranger, Zorro, Batman, Green Arrow, the list goes on and we thought it was cool.

The only fear I had when first wearing a mask was that when I went to the bank if people would raise their hands in the air and throw bags of money at me. Thankfully that never occurred because everyone else had a mask on as well. We looked like we were there for a Halloween party but without the goodies.
Joes biggest fight was in the building to building, hedge row to hedge row, Battle of San Pietro, Italy, south of Monte Cassino. The Fifth Army sustained 16,000 casualties. A month later, he fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino, a four-month-long campaign that cost the Allies 55,000 casualties. The Allies prevailed against the Winter Line held by Axis forces.

Joe cheated death three times during the war, being shot at several times, surviving a bomb that landed five feet from his foxhole and from a trip wire connected to improvised explosive device.

Joe, from the Greatest Generation, survived the war, returned to Western New York, married and built his own house in Derby for his wife and four children. His watch repair and jewelry business was in the Ellicott Square building. In 2010, he died at age 84.

Shortly before he died, he wrote his recollections of his WWII service. The following quote stood out: I look back at things and wonder, was it really courage or was I meant to survive? My wife told me I always seem to say, in my sleep, I have to get out of here. When I was in a precarious position and had to vacate, the instinct to survive was strong.

The Army awarded Joe three Bronze Battle Stars, a European Victory Medal, and a Mediterranean Medal for his courage and valor.
Why Is It Hard for Some Men to Own Up to Their Mistakes When Theyre Wrong?

The Power of Being Wrong: How Owning My Mistakes Improved My Relationship

Im stupid, youre smart, Happy Gilmore admits to his mentor, Chubbs Peterson. I was wrong, you were right. Youre the best, Im the worst. Youre very good-looking, Im not attractive.

I generally wouldnt seek a role model in a fictitious character played by Adam Sandler who once took off his skate and tried to stab somebody, but aside from the excessive groveling, Happy offers a shining example of a guy genuinely admitting hes in the wrong.

Ive had to do plenty of that recently with my partner, Kristen.

After a simple Google search: Youre right, Danny Devito did direct Matilda. And after a glance at Google Maps: My bad, Hoyt Street is the other way.

RELATED: 8 Ways to Make Your Relationship Better

With both cases, I was wrong, she was right. She was the best, I was the worst. She was very good-looking, I was not attractive. (Just kidding, we both still looked great.)

On a different occasion, Kristen and I were in the car discussing some of her frustrations with work. Things got tense to the point that I thought she was being stubborn and defeatist; she thought I was being presumptuous and unempathetic. I dropped her off at home, and while the conversation was clearly over, there wasnt any type of resolution.

It was the next day when she asked if we could revisit the matter. With an open ear and a commitment to humility, I really listened  both to her professional frustrations, as well as her frustration with how Id failed to be patient and supportive during our talk. A Google search wasnt needed to confirm Id messed up there.

Im sorry, I told her. Instead of inserting my own feelings, I should have provided more space for you to share yours. And instead of jumping to conclusions, I should have worked to fully understand where you were coming from, and shown up with the validation you needed in that moment. Ill definitely do better going forward.

Previous versions of myself in past relationships may have dug my heels into a position of denial and defensiveness, choosing to later sulk towards the freezer for some frozen peas to nurse my bruised ego. But learning to own (and even embrace) my mistakes has blazed a better trail forward for our relationship, and its something all men could benefit from if they find themselves in a similar situation to mine.

Admitting that you are wrong and taking accountability is courageous and vulnerable, says Jessica Ketner, MS, IMFT, an independent marriage and family therapist based in Columbus, Ohio. The practice of accountability and owning your actions and behaviors creates space for forgiveness, releasing resentments, receiving a compassionate and connected response from your partner and [building] an atmosphere of trust and support.

Thats not to say its an easy thing to do. There are plenty of factors that make it challenging for partners to concede when theyve made a mistake, such as if admitting fault creates a sense of shame, which fosters an avoidance of accountability.

Our upbringing is another major influence on our behavior in adult relationships.

If you did not see your parents admit wrongdoing to each other or to you  because it can be immensely powerful when parents admit to their children that they did not handle a situation in the best way  it can feel scary or foreign to do so, notes Ketner.

For some folks, she continues, making mistakes in childhood or previous relationships led to traumatic experiences like abuse or emotional abandonment, which conditions them to avoid admitting wrongdoing as a way to protect themselves. Some romantic relationships, meanwhile, dont foster the kind of trust and access to vulnerability needed for partners to admit when theyre wrong.

An additional challenge here can be owning up when youve wronged your partner, even when you didnt mean to.

Sometimes it is hard for people to admit that their actions were hurtful, if they did not intend to hurt their partner, says Ketner. It is important to not minimize or dismiss your partner's feelings by hiding behind your intent. If you first make space for apology, empathy and repair, there can often be a [later] time to share that you did not intend to hurt them.

I hadnt intended to diminish Kristens feelings or experiences, but thats what happened. And while we seek forgiveness from our partners, Ketner encourages us to go a step further by extending compassion to ourselves, too.

It is important to know and remember that you are human, she tells AskMen. And the human experience includes making mistakes or not always making the wisest, most compassionate decisions.

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FlowerShop* Launches Exclusive Distribution Agreement with Unrivaled for 400 Retail Stores Across California

/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

ALL FIGURES IN USD UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE/

TORONTO, Aug. 19, 2021 /CNW/ - Halo Collective Inc. ("Halo" or the "Company") (NEO: HALO) (OTCQB: HCANF) (Germany: A9KN) today announced that FlowerShop*, a Sensory-Care brand, innovating in the wellness, cannabis, and lifestyle categories co-founded by American rapper Gerald "G-Eazy" Gillium, today launched a new product line, BUDVASE. In addition, Halo announced a distribution agreement with Unrivaled Brands, Inc. ("Unrivaled") (OTCQX: UNRV), giving Unrivaled exclusive distribution rights to Feel Better's FlowerShop* branded products in more than 400 retail stores across California. Halo owns 25% of FlowerShop* and previously announced a licensing, manufacturing, and distribution agreement for FlowerShop* branded products.

FlowerShop* Launches BUDVASE, Premium Line of Mood-and-Sensory Based Cannabis, Aromatherapy, Home Goods, and Lifestyle Products (CNW Group/Halo Collective Inc.)

BUDVASE is the latest addition to FlowerShop's line of mood-and-sensory based cannabis, aromatherapy, home goods, and lifestyle products. BUDVASE is the first release of a branded flower line, augmenting the pre-rolls that have been consistently selling out.

"The timing is perfect to bring one of our flagship products, the BUDVASE, to market," commented Isaac Muwaswes, co-founder of FlowerShop*. "With the culmination of the summer and holiday seasons, the momentum gained from our BOUQETPACK release, and our strategic retail and distribution partnerships in place, we are in a great position to see rapid scale and penetration into the California market."

"Our goal has been to expand the distribution and brand awareness of the FlowerShop's premium, high-end product lines within the California market," said Kiran Sidhu, CEO and Co-Founder of Halo. "The exciting launch of BUDVASE gives us exactly the right product line to distribute within Halo's retail locations and through the innovative Unrivaled distribution agreement. As FlowerShop* continues to expand its product lines, we expect our relationship to grow."

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The BUDVASE flower jar, available in six colors and strains across three moods (Comfort, Smile, and Joy), was developed with top cultivators across California, focusing on premium triple-A indoor flower to highlight the nose, taste, and effects for each mood. Testing yielded more than 30-40% of total cannabinoids. A testament to the focus on design, multi-function, sustainability, and user experience that the brand is known for, the BUDVASE jar was designed to be reusable with the silicone cap doubling as an ashtray and incense holder. The BUDVASE is one of many items in the FlowerShop* product line for 2021 including JUICEDROPS edibles, concentrates, candles, ashtrays, and other lifestyle and fashion merchandise.

Halo previously announced that it had acquired three Los Angeles dispensaries that will carry the full line of FlowerShop* products, and the first dispensary is still set to open by the end of 2021. In the meantime, FlowerShop* BUDVASE will launch in key third-party retailers across the state. The brand has seen strong initial feedback in the market and has garnered high-profile press including LA Weekly, Complex, Forbes, and High Times.

Distribution Agreement

Simultaneous to the product launch, Halo signed an exclusive agreement with Unrivaled Brands, Inc., a multi-state vertically integrated company focused on the cannabis sector with operations in California, Oregon, and Nevada. As part of the agreement, Unrivaled will be the exclusive distributor of Feel Better's FlowerShop* branded products to more than 400 retail stores across California in Unrivaled's sales network.

The popular FlowerShop* product lines complement Unrivaled's existing distribution lineup of Korova, Sticks, Habit Labs, Cabana, and Serra products by offering a uniquely packaged lifestyle brand with an extensive marketing presence in California. The product lineup includes BUDVASE and the BOUQUETPACK line of glass-tipped infused pre-rolls. FlowerShop* expects to expand into more categories in 2021, including JUICEDROPS edibles and concentrates.

Unrivaled President Oren Schauble stated, "We're excited to partner with the FlowerShop* team and to offer this exciting brand to the Unrivaled's dispensary network we serve throughout California. FlowerShop*'s commitment to unique experiences, both in their cannabis products and accessories and their understanding of the modern cannabis customer, aligns well with the product portfolio we're building in California."

Muwaswes added, "Unrivaled is a pioneer in the space. Their vision and leadership in the California market, from both a consumer and B2B side, has allowed them to set the standard for operational excellence and growth. There was immediate alignment with our leadership teams and company missions  culminating in a shared obsession around customer experience and product quality. We couldn't be more excited to have Unrivaled as a key partner to grow the FlowerShop* brand and help the world Feel Better."

FlowerShop* will be available from select launch partners starting August 28th.

About Halo Collective Inc.

Halo is a leading, vertically integrated cannabis company that cultivates, extracts, manufactures, and distributes quality cannabis flower, oils, and concentrates, and has sold approximately eleven million grams of oils and concentrates since inception. The Company continues to expand its business and scale efficiently, partnering with trustworthy leaders in the industry who value Halo's operational expertise in bringing a host of quality products to market.

Halo currently operates in the United States in Oregon and California, Canada, Southern Africa in the Kingdom of Lesotho, and the United Kingdom. The Company sells cannabis products principally to dispensaries in the U.S. under its brands Hush, Winberry, Mojave, and Exhale, and under license agreements with Papa's Herb, DNA Genetics, Terphogz, and FlowerShop*, a cannabis lifestyle and conceptual wellness brand that includes G-Eazy as a partner and key member.

As part of continued expansion and vertical integration in the U.S., Halo boasts several grow operations throughout Oregon and two planned in California. In Oregon, the Company has a combined 11 acres of owned and contracted outdoor cultivation, including East Evans Creek, a six-acre grow site in Jackson County with four licenses owned and operated by Halo and two third-party licenses under contract to sell all of their product to Halo; Winberry Farms, a one-acre grow; and William's Wonder Farms, a three-acre grow site in Applegate Valley, under contract to sell all of its product to Halo pending the closing of Halo's acquisition of its licenses and business assets.

In California, the Company is building out Ukiah Ventures, a planned 30,000 sq. ft. indoor cannabis grow and processing facility, which will include up to an additional five acres of industrial land to expand the site. Recently, Halo partnered with Green Matter Holding in California to purchase a property in Lake County, developing up to 63 acres of cultivation, comprising one of the largest licensed single-site grows in California. Halo also plans to expand its operations in California by opening three dispensaries in North Hollywood, Hollywood, and Westwood, one of which may house a FlowerShop* branded experience.

In Canada, Halo acquired three KushBar retail cannabis stores located in Alberta as a first in its planned entry into the Canadian market, leveraging its Oregon and California brands. With the KushBar retail stores as a foundation, the Company plans to expand its foothold in Canada.

Halo has also acquired a range of software development assets, including CannPOS, Cannalift, and CannaFeels, as well as a discrete sublingual dosing technology, Accudab. The Company intends to spin-off these assets, and its intellectual property and patent applications into its subsidiary Halo Tek Inc. Halo expects to complete a distribution to shareholders on a record date to be determined by Halo.

Halo has recently announced its intention to reorganize its non-U.S. operations into a newly formed entity called Akanda Corp. ("Akanda"), whose mission will be to provide high-quality and ethically sourced medical cannabis products to patients worldwide. Akanda will seek to deliver on this promise while driving positive change in wellness, empowering individuals in Lesotho, and uplifting the quality of the lives of employees and the local communities where it operates, all while limiting its carbon footprint. Akanda will combine the scaled production capabilities of Bophelo Bioscience & Wellness Pty. Ltd. ("Bophelo"), Halo's Lesotho-based cultivation and processing campus located in the world's first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) containing a cannabis cultivation operation, with distribution and route-to-market efficiency of Canmart Ltd., Halo's UK-based fully approved pharmaceutical importer, and distributor that supplies pharmacies and clinics within the U.K. With a potential maximum licensed canopy area of 200 hectares (495 acres), Bophelo has scalability that is arguably unmatched in the world today.

For further information regarding Halo, see Halo's disclosure documents on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Connect with Halo Collective: Email | Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

About FlowerShop*

FlowerShop* is a Sensory-Care brand, innovating in the wellness, cannabis and lifestyle categories. Co-founders Isaac Muwaswes and Gabriel Garcia explain Sensory-Care as a progressive take on wellness-creating products, experiences, content, and more -- all designed to enhance your senses. In addition to being part of G-Eazy's creative team, FlowerShop* brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from a diverse set of industries, including tech and marketing, where Isaac led brand development at Twitter; to fashion and retail, where Gabriel co-created the international cult-favorite label, Brooklyn Circus, in addition to working with Puma and Adidas.

Together, Isaac and Gabriel saw a void in the wellness, cannabis and lifestyle industries. They embarked on a mission to develop a "Feel Better Company", a joyful brand experience at every level -- from purchase to consumption -- that exceeds the expectations of design-driven consumers who curate every aspect of their lives. By creating the first digitally-native, direct-to-consumer platform in the cannabis space, FlowerShop* will positively disrupt the market with original content, products and experiences, focused on sustainability and multi-functional use -- helping the world to FEEL BETTER, and ultimately encouraging acts of giving, spontaneity and love.

For more information about Flowershop*, please visit https://www.fromflowershop.com.

About Unrivaled Brands

Unrivaled Brands is a multi-state vertically integrated cannabis company with operations in California, Oregon, and Nevada. In California, Unrivaled Brands operates three dispensaries, a state-wide distribution network, company-owned brands, a cultivation facility, and has two additional cultivation facilities and a dispensary under development. In Oregon, it operates a state-wide distribution network and company-owned brands. In Nevada, by way of a joint venture, it operates a cultivation and manufacturing facility. Unrivaled Brands is home to Korova, the market leader in high potency products across multiple product categories, currently available in California, Oregon, Arizona, and Oklahoma, as well as Sticks and Cabana.

For more info, please visit: https://unrivaledbrands.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Halo's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Halo's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements 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 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 may relate to anticipated events or results including, but not limited to the distribution of BUDVASE products and the impact thereof on Halo's prospects, the Company's expansion plans regarding Canada, the expected size and capabilities of the final facility planned at Ukiah Ventures, the size of Halo's planned cultivation facility in Northern California, and the ability of Bophelo and Canmart to serve the U.K. market, the proposed spin-off with Halo Tek Inc. and Halo's proposed plans to re-organize its non-U.S. operations via Akanda Corp.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Halo is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Halo has made certain assumptions. Although Halo believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. Among others, the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: inability of management to successfully integrate the operations of acquired businesses, changes in the consumer market for cannabis products, changes in the expected outcomes of the proposed changes to Halo's operations, delays in obtaining required licenses or approvals necessary for the build-out of Oregon operations, dispensaries or Canadian operations, the proposed spin-out with Halo Tek Inc. or the proposed re-organization with Akanda Corp., delays or unforeseen costs incurred in connection with construction, the ability of competitors to scale operations in Northern California, delays or unforeseen difficulties in connection with the cultivation and harvest of Halo's raw material, changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; and the other risks disclosed in the Company's annual information form dated March 31, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Halo does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to Halo or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.

Halo Collective Inc. Logo (CNW Group/Halo Collective Inc.)

SOURCE Halo Collective Inc.

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View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2021/19/c7649.html
BOSTON  Taliban websites that delivered the victorious insurgents official messages to Afghans and the world at large in five languages have abruptly gone offline.

It is not immediately clear why the sites in the Pashto, Urdu, Arabic, English and Dari languages went offline Friday. They had been shielded by Cloudflare, a San Francisco-based content delivery network and denial-of-service protection provider.

Cloudflare has not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment on the development, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Also Friday, the popular encrypted messaging service WhatsApp removed a number of Taliban groups, according to Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online extremism.

The websites disappearance may just be temporary as the Taliban secures new hosting arrangements. But the reported removal of the WhatsApp groups followed the banning of Taliban accounts by Facebook, the services parent company, on Tuesday after the U.S.-backed Afghan government fell to the Taliban.

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MORE ON THE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN:

 Report: Taliban killed minorities, fueling Afghans fears

 US struggles to speed Kabul airlift despite Taliban, chaos

 Western groups desperate to save Afghan workers left behind

 Allies embraced Biden. Did Kabul lay bare "great illusion"?

 Afghan president latest leader on the run to turn up in UAE

 Afghanistan war unpopular amid chaotic pullout: AP-NORC poll

 Afghan officer who fought with US forces rescued from Kabul

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  Secretary of State Antony Blinken says 13 countries have thus far agreed to at least temporarily host at-risk Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan and a dozen more have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.

Blinken says in a Friday statement that potential Afghan refugees not already cleared for resettlement in the United States will be housed at facilities in Albania, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Rwanda, Ukraine and Uganda.

Story continues

Transit countries include Bahrain, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

Blinken says: We are encouraged by other countries that are also considering providing support. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas and to fulfill our commitments to citizens of partner nations and at-risk Afghans.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  U.S. helicopters have ferried 96 Afghans to the Kabul airport for evacuation, signaling that U.S. military flights are taking place beyond the airport perimeters in the Afghan capital.

Senior American military officials told The Associated Press that an American CH-47 Chinook helicopter picked up the Afghans, mostly women and children, and ferried them to Hamid Karzai International Airport on Friday. U.S. Armys 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division airlifted the Afghans from Camp Sullivan, near the Kabul airport.

The officials say sorties like this one have been underway for days as Afghans seek to flee the country taken over by the Taliban. Intelligence teams inside Kabul are helping guide both Americans and Afghans and their families to the airport or are arranging for them to be rescued by other means.

For those living in other cities and provinces outside Kabul, CIA case officers, special operation forces and agents from the Defense Intelligence Agency on the ground are gathering U.S. citizens and Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. at pre-determined pick-up sites.

The officials would not detail where these airlift sites were for security reasons. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing operations.

James La Porta in Boca Raton, Florida.

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MOSCOW  Uzbekistan says it has sent 150 Afghan refugees who fled from the Taliban takeover back to Afghanistan, in accord with their own wishes.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the move followed talks with the Taliban, who have pledged not to persecute those who come back.

The ministry said it has contacted the Taliban to obtain security guarantees for citizens of Afghanistan who illegally crossed the border during those dramatic days as the Taliban blitzed across the country, just weeks before the final U.S. and NATO pullout.

It said the ministry learned from those Afghans who returned from Uzbekistan that they were now safe at their homes after the necessary formal procedures. The ministry did not elaborate.

The ministry noted that Uzbekistan was cooperating with the countries working to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan, including the United States, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and others. It said the country has allowed them to use its airspace and airports and provided the necessary technical and logistical support to help evacuate a total of 1,982 people.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden says his administration is also committed to evacuating Afghans who assisted the United States during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.

Biden spoke at a White House press conference on Friday, vowing to evacuate every American still in Afghanistan who wants to get out. Bidens said no American citizens who want to leave the country will be left behind.

Biden was asked whether all Afghan allies will be evacuated. He responded, Yes. Were making the same commitment to evacuate Afghan allies as has been made to Americans in Afghanistan.

The exact number of Afghans who qualify for evacuation is not clear, but it is believed to number in the tens of thousands.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is pledging to evacuate any American currently in Afghanistan who wants to come home.

Biden made the promise on Friday as he provided an update on the tense situation in Afghanistan. The president has been under mounting pressure over his decisions in Afghanistan, which led to the Taliban completely taking over the country on Sunday.

Thousands of Americans, Afghans are clamoring to leave and chaotic scenes have unfolded at Kabuls international airport.

Addressing Americans in Afghanistan, Biden said: Let me be clear. Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.

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WASHINGTON  U.S. officials say that American military planes will resume evacuation flights from the Kabul airport after an hours-long pause due to a lack of places available to take evacuees.

One official said there was a backlog on Friday of about 10,000 people at the airport who have been cleared for departure and were awaiting flights.

The backlog, in turn, caused the military to close gates at the airport perimeter, where many people are trying to get on flights. The State Department was working on arranging additional places to take the evacuees.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matter not yet publicly announced ahead of President Joe Bidens speech Friday on the situation in Kabul.

Robert Burns in Washington;

This item has been corrected to say that flights are to resume, not that they have resumed.

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MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has sharply criticized the United States and its allies over their role in Afghanistan.

The Russian leader spoke on Friday after his talks in Moscow with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He said that the Talibans quick sweep over Afghanistan showed the futility of Western efforts to enforce its own vision of democracy.

Its necessary to stop the irresponsible efforts of the U.S. to enforce its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries ... without taking into account historic, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoring other peoples traditions, Putin said.

Putin said that we know the country well and became convinced that its counterproductive to try to enforce forms of government and social life that are alien to it.

The remark was an apparent reference to the 10-year Soviet war in Afghanistan that ended with the Soviet troops withdrawal in 1989.

Putin noted the Talibans pledge to maintain public order and protect civilians and foreign diplomatic missions. He made no reference to reports of atrocities underway across Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover.

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ROME  The U.N. food agency says it has been able to negotiate access with the Taliban to distribute aid in one provincial capital in Afghanistan but hasnt been able to resume food deliveries to three other provincial capitals it supplies.

The World Food Program, headquartered in Rome, has said that some 14 million people are facing severe hunger in the nation of some 39 million. A second drought in three years, combined with fighting, had afflicted Afghanistan even before the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.

Andrew Patterson, WFPs deputy country director, told The Associated Press on Friday that after Faizabad, a provincial capital in the north, fell to the Taliban last week, the agencys field office succeeded in negotiating access with the local Taliban command, and we had (a food) truck on the road the next day.

However, Patterson said the situation in Kandahar, Herat and Jalalabad so far hasnt allowed the U.N. agency to resume distributing food in those areas.

According to WFP estimates, some 2 million children are malnourished in Afghanistan.

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BRUSSELS  NATO foreign ministers vowed on Friday to center their efforts on assuring the safe evacuation from Afghanistan of citizens from the alliances member countries and allies, as well and Afghans deemed at risk after the takeover by the Taliban.

During a virtual meeting, the ministers also expressed concern over the grave events in Afghanistan and called for an immediate end to violence amid reports of Taliban atrocities and serious human rights violations and abuses across Afghanistan.

The ministers insisted that the new rulers in Kabul would have to make sure that the nation does not become a center for terrorism. They said that under the current circumstances, NATO has suspended all support to the Afghan authorities.

Any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistans international obligations . And ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists, a statement from the alliance said.

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BERLIN  Germanys foreign minister says the United States will use its Ramstein Air Base in western Germany as a temporary transit point to transport people from Afghanistan seeking protection to the United States.

Germany, like other Western countries, has sent military aircraft of its own to Afghanistan in recent days to evacuate German nationals and Afghans who worked for its forces prior to their withdrawal amid the Taliban surge.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement on Friday that the focus is on evacuating as many people from Kabul as is possible under the very difficult circumstances and that Germany is working closely with international partners.

Maas said: We agree with all our partners on the ground that no place on our planes should remain empty. He said that, as a result, U.S. flights will also take Germans or people named by German authorities to Ramstein, while Germany also will evacuate people from various nations on its own planes.

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PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron sent a message of welcome in a tweet on Friday to Afghans evacuated to France, following the arrival from Kabul of a third group of more than 200 people, mostly Afghans.

He also noted that health rules are not being forgotten, posting photos of Afghans surrounded by doctors and a man getting a COVID-19 test, obligatory for all arrivals.

All people coming to France from Afghanistan must observe a 10-day quarantine under pandemic restrictions because their country is on the French red list of color-coded risks for coronavirus, with red the highest, the Foreign Ministry noted Thursday.

To ensure that France and other nations can continue evacuations, Macron insisted in a phone call with President Joe Biden of the absolute need for rapid and concrete coordination among allies, according to a French statement Friday about the conversation the day before.

The U.S. military is in charge of the evacuations at Kabul airport, meaning that other countries must go through them to evacuate their own citizens and Afghans considered at risk in their homeland following the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.

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ROME  A retired Italian general who commanded Italys initial contingent in western Afghanistan in 2001 says NATOs retreat should have been planned for winter, after the end of the Talibans so-called fighting season.

Gen. Giorgio Battisti, in an interview on Sky TG24 TV Friday, also said the U.S. air base at Bagram should have been left operating during withdrawal to help evacuate civilians.

Probably, in my modest opinion, it was necessary to spread out the final withdrawal, assuming one wanted to completely leave Afghanistan, Battisti said.

He contended that militarily it would have been better to pull out after the end of the traditional fighting season, which lasts from spring through much of autumn.

Instead, they left in the middle of fighting season, left, like thieves in the night, this immense base of Bagram, the general said.

Noting that Bagram is some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Kabul, he suggested it could have served as a second escape valve for thousands of citizens now clamoring to get into the one operational airport at Kabul or for those who cant make it through Taliban checkpoints along the way.

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LONDON  Britains embattled foreign minister has defended his decision not to call while on vacation his Afghan counterpart about the evacuation of translators who had helped British forces.

Dominic Raab has come under increasing pressure to resign for failing to follow the advice of officials in his department to make a call to Hanif Atmar on Aug. 13, while he was vacationing on the Greek island of Crete.

Two days later, the Taliban took over Afghanistan, 20 years after they had been ousted from power, and Raab headed back to the U.K. after cutting his vacation short to deal with the crisis.

Raab on Friday posted a statement on Twitter to counter what he described as inaccurate media reporting over recent days. He said he prioritized security at Kabul airport and delegated the call to a junior minister in his department.

Raab said Atmar wasnt able to take that call because of the rapidly deteriorating situation.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister says his government has taken on the responsibility as a NATO member to organize the evacuation of some 300 Afghans who have cooperated with the military alliance.

Mateusz Morawiecki said Friday on Facebook that following his talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Poland will be evacuating from Kabul 300 Afghans who in recent years cooperated with NATO. He did not elaborate what that cooperation entailed.

They will be brought to Poland and then on to other NATO countries, which Morawiecki did not name.

Morawiecki said that Poland is taking seriously its obligations within the alliance and that the evacuation was not the last word from Poland in the NATO response to the crisis in Afghanistan. Poland has been a NATO member since 1999.

In three previous flights, Poland has evacuated some 130 Afghans and another 100 are waiting at the Kabul airport, according to Michal Dworczyk, a top aide to Morawiecki. They were first flown on Polish military planes to Uzbekistan and then on national carrier LOT planes to Warsaw.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Swedens Foreign Minister Ann Linde said that her ministry is aware of the great difficulties in getting to the airport and through the gates amid the chaos at the airport in the Afghan capital.

Linde was writing on Twitter on Friday about plans to evacuate Swedes and local hires in Kabul from the country following the Taliban takeover.

All countries are experiencing this problem and we are working on possible solutions at the airport in cooperation with other countries, Linde wrote.

She said her Foreign Ministry had staff at the Kabul airport with resources needed for further evacuation work, and added that transport capacity is available.

Linde stressed that it is important to follow the information and always put safety first.

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MADRID  Spains defense minister says the countrys military transport planes are leaving Kabul partly empty because chaos at the citys airport is preventing Afghans from evacuating.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Friday that one Afghan family taken out by Spain had left behind a daughter they lost in the airport crush.

She told Spanish public radio RNE that an ideal solution would be to set up corridors into the airport, but thats impossible because nobodys in control of the situation.

She said that after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country, the airports air traffic controllers and security staff walked out, rendering it inoperative until U.S. forces took it over.

She said the U.S. has given assurances that its forces wont leave the airport until the last person awaiting evacuation is out.

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WARSAW, Poland  A Polish diplomat says the most difficult thing in evacuating Afghans is finding and extracting them from pressing crowds at the Kabul airport. Poland has so far evacuated a few hundred people in three flights.

Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said Friday that sometimes consulate staff can identify the individuals in the crowd but that it was difficult for them to make their way through to the gate to be pulled into the airport.

There are thousands of totally determined people in the crowd, in extremely difficult conditions pressing on the walls and gates of the airport, Przydacz told reporters.

From this desperate crowd, sometimes understandably aggressive crowd, our people are trying to extract those who are on our list, Przydacz said.

The transport logistics goes very smoothly but the greatest challenge now is how to find these people. Even if we know where they are, and sometimes our consuls can see them 40-50 meters (yards) away, they have no possibility of getting closer, Przydacz said.

These people must first of all, on their own, get as close as they can to the entrance to have not only eye contact but real contact with the consul, because very often these people are simply pulled by the hand, jerked from the crowd with the help of the soldiers, Przydacz said.

A former ambassador to Afghanistan, Piotr Lukasiewicz, has appealed to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on social media to send more evacuation planes to Kabul.

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WASHINGTON  The United States says it evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Kabul via military transport aircraft on Aug. 19.

In a Friday statement, the White House said multiple C-17 flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport evacuated nearly 350 U.S. citizens, as well as family members of U.S. citizens, asylum applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans.

We have evacuated approximately 9,000 people since August 14. Since the end of July, we have evacuated approximately 14,000 people, it said.

It added that in the last 24 hours, the U.S. military facilitated the departure of 11 charter flights, and that those numbers were not included in the other totals.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  The Danish Defense Ministry is urging interpreters who have worked with them and need evacuation from Kabul to urgently make contact.

In a message sent by Twitter Friday, it urged the interpreters to contact an included email address, saying: Urgent  Urgent Contact Danish Authorities NOW.

The tweet ended with We will do our best to assist.

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BERLIN  Germany says a civilian suffered a gunshot wound before being evacuated from Kabul on a German air force plane.

German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Friday that the wounded person was not in a life-threatening condition, but didnt immediately further details about the person or incident.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said Germany is providing 100 million euros in immediate funding for humanitarian aid inside Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

He said the money would exclusively go to aid organizations, particularly UNHCR, and not to the Taliban.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  An Afghan official familiar with talks with the Taliban says the group does not plan to make any decisions or announcements about the upcoming government until after the Aug. 31 U.S. withdrawal date passes.

The official, who is not authorized to give information to the media and thus spoke anonymously, says Taliban lead negotiator Anas Haqqani has told his ex-government interlocuters that the insurgent movement has a deal with the U.S. to do nothing until after the final withdrawal date passes.

He did not elaborate on whether the reference to doing nothing was only in the political field. Haqqanis statement raises concerns about what the religious movement might be planning after Aug. 31, and whether they will keep their promise to include non-Taliban officials in the next government.

Until now the Taliban have said nothing of their plans to replace the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, or what a replacement would look like.

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VATICAN CITY  The Vaticans newspaper is calling on the international community to welcome Afghan civilians fleeing the Taliban, expressing incredulousness that before deciding to abandon the country no one thought through such a foreseeable scenario or did anything to avoid it.

In a front-page article in the Friday edition of LOsservatore Romano, deputy editor Gaetano Vallini said the West was obliged to urgently remedy the situation with concrete action and welcome refugees to avoid a catastrophic humanitarian emergency.

The commentary was an unusually blunt criticism of the U.S., though Washington wasnt singled out by name. After expressing shock at the chaos created by the U.S.-led Western withdrawal, Gallini wrote: It would be even more serious if such a decision was taken with the knowledge of such dramatic consequences.

Pope Francis has expressed alarm at the chaos that has engulfed Afghanistan with the Taliban takeover. During his Sunday blessing, Francis asked for prayers for an end to the violence and for Afghan men, women and children to be able to live in fully reciprocal peace and security.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  Friday prayers were uneventful in the Afghan capital, with no Taliban gunmen seen guarding the entrances of mosques or enforcing dress code restrictions as they have in the past. Some mosques even saw higher numbers than normal in attendance.

The Islamic-fundamentalist Taliban issued guidance to imams around Afghanistan on Thursday, saying they should use the weekly sermons and prayers to appeal for unity, urge people not to flee the country, and to counter negative propaganda about them.

The benefits of state should be explained to all, a commission of Taliban monitoring religious affairs and mosques said in the guidance they circulated.

Kabul resident Jawed Safi was please to see the mosques secure. The Afghan government had previously posted guards at mosques to ward off attackers due to frequent bombings in the past.

People were as normal, as in the past, but there were more of them, Safi said, adding that there were no restrictions so far.

An imam in eastern Kabul, Bashir Wardak, said that Afghans should unite to stop the decadeslong bloodshed. Allah has ordered us to peace and brotherhood so we must get united, he said.

Abdul Boghdi, another imam in northern Kabul, said that people together should collect money to help those displaced.

One attendee, Qasim Ahmadi, saw people wearing jeans attend prayers as usual. There should be no restrictions on us, we are already Muslims, he said. The Taliban should aim for an inclusive government in order to be successful.

Thousand of internally displaced people are living on the streets and in the parks of Kabul, with limited access to drinking water and food. Some reports indicate that their situation has worsened since the Taliban overran the capital, causing donors to shy away.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia  Indonesia has evacuated 26 of its citizens, including 5 diplomats, from Kabul on a special military flight to Jakarta.

Indonesias foreign minister Retno Marsudi said in a tweet that the Friday flight that would land later in the day also carried five Filipinos and two Afghans, including the spouse of an Indonesian national and a local staff member of the Indonesian Embassy.

The Indonesian military aircraft carrying out this mission is now in Islamabad and will proceed to Indonesia soon, Marsudi said.

The ministrys spokesperson, Teuku Faizasyah said the evacuation was planned once the Taliban took control of the capital and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  Life is returning to normal for some Afghans in the capital, although Kabuls normally crowded streets appear empty of their usual traffic congestion.

The Taliban have not imposed any restrictions on people so far, as they prepare for Friday prayers. Having a long beard and wearing traditional hats and clothes were required while the group was ruling the country in the late 90s.

Fewer stores have opened, and few cars could be seen on the streets. Taliban checkpoints have sprung up around the city, searching cars and checking documents. Some Taliban are patrolling in cars as well.

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MADRID  Top European Union officials will visit a Spanish military airport being used as a hub to receive Afghans flown out of Kabul before they are distributed to other countries in the bloc.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Friday that EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel will visit a temporary camp at the Torrejon de Ardoz military airport near Madrid on Saturday.

Albares told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE that Spain is receiving evacuated Afghans who have worked for EU bodies or EU member nations.

The evacuees are expected to spend several days at the camp for health and security screening before moving to reception centers ahead of their journeys to other European countries.

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ISLAMABAD  Pakistans state-run airline has resumed special flights for Kabul, in order to evacuate Pakistanis and foreigners stranded in Afghanistan.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet said Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will send its two planes to the Afghan capital on Friday to evacuate 350 passengers.

Chaudhry says Pakistans interior ministry is also facilitating the evacuation of Pakistanis and foreigners from Afghanistan through border crossings.

The latest development comes days after PIA halted all flights to Kabul to protect passengers, the crew and the planes after consulting the Afghan civil aviation authorities.

Pakistans government has been trying to evacuate its citizens and foreigners by air and land routes since the Taliban took over Kabul.

For this purpose, Pakistan is issuing visas upon arrival to all diplomats, foreigners and journalists who want to leave Kabul over security concerns.

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BERLIN  Germany says it has flown out more than 1,600 people from Kabul this week.

The Defense Ministry on Friday said that the German military has carried out 11 evacuation flights so far, with more planned.

The German government has pledged to help bring all citizens and local Afghan staff who worked for the German military, aid groups or news organizations out of the country.

Senior German officials have also said efforts will be made to help Afghans who are particularly vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban, such as human rights defenders.

But Germanys commanding officer in Kabul, Gen. Jens Arlt, said the evacuation has been hampered by the large number of people outside Kabul airport hoping to get onto planes out of Afghanistan.

___

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  A plane with people who have been evacuated from Afghanistan landed Friday at the Oslo airport in Norway.

Norways Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Norwegian news agency NTB that onboard were citizens from the Scandinavian country, family members to local employees and some other European citizens. Eriksen Soereide didnt give any figures or elaborate.

Among the group were reporters for Norways TV2 and NRK television channels.

The plane arrived from Tbilisi, Georgia.

On Wednesday, a plane with 13 Norwegian citizens, mostly diplomats, arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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CANBERRA, Australia  More than 160 Australian and Afghan citizens have been evacuated from Kabul after a third rescue flight, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.

Morrison said 60 Australians and Afghans who helped Australia during the 20-year war were flown to the United Arab Emirates overnight.

The first Australian flight carrying 94 evacuees touched down in the Australian west coast city of Perth on Friday, he said.

Australia could not evacuate parts of Afghanistan beyond the Kabul airport, he added.

The situation in Kabul does remain chaotic, Morrison said. The government has not commented on media reports that Australia plans to evacuate 600 Australians and Afghans.

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The Associated Press
Workforce Readiness

Idaho Taps AWS to Train Cloud-Ready Workforce

A statewide initiative in Idaho aims to train and certify 2,000 Idahoans in cloud computing over the next two years. The state's STEM Action Center, a government organization tasked with creating opportunities for educators, students, communities and industry to "build a competitive Idaho workforce and economy through STEM and computer science education," has partnered with Amazon Web Services to provide technical training through participating public high schools, community colleges and universities.

AWS' education programs will power course offerings for students both at the high school and higher education level, as well as for adults reskilling or reentering the workforce. For example, the Idaho Division of Career Technical Education is using curricula from AWS in its Web Design & Development and Programming & Software Development Pathways courses, which will be available at the College of Eastern Idaho this fall. And Idaho State University is utilizing AWS education programs within its business technology program, with a new tech certification launching in spring 2022. All of the programs will prepare learners for AWS certifications and other in-demand skills in cloud computing.

Through August 2022, the Idaho STEM Action Center is also providing free training for educators to help them implement AWS cloud-computing education in their classrooms, as well as support to pursue their own AWS certifications.

"Providing innovative professional development opportunities like this to leaders, educators and industry helps Idaho build a more competitive workforce and bolster its economy," said Kaitlin Maguire, executive director for the Idaho STEM Action Center, in a statement. "This collaboration will help enhance the digital literacy of Idaho students and increase the pool of workers certified in cloud computing."

For more information, visit the Idaho STEM Action Center site.
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 20)  Isang has intensified into a tropical storm, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported in its 11 p.m. bulletin.

The state weather bureau said Isang was last located 835 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph.

The weather disturbance - with international name Omais - is moving west northwest at 10 kph.

Despite gaining strength, Isang remains unlikely to have a direct effect and bring heavy rainfall in the country, according to PAGASA.

"Hindi ito makakaapekto sa anumang bahagi ng ating bansa," weather specialist Raymond Ordinario said in an earlier briefing.

[Translation: It is not going to affect the weather condition in any part of the country.]

Hoisting of Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals over any land area in the country is also not expected, PAGASA added.

Isang is forecast to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Sunday afternoon or evening.

Ordinario earlier told CNN Philippines' New Day the monsoon will again start to affect the country, especially the northern part of the Ilocos Region, "in the coming weeks."

At least two cyclones may enter or develop in the PAR in September, he added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the government may consider limiting public transportation to vaccinated people in Metro Manila once half of its population has received its COVID-19 vaccine.

Pag-usapan natin iyan kapag mayroon na po tayong population protection, he said in a briefing. Siguro after this week ay maaabot na ng Metro Manila ang 50% at mayroon na tayong kahit papaanong population protection But point well taken po, he said.

[Translation: Let us discuss that once we have population protection. Maybe after this week Metro Manila will achieve 50% and we already have population protection, but point well taken.]

This was his response to the suggestion of Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion to vaccinate public utility bus drivers and deploy them for fully vaccinated passengers -- forming a transportation bubble.

We are looking at deploying buses for fully-vaccinated passengers to protect them from getting infected by the unvaccinated ones, he said in a statement. With this, our public transportation can actually bridge the gap between homes and workplaces, which will in turn help us create micro-herd immunity through the safety provided by these protective bubbles.

While they appreciate the proposal, it is important to first achieve the 50% target before implementing such a policy, Roque explained.

In the same briefing, the COVID-19 task force deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon said they are confident that NCR will achieve its goal of immunizing 50% of its target population by end-August  with latest data now at 41%.

Metro Manila has an estimated population of 13.4 million.

Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade expressed his gratitude on Concepcions efforts to help the sector, adding that the department is ready to support his initiatives. He also requested for assistance in accessing 40,000 COVID-19 shots for drivers who will be deployed if this will push through.

Earlier, Concepcion also pushed for other policies to allow the fully vaccinated to move around, while still ensuring their safety in a bid to fuel the countrys economic recovery.

To date, around 12.8 million Filipinos are now fully protected from the coronavirus, which is still far from the end goal of inoculating 70 million individuals to achieve herd immunity.
(CNN) -- China's crackdown on private business has taken a new, more intrusive turn with government plans to dictate how live-stream shopping influencers speak and dress.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday outlined proposals for an "industry standard" for live-streamers who market products on online shopping platforms. The rules include details about how hosts on such shows should dress or speak in front of the camera, as well as guidelines for how platforms should allow consumers to provide reviews for hosts or the products that they market. Those reviews should also be made public, the ministry said.

"When the host streams live, his or her clothing and image should not violate public order or good morals," the ministry wrote, adding that "their appearance should also reflect the characteristics of the products or services they are marketing."

The rules are intended to "create a good e-commerce environment for consumers," the ministry said.

The rules also suggest that hosts "speak Mandarin during the streaming" and be "objective and honest" about the products they try to sell.

If hosts display behavior that violates the law, they should be warned or punished by the e-commerce platform  a move that could include restricting their traffic, suspending them or even blacklisting and removing their accounts, the ministry added.

The regulator is seeking public opinion on the rules until September 2.

Stocks in Hong Kong dropped Thursday after the rules were revealed.

Shares in Alibaba, which operates Taobao Live  China's largest live-streaming shopping platform  fell more 5% in Hong Kong, hitting lowest since it listed in November 2019. The tech giant's shares have almost halved since reaching a peak in late October, shortly before an IPO for its financial affiliate, Ant Group, was pulled.

Kuaishou, China's second biggest short-video app and live-streaming e-commerce platform, sank about 7%, also touching its lowest level since listing in February. The stock has plummeted nearly 80% this year.

Since late last year, Beijing has released an onslaught of regulations hitting industries ranging from tech to private tutoring. The government blames the private sector for creating a series of socioeconomic problems that could destabilize the society.

Beijing has signaled the get-tough approach to big business will continue. Top leaders from the ruling Communist Party recently laid out a blueprint for how they plan to increase regulatory oversight on companies over the next five years. Authorities pledged to strengthen rules for the digital economy, online finance and big data.

This story was first published on CNN.com "China now wants to tell influencers how to speak and dress when live-streaming".
(CNN) -- Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the two wealthiest people on this planet, both want to be center stage when NASA returns astronauts to the moon. But NASA only has enough money for one of them, and it went with Musk's SpaceX. That means Bezos' Blue Origin is mad.

Both of the billionaires' space companies are working to develop lunar landers, vehicles capable of making a gentle touch down on the moon's rocky surface.

And the companies gave NASA two wildly different proposals for getting boots on the moon. SpaceX plans to use Starship, a gargantuan rocket and spacecraft system currently in development that Musk hopes will go on to colonize Mars one day. And Blue Origin gave a more straightforward plan to develop a lunar lander much like those used for the mid-20th century NASA Apollo missions, which remain the only missions that have ever put humans on the moon.

The current drama was kicked off when Congress allotted NASA about two billion dollars less than it requested, and the space agency chose to go with only one contractor for its Human Landing System (HLS) at least for the first moon landing the agency has planned.

Blue Origin has been fighting that decision ever since, creating a public and occasionally petty battle between the companies.

Here's what went down, why it matters, and what to expect.

The billionaires, Artemis, & HLS

The United States' approach to exploring outer space is at a turning point. NASA's Artemis Program aims to put two people, including the first woman and person of color, on the moon by 2024. Then the goal is to establish a permanent lunar settlement.

And, as is the case with the Artemis HLS contracts, Artemis is also the stage for a truly spectacular example of the current American zeitgeist  pitting the two richest men in the world against each other and finding out what, if any, new technologies emerge.

Last April, NASA handed out three contracts to SpaceX, Blue Origin and Alabama-based Dynetics, which were intended to kickstart development of their lunar landers and were worth about $100 million to $600 million each. NASA then planned to select up to two companies to get the final contracts.

But, despite months of the agency's lobbying, Congress ultimately gave NASA less than a billion of the $3.2 billion the agency had requested for HLS development.

The drama

When it came time to bid for the NASA contract, Dynetics put up a $9 billion offer and Blue Origin gave a $6 billion bid, both of which were cast aside in favor of SpaceX's $3 billion offer. And, citing budget constraints, NASA announced plans to move forward with SpaceX as its sole HLS partner.

But Blue Origin immediately shot back by filing a protest with the Government Accountability Office, Congress' watchdog and auditing group, arguing that NASA should've revamped the contracting competition after it became clear that it didn't have enough money to fund multiple contracts. And, the protest alleged, NASA gave unfair leeway and, potentially, preferential treatment to SpaceX.

Such protests are far from uncommon in the world of government contracting, and the GAO swiftly denied Blue Origin's claim in July. The GAO said that NASA did not do anything inappropriate during its evaluation of the proposals, and public records from those proceedings reaffirm that NASA considered SpaceX's proposal not only cheaper than the other two, but also the most advanced in terms of the company's technology and program management plans.

Bezos also personally intervened at one point by sending an open letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in which he pledged to waive $2 billion of development cost if it would get Blue Origin's hat back in the ring.

"Without competition, a short time into the contract, NASA will find itself with limited options as it attempts to negotiate missed deadlines, design changes, and cost overruns," Bezos' lettter reads. "Without competition, NASA's short-term and long-term lunar ambitions will be delayed, will ultimately cost more, and won't serve the national interest."

Those pleas went unanswered. Then Blue Origin escalated the standoff again this week by filing a lawsuit in federal claims court.

Meanwhile, the PR offensives began. Blue Origin put out an infographic that attempts to paint SpaceX's plans  which involve using multiple launches to get Starship vehicles and tankers full of fuel into orbit  as an outlandish, straying too far from technology that has already been proven. "Immensely complex and high risk," the infographic's headline blared.

Musk personally shot back on Twitter, posting that if "lobbying & lawyers could get u to orbit, Bezos would be on Pluto [right now.]"

What's next

A federal judge has an October 12 deadline to give Blue Origin an answer on its last-ditch effort to get back in the HLS program.

So far, NASA has said only that it's "reviewing details of the case" and will provide an update on the Artemis Program "soon."

Many space enthusiasts have meanwhile been dragging Bezos and Blue Origin through the mud. Industry onlookers and insiders have warned a baseless lawsuit could slow SpaceX down and ultimately delay the moon landing.

And as others noted, Blue Origin's protests over this contract run counter to comments Bezos himself made in 2019 about how contract protests can hamstring the space industry.

During the Apollo era, Bezos claimed, NASA would hand out contracts without issue. "Today, there would be three protests and the losers would sue the federal government because they didn't win."

"It's become the bigger bottleneck than the technology," Bezos said of NASA's procurement processes. "Which I know for a fact, for all the well-meaning people at NASA, is frustrating."

Many experts already doubt that NASA can put boots on the moon by its 2024 deadline whether or not Blue Origin's protest bid is successful. And there may be larger market forces at work that make a single-source contractor for HLS sensible.

Lori Garver, a former deputy NASA administrator and a key figure in the push for commercial contracting methods at NASA, told CNN Business that she doesn't agree with Blue Origin's argument that handing a sole-source contract to SpaceX makes the HLS program anti-competitive.

"I'm not sure there will be a market for a lunar lander anytime soon," Garver said, adding that NASA is the only obvious customer for such missions at the moment. So, the companies don't even have the lure of a potential commercial market to bolster their competition, she said.

(SpaceX does already have at least one customer who has promised to fork over the money to take Starship on a joy ride around the moon.)

Garver is also confident SpaceX's Starship can succeed, adding "a lot of people bet against Elon and SpaceX  but they usually don't win."

Looking at the big picture, Garver added, the whole Blue Origin vs. SpaceX standoff is a sign of the unusual and exciting times that the space industry is entering.

"You don't have a customer beyond NASA for this service, but we happen to have two billionaires interested in paying for it. And I wouldn't have foreseen that, and I count NASA lucky."

This story was first published on CNN.com "Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are arguing over the moon already. Here's what it all means".
(CNN)  Hong Kong has some of the toughest COVID-19 quarantine rules on the planet, capturing everyone from journalists to Olympic athletes. Not Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, however.

On Thursday, Hong Kong confirmed that the Oscar winner was granted a special exemption from the quarantine rules. Hong Kong newspapers, including the South China Morning Post and The Standard, said Kidman was in the city to film a series for Amazon.

In a statement, the Hong Kong government said "the case in discussion has been granted permission to travel to Hong Kong with a quarantine exemption for the purpose of performing designated professional work." It added that the move was "conducive to maintaining the necessary operation and development of Hong Kong's economy."

The government's press office later told CNN that the person who had been exempted was Kidman.

According to media reports, the star arrived in the city on a private jet from Sydney on August 12. Currently, all arrivals from countries deemed "medium" or "high" risk need to quarantine in a hotel for 14 or 21 days at their own expense. Australia, which is witnessing a rise in Covid-19 infections, is now in the "medium risk" category.

Certain categories of people  including aircraft crew  are sometimes exempted from these rules. In May, Hong Kong also gave some top executives a pass in an attempt to protect business, although HSBC Chairman Mark Tucker reportedly spent three weeks recently in isolation in the city. (HSBC is moving four of its most senior executives from London to Hong Kong this year as part of a broader pivot to Asia.)

Kidman's representatives did not respond to a request for comment. But "The Bombshell" star's production company, Blossom Films, posted an image on Instagram in August 2019 which reads "The Expatriates: Coming soon" with the caption "#TheExpatriates Based on the @NYTimes best-selling novel from author @JaniceYKLee. Coming soon to @AmazonPrimeVideo."

The 2016 novel "The Expatriates" tells the story of three American women living in Hong Kong, according to Lee's official website.

Hong Kong has been toughening its already rigid Covid-19 restrictions this week, causing anxiety among residents and travelers. On Tuesday, the government scrapped a program that shortened quarantine for some incoming arrivals. Previously, vaccinated travelers from specific countries who had qualifying antibody test results could have their hotel quarantine cut to 7 days.

Speaking to media on Tuesday, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologized for those inconvenienced by the change and said it was being done to protect local people.

"So this proves that it is not an exact science to deal with Covid-19, we have to continuously review the situation with the experts and take into account their advice to design our policies," Lam said.

 Jadyn Sham in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Buwan ng Wika started from President Manuel Quezons vision in 1935 to have a common language that would unite all Filipinos. Thus, the Tagalog-based Filipino language was born. Ironically, it instead launched a language war whose effects can still be felt today (while selling our books in Iloilo a few years ago, we were asked by an irate buyer, in Hiligaynon: Why are you talking in Tagalog?). When President Corazon Aquino mandated the use of Filipino as the official medium of communication, the Provincial Board of Cebu urged an ordinance banning Tagalog in schools throughout the province. It also threatened to sue the Department of Education for this imposition.

The theme for Buwan ng Wika 2021 is Filipino at mga Katutubong Wika sa Dekolonisasyon ng Pag-iisip ng mga Pilipino. The theme seems to emphasize  appropriately so, on the 500th anniversary of Spanish colonization of the islands  the importance of translating works in Filipino and the other vernacular languages to one another, and not necessarily to English or other foreign languages. We find this theme progressive, and exciting, and feel that it captures the potential and power of translating womens works in the Philippines.

Heres a short list of Filipino womens works translated by women, that pave the way for more Filipino womens works, hopefully from the indigenous communities and Mindanao, to be translated and published:

In the Name of the Mother: 100 Years of Philippine Feminist Poetry, 1889-1989 / Sa Ngalan ng Ina: Sandaang Taon ng Tulang Feminista sa Pilipinas, 1889-1989 (University of the Philippines Press, 1997) by Lilia Quindoza Santiago

These massive collections are at the top of the canon of Philippine literature, in our book; Quindoza-Santiago presents a historical study and a comprehensive array of Filipino womens poetry in two volumes and three languages (Tagalog, Iloko, and English). It includes four poems by the 19th-century Iloko poet Leona Florentino, whose works were initially translated to Spanish by her son, Isabelo de los Reyes.

Juanita Cruz: A Novel (translated by Ofelia Ledesma Jalandoni, University of the Philippines, 2006) and other works of Magdalena Jalandoni

Magdalena Jalandoni was one of the most prolific writers in the Philippines, having written (according to Dolores Feria) 70 volumes of corridos, poems, translations, and novels. Her 24 completed novels, written in Hiligaynon, were originally serialized in publications like Iwag, Kabuhi sa Banwa, or Ilang-Ilang. Rosario Cruz Lucero provides a lengthy discussion of the importance of Jalandonis writings vis-a-vis translation work in the Philippines in her book, Ang Bayan sa Labas ng Maynila (The Nation Beyond Manila) (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2007).

Ang Inahan ni Mila / Milas Mother (translated by Hope Sabanpan-Yu, National Commission on Culture and the Arts, 2008) and other works by Lina Espina-Moore

Hope Sabanpan-Yu has translated at least three of Espina-Moores novelas cebuana (a novel published as a serial in local Cebuano magazines, often dealing with the universal themes of family, romantic love, life, morals, struggle, and the arts) to counter the hegemonic dominance of American popular literature and build on existing Cebuano literature.

Ano Ngayon, Ricky? / What Now, Ricky? (translated by Soledad S. Reyes, Anvil Publishing, 2013) and other works by Rosario de Guzman-Lingat

Active in the 1960s to the 1970s, Rosario de Guzman-Lingat wrote novels and short stories for popular magazines, scripts for television dramas, essays, and poetry. Reyes, herself a prodigious scholar and critic, has translated at least two other novels by Liwayway magazines star writer.

Dekada 70 / The 70s (translated by Clarisse B. de Jesus, Dekada Publishing, 2018) by Lualhati Bautista

Lualhati Bautistas hugely successful novel has also already been adapted into a musical and film. That it is now available in English, mostly for the descendants of Filipinos who flew to the United States and abroad during the 1970s to escape Martial Law, is a great way to challenge one of the most popular quotes to ever come from the book: Its a mans world!

Isa ka Pungpong nga Rosas / Isang Pumpon ng Rosas (Translated by Genevieve Asenjo, Balay Sugidanon, 2013) by Alice Tan Gonzales

A Hiligaynon tale or sugilanon. Asenjo provides additional research and context in her paper, Ang Kasarian at Rehiyon sa mga Sugilanon ni Alice Tan Gonzales.

Latay sa Laman by Melinda L. Babaran

The former migrant workers award-winning essay on her perilous relationship with her father has been translated as Scourge on the Flesh by Faye Cura in Pa-Liwanag (2020) and as Welts by Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz in Tingle: Anthology of Pinay Lesbian Writing (2021).

Kali: Voice of Cordillera Women by the Cordillera Womens Education Action Research, Inc.

A literary journal or anthology of songs, poems, and stories that the CWEARC releases every few years in Baguio City. The journal documents Cordillera songs in Kankanaey and other indigenous languages as well as their translations in English.

We also mention important works in Filipino that have been translated to English such as Lualhati Milan Abreus memoir, Agaw-Dilim/Agaw-Liwanag (UP Press, 2010), translated by Bonifacio P. Ilagan as Dusking/Dawning in 2018; and Luna Sicat-Cletos novel Makinilyang Altar (UP Press, 2002), translated by Marne Kilates as Typewriter Altar in 2016.

Works by foreign feminists have likewise been translated to Filipino such as Eve Enslers play The Vagina Monologues (by Glecy Atienza, Joi Barrios, and Luna Sicat-Cleto for New Voice Company) and Liv Stromquists comic Fruit of Knowledge: The Vulva vs. the Patriarchy (translated by Beverly Wico Siy as Puki-Usap for Pride Press, 2018). Southern Voices Printing Press is set to publish a translation in Filipino of Louisa May Alcotts Little Women. Meanwhile, Nikki Luna and Julienne Dadivas picture book, I Love My Body (Power in Her Story, 2019) was published in French by Bayard Jeunesse for World Childrens Day in 2020.

We might as well also mention local collections of poetry that appear in three languages, where there is always some degree of translation taking place: Maningning Miclats Voice from the Underworld (Anvil Publishing, 2000; English, Filipino, Chinese) and Marra PL Lanots Witchs Dance at Iba Pang Tula sa Filipino at Espanol (Anvil Publishing, 2000). Floraime Oliveros Pantaletas chapbook entitled desconocimiento / ilang mga hindi pagkilala, a collection of figurative forms in different blends of Chavacano, Filipino, English, and Cebuano, is a contemporary piece that follows this tradition as it breaks away from it.

According to LitHub, Women in Translation Month began in 2014 on the initiative of American book blogger Meytal Radzinski who pointed out that the relative dearth of translated literature by women in English-language markets is a problem rooted in the biases of both (predominantly male) translators and publishers. In the Philippines, the translation of womens works is picking up, thanks to the efforts of mainstream publishers to bring local works out there and foreign works here. The National Book Development Board has recently launched a program supporting the translation of local works. Women-run small presses such as Gantala Press also actively contribute to the growing body of Filipino womens writings in translation, publishing books such as Aida F. Santos collected poems in English and Filipino (2019); My Mother is More Than a Comfort Woman (2021; English, Filipino, Japanese); and Let the River Flow Free: Women Defenders of the Cordillera (forthcoming; English, Filipino, German).

As we have realized working on Pa-Liwanag, There is no lack of women translators in the Philippines. Any woman writer can and does translate her own works from the vernacular to English or other Philippine languages. What book industry workers should focus on is seeking womens writings to translate and publish.

Additional references: The Long Stag Party by Dolores Feria, The Controversy About the National Language: Some Observations by Joseph Baumgartner, BookTrek blog, Ateneo Library of Womens Writings website.

***

Visit the Gantala Press Facebook page here.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20) The country added over a million COVID-19 vaccine doses to its supply with new shipments from AstraZeneca and Sinopharm on Friday.

The plane with 739,200 Sinopharm vials is the first shipment of the one million-dose donation by the Chinese government. The rest will be delivered on Saturday.

President Rodrigo Duterte welcomed the arrival of the donated vaccines via teleconference  where he thanked China and its president Xi Jinping for the continued assistance amid the pandemic.

"My deepest gratitude goes to China for the various COVID-19 assistance extended in the past including the donation of vital medical supplies and equipment and the provision to technical support of COVID-19 response," Duterte said.

Towards the end of his speech, Duterte  addressing the East Asian giant  said the Philippines will "stay neutral and remain true to what we have guaranteed China" during his term.

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian said nearly 10 million doses of China's vaccines are scheduled to arrive in the country this month.

AstraZeneca for LGUs, private sector

Earlier in the day, a shipment of 582,500 AstraZeneca doses procured by local government units and the private sector also arrived.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos said 80% of the doses will be distributed to 39 LGUs while 20% will go to businesses.

Over 41% of Metro Manila's target population has already been fully vaccinated, National Task Force Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon said on Thursday.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  The Commission on Elections laid out strict health protocols for the filing of candidacies in October for the 2022 general election.

Despite limited movement arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, Comelec said it will still require the physical filing of certificates of candidacies or COCs on October 1-8 for those seeking elective posts.

Comelec offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Under Comelec Resolution 10717 issued Wednesday, those filing their COCs at the Comelec main office in Manila  namely for president, vice president, senator, party-list, and their representatives  must present a negative antigen or RT-PCR test taken 24 hours before the day of filing.

Comelec personnel facing the applicants, political or sectoral party officials, as well as media representatives covering the event, are also required to present negative tests. Testing services will be offered onsite for free to aspirants who do not intend to spend for or cannot afford antigen testing, Comelec employees, and military and police deployed to secure the area.

The May 9 election is the first to be held in the middle of a pandemic.

READ: Comelec releases calendar for 2022 elections

Crowds of supporters are not expected to form outside the Comelec had office at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila or in any other Comelec offices. Based on the rules published online on Friday, a national candidate can only bring three people with them for the event. A party-list group can only send one official plus one escort, while all other elective officials may bring two people with them at the receiving office.

Onsite, candidates must wear surgical or medical-grade masks. Those only wearing cloth or valved masks will not be allowed entry, as well as people exhibiting flu-like symptoms or with a high body temperature. An authorized representative may file the COC on their behalf.

RELATED: DOH recommends use of surgical mask amid spike in COVID-19 cases

The in-person filing of COCs will be considered an essential activity, which will allow aspiring political candidates to head out of their homes as authorized persons outside residence or APOR if their area is under enhanced community quarantine or modified ECQ.

Comelec marshals are tasked to implement physical distancing at the receiving offices.

Prior to the COC filing period, Comelec said it is allowing political parties to hold conventions to choose their official candidates for next years elections between September 1-28. By Sept. 30, parties must submit a list of authorized signatories with specimen signatures to the poll body.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20) Thirteen more Filipinos were able to leave Afghanistan and are now awaiting repatriation from the United Kingdom, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday.

"The department confirms that an additional 13 Filipinos were able to exit Afghanistan for the UK, bringing the number up to 18 that are in the UK. The Philippine Embassy in London is facilitating their return to the Philippines at the soonest possible time," the DFA said in its latest advisory.

The agency also thanked Indonesia for helping five Filipinos who sought shelter in its embassy in Kabul, and who were also accommodated on an Indonesian military flight.

Meanwhile, the DFA advised the remaining Filipinos in Afghanistan to "be prepared to depart" at a moment's notice.

The Philippine government has ordered the mandatory evacuation of Filipinos in the south-central Asian nation after Taliban militants seized control of its capital city.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  A young Filipino nurse and entrepreneur in United Arab Emirates was named one of the top 100 healthcare leaders in the world.

Dan Lester Dabon, 32, is the youngest and the only Filipino recipient of the 2020-2021 Top 100 Healthcare Leaders Award by the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare. The forum is one of the world's top healthcare conferences exploring the latest innovations in the industry. The awarding ceremony was recently held in Las Vegas.

"This is an achievement because I got to represent my advocacy in the global platform," Dabon told CNN Philippines' New Day on Friday.

Dabon is a risk officer in a leading medical facility in Abu Dhabi and runs his own healthcare consultancy firm established in 2019 in Davao City.

As a risk officer, Dabon helps develop proactive plans and programs to mitigate, if not eliminate, safety and patient problems.

He earned his nursing degree from Brokenshire College in Davao City in 2010 and his master's degree in healthcare management from the SBS Swiss Business School in UAE in 2018.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  Health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon urged the government to increase the country's herd immunity target to at least 80% and "recalibrate" its vaccine choices to protect more Filipinos against the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Leachon, a former government task force adviser, told CNN Philippines' The Source on Friday that the threat of Delta variant should now prompt the government to raise its current target of 70% herd immunity and 50% population protection.

"Magbabago ngayon ang dynamics natin dito sa Pilipinas kasi ang projection na population protection na 50%, 'yan ay pineg na iba 'yung variant bago dumating ang Delta. Baka dapat 60% ang people protection mo, tapos ang herd immunity natin ay dapat 80%," he explained.

[Translation: The dynamics will now change here in the Philippines because the projected population protection of 50% was pegged based on other variants before Delta came in. Maybe we should raise this to 60% and the herd immunity must now be 80%.]

Population protection refers to a substantial proportion of a population that's immune to a specific disease. In the fight against COVID-19, the government prioritizes nine highly dense areas: Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao  collectively known as NCR+8.

The government aims to achieve herd immunity by yearend. This means a significant portion of the country's 109 million population should be fully vaccinated to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Leachon also said the government should stock up on other vaccine brands since more than 50% of the country's inventory comprises Sinovac doses from China.

"Dapat forward-looking tayo because na-delay na tayo doon sa pag-order before eh," he added. "Dapat the vaccine expert panel, the Department of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration should be thinking of two things: Plan for the booster dose just in case...your stocks are not available for the Delta variant-sensitive vaccines...and then 'yung mix and match kailangan pag-isipan na nila ito para sa ganoon kung mabitin tayo sa supply, they will be able to find a substitute."

[Translation: We should be forward-looking because we were delayed in placing orders before. The vaccine expert panel, the Department of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration should be thinking of two things: Plan for the booster dose just in case...your stocks are not available for the Delta variant-sensitive vaccines...and then plan the mixing and matching so that when the supply is not enough, we will be able to find a substitute.]

As of Aug. 20, more than 46 million vaccines arrived in the country, with 29 million doses administered. The country recorded 14,895 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. The highest number of single-day infections ever recorded was 15,310 on April 2.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  A health reform advocate warned Friday that the government's decision to ease Metro Manila's community quarantine classification after a two-week lockdown could mean lost gains and more risks from the Delta variant that is driving up COVID-19 cases in the country.

Dr. Tony Leachon, also a former government coronavirus task force adviser, told CNN Philippines' The Source that it is "counterintuitive" to shift to a more relaxed quarantine status while the country is still hitting over 14,000 new COVID-19 cases daily. He was referring to the decision to ease restrictions in Metro Manila from the strictest enhanced community quarantine to a more relaxed modified enhanced community quarantine from Aug. 21 to 31.

"We might be suffering the consequences of that wrong decision, because the fundamental principle in slowing down the virus is basically a tighter quarantine," Leachon said Friday.

"Nakakatakot siya na ma-open mo sa MECQ and lose lives and maoverwhelm yung healthcare system. Natatakot ako doon kasi highly transmissible yung virus eh," he added

[Translation: It's worrisome to ease to MECQ, lose lives and overwhelm the healthcare system. I'm afraid of that because the virus is highly transmissible.]

He said the ECQ should have been extended by another two weeks. He said if cash aid is the problem, it would have been easy to adjust the budget.

President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to place Metro Manila under MECQ until the end of the month, while Bataan will be under MECQ starting Aug. 23.

Under MECQ, indoor and al fresco dining and personal care services are still prohibited. Religious gatherings shall also remain strictly virtual.

READ: NCR, Laguna shift to MECQ from Aug. 21 to 31

OCTA Research Group said the fruits of the two-week ECQ could still be continued, but the ongoing spikes in Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, and parts of Batangas must be immediately addressed. Testing must also be increased to up to 100,000 COVID-19 tests per day.

RELATED: MECQ in Metro Manila could work, but tame spikes in nearby provinces  OCTA
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  Two areas in Metro Manila will open COVID-19 vaccination services to nonresidents and those not working in their localities as long as they book an appointment.

Mandaluyong City on Friday announced that those who want to get vaccinated can register via MandaVax. They need to wait for a schedule and bring valid identification cards during their appointment.

Pateros Mayor Miguel Ponce III on Thursday said the municipality is also opening its services after 80% of its target population have received their first dose. They are set to release the booking guidelines within the week.

He said they are working with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, which will validate the registration, to prevent incidents of vaccine jumpers or those who illegally get their third or booster shot in a different locality.

"Meron tayong issue na ang iba ay naka-full dose na sa ibang bayan pero lilipat ng kabilang bayan para magpa-third dose na bawal po," he said in a Facebook Live.

[Translation: There was an issue where those who received their full dose go to a different city to get their third dose, which is not allowed.]

Over 41% of Metro Manilas target population has already been fully vaccinated, NTF Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon said on Thursday.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  The curfew hours of 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. in Metro Manila will stay as the region slightly eases restrictions beginning Saturday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority announced on Friday.

Exercising outdoors while wearing face masks will be allowed from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Metro Manila, which is currently under a hard lockdown, will ease to modified enhanced community quarantine on August 21 to 31.

RELATED: NCR, Laguna shift to MECQ from Aug. 21 to 31

Indoor and al fresco or outdoor dining, as well as personal care services such as beauty parlors, barbershops, and nail spas are still prohibited. Religious gatherings is still strictly virtual.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  The slightly relaxed lockdown in Metro Manila could still be effective in bringing down new COVID-19 infections, but spikes in nearby provinces should be addressed immediately, OCTA Research said on Friday.

Metro Manila will ease from a hard lockdown to modified enhanced community quarantine from Aug. 21 to 31 despite the surge in coronavirus cases and the threat of the highly contagious Delta variant. Under MECQ, indoor and al fresco dining and personal care services are still prohibited. Religious gatherings shall also remain strictly virtual.

OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David said the fruits of the two-week ECQ could still be continued despite the slightly relaxed community quarantine restrictions.

"Theory is one thing, but actual numbers would be a different thing, so let's hope that we'll be able to hold it at the current pace," he told CNN Philippines.

To be able to effectively bring down cases in Metro Manila, the ongoing spikes in Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, and parts of Batangas should be stopped. David also specifically raised the alarm on the significant increase in cases in Cavite.

"We hope that we can control this soon because this will affect how the trend in Metro Manila will be in the future even if we control the cases in Metro Manila, but if cases are still rising in neighboring regions, it will be a challenge for us," he said.

David also said testing should be increased by two-fold or up to 100,000 COVID-19 tests daily to improve the country's positivity rate, which is currently over 20% when the ideal is 10%.

But for infectious diseases expert Dr. Benjamin Co, the ECQ should have been extended at least until the end of August, since the number of infections will surely continue to rise because of the Delta variant.

"I don't think that there should be a middle ground. It's either you are in a lockdown or you are not in a lockdown," Co said.

"There will be dire consequences because what will happen if you are in MECQ, the cases will still continue to rise and then the conditions are almost the same as ECQ. It's something that is really not going to end up well as we see the numbers surge," he added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  Public officials owe it to the people to respond to the findings of the Commission on Audit as part of their mandate, Vice President Leni Robredo reminded on Friday.

In a video message, Robredo reminded government agencies not to take state audit reports the wrong way especially since they are given the opportunity to explain their side to make processes more transparent.

"Hindi natin dapat minamasama yung mga reports na to. In fact, binibigyan pa nga tayo ng opportunity na sumagot, na magpaliwanag, na maging mas transparent sa systems and processes natin," Robredo said, noting that COA is only doing its job to ensure that no public funds are misused.

[Translation: We should not take these reports the wrong way. In fact, we are being given the opportunity to answer, explain, and to make the systems and processes more transparent.]

"So when these reports and audits comewe must respond. Kasi we owe it hindi lang sa COA, pero mas importante, sa taumbayan (we owe it not just to COA, but more importantly, to the people)," she added.

Robredo also encouraged state auditors to keep up the good work, as they can also be seen as allies towards good governance.

"Kaisa ako sa pag-encourage sa ating auditors na ipagpatuloy ang mabuting trabaho, kasabay ang paalala na may dahilan kung bakit may mga proseso tayong sinusunodat katuwang natin ang COA para maipatupad yung tunay na mabuting pamamahala," she said.

[Translation: I am one with the people in encouraging our state auditors to keep up the good work, with the reminder that there is a reason why certain processes must be followed  and COA is an ally towards achieving good governance.]

The COA has recently pointed out budget deficiencies in the Health Department, the Education Department, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Philippine Ports Authority, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, among others.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night castigated COA for publishing audit reports, noting that these would "condemn the agency or person that you are flagging." However, the agency maintained that due process has to be followed and the release of audit reports in their website is required by the law.

READ: Duterte hits COA on DOH audit report, defends health agency on deficiencies over COVID-19 funds
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  The proposed "bubble" for vaccinated people will boost the country's economic activity while lessening the tendency to revert to stricter lockdowns, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said Friday.

Concepcion told CNN Philippines' The Source that his proposed transportation bubble exclusively for vaccinated individuals in Metro Manila will primarily protect those who are not inoculated against the coronavirus. He stressed that such system may also pave the way for greater mobility among the fully inoculated ones that could boost consumer spending.

"Basically, 50% (of the population) was our target. Most of the LGUs in NCR  let me be clear, the proposal is only for NCR  are approaching close to 50%," Concepcion said. "And once that happens, the fully vaccinated people only will be allowed to enter malls, restaurants, spas etc. And why is that so? Its very clear that what we have to protect are the unvaccinated people."

He added that such system "will allow the economy to open up safely without lockdowns." He said certain buses for example may be designated for the vaccinated and unvaccinated so there would be less risks of transmission when moving from their places of residence to their workplaces or other areas.

Concepcion said this system can be implemented until 90% of Metro Manila residents have completed their doses.

"I believe this is the way forward to avoiding already lockdowns in the future. We are not the first country to implement (a system) such as this. Singapore, Indonesia and many other countries have started to move in this direction to allow greater mobility for the vaccinated," he said.

Malacanang recently said it is open to such proposal once Metro Manila achieves a population protection of 50%. Vince Dizon, COVID-19 task force's deputy chief implementer, said officials are confident that NCR will achieve its goal of immunizing 50% of its target population by end-August  with latest data now at 41%.

READ: Palace: Transportation bubble in NCR possible once 50% of population vaccinated

Concepcion added that Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has so far expressed optimism about his proposal, but the latter is still appealing for additional vaccines for public utility vehicle drivers.

Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergerie acknowledged such recommendation, but noted that policies must be "non-discriminatory" until majority of Filipinos have received their COVID-19 shots.

"We value the recommendations from the private sector and always consider their proposals. However, policies should be non-discriminatory at this point since we still have to vaccinate a large portion of our population," Vergeire said.

"Remember, we are vaccinating as many Filipinos as possible and continuously implementing the minimum public health standards in order to save lives and also protect those who are not yet vaccinated," she added.

As of August 18, more than 12 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
(CNN)  A suspect who claimed to have an explosive device in a truck near the US Capitol has surrendered to authorities and is in custody, US Capitol Police said Thursday.

Police have identified the suspect as 49-year-old Floyd Ray Roseberry. The incident prompted multiple buildings in the area to be evacuated Thursday as authorities responded to an "active bomb threat investigation," the USCP wrote on Twitter.

Roseberry had been live-streaming from the scene, USCP Chief Tom Manger said. A roughly half-hour Facebook video showed him inside a truck, holding a cannister that he said was a bomb and speaking about a "revolution." The video and Roseberry's Facebook profile have since been removed.

Manger told reporters later Thursday that authorities couldn't yet identify a motive.

Manger, who said that so far there is "no indication" Roseberry was acting with others, added that the area remains an active crime scene, as officials still have to search the truck to make sure it's safe.

On Roseberry's now-removed Facebook page, he frequently made pro-Trump posts and posted videos from former President Donald Trump's "Million MAGA March" on November 14.

In video posted Thursday, Roseberry called himself a "patriot." He said he doesn't care if Trump ever becomes president again but also that he thinks "all Democrats need to step down."

Multiple buildings evacuated

Roseberry drove a black pickup truck onto the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress at 9:15 a.m. ET, claiming he had a bomb and displayed what looked like a detonator to the officer on the scene, according to the chief.

Negotiators were in communication with Roseberry and were trying to come to a "resolution," Manger told reporters at a press conference earlier Thursday near the Capitol.

The pickup truck Roseberry drove to the scene does not have license plates, sources told CNN.

Two Library of Congress buildings -- the Jefferson and the Madison -- and the Cannon House Office Building were evacuated earlier Thursday due to a suspicious vehicle in the vicinity, according to alerts sent to staffers viewed by CNN.

Staffers in the Madison and Jefferson buildings on Thursday were alerted by email to remain calm and relocate -- and not to exit toward First Street. Those in Cannon were advised to relocate to the Longworth House Office Building using the Capitol's underground tunnels.

The Senate and House are not in session, and most lawmakers are not currently in their offices.

The Supreme Court was also evacuated on the recommendation of US Capitol Police, according to a spokesperson for the court, which is closed to the public because of Covid-19.

The FBI said in a statement that its Washington field office's National Capital Response Squad was responding to the incident. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was also responding, the agency said on Twitter.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi thanked the officials who responded to the incident in a statement later Thursday, writing: "The immense gratitude of the Congress is with all law enforcement officers who today and all days sacrifice to keep the Capitol Complex and those within it safe."

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the bomb threat on Capitol Hill, according to a White House official, who said the President "is receiving regular updates from law enforcement" on the matter.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Police identify suspect who surrendered after claiming to have a bomb near US Capitol."
(CNN)  US President Joe Biden on Friday tried to put an optimistic face on the chaotic evacuations taking place at Kabul's airport as American forces scramble to remove US citizens and vulnerable Afghans from the country.

In remarks at the White House, Biden gave an overview on evacuation effort and recounted the efforts of US troops in the evacuation over the last several days. While reports from the ground indicate that the scenes outside Hamid Karzai International Airport are growing increasingly desperate, Biden said the US is pulling off one of the most difficult airlifts in history.

"Let me be clear: any American who wants to come home, we will get you home," Biden said.

"I cannot promise what the final outcome will be ... or that it will be without risk of loss," Biden added. "But as commander in chief, I can promise you I will mobilize every resource necessary, and as an American, I offer my gratitude to the brave men and women of the US armed forces who are carrying out this mission. They're incredible."

The President's speech focused on the evacuation of American citizens and their families, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families and vulnerable Afghans, the White House says.

Prior to his remarks, the President and Vice President Kamala Harris met with their national security team in the Situation Room to hear intelligence, security and diplomatic updates on the situation in Afghanistan, according to the White House.

According to his public schedule, Biden was set to travel to Wilmington, Delaware, after the speech but the White House announced Friday morning that he would no longer be traveling and is set to remain in Washington. Biden decided to stay in Washington to monitor the evacuation operation underway in Afghanistan, an administration official tells CNN, the latest in a series of decisions made to interrupt his August vacation. The President was scheduled to join first lady Jill Biden for a weekend at their home in Wilmington, where he had originally planned to spend much of the week. But the events on the ground in Afghanistan led him to change his plans once again, the official said.

The President spent last weekend and several days earlier this week at Camp David in Maryland, returning briefly to Washington on Monday for a speech on Afghanistan before spending another day at the presidential retreat.

Afghans in Kabul are battling massive crowds and violence to make it to the airport gates, and have to wait hours to enter once they've arrived.

Tents are needed for the thousands of Afghans standing out in the blazing sun for hours at Kabul airport, CNN's Clarissa Ward reports. Mothers of children are particularly struggling in the sweltering heat. CNN has met people at the airport who have been waiting there for two days

The US Embassy warned Friday morning of continuing safety concerns over getting to the Kabul airport, and said that -- due to large crowds and security worries -- "gates may open or close without notice."

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield told CNN Friday that the White House does not have a precise number of Americans who are still in Afghanistan, saying the administration is still trying to account for Americans who may have left the country prior to August 14 without notifying the US embassy.

Bedingfield was short on answers when repeatedly pressed by CNN's Brianna Keilar on what concrete steps the administration was taking to reduce the chaos, referring logistics questions to the Defense Department.

"Those are on the ground logistical questions that the Department of Defense is better equipped to handle but what I can tell you is the President is driving his team towards this," she said. "We are working every day to do everything we can to ensure that we're able to get more people into the airport in an orderly manner. Of course the images that we're seeing are heartbreaking."

The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military had increased the pace of evacuations. The US evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, and approximately 14,000 people since end of July, according to a White House official.

Biden, who met with senior staff in the Situation Room on Wednesday, made clear he wants every flight leaving the airport filled to capacity. An official cautioned that, given the chaotic nature of the evacuation, the presidential directive doesn't always mean it will happen for every flight.

The US military hopes to move 5,000 to 9,000 people a day, but they have not been able to meet that goal since the evacuation process started.

Biden suggested in an ABC interview this week that he's willing to keep US forces in Afghanistan until all American citizens who want to leave are out of the country, but stopped short of making the same commitment to the United States' Afghan partners.

The President said Americans should expect for all US citizens in Afghanistan to be evacuated by August 31, the deadline the administration has set for ending the nation's longest war.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Biden promises to get 'any American who wants to come home' out of Afghanistan."
Hart said he does send coroner reports to the DHHS as it is part of his duties as coroner. However, this agreement is different, he added, as it is voluntary.

Ive always done it, Hart said.  This ensures that they will use the information only for this specified purpose. It imposes an obligation on them.

Hart said the data will be sent over electronically with help from the IT Department to ensure the reports get to DHHS securely.

Also during Tuesday's Platte County Board meeting, Gilmore & Associates President Dave Gilmore asked supervisors to approve the preliminary plat for Eagleview 2nd Subdivision. Gilmore  who was representing CMR Holdings, the owner and developer of the subdivision  said the City of Columbus had previously OKd the preliminary plat during a city council meeting last month.

The Board ultimately approved the Eagleview 2nd Subdivision. The addition will consist of 14 residential lots north of 53rd Street and east of 33rd Avenue. One lot will be a dedicated accessway to the subdivision.

An Eagleview property stormwater treatment and detention facility will also be built as part of the project. The facility will have a devoted drainage easement from the subdivision.

Platte County Highway Department Administrative Assistant Jane Cromwell said Gilmore & Associates provided her office copies of the plats and permits and found no objection with them.

Andrew Kiser is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at andrew.kiser@lee.net.

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Lingenfelter said he knew the department would need leadership while the City of Columbus looks to fill the fire chief position.

We knew we needed someone to step up, he said.

Lingenfelter said he took the interim role as long as the other lieutenants, Nathan Jones and Eric Kluever, could be involved. He added he believes it is difficult for him alone to be the fire chief on top of his duties as a lieutenant.

Thats a lot to put on one person so its kind of nice because we divvy up the responsibilities with the other two lieutenants, Lingenfelter said. So then we could have a single voice at City Hall or city council or to the mayor. Doing it as a team approach has been amazing.

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The position is currently posted but there is not a timetable of when a permanent one will be named, Bulkley added.

When we get a handful of good candidates, we will start the interview process, he said.

During Millers tenure, the City built a new fire station, 4630 Howard Blvd. The facility  which was funded by half of a $16-million bond passed in May 2018  holds a large bay area and more room and storage. The increased space gives staff the ability to maneuver vehicles in and out of the fire station more easily.
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Cumberland County to add names of Civil War veterans to Soldiers' Monument

Submitted Five names of veterans from Cumberland County who fought in the U.S. Civil War will be added to the countys Soldiers Monument on the Square in Carlisle.

Five names of veterans from Cumberland County who fought in the U.S. Civil War will be added to the countys Soldiers' Monument on the Square in Carlisle.

The county commissioners on Thursday voted to approve the modification of the county monument, and to accept a donation from the Cumberland County Historical Society to pay for the work.

The additions come on the 150th anniversary of the monument being dedicated in 1871.

County staff have been working with the historical society and local history author Randy Watts to identify Civil War soldiers from the county who were not on the monument when it was first erected, county Chief Clerk Stacy Snyder said.

Tour Through Time: Grassroots effort was behind Soldiers' Monument on The Square A call to action in 1867 led to a four-year grassroots effort to raise money for the Soldiers Monument on the Square in Carlisle.

The monument was originally constructed through a grassroots campaign featuring local fairs and fundraising events in the years following the war, according to research from the historical society.

The historical society will pay the cost of producing and installing the five additional placards to the monument; the maximum cost is estimated at $1,500.

The county also added in a press release that verification of a sixth solider is nearing completion.

The five soldiers to be added all served with the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which was mustered by the federal government and was one of the first to consist predominantly of Black troops, according to the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Community Voices: Look back as we move ahead Korean War Veteran Lester Sipes right hand visibly shook as he maintained his salute during Taps at the Veterans Memorial near the Newville Fountain on Memorial Day 2021. Meanwhile, the toddler son of another Newville veteran played nearby in his wagon. Sipe risked his life alongside fellow soldiers who sacrificed theirs so that this toddler could play, free and blissfully unaware of that cost.

The unit is best known for the bloody assault on Fort Wagner, located on Morris Island in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, according to the National Park Service. Approximately 280 of the formations 600 men were killed, wounded, captured, or missing and presumed dead during the ultimately unsuccessful assault on July 18, 1863.

The five men whose names will be added to the monument are:
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Mastriano last month sent letters to Philadelphia and York and Tioga counties with a sweeping request for access to documents, information and equipment, under threat of a subpoena.

However, Corman said Mastriano issued those letters without getting approval from the Republican caucus and scared off the counties, which refused to cooperate.

Mastriano had feuded with Senate GOP leadership over legalities and logistics, such as issuing subpoenas to counties, imposing costs on counties to comply, financing the enterprise with private money, and finding appropriate contractors to carry out the work, Senate Republican officials said.

To me, hes not really interested in results, hes interested in grandstanding, and this is too important of an issue," Corman said in an interview Friday. "I want someone who wants to get results.

Corman said he asked Sen. Cris Dush, R-Bradford, to take over the caucus' election integrity venture. The details have yet to be worked out, Corman said, but he did not rule out issuing subpoenas to counties or carrying out an Arizona-style audit.

Dush has been aligned with Mastriano, questioning the legitimacy of Biden's victory and advocating for an Arizona-style election audit in Pennsylvania.
Five names of veterans from Cumberland County who fought in the U.S. Civil War will be added to the countys Soldiers' Monument on the Square in Carlisle.

The county commissioners on Thursday voted to approve the modification of the county monument, and to accept a donation from the Cumberland County Historical Society to pay for the work.

The additions come on the 150th anniversary of the monument being dedicated in 1871.

County staff have been working with the historical society and local history author Randy Watts to identify Civil War soldiers from the county who were not on the monument when it was first erected, county Chief Clerk Stacy Snyder said.

The monument was originally constructed through a grassroots campaign featuring local fairs and fundraising events in the years following the war, according to research from the historical society.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

The historical society will pay the cost of producing and installing the five additional placards to the monument; the maximum cost is estimated at $1,500.

The county also added in a press release that verification of a sixth solider is nearing completion.
One of the major decisions that must be made during pre-planning or at the time of death is traditional burial or cremation. The choice of cremation has been trending in recent years. During COVID, however, Hoffman Funeral Home has experienced an increase in burials.

Most people who choose cremation want to have their ashes buried or placed in a columbarium. Scattering the ashes in a favorite place is another common custom. A variety of non-traditional options also exist, including using the ashes to create jewelry, art or pottery; to grow a tree or coral reef; as part of a tattoo; or even launching some of the ashes into space.

In some states, a family is required to identify the body at the crematory; but that is not the case in Pennsylvania. It is a requirement, however, that a crematory hold a body for at least 24 hours prior to cremation taking place. Some funeral homes, such as Hoffman, provide crematory services onsite.

With cremation, an individual can still choose to have embalming, a viewing and a funeral service. After a traditional funeral, a significant number of people may visit the cemetery for the burial of a casket, but burial of ashes at a cemetery is more likely to involve only family.
THE FACTS: The photo is fake. It was based on an old photo, and the chains were digitally added. Photographer Murat Duzyol told The Associated Press he took the original photo in Erbil, Iraq, in February 2003. Tweets sharing the altered photo were among several misleading social media posts that began to emerge after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on Sunday. Twitter users posted the manipulated photo and suggested that it showed women in Afghanistan walking behind a man. In the edited photo, chains were digitally added onto the ankles of the women, with the man holding the chain. There was no chain in the original photo. Also, it was taken in Iraq, not Afghanistan. #AfghanWomen. God protect women and children because an institution like the United Nations has become impotent, said a Twitter user who tweeted the altered photo. Over the years, the photo has been misrepresented and posted multiple times. One blog falsely stated the photo was taken in Afghanistan and said it showed an example of women walking about five paces behind their husbands. Duzyol, who lives in Istanbul, told AP he took the photo in 2003. Around that time, he often visited Iraq and took photos. The day the photo was taken, there was a ceremony commemorating Iraqi civilians who were killed in the city of Erbil, he said. As people were returning to their homes after the ceremony, such a composition randomly appeared on the street. Its a completely instant snapshot and completely natural, Duzyol explained in an email. The women obviously knew each other, but Im not sure they knew the man. Many fear the Taliban will reimpose a strict interpretation of Islamic law that was practiced when they ran Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. At the time, women were barred from attending school and having jobs outside the home. They had to wear burqas and be accompanied by a male relative when they were in public. After taking over, the Taliban said they promise to honor womens rights within the norms of Islamic law, but many Afghans are skeptical.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  A Polish refugee rights group said Friday that 32 people who fled Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover have been trapped for 12 days in an area between Poland and Belarus, caught in a standoff between the two neighbors.

The group, Fundacja Ocalenie, called on Polish authorities to allow the people to apply for refugee status in Poland, saying they have the right to do so. Polish authorities are refusing to let them in, and Belarusian border guards will not let them return.

In accordance with the law ... each of these people should be allowed to submit an application for protection, Piotr Bystrianin, the president of the group's management board, said in a statement.

Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of sending migrants across their borders with his country in what they have called an act of hybrid war. Their borders also form part of the European Union's external border, and the countries believe Lukashenko is acting in revenge for sanctions the EU imposed over his disputed reelection and crackdown on dissent.
Ruble said that contact tracing will continue and the district will be flowing the CDC's most up-to-date guidelines on quarantining.

According to the CDC, quarantining is required for anyone who has been in close contact  within six feet of someone for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period  with someone who has COVID-19, unless they have been fully vaccinated.

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The guideline goes on to say that people who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID unless they have symptoms. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested three to five days after their exposure, even if they dont have symptoms. They should also wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.

With the guidance that the school district has received, Ruble said it would be considered beneficial for students to be vaccinated, so they won't have to quarantine.

We cannot and will not require the vaccine, he said.

Under HIPPA regulations, an employer can ask an employee if they are vaccinated, but the employee is not required to provide the information. So, while Ruble does not know the exact percentage of district staff members who are vaccinated, he believes it falls in the 65-70% range.
After that, I secured a permanent full-time job, but I started out at $16,500 a year to support me and my three kids. That was really tough, but I kept working on my bachelors degree. We made it through and after about six months we had our own place. We made things work however we could. I kept working to better myself. I finished my bachelors degree and moved on to another job where I got an increase in salary  which was great for me and my kids.

Asked how she and her children were able to survive on a small income, Crabera said, People think its impossible to live on $16,500 a year, but we all learn to live within the means of what we make. You have to make it work. When you make $16,000 a year, you get what you can and the rest of it you dont. Its like people say, If I was making $300,000 a year, I would be set, but people spend more when they make more.

It was really hard. There were a lot of times that there wasnt money there. My family has helped a lot on this journey and have been very supportive. There were a lot of times when my family did have to help, so Im grateful and happy that I had that, because not everybody does. You just have to make it work. Theres no other option.

In her new job, Crabera was able to gain some experience working in human resources.
During the standoff, Roseberry was communicating with police by using a small dry-erase board that he was holding against the drivers side window of the truck. Please dont shoot the windows the vibe will explode the bomb, one read, according to court papers.

Roseberry surrendered after about five hours. Police later said they did not find a bomb but did collect possible bomb-making materials.

Investigators collected the device Roseberry had been holding  a large rusty can with what he had claimed was a detonator on top of it. The can had about an inch or two of an unidentified powder in the bottom of it and a fabricated trigger was attached to the top, court papers said. The can was sent to an FBI laboratory to be examined.

In the court hearing Friday, Roseberry told the judge he couldnt fully understand what was happening because he had been denied medication while he was in custody. Roseberry told the judge he had gone to school until the eighth grade and then later earned a GED diploma.

He said he had not received medication for his blood pressure and his mind medicine. Roseberry said he had been denied it for the last week Ive been here, but later said it had been two days.
Albemarle resident Javier Raudale said he speaks with members of the Latinx community who face a legal system that is unfamiliar and set against them, and said that the right to counsel for these community members should be complementary to rent relief efforts.

I speak with community members in my personal life who are unfamiliar with the frightening court system, he said. When the court system is unfamiliar, it is intimidating. Right to counsel will ensure that all members of our community have equal footing with landlords who often and almost always have an attorney.

Cville Democratic Socialists of America sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 3 asking the county to allocate $600,000 for a similar program to the citys.

Providing funding for lawyers to help tenants is helping them directly, said Lydia Brunk, with Cville DSA. They cannot and should not be in opposition to each other, taken as one or the other. They should both be part of our necessary efforts to help folks stay off the streets and have a roof over their heads.

In an email to the Board of Supervisors earlier this month, Albemarle staff said the county is a member of a working group studying eviction and eviction prevention needs in the Charlottesville area, and eviction data collection is part of that effort.
Friday's announcement came just a month after the U.S and Germany reached a deal to allow Nord Stream 2s completion without the imposition of U.S. sanctions on German entities.

Under the terms of the July 21 deal, the U.S. and Germany committed to countering any Russian attempt to use the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a political weapon. And, they agreed to support Ukraine and Poland, both of which are bypassed by the project and fear Russias intentions, by funding alternative energy and development projects.

The Nord Stream 2 project has posed a major foreign policy dilemma for the Biden administration. U.S. officials from both parties have long feared that it would give Russia too much power over European gas supplies. But the pipeline is almost completed and the U.S. has been determined to rebuild ties with Germany that were damaged during the Trump administration.

Poland and Ukraine expressed their displeasure over the decision to allow the pipelines completion and said the efforts to reduce the Russian security threat were not sufficient.

Both Republicans and Democrats have assailed the administration's approach, including Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.
Some Republican commissioners said the UR lab had never before done redistricting work and could not be entrusted with this important task.

When Im seeking medical expertise, I go to a medical expert, Virginia Trost-Thornton said. If Im on the House [of Delegates] committee, I would be seeking House members expertise in trying to draw their lines.

Which is a Catch-22. Its precisely because voters dont trust the legislature to draw neutral maps that we now have a redistricting commission, removing that power from the General Assembly and giving it to a commission that was to have been independent of partisan influences  or so we had hoped. Of course no other state entities have experience in redistricting; the ability to gain such experience was denied them.

For too long, lawmakers had manipulated districts either to benefit themselves and their party or to disadvantage their opponents and the opposing party. This was practiced by both Democrats and Republicans. It became particularly effective when data collection grew to be so precise that mapmakers could pinpoint individual homes and residents, placing them in whatever district best suited the politicians purposes.
Yes. I will do my part to conserve household energy usage, even if I'm uncomfortable in my home.

No. It is too hot to conserve household energy usage.

I already conserve, even before ERCOT requested it.

Maybe, depending on the reason ERCOT provides and whether or not I am home during that time.

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Leaving Afghanistan was undoubtedly the right move to make for the United States, but how this has been handled is the problem.

While there are plenty of questions about when America should have cut the line and cut the losses  perhaps a decade ago, perhaps longer  no one in their right mind is advocating staying in Afghanistan forever. Thats what it would have taken to prevent the Taliban from taking power.

But a more graceful exit could have occurred, perhaps a better staggered troop withdrawal with firm deadlines for U.S. citizens to leave the country and other dates targeted for our allies to escape. That sort of lengthier, organized effort wouldnt have left so many people in danger and it wouldnt have made the United States look so pathetic and weak.

Obviously, its not a great look for the United States to retreat from jihadists. This hasty exit could lead to more challenges from foreign countries, as well as terrorists.

Additional conflict in the Middle East or elsewhere should be of concern to any American, and not only for the toll on the United States budget and economy. The toll in human life from Afghanistan has been high, too.
I would certainly hope the citizens of Linn County, despite their fatigue, will work towards mitigating this, said Dr. William Muth, a Samaritan epidemiologist, at the Linn County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday. We have to do our best to try and prevent its spread. This is a very frightening time given the very high transmissibility of this new strain.

Muth pointed to vaccinations as the primary way to reach herd immunity, rather than letting the virus run its course and have infections lead to natural immunity and leading to more deaths along the way. More transmission can also lead to more virus variants, each of which have the potential to become more contagious and deadlier than the last.

Of course, the question of breakthrough cases, infections among fully vaccinated people, remains fresh on everyones minds.

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In July, the Oregon Health Authority identified 12,514 cases of COVID-19, 81% of which occurred in unvaccinated people. OHA uses the term unvaccinated to include those who received only one dose of a required two-dose series. During the week of Aug. 9 through Aug. 15, OHA reported more COVID-19 cases than in all of July, with 12,741.

In the 20,701 cases of COVID-19 reported during the first two weeks of August, 85.6% of them occurred in unvaccinated people.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday that Oregon is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine requirement to include all teachers, educators, support staff and volunteers in K-12 schools.

Hospitals across the state are near capacity, and some have no available intensive care unit beds. In the western Oregon town of Roseburg, a COVID-19 patient died in a hospital emergency department while waiting for an ICU bed.

"We need your help, grace and kindness, CHI Health Medical Center staffers said Thursday on the hospital's Facebook page. The hospital had expanded ICU care onto other floors, but even that wasn't enough.

This patient died in the Emergency Department waiting for an intensive care unit bed, the staffers wrote, adding that they are reeling from the extraordinary onslaught of new cases and hospitalizations this devastating virus has caused.

No details about the patient, who died Wednesday, were released.

Teachers are the latest to be added to the growing statewide vaccine mandate, which also includes health care workers and state employees. They must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or six weeks after a COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whichever is later.
It is official: Students dont need to be able to read, write or do math at a freshman/sophomore level to graduate from high school in Oregon.

Gov. Brown signed Senate Bill 744 into law July 14, as noted by Hillary Borruds article in The Oregonian. Charles Boyle, the governors deputy communications director, declared in an emailed statement that suspending the reading, writing and math proficiency requirement while the state develops new graduation standards will benefit Oregons Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal and students of color.

The article states that along with this bill, no new learning opportunities or supports have been added for students not able to achieve the standards for their grade level, as has been done in the past. Borrud also stated that Democrats in the legislature overwhelmingly supported ending the longtime proficiency requirement, while Republicans criticized it as a lowering of academic standards.

New requirements will not take effect until 2027 at the earliest. I have always voted Democrat, and Im appalled.
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Homegrown: Hamburger restaurant maintains 40-year legacy in Denton

Jeff Woo/DRC Mike Barnett, seen Aug. 13, is the owner of Denton Independent Hamburger Co. Barnett, who grew up in Denton, said its been a lifelong dream to own the burger joint.

Editors note: This story is the second in a series of feature stories, Homegrown, highlighting established local businesses across northern Denton County.

A small restaurant at the far end of a retail strip on Sunset Street, Denton Independent Hamburger Co. looks like any other burger joint. But inside, diners will find a time capsule of North Texas history and classic American dining.

The restaurant first opened on the Square in the late 1970s and, by 1980, was bought by Kim Kitchens. In those days, lines would wind out the door of the restaurant, with as many as 40 people waiting to try one of the handful of dishes on the menu  the most popular being a burger, hand-cut fries and pinto beans.

Though four decades have passed and the location on the Square shuttered years ago  Kitchens sold it in 2012 and the new owners turned it into LSA Burger Co.  not much else has changed at Denton Independent Hamburger Co.

Kitchens turned the operation of the restaurants now-sole location at 715 Sunset St. over to Mike Barnett in 2018, but as longtime customers will tell you, the lunch and dinner spot looks pretty much the same. Neon beer signs, framed newspaper clippings and antique photos line the wood-paneled walls. The menu offers customers what it always has: old-fashioned hamburgers, chicken-fried steak and, of course, Coca-Cola.

I didnt want to overstep but Ive told him (Barnett) theres two or three things you dont change  dont go to Pepsi and keep putting Heinz ketchup on the tables, Kitchens said.

Barnett, who grew up in Denton, said its been a lifelong dream to own Denton Independent Hamburger Co. He had been going to the restaurant on the Square since he was about 10 years old, becoming a frequent diner in high school.

Ive never been any place like it, Barnett said.

Though he majored in finance at the University of North Texas, Barnett has worked in restaurants and hospitality for years, living in Idaho and New York City before returning to Denton with his wife about seven years ago. Originally planning to open a pizza restaurant on his return to Denton, he ended up helping Seth Morgan open Denton County Brewing Company and briefly running a pizza truck out front. But when he heard Kitchens was looking to sell Denton Independent Hamburger Co. shortly after DCBC got established, he jumped at the chance.

I literally beat a path to his door and said, Ive got to talk to you about this  Im the guy that needs to own this and heres why, Barnett said.

Jeff Woo/DRC Owner Mike Barnett is seen at Denton County Independent Hamburger Co., an eatery known for its rustic decor, which it has maintained since its early days as a downtown hamburger restaurant.

Their initial conversation led to a long courtship as Kitchens warmed to the idea of Barnett taking charge of the business, which he did in 2018. And he has kept things as theyve always been.

Kitchens, for his part, did not always envision himself as a restaurant owner. After graduating from Texas A&M University he worked in the garment industry and went on to help his father-in-law run a wholesale grocery company, Monroe Pearson, that later folded. He often visited Denton Independent Hamburger Co. and eventually decided to try his hand at the hamburger business, asking original owners Sonny Painter and Bo Bachman to help him bring the concept to his hometown of Tyler.

But, Kitchens said, the owners wanted to franchise the brand and ended up selling the Denton location to him. Though the original owners wanted Kitchens to be involved in helping them franchise, Kitchens declined.

I told them, I really dont want to be part of that  I just want to run this store the way I want to run it, Kitchens said.

And he did. Kitchens was at the restaurant at 5 a.m. every morning, helping prep for the day ahead. He opened the Sunset location in 1988, adding a drive-thru that the original eatery lacked. Though hes seen Denton and the Square change a lot since he first bought Denton Independent Hamburger Co., hes maintained the same philosophy of a simple menu with good food and straightforward service.

While Barnett is carrying on that mission, he is also looking ahead. He plans to open another restaurant in North Texas later this year: Smoke & Fire in downtown Krum. The restaurant will occupy a space next door to a new event and performance venue, offering barbecue alongside the same burgers and fries customers can find at Denton Independent Hamburger Co.

Barnett plans to initially spend about a third of his time at the Krum location but hopes to quickly have it become more self-sustaining, with a restaurant manager handling the day-to-day.

For Kitchens, Denton Independent Hamburger Co. remains part of his life. He comes in about once a week to visit longtime customers and occasionally bring Barnett oddities for the restaurants decor collection  the latest addition being a life-size John Wayne cutout, which greets customers at the front door. But, with the business in good hands, he says its just as easy to walk out the doors as in  and thats the way he likes it.

I made a good living out of it  I made a lot of great friends, Ive met a lot of great people that work for me that Im still friends with a lot of them, Kitchens said. I think Mikes got the concept and I hope he does a good job with it, but Im happily retired.

And as for the restaurants future, Barnett isnt ruling out franchising the business but, like his own journey coming to Denton Independent Hamburger Co., the circumstances  and ownership  would have to respect the restaurants legacy.

It would have to be just right, Barnett said.
The government of Kyrgyzstan is reportedly evaluating a number of proposals for the sale of the state-owned mobile provider MegaCom, with the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan one of several potential buyers.

Kyrgyzstans Cabinet of Ministers made the proposal to sell MegaCom on 29th July 2021, with the countrys unicameral Supreme Council (the Jogorku Kenesh) approving the motion.

Local news agency 24.kg quoted chairman of the Fund for State Property Management Mirlan Bakirov as saying that Parliament agreed to include MegaCom in the privatisation programme. The company is now undergoing an inventory procedure. A special commission will be created; all procedures will be open.

Bakirov noted that in 2019 the operators value was assessed as KGS19 billion (USD225 million) before being reduced to KGS14 billion. The Cabinet of Ministers is now conducting an audit of the companys asset value.

TeleGeography notes that Kyrgyzstans government has unsuccessfully attempted to sell MegaCom on a number of previous occasions.
Uganda's Smart Telecom (Suretelecom Uganda Limited) announced its decision to end operations in the country on August 31, said local media.

According to Agence Ecofin, a statement said it has been experiencing increased occupational challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Smart Telecom is advising all its customers to migrate to alternative service providers during the notice period, and all those with unutilised amounts beyond 31 August will be refunded.

The company saw its market share decline in 2019, during the onset of the global pandemic. Travel restrictions, which have led to increased competition in the telecoms market, have largely benefited large operators such as MTN, Airtel, Uganda Telecom. They had sufficient financial capacity to invest in strengthening and expanding their network to meet growing consumer demand across the country.

Smart Telecom, which is the brand name of Sure Telecom and is owned via an intermediary called Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) in Kenya.

According to the GSMAs coverage maps, there are nine mobile operators in Uganda, from Africell and Airtel to Uganda Telecom Mobile and Vodafone. The map shows that Smart has 2G and 3G coverage around the Kampala area only, and not elsewhere in the country.

According to reports, the exit of Smart Telecom from Uganda will certainly reduce the list of players competing in this market, but will not reduce the strong competition that prevails there. It is highly likely that the departure of Smart Telecom will greatly benefit MTN and Airtel. The two telecom operators are currently the market leader and second, in terms of share, have greater network coverage and are more inclined to introduce new mobile technologies to the market.
Brazilian telecommunications company Embratel has announced plans to build 15 edge data centres in the country.

Embratel, owned by Mexican telecommunications giant America Movil, is a major player in both voice and data communication in Brazil, owning microwave communications and fibre optic networks as well as domestic communication satellites and submarine cable systems. It also owns six data centres in the country.

According to news website Bnamerica, three edge data centres are being built this year and another 12 should be built in 2022, with retail and industry 4.0 the target markets. They will be built in various areas between Manaus, in the north of the country, and the south and southeast of Brazil.

The company is also planning to expand the capacity of one of its six main data centres, sited in the Lapa neighbourhood of Sao Paulo (it has two data centres in this city), an undertaking that is expected to begin next year.

As well as its two data centres in Sao Paulo, Embratel has two more in Rio, one in Vitoria and one in Brasilia.

The modest investment in the edge projects, estimated at just over $9 million, reflects the fact that edge data centres are smaller facilities, located close to the populations they serve, that deliver cloud computing resources and cached content to end users. They are usually more widely distributed than traditional data centres but often connect to a larger central data centre or multiple data centres.

By processing data and services as close to the end user as possible, edge computing is said to allow organizations to reduce latency and improve the customer experience.
American telecommunications software company Mavenir announced to have been selected by the Romanian telecommunications company Telekom Romania Mobile Communications to deploy a cloud-native IMS (vIMS) platform together with VoLTE and VoWi-Fi microservices.

In combination with Mavenirs cloud-native IMS platform, VoLTE and VoWi-Fi microservices will provide continuity of voice services for Telekom Romania while helping the company to strengthen its 4G/LTE network and facilitate the transition to 5G, said a press release.

"Mavenirs network software solutions are running on Deutsche Telekoms pan-European cross-border PAN-NET telco cloud network which will significantly reduce OPEX and has permitted faster time-to-market," it added.

Jovan Cetkovic, Director, Governance, and Transformation at Telekom Romania said, Through this partnership, we continue our journey to a modern, agile digital company, ready to deliver all the smart digital solutions needed by customers in their lives and businesses. IMS will give us greater flexibility and strengthen our competitive position while Mavenirs VoLTE and VoWi-Fi applications will enhance our core voice offering as we continue to migrate to 4G and 5G.

Meanwhile, Brandon Larson, SVP, GM, Multimedia Business Unit at Mavenir said, By deploying on Deutsche Telekoms PAN-NET, this project is another great example of how Mavenirs market-leading network software solutions can run on any cloud. Were very proud to provide Telekom Romania with tools to help it compete successfully in the future.
Statement by Ambassador Byrne Nason at UNSC Meeting on Threats to International Peace and Security

Statement

Thank you Minister, and thanks to the Indian Presidency, for ensuring a continued focus on the critical issue of counter-terrorism. I also want to thank our three briefers this morning for their presentations.

Mr President,

It may sound like a truism, but it is a fact. The scourge of terrorism remains one of the gravest threats to international peace and security, despite significant progress made by this Council and its Counter Terrorism Committee.

The Secretary Generals report is clear. In the first half of this year, the threat posed by ISIL continued to grow, with ISIL activities expanding in Africa, notwithstanding the restrictions imposed by Covid-19.

The report also highlights the significant threat posed by ISIL-Khorasan to the people of Afghanistan, evidenced most recently by the horrific attack on HALO trust staff in Baghlan Province on 8 June. This Council spoke with one united voice to condemn that heinous attack. While the circumstances in Afghanistan have changed very significantly since then, we cannot forget that aspect of the conflict environment.

Mr. President,

The pandemic has accelerated the digital transition across so many aspects of our societies. Unfortunately, this is also true for terrorists and terrorism. Ireland supports the Secretary-Generals call for Member States to rise to the challenge of digitally-enabled terrorism through international cooperation and through effective government in line with international law. Civil society and the private sector play a crucial role.

The challenge however, as always, is moving from rhetoric to implementation.

We were particularly interested to learn of the important work carried out by UNDP, Burkina Faso, Kenya and other partners to address the differential impact of the threat of ISIL and its affiliates on women and girls. Specifically, we welcome the development of a toolkit to generate gender-disaggregated data and to inform a gender-sensitive response to these threats. Greater detail in future reports on the outcome of this work would be useful, including on how it could be applied more broadly. Put simply, including gender sensitive data in our analyses will strengthen our capacity to address terrorism.

Mr President,

Ireland is a small, open economy with a thriving financial services industry. We know that both terrorism and organised crime are fuelled by complex systems of money laundering and terrorist financing. We also recognise that countering such financing is a central part of our global counter-terrorism response.

At the domestic level, we have a robust, institutional counter terrorist financing framework. This is kept under review to reflect new and emerging trends, as well as EU requirements and FATF recommendations. We have also recently introduced legislation which extends countering terrorist financing obligations to virtual asset providers.

Mr President,

Just last week, at the Arria meeting organised by Kenya, members of this Council heard of the negative impact of some regulations in countering the financing of terrorism and the resultant de-risking practices on humanitarian actors and provision of humanitarian aid.

The Secretary General has also raised concerns that tightening counter-terrorism measures by some Member States during the pandemic could negatively impact non-profit organisations and emergency humanitarian aid.

We reiterate once more that such measures must not impede the delivery of principled humanitarian assistance nor infringe on the legitimate activities of humanitarian and civil society organisations carrying out vital work, often in fragile or conflict-affected contexts. We will remain vigilant on that issue right across our agenda here in the Security Council.

This Council has a responsibility to ensure that measures to counter terrorist funding are applied based on risk and that they fully comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international refugee law.

Mr President,

Independent oversight of counter-terrorism legislation has been effective in mitigating some of these risks and challenges.

Domestically, Ireland is undertaking an independent review of its main body of counter-terrorism legislation and has recently published proposals for an Independent Examiner of Security Legislation. Such an entity will ensure that legislation is necessary, is fit for purpose, and contains appropriate human rights safeguards.

Finally, Mr President, we know that victims and survivors of terrorism continue to struggle to have their voices heard. We consider that their needs should be supported and their rights be upheld. We firmly believe that a holistic approach to transitional justice is essential to upholding those rights. We will work to this end in our role here in the Security Council.

Tomorrow we will mark the fourth International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to Victims of Terrorism. So, let all of us around this table recommit to supporting their gender-specific needs, to upholding their rights, and most importantly, to hearing and heeding their voices.

This is surely the least we owe to the countless victims and survivors of terrorism.

Thank you.

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As I pen this, Hurricane Ida is busying herself with the process of reclaiming the Mississippi Delta and marshland without much regard for local inhabitants. If the sun rises in the morning, the capsized infrastructure will be drifting, burning, or sizzling for the bewildered to see, again. 
TUSCALOOSAThree University of Alabama students will conduct STEM research and technical projects at DOEs National Laboratories and facilities this fall.

The Department of Energys (DOEs) Office of Science will sponsor the participation of 148 undergraduate students from across the nation in two STEM-focused workforce development programs at 14 DOE national laboratories and facilities during Fall 2021. Collectively, these programs ensure DOE and our nation have a strong, sustained workforce trained in the skills needed to address the energy, environment, and national security challenges of today and tomorrow.

Enterprise native Cody Rivera will work with the Argonne National Laboratory in computer science and technologies research.

DOE is committed to ushering in a new future for American science and innovation and that requires supporting todays students and teachers. Providing fulfilling experiences and state-of-the-art tools and resources to a diverse group of up-and-coming scientists will help launch their careers and put them on a path to success. I look forward to seeing what their futures hold, said Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.
We have to engage in triage, Saenz said. In some cases we may have to allow an election to go by with bad lines.

Though several lawsuits have already been filed, they're mainly opening salvos trying to gain advantage before line-drawing begins in earnest. Democrats have sued in Louisiana, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, arguing that deadlock is inevitable between those states' GOP-controlled legislatures and Democratic governors, so courts need to get ready to draw lines. Republicans are filing public records requests to see if they can challenge the way the Census calculated people living in college dorms and other large residential areas.

Still, the only significant litigation so far has come in Illinois, where the Democratic-controlled state legislature redrew its own state maps without waiting for the Census data so as not to miss a legal deadline and have redistricting power handed to the courts. Republicans and civil rights group are suing to overturn those maps.

Though federal courts will no longer be able to strike down gerrymanders due to reliance on partisanship, state courts remain free to. The willingness of state judges to do that may depend on their party, legal analysts say. It depends on who your state judges are, said Edward Foley, a law professor at The Ohio State University.
Its been a grim week for Alabama.

More than 2,700 people were hospitalized with COVID-19  more than five times the number hospitalized a month ago. Fifty of those were pediatric patients; nine of those children are on ventilators. Cases among children reached the highest point since the pandemic started and were four times higher in the first 18 days of August than the same time last year.

With all the hospitalizations, the state had a net negative capacity of ICU beds  more patients needing the intensive care than space available for them.

Death reports from hospitals were in the double digits each day  56 deaths on Thursday; 43 the day before; 45 the day before that and on and on. Although, it might be another month before those numbers are confirmed and reflected in official state data.

The death count since the pandemic began last year climbed closer to 12,000 and was expected to surpass that milestone.
The day before he was supposed to start fourth grade, Francisco Rosales was admitted to a Dallas hospital with COVID-19, struggling to breathe, with dangerously low oxygen levels and an uncertain outcome.

It wasnt supposed to be like this, thought his frightened mother, Yessica Gonzalez. Francisco was normally healthy and rambunctious. At 9, he was too young to get vaccinated, but most of the family had their shots. She had heard kids rarely got sick from the coronavirus.

But with the highly contagious delta variant spreading across the U.S., children are filling hospital intensive care beds instead of classrooms in record numbers, more even than at the height of the pandemic. Many are too young to get the vaccine, which is available only to those 12 and over.

The surging virus is spreading anxiety and causing turmoil and infighting among parents, administrators and politicians around the U.S., especially in states like Florida and Texas, where Republican governors have barred schools from making youngsters wear masks.

With millions of children returning to classrooms this month, experts say the stakes are unquestionably high.
Suffering damage to her lungs, a 71-year-old woman in Vietnams capital called on doctors to first place her critically ill husband on ventilation ahead of herself.

Her husband, 72, was transferred to the emergency department (ER) of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi alongside his wife for treatment.

The couple from Lien Ninh Commune, Thanh Tri District, tested positive for Covid-19 on July 26.

Dr Le Van Thieu, from the hospital's ER department, shared the couple's story Monday, saying: "I respect their affection. It made me think about my own family and many other seriously ill patients.."

On Aug. 6, the couple's condition swiftly deteriorated.

"Please let my husband use the ventilator. I don't need it. I'm fine. I don't feel short of breath," the female patient stressed, even though her own condition was dramatically worse.

Pointing to the corner of the room where the ventilators are located, the doctor affirmed the hospital had no shortage of equipment.

"She thought the hospital is overloaded and patients who need ventilators have to wait a while for their turn. So she wanted to give him hers," Thieu explained.

Dr Le Van Thieu attends to the 71-year-old patient on Aug. 14, 2021. Photo courtesy of Thieu

A few days later, the husband's condition first grew worse before starting to improve. Enquiring about his wife, the doctor explained she had overcome the most dangerous stage and was recovering, much to his relief.

"What do you want to say to your wife?" a nurse asked him.

Unable to speak yet, he borrowed a piece of paper and wrote: "Stay strong honey," adding that whoever made it through this crisis would have to carry the family on their shoulders.

"I saw tears falling down her eyes even though she had not yet regained consciousness," said Thieu.

"Everyone in the room was touched by their bond."

Thieu said his department receives and treats severe Covid-19 patients over a long period. When patients improve, even if only marginally, the doctors and nurses also feel better.

Since the fourth coronavirus wave hit Vietnam in late April, the total infection tally is 308,559 cases.

"As long as a patient is doing well, we are happy. When a patient is discharged, we consider it a great success," Thieu said.
Vietnamese and Indian sailors greet each other in the waters off Vietnam's central coast, August 18, 2021. Photo by Customs Newspaper

A Vietnamese frigate has joined an Indian fleet for drills in the waters off the central Khanh Hoa Province.

The 012 Ly Thai To frigate of Vietnam along with India's INS Ranvijay destroyer and frigate INS Kora held joint drills in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea, on Wednesday in accordance with the Western Pacific Navy's Code of Conduct for Unexpected Encounters at Sea (CUES).

After the drill, all crews performed a greeting ceremony, ending the visit to Vietnam of the Indian naval fleet.

The activity aims to strengthen and promote the friendship between Vietnam and India in general and the armies and navies of both countries in particular.

According to a statement posted on the Indian Ministry of Defense's website, frequent contact between the navies of Vietnam and India over the years has enhanced the coordination and adaptability of both forces.

The Indian naval fleet with 459 officers and sailors arrived at Cam Ranh Port in Khanh Hoa Province on Aug. 15. The reception ceremony was held online to ensure the prevention of Covid-19.

INS Ranvijay is a Rajput-class guided-missile destroyer commissioned by India in late 1987, while INS Kora is the first of the eponymous missile corvettes, in service since 1998.
A box that contains AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses. Photo courtesy of the U.K. Embassy in Vietnam.

A batch of 1,209,400 AstraZeneca vaccine doses arrived in HCMC's Tan Son Nhat Airport Thursday night.

It is the 9th batch of a 30 million dose deal between AstraZeneca and the Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC), with support from the Ministry of Health, according to a press release by AstraZeneca.

So far, Vietnam has received around 14.3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, accounting for around 62 percent of all available vaccine doses in the country. They were delivered either through contracts, global vaccine access mechanism Covax or foreign aids.

Nitin Kapoor, chairman and general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam, said the firm has stepped up supply to Vietnam since July to support the government's vaccination program.

"We will continue to partner with the Ministry of Health, World Health Organization, UNICEF and VNVC to deliver our vaccine to Vietnam as quickly as possible," he said.

Vietnam has recorded 308,560 local Covid-19 cases since the fourth coronavirus wave hit Vietnam in late April.

The country has vaccinated around 16 million people with at least one shot, and over 1.5 million people have been fully vaccinated.

It aims to vaccinate 70 percent of its 96 million population by next year.
Vietnam confirmed that vaccinating foreigners in the country would help it progress toward herd immunity.

"The Vietnamese government supports foreigners living, studying and working in Vietnam, treating all in case of illness," Deputy Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said at a press meet Thursday.

"Amid the complex Covid-19 situation, the government views vaccinating foreigners in Vietnam as part of its drive to achieve herd immunity," she continued, as cited on the foreign ministry's online portal.

She was responding to an inquiry regarding Vietnam's plans and arrangements for foreigners to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in the country.

"Recently, the Prime Minister had instructed the Ministry of Health to vaccinate people regardless of their nationalities and residential status. Foreigners and Vietnamese with residency in other countries but currently living in Vietnam have the right to be vaccinated like any other citizen if part of prioritized groups," Hang said.

"If one doesn't belong to a prioritized group for vaccination, they may register with local authorities and get vaccinated like any other Vietnamese citizen," she added.

Vietnam has vaccinated around 16 million people with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot. Over 1.5 million people have been fully inoculated.

Prioritized groups for vaccination include frontline Covid workers like health professionals, police officers and journalists.
ELKO  A recently resigned school board member announced he is wanting to return to his vacant seat, but district officials say he needs to reapply, per state law.

Former trustee Robert Leonhardt announced late Thursday on Facebook that he was rescinding his resignation from the Elko County School Board of Trustees.

After further consideration and discussions with my lawyer, I hereby rescind my resignation, Leonhardt wrote.

He added that if theres any legal recourse, any further threats made against me personally or my business or family, to send them to his attorney in Reno.

3 more school board members resign ELKO  Three more school board members resigned Wednesday night, nearly a week after two trustees left the board.

The Elko County School district described the policy of a public official resigning from office in a statement released Friday afternoon.

An elected public officer has an absolute right to resign at any time for any reason or no reason. Such resignation is effective immediately without the necessity of acceptance by the remaining board members, unlike a teacher or administrator, the school district said.

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Consequently, a vacancy is created in the office at the time of resignation, and the resignation may not be withdrawn, the school district continued, citing Nevada law and court precedent.
Karr said he supported the trustees as they tried to serve on the board.

It is truly disgusting what these board members are going through because it is really a thankless job, Karr said. They dont hardly get any pay, it is seriously long hours, and its brutal on the emotions when people are in attack mode. All for five grand a year.

Parent Katherine Kelly said, I am saddened by the news, but Im sure that it was for a good reason. I hope that as a community, we can come together and move forward toward the education of our children. We need to come together to fill the vacancies with people that represent all the ideals and values of our widespread district.

Former board members have not responded to Elko Daily requests for comments on the recent developments.

Following the breaking news of the resignations, another rumor circulated on social media that Gov. Steve Sisolak visited Elko on Wednesday.

Regarding Sisolaks rumored visit to Elko, Ebert said, I dont believe he was in Elko yesterday. I do not believe that is accurate.

Karr also dismissed rumors of Sisolaks visit. I dont believe Sisolak was in town. If he was, he didnt contact us as commissioners.
A landmark report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published earlier this month showed that average global temperatures are already at least 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and that will likely hit 1.5 degrees Celsius sometime in the 2030s.

That already means extreme weather like heatwaves, which can contribute to wildfires, and heavy rainfall and storms, which can cause flooding, will become more frequent and intense. But the more the Earth warms, the worse these weather events are likely to become.

Paul Young, an atmospheric and climate scientist from Lancaster University and the study's lead author, told CNN that there would have been "drastic consequences" in areas like agriculture and human health.

"Thankfully, this is now a scenario that is science fiction. But as you can imagine, the consequences would have been absolutely dire," he said.

"It's kind of hard to imagine, but you could think of us as humans all in wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses, caked in sunscreen, only going outside for five to 10 minutes a day when the sun was out. I think it would have been quite apocalyptic really, and it would have been a problem all over the world."
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In 2019 after proposals to extend the tax and fee failed to pass, legislative attorneys advised Democratic leaders that they could prolong the technology fee and a payroll tax with simple majorities. Republicans sued and the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously that extending revenue measures required supermajorities.

Senate Minority Leader James Settelmeyer, a plaintiff in the case, accused Democrats of knowingly violating the constitution to push through their agenda. Democrats drew $7.8 million from the state highway funds to facilitate the reimbursements.

Republican Sen. Pete Goicoechea said lawmakers and the department should proceed knowing that the funds owed to DMV customers didnt belong to them, while Democrats stressed the importance of ensuring the reimbursement process didnt land them in court again.

We should have agreement so that we dont end up in the same spot a year from now and have to spend another $8 million to refund a couple million dollars, Democratic Assemblywoman Maggie Carlton said. Were already spending more money on it than we probably should  money that could go to a lot of other places.
RENO (AP)  Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is urging firefighters, scientists, teachers and moms to help form new strategies to deal with increasingly unhealthy air quality in Nevada caused by wildfires that continue to worsen and no relief in sight in the years ahead.

This is something thats happening all the time now, the Nevada Democrat said at a roundtable gathering in Reno Wednesday with experts who shared their challenges and frustrations on numerous fronts.

The 10 worst days for small particulate pollution over the past 22 years in the Reno-Sparks area all have been recorded in the past 11 months, said Brendan Schneider, an air quality specialist for the Washoe County Health District.

The Regional Emergency Medical Services Authoritys paramedics are responding to 52% more respiratory distress calls than normal, including 458 already this month compared to a month-long norm of 350, said Adam Heinz, REMSAs executive director of integrated health.

Smoke also has forced cancellation of 52 Care Flights this year that are critically important to rural areas that need the helicopters to transport patients from remote areas to medical centers in Reno and Las Vegas, he said.
The so-called 'Havana syndrome' has been an affliction that US officials have been trying to deal with in various places around the world. Berlin would represent the first time officials have felt the symptoms in a NATO country, but there have been reports of it in Cuba, where the name originates, as well as China.

What are the symptoms?

While nothing has been officially confirmed what the syndrome entails, common symptoms include:

Dizziness and loss of balance ,

, Hearing loss ,

, Anxiety ,

, Something described as cognitive fog, perhaps in a similar vein to 'long' covid-19 symptoms.

Where does the term originate from?

Late in 2016, staff at the US embassy in Havana and some of their relatives started complaining about these symptoms. The US said 24 of its staff members had been affected by "auditory sensations" a year later. In response, the US government recalled most of its diplomatic personnel from Cuba. The Cuban government has denied responsibility and there is no hard evidence that it has been caused by a foreign intelligence agency.

The US state department sent 44 of those who had reported symptoms to the University of Pennsylvania's brain trauma center for MRI scans.

How is it caused?

Initially speculated by media to be caused by 'sonic attacks,' a US government report found that blame could not be attributed to directed energy waves but could be "pulsed radio frequency." It has never been officially released what the causes of the symptoms are.

While important questions remain, the report continues the mere consideration of such a scenario raises grave concerns about a world with disinhibited malevolent actors and new tools for causing harm to others."

There has been "significant research in Russia/USSR into the effects of pulsed, rather than continuous wave [radio frequency] exposures". It said that military personnel in "Eurasian communist countries" had been exposed to non-thermal radiation.

Possible explanations have included everything from mosquito fumigation to loud insects.

President Joe Bidens administration has since intensified its own effort to look into what it is calling anomalous health incidents among US government personnel.
A grand gathering is held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet at the Potala Palace square in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

LHASA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Tibet Autonomous Region celebrates the 70th anniversary of its peaceful liberation this year, a triumphant moment for its socialist system and governance that delivers a powerful message to Western politicians who fail to acknowledge its enormous progress.

In 1951, the Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, known as the 17-Article Agreement officially proclaimed the peaceful liberation of Tibet.

That liberation, together with the epochal democratic reform in 1959, has helped Tibet cast away its regressive, autocratic, and isolated past to embrace prosperity and an open future.

Nearly 3.65 million people live in the region, up 21.52 percent from 2010. Over 86 percent of the population is Tibetan.

Tibet's average life expectancy increased from 35.5 years in 1951 to 71.1 years in 2019.

The region has more than 1,700 sites for Tibetan Buddhist activities with 46,000 monks and nuns. In an effort to preserve traditional Tibetan culture, the state and the region have invested over 5 billion yuan (770 million U.S. dollars) in the renovation of cultural relics. Tibetan opera, Gesar, Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa have been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Having eradicated absolute poverty, Tibet is in an accelerated drive of economic development with modernized infrastructure.

Tibet's achievements should be sufficient to prompt certain individuals in the West to drop their fixation on the Shangri-La myth, which idealizes eternal theocratic rule and a spiritual world, and sees any modern development as worthy of condemnation.

Over the past 70 years, leaving the dark ages behind, Tibet has replaced the cruel, feudal serfdom system with a socialist system, exercised regional ethnic autonomy, and carried out reform and opening-up along with the rest of the nation.

As a region that occupies an important place in the nation's security paradigm, Tibet receives significant attention from the central authorities, and massive assistance from other provinces to boost its development. The central budget has funded key infrastructure projects in the region, including railways and airports.

In order to maintain lasting stability and sustain development, Tibet steadfastly opposes secessionist plotting. The 14th Dalai Lama and his followers, supported by Western anti-China forces, have over the years continued attempting to promote "Tibetan independence" by provoking incidents that jeopardize peace and stability in Tibet.

These political exiles, as well as certain Western politicians and organizations, have launched a misinformation campaign targeting Tibet. They call liberation "repression" and demonize China's policy in the region. Their cries of "cultural destruction" and "genocide" do not carry a shred of truth. Their frequent accusations regarding ethnic, religious, democratic and human rights issues are in fact driven by the idea of "Tibetan independence" to meddle in China's domestic affairs.

These narratives concerning Tibet reflect either sheer ignorance or hegemonistic thinking tied to imperialist aggressions in the region in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Since the 1980s, Western forces have played an active role in the outbreaks of unrest that have taken place in Tibet.

China, with its ironclad resolve to safeguard national sovereignty and ethnic unity, will never allow the meddling hands attempting to play the "Tibet card" to turn the tables. And any secessionist attempts, which go against history and the common will of various ethnic groups in the region and the whole country, are doomed to failure.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, people in Tibet now live moderately prosperous lives, which would have been unimaginable before the region's peaceful liberation. They are sure to create an even brighter future through unity, modernization drive and continued support from the central authorities.

Editor: WXY
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects the tunnel of Zhengzhou Metro Line 5 in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Aug. 18, 2021. Li inspected the flood-hit Henan Province from Wednesday to Thursday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

ZHENGZHOU, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese premier Li Keqiang stressed efforts to ensure the livelihood of people affected by disasters and promote post-disaster reconstruction.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while inspecting the flood-hit Henan Province from Wednesday to Thursday.

The safety of people's lives and property should always come first, while flood control and disaster relief measures must be effectively implemented, Li said.

Noting that the province is a major grain-producing area in China, Li said the central government would scale up support to help people resume production and reduce losses.

While inspecting the tunnel of Zhengzhou Metro Line 5, Li urged measures to reduce safety hazards of facilities in urban areas and improve the mechanisms of early warning and emergency response.

The premier was briefed on epidemic control situations in the province. He demanded that local governments and medics continue working on COVID-19 prevention and control and post-disaster epidemic prevention.

During the special meeting on post-disaster reconstruction, Li pledged fiscal and financial support for the reconstruction work in the worst-hit areas. Li also urged local governments to assist enterprises with business reopenings and address salient problems like waterlogging in urban areas.

As the flood season has not passed yet, the country should continue to prepare for flood control and disaster relief and work on emergency response, Li added.
Aerial photo taken on Oct. 27, 2019 shows a long-span bridge on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway in Tangmai, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

LHASA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's Tibet Autonomous Region is celebrating the 70th anniversary of peaceful liberation -- a turning point in the region's history -- as it starts a new journey of modernization after decades of leapfrog development.

With the peaceful liberation in 1951, the people of Tibet broke free from the fetters of invading imperialism for good, and embarked on a bright road of unity, progress and development.

Aerial photo taken on May 29, 2020 shows a road to Mount Qomolangma base camp, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 28, 2021 shows a section of the Lhasa-Nagqu high-grade highway and the Qinghai-Tibet railway crossing each other in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

Aerial photo taken on July 22, 2021 shows Nyingchi Railway Station on the Lhasa-Nyingchi railway in Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 8, 2020 shows workers operating on the power line in Jilung County, Xigaze City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua)

Aerial photo taken on Nov. 27, 2020 shows a 220-kV transformer substation in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 24, 2019 shows a 110-kV power transformer substation in Tsonyi County, Nagqu City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Aerial photo taken on June 2, 2021 shows a forested section of the Yarlung Zangbo River in Shannan City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

Aerial photo taken on Oct. 24, 2019 shows forests in Medog County of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

Aerial photo taken on March 10, 2018 shows a black-necked crane in Lhunzhub County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 10, 2021 shows a view of the Yamzbog Yumco Lake in Shannan, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Aerial photo taken on June 5, 2019 shows a view of Lhalu Wetland National Nature Reserve in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 23, 2019 shows a group of Tibetan wild donkeys running in Nagqu, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Aerial photo taken on May 10, 2020 shows glacier near the advance camp at an altitude of 6,500 meters on Mount Qomolangma. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Aerial photo taken on Oct. 7, 2018 shows a night view of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

Aerial photo taken on Oct. 7, 2020 shows a night view of Qamdo City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

Combo photo shows a view of Lhasa City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region in 1955 (top, taken by Lan Zhigui) and on Aug. 10, 2019 (bottom, taken by Li Xin) respectively. (Xinhua)

Aerial photo taken on June 4, 2021 shows a night view of Nyingchi City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Photo by Dong Zhixiong/Xinhua)

Combo photo shows a view of Bayi Township in Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region in 1991 (top, taken by Chen Xie) and on July 20, 2021 (bottom, taken by Purbu Zhaxi) respectively. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 24, 2020 shows the Sijijixiang Village, a relocation village, of Caina Township in Quxu County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. It was among the first relocation sites for poverty alleviation in the region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 21, 2020 shows a poverty-relief relocation village of Zongang County in Qamdo City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 24, 2020 shows a relocation site for poverty alleviation in Gonggar County, Shannan City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

In this combo photo, the upper part taken by Zhaduen in 1998 shows a panoramic view of Xigaze City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region; the lower part is an aerial photo taken by Zhang Zhenqi on July 12, 2019 showing a view of Xigaze City. (Xinhua)

In this combo photo, the left part taken by Ren Yongzhao and released on Dec. 24, 1964 shows a view of Qamdo City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region; the right part is an aerial photo taken by Sun Fei on March 25, 2021 showing a view of Karub District of Qamdo City. (Xinhua)

In this combo photo, the upper part taken in 1981 by Yuan Kezhong shows a view of Nagqu Township in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region; the lower part is a screen shot from an aerial video taken by Purbu Zhaxi showing a view of the downtown area of Nagqu City. (Xinhua)

In this combo photo, the upper part taken by Cai Long and released on Jan. 9, 1981 shows a view of Medog County before it had any highway in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region; the lower part is an aerial photo taken by Sun Fei on Feb. 13, 2021 showing a view of the same county, which has ended its isolation from the outside in 2013 with the opening of a highway. (Xinhua)

In this combo photo, the upper part taken by Xu Bang and released on March 17, 1971 shows a view of Shiquanhe Township in Ngari of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region; the lower part is an aerial photo taken by Sun Ruibo on May 21, 2021 showing a view of the same township. (Xinhua)

In this combo photo, the upper part taken by Gu Shoukang and released on Nov. 30, 1979 shows a view of Zedang Township in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region; the lower part is an aerial photo taken by Cering Lungbu on Nov. 26, 2020 showing a view of the same township. On May 23, 1951, the Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet (17-Article Agreement) was signed, officially proclaiming the peaceful liberation of Tibet. The year 2021 marks the 70th anniversary of the historic event. (Xinhua)

Editor: GSY
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (Rear) speaks to reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 19, 2021. Guterres on Thursday called for a cessation of hostilities and the start of a political dialogue in Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Xie E)

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for a cessation of hostilities and the start of a political dialogue in Ethiopia.

"The Ethiopian people have suffered too much. Humanitarian conditions are hellish. Millions of people are in need," he said. "Infrastructure has been destroyed. We have heard first-hand accounts of women who have been subjected to unspeakable violence. The spread of the conflict has ensnared even more people in its horror."

It is time for all parties to recognize that there is no military solution, and it is vital to preserve the unity and stability of Ethiopia which is critical to the region and beyond, he told reporters on World Humanitarian Day, which falls on Aug. 19.

He appealed for action on three fronts to give peace a chance: an immediate cessation of hostilities by all parties; unrestricted humanitarian access, together with the re-establishment of public services in all affected areas; and the start of an Ethiopian-led political dialogue to find a solution for the crisis.

"Such a dialogue can contribute to addressing the underlying causes of the conflict and ensure Ethiopian voices direct the pathway to peace," said Guterres.

The United Nations will continue to work together with the African Union and regional and international partners to support the Ethiopian people on the way to peace and reconciliation, he said. "Now is the time to put an end to the suffering. All of these steps are critical to make it happen." Enditem
-- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday China is ready to work with Arab states to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality and advance China-Arab strategic partnership to a higher level.

-- Bound by the history of the ancient Silk Road, China and Arab states are natural partners for BRI cooperation and have notable complementarity.

-- China will now work to meet the need for COVID-19 vaccines in Arab countries, and work with Arab states to further cooperate on the local production of vaccines, said Zhai Jun, China's special envoy on Middle East affairs

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday China is ready to work with Arab states to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality and advance China-Arab strategic partnership to a higher level.

Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory letter to the fifth China-Arab States Expo, which opened Thursday in Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the main venue of fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The four-day event will feature trade fairs and forums on digital economy, clean energy, water resource, modern agriculture, green food, cross-border e-commerce and tourism cooperation. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

More than 1,000 domestic and overseas enterprises have registered as exhibitors in offline and virtual events.

As one of the expo's major events, the Belt and Road Investment Promotion Conference held on Thursday afternoon witnessed the signing of 13 cooperation projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), involving a total of 4 billion yuan, or about 617 million U.S. dollars.

FRUITFUL COOPERATION

China and Arab states have in recent years continued to strengthen strategic coordination and synergy of actions, and the joint construction of the Belt and Road has achieved fruitful results, Xi said in the letter.

Bound by the history of the ancient Silk Road, China and Arab states are natural partners for BRI cooperation and have notable complementarity. So far, China has signed BRI cooperation documents with 19 Arab countries and the Arab League.

The initiative serves as an opportunity to achieve the common development of participating countries and advance China-Arab strategic partnership, as noted in a declaration of actions on China-Arab BRI cooperation inked in 2018.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the healthcare exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The fifth China-Arab States Expo opened Thursday in Yinchuan.(Xinhua/Wang Peng)

Xi said that China remains the largest trading partner of Arab countries.

In 2020, the total trade volume between China and Arab states was 239.8 billion U.S. dollars. Arab states' imports from China reached 122.9 billion U.S. dollars, up 2.1 percent year on year despite the impact of the pandemic. That is proof of the great resilience, potential and concrete achievements of China-Arab cooperation.

Xi also said that in the face of COVID-19, China and Arab countries have joined hands to fight the pandemic, setting an example of helping each other and overcoming difficulties together.

China and Arab states have shown great sincerity in jointly countering pandemic challenges. Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was among the first foreign heads of state to hold a phone call with Xi voicing support for China's COVID-19 response back in 2020, and China and the United Arab Emirates jointly conducted the world's first international phase three clinical trials of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines. So far, China has donated and exported more than 72 million doses of vaccines to 17 Arab states and the Arab League.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the digital economy exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

"The construction of the BRI in the economic and health sectors, among others, has been gaining momentum during the pandemic, which demonstrates progress toward the construction of a China-Arab states community with a shared future, oriented to the new era," said Su Xiaohui, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies.

China will now work to meet the need for COVID-19 vaccines in Arab countries, and work with Arab states to further cooperate on the local production of vaccines, said Zhai Jun, China's special envoy on Middle East affairs, at the opening of the expo. "We will build on the BRI cooperation momentum to further synergize development strategies and help realize the dreams of national rejuvenation for both sides," he said.

PROMOTING COOPERATION, DEVELOPMENT

China is ready to work with Arab states to seek cooperation and development, promote peaceful development, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, Xi noted in the letter.

The expo features exhibition areas with themes including the digital economy, clean energy and cross-border e-commerce.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the cross-border e-commerce exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.(Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)

"These arrangements stand as barometers of the continuous upgrading of the BRI in the post-pandemic era, indicating new growth areas in technology-empowered sectors -- not including infrastructure and production capacity cooperation -- as well as new cooperation dividends for both sides," said Ding Long, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute at the Shanghai International Studies University.

Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said via video that Arab countries and China are highly complementary in economy and enjoy broad prospects for cooperation. He noted that Morocco has actively participated and played a constructive role in the BRI, and has seen great progress in the country's infrastructure.

Kazakhstan's First Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said that the BRI has proven to be practical and successful, and the proposal of building a digital Silk Road and a green Silk Road will make contributions to the low-carbon development of the world.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the green food exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

Stressing that new opportunities will be brought to countries along the Belt and Road, Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi said that joint efforts to safeguard regional security and stability are vital for the further development of the initiative.

"China-Arab BRI cooperation will help rally forces to build clusters and highlands of advanced economies, providing powerful engines of technology, expertise and service so as to promote global recovery and contribute to maintaining an open world economy that benefits all," said Gao Shangtao, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at China Foreign Affairs University.

Editor: WXY
Aerial photo taken on August 15, 2021 shows the idyllic landscape of a village in central Chinas City of Chongqing. The well-managed river running through the field, splitting the green blanket up. The local government has firmly implemented the mechanism of river chief management system and focuses on the comprehensive improvement of the ecological system, creating a better living environment for the local residents. (Chen Bisheng/Guangming Picture)

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's, GMW.cn makes no representations as to accuracy, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information.
(File photo)

Bloomberg recently published a report in which the claim was made, that the US made the best Covid recovery, US officials also have made statements about no country donating more money to fight Covid than the US. This version of history has enraged a lot of people in China, common people, officials, and academics alike. The anger doesnt just come from the cynical irony of claiming a successful response by the US, when more than 600,000 Americans died due to the failed US Covid response, it also comes from being fed up with constant attacks and disinformation campaigns from the US. It started with the racist former president Donald Trump who invented names for Covid to blame the disease on China, but also from the continued campaign by the Biden administration to avoid taking responsibility while trying to push public attention to China. Ive spoken to some Chinese who incredulously asked how anyone in their right minds would believe the US had a good Covid response, or why in the world Bloomberg would destroy its long-standing reputation by making such absurd claims. Two caveats: apart from Chinese media, it seems few people actually take notice of the Bloomberg ranking, which saw Norway take the top spot recently. And two, some people who have never visited China simply cant believe the numbers coming from China because they are so far and beyond anything any Western country has achieved.

Anyone living in China knows, that hiding large numbers of Covid cases would be impossible, given the extreme transparency in locating each case on public maps, so everyone can check whether actual cases were made public or not. And we know that there is almost no lockdown, as for more than 14 months Covid has been mostly under control. Everything is big in China, so sometimes an area with 2 million people gets locked down for two weeks, while everyone gets tested, but to keep perspective: thats less than 0.2% of Chinas population, and after such quick responses, usually case numbers in single or double digits had been found, not hundreds, not thousands. So Covid hardly affects our lives in China, apart from having to wear facemasks in subways and having to scan a QR code in certain public locations. In other words, live has been back to almost normal for months, while we read endless reports of people still dying from Covid in other countries, people still working from home, people still discussing about masks, and vaccination being the only hope to defeat Covid outside of China.

Now, Bloombergs ranking assumes these questions as normal and therefore asks if people can travel abroad, or how many international flights have resumed. That shouldnt be priority, when people are still dying, at least in the eyes of many Chinese.

But the insult of not admitting Chinas response was by far the most effective in the world both from an economic and a humanitarian perspective wouldnt be so bitter, if it wasnt accompanied with a barrage of lies about Chinas role in the Covid drama. Chinese philosophy never believed in a fair marketplace of ideas where an invisible hand of God will make sure the truth will prevail. A metaphor of how Chinese understand ideas could be like plants:whichever gets the most light, right amount of water, and grows on good soil will prevail over others. Truth may be the good soil on which to build an idea, but without the exposure to the public, it wont win over other ideas. And thats why people are so angry when yet another reputed news source paints a distorted picture.

Already before this ranking US politicians and media have been telling a narrative, which blames China but doesnt withstand the test of reality. Its important to keep the chronological facts in mind:

1.In fall 2019 Covid19 viruses were spreading globally, as later testing of blood samples would show. At least for France, Italy and a number of US states there is scientific proof that Covid was already around as early as October 2019. That doesnt mean it has started there, but it makes clear that no response by Wuhan authorities in January 2020 could have prevented Covid from spreading in Western countries.

2.In December 2019 Chinese researchers discovered Covid and identified it as a new type of virus, alerted the WHO, and started researching the risks and danger of this virus. During this process, a Chinese doctor warned some friends of potentially a SARS outbreak in Wuhan and was reprimanded for spreading rumors before it was scientifically confirmed. He wasnt imprisoned nor punished, and the virus turned out not to be the original SARS virus. He still gets called whistleblower who tried to warn authorities in some Western media, but that is simply not correct.

3.In January 2020 some Wuhan authorities downplayed the threat of the virus for 2 weeks, until the central government got involved, the city got locked down, the officials got demoted, sacked and punished, and the whole country of China went into a status of high alert. This all happened within just a few weeks.

4.End of February 2020 the situation in China was fully under control, restrictions got slowly lifted again and within another two months travelling was allowed again and by May the Chinese economy was almost back to normal with mask mandate in subway and malls as only reminder of Covids existence.

5.In March and May respectively Covid started to spread in Italy, Europe, and the US. Rather than implementing quick and strict lockdowns to prevent a further spread, authorities hesitated to learn from Chinas methods, and ended up with extremely harsh measures, e.g. in Italy, but failed to actually contain the virus.

6.Until now, no Western authorities have been sacked or punished for failing to contain China. This is seen as a clear indicator the Chinese system has more accountability for governments as compared to Western systems, which is the stark opposite to how most Western people view China and the West.

From the chronological order it becomes very evident that no matter what China has or hasnt done in the first two weeks of January 2020, it could neither have prevented Covid from reaching the West, nor could it have prevented the West from failing in its Covid response. Covid was in the West, before any Chinese doctor or scientist had discovered the existence of the virus. In light of this its rather shocking how not one western politician has formally thanked China for discovering this threat.

The question where the virus originated is still very much open. To advise US secret services to come up with an explanation relies on those services being trustworthy. History doesnt suggest they are. That the US demands further investigations to Wuhan, but doesnt allow any investigation into any potential origins in the US, puts in question whether truth is really the goal of the US.

In China some 8000 people died of Covid, and local authorities where this happened got punished and let go. In the US some 600.000 people died of Covid, in the EU the numbers are similar, yet no official has stepped down, taken responsibility, or been punished for those deaths.

In light of all this, many Chinese indeed feel very offended when a Bloomberg ranking says the US has responded or recovered well from Covid. Experts are baffled how a once reputable institution would publish such a report. Now Intellisia has partnered with the Chongyang Institute of the Renmin University to publish a more realistic assessment of how the US has responded.

To quote the devastating verdict from the report: Domestically, the United States is a failed country. It went from being against science and common sense to covering up the truth, politicize, and using monetary measures to fight the pandemic. The wealth of the rich has ballooned, whereas the lives of ordinary people have deteriorated. Society has been torn apart and racial tensions have intensified. It goes on to describe how indeed Covid was politicized in the US and human lives were sacrificed with the goal of partisan wins from the pandemic. The U.S. government, especially President Trump, ignored scientific facts and spread false information on anti-intellectualism through various channels such as the White House press conference, mass media, and social media. The West still suffers from this anti-intellectualism, anti-science, and pseudo-freedom trend.

Its important that truths get recorded and communicated to future generations. I find it my duty as a European to make clear, this is not about politics, its not about China trying to attack the West, its about preserving knowledge of what really happened, and giving proof to future historians that as contemporaries knew. Its also important to address the big taboo, that the US-led Western world is in deep governance crisis. Unless the West can reform its political systems and international structure, more crises are bound to happen. Keeping the voters distracted with foreign military adventures or insults on other peoples and their political system is not only increasingly costly, it also prevents Western societies from discussing how they hope to organize themselves in the 21st century to allow for both the protection of the weak and the relative freedom of the strong. These challenges for the West wont find a solution by changing China, or intervening in the Middle East, or lecturing Africa who to trade with. Europe and the US have provided well for their citizens, in times where they could still profit from the spoils of colonization. Now that these spoils no longer flow, these societies need to devise socio-economic systems to keep people satisfied while saving our planet from climate collapse and resource overuse. Thats what the political and economic elites, journalists and academics in the West should spend time thinking about.

(Contributed by Simeon, Intellisia Senior Research Fellow, for Guangming Online)

Editor: GSY
Jing Baoshan patrols in the forest in Pinglu county, Shanxi province. [Photo by Liu Wenli/for China Daily]

Jing Baoshan, 69, lives a quiet post-retirement life in Yuecun village, Pinglu county, Shanxi province.

But his weather-beaten, wrinkled face and gray hair are testament to the extraordinary life the lanky figure has lived, for which he has been awarded the honorary title of "National Outstanding Member of the Communist Party of China".

Jing's given name, "Baoshan" means "protecting the mountains", something he seems to have been fated to do his entire life.

In 1970, the then 17-year-old joined the People's Liberation Army, and was garrisoned in the Tangula Mountains for the next 17 years.

The Tangula, with elevations ranging between 5,000 meters and 6,000 meters above sea level, stretch more than 700 kilometers across the east of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The name is Tibetan and means "mountains that even eagles cannot fly over".

After being discharged from active military service in 1987, Jing returned to his hometown in Pinglu and became a forest ranger with a State-run forest farm, where he worked for 25 years until he retired in 2012. He largely worked alone and survived a number of life-or-death situations, as he was ready to sacrifice his life to protect the treesmostly Chinese red pines which he refers to as "his children"from fires and illegal logging.

On Oct 1, 2019, he was invited to the ceremony celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Beijing, which Jing said was an honor and something he will remember for the rest of his life. He no longer has official responsibilities but continues to patrol the forest as a volunteer at least once every two weeks out of emotional attachment.

Thanks to improved logistics, living conditions for the rangers in the mountains are much better today. Smart positioning equipment plays a vital role in keeping them safe, and fireproof facilities are more developed than before.

Jing believes the improvements are a reflection of the country's development. More importantly, he said that people now recognize the importance of a well-protected environment.

Jing hasn't forgotten the day he started work. After taking him to the lookout tower and explaining the basics of life and work as a ranger, the farm's director left him alone on the mountain. His only contact with the outside world was via radio.

"The first few nights were sleepless because of the noises made by wild animals," he said.

When he woke up to the sound of birds chirping the first morning, the view over an immense forest, which covers an area of nearly 6,800 hectares, made him wonder if this was exactly what he'd been missing during his 17 years up in the barren mountains of Tangula. There, the soldiers dreamed each night of trees, he said.

He patrolled the forest once a week with a hatchet to protect himself from wolves, singing songs to entertain himself during the 30-km hike.

At the lookout tower where he stayed, he also scanned the forest by binoculars once an hour, and reported conditions to his colleagues every three days. He wrote his log and diary by candlelight and talked to stars when he felt lonely.

The villagers described him as a "hardhead" because he refused to compromise, and no one dared fell a tree under his watch.

During his 25 years of service, Jing helped fight forest fires on numerous occasions. In 2000, after spotting one, he called for help from the closest village.

As more firefighters made their way, Jing and five farmers were battling the blaze when the wind suddenly changed direction, and the flames encircled them. Four of the farmers died, while Jing and the surviving farmer were injured.

While recalling that day, Jing cried. He said that the farmers' deaths were one of the reasons he determined to devote the rest of his life to the forest.

It took his wife eight hours on foot to reach the lookout tower, but she would bring him 30 homemade steamed buns each time.

The forestry bureau also tried to support his work.

In the 25 years Jing spent at the tower, three colleagues were sent to work with him. But all left after only a short time there.

Editor: GSY
Editor's note: Since the COVID-19 outbreak over one and a half years ago, the global infections have topped 200 million while the death toll is nearing 4.3 million. In most places outside China, repeated lockdowns and massive vaccine rollout have failed to stop the spread of the pandemic. Under such circumstances, ozone, as an effective weapon with no side effects to inactivate the novel coronavirus, deserves more attention worldwide. On Feb. 18, 2020, during the initial stage of the epidemic, Zhou Muzhi, professor of Tokyo Keizai University and head of the Cloud River Urban Research Institute, published a paper titled "Ozone: A Powerful Weapon to Combat COVID-19 Outbreak" (hereafter referred to as the "February Zhou Paper"), calling for the use of the ozone to curb the spread of the disease. The paper has been reposted by many media outlets and platforms, thus promoting the ozone trials in combating the novel coronavirus.

The February Zhou Paper, as well as its English and Japanese versions, was three weeks earlier than the WHO's declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic. The paper has provided a new solution to the global combat of COVID-19 and gave a boost to the application of ozone on the world stage. The hypothesis of using low concentration of ozone to inactivate the novel coronavirus has been proved through experiments and the research and applications of ozone generators have made rapid progress. In order to promote its applications, Professor Zhou wrote three papers in a series to discuss in detail the complicated relationship between ozone and the ecological equilibrium on earth as well as the mechanism of ozone inactivating the novel coronavirus.

Ozone is now widely used in disinfection, sterilization, deodorization, detoxification, preservation and bleaching. But most people still see it unfamiliar and even remain vigilant. To promote its wide applications, we should first recognize its contribution to ecological equilibrium, clear away people's misconceptions, and help them understand the mechanism of low concentration of ozone in disinfection and sterilization.

1. The earth's protective shield

Ozone is a gas made up of three oxygen atoms (O3). It is created primarily by ultraviolet radiation. When high-energy ultraviolet rays strike ordinary oxygen molecules (O2), they split the molecule into two single oxygen atoms, known as atomic oxygen. A freed oxygen atom then combines with another oxygen molecule to form a molecule of ozone. As an allotrope of oxygen, the pale blue gas has a distinctively pungent smell. The word ozone comes from the Greek word OZEIN, meaning "to smell." So ozone is mainly created in nature when ultraviolet rays strike oxygen molecules and split the molecule into two single oxygen atoms which then combine with another oxygen molecule.

The troposphere is the lowest layer of our atmosphere, which starts from ground level all the way extending upward to about 10 kilometers. The temperature generally decreases with the altitude. Therefore, the higher we climb up on the mountain, the colder we may feel. The next layer up is called the stratosphere, which extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 kilometers above the ground, with the temperature increasing all the way up.

The ozone layer is found within both the troposphere and the stratosphere. Because oxygen molecules are more at lower altitudes and less at higher altitudes, and oxygen atoms are less at lower altitudes and more at higher altitudes, a high concentration of ozone layer is formed in the stratosphere, but not on the ground or higher up altitudes. That is to say, the ozone concentration in the atmosphere increases gradually from about 10 km above the ground, reaches its maximum in the stratosphere, and then decreases sharply higher upward.

Therefore, a concentration of 10 to 20 ppm (parts per million) ozone layer is found in the stratosphere. Ultraviolet radiation can be subdivided into UV-A (315-400), UV-B (280-315nm) and UV-C (<280nm) according to wavelengths. By absorbing the high-energy UV-B and and UV-C from the sun, the ozone layer acts as a shield for some UV damage to the cellular DNA, thus protecting the life on the earth.

Ozone, which is created when ultraviolet rays strike oxygen molecules, can absorb harmful ultraviolet radiation from its damage to the life on the earth, acting as a shield to protect their reproduction. Therefore, ultraviolet rays, the ozone layer and the life on the earth form an interdependent ecosystem.

The time when the ozone layer reaches the current concentration almost coincides with the time when life on the earth evolves from the ocean to the land. In other words, the higher level in ozone concentration may play an important role in the colonization of life on land, as a thin ozone layer could only allow for life to exist in the ocean. To put it simply, life or organisms, which formerly only existed in the ocean to shield from the harmful UV radiation, were able to migrate on shore thanks to a higher level of ozone concentration.

It is fair to say that the massive diversification of life is only made possible with the protection of the ozone layer.

However, the use of man-made chemicals in industrial development such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other volatile organic compounds (VOC) is damaging the ozone layer and even causing ozone depletion.

This would weaken the human's immune system and increase the risk of skin cancer and cataract. In 1974, Professor Frank Sherwood Rowland and Dr. Mario J. Molina at the University of California, Irvine published a paper in the journal Nature, explaining how CFCs silently kill the ozone layer. In 1995, the two were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their findings.

With increasing public awareness of the protection of ozone layer, a series of global conventions and protocols have been introduced, and ozone layer protection has become an environmental issue of global concern.

2. Angel in the sky, devil on the ground?

Although dubbed the earth's protective shield, ozone did not enjoy a good reputation and even has long been misunderstood.

Ozone smells. Although most people could not feel it under natural conditions, its smell may grow more pungent and even cause discomfort as its concentration increases.

In the troposphere near the earth's surface, the natural concentration of ozone is about 0.02 to 0.1 ppm, which is harmless to the human being and other big living creatures. As the concentration level grows, it can cause discomforts to human body and may even be harmful to eyes and the respiratory system. The FDA's maximum allowed ozone concentration in the air for residential areas is 0.05 ppm ozone by volume; the Japan Society for Occupational Health (JSOH) recommends the Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) for ozone concentration is 0.1 ppm; while the China National Health Commission has set the safe ozone threshold as 0.1 ppm.

What really made ozone "notoriously famous" is the photochemical smog, which refers to a mixture of pollutants, including primary pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), together with secondary pollutants ozone produced in the chemical reaction of UV ray. Although NOx and VOC are the primary source of photochemical smog, the share of ozone in the smog could reach as high as 80% to 90%. So people usually equate photochemical smog pollution with ozone pollution.

Photochemical smog not only stimulates mucosal tissues like eyes and respiratory system, it could also cause sore eyes, headaches, coughing and asthma. It could also inhibit plant growth which leads to crop failure, and even cause more hazards like acid rain and visibility reduction.

Since the industrial revolution, mass emission of NOx has led to an increase of ozone in the troposphere by 300% in the past 100 years.

Although the concentration in the troposphere is merely a tenth of that in stratosphere, ozone is still the third largest contributor to global warming among all greenhouse gases, following carbon dioxide and methane, and making its reputation even worse.

All the factors above have led to a common belief that ozone is a harmful pollutant in the troposphere, and some even compare it to "an angel in the sky, a devil on the ground." Several countries including Japan have made the observation and prevention of ozone cross-border pollution in the troposphere an important research topic.

Therefore, we should clear up its reputation before promoting its use in the battle against COVID-19. It should be justified that the ozone in photochemical smog is at an unnaturally high level of concentration due to man-made pollution, much higher than the normal concentration of ozone in the troposphere. Moreover, unlike pure ozone in nature, photochemical smog consists of a large amount of hazardous pollutants like NOx and VOC.

Concentrations of ozone in nature vary by season and geography, but generally do not reach levels that can harm human health. For example, one way ozone is naturally produced is through electrical excitation of oxygen molecules in lightening. Due to ozone's purification effect, the air is usually more refreshing after thunder and lightning. Another example would be the refreshing air in the coastlines and forests because of high ozone concentration.

Therefore, naturally produced ozone is anything but hazardous to the human being as well as other big living creatures. We must recognize the difference between the naturally produced ozone and ozone in photochemical smog, and should not blame it as a cause for environmental pollution.

3. A balancing power to ecological equilibrium

For the human being, naturally produced ozone is anything but hazardous.

According to the Hypothesisof the February Zhou Paper, "though harmless to big living creatures, ozone could pose serious threats to microorganisms. As a strong oxidizing agent, ozone has always been inhibiting microbe reproductions, while also acting as a balancing power to ecological equilibrium."

Unfortunately, little attention has been given to its role in inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. One reason is that low concentration of ozone was not believed to have sanitation values.

The author made thorough research and studies as well as logic reasoning on the role of ozone in the complicated ecosystem and found out that a low concentration of ozone as little as 0.025 ppm is still able to kill bacteria, viruses and molds, if given enough exposure, according to a Japanese study.

It is fair to say that a higher concentration of ozone in the nature has balanced and inhibited the overgrowth and reproduction of microorganisms on the earth. Furthermore, it can be inferred that ozone, whose concentration varies with seasons and regions, plays a dominant role in the cycle of microbial reproduction and that it reflects to seasonal changes and controls the cycles of living creatures on the earth.

To sum up, ozone is beneficial for human and nature in both stratosphere and troposphere, as it acts as a shield in stratosphere to protect living creatures, while its presence in the troposphere also works as a balancing power to ecological equilibrium.

Only by further understanding the relationship between ozone and life on the earth can we find out the greater benefits that ozone may bring.

Editor: GSY
The Central Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility (CSFSF) is completely ready for operation, it remains to obtain permission from the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, Head of Energoatom Petro Kotin said.

"All work on our part has been completed, the technical procedures at the power units are being completed, the permission of the State Architectural and Construction Inspectorate has also been obtained, it remains to obtain permission from the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate. We expect it in the coming days," Kotin said during the ceremonial opening of the CSFSF in the exclusion zone on Friday.

According to him, about UAH 6 billion have been invested in the CSFSF implementation project at this stage since the start of construction.

At the same time, Kotin does not allow any risks with the commissioning of the storage facility. "Very soon we will start supplying real containers to CSFSF with nuclear fuel. I don't think we will not be able to do this for some reason," he said.

The head of Energoatom stressed that the first containers will arrive by the end of the year, according to the approved schedules, which provide for a certain margin of safety at the NPPs themselves.

"It is 100% that we will not take them to the Russian Federation," Kotin said.

Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko, who was present at the opening, noted that the CSFSF is an important project in many aspects, first of all, energy independence from the Russian Federation.

"We are talking about real independence from Russia, one of the most important things that we must ensure," the minister said.

Earlier, the Minister of Energy announced the opening of the CSFSF tentatively for the Independence Day of Ukraine  August 24.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that as long as Nord Stream 2 is not launched, Ukraine will actively negotiate to protect its interests, the presidential press service said on Thursday.

"To build a gas pipeline is one thing and to launch it is another, it takes time. It is necessary to comply with international law and international energy standards. Guarantees must also be considered. We will use this time to protect our own interests," Zelensky said in an interview with journalists from Washington Post, Liberation, Funke Media, Novoe Vremya and Novaya Gazeta.

The Head of State noted that the Nord Stream 2 is among the priorities on the agenda of his meeting with U.S. President Joseph Biden in Washington.

According to him, even after the construction of this pipeline, it is likely that it will not start functioning.

Zelensky stressed that Ukraine would lose about $2 billion a year due to the termination of gas transit through its territory. In addition, gas prices may rise for Ukrainian consumers, as less fuel will be transported through the Ukrainian pipeline.

"Nord Stream 2 is a weapon. Moscow may create a shortage of supplies in the gas market and thus raise the price. In today's world, it is not necessary to buy machine guns to damage the country. You can just use economic instruments," the Head of State said.

As reported, Zelensky suggests that German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, after a visit to Russia, may arrive in Kyiv with some guarantees of energy security for Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky believes that a high level of corruption cannot be the main one in the context of resolving the issue of Ukraine's accession into NATO, the press service of the head of state said on Thursday.

"It is easy to accuse Ukraine of corruption. But let's be honest: no country is completely free of corruption, corrupt officials or oligarchs. But over the last few years, Ukraine has created an anticorruption infrastructure that has no analogues in Europe or perhaps even around the world," Zelensky said in an interview with journalists from Washington Post, Liberation, Funke Media, Novoe Vremya and Novaya Gazeta.

The Head of State stressed that Ukraine has a number of independent anticorruption bodies, such as the National Anticorruption Bureau or the High Anticorruption Court.

"Ukraine has the status of almost a member of the EU and almost a member of NATO. The country already lives by European standards. And the military command centers meet NATO requirements," he said.

The President believes that the fact that Ukraine has not been invited to NATO is underwhelming and sends a negative signal to other candidate countries.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved two packages of sanctions against judges of the Russian Federation and other officials directly involved in the persecution of the civilian population in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

"The government's first decree proposes to the NSDC to impose sanctions on 18 individuals - judges of the Russian Federation and other employees of its occupation administration responsible for the persecution of the OCU (Orthodox Church of Ukraine) community in Crimea. In particular, the illegal alienation of the premises of the Cathedral of Saints Equal to the Apostles of Prince Vladimir and Princess Olga in the city of Simferopol, other places of worship, damage to church property, persecution of the community," the press service of the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories said.

Also, by the second decree, the Cabinet of Ministers proposes the NSDC to apply sanctions to 52 individuals - heads of structural divisions of the occupation administrations, judges, security officials and other citizens of the Russian Federation who are directly related to the organization of the functioning of the occupational judicial system and unlawful persecution of civilians in the temporarily occupied territory of the Ukrainian peninsula.

The sanctions are proposed to be applied for a period of five years.

It is noted that the imposition of sanctions on the relevant persons, in the event that they have property on the territory of Ukraine, will block the possibility of their use, make it impossible to withdraw capital from Ukraine, stop financial transactions, prohibit participation in privatization, lease of state property by the relevant residents of the Russian Federation and individuals that are directly or indirectly controlled by them or act in their interests.

If the NSDC makes a relevant decision, Ukraine will immediately inform the competent authorities of the EU, U.S., Canada, as well as other international partners, in order to consider the issue of imposing similar sanctions.
The decision of the European Commission (EC) on the equivalence of the digital COVID certificates of the EU and Ukraine came into force on Friday, August 20, said Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov during a press briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

"Today is a historic moment for digital Ukraine, because we became one of the first countries in the world to join the EU's single digital market in the direction of COVID certificates. Today at 10:00 we joined the EU by technical means, after we had published the corresponding decision. We will be able to receive citizens of EU countries, and after updating the version of the Diia application, Ukrainians will be able to generate a certificate and travel to European countries," he said.

Fedorov stressed that updating the application can take from several hours to several days.

According to him, two certificates will be formed in Diia: for travel abroad and domestic one. Problems with the formation of a certificate may arise if the doctor did not enter the data on the second dose of the vaccine or if there is no data on vaccination at all.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation is actively working to launch certificates with data on negative PCR testing or previous illness. Also, in the near future, it is planned to launch the ability to generate certificates on the Diia portal.

Health Minister Viktor Liashko, in turn, stressed that the International Vaccination Certificate is issued if the vaccine is recommended by WHO. All vaccines used in Ukraine are included in this list.

"This would not have been possible if there had not been systemic changes in the health care sector, in particular if the electronic health care system had not been launched. Thanks to the fact that we have the ability to enter all data about a person's medical condition through medical information systems, thanks to the fact that we have the Ministry of Digital Transformation, we have combined the two systems and received COVID certificates. They include data on vaccination, laboratory testing by PCR and whether a person has had COVID-19," Liashko added.

At the same time, the minister noted that the validity period of the certificate is 180 days, the issue of its extension is still being studied.

"We are currently studying this issue with the World Health Organization. WHO does not yet recommend the introduction of the third dose of the vaccine. We will make a decision whether the certificates will be extended to 12 months in the near future," he said.

Liashko added that in order to avoid falsification of certificates, the Ministry of Health has prepared a bill on criminal liability for falsifying certificates of vaccination against especially dangerous infectious diseases, which will soon be presented at a government meeting.
Klitschko says he was invited to NSDC meeting, but he can't attend due to trip to Chernihiv region

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has said that he was invited to a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) on Friday, but he won't be able to attend.

"I got a call from the President's Office and was invited to today's meeting of the NSDC. Two and a half hours before its start. Unfortunately, I cannot physically be present because following the verification of the work on the Podilsko-Voskresensky bridge crossing, I have already left for a working trip on the affairs of the Association of Ukrainian Cities to Chernihiv region," Klitschko wrote on Facebook.
The investigation into the high-profile case on suspicion of two MPs of high treason and looting of national values has been completed, the materials of the production are open to the defense, according to the statement of Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova, published on the website of the Prosecutor General's Office on Friday.

At the same time, the names of the MPs were not said, but from the essence and details of the suspicion it follows that it is about MPs of the Opposition Platform - For Life faction Viktor Medvedchuk, who is currently under house arrest, and Taras Kozak, who is wanted.

"Today the materials will be released to the MP, who is under house arrest. The materials concerning another suspected MP have been allocated to a separate proceeding in connection with his search, although the main investigative actions against him have also been completed [...] After reviewing them with all the evidence accumulated by the prosecutors and investigators, the case will go to court," Venediktova said.

According to her, the Prosecutor General's Office is ready for accusations of persecuting the opposition, information attacks and obstruction of work, but she said that the evidence has been collected "and we are ready to go to court with them."

"Two MPs of Ukraine are suspected of involvement in grave crimes. The people's representatives who swore allegiance to Ukraine and pledged to defend its sovereignty and independence are reasonably suspected of treason and assisting the aggressor in one of the most difficult times of our history," the Prosecutor General said.

Venediktova also reported that the investigation had evidence that the suspects had handed over to the occupation authorities the material and documentary base for the development of the Hlyboka field, which is located in the Prykerchensky shelf of the Black Sea in the exclusive (maritime) economic zone of Ukraine. "Without the help of these MPs, it would take years and huge resources of the Russian Federation to develop a site with prospective reserves of more than UAH 38 billion," she said.

In addition, according to the investigation, the MPs of Ukraine, acting in accordance with the instructions of the representatives of the Russian Federation authorities, collected information about the locations of the military formations of Ukraine and their combat training, and also assisted in involving citizens of Ukraine to the implementation of measures to destabilize political situation in the state, the Prosecutor General said.

"In fact, they provided assistance to a foreign country in carrying out subversive activities against Ukraine. This is nothing more than high treason," Venetiktova said.

According to her, it concerns the transfer of confidential information on one of the military units of the Ukrainian army, as well as active participation in the development of the so-called Luch Project, aimed at the systemic promotion and lobbying of political, geo-economic and other interests of the Russian Federation, beneficial changes in the domestic and foreign policy of Ukraine.

"We will have to take a serious procedural battle. But [...] we are confident in our position and will demonstrate the work of prosecutors and investigators in the European competitive process. I would also like to say that we do not stop there. We provide procedural guidance in a number of other criminal proceedings for crimes to the detriment of sovereignty, territorial integrity, defense and economic security of Ukraine, in which both former and current MPs of Ukraine can be involved," Venediktova said.

As reported, on May 11, Medvedchuk and Kozak were notified of suspicion of treason and attempted plunder of national resources in the Russian-occupied Crimea. According to Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, the suspicion concerns three episodes of illegal activity and cooperation with the aggressor country. According to the investigation, in 2015, Medvedchuk entered into a preliminary conspiracy with an official of the Russian government to extract minerals on the shelf of the Black Sea (the sea economic zone of Ukraine, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation). Another episode of criminal proceedings concerns the transfer of information containing state secrets to the special services of the Russian Federation. The third episode of illegal activity is subversive activities against Ukraine, in particular, in context of the development of the anti-Ukrainian project "Luch".

On May 12, Medvedchuk arrived at the Office of the Prosecutor General, got familiar with a copy of the suspicion presented to him and said that he did not intend to hide from the investigation, and the suspicions were politically motivated. The court chose a measure of restraint for him in form of house arrest, the court of appeal upheld it.

Kozak, according to law enforcement agencies, is in the Russian Federation. At the same time, according to Medvedchuk, Kozak is on the territory of Belarus, where he undergoes treatment. Kozak has been put on the wanted list, there is a court decision on his arrest for choosing a measure of restraint.
KYIV. Aug 20 (Interfax-Ukraine)  More than half of Ukrainian citizens are negative about the possibility that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will run for a second term. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the Ukrainian Sociological Group and presented at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Friday.

"If Zelensky announced that he would run for the second time, then 57.7% of respondents would have reacted to this decision 'unequivocally negatively' or 'rather negatively.' To one degree or another, 25.6% of respondents would have positively perceived Zelensky's intention, moreover, only 8.7% - 'unequivocally positive,'" a report based on the results of the study says.

In general, the majority of Ukrainian citizens give a negative assessment of Zelensky's activities as President of Ukraine for two years in office. The majority of those polled, 62.8%, assessed Zelensky's activities as president "unequivocally negative" or "rather negative." To one degree or another, 26.7% of the respondents assess his work positively, with 5.4% being "unequivocally positive."

At the same time, more than half of the respondents, 52.9%, have no hopes that Zelensky will change the situation in the country for the better. Some of the respondents, 18.4%, reported that they have "weak hope". Some 16.7% of those polled have "some hopes", and only 6.9% said they have "high hopes" that the president will change the situation in the country for the better.

The survey was conducted from August 2 to August 10, 2021 by the method of individual interviews "face-to-face" at the place of residence of the respondent. A total of 1,206 respondents aged 18 and over were interviewed in all regions of Ukraine, with the exception of the uncontrolled territories of Crimea and Donbas. The sample represents the adult population of Ukraine (controlled territories) according to the main socio-demographic characteristics: gender, age, type of settlement and region of residence. The statistical error does not exceed 3.0%.
Egypts Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced on Friday that the Ever Given ship, which blocked navigation through the Suez Canal for nearly a week in March, has succeeded in crossing the canal on its way back to China after unloading its cargo in the UK.

According to the statement issued by the SCA, the Ever Given vessel crossed the canal as part of a convoy coming from the north adding that the authority assigned several highly experienced transit guides to be on board and two tug boats to accompany it during its trip through the canal.

The fact that Ever Given crossed the Suez Canal for the 22nd time reflects the confidence in the Suez Canal as the fastest naval route that connects east and west, it also show the good relations between the Suez Canal and the Japanese company owning the vessel, the statement said, quoting the SCA Chairman Osama Rabei.

The Ever Given ran aground and blocked Egypts Suez Canal in March for nearly a week until it was refloated on 29 March by a fleet of Egyptian tugboats and diggers.

In July, Egypt allowed the Japanese-owned ship to leave Egyptian waters, where the vessel had been seized for around 100 days, after signing a settlement agreement with the ship owner.

The settlement followed a legal dispute where Egypt asked for $550 million in compensation, down from $916 million, to cover salvage efforts, reputational damage and lost revenue.

The authority stated that during the Ever Givens return trip on Friday 62 vessels had so far crossed the Suez Canal in both directions with a total cargo of 3.5 million tons.

According to the Vessel Finder website, the Ever Given has a few hours remaining before leaving the Suez Canal and entering the Red Sea on Friday evening.
The Ministry of Health issued on Friday a new set of instructions regarding coronavirus vaccinations in Egypt, to facilitate the process for travelers as well as non-travellers.

According to a statement by the ministry, if an individual is registered to be vaccinated and has not receive either of the two doses, but wants to be vaccinated as a traveler instead, he or she can make a transfer request through the health ministrys official online vaccination registration by following up on the status of the original request online.

The individual can press the travel transfer tab and choose a travel center to be transferred to, the ministry statement said.

If an individual receives a message saying that they have been assigned to a vaccination center other than a traveler center, the individual must wait 72 hours before requesting a transfer online, or call the vaccination hotline at 15335.

Individuals can also go directly to the Traveler Vaccination Center to be directed, provided they have not received any previous doses.

If an individual has received the first AstraZeneca dose more than a month prior and wants to move up the date of the second dose due to travel arrangements, then he or she should contact the information center of the governorate in which their vaccination center belongs, provided that they have with them a proof of travel date.

AstraZeneca requires an eight-week interval between its first and second doses.

Currently, Egypt has assigned the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to travelers.

The health ministry added that individuals who received the first and second doses will not be permitted to receive a booster vaccine.

The second dose of the vaccine must be administered at the same center where the first dose was received.

The ministry also stated that vaccinations for anyone under the age of 18 are prohibited.

If an individual has received a confirmation message for their first dose, but missed it, they must call the hotline at 15335 to reactivate the request, which is available for 48 hours, the ministry said in its statement.

As long as they have not been diagnosed with the coronavirus, the second dose will be available for a period of six days to individuals who miss their appointed date.

The ministry added that individuals will be allowed to receive a vaccination certificate if the first dose was administered outside of Egypt.

According to the World Health Organisation, 6,477,535 vaccine doses have been administered in Egypt, with 2,157,904 individuals fully vaccinated, and 4,319,631 receiving first dose.

Egypt has registered 285,831 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak in February 2020, including 16,647 fatalities and 235,317 recoveries.

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President Joe Biden says the Taliban have not changed but are going through an ``existential crisis'' about whether they want legitimacy on the global stage as they've taken over Afghanistan.

In an interview on ABC's ``Good Morning America,'' Biden said that he's ``not sure'' the Taliban want to be ``recognized by the international community as being a legitimate government.''

He also said that the threat from al-Qaida and their affiliate organizations is ``greater in other parts of the world than it is in Afghanistan, adding that it's ``not rational'' to ignore the ``looming problems'' posed by al-Qaida affiliates in Syria or East Africa, where he said the threat to the U.S. is ``significantly greater.''

``We should be focusing on where the threat is the greatest,'' Biden said, in defense of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden also pushed back against concerns about the treatment of women and girls in the country, arguing that it's ``not rational'' to try to protect women's rights around the globe through military force. Instead, it should be done through ``diplomatic and international pressure'' on human rights abusers to change their behavior.

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PRAGUE _ The Czech leaders declared the country's effort to evacuate the Czech nationals and the Afghans who have worked with them a mission accomplished.

Three Czech evacuation flights in three days transported almost 200 people from Kabul to Prague by Wednesday night.

Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek says 170 Afghan nationals were among them, including all the local staffers at the Czech Embassy in Kabul and interpreters who helped the Czech armed forces during NATO missions and their families. Also, the Afghans who have a permanent residency in the Czech Republic were included.

Four Afghans were transported at the request of another European Union member state Slovakia. Czech embassy staff and two Polish nationals were also evacuated.

``We've saved everyone we wanted to,'' Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Thursday. ``The mission has been accomplished.''

A Czech NGO that helps army veterans says several interpreters with families who have helped the Czechs still need to be rescued.

Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek says that a possible transport in such cases will be coordinated with the allies.

Kulhanek said the successful rescue operation was ``a big miracle.'' He described the situation in Afghanistan as ``a total and unexpected collapse... a tragedy that nobody could be ready for.''

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ISTANBUL _ A top Afghan official says he and other top officials left Kabul on Monday on board a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul with the help of the Turkish Embassy.

Babur Farahmand, deputy chief of Afghanistan High Council for National Reconciliation, told The Associated Press in Istanbul that other senior officials on board the flight included Second Vice President Sarwar Danish, Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar, intelligence chief Ahmad Zia Saraj, former foreign minister and politician Rangin Dadfar Spanta.

Farahmand said he and some other officials reached the Hamid Karzai International Airport's military airfield in Kabul on Sunday evening. They spent the night inside the military compound waiting for the flight. Various countries facilitated the Afghan officials' entry into airport but Turkish government facilitated the flight, he said.

Earlier, Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper reported that as many as 40 Afghan officials arrived in Istanbul on Monday on board a Turkish Airlines flight. The plane with 324 passengers on board, took off from Kabul with several hours of delay due to the chaos at the airport.

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MOSCOW _ Russia's top diplomat on Thursday reiterated a call for a broad dialogue between all political forces in Afghanistan, noting that the Taliban do not control ``the entire territory'' of Afghanistan yet.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed to ``reports ... about the situation in the Panjshir Valley, where the resistance forces of Afghan Vice President (Amrullah) Saleh and Ahman Massod have been gathering.''

He said that it makes Moscow's stance on the necessity of a dialogue between all rival forces and groups even more consistent. Russia has been calling for one when ``all of Afghanistan was engulfed in a civil war,'' and continues to urge it now, ``when the Taliban have taken power in Kabul, in the majority of other cities, in the majority of Afghanistan's provinces.''

``We support the same thing _ a nationwide dialogue''? that will lead to a representative government, Lavrov said. ``''This, with the support of Afghan citizens, will work out agreements on the final make-up of this long-suffering country.''

Earlier this week, the minister stressed that Moscow was ``in no rush'' to recognize the Taliban as the new rulers of Afghanistan. Russia had labeled 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 Soviet troops' withdrawal in 1989, has made a diplomatic comeback as a mediator, reaching out to feuding Afghan factions and cultivating ties with the Taliban as it has jockeyed with the U.S. for influence in the country.

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ROME _ A plane carrying some 202 Afghans, including an activist and medical researchers affiliated with an Italian think-tank, have arrived in Rome in the latest airlift fleeing the country overtaken by the Taliban.

The Italian foreign ministry said Italy was committed to evacuating ``those who collaborated with Italy and who are threatened, such as women and children.''

One of the passengers was Zahra Ahmadi, whose brother lives in Venice and apparently helped rally diplomatic efforts to get her out. Other passengers were affiliated with the Veronesi Foundation, which supports medical research, especially for women, and hosted Afghan doctors in the past.

Italy has been flying groups of Afghans out at a clip of two or more flights a day, transferring them to a plane in Kuwait and then onto Rome. The new arrivals are then tested for the coronavirus and placed in mandatory quarantine, as called for by current Italian health regulations.

Italy had one of the largest military contingents during the two-decade NATO and U.S.-led operation in Afghanistan.

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BUDAPEST, Hungary _ More than two dozen Hungarian nationals evacuated from Kabul arrived in Frankfurt, Germany early Thursday, and will likely be transported to Hungary later in the day, deputy foreign minister Levente Magyar told reporters.

The air evacuation of the 26 Hungarians was carried out by Hungary's military allies with a stopover in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The evacuees had worked as private security contractors at the Dutch embassy in Kabul before the city's takeover by the Taliban. Magyar did not say which allies were involved in the operation.

A separate evacuation mission was launched from Hungary early Thursday, which will attempt to recover other Hungarians still in Afghanistan and some Afghan citizens who assisted Hungarian military forces, Magyar said. Not all of the Hungarian citizens awaiting evacuation have yet made it to Kabul airport, he added.

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LONDON -- Britain's foreign secretary is rejecting calls to resign for not interrupting his holiday on the Greek island of Crete to make a call to help translators flee Afghanistan.

According to the Daily Mail newspaper, Dominic Raab did not call his Afghan counterpart Hanif Atmar on Friday after officials suggested he ``urgently'' do so in order to arrange help for those who supported British troops.

Two days later, the Taliban captured Kabul and Raab cut short his holiday and headed back to the U.K. to deal with the crisis.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told BBC radio that the suggested phone call would not have made ``any difference whatsoever'' given the Afghan government was ``melting away quicker than ice.''

Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said on Twitter: ``Who wouldn't make a phone call if they were told it could save somebody's life?''

Lisa Nandy, Labour's foreign affairs spokesperson, was one of many to call for Raab's resignation after what she described as ``yet another catastrophic failure of judgment.''

On entering 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office, Raab was asked if he would resign. In response, he said ``no.''

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The first evacuation flight from Kabul organized by the Slovak government has landed in Slovakia.

Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok says a total of 20 passengers were onboard, 16 Slovak nationals and four Afghans among them, including a 10-month old baby. It was the full capacity of the military transport plane.

Four other Afghan nationals who were working with the Slovak armed forces were transported onboard of a Czech evacuation flight and flown to Slovakia overnight.

Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said the members of Slovak army's special forces had to use weapons to secure the passengers' safe transport to the plane. He cited a deteriorating situation at the airport but declined to give details.

Prime Minister Eduard Heger says his country is coordinating further steps with allies.

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WARSAW, Poland -- A second airplane carrying people evacuated from Afghanistan has landed in Warsaw.

The plane landed on Thursday morning, following one that brought people late Wednesday.

Poland has deployed 100 soldiers to Afghanistan to help with the evacuations of Polish and Afghan citizens. Those evacuated are first transported to Uzbekistan by military transport and then brought to Poland on civilian airliners.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has shared images on Facebook of some of those being evacuated.

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ROME _ Two more Italian C130s have brought nearly 200 Afghan citizens out of Kabul, as Italy continues its evacuation of people who worked with Italian forces and their families following the Taliban takeover of the country.

The Defense Ministry said the passengers aboard the two flights were transferring Thursday to other aircraft in Kuwait, and from there would continue onto Rome.

Italy has vowed to evacuate as many Afghans as it can, particularly those who worked with Italian forces during the nearly two-decade long NATO and U.S.-led operation in the country.

With the arrival in Rome later Thursday of the latest evacuees Italy says it will have airlifted out some 500 Afghans.

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KABUL, Afghanistan _ Afghanistan's steel factories' association is concerned scrap metal smuggling abroad has increased and exhausted supplies, putting thousands of workers at risk of losing their jobs.

Abdul Nasir Reshtia, chief executive of the association says that with borders reopening, Afghanistan's scrap metal is being smuggled once again to neighboring countries.

Reshtia warns that in next ten days, the smuggling will push factories to close as they cannot operate without scrap metal.

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had banned the export of scrap metal to support Afghan steel factories so they could compete with imported steel from neighboring countries.

Reshtia says that he has not been able to reach the Taliban leadership to share his concerns.

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BUCHAREST, Romania _ Romania's foreign ministry says that a military aircraft has evacuated a single Romanian citizen from Kabul airport to Islamabad.

It said in a statement that ``the particularly difficult security conditions in Kabul meant that the access of other groups of Romanian citizens to the airport could not be achieved.''

The C-130 Hercules aircraft, which evacuated a NATO employee on Wednesday evening, had military personnel and a mobile consular team onboard ready to provide ``specialized assistance.'' It is set to return to Kabul airport to continue evacuating Romanian citizens, officials said.

Authorities said that at the time of the operation there were 33 Romanian citizens registered as present in Afghanistan.

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A Dutch military transport plane has arrived in Amsterdam carrying people evacuated from Kabul.

The Ministry of Defense says that a C-17 plane landed late Wednesday night at Schiphol airport. On board were 35 Dutch nationals along with citizens from Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The government says it has now airlifted 50 Dutch nationals out of Kabul. A Dutch consular crisis team along with dozens of troops to protect the personnel flew into the Afghan capital on Wednesday.

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BRUSSELS _ The European Union said Thursday that 106 staff members of EU delegations and their families had safely left Afghanistan but said that some 300 still remained behind.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Thursday that the first plane with EU staff had landed in Madrid, from where they will be relocated among the 27 EU member states.

``There are still 300 more Afghani staff of European Union delegations blocked on the streets of Kabul trying to reach the airport and trying to have a seat on some of the European Union member state flights,'' Borrell told a EU parliament committee.

He insisted that ``these people have loyally promoted and defended the union's interests and values in Afghanistan over many years,'' adding that it was the EU's ``moral duty to protect them and to have to save as many people as possible.''

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MADRID _ Spain has evacuated 53 people from Afghanistan on its first flight to airlift Spanish citizens and Afghan workers and their families from Kabul.

The military cargo plane landed at an airport near Madrid on Thursday morning with five Spaniards and 48 Afghans on board. An unspecified number of children were included.

Spain has two more planes prepared to continue with the evacuation of Afghan workers and their families.

All the passengers received a COVID-19 test on arrival and were attended by police so that they could ask for ``international protection,'' the government said in a statement.

The airport also received a flight from the European Union External Action service with five Afghan families on board. Spain's government has offered to take in additional evacuees from EU partners and care for them until they can be distributed to other countries of the bloc.

``We are still working to evacuate those Afghans who worked with Spain in the quickest manner possible and guarantee their security along with those people who have worked with the EU,'' said Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Albares.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark _ Denmark says that a plane with 84 people who had been evacuated from Afghanistan has landed in Copenhagen and were now on ``safe ground in Denmark.''

On Twitter, Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod wrote Thursday that the evacuation ``is still in full swing and we are working hard to evacuate the last local staff, interpreters and other groups from Kabul.''

Danish media said that those aboard the plane reportedly were locally hired people and interpreters who had worked for Denmark. No further details were available.

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WARSAW, Poland _ Poland's president has approved the deployment of a 100-person military contingent to Afghanistan to help secure the evacuation of Polish citizens and the citizens of other countries in coordination with allies.

President Andrzej Duda signed the order late Wednesday for the mission, and which is to last until Sept. 16.

Meanwhile, a first plane carrying a group of people who were evacuated from Afghanistan landed at Warsaw's military airport late Wednesday, said Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak. The group was first taken from Kabul by military plane to Uzbekistan and from there was transported on to Warsaw.

Since Tuesday, Polish forces have been carrying out an operation to evacuate Poles and Afghans who previously cooperated with the Polish military or diplomatic mission or who helped otherwise with western groups.

Those who arrived in Warsaw will have to go into quarantine.

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WASHINGTON _ The Biden administration has suspended all arms sales to the government of Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country.

In a notice to defense contractors posted Wednesday, the State Department's Political/Military Affairs Bureau said pending or undelivered arms transfers to Afghanistan had been put under review.

``In light of rapidly evolving circumstances in Afghanistan, the Directorate of Defense Sales Controls is reviewing all pending and issued export licenses and other approvals to determine their suitability in furthering world peace, national security and the foreign policy of the United States,'' it said.

The notice said it would issue updates for defense equipment exporters in the coming days.

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WASHINGTON _ President Joe Biden says he's committed to keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated, even if that means maintaining a military presence there beyond his Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal.

In an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday, Biden said that the U.S. will do ``everything in our power'' to get Americans and U.S. allies in the nation out before the deadline. Pressed repeatedly on how the administration would help Americans left in the nation after Aug. 31, Biden finally affirmed, ``if there's American citizens left, we're gonna stay till we get them all out.''

Up to 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban took full control of the nation. The Biden administration has received criticism for the scenes of violence and disorder in recent days as thousands attempted to flee while the Taliban advanced.

But during the same interview, Biden suggested there wasn't anything the administration could've done to avoid such chaos. ``The idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens,'' he said.

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WASHINGTON _ The International Monetary Fund says that the new Taliban government in Afghanistan will not at the current time be allowed to access loans or other resources from the 190-nation lending organization.

In a statement Wednesday, the IMF said it would be guided by the views of the international community.

The statement said, ``There is currently a lack of clarity within the international community regarding recognition of a government in Afghanistan, as a consequence of which the country cannot access SDRs or other IMF resources.''

SDRs are special drawing rights which serve as a reserve that IMF member countries can tap into to meet payment obligations.

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Syria's air defence system engaged "hostile targets" over the capital Damascus late Thursday, state news agency SANA reported, with a military source claiming they were Israeli missiles.

"The Israeli enemy launched an aerial attack... targeting positions near Damascus and around the city of Homs," the military source told SANA.

"Our air defence responded to the missiles and shot most of them down," it added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Britain-based war monitor, said that "Israeli missiles targeted arms depots and military positions of" Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, between Damascus and Homs.

Neither SANA nor the Observatory reported any damage or casualties.

Lebanese media also reported two missiles fell in the Qalamoun region bordering Lebanon.

The Israeli army rarely acknowledges its strikes in Syria and a spokesperson told AFP it did "not comment on foreign media information".

However, since the start of the war in Syria ten years ago, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, targeting regime positions as well as allied Iranian forces and members of Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Israel regularly underlines that it will not allow Syria to become a stronghold of its sworn enemy Iran.

The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011, has grown increasingly complex over the past decade, drawing in more and more parties.

According to the Observatory, the war has left nearly half a million people dead.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel will head to Israel next Saturday for talks with the country's new government just weeks before she is due to leave office, her spokeswoman said.

Merkel will meet Israel's new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and President Isaac Herzog during the visit, scheduled for August 28 to 30, spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said on Friday.

The chancellor, who is due to retire from politics following September 26 elections in Germany, will also receive an honorary doctorate from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology.

Veteran right-wing Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu was ousted from power in June by a disparate coalition of rivals from across the political spectrum.

The new government took office after 11 days of intense Israeli campaign on Gaza Strip in May.

Congratulating the new government in June, Merkel said Germany and Israel were "connected by a unique friendship that we want to strengthen further".

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Israel at the end of June, stressing support for the country and pledging to continue to fight against anti-Semitism in Germany.

Germany and Israel forged strong diplomatic ties in the decades after World War II, with Berlin committed to the latter's preservation in penance for the Holocaust.

Throughout her 16 years in power, Merkel has described Israel's national security as a crucial priority in German foreign policy.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Russia's Vladimir Putin that Moscow and Berlin should talk despite "deep differences", in her final working visit to Russia before stepping down as leader next month.

Merkel's trip to Moscow coincides with the anniversary of a nerve-agent attack on now-jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose life was saved by Berlin doctors.

Her aides have made clear that the timing of the meeting is not accidental.

"Even if we have deep disagreements, we are talking to one another and it should stay that way," Merkel told Putin in a televised exchange before the talks at the Kremlin.

"We have a lot to talk about," she added, naming several issues on their agenda, including the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

They are also expected to discuss the simmering conflict in eastern Ukraine and the authoritarian crackdown in Russia-allied Belarus.

Putin greeted Merkel with flowers, a gesture he reserves for female leaders, and said he hoped the visit will not only be a "farewell" one, but a "serious one".

Merkel, who will bow out of politics following German elections on September 26, did not mention Navalny in her opening comments.

She has blamed the attack on the Kremlin after tests in European laboratories showed Navalny was poisoned using the Novichok chemical weapon, and has called for his release. Putin denies any involvement.

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said the attack had put a "heavy burden" on relations between the two countries.

"Our demands have still not been met," Seibert said earlier this week, adding that the case was still "unresolved".

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Putin to release Navalny on the eve of Merkel's visit in a phone call with the Russian leader, according to the Elysee.

The chancellor will travel to Russia's rival Ukraine after visiting the Kremlin chief, who infrequently receives Western visitors in Moscow.

Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany, and Putin, a former KGB agent stationed there, speak each other's languages.

During the chancellor's 16 years in power, the pair always kept a dialogue despite strained relations, dampened by issues ranging from alleged cyberattacks to the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.

'Wrongly' imprisoned

Merkel visited Navalny when he was treated at the Charite hospital in Berlin following the near-fatal poisoning.

Navalny is now held in a maximum security prison colony in Pokrov, 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Moscow.

This month he was charged with new crimes that could prolong his jail time by three years. If found guilty, he could only be released after 2024, the year Russia is scheduled to hold a presidential election.

Seibert said Navalny had been "wrongly" imprisoned.

In a message from prison posted on his Instagram by his team Friday, Navalny said the 20th of August -- when he thought "he died" after losing consciousness on a flight over Siberia -- was his "second birthday".

He thanked his supporters for calling for him to be taken out of Russia for treatment.

"Thanks to you I survived and landed in prison," he joked, adding "sorry, I could not help myself".

Amnesty International called Navalny's poisoning an "outrageous crime" that Russia should have urgently investigated.

"Instead, the Russian government chose to throw Navalny behind bars on false grounds," it said in a statement on Friday.

The 45-year-old's movement has faced unprecedented pressure ahead of September parliamentary polls in Russia, in which Putin's United Russia party is expected to struggle.

Navalny has called on Russians from prison to sabotage the September election with his strategy of "Smart Voting", that encourages voters to back candidates best placed to defeat Kremlin-linked politicians.

The German leader is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Sunday, as tensions continue over Moscow's troop build-up on Ukraine's borders.

Germany has been a major player in efforts to broker peace in eastern Ukraine.

Merkel may also seek to provide Ukraine with assurances over Nord Stream 2, the controversial gas pipeline set to double natural gas supplies from Russia to Germany.

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The EU's two top officials will visit a reception centre in Spain on Saturday for Afghan refugees who worked for the bloc, Spain's foreign minister said.

Spain set up the centre at a military base at Torrejon de Ardoz to care for refugees who have been airlifted to the European Union until they are relocated to other countries of the bloc.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel will visit the centre along with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Ser radio.

The centre was built by Spain's air force in just four days and it can house around 1,000 people who will then be sent to other European Union member states, he added.

"It is a hub, they arrive in Spain and from here they will go to other nations who offer them visas," the minister said.

"It is Europe's logistics centre because all Afghans who worked with various EU institutions in recent years will pass through there."

The Spanish foreign ministry announced Monday that Spain had agreed to be the "entry point in the EU" for Afghan refugees who worked for both the EU and NATO.

Albares said "almost all" EU member states had agreed to receive Afghans who worked for European institutions, citing as examples Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Latvia.

Spain will take in "around 50" of these refugees, he added.

The Torrejon de Ardoz base received a flight on Thursday from Rome with 36 Afghan employees of the EU's mission in Kabul.

Over 160 people -- employees of the EU and their families -- have already arrived in Europe, a spokesman for the bloc, Peter Stanos, told AFP in Brussels.

Over 200 others are waiting to be evacuated out of Afghanistan, Stanos said, adding this number was not final.

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Britain's embattled foreign minister has defended his decision not to call while on vacation his Afghan counterpart about the evacuation of translators who had helped British forces.

Dominic Raab has come under increasing pressure to resign for failing to follow the advice of officials in his department to make a call to Hanif Atmar on Aug. 13, while he was vacationing on the Greek island of Crete.

Two days later, the Taliban took over Afghanistan, 20 years after they had been ousted from power, and Raab headed back to the U.K. after cutting his vacation short to deal with the crisis.

Raab on Friday posted a statement on Twitter to counter what he described as ``inaccurate media reporting over recent days.'' He said he prioritized ``security'' at Kabul airport and ``delegated'' the call to a junior minister in his department.

Raab said Atmar wasn't able to take that call because of ``the rapidly deteriorating situation.''

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A Polish refugee rights group said Friday that 32 people who fled Afghanistan have been trapped for 12 days in an area between Poland and Belarus while caught up in a standoff between the two countries.

The group, Fundacja Ocalenie, called on Polish authorities to allow the people to apply for refugee status in Poland, saying they have the right to do so. Polish authorities are refusing to let them in, and Belarusian guards will not let them return.

``In accordance with the law in force in Poland, each of these people should be allowed to submit an application for protection,'' Piotr Bystrianin, the president of the group's management board, said in a statement.

Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of sending migrants across their borders with his country in what they have called an act of ``hybrid war.'' Their borders also form part of the European Union's external border, and the countries believe Lukashenko is acting in revenge for sanctions the EU imposed over his disputed reelection and crackdown on dissent.

Most of the recent migrants traveling from Belarus are believed to be originally from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Poland has deployed hundreds of soldiers to the border and is reinforcing it with barbed wire. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Thursday that he sympathized with the migrants, but insisted that they were ``a tool in the hands of Mr. Lukashenko'' and vowed that Poland would not succumb to ``this type of blackmail.``

Fundacja Ocalenie said it arrived at the spot where the migrants were stuck, near the village of Usnarz Gorny, on Wednesday to bring them items such as food, tents, sleeping bags and power banks. They were not given access at first but were successful on Thursday.

Tahmina Rajabova, a member of the foundation, reported speaking to the migrants and learning that they are 32 people from Afghanistan who all want to apply for refugee status in Poland. They included a 15-year-old girl and some people who were ill.

A few days earlier, about a dozen people from Iraq _ women and small children _ were stranded with them, but Belarusian authorities allowed them back into Belarus, Rajabova said.

``It is an inhumane and scandalous situation that Poland, together with Belarus, condemns these people to imprisonment on the border, in conditions that offend human dignity and are life-threatening,'' said Maciej Konieczny, a left-wing Polish lawmaker who joined the humanitarian workers at the border.

Lawyers with the foundation plan to submit applications for protection on behalf of the migrants, the group said.

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French President Emmanuel Macron sent a message of ``welcome'' in a tweet on Friday to Afghans evacuated to France, following the arrival from Kabul of a third group of more than 200 people, mostly Afghans.

He also noted that health rules are not being forgotten, posting photos of Afghans surrounded by doctors and a man getting a COVID-19 test, obligatory for all arrivals.

All people coming to France from Afghanistan must observe a 10-day quarantine under pandemic restrictions because their country is on the French red list of color-coded risks for coronavirus, with red the highest, the Foreign Ministry noted Thursday.

To ensure that France and other nations can continue evacuations, Macron insisted in a phone call with President Joe Biden of the ``absolute need for rapid and concrete coordination among allies,'' according to a French statement Friday about the conversation the day before.

The U.S. military is in charge of the evacuations at Kabul airport, meaning that other countries must go through them to evacuate their own citizens and Afghans considered at risk in their homeland following the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.

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Despite its military superiority and its declared intention to take control of the southern city of Daraa, the last stronghold of the opposition in the south of the country, the regime led by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has thus far not been able to enter the city.

Over the last month, regime forces supported by military forces loyal to Iran have been laying siege to Daraa, demanding its surrender. But though they are faced by only a few hundred fighters armed with primitive weapons, they have not been able to do so.

The opposition forces in southern Syria have come together to fend off attacks from the Syrian regime, saying that they will fight on against Al-Assad and his militias and against all terrorist groups including the Islamic State (IS).

They said that they would continue to fight, along with the population of the city, until all the citys residents, estimated at 50,000 people, are allowed to leave for neighbouring Jordan.

There is coordination between the representatives of the opposition and local tribal groups. The Daraa Hauran Tribal Council released a statement saying that the people of Daraa had administered their affairs well without the help of the Damascus government and that Syrias provinces should be allowed to choose their own representatives and hold them accountable at the local level.

The statement said that the council rejected the sectarianism it said was fostered by the Al-Assad regime, describing the latter as corrupt and run by criminals. The future of the country lay with the peaceful transfer of power in accordance with international resolutions and especially UN Security Council Resolution 2254, it said.

The Syrian regime has not responded to international condemnation of its attacks on Daraa. It has brought in more military forces in preparation for the storming of the city and has prevented the access of basic goods and electricity.

France has condemned the attacks carried out by Syrian regime forces in Daraa, adding that the crisis in Syria can only be resolved politically on the basis of the appropriate UN Security Council Resolutions.

The US also condemned the attacks on Daraa. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an immediate halt to the violence and for a ceasefire across Syria based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that all the parties must as a first priority protect the inhabitants of Daraa and ensure unhindered, safe, and sustainable humanitarian access to the city.

He said the EU joined UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in calls to protect civilians, avoid escalation, and restore calm.

UN Security Council Resolution 2254, issued on 18 December 2015, calls on all the parties in Syria to halt attacks against civilian targets and for the regime and opposition to negotiate with a view to the holding of UN-monitored elections and a political transition in the country.

The opposition in Daraa has asked Russia to intervene in the conflict as a mediator between it and the regime, asking it to help to find a solution satisfactory to all the parties. The opposition believes that Russia does not want to see an escalation of the violence in the region due to the sensitivity of an area on the border with Israel and Jordan.

While Russia wants to assist the Syrian regime in regaining control of southern Syria, the opposition believes this will not be at any price. Israel also wants the current balance of power in the area to be maintained because it ensures that Iranian militias stay away from its border.

In response, Moscow has held a series of meetings with opposition representatives in Daraa, leading to a roadmap that establishes the Saraya crossing point as a humanitarian bridge for those leaving and entering opposition-controlled areas. Russian patrols will monitor the ceasefire and receive the handover of the oppositions light weapons.

In return, the opposition has demanded the release of detainees by the regime, a halt to the ongoing violence, and a commitment to the ceasefire agreement.

Syrian Negotiations Committee Spokesman Yehia Al-Aridi said the Syrian regime, Russia, and Iran were facing a crisis in Daraa that was a microcosm of Syria as a whole.

The regime is in crisis and is counting on militias that have their own agendas. [Russian president Vladimir] Putin is also facing a crisis as he wants political gains in Syria. Iran is facing a similar dilemma, wanting to negotiate the fate of others for its own gain, Al-Aridi said.

Bashar Al-Haj Ali, an opposition member and former diplomat, said that if the regime tries to displace the fighters, it will lead to regime forces storming homes and exacting revenge on Daraa, the cradle of the revolution.

The conflict in Syria, breaking out ten years ago, began with demonstrations against the Al-Assad regime in Daraa.

Hassan Al-Hariri, a member of the local constitutional committee, said that it is not in the interest of the people of Daraa to agree to a Russian-sponsored roadmap that does not guarantee their rights.

For Amgad Al-Zoubi, a Syrian political analyst, the geographical location of Daraa has attracted Iran and the militias that support it, and Israel and Jordan border the region. This has brought Russia in as a mediator, and now all four parties are concerned that one of their number does not impose its control over the region.

Moscow wants to develop its relationship with the new US administration, and it also agrees with the US in wanting to reduce Iranian influence in the region. It seems unlikely that Moscow will allow the Al-Assad regime and Iranian militias forces to control all of southern Syria.

Amid the complications, Moscow will likely try to calm the situation, strengthening its position with the opposition and the regime alike and improving its international negotiating position by finding a compromise solution in Daraa.

These steps will garner gains for Russia and may reduce the strength of the American position, especially in terms of placing sanctions and economic restrictions on Syria and on Russian companies that wish to work with it.

Until there is a clear path to solving the Daraa dilemma, this city which saw the first sparks of the Syrian revolution ten years ago will remain captive to the aspirations of others.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 19 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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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

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KYODO NEWS - Aug 20, 2021 - 13:23 | Sports, All, News

A Paralympic gold medalist from Georgia has been ejected from the Tokyo Games after he was arrested earlier this week for allegedly assaulting a security guard at a hotel, the organizing committee said Friday.

Zviad Gogotchuri, gold medalist in the men's judo 90-kilogram division at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, was arrested by Japanese police on Monday.

The 34-year-old judoka was set to compete in the sport's 100-kg division at the Paralympics starting Tuesday. He is accused of breaking a rib of the security guard, a man in his 60s, on the morning of Aug. 12 when he jumped on top of him and grabbed his neck.

The incident took place after a different security guard warned Gogotchuri and several other Georgian athletes about the amount of noise they were making while drinking in the corridor of the Tokyo hotel's sixth floor, according to the police.

Gogotchuri was quarantining at the hotel after a member of the country's team tested positive for COVID-19, according to the police.

The organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics said it has also barred one of the Georgian athletes who was drinking with Gogotchuri at the time from training for three days as punishment.

The committee said it gave Georgia's 15-member national team that was staying at the hotel and its Paralympic committee a stern warning over their conduct.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Paralympics, involving up to 4,400 athletes from around the world, will be held without spectators, except some students participating in a government-backed education program.

During the Tokyo Olympics, which ended Aug. 8, two male judoka from Georgia were stripped of their accreditation for leaving the athletes' village to go sightseeing in violation of COVID-19 protocols.

Related coverage:

Paralympian from Georgia arrested over assault at Tokyo hotel

2 Georgian judoka ejected from Olympics for violating COVID protocols
KYODO NEWS - Aug 21, 2021 - 05:34 | All, World

President Joe Biden said Friday he will nominate Rahm Emanuel, who served as a top aide to former President Barack Obama, as U.S. ambassador to Japan, seeking to fill a key diplomatic post that has been vacant for about two years.

Biden also tapped Nicholas Burns, a former diplomat and currently a Harvard University professor, as U.S. ambassador to China.

The nominations will require Senate approval.

If confirmed, Emanuel, a 61-year-old former congressman known for his abrasive style and his close ties with Biden, formerly Obama's vice president, will be tasked with playing a key role in beefing up the bilateral alliance amid China's growing assertiveness.

Emanuel was White House chief of staff for Obama from 2009 to 2010 before becoming Chicago's mayor for two terms from 2011 to 2019. But he decided not to seek another term after facing criticism over the handling of a fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer in 2014.

A delay in releasing video footage of the 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who appeared in the video to be walking away from the police when he was shot 16 times, stirred criticism that Emanuel was involved in an alleged "cover-up" of the incident.

Left-wing Democrats and organizations have cited Emanuel's governing record to question whether he is qualified for the ambassadorship or any other high-profile role in the Biden administration, which places an emphasis on tackling racism.

"Emanuel's abysmal record as mayor of Chicago disqualifies him to represent the United States in a foreign capital," groups including the left-wing RootsAction said in a joint statement released in mid-March when some media reported the nomination plans.

In November last year, when speculation emerged about Emanuel's chances of landing a Cabinet post, House of Representatives member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is popular among young voters, said on Twitter, "Covering up a murder is disqualifying for public leadership."

The U.S. ambassadorship to Japan has been vacant since William Hagerty stepped down in July 2019 to run for the Senate.

Joseph Young, then deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, served as the interim charge d'affaires until June this year. Raymond Greene, formerly deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington's de facto embassy, is currently serving as U.S. interim ambassador to Japan.

In March last year, Biden's predecessor Donald Trump nominated Kenneth Weinstein -- then head of the Washington-based conservative think tank the Hudson Institute -- as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan.

But Weinstein's nomination was not confirmed by the Senate. With Republican Trump defeated in the presidential election, Democrat Biden took office in January this year.

Burns, 65, was undersecretary of state for political affairs, the State Department's third-ranking official, from 2005 to 2008 under the George W. Bush administration.

He also served as U.S. ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from 2001 to 2005.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 20, 2021 - 20:55 | World, All

Three statues depicting Chinese and Korean "comfort women" have been removed from an area near Japan's Consulate in Hong Kong, activist Chan Yu-lam confirmed to Kyodo News on Friday.

The bronze displays were taken down earlier this month by the activist group Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands, which erected them three years ago. Diaoyu is what China calls the disputed Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

Last month, the Hong Kong government said that they would confiscate the statues if they were not removed, according to Chan.

The three figures were first erected in 2017 on the 80th anniversary of the Sino-Japanese War to commemorate those who worked in the Japanese military's wartime brothels.

The Hong Kong government said at the time that there were "no plans" to take down the statues after the Japanese Consulate requested that they be removed.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 10, 2021 - 13:53 | All, World, Japan

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday he will visit Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey and Qatar from next Sunday to discuss regional security and the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

His visit to the Middle East through Aug. 24 follows recent launches of new administrations in Iran and Israel, which are key regional powers, and is aimed at consolidating Japan's ties with the area strategically important for Tokyo as a major oil supplier.

"Through the visit, I want to reiterate our commitment to the Middle East, which has contributed to its peace and prosperity over the years," Motegi told a press conference.

Last week, Ebrahim Raisi took office as Iran's president, vowing to pursue a nuclear program and calling for international sanctions to be lifted, while Israel saw its first change of power in 12 years in June as Naftali Bennett was sworn in as prime minister after Benjamin Netanyahu stepped down from the post.

Referring to the new governments in Iran and Israel, Motegi said, "I would like to frankly exchange opinions on the regional situation and work closely with them to promote the stability of the region," the minister said.

The minister initially considered also visiting Iraq, but the COVID-19 situation there will not allow him to do so, the Foreign Ministry said.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 20, 2021 - 13:48 | All, Feature, Japan

An annual memorial service for a dozen young American soldiers and a Japanese pilot who died in two separate aircraft accidents just before and after the end of World War II will resume at a small stone monument erected for them in the town of Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture, at the end of August after being canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over time, local residents had all but forgotten the two accidents, which occurred when the planes came down on a local mountainside. But in the autumn of 1987, they came to fresh light when local historian Hiroshi Kudo, 67, came across parts of the crashed U.S. B-29 bomber when he climbed Mt. Oyaji to survey the presence of Asian black bears.

In the absence of local records or press reports from the time, Kudo began to look into the B-29 crash on his own, seeing it as something he was "destined" to do given that he had come across the wreckage, he recalled.

After gathering what information they could about the crash, which occurred on the morning of Aug. 30, 1945, roughly two weeks after the announcement of Japan's surrender, Kudo and other residents in Takachiho proposed building a stone monument to pass down the memory of the accident to future generations.

During the process of the investigation, details also emerged about the crash of a Japanese Hayabusa fighter plane near the same site just a few weeks earlier, on Aug. 7, 1945.

The monument was completed in the mountainous area in 1995, the 50th anniversary of the war's end, using donations from people within and outside the town.

The four-engine B-29 aircraft had left Tinian, one of the Northern Mariana Islands, in the western Pacific Ocean, to deliver relief supplies to a camp in Fukuoka Prefecture where newly freed Allied prisoners of war had been held during the war, according to reports from the U.S. military and other sources.

Amid bad weather, the plane crashed into the northwestern slope of the mountain, killing the 12 U.S. personnel aboard, who ranged in age from their teens to their 20s.

Local villagers rushed to the crash site to gather the scattered supplies.

"We picked up cans of pineapple, instant coffee and anything we could get our hands on, including parachutes and oxygen cylinders, because everybody was desperately struggling to survive," Keisuke Takeda, 86, said, recalling that he visited the site with his father three times.

A trail naturally formed in the mountains as people flowed to the site from neighboring Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures, among other areas.

The other accident occurred on Aug. 7, just as the war was drawing to a close. Piloted by Sgt. Gijin Toku, who was 21, the fighter was on its way from the Metabaru airfield in Saga Prefecture, a training site of the kamikaze special attack unit, to the Korea Strait for night navigational exercises before it crashed.

Although government documents placed the crash site in the Korea Strait, residents in Takachiho found the fighter's fuselage in the mountains. They also buried the body of Toku in the military cemetery in the town.

A small-scale memorial service, dubbed "Prayer for Peace," for the 13 young men who died in the line of duty had been held every year until last year's cancellation due to the pandemic.

The 12 Americans included Lt. Alfred Eiken, who was 23 at the time of his death.

His younger sister Kelly Meyer, now 81, who lives in Missouri, visited Takachiho in 2015 to attend the service for the first time on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war.

In an interview in July, Meyer said her brother's death had struck home when she saw the debris of the crashed B-29 with her own eyes at the local history museum and expressed her gratitude to Kudo and others for discovering it.

"My brother is my hero," said Meyer, adding that his drama has finally come to an end.

The memorial service this year will be attended by, among others, local elementary school students. "These 13 young lives would not have been lost if not for the war. We will pass down the memory to younger generations so that this does not end as a story of a distant war," Kudo said.

Related coverage:

Japan marks 76th anniversary of WWII surrender amid COVID-19 pandemic

3 Cabinet members visit Yasukuni shrine, PM Suga sends offering

Japan ministers Kishi, Nishimura visit war-linked Yasukuni shrine
By Christine T. Tjandraningsih, KYODO NEWS - Aug 20, 2021 - 13:55 | World, All, Coronavirus

An Indonesian elderly couple, Sinyo and Henny Kawilarang, tested positive for the novel coronavirus in early July. But with only mild symptoms, they decided to self-isolate at home amid a surge in cases of the highly infectious Delta variant in Indonesia.

The residents of Tangerang, in the suburbs of Jakarta, made the decision based on a doctor's recommendation. It was difficult for them to find hospitals to admit them for treatment, amid bed occupancy rates exceeding 90 percent in many health facilities.

"We had only fever. Since we had been both vaccinated, we expected that we would be okay after a week," Henny, the 67-year-old wife, told Kyodo News.

They recuperated at home while taking antiviral drugs as well as vitamins to boost their immunity.

However, Sinyo did not get better even after resting for four days as he had no appetite and consumed only energy drinks.

Then the 70-year-old man quietly video-called one of his sons and said he was short of breath and wanted to be hospitalized, without telling his wife.

His four children tried to find a hospital bed and oxygen cylinders by driving around Jakarta and other nearby cities. But neither of them was available.

While waiting at home, sitting on his favorite couch, he fixed his gaze on his wife in the afternoon of July 10, six days after testing positive.

"It happened so fast," Henny said in recalling when she realized her husband was about to breathe his last and caressed his head until he closed his eyes.

"It was only for a few seconds, just like a dream," she said with tears welling up in her eyes.

The couple's story is just one of many personal accounts by bereaved individuals now self-isolating across the country, particularly on densely populated Java Island, since the Delta variant outbreak started to strike Indonesia two months ago.

The variant multiplied the number of newly confirmed cases up by 12 times from around 5,000 cases daily in early June to almost 60,000 in mid-July, though it gradually decreased to around 35,000 this month, according to the Task Force for COVID-19 Mitigation.

Yet the daily death toll remains high as the country on Tuesday last week reported 2,048, the second largest after 2,069 on July 27, while the toll was around 150 in June.

As of Wednesday, the country's cumulative total of infections reached almost 3.9 million, with over 120,000 deaths.

The task force said that 92 percent of the current cases in Indonesia are of the Delta variant.

The surging cases have overwhelmed many hospitals, forcing them to erect makeshift tents on their yards to admit patients. Oxygen has been in short supply, a problem that once left 33 patients of a hospital in densely populated Yogyakarta, an ancient city in central Java, dying in one night alone in July.

While the government has asked people to self-isolate and use telemedicine rather than rushing to hospitals, the measure proved fatal for many.

LaporCovid-19, a Jakarta-based reporting platform run by citizens, reported that 3,007 people died across the archipelago between June 11 and Aug. 7 while either self-isolating or waiting for beds in the yards of hospitals.

"This is like an iceberg phenomenon," said Ahmad Arif, co-leader of LaporCovid-19.

"Self-isolation should be for asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms," he added. "But in reality, because hospitals beds are full, patients with moderate and serious symptoms have to self-isolate and this leads to fatalities."

According to Ahmad Arif, the deaths showed the lack of monitoring and support for self-isolating patients, which should be provided by the authorities.

Facing the large number of deaths among self-isolating patients, the government finally changed its policy last week, setting up centralized isolation centers to admit such patients, in a bid to prevent deaths.

But hospitals are short on staff as many of whom have died after contracting the virus while treating infected patients, causing many people to doubt if the centers work to save lives.

While families of self-isolating patients are struggling in searching for hospital beds and oxygen, those of the deceased, like Sinyo's, have faced other problems.

On the day of his death, Sinyo's children and sons-in-law had to take care of his body by themselves due to the shortage of medical workers in the subdistrict of Tangerang where he lived.

"Our public health center was temporarily closed because most of its medical workers had been infected by COVID-19," Henny said, quoting a local COVID-19 task force as saying that family members had no other option but taking care of their loved one's body by themselves.

In the case of Sinyo, neighbors collected and donated plastic sheets from their kitchens to wrap his body as well as personal protection equipment for his two sons. A coffin, something also in scarce supply, arrived late at night.

An ambulance, instead of a hearse, was finally found by luck though it had repeated engine trouble when bringing Sinyo's body to his final resting place in the morning after his death.

Henny said Sinyo and other family members always adhered to health protocols during the pandemic.

"Many lessons from what he experienced have to be learned for both the public and government to deal with self-isolating patients, particularly the elderly, so that his own fight in this pandemic war will not be in vain," she said.
By Tomoyuki Tachikawa, KYODO NEWS - Aug 20, 2021 - 19:50 | World, All, Feature

The Taliban's rapid return to power in Afghanistan 20 years after it was toppled by the United States may prompt China to put more emphasis on relations with Japan, which have been frayed by several issues, including Xinjiang and Taiwan.

China has been trying to cozy up to the Islamist group, as it has been keen to prevent the Taliban's takeover from cheering on separatist forces in its mainly Muslim region of Xinjiang that shares a border with Afghanistan.

The leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping has also been attempting to bolster its clout in Afghanistan to push ahead with its cherished goal of the "Belt and Road" project to develop infrastructure and trade across Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Some foreign affairs experts say China sees the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as a good chance to undermine Washington's influence in the region.

In reality, however, Beijing wants U.S. troops to continue staying in Afghanistan, given that security in the country and the surrounding area has been maintained for two decades due largely to Washington's military deployment, diplomatic sources said.

While China is expected to be compelled to grapple with possible further turmoil in Afghanistan after U.S.-led forces withdraw, it believes cooperation of the administration of President Joe Biden would be essential for stability in Central Asia, they said.

As its ties with the United States have been deteriorating, China also hopes that Japan, its neighbor and one of the closest U.S. security allies in the world, would act as an intermediator between the world's two major powers, the sources added.

Beijing has been "very concerned" that confusion in Afghanistan would provoke terrorism in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where many Muslims who oppose growing state surveillance have been detained under the "reeducation" campaign, one of the sources said.

China has been at odds with Japan recently over matters such as its alleged human rights abuses in the far western region as well as its security challenges with Taiwan, but it might "extend an olive branch" to its neighbor to "avoid any revolt" in Xinjiang, he said.

The Communist-led government has been making efforts to get along with Afghanistan, while tensions have been increasing between Chinese authorities and the local Muslim population in Xinjiang.

In late July, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks in Tianjin with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of the Taliban, before it declared victory in Afghanistan by taking control of the capital Kabul earlier this month.

During the meeting, Wang called on the Taliban to "draw a clear line" from terrorist groups to "remove obstacles and create favorable conditions for regional peace, stability and development," the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Xinhua quoted Baradar as saying the Taliban would "absolutely not allow any forces to do anything harmful to China."

Beijing also has expressed hope that the Taliban will establish a political structure that would lay the foundation for lasting peace in Afghanistan, effectively accepting its takeover of the nation.

The Taliban's resurgence came just weeks before Biden's target date for completing its troop drawdown to bring an end to what is known as "the longest war in U.S. history" following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, by the Islamic extremist group al-Qaida.

Although China has lambasted the Biden administration for its hasty withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan, some pundits said China has not revealed its real intentions.

Ichiro Korogi, an expert in Chinese politics at Kanda University of International Studies near Tokyo, said in a TV program that China "does not want U.S. troops to have influence in Afghanistan, but does not want chaos to lead to terrorism more."

"China must want the United States to send its troops back to Afghanistan," he added.

In his telephone conversation in mid-August with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Wang said China is "willing to communicate" with the United States to "promote the realization of a soft landing on the Afghan issue."

China's foreign minister, meanwhile, urged Washington to play a constructive role in helping rebuild peace in Afghanistan.

The Global Times, a tabloid of the Chinese Communist Party, also said, "Whether Beijing will collaborate with Washington in the spheres where the latter needs the help of China, depends on how the U.S. will act around China."

An Asian diplomat said China has been leaning toward working together with the United States for stability in the region, shrugging off speculation that Beijing would use Afghanistan as a "bargaining chip" in diplomacy with Washington.

China has "made huge investment" in central Asia through the Belt and Road initiative, regarding Afghanistan as a "key relay point" of what it touts as a modern Silk Road economic zone, the diplomat said.

Beijing, therefore, has become "seriously worried" that a large amount of money may be passed to terrorist groups inspired by the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, which would "threaten its strategic interests and jeopardize Xinjiang," he said.

"To avert the worst-case scenario, China would strive to deepen cooperation with the United States over the Afghan issue and for that purpose, it might not take action that could hurt relations with Japan further," the diplomat said.

"China is likely to manage a well-balanced diplomatic strategy toward Japan for the time being," he added.

Related coverage:

G-7 calls on Taliban to ensure safety of civilians

Taliban call on Afghans to "unite for Islamic governance"

Taliban declare amnesty in Afghanistan, vow to include women in gov't
KYODO NEWS - Aug 20, 2021 - 11:03 | Others

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to show the United States' "enduring" commitment to the Indo-Pacific and address challenges posed by China during her upcoming trip to Singapore and Vietnam, senior government officials said Thursday.

Harris will stay in Singapore for three days from Sunday for talks with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and others. She will then head to Vietnam for meetings with government officials and civil society representatives, they said.

The trip is taking place as a chaotic withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan amid the Taliban's recent takeover of the country has raised questions over U.S. commitment to its allies and partners around the world.

"The administration is...making clear that we have an enduring commitment to this region, that we're part of the Indo-Pacific and in the region to stay," one of the officials said, while noting that the trip is also intended to advance the vision of a "free and open" Indo-Pacific.

Topics of discussion will include global health issues amid the coronavirus pandemic, economic partnership and security as well as regional issues, including China, the official said.

Harris will be the latest official of President Joe Biden's administration to visit a region that has been directly affected by China's growing clout. Last month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines, becoming the first member of Biden's Cabinet to visit Southeast Asia.

Harris will be the first sitting U.S. vice president ever to visit Vietnam, a former U.S. foe. Hanoi, along with some other Southeast Asian nations, has overlapping territorial claims with Beijing in the South China Sea.

While the Biden administration is working to enlist U.S. allies and partners to counter China's economic and military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, the official said Vietnam is viewed as "an increasing partner" of the United States and that Harris' visit is a chance to take the strengthening partnership "one level further."

As for Singapore, another official said the country is "the bedrock" of U.S. security presence in Southeast Asia, and that Harris will deliver a speech there on Tuesday, underscoring the importance of partnerships and areas for further cooperation.

Related coverage:

U.S. Vice President Harris to visit Singapore, Vietnam in August

India and U.S. affirm cooperation on virus, peace in Afghanistan

U.S. can coexist in peace with China, but challenge is huge: Campbell
New Delhi:

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti  150th Mahatma Gandhis birth anniversary - the Congress party will hold its working committee meeting in Maharashtras Wardha to mark the beginning of the celebrations with the message against hate and violence prevailing in the country, AICC Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot said Wednesday.



Party president Rahul Gandhi, who will be present at the Sevagram Ashram in Wardha, has decided to take Mahatma Gandhis peace message to all homes in states, districts, blocks and villages of Maharashtra, Gehlot told reporters.

Also Read | Supreme Court verdict on Aadhaar 'slap on BJP's face', says Congress

The event will begin from October 2 from Wardha Sevagram Ashram, where the Congress Working Committee will meet. At the ashram, there will be a prayer meeting, a shanti (peace) march, and a public meeting in which Rahul ji will give his message, Gehlot said.



The Congress leader alleged that anti-peace force are politicising Mahatma Gandhis name.

Now fascist forces have have started taking the name of Mahatma Gandhi. Those who do not believe in democracy, those who believe in violence, these forces are indulging in politics over his name, he said.

Gehlot said that every household in the country today is living in fear. Hence, the need for a message to wipe out the atmosphere of fear, hate and violence.

Also Read | Why Aadhaar verdict holds good for govt services, not for private ones



In my entire political career, I have never seen such a political atmosphereevery family, every household is living in fear, there is an atmosphere of hate, there is an atmosphere of violence, innocents are being killed, the economy has collapsed, farmers are committing suicide, he alleged.

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New Delhi:

In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court on Friday struck down the century-old rule of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala and ruled that women of all age groups can enter the temple, saying that women no way inferior to men. The apex court was dealing with a clutch of pleas challenging the ban on entry of women between 10 and 50 years of age into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra observed that "On one hand, women are worshipped as Goddesses, but there are restrictions on the other hand. Relationship with God can't be defined by biological or physiological factors".

Though four judges, including CJI Misra, have the same opinion in the Sabarimala temple case, Justice Indu Malhotra has given one dissenting opinion into the same. The other justices on the bench include RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud.

Read | Bhima-Koregaon case: Supreme Court extends house arrest of five activists; refuses to constitute SIT

Here are the LIVE updates on Sabarimala Verdict:

# 11:15 am: Religious practices can't solely be tested on the basis of the right to equality. It's up to the worshippers, not the court to decide what's religion's essential practice, Indu Malhotra added.

Religious practices can't solely be tested on the basis of the right to equality. It's up to the worshippers, not the court to decide what's religion's essential practice: Justice Indu Malhotra, dissenting judge. #SabrimalaVerdict pic.twitter.com/gNPOS5RAIQ  ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2018

# 11:14 am: Opposing the judgment, Justice Indu Malhotra said, "Present judgement won't be limited to Sabarimala, it will have wide ramifications. Issues of deep religious sentiments shouldn't be ordinarily interfered into".

# 10:56 am: Right to worship is given to all devotees and there can be no discrimination on the basis of gender, says the CJI.

# 10:55 am: The practice of barring women in age group of 10-50 to go inside the temple is violative of constitutional principles: Dipak Misra.

# 10:51 am: Women of all age groups will now be allowed in Kerala's Sabarimala temple.

# 10:50 am: Supreme Court allows entry of women in Keralas Sabarimala temple.

Supreme Court allows entry of women in Keralas #Sabarimala temple. pic.twitter.com/I0zVdn0In1  ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2018

# 10:49 am: Devotees of Lord Ayyappa are Hindus, don't constitute a separate religious denomination. No physiological and biological factor can be given legitimacy if it doesn't pass the test of conditionality. Restrictions put by Sabarimala temple can't be held as essential religious practice, says CJI Misra.

# 10:45 am: Women no way inferior to men. On one hand, women are worshipped as Goddesses, but there are restrictions on the other hand. Relationship with God can't be defined by biological or physiological factors: Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra while reading out the judgment on Sabarimala Temple case.

Women no way inferior to men. On one hand, women are worshipped as Goddesses, but there are restrictions on the other hand. Relationship with God can't be defined by biological or physiological factors: CJI Dipak Misra on the ban on entry of women in Keralas Sabarimala temple. pic.twitter.com/DfwZR9xsan  ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2018

Read | Adultery Verdict: Asaduddin Owaisi questions 'Unconstitutional Ordinance' on Triple Talaq

The Kerala government, which has been changing its stand on the contentious issue of women of the menstrual age group entering the Sabarimala temple, had on July 18 told the Supreme Court that it now favoured their entry.

The management of the Sabarimala temple, however, had earlier told the SC that the ban on entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years was because they cannot maintain purity on account of menstruation.

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Mumbai:

Falling for the third straight session, benchmark Sensex slipped over 97 points in see-saw trade on Friday to close at 36,227.14, led by losses in L&T and Yes Bank.

Besides, caution prevailed ahead of RBI policy meeting next week, brokers said.

Selling took hold at the start of October futures and options (F&O) series in the derivatives segment as investors were concerned over the surging crude oil prices and escalating trade tensions between the US and China, they added.

Also Read | India will continue to buy Iran's oil, says Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif

The 30-share Sensex closed lower by 97.03 points, or 0.27 per cent, at 36,227.14 after shuttling between 36,551.86 and 35,985.63.

It had lost 327.89 points in the previous two sessions.

Also, the NSE Nifty shed 47.10 points, or 0.43 per cent, to finish at 10,930.45. During the session, it moved between 11,034.10 and 10,850.30.

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Both the indices recorded their fourth straight weekly fall. The Sensex lost 614.46 points, or 1.67 per cent and the Nifty dropped 212.65 points, or 1.91 per cent, this week.

Meanwhile, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 186.69 crore, while foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 552.44 crore Thursday, according to provisional data.

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New Delhi:

Days after the Supreme Court asked all states and Union Territories to comply with its directions on curbing cow vigilantism and mob lynching, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has reportedly issued a direction to public broadcasters, including Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR), to run messages through their medium to caution people about such incidents.

It is a direction to DD and AIR and a request to private channels to run information about the consequences of mob lynching, an official told Hindustan Times on Friday.

On September 24, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra took note of the fact that eight states including Mizoram, Telangana, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Delhi are yet to file reports indicating the compliance of its July 17 verdict giving a slew of directions to deal with mob violence and cow vigilantism.

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The bench also sought the Centres response on compliance of the courts directive to run an awareness campaign on television, radio and electronic and print media against mob lynching and cow vigilantism.The Centre had earlier informed the bench that in pursuance of the apex court verdict, an empowered group of ministers has been set up to consider framing a law on mob violence.

The apex court had on July 17 said that horrendous acts of mobocracy cannot be allowed to overrun the law of the land and issued a slew of guidelines to deal with mob lynching and cow vigilantism, besides asking the Centre to consider enacting a new law to sternly deal with such cases.

Also Read | Bollywood celebrities come out in support of Tanushree Dutta

The court had issued a slew of directions to the government to provide preventive, remedial and punitive measures to deal with offences like mob violence and cow vigilantism.It had asked the state governments to designate a senior police officer, not below the rank of superintendent of police, as nodal officer in each district to take steps to prevent incidents of mob violence and lynching.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

After slashing tax rates on about 90 essential commodities, including sanitary pads in its July meet, the 30th Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting took place in New Delhi Friday. The Council during its September 28 meeting is expected to discuss strategies to help flood-ravaged Kerala and may levy a cess on account of the revenue losses in the state. The GST Council will also review if it would levy an extra cess on all goods nationwide for a defined period of time or only on SGST within Kerala.

Addressing the 30th GST Council meeting via video conference, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "GST Council reviews revenue position; expectation that consuming states will benefit has borne out".

"It had been decided earlier that GST council secretary will visit revenue deficit states and analyse it. It was found that there's no revenue shortfall in consuming North-east states," Jaitley added.

Read | Petrol prices cross Rs 83-mark in Delhi, heading towards century mark in Mumbai

Detailed presentation took place about revenue position. It had been decided earlier that GST council secretary will visit revenue deficit states & analyse it. It was found that there's no revenue shortfall in consuming North-east states: Finance Minister after GST council meet pic.twitter.com/GwbdcSWXeq  ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2018

"Bihar imposed additional VAT in 2015-16 when tax reduced due to the prohibition of alcohol. Taxation inflated by 27% as compared to the previous year. Bihar benefited from this aberration," the finance minister said.

"We are making a 7 member group of ministers which will discuss the Kerala Cess proposal. This 7 member committee will have members of North East, hill and coastal states. Committee members will be announced soon," Jaitley said.

Read | GST collection drops to five-month low at Rs 93,960 crore in August

Last week, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and said the GST Council will explore the possibility of an all-India cess to help flood-affected states like Kerala in times of sufferings and need.

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it has to find the context in which the five-judge bench had delivered the 1994 judgment stating that a mosque was not integral to Islam which arose during the hearing of the Ayodhya land dispute. The three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra pronounced the verdict on Ayodhya land dispute case. Declining the matter to refer to a larger bench, Justice Ashok Bhushan and CJI Misra has fixed the matter for further hearing on October 29. Justice Ashok Bhushan read the judgment for himself and the CJI.

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court in its 1994 Ismail Faruqui judgment said that mosque did not constitute an essential part of Islam. Post that, the Allahabad High Court had in 2010 ruled a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acres of land, which was challenged by Muslim litigants seeking direction that a larger Constitution bench hear the clutch of petitions in the case.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had on September 30, 2010, ordered that the land should be partitioned equally among three parties - the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

Read | Supreme Court scraps Section 497 IPC, says 'Adultery not a crime'

Here are the highlights on Ayodhya Verdict:

14:29 pm: Nazeer refers to observations of HC judge S A Khan to highlight that the mosque is not integral to Islam.

14:28 pm: Questionable observation of 1994 verdict has permeated into Allahabad High Court's decision in land dispute case: Js Nazeer.

14:27 pm: CJI Dipak Misra and Justice Bhushan fix the Ayodhya matter for hearing on October 29.

14:27 pm: Justice Nazeer refers to recent SC decision on female genital mutilation and says present matter be heard by a larger bench.

14:26 pm: Whether the mosque is integral to Islam to be decided considering belief in religion, requires detailed consideration: Justice Nazeer.

14:24 pm: Justice S A Nazeer disagrees with CJI and Justice Bhushan.

14:23 pm: Supreme Court to begin hearing on Ayodhya matter from October 29, 2018, to decide the suit on merit.

Supreme Court to begin hearing on Ayodhya matter from October 29, 2018 to decide the suit on merit. pic.twitter.com/du5499fGvs  ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2018

14:21 pm: Civil suit has to be decided on basis of evidence and the previous verdict has no relevance: Bhushan

14:20 pm: Ayodhya matter (Ismail Faruqui case): All religions and religious places need to be equally respected. Ashoka's edicts preach tolerance to the faith of others, says Justice Ashok Bhushan.

14:14 pm: Ayodhya land dispute case will not be referred to a larger bench: Justice Bhushan on behalf of him and CJI Dipak Misra.

Ayodhya land dispute case will not be referred to a larger bench: Justice Bhushan on behalf of him and CJI Dipak Misra #SupremeCourt pic.twitter.com/bAQQlOxfcE  ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2018

14:11 pm: All religions have to be respected equally by the State, says Justice Bhushan.

14:10 pm: Constitution bench judgement was confined to the acquisition of land: Justice Bhushan.

14:09 pm: Ayodhya matter (Ismail Faruqui case): Justice Ashok Bhushan says there are two opinions - one by Justice Bhushan and CJI Dipak Misra, and second by Justice S Nazeer.

14:05 pm: Justice Ashok Bhushan reading judgement for himself and Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

14:04 pm: The Supreme Court will deliver its verdict on the below-mentioned cases.

14:03 pm: Supreme Court starts pronouncing the verdict on Ayodhya dispute matter

13:40 pm: Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya sparked off controversies after he proposed to bring a legislation to build Ram Mandir in Ayodhya if SC verdict against it.

13:36 pm: Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board chief Waseem Rizvi said, "Babri advocates had brought this year-old matter for the inconvenience of the court, but today the Supreme Court is expected to clear the picture on whether praying in the mosque is an integral part of Islam or not".

Read | 'Aadhaar verdict good, balanced, reasonable': Here's how top advocates reacted

The Babri Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya back in 1528. Later on December 6, 1992, Hindu Karsevaks destroyed the mosque during a political rally claiming that the Ram temple, situated in the land was actually demolished to construct the mosque.

Though there was no such evidence that the disputed structure was constructed after the temple demolition, the court agreed that a temple or a temple structure predated the mosque at the same site. Moreover, the excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India also suggested that the predating structure was a massive Hindu religious building. Since then the matter has been in the light and turned into a political riot in India.

Also Read | I am here for my selfish reasons: Shah Rukh Khan at the Indian para athletes send-off ceremony

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United Nations :

President Donald Trump on defended his work to settle a nuclear deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying he has given up nothing but his time during a June summit yet stands on the cusp of denuclearising the North.

In a wide-ranging news conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Trump told reporters that despite tough US sanctions against the North staying in place, he believes that Kim wants to get a deal done because of their close ties.

We have a very good relationship. He likes me, I like him, we get along, Trump said. He wants to make a deal and Id like to make a deal. He wouldnt put a timeframe, however, on when the two leaders might settle the standoff. Were not playing the time game, he said.

It has lasted for decades, flummoxed a long line of US and South Korean presidents and had many fearing war last year during a series of increasingly powerful North Korean weapons tests that experts believe put the country close to a long-time goal of viably targeting any spot on the US mainland.

Also Read | Google, Facebook agree EU 'fake news' code of conduct

Trump and his top diplomat, Mike Pompeo, are trying to get past the deadlock that has followed the Singapore summit.

Pompeo is planning to visit Pyongyang next month to prepare for a second Kim-Trump summit. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also said separately that he wants to meet with Kim though no details had been decided on yet.



Trumps optimistic comments come amid widespread skepticism that Kim will actually relinquish an arsenal that Pyongyang likely sees as the only way to guarantee the Kim dynastys continued authoritarian rule.



Although Trump maintained that hed given up nothing in his dealings with Kim, he has faced criticism for his decision during the Singapore summit to scrap annual US military drills with ally South Korea. Critics called it a concession for the North, which has long railed against the drills as invasion preparation and proof of US hostility.

Also Read | Proposed changes in green card policy to adversely impact South Asians



Trump said that hed long wanted to stop the drills, which had always been portrayed by the allies as defensive in nature, because of their high cost and said he could restart them if needed. For the taxpayer, were saving a fortune, Trump said.

Trump also made the stunning claim that former President Barack Obama told Trump that Obama was very close to going to war with the North.



If I wasnt elected, Trump said, youd be in a war. The State Department said Pompeo was invited by Kim to Pyongyang, the Norths capital, to make further progress on the implementation of agreements made during the Singapore summit and to set up another leaders meeting.



Pompeo met earlier with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. Pompeo said on Twitter that his meeting with Ri was very positive. There were no details immediately available about what the diplomats discussed.

Much work remains, but we will continue to move forward, Pompeo said.

Also Read | British Sikh woman jailed for harassing Hindu ex-boyfriend with beef



Also at the UN session, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said high-level diplomacy has removed the shadow of war that hung over the Korean Peninsula last year as Kim and Trump threatened each other with destruction during the run of North Korean weapons tests.



Over the past year, something miraculous has taken place on the Korean Peninsula, Moon said in an address to world leaders. We have crossed the barriers of division and are tearing down the walls in our heart. Moon met with Kim in Pyongyang last week and has been the leading force behind the summitry.



He and others hope another Trump-Kim summit will lead to disarmament progress.

Diplomacy has stalled following Kims vague promise at the Singapore summit to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for US security guarantees.

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At the heart of the impasse: a North Korean demand for a declaration to formally end the Korean War before it takes any major disarmament steps. That war ended in 1953 with a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.



Washington wants the North to first provide a list of the contents of its nuclear arsenal before agreeing to that war declaration, which could remove a big piece of diplomatic leverage over the North.



Also , Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that dismantling an Iran nuclear accord would threaten global efforts to halt North Koreas nuclear program.

Also Read | British Sikh woman jailed for harassing Hindu ex-boyfriend with beef



Lavrov and others defended the 2015 Iran deal at a U.N. Security Council meeting chaired by Trump about non-proliferation. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the accord, arguing it wasnt tough enough on Iran, and is threatening new sanctions.



Lavrov said dismantling the accord would be counterproductive for the efforts under way now to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

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Cologne:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to open one of Europes largest mosques in Cologne on Saturday as he wraps up a controversial visit to Germany, with police deploying in force amid planned protests.

The inauguration will be the closing event of his three-day state visit, aimed at repairing frayed ties with Berlin after two years of tensions.

After talks with Angela Merkel on Friday, both leaders signalled their interest in a cautious rapprochement, but the German chancellor stressed that deep differences remained on civil rights and other issues.

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Some 10,000 Erdogan critics are expected to take to the streets in Cologne, protesting everything from Turkeys record on human rights and press freedom to its treatment of minority Kurds.

About 300 people had gathered on the bank of the Rhine early Saturday. They held banners proclaiming Erdogan not welcome and shouted slogans such as International solidarity and Away with fascism.

Cansu, a 30-year-old student of Turkish origin came from Switzerland for the rally.

I want to be the voice of people who cant take to the streets in Turkey. Because they have been arrested, killed or otherwise suppressed. Erdogan thinks anything that differs from his opinion is terrorism. I am here to show solidarity. And Tomas, a German student turned up in a suit spotted with fake blood. He held a giant banner with several other people that read Dictator. Mass murderer.

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I can understand that he was invited to Berlin. But that he is coming to Cologne is a provocation. We are here to show: Cologne does not want you, the 22-year-old said.

Erdogan supporters meanwhile will gather at the Cologne Central Mosque, an imposing dome-shaped building next to the shadowy, Turkish-controlled Ditib organisation.

Cologne police said they were bracing for one of their biggest ever deployments, and that a maximum of 5,000 people would be allowed to attend the opening ceremony for safety reasons.

Both Cologne mayor Henriette Reker and the states premier Armin Laschet pulled out of attending the opening as criticism of Erdogans visit grew.

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The snubs echo the lukewarm welcome the Turkish leader received the previous evening at a state dinner hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, which several opposition politicians boycotted. Merkel also skipped the banquet.

Ties between the two countries soured after Berlin criticised Ankaras crackdown on opponents following a failed 2016 coup, with tens of thousands arrested.

Tensions eased somewhat after several high-profile German-Turkish nationals were released this year, but five remain behind bars.

Merkel, whose country is home to more than three million ethnic Turks, stressed the need for continued dialogue to overcome disagreements, particularly in questions about a democratic, open society.

But she also highlighted Germanys interest in a stable Turkey, which she relies on to help stem the flow of migrants arriving on European shores.

Erdogan, seeking European allies as he spars with US President Donald Trump and the Turkish economy is in turmoil, likewise struck a conciliatory tone.

But he said Germany was doing too little to deal with thousands of Kurdish militants on its soil.

And he complained that Germany was refusing to extradite followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the coup attempt.

In a Berlin rally hours later, hundreds of mostly ethnic Kurdish demonstrators marched with banners that showed likenesses of Erdogan shooting a journalist and devouring a peace dove.

Erdogans visit on Saturday takes him to North Rhine-Westphalia state, which is home to significant numbers of ethnic Turks, many who moved to Germany as so-called guest workers from the 1960s.

The giant Cologne Central Mosque opened its doors in 2017 after eight years of construction and budget overruns. It can house more than a thousand worshippers.

The size of the building, designed to resemble a flower bud opening, and its two towering minarets has disgruntled some locals, triggering occasional protests.

The Turkish-Islamic Union of the Institute for Religion (Ditib) that commissioned the glass and cement structure is itself not without controversy.

The group runs hundreds of mosques across Germany with imams paid by the Turkish state.

Known for its close ties to Ankara, it has increasingly come under scrutiny with some of members suspected of spying on Turkish dissidents living in Germany.

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Madrid:

Thousands of travellers in Europe saw their plans disrupted Friday after airline Ryanair cancelled some 190 flights because of strikes by cabin crew in Spain, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Italy and Germany. The budget airline says it had informed passengers of possible disruptions ahead of time, giving them time to adjust.

In Tenerife, Spain, hundreds of passengers queued at Ryanair counters and dozens more at the Madrid airport as at least 64 flights of the low-cost company from or to Spain were cancelled.

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The unions blame the Ireland-based company for breaking talks over the companys ratio of outsourced workers, working conditions and their demand for local contracts instead of Irish ones.

In a statement on Thursday, the company blamed cabin crews of competitors for organizing the strikes and blocking significant progress in labour negotiations.

But the Brussels-based European Cabin Crew Association, which says it has more than 35,000 members, supported the walkout over what it described as the airlines inflexibility, single-mindedness and unreasonable behaviour.

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The association alleged Ryanair was intimidating strikers by threatening them with job losses.

Spanish cabin crew workers unions Sitcpla and USO say cancellations could be increasing throughout the day.

Airports in Valencia, Mallorca and Tenerife are the most affected, the unions say. In Portugal, 13 morning flights were cancelled.

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New Delhi:

The United Nations has awarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron with UNs highest environmental honour- Champions of the Earth  for their outstanding championing the International Solar Alliance. Both leaders have been recognised in the policy leadership category of the United Nations.

Emmanuel Macron, President of France and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, are recognized in the Policy Leadership category for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action, including Macrons work on the Global Pact for the Environment and Modis unprecedented pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022, the United Nations said in a press release.

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Announced today (Wednesday), the Champions of the Earth Awards, the UNs highest environmental honor, will be presented to six outstanding environmental changemakers, including Modi and Macron.

Besides Modi and Macron, Joan Carling - Secretary-General, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, plant-based burger startup Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, Chinas Zhejiangs Green Rural Revival Programme, Cochin International Airport will also be awarded with the UNs highest environmental honour.

The Champions of the Earth Award and Young Champions of the Earth Prize recognize those not afraid to chart unknown waters or be the voice of the voiceless. These people are changing our world today for a better tomorrow, said Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment.

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The champions are recognized for their achievements in the categories including Policy Leadership, Entrepreneurial Vision, Science and Innovation, Inspiration and Action, and Lifetime Achievement.

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Srinagar:

Six persons, including a soldier and three militants of Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed on Thursday in four anti-terror operations in Kashmir.

Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in Gazigund area of Anantnag district in the early hours Thursday on a tip off about presence of militants in the area, a police spokesperson said.

During searches, a gunfight began between security forces and terrorists. In the encounter, a local terrorist identified as Asif Malik who was operating as a commander of proscribed terror outfit LeT was eliminated, he said.

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An Army jawan, identified as Happy Singh of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, too was killed in the encounter, he added.

The spokespersons said Malik was involved in several attacks on security forces, including the killings of CRPF men at Achabal this year and in several other cases of atrocity against civilian.

The forces also recovered various incriminating material including several arms and ammunition from the encounter site, he added.

In another encounter at Panzan in Budgam district, security Forces neutralised two militants, he said.

The slain militants were identified as Sheeraz Ahmad Bhat and Irfan Ahmad Dar of terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.

Dar was working as an SPO before deserting the police force a couple of months ago, he said.

The spokesman said the militants fired on a search party from a mosque, prompting the security personnel to cordon off the area.

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The local Auqaf Committee was engaged to convince the hiding terrorists to come out. Security forces too appealed the terrorists to come out, said the police spokesperson.

But they turned down the offer, forcing the security personnel to launch the operation.

The forces carried out the operation very cautiously, ensuring that the sanctity of the mosque is not breached, he said.

In this operation, an Army jawan too sustained bullet injuries and was evacuated to hospital, he added.

Another encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in Noorbagh on the outskirts of Srinagar city early in the morning.

Acting on a credible input about the presence of militants in the area, security forces cordoned off a cluster of houses and challenged the militants.

The hiding terrorists began firing indiscriminately, resulting in death of an individual identified as Saleem Malik, he said.

The local residents, however, alleged Malik was killed in unprovoked firing by security forces and took to streets in protests, leading to clashes.

At least eight persons were injured in the ensuing police action against the protestors.

Meanwhile, the separatists called for a day-long strike on Friday to protest against the killing.

In yet another incident, an unidentified civilian was allegedly killed in an Army firing in Kupwara district during an ambush with militants, official sources said.

The Army had laid an ambush at Syedan Pathra in Kralpora area of Kupwara last night following information about movement of militants through that area, the sources said.

The soldiers opened fire upon noticing some suspicious movement in the area, they said, adding the body of an unidentified male was recovered later from the spot.

The body has been kept at Kupwara district hospital for identification and other legal proceedings, the sources added.

The Army and defence officials did not respond to calls to seek their comment on the incident.

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Friday pronounced its verdict on a clutch of pleas challenging the ban on entry of women between 10 and 50 years of age into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had reserved its judgment on August 1 after hearing the matter for eight days.

The bench, which also comprised Justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, had earlier said that the constitutional scheme prohibiting exclusion has "some value" in a "vibrant democracy".

The top court's verdict would deal with the petitions filed by petitioners Indian Young Lawyers Association and others.

The Kerala government, which has been changing its stand on the contentious issue of women of the menstrual age group entering the Sabarimala temple, had on July 18 told the Supreme Court that it now favoured their entry.

The apex court had on October 13 last year referred the issue to a constitution bench after framing five "significant" questions including whether the practice of banning entry of women into the temple amounted to discrimination and violated their fundamental rights under the Constitution.

The Sabarimala Temple case history

One of the questions referred to the larger bench was, Whether the exclusionary practice which is based upon a biological factor exclusive to the female gender amounts to discrimination and thereby violates the very core of Articles 14, 15 and 17 and not protected by morality as used in Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.

The management of the Sabarimala temple had earlier told the apex court that the ban on entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years was because they cannot maintain purity on account of menstruation.

The second issue referred to the constitution bench is whether the practice of excluding such women constitutes an essential religious practice under Article 25 of the Constitution and whether a religious institution can assert a claim in that regard under the umbrella of right to manage its own affairs in the matters of religion.

The constitution bench would also deal with whether the Ayyappa temple has a denominational character and if so, is it permissible on the part of a religious denomination managed by a statutory board and financed under Article 290-A of the Constitution out of Consolidated Fund of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to indulge in such practice violating constitutional principles/morality embedded in Articles 14, 15(3), 39(a) and 51-A(e).

The apex court had framed another question as to whether Rule 3 of Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules permits religious denomination to ban entry of women between the age of 10 to 50 years.

And if so, would it not play foul of Articles 14 and 15 (3) of the Constitution by restricting entry of women on the ground of sex, it had said.

Rule 3(b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules, 1965 says that women at such time during which they are not by custom and usage allowed to enter a place of public worship shall be included in the class of persons who shall not be entitled to offer worship in any place of worship.

It had also raised the question whether this rule is ultra vires the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Act, 1965 and, if treated to be intra vires, whether it will be violative of the provisions of Part III of the Constitution.

Petitioner Indian Young Lawyers Association and others have sought directions from the court to ensure entry of female devotees between the age group of 10 and 50 at the Lord Ayappa temple at Sabarimala.

On November 7, 2016, the Kerala government had informed the apex court that it favoured the entry of women of all age groups in the historic Sabarimala temple.

Initially, the LDF government had taken a progressive stand in 2007 by favouring womens entry into the temple, which was overturned by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) dispensation later.

The UDF government had taken a view that it was against the entry of women of the age group of 10-to-50 years as such a practice was being followed since time immemorial.

Three important facts about Sabarimala Temple

The temple is located at the Periyar Tiger Reserve on a hilltop in the Western Ghats of Pathanamthitta district.

The pilgrimage to the temple is one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world. Over 4550 million devotees visit the Hindu temple every year.

The Ayyappa temple is open for worship only during Mandalapooja - 15 November to 26 December.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Ghazni :

Three rockets hit the Afghan city of Ghazni during a visit by President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday, in an apparent display of strength by militants as they ramp up attacks across the country.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault, which came weeks after the group stormed the provincial capitala two-hour drive from Kabuland engaged security forces in an intense battle that killed hundreds of people.

No one was killed or wounded in the latest attack, provincial deputy police chief Ramazan Ali Mohseni told AFP.

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One of the rockets landed about 200 metres (660 feet) from the Ghazni governors office, where Ghani was holding meetings with security officials, religious leaders and members of civil society.

Haroon Chakhansuri, a spokesman for the president, played down the incident.

It was far from the governors office, he said.

Chakhansuri was with the president at the time of the attack and heard one of the three rockets, which he said landed on the outskirts of the city.

It was Ghanis second visit to Ghazni since the Talibans raid on the city in early August.

The United Nations estimates at least 200 civilians were killed in the days-long battle that analysts said delivered the Taliban a military and psychological win against the government.

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Days later multiple mortar rounds were fired on Kabul, landing near the presidential palace as Ghani delivered a speech on the first day of the Eid al-Adha holiday. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.

The Taliban have made significant gains on the battlefield in recent months, amid intensifying Afghan and international efforts to persuade the militants to discuss a peace deal.

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Cuttack:

Police on Thursday retrieved the body of a partially blind PhD scholar of Ravenshaw University from a drain adjacent to the New PG Hostel of the campus.

Kushadhar Bag, a research scholar of political science from Balangir district, was staying there for over a month now, police said.

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The university authorities said the visually handicapped scholar had fallen from the hostel terrace to his death, members of Blind Association of Odisha alleged that he was murdered by some anti-social elements.

The vice-chancellor also ordered an in-house enquiry into the death, University Registrar Maheswar Agasti said.
New Delhi:

A British Sikh woman was handed down a two-year suspended jail term by a UK court for launching a campaign of racist abuse and harassment against her Hindu ex-boyfriend and his family over a period of five years, including posting beef through their door as an attack on their faith.

Amandeep Mudhar had pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment and was handed down a two-year sentence at Swindon Crown Court in south-west England on Tuesday.

"Most people from religious backgrounds seek to find a common ground on what they share, be it a faith in god or human nature. Not from you: your behaviour was unrelenting, provocative and extremely frightening," said Judge Robert Pawson during the sentencing hearing.

The court was told of Mudhar orchestrating a series of attacks on the unnamed family of her former boyfriend, including abusive and threatening phone calls and attacks on social media. The court was told that the 26-year-old had a brief relationship with the man, which was "never fully intimate", over a few weeks in 2012. But after he ended the affair citing cultural differences, Mudhar and her family launched into the attacks which included threats of rape against his sisters and mother and also to blow up their home and cars, the local daily 'Swindon Advertiser' reported.

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Prosecutor Sue Cavender told the court that after 2015, she was made subject to a harassment warning by the police and a civil injunction brought by the family, which prevented her from contacting them. However, she breached that with a social media message two minutes before it expired, saying to one of his two sisters "now watch what happens", the report said.

Mudhar then enlisted the help of a friend, 30-year-old Sandeep Dogra, to send numerous "offensive" Facebook and Instagram posts directed at the family. As well as threats to kill them and rape them, one of the comments branded them "fat, like your elephant god". The duo also went to the temple the family frequented, where they harassed the man's parents, the report said.

In another incident, a parcel of beef was put through the door of the family home which, being Hindus, they found very upsetting, the prosecution said. In victim impact statements, the man's two sisters said they had suffered great stress for many years because of the harassment and one of them claimed that Mudhar even got another child to bully her six-year-old son at school as part of her campaign of abuse.

Mudhar and Dogra had both pleaded guilty to harassment but avoided time behind bars as they were handed down two-year suspended jail sentences, which refers to a deferred custodial sentence on strict conditions. She also faces a six-month curfew, during which her movements will be curtailed. She has also been directed to complete 100 hours of unpaid community service, attend rehabilitation days and pay 750 pounds towards legal costs. The judge also imposed a restraining order banning Mudhar and Dogra from contacting the family, going to the roads they live on or the temple they visit.

"I hope this sentence draws a line in the sand and there will be no repetition. You have been warned, both of you," the judge said. Mudhar's lawyer highlighted her difficult childhood, during which her mother treated her harshly, and Dogra's lawyer said that he became involved after he felt the victims had racially abused his mother.

The court was told that they both had been shunned by their local community after the details of the case had emerged earlier this year. PTI

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(Recasts following Stoltenberg news conference)

By Sabine Siebold and John Chalmers

BRUSSELS, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Several NATO countries pressed on Friday for evacuations from Kabul to continue beyond the current U.S. deadline of Aug. 31 because so many people seeking safe passage following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan are stuck outside the airport.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described the situation outside Kabul airport as "very dire and difficult". Thousands of foreign nationals and people who may be under threat from the Taliban are desperately trying to get into the airport.

"The U.S. has stated that the timeline ends on Aug. 31, but several of our allies raised ... the need to potentially extend that to be able to get more people out," he said after an emergency meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

Although the deadline for the withdrawal of thousands of U.S. troops who are crucial for securing Kabul airport is Aug. 31, President Joe Biden said this week that they may stay longer to facilitate the evacuation of Americans.

More than 18,000 people have been flown out of Kabul since the Taliban took over the capital on Sunday, according to a NATO official.

Stoltenberg said that many of the 30 NATO nations had sent planes to evacuate vulnerable people, but there was more capacity on those aircraft than there were people ready to board them because of the chaos outside the airport.

He again urged the Taliban to allow the safe passage of all foreign nationals and Afghans seeking to leave.

The foreign ministers warned the Taliban not to let Afghanistan become a breeding ground for terrorism. The Islamist group was ousted from power in 2001 after a U.S.-led invasion launched following the Sept. 11 al Qaeda attacks on the United States.

"For the last 20 years, we have successfully denied terrorists a safe haven in Afghanistan from which to instigate attacks," the ministers said in a statement after their virtual meeting.

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Stoltenberg said earlier this week NATO had "capabilities to strike terrorist groups from a distance" if militant groups try to re-establish themselves in Afghanistan and plan attacks against allied countries.

After almost two decades, NATO this summer completed military operations in Afghanistan and withdrew most troops from the country following Biden's decision to end the war.

The alliance still has a diplomatic representation in Kabul. Headquartered in Brussels, it also serves as a forum to coordinate national measures in Afghanistan, such as the evacuation of citizens. (Additional reporting by Marine Strauss Editing by Frances Kerry)
(Bloomberg) -- Chinese artificial intelligence company Yitu Technology is considering an initial public offering in Hong Kong after a tightening regulatory scrutiny stalled an earlier attempt to list in Shanghai, people familiar with the matter said.

The AI firm could seek a valuation of about $4 billion in the Hong Kong share sale, according to the people, asking not to be named discussing private matters. Yitu, whose application for a STAR board IPO was withdrawn last month when regulators failed to give their approval after a lengthy review process, could file for a listing as soon as later this year, one of the people said.

Yitu, which had sought to raise 7.51 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) in its 2020 IPO bid, hasnt yet ruled out trying to seek a STAR board listing, though the current regulatory environment made the option unlikely, said the people.

Chinas cash-starved AI firms, often burdened with heavy research and development expenses, are turning to public markets for funding even as Beijings scrutiny over tech IPOs increases. Yitus rival SenseTime Group Ltd. plans to file for a $2-billion IPO in Hong Kong as soon as the coming weeks, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, while another competitor Megvii Technology Ltd., backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., in March applied for a Star board listing. Another player Beijing Fourth Paradigm Technology Co. this month filed for a listing in Hong Kong.

Read more: AI Firm SenseTime Said to Tap HSBC For $2 Billion Hong Kong IPO

Founded in 2012 by Leo Zhu, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology fellow, and Lin Chenxi, who helped Alibaba build its cloud unit, Yitu has attracted a swath of investors from Hillhouse Capital to Sequoia Capital. The Shanghai-based company has rapidly expanded from facial recognition technology to AI chip development -- areas that fall squarely within President Xi Jinpings priorities for economic development and tech self-sufficiency.

But profitability concerns ahead of a potential listing led Yitu to reduce headcount and sell some of its healthcare-related businesses to a competitor earlier this year, according to one of the people. While the spinoff of the unit will have limited impact on Yitus IPO plan, the management has been beefing up its chip and auto businesses in a bid to justify the target valuation, said another person. A representative for the company didnt respond to e-mailed requests for comment.

Story continues

Yitu is one of the largest players in a sector that Xis administration regards as critical in its long-term race against the U.S. for economic and political supremacy. While Beijing curbs the growing influence of Chinas consumer internet companies and seeks to control the valuable data at their heart, its expected to lavish financial and policy support on industries rooted in scientific innovation -- from chips to AI.

Read more: China to Pour More Money Into Chips, AI and 5G to Catch U.S.

Yitu and SenseTime may be counting on Beijings internet crackdown, which has alienated many of the worlds largest investors, to drive capital their way. At the same time, they also have to contend with uncertainty around U.S. sanctions. Washington has severed the supply of American technology to those two companies alongside national champions like Huawei Technologies Co., in what some regard as an effort to contain Chinas rise.

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2021 Bloomberg L.P.
MEXICO CITY, August 19, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "bbb" (Good) of Mercantil Seguros y Reaseguros, S.A. (Mercantil Seguros) (Panama). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect Mercantil Seguros balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

Mercantil Seguros balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which is at the strongest level. The ratings also reflect the companys well-structured reinsurance program, sound underwriting practices and conservative investment strategy. Partially offsetting these positive rating factors is Mercantil Seguros relatively small size within Panamas insurance industry.

Mercantil Seguros is a Panama-based (re)insurer established in 2013, with gross premiums written composed of health (77%), and auto (12%), miscellaneous (11%), as of year-end 2020. The company, which is part of Mercantil Groups international companies and controlled by the ultimate parent, Mercantil Servicios Financieros Internacional, S.A., operates in Panama through a network of brokers and direct distribution channels. Mercantil Seguros also performs as a retrocessionaire for reinsurance business sourced in Venezuela, driven by reinsurance brokers.

Mercantil Seguros risk-adjusted capitalization stands at the strongest level and is supportive of its current ratings. The company has increased capital at a 29% compound annual growth rate since it began operation, supported by positive bottom-line results driven by a consistent inflow of underwriting and investment income. A well-balanced reinsurance program placed among counterparties of strong credit quality also reinforces the companys risk-adjusted capitalization.

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In AM Bests view, Mercantil Seguros has shown sound underwriting practices, characterized by overall premium sufficiency levels. A combined ratio of 81% in 2020 was enabled through well-underwritten risks by group companies, despite an increase in claims expenses triggered by the pandemic. Additionally, consistent reinsurance profits, which offset acquisition costs, continue to support the companys profitability, as evidenced by a return on equity and return on assets of 15.9% and 10.0%, respectively, in 2020.

AM Best expects the companys current geographic diversification to further improve through distribution channel synergies provided by the overall organization in the near to midterm, enabling Mercantil Seguros to expand its Panama-sourced business while diminishing dependence on its Venezuela-sourced business.

Factors that could result in positive rating action include improvements in the companys business profile coupled with sustained profitability, while maintaining risk-adjusted capitalization at the strongest level. Factors that could lead to negative rating action include protracted adverse underwriting performance that leads to a significant deterioration in its risk-adjusted capitalization, or political turmoil that affects Venezuela-sourced business.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210819005706/en/

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Senior Financial Analyst

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Alfonso Novelo

Senior Director, Analytics

+52 55 1102 2720, ext. 107

alfonso.novelo@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey

Manager, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Jim Peavy

Director, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644

james.peavy@ambest.com
The Cardano network plans to put forward a bid to the Ethiopian government proposing blockchain technology for a national ID system.

Charles Hoskinson revealed the scheme while updating the crypto community on progress made by the Cardano team in Ethiopia, where the Ethereum co-founder is exploring the potential of blockchain in developing contexts.

Cardano has been assisting Ethiopias Ministry of Education with the goal of building a blockchain-based universal student credentialing system. The project is due to go live in Q3 2021.

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The Input Output HK (IOHK) team have demonstrated the projects infrastructure will be capable of enabling administrators to create tamper-proof education records across 3,500 schools  this means 750,000 teachers interacting with the blockchain data of five million students on the back of the Cardano ecosystem.

Hoskinson explained the rapid rollout of the Cardano system in the country, alongside touching on the human rights concerns in Ethiopia relating to the Tigray conflict.

Weve got about a million people onboarded, he said.

Its K through 12, and were going to do the first launch I think, sometime in September or October.

Its our intention to compete amongst others for the whole national ID system, which is about 110 million people.

In relation to the ongoing conflict in northern Ethiopias, the ADA founder was quick to defend the projects continued assistance to the Ethiopian government.

Regimes like China or Saudi Arabia have an onerous record of very significant institutional violations, he argued.

There, it makes no sense to build identity solutions or blockchain solutions. Because theres a high probability that those solutions are going to be abused and weaponised against the population.

You have to balance every deal  you look at first the country level and then you work your way to the facts and circumstances.

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Things change  and in some cases you have to leave, even after you spent years working in a country.

Indeed, Ethiopias higher education system possess many challenges for ADA, not least of which a troubled record with corruption  especially nepotism and misappropriation of resources.

Ethiopia triples primary school enrolments

Atala PRISM identity solution will unlock the power of blockchain technology across Ethiopias education system facilitating better administration. Cardanos framework will allow educational under-achievement to be targeted with allocated educational resources to improve access to opportunities for high quality education.

Ethiopia has made considerable progress in educational development over the past two decades, with primary school enrolments tripling between 2000 and 2016, according to UNICEF.

This remarkable expansion of access to education has posed new challenges for the vast nation  with massive pressure for a robust national education administration infrastructure capable of tracking the tripled number of students and teachers.

The project is therefore trying to provide infrastructure for a blockchain-verification system for digital qualifications in order to stop educational fraud in relation to employment.

However, the system will also facilitate student and teacher records, allowing the digital verification of grades and the remote monitoring of school performance for the targeting of additional support.

Students blockchain IDs will connect data from Learning Management Systems (LMS) and be put through a machine learning algorithm to help tailor tuition and curriculum, while also informing educational policy and funding decisions.

Cardano boosts employment and education

Hoskinson argues this will boost education and employment, and remains confident the Cardano team will be able to make a viable and attractive proposal for a bigger national ID architecture.

The Ethiopian government has plans to issue all teachers and students in the country with educational tablet computers connected to a national internet network  this move attempts to tackle the poor rate of internet access in the country (around 15%).

According to figures from the World Bank 78% of Ethiopias population live in rural areas  a decline of seven per cent since 2000.

By providing significant investment into innovative IT infrastructures for the education system, the growing country hopes to improve higher educational attainment and employment opportunities available to a broader cross-section of Ethiopians  a move aimed at expanding the emergent middle class.

Teachers will be offered a reporting mechanism within the blockchain system, allowing them to highlight vulnerable students demonstrating challenges such as truancy.

It is likely that the project will be extended to the university system in the country following a successful public rollout for the state school system this autumn.

Atala PRISM has already been successfully piloted in a project with Georgias Ministry of Education, with the ADA system validating verifications for graduate degrees out of the public higher education system.

More crypto news and information

If you want to find out more information about the environmental impact of cryptocurrency and other cryptocurrency news, then use the search box at the top of this page. Heres an article to get you started.

As with any investment, it pays to do some homework before you part with your money. The prices of cryptocurrencies are volatile and go up and down quickly. This page is not recommending a particular currency or whether you should invest or not.
The Supreme Court issued a temporary stay late Friday blocking a court order requiring the Biden administration to reinstate a Trump-era immigration policy requiring most asylum seekers arriving at the nation's southern border to return to Mexico while awaiting a hearing in the U.S.

Shortly after 11 P.M. Friday, the high court released an order from Justice Samuel Alito putting on hold the lower-court order to restore the so-called Remain-in-Mexico policy. In issuing the stay through Tuesday night, Alito said he was acting "so that the full Court" could consider the Justice Department's application to hold the injunction in abeyance until litigation over the issue is resolved.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden ended the so-called Remain in Mexico policy. First implemented by former President Donald Trump, the policy required migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to remain in Mexico until their court dates.

However, the states of Texas and Missouri filed suit in federal court to force restoration of the Trump policy. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee in Amarillo, Texas, ordered last Friday that the Biden administration reinstate the policy within seven days.

The Justice Department appealed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this week and sought an immediate stay. However, the stay request was rejected unanimously on Thursday by a three-judge panel, a move that all but forced the Biden administration to seek relief from the Supreme Court. In a statement earlier on Friday, the Department of Justice said that it was "reviewing the ruling and considering potential next steps. Later on Friday, the Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court to issue a stay of the injunction.

"Relief from this Court is both urgently needed and amply justified," Brian Fletcher, the acting solicitor general, wrote in the application.

Alito gave lawyers for Texas and Missouri until Tuesday at noon to file arguments with the high court about why Kacsmaryk's order should be allowed to go into force.

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This controversy over Remain in Mexico comes as a record number of migrants, including many unaccompanied children, are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum.

The Biden administration has worked to implement what it has characterized as a more humane policy for migrants arriving at the border, ending the Trump administration practice of separating families who cross the border together and working to reunite those who were separated while Trump was president. But Biden has faced criticism for his administration's continued reliance on detention facilities for some migrants, including unaccompanied children, seeking asylum in the U.S.

Vice President Kamala Harris has spearheaded the Biden administration effort to combat the conditions in the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador that have prompted migrants to seek refuge in the U.S. But that push has made little clear headway and the White House has faced criticism as record numbers of migrants arrived at the border this summer, a season when high temperatures typically keep asylum seekers from approaching the border.

Kacsmaryk's ruling last week said the Biden administration had violated the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to consider some relevant factors before reversing the Remain-in-Mexico policy, formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols. His ruling drew largely on the Supreme Court's decision last year invalidating Trump's move to wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which protects immigrants who arrived in the country illegally as children. The high court's 5-4 decision in that case faulted the Trump administration for not giving adequate consideration to the interests of those who relied on the existing program.
TAINAN, Taiwan, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Himax Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: HIMX) (Himax or Company), a leading supplier and fabless manufacturer of display drivers and other semiconductor products, today announced that the Company will attend 22nd Credit Suisse Asian Technology Virtual Conference on September 6  September 10, 2021.



The Company management will host meetings with interested investors during the conference dates. Conference participation is by invitation only and registration is mandatory. For more information on the conference or to schedule a one-on-one or group meeting, please contact a Credit Suisse representative or the conference coordinator at: tin.luk@event.credit-suisse.com

About Himax Technologies, Inc.

Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIMX) is a fabless semiconductor solution provider dedicated to display imaging processing technologies. Himax is a worldwide market leader in display driver ICs and timing controllers used in TVs, laptops, monitors, mobile phones, tablets, automotive, digital cameras, car navigation, virtual reality (VR) devices and many other consumer electronics devices. Additionally, Himax designs and provides controllers for touch sensor displays, in-cell Touch and Display Driver Integration (TDDI) single-chip solutions, LED driver ICs, power management ICs and LCoS micro-displays for augmented reality (AR) devices and heads-up displays (HUD) for automotive. The Company also offers CMOS image sensors, wafer level optics for AR devices, 3D sensing and ultralow power smart sensing, which are used in a wide variety of applications such as mobile phone, tablet, laptop, TV, PC camera, automobile, security, medical device, home appliance, AIoT, etc. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Tainan, Taiwan, Himax currently employs around 2,000 people from three Taiwan-based offices in Tainan, Hsinchu and Taipei and country offices in China, Korea, Japan, Israel, and the US. Himax has 3,023 patents granted and 503 patents pending approval worldwide as of June 30, 2021. Himax has retained its position as the leading display imaging processing semiconductor solution provider to consumer electronics brands worldwide.

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http://www.himax.com.tw

Forward Looking Statements

Factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in this conference call include, but are not limited to, the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Companys business; general business and economic conditions and the state of the semiconductor industry; market acceptance and competitiveness of the driver and non-driver products developed by the Company; demand for end-use applications products; reliance on a small group of principal customers; the uncertainty of continued success in technological innovations; our ability to develop and protect our intellectual property; pricing pressures including declines in average selling prices; changes in customer order patterns; changes in estimated full-year effective tax rate; shortage in supply of key components; changes in environmental laws and regulations; changes in export license regulated by Export Administration Regulations (EAR); exchange rate fluctuations; regulatory approvals for further investments in our subsidiaries; our ability to collect accounts receivable and manage inventory and other risks described from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including those risks identified in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC, as may be amended.

Company Contacts:

Eric Li, Chief IR/PR Officer

Himax Technologies, Inc.

Tel: +886-6-505-0880

Fax: +886-2-2314-0877

Email: hx_ir@himax.com.tw

www.himax.com.tw

Karen Tiao, Investor Relations

Himax Technologies, Inc.

Tel: +886-2-2370-3999

Fax: +886-2-2314-0877

Email: hx_ir@himax.com.tw

www.himax.com.tw

Mark Schwalenberg, Director

Investor Relations - US Representative

MZ North America

Tel: +1-312-261-6430

Email: HIMX@mzgroup.us

www.mzgroup.us




A commonality between Google and press releases is compelling headlines.

Google on a Computer

Google on a Computer

Google on a Computer

NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For nearly 20 years and counting, Newswire, an industry leader in press release distribution services, has been helping companies of all industries and sizes deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time.

A crucial component of Newswire's continued success lies not only in its robust SaaS platform and the expertise of its Media and Marketing team but also in its ability to leverage tools and resources to improve and strengthen its clients' content.

One of those resources is Google, the ideal research tool that can influence a company's search engine results (SEO) performance and their ability to craft attention-grabbing headlines that pique the interest of their target audience.

It's estimated that Google receives 5.6 billion searches a day, which makes breaking through the noise, especially for small and midsize companies, a tall task. But not impossible.

"Yes, there's more content on the internet than we can consume in a lifetime, but with our expertise and proven process, we're able to help our clients identify newsworthy angles that speak directly to their niche, target audience, and relevant media publications," said Charlie Terenzio, CMO and SVP of Media and Marketing Communications at Newswire. "The key component to the success of any press release is the headline, and Google is one of the many resources we lean on to understand what people are searching for so we can craft our content accordingly."

Google is an invaluable tool that companies of all sizes and industries can use to improve the quality of their press release headlines. Here are a few benefits of doing so:

Research - Use Google to uncover the intricacies of a particular niche and learn what consumers are searching for, the common topics of discussion, and more. From there, the data can be used to identify press release topics, and then create headlines that speak directly to the target audience. SEO - To build on the latter point, it's important to infuse a relevant SEO keyword in the press release headline to better the odds of the piece of content ranking for that particular keyword. Trends - Keep an eye on Google trends and set up Google Alerts to monitor key brand terms, the industry, and even competitors. And, in its simplest state, perform Google searches of keywords to see the type of content that's being published, the search queries people are using, and the suggestions Google offers around a specific keyword. The insights gleaned from this research can help companies understand the next course of action for not only their press release writing but the headlines of their press releases as well.

Visit Newswire.com today and learn more about how Newswire's integrated solutions are helping organizations grow their audience, expand their reach, and implement an effective go-to-market strategy.

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About Newswire

Newswire delivers press releases and multimedia distribution software and services (SaaS) that empower the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased traffic, greater return on media and marketing communications spend, and the competitive edge. With over a decade of experience, Newswire continues to provide its customers with the ability to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time through the right medium.

For more information, visit http://www.newswire.com .

Contact Information:

Charlie Terenzio

Newswire | CMO and SVP of Media and Marketing Communications

Office: 813-480-3766

Email: charlie@newswire.com

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Google on a Computer

Person typing on a Mac, with a cup of coffee, trying in Google.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Choosing an insurance policy is one of the most complicated financial decisions a person can make. Jakarta-based Lifepal wants to simplify the process for Indonesians with a marketplace that lets users compare policies from more than 50 providers, get help from licensed agents and file claims. The startup, which says it is the countrys largest direct-to-consumer insurance marketplace, announced today it has raised a $9 million Series A. The round was led by ProBatus Capital, a venture firm backed by Prudential Financial, with participation from Cathay Innovation and returning investors Insignia Venture Partners, ATM Capital and Hustle Fund.

Lifepal was founded in 2019 by former Lazada executives Giacomo Ficari and Nicolo Robba, along with Benny Fajarai and Reza Muhammad. The new funding brings its total raised to $12 million.

The marketplaces partners currently offer about 300 policies for life, health, automotive, property and travel coverage. Ficari, who also co-founded neobank Aspire, told TechCrunch that Lifepal was created to make comparing, buying and claiming insurance as simple as shopping online.

The same kind of experience a customer has today on a marketplace like Lazada  the convenience, all digital, fast delivery  we saw was lacking in insurance, which is still operating with offline, face-to-face agents like 20 to 30 years ago, he said.

Indonesias insurance penetration rate is only about 3%, but the market is growing along with the countrys gross domestic product thanks to a larger middle-class. We are really at a tipping point for GDP per capita and a lot of insurance carriers are focusing more on Indonesia, said Ficari.

Other venture-backed insurtech startups tapping into this demand include Fuse, PasarPolis and Qoala. Both Qoala and PasarPolis focus on micro-policies, or inexpensive coverage for things like damaged devices. PasarPolis also partners with Gojek to offer health and accident insurance to drivers. Fuse, meanwhile, provides insurance specialists an online platform to run their businesses.

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Lifepal takes a different approach because it doesnt sell micro-policies, and its marketplace is for customers to purchase directly from providers, not through agents.

Based on Lifepals data, about 60% of its health and life insurance customers are buying coverage for the first time. On the other hand, many automotive insurance shoppers had policies before, but their coverage expired and they decided to shop online instead of going to an agent to get a new one.

Ficari said Lifepals target customers overlap with the investment apps that are gaining traction among Indonesias growing middle class (like Ajaib, Pluang and Pintu). Many of these apps provide educational content, since their customers are usually millennials investing for the first time, and Lifepal takes a similar approach. Its content side, called Lifepal Media, focuses on articles for people who are researching insurance policies and related topics like personal financial planning. The company says its site, including its blog, now has about 4 million monthly visitors, creating a funnel for its marketplace.

While one of Lifepals benefits is enabling people to compare policies on their own, many also rely on its customer support line, which is staffed by licensed insurance agents. In fact, Ficari said about 90% of its customers use it.

What we realize is that insurance is complicated and its expensive, said Ficari. People want to take their time to think and they have a lot of questions, so we introduced good customer support. He added Lifepals combination of enabling self-research while providing support is similar to the approach taken by PolicyBazaar in India, one of the countrys largest insurance aggregators.

To keep its business model scalable, Lifepal uses a recommendation engine that matches potential customers with policies and customer support representatives. It considers data points like budget (based on Lifepals research, its customers usually spend about 3% to 5% of their yearly income on insurance), age, gender, family composition and if they have purchased insurance before.

Lifepals investment from ProBatus will allow it to work with Assurance IQ, the insurance sales automation platform acquired by Prudential Financial two years ago.

In a statement, ProBatus Capital founder and managing partner Ramneek Gupta said Lifepals three-pronged approach (its educational content, online marketplace and live agents for customer support) has the potential to change the way the Indonesian consumer buys insurance.

Part of Lifepals funding will be used to build products to make it easier to claim policies. Upcoming products include Insurance Wallet, which will include an application process with support on how to claim a policy  for example, what car repair shop or hospital a customer should go to  and escalation if a claim is rejected. Another product, called Easy Claim, will automate the claim process.

The goal is to stay end-to-end with the customer, from reading content, comparing policies, buying and then renewing and using them, so you really see people sticking around, said Ficari.

Lifepal is Cathay Innovations third insurtech investment in the past 12 months. Investment director Rajive Keshup told TechCrunch in an email that it backed Lifepal because the company grew phenomenally last year (12X) and is poised to beat its aggressive 2021 plan despite the proliferation of the COVID delta variant, accentuating the fact that Lifepal is very much on track to replicate the success of similar global models such as Assurance IQ (US) and PolicyBazaar (India).
Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid Global saw close to $100 million of funds stolen in a hack on Thursday.

The firm said the attack targeted its multiparty computation (MPC) system of custody.

This time, the MPC wallet (used for warehousing/delivery management of cryptographic assets) used by our Singapore subsidiary Quoine Pte was damaged by hacking, the company said in a blog post on the incident, translated from Japanese by Google.

Related: Liquid Exchange Hacker Covers Tracks by Sending $20M to ETH Mixer

Hacks are not uncommon in the crypto world, but the Liquid attack was notable because MPC  an advanced cryptographic technique in which the private key controlling funds is generated collectively by a set of parties, none of whom can see the fragments calculated by the others  appears to be the technology of choice among banks and blue chip companies looking to get into crypto.

Deals for MPC companies show the demand for the technology. Those deals include PayPals acquisition of Curv in March and Geminis acquisition of Shard X in June. And BNY Mellon, the worlds leading custody bank, cemented a partnership with MPC provider Fireblocks earlier this year.

Banks eyeing the cryptocurrency sector probably see MPC as desirable because the technology can be configured to meet to their requirements and offers a more flexible, self-managed product than simply handing over keys to a third-party custodian.

MPC culpa?

However, the manner in which MPC wallets can be configured is where weakness, namely human error, can creep in, Fireblocks CEO Michael Shaulov said.

Related: Market Wrap: Bitcoin Expected to Hold Support Above $45K

Liquid Exchange used MPC technology provided by Israel-based Unbound Security, according to two sources familiar with the arrangement. Unbound is a highly respected cryptography company that is backed by Goldman Sachs and used by JPMorgan Chase in its Onyx blockchain-based services.

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A spokeswoman for Unbound said via email that the company was unable to comment on items that fall outside of our remit.

According to Shaulov, Thursdays attack on Liquid was probably related to a hack into the exchanges system last November, when an attacker gathered data about the firms security setup.

Although the attack was on their hot wallets that are based on MPC, my assumption is that this has nothing to do with MPC vulnerabilities, Shaulov told CoinDesk.

In Shaulovs opinion, the exchanges security policy was likely designed in such a way that the original hacker was able to bypass its entire approval process and instruct the wallets to withdraw coins, without affecting the private key.

In my business, nothing is zero percent, Shaulov said. But the chances that the hacker was able to figure something out with Unbounds MPC protocol are very, very slim.

Tal Beery, chief security officer of the MPC-powered ZenGo wallet, shared that view.

Most likely its not the MPC, but some other problem, he told CoinDesk via Telegram. MPC enables users to effectively reduce the risk of key stealing by the factor of the different parties. So it can be 2X harder, 3X harder, etc., but not impossible.

MPC alone is not enough

The attack on Liquid proves the thesis that MPC alone is not enough, according to Lior Lamesh, CEO and co-founder of GK8, an Israeli custody tech firm that uses MPC in combination with cold vaults, which are not connected to the internet.

Lamesh said hacking is about return on investment, and he estimates that on average a hacker would need to invest a few million dollars to compromise a few internet-connected computers. MPC means that fragments of the key, instead of being located in one internet-connected computer, are located in two or three different internet-connected computers, Lamesh said.

The more shards, the more expensive the attack, but it remains a worthwhile pursuit for a crypto hacker targeting hundreds of millions of dollars.

MPC is more secure than a hot wallet, but is not enough by itself for banks who need to manage more than tens of millions dollars worth of crypto, Lamesh said in an interview. But its fine to manage, say, 2% or 3% of assets, while the majority of the assets will be managed in a cold vault where they are 100% safe since theyre never connected to the internet.

Benjamin Powers contributed reporting.

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Continuing Its Commitment to the Detroit Community, Pepsi Partners with Detroit Black Restaurant Week to Support Black-Owned Restaurants; Joe Louis Southern Kitchen Receives $15,000 From Pepsi To Help in Flood Relief

DETROIT, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Detroit Black Restaurant Week is back in August  and so is Pepsi to support the Motor City's Black-owned businesses. Along with partnering with MLN8 to drive consumers to local Black-owned restaurants from August 20 to August 29, Pepsi also awarded $15,000 to Joe Louis Southern Kitchen to help cover the new business' repairs from flood damage during this year's storms. The donation is part of the Pepsi "Full of Detroit Soul" initiative, the brand's multi-year community platform and creative campaign that celebrates and supports the diversity and talent that make Detroit so special.

Pepsi is back in the Motor City partnering with Detroit Black Restaurant Week to support the community and Black-owned businesses as part of the brand's "Full of Detroit Soul" initiative.

"We're thrilled to partner with Detroit Black Restaurant Week to encourage locals to celebrate and support the city's Black culinary community," said Jazmine Robinson, PepsiCo North Division Brand Marketing. "We also hope to encourage and build the next generation of Black-owned businesses and that's why giving back to Joe Louis Southern Kitchen was so important. Their story is emblematic of the struggles many restaurants face trying to get off the ground, let alone after an especially trying year."

A new addition to the city's culinary scene, Joe Louis Southern Kitchen faced a challenging year as it opened doors, between the pandemic and Detroit's summer storms that flooded the city. The funds it receives will help cover repairs for the restaurant, ahead of Detroit Black Restaurant Week, where it will be one of the 54 restaurants and food trucks participating.

"The synergetic partnership with Pepsi as part of Detroit Black Restaurant Week will allow us to do some amazing things," said DBRW Founder Kwaku Osei-Bonsu. "With their support pushing our message across the city, we hope that more Detroiters will be inspired to partake and discover their next favorite local eatery."

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To further drive awareness of Detroit Black Restaurant Week, Pepsi blanketed the city with billboards spotlighting participating restaurants. Consumers who visit Joe Louis Southern Kitchen, Soul of Detroit, Jeds, COOP or East Eats may also receive a limited-edition Pepsi Detroit Black Restaurant Week cup.

To learn more about Joe Louis Southern Kitchen, watch the full video here. For more information on Detroit Black Restaurant Week and the Pepsi "Full of Detroit Soul" initiative visit https://fullofdetroitsoul.com/dbrw.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business strategy and brands. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com .

About Detroit Black Restaurant Week

Detroit Black Restaurant Week is a celebration of culture, food, and ownership. Parent company MLN8 and Detroit Black Restaurant Week are dedicated to highlighting and supporting African American and African-Descendant-owned restaurants, chefs, and food-related events in the Metro Detroit Area. DBRW strives to foster appreciation and patronage of these local businesses. During the week and after, keep your eyes peeled to www.mln8.co for more info on upcoming events. It's time to eat the city!

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SOURCE PepsiCo Beverages North America
NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Piedmont Lithium Inc. ("Piedmont" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: PLL). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)

The investigation concerns whether Piedmont and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

In 2020, Piedmont signed a deal to supply Tesla Inc. with lithium sourced from its deposits in North Carolina. Then, on July 20, 2021, Reuters reported that Piedmont "has not applied for a state mining permit or a necessary zoning variance in Gaston County, just west of Charlotte, despite telling investors since 2018 that it was on the verge of doing so." Reuters further reported that "[f]ive of the seven members of the county's board of commissioners, who control zoning changes, say they may block or delay the project because Piedmont has not told them what levels of dust, noise and vibrations will occur, nor how water and air quality would be affected."

On this news, Piedmont's stock price fell $12.56 per share, or 19.91%, to close at $50.52 per share on July 20, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

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CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Concho Resources Inc. ("Concho" or the "Company") (NYSE: CXO). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)

The investigation concerns whether Concho and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

In 2018, Concho planned and constructed the Dominator Project ("Dominator") in the Delaware Basin, part of the larger Permian Basin, consisting of 23 wells. Then, on July 31 and August 1, 2019, Concho disclosed that the wells at Dominator were spaced "too tight" and that as a result, Concho had drastically reduced its total active rig count to avoid overshooting budgets and would be forced to scale down production targets for the rest of the year. Concho also disclosed that going forward, the Company would begin spacing all of its wells farther apartrevealing at the same time that certain current and upcoming projects were "moderately more dense" in terms of spacing.

On this news, Concho's stock price fell roughly 22% on August 1, 2019, damaging investors.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

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CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

Cision

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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
DUBLIN, August 19, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Bio-Fertilizers Market Research Report by Type, by Form, by Technology, by Application, by State - United States Forecast to 2026 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The United States Bio-Fertilizers Market is projected to grow with a significant CAGR in the forecast period. Economic development and substantial infrastructure development have constituted regional revenue generation.

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Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Bio-Fertilizers to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:

Based on Type, the Bio-Fertilizers Market was examined across Nitrogen-Fixing, Phosphate-Solubilizing, and Potash-Mobilizing.

Based on Microorganism, the Bio-Fertilizers Market was examined across Azospirillium, Azotobacter, Cyanobacteria, Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacteria, and Rhizobium.

Based on Form, the Bio-Fertilizers Market was examined across Dispersible Granules, Pellets, Powders, and Pure & Mixed Liquid Fermentations.

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Based on Geography, the Bio-Fertilizers Market was examined across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.

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The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Bio-Fertilizers Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.

The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.

The report provides insights on the following:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets

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4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments

The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the United States Bio-Fertilizers Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the United States Bio-Fertilizers Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the United States Bio-Fertilizers Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the United States Bio-Fertilizers Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the United States Bio-Fertilizers Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the United States Bio-Fertilizers Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the United States Bio-Fertilizers Market?

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ubzlvj

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 2021 / Labaton Sucharow, a nationally ranked and award-winning shareholder rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Zymergen Inc. ("Zymergen" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:ZY) common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus issued in connection with the Company's April 2021 initial public offering ("IPO"). Zymergen investors have until October 4, 2021, to file a motion to serve as lead plaintiff.

On August 3, 2021, less than four months after its IPO, the Company issued a disappointing business update and revised its financial forecast citing "issues with its commercial product pipeline." Additionally, the Company announced that its CEO Josh Hoffman would be stepping down from his role, effective immediately. On this news, the Company's stock price plummeted over 70%. The Company now stands accused of issuing a registration statement that was materially false and misleading and omitting to state material adverse facts.

If you purchased stock of ZY and want to receive additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please contact David J. Schwartz using the toll-free number (800) 321-0476 or via email at david@labaton.com.

About the Firm

Labaton Sucharow LLP is one of the world's leading complex litigation firms representing clients in securities, antitrust, corporate governance and shareholder rights, and consumer cybersecurity and data privacy litigation. Labaton Sucharow has been recognized for its excellence by the courts and peers, and it is consistently ranked in leading industry publications. Offices are located in New York, NY, Wilmington, DE, and Washington, D.C. More information about Labaton Sucharow is available at labaton.com.

CONTACT:

David J. Schwartz

(800) 321-0476

david@labaton.com

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SOURCE: Labaton Sucharow LLP





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It cant be accepted as fact, said Hamilton Lombard, a research and policy analyst with the U.Va. center. If you see anyone using (the data) extensively, you maybe should be a little worried.

So how did we get here?

The Census Bureau started looking for a new way to protect privacy leading up to the 2020 Census over worries that more computing power over the past decade would let hackers identify people with the data.

Experts have said that concern may be overblown, Lombard said. But it led to the development of whats called differential privacy, which uses an algorithm to scramble the numbers by injecting noise into the data.

The method doesnt affect big and general numbers, such as total state population and totals for various racial groups.

Its at a more granular level that errors appear, such as those specific blocks in Virginia Beach or in more rural areas.

If the health department is trying to assess teen pregnancy rates using census age data, for instance, it might be useless, Lombard said. The city of Emporias teen pregnancy rate artificially increased by fivefold, to 66%, when the Cooper Centers analysts first applied differential privacy.
But Americans would never abandon these pillars of their society unless they suspected that something was inherently wrong with their way of life: something systemic.

Racism, one of the ugliest scars on American history, offered a worthy culprit to initiate the class warfare that would bring about Marxist equality. Spearheaded by coalitions like the Marxist Frankfurt School, which laid the groundwork for critical race theory in Ivy League colleges, the left began branding these pillars of American culture as racist and oppressive.

Their remedies include welfare programs exclusively for minorities, the designation of traditional marriage and sexuality as a white construct, and the elimination of racist accelerated programs in schools. All of these policies are promoted under the banner of combating racism.

Latino culture, however, is fundamentally at odds with Marxisms agenda. According to Pew Research, 77 percent of Hispanic Americans believe in the American dream, which is far greater than the national average of 62 percent.

That same source reveals that we also attend church more often and consider religion more important than most other ethnicities do. Finally, we treasure the traditional family.

Why, then, have Latinos embraced the policies of the left?
Judge David Reich did not immediately schedule a date for sentencing.

Quick said during the trial that the case amounted to a rush to judgment based on bad information that led to the wrong conclusion. The defense rested its case Wednesday.

Prosecutor Karlei Neufeld described the horrific crime scene during the trial and said evidence that included photos, surveillance video, bullet fragments, a knife and other items found during searches of Isaaks home and vehicle led to the charges against him.

Prosecutors presented the case as a puzzle in which all of the pieces pointed to Isaak, including a knife found in his clothes washer, gun parts found in his freezer and security camera footage tracking his pickup.

BCI Supervisory Special Agent Arnie Rummel testified that investigators were not able to determine a motive, but that a motive isnt a requirement for conviction.

The defense maintained that authorities overlooked numerous possible alternative suspects. Isaaks attorneys also questioned the sourcing, collection and processing of evidence; said some testimony doesnt match police reports; and questioned the absence of visible blood on the clothing of a person seen in security camera footage leaving RJR the morning of the killings.
Dear Reader,

Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

If youre new to the newsletter or havent subscribed yet, you can do so here.

Afghanistans First Week Under Taliban Control

This is our first newsletter since the Taliban returned to Kabul after the Afghan government had collapsed like a house of cards. The speed of the takeover has turned a chaotic evacuation effort into a humanitarian crisis. (See this interactive map of how the group has seized control.)



At the beginning of the week, the Taliban had still paid lip service to projecting a moderate image by promising an inclusive government and respect for some womens rights.



But, as my colleagues in Kabul and elsewhere report, few were convinced. The future political system is unlikely to be inclusive, leading many Afghans to perceive it as imposed and illegitimate, Haroun Rahimi, an assistant professor of law at the American University of Afghanistan, said.



Afghan women, in particular, are doubtful that the Talibans assurances of respecting their rights within the limits of Islam will translate into anything other than the repression that was the hallmark of its previous regime.



Many women are now staying indoors. Every woman is scared, Liza Karimi, a Current Time freelance reporter in Kabul, told us in this video of life in Kabul.

A Stalled Exodus

Thousands of desperate people are still stuck near Kabuls international airport, unable to enter the airport perimeter to join the evacuation efforts. NATO ministers are looking into speeding up airlifts and weighing future dealings with the Taliban to get more people out.



Among them, many tell us that they have travel documents that would, in theory, allow them to find shelter abroad. I dont know whats more dangerous: going to the airport or staying and living under Taliban rule, said a man holding a U.S. Special Immigration Visa.



As this video shows, entry points to the airport have been the scene of chaos punctuated by gunfire to disperse the crowds. The Taliban is making it nearly impossible to reach the airport and has started to hunt down some who have worked for U.S. and allied forces.



As the Taliban solidified their power, the facade of tolerance began to show cracks. This video shows the Taliban firing shots at protesters who were waving the Afghan flag in various cities to mark Independence Day on August 19.



The militants also killed a relative of a Deutsche Welle journalist and seriously wounded another on August 20 while conducting a house-to-house search for the journalist, according to the German broadcaster.



Reports suggest that similar searches for former Afghan government officials and people who have worked with the U.S. and allied forces have intensified.



Afghanistans vibrant local media scene has already changed dramatically. Countless journalists have been removed from their jobs, threatened, and gone into hiding.



Shabnam Dawran, a prominent presenter on state television RTA, became one of the first women who was stopped from working. My male colleagues managed to enter the office, but I was threatened and told that I couldnt continue my work because the system had changed, she said.

Amnesty International, the rights monitoring group, reported this week that the Taliban had brutally tortured and killed several members of the mainly Shiite Hazara minority earlier last month.



The instability in Kabul has prompted the UN to temporarily relocate its staff there to Kazakhstan.

Leadership Movements

In Kabul, Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Talibans main political leader, is widely tipped to lead the militants government this time around.



Hes the one who struck a deal with the Americans very successfully, Afghan journalist Sami Yousafzai said of Baradar, who led the Taliban insurgency before his arrest in Pakistan in 2010. Even before his capture, he was known as a figure silently doing a lot of thinking [for the Taliban].



It is noteworthy that Khalil Haqqani, the Haqqani network leader wanted by the U.S., attended Friday prayers at Pul-e-Kheshti, Kabuls largest mosque, days after first appearing in Jalalabad.



What a future government will look like is still unclear, as is the amount of resistance it will face as some former government forces led by Vice President Amrullah Saleh and Defense Minister Bismillah Mohammadi have gathered troops in the Panjshir Valley.



President Ashraf Ghani, who reemerged in the United Arab Emirates, vowed to return to Afghanistan. But his deeply polarizing role and hasty departure make a significant role in any future government unlikely.

Bidens Saigon Moment?

The crisis has prompted mounting criticism in the U.S. and among allies of how the Biden administration handled the U.S. forces withdrawal. President Biden, however, maintains he made the right call despite acknowledging that the Taliban might not have changed since their first period in power.



I think Joe Bidens advisers knew that the Taliban will take over Afghanistan, Scott Lucas, a U.S. foreign affairs expert in Dublin, said.



The administration froze Afghan government reserves and denied the Taliban access to $450 million in IMF funds. President Biden is scheduled to speak on the issue later today.



In a damning assessment released this week, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction said that the U.S. had underestimated the time required to rebuild the country, but also spoke of bright spots, such as lower child mortality and increased literacy.

Regional Reactions

Tehran and Moscow welcomed the U.S. departure from what both governments consider their backyard. But they also remain uneasy about the Talibans newfound power.



Shahram Akbarzadeh, a regional expert at Australias Deakin University, says that despite its strong ties to the Taliban, Tehrans Shiite clerical regime worries about the group reviving the anti-Shia policies that brought it to the brink of war with Iran in the 1990s.



An anti-Shia and anti-Iran government in Afghanistan could present serious security challenges for Iran and make Afghan territory a haven for anti-Iran terror groups, he noted.



Moscow, too, has cause to worry about what lies ahead. The [Taliban] takeover doesnt change Moscows fundamental policy toward Afghanistan: to keep the instability of the civil war away from Central Asia, noted Ivan Klyszcz, a political scientist at the University of Tartu in Estonia.



As Bruce Pannier reports, Afghanistans Central Asian neighbors Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan are already reeling from the spillover of instability from their neighbor: an unknown number of soldiers are among the many who have fled across their borders, dozens of them using Afghan military aircraft.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks newsletter, and I encourage you to forward it to colleagues who might find it useful.

If you havent subscribed yet, you can do so here. I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Yours,

Abubakar Siddique

Twitter: @sid_abu

P.S.: You can always reach us at gandhara@rferl.org.
NATO has called on the Taliban to facilitate the "safe and orderly" evacuation of foreigners and eligible Afghans from Afghanistan amid reports that some people were having difficulties reaching Kabul's international airport.

"We call on those in positions of authority in Afghanistan to respect and facilitate their safe and orderly departure, including through Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul," NATO's 30 members said in a joint statement on August 20 following an emergency session. "As long as evacuation operations continue, we will maintain our close operational coordination through allied military means" at the airport, the statement said.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the foreign ministers attending the meeting that ensuring people can reach the airport is the "main challenge" faced by the alliance in the wake of reports that the militants were hunting Afghans who had worked for NATO.

The Western military alliance maintains a civilian presence of some 800, including many Afghans, in the country, but no longer has military personnel on the ground.

However, thousands of U.S. and allied soldiers continue to protect Kabul airport and coordinate evacuation flights, constrained by obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to paperwork problems.

Speaking from Washington, D.C. later on August 20, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged that Washington was committed to getting all American and the Afghans who assisted the U.S.-led war effort out of the country.

Biden said U.S. forces have airlifted 13,000 people out of Afghanistan since August 14, and 18,000 since last month, with thousands more evacuated on private charter flights "facilitated by the U.S. government."

Twelve people have been killed in and around the airport since August 15, NATO and Taliban officials have said, amid reports that Taliban fighters are impeding some Afghans from reaching the airfield.

The allies held the extraordinary virtual meeting to discuss the ongoing evacuation efforts and to weigh future relations with the Taliban amid mounting reports of targeted killings in areas overrun by the militants. The reports have fueled concerns that the Taliban will return Afghanistan to the repressive rule they imposed when last in power from 1996-2001.

The NATO foreign ministers, in their joint statement, said that "we are united in our deep concern about the grave events in Afghanistan and call for an immediate end to the violence. We also express deep concerns about reports of serious human rights violations and abuses across Afghanistan."

Stoltenberg said after the meeting that the "Taliban must uphold fundamental rights of all Afghan citizens."

Addressing concerns that Afghanistan could again become a safe haven for extremists under the Taliban's rule, Stoltenberg said that the alliance would "not allow terrorists to threaten us again from Afghanistan."

Removing the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, which orchestrated the September 11 attacks on the United States and had received sanctuary in Afghanistan from the Taliban, was a key reason for the U.S. invasion in 2001 that ousted the Taliban from power.

The militants have tried to reassure Afghans and the international community since seizing Kabul on August 15 that they wanted peace and an inclusive government -- within the values of Islam. They have vowed not to launch revenge attacks on those who worked with foreign forces or the previous Afghan government.

But terrified that the new de facto rulers would commit such abuses, thousands of Afghans have raced to Kabul's airport and to border crossings, desperate to flee following the Taliban's stunning blitz through the country.

Others have taken to the streets to protest the takeover -- acts of defiance that Taliban fighters have violently suppressed.

A report provided by the UN's threat-assessment consultants, revealed on August 19 that the Taliban stepped up its search for individuals who worked with the U.S. and NATO forces or had links to Afghanistan's previous administration. The report said those persons and their families could be now risking torture and execution.

German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported militants had shot dead the relative of one of its journalists while searching for the editor, who now lives in Germany. The killing "testifies to the acute danger in which all our employees and their families in Afghanistan find themselves," Director-General Peter Limbourg said.

Human rights group Amnesty International, meanwhile, said it had found that the Taliban massacred nine ethnic Hazara men after taking control of Ghazni Province last month, raising fears that the Sunni militant group will target ethnic and religious minorities.

Independence Day celebrations on August 19 were marred by the deaths of several Afghans as the Taliban resorted to violence against demonstrators, a further indication that the insurgents sought to consolidate their grip on power following a blitz offensive that brought most of Afghanistan under its rule and sent the government fleeing.

Amid concerns that the Taliban may be using social media to track opponents, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter said they had moved to secure the accounts of Afghan citizens to protect them from being targeted.

Facebook "removed the ability to view and search the 'Friends' list for Facebook accounts in Afghanistan" to protect people from being targeted, the U.S. tech giant's security-policy head, Nathaniel Gleicher, tweeted on August 19.

He said users of Facebook-owned Instagram in Afghanistan will also receive "pop-up alerts" explaining how to protect their accounts.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the extraordinary virtual meeting aimed to carry on member countries' "close coordination" of the evacuation of other issues in Afghanistan, and to find a "common approach" moving forward.

The Western military alliance maintains a civilian presence of some 800, including many Afghans, in the country, but no longer has military personnel on the ground.

However, thousands of U.S. and allied soldiers continue to protect Kabul airport and coordinate evacuation flights, constrained by obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to paperwork problems.

Officials said this week that as many as 10,000 U.S. citizens remained in Kabul, and Biden indicated that U.S. forces could remain in Kabul beyond a August 31 withdrawal deadline if necessary to evacuate all Americans.

The U.S. military has evacuated about 9,000 people, while NATO has said that overall more than 18,000 people have been flown out of Kabul. Some 6,000 more, among them former interpreters for foreign armed forces, are on standby to be flown out.

In Moscow, Russian President Putin said after his talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Afghanistan was a main topic of discussion.

"The Taliban movement controls practically the entire territory of the country, including the capital city," Putin said. "This is a reality and we must reckon with it and not let the Afghan state collapse."

The Russian president also said that other countries should not impose their own values on Afghanistan.

Merkel said that Berlin's top priority was "to get people who worked for us to Germany."

The United Nations refugee agency reiterated its call to Afghanistan's neighbors to keep their borders open to allow people to seek asylum, saying that Afghans who may be in danger inside their country "have no clear way out."

"UNHCR remains concerned about the risk of human rights violations against civilians in this evolving context, including women and girls," spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a Geneva news briefing.

Under the hard-line version of Shari'a law that the Taliban imposed when it ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, women and girls were mostly denied education and employment. Full face coverings became mandatory in public, and women could not leave home without a male companion.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are set to discuss the situation in Afghanistan later on August 20 as both countries raise concerns about a potential major influx of people fleeing the war-torn country.



Athens has said it wouldnt allow a repetition of the 2015 migration crisis, when nearly 1 million people fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan landed on its islands, while Ankara has warned that Turkey will not become Europes "refugee warehouse."

With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters, BBC, and Deutsche Welle
The Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 announced via letter on Aug. 18 that all students, faculty, staff, and visitors will need to mask up 
Amid a flurry of district mask mandates hitting just before the start of the 2021 fall semester, some Colorado mental health experts are forewarning another difficult school year.

Especially if people face it alone.

On Thursday, two of those experts met for a virtual town hall, hosted by The Gazette, and 9News, on how educators, students, and their families can navigate a fall return to in-person schooling, mounting mental health concerns, and the lingering challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their discussion was moderated by 9News' Chris Bianchi.

Heidi Baskfield, interim executive director for the Partners for Childrens Mental Health, and Dr. Steven Berkowitz, child psychiatrist and University of Colorado School of Medicine professor, primed teachers and families on the types of challenges their students, and they themselves, may see this year.

Chief among those, the two said, is the overall lack of consistency students face in the coming year, arising from the pandemic itself as well as the uncertain sense of normalcy its resulted in.

Examples of that lack of consistency they cited ranged from possibly varying mask mandates in schools, to returning to classroom settings that some havent seen for a long time, to student concern over their eligibility to be vaccinated and protected against the virus.

The two also discussed factors outside of the pandemic, like family instability, a lack of emphasis on social or emotional learning, or even recent weeks of Front Range haze driven by wildfires as ongoing contributors to the mental burden young people carry.

COVID is certainly front and center for all the various reasons, but kids are facing far more than a pandemic, Berkowitz said.

Baskfield, who is also the vice president of Population Health & Advocacy at Childrens Hospital Colorado, and Berkowitz also discussed isolation, which has become more commonplace for students as pandemic mitigation protocols separate them from their peers and in some cases, Baskfield said, has exacerbated challenges students may face.

But students arent the only ones facing a new set of challenges.

Teachers are being asked to do more than ever, Berkowitz said. They too are facing an inordinate amount of stress, and many of them have kids in school.

Part of that stress is the fact that teachers are often on the front lines of helping their students with mental health challenges, and need support to do that, Baskfield said.

Teachers need to be provided support themselves on what is their role in supporting youth mental health, she said. Where that starts is providing teachers with tools on How do you spot mental health issues?

Baskfield said Partners for Childrens Mental Health, as well as the nonprofit Mental Health Colorado, provide trainings for educators on spotting mental health challenges.

For parents with students facing mental health challenges, especially during the coming year, Berkowitz recommended a community approach.

Its a lot to ask parents to become psychiatrists and social workers, so one thing I tell parents in general  if you have any concerns or doubts, ask, find somebody to talk to about it he said. We dont do this in isolation.

One thing the two lamented, however, was what Baskfield described as a "pretty huge gap" in mental health resources and caregivers for children in Colorado.

"We don't have a comprehensive system of mental health care for kids in this state, we just don't," she said. "And that is informing so many of the challenges that we're seeing right now."

In 2021, state lawmakers inked nearly 20 bills into law on mental health care and young people.

Berkowitz said Colorado has one of the largest gaps in mental health care for children of any state he's seen.

"It's really important to recognize that while Colorado may be worse than a lot of places, no place has a sufficient number of providers  it's just not possible."

That's part of why seeking help among one's community should be treated as a rule of thumb.

It is going to be a hard year, and we have to acknowledge that, we have to accept that, Berkowitz said. The way were going to get through this is if we do it together. We really need to facilitate community and conversation, and we have to ask adults to put themselves in the skins of the children.
Former President Donald Trump told a radio show Friday that he "single-handedly" picked Alabama as the new home for U.S. Space Command, confirming a January Gazette report and drawing fire from Colorado politicians and retired generals worried that the move could disrupt America's defense of military satellites.

Speaking to "Rick and Bubba," an Alabama-based syndicated talk show, Trump said he alone chose to uproot the command from Colorado Springs and move it to Huntsville, Ala.

"I single-handedly said 'let's go to Alabama,'" Trump said, contradicting Pentagon statements that Huntsville was picked by a nonpartisan process that weighed Colorado Springs and other suitors for the command independently.

In the radio interview, Trump conflated the command  which oversees military missions in space for all armed services  with the new Space Force, a separate armed service for satellite troops.

The interview came ahead of an appearance by Trump Saturday night at an Alabama campaign-style rally that was expected to draw thousands of supporters.

Trump's Jan. 13 decision to move the command, which was reestablished in Colorado Springs in 2019, remains under investigation by the Pentagon's Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office. Anonymous military sources told The Gazette of Trump's role in the decision as soon as it was announced.

Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said Trump's Friday radio interview should be enough to prompt a re-examination of the decision.

We have maintained throughout the process that the permanent basing decision for U.S. Space Command was not made on merit. The admission by former President Trump that he single-handedly directed the move to Huntsville, Alabama, supports our position," Suthers said via email.

"Our local governments and our Congressional delegation will continue to press our case in Congress and at the White House to re-examine and ultimately overturn the move in the best interest of our nation."

U.S. Space Command was recreated by the Trump administration to address rising threats from Russia and China to U.S. spacecraft. An earlier version of the command had been based at recently renamed Peterson Space Force Base until the command was shuttered amid post-Cold War belt-tightening in 2002.

Colorado Springs was picked as the initial home for the new version of the command because it contains the bulk of the military's space troops along with units that control most of the military's satellites and a center that brings together experts from the military, intelligence agencies and allies to set strategy that would be used if a war hits orbit.

An earlier Air Force decision will keep the command in Colorado Springs until at least 2026. Congress hasn't allocated money for the move, and the Pentagon has not issued contracts that would be necessary to relocate Space Command.

In a recent paper, retired Air Force Gen. Ed Eberhart and retired Army Lt. Gen. Ed Anderson  the former top space officers of their respective services  said uprooting the fledgling command would disrupt its mission to protect U.S. satellites, potentially wasting years of progress along with billions of dollars.

"U.S. Space Command was reestablished due to the criticality of its mission," the generals wrote. "Making a location decision without fully evaluating cost and time to achieve full mission capability has resulted in a decision that makes America vulnerable."

Colorado Springs U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn said Trump's announcement shows national security wasn't his top concern.

"When a decision is based on politics and personal preference, national security comes in second," said Lamborn, a longtime Trump supporter who broke with the president over the basing decision.

The congressman said the decision also shows that Pentagon officials might have lied to lawmakers when they said Alabama was chosen based solely on military criteria.

"The Air Force was not telling us the truth when they said it was based solely on merit," Lamborn charged.

Gov. Jared Polis and Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera issued a joint statement calling on Biden to reverse the Alabama move based on Trump's admission.

"These callous comments fly in the face of Coloradans, military families, and those who have worked to cultivate our aerospace ecosystem that is suited to guarantee the operational success of U.S. Space Command and deliver the best value to taxpayers," the said in an email.

In a unanimous statement, El Paso County commissioners pledged to redouble their efforts to get the move rescinded.

"On its merits, its obvious Space Command needs to stay in Colorado Springs," they said. "It makes no sense to spend billions of taxpayer dollars and gain no mission enhancement by moving Space Command from its current location, the home to many critical space missions."

Reggie Ash, who heads military programs for the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, said Friday's declaration by Trump confirmed a key argument local leaders have used in a bid to overturn the Alabama decision.

"As weve said all along, Space Commands basing decision needs to be determined by merit, not politics," Ash said. "Now that the former president is confirming what weve been saying all along, we again urge President Biden to overturn that decision now. Keeping Space Command in Colorado Springs avoids disrupting operations and interfering with their critical national security mission. Staying in Colorado Springs is the most cost effective, least risky, and overall best choice for the mission."

Alabama had been angling for the command for years, with Alabama U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers being one of the first lawmakers to push for its creation.

The Alabama decision came after a process to pick a permanent home for the command was stopped and restarted by the Pentagon several times.

The Alabama announcement came one week after a Trump rally in Washington decrying the results of the 2020 election preceded a riot that spilled into the U.S. Capitol where lawmakers were certifying the election result.

At the Jan. 6 rally, Trump's speech was preceded by remarks from Huntsville's Republican U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks.
Afghans wave a black, red and green banner in honor of the Afghan flag  a banner that is becoming a symbol of defiance since the Taliban have their own flag, on Afghan Independence Day, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2020. On Thursday, a procession of cars and people near Kabuls airport carried long black, red and green banners in honor of the Afghan flag  a banner that is becoming a symbol of defiance since the militants have their own flag. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Hospitals and plasma donation centers across the U.S faced blood shortages during the summer months and Colorado was no exception as willing donors became scarce.

Children's Hospital Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus and Grifols, a healthcare company with two a plasma donation centers in Colorado Springs, say they have felt the summer pinch. The issue was sparked primarily because of a lack of supply rather than an increased demand for patients, managers and directors at the centers said.

Blood centers experienced a drop off in donations during the start of COVID-19 because of the fear associated with COVID-19, Vlasta Hakes, the senior director of corporate affairs at Grifols, said.

"We're in that same process of trying to continue to get those numbers to continue to come up and get people to come and donate plasma," Hakes said.

Safety precautions taken at Grifols and the Children's Hospital Donation Center include masking, regular sanitation and donation beds placed 6-feet apart.

Blood donation centers were deemed an essential service amid the pandemic because plasma, platelets and whole blood donations provide life saving service for people undergoing surgery, medical procedures as well as creating medications, the centers said.

Children's Hospital emailed frequent messages to donors throughout the summer encouraging them to donate as the hospitals platelet supply became critically low during various points in the summer.

Kyle Annen, medical director for transfusion service at Children's Hospital, said the need continues to be dire because of the difficulties associated with storing and using platelets.

Annen said the demand for platelets can fluctuate if there are more trauma patients than usual. Plus, platelets only have a seven day shelf life, however, during the first two days the platelets cannot be used as they require monitoring and testing, reducing the window of use to five days.

"Our biggest challenge is finding new donors getting them to come in to the donor center," Annen said. "Particularly for platelets because they do take a little bit longer, and you do have to come into the donor center for those."

Other challenges exacerbating the blood supply shortage included the pause on mobile blood drives because of COVID-19 risks and the reduction of school drives as many schools went online and students headed to summer vacation.

But that didn't stop frequent donors like Brenda Waldron from participating.

Waldron has donated plasma twice a week ever since 2013 when her brother was diagnosed with brain cancer and needed plasma for a stem cell treatment.

"It's just the satisfaction of knowing that I'm able to help somebody," Waldron said. "If it's something I can do I just feel its kind a duty to help my fellow person."

Those who donate can expect a health screening including a temperature check when visiting a donation site.

"Blood donation is an ongoing need," Annen said. "It gets a little better and a little worse, but it's always needed."
It took six years and about $30 million for Colorado Springs-based Compassion International to rebuild schools, churches and homes for families that the child- development nonprofit serves in Haiti when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit near Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010.

Less than a week after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck last Saturday in a more rural area of the country, plans to reconstruct already are underway, said Edouard Lassegue, regional vice president for Compassion International.

Early estimates are that damage to buildings linked to the organizations work will cost $20 million to repair, he said Wednesday night in a phone call from Haiti.

This one was stronger, but fortunately it did not hit in populated areas this time, which accounts for lower casualties, he said.

The death toll from last weeks temblor neared 2,200 on Thursday, the nations civil protection agency reported, with many still missing and about 12,200 injured.

The 2010 quake killed more than 220,000 people and injured another 300,000, according to estimates from news agencies.

Lessons learned from 11 years ago are driving the current response, Lassegue said.

People have lost their homes, jobs, farms and livelihood, which necessitates medical attention, supplies, food and water and other material goods.

But we learned from 2010 that we want not to just bring stuff to the people who are affected, he said. Millions have been spent bringing stuff. After that, what happens? They have nothing left behind.

That is our concern: to lead the people to a better position than they are in now so they can lead their families in the future.

Compassion International is not a relief organization  typically spending $4 million annually on disasters, or 1% of a $650 million worldwide programming budget  but it is one of several global agencies responding in Haiti, one of the worlds least-developed countries due to ongoing political, structural and environmental instability.

Food, water and electricity are constantly lacking, Lassegue said, and the earthquake has exacerbated problems with meeting basic human needs.

Relief efforts seem more coordinated with less duplication and wasted resources this time, he said, and the ruling government  whose president was assassinated July 7 at his residence in Port-au-Prince  seems to be trying to play a role.

Compassions national office in Haiti employs about 100 people, who work with 125,000 children in child development centers at 320 churches. Staff are on the ground in affected areas and have met with pastors, center directors and local leaders to determine the most urgent needs, Lassegue said.

More Compassion employees will arrive in Haiti next week to distribute supply kits. To donate, text Haiti to 97646.

Children and adults are sleeping outside because they are afraid to go in buildings, Lassegue said, and safety has become a concern. Due to gang violence, some roads are too dangerous to travel on to transport emergency food and medical care, he said.

Of the 91 churches in southwest Haiti where Compassion operates child-development centers, 46 have been directly affected by the earthquake, Lassegue said. Those 46 churches minister to more than 17,000 children and youth, he said, and their families.

In group settings, Compassion helps the neediest children learn about daily life, such as good hygiene practices, and develop social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive skills. They also receive educational tutoring and mentoring.

We work in the development of these young people to make them grow to be responsible adults, so that they have an impact in their region and their lives, Lassegue said.

Compassion staff also will help rebuild collapsed churches and assist with reconstructing 25 to 30 schools, he said.

One lesson we learned in 2010 was that the children want to have that environment with caring adults advising them, tutoring them, praying with them, he said.

Well have some transitional office space and classrooms open again as early as next month, to bring stability to children, so that they can feel safe.

Many buildings are stiff concrete structures that don't flex when the earth shakes intensely, so they collapse, said Jason Chandler, water, sanitation, hygiene response program manager for Engineering Ministries International, a nonprofit based in Colorado Springs with 10 offices worldwide.

"The type of construction over there is not great, especially for being in a heavy seismic zone," he said, adding that buildings can crumble due to the type of construction, design and materials used.

Engineering Ministries International is sending three engineers to Haiti next week to assess damaged buildings and a project that was underway  making safety improvements to 100 existing emergency shelters that people can go to during hurricanes.

"Some have had significant damage, which has likely changed the scope of what we were rehabbing," Chandler said.

Another priority for Compassion International is providing additional shelter  not in the form of public tent cities, as was done in 2010 and led to child-protection issues, Lassegue said  but temporary setups in yards of destroyed homes, so that families can be together.

Having Christian counselors address the trauma children have experienced and training adults in reestablishing small businesses are other developing plans, Lassegue said.

Lassegue, who works out of the Deerfield Beach, Fla. office, which serves 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, happened to be in Haiti on Saturday when the earthquake hit at 8:29 a.m.

Hes staying in the capital, Port-au-Prince, which is about 80 miles away from the epicenter. He said it was the worst earthquake he's ever experienced.

The United States Geological Survey reports that 1 million people in the Caribbean region, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba and Puerto Rico felt very strong or severe shaking levels.
The state board charged with reviewing name changes for geographic landmarks with offensive names on Thursday rejected two requests and started reviews of more controversial proposals.

The Geographic Naming Board, part of the Department of Natural Resources, has dozens of requests before it, with the most controversial being the renaming of Mount Evans in Clear Creek County.

But that's a discussion for another day. Thursday's meeting reviewed changing the name of Squaw Mountain (or "S-Mountain," as most people called it Thursday) in Clear Creek County, north of Mount Evans, to Mestaaehehe (pronounced mess-ta-HAY) Mountain, as well as looking at two Delta County landmarks named "Negro." The board did not vote on the newer proposals but will continue to review them in future meetings.

The board also turned down two proposals originating in San Miguel County to change the name of V H Pasture Reservoir to Elk Springs Reservoir and to change Vurl Reservoir to Wapiti Reservoir.

The request came from K.L. Spear of Placerville, who acquired the land around VH Pasture Reservoir in 2014 as part of a land trade with the U.S. Forest Service, according to the proposal. He intends to put the land into a conservation easement for preservation of its deer and elk habitat. The reservoir's original name is a bit of a mystery, but the proposal hints that it may have belonged to a cattleman who used the land for grazing. Documentation from the local historical society indicated the cattleman was likely Hans Von Hagen, an early settler in nearby Ridgway.

San Miguel County commissioners took no position on the request, and the Forest Service was not opposed, according to Jennifer Runyon of the federal U.S. Board on Geographic Names, part of the U.S. Geological Survey. Runyon noted during an April meeting that the federal board doesn't care for name changes for lands with historical ties just because the land changes hands.

The board's recommendation now goes to the governor, who would forward it to the federal board.

The proposal to rename S-Mountain carries with it some pressure from the federal board, according to comments made by Runyon in June. That pressure is coming from people who have been waiting four years for the name change, she told the Colorado board.

The federal proposal said that "Mestaaehehe was the daughter of White Thunder, a Cheyenne tribal leader. She married William Bent, the founder of Bents Fort, located in present day Otero County. At Bents Fort, Mestaaehehe served as translator and helped negotiate trade deals between white settlers and native groups. Mestaaehehe died during the birth of her fourth child. A modern historian describes her and Bent as "the central business and social leaders of the region."

Originally, the proposal was submitted in 2017 by Sarah Hahn Campbell, a Denver high school English teacher. At that time, she asked the name be changed to Mount Mistanta. But that was withdrawn in favor of the preferred spelling offered by the U.S. Forest Service on behalf of Teanna Limpy, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. The term "squaw" is offensive to Indigenous women, based on the native word for vagina.

The Squaw Mountain name has been on federal maps since 1923, the proposal said. There are two other summits named Squaw Mountain, three streams named Squaw Creek and 36 features, both natural and man-made, with the word "Squaw," including Squaw Pass in Clear Creek County. Runyon said the Colorado board could be proactive on suggesting name changes and could do so for Squaw Pass.

Limpy told the board Thursday she supports the current proposal and talked about Mestaaehehe's history.

Clear Creek County Commissioner Randall Wheelock, a member of the naming board, said that the county is waiting on the board to take action on the "S-word" mountain so they can inform citizens on name changes to other features, including roads. Wheelock said the county's intent is to rename those other roads with offensive names. The county commissioners held several meetings to educate residents and non-residents about the history, and Wheelock estimated 95% of the residents support the name change. "We recognize it's our place to follow and learn."

No one spoke against the proposal during public comment Thursday. Those who spoke in favor of the proposal often referred to restorative justice and the healing power that changing names has.

Rick Williams, a Lakota Cheyenne elder who initiated the effort to ask Gov. Jared Polis to rescind two anti-Native peoples proclamations from Gov. John Evans, spoke in support of the name change. "It's an honorable thing to do," he told the board.

Gov. Jared Polis rescinds proclamations from Gov. John Evans that called for the massacre of Native Americans

Now is the time to restore and reclaim justice, and bring back communities deserving of this justice, said Renee Millard-Chacon of Spirit of the Sun, a Denver non-profit founded by indigenous women to promote education, health and wellness for Native youth and young adults.

Through tears, Jan Iron, who is Dine (formerly known as Navajo), said Colorado is the land of the Cheyenne, Arapahoe Lakota, Pawnee, Ute and other tribes. "To know that this mountain was desecrated with this name really saddens me. I appreciate the efforts to change it to something more appropriate." Iron said the name change is common sense. "Pass it through with no hesitation, it's only right."

"I cannot imagine anything passing for a sensible argument to keep the name," said board member Patty Limerick of CU Boulder. Referring to Williams' comments, she said "honorable" should be the board's steering mechanism.

The federal board recently received a proposal to change Squaw Mountain in Teller County, near Victor, to Sunnyside Mountain, according to Runyon. Beth Hoover of Colorado Springs also proposed renaming Squaw Gulch, also in Teller County, to Mound Gulch, which was once the name of a city in the area.

Another proposal under consideration by the Colorado board is to change the name of Negro Creek in Delta County to either Hops Creek or Clay Creek. Backing the change: the Delta County Board of Commissioners. The commission held a naming contest at Cedaredge High School, which came up with the names, which the commission then voted on. Hops is to refer to the area's brewing history. There is a second Negro Creek, in Mesa County.

Delta County also is backing a second proposal, to change the name of Negro Mesa, also in Delta County, to Clay Mesa. The name has been on federal maps since 1962.

The board has about two dozen proposals to consider, including four proposed name changes for Mount Evans (the standard is to consider the first one submitted) as well as name changes for geographic landmarks with the names Redskin, Chinaman and Kit Carson (a mountain in Saguache County).
Regardless of its label, the real debate here is over whats actually being taught in class and enunciated by the public education leadership. Undoubtedly, few if any lesson plans will be designated critical race theory. Instead, evidence of critical race theorys alternative reality turns up in many different ways and places.
A 52-year-old Westminster woman with back problems faces $1,592.72 in E-470 toll charges because the president of the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police, who also headed the narcotics unit of the Longmont Police Department, used a stolen license plate that comes back as registered to her.

The state has barred the woman, Debra Romero, from renewing the registration for her car, which expired in May, until she pays off the unpaid tolls she didnt accrue. She said shes left with no car to drive and has had to rely on her two children to drive her to her appointments with a doctor as she considers undergoing her third back surgery.

Its got me down to depression because I dont know who to talk to or what to do, Romero said. I reported it stolen, but they arent doing anything about it.

When contacted by The Gazette, Longmont City Manager Harold Dominguez and Longmont Deputy Police Chief Jeff Satur promised to fix the situation, which they said was an oversight by the city.

She does not deserve to be in that situation, Satur said.

Dominguez said the matter was referred to the citys risk management division for resolution months ago, but he said a search found no reimbursement from the city for the toll charges.

We cant find that payment was made, and we want to resolve that situation as fast as we can, Dominguez said.

Internal police records show Acting Police Sgt. Stephen Schulz, who headed the Longmont Police Departments narcotics unit, took the unclaimed recovered license plate from the police departments property and evidence room and began using the plate on an unmarked take-home police car.

Internal police documents show the license plate issue caused controversy at the Longmont Police Department because the use of the plate skirted the way undercover license plates are supposed to be issued.

In an internal May 5th police memo, Longmont Police Commander Eric Hulett wrote he found the use of evidence room license plates on undercover take-home vehicles to be very alarming and out of alignment with the proper practice of having the state issue special license plates for undercover police officers.

The license plate foul-up is not the only issue at the police department involving Schulz, who is state president of the state FOP, the largest professional police advocacy group in Colorado.

Schulz and three other officers in the narcotics unit were placed on paid administrative leave for months while the city retained the Denver-based Investigations Law Group to investigate the narcotics unit workplace environment. Another officer had accused Schulz of using an epithet used against homosexuals to describe the way the officer looked for wearing a mask to protect himself from the COVID-19 virus, records show.

After that probe, the narcotics unit, which was called the special enforcement unit, was disbanded and folded into other operations at the police department. Schulz, who did not return telephone messages and emails seeking comment, has returned from administrative leave and is currently working in a unit that investigates gang activity. Dominguez declined to comment on the external investigation and how it was handled, stating it was a personnel matter that he could not discuss.

The internal police memo issued in May stated that nobody at the police department kept track of which evidence room license plates were being used and which officers were using the plates at any given time.

This allowed them to operate with no tracking or accountability should someone call and complain on that license plate, the memo further stated. Hulett in the memo said he worried the situation could potentially lead to allegations of cover-up or inappropriate activity by the police, etc. This practice has been going on for years, but there was no specific policy or procedure about it.

Romeros saga began when her husband bought a 2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo at a police auction in Denver in the Spring of 2020. Mark Duran, her husband, registered the car in her name, and then sold the car to a used car dealership and removed the plate and stored it away.

The couple say the plate was stolen from them, and then turned up in the back seat of an abandoned car, which the Longmont Police Department seized. Duran said that when a police officer contacted him about finding the plate in an abandoned vehicle, he told the officer that he had sold the car, and that the plate needed to be destroyed.

Rather than the plate getting destroyed, it ended up on the unmarked police take-home truck driven by Schulz, who was the acting sergeant in the Longmont Police Departments Special Enforcement Unit, according to internal police records. The plate has amassed the tolls that werent paid, those records show.

Romero said the E-470 toll system wont waive the tolls even though she reported the license plate as stolen to the Adams County Sheriffs Office in October.

The internal police memo states that Schulz wanted to use narcotics funds to take care of the situation when the matter needed instead to be referred to the citys risk management division for resolution.

At best, this would be circumventing established and proper city practices and at worst could be interpreted as an attempt to pay someone under the table, to hide an embarrassing mistake made by the unit, the memo stated.

I was also concerned that Acting Sgt. Schulz was trying to get my permission to circumvent normal procedures, and if circumstances had been slightly different, he may not have told me about it at all, the memo from Hulett continued. I also was very curious how he managed to run up a toll bill in excess of $1,000 in just nine months of driving his departmental take home vehicle.

Romero said that Schulz contacted her after she filed a report with the Adams County Sheriffs Office and said the tolls would be taken care of by the department. She said Schulz left a cell number for her to call and follow-up, but that when she called that number, it showed as an invalid number.

Meanwhile, Romero said shes at the mercy of her children when it comes to scheduling her appointments.

I have a hard time walking, she said. Im disabled. I have doctor follow-ups and physical therapy appointments, and the only way I can get to them is to have my kids available to take me because I cant drive my car if I cant get the registration renewed.
AI on the line: Monitoring prisoners phone calls for criminal intent

Some correctional agencies are turning to artificial intelligence to monitor inmates phone calls for signs of violence.

Phone calls to and from inmates are regularly recorded and monitored, but some companies are using AI speech-recognition technology, semantic analytics and machine learning to flag phone calls in near real time that contain conversations indicating violence or criminal behavior.

LEO Technologies, a firm that offers AI services to U.S. prisons and jails, uses cloud-based natural language processing to build a customized lexicon based on keywords, code words and local slang. Its software identifies discussions among inmates and their outside conversation partners focusing on weapons, contraband, threats to inmates, gangs, homicides, assaults or suicide.

LEO investigators notify law enforcement when the system picks up suspicious language or phrases that signal criminal intent, enabling officers to take action before a problem erupts.

The company recently signed a contract with the Georgia Department of Corrections for its Verus phone monitoring transcription services, which is hosted on the Amazon Web Services platform.

Verus supports non-biased phone call analysis and transcription, enabling keyword-based searches and alerts, company officials said. It uses AWS Translation so corrections officers can easily toggle between Spanish transcripts and English translations.

Investigators leverage the information Verus collects and help prison systems shut down criminal activity that threatens inmates, staff, and surrounding communities, LEO CEO Scott Kernan said in announcing the contract with Georgia.

A House panel recently asked the Justice Department for a report on the use of AI to monitor prisoners calls with an eye toward using it in the federal arena.

Bill Partridge, chief of police in Oxford, Ala., told Reuters that local law enforcement officers were able to solve cold homicide cases after prisoners were flagged on the phone talking about committing the murders. The Verus technology also helped prevent suicides, he said. I think if the federal government starts using it, theyre going to prevent a lot of inmate deaths, he said.

However inmates, their families and advocates say relying on AI to interpret communications opens up the system to mistakes, misunderstandings and racial bias, according to the Aug. 9 Reuters article.

The advocacy group Surveillance Technology Oversight Project reported last year that the Securus Technologies AI platform that the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision uses had the potential to automate racial profiling.

Reuters also pointed to a 2020 paper by researchers at Stanford University and Georgetown University on the five leading speech-to-text technology systems. They found that the technology that transcribes voice conversations is flawed and has a particularly high error rate when applied to the voices of Black people, adding that the Sentencing Project found that Black men are six times likelier to be imprisoned than white men in the United States.

Several state and local facilities, including in Alabama and Georgia, already use the technology.
A Sheffield man who was the enforcer for the local chapter of the Sons of Silence Motorcycle Club has been sentenced to prison on federal gun charges.

Justin Anthony Carlson, 38, with the club's Northern Iowa chapter, was sentenced to up to 10 months in prison on a guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He will be on supervised release for two years following prison.

The judge declined to impose special conditions requested by the government that would have prohibited Carlson from associating with other Sons members and wearing Sons colors while on supervised release.

Authorities said Carlson is barred from handling firearms because of a prior felony drug conviction.

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He came to the attention of police in April 2020 after he and members of Sworn Silence -- an affiliated club -- confronted an off-duty officer who was wearing a vest with a Gunfighters Motorcycle Club patch and an Iowa rocker patch in Clarion. Carlson and the others told the officer to surrender his vest because the Sons hadnt given permission to wear the patches.

Gunfighters is a law enforcement-only motorcycle club.

Five arrested in Sons of Silence incident in Clarion At least five members of a motorcycle club have been arrested for allegedly trying to take a
New information has been released from the Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office about a submerged vehicle that was recovered from Clear Lake earlier this month.

On Aug. 9, a submerged 1982 Oldsmobile Fierenza with Iowa license plates from Cerro Gordo County was recovered from Clear Lake near the 16th Avenue South and South Shore Drive boat ramp location, according to a press release from Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office.

The Oldsmobile was discovered by an angler on the lake who notified law enforcement authorities on July 22. The vehicle was submerged under nine feet of water.

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An underwater recovery team brought the Oldsmobile to shore and was transported to the Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office. The vehicle had been unoccupied with all windows closed and contained several items used for ice fishing. The vehicle was likely underwater for several years.

Further investigation has revealed the vehicle was reported stolen to the Mason City Police Department in February of 1996. The owner of the vehicle reported the Oldsmobile was taken from a business parking lot in Mason City while they were inside the business. The owner said the Oldsmobile was unlocked and running when stolen.
I think Mason City is going to mirror what the rest of our country is demonstrating right now, said Heard. I think we will see a spike, not only with the eviction moratorium ending where people can be forced out of their housing, but just in general across the country with housing as an issue.

Heard also thinks current employment issues will also be a factor in the spike of at-risk and homeless student numbers as well. Families will be looking for a job that fits their needs and the question of childcare support while a parent is working will be a factor.

The misconceptions of an at-risk or homeless student is the thinking it will be a noticeable detail or that they will ask directly for help, according to Heard.

Youre not looking for something in particular that will really make that student stand out and its unlikely that theyll raise their hand and ask you for help. I think being able to really build those relationships is huge, said Heard.

One of the typical signs of an at-risk or homeless student is attendance becoming an issue. Another is a student who appears to be tired during class. But with these two typical signs, Heard says it is not always an at-risk or homelessness situation but could be a completely different issue.

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Prosecutors say R. Kelly is a predator who lured girls, boys and young women with his fame. Kelly's attorney told jurors they'll have to sort through "a mess of lies" from women with an agenda.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Harvey Sutton, or "Little Man," as he is known on the Appalachian Trail, won't have long to bask in the glory of hiking its full length. After all, he starts kindergarten Friday.

At 5 years old, Harvey is one of the youngest  and the latest of several youngsters in recent years  to complete the trail, after tagging along with his parents over more than 2,100 miles in 209 days.

It was hard work, but it was fun checking out frogs, lizards and other wildlife. So was sprinkling Skittles onto peanut butter tortillas as fuel for the walk, he said.

"The rock scrambles were really fun and hard. We were not bored," he said cheerfully in a phone interview from Virginia, where he lives with his parents, Josh and Cassie Sutton.

His parents were so busy keeping him engaged and entertained that it distracted them from the physical pain of trudging over so many miles.

"It gave us a bond and a strength that we hadn't realized before," Cassie Sutton said.

Other youngsters have hiked the 2,193-mile trail that starts at Springer Mountain, Georgia, and ends atop Maine's Mount Katahdin. Some babies have even been carried in backpacks by their determined parents.
Another item on the agenda was the situation in eastern Ukraine, where Germany and France have sought to help broker a peaceful settlement to end the fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists that has killed more than 14,000 people since 2014.

Merkel, who plans to visit Kyiv on Sunday, made clear that she hasnt given up hope of progress in the coming weeks on long-stalled peace efforts in eastern Ukraine.

I will work until my last day in office so that the territorial integrity of Ukraine can be ensured, she said.

Putin pointed at the increasing number of cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine and asked Merkel to reaffirm to Ukrainian authorities during her upcoming trip the importance of honoring their obligations under a 2015 peace deal brokered by Germany and France in Minsk, Belarus.

We have not yet achieved the aims we wanted to achieve in the Minsk agreement, but it is the format for talks that we have,.. and we should deal carefully with this format so long as we dont have anything else, Merkel said. Every little bit of progress could be important, but the work we have to do is very, very hard, and there have been disappointments of the most varied kind.
The arguments against the COVID vaccines has gotten ridiculous. Even Trump got the shots after he refused to believe the science and mask up before there were vaccines. That along with his carelessness that brought COVID into the White House. He was rushed to one of the best hospitals in the U.S. and got the best emergency treatment available, some even experimental that weren't available to ordinary citizens. Trump continued to downplay the coming pandemic even though he had been briefed by a phone call from President XI of China on Feb. 7, 2020 as to what was coming and the grave danger to the world. Trump downplayed it all until journalist Bob Woodward got permission from Trump to record interviews about those phone calls with XI.
crack1991 wrote:

Hi there,



Can you please suggest part-time MBA courses in India that I can apply to?

Hundreds of the institutes offer regular full-time MBA or PGDM programs, but it is not possible for all to pursue management programmes through regular classroom learning mode, with program duration of two years. For them, Part-Time MBA is a good choice to pursue their dream of doing MBA. Accordingly, many MBA colleges have started offering part time MBA in India. The career growth through Part-Time MBA in India is rising fast and now the Best Part Time MBA Degrees in India 2019 are offered by MDI, IMT, Symbiosis, Don Bosco University, NMIMS amongst others. Besides, Part Time MBA from IIMs has also strengthened the concept of doing Part Time MBA Courses. As per MDI Gurgaon MDIs Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Executive Management Programme) is a rigorous, demanding and relevant programme for the working executives who have no prior exposure to formal management education.
As of Friday afternoon, 32 students and four staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 in Pittsylvania County Schools.

Dan River High School has the largest number of infected students  nine  and Chatham High School has five.

The majority of other schools only have one case reported since students returned to the classrooms Aug. 10.

Other students are in quarantine, but Superintendent Mark Jones did not provide a precise number when asked by the Register & Bee.

Students out of school because of an infection or exposure will have work provided to them so they can complete it at home, Jones said. School officials are looking for ways to ensure students complete any work missed during the year. One option is through summer school.

Before students returned for the 2021-22 school year, the state health commissioner issued a public health order addressing COVID-19. It states masks will be required for all students, staff and visitors ages 2 and older in all public school campus settings in Virginia, regardless of vaccination status.
Adding insult to future injury for especially Afghan women and girls is a new book by Washington Post reporter Craig Whitlock. Titled The Afghanistan Papers (shades of The Pentagon Papers), the book says, A confidential trove of government documents obtained by (the newspaper) reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable.

Among the 400 interviews conducted with officials from the George W. Bush, Obama and Trump administrations, three-star Army General Douglas Lute, who served as the Afghan war czar for Bush and Obama, is quoted by Whitlock as saying: We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan  we didnt know what we were doing.

Lute might have asked the military leaders of the old Soviet Union who occupied the country in the 70s but failed to subdue it and were forced to pull out.

Lute added: If the American people knew the magnitude of this dysfunction... which he blamed on bureaucratic breakdowns among Congress, the Pentagon and the State Department.
A former school bus driver and father of Rockingham County High School graduates, Gerald Rigsby, said he couldn't understand the board's indecision. He said masked children who rode his bus looked "muzzled'' and "mentally chained down.''

"What are you telling us?'' he said. "You already voted 10 days ago to go forward with this. We want action. You've got to pay attention to the people.''

Dan Stephens, who said he works to support kids through sports, told board members that he believes risk of serious illness for children is very low and that children should not be "muzzled against their will.''

"We are teaching them that the air they breathe is toxic and that everyone around them is toxic,'' Stephens said. "I would ask you to be very, very, very careful with the way you proceed from here.''

Ashley Bullock, the mother of a 6-year-old daughter in a district school, said young children are at a disadvantage because they are not old enough to be vaccinated and require the protection of a mask mandate.
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High Point greenway

The commissioners offered support Thursday night for a greenway expansion in the city of High Point that would provide outdoor exercise opportunities for generations to come.

The board unanimously backed the citys grant request to the U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE program for an additional 8 miles of greenway for walking and biking. High Point Assistant City Manager Eric Olmedo said the citys grant application would leverage $8.1 million in local funds and $19.8 million in federal funds.

The grant request, if successful, would allow more connections to the High Point Greenway and Southwest Heritage Greenway.

The city wasnt seeking county funding at the board meeting, but county backing for the federal grant application.

Commissioner Carlvena Foster of High Point, the board vice chairwoman, said the greenway has become an important resource in the community. In a 2020-21 High Point public comment survey, 90% of local residents said greenways are important to them.

The city would need to provide a local match for the grant and has up to $4 million in city funds available to do so.

In addition, U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, D-6th District, is seeking several million in federal money for the Southwest Heritage Greenway through a spending bill in Congress.
As the evacuations continue in Kabul, tens of thousands of Afghans are still trying to flee the country. Tension remains high at Kabul airport
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Friday announced the country's borders with Canada and Mexico will remain closed for another month, pushing the new re-opening date to Sept. 21.

The border closure extension came the day before the borders were set to reopen. The Department of Homeland Security said in its announcement Friday the extension was put in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant continues to fester.

Bonnie Nickol, who runs Quilt with Class in Shelby, said Friday she was "absolutely" frustrated with the continued closure. Shelby often serves as a incremental stop for Canadians traveling to Great Falls. Since the closure in March 2020, Nickol said her business is down 30% without Canadian foot traffic.

"I have a lot of customers from the Lethbridge area," Nickol said in a phone interview Friday. "Not only do they shop here, a lot of them come here for weekends or for a couple days, buying groceries and gas and going to Great Falls."

Nickol is thankful, she said, to be the only employee at Quilt with Class; she hasn't had to entertain the possibility of laying off any workers.

"Thirty percent is a pretty big hit to take," she said.
PRAGUE (AP)  The international film festival is returning to the Czech spa of Karlovy Vary after it was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 55th edition of the festival will honor Oscar-winning British actor Michael Caine for his outstanding contribution to world cinema at its start on Friday night.

Caine won two Academy Awards for best supporting roles in Hannah and Her Sisters in 1987 and The Cider House Rules in 2000.

He will also present Best Sellers (2021), a comedy in which he stars, at the festival.

Organizers will also honor U.S. actor, director and writer Ethan Hawke.

Actor Johnny Depp will present two movies he produced: Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan and Minamata."

Depp's planned presence at Karlovy Vary and a decision by the The San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain to award the actor its highest honor in September have been criticized by British domestic abuse charities.

Last year, Depp lost a libel case against a British newspaper that accused him of domestic violence, with a judge ruling the allegations were substantially correct.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival runs through Aug. 28 under strict conditions for the visitors, who must cover their face with a quality respirator. They also need to be vaccinated, or have recovered from Covid-19 or have tested negative for the coronavirus.

The festivals grand jury will consider 12 movies for the top prize, the Crystal Globe.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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While sitting at the AIW Halls Labor Lounge in Decatur with my dad, a news story came across the TV reflecting on the assassination of President Kennedy.

Despite the numerous school projects I had completed over the years on this and that president, I didnt remember him ever telling me where he was on Nov. 22, 1963.

So I asked, if for no other reason than to refresh my memory.

He told me that he was on alert, in a tank, somewhere in West Germany just in case someone in the world saw this moment of confusion and grief as an opportunity to do something stupid.

Really? Here I was in my early 20s and Im just now learning this? I definitely would have remembered that  and gotten extra credit on one of those president projects in the process.

One regret I have is not asking more questions of my elders about their lives growing up. With all that has happened in the past 100-plus years, the stories they can and could have told about the unimaginable changes that have taken place are priceless. Time is short, so take this note as a kick in the butt to start those conversations.

I bring this up as we turn our attention to the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Believe it or not, there are young people among us with no memories of this fateful day and those that followed.

Like the Kennedy assassination, every generation has a stockpile of Where were you when moments and Sept. 11 definitely rates high on that list for people like me in their middle 50s.

For me, I first became aware of what was happening that day while returning home from having dropped my kids off at school. I heard on the radio a report of a plane having hit one of the World Trade Center towers. Once I got home, I turned on the TV to see the aftermath of that first encounter when the second plane hit the second tower. The remainder of the morning was spent watching TV, driving around to see how people were reacting and getting mentally prepared for my desk shift that night.

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The stories, the photos and videos from that day and those that followed stick with a person forever. But it was seeing some of the devastation in person  in my case, a damaged Pentagon in Washington D.C. just two months after the attack  and knowing people in the military that were called into action that really made it hit home.

The Pentagon experience was made possible by a work trip in November for training in Washington, D.C. Id be lying if I said there was no apprehension about getting on a plane for the trip. Once there we went by the still damaged Pentagon  one of the walls still blackened by the smoke and flames caused by the plane that struck it. It was kind of eerie seeing planes from the nearby airport flying nearby. I can only imagine how long it took for the people who live and work there on a daily basis to get comfortable with that.

Those are the memories that stick out for me. What about you? Wed love it if you would share them with us.

To join us, send your memories to chris.coates@lee.net or mail to Chris Coates, Herald & Review, 601 E. William St., Decatur, IL, 62523.

You never know when the next "Where were you" moment might happen. Stay of top of news as it happens by taking advantage of our latest digital subscription offer at herald-review.com/members/join/

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Larry Earvin, 65, was serving time at Brown County's Western Illinois Correctional Facility when he was assaulted on May 17, 2018, while being transferred to another unit in the facility. He suffered multiple broken ribs, a punctured colon and other internal injuries. He died of those injuries on June 26, 2018.
The United Nations latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report is undoubtedly the strongest warning yet that a failure to address the causes of climate change will be disastrous. No country or state will be spared. It proves what weve known for years: Faster and more efficient measures must be taken if we want to see meaningful environmental changes in the next few decades. At the same time, we must do a better job helping those already dealing with catastrophe.

As the head of the Baltimore-based global charity Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Im alarmed by how fast the planets changes are impacting the communities we serve. For example, in Southern Madagascar, families are surviving prolonged drought by eating insects, wilted cactus leaves and wild berries. In Guatemala, farmers in the Dry Corridor are migrating to make money after erratic rainfall and horrendous storms ruined their crops. In communities from the Middle East to southern Asia, the climate crisis has been equally devastating.

To be sure, the suffering already being inflicted by climate change is not limited to whats happening overseas. This summers record-breaking heat waves across the Pacific Northwest and the devastating wildfires fires scorching California are proof of that.

So, what can be done to adapt to these changes so that life is survivable?

The U.S. should significantly increase its support of the Green Climate Fund, which was set up as the primary way for countries to fund climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. A substantial portion of the Green Climate Fund gets directed toward countries most at risk. In August, before leaving for recess, the U.S. House passed its Fiscal Year 2022 State and Foreign Operations bill. Their bill provides $1.6 billion for the Green Climate Fund, in addition to other important climate-related investments, which in total equals $3 billion. We urge the Senate to follow suit and see these investments through.

Were lucky to have world leaders like Pope Francis championing change. In his second encyclical, Laudato Si, he called for collective action to confront the environmental challenges ahead. In it, he reminds us to be hopeful, writing, All is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves and choosing again what is good and making a new start.

Now is the time for us to heed his words, to rise above our inertia and partisan squabbles, and make a new start. For many of the communities where we work, the stakes couldnt be higher.

Sean L. Callahan is president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services.

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When you suspect theres an error in your favor, do you have an obligation to point it out?

On a personal level, to be sure.

But when it comes to the government, finding the right way to correct or address concerns can be an impossible maze. Theres a reason its called red tape.

The census numbers crawling out from bureaucracy have been favorable to Illinois. Favorable in that the numbers arent as bad as early projections suggested. Illinois population still dropped. Our state joined West Virginia and Mississippi as the only states to drop in population since 2010.

But early speculation and analysis had Illinois potentially losing two seats in Congress. One seat in the House of Representatives will be lost. Thats one reason Illinois 13th District Representative Rodney Davis is pondering a run for Illinois governor.

However, Illinois and cities of fewer than 100,000 people got several breaks. Early this year, the Office of Management and Budget announced its intention to increase from 50,000 to 100,000 the population threshold for the core of a Metropolitan Statistical Area. Many federal programs dispense tax dollars based on recognition of communities designated as MSAs. A total of 144 threatened cities maintained their "metro" status when the decision was reversed. The current standards will remain in place until at least 2030.

Every complaint about re-districting remains fair and accurate, regardless of the outcome of the numbers. We remain disappointed in Gov. Pritzkers reversal on a campaign pledge to reject a politically based re-districting. This is another of those issues that will take time and courts to settle. Again. Thats something wed hoped could be avoided for a change.

The census numbers are undoubtedly problematic, although to say the 2020 census is worse than any others requires an analytical skill few of us have. Certainly, confusion was added by court cases, including attempts to change the census form. Suspicious citizens were reluctant to fill out forms. Some were unaware of the census, or unable to fill out forms. COVID-19 compounded the problem, thwarting plans to go door-to-door throughout the country.

Illinois likely benefitted from at least some of those issues. But problems that have prompted people to leave Illinois remain.

Flight from Illinois will continue to be an issue until we settle issues that have been kicked down the road for years, if not decades. Pensions must be tended to, and it must be done with fairness to both taxpayers and those who have been promised those pensions . Workers comp and property taxes remain a bane to employers and taxpayers.

Illinois caught a break with the census this year. But just as scientists are sounding alarms about the environment, the census results highlight problems we all know Illinois has. Its time to stop talking about them and to resolve some of them.

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She criticized Biden for not following an agreement reached under the Trump administration for a more prolonged withdrawal based on meeting threat assessments.

President Biden didnt want to do that. He wanted to have a date-certain departure, she said, calling that decision disappointing.

Blackburn said her office heard Thursday from a number of active-duty personnel concerned about getting folks out of the country.

This is incredibly disturbing, she said.

U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, a Republican who represents Virginias 9th District, expressed similar frustration earlier this week during a visit to Bristol after learning that about 19 people connected with Virginia Tech remain in Afghanistan.

I truly am appalled at some of the comments the president and some in the administration are making, claiming we had plans and we had all contingencies covered, Griffith said. No, you didnt. Its outrageous.  Im very hopeful we can get American citizens out, but how are we going to get those people who were allied to the military, allied to the NGOs [non-governmental organization] or allied to the press outlets from the West? And where is the list of these people, and why dont we have this list?
BRISTOL, Tenn.  Two longtime members of the Bristol Tennessee Police Department have been promoted to the rank of major, overseeing operations and administration within the agency.

Terry L. Johnson, who has served as captain of the department's Criminal Investigations Division since 2014, will serve as major of operations, according to a news release from the city. Johnson will oversee criminal investigations and the departments patrol division, the release states.

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In addition, Walter Brown will serve as major of administration, overseeing training, communications, community policing and other support services. Walter has served as captain of support services, the release states.

The two positions became vacant in June, when Maj. Tim Eads announced his retirement after 27 years with the city and Matt Austin became the citys police chief, replacing Blaine Wade, who retired.

Im very honored to be able to promote these two as the leadership team, Austin said. I cant say enough how proud I am to be able to stand beside them. All of us together will continue moving this department forward from good to great.
ABINGDON, Va. A Marion man, who burned a cross on the front yard of an African American family in June 2020 following a civil rights protest earlier in the day, was sentenced Friday to 18 months in prison, federal prosecutors said.

James Brown, 41, pleaded guilty in April to criminal interference with federally protected housing rights based upon the victims race.

When Brown burned a cross in the victims front yard, he carried out a despicable act of intimidation, interfered with a federally protected housing right, and broke a serious federal law, Acting U.S. Attorney Bubar said in a news release. Todays sentence demonstrates that such threatening acts of hatred will be swiftly investigated and prosecuted. We thank the FBI and state partners for their hard work on this important case.
There are signs of hope in recent legislation. The Biden administration has announced $3.5 billion in new funding to help communities in the United States increase resilience to climate impacts. In addition, the U.S. Senate passed an infrastructure bill that would include funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration. These are positive developments for those of us who live in Maryland and across the country. But this same type of investment needs to be made to help vulnerable communities overseas.

For example, the U.S. should significantly increase its support of the Green Climate Fund, which was set up as the primary way for countries to fund climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. A substantial portion of the Green Climate Fund gets directed toward countries most at risk. In August, before leaving for recess, the U.S. House passed its Fiscal Year 2022 State and Foreign Operations bill. Their bill provides $1.6 billion for the Green Climate Fund, in addition to other important climate-related investments, which in total equals $3 billion. We urge the Senate to follow suit and see these investments through.
If COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to increase as they are now, Catawba Countys hospitals expect to see more than double the patients seen during Januarys COVID-19 peak.

With the potential overload of COVID-19 cases and hospital patients on the horizon, the leaders of Catawba County Public Health, Catawba Valley Health System and Frye Regional Medical Center are asking the community to get vaccinated and take precautions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to a Friday news release from the two hospitals and public health.

Our concern is that many in the community have let their guard down in hopes of simply returning to normalcy, Eddie Beard, president and CEO of Catawba Valley Health System said in the release. But what we are facing now in many ways is more concerning than during the winter when hospitals everywhere, ours included, were stretched to capacity. The pandemic is not over. In fact, we need the communitys help more than ever to be vigilant in protecting themselves and others.

Hospitalizations have already increased dramatically in the past month, according to the news release. One month ago, on July 21, there were two county residents hospitalized with COVID-19, according to Catawba County Public Healths data. On Wednesday, there were 61 residents hospitalized.
HICKORY  The 2021 Footcandle Film Festival will be held Sept. 22-26, marking the seventh year of the festival bringing films from around the world to the area and hosting discussion with the filmmakers that made them.

The 2021 festival will offer in-person film screenings at the Hickory Community Theatre in downtown Hickory along with virtual, online opportunities to view many of the selections.

A complete list of the films, their descriptions and trailers can be found on the festival website (www.footcandlefilmfestival.com).

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, the festival will start with a free, outdoor screening of the classic film Raiders of the Lost Ark to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its original release. This outdoor screening will be held on the SALT Block lawn starting at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public with no ticket required. Attendees are asked to bring their own chairs or blankets for enjoying the film.
Today is about the 132nd reunion and when I think about reunions, those things make me realize the value of the comradeship and fellowship that veterans have, Oxford said. Today is not about me or you, but its about us. If you are a veteran today who served our country, I want you to stand a little taller, straighten your hat, pull those shoulders back and be proud of your military service to this country. This country is what we are because of the things that you allowed us to become.
And COVID-19 is certain to be top of mind in two countries facing starkly divergent virus trends. Singapore has experienced just a few dozen pandemic-related deaths and has a relatively high vaccination rate. It's getting ready to ease travel and economic restrictions this fall. Vietnam, meanwhile, is facing record-high coronavirus infections driven by the delta variant and low vaccination rates.

The U.S. has provided more than 23 million vaccine doses to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and tens of millions of dollars in personal protective equipment, laboratory equipment and other supplies to fight the virus.

During her visit to Vietnam, Harris is planning to hold a virtual meeting with ASEAN health ministers and cite the launch of a regional office of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gregory Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said showing a commitment to the region on the pandemic is key for Harris' trip.

I think on COVID, the administration realizes that this is the singular issue," he said. If theyre not seen as leading vaccine distribution in the region, then nothing else they do in Asia matters, or at least nothing else they do is going to find a willing audience.



This story has been corrected to reflect the name of an Obama administration official. He is Brett Bruen, not Bruin.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
" " George Green (at left in the dark hat), the son of distiller Nathan 'Nearest' Green, was one of seven generations of the Green family who worked for the Jack Daniel Distillery. Wikimedia Commons

When you hear the name Jack Daniel, whiskey probably comes to mind.

But what about the name Nathan "Uncle Nearest" Green?

In 2016, The New York Times published a story about the distiller's "hidden ingredient"  "help from a slave." In the article, the brand officially acknowledged that an enslaved man, Nearest Green, taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey. Since then, scholars, researchers and journalists have descended upon Lynchburg, Tennessee, hoping to learn more about a man who, until then, had appeared as a mere appendage in the story of the country's most popular whiskey brand.

As a scholar of tourism whose research involves highlighting marginalized populations and counternarratives, I followed these developments with keen interest.

In the fall of 2020, my critical sustainable tourism students created a short documentary, "Uncovering Nearest." I wanted my students to learn more about Green, since so many voices and faces of enslaved Africans and Black Americans have been silenced or erased from American history textbooks and heritage tourism sites.

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Black Culinary Innovation

Popular media, through shows like Netflix's "High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America," have finally started to acknowledge the ways in which Black Americans have contributed to some of America's most iconic dishes and spirits.

For example, James Hemings, Thomas Jefferson's enslaved chef, traveled with Jefferson in 1784 to France, where he trained in French cooking at the highest culinary level. He ended up being instrumental in introducing legendary dishes like macaroni and cheese, ice cream and French fries to the United States.

James Hemings eventually trained his younger brother, Peter, to take his place. In the fall of 1813, Peter Hemings learned brewing, and it's likely that he became the the first Black person in America to be professionally trained as a craft beer brewer.

Neither James nor Peter Hemings was a hobby chef or leisure brewer; this was their forced way of life. And the enslaved people who crafted new dishes didn't set out to change American cuisine. They simply needed to make do with what little they had.

Enslaved cooks were responsible for introducing ingredients and the know-how of such complex and labor-intensive dishes as oyster stew, gumbo, jambalaya and fried fish. However, their voices, names and creations were routinely left out of cookbooks, where their white owners received the credit and the acclaim.

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Nearest's Legacy Unveiled

Now one name  Nearest Green  has become synonymous with whiskey.

The New York Times article from 2016 inspired author and entrepreneur Fawn Weaver to set out on a quest to reveal Nearest Green's full story  what ended up as a 12-month research project involving more than 20 historians, archivists, archaeologists, conservators and genealogists.

Thanks to her work, a fuller picture of Green's legacy has emerged.

Around the mid-1800s, Green's enslavers were a firm known as Landis & Green, who "leant out" Nearest Green for a fee to local preacher, the Rev. Dan Call. This was typical in an era in which enslaved men were commonly involved in the making of spirits due to its reputation as dangerous, dirty work.

Nearest was known as a skilled distiller who specialized in a process known as sugar maple charcoal filtering  also called the Lincoln County Process. This method  which some historians believe was inspired by the techniques of enslaved men and women who had used charcoal to filter their water and purify their foods in West Africa  gave Green's whiskey a unique smoothness.

Years later, Jack Daniel, a 7-year-old white orphan, was sent to the Call farm to be a chore boy. Eventually, he became Green's apprentice and was taught the Lincoln County Process, which differentiates bourbon from Tennessee whiskey  making Nearest responsible for the Tennessee whiskey we know today. Victoria Eady-Butler, Green's descendant and former employee of Jack Daniel's Distillery, noted that there would "never have been Jack Daniel's made without a Green on the property."

After emancipation, Call sold his distillery to Jack Daniel. Daniel appointed Nearest Green, by then a free man, to be the Jack Daniel Distillery's first master distiller, and thus the first Black master distiller on record in the United States. Weaver discovered that sometime after 1881, Daniel moved his distillery to its current Cave Spring Hollow location, where several of Green's children and grandchildren went to work for him.

" " A statue of Jack Daniel in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Kyle Dean Reinford/Picture Alliance/Getty Images

Nearest's second-born and fourth-born sons, George and Eli, distilled whiskey on the Call Farm alongside Jack Daniel. Although no images of Nearest Green exist, a photograph shows one of his sons, George, sitting next to Jack Daniel.

Altogether, seven generations of Nearest Green's family have worked for the Jack Daniel Distillery and continue to work there to this day.

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A Whiskey Brand of Their Own

Jack Daniel and his descendants made a lot of money from their whiskey company over the years. In 1956, the family sold it to Brown-Forman for $20 million  about $190 million in today's money.

While Nearest Green and his descendants do appear to have been paid fairly by the Daniel family, they didn't own any of the distillery  and, consequently, didn't get any of those millions.

For decades, Nearest Green's name, legacy and contribution to whiskey were largely unknown to anyone outside Lynchburg, Tennessee  even though, after the Civil War, according to census data, Nearest Green and his family owned sizable plots of land and were wealthier than many white families living in Lynchburg.

Weaver was able to meet Green's descendants during her research and asked them how they would like to see him honored. They told her that "putting his name on a bottle, letting people know what he did, would be great."

This gave Weaver the idea to start her own whiskey company that honored Green's legacy. By 2019 she had raised $40 million from investors to create Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. Later that year she opened the Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville. Weaver now serves as CEO of the company, with Victoria Eady-Butler, a descendant of Green's, employed as the distillery's master blender.

Unearthing and celebrating stories like Green's is part of a push by scholars and travel companies to expand marketing and storytelling in ways that include overlooked or silenced perspectives.

" " The Nearest Green exhibit at the Jack Daniel Distillery. Stefanie Benjamin

In 2020, Nomadness Travel Tribe partnered with Tourism RESET, where I serve as a co-director and research fellow, to publish a report that included both qualitative in-depth interviews and a quantitative survey of more than 5,000 tourists to better understand the travel experiences of Black people and other people of color.

Meanwhile, the Black Travel Alliance, also in partnership with Tourism RESET, recently launched a new timeline and website, History Of Black Travel, which seeks to educate the public on "how the African diaspora traveled to every part of the Earth."

Ideally these efforts will create spaces for dialogue around difficult topics like race and enslavement while authentically honoring and amplifying the voices and legacies of Black Americans who helped to build the United States.

And hopefully more stories of people like Nearest Green  an accomplished Black man with a rich, nuanced life  will emerge.

Stefanie Benjamin is Assistant Professor of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management, University of Tennessee. She is also a co-director and research fellow at Tourism RESET.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can find the original article here.
During the August 18 Hoards Dairyman DairyLivestream, four panelists discussed how investing in a methane digester could benefit a dairy operation by generating renewable natural gas to sell, reducing fertilizer and bedding expenditures, caring for their surrounding natural resources, and mitigating methane emissions.

Of course, that digester also represents a significant investment for the farm, and a dairy not milking thousands of cows might conclude that the cost couldnt pay off for their business. However, thats not always the case. There is no magic number of animals that decides if a methane digester is a smart option for a dairy, the group agreed.

It really depends on your market, said Mark Stoermann. As chief operating officer at Newtrient, which helps farmers implement sustainability projects that are financially beneficial, Stoermann is familiar with many different types of environmental opportunities.

For example, he shared that in Vermont, a program exists to provide a very high price for manure from smaller farms. There, digesters might be operating profitably on manure from 250 cows.

A farm might choose to install a digester for a variety of reasons, from simply controlling odor to caring for nearby watersheds. Stoermann noted that for the specific purpose of renewable natural gas (RNG), the greater costs to connect to pipelines means that it is more feasible for larger farms. Still, each farm, project, and situation is different. Goodrich Family Farm in Salisbury, Vt., one of the winners of the 2021 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards, uses manure from their 900 cows to create RNG that powers Middlebury College just 7 miles away.

Manure management

Cow numbers certainly are a factor to consider in taking on a digester project, but current manure management practices must also be taken into account. Richard Cooper of DTE Power & Industrial, one company that has invested in building and operating digesters on dairies, explained that the actual economics of getting revenue from a digester depends on how much methane the state of California believes youre mitigating. This refers to the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), under which the majority of RNG produced in the U.S. is currently regulated.

Cooper echoed Stoermanns point that RNG projects coming simply from manure (meaning no food waste or other materials), are more beneficial for larger farms. DTE has worked with farms from 1,500 cows, he said. Weve seen those work if they have really good methane characteristics.

On the other hand, we saw a farm that was just shy of 8,000 milking cows, and that didnt work simply because they were separating all their solids and there was relatively little organic matter being put in their lagoons, he continued.

At the end of the day, these are complicated carbon mitigation markets, Cooper emphasized. Getting value from them depends on understanding the specific characteristics of each farm.

To watch the recording of the August 18 DairyLivestream, go to the link above. The program recording is also available as an audio-only podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and downloadable from the Hoards Dairyman website.

An ongoing series of events

The next broadcast of DairyLivestream will be on Wednesday, September 15 at 11 a.m. CDT. Each episode is designed for panelists to answer over 30 minutes of audience questions. If you havent joined a DairyLivestream broadcast yet, register here for free. Registering once registers you for all future events.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2021

August 19, 2021
The university sector has been struggling since the onset of COVID-19. Image: Shutterstock

Australias university sector may never return to its peak pre-2019 levels, a new study has found.

New research by consultancy EY predicts the Australian university sector will have to abandon its current funding model based on Commonwealth subsidies and international student revenue, as it faces revenue losses that could decline by a further $5 billion to hit $6 billion by 2030.

It also found this could force universities to shed around 50% of non-research staff, along with threatening some institutions with closure or merger.

The report, The Peak of Higher Education, is based on interviews with 32 senior figures in Australian and New Zealand institutions and suggests that international student enrolments will never return to 2019 levels.

It also predicts that on-campus learning will play a diminishing role in most students education, even after the current restrictions on in-person lectures and tutorials are lifted.

Catherine Friday, EYs global head of education, said the pandemic had exposed the over-reliance on on-campus learning and international students in Australias higher education system.

There is so much financial strain in the sector right now and such uncertainty about ongoing income and revenue streams that its reasonable to suspect that there might be university closures or some sort of merger activity in the market, Friday said.

The EY researcher said the reports models for a sustainable future for the sector urged universities to become more homogenous and offer similar courses while competing for students.

This was because reduced revenue caused by the loss of international students would force institutions to cut back on courses and specialise in specific fields of learning.

For some universities it might mean they will reduce the number of broad generalist degrees that they currently offer, Friday said.

Everyone trying to do everything is simply unaffordable.

Since the pandemic gutted higher education last year, the countrys university sector has held out hope that at least some students would return in 2021.

Since December 2019, there has been a more than 5% decline in enrolments and a 23.2% decline in new students, according to government figures.

But with the majority of Australia now under lockdown, including all of NSW until what could be the end of October, it is now highly unlikely international students will be able to reenter the country to study at Australian institutions.

Universities Australia has estimated the sector has lost 17,000 jobs since the start of the pandemic, and Victoria University think tank Mitchell Institute has released modelling suggesting the university sector faces cumulative losses of up to $19 billion over three years due to international border closures.

Mitchell Institute education policy fellow Peter Hurley told the Sydney Morning Herald that the Morrison governments recent changes to the funding formula for university places would force universities to reconsider the range of courses they offer.

There is going to be a real plateau in the amount of money that universities are receiving from government for students, so there is just less room to grow in that respect, Hurley said.

However he said it was unlikely any universities would close or merge in the forseeable future.
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PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP)  Millions of acres of national forest in Northern California are being closed because of dangerous fire conditions that already have sent a score of blazes raging through the area and destroyed hundreds of homes.

The U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday that beginning on Aug. 22 it will close nine national forests from near Lake Tahoe at the Nevada border on the east all the way west to Six Rivers National Forest, which stretches north to the Oregon border and contains more than 1 million acres of land alone.

The Eldorado National Forest already had been closed because of the Caldor Fire, which gutted the Sierra Nevada town of Grizzly Flats this week. The uncontained blaze had destroyed well over 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) of land.

After growing to 10 times its original size in just two days, the fire's progress slowed a bit on Thursday and it was pushing east into less-populated forest areas. However, some 25,000 people remained under evacuation orders.

Fire managers rushed resources to the fire growing on steep slopes in a forested region southwest of Lake Tahoe. More than 650 firefighters and 13 helicopters were assigned to the blaze, and air tankers from throughout the state were flying fire suppression missions there as conditions allowed, authorities said.
51 of our 100 counties lost population in a decade when we gained 903,905 residents. 9 of the 10 counties that shrank the most are in Eastern Carolina and 9 counties have majority- minority populations. 78 percent of the growth was in the Mecklenburg and Wake metro areas, with Wake becoming the most populous county. Coastal counties also showed increases.

Not only has the population continued to shift to urban and suburban areas but this will also result in a political power shift. Our legislature is charged with using this data to redraw congressional and legislative districts to reflect where people live. We gained a 14th congressional seat, so if divided equally each district should contain 746,711 people. All but two current districts exceed that number so expect big changes in congressional districts when lawmakers present new maps. We will be watching how lawmakers reconfigure the states two majority-minority districts, the 1st represented by G.K. Butterfield and the 12th represented by Alma Adams. And while the new data didnt provide age specifics the advancing age of our population will yield more gray power issues. Politicians know the over 60 group votes in higher numbers than any other.
MATTOON  Author and Mattoon native Judy Rosella Edwards will give a reading from her book, Scream on Tenth Street: The Murder of Doris Louise Edwards, at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, via Zoom.

The session will be about 40 minutes, and participants will have opportunity to ask questions and share comments.

Im sure people have questions. They always do, Edwards says. I look forward to hearing from readers, or anyone who remembers this event, or wants to know more about it. Im disappointed that I wont be able to meet with everyone in person.

There is no cost, but you must register at Evenbrite, to attend. Go to https://bit.ly/3wDUQ03

A limited number of books can also be purchased directly from that link, if you would like a signed copy.

When 14-year-old Doris Louise Edwards was murdered in her familys dining room in Mattoon in 1955, her death resulted in the largest manhunt in the state, as of that time.

Bloodhounds from Vandalia joined armed vigilantes searching the Kaskaskia River (now Lake Shelbyville) for her killer. Mattoon City Police were involved, assisted by the sheriffs offices in Coles, Moultrie and Shelby counties, along with Illinois State Police. The tragedy made the front page of the Chicago Tribune.

The search began on North Tenth Street in Mattoon and quickly spread to family haunts along the Kaskaskia River, in Shelby County. Area residents grabbed a gun, determined to help find the killer, south of the Findlay Bridge. Shelbyville volunteers provided refreshments. Meanwhile, Bill and Rosella Edwards buried their beloved daughter in Windsor, after a funeral in Mattoon.

Judy Rosella Edwards is a Central Illinois writer who graduated from Mattoon schools. She holds a masters degree in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. Now retired, she has been a teacher, a technology trainer and a newspaper journalist. She has written several books about history and religion, and she is a contributor to the Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography.

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Despite holding no statewide offices and a distinct legislative minority in a state trending ever more deeply Democratic, speakers at the Illinois State Fairs Republican Day Thursday expressed optimism over the opportunities presented by next years elections.

They criticized President Joe Bidens immigration, law enforcement and economic policies while also expressing weariness with Gov. J.B. Pritzkers use of executive authority to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Don Tracy of Springfield, who was elected state GOP chairman in February, acknowledged the partys base has shifted to less populous rural Downstate areas while the once bedrock Republican collar counties become increasingly Democratic.

On a clear day, 70% of the Illinois population can see the Willis Tower. That should tell you something about where most of the votes are in Illinois, and lately weve been losing the suburbs, Tracy said. He said the emphasis in the coming election year will be rebuilding Republican strength in the suburbs as well as putting a focus on the integrity of mail-in ballots.

This is a do-or-die election, GOP Co-chair Mark Shaw of Lake County said of the 2022 races. You cant beat somebody with nobody on the ballot. We have to have candidates everywhere up and down the ballot for everything from governor to dogcatcher.

While seeking to recapture areas where it once dominated, the state GOP is burdened by candidates who take hard-right stands on issues that have divided the state and nation. Republican candidates for governor include hopefuls who wont say if they think Biden legally defeated President Donald Trump, wont reveal their COVID-19 vaccination status and wont back down from repeating misinformation that the vaccine has caused deaths.

The misinformation on COVID-19 carried over to Illinois history on Thursday. Shaw touted Republican events at the upcoming DuQuoin State Fair and referred to the Southern Illinois town as a former state capitol of Illinois. Kaskaskia, Vandalia and Springfield, but not DuQuoin, have served as Illinois seat of government.

Looking for weaknesses in the opposition party, Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs said he believed the governor and other Democrats on the 2022 ticket could be in trouble because of the resounding defeat in November of the governors signature agenda item, replacing the states flat-rate income tax with a graduated-rate system based on wealth.

The defeat of the Fair Tax is a foundation for the next election cycle, Durkin said.

He also raised the specter of embattled former veteran House Speaker and former state Democratic chairman Michael Madigan, long a target of GOP attacks. Durkin contended while hes gone, hes not quite gone and that Madigan is still involved in campaigns.

Traditionally, Republican and Democrat days at the state fair mark the kickoff of election season in odd-numbered years. But due to pandemic delays affecting the census and the drawing of new congressional boundaries, the usual March primary has been pushed back to June 28. Because of that the slate of GOP primary candidates for several offices, including governor, has yet to solidify.

So far, there are three announced Republicans seeking to challenge Pritzker: Bull Valley businessman Gary Rabine, state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville, who has been in Congress since 2013, is weighing a possible run for governor, a decision likely to depend on whether Democrats put him into an unfavorable new district as they draw new congressional maps.

Republicans have filed a federal lawsuit over the maps Democrats drew for the state legislative boundaries, which were based on population estimates. Congressional maps, also in Democratic hands, are being drawn up in the coming weeks following the release of census data earlier this month.

There are a lot of folks here that want to brush off the fact that the Democrats here in Illinois, in Springfield, because of (legislative) supermajorities and because of Gov. Pritzker, they control the destiny of Republicans who are running for office statewide because theyre drawing the maps, Davis said. We have got to stop brushing aside what Democratic control has meant to fairness and has meant to fair districts here in Illinois over the last few decades.

Among the already announced candidates for governor, Rabine and Bailey doubled down on previous statements falsely calling into question the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Rabine said he continues to believe that thousands of people have died from COVID-19 vaccines, though only three deaths have been attributed to the vaccine  from rare blood clots caused by the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which doctors have now learned to treat.

I read all different things, said Rabine, who said he has not taken the vaccine because he already has had COVID-19, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccination even for those who previously had the virus. I look at all different data. I am not the experts and never will be  What Im reading are stories of people dying from the vaccine.

Rabine wouldnt say where specifically he was reading such stories.

Bailey, a staunch Trump supporter, refused to say whether he believed Biden won the 2020 election. Bailey repeatedly answered questions from reporters on that issue with Joe Biden is our president. He replied I dont know when asked if Biden had stolen the election as Trump has falsely contended.

Rabine, also a staunch Trump backer, has in the past repeatedly said he did not know if the election was stolen because he was not an expert.

Schimpf, a former state senator and onetime GOP candidate for attorney general, worried that focusing on misinformation and divisive issues could cost the party votes among the moderate and independent voters who are key to a Republican victory for statewide office.

You win crossover votes by talking about the issues that unite us, not the issues that divide us, said Schimpf, the only one of the three candidates who says he is vaccinated against the coronavirus and has encouraged vaccinations.

Voters across the spectrum are tired of negativity, Schimpf said.

Ive been very critical of Gov. Pritzker, he said. I think hes been a catastrophic failure as governor, but I never make it personal.  Hes trying to do what he thinks is best for the state. I disagree with him vehemently about that, but youre never going to see me attack him personally and call him names.

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After a year of isolation and online schooling, some children might be beyond ready to return to school buildings. Others might be nervous about seeing friends again or being back in public spaces following more than a year of COVID-19 worries.

Many students might have a mix of feelings, said Dr. John Walkup, chair of the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Lurie Childrens Hospital.

Anxiety is a healthy human emotion, he said.

Parents might be worried about children returning to schools after a year of isolation and stress. A March 2021 report from Lurie Childrens Hospital noted that nearly half of Chicago parents had talked with their childs primary care doctor about mental or behavioral health concerns they had for their child within the last six to 12 months.

Walkup said most children will have normal anxiety, which is triggered by things that are relatively universal, he said, like taking a test or getting on a roller coaster. Most kids might have a mix of anxiety and excitement about getting back to school.

Those kids are going to bounce along and get through it, he said.

Some kids might have a disorder of anxiety, and might require treatment. Signs could include triggers during normal developmental activities that most kids love. For example, separation problems with being apart from caretakers or even in a different room; social anxiety in highly sensitive and self-conscious kids who wont raise their hand at school, join groups to play or who have limited eye contact; and generalized anxiety in kids who worry about the past and future on topics like death.

As far as generally helping kids transition, he reminds parents that kids take cues from them.

If youre afraid, he said, youll communicate that fear. Anxiety is highly contagious.

He added, They pick up on it before youre even thinking about it. Its their full-time job to watch and monitor you.

His biggest advice for parents is to listen. If a child seems nervous, ask why. It may not be what you expect  they may feel, for example, they dont have the right clothes. Often if you hear out a child, the concern is something that you can tackle together.

Parents get in the way of understanding what their kids concerns are, Walkup said. They dont listen well, and they dont explore what their kids are saying and thinking.

A response like, Well you have to go back, might not be helpful and instead could shut down conversations, he added. Listen, listen, listen.

And talk through with your child how you will handle each day, going through mask wearing and washing hands. Remind them we know the steps to prevent transmission, and that the family has already been taking precautions.

For children who are worried about germs, offer to learn more information together about anything they might be worried about, said Cynthia Catchings, a therapist with Talkspace, an online therapy provider.

Remind children that parents are taking precautions to help them feel safe at school and will take care of them, she said. Say things like, We may not have all the answers, but lets hear your questions, and we can find some answers together.

Catchings suggested driving by school or spending some time at a friends house, to help ease any nervousness about returning to a social situation. If a kid is still nervous about this, say, We are not forcing you, but lets try to stay a few more minutes and see how you feel.

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions tips on back-to-school transitions suggest that teachers and administrators provide virtual connections with parents, like video calls, and connect parents to other parents. They also suggest in-person meetings outside on the playground to let children meet the teacher and other children.

Parents should ask teachers about the best way to separate from the child at the start of the day (brief goodbyes are best). During that goodbye, stay calm and reassuring, with a calm voice and relaxed face and body.

And remember that as with everything in parenting, this will be but one phase. Handling adversity is a skill, and children have learned to be resilient during this pandemic.

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A bill that would stagger elections to the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education passed the N.C. House of Representatives on Wednesday and will now come before the Senate.

Sponsored by Forsyth Reps. Donny Lambeth and Lee Zachary, the bill proposes that the top vote getters in the three voting districts that make up the school board would serve four-year terms, while those getting lower vote totals would serve two-year terms, starting with the 2022 election. Those serving two-year terms would be up for re-election in 2024, and the highest vote getters would be up for re-election in 2026.

As it is now, all nine seats on the school board are up for election at the same time every four years, setting up a situation where voters could elect nine new members, potentially disrupting the boards continuity.

Lambeth, a former chairman of the local school board, said staggering elections makes sense.

I always thought it was bad policy to be elected and re-elected at the same time, Lambeth told a House committee earlier in the day.

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Of the states 115 school districts, only Winston- Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Wake County Schools and Person County Schools elected all board members at the same time.
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A 17-county region of the Triad and Northwest N.C. has a combined 724 COVID-19 patients, up 16 from Thursday.

Hospitalizations statewide have increased every day but one since July 9.

By comparison, statewide hospitalizations had been as low as 231 as recently as July 6.

Joines said his decision to reinstate the citywide mask mandate was prompted in part by being concerned about the hospitals feeling the pressure and the number of intensive care beds shrinking.

Baptist, Cone Health and Novant Health Inc. have said this week they have bed capacity, either internally or with affiliated community hospitals, to handle the current community surge.

For example, Novant said Thursday that its important for our communities to know that we have the continued ability to care for them, and that they should seek care when they need it.

We stand ready to activate additional surge planning scenarios from staffing contingency to the utilization of additional space on our campuses, should we need to.

Ohl said Triad hospitals are busy and tight in terms of beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients and overall.
FBI agents, Cleveland County sheriffs deputies and other law enforcement agencies swarmed the home of a man arrested on Thursday after threatening to blow up a truck full of explosives near the U.S. Capitol.

Floyd Ray Roseberry, 49, of Grover parked his pickup truck for several hours in front of the Library of Congress and said he had explosives, according to Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger. Grover is about 40 miles west of Charlotte.

In a Facebook video reviewed by the Observer, Roseberry said he had explosives in his pickup truck.

Capitol Police didnt find a bomb in the truck, but possible bomb making materials were collected from the truck, according to a news release by the agency.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the platform removed a page with several livestream videos from Roseberry saying he was inside the truck with explosive materials, McClatchy News reported.

In comments aimed at President Joe Biden, Roseberry says, Im all ready to die for the cause. And brother, if you could do anything to save one life, one life, you said youd do it. Well, you got a chance. I want to go home. I want to go home and see my wife.
Powers is asking that the case, filed this week in U.S. District Court, be allowed to go forward as a class-action lawsuit.

Ameritas hasn't yet responded to the lawsuit, and officials declined to comment when contacted Thursday.

In a letter dated July 23, 2019, the insurance and financial company notified customers that several of its employees had fallen victim to phishing scams in May and early June, which tricked them into providing their email credentials.

The company said that after it discovered the breach, it "quickly addressed the exposure by disabling the unauthorized access and deployed a mandatory enterprise-wide password reset."

A spokeswoman then said it took several weeks to notify customers because they had to accurately identify those affected and make sure contact information was gathered in a consistent format for notification purposes.

Ameritas said in the letter that information that may have been exposed included names, addresses, email addresses, Social Security numbers and policy numbers.

In a statement, the company said it regretted the incident "and any inconvenience it may have caused Ameritas customers and business partners."
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"So that's our challenge, and that's what we're doing. But it would match the patterns that we've had in the past, and that's why we believe they're associated."

Jackson said Lincoln police attempted to revive both men when they discovered them Thursday evening, both between 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Spilker declined to say where each overdose happened.

"They're happening all over," Jackson said.

Narcan was deployed in at least one instance, both Jackson and Spilker said. It's unclear how long either victim had been unconscious when police arrived, they said.

"We're gonna try," Jackson said. "We're gonna try. ... If you're down and your heart's not beating for five minutes, there's probably nothing we can do. But since we don't know that, we're still gonna try Narcan."

Jackson again emphasized the availability of resources to those struggling with addiction and their loved ones. He asked Lincoln residents to share overdose information on social media in efforts to reach a broader audience.
According to Donsig, UNLs math faculty first made the decision to stop teaching courses asynchronously in the summer of 2020 in lieu of requiring students to be online during a normally scheduled class time.

They leaned on UNLs online masters program and in-service math teachers across the state for tips on structuring an all-online course, as well as tricks for keeping students engaged through Zoom.

People teach people, Donsig said. Videos themselves are not enough  there has to be a person the student has a connection to, and that is what we need to support and sustain our online work.

Math faculty also improved the departments online homework system, cutting down costs for students and providing an ease-of-use for both students and faculty.

And they started offering tutoring sessions and meetings with faculty through Zoom, services that will continue as they help expand access to those living off campus, or those who live on campus who may not be able to make in-person events.

Its a bit of Field of Dreams, Donsig said. You dont know if you build something if there is going to be any usage of it, but we know students know how to use Zoom, so it certainly serves as a resource.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court is temporarily halting a judge's order that would have forced the government to reinstate a Trump administration policy forcing thousands to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.

Justice Samuel Alito issued the temporary stay late Friday night. It will remain in effect until Tuesday night so the high court can consider filings in the case.

A federal judge in Texas had previously ordered that the program, informally known as Remain in Mexico, be reinstated Saturday. The Biden administration appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Appeal in New Orleans and asked for a delay in re-implementing the program, pending appeal, but that was denied Thursday.

Formally known as the Migration Protection Protocols, the policy required tens of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to turn back to Mexico. It was meant to discourage asylum seekers but critics said it denied people the legal right to seek protection in the U.S. and forced them to wait in dangerous Mexican border cities.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Greg Ryken showed up to his favorite lunch spot in San Francisco on Friday with an appetite and his vaccination record in hand.

A manager at Sam's Grill and Seafood restaurant verified he was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, put him on a list of customers who have met the city's new requirement for future reference, and walked him to his table.

Easy, Ryken said as San Francisco became the first major city in the U.S. to enforce the strictest vaccine mandate for entering restaurants, bars, gyms and large concerts.

Businesses posted signs and added extra staff to begin verifying people's vaccination and identity cards before allowing them in. Many gyms had already been checking their members' vaccination status before the health order went into effect.

We tested systems in place to see how we would do it, we were talking to our customers, getting our staff prepared, and we are so thrilled to have the full-throated support of the leadership of our city so we can confidently walk into this new landscape together, said Tracey Sylvester, owner of a Pilates studio in the Mission neighborhood.
Since the commission's July meeting, plans have emerged for a track and casino in Kimball.

Kotulak pointed to the development of racing and gaming in Iowa.

That state has 19 casinos, but it has more people. And only one casino is tied to a racetrack.

Iowa has twice the population that Nebraska does, Kotulak said. Whats more, the configuration and arrangement of their population is significantly different than Nebraska. They have more than twice as many urban centers of 50,000 or more. Nebraska has three.

The best way to dilute and ruin the best potential for revenue is to oversaturate, Kotulak said.

Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island shares that concern.

The people of Nebraska voted for a specific number of casinos, coinciding with the number of existing racetracks, Aguilar said.

If more than six were built, he said, he would be very concerned that youre going to saturate the market and make things difficult for existing tracks.

Additional casinos would take away customers and revenue from Fonner Park and its successful racing business, and I dont think we want to do that, Aguilar said.
Eventually, though, Sufizada found a receptive Marine who got him lined up with a flight, and he is already back in the U.S.

The young woman and her children had a harrowing experience just getting to the airport, and it may be another two weeks before they are allowed back into Nebraska, her brother said. They may have to quarantine because of COVID-19.

During each of their several efforts to get to the airport  typically a 15-minute drive  the family had to pass through five or six Taliban checkpoints, he said.

The Taliban check to see if the women have their faces covered or if music is playing. They ask questions like: Where are you going? Why? Who is the man sitting next to the woman? Why are you clean-shaven?

According to her brother, the family initially tried to take a taxi to the airport. At one of the checkpoints, the Taliban stopped the taxi, so her brother got out. Why arent the women covering their faces? the soldier asked. The brother turned and told his mother and sister to cover their faces. When he turned back, the soldiers started beating him with their fists and weapons until his mother got out, screaming, and sheltered her sons body with her own.
To protect Nebraskans, the Centers for Disease Control has asked even the vaccinated to mask up indoors, citing the fact that at least 60% of U.S. counties are experiencing substantial transmission of COVID-19. Substantial transmission means that there are at least 50 new coronavirus cases weekly per 100,000 people in a county.

Tyson's Foods, Microsoft and The Gap quickly responded to the CDC's new recommendation by requiring their workers to be vaccinated. And GM, Ford and the United Auto Workers followed suit by requiring their workers and members to mask up.

Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln urged companies to protect their workers from COVID-19 by following federal guidelines (including those of the CDC). The CDC surely preempts the field of all health advisers, as the CDC is in charge of the nation's health protection.

Further, Nebraska's senators passed LB139 in May, indicating corporations, nursing homes and schools should follow federal guidelines or be subject to lawsuits by their employees, residents or students who get infected by coronavirus.
Those who refuse vaccination may face corrective action up to and including termination or dismissal, according to the letter by Dr. Alan Jones, the centers associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs. He adds those seeking accommodations must submit requests by Sept. 10.



JOHANNESBURG  South Africa has opened vaccine eligibility to all adults to step up the volume of inoculations amid a coronavirus surge fueled by the delta variant.

The nation started offering shots to everyone aged 18 and older Friday as the number of vaccinations stalled to less than 200,000 a day, down from 250,000 earlier this month. Its significantly lower than the target of 300,000 the government had hoped to achieve by this time.

On Friday, South Africa recorded more than 13,000 new cases and 317 confirmed deaths. South Africa has 2.6 million confirmed cases, 35% of the Africas total.

South Africa has vaccinated more than 10 million of its 60 million people, of which more than 4.6 million are fully vaccinated. Nearly 80,000 people have died during the pandemic.


Either a large DCW sticker or Venturas name in permanent marker are on the tools, making them easily identifiable. Ventura said he suspects whoever stole the tools knew what they were doing and are likely going to resell them.

They were really nice tools, he said.

The damage to the van is repairable, Ventura said, but it will take some time for him to recover the tools that were stolen. A job on Thursday required him to pick up $300 worth of equipment to replace the ones he lost.

Venturas case may be related to the uptick in garage burglaries during the overnight hours in the south side of the City of Racine, which were reported by the Racine Police Department on Tuesday.

As of Friday morning, Venmo Challenge Racine  a local fundraising effort that has donated tens of thousands of dollars to various businesses and nonprofits since launching in the
We cant come in at the treetops, and we never would, Erickson said.

Some council members said they, too, have questions about whether the helicopter ambulances would create too much noise.

The council did not take action on the matter Tuesday  meeting only as a committee  but several aldermen pointed to noise pollution as a possible issue.

Alderman Bob Grandi said homeowners and residents surrounding the airport have been dissatisfied with the citys previous efforts to control noise problems from airplanes and other craft.

Our relationship there is precarious at best already, Grandi said.

Alderwoman Theresa Meyer agreed, saying, Im hoping we can smooth that over with the residents.

Alderman Shad Branen was the first to mention the noise issue. But, he said: The question of noise pollution seems so inconsequential when were talking about saving lives.

Plans
CALEDONIA  A company that bills itself as Wisconsins largest alcoholic beverage sales company is moving forward with an expansion into Caledonia, with plans for a new distribution center within the Interstate 94 corridor.

After a delay in the process earlier this month, the Caledonia Village Board at its meeting Monday has now approved a site plan, building plan and operations plan for Badger Liquor. The delay was due to an issue between the tenant and the landlord, which has now been resolved.

The property owner is in favor of this proposal, Caledonia Development Director Peter Wagner said at the meeting.

Trustee Tom Weatherston made a motion to approve the resolution regarding the site, building and operations plan and Trustee Dale Stillman seconded it. The motion was approved by the board unanimously 6-0  Trustee Lee Wishau was excused.
(Thats) necessary so at some of these times that these are challenged, theres an ability to go back and look, to either weed out a bad apple or to have evidence that the officer acted correctly, he said.

Steil said he recently watched a body camera video of a Racine County deputy who rescued a person in a house fire.

Without that footage, the heroic efforts of that officer wouldnt have been known, he said.

You watch the body camera image, you realize that he was in there by himself, he went into the house and saved a life, Steil said. I remember looking at that body camera image and saying, Holy cow, thats an individual who is a hero.

That happens day-in and day-out all across southeastern Wisconsin. This instance was just unique because a body camera was on that was able to highlight the positive work that law enforcement does.

Another piece of the puzzle, Steil said, is the impact of social media. That is where that smartphone video, oftentimes edited, can quickly be posted and shared before the department even has a chance to put its own investigation in place.
YORKVILLE  Two Illinois residents have been accused of stealing from Burlington RV Superstore, 390 S. Sylvania Ave., and allegedly also had methamphetamine on them.

Thomas L. Ayers, 37, from Villa Park, Ill., was charged with three felony counts of uttering a forgery, felony counts of burglary of a motor home or trailer home and possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor counts of theft, possession of drug paraphernalia and receiving stolen property less than $2,500.

Rebecca Perez, 19, from Schiller Park, Ill., was charged with felony counts of burglary of a motor home or trailer home, uttering a forgery and possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor counts of theft and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to a criminal complaint:

On Thursday, deputies with the Racine County Sheriffs Office were sent to Burlington RV Superstore, 390 S. Sylvania Ave., for a report of a theft. It was reported a man and woman, later identified as Ayers and Perez, opened all the outdoor compartments of two campers and stole multiple pieces of furniture from them.
RACINE  Solar-powered Peanuts figures, a sculpture made of dishes and bowls stacked together, a medieval-like bust carved out of wood, and what may be one of the few velvet paintings you can find in Racine.

These are just a few of the treasures found inside Mishas Treasures, a new secondhand collectible and home decor shop in Uptown Racine, 1402 Washington Ave. Original art can also be purchased at the store, including some pieces by co-owner Victoria Schrader.

Owners Victoria and Michael Schrader, who are originally from Oklahoma but moved to Racine in 2018, opened Mishas Treasures in early August. Its their second shot at owning a pre-loved items store, having initially opened one in Oklahoma that only lasted six months.

The Schraders scoped out Uptown Racine, a spot that many natives and newcomers are trying to develop by way of clean-up initiatives, new murals and, of course, new and thriving businesses.

Treasures indeed

Back then you had Storage Wars and American Pickers, and what people were doing was just buying stuff up, jacking up the price and inventory, and flooding up the market, Michael said. So it was too many people trying to do the exact same thing.

Storage Wars and American Pickers, which were most popular in the early 2010s, made a trend of putting a high price tag on what others considered junk. For example, the premise of Storage Wars was bidding over storage units that could either be full of trash or treasures, like vintage toys, prized authentic art pieces or autographed memorabilia. American Pickers followed a crew traveling across the country buying up antiques.

The Schraders may not be at the scale of traveling across the country, but they have made a hobby of digging for treasures in Racine County and its surrounding areas at estate sales and garage sales.

Well just pick a direction and go, Michael said. He noted he works in the Chicago area a few days a week, so hell often peruse different sales going on in those suburbs.

To me, its interesting to see what kind of different things some people have  You can find some really interesting stuff that you wouldnt in your wildest dreams think, Oh, Im gonna go to Walmart or wherever and buy that different kind of stuff, Victoria said.

Some of the Schraders favorite pieces in the shop include a small table with a cabinet that opens up from the top instead of the side, and a vintage black velvet painting of a pirate ship Michael got from his parents.

Victoria estimated the cabinets style was most popular in the 1970s. Much of the furniture inside their shop has signature woodwork from the decade.

Revitalizing Uptown

Theres one particular item in Mishas Treasures that the Schraders consider gold. While perusing sales in Racine, they found a cash register that had been used at the address of their shop: 1402 Washington.

The cash register was from Acme Office Equipment Company, which occupied the same building at one point. Acme was acquired by Brookfield-based James Imaging Systems in the 2000s, according to Brittany Campbell who works in human resources for JIS.

I found this and I was like, This is a really cool, old-timey adding machine, and when we set it up for display, I thought, Oh my gosh, its returning home, Michael said. Whats the probability that I would randomly pick something in somebodys basement, in an estate sale, get it back and go, It came from this exact location?

The Schraders chose to station their business in Uptown Racine to join the movement of business owners revitalizing the area  including Kristina Campbell, owner of The Branch at 1501, whos organizing in the Art For Uptown project. Campbell and other business owners have been working to beautify uptown with art, new businesses and other ventures.

We dont like to see businesses or houses for that matter that are really old, or you can tell have been here for a while, like in such bad shape, Victoria said. We wanted somewhere up here, because you want to help bring back the area.

Since we lived in the city, Michael said, we decided to invest our dollars in our city. We live here, and we wanna see it grow.

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Kenosha riots' impact on election

Criticism from the right has been mounting that Tony Evers should have sent more troops to Kenosha amid unrest last summer. Besides the COVID-19 pandemic, the Blake shooting and its fallout have been the highest-profile moments of Evers' term since the former educator unseated Scott Walker in 2018.

Republicans are making Evers' response to the riots a major talking point in their quest to unseat him in 2022.

Kenoshas unrest has been linked to an increase in votes supporting Donald Trump, or at least a decrease in votes for Joe Biden, during the 2020 election.

An analysis titled Civil Unrest in Kenosha Likely Helped Donald Trump was published in May 2021 by the blog Political Kiwi. It concluded that, in the 2020 presidential election Biden under-performed in every single township in Kenosha County, relative to expected voting outcomes based on correlations between education level as well as Hillary Clintons 2016 performance. Biden also performed worse than Clinton did in 2016 in Kenosha County, despite Biden flipping the state in 2020 after Clinton lost it four years earlier.
1. Yes. An unvaccinated worker is a potential health liability for the entire workforce.

2. Yes. But it should only be required in some businesses, like health care or food service.

3. No. The requirement shouldnt be forced on employees; its a discriminatory practice.

4. No. Not only should they not require COVID shots , but no proof of vaccination either.

5. Unsure. Its a hard choice between public safety concerns and personal freedoms.

Vote

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Medina said he hasnt spoken with other veterans about the U.S. withdrawal, but hes thought about his experiences in Afghanistan and weighed whether it was worth it from a variety of perspectives: humanitarian, political and military.

Bill Crosier, a Vietnam-era Army veteran from Kearney, said the slipshod U.S. withdrawal has exposed a lot of problems about the United States 20-year involvement there.

I think its a cluster, but then most of what Biden has done is a cluster, Crosier said.

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He was a signalman in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1967, but didnt fight in Vietnam. Instead, Crosier spent 2 years in Germany as part of the U.S. deterrent against a Soviet Union invasion of Europe.

As chaotic as it was, Vietnam looked a whole lot more organized than Afghanistan, he said.

Crosier said Americans who served in Afghanistan should feel pride in their achievements. They stabilized the country and prevented it from becoming a training ground for terrorists. There are troops over there doing what their country sent them to do, but the administration is walking away from them, Crosier said.
Viterbo University has joined Western Technical College in requiring face coverings at the start of the semester as local COVID-19 cases increase, while Aquinas Catholic schools are now asking for masking of those below seventh grade and La Crosse public schools are mandating such for all students.

Western began mandating the wearing of masks when inside campus buildings Aug. 9, and Viterbos policy will be effective starting Monday. UW-La Crosse is strongly urging masking of all staff and students inside its facilities.

Aquinas Catholic Schools have revised their masking policy for younger students, requiring students in 3K through sixth grades to wear face coverings, and those in seventh through 12th grades are highly encouraged but no required to do so.

The goal, says Aquinas schools president Ted Knutson, is to safely open our schools on time, face to face, five days a week, and to remain open. We have determined the best way to meet this goal in our three elementary schools is to begin the school year requiring face coverings for our P3-6th grade students as they do not have an option to be vaccinated.
Authorities in Mariposa County, California, are trying to determine why a family of three and their dog died on a remote hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest near Yosemite National Park.

Search and rescue workers found the bodies of John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter, Miju, and the family dog on Tuesday near the Devil's Gulch area in the Southfork of the Merced River drainage, the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

They had been reported missing on Monday night.

Keep scrolling for a ranking of America's most popular national parks

There were no immediate signs of trauma to the family members, no suicide notes, or any other clear indications of what caused their deaths, Mariposa County Sheriff public information officer Kristie Mitchell told CNN.

First responders initially treated the area as a possible hazmat scene because of concerns that carbon monoxide from nearby mines could have poisoned the family.

Last month, the US Forest Service warned that toxic algae had been discovered in the Merced River and urged people not to swim, wade or allow their pets to drink the water.
ST. PAUL, Minn.  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is extending a welcome mat for refugees from Afghanistan.

In a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday, Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan offered to to work with the federal government to continue Minnesota's history of welcoming refugees by assisting with the resettlement of people fleeing Afghanistan.

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"Minnesota has a strong tradition of welcoming those who seek refuge and supporting them to rebuild their lives and become part of our communities," their letter said. "Minnesota is eager to uphold that tradition by welcoming families and children and providing the stable foundation they need to rebuild their lives, achieve their highest potential, and contribute to our state."

Tens of thousands of Afghans have been trying to flee their home country since the Taliban takeover, with desperate crowds thronging Kabul's airport.

Minnesota is already home to some of the largest Hmong, Somali and Liberian communities in the U.S., as well as a small Afghan community. The state has also drawn significant numbers of refugees in recent decades from Myanmar, Ethiopia, Bhutan, Iraq, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bosnia and the former Soviet Union.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  An Iowa man is suing an eastern Nebraska county, its sheriff and several deputies, saying their lack of training led one of the deputies to shoot him in the eye with a pepper ball during a protest last year.

Adam Keup, 24, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, filed the federal lawsuit last week against Sarpy County, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The lawsuit also names Sheriff Jeff Davis and four deputies as defendants and alleges that Davis handed out the pepper balls to his deputies before the May 29, 2020, protest in Omaha without providing any training on how to use them or on crowd-control tactics.

The protest was among dozens that erupted across the country in the days after the death of George Floyd when Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyds neck for several minutes even after Floyd stopped moving and pleaded for air. Chauvin was sentenced earlier this year to 22 1/2 years in prison.
We need to remind our European friends of this fact: Europe  which has become the center of attraction for millions of people  cannot stay out of (the refugee) problem by harshly sealing its borders to protect the safety and wellbeing of its citizens, Erdogan said on Thursday.

Turkey has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europes refugee warehouse, Erdogan said.

The previous day, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said the current priority was to evacuate Europeans and Afghan citizens who had worked with EU forces there, but that Greece does not accept to be the gateway for irregular flows into the EU.

Speaking on private Skai TV, he noted that Greece does not border Afghanistan, and there are countries to the east of us who could provide initial protection where necessary. Turkey, he added, was a safe country for Afghans.

But Turkey already hosts 3.6 million Syrians who fled the civil war in the neighboring country and 300,000 Afghans.

In 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a deal for Turkey to stop the hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees heading toward Europe, in return for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and substantial EU financial support.
Horst Auctioneers conducted a public sale of antiques, collectibles, household goods and tools July 14 at Horst Auction Center, Ephrata. Several items and prices included: a Betty lamp and stand, $525; a tray of Case knives, $260; a button hole cutter, $320; a large cuckoo clock, $350; a Rookwood vase, $375; a Medina pottery vase, $475; a crystal chandelier, $425; a Shenfelder cake crock, $475; a three-piece cherry bedroom set, $350; an oak curio cabinet, $400; a York safe, $35; an oak game board, $340; and a Cub Cadet lawn tractor, $650.

Horst Auctioneers conducted a public sale of coins and currency July 15 at Horst Auction Center, Ephrata. Several items and prices included: $50.25 face value Barber quarters, $1,050; $40 face value Barber quarters, $775; $40 face value Barber half dollars, $825; $59 face value Barber half dollars, $1,225; 23 Morgan silver dollars, $850; 20 Morgan silver dollars, $775; 20 1921 Morgan silver dollars, $750; a 1909-S VDB penny, $700; an 1867 penny, $650; a 1893-O silver dollar $475.

Horst Auctioneers conducted a public sale of antiques, collectibles, household goods and tools July 21 at Horst Auction Center, Ephrata. Several items and prices included: an oak barrister bookcase, $340; a Fender electric guitar, $950; three pocket watches, $825; a tray lot of watch parts, $360; a key wind watch, $625; a two-sided quilt, $425; a blue-painted display case, $240; a Wapack No. 7 fry pan, $240; a brass buckle, $700; a brown wing back sofa, $400; a maple Ethan Allen bookcase, $600; and a large cherry kitchen cabinet, $475.

Horst Auctioneers conducted a public sale of toys, collectibles, household goods and tools July 24 at Horst Auction Center, Ephrata.Several items and prices included: two Big Bud toy farm tractors, $925 and $450; a Kinze toy farm tractor, $450; die-cast tractor trailers, $800; a box of John Deere hats, $340; trays of Marvel comics, $400 and $325; tray of Spider-Man comics, $325; a slaw board, $400; a guitar with case, $675; a patchwork quilt, $425; a Kool-Aid toy, $600; and two beer signs, $325.

Horst Auctioneers conducted a public sale of antiques, collectibles, household goods and tools July 28 at Horst Auction Center, Ephrata. Several items and prices included: a Griswold No. 2 fry pan, $320; a Wapack No. 3 fry pan, $370; a large Longaberger basket, $210; a Barbie and Skipper case with contents, $225; a cherry chest of drawers, $230; a seven-piece modern dinette set, $370; a blue sofa, $230; and an Ariens snowblower, $450.

Hess Auctioneers LLC, of Marietta, conducted a catalogued sale of trucks, trailers and equipment Aug. 13. There were 473 on-site and 1,398 online registered bidders. Several items and prices included: a 2014 Peterbilt 389 glider sleeper, $120,000; a 2018 Kenworth T880 triaxle steel dump truck, $105,000; a 2012 Cat D6N dozer Crawler, $80,000; a 2008 Kenworth triaxle daycab, $77,000; a 2018 Volvo VNL860 sleeper, $74,000; a 2008 Peterbilt 388 triaxle daycab, $73,000; a 2019 utility 53-foot reefer trailer, $67,000; a 2015 Western Star 4900 triaxle steel dump, $63,000; a 2019 Great Dane 53-foot van trailer, $45,000; a 2011 JMH 40-foot dump trailer, $42,000; three 2015 utility 53-foot plated van trailers, $41,000 each; a 2000 Peterbilt 378 roll-off truck, $37,000; a 2008 J&J walking floor, $35,000; and a 2013 Capacity Tj6500 yard jockey, $31,000.

Horst Auctioneers, of Ephrata, conducted a public sale of real estate Aug. 5 for the Warren R. Johe estate at 3 Abbey Lane, Newmanstown. A ranch-style dwelling with attached one-car garage sold for $165,000 to Nevin E. Martin, of Denver.

Martin & Rutt Auctioneers, of New Holland, conducted a public sale of real estate Aug. 13 for Vladimir and Tatjana Akimov, of Columbia, at 12344 Big Valley Pike, Mill Creek. A four-bedroom, two-bath home on a 2.40-acre lot sold for $230,000 to Steven Peight, of Allensville.

Martin & Rutt Auctioneers, of New Holland, conducted a public sale of real estate Aug. 14 for Carolyn Martin at 336 W. Division Highway, Lititz. A three-bedroom rancher and truck garage on a 1.13-acre lot sold for $320,000 to Jeremey and Amber Linton, of Neffsville.

Kline, Kreider & Good Auctioneers, of Stevens, conducted a public sale of two properties for the Grace Reesor estate Aug. 14. A four-bedroom farm house along with barn, shop and garage on 35 acres at 1810 Prescott Road, Lebanon, sold for $1,425,000 to Richard Kreider, of Lebanon. A 5-acre lot along West Reistville Road, Lebanon, sold for $325,000 acres to Jere Brubaker, of Myerstown.

Kline, Kreider & Good Auctioneers, of Stevens, conducted a public sale of real estate Aug. 14 for Gary and Donna Zimmerman at 3448 Heidelberg Ave., Newmanstown. A three-bedroom rancher along with shop/garage and utility building on a 0.75-acre lot sold for $362,000 to Brian Sensenig, of Ephrata.

Kline, Kreider & Good Auctioneers, of Brownstown, conducted a public sale of real estate Aug. 16 for Ivan B. and Mary E. Riehl at 463 Lynch Road, New Holland. A four-bedroom Cape Cod with one-car garage on 1.1 acres sold for $337,000 to John Mike Beiler, of New Holland.
Johnson & Johnson will replace Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky with another veteran company executive starting next year.

The worlds biggest maker of health care products said late Thursday that Joaquin Duato will become CEO and a member of the companys board of directors on January 3.

Duato, 59, currently serves as vice chairman of J & Js executive committee, which involves working with the companys pharmaceutical and health sectors and overseeing its global supply chain.

Duato, a dual citizen of Spain and the United States, has been with Johnson & Johnson for more than 30 years, the company said.

Gorsky, 61, has served as chairman and CEO since 2012 and will become executive chairman of the board.

He said in a prepared statement from the company that the timing was right for his decision, both for the company and personally, as I focus more on my family due to family health reasons.

J&J reported a 73% jump in second-quarter profit last month, driven by strong sales growth as hospitals and other parts of the health care industry rebounded from COVID-19 pandemic slowdowns the previous year.

The New Brunswick, New Jersey, company made more than $6 billion in the second quarter but received little help from its one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, which brought in just $164 million in sales. The vaccine  one of three approved for use in the United States  has been plagued by concerns about some very rare side effects and the temporary shutdown of a contract manufacturers factory due to contamination problems.

Gorsky, who joined Johnson & Johnson in 1988, oversaw the companys biggest-ever acquisition, a $30-billion deal for Swiss biopharmaceutical company Actelion that was completed in 2018.

The company also noted that investment in research and development has jumped more than 60% during Gorskys tenure to $12 billion last year, with oncology being a focus.

Shares of J & J gained $1.13 in Friday morning trading, climbing to $179.70 while broader indexes also rose slightly. The stock price has climbed more than 12% so far this year.
Public school students in Columbia Borough will have to bring masks when they return to class next week.

The Columbia Borough school board approved a proposal Thursday to add a mask requirement to its health and safety plan, putting it in the minority of Lancaster County public schools requiring face coverings at the start of the 2021-22 school year.

After 40 minutes of discussion, the school board voted 8-1 to add universal masking to its health and safety plan meant to limit the spread of COVID-19. Matthew Wardecker voted against the measure.

The districts masking rules follows the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

At the end of the day, were just doing what we believe is best with the information we have been presented, said board member Lauren VonStetten, while adding that she expected the board would revisit the topic during the years. Were not making this for the end of time; its just our decision to start school.

The CDC added the school masking recommendation Aug. 5, three days after the Columbia Borough school board had unanimously agreed to drop their mask mandate.

In Lancaster County, only the School District of Lancaster and Manheim Township School District are requiring masks. The Manheim Township school board approved a mask mandate at its own meeting Thursday night.

Little public input

Only seven members of the public attended the Columbia school board meeting, which was also livestreamed. One person offered public comment, although that was not directly related to the question of adding a mask mandate in the schools. A survey sent to 800 families and 150 staff members on the question of mask mandates also yielded few results.

District Superintendent Ashley Rizzo said the survey had a 6% response rate, or 57 returned surveys. Of those, 15 said they were very in favor of leaving masking up to parents; 13 others were against any mandate at all; and 13 were in favor of a mask mandate, Rizzo said. The other responses asked specific questions about how masking would work, she said.

Several board members expressed frustration at the low response rate and the meager turnout at the meeting, saying it made it hard to gauge public sentiment.

Were going to make a difficult decision tonight, and 94% of the population didnt even respond, board President Charles Leader said.

While school board members were presented with the option of either having a universal mask mandate or not, they took some time to discuss a possible third option  pegging the masking requirement to Lancaster Countys overall COVID-19 transmission rate as reported by the CDC.

If cases countywide dropped far enough, the school districts masking requirement could automatically be dropped, said board member Kathleen Hohenadel who proposed the idea.

But Leader said such a system had too many variables and the board needed to offer a clear answer.

Its hard enough. Its hard enough on all of us. It has to be a simple decision, yes or no, he said, prompting board member Robert Misciagna to make a motion on the question, which yielded the nearly unanimous vote.

Immediately afterward, several residents in the audience shook their heads in apparent disappointment.
Lancaster County now has another three months to conduct engineering studies on a 78-acre site to see if it will accommodate a new county prison facility.

The countys board of commissioners approved a 90-day extension Wednesday, giving officials until Nov. 21 to back out of a $3 million sale agreement for the Lancaster Township property if it turns out it doesnt suit a new prison.

The evaluation was somewhat delayed due to the presence of crops the Kreiders had, specifically wheat, on a larger swath of the area to be studied, said Lancaster County Chief Clerk Lawrence George at the commissioners meeting. Clyde and Shirley Kreider are the owners of the Lancaster Township property.

The studies will determine whether theres any truth to speculation that the propertys soil or terrain could prove difficult to build on. On nearby Sunnyside Peninsula, steep slopes and rocky soil helped sink housing development plans there.

The 78-acre site is on a peninsula carved up by one of the Conestoga Rivers curves, directly south of the Greenwood Cemetery.

Its been the site of a farm for many decades, but is zoned for residential development.

Its still too early in the process to estimate what the projects total cost will be, according to officials, but Republican County Commissioner Ray DAgostino said in May it could run between $100 million and $150 million.

D'Agostino also said in May hell be keeping a close eye on what engineers find when it comes to the propertys geology and how ground underneath the lands topsoil could affect building. The commissioner said he was aware that at nearby Sunnyside peninsula, other big plans for development had been complicated by limestone-heavy earth, which can cause sinkholes and other construction headaches.

The area and limestone, I think, it has to be top of mind, DAgostino said.

Even after November, the $3 million sale could still fall apart if the county fails to secure zoning approvals from township officials between now and February 2023.
Editor's note: This story was updated on Aug. 24 to reflect changes to policies. We will continue to update as policies change.

Despite rapidly growing COVID-19 infections in Lancaster County and beyond, the majority of Lancaster County schools are not planning to require students, faculty or staff to wear masks.

Universal masking is a measure health agencies from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend to safely and consistently resume in-person learning this fall.

Is your school following these recommendations and requiring masks?

Heres the answer, as of Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, for each Lancaster County school district, plus the three largest private schools, the local intermediate unit and the countys lone brick-and-mortar charter school.

Cocalico: No.

Columbia Borough: Students, faculty, staff and visitors are required to wear masks indoors.

Conestoga Valley: No; however, at the elementary level, students, faculty, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks indoors if active cases reach a certain threshold (five at Leola Elementary School, six at Brownstown, seven at Smoketown and eight at Fritz).

Donegal: No.

Eastern Lancaster County: No.

Elizabethtown Area: No.

Ephrata Area: No; however, students, faculty, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks indoors at schools that experience COVID-19 cases among 3% or more of their students and employees within 14 days.

Hempfield: No.

La Academia Partnership Charter School: Students, faculty and staff are required to wear masks indoors.

Lancaster: Students, faculty and staff are required to wear masks indoors.

Lancaster Catholic: No.

Lancaster Country Day: Students, faculty and staff are required to wear masks indoors.

Lancaster Mennonite: Students, faculty, staff are required to wear masks indoors.

Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13: Students, faculty and staff are not required to wear masks unless in classrooms with medically fragile students.

Lampeter-Strasburg: No.

Manheim Central: No.

Manheim Township: Yes, students, faculty and staff are required to wear masks indoors.

Octorara Area: No.

Penn Manor: No.

Pequea Valley: No.

Solanco: No.

Warwick: No.
Manheim Township School District will enter the 2021-22 school year requiring masks indoors, the school board voted Thursday night.

The vote came about five and a half hours into an emotionally charged board meeting with about 100 residents  some spilling into the hallways of the district office  in attendance.

Pro-mask parents implored the board to put safety over comfort, while those against a mask requirement urged board members not to strip away their right to choose whats best for their children.

In the end, the board approved, by a 7-2 vote, a plan that requires students, faculty, staff and visitors to wear masks indoors but made clear that the requirement would be revisited as cases of COVID-19 in and around Manheim Township fluctuate.

Board members Stephen Grosh and April Weaver dissented.

Manheim Township is the third Lancaster County school district to impose such a requirement. School District of Lancaster and Columbia Borough School District are the others.

Lancaster Mennonite on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, announced it is requiring students and employees to wear masks indoors. Students were previously not required to wear masks unless they were with Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 employees.

Students and staff at Lancaster County Day School and at La Academia Partnership Charter School, the county's lone brick-and-mortar charter school, also are required to wear masks indoors.

About 40 residents spoke at the meeting, with opinions on masking evenly split. Board members also received almost 200 emails before the meeting from residents opining about masks.

Manheim Township mother Erin Houser on Thursday night said she saw the vote as not mask versus not to mask but forced masking of minor children versus parental choice. She said COVID-19 does not pose a serious threat to children, which drew applause from the crowd.

If the children are not in danger, why are we masking them? she said, calling masks sweat and spit and dirt soaked cloths. Heres the answer: Fear.

Several area doctors spoke in favor of masks.

Dr. Jennifer DeLutis, a physician with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, said masks help prevent transmission of COVID-19, and cases among children are increasing due to the highly infectious Delta variant. Dr. Jennifer Nguyen, also with Lancaster General Health, said she wears masks because she doesnt want you to be that patient I admit to the ICU on a ventilator.

Keith Enoch, who was also in favor of masks, said he was disheartened by his neighbors who, he said, seem to choose their own comfort over the well-being of others.

Yes, our kids may not die, he said. But if that is your sole reason for not requiring masks, then you are misguided and you are unbelievably naive.

Another parent, Scott Miller, said he was against a mask requirement because of the harm masks and the pandemic, in general, has done to his sons mental health. His son, who was in kindergarten last year, became terrified of getting sick, and even skipped his own birthday party to avoid crowds. Miller said he couldnt even take his son to get a haircut.

The meeting was mostly civil, but, at times, the crowd interrupted the person speaking. One anti-mask resident yelled, Its gonna sterilize your kid! while a pro-mask parent spoke. There was shouting from the hallway outside the boardroom at times.

At the beginning of the meeting, board President Nikki Rivera implored those in attendance to be civil.

Civility is a virtue in this community, she said.

Rivera, board Vice President Joyce Stephens and members JoAnn Hentz, Janet Carroll, John Smith and Terrance Henderson were masked. Henderson, who is on the Democratic ballot for school board in November, was appointed Thursday night to fill a vacant position left by Sara Grosh, who resigned. Stephen Grosh and Weaver did not wear masks. Board member Curtis Holgate attended by phone.

Up for a vote Thursday night were two versions of the districts health and safety plan, which is required by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in order to receive federal pandemic relief funding. The lone difference between the two versions: masks.

One version, dubbed Option A, strongly encouraged mask wearing but stopped short of requiring it. Option B required masks.

A couple school board members wanted to tie Option B to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention metrics for community transmission, meaning the administration would have the ability to reverse the requirement as long as Lancaster County wasnt under high community transmission. That, however, wasnt ultimately adopted. Instead, the board and administration will reevaluate using local health data at its monthly work sessions, beginning Sept. 9.

Grosh, perhaps the most outspoken board member against the mask requirement, expressed concern with following CDC recommendations instead of trusting the administration with the decision to rule on masks.

The CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics and Lancaster General Health have come out in support of universal mask requirements in schools due to the recent COVID-19 surge.

My concern is were never going to get these masks off these kids, he said.

Board member April Weaver said she was mostly uncomfortable with the school board requiring masks when the state, nor the CDC, has issued a mandate. She also expressed concern about the social and emotional effects of mask-wearing and the debates surrounding it.

Smith seemed on board with Option A, especially the strongly encouraged language, but, when it came time to vote, he said its better to be safe than sorry.

Other board members explained how they were alarmed by rising COVID-19 rates and eager to get the school year off on the right foot.

The virus is flaring, Rivera said, adding, I cant fathom sending 6.000 kids into battle without a shield.

Nobody likes wearing masks, Holgate said. But I think we need to be safe in the beginning.
Millersville moves in: Students head to campus with classes beginning on Monday [photos]
DEDZA, Malawi (AP)  More than a year after COVID-19 began sweeping the world, abruptly cutting short her Peace Corps stint, Cameron Beach is once again living in rural Malawi  this time on her own dime.

The Peace Corps, a U.S. government program marking its 60th anniversary this year, boasted 7,000 volunteers in 62 countries in March 2020. They were given little time to pack before being put on a plane and sent back to the United States that month.

It was especially painful for me because I was given 24 hours to leave a place that Id called home for almost two years, Beach said during a recent video call from her home in Malawi, a landlocked country in southern Africa.

Beach was trained to speak Chichewa and had been teaching English at the Mkomera Community Day Secondary School in Dedza, located in a compound about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Lilongwe. The 25-year-old Greenville, South Carolina, native paid her own way back to her post nine months after evacuation and is living on savings, but says she would absolutely rejoin the Peace Corps if it became possible.

It might be: The organization hopes to begin returning volunteers to the field late this year or early next year.

While Peace Corps volunteers would be required to be vaccinated, sending them back will depend on the situation in individual countries. Initially, about 2,400 evacuated volunteers expressed interest in going back and there are about 10,000 applications on file, Acting Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn told The Associated Press.

Immediately after the evacuation we had tremendous interest from volunteers who were evacuated in returning to their country of service, Spahn said. Clearly, as time goes on, you know, people do move on with their lives, but I will say we have a robust pipeline of both people who were evacuated as well as those who were invited, but were unable to go and those who are expressing new interest.

How soon they can be sent overseas depends on the worldwide fight against the virus, complicated by the recent emergence of the more transmissible delta variant and the slow rollout of vaccines in developing countries  many of which host Peace Corps programs.

Spahn estimates it will be several years before the Peace Corps is back to its full strength. After all, while volunteers in select countries had been evacuated before, March 2020 marked the first time since the organization was founded by President John F. Kennedy that it had to evacuate all its volunteers at the same time.

Since its creation in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in scores of countries. The goal is to help the countries meet their development needs with a wide variety of programs  from education to health and agriculture programs  while helping promote a better understanding of Americans.

Typical service lasts two years after a training period, the length of which depends on the country and the program. During the pandemic most Peace Corps staff, both U.S. citizens and local hires, remained in place and, in some cases, kept up some programs. Some former volunteers even worked remotely on development projects from the United States, receiving a small stipend for their work.

Heading back overseas is nonetheless a daunting undertaking between the required training and rebuilding of programs. Areas that have few returning volunteers will also lose the institutional, cross-cultural and local knowledge typically passed on by departing volunteers to their successors.

It's not just the Peace Corps that has had to recall thousands from remote reaches of the globe and navigate the aftermath.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had to send home about 26,000 missionaries tasked with recruiting new members to the faith known widely as the Mormon church. Many pivoted to doing missions in their home countries with a focus on online work.

In November, the church began sending missionaries back into the field and, in June of this year, the church reopened its missionary training centers in Utah, the Philippines and Mexico.

All missionaries from the United States who serve overseas are required to be vaccinated, said church spokesperson Sam Penrod. Missionaries who do not want to be vaccinated will be assigned to missions in their home countries.

The church is taking a careful approach when assigning missionaries outside of their home country, based upon local conditions and following the guidance of government and health officials," he said in an email.

As time goes by, potential recruits and returnees are moving on.

Cullen O'Donnell, 25, originally from Mentor, Ohio, served two years with the Peace Corps in Ecuador teaching English and then extended for a third year. He was planning another year, working on the Galapagos Islands, when COVID-19 hit.

He'd still like to go back  then again with Peace Corps its very vague: Yeah were hoping to get back to the field, but it keeps getting pushed back.

So he's getting on with his life. He now has a fulfilling job at a school for at-risk students in Pennsylvania and was just accepted to graduate school.

The Peace Corps has been accepting new applications throughout the pandemic, but in June the agency began planning for a return to Belize after the government there asked for volunteers who could help local schools recover from the pandemic's disruptions. But there is no indication when the first trainees would be sent to the tiny country tucked between Mexico and Guatemala.

A few volunteers refused to be evacuated but their Peace Corps service was ended, Spahn said. Despite their truncated service, volunteers are eligible for the variety of benefits typically afforded those who complete the two years  including resettlement payments, preferred hiring status for federal jobs and special scholarships.

But those former volunteers  like Beach  could help seed the revived Peace Corps, Spahn said.

Beach hadn't been able to say goodbye. Her students had missed her.

The time when Madam Beach left Malawi, lots of things went wrong especially in our class, said Aness Leman Filimoni, who is in her last year of high school. Madam Beach was teaching us English but when she left, the school could not find a suitable replacement.

Beach is now teaching her usual two classes a day, five days a week. Shes also helping finish up a girls dormitory built in part with a Peace Corps grant.

Just before the pandemic, there were 108 volunteers in Malawi. Peace Corps Malawi Director Amber Lucero-Dwyer, who stayed, has seen a handful of former volunteers return on their own  although she thought most were visiting, not staying indefinitely as Beach is.

We have tried to be as creative as possible to determine what can we do, what core Peace Corps work can we do in the absence of volunteers, Lucero-Dwyer said.

Beach was originally sent to Malawi just weeks after her college graduation, and was scheduled to complete her service in August 2020; if she's able to return to service, she doesn't know how long the stint would last.

Regardless, she's found her niche.

It's what I feel I'm meant to do, Beach said of what she sees as the calling that drew her to the Peace Corps and ultimately Malawi. It wasn't a very windy road.



Ring reported from Stowe, Vermont.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden pledged firmly Friday to bring all Americans home from Afghanistan  and all Afghans who aided the war effort, too  as officials confirmed that U.S. military helicopters flew beyond the Kabul airport to scoop up 169 Americans seeking to evacuate.

Bidens promises came as thousands more Americans and others seeking to escape the Taliban struggled to get past crushing crowds, Taliban airport checkpoints and sometimes-insurmountable U.S. bureaucracy.

We will get you home, Biden promised Americans who were still in Afghanistan days after the Taliban retook control of Kabul, ending a two-decade war.

The president's comments, delivered at the White House, were intended to project purpose and stability at the conclusion of a week during which images from Afghanistan more often suggested chaos, especially at the airport.

His commitment to find a way out for Afghan allies vulnerable to Taliban attacks amounted to a potentially vast expansion of Washingtons promises, given the tens of thousands of translators and other helpers, and their close family members, seeking evacuation.

Were making the same commitment to Afghan wartime helpers as to U.S. citizens, Biden said, offering the prospect of assistance to Afghans who largely have been fighting individual battles to get the documents and passage into the airport that they need to leave. He called the Afghan allies equally important in the evacuations.

Meanwhile, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had disconcerting news for the lawmakers he briefed Friday, confirming that Americans are among those who have been beaten by the Taliban at airport checkpoints.

Biden is facing continuing criticism as videos and news reports depict pandemonium and occasional violence outside the airport.

I made the decision on the timing of the U.S. withdrawal, he said, his tone firm as he declared that it was going to lead to difficult scenes, no matter when. Former President Donald Trump had set the departure for May in negotiations with the Taliban, but Biden extended it.

Thousands of people remain to be evacuated ahead of Bidens Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw most remaining U.S. troops. Flights were stopped for several hours Friday because of a backup at a transit point for the refugees, a U.S. airbase in Qatar, but they resumed in the afternoon, including to Bahrain.

Still, potential evacuees faced continuing problems getting into the airport. The Belgian foreign ministry confirmed that one of its planes took off empty because the people who were supposed to be aboard couldnt get in.

A defense official said about 5,700 people, including about 250 Americans, were flown out of Kabul aboard 16 C-17 transport planes, guarded by a temporary U.S. military deployment thats building to 6,000 troops. On each of the previous two days, about 2,000 people were airlifted.

Biden said 169 Americans had been brought to the airport from beyond its perimeter, but he provided no details. Later, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the 169 had gathered at the Baron Hotel near the airport and were flown across the airport perimeter to safety Thursday. He said they were transported by three U.S. military CH-47 helicopters.

Kirby said the helicopters took no hostile fire. He added that the Americans initially were going to walk the short distance from the hotel to an airport gate, but a crowd outside the gate changed the plan.

Separately, senior American military officials told The Associated Press that a U.S. helicopter picked up Afghans, mostly women and children, and ferried them to the airport Friday. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the Armys 82nd Airborne Division airlifted the Afghans from Camp Sullivan, near the Kabul airport. Those officials commented only on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.

Kirby said he was not aware of any such Friday helicopter mission.

For those living in cities and provinces outside Kabul, CIA case officers, special operation forces and agents from the Defense Intelligence Agency on the ground are gathering some U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked for the U.S. at predetermined pick-up sites.

The officials would not detail where these airlift sites were for security reasons. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing operations.

In Washington, some veterans in Congress were calling on the Biden administration to extend a security perimeter beyond the Kabul airport so more Afghans could get through.

The lawmakers also said they want Biden to make clearer that the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops is not a firm one.

The deadline is contributing to the chaos and the panic at the airport because you have Afghans who think that they have 10 days to get out of this country or that door is closing forever, said Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., who served in Iraq and also worked in Afghanistan to help aid workers provide humanitarian relief.

With mobs of people outside the airport and Taliban fighters ringing its perimeter, the U.S. renewed its advisory to Americans and others that it could not guarantee safe passage for any of those desperately seeking seats on the planes inside. The Taliban are regularly firing into the air to try to control the crowds, sending men, women and children running.

The advisory captured some of the pandemonium, and what many Afghans and foreigners see as their life-and-death struggle to get inside. It said: We are processing people at multiple gates. Due to large crowds and security concerns, gates may open or close without notice. Please use your best judgment and attempt to enter the airport at any gate that is open.

While Biden has previously blamed Afghans for the U.S. failure to get out more allies ahead of this months sudden Taliban takeover, U.S. officials told The AP that American diplomats had formally urged weeks ago that the administration ramp up evacuation efforts.

Biden said Friday he had gotten a wide variety of time estimates, though all were pessimistic about the Afghan government surviving.

He has said he was following the advice of Afghanistans U.S.-backed president, Ashraf Ghani, in not earlier expanding U.S. efforts to fly out translators and other endangered Afghans. Ghani fled the country last weekend as the Taliban seized the capital.

Biden has also said many at-risk Afghan allies had not wanted to leave the country. But refugee groups point to yearslong backlogs of applications from thousands of those Afghans for visas that would let them take refuge in the United States.

Afghans and the Americans trying to help them also say the administration has clung to visa requirements for would-be evacuees that involve more than a dozen steps, and can take years to complete. Those often have included requirements that the Taliban sweep has made dangerous or impossible  such as requiring Afghans to go to a third country to apply for a U.S. visa, and produce paperwork showing their work with Americans.



LaPorta reported from Boca Raton, Florida. Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Josh Boak, Lolita C. Baldor and Kevin Freking contributed from Washington.
PHOENIX (AP)  An Arizona state senator who resigned after being arrested early this month on child molestation charges has been indicted, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

The indictment charges Tony Navarrete with six felony counts related to sexual contact he's accused of having with a boy. He's charged with one count for alleged contact with a second boy.

Navarrete is a Democrat who represented parts of west Phoenix and Glendale. He resigned from the Senate on Aug. 10. He released a statement that day saying, I adamantly deny all allegations that have been made and will pursue all avenues in an effort to prove my innocence.

The first victim, a now-16-year-old boy, told Phoenix Police detectives that Navarrete molested him starting when he was 12 or 13 years old and continued until he was 15. A police probable cause statement said he admitted the crimes in phone call with the boy recorded by police.

He was arrested Aug. 5 and released on $50,000 bond two days later. A prosecutor said at his initial court appearance that he faced a mandatory minimum of 49 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will chose a replacement to serve the remainder of his Senate term.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker joined calls Friday for an investigation into the Biden administrations withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Citing reports that more than 15,000 American citizens were still in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over, Smucker called the Biden administrations response was repugnant and show[s] a disastrous lack of leadership, in a statement released Friday.

When President Biden finally addressed the nation, he doubled down on his argument to withdraw and blamed others for his failures, said Smucker, a Republican who represents Lancaster County and the southern York County in the House. This was unacceptable, we know the Taliban was not living up to their side of the deal. Our Commander in Chief should have adjusted our military plans accordingly, not blindly pursue a doomed promise.

In his lengthy and condemnatory statement, Smucker also had a message for Biden saying this is not about why we were there, this is about how you had no plan to leave.

The fatally flawed decision of turning the keys over to an Afghan government who was so quickly overcome by the Taliban has resulted in grave danger not only to American lives, but our Afghan allies who helped keep our nation safe against the threat of terrorists, Smucker added.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat representing Pennsylvania, said earlier this week that the entire 20-year Afghanistan war should be investigated. Casey did not criticize Biden or former President Donald Trump by name, and instead said it was not the time to point fingers for blame on the issue.

Smucker told the York Dispatch in March 2020 that he was skeptical that the Taliban could maintain good-faith negotiations, and any final agreements must not compromise the United States national security and must include strong accountability and oversight measures tied to US troop withdrawal.

"Ultimately, it is the Afghani people that must chart their own political future and this agreement enables them to do so, Smucker said at the time.

Not mentioned in any of Smuckers statements so far was a reference to former President Trumps original plan to remove all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by May.

Smucker encouraged any resident in the 11th Congressional District who needs repatriation assistance or has family in Afghanistan to contact his office at https://smucker.house.gov/contact/email.
When: Conestoga Valley school board meeting, Aug. 16, in person with board members Philip Benigno and Diane Martin attending via Zoom.

What happened: Superintendent Dave Zuilkoski reiterated Conestoga Valley will not require students and employees to wear masks during the school day under the districts health and safety plan. Zuilkoski said as the start of school gets closer, he has received suggestions from both sides of the issue, but that wearing a mask at school will be an individual decision. Taking the opposite position, Conestoga Valley Education Association President Tara Flick, a biology teacher at the high school, spoke in favor of requiring students and staff to wear masks. She said she was making this request for the unvaccinated, including students under the age of 12.

Quotable: As we have learned in this pandemic period, things can change very quickly. And this delta variant is more dangerous, Flick said. Im asking the board to consider that in a vote that you could literally be saving someones life.

Board comments: Board member Lisa Whitacre said she thinks most people agree the district should have as many students in school as possible for in-person learning, but part of the way CV was able to do that last year was by requiring masks and social distancing. While she acknowledged the board voted on the health and safety plan earlier this summer, she said the number of COVID-19 cases has increased since then. Whitacre said, The use of masks may be a prudent and proactive measure. Board member Idette Groff said she is especially worried about students under the age of 12 who cannot get vaccinated. I think we have to be ready to turn on a dime with this, Groff said. I take our responsibility to keep those kids safe very seriously.

Public comments: Of the approximately 35 residents who attended the meeting, four spoke during the public comment period. Andrew Brooks, Kelly Miller, Tracy Burkholder and Kate Hostetter spoke out against requiring students to wear masks. Both Brooks and Miller have made similar comments at previous board meetings. Hostetter said she is not an anti-vaxxer by any means, but she doesnt want her kindergartner to have to wear a mask.

Quotable: I think this has so many effects on kids we will see down the road that we dont see now, Hostetter said.

Whats next: The board made no changes to the health and safety plan at the meeting. The board will meet next at 7 p.m. Sept. 13.
When: Eastern Lancaster County school board meeting, Aug. 16.

What happened: Mask-wearing will be optional in the new school under a health and safety plan the board approved. The board also decided the district will no longer submit its contact-tracing data to the state Department of Health but instead will collect and report this information on an internal basis. The few community members who did comment were largely in support of the boards decision.

How they voted: Board members voted 9-0 on the mask-optional plan despite new recommendations that Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health shared with school officials recently, stating schools should implement universal mask requirements along with other mitigation strategies to prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 and limit disruptions to in-person learning this school year. The Pennsylvania departments of health and education, while not mandating mask-wearing, have urged districts to follow guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calling for universal mask-wearing in schools regardless of vaccination status.

Local decision: Although the Elanco board voiced informal support for adopting mask-optional policies at its Aug. 9 meeting, the district formed a subcommittee to produce an alternative version of its health and safety plan that would address board concerns over screening and contact-tracing protocols, as well as mask usage on school buses.

Quotable: This was one of the most involved discussions, on putting something in its place, that Ive ever experienced in my time on the board here, board President Thomas Wentzel said, adding the administration took the best approach we could as a district.

Need to know: Masks will be optional in academic buildings due to the ability to layer mitigating strategies in the classroom and hallways but will be recommended on elementary and secondary school buses. To properly maintain a district-run contact tracing system, the safety plan states a school-based health team will be organized to review and analyze COVID-19 cases throughout the district to determine if there is a need for further (preventative) action. In accordance with its latest contact tracing protocols, district schools will send home students and staff members with severe symptoms identified by nurses as being closely associated with COVID-19, recommend testing based on the nature and severity of the symptoms, instruct individuals who test positive for the coronavirus to quarantine for the number of days based on their (or a district) doctors recommendation, and notify other students and staff members who were within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more of a positive case. These mitigation and prevention procedures were added to replace the majority of the diagnostic and screening policies from last years health and safety plan.

Superintendent search: Last week, board members accepted the retirement of Bob Hollister as district superintendent effective Jan. 24, 2022. The board has chosen the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 to conduct the search for a new superintendent at no cost to the district.

Contract extension: The board approved a new five-year contract for Assistant Superintendent Nadine Larkin, effective July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2027. She will be salaried at $175,350 in 2022-23, with a potential annual increase based on performance.
LEBANON  Lebanon City Council awarded $200,000 of federal COVID-19 relief money to Lebanon County Christian Ministries (LCCM) for a new homeless shelter.

The funds will go toward renovating First Evangelical Congregational Church and its adjacent church hall at South Sixth and Chestnut streets, according to Lebtown. At a special city council meeting Aug. 13, Mayor Sherry Capello said a local charity, the Laurie & Dave Foundation, is negotiating to purchase the properties to lease to the LCCM. David and Laurie Funk told Lebtown on Aug. 16 that they had a sales agreement with the church.

LCCM previously ran its FRESH Start Emergency Shelter and Resource Center to support the homeless at several participating churches by rotating the location every two weeks. The use of multiple shelters made it too difficult to respond to and prevent the spread of COVID-19, so the pandemic forced the operation to shut down.

FRESH Start clients were moved to the Hammock Hotel on Quentin Road in Lebanon at an additional cost.

Developing a single location to house the homeless is an authorized use of 2020 CARES Act funds issued through community development block grants. The emergency funding for state and local governments is meant to support the public health response and boost economic recovery.

According to Lebtown, Capello said the CARES Act funds are authorized for the homeless shelter because it allows for easier disease control and assists low-income citizens.

Lebanon had to approve a plan for the COVID-19 relief money by Aug. 16.
BEIJING (AP)  Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has vowed to hold officials accountable over mistakes during recent floods that led to the deaths of hundreds of people in a major provincial capital, including 14 who were trapped when the citys subway system was inundated.

More than than 300 people were killed in last month's floods in Henan province, including at least 292 in the provincial capital Zhengzhou.

Li on Thursday visited the tunnel of the Zhengzhous subway line where passengers recorded harrowing video of flood waters pouring in and filling cars above head height on July 20.

City residents, who laid flowers at a station entrance despite police efforts to block off the area, have complained that officials should have closed the subway because of torrential rains.

China regularly suffers seasonal flooding, but this year has been particularly severe with torrential rains reaching from the center of the country as far north as Beijing.

The floods came on top of efforts to contain an outbreak of the delta variant of COVID-19 that has particularly affected Henan and the eastern province of Jiangsu.

Chinas worst floods in recent years were in 1998, when more than 2,000 people were killed and almost 3 million homes were destroyed, mostly along Chinas mightiest river, the Yangtze.

Direct losses from this summers flooding are estimated at more than $14 billion.

Li was once a top official in Henan for six years, during which the province was hit by a major AIDS outbreak, deadly fires and other man-made disasters. He was promoted to higher office in Beijing and had at one time been seen as China's potential future president and party secretary before being eclipsed by Xi Jinping.
BOSTON  Taliban websites that delivered the victorious insurgents official messages to Afghans and the world at large in five languages have abruptly gone offline.

It is not immediately clear why the sites in the Pashto, Urdu, Arabic, English and Dari languages went offline Friday. They had been shielded by Cloudflare, a San Francisco-based content delivery network and denial-of-service protection provider.

Cloudflare has not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment on the development, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Also Friday, the popular encrypted messaging service WhatsApp removed a number of Taliban groups, according to Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online extremism.

The websites disappearance may just be temporary as the Taliban secures new hosting arrangements. But the reported removal of the WhatsApp groups followed the banning of Taliban accounts by Facebook, the services parent company, on Tuesday after the U.S.-backed Afghan government fell to the Taliban.



MORE ON THE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN:

 Report: Taliban killed minorities, fueling Afghans fears

 US struggles to speed Kabul airlift despite Taliban, chaos

 Western groups desperate to save Afghan workers left behind

 Allies embraced Biden. Did Kabul lay bare "great illusion"?

 Afghan president latest leader on the run to turn up in UAE

 Afghanistan war unpopular amid chaotic pullout: AP-NORC poll

 Afghan officer who fought with US forces rescued from Kabul



 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan



HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  Secretary of State Antony Blinken says 13 countries have thus far agreed to at least temporarily host at-risk Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan and a dozen more have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.

Blinken says in a Friday statement that potential Afghan refugees not already cleared for resettlement in the United States will be housed at facilities in Albania, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Rwanda, Ukraine and Uganda.

Transit countries include Bahrain, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

Blinken says: We are encouraged by other countries that are also considering providing support. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas and to fulfill our commitments to citizens of partner nations and at-risk Afghans.



KABUL, Afghanistan  U.S. helicopters have ferried 96 Afghans to the Kabul airport for evacuation, signaling that U.S. military flights are taking place beyond the airport perimeters in the Afghan capital.

Senior American military officials told The Associated Press that an American CH-47 Chinook helicopter picked up the Afghans, mostly women and children, and ferried them to Hamid Karzai International Airport on Friday. U.S. Armys 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division airlifted the Afghans from Camp Sullivan, near the Kabul airport.

The officials say sorties like this one have been underway for days as Afghans seek to flee the country taken over by the Taliban. Intelligence teams inside Kabul are helping guide both Americans and Afghans and their families to the airport or are arranging for them to be rescued by other means.

For those living in other cities and provinces outside Kabul, CIA case officers, special operation forces and agents from the Defense Intelligence Agency on the ground are gathering U.S. citizens and Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. at pre-determined pick-up sites.

The officials would not detail where these airlift sites were for security reasons. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing operations.

James La Porta in Boca Raton, Florida.



MOSCOW  Uzbekistan says it has sent 150 Afghan refugees who fled from the Taliban takeover back to Afghanistan, in accord with their own wishes.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the move followed talks with the Taliban, who have pledged not to persecute those who come back.

The ministry said it has contacted the Taliban to obtain security guarantees for citizens of Afghanistan who illegally crossed the border during those dramatic days as the Taliban blitzed across the country, just weeks before the final U.S. and NATO pullout.

It said the ministry learned from those Afghans who returned from Uzbekistan that they were now safe at their homes after the necessary formal procedures. The ministry did not elaborate.

The ministry noted that Uzbekistan was cooperating with the countries working to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan, including the United States, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and others. It said the country has allowed them to use its airspace and airports and provided the necessary technical and logistical support to help evacuate a total of 1,982 people.



WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden says his administration is also committed to evacuating Afghans who assisted the United States during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.

Biden spoke at a White House press conference on Friday, vowing to evacuate every American still in Afghanistan who wants to get out. Bidens said no American citizens who want to leave the country will be left behind.

Biden was asked whether all Afghan allies will be evacuated. He responded, Yes. Were making the same commitment to evacuate Afghan allies as has been made to Americans in Afghanistan.

The exact number of Afghans who qualify for evacuation is not clear, but it is believed to number in the tens of thousands.



WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is pledging to evacuate any American currently in Afghanistan who wants to come home.

Biden made the promise on Friday as he provided an update on the tense situation in Afghanistan. The president has been under mounting pressure over his decisions in Afghanistan, which led to the Taliban completely taking over the country on Sunday.

Thousands of Americans, Afghans are clamoring to leave and chaotic scenes have unfolded at Kabuls international airport.

Addressing Americans in Afghanistan, Biden said: Let me be clear. Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.



WASHINGTON  U.S. officials say that American military planes will resume evacuation flights from the Kabul airport after an hours-long pause due to a lack of places available to take evacuees.

One official said there was a backlog on Friday of about 10,000 people at the airport who have been cleared for departure and were awaiting flights.

The backlog, in turn, caused the military to close gates at the airport perimeter, where many people are trying to get on flights. The State Department was working on arranging additional places to take the evacuees.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matter not yet publicly announced ahead of President Joe Bidens speech Friday on the situation in Kabul.

Robert Burns in Washington;

This item has been corrected to say that flights are to resume, not that they have resumed.



MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has sharply criticized the United States and its allies over their role in Afghanistan.

The Russian leader spoke on Friday after his talks in Moscow with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He said that the Talibans quick sweep over Afghanistan showed the futility of Western efforts to enforce its own vision of democracy.

Its necessary to stop the irresponsible efforts of the U.S. to enforce its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries ... without taking into account historic, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoring other peoples traditions, Putin said.

Putin said that we know the country well and became convinced that its counterproductive to try to enforce forms of government and social life that are alien to it.

The remark was an apparent reference to the 10-year Soviet war in Afghanistan that ended with the Soviet troops withdrawal in 1989.

Putin noted the Talibans pledge to maintain public order and protect civilians and foreign diplomatic missions. He made no reference to reports of atrocities underway across Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover.



ROME  The U.N. food agency says it has been able to negotiate access with the Taliban to distribute aid in one provincial capital in Afghanistan but hasnt been able to resume food deliveries to three other provincial capitals it supplies.

The World Food Program, headquartered in Rome, has said that some 14 million people are facing severe hunger in the nation of some 39 million. A second drought in three years, combined with fighting, had afflicted Afghanistan even before the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.

Andrew Patterson, WFPs deputy country director, told The Associated Press on Friday that after Faizabad, a provincial capital in the north, fell to the Taliban last week, the agencys field office succeeded in negotiating access with the local Taliban command, and we had (a food) truck on the road the next day.

However, Patterson said the situation in Kandahar, Herat and Jalalabad so far hasnt allowed the U.N. agency to resume distributing food in those areas.

According to WFP estimates, some 2 million children are malnourished in Afghanistan.



BRUSSELS  NATO foreign ministers vowed on Friday to center their efforts on assuring the safe evacuation from Afghanistan of citizens from the alliances member countries and allies, as well and Afghans deemed at risk after the takeover by the Taliban.

During a virtual meeting, the ministers also expressed concern over the grave events in Afghanistan and called for an immediate end to violence amid reports of Taliban atrocities and serious human rights violations and abuses across Afghanistan.

The ministers insisted that the new rulers in Kabul would have to make sure that the nation does not become a center for terrorism. They said that under the current circumstances, NATO has suspended all support to the Afghan authorities.

Any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistans international obligations . And ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists, a statement from the alliance said.



BERLIN  Germanys foreign minister says the United States will use its Ramstein Air Base in western Germany as a temporary transit point to transport people from Afghanistan seeking protection to the United States.

Germany, like other Western countries, has sent military aircraft of its own to Afghanistan in recent days to evacuate German nationals and Afghans who worked for its forces prior to their withdrawal amid the Taliban surge.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement on Friday that the focus is on evacuating as many people from Kabul as is possible under the very difficult circumstances and that Germany is working closely with international partners.

Maas said: We agree with all our partners on the ground that no place on our planes should remain empty. He said that, as a result, U.S. flights will also take Germans or people named by German authorities to Ramstein, while Germany also will evacuate people from various nations on its own planes.



PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron sent a message of welcome in a tweet on Friday to Afghans evacuated to France, following the arrival from Kabul of a third group of more than 200 people, mostly Afghans.

He also noted that health rules are not being forgotten, posting photos of Afghans surrounded by doctors and a man getting a COVID-19 test, obligatory for all arrivals.

All people coming to France from Afghanistan must observe a 10-day quarantine under pandemic restrictions because their country is on the French red list of color-coded risks for coronavirus, with red the highest, the Foreign Ministry noted Thursday.

To ensure that France and other nations can continue evacuations, Macron insisted in a phone call with President Joe Biden of the absolute need for rapid and concrete coordination among allies, according to a French statement Friday about the conversation the day before.

The U.S. military is in charge of the evacuations at Kabul airport, meaning that other countries must go through them to evacuate their own citizens and Afghans considered at risk in their homeland following the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.



ROME  A retired Italian general who commanded Italys initial contingent in western Afghanistan in 2001 says NATOs retreat should have been planned for winter, after the end of the Talibans so-called fighting season.

Gen. Giorgio Battisti, in an interview on Sky TG24 TV Friday, also said the U.S. air base at Bagram should have been left operating during withdrawal to help evacuate civilians.

Probably, in my modest opinion, it was necessary to spread out the final withdrawal, assuming one wanted to completely leave Afghanistan, Battisti said.

He contended that militarily it would have been better to pull out after the end of the traditional fighting season, which lasts from spring through much of autumn.

Instead, they left in the middle of fighting season, left, like thieves in the night, this immense base of Bagram, the general said.

Noting that Bagram is some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Kabul, he suggested it could have served as a second escape valve for thousands of citizens now clamoring to get into the one operational airport at Kabul or for those who cant make it through Taliban checkpoints along the way.



LONDON  Britains embattled foreign minister has defended his decision not to call while on vacation his Afghan counterpart about the evacuation of translators who had helped British forces.

Dominic Raab has come under increasing pressure to resign for failing to follow the advice of officials in his department to make a call to Hanif Atmar on Aug. 13, while he was vacationing on the Greek island of Crete.

Two days later, the Taliban took over Afghanistan, 20 years after they had been ousted from power, and Raab headed back to the U.K. after cutting his vacation short to deal with the crisis.

Raab on Friday posted a statement on Twitter to counter what he described as inaccurate media reporting over recent days. He said he prioritized security at Kabul airport and delegated the call to a junior minister in his department.

Raab said Atmar wasnt able to take that call because of the rapidly deteriorating situation.



WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister says his government has taken on the responsibility as a NATO member to organize the evacuation of some 300 Afghans who have cooperated with the military alliance.

Mateusz Morawiecki said Friday on Facebook that following his talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Poland will be evacuating from Kabul 300 Afghans who in recent years cooperated with NATO. He did not elaborate what that cooperation entailed.

They will be brought to Poland and then on to other NATO countries, which Morawiecki did not name.

Morawiecki said that Poland is taking seriously its obligations within the alliance and that the evacuation was not the last word from Poland in the NATO response to the crisis in Afghanistan. Poland has been a NATO member since 1999.

In three previous flights, Poland has evacuated some 130 Afghans and another 100 are waiting at the Kabul airport, according to Michal Dworczyk, a top aide to Morawiecki. They were first flown on Polish military planes to Uzbekistan and then on national carrier LOT planes to Warsaw.



COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Swedens Foreign Minister Ann Linde said that her ministry is aware of the great difficulties in getting to the airport and through the gates amid the chaos at the airport in the Afghan capital.

Linde was writing on Twitter on Friday about plans to evacuate Swedes and local hires in Kabul from the country following the Taliban takeover.

All countries are experiencing this problem and we are working on possible solutions at the airport in cooperation with other countries, Linde wrote.

She said her Foreign Ministry had staff at the Kabul airport with resources needed for further evacuation work, and added that transport capacity is available.

Linde stressed that it is important to follow the information and always put safety first.



MADRID  Spains defense minister says the countrys military transport planes are leaving Kabul partly empty because chaos at the citys airport is preventing Afghans from evacuating.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Friday that one Afghan family taken out by Spain had left behind a daughter they lost in the airport crush.

She told Spanish public radio RNE that an ideal solution would be to set up corridors into the airport, but thats impossible because nobodys in control of the situation.

She said that after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country, the airports air traffic controllers and security staff walked out, rendering it inoperative until U.S. forces took it over.

She said the U.S. has given assurances that its forces wont leave the airport until the last person awaiting evacuation is out.



WARSAW, Poland  A Polish diplomat says the most difficult thing in evacuating Afghans is finding and extracting them from pressing crowds at the Kabul airport. Poland has so far evacuated a few hundred people in three flights.

Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said Friday that sometimes consulate staff can identify the individuals in the crowd but that it was difficult for them to make their way through to the gate to be pulled into the airport.

There are thousands of totally determined people in the crowd, in extremely difficult conditions pressing on the walls and gates of the airport, Przydacz told reporters.

From this desperate crowd, sometimes understandably aggressive crowd, our people are trying to extract those who are on our list, Przydacz said.

The transport logistics goes very smoothly but the greatest challenge now is how to find these people. Even if we know where they are, and sometimes our consuls can see them 40-50 meters (yards) away, they have no possibility of getting closer, Przydacz said.

These people must first of all, on their own, get as close as they can to the entrance to have not only eye contact but real contact with the consul, because very often these people are simply pulled by the hand, jerked from the crowd with the help of the soldiers, Przydacz said.

A former ambassador to Afghanistan, Piotr Lukasiewicz, has appealed to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on social media to send more evacuation planes to Kabul.



WASHINGTON  The United States says it evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Kabul via military transport aircraft on Aug. 19.

In a Friday statement, the White House said multiple C-17 flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport evacuated nearly 350 U.S. citizens, as well as family members of U.S. citizens, asylum applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans.

We have evacuated approximately 9,000 people since August 14. Since the end of July, we have evacuated approximately 14,000 people, it said.

It added that in the last 24 hours, the U.S. military facilitated the departure of 11 charter flights, and that those numbers were not included in the other totals.



COPENHAGEN, Denmark  The Danish Defense Ministry is urging interpreters who have worked with them and need evacuation from Kabul to urgently make contact.

In a message sent by Twitter Friday, it urged the interpreters to contact an included email address, saying: Urgent  Urgent Contact Danish Authorities NOW.

The tweet ended with We will do our best to assist.



BERLIN  Germany says a civilian suffered a gunshot wound before being evacuated from Kabul on a German air force plane.

German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Friday that the wounded person was not in a life-threatening condition, but didnt immediately further details about the person or incident.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said Germany is providing 100 million euros in immediate funding for humanitarian aid inside Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

He said the money would exclusively go to aid organizations, particularly UNHCR, and not to the Taliban.



KABUL, Afghanistan  An Afghan official familiar with talks with the Taliban says the group does not plan to make any decisions or announcements about the upcoming government until after the Aug. 31 U.S. withdrawal date passes.

The official, who is not authorized to give information to the media and thus spoke anonymously, says Taliban lead negotiator Anas Haqqani has told his ex-government interlocuters that the insurgent movement has a deal with the U.S. to do nothing until after the final withdrawal date passes.

He did not elaborate on whether the reference to doing nothing was only in the political field. Haqqanis statement raises concerns about what the religious movement might be planning after Aug. 31, and whether they will keep their promise to include non-Taliban officials in the next government.

Until now the Taliban have said nothing of their plans to replace the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, or what a replacement would look like.



VATICAN CITY  The Vaticans newspaper is calling on the international community to welcome Afghan civilians fleeing the Taliban, expressing incredulousness that before deciding to abandon the country no one thought through such a foreseeable scenario or did anything to avoid it.

In a front-page article in the Friday edition of LOsservatore Romano, deputy editor Gaetano Vallini said the West was obliged to urgently remedy the situation with concrete action and welcome refugees to avoid a catastrophic humanitarian emergency.

The commentary was an unusually blunt criticism of the U.S., though Washington wasnt singled out by name. After expressing shock at the chaos created by the U.S.-led Western withdrawal, Gallini wrote: It would be even more serious if such a decision was taken with the knowledge of such dramatic consequences.

Pope Francis has expressed alarm at the chaos that has engulfed Afghanistan with the Taliban takeover. During his Sunday blessing, Francis asked for prayers for an end to the violence and for Afghan men, women and children to be able to live in fully reciprocal peace and security.



KABUL, Afghanistan  Friday prayers were uneventful in the Afghan capital, with no Taliban gunmen seen guarding the entrances of mosques or enforcing dress code restrictions as they have in the past. Some mosques even saw higher numbers than normal in attendance.

The Islamic-fundamentalist Taliban issued guidance to imams around Afghanistan on Thursday, saying they should use the weekly sermons and prayers to appeal for unity, urge people not to flee the country, and to counter negative propaganda about them.

The benefits of state should be explained to all, a commission of Taliban monitoring religious affairs and mosques said in the guidance they circulated.

Kabul resident Jawed Safi was please to see the mosques secure. The Afghan government had previously posted guards at mosques to ward off attackers due to frequent bombings in the past.

People were as normal, as in the past, but there were more of them, Safi said, adding that there were no restrictions so far.

An imam in eastern Kabul, Bashir Wardak, said that Afghans should unite to stop the decadeslong bloodshed. Allah has ordered us to peace and brotherhood so we must get united, he said.

Abdul Boghdi, another imam in northern Kabul, said that people together should collect money to help those displaced.

One attendee, Qasim Ahmadi, saw people wearing jeans attend prayers as usual. There should be no restrictions on us, we are already Muslims, he said. The Taliban should aim for an inclusive government in order to be successful.

Thousand of internally displaced people are living on the streets and in the parks of Kabul, with limited access to drinking water and food. Some reports indicate that their situation has worsened since the Taliban overran the capital, causing donors to shy away.



JAKARTA, Indonesia  Indonesia has evacuated 26 of its citizens, including 5 diplomats, from Kabul on a special military flight to Jakarta.

Indonesias foreign minister Retno Marsudi said in a tweet that the Friday flight that would land later in the day also carried five Filipinos and two Afghans, including the spouse of an Indonesian national and a local staff member of the Indonesian Embassy.

The Indonesian military aircraft carrying out this mission is now in Islamabad and will proceed to Indonesia soon, Marsudi said.

The ministrys spokesperson, Teuku Faizasyah said the evacuation was planned once the Taliban took control of the capital and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.



KABUL, Afghanistan  Life is returning to normal for some Afghans in the capital, although Kabuls normally crowded streets appear empty of their usual traffic congestion.

The Taliban have not imposed any restrictions on people so far, as they prepare for Friday prayers. Having a long beard and wearing traditional hats and clothes were required while the group was ruling the country in the late 90s.

Fewer stores have opened, and few cars could be seen on the streets. Taliban checkpoints have sprung up around the city, searching cars and checking documents. Some Taliban are patrolling in cars as well.



MADRID  Top European Union officials will visit a Spanish military airport being used as a hub to receive Afghans flown out of Kabul before they are distributed to other countries in the bloc.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Friday that EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel will visit a temporary camp at the Torrejon de Ardoz military airport near Madrid on Saturday.

Albares told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE that Spain is receiving evacuated Afghans who have worked for EU bodies or EU member nations.

The evacuees are expected to spend several days at the camp for health and security screening before moving to reception centers ahead of their journeys to other European countries.



ISLAMABAD  Pakistans state-run airline has resumed special flights for Kabul, in order to evacuate Pakistanis and foreigners stranded in Afghanistan.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet said Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will send its two planes to the Afghan capital on Friday to evacuate 350 passengers.

Chaudhry says Pakistans interior ministry is also facilitating the evacuation of Pakistanis and foreigners from Afghanistan through border crossings.

The latest development comes days after PIA halted all flights to Kabul to protect passengers, the crew and the planes after consulting the Afghan civil aviation authorities.

Pakistans government has been trying to evacuate its citizens and foreigners by air and land routes since the Taliban took over Kabul.

For this purpose, Pakistan is issuing visas upon arrival to all diplomats, foreigners and journalists who want to leave Kabul over security concerns.



BERLIN  Germany says it has flown out more than 1,600 people from Kabul this week.

The Defense Ministry on Friday said that the German military has carried out 11 evacuation flights so far, with more planned.

The German government has pledged to help bring all citizens and local Afghan staff who worked for the German military, aid groups or news organizations out of the country.

Senior German officials have also said efforts will be made to help Afghans who are particularly vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban, such as human rights defenders.

But Germanys commanding officer in Kabul, Gen. Jens Arlt, said the evacuation has been hampered by the large number of people outside Kabul airport hoping to get onto planes out of Afghanistan.



COPENHAGEN, Denmark  A plane with people who have been evacuated from Afghanistan landed Friday at the Oslo airport in Norway.

Norways Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Norwegian news agency NTB that onboard were citizens from the Scandinavian country, family members to local employees and some other European citizens. Eriksen Soereide didnt give any figures or elaborate.

Among the group were reporters for Norways TV2 and NRK television channels.

The plane arrived from Tbilisi, Georgia.

On Wednesday, a plane with 13 Norwegian citizens, mostly diplomats, arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark.



CANBERRA, Australia  More than 160 Australian and Afghan citizens have been evacuated from Kabul after a third rescue flight, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.

Morrison said 60 Australians and Afghans who helped Australia during the 20-year war were flown to the United Arab Emirates overnight.

The first Australian flight carrying 94 evacuees touched down in the Australian west coast city of Perth on Friday, he said.

Australia could not evacuate parts of Afghanistan beyond the Kabul airport, he added.

The situation in Kabul does remain chaotic, Morrison said. The government has not commented on media reports that Australia plans to evacuate 600 Australians and Afghans.


What a shame and a slap in the face to all the military personnel who served in Afghanistan  when some of them paid the ultimate sacrifice.

I personally helped to build the runway in Kandahar with Pennsylvanias fine 201st Red Horse Squadron, and I stood at attention saluting a flag-draped casket being loaded on a plane heading home.

I recently retired from the military after 25 years serving in the Marines, Air Force and Army; three different branches of service, with deployments in 2003, 2005 and 2008.

Now the Taliban has retaken all we worked for, and there is no one there to stop them from coming to our homeland. Gas prices are over $3 a gallon, and thousands of migrants are trying to cross the southern border every single day.

Our current president and vice president sure do not impress me. I think we need Ted Nugent and Howard Stern in the White House.

Remember, we get old too soon and smart too late.

Joe DeMora

Conestoga
August 20: 20 Africans arrived in Jamestown, VA They were the first Africans to be sold, on record in America, 1619

August 20: 20 Africans arrived in Jamestown, VA They were the first Africans to be sold, on record in America, 1619

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Celebration of Life Set for Lillie Benbow Jackson

The life of District Missionary Lillie Benbow Jackson will be celebrated on Friday, August 27, and Saturday, August 26, at 88th St. Temple Church of God in Christ, 8825 S. Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles. Superintendent Anthony L. Williams, who is the son of Jackson Benbow, is also the host pastor.

Her body will lie in state on Friday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Her homegoing celebration will begin at 11 a.m. All services will take place at 88th St. Temple.

Missionary Jackson was well-known in South Los Angeles for her volunteer work to aid those less fortunate throughout the area. She directed the 88th St. Temples food program for many years, which distributes fresh vegetables and groceries every Friday. People line up for blocks to receive the free food.

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Weve always done community work, recalled Jackson in a 2017 Sentinel interview. My mother and father were giving out bags of groceries in the 1960s before it really became popular. He took money out of his pocket and asked the saints to contribute. Those he helped through the food program later became members of the church and many are still here.

An accomplished organist, she played for 88th Temple and for the Southern California First Jurisdiction Youth Choir. She also co-chaired the jurisdictions Youth Sunshine Band, served as head chaplain of the Womens Department Light District and was a missionary for the South West Light District.

The daughter of the late Bishop Bennie Robert Benbow, Missionary Jackson credited generational blessings for her spirit of giving back. During the Sentinel interview, she said, Ill never retire because Im purpose-driven and if God sends you, you can make it. If people send you, theyll send you back. The Bible says many are called but few are chosen. I believe Im chosen for this work.


A man from Ivory Coast has found a creative way to repurpose footwear that washes up on the beach -- he turns it into artwork.

Aristide Kouame is a 26-year-old artist. But he says no one would know this when they see him going around beach areas picking up flip-flops and other kinds of footwear. They probably think he is gathering the old objects to sell on the street.

But Kouame has recognized the real value of such waste. He has created works of art from the material that can sell for up to $1,000. He cuts the rubber and plastic bottoms from the footwear into pieces and uses them to create large collages.

"This is the rubbish people have thrown into the sea and the sea brings it back to us because it doesn't want it," Kouame told Reuters news agency. He was collecting material from a beach in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital.

"I make art from used shoes...It's a way to give life to the objects that litter the beaches," the artist explained.

Sitting on the floor of a narrow street, Kouame creates shapes, letters and faces with the rubber pieces he picked up on the beach. He even makes his own paint by crushing the material into pieces to create a colored pigment.

His method is not costly and does not harm the environment.

Plastic and other waste -- including large amounts of lost flip-flops -- litter most city beaches in West Africa. The waste is thrown away in cities and carried out to sea. But a lot of it ends up on the beach later.

In just a few years, Kouame's methods have caught the attention of Ivory Coast's art establishment and his works have hung in galleries in Ivory Coast and in other countries.

His work has included large portraits of civil rights and political leaders such as Nelson Mandela. Other pieces were created to draw attention to world problems, including climate change, COVID-19 and economic inequality.

On a recent afternoon in a neighborhood in southern Abidjan, several of Kouame's works were shown in a gallery often visited by foreign art collectors.

The gallerys director joyfully led visitors to three large collages. Each contained about 140 small portraits that Kouame created from flip-flop waste.

The United Nations estimates that about 13 million tons of plastic waste is put into the world's oceans each year. Two of Africa's biggest waste producers, Ghana and Nigeria, share the same Atlantic coastal areas as the beach where Kouame searches for supplies.

For his part, Kouame says he plans to keep collecting and creating. "My goal is to get people to question the issue of their environment, in order to create a better life."

Im Bryan Lynn.

Reuters reported 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

beach n. an area covered with sand and small rocks that is next to the ocean or a lake

flip-flop  n. a kind of open-toed shoe that is usually made of rubber

collage  n. a picture made by sticking small pieces of paper or other materials onto a surface

rubbish  n. things that are thrown because they are not useful anymore

litter  n. pieces of paper and other waste that are left in public places

pigment  n. a substance that give something color

gallery  n. a room or building that is used for showing paintings and other pieces of art to the public

portrait  n. a painting, drawing or photograph of a person


Thousands of Afghans sought to flee the capital Kabul on Monday, a day after Taliban fighters seized the city.

Hundreds of people ran alongside an American military transport plane as it tried to take off at Kabuls international airport. Some climbed onto the sides of the aircraft in hopes of finding a way out of the mountainous, land-locked country.

Videos on social media also showed hundreds of people running across the runway. U.S. soldiers fired warning shots into the air as they sought to keep the area secure. Another video showed a crowd pushing and forcing its way up a set of stairs, trying to board another plane. Some of the people were seen hanging onto the plane just before takeoff.



Shafi Arifi, a 24-year-old man who had a ticket to travel to Uzbekistan on Sunday, was unable to board his plane. It was filled with people who had raced across the runway and climbed aboard.

There was no room for us to stand, Arifi told The Associated Press. 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.

American military officials told the AP the situation at the airport had left seven dead, including several people who fell from the plane. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said U.S. forces killed two people he described as carrying weapons. 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 were halted until people could be cleared from the runway, Kirby added.

The airport chaos came a day after Taliban militants entered Kabul on Sunday without firing a shot. The Talibans arrival led Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to fly out of the country with his vice president and other senior officials.



A group of Taliban fighters took control of the presidential grounds at night after a 9-day offensive that faced little resistance across Afghanistan. The speed of the Taliban offensive has shocked both locals and the international community.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is a Taliban leader involved in peace talks with the U.S. and the Afghan government. He spoke in a video message to Afghans from his office in Doha, Qatar. I am here to announce that we are responsible for your lives and all that pertain to everyday living, Baradar said.

He added, we will provide everything to make your lives better to the strength that has been provided to us by the Almighty who has granted us such a big victory.

Baradars office also released a video of him watching live television coverage of Taliban fighters entering the presidential grounds in Kabul.

Biden and the international community speak

Speaking from the White House on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden said, "The scenes that we're seeing in Afghanistan, they're gut-wrenching. He added, 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."

Biden defended his decision to withdraw American troops from the 20-year conflict. He said, "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."



United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday the world was following events in Afghanistan with a heavy heart and deep disquiet about what lies ahead. He told an emergency meeting of the Security Council: We cannot and must not abandon the people of Afghanistan. At this grave hour, I urge all parties, especially the Taliban, to exercise utmost restraint to protect lives and to ensure that humanitarian needs can be met. Guterres added, I am particularly concerned by accounts of mounting human rights violations against the women and girls of Afghanistan, who fear a return to the darkest days.

How did the Taliban come to power?

The Taliban was formed in the 1990s to fight against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. After the Soviet withdrawal, the group won a two-year civil war and ran the country from 1996 to 2001 under severe Islamic law.

In 2001, a U.S.-led invasion ousted the group for providing refuge to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida - the extremist group that attacked and killed 3,000 Americans in the terrorist event known as September 11. The Taliban then re-grouped across the border in Pakistan to fight against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul.

In 2020, the Taliban signed a peace agreement with the U.S. under the administration of former President Donald Trump. The agreement called for the U.S. to withdraw its forces by May 1, 2021, and for the Taliban to negotiate a power-sharing agreement with the Afghan government.

On April 14, President Biden announced that U.S. troops would be fully withdrawn by Sept. 11, 2021. U.S. forces, however, left Bagram airfield at the end of June, effectively ending U.S. military involvement in the country. Bagram Airfield had remained the center of American military power in the country during the 20-year war.

After the U.S. withdrawal from Bagram, the Taliban stepped up its offensive against the Afghan government. It captured the first of many provincial capitals on August 6. Less than 10 days later, Kabul fell, the government collapsed and the U.S. and Western nations worked to evacuate its embassies, employees and allies.



The scene in Kabul

On Monday, the Taliban deployed fighters on the streets of Kabul with most people hiding in their homes. The Associated Press reported there was less traffic than usual as armed men knocked on doors and searched vehicles at one of the citys main centers.

Nillan, a 27-year-old resident of Kabul, said she did not see a single woman out on the streets during a 15-minute drive. She said she saw only men and boys.

It feels like time has stopped. Everythings changed, she told the AP. Nillan added that Afghan women now have to worry about simple things like how to get food without a man by their side.

We dont know what to do, we dont know if we still have jobs, she said. It feels like our life and our future has ended.

Im Jonathan Evans. And I'm Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press, Reuters and VOA News reported on this story. Hai Do adapted the reports for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor.

_______________________________________________

Words in This Story

upset  adj. unhappy or worried about something

chaos  n. a situation in which there is not order

pertain  v. to relate to something

grant  v. to give or permit something

gut-wrenching - adj. extremely upsetting or unpleasant

abandon  v. to leave someone or something in a place

evacuate  v. to remove a person or groups of people from a dangerous place


The Taliban urged local religious leaders to push a message of unity at Friday's prayers. But reports of targeted killings increased fears that the militants will return Afghanistan to their past repressive rule.

Fearful that the new rulers would carry out such abuses, thousands of Afghans have raced to Kabul's airport and border crossings to flee the country. Others have protested around the country and were met with violence.

More moderate

The Taliban say they have become more moderate since they last ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s. They have promised to restore security and forgive those who fought them in the 20 years since a U.S.-led invasion. Ahead of Friday prayers, the militants asked religious leaders to call for unity and urge people not to flee the country.

But many Afghans are doubtful, fearing that the Taliban will take away the progress, especially for women, made in the past twenty years. An Amnesty International report provided more evidence Friday that weakened the Taliban's claims.

Reminders of the past record

The rights group said its researchers spoke to eyewitnesses in Ghazni province. They said the Taliban killed nine ethnic Hazara men in the village of Mundarakht on July 4-6. The report said six of the men were shot, and three were tortured to death.

Hazaras are Shiite Muslims who were previously persecuted by the Taliban. The group has made major gains in education and social standing in recent years.

Agnes Callamard is the head of Amnesty International. She said the killings were "a reminder of the Taliban's past record and showed what Taliban rule may bring."

The rights group warned that many more killings may have gone unreported. The Taliban have cut phone services in many areas to prevent images from being published.

Media workers are in serious danger

Separately, Reporters without Borders said media workers in Afghanistan are in extreme danger. The group issued the warning after Taliban fighters killed the family member of an Afghan reporter working for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle on Wednesday.

"Sadly, this confirms our worst fears," said Katja Gloger of the press freedom group.

A Norway-based private intelligence group also said it has evidence that the Taliban have rounded up Afghans who worked with the previous Afghan administration or with U.S.-led forces.

Trying to get out

Mohammad Naim was among the crowd at Kabuls airport for four days trying to escape. He said he had to put his children on top of a car on the first day to save them from being crushed by the mass of people. He saw other children killed who were unable to get out of the way.

Naim said he had been an interpreter for U.S. forces. He urged others not to come to the airport. "It is a very, very crazy situation right now and I hope the situation gets better because I saw kids dying, it is very terrible," he said.

The United States is struggling to increase the number of flights it is running from Afghanistan, where thousands of Americans and their Afghan allies need to leave the country.

European countries are also working to bring their citizens and Afghan allies out. But continued disorder at the airport has made it difficult to organize the flights. A Spanish official said Friday that its military transport planes are leaving Kabul partly empty.

Getting to the airport is also a major problem. Germany was sending two helicopters to Kabul to help bring small numbers of people from elsewhere in the city to the airport, officials said.

As concerns rise about what a Taliban government will look like, the group's leaders are meeting with some officials from previous Afghan administrations. An Afghan official familiar with those talks told the Associated Press there would be no results from them before the last U.S. troops leave, currently planned for Aug. 31.

Im Jill Robbins.

Ahmad Seir, Tameem Akhgar and David Rising reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

restore  v. to give back (someone or something that was lost or taken)

doubtful  adj. uncertain or unsure about something

province  n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

persecute  v. to treat (someone) cruelly or unfairly especially because of race, affiliation or religious or political beliefs

interpreter  n. a person who translates the words that someone is speaking into a different language

crazy  adj. wild and uncontrolled

kids  n. children

flight  n. a journey on an airplane

What do you think of the news reports on the Talibans actions? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
Thousands of jobless workers in Ho Chi Minh City are fleeing to their hometowns as the city extends coronavirus restrictions.

Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnams largest city and is now the center of the country's worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic. Many people are leaving town on motorbikes, with their belongings loaded high.

But officials are trying to prevent them from leaving and possibly spreading the virus to other parts of the country. Hundreds of motorbikes have been stopped at roadblocks around the city since Sunday.

Television video from areas outside of the city on Monday showed factory workers wearing full protective clothing. They were hurrying to get on trains and buses in a similar attempt to flee the most affected areas.

Officials with loudspeakers ordered people to continue social distancing and return to their homes. The sound of danger signals and shouting was everywhere as people attempted to leave.

Ho Chi Minh City has had most of the countrys 6,141 coronavirus deaths, with more than 283,000 reported cases. The city of nine million people is seeing on average 241 deaths every day.

Many people are struggling to survive after losing jobs because of coronavirus-related suspensions of factory work. The Vietnamese government has announced that it will give out financial aid to its citizens.

Nguyen Van Hoan was traveling toward the central province of Ha Tinh, about 1,200 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City by road.

"This is not my first attempt. I tried to leave the city weeks ago but was ordered to return to my place," he said.

Hoan lost his job two months ago. On his motorbike, he had put a suitcase, a supply of instant foods, water and a container of gasoline.

"Many people in my neighborhood have died, he told the Reuters news agency by phone. If I stay, I'll die either from hunger and stress or from the virus," he said.

Hoan added that he had not gotten any aid from the government.

Healthcare centers and hospitals are now overcrowded, and hospitals have a shortage of workers. The government has ordered medical centers not to refuse patients.

Im Alice Bryant.

Reuters news agency reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

______________________________________________________

Words in This Story

outbreak  n. a sudden start or increase in disease

province  n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

suitcase  n. a large case that you use to carry your clothing and belongings when you are traveling

stress  n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life
Kirby told reporters the limiting factor has been available evacuees, not aircraft. He said efforts were underway to speed processing, including adding State Department consular officers to verify paperwork of Americans and Afghans who managed to get to the airport. Additional entry gates had been opened, he said.

And yet, at the current rate it would be difficult for the U.S. to evacuate all of the Americans and Afghans who are qualified for and seeking evacuation by Aug. 31. President Joe Biden said Wednesday he would ensure no American was left behind, even if that meant staying beyond August, an arbitrary deadline that he set weeks before the Taliban climaxed a stunning military victory by taking Kabul last weekend. It was not clear if Biden might consider extending the deadline for evacuees who aren't American citizens.

At the airport, military evacuation flights continued, but access remained difficult for many. On Thursday, Taliban militants fired into the air to try to control the crowds gathered at the airports blast walls. Men, women and children fled. U.S. Navy fighter jets flew overhead, a standard military precaution but also a reminder to the Taliban that the U.S. has firepower to respond to a combat crisis.


remaining of

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MOSCOW  Crews from across the Palouse worked Monday afternoon and into the night to battle a wildfire that destroyed structures and threatened at least 20 residences near the base of Moscow Mountain.
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Dear Editor: My wife and I are elderly and she does not have an immune system. Consequently her survival against the highly contagious delta variant depends on Wisconsin being vaccinated. Most Wisconsinites demonstrate concern for their fellow citizens, compassion and the will to help others. Freedom makes a huge requirement on all of us. With freedom comes individual rights. There are two ways to exert one's individual rights. One is pushing others down, the other is pulling others up.

Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of Wisconsinites. Kindness can cause misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility to melt away. Individual freedom consists of more than doing what we like, but also doing what we ought. Our moral fabric involves doing something for someone who will never be able to repay us. We need to consider the rights of others before our own feelings and the feelings of others before our own rights if we are to destroy COVID-19 and its variants.
Wolf said the goal of releasing the mugshots was transparency, and the decision came after a media outlet in the community filed an open records request to obtain the photos.

For a couple different reasons related to a strategy in trying to develop suspects, we chose to release the pictures, Wolf said. Were totally aware of the fact that they can be demoralizing to a victim.

Wolf said that police communicated with the victims families that the photos would be released.

It was done to be transparent with the public. It was also done as a strategy to obtain more information, he said. I apologize if people have hurt feelings. It isnt that we werent concerned about the victims or we wouldnt have spent countless, sleepless nights working on this case.

Svee, who is the program coordinator at New Horizons Shelter & Outreach Centers, said that criminalizing a victim ... can also deter victims from coming forward in the future, and called on officials to not repeat this same process, instead suggesting pulling photos off of social media.
FOX LAKE  Todd Nehls, who served as a senior military adviser to the Afghan National Army during his deployment in Afghanistan in the early 2000s, said it was not the withdrawal of troops from the region, but the way the removal occurred that has created issues in the region where he served.

Nehls was the sheriff of Dodge County at the time of his service. He served in Afghanistan as colonel with the Wisconsin Army National Guard from August 2004 to August 2005.

The Department of Defense was asleep at the wheel if they did not anticipate the reaction of the Taliban and the Afghan people, Nehls said. We plan for such contingencies for all such situations and those plans had not been taken off the shelf and executed.

Nehls said the U.S. giving up Bagram Airfield a few weeks ago followed by the Taliban taking the airfield in Kandahar left Kabuls Hamid Karzia International Airport the only remaining airfield.

One that is surrounded by civilians, difficult to secure, and provides great risk to both incoming and outgoing flight, Nehls said. Bagram was easily secured, well protected, and would have allowed for the safe and efficient removal of our citizens and the Afghan people that provided valuable aid to U.S. Forces and now in danger of abuse form the Taliban.
That really is due to the fact that delta is now the predominantly circulating virus, Traci DeSalvo, director of the DHS Bureau of Communicable Diseases, said in a Thursday media briefing. We know that of course delta is more easily transmissible, and we are seeing more cases among people who are vaccinated.

DeSalvo added that the rates of infection, hospitalization and death among fully vaccinated individuals remain considerably lower than for those who have not received the vaccine.

According to state data, fewer than five fully vaccinated people out of 100,000 were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and one in a million died as a result of infection.

Among unvaccinated people, the rate of hospitalization was just over 18 per 100,000, and the death rate was a little more than one in 100,000.

About 53.5% of Wisconsin residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to DHS. The state reported 1,569 new cases Thursday, with the seven-day average of cases reaching 1,223  almost seven times what it was one month ago.

We are clearly seeing a surge in cases and with that we are now seeing a surge in hospitalizations and deaths, DeSalvo said.
BOISE (AP)  County officials in Idaho have agreed to pay $350,000 to four former jail nurses to settle a lawsuit alleging they were discriminated against because they are women.

The women  Tracy Johnson, Toni Krieter, Rene Whitneck and Linda Ellis  were four of the five nurses working at the Canyon County Jail when they sued in U.S. District Court in 2019. The fifth nurse, a man, was paid more than all of them, according to the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit against Canyon County, county officials and jail healthcare contractor VitalCore Health Strategies LLC, the women said they were denied equal compensation based on their sex even though they had similar or more experience than their male counterpart and performed essentially the same jobs.

The male nurse had six years of experience and was making more than $31 an hour, according to the court document. The women were all making around $23 and $24 an hour, even though two of them had 15 years of experience and one of them had 20 years of experience.

Canyon County denied the allegations and asked a judge to reject the lawsuit, contending in part that the women failed to follow county policy in reporting discrimination.
McFarlane said that while talented students sometimes can be socially awkward or even self-involved, that was never the case with Prelogar.

As bright and brilliant as Elizabeth was, she was very down to earth, very humble, (with a) self-effacing sense of humor  just really kind, McFarlane said. Typically a kid thats that bright is going to be resented by the other students, and she wasnt because she was just such a nice person to everybody.

He added that some teachers didnt know what to do with her.

She was so verbal and so conversant, and asked such good questions, that some of the teachers found it a little intimidating, McFarlane said. My advice was to give her the resources you can, encourage her as much as you can, and get out of the way.

From Boise to Atlanta to Russia to Harvard

A 1998 graduate of Boise High School, Prelogar has previously worked for the solicitor generals office and served as an assistant special counsel to Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Attorneys for a man convicted of killing a 14-year-old girl in 1995 are asking for a new trial because a juror appeared to be sleeping during testimony and had to be awakened by the bailiff.
Opinion: Like 90% of Americans, I was in favor of the war in Afghanistan. We were fighting the fight against terrorism and we were going to win.

So, what the hell went wrong?
MoneyOutVA has heard many concerns from lawmakers about doing campaign finance reform, and addressed them in the report with responses and options. The report examines how other states handled reforms and contribution limits.

The lawmaker subcommittee to study campaign finance reform was scheduled to meet Aug. 2, on the first day of a General Assembly special session, but Democratic leaders canceled it and held a fundraiser that morning.

Morgan said she expects some lawmakers will say they need more time to study the issues and want to continue next year. But she said they ought to work over the next few months to come up with real legislative proposals for next years session.

Del. Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax, the chairman of a House committee on elections, said the MoneyOutVA report was excellent and thorough, and he plans to analyze it and give copies to lawmakers on the study group.

But getting legislation passed is going to be challenging, he said, because many lawmakers fear they wont be competitive in elections with restraints on campaign money. One thing he wants to push for is a ban on personal use of campaign money.
TODAYS WORD is broody. Example: The Buff Orpington hen is more prone than most other breeds to go broody.

THURSDAYS WORD was wattle. It means a colored fleshy lobe hanging from the head or neck of domestic chickens, turkeys and some other birds. Example: Chickens cant sweat; instead, their body temperature is regulated by their wattles. (I wattle AND I sweat  guess Im no chicken, commented Nelson Smith with a smiley face in his email.)

New podcast

The podcast Inevitable Talks w/A is made by Henry Countys own Amber Johnson. It was created to inspire my community and someday the world, she told The Stroller. Ive learned how to take my stumbling blocks and turn them into building blocks.

You can hear it on Spotify, Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts and RadioPublic. So far, there are five editions, ranging from 9 minutes to almost 18.

Wattles and combs
A doctor who pleaded guilty earlier this year to assault, reduced from original charges of sexual battery, in McDowell County has had his medical license indefinitely suspended.

Diaa Hussein, who pleaded guilty March 26 to assault on a female, retired from practicing medicine June 15, according to a consent order filed Aug. 12 from the North Carolina Medical Board.

Hussein had originally been charged with three counts of sexual battery by an employee who alleged he touched her bottom and hip area, the area under her breasts, grabbed her bottom and put his hands in her pants pocket and asked if she was wearing underwear.

Those three charges were reduced to one count of assault on a female. Ted Bell, district attorney for McDowell and Rutherford counties, explained at the time of the plea that the charges were reduced because the allegations didnt constitute the elements for sexual battery charges in North Carolina.

In the new consent order, Hussein admitted touching the employee without her consent, but continued to deny that he made that contact for sexual arousal, gratification or abuse. He did acknowledge that his behavior may have made the employee feel uncomfortable and anxious.
COVID-19 Outbreaks Information:

Emergency Services and Public Health staff continue to offer assistance and logistical support to facilities that are experiencing current outbreaks of COVID-19. Outbreaks are defined by DHHS as: two or more cases of COVID-19 in a congregate living facility within 28 days.

The current outbreaks in McDowell County are:

 Autumn Care of Marion: a total of four staff members and nine residents have tested positive.

 Deer Park Health & Rehabilitation: a total of two staff members and two residents have tested positive.

COVID-19 Testing Information:

Citizens in need of a COVID-19 test are encouraged to call their primary care physician, local urgent care clinics or CVS pharmacy for testing. If you are uninsured or cannot afford a COVID-19 test, you can call the McDowell County Health Department at 828-652-6811 to schedule a test. The next drive-thru testing clinic will be held Monday, Aug. 23, at the McDowell County Health Department from 9 to 11 a.m.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information:
TULUM, Mexico (AP)  Hurricane Grace  temporarily knocked back to tropical storm force  headed Friday for a second landfall in Mexico, this time taking aim at the mainland's Gulf coast after crashing through the country's main tourist strip.

The storm lost punch as it zipped across the Yucatan Peninsula, but it emerged late Thursday over the relatively warm Gulf of Mexico and was gaining energy.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Grace's winds were back up to 70 mph (110 kph) early Friday and were expected to soon regain hurricane force. It was centered about 265 miles (425 kilometers) east of Tuxpan and was heading west at 16 mph (26 kph).

The forecast track would take it toward a coastal region of small fishing towns and beach resorts between Tuxpan and Veracruz, likely Friday night or early Saturday, then over a mountain range toward the heart of the country and the greater Mexico City region.

Forecasters said it could drop 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain, with more in a few isolated areas  bringing the threat of flash floods, mudslide and urban flooding.

The hurricane hit early Thursday near Tulum, a resort town famed for its Mayan ruins. Some families passed harrowing hours sheltering from cracking trees and flying debris.
DELFI blood test identifies lung cancer using artificial intelligence to detect unique patterns in the fragmentation of DNA shed from cancer cells compared to normal profiles. Credit: Carolyn Hruban

A novel artificial intelligence blood testing technology developed by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center was found to detect over 90% of lung cancers in samples from nearly 800 individuals with and without cancer.

The test approach, called DELFI (DNA evaluation of fragments for early interception), spots unique patterns in the fragmentation of DNA shed from cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream. Applying this technology to blood samples taken from 796 individuals in Denmark, the Netherlands and the U.S., investigators found that the DELFI approach accurately distinguished between patients with and without lung cancer.

Combining the test with analysis of clinical risk factors, a protein biomarker, and followed by computed tomography imaging, DELFI helped detect 94% of patients with cancer across stages and subtypes. This included 91% of patients with earlier or less invasive stage I/II cancers and 96% of patients with more advanced stage III/IV cancers. These results will be published in the August 20 issue of the journal Nature Communications.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death, claiming almost 2 million lives worldwide each year. However, fewer than 6% of Americans at risk for lung cancers undergo recommended low-dose computed tomography screening, despite projections that tens of thousands of deaths could be avoided, and even fewer are screened worldwide, explains senior study author Victor E. Velculescu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of oncology and do-director of the Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Program at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. This is due to a variety of reasons, including concerns of potential harm from investigation of false positive imaging results, radiation exposure or worries about complications from invasive procedures. "It is clear that there is an urgent, unmet clinical need for development of alternative, noninvasive approaches to improve cancer screening for high-risk individuals and, ultimately, the general population," says lead author Dimitrios Mathios, a postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. "We believe that a blood test, or 'liquid biopsy,' for lung cancer could be a good way to enhance screening efforts, because it would be easy to do, broadly accessible and cost-effective."

The DELFI technology uses a blood test to indirectly measure the way DNA is packaged inside the nucleus of a cell by studying the size and amount of cell-free DNA present in the circulation from different regions across the genome. Healthy cells package DNA like a well-organized suitcase, in which different regions of the genome are placed carefully in various compartments. The nuclei of cancer cells, by contrast, are like more disorganized suitcases, with items from across the genome thrown in haphazardly. When cancer cells die, they release DNA in a chaotic manner into the bloodstream. DELFI helps identify the presence of cancer using machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to examine millions of cell-free DNA fragments for abnormal patterns, including the size and amount of DNA in different genomic regions. This approach provides a view of cell-free DNA referred to as the "fragmentome." The DELFI approach only requires low-coverage sequencing of the genome, enabling this technology to be cost-effective in a screening setting, the researchers say.

For the study, investigators from Johns Hopkins, working with researchers in Denmark and the Netherlands, first performed genome sequencing of cell-free DNA in blood samples from 365 individuals participating in a seven-year Danish study called LUCAS. The majority of participants were at high risk for lung cancer and had smoking-related symptoms such as cough or difficulty breathing. The DELFI approach found that patients who were later determined to have cancer had widespread variation in their fragmentome profiles, while patients found not to have cancer had consistent fragmentome profiles. Subsequently, researchers validated the DELFI technology using a different population of 385 individuals without cancer and 46 individuals with cancer. Overall, the approach detected over 90% of patients with lung cancer, including those with early and advanced stages, and with different subtypes. "DNA fragmentation patterns provide a remarkable fingerprint for early detection of cancer that we believe could be the basis of a widely available liquid biopsy test for patients with lung cancer," says author Rob Scharpf, Ph.D., associate professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

A first-of-a-kind national clinical trial called DELFI-L101, sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University spin-out Delfi Diagnostics, is evaluating a test based on the DELFI technology in 1,700 participants in the U.S., including healthy participants, individuals with lung cancers and individuals with other cancers. The group would like to further study DELFI in other types of cancers.

Explore further New blood test uses DNA 'packaging' patterns to detect multiple cancer types

More information: Dimitrios Mathios et al, Detection and characterization of lung cancer using cell-free DNA fragmentomes, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Dimitrios Mathios et al, Detection and characterization of lung cancer using cell-free DNA fragmentomes,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24994-w
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Drug firm AstraZeneca on Friday announced positive results from a trial of a treatment for COVID-19 symptoms.

The drug, made from a combination of two antibodies, was initially developed as a treatment for those who had already been exposed to the disease.

A new trial of 5,197 participants who had not been exposed showed a 77-percent reduced risk of developing symptomatic disease, with no severe cases recorded, Astra said in a statement.

A previous trial of the AZD7442 drug had shown it only reduced the risk of developing symptoms by 33 percent, which it concluded in June was not statistically significant.

The data show that one dose could "quickly and effectively prevent symptomatic COVID-19", said Myron Levin, principal trial investigator.

"With these exciting results, AZD7442 could be an important tool in our arsenal to help people who may need more than a vaccine to return to their normal lives."

It is hoped that the drug could be used alongside vaccines for those who need more protection, affording up to 12 months of defence.

Participants in the trial were adults who were poor responders or intolerant to vaccines, or who had increased risk of infection because of their locations or circumstances.

The US government has funded the development of AZD7442 and has agreements to receive 700,000 doses.

The company will now send the data to health authorities for potential emergency use authorisation or conditional approval.

AstraZeneca already makes the most widely offered vaccine in the UK, although those under 40 are offered Pfizer or Moderna instead because of concerns over possible side effects.

Explore further AstraZeneca hits snag in COVID drug development

 2021 AFP
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

As the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 surges in the United States and around the world, rapid and accessible COVID-19 testing and increased vaccination are key to managing the virus' spread. Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabslong, medical-grade probes used to collect samples from deep in patients' noses and throatsare the gold standard for COVID-19 diagnostic testing. However, memory of shortages of both the specialized NP swabs during the early days of the pandemic as well as pressure on the trained medical personnel needed to perform the tests point to the need for simpler COVID-19 testing.

In a real-world trial, a team of clinician-researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have demonstrated that tests of self-collected saliva provided comparable results to tests performed by trained healthcare professionals using NP swabs. The researchers concluded that saliva tests detect 93 percent of COVID-19 infections in an outpatient setting. The findings, which are published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum, could help alleviate the testing bottlenecks that have constrained COVID-19 testing since early in the pandemic.

"Saliva self-collection is simply easier and more comfortable than the alternative of NP swabs, which in addition to the discomfort also require a trained medical professional," said corresponding author Ramy Arnaout, MD, DPhil, associate director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratories at BIDMC. "In addition to it being a more convenient method, our findings show saliva collection can also be just as effectiveeven in a real-world scenario in which there are no eating or drinking restrictions before the saliva is collected."

Arnaout and colleagues obtained two samplesone via NP swab, the other salivafrom 385 patients presenting for COVID-19 testing at BIDMC. Patients waiting in line for NP testing were given a sterile sample collection cup and asked to provide a three milliliter saliva sample. Saliva samples were processed either untreated or treated with a preservative, and all samples were tested across two different COVID-19 testing platforms.

After finding that virus particles remained stable in both treated and untreated saliva samples for at least 24 hours, the researchers demonstrated high concordance, or agreement, between saliva testing and NP testing. That is, results came back the same in 93 percent of cases. Among the 385 samples taken, just nine had mismatched results between the NP and saliva test results. Most of the mismatches were at very low viral loads, making them clinically less worrisome, and saliva detected as many infections that NP missed, as vice versa.

Arnaout and colleagues reported that the sensitivity of NP testing was still slightly higher that of saliva testing, with NP testing able detect viral particles at lower concentrations. However, the researchers found that saliva testing is still likely to detect 90 percent of COVID-19 infections, and concluded that the minor loss in sensitivity is outweighed by the ease and safety of self-collection.

"We have demonstrated that for practical purposes, saliva is comparable to NP swabs for COVID-19 testing in outpatient settings," said Arnaout, who is also associate professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School.

The study results were announced in tandem with a first-person retrospective and analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology in which Arnaout details the collaborative and open-source effort he coordinated to address the shortage of swabs that hampered the nation's ability to test for and track the spread of COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic, and details the lessons learned. The team's earlier effort to catalyze the development of novel NP swab designs that could be manufactured quickly and in large numbers resulted in four 3D-printed prototypes that were validated in clinical testing. The four swab prototypes were selected from among more than 100 swab designs made of 45 different materials submitted by 23 companies, laboratories and individuals across the country for BIDMC's evaluation.

More information: Cody Callahan et al, Saliva is Comparable to Nasopharyngeal Swabs for Molecular Detection of SARS-CoV-2, Microbiology Spectrum (2021). Journal information: Journal of Clinical Microbiology Cody Callahan et al, Saliva is Comparable to Nasopharyngeal Swabs for Molecular Detection of SARS-CoV-2,(2021). DOI: 10.1128/Spectrum.00162-21
A new AP-NORC poll finds that majorities of Americans favor requiring people to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend crowded public events, like movies or sporting events, and to travel on an airplane.

Anxiety in the United States over COVID-19 is at its highest level since winter, a new poll shows, as the delta variant rages, more states and school districts adopt mask and vaccination requirements and the nation's hospitals once again fill to capacity.

The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also finds that majorities of American adults want vaccination mandates for those attending movies, sports, concerts and other crowded events; those traveling by airplane; and workers in hospitals, restaurants, stores and government offices.

The poll shows that 41% are "extremely" or "very" worried about themselves or their family becoming infected with the virus. That is up from 21% in June, and about the same as in January, during the country's last major surge, when 43% were extremely or very worried.

"I wouldn't have said this a couple of years ago, but I'm not as confident as I was in America's ability to take care of itself," said David Bowers, a 42-year-old business analyst in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria.

Bowers, a Democrat, and his wife, a public school teacher, got vaccinated early. But they fret once again about their daughters, ages 7 and 9, attending school in a state whose Republican governor, Doug Ducey, signed a law to block school districts from mandating masks, let alone vaccines.

A brief summer respite from COVID-19 fatigue included a family trip to New York. "COVID was pretty much out of mind," Bowers said. "Now it feels like we're going backward."

Close to 6 in 10 Americans say they favor requiring people to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel on an airplane or attend crowded public events. Only about a quarter of Americans oppose such measures.

People in favor of and against a mask mandate for Cobb County schools gather and protest ahead of the school board meeting Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, in Marietta, Ga. Credit: Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Roughly 6 in 10 also support vaccine mandates for hospital or other health care workers, along with government employees, members of the military and workers who interact with the public, such as in restaurants and stores. Support is slightly lower for requiring vaccinations to go out to a bar or restaurant, though more are in favor than opposed, 51% to 28%.

Nearly 200 million people, or just over 60% of the U.S. population, had received at least one vaccine dose as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just over half of the population was fully vaccinated.

Hospitals across the U.S. had more than 75,000 coronavirus patients as of last week, a dramatic increase from a few weeks ago but still well below the winter surge records. Florida, Arkansas, Oregon, Hawaii, Louisiana and Mississippi have set records for COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks, and the surge in the delta variant, combined with low vaccination rates, has produced a scramble to find beds for patients.

The poll suggests that despite increasing cases and greater concern about the virus, Americans have not stepped up their own precautionary behavior since June, though at least half still say they always or often wear a mask around other people, stay away from large groups and avoid nonessential travel.

Confidence in vaccines to withstand virus variants has not waned, either, as U.S. health officials this week announced plans to dispense booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection. The doses could begin next month.

Carla Jones, 37, of Lafayette, Louisiana, is a paraplegic with immunity problems and uses a wheelchair after she was severely injured in a car accident. Because of her health, she has been told by her doctor she cannot get the vaccine. She gets anxious visiting the doctor or when her grandchildren visit.

"I see someone next to me at the doctor's without a mask, it makes my heart rapidly beat faster," Jones said.

People in favor of and against a mask mandate for Cobb County schools gather and protest ahead of the school board meeting Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, in Marietta, Ga. Credit: Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Jones, a Democrat, strongly favors vaccination and mask mandates, and not just for herself. "For the good of all," she said. "I don't have the shot, but I definitely wouldn't want to pass it on to anyone else."

The poll shows that 55% support requiring Americans to wear masks around other people outside their homes, while 62% support mask mandates specifically for workers who interact with the public, such as at restaurants and stores. Eighty-five percent of Democrats and 39% of Republicans are in favor of mask mandates for public-facing workers.

Robbie Allen, a 63-year-old retiree from Clifton, Texas, is fully vaccinated and will wear a mask when required by stores or other places. But the self-described independent who leans Republican insists it is a matter of personal choice, and he sees mandates as taking the joy out of life.

"The COVID is not going away very quickly, but I don't think people should live in fear," said Allen, who motorcycled with his girlfriend to this month's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which attracted hundreds of thousands to the South Dakota city. "People are going to die, but if we all hunker down, life gets miserable."

Partisan gaps are also wide on vaccination requirements. In Arizona, Bowers has already taken time off work to pick up his daughter from school after she developed a high fever. They spent hours last week looking for a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site that wasn't overcrowded. She tested negative. But the worries persist.

"My thinking is, the people who don't want mandates are the people who need to be regulated," Bowers said. "There's a slim majority in this country making the right decisions. If it wasn't for a slim majority as a country, we'd be in trouble."

Explore further Poll shows Floridians favor vaccine requirements for employees

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Sri Lanka announced a nationwide lockdown Friday, bowing to intense pressure from medical experts as coronavirus infections overwhelmed hospitals, morgues and crematoriums.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had resisted calls for a lockdown for weeks, agreed to the 10-day closure after dire warnings that hospitals could no longer cope with the inflow of COVID-19 patients.

"Nationwide Lockdown in effect from 10pm today to Monday (30/08)," health minister Keheliya Rambukwella said on Twitter. "All essential services will function as normal. I sincerely request all #lka citizens to adhere to the law and #StayHome."

Officials said the president was due to address the nation later on Friday night to discuss the public health emergency and measures to contain the pandemic.

Supermarkets, grocery stores and fuel depots saw large crowds stocking up on supplies as news of the lockdown spread over social media.

Long queues were seen at fuel pumps across the country and energy minister Udaya Gammanpila urged consumers not to cause shortages through panic buying.

Record death tolls

The daily death toll hit a record 186 alongside a new high of 3,800 infections on Thursday with no more ICU beds available for virus victims.

Official figures show 6,790 people have died of the virus while 373,165 have been infected.

However, independent health experts have said the actual toll is at least twice as much.

Rambukwella said 10 days ago that the country had not reached a "critical stage" and any lockdown would be a "last resort".

"But we are not there yet," Rambukwella told reporters on August 10. Since then, 1,568 people have died and 40,218 have been infected.

Junior partners in the ruling coalition and the influential Buddhist clergy had urged Rajapaksa to shut the country to contain the rapidly spreading Delta variant.

A junior minister for health, Channa Jayasumana, had called the Delta strain "a powerful bomb which has exploded in Colombo and is spreading elsewhere".

Sri Lanka's third wave of infections has been blamed on traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations in mid-April.

Following a month-long lockdown, the government reopened the country in June relying on an aggressive vaccination drive as its main strategy to deal with the spread.

Despite over five million out of the 21 million population receiving two doses of a vaccine, the virus has claimed more victims beyond the capacity of state and private sector hospitals.

With bodies piling up at several state hospitals, the government resorted to mass cremations last week.

Explore further Sri Lanka banks on vaccination to see it through delta surge

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Cuba on Friday approved two more domestic COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, the island nation's medication regulatory body said.

The authorization came after a "rigorous evaluation process of the Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus vaccines," the body, CECMED, said in a statement.

The two Soberana vaccines are complementary.

Last month, Cuba became the first Latin American country to approve a home-made vaccine when CECMED gave the go-ahead to the Abdala jab.

The news comes at a time when the island nation faces particularly high infection rates.

CECMED director Olga Lidia Jacobo said the decision was made after "evaluating all the results related to the vaccines' effectiveness and efficacy."

Cuban health authorities say the Soberana immunization program is 91.2 percent effective against symptomatic cases.

It involves two doses of Soberana 02 followed by a third with Soberana Plus.

Abdala also requires three doses.

Cuba began administering both Soberana and Abdala in its worst affected areas in May as part of a clinical testing process.

A little over three million Cubans have received all three doses, 4.3 million have had at least two and 4.8 million have had at least one.

Over the last 24 hours, Cuba recorded more than 9,700 new cases and 78 deaths from COVID-19, bringing its totals to 564,000 infections and just under 4,400 fatalities.

As of August 18, the country of 11.2 million people had administered 12.3 million vaccine doses.

Yet cases began soaring in July due to the arrival of the Delta variant and some provinces have even recorded shortages of oxygen to treat patients.

 2021 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

People infected with COVID-19 were captured in a photo this week lying on the floor in pain while waiting for antibody infusions at a treatment site set up inside the library in Jacksonville, Florida.

The image has become a vivid illustration of the huge demand for the once-neglected COVID-19 drugs in the states hit hardest by a summer surge of infections being driven by the highly contagious delta variant.

"They were moaning and obviously in a lot of pain. They were miserable," said Louie Lopez, who shot the photograph as he waited for more than two hours to receive the treatment.

Antibody treatments remain one of a handful of therapies that can blunt the worst effects of COVID-19, and they are the only option available to people with mild-to-moderate cases who aren't yet in the hospital.

They have risen in demand in states seeing a spike in infections, including Florida, Louisiana and Texas, where hospitalizations among the unvaccinated are overwhelming the health care system.

White House officials reported recently that federal shipments of the drugs increased five-fold last month to nearly 110,000 doses, with the vast majority going to states with low vaccination rates.

"They are safe, they are free, they keep people out of the hospital and help keep them alive," said Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a senior adviser to the White House's COVID-19 response team.

The main drug in use is Regeneron's dual-antibody cocktail, which has been purchased in mass quantities by the U.S. government. It's the same drug former President Donald Trump received when he was hospitalized with COVID-19 last October.

The drugs are laboratory-made versions of virus-blocking antibodies that help fight off infections. The treatments help the patient by supplying concentrated doses of one or two antibodies.

The drugs are only recommended for people at the highest risk of progressing to severe COVID-19, but regulators have slowly broadened who can qualify. The list of conditions now includes older age, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, pregnancy and more than a half-dozen other issues.

With expanded eligibility and skyrocketing caseloads across the country, more people are getting the treatments.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who this week tested positive for the virus and is himself receiving the treatments, said five state-run COVID-19 antibody infusion centers opened last week and that another four would open by Monday. At least 140 providers across Texas are offering the antibodies treatment, his office said.

In Florida, where more than 20,000 people a day on average are testing positive for the virus, the rising demand created a scene at the Jacksonville center that resembled an overwhelmed emergency room.

At one point, Lopez said staff brought out paper hospital gowns and covered a woman on the floor. It took more than half an hour for staff to bring out enough wheelchairs for people to sit in.

"They poured them into the wheelchairs," he said. "They were just so sick."

After the photo was published Wednesday, Florida health officials said they had increased the number of wheelchairs at the facility. They also said it is open seven days a week and has plenty of cots, as well as ambulances on standby to transfer the sickest patients to the hospital.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news conference Friday that the woman in the photo is fine and feeling great after the treatment.

"None of our sites are having a capacity issue," said Weesam Khoury, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health. "We have the resources and if we need more we can quickly get them."

But she cautioned, "This is a site where people are going to be very ill."

That's why state health officials are urging patients who test positive for COVID to get the antibody treatment immediately instead of waiting until they are extremely sick, which many patients are doing.

Florida over the past week has set up about a dozen monoclonal antibody clinics typically serving 300 patients per day, with an online portal for appointments, and plans to stand up more, as DeSantis has traveled around the state to promote them.

Getting the drugs involves a number of steps.

A positive test for COVID-19 is required, which must be reviewed by a physician or health professional. They then decide whether to recommend an antibody treatment for the patient, which usually means scheduling an appointment at a local administration site.

To be effective, the drugs are supposed to be given within 10 days of initial symptoms. That's the timeframe in which they have been shown to cut rates of hospitalization and death by roughly 70%.

Medical experts agreed that the drugs should not be seen as the first line of defense against the virus or a substitute for wearing a mask and getting vaccinated.

"I see the monoclonal antibodies as a short-term bridge to get us to the point where enough people are fully vaccinated," said Dr. James Cutrell of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "We definitely need to keep vaccinating as many people as possible."

Joyce Wachsmuth, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and her husband were infected with COVID-19 in January. A breast cancer survivor, she had never felt so much pain.

"I actually thought to myself if 10 days of this is what COVID people go thru, I don't know if I want to live," she said.

When doctors at the local Mayo Clinic told the 67-year-old that she and her 70-year-old husband were prime candidates for experimental drug treatment, she jumped at the opportunity.

She said she felt relief just two hours after the one-hour, drip treatment.

"It did wonders. It kept us off the hospital and off the ventilators," said Wachsmuth, who has since been vaccinated.

The federal government has been distributing monoclonal antibody drugs to the states since last winter but the treatments were underused due to lack of awareness from physicians, low interest among the public and the logistics of setting up areas to give them to patients via IV infusion.

Also, persistent testing delays meant many people didn't even get their results for seven days or longer, and clinics were focused on the upcoming vaccines or managing the winter surge of cases.

Since then, many cities have set up alternative locations to administer the drugs and offer vaccines. The treatments are free for most patients, largely because the federal government has been actively involved in securing and distributing them.

"There was less urgency at that timethe important thing was to get people vaccinated to crush the curve," said Dr. Arturo Casadevall of Johns Hopkins University. "But the delta variant has changed the equation."

Explore further Regeneron drug approved to help prevent severe COVID in vulnerable after exposure

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

New research from King's College London has explored whether different types of trauma confer the same risk of future mental illness, in the first study of its kind.

The study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, investigated the theory that traumas occurring at an early age, that involve interpersonal violence, and are repeated could represent a particularly detrimental type of trauma named complex trauma.

Participants were from the E-Risk Study, which tracks the development of 2,232 children born England and Wales in 1994-1995. They were assessed for complex trauma exposure (such as repeated child abuse), exposure to other non-complex traumas (such as car accidents), as well as mental health problems and cognitive function at age 18.

The researchers found that young people who had been exposed to complex trauma had more severe mental health problems and cognitive impairments, compared not only to trauma-unexposed peers, but also to those exposed to non-complex traumas. These difficulties were seen across several mental health disorders and cognitive domains.

The researchers also found that several early childhood vulnerabilities, measured at age 5, predicted later exposure to complex trauma, but not non-complex trauma. These vulnerabilities also largely explained the associations between complex trauma exposure and cognitive impairments.

Professor Andrea Danese, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at King's IoPPN says that their "findings highlight that not all difficulties experienced by people exposed to complex trauma are necessarily caused by the exposure. The pre-existing vulnerabilities that increase risk of complex trauma exposure also seem to be responsible for cognitive impairments. Clinicians should therefore avoid making causal assumptions in their formulations and aim to address vulnerabilities in their management plans."

Nevertheless, the researchers found that early childhood vulnerabilities did not explain mental health problems linked with complex trauma. This finding suggests that features of the trauma (such as severity) or responses to the trauma (such as self-blame) could lead to mental health disorders. Further research that provides a better understanding of these underlying mechanisms could inform the development of new, more effective interventions for the mental illness experienced by people exposed to complex trauma.

Explore further Troubling extent of trauma and PTSD in British young people revealed

More information: Stephanie J. Lewis et al, Unravelling the contribution of complex trauma to psychopathology and cognitive deficits: a cohort study, The British Journal of Psychiatry (2021). Journal information: British Journal of Psychiatry Stephanie J. Lewis et al, Unravelling the contribution of complex trauma to psychopathology and cognitive deficits: a cohort study,(2021). DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2021.57
(HealthDay)The Moderna coronavirus vaccine may be linked to a higher risk of a heart condition called myocarditis in younger adults than believed, emerging reports show.

Federal health officials are investigating the new data, according to two people familiar with the review who emphasized the side effect is still rare, the Washington Post reported.

Vaccination is still by far the healthier option, since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisers have already said that getting COVID-19 puts someone at much greater risk of heart inflammation and other serious medical problems than getting the vaccine does.

But officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC are honing in on data from Canada that suggests the Moderna vaccine may carry a higher risk of this rare condition for young people compared to the Pfizer vaccine, particularly for males under 30. They are also analyzing U.S. data to determine whether the same is happening in the United States, the Post reported.

The Canadian data suggests there might be a 2.5 times higher incidence of myocarditis in those who get the Moderna shot compared with the Pfizer vaccine, the Post reported. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart.

One of the people familiar with the investigation emphasized that the agencies must do more research before deciding whether to issue any new or revised warning for the Moderna vaccine. In June, the FDA added a warning label for the Pfizer and Moderna shots about an increased risk of myocarditis.

"We have not come to a conclusion on this," the person told the Post. "The data are not slam bang."

Moderna did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement, the CDC said its "Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has and continues to review reports of myocarditis and pericarditis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. CDC, FDA, and our vaccine safety partners are actively monitoring these reports, including reviewing data and medical records, to learn more and understand any relationship to COVID-19 mRNA vaccination."

Officials want to be careful not to cause alarm, especially when they are trying to persuade more people to be vaccinated amid a surge of cases fueled by the fast-moving Delta variant, the newspaper added.

In late June, health officials first said there is a "likely association" between the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and a raised risk of the rare heart condition in teens and young adults. However, heart issues are far more likely if a person develops COVID-19, so vaccination remains the healthier option.

The CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, together with 15 of the country's leading medical and public health organizationsincluding the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Associationissued a joint statement after that June meeting saying that they "strongly encourage everyone 12 and older" to get the shots because the benefits far outweigh potential harms.

Biden Puts Pressure on Nursing Homes to Vaccinate Staff Against COVID

All U.S. nursing home staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or their employers will risk losing Medicare and Medicaid funding, President Joe Biden announced Wednesday.

"If you visit, live or work in a nursing home, you should not be at a high risk for contracting COVID from unvaccinated employees," Biden said during a speech made from the White House. "While I'm mindful that my authority at the federal government is limited, I'm going to continue to look for ways to keep people safe and increase vaccination rates."

The new mandate, which will come in the form of a regulation to be issued by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), could happen next month, the Associated Press reported.

The move comes as the highly infectious Delta variant now accounts for 99% of coronavirus cases in the United States and fresh data points to a link between low vaccination rates in some nursing homes and case spikes among residents, CNN reported.

Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, praised the move, but asked for more.

"Vaccination mandates for healthcare personnel should be applied to all healthcare settings," he said in a statement. "Without this, nursing homes face a disastrous workforce challenge."

"Focusing only on nursing homes will cause vaccine-hesitant workers to flee to other healthcare providers and leave many centers without adequate staff to care for residents. It will make an already difficult workforce shortage even worse," Parkinson noted.

Why the tough federal stance on nursing homes?

Even though nursing homes have borne the brunt of the pandemic, particularly in its early stages, hundreds of thousands of nursing home workers are still not vaccinated, according to federal data.

About 1.3 million people are employed by the more than 15,000 nursing homes that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. Some 62% of those workers are vaccinated nationwide, CMS data shows, but the figure ranges from 44% to 88%, depending on the state, CNN reported.

After months of urging Americans to get shots, using incentives and giveaways in some instances, the Biden administration has been turning to stronger measures to get millions of Americans vaccinated.

In the past three weeks, Biden has said millions of federal workers must prove they have been vaccinated or face onerous requirements and restrictions, while a vaccine mandate for the military could come as soon as next month.

The new effort seems to be paying off, as the rate of new vaccinations has nearly doubled over the past month, the AP reported. Nearly 200 million Americans have now received at least one dose of the vaccines, according to the White House, but about 80 million Americans remain eligible but not yet vaccinated.

Last year, the CMS used similar regulatory authority to prohibit most visitors from nursing homes, to protect residents.

Explore further Biden puts pressure on nursing homes to vaccinate staff against COVID

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 COVID-19

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Figure 1: Age-standardized incidence rate of coeliac disease per 100 000 person-years in Sweden 19902015. GAM, generalized additive model. Credit: DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2021-324209

In a nationwide study of more than 44,000 patients with celiac disease and 412,000 individuals with a normal small intestinal mucosa, researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Calgary University in Canada, Columbia University and the Mayo Clinic in the Unites States, examined the incidence of celiac disease over a 25-year-period and the role of celiac disease awareness. The findings have now been published in the journal Gut.

Celiac disease is an immune mediated gastrointestinal disease that is triggered by consumption of gluten. This causes inflammation and villus atrophy in the duodenum and jejunum. Earlier data have suggested that celiac disease is increasing but most studies have been limited to screening studies with data on prevalence of disease. Fewer studies have examined long-term incidence, and none so far have tried to tackle the role of celiac disease awareness. With increasing awareness, it is expected that more patients with suspected celiac disease seek medical advice and physicians are more likely to consider the diagnosis.

Due to limitations in earlier data, and lack of solid incidence data over time, researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Calgary University in Canada, Columbia University and the Mayo Clinic in the Unites States, examined the incidence of celiac disease over a 25-year-period using histopathology data from all Sweden's 28 pathology departments (the ESPRESSO (Epidemiology Strengthened by Histopathology Reports in Sweden) cohort). Celiac disease was defined as having duodenal/jejunal villus atrophy. The researchers also retrieved data on individuals undergoing a small intestinal biopsy that detected normal small intestinal mucosa, as a measure of celiac awareness.

"Interestingly we found a two-wave incidence pattern in Sweden," says David Bergman, first author of the study, Ph.D. student at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, and also general practitioner in Stockholm.

"The incidence reached a peak in 1994 for both sexes and a second, higher peak, 20022003 for women and 2006 for men." He continues; "The overall incidence rate between 1990 and 2015 was 19.0 per 100,000 person-years."

The researchers also calculated the lifetime risk of developing celiac disease. They estimate that 1.8% of the Swedish population will be diagnosed with celiac disease at some point in life, with a slightly higher percentage in women (2.3%) and lower in men (1.4%).

"This once again demonstrates how common celiac disease is. That about 1 in 55 individuals in Sweden will be diagnosed with celiac disease underlines that this is truly a burden to society. Most researchers estimate that less than 50% of celiac patients receive a diagnosis so the true incidence and prevalence of celiac disease is likely even higher." Says one of the co-authors, Professor Jonas F Ludvigsson, pediatrician at Orebro University Hospital and professor at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet.

The researchers also examined the incidence of having a small intestinal biopsy with a normal mucosa as a measure of celiac disease awareness and investigation.

"We found a parallel rise in rates for biopsies showing normal duodenal/jejunal mucosa." says Dr. Bergman. "The incidence of CD in Sweden increased until 20022003 in women and until 2006 in men. Since then, the incidence of CD has declined despite increasing duodenal/jejunal biopsies, suggesting that increased awareness and investigation are unlikely to elevate the incidence of the disease in Sweden."

Explore further Celiac disease linked to increased risk of premature death

More information: David Bergman et al, Two waves of coeliac disease incidence in Sweden: a nationwide population-based cohort study from 1990 to 2015, Gut (2021). Journal information: Gut David Bergman et al, Two waves of coeliac disease incidence in Sweden: a nationwide population-based cohort study from 1990 to 2015,(2021). DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2021-324209
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Laughter may very well be the best medicine for a healthy life, according to research released today.

Published online in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, A systematic review of humor-based strategies for addressing public health priorities, found that humor interventions could be effective to influence people's behavior and intentions around their health.

Uniquely, the research was conducted by Scottish comedian and women's health physiotherapist Elaine Miller, Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, in collaboration with a team of Monash University researchers led by Monash Warwick Alliance Professor Helen Skouteris.

"I have seen comedy used to address the most taboo subjects on stage," Ms Miller said. "My field is incontinence which is often very embarrassing for people to talk about, but because laughter is universal it has the potential to reach people broadly.

"This robust, systematic review analyzed 13 studies over the past 10 years whereby humor had been used to communicate serious messages covering topics such as mental health, breast and testicular cancer self-examination, safe sex, skin cancer and binge drinking.

"What we found is that humor can act as an effective vehicle for delivering messages people might find fear-inducing or threatening. Humor, if used well, can be an emotional buffer that breaks down some of that fear so the underlying messages reach the intended audience and influence their behaviors and attitudes."

The study highlighted a number of factors that could impact the effectiveness of a humor-based message, including the level and type of fear or perceived threat, the "taboo" nature of the topic and an individual's taste in humor.

"It's definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach. A poorly judged joke can ruin a health campaign's message, a therapeutic relationship, a gig; or all three of those at once. Humor is very complex and further research to examine humor and public health promotion is certainly warranted," Ms Miller said.

"What this study also highlighted is, there's a lot of us who work in health promotion who can learn from commercial advertising and public safety campaigns, such as road and rail safety where humor has been shown to attract attention, promote the memory of and positive attitudes towards an advertisement, brand or message."

Professor Skouteris, Director of the Centre of Research Excellence in Health in Preconception and Pregnancy (CRE HiPP) and Head of Monash University's Health and Social Care Unit within the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, said the study was an "encouraging first step" towards implementing humor-based messaging more broadly across public health.

"Humor is enjoyable. People are drawn to itthey want to look at it and be part of it," Professor Skouteris said.

"Importantly, this review highlighted that humor can be utilized as a tool to encourage conversation and sharing. It's not just a way to send a message but actually encourages people to talk about it and be open with others, which we believe can lead to influencing society's perceptions and behaviors around important public health prevention messages."

Professor Skouteris said further research was necessary to examine how humor worked specifically in public health settings.

"Most of the research done to date has focused on humor and health outcomes in clinical settings so it's important we look more broadly at how humor may influence behavioral intentions and public health outcomes out of those acute health settings," she said.

Ms Miller added that she also hoped to take some of this further research on the comedy circuit.

"I'm interested in sub-clinical women, those who have incontinence but who don't seek help. I'm planning to tour my show and survey the audience to establish prevalence of pelvic health conditions and whether a comedy show can encourage help-seeking," she said.

Explore further Laughter isn't always the best medicine for work stress

More information: Elaine Miller et al, A systematic review of humourbased strategies for addressing public health priorities, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (2021). Journal information: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Elaine Miller et al, A systematic review of humourbased strategies for addressing public health priorities,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.13142
Graphical abstract. Credit: DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab163

Little Addison Black has had a difficult start to life as she has battled a rare condition that only affects a handful of youngsters worldwide.

The five-year-old has Poretti-Boltshauser syndrome, an illness which causes delayed brain function and speech problems that can lead to an array of challenging behaviors.

It was only recently that Addison was given this diagnosis as years earlier her family had been told the devastating news that the youngster had a life-limiting brain development disorder known as Joubert syndrome.

But, in a new study published in Brain Communications, Newcastle University experts analyzed families with possible genetic causes of brain abnormalities and a change to Addison's diagnosis was made.

Reviewing symptoms

Using expert review of clinical symptoms, brain scans and genetic sequencing through the Genomics England 100,000 Genomes Project and the Deciphering Developmental Disorders study, four UK families had their child's diagnosis changed to the new syndrome, Poretti-Boltshauser.

Professor John Sayer, Deputy Dean of Clinical Medicine at Newcastle University, said: "Our study shows that by carefully re-evaluating children with a clinical label of Joubert syndrome, we were able to make both a clinical and genetic diagnosis of a much rarer, but milder, syndrome called Poretti-Boltshauser.

"Our study revealed that children with congenital brain disorders may have a delayed or incorrect diagnosis due to poor recognition of key features on brain imaging and incomplete genetic testing."

Scientists worked with families in the UK who attended a genetics clinic run by Professor Sayer at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Professor Eugen Boltshauser, a retired children's brain specialist whom the syndrome is named after, was also involved to help ensure a correct clinical diagnosis.

A key feature of Poretti-Boltshauser is that it is non-progressive and doesn't lead to kidney failure and other life-threatening complications associated with other brain diseases such as Joubert syndrome.

The findings are important for the NHS as genome sequencing is becoming mainstream so this rare disorder can be identified quickly if considered alongside other diseases which mimic its characteristics.

Professor Sayer, also a Consultant Nephrologist at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It is important because it allows patients with rare brain disorders a much better chance of a correct clinical and genetic diagnosis.

"This will help many families in the UK to get more precise information about their child's condition and know in much clearer terms what the future will hold."

Shock diagnosis

It was a shock to Addison's parents Carli and Stewart that their daughter's diagnosis was changed following genetic screening, however, they were relieved that they could connect with other families in a similar position to help them through difficult times.

Mother-of-two Carli, 34, a former nurse from Wallsend, North Tyneside, said: "When your child has complex needs then your whole life understandably revolves around them and making sure they're okay and have the best treatment possible.

"We knew from a very young age that something was not right with Addison's development as she wasn't hitting the milestonesshe couldn't make eye contact, had head twitching and didn't walk until after the age of three.

"When we were given the initial diagnosis of Joubert syndrome it was heartbreaking as it's a life-limiting illness and that was always in the back of our minds.

"But to then be told after genetic screening that Addison had a different condition it came as a bolt out of the blue as we didn't expect it and we had never heard of Poretti-Boltshauser syndrome.

"To be given this diagnosis means that we can speak to the few other families in a similar situation and learn from one another's experiences, which is so important in our understanding of Addison's complex needs."

Addison is regularly monitored by specialists and she enjoys life at school and spending time with her older brother Coby, 10.

Further research at Newcastle University will focus on finding as many families as possible with Poretti-Boltshauser syndrome so that they can benefit from a correct diagnosis and better prognosis.

The experts will also continue to work with Professor Boltshauser and patients to identify how well people with this condition do in adult life.

Explore further Discovery of gene that modifies the severity of inherited kidney disease

More information: Laura Powell et al, Identification of LAMA1 mutations ends diagnostic odyssey and has prognostic implications for patients with presumed Joubert syndrome, Brain Communications (2021). Journal information: Brain Communications Laura Powell et al, Identification of LAMA1 mutations ends diagnostic odyssey and has prognostic implications for patients with presumed Joubert syndrome,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab163
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

As COVID-19 hospitalizations reach another pandemic level in a fourth surge more than 18 months after the virus took hold of our lives, two newly published Houston Methodist studies leveraged data from what we've experienced thus far to reveal more clues about COVID's risk factors and consequences.

In the first study, lead author Edward A. Graviss, Ph.D., M.P.H., F.I.D.S.A., an Associate Professor of Pathology and Genomic Medicine with the Houston Methodist Research Institute, and his team investigated demographic and clinical risk factors for severe disease in hospitalized young adult COVID-19 patients age 18-29 years across Houston Methodist's system of seven hospitals. Their analysis took place from March 1 to December 7, during the first three COVID-19 surges in 2020. They also looked at readmission rates and accompanying severe disease diagnoses within 30 days after these patients were discharged from the hospital.

With patients well-distributed among Houston Methodist's eight hospitals across the greater Houston area, the 1,853 young adult patients were 20% non-Hispanic white, 32% non-Hispanic Black and 43% Hispanic or Latino. Women made up 62% of patients, with 12% being pregnant. While these patients were relatively healthy, 68% were overweight or obese. The most common comorbidities among the patients were asthma, mental health disorders, hypertension and diabetes. While all patients had COVID-positive PCR tests and were potentially infectious at some point during their diagnostic encounter, only 43% reported COVID-19 symptoms at admission.

Hispanic men were more likely to develop severe disease outcomes, and increasing age, asthma history, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes were predictive of severe disease diagnoses within 30 days of initial hospitalization. Hispanic ethnicity, non-Hispanic Black race, obesity, asthma and myocardial infarction history, and household exposure were predictive of hospital readmission after 30 days.

Relatively few young adult patients received respiratory interventions, such as ventilator support, during their initial diagnostic encounter, with 11% receiving supplemental oxygen and 3% requiring intensive care. While 96% of the patients were discharged home from their initial hospitalization, 15% of them returned to the hospital within 30 days. Of the inpatient admissions, four patients (1%) died during their initial hospitalization and four more died after being discharged to another institution.

Overall, within 30 days of their first encounter, 17% of patients were diagnosed with pneumonia and 8% were diagnosed with at least one additional critical diagnoses, such as sepsis, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular event, cardiac arrest, pulmonary embolism, thrombosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and the like, to be classified as having severe COVID-19 disease.

The authors say the study demonstrates a significant risk of severe disease and readmission among young adults, especially those in marginalized communities and in individuals with comorbidities. They emphasize a need for more COVID-19 awareness and prevention among young adults and continued investigation of risk factors for severe disease, readmission and long-term consequences of COVID-19.

Collaborators in the Houston Methodist Research Institute working with Dr. Graviss on this study were Micaela Sandoval and Duc T. Nguyen with the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and Farhaan S. Vahidy with the Center for Outcomes Research.

The findings of this peer-reviewed retrospective cohort study are described in a paper titled "Risk factors for severity of COVID-19 in hospital patients age 1829 years," in PLoS One, a multidisciplinary journal published by the Public Library of Science, which is a nonprofit open-access publisher and advocacy organization dedicated to accelerating progress in science and medicine.

In the second study, lead author Sonia Villapol, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Center for Neuroregeneration at Houston Methodist, and her collaborators detected more than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19 among the 47,910 patients included in the analysis. Topping the list, the most common of these lingering symptoms, which range from mild to debilitating and last weeks to months after initial recovery, are fatigue at 58%, followed by headache (44%), attention disorder (27%), hair loss (25%), shortness of breath (24%), loss of taste (23%) and loss of smell (21%).

Other symptoms were related to lung disease, such as cough, chest discomfort, reduced pulmonary diffusing capacity, sleep apnea and pulmonary fibrosis; cardiovascular issues, such as arrhythmias and myocarditis; and unspecific problems, such as tinnitus and night sweats. The researchers were surprised to also find a prevalence of neurological symptoms, such as dementia, depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

To assess these long-term effects of COVID-19, the research team identified a total of 18,251 publications, of which 15 met the inclusion criteria for their study. The peer-reviewed studies they analyzed were conducted in the U.S., Europe, UK, Australia, China, Egypt and Mexico and consisted of data published before 2021, following patient cohorts ranging from 102 to 44,799 adults age 17-87 years.

The studies collected information from self-reported patient surveys, medical records and clinical evaluation, with post-COVID follow-up time ranging from 14 to 110 days. Patients hospitalized for COVID-19 made up 40% of the studies with the rest following a mix of mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 patients.

The research team performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of these studies to estimate the prevalence of all the symptoms, signs or abnormal laboratory parameters extending beyond the acute phase of COVID-19. They measured several biomarkers, including abnormal chest X-ray or CT scan, blood clot risk, presence of inflammation, anemia, and indicators of possible heart failure, bacterial infection and lung damage. They found 80% of recovered adults had at least one long-term symptom lasting weeks to months after acute infection with mild, moderate or severe COVID-19.

In total, the team identified 55 persistent symptoms, signs and abnormal laboratory results, with most of the lingering effects similar to the symptomatology developed during the acute phase of COVID-19. Identifying these same persistent effects across several countries, the researchers say their study confirms the burden of Long COVID is substantial and stress the urgency of recognizing these chronic complications, clearly communicating them to the community and defining therapeutic strategies to avoid long-term consequences from COVID-19. The next phase of their research will focus on determining what makes some individuals more susceptible to Long COVID.

Collaborating with Villapol on this study were Sandra Lopez-Leon with Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Talia Wegman-Ostrosky with Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia in Mexico, Carol Perelman with National Autonomous University of Mexico, Rosalinda Sepulveda with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Paulina A. Rebolledo with Emory University and Angelica Cuapio with Karolinska Institutet.

First reported as a preprint in medRxiv, the now peer-reviewed study, titled "More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis," recently appeared in Scientific Reports.

Explore further COVID-19: Patients with malnutrition may be more likely to have severe outcomes

More information: Micaela Sandoval et al, Risk factors for severity of COVID-19 in hospital patients age 1829 years, PLOS ONE (2021). Micaela Sandoval et al, Risk factors for severity of COVID-19 in hospital patients age 1829 years,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255544 Lopez-Leon, S. et al. More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95565-8 Journal information: PLoS ONE , Scientific Reports
Members of the public are tested at a pop up COVID-19 clinic at a shopping centre in Sydney, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. NSW is racing to vaccinate as many people as quickly as it can as the daily COVID-19 case numbers spiral higher despite nearly eight weeks of lockdown. Credit: Joel Carrett/AAP Image via AP

An Australian state leader warned Friday that Melbourne may be losing control of a COVID-19 delta variant outbreak that began in Sydney and has also spread to the New Zealand capital.

The fast-moving outbreak was first detected in mid-June in Sydney, Australia's largest city, which has reported more than 600 new infections in each of the last four days.

The virus has spread to Melbourne, the nation's second-most populous city, and has seeded New Zealand's first outbreak in six months.

The neighboring nations have succeeded in using lockdowns to stamp out clusters throughout the pandemic. But the delta variant is proving more challenging.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said he is losing hope of eliminating the latest outbreak in Melbourne, which entered its sixth lockdown on Aug. 5.

Victoria reported 55 new community infections on Friday. But most new patients were infectious before they began isolating, making "today a bad day," Andrews said.

"We are right on the edge of this getting away from us and it's not because contact tracing aren't doing everything they can; they are. It's not because we didn't lock down fast enough; we did," Andrews said.

"It's this delta variant. It's so wildly infectious it will find every breach of every rule and it will potentially spread because of that," he said.

A previous outbreak in Melbourne swelled to 725 cases in a day in August last year before a suppression strategy drove daily infections down to zero in October.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Friday she is determined to eliminate the new outbreak from her country.

The virus, first detected in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland on Tuesday, has spread to the capital, Wellington.

Health authorities said three people in Wellington who recently visited Auckland had tested positive.

The outbreak has grown to 31 cases, and some patients were diverted from an Auckland hospital after one person may have unknowingly been infectious while being treated there, officials said.

New Zealand's government on Tuesday hurriedly put the entire nation into a strict lockdown after the first community case was found. Genome testing has linked the outbreak to an infected traveler who returned from Sydney earlier this month and was quarantined. Authorities don't yet know how the virus escaped quarantine.

All of New Zealand will remain in lockdown until at least next Tuesday.

Sydney's lockdown was extended through September on Friday and tougher restrictions were imposed, including a curfew and compulsory mask wearing outdoors.

The city of 5 million has been locked down since June 26, 10 days after the delta variant was first detected in an unvaccinated limousine driver who became infected while transporting a U.S. cargo aircrew from Sydney Airport.

New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said increasing vaccination rates is key to easing the city's pandemic restrictions.

The new restrictions were the result of her asking police and health officials for a final list of "what else can we throw at this," she said.

"I don't want us to ever look back and say we didn't try, we didn't put everything into this," Berejiklian said.

Explore further New Zealand extends Delta outbreak lockdown

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
In this Nov. 12, 2020, file photo, diners Mitchell Bryant, left, and Darla Scott eat inside at the Buena Vista Cafe amid the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco. San Francisco will require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for a number of indoor activities such as visiting restaurants, bars and gyms. A city supervisor confirmed the new mandate shortly before Mayor London Breed was scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021.Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File

San Francisco became the first major city in the nation to require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 on Friday for people dining inside restaurants, working out in gyms or attending indoor concerts.

Restaurants and bars posted signs and added extra staff to begin verifying people's proof of vaccination before allowing them in.

"There's definitely some anxiety around how it's all going to work," said Pete Sittnick, a managing partner of Waterbar and EPIC Steak restaurants on the city's waterfront.

He anticipates a slowdown in checking in diners, possible pushback from guests who disagree with the requirement and awkward scenarios where someone shows up without proper documentation.

"The good thing is, if somebody doesn't have their verification of vaccination they can still eat outside. There is an option and we just need to be ready for different scenarios," he said.

Mayor London Breed announced the requirement more than a week ago in an attempt to stem rising COVID-19 cases, saying she was worried the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus could disrupt the city's economic rebound.

The mandate goes further than New York City, which requires people to be at least partially inoculated for a variety of high-risk indoor activities, and New Orleans, which requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for indoor dining or drinking.

In this Nov. 24, 2020, file photo, people wear masks while working out in social distancing spaces in an indoor class at a Hit Fit SF gym amid the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco. San Francisco will require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for a number of indoor activities such as visiting restaurants, bars and gyms. A city supervisor confirmed the new mandate shortly before Mayor London Breed was scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu,File

It follows a number of tough COVID-19 measures San Francisco imposed since the beginning of the pandemic. The city and its neighboring counties in the Bay Area were the first in the nation to order residents to stay at home in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and was the first big city in the nation to require all city employees to be vaccinated, without the option of testing regularly.

The majority of 36,000 city workers said they are vaccinated, but about 4,300 have not. This week, the city sent letters recommending a 10-day suspension without pay for 20 employees in police, fire and sheriff's departments who refused to report their vaccination status by the Aug. 12 deadline, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has also had to tighten the rules after announcing the reopening of California's economy in June. He has required the state's health care workers to get vaccinated to keep their jobs and all teachers and state workers to either get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

Local business groups have supported the new vaccine mandate, saying it will protect their employees' and customers' health and keep them from having to limit capacity indoors. Some businesses that had taken it upon themselves to check for proof of vaccination at the door said a citywide policy helps set clear expectations for all customers.

When Vegan Picnic announced in late July it would only allow vaccinated customers, the deli quickly received one-star reviews on Yelp, many from internet trolls who had never eaten there, and threats from callers who viewed the requirement as a violation of their personal rights and privacy, owner Jill Ritchie said.

"The phone was ringing with people yelling at us, and at the same time we had an outpouring of support from people saying 'Thank you, I feel safe going to your store,'" Ritchie said.

She said checking people's vaccination status has been easy, and soon the computer software her business uses for online ordering and payment processing will handle the verification digitally and warn customers of the mandate ahead of time.

In this June 3, 2021 file photo California Gov. Gavin Newsom walks with San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Geary Street to a news conference outside Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco. San Francisco will require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for a number of indoor activities such as visiting restaurants, bars and gyms. A city supervisor confirmed the new mandate shortly before Breed was scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Risberg,File

Online reservation systems such as OpenTable are also telling diners about the rule when they RSVP, and businesses that cater to the city's tourism industry launched a campaign called "Relax, We're Vaxxed" to get the word out to out-of-town visitors.

City officials said a paper card issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a photo of the CDC card, or a verified digital vaccine record will suffice. Proof of vaccination issued by foreign governments is also acceptable.

Pearce Cleaveland, co-owner of the Temple nightclub, said his security guards have been trained to check all forms of vaccination proof and they have caught some people with falsified copies of vaccination cards.

"We've had people who get upset at the door when they're turned away, but in general they're understanding," he said. "It's the tourists who are generally disappointed, when they're unaware of the requirement and can't get vaccinated quickly enough."

Workers have until Oct. 13 to prove they are fully vaccinated and Cleaveland said he expects to meet compliance by then. The mandate does not apply to people ineligible for vaccines, including children under 12.

After a sharp increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the San Francisco Bay Area over the summer, the numbers appear to be leveling off but remain high, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an expert on infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco.

He said reinstated restrictions have helped slow the spread of the coronavirus. For example, after Los Angeles County reinstated a mask mandate for indoor businesses, the increase in daily COVID-19 cases slowed significantly over the last few weeks, Chin-Hong said.

"There is no magic bullet, just a combination of a hard stick and soft stick," he said. "The proof of vaccination mandate is a soft stick because you can still eat outdoors, but if you want to hang out with people indoors you better get vaccinated."

Explore further San Francisco to require vaccine proof at indoor venues

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Fig. 1. Neutralizing auto-Abs against IFN-2 and/or IFN- in patients with life-threatening COVID-19. (A) Gyros (high-throughput automated ELISA) results for auto-Abs against IFN-2 and/or IFN- in patients with critical COVID-19 (N=2,240), severe COVID-19 (N=500), or asymptomatic/mild SARS-CoV-2 infection (N=663). (B) Schematic representation of the neutralization assay developed in HEK293T cells, using a luciferase system. ISRE: interferon-sensitive response elements. (C) Results for the neutralization of 10 ng/mL IFN-2 or IFN- in the presence of plasma 1/10 from patients with critical COVID-19 (N=3,136), severe COVID-19 (N=623), or controls with mild/asymptomatic infection (N=1,076). Relative luciferase activity is shown (ISRE dual luciferase activity, with normalization against Renilla luciferase activity) after stimulation with 10 ng/mL IFN-2 or IFN- in the presence of plasma 1/10. RLA: relative luciferase activity. (D) RLA after stimulation with IFN-2 at a concentration of 10 ng/mL or 100 pg/mL, with various dilutions of plasma from a positive control (from 1/10 to 1/107) neutralizing 10 ng/mL of type I IFNs (AAB+ pt, 10 ng/mL), a patient neutralizing 100 pg/mL of type I IFNs but not 10 ng/mL (AAB+ pt, 100 pg/mL), and a healthy control (HC). AAB: auto-Ab. Pt: patient. (E) Neutralization of 100 pg/mL IFN-2 or IFN- in the presence of plasma 1/10 from patients with critical COVID-19 (N=3,595), severe COVID-19 (N=522), or controls with asymptomatic/mild infection (N=1,639). (F) Plot showing luciferase induction after stimulation with 10 ng/mL or 100 pg/mL IFN-2, in the presence of plasma from patients with critical COVID-19. Dotted lines indicate neutralizing levels, defined as induction levels below 15% of the mean value for controls tested the same day. Patients with antibodies neutralizing both 10 ng/mL and 100 pg/mL IFN-2 are shown in the bottom left corner, whereas the patients in the bottom right corner had antibodies capable of neutralizing only 100 pg/mL IFN-2. (G) Plot showing luciferase induction after stimulation with 10 ng/mL or 100 pg/mL IFN-, for patients with critical COVID-19. Credit: DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abl4340

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2019, more than 200 million people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, resulting in at least 4 million deaths, and probably closer to 7 to 9 million deaths worldwide. Interindividual clinical variability in the course of acute infection has been found to be vast, ranging from silent infection to rapid death.

Trinity researchers from the School of Medicine and Tallaght University Hospital have joined a large collaborative study, involving leading clinical research facilities from 38 countries internationally, to examine the reasons for this variability in morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 illness. The study is published in the journal Science Immunology.

This unique study explains a new mechanism that accounts for some of the variability in COVID-19 illness. The research has found that autoantibodiesantibodies that mistakenly target and react with a person's own tissues or organsblock a key mechanism in the antiviral immune response; the type 1 interferon response.

The type 1 interferon response is an immune mediator involved in antiviral protection and is a critical response in the body's ability to fight viral infections. This new research shows that the autoantibodies that neutralize the interferon response, sharply increase in prevalence in patients over 60 years of age and underlie about 20% of all fatal COVID cases. Researchers believe that this may explain some of the variability that we see in COVID-19 illness in older people.

The presence of auto-antibodies in some individuals with critical COVID-19 illness was previously demonstrated by Paul Bastard (University of Paris, France) and Jean-Laurent Cassanova (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NY, U.S.). Bastard and Cassanova have led this current collaborative study which demonstrates this key mechanism by which some individuals are more vulnerable to COVID-19 illness. These autoantibodies sharply increase with age and are present in about 4% of older adults aged >70 years of age in the general population, partially explaining why older adults are so vulnerable to severe COVID-19.

Key findings

Auto-antibodies neutralizing type I interferons (a key immune defense mechanism) are present in 4% of adults aged 70 years or older and may account for up to 20% of COVID-19 deaths.

Auto-antibodies are capable of neutralizing the body's own interferon anti-viral response.

Auto-antibodies sharply increase after the age of 70 years.

The Irish contribution to this wider global research effort came from the inclusion of older individuals which were part a larger program of research at Trinity College Dublin and Tallaght University Hospital. The NH-COVAIR project is a longitudinal investigation of COVID-19 in Irish nursing home residents, examining the relationship between frailty, Clinical outcomes, immunophenotype, and vaccine response in nursing home residents.

The inclusion of this information into the larger global study is vital as older adults, and particularly those residing in nursing homes, are frequently excluded from research based on age or medical co-morbidity. This study, by demonstrating the striking increase in these autoantibodies after 70 years of age, emphasizes the need to not only include older adults in immunology research, but the need to study the variability in immune responses in older adults and in particular in those living with frailty, such as nursing home residents. By excluding older adults from research, this could mean the opportunity for key discoveries about immune system variability is lost.

Implications for clinical care and treatment

The research presents several possibilities for clinical care and treatment of the COVID-19 illness. The identification of these auto-antibodies may inform clinicians about who is more susceptible to severe COVID-19 illness, who may benefit from early hospital admission and early treatment and who may benefit from therapy such as interferon-beta ( trials of nebulised interferon-beta are currently underway).

The Trinity team's ongoing NH-COVAIR study, is led by Dr. Adam Dyer, Professor Sean Kennelly and Dr. Nollaig Bourke, will aim to explore these responses further over the course of the next few years. This research emphasizes the need to include older people and those with advanced levels of frailty in basic scientific research.

Professor Sean Kennelly, Consultant Physician in Geriatric and Stroke Medicine, Department of Age-related healthcare, Tallaght University Hospital and Clinical Associate Professor in Medical Gerontology, Trinity College and co-author of the study said: "This important study explains why COVID-19 can have severe clinical consequences in some people but not others. We were delighted to ensure Tallaght University Hospital and Trinity College Dublin were represented amongst this international consortium of leading clinical research institutes. We are extremely grateful for the generous support of local nursing home residents, staff, and families who participated in this study."

Dr. Adam Dyer, ICAT Fellow & Specialist Registrar in Geriatric Medicine, Trinity College Dublin & Tallaght University Hospital and co-author of the study said: "The findings of this landmark study emphasize the need to explore immune-system variability in older adults. As clinicians, we see an immense variability in morbidity and mortality in older adults infected with this virus, and exploring the underlying immunological reasons why is an urgent unmet clinical need."

Explore further Looking beyond the numbers to see pandemic's effect on nursing home residents

More information: Paul Bastard et al, Autoantibodies neutralizing type I IFNs are present in ~4% of uninfected individuals over 70 years old and account for ~20% of COVID-19 deaths, Science Immunology (2021). Journal information: Science Immunology Paul Bastard et al, Autoantibodies neutralizing type I IFNs are present in ~4% of uninfected individuals over 70 years old and account for ~20% of COVID-19 deaths,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abl4340
She also noted that most of her clients in Bozeman were tourists. And though many of her clients here will be tourists too  shes next to a hotel for a reason  she can tell that shell have many local clients because of how welcoming and supportive of the arts this town is.

Missoula, I'm hoping, is going to be the destination place for art in our state, she said. We now have more galleries in the town of Missoula than any other town (in the state), and we have an incredible art museum right here.

Banks Hammond has always been drawn to Western art because it depicts scenes of the beauty of Montana  her home.

Most of the gallerys 29 artists are local to Montana, and it shows in their work. Many of the paintings, prints and sculptures are depictions of grand scenery, some are of the people who live out West and still more are of the animals that inhabit the land here.

One painting depicts a herd of bison grazing near Yellowstones geysers, another shows a view from the ridge line of the Bridger Range. In one a cowboy squats next to his dog at a rodeo and another shows a fisherman in a stream.
It runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Entry is free. There will be a vaccine clinic on site from the Missoula City-County Health Department.

Modest Mouse in Bonner

(Tuesday, Aug. 24)

Isaac Brock and company's latest album, "The Golden Casket," is apparently a paranoid one, which should provide an interesting contrast to the simpler-times singalong of their hits like "Float On."

See how the two sentiments pair at KettleHouse Amphitheater, the groups first show in Missoula since a September 2017 set at Big Sky Brewing Company.

The opener is Philadelphia indie-rock band The Districts, whose latest album is You Know Im Not Going Anywhere, which strangely enough given the title, was released on March 13, 2020. The show is sold out.

MAM mural unveiling at the Art Park

(Wednesday, Aug. 25)

See what local students made during summer in the Teen Art Project, a program the MAM put on over the course of two months.
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigations announced Monday afternoon that a Missoula man killed in an officer-involved shooting last week likely died by suicide, not police gunfire.

Brendon Galbreath, 21, died Thursday morning at Providence Saint Patrick Hospital a few hours after the incident.

After a chase, police managed to stop Galbreath's vehicle at the intersection of Stephens and Florence, DCI Administrator Bryan Lockerby said in a video statement released to the media.

An officer  who has not been named  saw Galbreath raise a handgun, and the officer pulled his duty weapon, Lockerby said. The officer perceived he was being shot at, and returned fire with a single shot. The officers bullet struck the car and did not hit Galbreath. It was recovered at the scene.

The initial field investigation "strongly indicates" Galbreath died by suicide, Lockerby said.

The field investigation included interviews, crime scene assessment, ballistic analysis and video review, including police vehicle dash camera footage. The DCIs initial assessment is corroborated by dash cam video, Lockerby said.
"We read about that in the media, and it always seems like it's happening someplace far away. But that's happening here in St. Pat's in Missoula, Montana and people need to know that."

Staffers also have had to deal with angry patients and family members who have not been able to see their loved ones due to limited visitation policies. Staff members use tablets to connect with them on Zoom to let family members say goodbye.

"There are certain people who have been doing this non-stop," McKay said. "It's trauma, really, for these folks."

The delta variant, which according to the Centers for Disease Control is far more transmissible and causes more severe illness, is the predominant strain of the virus in the United States.

It is causing the surge in new cases, which are now at a rolling seven-day average of over 140,000  comparable to daily rates in late January and early February of this year.

It has now been 18 months since the COVID pandemic began in the United States. Despite the length of time and the emergence of effective vaccines, the strain on hospitals and health care workers is immense.
The Burnt Peak Fire is located about nine miles southwest of Troy. Fire managers said temperatures were expected to reach the low 80s on Thursday. The fire stands at 4,066 acres and is 29% contained.

Heavy equipment that arrived Wednesday will construct the fuel break along the 404 Road up toward Goat Mountain. Resources will improve preparations and clean-up along Callahan Creek Road and begin assessing the Three-Mile Creek Road as a contingency line. Resources will continue staging water resources along existing contingency lines. Direct line construction, including hand line, dozer line and saw lines will advance along the road in the North Fork of Keeler Creek.

Crews will spend time reinforcing previous work along the 4506 Road to complete that portion of containment line to the 4542 Road in the West Fork of Keeler Creek.

Residents in North Fork Keeler Creek are on a pre-evacuation notice.

The South Yaak Fire is burning about four miles northwest of Troy.

High humidity and lower temperatures were expected to continue to moderate fire behavior across most of the fire on Thursday. Active surface spread is not expected to occur until the weekend, after fuels dry out.
We deserve answers. The family deserves answers, Moreno said.

Galbreaths family has expressed frustration with what they describe as a lack of transparency and answers provided to them.

Family member Marci McLean said they want the clear, full story of what happened.

We feel the truth is being hidden from us, she said. We want to know. His mom and dad want to know what happened in the hours before he died. We want transparency.

Camera footage of everything leading up to Galbreath losing his life is what the family needs right now to put the pieces of the puzzle together and understand what happened, McLean said.

Footage has not been given to the family or the public.

There are many unanswered questions, McLean added.

Is there anything that could have been done differently to save him? What could have been done to offer medical care or anything else? Is there something else that could have happened? she asked.

A funeral for Galbreath on the Blackfeet Reservation was held simultaneously with the rally on Thursday afternoon.

McLean said the family also asks for prayers from the community.
Theres something here for everyone, he said. This federal investment is so critical, there are lots of us on the ground who are ready to deploy those resources in ways that will have a lasting and meaningful impact for the residents we serve.

Both rural and urban pockets of the state benefit when the other is doing well, Engen said. He wants to continue having conversations with everyone about climate change regardless of party lines.

Missoula like many communities around the West (is) growing at what feels like an unprecedented pace, Engen said.

Engen recalled 2006, when he attended his first U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Summit in Anchorage. At that time, mayors did not talk about climate change and global warming, he said.

Looking to the future, Engen addressed the importance of planning for the future in Missoula to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Planning has been a critical component of our climate action, he said. It turns out you dont know where youre going unless you make a plan for where youre heading.

He said current planning documents reflect community interests regarding climate change.

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These individuals are at high risk for eviction should this fall into market rate ownership, explained Eran Pehan, the director of the citys Office of Community Planning, Development and Innovation.

The city is under contract to purchase the building for $2.195 million, which is the value it received in an independent appraisal.

Buchanan said there hasnt been a decision made on how to fund the purchase price, but they will bring a recommendation to the board at a later date.

The request thats in front of you today is to facilitate the citys efforts in acquiring the Bridge apartments, Buchanan told the board. They are what we consider permanently affordable housing or have been up until now. All or some of tenants have some degree of needs above and beyond just low income.

The apartments were built in 1998 with public money, including $20,000 in TIF funding. Buchanan said that other than a little bit of deferred maintenance, an inspection showed the facility to be in great shape.

The public will benefit from the citys purchase of the building because the people who live there would be dependent on public services if they were to be evicted, Buchanan said.
It might be: The organization hopes to begin returning volunteers to the field late this year or early next year.

While Peace Corps volunteers would be required to be vaccinated, sending them back will depend on the situation in individual countries. Initially, about 2,400 evacuated volunteers expressed interest in going back and there are about 10,000 applications on file, Acting Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn told The Associated Press.

Immediately after the evacuation we had tremendous interest from volunteers who were evacuated in returning to their country of service, Spahn said. Clearly, as time goes on, you know, people do move on with their lives, but I will say we have a robust pipeline of both people who were evacuated as well as those who were invited, but were unable to go and those who are expressing new interest.

How soon they can be sent overseas depends on the worldwide fight against the virus, complicated by the recent emergence of the more transmissible delta variant and the slow rollout of vaccines in developing countries  many of which host Peace Corps programs.
People are behaving differently based on new information, and that's going to affect the labor market, said Sylvia Allegretto, a labor economist and co-chair of the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at the University of California-Berkeley.

California's unemployment rate stayed at 7.6% in July, the second highest in the nation tied with New Mexico and New York. But the rate likely did not change because another 56,600 people joined the workforce in July, a good sign meaning more people are looking for work. Allegretto said the rate of people quitting their jobs is higher, which you normally don't see in a recession.

Because so many jobs are coming online at once, a lot of people are quitting jobs they had to say, Hey, I can find a better deal, Allegretto said. I'm not surprised by any of this, and I don't think anything is too worrisome at this point, when you put it into context with what's happening.

Up to 2 million people could lose their unemployment benefits next month when extended federal benefits are set to expire. President Joe Biden on Thursday said some states could use federal coronavirus relief money to extend benefits on their own.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  A Florida judge on Thursday refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that parents should decide whether their children wear masks at school to combat the coronavirus.

The order by Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper clears the way for a three-day hearing next week on whether to block enforcement of the governor's order.

The lawsuit was filed Aug. 6 by parents opposed to the DeSantis order banning schools from imposing mask mandates unless parents can opt out of the requirements. Cooper decided the parents have a legal right to sue, overruling the state's position.

I do believe they have a right to challenge the governor, the judge said after a three-hour hearing. I'm not deciding whether they are right or wrong. We'll have to see what the evidence shows.

Five Florida school districts  including four of the largest  are defying the governor's order by permitting mask opt-outs only for medical reasons rather than parental choice. An attorney in the lawsuit, Charles Gallagher, said such decisions should be left to local school boards, not imposed by the state.

They have a right to govern themselves. They can enact their own policies, Gallagher said.
The state has filed charges against a Plentywood man who at one-time worked as a maintenance worker at a facility for adults with disabilities, accusing him of sexual intercourse without consent against two developmentally disabled women.

Timothy Ray Marsh faces three counts, each a felony. The first count can bring imprisonment of two to (no more than) 100 years, a maximum fine of $50,000 or both.

The other two counts say it could result with life in prison, or not more than 20 years or a fine of not more than $50,000 or both. The woman in two of the counts is identified as C.K. and the other is called T.G.

Arraignment is set for 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, in front of Judge David Cybulski in Montana 15th Judicial District Court in Sheridan County.

Marsh, 62, was being held Thursday at the Sheridan County Sheriff's Office detention facility on $150,000 bond, a sheriffs official said.

Efforts to reach Marsh or an attorney representing him on Thursday were unsuccessful.
The Congressional Research Service recently reported the true cost of the Bureau of Land Managements (BLMs) wild horse and burro program. From the report: For FY2021, the appropriation for BLM management of wild horses and burros was $115.7 million, a 14% increase from FY2020 ($101.6 million). FY2021 funding was more than five times the amount for FY2000 ($20.4 million) and an 81% increase over FY2010 ($64.0 million), in normal dollars.

In 1971, the House and Senate unanimously approved the Wild and Free Horse and Burro Act (WFHBA) and established multiple Horse Management Areas (HMAs) for them equating to about 53.8 million acres of legal wild equid herd areas. Now the BLM only wants a little over 26 million acres for 26,000 equids (equates to one equid per 1000 acres). In 1971, there were about 350 HMAs in the western states and now there are only 177 HMAs. The same BLM management practice also applies to big game animals such as deer and elk.

Almost 48 years have gone by since then, and now the BLM is wasting our tax dollars on false data and arbitrary number counts of our wild icons. Why are they wasting all of our tax dollars? The answer is simple: livestock grazing on our public lands is at an all-time high, while the cost to the livestock industry is at an all-time low. Ranchers pay a pittance to graze their cattle and sheep on our public lands: $1.35 per cow/calf pair or five head of sheep. Oil and gas and mining leases are also progressing at breakneck speed. The cost to ranchers is significantly lower than if they had to rent pasture or purchase their own land. Did you realize that less than 2% of the cattle grazing on our public lands is consumed in the USA?
The only thing he said he remembered was being released from the jail Tuesday.

I remember getting out of here in the rain, and I remember seeing a friend of mine, Setzer said. He gave me something thatll make me feel better. Thats all I remember.

He said he didnt remember what he took, but said it wasnt something he injected.

He said he didnt really know the people in the area, but said investigators told him the victims name was Pamela. He continued to say he didnt remember killing anyone, stealing any cars or guns. If he did kill someone, though, he said he was ready to take the heftiest punishment in North Carolina for the crime.

If I did murder someone, Im extremely sorry, I would never do that to yall, to her, Setzer said. Im really, really sorry. I deserve the death penalty if I did something like that. Ill plea to it right now and take it today, if I did that to someones family. I would take the death penalty today, Ill sign for it today and take it tomorrow if theyll let me do it if I did that to her.

Criminal history
Setzers demeanor Friday was a touch different from his response when he was walked into and out of the Burke County Sheriffs Office on Thursday.

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He answered every question reporters threw at him during those walks Thursday, even saying he wished he had been kept in jail Tuesday when he was released on an unsecured bond for other felony charges.

I deserve the death penalty if I did something like that, Setzer told News Herald reporters. Ill plea to it right now and take it today, if I did that to someones family.

Setzer has an extensive criminal history that dates as far back as the 1980s. He still was on probation for convictions from 2013 when he earned status as a habitual felon for a second time, according to records on the North Carolina Department of Public Safety website.

On Aug. 7, Setzer was arrested and released on a written promise to appear, court records showed.

He had been taken to jail Monday night and held until he was sober after multiple calls were made to the sheriffs office about an intoxicated subject knocking on doors, according to a release from the Burke County Sheriffs Office.
Grace Episcopal Church has a long history of community service and action. In the opening decades of the 20th century, the church established 11 missions throughout the county, providing worship, schooling and health care for residents. In 1906, the church was instrumental in founding Grace Hospital (now Carolinas Healthcare System Blue Ridge) in its original location across the street from the church. Over the following decades, church members have helped to birth the first Red Cross chapter in Burke County, the first Boy Scout troop, the Community Chest (now Burke County United Way), the first Boy Scout troop for the deaf in the United States and several other local ministries and community agencies.

The Grace Episcopal Church Foundation provides a way for the church to carry this important legacy of community service into the future.

The trust establishing the foundation was the gift of the Kistler family in the 1960s, Jolly said. They understood the role of the church to be not just a place of worship, but also a place of education, exploration and expression of the beauty of Gods creation. That understanding continues at Grace Church to this day. We understand ourselves as a people called into a community of service, following Christ the Servant.
In an unusual move, a judge on Wednesday tossed out an entire plea deal for a woman accused of providing marijuana to a teenage boy while living at an apartment at Butte Central High School.

The move followed an emotional plea from the mother of the teenager, who urged District Court Judge Robert Whelan to impose tougher penalties on 45-year-old Amy James Kadrmas than the three-year suspended sentence prosecutors recommended in the plea agreement.

But Whelan said it was comments Kadrmas made herself in a presentence investigation interview that led him to reject the entire deal. It was conducted after she pleaded guilty in June to a single felony count of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs on or near school property, which is punishable by up to life in prison and fine up to $50,000.

Whelan said the only regret Kadrmas cited in the interview was being too trusting and a bad judge of character.

It tells me the only remorse she has is getting caught, Whelan said.

He told Kadrmas and her attorney, Kevin Vainio of Butte, via Zoom that they had one week to decide if she wanted to withdraw her guilty plea given his decision and proceed from there.
Conservationists sued last year, accusing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of shirking its duty to protect areas including South Carolina's Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge by allowing horseshoe crab harvesting. They argued that taking out the crabs affects other species in the protected area. A federal judge temporarily halted the harvest, but was reversed following Charles River's appeal.

The environmental groups asked to withdraw their complaint this month after federal officials imposed a permitting process for any commercial activity in the refuge, including horseshoe harvesting, beginning Aug. 15. Even if such permits are denied, Jordan told McMaster that only 20% of its harvest came from the refuge, with most coming from further down the South Carolina coast.

There is a synthetic alternative to the horseshoe crab blood, but it hasnt been widely accepted in the U.S., and meanwhile, Charles Rivers international competitors are making synthetics and also pressing for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, which Jordan said could hamper domestic efforts like his own.
A district judge in Yellowstone County Tuesday ordered the director of the Montana State Office of the Public Defender to appear before him in September to answer questions about why her agency is failing to assign public defenders to local cases in a timely manner.

Judge Donald Harris ordered OPDs director, Rhonda Lindquist, to appear before him on Sept. 13, to show cause, if any, why she should not be held in contempt for the State Office of the Public Defenders failure to immediately assign counsel to all cases in the 13th Judicial District Court for Yellowstone County to which the public defenders office has been assigned as ordered by the Court.

The regions OPD conflict division's managing attorney, James Reintsma, told Harris as of July 31 his office alone had a backlog of 663 unassigned cases. That number does not include any unassigned cases in the main regional office of OPD in Billings.

Under Montana law OPD is required to immediately assign a lawyer to any case in which a judge assigns OPD as counsel. Harris wrote that for months OPD has not been meeting this obligation which he says has, "caused significant delays in conducting court proceedings and jeopardizes the administration of justice."
None of the additional 18 women who have contacted the plaintiffs or their legal counsel are identified, but the amended complaint states that they are aware of at least six other women who share experiences of the defendants harassing, discriminatory and retaliatory conduct.

Defendants culture of retaliation and intimidation against women who speak out continues today," the complaint said. "Defendants disingenuous attempts to discredit the named plaintiffs directly threatens and discourages other potential plaintiffs from joining this lawsuit. Understandably, many women fear publicly joining this lawsuit because of these threats, which makes joinder of all class members impracticable.

The nature of the alleged threats was not made clear in the complaint.

After the complaint was first filed, UM and MUS issued a joint statement saying that the claims are baseless and without merit."

We look forward to vigorously defending our institutions in court. The University of Montana is committed to providing a working and learning environment that is free from all forms of discrimination.

Kuntz said they stand by those initial statements.
He goes on to blame the Biden administration for limiting the amount of oil and gas produced in Montana and for eliminating hundreds of jobs  something he and his allies wish could be true for the sake of political leverage, but simply isnt.

The truth is, this administration has done nothing to limit the amount of gas produced on public land in Montana. It hasnt had to, because oil and gas executives are doing it themselves. Thats right: If anyone or anything is responsible for the fact that no drills are operating on public lands in Montana today, its the industry.

According to recently released data from the Bureau of Land Management, oil and gas companies are sitting on nearly 800 already-approved permits to drill on public land, but currently not using any of them, even though market conditions are quite favorable.

That means the companies could drill now, but theyve chosen not to. And thats largely been the case for the last ten years. Between 2011 and 2020, leases covering over 1.6 million acres of public lands expired, were terminated, or were relinquished without resulting in a single job or any return on public investment.
During the meeting, the council approved allowing an easement to encroach 13 inches on the Clark House property; allowing the construction of a solar canopy in the alley right-of-way; approved a permanent storm water management easement; and approved a temporary construction easement across a portion of Clark House property.

During the design process, it was discovered that the building had been constructed on four inches of Clark House parcel.

The center plans to be able to generate all electricity to power the facility through the use of on-site solar panels.

The Stanley Center has occupied two floors in the Laurel Building since 1998 as tenants. In June 2018 the new Musser Library and HNI Community opened and the council approved a resolution declaring the former building surplus and authorized city staff to dispose of the building. No bids were received during a private auction on July 2018. No offers to purchase the building had been made since.

The purchase price of the building from the city was $120,000, which is reflective of the fair market value of the property.

The Stanley Center web site will include an outline of the project and regular updates. The center will also maintain open lines of communication with the neighbors and work with the contractors to mitigate any disruptions during the construction phase.

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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  Five residents of a state-supported elder-care facility in Ketchikan who tested positive for COVID-19 died in the last week, a state health department spokesperson said Thursday.

Clinton Bennett, the spokesperson, in a written response to a question on whether the deaths were COVID-19-related, said the state-supported Pioneer Homes do not determine the cause of death nor do they see the death certificates of residents. He said the five residents of the Ketchikan Pioneer Home who recently died had tested positive for COVID-19.

In the last week, the Ketchikan Pioneer Home has had five resident deaths and there has been a total of 12 residents and five staff test positive for COVID-19 this month, he wrote. Bennett later said the first positive case had been identified July 27. He said the total number of confirmed cases remained unchanged.

When asked if those who had died had been vaccinated against COVID-19, Bennett said that was personal health information that could not be shared.

Every one of these deaths is the death of a person who lived and made their home at the Ketchikan Pioneer Home, he said. The loss of each one is felt deeply by our staff and our hearts go out to the family and friends they leave behind.
Samsung South Africa has activated a Television Block Function on all Samsung TV sets stolen from one of its key warehouses in Durban during rampant looting and unrest in July.

TV Block is a remote security feature that detects if Samsung TV units have been unduly activated and ensures that the TVs can only be used by the rightful owners with a valid proof of purchase.

When activated, TV Block disables all functions on these sets.

The technology comes pre-loaded on all Samsung TV products that can connect to the Internet.

Samsung said the blocking system is intended to be implemented on TVs that users have obtained through unlawful means, and aims to mitigate against the creation of secondary markets linked to the sale of illegal goods.

With this in mind, Samsung has activated TV Block on all Samsung television sets looted from our Cato Ridge distribution centre in KZN since the 11th of July 2021, the company stated.

The warehouse, which belonged to Value Logistics, was set alight after the looting.

Samsung used it as its main staging warehouse between the Durban port and the rest of South Africa.

The TV blocking feature comes into effect when the user of a stolen television connects to the Internet.

Once connected, the serial number of the television is identified on the Samsung server and the blocking system is implemented, disabling all TV functions.

Director of consumer electronics at Samsung South Africa, Mike Van Lier, said that the TV Block was implemented to help re-open businesses and minimise job losses.

We will continue to review the situation and will make adjustments as necessary to ensure business continuity for all, concludes Van Lier.

Samsung advised customers who had their TVs incorrectly blocked to send a proof of purchase and a valid TV licence to [email protected]
Activision Blizzard has announced the next entry in its highly successful Call of Duty franchise, revealing a return to the original setting of the hit first-person shooter series.

With lead development by Sledgehammer Games, Call of Duty: Vanguard is set during World War II and will run on the same engine introduced with 2019s Modern Warfare remake.

A historically-inspired single-player campaign will play out across four major theatres of war in a unified single-player narrative, which lets players witness the origins of Special Forces.

Players will experience influential battles of World War II as they engage enemies across the Eastern and Western Fronts of Europe, and fight for the free world throughout the Pacific and North Africa.

Whether dogfighting over the Midway Islands, defending Stalingrad with a snipers precision, airdropping over France, or blasting through advancing forces in North Africa, this is a deeply engaging and raw campaign, with the signature combat youve come to expect from Call of Duty, the announcement said.

Four multinational heroes will feature in the campaign:

Private Lucas Riggs, 20th Battalion, Australian 9th Infantry Division, British Eighth Army.

Sergeant Arthur Kingsley of the 9 th Parachute Battalion, British Army.

Parachute Battalion, British Army. Lieutenant Wade Jackson, Scouting Squadron Six, United States Navy.

Lieutenant Polina Petrova of the 138th Rifle Division, Red Army.

Vanguards online multiplayer will have 20 maps available to play at launch, with 16 built for core gameplay.

Game modes will include Champion Hill, where players can duel it out in smaller 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 battles.

Sledgehammer Games said a new advanced Gunsmith and Caliber system would bring immersive and reactive environments to a new level.

A fully integrated Call of Duty: Warzone with a massive new main map and revamped anti-cheat system will also be launched later this year.

Lastly, Treyarch has developed a new Zombies game mode that will be a franchise-first crossover as it continues and intertwines with the Dark Aether story from Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War .

Call of Duty: Vanguard will launch worldwide on Friday, 5 November 2021, and will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Pre-orders are open now and start at the PlayStation Store (R1,199), Xbox Store (R1,199), and Battle.net (59.99  R1,053).

Below is the full reveal trailer for Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Now read: Big graphics card boost for South Africa
Police minister Bheki Cele has announced the crime statistics for the second quarter of 2021, revealing a big surge in most crimes compared to the last two years.

The Crime Holiday is long gone, and these figures should action us and strengthen our resolve, Cele said.

The minister said it was important to note that the statistics for 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021 would be skewed compared to the same period in 2020 due to the impact of the strict lockdowns that were in place during that time.

The Crime Statistics of the 1st Quarter of 2021/2022 financial year [Q2 2021 of calendar year] are dismal, if not understood within the context that the lockdown levels introduced an irregular variation to the crime trends, Cele stated.

Nevertheless, Cele said it was now clear that the brief improvement in crime levels experienced due to the lockdown was a thing of the past.

While the double-digit increases dont necessarily reflect a true picture because they are being compared to an abnormal period, when the country was at a standstill, it still means more work must be done to ensure the safety of all those who live within our borders, Cele said.

For a fairer representation of the state of crime in the country over the second quarter of 2021, the minister drew a comparison with the same period during 2019 instead of 2020.

Taken together, contact crimes including murder, attempted murder, rape, assault, and robbery increased just 0.6% compared to 2019.

The blow was cushioned by decreased common robbery and robbery with aggravating circumstances, but murder and sexual offences saw significant increases.

Reported cases of murder jumped by 6.7% from 2019 to 5,760, an average of around 64 murders per day. It was also an increase of 66.2% from 2020.

Meanwhile, attempted murder surged 12.5% from the cases reported during the same period in 2019.

Aggravated vehicle-related crimes like cash-in-transit robberies, carjackings, and truck hijackings also saw big increases, even when compared to 2019.

Carjackings increased 92.2% to 5,146 compared to the 2,677 cases reported in 2020.

This makes sense, given that many people stayed at home and effectively robbed criminals of more opportunities to hijack their vehicles.

However, the reported cases were still 13.1% higher than in 2019, when there were 4,550 carjackings reported.

Cash-in-transit robberies also increased 142.1% compared to 2020, with a total of 46 reported cases, working out to around 3 or 4 per week.

This would also make sense given that much business activity had ground to a halt.

Still, there were 8 more cases than in the normal period of 2019 , an increase of 21.1%.

The picture is even bleaker for truck hijackings  which typically includes couriers  with 411 cases reported.

This is 45.2% higher than in 2019, when 283 incidents were reported, and 107.6% higher than the 198 cases in 2020.

The table below shows the number of cases reported for various types of crime and the increases in those crimes compared to the same periods in 2020 and 2019.

South Africa crime statistics  Q2 2021 Crime Category Cases Change compared to Q2 2020 Change compared to Q2 2019 Contact crimes Murder 5,760 66.2% 6.7% Sexual offences 12,702 74.1% 5.0% Attempted murder 5,145 47.5% 12.5% Assault to do grievously bodily harm 37,530 70.1% 0.3% Common Assault 39,406 51.6% 8.9% Common Robbery 10,701 65.4% -16.9% Robbery with aggravating circumstances 33,876 56.8% -5.1% Sexual offences Rape 10,006 72.4% 2.8% Sexual Assault 1,900 77.6% 13.9% Attempted Sexual Offences 514 89.7% 13.2% Contact Sexual Offences 282 56.8% 20.0% Aggravated Robberies Carjacking 5,146 92.2% 13.1% Robbery at Residential Premises 5,346 33.4% 2.5% Robbery at Non-Residential Premises 5,255 57.3% 3.0% Robbery of Cash-in-Transit 46 142.1% 21.1% Bank Robbery 1 +1 case +1 case Truck hijacking (includes couriers) 411 107.6% 45.2% Contact related crimes Arson 978 54.5% 3.7% Malicious damage to property 26,326 41.9% 0.4% Property-related crimes Burglary at non-residential premises 14,627 -22.4% -15.3% Burglary at residential premises 39,477 6.3% -26.1% Theft of motor vehicle and motorcycle 9,433 69.5% -20.3% Theft out of or from motor vehicle 21,310 21.5% -32.3% Stock theft 6,757 -8.0% -13.5%

Now read: Samsung TVs stolen in looting will be blocked
The Jackson Family Wines empire says it aims to cut its carbon footprint across the entire supply chain in half by the end of the decade, but that's just the start of its climate action.

More ambitiously, it is planning to be "climate positive," by 2050, meaning JFWs operations would not only have a neutral effect in terms of carbon and emissions, but through renewable energy and carbon sequestration efforts, could actually have a positive effect.

Having a successful business allowed us to do things the right way, but it necessitated that we act as stewards to the land, said Katie Jackson, who grew up in the business and has now risen to Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. Sustainability is something I felt passionate about from a young age, and I feel very grateful to be able to focus on this in our family business.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: $1 for your first 6 months!

Jackson Family wines is a major producer in the region, with six Napa properties and another 15 in Sonoma. Company officials said they wanted to set out their goals publicly to boost the broader discussion of climate change in the industry.

As we move forward with this initiative, we need to bring in other wine companies, JFWs CEO Rick Tigner said, Both bigger than us and smaller than us.
California, New York, New Mexico and Washington state sued after then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke revived coal lease sales in 2017. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe, joined by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, also filed a legal challenge, while state officials from Wyoming and Montana argued against reviving the moratorium.

The Biden administration had sought to delay the legal challenges, but a federal judge said in June that the states and environmentalists faced potential damage if the case got stalled. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris cited pending lease applications for thousands of acres of federal land holding at least 1 billion tons of coal.

Interior officials said the review would not impact pending lease sales and modifications, or permits to dig existing leases. They also pledged to hold direct talks with Native American tribes that could be affected. A small number of tribes have coal, while others historically have opposed development.

Thursday's action was referred to as a good first step by Earthjustice attorney Jenny Harbine, who represents environmental groups and the Northern Cheyenne in the legal dispute. But she and others said they'll keep pressing Biden to end all coal, oil and gas extractions from U.S. lands.
An ignorant man can merely overpass this site without understanding what it is in reality. At first sight, it is simply a heap of stones. But for the explanations of a specialist it is hard to imagine that a millennial human history is directly under your foot (photos).

Karashamb is the name of the village, in the surroundings of which the expedition of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia is working for several years. The excavations started here back in the Soviet period. In 1980, late Vahan Hovhannisyan, more known to the current Armenian generation as a political figure, found a burial mound while working as an archaeologist here. A unique encrusted silver bowl dating from 22-21st centuries BC was found in the burial mound. Currently it is exhibited in the History Museum of Armenia. Other utensils, as well as bones of holy cows were also found here, all this proving that there was a developed kingdom here millennia ago.

Archeologist Varduhi Melikyan told Armenian News  NEWS.am that in the 1980s this territory was divided between several entities as allotments. During the initial construction work, archaeological artifacts were found and specialists were invited to the scene.

Later summer cottages were nonetheless constructed, but 3.5 meter ha was left between them, this land currently serving as a unique archaeological monument. During the archaeological work which has been resumed since 2009, the workers of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography found a big burial ground disposal here with 776 tombs.

The excavation revealed that people were buried here for over thousand years, from 20th to 7th century BC.

Our main goal is to explore the burial ritual, which has been subjected to the least changes for centuries. This covered period when there were no written sources. The burial ritual gives us quite a precise idea on the household of people, social construction of the ancient society, demography, as well as their religious perceptions, Melikyan says.

The tombs in Karashamb are very close to each other: each tomb is surrounded by stones, cromlechs, a flag stone being installed in the center. This can be best seen from footage captured by drone. According to the archaeologist, the big tombs - burial mounds were not covered by flag stones: they had a wooden covering.

Varduhi Melikyan shows us a recently excavated tomb of late Bronze Age. Two adults and a child are buried in it: this is most likely to be a family. In the burials of that period, the deceased were put on a right or left side, or on their face, with bent hands and legs  like in a mothers womb. Heads were also buried separately.

The archaeologist will spend several more days to carefully take out all the bones and utensils from this tomb. Thereafter, all this will be recorded and directed to the Institute for further examination.

Frankly speaking, the temptation to go down into the tomb and make a selfie with the millennial bones was quite big; only the fear to damage something stopped the members of our camera crew. However, as it turned out later, the expedition workers themselves have such photos on their Facebook pages.

The specialists hope that after the completion of the excavation this site will be turned into a small reserve with a museum, where the artifacts from tombs will be displayed. They also believe that Karashamb will be included in the tourist trail of Armenia.
Armdaily.am: Armenia President reacts to recent events taking place in Syunik Province

Newspaper: Azerbaijan carrying out large-scale construction in Artsakhs Shushi

Newspaper: Armenia authorities compile 'blacklist' of opposition MPs

Biden calls Afghanistan evacuation mission extraordinary success

Merkel says that Germany is trying to establish contact with Taliban

Digest: More on COVID-19 in Armenia, armed robbery takes place in Yerevan

Russia FM calls on Azerbaijan to unconditionally release Armenian POWs

Russias Lavrov: Rhetoric of both sides of Karabakh conflict needs to be moderated

Armenias Mirzoyan: We will respect Afghanistan peoples choice

Armenia FM: No negotiations on peace agreement with Azerbaijan underway

Eurasian Development Bank wants to become one of largest creditors of Armenia economy

Armenia Investigative Committee: Man found dead with gunshot wound inside car in Yerevan

Lavrov: In talks with Armenia FM we will separately discuss Nagorno-Karabakh situation

Opposition MP: Positive signals being exchanged with Turkey are new trap for Armenia

Armenia FM: Tense situation in region is consequence of Azerbaijan's destructive policy

ECtHR ruling: Ambassador to Sweden, Iceland to get compensation from Armenia government

Armenia, Russia FMs hold tete-a-tete meeting

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan, former deputy PM Gevorgyan case court hearing not held

Ombudsman: Azerbaijan MOD aims to cover up their criminal acts against Armenia civilian population

Fallen soldiers family stages protest outside Armenia government building

No electricity in court where Armenia 2nd president Kocharyan, ex-deputy PM Gevorgyan criminal case is heard

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan, former deputy PM Gevorgyan criminal case court hearing resumes

524 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

OSCE Minsk Group new Russian Co-Chair visits Azerbaijan

Armed robbery occurs at bank branch in Yerevan shopping mall

37,000 first-graders start school in Armenia

Armenia PM congratulates Kyrgyzstan President on Independence Day anniversary

Some 30,000 people evacuated in California due to wildfires

Russia peacekeepers hold humanitarian action for Nagorno-Karabakh children

Dead body of man, 37, with gunshot wound is found in car in Yerevan

Newspaper: Artsakh independence anniversary to be celebrated without Armenia top leadership for first time in history

Newspaper: Armenia authorities trying to cause rift among parliament opposition factions, MPs

Armenia PM goes on short vacation

UN Security Council adopts Afghanistan resolution

Pentagon announces US completion of evacuation out of Kabul airport

Armenia ombudsman reaffirms Azerbaijan soldiers deliberate starting fire near Sotk, Kut villages of Gegharkunik

Ukraine and Armenia to cooperate in attracting investments

Armenian Ministry of Education and French Embassy sign cooperation agreement

Israeli Defense Minister meets with the President of Palestine

Uzbekistan completely closes border with Afghanistan

IAEA: North Korea seems to have restarted nuclear reactor

EU recommends restoring restrictions on US tourists

Digest: Turkey talks normalising relations with Armenia, soldier injured in Karabakh

Dollar drops in Armenia

Azerbaijans Aliyev calls Karabakh Armenians hated enemy

Azerbaijan president: Current course of events shows that Karabakh conflict would never be resolved peacefully

Divine Liturgy served in Armenian church of Turkeys Malatya for first time since 1915 (VIDEO)

Economist: Armenia exports growth connected with external factors

Opposition Armenia Faction MPs health grows worse in prison

Moscow Armenian Theater actor dies during performance

Artsakh FM: Azerbaijan, with Turkeys complicity, sending militants from Afghanistan to occupied part of Karabakh

Opposition Armenia Faction MP summoned to Special Investigation Service

Officer charged with Azerbaijans capturing of 62 Armenia soldiers in Artsakh: They were forces 15 times greater

FM: Armenian captives in Azerbaijan are subjected to torture

Lawyer of Armenia officer accused in 62 Shirak residents case: How was connection cut off on day of Azerbaijan attack?

Health ministry: 275,138 people so far vaccinated in Armenia against coronavirus

Russia peacekeepers in Karabakh carry out actions to find drones

Confusion arises during Armenia appellate court hearing of case of ex-President Kocharyan, others

Armenia 2nd president Kocharyans lawyer submits to appellate court motion to cancel or reduce bail

Prosecution in case on Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan, others: Charge should be re-qualified

Artsakh Investigative Committee: Azerbaijan soldier who entered Martakert city apartment is arrested

275 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia appellate court continues considering lawyers, prosecutors appeals in ex-President Kocharyan, others' case

Armenia FM to pay working visit to Russia

Coronavirus casualties worldwide exceed 4.5m

One dead, 2 injured after road accident in Armenia town

Brazil unveils largest Buddha statue in country

Unidentified gunman opens fire inside Toronto shopping mall

Explosions occur in Kabul Monday morning

Armenia ombudsman: Azerbaijan soldiers deliberately set fires near Sotk, Kut villages

Biden declares major disaster in US State of Louisiana

Death toll rises to 7 in US missile strike in Kabul

US hits Kabul territory

At least 30 people killed in airstrike on a Yemeni military base

Turkey speaks about normalising relations with Armenia

Pentagon confirms US attacked car in Kabul due to ISIS threat

Macron talks revival of ISIS activity in Iraq and Syria

Turkish MFA says it cannot accept refugees from Afghanistan

Central Bank of Afghanistan limits withdrawals to $ 200 per week

US evacuates nearly 2,000 people from Afghanistan over past day

Taliban kill Afghan singer

Afghans in Greece advocate peace amid chaos in Kabul

383 COVID-19 new cases reported in Armenia per day

Biden to recall American diplomats from Afghanistan by August 31

Azerbaijan opens fire on Sotk positions of Armenia

UK threatens Taliban with sanctions

State Emergency Service of Artsakh: The body of another Armenian soldier was found in the Jrakan region

Shelling from Azerbaijan damaged wall of one of residential buildings in Kut village

Soldier injured in Arstsakh

Protests against coronavirus health pass, mandatory vaccinations continue in France

Iran security council chief says Biden, Bennett statements threaten Tehran

Deputy PM Papikyan is appointed Armenian Territorial Development Fund Board chairman

State assistance to be provided to Armenia employers who hire soldiers with disabilities

Fatal hit-and-run in Armenias Kotayk Province

Taliban calls on Kabul residents to hand over government vehicles, weapons

Armenia, Russia FMs to meet in Moscow on August 31

Yerevan neighborhood resident on hunger strike is forcibly apprehended

4 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

Macron warns of threat Islamic State group poses

Pentagon holds talks with China military for first time under Biden
We believe that the roadmap for the implementation of the 2021-2023 Systematic Transport Policy of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) member states is a balanced program for the development of the sector. The document envisages comprehensive development of Eurasian transport corridors and consistent work to harmonize the legislations of our countries in this sector. The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, stated about this at Fridays meetingin an extended formatof the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.

"Last year we were convinced that there is a demand for transport and logistics cooperation within the EEU. ().

I would also like to mention the urgency of the implementation of the roadmap for the formation of a single market for organic agricultural products. ().

The next matter I would like to dwell on is the increasing competitiveness of EEU products in the domestic and foreign markets. (). We support the creation of the Eurasian Association, which will enable, by creating additional insurance capacity, to increase the amount of insurance assistance for trade within the Union and exports to third countries," the Armenian PM added, in particular.

Pashinyan noted that they have managed to agree on the concept of forming a single market for oil and oil productsand on the basis of five principles approved by all the EEU member countries.

As a conclusion, I would like to reflect on the issues of environment protection and climate [change]. This is the direction that requires additional efforts and multifaceted cooperation," Nikol Pashinyan added, specifically.

According to the Armenian government, the prime ministers of the EEU member countries touched upon a number of issues that were on the agenda during the aforesaid meeting.

Also, it was decided to set up a high-level working group on digital transformation within the Union.

Several documents were signed as a result of the Cholpon-Ata meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council

And it was decided to hold the next meeting of this council in October, in the Armenian capital Yerevan.
YEREVAN.  Armenias newly appointed Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Friday had a telephone conversation with Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Foreign Minister David Babayan.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from the website of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, first, Babayan congratulated Mirzoyan on assuming the accountable post of Foreign Minister at an important time for both Armenia and Artsakh.

They stressed the importance of further development of effective cooperation and holding regular consultations between the foreign ministries of Armenia and Artsakh.

Touching upon the Karabakh issue, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Artsakh stressed the need to resume the Karabakh peace process and the conflicts comprehensive and lasting settlement within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

The interlocutors discussed the situation on the ground as a result of the Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression, and the efforts being made on the spot to address the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh.

Also, they stressed the inadmissibility of the provocative actions being carried out by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the borders of Armenia and Artsakh, and said is a serious threat to regional peace and stability
YEREVAN.  The Minister of Health, Anahit Avanesyan, had a working meeting-discussion with the directors of Armenias medical centers that are treating COVID-19 patients, and the people in charge of the field.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from the Ministry of Health, due to the current increase in coronavirus cases in Armenia, the specialists discussed the specifics of the new strains of COVID-19, the prevention of the spread of this virus as much as possible, the work planned in medical centers, and the strategy of developing and applying new treatment methods.

Those in charge of the sphere emphasized that the respective situation in Armenias hospitals is still under control, and, also, reflected on the external and internal challenges related to the increase in global indicators in terms of coronavirus cases.

"The requirements for the implementation of anti-epidemic rules, monitoring of them are already being tightened. ().

The Health and Labor Inspectorate Body, in its turn, has clear instructions on tightening control over the requirement to wear a [face] mask indoors, which, perhaps, will help curb the spread of the infection," Avanesyan said.

Summing up the meeting, the specialists touched upon the vaccination process, too, and stressed its importance. Although the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations has increased in Armenia, according to doctors, it is still unsatisfactory. Therefore, all necessary measures should be taken to work more systematically and effectively before the start of the new school year as well in Armenia, preventing an increase in the risks of this pandemic.
Armenias Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan today had a telephone conversation with Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Zalkaliani, as reported the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Zalkaliani congratulated Mirzoyan on assuming office and the Armenian side on the democratic elections that were held.

The foreign ministers emphasized that the Armenian-Georgian relations are special and friendly-neighborly and expressed willingness to make efforts for further deepening of the mutually beneficial cooperation in the sectors of mutual interest.

During the phone talks, Minister Mirzoyan expressed gratitude to the Georgian government for its mediation efforts for the repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war, stressed that there are still Armenian prisoners of war and illegally detained in Azerbaijan and added that Armenia anticipates further involvement of international partners to solve the problem with repatriation.

The parties also discussed the situation created as a result of the provocations of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan against the sovereign territory of Armenia. Mirzoyan emphasized that such behavior of Azerbaijan poses a serious threat to security and sustainable development in the region.

The foreign ministers also touched upon the situation created as a result of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and, in this sense, attached importance to the increase of vaccinations and the two countries cooperation to overcome the pandemic.
President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian today sent a message to His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, as reported the Staff of the President of Armenia.

The message reads as follows: Your Holiness, a day before your birthday, I sent you my warm and kind wishes for health and longevity.

The Armenian Holy Apostolic Church has been and remains one of the major pillars of our national identity. Throughout the nearly 22 years of your patriarchy, church life has been active. The past 22 years have been years of empowerment, reforms and church construction for the Armenian Church, and actions have been taken to make the mission of the Armenian Church more effective and regulate church life.

The past few years of your enthronement as Catholicos of All Armenians coincided with a period in which our country and people are undergoing numerous trials and tribulations. Unity is the only path to take to overcome any difficult situation. In a rapidly changing world, among other crises, mankind is also experiencing an identity crisis. The current challenges and problems make consolidation around spiritual and moral values more than important, and those values are also remnant due to the Armenian Church.

The Armenian people are in need of hope, faith and trust, mutual respect and tolerance, as well as rebirth and revaluation. What is appreciable is the fact that the Catholicos of All Armenians not only consoles, encourages and supports, but also speaks about this as a unique lesson of patriotism.

May you continue to support our country and people for the benefit of our homeland and all Armenians around the world and for the strengthening of the relations of the people with the State and Church. I wish you strength of the soul and all the best.
The Azerbaijani troops need to leave the sovereign territory of Armenia  this is how Armenia sees the solution to the problem. All the captives need to be returned to Armenia as quickly as possible. The Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) visited Yerevan, we held discussions on the mission of the CSTO, and I think specific decisions will be made and solutions will be provided soon. This is what Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said during an interview on Armenian Public Television, responding to the question how the issues of Azerbaijani troops in the territory of Armenia and Armenian captives will be solved and what actions the CSTO will take for removal of the troops.

If Azerbaijan isnt returning the captives and isnt withdrawing the troops, and escalates the situation on the border on a regular basis, causing Armenia casualties, why is Armenia resuming the trilateral talks at the level of Deputy Prime Ministers? In response, Grigoryan said the Armenian government had seen a need for this and an opportunity to solve the problems.

We believe the opportunity for negotiations must be used in any situation, and negotiations were even held in the heated periods of the war in the 1990s. The trilateral negotiations were discontinued because there was a need to make this decision at the given moment, but when we saw opportunities, we also used the negotiations format. We need to protect the interests of Armenia by all possible means, and now we see such an opportunity, Grigoryan said.
In a talk on Thursday during the Herbert Half Hour lecture series, Meg Daly, founder and president of The Underline, shared her experience in launching an entrepreneurial startup, managing a nonprofit organization that coordinates $140 million in construction funding, and overseeing a project that will ultimately bring a wealth of well-being to the University of Miamis doorstep.

We look forward to being a middle-aged company someday soon, but were still an entrepreneurial startup which means were scrappy, opportunistic, and juggling a lot of balls at the same time, said Daly, in a noonday talk with Dean John Quelch of the Miami Herbert Business School. You have to be always looking for that next opportunity and be open to having others help youdont think that you have all the answers.

In three construction phases, The Underline converts a 10-mile stretch of unused land running under the Metrorail into a hybrid of community spacepark, trail, art destination, sound stage, and more. Phase 1 or Brickell Backyard, the first half-mile of the project, was finished on Feb. 26. Phase 2, a 2.14-mile stretch from SW 13th Street to SW 19th Avenue, begins construction Aug. 30. And Phase 3, a 7-mile stretch that extends southward to Dadeland South Metrorail Station, is to be completed by 2026.

The University of Miami is one of the largest landowners that fronts The Underline and one of the many communities that will benefit from the conversion, Daly noted.

Anais Niembo Garcia was one of 10 Architecture students who participated in a School of Architecture 2014 spring semester studio course proposing ideas for The Underline (originally the M-Path). Each student focused on a one-mile length of the 10-mile linear park/urban trail.

She credited the University for its help with the projectthrough meetings and visioning studies held with support from the School of Architectureand also with leadership. Both Rudy Fernandez, senior vice president for public affairs and communication and chief of staff to the president, and most recently Donna Shalala, former congresswoman and former University president, serve on The Underlines board of directors.

Daly explained how she came to launch the project in 2013. She had broken both her arms, couldnt drive, had tired of asking friends to ferry her around, and she decided to walk home from physical therapy one afternoonunder the Metrorail. The shade, light breeze, and swaths of dormant land conspired to create an epiphanic moment.

Daly first shared her idea for the project with her father, a renowned area philanthropist. Heartily enthusiastic, he even offered to work with her. Then she turned to friends for advice.

When 90 percent of the people are telling you its a great idea, then theres something there and reason to move ahead, Daly said.

Her professional background in marketing has proved essential to both managing an organization and securing partner support.

Communication is so important, she said. A lot of people dont know the importance of an elevator pitch or how to pivot that pitch depending on who theyre talking with. You really have to know who your audience is for your message to resonate.

The pandemic punctuated the value the project provides to community well-being, she said.

COVID endorsed the need for outdoor economy and the importance of vibrant public spaces, she said. People dusted off their bikes, discovered they can walk and bike with their families, the elderly saw the need to be able to be out in the community and for connecting with other neighborhoods.

Daly apologized in advance for disruptions that future construction will cause, and she emphasized that safety is a priority of the project. Because road crossings are the most vulnerable areas, widening the crossings, bright-colored paint, extending crossing times are all considerations to safeguard pedestrians, she explained, albeit without overly inconveniencing drivers.

Because there is no direct funding source for industrial reuse projects, Daly described the funding lasagna that supports the project: $23 million in federal grants; $80 million in county road impact fees; $15 million from City of Miami; $7 million from the City of Coral Gables; and $15 million from the state of Florida from certain appropriations. Miami-Dade County oversees the public-private partnership that includes the Department of Transportation and Public Works; the Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, and Friends of The Underline.

She noted that studies have indicated that the conversion to community friendly green space will result in significant real estate value appreciationwhich is estimated to generate some $50 million annually in new tax receiptsyet the projects ultimate goal of building a better city resists financial assessment.

How do you quantify better community, building a better city and making it more livable? Daly asked.

While construction continues, supervising the nonprofit requires the same leadership and vigilance as for any company, especially one utilizing taxpayer dollars. Looking ahead, Daly recognized the challenge of maintaining programming for the 10-mile stretch of the 24/7 transportation portal.

For those interested, Daly highlighted that a range of volunteer opportunities exist to support the ongoing project and its wide range of health and wellness programming activities. Visit TheUnderline.org.
OSU announces launch of Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education

Media Contact: Monica Roberts | Interim Assistant Vice President of Strategic Communications | 405-744-4800 | monica.roberts@okstate.edu

From OSU DISCOVERY in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma State University announced today the creation of a new institute aimed at supporting aerospace industry growth in Oklahoma and beyond.

Our mission is to drive cross-industry collaborations and innovation, which is exactly what brings us together today, said OSU President Kayse Shrum. Oklahoma State University offers a complete turnkey solution for Oklahomas aerospace industry needs. From K-12 enrichment and workforce development, through faculty and graduate research to groundbreaking innovations in industry partnerships, we are leading the state to advance this important economic engine.

Today, were announcing the formation of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education. Oklahoma State University is the clear leader in aerospace within our state. Weve had a partnership with NASA for more than 50 years. Weve been training pilots for more than 80 years. Our depth and breadth of knowledge, faculty and research investments cannot be matched. Were so proud of this very long history in aerospace and aviation excellence.

The Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE) will bring the states aerospace innovation economy together under one umbrella. OAIRE will support ongoing and future partnerships between university, commercial, military and government agencies, becoming a valuable resource for developing Oklahomas aerospace ecosystem. That includes generating high-tech jobs and cutting-edge research that brings commercial enterprise and military sustainment support to the state.

The comprehensive scope of OAIRE also includes K-12 outreach programs focused on STEM connections, building the Oklahoma aerospace workforce pipeline and promoting community involvement.

Elizabeth Pollard, Oklahoma's secretary of science and innovation, speaks at the unveiling with Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum seated behind her of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education at OSU DISCOVER in Oklahoma City.

Dr. Shrum said OAIRE will allow OSU to connect seamlessly with industry and K-12 partners and elevate OSUs leadership role in Oklahoma aerospace, inspiring the next generation of aviators and engineers while enhancing opportunities for industry and defense partners in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Innovation Elizabeth Pollard echoed Dr. Shrums excitement.

The Oklahoma economy is at an inflection point, Pollard said. Disruptive technology is changing the face of every industry and forcing all states to reassess how best to compete and remain relevant in a knowledge-based innovation economy. Innovation is the key driver to economic growth and prosperity. It is critically important to Oklahomas future. It will grow and diversify our state economy, accelerate our states competitiveness and create large-scale, high-paying jobs for Oklahomans.

The Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education will be at the forefront of innovation in the aerospace realm, and I commend Oklahoma State University for their successful programs and continued partnerships with the state. Prominent research and development activity related to aerospace has been underway for decades at OSU and with their leadership in this dynamic industry, Oklahoma will be well-positioned to lead the ever-evolving aerospace frontier. The state of Oklahoma has significant research and development strengths, and with OSUs leadership, the vision to emerge as a leading region for growth in the autonomous systems and aerospace industry is imminent.

Due to industry demand, aviation is one of the fastest-growing programs in the OSUs College of Education and Human Sciences. To reach OSU constituents across the state, OAIRE will expand OSU aerospace research and course offerings in Oklahoma City at OSU DISCOVERY and in Tulsa at the Helmerich Advanced Technology Research Center. This will allow students greater access to OSUs undergraduate and graduate programs, which will be tailored to meet the needs of the aerospace sector in the surrounding area. Professionals seeking aerospace-related degrees can take aerospace or systems engineering core courses in Oklahoma City, Tulsa or Stillwater.

Elizabeth Pollard, Oklahoma's secretary for science and innovation, and Kenneth Sewell, vice president for research at Oklahoma State University, speak at the unveiling of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education at OSU DISCOVER in Oklahoma City.

For K-12 schools, programming will include technical training, career placement and entrepreneurial opportunities for student engagement and retention. OSU will prioritize outreach to Native American and other underrepresented K-12 students with the goal of developing and retaining the talent pipeline for Oklahoma-based companies.

Dr. Cecilia Robinson-Woods, superintendent of Millwood Public Schools in Oklahoma City, said one of her major concerns is preparing students for future careers, especially ones from underserved communities and the school districts surrounding the OKC Innovation District. She said partnering with OSU has been a tremendous help in showcasing opportunities for students. This summer, for example, OSU welcomed more than 1,500 students to STEM camps.

This partnership with Oklahoma State and aerospace helps us tremendously in regard to assuring that well be able to train teachers to prepare kids, and then giving kids opportunities to see jobs in these high-paying industries. Were very, very excited for the partnership to add exposure, starting with the STEM camps this summer. Sending 1,500 kids to just be exposed to what a career in aerospace or engineering or STEM would look like is an amazing start. 

I think it is paramount that being located here in Innovation District, that we focus on surrounding school districts that service a population that wouldnt always have access to these types of jobs. I appreciate the partnership, and we look forward to preparing tomorrows workforce with our kids from surrounding districts.

With the largest and oldest aerospace engineering program in the state, OSU has long been a global leader in aerospace, defense and aviation research, conducting large-scale research with the FAA, Air Force, Navy, Army, and Special Operations Command. OSU faculty members conduct research with such industry partners as Boeing, Pratt and Whitney, Kratos, Skydweller, Zivco, Frontier Electronics Corp., Vigilant Aerospace Systems, Toyota and many others.

Paul Tikalsky, dean of OSUs College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, said OSU will have more than $80 million under contract this year related to aerospace and aerospace education.

OSU is the first aerospace program in the state and twice the size of any other, said Tikalsky. We continue to expand our faculty and research operations and are now teaching more than 500 undergraduates in just aerospace engineering and another 1,000 in related fields. OSU brings expertise to industry partners in everything from advanced propulsion systems to avionics, unmanned systems, aerostructures, cybersecurity, re-engineering, airfield design, human factors, pilot training and much more. The Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education is part of the next generation of OSU and Oklahomas growing economy.

Brenda Rolls, CEO of Stillwater-based Frontier Electronics Systems, said her company was founded by three OSU enthusiasts, one of whom was an engineering professor with a vision for retaining Oklahoma State graduates in the state by providing opportunities for engineers and other professionals. She said the strength of OSUs engineering programs have been an important factor in Frontiers success, with roughly 90 percent of Frontiers degreed employees coming from OSU.

We congratulate Oklahoma State on this significant and game-changing initiative and we look forward to the robust advancement of the aerospace and technology business sectors within Oklahoma, Rolls said.

As a nexus of research, development and educational laboratories, OAIRE is in a unique position to serve and assist industry and government with technology development and applied research. The workforce includes OSU faculty experts, seasoned engineering and science professional staff as well as graduate and undergraduate students. OAIRE will build on core strengths developed by OSU and its many partners, supporting these partnerships in aerospace and defense research and education with:

Novel design tools

The new Ray and Linda Booker OSU Flight Center

Airfield for aerospace testing

Rapid prototyping platforms

High-performance computational center

28 faculty members across a wide-array of expertise in aerospace and aviation

Research engineers and graduate researchers

K-12 teacher training programs and summer STEM camps.

From left: Millwood Public Schools Superintendent Cecilia Robinson-Woods, Frontier Electronics CEO Brenda Rolls, Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum; Paul Tikalsky, dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology; and Kenneth Sewell, Vice President for Research at OSU.

NUMBERS AND FAST FACTS

Aerospace

50-plus years, OSU has worked on projects for NASA.

years, OSU has worked on projects for NASA. 62% is how much OSUs aerospace engineering enrollment has grown over the last 10 years.

is how much OSUs aerospace engineering enrollment has grown over the last 10 years. 70% of the states aerospace engineering degrees are from OSU.

of the states aerospace engineering degrees are from OSU. 500-plus students are enrolled and 80-plus graduate annually from OSUs aerospace engineering program.

students are enrolled and 80-plus graduate annually from OSUs aerospace engineering program. $5.2 million has gone into the NASA WINDMAP University Leadership Initiative team led by OSU to develop weather monitoring and forecasting for advanced air mobility.

has gone into the NASA WINDMAP University Leadership Initiative team led by OSU to develop weather monitoring and forecasting for advanced air mobility. $16.7 million in research has been done by OAIRE engineering faculty h in the past three years.

in research has been done by OAIRE engineering faculty h in the past three years. $33.8 million in ongoing aerospace engineering related research awards and more than $4.8 million in aviation research and education related awards have gone to OAIRE faculty.

in ongoing aerospace engineering related research awards and more than $4.8 million in aviation research and education related awards have gone to OAIRE faculty. OSU leads NASAs Oklahoma Space Grant and NASA educational programs, such as NASAs Native Earth/Native Sky program aimed at tribal students and the NSPACE program, which provides competitive and innovative STEM educational opportunities to K-16 students and educators across the country.

OSU has a special agreement with PSA Airlines, which gives students a direct path to American Airlines through the PSA Cadet Program.

Aviation
Hang Seng Index falls to end week below 25,000

Hong Kong shares lost nearly six percent this week. Photo: RTHK

Hong Kong shares led losses in the region on Friday as sentiment was hit by persisting fears over the fast-spreading Delta coronavirus variant, an end to central bank monetary policy support, and Beijing's regulatory clampdown.



The Hang Seng Index headed further south after opening slightly lower, losing more than 700 points at one stage. It recovered some of the losses to finish the day 466 points, or 1.8 percent lower, at 24,849.



Turnover was HK$204.3 billion.



For the week, the local benchmark lost almost six percent.



Alibaba Health Information Technology slumped 13.3 percent on Friday to become the worst blue-chip performer. Other healthcare stocks were also hit, after state media called for better protection of online prescription drug sales. Wuxi Biologics tumbled 7.5 percent and CSPC Pharmaceutical slid seven percent. Sino Biopharmaceutical slipped 4.7 percent.



Tech shares were weighed as Beijing passed a data protection law that restricts how companies collect, use and store information. Meituan declined 4.5 percent. Alibaba and Xiaomi gave up more than two percent each. But Tencent edged up one percent.



Across the border, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.3 percent, while the blue-chip CSI300 index dropped 1.9 percent. The Shenzhen Composite slipped 1.2 percent.



Taiwan inched down 0.2 percent. Japan's Nikkei lost one percent. The Kospi in South Korea closed 1.2 percent lower. Shares in Australia were weaker by less than 0.1 percent. But Singapore added about 0.5 percent.
Nearly 95% of Georgia citizens over 18 years old registered to vote, according to recently released federal election data, clinching a key victory for voting rights activists who hoped to increase turnout in the increasingly competitive state.

At the time of the 2020 election, there were roughly 7.2 million active people registered in Georgia, leaving approximately 387,000 people in the eligible voting population unregistered, according to the Election Assistance Commission's biennial report, which was released on Monday. The registered voter total marks a huge jump from 2016, when only 76% of eligible voters in the state were registered, and only eight states had higher rates than Georgia, according to federal data.

GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE REMOVES 100,000 'OUTDATED' VOTER FILES

Many attributed the high voter registration rate to failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and her work through Fair Fight Action, which aims to "promote fair elections around the country, encourage voter participation in elections, and educate voters about elections and their voting rights."

"Now we just need 49 clones of Stacey Abrams," political commentator John Fugelsang wrote Friday, retweeting an article about the EAC's report.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, also gave a shoutout to Abrams "and all the black women organizers on the ground in GA" in light of the new figures.

Still, the data from the EAC might be slightly outdated, as the commission relied on census estimates from 2019 rather than the updated figures from the 2020 census, which revealed that Georgia had a large population boom over the large decade spurred on by the growth of minority groups.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced in June that the state was prepared to remove more than 100,000 "outdated" names from the state's voter registration rolls, saying, "Making sure Georgia's voter rolls are up to date is key to ensuring the integrity of our elections."

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Raffensperger's office also removed 18,486 voter files of dead people based on information obtained from Georgias Office of Vital Records and the Electronic Registration Information Center.

Republicans in the state saw the legislation as necessary to improve voter confidence and to restore security in elections despite former President Donald Trump's Justice Department claiming that the 2020 election was the most secure in United States history.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The state's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp also passed an election integrity law earlier this year that was met with contempt by many Democratic leaders in the nation, and President Joe Biden decried the move as a "21st-century Jim Crow assault on democracy, calling on Congress to pass a bill that would give the federal government control over election-related issues that go well beyond the ballot box.

Last November, Biden carried Georgia by roughly 12,000 votes, a historic victory propelled in part by high voter turnout among minority voters. The vote was affirmed in multiple recounts over objections from the Trump campaign, which claimed there was widespread voter fraud despite officials' reassurances about the security of the election.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Georgia, Voting, Election, Voter ID Laws, Voter Registration

Original Author: Kaelan Deese

Original Location: About 95% of eligible Georgia population registered to vote: Federal report
Womens rights and free speech have been hard-fought gains in Afghanistan over the last two decades of war.

When last in power in 2001, the Taliban had barred women from holding jobs, but in what would have been unthinkable back then, a female journalist interviewed a Taliban spokesperson earlier this week after the group secured power in the capital, Kabul.

In their first press conference since capturing the city, the Islamist militant movement said Tuesday it would allow free media and jobs for women, but some journalists arent convinced.

Saad Mohseni, who heads the largest private broadcaster in Afghanistan, told Reuters on Thursday its too early to tell what the Tablians policies will be.

The sort of laissez-faire approach is more a reflection of not having enough bandwidth for a specific policy that they would allow media to carry on business as usual, as they have been over the last two decades. So I wouldn't get too excited. It's only been like, you know, seventy-two hours, I mean, it's since they took over the city. Their senior officials are just arriving in Kabul, you know, like now."

A Tablian spokesperson said on Tuesday that media must not work against Islamic values and that women could work within the framework of Islam.

"It's interesting that when some of them are interviewed they refuse to look at the woman, they look at the camera person. So they do it, but they do it in a way that you know, you can see that they're uncomfortable. Whereas the guy in the studio the other day was sort of a, one of their senior outreach communications persons was quite comfortable looking at the, at the presenter."

Media watchdogs have reported incidents this week of Afghan journalists being beaten, harassed or raided at their homes.

In one example, a presenter on state-owned Radio Television Afghanistan, Sahar Nasari, wrote on Facebook that members of the Taliban took his camera and beat up his colleague while he was trying to film a story in Kabul.

He said, "It has become clear there is a gap between action and words."

A Taliban spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on accusations that it has harassed journalists, and particularly women in the profession.
The Daily Beast

HRH Princess Charlene/InstagramThe narrative of a love match between Prince Albert of Monaco and his bride, former South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, so relentlessly marketed by the tiny principality, has long struggled to maintain credibility when confronted with reality.Even before their wedding, there were extraordinary stories that Charlene tried to thrice flee the statelet only to be intercepted and brought back to the palace by the local security service.One of her escape at
TIRANA, Albania (AP)  A court in Albania refused Friday to extradite an Egyptian man who faces a death sentence in his country.

Judge Artan Gjermeni canceled the extradition of Mohamed Rageh after Egyptian authorities did not give assurance he would not be executed.

An Egyptian court sentenced Rageh to death for a November 2019 murder in Giza, Egypt. Authorities had issued an international warrant for his arrest.

He was detained at Albania's international airport in May while trying to enter the country as a tourist.

Albania formally banned capital punishment in October 2000, but death sentences effectively stopped in 1995 when the country became a member of the Council of Europe, the continents leading human rights organization.
The process of digitizing the operations of mom and pop stores in Nigeria is serious business right now. In fact, it might be the second-best thing after fintech at the moment.

Today's news is from Alerzo, a little-known B2B e-commerce retail startup based in Ibadan, Nigeria. The company is announcing a $10.5 million Series A round led by London-based Nosara Capital. FJ Labs and several family offices from the U.S., Europe and Asia, including Michael Novogratz's, participated in the round.

In total, Alerzo has raised more than $20 million since its launch. Early investors include the Baobab Network, an Africa-focused accelerator based in London, and Signal Hill, a Singapore-based fund manager that participated in its $5.5 million seed round last year. The company also said it closed a $2.5 million working capital facility to serve its customers.

Adewale Opaleye founded Alerzo in 2018 as a last-mile distribution platform that helps retailers stock inventory directly from manufacturers. Its business, officially launched in 2019, is centered on helping street-side vendors and shops in Nigeria's south-western cities access household supplies quicker and efficiently.

Speaking with TechCrunch, Opaleye said he started Alerzo to empower the millions of women who are the backbone of consumer commerce in Nigeria's $100 billion informal retail sector.

The need to solve this problem stemmed from observing firsthand the challenges his mom faced while operating two mom-and-pop stores.

"Growing up in Ibadan, I watched my mother operate two informal retail stores to raise my three siblings and me. Seeing the many challenges she faced running her stores, and I decided to start a business that uniquely catered to the needs of retailers just like her," he told TechCrunch in an interview.

These retailers are beholden to an inefficient distribution system that results in inconsistent inventory availability, opaque pricing and limited access to formal financial and banking services.

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The founder says Ibadan was the ideal market to establish its headquarters because informal retailers in the region experience these challenges more than those in Lagos.

Alerzo

Adewale Opaleye (Founder & CEO, Alerzo)

Alerzo's core business distributes FMCG goods using a first-party relationship platform which allows suppliers to clear inventory faster and lets Alerzo control the supply chain and delivery.

Given the lack of trust in the marketplace and the requirement to pay on delivery, Opaleye says this was the most inclusive business model where the economics made sense for the company.

Alerzo claims to have built up a network of up to 100,000 small businesses, 90% of which are women-led. The company exclusively serves the countrys tier-2 to tier-4 cities in Southwest Nigeria -- Ibadan, Ekiti and Abeokuta, to name a few. It connects retailers to local and multinational distributors of consumer brands, like Unilever, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Dangote, and PZ.

"Without Alerzo, these retailers need to take a day off from the store to visit a central market, pay for transportation and haul a large amount of inventory back to the store. Alerzo replaces this stressful experience by not only reducing costs and time spent running a retail shop but also improving the livelihood of these working women," said the founder about the company's growth.

About one-third of the total retailers on Alerzo use the platform monthly. According to its website, retailers can order products via SMS, voice and WhatsApp and deliver them to their stores in less than 10 hours. The company claims to have processed over 1 million orders this past year.

Alerzo owns and operates its full-stack tech-driven supply chain and logistics to process these orders. The company provides warehousing and fulfillment solutions to suppliers and storefront delivery to informal retailers. It currently owns over 200 vehicles and 20 warehouses to serve its thousands of customers.

The last couple of years have seen a rise in last-mile delivery and distribution companies with a large increase in on-demand services across many sectors. While most players in Nigeria tend to focus on Lagos and Nigeria's capital city Abuja, Alerzo's approach to covering other cities has seemingly paid off so far.

But though Alerzo has enjoyed almost a first-mover advantage in less crowded markets, stiff competition will play out as other key players look to come in. Omnibiz, for instance, has Ibadan in its sights, and TradeDepot is setting up a presence in 10 to 15 cities, aiming to cover all major cities in the country by the end of the year.

Nevertheless, Alerzo's investors remain bullish on the company's potentials.

Weve studied informal retail marketplaces globally over the last couple of years and Alerzo really stood out to us due to a strong management team led by a founder with a unique understanding of his customer and an attractive business model with exceptional unit economics," said Ian Loizeaux, the managing partner at Nosara Capital, in a statement. "The company is at the beginning of a compelling multi-decade opportunity to streamline and digitize Nigeria's retail supply chain.

Seed investor Kevin Jung of Signal Hill cites Alerzo's focus on the informal retail market outside Lagos as one of the reasons why he backed Alerzo earlier on. He also referred to the company's orientation toward Asia (a playbook Opaleye adopted when he went to China for studies in 2016), as the best reference point for the emerging business model of digitizing informal retail markets.

Alerzo has an office in Singapore that the CEO says serves as a regional hub to identify best practices among similar high-growth businesses operating across Southeast Asia and India and adapt them to the Nigerian market. Likewise, to expand its digital footprint, the company recently launched an office in Lagos.

The proceeds from this Series A round will be used to expand geographically to northern Nigeria. Alerzo also plans to launch AlerzoPay, the companys cashless payments and lending platform, as well as a portfolio of new business support services.
Prominent women's rights advocates, including poet laureate Amanda Gorman, are calling on the Biden administration to protect and support Afghan women and girls and "honor its commitment to gender equity."

Why it matters: The activists  including the actors Connie Britton and Charlize Theron, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, and Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg  are the latest advocates to try to increase pressure on President Biden to do more for Afghans who could face persecution from the Taliban.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

We join a growing chorus of global leaders and advocates in raising up the voices of Afghan womens rights activists who are under imminent threat, the activists write in an open letter to the White House.

Immediate action must be taken to safeguard Afghan women most at risk: womens rights activists, journalists, educators, civil society leaders, human rights defenders and direct service providers.

The big picture: While the U.S. is ramping up the airlift in Kabul, it is still only using a fraction of its total capacity to evacuate Americans and Afghans.

The U.S. has enough aircraft available to meet its goal of getting 5,0009,000 people out of the country each day, Gen. Hank Taylor told reporters on Thursday, but it has only evacuated 7,000 people in total since Saturday  2,000 of them in the previous 24 hours.

No flight out of Kabul should have empty seats, more than 300 former national security officials, organized by members of the Truman National Security Project, wrote to Biden and Congress in a separate letter.

Driving the news: The women's letter was organized by Vital Voices and Women for Women International, a group of celebrities, policy experts, NGO leaders and activists.

They are demanding that Biden take four concrete steps: provide direct evacuation flights for women; include a category for at-risk women for Special Immigrant Visas and raise the refugee cap; provide more resources for assistance and resettlement; and protect and invest in women who remain in Afghanistan.

Read the letter.

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Go deeper: Exclusive: Inside the White House scramble to protect Afghan allies

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A Kentucky judge with a history of errors involving defendants right to fair trial was told Friday to take a second shot at a driving under the influence case where a Middlesboro man said he never saw a key piece of evidence that might have exonerated him.

Bell Circuit Court Robert Costanzo erred by imposing a final judgment and jail sentence last year after James Keith Burchfield, 43, asked to withdraw his guilty plea, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled.

In 2019, the Court of Appeals chided the same judge for ordering a poor, mentally ill man to serve as his own defense lawyer during a jury trial, over the defendants loud protests. The jury convicted that man on a firearms charge after just 20 minutes of deliberation and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Defendants have a right to counsel, the appeals court reminded Costanzo in their order reversing his decision and returning that case to him. That was actually the second time in 2019 the Court of Appeals reversed Costanzo for a case involving criminal defendants representing themselves in his courtroom, despite not being lawyers.

In the case decided Friday, Middlesboro police charged Burchfield in 2017 with failure to signal, DUI, fleeing or evading police, possession of a controlled substance and persistent felony offender.

Days after Burchfield pleaded guilty, he protested from his jail cell that he just learned that a blood test performed by law enforcement after his arrest came back negative for proof of intoxication, according to the appellate court decision.

Nobody had told him about the test results, including his public defender, Burchfield said. Had he known, he would not have pleaded guilty, he said. Burchfield said he is trying to get a commercial drivers license so he can work as a truck driver, which a DUI conviction will make impossible.

Too late, youve already signed the plea deal, Costanzo told Burchfield at a final sentencing hearing on March 31, 2020.

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But I wasnt impaired, and you didnt tell me that, Burchfield protested to the judge. I mean, my lawyer shoulda brought it to my attention then, and then I wouldnt  we wouldnt  I wouldnt be in this situation right now if my lawyer woulda brought it to my attention.

You voluntarily signed this agreement on the commonwealths offer on a plea of guilty, Costanzo told him. And I went through the questions to make sure, the court wanted to make sure that you understood what was going on.

Im just asking, your honor, please, please work with me and allow me to withdraw my plea at this time so I can proceed forward and try to seek another lawyer to, to better represent me, Burchfield said.

Instead, Costanzo sentenced Burchfield to six months in jail and five months on probation. Burchfield appealed.

On Friday, the Court of Appeals ordered Costanzo to vacate his final judgment in the case and reconsider Burchfields motion to withdraw his guilty plea.

The appeals court expressed concerns with the way Burchfields plea was processed, such as the fact that he was lined up before the bench that day with a small crowd of other unrelated defendants who were pleading guilty in their own cases.

We are keenly aware of the volume of criminal cases handled by district and circuit courts across the commonwealth every day but urge the exercise of care to ensure due process is satisfied  especially when tedium and familiarity may set in, the appeals court wrote.

Its not clear when prosecutors produced the blood test results or to whom, the appeals court added, but Burchfield clearly had the right to see them before he decided whether to plead guilty or stand trial.

Once Burchfield objected and asked to withdraw his plea, the court should have taken that seriously, the appeals court said. But Burchfields lawyer never filed a written motion to withdraw the guilty plea, as he should have, and the court never held a hearing to examine the matter, the appeals court said.

Speaking by telephone on Friday, Costanzo said he is comfortable with his actions last year.

I went through all of the colloquy with him about how he was making this guilty plea freely and voluntarily, Costanzo said.

Asked if Burchfield should have been told about his blood test results before he accepted a guilty plea, Costanzo said, In general terms, I would agree with you. That would be something important Id want to know. ... But I try to stay away from overhearing any of the conversations between defendants and their attorneys, so I dont know what theyre told.

Burchfields lawyer for his appeal, Steven Buck of the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy in Frankfort, praised Fridays decision.

Were happy. This is the appropriate remedy, Buck said. This whole opinion is about protecting the process around making the plea decision.

In another decision, in May, the Court of Appeals sent back a different case to Costanzo for similar reasons. In that instance, Steven L. Turner said his lawyer failed to explain that his prison sentences would run consecutively, one after the other, and not concurrently, and had he known that he would not have pleaded guilty. Costanzo denied Turners request for an ineffective counsel hearing, but the appeals court ordered him to hold a hearing.
The Arizona Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision on Thursday requiring the state's Republican-led Senate to produce records related to its audit of the 2020 election.

A three-judge panel unanimously rejected a petition brought by the state Senate that argued it has immunity from the legal action and that it doesn't have many of the sought records in its possession.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Michael Kemp ordered the Senate on Aug. 2 to "immediately" deliver documents, invoices, and other records associated with the audit to liberal watchdog group American Oversight, which filed multiple requests under Arizona's Public Records Law after taking the legislative body to court arguing its document disclosure was unsatisfactory.

The Arizona Senates attorneys argued over the course of the lawsuit that such documents are not subject to public disclosure rules because they are in the possession of Cyber Ninjas, a private company the chamber hired to conduct the audit on its behalf, and other subcontractors. That argument was summarily rejected by Kemp.

JUDGE ORDERS ARIZONA SENATE TO PRODUCE MARICOPA AUDIT RECORDS

Defendant [Arizona Senate President Karen] Fann has the authority, and the statutory obligation, under the [Public Records Law], to compel [Cyber Ninjas] and its subvendors to produce all internal emails and correspondence outlined in the proposed order, Kemp wrote in his Aug. 2 order.

Fann told the Washington Examiner after Kemp's ruling the chamber had "already complied with the FOIA requests as required by law between government and entities we do business with." The appeals court ruling noted the Senate had produced nearly 1,000 pages of documents to American Oversight.

Fann said the Senate "cannot produce documents we do not nor ever had possession of," however.

The appeals court also took up and rejected the same argument from the Senate in its Thursday ruling.

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"There is no dispute that the audit is being conducted with public funds, and that Cyber Ninjas and its sub-vendors are agents of the Senate," the judges wrote. "In this case the Senate has argued no exemption that, if properly recognized, would shield itself from the responsibility to inform the public of activities regarding the audit."

"Nothing in the plain text of the [Public Records Law] suggests that physical possession of the public records by the Senate is required," the judges also said. "The requested records are no less public records simply because they are in the possession of a third party, Cyber Ninjas."

"We find no error with the superior courts determination that the requested documents are public records that must be disclosed," the court concluded.

The Washington Examiner reached out to Fann for comment on Thursday's ruling. According to the Arizona Mirror, the Senate intends to appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

American Oversight's suit is not the only one leveled against the Arizona Senate. The Phoenix-based Arizona Republic newspaper sued the chamber and Cyber Ninjas on June 30, demanding access to a host of audit records under the same public records law.

Top Arizona Senate Republicans, including Fann, recently issued fresh subpoenas to Maricopa County officials and Dominion Voting Systems for materials the audit team said were needed to finish a report, including router access and network logins for ballot tabulation devices, among other things. After both parties signaled defiance to most of the demands, Arizona Senate Majority Whip Sonny Borrelli filed a complaint this month. Additionally, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich opened an investigation into whether Maricopa County broke the law by refusing to comply.

The monthslong controversial audit, which Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs dubbed a "political stunt," appears to be nearing a resolution, with Fann saying on Monday the Senate's audit companies are preparing a report on their findings. An audit spokesperson said they expect to deliver the main report to the Senate by Monday, according to local KNXV reporter Garrett Archer.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Arizona Senate, Arizona, 2020 Elections, State Courts, State Legislatures, lawsuit, Election Fraud

Original Author: Jeremy Beaman

Original Location: Appeals court orders Arizona Senate to produce 2020 election audit records
Apple has again pushed back its planned return to the office for US workers due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Bloomberg reports that the company has shifted its October date to January, though the schedule remains tentative for now.

Apple reportedly told employees in a memo that it would confirm the re-opening deadline one month before staff are expected to return to corporate workplaces. Like many employers, the iPhone maker is also preparing for a hybrid work routine. Apple apparently expects staff to attend the office at least three days a week  Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays  with the option to work remotely on Wednesday and Friday.

The delay is the latest bout of disruption to Apple's business. Its previous return to work deadline of September was met with resistance by some employees, who claimed their voices were being ignored. The same subset of workers also demanded a full-time remote work option.

On the retail side, Apple has repeatedly been forced to shutter its stores alongside the rise and fall of the virus. Just this week, it closed its store in Charleston, South Carolina, after more than 20 staff members were exposed to COVID-19. The decision reflected the risks Apple is facing in resuming normal operations.

Apple re-opened its retail stores earlier this year and has not indicated whether it plans to close them again, despite the spread of COVID-19 fueled by the Delta variant. Though, it quickly backtracked on its plan to restore in-store educational classes. Apple also recently reinstated its mask mandate for staff and store visitors in July after dropping the requirement in June for vaccinated customers. While its hardware business is facing the same chip shortage problem that has entangled the rest of the tech industry.
A Baltimore Police officer who ran for mayor last year pleaded guilty to lying about his residency and has resigned from the department.

The Office of the State Prosecutor said Friday that Ivan Gonzalez, a 14-year veteran who garnered just 670 votes in the Republican primary, was sentenced to probation before judgment  meaning he will have no criminal record when his probation ends  and, as part of his plea, stepped from the BPD.

Mr. Gonzalez, at the time a sworn police officer, intentionally committed perjury by providing false information to establish his qualifications as a candidate for Mayor of Baltimore, said Charlton Howard, the state prosecutor. His law enforcement career has ended and he has now been held accountable under the law.

The Sun first reported on Gonzalezs apparent residency discrepancy in August. Gonzalez has declined to comment, telling a reporter, You guys are fake news.

Gonzalez had vowed to run City Hall by day and patrol the streets at night with a goddamn police-issued rifle.

I would get these guys myself, he said.

Gonazlez listed his residential address as a rowhouse in Canton when he filed paperwork to run, and a post office box as his mailing address. He registered to vote at the address on Jan. 24, the same day he filed as a candidate.

But in state property records, Gonzalez was listed as the sole owner of a home in Essex that he purchased in 2016. It was registered as his principal residence and he has received a homestead property tax credit for it since 2017.

The Canton address was owned by two other people, who listed it as their principal residence.

Election rules require anyone running for mayor to be a resident and qualified voter of Baltimore City for at least a year before an election. Candidates swear under penalty of perjury that the information they are entering is accurate.
Daniil Medvedev took quick revenge on Friday for his Olympic loss to Pablo Carreno Busta, with the top seed at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters delivering a crushing 6-1, 6-1 verdict.

The Russian world number two had it all his way into the semi-finals with a 56-minute rout, which ended on the Spaniard's double-fault.

"I was feeling great during the match. In these conditions you try to win the match as fast as possible, especially against Carreno Busta, who can catch fire at any moment and start getting you into long rallies," Medvedev said.

"I tried to keep pushing him and I am really happy I managed to do it.

Women's top seed Ashleigh Barty recovered from being down a break in the second set to sweep past fellow French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-4.

The Australian handed her Czech opponent only a third loss since mid-May.

Krejcikova won Roland Garros in June while Barty claimed the Paris title in 2019 and Wimbledon this season.

"I feel like I did a good job looking after my own serves," Barty said. "For all but one service game, I felt like a lot of the time I was in control.

"It was just staying patient, knowing that I was doing the right things."

Medvedev, last week's Toronto champion, won his eighth match in a row as he prepares for a final four contest against compatriot Andrey Rublev.

Fourth seed Rublev defeated France's Benoit Paire 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 with the Russian advancing to his fourth Masters 1000 quarter-final in six tournaments this season.

Sefanos Tsitsipas, the second seed, had to lift after Felix Auger-Aliassime saved two match points late in the second set.

But the Greek did just that to post a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 win for his ninth semi-final of the season.

"Things got tough in the second set and I had to find different solutions. I stepped in with aggression in the third," he said.

"It took a lot of patience to find my opportunities in the third set. But I was determined and I didn't let go."

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Norway's Casper Ruud, a wizard on clay this summer with three titles in three weeks, was taken apart by Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-3 as the top four men's seeds took their places in the semis.

Medvedev has won all four tour matches against Rublev, including the quarters here in 2019 when Medvedev went on to win the title.

"I'm happy to play against him, because it's a nice challenge for me to see what I need to improve," Rublev said.

In Saturday's women's semi-finals, Barty will face German Angelique Kerber, who advanced 6-4, 3-3 when Czech opponent Petra Kvitova retired with gastric illness.

The fairytale story for wild card Jil Teichmann continued with a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Tokyo Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, a fellow Swiss.

"Everything went right, I felt good from the beginning," Teichmann said. "I served well, defended well, it all worked out."

The Swiss will play for the final against Karolina Pliskova, who put out Paula Badosa when the Spaniard retired trailing 7-5, 2-0 with a right shoulder injury.

str/gph
President Biden took questions from reporters Friday for the first time since Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, outside a Wednesday interview with ABC News, pledging that the U.S. will get any American home who wants to come home. The president's address comes as tens of thousands of American citizens, legal residents and their families and vulnerable Afghans struggle to flee the country.

The president started out his speech by touting what the U.S. has done so far  evacuating 18,000 people in recent weeks and 5,700 people in the last 24 hours. Mr. Biden said the U.S will do "everything, everything" it can to evacuate as many Afghans who have aided the U.S. as possible. The Pentagon has said it can fly 5,000 to 9,000 people per day out of Kabul, but that's dependent on multiple factors.

"But let me be clear. Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home," Mr. Biden told reporters in the White House East Room.

Still, CBS News and other outlets have reported some Americans are struggling to reach the airport, and the U.S. is not currently providing transportation or guaranteeing safe passage to the airport. During his speech, Mr. Biden said the U.S. has "no indication" Americans are unable to get to the airport, noting the U.S. has an "agreement" with the Taliban to let Americans through. But moments later, in a briefing with House lawmakers, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Taliban have beaten Americans in Kabul and called that "unacceptable," CBS News learned.

"It's a volatile situation on the ground," the White House said in response to the seeming contradiction. "We are working to facilitate safe passage for American citizens and SIV applicants and their families to the airport and onto planes. There are going to be reports of challenges and chaos at the airport. Secretary Austin referred to that in the Hill briefing today. But we are going to get Americans into HKIA and on planes."

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In a briefing Friday afternoon, when Pentagon press secretary John Kirby was asked about Americans being beaten by the Taliban, he said he was aware of the report.

"We've communicated to the Taliban that that is absolutely unacceptable and we want free passage through these checkpoints for documented Americans," Kirby said, adding that "by and large, that's happening."

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the U.S. has received "only a small number of reports from American citizens that their access has been impeded in some way" or faced "hardship or resistance," but added the State Department is taking that seriously.

The president did not directly answer whether the U.S. will send troops to help Americans get to the airport in Kabul. Even as the president pledged to get Americans out, he did not explicitly commit to extending the mission in Afghanistan beyond August 31, saying he thinks the U.S. can complete the mission by then, "but we're going to make that judgment as we go."

"There'll be plenty of time to criticize and second guess when this operation is over," Mr. Biden said, adding now is not the time.

The president's speech was not well received by all. Paul O'Brien, executive director of Amnesty International USA, urged the Biden administration to evacuate the most vulnerable Afghans more quickly.

"Vulnerable Afghans at risk were looking for reassurance from President Biden. They didn't get it," O'Brien said. "They want to know that they'll be processed for departure regardless of their eligibility for narrow and complicated visa programs. They want to know that they'll be able to reach the airport in safety. They want to know that the US will keep running evacuations until they and their family have had a chance to flee from harm's way. President Biden could have used his speech to reassure them, but he didn't."

On Friday, the U.S. military was forced to pause its evacuation flights out of Kabul because the processing facility in Qatar reached its capacity. The U.S. hopes to soon open a new flight option in Bahrain. Mr. Biden acknowledged the pause of "a few hours," attributing it to ensuring that "we can process the arriving evacuees at the transit points."

"Our commander in Kabul has already given the order for outbound flights to resume," he added.

The State Department and Pentagon have not disclosed how many Americans remained in Afghanistan as the Taliban assumed control of the country, but earlier this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki estimated there were around 11,000 self-identified Americans.

In Doha, Qatar, where evacuees are being processed, sources described the situation at the facility as hot, increasingly tense, and a "developing humanitarian crisis."

During an interview earlier this week with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, the president defended his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan and suggested that the chaos over the past week was inevitable.

"No, I don't think it could have been handled in a way that, we're gonna go back in hindsight and look  but the idea that somehow there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens," the president told Stephanopoulos.

He also said during the interview that U.S. troops might remain in Afghanistan longer than August 31 if necessary to get Americans out of the country but emphasized that the goal is to do so by the end of August 31.

The Pentagon said this week it's working with the Taliban to ensure safe passage of Americans to the airport, admitting the military would not be able to go out and extract large numbers of people unable to get to the airport themselves or who are afraid to do so.

"I don't have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Wednesday.

The president had been scheduled to leave for his home in Wilmington, Delaware, Friday afternoon following his speech, but the White House announced midday his schedule had changed, and instead said that he would remain in Washington, D.C., Friday night.

 CBS News' Weijia Jiang, Christina Ruffini and Zachary Hudak contributed reporting.

"Bring Your Own Brigade"

How climate change helped strengthen the Taliban

Maines oldest lobster trapper has no plans to retire at 101
(Photo: Illustration: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost; Photos: Getty)

As President Joe Biden ended his news conference on Friday afternoon about the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, a reporter called out an especially bellicose question.

Why do you continue to trust the Taliban, Mr. President? the reporter said.

Notwithstanding the militant groups poor human rights record and ultra-conservative Islamist ideology, multiple U.S. administrations have successfully negotiated with the Taliban. The Taliban have complex interests. As Biden noted on Friday, the organization is at war with the faction of the self-declared Islamic State (also known as ISIS), which is competing for power in Afghanistan.

But the reporters criticism-masquerading-as-query was the culmination of a weeks worth of dramatic finger-pointing and fretting from a Washington press corps that usually prides itself on neutrality.

Although the White Houses failure to foresee the rapid fall of the Afghan government and prepare accordingly has exacerbated the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal, Biden and his allies are furious with what they see as reporters and pundits unduly hawkish coverage of the exit.

The media tends to bend over backwards to both-sides all of their coverage, but they made an exception for this, said Eric Schultz, a deputy press secretary under President Barack Obama. They both-sides coverage over masks, and vaccines, and school openings and everything else. Somehow [the Afghanistan withdrawal] created a rush to judgment and a frenzy that we havent seen in a long time.

Matt Duss, a foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the de facto leader of the partys progressive wing and Bidens rival in the 2020 presidential primary, offered a similar assessment.

The extent to which the media is privileging voices who have gotten this wrong for years is ridiculous, he said. What were seeing is an attempt by the Washington foreign policy establishment to expiate its sins of over 20 years by putting this on the Biden administration.

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Journalists who cover the Pentagon spend an inordinate amount of their time with current and former military officials, many of whom go on to lucrative gigs with military contractors that profited from the Afghanistan War. Its that kind of chumminess that contributed to the medias amplification of the specious case for the Iraq War in 2002 and 2003.

As The Intercept has chronicled, the problem of media bias toward foreign adventurism is especially acute among talking heads paid to discuss military policy on television. Former U.S. military generals often inveigh against the withdrawal on cable news with just their past military titles rather than their current careers as contractors who stand to profit from an extended presence in Afghanistan.

A source close to the White House identified this dynamic to HuffPost. They are elevating the Blob, whose members spent years lying about progress in Afghanistan (and who often have financial conflicts of interest), the source said, using the blob colloquialism that refers to the Washington foreign policy establishment. The result is that many in the press are left effectivelyendorsingthe view that the U.S. should have sent more American service members into Afghanistan to fight and die to stop another Taliban offensive  despite supposedly being impartial.

This president himself vented similar frustration Friday during remarks at the White House. People now say to me and others  many of you say it on air  Why did we have to move because no Americans were being attacked? Why did we agree to withdraw 2,500 troops when no Americans were being attacked? Biden said.

President Joe Biden addresses reporters at the White House on Friday. He tried to dispel the idea that low U.S. casualties in recent years was a reason to keep troops in Afghanistan. (Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Biden noted that in the past year the dearth of casualties was thanks to an agreement that then-President Donald Trump made with the Taliban promising a timeline for withdrawal on the condition that the Taliban not attack U.S. forces.

He then noted that if the U.S. reneged on its commitment to announce a timeline for withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban would escalate their offensive and the U.S. would have to respond in kind.

The idea that if I had said on May the 2nd or 3rd, We are not leaving. We are staying, does anybody truly believe that I would not have had to put in significantly more American forces  send your sons and your daughters, like my son was sent to Iraq? To maybe die  and for what, for what? Biden asked incredulously.

Thats a question that much of the media has rarely interrogated  until now. News broadcasts on the three major American TV networks  NBC, CBS and ABC  have barely mentioned Afghanistan at all in recent years, according to data compiled by media monitor Andrew Tyndall.

The Washington industrial complex is always going to be more in favor of having a muscular military approach.Eric Schultz, senior adviser to former President Barack Obama

Even in 2020, the year in which Trump negotiated his agreement with the Taliban, the three networks mentioned Afghanistan just five times.

At the same time, now that Biden is taking a step that U.S. presidents have been very reluctant to take, he is facing a tidal wave of either negative coverage that omits critical context or outright condemnation from many of the same journalists who ignored the war under Trump and for years before.

For example, one White House correspondent passionately asked Jake Sullivan, Bidens national security adviser, why Biden did not see a national interest in keeping troops near the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Tajikistan.

Richard Engel, the chief foreign correspondent of NBC News, has assigned himself the even greater task of defending the U.S.s ability to create a functioning military and nation-state in Afghanistan.

Responding to Bidens suggestion that nothing could have fixed Afghanistan, Engel tweeted, I wish hed come to Kabul more recently, even six months ago.

For all of his optimism about the United States ability to shape politics in countries as different as Afghanistan, Engel apparently had little to say about the Washington Posts Afghanistan Papers. The 2019 papers, which made public more than 2,000 pages of government documents discussing the war, reveal the degree to which U.S. military and civilian leaders considered the war unwinnable but lied to the public about the progress they were making.

To critics of the Washington press corpss coziness with the national security establishment, some reporters selective indignation about the withdrawal is nothing new.

The Washington industrial complex is always going to be more in favor of having a muscular military approach, said Schultz, who is now a senior adviser to Obama. That will always be the gravitational pull in Washington.

What is novel is the willingness of many Democrats, including Biden himself, not to be cowed by hawkish Beltway voices and their chorus in the media.

Bidens own transformation from an Iraq War proponent and member of the foreign policy Blob in good standing to an early and outspoken skeptic of Obamas surge of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is remarkable.

He has stuck to his guns while under attack in the press, laying out a case for the limits of American military power in an interview with ABC News that would have been unthinkable at the height of the global war on terror.

The idea that were able to deal with the rights of women around the world by military force is not rational. Not rational, he said.

Schultz says that Biden has learned from the experience of Obama, who had to contend with the national security establishments skepticism of his decision not to intervene in Syria and his nuclear nonproliferation agreement with Iran.

As a Democrat, Im very relieved and encouraged and heartened that the White House knows theyre speaking to the country, not just Playbook subscribers, Schultz said, referring to Politicos popular inside-the-Beltway newsletter.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court to block an order by a Texas judge that would force U.S. border authorities to reinstate a Trump-era policy that turned away all asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Department of Justice filed paperwork Friday asking the highest court not to allow the Migration Protection Protocols, also known as the "Remain in Mexico" policy, to take effect Saturday per the Texas judge's order.

"The district courts mandate to abruptly re-impose and maintain that program under judicial supervision would ... severely disrupt its operations at the southern border, and threaten to create a diplomatic and humanitarian crisis," the DOJ wrote in the filing.

President Joe Biden first suspended the MPP in his first days in office. In June, it was dismantled.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas concluded the program "had mixed effectiveness in achieving several of its central goals and that the program experienced significant challenges," including that the number of families coming across the border illegally had increased under the program that was intended to deter people.

EXCLUSIVE: BORDER PATROL ASKING OVERWHELMED AGENTS TO HELP PROCESS AFGHAN REFUGEES

The program was implemented in January 2019 under then-DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. MPP allowed federal customs officers at ports of entry and Border Patrol agents to send anyone seeking asylum to Mexico. More than 67,000 people were enrolled in the program and forced to live in tent cities in Mexican border towns, waiting for their day in U.S. court.

Democrats opposed the initiative, and Biden vowed as a candidate to end it. House Democrats who toured a massive outdoor camp across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in 2020 lamented the slum-like conditions in the tent city, including insufficient clean water, improper sanitation systems, and a lack of medical care.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Story continues

Asylum-seekers waited even longer in Mexico once the coronavirus pandemic commenced in early 2020 and immigration courts shut down, refusing to hear cases.

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Tags: News, Mexico, Joe Biden, White House, Justice Department, Homeland Security, Migrants

Original Author: Anna Giaritelli

Original Location: Biden DOJ asks Supreme Court to block reinstatement of Trump 'Remain in Mexico' policy
By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden plans to nominate Rahm Emanuel, who previously served as chief of staff to former President Barack Obama and mayor of Chicago, as U.S. ambassador to Japan, the White House said on Friday.

White House officials lauded Emanuel's experience and long years of public service. His nomination, which could draw the ire of some fellow Democrats and Black rights activists stemming from his record as Chicago mayor, was announced on the same day that the White House disclosed that veteran U.S. diplomat Nicholas Burns was picked to serve as U.S. ambassador to China https://www.reuters.com/world/us/shift-biden-taps-career-diplomat-not-politician-ambassador-china-2021-08-20.

Emanuel said he was honored to be tapped for the job.

"The alliance between the United States and Japan is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific," Emanuel said in a statement.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomed the announcement, saying Emanuel's "relentlessness and track record of success" would help him as he works to deepen one of the most important U.S. alliances and advance regional security.

Some critics have faulted Emanuel, 61, for his handling of racial issues as mayor of the third-largest U.S. city.

Four Chicago police officers were fired in 2019 for covering up the shooting death of a Black teenager, Laquan McDonald, in Chicago in 2014, a case that fueled racial tensions and sparked calls from critics for Emanuel's resignation.

In June, when his expected ambassadorial nomination first surfaced, victims and relatives of victims of police violence in Chicago issued a statement calling Biden's plan "abhorrent."

When Emanuel earlier was considered for the job of U.S. transportation secretary, Democratic U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman wrote a column entitled, "We can't restore the soul of the nation with Rahm Emanuel in public office."

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Emanuel headed the finance committee for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992 and later served as a senior adviser to Clinton on policy and strategy. He was Obama's chief of staff for over a year before resigning to run for election as mayor of Chicago.

The White House highlighted Emanuel's work on revitalizing Chicago, which hosted the 2012 NATO summit and led the country in attracting foreign direct investment for six consecutive years.

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed confidence that Emanuel would win Senate confirmation. He joins a long list of ambassadors nominated by Biden who are awaiting hearing and confirmation votes in the Senate, narrowly controlled by Biden's fellow Democrats.

The White House is increasingly frustrated https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-frustrated-by-slow-pace-senate-confirmations-nominees-2021-08-11 about the slow pace of confirmations for nearly 300 of Biden's nominees, with many nominations being held up by Senator Ted Cruz and other Republican senators to register frustration over various issues.

Some Republicans could support Emanuel, who shares some of the same political donors, but his nomination will likely anger some Democrats given his "poor track record on racial justice and past efforts to undermine the party's progressive wing," said Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project advocacy group.

Emanuel may also have to win over Senator Bernie Sanders, who is no fan. In 2016, when Sanders was running against Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination, the senator wrote on Twitter: "I want to thank Rahm Emanuel for not endorsing me. I don't want the endorsement of a mayor shutting down schools and firing teachers."

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Eric Beech, David Brunnstrom and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Will Dunham)
President Biden claimed U.S. forces in Afghanistan were making "significant progress" in evacuating U.S. citizens and vulnerable Afghans and pledged to do everything he could to ensure their safe evacuation as the Taliban asserts control over the country.

"Let me be clear: Any American who wants to be home, we will get you home," Biden said.

Asked whether his promise extended to Afghan nationals, Biden said that it did.

His comments opened the door to a potentially larger operation that could keep U.S. forces in Kabul beyond the president's Aug. 31 deadline for the final drawdown of troops. About 6,000 U.S. troops have been deployed to Kabul's international airport to assist in the evacuation effort, most of them arriving after the Taliban captured the city on Sunday.

Acknowledging the danger of what he called the "most difficult airlift in history," Biden thanked the "brave" soldiers and Marines carrying it out. He also disclosed that U.S. forces went "over the wall" surrounding the airport to rescue 169 Americans who were struggling to get through Taliban checkpoints, raising the possibility that more such missions may be necessary.

Biden warned the Taliban that violence directed at American forces or interference with Americans attempting to reach the airport would result in a "swift and forceful" response. The president said that Taliban guards outside the airport were "letting in people with American passports," but acknowledged that Afghan nationals, many afraid of retribution for having aided the U.S. war effort, were facing difficulty getting through checkpoints.

"I cannot promise what the final outcome will be," Biden said. "As commander in chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary."

Following Biden's remarks from the White House, administration officials painted a more dire picture.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, in a briefing call with lawmakers, said that Afghans and even some Americans had been assaulted by the Taliban outside the Kabul airport, according to one of those on the call.

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Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Americans and Afghans had been attacked, telling reporters the U.S. had warned the Taliban that such violence and harassment is "unacceptable" and that people must be granted free passage through the checkpoints.

"By and large, that's happening," Kirby said.

Biden said that 13,000 people had been flown out of Afghanistan since Saturday and that the U.S. government had assisted in the evacuation of thousands more on private charter flights. He said 5,700 people were airlifted out on Thursday.

Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Biden's comments were "completely divorced from reality" and urged him to do more to rescue endangered people who are stuck outside the airport.

"We still have no strategy as to how we can get Americans to the airport who are trapped behind check points in Kabul or outside of Kabul," McCaul said in a statement.

Biden's speech from the White House was an effort to bookend a tumultuous week with a second address on Afghanistan, focusing Americans' attention on the effectiveness of the last-minute airlift operation. It came five days after Biden took a defiant stance in the face of bipartisan criticism over the chaos of the ongoing U.S. withdrawal once the Taliban toppled the country's former government.

The president's message of progress was upended by an eight-hour shutdown of the Kabul airport on Friday after Qatar, a top destination for rescue flights in recent days, informed Washington that it would not accept more planeloads of Afghan evacuees. As officials raced to address the snarl, Biden delayed his remarks by an hour, giving aides time to revise his message.

With Vice President Kamala Harris, Austin and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken standing behind him, Biden said that flights had resumed.

Although he continued to focus on his overarching rationale for ending the 20-year war in Afghanistan, Biden was less prickly in responding to questions from reporters than he was Wednesday in an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.

Asked about reports of an unheeded warning in a State Department "dissent channel" last month urging the administration to ramp up its evacuations, the president said he had received "all kinds of cables ... all kinds of advice."

In drawing down forces, Biden said, he went with the "consensus opinion"  that the Taliban wouldn't overrun the Afghan military so quickly  and reiterated his words from Monday: "I made the decision. The buck stops with me."

But he struggled to address the larger question of why the government seemed ill-prepared for the swift Taliban takeover, or whether the debacle gave him pause about the accuracy of U.S. assessments of terrorism risks emerging from Afghanistan. Biden rejected the idea that the chaotic withdrawal had hurt America's credibility with its longtime allies, but that assertion belied public criticism from several foreign ministers, who said the U.S. had not consulted with them prior to the president's April drawdown announcement and the last-minute evacuation effort.

Biden also expressed more empathy for the Afghans whose desperation has been clear in images of them clinging to the wheels of a departing C-17 military aircraft and facing gunfire near the airport.

"The last week has been heartbreaking," Biden said, referencing videos showing Afghans acting "out of sheer desperation."

"I don't think any one of us can see those pictures," he said, "and not feel that pain on a human level."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
BeInCrypto 

Binance.US expects to raise additional capital from an anticipated funding round, according to Binance CEO Changpeng CZ Zhao.

There is significant interest from top-level investors, and they expect they will close a round shortly, Zhao said. The Binance CEO also spoke of how the company would be working to further legitimize itself through its investor base. For instance, Binance.US, will have a diverse cap table with reputable investors and an independent board with proper governance, including the addition of new outside investors and independent members, he said.

This prospective funding round would come shortly after the resignation of recently hired Binace.US CEO Brian Brooks. He had earlier been looking to raise at least $100 million from investors, according to the New York Times.

This story was seen first on BeInCrypto Join our Telegram Group and get trading signals, a free trading course and more stories like this on BeInCrypto
Do I need a booster if I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?

Probably at some point, but health officials still are collecting the data needed to decide.

With boosters being planned in the U.S. as early as the fall for those who got the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, recipients of the single-dose J&J jab might be wondering just how well their protection is holding up.

All the vaccines used in the U.S.  including the J&J vaccine  still are doing their job of preventing hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.

I dont think theres any signal that the J&J vaccine is failing at its primary task, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Despite continued protection against severe disease, U.S. officials are planning to offer Pfizer and Moderna boosters eight months after the second shot based on evidence that effectiveness against infection wanes over time. Adding to the decision, the vaccines don't appear quite as strong against the highly contagious delta variant as they were against earlier versions of the virus.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said boosters will likely be needed for the J&J vaccine. Authorities expect more data to decide in the coming weeks.

That's in part because the J&J rollout didn't start until March, several months after Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations began. The J&J shot is made differently. And there's more data about how the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines fare against delta because theyre more widely used in countries where the variant struck before its U.S. surge.

There is some real-world data showing J&Js shot holds up against the delta variant. A huge study of health workers in South Africa showed the vaccine remained 71% protective against hospitalization from the variant and between 91% and 96% effective against death. And the researchers said the vast majority of so-called breakthrough" infections in vaccinated people were mild.

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J&J has also presented lab data on virus-fighting antibodies that indicates its vaccine protects against the delta variant for eight months and counting. Another small lab study has raised questions about whether a two-dose approach would work better, an option J&J is studying.

A separate issue is whether people with severely weakened immune systems should get extra shots as part of their original vaccinations, since they don't respond as well to any vaccines. The government now recommends a third shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for organ transplant recipients and others in this group. But it's still collecting data before making a similar recommendation for another dose of the J&J vaccine.

___

The AP is answering your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit them at: FactCheck@AP.org. Read more here:

What should I know about the delta variant?

Should vaccinated people mask up with COVID-19 cases rising?

Can I get long COVID if Im infected after vaccination?
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil is negotiating with Argentina on the construction of a billion-dollar pipeline from the Vaca Muerta shale gas reserves, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday.

Speaking to supporters on social media, he said the gas pipeline from Argentina was one of the options his government is looking at to reduce the price of gas in Brazil.

"We are in negotiations with Argentina. Gas from Vaca Muerta. It will happen one day, because it is not easy to start importing gas, you need pipelines," Bolsonaro said in his weekly live broadcast.

Argentina's ambassador in Brasilia, Daniel Scioli, last year proposed building the pipeline in meetings with Bolsonaro and his Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque.

Argentina is proposing a pipeline running 1,430 kms (888 miles) from the shale gas reserves in the Neuquen province to the border with Brazil at Uruguaiana and another 600 kms from there to the city of Porto Alegre, connecting to Southern Brazil's gas distribution network.

Bolsonaro did not say how the project would be funded. The costs have been estimated at $3.7 billion for Argentina and another $1.200 billion for the Brazilian section.

Bolsonaro also said he has asked Economy Minister Paulo Guedes for a study on the possibility of zeroing the PIS/Cofins sales tax on diesel in January next year.

(Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Editing by Michael Perry)
In this July 13, 2021 file photo radio talk show host Larry Elder speaks to supporters during a campaign stop in Norwalk, Calif. AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File

California GOP gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder was accused of waving a gun at his ex-fiancee.

Alexandra Datig, his ex-fiancee, told Politico that the incident happened in 2015.

According to the report, she broke of the engagement after the incident.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

California gubernatorial candidate and conservative talk show host Larry Elder has been accused of waving a gun at his ex-fiancee, according to a report from Politico.

Alexandra Datig, who also served as his radio producer for years, told Politico that she and Elder were engaged from 2013 to 2015 and that she called off the engagement after the incident. Datig did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Datig alleges that the incident happened during a heated argument, and when Elder was high on marijuana.

Elder's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"He was in the bedroom, and I was standing by the door," Datig told Politico. "We talked to each other.''

Then, Datig told Politico, Elder silently "walked over to the nightstand, opened the door, took out the gun,'' which Datig said was a .45 pistol.

"And he checked if it was loaded - while I was talking,'' she told Politico.

"He wanted to make sure I saw that he had it. It was an act of silent scorn - and anger,'' she added. Datig said that she feared for her life in the moment and locked herself in the bathroom, calling off the engagement immediately after.

Datig told the outlet that she had signed an NDA when they became engaged and she was speaking out in spite of it.

Details about Larry Elder's personal life have been under increased scrutiny as the recall election to potentially replace Gov. Gavin Newsom nears on September 14.

In a 2002 book, Elder advocated that employers should be able to discriminate against pregnant women employees.

"Are there legitimate business reasons for a venture capitalist to ask a female entrepreneur whether and when she intends to have children? Hell, yes," he wrote in the book. "Call it protecting an investment."

The Associated Press followed up with Elder on Wednesday and Elder doubled down, saying, "Government should not be intruding into the relationship between employer and employee," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By Moira Warburton

(Reuters) - Canada would consider taking in additional Afghan refugees on behalf of the United States or other allies if asked to do so, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said on Friday.

"We should keep the door open to all possibilities," Mendicino said in an interview.

"If there were Afghans who had assisted coalition partners during the mission that also met the criteria for our humanitarian resettlement program, I think we should be prepared to consider such an arrangement," the minister said.

Canada is part of a coalition of countries frantically trying to evacuate Afghan citizens who supported Western missions in Afghanistan over the years, amidst a Taliban takeover of the country that occurred in days, rather than months as expected.

Canada withdrew the bulk of its troops from Afghanistan in 2011, but participated in a NATO mission to train the Afghan military until 2014.

Helping out Afghans who supported Canada's past missions has become a hot political topic ahead of the Sept. 20 election, called https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadian-pm-trudeau-announces-federal-election-will-be-held-sept-20-2021-08-15 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday.

The Canadian Armed Forces flew 175 vulnerable Afghans and 13 foreign nationals out of Kabul late on Thursday, and evacuations "are scheduled to continue on a regular basis so long as the security situation permits," according to a statement.

Canada has evacuated nearly 1,000 vulnerable Afghan nationals to date, the statement said.

Evacuation flights could include families of refugees already living in Canada https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/afghan-activists-canada-frantic-get-families-out-after-years-waiting-2021-08-18 whose resettlement has so far been held up by bureaucracy, Mendicino said.

The independent tribunal that assesses asylum claims in Canada has agreed to expedite Afghan refugee applications, a crucial step for asylum claimants to reunite with their families, the minister said.

Separately, last week Canada committed to resettling 20,000 Afghan refugees who have already fled the country, and on Friday Mendicino said the government was keeping "an open mind" about potentially increasing that number.

(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Vancouver; editing by Grant McCool)
By Nichola Saminather

TORONTO (Reuters) -Canada's five biggest banks are mandating that employees working from their offices must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 this fall, taking a firmer stance than some of their U.S. counterparts and some other Canadian companies.

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD), Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank), Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) will all require staff to show proof of vaccination to enter their premises, they said in internal memos seen by Reuters.

RBC, TD, BMO and CIBC require employees to be fully vaccinated by the end of October, the banks told employees on Thursday and Friday.

Scotiabank has not set a date yet, but it is "moving in the direction of making vaccinations mandatory" for all employees and contractors based in Canada later in the fall, according to an internal note sent to employees on Friday.

The Canadian banks' moves come on the back of a mandate by the federal government last week that all federal public servants and employees in the federally regulated air, rail and marine transportation sectors must be vaccinated. That requirement extends to air, train and cruise ship travelers as well.

While some Canadian businesses, including Shopify Inc and Sun Life Financial, have also mandated vaccines for employees, many others have so far held off on doing so.

And some U.S. banks, including Citigroup Inc and Morgan Stanley, have required staff entering their New York headquarters to be vaccinated. Others like JPMorgan Chase & Co and Goldman Sachs Group Inc have not taken that step.

BMO employees and contractors must complete a new vaccine status survey by Sept. 8 and TD employees must register their vaccination status by Sept. 30, according to the communications.

RBC employees, beginning in Canada and the United States and expanding elsewhere afterward, and Scotiabank said they will also require staff to provide their vaccination status but did not provide a deadline for doing so.

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CIBC staff already on site can continue to work as they have, but "if you haven't been vaccinated and are able, now is the time," human resources chief Sandy Sharman said in an internal blog.

BMO and TD staff who remain unvaccinated must take additional measures, they said. These include twice-weekly testing at BMO and the completion of a learning module about the benefits of vaccination, mandatory rapid testing and a face covering for staff, they said.

A spokesperson for National Bank of Canada, the country's sixth-largest lender, said the firm currently has nothing to add.

Sun Life Financial has been requiring employees to be fully vaccinated if they choose to work from an office as part of its re-opening pilot, according to guidance from Canada's second-biggest life insurer.

(Reporting by Nichola Saminather; Editing by Dan Grebler and Steve Orlofsky)
By Adrian Portugal and Ebrahim Harris

MANILA (Reuters) - After 17 months of on-off lockdown measures in and around the Philippine capital Manila, its weary residents are hoping the latest easing of restrictions can breathe some life into an economy weighed down by the COVID-19 crisis.

The Philippines, which has one of Asia's worst and longest-running coronavirus epidemics, announced a loosening of measures late on Thursday to try spur activity in an economy that contracted a record 9.5% last year.

"We had less passengers, we were only allowed 50% capacity, we had a really hard time in our trips since what we earned was just enough for our everyday meals," said Reynaldo Escanilla, who drives a jeepney passenger truck.

After the Chinese city Wuhan, where COVID-19 was first detected, the Philippines was one of the first places in the world to go into lockdown last year.

Manila Barber Joel Carino is eager to get back to normal life.

"Ever since the start of lockdown we felt hunger. I'm not in favour of it since a lot of Filipinos are struggling. There are no jobs given most establishments are closed," he said.

But with a long way to go with vaccinations and record highs for daily infections, active case numbers and the positivity rate, the virus problems are far from over in the Philippines, hurting its poorest the most.

"A lot are feeling the weight especially in businesses similar to ours. We have no sales, there are no people," said restaurant manager Ely Cundangan.

"There are some who buy but very few. How are we supposed to live?"

Malaysia too reported a record number of COVID-19 cases on Friday, a day after announcing some businesses would resume, with more activities allowed for fully vaccinated people, including dining at restaurants.

"My first instinct was I'm ecstatic, I'm like, 'yes, we can finally go on,'" said Rick Joore, a Kuala Lumpur restaurant owner.

Story continues

"What if it's going to be in two weeks, that we have to close down again?" he said. "But then we had a wonderful two weeks, and we did what we could."

But Chen Ren Yi feels its too soon to open his burger restaurant and prepare staff for strict protocols.

"We feel that it is a little bit too rushed, a little bit too early after the vaccination rate has not really reached where we feel is comfortable yet."

(Reporting by Adrian Portugal in Manila and Ebrahim Harris in Kuala Lumpur; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
President Joe Biden had a message for Americans in Afghanistan on Friday: "Let me be clear, any American who wants to come, we will get you home."

But a day later, Hamid Karzai International Airport remained a scene of chaos, witnesses and participants in various rescue attempts said.

Due to a backup in Qatar, where most U.S. evacuation planes land, all gates at Hamid Karzai International Airport were closed Saturday, according to a Defense department official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul alerted Americans on Saturday not to travel to the airport without individual instructions from a U.S. government representative because of threats outside the gates.

Panicked  and often starving and dehydrated  Americans and Afghans alike have found it hard to get through Taliban checkpoints leading into and out of the airport, according to some current and former U.S. officials assisting in rescue efforts.

And many of those who do make it through are being crushed at or near to the airport gates, according Rep. Seth Moulton, a Marine Corps veteran. The Biden administration has not made good on its promise to deploy every resource necessary and available to the effort, the Massachusetts Democrat told ABCS Jake Tapper Friday night. "Its just not true, he said. It's completely unacceptable.

"Today is the worst it's been," one staffer for Sen. Tom Cotton, R.-Ark., said Saturday, regarding the situation at the airport for Afghans and some Americans trying to flee the Taliban. He was part of a team effort by Cotton's office to help U.S. citizens and allied Afghans get out, after the senator  himself a U.S. military veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq  issued a public offer of assistance.

This satellite image shows cars and crowds gathered at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, as people attempt to leave the country.

As night fell in Kabul, several urgent operations were underway, including efforts to connect sick or injured Americans with U.S. military on the ground in Kabul, said the staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the efforts publicly. One seriously ill baby girl, an American citizen, was finally inside the gates and receiving medical attention after a 24-hour ordeal, he said. "But we have hundreds more cases to get to."

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Widely broadcast images showed Taliban fighters using gunfire, whips and clubs to maintain control of thousands of people  mostly Afghans  converging on the airport.

I have personally been on the phone with multiple American citizens and Afghan allies *while* they were being beaten and threatened by Taliban fighters blocking route to airport, tweeted Matthew Downer, a staffer for Cotton.

Videos show gunfire outside the airport, stampedes at the gates and even desperate Afghans trying to deliver their young children to safety by any means necessary  including throwing or handing some over barbed-wire fences.

A U.S. Marine grabs an infant over a fence of barbed wire during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 19, 2021.

More: Harrowing video shows gunfire, families with crying children at Kabul airport

U.S. military personnel had gone outside the gates to escort 169 Americans inside, Biden said. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin briefed congressional lawmakers later Friday that he was aware that some Americans and Afghans seeking to travel to the Kabul airport have been harassed or even beaten by the Taliban. He said he wouldnt rule out expanding the military perimeter beyond the airport in response to jarring images of heavily armed Taliban fighters encircling it and terrorizing many of the thousands of people trying to get in.

Rear Adm. Pete Vasely, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has had several conversations daily with a Taliban commander near the airport to allow safe passage to U.S. citizens and others with the passports and visas needed to leave Afghanistan, according to Pentagon press secretary John Kirby.

Taliban militants operating checkpoints have been told to recognize valid documents, and there have been no reports of American citizens being stopped or harassed, Kirby told reporters Thursday. However, he added, the military does not have a complete picture of whats happening on the crowded routes to the airport.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan acknowledged that the U.S. rescue effort continues to be a risky operation even though the Biden administration had established contact with the Taliban to allow for the safe passage of Americans and Afghans at risk to the airport. "That being said," he told NBC News Lester Holt on Thursday evening, "we can't count on anything.

The U.S. has evacuated approximately 9,000 people since emergency evacuation operations began on Aug. 14  5,700 people by military transport over the past 24 hours alone. That included 350 U.S. citizens, family members, special immigrant visa applicants and their families, and other vulnerable Afghans, according to a White House official.

In the last 24 hours, the U.S. also facilitated the departure of 11 charter flights.

Even with the private evacuation networks efforts, there continued to be cases of stranded and injured people  including Americans  who couldn't make it to the airport or into the gates.

Former Army colonel Mike Jason, who served in Afghanistan, said while some Americans are still having a hard time getting to the airport gates  and through them  the process has been especially tough for the many dual citizenship Afghan-Americans. Some American citizens are afraid to go to the airport, and won't go, some have been hurt. We are urging all people to go and bring supplies for a multi-day wait.

Reports from the airport showed evidence of U.S. military transport planes sitting and waiting for evacuees to get through the gates so they can be airlifted out. Processing backups temporarily halted flights to Qatar, a main evacuation hub. Friday the U.S. commander on the ground "issued the order to recommence," a senior administration official told USA TODAY.

The processes are still confusing, cumbersome and seem to be changing on the fly, Jason told USA TODAY on Friday. We are hoping to help by centralizing information in a matter that is easily absorbed on a cell phone screen for those at the airport or trying to get to it.

The outreach effort is improving, Jason added. Each day, the situation improves.

Cotton's staffers said they had helped get more than 100 people through, but that they had many dozens of other open cases that they were working on with U.S. military officials.

One pregnant woman, married to an Afghan interpreter, was in rapidly declining health late Thursday, they said. She was injured in one of the many stampedes at the airport gates.

Another woman waited outside one of the more permanent gates for many hours over multiple days, and had become so dehydrated that she could not breastfeed her baby.

Another woman had given up waiting outside the gates with her 10-year-old daughter, whose head was injured in a stampede.

More: Child sleeps under US airmans uniform, another passed over a wall: These are the kids fleeing Afghanistan

'It's life or death'

For days, current and former military and diplomatic officials in the U.S. have been working their contacts to get people out of harm's way, especially American citizens and those Afghans whose work on behalf of the U.S. marks them for death by vengeful Taliban leaders.

Ezatullah Ebrat, a former Afghan platoon commander who worked for the CIA for seven years, says about a week ago Taliban soldiers raided his home in Kandahar, beat him in front of his family and took his weapons.

They told me to stay at your home and we will come back and were dealing with you, Ebrat told USA TODAY.

Ebrat said he and his family  a wife and four young children, including a 2-month-old baby  are now in hiding while a contact in the United States tries to raise money to charter a private plane to get them out.

But the logistics are both complicated and risky, said Jim Keady, a former New Jersey congressional candidate who does humanitarian work and is trying to help Ebrat.

No one can get in and out of the Kabul airport  If youre in there, youre staying in there," Keady said. "The first thing that has to happen is the State Department has to figure out a way to open the airport, so that people can get inside the gate. Whats that process? In this situation, its life or death.

But even if the airport is opened and the chartered flight for Ebrat and his family makes it to Kabul airport, theres no guarantee they could get there safely, Keady said. Taliban fighters, he added, knows of Ebrat and are already looking for him.

We are really in trouble right now, Ebrat said. We dont know what will happen to us in the future.

Contributing: Courtney Subramanian

A visual guide: A Taliban takeover, chaos at the airport: See how the collapse of Afghanistan unfolded

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kabul airport chaos raises questions about evacuations in Afghanistan
Parents and school children protest outside the Texas governors mansion (AP)

A group of disabled school children in Texas are suing state governor Greg Abbott for discrimination and for risking their health because of his ban on mask mandates.

The suit, which was filed on behalf of 14 students by Disability Rights Texas on Tuesday, alleges that Mr Abbott was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A lawyer representing the students, Tom Melsheimer, told the Austin American-Statesman that Texass ban on mask mandates forced parents to choose between risking their childrens health, or of losing education. All of the children have disabilities.

"Either outcome is a violation of students' rights...and both are wholly avoidable," said Mr Melsheimer, who reportedly worked on the case for free.

According to the suit, all of the 14 children who have disabilities have underlying conditions that carry the risk of serious complications or death in the event that they contract Covid.

Mr Abbotts ban on mask mandates, which includes schools, will prohibit the exclusion of students with disabilities from public educational programs and activities, the lawsuit alleges.

It states that Mr Abbotts ban also prohibits local school districts from even considering whether to implement the most basic and effective COVID-19 prevention strategy in school settings.

The students in the lawsuit are aged below 12, which is an age group not eligible for Covid vaccinations.

Face masks, meanwhile, are recommend by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce the risk of catching Covid. That advice has seen Republicans bridle at the reintroduction of measures to control the virus.

Mr Abbotts ban, which has been challenged in several state courts, was supported by the US Supreme Court on Sunday, although it has not issued a final ruling.

Texas Supreme Court ruled late on Thursday that schools would not be forced to follow the ban on mandates, allowing districts in the state to decide for themselves.

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Guidance issued by the Texas Education Agency confirmed that the mandate is not being enforced as the result of ongoing litigation, and added: Further guidance will be made available after the court issues are resolved.

Read More

GOP governors, school districts battle over mask mandates

Ted Cruzs campaign accused of spending $150,000 on Texas senators own book

'Bracing for the worst' in Florida's COVID-19 hot zone
By Tom Daly

(Reuters) - Chinese steelmakers Ansteel Group and Ben Gang formally began the process of merging their operations on Friday, the official Xinhua news agency reported, in a move that will create the world's third-largest producer of the metal.

State-owned Ansteel is taking a 51% stake in smaller rival Ben Gang from the regional state assets regulator, with no money changing hands in a government-backed restructuring that is part of a drive to consolidate production in China's bloated steel sector.

The merged entity, which will retain the Ansteel name, will have annual production capacity of 63 million tonnes of crude steel, Xinhua said, after combining the operations of the companies whose headquarters are only some 60 km (37 miles) apart in northeast China's Liaoning province.

A special conference on the merger was held on Friday morning in the city of Anshan, it added.

The extra production will see Ansteel leapfrog HBIS Group to become China's second-biggest steelmaker and put it third globally behind only China Baowu Group and ArcelorMittal .

Ansteel produced 38.19 million tonnes of crude steel in 2020, data from the World Steel Association show, while Ben Gang churned out 17.36 million tonnes.

By 2025, Ansteel aims to be producing 70 million tonnes of crude steel per year, as well as more than 50 million tonnes of steelmaking raw material iron ore and generating 300 billion yuan ($46 billion) in annual revenue, Xinhua said.

A combination of Ansteel and Ben Gang has been discussed for more than a decade. The merger appeared to be off https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-steel-benxi-ansteel-idUSKCN1QN16E in 2019 but a "strategic restructuring" of the companies was announced in April this year.

($1 = 6.5003 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Tom Daly; additional reporting by Min Zhang; Editing by Kim Coghill)
(Repeats story from Friday)

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China Telecom Corp surged 34% on its Shanghai debut on Friday, defying a bearish market after raising $7.3 billion in the world's biggest stock listing so far this year.

Shares of the Chinese telecom giant, which is blacklisted by the U.S. government due to alleged links to the Chinese military, opened 5.7% higher and rose as much as the bourse's 44% limit on new shares before giving up some gains. The stock ended the session at 6.11 yuan, up from an offer price of 4.53 yuan, in a surge that was conspicuous in a weak market that saw China's blue-chip index shed nearly 2%.

"When money is hard to be made elsewhere, newly-listed China Telecom easily becomes the target for speculators," said Li Runze, an analyst at Soochow Securities.

The rally was hardly driven by fundamentals, he added, as China Telecom's Hong Kong-listed shares slumped nearly 5% on Friday, trading at just half of the price of their Shanghai counterparts.

Liam Zhou, founder of Shanghai-based hedge fund Minority Asset Management (MAM), said that in the short term, China Telecom's Shanghai share price will also likely draw support from the so-called "green shoe" over-allotment mechanism, as well as its state shareholders.

The deal is the biggest A-share listing since PetroChina Co Ltd's $8.9 billion Shanghai float in 2007, according to Refinitiv data.

China Telecom, which was kicked off the U.S. stock exchange in May, had raised 47.1 billion yuan ($7.3 billion) in Shanghai as it broadened its funding channel at home.

In its Shanghai offering, China Telecom - the country's largest fixed-line telecoms operator - attracted a score of strategic investors, including tech giant Huawei, data security company DBAPPSecurity Co and Bilibili Inc.

The debut follows a growing number of U.S.-listed Chinese companies that are selling shares publicly in Hong Kong or mainland China amid Sino-U.S. tensions.

Story continues

State-owned rival China Mobile has also applied to list in Shanghai, while a unit of China United Network Communications Group (China Unicom) was listed in 2002.

BLACKLISTED

"These companies have a lot of money and there is an objective for high payout ratios," said Quiddity Advisors analyst Travis Lundy, who publishes on Smartkarma.

"They have some revenue and earnings growth still to come, they are stable ... that will make them attractive to investors."

China Telecom's debut comes days after the company reported a 27.2% jump in its first half earnings. It also promised to raise the cash dividend ratio to 70% or above within three years of its Shanghai listing.

The New York Stock Exchange delisted China Telecom, China Mobile Ltd and China Unicom Holdings from the bourse after the three firms were blacklisted under the former Trump administration in November last year.

The three firms were part of a list of 31 companies the United States blocked investment in because the government said they were owned or controlled by China's military.

Earlier this week, China's securities regulators accepted a domestic listing application from China Mobile, which aims to raise 56 billion yuan. China United Network Communications Ltd < 600050.SS>, a unit of China United Network Communications Group, went public in Shanghai in 2002.

($1 = 7.7910 Hong Kong dollars)

(Reporting by Shanghai newsroom and Scott Murdoch in Hong Kong; Editing by Uttaresh.V, Sam Holmes and Susan Fenton)
She is best known for launching a boycott of city buses in Montgomery six months before Rosa Parks was arrested

Montgomery civil rights activist Lucille Times passed away Monday evening at the age of 100.

Her death was confirmed by her nephew Daniel Nichols to WSFA.

Times is best known for launching a boycott of city buses in Montgomery six months before Rosa Parks was famously arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white male passenger.

(Credit: Troy University)

Times began her own boycott of the buses in 1955 after getting into a fistfight with James F. Blake  the same Montgomery bus driver that demanded Parks give up her seat on his bus.

I started the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Times said in 2017 during A Conversation with Lucille Times at the Rosa Parks Museum.

The bus driver got angry and tried to run me off the road and into a ditch, Times said. The incident led to a verbal confrontation during which she laid hands on the man and two Montgomery policemen had to separate the two.

Times wasnt arrested, but the incident inspired her to take action.

I called the bus office three times to report James Blake, but the owner of the bus company would never return my call. I started the bus boycott the next day, she said.

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From there, Times began to provide transportation for Black residents of Montgomery who were waiting at bus stops. When the Montgomery Bus Boycott officially began, others joined in on what she had been doing for months. While Timess efforts faded away into obscurity, Parks defiance catapulted her into history.

Parks changed the course of history and sparked the civil rights movement on Dec. 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. That date is now regarded as Rosa Parks Day in recognition of her act of defiance, theGRIO previously reported.

Parks was a seamstress on her way home from work when she took a seat in the front of the Black section of the Montgomery bus. The 42-year-old was then ordered by the driver to give up her seat to a white man when the bus became crowded. He was empowered by a statute that allowed the driver powers of a police officer of the city while in actual charge of any bus for the purposes of carrying out the provisions, which enforced separate but equal treatment.

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Parks refused to move to the back of the bus and was arrested for disorderly conduct.

It is hard for us today to imagine the type of treatment African Americans, particularly the African American women, had to endure during those times, Rosa Parks Museum director Dr. Felicia Bell previously said. There were many people who played a role in the events leading up to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. We are grateful that Mrs. Times has shared her story with us so that we can share it with others.

Youve got to fightyouve got to fight, Times said, shaking a fist in the air. You dont get nothing for free. Ive been a fighter all of my days.

(Credit: WSFA 12 News/screenshot)

One user wrote, Not all heroes wear capes or seek recognition, but Ms. Lucille Times deserves her proper recognition for starting the fight for equality and civil rights for every Black person in America.

Another wrote, We went our whole lives learning about Rosa Parks telling that bus driver she wasnt moving, but they never taught us about the Black lady who socked the exact same bus driver directly in his sh 6 months earlier. I wonder why.

Times and her husband Charlie participated in the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. As reported by WSFA 12 News, the couple were members of the NAACP, and charter members of multiple organizations and clubs. Their home, where theyd lived since 1939, has been on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage since 2007.

In Feb. 2017, Times won the Unsung Hero Award in Montgomery, per the report.

A public viewing is scheduled for Aug. 20 at Phillips-Riley Funeral Home in Montgomery. Funeral services will reportedly be held Sunday afternoon at St. Jude Catholic Church. Burial will follow in the Oakwood Annex Cemetery.

*This story contains additional reporting from theGRIOs Stephanie Guerilus.

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BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia will temporarily host Afghans fleeing their country's takeover by the Taliban while they await approval to enter the United States, President Ivan Duque said on Friday.

Duque did not specify how many Afghans would transit through Colombia. U.S. and Colombian media outlets have reported that the number will be about 4,000.

U.S. President Joe Biden is facing criticism https://www.reuters.com/world/us/facing-sharp-criticism-afghanistan-biden-speak-evacuations-2021-08-20 of his handling of the chaotic American pullout from Afghanistan. Critics accuse his administration of misjudging the speed with which the Taliban would take over and botching the planning of evacuations of Americans and Afghan allies after the 20-year U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

"Colombia is also joining the group of allied countries which will offer support to the United States so those citizens of Afghanistan who gave help to the United States for years and who are in the process of registering and making a migrant transfer to that country can be in Colombia temporarily," Duque said in joint remarks with U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg.

Further details will be provided in the coming days, Duque said.

The United States will pay the cost of the Afghans' stay in the Andean country, Goldberg said, thanking Colombia for its help with the effort and also for its generosity in receiving some 2 million Venezuelan migrants.

(Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Will Dunham)
Last month, I boarded and sailed on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas. The ship departed from Nassau, Bahamas, and cruised around the Caribbean with stops at the cruise line's private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay; Cozumel, Mexico; and Grand Bahama Island.

When I embarked, Royal Caribbean had carried out several sailings in the Bahamas after being shut down since the onset of the pandemic.

Truth be told, I was a bit nervous. As the COVID-19 pandemic continued, I wasn't sure how safe I would feel on board (turns out, I felt safer than I may have at home). Not to mention, it was my first cruise.

I've been reporting on cruises for USA TODAY for nearly two years. I hadn't had the opportunity to board a ship amid the pandemic until last month.

Here's what I learned about what it's like to take a cruise vacation:

There's plenty to do on a cruise ship

Cruises are like small cities or towns combined with an amusement park level of entertainment.

And there wasn't a dull moment on board.

On Adventure of the Seas, people were rock climbing; taking fitness classes, both indoors and outdoors; attempting the FlowRider; swimming and lounging; gambling in the casino; playing mini-golf at an onboard course; dancing at a lounge; taking in dance, music and skating shows; and even riding down an onboard waterslide.

I took an onboard spin class (for a fee of $15), which was my first in-person workout class since the start of the pandemic. I also spent time tanning, taking in two impressive shows at the theater and listening to live music at the Duck & Dog Pub on the fifth-deck promenade, all included experiences.

Reporter Morgan Hines posted this shot to her Instagram story while starting a spin class on board Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas

Cruise dining choices are plentiful, even without specialty options

I had no idea what to expect in terms of dining. I'd heard about endless buffets, deluxe dining packages and beverage packages but didn't know what to make of them and whether the pricing was fair. Not to mention, I have food sensitivities and wasn't sure how I would find the onboard fare.

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Weeks before boarding, while researching dining packages, I decided to stick with the basic package rather than opting for the more expensive option, which included specialty restaurants on board.

And I didn't regret it.

Fruit plate at breakfast on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas.

For breakfast, passengers had multiple options open to them, including at a fast stop open all day called Cafe Promenade, the buffet dubbed The Windjammer and in the main dining room. I tended to alternate during my time on board between The Windjammer and the main dining hall  a fruit plate and bowl of market vegetables, goat cheese and eggs were favorites.

For lunch, the buffet and the cafe on a lower deck were open, including on days with port calls.

The buffet, while open, was different than it had been before the pandemic. Self-serve was no longer an option. Instead, crew members stationed behind the counters were doling out servings of food to passengers in line. And it wasn't open for dinner.

Sharine Grayson-Thomas, 51, and Dana Grayson-Thomas, 52, from New York City, who got married on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship 10 years ago and were on the cruise celebrating their anniversary, told me that they missed having the buffet option for dinner.

It was convenient to have as an option when the main dining room's menu wasn't appealing or if they missed dinner there, they said.

Dining off the ship on Royal Caribbean's private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, included salads, burgers and more at venues that were considered part of the cruise's included dining options.

While I didn't purchase a package that included specialty dining, I did try Giovanni's Table, a specialty Royal Caribbean restaurant serving Italian food available on board for an additional fee. It was delicious and still relatively inexpensive compared to a multiple-course meal at a nice restaurant shoreside.

That said, it's definitely not necessary to purchase a specialty dining package for a cruise since there are plenty of included options.

The drinks package was worth the extra money though, with unlimited access to specialty coffees (including at Cafe Promenade, which featured Starbucks drinks), fresh-squeezed orange juice, bottled water and cocktails.

Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas in Nassau, Bahamas, July 2021.

At this point in the pandemic, many ships may be less crowded

When I sailed on Adventure of the Seas, capacity was at 35%, according to Lyan Sierra-Caro, spokesperson for Royal Caribbean. The ship was carrying 1,182 passengers and 900 crew members on board.

That meant that it was less crowded on board than usual, as was Royal Caribbean's private island Perfect Day at CocoCay.

"Its less crowded, so we have more room, more availability when you come to the venue like this," 10-time cruiser Chris Piligiam, 64, from Southern California, told me during the trip. "Id rather pay more money to be on the cruise with less people."

View from the deck of Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas.

Sharine and Dana Grayson-Thomas said they think there are pluses and minuses to a less crowded ship.

The lack of lines was a good thing, Sharine said, noting there was no need to rush off the ship to find a beach chair when visiting a destination like CocoCay.

On the other hand, Dana said she was struggling with the lack of crowds for nightlife. "It was empty," she said, of the dance floor the night before.

"Even the sail-away was different," she continued, noting that usually, a large crowd gathers on deck as the ship pulls out of port.

But Dana and Sharine agreed that overall it was a more relaxing cruise without the crowds.

Before boarding, watch for sales on cruise amenities

With added fees, one tip that we received from a friend was to watch for amenities sales in emails from the cruise line. We did, finding a deal on internet and on the drink package, making both much more affordable.

Once on board, these amenities would have been significantly more expensive to purchase.

Morgan Hines connected to the internet on the cruise ship to work from a balcony.

Check requirements for COVID-19 travel prior to booking and traveling

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the delta variant surges, cruise lines' health protocols are evolving. It's important to keep up to date to make sure you are prepared with the proper documents to board when arriving at the cruise terminal.

To get on Adventure of the Seas in July, I needed to be fully vaccinated and show my vaccine card, had to show proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test and had to have my passport.

Some cruise lines and ships require full vaccination against COVID-19 to board, some require a negative COVID-19 test, and some require masks in indoor areas.

And on some ships that allow unvaccinated travelers, there are additional requirements for them that can cost more, including travel insurance or additional testing.

Sometimes, too, depending on where the ship departs from, there are different requirements. Before arriving at the Bahamas, I had to fill out a Bahamas Health Visa, as I was reminded by the cruise line. Make sure to check on those requirements before beginning travel, too.

Meet other cruisers online before boarding

If you're traveling solo or looking for insights, there are Facebook groups for many sailings created in advance of boarding.

The group was useful for advice, but it also created a sense of onboard community that was nice to have for the week.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cruise ship vacation amid COVID-19: Things to know about food, crowds
A dad considered armed and dangerous is missing after he was temporarily released from prison for his daughters funeral, officials said.

Now, the United States Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Joe Fletchers arrest, the Akron Police Department said on Facebook.

Fletcher, 34, was once called one of Akrons most dangerous individuals in a 2015 news release from the Northern District of Ohio U.S. Attorneys Office. At the time, Fletcher had been sentenced to about four years in prison on a charge of illegal possession of a firearm.

Before Fletcher was granted a furlough from prison, he was accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, police said.

A judge granted Fletcher the temporary release and he was allowed to attend his daughters funeral Wednesday with no security measures, WKYC reported. There were no guards or GPS monitoring on Fletcher, the station reported.

Prosecutors did ask for safeguards, the Akron Beacon Journal reported, because Fletcher is known to be a flight risk.

However, given defendants clear intent to avoid apprehension and threats to use violence to that end, as shown on multiple occasions, the risk of flight and the danger to the community are too great to allow Defendant to be released on bond, even for that short time, prosecutors said in their court filing, according to the newspaper. They requested he be escorted by the U.S. Marshals Service while on prison furlough.

Despite that request, Fletcher was released into his mothers custody, the Beacon Journal reported.

Fletcher was told he could only visit the funeral home and local hall from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, the U.S. District Court said, according to WJW.

He then failed to return to prison following his release, police said on Facebook. Hes known to be in the Akron, Ohio, area and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

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Police described him as a Black male, about 5 feet 11 inches tall, about 240 pounds and with multiple tattoos. One tattoo is across his neck, as shown in his mugshot.

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Anyone found to be aiding Fletcher will be charged accordingly in federal court, police said.

Anyone with information on where Fletcher may be can remain anonymous by calling the the U.S. Marshals Tipline: 1-866-4-WANTED.

Merced County fugitive wanted in Dos Palos machete assault arrested in Del Norte County

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How a Tinder date led to Horry County polices hours-long standoff with a wanted man
Someone should remind Oregon that schools are supposed to make students smarter.

The states Democratic governor, Kate Brown, signed a bill late last month that drops proficiency requirements for high school students over the next three years. This means that high school seniors will no longer need to prove they are proficient in math, reading, and writing to qualify for graduation. In other words, they wont have to prove they learned anything at all.

Oregons Education Department said the law is aimed at helping Black, Latino, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color. Apparently, its not racist to admit you expect minority students to perform worse than others. We used to call that the bigotry of low expectations. Now, its called equity.

The supporters of the law insist that it is unfair to expect students to be able to read, write, and do basic math. What, then, is the point of requiring them to go to school? Why not just drop all educational standards, including the expectation that they show up to class?

Like it or not, standardized tests help serve as checkpoints so educators can accurately gauge the progress a student is making. These tests are far from perfect, but they do serve a purpose  and an important one at that. Get rid of proficiency testing, and there will be many students who fall through the cracks of the public school system without ever receiving the academic help they need.

But that doesnt matter to Oregons lawmakers  not as long as high schoolers can demonstrate proficiency in the three most important subjects: diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: Education, Race and Diversity, Oregon, Math, Science, standardized tests

Original Author: Kaylee McGhee White

Original Location: Diversity is the new mathematics
An Alabama general store owner managed to get 94% of her town vaccinated by going door to door to convince the members of her small Southern community

An Alabama woman is being commended for her efforts that led to getting 94% of the people in her town vaccinated.

Dorothy Oliver has dedicated her time to organizing a pop-up clinic in the small town of Panola, Alabama which currently has approximately 400 residents. Her journey was followed in a documentary by Rachel DeCruz and Jeremy S. Levine for The New Yorker called The Panola Project.

The documentary follows Oliver as she makes various attempts to ensure that her town is fully vaccinated. She made phone calls to members of the community as well as going door-to-door in hopes of personally convincing residents to get vaccinated and answering any questions they might have.

The U.S. is in the midst of a COVID-19 resurgence rapidly sweeping through the country. With many small towns like Panola not having an official testing site, Oliver felt as though she had to do something.

Dorothy Oliver from The Panola Project (Credit: YouTube screenshot)

I just felt like I had to do it because the government, nobody does enough in this area, she said, noting that the closest vaccination center to her town is 40 miles away. This area here is majority Black. Kind of puts you on the back burner. Thats just it. I mean, you dont have to put nothing else with that. Thats just it. I dont have to elaborate on that one.

Oliver, along with county commissioner Drucilla Russ-Jackson, asked the nearest hospital to set up a pop-up site in their town. The hospital agreed, but only if 40 people signed up to be vaccinated first.

According to The New Yorker, Oliver says that when she does her in-person visits to residents of the community that she simply just asks nicely for the residents to sign up for the vaccine.

I just be nice to them, she said. I dont go at them saying, You gotta do that.

In the documentary, Oliver, who owns a general store in town, drives to the residence of a young man named LaDenzel Colvin in an effort to persuade him to get vaccinated. Colvin is asked if he has gotten his shot.

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I just really havent made my mind up to take it for real, Colvin said.

(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Colvin, who says that he had COVID-19 at one point, has concerns due to stories of people having adverse reactions and side effects.

I have heard of people saying that they get sick, Colvin told Oliver.

By the end of the conversation, Oliver had effectively managed to convince Colvin to sign up for his vaccine. Once at the pop-up site, Colvin was allowed to remain in his car, roll his window down and roll up his sleeve. The shot administrator administered his vaccine in a matter of seconds. He was told to take Tylenol if there was any pain or discomfort afterward.

Im not afraid of a shot, Colvin told Oliver with a smile.

Just by having one-on-one informative dialogue with the residents in the community and by using her charm, Oliver has managed to get almost everyone in her town vaccinated.

Watch the documentary below:

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SAO PAULO (AP)  Barcelona of Ecuador advanced to the Copa Libertadores semifinals by the narrowest of margins to prevent a complete Brazilian domination of the final four.

Stopping a Brazilian club clinching the title will only get harder for the underdogs.

The Ecuadorian club advanced on away goals after a 1-1 home draw with Brazils Fluminense on Thursday following a 2-2 draw last week in Rio de Janeiro.

Mastriani opened the scoring in Guayaquil in the 73rd minute from close range and veteran Fred equalized from the spot near full-time.

Flamengo, Palmeiras and Atletico Mineiro had already secured semifinal spots earlier in the week, marking the first time three Brazilian clubs have reached the final four.

Barcelonas next match is against heavy favorite Flamengo, which trashed Paraguays Olimpia 9-2 on aggregate. Flamengo won their second leg 5-1 at home on Wednesday with striker Gabriel Barbosa scoring twice.

If Flamengo advances to the decider, it will be the second consecutive all-Brazilian final of the Copa Libertadores. Palmeiras beat Santos 1-0 and lifted the trophy at the Maracana Stadium in Rio last season.

The other finalist will be decided between the defending champions and the rising Atletico Mineiro, home of former Chelsea striker Hulk.

Palmeiras advanced with a 4-1 win on aggregate against local rival Sao Paulo, capped with a 3-0 home win this week.

Atletico reached the semifinals with a 3-0 win over Argentine giant River Plate on Wednesday in Belo Horizonte, with some 17,000 fans in the stands.

Atletico will count on recently signed Spanish striker Diego Costa against Palmeiras.

The Copa Libertadores decider is scheduled for Nov. 27 at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo. Barcelona is the only semifinalist which has never lifted the trophy: Palmeiras and Flamengo have each won the tournament twice and Atletico has one title.

The Copa Sudamericana, the region's second most prestigious club tournament, could also have an all-Brazilian final.

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Brazil's Athletico Paranaense and Red Bull Bragantino will play against Uruguay's Penarol and Paraguay's Libertad, respectively. The Copa Sudamericana final will take place on Nov. 21 at the same venue as the Copa Libertadores decider.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
USAID says food aid in Tigray is on the brink of running out

The US international development agency has blamed the Ethiopian government for a shortage of humanitarian aid in the country's conflict-torn Tigray region.

USAID accused the government of "obstructing" access to Tigray, as it warned that food aid was set to run out this week for the first time.

Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of famine amid the conflict between government and rebel forces.

Ethiopia has denied "purposely" blocking aid.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's spokeswoman told reporters that the government was allowing aid convoys to enter Tigray, but that security was a "priority that cannot be compromised".

"It is a volatile area so... there [are] going to be continuous checks and processes," said Billene Seyoum.

In her statement, USAID chief Samantha Power described the flow of humanitarian assistance into the northern region as "woefully insufficient".

She said food warehouses were "virtually empty" and that aid workers would soon have nothing to distribute.

"This shortage is not because food is unavailable, but because the Ethiopian government is obstructing humanitarian aid and personnel, including land convoys and air access," she said.

USAID called on the Ethiopian government to "immediately allow humanitarian assistance".

It noted that aid trucks have been unable to leave the town of Semera in the neighbouring Afar region - currently the only accessible land route into Tigray.

The United Nations has separately told the BBC more than 100 aid trucks are stuck on this route.

About 100 trucks of aid are needed in Tigray each day, yet just 320 have managed to reach the region since the end of June, a UN spokesman told the BBC.

"At least two important aid organizations have already run out of food," said Saviano Abreu from the UN humanitarian agency, Ocha.

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"Without urgent and unimpeded food assistance, there will be an imminent threat to the lives of over 400,000 people in Tigray already in famine-like conditions and over 1.8 million people now in emergency levels of hunger could slide into starvation," he said.

US runs out of patience

Analysis by BBC Africa correspondent Catherine Byaruhanga

When Samantha Power visited Addis Ababa earlier this month, she appeared careful not to blame any one group for the obstruction of aid, saying all sides were affecting operations.

Now, those guarded statements have been pushed to the side and she has become the first senior diplomatic official to lay the blame squarely at the feet of Ethiopia's government.

So, what has caused this tougher statement from the United States?

The US is after all Ethiopia's single biggest aid donor - giving the country around $1bn (730m) per year towards health, education and development programmes.

But this apparent leverage does not appear to be working.

While in Ethiopia, Ms Power did not meet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and neither has the United States' Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa during his ongoing visit to the country.

In contrast, Mr Abiy has just concluded a state visit to Istanbul where he met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - the two signed a variety of defence and development pacts. Ethiopia it seems is looking for new friends to counter the US' influence.

The conflict in Tigray began in November, when Mr Ahmed ordered a military offensive against regional forces. He said he did so in response to an attack on a military base housing government troops.

The escalation came after months of feuding between Mr Abiy's government and leaders of Tigray's dominant political party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

For almost three decades, the party was at the centre of national power, before it was sidelined by Mr Abiy, who took office in 2018 after anti-government protests.

Mr Abiy - a Nobel Peace Prize winner - pursued reforms, but when Tigray resisted, the political crisis erupted into war.

The Ethiopian government has designated the TPLF as a terrorist group, while it says it remains the legitimate government in Tigray.
ISMAILIA (Egypt) (Reuters) - The giant container ship Ever Given, which blocked the Suez canal for six days in March, crossed the waterway on Friday for the first time since it left Egypt after the incident.

The ship, en route from the United Kingdom to China, crossed the canal among a convoy of 26 vessels sailing from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement. Another 36 ships crossed the waterway from the south.

A group of SCA senior pilots and two tugboats escorted the Ever Given throughout its journey through the canal, the authority said in a statement.

The vessel, one of the world's largest container ships, became jammed across the canal in high winds on March 23, halting traffic in both directions and disrupting global trade.

Once it was dislodged, the 400-metre (1,312-foot) vessel left Egypt on July 7, 106 days after becoming wedged across a southern section of the waterway.

Egypt released the Ever Given after protracted negotiations and an undisclosed settlement reached between the SCA and the ship's owners and insurers. It arrived in the Dutch port of Rotterdam on July 29 before heading to Felixstowe, England. [L8N2P454R]

Roughly 15% of world shipping traffic transits the Suez Canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

Friday's voyage through the canal was the Ever Given's 22nd in the waterway.

Shipping trafficking websites Marinetraffic.com and Vesselfinder.com showed the ship in the Red Sea after crossing the canal.

(Reporting by Yousry Mohamed; writing by Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by Dan Grebler)
By Steve Holland and Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Facing stiff criticism of his handling of the chaotic U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden promised Americans there that "we will get you home," but warned the evacuation mission would be risky and dangerous.

Biden, in a speech and answering questions from reporters at the White House, sought to answer critics who say his administration misjudged the speed with which the Taliban would take over, and poorly planned the evacuations of Americans and Afghan allies after the 20-year long U.S. presence there.

"There'll be plenty of time to criticize and second guess when this operation is over," Biden said, adding that "the buck stops with me."

Biden called the airlift one of the largest, most difficult of its kind, and said an attack in Kabul is one concern following the Islamist group's release from prisons of fellow militants.

The United States is "keeping a close watch on any potential terrorist threat at or around the airport," Biden said.

"I cannot promise what the final outcome will be or that it will be without risk of loss. But as commander in chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary," he said.

The United States is desperately trying to evacuate thousands by an Aug. 31 deadline, although Biden said this week that U.S. troops at Kabul airport providing security for the evacuation could stay longer if necessary.

About 13,000 people have been evacuated on U.S. military aircraft since Aug. 14 and 18,000 people since the end of July, he said; 5,700 were evacuated on Thursday alone.

Biden is counting on cooperation from the Taliban, which the United States fought and which ousted the U.S.-backed Afghan government a week ago. "To the best of our knowledge, the Taliban checkpoints, they are letting through people showing American passports," Biden said.

U.S. officials are in constant contact with the Taliban, Biden said, adding "any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with a swift and forceful response."

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One major obstacle in getting Afghan citizens who helped the U.S. effort out of the country has been Taliban checkpoints at the airport. Biden also suggested it was hard to sort out who was an American ally and who simply wanted to flee Afghanistan.

"There's a whole lot of Afghanis who would just as soon come to America, whether they [had] any involvement with the United States in the past at all rather than stay under Taliban rule or any rule," he said.

He said "we're making the same commitment" to evacuate Afghan allies as Americans.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers say Biden did not act swiftly enough to withdraw vulnerable people from Afghanistan in the face of the rapid Taliban advances.

Bolstering the critics' case was disclosure of an internal "dissent" memo dated July 13 from some diplomats at the U.S. embassy in Kabul. They warned of swift gains by the Taliban coupled with a collapse of Afghan security forces, according to a source familiar with the situation who confirmed an account of the document published by the Wall Street Journal.

Less than a week earlier on July 8 https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-says-afghans-must-decide-own-future-us-leave-aug-31-2021-07-08, Biden had said a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was "not inevitable."

Asked about the cable, Biden said it was an outlier opinion.

"I took the consensus opinion. The consensus opinion was, that in fact, it would not occur, if it occurred, until later in the year," he said.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Heather Timmons, Daniel Wallis and Grant McCool)
Following compassionate calls by US Republicans to rescue Afghan allies desperate to flee the Taliban, unbending anti-immigration conservatives -- including the party's loudest voice, Donald Trump -- have turned to warning against an influx of refugees.

The sudden collapse of Afghanistan's government amid the turbulent exit of US forces, and the apparent lack of preparedness by Joe Biden's administration, has cast a harsh light on the president.

But it also is highlighting a fissure among Republicans over who gets into the United States, and whether a wave of refugees would be welcome.

As US forces secured the airport in Kabul to oversee a massive evacuation operation, top Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and others cited the moral obligation of rescuing Afghans who worked with the American military and diplomatic corps.

The Statue of Liberty, the iconic symbol of freedom in New York harbor that welcomes the world's "huddled masses yearning to breathe free," may serve as inspiration for Biden to speed up the evacuation of Afghans along with Americans.

Thousands of Afghan translators, interpreters and others have applied for special immigrant visas to the United States.

"We owe it to these people, who are our friends and who worked with us, to get them out safely if we can," McConnell said Tuesday on Kentucky television.

A handful of Republican governors have expressed an eagerness to receive some of the Afghan refugees.

Trump, who as president reached a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 on the US withdrawal, himself sounded a note of compassion Monday, saying Afghans who worked with US forces "should be allowed to seek refuge."

But after a conservative media pundit posted a photo of some 600 Afghans crowded onto a US military plane leaving Kabul, Trump voiced criticism of the images.

"This plane should have been full of Americans," he said Wednesday. "America First!"

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Several conservative media pundits repeated various versions of the same message.

Tucker Carlson, the popular nightly Fox News host and a fierce opponent of immigration, warned that the number of Afghans resettling in the United States could swell into the "millions" over the coming decade.

"So first we invade, and then we are invaded," Carlson told his viewers Monday.

- Commitment, or 'catastrophe'? -

Pro-Trump conservative radio talkshow host Charlie Kirk offered his own provocative assessment, invoking the name of a liberal US congresswoman -- and Muslim immigrant -- that Republicans often weaponize for political gain.

"Joe Biden wants a couple hundred thousand more Ilhan Omars to come into America to change the body politic permanently," he said on his show this week shortly after Kabul fell to the Taliban.

And Republican congressman Tom Tiffany, a Trump ally, warned of a "catastrophe" should thousands of refugees from the "known terrorist hotbed" of Afghanistan be allowed into the United States without strict vetting.

Such voices are in the minority for now. But officials in the White House appear concerned that those sentiments could percolate into the mainstream and turn the moral obligation to aid US allies into a debate about immigration.

Traditional Republicans are fighting that inclination.

In a letter to Biden Thursday, 16 Republican senators demanded the president do everything in his power to safely extract all Americans and Afghan allies.

"It would be unconscionable to leave any behind," they wrote.

As the Republican rift grows between those seeking to resettle Afghans and far-right lawmakers or commentators feeding nativist fears about an influx of evacuees, some Democrats were calling out the dichotomy.

"All the Republicans saying we have a moral duty to evacuate Afghans and all the Republicans saying we have a moral duty to keep refugees out of the country are going to have to get together and have a chat real soon," Senator Chris Murphy said Friday.

mlm/ft
The Food and Drug Administration is aiming to give full authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine by Monday, sources familiar with the matter told the New York Times on Friday.

All coronavirus vaccines currently offered in the U.S.  produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson  currently have emergency authorization from the FDA. As of Friday, 62 percent of Americans, or about 205 million residents, have received one of the three vaccines with emergency authorization.

The granting of full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine may give impetus to various public and private entities looking for greater approval from regulators to institute vaccination mandates.

The FDA declined to comment to the Times on the granting of full approval.

The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine was the first authorized for emergency use in the U.S., in December 2020. Former President Trump said at the time that the vaccine constituted one of the greatest scientific accomplishments in history.

The FDA indicated earlier this month that it would speed up the process for full approval of the coronavirus vaccines.

We recognize that for some, the FDA approval of Covid-19 vaccines may bring additional confidence and encourage them to get vaccinated, FDA spokesperson Abby Capobianco said in a statement. FDA staff will conduct a thorough review process, while balancing the incredible sense of urgency necessary, both of which are needed to ensure that any vaccine that is authorized or approved meets our rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, and quality.

More from National Review
Oil markets surged in the hours after Pfizer announced positive results from its coronavirus vaccine study. Dado Ruvic/Reuters

The FDA is pushing to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Monday, according to The New York Times.

The new licensing timeline for full approval is speedier than the agency originally expected.

Health experts are eager for approval in hopes that it will convince skeptical Americans to get vaccinated.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The Food and Drug Administration is planning to authorize full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, according to The New York Times.

The new target is a speeder timeline than the agency originally anticipated for licensing the shot, the outlet reported. The FDA had previously set an unofficial deadline for approval by around Labor Day.

On Friday afternoon, regulators still had a " substantial" amount of paperwork and required negotiations with the company to complete before finishing the approval process, according to The Times.

People familiar with the matter told the outlet that some components of the review could possibly push the approval date beyond Monday.

A spokesperson for the FDA declined to comment.

The approval is expected to offer firmer confidence in the vaccine, allowing for a slew of anticipated vaccination mandates among public and private organizations that had been waiting on full authorization before announcing staunch requirements.

The Pfizer-BioNTech shot, along with the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, were authorized for emergency use late last year.

Health experts, too, are eager for an FDA-approved vaccine, in hopes that it will convince some skeptical Americans who have been holding out for a fully authorized shot to get vaccinated.

The move would come one week after the FDA updated its approvals of both Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine to allow for third doses in some immunocompromised people.

Read the original article on Business Insider
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Finland said on Friday it would send troops to Kabul airport to support the activities of its evacuation team there.

"The troops will only operate at the airport and its immediate vicinity," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

(Reporting by Simon Johnson; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Aug. 19TUPELO  Among the nominees members of the Tupelo City Council have put forward to potentially serve on a committee to help select the next chief of police are local pastors, a former human resources manager and the one-time deputy mayor of Detroit.

Mayor Todd Jordan earlier this month invited the seven City Council members to collectively nominate three people to serve on a search committee that will sort chief of police applicants and offer a short list of their favorite candidates. The council, though, could not agree on which four of their nominees should be eliminated and which three should be chosen to sit on the committee.

Instead, the mayor and Council President Buddy Palmer decided that the Council could submit all seven names to Jordan and he would choose three names from the list of seven.

Jordan and individual council members told the Daily Journal that the following people were nominated by the Council members:

Ward 1 Councilman Chad Mims: Dr. Tom Billups

Ward 2 Councilman Lynn Bryan: Kirk Lewis

Ward 3 Councilman Travis Beard: Bob Baughn

Ward 4 Councilwoman Nettie Davis: Rev. Charles Penson

Ward 5 Councilman Buddy Palmer: Rev. Richard Price

Ward 6 Councilwoman Janet Gaston: Mark Williams

Ward 7 Councilwoman Rosie Jones: Anthony Rogers

Jordan will select three people from the seven names to serve on the search committee. The three council nominees will serve alongside the three at-large appointments by the mayor, totaling six people who will serve on the committee.

The mayor told the Daily Journal that he has not yet finalized his three at-large appointees to the committee, but will announce the six total appointees to the committee soon.

Mims' nominee, Tom Billups, is a retired surgeon at North Mississippi Medical Center.

Bryan's nominee, Kirk Lewis, is the chairman and president of Blue Springs Metals, which is a metals supplier plant located in Blue Springs. Lewis served as the deputy mayor and the chief of staff of Detroit, Michigan, under former Mayor Dave Bing.

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Beard's nominee, Bob Baughn, is a retired human resources manager. Baughn also serves as a member of the city's police advisory board.

Davis' nominee, Charles Penson, is the pastor of Bethel CME Church in Guntown and is an active member of the Lee County Democratic Party. This past election cycle Penson served as the chairman of Tupelo's municipal Democratic Party.

Palmer's nominee, the Rev. Richard Price, is the pastor of North Green Street Church of Christ and the chairman of Tupelo's Outreach Task Force. This past municipal election cycle, Price also served as an election commissioner.

Gaston's nominee, Mark Williams, is the chief banking operations officer at Renasant Bank and is a native of Tupelo.

Jones' nominee, Anthony "Tony" Rogers, is an elected Lee County justice court judge. Rogers was first elected to his position in Nov. 2019 and took office in Jan. 2020. Before being elected a judge, he worked in local law enforcement for many years. Rogers is also Jones' fiance.

Disclosure: The Rev. Richard Price is a member of the Daily Journal's editorial board, which has influence over the newspaper's regular editorials. The editorial board is not involved with the Daily Journal's reporting process or newsroom decisions.

taylor.vance@djournal.com
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said that two former Torrence police officers had pled not guilty to charges in connection to vandalism on a car (County of Los Angeles)

Two police officers from Los Angeles County have been accused of painting a swastika on a car, according to authorities.

The two officers were identified as Christopher Tomsic, 29, and Cody Weidin, 28, by law enforcement. They stand accused of conspiracy to commit vandalism and committing vandalism. They have both pleaded not guilty.

The pair were a part of a response team to reports of stolen mail. While answering the call, they were taken to see a car that was allegedly used in the crime. Following this, the two officers took the car for inspection.

When the car was delivered back to the owner, he found a swastika painted on the backseat and a happy face painted on one of the front seats.

Our voice is committed to uprooting discrimination within the law enforcement ranks to preserve the integrity of the criminal legal system, George Gascon, attorney general of Los Angeles county, said in a statement.

The alleged incident is said to have happened in January 2020. Torrance Sgt Mark Ponegalek said in a statement that immediately upon learning of the reprehensible allegations in 2020, the Torrance Police Department opened a criminal investigation and the officers were put on leave.

The officers no longer work in the department. According to the LA Times, it is not clear if they quit or if they were fired.

According to the Attorney General, hundreds of cases the two officers were connected to will be reviewed for potential misconduct.

Let me be clear. I will aggressively pursue any form of bigotry, hate and misconduct, said Torrance Police Chief Jeremiah Hart about the incident, according to the AP.

Both are expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on 4 October.
Former Broward county deputy Scot Peterson who was on duty during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018 in court on Wednesday (AP)

A former school resource officer, accused of hiding during the 2018 Parkland school massacre, got emotional after a hearing and broke down outside court.

Scot Peterson, 58, said he would have never sat there and allowed anyone to die had he knew the gunman was inside the building where 17 people were killed on 14 February 2018.

Mr Peterson, who was a Broward County Deputy at that time, faced multiple charges of child negligence for allegedly taking cover and not confronting the shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

In one of the deadliest shooting incidents, 17 people were killed and dozens were injured after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire inside the high school campus.

Mr Peterson appeared in court on Wednesday as his lawyer argued to dismiss the child negligence charges filed against him.

I didnt do anything there to try to hurt any child there on the scene, Mr Peterson told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Wednesday, as he lost his composure.

I did the best that I could with the information. I did the best ... Ill never forget that day. You know, not only kids died, I have friends that died. And never for a second would I sit there and allow anyone to die, knowing that animal was up in that building! Never!

Mr Peterson is accused of breaking a law that applies to caregivers. But his defence attorney Mark Eiglarsh argued that a school resource officer does not fall under the legal definition of the term caregiver.

As a matter of law, he should never have been charged through a child neglect statute which holds responsible parents, teachers, kidnappers, babysitters, but not school resource officers, said Mr Eiglarsh.

The decision in the case is expected in the next few months.

Meanwhile, Mr Cruz, 22, the accused gunman, faces the death penalty if convicted.
Donald Trump esta bajo fuego por su manejo de la pandemia de coronavirus (Republican Voters Against Trump / YouTube)

A former White House Homeland Security official has accused the Trump administration of deliberately obstructing visa processing for US allies in Afghanistan.

In a series of posts on Twitter, Olivia Troye, who served as an aide to former Vice President Mike Pence, eviscerated the previous administrations actions, which she said were steeped in racism.

There were cabinet mtgs about this during the Trump Admin where Stephen Miller would peddle his racist hysteria about Iraq and Afghanistan she wrote, adding that Mr Miller  a senior aide and speechwriter for Donald Trump  would undermine anyone who was trying to resolve the Special Immigrants Visa issue.

Ms Troye went on to say that while Mr Pence was fully aware of the problem, it was impossible to make progress because Mr Trump and Mr Miller had watchdogs in place at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, State and security agencies to make the process even more difficult.

According to Ms Troye, the Pentagon weighed in, and there were memos sent from General James Mattis and others attempting to expedite the visas, but to no avail.

Trump had FOUR years  while putting this plan in place  to evacuate these Afghan allies who were the lifelines for many of us who spent time in Afghanistan. Theyd been waiting a long time. The process slowed to a trickle for reviews/other priorities then came to a halt. she wrote.

Ms Troye  who resigned from her White House job in August 2020 and has previously publicly criticised the Trump administration  added that she was grateful to everyone advocating the urgency of getting American allies evacuated out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.

Its the least we can do for these individuals and its a matter of national security. she said, warning: The world is watching.

Read More

Biden address today: What time will president speak to the nation?

White House insists Biden is not avoiding questions after days of avoiding questions

Biden calls off Delaware trip and stays at White House amid Afghanistan chaos
Aug. 19The Frederick Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying and locating two men suspected in connection with burglaries from July.

In the unit block of W. Second Street July 4 and 10, police say the suspects used a key to enter the residence, though nothing was reported stolen.

Anyone with information regarding the identity or location of the two suspects is encouraged to contact Officer Hess at Rhess@Frederickmdpolice.org. Residents can also leave an anonymous voicemail at 301-600-TIPS (8477), text the tip line at 240-674-TIPS (8477), or email the tip line at fpdcrimetip@FrederickMDPolice.org.

Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter: @MaryGraceKeller
Doctors treat a patient in Haiti. Reginald Louissaint Jr./AFP via Getty Images

One of the few orthopedic surgeons in Haiti was abducted by gang members Wednesday in Port-au-Prince, leaving dozens of patients injured during Saturday's 7.2-magnitude earthquake without anyone to treat them.

The victim, Dr. Workens Alexandre, works at the Bernard Mevs Hospital, where 45 of its 48 patients are waiting to have orthopedic surgery, The Associated Press reports. There has been an increase in gang violence in Haiti this year, and one official at the hospital told AP some health care workers, worried about their safety while driving to and from the hospital, have been staying on site for several days at a time.

On Tuesday, an obstetrician on his way to perform an emergency cesarean in Port-au-Prince was abducted by gang members, and because he was unable to get to the hospital, his patient and her baby died. Dr. Ronald La Roche, founder of the DASH network of hospitals, told AP he is "furious" at the gang members, adding, "They are responsible for the death of this woman and her child." In protest of the abductions, La Roche said his hospitals will be closed for two days to non-emergency cases.

The death toll for the earthquake is close to 2,200, and that number is expected to rise. More than 12,000 people were injured, leaving hospitals already dealing with COVID-19 patients overwhelmed. AP reports that the families of the abducted doctors have been contacted by the kidnappers, but it is unclear how much they are asking for ransom.

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President Joe Biden said that we got all kinds of cables when asked why he hadnt done more to get Americans out of Afghanistan following a July dissent cable being sent from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to the State Department, warning about a swift Taliban takeover following the U.S. troop withdrawal in August.

"We got all kinds of cables, all kinds of advice. If you notice, it ranged from this group saying  they didn't say it would fall when it would fall, when it did fall  but saying it would fall to others, saying it wouldn't happen for a long time, and they'd be able to sustain themselves through the end of the year, Biden said during a press conference Friday. I made the decision. The buck stops with me. I took the consensus opinion. The consensus opinion was that, in fact, it would not occur, if it occurred, until later in the year. It was my decision."

The U.S. Embassy had to be abandoned over the weekend, and Hamid Karzai International Airport erupted into chaos as crowds of Afghans attempted to flee when the Taliban marched into Kabul on Sunday. Thousands of U.S. troops had to be sent back into the country to assist with the airlift evacuation and to protect the airport, with the Taliban just outside the perimeter and with thousands of Americans and Afghan allies stuck in the Taliban-controlled country.

BIDEN DENIES INTERNATIONAL CRITICISM OF AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL

A dissent cable was sent on July 13 from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul by 23 American staffers urging top State Department officials to take quick action with evacuations as the Aug. 31 military withdrawal deadline approached, warning of the possible fall of Kabul soon after the troop pullout, a Wall Street Journal report revealed Thursday.

The dissent cable was reportedly sent through the agency's confidential dissent channel, pressing the Biden administration to begin collecting information from Afghans who qualify for Special Immigrant Visas and to start evacuation flights no later than Aug. 1, according to sources cited by the outlet. The cable reportedly warned about an imminent Taliban advance and warned that the Afghan military might not be able to halt it, also warning that Afghan forces might collapse as the Taliban made big territorial gains.

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The cable was reportedly sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the State Departments Director of Policy Planning Salman Ahmed.

The Secretary reads every dissent and reviews and clears on every reply. Hes made clear that he welcomes and encourages use of the Dissent Channel and is committed to its revitalization, State Department spokesman Ned Price told the Washington Examiner in a statement Thursday. Just as importantly, we incorporate the channels constructive and thoughtful ideas into our policy and planning.

The cable was followed a day later by the White House's announcement of Operation Allies Refugee, an effort to evacuate the thousands of Afghans who aided the United States throughout the war and who face Taliban retribution because of it.

Biden was also asked Friday why, after misjudging the Taliban takeover so badly, how he could be confident in its assessment of the possibility of terrorist attacks emanating from Afghanistan or confident in Americas ability to conduct over the horizon counterterrorism operations from bases outside Afghanistan.

I think youre comparing apples and oranges. One question was whether or not the Afghan forces that we trained up would stay and fight in their own civil war they had going on. No one  I shouldnt say no one  the consensus was that it was highly unlikely that in 11 days they would collapse and fall and the leader of Afghanistan would flee the country, Biden said.

Thats a very different question than whether or not there is the ability to observe whether or not large groups of terrorists begin to accumulate in a particular area in Afghanistan to plot against the United States of America. Thats why we retain an over-the-horizon capability to go in and do something about that if that occurs," he said.

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, contended neither he nor anyone else had seen evidence the Afghan government would collapse as swiftly as it did, claiming intelligence said a quick Taliban victory was a possibility, but no one saw such a swift takeover coming.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Biden admitted Monday that the capture of Kabul "did unfold more quickly than we anticipated." He told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview released Wednesday there was no consensus in the government's intelligence when he downplayed in July the chance the Taliban would seize power, saying such an occurrence was not "inevitable."

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, White House, Afghanistan, Joe Biden, National Security, State Department, Foreign Policy, Taliban

Original Author: Jerry Dunleavy

Original Location: 'We got all kinds of cables': Biden tries to explain why Kabul embassy warning wasn't heeded
Angie Owens/Facebook

The body of Mercedes Lain, an 11-month-old girl whose parents left her with a family friend days earlier so they could have a break, was found Wednesday deep in the woods of rural Indiana.

But although police say they dont have any evidence that the mother and father were directly involved in their daughters death, the childs extended family had recently been trying to convince authorities to take her from them for her own safety, her devastated grandmother told The Daily Beast.

Kenneth Robert Lain, 41, and Tiffany Jo Coburn, 32, Mercedes Lains parents, stand charged with neglect of a dependent, according to Marshall County Superior Court records. Babysitter Justin Lee Miller, a 37-year-old man described as a family relative in court filings but whose exact relationship to Lain and Coburn remains unclear, is expected to be charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death. A cause of death has not been determined, and additional charges may be filed based on the autopsy results.

Lain, Miller, and Coburn Marshall County Sheriff's Office

The investigation began on Sunday, Aug. 15, when police were called to the Economy Inn by Lain and Coburn, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Plymouth, Indiana Police Department. Mercedes was missing, the couple told the responding officer, Stuart Krynock. They told Krynock that they had left Mercedes with Miller on Friday, and that he was supposed to bring her back to them the next day, the affidavit explains.

Both parents attempted to get a hold of Miller numerous times and could not contact him, the affidavit says. They finally contacted him on Sunday, and Miller advised that he had dropped [Mercedes] off with a neighbor since Lain and Coburn werent home. No one has seen [Mercedes] since.

A missing persons silver alert was issued by authorities, and the FBI was called in. Krynock and Plymouth Police Chief David Bacon did not respond to requests for comment.

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Cops eventually tracked down Miller at a friends housewithout Mercedesat around 3:30 a.m. Monday morning. In an interview at the police station, Miller claimed Lain had contacted him the previous Thursday about buying some synthetic marijuana. The conversation then turned to the rough time [Lain and Coburn] were having with [Mercedes], states the affidavit. Miller advised he told them that he would watch her for a few days so they could have a break.

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But Millers story kept changing, cops said. At first he claimed to have taken Mercedes to McDonalds, then to his buddys place for a few days. Then Miller said he had actually gone to his girlfriends house, but was kicked out on Saturday, which is when he went to stay with his friend. Along the way, Miller told investigators, he dropped Mercedes off at the Economy Inn with a heavy set white female he said he had seen previously in Lain and Coburns room. (Police soon discovered this to be untrue, Marshall County Prosecutor Nelson Chipman said at a news conference after the trio was arrested.)

Millers friend told cops that Miller had first shown up at his home on Friday, Aug. 13 for a while and then left and came back on Sunday the 15th, without the child, the affidavit states.

Both Lain and Coburn were uncooperative in looking for their child, and werent returning calls, according to the affidavit. On Monday morning, police finally got Coburn on the phone. She promised to come into the station to speak with investigators about her missing daughter, but said she was waiting for a ride from her sister. Two-and-a-half hours later, Coburn still hadnt shown up and her phone was turned off. Police called Coburns sister, who said she hadnt heard from Coburn.

At 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 16, officers located Coburn, who has three other daughters, and arrested her outside the Economy Inn. Lain was not with her, and Coburn claimed she didnt know where he was. In an interview with police, Coburn allegedly confessed that she and Lain had been communicating with Miller via Facebook Messenger during the time Mercedes was missing. Lain was arrested at the Economy Inn at 6:30 that evening, found under the influence of an unknown substance. He also reportedly admitted to having been in touch with Miller throughout the weekend, but said he didnt know where he was.

Two days later, Mercedes remains were found.

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Reached by phone, Angie Owens, Coburns mother, sounded both disconsolate and infuriated about her granddaughters fate, saying that she refuses to protect Lain and Coburn even though theyre family.

They are definitely not good parents, Owens told The Daily Beast. They didnt need to have a child.

We tried everything in our power to get this baby taken away from them, Owens continued. We have called [child protective services] many times. There's nothing more that we could have done than what we did. We have gone beyond our power in doing what we could to help this baby.

Lain was convicted in 2016 of neglect of a dependent, and sentenced to two years in prison (with one year suspended). A couple of years earlier, Lain had been charged for non-payment of child support. They both have records, which are littered with various misdemeanor and felony drug offenses, along with low-level violations for driving with a suspended license, and small claims filings for non-payment of debts.

Owens said she holds Lain and Coburn responsible for Mercedes death by giving the child to him, meaning Miller, but, As far as them being involved in the murder part, we dont believe they were involved in that, adding the caveat that murder charges have not been laid.

We arent saying they were good parents, because they weren't, Owens again emphasized. We are grieving so bad throughout this time.

A family friend has set up a donation page for funeral expenses, and Owens said donations can also be made to the Knox United Methodist Church in Knox, Indiana.

In a statement provided to The Daily Beast, FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said, We want to offer our sincere condolences on behalf of the FBI to Mercedes' family for their loss. Everyone worked tirelessly to locate Mercedes with the hope of bringing her home safely. Sadly, that was not the case, but we will continue to do all we can to ensure justice for Mercedes.

Lawyers for Lain and Coburn did not respond to messages left seeking comment. Millers charges were not yet posted to the public court docket as of this writing, and The Daily Beast was unable to determine if he had an attorney representing him.

Lain and Coburn are due back in court on Sept. 15.

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ATHENS, Greece (AP)  The European Union should assist Afghans in Afghanistan and in neighboring countries to avoid a new migration wave, Turkey's president told Greece's prime minister in a telephone call Friday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greece's Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussed developments in Afghanistan in a rare call, as both countries worry over a potential influx of refugees fleeing the Taliban.

Erdogan's office said he told Mitsotakis that a new wave of migration will become inevitable if necessary measures are not taken" to help Afghanistan and neighboring countries, such as Iran, where Afghan migrants would head before trying to reach Turkey and Europe.

Erdogan also said that Turkey, which has reinforced its border with Iran, was discussing the issue of Afghan migrants with Tehran, according to a statement from his office. There's been an increase in recent weeks in Afghans entering Turkey from Iran.

Meanwhile, Athens insists it will not allow a repetition of 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people crossed in smugglers boats to Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast, on their way to seek asylum in more prosperous EU countries.

Turkey has also expressed concern over the potential of large numbers of Afghans heading its way. On Thursday, Erdogan called on European nations to shoulder the responsibility for people fleeing the Taliban, warning that Turkey will not become Europes refugee warehouse.

Greece's defense and citizens' protection ministers visited the northeastern Evros land border with Turkey on Friday to view barriers against potential migratory pressure and other recently installed security systems.

Greece has bolstered border defenses since March 2020, when Turkey announced its frontier to Europe was open and encouraged thousands of migrants to head to the Greek side, leading to scenes of chaos.

Citizens Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said that while Greece is an EU member and supports human rights, we can't wait apathetically for the possible consequences. Speaking during his visit to the Evros area, he added that Athens would not allow migrants to be used to put pressure on Greece.

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It is our decision to defend and secure our borders, he said. Our borders will remain safe and inviolate.

Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said Greece had examined ways to bolster the surveillance and guarding of its frontier, while Chrisochoidis noted that a border fence about 40 kilometers (25 miles) long had been constructed in Evros since the March 2020 events.

In Turkey, anti-migrant sentiment has been running high as the country grapples with economic woes, including high unemployment, that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

We need to remind our European friends of this fact: Europe  which has become the center of attraction for millions of people  cannot stay out of (the refugee) problem by harshly sealing its borders to protect the safety and wellbeing of its citizens, Erdogan said on Thursday.

Turkey has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europes refugee warehouse, Erdogan said.

The previous day, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said the current priority was to evacuate Europeans and Afghan citizens who had worked with EU forces there, but that Greece does not accept to be the gateway for irregular flows into the EU.

Speaking on private Skai TV, he noted that Greece does not border Afghanistan, and there are countries to the east of us who could provide initial protection where necessary. Turkey, he added, was a safe country for Afghans.

But Turkey already hosts 3.6 million Syrians who fled the civil war in the neighboring country and 300,000 Afghans.

In 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a deal for Turkey to stop the hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees heading toward Europe, in return for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and substantial EU financial support.

Erdogan has frequently accused the EU of not keeping its side of the bargain, while the deal led to thousands of asylum-seekers languishing in squalid refugee camps on the eastern Greek islands.

The migration issue has also led to flare-ups in tension between Greece and Turkey, NATO allies who have come to the brink of war several times since the mid-1970s.

____

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.

__

Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
T-Mobile disclosed Friday that about 5 million more customers' personal data was exposed in a recent breach than it previously estimated. (Associated Press / Richard Drew)

Another day, another massive data breach claimed by hackers. Days after a breach at T-Mobile exposed about 53 million people's personal information, a hacking group known as ShinyHunters announced that it was auctioning 70 million sets of sensitive data purportedly stolen from AT&T.

The information offered for sale was similar in both breaches, including full names, addresses, birth dates and Social Security numbers. In short, it's the foundation for identity theft.

AT&T responded Friday by casting doubt about the claim by the prolific ShinyHunters cabal, stating that "[b]ased on our investigation today, the information that appeared in an internet chat room does not appear to have come from our systems."

Regardless of where the data came from, though, if it's valid it could be a nightmare for anyone whose sensitive information is exposed. Here's a quick guide to the risks you may face and some of the things you can do to protect yourself.

What are the risks?

Social Security numbers are widely used by the federal government, banks, investment companies, government benefit programs and insurers to verify your identity. Your stolen Social Security number can be used to open fraudulent credit card accounts, divert or fraudulently collect benefits and commit workplace fraud, among other forms of deceit. Throw in your name, birth date and email address (which the ShinyHunters claim to have stolen too), and it's significantly easier for someone to pretend to be you.

Identity thieves could use that information to target both you and the banks, insurers and other companies you do business with. For example, they could use it to make phishing emails seem more realistic, helping to persuade you to give up additional sensitive information such as a password or personal identification number (PIN). Or they could use it to dupe your bank into letting them change the password on your account, giving them access to your money.

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The T-Mobile breach also exposed the phone numbers, device identifiers and SIM-card numbers for more than 13 million of its current customers. That creates an opening for at least one more malign possibility: a SIM-swap attack. That's where someone persuades your mobile phone company to transfer your number to a different device, which he or she then uses to try to break into the accounts that you've tied to your phone number.

It's increasingly common for people to use their mobile phone numbers as a way to verify their identity  for example, when they log into their online banking account, or when they want to reset their password. But that convenience can backfire if your number is hijacked, then used to impersonate you online.

Why do phone companies want your Social Security number?

Because it's the easiest way to check your credit rating. Companies like AT&T and T-Mobile want to know if you have a record of paying your bills on time before agreeing to provide you an account or to sell you a phone in monthly installments. And the major credit rating agencies use Social Security numbers to match people to their credit histories.

"The SSN is the only unique universal identifier across the entire population," explained Francis Creighton of the Consumer Data Industry Assn., which represents the credit agencies. "Theres nothing else that can replace it in todays market."

Social Security numbers also help guard against people setting up fraudulent credit reports, Creighton said. And while there are ways to establish a credit score that don't rely on your Social Security number, he said, the first step is for a lender or service provider not to ask for it. You can't be compelled by a phone company or other private-sector business to reveal your number, but in California and most other states, the business can refuse to serve you as a result.

Once you've paid off your new phone or switched carriers, though, your mobile company will no longer be filing reports about you to the credit bureaus, Creighton said. Nevertheless, the hackers behind the latest T-Mobile breach were able to steal Social Security numbers for former T-Mobile customers that the company held onto for some reason.

For the last decade, tech companies have been developing alternative ways of identifying people to make it easier to guard against identity theft, said Andre Ferraz, chief executive of Incognia, one of those tech companies. Ideally, Ferraz said, companies would supplement identifiers that cannot be changed, such as Social Security numbers, with identifiers based on a person's unique behaviors, which evolve over time. Unfortunately, those solutions haven't been widely adopted yet.

How do you protect yourself?

The single best thing to do is to put a freeze on your credit files, which will prevent anyone from opening a new account. It's free to place a freeze and to lift it for your own needs. But you have to contact each of the three major credit bureaus individually, which you can do online. Cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs also suggests freezing the credit files maintained by a handful of smaller, specialized agencies. You should also check your credit score regularly, which is a good way to detect fraud after it happens.

Credit- and identity-monitoring services, which typically carry a monthly fee, can also help reveal the work of identity thieves. They provide tools to prevent you from phishing and other forms of hacking combined with scanning services that look for your Social Security number or email address in places online where it doesn't belong.

T-Mobile is offering two years of McAfee's monitoring service for free to anyone affected by the breach. It has set up a website suggesting more steps people can take to guard against fraud. Anyone with a smartphone would be wise to take them:

Create a PIN for your mobile phone account to provide an extra layer of security against unauthorized changes in your account, such as a malicious SIM swap. If you're a T-Mobile customer and you have a PIN, set a new one.

Activate T-Mobile's "account takeover protection" feature, which provides an extra layer of protection on top of the PIN. Verizon goes further, automatically blocking SIM swaps by shutting down both the new device and the existing one until the account holder weighs in with the existing device.

Change the password you use to get into your mobile phone account online. Changing passwords periodically is a good practice for all your accounts. And if you have trouble remembering dozens of passwords, try a password manager app that can keep track of them for you.

On the plus side, two-factor authentication is becoming the standard online, and that's improving security across the web. But too many sites encourage you to make that second factor a text message sent to your phone number, which encourages SIM swap fraud. Wherever possible, use an authentication app instead.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Edmond Manukyan, manager of the medical supply store A-1 Oxygen Inc. in Glendale, moves cylinders of oxygen. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

A few weeks ago, my friend Jason Muses oxygen machine malfunctioned.

He had just been released from an 11-day hospitalization after suffering a breakthrough infection of COVID-19, and he had no backup oxygen tanks handy.

For the next two hours, he called everyone he could think of to try to get a replacement for his machine, trying not to panic as he was placed on hold for the eighth time.

Finally, after being forced to answer the same questions multiple times, he broke down over the phone and cried. He told a hospital employee, I think I might die today, and a few hours later, the company provided a replacement.

The experience left both of us a bit shaken. Jason is one of my most voluble and expressive friends. He's a fearless and stubborn debater, and he throws his head back and laughs with his whole body if he finds something funny. Now he's struggling to catch his breath. Oxygen dependency has forced an uncomfortable new familiarity with his own mortality.

What I do know psychologically is that if the machine stops working, I cant breathe. Which makes me feel like Im going to die if it breaks, he said.

I wanted to tell Jason's story because it shines a light on the lesser-known aftermath of this disease. The road to recovery can be long and treacherous, and to travel it, you need oxygen.

Jason is one of many COVID-19 patients relying on supplementary oxygen after battling the illness. Most COVID patients who experience long hospitalizations are given a six-minute walking test to see how much oxygen concentration in their body declines as they move around. If their oxygen concentration falls below a certain threshold  around 90%  they cant be released from the hospital until arrangements for supplementary oxygen have been made.

Most patients are sent home with an oxygen concentrator  a machine with a breathing tube that plugs into an outlet and harvests oxygen from the atmosphere  and a tank of oxygen that can last up to six hours.

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The tank is supposed to be there for backup in case the machine malfunctions, so the patient has a way to breathe while the company sends a repairman. It also allows the patient to move around, albeit with a large, cumbersome 30-pound oxygen tank in tow.

These devices, and the oxygen supply chain, have become an essential part of the nations medical infrastructure for battling COVID-19. For both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients, supplementary oxygen delivered through ventilators, concentrators and tanks allows the body to function as it battles the disease. Oxygen is also essential to the healing process, because virus-damaged lungs often do not produce enough oxygen as they heal.

Last year, facing a catastrophic shortage of oxygen, California emergency authorities sent a mobile oxygen depot to Riverside County to supplement oxygen production. The Army Corps of Engineers has also sent technicians to hospitals to inspect and update aging oxygen production systems.

Surges in COVID-19 case rates are usually followed by large, destabilizing increases in oxygen demand. In Florida, which has become the nation's COVID-19 hot spot over the last week, hospitals are using four times as much oxygen as they do on average, said Rich Gottwald, president of the Compressed Gas Assn., a trade organization for producers of medical gas equipment.

The sharp uptick in the demand for oxygen deliveries in the middle of a labor shortage has left many companies without truck drivers to deliver the gas. Companies are going out of state to find drivers, Gottwald said.

Case rates in California are down from last year. But its still hard to get new oxygen equipment  purchase orders can go without responses for months, said Edmond Manukyan, the manager of a medical supply store in Glendale, A-1 Oxygen Inc.

A lot of the equipment just wasnt being manufactured, Manukyan said. But things are looking up now.

At the peak of Californias surge, the company was renting up to 30 oxygen concentrators a month. Now its back down to around 10.

For patients, oxygen reliance can be expensive. Without insurance, a tank of oxygen that lasts four to six hours can cost $80, and an oxygen concentrator costs about $8.50 a day to rent.

Jason is trying to count his blessings and avoid thinking about the bill that might be coming. When he went to the hospital, his oxygen concentration was just 40%.

I realized I could have died in my sleep if I didn't go to the hospital right then, he said.

When we spoke last week, it was the first day Jason was able to go longer than 20 minutes without wearing an oxygen tube. It was enough of a milestone that he took a video of it to share with his friends and family.

The silver lining to the experience is that it has prompted one of his family members to get vaccinated. His family, like many Black people, harbor bad memories of medical discrimination and many of them are still reluctant to get vaccinated.

After a recent hospitalization, COVID-19 patient Adrian Jauregui is on oxygen at his home in Arcadia. His sister Cecilia got him the oxygen. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Cecilia Jaureguis brother Adrian came down with COVID-19 a few weeks ago. He was hospitalized for two weeks, and couldnt be released until hospital authorities worked out who would pay for the oxygen. Jauregui ended up driving to an oxygen supplier and getting two tanks and a rented concentrator for about $250.

Adrian considered himself a germaphobe and took every precaution short of getting the vaccine, Jauregui said. He isn't sure, but he believes he might have contracted it from a co-worker. His hospitalization has been a wake-up call for the whole family.

After seeing what he was going through, it was an eye-opener, Jauregui said. Getting the vaccine "is not just about us and you as your personal choice. Its about the people out there that you dont know that you pass on the street, that you work with.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
More time between COVID vaccine doses may help build more durable immunity, experts say.

Why it matters: The three- or four-week interval between the first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines was relatively short  and may help explain why the U.S. is now preparing for third doses.

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What they're saying: "When you make that decision to do a three- or four-week interval, it sacrifices length of protection and durability of protection," said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College.

He said it was a smart decision to pursue that vaccine interval early on, "because so many Americans were losing their lives from COVID  3,000 deaths per day  and we had to get people fully immunized."

But it also made boosters much more likely, he said.

Longer intervals between doses may allow the immune system time to mature, or allow antibodies to improve in quality while dwindling in number, John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Cornell, told MedPage Today.

Between the lines: On Thursday, a report from U.K. health officials offered similar observations.

COVID vaccines were more effective against symptomatic disease with at least six weeks between doses than with only three to four weeks between doses, the paper says.

What we're watching: Experts say the eight-month gap the U.S. is planning before third doses could offer a significant boost.

"That may be it for a while, we may not need annual boosters," Hotez told MedPage. "This could be the third and done."

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American poet Amanda Gorman reads a poem during the the 59th inaugural ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During today's inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images

Poet Amanda Gorman and dozens of other activists have urged the Biden administration to protect women in Afghanistan.

In an open letter to the administration, activists said that women's lives are at risk amid the Taliban takeover.

They called for women to be evacuated and for visa access to be expanded.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Inauguration poet and activist Amanda Gorman is one of dozens of women and activists calling on the Biden administration to help Afghan women amid the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

In an open letter titled "Do Not Abandon Afghan Women and Girls," Gorman, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, actress Kate Winslet, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, and others said Afghan women were under "imminent threat" and called for their evacuation from the country.

"Immediate action must be taken to safeguard Afghan women most at risk: women's rights activists, journalists, educators, civil society leaders, human rights defenders and direct service providers," the letter said. "The very women who have been on the frontlines for decades, risking their safety to realize the promise of equal rights, are being abandoned by those who pledged to protect them."

Gorman rose to prominence after she gave a stirring performance of her poem "The Hill We Climb" during Biden's inauguration in January.

The group of activists called on the Biden administration to expand visa access to at-risk women, raise the refugee cap, allocate resources for women who evacuate, and "protect and invest in women who remain in Afghanistan."

"Twenty years ago, we were told that the U.S. government's invasion of Afghanistan was justified, in part, because of the threat the Taliban posed to women and girls," the letter said. "We cannot stand by and watch as a humanitarian tragedy unfolds in real time. There are moments in history when we will be judged by whether or not we did the right thing. This is one of those moments."

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During the Taliban's previous rule from 1996 to 2001, women weren't allowed to work or go to school, had to cover their faces, and were told they couldn't leave their homes without being in the company of a man.

While the Taliban has said it would give women more freedom, many women fear it's an empty promise.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By Ted Hesson, Kristina Cooke and Jonathan Landay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The desperate plea was sent via text message from one refugee advocate to another trying to aid frantic evacuations from Afghanistan: "Just got a call for a young mom with her two young kids," it said, "She got through Taliban but being turned away by U.S. forces."

The Afghan woman, a U.S. permanent resident who was in Afghanistan to visit family, and her U.S. citizen children were hoping to board a flight from Kabul to rejoin her husband in North Carolina on Thursday following the Taliban's rapid takeover of the country.

It was her second attempt to leave Afghanistan after she and her small children were trampled in a stampede triggered by gunfire near the airport on Wednesday, advocates and the woman's husband said in interviews, requesting anonymity for her safety.

Thousands of miles away in the United States, Jenny Yang from the refugee resettlement agency World Relief had so far been unable to reach U.S. authorities.

Yang's last resort was a text message to Chris Purdy, a U.S. military veteran and project manager with the advocacy organization Human Rights First, hoping he could use personal government contacts to get her out.

Then they lost contact with the woman and her children.

The frenzied text messages are just one tactic in a sprawling improvised effort by current and former officials, military veterans, congressional staff members and advocacy groups across the United States to get vulnerable people https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bidens-vow-airlift-afghan-allies-meets-ticking-clock-risky-rescue-2021-08-17 out of Afghanistan, often without clear guidance from the U.S. government. Many are Afghans who worked with the U.S. military in the 20-year war and fear the Taliban will hunt them down.

Desperation on the ground has been exacerbated by a lack of coordination between U.S. military forces controlling the airport perimeter and the State Department, which is notifying U.S. citizens and eligible Afghans about departure flights.

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A State Department spokesperson said they are processing Afghans entering the airport as fast as possible, but that "congestion levels are high." The spokesperson said they could not confirm details of specific incidents.

After being injured in the first melee, the woman returned only to faint from a grueling seven-hour wait outside the airport gates. When she came to, she re-established contact with her husband and is now at home waiting for another opportunity to flee.

"Some of the most desperate people are going to be stuck, and will continue to be stuck, unless the State Department figures out a way to get this mess under control," Yang said.

New York-based Human Rights First has collected tens of thousands of names of people in Afghanistan who may need to be evacuated. The group shares the list with the State Department.

While it remains unclear exactly how the U.S. government uses the information, some people on the list have boarded planes, Purdy said.

The network of people trying to aid the evacuation has shared tips to pass through Taliban checkpoints. Wear traditional clothing, keep eyes down and persist. "You have to try many, many times," reads one tip sheet. "Be patient."

One Afghan man disguised himself in a burka, a traditional female robe, to get through Taliban checkpoints as he traveled hundreds of miles to reach the airport in Kabul, Purdy said.

Democratic Representative Jason Crow, a former U.S. Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan, told Reuters that the Taliban have been using files from Afghanistan's intelligence agency to round up Afghans who worked for the United States.

U.S. President Joe Biden has said that the United States expected to evacuate between 50,000 and 65,000 people from Afghanistan. That is fewer than the number eligible for safe harbor, according to estimates by advocates.

The Pentagon said on Thursday that in August roughly 12,000 American citizens, U.S. Embassy personnel, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants and others have been evacuated.

GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN

U.S. defense contractors are also working to get their current and former employees out of Afghanistan, with mixed results.

Abdul Noori, 29, arrived in the United States six years ago with SIV status because of his work as an interpreter for the U.S. military, he said. Last month, his older brother followed. But a third brother, who worked for a U.S. security contractor, had his visa interview scheduled for next week canceled as U.S. Embassy staff evacuated.

Stuck in Afghanistan, Noori's brother sent screenshots of emails from his employer telling him to stay in a safe location. A senior manager wrote he was "doing everything in my absolute power" to get Afghan employees to the United States. The company confirmed the emails but asked not to be named due to security concerns.

Noori was not impressed with the effort. "If you want to help, get them papers, get them a visa," he said.

No One Left Behind, a charitable organization that for years has helped relocate at-risk Afghans, has emerged as a central node in the growing informal network striving to evacuate people from Kabul. The group has raised more than $2.5 million for charter flights through a GoFundMe campaign, said James Miervaldis, chairman of No One Left Behind.

But Human Rights First said the U.S. government was not allowing charter flights out of Kabul.

Some in Congress are also working to get U.S. citizens and others out of Afghanistan, fielding requests from constituents and trying to coordinate with U.S. agencies to arrange flights.

"What's abundantly clear is in the last week the evacuation has not gone the way that it should," Crow, the U.S. lawmaker, said.

Crow, whose office fielded over 1,000 evacuation requests in the past four days, said people were emailing and texting passport photos and visa information to him. Informal chat groups shared details like which airport gates were open.

"We're doing everything we can to help on the ground," he said.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson and Jonathan Landay in Washington, and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in Washington; Editing by Mica Rosenberg, Cynthia Osterman and Daniel Wallis)
Just days after a hacker pulled off an audacious crypto heist, another major public breach has occured. Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid is the latest victim of a cyberattack that has seen hackers make off with an estimated $97 million in stolen assets. The funds include $45 million in Ethereum tokens, which the culprit is converting into Ether using decentralised exchanges to avoid them being frozen, according to Elliptic, a crypto tracking firm that is assisting Liquid in its investigation.

Liquid revealed on Thursday morning, Singapore time, that it had detected unauthorized access of some customers' crypto wallets. The breach prompted it to halt all crypto withdrawals, though other services including fiat withdrawals and deposits were kept open. In its most recent update on Twitter, the company said it was tracking the movement of the stolen assets and working with other exchanges to freeze and recover the funds.

The incident is the second major crypto heist to take place this month. Earlier, a hacker stole  and quickly returned  about $611 million in in Ethereum, Shiba Inu and other digital currencies from the decentralized Poly Network finance platform. The company later offered the as-yet unidentified perpetrator a bug bounty of $500,000 for helping to identify security vulnerabilities in its systems. However, it's unclear whether the reward was used as a bargaining tool or just a means of putting a positive spin on an otherwise damaging series of events.

Neither is this the first time a Japanese exchange has been targeted. Back in 2018, Tokyo-based Coincheck lost roughly $534 million worth of lesser-known crypto tokens in a hack. Earlier still, in 2014, its Japanese peer Mt. Gox lost between $400 million and $480 million in a crypto heist, which resulted in Japan's legislators passing a law to regulate bitcoin exchanges.
Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at the Capitol for a Senate vote this month. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Vice President Kamala Harris will arrive next week in Vietnam at a moment when many Americans are again debating the final hours of the war there  with some comparing the recent chaos in Afghanistan to the fall of Saigon in 1975, when Americans frantically fled the U.S. Embassy by helicopter.

Biden administration officials did not anticipate the debacle in Afghanistan when they started planning Harris trip to Singapore and Vietnam, her second foreign journey as vice president, and they bristle at the comparisons.

But in some ways, analysts and experts say, the timing of the trip allows the United States to reassert its stature in the region at a moment when its reputation as a world power has been battered elsewhere.

Southeast Asia is a linchpin in Americas global competition with China, and leaders in the region have been impatient with the Biden administrations failure to deliver more COVID-19 vaccines and the generally slow pace of high-level engagement with top U.S. officials. President Biden, for example, has yet to call leaders from any Southeast Asian country.

Vietnam, after years of estrangement, has become a popular destination for American presidents, who are generally greeted warmly, regardless of political party. Harris, whose mother was born in India, is the first American vice president and the highest-ranking American leader of Asian descent to visit Vietnam.

The Biden administration spent the first six months really getting the crap kicked out of them in the Southeast Asian press, with pundits condemning the U.S. president's seeming indifference, said Greg Poling, a Southeast Asia specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan think tank.

That began to change late in recent months. In July, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III traveled to Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines, and early this month Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken attended a virtual summit of Southeast Asian officials. Harris trip is meant to build on that momentum, though the exclusion of Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy, from her itinerary has prompted griping there among opinion leaders.

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Administration officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, conceded that Harris considered postponing the visits as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated, with the Taliban this week cementing its takeover of a country where the U.S. has been at war for two decades.

The Harris team decided to go ahead, in part, to rebut criticism that Bidens withdrawal from Afghanistan signaled a retreat from his promise to revamp Americas global role following four years of President Trump antagonizing allies with his America first agenda. During the weeklong trip, the administration officials said, the vice president will keep close tabs on the situation in Afghanistan, where the U.S. military is scrambling to evacuate thousands of Americans and Afghans who assisted in the war effort.

Its always good for senior U.S. officials to visit Southeast Asia, said Matt Pottinger, a China specialist who served as Trumps deputy national security advisor. These are countries that are nervous about Chinas rising shadow.

Harris is scheduled to leave Washington on Friday and arrive late Saturday in Singapore, a small but bustling island nation where the U.S. maintains an important naval base and where a variety of multinational companies  including Facebook and Google  maintain their Asian headquarters. The country is just beginning to emerge from a strict COVID-19 lockdown.

Singapore is eager to cooperate more on climate change and digital regulation with the U.S. but, like other countries in the region, wants to balance its American relationship with China, which is rapidly expanding its economic and military influence.

Harris will spend three days there, meeting government and business leaders and American sailors serving on the U.S. warship Tulsa. She will also deliver a broad foreign policy speech intended to lay out the administration's vision for the region.

She will then fly about 1,400 miles to Hanoi, where her meetings with leaders will focus more on the pandemic, including a ceremony to open a regional office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vietnamese leaders are likely to press Harris about U.S. efforts to deliver more vaccine doses. In Singapore, a global business capital, about three-fourths of the population is vaccinated. But Vietnam is one of many countries in the region that has been struggling with low access to vaccines and high rates of infection.

She will return to the United States on Thursday, stopping in Hawaii to refuel and speak with troops at Pearl Harbor. Rather than return to Washington, Harris plans to spend time in San Francisco, where she is expected to campaign for Gov. Gavin Newsom as he fends off a potential recall, an administration official said.

Harris undoubtedly hopes the visits will assist in erasing memories of her first foreign trip, to Guatemala and Mexico, when she was criticized at home by conservatives and some liberal activists for comments about immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border. But she may not get much attention for this trip outside Asia, with a 12-hour time difference on the East Coast and international interest fixed on Afghanistan and a devastating earthquake in Haiti.

COVID-19 restrictions will also limit her events and restrict the number of reporters covering them. While President Obama famously dined with the late Anthony Bourdain at a simple Hanoi noodle shop  a goodwill gesture that only enhanced his popularity in the country  Harris is not expected to participate in any cultural diplomacy.

Harris is likely to still get attention in the local press in both nations, particularly in Vietnam. The country has been locked down for months amid a surge of coronavirus cases, and its leaders and citizens are eager to receive a high-level visitor, said Thomas Vallely, the director of the Vietnam program at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School.

The country is "in a crisis and all of the sudden someones coming, Vallely said, adding that Harris' Vietnam stop will be the most significant trip [there] of any American official since Bill Clinton, who opened diplomatic relations with the country in 1995.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Kentucky man pardoned on a state homicide charge but now facing a federal murder charge testified in his defense Friday, flatly denying he committed the crime.

After asking Patrick Baker to state his name, defense attorney Steve Romines first question was whether Baker killed Donald Mills, a Knox County drug dealer.

Absolutley not, Baker said. Never shot the guy.

Baker, 43, is charged with shooting Mills in the chest while trying to rob him of pain pills and money in May 2014.

Baker was convicted of reckless homicide in Mills death in state court in 2017 and sentenced to 19 years in prison.

However, then-Gov. Matt Bevin pardoned him in December 2019. The pardon was among hundreds Bevin issued in his final days in office, but Bakers has been controversial because members of his family had held a political fundraiser for Bevin the year before he let Baker out of prison.

A former fiancee of Bakers told federal authorities she thought the fundraiser was crucial in winning his freedom, but Bevin has denied politics had anything to do with his decision.

Federal authorities opened a case on Baker after the pardon. The case involves the same homicide, but the federal charge is different than the state charge because it alleges Baker killed Mills during a drug crime.

Prosecution witnesses said Baker was addicted to oxycodone and running short of money in May 2014; that he tried to recruit others in a plan to rob Mills; that he had a Google Earth image of Mills mobile home in Stinking Creek on his iPad; and that he told them he shot Mills.

One man, Christopher Wagner, testified he went with Baker to Mills home, holding Mills wife and children at gunpoint in one bedroom while Baker went with Mills to another bedroom to try to find pills.

Wagner said he heard shots and that Baker told him as they were fleeing that Mills had pulled a gun and Baker had to shoot him.

Wagner also testified he went with Baker to an old surface coal mine in Bell County after the shooting, where they buried parts of the murder weapon and threw another part over the hill.

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No reason to rob a guy

On Friday, Baker flatly contradicted the witnesses against him, in testimony so soft-spoken the judge reminded him several times to speak up.

Baker acknowledged he developed an addiction to pain pills after a motorcycle wreck, but that he had the means to get drugs without robbing anyone.

There was no reason for me to rob a guy, Baker said.

Nathan Wagner testified Baker owed him money from a gambling debt in May 2014 and that Baker talked to him about robbing Mills, but Baker said that wasnt true.

He and Wagner had been in business at one time but fell out, Baker said.

Baker said a drug friend of his, Stephanie Smith, brought up the idea to rob Mills, a large-scale drug dealer, but that he told her no.

Later, when he and Christoper Wagner went to the home of a man named Adam Messer, who lived near Mills, to try to get pills, there was more talk of robbing Mills, but Baker said he again refused.

I toldm I wasnt gonna be any part of it, Baker said.

Baker said Messer and his brother Elijah laughed about having robbed people before. Elijah Messer had taken Baker to Mills house two days before to buy 60 pain pills.

Baker said that while he was waiting to try to get pills from Adam Messer, he stepped outside often to smoke.

Once while he was out, Adam Messer drove off in Bakers Ford F-150 pickup truck with Wagner, returning about 45 minutes to an hour later.

Baker said Messer told him to make sure Wagner kept quiet or someone would get hurt, and he and Wagner left Messers house.

Baker said he didnt know what Messer was talking about, but as they left, Wagner told him hed gone with Messer to rob Mills and that Messer shot the drug dealer using Bakers 9mm pistol, which had been in the truck.

Messer has denied killing Mills.

Tore up

Baker said he was tore up about having his truck and gun used in a crime. He drove Wagner to a former surface coal mine where Wagner had once worked and told him to get rid of the 9mm pistol, Baker said.

As they drove back to London, Messer called and threatened him, saying he knew Bakers family, including his girlfriend and her son.

Baker said thats why he didnt tell police about what Wagner had told him.

Bakers ex-wife testified Baker told her he had killed Mills, but Baker said Friday that he actually told her he felt responsible for what happened because his addiction played a role, not that he killed Mills.

Surveillance video of Baker buying toy handcuffs at a Dollar General store a few hours before the murder has played a role in the case, because the two men who forced their way into Mills home just after 5 a.m. posed as police, and there was a pair of toy handcuffs left at the scene.

But Baker said he bought the cuffs as a birthday gift for his girlfriends son. Romines entered evidence that Baker had bought similar toy cuffs two months earlier.

Baker said the boy liked the cuffs but had broken the ones he had.

Prosecutor questions story

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenna Reed questioned Bakers story, noting his drug habit was costing perhaps $3,700 a month or more, at a time Baker was between jobs, and introducing evidence Baker was pawning items to get cash in the weeks before the homicide.

Baker had pawned the gun used in the case, but had gotten it back on May 7, about 36 hours before Mills was shot.

Reed also pointed out instances in which Baker had lied.

For instance, on the form he had to sign to get back his gun at the pawn shop, he certified he was not an illegal drug user, even though he was.

And after he was arrested on the federal charge, he told a pretrial release officer he had been given a drug one time that he assumed was methamphetamine, but acknowledged under cross-examination that that was not true.

When Reed asked Baker whether he was aware that the GPS location data on his cell phone was turned off after May 8, the day before Mills was killed, Baker said he assumed he turned it off.

The prosecutor suggested that Bakers account that several people, including some who didnt know him, teamed up to frame him; that he left the keys in his truck at the house of a felon hed just met; and that the felon, Adam Messer, took along a man hed just met while committing a robbery, didnt make sense.

Baker, however, repeated that he did not rob or kill Mills, and that he had never even been in Mills house.

Also on Friday, one of Bakers attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom to acquit Baker without letting the case go to the jury.

The attorney, Patrick Renn, argued the government failed to provide enough evidence against Baker to allow a reasonable jury to decide he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

However, the prosecutor, Reed, argued that she had presented ample proof against Baker to let the jury decide his fate.

Among other things, witnesses testified about Baker trying to recruit other people to take part, and forensics tests linked shell casings found in Mills home after he was shot with a gun traced to Baker, Reed said.

Boom said she would reserve ruling on the defense request until later.

The trial is scheduled to continue Monday.

Baker faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Larry Elder. AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File

Alexandra Datig, the former fiancee of conservative radio talk show host and California Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder, told Politico that she ended their relationship in 2015 after he waved a gun at her while high on marijuana.

Datig, who signed a non-disclosure agreement when she broke up with Elder, said she decided to come forward to share her story because "the state of California is on the line," and if voters decide to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in September and replace him with Elder, it will be "a disaster."

Datig, 51, said she met Elder, 69, at a Playboy Mansion party in the early 2000s, but they didn't start dating until several years later. During their relationship, she said, Elder pressured her to get a tattoo that said "Larry's Girl," which Datig, a victim of sex trafficking, says she now believes was his way of branding her. He would often become threatening toward her, Datig alleged, and during a 2015 incident in their home, she feared for her life.

Elder regularly used marijuana, Datig said, and was high during the episode. She told Politico he pulled a .45 pistol out of a nightstand in their bedroom and "checked if it was loaded while I was talking. He wanted to make sure I saw that he had it." Datig said she briefly "thought it was a Phil Spector moment," referring to the music producer who fatally shot actress Lana Clarkson at his home in 2003. "My fear was great, and I understood I needed to de-escalate." Datig told Politico she was raised to know that you "never use a gun in anger, and you don't use it when you're drunk or you're high to make a point in frustration  which is what he did."

Datig, who produced more than 100 episodes of Elder's talk show and created his blog The Elder Statement, runs a conservative political website, and has endorsed Kevin Faulconer, a former mayor of San Diego, in the recall election. Both Datig and Faulconer told Politico she is not working for him, and Datig was adamant that she isn't being paid by anyone. "I am doing this because I care about California," she said. "It's about ability and capacity  and I don't think Larry has the ability or capacity." Elder told the Los Angeles Times in a statement he never "brandished a gun at anyone."

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Aug. 20Three community leaders were honored at the League of Women Voters' annual Equality Day Event held Thursday evening.

The community leaders were chosen by the league for their significant leadership, and being actively engaged to keep Smith County a strong and vibrant place to live, said the organization through a statement.

The event was originally planned to be held at the Tyler Public Library, but due to the rise in COVID-19 infections within the county, the committee decided to hold the event virtually via Zoom instead.

The Making Democracy Work Award honored the following women: Jessilyn Edwards, a longtime Tyler advocate specializing in health disparities, including food insecurity and transportation for underserved populations; Callynth Finney and the "Street Team," a group of area volunteers who assist the homeless with basic needs during times of crisis; and Nancy Arellano Rangel, president and CEO of the Tyler Hispanic Business Alliance, who has been collaboratively engaged in leadership positions at a local and state level to assure the community has continued growth and success.

Marilyn Willis, co-president of the league, said while they weren't able to present the awards in person, they plan to meet sometime next week to present the award in person at the Tyler Public Library.

There was also a presentation about Women in Politics, which discussed why there aren't as many women in politics as men. The presentation was led by Laura Jackson, partner at Cardwell and Wansley, a women-owned full-service consulting business.

While Women's Equality Day is next Thursday, Aug. 26, the committee celebrated Thursday via Zoom.

Willis presented the award to Callynth Finney and the Tyler Street Team.

"We are so thankful for their efforts. It is our honor and our pleasure to provide one of the 2021 Making Democracy Work Awards to the Tyler Street Team," she said.

When they accepted the award, the Street Team was in Dallas on the field helping a gentleman experiencing homelessness and paused for a moment to accept the award via Zoom.

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"We think everything that you're doing as League of Women Voters is so awesome to educate women and support and encourage women continuing in their leadership," Finney said as she accepted the award and thanked everyone for the honor.

Yona Fleming presented the next award to Nancy Arellano Rangel.

"Thank you, this is such a great honor to receive. I'm very honored as a latina woman and all that have come before me, and for all the Latina women that come after me," Arellano said.

"It is such an honor to be able to serve this community that we love. Working together, we can truly make a difference and we're trying to do that. Not just because those that did it before us did an excellent job, but we're doing it. Now it's our turn to do it for our future generations so just like everything else, it takes a village," she said.

She thanked her family and her parents for teaching her how to serve her community.

"We can't do it all, but each one of us can do a little bit and we can plant seeds in different locations so there we can see it grow in the future and our future generations, so thank you again for this award it is a great honor," Arellano Rangel said.

Jessilyn Edwards received her award by LaRhonda Hamilton. As she unmuted her device microphone to receive the award, Edwards' family cheered loudly, showing their support for her.

"Oh my goodness, I was not expecting that. My family just ran in the room real quick," she said as she was surprised by her family's reaction.

She said she was surprised to receive the award, especially because she is so young, and has only been out of college for about four years.

"I am truly thankful to work for Humana, which is such a great company where we just do a lot for the community and it's really inspiring," she said.

"I'm just thankful and truly honored just to know that the stuff that you already love to do, and just being recognized. I'm definitely thankful for that, so thank you," Edwards said.

The League of Women Voters is made up of volunteers who do the hands-on work that aim to create lasting change in the community. For more information about the League of Women Voters, visit lwvtyler.org.
By Rozanna Latiff, Liz Lee and Mei Mei Chu

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Malaysia's king appointed Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the prime minister on Friday, returning the job to a party tainted by graft accusations as the southeast Asian nation grapples with a COVID-19 surge and an economic slump.

Ismail Sabri replaces Muhyiddin Yassin, who stepped down on Monday after coalition infighting cost him his majority, but the new prime minister's backing by the same alliance raises concerns that he will also lead an unstable government.

Ismail Sabri is to be sworn in on Saturday, the palace said, after he secured a slim majority with the backing of 114 of parliament's 222 members.

"His Majesty expressed the hope that with the appointment of the new prime minister, the political crisis can end immediately and all lawmakers can unite to put aside political agendas," it said in a statement.

King Al-Sultan Abdullah has previously said the new prime minister would have to face a confidence vote in parliament to prove his majority.

Ismail Sabri's appointment restores the post to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysia's 'grand old party', which was voted out in a 2018 general election, after a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB.

He becomes Malaysia's third prime minister since the 2018 election, after UMNO pulled its backing for Muhyiddin last month, citing his failure to manage the pandemic.

"With a razor-thin majority, he will need to make sure he does not face rebellions of those who are eyeing his position," said Sivamurugan Pandian, a political analyst at the Malaysian Science University.

Ismail Sabri, who was Muhyiddin's deputy and one of the ministers who helped fight the pandemic, takes over at a time when Malaysia's infections and deaths per million rank as the region's highest.

Friday's 23,564 cases represented a third straight day of record infections, carrying the tally beyond 1.5 million.

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A trained lawyer and member of parliament since 2004, Ismail Sabri has been minister for rural and regional development, agriculture and domestic trade in previous governments.

Markets had little immediate reaction. The ringgit currency,, which has been pressured by the political instability and the pandemic, held steady.

THE RETURN OF UMNO

Malaysia has been in a state of political flux since the defeat of UMNO, which had governed for more than 60 years since independence. Two coalitions have collapsed since then because of the infighting.

Mahathir Mohamad led the opposition to a historic election victory for the first time, but his alliance collapsed from infighting.

Muhyiddin then put together a coalition with parties that had been defeated in the polls, including UMNO, but it, too, proved fragile, as the party balked at playing second fiddle.

Corruption could worsen under UMNO's leadership, with no guarantee of the stability its past governments brought, said Alex Holmes, emerging Asia economist at Capital Economics.

"Having an unreformed UMNO back at the centre of power hardly bodes well for the future," he added.

UMNO politicians facing corruption charges include president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former premier Najib Razak, who was convicted last year over a multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Both men deny wrongdoing. They remain highly influential and were among the UMNO lawmakers who pulled support from Muhyiddin.

(Additional reporting by Tom Westbrook; Writing by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
A man earlier this month shot his wife to death before he killed himself in the same way in the northwest Fort Worth house where they lived, according to police and public records.

Marcus Ray, 64, shot himself in the head after shooting Judy Ray, 63, in the head, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office. They died in their living room.

A neighbor noticed the residents of a house in the 4900 block of Mill Creek Trail had not been seen in several days, and the neighbor called police on Aug. 7, a Fort Worth Police Department spokesman said. A neighbor looked through the front door window and saw that the residents were inside and unresponsive.

Police entered the house and found two people who were obviously dead and appeared to have been shot.

The spokesman, Officer Daniel Segura, said he did not know the relationship between the people. The Rays were married, according to a 2015 filing in United States Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Texas.

Police described the circumstances of the deaths on Wednesday after the Fort Worth Star-Telegram asked about it on Friday.
Republican firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a fresh slate of impeachment articles against President Joe Biden on Friday.

The three resolutions levied by the congresswoman from Georgia are "dereliction of duty" for Biden's handling of the Afghanistan situation, another for the "border crisis," and a third for "usurping congressional authority and ignoring judicial authority of the Supreme Court" for the Biden administration's eviction moratorium during the coronavirus pandemic.

"In seven short months, Joe Biden has caused America to lose the respect of the entire world. The evidence is clear and his actions are so egregious that he must be impeached," Greene said in a statement.

Republicans are in the minority in Congress, so any effort to impeach Biden faces long odds. A prior set of impeachment articles filed by Greene on Jan. 21, one day after Biden's inauguration, have gone nowhere. Those focused on alleged "corrupt actions" related to Biden's diplomacy with Ukraine as vice president and his son Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings.

BANNON SAYS TRUMP SHOULD BECOME SPEAKER, LEAD BIDEN IMPEACHMENT, RESIGN, AND RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2024

Still, calls are growing on the Right for Biden to be impeached, including by conservative commentator Mark Levin, who also floated the use of the 25th Amendment, Dan Bongino, and Jenna Ellis, a senior legal adviser to former President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who could become speaker in 2023 if Republicans win control of the lower chamber in next year's midterm elections, told Fox News this week he is open to the idea.

"If Biden takes an illegal action, we would move impeachment," the California Republican said. "But were not going to move impeachment for political purposes."

Trump was twice impeached by a Democratic-controlled House, once in relation to Ukraine and another to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, but acquitted both times by a GOP-led Senate. In her press release Friday, Greene acknowledged a general lack of appetite to initiate more divisive impeachment proceedings but argued the "safety and security of the country and the American people" is at stake.

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"We are a nation in distress. Our foreign allies and even our own citizens can no longer trust our government in the hands of Joe Biden. It's the duty of Congress to hold the president accountable when he puts our nation at risk and ignores the rule of law," she said.

"Currently, our government is illegitimate because it is no longer serving its citizens. We have to restore respect for America in order for our allies and our citizens to trust the government," Greene added. "Joe Biden must be impeached, tried in the Senate, convicted, and removed from office."

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Tags: News, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Congress, Impeachment, Joe Biden

Original Author: Daniel Chaitin

Original Location: Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces more articles of impeachment against Biden
Aug. 20Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber's campaign filed an ethics complaint against the Spanish fraternal organization Union Protectiva de Santa Fe and two other local organizations this week, alleging illicit political activity in support of mayoral candidate JoAnne Vigil Coppler.

The complaint, filed with the city's Ethics and Campaign Review Board, claims Union Protectiva, as well as the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2951 and American Legion Post 1, violated city code and state law by spending funds to support a candidate, despite the organizations' nonprofit status and failure to properly register with the city.

According to city code, any group hoping to advocate for or against a political candidate must register a statement of organization with the City Clerk's Office before circulating campaign material, which none named in the complaint has done.

The complaint refers to several advertisements and Facebook posts, including one paid for by Union Protectiva that ran in the Santa Fe Reporter in April. The advertisement, which bore the heading "Mayor Webber's Dark Side," made several allegations, including claims that Webber was a Marxist seeking to divide Santa Fe.

At the time the ad ran, Virgil Vigil, Union Protectiva's president, said he didn't see the ad as political.

Webber called the advertisement "wrong" and "disturbing."

The complaint also cites a widely circulated social media and newspaper ad that attempts to denigrate the city's Culture, History, Art, Reconciliation and Truth process to address public art and monuments, calling it "Cancelling Hispanic Arts Religious Traditions."

VFW Post 2951 and American Legion Post 1 are listed as sponsors of the ad, which also has appeared on yard signs.

In a statement announcing the ethics complaint, Sascha Guinn Anderson referred to three people  Vigil; James Hallinan, a spokesman for Union Protectiva; and Eli Bransford, who makes YouTube videos about Santa Fe and Webber  as "Trump MAGA operatives," seeking to divide the city.

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"Their plan is to divide the city and incite a culture war," Anderson said in the statement. "City voters have the right to know about the Trump MAGA operatives who are illegally working on behalf of JoAnne Vigil Coppler. We call on Vigil Coppler to repudiate these Trump operatives who are trying to tear apart the fabric of our community and to stop relying on their help to win this election at all costs."

Both Vigil Coppler, a current city councilor, and Webber are registered Democrats, while former congressional candidate Alexis Martinez Johnson, the third candidate in the race, is a registered Republican.

Martinez Johnson filed an ethics complaint last month against Webber's campaign, alleging it was using city resources. That complaint came after the mayor's campaign issued an email announcing his appearance at a city-funded event.

The ethics board held a hearing Thursday on Martinez Johnson's complaint and decided to dismiss it, finding Martinez Johnson failed to provide specific ethics code violations for the board to consider.

Hallinan provided a statement alleging Webber is retaliating against Hispanics, Catholics, veterans and members of the military by filing a "baseless and desperate" complaint.

"Webber is a struggling mayor who is out of touch with Santa Fe's history and culture," the statement continues.

Pat Patterson, who serves as adjutant, or administrative assistant, of American Legion Post 1, declined to comment until the organization could review the complaint.

In response to the Trump supporter rhetoric, Hallinan wrote in a text message that Union Protectiva has "no affiliation with any current President or former Presidents." He said the statement "makes it clear that Mayor Webber is in fact the one creating divisiveness."

The Webber campaign's complaint also refers to an email between Vigil and Vigil Coppler  no relation  which the complaint alleges is evidence of coordination between Union Protectiva and Vigil Coppler's campaign.

The email, sent to Vigil Coppler in February, begins, "As you know, we are pulling for you to run for Mayor and will support your run."

The email was sent from Vigil's AOL email address.

Vigil Coppler said the email was similar to other emails she received from members of the public encouraging her to run. She said the Webber campaign was "grasping at straws."

"Many people during that time wrote me to encourage me to run," Vigil Coppler said. "Many, many people."

Sisto Abeyta, Vigil Coppler's campaign manager, said she never responded to the email, and there was no coordination between her campaign and the organization.

"There is no coordination that happened," Abeyta said. "It was an individual who expressed to JoAnne, 'Run and I will support you.' "

Abeyta said Carlos Trujillo, an outreach manager for Webber's campaign, had informed the campaign about the email.

Vigil Copper said Trujillo had worked for her for a short period of time before she officially announced she was entering the race.

"Carlos is the one who is instigating this whole thing," Vigil Coppler said.

Trujillo did not deny the allegation but said he never worked for Vigil Coppler's campaign in any capacity.

"I absolutely shared that email with the campaign," he said in a statement issued by Anderson. "JoAnne's supporters are Trumpian operatives deploying divisive bullying tactics and I will do everything I can to stop MAGA from having an ally in the Mayor's office."

The complaint is the latest between Webber and the fraternal organization.

In June, the organization filed a lawsuit against Webber, asking a judge to order Webber to restore the Plaza obelisk, which activists pulled down with ropes and chains last year during an Indigenous Peoples Day protest.

More recently, in response to a video in which Webber decries vandalism at the Cross of the Martyrs on the 341st anniversary of the Pueblo Revolt, the organization accused the mayor of failing to protect Hispanic culture and history.

The Webber campaign asks the ethics review board to order all the yard signs removed, to impose a $500 fine per violation against each of the organizations named in the complaint and to require the organizations to file as political committees so they will have to disclose municipal election donations and expenditures.

The complaint also requests a determination on whether the advertisement, social media posts and yard signs qualify as coordinated expenditures in support of Vigil Coppler's campaign and if her campaign failed to report them.

Vigil Coppler said she believes the timing of the complaint was intended to deflect attention from the ethics complaint Martinez Johnson filed against Webber's campaign.
Six months after her husband was charged in connection with the U.S. Capitol insurrection, a Springfield Christian elementary school teacher faces the same allegations.

According to federal court documents unsealed this week, Kelsey Leigh Ann Wilson, 29, was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

She is the 14th Missouri resident to face charges for allegedly taking part in the deadly Jan. 6 riot.

The charging documents do not say why authorities waited for months to charge Kelsey Wilson.

The FBI became aware of her husband Zachary Wilsons alleged involvement in the Capitol breach in January after receiving an anonymous tip, the documents say. The tipster said Zachary Wilson had posted on his Facebook account that hed entered the Capitol and that, while inside, went into House Speaker Nancy Pelosis office. The tipster provided a screenshot of Zachary Wilsons now-deleted Facebook post, which indicated that Kelsey Wilson was with him at the time he entered the Capitol.

In the post, a friend asked Zachary Wilson: Did you go inside the capital building?

First ones in!!!! Wilson replied. First thing we found was Pelosis office.

The friend said, youre lucky you arent in jail. That wasnt real smart.

Wilson responded: I ddn do anything wrong.

FBI investigators interviewed Kelsey and Zachary Wilson on Jan. 18 at their home in Springfield, the documents say. During the interview, both said they had been on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 but denied entering the building.

An FBI agent interviewed Zachary Wilson a second time at his home on Jan. 20, the documents say. Zachary Wilson then admitted entering the Capitol building but said his wife did not go inside.

Wilson also had recorded an 18-second video taken inside the speakers office, which he provided to the agent, according to the documents.

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Wilson stated the reason he entered the U.S. Capitol was because he wanted his voice to be heard as he was a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, the documents say. Wilson said that he did not participate in any destruction of property while at the U.S. Capitol.

On Jan. 22, the documents say, an FBI agent interviewed a co-worker of Kelsey Wilsons who had accompanied the Wilsons to Washington, D.C. That person said he/she waited on the Capitol grounds when the couple went inside the building, according to the documents. The Wilsons were inside for about 30 minutes, the person told the FBI.

The person shared photos and videos with investigators. One photo showed Kelsey Wilson wearing a black, white and gold beanie, white pants, a gray long sleeved shirt and a Keep America Great Again pro-Trump flag wrapped around her body.

On Jan. 23, the FBI received a DVD from the U.S. Capitol Police which contained surveillance video that showed Zachary and Kelsey Wilson walking inside the building on January 6 in the same hallway where Pelosis office is located.

Zachary Wilson was charged on Feb. 12 and arrested at his Springfield home. On Feb. 22, the documents say, the FBI received more video surveillance footage that showed the Wilsons walking around the Capitol Rotunda.

Both Wilsons have been released on a personal recognizance bond pending trial. Kelsey Wilson turned herself in on Wednesday and made her first court appearance in federal court in Springfield that same day.

According to a court document, the couple have two children ages 6 and 7, and Kelsey Wilson is a teacher at Dayspring Christian School in Springfield. She had just started the job at the beginning of July, the document shows, but didnt expect to hold the position for long.

The defendant advised she is a first grade teacher, it says, and believes her employment will be terminated following her arrest.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  The news this month that two Nigerian schoolgirls had made it to freedom, more than seven years after they were kidnapped by Boko Haram extremist rebels, has kindled new hope among parents whose daughters are still missing.

Of the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from their school in Chibok in northeast Nigeria in April 2014, many of the girls have regained their freedom  57 escaped in the hours following their abduction, 21 were released after negotiations brokered by the Red Cross and the Swiss Government in October 2016 and another 82 were freed in exchange for some Boko Haram suspects in May 2017. However, more than 100 are still missing. The reappearance of two of those kidnapped girls shows that much has changed.

Ruth Nglari Apagu turned herself over to the Nigerian military in Borno with her husband  who was one of the Islamic extremist kidnappers  and their two children.

Hassan Adamu also presented herself to security forces in Borno, and she also returned with two children she had given birth to during her years of captivity.

Borno state Governor Babagana Zulum welcomed the young women in two separate events and posed for pictures before they were reunited with their parents.

Yana Galang, 65, said she is delighted to hear of the return of two of the Chibok girls. Galang has not seen her daughter Rifkatu since she was abducted from the school at the age of 18.

We are very happy, said Galang, saying she is hopeful her own daughter will soon be back.

Galang said she draws strength from the hope that her daughter and the others still held by Boko Haram will return home.

People are so excited because some have already given up" that the community will see the girls again, Hassan Chibok, a community leader, told The Associated Press of the return of the two girls. A lot of them (the parents in Chibok) had lost hope  but with this present development, we have hope that those that are still alive will definitely come back home.

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Sadly, some of the parents have not lived to see the return of the daughters. At least 10 of the parents have died since the kidnap, including several where stress and anxiety caused by the kidnappings was a factor, said Chibok, an elder in their community who was one of the strongest voices championing for the girls release in the months following their kidnap.

The girls' return was, however, received with mixed feelings by some, including Saleh Bala, a retired senior officer of the Nigerian army, who said the girls are victims of the Stockholm syndrome, an emotional response in which some hostage victims develop positive feelings for their captors.

The young women will need counseling and work to integrate them back to their communities, said Bala.

How they are handled and treated will be important to attracting those others (kidnapped students) who are alive with similar forced partners, he said.

Another factor that may have contributed to the return of the girls could be disarray within Boko Haram caused by the reported death of its leader, Abubakar Shekau, and attempts by a group of rival extremists, the Islamic State West Africa Province, to integrate his fighters to their ranks, said Confidence MacHarry, a security analyst with the SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based geopolitical intelligence firm.

But the current mood in Chibok is excitement, residents say.

Lawal Zana's daughter is among those still held by Boko Haram. The secretary of the association of the affected parents, Zana told AP that because they had stayed for long without good news the return of the two girls has encouraged them to keep the faith.

"Our own is to pray now to see that the remaining of our girls come out, said Zana.

We are expecting them! he said repeatedly during a phone interview.
After scrambling for days to bring them to safety, nine members of an Afghan all-girls robotics team have arrived in Qatar, the team's parent organisation has confirmed.Their flight out of Afghanistan was organised by the Qatar government, which expedited visas and sent an aircraft.The team first made headlines in 2017 after winning a special award at an international robotics competition in the US.

They have been widely praised as a shining example of the potential of women's education in Afghanistan.

The departure of the team members, aged 15 to 19, as well as a 25-year-old teacher, comes amid a worsening security situation in Kabul, the Afghan capital.

In a statement, the team's parent organisation, the US-based Digital Citizen Fund (DCF), said that they requested help from Qatar on August 12, just three days ahead of Kabul's capture by the Taliban.

Members of the Qatar government had remained in contact with the team after hosting them in Doha, the capital, in 2019. The girls originally came from the city of Herat, in western Afghanistan.

"When we heard that Kabul was going to fall, we were able to contact the [Qatari foreign] ministry and they immediately started expediting visas to get them out," DCF board member Elizabeth Schaeffer Brown told the BBC. "They are taking very good care of them."

She stressed, however, that the girls were not "rescued"."The girls rescued themselves through all their hard work and bravery over the past several years," she added. "The flight out of Kabul was only the end of a journey in which safety was a concern."

The girls now in Doha may remain in Qatar or move further afield to continue their studies.

Although she declined to provide specifics, she added that several universities around the globe - including some in the US - have offered scholarships.

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"It will be important for them to continue their education," she said.

Ms Schaeffer Brown said other current and former team members remain in Afghanistan, along with teachers, mentors and others who work for the organisation.

The robotics team, which includes teenage members, was formed by Afghan tech entrepreneur and DCF founder Roya Mahboob in 2017.

Last year, the team turned its focus on Covid-19 patients by making low-cost ventilators out of car parts.
Good Morning America

The Justice Department on Monday alerted several federal judges that an outspoken attorney representing at least 17 alleged rioters charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection is reportedly hospitalized and possibly incapacitated after testing positive for COVID-19, leaving the bulk of his cases effectively at a "standstill" and his clients "without counsel." The California-based attorney, John Pierce, currently represents more defendants charged in the riot than any other defense lawyer -- including multiple alleged members of the Proud Boys group and a number of individuals accused of assaulting law enforcement officers. In recent weeks, an associate at Pierce's law firm, Ryan Marshall, has appeared in Pierce's place during multiple hearings, where he offered conflicting reports about the status of Pierce's health.
The planned 29bn purchase of UK chip designer Arm by US firm Nvidia raises "serious" competition concerns, the UK's competition watchdog has said.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it was worried the deal would stifle innovation in several areas, such as gaming and self-driving cars.

As a result, the CMA says a more in-depth investigation into the takeover is warranted.

Nvidia said the deal would benefit Arm, licensees and competition in the UK.

"We look forward to the opportunity to address the CMA's initial views and resolve any concerns the government may have," a spokesperson for the US tech company said.

Japan's Softbank, which currently owns Cambridge-based Arm, agreed to sell it to Nvidia in September last year.

Arm's intellectual property (IP) is used by some of Nvidia's rivals to produce semiconductor chips and the CMA suggested that if Nvidia controlled Arm it could cut off access to that IP for its rivals.

Nvidia, the world's largest graphic and AI chip maker, had offered up remedies to get the deal approved by the UK regulators, but the CMA said these would not be enough to allay its concerns.

The takeover will now likely be subject to a deeper "phase 2" investigation, which increases the likelihood that it will be stopped altogether.

A spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) said: "The Digital Secretary will make a decision on whether to proceed to the next phase of the investigation in due course."
Unvaccinated officers at the New York Police Department will be required to wear masks on duty or face disciplinary action, the New York Post reports.

Why it matters: Public and private entities are increasingly considering reinstating mask mandates amid a surge in Delta cases. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last month that all city employees, including law enforcement, must get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

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Details: "As per Mayoral Executive Order 74, members of the service who wish to remove their face coverings in the workplace must be fully vaccinated and provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to the Medical Division," a department spokesperson said in a statement to the Post.

If a member does not have proof of vaccination on file with the medical division, they must wear a mask indoors and outdoors at all times, including while in department vehicles.

They are allowed to temporarily remove their masks while eating or drinking. Adjusting the mask due to temperatures or breathing difficulties is also considered "reasonable," per the statement.

Members in the rank of sergeant or above are tasked with enforcing the policies. The statement did not specify what kind of disciplinary action would occur if a member violated the rule.

NYPD did not immediately respond to Axios request for comment

Worth noting: All officers regardless of vaccination status must wear a mask while engaging members of the public or in elevators, the policy added.

The big picture: NYPD had administered vaccines to roughly 43% of police officers and professional support staff as of July 21, though that number doesn't take into account people who may have gotten the vaccine elsewhere, according to an NBC affiliate.

Over 11,000 members of the force have tested positive for COVID since the start of the pandemic.

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This is an excerpt from Please Like Me, BuzzFeed News newsletter about how influencers are battling for your attention. You can sign up here.

Last weekend, Instagram influencer Daryl-Ann Denner told her more than 1 million followers some serious news. Her mother, Lisa Fletcher, had been hospitalized with COVID-19  not long after the family had allegedly traveled and appeared in public places.

The announcement has led to a catastrophic firestorm surrounding Daryl-Ann and Lisa, which has threatened to torpedo the influencers career.

But before we dive in, this story is obviously sensitive. I genuinely wish Lisa a speedy recovery and feel for her entire family. It was also hard to report because Daryl-Ann is sharing the majority of the information via her Instagram stories, which vanish after 24 hours, and I havent been able to verify all of the recordings of her stories that other people have made. Thus, it has been hard to parse what Daryl-Ann has actually confirmed, and which allegations are just internet rumors. This also is due to Daryl-Ann herself, who has been vague with the details of her moms illness and didnt return a request for comment. (She has said, though, that Lisa is recovering and doing well.)

However, Daryl-Ann is a public figure, and the controversy surrounding Lisas illness has not only has become a huge conversation on social media but can also tell us a lot about the minefields internet celebrities face and how they are held accountable for their actions.

What I know is that Lisa has been hospitalized for about a week with COVID-19 in the Los Angeles area, which Daryl-Ann announced to her followers last weekend. Lisa is well known to Daryl-Anns community, frequently appearing with her daughter on her Instagram account and even running her own page, where she has nearly 150,000 followers of her own.

When Daryl-Ann announced Lisa had been hospitalized in a series of Instagram stories (which I have seen), she also said her mom had tested positive for the virus 10 to 12 days prior, shortly after the family arrived in California from Texas. This information caused a huge backlash for Daryl-Ann because she lives so publicly. According to followers, in the days leading up to Lisas hospitalization, Daryl-Ann and her mom had posted stories together, and Daryl-Ann had posted some where it appeared she was out in public.

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So followers wanted to know: Did Lisa really test positive more than a week prior to her hospitalization? Did she properly quarantine?

Many assumed the worst. Soon after her announcement, Daryl-Anns comment section exploded with people accusing her and Lisa of exposing others to COVID-19.

How completely selfish and irresponsible of yall to know you had tested positive, but chose not to quarantine, one person wrote. You and your family have been all over the place throughout the past week.

Another person took it a step further: Other peoples family members blood are on you and your familys hands.

Followers who blew up Daryl-Anns comment section seemed genuinely outraged. They wanted her to answer their questions: Did the family know Lisa had tested positive for the virus and not quarantine? Or is this all some giant misunderstanding?

The question is of even more concern for one fan of Daryl-Anns, who reached out to me via Instagram stories and asked to remain anonymous. The fan told me she had run into Daryl-Ann and Lisa while on vacation in Los Angeles last week and had taken a photo with Daryl-Ann before chatting with her and Lisa.

The next day, the fan said, she went on Daryl-Anns Instagram stories and saw the post that said her mom had been positive for COVID for several days.

Im so disappointed, the fan told me. I expected a lot more from her.

Shes also concerned about her own health. In a message to Daryl-Ann, which she shared with me, she wrote: Is it true your mom knowingly had Covid? She wasnt wearing a mask and we were within feet of her. Im asking out of concern for my own (and the communities health) and Id appreciate if you could get back to me with an honest response.

As of this writing, Daryl-Ann has not responded to the fan, and she has barely addressed the situation at all. She has provided updates on Lisas condition about once a day, and thanked fans who are sending her love and support.

On Wednesday, she seemed to address the controversy, saying a small group of people were trying to capitalize on her in a weak moment. Not everything is shown online, she said.

We love people, and we would never do anything to endanger anybody, she said.

In the vacuum of information though, the backlash has only ballooned. After Daryl-Ann started deleting negative comments and limiting them on her posts, multiple accounts have sprung up to wage a war against the influencer. The accounts are posting feverishly, documenting the dozens of comments being deleted from her page, reaching out to multiple of Daryl-Anns Instagram sponsors and begging them to disavow her publicly, and calling out the brands directly on their pages.

Will @coralreefswim continue to be represented by influencers whose care of their community is only performative? Does your company give a damn about human life? Or are you happy to stand by whoever lines your pockets? one poster wrote in one callout to a swimwear company.

Internet outrage campaigns tend to feed on themselves, growing bigger and bigger like a swirling tornado the longer someone is in the spotlight for bad behavior. People began to call Lisa and Daryl-Ann killers and insane anti-vax COVID deniers (I couldnt find any concrete evidence of Daryl-Ann or Lisa saying they are against the vaccine or denying the serious nature of COVID). When I posted on my Instagram stories that I hope Lisa has a full recovery, I received several messages from people telling me they didnt care what happens to her, accusing me of being too soft on the family.

The internet also has the tendency to become like a giant game of Telephone. I saw several claims that Daryl-Ann had used her clout to visit her mother against hospital guidelines. This rumor seems to have been sparked by a post by Daryl-Ann, which she quickly deleted, where she asked if anyone knew someone who worked at the emergency department where Lisa is hospitalized, saying she need[ed] some help. However, theres no evidence Daryl-Ann has broken hospital protocols or is secretly getting special treatment.

The situation Daryl-Ann finds herself in is a unique hazard of her profession. Daryl-Ann has made her career out of sharing her life with her audience and giving them an intimate look into her day-to-day. Unfortunately for her, that comes with a level of scrutiny into her actions beyond what an average person experiences. The relationship between an influencer and their followers is a two-way street. Followers like to support influencers in good times, but when the influencer messes up or appears to have messed up, they also expect a level of accountability.

As one person told Daryl-Ann, in a message she shared with me, all her followers want is to know whether the allegations against her are true or not.

Let us know! she told Daryl-Ann. Give us the timeline! We can only not assume so much when its not owned up to.
OnlyFans, the platform that allows creators to sell material directly to customers, will soon implement new restrictions on the publication of adult content. Starting in October, the company will ban the sale of sexually explicit content and depictions of sexual acts. The move does not cover all nudity, but says that specific rules will be outlined in an as-yet unpublished acceptable use policy. In a statement, OnlyFans said that the changes were prompted by requests made by its banking partners and payout providers. In short, the companys arm has been twisted by the same big banks that have waged war on online sex work for years.

Big Business

The business can certainly attribute much of its success to enabling sex work and helping sex workers to get paid. Over the last two years, OnlyFans has grown from relative obscurity into a brand that is synonymous with adult content. Earlier this year, it boasted that its creators had earned more than $3 billion, and the platform was name-checked in a Beyonce remix. Its believed that the company, which had around 7 million users in 2019, has seen that figure reach closer to 130 million in recent months. And, on June 16th, Bloomberg reported that the site was looking to attract investors in order to raise more funding at a valuation of more than $1 billion.

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It is clear, however, that a number of people who both create content for, and use, the site feel that the impending adult content ban is a betrayal. In a statement shared with Engadget, Isaac Hayes III, founder of Fanbase  a social media site that lets users sell their content  summed up the general sentiment rather neatly. Hayes said that the move was disgraceful, and that OnlyFans had made billions off that user base. He added that dumping sex workers after becoming a household name was exactly what these platforms do. Discard the users who make it popular once they get what they want. And in this case, it does seem as if the twin aims of securing more money from investors and retaining access to banking is what prompted the move. Its a story that weve heard several times before.

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Deja Vu

The most recent example, and one that we covered extensively at the time, was the cultivation and subsequent dumping of a sex work community on Patreon. Before 2017, the site had passionately and publicly courted sex workers, encouraging them to use its platform. In 2016, it loudly defied PayPals longstanding ban on payments to sex workers, allowing users to support content creators through its platform. At the time, Patreon even criticized PayPals lack of transparency, saying that its opaque policy impacts the lives of Adult Content creators.

This attitude did not, however, last very long. On September 15th, 2017, Patreon raised $60 million from investors, and updated its content policy a month later, seeming to repudiate the sex workers it had previously courted. In subsequent interviews, the updated policy was described as not a big deal, with the company pledging to work with creators to ensure compliance. The general notion was that Patreon would crack down on content that was illegal or otherwise nonconsensual.

A year later, however, and the site would further toughen its rules, saying that any and all adult content  including the famous erotic art project Four Chambers  was no longer permitted. (Four Chambers, the name of a British art-erotica collective led by artist Vex Ashley, was long held as the canary in the Patreon coal mine.) Patreon said that it had stepped up proactive review of content [...] due to requirements from our payment partners. In short, the same banks that Patreon had battled so loudly the year before had tied the site in knots, demanding it hunt out any and all content that could be considered adult.

It's worth noting that swerving away from sex work doesn't ensure the future prosperity of a business. In 2019, Patreon CEO Jack Conte told CNBC that its business model was not sustainable, and in April 2021, the Wall Street Journal said the site was still not profitable. Tumblr meanwhile, which under Engadgets parent company mass-purged adult content from its site in 2018 but left a wide variety of neo Nazi content on its platform, saw its valuation fall from $1.1 billion in 2013 to just $3 million in 2019.

Tangled up in Paperwork

Back in April, MasterCard announced that it would further toughen the reporting requirements around adult content. John Verdeschi, Senior Vice President, wrote that banks using its network would need to certify that the seller of adult content has effective controls in place to monitor, block and, where necessary, take down all illegal content. This includes rules requiring platforms to keep a record of the identity of every performer shown, as well as who uploads the content. In addition, all content would need to be reviewed prior to release, and all platforms need to run a beefed-up complaints resolution process to take down illegal or non-consensual material within seven days.

As TechDirt wrote back then, as reasonable as these policies sound, they seem intentionally designed to block all adult content, not just the illegal stuff. As it explains, the new policy [...] makes it impossible for streaming platforms to comply with the new rules. Since theyre not able to prescreen streamed content, theyre [sic] just going to start blocking anything that seems like it might lead to MasterCard pulling the plug. Mary Moody tweeted, upon announcement of the policy change, that OnlyFans, MyFreeCams & more are in danger. As with Patreon, MasterCard's reporting requirements appear to be such a burden that companies would rather avoid the issue altogether than attempt to comply.

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This isnt a new story, however, and in 2015 Engadget laid out in detail how banks were systematically withdrawing access for adult content platforms. This isnt just prohibitions on working with select adult content sites, but a blanket-ban that impacted individuals beyond their life in the sex industry. JPMorgan Chase shut down a number of bank accounts owned by adult performers, and refused banking services to a company that makes condoms. This crackdown had an disproportionate impact on individual accounts held by women and LGBTQ people.

The Right

This crackdown is part of a broader alliance between banks, lawmakers, right-wing pressure groups and religious extremists. As The New Republic explained late last year, these groups have been able to use the cover of sex trafficking to push an anti-porn, anti-sex agenda. The movements most successful victory was the passing of FOSTA-SESTA, a US law designed to tackle human trafficking by neutering the safe harbor provisions of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act 1996. Despite contravening the first amendment, the move has not shut down many groups of human traffickers, but has closed safety services created for, and used by, sex workers, and even forced Barnes & Noble to purge its ebook store of erotica.

Naturally, OnlyFans became a clear target of those campaigners both because of its success and because it contradicted their narrative. By enabling individuals to sell their material to consumers without intermediaries, it was allowing people to make a living. You can also argue that sites like OnlyFans have enabled people otherwise excluded from the workforce  this report from Arousability explains that a person with chronic pain who cant work a 9-to-5 job found that sex work offered them financial independence they couldnt have found otherwise.

Alternatives

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While creators wait for OnlyFans to detail just what content will be allowed, in its brave new world, many may wish to take their business elsewhere. There are a number of platforms that occupy a similar space in the market, including AVN Stars, FanCentro, Unlockd and AdultNode. Just For Fans, for instance, says that it is a sex worker owned-and-operated platform, and that it will welcome any and all creators that OnlyFans has abandoned. Similarly, a number of in-progress projects to build more sex-worker owned and operated platforms are currently underway.

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Its likely that this will be seen as another reason to switch to a blockchain and cryptocurrency-based system as a way of escaping the reach of big banking. There are several, including SpankCoin and Nafty, that offer sex workers the ability to sell content through their systems. And as more major platforms are picked off by a combination of payment processors and regulators, this space is going to grow.

But there are inherent risks to switching, including currency fluctuations and the risk that a sex work-specific currency can still be excluded from mainstream exchanges. And then theres the fact that if a platform gets big enough, it gets noticed  and targeted  by anti-sex advocates. Crypto can shore up the finances, but pressure can always be exerted on providers, hosts and platform owners wherever they may be.

And that often forces creators to leap from platform to platform to keep one jump ahead of the people who want to strip them of their ability to make money. But every time they do so, they risk losing their user bases, and have to expend time and energy to recover the fans that they already had. Either way, until there is better political and corporate leadership who can handle the nuanced situation of online sex work, individuals will often be left with no choice but to keep moving, or sink.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom could be recalled constitutionally, but if he is, the lieutenant governor should replace him. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

With just weeks before the California recall election on Sept. 14, time is running out for a lawsuit to be brought to challenge the recall procedure. But it is not too late. Voters need to quickly bring a lawsuit, ideally directly in the California Supreme Court, where justices could declare unconstitutional the method of choosing a successor if the governor is recalled.

Article II, Section 15 of the California Constitution provides the procedure for the recall election. It says that if the majority vote on the question is to recall, the officer is removed and, if there is a candidate, the candidate who receives a plurality is the successor.

Opinion polls show that the vote is likely to be close on whether to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom and that if he is recalled, none of the candidates is likely to get more than 20% of the vote. The result is a virtual certainty that if Newsom is recalled, he will get far more votes  probably more than twice as many  as whoever would replace him. There easily could be a situation in which 49% of the voters want Newsom to remain, but because he is recalled, a successor who garnered less than 20% of the votes would replace him.

This makes no sense and violates the most basic notions of democracy. Far more people want Newsom to be governor than want any of the 46 candidates on the ballot to replace him. The U.S. Supreme Court long has held that equal protection requires that every voter get an equal say in determining the results of an election. Under Californias recall system, the votes of those who choose the new governor are given two or three times the weight of the votes of those who wanted Newsom to remain in office. This violates the long-established constitutional principle of one person, one vote.

The recall ballot accomplishes in two steps what would be patently unconstitutional and unacceptable in one. Weighting votes of Newsom opponents more than his supporters would never be constitutional in a single ballot question in which all candidates were pitted against each other. And the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that if an election process is unconstitutionally skewed, it cannot simply be restructured to accomplish the same result.

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Some might disagree with this analysis by saying that it is two different elections, one on whether to recall Newsom and the other on who should succeed him, and that it is inappropriate to compare the vote totals. This ignores that it is one ballot, and the reality is that in this election, the candidate preferred by the most voters could well lose to one favored by far fewer. It also ignores the fact that the arguments against Newsom do not allege wrongful disqualifying conduct but rather amount to political disagreements and questions about whom voters favor as governor.

Although the case can be brought in federal court, it likely would be better at this stage to file it directly in the California Supreme Court. There are many reasons for this. California law is much more permissive than federal law in terms of who has standing to sue, the ability to bring a case to court. Any California voter ought to be able to bring this suit in a California court, because all of the states voters are affected by the unconstitutional process.

State courts are also a better route because the U.S. Supreme Court repeatedly has stressed, including just a year ago, that federal courts should not get involved in election processes just before the vote. No such principle exists in the California courts.

Finally, at this late date, the state needs a quick, definitive resolution, which the California Supreme Court could provide. Any lawsuit in federal court would inevitably entail appeals, which would be difficult to complete before the recall election.

Even though the lawsuit would be based on the U.S. Constitution, the California Supreme Court has jurisdiction to hear it and could provide necessary relief. State courts always have the authority to decide federal law claims. At this stage, the easiest solution is for the California Supreme Court to allow the recall election to go forward but hold that if Newsom is recalled, the lieutenant governor will then become governor until the expiration of Newsoms term in January 2023. This is not radical, because in all other situations, the lieutenant governor takes over when the governor leaves office before the end of a term.

Why hasnt anyone filed this suit yet? Perhaps it reflects that people are slow to realize that there is a real chance that Newsom will be recalled and one of the 46 on the ballot could replace him. Or maybe the thought is that it would be better to wait and bring the challenge if Newsom is recalled. But that is a dangerous gamble because a court probably will be more reluctant to invalidate the results of the election after it occurs.

The far preferable solution is to resolve this now and for the California Supreme Court to hold that the procedures specified by the California Constitution violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We should not risk allowing a candidate preferred by a small minority of Californians to be the next governor.

Erwin Chemerinsky is dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law and a contributing writer to Opinion. Aaron Edlin is a professor of law and economics at UC Berkeley.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
(Independent)

Residents of Orlando, Florida are facing several weeks of water cutbacks due to a shortage of liquid oxygen, which is used to treat the water supply.

The shortage has been triggered by the Covid pandemic, as hospitals treating the current wave of infected patients with liquid oxygen has left a shortfall.

Orlando Utilities Commission said it expected to receive only half as much liquid oxygen in the coming weeks than is usually needed.

Breaking news... more follows...
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to grant full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine early next week, sources told Axios on Friday.

Why it matters: It would be the first COVID-19 shot to receive full authorization from the federal government.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

A full approval could help boost vaccination efforts, as many Americans have been hesitant to get inoculated with shots that were only authorized for emergency use.

Politico first reported the story.

The big picture: The U.S. is currently battling a resurgence of the virus, driven by the more contagious Delta variant. The Biden administration said earlier this week that fully vaccinated Americans should expect to be offered a booster shot eight months after getting their second shot starting in September.

"Approving the vaccine and encouraging boosters at the same time may suggest to some that the vaccine as licensed is inadequate without an extra shot," the New York Times writes.

By the numbers: 51.2% of the entire American population has been fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The United States has reported more than 37 million confirmed virus cases and over 624,000 deaths, per the CDC.

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The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has rejected religious reasons as exemption for the Covid-19 vaccine (Getty Images)

The archdiocese of Philadelphia has become the latest Catholic jurisdiction to refuse Covid-19 vaccine exemptions on religious grounds.

The Vatican had deemed refusing the vaccine on grounds of religious beliefs as morally acceptable in December. Along with Philadelphia, five other archdioceses in the US have gone against this assessment. These include New York, San Diego, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Camden in New Jersey.

Individuals may wish to pursue an exemption from vaccination based on their own reasons of conscience, Kenneth Gavin, a Philadelphia archdiocese spokesperson, wrote in a statement obtained by The Washington Post. In such cases, the burden to support such a request is not one for the local Church or its clergy to validate.

Each archdiocese is responsible for policy in its constituency. Some areas have mandated their own employees to be vaccinated, in archdioceses such as Lexington and El Paso. The latters bishop, Mark J Seitz, said promoting vaccinations was a manifestation of Jesus Christs focus on the well-being of the human beings he came to serve, in a statement.

In a statement, Lexingtons Bishop John Stowe said, the healthcare system is overwhelmed by a crisis caused primarily by people who refuse to protect themselves and others by getting vaccinated. This is unacceptable, and our diocese now joins those employers who have already made this basic commitment to the common good a requirement.

The Vatican has attempted to promote the vaccine among the churchs flock. Pope Francis called getting inoculated against Covid an act of love as a part of a promotional campaign. In a statement on 18 August, he said Vaccination is a simple but profound way of promoting the common good and caring for each other, especially the most vulnerable.

Bishops opposed to the pro-vaccine message argue that each person has the right to make their own decisions. In a template letter for people to use to seek vaccine exemption written by the National Catholic Bioethics Center, they wrote, At the core of the Churchs teaching are the first and last points listed above: vaccination is not a universal obligation and a person must obey the judgment of his or her own informed and certain conscience.

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Other senior Catholic officials, such as Cardinal Raymond L Burke, implied that the Covid vaccine contains a microchip (it does not). This is a popular conspiracy theory among anti-vaccine groups who believe the government may be tracking recipients. According to a statement, he is being sedated due to complications of being infected with the coronavirus last week.

Rates of vaccination in Catholics are being reported to be high. According to a survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, 80 per cent of Hispanic Catholics report being vaccinated while 79 per cent of white Catholics have been. The amount of Catholics refusing the vaccine on religious grounds has not been measured.

According to data, over 51 per cent of Americans over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated against Covid, while more than 625,000 people have died due to complications of the virus.
By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett received a third shot of Pfizer/BioNtech's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, after Israel extended its booster campaign for people over 40 to try to curb the Delta coronavirus variant.

New cases in Israel have surged since Delta's emergence and Bennett, 49, has sought to avoid an economically painful national lockdown by ramping up third doses.

People over 60 began receiving third doses in July, before the minimum age of eligibility was dropped to 50. Health Ministry officials cited waning immunity and Delta's high infectiousness.

The Health Ministry said on Friday boosters would now be administered to people over 40 whose second shot was at least five months ago. It recommended teachers, health workers, carers of the elderly, and pregnant women of all ages have the shot.

The United States has announced plans to offer booster shots to all Americans, citing data showing diminishing protection. Canada, France and Germany have announced booster campaigns.

"If you go get vaccinated with a third shot, we will be able to avoid a fourth lockdown," Bennett said before he was shown live on social media receiving his shot. He said Israel would share its data.

Over 1 million of Israel's 9.3 million population has received a third shot, which an Israeli healthcare provider said on Wednesday was 86% effective in preventing infection.

Israeli health officials have said they are seeing initial signs that the booster campaign may be slowing the rate at which cases are climbing.

About 1 million eligible Israelis have not taken any dose of the vaccine and severe cases have been climbing, though few fully vaccinated 40 to 50-year-olds have fallen seriously ill.

Studies have shown the vaccine is still highly effective in preventing serious illness but its effectiveness against new infections fell as the Delta variant spread.

There is no consensus among scientists and health agencies that a third dose is necessary.

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The World Health Organization said on Wednesday current data did not indicate a need for boosters, and that the most vulnerable people worldwide should be fully vaccinated before high-income countries deploy a top-up.

Pfizer Inc has said its vaccine's efficacy drops over time and that a third dose showed significantly higher neutralising antibodies against the initial SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Beta and Delta variants.

(Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Aug. 19Sen. Trey Stewart announced Thursday that he is dropping his bid to challenge U.S. Rep. Jared Golden for Maine's 2nd Congressional District to endorse former Rep. Bruce Poliquin after both Republicans entered the race in recent weeks.

Stewart was the first major contender to throw his hat into the ring against the Democratic incumbent representing a key swing district ahead of the 2022 election. But just over a month after announcing his candidacy, the 27-year-old law student said dropping out was the "most responsible" choice after Poliquin declared his return bid in early August.

"Although I was very excited to run, and feel that I could go toe-to-toe with the incumbent, I've decided to withdraw from the race out of deference to my friend and mentor, Congressman Bruce Poliquin," Stewart said in a news release.

Stewart's withdrawal essentially sets up Poliquin for a rematch with Golden. The Republican real estate developer held the 2nd District seat for two terms before losing to Golden in 2018. One other Republican officeholder, Rep. Michael Perkins of Oakland, is still in the race, though his campaign has not gained much traction so far.

It also likely secures Stewart's legislative district for Stewart and his party in 2022. The first-term senator took the conservative district from then Sen. Michael Carpenter, D-Houlton, a former attorney general in 2020. He promised he was "not going anywhere" on Thursday.
By Kate Abnett and Andrea Januta

(Reuters) - Rain fell at the highest point on the Greenland ice sheet last week for the first time on record, another worrying sign of warming for the ice sheet already melting at an increasing rate, scientists said on Friday.

"That's not a healthy sign for an ice sheet," said Indrani Das, a glaciologist with Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. "Water on ice is bad.  It makes the ice sheet more prone to surface melt."

Not only is water warmer than the usual snow, it's also darker -- so it absorbs more sunlight rather than reflecting it away.

That meltwater is streaming into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise. Already, melting from Greenland's ice sheet --the world's second-largest after Antarctica's -- has caused around 25% of global sea level rise seen over the last few decades, scientists estimate https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-greenland/greenland-ice-sheet-shrinks-by-record-amount-climate-study-idUSKCN21X1UG. That share is expected to grow, as global temperatures increase.

The rain fell for several hours at the ice sheet's 3,216-metre summit on Aug. 14, where temperatures remained above freezing for around nine hours, scientists at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center said.

Temperatures at the ice cap almost never lift above freezing, but have now done so three times in less than a decade.

In total, 7 billion tonnes of rain fell across Greenland over three days, from Aug. 14 through Aug. 16 -- the largest amount since records began in 1950.

The rain and high temperatures triggered extensive melting across the island, which suffered a surface ice mass loss on Aug. 15 that was seven times above the average for mid-August.

The record-breaking rain is the latest in a string of warning signs about how climate change is affecting Greenland's ice sheet.

Greenland experienced a massive melting event in late July, when enough ice melted in a single day to cover the U.S. state of Florida in 2 inches (5 cm) of water.

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That melting event and last week's rain were both caused by air circulation patterns which meant warm, moist air temporarily covered the island.

"This alarming rain at the summit of Greenland is not an isolated event," said Twila Moon, deputy lead scientist with the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Along with rising floods, fires, and other extremes, it is one of many "alarm bells" signalling the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, she said.

"We really have to stay laser-focused on adapting, as well as reducing the potential for those to become truly devastating."

(Reporting by Kate Abnett in Brussels and Andrea Januta in New York; Editing by Katy Daigle and Sandra Maler)
Retail and brand executives are projecting a certain watchful readiness when Wall Street analysts press them on the worlds COVID-19-driven supply chain tangles.

The general message from fashions biggest players is that  while there will be some kind of a second half hit  companies are being proactive, flying goods in, making sure to secure dedicated ocean transport and using AI tools and agile distribution to most effectively get goods to where theyre most wanted.

More from WWD

But with containers in short supply, ports backed up and materials shortages looming over the holiday season, the industrys Washington contingent is starting to yowl.

David French, senior vice president of the National Retail Federation, described the challenges of supply chain disruption as an overwhelming concern without easy answers.

Were working to get the attention of the administration to focus their efforts to help them resolve this, but its an uphill battle, French said.

While a lack of, say, cargo containers in the right places is a relatively straightforward supply chain hiccup, the broader problem is complicated and cutting across sectors  from retail to high tech. For instance, French said that shortages in some microchips have become a factor as the supply crunch hits sectors from cellphones to automobiles.



The dangerous Delta variant, a painfully slow global vaccination rollout and lingering delays from the near-complete commercial shutdown last year are all sapping shipping and distribution capacity just as stores and e-commerce sites look to their peak selling season.

It hasnt gotten better and, as were well into the [preparations for the] holiday shopping season, its certainly top of mind, French said.

Its a good time for retail to zero in on the topic as it is currently top of mind in Washington too, with lawmakers hammering out a far-reaching infrastructure bill that could funnel billions to port updates, bridge repairs and more.

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But French warned against hoping for a silver bullet to solve the industrys current problems.

The long-term investment in infrastructure will help overall for the supply chain, but thats a next-decade solution, not a next-month solution, he said. Its going to end up being a series of baby steps to try to identify the choke points in the supply chain and trying to make modest improvements. If enough attention is focused on those problem areas, then we at least start moving things a little faster.

For now, retailers are doing what they can and seem to be successfully calming most worries on Wall Street. Supply chains and shortages have come up repeatedly on quarterly conference calls with analysts this month, but have not taken over the conversation.

We continue to monitor industry trends related to transit and port delays, Brett Biggs, chief financial officer of Walmart Inc., told analysts. Our merchants continue to take steps to mitigate challenges, including adding extra lead time to orders and chartering vessels specifically for Walmart goods. Out-of-stocks in certain general merchandise categories are running above normal, given strong sales and supply constraints.

At Target Corp., chief operating officer John Mulligan acknowledged that shoppers are still seeing empty shelves on some occasions but that the issue has improved from last year.

In some of those situations, weve simply sold beyond our expectations, and our team is working quickly to secure additional quantities, Mulligan said. In other cases, the vendors themselves are facing constraints in their ability to deliver product, and were collaborating with them to address these constraints together, securing as much product as possible.

As companies adjust where they can to the disruption, the leading members of retails Washington contingent are all pushing from their end to get what support they can from lawmakers and the bureaucracy.

Brian Dodge, president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, described the infrastructure bill as a train that is leaving the station and said the country has woefully underinvested in our infrastructure.

We are in an industry that moves a lot of goods across the country from place to place and having any sort of road congestion interferes with the pace of shipments  it increases costs, it delays delivery, Dodge said.

The biggest choke point is Americas ports  which would get a $16 billion boost from the infrastructure bill, as currently envisioned on Capitol Hill.

The underlying issue is that there are capacity issues at all the ports and they are ill-equipped to deal with the modern shipping infrastructure, Dodge said.

The ships are getting bigger, he said, and the ports are not prepared to handle them. They also tend to be located in urban areas, which adds another layer of complexity.

Money alone doesnt fix the problem at the ports, but its a big part of the issue, Dodge said.

The good news is that, in the divided-as-ever Capitol, there is a lot of backing for some kind of movement on infrastructure.

Stephen Lamar, chief executive officer of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, said, Passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Ocean Shipping Reform Act  which would address inaction by the [Federal Maritime Commission] and fight price gouging by carriers  both provide promising solutions to long-term issues, and have support in Congress.

But while neither of those bills addresses the problems of the here and now, Lamar said lawmakers could ease importers cost elsewhere.

We are looking to the Biden administration to work closely with the [Federal Maritime Commission] to fully discharge its oversight role, bring together stakeholders to address the issues at hand, and drop the China tariffs, he said.

Big infrastructure bills and pandemics come infrequently to Washington, but the importers fight against tariffs seems to spring eternal.

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Fears deepened on Friday that the Taliban are reneging on promises to pardon opponents and their families in Afghanistan, with thousands facing a challenge to flee the country as under-pressure US President Joe Biden said he cannot guarantee the final outcome of the chaotic airlift.

Images of small children being carried by foreign soldiers have brought home the plight of tens of thousands of Afghans who fear life under the Islamist extremists and have been trying to get out since Sunday, when the Taliban took control of the capital Kabul.

Their rapid offensive shocked the United States and its foreign allies, who were just two weeks away from completing their withdrawal from the country.

Human rights organizations called on US President Joe Biden to extend an August 31 deadline for American troops to leave Kabul, where they are securing the city's airport for the evacuation.

In a televised address Biden, facing criticism over his country's response to the Taliban takeover, said he thinks he can get all Americans out by that deadline but "we're going to make that judgment as we go."

"This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history," Biden said. "I cannot promise what the final outcome will be."

The most at-risk Afghans, however, would not be able to get out before month's end unless flights from Kabul are increased, Sarah Holewinski, head of the Washington bureau at Human Rights Watch, told a news conference.

Outside the airport's concrete walls men, women and children crowd together in hope.

A US soldier fired warning shots, and footage from the NGO Rise to Peace showed tear gas hanging in the air.

About 13,000 people have left on American military aircraft in less than a week, the White House said, but Biden cautioned that the US government does not know how many of its citizens are even in Afghanistan after 20 years of war.

The airlift involving Afghan allies and foreigners has also seen British, Turkish, French and other European military personnel sent in to Kabul.

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- 'We are ashamed' -

But the operation remains dangerous and logistically difficult.

Evacuation flights stopped for several hours because of overcrowding at a staging base in the Gulf emirate of Qatar, but resumed after several hours, the Pentagon said on Friday.

A video viewed more than two million times on social media showed Afghans at Kabul airport lifting a crying baby above a crowd and passing it to a US soldier who pulls the child to safety over barbed wire.

The father had asked US Marines to look after the baby because it was ill, and after treatment the child was returned to its parent, the Pentagon said.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Friday that the main challenge "is ensuring that people can reach and enter Kabul airport." He spoke at an emergency videolink conference of the alliance's foreign ministers.

A German civilian was shot on his way to the airport, a spokeswoman for the German government said.

In a professed rebrand, the Taliban have repeatedly vowed a complete amnesty but an intelligence document for the United Nations said militants were going door-to-door hunting down former government officials and those who worked with US and NATO forces.

According to the confidential document by the UN's threat assessment consultants seen by AFP, militants were also screening people on the way to Kabul airport.

The German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported that the Taliban had shot dead the relative of one of its journalists while searching for the editor.

The Taliban have said their fighters are not allowed to enter private homes, but have conceded some of their fighters were breaking into properties.

"Some people are still doing this, possibly in ignorance," Nazar Mohammad Mutmaeen, a senior Taliban official, said in a Twitter post.

"We are ashamed and have no answer for it."

- 'Sign of resistance' -

During their first stint in power, before being ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001, women were excluded from public life and girls banned from school.

People were stoned to death for adultery, while music and television were also banned.

This week, there have been isolated signs of opposition to the Taliban in parts of Afghanistan.

Local media reported on Friday that resistance fighters in the northern province of Baghlan had taken back three districts from Taliban control.

Former interior minister Masoud Andarabi, who has fled the country, told AFP Taliban fighters had been questioning villagers, sparking an uprising.

A resistance movement was forming in the Panjshir Valley, led by deposed vice-president Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, the son of Afghanistan's most famed anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Ahmad Massoud said he was "ready to follow in his father's footsteps".

Former top government official Abdullah Abdullah on Friday posted photos on Facebook of him and ex-president Hamid Karzai meeting with elders and resistance commanders in the province -- just days after the pair met with Taliban leaders.

At the first Friday prayers since the fall of the country to Taliban rule, there were appeals for Afghans to give the new regime a chance.

Gunmen flanked an Islamic scholar as he delivered a fiery speech to a packed Kabul mosque for the most important prayers of the week.

In Herat, one worshipper, Sebqatullah, said the Taliban had brought security to the city after years of violence.

bur-ecl/it
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) speaks with reporters after a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus in January 2020. (Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call)

Twenty years ago, Rep. Barbara Lee stood before her House colleagues and pleaded with them not to give President Bush a blank check to wage war against the remote, lawless nation accused of harboring the Sept. 11 terrorists.

"Let's just pause, just for a minute, and think through the implications of our actions today, so that this does not spiral out of control, she said to them days after the attacks.

With the stunning fall of Kabul to the Taliban this week, the Oakland lawmaker has been heralded as an ignored oracle, the only member of Congress to foresee an endless war in Afghanistan that would leave thousands of Americans and Afghans dead.

Lee didn't know in September 2001 that she would be the only no vote on the Authorization for the Use of Military Force that the House approved, 420 to 1, after the attacks that felled the twin towers of the World Trade Center, left the Pentagon billowing in smoke and downed a passenger airplane in Pennsylvania.

She didn't expect that vote to be a career-defining moment, widely praised as an act of political courage.

Nor did she anticipate the death threats and vilification that followed for several years.

But through it all  the ups and downs of the costly war, the overshadowing of Afghanistan by the subsequent Iraq war, the killing of Osama bin Laden and ultimately the growing acceptance by her colleagues that the battle against the Taliban could never be won  Lee said she never wavered on one thing: the conviction that she was on the right side of history.

"No way," she said in an interview when asked if she ever had second thoughts. "I did a lot of thinking about that. I talked to constitutional lawyers about that. I'm a person of faith. I prayed over that. And we're humans, because we all make mistakes. So that's the calculated risk whenever you cast a vote that may or may not be the sentiment of the majority. But no."

And Lee didn't stop with that single vote of disapproval. For two decades she has continued to fight against the war, lobbying members to repeal the military authorization, pestering each new president to wind down the fighting and becoming an antiwar crusader to bring U.S. troops home, and for Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to declare war.

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Lee said she often wonders what would have happened if her colleagues had taken a few extra days to debate the 2001 resolution, which gave the president power to use all necessary and appropriate force against anyone involved in any way with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

She's long stressed that she was never opposed to any military intervention in Afghanistan. Her concern was giving a president such broad, unending power to take military action. And she wondered how Congress might have responded if given the option of diplomatic alternatives.

"But we don't know," she said. "We don't because nothing else was on the table."

Critics at the time dubbed Lee, the daughter of a veteran, a starry-eyed liberal, un-American, even a traitor. Hate mail and threats flowed in. She was assigned a Capitol Police detail.

Back home, voter support for Lee never wavered. Less than a month after the vote, a crowd of 3,000 cheered her name in downtown Oakland at a rally organized by actor Danny Glover and writer Alice Walker.

Since then, Lee has never received less than 81% of the votes cast in her district. In 2020, she was reelected with 90.37%.

A year after that fateful vote, the nation's attention was shifting to the brewing conflict with Iraq.

By 2003, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld announced that major combat operations in Afghanistan had ended. Though fighting continued between the Taliban and the U.S.-backed interim Afghan government, terrorist attacks and the growing insurgency in Iraq became the new top U.S. military priorities.

Lee said she soon began to notice a shift in public opinion. Returning veterans and grass-roots activists demanded to know why Congress had provided such open-ended authority to the president. Some of those who once sent her hate mail told Lee they now thought she had been right.

Lee credits activists for gradually swaying public opinion on the two wars.

"We had a long-term strategy  myself, several other members and outside organizations. And we just said, 'We're just going to keep at it,'" she said.

Slowly Lee drew allies to her cause. First were two more California Democrats, Reps. Maxine Waters of Los Angeles and Lynn Woolsey of Petaluma.

As the Bush administration failed to uncover the long-alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Congress members flocked to join the Out of Iraq Caucus in 2005, including some Republicans, starting with the now-deceased Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina.

Eight years after the war began, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) declared she would never again pressure members of her Democratic caucus to vote for Afghanistan supplemental funding.

By 2010, Democrats had created the Out of Afghanistan Caucus. With Lee on the drafting committee, the national party added the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to the Democratic platform in 2012.

After overseeing a surge in troops in 2009 and the killing of Bin Laden in 2011, President Obama set out a plan to leave Afghanistan in his second term.

An increasingly war-weary Congress was joining Lee's calls for a reduction in troops, with an unusual alliance of antiwar liberals and fiscally conservative Republicans demanding an exit strategy for Afghanistan.

In the early days, Lee said the campaign was complicated by the turnover of congressional seats. Every two years she and supporters had to lobby a new crop of members on the issue.

As the years passed, she found more members coming into Congress already questioning why children of the first group of soldiers sent to Afghanistan were now serving tours of their own.

Only 13 Californians who voted on that original 2001 authorization still serve in Congress. About 25% of all House members who took that initial vote remain in office.

Despite growing support, Lee has been unable to overturn that initial, broad authorization that every president has since used to justify using military action somewhere in the world.

This summer the White House said President Biden would be open to discussing changes to the authority, but made no explicit commitments.

Lee supports Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, but was alarmed by the chaos that has unfolded this week at Kabul's airport. She is scrambling to do what she can to help constituents get their families out.

"I was very sad, upset, angry and anxious about the evacuation," Lee said. "In many ways I felt really sad, almost like after 9/11, to see all of this human tragedy take place in front of our eyes."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Aug. 20Rochester police said a 29-year-old man who claimed he was shot by an unknown person Thursday night actually shot himself in the foot.

Police were called just after 8 p.m. Thursday to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys for a report of a 29-year-old Rochester man with a gunshot wound to his foot. The man told officers he was shot at by an unknown person as he was leaving Thursdays Downtown, according to Lt. Tom Faudskar.

Investigators later determined that the incident was likely an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident is still under investigation and charges may be filed. It was not immediately known if the man had a permit to carry or if he was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned a year ago today, falling deathly ill on a flight that had just taken off from Siberia where he'd been campaigning against corruption and against the party of power in Russia. Now he sits in a Russian jail for parole violations connected to a case the European Court of Human Rights has always called trumped up. Navalny has asked repeatedly how he was expected to make parole hearings when he was in a coma, having been airlifted while unconscious to a German hospital.

To mark the day, the opposition figure wrote on Instagram that he had a second birthday to celebrate, somehow, as he was effectively re-born after his near-death experience last year. He just doesn't know if the extra birthday should be the day of his poisoning or the day he woke up or in fact the day he really came back to himself. Additionally, he wrote an op-ed piece this week, seizing the moment to focus on the subject of corruption, his cause celebre. Navalny originally made his name as an anti-corruption campaigner, not as a dissident or opposition leader, and his organization, now labelled "extremist" in Russia, is called the Foundation for Fighting Corruption. Navalny spoke of corruption in his article as the root of all the worlds problems, from the fall of the Afghan government, to uncontrolled migration caused by poverty, which he said is almost always caused by corruption, to aspects of climate change, suggesting as an example the "millions of hectares of Siberian forest that burn every year because of barbaric total clearance, violating the fire regulations for forest management."

RUSSIA OPENS NEW CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST TOP NAVALNY ALLIES

Navalny, with his trademark irony, even said corruption crushed the Russian security services' best-laid plans for him, allowing him to survive. "When a countrys senior management is preoccupied with protection rackets and extortion from businesses, the quality of covert operations inevitably suffers," he wrote in the Guardian, among other papers. "A group of FSB agents applied the nerve agent to my underwear just as shoddily as they incompetently dogged my footsteps for three and a half years  in violation of all instructions from above  allowing civil investigating activists to expose them at every turn."

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Russia's Foreign Ministry marked the anniversary with a tweet: "The actions taken by German authorities over the past 12 months clearly show that a pre-planned provocation was carried out against Russia." Russia is not investigating the poisoning because they deny it happened.

It was German Chancellor Angela Merkel who effectively hosted Navalny during his recovery. Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted her today in Moscow to discuss a broad range of issues. Putin was asked about Navalny by reporters. True to form, he did not speak of Russias most famous prisoner by name.

"As for the person of interest you mentioned [Alexei Navalny], he wasn't sentenced for his political activity, but for the criminal offense regarding foreign partners. As for political activity, no one should hide behind it for carrying out business projects, moreover, in violation of the law," Putin said. Going on to blast "non-systemic opposition," which is how he refers to Navalny and his allies, he continued.

"I don't see the Yellow Vests or Occupy Wall Street being supported," Putin said equating the pro-democracy protests in support of Navalny to the French and American groups before invoking the fate of some of those Jan. 6 Capitol rioters and suggesting the Western press is biased in its coverage of Russia.

NAVALNY LOOKS GAUNT IN COURT AFTER ENDING HUNGER STRIKE

Meanwhile on the anniversary of the poisoning, the U.S. and Britain announced new sanctions against Russians deemed to have played a direct role in Navalny's poisoning or Russia's chemical weapons program. The two governments issued a joint statement calling on Russia to abide by its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. The U.S. Treasury designated nine individuals and two entities and the State Department named two further entities. Navalny said in his op-ed that he believes it will take personal sanctions against oligarchs close to Putin to effect real change.

Navalny had been encouraging people to practice "smart voting" ahead of local elections when he was poisoned last August. Since he and his allies cannot run for elections themselves, they figure the next best option for their cause is to get Russians to vote for candidates who are not part of Putin's United Russia to chip away at its legitimacy. Though banned and behind bars, he and his allies are still pushing for "smart voting" ahead of parliamentary elections next month. But Leonid Volkov, a Navalny ally, has said he thinks the authorities will block the website used to guide voters in the process.

"We're already seeing loads of [measures by the authorities] and the degree of hysteria is only going to grow in the coming month," he said. Just today the last remaining independent television station TV Rain was labelled a foreign agent, the latest freewheeling and no-holds-barred media outlet to be squeezed by the Kremlin.
Steve Debenport / Getty Images/iStockphoto

In theory, retirement is a time to kick back and relax, but sometimes it doesn't work that way. Some retirees still want to work, whether add structure to the day, just get out of the house or to supplement their incomes.

Find Out: The Worlds Most In-Demand Jobs That Dont Require a Degree

Learn More: Companies That Let You Work From Anywhere

In fact, more than half  51%  of Americans are worried the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their ability to enjoy financial security in retirement, according to a survey conducted by the National Institute on Retirement Security. Furthermore, 68% of Americans believe workers cant save enough on their own to achieve financial security in their golden years.

No matter what your reasoning for wanting a job in retirement, GOBankingRates found several senior-friendly options and the average pay. Unless otherwise noted, salaries are provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Find something that parallels your life's work or head in the opposite direction. Pursue your passion while getting paid or turn a hobby into a job.

Click through to read about great jobs for senior citizens and get ready to boost your retirement funds.

Last updated: Aug. 20, 2021

Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com

1. Substitute Teacher

Average pay: $17.35 per hour

For people who like working with kids, substitute teaching offers a flexibility that makes this one of the best retirement jobs. Also, its requirements might be relatively easy to meet.

"A teaching certificate is easy to obtain in some areas around the country, and this allows seniors to work when they want," said Danielle Kunkle Roberts, co-owner of Boomer Benefits, a licensed insurance agency.

Do note that you'll be on your feet most of the day, which could be a drawback if you can't stand for extended periods of time. Requirements to become a substitute teacher vary by state, so check with your local Department of Education.

Check Out: 27 Best Strategies To Get the Most Out of Your 401(k)

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goodluz / Shutterstock.com

2. Virtual Assistant

Average pay: $19.71 per hour

Being a virtual assistant means you can work from home. You can also likely set your own hours, making it a great part-time job for seniors.

"For people retiring with good computer skills, doing virtual assistant work is an opportunity for more regular income," Kunkle said. "There are a couple of companies out there offering VA certifications, and then you can join online job websites like Upwork to showcase your skills and find opportunities."

The downside: If you're looking for social interaction, this probably isn't a good fit.

Avoid: 30 Greatest Threats to Your Retirement

Blend Images / Shutterstock.com

3. Temporary Staffing

Average pay: $17.24 per hour for data entry keyers and $16.98 per hour for general office clerks

If you like to take part in a variety of experiences, consider taking temporary assignments. They make great retirement jobs since each gig offers something a little different.

"I worked 10 years in the staffing industry. Some of very best short-term file clerks and data entry people were seniors," Kunkle said. "It's sometimes harder to find younger people who are interested in a three- or five-day job, but seniors loved them because they offered some extra income with no long-term commitment."

This probably isn't the best idea if you prefer to follow a set routine, though, because your work hours and location will change frequently.

Did You Know? Hidden Obstacles That Keep People From Retirement

Tyler Olson / Shutterstock.com

4. Uber Driver

Average pay: $19 per hour, according to Glassdoor

One of the most accommodating jobs for retirees, driving for Uber is a fun way to meet new people. It's also a popular choice among seniors.

"In recent years, we have [had] tons of retirees joining the Uber workforce," Kunkle said. "It's flexible, and you can work only when you want to."

The major negatives? You never know who will be hopping into your car, and driving in certain parts of town might not appeal to you. If so, this isn't the gig for you.

Read: 50 Best (and Worst) Cities for an Early Retirement

Blend Images / Shutterstock.com

5. Poll Worker for Elections

Average pay: Varies -- $250 per day in New York City, up to $240 in San Francisco and $230 in Milwaukee; inquire with your local Board of Elections for specific information in your community.

Being a poll worker can be a fulfilling way to give back to the community. It is also one of the best jobs for retirees looking for an occasional cash infusion.

"The jobs are temporary or short-term but recurring, so once you train for it, you will have a series of elections you can work each year," Kunkle said. "These are often seated positions, checking voters in and explaining voting booths. It's a perfect occasional income source for people that want to supplement Social Security without going over the income limits that cause Social Security to be taxed."

Work days won't come often, but they will require long hours. Some positions might also involve minor lifting.

Lisa F. Young / Shutterstock.com

6. Social Companion

Average pay: $13.02 per hour

When it comes to rewarding jobs for seniors, it doesn't get much better than this. As a social companion, the other person will be relying on you, so committing to regular hours probably will be necessary.

"Earning retirement income by offering companionship, rides to doctor appointments and help making meals is rewarding work that enables seniors who may need a little assistance to continue living comfortably and safely in their own homes," said Frank Byrne, formerly the senior director of home care services at Surrey Services for Seniors. "The pay is good, the hours are flexible and you feel great helping another senior."

The job also could require at least moderate physical strength; your client might need help into a wheelchair or to lean on you for support when walking.

sturti / iStock.com

7. Call Center Consultant

Average pay: $17.23 per hour

Working for a call center can be a fulfilling part-time job for seniors who enjoy problem-solving and chatting with others. Also, they can sit comfortably in a chair for the entire shift.

"Some of these positions are great for seniors because certain companies allow their employees to work from home," said Valerie Streif, formerly a senior advisor at Mentat, a career service company. "As long as they know how to use a computer and phone, they'd be set."

But if you're not looking for regular hours, this probably isn't the best choice. Employers typically need a commitment to ensure proper coverage.

See These: 30 Reasons It's Hard to Retire at 65

monkeybusinessimages / iStock.com

8. Childcare Services

Average pay: $12.24 per hour

When it comes to jobs for retired people who like kids, child care can be a fun and rewarding opportunity. It can also help boost your income if you're only relying on Social Security.

"As day care is exorbitantly expensive, looking into providing part-time child care services for friends or family can help them out in a huge way, but also can be a lucrative way to stay occupied," Streif said.

The job requires lots of energy to keep up with the little ones. Don't commit to more hours or kids than you can reasonably handle.

KLH49 / iStock.com

9. Floral Delivery

Average pay: $15.32 per hour

If you enjoy driving and want to deliver beauty to people in your town, floral delivery might be a good retirement job for you.

"Many seniors have great driving records, so it's easy on the insurance for the floral company," said Dawn-Marie Joseph, founder of Estate Planning & Preservation. "Driving or making deliveries for a small company often doesn't require a special driver's license."

Most floral deliveries occur during the day, so you won't have to worry about driving at night. Do note that moderate tech skills are required as you'll need know to use GPS to quickly and easily find your stops.

Sollina Images / Getty Images

10. Retail Clerk

Average pay: $12.03 per hour

Retail stores provide great jobs for seniors who enjoy interacting with the public. Retail also offers many opportunities to find a job you'll like, too.

"As a senior, find out what you're interested in -- baking, food, clothing, etc. -- and seek out a store that provides those services," Joseph said. "Most of these small shops are flexible and will be able to work around your schedule."

The main drawback is having to stand on your feet most of your shift, so keep this in mind before applying.

Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock.com

11. Intern

Average pay: $19.54 per hour if you have a bachelor's degree, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers

Think Robert DeNiro in "The Intern." One of the more unconventional jobs for retirees, landing an internship can benefit you down the road if you have your sights set on a part-time gig that requires skills you don't have.

"Retirees looking for work should consider seeking out volunteer or internship opportunities where they can gain relevant experience in an industry or field that interested them," said Marc Cenedella, founder and CEO of career site Ladders, Inc. "Job seekers in the 60-something age category should be proactive, emphasizing the experience and work ethic that come with age, while demonstrating the flexibility and hunger to succeed that are often attributed more to younger workers."

If you are used to being the boss, one possible disadvantage to this job is you'll have to take orders from younger workers.

Hero Images / Getty Images

12. Entrepreneur

Average pay: Varies -- $42.14 per hour for management consultants and $32.27 per hour for freelance writers

Although starting your own business might buck the retirement jobs standard, give it a whirl if it's always something you've wanted to do.

"Whether you worked in sales officially, or just helped your kids sell cookies at the grocery store before retirement, turn these skills into a flexible working arrangement like consulting or freelancing," Cenedella said. "Create your own hours and utilize your network or local community to get started."

Because entrepreneurial income isn't always reliable -- at least, at first -- this option is probably best if you're looking for more of a pastime than a way to pay the bills.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Senior-Friendly Jobs That Are Perfect for Retirement
I made it my entire livelihood, and quit my dreams of becoming a doctor to pursue a full-time career on the site, a creator said.

OnlyFans creators are outraged this week after the website announced that it will no longer allow any sexually explicit content starting in October.

For the last few years, the site has gained notoriety as the go-to destination for models and sex workers looking to digitally share their explicit photos and videos with their fanbases. Participation and mainstream acceptance of the site skyrocketed even more during the pandemic after the adult film industry shut down over fears about COVID safety and much of the globe found itself stuck in the house during lockdowns.

Thursday, OnlyFans announced it would be evolving its content guidelines due to mounting pressure from financial investors.

(Credit: OnlyFans)

But for many sex workers, the site has become their main or primary source of income, and the decision to censor them after using them for so long feels like a betrayal.

I feel betrayed by OnlyFans, I made it my entire livelihood, and quit my dreams of becoming a doctor to pursue a full-time career on the site, creator Camila Elle, 21, explained to The Daily Mail.

Sex workers built this platform, its a business to us. We were the ones who promoted OnlyFans across social media, the college student pointed out. They used us to build the site and now theyre throwing us away.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

New York-based OnlyFans star Ona Artist not only echoes Elles sentiments she also predicts that the upcoming explicit content ban will likely mark the end of the sites meteoric rise. In her opinion, rather than be held captive by the new guidelines because many of its creators will eventually adapt and find another platform that will allow them to keep sharing sexually explicit content with their devotees.

If OnlyFans does go ahead with this its suicide, she said. They might claim its because of payment processors rules but those companies put through porn purchases all over the web.

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Models will always find a way to share sexual content with those who want it.

Nita Marie, a Christian model who averages $1.8 million a year from her nearly one million subscribers, says that the new ban could also put peoples lives at risk, by robbing sex works of a safe and legal outlet through which to earn money.

OnlyFans helps reduce sex trafficking and illegal sex work as its down to the creators who choose to post content, said the 45-year-old.

Online sex work is verified, safe and legal and OnlyFans also offers an opportunity for the user to interact with the creator in a safe environment, she noted. Changing their conditions could cause huge issues for people.

Former Washington NAACP head Rachel Dolezal, the woman best known for pretending to be Black, has applied for and was granted a channel on OnlyFans. (AP)

Despite the current backlash, this week Rachel Dolezal  the woman best known for pretending to be Black to teach Africana studies at Eastern Washington University and lead the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP  announced she applied for and was granted a channel on the site, theGrio previously reported.

In an Instagram post, she wrote that she plans to share content at least three times a week with some bonus content. She noted that her page will have, a little something for (almost) everyone. Looking forward to bringing you some great content!

Dolezal  who, notably, identifies as transracial  noted that her channel will feature Monday Motivation=Gym/Fitness/Squats n Other Stuff. Wednesday will feature hair-chair conversations with her clients, as well as hair tutorials. On Fridays, shell reportedly create and discuss her art.

She added her channel will also feature other/random things like foot pics, makeup tutorials and maybe random tasteful other pics.

OnlyFans points out that creators can continue to share content with nudity as long as it is consistent with our Acceptable Use Policy.

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 Sex workers slam OnlyFans for betraying them after site bans sexually explicit content appeared first on TheGrio.
Aug. 20When the Freedom House opened at a former fire station on West Seventh Street last January, St. Paul officials and care providers had high hopes the day center for the homeless would become a model for permanent drop-in locations throughout the rest of the city.

The site, operated by Listening House on an emergency basis during the pandemic, provides day services within walking distance of Catholic Charities' Higher Ground overnight shelter.

Some neighboring residents and business owners call it a disaster. Within a block or two of Freedom House, they've documented in photos public defecation, encounters with unruly visitors entering businesses or blocking entrances to parking lots, an uptick in drug paraphernalia and other evidence of drug dealing, assaults and prostitution.

Rather than blame the day shelter, some say the increase in negative behavior goes hand-in-hand with crime trends impacting the entire nation, as well as housing costs and the pandemic-era economic downturn.

VOTE ON MORE 'FREEDOM HOUSE'-STYLE SATELLITE CENTERS FOR HOMELESS

On Friday, a zoning recommendation from the St. Paul Planning Commission left the future of Freedom House in doubt. The Planning Commission voted to support allowing more "Freedom House"-style satellite centers for the homeless within medium-to-high density zoning areas such as business districts and mixed-use, or "traditional neighborhood" zoning areas. The decision to support the draft plan was approved 14-0, with one abstention.

If approved by the St. Paul City Council, day shelters smaller than 7,000 square feet could open without conditional use permits. Larger day shelters like Freedom House, which spans about 17,000 square feet, would require a permit in most business or mixed-use zones.

"The Freedom House site is zoned T2," reads a staff report to the Planning Commission. "Thus, if these amendments are approved in current form, the Freedom House use would need to receive a conditional use permit or be relocated to a different site to continue past the pandemic emergency."

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The Planning Commission recommendation will be forwarded to the city council, which will have the final say over the zoning amendment.

A vocal group of West Seventh Street business owners appears hotly opposed.

"No other neighborhood should have to experience what the West Seventh neighborhood is currently going through," wrote restaurateurs Tom Reid and Katherine Gosiger, together with ad agency executives Charles Kosse and Pat Salkowicz, in a letter to the editor published Thursday in the Pioneer Press.

St. Paul Police reports show that quality of life crimes in the area around Freedom House, such as graffiti and criminal damage to property, increased from 207 reported offenses in the first half of 2020 to 369 offenses in the first half of 2021. More serious crimes, such as theft and aggravated assault, increased from 39 reported incidents to 53 incidents in the same timeframe.

'HOUSING CRISIS, INCREASED VIOLENCE IN ALL CITIES'

Not everyone is convinced the uptick in negative behavior can be attributed to a single facility, at least not entirely.

"There is a housing crisis and increased violence in all cities," said an unnamed correspondent in written testimony to the Planning Commission, according to meeting minutes. "They are not problems created by Freedom House."

"When you're homeless everything you do is public," said Sara Fleetham, external relations director for Freedom House. She added it was difficult to understand "the lack of humanity" expressed by some neighbors.

On Friday, Nate Homme, a guest at Freedom House, said he appreciated the facility for providing some stability through services that include showers, Internet, access to social and medical services, lockers, laundry and a mailing address.

"It's safer here than being on the street," Homme said. "Hard to imagine where I'd be without Freedom House."

Others have said while it might be possible to relocate the homeless, their problems won't be solved by offering fewer supportive services. Closing Freedom House would just move those problems down the road.

"Local government and community partnerships have been critical to our ability to continue safely serving those in need during the pandemic, and they will remain critical long after COVID-19 has passed," reads an April 23 letter to the Planning Commission from Lorna Schmidt, public policy manager with Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Aug. 19More than 50 U.S. senators including Susan Collins and Angus King are calling on President Joe Biden's administration to do more to assist Afghan allies fleeing the country following the Taliban takeover this past weekend.

In a letter to Biden, the group, which included 10 Republicans and 41 Democrats along with King and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, calls on his administration to speed up visa processing and help Afghan citizens still in the country who may be at risk.

Afghans who assisted the U.S. military during its nearly 20-year occupation of the country are often eligible for visas that allow them and their families to immigrate to the U.S. But the program has a long backlog, leaving many who aided U.S. troops now vulnerable to retribution.

"The Taliban's rapid ascendancy across Afghanistan and takeover of Kabul should not cause us to break our promise to the Afghans who helped us operate over the past twenty years and are counting on us for assistance," the senators wrote. "American inaction would ensure they become refugees or prime targets for Taliban retribution."

The group calls on Biden to immediately implement a law cosponsored by King to expand eligibility for the Special Immigrant Visa program and allow the U.S. to immediately issue visas to those who have completed necessary steps outside of a medical exam, among other things.

The senators also said the U.S. military should assist Afghans who need transport from other parts of the country to Kabul, the sole site for military evacuations, and consider how to help those who may not have the proper documents if they had to flee quickly.

King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, has pushed on the issue of visas for Afghan citizens for the past several months, saying in a floor speech in June that the U.S. had a "moral and ethical obligation," as well as a national security interest, in providing for the safety of interpreters and others who assisted the U.S. military. Other members of Maine's congressional delegation have also been supportive of the effort.

About 100,000 Afghan citizens may be seeking evacuation from the country due to their work with the U.S. military, according to one nonprofit. U.S. officials said late Thursday they had evacuated around 6,000 people  including both American and Afghan citizens  from Kabul in the past few days and are continuing to ramp up capacity.

More articles from the BDN
A suspected robber fired a shot an employee chasing him in a North Texas mall, but no injuries were reported, according to Mesquite police.

Mesquite police said the suspect fired one shot, then fled Town East Mall, at 2063 Town East Mall in Mesquite, to a waiting vehicle.

The shooting occurred shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday.

Mesquite police learned that a suspect had stolen merchandise from a store inside of the mall and fled the business.

A store employee chased the suspect through the lower level of the mall.

At some point, the suspect pulled out a handgun and opened fire.

Mesquite police continued to investigate the robbery and shooting.
FILE PHOTO: A cameraman films a news anchor at Tolo News studio, in Kabul, Afghanistan October 18, 2015. Female journalists face increasing threats to their jobs and lives in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

The Taliban is barring two female journalists at state-run TV from coming into work, reports say.

Broadcasters Khadija Amin and Shabnam Dawran said they were turned away from Radio Television Afghanistan,

The swift Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is undoing decades of progress towards press freedom and women rights.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The Taliban is already banning two female presenters at state-run Radio Television Afghanistan from coming to work work, according to the Washington Post and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The Taliban, despite its public commitments to allowing women in public life, has a long track record of hostility to a free press and to women serving in public-facing roles. The group has ramped up its attacks on the media in recent months, and its retaking of Afghanistan is already rolling back much of the progress of the last 20 years on press freedom and women's equality in the country.

One female anchor at RTA, Khadija Amin, showed up to work to find that a male anchor had taken her place, with the new Taliban leadership of the outlet telling her to "stay at home for a few more days."

"There has been a change in the programs  [and] there are no female presenters or female journalists," Amin said, according to independent Tolo News.

Another female employee, presenter Shabnam Dawran, said she wasn't even let into the building.

"I was not allowed in, even though I was carrying my ID badge," Dawran said in a video posted to social media, according to the Post. "Male workers were allowed, but I was threatened. They told me that the regime has changed..our lives are under serious threat."

Female Afghan journalists have reported on the Taliban takeover of their country despite mounting threats from the Taliban.

In addition to the female broadcasters taken off the air, CNN reported on Monday that the Taliban had visited the homes of and made threatening calls to some female journalists. Taliban fighters also assaulted two male journalists covering protests in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, according to CPJ.

Story continues

"Stripping public media of prominent women news presenters is an ominous sign that Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have no intention of living up their promise of respecting women's rights, in the media or elsewhere," CPJ's Asia program coordinator Steven Butler said. "The Taliban should let women news anchors return to work, and allow all journalists to work safely and without interference."

A United Nations report from February 2021 found that the rise in civilian casualties in Afghanistan has included 30 cases of journalists and other media workers killed since 2018, making the country one of the more perilous places in the world to be a journalist.

In addition to the journalists killed while on the job, dozens of female journalists, in particular, have faced attacks or left the country altogether in the past year, a Human Rights Watch report from April found. Women journalists outside of major cities face particular risk.

In March of 2021, three young women were gunned down outside the television station where they worked in Jalalabad, with an Islamic State affiliate claiming responsibility for the attack. The targeted killing of the three women followed the assassination of Malalai Maiwand, a television journalist, outside of the same station in December 2020.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Amid the Talibans resurgence and takeover, many U.S.-allied Afghan security force members managed to escape the country, seeking refuge in neighboring nations. Many Afghan fighters laid down their arms and changed into civilian clothes to disguise their old identity so to avoid trouble at the airport, but those who stayed are now being hunted by the Taliban.

The United States invested tens of billions of dollars in the Afghan militarys development and training over the course of two decades, preparing it to battle and hold its own against the Taliban. The fighting force weakened over time, however, as it lost cohesion and resources and some members abandoned the cause.

While many Afghan military collaborators successfully evacuated this week, reaching the safety of other shores, thousands more remain on Afghanistan soil, trapped behind Taliban checkpoints in the territorys interior. These men, who fought alongside American and allied troops to keep the Taliban at bay up until the Afghan armys disintegration and the regimes collapse, are now on the run, hunted by the terrorist group.

Theres no way out, an Afghan commando wrote in a text message to an American soldier he fought alongside, the New York Times reported. The fighter has since been hiding in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan to evade the Taliban. I am praying to be saved, he said.

While the Taliban has presented a new demeanor different than the violent extremism it was notorious for in the 1990s, with its spokesman promising fair treatment for women and magnanimity for its former U.S.-allied enemy combatants, accounts on the ground tell a different story.

The Taliban are reportedly chasing down individuals they believe cooperated and fought with U.S. and NATO forces, the Times said. The groups operatives have threatened to arrest or punish family members if they cannot track down these personnel, according to a confidential United Nations document obtained by the Times.

Story continues

Anonymous former Afghan officials told the newspaper that the Taliban had been scrutinizing records at the ministry of defense and interior and the headquarters of Afghanistans spy service, looking for names to hunt.

Evidence is mounting that the Taliban has been brutalizing the people it has found, conducting familiar terror and cruelty that starkly contrasts with its recent reformist rhetoric.

While the Taliban vowed not to harm the Afghan fighters who had capitulated, it is actively seeking out the remaining 18,000 Army commandos and officers from the countrys spy service, the National Directorate of Security, the Times added.

In Kandahar, a southern city in Afghanistan the Taliban conquered last week, a video was posted on social media by a local media outlet, which the group has since seized, showing dozens of dead bodies on the street. According to reports, many of the fallen were Afghan soldiers and officials murdered by the Taliban.

Many Afghan pilots have successfully fled to Uzbekistan, including 22 planes and 24 helicopters carrying nearly 600 men on Sunday, Uzbek officials told the Times. The publication confirmed that an unknown number escaped to Iran, which is accessible by car after a long drive through the desert.

Thousands of the Afghan forces surrendered after the Talibans victory, but many did not, and reports have surfaced of a resistance movement building in the Panjshir valley, where some soldiers are reportedly gathering and weapons are being stored.

The province once served as a zone from which U.S. forces conducted their invasion that expelled the Taliban to the remote countryside after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Twenty years later, however, those leading the charge to defend the northern region from the Taliban lack international military intervention and support.

More from National Review
Taliban fighters in Afghanistan have shot and killed a relative of a Deutsche Welle journalist while hunting for him, the German public broadcaster said.

The militants were conducting a house-to-house search for the journalist, who now works in Germany, DW said Thursday.

A second relative was seriously wounded but others were able to escape, it said, without giving details of the incident.

DW director general Peter Limbourg condemned the killing, which he said showed the danger to media workers and their families in Afghanistan.

"The killing of a close relative of one of our editors by the Taliban yesterday is inconceivably tragic, and testifies to the acute danger in which all our employees and their families in Afghanistan find themselves," he said.

"It is evident that the Taliban are already carrying out organized searches for journalists, both in Kabul and in the provinces. We are running out of time!"

The Taliban had raided the homes of at least three other DW journalists, the broadcaster said.

DW and other German media organisations have called on the German government to take swift action to help their Afghan staff.

After taking Kabul, the Taliban launched a public relations blitz promising media freedom and a pardon for all their opponents.

However, a confidential UN document seen by AFP says they are intensifying their search for people who worked with US and NATO forces.

bur-mtp/ssy
After the spectacular scenes of the fall of Kabul on the weekend, the Talibans spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid held a press conference where  along with complaining about being kicked off Facebook (the Taliban cancelled for their problematic beliefs? Somebody call Toby Young!)  he declared that Afghanistan was going to be drug-free.

There will be no drug production, no drug smuggling. We saw today that our young people were on drugs near the walls; this was making me very, very sad that our youth are addicted, he said. Afghanistan will not be a country of cultivation of opium anymore. We will bring opium cultivation to zero again.

Zabihullahs referring to the Talibans opium ban in the early 2000s, seemingly one of the few successful wars on drugs. During that time, the total area used to cultivate opium poppy (the flower from which the narcotic is extracted) fell from 82,000 hectares to only 8,000 (mostly under the control of dissident warlords). The opium gum from those flowers was then refined and processed first into morphine, then into heroin.

Afghanistans been a heroin hotspot since the Soviet invasion of 1979, when the mujahideen fighters, supported by American and Pakistani intelligence, began running dope to help them fight back against the occupation. Since the American-led invasion in 2001, both pro- and anti-Taliban factions have protected the poppy fields, and the poor, mountainous country now produces over 80 percent of the worlds heroin, which ends up shooting through the veins of addicts in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and other parts of Asia (the American market is mainly supplied by Mexico).

The Talibans opium ban then, as now, came as they tried to legitimize themselves in the eyes of the world as not just a bunch of scruffy, bearded jihadis, but the rightful rulers of the land. But the last time they tried, it was an act of economic suicide. So much of the Afghan economy revolved around opium  from the farmers, to the smugglers, to the Talibans own taxes  that they practically shot themselves in the foot, allowing the Americans and their allies to overrun the country in a little over a month.

Story continues

Watch: Afghanistan: Money and power drive Afghanistan's opium production - but how will the Taliban wean themselves off the profitable trade?

The British and Americans partly repeated the same mistakes. In 2001, Tony Blair said that stopping Afghan heroin from reaching British shores was one of the main reasons for sending troops to oust the Taliban. Shockingly, sending those troops on counternarcotics missions to destroy the farmers only chance of earning a living didnt endear them to the local population.

Having said that, the British and Americans backed their own smack-dealing warlords against the Taliban, and in certain areas poppy cultivation was tolerated. Recent years brought new innovations: as well as opium, drug markers developed a new way of creating crystal meth using the naturally growing ephedra plants, while poppy farmers have even reduced their carbon footprint by using solar power (Greta Thunberg will be pleased).

So fears that the new Afghanistan will become a narco-state are unfounded: it is one, already. Seeing as the poppy in Afghanistan has become the countrys most important cash crop whose value far outweighs its legit exports, and the chief subsistence for the farmers who grow it, the Taliban would have to think long and hard whether they really want to alienate the poor, rural peasants on whose behalf they claim to act.

However, lets say the Taliban make good on cleaning up their act and do force out the heroin business. What then?

The opium industry itself came to Afghanistan partly because of the Soviet invasion and the CIA/Pakistani-backed mujahideens need to source cash, but also partly because of crackdowns in Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. Farmers grew opium legally in the hills of Anatolia until 1971, when the American government pressed Turkey into pushing the plantations east, into Iran, until the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Then, for a while, poppies flourished on the lawless Afghan-Pakistani border dominated by Pashtun tribes, until there, too, it was driven out by Pakistani authorities in the mid-90s.

This is whats known as the balloon effect  if you squeeze the drug business on one end, it simply reappears on another.

Thats what happened with cocaine in Latin America: after the fall of top mafiosi like Pablo Escobar and government forces advanced on rebel-held territory, coca plantations moved from Colombia to Peru, while the actual trafficking was handled by Mexicans (where a narco-war is raging on a horrific scale).

Watch: Taliban revenge fears grow in Afghanistan

According to the latest data, the UK has the worst level of drug-induced deaths on the continent. Over 4,500 Brits died of drug-related poisonings last year alone, more than during the entire 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland. Just Say No clearly hasnt worked. If the poppy fields vanish from Afghanistan, junkies will still need their medicine. Its hard to say where from, exactly, but Myanmar (formerly the worlds chief heroin producer in the 1980s) has just witnessed a military coup that threatens to send it back to the bad old days, while Lebanons Bekaa valley benefits from lying closer to Europe and already being a major exporter of hash (as well as a heroin producer back in the 80s).

The other scenario is hellishly worse. The United States is now enduring a fentanyl crisis. Fentanyl, an artificial opioid far more potent than heroin, is often sold as or mixed into the latter. This creates an overdose crisis since customers dont know the strength theyre getting, which their bodies might not be used to. By 2019, nearly three-quarters of all opioid deaths in America (already suffering a record drug holocaust) were from synthetics such as fentanyl. Meanwhile in Mexico, poppy farmers are being pushed out of business by fentanyl makers  this is because from a traffickers point of view, fentanyl doesnt need a large, brightly-coloured poppy field (it can be made discreetly, in a hidden lab), and its higher potency means its easier to smuggle since you dont need to squeeze as much under the seat of your car.

After the Talibans opium ban in the early 2000s, a heroin drought in Estonia led underworld chemists to start manufacturing fentanyl, which has all but replaced heroin in drug dealers repertoires. Outside the small Baltic country, Europes largely managed to avoid the fentanyl crisis, partly because were well-supplied with Afghan heroin. But if that supply dries up, it wont be long before someone finds a substitute.

Afghanistans a complex situation but at least one thing is clear: no matter what happens, the drug business will not stop.

Niko Vorobyov is a government-certified (convicted) drug dealer turned writer and author of the book Dopeworld, about the international drug trade. You can follow him on Twitter @Lemmiwinks_III

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Despite decades of militant rule by the Taliban, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Asad Khan, seems confident that the group is willing to heed warning from the international community about muting any violence and rights violations during the continued takeover of Afghanistan's government.

In an interview with USA TODAY's Editorial Board, Khan said Pakistan is committed to working closely with United States, China and Russia to preserve the gains made in Afghanistan, particularly in the context of human rights and women's rights.

"What we are hearing from the ground so far is that there hasn't been major violence, so far, and it seems that the Taliban have been receptive to the concerns of and listening to the international community so far in terms of the way they are conducting themselves," he said Tuesday.

Q&A: For Afghanistan peace and order, Taliban and world leaders must learn from past mistakes

As I've previously stated, I don't trust the Taliban. They have proved who they are  merciless killers who have no respect for women. I can hope for a reformed Taliban, but at this point I'm not convinced.

Khan said for Afghanistan to secure long-term, sustainable peace, military solutions are no longer an option. Instead, an inclusive government, one that includes all ethnic groups, is the only road to realized harmony.

I pressed Khan about his willingness to take Taliban leaders at their word. "I'm troubled by that. I wonder why there's that trust there when the Taliban have shown us for decades what they're capable of, the cruelty, particularly the human rights violations and the women's rights violations," I said. "Why do you think it will be different this time? Why do you trust that they are going to do the right thing when they've proven they haven't in the past?"

Pakistani Ambassador Asad Khan speaks with USA TODAY' Editorial Board and editors and reporters on Aug. 18, 2021.

"I see and hear what you're saying in terms of that accumulated skepticism but you know, right now, what we are hearing from the ground is that they seem to be listening so we see hope there," Khan responded.

Story continues

Still, Khan warned that the instability in Afghanistan could have deleterious consequences.

"If it turns into a civil war, we will face the spillover effect  we will face the conflict and instability that we have seen spill over into Pakistan in the past," Khan said.

And those consequences could certainly reach farther than Pakistan.

National columnist Suzette Hackney is a member of USA TODAYS Editorial Board. Contact her at shackney@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @suzyscribe

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Afghanistan: Pakistani ambassador wrong about Taliban intentions
As Haiti continues to reel from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people, the biggest challenge is getting food and medical care to survivors  but residents say it's not happening fast enough.

Since Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard has medevaced over 200 people  in the remote village of Annette, they transported 20 critically injured people to the capital, Port-au-Prince.

One woman who is located outside of Les Cayes, which is very close to the epicenter of the earthquake, says there's much more work to be done.

"People are sleeping in the streets," she said. "We feel left behind."

The need is immense. Some are waiting outside airports for helicopters to arrive with food supplies. In Port-au-Prince, hospitals are at capacity  and doctors are struggling to treat the more than 12,000 people with injuries.

People load humanitarian aid on United Nations helicopter for it to be flown where access by land isn't possible at Antoine Simon airport after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on August 19, 2021, in Les Cayes, Haiti. / Credit: Richard Pierrin / Getty Images

In a blow to relief efforts, a major hospital in Port-au-Prince closed as part of a two-day shutdown to protest the kidnapping of two Haitian doctors. A mother and her child died waiting for one of the doctors who was seized.

Some earthquake victims are being transported by aircraft to a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders, where they are stabilized and sent to local hospitals for major surgery.

Arima Olienne, 25, was buried alive for six hours while her sister lay dead next to her. Her aunt told CBS News that three children who were pulled from the rubble yesterday died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Reginald Derali, 30, who barely survived the 2010 earthquake, jumped off the balcony of his building on Saturday and fractured his back and arm. Once he's discharged from the hospital, he said he wants to continue to help build a better Haiti.

COVID booster shots to begin in September as Delta variant fills hospitals and breakthrough infections rise

4-year-old is one of Mensas youngest members

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The Texas House of Representatives got back to work Thursday evening after three members returned to the House floor  ending the boycott that paralyzed the chamber for five weeks as Democrats sought to block a sweeping elections bill from passing.

A quorum is present, Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said at 6:14 p.m.

Three Houston Democrats  Reps. Armando Walle, Garnet Coleman and Ana Hernandez  said in a statement they would return to the House floor Thursday. They praised the work of Democrats in fighting for voting rights but argued that the surge of Covid infections in the state necessitated their return.

It is time to move past these partisan legislative calls, and to come together to help our state mitigate the effects of the current COVID-19 surge, they said in a joint statement.

Their return, combined with the 96 members who were present previously, brought House attendance to 99, the number needed to reach a quorum after a member resigned recently.

More than 50 Democratic House members fled the state July 12 to block passage of a sweeping elections bill that they decried as Jim Crow 2.0. They spent nearly a month in Washington, lobbying for federal voting legislation that they hoped would permanently block the changes to election law that Republicans sought to pass.

Incensed Republicans vowed to send law enforcement officers to arrest the missing Democrats when they came back to Texas this month, and Democrats went to court to try to block the arrests. In the end, no arrests were made, and Democrats trickled back in on their own.

It appeared to take some time to get all the members back to the chamber: The session was to have gaveled in at 4 p.m., and Democrats had speculated that others were missing.

After just 20 minutes  enough time for the Senate to send over the bills it had passed in the House's absence  the speaker adjourned the session. The House is scheduled to meet Monday.

CORRECTION (Aug. 20, 2021, 5:25 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated when the Texas state House would next meet. The chamber will reconvene Monday, not Friday.
A restrictive Republican voting law in Texas was poised to move quickly towards passage on Friday after a weeks-long boycott by Democratic lawmakers collapsed amid acrimony.

GOP leaders quickly scheduled a long-delayed state House hearing on the law for Saturday after three Democratic representatives broke ranks and returned to the state Capitol, giving Republicans a needed quorum.

The abrupt cave by the trio of Democrats effectively ended the boycott by party leaders and cleared the way for near-certain passage of the law that critics say would make it harder to vote, especially for Black and Latino voters.

The trio in a statement framed their decision to return to the chamber as a victory because the boycott served as the primary catalyst to push Congress to take action on federal voter protection legislation.

But some fellow Democrats lashed out at the three turncoats for effectively surrendering to the Republican majority in the Texas legislature.

This is how Texas Democrats lose elections, state Rep. Michelle Beckley tweeted.

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers fled en masse to Washington D.C. several weeks ago.

Some cracks had already emerged in the boycott as a handful of Democrats returned home but the GOP remained short of the votes needed to achieve a quorum at any one time.

The boycott temporarily derailed the push led by GOP Gov. Greg Abbott to pass a law that limits early voting and ballot drop boxes and creates strict new rules for absentee voting in Texas.

The Lone Star State is just one of the GOP-run states nationwide that are seeking to make it harder to vote after former President Trumps loss in the 2020 election.
A Texas Air National Guard soldier is accused of selling fake COVID-19 vaccine cards online.

Keishaun Edward Todd advertised the sale of vaccination cards on his Instagram account and shared videos of himself dropping envelopes in a U.S. Postal Service mailbox last week, authorities say. The social media posts caught the attention of Dallas police and federal investigators.

Im putting yall (stuff) in the mail right now, Todd said, according to a probable cause statement. You see it. Now its gone.

In another video with vaccine cards and a laptop computer, Todd said Active today tap in, the probable cause statement says. Todd replied a few days later when investigators messaged him about buying vaccine cards.

How many u need! he said, according to the probable cause statement.

Afterward, authorities wired $150 to a phone number they say belonged to Todd. A license plate in photos and videos on his Instagram account also helped investigators determine Todds identity, authorities say.

On Thursday, authorities executed a search warrant at a Fort Worth hotel where Todd was housed for a military assignment. They found 82 COVID-19 vaccine cards in the room and two paper copies of completed cards in his car, according to the probable cause statement.

Todd was charged with theft of government property.

The vaccines for COVID-19 are free and those immunized against the virus receive vaccination cards. Federal authorities say theyve seized thousands of fake immunization cards.

Need your COVID vaccine card handy? Heres how to store it on iPhones and Androids

Shipment of 3,000 fake COVID vaccine cards from China seized in Alaska, officials say

Over 3,000 fake COVID vaccine cards seized by customs in Tennessee in the past year
MarketWatch

The pandemic and its economic impact have had an effect on Social Securitys Trust Funds, and the future course of the pandemic is still uncertain, said the Social Security Administrations acting commissioner, Kilolo Kijakazi, in a statement. Yet, Social Security will continue to play a critical role in the lives of 65 million beneficiaries and 176 million workers and their families during 2021. The government said the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund will become unable to pay full benefits starting in 2033, a year earlier than projected last year, while the Disability Insurance Trust Fund will become depleted in 2057, or 8 years earlier.
(Reuters) - The Texas Supreme Court rejected Governor Greg Abbotts intervention to suspend a mask mandate, thus allowing schools to require students to wear masks as per the mandates by local authorities, according to a CNN report https://cnn.it/3y2B5zU on Thursday.

Abbott had argued that state officials did not have time to go through the regular appeals process and allowing local governments to set their own mandate rules would cause confusion, the report added.

The ruling comes amid the coronavirus political battle in the southern United States where new infections are highest.

Several states across the U.S. have announced the change in plans on masking due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the country and the announcement of new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that requires fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks.

However, a few republican states clashed with local officials who are resisting their orders banning school mask mandates, to which, the U.S. President Joe Biden reacted by saying on Aug. 12 that wearing masks is not about politics but about keeping children safe.

On Aug. 18, Florida's Miami-Dade County School Board had imposed a mask mandate for the district's 360,000 students, as well as staff from Monday, defying the Governor Ron DeSantis' rule of banning local mask mandates.

(Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
A number of former senior Trump officials have sought to distance themselves from the Taliban peace deal that was signed in February 2020, with chaos erupting after the militants took control of Afghanistan this week.

Why it matters: The agreement has come under new scrutiny for laying the groundwork for the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan, which coincided with a sweeping Taliban offensive that ended in the fall of Kabul on Sunday.

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The big picture: The Trump administration agreed to withdraw from the country by May 1, 2021, if the Taliban negotiated a peace agreement with the Afghan government and promised to prevent terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State from gaining a foothold.

Biden said he had to follow through with the agreement or risk new conflicts with the Taliban in the spring, which might have required an additional troop surge into Afghanistan. However, Biden's decision to push back the withdrawal date to Aug. 31 shows that he had the ability to refashion some parameters of the agreement.

Biden blamed the Trump administration this week for the chaos in Afghanistan, saying the former president emboldened the Taliban and left the insurgency group "in the strongest position militarily since 2001."

Biden acknowledged, however, that he ultimately would have tried to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan even if Trump had not struck a deal with the Taliban, and that he saw no way to complete a withdrawal "without chaos ensuing."

What they're saying

Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who resigned from the Trump administration before the agreement was finalized, tweeted Wednesday: "Negotiating with the Taliban is like dealing with the devil."

Flashback: Haley praised Trump's goal of reaching a deal with the Taliban in January 2018, and she was still in the administration when it started seeking direct talks with Taliban officials in July 2018.

Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller told Defense One this week that Trump's agreement was actually a "play" to mask his administration's true intentions, which were to broker a Taliban-led government that would allow a small number of U.S. troops to remain in the country to conduct counterterrorism missions.

Story continues

Miller's claims come despite Trump repeatedly publicly revealing his desire to end the Afghanistan War and his significant troop reductions in the final months of his administration.

Lisa Curtis, a former senior National Security Council official who sat alongside Afghanistan envoy Zalmay Khalilzad during the negotiations with the Taliban, told AP: "The Doha agreement was a very weak agreement, and the U.S. should have gained more concessions from the Taliban."

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who was fired by Trump in November 2020, said he believed at the time the agreement was signed that it should have been "conditions-based," which is in part why he later objected to Trump's call for a Christmas homecoming for U.S. troops.

Esper told CNN that although Biden is responsible for the outcome in Afghanistan, Trump "undermined" the agreement and weakened U.S. leverage in negotiations by impatiently calling for troop reductions in the country.

John Bolton and H.R. McMaster, two former Trump national security advisers known for their hawkish views, have lambasted both Trump and Biden for the withdrawal  though both have long been critical of the Taliban agreement.

"Our secretary of state [Mike Pompeo] signed a surrender agreement with the Taliban," McMaster said on Bari Weiss' podcast. "This collapse goes back to the capitulation agreement of 2020. The Taliban didnt defeat us. We defeated ourselves."

Bolton told CNN: "Had Trump been re-elected, hed be doing the same thing. On this question of withdrawal from Afghanistan, Trump and Biden are like Tweedledee and Tweedledum."

The other side: Pompeo, the only U.S. secretary of state to meet with Taliban officials in person while at the signing ceremony of the agreement in Doha in September 2020, told Fox News he does not believe the negotiations legitimized the Taliban and that the Trump administration never trusted the group to begin with.

Pompeo also insisted the agreement was conditions-based and that the Trump administration would have retaliated against the militant group if it did not follow through with its guarantees.

However, Trump in October 2020 had been calling for all troops to be home by Christmas that year. Violence in the country, primarily from improvised explosive devices, had already started surging the last few months of the Trump administration, according to the United Nations.

Go deeper: The cases for and against Biden's key decisions on Afghanistan

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In a matter of five days, Trump released a dozen statements lambasting his successor Biden for handling the exit from Afghanistan (AP)

Donald Trump released a new statement on Thursday slamming President Joe Biden and woke Generals for their evacuation strategy in Afghanistan and suggested the blowing up of American bases in the conflict-torn country.

Published on his website, the statement by the former US president read: First you bring out all of the American citizens. Then you bring out ALL equipment. Then you bomb the bases into smithereensAND THEN YOU BRING OUT THE MILITARY. You dont do it in reverse order like Biden and our woke Generals did.

No chaos, no deaththey wouldnt even know we left! the statement by Mr Trump read.

Mr Trump has released multiple statements in the last 10 days taking a swipe at the Biden-led administrations handling of the US exit from Afghanistan. (Photo: donaldjtrump.com)

As the Talibans stormed and captured Afghanistan in the second week of August, Mr Trump amped up his attacks at the Biden-led administration and criticised the government for the chaos unfolding as US troops hastily left the country.

In a matter of five days, Mr Trump released a dozen statements lambasting Biden for handling the exit from Afghanistan.

Joe Biden gets it wrong every time on foreign policy, and many other issues. Everyone knew he couldnt handle the pressure, read one of his statements, released a day before Taliban announced it has fully gained control in the region.

The Taliban, Mr Trump said, no longer has fear or respect for America, or Americas power. What a disgrace it will be when the Taliban raises their flag over Americas Embassy in Kabul, the statement read.

The former president went back as far as 20 years to blame the George W Bush administration for the crisis in Afghanistan. In a recent interview, he said the US administrations decision to go into the Middle East was the worst decision in history. Mr Trump, who negotiated with the Taliban and structured this exit in the first place, has minimised his own role in the withdrawal.

After the ultra-religious conservative group took over Kabul on Sunday, countries across the globe have rushed to evacuate their nationals from Afghanistan to protect them from the Talibans.

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NATO officials on Friday confirmed that more than 18,000 people have been evacuated from the Kabul airport since the Taliban seized the Afghanistan capital.

Grim visuals from the country continued to show thousands of people swarming outside the airport in a desperate bid to flee the Taliban rule, set to kick into motion soon.

Read More

The Taliban: Who are they, who are the leaders and what do they want?

Who funds the Taliban and how?

What rules will the Taliban impose on women in Afghanistan?
Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority Building. (PHOTO: Google Street Views)

SINGAPORE  Two Singaporean men were charged in the state courts on Friday (20 August) for conspiring to breach their Stay-Home Notices (SHNs).

According to a media release by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Friday, Thanasegaran Elancharan, 26, and Yeo Ee Kai, 25, were charged for engaging in a conspiracy to breach their SHNs, thereby exposing others to the risk of infection under Section 21A Infectious Diseases Act.

Yeo had let Thanasegaran into his room at the SHN dedicated facility on 11 May this year, and had let him stay in the room for one and a half hours.

Thanasegaran also faces additional charges for failing to wear a mask on multiple occasions under Regulation 3A of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020.

Left room on several occasions

On 30 April this year, the two men arrived in Singapore from the Dominican Republic and were served with SHNs until 21 May. They were each informed by an ICA officer that they were not allowed to leave their individual rooms in the dedicated facility nor were they allowed to have visitors for the duration of their SHNs.

The two men were subsequently conveyed to the same dedicated facility in Orchard and assigned different rooms to serve their SHNs.

On 11 May, Thanasegaran allegedly left his room on several occasions where he was found loitering around the common corridor without wearing a face mask.

On one of these occasions, Thanasegaran and Yeo had also allegedly agreed for Thanasegaran to visit him in his room. Yeo allowed him to enter his room and Thanasegaran remained there for about one and a half hours.

Liable for $10,000 fine and/or jail

ICA said in the media release that those who fail to comply with SHN requirements will be liable to prosecution under the Infectious Diseases Act and/or the Infectious Diseases (COVID-19  Stay Orders) Regulations 2020.

On conviction, first-time offenders are liable to punishment of a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to six months.

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Individuals who are found not wearing a mask or not wearing a mask properly outside their place of residence shall be liable to prosecution under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020.

First-time offenders are liable to punishment of a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to six months.

The public can report information about anyone who fails to comply with SHN requirements to ICA or call 6812-5555.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
WASHINGTON  Last month, two dozen diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, warned about the possibility of a Taliban takeover and urged the State Department to begin an airlift operation in a dissent cable sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The July 13 cable called on Washington to be firm and direct in describing atrocities by the Taliban, the source said. NBC News has not seen the cable.

A dissent channel cable is a confidential, formal way for State Department diplomats to voice disagreement or concern about U.S. policies without fear of retribution.

The cable was first Thursday by The Wall Street Journal.

The day after the cable was sent, the Biden administration announced Operation Allies Refuge, a program to transport Afghans and their families at risk of retaliation from the Taliban for their work with U.S. troops. State Department leaders sent a response a few days later thanking the writers of the dissent cable and describing the task force set up to facilitate evacuations of Special Immigrant Visa applicants, the source said.

"We value constructive internal dissent. It's patriotic. It's protected. And it makes us more effective," State Department spokesman Ned Price said Thursday. "Maintaining the channel's integrity and the notion of disciplined dissent is key to that revitalization. It's why we keep communication strictly between the Department's leadership and the authors of the dissent messages and why we don't comment publicly on the substance of messages or the replies, regardless of the classification."

Despite the quick collapse of the Afghan military and government, the Taliban takeover of the country and the ensuing chaos as thousands of people desperate to leave the country crowded at the airport, President Joe Biden has stood by his decision to end the U.S. military operation.

"Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country," Biden told the country Monday. "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."

The administration has also defended the timeline of the U.S. troop withdrawal. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said this week that decisions were "made based on the information we had at the time, while preparing for the alternative contingency."

U.S. officials are racing to evacuate thousands of Americans and Afghans. The Defense Department has said it would soon be able to bring as many as 9,000 Americans and eligible Afghans out of the country every day by air.
DUBAI (Reuters) -The United Arab Emirates has agreed to host 5,000 Afghan nationals to be evacuated from their country for 10 days on their way to a third country at the request of the United States, the Gulf Arab state's foreign ministry said on Friday.

"The evacuees will travel to the UAE from the Afghan capital of Kabul on U.S. aircraft in the coming days," the ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency WAM.

The foreign ministry told Reuters they would be hosted for 10 days.

The UAE has so far facilitated the evacuation of 8,500 people from Afghanistan on its aircraft and through its airports, it said.

The announcement came after U.S. officials told Reuters Washington was expected to announce that countries in Europe and the Middle East have agreed to temporarily shelter people evacuated from Kabul as its base in Qatar reached capacity.

A Qatari official told Reuters the Gulf Arab state was "continuing our efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan. Additional flights are scheduled during the upcoming days.

Bahrain will allow planes carrying evacuees to stop over in the kingdom as part of efforts to assist rescue operations in Afghanistan, the Bahraini foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli & Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Nick Macfie, Steve Orlofsky and Jonathan Oatis)
Watch: Friday's coronavirus in numbers

The UK has recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus infections in more than four weeks.

A further 37,314 cases were reported on Friday, the highest in a day since 22 July.

Some 219,350 cases have now been reported over the past week, up 19,252 (9.6%) on the previous seven days.

COVID-19 deaths are also increasing, with 688 recorded over the past seven days, up 65 (10.4%) week-on-week.

Meanwhile, there are nine areas with case rates of more than 500 infections per 100,000 people. In the week up to 15 August, the latest date for which localised figures are available, those areas were:

Fermanagh and Omagh: 864.2 per 100,000 Derry City and Strabane: 710.1 Kingston upon Hull, City of: 637.1 Sedgemoor: 608.4 Mansfield: 591.7 Torbay: 568.9 Belfast: 550 Peterborough: 507.3 Mid Ulster: 505.5

Four of the nine hotspots are in Northern Ireland, where the highest number of coronavirus cases in a single day since the pandemic began were recorded on Friday.

The Department of Health reported 2,397 further cases and nine further deaths in Northern Ireland, as doctors warned lives could be lost to other conditions such as cancer due to staff being diverted to treat COVID patients.

A critical care consultant said dealing with the virus was as difficult now as at any time during the pandemic.

Dr George Gardiner told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme that continuing to carry out surgery while admitting COVID patients to intensive care was a "huge ask" for staff.

"What's different this time is that we haven't switched off all the other essential services that hospitals in Northern Ireland provide," he said.

Meanwhile, in Peterborough, which is eighth on the list of hotspots, the city council has said rates "are now as high as they were in January during the winter peak".

England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty has warned 'very sick' young adults 'regret delaying' their coronavirus vaccines. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/pool)

It comes as England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty warned "very sick" young adults "regret delaying" their coronavirus vaccines.

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Prof Whitty has been working in a COVID ward for the past four weeks and on Friday he wrote on Twitter: "The great majority of adults have been vaccinated.

"Four weeks working on a COVID ward makes stark the reality that the majority of our hospitalised COVID patients are unvaccinated and regret delaying.

Read more:

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Florida man who took viral photo of woman lying on Covid treatment centre floor says this thing kills

"Some are very sick including young adults. Please don't delay your vaccine."

Data published by the UKs four health agencies on Thursday estimated 2.9 million 18 to 29-year-olds are unvaccinated.

Watch: Coronavirus vaccine in numbers
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine on Friday said it was imposing sanctions on Andriy Derkach, the Ukrainian lawmaker who was accused by the U.S. Treasury Department of being a Russian agent and trying to interfere in U.S. elections.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the security and defence council, said in a briefing that Ukraine was sanctioning Derkach, along with members of the Russian military and Russian judges. He did not spell out what form the sanctions would take.

Derkach has previously denied wrongdoing and said he was being targeted for exposing corruption.

He did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

"Today, by the decision of the National Security and Defence Council, sanctions have been introduced against the people's deputy Derkach, and a certain number of people who are under the sanctions of the United States of America," Danilov said.

The council also imposed sanctions on 28 members of Russian intelligence and special services, the state security service (SBU) chief Ivan Bakanov said in a separate statement.

The sanctions were "focused on protecting citizens and counteracting Russian aggression and hybrid warfare," he said.

The announcements came as Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine was likely set to exit ceasefire talks over the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Putin was hosting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will travel to Ukraine for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; additional reporting by Ilya Zhegulev; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by Chris Reese)
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (center) meets with National Guard troops deployed to the US Capitol on January 29, 2021. Manuel Balce Ceneta-Pool/Getty Images

Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin said Americans are being beaten by the Taliban trying to get to the airport.

His comments to lawmakers came just moments after Biden said he hadn't heard of such cases.

Reporters in Afghanistan have also documented Americans having trouble reaching the airport.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed reports that Americans trying to reach the airport to leave Afghanistan are being beaten and called it "unacceptable" just moments after President Joe Biden said he didn't know of any Americans being blocked.

"We know of no circumstance where American citizens are - carrying an American passport are trying to get through to the airport," Biden said in Friday remarks on the US' chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

But Biden's claim was almost immediately refuted by his own defense secretary in a briefing with members of Congress, Politico reported.

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Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also confirmed the reports.

"We've communicated to the Taliban that that is absolutely unacceptable and we want free passage through these checkpoints for documented Americans," Kirby said. "By and large, that's happening."

Journalists in Kabul have reported that American citizens are being blocked from getting to Hamid Karzai Airport in the nation's capital by the Taliban.

"We had difficulty getting into the airport," CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward said on air on Friday, "Working out how to get to the airport is like a Rubik's cube...it's very difficult, it's not a simple process at all."

"Anyone who says any American can get in here, is, you know - technically it's possible, but it's very difficult, but it's extremely difficult and it is dangerous," she added.

In an earlier report from Wednesday, Ward's camera crew captured Taliban fighters brandishing weapons to bar access to the airport.

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ABC News' Ian Pannell, also reporting from Kabul, said Biden's claim "totally" doesn't match with his experience on the ground, saying he knows of multiple American citizens and Afghan visa recipients who haven't been able to make the journey to the airport.

"It was breathtaking," he said. "Last night on 'World News,' we had American citizens who had exactly that experience. They tried to get into the airport, they had waved their American passports...they were beaten by the Taliban with the rubber fan belts from a vehicle."

"It just seems the reality and the rhetoric are miles apart," Pannell added. "I'm not quite sure what advice the president is receiving, but the truth on the ground is that these people who are in fear of their lives can't get through."

One of those Americans interviewed by ABC, David Fox, detailed his own unsuccessful experiences trying to get into the Kabul airport.

"I actually got whacked with one of those fan belts for not moving fast enough," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
U.S. diplomats issued an internal memo last month urging top State Department officials to take urgent action with evacuations as the Aug. 31 military withdrawal deadline approached.

The cable warning of the possible fall of Kabul soon after the troop pullout, sent through the agency's confidential dissent channel on July 13, pressed the Biden administration to begin collecting information from Afghans who qualify for Special Immigrant Visas and start evacuation flights no later than Aug. 1, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

This new information, reported on Thursday, follows the widespread capitulation of Afghan security forces and the rapid Taliban takeover of the country, which prompted chaotic scenes of crowds desperately trying to escape via Kabul's international airport over the past few days.

Lawmakers in Washington and others have leveled severe criticisms at the Biden administration for underestimating the speed by which Kabul fell into Taliban hands, with accusations that officials completely missed the threat altogether and congressional hearings already being called to assess the debacle.

STATE'S 'ROSY' AFGHANISTAN OUTLOOK AT ODDS WITH GRIM INTELLIGENCE BEFORE TALIBAN TAKEOVER

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Thursday the diplomats' cable did not go unnoticed, suggesting its warnings were considered as administration officials planned for contingencies associated with the U.S. military's drawdown.

"[Secretary of State Antony Blinken] reads every dissent and reviews and clears on every reply," Price told the Washington Examiner in a statement. "Hes made clear that he welcomes and encourages use of the dissent channel, and is committed to its revitalization."

"Just as importantly, we incorporate the channels constructive and thoughtful ideas into our policy and planning," Price added.

U.S. troops and Western allies departed Bagram Airfield, the U.S. base used to coordinate the decadeslong war effort in Afghanistan, in early July.

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Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, contended neither he nor anyone else had seen evidence the Afghan government would collapse as swiftly as it did, claiming intelligence said a quick Taliban victory was a possibility, but no one saw such a swift takeover coming.

There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days," he said during a press conference on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden himself admitted Monday the capture of Kabul "did unfold more quickly than we anticipated."

Biden then asserted to ABC's George Stephanopoulos in a interview released Wednesday there was no consensus in the government's intelligence when he downplayed in July the chance the Taliban would seize power, saying such an occurrence was not "inevitable."

Biden claimed "chaos" in Afghanistan was always guaranteed with a U.S. troop drawdown.

"The idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens. I don't know how that happened," Biden told Stephanopoulos.

Former President Donald Trump, who struck an agreement with the Taliban last year for a withdrawal of U.S. military forces, has been heavily critical of Biden and military leaders for their handling of the situation in Afghanistan.

"First you bring out all of the American citizens. Then you bring out ALL equipment. Then you bomb the bases into smithereens  AND THEN YOU BRING OUT THE MILITARY. You dont do it in reverse order like Biden and our woke Generals did," he said in a statement on Thursday. "No chaos, no death  they wouldnt even know we left!"

Biden dispatched thousands of troops to Kabul after it was overtaken Sunday as the administration prioritizes the evacuation of what could amount up to 15,000 U.S. citizens remaining in the country.

U.S. troops are also working to execute evacuations of those Afghans eligible for humanitarian visas. The internal July 13 cable, sent to Blinken and Director of Policy Planning Salman Ahmad, was followed a day later by the White House's announcement of Operation Allies Refugee, an effort to evacuate the thousands of Afghans who aided the U.S. throughout the war in Afghanistan and who face Taliban retribution because of it.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday the Taliban assured the administration its members will "provide the safe passage of civilians to the airport," but reports have surfaced of Taliban militiamen firing weapons and setting up checkpoints and obstructing people from making their way to the airport.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The situation has led the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to warn people on Wednesday the U.S. government "cannot ensure safe passage" to the airport for evacuation.

There were roughly 18,000 Afghans who applied for the United States's Special Immigrant Visa program, as well as their families, who remained in Afghanistan as of last weekend.

On Wednesday evening, a White House official said the U.S., which sent thousands of troops back to assist with the effort at the Kabul airport, has evacuated nearly 6,000 people since Saturday.

Price said on Thursday there were 6,000 people at the airport in Kabul who have been "fully processed by our consular team and will soon board planes."

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Afghanistan, State Department, National Security

Original Author: Daniel Chaitin, Jeremy Beaman, Jerry Dunleavy

Original Location: US diplomats sent memo urging swift evacuation of Afghan allies weeks before Taliban takeover
On today's 5 Things episode: The Taliban's early rule has been met with major challenges. Plus, babies and toddlers are more likely to transmit COVID-19 than teenagers, Minneapolis again considers major changes to its police department, Lorde has a new album and Old Navy revamps women's sizes.

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson. And this is 5 things you need to know Friday, 20th August 2021.

Taylor Wilson:

Today, food shortages in Afghanistan, plus new data on how babies are transmitting COVID-19 and more.

Taylor Wilson:

Here are some of the top headlines.

OnlyFans will be removing sexually explicit content from its platform. The company's success is largely due to popular sex workers, but the company is shifting away from that model as it tries to get outside investors at a $1 billion valuation. Hurricane Grace is heading for a second landfall in Mexico. After hitting the Caribbean side of the Yucatan Peninsula, Grace is next headed for the country's Gulf Coast on Friday. And Japanese actor, Sonny Chiba, has died. He wowed the world with martial arts skills in more than a hundred films, including Kill Bill. He was 82.

Taylor Wilson:

The Pentagon said Thursday that 7,000 civilians have been taken out of Afghanistan since August 14th. The US military said it's ramping up evacuations in the final days of having troops on the ground there. Joint staff director of current operations, Major General Hank Taylor.

Major General Hank Taylor:

The US military footprint in Kabul is now more than 5,200 total troops on the ground. Kabul Airport remains secure and open for flight operations. There are now multiple gates that have access for entry into the airfield, which will help expedite processing in a safe and orderly manner.

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Major General Hank Taylor:

In the past 24 hours, 13 C-17s arrived with additional troops and equipment. Also, 12 C-17s departed. These flights contain more than 2,000 passengers. Since the start of evacuation operations on August 14th, we have airlifted approximately 7,000 total evacuees. We're ready to increase throughput and have scheduled aircraft departures accordingly. We intend to maximize each plane's capacity. We're prioritizing people above all else.

Taylor Wilson:

For so many Afghans though, getting a US airlift out of the country is not an option. Many people have been trying land exits out of Afghanistan after the Taliban's recent takeover. The Taliban though has been controlling much of the border, but there are new images coming from the border with Pakistan of Afghans successfully entering that country.

Taylor Wilson:

The desperation is real. Images circulated earlier in the week of bodies falling off a military plane, as it departed Kabul. Crowds had gathered at the airport and several people clung to the outside of the plane as it took off. We now know that a member of Afghanistan's youth soccer team, Zaki Anwari, was one of the people who fell to his death.

Taylor Wilson:

Thursday was Independence Day in Afghanistan, and in some demonstrations around the country, Afghans waved their national flag, which has been replaced by Taliban flags nationwide.

Speaker 3:

[foreign language 00:03:37].

Taylor Wilson:

But the Taliban responded with violence, scattering demonstrations in Kabul using gunfire.

Taylor Wilson:

The group has promised a more moderate approach to past Taliban rule, but the insurgents have already killed one person at a rally in Jalalabad this week, and they've instituted a 24 hour curfew in Khost Province. During the Taliban's rule in the late 1990s, they confined women to their homes most of the time, banned television and music, and publicly executed people.

Taylor Wilson:

How exactly the Taliban will rule this time still isn't clear. What is clear is they've inherited a country in desperation, amid possible inflation and severe drought. The United Nations World Food Program in Afghanistan says more than 40% of the country's food has been lost to drought. A Kabul shopkeeper, Hafiz Ahmad, told the AP that some food has made its way to the capital, but prices have gone up.

Taylor Wilson:

Past Afghan governments relied heavily on international aid. 75% of the previous government's budget was covered by donor countries. And the Afghani currency was supported by almost weekly shipments of US dollars to Kabul. The Taliban have long supported themselves on the drug trade. Afghanistan is the world's top cultivator of the poppy, which heroin and opium are produced from. The Taliban are not expected to push for the same level of international aid as past regimes.

Taylor Wilson:

Babies and toddlers are more likely to transmit COVID-19 than teenagers. That's what researchers from Public Health Ontario in Canada found in a recent study. Teens were far more likely to get the virus, presumably because they leave the house more and interact with others. They made up 38% of the cases the study looked at, compared with 12% for babies and toddlers.

Taylor Wilson:

But researchers found that kids aged zero to three years old were 1.43 times more likely to transmit COVID than those aged 14 to 17. The study took place last year before vaccines were administered to teenagers.

Taylor Wilson:

Health experts emphasize that data does not necessarily mean babies and toddlers or more infectious than teens, but that they may be more likely to transmit it to parents and caregivers because they're in close contact with them. Even when a baby is sick, it's impossible to quarantine since someone must take care of them.

Taylor Wilson:

Cases and even hospitalizations for COVID among children are on the rise, but kids under the age of 12 are still not eligible to get vaccinated. President Joe Biden said in July that younger children might be eligible this month, but trials began in March for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for younger children and health experts expected those results sometime this fall.

Taylor Wilson:

An FDA official said last month that emergency use authorization for some younger age groups could come this winter. 60.2% of Americans are at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 with 51.1% fully vaccinated.

Taylor Wilson:

Minneapolis is again considering major changes to its police department. That comes more than a year after a failed push to do so following the police murder of George Floyd there last summer.

Taylor Wilson:

Residents in November will vote on a ballot question that would change the city's charter and create a department of public safety instead. And city officials must finalize the ballot question and submit it by Friday. If approved, the new department would use a public health approach and include licensed peace officers, if necessary. It would also no longer be under the sole control of the mayor's office, giving more oversight to the city council.

Taylor Wilson:

Lorde is back. The New Zealand pop star returns with her third studio album on Friday and her first since 2017's Melodrama. That album was nominated for album of the year, combining heartbreak and teenage interests while diving into pop anthems.

Taylor Wilson:

But her latest called Solar Power is much mellower. She's again collaborating with producer Jack Antonoff, also known for his work with Taylor Swift. But this time she's throwing in influences ranging from classic rock like the Eagles and the Mamas and the Papas, to R&B artists from her youth like Natasha Bedingfield and TLC.

Taylor Wilson:

Lorde told USA Today, "I was tired after Melodrama. It was a very intense album and I felt I'd given it my all. I needed to just go and slow down at home and I very much did that."

Taylor Wilson:

Old Navy is redefining its women's sizes. The company is calling the move bod equality. Old Navy said it'll be the first value retailer to offer sizes zero through 30 and extra small to 4X for all women's styles with no price difference. As part of the change Old Navy stores are doing away with special plus-sized sections and mannequins will display clothes in sizes 4, 12 and 18.

Taylor Wilson:

The company is also updating its waistbands so jeans won't gap and adjusting sleeve openings so bras won't show. Old Navy clarified that bod equality is not just a one-time campaign, but instead, a full transformation going forward.

Taylor Wilson:

Thanks for listening to 5 things. You can find us on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you find your audio. Thanks as always to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their great work on the show. 5 things is part of the USA Today network.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taliban impose challenges to U.S. Afghanistan airlifts: 5 Things podcast
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Greg Ryken showed up to his favorite lunch spot in San Francisco on Friday with an appetite and his vaccination record in hand.

A manager at Sam's Grill and Seafood restaurant verified he was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, put him on a list of customers who have met the city's new requirement for future reference, and walked him to his table.

Easy, Ryken said as San Francisco became the first major city in the U.S. to enforce the strictest vaccine mandate for entering restaurants, bars, gyms and large concerts.

Businesses posted signs and added extra staff to begin verifying people's vaccination and identity cards before allowing them in. Many gyms had already been checking their members' vaccination status before the health order went into effect.

We tested systems in place to see how we would do it, we were talking to our customers, getting our staff prepared, and we are so thrilled to have the full-throated support of the leadership of our city so we can confidently walk into this new landscape together, said Tracey Sylvester, owner of a Pilates studio in the Mission neighborhood.

Pete Sittnick, a managing partner of Waterbar and EPIC Steak restaurants on the city's waterfront, said he was worried about slow check-ins, resistance from guests against the requirement or people showing up without proper documentation. So far, he said, the lunch crowd came with vaccination cards in their hands, and the line to get through the door was short.

The good thing is, if somebody doesn't have their verification of vaccination they can still eat outside. There is an option and we just need to be ready for different scenarios, he said.

Mayor London Breed announced the requirement more than a week ago in an attempt to stem rising COVID-19 cases, saying she was worried the highly contagious delta variant could disrupt the citys economic rebound. She also hopes it will encourage vaccine holdouts to join the 79% of the population that have gotten their shots.

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This is not a punishment, Breed said Friday. It's really about a chance to try and get us moving in the right direction and keeping people safe.

The mandate goes further than New York City, which requires people to be at least partially vaccinated for a variety of high-risk indoor activities, and New Orleans, which requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for indoor dining or drinking. All three cities make exceptions for people who don't qualify for the vaccine, including children under 12.

It follows a number of tough safety measures San Francisco imposed since the beginning of the pandemic. The city and its neighboring counties in the Bay Area were the first in the U.S. to issue a stay-at-home order, and was the first big city in the nation to require all city employees to be vaccinated, without the option of testing regularly.

This week, the city sent letters recommending a 10-day suspension without pay for 20 employees in police, fire and sheriff's departments who refused to report their vaccination status by the Aug. 12 deadline, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has also tighten the rules after announcing the reopening of Californias economy in June. He has required health care workers to get vaccinated to keep their jobs and all teachers and state workers to either get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

Local business groups have supported the new vaccine mandate, saying it will protect their employees' and customers' health and keep them from having to limit capacity indoors. Some businesses that had taken it upon themselves to check for proof of vaccination at the door said a citywide policy helps set clear expectations for all customers.

Jody McCord said the mandate forced her to cancel plans to meet relatives visiting from Wisconsin at her favorite dine-in spots because not everyone in her party is fully vaccinated. They had to take their reunion across San Francisco Bay to a restaurant in Sausalito.

It puts people between a rock and a hard place, McCord said.

Online ordering and reservation systems such as OpenTable are helping businesses by warning customers of the mandate ahead of time. The city's hospitality industry has launched a campaign called Relax, We're Vaxxed to get the word out to travelers.

City officials said a paper card issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a photo of the CDC card, or a digital vaccine credential will suffice. Proof of vaccination issued by foreign governments is also acceptable.

Pearce Cleaveland, co-owner of the Temple nightclub, said his security guards have been trained to check all forms of vaccination proof and they have caught some people with fake vaccination cards.

Weve had people who get upset at the door when theyre turned away, but in general theyre understanding, he said.

Workers have until Oct. 13 to prove they are fully vaccinated and Cleaveland said he expects to meet compliance by then.

After a sharp increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the Bay Area over the summer, the numbers appear to be leveling off but remain high, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an expert on infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco.

He said reinstated restrictions have helped slow the spread.

There is no magic bullet, just a combination of a hard stick and soft stick, he said. The proof of vaccination mandate is a soft stick because you can still eat outdoors, but if you want to hang out with people indoors you better get vaccinated.
On April 30, 1975, Thanh Duong scaled the 14-foot wall of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, South Vietnam. Duong, a civil engineer for the South Vietnamese government, had worked closely with the Americans during the Vietnam War. He knew he would be punished should the communists capture the capital.

Climbing into the embassy had been a last resort. Duong had exhausted every other avenue of escape: looking for a boat through connections in the navy, seeking help from the U.S. Agency for International Development, finding shelter in shuttered military housing.

I failed at every channel, said Duong, 76, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. I was so frightened. I was thinking to myself, I wont be able to get out.

Eventually, with the help of U.S. reporters, Duong was admitted inside the building, where he waited in agony for hours before he was airlifted out of the country by a military helicopter. In subsequent years, nine of Duongs siblings would join him in the U.S. Their children now live all across the country.

On Monday, while watching viral video of desperate Afghans clinging onto a U.S. military jet, Duong began reliving one of the worst days of his life.

When I saw the scenes from the news from pictures and videos, he said, I was just devastated. Its complete chaos, just as it was in 1975.

For Vietnamese Americans, the aftermath of President Joe Bidens decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan and end two decades of conflict triggers painful memories of another two-decade war a half-century ago. Since the Taliban seized Kabul, many refugees and their descendants have been recounting perilous escapes from Saigon and calling on Biden to immediately admit as many Afghan refugees as possible.

Witnessing the strife of Afghans is heart-wrenching for families who escaped Saigon, said Duongs niece Minh-Thu Pham, a board member of the Progressive Vietnamese American Organization, which is known as PIVOT. We know the desperation, the loss of homeland and fear and panic they must be feeling.

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Pham, who helped draft an official statement on PIVOTs behalf, urged Biden to remove the cap on the number of Afghan refugee visas and Special Immigrant Visas. Unlike her uncle, Phams father was fighting for the South Vietnamese army when Saigon fell. He was sent to a re-education camp for several years before he was able to flee by boat.

A slew of right-wing pundits and Republican lawmakers have deployed the Saigon comparisons to frame the Afghanistan crisis as a foreign policy debacle for Democrats. Pham said the finger-pointing is dangerous.

Its unfair to say this is Bidens Saigon, because it feels like politicizing the situation, she said. What we need to do is recognize the human consequences of war.

Kham Moua, the director of national policy at the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, said the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan is very reminiscent of the U.S.s chaotic exit from Southeast Asia in the mid-1970s.

Theres a large emphasis on Vietnam, he said, but we saw the same scenes in Cambodia and Laos. We saw photos of people scrambling to get on planes and boats.

The Biden administration, Moua said, shouldnt focus only on saving Afghans who directly assisted the U.S. during the war.

As Southeast Asian refugees, we have seen the kind of impact U.S. military intervention can have in our countries, Moua said. It goes far beyond the individuals who helped the military. It has a widespread impact on the population at large.

Less than a month after the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam, Congress passed the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, a law that provided over $450 million to admit 130,000 refugees from South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, most of whom assisted U.S. forces during the war. The political willpower to support Southeast Asians was striking given that the law wasnt popular with the public. A 1975 Gallup poll showed that only 36 percent of Americans supported resettlement, compared to 54 percent who opposed it.

After the initial move to protect the allies of the U.S. military, support and assistance for those left behind  families that suffered from poverty and famine, ethnic minorities persecuted by the ruling Communist Party  rapidly diminished, said Long Bui, a professor of global and international studies at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Returns of War: South Vietnam and the Price of Refugee Memory.

Most of the 1.2 million Southeast Asian refugees who eventually resettled in the U.S. migrated by boat in the late 1970s and the 1980s. They paid exorbitant fees to cross the Pacific, where many were abducted, raped and killed.

Theres a lagging response to the humanitarian crisis that came after the geopolitical crisis, Bui said. There was a sense that once the war was over people didnt want to do anything with them.

Some of the most prominent members of the Vietnamese diaspora say the U.S. has a moral responsibility to do better for Afghan civilians.

Bee Nguyen, Georgias first Vietnamese American state representative, tweeted about the enduring trauma of family separation that some of her relatives felt when they evacuated from their homeland. I pray that our Afghan allies and partners make it out alive and have the chance to rebuild their lives, the same way my family was able to, she wrote. We owe it to them.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen tweeted that people were fleeing Vietnam and Laos more than a decade after the war ended. The American obligation to the Afghans who wish to leave will remain for years too, he wrote. Nothing ends for Afghans with the departure of the last American.

Duong, who considers himself fortunate to have been able to flee with the first wave of refugees, said he hopes Afghan war survivors are given the chance to rebuild their lives the way he was able to.

We came to this country with nothing on our backs, but look at the way we have contributed to this country, he said.
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam will deploy troops in Ho Chi Minh City and prohibit residents from leaving their homes, authorities said on Friday, as the country's biggest city turns to drastic measures to slow a spiralling rate of coronavirus deaths.

Vietnam's toughest order yet comes amid a spike in fatalities and infections, despite weeks of lockdown measures in the business hub of 9 million people, the epicentre of the country's deadliest outbreak.

"We are asking people to stay where you are, not to go outside. Each home, company, factory should be an anti-virus fort," Pham Duc Hai, deputy head of the city's coronavirus authority, said on Friday.

The government said it was preparing to mobilise police and military to enforce the lockdown and deliver food supplies to citizens.

Police with loudspeakers were seen driving around residential areas on Friday instructing people to follow protocols and assuring them food supplies would be provided.

The defence ministry plans to send 1,000 military medics and medical equipment over the weekend, according to a military document reviewed by Reuters.

The government also extended restrictions on Friday in the capital Hanoi by a further 15 days, state media reported.

News of the worsening coronavirus crisis hit Vietnam shares on Friday, with its benchmark index closing down 3.3%.

Vietnam has been slow to procure vaccines and until late April had one of the world's best containment records, with 35 deaths and just over 2,900 cases as of May 1.

But that has since jumped to over 312,000 cases and 7,150 deaths, with about half of the infections and 80% of fatalities in Ho Chi Minh City alone.

Half of Ho Chi Minh City residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but at a meeting late Thursday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered authorities to conduct mass testing there too.

"If you fail to test them all within the next two weeks, it would be your fault," Chinh told health minister Nguyen Thanh Long at the meeting, according to state broadcaster VTV.

(Editing by Martin Petty)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  Louie Lopez showed up to the downtown Jacksonville Main Library Conference Center in the early afternoon for a Regeneron therapy appointment. His primary care doctor recommended it after Lopez tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing moderate to severe symptoms.

While waiting in line for his turn, two other people got in the line behind Lopez. Both of them, he says, sat down on the floor immediately. They eventually laid down sick and moaning. Lopez, 59, told The Florida Times-Union, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the woman pictured in yellow was dragging herself on the floor as the line slowly moved forward.

Lopez took a photo and sent it to his wife.

The therapy treatment is for people in the early stages of COVID-19 and the makeshift clinic where Lopez took the photo is not meant to serve as a full-fledged hospital. But amid rising COVID infections and increased worry, some people in more advanced stages of COVID have opted to go to makeshift clinics instead of hospitals due to potentially long waits.

Workers at the site said the clinic is not for very sick patients; people in that category should go to a hospital.

The photo of Lopez' visit to the center on Wednesday quickly went viral on Reddit after his wife, Suzanne, posted it on the social media platform with a message: Everyone please be careful - whether you are vaccinated or not. My husband (vaccinated, but positive) has been waiting 2+ hours for monoclonal therapy and he says he has never seen people so sick. Moaning, crying, unable to move.

About 24 hours after she posted it, the photo had hundreds of comments and had already made the rounds on social media, with many questioning why there werent more places for people to sit or rest while they waited.

People lying on the floor while waiting for monoclonal therapy at Jacksonville's downtown library location on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Lopez obscured the faces of the people before sharing the image.

There were only a couple of chairs in there...But then as the line started to progress, more people came in and that's when I realized that they were taking walk-ins at the same time as appointments and the people that were laying down, they were behind me and I was just watching them for a while and they were just sick and moaning, Lopez said. Part of me wondered why [staff] didn't just take them up to the front. And it was cold in there. They brought some of those paper coats and covered them up and then probably after about another half hour, they came and got wheelchairs and put them on wheelchairs.

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More: Yes, this photo of severely ill COVID-19 patients lying on the floor in Jacksonville is real

COVID hot spot: Jacksonville, Northeast Florida become nation's COVID-19 hot spots for hospitalizations

Lopez arrived for his noon appointment but didnt finish his treatment and head home until around 3 p.m. He estimates the woman pictured in yellow was on the ground for about an hour. He says the staff was doing their best but it seemed like everything was new.

Jacksonville has first state-run Regeneron center

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last week that Jacksonville would get the first state-run, city-supported Regeneron treatment center. The treatments, which have been used for months by doctors, inject monoclonal antibodies into people infected by the COVID-19 virus before they come down with serious symptoms that could lead to hospitalization and death.

The treatment is for people who have "either been diagnosed or exposed to someone with COVID-19, and are at high risk for progression to severe illness, hospitalization, or death," according to a city news release announcing the library site.

Nikki Kimbleton, director of public affairs for the city, said in a statement that the number of people seeking the treatment increased on Wednesday. On Tuesday, 97 doses of the treatment were administered. A day later, the number jumped to 143.

JFRD and COJ are providing triple the number of wheelchairs, additional seating for those waiting in line and signage that directs patients to alert someone if they need any type of assistance, the statement read.

Florida Coast News reported that a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health said "when someone is at that level [pictured], they are moved" and taken to a hospital if needed.

Denise Miner and her mother got the treatment Thursday after testing positive. Miner was shocked by the photo, she told News4Jax.

She said some people are getting desperate, and like her, chose not to go to hospitals because of the potentially long waits.

Theres not much room in the hospitals so people are having to try all kinds of things to try and help themselves, Miner said.

Suzanne Lopez, Louies wife, told the Times-Union she didnt expect her post to go beyond the Florida Covid subreddit.

More: COVID-19 hospitalizations fluctuate in Jacksonville, up across Florida

I put it out there as a 'hey everybody, be careful.' My husband is vaccinated and still is getting the monoclonal therapy and look how much worse it is for people who aren't vaccinated, she said.

Lopez is feeling better since he first tested positive last week, and is only experiencing a mild headache and fatigue.

While the photo has garnered widespread attention, Lopez doesnt think it captures the moment completely.

They were very sick. I told somebody else that picture doesn't convey how much in pain they were because they were moaning, Lopez said. The poor woman in yellow could barely move. She needed help. I asked her at one point if she needed help. She said no, but she was just miserable.

Katherine Lewin is the enterprise reporter at the Times-Union covering criminal and social justice issues in Northeast Florida. Email her at klewin@jacksonville.com or follow on Twitter @KatherineMLewin. Support local journalism!

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Viral Reddit photo of COVID patients on floor in Florida library
The Singapore State Courts. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore)

SINGAPORE  Police are investigating a case of contempt of court allegedly committed by a 51-year-old woman during the Benjamin Glynn trial on Wednesday (18 August).

In response of queries, the police said in a media statement on Thursday that the Attorney-General's Chambers has authorised the probe under Section 3(1)(a) of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016.

"The woman allegedly interrupted court proceedings during a criminal trial in the State Courts on 18 August 2021. Police investigations are ongoing," police said in the media statement.

Partway through the hearing involving British expatriate Glynn - who was eventually sentenced to six weeks' jail after he was found guilty of charges including failing to wear a mask in public - a loud bang caused by a phone dropping on the floor was heard in court.

A woman who was seated in the audience gallery then interrupted the proceedings. The woman was singled out by District Judge Eddy Tham for not wearing a mask and a security guard approached her to remind her to wear her mask.

As the woman was fixing her mask strap, she shouted at the judge, "This is not about a mask, this is about control ...you need my consent?" She also warned security officers who were in court not to "provoke" her.

She then shouted, "You don't tell me what to do! I am a living breathing woman, dont tell me what to do!...I do not respect the judge."

DJ Tham asked for the woman to be escorted out and the trial was stood down for a few minutes for several officers to do so. The woman did not return to the hearing afterwards.

Glynn was released from Singapore Prison Service and handed over on Wednesday to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, which will be making arrangements for his deportation to his home country.

The Ministry of Manpower said in a separate statement that it has permanently banned Glynn from working in Singapore.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
When Etta Legner first looked at her little home on Timber Lake, she said fell in love.

And, indeed, in the last three years she has put a lot of her own love back into what she describes as a little English cottage.

Legners cottage sits right on the lake, which is located in the same small neighborhood where the circa-1929 Timberlake Tavern sits, which she and another couple own. She said there are some original log houses left on the lake but not many; they were built just as summer homes for the rich and famous, who she assumes lived downtown.

She said most people assume when she says she lives on Timber Lake that she lives on Timberlake Road.

No one knows where it is, she said.

The community is tucked away at the end of Timberlake Road near U.S. 460 and is a tight-knit community.

Legners property at 1216 Timberlake Drive came to be from just a circa-1940s Quonset hut that was moved from the Lynchburg Regional Airport in 1945 right after World War II.

The airport hangar was placed on the vacant lot at the time but has been built onto, mostly by a couple who renovated the entire home in the early 2000s and lived there until they sold it to Legner in 2018.
ARTE Documentary - Aug 23

It can be hard to make new friends as an adult, but sometimes catching up with old friends can feel more like keeping up with the Joneses. But the Cheerful cheerleading group is different. They are all about discipline, energy, and mutual support.
Todays housing lottery round-up features eight buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan with available affordable units on Housing Connect with deadlines closing within the next seven days.

6 Units in 855 Dekalb Avenue in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn

The housing lottery closes in three days for 855 Dekalb Avenue, a five-story residential building in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Designed by Beam Architects, the structure has six units available on NYC Housing Connect for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $78,858 to $167,570.

13 Units in 150 Lenox Road in Flatbush, Brooklyn

The housing lottery closes in four days for 150 Lenox Road, an eight-story residential building in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Designed by BDF Design with interiors by Beam Architects, the structure has 13 units available on NYC Housing Connect at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $76,286 to $167,570.

14 Units in 420 Gates Avenue in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn

The housing lottery closes in four days for 420 Gates Avenue, a six-story mixed-use building in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Designed by Z Architecture, the structure has 14 units available on NYC Housing Connect at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $68,229 to $167,570.

1 Unit in Parker West on the Upper West Side, Manhattan

The housing lottery closes in four days for Parker West, a 21-story mixed-use building at 214 West 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Designed by Greenberg Farrow, the structure has one unit available on NYC Housing Connect for residents at 80 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $67,132 to $118,400.

55 Units in 1089 President Street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn

The housing lottery closes in five days for Bedford Union Armory, an eight-story residential building at 1089 President Street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Developed by BFC Partners, the structure has 55 units available on NYC Housing Connect at 30 to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $14,778 to $88,800.

3 Units in 65 Woodbine Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn

The housing lottery closes in five days for 65 Woodbine Street, a four-story residential building in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Designed by Diego Aguilera Architects, the structure has three units available on NYC Housing Connect for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $66,000 to $139,620.

254 Units in Caton Flats in Flatbush, Brooklyn

The housing lottery closes in five days for Caton Flats, 14-story mixed-use residential building at 800 Flatbush Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Designed by Magnusson Architecture And Planning, the structure has 254 units available on NYC Housing Connect for residents at 40 to 165 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $21,635 to $244,200.

3 Units in 65 Graham Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

The housing lottery closes in six days for 65 Graham Avenue, a six-story mixed-use building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Designed by Bricolage Designs, the structure has three units available on NYC Housing Connect for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $75,258 to $167,570.

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Hazel Dell United Methodist Church

Hazel Dell United Methodist Church, 23109 205th St., is open for worship at 9 a.m. on Sundays, and we will maintain social distancing. Membership is not necessary to participate. Masks are not required but are available for those who need or want one, and we have plenty of hand sanitizer. We will meet in the church sanctuary. If you are sick, please do not join us. If you decide not to attend at this time, you can join us in worship at home through Facebook Live. We are in prayer for all those affected by this virus. The office number is 712-310-2831. You can check us out at facebook.com/hazeldellumcc and the church is handicap accessible.

Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church

Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church, 1800 Fifth Ave., invites the public to participate in our live worship service at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Face masks are optional. The Sunday worship service will continue to be recorded live and can be viewed on our Facebook page: Fifth Avenue UMC, Council Bluffs. The church office can be reached Monday or Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for prayer or other requests at 712-323-7374 or through our email, fifthaveumchurch@gmail.com.

Gethsemane Presbyterian Church
She didnt want to see her best friend like that. She couldnt comprehend what kind of demons would drive someone to nearly decapitate her.

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For that matter, she found it hard to fathom how long its been. Twenty-two years since the 22-year-old died. She would be 44 now, squarely middle-aged, no doubt a mom. And Thompson believes this as well: She would have matured past her drug use. Just like Thompson was able to.

At 22, Thompson said, Ratliff was a gentle but lost soul. She tried to mask her pain with drugs, sometimes marijuana but mostly meth.

That girl was in pain, Thompson said. You could tell there was something wrong. She looked scared, but I didnt know why.

Jacobmeier suggested why. The prosecutor said family friends will testify that Kennedy talked about his stepsister sexually, about her breasts specifically. A family friend will also testify that Ratliff told her that she was sexually assaulted by Kennedy and another relative, Jacobmeier said.

Hours before her death, a family friend saw Ratliff leave a casino. She got in her Sundance. Kennedy got in a car next to her. They both drove off. Kennedy later added layers to his account, first saying he last saw her when he exited a highway and later saying he helped her jump her cars battery.
If its extended, we would look at trying to buy that down further, she said.

The Iowa House overwhelmingly approved a bill during its 2018 session to extend the SAVE tax through 2049, but the Senates version of the bill never made it to the floor. A bill designating 30% of the SAVE revenue to property tax relief passed in 2019.

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Now, both middle school projects have been completed, and the district is trying to decide whether to have additional remodeling done on the facility to make it suitable for other purposes or to sell it and use the money for construction of the district's new Early Learning Center or other needs.

The district distributed a ThoughtExchange survey to staff and families Wednesday to collect feedback on what should be done with the property.

 The district could remodel the building and move its central offices to that location instead of continuing to pay to lease space in the Omni Centre Business Park and using some of the space for professional development, copying and a mailroom. Converting the facility for this purpose would cost $4 million to $5 million, according to information in the survey. In addition, the building is expected to need a new roof within 10 years, it stated. This would not use all of the buildings 95,000 square feet of space.
But additional evidence recently collected couldnt overshadow the past missteps and blunders by the Council Bluffs Police Department. Interviews werent conducted or recorded soon after the crime occurred and Ratliffs Pontiac disappeared from the Bluffs impound lot about 15 years ago.

Whoever was responsible for the missing car hasnt told authorities how it happened, prosecutors had said.

Also, investigators believed that Ratliff was not killed in the car, but never pinpointed exactly where.

We were very hampered by the lack of investigative leads generated 22 years ago, Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said. I really feel it was the lack of police work. That was the hurdle we just couldnt get over.

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In presenting his closing argument, Wilber told the jury that his team presented a puzzle with various pieces to connect it all together. It seemed the jury decided too many pieces were missing, he said.

Wilber said he respects the jurys decision and said the defense was professional and honorable in presenting the case.

Eimermann and her colleague Amy Kepes declined to comment after the verdict was announced Friday.
IOWA CITY  Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds office is illegally delaying the release of public records related to its $26 million, no-bid coronavirus testing contract, a new lawsuit contends.

Reynolds and her offices public records custodian, attorney Michael Boal, are the latest officials to be accused of violating open records laws by a Utah-based company investigating testing programs in several states.

Paul Huntsman, chairman of the board of the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper, launched Jittai to seek public records related to Test Utah and similar programs in Nebraska, Iowa and Tennessee. He is funding the requests and vowing to make public the findings, saying he wants to know how well the programs worked and whether public funds were used for private gain.

Suzette Rasmussen, an attorney for Jittai who previously served as chief records officer for former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, filed a lawsuit this week in Polk County against Reynolds and Boal. Her complaint alleges that Reynolds office for more than five months has refused to timely and meaningfully respond to a records request related to the Test Iowa program.
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People are leaving California because of the state of the economy (and) the state of that state, she said. Theyre moving to Montana, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado.

Thats shoving those people (in those states) to Nebraska because theyve heard about our cleaner air, our affordable housing, our affordable living, the good life that we have here.

Total monthly listings have grown since March, when the Realtors group reported just 39 new listings and 38 active ones. Julys figures were 75 and 63 respectively.

Hinds and Jett said the multiphase Shot in the Arm housing incentive program has somewhat eased the supply crunch. More than 200 single-family homes have been added to North Plattes overall inventory over the past five years.

But community leaders need to encourage even more home construction, they said. People come in, they buy the homes, and then theres not as many homes for people to move over to another house, Jett said.

Homes in the North Platte MLS listings have stayed on the market an average of 63 days thus far in 2021, compared with 73 days last year.
The Biden administration allowed an earlier moratorium to lapse on July 31, saying it had no legal authority to allow it to continue. But the CDC issued a new moratorium days later as pressure mounted from lawmakers and others to help vulnerable renters stay in their homes as the coronavirus delta variant surged. The moratorium is scheduled to expire Oct. 3.

As of Aug. 2, roughly 3.5 million people in the United States said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey.

The new moratorium temporarily halted evictions in counties with substantial and high levels of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives.

The Trump administration initially put a nationwide eviction moratorium in place last year out of fear that people who cant pay their rent would end up in crowded living conditions like homeless shelters and help spread the virus.

President Joe Biden acknowledged there were questions about the legality of the new eviction freeze. But he said a court fight over the new order would buy time for the distribution of some of the more than $45 billion in rental assistance that has been approved but not yet used.
Karamargin was also dismissive of Cardona's letter: "The last thing we need is a bureaucrat in Washington, D.C., telling Arizona parents what's best for them."

Nor does the governor believe he is breaking any law by denying a share of those COVID relief dollars to schools that require faculty and students to wear marks.

The letter to Ducey comes the same day that U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., wrote to Cardona complaining that the governor is punishing schools that follow CDC guidelines. "Gov. Ducey is yet again pursuing reckless and inhumane proposals that will continue to exacerbate this public health crisis,'' Grijalva wrote. "In addition, it puts into question the legality around him restricting public health mitigation measures in the first place.''

Since July 20, Tucson schools have had 765 identified COVID-19 cases and 29 outbreaks, both numbers increasing exponentially by the day.

Tucson Unified, Amphitheater, Catalina Foothills and Flowing Wells school districts are all requiring universal masking indoors. Sunnyside and Tanque Verde school districts both have meetings this week to discuss whether to implement a mask mandate.

Grijalva said Ducey's financial incentives to schools that don't require masks is retribution against schools that defied him.
A U.S. military Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, after Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday. Photo: Rahmat Gul/AP/Shutterstock

The collapse of Afghanistan is nearly complete, with Taliban fighters now encircling the national capital, Kabul, after capturing every other major city in the country in barely more than a week. The U.S. intelligence assessment from June that warned of a total Taliban victory within six to 12 months of the withdrawal of American troops has been revised sharply downward: first to one to three months, then to as little as 72 hours. Given the shocking momentum of the Taliban advance, it would not be surprising to see Kabul fall within a day.

Though the Taliban says it has instructed its fighters not to attack Kabul and wait for the Afghan governments surrender, they have been paying little heed to international calls for a peaceful transition or the preservation of human rights during their offensive thus far. They are already reportedly imposing their draconian rules on the cities they occupy  burqas for women, no education for girls, no smartphones  and threatening those who break them. Meanwhile, Afghan national forces are barely putting up a fight; in city after city, soldiers and officials of the U.S.-backed Afghan government have surrendered to the Taliban after putting up a token resistance at best. The Islamist militants are winning easily, as the one party that could have checked their advance  the U.S. military  is already most of its way out the door.

The spiraling crisis in Afghanistan is becoming politically dicey for President Joe Biden  though just how dicey remains to be seen. Former president Donald Trump and other figures on the right are spinning the rapid collapse of the Afghan army and government as a massive failure on the part of the Biden administration. Their fantasy narrative is that Trump would have managed the withdrawal (which his administration negotiated with the Taliban and agreed to last year) more effectively, and somehow Afghanistan would have remained intact in the aftermath.

This is, of course, nonsense. Trump would not have made any greater effort than Biden to protect the Afghan people as he withdrew U.S. forces  if anything, his track record and character suggest he would have been even more indifferent. His withdrawal would not have been conditions-based, as Trump claims, because the imagined conditions for an orderly U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan have never existed and will never exist. Three successive U.S. presidents attempted to produce those conditions, and they all kept getting sucked back in.

Some commentators have, predictably, bought into the Biden is losing Afghanistan narrative. The pathos of Afghans already suffering under the psychotic austerity of Taliban rule, the shuttering of girls schools, the prospect of wholesale bloody revenge against anyone who supported the U.S. occupation or resisted the Taliban  all of this makes for gut-wrenching news stories in which the administration comes off looking either incompetent or heartless for allowing it all to happen.

By no means is this to say that Biden has managed this process perfectly, or even well. His eagerness to pull American troops out completely by the symbolic deadline of September 11, no matter what, has left insufficient time for ensuring the evacuation of Afghans who assisted the U.S. and have good reason to fear theyll be imprisoned or executed because of that once the Taliban gets hold of them. Those who are not far enough along in the process of applying for special immigrant visas (SIVs), or stuck in Taliban-controlled territory or otherwise unable to travel to Kabul, are shit out of luck, as a congressional aide put it to the Washington Post on Friday. Around 19,000 Afghans who qualify for SIVs are still in the queue. Along with their families, thats about 88,000 hopeful evacuees  and thats not counting all the journalists, activists, and other highly vulnerable people who qualify for refugee status or asylum under other visa programs.

The Biden administration also does not appear to have accounted for the speed at which the Taliban would advance as U.S. soldiers withdrew, nor for the refugee crisis that would spawn as hundreds of thousands of desperate Afghans attempted to flee both the offensive and country. Biden has already been forced to backtrack on his plan for a speedy withdrawal by redeploying up to 8,000 combat troops to Kabul to protect and assist in the evacuation of embassy staff. Had the administration planned better and devoted more resources to protecting and evacuating U.S. diplomats and Afghan allies, the withdrawal might not have been so fraught with danger.

Still, there is really no conceivable circumstance under which the U.S. could have extracted itself from Afghanistan without the government crumbling and the country falling back into the hands of the Taliban. The Afghan government and its security forces were always dependent on the backstop of a U.S. military presence in their country. The corrupt officials in Kabul took it for granted that we would be there to keep them in power indefinitely. The Taliban has always known this, and they have been waiting and planning for this very series of events for the past 20 years.

The U.S. has always known this, too, but our political and military leadership has always been deeply reluctant to admit it. Every time we tried to draw down, the Taliban quickly filled the void we left. Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump were all ultimately convinced to send in more soldiers and try to stabilize Afghanistan again. Biden, in contrast, has remained resolute in his commitment to the withdrawal and is letting the chips fall where they inevitably would. The speed at which the Taliban has retaken the country over the past week may be shocking, but the fact that they have done so is no surprise at all.

Might things have been different? Perhaps, but most of the decisions that led to this tragedy were made long before Biden entered office. As Mike Jason, a former U.S. Army colonel who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, has explained at The Atlantic, the U.S. failed to build the institutions that form the backbone of an effective security force in both countries. No matter how many soldiers we trained, the absence of those institutions ensured that these countries armies would never stand on their own feet:

We failed to establish the necessary infrastructure that dealt effectively with military education, training, pay systems, career progression, personnel, accountability  all the things that make a professional security force. Rotating teams through tours of six months to a year, we could not resolve the vexing problems facing Iraqs and Afghanistans armies and police: endemic corruption, plummeting morale, rampant drug use, abysmal maintenance, and inept logistics. We got really good at preparing platoons and companies to conduct raids and operate checkpoints, but little worked behind them.

This fundamental failure helps to explain why the Afghan security forces have fled or surrendered city after city this week, despite having greater numbers, better equipment, and ostensibly better training than the Taliban. Many commentators have compared the events of the past week to the fall of Saigon at the close of the Vietnam War in 1975, but a more apt comparison is to the way the Iraqi security forces shattered in the face of the ISIS advance in 2014. No matter how well-armed they are, soldiers who dont feel supported by the state they represent, or that its worth fighting for, are no match for militant religious fanatics who are just as eager to die for their cause as they are to kill for it.

Republicans now apparently hope (and some Democrats fear) that the unfolding disaster in Afghanistan will become a political disaster for Biden. Yet after two decades in Afghanistan, it is not clear whether Americans care enough about the fate of that war to punish the president who finally ends it. Gallup finds public opinion evenly divided on whether the war was a mistake; other polling over the past few years has found consistently mixed feelings about whether to remain in Afghanistan or withdraw. Considering how low foreign policy ranks on most Americans priority lists, let alone in a non-election year, ending the longest war in U.S. history wont necessarily be a political liability for Biden  though of course, Republicans will try their worst to make it one.

In a statement on Saturday, Biden reiterated his core rationale for proceeding with the withdrawal on schedule, in spite of the potential consequences for Afghanistan: 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. And an endless American presence in the middle of another countrys civil conflict was not acceptable to me. Here, he acknowledges two uncomfortable truths: that Afghanistan is in essence a failed state, and that it is no longer enough of a strategic priority for the U.S. to justify an indefinite military presence there. Those are facts, not positions.

Bidens assessment is consistent with his longstanding skepticism of the Afghanistan war and our nation-building experiment there. His administration has made serious mistakes in managing that experiments end, especially its inexcusable mishandling of the evacuation of our Afghan allies and their families. Yet the sad fact is that Americas departure from Afghanistan was always going to be a bloody, chaotic, heartbreaking mess. Biden has chosen to oversee that inevitable tragedy rather than extend the entanglement to yet another president. Americans might debate the wisdom of that decision and how it has been carried out, but after 20 years of war, it was a decision that had to be made.
In my biography for my application I even mentioned in my second year working I was asked to do an at-risk reading class, and it scared me because the kids would say, Why are we in here, why do we have this class? and kids want to feel important, special and they dont want you to tell them that they are below a level. It was then when I figured out relationships were the most important because students will not listen or respond to you unless they get you or know you care.

After that, I started reading a lot of professional development, and student-centered learning was a buzzword. Students need options; students need choices. They should have ownership over what they do. And that drove my teaching philosophy. I found that its easier when you listen to kids and what they want and what they need  thats when you can let them have the ownership and thats when they start trusting you because youre letting them know that they can lead their learning.

... Conversations are really important when youre trying to figure out what people need. I always gravitated to the at-risk kids because I feel like some kids come in and theyre so smart, so ready to go, and it doesnt matter  not to talk about other teachers  but it doesnt matter whos in the front of the room, theyre going to get it and learn because they have that inner drive to do it.
Mayor Ron Anders and the Auburn City Council recognized and thanked Auburn Junior High School teacher Kimberly Johnson at their meeting Tuesday for her work in education after she was recognized as the 2021-2022 Alabama Teacher of the Year.

This past week our city, our school system, our children and our families were honored to be a part of the same system that the best teacher in the state of Alabama works in, Anders said. Kim has been a special part of our community for many, many years, and to think that of all the great teachers in this state whod give their lives to teaching all of our wonderful children across the state of Alabama, that she was recognized by her peers and people in educational leadership positions in Alabama as the very best teacher is just awesome.

Johnson, who taught language arts for 18 years and now teaches study skills to students at Auburn Junior High School, was awarded a bouquet of flowers and a key to the city from the mayor before being applauded by all in the council chamber.
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

Rain likely. Potential for flooding rains. High 69F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 52F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High 68F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 52F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
I need OWN to renew Delilah TBQH!



ALSO, justice for 'Ambitions'!



Edited at 2021-08-20 09:56 pm (UTC)

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Yes, please...I need the whole cast back though

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no interest in this show but i'm happy as long as simone missick is employed

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Considering the show, the cast and crew, all suffered because of the bad press from the fired showrunner I would love to see this come back. I think about the talented writers who lost their jobs and I hope the ones who haven't picked up work get to come back.

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wilson bethel pls come back and take off your shirt

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If it does get picked up, I hope all of the original cast members come back because they're all great.

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OSHA Updates Guidance on Protecting Unvaccinated Workers

An updated guidance was issued by the U.S. Department of Labors OSHA in order to help employers protect workers from the coronavirus. The guidance reflects developments in science and data, including the CDCs updated COVID-19 guidance issued July 27. The updated guidance, however, expands information on appropriate measures for protecting workers in higher-risk work places with mixed-vaccination status workers. This mainly includes industries such as manufacturing, meat, seafood and poultry processing, high-volume and retail grocery and agricultural processing. This is often prolonged due to close contact with others.

According to a press release, OSHAs latest guidance:

 Recommends that fully vaccinated workers in areas of substantial or high community transmission wear masks in order to protect unvaccinated workers

 Recommends that fully vaccinated workers who have close contacts with people with coronavirus wear masks for up to 14 days unless they have a negative coronavirus test at least three to five days after such contact

 Clarifies recommendations to protect unvaccinated workers and other at-risk workers in manufacturing, meat and poultry processing, seafood processing and agricultural processing a

 Links to the latest guidance on K-12 schools and CDC statements on public transit

OSHA continuously urges people to get vaccinated in order to protect workers and encourages employers to engage with workers and their representatives to implement different approaches to protect unvaccinated or at-risk workers from the coronavirus.

As a part of the agencys ongoing commitment to review the COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard every 30 days, OSHA says safeguards set forth by the standard remain more important than ever before. After reviewing the most recent guidance, science and data, as well as consulting with the CDC and partners, OSHA determined the requirements of the healthcare ETS remains necessary to address the dangers of the coronavirus in healthcare. OSHA will continue to monitor and assess the need for changes in the healthcare ETS each month.
Europe is facing a potentially tough winter with natural gas supply nowhere near enough to meet heightened seasonal demand, Bloomberg has reported, citing storage data and industry insiders.

LNG deliveries in July were at the lowest for that month in three years, the report noted, and this month things look even worse, with only one cargo set to arrive in the UK. Meanwhile, six cargos of LNG are set to depart from Spain in August as traders seek to profit from higher prices on the Asian market.

Pipeline supplies from Russia are also problematic and not for political reasons. Gazprom recently said that it is overwhelmed by demand both at home and abroad. Then, earlier this month, a fire erupted at a condensate plant in Siberia, reducing natural gas supplies via the Yamal-Europe pipeline.

Global demand for natural gas, including LNG, has been on a tear recently, rising for five months in a row to July, with Latin America and Asia ready to pay top dollar for LNG, thus drawing cargoes away from Europe. Asia accounted for 74.6 percent of demand in July, Argus reported, importing 22.6 million tons. Europe, in comparison, took in just 4.43 million tons, down from 5.5 million tons a year earlier.

Europe needs to refill storage, but with the current fight for cargoes, it seems like the market will be very tight unless pipeline flows increase, Oystein Kalleklev, chief executive officer of shipowner Flex LNG, said, as quoted by Bloomberg. We need to prepare for a very volatile winter depending on winter weather.

European gas fundamentals remain tight, with the persistent weakness of Russian supply as the main source of concern, analysts from Engie EnergyScan said in a note this week, as quoted by Natural Gas Intelligence.

Gazprom has booked only 650,000 cu m daily of the 15-million-cu-m capacity of its pipeline network through Ukraine for September. The state gas major has also said it would raise gas prices for Europe by about 30 percent for the full year.

LNG prices in Europe are also on the rise, however, and this may bring in more LNG cargoes in the coming weeks as the premium that has drawn traders to Asia has virtually disappeared, with both the European and the Japanese LNG benchmark above $15 per million British thermal units for September.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
You wouldnt believe the oil price had been quietly falling since early July when you went to fill up your tank this summer. Gasoline demand is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels from 2019. As a result, pressure on refiners has been so marked that prices have risen sharply enough to make the Biden administration urge Russia and Saudi Arabia to pump more oil to ease a perceived tightness.

But the reality is the tightness is in refined products  not crude oil. OPEC+ is unlikely to ramp up output to appease the U.S.  or anyone else, for that matter.

Mixed output story

Last month, after intense negotiations with the UAE, OPEC+ agreed to boost output by 400,000 barrels per day each month from August. The move was intended to bring the groups output back to its pre-pandemic level by the end of 2022.

Even so, oil prices have dipped this month, in large part over fears regarding the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus and resulting slow growth around the world, particularly in Asia where vaccination rates are generally low.

The story is mixed, though, by region.

Brent crude prices dropped 6% last week, its largest week of losses in four months, while WTI slumped nearly 7% in its biggest weekly decline in nine months, according to Reuters. Support was further weakened when the IEA said demand for crude oil ground to a halt in July and was set to rise at a slower pace over the rest of the year because of surging infections from the Delta variant.

Related: Oil Sinks As Demand Outlook Worsens

But a weaker outlook hasnt stopped the Biden administration from calling for an investigation into profiteering. Although Brent crude prices are up a third from the start of the year in July, retail gasoline prices in the U.S. were up some 41.8% compared with July 2020, according to the Labor Department quoted in a BBC post. The government fears rising gas prices could hamper the recovery.

Oil rig count increases

Following some consolidation in the industry, U.S. energy firms added the most oil rigs in a week since April 2020 last week at 397, up from 172 a year ago. The combined oil and gas rig count reached 500, more than double its level a year ago. That increased supply may help ease gasoline prices once output reaches refineries and the summer driving season ends.

Wider confidence in stronger oil prices seems to be fading among investment banks.

Goldman Sachs cut its estimate for the global oil deficit to 1 million barrels per day from 2.3 million bpd in the short term, citing an expected decline in demand in August and September. However, it suggested demand should hold up later in the year due to ongoing vaccination rates keeping the US economy on track. Meanwhile, confidence in Asian growth is not so strong.

The sense is global crude oil prices are going through a short-term down cycle which may last only one quarter before confidence recovers and, with it, prices.

With OPEC managing to retain fairly tight control on output and demand recovering close to pre-pandemic levels, it would take a significant escalation of global infection rates and widespread application of lockdowns to precede a prolonged fall in oil prices.

The market remains in deficit. OPEC will be keen to keep it there.

A rising U.S. rig count is unlikely to turn that around anytime soon. So, todays oil price softening may last no more than a few months before we see prices back about $70 again.

By AG Metal Miner

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Big Oil majors operating in Nigeria owe the state $4 billion, a government official has said, as quoted by Reuters.

"International oil companies are expected to pay 3% of their annual budget to NDDC [the Niger Delta Development Commission] as their major income but they have been defaulting for a long period of time," Tayo Alasoadura told media. "Efforts are being made to get the outstanding payments, which is up to $4 billion from them. All of them are owing," the official added.

Foreign oil companies operating in Nigeria include Exxon, Shell, TotalEnergies, and Italy's Eni. Earlier this year, the government inked a massive deal with the four supermajors to develop the Bonga deepwater field, which could bring in $10 billion in fresh investments into the country and 150,000 additional barrels to daily production.

Yet relations between supermajors and the Nigerian authorities have not always been smooth, with the bone of contention most often being the Niger Delta, where the country's oil production is concentrated.

Just this month, Anglo-Dutch Shell settled a legal dispute running since 1991 regarding an oil spill from a pipeline that occurred in 1970. The supermajor agreed to pay $111 million to a Delta community to settle the case. The company is currently in the process of finding a buyer for its onshore and shallow-water assets in the West African country.

This is not the only lawsuit against a Big Oil major in Nigeria. Earlier this year, a local company took Shell to court, demanding $4 billion for the poor condition of the Nembe Creek Trunk Line that the Nigerian company bought in 2015 and for Shell's alleged underreporting of oil exported from the Bonny Terminal.

This latest demand on Big Oil may sour sentiment in the industry towards Africa's biggest oil producer at a time when most oil majors think twice before making a financial commitment to new production.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The worlds largest sovereign wealth fund, Norways $1.4 trillion Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG), should ask from the companies it is invested in when it comes to reaching their 2050 net-zero emissions goals, a government panel said this week.

The fund said that oil firms in its portfolio need to cut their emissions more drastically.

Norway is one of Europes richest countries thanks to the decades of oil revenues amassed in the worlds largest sovereign wealth fund with US$1.4 trillion in assets and holdings of 1.4 percent of all of the worlds listed companies, including stakes in oil majors Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP.

This week, a report from an expert group appointed by Norways Ministry of Finance recommended that the work on climate risk be anchored in the funds mandate, under which Norges Banks responsible investment is based on an overall long-term goal of zero emissions from the companies in which the fund has invested, in line with the Paris Agreement.

Oil firms in the funds portfolio absolutely arent doing enough for emission reduction, Carine Smith Ihenacho, chief governance officer at the fund, told Bloomberg in an interview.

These are companies we monitor very, very closely with a view to the climate and emissions, Ihenacho told Bloomberg.

The fund put the oil sector on notice as early as in November 2017 when it said that it recommended the removal of oil and gas stocksaround $35 billion worth of shares at the timefrom the funds equity benchmark index to make Norways wealth and economy less vulnerable to a permanent drop in oil and gas prices. Two years later, the funds proposal for dumping oil stocks was narrowed down to stakes in purely exploration and production companies worth a total of less than $6 billion.

As net-zero emissions get increased attention, the fund now uses its ownership stakes to demand companies set net-zero targets.

The expert panel recommends in its report that zero emissions by 2050 be a long-term anchor for the funds work on climate.

Were telling companies to set targets that live up to the Paris Agreement, Ihenacho told Bloomberg.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.

Chanell Alexander writes for NerdWallet. Email: calexander@nerdwallet.com.

The article $20K or More to Expand Your Family? How to Pay for Adoption originally appeared on NerdWallet.
State-and-regional

Nebraska, Iowa vets, Gold Star families grapple with how Afghanistan War is ending

HEIDI KATZENBACH Pfc. Jacob Wykstra with his mother, Heidi Katzenbach. Wykstra was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan in 2014 at age 21. U.S. ARMY Then-Lt. Col. Chris Kolenda and Capt. Nathan Springer with Afghan civilians during a 2007-08 deployment to Afghanistan. "There are so many unforced errors" in the withdrawal, Kolenda said. BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERAL State Sen. Tom Brewer SCREEN MEDIA Gold Star mother Barb Yllescas-Vorthmann meets Jake Tapper, whose 2012 book "The Outpost" told the story of her son's death in Afghanistan. RYAN SODERLIN, THE WORLD-HERALD Chris Berggren, 36, who grew up in Lincoln, with a framed memorial dedicated to 27 Marines he served with in Iraq who died in a helicopter crash. He also served a tour in Afghanistan and is haunted by the fate of Afghan people he knew there. CHRIS BERGGREN Marines Aaron Kuck (left) and Chris Berggren on a C-130 flight out of Iraq in March 2005. CHRIS BERGGREN "The Donkey Guys," local Afghans who carried food supplies to U.S. soldiers from Camp Wright, in Asadabad. Chris Berggren, a Marine from Lincoln, said he wonders what happened to the friendly fellows he taught to say, "Go Huskers" for a video. CHRIS BERGGREN Chris Berggren, former Marine from Lincoln, in with an Afghan interpreter at Camp Wright in 2006. CHRIS BERGGREN Chris Berggren, former Marine from Lincoln, jpulls guard duty with an Afghan soldier in 2006. CHRIS BERGGREN Chris Berggren, former Marine from Lincoln, with Afghans at Camp Wright in 2006-07.

Barb Yllescas-Vorthmann cried tears of grief a dozen years ago when a bomb on a bridge in a remote corner of Afghanistan fatally wounded her son, Capt. Rob Yllescas. He left behind a widow and two young daughters in Lincoln.

She cried again this week as she watched images of the people her son tried to help fleeing the advance of the brutal Taliban after the U.S. and its NATO allies withdrew from the country.

This time, she cried tears of anger, frustration and fear.

How can we leave families behind there? said Yllescas-Vorthmann, of Treynor, Iowa, who leads the Gold Star families chapter in Nebraska and western Iowa. Its hard to watch, but I feel like I have to. I cant help it; I feel their pain.

Omaha man's sisters stuck at Kabul airport as they try to flee Taliban An Omaha man's work for the U.S. military made his family targets of the Taliban. As of Thursday, his sisters had been in the airport for two days.

During the United States 20-year war in Afghanistan, only a small percentage of Americans served there. By the time President Joe Biden confirmed the Trump administrations plans to withdraw the last troops this year, many people had almost forgotten that our military was still there.

The luxury of forgetting is unavailable to Gold Star mothers like Yllescas-Vorthmann, or to veterans who served there. The scenes of chaos and desperation ripped a scab off a grievous wound that had barely begun to heal.

COURTESY, HEIDI KATZENBACH The fall of Afghanistan to Taliban forces brought back the grief Heidi Katzenbach felt over the loss of her son, Jacob Wykstra, in Afghanistan in 2014.

I spent most of the first day crying. Either our heart breaks again, or we become very angry, said Heidi Katzenbach, whose son, Jacob Wykstra, died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan in May 2014. I would have never thought that the events of this week would resurface this grief again.

When Katzenbach isnt crying, shes angry. A lot of that anger is directed at Biden, whose withdrawal from Afghanistan feels to her like a betrayal.

Its about the choices our commander in chief took, Katzenbach said. This past week (the Afghans) were just 100% totally abandoned.

Tom Brewer, now a Nebraska state senator, felt like he left part of his heart in Afghanistan during multiple combat tours  until he was medically retired as a colonel in the Nebraska National Guard after being severely wounded by a roadside bomb.

I got shot up and blown up over there. Youre either going to love the place or hate it, he said. To see what happened was definitely kind of gut-wrenching.

Nebraskans from Afghanistan angry, fearful over home countrys collapse For the past several days, I havent slept well. I have my phone in my hand all the time, Feroz Mohmand, 34, who now lives in Omaha. Im lost. Im shocked. Im helpless. I cant do anything.

He loves the place, and the people. And he feared a sudden collapse like the 1975 fall of the South Vietnamese government in Saigon.

The potential is there to see that kind of collapse, Brewer told The World-Herald in May. We made a lot of promises were going to have to walk away from now.

This week, many veterans have been thinking about Afghan people they met. They cant stop musing about their fates, with a certain amount of dread.

Tyson Thomas, 37, of Walnut, Iowa, thinks about a little boy of about 10 named Sharif.

Thomas was a Navy corpsman, part of a Marine battalion that worked out of Asadabad, a base east of Kabul, from November 2003 to May 2004. He and the Marines there liked the smiling little fellow they called Sheriff.

He spoke very good English. He was our right-hand man. Hed help us fill sandbags, Thomas recalled. Hes probably in his mid-20s now. I wondered what happened to him.

TYSON THOMAS Navy Corpsman Tyson Thomas, left, of Walnut, Iowa, and Marine Sgt. Justin Billups pose with an Afghan boy they called Sheriff near Asadabad, Afghanistan, in 2004.

Chris Berggren, 36, who grew up in Lincoln, cant stop thinking about three Afghan men in their late 20s he met at Asadabad on a 2006-07 deployment. He called them the donkey guys.

It was Berggrens second combat deployment. His first, to Iraq in 2004-05, included house-to-house fighting in the battle of Fallujah and the loss of 27 members of his Marine battalion in a helicopter crash.

At Asadabad, one of Berggrens jobs was to send food supplies to the Marines at two mountaintop outposts. He paid the three donkey guys to haul the boxes up the mountains.

They were friendly and reliable, Berggren said. He taught them to say Go Huskers and made a video.

And the Taliban had placed bounties on their heads  reportedly, $10,000.

Im sure that work doesnt qualify them for (U.S.) visas, Berggren said this week. Theyre probably dead by now.

Some Nebraskans are still in touch with interpreters and other Afghan civilians they met during their deployments, and pulling whatever strings they can to get them the coveted Special Immigrant Visas that would allow them a new life in the U.S.

It has given them a close-up view of the bureaucratic, often infuriating gantlet Afghans must go through to qualify for one of the visas. Even when its successful, the process often takes years.

Nebraska-born Chris Kolenda, a retired Army colonel who served four years in Afghanistan, has remained close to two Afghans whom he depended on during his deployments.

But neither qualifies for a visa.

Wakil was a volunteer who helped Americans build a school in a village in the region where Kolendas unit, Task Force Saber, patrolled in 2007-08. Before that, rockets had been fired from the same village.

His application was turned down because he wasnt a paid employee.

By chance and determination, some Nebraskans trapped in Afghanistan escape Through determination and luck, some Americans are making their way to the airport in Kabul for flights out of Afghanistan.

Another Afghan, Iqbal, worked as a cultural adviser at Forward Operating Base Bostick, in Kunar Province on the Pakistan border.

He helped us understand a lot of the local problems, said Kolenda, a graduate of Creighton Prep who now lives in Milwaukee. So many things, he helped us think through.

The U.S. military closed the base and withdrew from the area in 2014, and Iqbal was let go. Despite multiple letters from Kolenda and other Americans whom he had served faithfully, the State Department denied Iqbals visa request, citing his termination.

Iqbal joined the Afghan military and was the last defender at Kandahar Air Field last week. Hes now in Kabul, with no obvious way to get out.

All the incentives are to find a way to say no,  Kolenda said. No one wants to be the State Department official who approves a bad guy.

TOM BREWER State Sen. Tom Brewer ran a sniper school and served multiple deployments in Afghanistan during his 36-year military career.

Brewer said he is in touch with no fewer than 55 Afghans who have asked him for help to get special immigrant visas. He is trying, but he understands that he cant do much to help them.

When they need help and you cant do it, you feel sick, he said. They see you as a special person, powerful, someone who can get things done. When you cant, you feel powerless.

The anger, frustration and sorrow of what amounts to a military defeat has caused many veterans to vent on social media. A viral Twitter thread by an Oregon veteran named Laura Jedeed, which was turned into a blog post, was titled Afghanistan Meant Nothing: A Veteran Reflects on 20 Wasted Years.

Veterans have been reaching out to check on one other. Military and VA leaders have circulated links to help sites, including a page on the Pentagons Health.mil website called Talking About Afghanistan  Were Here for You and a VA series called Afghanistan: How Veterans Can Learn from Vietnam Veterans.

But the fall of Afghanistan doesnt seem to be making many veterans regret their service there.

TYSON THOMAS Tyson Thomas at the World War II Memorial in Washington during Patriotic Productions' 2019 Purple Heart flight from Omaha.

Tyson Thomas left the Navy and, after trying nursing school for a year, moved from Missouri to Iowa to be near family. He manages a warehouse for a hardware chain.

My time over there, the things Ive done  I think its made me a better person, he said. First and foremost, its about the Marines who are on your left and on your right. But you hope your interactions (with the Afghan people) will help them in some way.

Berggren served with the AmeriCorps and Peace Corps volunteer programs after leaving the Marines, and earned bachelors and masters degrees at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in hope of becoming a teacher.

He remains troubled with post-traumatic stress that has resisted treatment at the VA, worsened by a series of suicides and violent deaths among Marines he served with. He recently moved to Reno, Nevada, with a friend and has enrolled in graduate school there.

Even with all hes endured, and what he considers a pointless defeat in Afghanistan, he said, Id definitely do it again.

'A strategic blunder': Nebraska, Iowa delegations angered by Taliban takeover of Afghanistan Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a retired brigadier general, said that the unfolding disaster was avoidable and that senior officials should offer their resignations to President Joe Biden.

Kolendas success in negotiations with local Afghan leaders won him a place at the negotiating table during an initial round of peace talks with the Taliban in the early 2010s. Hes now an author and leadership consultant, with a book coming out this fall on Americas military missteps called Zero Sum Victory: What Were Getting Wrong About War.

It bothers him that the U.S. didnt secure a better deal with the Taliban earlier, and hes angry with feckless and corrupt Afghan government leaders who he believes sold out their own people. And he thinks that the U.S. and its NATO allies erred in building an Afghan military that was still dependent on the U.S. in many ways.

There are so many unforced errors, he said.

Kolenda takes out his frustration with long bicycle rides. Hes planning a marathon bike ride in late September that will start at Spalding, Nebraska, at the grave of Chris Pfeifer, a Task Force Saber soldier who died in Afghanistan, and end at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. He will stop at the graves of five other soldiers who died under his command. Hes raising money for an endowment that will provide scholarships to their children.

I dont have a single regret, he said. The people in my task force who were killed in action, they all died supporting people they loved.

We did a hell of a lot of good, he added. Nobody can tell me they died in vain.

UNO's Center for Afghanistan Studies office badly damaged in Kabul blast No one who works in UNO's office was harmed in a car bombing targeted at the Afghan defense minister. But at least eight people died and 20 were injured in the blast and a subsequent gunbattle.

You might think that Heidi Katzenbach would regret her son Jacobs decision to join the Army.

But she takes great comfort from her last phone call with him, as he sat on his austere base and told her how much he worried about the people in the villages nearby.

Jacob told her he cared about the children who swarmed around him, asking for pens and paper. He thought of their potential and confessed that he prayed for them more than he prayed for himself.

I told him, You tried to help. If you died tomorrow, you died well. What youre telling me is making God smile,  she recalled. He said, Mom, I needed that. 

Soon after, he died when his helicopter crashed. He was part of a quick-reaction force, rushing to rescue an Afghan soldier who was trapped and wounded.

I have so much gratitude for the person my son became, Katzenbach said. The value I see is, regardless of the state of our country, there are children who are willing to risk their lives to make the world a better place.
But nearly 20 years after the Sept. 11 attacks that spurred the Afghanistan war, more Americans say they perceive the major national security threats as being internal.

Roughly two-thirds say they are extremely or very concerned about the threat of extremist groups based inside the United States. About one-quarter are somewhat concerned, and about 1 in 10 are not concerned.

Republicans and Democrats see the threat of extremist groups based outside of the U.S. similarly: about half across party lines are extremely or very concerned. But Democrats are more likely than Republicans to be strongly concerned about the threat of extremist groups based in the U.S., 75% to 57%.

Biden has largely focused his policy agenda on domestic issues such as rebuilding the U.S. economy after the coronavirus pandemic. That appears to be resonating with some Americans who see Afghanistan as a distant war but the costs of food, housing and transportation as inescapable.

Michael Lee Bettger, 47, said he voted for Donald Trump, but has been impressed by the economy under Biden and that is his priority. Bettger lives in Austin, Arkansas, and has never been this busy working industrial maintenance.

Jobs are just overflowing, Bettger said. Theres not enough of me to go around.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,729 adults was conducted Aug. 12-16 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
She just wanted to get a ride home  and she trusted him to do that, Kleine said. He violated her trust, and he took no responsibility for a horrific act. This really seems to be a light sentence for what he did.

The crime unfolded this way, according to detectives accounts and court testimony:

The woman had been out with friends in downtown Omaha in May 2019. After she became intoxicated, her friends summoned a Lyft. A friend punched in an address that was close but not exactly the womans. The first Lyft driver took her to the address, but it clearly wasnt her home.

He then took her to a closed gas station near 96th and Q Streets and called for someone else to get the woman.

Enter Avitso. He drove the nearly passed-out woman around while he tried to find her home. He eventually stopped at another gas station near 120th and Harrison Streets so the woman could use the bathroom. After the woman took a long time, Avitso and a clerk found her passed out on the toilet and got her back in the Lyft.

About 2 a.m., Avitsos car ended up in the parking lot of a deserted business at 119th and P Streets. Cellphone records showed the womans phone there for 42 minutes. Avitso told jurors that he was trying to figure out her destination.
Prosecutors said Kennedy was one of the last people to be seen with Ratliff. Plus, they argued, jailhouse phone calls showed Kennedy and his then-girlfriend, now wife, were concocting an alibi for the time when Ratliff was killed.

But additional evidence recently collected couldnt overshadow the past missteps and blunders by the Council Bluffs Police Department. Interviews werent conducted or recorded soon after the crime occurred, and Ratliffs Pontiac disappeared from the Bluffs impound lot about 15 years ago.

Whoever was responsible for the missing car hasnt told authorities how it happened, prosecutors had said.

Also, investigators believed that Ratliff was not killed in the car, but never pinpointed exactly where.

We were very hampered by the lack of investigative leads generated 22 years ago, Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said. I really feel it was the lack of police work. That was the hurdle we just couldnt get over.

In presenting his closing argument, Wilber told the jury that his team presented a puzzle with various pieces to connect it all together. It seemed the jury decided too many pieces were missing, he said.
NEW YORK (AP)  Several parents who were separated from their children on the U.S.-Mexico border during former President Donald Trump's administration on Friday asked the Homeland Security Secretary for permanent legal residency in the United States and compensation, said the mother of two of the children.

Keldy Mabel Gonzales Brebe, who was separated from two sons in the fall of 2017, said a group of parents made the request during a virtual meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. She said she explained her story to Mayorkas and told him that she fears her temporary status in the U.S. might end one day and her family being torn apart again.

We don't want to be separated from our kids again, after we fought for them so hard. We suffered too much," said the Honduran immigrant after the meeting.

Gonzales Brebe, who now lives with her sons in Philadelphia, has been granted humanitarian parole, which allows her to remain in the country for three years.

Family Reunification Task Force Director Michelle Brane told the AP after the meeting that the government will look at all the options until it finds a solution for these families.
DeSantis maintains masks can be detrimental for children's development and that younger children simply don't wear masks properly. But board members in the counties of Broward, home to Fort Lauderdale, and Alachua, home to Gainesville, decided not to allow parents to easily opt out of the mandate as surging cases fueled by the delta variant began straining hospitals.

Florida on Friday surpassed 3 million total COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a weekly report from the state's health department. It also reported 1,486 new deaths in a week, significantly raising the seven-day average of reported deaths per day from 153 to 212 over the past week.

The state continued to have the highest hospitalization rates in the country, with 16,849 patients with COVID-19  3,500 of them in intensive care, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Later Friday, Sarasota County became the sixth school district in the state to adopt a stricter mask policy. Two other school districts -- Hillsborough and Palm Beach counties -- had originally started the school year allowing parents to easily opt out of wearing masks, but tightened their measures this week. And the school board of the state's largest district in Miami-Dade County adopted the same policy of only allowing mask exemptions with a doctor's note.
He said, based on multiple years of data the company has collected, the wind blows often enough and strong enough to support the project. He said that information will be used to site the turbines, which could be of different dimensions based on wind characteristics in the area.

This is a rapidly evolving industry with new and improved turbines coming to the commercial marketplace very frequently, he said. Not every turbine is ideal for every site.

The battery storage system, Papez said, will allow the company to more evenly distribute electricity even though winds can fluctuate.

It's a fairly advanced technology, and there are not many installed, he said. But they are becoming more and more common with these proposals for renewable energy systems.

He said there is significant interest from potential customers, but no contracts so far.

The area is mostly used for cattle grazing, which could continue with the wind energy project in operation.

On its website, the company says the project will generate 700 jobs during the construction phase and 20 for operations annually after that.

There are currently 541 wind turbines in Idaho producing 973 megawatts, according to the U.S. Wind Turbine Database compiled in part by the U.S. Geological Survey. The wind energy projects are all in southern Idaho and are located along interstate highways from Mountain Home to Idaho Falls.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Investigators had been speaking with members of Roseberrys family and learned that his mother had recently died, Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said. There were other issues he was dealing with, the chief said, without providing specific details.

But social media appeared to offer its own clues.

As police continued negotiations, video surfaced of Roseberry on Facebook Live inside the truck, which was stuffed with coins and boxes. He threatened explosions, expressed hostility toward President Joe Biden, profanely warned of a revolution and laid bare a series of grievances related to U.S. positions on Afghanistan, health care and the military.

Roseberrys ex-wife, Crystal Roseberry, said she had seen images of the man in the standoff at the Capitol and confirmed to The Associated Press that it was her ex-husband. She said she had never known him to have explosives, but he was an avid collector of firearms.

Videos posted to Facebook before the page was taken down appear to show Roseberry at a Nov. 14 Washington rally attended by thousands of Trump supporters to protest what they claimed was a stolen election. One video appears to be filmed by Roseberry as hes marching with a crowd of hundreds of people carrying American flags and Trump flags and shouting stop the steal.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  In a court ruling with potentially broad implications for U.S. immigration cases, a federal judge in Nevada found that a criminal law that dates to 1929 and makes it a felony for a person who has been deported to return to the United States is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Miranda Du in Reno, in an order issued Wednesday, found the law widely known as Section 1326 is based on racist, nativist roots and discriminates against Mexican and Latinx people in violation of the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment.

Anybody who works in federal courts knows the statute, Franny Forsman, retired longtime chief of the Federal Public Defenders Office in Nevada, said Thursday. There really are a large number of cases that have been brought over the years under that section. Theyre mostly public defender cases.

Section 1326 of the Immigration and Nationality Act makes it a crime for a person to enter the U.S. if they have been denied admission, deported or removed. It was enacted in 1952 using language from the Undesirable Aliens Act passed by Congress in 1929. Penalties were stiffened five times between 1988 and 1996 to increase its deterrent value.

Forsman said she expected the government will appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
Prosecutors say she first drove over a curb and struck the 12-year-old Black boy, saying she ran him over because hes just like ISIS and hes not supposed to be there and hes going to take me out. She narrowly missed the boys older sibling, who was walking alongside him.

Minutes later, Poole Franklin drove up over a sidewalk, prosecutors said, striking a 14-year-old Latina girl, who suffered bruises, cuts and a concussion. Poole Franklin said she targeted the girl because she thought she was Mexican, was taking over our homes and our jobs and wasnt supposed to be in the country, the filing said.

Poole Franklin fled after both crashes and was later arrested after going to a gas station, where she called an employee and customers racial epithets.

Holding Poole Franklin accountable, not only for her intentional actions, but for the malicious beliefs behind them, is what our justice system should be, and a must to provide just punishment, afford adequate deterrence, and protect the public from further crimes by this defendant, prosecutors wrote.
The U.S. had a military strategy in Afghanistan that had been working and at little cost, he said. That plan was based on a small force of 3,000 U.S. troops backed up by sophisticated air power.

We had a plan that was working and could have continued working for a long time, he said. A significant decrease in air support by the U.S. caused the collapse of Afghan forces, he said.

What is unfolding before our eyes in Afghanistan is a colossal failure, and my heart aches for the Gold Star families who are asking if their loss was in vain, and for the people of Afghanistan who have assisted our military, he said in a statement. For months, Ive warned the public about the potential takeover of the Taliban and it is happening before our eyes.

The region is watching us cut and run; our credibility is badly tarnished; and the strategic consequences will be felt for years. We also need to be aware that its not just the Taliban winning. So is al Qaeda who is allied with the Taliban, the very group that terrorized our nation on 9/11.

Bacon noted that he had been critical of Trump for proposing the pullout but said the way it unfolded rests with Biden.
We hold that the Legislature possesses the discretionary authority to create and define county offices, a power which includes the ability to define or identify who is a county officer, Funke wrote.

The AGs opinion was requested by State Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln. He made the request after Civic Nebraska, a Lincoln-based group working to promote civic involvement, raised the issue.

Civic Nebraska argued that electing all county election commissioners would make them more accountable to voters. Hansen introduced bills in the Legislature in 2020 and 2021 to require election of such officials, but the bills failed to advance.

Civic Nebraska, in a statement issued after Fridays ruling, said that the lawsuit was about clarifying state law, and that they are confident that county election commissioners, whether appointed or elected, will continue to perform with excellence.

Suzanne Gage, a spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals Office, also said the case was about settling a contested portion of state law.

Although the Attorney Generals Office thought that the Supreme Courts prior case law required election commissioners to be elected rather than appointed, the court has now weighed in, and we are pleased that the issue is settled, she said.
He called the federal requirement a significant step in the right direction in the fight against the pandemic.

Stubbendieck said nursing home residents have done the right thing throughout the pandemic  stayed home, socially distanced, gone without visitors and worn masks. Yet the virus has ravaged long-term care facilities, he said.

Residents have a right to expect that a facilitys workers have been vaccinated, Stubbendieck said.

He said Nebraskas jump in cases is significant and worrisome.

We really need to make sure that these facilities are getting these employees vaccinated, he said.

The health care industry has moved toward requiring vaccines.

Last week, eight Nebraska health care systems announced they will require all employees to be vaccinated. That list included CHI Health, Methodist Health System, Nebraska Medicine, Childrens Hospital and Bryan Health.

In long term care, Tabitha health announced Wednesday it will require staff vaccination. The company said it employs 1,000 people in 25 counties across Nebraska.

Currently, 85% of staff are vaccinated, the company said. Other employees must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 29.
The blaze, which has forced the evacuation of some 10,000 people from summer campers to residents, is the latest among numerous large wildfires to have scorched the Mediterranean region this summer. Forest fires have left areas in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Algeria and Spain in smoldering ruins.

Hundreds of fires in Greece this month came in the wake of the countrys worst heat wave in about three decades that left shrubland and forests parched. The causes of all fires have not been officially established, although more than a dozen people have been arrested on suspicion of arson.

A major wildfire that has decimated a pine forest and burned homes northwest of Athens appeared somewhat abated Friday, although hundreds of firefighters were still working to fully contain the blaze.

The fire near the village of Vilia, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the Greek capital, broke out Monday. Firefighters had been facing particularly tough conditions, including lack of access roads into the dense forest, high temperatures, dry conditions and constantly changing winds, he said.
Nebraska and agriculture are inextricably linked, something most Nebraskans know well and for many is a source of great pride.

Nebraska has the third-largest agricultural economy in the United States, and one in four jobs here is, in some way, tied to agriculture. While Nebraska, like many traditionally rural states, has seen its population shift toward urban areas over recent decades, many Nebraska city-dwellers still have personal ties to our agricultural heritage and the global food system.

But while Nebraskans are aware of our states agricultural tradition, fewer know of our states growing role in shaping agricultures future and addressing wickedly complex global concerns related to water and food insecurity.

Today, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, ranking member of the Agriculture Subcommittee for the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, is hosting Rep. Glenn GT Thompson of Pennsylvania for a visit to Nebraska. This is especially noteworthy given that Rep. Thompson serves as the ranking member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. Together, these two positions are key for crafting future U.S. agricultural policy. Rep. Fortenberry and Rep. Thompson today are taking part in a tele-town hall with agricultural producers, industry leaders and students, faculty and staff in UNLs Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources.
First-year Councilwoman Juanita Johnson, who pushed for the small business program, was just wrong in arguing The eviction is something thats going to be temporary  we expect to get out of the COVID era very quickly here.

Omaha recorded an average of more than 3,500 evictions a year from 2012-2019  before COVID. Johnsons council district leads the city. Post-COVID, existing law still stacks the deck still against tenants.

We would submit that more Omahans will be helped directly in a year by tenant assistance than by $40,000 more in public support for small business education. In fact, tenants saved from eviction will be better able to help fill the worker shortage stinging small businesses if they arent looking desperately for a new place to live.

Council Democrats lined up and gave Johnson a political victory over Melton, a Republican who has represented tenants but whose sincerity was falsely questioned on social media when she proposed this.
This president is being ridiculed around the country and the world!

Cheryl Bartek, Omaha

Base option?Why cant the U.S. maintain a base in Afghanistan like we do in Korea? We would be able to monitor if Taliban was letting terrorists form again; we would be closer to Russia to send drones to monitor what we used to do with the fly-overs. I dont believe its called war in Korea; it would not have to be a continued war in Afghanistan.

Katharine Hunter, Clarinda, Iowa

No exit plan?I am the Gold Star mother of Captain Robert Yllescas. He was mortally injured in Afghanistan in 08. I cannot understand why our government did not have an exit plan before they even went in. They needed to have a plan and goals set in place and to leave a government that could stand on its own two feet at least for a year!

All we did over there was throw money to an inept government that stole most of it, and then we turned around and ran out of the country with our tail between our legs. I fear no one in the world, especially our allies, will ever believe the American word again.
Blue International today shared details of its transformation program for the Bogoso-Prestea gold mine (Future Global Resources - FGR), Bogoso-Pristea Limited - BPL) in southwestern Ghana.



The program was shared with the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Samuel A. Jinapor earlier this week, and will increase productivity and improve the safety of FGR BPL mining and processing operations.



Blue Internationals Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Cavaghan, said the transformation program will turn around FGR BPL, which has been unprofitable for many years and has underperformed the stated gold reserve when acquired by Blue in October 2020.



The Blue International leadership team has invested significant time to evaluate the operation and develop this program, which will achieve our goal of a mining operation that creates shared value for all of our stakeholders for years to come, said Mr. Cavaghan.



The transformation program includes commitments to continue investing in the exploration and assessment of the gold ore body to increase resource confidence. The company will also invest USD $300m to maximize the potential of the refractory resource, which exists along the companys 80 kilometre strike. Blue International has also started work to improve the organizational structure of FGR BPL.



We are working closely with the authorities, our employees, local communities, and suppliers to address legacy challenges and set up FGR BPL for long-term success. We have a strong belief in the long-term investment and development potential of the mine, said Mr. Cavaghan.



Blue International acknowledged and thanked the local community, traditional authorities, local and national governments for their ongoing collaboration.







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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has welcomed the suspension of the industrial action by the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and expressed the hope that a strong binding agreement will be reached by the negotiating parties.



There is a road map that has been established and hopefully both parties will make sure that this road map is carefully implemented.



It is in the interest of all of us that there is no disruption of academic work; the teachers have the wherewithal to undertake and discharge their obligations, he added.



President Akufo-Addo was speaking during a courtesy call on him by the leadership of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday.



Led by the President of NUGS, Mr Emmanuel Yiadom-Boakye, the students put issues affecting them before the President.



They included concerns about astronomical increases in hostel fees at the various universities and delay in the acquisition of visas to the United States by some students.



They also introduced a newly sworn-in executive body to President Akufo-Addo.



Responsibility



According to the President, university teachers played a significant role in shaping the future of the youth of the country.



He, therefore, called for an amicable resolution of the impasse to pave the way for an uninterrupted academic calendar of universities in the interest of all.



President Akufo-Addo further gave the assurance that the issues raised by the students would be given the needed attention.



Commendation



Mr Yiadom-Boakye commended the government whose representatives included the Ministers of Education, and Employment and Labour Relations, who he said managed to get UTAG to the negotiating table leading to the suspension of the strike action.



He, however, appealed to both parties not to take entrenched positions in order that the negotiation processes were not prolonged or delayed.



On the increases in hostel fees, Mr Yiadom-Boakye said their investigations had revealed that there was a deliberate attempt by some university management to create artificial hostel shortages on campuses.



He urged management of the universities to be flexible during the negotiations for the build, operate and transfer policy with hostel operators while entreating the government to build more hostels on the various campuses to deal with the accommodation challenge.

Source: Graphiconline









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A Senior Research Fellow of the Kumasi Technical University, Dr. Smart Sarpong has advised the National Labour Commission to be proactive in solving labour issues.



Dr. Smart Sarpong, discussing the recent development between the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), government and the National Labour Commission on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', bemoaned the Commission's habit of waiting for labour issues to escalate before intervening.



UTAG has temporarily called off their strike following negotiations with the government and the Labour Commission.



Portions of a statement signed by the Minister of Education and UTAG President, Prof. Charles Marfo read; " . . whilst the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations in conjunction with the National Labour Commission (NLC) is taking steps to DISCONTINUE all legal processes (i.e., National Labour Commission vs. University Teachers Association of Ghana, Suit. No. IL/0116/2021) against UTAG, UTAG will also take steps to SUSPEND the on-going strike action; That government acknowledges the need to improve the working conditions of University Teachers and shall treat this with all the seriousness it deserves."



Dr. Sarpong believed if the Commission had paid attention to the UTAG reminders about their grievances, there wouldn't have been the need for a strike action by the teachers.



He counselled the Commission that, going forward, it should adopt the behaviour of solving problems early.



"If you don't become proactive and solve your problems early, it could overwhelm you and you won't know what to do. So, I advise that, next time, they should solve their problems early. They should quickly intervene in labour issues before it gets out of hand," he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Member of Parliament(MP) for Anyaa-Sowutuom constituency, Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi has called for early negotiations between the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and government to avoid any industrial action by the doctors.

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has given the government up to September 30, 2021 to settle outstanding arrears to its members or face a strike action.



In a communique issued after a National Executive Council meeting, the Association says the strike will begin from October 1, 2021 with the suspension of Outpatient-services and October 15th will be for the complete withdrawal of all their services if their demands are not met.



Withdrawal of all in-patient services will begin the following week (effective Friday 8th October 2021) if all the issues are still not completely resolved, the communique read.



General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Justice Yankson, also in an interview with Citi FM, added that the doctors have been more than magnanimous enough and the government should be able to honour its commitment".



Speaking on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Dr. Adomako Kissi advised the government to hold talks with the doctors and address their issues before the deadline for the strike.



"The dialogue must start early before October 15th because any life we lose is irreplaceable . . . the cost of one life far outweighs any amount of money in this world."





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Two survivors of the 1921 massacre of black people in the US city of Tulsa have accepted the offer to become Ghanaian citizens.



"We accept it with great joy and we thank the president for this great honour," said Viola Fletcher, aged 107, and her brother, 100-year-old Van Ellis.



They are currently visiting Ghana as part of a week-long tour of Africa to mark the centenary of the killings, known as the Tulsa Race Massacre.



About 300 Black residents of the prosperous Greenwood town then known as "Black Wall Street" in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were murdered and their businesses and homes destroyed by a mob of white people.



Viola Fletcher, known as Mother Fletcher and her brother Van Ellis, known as "Uncle Red", have been in Ghana since Saturday - visiting historic sites including the Osu Castle Dungeon, where enslaved Africans were kept before being shipped abroad during the transatlantic slave trade.



They made emotional remarks there - decrying the horrors of slavery and calling for African unity.



They also laid a wreath at the tomb of the Pan-African human rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, and paid a courtesy call to President Nana Akufo-Addo.



The centenarians said that they chose to visit Ghana because "it represents Africa."



On Wednesday, they also visited the Nigerian Igbo community in Ghana where they were crowned honorary chief and queen mother.

Source: BBC









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Health authorities in Liberia have expressed concern over the low uptake of Covid-19 vaccines among women.



Liberia's head of immunization, Adolphus Clarke, told the BBC that they would investigate the reasons for the gender disparity.



To date we realise that of the 16,821 persons that have been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, 11,098 are male and 5,723 are female, he said.



He said they noticed the same difference in those vaccinated by the AstraZeneca vaccines.



On Thursday, Liberia Health Minister Wilhelmina Jallah announced she was seeing some success in the fight against Covid.



She told a news conference that treatment centres only had "a few patients" who were set to be discharged.

Source: BBC









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The Member of Parliament for New Juaben South Micheal Okyere Baafi has threatened to shut down all noise-making churches, drinking bars and pubs in the Constituency.



Noise pollution remains a serious challenge in New Juaben South Municipality. Whereas information centres have sprung in many Communities making lots of noise, the streets and markets have been saturated with preachers who mount public address systems throughout the day to evangelise with raucous noise.



Some Churches, drinking spots and pubs in the residential areas are also fond of breaching the permissible ambient noise levels, particularly in the evening disturbing the sleep of residents.



Ghanas Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has pegged permissible ambient noise levels in residential areas at 55 decibels (dB) during the day and 48 dB at night. For educational and health facilities its 55 dB during the day and 50 dB at night, while the noise level for areas with commercial or light industrial activities is 60 dB and 55 dB during the day and night respectively.



However, at a town hall meeting in Koforidua, residents complained bitterly about the increasing noise pollution in the Municipality and pointed out some Churches and pubs as notorious for these noise infractions.



The MP in a reaction hinted of imminent clamp down on such activities.



We all believe in worshipping God but it doesnt mean you should disturb the sleep of others while worshipping. You want to worship your God, someone to wants to sleep. What Im saying doesnt mean I hate Churches or will go to hell. But if you wont sleep and will pray, know that some people too want to sleep so dont disturb them. I want to assure you very soon we will launch an operation in Koforidua.



He continued We will go out there to shut down many things. Many big men in the Municipality similarly complain to me about the increasing noise pollution that disturbs their sleep at night. They say Methodist school park, there are some three prayer warriors who disturb at night. This stupidity wont be entertained. Those of you who attend churches, tell your pastors that worshipping God in blaring noise is not Christianity. I want to assure you that we will talk to them but if we talk to them and they still disregard our advice we just shut down the church. Not only churches but the drinking spots, pubs disturbing people in Koforidua we are not going to sit down for these things to happen, he warned.



The Gyaasehene for New Juaben Traditional Area, Nana Twumasi Darkwa backed the MP for this action.



This is whats expected of every MP, some MPs dont have time for their constituents to even listen to their problems and help them out. So what Hon. Baafi is doing will help him to address the challenges confronting his people when he goes to Parliament. He has the backing of Nananom.



The Municipal Chief Executive for New Juaben South Municipality, Isaac Apaw Gyasi said the effective collaboration and support with stakeholders and residents is critical to the transformation agenda of the Law Maker.



If MCE, party constituency chairman come together to help the MP in his work it brings development to the Municipality and this is what we are doing to support Hon. Michael Baafi to transform Koforidua and its environs, he noted.







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A 34-year-old South African lesbian, Busisiwe Labi, has been sentenced to 22 years and six months imprisonment for killing her two children.



Judge Belinda Hartle of Bhisho High Court Judge in the Eastern Cape handed Labi the jail term on Thursday, August 19, for each of the children's murders but ordered that the sentences run concurrent.



NPA Regional spokesperson, Anelisa Ngcakani, said Labi had lived at her home in Dimbaza with her children, her mother and her two siblings.



Labi suffocated her two boys to death, one-year-old Othandwayo and six-year-old Amyoli, with plastic bags at their home last September.



Before murdering them, she informed the children of her plans to kill them. The eldest boy, Amyoli, pleaded with her not to do so but his plea fell on deaf ears. She prayed with the boys, took turns to suffocate them to death with plastic bags and pillows and thereafter laid their bodies neatly on a bed.



Labi was found guilty of the two murder charges on 22 July 2021.



A Psycho-Legal report presented in court revealed that Labi confessed to being a homosexual in sexuality since Grade 7 and that her family did not approve of her sexuality.



The report further stated that Labi had said that she engaged in heterosexual relationships with the fathers of her children because her family did not approve of her homosexuality and that her mother wanted grandchildren. She further added that she had boyfriends to satisfy her mother.



Judge Belinda Hartle during sentencing quoted Labi's sentiments that although she loved her children she didn't want to be a mother.



The court also heard that Labi had a conflicted relationship with her mother as she allegedly never revealed the identity of Labi's father until she was in high school. The report revealed that Labi was angry towards her mother and felt betrayed.



A day before murdering her boys Labi got into an argument with her mother as the mother gave her younger brother money which was meant to be used for items in the household. Labi felt that her mother favoured her brother over her. It was revealed during sentencing that Labi also murdered her two boys because she wanted to cause her mother grief as the mother had a close relationship with her grandchildren, Ngcakani said.



After Labi murdered her children she phoned her 42-year-old sister and told her what she had done. The matter was reported to the police who found the bodies of the boys at their home.



Although Judge Hartle agreed with the prosecutor, Advocate Deolin Willemse, that the offences committed were spine-chilling, horrific and that leniency for mercy's sake would be wrong, she ruled that there were compelling circumstances present in the case to diviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.



Judge Hartle stated that one of the reasons was that, in spite of the murders being premeditated in that she waited until she was alone with the children in the house to murder them, Labi cooperated with police from the onset and gave a detailed confession of events leading to the murders and the actual murders.



The Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Livingstone Sakata, said that the crimes were a betrayal of life as the mother murdered her offsprings. He added that justice must prevail.













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The Ministry of Finance has described as untrue allegations that the government has spent GH 636 million on Agenda 111 even before cutting sod for the project.



In a press release issued by the Public Relations Unit, the Ministry said the GH 600 million released to the Health Infrastructure Account at Bank of Ghana (BoG) in 2020 to support the implementation of the District and Regional Hospital Projects was the equivalent of the US$ 100 million announced by the Government.



In 2020, GH600 million was released to the Health Infrastructure Account at Bank of Ghana (BoG) to support the implementation of the District and Regional Hospital Projects. This is the equivalent of the 100m US Dollars as announced by Government and will be disbursed to contractors in accordance with the project work plan," the statement dated August, 19, explained.



The statement further clarified that, following the commencement of actual project execution as evident in the sod-cutting ceremony of 17th August 2021, we expect to drawdown various amounts from the account which would be managed by the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIF).



We wish to assure the general public that Government is still committed to tackling Ghana's health infrastructure deficit and restoring the country on the path of achieving economic and social transformation. In this regard, we will ensure the use of local teams comprising of Ghanaian consultants, project managers and construction firms to execute the project and also ensure due process during disbursement and procurement, the statement added.

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President Akufo-Addo has called out some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the country saying some of them wanted him out of office during the 2020 polls.



According to him, some CSOs continued to attack his government and the works they engaged in thereby drawing a thin line between objective commentary and a political one.



President Akufo-Addo made the comment while addressing the Ghana National Anti-Corruption Coalition after the group paid a courtesy call on him at the Jubilee House on Wednesday.



There is something that none of us can overlook. The highly political atmosphere in which many of these allegations are made here in Ghana, which some of the CSOs are privy to and complacent in, where the line between them being independent commentary and being politically related commentary is very thin and in many cases, the lines are in fact crossed.



The President added there are CSOs that mounted campaigns to make sure that I do not continue to sit in this seat. I cannot overlook that when I hear them continue to attack my government and its works, that these were not people who are in any way objective or sympathetic to what I was doing. So, if I tend not to pay too much attention to what they say, for myself, I think that a lot of objective people will appreciate the position that I take.



When you are seated in this office, you are required to listen to everybody, especially people like you to take into account the statements and the commentary that you make, and then we will move forward from it.







Source: starrfmonline.com









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President Akufo-Addo on Thursday presented letters of credence to 13 more envoys to represent the countrys abroad.



They included Dr Winfred Nii Okai Hammond, Ambassador to China, Adagbila Boniface Gambila, Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Nyasembi James Komla, Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Perpetual Joyce Naana Dontoh, Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, Samuel Jojo Effah-Broni, Ambassador to Morocco, Angelina Baiden-Amissah, Ambassador to Holy See, and Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Abdulai, Ambassador to Kuwait.



The remaining are Kwabena Osei-Danquah, Ambassador-at-Large, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, High Commissioner to India, Alhaji Rashid Bawa, High Commissioner to Nigeria, Anselm Ransford Sowah, High Commissioner to Canada, Akua Afriyie, Deputy Ambassador to China and Rita Tani Iddi, Deputy High Commissioner to United Kingdom (UK).



Addressing the new Envoys at the Jubilee House Thursday, President Akufo-Addo, charged them to make development of the Ghanaian economy their top priority in all their engagements with the outside world during their tour of duty.



The President added that the new Envoys must do all within their power to promote the image and reputation of Ghana which he said is currently high among the comity of nations.



You represent a country that as a result of the commendable conduct of the Ghanaian people is regarded as one of the most stable on the African continent; it is a functioning democracy governed by the rule of law and respect for individual liberties, human rights and the principles of democratic accountability. We are regarded as a beacon of democracy in Africa. You are the most visible symbol of our country out there and in all your actions, you must guard jealously, our countrys image, was how he put it.



In view of the fact thatGhana is as the President put it on very good terms with all the countries to which the Envoys are being posted, with bi-lateral relations that span several decades and strong ties of cooperation, he gave them a charge your role is to deepen this further as well as explore new areas of cooperation which will inure to the mutual benefit of our respective populations.



On his part, Ghanas Ambassador designate to China, Dr Winfred Nii Okai Hammond who spoke on behalf of his colleagues thanked the President for the opportunity.



He appreciated the enormity of the task placed on their shoulders and affirm their firm commitment to achieving the vision of the President.









Source: Daily Guide









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A former deputy communication minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu has asked Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to stop disturbing Ghanaians because he [Dr Bawumia] is championing a government of lies.



His comment is in response to Dr Bawumias Facebook post, where the Vice President listed a number of promises that the NDC said were impossible to achieve but according to him, the Akufo-Addo-led government had made them possible.



Through the same medium [Facebook], Mr Kwakye Ofosu has also listed a number of promises made by the government which he has described as lies.



His post read:



Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia should stop wasting our ears and time. When he and his boss said they would build 88 District hospitals between July 2020 and July 2021, even a child knew it was a lie and it proved a lie.



When he promised in 2016 that starting from 2017, they would send $ 1 million to each Constituency every year, even a child knew it was a lie and it turned out to be a lie.



When he promised that no village will be without water within two years of an NPP government, it turned out to be a lie.



When he and his boss said they would reduce borrowing, even a child knew it was a lie. Today, they have borrowed more than all governments before them.



When they promised to grow the economy by above 10% each year, it turned out to be a lie.



When they said they would build a dam in each village in the Northern part of this country, it turned out to be a lie.



When they said they will fight corruption with the Anas Principle, it turned out to be a lie.



When they promised sky trains, it proved yet another lie.



When they promised to protect the public purse, you rather opened it up for systematic abuse and rape.



When they promised not to operate a family and friends government, they installed the most nepotistic government in Ghanaian history.



We in the NDC are pragmatists and deal with only what is real. We are not given to the telling of outrageous lies to win power.



We provide truthful leadership, not the lying type he is the champion of.



Below are details of Dr Bawumias post



Dear Friends,



1. When we proposed the restoration of teacher trainee allowances they said it was impossible.



2. When we proposed the restoration of nursing trainee allowances they said it was impossible.



3. When we proposed the Sinohydro barter agreement they said it was impossible.



4. When we proposed a reduction in electricity prices they said it was impossible.



5. When we proposed the introduction of drones to deliver medicines and blood they said it was impossible.



6. When we proposed one district one factory they said it was impossible.



7. When we proposed one constituency one ambulance they said it was impossible.



8. When we proposed NABCO they said it was impossible.



9. When we proposed one village one dam they said it was impossible.



10. When we proposed the Zongo Development Fund they said it was impossible.



11. When we proposed the National Digital Property Address System they said it was impossible.



12. When we proposed a policy of no guarantors for student loans they said it was impossible.



13. When we proposed Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as President, they said it was impossible.



14. When we proposed Agenda 111 to construct district hospitals in all districts and new regional hospitals they are saying it is impossible.



15. When we proposed the reduction in taxes they said it was impossible.



16. When we proposed free Senior High School (Free SHS) and free TVET, they said it was impossible.



Thankfully, we have been blessed with a party and a president with a can-do spirit that can make many things that appear impossible to be possible.



God bless our homeland Ghana.











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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has lauded Acting Auditor General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, for his work in the fight against corruption and said he covered areas his predecessor could not go.



Mr. Asiedu replaced the contentious Daniel Yao Domelevo, whose exit made headlines in the country in March.



The President appeared to aim a subtle jab at Mr. Domelevo when he said Mr. Asiedu had done what his predecessor (Domelevo), who many held in high esteem, could not do.



President Akufo-Addo said Mr. Asiedu has demonstrated the quality of work and independence of view so far, and hinted that it will not be out of place to confirm him as the substantive Auditor General.



Anti-Corruption Meeting



The President made the comment on Wednesday evening when he met the leadership of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and the National Civil Society Groups working on governance issues at the Jubilee House.



He said in his view, Mr. Asiedus efforts are clear indications of his professionalism and readiness to fight against corruption.



The Acting Auditor General has demonstrated sufficient quality and independence of view. For instance, he is responsible for some things that are unheard of. In our history, the 12 statutory reports that have to be compiled and placed before Parliament, in the years of Parliament, this is the first time it has ever been done.



Even the most touted Auditor General before him never managed to do it and this one has done it. I think on the basis of the work that he has done, the independence with which he has gone around with his work, if today efforts are made to confirm him, I believe it should be done, and that confirmation process will gather more public support, the President indicated.







Corruption Perception



Chairman of the GACC, Nana Osei-Bonsu, raised issues about corruption perception, need for constitutional review and the need to deepen local governance.



President Akufo-Addo in response reiterated his governments credentials and commitment to the fight against corruption and related practices.



He said the agencies of state tasked with the mandate to fight corruption such as Parliament (the legislature), the courts (judiciary), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the police and many more institutions of state if they are not performing, should not be entirely the responsibility of the executive but rather a collective effort to ensure things go on well.



Resourcing Institutions



He said his government has resourced such institutions and agencies to be able to perform their respective roles aside guaranteeing them their total independence from any control or influence.



That notwithstanding, the President said he has not shirked his responsibility in the fight against corruption and would not retreat in the effort in the interest of Ghanaians.



I dont think that any government had mobilised resources to give opportunity to for the anti-corruption agencies of the state to function efficiently as possible as this government has done. It is a matter of record, he insisted.



On the issue of the current report of the Auditor Generals office, the President assured that government was acting on some of the findings to act upon it.



That, he said, it would be prudent to give all affected persons the opportunity to respond to the issues raised in the report against them in the interest of fairness before an action can be taken.



Contentious AG



In April, President Akufo-Addo, whilst speaking on CNN, rebutted criticisms that his government axed the former Auditor General, Mr. Domelevo because his government was not committed to the corruption fight.



The President then said Mr. Domelevo left office by the operation of the law, and nobody can accuse him of forcing the then Auditor General out of office.



He stated that Mr. Domelevo attained the mandatory retirement age of 60, which every public officer is enjoined to follow, and that the presidency acted within the confines of law.



The Auditor General, like me, should be some of the first to recognise the laws in our country, the President told CNN, adding there is a time for retiring, which is described by statutes.



The President said it is not my making. He was 60 years old and he was no longer supposed to be able to work in the public service. The Auditor General came to 60 years old and had to retire and I say so in respect to the claim he was forced out by the government.







Domelevo Posture



The posture of Mr. Domelevo prior to leaving office divided opinions in the country.



In Early March, the Audit Service Board revealed that Mr. Domelevo passed the age (60) needed to remain in office but some civil society organisations (CSOs) jumped to his defence, creating the impression that the controversial Auditor General was being hounded out of office.



Mr. Domelevo had just returned to post after serving his 167 days mandatory leave on the orders of the presidency in 2020, when the board chaired by Prof. Edward Dua Agyeman raised the alarm that Mr. Domelevo had passed the retirement age and needed to bow out of the service.



According to Prof. Agyeman, initially when they wrote to Mr. Domelevo to come clean on his age, he (Domelevo) rubbished the board but when the board wrote a second letter attaching incontrovertible evidence that he had crossed the retirement age, he started telling stories.



Letters Battle



The Audit Service Board in a letter to Mr. Domelevo dated February 26, 2021 indicated that records at the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) completed and signed by you indicate your date of birth as June 1, 1960 when you joined the scheme on October 1, 1978. The records show that you stated your tribe as Togolese and a non-Ghanaian. That your hometown is Agbatofe.



On October 25, 1992, you completed and signed a SSNIT Change of Beneficiary Nomination form, stating your nationality as a Ghanaian and your hometown as Ada in the Greater Accra Region. The date of birth on your Ghanaian passport number A45800, issued on February 28, 1996 is June 1, 1961. That place of birth is stated as Kumasi, Ashanti Region, the correspondence stated.



Mr. Domelevo then rejected the claims and said Either my father wrongly mentioned Agbatofe in Togo as his hometown to me, or I misconstrued it at the timeMy mother is also Ghanaian.



He then said he noticed that the 1960 date of birth was a mistake when I checked my information in the baptismal register of the Catholic Church in Adeemmra.



Interesting Permutation



Per the records bandied about, it meant that Mr. Domelevo might have been 17 years when he entered official government employment in 1978, that is if he was born in 1961 and 18 years, if he was born in 1960.



CSOs Fight



He was subsequently retired by the presidency but the CSOs cried foul and impugned at a press conference that the retirement of the Auditor General was indicative of the Presidents loss of interest in the fight against corruption and made bizarre claims that the Presidents action against Mr. Domelevo was in breach of Article 23 of the Constitution.



Presidential Rebuttal



In the ensuing heat, however, the President fired back at the CSOs and described as erroneous the suggestion that Mr. Domelevo was hounded out of office.



In a 21-page rebuttal signed by Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, in late March, the President said that it was erroneous for the CSOs to hold the view that because Mr. Domelevo was asked to proceed on his retirement, he was not committed to the fight against corruption.



The statement had said, He was not targeted or chased out of office as has been wrongfully suggested in the public domain.



Those leading the charge against the President should know better, and added that civil discourse of this nature, has been based on untruths, deliberate misconstruction of the facts and in complete disregard for the rule of law that we, as Ghanaians, have subscribed to.



The President also talked about the bizarre manner in which Mr. Domelevo was appointed by his predecessor and the commitment of the NPP government in resourcing the Audit Service to function effectively.



The presidency then encouraged Ghanaians to hinge their public discourses on accurate facts rather than misleading the good people of Ghana with wrong facts, conjectures and politicised speculation.

Source: Daily Guide









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As a lifestyle content creator and vlogger, I have heard a lot about the West Hills Mall and its mantra as the happy place for family shopping so I decided to check the mall out for myself.



I visited the West Hills Mall this week to explore the many options available while shopping for some jewelry and electronics.

West Hills Mall is the home of quality jewelry with shops that stock world-renowned brands and one of such is Tessori which I went to for some jewelry.



Tessori is a jewelry shop that sells authentic necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and other types of jewelry that are available in gold, silver, and other metals. I was spoiled for choice because there were so many beautiful pieces to choose from but I eventually settled for a gold bracelet which was sold at a good discount.



Aside from the jewelry and accessories, the West hills Mall features a wide array of restaurants and eateries, giving shoppers and families the option to grab lunch and snacks in-between shopping. I made a quick stop at New York Sizzler restaurant which serves both delicious food and drinks and is available for eat-in or takeaway. The courtyard at the restaurant area also provides a beautiful ambiance and scene of the landscape at the mall.



I finally went to Telefonika to get a speaker and a charger. Telefonika is one of the largest electronic outlets at the mall and it stocks a wide range of home alliances and telecommunication devices.



The West Hills Mall is located at Weija in Accra and is home to other stores focused on fashion, health, and beauty as well as home and decor. I enjoyed the experience and I look forward to going back for all my shopping needs. Also, dont forget to watch the whole experience on Instagram @westhillsmallgh and share your thoughts. I highly recommend the West Hills Mall for you and your family.



Influencer: @jesiscah (Instagram)



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Innovative co-living brand HOMA has partnered with Phuket street artist Kailand for its new project set to open in October this year in Phuket Town.

The community-focused, lifestyle apartment, features 505 one-, two- and three-bedroom units including restaurants, fitness, a resort-style rooftop infinity pool and ground floor co-working space where Kailand, or Jan Chaisri which is his real name, has let his muse fly.

Kailands moniker translates in southern Thai dialect as naughty boy, and his impish style floods the co-working space with humour, vitality and purpose set to energise Phukets new generation of entrepreneurs. The hyper-realistic freestyle fantasy cartoon mural lights up the ground floor and holds pride of place in the space.

I actually graduated in product design and do ceramics but street art is my thing, and Ill hang out with friends and bring a bit of love to local communities, brightening them up, creating colour and bringing a smile to peoples faces, says the 29-year-old Phuket native.

HOMA is the brainchild of Founder and Managing Director Luca Dotti, whose vision to integrate local artists and craftsmen into the design-led project is a key driving force.

HOMA needs to not only provide a sense of place but a sense of purpose  and that purpose is to engage and collaborate with the local community and create a positive social impact, he said.

Working with Jan has given us those things and more. Hes an inspiration  creative, energetic and a lot of fun to work with. Hes completely brought the co-working space to life and will now be moving onto fitness and other parts of the building.

HOMA Phuket Town is the first of three confirmed developments for Thailand  with a second due to open next year in Sri Racha, Chonburi and a third in the buzzing district of Cherng Talay in Phuket.

For more information please visit: www.homa.co
A submerged coconut palm on Kadavu Island, Fiji. Credit: Ethan Daniels/shutterstock

The small boat sliced its way through the waveless ocean. The Fiji air was warm and still, the silhouettes of distant islands like sentinels watching our progress. It seemed a perfect day to visit the Solo Lighthouse and the "drowned land" reputed to surround it.

As we entered the gap through the coral reef bordering the Solo Lagoon, we all removed our headgear and bowed, clapping gently with cupped hands to show our respect to the people locals say live on the land beneath the sea.

The Solo Lagoon lies at the northern extremity of the Kadavu island group in the south of Fiji. In the local dialect, solo means rock, which is all that is left of a more extensive land that once existed here. Ancient tales recall this land was abruptly submerged during an earthquake and tsunami, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of years ago.

Our boat raced on, towards the lighthouse built on remnant rock in 1888. The people with me, from Dravuni and Buliya islands, told how on a still night when they come here to fish, they sometimes hear from beneath the lagoon the sounds of mosquitoes buzzing, roosters crowing and people talking.

Every local resident learns strict protocols upon entering the realm above this underwater world  and the perils of ignoring them. It is believed if you fail to slow and bow as you enter the Solo Lagoon, your boat will never leave it. If you take more fish from the lagoon than you need, you will never take your catch home.

It is deceptively easy to ridicule such beliefs in underwater worlds but they likely represent memories of places that really were once submerged. Several groups of people living throughout Fiji today trace their lineage back to Lomanikoro, the name of the drowned land in the Solo Lagoon. Though there is no written record of the event, it is believed submergence reconfigured the power structures of Fijian society in ways that people still remember. Similar traditions are found elsewhere.

In northern Australia, many Aboriginal groups trace their lineage to lands now underwater. A story told decades ago by Mangurug, a Gunwinggu elder from Djamalingi or Cape Don in the Northern Territory, explained how his people came from an island named Aragaladi in the middle of the sea that was later submerged. "Trees and ground, creatures, kangaroos, they all drowned when the sea covered them," he stated.

Other groups living around the Gulf of Carpentaria claim their ancestors fled the drowning land of Baralku, possibly an ancient memory of the submergence of the land bridge connecting Australia and New Guinea during the last ice age.

In northwest Europe, meanwhile, there are countless stories of underwater lands off the coast where bells are said to toll eerily in drowned church steeples. Such stories abound in Cardigan Bay, Wales, where several "sunken cities" are said to lie. In medieval Brittany, in France, fisher-folk in the Baie de Douarnenez used to see the "streets and monuments" of the sunken city named Ys beneath the water surface, stories of which abound in local traditions.

Indeed in many cultures across the world there are stories about underwater worlds inhabited by people strikingly similar to ourselves, cities where benevolent bearded monarchs and multi-tentacled sea witches organize the lives of younger merfolk, many of whom aspire to become part of human society. Fantasy? Undoubtedly. Arbitrary inventions? Perhaps not.

Such ideas may derive from ancient memories about submerged lands and the peoples who once inhabited them.

And if we allow that some of these stories may actually be founded on millennia-old memories of coastal submergence, then they may also have some practical application to human futures. For coastal lands are being submerged today; birthplaces in living memory now underwater.

Coast line near Tresaith, Cardigan Bay. Credit: Shutterstock

Context

In the 200,000 years or so that wemodern humanshave roamed the earth, the level of the ocean, which currently occupies over 70% of the earth's surface, has gone up and down by tens of meters. At the end of the last great ice age, around 18,000 years ago, the average ocean level was 120 meters or more lower than it is today.

As land ice melted in the aftermath of the ice age, sea level rose. Coastal peoples in every part of the world had no choice except to adapt. Most moved inland, some offshore. Being unable to read or write, they encoded their experiences into their oral traditions.

We know that observations of memorable events can endure in oral cultures for thousands of years, plausibly more than seven millennia in the case of Indigenous Australian stories of volcanic eruptions and coastal submergence. So how might people's memories of once populated lands have evolved in oral traditions to reach us today?

Initially they would have recalled the precise places where drowned lands existed and histories of the people who had occupied them. Perhaps, as time went on, as these oral tales became less convincing, so links were made with the present. Listen carefully. You can hear the dogs barking below the water, the bells tolling, the people talking. You might even, as with Solo, embed these stories within cultural protocols to ensure history did not disappear.

Traditions involving people of the land interacting with their submarine counterparts are quite old; the Greek story of a merman named Triton is mentioned in Hesiod's Theogony, written almost 3,000 years ago. In Ireland, there are stories hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years old that tell of high ranking men wedding mermaids, begetting notable families, and even giving rise to taboos about killing seals, whom these mermaids regarded as kin.

Stories of people occupying undersea lands also abound in Indigenous Australia. They include those about the yawkyawk (or "young spirit woman" in the Kundjeyhmi language of western Arnhem Land), who has come to be represented in similar ways to a mermaid.

Like mermaids in Europe, Australian yawkyawk have long hair, which sometimes floats on the ocean surface as seaweed, and fish tails.

In the central Pacific islands of Kiribati, meanwhile, it was once widely believed worlds existed parallel to the tangible one we inhabit. Entire islands moved between these, wandering through time and space, disappearing one day only to reappear some time later in a different place. Humans also moved between these worldsand I suspect this was once a widespread belief of people occupying islands and archipelagos.

Sometimes the inhabitants of these worlds were believed to be equipped with fish tails, replaced with legs when they moved onshore. An ancient ballad from the Orkney Islands (Scotland), where such merfolk are often called silkies, goes:

"I am a man upon the land / I am a silkie in the sea."

At one time, the people of the Aran Islands (Galway, Ireland) would believe they had spotted the island of Hy-Brasail far to the west; scrambling to reach it in their boats. No-one ever did. On the other side of the world, the fabulous island named Burotukula that "wanders" through Fiji waters is periodically claimed to be sighted off the coast of Matuku Island.

Matuku Island, Fiji. Credit: Shutterstock

Anxiety and solutions

In oral societies, such as those that existed almost everywhere a thousand years ago, knowledge was amassed and communicated systematically by older people to younger ones because it was considered essential to their survival. Much of this knowledge was communicated as narrative, some through poetry and song, dance, performance and art.

In harsh environments, where water and food were often scarce, it was vital to communicate knowledge fully and accurately. Australia provides excellent examples, where Indigenous law was cross-checked for completeness and accuracy when transmitted from father to son.

Part of the law considered essential to survival was people's experiences of life-altering events. This included bursts of volcanic activity and the multi-generational land loss that affected the entire Australian fringe in the wake of the last ice age, reducing land mass by around 23%.

Recent research has shown some ancient Indigenous Australian "submergence stories" contain more than simply descriptions of rising sea level and associated land loss. They also include expressions of people's anxiety.

For instance, a story told in 1941 by Sugar Billy Rindjana, Jimmy Moore and Win-gari (Andingari people) and by Tommy Nedabi (Wiranggu-Kokatato) recalled how, millennia earlier, their forebears living along the Fowlers Bay coast in South Australia "feared the sea flood would spread over the whole country."

These stories also talk about people's practical responses to try to stop the rising waters. The Wati Nyiinyii peoples from the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia once "bundled thousands of [wooden] spears to stop the ocean's encroachment" on the lands that once existed below the Bunda Cliffs.

In a story told by the Gungganyji people of the Cairns district in northeast Australia, they heated boulders in a mountain-top fire, then rolled these into the face of the encroaching ocean to stop its rise.

Today the ocean surface along most of the world's coasts is rising faster than it has for several thousand years. It is placing growing stress on coastal societies and the landscapes and infrastructures on which they have come to depend. Anxiety is building, especially in the face of scientific projections involving sea-level rise of at least 70 cm by the end of this century.

We are responding with practical solutions, building hard structures such as walls and wooden palisades along coastlines. We look to science to curb climate change but many people still feel anxious and powerless.

Our ancient ancestors, confronted with a seemingly unceasing rise in the ocean surfaceand associated loss of coastal landsalso felt anxiety and built structures. And, as some people do today, many almost certainly sought spiritual remedies too. Of course we know little about the latter, but there are clues.

In many places along the coasts of Australia and northwest Europe, there are stone arrangements, ranging from simple stone circles to the extraordinary parallel "stone lines" at Carnac in France, kilometers long.

These stone lines, built more than 6,000 years ago have been interpreted by French archaeologists as a "cognitive barrier" intended to stop the gods interfering with human affairs, specifically to stop the rapid and enduring rise of the sea level along this part of the Brittany coast. Ritual burials of people and valuables along the shore in northwest Europe may once have served a similar purpose.

We can take hope from our ancestors' experiences with rising sea level. Most people survived it, so shall we. But the experience was so profound, so physically and psychologically challenging, that the survivors kept their memories of it alive as stories passed on from one generation to the next. Their stories became enduring oral traditionsintended to inform and empower future generations. And to show us that the past is not without meaning; it is not irrelevant to our future.

Patrick Nunn's new book, "Worlds in Shadow: Submerged Lands in Science, Memory and Myth," is published by Bloomsbury Sigma.

Explore further Researchers uncover an ancient Aboriginal archaeological site preserved on the seabed

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Tony Webster/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Experts are calling for broader police reforms after new analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Waterloo in Canada raised serious questions about the effectiveness of body-worn cameras (BWCs) at preventing police wrongdoing.

The international team of experts analyzed studies that captured the impact of BWCs on police violence around the world. The research, published in Critical Social Policy, reveals inconsistencies in how effective BWCs are at promoting better police practice.

It follows worldwide outrage sparked by instances of police brutality toward people of color, including the murder of George Floyd at the hands of US police last year.

"We noticed a trend in which police departments across the US and Canada were rapidly adopting body-worn cameras alongside statements that they would enhance police accountability in the aftermath of reported police violence against people of color," Professor Kate Henne, Director of the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance, said.

"As a result, we reviewed all of the literature around police body-worn cameras and conducted a systematic review into their effectiveness. We found the evidence is mixed.

"We don't want to be leading policymakers down the wrong path by suggesting BWCs are enough when really we need to be looking at broader reforms that address systemic inequality and include community-led responses.

"For example, that could include investing in non-police response teams and areas that have been underfunded for years, including support programs for mental health, housing, healthcare and after-school initiatives."

Professor Henne said the studies of BWCs as a police tool to improve transparency and accountability use a "narrow" set of research methods, and many in favor of BWCs' effectiveness are inconsistent.

"Assessments of the effectiveness of BWCs tend to use evaluation methods that focus only on the interaction between the police officer and the citizen," she said.

"They do not capture the context of the interactions or examine how BWC footage is used beyond these interactions. They also aren't consulting communities who disproportionately experience higher rates of police violence in the way they've asked for."

According to Professor Henne, the George Floyd case is a reminder of the "urgent need" to get the use of BWCs right.

"In the wake of George Floyd's deathin which body-worn camera evidence was used in Derek Chauvin's murder trialpeople in Minnesota and across the US demanded institutional and structural reform to the system," she said.

"To do that, we have to be talking to and working with communities. Most of the research we reviewed is doing the opposite and should not be used on its own to justify these reform measures."

Co-author Krystle Shore, a Ph.D. scholar at the University of Waterloo, argues a higher police presence and the use of surveillance to combat crime could have unintended consequences.

"The stakes are too high to get this wrong. In the US and elsewhere, we have seen instances of increasing police surveillance capabilities being used to target black, First Nations and immigrant communities. Presenting BWCs as a neutral response to police misconduct negates the many other ways that surveillance technologies can be used," she said.

"Surveillance technologies are increasingly justified by authorities to address social problems beyond policing such as, for example, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It is crucial that we fully understand the potential for harm associated with these technologies before classifying them as blanket solutions."

Professor Henne supports community-led justice programs instead of simply relying on new surveillance technologies for police.

"Research by Dr. Amanda Porter on community-run Indigenous patrols in New South Wales show that different types of justice systems can help keep communities safe and prevent contact between Indigenous young people and law enforcement," Professor Henne said.

"Unfortunately, there is a tendency of criminologists and policymakers to attempt to reform the criminal justice system using strategies that don't consider community-led initiatives as viable solutions. The emphasis on BWCs over other possibilities offers a similar case in point."

Explore further Study reveals public perception of police and body-worn cameras

More information: Kathryn Henne et al, Body-worn cameras, police violence and the politics of evidence: A case of ontological gerrymandering, Critical Social Policy (2021). Kathryn Henne et al, Body-worn cameras, police violence and the politics of evidence: A case of ontological gerrymandering,(2021). DOI: 10.1177/02610183211033923
Fig. Workflow diagram of the nano-dLAMP detection system. Credit: SIBET

A joint team from China recently provided a sensitive, multiplexing, quantitative detection method for the early diagnosis and targeted therapy of myeloproliferative neoplasms, a type of chronic hematological tumor that is accompanied by bone marrow failure or leukemia.

The team, led by Zhou Lianqun from the Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and GUAN Ming from the Huashan Hospital, established a nanoparticle-assisted digital loop-mediated isothermal amplification (nano-dLAMP) platform for the analysis of myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Digital polymerase chain reaction (digital PCR, dPCR), a high-sensitivity, absolute quantitative and high-tolerance nucleic acid detection technology, plays an important role in a variety of application fields, such as rare mutations detection, copy number variation, liquid biopsy, single cell analysis, genetically modified detection, viral load testing, and microbiological quantitative analysis.

In this study, the researchers fabricated microarray chips with four physical partitions for the simultaneous detection of calreticulin type 1, calreticulin type 2, janus kinase 2 V617F mutations and an internal reference gene.

They then used PCR additives and nanoparticles to make the traditional loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) suitable for nanoliter-scale amplification.

Results suggested that nanoparticles could improve the amplification performance of nanoliter LAMP.

Quantitative detection of the main myeloproliferative neoplasm molecular markers could be performed simultaneously in one four-partition microarray chip within one hour. The agreement between the developed platform and the commercial Quantstudio 3D was high at 99%.

This accurate, rapid, multiplex, and inexpensive nano-dLAMP platform could be a promising tool for clinical diagnosis in the future, according to the researchers.

Results of the study was published in Sensors & Actuators B: Chemical entitled "Establishment of Scalable Nanoliter Digital LAMP Technology for the Quantitative Detection of Multiple Myeloproliferative neoplasm molecular markers."

Zhou's group has been focusing on biosensor field for more than 10 years, and has accumulated a firm foundation in biosensor method development, biochip design and processing, and bioscience instrument development.

In the digital PCR research and development, chip-based dPCR (cdPCR) method with high isolation stability, good temperature uniformity and fast detection speed was developed. A series of progress were obtained on the detection method, chip, reagent and instrument of cdPCR.

More information: Guojun Cao et al, Establishment of scalable nanoliter digital LAMP technology for the quantitative detection of multiple myeloproliferative neoplasm molecular markers, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical (2021). Guojun Cao et al, Establishment of scalable nanoliter digital LAMP technology for the quantitative detection of multiple myeloproliferative neoplasm molecular markers,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2021.130493
(a). The coherent image of a resolution chart is scattered by a rotating diffuser, and then the diffusive image is sent onto bulk NLCs. Nonlinear output from the NLCs is imaged onto a camera; (b). Coherent image; (c). diffusive image. Credit: XIOPM

People are always eager to obtain clear imaging results through some turbid media, so a variety of methods have been developed to filter out noise and strive to improve the quality of imaging, as if noise is born as the evilest enemy.

However, there is always a gap between intuition and truth. In some cases, noise does not degrade the image quality, rather can be used to improve it. For example, the stochastic resonance (SR) method is proved effective to recover the noise-hidden images.

A team led by Prof. Liu Hongjun from the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics (XIOPM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) demonstrated a SR-based image reconstruction via magneto-optical molecular reorientation in bulk Nematic Liquid Crystals (NLCs) theoretically, which was made of affordable functional materials without dimensional restriction. Result was published in Optics Express.

In their research, the diffusive images were effectively recovered by reasonably optimizing the input light intensity, the magnetic field direction, and the correlation length.

According to the researchers, the secret of using noise to enhance the quality of image reconstruction is that the underlying signals are reinforced by coupling with scattering noise under reorientation-induced self-focusing nonlinearity, where noise plays a positive role. However, incoherent modulation instability occurs and the enhancement process of signals is destroyed under strong self-focusing nonlinearity.

They also studied the quality of image reconstruction with different magnetic field angles. The gain curve versus the magnetic field angle first increases, and then decreases. The NLCs have the maximum reorientation response to the light field at the angle of about 50 degrees.

These results suggest a potential method to recover the noisy images and promote the application of NLCs in the area of image processing.

Explore further Researchers realize single full field-of-view reconstruction fourier ptychographic microscopy

More information: Yongbin Zhang et al, Magneto-optically reorientation-induced image reconstruction in bulk nematic liquid crystals, Optics Express (2021). Journal information: Optics Express Yongbin Zhang et al, Magneto-optically reorientation-induced image reconstruction in bulk nematic liquid crystals,(2021). DOI: 10.1364/OE.425642
Physicist Nik Logan next to computer-generated images of fusion plasma. Credit: Elle Starkman / PPPL Office of Communications

Physicists are like beesthey can cross-pollinate, taking ideas from one area and using them to develop breakthroughs in other areas. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have transferred a technique from one realm of plasma physics to another to enable the more efficient design of powerful magnets for doughnut-shaped fusion facilities known as tokamaks. Such magnets confine and control plasma, the fourth state of matter that makes up 99 percent of the visible universe and fuels fusion reactions.

Designing these magnets is not simple, especially when they must be precisely shaped to create complex, three-dimensional magnetic fields to control plasma instabilities. So it is appropriate that the new technique comes from scientists who design stellarators, cruller-shaped fusion devices that require such carefully constructed magnets. In other words, the PPPL scientists are using a stellarator computer code to envision the shape and strength of twisted tokamak magnets that can stabilize tokamak plasmas and survive the extreme conditions expected in a fusion reactor.

This insight could ease the construction of tokamak fusion facilities that bring the power of the sun and stars to Earth. "In the past, it was a journey of discovery," said Nik Logan, a physicist at the DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory who led the research while at PPPL. "You had to build something, test it , and use the data to learn how to design the next experiment. Now we can use these new computational tools to design these magnets more easily, using principles gleaned from years of scientific research." The results have been reported in a paper published in Nuclear Fusion.

Fusion, the power that drives the sun and stars, combines light elements in the form of plasmathe hot, charged state of matter composed of free electrons and atomic nucleithat generates massive amounts of energy. Scientists are seeking to replicate fusion on Earth for a virtually inexhaustible supply of power to generate electricity.

The findings could aid the construction of tokamaks by compensating for imprecision that occurs when a machine is translated from a theoretical design to a real-life object, or by applying precisely controlled 3D magnetic fields to suppress plasma instabilities. "The reality of building anything is that it isn't perfect," Logan said. "It has small irregularities. The magnets we are designing using this stellarator technique can both correct some of the irregularities that occur in the magnetic fields and control instabilities." Doing so helps the magnetic field stabilize the plasma so potentially damaging bursts of heat and particles do not occur.

Logan and colleagues also learned that these magnets could act on the plasma even when placed at a relatively large distance of up to several meters from the tokamak's walls. "That's good news because the closer the magnets are to the plasma, the more difficult it is to design them to meet the harsh conditions near fusion reactors," Logan said. "The more equipment we can place at a distance from the tokamak, the better."

The technique relies on FOCUS, a computer code created mainly by PPPL physicist Caoxiang Zhu, a stellarator optimization scientist, to design complicated magnets for stellarator facilities. "When I was first building FOCUS as a postdoctoral fellow at PPPL, Nik Logan stopped by my poster presentation at an American Physical Society conference," Zhu said. "Later we had a conversation and realized that there was an opportunity to apply the FOCUS code to tokamak projects."

The collaboration between different subfields is exciting. "I'm happy to see that my code can be extended to a broader range of experiments," Zhu noted. "I think this is a beautiful connection between the tokamak and stellarator worlds."

Though long the number-two fusion facility behind tokamaks, stellarators are now becoming more widely used because they tend to create stable plasmas. Tokamaks are currently the first choice for a fusion reactor design, but their plasmas can develop instabilities that could damage a reactor's internal components.

Presently, PPPL researchers are using this new technique to design and update magnets for several tokamaks around the world. The roster includes COMPASS-U, a tokamak operated by the Czech Academy of Sciences; and the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) facility.

"It's a very practical paper that has practical applications, and sure enough we have some takers," Logan said. "I think the results will be helpful for the future of tokamak design."

Explore further Scientists develop forecasting technique that could help advance quest for fusion energy

More information: N.C. Logan et al, Physics basis for design of 3D coils in tokamaks, Nuclear Fusion (2021). N.C. Logan et al, Physics basis for design of 3D coils in tokamaks,(2021). DOI: 10.1088/1741-4326/abff05
A typical street in the Little River neighborhood of Miami, where climate gentrification is currently underway. Credit: Marco Tedesco

The impacts of climate change strike hardest in socially and economically vulnerable communities; knowing this, researchers have constructed a variety of indices to try to identify populations most at risk. These datasets often rely on demographic data, but leave out important financial and real estate information that could help to identify communities where vulnerable groups could be pushed out by rising flood insurance rates or shifting real estate values.

A new dataset, created by researchers at Columbia University and published today in Environmental Justice, aims to fill in this gap. The Socio-Economic Physical Housing Eviction Risk (SEPHER) dataset integrates socio-economic information with risk from wildfires, drought, coastal and riverine flooding, and other hazards, plus financial information from real estate databases and ethnicity, race and gender data. The goal is to account for the financial vulnerability associated with the housing market. SEPHER covers the entire United States, and is freely available to other researchers.

"We want to provide a tool to everyone to explore issues at the crossroads of racial, social and climate justice," said lead author Marco Tedesco, a research professor at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and an affiliate of Columbia's Data Science Institute. He is also an affiliate professor at the Institute of Economics at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa. The project was funded by the Earth Institute at Columbia University and is part of an ongoing collaboration with the Columbia Business School.

"Our primary intention is to enable users to assess the impact of climate-related hazards on the most vulnerable populations," added study co-author Carolynne Hultquist, a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia's Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. "We need to be able to identify those populations in order to ensure that they do not take on undue burdens from climate change."

Many studies focusing on the damages and financial consequences of climate change rely on commercial datasets that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase. Those costs can be a significant hurdle for many researchers and communities.

Instead, the SEPHER dataset combines data from many publicly available sources, including:

the Social Vulnerability Index from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which includes an array of socioeconomic data as well as information regarding disability and minority status;

FEMA's National Risk Index for Natural Hazards, which combines the likelihood and expected losses from natural hazards with social vulnerability factors and resilience capabilities;

Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, including information about whether mortgage applications were approved or denied, property characteristics, and applicant demographics such as ethnicity, race, and gender;

Eviction data from the Eviction Lab at Princeton University;

Rental price trends for properties.

"It's really a lot of work to put it together," said Tedesco. "But by crossing all this information, we can start asking questions like: How many African Americans or people belonging to underrepresented groups and socially vulnerable groups were denied mortgages in regions that were more or less exposed to climate hazards, compared to white people, and how has this changed along with the years? How do climate hazards play a role in the gentrification process?"

A video about climate gentrification in Little River, made by lead author Marco Tedesco.

Case study: evidence of climate gentrification Miami-Dade

During the recent Managed Retreat conference hosted by the Columbia Climate School, Tedesco presented results that used SEPHER data to indicate that climate gentrification is occurring in the community of Little River in Florida. The majority of the case study details will be available in a forthcoming paper.

Traditionally, residents in Little River have been low income, disadvantaged people who couldn't afford to live along the coast. However, as flooding and hurricane risks increase, Little River, which is more sheltered from these events, is becoming a prime area for real estate speculation and development.

These changes are captured by the SEPHER dataset, which showed that rents have increased exponentially, as have evictions. And after the 2009 financial crisis, the percentage of loans denied to African Americans in Little River was 44% higher than loans denied to whites. In coastal areas, by comparison, these proportions didn't change.

SEPHER helped to show that Little River is undergoing big changes, said Tedesco. The test case study demonstrates the dataset's potential to identify other areas where climate gentrification is happening or could happen in the future, as well as to diagnose other relationships between housing and race, income, and climate impacts.

"Clearly, data itself does not solve the problem," the authors write in the paper, "but it's a first step, as one cannot truly understand where the worst inequities lie until the data are available and can be properly used or assessed."

Tedesco emphasized that while SEPHER can pinpoint areas for further investigation, the data need to be paired with local research and community engagement. He recently traveled to Little River and other communities in the Miami-Dade area to talk to citizens, small business owners, and community leaders, to learn how SEPHER could be adapted to suit their needs.

He emphasized the need for scientists and community leaders to work together on climate research, adaptation, and resilience. He expressed optimism that the newly formed Columbia Climate School represents a first step in this direction.

"I hope that the Climate School will create this cohesion between academia and external partners such as government, industry, and community partners," said Tedesco, "so that we can start moving forward in a useful way and focus on crucial issues, especially those concerning climate and environmental justice."

Explore further Sea-level rise may worsen existing Bay Area inequities

More information: Marco Tedesco et al, A New Dataset Integrating Public Socioeconomic, Physical Risk, and Housing Data for Climate Justice Metrics: A Test-Case Study in Miami, Environmental Justice (2021). Marco Tedesco et al, A New Dataset Integrating Public Socioeconomic, Physical Risk, and Housing Data for Climate Justice Metrics: A Test-Case Study in Miami,(2021). DOI: 10.1089/env.2021.0059

This story is republished courtesy of Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The level of public acceptance of evolution in the United States is now solidly above the halfway mark, according to a new study based on a series of national public opinion surveys conducted over the last 35 years.

"From 1985 to 2010, there was a statistical dead heat between acceptance and rejection of evolution," said lead researcher Jon D. Miller of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. "But acceptance then surged, becoming the majority position in 2016."

Examining data over 35 years, the study consistently identified aspects of educationcivic science literacy, taking college courses in science and having a college degreeas the strongest factors leading to the acceptance of evolution.

"Almost twice as many Americans held a college degree in 2018 as in 1988," said co-author Mark Ackerman, a researcher at Michigan Engineering, the U-M School of Information and Michigan Medicine. "It's hard to earn a college degree without acquiring at least a little respect for the success of science."

The researchers analyzed a collection of biennial surveys from the National Science Board, several national surveys funded by units of the National Science Foundations, and a series focused on adult civic literacy funded by NASA. Beginning in 1985, these national samples of U.S. adults were asked to agree or disagree with this statement: "Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals."

The series of surveys showed that Americans were evenly divided on the question of evolution from 1985 to 2007. According to a 2005 study of the acceptance of evolution in 34 developed nations, led by Miller, only Turkey, at 27%, scored lower than the United States. But over the last decade, until 2019, the percentage of American adults who agreed with this statement increased from 40% to 54%.

The current study consistently identified religious fundamentalism as the strongest factor leading to the rejection of evolution. While their numbers declined slightly in the last decade, approximately 30% of Americans continue to be religious fundamentalists as defined in the study. But even those who scored highest on the scale of religious fundamentalism shifted toward acceptance of evolution, rising from 8% in 1988 to 32% in 2019.

Miller predicted that religious fundamentalism would continue to impede the public acceptance of evolution.

"Such beliefs are not only tenacious but also, increasingly, politicized," he said, citing a widening gap between Republican and Democratic acceptance of evolution.

As of 2019, 34% of conservative Republicans accepted evolution compared to 83% of liberal Democrats.

The study is published in the journal Public Understanding of Science.

Explore further Exploring evolution acceptance for better science education

More information: Jon D. Miller et al, Public acceptance of evolution in the United States, 19852020, Public Understanding of Science (2021). Journal information: Public Understanding of Science Jon D. Miller et al, Public acceptance of evolution in the United States, 19852020,(2021). DOI: 10.1177/09636625211035919
Food products analyzed in study. The manufacturer names have been blurred to protect their identity. Credit: Cutler II WD et. al. PeerJ (2021)

Harvesting wild mushrooms requires an expert eye to distinguish between the delicious and the inedible. Misidentification can have a range of consequences, from a disgusting taste and mild illness to organ failure and even death. Culinary wild mushrooms staples, such as truffles or porcini, require symbiotic relationships with specific plants in the ecosystem that make it impractical or impossible to produce them commercially. This means they can only be harvested from their natural habitat, which is why porcini and truffles are often so expensive. Many food producers opt for common fungi that can be cultivated easily and grown in large quantities, such as oyster, shiitake, and portabella mushrooms.

The United States has minimal regulations around the harvest and sale of wild fungi. Food products that tout "wild mushrooms" as ingredients are often vague and non-specific, making it impossible to know if the products are truly wild or just cultivated varieties, or even if they contain poisonous mushrooms harmful to humans.

In a new study, researchers from the University of Utah (U) and the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) used DNA barcoding techniques to test what mushroom species made up 16 food products that listed "wild mushrooms" on their labels. The authors sourced soups, dried mushrooms, powdered mushrooms, pasta sauces, and flavor enhancers from local grocery stores around Salt Lake City, Utah, and a large online retailer.

They found 28 species of mushrooms across all 16 food products. Almost all products that claimed to have wild mushrooms consisted of cultivated species, including oyster, shiitake, or portabella mushrooms. Only five products had contents that were accurately described on the label, and some included species that likely have yet to be described in academic literature. One packet of dried wild mushrooms from the online retailer contained a species from a group of fungi that includes the "Death Cap," a notoriously poisonous mushroom known to cause renal failure in humans.

"If you looked at the reviews on this product, a surprising number of people wrote that the mushrooms 'made me violently ill,' or that they had 'never been so sick in my life,'" said Dalley Cutler, lead author of the paper and a recent biology graduate at the U. "No one is checking if the mushrooms are what the labels say they are."

The authors contacted the online retailer to inform them of the potential dangers of the product. As of the paper's publication, the dried mushrooms are still for sale. The mislabeling across the wide range of products could be due of fraud, negligence, or just a lack of awareness.

Bryn Dentinger (left) and a graduate student collected 50 pounds of porcini mushrooms in southern Utah. Credit: Bryn Dentinger

"There's an ignorance about mushrooms in generalin food products, museum collections, the definition for wild mushrooms are all over the place," said Alexander Bradshaw, co-author of the study and doctoral student at the U. "One package of dried mushrooms said it contained porcini, defined by a characteristic spongy texture underneath the cap. Just by looking at it, we knew it was untruethe mushrooms had gills underneath their caps. It seems like if you can dry it down, you can just slap a porcini label on it."

The authors say their results are inevitable partly because policies that regulate the international food supply chain vary wildly. Some parts of Europe require a license to collect edible wild mushrooms, but the guidelines differ between countries. In the U.S., state governments are responsible for regulating commercial wild mushrooms sales, but only 31 states have any regulations at all, according to a National Survey of State Regulation of Wild Mushroom Foraging for Retail Sale.

Another reason for inconsistencies is because the field of mycology is vastly understudied.

"About 95% of fungal species on Earth are undescribed. Fungi are so poorly documented, how do you regulate something that is virtually unknown?" said Bryn Dentinger, senior author of the paper, curator of mycology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, and associate professor of biology at the U. "This puts human health at risk, but it also puts our ecosystems at risk. Around the world, unsustainable harvesting practices could put rare and threatened species at risk of extinction."

There are still safe ways to enjoy wild mushrooms, the researchers say. Just know who you're buying from.

"I don't want people to read this and be scared to eat porcini and other wild edible mushrooms, they are delicious," said Dalley. "This study looked only at packaged products, not locally harvested wild mushrooms. I would encourage people that enjoy porcini and other wild edibles to only purchase from local sellers that are qualified in the identification of wild mushrooms."

The study was published online in the journal PeerJ on Aug. 2, 2021.

Explore further Review of arsenic speciation in mushrooms from China

More information: W. Dalley Cutler II et al, What's for dinner this time?: DNA authentication of "wild mushrooms" in food products sold in the USA, PeerJ (2021). Journal information: PeerJ W. Dalley Cutler II et al, What's for dinner this time?: DNA authentication of "wild mushrooms" in food products sold in the USA,(2021). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11747
Side view of a Kaili Leanchoilia showing its distinctive head shield followed by 11 segments ending in a triangular "tail." Scale bar is 2 millimeters. Credit: Nicholas Strausfeld

Exquisitely preserved fossils left behind by creatures living more than half a billion years ago reveal in great detail identical structures that researchers have long hypothesized must have contributed to the archetypal brain that has been inherited by all arthropods. Arthropods are the most diverse and species-rich taxonomic group of animals and include insects, crustaceans, spiders and scorpions, as well as other, less familiar lineages such as millipedes and centipedes.

The fossils, belonging to an arthropod known as Leanchoilia, confirm the presencepredicted by earlier studies in genetics and developmental biology of insect and spider embryosof an extreme frontal domain of the brain that is not segmented and is invisible in modern adult arthropods. Despite being invisible, this frontal domain gives rise to several crucial neural centers in the adult arthropod brain, including stem cells that eventually provide centers involved in decision-making and memory. This frontal domain was hypothesized to be distinct from the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain seen in living arthropods, and it was given the name prosocerebrum, with "proso" meaning "front."

Described in a paper published today in the journal Current Biology, the fossils provide the first evidence of the existence of this discrete prosocerebral brain region, which has a legacy that shows up during the embryonic development of modern arthropods, according to paper lead author Nicholas Strausfeld, a Regents Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Arizona.

"The extraordinary fossils we describe are unlike anything that has been seen before," Strausfeld said. "Two nervous systems, already unique because they are identically preserved, show that half a billion years ago this most anterior brain region was present and structurally distinct before the evolutionary appearance of the three segmental ganglia that denote the fore-, mid- and hindbrain."

The term ganglion refers to a system of networks forming a nerve center that occurs in each segment of the nervous system of an arthropod. In living arthropods, the three ganglia that mark the three-part brain condensed together to form a solid mass, obscuring their evolutionary origin as segmented structures.

Fossils of brain tissue are extremely rare

Discovered in deposits of the Kaili formationa geological formation in the Guizhou province of southwest Chinathe fossilized remains of Leanchoilia date back to the Cambrian period, about 508 million years ago. The Kaili fossils occur in sedimentary rock that has high concentrations of iron, the presence of which probably helped preserve soft tissue, which subsequently was replaced by carbon deposits.

View of the anterior part of the fossil photographed in direct light and showing the dark traces of sideward eyes, prosocerebrum (the palest traces) and segmental ganglia. The scale bar equals 2 millimeters. Credit: Nicholas Strausfeld

"The Kaili fossils open a window for us to glimpse the body plan evolution of animals that lived more than half a billion years ago," said the paper's first author, Tian Lan of the Guizhou Research Center for Palaeobiology at Guizhou University in China. "For the first time, we now know that arthropod fossils of the Kaili formation have the potential to preserve neural tissue that show us the primitive brain of the early stem arthropod existing at the dawn of the animal world."

"Nervous systems, as other soft tissues, are difficult to fossilize," added co-author Pedro Martinez of the Universitat de Barcelona and Institut Catala in Barcelona, Spain. "This makes the study of the early evolution of neural systems a challenging task."

The fossils also shed new light on the evolutionary origin of two separate visual systems in arthropod evolution: pairs of front-facing eyes or sideward looking eyes, the descendants of which are still present in species living today.

Many arthropods, including insects and crustaceans, have a distinct bilateral pair of faceted compound eyes and another set of less obvious eyeswith more primitive architectureknown as nauplius eyes, or ocelli. These are structurally similar to the principal eyes of spiders and scorpions. These simpler eyes correspond to the prosocerebrum's forward eyes in Leanchoilia, in line with evidence obtained by previous studies analyzing gene expression patterns during embryonic development of living arthropods.

Leanchoilia's sideward eyes, on the other hand, relate to the protocerebrum, which is the segmental ganglion defining the arthropod forebrain, lying just behind the prosocerebrum. In living arthropods, the protocerebrum provides the compound eyes of insects and crustaceans, or the lateral single-lens eyes of arachnids, centipedes and millipedes. The visual centers serving those eyes also belong to the brain's protocerebral region.

Strausfeld explained that in living arthropods, the protocerebrum, or forebrain, has incorporatedin a way, swallowed upthe ancient centers provided by the prosocerebrum, so that it is no longer discernible as a distinct anatomical entity.

The fossils are so well-preserved that they demonstrate that in addition to frontward eyes, the prosocerebrum has also given rise to ganglia associated with the labrum, or "upper lip," of modern arthropods. The fossils also confirm an earlier hypothesis suggesting that the labrum must have originally evolved from the grasping appendages of Radiodonta, a group of stem-arthropods that were top predators during the Cambrian period.

"When compared with other, similar fossil material belonging to more advanced lineages, the organization of the Leanchoilia brain demonstrates that the ganglionic arrangement of the early brain underwent condensation and fusion of its components, which explains why in living species the prosocerebrum cannot be individually distinguished," Strausfeld said.

Reconstruction of the brain and segmental nervous system showing the forward eye pair extending from the prosocerebrum, the sideward eyes from the protocerebrum, and four segmental ganglia. Farther back, within the trunk, each segment is equipped with a pair of ganglia that together are linked by a nerve cord extending the length of the body. The blue shaded areas indicate preserved gut tissue. Scale bar represents 2 millimeters. Credit: Nicholas Strausfeld

Implications for brain evolution in vertebrates

In addition to closing a century-old gap in the understanding of arthropod brain evolution, the findings have important implications for the early evolution of vertebrate brains, Strausfeld said.

Although simple, fishlike animals existed at the same time as these now-fossilized arthropods, there are no convincing fossils of their brains and, thus, neither fossil evidence nor anatomical evidence for a prosocerebrum in vertebrates. Yet, modern studies show that genes defining the fore- mid- and hindbrains of, for example, mice correspond to genes defining the three ganglionic divisions of the arthropod brain. And in vertebrates, certain crucial centers involved in decision making and in learning and memory have some genetic correspondences with the higher centers in the arthropod brain, which originated in the ancient arthropod prosocerebrum.

Thus, it is plausible that even earlier than the Cambrian period, possibly even before the evolution of segmentally organized body plans, the common ancestor of both vertebrates and invertebrates possessed basic circuits for simple cognition and decision making. And while an ancient prosocerebral-like brain might have been present in the very early ancestors of vertebrates, no such fossil has even suggested evidence for a discrete, nonsegmental domain.

"Nevertheless, one can reasonably speculate that vertebrates have embedded in their 'modern' brains parts of an ancient, non-segmented brain that has so far only been demonstrable in an early arthropod, such as Leanchoilia," Strausfeld said.

More information: Tian Lan et al, Leanchoiliidae reveals the ancestral organization of the stem euarthropod brain, Current Biology (2021). Journal information: Current Biology Tian Lan et al, Leanchoiliidae reveals the ancestral organization of the stem euarthropod brain,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.07.048
A fluorescence micrograph of isolated human sperm cells, taken by Albert Tousson, 2002 Nikon photomicrography contest winner. Credit: UC San Diego Health Sciences

Mammalian sperm cannot fertilize an egg from the get-go. It's an ability acquired only after insemination, during passage through the female reproductive tract, and requires two consecutive, time-sensitive processes to provide sperm with the physical and biochemical traits necessary to complete their fundamental job.

The first process is called capacitation, which alters the physiology of each spermatozoa, changing the membrane of the head to help it penetrate the hard, outer layer of an eggthe zona pellucidaand chemistry in the tail to generate greater motility, the ability to move and swim.

The second process is acrosome reaction (AR), a chemical action that involves releasing enzymes in the spermatozoa's head that further boost penetration of the zona pellucida.

Both processes are essential to successful fertilization of an egg, and AR is time-dependent: It cannot take place too early or too late. Indeed, premature AR has been associated with idiopathic (spontaneous) male infertility.

Neither process, however, is well understood in terms of the underlying molecular mechanisms involved. In a new paper, published August 19, 2021 in the journal eLife, a team of researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine detail how GIV/Girdin, a ubiquitous signaling molecule plays a critical role in male fertility, orchestrating capacitation and AR to promote sperm motility, survival and fertilization success.

Specifically, the research team, led by senior author Pradipta Ghosh, MD, professor in the departments of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, found that GIVa member of the G protein family that serve as molecular switches inside cells, transmitting and fine-tuning signalsregulates the activity of enzymes that turn on and turn off the processes of capacitation and AR.

"The findings demonstrate how GIV orchestrates distinct signaling programs in sperm that separated by space and time, effectively supporting capacitation while inhibiting premature AR," said Ghosh. "As a result, GIV plays an essential role in male fertility."

Infertility affects an estimated 8 to 12 percent of couples globally, with males being a primary or contributing factor in roughly half of all cases, according to published studies. Causes of male infertility are multiple, but roughly 25 percent involve either sperm transport disorders or idiopathic factors in sperm with no apparent dysfunction.

"GIV is required for male fertility, and low levels of GIV transcripts in men is invariably associated with infertility," said Ghosh. "We've found evidence that GIV may perform different roles in the capacitation of sperm, findings that shed new light on both how defective GIV-signaling might be used as a potential marker for male infertility and how inhibitors of GIV-dependent signaling inhibit fertility by reducing sperm motility and viability and by promoting premature acrosome reaction.

"The latter, ironically enough, may be a promising strategy for development of a male contraceptive pill specifically targeting sperm."

Explore further An autoimmune disorder may underlie male infertility

More information: Sequoyah Reynoso et al, GIV/Girdin, a non-receptor modulator for Gi/s, regulates spatiotemporal signaling during sperm capacitation and is required for male fertility, eLife (2021). Journal information: eLife Sequoyah Reynoso et al, GIV/Girdin, a non-receptor modulator for Gi/s, regulates spatiotemporal signaling during sperm capacitation and is required for male fertility,(2021). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.69160
Destruction from Hurricane Grace is seen in Tulum, Mexico, on August 19, 2021.

Grace barreled westwards in the Gulf of Mexico Friday as it regained hurricane strength ahead of an expected second landfall later in the day, having already torn through Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

The hurricane first struck the coast of Mexico before dawn on Thursday as a Category One stormthe lowest on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scalenear the town of Tulum, famed for its Mayan temples.

After losing strength, Grace's winds whipped back up to 85 miles (135 kilometers) an hour on Friday as it moved over water, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

"Air force hurricane hunters find Grace has strengthened into a hurricane," the NHC said, maintaining a warning zone stretching from Puerto Veracruz to Cabo Rojo.

"The center of Grace is forecast to move across the southwestern Gulf of Mexico this afternoon, and then make landfall along the coast of mainland Mexico within the hurricane warning area this evening or tonight," it said.

As of 1500 GMT, Grace was centered about 155 miles (250 kilometers) northeast of the major port of Veracruz, and heading west towards the coast at a speed of 14 mph.

"Strengthening is forecast until Grace makes landfall, with rapid weakening expected as Grace moves inland over the mountains of central Mexico," the NHC said.

Location and projected path of Hurricane Grace.

Authorities in the state of Veracruz said they had prepared 200 storm shelters and planned to open another 2,000 if necessary.

Veracruz Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia warned of the risk of flooding and mudslides as the storm dumps heavy rain on the mountainous region.

Members of the Mexican armed forces were ready to deploy if needed to protect residents, said civil protection national coordinator Laura Velazquez.

'Scare is over'

As the hurricane approached Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula earlier in the week, more than 6,000 tourists and residents were evacuated to storm shelters across the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, according to local authorities.

The storm passed the Riviera Maya coastline without any loss of life, said Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquin. He said electricity had been almost completely restored across the state.

Hurricane Grace buffets the coast of Cancun, Mexico on August 19, 2021.

Workers were seen clearing up fallen branches and other debris in Tulum but the town escaped major damage.

"The scare is over and luckily everything turned out okay," said Sandra Rodriguez, a 39-year-old Argentinian tourist visiting Cancun.

Rodriguez admitted she had been worried because she was not used to such storms.

"I thought the hurricane was going to drown us," she said.

Intense wind and rain caused some damage to structures on the Cancun beach, which was pounded by strong waves.

In the neighboring state of Yucatan, the storm toppled trees in the city of Valladolid and damaged some of the less sturdy buildings, according to images released by local authorities.

The NHC warned that heavy rainfall in Mexico through the weekend "will result in areas of flash and urban flooding as well as mudslides."

Intense wind and rain caused some damage to structures on the beach in the resort city of Cancun.

A "dangerous storm surge" would be accompanied by "large and destructive waves" near the coast, the report said.

"Hurricane conditions and dangerous storm surge are likely along portions of eastern mainland Mexico beginning late today," it said.

The NHC added that "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions" could continue into the weekend.

Explore further Grace weakens to tropical storm after lashing Mexican Caribbean

 2021 AFP
Phytochrome Agp1 becomes active as a kinase under far-red light. Conversely, the phytochrome DrBphP acquires phosphatase activity under red light. Credit: Andreas Moglich

Sunlight influences an array of biochemical processes in plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. In numerous organisms, phytochromesa special class of photoreceptorsabsorb red or far-red light and transform it into signals that trigger corresponding physiological reactions. In Nature Communications, an international team including scientists from Bayreuth has now reported a surprising discovery: two bacterial phytochromes function in contrasting ways despite having a similar structure. These findings offer new starting points for research into light-controlled processes in nature and for biotechnological applications.

In bacteria, the influence of sunlight on the organism is often controlled by signaling systems that involve two components. The first component is a photoreceptor, often a phytochrome. Like molecular switches, phytochromes switch back and forth between two states in which they absorb red or far-red light. In this way, they trigger biochemical signals that are passed on to the second component of the system, the response regulator. The response regulator, in turn, triggers certain biochemical processesincluding the expression of genesin the bacteria, depending on the type and intensity of the signals.

Normally, bacterial phytochromes function as enzymes that transfer phosphate groups to protein molecules. These enzymes are also called kinases. But in the phytochrome of the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans (DrBphP), which is considered an important model system in research, scientists have been searching in vain for this or other types of enzymatic activity for a good 20 years. Thus, despite its enormous relevance as a model system, the precise biological function of DrBphP remained unclear. The biochemical research group led by Prof. Dr. Andreas Moglich at the University of Bayreuth, in cooperation with research partners in Finland, has now solved this long-standing mystery. The phytochrome of the model bacterium D. radiodurans is indeed out of the ordinary: it behaves similarly to another class of enzymes that cleave phosphate groups off neighboring molecules and are therefore called phosphatases.

The researchers obtained their findings by comparing them with the phytochrome of the bacterium Agrobacterium fabrum (Agp1). This phytochrome promotesas is characteristic for kinasesnot the cleavage but the transfer of phosphate groups. "The comparison of the phytochromes originating from two different bacterial species is so exciting because they have opposing functions, although they are very similar in terms of their molecular blueprint. And we have noticed yet another conspicuous feature: the two functions are distributed, again in opposite directions, in two opposite states. The phytochrome Agp1 unfolds its kinase activity when it absorbs far-red light. Conversely, the phosphatase activity of the phytochrome DrBphP starts when it absorbs red light. Via this comparative analysis, more than twenty years after its discovery, we are now able to assign an enzymatic function to DrBphP for the first time. These findings could provide interesting starting points for optogenetics, in particular for the construction of artificial light receptors with which cellular processes can be controlled," says Prof. Moglich.

The last author of the study published in Nature Communications is Dr. Heikki Takala, Academy Research Fellow at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland and previously head of a junior research group at the University of Helsinki. In 2020, he was selected as a Senior Fellow by the University of Bayreuth Centre of International Excellence "Alexander von Humboldt." During his research stay in Bayreuth, he cooperated with Prof. Moglich's Bayreuth research group. "The collaboration in our Bayreuth team has proven very successful scientifically and has also greatly expanded my network of personal contacts. We are therefore intensifying our exchange of ideas on photobiochemistry even after the study that has now been published. The results show that in many regards we are only beginning to unravel the light control of biochemical processes. Within the context of a research stay of my colleague Elina Multamaki in Bayreuth, we will implement our new findings in a biotechnological application of the DrBphP starting in September," says Dr. Takala.

Explore further Ultrabright X-ray bursts reveal how plants respond to light within fraction of a second

More information: Elina Multamaki et al, Comparative analysis of two paradigm bacteriophytochromes reveals opposite functionalities in two-component signaling, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Elina Multamaki et al, Comparative analysis of two paradigm bacteriophytochromes reveals opposite functionalities in two-component signaling,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24676-7
Research from BYU professor Paul Caldarella found that when teachers praise students more often than correcting them behavior improves dramatically. Credit: Jaren Wilkey/BYU

Students speaking out of turn, texting, telling rude jokes, falling asleep in class, making distracting gesturesmanaging these behaviors is all in a day's work for many middle school teachers, who shepherd adolescents through some of their most trying years. Add in the disruptions of a global pandemic to exacerbate student anxiety and depression, and this year middle school teachers may find themselves with more challenging behaviors to address than ever before.

But a recent BYU paper points out the power of focusing on the positive in sixth through eighth grade.

The study found that when middle school teachers praised students at least as often as they reprimanded them, class-wide on-task behavior improved by 6070%. Students at high risk for emotional and behavioral disorders were also more likely to be on task, and their classroom marks went up by a full letter grade, compared to high-risk students in classrooms where teachers rarely offered praise. While there was no magic ratio, when teachers praised students more often than correcting them, or even stopped reprimanding completely, behavior improved dramaticallyevery bit of praise counts.

"With middle school students, we really want to emphasize praising over reprimanding," said BYU David O. McKay School of Education professor Paul Caldarella. "Especially if you have a student who is depressed, anxious, angry or dealing with any kind of emotional difficulty, the more you can praise and the less you reprimand, the better outcomes you're likely to see."

Caldarella and his colleagues Ross Larsen and Leslie Williams at BYU and Howard Wills at the University of Kansas conducted the study as a follow up to their previous research in elementary school classrooms, where they similarly found that the more teachers praised than reprimanded, the more students stayed on task. However, in the new research they found that the results were even more profound in middle schools, with praise producing double the improvement in on-task behaviors compared to elementary classrooms.

The more powerful effect may be due to adolescents' unique developmental needs and the challenges they typically face, such as hyperactivity, anxiety or exposure to bullying.

"As students get older, we often just expect that they're going to be more mature and do what's expected of them," explained Caldarella. "But they actually still need the same kind of reminders as elementary students. And any kind of negative comment made publicly to image-conscious teenagers, who are trying to establish their identity and peer relationships, is likely to make them shut down or get aggressive. So, it's better to praise publicly and correct in private."

For their study, the researchers observed 28 classrooms across five middle schools. In their baseline observations, they noted that teachers gravitated toward reprimanding statementssuch as with negative comments or harsh redirectionsfour to nine times as often as they used praise statements, perhaps because it's human nature to notice inappropriate behavior more easily than appropriate behavior.

After initial observations, the researchers trained half the teachers to pause every few minutes to scan the classroom and praise students behaving well in the moment. For example, a teacher might say, "I like the way you're on task" or "I like the way you raised your hand to ask a question, which is really helpful for me as a teacher." Once trained, most of the teachers were able to implement at least a 1:1 ratio of praise to reprimands. The observers then examined students' on-task behavior and grades in the trained teachers' classrooms as well as those in the control classrooms.

The study's findings about the power of praise hold much promise for teachers hoping to improve learning outcomes and create a better experience for both students and themselves.

"Especially with students coming back from a year grappling with COVID, it's really going to be important to try to focus on the positives this year," Caldarella noted. "If you go into a classroom where there's plenty of praise, you feel better and want to be there, and you behave accordingly."

The study was published in the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions.

More information: Paul Caldarella et al, Effects of Middle School Teachers' Praise-to-Reprimand Ratios on Students' Classroom Behavior, Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions (2021). Paul Caldarella et al, Effects of Middle School Teachers' Praise-to-Reprimand Ratios on Students' Classroom Behavior,(2021). DOI: 10.1177/10983007211035185
Mr Jiho Han working in the NanoScience Lab at the School of Chemistry. Credit: Gavan Mitchell & Michelle Gough/ University of Melbourne

As Australia's national COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues and the threat of new and existing global variants looms, rapid testing remains essential for identification, contact tracing and containment of infection.

Our research team, with the support of our Australian collaborators, are close to completing a year-long quest to develop commercial quantities of locally sourced magnetic nanoparticlesa key missing ingredient to a fully Australian-made COVID-19 test kit.

While antibody tests (used at most Australian testing centers) can show which people have already been exposed and have developed an immune response, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are the gold standard for determining whether a person is currently infected.

Many Australians, and indeed many people worldwide, will be familiar with the COVID-19 'swab test." A cotton tip is first wiped around the back of your throat and then inserted deep into both nostrilsan odd and unpleasant sensation.

COVID tests: behind the scenes

The part you don't see then happens is in the laboratory, where technicians analyze the sample for RNAthe genetic material of SARS-CoV-2the COVID-19-causing virus.

A critical part of this laboratory process is separating the genetic material (known as nucleic acid) from the other biological material collected on the swab. This is achieved using magnetic silica nanoparticles.

These nanoparticles are typically only a few hundred nanometres in size (a millionth of a millimeter) and consist of a core of magnetic material coated in a thin shell of silica (glass), which are added to a vial containing the swab solution.

A special salt is added which causes all of the nucleic acids from the swab to reversibly stick to the silica shell.

Because the nanoparticles are magnetic, the nucleic acids can now be collected and separated from all other unwanted biomaterials in the swab using a simple magnet.

The purified nucleic acids are then unbound from the magnetic silica nanoparticles, and a PCR test is conducted to check if any SARS-CoV-2 virus RNA is present.

The missing ingredient

When the pandemic struck, however, magnetic silica nanoparticles were not being produced in Australia, and as there are still no local producers, Australian test kit manufacturers are required to source them from overseas.

The vastly increased global demand for these particles has driven costs up, disrupting supply chains, and limiting the availability of magnetic beads to Australian swab test kit manufacturers.

The Australian Government established a COVID Test Kit Task Force, which in March 2020, requested the help of our Nanoscience Laboratory to help produce magnetic silica particles locally, building a guaranteed supply for at least 100,000 COVID tests per week.

But there were a few problems.

Firstly, commercial particles are produced overseas via proprietary methods that are not publicly available, so before we could create an Australian supply, we would need to come up with our own method to produce functioning magnetic silica nanoparticles.

Fortunately, at the ARC Center of Excellence in Exciton Science, we have been working on making magnetic nanoparticles for other applications including quantum dot synthesis, so we were able to quickly design and test methods for making an appropriate product.

Local production during a pandemic

The second problem was that it was 2020, and we were in Melbourne. With the severe restrictions on movement in place for most of the year, almost all staff and students were unable to attend the University's Parkville campus.

However, our small team of researchers were given permission to occupy space in the largely deserted School of Chemistry to meet this important challenge.

The final problem was one of scale.

Each test kit requires approximately five micrograms of silica particles, and so to meet 100,000 tests per week, our initial goal was to make 500 grams of magnetic nanoparticles per week.

We had the chemical know-how, but for a research lab that's used to making small reactions and producing less than a gram of product, we didn't have access to all of the necessary equipment.

To get an idea of how big this problem was, imagine being told to make enough pasta sauce for a thousand peoplein your home kitchen.

To achieve this massive increase in scale, we set up collaborations with several Australian companies including Scaled Organics in Melbourne, who made available their pilot reactors to produce the amounts of material we required.

Sydney-based COVID test kit manufacturer Genetic Signatures were then able to verify whether each batch of nanoparticles was fit for purpose in a real COVID test situation.

We also had the support of the Monash Center for Electron Microscopy and the Australian Synchrotron for work to image commercial samples of the nanoparticles and compare them to our test batches.

A simple recipe

The reaction needed to be simple and with relatively few steps, in order to minimize costs and other barriers to scalability.

Over months of long hours and round-the-clock work, we identified, optimized, verified and scaled up a synthesis of silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles.

But there was a hitch.

We noticed a change in color of the nanoparticle samples shortly after synthesis, prompting speculation that the crystal structure of the nanoparticles was altering from magnetite (FeO) to maghemite (FeO) over time.

Recognizing the importance of the project, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) gave us priority access to their in-demand equipment, an X-Ray Absorbance Spectroscopy (XAS) beamline at the Australian Synchrotron, to solve this question.

It is not easy to distinguish the two crystal structures as they are very similar, but X-ray absorption spectroscopy can readily tell them apart. From the results, we determined that one of the salts that we were adding to the reaction mixture was driving the formation of one crystal structure and not the other (these results will be published at a later date).

We were then able to find the optimal salt concentration to produce magnetite, which is preferabl as it's more magnetic than maghemite, and functions better within the finished nanoparticles.

Toward an Australian-made test

To develop a product capable of matching equivalent overseas commercial offerings, we have run over 500 experiments with small batches to optimize each element of the production, including the thickness of the silica coating, the reagent ratios and concentrations, and even different purification methods.

Subject to verification in clinical tests, our nanoparticles could soon be used to supply magnetic silica nanoparticles for an Australian-made COVID-19 test kitas we continue to rise to the challenges of this unprecedented global health emergency.
In geospace, the Arase satellite observes chorus waves and energetic electrons, while on the ground, EISCAT and optical instruments observe pulsating aurorae and electron precipitation in the mesosphere. Credit: ERG science team

The same phenomenon that causes auroraethe magical curtains of green light often visible from the polar regions of the Earthcauses mesospheric ozone layer depletion. This depletion could have significance for global climate change and therefore, understanding this phenomenon is important.

Now, a group of scientists led by Prof. Yoshizumi Miyoshi from Nagoya University, Japan, has observed, analyzed, and provided greater insight into this phenomenon. The findings are published in Nature's Scientific Reports.

In the Earth's magnetospherethe region of magnetic field around the Earthelectrons from the sun remain trapped. Interactions between electrons and plasma waves can cause the trapped electrons to escape and enter the Earth's upper atmosphere (thermosphere). This phenomenon, called electron precipitation, is responsible for aurorae. But, recent studies show that this is also responsible for local ozone layer depletions in the mesosphere (lower than thermosphere) and may have a certain impact on our climate.

What's more, this ozone depletion at the mesosphere could be occurring specifically during aurorae. And while scientists have studied electron precipitation in relation to aurorae, none have been able to sufficiently elucidate how it causes mesospheric ozone depletion.

Prof. Miyoshi and team took the opportunity to change this narrative during a moderate geomagnetic storm over the Scandinavian Peninsula in 2017. They aimed their observations at "pulsating aurorae" (PsA), a type of faint aurora. Their observations were possible through coordinated experiments with the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) radar (at an altitude between 60 and 120 km where the PsA occurs), the Japanese spacecraft Arase, and the all-sky camera network.

Arase data showed that the trapped electrons in the Earth's magnetosphere have a wide energy range. It also indicated the presence of chorus waves, a type of electromagnetic plasma wave, in that region of space. Computer simulations then showed that Arase had observed plasma waves causing precipitations of these electrons across the wide energy range, which is consistent with EISCAT observations down in the Earth's thermosphere.

Analysis of EISCAT data showed that electrons of a wide energy range, from a few keV (kilo electron volts) to MeV (mega electron volts), precipitate to cause PsA. These electrons carry enough energy to penetrate our atmosphere to lower than 100 km, up to an ~60 km altitude, where mesospheric ozone lies. In fact, computer simulations using EISCAT data showed that these electrons immediately deplete the local ozone in the mesosphere (by more than 10%) upon hitting it.

Prof. Miyoshi explains, "PsAs occur almost daily, are spread over large areas, and last for hours. Therefore, the ozone depletion from these events could be significant." Speaking of the greater significance of these findings, Prof. Miyoshi continues: "This is only a case study. Further statistical studies are needed to confirm how much ozone destruction occurs in the middle atmosphere because of electron precipitation. After all, the impact of this phenomenon on the climate could potentially impact modern life."

Explore further Pulsating aurora: Killer electrons in strumming sky lights

More information: Y. Miyoshi et al, Penetration of MeV electrons into the mesosphere accompanying pulsating aurorae, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Y. Miyoshi et al, Penetration of MeV electrons into the mesosphere accompanying pulsating aurorae,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92611-3
Artistic Reconstruction of Ctenorhabdotus campanelliformis (top) and Thalassostaphylos elegans (bottom). Credit: Holly Sullivan

Ctenophores, also known as comb jellies, are a group of over 200 living species of invertebrate animals with a transparent gelatinous body superficially resembling that of a jellyfish. There is much interest in ctenophore evolution in recent years as their controversial phylogenetic position in the animal tree of life has prompted conflicting hypotheses. While some studies suggest they might represent the earliest branching animals, others suggest a more traditional position as close relatives of jellyfish.

These hypotheses carry different and important implications for understanding the origin of animals themselves because, depending on the position of comb jellies in the tree of life, it's possible that muscles and the nervous system might have had multiple origins, a rather big deal as these are some of the most distinguishing features of animals today.

In a study published in iScience an international team of researchers describe two new species of fossil ctenophores from the mid-Cambrian of Western U.S., one of which has a preserved nervous system, which illuminates the early evolution of nervous and sensory features in ctenophores.

Despite their importance for understanding animal evolution, most information about ctenophores comes from living species alone as fossil comb jellies are extremely rare due to their gelatinous bodies. However, some fossil ctenophores have been discovered in early and middle Cambrian sites (about 520-500 million years ago) with exceptional preservation. These fossilized specimens, found around the world in sites including Burgess Shale in Canada and Chengjiang in South China, show that Cambrian ctenophores are a bit different from living representatives. The fossils include features such as a skeleton that supported the ctenes, or comb rows, as well as up to 24 comb rowsmany more than the eight comb rows possessed by living species.

Holotype fossil specimen of Thalassostaphylos elegans from the mid-Cambrian Marjum Formation in Utah. Light photograph (left), interpretative drawing (center), and magnification of polar fields (right). Credit: Luke Parry and Rudy Lerosey-Aubril.

In this study, researchers describe the first ctenophore fossils ever discovered in the United States and in doing so, add two new species to the scant fossil record of the group. These 500 million-years-old fossils were found in the Marjum Formation in the House Range of Utah. These exceptional marine deposits are known for preservation of delicate organisms that normally would not be represented in the shelly fossil record. More importantly, the fossils are preserved flattened as films of organic carbon, which aids the preservation of internal organs. Using electronic microscopy, the researchers were able to detect carbon film signals that allowed them to identify parts of the original internal anatomy.

The first species, Ctenorhabdotus campanelliformis, has a small bell-shaped body with up to 24 comb rows and a wavy mouth opening. Intriguingly, this species shows two important features. First, there is a rigid capsule that protects the sensory apical organ, which represents the remains of the skeleton found in older ctenophores from the early Cambrian. Secondly, this species also shows a preserved nervous system. The nerves are long, and connect with a ring around the mouth. "This was quite an unexpected finding, as only one species (Euplokamis) of comb jellies today has comparable long nerves. Most modern comb jellies have a diffuse nervous net, and not well-defined long nerves," said senior author Professor Javier Ortega-Hernandez, the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.

The second species, Thalassostaphylos elegans, has a rounder appearance, approximately 16 comb rows, and a wavy mouth opening. Although this species does not show fossilized nerves, it has an important feature known as the "polar fields", which can be seen as two small dots on top of the apical organ. "These are also important for sensing the environment in living comb jellies, and finding evidence for them in the Cambrian is significant for understanding their evolution," said Ortega-Hernandez. "Interestingly, Thalassostaphylos elegans does not have a rigid capsule, indicating that the skeleton found in early Cambrian ctenophores was already lost in some representatives by the mid-Cambrian."

Fossil specimen of Ctenorhabdotus campanelliformis from the mid-Cambrian Marjum Formation in Utah. Light photograph (left), elemental map showing nervous system as carbon films (center), and interpretative drawing (right). Credit: Luke Parry, Rudy Lerosey-Aubril, and James Weaver

Ultimately, the two new species from Utah illuminate the evolution of the nervous system, sensory structures, and diversity of Cambrian ctenophores. The researchers conclude that Cambrian ctenophores had more complex nervous systems compared to those observed today. Living species of comb jellies have a diffuse nervous system similar to the structure of chicken wire, but very thin and transparent. Cambrian ctenophores' nervous systems were condensed with specific nerve tracks that basically ran along the length of the body and then as a ring around the mouth. This complex system is only seen in one living species, the Euplokamis, which is regarded as potentially being an early branching ctenophore living today. However, while Euplokamis has this elongated nerve structure that runs the length of the body, it does not have the ring around the mouth, so it too is simpler compared to Cambrian ctenophores.

To better understand the evolution of this group, the team performed phylogenetic analysis which suggests the condensed nervous system is actually the ancestral condition and that only modern ctenophores have lost this complex nervous system and instead favored a more diffuse nerve net.

"This discovery means that there has a been a secondary simplification of comb jellies during their evolution, first losing the rigid skeleton, and then the discrete nerves observed in the fossils," said Dr. Luke A. Parry, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, UK. "These are insights that would be impossible to obtain from only studying living comb jellies, so the fossil record is providing a valuable glimpse into the evolution of these enigmatic animals."

Ortega-Hernandez agreed, "In this context, Euplokamis would be showing a sort of vestigial organization of the nervous system, which are not seen in other living ctenophores. Ctenophores have a more complex evolutionary history than what can be reconstructed from their living representatives alone. Fossils allow us to understand the morphology that developed first and how it has changed through time."

The studied fossil material consists of specimens from the Bureau of Land Management, and are permanently curated at the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City. "The Bureau of Land Management is proud to preserve and protect paleontological resources on public lands, including in the Marjum Formation located in the House Range of west central Utah," said Philip Gensler, acting BLM regional paleontologist. "This site contains more than 100 species of Cambrian-age invertebrate fossils and provides opportunities to learn more about the evolution of marine species and the environment 500 million years ago. The BLM supports research and discovery on public lands and applauds the Natural History Museum of Utah and Harvard University for the outstanding preservation of these specimens, scientific research, and revelation about the evolution of comb jellies."

The Museum curatorial staff contacted co-author Dr. Rudy Lerosey-Aubril, project coordinator and Research Associate, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, and Ortega-Hernandez in 2019 to aid in examining and cataloging the vast collection of Cambrian fossils from the House Range of Utah. "The Cambrian deposits of western Utah are key to our understanding of the Cambrian Explosion. Our collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Utah has boosted our research on these remarkable fossil assemblages, leading to exciting discoveries that we are eager to report" said Lerosey-Aubril.

Explore further Half-a-billion-year-old fossil reveals the origins of comb jellies

More information: Luke A. Parry et al, Cambrian comb jellies from Utah illuminate the early evolution of nervous and sensory systems in ctenophores, iScience (2021). Journal information: iScience Luke A. Parry et al, Cambrian comb jellies from Utah illuminate the early evolution of nervous and sensory systems in ctenophores,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102943
Equipped with antennas, around twenty specialist volunteers search for surviving Hermann's tortoises.

In a deadly silent and scorched landscape, French scientist Dominique Guicheteau lies on his front, plunges his hand under a rock and brings out a Hermann's tortoise.

This one, at least, appears to have survived the raging wildfire's merciless passage through a biodiversity hotspots in southern France, near the glitzy resort of Saint Tropez.

For four days firefighters have battled the blaze that killed two and forced thousands to flee. A few kilometres away, the struggle continues.

Equipped with antennas, around 20 specialist volunteers are Thursday on the lookout for the creatures with black and yellow-patterned carapaces still in the area, home to 241 protected species.

So far, the group has found 31 alive, and one dead. But the happy average is far from a coincidence.

"We headed to the areas where we knew the tortoises might survive, thanks to the rocks" that protect from the flames, says Guicheteau, the scientific director of Plaine des Maures natural reserve.

The tortoises are plunged into a bowl of water, weighed and measured. The volunteers then carefully put them back in their now-burnt natural habitat where they will have to wait for autumn and rain to feed on grass, before hibernating.

As wildfires supercharged by climate change-induced drought and heatwaves ravage parts of Europe, conservationists are increasingly concerned for the fate of wild species.

A blaze raging in southern France has killed two and forced thousands to flee.

'Ecological catastrophe'

"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 this week.

Climate change amplifies droughts which dry out regions, creating ideal conditions for wildfires to spread out-of-control and inflict unprecedented material and environmental damage.

In France's worst blaze of the summer, half of the arid Plaine des Maures natural reservefilled with cork oaks and poplars and home to bats, tree frogs and other reptileshas been burnt.

Hermann's tortoise is already classified as "vulnerable" on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species.

Scientists estimate there are around 15,000 in the Var department, and 10,000 in the natural reserve.

Hermann's tortoise is already classified as "vulnerable" on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species.

Tortoises first appeared on Earth around 250 million years ago.

"It's an ecological catastrophe, unparalleled in France," said Marie-Claude Serra, the park conservator.

Although the tortoise's slowness makes it hard to outrun the flames, it has proven its toughness throughout the agesfirst appearing on Earth some 250 million years ago.

"The tortoise can fast for several weeks, but the risk with fires is that it becomes dehydrated," Sebastien Caron, who heads the Station of Observation and Protection of Tortoises in Carnoules, told AFP on site.

If the tortoise makes it through the flames, it will probably survive afterwards, says Caron.

But the exact consequences on the reproduction of the speciesthat can live until 60will only be known in around 30 years, he adds.

Explore further 'Countless' animals threatened by fires ravaging Europe

 2021 AFP
Painting of a raider on horseback (bottom right) with a musket and domestic stock. A rain-animal (top right) was likely summoned to wash away the raiders tracks. Credit: Sam Challis and Brent Sinclair-Thomson

Not all South African rock art is ancient; some dates back to the colonial periodand was created by runaway slaves. It tells a remarkable story.

With the founding of the Cape Colony in 1652, European colonists were forbidden from enslaving the indigenous Khoe, San and African farmers. They had to look elsewhere for a labor force. And so slaves, captured and sold as property, were unwilling migrants to the Cape, transportedat great expensefrom European colonies like Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, the East Indies (now Indonesia), India and Sri Lanka.

Far cheaper was the illegal trade in indigenous slaves that grew in the borderlands of the colony. Khoe-San people were forced into servitude as colonists took both land and livestock. Together with immigrant slaves they were the labor force for the colonial project.

Desertion was their most common form of rebellion. Runaway slaves escaped into the borderlands and mounted a stiff resistance to the colonial advance from the 1700s until the mid-1800s. In most cases the fugitives joined forces with groups of skelmbasters (mixed outlaws), who themselves were descended from San-, Khoe- and isiNtu-speaking Africans (hunter-gatherers, herders and farmers).

Thus, we find recorded examples of mixed bandit groups hiding out in mountain rock shelters, within striking distance of colonial farms. Using guerrilla-style warfare they raided livestock and guns. In their refuge, they made rock art, images within their own belief systems that relate to escape and retaliation.

These sites can be reliably dated, because they include rock art images of horses and guns. In our most recent study of rock art in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, we see that this art also provides us with the raiders' perspective. Our fieldwork enables us to view something of the slave and indigenous resistance from outside the texts of the colonial record.

Louis van Mauritius (a) led a rebellion of 300 enslaved people in 1808 and Portrait of Juli, a Faithful [Khoe-San] (b) by William Burchell, 1822. Credit: Barry Jackson and the National Heritage Project Company/Library of the University of the Witwatersrand

The paintings

These mountainous regions house many rock shelters with paintings of the traditional corpus of "San rock art' (antelope and dances) that have become world famous. But owing to almost 2,000 years of contact with incoming African herders and farmers, the hunter-gatherer art changed in appearance, if not in the essence of its meaning. The 'disconnect' was most stark, however, during colonization. The artists' societies were deeply affected, disrupted and decimated. Where any art continued it was that of the mixed outlaws, often referred to simply as "Bushmen' but who were actually a composite of many cultural backgrounds.

The paintings themselves are also mixedsome brush-painted, some finger-paintedbut are united by subject matter pertaining to spiritual beliefs concerning escape and protective power. Certain motifs, including baboons and ostriches, continued to be used, but now appearing alongside motifs such as horses and guns. This suggests some continuity in the recognition of these animals, mystical or otherwise, as subject matter pertinent to people's changed circumstances.

Despite these changes, bandit groups, however mixed they were, held onto, and even highlighted, some specific traditional beliefs.

Ritual specialists

The location of one band of mixed outlaws, in the Mankazana River Valley in today's Eastern Cape, comes from the record of the 1820 settler, poet and abolitionist Thomas Pringle. During our fieldwork in this area we found rock paintings of horses, riders with guns and cattle raids that can be reliably dated to approximately when Pringle was writing.

That diverse groups of bandits painted depictions of cattle raids suggests that raiding was a fundamental concern for these groups. If we have learnt anything from the last five decades of southern African rock art research, it is that images are not the mere depictions of what the artists saw around them. Rather, they are of what ritual specialists see while traveling through the spirit world.

In the colonial borderlands, paintings with (a) horses and guns and (b) ostriches and baboons. Credit: Sam Challis and Brent Sinclair-Thomson

In the case of bandit groups, the ritual specialist often performed the role of war-doctor, who supplied traditional medicines to ensure protection in dangerous situations, including cattle raids and the flight from servitude.

It is telling that these images also include motifs relating to protection during raids as can be seen in the appearance of certain animals, especially baboons and ostriches.

Baboons are associated with protection across Khoe-San and African farmer society. The |Xam San people of the 1800s claimed that the baboon chewed a stick of so-/oa, a root medicine which would alert the user (animal or human) to approaching danger and keep it safe. Among the Xhosa there is a cognate belief in uMabophearguably the same root medicine. Like so-/oa, uMabophe was supplied by ritual specialists to those who wished to exert supernatural influence over projectile weapons, including turning 'bullets to water".

Protective animals

Many of these images are painted with a fine-line, unshaded technique. But there are also images that are finger-painted in black or bright orange pigment, which have a distinctly Khoe-speaker inflection. In technique they strongly resemble the art of the Korana raiders, to the north of the colony, who were known to take in runaway slaves.

Further into the hinterland, as if to mark the fighting retreat of bandit groups as the colonial frontier expanded, we discovered rock shelters in the Stormberg and Zuurberg that exhibit yet more features of an indigenous resistance idiom. In one are images of people with horses and guns, as well as baboons and ostriches.

The ostrich was recognized by Khoe-San groups as particularly adept at escaping danger. It could outrun most predators and leap over hunters' nets. Khoe-San would, and still do, tie the tendons from ostrich legs to their own legs to combat fatigue. Ostrich eggshell was recognized as a medicine that could be ground and consumed as a fortifying tonic. In the art of bandits, images of ritual specialists transforming into ostriches or baboons attest to them drawing on the powers of protective animals to ensure their own escape from former captors or following stock raids.

Finger-painted and fine-line horses attest to the mixed nature of bandit groups, note the baboons beneath the black horse. Credit: Sam Challis and Brent Sinclair-Thomson

The bandit's view

Although never officially recognized as slaves, the Khoe-San were uprooted from their land and lifeways by European settlers and forced into bondage. This brought them into contact with immigrant slaves, alongside whom they often escaped. In defiance they raided their former captors and other settlers and in rocky hideouts they painted their concerns.

The rock art of bandit groups is bound up with beliefs in the ability to call upon the protection of the supernatural. Baboons and ostriches, painted with images of livestock and people on horseback with firearms, were heralded for their associated powers pertaining to escape and protection while raiding. For these runaway slaves, rock art was one of several crucial ritual observances performed to prevent the likelihood of ever returning to a life of oppression.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Shutterstock

For many teachers, news coverage of education seems to be unrelentingly negative. They say this is particularly noticeable in reporting of results of standardized tests such as NAPLAN and the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which seems to place most of the blame for perceived problems on them.

Australian students have reportedly been falling behind many other countries in literacy and numeracy in the PISA tests, for years. The results are nuanced, but the reporting often isn't. For instance, Australia's score in science in PISA 2015 was 510, significantly above the OECD average of 493. But the reports tend to focus on areas where we have fallen behind than other countries, rather than where Australia may have done well.

There is constant anxiety our education system is going downhill and needs urgent improvement.

suffice to say PISA making waves in australia, too! minister says results (lowest since joining) 'incredibly disappointing & alarm bells should be ringing." suggests new focus on 'core fundamentals' literacy & numeracy. be interesting to see how policy reform unfolds here... pic.twitter.com/C4VALHflNh  Gareth Evans (@garethdjevans) December 3, 2019

"Alarm bells': Australian students falling behind in maths, science and reading https://t.co/1WtJonbTjb via @theage pic.twitter.com/Vk53bJtQ7J  MattGolding Cartoons (@GoldingCartoons) December 3, 2019

In my interviews with Australian schoolteachers, most of the participants accepted standardized testing was necessary. But they opposed the results of NAPLAN testing being released due to the inevitable comparisons of student progress and schools in the related news coverage.

A growing body of research from Australia and overseas suggests teachers' perceptions about education news are justified. Education news focuses on student discipline, teacher quality, comparisons of testing results and standards. All these subjects tend to be framed negatively.

#EXCLUSIVE | Nearly 10 percent of Australia's aspiring teachers are failing to meet basic literacy and numeracy standards. https://t.co/90gAI2s5cS  The Australian (@australian) July 20, 2020

While individual success stories of students, teachers or schools are celebrated, they are usually portrayed as the exception.

What teachers say

In my 2017 study, I interviewed 25 teachers from around Australia about their perceptions of news reporting of education88% of participants considered it to be predominantly negative.

A teacher from a Queensland public school acknowledged that from "time to time" good news stories about schools did appear but said most the coverage was "shock, horror, look at all these dreadful things that are happening in the school system."

The mostly negative portrayal presented in major metropolitan news outlets was unfair and inaccurate, according to the teachers, and the positive elements tended to be overlooked.

One used the reporting of testing results as an example: "When the NAPLAN data was published our federal minister had quite a lot of material published about how we were slipping down the league tables, but when our 15 year-olds were rated the fifth top all rounders [in the PISA tests] [] that barely got a squeak."

Several participants referred to the prevalence of news coverage that portrayed teachers as low achievers. "We continually hear about low entrance scores to get into teaching. We continually hear about teacher under-performance."

Some of those interviewed believed teachers were treated differently to other professionals in news coverage, and were subjected to greater scrutiny and pressure. "What I do each day is questioned at every level," one teacher said.

A particular frustration related to news coverage that did not capture the true nature of contemporary teaching. A principal argued there was "an absolute failure" on the part of the news media to recognize the complexity of teachers' work. She said: "Teachers are not going to school, they are going to work and it's highly complex and highly technological."

Other Australian research has found some teachers have named misleading and negative reporting of education as a factor in their decision to quit teaching.

Parents feel the same way

Our new research has found some Australian parents share teachers' views. Of the survey group of 268 teachers and 206 parents, 85% of teachers and 74% of parents considered news coverage of the Australian education system to be generally negative.

Half of the parents surveyed reported feeling demoralized by such reporting. For teachers, that figure increased to 81%.

Significantly, we also found positive news can be inspiring. Around 64% of both teachers and parents reported they feel inspired "quite a bit" or "a lot" when they encounter a positive news story about teachers, schools or the education system.

All of this points to a need for more balanced, contextualized and fair news coverage of schools and teachers.

While it is not the role of reporters to appease teachers, the evidence about the predominantly negative nature of education news and teachers' concerns about superficial and inaccurate coverage should be taken into account. And it can just be a matter of shifting the angle.

Readers turned off by negative news

There are also sound commercial reasons for rethinking the approach to reporting education. In covering education, news editors are aiming to appeal to the high numbers of parents among their audiences.

Our research suggests parents are interested in education news. But they may be less likely to engage the more negative it is. We know from other research that the most common reason people avoid news is because it has a negative impact on mood.

So, if editors want to attract readers with education news, coverage that includes more positive elements could achieve more success.

Explore further Four teachers in same Florida county die of COVID-19 within 24 hours

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Lead researcher & PhD candidate Gulsah Dogruer, Australian Rivers Institute. Credit: Griffith University

Three out of four Queensland green turtle populations risk harmful effects from cadmium found a Griffith University-led study using a new tool to determine chemical exposure limits for marine animals.

In collaboration with Utrecht University (Netherlands), Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany) and the University of Queensland, the researchers developed a virtual turtle model to simulate cadmium uptake and its effects over a turtles' lifetime. The model was used to reveal at what concentration cadmium in their primary food source, seagrass, is potentially toxic.

"Marine animals are exposed to an array of toxic chemicals entering the oceans," said lead researcher and Ph.D. candidate Gulsah Dogruer from the Australian Rivers Institute.

"Yet policy makers are basically in the dark about the limits these animals can endure before health effects threaten their survival.

"We developed a framework that sheds some light on this issue for policy makers. By defining the chemical exposure limit for a particular marine animal before there is harmful effects, we can help policy makers identify potentially toxic areas."

When applied to cadmium in green sea turtles, the researchers revealed a concerning 72% of the Great Barrier Reef's green turtle populations were at risk from cadmium contamination.

"Our results show that a green turtle population foraging on seagrass with more than 0.1 milligram of cadmium for every kilogram of seagrass, is exposed to potential health risks," said co-author and supervisor Dr. Jason van de Merwe, a marine ecologist and eco-toxicologist at the Australian Rivers Institute.

"As seagrass is green turtles' primary source of food, this is a real concern, but knowing this threshold level of cadmium is crucial to identify potential exposure sites."

The virtual turtle model consisting of seven body compartments connected by the circulating blood flow (red arrow). The liver and kidney represent the elimination and detoxification routes (green arrow). The blue arrow represents the exposure route. Credit: Griffith University

To discover the cadmium threshold in green turtles, the researchers used a generic three-step framework that can be adapted to other marine species and other chemicals.

The framework involved firstly developing a green turtle and cadmium-specific model to predict how much cadmium the turtles are likely to accumulate over their lifetime under various environmental conditions.

"The model we developed used the physiology of the turtles and the chemical properties of cadmium to simulate its absorption, metabolism, excretion, and distribution in the turtles' liver, kidney, muscle, fat, brain, scute, and 'rest of the body'," Ms Dogruer said.

"The second step was to link these contaminant concentrations in the turtles to toxic effects seen in laboratory-based studies and in free-ranging turtles.

The researchers ran the model in reverse, using the cadmium concentration that is toxic in turtles' body, to determine the amount of cadmium in seagrass above which turtles are likely to have a toxic response (0.1 milligram of cadmium for every kilogram of seagrass).

The researchers lastly compared their results to real-world cadmium exposure conditions for green turtle populations globally.

"Three out of the four globally distinct green turtle populations assessed in Australia, Japan and Brazil are exposed to cadmium levels above the threshold seagrass limits we reported," Dr. van de Merwe said.

"Our framework for determining chemical exposure limits will help managers of conservation sites better understand and minimize the risk to marine animals and hopefully begin to turn the tide for green turtle populations worldwide,'' Ms Dogruer said.

Explore further Study finds smaller turtles are nesting on Florida beaches
Credit: Wiley

Photoinduced charge transfers are an interesting electronic property of Prussian blue and some analogously structured compounds. A team of researchers has now been able to elucidate the ultrafast processes in the light-induced charge transfer between iron and manganese in a manganese-containing Prussian blue analog. As reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie, different processes induced by light can drive the charge transfer.

Prussian blue is an intensely blue inorganic pigment that is used in paintings, dyeing, and medicine, among others. The crystal lattice of this K[FeIIFeIII(CN) 6 ] complex contains alternating divalent and trivalent iron atoms. The intense color results from a charge transfer: when irradiated by light, electrons are transferred from the FeII to the FeIII. Even though this pigment is not used to dye textiles today, its special electronic properties make Prussian blue an interesting candidate for other applications, including windowpanes with self-adjusting translucency, optoelectronic components, gas absorption, and catalysis. It could also serve as a material for electrodes in novel energy storage devices.

Over the years, equally interesting compounds that contain other metals but have analogous structures have been produced, such as RbMnFe, which is a Prussian blue analog in which manganese replaces some of the iron ions. At low temperatures, the lattice consists of trivalent manganese and divalent iron ions. The manganese is surrounded in an octahedral pattern by the nitrogen atoms of the cyanide ligands, while the iron is surrounded by an octahedron made of the cyanide carbon atoms. Under light, charge transfer occurs similarly to Prussian blue: MnIIIFeII  MnIIFeIII. The process is local and ultrafast.

Studying such a fast process is a challenge. A team lead by Hiroko Tokoro (University of Tsukuba, Japan), Shin-ichi Ohkoshi (The University of Tokyo, Japan), and Eric Collet (University of Rennes 1, France) has met this challenge by using an ultrafast optical spectroscopy technique called pump probe spectroscopy, which has a resolution of 80 femtoseconds (80 quadrillionths of a second). In this method, the electrons in the compound are shifted to a higher energy state through excitement with a laser pulse. After a short time, the system is irradiated with a second laser pulse at a different wavelength and the absorption is measured. Combination of the results from these experiments with calculations of the electronic band structures showed that there are two different photoswitching pathways for charge transfer. They have different dynamics that result from very different types of initial electronic excitation.

The primary pathway (MnIII(d-d)-pathway) begins when light excites an electron in a d orbital on one MnIII into another, somewhat higher energy d orbital on the same MnIII. This leads to a loosening and lengthening of the bond between the MnIII and some of the neighboring nitrogen atoms. This causes compression of the octahedron around the manganese (inverse Jahn-Teller distortion), which leads to local distortion of the lattice and coherent vibrations. This is the driving force for transfer of an electron (charge transfer) from iron to manganese (MnIIIFeII  MnIIFeIII). The time scale for this process is under 200 femtoseconds.

In addition, another intervalence transfer pathway also plays a role. In this process, an electron from the iron is excited by light and lifted directly into an orbital on the manganese. The slower reorganization causes no coherent lattice vibration.

Explore further Switched on IR-active organic pigments
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American strategists will be studying for some time how Afghanistans U.S.-trained security forces crumbled so quickly before what appeared to be an inferior Taliban militia. One place they should look for answers is Pakistan, whose leader on Monday cheered the Taliban takeover of its northwestern neighbor.

Afghans have broken the shackles of slavery, said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, according to Indian media. The offhand celebration of the U.S. retreat from Afghanistan came as Khan denounced English education in Pakistan as promoting cultural control.

That a U.S. security partner would say this out loud certainly raises eyebrows. But the sentiment should not surprise. As Walter Russell Mead notes nearby, a key obstacle to American success in Afghanistan was unrelenting support for the Taliban from our ally in Islamabad. The Taliban safe-haven across Afghanistans southern border was crucial to the groups longevity and eventual military success.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP)  Calling New Jersey's schools funding formula nefarious and arguing that it leads to the state's sky-high property taxes, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli on Wednesday called for scrapping it.

But Ciattarelli, a former state Assembly member and small business owner, stopped short of saying exactly how he would change the school funding formula, which has been approved by the state Supreme Court and embraced by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

Ciattarelli spoke in Jersey City in the foreground of a mirrored-glass skyscraper, which he said was home to high-priced condominiums that carried low property tax rates.

We need a new school-funding formula. The current formula is nefarious. It's arbitrary. It's unfair and I believe it's unconstitutional," he said.

The state's property taxes are levied at the local level and go to support local government and schools, but New Jersey also dedicates all the funds collected from the state's income taxes to what it calls a property tax reduction fund  an account that the state uses to give aid to school districts. The aid is determined by a complex formula, which the state Supreme Court has signed off on, with the aim of providing students a thorough and efficient education.
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At 2:41 p.m., the Atlantic City Beach Patrol tweeted in support of the lifeguard and shared a GoFundMe campaign organized by another family member. As of Friday night, more than $37,000 was raised, surpassing the $15,000 goal.

In the description of the fundraiser, the lifeguard's condition is described as "very grim."

Voll said members of the close-knit Cape May City Beach Patrol were deeply upset by the incident. He said grief counselors were being made available for lifeguards.

"The positive impact he has had on our beach patrol is evident based on the large outpouring of love and support from his fellow guards and the Cape May community," Voll said in a news release Friday. "The City of Cape May would like to thank the quick actions of the Cape May Beach Patrol, Chief Harry Back, and all first responders. The city would also like to send our deepest gratitude to all South Jersey Beach Patrols who have sent their lifeguards to the City to assist."

Members of the beach patrol said early Friday they could say little about the incident. At beach patrol headquarters, veteran guard Rich Demers said any information would have to come from City Hall.
ATLANTIC CITY  Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City announced Thursday a new incentive program for its employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

The Rock Your Shot campaign will provide a $100 gift card to fully vaccinated employees along with chances to win grand prizes including $50,000 cash, a 2021 Jeep Cherokee, 15 prizes of $15,000 each and more.

The program is open to all fully vaccinated employees of company-owned or managed Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming properties in the U.S. That includes hotels, casinos and corporate offices for the Hollywood, Florida-based company with 21,000 employees throughout the country.

MGM Resorts to require employee COVID-19 vaccinations by fall LAS VEGAS (AP)  Large events held in Nevada can add themselves to the growing number of places in the U.S. where people in crowds are asked to prove they have been inoculated against COVID-19, the governor said Monday.

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We are committed to a safe working environment for all of our team members, said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, in a news release. With more team members vaccinated, there is less chance for the virus to spread to other team members and guests.

The vaccination incentive program is voluntary and open to all fully vaccinated employees in the past or in the future up through Oct. 31, when the grand prize drawing will occur. All vaccination information will remain confidential.
Under Gov. Murphy, New Jersey has been a national leader in the effort to reduce gun violence overall, and in particular to stop the flow of untraceable, build-them-yourself firearms into the hands of criminals and other individuals who have no business possessing them, said Bruck. But throughout our nation, too many of these untraceable guns are still sold and transported across state lines because of loopholes not addressed by the federal government. Weve said for some time that ATF needs to tighten up its rules and take some of the onus off the states for combating illegal guns. Those pleas fell on deaf ears with the prior administration, but were heartened to see that action is now being taken.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP)  A judge sentenced a former Alabama police officer to 25 years in prison Friday for the shooting death of a suicidal man who was holding a gun to his own head.

Former Huntsville police officer William Ben Darby was convicted in May of killing Jeffrey Parker in 2018. Darby shot Parker while responding to a call after the man phoned 911 saying he was armed and planned to kill himself.

Darby and others pleaded for leniency, saying there was no evil intent when he pulled the trigger. Prosecutors argued during the sentencing hearing that Darbys lack of willingness to admit wrongdoing and the gravity of what he did to Jeffery Parker deserved a long sentence, news outlets reported.

Jeff was in a mental state. Jeff had issues. Jeff asked for help, Bill Parks, Jeff Parkers friend, told reporters after the sentencing. Parks said another officer had the situation under control until Darby entered and shot Parker within seconds.

Its stunning to me. (Jeff) must have been sitting there going, OK, things are good, and what 11 seconds later his face was blown off. Why?

Bill Parker said he believed his brother would be alive today, if Darby hadn't showed up.
PHILLIPSBURG  A New Jersey town council president has been charged with misusing the county 911 emergency telephone system.

Phillipsburg Town Council President Frank McVey faces a fourth-degree charge of false public alarms and if convicted could face up to 18 months in prison, according to Warren County First Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Robinson.

McVey said Wednesday that his actions were in line with his sworn duties as a council member, the Express-Times reported.

Before calling authorities, McVey emailed several Phillipsburg employees claiming if he didnt receive a response, he would call 911 and have an officer come to his home and respond to his inquiry.

According to prosecutors, the email stated: Maybe most of you  work Monday through Friday 7-3 but I dont with this position. Somebody give me an answer and respect the $0.35 an hour that Im getting for this job. If I dont receive correspondence by 6PM I will be calling 911 asking for an officer to come to my house and to give me an answer on this inquiry.
In particular, the Afghans should have been organized into local, light-defense forces in and around their own villages, districts and provinces. People will fight much harder when it is their own family behind them. They needed simpler weapons and larger caches of ammunition, with less of the sophisticated communications gear (much of which is now being harvested for scrap at Bagram Air Base outside Kabul).

Like politics, all security is local; but instead the focus was on creating a national army, seeking to use it as a tool to unify the nation. As we have seen, it simply did not work. In fairness, there was an attempt to create some local militias, but they were starved for resources that were committed to the big effort of creating a kind of mini-me force that looked better on paper than in combat.

It is instructive that the most successful of the domestic fighters for the past few years have been the 20,000 Afghan commandos. They resembled this philosophy of highly maneuverable troops able to move quickly, but were too few in number and still too reliant on U.S. air support and high-tech gear. By the end, they had become exhausted, like the smokejumpers now battling fires all over the American West  too few, too tired.
Russian Media Watchdog Files More Protocols Against RFE/RL For Violating Labeling Requirement

Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has notified RFE/RL that it has filed in court the first of a new set of 130 protocols charging that the independent media outlet is violating Russia's controversial "foreign agent" law requiring the labeling of content.

INCIDENTS AND THREATS

Unknown Caller Wants Taliban To Seize Current Time TV's Kabul Reporter

Current Time TV freelance correspondent in Kabul, Liza Karimi, reports having been threatened on August 17 by unknown males by both phone and in writing. These communications followed statements by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid that women would be allowed to work and a free media to function within the bounds of Islamic law. According to Karimi, the individuals said We just wish that the Taliban will capture you quickly. Karimi added, And why, for what [reason], this they didnt want to tell me. Karimi, a Russian- and English-speaking Kabul native, believes that the individuals who contacted her may have been sympathizers with the Taliban.

Afghan Radio Station Manager Killed, Journalist Kidnapped

Suspected Taliban gunmen shot and killed an Afghan radio station manager in Kabul and kidnapped a journalist in southern Helmand Province, officials said, the latest in a long line of attacks targeting media workers. Gunmen shot Paktia Ghag radio managerToofan Omar, who also served as an officer with the NAI support group for independent media, in a targeted assassination on August 8. "Omar was killed by unidentified gunmen...he was a liberal man...we are being targeted for working independently," said Mujeeb Khelwatgar, the head of NAI. (Gandhara)

Jailed RFE/RL Crimea Realii Contributor Yesypenko Hospitalized As Health Deteriorates

The wife of jailed RFE/RL Crimea Realii contributor Vladyslav Yesypenko, Kateryna, has told RFE/RL that her husbands condition behind bars has gotten worse and about a week ago he was urgently hospitalized. Kateryna linked his deteriorating health to the possible torture by the FSB. Yesypenko is currently being held by the FSB in pre-trial detention; he was detained on March 10. (Ukrainian Service/Krym.Realii)

'Undesirable' And 'Foreign': How Russia Is Muzzling The Media In An Escalating Crackdown

Recent weeks have seen a spate of police raids on independent media companies and the homes of journalists in Russia, as part of an intensifying crackdown. Kremlin-critical media face fines, arrests, and violence. Some journalists are relocating to other countries to avoid an increasingly hostile environment.

Police Search Homes Of Belarusian News Agency Staff

Police in Minsk have searched the homes of several employees of the private BelaPAN news agency, as a crackdown on independent media and pro-democracy activists in Belarus continues following last year's disputed presidential election that handed victory to authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Alyaksandr Zaytsau told the Naviny.by news website that police told him that searches were conducted on August 18 as part of an investigation into the "organization of activities that blatantly violate civil order." Also: Belarus slaps extremist label on news site Tut.by and its new media site, Zerkalo.io .

CPJ Demands Release Of Belarusian Reporter Jailed for 'Insulting' Lukashenka

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Belarus to immediately release journalist Syarhey Hardzievich, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted of insulting authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka and two police officers. Hardzievichs jailing once again demonstrates Belarus authorities abuse of the law to silence independent journalists who cover law enforcement abuses, said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna in a statement issued on August 12.

BBC Condemns 'Assault On Media Freedom' After Russia Expels Moscow Correspondent

Russia has refused to renew a visa for a BBC journalist in Moscow, effectively expelling her from the country. The BBC on August 13 called the move against Sarah Rainsford "a direct assault on media freedom," while the British government urged Moscow "to reconsider this retrograde step against an award-winning BBC journalist which can only do further damage to media freedom in Russia." The move comes as the authorities crack down on the opposition and independent media before parliamentary elections in September.

One Year On: Despite Brutal Crackdown, RFE/RL Committed To Serving Audiences In Belarus

Despite a brutal, year-long crackdown on dissent, heavy-handed repression by Belarusian police and security services, and efforts to criminalize journalism and the free flow of information, RFE/RLs Belarus Service, Radio Svaboda and the Belarus correspondents reporting for RFE/RLs Current Time team  among the last remaining independent media outlets in the country  remain committed to providing a fact-based alternative to state-run media and pro-government messaging.

Kyrgyz President Urged To Reject Controversial 'False Information' Bill

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov to reject a false information bill recently approved by lawmakers, saying that the proposed legislation "imperils press freedom in the Central Asian nation. Kyrgyz authorities should refrain from adding expansive but poorly defined new powers to unspecified state bodies that could easily be weaponized against journalists, CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said in the statement on August 10.

Prigozhin Propaganda? Another Movie Bathes Russian Mercenaries In A Positive Light, This Time In Eastern Ukraine

In July, an intriguing movie trailer began rapidly gathering views on YouTube. The one-minute clip is a preview of Solntsepyok, which roughly translates as Sunbaked, a Russian film that depicts life in Luhansk, a city in eastern Ukraine, in the summer of 2014. It gives little away. But an attached description of the film makes clear what the trailer doesn't: that something calamitous will happen to the characters on-screen. According to unnamed sources quoted by the independent news media Meduza, the movies powerful alleged patron is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the businessman known as "Putin's chef" for his catering business and close ties to the Kremlin.

Briefly...Elena Fanailova On Russian 'Foreign Agent' Law

RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Elena Fanailova talks about Russias foreign agent law and what it means for her personally, symbolically, and in reality.

RFE/RLs Fly Presses Officials On Journalist Safety During Visit To Georgia, Armenia

RFE/RL President Jamie Fly addressed the importance of press freedom and journalist safety during recent visits to Georgia and Armenia, two countries where journalists have been violently attacked in recent months. During his visits, Fly met with senior government officials including Prime Ministers Irakli Garibashvili and Nikol Pashinian, met with local journalists and media advocacy groups, and sat for interviews with prominent media outlets in both countries.

PODCAST: Listen as RFE/RL's Jamie Fly joins AFPC's 'Disinformation Wars' podcast on 'The Kremlin's War on U.S. Broadcasting'

USAToday: The World Sees Inside Afghanistan Because Of Journalists. Biden Administration Must Help Keep Them Safe.
Traditionally, Republican and Democrat days at the state fair mark the kickoff of election season in odd-numbered years. But due to pandemic delays affecting the census and the drawing of new congressional boundaries, the usual March primary has been pushed back to June 28. Because of that the slate of GOP primary candidates for several offices, including governor, has yet to solidify.

So far, there are three announced Republicans seeking to challenge Pritzker: Bull Valley businessman Gary Rabine, state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville, who has been in Congress since 2013, is weighing a possible run for governor, a decision likely to depend on whether Democrats put him into an unfavorable new district as they draw new congressional maps.

Republicans have filed a federal lawsuit over the maps Democrats drew for the state legislative boundaries, which were based on population estimates. Congressional maps, also in Democratic hands, are being drawn up in the coming weeks following the release of census data earlier this month.
The Talibans rapid ascendancy across Afghanistan and takeover of Kabul should not cause us to break our promise to the Afghans who helped us operate over the past 20 years and are counting on us for assistance, they wrote in the letter that was joined by 53 senators, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. American inaction would ensure they become refugees or prime targets for Taliban retribution.

Now the challenge for the U.S. is to ensure that Americans, regardless of where they are in Afghanistan, can get to Kabul to be airlifted out of the country, Ernst said.

If they can't get the Kabul, they can't get out, she said after a tour of the Weber Stone Co. where limestone has been quarried since the 1850s for use for homes, bridge abutments and commercial structures. You can't get to the airport, you can't get out.

Without enough troops in Afghanistan to provide safe passage to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, this administration has basically said, We trust the Taliban, the Taliban will let you come to Kabul,  Ernst said. We're not finding that's true with a number of the Afghan interpreters.
Davis central Illinois district is one that is likely to change markedly when the General Assembly draws the new congressional maps. He has even said that depending on what the district looks like when the new maps are drawn, he might consider stepping down from Congress to run for statewide office, possibly for governor.

I don't know what my future holds because my future and the political future is going to depend upon what the corrupt Democrats in Springfield are going to do when they redraw our congressional map, he told reporters Thursday. I'll know what I want to do in the future based upon what that battlefield looks like.

The only statewide office that will be an open seat next year is secretary of state, where incumbent Democrat Jesse White is stepping down at the end of a 22-year stint in that office. So far, no Republicans have formally announced a bid for that office, but state Rep. Dan Brady, of Bloomington, said Thursday he is seriously considering the race.

I represent the Bloomington-Normal area, the middle part of the state, he said during an interview Thursday. And I believe that I'm an individual with a track record, as far as a representative goes, of bringing people together on both sides of the aisle.
"They like conservative principles. They like freedom," Tracy said about his conversations with voters of diverse backgrounds. "They don't like what's going on with our schools. They want school choice.

"But they also want us to be talking to them," Tracy said. "They want (Republicans) to be a factor in Chicago. And we haven't been. And we're going to be more (of a factor)."

Former President Donald Trump was mentioned just once during Thursday's rally, a sign the party may be attempting to distance itself from the controversial political figure in an attempt to appeal to more voters.

When asked if the party was attempting to do just that, Tracy said he isn't focused on Trump because he's not on the ballot in 2022.

LaHood was the only speaker to mention Trump, referencing his Twitter account being deactivated following the Jan. 6 insurrection, but there were plenty of Trump-like attacks by the speakers toward Democrat leaders in Congress and President Joe Biden.

Sangamon County Circuit Clerk Paul Palazzolo, who emceed Republican Day festivities at the Director's Lawn, opened the event with a stand-up routine that targeted Democrats at the statewide and national levels. It included remarks on U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Pritzker's physical appearances.
After a year of isolation and online schooling, some children might be beyond ready to return to school buildings. Others might be nervous about seeing friends again or being back in public spaces following more than a year of COVID-19 worries.

Many students might have a mix of feelings, said Dr. John Walkup, chair of the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Lurie Childrens Hospital.

Anxiety is a healthy human emotion, he said.

Parents might be worried about children returning to schools after a year of isolation and stress. A March 2021 report from Lurie Childrens Hospital noted that nearly half of Chicago parents had talked with their childs primary care doctor about mental or behavioral health concerns they had for their child within the last six to 12 months.

Walkup said most children will have normal anxiety, which is triggered by things that are relatively universal, he said, like taking a test or getting on a roller coaster. Most kids might have a mix of anxiety and excitement about getting back to school.

Those kids are going to bounce along and get through it, he said.
Boy am I glad my children are grown and gone. Not having to decide where to school my children with Iowas prohibition on mask mandates is one of the few bright spots in this summer of Delta (and at least I would have the resources to have a choice).

I would not allow my son or daughter, vaccinated or not, in a school that was not allowed to require masking (and promote distancing, the best ventilation possible, and good hand hygiene practice  just to be a bit obsessive). Why?

1. The most important thing we can do right now is assure our kids resume face-to-face education with reasonable safety. That means masking till and for a time after vaccines are available to them all.

The incredible record of COVID-19 safety in classrooms precisely where masking was enforced last term is the best evidence. Kids who got infected did not get infected in classrooms where masks were required. That is an incredible observation given the long hours of exposure in close quarters in schools. For this to work again we need more than 90% adherence to masking  much more likely with a requirement.
Ask yourself what are your choices to help the Afghan people? With whom do you have influence? While we are dealing with feelings of guilt, loss, shame, et al., people in Afghanistan are trying to survive. Our immediate focus should be on helping people, not devolving into the blame game of binary thinking.

As the Afghanistan crisis fades (and they all  including Vietnam, Rwanda, Sudan, Yugoslavia et al.  fade with time), what are the lessons we learned? How can we respond differently next time?

What is the role of the United States in the world? If China were to take over Taiwan or Russia were to invade another country in the former Soviet bloc, what would we do? What are the national interests that will guide us in an increasingly hostile political world? How might we be better prepared to address the complexity of situations involving the U.S., inside the boundaries of other nations?

As civilians, we will not know the extent of the complexity the military and diplomatic corps are facing. We do not know the delicate negotiations that have taken place. The blame game further erodes our trust that the professionals are doing their job, the best they know how. The media is exacerbating our outrage and fear by feeding us images of suffering.
Ron Moeller watched his son jump as a paratrooper last Tuesday. One week later, hes watching as news unfolds from Afghanistan and hoping his son comes back alive.

Of course I worry, but hes smart  both of my children are brilliant  but hes smart, he has good tactical sense which you need as a soldier, Moeller said.

The Taliban recently pushed into Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan as the United States works to evacuate Americans and others from the war-torn country.

Moeller, a retired CIA paramilitary operations officer who spent four to five years in Afghanistan, said there are about 4,000 U.S. soldiers on the ground with 3,000 there to secure the perimeter of the airport.

He said after the perimeter is secured, its just a matter of time to evacuate people. However, he said they face the challenge of locating 5,000 to 10,000 Americans who could be in the airport, around Kabul or just outside the area.

Nobody knows and theres no plan right now to go get them because they dont know where theyre at, he said.
Throughout South Dakota and the U.S., this pandemic has shown the world how important health is, said Nicole Kerkenbush, chief nursing and performance officer for Monument Health in Rapid City. You need that workforce to help folks dealing with any type of health care crisis, whether its COVID or something else.

South Dakota is ranked seventh in the nation for the greatest need of nurses, according to RegisteredNursing.org. The state ranks last in the nation in nursing pay with a median of $55,660, according to 2017 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

The aging of the nursing workforce is likely to exacerbate the need for nurses in the future. Nurses over the age of 50 make up 35% of the state nursing workforce.

The biggest need now is for experienced nurses in critical settings.

Monument Health is offering a $40,000 sign-on bonus for highly skilled positions in intensive care and operating rooms, said Kerkenbush. Billboards and ads for the eye-catching hiring bonus are in the Black Hills area and a few other states across the country, such as Maine, Connecticut and Mississippi, she said.
Joshua Brush is on his way to South Korea, where hell spend a year as part of the United Nations Command Honor Guard Company.

Joshua, a Rapid City Stevens High School graduate, is the son of Bill and Josie Brush of Rapid City. Joshua flew to Osan Air Base in South Korea early Thursday to begin his new assignment. He enlisted in the Army in 2017 and was stationed at Fort Irwin in Southern California where he was part of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. His current rank is specialist.

Being in the Honor Guard is a very honored position, Bill said. Joshua was recommended by his command group at Fort Irwin. If youre chosen for something like that, it means youre really an exceptional soldier. It is really unique.

The United Nations Command Honor Guard Company was created by General Douglas MacArthur during the final days of World War II. The companys primary mission was to provide security and protect the general and his staff.

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Alternative facts

During the time span of: political "alternative facts", Q-anon conspiracies and outright lies; conservatism has become inexorably linked to it's own definition of "fake news". Some at the controlling end of the party are actually unapologetic as they claim they are "owning the libs" through their underhanded actions. This flagrantly upside down logic has boomeranged on Conservatism and done much more harm to the country in general than the gains they hoped would proliferate their political programs. Since rational Republicans are the only ones who have the political credibility to put a halt to this nonsense, it falls on them to do so. I believe that they will put an end to this blight even if it means electing a Democrat again. When the Conservative party once again becomes the other leg of a "stand up" two party system, we will gain back the trust of all who hope for soundness of government on this planet.
It goes a long way, Fillingham said. Having an experienced mule like Whiskey makes a big difference when we work in the backcountry.

Considering the fact there is no oxeye daisy in the entire drainage, Fillingham is pretty certain that the weed probably found its way into the wilderness before weed-free feed for livestock was a requirement.

These isolated infestations are the ones we like to prioritize, he said. We have another spot in Idaho thats 12 miles back up on a pass where you gain 2,000 feet in elevation that we found a tiny patch of blueweed. We have no idea how it got there.

Its the only blueweed known in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. After treating it for three consecutive years, Fillingham was happy to see there wasnt any sign of the highly invasive weed this summer.

With hunting season right around the corner and people getting ready to head into the backcountry, Morris is encouraging folks to wash their gear, buy weed-free hay and feed their stock nothing but that three days before they head back into the hills.

If people spot weeds during their backcountry travels, she encourages them to report them to either her office or the Bitterroot National Forest.
Spiro and other executives with The Hilb Group also stress that the companys growth strategy isnt just focused on acquisitions, but on building business returns from each agency it acquires.

It is not just about acquiring them [agencies], but how we help them grow, said Jason Angus, the companys chief operating officer. They have got to be better off with us than they were on their own.

As of Aug. 13, The Hilb Group had acquired 119 insurance agencies over its 11-year history, and it now owns agencies in 21 states with more than 200,000 customers. The companys business mix is roughly 65% property and casualty insurance  mostly commercial insurance with some personal insurance such as homeowners and automobile  and about 35% employee benefits such as group medical and disability.

Backed by private equity funding, The Hilb Group often has completed an acquisition or two each month. In 2020, the company made 22 such deals.

That was actually a little less than the 24 deals the company did in 2019, but Jud Elliott Jr., The Hilb Groups executive vice president for mergers and acquisitions and one of its founding managers, noted that the deals in 2020 were larger in value than any year before.
About three months after gunfire took a mother and infant and wounded three others at The Belt Atlantic apartments, the pop of gunshots outside her window once again startled Carol Allen.

She's not sure what happened, or why. But, Allen, who has lived at the complex in South Richmond for about a year, says the community has been under a relative calm following the tragic events of April 27. No one has been shot there since. The city's emergency communications department fielded reports of gunfire on 11 days in recent months.

Some residents, afraid to let their children play outside, are seeking a place that's safer to live, where maintenance requests might be handled more quickly. A worsening affordable housing crunch is stymieing their efforts. Others are just grateful for security upgrades made by property owners.

Allen also gives thanks for the people who kept coming back to support and empower the community long after the crime scene tape came down. Among the 54 killings in the city so far this year, the daylight assault that traumatized residents of the subsidized-housing property has prompted an enduring response.

Community leaders hope to replicate the recovery efforts, which received city backing  and funding  under the banner of a new initiative: The Trauma Healing Response Network. It is a collective of community leaders, volunteers and mental health professionals that still meets twice a month to assess the needs of residents.

Allen, 54, said the goal is to instill a sense of security, so that people can come together and children feel safe playing outside. She says it's working.

"We're trying to get people to come together to make the community safe," Allen said.

Deneka Green, a two-year resident of the community, located off Midlothian Turnpike near George Wythe High School, remains wary.

"I barely stay at home," said Green, who is 40 and lives with her 14-year-old son. "It's still not safe for kids to play. You never know when you have to run from bullets."

Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch, whose 5th District includes The Belt Atlantic, said it could be a year or two before the community firmly establishes a residents council to advocate for their needs.

"I have no rose-colored glasses about the real work and grit it's going to take to get things turned around. And we need money. We need resources." - Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch

Keisha Cummings, an advocate for underserved neighborhoods, got the ball rolling by looking for ways to help residents in the aftermath of the shooting. Lynch and Jackie Lawrence, director of health equity for the Richmond and Henrico Health District, started the Trauma Healing Response Network after the shootings to provide crisis intervention. The violence was witnessed by lots of people, including several children, who were outside enjoying nice weather that evening.

"What we're trying to grapple with is simultaneously building a community while helping individual families deal with the stresses of poverty and trauma and all sorts of external challenges that a lot of them are facing," Lynch said. "So it's not an easy task. It takes a village."

The response network is starting a trauma support group for women residents of The Belt Atlantic that will meet at New Life Deliverance Tabernacle in South Richmond.

Since the shooting, the church has provided food for residents and is holding a Bible study at the complex every Tuesday evening. It also is founding a satellite church at the apartment complex, called "New Life at Belt Atlantic," that will have services every Sunday starting Aug. 29 (outdoors unless the weather is bad).

"The ultimate goal is to feed them so they won't be hungry and, at the same time, win souls for Christ as we are led by the Holy Spirit of God," said the church's pastor, Robert Winfree.

Another faith leader, The Rev. Robin Mines, associate minister of Hood Temple AME Zion Church, has been working with other volunteers and the Richmond Police Department to organize a faith community event at The Belt Atlantic from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday. It will include a worship service, food, backpacks for kids, COVID testing and vaccinations.

Westover Hills Elementary School, which had a fifth-grade student wounded in the April shooting, has begun holding Westover Wednesdays, a weekly summertime event for families, children and school staff that is being held twice a month at The Belt Atlantic. The event brings music, snacks, games, a book station, arts and crafts, and other activities to residents.

The Belt Atlantic used to be known as Midlothian Village before Community Preservation Partners purchased the property in 2018 through a joint venture with another company, promising secure fences, gates and other safety measures.

Tameka Webb, asset manager for Community Preservation Partners, said that the company hired Virtus Security in July and doubled the number of security officers working at the property, from two to four. The officers, two of whom are armed, patrol more frequently and are more involved in enforcing lease violations than the previous security company there, Webb said.

She said management also has repaired entrances to the tall black gates that surround the more than 600 residents of the complex, which provides project-based Section 8 housing to low-income residents. Tenants will be able to use key cards to walk through or drive through an entrance.

In the immediate aftermath of the April shooting, many residents were upset that the gates had been left open.

Law enforcement authorities said that on the night of the shooting, four young men got out of a car and walked into the property. The men were wearing masks that fully covered their faces and at least three of them started shooting. The police believe more than 50 shots were fired from at least three weapons, including an assault rifle.

Within the past year, Webb said, a gate had to be repaired four times because people drove into it. A little over a month ago a security camera was damaged, she said, delaying a repaired gate from being fully operational.

"We want to have the community closed and secure," Webb said.

No amount of added security will make some residents feel safe.

"There's nothing they can do to make me come back," said Sharnell Hill, who believes the shooting could have been prevented had the gates been secure and working properly.

The gunfire on April 27 wounded Hill's 11-year-old daughter, Daniya Dixon, along with two other people, and killed Hill's sister, Sharnez Hill, and 3-month-old niece, Neziah.

Since then, she and her two daughters have been staying with one of Hill's other sisters. She has not spent the night at her apartment in The Belt Atlantic since the tragedy.

Her search for another place to live has been hard. "I'm trying to get an apartment or house, but nothing's really available or it's too expensive," said Hill, who has has a Housing Choice voucher and is on waiting lists at a couple of apartment complexes. "Or the inexpensive stuff is far away."

Hill, 34, is still grieving an inexplicable loss resulting from senseless violence that the authorities say was sparked by an argument on social media.

"I just remember the good times  try not to think about that day, but the good times," she said.

"Just yesterday, I was sitting at the table by myself just crying for like 20 minutes, looking at a video of my sister." - Sharnell Hill

Other residents have also struggled with the loss of Sharnez Hill, whom everyone knew as "Shy-Shy," and her baby daughter, and many of them underwent crisis counseling.

"They were still just frozen a little bit," said Keisha Wright, who owns Richmond-based ProActive Behavior Services and will help facilitate the trauma support group for women. "They just wanted to make it go away, but as we know, trauma doesn't happen like that."

Ashley Waddell, founder of the Henrico County-based Wholistic Alignment Therapeutic Wellness Center, provided counseling and outpatient therapy for Belt Atlantic residents soon after the shooting. She is part of the Trauma Healing Response Network and will be providing yoga for the women who take part in the trauma support group.

One woman Waddell worked with was afraid to stay at the complex.

"We did some brief crisis intervention to get her back stable enough to even function there," she said.

Waddell talked to the resident about how she can be safe in the moment and discussed the woman's fears. The woman later called her and said she was having a hard time at work, and Waddell provided her some tools to manage her anxiety.

Lawrence, the director of health equity for the Richmond and Henrico Health District, has been working with the city and others to set up the Trauma Healing Response Network so it can tailor responses to other communities across Richmond.

The idea was pitched to the City Council by the Gun Violence Prevention Work Group, a collaboration of residents, community partners, the Richmond and Henrico Health District, the mayor's office and Virginia Commonwealth University. The city has allotted $500,000 to the combined health district to expand the network.

"That funding is going to hire someone to coordinate the responses, and a majority  over half of the funding  is going to community partners and emergency relief for families," said Lawrence, who also founded the Healing Us Initiative along with the Richmond Association of Black Social Workers. "We want to build up the capacity of grassroots community partners so that they're ready and in place prior to something happening, and they activate in a responsive manner."

"The city is really recognizing that gun violence and trauma in general is a collective experience. It shows that they are committed to trying to address it in a culturally-informed, community-driven way." - Jackie Lawrence
The alleged grower, Charles A. Miller Jr., was arrested and charged with felony possession with intent to sell, give or distribute more than 5 pounds of marijuana, and possessing between 50 and 100 marijuana plants, also a felony.

The new law allows adults to legally possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana. And anyone found to be in possession of more than 1 ounce but less than a pound is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $25. But anyone possessing more than one pound still can be charged with a felony.

In late June, as the states new marijuana law was about to go into effect, Chesterfield Police Chief Jeffrey Katz posted a message on Facebook that warned Virginians about the statutes nuances, along with a short video that outlined the provisions.

Virginia, we have a problem, Katz wrote at the time. A lot of folks believe that as of July 1, 2021, the possession and use of marijuana is legal within the commonwealth. In reality, its not that simple.
Most large classes will stay online. Only eight courses, or half a percent of face-to-face classes, have 200 students or more, a spokesperson said.

The University of Richmond isnt currently requiring COVID-19 vaccines, but more than 90% of students and employees report being fully vaccinated, according to the university.

Kevin Hallock, URs new president, said hes comfortable with not mandating the vaccine given the high vaccination rate of the community. UR has said it will require vaccines once any vaccine receives full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

URs vaccination rate exceeds the rate throughout Virginia by a wide margin. In the state, 65% of adults have been fully vaccinated, and only 53% of college-age residents have gotten the shot.

In addition to allowing religious and medical exemptions, as most colleges and businesses have done, UR also will allow a personal exemption for the vaccine based on personal convictions strongly and sincerely held by the person seeking the exemption.
While school districts across the country scramble to find enough bus drivers to transport their students to and from school, not all have let the burden fall to the parents. Some are offering bonuses to new drivers, delaying the start of school and for some who have asked parents to drive, they are offering cash.

At this time, no cash is coming the way of Chesterfields parents, only urgency. For parents who are unable to accommodate the school system, their child may have a staggered arrival and departure bus schedule. The first and second wave bus routes will allow bus drivers to pick up all students despite the shortage.

Jennifer McIver, a working mom, relies on the bus picking up and dropping off her daughter from Bettie Weaver Elementary each day.

My daughter will be going on the bus to school and my rationale for that is ... my husband and I both work full time, McIver said.

McIver estimates it would take 45 minutes to an hour each day for her or her husband to drop off their daughter at school. That would take up about five hours of their work week.

McIver isnt confident the school system has a plan to get out of the bus driver hole, besides asking parents to drive their kids every day to school for the entire year.
People in a growing segment of the regions homeless population will have preference for an affordable apartment through a new partnership.

Homeward, the regions coordinating agency for homeless services, has partnered with property manager Beacon Communities to place people experiencing homelessness who are 62 or older at its Dominion Place Apartments building. The arrangement will also provide those renters wraparound services through nonprofit Senior Connections and the Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Health and Wellness Program and Medical Legal Partnership.

The support services will help people be successful, said Kelly King Horne, Homewards executive director. If we can take this to scale, it will help with a lot of older adults whose needs arent met at homeless shelters.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic spiked housing insecurity in the region, affordable housing for seniors was a critical need.

Typically, it could take three to six months to get into one of the 249 apartments at the age- and income-restricted Dominion Place building on West Grace Street, according to Beacon. For prospective tenants with disabilities, the wait can be even longer. Rents there are capped at 30% of a tenants monthly income.
The Republican Party has lost the minority vote nationally, not just in Virginia, said David Ramadan, who served as a Republican delegate representing parts of Loudoun and Prince William counties from 2012 to 2016.

Ramadan, now an adjunct professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, suspended his membership in the GOP when the party nominated Donald Trump in 2016. Ramadan now says he is an independent, but he still speaks fondly of President Ronald Reagan.

On Twitter, Ramadan has pinned a video of Reagans final speech in the White House in January 1989 in which Reagan extolled immigrants as the great life force of each generation of new Americans.

Ramadan, who was born in Beirut, says that in the 1990s, Republicans message appealed to many immigrants who agreed on issues of small government and family values, as well as the importance of entrepreneurship.

In the Trump era, he said, perceived hostility to immigrant populations has turned voters away. Ramadan said he often thinks of an adage from Republican Dick Armey, a former U.S. House majority leader from Texas: You cant call the girl ugly all year long, then invite her to the prom and expect her to go.
Rita Davis, the top legal counsel for Gov. Ralph Northam who has advised him during high-profile legal fights, left her post this week for a job at the Pentagon. It is the latest departure for the sunsetting administration.

Davis, who joined the administration in its first year, 2018, was the first woman and first Black woman to serve as the top lawyer for a Virginia governor.

Davis will move on to a job at the Pentagon, where she will serve as a legal counsel for the secretary of defense, Northam spokesman Grant Neely confirmed. He said it wasnt immediately clear who would replace Davis.

Jessica Killeen worked alongside Davis as the deputy counsel to the governor and remains in the administration.

Northams time in office will come to a close in January, prompting the anticipated departure of key aides to other jobs. In May, Finance Secretary Aubrey Layne exited the administration for a job at Sentara Healthcare.

Virginia governors are barred from serving consecutive terms. Virginians will elect their next governor in November from a field that includes Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin. Princess Blanding, a third-party progressive candidate, will also be on the ballot.
Jones, inspired in part by a University of Virginia candidate-training program, got his own crash course over the past year, during which he legislated in Richmond, ran statewide for attorney general, practiced law in his home base of Hampton Roads and married Mavis Baah, a publicist.

If you learn anything in politics, its timing.

That Jones  running for a third term for the seat his father, a judge and unsuccessful lieutenant governor candidate in 2001, held from 1988 until 2002  is raising cash for his new venture when he and fellow House candidate are doing the same for their races might seem poor timing and added pressure on donors.

He argues otherwise, saying MOM now requires only seed money, about $75,000.

But Jones timing might be better in a different respect.

Given its focus on minorities and women, his new PAC would seem an attempt at cornering early the 2025 primary votes of Black and brown Virginians, who were split between Herring and Jones this past spring and whose political muscle, the just-out census suggests, is growing.
Local businessman Vernon Green, one of the producers of the new film, said he became involved with the project because the answer to the communitys law enforcement challenges is more minority involvement, not less.

From a place of community policing, responsible policing and minority involvement, anywhere theres going to be a challenge that involves minorities and the community, I want to be part of it, said Green.

During local protests last year, Green stood with law enforcement officers where he witnessed minority officers trying to keep the peace among people of their own race. He also understands the pain Black officers endure when another minority civilian loses their life at the hands of the law.

It tears them apart because they feel divided, said Green. All those things, I just feel, need to be heard. Im not saying their struggle is any harder than their counterparts, Im just saying that we should be aware.

Stafford Sheriff David Decatur said he hopes the documentary will help persuade minority men and women to consider serving as law enforcement officers to help make their own communities better places to live and raise their own families.
Wed been through COVID, the stress of sick patients, long hours and going literally from patient to patient and case to case, Farish said. We were saying, Now were on the other side of it and we can relax. Now we realize thats not really the case. All that stress we went through and trying to hold ourselves together is coming to light as we prepare to face more.

According to a May study by health care consultant McKinsey and Co., about 22% of front-line nurses now employed are considering leaving nursing for less stressful occupations. Of those who indicated they may leave, 60% said the pandemic pushed them even closer to the exit.

According to the study, insufficient staffing, high workload and emotional toll from providing for patients top the list of stressors.

This level of turnover is costly and disruptive for health care systems, and can impact morale, disrupt the nurse and patient experience and exacerbate an already pressing shortage of qualified talent in key geographies and specialties, the study states.

The study cites burnout as a major motivator in nurses leaving the profession. Although it does not give a clinical definition of burnout, the UVA trio knows how it feels.
The Taubman Museum of Art has renamed a longtime sculpture award to honor the memory of a beloved Roanoke artist and teacher.

When the Sidewalk Art Show returns Saturday to downtown Roanoke as an in-person festival, the museum will for the first time bestow the J. Gail Geer Sculpture Award on one of the participating artists.

Geer died in June 2020 of natural causes at her Roanoke home. She was 75. Many whom she left behind in the Roanoke arts community and beyond saw her as a mentor and role model.

Gail Geer was well known in our community as an artist that really expressed her vision through through stone, said Cindy Petersen, executive director of the Taubman. Education was close to her heart. She actually taught at the museum, evening classes for adults, Saturday classes for children, jewelry-making as well as soapstone animal carving.

A New York native, Geer had the itch to pursue art from a young age, but life, and her mother, had other plans. Her mother told her she needed to go to school for something more practical, so she became a nurse, said Geers daughter, Criis Chagnon, 52. She was a brilliant nurse, very good at it, loved doing it, but there was always this little tickle in the back of her that wanted to be an artist.
Once the sentencing order is finalized, he will have 30 days to file his challenge.

During last weeks trial, Englishs victim, now 17, gave lengthy and emotional testimony about the attacks. Now that the other sexual assault charges have been dropped, Englishs second accuser  who is younger than the first  will not have to testify at a trial.

Even as his additional charges fall by the wayside, however, English, who turned 34 last month, still faces the likely prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison.

Although the state did away with general parole in 1995, many Virginia inmates who have served more than 10 years for felony convictions are allowed to apply for geriatric release once they turn 60.

For English, that date is 26 years from now, sometime in 2047. Even at that stage, the Virginia Parole Board would still have to consider the serious nature of his offenses and the fact that he received the maximum punishment for all five convictions.

But Darryl Brown, a professor of criminal law at the University of Virginia, said Thursday he believes current state code would restrict English from seeking geriatric release at all, because it prohibits inmates convicted of Class 1 felonies from doing so.
Sands said in June that an employee survey in April showed that nearly 90% of employees were vaccinated or were in the process of being vaccinated. He also said there was a possible legal complication in mandating the vaccine for employees.

We do not think we have the ability from a legal point of view to require the vaccinations for the employees, especially for a sub-population of classified staff who are protected by a different set of rules and regulations, Sands said at the time. We didnt feel we could have one group among the employees have a mandate and the others not.

The university has been committed to providing a normal campus environment, with in-person learning and students attending activities and sporting events. Virginia Tech saw vaccinated students and employees as key to making that happen, along with other measures, like wearing masks in public indoor spaces.

The deadline has already passed for students to submit proof that they have been vaccinated. Its too early to know if there will be any students who will be disenrolled because they refused to get vaccinated and didnt qualify for any exemptions.

It is essential that every person in the Virginia Tech community who can be vaccinated, is vaccinated, ensuring that those who cannot be vaccinated are able to participate in campus life and in-person teaching, learning, research, and engagement, Sands said.

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
This is a win for those suing Abbott as it allows them for now to keep their mask mandates in place and help slow the recent surge of cases, Carpenter said.



When will there be a final resolution?

Its unclear if the Texas Supreme Court will wait to make a ruling until most or all of the lawsuits go through the appellate process regarding any temporary orders that have been issued or if it will use the first case that makes it through that process to issue a decision thats applicable across the board, Carpenter said. It could take a couple of weeks to get to this point.

The perception among some legal experts is that the Texas Supreme Court, which is conservative and made up of all GOP justices, will ultimately rule in favor of Abbott, also a Republican.

Its an understandable perception, Zale said. But I guess I have a good faith view of the judges taking their roles seriously and reviewing the underlying issues in the case.



Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The cruisers are aging  the warships slated for decommissioning were delivered between 1988 and 1993  and Vice Adm. Jim Kilby, deputy chief of naval operations, told the sea-power subcommittee earlier this summer that it would cost nearly $2.8 billion to retain all seven in service over the next two years.

The price tag to modernize just USS Anzio and Hue City is about $1.5 billion, he said.

Earlier this year, repairs to Vella Gulf kept it from joining the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for two and a half months, he said. The cruiser had to return to Norfolk just days after deploying with the strike group in February when crew members found a fuel oil leak while operating in heavy seas.

In mid-March, while at sea to test repairs to its fuel oil system, crew members found another leak, requiring a return to port to replace a deteriorated tank top. In early April, as the crew prepared to head out to sea again, they discovered bits of metal and welding slag in the lube oil system. Cleaning and flushing it took another two weeks,

All that, in my mind, has to go into the mix when we factor the availability and reliability of those ships, Kilby said. Those missile tubes will only count if theyre underway alongside the carrier.
The goal is to introduce Taavi to another orangutan to be his surrogate mother. Tasha, an experienced mother at the zoo, is the main candidate to be his surrogate.

"Were anxious to get him with a surrogate mom so that he can be with his own kind. That's where he belongs," Andelin said.

Zoo staff is hoping to introduce Taavi to Tasha within the next month when he no longer needs feedings throughout the night.

"Were going to train the mom to bring him up to to the fence and well feed him through the fence. Then he can be with her all day," Andelin said.

Taavi means "adored" in Hebrew and Finnish, according to Adelin.

Currently, Taavi receives care behind-the-scenes at the zoo and is not on exhibit.

Taavi is the first baby orangutan born at the Metro Richmond Zoo in 6 years. Only three baby orangutans have been born at the Metro Richmond Zoo ever.

The orangutan is an endangered species native to Borneo and Sumatra. Adults can grow up to 350 pounds. They have become an endangered species due to poaching and deforestation.

More information on Taavi and the zoo can be found at https://metrorichmondzoo.com.
In addition to holding items directly tied to Smith, the trash bags hidden beneath leaves contained everything from fishing supplies and soap to sunglasses and womens underwear.

I mean it was all kinds of junk, Gautier said.

Reed said he went back to the campsite again after his first video and found what appeared to be another cache dug into the earth near the fire pit. It, though, was empty.

Gautier said anythings possible when asked if Reeds discovery could be Smiths hideout. Reed said it would take about 15 minutes to walk from the camp to where the two fishermen were shot.

Speaking of walking, Reed returned to the Wapiti shelter on Thursday to make another video and encountered two hikers with an interesting tale.

The men, who were staying in tents outside the shelter, reported hearing footsteps and seeing a shadow when the fires glow had given way to darkness. One man even looked outside. There was nothing there  nothing he could see anyway.

So guys, Ill let you all decide, Reed concluded. Go up and camp at the shelter one of these evenings and see if you think its haunted.
Members across this union and across the country are coming together in solidarity with our striking brothers and sisters to take a stand against Nabiscos shameful and destructive disregard for workers, their families and the communities in which they live, the union said in a statement.

The proposals to the contract, the union claims, include wanting a new alternative work schedule for employees, no premium pay for working weekends, and paying health care costs. It also wants the company to stop moving jobs to Mexico.

Mondelez said the union is wrong in its interpretations of the proposed contract. What this is is rhetoric. The idea that we are taking away overtime is just not true. Were proposing health care for workers and ... really a number of aspects of the offer that I think would be viewed by the employees as quite good for them.

Under the plan, the union claims that workers would be required to work 12-hour shifts  not the normal eight hours  and they would not be eligible for overtime pay.

By changing the work day to a 12-hour work day, the company is now able to consider that as all straight time, so that an eight-hour shift that we used to have, you get time and a half for anything over that, Bragg said.
While theres no doubt that Donald Whitey Taylor is a huckster of the highest order, hes no PT Barnum. Not by a long shot.

And then theres the letter-to-the-editor of one Cindy Akers  Statue has not denied anyone justice. It would be difficult to find a collection of more ignorant and/or bigoted sentences, strung together.

Black soldiers who fought for the South received pensions? Dear Ms. Akers, not a single Black soldier who fought for the South was even given a gun, let alone a pension. They were given chamber pots to empty, dishes to wash, horses to groom, etc. In other words they stopped being slaves on the plantations so that they could be slaves behind the lines of battle.

Most disturbing is the other-izing of Mr. Alan Graf, who wrote a letter calling for the taking down of the Confederate statue here in Floyd. Such a tactic was employed by the Nazis. Not the best group, Ms. Akers, to align yourself with.
Solvang Danish Days has been canceled amid pandemic concerns, representing the second consecutive year the weekendlong festivities have been called off. Danish Days, which honors the 1911 establishment of Solvang by Danish-Americans, also was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
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This article was originally published by CalMatters. CalMatters COVID-19 coverage, translation and distribution is supported by generous grants from the Blue Shield of California Foundation, the Penner Family Foundation and the California Health Care Foundation.
In his televised statement, a day earlier, Biden tried to shift blame to his predecessor Donald Trump, who forged an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw by May 1. Biden pushed that back to coincide with the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. But since the Taliban wasnt honoring the agreement, Biden wasnt particularly obligated either.

Even if the U.S. had broken the deal, it would not necessarily mean we would need to send more troops to join the roughly 2,500 American military advisors already in the country. We might have continued the existing state of affairs by using air cover to contain Taliban advances before they invaded the cities.

But, after 20 years of war, Biden was too impatient for that. In a sentiment that undoubtedly reflects a strong majority of Americans, he said, 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.

Indeed, we have heard similar sentiments from Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, each of whom promised to protect democracy without nation-building, even as they tried to do both in Iraq and Afghanistan.
 Still more attention (and some helpful action) for the home confinement cohort | Main | Notable recent Prison Policy Initiative briefings on prison practices and their impacts 

The title of this post is the title of this new paper authored by Jenia Iontcheva Turner and available via SSRN. Here is its abstract:

The coronavirus pandemic led criminal courts across the country to switch to virtual hearings to protect public health. As the pandemic subsides, many policymakers have called for the continued use of the remote format for a range of criminal proceedings. To guide decisions whether to use remote criminal justice on a regular basis, it is important to review the advantages and disadvantages of the practice.

Remote criminal proceedings have been praised for their convenience and efficiency, but have also raised concerns. Many have worried that videoconferencing inhibits effective communication between defendants and their counsel, hinders defendants understanding of the process, impedes effective confrontation of witnesses, and prejudices the courts perceptions of the defendant and witnesses.

Previous scholarly work has attempted to evaluate remote criminal proceedings through legal and policy analysis, surveys of practitioners, and a comparison of outcomes of in-person and remote proceedings. This Article adds insights based on direct observations of over three hundred remote criminal proceedings in misdemeanor and felony courts across Michigan and Texas.

Our observations reveal that judicial review of guilty pleas in the virtual setting is as brief and superficial as it is in person and may fail to detect inaccurate, coercive, or uninformed guilty pleas. But the virtual format presents additional risks to the fairness and integrity of the plea process, including the disengagement from the process by defendants, the difficulty of counsel and defendant to communicate privately, and the potentially prejudicial effects of inadequate technology and informal settings.

The Article concludes by arguing that states should not use remote plea hearings on a regular basis after the pandemic is over. To the extent they do continue conducting remote plea hearings, they must bolster procedural safeguards in the proceedings. Judges must review virtual pleas and plea agreements more closely, verify that defendants are making an informed and voluntary choice to proceed remotely, take measures to ensure that defendants are represented adequately, and address the potentially prejudicial effects of the remote setting. These measures can help protect fairness in the plea process and ensure that virtual guilty pleas remain constitutionally valid.
The spread of coronavirus disease on the outskirts of Ahmedabad

By Shilpa Jamkhandikar

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Several Indian states are building facilities with more paediatric beds, plus oxygen, due to concern that children returning to school without being vaccinated will be among the most vulnerable during a third wave of coronavirus infections.

Health administrators have taken heed of trends in the United States, where a record number of children have been hospitalised as the coronavirus Delta variant, first found in India, has surged through unvaccinated populations.

During a second wave of infections in India that peaked in April and May, hundreds of thousands of people died for want of oxygen and medical facilities, and now there are concerns that another third wave will gather during the winter months.

"We don't know how the virus will behave, but we cannot afford to be unprepared this time around," Suhas Prabhu, who heads the Paediatric Task Force in the big western state of Maharashtra, said.

"No mother should have to run around looking for a hospital bed when her child is sick."

The Maharashtra government has stockpiled medicines, and built facilities for additional pediatric beds and oxygen provisions in new centres in Mumbai and Aurangabad.

Built on empty stretches of land or in re-purposed stadiums, the Mumbai facilities have a total of 1,500 pediatric beds, most of them with oxygen.

"We can upgrade this capacity to double if needed," Suresh Kakani, a senior official with Mumbai's civic body said.

In neighbouring Gujarat, authorities have set up 15,000 pediatric oxygen beds, health commissioner Jai Prakash Shivahare said.

India provides vaccines to people above the age 18. Most vaccines administered in India are made by AstraZeneca Plc, while shots produced by local manufacturer Bharat Biotech are also being used.

Another local firm Zydus Cadilla and Bharat Biotech are separately testing vaccines for children but the results are not expected until the year end.

Story continues

Meantime, schools in at least 11 of India's 28 states have opened after more than a year of closures, raising worries these could become breeding grounds for transmission of the virus.

As of March 2021, less than 1 pct of India's coronavirus deaths were in the under 15 age group, according to the health ministry, and officials say the severity of the disease in this age group has been minimal so far.

Epidemiologists say there is no evidence to show that the Delta variant or any other mutations affect children more than other parts of the population.

(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar in Mumbai, Additional reporting by Neha Arora in Delhi and Sumit Khanna in Ahmedabad; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
A woman has taken home a stomach-churning souvenir following an overseas trip.

The woman, 62, went to a dermatology clinic in New York complaining of a biting sensation in her back, according to the case in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Doctors examined her and noted she had six nodules on her back and buttocks.

They were particularly itchy and she had received treatment from another doctor who provided her with medication for treating a bacterial infection.

A woman, 62, complained of itchy marks on her back and buttocks after a trip to Colombia. Source: New England Journal of Medicine

But unfortunately, this did not work to cure her ailment and they continued to itch.

She told doctors two months earlier she had visited Colombia and believed a mosquito or some kind of insect had bitten her. The bite marks were now leaking a small amount of fluid.

Doctors examined the nodules closer and found larval movement. Whatever was inside the nodules was alive.

The lesions were anesthetised with lidocaine, and the larvae were removed, researchers wrote.

In total, six larvae were extracted and identified as larvae of the human botfly.

These botflies were removed from the woman's body. Source: New England Journal of Medicine

According to the University of Florida, the human botfly is a small, hairy fly which looks like a bumblebee and is native to central and South America.

The insects lay their larvae in the skin of mammals in a process known as myiasis.

The university noted there are two ways to remove the larvae: the way in which the New York woman had hers removed and another way which involves covering the lesion so the larvae cant breathe. This leads to the larvae exiting the skin briefly for oxygen after which they can be safely removed with forceps.

The woman, like others who have dealt with the myiasis, came back a week later with the lesions mostly healed and a 70% reduction in her symptoms.
SAN FRANCISCO  San Francisco has become the first major city in the nation to require proof of full vaccination against the coronavirus for people to dine inside restaurants, work out in gyms or attend indoor concerts.
Put Adrien Brody on the list of actors who like doing period pieces.

The more immersion the better, the Oscar winner says. In dozens of films (from The Pianist to a string of Wes Anderson productions), hes donned all sorts of costumes to get in the right frame of mind.

The further I can pull myself from all of the things in my own life, I can become someone else and embark on another journey, Brody says.

In the new EPIX limited series, Chapelwaite, he travels back to the 19th century to play a captain who moves to Preachers Corners, Maine, after his wife dies at sea. He thinks the house will be a great place to raise a family but, quickly, he learns, there are secrets that have plagued his relatives for decades.

Based on Stephen Kings short story, Jerusalems Lot, Chapelwaite features plenty of creepy situations and less-than-giving people.

It twists and turns repeatedly and, yes, tests Brodys own fright level. In one scene, hes overwhelmed by worms.

I said yes to most things, he says of those scary moments. But he retained the right to say no. And I did, he says with a laugh.
ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkey sent ships to help evacuate people and vehicles from a northern town on the Black Sea that was hard hit by flooding, as the death toll in the disaster rose Sunday to at least 62 and more people than that remained missing.
Why should we hammer the population back down and lose all the gains that have been made before any kind of remedial action?" asked Tim Preso with the environmental law firm Earthjustice. "The writing's on the wall. Montana and Idaho are clear on what they're intending and Wisconsin is right behind them.

Montana wildlife commissioners on Friday adopted hunting rule changes in accordance with new state laws that allow the use of snares to kill wolves, night hunting and use of bait  methods criticized as unethical by some hunters and former officials. The new rules went further than recommended by state wildlife experts, who for example wanted to limit snare use to private land only.

Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission Vice Chair Patrick Tabor, a hunting outfitter from the Whitefish area, said in voting in favor of the changes that he was proud of his hunting ethics. Tabor said the loosened rules allow more opportunity for hunters, to give them in essence better odds in trying to be successful because they (wolves) are an incredibly difficult animal to hunt.

Defenders of the move to lift federal protections noted efforts to put wolves under state management enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington going back to President Barack Obama.
Cleveland-Cliffs CEO and President Lourenco Goncalves said he hopes an increased cash incentive and peer pressure will convince most of his steelworkers to get the coronavirus vaccine.

The Ohio-based steelmaker, the largest producer of flat-rolled steel in the United States, is now offering $1,500 to any employee who gets vaccinated in what Goncalves is calling the most generous vaccine incentive program in the world. Its offering $3,000 to mills where 75% of workers get inoculated against COVID-19.

So far, about 60% of Cleveland-Cliffs 25,000 employees across North America have gotten vaccinated.

Its going very well, he said. Were not done yet. We are getting there but were not done yet. I believe were going to be a lot higher.

Last week, Goncalves bumped up the incentive from $200 to $1,500 for getting the shot.

Im trying to accelerate it, he said. I believe a lot of guys have their vaccination card tucked away in their back pocket. They are vaccinating but they are not showing HR. Thats my hunch. $200 was not doing the job.
Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said when he banned local mask mandates.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a July executive order barring masks, cited a Brown University study that examined schools in New York, Florida and Massachusetts. He said it showed masks at schools made little difference, but it had a caveat he doesn't cite: It analyzed cases associated with schools and not cases spread in schools.

One of the study's authors, Brown economist Emily Oster, said recently that she was not consulted by the governor and the study relied on data from before the emergence of the more contagious delta variant. She supports masks in schools.

Dr. Jessica Snowden, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Arkansas Children's Hospital, said masks are proven to cut the virus's spread among children if worn consistently. She said the delta variant infects children more often and makes them sicker than last year's variants, adding that masks do not impede learning.

There is lots of evidence that supports masking and there is no evidence that it causes any harm, she said. Children are much more adaptable than adults are.
Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas State NAACP Conference, said those historic disparities combined with the politicization of vaccines, misinformation and access to shots is the problem. Bledsoe said he was shocked by Patricks comments.

I am so concerned that he is going to give field to somebody to go out there and do something outrageous because they think someone in their community got infected by Black people. That is just not true," Bledsoe said. Reach out beyond your political base, reach out to people of all the political persuasions in Texas, all the races and religions, and say, Let's come together, because this is a major problem."

The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths from COVID-19 in Texas has risen over the past two weeks from 50.29 deaths per day on Aug. 4 to 115.14 deaths per day on Aug. 18, according to data from Johns Hopkins University Center.
The Legislature is scheduled for a one-day session on Aug. 31 to consider the new maps, Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch said.

Our goal has always been to implement a map that is fair and represents the diversity of the population of Illinois, Harmon said. With census data now available, we will take any necessary legislative action with that same goal in mind.

But Republicans and others who want independently drawn maps  not districts created by the party in power  still have concerns about how the next round of maps will be created.

Political maps must be redrawn after each decennial census to reflect changes in population and ensure the protection of voters rights. The districts must be compact, contiguous and of equal population, among other things. Historically lawmakers have used census data to draw those boundaries, but the release of 2020 data was delayed this year due partly to the pandemic.

In Illinois, if the governor doesnt approve new maps by June 30 the job shifts to a bipartisan commission. So Democrats, citing June 30 as their deadline, used the American Community Survey to draw the boundaries. The ACS uses five-year estimates rather than an actual count.
Johnson & Johnson will replace Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky with another veteran company executive starting next year.

The worlds biggest maker of health care products said late Thursday that Joaquin Duato will become CEO and a member of the companys board of directors on January 3.

Duato, 59, currently serves as vice chairman of J & Js executive committee, which involves working with the companys pharmaceutical and health sectors and overseeing its global supply chain.

Duato, a dual citizen of Spain and the United States, has been with Johnson & Johnson for more than 30 years, the company said.

Gorsky, 61, has served as chairman and CEO since 2012 and will become executive chairman of the board.

He said in a prepared statement from the company that the timing was right for his decision, both for the company and personally, as I focus more on my family due to family health reasons.

J&J reported a 73% jump in second-quarter profit last month, driven by strong sales growth as hospitals and other parts of the health care industry rebounded from COVID-19 pandemic slowdowns the previous year.
'Bracing for the worst' in Florida's COVID-19 hot zone

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)  As quickly as one COVID patient is discharged, another waits for a bed in northeast Florida, the hot zone of the state's latest surge. But the patients at Baptist Healths five hospitals across Jacksonville are younger and getting sick from the virus faster than people did last summer.

Baptist has over 500 COVID patients, more than twice the number they had at the peak of Florida's July 2020 surge, and the onslaught isn't letting up. Hospital officials are anxiously monitoring 10 forecast models, converting empty spaces, adding over 100 beds and bracing for the worst, said Dr. Timothy Groover, the hospitals' interim chief medical officer.

Jacksonville is kind of the epicenter of this. They had one of the lowest vaccination rates going into July and that has probably really came back to bite them, said Justin Senior, CEO of the Florida Safety Net Hospital Alliance, which represents some of the largest hospitals in the state.

Duval County, which consists almost entirely of Jacksonville, is a racially diverse Democratic bastion, won by Joe Biden. The overwhelmingly white rural counties that surround it went firmly for Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The United States struggled Thursday to pick up the pace of American and Afghan evacuations at Kabul airport, constrained by obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to paperwork problems. With an Aug. 31 deadline looming, tens of thousands remained to be airlifted from the chaotic country.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Recreational vehicle and boat manufacturer Winnebago Industries is moving its corporate headquarters from Iowa to Minnesota, the company said in a statement.

Based in Forest City, Iowa, since its founding in 1958, the company said Thursday that the shift to Eden Prairie, Minnesota, will be effective Dec. 1.

The companys executive offices have been in Minnesota since 2016 when CEO Michael Happe, former head of Eden Prairie-based lawnmower maker Toro Co., became president and CEO of Winnebago and remained there instead of moving to Iowa. No job losses are planned as a result of the official change and manufacturing locations will remain the same, the company said.

Over the past several years, through strategic growth investments, we have expanded our companys footprint to now include locations in Iowa, Indiana, Florida and Minnesota. Our Twin Cities location has been and will continue to be an effective resource for executing our vision as a premier outdoor recreation enterprise, as it supports the growth of all of our strong brands," Happe said in a statement.

Winnebago Industries employs about 6,500 employees, about 100 of whom are based out of its Eden Prairie office.
AUBURN, Neb. (AP)  An outbreak of COVID-19 cases has shut down a southeastern Nebraska elementary school only days after it opened for the new school year with no requirement for face masks.

Officials shut down Calvert Elementary School in Auburn on Thursday after a pretty high number of cases were confirmed among students and staff, Auburn Public Schools Superintendent David Patton said.

School and health officials declined to say how many cases were confirmed, citing privacy concerns, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. There are 466 students enrolled at the school.

The school is set to reopen Monday following a deep cleaning. And when it does, Patton said, masks will be required.

The school board has called an emergency meeting for Monday to discuss and possibly take action on COVID-19 protocols. School officials said they were not aware of any hospitalizations tied to the outbreak.

The school logged one case in an adult on Monday, and by Wednesday, it was a floodgate," Patton said. "I was getting notifications of positives on the hour.
LISBON, Portugal (AP)  A woman who was the only person pulled from a sinking dinghy in the Atlantic Ocean told her rescuers that the boat had left Africa a week earlier carrying 53 migrants, Spains Maritime Rescue Service said Friday.

A merchant ship spotted the inflatable dinghy on Thursday, 255 kilometers (158 miles) south of Spains Canary Islands, and alerted Spanish emergency services, an official said.

The woman was clinging to the sinking craft with a dead man and a dead woman next to her, the rescue service official said.

She told rescuers that the boat had embarked from the Western Sahara coast and that the passengers were from Ivory Coast.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with departmental rules, had no information about the womans health or her age.

Migrants risk their lives trying to reach European soil by land and sea, and deaths are not uncommon in the area of the Atlantic that separates the west coast of Africa and Spains Canary Islands.
In statements issued Friday, the United States and Britain reaffirmed their condemnation of last year's attack against Navalny and cited the recent arrests of opposition activists and journalists in Russia.

The two countries also criticized Russia for failing to account for what they described as a breach of its obligations under a global chemical weapons ban by failing "to investigate and credibly explain the use of a chemical weapon against Mr. Navalny on Russias territory.

Navalnys poisoning was a shocking violation of international norms against the use of chemical weapons and was part of an ongoing campaign to silence voices of dissent in Russia, U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Andrea Gacki

Britain announced sanctions against seven operatives of Russian domestic security agency FSB accused of involvement in Navalny's poisoning. The U.S. slapped sanctions on nine FSB officers and two Russian labs.

We are sending a clear message that any use of chemical weapons by the Russian state violates international law, and a transparent criminal investigation must be held, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.



AP diplomatic writer Matthew Lee in Washington and Mike Corder in the Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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According to data released by the Iowa Department of Public Health late Wednesday, Iowa recorded 4,872 new COVID-19 cases since Aug. 4. Hospitalizations jumped from 214 a week ago to 355, and 103 patients are in ICUs, up from 61 last week. The number of total pandemic deaths recorded in Iowa has now surpassed 6,200.

These are numbers going in the wrong direction. The more contagious delta variant of the virus is spreading in our communities. Vaccination is the best defense against serious illness.

And yet, the health department also reports that it anticipates throwing away more than 200,000 vaccine doses set to expire. Although nearly 60 percent of eligible Iowans are fully vaccinated, vaccinations have lagged far below that number in many counties, particularly in rural areas. Early high demand for vaccines has stalled.

Amid these troubling developments, Gov. Kim Reynolds and her administration seem to be operating in an alternate reality, one where she has led us through a pandemic that has largely ended.
In an Aug. 20 Television, Karen Tongson misidentified Annie Julia Wyman, the co-creator of The Chair, as a Ph.D. candidate in English at Harvard. Wyman received her doctorate in 2017.

In an Aug. 19 Politics, Lili Loofbourow misspelled Sen. Dianne Feinsteins first name.

In an Aug. 19 Slatest, Elliot Hannon misstated that Fox News had established a new rule requiring employees to disclose their vaccination status to HR. That rule has been in effect since June.

In an Aug. 18 Downtime, Heather Schwedel misstated that a suit of armor was period-specific to the years 490 through 510 A.D. It is specific to 14901520 A.D.

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In an Aug. 18 Politics, Ben Mathis-Lilley misstated that a photo showed a helicopter taking off from the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. It was from a roof near the embassy.

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In an Aug. 17 Medical Examiner, Julia Craven misstated that Blue Cross Blue Shield in North Carolina covered medically unnecessary COVID-19 testing. It covers medically necessary testing.

In an Aug. 17 Television, Flannery Dean misidentified Alexandra Daddario as Andrea Addario.

In an Aug. 16 Pay Dirt, Athena Valentine misspelled Melody Beatties last name.

In an Aug. 15 Politics, Lili Loofbourow misidentified former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis as William Brandeis.

In an Aug. 14 Politics, Jordan Weissmann misidentified the Brookings Institutions Metropolitan Policy Program as the Metropolitan Policy Project.

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In an Aug. 14 Wide Angle, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher misstated that the first time a University of Alabama sorority offered a bid to a Black woman was in 2013. That year was the first time multiple sororities offered bids to Black women.

In the Aug. 13 Slate News Quiz, Ray Hamel misstated that the Dixie Fire was the largest in California history. Its the states largest-ever single-source fire.

In an Aug. 12 Moneybox, Alex Kirshner misstated that research on media coverage and investing had been conducted by Anastassia Fedyk. She was highlighting the work of others.

In an Aug. 11 War Stories, Fred Kaplan misspelled Hamid Karzais first name.

Slate strives to correct all errors of fact. If youve seen an error in our pages, let us know at corrections@slate.com. General comments should be posted in our Comments sections associated with each article.
The logline for Reminiscence, the new HBO Max movie starring Hugh Jackman as a man capable of going into other peoples memories, seems to suggest an Inception Lite. So does its pedigree: Its written and directed by Lisa Joy, who co-created Westworld (another notably cerebral work) with Jonathan Nolan, brother of Inception director Christopher Nolan. But does the movie live up to that brainy ideal? Is there a twist? And who is doing all this reminiscing? We answer all your questions below. Spoilers follow.

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So Hugh Jackman can go into peoples memories?

Hugh Jackman the real person cannot (or maybe he can and we just dont know about it), but the character he plays, Nick Bannister, is a private investigator whose main ingredient for success is a machine that project a persons memories for onlookers to examine. Most of the time, he serves as a sort of guide, asking questions to the person in the machine so theyll show him the right, relevant memories.

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How does the machine work, exactly?

A person goes in a tank, puts on a little headset, and goes to sleep while someone outside of the tank, usually Hugh Jackman, leads them through their memories like a guided meditation. If youre asking me literally how to build a machine that will help you investigate other peoples memories, I hate to inform you that this movie is a work of fiction.

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You described this as Inception Lite. Does he have to plant a memory or something?

Not quitebut he does have to find his old flame Mae (Rebecca Ferguson), who disappeared a few years ago. She resurfaces in someone elses memory.

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Is she a projection, like Marion Cotillard in Inception?

Only when shes being remembered by the person using the machine. Otherwise shes a normal person.

Is she somebodys dead wife, like Marion Cotillard in Inception and women in many of Christopher Nolans other movies?

She isnt, at least initially.

What about all the weird buildings I saw in the trailer, that were like, in the water?

The movie takes place in a future where sea levels have risen to a point where some parts of the worldincluding Miami, where Reminiscence is setare underwater.

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Its not a dream world?

No. Nick also never really goes into memories. The machine projects them like holograms that he can walk around in, but theyre not tangible settings.

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Well, fine. What about the ending? Is there a big twist?

More like a little one. Reminiscence is partially sci-fi, theres no question about that, but plot-wise, its more of a straightforward mystery or noir.

So what happens?

Nicks quest to find out what happened to Mae and who she really was initially leads him to believe that she never loved him. He discovers that she was a drug addict and mixed up in some local mobsters and corrupt cops. Mae manipulated Nick into falling in love with her so that those bad guys could steal a file from him and use it to kill a local land barons mistress and son.

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Whats so important about them?

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The son was set to inherit a part of his fathers fortune upon his imminent passing (hes shown to be ill) and the land barons other son didnt want his fathers mistress or his half-brother taking anything from him.

And then what?

This is where the twist kicks init turns out that Mae had a change of heart and saved the boy. She attempts to get Nicks help in setting things right, but is kidnapped before she can do so.

So the twist is that he thinks shes bad but actually shes good?

Pretty much. Unfortunately, theyre robbed of a real reunion, but she gives a speech to her kidnapper thats meant for him in which she tells him she loves him, knowing that he will probably find the memory later. She then kills herself so her kidnapper wont find out where shes hidden the boy.

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OK, so shes nobodys dead wife but she is somebodys dead love interest.

Eventually, yes.

Then what? Does Nick find the boy?

He finds the boy and saves the day, but he is also so furious with the kidnapper that he fries his brain in the memories machine, and goes to jail for it. Oh, and he finally tells Watts (Thandiwe Newton), his former assistant, that he appreciates her.

Theres nothing else?

Nope! Which is a pity, because the water-city setting is really cool. The movie just doesnt really do anything with it besides having Hugh Jackman take a water taxi everywhere.

And youre sure they dont go into anybodys mind while theyre sleeping?

Im sure.

This is kind of a letdown.

Youre telling me!
Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group.

Dear Care and Feeding,

My 6-year-old daughter is very bright and talkative. I am not sure whether she finds it amusing or not, but twice recently she has said wildly inappropriate things to other people. We havent socialized much due to COVID, which may have impacted her social development. I am naturally very cautious and considerate in choosing my words, so these incidents have been mortifying for me.

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One instance was fairly low stakes: She told my sister-in-law I had called her an old maid, which was not true. We had recently played the card game Old Maid and she asked what that meant. I had explained that a long time ago, unmarried women, like Aunt Betsy, used to be called maidens or maids. I explained this to my sister-in-law afterward and fortunately it didnt seem to be a big deal (although I could tell she was a bit embarrassed by it).

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The second instance, however, could have gotten quickly serious. We recently took our first flight as a family in more than two years. A week or so before the flight, my daughter made a joke about a bomb. I told her that bombs were nothing to joke about, and especially not in airports, because people have been hurt by them. So, of course, the day of our flight during security check, one of our items was flagged for explosives testing and tested positive(!). My daughter picked that moment to make a joke about Daddy having bombs in his shoes. Somehow the security agents either didnt hear or didnt respond to this joke, and we were let go after a pat-down, but the repercussions could have been very serious.

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I try to explain things to her thoroughly because she is very curious, but maybe I shouldnt have made such a big deal about her first bomb joke? How should I respond to make sure these inappropriate comments dont keep happening?

Not the Bomber

Dear Not the Bomber,

Six-year-olds say inappropriate things for a living. They are literally trying to figure out what they can and cannot say, and they are also apt to repeat things theyve heard without any understanding of or connection to their words. She will embarrass you again and again! Whats important is that when she does make these comments, or when shes heard something she may be tempted to repeat, that you talk to her plainly about why theyre inappropriate.

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For example, when you talked about old maids, it may have also been helpful to add that the term is hurtful and that you would never use it to refer to her aunt or anyone else. Remind her about times in which words have hurt her and why we dont do that sort of thing to one another. As far as the bomb comment, I hope you had a serious talk about how something as small as a joke can have very big consequences, and let her know in age-appropriate terms that you can get in serious trouble for such jokes at places like the airport. But dont delude yourself into thinking a young kid wont embarrass you, because theres a 100 percent chance that they will.

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From this weeks letter, I Want to Pay for My Kids College, but I Also Want to Retire: As the primary earner in my family, my retirement date will have a major impact on how much we can contribute to our childrens education.

Dear Care and Feeding,

Do you have any advice on how my husband and I can manage clothes shopping and budgeting for our 12-year-old daughter? Shes not super concerned with popularity or wearing designer brands (we wouldnt buy them for her anyway), but her clothing taste is starting to move in the direction of form over function. Until now, weve gotten away with some just buying the basics at the beginning of each school year, supplemented on occasion to provide her with specific items when needed (like an all-black outfit for chorus concerts), but I think we need to reevaluate. Her school has a dress code but not a uniform, and shes started to feel insecure about wearing outfits that are less trendy than those of the other students. I dont want her to stick out for being dressed differently, but at the same time, we have a limited budget and even more limited energy and emotional resources to engage in clothing battles. Is there a system youd recommend we implement such that our daughter has a little more autonomy, but stays within budget and understands the value of money?

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Frugal in Florida

Dear Frugal,

So long as your daughter doesnt have dreams of designer gear, I dont think this is a difficult problem to solve for; however, it may be a little more involvedjust a little!than you have hoped. It sounds like your daughter is at an age where shes ready to begin to use fashion to express herself and/or to want a certain amount of control over how she looks. You dont have to go over budget to allow her to do this, but you may have to invest some time.

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Its important that you dont enter this conversation from a place of scarcity, i.e., Sorry, we cant have it; this is the best we can do and you just have to accept that. Instead, identify some stores within your budget (four or five would be ideal, but try for at least three) and make plans for two shopping trips during which your daughter can take her time and really look for items that she likes. Theres Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Rainbow, Walmart, and Target (which has great clearance racks) for trend and staple pieces, as well as Goodwill and other thrift stores; the latter may be a difficult sell but explain to her that the best dressed people in the world know the value of resale shopping and encourage her to at least give it a fair try. You can also expand your search to sites like eBay and Mercari.

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As a child who was raised to shop like that, I definitely wanted to have access to more expensive goods, but I learned to dress within the confines of what was affordable. Over time, I developed a sense of personal style that allowed me to feel confident in what I was wearing regardless of what anyone else had on. Fitting in isnt the only way to feel good about how you look as a kid; furthermore, you dont have to spend a ton of money for your daughters look to be more on trend or more appealing than the functional pieces youve picked for her in the past. A limited budget does not mean limited style, just that you may need to do a little more searching to find stuff she likes.

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 If you missed Thursdays Care and Feeding column, read it here.

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 Discuss this column in the Slate Parenting Facebook group!

Dear Care and Feeding,

Id appreciate your advice on how to handle my almost 4-year-olds comments on skin color. (For context, we are white and these comments come after we interact with people with darker skin tones.) For example, I asked them how they liked their new gymnastics teacher and their first comment was that she has Black skin. They have made similar comments after their first swim lesson and after visiting a new doctor. I felt like we were doing the right thing by talking to our child about respecting and celebrating everyone, but now I feel that it has become a fixation. So far, Ive responded to their comments by simply acknowledging the truthyes, they have dark skinbut then steering the conversation to focus on other characteristics like Did they make you feel welcome? or Did they teach you new skills? Ive told them that it is not polite to comment on the bodies of others, but I also dont want them to think that we dont discuss skin color because it is bad.

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We Talked About It but Dont Want to Talk About It

Dear Dont Want to Talk About It,

Tell your baby that people come in different shades that are all equally valuable, but that there are a lot of bad people in this world who feel otherwise and that, unfortunately, they have a lot of control over how things work. Those bad people think its better to be white than to be anything else, and they work hard to make it so that white people get the best opportunities, the best schools, the best homes, and the best jobs. As people who wish to be good, you and your child have to stand up against that, and have to treat people with fairness and love. Explain that describing people based on skin color only can sound like its the only thing that matters to you about them, or that you think something is wrong with what they look like.

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You cant just tell your kid that people come in different colors; you have to talk about what that means in our society: that color informs how people are treated and how we live our livesnot just Black-skinned peoples lives, but your kids life too! They need to hear both about the beauty in diversity and the stratification between who is coded as good and who is rendered bad. You dont get to not want to talk about it; thats not fair to darker-skinned kids and their parents who dont have the privilege of waiting to explain these things until it feels comfortableor, in what seems to be the case for so many white folks, just simply not talking about this shit in any sort of meaningful way and just hoping their kids magically end up as not-racist as they have deemed themselves to be. Sorry its uncomfortable to have to inform your little one that they will experience grace, favor, and comfort over the course of their entire lives simply for being born white, but I assure you, its far more painful to have to explain racism to a kid whose life is negatively impacted by it. All the best to you.

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For more of Slates parenting coverage, listen to Mom and Dad Are Fighting

Dear Care and Feeding,

My college was shut down during my freshman year because of COVID. My boyfriend let me move into his house since I had to move out of the dorms. Hes in his mid-40s and has a big house (and family money), so I thought it was the perfect solution. After living with him, everything I once liked about him annoys me: Ive realized he still acts like a frat boy. Now that everythings opening up, I want to break up and leave.

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The problem is he has a 12-year-old daughter who got really attached to me during the year I was living here. She talks to me about everything, and we hang out a lot; shes said multiple times that she doesnt know how she would have coped during lockdown without me. Her dad doesnt really hang out with her, and even though she gets to see her friends now, the idea of her only having the influence of other middle school kids freaks me out. Im only seven years older than her but I remember being 12 and unsupervised and I want her to have an adult she can talk to. Her dad has told me in the past that if I leave him (he gets really paranoid about me cheating), Ill never get to see his daughter again; this is the reason Im still here. It makes sense to me that he could keep her from me since Im not legally her stepmom. What do I do?

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Stepmom Stepping Out

Dear S.S.O.,

Oh, pumpkin. You sound like such a nice, empathetic girl and Im so sorry that you and your boyfriends daughter are in this situation. However, you must accept that you are not her stepmother and that you are not ready, willing, nor able to play that role. I understand why it may have seemed like a great idea to have your older, well-off boo take care of you, and while May-December relationships can and do work, it sounds like this one is exactly what most people are thinking of when they caution against them.

When a man in his mid-40s is willing to move a 19-year-old college student in his home and have her care for his impressionable tween daughter, it implies that his judgment is lacking, to say the least; that this man has not merely expressed anxiety about you cheating but has identified the relationship with his daughter as the consequence for getting caught further confirms that this situation was doomed to fail from the onset.

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You are too young to sacrifice yourself in the name of this child, and the longer you pretend to want to want something you do nother fatherthe harder the separation is going to be. So youll want to find ways to advocate for her before you leave. Can you talk to him about some of her needs (if shes been unable to do so herself)? Is there an after-school girls club or some sort of activity that you can encourage her to be a part of that may introduce her to some other mentors? Do what you can, while you can.

Unfortunately, you almost inevitably will lose touch with this young lady when you break up with her dad, and you have to make peace with that. Going forward, remember that the decision to enter a childs life is a potentially consequential one, and that you must not only take responsibility for taking it seriously yourself, but that you should question any man who is willing to rush that process with his children.

Jamilah

More Advice from Slate

My wife is pregnant with our first kid and has obviously stopped drinking. She has asked me to stop drinking for the duration of her pregnancy out of solidarity with her. We used to do a lot of craft beer tastings, and I would characterize us as moderate drinkers.

Well, its been three months, and I want to start drinking again. I dont see any actual harm in doing it behind her back, if Im discreet. Is this forgivable or shitty?
How to Do It is Slates sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Stoya and Rich here. Its anonymous!

Every Thursday night, the crew responds to a bonus question in chat form.

Dear How to Do It,

Ive been with my wife for 13 years. Over the last six months, a new desire has started to take place on my end: I believe I may have a foot fetish.

It started small. I would just give her a foot massage as a way to help her relax at the end of the day. Recently, though, I have found myself becoming aroused when giving her a foot massage. Its now to the point where I would like to kiss her feet or even lick her toes. I havent done it, but it crosses my mind. This has never happened with any other partner. Im not into foot-fetish porn.

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We arent the most adventurous couple. Im more of the try anything once kind of person, whereas she is more vanilla. I respect her boundaries, so I dont push anything onto her. So should I tell her or just keep it to myself? I dont want to scare her, and to be honest, feeling this way about feet is very brand new and strange to me.

Footsie

Stoya: Fetish, even as it waters down colloquially, has a certain weight to it.

Rich: It tends to mean something that is necessary for arousal or climax.

Stoya: And if our writers wife goes googling, she will find medicalized discussions and definitions first, including words like abnormal, where Im not so sure that arousal while touching our partner in ways that make them feel good is abnormal. And considering going further into a newly interesting sexual specific seems pretty well adjusted.

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Rich: Yes. This may be better described as a kink. Or just curiosity! Its still early.

Stoya: Curiosity is one of the greatest parts of sexuality! Our writer can gently acknowledge his arousal the next time it occurs, in the same way he might during kissing. And based on their wifes response, he might follow up with questions gauging her level of interest or openness.

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Rich: Yeah, it doesnt have to be this scary thing. Mention it and see what happens. What do you think about taking advantage of the typically lowered disgust response during sex and announcing it then? Not that this is anything to be disgusted by, but it might make it less daunting for the uninitiated.

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Stoya: I do think there has to be a conversation outside of sex with anything complex. Like, its fine to bring up mid-coitus, but if she seems squeamish at all, its best to revisit later.

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Rich: Right. Theres a lot of fun to be had in spontaneity, but any sign of trepidation or discomfort needs to be honored. Retreat when faced with those. And either way, follow up. I dont remember either of us ever mentioning the following information in the column, but in Norman Doidges The Brain That Changes Itself, I read a fascinating bit of information: the sensory perception for our feet is located in our brains next to that for genitalia, per Penfields brain map, which led neuroscientist V. S. Ramachandran to wonder whether some peoples erotic preoccupation with feet, or foot fetishes, might be due in part to the proximity of feet and genitals on the brain map.

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Stoya: Amazing.

Rich: The commonness of eroticizing feet makes a whole lot of sense in that context.

Stoya: On the other end, feet are an intimate part of our bodies. We wear special undergarments on them to protect them from our outerwear. We cover them in most places outside of our homes.

Rich: Touching them can elicit a reflexive, specific response.

Stoya: So, mention it turns you on, see if shes interested, revisit outside of physical interaction if something seems complicated or shes hesitant, and frame it as what it issomething that newly turns you on, which you are curious about.

Rich: Definitely tread lightly here. (Pun not intended, but Im keeping it in!) Im generally down to experiment, but Ive been with guys who like playing with feet and I dont particularly like mine played with, so its a little much for me to endure. Not so much that I need to not do it, but theres an infinite number of things Id rather do.

Stoya: Im noticing how youre not the biggest fan of receiving, and your quote and follow-up were inhabiting the receivers, er, shoes.

Rich: Great kicker!

More How to Do It

My boyfriend and I recently had a casual conversation about our porn preferences, and it was intimate and nice. But one particular preference of his surprised me, and I cant get it out of my head.
Every Thursday on Twitter @jdesmondharris, Dear Prudence asks readers for their thoughts on a question that has her stumped. Shell post her final thoughts on the matter on Fridays. Heres this weeks dilemma and answer:

Dear Prudence,

Our neighbors are abusing their dogs, and Im not quite sure what to do. We recently moved into a new neighborhood from out-of-state. All the backyards have lower, chain-link fences and almost every household has dogs. The neighbors next door have three dogs, two of whom are very aggressive and one that seems more standoff-ish but not mean. I have witnessed adults kicking the dogs when they are barking or smacking them in the face with their hands (no wonder why theyre mean). They also have a little girl whos probably around 3-to-4 years old. She is the worst  she pulls tails and ears, kicks, tries to drag them around by their legs and smacks them. I am terrified that those dogs are going to turn around and attack her at some point. When Im in the backyard with my pup, I will stop her from hurting her dogs, but I cant police this all the time. Ive seen the dogs turn around snarling at her several times now, and she just screams back at them and hits them again.

Im worried about the dogs and the prevention of the (in my eyes, inevitable) attack of this child by the dogs, but I am not sure there would be any physical evidence of abuse if I called the authorities, as the dogs look healthy and dont have injuries. This is making me sick to my stomach on a daily basis. What should I do?

Neighbors Abusing Their Dogs

Dear Neighbors,

When I put out the call for help answering your question, the most complete response came from Monica Potts, who happens to be a co-founder of an animal rescue in Arkansas that focuses on providing spay and neuter assistance. Ill turn it over to her:

I have advice about this! First off: besides being a bad idea for other reasons, calling the police or CPS might not do any good because there might not be anything illegal happening. There are a lot of states where it wouldnt be illegal to hit or kick your dog and its hard to tell if the child is really in imminent danger. So itll probably get no results for the childs or dogs sake, in addition to being bad for the family. I would say my first advice would be to seek out a local humane society, SPCA, or shelter, if there is one. There may not be! Lots of more rural areas dont have one. She should try to find time to sit down with the directors, someone on the board, etc., and ask for advice. If she can get that far, they can come up with a plan to approach the owners. She can find out why they have the dogs, whether they want them, whether they could use help with them, and how amenable they might be to working with a rescue for rehoming them. If theyre on board, its better for everyone. Its always a good idea not to be judgmental in these situations. People have a wide range of ideas on how to treat dogs. The main thing is that she feels the child is in danger, and there might just be an education, outreach, or assistance component that will help resolve that. If there isnt a shelter or nonprofit, she should find whatever local group of people DO care about dogs there. Theres bound to be some, and theres probably a Facebook lost and found group. Theyll know the contours, and maybe how to help the family and the dogs.

(Monica also thoughtfully added that she assumed you were a woman and may be incorrect.)

I realize most people dont love being approached by their neighborshowever respectfullyabout what theyre doing wrong, and someone who hits dogs is probably not going to be super patient or mature and might respond even more poorly than the average person. So all Id add to Monicas advice is that you may want to develop some sort of a rapport first. Tell them their kid is cute when you see them in the driveway. Offer them some lemons off your tree. Or whatever. Maybe you can even find out how they got the dogs in the first place, and why they keep them.

But after you establish a relationship with the neighbors, I think the key thing is to still go to the experts, as Monica suggestedpeople who have been thinking about these sorts of treacherous and possibly dangerous pet situations much longer than you or I have, and will have experience dealing with neglectful and abusive owners. Several people suggested discreetly taking video so that the organization you approach can have a clear picture of a behavior youre describing, and I think thats a wise idea if you feel you can do it safely and without drawing attention to yourself.

On a hopeful note, when it comes to the childs safety, @odin_Kelly said, I want to note that from the description, the dogs are actually being good with her, giving clear warnings and not (yet) biting. They may well get pushed too far and snap, but they have been *good* dogs so far.

I hope thats helpful. Good luck, and thanks for looking out for your neighborhood animals and kids.

Classic Prudie

Q. Doggy prenup: Im getting married next spring to an amazing guy, and I have two cocker spaniels Ive had since before I met him. He loves them, but theyre my dogsI pay for everything involving them and Im the primary caretaker. I love my fiance and I trust him more than anyone else in the world, but I want to have some sort of agreement in place that if we should ever split, the dogs would stay with me. When I was 13, my parents had a messy divorce and our three family dogs were sent to the shelter when my parents couldnt reach a settlement. I was devastated, and the idea of that ever possibly happening to my beloved dogs makes me tear up. Would it be absurd of me to bring this up with my fiance? I dont see us ever splitting up and I want to spend the rest of my life with him, but worrying over this is actually keeping me up at night.
Welcome to this weeks edition of the Surge, which is looking for new revenue streams now that our planned pivot to OnlyFans has been squashed.





This week, the Taliban retook Afghanistan in about 20 seconds, prompting an ongoing evacuation crisis. The Biden administration is facing the worst scrutiny of his presidency, and its not just coming from Republicans. What is just coming from Republicans, though, is an early backlash against the prospect of evacuating and resettling Afghan refugees who put their lives on the line to help the United States. Elsewhere, a talk radio nut could take over the largest state in the country because of its bafflingly stupid recall rules, and a few House moderates are trying to take over the Biden administrations legislative agenda. The COVID-19 virus is taking over the U.S. Senate, where members, according to hundreds of years of tradition, greet one another by breathing as heavily as possible directly into one anothers faces.





But first, about that crisis 
On Tuesday, Democrats in the House of Representatives introduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, also known as H.R. 4. As Ian Millhiser explained in Vox, H.R. 4 essentially overturns the Supreme Courts recent attacks on voting rights: Its central provisions give both the Justice Department and federal courts sweeping authority to block voter suppression laws. But one crucial section takes a more creative approach: The House bill actually repeals the courts own rules for deciding election-related caseswhich strongly favor states ability to suppress votesreplacing them with voter-friendly directives that would force the justices to safeguard equal suffrage. H.R. 4 also takes on the shadow docket, prohibiting the Supreme Court from issuing unreasoned emergency orders reversing lower court decisions that protected the franchise. And it abolishes the legal doctrine that allows the justices to shield anti-voting laws from judicial scrutiny in the run-up to an election.

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H.R. 4, in short, is court reform. It is the clearest indication yet that House Democrats are getting serious about reining in an out-of-control Supreme Court.

To understand H.R. 4s court reform provisions, its important to remember how the Supreme Court tried to curb voting access during the 2020 election. In light of the pandemic, many citizens filed lawsuits alleging that various voting restrictions were illegally burdensome. These suits typically sought modest alterations to election law, such as liberalizing vote-by-mail, allowing curbside voting for at-risk groups, and expanding ballot drop boxes. Lower courts frequently granted these requests, finding that Americans right to vote without fear of a COVID infection outweighed states interest in enforcing their election laws.

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The Supreme Courts conservatives repeatedly quashed these lower court decisions, reinstating stringent voting restrictions in the midst of the pandemic. They issued these decisions on the courts shadow docket, with minimal briefing and no oral arguments, in unsigned orders that provided little to no reasoning. When the court did deign to justify its actions, it relied upon several dubious arguments.

First, the conservatives turbocharged the Purcell principle, the doctrine that federal judges shouldnt change voting laws on the eve of an election. The Purcell principle began as a modest warning against confusing voters who are already on their way to the polls. But throughout the 2020 election, SCOTUS wielded the Purcell principle to insulate state voting procedures from judicial review in the months before Election Day. Second, the conservatives consistently ignored or rejected district courts factual findings that election regulations would severely burden the right to vote. Third, and relatedly, these justices valued states interest in enforcing their own election laws over citizens right to cast a ballot. They even seemed to reject the notion that the public has an interest in protecting the right to vote; instead, they assumed that the publics only interest lay in enforcing restrictive statutes. Because the court had to weigh the public interest when deciding whether to halt a lower court order, this hostility led the majority to block multiple orders expanding access to the vote.

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Three Republican-appointed justices also pushed the court to the brink of the (previously) unthinkable: Nullifying ballots cast pursuant to a lower court order. On Sept. 18, 2020, a district court suspended South Carolinas requirement that a witness sign mail ballots. The federal appeals court declined to halt the decision, so for weeks, thousands of voters returned mail ballots lacking a witness signature. Then, on Oct. 5, the Supreme Court restored this requirement. Alarmingly, three justicesClarence Thomas, Sam Alito, and Neil Gorsuchwouldve voided every ballot lacking a witness signature, including those cast in reliance on the lower courts decisions. Ballots, in other words, that were perfectly legal at the time they were mailed back.

Unlike some other court reform proposals, H.R. 4s new limits are, for the most part, obviously legal.

H.R. 4 is a frontal assault on every component of the Supreme Courts voting rights shadow docket. It repeals the Purcell principle, forbidding both SCOTUS and the federal appeals courts from citing proximity to an election as an excuse to reinstate a voting restriction. (There are minor exceptions for extreme circumstances on the eve of Election Day.) It bars the justices from considering a states generalized interest in enforcing its enacted laws when deciding whether to block or permit an election regulation. And it instead compels the court to give substantial weight to the publics interest in expanding access to the right to vote. Under H.R. 4, the Supreme Court may not set aside a lower court decision expanding voting access unless it finds that burdens on the state substantially outweigh the publics interest in expanding access to the ballot. The court may not set aside the district courts factual findings unless theyre clearly erroneous. And it must provide a written explanation laying out its reasoning.

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Finally, H.R. 4 preempts the Supreme Court from issuing a future decision nullifying valid ballots, as Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch tried to do in South Carolina. The justices shall not order relief, the bill states, that abridges the right to vote of any citizen who has acted in reliance on a lower court order that suspended voting restrictions.

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These provisions do not just overturn the courts previous decisions. They modify the courts rules, weakening its authority to intervene in elections, and diminishing its power to side against voting rights in cases when it does step in. H.R. 4 obviously isnt court expansion, but it does constitute a different kind of court reform: a limit on the courts jurisdiction. And unlike some other proposals, H.R. 4s new limits are, for the most part, obviously legal. The Constitution grants Congress the power to regulate SCOTUSs jurisdiction and to craft judicial remedies for violations of federal law. Michael Morley, a right-leaning professor at Florida State University College of Law, said this section may be among the least constitutionally vulnerable provisions of H.R. 4.

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Congress seems well within its rights to adjust the balancing test that courts must apply in deciding whether to grant relief under federal voting rights laws, Morley told me. Because Congress passed the federal statute that allows citizens to sue over voting restrictions, it also gets to decide what factors courts must consider (or ignore) in these cases. For similar reasons, Congress almost certainly has authority to overturn the Purcell principle, which is not a constitutional requirement but rather a default rule that Congress can supersede through clear statutory language. Morley did assert, however, that the provision excluding consideration of states interest in enforcing their laws raises substantial federalism concerns because it squarely repudiates states sovereign interests.

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Aderson Francois, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, saw it differently. My reading of the statute is that Congress is neither telling states not to care for their interests, nor directing the court to ignore those interests when they are concrete, Francois told me. The way I read it is that you cannot use an abstract state interest in enforcing your laws to outweigh an actual burden on the right to vote. But, he added, Im never going to predict what crazy reading of federalism this court will embrace.

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Because the Supreme Court answers to no one, it can always, in theory, adopt a crazy reading of the Constitution that requires federal courts to suppress the vote. But with H.R. 4, House Democrats have made a bet that the justices will stand down in a game of chicken over voting rights. If it exerts extraordinary new powers to avoid the bills limits, the conservative supermajority will only demonstrate the need for much more sweeping court reform.

Unless the Senate scraps the filibuster, there is little chance that this measure will become law in the near futurethough it has the backing of the White House and seems poised to pass the House. Its time may not have come quite yet. But H.R. 4 is what happens when Democrats get serious about protecting the Constitution from the Supreme Court.
Mike Pompeo, Donald Trumps former secretary of state, blames President Joe Biden for the chaos in Afghanistan. Were letting the Taliban run free and wild, he complained a few days ago on Fox News. Pompeo, who is laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential campaign, argued that the insurgents were taking over the country because we have an administration that has refused to adopt a deterrence model, the one that President Trump and I had. He claimed that he and Trump had kept Afghanistan stable, that they had never trusted the Taliban, and that thanks to their steely resolve, the Taliban didnt advance on capitals in Afghan provinces.

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None of this is true. Like many other Republicans who now profess anguish over the Talibans victory, Pompeo supported the U.S. withdrawal. But he didnt just endorse the pullout; he directed it. He cut a deal with the Taliban to remove all American troops and to release Taliban fighters from Afghan prisons. He vouched for the Talibans assurances, even as the insurgents staged hundreds of deadly attacks. And he defended the ongoing troop withdrawals, undercutting the Afghan government in its own talks with the Taliban, as the militants besieged provincial capitals.

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Two years ago, Pompeo began pushing for a deal with the Taliban. Hawks urged him to stipulate in the agreement that the Taliban had to turn over al-Qaida operatives. They also asked him to reject any demand for a premature release of Taliban prisoners. He did neither. Under the deal, signed on Feb. 29, 2020, the U.S. government pledged to withdraw from Afghanistan all military forces of the United States, its allies, and Coalition partners  within fourteen (14) months. The deal also specified that the Afghan government would release 5,000 prisoners, five times as many as the Taliban had to release. There was no requirement to hand over al-Qaida operatives.

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Pompeo promised that the Taliban would rein in their carnage. We have come to an understanding with the Taliban on a significant reduction in violence, he declared. A day after the signing ceremony, he asserted that the Taliban have now made the break from al-Qaida. On Face the Nation, Margaret Brennan asked him whether the Taliban were terrorists. Pompeo declined to use that word, assuring her that the [Taliban] gentleman whom I met with agreed that they would break that relationship and that they would work alongside of us to destroy al-Qaida. On Fox News, Pompeo spoke of a personal connection with the Taliban: I looked them in the eye. They revalidated to that commitment. The interviewer, Bret Baier, pointed out that immediately after signing the deal, the Taliban had announced a resumption of attacks on the Afghan government. Pompeo brushed aside the announcement. If the violence levels come down, he told Baier, then and only then would the United States draw down its troops.

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American forces immediately began to vacate bases and pull out. But the Taliban, contrary to its commitments, escalated its attacks. Pompeo responded by making excuses. We have seen the senior Taliban leadership working diligently to reduce violence from previous levels, he asserted on March 5, 2020. We still have confidence that the Taliban leadership is working to deliver on its commitments. He argued that critics were making too much of the latest attacks, since violence in Afghanistan was common.

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When Fox News reporter Pete Hegseth asked whether Pompeo was willing to let Kabul fallWere not going to intervene ultimately two, three years from now, if the Afghan government cant defend itself?Pompeo replied, Thats right. Three weeks after his deal with the Taliban, he threatened to pull all U.S. forces from Afghanistan and to choke off U.S. aidwhich would have brought the country to its kneesif to the government didnt move faster in talks with the Taliban. He also repeatedly pressed for the release of jailed Taliban fighters.

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The troop reductions continued, even as the Taliban carried out dozens of attacks per day. On July 1, 2020, the Department of Defense reported that al-Qaida routinely supports and works with low-level Taliban members and assists local Taliban in some attacks. This matched a separate report from United Nations Security Council investigators. Some of the evidence, later published by the Washington Post, indicated that throughout this period, Taliban leaders had collaborated militarily with al-Qaida partners and had pledged not to betray them. When Pompeo was asked about the DOD report, he claimed to have secret evidence that the Taliban was working against al-Qaida. I cant talk about the things that I have seen, he said.

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Critics warned that the ongoing U.S. troop withdrawals, in the face of continued Taliban aggressionincluding an attempt to assassinate Afghanistans vice presidentsignaled American weakness and undermined the Afghan government in its talks with the Taliban. But Pompeo blamed the attacks on rogue insurgentsspoilers, he called themand insisted that the Taliban has every incentive to get this right. When he was asked about the U.N. report and other evidence that the Taliban was still sheltering al-Qaida, he stood by the Taliban. We have every expectation that they will follow through, he said.

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As the United States closed its air bases and stripped its troop presence to a minimum, the Taliban advanced, seizing provincial capitals. In November, Defense Secretary Mark Esper warned that the American retreat was undercutting the Afghan government. Trump responded by firing Esper. The Afghan government asked Pompeo to slow the U.S. withdrawal and press the Taliban for a cease-fire. Pompeo, in reply, offered only to sit on the side and help where we can. He argued that because terrorist networks were global, the United States didnt need troops in Afghanistan.

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Pompeo maintained this position after leaving office. Last month, when he was asked about warnings from U.S. military officials that Kabul could fall within a few months, he scoffed that President Trump had the same kind of resistance from the military  to reducing our footprint in Afghanistan. He ridiculed Afghan men who talked of fleeing their country instead of fighting for it. Then, as the American pullout came under political attack in the United States, Pompeo switched sides. On Aug. 9, he said he was a little bit surprised at the speed of the Talibans advances. Three days later, he accused Biden of poor leadership. By Sunday, he was calling on American forces to go crush these Taliban who are surrounding Kabul. He claimed that he and Trump had deterred the insurgents and that Bidens absence of resolve had caused the Taliban onslaught.

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A year ago, in Pompeos words, the Taliban was represented by a gentleman, was working diligently to reduce violence, and was sincere in wanting whats good for the Afghan people. Now he calls the Taliban butchers. We never trusted them, he insists. We always knew that what they were telling us was almost certainly a lie. He claims, preposterously, that when the insurgents didnt fulfill their promises, We didnt withdraw. We crushed them.

The return of authoritarianism in Afghanistan is tragic. So are the latest atrocities: retributive executions, brutality against civilians, and the subjugation of women. The Biden administration misjudged how quickly the government would fall, and Biden misled Americans about what could happen. But nobody has lied more about the Afghan collapse than Pompeo. At every stage, he aided the Taliban and sabotaged the Kabul government. And now he dares to blame others.
On Thursday morning, a 49-year-old man named Floyd Ray Roseberry from Grover, North Carolina, parked a pickup truck on a sidewalk near the Library of Congress and U.S. Capitol and threatened to set off a bomb. He surrendered to authorities without incident by midafternoon, but not before livestreaming his drive to D.C. and part of his standoff on Facebook. Politico reports that Roseberry began recording at around 7:30 a.m. and was able to keep broadcasting until Facebook cut the stream off and took down his account shortly before 1 p.m. During the stream, Roseberry went on a tirade about a coming revolution, accused President Joe Biden of providing military equipment to the Taliban, and lamented about lack of access to health care while claiming that Afghan refugees would obtain it. Days earlier, he had posted another video about former President Donald Trump being reinstated to the White House.

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Though it wasnt until about an hour and a half after Roseberry started broadcasting his tirade on Facebook that his bomb threat became widely known to the public, he nevertheless was able to stream for several more hours until moderators intervened. The company told Slate in a statement, We are in contact with law enforcement and have removed the suspects videos and profile from Facebook and Instagram. Our teams are working to identify, remove, and block any other instances of the suspects videos which do not condemn, neutrally discuss the incident or provide neutral news coverage of the issue. The incident is reminiscent of the 2019 mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, during which time the perpetrator livestreamed the massacre on Facebook for 17 minutes. Facebook took down the initial livestream and removed 1.5 million videos that included the shooting footage within 24 hours, yet NBC continued to find clips of the attack on the platform six months later.

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Could Facebook have taken down Roseberrys stream quicker than it did? And has the platform improved its response to livestreamed terrorism since Christchurch?

According to Hany Farid, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, its likely that Facebooks automated systems would not have been able to detect Roseberrys livestream by themselves. After all, his broadcasts mostly consisted of him sitting in his car, which isnt a particularly visually distinctive tableau for image-matching technology. When youre talking about billions of uploads a day, the technology is simply not refined enough or accurate enough to work fully automatically, so they largely rely on human moderators, said Farid. You might be able to excuse the Facebook and the YouTubes of the world for catching the live stuff that happens fairly infrequently, but what will be interesting now is to see if they can stop the reuploads.

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While Facebooks technology might not be able to catch these violent livestreams from the get-go, it has a lot more power to make sure that the resulting clips dont get recirculated. The platform uses a technology called hashing, which extracts digital signatures from certain notable frames in a video. Those signatures, or hashes, then go into a database that other uploaded videos can be matched against. Farid, who worked with Microsoft to develop a hashing technique for combatting child pornography, says that its suspect that such systems could be so useful for quickly taking down copyrighted material and adult contentwhich they arewhile seemingly failing to do so for clips of the Christchurch shooting. YouTube, when they were threatened with billion-dollar lawsuits, got really good at finding copyrighted material, Farid said. I think they [Facebook] just never invested in the technology. When they tell you how hard these problems are, that its really hard to find terrorism, ask them why theyre so good at finding adult pornography right away.

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Former Federal Trade Commission Chief Technologist Ashkan Soltani isnt so optimistic that Facebook has improved its approach to videos of terrorism since Christchurch. No. Absolutely not, he wrote over email. Theyve learned that they can get away by paying lip service to important social issues like content moderation, disinformation, and bullyingand instead focus their actual resources chasing grandiose tech-bro dreams of metaverse realities which they can more fully control (and monetize). He added that there is an inherent conflict between removing rapidly viral content and Facebooks core profit motives, which creates an incentive to value the most compelling content, a category that includes extreme and provocative speech. Soltani also questioned why Roseberry was able to stream for so long before Facebook pulled his account given the platforms supposed viral content review system, which is supposed to act as a sort of circuit breaker to pause the algorithmic promotion of potentially dangerous content. At the very least, these systems should have flagged the content for human review, although the fact that the bomber was able to stream for hours without intervention suggests otherwise, he said.

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For Farid, the real test of whether Facebook has learned any lessons from Christchurch will be how many of the would-be D.C. bombers videos end up resurfacing, and what the engagement is online. In an optimal scenario, the video would be hashed soon after the incident, the data would be uploaded to a database, and that database would be shared with every major platform. As of yet, its unclear how many copies of the video Facebook has taken down. If the technology is working right, that video should never show up again, Farid said. If its showing up, how long is it staying online, and how many views is it getting? If we see a repeat of Christchurch, then theyve learned nothing.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Duly Resolved has won all four races he has entered, but trainer John Bax still gets nervous every time the two-year-old trotting gelding steps onto the racetrack.

Im pretty nervous watching him race. I dont know how much is there, so far its been enough, but I dont know, said Bax. I dont even know if he knows what hes doing out there. He looks like hes just out for a stroll.

The gelding strolled around Woodbine Mohawk Park in 1:56.3 to record his third Gold Series victory, and his fourth straight win, on Thursday, Aug. 19. Paul MacDonell of Guelph, ON engineered the victory, leaving smartly from Post 8 with the favourite and controlling the tempo through fractions of :28.2, :58.4 and 1:28.3. Duly Resolved cruised home a one and one-quarter length winner under minimal urging. Killer Whipr Snipr and Star Power Hanover closed well to be second and third.

The race was delayed while Flight Song visited the Woodbine Mohawk Park blacksmith to have a shoe replaced after the post parade, but the extra time out on the racetrack did not faze Duly Resolved.

Hes pretty relaxed out there, isnt he? Hes just out there, its just a night out for him, said Campbellville resident Bax. His sister (Bright Eyes M) wasnt that easy when you were out there, but he handled it pretty well.

Bax trained the geldings Kadabra half-sister Bright Eyes M to earnings of $318,637 in her career, almost all of it earned in her three-year-old season. Bax offered up $30,000 for Duly Resolved at last falls Lexington Selected Yearling Sale and the son of Resolve and former Gold Series winner Motown Muscle has already earned $127,933.

Bax Stables of Campbellville, Don Allensen of Wyoming, Gaelic Stable of Sharon, ON, and David Hudson of Dallas, TX share ownership on Duly Resolved and most of the partners were on hand for his fourth victory.

All the grandkids were here tonight and even the guy thats farthest away, David Hudson, hes in Dallas, so he didnt come, but his brother represented him, so everybody was represented, said Bax. Were just enjoying the ride.

In the second $69,733 Gold division, Safe Conduct made his Ontario Sires Stakes debut from Post 4 and after sitting fifth for much of the race he sprinted home in :27.3 to claim a neck victory over favourite Twin B Archie and pacesetter Esplosione. The colt stopped the teletimer at 1:55.1 in just his second lifetime start.

He was a nice colt training down. Camilla was confident in his ability from the beginning, said driver Chris Christoforou. He raced great tonight. Im very happy for his owners, my father and his long-time partner Irving Storfer.

The Campbellville resident crafted the victory for his wife, trainer Camilla Christoforou, his father Charalambos Christoforou of Campbellville and Storfers Banjo Farms of Toronto. The elder Christoforou and Banjo Farms also bred the son of Archangel and their former race mare Safe Keeping.

Red Overbach added a Gold Series blanket to his collection in the last $69,734 division. Starting from Post 7 with Guelph resident Jody Jamieson in the race bike, Red Overbach left well and was in command just after the :29.1 quarter. Unchallenged through a :59 half and 1:28.1 three-quarters, the Royalty For Life son trotted under the wire in a personal best 1:56.3. Luca Hanover finished one and one-quarter lengths back in second and fan favourite Lexus Ranger completed the top three.

My parents went to the East coast for three weeks and left the horses in the capable hands of Anthony Haughan and Meg Crone, said Jamieson. He trotted brilliantly tonight and won in a lifes mark.

Cambridge resident Crone harnessed Red Overbach, who was a winner in Grassroots action on July 15, for his Gold Series debut on behalf of Carl Jamieson of Puslinch, Thomas Kyron of Toronto and breeder Dr. Robert Boyce of London, ON.

All three of Thursdays winners are eligible to the two-year-old trotting colt open stakes that get under way at Woodbine Mohawk Park next week. The Champlain Stakes go postward Thursday, Aug. 26, eliminations for the William Wellwood Memorial Trot are one week later, on Sept. 2, and the final is Saturday, Sept. 11. The trio will return to Gold Series action on Sept. 18 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Ontario Sires Stakes action continues Friday (Aug. 20) at Woodbine Mohawk Park with the third Gold Series Leg for the two-year-old trotting fillies and the fourth Grassroots Leg for the three-year-old pacing colts. The fillies will compete for $100,000-plus in Races 2 and 7 and the pacing colts will battle for $23,850 in Races 3, 5, and 11.

To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results  Woodbine Mohawk Park.

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MoneyOutVA has heard many concerns from lawmakers about doing campaign finance reform, and addressed them in the report with responses and options. The report examines how other states handled reforms and contribution limits.

The lawmaker subcommittee to study campaign finance reform was scheduled to meet Aug. 2, on the first day of a General Assembly special session, but Democratic leaders canceled it and held a fundraiser that morning.

Morgan said she expects some lawmakers will say they need more time to study the issues and want to continue next year. But she said they ought to work over the next few months to come up with real legislative proposals for next years session.

Del. Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax, the chairman of a House committee on elections, said the MoneyOutVA report was excellent and thorough, and he plans to analyze it and give copies to lawmakers on the study group.

But getting legislation passed is going to be challenging, he said, because many lawmakers fear they wont be competitive in elections with restraints on campaign money. One thing he wants to push for is a ban on personal use of campaign money.

Thats something I expect and hope will be addressed by the commission in the short term, he said. If he is chosen as chairman of the study group, he said, hed allow public comment at the meeting in addition to the availability of Zoom when the subcommittee meets at 1 p.m. Monday in the Pocahontas Building.
The AirPower History Tours and Commemorative Air Force are a labor of love, Robitaille said. We consider it our mission to honor, educate and inspire. To honor the men and women who built these airplanes, who flew these airplanes, to educate the public about the sacrifices made by the greatest generation in securing our freedom, and to inspire young people to potentially pursue careers in aviation.

The CAF has two paid, certified FAA mechanics, but the majority of the members are volunteers, and not are all pilots. Pilots are former military or commercial airline pilots who have multi-engine, heavy aircraft experience, but most of the members are just folks who have got some kind of aviation background.

We have people from all over the country, Robitaille said, explaining that the squadron is based out of Dallas.

On the AirPower History Tour, Robitaille said, the B-24 Liberator is a popular plane.

These are the real deal. These are not replicas. These are actual aircraft that were part of the war effort in World-War II.
The High Plains Riot kicked into high gear on Thursday beginning with a tour of Cozads Garage in Gering.

The Riot started off with cruises around the area on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, founder Jeremiah Gardner said.

We are doing a week-long event this year. Weve never done that. We kind of start Friday night, then do Saturday and Sunday half a day, he said. Weve been doing tours and get together for dinners. Its been an amazing showcase. Weve been everywhere from Guernsey, Chimney Rock, the light house (at Lake Minatare). Just really showing off (the area). We like to drive them so thats a big deal to be able to cruise them around to make sure that we get out and around and they get to see how amazing this area is and show it off.

Gardner said the Riot has proven to be a popular attraction.

People lose their mind (when they see the cars). The routes we planned were twice as long as what we ended up doing. We had to cut the tours in half literally because of the time stoppage between taking photos, gas station stops that turned into mini-car shows. It is awesome. People are just going nuts and slamming on the brakes, he said.

With a longer event, Gardner said he wasnt quite sure what kind of turnout to expect.
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The town of Little Elm is considering allowing food trucks beyond just at special events.
In their distinctive forest green Woodgrain shirts, Hitch turned to his employees and said that they are the backbone that allows us to expand. He added that, in Smyth and Grayson, Woodgrain will be hiring in the near future.

Woodgrain Millwork has been in business since 1954. Merrill Bud Dame observed a sawmill throwing out small pieces of lumber. He took that lumber to make mouldings. From that beginning, he founded Dame Moulding and Lumber Company, which transformed into Woodgrain Millwork, now a multi-unit global company. It produces and distributes lumber, mouldings, doors, and windows at 27 facilities, employing more than 3,500 individuals.

As the celebration was winding down Friday morning, Smyth County Administrator Shawn Utt said he hoped that this economic development announcement is the first of many to come for the community. He too celebrated Woodgrains news. In a prepared statement, he said, Woodgrains continued investment at their Atkins facility shows how much they believe in their employees and our community as a whole. We want the company to know how much we believe in them, as well, and appreciate those investments. They have long served our County as a prime employer, and we look forward to many more years of progress and growth.
A Marion man, who burned a cross on the front yard of an African American family in June 2020 following a civil rights protest earlier in the day in the community, was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison.

James Brown, 41, pleaded guilty in April to criminal interference with federally protected housing rights based upon the victims race.

When Brown burned a cross in the victims front yard, he carried out a despicable act of intimidation, interfered with a federally protected housing right, and broke a serious federal law, Acting U.S. Attorney Bubar said today. Todays sentence demonstrates that such threatening acts of hatred will be swiftly investigated and prosecuted. We thank the FBI and state partners for their hard work on this important case.

We have zero tolerance in our communities for those individuals violating anyone's civil rights. Investigating allegations of civil rights violations continues to be a top priority for the FBI; and through our community liaison and law enforcement partnerships we will continue to investigate and mitigate the unwanted and unwarranted behavior of racially motivated individuals, Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador said today. FBI Richmond encourages anyone who may have knowledge or is a victim of a hate crime, to report it to law enforcement.
Family grateful for support, donations

When she was stable enough, Charlotte and Haley were transported by plane June 18 to Shriners Hospital for Children in Sacramento, Calif. Dustin drove over the next day. On June 22, doctors performed amputations above the elbows and knees, and removed 59 percent of her skin.

Skin grafts began the first week of July, taking the donor skin from her back. She will have no less than three skin grafts. It takes five to seven days to know how much of the skin will be accepted by her body. The main reason she was sent to California was so she could use her own skin, which is less likely to be rejected. They also build their prosthetics in-house, and the non-profit hospital will provide free care to Charlotte until she is 21. This is not to say bills havent been mounting.
Cantwell congratulated the port on continuing to grow its revenue even during the pandemic, saying it speaks highly of the work thats being done here at the port.

Port staff and local industry leaders said without the rail expansion, that growth will plateau.

Port of Longview Director of Business Development Christian Clay said one of the first things any potential customer wants to know is if a site has rail access, and then if it can handle long unit trains.

Every customer you talk to has a rail component, he said, but the port currently is at 100% rail capacity.

Setting aside new customers, many of the ports current customers also are expanding, Clay said, and need more rail service in the next two or three years to handle doubled volumes.

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Its a good and bad problem to have, he said. We want to see the growth, but we have to have the capacity and infrastructure for the growth.

Barlow Point is another area poised for a new business, and Clay said many green energy companies are interested in the space, but everyone that goes out and looks at it wants rail.
The pathway to vaccination should be one of compassion, communication and deliberate, strategic steps, he said.

Longview Superintendent Dan Zorn said while its hard to know what the true effect will be, it is absolutely a concern that the district will lose staff Oct. 18.

Its one of those things weve never been through before, so I dont know how to gauge it, he said. My hope is it will be very minimal, but I just dont know that. There are a lot of people with very strong feelings about it on both sides of it.

He said so far, the district has started the process of verifying who is vaccinated and has gotten some questions about what a valid exemption entails, but the state has not yet shared that information.

Zorn said he hopes if the vaccine is a deal breaker for someone who could not get an exemption, they would let the district know as soon as possible so the school could plan for a replacement.

Woodland Superintendent Michael Green said a lot depends on how the state is verifying exemptions, and if districts will get a list of accepted faith groups or just have employees fill out an attestation.

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While all slots are full for Youth and Family Links back-to-school giveaway Aug. 25, the free dental and COVID-19 vaccine clinic is open to everyone, no appointment necessary.

Anyone who gets a vaccine will get a raffle ticket to enter into a giveaway for a television, an Xbox, a PS5 or a laptop, Link community program coordinator Emiley Siters said.

Youth and Family Link plans to give away 600 backpacks filled with school supplies to Longview and Kelso kindergarten through 12th-grade students at the annual event. Families were asked to register online in advance, and registration is full, Siters said.

The event being held at Victoria Freeman Park also includes a COVID-19 vaccine clinic and a dental clinic. Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson shots will be available through a partnership between Medical Teams International and Kaiser Permanente. The dental clinic will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Checkups are free and appointments or signups are not necessary, Siters said. The clinic will be held across the street from the park in the Youth and Family Link gym.

Youth and Family Link received a grant from Kaiser Permanente to hire youth interns to improve vaccine outreach.

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Samsung, earlier this month, had unveiled its foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Shortly after, Samsung India in a response to a tweet by Bollywood actor Alia Bhat hinted towards a special announcement being made regarding the newly launched foldable display smartphones on August 20. Keeping its promise, Samsung today announced the pre-booking dates for the two newly launched Galaxy smartphones.

Samsung today announced that it will host Indias first live pre-book event for its newly-launched Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G smartphones on August 23. The live pre-booking event will begin at 6PM on August 23. The Korean tech giant also said that the consumers pre-booking these smartphones during the live-pre booking event will get early delivery and exclusive limited period offers in addition to the existing pre-book offers.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3 live offers

Samsung said that the offers will be available to customers who pre-book the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G during the live pre-book event on Samsung.com. Apart from early delivery, they will be eligible to get free Galaxy SmartTag, Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G Flip Cover with S Pen and Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G Silicon Cover with Ring.

Samsung also announced that customers who pre-book the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G will be eligible for either an upgrade voucher of up to 7,000 or HDFC Bank cashback of up to 7,000 on credit and debit cards. Additionally, interested buyers will be eligible for free one year Samsung Care+ Accidental and Liquid Damage Protection worth 7,999 on pre-booking Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and 4,799 on pre-booking Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G.

Samsung also announced that customers who pre-book the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G will be eligible for either an upgrade voucher of up to 7,000 or HDFC Bank cashback of up to 7,000 on credit and debit cards. Additionally, interested buyers will be eligible for free one-year Samsung Care+ Accidental and Liquid Damage Protection worth 7,999 on pre-booking Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and 4,799 on pre-booking Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3 price

As far as the prices are concerned, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be available in India in Phantom Black and Phantom Green colour variants. While the 12 RAM and 256GB storage variant of the phone costs 1,49,999, the 12 RAM and 512GB storage space variant of the device costs 1,57,999.

Similarly, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G will be available in India in Phantom Black and Cream colour variants. While the 8 RAM and 128GB storage variant of the device costs 84,999, the 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space variant will be available in India at a price of 88,999.
It was only two days ago when realme unveiled the realme Book (Slim) to the world. Now, the laptop has officially arrived in the Malaysian market from the starting price of RM2999. But to celebrate the launch, realme Malaysia is throwing a special first sale on 27 August 2021 (midnight, sharp).

During the livestream event, realme Malaysia said that there will be three variants through its first sale on Shopee. Available in Real Blue and Real Grey, the realme Book (i3, 8GB + 256GB) will have a promotional price of RM2499 and it's eligible only on 27 and 28 August 2021. The second model (i5, 8GB + 512GB) will be available from the same launching date at the price of RM3499. There will be a realme Book i5, 16GB + 512GB model in Real Blue as well but at a later date.

Meanwhile, realme Malaysia also introduced a new realme Beard Trimmer product. It is equipped with 20 length settings and 0.5mm precision for a firm and comfortable cut. On top of that, it has an 800mAh battery and a Type-C port which can last for 120 minutes on a single full charge. At the recommended price of RM129, the trimmer will have a promo price of RM79 on 27 August (midnight) at Lazada.

If you would like to know the full specs of the realme Book, you can visit our news coverage right over here. What do you think of the local price? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.
Update - U Mobile's pre-order details are added below

Seems like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G are becoming a bit mainstream now. What seems to be premium phones (albeit they still are) have made their way to local telco pre-order bundles. In this article, we will be taking a look at Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile's offer for the latest foldable phones. If you are considering getting one, you have come to the right place so do check them out below.

Celcom - Easyphone or Device Bundle with Celcom MEGA Lightning XL Pass

Starting with the blue telco, the company is offering the usual Easyphone or Device Bundle with Celcom MEGA Lightning XL Pass as usual. The pre-order is quite straightforward as savings is up to RM2200 and gifts worth up to RM1649.

Celcom's pre-order page is right here

As you can see from the image, getting the Galaxy Z Flip3 starts from RM130 per month or RM2399 on the Easyphone and Device Bundle package respectively. If you're thinking of the Galaxy Z Fold3, then the prices start from RM234 per month or RM4499 on the same said plans. Moreover, the pre-order is the same as Samsung Malaysia's where Galaxy Z Flip3 customers can enjoy an RM600 e-voucher and Samsung Care+ subscription worth up to RM699. The Galaxy Z Fold3 offers an RM850 e-voucher with an additional Samsung Care+ subscription worth up to RM799.

Digi - PhoneFreedom 365 plan from RM236 per month

If you're a Digi user, you can now pre-order the latest foldable phones through the Digi PhoneFreedom 365 plan today until 21 September 2021. Available from RM236 per month for Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 and RM313 per month for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3, you will enjoy a total saving of up to RM2403 on their device and plan, as well as receive up to 85GB of all-access high-speed Internet.

Visit the Digi Postpaid pre-order page here

With the pre-order of either the Galaxy Z Fold3 or Galaxy Z Flip3, customers will be entitled to get freebies worth up to RM1,649, which includes Samsung Care+ protection and exclusive Samsung e-store cash vouchers. Since we are still under lockdown, Digi will be delivering the devices right to the customers doorsteps, starting from 15 September 2021. Both devices will also be available in all Digi Stores from 22 September 2021 for customers who wish to purchase the devices in person.

Maxis - Starting from RM219 and RM99 per month

Finally, Maxis has more or less the same plan. The pre-order begins today until 21 September 2021 (while stocks last) but the gift redemption will begin on 15 September 2021 at Samsung Malaysia's portal (should apply to both Celcom and Digi as well). The Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 pre-order starts from RM219 and RM99 per month respectively but that's excluding the Zerolution and normal contract fees.

Should you choose the Zerolution plans, you can choose either the Maxis Postpaid 188, 158, 128, 98 or Postpaid Share 48. If you don't mind paying the Galaxy Z Fold3 a bit more, you can choose the Postpaid Share 48 at RM279 per month which equals RM327 per month (RM279 + RM48) in total only. As for the Galaxy Z Flip3, the same scenario applies at a different rate according to your needs.

Maxis' Galaxy Z Fold3 pre-order page here

Maxis' Galaxy Z Flip3 pre-order page here

At the normal contract corner, all the postpaid plans are available except Postpaid Share 48. As usual, choose the highest postpaid plan (Postpaid 188) that offers the lowest device cost which is RM4599 and RM2399 for the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 respectively.

(New) U Mobile - From RM129 per month with UPackage

Yesterday, we checked U Mobile's website and there weren't any signs of the pre-order so we thought maybe they aren't participating. However, that's not the case as they finally published up the details today. The Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 pre-order will begin from RM129 per month with UPackage and the pre-order freebies remain the same as Samsung's Malaysia.

A total of two postpaid plans are available for both foldable phones which are the P99 and P139. However, these two plans have a standard package and the aforementioned UPackage. If you prefer having an instalment, then you should go for the latter. The RM129 per month starting fee is for the Galaxy Z Flip3 whereas the Galaxy Z Fold3 starts from RM239 per month.

For the standard package, the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 prices are lower in the P139 for RM2539 and RM4989 respectively. If you don't mind paying a bit higher, then it would be RM2859 and RM5309 respectively. Pretty straightforward there but if you want to learn more, you can visit their official webpage right here.

Before we forget, you can also head over to Samsung Malaysia's official eStore here to pre-order now and even use our exclusive promo code "TNZF3VIP". You can only start using it today until 21 September 2021 which gives you a free Samsung SmartTag Twin Pack worth RM209.

That's all, folks. To learn more about the phones, you can visit the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G or Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G respectively to check them out. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.
China Telecom's debut in Shanghai comes after it was delisted by the New York Stock Exchange in January.

Shares in China Telecom surged nearly 20 percent in their Shanghai debut Friday after the world's biggest public offering of the year, coming after the company was delisted in the United States amid China-US tensions.

China's biggest fixed-line operator raised $7.3 billion in its share sale, making it the biggest of 2021, topping the $5.4 billion raised in Hong Kong by TikTok rival Kuaishou Technology in February.

And the firm said it could raise a further $1.1 billion if an over-allotment option was exercised.

China Telecom's offer price was set at 4.53 yuan per share and initially sagged below that at the opening on Friday, but quickly rallied to close the morning at 5.39 yuana gain of 19 percent.

Many of China's biggest tech and telecom firms traded their shares on the more developed US stock markets in the 2000s as they sought access to global funding.

But Beijing has pushed in recent years for its companies to list in mainland Chinese boursesas well as in Hong Kongpartly to raise the profile of its own exchanges.

That is expected to accelerate with Beijing fearing major tech and telecom champions will be squeezed by US regulators as their trade rivalry deepens, and as China executes a sweeping crackdown on its technology and other sectors.

China Telecom was delisted by the New York Stock Exchange in January along with fellow state-owned telecoms firms China Mobile and China Unicom following an executive order by former president Donald Trump.

The order banned investments by Americans into a range of companies deemed to be supplying or supporting China's military and security apparatus.

China Mobile, the world's largest mobile operator by subscribers, is also eyeing a second listing in Shanghai to complement its existing Hong Kong shares, while China Unicom Hong Kong has said it is considering a mainland IPO for its technology arm.

The companies are seeking capital to help fund China's ongoing push to build the world's largest 5G networks.

Earlier this month, Chinese electric car maker Li Auto launched an IPO in Hong Kong.

While such domestic issues have fared fairly well, a cloud of uncertainty has hung over Chinese stocks listed in the United States as result of the bilateral tensions and China's tech industry crackdown.

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing in June went ahead with a US IPO despite the crackdown, prompting sharp pushback from Beijing that sent the stock plummeting.

 2021 AFP
Thieves trying to steal cryptocurrencies typically move the funds through many different accounts at dizzying speedsometimes hundreds of thousands of transactionsin an attempt to cover their tracks. .

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid was scrambling Friday to recover stolen assets worth nearly $100 million, in the second such major heist by hackers in recent days.

The Tokyo-based company said in a statement Thursday that it had "detected unauthorized access of some of the crypto wallets managed at Liquid".

Elliptic, a London-based firm which helps track stolen cryptocurrencies, said its analysis found "just over $97 million in cryptoassets have been received by the accounts identified by Liquid as belonging to the thief".

"Our investigators are also aiding Liquid with tracking the stolen funds," Elliptic added in a blog post.

The heist comes after a hacker stole assets worth $600 million last week from cryptocurrency trading company Poly Network, before gradually giving the money back, claiming they had pulled off the theft to highlight a security flaw.

Liquid said it had suspended cryptocurrency withdrawals while it assesses the impact of the attack, although trading was continuing.

Cryptocurrencies have soared in popularity as assets in recent years, despite their volatility and concerns over their environmental impact as trading them requires vast quantities of electricity.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and other digital currencies use a technology called blockchain, which ensures that every transaction is recorded.

Thieves trying to steal cryptocurrencies typically move the funds through many different accounts at dizzying speedsometimes hundreds of thousands of transactionsin an attempt to cover their tracks.

However, industry players have grown better at identifying and blocking stolen coins.

Liquid said $16.3 million worth of stolen Ethereum had already been frozen "due to the assistance of the crypto community and other exchanges".

Explore further The curious case of the $600 million crypto heist

 2021 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Hackers have found their way again into T-Mobile's systems, the fourth reported breach of the company's data since early 2020. This time, the haul included sensitive personal information associated with about 48 million people, most of whom were former or prospective customers of the self-styled "un-carrier."

Here is a breakdown of what happened, the risks you might face and how you can protect yourself against them.

What information was taken?

According to the company, the stolen data included names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and driver's license information. In most cases, the company said, "no phone numbers, account numbers, [personal identification numbers], passwords, or financial information were compromised." However, some 850,000 customers with prepaid accounts had their names, phone numbers and account PINs exposed, T-Mobile revealed.

Hackers started offering the data for sale last weekend, according to security researcher Brian Krebs, who predicted that it would all wind up online soon.

Although the potential number of people affected is huge, by T-Mobile's count it represents less than half the company's current 105 million customers. T-Mobile has said it will notify the customers whose data was exposed and provide two years of identity theft protection service for free from the security company McAfee.

What are the risks?

There have been so many data breaches at so many companies over the years, some security experts say that much of the information exposed by T-Mobile is probably already available on the dark web. But that doesn't mean you should just shrug off what happened. Those whose data were exposed face greater risks of identity theft, phishing scams and other forms of fraud, Krebs warned.

Social Security numbers are widely used by the federal government, banks, investment companies, government benefit programs and insurers to verify identity. Your stolen SSN can be used to open fraudulent credit card accounts, divert or fraudulently collect benefits and commit workplace fraud, among other forms of deceit. Throw in your name, birth date and driver's license number, and it's exponentially easier for someone to pretend to be you.

Identity thieves could use that information to target both you and the banks, insurers and other companies you do business with. For example, they could use it to make phishing emails seem more realistic, helping to persuade you to give up additional sensitive information such as a password or PIN. Or they could use it to dupe your bank into letting them change the password on your account, giving them access to your money.

For those whose phone numbers were also exposed, there's at least one more malign possibility: a SIM-swap attack. That's where someone persuades your mobile phone company to transfer your number to a different device, which he or she then uses to try to break into the accounts that you've tied to your phone number. It's increasingly common for people to use their mobile numbers as a way to verify their identityfor example, when they log into their online banking account, or when they want to reset their password. But that convenience can backfire if your number is hijacked, then used to impersonate you online.

How do you protect yourself?

The single best thing to do is to put a freeze on your credit files, which will prevent anyone from opening a new account. It's free to place a freeze and to lift it for your own needs. But you have to contact each of the three major credit bureaus individually, which you can do online. Krebs also suggests freezing the credit files maintained by a handful of smaller, specialized agencies. You should also check your credit score regularly, which is a good way to detect fraud after it happens.

Credit- and identity-monitoring services, which typically carry a monthly fee, can also help reveal the work of identity thieves. They provide tools to prevent you from phishing and other forms of hacking combined with scanning services that look for your Social Security number or email address in places online where it doesn't belong.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile has set up a website suggesting more steps people can take to guard against fraud. Anyone with a smartphone would be wise to take them:

Create a PIN for your mobile phone account to provide an extra layer of security against unauthorized changes in your account, such as a malicious SIM swap. If you're a T-Mobile customer and you have a PIN, set a new one.

Activate T-Mobile's "account takeover protection" feature, which an extra layer of protection on top of the PIN. Verizon goes further, automatically blocking SIM swaps by shutting down both the new device and the existing one until the account holder weighs in with the existing device.

Change the password you use to get into your mobile phone account online. Changing passwords periodically is a good practice for all your accounts. And if you have trouble remembering dozens of passwords, try a password manager app that can keep track of them for you.

On the plus side, two-factor authentication is becoming the standard online, and that's improving security across the web. But too many sites encourage you make that second factor a text to your phone number, which encourages SIM swap fraud. Wherever possible, use an authentication app instead.

Explore further Data of 40 million plus exposed in latest T-Mobile breach

2021 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: Oregon State University

Oregon State University researchers have developed a secure computation protocol that's 25% more efficient than what had been thought the best possible, meaning future savings in time and energy costs for groups needing to team up on computations while keeping their individual data private.

Mike Rosulek, associate professor of computer science in the OSU College of Engineering, and graduate student Lance Roy presented their findings at this month's virtual 41st annual International Cryptology Conference, or Crytpo 2021. The conference is organized by the International Association for Cryptologic Research.

Roy, a 22-year-old who grew up in Corvallis, entered Oregon State's computer science Ph.D. program at 18, going directly from homeschool high school to the OSU Graduate School. He had begun auditing undergraduate courses at OSU at age 12.

Secure computation is often explained via "Yao's millionaire problem," a hypothetical situation developed by and named after computer scientist and computational theorist Andrew Yao in which two wealthy people want to determine who is richer but neither wants to reveal to the other how much money she/he has.

"In real life, companies and other groups will agree on a computation to run, then they do some cryptographic magic, and at the end they learn only the final result of the computationthe inputs and intermediate results of the computation remain private," Rosulek said. "One of my favorite examples is the city of Boston wanting to answer the question of whether there was a gender-based wage gap in the city's tech sector. The tech companies collectively computed the relevant aggregate statistics on their combined payroll data, but without any company needing to reveal its payroll data."

A standard technique within secure computation protocols is garbled circuits, which can come in multiple constructions. Garbled circuits are one of the few ways to achieve general-purpose secure computation protocols with just a few rounds of communication among the parties involved, Rosulek explains.

"The most efficient construction of garbled circuits is from one of my previous papers, in 2015," said Rosulek, whose Twitter handle is @GarbledCircus. "In that paper we also gave some good evidence that this was as efficient as you could get. I really believed it was not possible to do better, and since 2015 I have been trying to prove conclusively that it was impossible to do better. This latest result was a big surprise because we showed how to actually do 25% better than that 2015 paper."

Rosulek describes Roy as the "mastermind" behind the more efficient garbled circuits, which involve insights they've named "slicing and dicing."

"I had stopped devoting any thought to trying to do better than what we did in the 2015 paper," Rosulek said. "Lance was familiar with this problem but it wasn't something we were actively working on together. I was very skeptical when Lance came to me with an out-of-the-box idea, but it turns out that his instincts were correct and he soon convinced me that his crazy new idea worked."

A normal computer circuit, Roy explains, contains gates that perform basic computations on data. In a garbled circuit, the gates have been modifiedgarbledso the data flowing through them is encrypted.

In trying to prove the 2015 garbled circuit technique could not be improved upon, Roy found his proof idea was valid if a gate used all of the information contained in an input, or none of it, but not if it used some of it. That concept, slicing, shifted his thinking toward trying to improve on the 2015 technique rather than prove it couldn't be made better.

"However, I also had a new problem," Roy said. "The way that slicing works, it'd leak too much information for the garbled circuits to be secure."

A year or so later, in late summer 2020, he came up with a solution: dicing.

"If the way the garbled circuits were built was randomizedi.e., by rolling the diceand some other information was kept secret, the slicing idea could be made secure," he said. "Mike was really excited when I showed it to him, and during winter 2021 we refined the technique and wrote up the result."

Explore further More efficient security for cloud-based machine learning

More information: Mike Rosulek et al, Three Halves Make a Whole? Beating the Half-Gates Lower Bound for Garbled Circuits, Advances in Cryptology  CRYPTO 2021 (2021). Mike Rosulek et al, Three Halves Make a Whole? Beating the Half-Gates Lower Bound for Garbled Circuits,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-84242-0_5
Local_news

COVID surge taxing fire-rescue department

Predictably, the number of COVID-19 medical calls fielded by the Glynn County Fire-Rescue Department is spiking in direct proportion to the deficit in frontline personnel available to respond.

Glynn County Fire Chief R.K. Jordan said the call volume is about 23 percent above normal so far in August, a month that has seen a rise locally, statewide and nationally in COVID-19 cases. Conversely, the department has had 23 firefighters, EMTs or paramedics test positive for COVID-19 since July 31, Jordan said.

Presently, 15 people who would normally be serving at one of the countys nine stations is out with the virus, he said. And the calls from residents with COVID-19 or symptoms of the virus just keep coming.

The vast majority of the increase in call volume right now is COVID, Jordan told The News. If it is not COVID, it is people who feel they have COVID. Of course, a large percentage of them have ultimately been positive.

While the department will respond to all medical calls, he urged those whose COVID-19 symptoms do not include respiratory distress to contact a primary care physician or an urgent care center.

Its the sick person calls right now that are really beating us into the ground, he said. Unless youre having respiratory distress, its taxing us right now.

On the whole, calls related to COVID-19 are up even over this time last year, when the county was experiencing a peak in cases. Driving the recent increase is the viruss delta variant, a strand of COVID-19 that is spreads quicker and transmits more efficiently, Jordan said. Some 23 percent of all people tested for COVID-19 locally are testing positive, which is significantly up over this time last year, he said.

Oh, it absolutely does, Jordan said when asked if the delta variant is playing a role in the recent uptick.

In response, members of the county fire-rescue departments administrative staff are going back to station shifts, he said. Firefighters, EMTs and paramedics are being called in on off days. Some are entering a mandatory overtime rotation, he said. (Less than 20 firefighters with grandfather status have no medical training; there are 40 firefighter-paramedics and the remainder all have advanced EMT certification or basic EMT training.)

We had 14 on overtime last Friday, Jordan said. I had two people resign recently because of mandatory overtime holds.

In a 24-hour shift, some ambulance crews rarely see their assigned fire-rescue stations, he said. Battalion chiefs and folks assigned to light duty have been called in to help transfer COVID-19 patients from the ambulance to admittance at Southeast Georgia Health Systems Brunswick hospital emergency room, he said.

Weve had ambulance crews start out at 7:45 in the morning, and they wont see their station until midnight, he said. And thats not to sleep. They might get called right back out.

The department has 13 employees not able to fill a frontline gap, either because of military duty, light duty, workers comp injuries or because they are new and uncertified hires. These are typical absences that do not affect the staffing contingent of about 130 frontline workers, Jordan said. But when 14 more frontline workers are lost to COVID-19 infection, the toll adds up, he said.

And the calls keep coming. Presently, only two EMTs or paramedics will enter a residence where a call with COVID-19 symptoms originated. Those two are gowned up, in masks, goggles and disposable Tyvek suits.

Many days, in fact most days, were having to stack calls by priority, Jordan said. Weve run out of ambulances.

In southern Glynn County, neighboring Camden County fire-rescue workers are providing backup when needed, he said.

The public could help, he said. Jordan urges those who experience COVID-19 symptoms that do not include respiratory distress to first contact their primary care doctor or an emergency care center. Of course, he added, anyone experiencing chest pains should not hesitate to call 911.

It they have symptoms that dont include respiratory distress, it would be better to contact their personal physician," he said. "And many patients could be treated in urgent care. And chest pain is always going to be a high priority.

Many of the departments frontline workers who contracted COVID-19 were vaccinated, Jordan said. Still, Jordan notes vaccinated workers with COVID-19 are experiencing illness in line with medical experts assertions that the viruss effects are generally not as intense on the vaccinated.

I would absolutely encourage those who are not vaccinated to get the vaccine, Jordan said. I personally was leery of the vaccine at first. But Im so glad I got vaccinated. I highly encourage it.
College of Coastal Georgia students are back on campus for their fall semester, and the college is continuing to encourage all on campus to get vaccinated and to wear face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Brazos County health officials reported 62 new cases of COVID-19 among county residents on Friday.

Health officials have confirmed 25,748 cases of COVID-19 in the county since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Of those, 865 cases were active on Friday, 10 more than the day before.

Officials with the Brazos County Health District said 24,616 cases were considered recovered on Friday; health officials classify all cases older than two weeks as recovered.

Forty-four Brazos County residents were hospitalized Friday for treatment of symptoms related to the virus, officials said, an increase of two from the day before.

The percentage of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the states Trauma Service Area N  Brazos County and six surrounding counties  was 22.55% on Friday. Other counties in the Brazos Valley region are Burleson, Robertson, Grimes, Madison, Washington and Leon counties.

There were 142 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the seven-county Brazos Valley region on Friday and no intensive care unit beds were available, according to the Department of State Health Services. Of the 576 staffed hospital beds in the region, 38 were available Friday, according to state figures.
If you want to ascribe blame for the failure in Afghanistan, youll find it in the decision to invade Iraq.

President Joe Biden did not fail there, he did his best to work through an impossible situation made worse by former President George W. Bushs terrible choice to shift the war to a country that played no part in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

As has been shown over and over, most recently in Robert Drapers To Start a War, it was Bush himself who decided Saddam Hussein was a bad guy who needed to go. One by one, senior officials fell in line with the presidents gut instinct and set about obstructing and poisoning the intelligence and planning processes designed to help the White House make strategic decisions based on fact.

Many of those officials had serious doubts about the wisdom of Bushs call. Most notably was Secretary of State Colin Powell, who cinched the decision with his deft, but nearly totally incorrect, presentation in defense of war to the U.N. Security Council. Once the famous general-turned-diplomat said it was OK, there was no turning back. Our allies piled on the bandwagon, and we were off to topple Baghdad and make way for a democratic Iraq.
After seven months in the White House, and despite horrible immigration polling, an issue that cost the Democrats the 2016 presidential election, the Biden administration just doesnt care about voters opinions or how sustained open borders will alter sovereign nation America.

Like it or not, open borders are here to stay for the simplest reason. No one in the Biden administration, least of all the president and his Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, wants immigration laws enforced.

The law, 8 U.S. Code  1225, is crystal clear on borders: Alien who do not have a legal right to be present in the U.S. shall be detained pending a final determination of credible fear of persecution and, if found not to have such a fear, until removed.

That is, as former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Andrew McCarthy wrote, even those who credibly claim to fear persecution if returned from whence they came  the infinitesimally small percentage of legitimate refugees among the hordes now seeking entry  are supposed to be held in custody until that claim is fully adjudicated.
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Mark Rollins, Robertsons attorney, said he was no longer willing to wait and asked Cooper to schedule a trial date. The judge declined, saying he first wants to get another update at the September hearing.

More than 570 people from across the country have been charged with participating in the insurrection.

Members of Congress, who were meeting to certify an election won by President Joe Biden, fled from the mob, which coalesced shortly after Trump encouraged a large crowd of supporters to fight like hell against an election he claimed was rigged against him.

More than 30 defendants have pleaded guilty as of Aug. 6, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington, D.C. With less than a dozen sentences handed down so far, its too early to assess how the rioters have been punished.

But in revoking Robertsons bond last month, Cooper included in his 14-page order language from other federal judges who have found that insurrectionists should not get special treatment and no jail time just because they did not commit a violent act.

The judge also cited Robertsons comments on social media as evidence that he would pose a risk to society if left free.
When Sampogna, who is originally from Maryland, saw the posting for the position, she felt it would be a good fit for what she wanted to do and aligned well with her experience. Prior to joining the library, she worked as a camp counselor. Her interest in libraries was ignited in part while she was majoring in creative writing at Roanoke College.

Since starting, she has organized a partnership between the library and local school librarians to increase involvement in the Teen Advisory Committee. Teenagers who join the committee will now be eligible to receive school volunteer hours. The committee allows teenagers the opportunity to advise the library about the types of programs and books they are interested in.

She also plans to put her experience working at the colleges radio station to use at the library by helping establish a mobile podcasting studio. Equipment, including microphones, editing software, a computer, a camera for video components and headphones, for the studio has been funded through a grant Sampogna helped secure.

Once the studio is assembled, she will be holding how-to sessions to train teens on how to make podcasts. From there, the plan is to help the teens come up with their own shows. Eventually, all of the podcasts that are produced will be available through a centralized hub that the library will maintain.
After graduation, she took the role of deputy clerk to the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors and in November 2018 she became clerk to the Franklin County Board of Supervisors.

Regarding countys internship program, Sefcik said, Right now Franklin County is focusing on engaging our youth (both high school and college-aged students) and aligning their talents/interests with county departments to provide the best learning experience. We are still working on specific details of our internship programs but are looking forward to providing as many opportunities as we can.

Foster shared her thoughts about interning when she said, I had the most amazing experience interning with Franklin County Administration! The staff worked really hard to get me involved in their operations and the community. I went into this summer not knowing what to expect, but I learned so much and met so many amazing people. My biggest takeaway is that the Franklin County community should be proud to have so many hardworking people working tirelessly to make their community a better place.

Sefcik said, Karli Foster was an absolute pleasure to work with this summer. We are hopeful this internship program fully immersed her in County Administration within Franklin County and we look forward to following her successes.
The 9th could push into Southside; it already takes in part of Henry County. It could push up to add Franklin County or east into Pittsylvania County. Again, it would not be compact.

Or the 9th, which already includes Salem and part of Roanoke County, could swallow more or maybe all of the Roanoke Valley. That would be compact, but and wouldnt really change the political character of the district, but it would change the districts character in other ways  by making a rural district more urban and suburban.

Whatever decision is made about the 9th will have implications for the 5th and 6th. Taking the Roanoke Valley out of the 6th would dramatically change that district. Taking some of Southside out of the 5th dooms any chance of creating a more Southside-focused district (such as by taking out Charlottesville and adding more territory to the east toward Petersburg and Suffolk).

If anyone has strong feelings about any of these options, now would be the time to let Virginias new redistricting commission know.

2. Roanokes policies are validated.
Web infrastructure and website security company Cloudflare on Thursday disclosed that it mitigated the largest ever volumetric distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack recorded to date.

The attack, launched via a Mirai botnet, is said to have targeted an unnamed customer in the financial industry last month. "Within seconds, the botnet bombarded the Cloudflare edge with over 330 million attack requests," the company noted, at one point reaching a record high of 17.2 million requests-per-second (rps), making it three times bigger than previously reported HTTP DDoS attacks.

Volumetric DDoS attacks are designed to target a specific network with an intention to overwhelm its bandwidth capacity and often utilize reflective amplification techniques to scale their attack and cause as much operational disruption as possible.

They also typically originate from a network of malware-infected systems  consisting of computers, servers, and IoT devices  enabling threat actors to seize control and co-opt the machines into a botnet capable of generating an influx of junk traffic directed against the victim.

In this specific incident, the traffic originated from more than 20,000 bots in 125 countries worldwide, with almost 15% of the attack originating from Indonesia, followed by India, Brazil, Vietnam, and Ukraine. What's more, the 17.2 million rps alone accounted for 68% of the average rps rate of legitimate HTTP traffic processed by Cloudflare in Q2 2021, which is at 25 million HTTP rps.

This is far from the first time similar attacks have been detected in recent weeks. Cloudflare noted that the same Mirai botnet was used to strike a hosting provider with an HTTP DDoS attack that peaked a little below 8 million rps.

Separately, a Mirai-variant botnet was observed launching over a dozen UDP and TCP-based DDoS attacks that peaked multiple times above 1 Tbps. The company said the unsuccessful attacks were aimed at a gaming company and a major Asia Pacific-based internet services, telecommunications, and hosting provider.

"While the majority of attacks are small and short, we continue to see these types of volumetric attacks emerging more often," Cloudflare said. "It's important to note that these volumetric short burst attacks can be especially dangerous for legacy DDoS protection systems or organizations without active, always-on cloud-based protection."
During that year, a new medical office building opened next to the hospital and work is beginning on Tabithas new retirement center on the Prairie Commons grounds.

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The first year, with any new hospital, its a series of implementation of new services, Speicher said.

One of the more important events was the hospital being certified for Medicare, the addition of commercial insurance contracts, the addition of new surgeons, physicians and other hospital professionals and staff.

In November, the hospitals Emergency Services department opened to the public and on Jan. 4 of this year, the hospital saw the birth of its first baby in its maternity ward.

And as the months rolled on, Speicher said the number of services and health care personnel continued to grow.

He said a lot has happened at the new hospital since it first opened a year ago.

It just kind of snowballed, Speicher said. We have been able to do a lot of things that we couldnt have done last year because of the pandemic and the delays it caused. We have worked our way back to where we need to be.

Speicher credits a lot of the hospitals successes during a difficult first year to its employees.
The option left for parents is to stay quiet and risk exposure to COVID, he said, or face consequences for taking their kids out of school for safety.

Theyre making us choose between that or legal action taken against us for our kids not being in school, Moore said.

He is worried other families will receive the same response, and COVID will spread further through Grand Island schools.

I get it that weve got to have school. Weve got the mask guideline in place. But if you know someone has it or has been in direct exposure to it, send them away for a little bit, he said. Thats what we did last year, and we had far less going on.

Central District Health Department Director Teresa Anderson told The Independent that reported positive cases of COVID-19 are rising among the three-county areas students. CDHD covers Hall, Hamilton and Merrick counties.

In July, the district had 33 cases among children from ages 12 to 18.

Through the first half of August, there have been 44 cases.

By the end of month, Anderson expects the number of cases in August will have doubled the July total.

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Medina said he hasnt spoken with other veterans about the U.S. withdrawal, but hes thought about his experiences in Afghanistan and weighed whether it was worth it from a variety of perspectives: humanitarian, political and military.

Bill Crosier, a Vietnam-era Army veteran from Kearney, said the slipshod U.S. withdrawal has exposed a lot of problems about the United States 20-year involvement there.

I think its a cluster, but then most of what Biden has done is a cluster, Crosier said.

He was a signalman in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1967, but didnt fight in Vietnam. Instead, Crosier spent 2 years in Germany as part of the U.S. deterrent against a Soviet Union invasion of Europe.

As chaotic as it was, Vietnam looked a whole lot more organized than Afghanistan, he said.

Crosier said Americans who served in Afghanistan should feel pride in their achievements. They stabilized the country and prevented it from becoming a training ground for terrorists. There are troops over there doing what their country sent them to do, but the administration is walking away from them, Crosier said.
Starting Sept. 1, Texans ages 21 and older will be allowed carry handguns without training or a license as long as they are not legally prevented from doing so. Gov. Greg Abbott said the law protects American gun rights. Some law enforcement officers worried the law may increase crime rates while putting officers and civilians in danger. Do you support Texas becoming a constitutional carry state?

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Two John A. Logan College students have won full-tuition waivers for the fall semester simply by being vaccinated against COVID-19.

Josh Deaton and Shelby Sprague, both of Marion, were selected in Wednesdays drawing for the waivers. Deaton is a freshman history education major and Sprague is a freshman nursing student. Both students were vaccinated before the announcement of the contest.

"I got the vaccination as soon as I was eligible," said Sprague. "I have an immune-compromised sister, and I am around my grandparents a lot, so I felt that I needed to get the vaccination.

Deaton said that he wanted to get the vaccination because he was ready to return to normal.

"Most of my junior year and all of my senior year of high school were interrupted by COVID," said Deaton. "I wanted to get vaccinated because I wanted to see a return to normal as I start college."

For Sprague, news of the tuition waiver was extra special.

"I did not have any other scholarships and my mom saw a video on Facebook announcing this drawing and suggested that I take my vaccination card in and register," Sprague said. "So you can imagine how excited I was to hear that I had won. This is a game-changer for me."
A recent surge of positive COVID-19 cases in the region has prompted John A. Logan College officials to change course on its mask policy.

JALC will now require all individuals on campus to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

The college resumed face-to-face classes on Aug. 11, with only faculty and staff required to wear masks. JALC President Dr. Kirk Overstreet said requiring masks for all individuals was made to ensure that the college continues to offer face-to-face classes.

"With the recent uptick in cases in Southern Illinois, we feel that it is in our best interest to require all individuals to wear a mask at this time," said Overstreet. "We have worked very hard to return to having the campus fully operational with face-to-face classes, and at this time, this requirement allows us to continue being fully operational."

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Matt Garrison, humanities and social science department chair, agreed the mask requirement is vital to the college continuing to move forward.
It's been a very long summer. Been through a lot. I appreciate you all being here, Phelan said. It's time to get back to the business of the people of Texas.

Not all Democrats joined in the holdout, and the newest to come back to the Texas House defended their decision, saying they had successfully pushed Congress on voting rights legislation while pointing to the growing urgency of surging COVID-19 caseloads in Texas. One of them, Democrat Garnet Coleman of Houston, did not go to Washington because he was recovering from having a leg amputation brought on by an infection.

One of the things in life is that we have to know what our responsibilities are and we have to work to move something in the direction we want it to be," Coleman said from a wheelchair while delivering the prayer on the House floor.

But other Democrats who remained absent did not hide their frustration.

This is how Texas Democrats lose elections, state Rep. Michelle Beckley tweeted.
CHICAGO  After years working successfully as an electrical substation operator for ComEd, Andre Burson said, he failed a marijuana drug test.

Burson said he only used cannabis after work, never on the job, but was forced to pass more tests in the months after that to prove he was clean. He said he did so, but one day, his sample was considered contaminated. He was asked to have someone watch him give a urine sample, which he said he reflexively refused. Two weeks later, records show, he was fired.

It was devastating. It still is, Burson said. My job was my life. I talked to lawyers, but nobody wants to touch it.

Bursons experience is hardly unique. Nearly 55,000 workplace drug policy violations were reported last year to the U.S. Department of Transportation alone. The pace of violations increased by 17% from June last year to the same month this year.

Part of the increase, employers say, may be due to state legalization of cannabis. The drug remains federally prohibited, and its use is not allowed by anyone with a commercial drivers license or under certain federal contracts.
Barickman said he hasn't made a decision yet.

"I think at the top of the ticket we need a candidate who can unite and grow our base in a manner that makes us competitive in a statewide general election," Barickman said. "That's my primary interest. I want to see us put a candidate forward who can fulfill that. And as for myself, we're just not there yet on any decisions for any offices."

Secretary of State's race

There is one open seat among the state's constitutional officers in 2022: secretary of state. On Wednesday, Democrats heard from four candidates seeking to succeed the retiring Jesse White.

But, so far, no Republican have jumped in the race, which offers perhaps the best opportunity for the party to win a statewide contest next year.

State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, is interested and appears to be moving closer to jumping in. But, he wasn't ready to commit when asked on Wednesday.

Another name to keep an eye on: State Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon. Speaking with Lee Enterprises on Republican Day, he confirmed he's "looking at a statewide run."
To the Editor:

Young pedestrians, bicycle riders, and school buses will soon return to Illinois streets and roads as another school year gets underway. Transportation-related accidents are always heartbreaking. The Illinois Insurance Association urges drivers to be vigilant in the weeks ahead.

Be ready to share the road with students on foot or bicycle. Approach crosswalks, school zones, and designated bus stops with extra caution between 7 to 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m. Yield to traffic guards. Never block an intersection crosswalk. Bicycle riders may not maintain proper lookout when preparing to turn. Pay attention and give them plenty of room.

Be ready to share the road with school buses. Slow down and allow extra following distance. Watch for flashing yellow or red lights. Traffic on an undivided highway must stop when school bus lights are red, and the stop arm is extended. Remain stopped until children are no longer in the area.

Be ready to share the road with parents dropping off or picking up students. Follow school procedures if you are the designated driver. Maintain a single vehicle line, never double parking. Unload and pick up children on the school side of the street.
Self said Crosby's dedicated service to his country was the epitome of not only faithfulness, but loyalty and devotion.

I believe all of those words apply to what we are witnessing today, Self said. Other members of Crosby's family also served in the military before his mother signed for the then 17-year-old to enlist in the U.S. Army.

Self also spoke of the faithfulness of Crosby's family in keeping his memory alive, and God in helping to make it all a reality.

Crosby's 92-year-old brother, Henry M. Crosby Sr., was joined by other family members who gathered to lay his youngest brother to rest next to his parents on what would have been his 89th birthday.

Self said their prayers for Crosby's eventual return home were answered.

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I see the sovereignty of God in that. God's hand was there, Self said.

Orangeburg resident Mac Crosby, Henry's son, said the family was excited about having his uncle brought back home and hoped that other families would also find closure in having their loved ones' remains identified.
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Thanking law enforcement for support and coming "to the rescue of our children," Foster said there will be increased security at the school.

Foster said the district provided information consistently as Wednesday's developments unfolded. In four hours, they were able to respond to victims, secure the campus and provide information to the community.

Foster encouraged anyone with information to contact the sheirff's office, school administration or school district office.

"Collectively our teams are working around the clock, Foster said, noting the district is seeking to assist law enforcement in the investigation. We know that teachers cant teach and students cant learn when they are scared. Therefore this type of activity will not be tolerated on any our campuses.

We are exploring with law enforcement other measures that can be implemented to create the safest possible teaching and learning environment, Foster said.

We met with the administration and we met with law enforcement and we will have enhanced security measures, Foster said. There will be an increased police presence. There will be additional security there not just for a few days. Some security staff will be there for the remainder of the entire school year.
A Cope woman was shot and killed as she was riding with a friend on Thursday night, according to an Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office inciden
The training given to teachers on how to stop heavy bleeding and what to do when someone starts shooting kept the incident from being worse, Orangeburg County schools superintendent Shawn Foster said.

We plan for these things, hoping we never have to use them," Foster said.

As Foster spoke Wednesday, a voice on a loudspeaker in the background could be heard reading a continuous stream of names to report to the front office as teachers and staff worked to reunite students with parents.

All 308 students who remained on campus at the time of the shooting were rounded up and taken to safe places, where deputies and others spoke to them to make sure everyone was accounted for, Ravenell said.

Hundreds of parents rushed to the school as news of the shooting spread, and a number were frustrated they could not immediately see their children.

After finding out her 15-year-old son was safe, Tomekia Griffin told The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg that rising gun violence adds another worry about sending her child to school in person.
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Molton did not address Silverstein's denial of the fee arrangement with the Boy Scouts, which he described at a hearing earlier this week as part and parcel" of the agreement.

Silverstein also denied the BSAs request under the agreement for permission to withdraw from an April agreement in which insurance company The Hartford would pay $650 million into the fund for abuse claimants in exchange for being released from any further liability.

Silverstein said the Hartford settlement was a separate issue from the agreement, and that the BSAs attempt to use the agreement as a vehicle to back out of that deal was improper.

You cant just roll up any relief you want and put it in a request to approve an (agreement), she said. ... The request to determine debtors obligations or, conversely, Hartfords damages, is not appropriate in this context.

A spokesperson for The Hartford said the company declined to comment.

Irwin Zalkin, an attorney for abuse claimants who opposed the agreement, said the judge gutted key conditions that supporters were hoping to box her into.

"In my view the (agreement) has been rendered toothless, Zalkin said.
FARIBAULT, Minn.  President Joe Bidens administration is sticking by the decision under former President Donald Trump to lift protections for gray wolves across most of the U.S. But a top federal wildlife official on Friday told The Associated Press there is growing concern over aggressive wolf hunting seasons adopted for the predators in the western Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains.

Wolves under federal protection made a remarkable rebound in parts of the U.S. over the past several decades, after being driven from the landscape by excessive hunting and trapping in the early 1900s.

States took over wolf management last decade in the Northern Rockies and in January for the remainder of the Lower 48 states, including the Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest.

The removal of protections had been in the works for years and was the right thing to do when finalized in Trumps last days, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Director Gary Frazier told AP. On Friday, attorneys for the administration filed court documents defending the decision in response to a lawsuit from wildlife advocates, signaling the conclusion of Bidens promise on his first day in office to review the Trump move.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew by 306 on Thursday, with the number of confirmed cases rising by 234 and the number of probable cases rising by 72, according to the Wyoming Department of Healths daily update.

Additionally, 328 new coronavirus recoveries were announced.

Numbers to know

Active cases: 1,852 (2,652 including probable cases)

Hospitalized patients: 130 (up from 122 Wednesday)

Deaths: 809 (16 announced this week, 33 announced this month)

Total vaccine doses received: 485,945 (237,525 Pfizer, 220,120 Moderna, 28,300 Janssen)

First vaccine doses given: 214,134

Second vaccine doses given: 192,089

One-time vaccine doses given: 17,323

(Vaccine data is as of Wednesday.)

Are we trending up or down?

The states 14-day average in total new cases is 358.8 per day. That number is up 243.8 from a month ago.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew by 315 on Friday, with the number of confirmed cases rising by 243 and the number of probable cases rising by 72, according to the Wyoming Department of Healths daily update.

Additionally, 217 new coronavirus recoveries were announced.

Numbers to know

Active cases: 1,425 (2,088 including probable cases)

Hospitalized patients: 100 (up from 99 Thursday)

Deaths: 793 (7 announced this week, 10 announced this month)

Total vaccine doses received: 485,945 (237,525 Pfizer, 220,120 Moderna, 28,300 Janssen)

First vaccine doses given: 209,794

Second vaccine doses given: 189,801

One-time vaccine doses given: 16,928

(Vaccine numbers are as of Thursday.)

Are we trending up or down?

The states 14-day average in total new cases is 287.2 per day. That number is up 177.8 from a month ago.
Dr. Andy Dunn, chief of primary care at Wyoming Medical Center (which includes Mesa and Sage Primary Care clinics) said similar patterns are emerging at those locations, with vaccination and testing both on the rise.

Local businesses are also asking for educational seminars and private vaccination clinics for their employees more often than before, Kinder said.

But while the uptick in people getting their shots is an improvement, County Health Officer Dr. Mark Dowell still had a grim update for the board.

He shared that four people were in the hospitals Intensive Care Unit on Thursday with COVID-19.

I believe all four will die from COVID, he said.

He was only aware of one person hospitalized in Casper who had been fully vaccinated, but that person was also taking medications that suppress the immune system, meaning the vaccine likely did not evoke a strong immune response from the individual, Dowel explained.

Its tough taking care of people that are this sick in the hospital. You know, it could have been prevented, Dowel said. Its really tough emotionally to be honest with you.
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Thirty-five people were admitted to Caspers hospital for COVID-19 as of Thursday morning, according to state data. Cheyenne was treating 26 virus patients.

Tracy Garcia, chief nursing officer for the Cheyenne hospital, said staffing has been a concern there as well. The hospital has not needed to create overflow spaces for virus patients as it did during the fall and winter.

Like the rest of the country, we are struggling with staffing and are using agency staff for nursing and respiratory therapy, she said.

She added there have been a few days where elective procedures were rescheduled, but it hasnt been a trend.

The states largest facilities arent the only ones feeling the pressure.

Ten percent of Sheridan Memorial Hospitals beds were occupied by a COVID-19 patient Thursday, according to state data.

Dr. John Addlesperger, the facilitys chief medical officer, said the hospital has again created isolation areas for virus patients in anticipation of a continued surge, but ensuring there are enough people to care for the rising case load is the real frustration.
Sixteen more Wyomingites have died from COVID-19, the Wyoming Department of Health reported Tuesday. Thats the most deaths announced in a single week since February.

There have now been 809 coronavirus-caused deaths in Wyoming since the pandemic arrived here in March 2020.

The state does not include a death in its COVID-19 count unless the virus is listed on the patients death certificate as either the cause of death or a contributing factor. There is often a lag between when deaths occur and when deaths are reported because of the time it takes for death certificates to be processed.

Of the newly reported deaths, six occurred in August, seven occurred in July, two occurred in June and one occurred in May.

Thirteen of the 16 individuals had been hospitalized prior to their deaths and 11 had underlying health conditions. The majority of the deaths were among Laramie County residents, which added seven to its COVID-19 death toll with this weeks update. Carbon County added four deaths. Albany, Campbell, Sheridan, Sublette and Sweetwater counties each added one.
How many more Americans would have to die before the United States made the inevitable decision to withdraw from war in Afghanistan, after 20 years of war, at the cost of more than two trillion dollars and the loss of 2,500 lives? That was the illuminating question that guided President Joe Bidens decision to pull U.S. troops out of the graveyard of empires. Indeed, how many more?

The decision to withdraw was inevitable, as every president ensnared by the war  Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden  knew painfully well. The putative Afghan government and military were riddled with incompetence and, worse, deep corruption that upended the noble efforts of the United States and its allies to liberate the country from the Taliban and pave the way for the emergence of some form of democracy. Americas decision to retreat is right for America, though it is a human rights tragedy of indescribable dimensions for the Afghan people.

The end of Americas longest war recalls its origins when Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization led by Osama bin Laden, attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. It recalls as well how the War Clause of the Constitution governs the initiation of military force and the significant legal questions surrounding the decision to invade Afghanistan.
A mercurial Trump repeatedly demonstrated that he was willing to use air power to protect U.S. personnel and to bomb an Islamic would-be caliphate. The Taliban knew that and so struck when Trump was gone.

Biden claims he was bound by Trumps decision to withdraw and thus cannot be blamed for his reckless operation of a predetermined departure. But all Biden has done since entering office is destroy Trump pacts, overturning past agreements on energy leases, protocols with Latin America and Mexico on border security, and pipeline contracts.

No sooner did Biden claim he was straitjacketed by Trump than he reversed course to defend not just his own withdrawal but the disastrous manner of it. Biden claims that he has no free will while insisting he would have done nothing differently if he did.

In a sane world, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the secretary of defense would resign. We have heard for too long their careerist boasts about assigning climate change as their chief challenge. For too long they have virtue-signaled their critical race theory credentials to Congress. For too long they have bragged about rooting out alleged white supremacists from their ranks. For too long they have sparred with journalists while fighting Twitter wars and issuing cartoonish commercials attesting to their woke credentials.
So what else could President Biden possibly screw up?

Our commander in chief and his woke generals have blown the evacuation of Kabul so badly that even CNN and MSNBC have had to cover it.

For the last month, Biden assured us that when our military left Kabul it wasnt going to be a humiliation like Saigon in 1975.

It sure wasnt. It was much worse  and its far from over.

Were just starting to witness the deadly costs of the Biden administrations back-ass-wards evacuation of Afghanistans capital.

Safely evacuating tens of thousands of American citizens and Afghans who risked their lives to help us for 20 years from a city surrounded by the enemy is not rocket science, its just Military Science 101.

First, while you hold on to your soldiers and air power for protection, you get all the civilians out  women and children first.

Next you get your fancy military equipment out  untold billions worth of it  so, um, your enemy doesnt get to use it.

Then, after a look around to make sure no one is left behind, you pull your soldiers out  and say goodbye to Americas longest war.
After searing criticism from Democrats and Republicans about how he has mishandled the withdrawal of the remaining American forces, diplomats, their families and contractors from Afghanistan, President Biden interrupted his Camp David retreat to return to the White House for a speech in which he blamed the Trump administration for its failed policies relating to Afghanistan.

The only time he came close to admitting culpability for the scenes playing out on American TV screens was when he paraphrased Harry Trumans iconic line the buck stops with me. Except that for Biden, the buck never arrives in the Oval Office. Any failure  whether at our southern border, or in Afghanistan  is someone elses fault.

In his address, he blamed Afghan forces for not fighting hard enough. What morale and fighting spirit that remained surely evaporated when they realized Biden would no longer have their back. It didnt help that the government was corrupt, which the Taliban used to persuade many to come to their side. The consequences for Afghan girls and women will be enormous; likewise for Afghan interpreters who helped Americans. Reports of Taliban fighters going door to door searching for them does not bode well for their future.
TEP made news for in 2017, when it signed a contract to get power from a 100-megawatt solar project south of Tucson for less than 3 cents per kWh, plus 1.5 cents per kWh for storage  then an industry low.

That project, the Wilmot Energy Center, has been cranking out clean power since May as TEPs biggest solar resource.

Avoided cost of power

Barrios noted that the avoided cost rate calculated for subsequent large PURPA projects will continue to decline.

Thats because the most costly energy is displaced first, so subsequent projects will displace energy sources that are less costly, resulting in a lower avoided cost, he explained.

A spokesman for Clenera, which was recently acquired by Israel-based Enlight Renewable Energy, also declined to discuss details of the proposed TEP power purchase agreement but said the company is bullish on Arizona solar.

Clenera built what is now TEPs second-largest photovoltaic resource, the 35Mw Avalon I & II solar project in Sahuarita, which went online in phases in 2014 and 2016.

The company also plans two 80Mw projects in Coconino County to serve Arizona Public Service Co.
On Wednesday, however, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona sent a letter to the governor warning against doing anything that could hamper the safe return of students to schools. And that was backed up hours later by President Biden who told Cardona to use civil rights laws to take actions against governors who prohibit schools from requiring masks.

"We're not going to sit by as governors try to block and intimidate educators who protect our children," the president said.

In his letter to Ducey, Cardona pointed out that the schools requiring masks actually are following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control. And he told the governor that any moves to block districts from following that advice "may infringe upon a school district's authority to adopt policies to protect students and educators as they develop their safe return to in-person instruction plans required by federal law."

Ducey said he wasn't concerned that the state will forfeit its federal COVID relief dollars.

"I'm confident we're on solid ground," he said. And the governor used the opportunity to take a swat at the president.
For Star subscribers: As Tropical Storm Nora tracks toward the Gulf of California, long-time Tucsonans can't help but recall a 1997 storm by the same name that jokingly came to be known as Hurricane Snora.
Rankin, however, argued City Manager Michael Ortega made it clear to city employees that a medical exemption form can be turned in by Aug. 24 without a doctors signature, as long as its provided at a later time.

The city attorney also explained employees who receive notices of discipline have an opportunity to appeal and explain their actions to reverse the decision. He said that reversal is noted in employees files and they are paid back for time lost.

Hatfield testified that CWA members have complained about a lack of information about whats going to happen, and the union presidents expressed concern about increased resignations over the mandate.

This is not a case about masks, whether they need to put them on or take it off, Marchetti said. Employees cannot get unvaccinated. If employees are forced to get vaccinated or face possibly career-ending punishment before next Tuesday, they dont have any way to undo that.

Ultimately, Marchetti wasnt able to convince the judge his clients faced irreparable harm.
The University of Arizona and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe are partnering to help tribal members reach their higher-education goals, including meeting students needs for degree programs, certificates or training.

This unprecedented agreement is for five years and will be automatically renewed for two additional five-year terms unless it is terminated by either the tribe or the university.

Tribal officials will iron out the goals and a dozen priorities over the next six months, and the UA will bring its resources and collaborate and assist the tribe in meeting its objectives, said N. Levi Esquerra, UA senior vice president for Native American advancement and tribal engagement. This is an unprecedented document. It is the first of its kind and it sets up the framework about how the university and the tribe will collaborate in the future, Esquerra said.

During a recent signing ceremony at Casino of the Sun, Pascua Yaqui Chairman Peter S. Yucupicio described it as a historic day for the tribe and said the partnership was an important step toward helping its members pursue higher education. He said the agreement will help in recruiting Yaqui students to the UA, and keeping students close to home.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A federal appellate court refused late Thursday to delay implementation of a judges order reinstating a Trump administration policy forcing thousands to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.

President Joe Biden had suspended former President Donald Trumps Remain in Mexico policy on his first day in office and the Department of Homeland Security said it was permanently terminating the program in June, according to the court record. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk last week ordered that the program be reinstated Saturday.

The Biden administration appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Appeal in New Orleans and asked for a delay in re-implementing the program, formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols, pending appeal. The administration argued in briefs that the president has clear authority to determine immigration policy and that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, had discretion in deciding whether to return asylum seekers to Mexico.
Shnipes was charged in 2018 along with six other guards after a grand jury probe into what Shapiro has called a persistent culture of abuse at the scandal-ridden lockup.

Only three of those cases resulted in convictions. One of the guards initially named by the grand jury sued Shapiro this year, accusing him of malicious prosecution after the case was ultimately dropped.

Shnipes' attorney, Brian McMonagle, said Shapiro's office made the correct decision.

John and his family are just very, very happy that this is over, said McMonagle, who also represented Cosby in his first sexual assault trial, which ended with a deadlocked jury. He's always maintained his innocence in reference to these allegations.

A grand jury said Shnipes serially assaulted inmates at the prison in Scranton, forcing them to perform sex acts and giving them cigarettes and other contraband afterward.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) 

More than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards have been confiscated at cargo freight facilities at the Anchorage airport as they were being shipped from China, officials said Thursday.

Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized the cards in the past week as they arrived in small packages, said Jaime Ruiz, an agency spokesperson.

There were between 135 and 150 packages found in Anchorage, all sent by the same person in China, Ruiz said. The packages contained small amounts of the fake cards, about 20 or 25 each.

The cards confiscated in Anchorage closely resemble the authentic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention certificates given out by health care workers when U.S. citizens receive their vaccinations, the agency said. However, this shipment had cards that exhibited low-quality printing.

The seizure comes as a cottage industry for counterfeit cards has sprung up online to accommodate people who say they wont get vaccinated for either personal or religious reasons.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  The mayor of the Florida city of Orlando asked residents on Friday to stop watering their lawns and washing their cars immediately, saying water usage needed to be cut back because of the recent surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The Orlando Utility Commission treats the city's water with liquid oxygen and supplies that ordinarily go toward water treatment have been diverted to hospitals for patients suffering from the virus, Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

We acknowledge that the No. 1 priority for the liquid oxygen should be for hospitals," Dyer said at a news conference.

The city-owned utility typically goes through 10 trucks of liquid oxygen a week but its supplier recently said that it would be cut back to five to seven trucks a week to accommodate hospitals, said Linda Ferrone, OUC's chief customer and marketing officer.

About 40% of the utility commission's potable water is used for irrigation so any strains on the water supply will be greatly reduced if residents stop watering their lawns, washing their cars or using pressure washers, she said.

On its website, the utility said residents should prepare to follow the conservation measures for at least two weeks.
MANDAN, N.D. (AP)  A jury ended its first day of deliberations Thursday without a decision in the trial of a North Dakota chiropractor accused of killing four people.

Jurors were dismissed after three hours of deliberations. They were scheduled to resume discussions Friday morning.

Chad Isaak is accused of fatally stabbing and shooting RJR Maintenance & Management co-owner Robert Fakler, 52, and his employees 42-year-old Adam Fuehrer, 50-year-old Bill Cobb and 45-year-old Lois Cobb at the companys building in Mandan on April 1, 2019. The Cobbs were married.

Isaak, 47, lives in a mobile home in Washburn on property managed by RJR. No motive has been established in the case.
When Congress sent states billions of dollars early in the coronavirus pandemic to help make schools safe, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee saw an opportunity.

He used part of the windfall to further his goal of offering school choice options for parents, sending millions to charter schools that operate without traditional public oversight. That included funneling more than $4 million to new charters that are not scheduled to open until at least next year.

It was an easy way for the Republican governor to advance a long-held priority. For Lee and some other GOP governors, the discretionary money was a chance to sidestep their state legislatures and advance school choice, which typically involves funding charter schools or offering vouchers so parents can use taxpayer money to pay private school tuition.

Teachers unions and other critics view the efforts as a way to siphon money away from traditional public schools.

This feels like hes taking advantage of the pandemic and the pandemic relief to further his ideological goal of defunding the traditional public schools, said state Rep. Gloria Johnson, a Democrat and retired teacher.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Investigators are considering whether toxic algae blooms or other hazards may have contributed to the deaths of a Northern California couple, their baby and the family dog on a remote hiking trail, authorities said.

The area in the Sierra National Forest where the bodies were found on Tuesday had been treated as a hazmat site after concerns were raised about the deaths being linked to potentially toxic gases from old mines nearby.

But the hazmat declaration was lifted Wednesday, and Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said he didn't believe the mines were a factor, the Fresno Bee reported Thursday.

This is a very unusual, unique situation, said Kristie Mitchell, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office. There were no signs of trauma, no obvious cause of death. There was no suicide note."

John Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and their dog were all found dead on a hiking trail near Hites Cove in the Sierra National Forest. A family friend had reported them missing Monday evening.

The area around Hite's Cove was the site of a hard rock gold mining operation in the mid-19th century.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)  Workers and residents in Flagstaff were assessing damage, clearing away debris and cleaning up Wednesday from a flood caused by historic levels of rain that fell on a burn scar from a large wildfire two years ago.

The storm on Tuesday caused damage to at least 24 homes in the northern Arizona city, officials said.

Water and mud made their way into classrooms and hallways at Killip Elementary School. Classes were called off on Wednesday, with plans to move children into remote learning next week, the school said in a statement.

No injuries were reported.

Hourly precipitation of more than 3 inches (7.6 cm) Tuesday along the southern part of the scar was described by a flood control district as a 200 to 500 year rainfall event. Lesser, but still significant levels of rain were recorded in other areas of the water-repellent scar.

The fast-moving water poured into neighborhoods and rushed past houses protected by sandbags.
The costs for the two-month deployment will likely run over Johnson's $1 million. Marlette said the Guard expects to spend over $1.3 million by the middle of September. That will be paid from the state emergency and disaster fund, which is overseen by an agency tasked with preparing the state for natural disasters or other emergencies. Johnson's donation will flow through the fund, but lawmakers questioned how much money the fund already has and whether they will be asked to fund it during next year's legislative session.

Marlette defended the deployment of 48 soldiers as helping halt the flow of drugs, calling the border a doorway for meth and other dangerous drugs in South Dakota. He said Guard members have seen evidence of Mexican cartels fighting over control of the border crossings.

Our governor said this is a national security, this is a drug issue, this is important to South Dakota, Marlette told the lawmakers.

National Guard members have also assisted families who are crossing to claim asylum, including at one point helping deliver a baby and performing CPR on a dying 2-year-old child, Marlette said.
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OPINION: "The "Tucson Fight For 15 is a bad bill for Tucson. Now is the time for us to take a hard look at our future. Will there be opportunities for our children? Grandchildren?" writes Tucson business owner Joshua Jacobsen.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Oklahomas school districts should have the autonomy to enact mask requirements, which are banned by state law, according to the state's superintendent of schools.

School districts deserve the autonomy to enact policies that protect our schoolchildren and staff from COVID exposure and infection, Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said in a statement Wednesday.

Hofmeister's comments came after U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in letters to her and Gov. Kevin Stitt that the ban may violate the American Rescue Plan that provided $123 billion to the nations schools to help them return to the classroom.

Cardona sent similar letters to several other states with similar mask bans.

Stitts office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday. A spokesperson for Stitt told the Tulsa World on Wednesday that the governor had not yet seen the letter.
Mullin and the Oklahoma delegation in Washington, D.C., are seeking federal money for the Corps to repair locks and dams and to make improvements such as deepening the channel to increase barge payloads.

"The central part of the United States relies on our navigational channel," he said. "If we continue to neglect it, we're going to lose, one, the huge economic impact it has and also the competitiveness to get our products from point A to B in an efficient manner. If we have to ship it by rail or ship it by truck, the cost of our goods go up and we can't be competitive by that point."

Mullin isn't bullish about getting those financial MKARNS needs met immediately.

"I'm not very optimistic on where we're at right now," he said. "Those in charge, which are not Republicans, they are not really paying attention to it.

" This year, I don't see it happening, not on the House side, for sure. Maybe (U.S. Sen. Jim) Inhofe can get it done on the Senate side because I know he is pushing hard."

The 50th anniversary of then-President Richard Nixons dedication of the inland commercial navigation system was celebrated in June.
A Rogers County man faces two counts of first-degree murder after a criminal complaint charging him in the 2019 killings was filed in Tulsa federal court.

The criminal complaint accuses Manuel Quezada, 49, of fatally shooting Albert Thomas IV, 20, and DaJon Revel Ross, 21, in a neighborhood near Owasso in Rogers County.

Rogers County sheriffs deputies were dispatched about 10 p.m. Oct. 22, 2019, to the 7600 block of North 174th East Avenue, where they found one shooting victim lying in the street, another victim in the drivers seat of a car, and a man, later identified as Quezada, standing in the street with a handgun in his back pocket.

Ross was shot in the chest, and Thomas was shot in the head.

The night of the shootings, Ross and Thomas arrived at Quezadas residence in a black Mercedes, according to the complaint. Thomas was dating a daughter of Quezadas at the time, according to the complaint.

Quezada approached the Mercedes, opened the vehicles door and began punching Ross, according to the complaint.

Ross and Thomas then began fighting Quezada, with the elder man being pushed or falling to the ground at one point while being kicked by the pair, according to witnesses.
A Tulsa man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to threatening to kill President Joe Biden and the children of members of Congress.

John Jacobs Ahrens, 58, admitted to sending emails containing the threats in May and June to a local television station.

This office and our federal law enforcement partners take seriously any online threats made against the President and members of Congress, Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson said.

Ahrens was arrested on an FBI criminal complaint June 18, according to court records.

The arrest came one day after KOTV staff notified the FBI that the station had been receiving the threatening emails over the past month, according to court records.

I appreciate the staff at Newson6 for reporting John Ahrens threatening emails, Johnson said. It is their action along with the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn McCormick, the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and OSBI that ensured Mr. Ahrens was held accountable today in federal court.
A new documentary about the largest Civil War battle in what is now Oklahoma will make its public debut this month.

The Oklahoma Historical Society announced that The Battle of Honey Springs will premiere Aug. 28 at the Honey Springs Battlefield Visitor Center, with five screenings, followed by a program and reception with the filmmakers and actors.

The screenings are free, but space is limited and reservations are required. The center is located at 11th Street and Gertrude Avenue in Rentiesville.

OHS Executive Director Trait Thompson said, This new film is a first-class production that will allow us to tell the story of the battle in an engaging way for years to come. We are very excited.

The film, a Pantheon Digital Production, was made possible by a grant from the Inasmuch Foundation to the Friends of Honey Springs Battlefield, officials said.

It was written and directed by Bryan Beasley and produced by Jaime Roman and Jon Roman. The film stars Sidney Flack, Aaron Martin, David Burkhart, T.S. Akers, Roderick Berko, Tyler Huffman, Warren Gavitt, Jeremy Guana and Elisha Pratt.
According to a letter dated Thursday addressed to Hulbert parents, the districts plan includes provisions for students who are unable to wear masks for medical reasons. Beyond that, the letter states that families who want to opt-out of the mask requirement for personal reasons are asked to switch to the districts virtual option.

Oklahoma City Public Schools and Santa Fe South Charter Schools previously announced that they would require masks on campus. Given that Gov. Kevin Stitt praised the Oklahoma City district for including an opt-out provision with its mask mandate, Choate initially said she did not expect any criticism from his office for enacting a policy that also included opt-out language.

However, both the governor and his newly appointed attorney general, John OConnor, issued statements Thursday afternoon blasting the districts decision.

It is disappointing that one school district has chosen to openly violate a state law that was supported by 80% of the Legislature, Stitt said in a statement. The goal of SB658 was to ensure every student in Oklahoma could go to school in person and parents retained the fundamental right to make health care decisions for their children.
Neva Alsip and her sister Leslie Harrison own 120 acres near Yale. Alsip operates a cottage-esque Airbnb alongside an organic farm, offering travelers a rural getaway or part-time employment.

She said the power lines will be devastating, and she is willing to go to court against Transource, if need be.

Its like big, heavy-handed, huge corporation versus little Pete Pickens landowner, Alsip said. Its heartbreaking because you know youre up against Goliath.

Considering all possible routes, nearly 1,000 landowners have been notified. Once the final route is determined, impacted landowners can either agree to the terms and receive financial compensation from Transource or the company can impose eminent domain.

Connie Smith, Transources community affairs representative, said Southwest Power Pool deemed the electric line to be necessary to avoid future power grid crashes and electricity bill increases.

Transource said the proposed electric line is estimated to save consumers $465.6 million over the next 40 years. They also plan to build the new overhead electric transmission line connecting the two substations, each of which would make upgrades.
Everyone knew Sgt. John Harris was outstanding.

Even while he was in patrol, those at the Tulsa County Sheriffs Office who worked alongside him noticed how his care for others didnt run out, even when they met the end of theirs. Later, it was obvious that the founder and supervisor of the departments Officer Assistance Program had to be a special, extremely passionate person.

But it wasnt until the day of his death that everyone would learn the entirety of the lengths to which Harris, 43, went to uplift others; that was the nature of his job.

One of the staples to have a successful Officer Assistance Program is that it has to remain anonymous, Sheriff Vic Regalado said, noting that even he, as department head, couldnt order Harris to share anything about any of his very private interactions with deputies.

Upon Harris death, those he supported broke the silence, and the Sheriffs Office has been inundated with personal tales from members of area police departments and even those in other states about just how instrumental Harris was in getting them through difficult times.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  The state and Vermont Legal Aid have reached a settlement over the end of a hotel voucher program for some of the homeless population during the pandemic, the Vermont Agency of Human Services and the legal services group announced Friday.

Under the settlement, eligibility for the general assistance emergency housing program will be expanded for people with disabilities and a formal process will be created for applicants whose health or welfare would be at risk due to their disability if they were unsheltered, they said.

Last year Vermont expanded eligibility for the program during the pandemic to allow more people to stay temporarily in hotels and motels. It ended the program for some in July, and gave $2,500 checks to those who were no longer eligible. Vermont Legal Aid sued and a judge signed an agreement, extending the emergency housing for some people to show they had a disability and could remain eligible.
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was poorly conceived and botched in execution.

It left individuals we had explicitly or implicitly promised to protect in the hands of people with a history of ruthless, intolerant, ugly violence.

It undercuts faith in our promises to other nations: Israel, Taiwan, Ukraine, South Korea 

It emboldens our rivals for international leadership, especially China.

It made a trillion dollars in tax money and more than 2,400 U.S. military lives  and many more physically and psychologically injured Americans and allies  seem wasted.

The Taliban was in power when we started, and now they are again, though much of the nation and uncounted numbers of Afghans were left mutilated in the process.

American policy in Afghanistan has lacked purpose or a realistic exit strategy virtually from the beginning.

We went there to punish the despicable criminals who attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, and those who had shielded them. We did that. Eventually, Osama bin Laden was killed (in Pakistan). Many of his henchmen were killed or captured, too. The Taliban were pushed into retreat.
Our politicians need to be the ones who take the field of battle and suffer the danger and loss of life, limbs and dreams that last a lifetime.

Stop fighting political wars and wars for profit. Make the politicians walk point, and maybe they'll seek a quicker solution to the worthless campaigns they get us into.

Or let generals do what generals do: win wars.

Then go home like we did after World War II. Finish them off, and you don't need occupation forces.

No mercy, no compromise, just total surrender/annihilation of the enemy.

Remember Korea when President Harry Truman settled for a truce leaving the war unfinished?

Or in Vietnam when President Richard Nixon pulled us out and left the Vietnamese people at the mercy of communists who machine gunned their people along the side of the road?

The Persian Gulf War had Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf pushing Saddam Hussein back to Iraq, then went back to Kuwait leaving Hussein in power.

Afghanistan cost lives and treasure for 20 years until an empty-headed President Joe Biden started withdrawing our troops.
Editor's note: The original story was written by a group of Vietnamese students in response to the 'Ho Chi Minh City Goes Global' contest, an open forum for readers to contribute their ideas and solutions for raising Ho Chi Minh Citys standing in the international arena.

The articles authors include Phan Hoang Dung - Fulbright University Vietnam; Nguyen Ky Nam - Sciences Po University, France; Bui Le Mai Anh - University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City; Hoang Ngoc Gia Huong - Fulbright University Vietnam; Truong Thanh Khoa - Hoa Sen University; Nguyen Thuy Dung - University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City.

The 'Ho Chi Minh City Goes Global' contest is co-organized by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations to prepare for the celebration of Vietnam's National Day on September 2.

For now, Ho Chi Minh Citys strengths in economics, innovation, and culture have fallen short of helping it achieve regional eminence, particularly in comparison to more prominent regional neighbors, such as Singapore and Jakarta. To make up for these shortcomings, Ho Chi Minh City must utilize the unique intersection of its innovative spirit and caring culture to bolster its international brand.

Streets of Innovation envisions Ho Chi Minh City as a convergence hub for social impact businesses, rallying international friends, and the citys residents, all under a single mission: expanding social impact in Vietnam and the region

'Ho Chi Minh City: Streets of Innovation' focuses on leveraging global trends (outer-potential) and the characteristics of the Saigonese people (inner-force) to boost the citys international standing.

Global trends

The Hague, the third-largest city in the Netherlands, is rising both as a political center of Europe and as a social impact business hub thanks to a combination of top-notch humanitarian traditions and an innovative startup scene.

In 2020, 72 percent of the worlds venture capital firms prioritized projects with a social aspect and over a-third of social impact investment has been poured into Southeast Asia.

Nevertheless, looking for local partners in developing countries poses a challenge. What the world wants to see is not just creativity or courage, but also a fiery passion with the community at its center.

Saigonese attributes: creative, courageous, and socially-minded

Ho Chi Minh City is not only the economic engine of a once war-torn nation, it is the countrys cradle of innovation. It currently ranks 3rd in Southeast Asia in terms of its startup environment with 1,000 tech startups which attracted a combined US$400 million in venture capital in 2019.

But its not just about numbers. What truly makes Ho Chi Minh City stand out isnt the fact that it innovates, but the way in which it innovates.

Ho Chi Minh Citys unique take on innovation is the fusion of 'dare to think, to do, and to take charge,' rising from the ashes and not leaving anyone behind.

On a small scale, the city has rolled out initiatives such as SOSmap.net  a system that connects donors to those in need.

On a larger scale, the city boasts education startups with the highest growth rate in the world alongside more than 4,000 social impact businesses  50 percent of which have national and international influence.

Strategy

To realize the 'Streets of Innovation' brand and level up internationally, we propose four key focus areas for the city:

Awareness

Involving international friends in the citys initiatives will give it a competitive advantage by involving the intersection between creative innovation and Saigons kind-hearted culture. This aspect of the campaign would involve a TVC video to kickstart the message, We have the people you need to make an impact on the world, which would be released to social media and international startup networks like Global Innovation Alliance. Brand recognition would be the result.

Consideration

Building up international trust in Ho Chi Minh Citys 'Streets of Innovation' brand is key to the citys future success. We propose setting up a 'Digital museum of innovation for social impact' by collecting, interviewing, and narrating the journeys of social impact businesses, the life of generous and society-minded Saigonese, and innovative social startups. We want to tell the story of Ho Chi Minh Citys inner-force to international friends.

Decision-making

Once international friends show interest in partnering with, investing in, and creating startups in Ho Chi Minh City, the government creates a path for them to do so. We propose a comprehensive digitalization and inclusion of consultancy, registration, and other procedures on a single-gate platform. The platform should strive to function beyond a mere legal stop. It should feature a network to connect resources and encourage successful social entrepreneurs to train, fund, and collaborate with new projects.

International touchpoint

To assert the 'Streets of Innovation' brand of Ho Chi Minh City in Southeast Asia, we propose the city government connect social impact businesses with countries in the region through international forums so that these businesses can build realistic assessments of the market and competitors. Go big or go home  Ho Chi Minh Citys social impact businesses will need much help in expanding to regional markets and beyond.

The vision 'Streets of Innovation' is a unique intersection of potential social impact businesses in Ho Chi Minh City, foreign investors needs, and the creative, society-minded attributes of Saigonese. As such, Ho Chi Minh City will be an indispensable nucleus on the innovation map for social impact in Southeast Asia and the world.

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SEOUL -- From Seoul to Paris, and Moscow to Bangkok, concerned citizens are lining up for shots as COVID-19 case numbers swell. That may ease pressure on stretched hospitals around the world, but with it comes a hangover - a severe shortage of blood donors.

A number of countries don't allow people who have just been vaccinated to give blood, as well as banning those in recovery from coronavirus. With others simply staying home as new infections rise, doctors say donor pools have shrunk to alarmingly low levels, menacing urgent operations.

In South Korea, now grappling with record cases, donors can't give blood for seven days after a COVID-19 shot - and supply is down to just 3.2 days, as of Wednesday, from 6.5 days' worth this time last year, according to the Korean Red Cross.

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) has launched a blood drive, starting with doctors themselves, warning that patients in need of urgent surgery or transfusions could face emergency situations, KMA spokeswoman Park Soo-hyun told Reuters.

"There have been increasing times when hospitals notify us of postponement of surgeries or treatments and crowding due to lack of blood," Park said.

People receive the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine as the Thai resort island of Phuket rushes to vaccinate its population amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Phuket, Thailand, April 2, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Recurrent waves of infections, driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant, and extension of lockdowns have started taking a bigger toll on donations, according to a Reuters review of the situation in different countries.

In Thailand, confirmed cases topped 1 million on Friday with authorities reporting record increases in deaths in recent weeks.

"Due to the COVID situation, not many people are donating blood so there is not enough and some surgeries have to be postponed," said Piya Kiatisewi, a bone caner surgeon at Lerdsin Hospital in Bangkok.

'September worries'

Like South Korea, Russia prohibits blood donations from the fully vaccinated - but for a whole month, not just seven days. It also doesn't accept blood from those in the middle of COVID-19 vaccination cycle.

The Kommersant business daily reported last week that donor activity in Russia has slumped, hit by the vaccination campaign, with blood service workers in six different regions reporting the problem to the paper.

South Korean woman receives her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a vaccination centre in Seoul, South Korea April 1, 2021. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via Reuters

To be sure, in western Europe concerns over vaccination-hit donations have been exacerbated by the traditional summer holiday period.

France's blood supply agency, the Etablissement Francais du Sang (EFS), said stocks were too tight for comfort. It said there are 85,000 red blood cell bags in reserve, below a comfortable level of 100,000 or more.

"No sick person will miss out on a transfusion but we are worried for September," an EFS spokesperson told Reuters, when the volume of surgical operations would typically increase.

In Italy, the National Blood Centre said there were worrying shortages in a number of regions, including Lazio, centred on the capital Rome, which had led some hospitals to postpone planned operations to conserve stocks for emergencies. It blamed the shortfall mainly on many people being away on holiday and a lack of staff in some collection centres.

People line up to receive vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outside a vaccination centre in the State Department Store, GUM, in central Moscow, Russia June 25, 2021. Photo: Reuters

'Afraid to donate'

Across Europe, donation levels have also been plagued by uncertainty over whether people can give blood if they have not been vaccinated, officials in various countries said. Spain's Health Ministry, for instance, issued a call for donations this week, telling people it's safe to donate during the pandemic.

In Greece, "People are afraid to go and donate blood to hospitals because of the coronavirus", said Konstantinos Stamoulis, scientific director of Hellenic National Blood Center in Athens. "There are days when there is a reduction of up to 50% in blood donations compared to 2019," he said.

Back in Asia, many countries are now facing their most severe outbreak of coronavirus so far amid the Delta variant surge.

Doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine are seen at a COVID-19 vaccination centre in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2021. Photo: Reuters

In Vietnam, the country's National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion said it could meet only 50-70% of demand.

"We haven't been able to deploy mobile donor centres," said Le Hoang Oanh, head of the blood transfusion centre of Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's coronavirus epicentre.

"Instead, we have to call for donors to go to our permanent centres, which is a challenge given the movement restrictions in the city."
In Israel's COVID-19 wards, doctors are learning which vaccinated patients are most vulnerable to severe illness, amid growing concerns about instances in which the shots provide less protection against the worst forms of the disease.

Around half of the country's 600 patients presently hospitalized with severe illness have received two doses of the Pfizer Inc shot, a rare occurrence out of 5.4 million fully vaccinated people.

The majority of these patients received two vaccine doses at least five months ago, are over the age of 60 and also have chronic illnesses known to exacerbate a coronavirus infection.

They range from diabetes to heart disease and lung ailments, as well as cancers and inflammatory diseases that are treated with immune-system suppressing drugs, according to Reuters interviews with 11 doctors, health specialists and officials.

Such "breakthrough" cases have become central to a global debate over whether highly vaccinated countries should give booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and to which people.

Israel began offering booster doses to people age 60 and up in July, and has since expanded that eligibility.

The United States, citing data out of Israel and other findings, said on Wednesday it would make booster doses available to all Americans beginning in September.

Other countries, including France and Germany, have so far limited their booster plans to the elderly and people with weak immune systems.

"The vaccinated patients are older, unhealthy, often they were bedridden before infection, immobile and already requiring nursing care," said Noa Eliakim-Raz, head of the coronavirus ward at Rabin Medical Centre in Petach Tikva.

In contrast, "the unvaccinated COVID patients we see are young, healthy, working people and their condition deteriorates rapidly," she said. "Suddenly they're being put on oxygen or on a respirator."

Israel's Health Ministry raised new alarm this week with a report showing the effectiveness against severe disease of the Pfizer vaccine, developed with Germany's BioNTech, appeared to have dropped from more than 90% to 55% in people age 65 and up who received their second jab in January.

Disease experts say it is not clear how representative the figures are, but agree it is concerning given evidence that overall vaccine protection against infection is waning.

They cannot say whether that is due to the amount of time that has passed since inoculation, the ability of the highly contagious Delta variant to evade protection, the age and underlying health of the people vaccinated, or a combination of all of these factors.

Health officials in the UK and United States, two other nations with high vaccination rates and a spike in Delta infections, have reported similar trends.

In the UK, about 35% of the people hospitalized with a Delta case in recent weeks had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. breakthrough infections that led to hospitalization or death were among people age 65 or older, according to federal data.

U.S. officials said their booster plan is based on concern that over time, the vaccines will provide less protection against severe disease, including among younger adults.

"We are watching other countries carefully and (are) concerned that we too will see what Israel is seeing, which is worsening infections over time" among vaccinated people, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization has repeatedly urged wealthy nations to refrain from providing boosters while much of the world has yet to access their first COVID vaccine doses.

A medical staff member attends to a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in a ward at Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel August 18, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Immune response

The Delta variant, first identified in India, has become the dominant version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus globally, accelerating a pandemic that has killed more than 4.4 million people.

In Israel, daily new cases have increased from the single digits in June to around 8,000 since the arrival of Delta. Approximately half of the cases - the majority of them mild to moderate - are in vaccinated people.

Those vaccinated first in Israel were at high-risk, including people age 60 and up. The immune response of some may have weakened by the time Delta hit Israel. But for others with underlying health conditions, the vaccine may have not kicked in at all.

"For some of them the vaccine did not trigger an immune response, they had no antibodies, because of the illness itself or because they are treated with medication that suppresses the immune system," said Dror Mevorach, who heads the coronavirus ward at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem. He cited examples such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma.

Among 3 million vaccinated Israelis covered by Clalit, the country's largest healthcare provider, 600 have suffered severe breakthrough cases since June. Around 75% of them were above the age of 70 and were at least 5 months after their second dose, according to Ran Balicer, Clalit's chief innovation officer. Nearly all of them have chronic illnesses.

"We are hardly seeing young vaccinated people in severe condition," said Balicer.

In the UK, doctors described similar characteristics among vaccinated patients who fall severely ill.

"In those people who come in, because of their age, because of their co-morbidities, they might be people that you would expect that the vaccine is not quite so efficacious as other age groups," said Tom Wingfield, a clinical lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

A new surge in U.S. coronavirus cases and deaths has been fueled by Delta, particularly in states where vaccination rates remain low. Among vaccinated patients who become infected, there is evidence of older people being hit harder.

In Texas, 92% of the vaccine breakthrough cases that resulted in death were in people over the age of 60 and 75% had a known underlying condition that put them at high risk from COVID-19, according to a public health department spokesperson.

Initial data in Israel suggests the booster shots administered in the last few weeks are reducing the risk of infection in older people compared with those who have received only two doses..

Even without boosters, Israeli doctors say that vaccinated patients tend to recover more quickly.

"The vaccinated patients I've treated usually left the ICU in about three days. The unvaccinated patients took a week or two until they stabilized," said Yael Haviv-Yadid, head of the critical care ward at Sheba Medical Centre near Tel Aviv.

Even if the vaccine did not stop them getting ill, it may have mitigated their illness, said Alex Rozov, head of the coronavirus ward at Barzilai Medical Centre in Ashkelon.

"Our cautious impression is that the vaccinated patients suffer an easier course of illness - the treatment is more effective among those who have antibodies."
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked AstraZeneca to accelerate the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam during a phone talk with the firms CEO Pascal Soriot on Thursday.

During the conversation, PM Chinh praised AstraZenecas role in and contributions to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the world and in Vietnam.

The premier stressed that Vietnam is determined to secure COVID-19 vaccines for its residents as soon as possible and suggested that Soriot hasten AstraZenecas deliveries to the country to meet contract stipulations.

As part of a bid to acquire more vaccines, the leader requested that AstraZeneca look into the possibility of Vietnam borrowing or purchasing jabs from countries without a present need.

PM Chinh also requested AstraZeneca to step up the implementation of contracts on vaccines for children and those aged below 18, as well as for people at high risk or with underlying diseases.

The Vietnamese government encourages and creates favorable conditions for foreign firms to operate and expand operations in Vietnam, and intends to leverage its strategic, comprehensive, and long-term partnership with AstraZeneca in order to boost the countrys pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

Vietnams diplomatic mission in the UK will be tasked with working directly with AstraZeneca to promote cooperation between both sides.

Soriot spoke highly of Vietnams COVID-19 prevention and control efforts, especially its vaccination strategy, adding that AstraZeneca hopes for long-term cooperation with the Southeast Asian country.

The CEO pledged to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam on time and increase vaccine supplies to the country in August.

This was the second time in a short period that PM Chinh had directly spoken with a senior representative of AstraZeneca to accelerate the delivery of vaccines, reflecting the governments determination to carry out its vaccine diplomacy policy, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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More than 1.2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have arrived in Vietnam under an ongoing contract between a Vietnamese firm and the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company amid the countrys heightened fight against COVID-19.

The shipment, which landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday evening, is the ninth delivery under the 30-million dose contract between Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC) and the vaccines developer, British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca, the Ministry of Health reported on Friday.

VNVC has so far received about 6.7 million vaccine doses from the contract.

Vietnam needs to acquire 150 million vaccine doses to inoculate two-thirds of its 98-million population and reach herd immunity, but until now, the country has only received 24 million jabs from the COVAX Facility, purchases, and donations, the ministry said.

Out of the total, 14.3 million doses, or 62 percent, have come from AstraZeneca.

During a phone call with AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot on Thursday afternoon, Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the executive to speed up the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the country, particularly the eight million shots that are committed for arrival in August, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

It is expected that over the next two months, about 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to Vietnam, according to Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan.

Nano Covax is slated to be registered for emergency approval in August as part of an effort to make the first Vietnamese vaccine available as soon as possible in order to dampen the spread of the virus.

The country is speeding up vaccination and has administered more than 15.9 million doses nationwide, with 1.6 million people fully vaccinated since inoculation was rolled out on March 8, according to health ministry's data.

Since the pandemic hit Vietnam in early 2020, the nation has documented 312,611 cases of COVID-19, ranking 77th among 222 countries and territories in the world, the ministry reported on Thursday evening.

There have been 120,059 recoveries and 7,150 deaths, or 2.3 percent of the total infections, equivalent to the worlds coronavirus death rate.

In Ho Chi Minh City alone, the number of cases has topped 164,000 and the death toll has reached 5,759.

Since late April, when the fourth wave erupted in Vietnam, the country has registered 308,559 domestic infections, with the highly contagious Delta variant dominant in the majority of cases.

The pandemic has now spread to 62 out of the countrys 63 cities and provinces, with Ho Chi Minh City topping the list, followed by southern Binh Duong, Long An, and Dong Nai Provinces.

The only locality in Vietnam that has yet to be affected by COVID-19 is Cao Bang Province, where measures against coronavirus penetration are strictly applied.

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What you need to know in Vietnam today!

Politics

-- Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Hieu on Thursday held an online meeting with nine resident and non-resident ambassadors and charge d'affaires of Middle East countries to Vietnam, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- Over 1.2 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses arrived in Vietnam on Thursday, the Ministry of Health said the same day. The country has received about 24 million vaccine shots so far, 16 million of which have been administered since inoculation was rolled out on March 8.

-- Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City seized 350,000 smuggled medical supplies, including oxygen generators, pulse oximeters, PPE, face masks, and others on Thursday. They were suspected to be smuggled from China.

-- Two students drowned in Ha Tinh Province, located in north-central Vietnam, on Thursday, local authorities said the same day.

-- Police in Lam Dong Province on Thursday initiated legal proceedings against 16 people, six of whom were already arrested, over their deforestation.

-- A 61-year-old man died of respiratory failure in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday after his adopted son made six phone calls to medical facilities at various levels to seek help in vain.

Business

-- South Korea's pharmaceutical company HLB said on Wednesday that it had signed an MOU with Vietnam's Nanogen to acquire the rights to supply the latter's COVID-19 vaccine, Nanocovax, across the globe, except for in Vietnam and India, the Korea Times reported the same day.

Education

-- Middle, high, and continuing education schools will start the new academic year on September 1 while elementary schools will follow suit on September 8, according to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. All classes are to be run over the Internet considering the serious COVID-19 outbreak in the city.

World News

-- "The Biden administration's plan to provide COVID-19 vaccine boosters is based on concerns that a decrease in the vaccines' ability to protect against milder infections could also mean people will have less protection against severe illness, a premise that has yet to be proven," Reuters quotedscientists as saying on Thursday.
Authorities in Da Nang have decided to test all arrivals for COVID-19 at checkpoints at the central citys gateways.

The decision, meant to prevent new sources of infection from entering the city, took effect on Thursday.

People are currently allowed to enter Da Nang via three COVID-19 checkpoints located on Ta Quang Buu Street, and in Hoa Nhon and Ho Phuoc Communes.

About 6,900 vehicles come the city through these three gateways on a daily basis, according to data released by the city.

All individuals entering the city from Thursday must undergo rapid COVID-19 testing at these checkpoints, including those who already tested negative prior to their arrival.

People who test positive for the novel coronavirus at the checkpoints will be temporarily quarantined and undergo real-time RT-PCR tests for confirmatory results.

Da Nang has recorded 2,547 local infections since the fourth wave hit Vietnam on April 27.

The city currently follows social distancing measures under the prime ministers Directive No. 16, which bans gatherings of more than two individuals in public and restricts outdoor travels to essential tasks only.

Local authorities recently required that all residents stay put for seven days as part of a more stringent plan to cope with the pandemic.

Accordingly, residents must stay home, while workers at factories and construction sites must stay at workplaces from 8:00 am on August 16 to 8:00 am on August 23.

Vietnam had documented 312,611 COVID-19 cases as of Friday afternoon, with 120,059 recoveries and 7,150 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has registered 308,559 local transmissions in 62 out of 63 provinces and cities since April 27.

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South Koreas pharmaceutical company HLB on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vietnams Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC to acquire the rights to supply the latters COVID-19 vaccine worldwide.

HLB will supply Nanogens Nano Covax COVID-19 vaccine to all countries except Vietnam and India when the jab is approved for use, according to The Korea Times.

Nanogen will transfer its vaccine production technology to HLB, while the South Korean firm will produce and sell the jab as well as implement its global marketing campaigns.

The negotiation is expected to conclude once scientists of both firms complete reviewing the clinical data on Nano Covax within the next three months.

Nano Covax is the only COVID-19 vaccine candidate in Vietnam that has entered the third phase of clinical trials with the participation of approximately 14,000 volunteers.

Nanogen is now waiting for the Ministry of Health to approve its vaccine for emergency use in the Southeast Asian country.

After the third phase is complete, Nanogen will sign up for the World Health Organizations approval.

A sample of Nano Covax vaccine was previously sent to the organization in July.

In early August, Indias Vekaria Pharmaceutical Group also signed an agreement with Nanogen regarding the supply of Nano Covax vaccine in the South Asian country.

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Middlemen in Ho Chi Minh City are pushing their customers up the vaccine priority list by exploiting loopholes in the free-of-charge inoculation drive against COVID-19 that authorities offer.

Although all Ho Chi Minh City citizens can now sign up to get their vaccine through an official portal, the urge to jump the line and get a jab promptly seems to have led some people to go through black-market routes offered by middlemen.

These operations were spotted at the vaccination venue at Nguyen Thien Thuat Elementary School, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper's undercover correspondents reported.

At around 9:30 am on August 13, a man was seen jockeying to move a group of seven individuals through the vaccination site, telling all of them to write Thap Muoi Street, Ward 2, District 6 as their address, regardless of where they actually reside.

Further investigation shows that the address belongs to an eyewear shop, not a residence.

After they completed their forms, the man led the group through a series of administrative procedures before they were given the AstraZeneca vaccine about one hour later.

Referring to him as N., customer P.T.T.K. said the middleman arranged COVID-19 jabs for her whole family for VND2 million (US$88) apiece.

I feel blessed to receive the vaccine. As long as I am healthy, I can make the money back, K. said before calling N., asking him to set her acquaintances up for jabs.

Queue tickets for vaccination are handed over at Nguyen Thien Thuat Elementary School in Disitrct 6, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: H.T. - T.H. / Tuoi Tre

Truong Manh Thao, a public security officer in District 6, is another alleged vaccine middleman working at Thien Thuat Elementary School.

Though not assigned to work at the vaccination site, Thao is said to have exerted influence over staffers in terms of how they handle vaccine distribution.

On August 12, for example, Thao was spotted welcoming five individuals from other districts to the site and guiding them through the inoculation process.

He also asked each customer to declare their address as 41 Le Quang Sung Street, a location with several food and hairdressing kiosks.

While two of the five individuals were unable to get jabbed due to pre-existing conditions, the remaining three, including 25-year-old V.D.A. from Thu Duc City, were vaccinated that day.

Thao also assured these individuals that their vaccination information would be updated in Ho Chi Minh City's official database.

Hung, a third vaccine middleman operating out of Nguyen Thien Thuat Elementary School, is a guard at the site. On August 12, he was seen approaching people, offering on-demand jabs for VND1-1.5 million ($44-66) each.

According to Hung, at least ten people have gotten COVID-19 shots using his services; however, with vaccine supplies dwindling, he has been forced to raise his prices.

A client of Truong Manh Thao is shown receiving COVID-19 vaccine at Nguyen Thien Thuat Elementary School in Disitrct 6 of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: H.T. - T.H. / Tuoi Tre

Vaccinated on demand

According to the middlemen, the vaccination slots they helped fill were left open by individuals who either missed their appointments or delayed their jabs due to health conditions.

Many people with high blood pressure, high heart rates, or underlying conditions cant take the vaccine, leading to a surplus, Hung explained.

According to Hung, clients who arrive at the vaccination spot with temporarily high blood pressure can wait in an air-conditioned room he has prepared until their condition stabilizes.

On August 12 and 13, he contacted a multitude of potential clients, talking them into using his services, even offering a VND500,000 ($22) discount.

Hung also suggested that people with high blood pressure get injected at a hospital using his connections. Each dose costs VND2-5 million ($88-219), depending on each vaccine type.

I have taken two shots and will take my third in three weeks," he claimed.

"Im able to take them exactly when I want.

Truong Manh Thao, a public security officer in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City receives VND2 million ($88) for mediating COVID-19 vaccination for a client. Photo: H.T. - T.H. / Tuoi Tre

Authorities' responses

As of Wednesday, Thao had been placed on leave while local authorities were investigating his illegal vaccine racket, Le Thi Thanh Thao, chairman of the District 6 Peoples Committee, said in an official document to Tuoi Tre.

The district leader confirmed the existence of the vaccination venue at Nguyen Thien Thuat Elementary School, and assured that the authorities have carefully devised vaccination lists to cover the correct demographics.

Thaos case was also handed over to the municipal police for further inspection, she added.

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Vietnams Ministry of Health recorded over 10,000 domestic coronavirus cases for the second day in a row on Friday, together with more than 12,700 recoveries and 390 deaths.

Forty-three provinces and cities reported 10,650 local cases, the biggest-ever daily rise, whereas another seven infections were imported from abroad, the health ministry said.

The old record was set on Thursday, when 10,639 locally-infected patients were logged across the country.

More than 6,000 of the latest local cases were found in the community while the remainder were detected in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities.

Binh Duong Province detected 4,223 of the new domestic infections, up by 968 patients; Ho Chi Minh City 3,375, down by 1,050; Dong Nai Province 686; Long An Province 495; Tien Giang Province 367; Da Nang 167; Dong Thap Province 156; Can Tho City 147; Khanh Hoa Province 147; Tay Ninh Province 122; An Giang Province 111; Hanoi 72.

Since the fourth COVID-19 wave began in Vietnam on April 27, the country has found 319,209 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities.

Ho Chi Minh City is in the front with 167,717 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 59,824, Long An Province with 17,047, Dong Nai Province with 16,288, Tien Giang Province with 5,986, Bac Giang Province with 5,820, Dong Thap Province with 5,710, Khanh Hoa Province with 5,031, Tay Ninh Province with 3,941, Can Tho City with 3,293, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 2,723, Hanoi with 2,716, Da Nang with 2,714, and Phu Yen Province with 2,351.

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 12,756 recoveries on Friday, taking the total to 132,815 recovered patients.

The death toll has increased to 7,540 after the health ministry reported 390 fatalities the same day, including 312 registered in Ho Chi Minh City and 41 in Binh Duong Province.

The Southeast Asian country has detected an accumulation of 323,268 cases since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it on January 23, 2020.

About 16.3 million vaccine shots have been administered in Vietnam since the country rolled out vaccination on March 8, with over 1.63 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.

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Screen Australia has announced funding for two live action series and two animated childrens projects.

The $3.2 million of production funding will be shared by Tom Weekly Versus heading to ViacomCBS and Surviving Summer on Netflix, along with 100% Wolf: The Book of Hath and a Kangaroo Beach Summer Special, both for the ABC.

Screen Australias Head of Content Sally Caplan said, We are proud to announce this impressive line-up of childrens titles as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting quality Australian screen stories for young audiences. Its important that Australian kids can see their stories and experiences reflected on screen and families around the country will be in for a treat with these new projects. Northern Pictures are going from strength to strength  building on the success of Hardball, they are now set to bring popular book series Tom Weekly to the screen. We have Surviving Summer from the talented team at Werner Film Productions which is sure to captivate teens here and around the world, and fans of Kangaroo Beach and 100% Wolf will be delighted to see more of these entertaining stories coming to the ABC.

Surviving Summer

10 x 30 mins

Werner Film Productions Pty Ltd.

Genre Drama

Directors Ben Chessell, Charlotte George, Sian Davies

Writers Josh Mapleston, Magda Wozniak, Keir Wilkins, Gemma Crofts, Kirsty Fisher

Producer Joanna Werner

Executive Producers Joanna Werner, Stuart Menzies

Broadcaster Netflix

International Sales ZDFE

Synopsis Brooklyn, USA. Great Ocean Road, Australia. Worlds apart. Thrown together. Surfing is the easy bit.

Tom Weekly Versus

40 x 12 mins and 20 x 30 mins

Northern Pictures Pty Ltd

Genre Comedy, Family

Director TBC

Writers Guy Edmonds, Matt Zeremes, Amy Stewart, Kala Ellis, Erica Harrison, Nayuka Gorrie, Tristan Bancks, Penny Greenhalgh

Script Producer Fin Edquist

Producer Joe Weatherstone

Executive Producer Catherine Nebauer

Broadcaster ViacomCBS Australia

International Sales Viacom International

Synopsis Everything is true, except the stuff I make up. Based on the books by Tristan Bancks.

100% Wolf: The Book of Hath

26 x 22 mins

Flying Bark Productions Pty Ltd

Genre Comedy, Drama, Family

Director Jacquie Trowell

Writers Fin Edquist, Tess Meyer

Producers Barbara Stephen and Alexia Gates-Foale

Executive Producer Michael Bourchier

Broadcaster ABC

International Sales Paco Leadstar / Studio 100

Synopsis Starting with the appearance of a Polar Bear in the woods outside Howlington school and ending with the defeat of the terrifying Hath in 825AD, nothing is going to be easy for Freddy and his werewolf friends.

Kangaroo Beach Special

1 x 22 mins Summer Special, 4 x 1 min Mockumentary Shorts, 2 x 2 min Music Videos

Cheeky Little Media Pty Ltd

Genre Action adventure, Animation

Directors David Webster, Steve Moltzen, Stephanie Davidson

Writer & Creator Tim Bain

Producer Celine Goetz

Executive Producer Patrick Egerton

Platform ABC iview

Synopsis Welcome to sun-soaked Kangaroo Beach, summer home to best friends Pounce, Frizzy, Neville and Gemma, four super-keen cadets training to be junior lifeguards.
Feature film The Voyeurs screens on Amazon Prime Video next month.

It follows a young couple who find themselves becoming increasingly interested in the sex life of their eccentric neighbours across the street as temptation and desire cause their lives to become tangled together in unexpected ways, leading to deadly consequences.

The cast features Sydney Sweeney, Justice Smith, Ben Hardy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo.

After moving into a beautiful loft apartment in Downtown Montreal, a young couple (Sydney Sweeney and Justice Smith), find themselves becoming increasingly interested in the sex life of their eccentric neighbors across the street (Ben Hardy and Natasha Liu Bordizzo). What starts out as an innocent curiosity slowly turns into an unhealthy obsession, after they discover that one of these neighbors is cheating on the other. Temptation and desire cause their lives to become tangled together in unexpected ways, leading to deadly consequences. Breathing new life into the forgotten genre of erotic thriller, The Voyeurs asks the question, Is it okay to watch?

Written and Directed by Michael Mohan

Produced by Greg Gilreath, Adam Hendricks

121 Minutes | Rated R

Friday September 10 on Amazon Prime Video.

Adult themes.
Just nine days after being announced as the new host of Jeopardy!, Mike Richards is out, after his past became embroiled in headlines.

Sony Pictures TV confirmed that Richards had agreed to step aside as host following reports over his past conduct and statements he made on an eight-year-old podcast.

In a statement, Richards said the backlash had created too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show. He will remain the shows executive producer.

The Anti-Defamation League had called for an investigation after a report that Richards made disparaging remarks about Jews, women and other groups in comedy podcast The Randumb Show recorded in 2013 and 2014.

Variety reports Sony concluded that Richards image was too battered for him to take the helm of one of televisions most prestigious and popular brands.

Richards was named permanent host on August 11, with Mayim Bialik to host primetime specials and a spinoff series.

Recent guest hosts had included LeVar Burton, former champs David Faber, Buzzy Cohen and Ken Jennings. Other names in the mix had reportedly were Savannah Guthrie, Sanjay Gupta, Anderson Cooper, Mayim Bialik, Aaron Rodgers, Dr. Oz, Katie Couric, George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts and Joe Buck.

Here is Richards full statement:

Dear Team,

It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter.

As I mentioned last week, I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role. However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show. As such, I will be stepping down as host effective immediately. As a result, we will be canceling production today.

SPT will now resume the search for a permanent syndicated host. In the meantime, we will be bringing back guest hosts to continue production for the new season, details of which will be announced next week.

I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing. I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence.

Mike

Sony said in a statement: We support Mikes decision to step down as host. We were surprised this week to learn of Mikes 2013/2014 podcast and the offensive language he used in the past. We have spoken with him about our concerns and our expectations moving forward. Mike has been with us for the last two years and has led the Jeopardy! team through the most challenging time the show has ever experienced. It is our hope that as EP he will continue to do so with professionalism and respect.

Jeopardy! airs in Australia on SBS VICELAND and FOX Classics.
If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, follow the steps below to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community.
After years of feuding, Iran and Saudi Arabia are ramping up efforts to bridge their longtime hostilities as the Taliban's (banned in Russia) takeover in Afghanistan threatens to spread chaos beyond Central Asia and destabilize the Middle East as well.

As Middle East power brokers, Iran and Saudi Arabia see the Taliban as a shared threat. With the U.S. also planning to withdraw troops from Iraq, the countries could seek even deeper cooperation to fill the power vacuum left in the region, Nikkei Asia writes.

Iraq has invited both Iran and Saudi Arabia to a conference of neighboring nations in Baghdad this month, an Iranian government source told Nikkei. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi that he will attend in a phone call on Tuesday.

In addition to Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iraq has invited representatives from the European Union, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt to the upcoming gathering. Iranian and Saudi senior officials had already held talks in Iraq in April, and may now seek a higher level of dialog.

The situation in Afghanistan is expected to dominate discussions as the Taliban takeover threatens to reenergize radical Islamist movements in Central Asia and the Middle East, which had been on the decline in recent years.

Raisi this week expressed support for reconstruction in Afghanistan following the U.S. "defeat" in the country. A Shiite-majority country, Iran has been particularly concerned by the Taliban's growing influence and has condemned the group's extremist ideologies, like barring women from schools and work outside the home. Iran itself has encouraged women's participation in society since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

The Taliban follows a radical form of Sunni Islam, which is dominant in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis had recognized and supported the Taliban-controlled government in Afghanistan prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is now advancing modernization efforts in the country, and there are concerns that a changing society could push disgruntled radicals into the arms of groups like the Taliban.

Iran and Saudi Arabia cut ties in 2016 after Riyadh executed a prominent Shiite cleric. Proxy conflicts that followed, like the civil war in Yemen and political turmoil in Lebanon, has since loomed heavy over the Middle East. Caught in the middle of its two key backers, Iraq is urging the countries to mend the fence.

Saudi Arabia is also being forced to reevaluate its diplomatic and security policies regarding Iran following the departure of U.S. President Donald Trump, who was staunchly anti-Tehran. When Saudi oil facilities came under attack in 2019, the U.S. blamed Iran but did not take retaliatory action.

The global decarbonization movement is also driving the two rivals closer together. Iran and Saudi Arabia both depend on oil revenues, and face the urgent need to diversify their economies and create more employment. Medical reforms are a priority as well in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Countries in the region and beyond are scrambling to fill the power vacuum left by the U.S. exit from Afghanistan and its planned withdrawal from Iraq. But a regional order that excludes the U.S. faces mounting uncertainties.

China and Russia are both looking to expand their clout in the Middle East, but they are primarily focused on short-term gains, meaning topics like democratization and human rights that could turn into major flashpoints down the road may take a back seat. Efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a major destabilizing force in the region since World War II, has also stalled.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the latest situation in Afghanistan with G7 foreign ministers and the high representative of the European Union on Thursday.

"All leaders underscored the imperative of safe passage for those who wish to leave Afghanistan and the need for an inclusive political resolution that protects the fundamental human rights of all Afghans," U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

Leaders agreed that the international communitys relationship with the Taliban (banned in Russia) "will depend on their actions, not their words."

They also exchanged views on counterterrorism, humanitarian efforts and refugee migration, agreeing to remain in close contact on all fronts, said Price.

The war between the Taliban and Afghan forces intensified as foreign troops announced their withdrawal from the country by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that destroyed New York City's World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon and brought down an airliner near Shanksville, Pennsylvania which led to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

The Taliban made rapid military advances in recent weeks and took control of the capital on Sunday as Afghan government forces fled or surrendered. Former President Ashraf Ghani also left the country.
Oil prices were down for a seventh straight session on Friday near three-month lows and heading for a weekly loss of over 6% as new lockdowns in countries facing surging cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant dampened the outlook for fuel demand.

"The spread of the Delta variant amid moderating economic growth and the prospects of tighter monetary policy are creating short-term ripples in the commodity market," ANZ commodity analysts said in a note. "Increasing restrictions on mobility are raising concerns for oil demand."

Brent crude futures fell 42 cents or 0.6% to $66.03 a barrel at 1042 GMT, near their lowest since May and down over 6% for the week.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for September, due to expire on Friday, fell 49 cents or 0.8% to $63.2 a barrel and were down over 7% for the week.

Investors concerned about economic growth are looking ahead to the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's comments at the Jackson Hole symposium next week. They are bracing to hear more about its timeline for tapering and easing of economy-stimulating policies.

"Regardless of Fed tapering timing, growth is only getting pushed further out, but given the excessive froth in the market a pullback seems warranted," Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda, said in a note.

He added that the Fed's stimulus measures would not disappear overnight and markets would therefore continue to be supported in the coming months.

"Investors should not expect a similar 2013 taper tantrum, but a modest stock market pullback that will likely be bought into," Insider cited him as saying.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is certain that German Chancellor Angela Merkels visit to Moscow on Friday will not be just a farewell one, but also be filled with specific, business-like content.

Before the beginning of the talks in the Kremlin the Russian leader presented Merkel with a bouquet of flowers.

"Currently Russia is hosting Germany Year, with economic development taking center stage. We maintain permanent contact by telephone. We have many issues that should be addressed at a face-to-face meeting. I am certain this will be not just a farewell visit, following your decision not to seek election as federal chancellor again, but a visit filled with serious, businesslike content," Putin told Merkel.

During the protocol part of the meeting, when Putin was speaking about Russian-German contacts, there was a ring to Merkels mobile telephone, so she had to turn it off.

Germany remains one of the main trade and economic partners of Russia in Europe and worldwide, Putin said before beginning talks with Merkel.

"I would like to note that Germany remains one of the main partners for us, both in Europe and in the world in general, among other things, thanks to your efforts as the federal chancellor during the previous 16 years. Country-wise, Germany for us is the second trade and economic partner following China. Despite the fact that in 2020 we had a rather serious downturn, now the trade turnaround has almost doubled over the first six months," the Russian leader said.

The Russian president also noted the work of Russian-German bilateral mechanisms, groups and forums, including the Year of Germany in Russia dedicated to economic development. "We are constantly in touch over the phone," he added.

As the Kremlins press-service said earlier, the leaders of Russia and Germany were to discuss the current condition of and outlook for the development of bilateral cooperation in various fields, as well as to consider a number of crucial international and regional issues.

Merkels current visit to Russia is the 19th and, apparently, the last one in her current capacity, because in the forthcoming parliamentary elections she will not contest the position of chancellor.
For the first time on record, precipitation on Saturday at the summit of Greenland - roughly two miles above sea level - fell as rain and not snow.

Temperatures at the Greenland summit over the weekend rose above freezing for the third time in less than a decade. The warm air fueled an extreme rain event that dumped 7 billion tons of water on the ice sheet, enough to fill the Reflecting Pool at the National Mall in Washington, DC, nearly 250,000 times.

It was the heaviest rainfall on the ice sheet since record keeping began in 1950, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, and the amount of ice mass lost on Sunday was seven times higher than the daily average for this time of year.

Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, said this is evidence Greenland is warming rapidly.

"What is going on is not simply a warm decade or two in a wandering climate pattern. This is unprecedented," CNN cited Scambos as saying.
The situation in Karabakh will be among the issues to be discussed during the upcoming visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Hungary, spokesperson for the ministry Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

According to Zakharova, on August 24, Lavrov will pay a working visit to Budapest at the invitation of minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Foreign Affairs of Hungary Peter Szijjarto.

Its expected that the parties will discuss topical issues of bilateral relations with an emphasis on the implementation of agreements previously reached at the level of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin with the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, as well as consider international issues, including the issues of fighting the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection, Russia's relations with the EU and NATO, the situation in Ukraine and in Karabakh, the diplomat added.
The Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) has resumed talks on creating a new inclusive government in Afghanistan, the TOLOnews TV channel reported on Friday citing spokesman for the Qatari political office of the group Muhammad Suhail Shaheen.

"We resumed talks on creating an inclusive government in Afghanistan. Consultations on the makeup of the future government are underway with various political movements. When the structure has been determined, it will be announced," the TV channel quoted him as saying.

"Now is not the time to conduct elections to decide the government," the spokesman noted. "We have a power vacuum. So theres no time for elections. There is no new constitution so far, we are developing it for subsequent approval. A lot of work is ahead, and an inclusive government is needed for that. These people will be chosen by means of dialogue between various politicians and our top leadership," he explained.
Turkey will begin requiring negative COVID-19 test results and proofs of vaccination for some sectors, including from teachers as schools reopen next month and for domestic travel, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said the new requirements would be imposed for teachers, academics and thosw who attend social gathering such as concerts, Reuters reported.

Turkey has administered some 87 million vaccines against COVID-19, mainly Sinovac's Coronavac and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The U.S. has airlifted about 7,000 people out of Kabul, Afghanistan, by cargo aircraft in the past five days, the Pentagon said Thursday, as U.S. forces race to evacuate as many people as possible with less than two weeks before a self-imposed deadline to pull out of the country.

Since the end of July, the U.S. has evacuated approximately 12,000 people from Afghanistan, a figure that includes American citizens, U.S. Embassy staff, citizens of NATO countries, at-risk Afghan nationals as well as Afghan nationals who have qualified for special immigrant visas.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Hank Taylor said that while the U.S. military can airlift approximately 5,000 to 9,000 people a day out of Kabul, that figure is dependent on who is on the airfield, ready to leave a holding area and get on the aircraft.

More than 2,000 people were evacuated on C-17 aircraft in the past 24 hours, Taylor said. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby estimated that about 300 of the passengers were Americans. Kirby told reporters Thursday he does not know how many U.S. citizens are left in Afghanistan.

There are currently 6,000 people at the airport who have been fully processed by the U.S. for evacuation and are waiting to board planes, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Thursday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday he is ready to speak with the Taliban once the hardline group's leadership is clear.

"I am ready to speak myself when it is clear with whom should I speak, for what purpose," he told reporters at the UN's New York headquarters.

Guterres said that while he thinks it is important that a guarantee "of effective safety" remains at the airport, the UN does not have the capacity at present to run the facility following the US exit.

I dont think the UN is asking, and I dont think we have the capacity to run the airport," he said. "We can cooperate with all the parties if our presence is considered useful, but to think the UN can run the airport in the present circumstances knowing what our presence is on the ground, is of course, not realistic."

Guterres declined to say whether he thinks the Security Council should expand the UN's mandate in Afghanistan but stressed the importance of the international community maintaining its unanimity on Afghanistan, Anadolu Agency reported.

The comments come after the Taliban seized the Afghan capital on Sunday following a blitz offensive that saw the rapid fall of the countrys 300,000-strong military and the flight of former President Ashraf Ghani from the country he led.

The US assumed command of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on Saturday to facilitate the evacuation of diplomatic personnel and Afghans seeking refugee status with Washington. The US is expected to complete its withdrawal by Aug. 31, though President Joe Biden left the door open to remaining beyond that date should evacuations not be completed.
The UNESCO called for the preservation of Afghanistan's cultural heritage in its diversity, and taking all precautions to protect the country's historic assets from 'damage and looting', amid deepening crisis in the war-torn nation since the Taliban (banned in Russia) takeover.

In a statement, the UNESCO also reminded of the 'deliberate destruction' of the iconic Bamiyan Buddhas, a world heritage site in Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley, in 2001.

Amid the rapidly unfolding events, and 20 years after the deliberate destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has called for preservation of cultural heritage of Afghanistan, the statement said.

Azoulay shared the UNESCO statement and tweeted, 'We are calling for the preservation of #Afganisthan cultural heritage in its diversity, in full respect of international law, and for taking all necessary precautions to spare and protect cultural heritage from damage and looting.' The Taliban swept across the country this month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities in the backdrop of withdrawal of the US forces that began on May 1.

The UNESCO in its statement Thursday also said it is 'closely following the situation on the ground and is committed to exercising all possible efforts'.

'Any damage or loss of cultural heritage will only have adverse consequences on the prospects for lasting peace and humanitarian relief for the people of Afghanistan,' it said.

The UNESCO further underlined the need for a safe environment for the ongoing work of the country's cultural heritage professionals and artists, who play a central role in Afghanistan's national cohesion and social fabric, the statement said.

'Afghanistan is home to a wide range of rich and diverse heritage, which is an integral part of Afghan history and identity, as well as of importance for humanity as a whole, that must be safeguarded,' it added.

This includes sites such as the Old City of Herat, the UNESCO world heritage sites of the Minaret and the archaeological remains of Jam and the cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley, where the UNESCO has been working for several decades, as well as museums including the National Museum in Kabul, the world body said.

'It is crucial for the future of Afghanistan to safeguard and preserve these landmarks,' the statement said.
The United States is revitalising its multilateral partnerships to advance shared prosperity, security, and values in the Indo-Pacific, with ASEAN now playing a greater role in the nations economic cooperation policy,

in which Vietnam is staying on the US financiers rada, with a brighter outlook ahead.

Vietnam received a package of Moderna vaccines from the US via the COVAX mechanism on July 25.

During the 8th US-ASEAN Summit last November, senior White House officials met with the leaders of ASEANs 10 member states to advance the US-ASEAN Strategic Partnership. Ever since, both sides have been working to boost economic recovery in the region amid the escalation of COVID-19.

The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is actively investing in multiple sectors across Southeast Asia, with over $1 billion deployed to date. It has approved a $25 million investment to support a regional equity fund, which will invest in businesses introducing innovative technology in various Southeast Asian nations.

These investments will help reduce costs for smaller enterprises, facilitate trade, and foster innovation, said the US Embassy in Cambodia in a statement. The DFC has committed to invest $40 million to help Frontiir [provider of affordable digital access and information services] expand broadband access for the people of Myanmar. Another $5 million project in Cambodia will extend financial services to underbanked populations.

The DFC is one among many entities from the US that have been pushing up cooperation with ASEAN economies. Last October, the third Indo-Pacific Business Forum held in Hanoi brought together business and government leaders to spur economic innovation and collaboration. US firms inked more than $11 billion in commercial deals.

In April, the US-ASEAN Business Council brought a delegation of leading US companies to Hanoi as part of its fourth food and agriculture industry mission to Vietnam. The delegation met with government officials and stakeholders in the sector to discuss how US businesses could support Vietnams post-pandemic recovery and learn the priorities of Vietnams government and their plans for the agriculture sector under the new leadership term of 2021-2026.

The business relationship between the US and Vietnam continues to be dynamic. According to the United States Foreign Agriculture Service, US exports totalled $3.4 billion in the fiscal year 2020. Vietnam is also ranked as the US seventh-largest agricultural export market, said the councils senior vice president and regional managing director Michael W. Michalak. Our annual mission constitutes a key part of our continued engagement, and our members remain committed to the long-term development of Vietnams food security, safety, and sustainability.

Bui Thanh Son - Minister of Foreign Affairs

During its doi moi process, ASEAN has held an important position in Vietnams foreign policy and international integration. It is ASEAN that is the door that brings Vietnam to the larger playgrounds of the region and the wider world. Joining ASEAN is a strategic decision of our Party and state, contributing to creating a new development situation for the country, consolidating a peaceful and stable environment, and taking advantage of external resources for development and enhancement of the countrys status. Consistent with the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, diversification, and respect for the principles, manners, and identity of ASEAN, Vietnam seriously implements the commitments and obligations of a member, with many important contributions to strengthening solidarity, building the ASEAN Community, and realising its Vision 2025. With the motto of being proactive, positive, responsible, and persevering in ASEANs principles, Vietnam works with member countries to make efforts to bring the ASEAN ship to weather the storm, proactively responding and adapting to the current situation, maintaining the momentum of regional cooperation and connectivity, and reaffirming the central role and enhancing the position of ASEAN. Many important initiatives in 2020 have become common assets of ASEAN such as the COVID-19 Response Fund, the Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies, and the Comprehensive Recovery Framework. Implementing the foreign policy of the 13th Party Congress, with the countrys new strength after 35 years of economic integration, Vietnam continues to actively work with ASEAN to build a united, strong, and stable community, with ASEANs central role in the regional security architecture. It is necessary to increase innovation in participating in ASEAN to better promote its role, identity, and strengths together with member countries, thereby bringing practical benefits to all members as well as partners inside and outside the region. With a proactive, positive, reliable, and responsible mindset, Vietnam will work with member countries to effectively implement cooperation initiatives and agreements, making practical contributions to solving common issues of the region.

Focus on urgency

To expand its trade and investment with Vietnam and the region as a whole, through the ASEAN Single Window (ASW), the United States Agency for International Development has continued to work with the bloc to implement a self-certified system to expedite select traders in securing government certificates of origin to qualify for lower tariff rates.

We have reached the first step of linking the ASW with the United States Customs and Border Protections Automated Commercial Environment to share electronic plant inspection certificates between ASEAN and the US, read the statement.

Currently, around 90,000 documents are issued by ASEAN and the US each year, totalling about $13 billion of two-way trade revenue. Expansion of the ASW allows for increased intra-ASEAN trade and will eventually lead to streamlined trade with the US once both sides electronic commercial systems are linked.

Since early last year, the US and ASEAN have also been fostering their anti-pandemic cooperation.

Our strategic partnership with ASEAN is focused on our most urgent challenges: fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and building a sustainable economic recovery, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. To date, the United States has provided over 23 million doses of vaccines to ASEAN members and over $158 million in emergency COVID-19 assistance.

The US intends to provide an additional $500,000 to the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund initiated by Vietnam to support the purchase of even more life-saving vaccines. This builds on the US close work with ASEAN regional health authorities on an ASEAN Public Health Emergency Coordination System.

This work builds on our already strong foundations: US foreign direct investment in ASEAN countries totalled $328.5 billion as of 2020, making the United States ASEANs largest source of investment. US exports from almost 42,000 companies across all 50 states support more than 625,000 US jobs, Blinken added.

At a press conference on the results of the 37th ASEAN Summit held last November, then Prime Minister and now State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the continuous development of trade and investment between ASEAN and the US and economic cooperation has become the basis of the long-term development of bilateral relations, including Vietnam and ASEAN countries.

ASEAN highly appreciates the strategic partnership with the US on the basis of mutual respect for independence and sovereignty, and wishes to build a peaceful and prosperous region, he said. The US is an important partner of ASEAN in supporting the training of its human resources, through many programmes and projects. Moreover, the US actively participates in efforts to narrow the development gap of ASEAN. I believe the partnership that has developed over the past four decades will continue to grow well.

The US began engaging with ASEAN as a dialogue partner in 1977. Starting in the early 1990s, development cooperation increased dramatically through the launch of economic programmes focusing on trade and investment, technology transfer, and education.

Southeast Asia is one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic regions in the world, the United States Mission to ASEAN said on its website. The US will remain a strong, reliable, and active partner in the region and is investing in public diplomacy, military, and assistance resources in a way that is commensurate with the US comprehensive engagement.

Major eyes on Vietnam

US Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Singapore and Vietnam on August 24-26 to strengthen relationships and expand economic cooperation with two critical Indo-Pacific partners of the United States. Furthering economic cooperation, with trade and investment discussions, will likely be high on the agenda. Earlier this year, Vietnams Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh held talks with US Secretary of State Blinken, in which both sides agreed bilateral ties have advanced in the last 25 years. They pledged to cooperate in deepening the ties more comprehensively, with a focus on economy-trade-investment, overcoming war consequences, enhancing maritime capacity, fighting COVID-19, and adapting to climate change.

Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi told VIR, American companies are optimistic about business prospects in Vietnam and we support efforts to create a modern economy that will attract future investment and high-paying jobs for Vietnamese people.

Statistics from Vietnams Ministry of Planning and Investment showed that as of July 20, US investors registered $9.68 billion in Vietnam for nearly 1,120 valid projects, making the US the 11th-largest foreign investor in the Southeast Asian nation. In the first seven months of 2021, the US ranked seventh in investment in Vietnam, with the total newly-registered capital of $415.7 million.

Source: VIR
On the evening of August 15, Pham Thi Minh Hien, deputy director of the Phu Yen Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, received a call for help from a young couple.

The call was from Tran Thi Thanh Tu, born in 1997, forwarded by officers on duty on the provincial hotline.

Tu is a factory worker in Binh Duong, eight months pregnant. Because of the pandemic, Tu and her husband lost their jobs. They had been staying in a rented room in Binh Duong, and were planning to leave Binh Duong for hometown where she would give birth.

However, a number of southern provinces, including Binh Duong, on August 15 announced the extension of social distancing campaign for 14 more days.

Tu and her husband feared they would not be able to return to their hometown, so they packed up their things, gave back the rented room, and drove a motorbike to Phu Yen that night.

However, they could not go through the checkpoint, but realized that they would have big problems if staying in Binh Duong.

Remembering the hotline of the home province of Phu Yen, Tu called the hotline, asking for help while crying.

Fortunately, they contacted Hien, who then added Tu and her husband to the list of Phu Yen people who could return to their hometown in the next trip. She also helped the couple follow the procedures to go through the checkpoints on the way from Binh Duong to Mien Dong Bus Station in HCM City.

On August 17, Hien once again received a call from the young couple. But this was a happy call. Tu said she has got on the bus. They arrived in Phu Yen the next morning and are now under quarantine as required.

Returning home with urn of ashes

Y Lanh, born in 1984, an ethnic minority man in Phu Yen, together with his wife and three children, went to Binh Duong province to earn a living some years ago. Unfortunately, he contracted Covid-19 and was taken to a quarantine zone on July 18. At that time, his wife was put under quarantine in another place, while the three children stayed in a rented room.

At 3 am on July 30, Y Lanh passed away, while none of his relatives knew about his death. Later, provincial agencies found Y Lanhs younger brother and informed about the death.

At that moment, the policy on supporting cremation fees for Covid-19 patients had not been issued. She his family was asked by the hospital to pay VND12.5 million to receive Y Lanh ashes.

Hien then decided to call for donations to help Y Lanhs family receive his ashes and hire a bus to transport his relatives to their hometown.

On August 1, his wife and three children arrived in their home village.

Trips of love

Other people in tragic circumstances have received support from Phu Yen provincial agencies to return to their hometowns. Some people, when hearing about the trips to Phu Yen from Mien Dong Bus Station, walked more than 10 kilometers from Binh Duong to the station to be able to get on the bus.

I received a lot of calls shouting for help. Some people said they had spent their last money. They told me in tears I want to return to my hometown'. Please help me, Hien said.

Phu Yen provincial authorities set up a sub-committee in charge of receiving repatriated workers. The sub-committee worked with HCM City authorities and the Phu Yen council of compatriots to organize trips carrying Phu Yen people to their homeland.

When the people arrive in Phu Yen, they have to have a PCR test. Those with positive results will be taken to field hospitals for treatment. Those with negative tests will be carried to quarantine zones, where they will stay for seven days before leaving home and spending a 14-day home quarantine. During that time, they will have a test two more times.

Thu Hang

'Trips of love': business owner organizes transport for needy My kid is going to be discharged from hospital today, but I dont know how we can go to our hometown. We are running out of money and cannot lease a car, while Hanoi is in social distancing. Please help us."
Nearly all kinds of fruits, from custard apple to dragon fruit to durian, have seen prices plummet on low demand.

In Dak Nong, durian is selling below VND10,000 per kilogram, while it sold at VND25,000 last year. Dan Tri quoted merchants as saying that demand is low because of Covid-19, which has forced prices down.

While durian in Vietnam is unsold, exports to Australia are selling well despite high prices. Though many cities in Australia have experienced lockdowns since the beginning of 2021, Vietnams Ri6 durian still sold well.

The Vietnam Trade Office in Australia reported that a recent consignment of 15 tons of frozen durian exported by a Vietnamese company to Australia sold out within two days, July 23-24. The floor price was 18.99 AUD per kilogram, or VND320,000.

Soon after some Chinese border gates stopped importing dragon fruit, the domestic price dropped dramatically.

In addition to durian, the Australian market also favors Vietnams tea. Dan Toc va Phat Trien reported that in H1, Vietnam exported six tons of tea to the country, worth $74,000, up by 62.1 percent in quantity and 85 percent in value compared with the same period last year.

Dragon fruit

Farmers now sell dragon fruit at just VND3,000-4,000 per kilogram, down by a third compared with one week ago. With the production cost of VND10,000 per kilogram, farmers are incurring losses. Before social distancing, dragon fruit sold at VND25,000-27,000 per kilogram.

Few orders for Vu Lan Banquet

Vu Lan, or the annual Wandering Souls Day, is the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. Vietnamese believe that on that day, the spirits of their ancestors are able to visit their homes. Therefore, they spend big money on offerings to ancestors and forsaken souls. A banquet is worth up to several millions of dong.

However, there are few orders for banquets this year because Hanoi is experiencing social distancing. Ads about banquet services have not been seen on social networks.

Lang Son custard apple

Despite the pandemic, the demand for Lang Son custard apple, or Queen custard apple is still high thanks to low price and good taste. This type of custard apple is bigger than other varieties, weighing up to one kilogram per fruit.

The prices are lower than previous years, selling at VND15,000-25,000 per kilogram.

Fertilizer prices rise

Director of the Chemicals Department Nguyen Van Thanh said after reaching a peak in late 2018, fertilizer prices have been decreasing continuously to a low in July 2020. The prices have begun recovering and the upward trend has become clearer recently.

According to Thanh, fertilizer prices increased because of higher prices of farm produce, plus favorable weather conditions, which promoted agricultural production.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Vietnam has 841 fertilizer plants with total capacity of 30 million tons a year, triple the demand.

Salmon price continues to drop, farmers incur loss

Covid-19 has halted Sa Pas tourism , affecting the market in general and salmon sales in particular. Salmon prices have been falling, causing big lossesto farmers.

Previously, fresh salmon sold well at VND200,000-250,000 per kilogram. But the price has dropped by 60 percent to VND120,000-140,000 per kilogram.

Freezers in high demand

The freezer market is now bustling. Home appliance centers sell hundreds of types of freezers with different capacities. The freezers containing food with the capacity of 180-200 liters are priced at VND5-9 million, while ones with larger capacity and more functions are sold at VND10-20 million.

Meanwhile, other home appliances are not selling well. Distributors have cut prices by 55 percent, but the demand is still weak. Because of slow sales and the high rent, many shops belonging to large retail chains have shut down and the retail premises have been given back to landlords.

Hanh Nguyen

Sugar firms pick sweet fruits in 2020-2021 fiscal year The sugar industry has wrapped up the 2020-2021 fiscal year, with many businesses showing rosy performance.
The Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with its rapid and strong spread in a very short time, has put huge pressure on the health system.

SARS-CoV-2 virus.

By August 14, Vietnam had recorded a total of 265,464 Covid-19 patients, ranking 80th out of 222 countries and territories. In the fourth wave of epidemic (from April 27 to August 14), the country had an additional 261,463 locally-transmitted cases. The number of Covid-19 related deaths reached 5,437, accounting for 2.05% of the total infections.

According to experts, the Delta strain with a very strong transmission rate is the main reason for the severity of this outbreak.

The Delta strain was first detected in India in December 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) renamed this variant as Delta to simplify the original scientific name B.1.617.2. To date, this virus strain has appeared in nearly 140 countries around the world.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, there are seven variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Vietnam. For the fourth outbreak, the country has recorded two strains, Delta and Alpha (B.1.1.7, first discovered in the UK).

The Delta variant has a strong ability to spread, classified by World Health Organization as a "variant of concern", as its transmission capacity is 50% higher than that of the Alpha variant (the Alpha strains transmission rate was 60%-70% higher than the original strain).

Speaking at an online conference on July 16, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said this outbreak would last longer than the previous ones, causing a large-scale impact and seriously affecting peoples life and the countrys economic and social development.

"The current infection cycle is only two days, not 5 days as previously calculated," he said.

On July 30, at a government online conference on Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control, Long once again emphasized: "The Delta mutation has a fast and strong spread, overloading the health system. All countries have warned that we cannot be subjective with the Delta strain that is disrupting and overturning all anti-epidemic achievements."

Dr. Tran Dac Phu, former Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health, Senior Advisor of the Center for Response to Public Health Events, says that in Vietnam the Delta variant has spread very quickly in quarantine areas as well as in hospitals and communities. Within a few days, many F1 cases (contacts of infected people) became F0, and many F2 (contacts of F1) also became F0 (infected cases).

Treating a severe Covid-19 patient in Ho Chi Minh City.

The virus spreads strongly in closed environments such as indoors, crowded areas, factories, and restaurants. Phu emphasized, due to the rapid spread of Delta strain, one can get the virus if having contact with a virus carrier at a distance of less than 2m in a short time.

Dr. Kidong Park, WHOs Chief Representative in Vietnam, said on August 7 that the Delta variant has a higher transmissibility and increases risk of hospitalization. "This is our concern. This variant has appeared in 135 countries, including Vietnam, becoming the major variant in many countries, he said.

According to the WHO representative, the vaccine is still very effective in preventing severe symptoms caused by the Delta strain, but the effectiveness in preventing symptomatic infection seems to be reduced.

The clinical statistical evidence indicates that the new variant Delta causes earlier symptoms and the time for becoming severely ill is also faster than other variants, says Pham Van Phuc, Deputy Head of Intensive Care Unit, National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

A study of Australian experts shows that the Delta strain seems to put young, healthy people at risk of cardiovascular complications and increases mortality in this group.

In the US, according to data from the Association of Pediatric Hospitals and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Delta variant increases the number of hospitalized children, causing more severe symptoms in children. Many children suffered from severe respiratory failure and pneumonia and had to undergo intensive lung intervention, even intubation in special treatment units.

Dr. Kidong Park said: No matter which variant, current protective measures are effective. He recommended that people continue to take 5K measures, wear masks regularly, stay in a well-ventilated place, wash hands frequently, clean the respiratory tract, and follow the rule of covering the mouth while having cough, avoid crowded places and complete medical declaration forms.

These measures are very important, even if you are vaccinated, especially in areas where there are cases of community transmission.

According to Dr. Park, if you have a chance, get any vaccine available. Vaccines help protect you and those around you. It will also reduce the risk of the Delta virus spreading in the community and causing new variants, he said.

Quynh Anh
Covid-19 is a serious trauma that affects the human psyche, making people susceptible to mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, experts say.

A positive emotional state is an important 'vaccine' that strengthens the body's immune system. Illustrative image: Truong Thanh Tung

On a day when HCM City was struggling with the pandemic, Ms. Tran Thi Thu Phuong received bad news: the hamlet where she went to distribute food the day before had 15 people test positive for SAR-CoV2. Panicked and worried, she hurriedly informed her relatives and friends.

On a day when HCM City was struggling with the pandemic, Ms. Tran Thi Thu Phuong received bad news: the hamlet where she went to distribute food the day before had 15 people test positive for SAR-CoV2. Panicked and worried, she hurriedly informed her relatives and friends.

Since the city was hit by the epidemic, Phuong has often gone to locked down and quarantined areas, and hamlets of poor workers to distribute food to local residents. She never thought about the risk of infection because she always wore protective clothes. But that day, when she came to the hamlet, the workers rushed out to receive food and Phuong did not have time to ask them to queue according to regulations.

After receiving the bad news, Phuong couldn't sleep that night. She blamed herself for being so careless. She began to doubt what she was doing, whether doing charity at this time was good or not  So many questions stirred in her mind.

The next day, many relatives and friends called Phuong. The calls suddenly became a pressure on the woman as they said: "If you had not done charity, you would have been fine ", "If it happens to you, how will your children survive?". Phuong felt tormented and guilty, and extreme stress. During the days of waiting for the Covid-19 test results, she was often startled when receiving a call from an unknown telephone number.

She called psychologist Nguyen Thi My Hanh in panic and insecurity. Hanh, a member of PsyCare, a mental health care project during the epidemic season launched by the Faculty of Psychology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Teacher Training, said that Phuong is one of many people who have called her for psychological support during the pandemic.

Many people called us when they were F1, F2 cases. But if they do not get support in time, especially when they unfortunately became F0, they can fall into a state of collapse," psychologist Hanh said.

Not only people who are at risk of infection, during this period when everyone has to stay at home, negative psychological states appear in many different target groups. People feel lonely, bored. People at risk of infection feel insecure, even panicking when they see a strange phone number. Those are the typical feelings, she added.

According to the weekly morbidity and mortality report released by the US Centers for Disease Control, symptoms of anxiety and depression during the Covid-19 pandemic increased from 36.4% to 41.5%. The study analyzed data collected from August 19, 2020 to February 1, 2021 over two periods from 790,633 people of 18 years of age and older.

Dr. Cao Tien Duc, former Chairman of the Psychiatry Ward of 103 Military Hospital, said that Covid-19 is a serious trauma that affects the human psyche, making people susceptible to mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"During the time of social distancing, when everyone has to stay at home, there are many negative psychological states that appear in different groups of people." Illustrative image: Truong Thanh Tung.

According to a study by Dr. Duc and his colleagues, people under concentrated quarantine, people in locked down areas, and those who serve people in isolated areas had a very strong psychological reaction. In particular, the elderly, women, children, and people with low education are vulnerable to psychological impact.

Explaining why the Covid-19 epidemic is a factor that causes mental health problems for people who are not at risk of infection, Dr. Duc said that social distancing affects the socio-economic and financial problems of businesses and families.

In addition, staying at home for a long time makes people uncomfortable and frustrated because they do not have communication with others. Prolonged stress is also the cause of increased anxiety, depression and insomnia.

Dr. Vivian Pender, President of the American Psychiatric Association, told the medical journal Medscape that social distancing can have a major impact on people who rely heavily on connections and social relationships.

According to a study conducted with nearly 900 Covid-19 patients in the US after two months tested positive for SAR-Cov2, 26% of them were depressed, 22% had anxiety, and 17% had symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Psychologist Hanh said that the pandemic is a challenge that the whole world is facing. The psychological trauma caused by the situation is huge and will last a long time, even when the epidemic is under control.

Hanh said that we have to view the epidemic as a force majeure, so if we or our family members are accidentally infected, it is not our fault.

What we need to do is to join hands and unite to control the disease, not to discriminate against and avoid infected people. One of the most important factors to overcome the epidemic is that we need to strengthen the body's immune system, and one of the very important vaccines to create a good immune system is a person's spirit. The mental vaccine helps us to have the right faith and awareness to stay proactive to prevent and treat the disease, she said.

PsyCare project provides free psychological support and advice for all people across the country with the message Lifting spirits, beating Covid. The project has the participation of more than 40 psychologists, educational psychologists, psychotherapists, clinical psychologists, doctors, and more than 10 volunteers and coordinators at mental counseling centers and hospitals throughout the country.

Readers can contact PsyCare via its fanpage, Zalo, or hotlines for support and advice. Fanpage: psycarevietnam Consulting phone numbers: 0347.600.379

036.388.3597

052.225.3418

090.150.8800

0983.211.030

0703.265.444

Nguyen Thao

Recovered F0: 'I once thought of giving up' After a few days of fighting Covid-19 at home, Le Van Thanh Tung was brought to the hospital in a state of respiratory failure, where he spent a 10-day treatment and sometimes thought of giving up. But he is now recovering.
Dr. Tran Thi Giang Huong is the first Vietnamese person to take on a high role in the world's largest medical organisation - the World Health Organisation.

As the first Vietnamese person to take on a high role in the world's largest medical organisation World Health Organisation (WHO), Assoc. Prof., Dr. Tran Thi Giang Huong has spared no efforts in contributing to the protection of people's health not only in Vietnam but also in the Western Pacific region.

Assoc. Prof., Dr. Tran Thi Giang Huong in her office at WHO Western Pacific Region. (Photo: Ministry of Health)



Two years ago, in July 2019, Huong, Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, was appointed to the position of the director of Division of Programmes for Disease Control at the WHO Western Pacific Region based in the Philippines. Since then, the Vietnamese health official has demonstrated her professional competence and has been highly lauded by the WHO Regional Director and colleagues.

This is a great source of motivation to help her continue to fulfill her assigned responsibilities, contributing to the care and protection of the health of 1.9 billion people in a region consisting of 37 countries and territories, including Vietnam, she said.

Every day, she is dedicating her heart and mind to the homeland Vietnam fighting against "invisible enemy"  the COVID-19 epidemic.

In a recent interview with the Ministry of Healths Suc Khoe va Doi Song (Health and Life) Newspaper, Huong recalled her memorable experiences during her role at WHO. After only six months working there, when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in January 2020, Huong was assigned an additional responsibility to work as acting director of the Emergency Medical Programmes for the region from February 2020 to October.

It was an unforgettable time for me, because it was a new disease outbreak, and I had to take on two big responsibilities at the same time. The work pressure was huge, but I told myself this was a challenging period and I needed to overcome it and make my best efforts to complete the assigned tasks, contributing to making the Western Pacific region one of the most successful regions in epidemic prevention and control with low morbidity and mortality rates, regarding which Vietnam was considered a model in COVID-19 prevention and control, Huong said.

From October 2020, she continued to be assigned as head of the WHO regional working group and coordinator on COVID-19 vaccines, responsible for coordinating and supporting the programme on facilitating vaccine access under the COVAX Facility and vaccination implementation to countries in the region in a fair and effective manner.

Up to now, the COVAX Facility has donated 32 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to countries participating in the mechanism in the region, including Vietnam, which has received over 10 million doses, making an important contribution to the fight against the epidemic, especially in the context of the widespread outbreaks in Ho Chi Minh City and other southern provinces.

According to Huong, over the past few years, while implementing the guidelines and policies of the Party and State on foreign affairs and international integration, Vietnam's health sector has become deeply and comprehensively integrated into the world, making a positive contribution to the country's international integration process and enhancing the role and position of the Vietnamese health sector in particular and the country in general in the international arena.

In my role, I am aware that participating in international organisations is an effective and practical contribution and responsibility, while at the same time contributing to the improvement of the role and position of Vietnam in the international arena, Huong said.

Assoc. Prof., Dr. Tran Thi Giang Huong (L), Director of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Health, is honoured with the second-class Labour Order in July 2019. (Photo: Ministry of Health)

She added that it has been a great opportunity for her to devote and accumulate valuable international experience to better fulfill her domestic responsibilities, thereby contributing to health protection and promotion throughout the region, as well as demonstrating Vietnam's role and contribution in solving global and regional health issues.

This is also the Party and States policy in demonstrating the active role and effective contribution of Vietnam to multilateral international institutions, she affirmed.

Huong recalled her memories when Vietnam was recognised by WHO as the first country in the world to successfully control the SARS epidemic  a fight she played a key part in  at a session of the World Health Assembly in May 2003.

It was my experience in the prevention of SARS in Vietnam that helped me a lot when I was assigned the role of acting Director of the WHO Regional Emergency Health Programme to direct the response to the COVID-19 epidemic in the region, she said.

Huong also pointed to the impressive contribution of the Vietnamese health sector to the world during her career of over a quarter of a century, during which Vietnam has hosted a range of important international health events, such as the 63rd session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in 2012, the 12th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting in 2014 and the APEC Vietnam 2017. Vietnam was also honoured to be elected as a member of the Executive Council of the WHO for the 2016-2019 term, participating in the process of making global health policies.

She also participated in negotiating and building various international support projects for the domestic health sector, which so far have brought about great effectiveness, actively contributing to the care and protection of the health of the Vietnamese people, especially in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 and vaccine production in Vietnam. This is also a good foundation for Vietnam to develop a strategy for the production of COVID-19 vaccines in the near future, Huong stated.

In the near future, she vowed to continue to make efforts regarding the prevention of COVID-19 in the region by promoting more access to vaccines for countries in the region, including Vietnam, in order to ensure adequate vaccination for priority groups in order to reach the target of vaccination of at least 70-80% of the population, while continuing to implement public health and social distancing measures to repel the epidemic and realise the "new normal" roadmap to achieving the Government's dual goals.

The WHO will continue to provide technical support to Vietnam in its epidemic prevention efforts and in the process of research, clinical trials and production of domestic vaccines to ensure quality and safety according to WHO standards, helping Vietnam master new technologies and be self-sufficient in vaccine production for the prevention and control of COVID-19 and other diseases in the future, Huong said.

Source: Nhan Dan

Inside newly-opened field hospital for critical Covid-19 patients in HCM City The 600-bed field hospital No. 14, which treats Covid-19 patients in a critical condition, was completed in HCM City, the countrys largest epidemic hotspot, on August 18.
Understanding the hardships of frontline forces, Andre Lecharoux, owner of a hair salon on Nha Chung Street, Hanoi, asked his students and colleagues to give free haircuts to 500 doctors and nurses at Bach Mai Hospital.

As they have to work all day in protective clothing, tidy hair is necessary for medical workers these days. As Hanoi is under social distancing, haircut services are unavailable.

Andre Lecharoux and his group decided to go to Bach Mai Hospital to give free haircuts to health workers on the spot.

Before going to the hospital, 19 barbers were tested for Covid 19 to ensure that they were free from the virus.

Hair stylists worked from 8am until midnight. Most male doctors wanted to keep their hair as short as possible and some decided to shave their heads for convenience at work while female doctors wanted both nice and tidy hair.

Dr. Tran Song Giang, Head of Social Affairs Department of Bach Mai Hospital, told VietNamNet that nearly 170 medical staff of Bach Mai Hospital left Hanoi to go to HCM City on the morning of August 18. Before leaving, they had received warm encouragement from people in general, including those working in other fields like Andre Lecharoux's group.

"Hair stylists worked enthusiastically, even in difficult conditions. They stood to work from 8 am to 9 pm. During the epidemic, our health workers hair grew long. Nearly 500 staff and doctors of Bach Mai Hospital had a haircut," Dr. Giang said.

This is the fifth time that Bach Mai Hospital has sent its staff to support Ho Chi Minh City, with a total of nearly 500 health workers so far.

Before going to the hospital, 19 barbers were tested for Covid 19 to ensure that they were free from the virus.

Free haircut is provided to all staff membes of Bach Mai Hospital.

As Hanoi is under social distancing, haircut services are unavailable.

Most male doctors wanted to keep their hair as short as possible and some decided to shave their heads for convenience at work.

Female doctors wanted both nice and tidy hair.

The barbers received a thank-you letter from leaders of Bach Mai Hospital.

Nearly 170 medical staff of Bach Mai Hospital left Hanoi to go to HCM City on the morning of August 18.

This is the fifth time that Bach Mai Hospital has sent its staff to support Ho Chi Minh City, with a total of nearly 500 health workers so far.

Pham Hai - Thanh Nam
Mobile medical stations will be located in gymnasiums, polyclinics, cultural houses, People's Committees of communes and wards, or spacious isolated houses.

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long. Photo: Nguyen Nhien

Setting up mobile medical stations is one of the solutions to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in southern provinces.

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long, during an online meeting on solutions to prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic on August 18, said that mobile medical stations would be set up in Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, Dong Nai and Binh Duong provinces.

He said that in this situation, it is very important to take care of and treat Covid-19 patients in community-based models so that people can access health services without interruption.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Health will cooperate with Ho Chi Minh City and some southern provinces to set up mobile medical stations at commune and ward levels with the motto "clinging to the people, close to the people and serving the people".

Each commune and ward have one medical station, but in the current context, more medical stations will be arranged, especially in densely populated areas, where many people are infected with Covid-19 as in Ho Chi Minh City.

"The establishment of mobile medical stations is to serve the management and treatment of infected people in the community, firstly in Ho Chi Minh City," the Minister said.

Long asked other provinces to be ready to deploy this model so that it can be activated immediately in necessary cases. The Ministry of Health will issue temporary guidance on management, care and treatment of F0 cases at home and guidelines on operating the model of mobile medical stations.

Mobile medical stations can be set up at gymnasiums, polyclinics, cultural houses, People's Committees of communes and wards, or people's houses that are isolated from surrounding houses or even on the street.

Each mobile health station will have 1-2 doctors, 5-7 medical staff and volunteers who are knowledgeable about the local population and situation.

Each mobile medical station will be equipped with at least two oxygen tanks, oxygen masks and other first aid tools. Portable emergency medicine bags also are needed.

Mobile medical stations will provide primary health care for patients, giving medicines for chronic patients; manage, care for, and treat F0 cases without or with mild symptoms; perform quick tests and some other tests; organize vaccinations and carry out communication tasks in the community.

The Ministry of Health asked Ho Chi Minh City to arrange suitable personnel for mobile medical stations, and to arrange ambulances to transport seriously ill patients to medical facilities at higher levels.

Tu Anh
To ensure safety and avoid large gatherings during lockdown, medical staff in the central city of Da Nang are going to each alley to collect samples for testing from representatives of households.

On August 19, medical staff in Thanh Khe District, Da Nang City, went to alleys on Le Duan Street to collect samples for Covid-19 testing.

Taking samples on site is to limit people's movement and prevent mass gatherings.

Da Nang medical staff go to every alley to take samples from local people.

Each household chooses a representative for testing. People take with them a "test request form" to submit to medical staff before samples are taken.

At alley 309 on Le Duan Street on August 19 morning. People sit on chairs, 2m from each other, waiting for their turn.

Any household that does not send their representatives to take samples, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, head of Group 15, Tan Chinh Ward, will go to their houses to remind them.

The People's Committee of Chinh Gian ward, Thanh Khe district, chose a school with a large yard and many big trees, located inside a residential area, as the site for collecting samples.

The wards vice chair Ngo Chinh Cong said that to ensure social distancing, local people are divided into small groups to take samples at different times.

They are guided by medical staff and volunteers to enter the site in a separate way and not touch the chairs. After each test, medical staff disinfect all chairs.

In other districts in Da Nang, health workers also go to alleys to take samples.

From 8 a.m. on August 16 to 8 a.m. on August 23, Da Nang stops all activities in the city. People are not allowed to leave their homes and places of residence.

Taking advantage of this "golden time", Da Nang will focus on taking samples for testing for Covid-19 in high-risk areas and from representatives of 100% of the city's households, to trace and separate F0 cases from the community.

Through large-scale testing campaign, which started on August 16, Da Nang has detected 52 positive cases in the community.

On August 19, Da Nang launched its vaccination campaign for 41,000 local residents.



The 54,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been allocated by the Ministry of Health and will be divided into two stages. During the initial stage, a total of 35,000 doses will be administered.

The municipal Department of Health is expected to deliver a total of 41,000 vaccine doses to local people, including 25,000 citizens who will be receiving their second shots.

The remaining vaccine doses will be administered to high-risk workers who are employed at industrial parks in Lien Chieu district, all of whom have yet to receive their first shot of the vaccine.

Market traders, security guards, and on-duty people stationed at quarantine checkpoints, along with COVID-19 control forces and garbage collectors, will also be inoculated.

The central city has established a total of 55 vaccination points along with two mobile stations to serve local residents in isolation areas.

Ho Giap
The Texas Supreme Court declined Thursday to block restraining orders against Gov. Greg Abbotts mask mandate ban.

The justices remanded Attorney General Ken Paxtons appeal to the 3rd Texas Court of Appeal in Austin for a hearing. The court did not issue an opinion for its decision.

The move came the same day that the Texas Education Agency suspended enforcement of the states public school systems of Abbotts ban on mask mandates has been dropped, for now, the Texas Education Agency said Thursday.

In a public health guidance letter, the TEA said enforcement was being dropped because of ongoing court challenges to the ban. The letter said the new guidance is effective immediately and further guidance will be issued once the litigations are resolved.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP)  Federal officials say a train that derailed and caught fire in Fort Worth in 2019 was traveling on tracks that had been weakened by flooding after days of rain.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in an accident report released Thursday that the weakened track structure and washout from the rains, which flooded nearby Echo Lake, were the probable cause of the April 24, 2019 accident. Over two dozen of the Union Pacific train's tank cars derailed and three were breached, leaking over 65,000 gallons of ethanol, which is highly flammable.

The report says contributing factors include deferred maintenance of spillways at Echo Lake and lack of "dynamic weather reporting" at Union Pacific.

Several homes were evacuated and at least three horses were killed when the flames spread to a nearby stable, officials have said.

The track structure had weakened during the flooding to a point where it couldnt support the train, the report said.
But McLennan County Extension Agent Shane McLellan, who stays in contact with local producers, said Wednesday was as quiet as a mouse crying in cotton. There is little to complain about.

Farmers like to see rain in August. It fills up their stock tanks, then when things dry up, they can go about their activities, McLellan said. Rain in July or August is always great for the cotton crop. Army worm problems, the rain can help mitigate those. You dont want a cool and wet cotton season. It was questionable early; a lot of guys had to replant. But weve had enough dry weather and heat since then that weve turned the corner.

Were now looking at a good cotton crop, said McLellan.

Corn is the top crop in McLennan County, and harvesting has begun.

Theyre trying to get finished, and most are close to being done, but not quite done, said McLellan. Farmers are three weeks late getting corn out, not because of muddy fields, but because of an extended growing season. Thats not typically a threat around here, not a problem.

Hay likes the August rain, if it gets the chance to dry quickly, said McLellan. The rains also bode well for wheat and oat crops this fall.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A group that espouses the fringe conspiracy theory known as QAnon plans to hold a conference at a convention center owned by one of Nevadas largest hotel-casino companies in late October.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Patriot Voice is selling tickets for a three-day event at Caesars Forum, a convention space near the Las Vegas Strip. Guests who pay from $650 to $3,000 will hear from former national security adviser Michael Flynn, 8kun owner Jim Watkins and former Assemblyman Jim Marchant, who is running for Nevada secretary of state after spreading claims of voter fraud and suing to overturn the 2020 election results.

Judges in every Nevada case dismissed the election challenges that claimed voter fraud and Nevadas current secretary of state, a Republican, defended the results as reliable and accurate.
The family that owns Purdue Pharma had hoped a reformulated version of Oxycontin would help rein in the burgeoning opioid crisis a decade ago, a member of the Sackler family said Thursday in court testimony that once again stopped short of an apology or acceptance of responsibility for the epidemic.

Mortimer D.A. Sackler was the third member of the wealthy family to testify in a hearing, held by videoconference, on whether a judge should accept Purdues plan to reorganize into a new company no longer owned by family members.

Ive said and my family have said the fact that OxyContin, a product that was sold to help people and reduce pain, also went out and got diverted and hurt people, it is horrible. It got to me, it got to our family. It was not at all what was intended, Sackler said under questioning from Tad Robinson ONeill, assistant attorney general of Washington, one of the states suing Purdue.

I believe that if youre in a position to help, you have a responsibility to help," Sackler said. "Were here trying to get this settlement done so we can get these vast sums to these communities to these people to help them.

ONeill asked if that was an apology  something no Sackler relative has given amid the crisis.
ASHLAND  As the golden shovels turned the brown earth over, just yards away large machines were busy working as well.

Last Thursday afternoon, members of the Ashland-Greenwood Board of Education, Superintendent Jason Libal and other administrators held a symbolic groundbreaking for the pre-kindergarten-second grade school being built north of the high school track and field complex.

Last November, voters of the Ashland-Greenwood school district approved a $59.9 million school bond project, which includes a lower elementary school for pre-kindergarten to second grades and a middle school with a competition gym and performance auditorium that will eventually be turned into the high school.

Its going to be a feather in the cap for the whole community, Dave Nygren, president of the school board, told the crowd.

Libal and Nygren kept the program short, as the heat and humidity Thursday afternoon made things uncomfortable. In his speech, Libal noted that passing a bond issue in the middle of a pandemic was not easy, but he thanked the voters who truly put the kids first as they recognized the need for new facilities.

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Jerrys grandfather was one of the first seed corn dealer in the area when a bag of seed corn was about $8 or $9. Now, a bag of seed corn is worth around $250.

Anton F. Soukup and his wife Gladys raised five kids  Tony, Jack, Scott, twins Jerry and Janel and Russell. Jerry and Russell, who is now deceased along with Janel, continued farming this land in the late 1960s by joining their father. When Jerrys father died in 1981, Jerry took over the farm, raising crops, hogs and beef cattle.

While the farm no longer raises livestock at present, they still grow soybeans and corn on 363 acres of land.

The home Jerry and Barbara live in was moved north of County Road Y in 1971. Many of the buildings on the property were erected by Jerry over the years except for the original barn and a house where Jerrys grandfather grew up, which is located west of Jerry and Barbaras house.

In 2009, the couple made an addition to the home adding a porch and bedroom and extending the living room.

The Soukup story gets to live on with the newest generation of the family  Jerry and Barbaras grandchildren, Elizabeth, 5, Clara, 4, Kai, less than a year old, who are the children of James and Charlotte, 5, and Savannah, 4, Matthews children.
ACQUISITION

Pilot IRS awards five scanning contracts

NOTE: This article first appeared on FCW.com

The Internal Revenue Service has awarded five $7.5 million contracts through an experimental procurement vehicle for a multiple solution challenge to digitize paper files.

The request for proposals released in July indicated the agency was looking to use the Pilot IRS program to test innovative solutions it could deploy to "receive, prepare, reproduce, sort, validate, store, return and transfer" digital copies of various IRS documents and records.

According to the RFP, "the volume contemplated is significant, with the initial potential use case having upwards of 1 billion pages." The tax agency is looking for solutions that cover the scanning of paper documents and in some instances the extraction of machine-readable data.

The five contractors who received awards this week include Xerox, Brillient Corporation, Ripcord Inc., Government CIO LLC and Resultant / KSM Consulting.

Scanning as a service (SCaaS) is the sixth iteration of the Pilot IRS program, and part of an agencywide effort to reduce the reliance on non-machine-readable documentation. The procurement program was launched in late 2018 to help the agency identify innovative solutions and technologies that help achieve IRS missions, while employing a three-phase approach to determine which contracts provide desired results and best outcomes.

A successful contract focusing on SCaaS may also help the IRS meet a December 2022 deadline for agencies to go paperless.

The most recent IRS challenge released earlier this week focuses on leveraging augmented reality to improve digital services on mobile devices. Previous iterations of the program have also focused on high-speed scanning and image recognition, as well as robotic process automation to reduce manual data entry requirements.
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The Talibans rapid ascendancy across Afghanistan and takeover of Kabul should not cause us to break our promise to the Afghans who helped us operate over the past 20 years and are counting on us for assistance, they wrote in the letter that was joined by 53 senators, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. American inaction would ensure they become refugees or prime targets for Taliban retribution.

Now the challenge for the U.S. is to ensure that Americans, regardless of where they are in Afghanistan, can get to Kabul to be airlifted out of the country, Ernst said.

If they cant get the Kabul, they cant get out, she said after a tour of the Weber Stone Co. where limestone has been quarried since the 1850s for use for homes, bridge abutments and commercial structures. You cant get to the airport, you cant get out.

Without enough troops in Afghanistan to provide safe passage to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, this administration has basically said, We trust the Taliban, the Taliban will let you come to Kabul,  Ernst said. Were not finding thats true with a number of the Afghan interpreters.
The organization, which is touted as being nonpolitical and not a group of medical doctors, has a seven-member board and a brain-storming group of about 20 people.

To be eligible, a person must be over 18 years old. It must be his/her own decision to get fully vaccinated on or after Aug. 12, and must have suffered or will suffer a financial burden by receiving the vaccine. That person must not have received any other financial assistance from another source, and must not be required to be vaccinated by an employer or another entity.

One of the goals is continuing to grow the organization and spreading the word about the nonprofits efforts. But another is making the application process as easy as possible.

It should be less than 10 minutes of someones time, Trent said. Someone reaches out to us, and were able to forward them a one page document for them to read and understand our program. They can do that via Facebook Messenger (available via the organizations Facebook page) and respond back with Yes, I agree and then provide us with copies of the relevant documentation. Then, we PayPal them a 100 bucks.
Jozef Polc /500px/Getty Images

En espanol | Adults age 50 and older overwhelmingly want Congress to enact legislation providing financial support for family caregivers, and most prefer to get their long-term care in their home, with help from a caregiver, according to a new AARP public opinion survey.

Eight in 10 registered voters who responded to the survey favor providing family caregivers who work with a tax credit of up to $5,000, with the credit based on how much the caregivers spend to aid their loved ones. Support for assistance for family caregivers was bipartisan across all the survey questions. For example, while among all respondents, 84 percent support the tax credit, 78 percent of Republicans, 93 percent of Democrats and 83 percent of independents favor such assistance.
These days, Danger K Varoz is enjoying working from home.

That is, until he hits the stage with his stand-up comedy.

The Albuquerque resident has slowly been working his way to performing live.

I dont know how to feel about it, he says of in-person shows. It feels weird, and theres a strangeness to it. As things start opening back up, theres a lot to think about.

With that in mind, Varoz will head out for two shows on Saturday, Aug. 21. In the first show, hell share the stage with Keith Breckenridge and Benny Martinez. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at Enchanted Circle Brewing, 6001 San Mateo NE.

In the second show, at 10 p.m., Varoz will headline, and featured comedians are Davyd Roseman, Billie Jo Gillispie, Korey Herrera, Mary Byrd and Angel Lopez. The event will take place at The Hopper Pub & Pizzeria, 6361 Riverside Plaza Lane NW.

This is the third time Im on stage in well over a year, Varoz says. Ill be doing a show with some of the guys who used to host the Santa Ana Star Casino with me. We were on rotation again, and it will be cool to see the new jokes.

Varoz is no stranger to the comedy scene. Hes opened for Maria Bamford, Baron Vaughn, Bruce Jingles, Kellen Erksine and Kate Willett.

He was also the mastermind behind the political news satire The New Mexican Inquisition, which ran from 2017-19. Varoz was the creator, head writer and host. The series can be viewed on YouTube and Facebook.

Getting back onstage means Varoz has worked out a new comedy set.

Im looking forward to trying out my new stuff, he says. I dont want to go back doing the old routine. It would be artistically bankrupt. I will try out an improvisational act.

Varoz says that right before the pandemic, he started using an improv set.

This show is a big deal for me, because I was having trouble before the pandemic with bullying and heartbreak, he says. I was feeling disaffected with comedy. Im back in school and have a new outlook on comedy. I want to be a New Mexico comic forever. These guys in the show with me, I know they feel the exact same way. We want to show people what were all about.

Danger K Varoz

WHEN AND WHERE: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, Enchanted Circle Brewing, 6100 San Mateo NE; 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, The Hopper Pub & Pizzeria, 6361 Riverside Plaza Lane NW

HOW MUCH: Free for Encanted Circle; $10 for The Hopper Pub & Pizzeria
Collaborations are commonplace in todays world.

Its a way to find a new audience and keep ahead of the curve.

For Casa Rondena Winery and Marble Brewery, it was a chance to come together to create a product.

After over a year of working together, the two New Mexico-based entities are releasing their first collaboration, Vigne Rustique. It is available to the public on Friday, Aug. 20, and is brewed by Andrew Krosche at Marble.

Vigne Rustique is a blend of 51% German pale lager and 49% Viognier. Its alcohol by volume is 9.4%.

This is sort of a new environment of doing these hybrids of beer and wine, says John Heine, Marble production manager. At the end of the day, were all making libations, and were making beverages that people enjoy. We love the taste and love the experience that goes along with the process.

Marble Brewery began talks with John Calvin, Casa Rondena Winery owner, less than two years ago.

We were looking for compressed wine juice that we could blend with our beers, Heine says. Its makeup had to be more than 50% malt-based and 49% or less fruit- or juice-based, because we have a beer license, not a cider or wine license.

Heine says Marble decided to partner with a long-standing winery in the state and create some fun flavors.

So we paired it with one of our lighter lagers as sort of a base style, he says.

Heine says that growing up in the North Valley, he would travel along Chavez Road on his way to school. Thats where his love for agriculture was born.

Seeing the way that folks here still have a connection to the land, it was the backbone to my learning, he says. When I was learning about beer, learning about harvest and things like that, the unique opportunity became clear.

Heine and Krosche say the collaboration has been a fun journey because it puts two local businesses together to create a new product.

I hope that this collaboration goes beyond whats in these walls, Heine says. To be able to work back and forth with Casa Rondena and learn why they are one of the best has been amazing.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The leaders of three major health systems in New Mexico warned Thursday that hospitals are operating above capacity as they stretch to handle a surge in COVID-19 patients.

New Mexico reported 356 coronavirus patients were hospitalized Thursday  more than double the number at the beginning of the month and a 22% jump in the last week alone.

In a media briefing, top physicians at Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Lovelace Health System and the University of New Mexico Hospital said its especially vital now for New Mexicans to get vaccinated as the more contagious delta variant circulates in the state and children too young to be vaccinated return to school.

Our hospitals are already completely full and well beyond capacity, said Dr. Jason Mitchell, chief medical officer at Presbyterian.

He and other hospital executives said the COVID-19 vaccines now available provide powerful protection against hospitalization and death. They encouraged people who are already vaccinated to talk to friends and neighbors about why they opted to get the shot, and they urged unvaccinated New Mexicans to talk to a trusted health care provider.

Right now, people who are unvaccinated are at risk for hospitalization and death, said Dr. Vesta Sandoval, chief medical officer at Lovelace.

The full hospitals arent entirely a result of COVID-19. Hospital leaders said the increase in hospitalizations is due to a variety of factors, including health care that people had delayed during the pandemic, other viruses and the increase in COVID-19 infections.

The vaccination push comes as New Mexico endures a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration issued public health orders this week reinstating an indoor mask mandate for public spaces and expanding vaccine requirements.

Hospital and nursing home workers have until the end of next week to get their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine if they havent already.

In Thursdays briefing, hospital leaders said a high percentage of their employees are already vaccinated and that they didnt expect staffing shortages due to the vaccine mandate.

None of us has a crystal ball, said Dr. Rohini McKee, chief quality and safety officer at UNM Hospital. But we dont anticipate an increase in staffing problems.

The state Department of Health on Thursday reported:

 968 new coronavirus infections in New Mexico, including 199 in Bernalillo County and 158 in Lea County.

 Four additional COVID-19 deaths, pushing the statewide death toll to 4,463 residents.

 The share of partially vaccinated New Mexico adults climbed to 75.4%. About 66.1% of adults have completed their vaccine series.
At just 14 years old, Turner Liotta has seen places that fewer than 10,000 people have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of.

He has climbed what mountaineers refer to as big walls, summited glaciers, and spent weeks on end camping in extreme temperatures. He puts in the hard work with one goal in mind  to join the exclusive Highpointers Club. There are fewer than 300 Highpointers in the entire world.

To gain entry, one must climb and summit all 50 of the nations tallest points unassisted. Liotta is one summit away. He started the journey when he was just 9 years old.

News Radio KKOB will feature Liottas story Friday as part of The Good News Files series.

This summer, Liotta and his dad, David, reached the top of Gannett Peak in Wyoming. Standing at 13,804 feet, the mountain is thought to be one of the most difficult in the nation.

You have to kind of take it really slow, Liotta said. Its like, one or two steps at a time, then you take a breath  It can be intense, but it forces you to stop and take a look around and really appreciate where you are and be thankful for what youre doing.

Liotta is now a freshman at La Cueva High School and turning his focus to conquering his final summit, the Denali in Alaska, which also happens to be the highest mountain peak in North America.

Liotta said he hopes his journey inspires others, no matter their age, to get outside, spend time with their families, and never to give up, regardless of the challenges life may throw their way.

The Good News Files is a collaboration between the Albuquerque Journal, 96.3 News Radio KKOB and KOAT-TV. The stories highlight good news stories in the community.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

On Thursday morning, police say, a teenager was walking home after spending the night at his fathers house when he was robbed in a neighborhood off East Central.

The robbery, and the Albuquerque Police Department response to it, led to a dramatic shootout between a suspect and officers along a busy Northeast Albuquerque street.

Officer Mario Verbeck, a 17-year veteran with the department, was shot in the neck and arm and remained in critical condition at the University of New Mexico Hospital on Friday.

Three other police were injured  officer James Eichel Jr. was shot in the forearm, Sgt. Sean Kenny was shot in his bulletproof vest and officer Harry Gunderson was struck in the eye by shrapnel.

Only Kenny had been released from the hospital, according to an APD spokesman.

We are incredibly grateful to the physicians and all the hospital staff at UNMH, APD Chief Harold Medina said in a news release. We continue to pray for the recovery of the brave officers who put their lives in harms way to keep the public safe.

The suspect, 27-year-old James Ramirez of Los Angeles, was shot and sustained multiple injuries. He is in stable condition at UNMH. He is charged with armed robbery, three counts of aggravated battery on a peace officer, felon in possession of a firearm and other crimes. APD said he may also face federal charges.

It is unclear who his attorney will be.

Luis Patino Jr., a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said Ramirez was sentenced to four years in prison for first-degree burglary in October 2017.

Per law he was eligible for one extra day of credit for each day served. The sentencing court also gave him 1,461 days of presentenced credits  usually given for time served in jail while awaiting adjudication, Patino said. Since his credits were longer than his sentence, he was deemed to have already served his full term. Ramirez was paroled on the same day  He was discharged from parole at the statutory maximum on Feb. 11, 2021.

Highly respected

All four injured officers have been with the department for more than 10 years.

Gilbert Gallegos, an APD spokesman, said Verbeck has been with the department since 2004. He said Eichel has been with APD since 2009, Kenny since 1999 and Gunderson since 2004.

Shaun Willoughby, president of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association, said as senior officers the men are all highly respected by their peers.

I would be praying that one of these guys or all of these guys were there to assist me if faced with the same situation (as the robbery victim), Willoughby said. They dedicated their lives to serving this community, they are proud Albuquerque police officers. And its important to understand theyre not just officers, these are fathers, husbands, Im sure they have been coaches. Theyre just very, very good men  all of them.

He said on Thursday morning every officer who heard what happened jumped into action.

Every single person who knew this was going on dropped everything, Willoughby said. They left training, they didnt even log on if they were off at home they just dropped everything and came to work to see what they could do to help.

But, he said, the officers are angry about an upswing in violent crime and frustrated by understaffing, politicians and the court-ordered reform effort. APD has been under a settlement agreement mandating reforms since a Department of Justice investigation found in 2014 that officers had a pattern and practice of using excessive force.

Its officers that are hesitating to do their job because they dont want to get in trouble, Willoughby said. Its the brazen acts of criminals that know that Albuquerque police officers are handcuffed  We have stepped away and de-policed this city. From the very beginning our officers are carrying a card of misdemeanors that theyre not supposed to arrest on.

Officers are encouraged to issue citations for misdemeanors like concealing identity, criminal trespass, criminal damage under $1,000, littering, possession of drug paraphernalia, prostitution and others.

Teen robbed

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, Thursdays incident unfolded after a teenager told police he was walking home from a bus stop near Central and Western Skies around 7 a.m. when two men approached him and asked him if he wanted to buy drugs. He said that when he said no one of the men pointed a Glock style handgun at his head and demanded everything he had  his wallet, Puma backpack, white Nike Air Pro shoes, a gold chain necklace and a PlayStation game console.

The teen said the two men walked away, and he went to find first his mother and then a friend who took turns driving him around the neighborhood looking for them.

The teen and his friend found their suspects, carrying his backpack, around 8:40 a.m. on Juan Tabo and Copper NE, according to the complaint.

Thats when they called 911.

Verbeck was dispatched to the call. Eichel was sent to assist. They saw the men turn down Summer from Juan Tabo NE and run down an alley toward Dutch Bros Coffee.

The offenders started to run south in the alleyway and Officer Verbeck and Officer Eichel pursued them on foot, an investigator wrote in the complaint. The larger male discharged his handgun suddenly at Officer Eichel and Officer Verbeck in the alleyway and struck both of the officers, seriously injuring them  The officers discharged their firearms back towards the offender. I later observed the officers on-body recording devices and observed the officers getting shot and bleeding profusely from their injuries.

Kenny and Gunderson arrived just south of the scene near the crowded drive-thru at Dutch Bros Coffee. They saw the suspect raise his head between two vehicles and commanded him to drop his gun.

Instead, police say, the suspect shot at the two officers.

Officer Gunderson and Sgt. Kenny returned fire, the investigator wrote. Sgt. Kenny was struck by gunfire in his chest where he was wearing a ballistic vest, and officer Gunderson was struck on his face with glass and fragments as he took cover behind his marked vehicle. The offender continued to fire multiple rounds at the officers, and the officers continued firing rounds back at the offender.

Eventually, the suspect  later identified as Ramirez  was struck by the hail of gunfire and fell to the ground. The officers rendered aid until he was taken to the hospital. Police found the robbery victims ID and credit card in his wallet, according to the complaint, and a gun next to him in the parking lot.

The second suspect in the robbery, a smaller skinny man, was seen running south down the alley. Officers did not see that he was armed or shooting at them. The incident sparked a massive manhunt as tactical officers and helicopters searched the area for hours.

APD on Friday released photos of a man they said they believe is the second suspect, describing him as wearing all black and carrying a Puma backpack.

Prev 1 of 3 Next

How to help

To donate to the New Mexico Law Enforcement Officers Foundation  a nonprofit dedicated to helping officers and their families during time of crisis  visit www.abqpolicefoundation.org. The foundation was started after Officer Daniel Webster was murdered in 2015.
MOSCOW  German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their sharply different views of Russias treatment of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, democratic values and other major topics of dispute Friday but vowed to maintain a dialogue.

Merkel traveled to Moscow as she is nearing the end of her almost 16-year-long leadership of Germany. Despite deep disagreements, she has tried throughout her tenure to preserve close contacts with Putin, who has been in power for more than two decades.

Their meeting Friday came on the anniversary of Navalny falling gravely ill on a domestic flight over Siberia from what European officials would later say was poisoning with a Soviet-developed nerve agent. After the opposition leader was stricken, he was flown to Germany for medical treatment at his wifes insistence and spent five months there recuperating.

Navalny, who is Putins most outspoken critic blamed the Aug. 20, 2020 attack on the Kremlin  an accusation that Russian authorities reject. Upon his return to Russia in January, he was immediately arrested and handed a 2-year prison term for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated.

Speaking after Fridays talks with Putin, Merkel reiterated a call for Navalnys release, pointing out that the European Court of Human Rights had criticized his 2014 conviction as clearly disproportionate is unacceptable.

Putin rejected the criticism, arguing that Navalnys sentencing wasnt connected to his opposition activities.

He was convicted of a criminal offense, not his political activities, the Russian leader said, customarily avoiding mentioning Navalny by name. No one should use political activities as a cover for conducting business projects in violation of the law.

Putin also rejected the accusations of a crackdown on Navalnys allies in the run-up to Russias Sept. 19 parliamentary election. As he has before, he attempted to turn the tables on the West by pointing to the prosecution of people who participated in storming the U.S. Capitol in January.

Putin also scathingly criticized the West over Afghanistan, saying that the Talibans rapid sweep over the country has shown the futility of Western attempts to enforce its own vision of democracy.

Its necessary to stop the irresponsible police of enforcing its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries based on outside models without taking into account historic, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoring other peoples traditions, he said.

Merkel, meanwhile, urged Russia to use its contacts with the Taliban to press for Afghan citizens who helped Germany to be allowed to leave Afghanistan.

Another item on the agenda was the situation in eastern Ukraine, where Germany and France have sought to help broker a peaceful settlement to end the fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists that has killed more than 14,000 people since 2014.

Merkel, who plans to visit Kyiv on Sunday, made clear that she hasnt given up hope of progress in the coming weeks on long-stalled peace efforts in eastern Ukraine.

I will work until my last day in office so that the territorial integrity of Ukraine can be ensured, she said.

Putin pointed at the increasing number of cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine and asked Merkel to reaffirm to Ukrainian authorities during her upcoming trip the importance of honoring their obligations under a 2015 peace deal brokered by Germany and France in Minsk, Belarus.

We have not yet achieved the aims we wanted to achieve in the Minsk agreement, but it is the format for talks that we have,.. and we should deal carefully with this format so long as we dont have anything else, Merkel said. Every little bit of progress could be important, but the work we have to do is very, very hard, and there have been disappointments of the most varied kind.

The German leader and Putin also discussed the nearly finished Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will carry natural gas from Russia to Germany. The project has angered the United States and some European countries, but the U.S. and Germany announced a deal last month to allow its completion.

Putin, who said that just 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) need to be finished, emphasized that the new pipeline offers a much cheaper and safer transit route for Russian gas supplies to Germany and other EU nations.

Merkel noted her desire to see Russia extend its transit contract to pump gas via Ukraine after the current deal expires in 2024. Putin said Russia stood ready to negotiate an extension of the deal but noted that specific details, such as transit volumes, would depend on market demand for the Russian gas in Europe.

Other topics the two longtime leaders discussed included stabilizing Libya, the situation in Syria, efforts to help revive the Iranian nuclear deal and developments in Belarus, where authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has relentlessly cracked down on dissent. Three of Belarus EU neighbors  Lithuania, Poland and Latvia  have accused Belarusian authorities of encouraging a flow of migrants to destabilize the EU.

Merkel, 67, who grew up in communist East Germany and is fluent in Russian, has always stressed that relations with Russia can only improve through dialogue.

Her visit to Moscow could be one of her last trips abroad as chancellor since she is not running in Germanys national election next month. Its not clear when she will step down, because the outgoing government remains in place until a new one is formed.

Putin, 68, speaks fluent German that he polished while serving as an officer in the Soviet KGB secret service in East Germany during the 1980s. He hailed Merkels role in developing Russian-German ties and said she would be always welcome to visit after she steps down.

Germany is one of our key partners in Europe and the entire world thanks to your efforts over the past 16 years, he said.

Even though we certainly have deep differences today, we speak to each other  and that should continue to happen, Merkel said during the Kremlin talks.

___

Moulson reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber, Frank Jordans and Dorothee Thiesing in Berlin contributed to this report.
ALAMOGORDO  Hidden down a country road on the outskirts of Alamogordo is a massive building that could eventually supply nearly half of the cannabis needed to support the states soon-to-launch recreational industry.

Earlier this summer, Ultra Health, already the states largest cannabis producer, purchased a massive 225,000-square-foot industrial space in Alamogordo for around $4 million. The building was once the home of Western Baking Corp.

A separate purchase of contiguous land from the Otero County Economic Development Council gives the cannabis company a 100-acre parcel in the shadow of the Sacramento Mountains. Ultra Health president and CEO Duke Rodriguez said the company hopes to grow, extract and package cannabis products for Ultra Health as well as for smaller New Mexico producers at the facility.

If the facility lives up to Rodriguezs expectations, it could process well over 100,000 pounds of cannabis per year, which Rodriguez said equates to nearly half the projected need for New Mexicos recreational market. When its fully operational, Rodriguez said he believes the space could employ between 200 and 300 people.

This is what we have to do if were going to produce the volume we want   if we are actually going to become a national cannabis company, Rodriguez said.

Laurie Anderson, director of the Otero County Economic Development Council, said the building was originally built as a factory for National Presto Industries Inc., which produced kitchen gadgets ranging from fry cookers to skillets.

After the company moved its operations overseas, Anderson said a few different bakery operators inhabited the space. While the building has been vacant for around a half-decade, wafts of flour, chocolate and other scents associated with a commercial bakery still remain in the air.

Rodriguez said having access to a food-grade commercial space will help Ultra Health keep its flower and finished products like edibles free from contamination, and could potentially motivate competitors to find similar high-quality buildings.

When it comes to cannabis companies, we havent had this kind of facility even on a small scale, Rodriguez said.

He added that the building has been well-maintained, which gives the company a key advantage in gearing up for recreational operations. Rodriguez expects the building to be operational by April.

The interior space is bifurcated into different massive rooms, including a loading dock, a commercial refrigerator and large open warehouse spaces.

Rodriguez acknowledged that Ultra Health is still figuring out what to do with different parts of the building, but said the company sees it as a hub for growing, processing and packaging cannabis for the southern half of New Mexico. He also said the company has space at the facility to partner with between four and six large cannabis companies.

Theyll be able to cultivate here, theyll be able to produce here, theyll be able to have their products stored, warehoused, packaged, the whole thing, Rodriguez said.

Anderson said the project has been broadly supported by leaders in Otero County, based on the long-term impacts of the new jobs.

We definitely believe that that is going to have a big impact with that job creation, she said.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Force fields protecting us from drones and missiles.

Guns that shoot lasers instead of firing bullets.

Rock em Sock em Robots zapping at each other on the battlefield.

A new report by the Air Force Research Laboratory titled Directed Energy Futures 2060 describes the sorts of directed energy weapons that may come to exist in the next 40 years. And the expected technology  much of which may be researched and developed in Albuquerque  is like something out of a science fiction movie.

Officials from multiple Department of Defense entities, partners with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and other experts came together to write the report, which says the world is at a tipping point.

Soon, the report says, harnessing directed energy power will be critical for military success. The reports authors make the case that in order for America to stay competitive in the field with rival nations such as China and Russia, more investment in the research and development of directed energy and educating a future directed energy workforce is needed.

Were seeing a lot more directed energy capabilities in the military space. People are using them for weapons worldwide, said Jeremy Murray-Krezan, the assistant chief scientist of AFRLs Directed Energy Directorate and one of the reports authors. The directorate is based at Kirtland Air Force Base.

Directed energy weapons convert different frequencies of electromagnetic waves and light into a high-power pulse to shoot at a target. And such weapons already exist.

AFRL, for instance, is currently in late-stage testing of the Tactical High-power Operational Responder, or THOR, which can shoot microwaves to destroy drones. The idea is that the weapon can protect military bases.

Murray-Krezan said the Air Force has also developed mounted guns that shoot laser beams instead of bullets.

Similar weapons are being created in other countries. Murray-Krezan noted that all of the top 10 militaries in the world have some sort of directed energy program.

It may not be at the scale of the Cold War, he said, but I think we might already be seeing something of an arms race.

Center of research

If the arms race for directed energy indeed takes off, much of the action could take place in Albuquerque.

Both on and off KAFB, Albuquerque in the past 40 years has become a mecca of sorts for that type of science, said Edl Schamiloglu, a distinguished professor in the University of New Mexicos School of Engineering, who specializes in directed energy.

UNM is preparing to launch a Directed Energy Center, which will make the university one of a handful in the country with a center dedicated to that type of research and the only one that has expertise in both lasers and microwaves, he said.

Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the epicenter of directed energy research in the United States, Schamiloglu said. In addition to the activity that goes on at AFRL internally, AFRL supports research at Sandia National Labs and Los Alamos (National Laboratory). And there are dozens of companies that support directed energy  in town. So I think directed energy research and development will be an important component in economic development in the city and the state for decades, for sure.

Future technologies

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proposed a Strategic Defense Initiative, which came to be known as Star Wars. It was the height of the Cold War, and the conservative icon imagined an array of satellites that could shoot X-rays to stop nuclear weapons from reaching the countrys borders.

Despite billions of spending on the effort, the project remained science fiction until it was significantly narrowed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, according to Politico.

The recent directed energy report revisits the idea.

Murray-Krezan said technology used in the THOR project could be applied to a fleet of satellites that could, in theory, bring the Star Wars defense shield into reality.

Today we could say that we could make a force field to protect against (drones), he said in an interview. The fact that were seeing these things fielded, these arent just laboratory experiments anymore. They are making their way out to the military.  In the next 10 years, we might see a huge proliferation of those. Eventually  you might want to get to a whole missile shield, in a sense.

Directed energy also could be used to make a weapon that shoots laser beams. The technology already exists. Schamiloglu said the Navy ship USS Ponce has had a mounted laser weapon for several years.

The advantage of a laser over a missile or other kinetic weapon, such as a traditional gun, is not having to reload as often, Murray-Krezan said.

Imagine youre a group whos charged to defend a military base, and you have a battery of Patriot missiles, he said. Instead of having to rearm your battery of 12 Patriot missiles with more missiles, if you had a directed energy weapon you could just keep firing as long as you have power.

Theres also a possibility that in the coming decades the military will combine artificial intelligence and directed energy weapons, creating fast-paced battlefields that Murray-Krezan compared to Rock em Sock em Robots, the classic toy that has players manipulating simple robots to fight one another.

He envisioned some type of mobile robot  perhaps a drone  that is armed with a directed energy weapon that could shoot microwaves at first, which could destroy electronics. But it also has a laser, which could shoot a more lethal pulse if the situation escalates.

So you might imagine an artificial intelligence behind the robots battling each other  and this isnt such a far-fetched concept. We use electronic warfare in the military today, Murray-Krezan said. Its definitely taking it a step farther.
AUSTIN, Texas  Texas lieutenant governor blamed rising hospitalization and death rates from COVID-19 on unvaccinated Black people  comments that were quickly denounced as racist.

Republican Lt. Governor Dan Patrick made the remarks Thursday night on a Fox News segment in response to question about the latest coronavirus surge in Texas. The state is seeing its highest hospitalization rates since January as the highly contagious delta variant spreads.

The biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated, Patrick said.

Patrick did not change course Friday, saying Democrat social media trolls misstated facts and that he had used state data in his assertions. His office did not respond to a request for additional comments.

But statistics from the Texas Department of State Health Services dont back that. Black people  who make up about 12% of the more than 29 million people in Texas  accounted for about 15% of total COVID-19 cases and just more than 10% of deaths.

Patrick also told Fox News that Democrats were to blame for low vaccination rates among Black people, who frequently support that party, even though he believes Republicans should persuade more people to get their shots, too. But he also tiptoed around that issue, which has been sensitive for the GOP.

But we respect the fact that if people dont want the vaccination, were not going to force it on them, Patrick said. Thats their individual right.

City and county officials in Texas  many of whom are are in ongoing legal battles with state government over mask mandates  met Patrick with swift rebukes.

The Lt. Governors statements are offensive and should not be ignored, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is Black, said on Twitter.

Rodney Ellis, a Black commissioner for the county that encompasses Houston, tweeted that Patricks comments were racist and flat out wrong.

Its disappointing that the Lt. Governor would rather scapegoat Black people than do the right thing and work with local government to help control the spread of COVID-19, Ellis wrote.

About 8% of the total number of people in Texas who have been fully vaccinated are Black, according to state data. Its unclear from state data what percentage of the African American population has been vaccinated.

Overall, 44% of Texans are fully vaccinated, less than the national rate of about 50%. COVID-19 is blamed for more than 50,000 deaths in the state, and more than 600,000 across the U.S.

Failures and abuses on behalf of government  including the Tuskegee syphilis study, in which unsuspecting Black men were used as guinea pigs in a study of a sexually transmitted disease  have led to mistrust in public institutions for many African Americans.

Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas State NAACP Conference, said those historic disparities combined with the politicization of vaccines, misinformation and access to shots is the problem. Bledsoe said he was shocked by Patricks comments.

I am so concerned that he is going to give field to somebody to go out there and do something outrageous because they think someone in their community got infected by Black people. That is just not true, Bledsoe said. Reach out beyond your political base, reach out to people of all the political persuasions in Texas, all the races and religions, and say, Lets come together, because this is a major problem.

The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths from COVID-19 in Texas has risen over the past two weeks from 50.29 deaths per day on Aug. 4 to 115.14 deaths per day on Aug. 18, according to data from Johns Hopkins University Center.

This is not the first time that Patrick has been criticized for comments related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an April 2020 appearance on Fox News, Patrick said the U.S. should get back to work in the face of the pandemic and that people over the age of 70, who the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says are at higher risk for severe illness from the coronavirus, will take care of ourselves.

___

Acacia Coronado is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

___

This story was first published on Aug. 20, 2021. It was updated on Aug. 21, 2021, to correct the percentage of total vaccinations in Texas that have gone to Black people.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The more contagious COVID-19 variant flooding New Mexico is reaching vaccinated residents, not just the unvaccinated.

In fact, fully vaccinated individuals made up 19% of new COVID-19 infections and 13% of hospitalizations in a recent four-week period, according to a Journal analysis of state data.

The numbers do demonstrate that unvaccinated people still make up the vast majority of New Mexicos coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, even amid the recent surge.

But vaccinated residents have been caught in the wave, too.

Megan Gleason, a music major at the University of New Mexico, was one of the breakthrough cases this month. She reported some exhaustion and nausea, but she believes the vaccine provided protection from more serious symptoms.

I got pretty lucky, Gleason, 20, said Friday. I dont think I would have even known I had COVID unless I tested positive.

Physicians at UNM Hospital and elsewhere say breakthrough cases are expected in any vaccine program. COVID-19 vaccines still demonstrate powerful protection against hospitalization and death.

No vaccine is perfect, Dr. Rohini McKee of UNM Hospital said this week. In the history of vaccines, there have always been breakthrough infections.

As an increasing percentage of New Mexicans get the vaccine, they are showing up as a greater share of the states new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.

David Morgan, a spokesman for the Department of Health, said the rising number of vaccinated adults means the percentage of vaccinated breakthrough cases will go up, even if the vaccine remains just as effective.

But there are also some studies, he said, indicating COVID-19 vaccines are less effective at preventing infections from the delta variant of the virus, though they remain highly effective at preventing serious illness.

The vaccine works to prime the immune system to fight the virus more effectively, Morgan said, but with such a highly infectious variant we are finding that vaccinated persons can still transmit the virus which is why there are renewed mask recommendations to reduce transmission, particularly to those unvaccinated who are at risk of more severe disease.

Recent snapshot

Since Feb. 1, people who werent fully vaccinated have made up 91% of the states COVID-19 cases and 92% of the hospitalizations.But the picture is changing.

According to a Journal analysis of Department Health reports in a recent four-week period:

 People who arent fully vaccinated made up about 81% of the new cases reported by the state, or 10,644 of the 13,191 infections.

 Fully vaccinated individuals made up 19% of new cases.

 People not fully vaccinated made up about 87% of COVID-19 hospitalizations, or 644 of 742 hospitalized patients. (An internal estimate by the state put the figure at 86%, Morgan said.)

 Fully vaccinated individuals made up 13% of the COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Morgan said the state compiled similar figures for the last month, but he warned that the percentages could change as more information comes in.

Over the next month we believe the data trends will stabilize, he said, and we can be more confident in these numbers.

Immensely grateful

Gleason, who serves as editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo newspaper at UNM, said she was careful even after receiving her vaccine earlier this year.

As a musician  she plays the flute  Gleason said she was particularly concerned about the possibility that COVID-19 would damage her lungs.

She continued social distancing and wearing a mask even after vaccination. But she said she tested positive after visiting her partners parents in Arkansas, though she isnt certain when or how she caught it.

I definitely feel immensely grateful that Im vaccinated, she said. Im sure it would have been so much worse.

McKee, chief quality and safety officer at UNMH, said those who catch COVID-19 after vaccination are less likely to transmit the disease and their symptoms dont last as long. They have a 25-fold reduction, she said, in the chance of hospitalization or death.

It makes for a very compelling argument to go get vaccinated, McKee said.

No COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit at UNMH on Thursday, she said, was fully vaccinated.

Strong rate

New Mexico is enduring what some health officials are calling a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections.

That wave could push new cases nationwide to their highest level yet, though hospital executives in New Mexico say the state may not reach those heights given its strong vaccination rate.

About 66.2% of New Mexico adults have completed their vaccination series  4.2 percentage points higher than the national average. Among younger residents, about 43.4% of New Mexicans 12 to 17 years old have received their shots.

But cases and hospitalizations are surging. Deaths havent seen a corresponding increase.

The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in New Mexico jumped to 385 on Friday  four times as many as a month ago.

The state also reported 871 new cases and nine additional deaths. The statewide coronavirus-related death toll is now 4,472 residents.

Among the new cases reported Friday were 169 infections in Bernalillo County, 114 in Lea County and 11 among people detained by federal agencies at the Otero County Processing Center.

Protecting kids

Hospital leaders this week said the composition of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is changing.

Were seeing younger, healthier patients come in and sadly pass away from this disease, which is preventable through vaccines, said Dr. Vesta Sandoval, chief medical officer at Lovelace.

Dr. Jason Mitchell, chief medical officer at Presbyterian Healthcare Services, said the delta variant is exceptionally contagious. Each person with the disease generally infects six other people, he said, far more than earlier variants.

The spread  and people impacted  is much worse, Mitchell said.

None of the COVID-19 vaccines has been authorized yet for kids 11 and under, he said, and some of the COVID-19 patients hospitalized at Presbyterian are children.

The rest of us have to get vaccinated so they dont get COVID from us, he said.
Celebrity

The Japanese actor, who also appeared in films like 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift', developed pneumonia after contracting the virus earlier this month.

Aug 20, 2021

AceShowbiz - Japanese actor Sonny Chiba, who was known internationally for his roles in films like "Kill Bill" and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift", has passed away. The martial arts legend died at 82 years old after contracting COVID-19.

Chiba, known in Japan as Shinichi Chiba, had been treated for COVID since early this month, his management office, Tokyo-based Astraia, said in a statement released on Friday. He was initially treated at home, but was hospitalized a few days later on August 8 when he developed pneumonia. He died from complications on Thursday, August 19. According to his publicist, Chiba had not been vaccinated.

Born Sadaho Maeda in Fukuoka, Japan, on January 22, 1939, Chiba began studying martial arts when he was a university student under the renowned Kyokushin Karate master Masutatsu "Mas" Oyama. He earned a first-degree black belt in 1965.

He rose to stardom in Japan in the 1960s, portraying samurai, fighters and police detectives, doing many of the stunt scenes himself. He later played Oyama in a trilogy of films, "Champion of Death", "Karate Bearfighter" and "Karate for Life", in the late 1970s.

His overseas career took off after he starred in 1974's film "The Street Fighter", which became popular in the U.S. Quentin Tarantino listed his works among his "grindhouse," or low-budget kitsch cinema, favorites. He then cast Chiba in the role of Hattori Hanzo, a master swordsmith in "Kill Bill". Chiba also appeared in 1991's Hollywood film "Aces" and several Hong Kong movies.

Chiba's death is mourned by his international fans. American actor Lewis Tan posted on Twitter, "A true action legend. Your films are eternal and your energy an inspiration. #SonnyChiba #RIP." New York-based writer and director Ted Geoghegan called him "the great Sonny Chiba," adding, "Watch one of his films today" followed by images of a fist and a broken heart.

Chiba is survived by his daughter Juri Manase from his first marriage to actress Yoko Nogiwa and sons Mackenyu Arata and Gordon, whom he shared with his second wife Tamami Chiba. All three of his children are actors.
WENN/Instagram/Tony Forte Celebrity

The former Victoria's Secret angel describes her former husband as an 'annoying brother' while saying nothing but good words for his wife-to-be Katy Perry.

Aug 20, 2021

AceShowbiz - Miranda Kerr loves Katy Perry more than Orlando Bloom.

The star has once again weighed in on her friendship with her ex's fiancee as she described her former flame as an "annoying brother."

She told the "Moments with Candace Parker" podcast, "We go on holidays together. We celebrate all the important milestones together I love her."

"I mean, it'd be safe to say that I love her more than Flynn's dad... He's, like, to me right now, a brother. And most of the time, an annoying brother."

The model - who has 10-year-old son Flynn with Orlando, as well as Hart, three, and Myles, 22 months, with husband Evan Spiegel - admitted there is no "pressure" thanks to Katy, who welcomed Daughter Daisy Dove into the world with her man last August.

She added, "I'm so grateful that she's there because it takes the pressure off me. When Orlando started dating Katy, I remember he invited me over one time and she was there, and we just immediately got along."

"I saw how she was with Flynn. She was very playful with Flynn. She was not trying to be his mum. She was just being friendly and fun, and that's all you can ask for."

"We hung out by the pool at his house in Malibu and then there was like a little party up the road, and we all went to it together and it was like, 'Oh, this is great!' "
Instagram Celebrity

Hailie Jade, whom the 'Rap God' hitmaker shares with his former wife Kim Scott, is seen crossing her legs while holding up her phone in the shared picture.

Aug 20, 2021

AceShowbiz - Eminem's daughter has appeared for the first time since her mother Kim Scott was hospitalized following an alleged suicide attempt. Taking to her social media account, Hailie Jade treated fans to a new mirror selfie.

In the snap, which was shared on Instagram on Thursday, August 19, the 25-year-old beauty was seen crossing her legs while holding up her phone. She looks cute in a white tiny tank top, a pair of shorts, white sneakers and a dark green beanie.

In the caption, Hailie wrote, "heard pumpkin spice was back so it's only fair that beanies come out now too, right?!" She added, "wearing @pumawomen mayze sneakers here! linked in stories #shemovesus #pumapartner."

The post was met with positive feedback from Hailie's followers. "Oh my god literally stunning," one user gushed, before another added, "I like your outfit Hailie! You're so stylish all the time!! Keep on going your #1."

The post arrived around one week after news about her mother Kim's hospitalization hit media headlines. According to multiple reports, she was discovered bleeding excessively in the bathroom of her Michigan home after Macomb County police responded to a call on July 30.

Kim was allegedly rushed to the hospital to undergo a medical and psychological evaluation. However, she was already recovering at home when the news broke.

The suicide attempt took place just one week after the death of Kim's mother, Kathleen Sluck. A funeral for Kathleen was held at Lee-Ellena Funeral Home on July 29.

Kim and Eminem, who welcomed Hailie in December 1995, tied the knot in 1999 but divorced two years later. After rekindling their romance and renewing their vows in January 2006, they split again in April that year.

Eminiem also adopted now-19-year-old daughter Whitney Mathers, who was born to Kim from a previous relationship, as well as Alaina, whose mother was Kim's late sister Dawn. As for Whitney, she came out as non-binary earlier this month and changed their name to Stevie Laine.
Instagram Celebrity

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ordered Marc McWilliams to answer questions under oath after he accuses the 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' alum of exposing herself to him.

Aug 20, 2021

AceShowbiz - Kris Jenner's former bodyguard Marc McWilliams will be under oath when he is deposed in a $3 million sexual assault case against the momager. The former security guard of the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" alum has been ordered to show up at a Los Angeles Superior Court.

Following a recent hearing, a judge ruled that Marc has to show up immediately. In a court order obtained by Radar, the judge stated, "The court finds that plaintiff did not act with substantial justification and sanctions are just. Concern for a potential subsequent deposition does not justify failing to appear for this deposition on a limited subject. Defendant is entitled to the deposition and plaintiff had no good reason for failing to appear."

The court has given Marc 15 days to show up for the deposition or face further sanctions. Previously, Kris' former security guard was fined $2,395 for failing to appear in court.

The judge's order came after David Shield Security, Marc's employer, demanded the court sanction the former bodyguard for refusing to appear for a deposition. The company said Marc was dragging out the case and they believed the case should be heard in arbitration and not Los Angeles Court. For his part, Marc himself argued that his depo should not be taken unless Kris and Kourtney Kardashian were present to avoid being deposed twice.

Back in 2020, Marc first filed a lawsuit against Kris and David Shield Security. In the legal documents, Marc, who was a former rapper, claimed to be a victim of a "pattern of unwanted and unwelcome sexual advances and otherwise harassing misconduct."

Marc also declared that he was subjected to comments "of an overt sexual nature, comments directed at Plaintiff's physical appearance, comments inquiring as to Plaintiff's sexual activities." He further stated that he received comments "suggesting that Plaintiff engage in a romantic and sexual relationship, and comments concerning the physical appearance and sexual activities of other employees."

Marc further stressed that Kris was responsible for "repeatedly and frequently causing her body to come into intimate physical contact" with his body. In his statement, the former security guard accused the TV reality star of "massaging [his] neck, shoulders, arms and back without consent" and "causing her hand to rest on [his] thigh and groin."

In defense of Kris, her lawyer had issued a statement that read, "This lawsuit, filed back in September, has yet to be served on Ms. Jenner and involves events alleged to have occurred more than two years ago." The attorney added, "The allegations are not only wrong and scandalous, but seem designed to coerce Ms. Jenner into silence via a settlement. This will not happen."

"Rather, Ms. Jenner fully intends to seek vindication at trial, armed with evidence that will show the falsity of the claims being made," so the statement continued. "Following that, Ms. Jenner will pursue all of her available legal remedies to protect her good name and reputation and to hold those who brought this suit accountable."
Instagram Celebrity

Kathleen Roberts, who insists to be the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe, claims that her wedding to the late pop superstar's ghost was officiated by late civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.

Aug 20, 2021

AceShowbiz - A medium has claimed she is married to the ghost of Michael Jackson.

American psychic Kathleen Roberts, who also insists she is the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe, told the U.K.'s Daily Star the late pop superstar's ghost proposed to her "clairvoyantly" with a pink engagement ring.

She also states late civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. officiated the ceremony and explains the "Thriller" hitmaker uses her body through possession or "channeling."

"Michael stays in me all the time," Roberts tells the outlet, "so he comes to the restroom with me and calls these special bonding moments 'toiletries'. He loves cookies. He cusses a lot more to I'd expect him to [sic]. He talks to me a lot, which is not what I expected from the shy man I saw on TV all of those years I was a fan."

She believes Michael chose her for the otherworldly relationship because of her apparent resemblance to the late Monroe.

"I feel special that he chose me for a wife [though not on paper] we treat our relationship as though we are married. We have our ups and downs but Michael, the truth is, I just can't stop loving you," Kathleen adds.

Despite the ongoing alleged possession, she says Jackson, who died in 2009, has not yet consummated their "marriage."

"He doesn't like being touched back," she reports. "He scares me with spider visions and dead corpse visions if I kiss him or try to initiate romance physically. He is very bossy and points things out like flaws and mistakes I make."

"I assume he got that from his father, so I try to overlook that because I love him and I am not perfect either."
Instagram Movie

The actress, who has been cast as Riri Williams and her hero alter ego on her self-titled series, will first make an appearance in the 'Black Panther' sequel.

Aug 20, 2021

AceShowbiz - Dominique Thorne's Ironheart is coming on screen sooner than later. After she was cast in the role for her upcoming self-titled series, the actress will make her early debut as the character in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever".

The news was confirmed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in an interview with ComicBook.com. "We're shooting 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever', right now, and the character of Riri Williams, you will meet in 'Black Panther 2' first," he said when talking about the release of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings".

The "Black Panther" sequel will mark Thorne's debut as Riri Williams and her hero alter ego before she appears on the Disney+ series. Feige added, "She started shooting, I think, this week before her Ironheart series."

In the comics, Riri Williams is a 15-year-old engineering student and the daughter of the late Riri Williams Sr. A certified super-genius, she attends the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on scholarship. There, she designs a suit of armor similar to the Iron Man Armor using material stolen from campus.

After Tony Stark hears of Riri's accomplishment, he goes to meet her and gives her his blessing to become a new, armored hero. However, there is no word on whether Robert Downey Jr. will return as Tony a.k.a. Iron Man as part of the Ironheart introduction in the MCU.

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" kicked off production in June, with Ryan Coogler returning at the helm. Following Chadwick Boseman's untimely passing from colon cancer in August 2020, it was announced that Marvel would not recast the role of T'Challa in honor of the late actor.

While plot details are still kept under wraps, Feige said in December 2020 that the sequel would explore "different subcultures" of Wakanda and characters of the first film as a way to honor the legacy that Boseman helped build.

Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett have been confirmed to return for the sequel, with Michaela Coel being added to the cast in an undisclosed role. "Narcos: Mexico" star Tenoch Huerta was additionally reported to star in the film as villain Namor the Sub-Mariner.

The movie is scheduled for a July 8, 2022 release in the United States.
Instagram Celebrity

Back in June, the former 'Jersey Shore Family Vacation' star was arrested in Las Vegas for misdemeanor domestic violence and felony assault with a deadly weapon.

Aug 20, 2021

AceShowbiz - Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's ex Jen Harley's trouble with law has yet to be over. According to a new repot, the former MTV personality received a criminal complaint that stemmed from her June arrest in Las Vegas.

E! News reported that on Wednesday, August 18, the 33-year-old was formally charged with one felony count of assault with a domestic weapon constituting domestic violence. The criminal complaint further stated that she's also charged with one misdemeanor count of battery constituting domestic violence.

Jen's attorney, meanwhile, insisted Jen's innocence and denied the allegations leveled at her. "We believe the charges are unsubstantiated and that overwhelming mitigating evidence exists that Jen did not commit any crime," the attorney said in a statement. "We look forward to our day in court and having all charges against Ms. Harley dismissed."

Back in June, the former "Jersey Shore Family Vacation" star was arrested in Las Vegas for misdemeanor domestic violence and felony assault with a deadly weapon. The report went on to note at the time that Jen was released on bond, while the victim's identity has yet to be confirmed.

During the alleged altercation, Jen's 3-year-old daughter Ariana Sky Magro, whom she shares with Ronnie, was with her ex as he celebrated his engagement to his now-fiancee, Saffire Matos. They had a feast at a Southern California beach for the big day.

"[His daughter] Ariana, Ron's mom and step-dad were there for the engagement at the Los Angeles beach on Saturday," a source close to Ronnie claimed at the time.

Previous reports also claimed that Jen checked herself into rehab for her alcohol dependency in July following the arrest. Her representative Gina Rodriguez informed TMZ that the 34-year-old entered a 28-day program in Las Vegas.

She shared, "Jen Harley has decided to check into a Las Vegas rehab facility to seek treatment for her alcohol dependency. She made the decision to get help because she wants to be the best parent she can be for her children."
WENN Celebrity

The son of the dementia-stricken actress has been put on blast by her friend and former manager after he sold her house and moved her into a rented property.

Aug 21, 2021

AceShowbiz - "Star Trek" icon Nichelle Nichols' friends have slammed her son for selling the actress' home and refusing them access to her.

Nichelle's pal, Angelique Fawcette, and former manager, Gilbert Bell, previously criticised Kyle Johnson for what they claim is mismanagement of his mother's conservatorship.

Kyle was appointed conservator of the dementia-stricken star's person and estate in 2019, but the news only came to light after Bell shared upsetting video footage with an Atlanta television outlet months later.

In it the beleaguered actress, 88, could be heard screaming after seeing what her former representative claimed were legal guardianship documents presented by her son.

Now, in the light of this week's (beg16Aug21) news in the Los Angeles Times that Kyle has sold his mum's former home in Woodland Hills, California, for nearly $2.2 million (1.6 million), Fawcette and Bell are on the attack.

"She's (Nichelle) been like a mother to me," Fawcette fumes. "It's been horrendous. It's been painful to watch her go through this experience. When the house was sold, I was very hurt for her. She has no place to go back to anymore. It hurt me because I knew that it would hurt her. She stated that she wanted to remain in her home, yet the court let her son move her out."

Bell adds, "Her home is gone. It's been sold out from under her. She would be horrified if she knew that. She was proud of (the house). She designed it. She helped build it. She planted the trees on it. It was a dream come true for her."

Meanwhile, Johnson tells The Los Angeles Times in an email the proceeds of the sale have been added to his mother's conservatorship account, and that she is living with him in a rented property in New Mexico, where he is her principal caregiver.

"We have moved here, and we're going to remain here," he shares, explaining the pair's new pad is "a little more modest than being in Los Angeles, but meeting our needs."

But Nichols' friends, who claim they have not been allowed to visit her since 2019, remain heartbroken.

"This is a very special woman," Bell concludes.

Fawcette adds, "I will always keep my promise to fight for Nichelle."
The latest surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations this summer is having a deepening effect in Texas, a state that has seen its leadership rebuke steps such as mandatory mask wearing, yet now faces hospitals stretched to capacity with sick patients.

And amid both the crises at health care facilities as well as court battles raging over the legality of safety measures in schools, recent news of Gov. Greg Abbott's positive test for Covid-19 has punctuated messaging from health officials that Texans need to remain vigilant during the pandemic.

The state's Department of State Health Services said Texas is in "one of its worst fights" it has faced with Covid-19, and mortuary trailers were requested this month as a preparatory maneuver.

"Hospital capacity concerns worsening. Fatalities are increasing faster," the department said Wednesday. More than 12,400 people are hospitalized with the virus as of Wednesday, according to state data, an increase from 10,791 last Wednesday.

ICU beds are running low, and health care employees are working frantically to find available space for those in need.

At Goodall Witcher Hospital in the central Texas town of Clifton, officials are finding it difficult to transfer Covid-19 patients in need of ICU care to other hospitals since they are at capacity, they say.

Chief Nursing Officer Joycesarah McCabe told CNN affiliate KWTX she calls hospitals throughout Texas, looking for availability. Sometimes calls are made to neighboring states, such as Louisiana or New Mexico.

"We have no beds, and then that's the end of the conversation. Some will say 'we are closed, we are on full divert, we've been on full divert for two weeks,'" McCabe told KWTX. "Sometimes on the other end of the phone you get someone that says, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' Because they know we are desperate."

McCabe said staffers themselves have lost relatives or friends while providing care at the rural hospital. "A nurse, a sonographer and one of our physicians all lost someone either Saturday or Sunday to Covid. The youngest was 21, the oldest was 38," McCabe told KWTX.

Justin Squyres, a physician at the hospital, said to KWTX, "I lost my brother on Saturday. We waited five days for an ICU bed and it never happened.

"I have no way of knowing if an ICU bed would have saved him," Squyres said. "But he's not the only one, there are so many others."

Data shows uphill battle to slow pandemic

The Texas DSHS is encouraging residents to get Covid-19 vaccines to stave off the worsening number of infections, saying only 322 ICU beds are available in the state.

"Full vaccination prevents nearly all cases of severe illness, hospitalization and death," the department said.

Nearly 66% of Texans who are eligible to get the vaccine have received at least one dose, according to state data, and 54.7% were fully vaccinated. This slightly trails the national average of 70.2% of eligible recipients with at least one dose and 59.6% fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Younger people nationwide have been vaccinated at lesser rates than older individuals, and health experts point to increased inoculations across all age groups as a way to help curb the pandemic.

The seven-day moving average of vaccinations for children ages 12-17 is increasing in Texas, the DSHS said, up from an average of around 10,500 vaccinations in early July to around 21,500 on Monday. A third of children ages 12-17 in the state are now fully vaccinated, the department said.

However, children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for vaccination, and Texas has the most pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations in the nation at 239, according to the latest data released Monday by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Florida, which has also been hit hard with pediatric infections and received criticism alongside Texas for state leaders' refusals to allow for local mask mandates, had 170 children in hospitals with Covid-19.

Local districts defy mask mandate ban

Elected state officials have made it no secret that they intend to continue preventing local school districts from enforcing mandatory mask wearing in schools.

This week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office released an updated list of government entities he says are "unlawfully imposing mask mandates," and not in compliance with Abbott's executive order prohibiting governmental entities, including school districts, from requiring mask wearing.

"I'm committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of all Texans," Paxton said on Twitter.

Some of the entities listed as non-compliant have filed lawsuits that are currently working through the court system. A recent Texas Supreme Court ruling sided with Abbott's order.

Yet some districts are pushing back by finding solutions outside the courtroom. The Paris Independent School District, located northeast of Dallas, voted to amend its current dress code to include masks.

"The board believes the dress code can be used to mitigate communicable health issues, and therefore has amended the PISD dress code to protect our students and employees," the district said in a statement.

"The Texas governor does not have the authority to usurp the board of trustees' exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the district," it said.

With Abbott -- who is fully vaccinated and assured Texans Wednesday that he was in good spirits -- testing positive for Covid-19, critics highlighted the moment as additional evidence for mask wearing and caution. Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa urged local governments to continue moving forward with mandates.

"I wish Governor Abbott well  no one deserves to be sick or to suffer from this unyielding virus. My hope is that the governor will realize how vulnerable we are in the face of this health crisis, stop playing politics, and do what is necessary for the health of all Texans," Hinojosa said.

"Children's lives cannot be negotiated for a potential political win. I commend the nearly dozen school districts and local governments who continue to defy the governor's orders and in spite of forceful opposition, choose to do the right thing for the safety of our kids and communities."

The-CNN-Wire

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BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - On Thursday, two Butte County men appeared in Butte County Superior Court to be sentenced for drug possession and other charges, District Attorney Michael Ramsey said.

Thai Thao, 44, of Oroville, was sentenced to nine years and eight months in state prison after pleading no contest to charges of Possession of Methamphetamine for Sale, Possession of Heroin for Sale, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

He also admitted prior felony possession for sale convictions.

On Nov. 4, 2020, Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force (BINTF) agents executed a search warrant at Thaos residence on Feather Ave. in Oroville.

BINTF agents located 14.58 pounds of methamphetamine, 2.17 pounds of heroin, and a loaded firearm, which had been reported stolen, Ramsey said.

Shawn Charles Nowlin, 49, of Chico was also in court where he pleaded no contest to counts of Possession of Methamphetamine for Sale, Possession of Heroin for Sale, and Possession of Fentanyl for Sale.

As a part of his plea, Nowlin was given a sentence of six years and eight months in county prison.

On April 9, Nowlin was stopped for a speeding violation. During the traffic stop, Butte County Sheriffs Office K9 Enzo was deployed and alerted to the presence of narcotics, which led to a search of Nowlins truck, Ramsey said.

RELATED: Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force make drug bust; seize over 15 pounds of meth

During the initial search, deputies located 29.23 grams of methamphetamine and hundreds of counterfeit oxycodone pills that were tested and confirmed to be a variety of drugs laced with fentanyl.

BINTF agents then arrived and conducted a more thorough search which included removing the trim to the tailgate of the truck. This search revealed a collection of narcotics hidden inside.

A total of 25 pounds of methamphetamine, 1.4 pounds of heroin, and 1.2 pounds of fentanyl were removed from the hidden compartment, Ramsey said.

Ramsey said that the amount of fentanyl seized from Nowlin was enough to produce over 544,000 doses.

Fentanyl is extremely potent and an amount as small as two milligrams, roughly seven grains of salt is enough for a fatal overdose, Ramsey said.

Overdose deaths increased 34% in Butte County between 2019 and 2020, according to Ramsey.

From Jan. 2021 through April 12 there have been 11 deaths in Butte County associated with fentanyl.

This exceeds the total number of fentanyl-related deaths that occurred in all of 2020, Ramsey said.
OROVILLE, Calif. - The reach of the drought emergency has a shocking look at as Lake Oroville drains to dirt.

With a surface area of just over 15,000 acres  Lake Oroville provides water and electricity and impacts the local economy as recreation is big on this lake.

Lake Oroville has a surface area of 15,000 acres but is facing the worst crisis in its 52-year history. Lake Oroville has a surface area of 15,000 acres but is facing the worst crisis in its 52-year history.

Californias 14th largest lake and the second-largest reservoir is now facing the worst crisis in its 52-year history.

27 million people depend on water from here and as of August 19, the lake sits at 633ft, that's below the record set in 1977.

The DWR works with the Bureau of Reclamation to decide how much water is released daily and it's become a delicate process as the levels continue to drop.

A rainy season is needed, more rain than the rainiest years in recent history in 2017 and 2019 combined in order to fill the lake back to capacity.

The DWR says its trying to conserve as much water in Lake Oroville as possible as it takes it for the state water project.
Update Tuesday at 9:23 p.m. - An evacuation order has been issued in Trinity County for Ewing Road up through all residences off of Brady Road in Hayfork. Residents are being told to leave immediately.

An evacuation center has been set up at Shasta College at 11555 Old Oregon Trail in Redding.

Update Tuesday at 7 p.m. - An evacuation order has been issued in Trinity County for the Hayfork area including Sunshine Meadows, Harrison Rd, and Farmer Ranch Rd.

TRINITY COUNTY, Calif - There are now evacuation warnings and orders for the areas of Weaverville, Douglas City, and Hayfork, according to the Trinity County Sheriffs Office.

The Weaverville area includes Oregon St., Sydney Gulch Rd., Leslie Lane, McCoy Lane, Wendy Lane, North Miner St., Barbra Ave., Red Hill Rd., Easter Ave., Kelso Ave., Court St., Washington St., Levee Rd., Lance Gulch Rd., Browns Ranch Rd., Pioneer Lane, Martin Rd., Glenn Rd., Masonic Lane, Mountain View St., Timber Ridge Rd., Industrial Pkwy., Little Browns Creek Rd., East Weaver Rd., Brooks Lane and any other roads, lanes, avenues or ways in the Weaverville area.

The Douglas City warnings include Steiner Flat Rd., B Bar K Rd., Jordan Rd., Tucker Hill Rd., and Riverview Rd.

For the Hayfork area, the warning is for all of Hayfork proper, Highway 3 south from Barker Mountain to Hayfork proper and the north side of Hyampom Rd. from Hayfork proper to Nine Mile Bridge.

People in the area who are elder, have medical conditions, have young children or have livestock and pets should prepare to leave.

As of Tuesday morning, the Monument Fire is 119,280 acres and is 10% contained.
TRINITY COUNTY, Calif. - The Trinity County Sheriff's Office issued new evacuation warnings for the Monument Fire.

The warnings include Hawkins Bar, Trinity Village and Denny.

People in the area who are elderly, young children, medical issues, small children or livestock and pets should prepare to leave.

People who evacuate can go to the Willow Creek Bible Church at 39 Brannan Mountain Rd. in Willow Creek.

Animals can be taken to the Hoopa Rodeo Grounds at Pine Creek Rd. in Hoopa, Calif.
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - On Wednesday, an Oroville man was sentenced in Butte County Superior Court for the rape and molestation of a young girl while she was in his home between the ages of 12 and 16, Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey said.

Rolando Cornelio Ledesma, 36, of Oroville, previously pleaded guilty to a count of rape by duress and forcible digital penetration and was sentenced to the maximum term of 23 years by Judge Jesus Rodriguez.

Ramsey said the case came about after the girls mother became alarmed by the behavior she observed of Ledesma on Dec. 20, 2020.

The mother called the Oroville Police Department, and the then 16-year-old victim bravely told responding law enforcement officers about the sexual abuse she had endured since the time she was 12 years old, Ramsey said.

Ledesma was arrested and charged with the counts of sexual abuse he committed against the girl.

In addition to the 23 years in prison, Ledesma will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, according to Ramsey.

Pursuant to new regulations adopted by the California Department of Corrections this May, offenders only have to serve 2/3 of their actual sentence.

This means Ledesma will be eligible for parole after approximately 15 years in custody, which is calculated from the day of his arrest in Jan. 2021.
LT Foods, a 70-year-old Consumer Food Companys flagship brand Daawat has launched a new campaign to extend its Banega Toh Farq Dikhega proposition. The newly launched campaign extends the proposition by showcasing to the consumers the finely curated four-step process of Chunkar, Bachakar, Sambhaalkar and Sajaakar, (fine picking, carefully securing, meticulous ageing, and proud presentation) before Daawat Basmati reaches the consumer. The meticulous quality processes that LT Foods employ makes Daawat stand out in its category.

The campaign narrative unfolds with the quintessential wit & quirk of Paresh Rawal, as Hussain Dalals character adds to the humor to make the campaign even more clutter breaking. The campaign has been launched with a film, which captures the banter between a seasoned Daawat food inspector played by legendary Paresh Rawal and his immature protege, Hussain Dalal of the recent Toofan fame. The interaction happens during the process of creating the finest Basmati.

Speaking on the occasion, Managing Director & CEO LT Foods Limited, Mr. Ashwani Kumar Arora said, "Consumers today exhibit a high degree of discernibility & consciousness in their consumption choices. The new campaign of Daawat by LT Foods not only extends the proposition of "Banega Toh Farq Dikhega" but also showcases the special care & effort the Company takes through a four-stage curation process of Chunkar, Bachakar, Sambhaalkar, and Sajaakar (fine picking, carefully securing, meticulous ageing, and proud presentation).

Speaking on the occasion, CEO India and Far East Business, Mr. Ritesh Arora said, The brand communication over the years has evolved keeping pace with the changing Consumer aspirations & tastes. The extension of Banega Toh Farq Dikhega campaign demonstrates the consistent effort taken by the Company to curate the best in category product.

The film opens on a shot of the paddy Mandi where Hussain while walking towards Paresh Rawal, who is inspecting the paddy and choosing the finest from a heap intently, shows off to a transport coordinator, who was passing by Tujhe pata hai itni bareeki se chunn kar banta hai Daawat (Did you know Daawat is made with such precise selection). He is reprimanded by Paresh Rawal immediately, who tells him Abhi nahi bana hai (Daawat is not yet ready). The film then goes on with Paresh Rawal taking Hussain through the special process of selection, carefully securing to avoid breakage, ageing for aroma and taste, before beautiful packaging for presentation. Hussain goes hysterical with excitement and at the end doubtfully asks Paresh, Abhi nai bana na? (Still not ready, right?) Paresh replies with a mischievous smile, Janaab, Ab ban gaya hai Daawat (Sir, now Daawat is finally ready). The film closes with Paresh serving Biryani made from Daawat Basmati to Hussain, who enjoys every mouthful. Then, we cut to a range shot of Daawat rice packs with voice over reinforcing the proposition of Banega Toh Farq Dikhega', a product of LT Foods that Nurtures Goodness.

Daawat has always stood for the finest and this refreshingly intricate process story lends itself to this unique proposition. This is a simple story about a complex process told in an interesting, humorous way. The campaign will be launched pan India across major TV channels, Digital, Social Media, and OTT (Over the Top) platforms.
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel with a 54-year history of breaking boundaries, is positioning for continued success in Asia with the appointment of Braydon Holland as Senior Director Sales for Asia.

Reporting to Ben Angell, Vice President and Managing Director NCL APAC, Braydon is responsible for driving the sales strategy throughout the Asia region, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

From Club Med to Contiki to Star Cruises to Genting Hong Kong, including his pivotal role in establishing the NCL brand in the region, Braydon brings more than 28 years industry experience with world class travel brands to his new role  including 20 years in cruise and nine years based in Asia.

As Sales & Marketing Director for Star Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland successfully grew the NCL brand to become an established business throughout Australia and New Zealand. Holland then took on the role of Vice President Sales at Genting Hong Kong where he led the sales performance for the multi-brand cruise division  including Star Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Dream Cruises and Crystal Cruises  across the Asia Pacific.

Asia continues to be one of our most important markets. We are doubling down on our presence as we capitalize on the pent-up demand that is now beginning to be unleashed as we mark our global return to service, said Ben Angell, Vice President and Managing Director NCL APAC. This role is uniquely significant to the success of our business in Asia, so it was imperative that we find the perfect fit.

Braydon Holland is a well-respected industry executive with an extensive network of contacts, a proven track record of building successful brands as well as comprehensive NCL brand knowledge. He will be a significant asset to our team and we wholeheartedly welcome him onboard, he concluded.

After five years, Im thrilled to return to the NCL family at such a pivotal time for international travel and cruise, and I look forward to continuing to build close working relationships with our valued trade partners and my new team as we take NCL to the next level, said Braydon Holland.

Holland commenced with NCL on August 9, 2021.
Supriya Saxena, Corporate Communicator at Network18 Media & Investment Limited has decided to step down from the company after being associated for almost six years.

On this announcement Saxena said, "A journey of six years at Network18 Group is coming to an end. I have decided to move on from the organization to take up newer challenges."

SCREENXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount for nomination of Digital Video Content and OTT Platform.. - Tuesday, August 31, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN

She has done her Post Graduation in Communication Management and has over 15 years of experience as a communications professional in the industry.

Saxena is a Social Volunteer for causes related to Children, Child Protection and Child Rights, Education & Healthcare.

Prior to Network18, she has also worked with well known organizations like HDFC Bank, Yes Bank, Burson Marsteller and MSL Group.


Kilometers & Kilometers: (Subtitles available in English)

The perfect watch for fans of light-hearted dramas. Kilometers and Kilometers features Tovino Thomas and India Jarvis. A light road movie, Kilometers and Kilometers is written and directed by Joe Baby. This is the story of a debt-ridden man who reluctantly agrees to drive an American tourist around India. Despite their vast differences, this comedy shows how the two develop an unexpected bonding during their trip.



Varane Avashyamundu: (Subtitles available in English)

This Dulquer Salmaan starring comedy power-packed family entertainer takes you through the intertwined lives of a single mother and her daughter on the lookout for an arranged marriage when they cross paths with a retired Army major and a young man who moves into their apartment complex. Watch as it transports you to the city of Chennai with its bursts of color, charm, and culture and leaves you with the Chennai blues as you yearn for more.



Maniyarayile Ashokan: (Subtitles available in Hindi and English)

Maniyarayile Ashokan navigates you through the quirky romantic comedy of a man whose unlucky horoscope does not favour his future wife and falls prey to societal pressures associated with marriage and the superstitions that come with it. Watch as Ashokan a.k.a Jacob Gregory goes to surprising lengths and meanders through his unfortunate circumstances in hopes of his dream family.



Njan Prakashan: (Subtitles available in English)

Do dreams of living a lavish life abroad cloud your mind? Enter Prakashan, a typical Malayali man who tries to fastrack his way to a luxurious and easy life abroad without breaking into a sweat. Watch as he manipulates his way through life and meets a few people who transform him and make him realize the beauty of God's own country.



Nayattu: (Subtitles available in Hindi and English)

This Martin Prakkat political survival thriller will take you on the rollercoaster ride of three wrongfully framed police officers' lives where everything that has to go wrong has already happened. Get ready to be glued down to your seats as this cat and mouse game unravels itself and touches upon the hard-hitting realities of political corruption, agendas, casteism, and a lot more than what meets the eye.



Elarkum Hridyam Niranje Onam Ashamsakal (Heartfelt Onam wishes to all)
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 20.08.2021 - On 21 August 2021, a SWISS plane will fly to Tashkent to pick up people previously evacuated from Kabul. The plane will bring Swiss citizens and people from different countries to Europe. With this flight, the FDFA is supporting the air bridge of international partner states that is allowing people to leave Afghanistan. In a telephone conversation with his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov on 19 August 2021, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, was able to ensure that various logistical problems for the charter flight are being resolved and thanked him for Uzbekistan's support for the evacuation efforts. On Saturday, about 1.3 million masks for Uzbekistan will be brought to Tashkent on this charter flight to protect against COVID-19.

Anyone wanting to leave Kabul after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan can currently generally only do so via the airport. The airport itself is controlled by the US military, but the trip from the Afghan capital to the airport is unsafe and access to the airport building is difficult. People wishing to leave the country are only taken to the gates at the airport if there is room in the German military's planes leaving for Tashkent. In parallel, military planes are bringing people to other destinations as well.

The Uzbek capital has taken on a key role under these circumstances: people flown in from Kabul must be able to continue their journey swiftly so that space is freed up in Tashkent for new military aircraft arriving from Kabul. To this end, the FDFA will send a SWISS aircraft, a Boeing 777-300 ER with about 300 seats, with medical personnel on board, to the Uzbek capital on Saturday. This charter flight is a concrete, burden-sharing contribution made by Switzerland, joining the evacuation efforts of the international community. As part of this, 14 Swiss citizens have been able to reach Switzerland, thanks to flights operated by Germany and the US. Switzerland is working closely with partner states to coordinate evacuation efforts.

In a telephone conversation, Cassis thanked Kamilov for Uzbekistan's support for the evacuation from Kabul. During this call, he discussed solutions to various logistical issues at Tashkent airport with his counterpart, giving the green light to the SWISS charter flight on 21 August 2021. The Swiss embassy in Tashkent is assuring on-site logistics at the airport.

The SWISS flight will bring protective material against COVID-19 to Tashkent from Zurich. Around 1.3 million medical masks are on board, provided by the Armed Forces Pharmacy. Kamilov thanked Cassis for this delivery of humanitarian aid.

FDFA in contact with Swiss citizens

The FDFA is continuing to work tirelessly to evacuate its local personnel, Swiss citizens and people with close ties to Switzerland. The Swiss embassy in Islamabad, responsible for consular matters in Afghanistan, is maintaining regular contact with the roughly 35 Swiss citizens still there. This number has increased because more Swiss citizens have reported their presence to the embassy in Islamabad over the course of the last few days.

The DDPS is assisting the FDFA in its evacuation efforts on the basis of the Federal Council's decision of 15 August. An FDFA detachment with army specialists flew to Tashkent on 17 August and is working with the Swiss embassy and partners on the ground. On the same day, an FDFA staff member travelled on to Kabul with part of the army detachment. In the area of the airport secured by the US military, the specialists are aiding the evacuation preparations. On the ground, they are maintaining contact with international partners, organisations and other actors.

The FDFA is very concerned about the grave security situation in Afghanistan. It strongly urges all actors involved to comply with international humanitarian law and respect human rights. Afghan and foreign citizens wishing to leave the country must not be hindered from doing so freely. In particular, safe and non-discriminatory access to Kabul's airport must be guaranteed.

Switzerland has been demonstrating its commitment in Afghanistan for many years through an SDC programme. It has also been supporting international efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan - for example, through its participation in the meetings of the International Contact Group on Afghanistan and the two major donor conferences for Afghanistan it hosted in Geneva in 2018 and 2020.

Switzerland is willing to continue its engagement under the current circumstances. It is examining ways to deliver humanitarian aid and is willing to provide its good offices, should all the actors involved so desire.

Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West Wing

CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55

E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html



General Secretariat DDPS

https://www.vbs.admin.ch/



Defence

http://www.vtg.admin.ch




Since early August, Iowa farmers have been reporting soybean fields or parts of fields with yellow or greenish-yellow leaves in the upper canopy which resemble early senescence and sometimes nitrogen deficiency symptoms. The soybean growth stage is mainly R4 to R5.
During the month of August, spring wheat prices have kept moving higher, and ass the ongoing drought continues to take its toll on this years spring wheat crop, it has also helped to push prices higher.

Weve seen all three futures markets for wheat push toward new contract highs, but as we approached the middle part of August weve seen a little bit of consolidation, and thats to be expected as the market is trying to work higher on a shorter crop,  said Jim Peterson, market director for the North Dakota Wheat Commission. When it gets the perception that things are worse than they realize, they get a pretty sharp run-up and then you get some reality set in that maybe things arent quite as severe as they thought and set back.

Nonetheless, all three futures markets havent held at the new contract levels, he continued. For Minneapolis wheat, $9.44 was the previous high. For September futures, we broke the $9.50 range, but now weve slipped back below that. The test will be if we can take it to that next level higher.

Whats driving the market is that in early August USDA came out with its August production report, as well as its supply and demand report, which had bullish U.S. numbers. But probably even more bullish or price supportive were numbers from the world front, namely a 24 percent reduction in the Canadian crop and about a 15 percent reduction in the Russian crop since July, according to Peterson.

While the market was anticipating some cuts, I think they were surprised by the level of reduction that USDA made, he said.
This week, Jews all around the world will read a portion of Deuteronomy that calls to remember an incident that occurred over 3,000 years ago. It involved a belligerent enemy whose name would have been erased from history were it not preserved in the Bible, the Jewish People's foundation text. I am referring to Deuteronomy 25:17-19.

Throughout our long history as a people, we Jews have looked at those three verses as a paradigm for our relationship with history: we don't forget our history  we embrace it. We Jews accept the concept of history so fully that we actually sacralize it  we make our history sacred. The results are known as the Bible and the Talmud.

Unfortunately, in that long history, there has been more than one attempt to eliminate us as a people. Indeed, in the dim mists of our early history, we coalesced as a nation only after we won our freedom from a state that wished to keep us enslaved and disbanded as a people. Egypt's Pharaoh wished to keep us as his personal slaves and to prevent us from fulfilling our destiny as a nation. So, too  as the above passage reminds us  the hostile desert tribe of Amalek tried to wipe us out before we reached our homeland.

Several centuries later, an invading people from across the Aegean, the Philistines, tried to subjugate us. Our reaction was to band together and to form a strong, unified people, first under the leadership of Saul, and then under David, who formed the united kingdom of Israel and Judah. Arameans, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Ptolemaic Greeks, Seleucid Greeks, and Romans all tried to stamp out our identity as a nation. The Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans actually succeeded in destroying our state, but not our people. When exiled by the Babylonians, our psalmists taught us to remember Jerusalem with the words of Psalm 137:1-6.

Six centuries later, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Holy Temple, and exiled us first in 70 C.E. and then again after the abortive Bar-Kochba Rebellion of 132-135, our rabbis taught us to pray these words three times a day:

Sound the great shofar of our freedom; lift up a banner to ingather our exiles. and gather us from the four corners of the earth. Praised are You, O LORD, who gathers the dispersed of His People Israel. ... Return with compassion to Your city Jerusalem, and dwell there as You have said. and rebuild her soon, in our days, and speedily restore the throne of David to her. Praised are You, O LORD, who rebuilds Jerusalem. (Siddur, 'Amidah)

For the next eighteen centuries, Jews everywhere turned to Jerusalem to direct their prayers, a practice we follow to this day. Whether it was the medieval Church or a variety of Muslim empires, we endured indignities in order to preserve our heritage and to keep our Zionist dreams alive. The twelfth-century poet-philosopher Yehudah Halevi expressed Jewish sentiments when he wrote: "My heart is in the East [in Jerusalem], but I am [located] in the far West [Spain]."

Through the Inquisition, exiles, pogroms and more exiles, blood libels, disputations, ghettoizations, and forced conversions, and on to the most horrific of all  the Holocaust  the deliberate, willful intention to perpetrate genocide upon the Jewish people, an act successful in eliminating one-third of our nation  six million souls, one quarter of whom were children  through all of this, we didn't forget our dream of returning to Zion and Jerusalem and reestablishing a Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael  in the Land of Israel. Israel, not Canaan, not Palestine, but Israel! And thank God, thank God, in 1948, we saw our dreams fulfilled!

With this short history review in mind, I turn now to Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Gaza's Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and all the world's anti-Semites that are gathering next month in New York on September 22 at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, also known as "the Durban IV Conference," where they intend once again to label us Jews as a racist people and Israel as a racist state. It seems rather ironic a label to be given us, knowing that Israel has a population of black-skinned Ethiopian Jews that numbers about 130,000 who either are themselves rescued by Israel or the descendants of those rescued within the last four decades, a group whose Zionism knows no bounds. So, too, Israel is home to a group of yellow-skinned Jews who were formerly known as the "Vietnamese Boat People"  a group rescued from the high seas by the late prime minister Menachem Begin, some 45 years ago. Some fine "racists" we make when we come in every shade of skin known to humanity!

It is now to the real racists  Presidents Abbas, Raisi, and Erdogan, as well as Hamastan leader Yahya Sinwar and his Damascus associates Khaled Maashal and Syrian president Bashar Assad as well as Qatar-domiciled Ismail Haniyeh  that I turn to say:

You may send your shahadin  terrorist suicide bombers  to wreak havoc among us. You may rain missiles and rockets down upon our communities to kill and maim indiscriminately. You may rally your anti-Semitic leftist friends and Islamist friends to mislabel and condemn us. You may succeed in your attempt to "pull the wool" over the eyes of the world  but you don't fool us. And you don't scare us, because we have come home to our aboriginal land, the land where we were born as a people over three thousand years ago, the land that has been the focus of our prayers for over two thousand years, the land that we have reclaimed from the desert sands with our blood, sweat, and tears, as well as our substance for the last century and a half.

And I might add that the six and a half million of us who are already home, as well as the other six and a half million of us who currently dwell in the diaspora, are united in purpose to preserve our Jewish homeland. Your 5.3 million Palestinians are part of the 300-million-member Arab nation, and if one adds the 70 million Iranians of Iran, your combined numbers exceed ours by 2,900%. None of you is threatened with extinction; we, on the other hand, know the threat of extinction all too intimately.

So, to you and your friends at Durban IV, this is what I have to say: when you learn to live with us in real peace, we will gladly live beside you and share our technological expertise so that together we may make the region prosper as we are doing with our partners in the "Abraham Accords." But when you plot our demise and destruction, we will not only defy your evil intentions  we will work to eliminate you!

The choice is yours to make. But remember one thing: we are home in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, and for as long as the sun rises in the east, we will be staying!

Rabbi Dr. Daniel M. Zucker, author of over one hundred articles on the Middle East, is founder and chairman of the Board of Americans for Democracy in the Middle-East, an organization dedicated to teaching the public about the dangers posed by radical Islamic fundamentalism. He may be contacted at contact@ADME.ws and/or ADME.chairman@aol.com.

Image via Max Pixel.

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Nowhere is the abuse of power in directing government manpower and spending more blatant than in the Biden administrations promotion of Critical Race Theory (CRT) training throughout all federal government agencies. The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Education (DoE) -- two agencies that have the most people under their administration and instruction -- have incorporated this divisive Marxist ideology-based indoctrination in the training curricula for their staff members, and to all the enlisted in the case of the military. Given that warfighting capability can be critical to a nations survival, and that the youth of today represent the nations future citizens and leaders, these decisions are not without serious repercussions.

The job of teachers and schools is straightforward: Its to train students to achieve competence in the basic subjects of reading, writing, verbal, math, science, history, and geography. Yet according to the latest Nations Report Card, only 23% of 12th-grade public school students in America reach basic proficiency. So with our nations public school system failing in its primary mission there is no justification for diverting resources and manpower away from essential education curricula and teaching to a controversial program like CRT.

Many parents across the country passionately shared this position just months ago when the school year was coming to a close. In May and June, various videos produced by parents meeting and confronting school administrators and school boards demanding that CRT indoctrination programs be dropped went viral, being streamed cross country throughout social media. Yet the two national teachers' unions, the NEA and AFT, whose influence reaches all 50 states, remain committed to supporting their members teaching CRT. As the academic year 2021-2022 gets underway, parents should be aware that the DOE is continuing its state grant programs that provide support for CRT. And while 21 states have introduced bills that would control teaching critical race theory or keep a tab on how teachers can discuss racism and sexism, only six states have passed legislation or had governors deliver executive orders banning explicit CRT curriculum from public schools.

With regard to problems in the military that have resulted from CRT training, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a senior member of the Armed Services Committee recently disclosed that since he launched a whistleblower tip line in May, hundreds of enlisted soldiers from all branches of the military have reported problems. Numerous sailors say that the Navy brass seems to be prioritizing diversity over combat training. 94% of those interviewed reported that the Navy now has a crisis of leadership. The recurring complaint about CRT training pushed on them is that it sets military members against one another and denigrates patriotism, which has prompted a number of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and guardsmen to resign.

In summary, CRT training brings division to the classroom and to military ranks. And in the case of the military, CRT appears to violate the 1976 Supreme Court decision recognizing that a civilian-controlled military requires it to be neutral and apolitical.

When things make no sense, one simply has to dig deeper to find out whats going on.

First, its essential to understand that the CRT training agenda has all the trappings of a false flag operation being run by an enemy. That is, it preys both on peoples ignorance and their desire to do well, virtue signal, and stand with justice, while the real agenda is hidden and can be best understood by seeing the programs effects. According to program feedback, CRT promotes far more racial division than racial sensitivity. Further, much CRT curricula distort Americas history and its progress by the inclusion of incorrect narratives surrounding the 17th-century introduction of slavery, while omitting the accomplishments of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement of the 20th century.

There is no denying that CRTs ideology is rooted in Marxism and uses race as a means of evoking moral, social, and political division, while also stoking reverse racism by impugning whites as racial supremacists. As for its history component and vision for America, CRT maintains that America is an irredeemably and systemically racist nation, with an illegitimate government based on a constitution written by white founders and ratified by six slaveholding states, which made up nearly half of the original 13 states.

What is most astonishing about the CRT project is that it shows how gullible and out of touch so many liberal elite administrators and officers are and how disrespectful they are toward the vast majority of people they oversee and serve. The debacle in Afghanistan reflects the utter failure of the armed services leadership in their main mission to manage military power to protect both strategic national interests and the welfare and American servicemen and women. The fact is that race relations among the enlisted are often exemplary, with blacks having a fast-track for promotion based on merit and blacks being overrepresented relative to their numbers as a percentage of the civilian population. Its hard to believe that the Pentagon brass doesnt know the state of affairs among the troops they oversee. A majority of military enlistees who go through boot camp, combat and teamwork mission training, and live and sleep in barracks or in tight quarters on ships almost all say that their experience makes the military one of the least racist institutions in America.

So if CRT training takes time, manpower, and resources away from the main missions of schools and the military, while also demoralizing most of its participants in the process, why is this happening in America at this time?

Xi Van Fleet, a Chinese immigrant mother of a child who went through Loudoun County, Virginia public schools, thinks she knows. She had a deja vu with CRT and wokism being analogous to what she witnessed in Mao Zedongs Cultural Revolution in China that displaced and caused the death of some 20 million during the 1960s and 1970s. At a raucous public meeting in June 2021with the Loudoun County School Board, Van Fleet spoke up, drawing parallels between what she had witnessed in China and what she sees going down with CRT in the U.S. today. " The Communist regime used the same critical theory to divide people," she said. "The only difference is they used class instead of race."

Growing up in Maos China, all of this seems very familiar, she said, describing how the Cultural Revolution caused students and teachers to turn against each other, and school names changed to be politically correct, as they were taught to denounce our heritage. Going further, Van Fleet said, The Red Guards destroyed anything that is not Communist -- statues, books, and anything else.

Although her time to speak was cut short by the Loudoun County School Board, Van Fleet was tracked down by a reporter the next day and summed up her feelings: "To me, and to a lot of Chinese, it is heartbreaking that we escaped communism and now we experience communism here."

The takeaway from so many who have lived through communist revolutions is that it appears that communists are now emboldened to commence the end game against America. They have adopted the terminology of being woke and high-minded sounding programs like Critical Race Theory, but its the same old playbook of the four overlapping stages of communist revolution: first, demoralize society; second, bring about societal division and destabilization; third, bring on crisis and collapse; and fourth, bring about a new normalization of the communist fait accompli.

The reach of Chinese communism into the United States is far greater today than Soviet communism ever was, when at its peak there were at most about 150 Soviet agents working mainly in the federal government, with high-profile people like Alger Hiss serving as FDRs key trusted advisor at Yalta. The chief reason for the blooming of woke culture and CRT acceptance throughout the United States may in part be related to far larger numbers of Chinese agents operating in the U.S. Analyst Charles High reports that there may be as many as 100,000 Chinese working within U.S. companies, mainly in the technology sector. Some of those conduct conventional spying to steal U.S. intellectual property and military secrets, while others are sleepers or agents of influence, whose purpose is to protect and promote various narratives in the interest of China.

Additionally, there are direct parallels between what happened in China during the Cultural Revolution and what is happening right now in America. And this is all the more disturbing with our current president, Joe Biden, who seems to have been more installed than elected and now -- with declining mental competence -- appears controlled by people behind the scenes. And of course, the real question is who has the most control over Joe Biden. The silence about the implications of Chinese money received through son Hunters $1.5 billion Chinese private equity deal on father Bidens presidential administration is troubling and has no good explanation.

Americans have overcome many daunting challenges throughout their nations past, often waking up at the 11th hour before taking action and prevailing. Protecting our citizens freedom and saving America as a beacon of freedom in the world should be our top priority. That starts with overcoming denial about enemies foreign and domestic. Then we need to deal with these enemies with courage and dispatch, and proceed with correctives using skill and resourcefulness greater than that of the destroyers, but with none of their malice.

Scott Powell is senior fellow at Discovery Institute and author of the forthcoming book, Rediscovering America. You can reach him at scottp@discovery.org

Image: Ted Eyttan

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There was once a time when school principals principal concern was the academic achievement of their students.

Sadly, in many places, that is no longer the case.

Take Minnesota for example, where 162 principals have signed onto the Marxist-minded Making Good Trouble in Education anti-education, social justice movement.

According to its website, We are a loose collection of local principals bound together by a commitment to changing our nation's future by engaging in better, more equitable educational practices. We have constructed this site as a gathering place for Good (Trouble) Principals. It is a safe place to rest among like-minded leaders. It is a place where your convictions about educational justice in our country can be fortified and your view of education as a transformative social force can be reinforced.

At this point, you may have a few questions, such as:

What are more equitable educational training practices?

What is educational justice?

And, since when has public education become a social force?

Lucky for you, the principals at Good Trouble have answers to these pressing questions.

In terms of equitable training practices, the misguided Minnesota principals plan to enact this by, De-centering Whiteness. Understanding that traditional organized whiteness ensures domination through forms like PTAs and Unions. We purposefully call out and lift up historically non-represented voices of color in our spaces to hold weight and power.

Sorry, but implementing discrimination to allegedly address past discrimination is flat-out wrong.

To achieve what they deem educational justice, the Minnesota principals support, Dismantling practices that reinforce White academic superiority like bias in testing and the labeling, tracking and clustering that reflect an Americanized version of a caste system in our schools.

As a former high school teacher, I can personally attest that there absolutely is no caste system in Americas public schools. To declare that a modern-day caste system exists in todays public schools is literally ludicrous.

Regarding their quest that public schools become a social force, instead of an academic institution, the Minnesota principals plan on, Reconstructing school upon our full in-person returns where business-as-usual, like schedules and staffing, are open to drastic changes.

To meet this nonacademic goal, the principals also propose, Speaking truth to power. Where our commitment to holding ourselves and those who serve under us accountable to this work is just as importantly extended to those who serve over us.

Yet, that is only the half of it.

Consider. We declare that we are not leaving white children behind by lifting Black, Brown and Indigenous children up. But that we, not only have the collective capacity to hold all of our children up and into the light, but our White children have been done a great disservice by sustaining white-centered schools in America over all these years. And it is to their equal benefit to thrive in schools where they are not spoon-fed the poison that they are better because of their skin color, where they have principals and teachers who boldly lead them to both humility and pride, and where they have the beautiful privilege of thriving while their classmates of color thrive as well.

So, according to the Minnesota Good Trouble principals, Americas public schools are havens for white supremacy propaganda. Of course, that is a total farce.

Moreover, the notion that Americas public schools cater almost exclusively to white children, and thereby do not allow minority students to thrive, is demonstrably false. How would these people explain that Asian-Americans, for example, outperform their white peers across the board in education metrics?

It is rather obvious that the Minnesota Good Trouble principals, all 162 of them, have an agenda.

Unfortunately, that agenda does not include ensuring that every student is held to the same standard, and that every student, regardless of race, is treated as an individual.

Instead, the Minnesota principals who signed onto this Marxist indoctrination program are most concerned with pitting students against one another based on nothing but their racial attributes.

Sadly, this is becoming the new normal in Americas public schools.

On the other hand, we are witnessing quite a backlash against many of these absurd programs. Throughout the country, parents and students are rising up against the critical race theory craziness and Marxist-oriented curricula that are seeping into far too many public schools.

Still, the question remains: Will the education-industrial complex, with their Marxist leanings, triumph, or will parents pushing commonsense education policies, including school choice, win the battle in the end? The future of America is at stake.

Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is a former public school teacher and senior editor at The Heartland Institute.

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There's not much to say that hasn't already been said regarding Biden's unconditional surrender to the Taliban, and it's only the first week. Bookshelves will be filled with analyses of these events, and we won't understand their full ramifications for decades. My two cents, for what they're worth, are that the left doesn't consider the fall of Kabul and the betrayal of our allies to be a tragedy. Rather, this is deliberate foreign policy strategy, and it's right on track.

The pattern is clear for those who wish to see. Simply put, the left thinks America is not only evil but irredeemably so. Hence, any policy, be it foreign or domestic, that weakens our nation-state should be pursued, the goal being that the nation-state will eventually corrode to the point of collapse. They don't care that the hollowed-out dystopia will be long past its desirability for subjugation, so long as they get to be in charge. As Lord Varys said of Littlefinger, "He would see this country burn if he could be king of the ashes".

What started with Woodrow Wilson finally came into full force and in open view under Obama. Every time he could, Obama favored strict Islamist regimes over Western-friendly governments. Whenever overseas pro-democracy demonstrators flew American flags, Obama reflexively sided with their oppressors. He removed sanctions from Cuba and Iran and asked for nothing in return. The JCPOA, the Paris Accords, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership were specifically designed to weaken American power behind the flimsy guise of noble causes.

What would strike the neutral observer as unabashed idiocy comes across as cold, deliberate Machiavellianism to anyone reading between the lines of Obamas head swivel speeches. Obama is a mechanical Leftist, harboring the paint-by-number faculty lounge dictums of America as a negative historical force. Hence, almost every action he took was to weaken that force. Through this lens, one can see the pattern clearly, and his actions make perfect sense.

Obama is too arrogant for his own good, and his governance was rooted in yard sign aphorisms rather than any real understanding of how the world works. But one cant deny his strategy was both coherent and effective.

One cant say the same of Joe Biden, that moth-eaten sock puppet who, to paraphrase Billy Bob Thornton from Bad Santa, doesnt know his ass from last Tuesday. The man is an unparalleled moron, used lackadaisically as a mouthpiece by the ventriloquists behind the throne when they need to convey the message, We know this clown wasn't our first or tenth choice for mascot, but hes a company man through and through, and hell do exactly what we tell him to do so long as the ice cream keeps coming. Biden can't be pro-American or anti-American or anything in between because he lacks the capacity to formulate a value system necessary to organize and prioritize such concepts.

Not so for every bureaucrat underneath him who was at best complicit, at worst a willing executioner, of his disastrous Afghanistan pullout. The same fool-me-once suspicion that Americans apply to the supposed 99.99998% of FBI field agents who, we are assured, are disgusted at their "few bad apples" who tried to overthrow a presidential election...yet from whose noble ranks emerged not a single whistleblower...should now be applied with equal force to the Pentagon.

The Pentagon employs 26,000 people, and from September 12, 2001, to August 15, 2021, not one of them alerted the American public theoretically, the people they claim to serve that our beribboned parade generals were doing little more than throwing darts at a flowchart to decide what our Afghan strategy should be. Indeed, the only whistleblower during that time was ol' Porkchop Vindman, who came forward not with evidence of any actual wrongdoing, but with the opinion that, as an unelected mid-level drone whose foremost duty was to carry out the orders of the commander-in-chief, he himself should dictate Ukraine policy.

Of course, now that the cat is out of the bag (and the Afghan girl back in it), the Pentagon is tripping over the intelligence community, who is tripping over the State Department, who is tripping over the Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Office for Non-Binary Pashtun Child Brides to be first to raise its rifle in the circular firing squad of the pathetic blame game theyre now playing. Sorry boys, but after the fact, after your crime has been laid bare for the world to see, is not the time you get a cookie for claiming that you were misled by the other guy for two decades straight, or that you were the sole voice of sanity in the closed-door CSI meetings. The fact that, as of this writing, none of you have resigned is a testament to your complete lack of any sense of honor.

We just let the pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong, Cuba, and Iran know that they dont have our support, other than the occasional week-too-late hashtag. We just let our allies in Taiwan, Ukraine, South Korea, and Israel know that we folded like wet paper to illiterate pedophiles in pickup trucks, so good luck against the million-man professional armies who are busy reassessing the futility of your current ceasefires. We just showed that, contra the dictum of leave no man behind, we will leave every man, woman, and child behind who, be they American or Afghan, civilian or military, ever lifted a finger to help us. We will literally let them fall off our planes.

We just gave up a position strategically located smack dab in the middle of our three most formidable enemies: China, Russia, and Iran. Not to worry though. Surely our vaunted intelligence community the same community that failed to predict the Berlin Wall coming down, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the 9/11 attacks, the WMDs, and the 90-day-oops-we-meant-90-hour fall of Kabul surely theyve had two decades to ensure we have well-trained intelligence assets firmly in place in Afghanistan for the day we inevitably left, right? Right?

We abandoned Bagram Air Base on July 4, 2021. Biden originally planned to complete the withdraw on September 11th. These arent flukes, nor the clockwork stupidity of our governments well-credentialed experts. These were specifically designed as symbolic humiliations of America, by people who hate America, who are being paid six-figure salaries to do so by America.

This was all deliberate.

Soviet Pravda writers, in the interest of maintaining their dignity, would have refused upon pain of death to fabricate a story like this on the grounds that it was simply too unbelievable. But truth is stranger than fiction, and 44% of Americans polled after Kabul fell think Biden did a "good job" in Afghanistan. With enemies like us, who needs a nuclear arsenal?

Another telltale sign that this was deliberate is this: who has been uncharacteristically silent this entire week? We've heard nary a peep from the biggest loudmouths of all, the activist left. They haven't lashed out in anger because they aren't angry. Indeed, the campus elitists, Black Lives Matter, the Antifa incels, and the Squad knaves couldn't be happier. They think America deserved this. They can't yet openly celebrate but give our schools another decade of critical race theory and our students will be celebrating August 15th not as the fall of Kabul, but as its liberation.

The left, including its swamp bureaucrats who administer our wars, has no qualms with what happened in Kabul. They support Bidens grotesque withdraw not in spite of its consequences for America, but because of them. They want to see America humbled and weakened on the world stage. They want our enemies to outmaneuver us. They want us to lose our global leverage.

They want to do to our military what they did to our police, by demoralizing and demonizing the institution to the point that they simply can't get qualified recruits. What young, idealistic American would enlist to defend a country that doesn't let them win wars, forces them to retreat from 7th-century quadrupeds, all the while having one's own patriotism questioned and slandered by woke Pentagon careerists who blather about "white rage" and who remove Mahan and Clausewitz from the reading lists in favor of Ibram X. Kendi?

And what does the Left make of the tens of thousands of Afghans, assumedly members of the BIPOC oppressed class, who helped us? What do the legions of #MeToo "feminists," who show up in Handmaid's Tale gear whenever Nebraska tries to criminalize partial-birth abortions for pre-teens without parental notification, make of the millions of their Afghan sisters who woke up Sunday morning free and went to bed that night as slaves? Merely pawns on a chessboard to be sacrificed.

The left wants our betrayal of these Afghans to be seen by our allies, and for them to infer from this (and rightly so) that they can't count on us to honor our commitments. It's a perverse twist of our domestic politics. In America, the message of the Left is: If we can impeach Donald Trump and silence Rand Paul and spy on Tucker Carlson with impunity, how well do you think you're gonna fare? You're on your own, pal.

Amplified across the world, the message of the left is: If America will sell you out to the Taliban, they won't even think about lifting a finger to the Iranians and North Koreans, much less the Chinese and Russians. You're on your own, pal.

What happened in Kabul was deliberate. In fact, I would argue it went far better than most leftists dreamed it would. Even they underestimated Joe's uncanny ability to make the absolute worst decision in practically every situation. Our kids' grandkids will be fighting the wars that result from this and will likely do it alone. Far from being a tragedy, our abandonment of Afghanistan was one of the left's biggest foreign policy successes.

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When politicians and journalists talk about Afghanistan, most of them do not know what it really is. That is to say, they are distracted by the fact that it has had a flag, a territory, and a name, and until recently, its official representatives participated in a variety of international forums, such as the United Nations.

Until last week, it even had a (semi-) democratic, elected, but remarkably corrupt government, which as a governing class supervised an equally corrupt police, judiciary, and army. All that is gone now. Why? Because the Taliban are better anthropologists than President Biden, the CIA, the American and NATO military, and their intelligence (or not very intelligent) branches, as well as all the leaders of Canada, Britain, and the European Union combined.

How did a bunch of semi-literate tribal leaders without B.A.s, M.A.s, and Ph.D.s outsmart the over-educated leaders and experts in the West? That is to say "us"? Here is a concise answer.

Afghanistan as an idea is a political entity only about one hundred eighty years old, with a complex political history that has included the total defeat and massacre of one of Queen Victoria's armies from India in 1842, often written about as the "retreat from Kabul." But in reality, Afghanistan is simply a territory of mountains and deserts filled with competing Muslim tribes of different ethnicities, many of them nomadic or semi-nomadic. These include but are not limited to the Aimaq, Baloch, Hazara, Kyrgyz, Nuristani, Pashtun, Sadat, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek. Most are Sunni Muslims, but many are Shia. The largest and most dominant ethnic group is the Pashtun, who speak an Indo-European language but have been Muslims for centuries.

The Pashtun are the main ethnic group that has been driving the Taliban, and demographically, they dominate the south and central parts of the country. They have always been in either cooperation or tension with the northern tribes and those same ethnic groups who share their ethnicity with bordering nations like Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and in the Pushtun case with Pakistan to the west.

The Pashtun themselves have a large part of their tribal cousins across the border in Pakistan, and the Pakistani intelligence services have been waging a covert war against the now-former Afghan government by supporting the Taliban all the way to their final and recent victory, through these and other tribal networks, whose chiefs do not like the West or who can be bribed not to like us.

Former Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan Chris Alexander has recently been trying to point out this "proxy war" in his tweets, but the CBC and CNN, alas, have not been listening to him. It must be because of his blue eyes!

In Afghanistan, every tribe has its leader or leaders, and they emerge through warrior charisma or traditional tribal processes of election and selection among various councils of elders. Most are Sunni Muslims, but some, like the Hazara, are Shia.

Raiding, smuggling, feuds, and warfare have been honorable pastimes among all of Afghanistan's tribes. This is a land of proud fighters who often do not mind dying for their honor. The tribes do not always cohere, and factions and feuds are common, allowing for a musical chairs game of shifting alliances, which sometimes makes things difficult for even the most hardened Afghan experts to track and explain.

When America invaded Afghanistan after 9/11, the Americans understood that the Pushtun in the south and center of the country were the dominant force behind the Taliban. The U.S. therefore, wisely and successfully, concluded a fighting agreement with a "Northern Alliance" of tribes who are often but not always opposed to the Pashtun. These allies included the Persian (Dari)-speaking Tajiks (Sunni) under Burhanuddin Rabbani and Ahmad Shah Massoud; the Hazara (Shia), led by Muhamed Mohaqiq and Karim Khalili; the Sunni Uzbek and Turkmen under Abdul Rashi Dostam; the Shia Tajiks under Asif Mohseni; and some rebel Pashtuns (Sunni) under Haji Abdul Qadeer. With these allies, they defeated the largely Pashtun-based Taliban. Any good map of Afghanistan will show these tribal territories with a color coding for each group.

But then the Americans and their allies (including Canada) made a colossal error. They became Boy Scouts. They stayed! They recommended that this congeries of semi-literate (but musically very talented) tribal, patriarchal, feuding warlords get together and constitute a modern liberal democracy with an enlightened constitution, a presidency, elections, an honest civil service, uncorrupted police, and a judiciary  and yes, folks, gender equality. No more burqas for all!

They (we) stayed for more than twenty years to construct this utopia while the Taliban were regrouping to defeat us because, simply put, they did not want Western or modern civilization, and they prefer to keep their women veiled.

The U.S. alone spent 978 billion dollars trying to nation-build in Afghanistan and lost 3,500 soldiers. Twenty thousand U.S. soldiers and personnel have been wounded there.

During this democratic "nation-building" experiment in Afghanistan, the old tribal elites figured out how to dominate the country, and the marginalized northern ethnic groups were left out once again. But this time, the Taliban had read a few textbooks for their Anthropology 100 courses. They realized that the Americans had beaten them by creating a "northern alliance" of ethnically marginalized groups. The Taliban, having gone to multi-cultural "sensitization classes" given freely by USAID, decided to make their jihad more "inclusive" and began to co-opt the northern tribes.

Remarkably, this was clearly reported by a gifted and insightful young journalist who had covered Afghanistan and the region for some time. Six years ago, in 2016, Frud Behzan, who was working for Voice of America (no less), wrote an article about this and published it on the internet in Foreign Policy magazine. This is what he wrote:

Disenfranchised communities of ethnic Tajiks, Turkmen, and Uzbeks are joining the Taliban in the country's north, according to local elders and tribal leaders in the region. The new recruits have given the militant group the ability to seize territory in areas outside of its traditional power base in Pashtun-majority areas in the country's south and east. The Taliban's new recruits have contributed to significant gains on the ground in the north, helping expand the group's reach to levels not seen since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. There are no official statistics available on the number of non-Pashtuns who have joined the Taliban in recent years. But the Taliban has made a clear shift towards recruiting from other ethnic groups, which have assumed positions in the Taliban leadership and key posts in the provinces.

And so now we should have a clear understanding of why the corrupt government and military of Afghanistan collapsed in a few days. The Taliban had learned their anthropology lesson from the U.S. They brought in their former enemies. They became truly inclusive and multi-ethnic, even multicultural, Afghan style.

The entire political and military leadership of the West (including Joe and Justin) have failed Anthropology 100, but the Taliban, in my estimation, deserve a 100. They have passed swimmingly. Now they get to write the textbook.

Image via Pixabay.

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My late father once told me a story about war, and how the U.S. military interacts with presidents. The story was about the Vietnam War, but the lesson it teaches applies just as much today.

Who was my father? He was Lt. Col. Anthony R. Nollet, USMC. He fought Japan in WWII, flying USMC dive bombers. He participated in the occupation of Japan after the war  I inherited and still have the samurai sword souvenir he was awarded during the occupation. I don't believe he fought in Korea, but he was posted there for a couple of years after the Korean War.

The USMC was and still is a small service, and all the senior-level officers knew each other. My father took retirement around 1963, and he told me about a reunion and a party he'd attended some years later. It was a poker party and was well lubricated with lots of, shall we say, stimulating beverages.

One of the attendees present was a former commandant of the USMC. My father didn't identify him, but from the timing of the story I'm now going to tell, he must have been General David M. Shoup. According to Wikipedia, Gen. Shoup served as commandant for four years, ending at the end of 1963. Of him, Wikipedia says:

Recipient of the Medal of Honor. Opposed U.S. involvement in South Vietnam based on strategy and undue influence of corporations and military officials in foreign policy. Historians consider Shoup's criticisms to be among the most pointed and high-profile leveled by a veteran against the Vietnam War.

It corresponds with the story my father told me.

My father went up to the former commandant and asked him, "General, how was it that we went so wrong in Vietnam?"

And the commandant replied, "It was like this, Tony. Shortly after the JFK assassination, President Johnson called me into the Oval Office and asked, what should we do about Vietnam?

"And I replied, 'Mr. President, Vietnam is like a snake in the grass. Anytime you have a snake in the grass, your first option is to leave it the hell alone. But if, for whatever reason, you decide that is just not an option, that you cannot just ignore it, then your only other good choice is war. Total war.

"'If you decide that the snake just has to go, then you must choose to stomp it to death ruthlessly, with all the might you have.'"

In short, Gen. Shoup told President Johnson that if he decided he had to go to war, then he must be in it to win it.

Gen. Shoup went on. "I told the president that the one thing he must never do is to play with the snake's tail! That only makes the snake angry and more dangerous."

Gen. Shoup then went on to say that if the president desired to make him the director of the Vietnam War, he would insist that the president name him the CINCPAC  Commander-in-Chief for the Pacific Ocean. That would have been unprecedented because up to that point, only Navy admirals had ever been the CINCPAC.

Shoup also told Johnson what he would require. He would require the 1st Marine Division and either the 82nd or the 101st Airborne Army Division. The Marines would hit the beach at Haiphong while the Army was dropping paratroopers behind Hanoi. Then, having surrounded Hanoi, they would capture or kill the entire communist leadership and end the war right then and there. Naturally, the U.S. Navy also would be heavily involved as well as the U.S. Air Force.

Anyway, so Gen. Shoup told my father, Johnson made his choice  and it was the one the commandant had told him he must never make. He didn't make Gen. Shoup his CINCPAC and didn't put him in charge of the Vietnam War; that went to Gen. Eilliam Westmoreland instead. Johnson played with the snake's tail with his insane policy of gradual escalation, which informed the communists that the worst that Johnson would ever do to them was, at most, only a little bit worse than what he was already doing.

And, as Gen. Shoup told my father, the end result was what we got  Vietnam. That is why we went wrong in Vietnam.

That is the ultimate lesson of Vietnam. If you have a choice about going to war, you must either decline the opportunity or fight it totally until final victory. Nothing else, nothing in the middle.

Who remembers the Gulf War, when Gen. Colin Powell assured us that the United States "had learned the lessons of Vietnam" and would apply those lessons to Kuwait and Iraq?

He did no such thing. While the Coalition did retake Kuwait, it stopped on the Iraqi border. That was insane. Like Stalin stopping on the Oder River and Eisenhower stopping on the Elbe River in 1945, when they finally had Nazi Germany on the ropes. Letting Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime remain in power was insane. Having gone to all the trouble to drive Iraq out of Kuwait, then they needed to drive on Baghdad right then and there to polish off Saddam Hussein once and for all. But instead, the feckless George Herbert Walker Bush let Saddam remain in power, and he became a pain in the backside for another 12 years, finally necessitating the second George Walker Bush to do a do-over and invade Iraq and finally put an end to Saddam.

And now we have the mess in Afghanistan.

It is true that Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires. Only the Mongols ever escaped that trap, and they did it the old-fashioned way  mass exterminations  which is unthinkable today.

Biden is far from the only culprit here. There is plenty of blame to go around, going all the way back to Jimmy Carter.

But Biden's incompetent "leadership" sure does put an exclamation point on the final chapter of this sad and sorry story.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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One of the hallmarks of dementia is an inability to feel empathy. This study explains that cognitive decline causes significant impairment in identifying with the emotions and experiences of others. There are many others, as well, that corroborate the observations.

Lead author Muireann Irish says:

There isn't the change in personality, which I think is one of the most jarring things about frontotemporal dementia patients. [This study] gives more knowledge and insight to the caregivers that there's an organic reason for this change that becomes so distressing. Empathy is an abstract concept in a way. It's not as easily quantified as memory loss or changes in language and it can be seen as a personality issue or somebody being deliberately unsympathetic, but this shows there's a region in the brain that changes.

Dare I suggest that the region of Joe's brain that once had a capacity for feeling others' pain is long gone?

Watching snippets (because that was all I could tolerate) of Biden's interactions with the public via the sparse speeches he read off the teleprompter between "resting" at Camp David, and then snippets of his interview with George Stephanopoulos, it's quite clear that the president has lost his ability to relate to the pain others may be feeling.

When asked if the current chaos "was always priced into the decision," Biden gave a simple "yes" and followed it with a delusional series of statements about the Taliban "letting" American citizens out. Asked about plans to rescue our countrymen  thousands of them  he stated that they were on their own to get to the airport. Asked about the people who fell to their deaths from departing airplanes, he responded that it was "four days ago."

The fact that it was only two is irrelevant, isn't it? What really mattered is that he exhibited no empathy in any of these cases, while the rest of us recoiled in horror at the idea that our people had no realistic means to be rescued, just as we did as we watched the awful video of the desperate Afghans who fell to their deaths from our transport planes.

Another telling point came when Stephanopoulos told Biden that an Army Special Forces officer, while agreeing that it was time for us to leave Afghanistan, added, "I just wish we could've left with honor." The transcript shows that Biden's response was an incomprehensible, rambling exposition about his son Beau's military service filled with factual errors, which drifted from any cogent point, with the only answer seeming to be "what's the alternative?" to a dishonorable retreat.

We will soon face the horrific realization that we have thousands of American citizens whom the Taliban are holding as hostages. We will watch as the insurgents use our weaponry to murder and maim people on the streets. We will suffer with the translators who helped us for years, as the Taliban uses our technology and the embassy payroll records we didn't bother to destroy to identify them, and murder them, most likely, with their families executed as well.

We will watch women become slaves or be shot for not wearing a burqa. We will watch as schoolgirls are taken prisoner and raped, and as a society we lost soldiers to save is summarily destroyed. We will also realize that the planes, tanks, and ordnance we left behind have been removed to the countries of our enemies, including China.

All of this makes it apparent that we don't have a president who is in charge, much less one with the capacity for empathy. We assumed that he had staff surrounding him that could keep him from blundering his way into the destruction of the country, and it's apparent we were incorrect. He obviously was not stopped or even questioned before executing his precipitous, disastrous plan.

We found out as well that Biden didn't communicate with the other countries involved in Afghanistan. Finally, we saw quickly that Biden didn't even care enough about the crisis he has caused to stay in the White House and pay attention. He's basically been on vacation since he did it.

We are no longer seen as reliable by our allies but have instead become the object of ridicule, a fallen society more concerned with transgender bathrooms and useless face masks than the safety and well-being of our own populace. We will be held up as a prime example of a doomed, failed society. Within our country, it is now apparent that the people in charge care nothing for their citizens, but only for their own aggrandizement and profit, and their presumptive position in the global economy. Even though the wokesters here can't see it, the rest of the world certainly can.

As the next few days unfold, all of America will hopefully wake up from the dream state of the last eight months, and the sooner, the better. The only problem is, as I hope we find the wherewithal to exercise the 25th Amendment to get rid of Biden before he does something even more rash (like start a nuclear war), we are faced with an incompetent cackler to take his place. This is a woman who, as vice president, has abdicated all responsibility within her role, and has demonstrated nearly as bad judgment as Biden, but without the excuse of dementia.

God help us!

Image: Joe Biden. Twitter screen grab.

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See also: Why Joe Biden can't resign, or be removed  or die

Though removal from office once was unthinkable, Joe Biden has lost the support of most of the key actors whose support helped him win the presidency, and whose cooperation is essential to maintaining the illusion that he is capable of fulfilling the duties of president of the United States.

Because impeachment or the 25th Amendment removal from office would hinge on their support  Democrat officeholders now understand that they are at risk of losing their next election thanks to his sullying of the brand of the party that foisted an already senile placeholder on the public. In a special election Tuesday, voters in Connecticut's 26th Senate District, who supported Biden by a 25-point margin, flipped a seat to the Republican candidate (hat tip: Christina Laila).

 STATE REPUBLICANS SECURE FIRST FLIP OF THE CYCLE 



Congratulations to @ryanfazio for flipping Connecticut's state Senate District 36 from  to ! pic.twitter.com/dL22vF9Ojj  Republican State Leadership Committee (@RSLC) August 18, 2021

NEW: Republican @ryanfazio unofficially winning a critical CT Senate race in Greenwich, Stamford, and New Canaan@CTSenateGOP leader @21KevinKelly congratulating Fazio on the apparent win tonight: pic.twitter.com/6Bo79VmzN6  John Craven (@johncraven1) August 18, 2021

This is one of the wealthiest suburban constituencies in the country, encompassing Greenwich, Stamford, and New Canaan  people who read the New York Times and who care about foreign policy.

The earlier switch of affluent suburbanites away from Republicans over the past decade or more has been essential to Democrat victories in many blue states. They believed media propaganda that Trump was an ignorant buffoon whose incompetence made America a laughingstock in the European countries they like to vacation in. When they see headlines like this, even more such voters will be alarmed:



Source.

You dont need to be an affluent suburbanite with friends in London's tonier neighborhoods to be ashamed when you read about British and French forces deploying in Kabul to rescue their citizens, as American forces are kept within the perimeter of Kabul and thousands of stranded Americans are told to make their own way through Taliban checkpoints and other blockages if they are lucky enough to make it to their airfield with their heads intact. Those citizens were facing a State Department demand to pay up to $2,000 for a flight out of Kabul, even as Afghanis were flown out for free, until embarrassment caused that policy to be junked. It is humiliating and downright shameful, and the non-crazy portion of the Democrat vote doesn't want to identify with it.



Twitter video screen grab.

Equally important, Biden has thrown the Intelligence Community under the bus, claiming he had no warning, that this fiasco was inevitable. As Chuck Schumer warned Donald Trump, they have "six ways from Sunday" of getting back at you. They, and the other bureaucracies we call the Deep State, now see Biden as a threat to their own status and, ultimately, power. The Democrats' pet media like the New York Times, the Washington Post, and CNN all depend on the I.C. and Deep State for leaks that feed them news, and they, too, have hopped on board the anti-Biden bandwagon. Even the most deranged Trump-haters:



Source.

There are multiple stories like this one from the Wall Street Journal:

Internal State Department Cable Warned of Kabul Collapse July memo shows that administration officials were cautioned about Taliban's quick advance

...where the Deep Staters are revealing their own CYA memos placing responsibility for the disaster on Biden and his minions.

The inability of the Biden regime to fulfill our obligations to allies has raised alarms all over the world, not just in NATO, which was a participant in the Afghanistan occupation. South Korea's ambassador to Afghanistan barely escaped before the Taliban takeover, and now the ruling party there wants greater control over the military forces there. The American empire globalists see their handiwork collapsing.

Meanwhile, speculation and rumors abound that Biden has had a breakdown, because of his hiding from the public, and even from friendly foreign leaders such as Boris Johnson, who was unable to reach the president for 36 hours. One published source claims that Kamala Harris is contacting Cabinet members, seeking support for a 25th Amendment majority (twelve Cabinet members plus herself) that would send to Congress a declaration that the sitting POTUS is unable to fulfill the duties of office. If that happened, the V.P. would assume the duties of office of president, and within 21 days, a two-thirds supermajority vote from Congress would be necessary to make the removal from office permanent.

If faced with the prospect of such humiliation, would Biden resign? That's hard to predict, given that Jill Biden reportedly loves the title and perks of first lady and hates Kamala Harris. But if he and Jill contest the temporary removal and put the nation at risk of our enemies taking advantage of the leadership vacuum (that already exists, to be honest), that places every Democrat in Congress on a very hot seat, especially considering Connecticut voters' verdict last Tuesday.

The odds-makers still find Biden's removal from office highly unlikely. I am not sure Biden will be removed, but depending on how big a long shot the bookies are offering, for those inclined to wager, there may be an opportunity at hand.

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On Sunday, Joe Biden faced the nation...and lied, claiming that, unlike his own experience or that of his predecessors, no future president will have to deal with Americans dying in Afghanistan. This was a lie because Biden himself hasn't seen any war deaths in Afghanistan. There have been no American combat causalities in Afghanistan for 18 months, thanks to Bagram Air Base.

It wasn't just Bagram making a difference. With assists from Bagram, the Afghans had also been holding their own. This reflected a primary military doctrine going back to WWII: if you own the skies, you own the battlespace on land and sea, because nothing can move without the threat of annihilation. Lose air control, and you may swiftly lose the war, which is what happened with the Taliban when Bagram closed.

Before Joe's abrupt pullout, the Afghanistan theater of war was being handled by a small cadre of only 2,500 American airmen and officers who were able to subdue and restrict the movement of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Terrorists knew that if they showed themselves, they would be annihilated. Terror from the skies kept them in check.

There is no modern military precedent for what Commander-in-Chief Joe Biden did: he bugged out of Bagram in the middle of the night without notifying the Afghans in advance, conducting a decommissioning or turnover ceremony to the Afghans, or properly destroying weapons and other military equipment. The Taliban have since taken control of all the abandoned weapons and equipment, including planes.

Although we're told leaving Bagram was a considered decision, it looked remarkably like a rout. After all, under normal military rules, Bagram should have been the last base to close. The base commander and anyone up the chain of command involved in the base's hasty abandonment should be court-martialed.

The big question is, what was the hurry, and why was the Afghan military not part of the equation or process of withdrawal?

The facts on the ground  the intemperate, unnecessary, and secret withdrawal  lead to an obvious conclusion: those in charge meant for the weapons and equipment to fall into the hands of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The same people must have known that the weapons would also end up with the Chinese and Russians. And the Chinese have already made it known that they intend to go into Afghanistan, a country rich in minerals useful in the 21st century.

And through it all, Biden proudly insists that he has no regrets, even though his actions essentially invited the Taliban to come and take Afghanistan.

The same actions are also being used to swell the changeover in America's population, for we are being told by the propaganda media that we must accept all refugees from Afghanistan. This is looking like just another Open Borders assault from half a world away, which again redounds to the benefit to our enemies. The Democrat party will welcome Islamist voters in the vein of Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. (And we Americans may find ourselves with lots of young Afghan men, like those in Germany and Austria.)

Thanks to the contents of Hunter Biden's computer, we also know that Joe has been using Hunter to sell the family name to the highest bidder. (Big Tech censorship hid these facts from Americans. Had they not done so, it could have flipped the election.) The current scam is via Hunter's "art." Again, absent any rational reason for abandoning Bagram, allowing both the Taliban and the Chinese to take over Afghanistan, it's looking as if Joe Biden "owed" the Chinese.

It is not hard to envision China telling a compromised president what to do or they will out him as a traitor. Putting our weapons systems into Chinese hands looks like a deliberate act from which we may not recover.

Ironically, handing Afghanistan to the Chinese will ultimately offend Biden's base, not because of the geopolitical implications, but because of the base's climate change obsession. China is itching to plunder Afghanistan's rare earth elements, which will lead to massive pollution.

Only first-world nations pay the price for environmental mitigation to make it as expensive as possible for a first-world country to exploit its own resources. Moving the pollution to third-world nations to exploit has been the normal route of exploitation in the 20th, and now 21st, century for the industrialized world. The Chinese don't care about pollution.

Nothing in politics is by accident anymore. One can envision future payouts by others to the Biden family coffers. There are sure to be other aspects of America that Biden will sell to the highest bidder.

Ultimately, the facts on the ground make it look as if the Democrats, with Joe Biden leading the charge, are making war against ordinary patriotic Americans and against America itself. God help us.

Image: A fleet of cars left for the Taliban at Bagram (image edited in Pixlr). YouTube screen grab.

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For four years, while it was depressing to read about the Democrats' nonstop attacks on Trump, the news was mostly enjoyable during Trump's presidency, right until COVID and George Floyd took over: a rising economy, increased national security, a sovereign border, peace in the Middle East, low unemployment...the positive hits just kept coming. In the seven months since Biden entered the White House, the news has been a parade of horribles, culminating in our disastrous, ignoble retreat from Afghanistan. That's why I urge you to listen to Derrick Wilburn's statement to his local school board. It will give you hope.

Derrick Wilburn, a Colorado resident, founded both Rocky Mountain Black Conservatives and BlackandConservative.com. He's a prolific writer, including contributing dozens of posts to American Thinker. He lives within District 49 in Colorado, which bills itself as the "fastest growing school district in Colorado," with 25,000 students.

It appears that School District 49, like so many school districts across America, has been roiled by Critical Race Theory (CRT). On August 12, the Board of Education met and voted to ban teaching Critical Race Theory in the district  although it was a very close vote, breaking down with three in favor of banning it and two in favor of allowing it in classrooms. According to the local Fox News website, the parents who turned up at the meeting strongly supported banning CRT in the classroom. You'll certainly get that sense from their response to Derrick Wilburn's statement.

Before Wilburn spoke, John Graham, one of the school board members, told people in the audience that they should stand up if they support a speaker so the board can have a visual sense of which way the parents lean. Just watch the room as Wilburn makes his statement about how very evil CRT is, especially when visited on vulnerable young children:

For years, conservatives have been passive. They work and they vote, and then they think they're done. And as Joe Strader wrote, they never consolidate their forces. On the left, if one organization protests, they all join in. On the conservative side, we sit back and watch the warriors. All the people in that room, though, except for Mr. Pink Shirt, were literally making a stand for something they believe in.

We need to do more of that. It's the only way to claw our country back to original principles: a government that works for the people, rather than people working for the government; freedom of speech; a secure border; a free market; reverence for the traditional family unit; equality before the law; respect for our fellow man, whether you view those fellows as God's creations or, atheistically, as "we're all descended from the same apes" people.

Throw in the same Judeo-Christian moral principles that guided our Founders and that they thought essential to a functioning country  and America will be back in business. But we need to stand together, not hang out and hope the other guy does it for us.

Image: Derrick Wilburn speaks out against CRT. YouTube screen grab.

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Joe Biden is trying to change the subject.

Thousands of American citizens are trapped in Afghanistan because of Joe Biden, and he is focused on his pork legislation, booster shots, and putting masks on children.



Incredible.  thebradfordfile (@thebradfordfile) August 20, 2021

He's also trying to micromanage vaccinations in nursing home staffs, oblivious to the staff shortages the industry is already seeing before started meddling. His vice president, Kamala Harris, is Instagramming, and he is focused on his pork legislation, booster shots, and putting masks on children.

Then there are these:

A new poll found support for U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan has plummeted during the Taliban's takeover of the country. The Politico/Morning Consult poll found support for withdrawal dropped 20 percentage points since April, when President Joe Biden said the U.S. would be out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, and that a plurality of voters think withdrawal should stop. The poll also found over half of respondents disapprove of Biden's handling of Afghanistan. The poll of 1,999 registered voters was conducted Aug. 13-16. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 points.

And this:

The Biden Administration has attempted to deflect blame for the fall-out in Afghanistan, but Americans aren't buying it. According to The Daily Wire/SurveyMonkey poll, 36 percent of American's believe that Biden is responsible for the current crisis in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, 21 percent fault Donald Trump. 29 percent of Americans say it's neither Trump nor Biden's fault. According to the poll, which surveyed 1,066 Americans, independents are twice as likely to blame Biden than Trump for the debacle.

It follows from this:

And Americans largely blame President Biden for this: A subsequent Morning Consult poll, conducted Aug. 16-19, found that 43 percent of registered voters thought Biden held a great deal of responsibility for the situation  more than Congress or any of Biden's three predecessors, who all clocked in at 24 to 27 percent. Other polling agrees that the public is unhappy with Biden's handling of the Afghanistan War. Morning Consult/Politico's Aug. 13-16 poll found that voters disapproved of his handling of Afghanistan, 51 percent to 31 percent. In a poll fielded Aug. 14-17, YouGov/The Economist found a similar result among all adults, with Biden receiving a 42 percent disapproval and 32 percent approval rating on his handling of the war.

And most painful of all, this:

A slew of new polls have come out this week showing the shrinking support for and approval of President Joe Biden, his average now below 50%. But today, Rasmussen Reports is issuing the capper, telling Secrets that in an election do-over, Biden would lose to former President Donald Trump. By a six-point margin, 43%-37%, likely voters would pick Trump over Biden "if the next presidential election were held today." The details of the survey, which samples more Democrats than Republicans, showed that Trump would win more women and blacks than he did in 2020 when he lost to Biden, 46.8%-51.3%.

Trump, by the way, intends to conduct his biggest rally ever this Saturday in Alabama.

But for the Biden administration, the negative polls keep coming. His giggling, Instagram-obsessed vice president, Kamala Harris, isn't exempt, either:

Americans have further soured on Vice President Kamala Harris as she continues her radio silence on the chaotic and tragic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, a new poll indicates. According to a Rasmussen Reports survey released Thursday, 55 percent of likely voters say the former senator from California is either "not qualified" or "not at all qualified" to assume the duties of the presidency. By contrast, 43 percent consider Harris "qualified" or "very qualified" to be commander in chief. The same poll found in April that 49 percent of likely voters said Harris was qualified to become president, though 51 percent of voters had an "unfavorable impression" of her. The poll was taken between Aug. 12 and Aug. 15,

It takes a lot to flip poll numbers on a president supposedly still in his honeymoon era with voters. The public tolerates a lot. A fraud election was not enough to do it. Hunter Biden's laptop sex-drugs-hookers-payoffs-spies scandal was not enough to do it. The radicals in his administration were not enough to do it. Critical Race Theory was not enough to do it. Presidential senility was not enough to do it. The border crisis did damage, but not enough to keep the favorability balance against old Joe.

But defeat and humiliation on the world stage seem to be a different matter. The public was hard on Gerald Ford for the Vietnam pullout and actually elected Jimmy Carter as a response. Biden's mishandling of Afghanistan, compounded by his arming of the Taliban, abandonment of more than 10,000 U.S. citizens in a God-forsaken hellhole, refusal to either change course or admit a mistake have got to be acting as piledrivers onto his poll numbers, given the public investment  blood and treasure  into the venture.

The public knows bee ess when it sees it, and Joe's covered in it. Remember this palaver?

No tweet has ever aged so badly so quickly #YellowBellyJoe pic.twitter.com/vCOZI3uze4  James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 20, 2021

They're not buying it anymore. They're not even giving Biden the benefit of the doubt. Voters know a phony when they see one, and they can see it plainly on Joe and Kamala's sorry faces.

Image: NBC News screen shot from shareable YouTube video.

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In the coming weeks and months, the world will be offered a new and improved Taliban. It is the essence of movements based on totalitarian ideologies to have two personas. On the one hand, there is the face of the nation, Afghanistan. This is the face with which totalitarian regimes deal with the external world and international diplomacy. On the other hand, there is the totalitarian party, the Taliban, where the state's power resides.

The external face will present an image of comparative moderation. There may even be as an outgrowth of ongoing negotiations in Doha a coalition government, but the real power will not be in the coalition, but in the political party.

There will be a showcasing of the commitments the Taliban previously made in negotiations at Doha to not exact vengeance on Afghans who supported the Americans and their NATO partners. There will be voiced aspirations of opening the education system to girls and women. Reality, however, will ultimately contradict propaganda.

In a sense, the positioning of Taliban fighters at the Kabul airport is symbolic of what the regime will look like. The Taliban do not engage the American military on the tarmac, but are ruthless in their suppression of Afghanis who want to get into the airport to be evacuated. The American soldiers represent the face of the outside world, while the Afghanis represent the internal policies of the regime. One face for the outside world, a face of moderation, and another and harsher face for the people.

The ideological party is always a conqueror in its own land, for it represents neither the nation nor the state but the ideology it embraces. The nation and state must conform to the ideology. If not, it will be treated as harshly as an external threat to the regime.

In previous incarnations of totalitarian ideology, the nation-state was the window to the outside world. The administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt believed there were moderate Nazis with whom it could deal and who, needing legitimacy in the international community, would ultimately make good on the debt Germany had previously incurred. Had the American administration understood that the nation-state was a facade for the party, it would not have pursued this dead end. The true interests of the party were seen when, unsatiated with a large chunk of Czechoslovakia, the Nazis invaded Poland and went on to invade the rest of Europe.

Despite verbal commitments, the Taliban killed surrendering Afghan soldiers. They shot a woman who was not wearing a burka. They have seized sex slaves for their fighters. They have told women not to return to their jobs, and they have brutally turned back people who wanted to be evacuated.

The Taliban are the Taliban. Their view of Islam has not changed. For the Taliban, Islam is Islam, an eternal truth not subject to compromise. When we embrace this reality, we will know that negotiations with zealots do not follow the rules of negotiations with Western democracies or the model of labor relations.

The advantage the Taliban has rests in their cohesive ideology. It knows  whether we like or not  what it represents. We, on the other hand, are mired in a collection of grievances. We are a nation-state increasingly divided by competing identities, trying to resurrect our past sins so we can flagellate ourselves with historical guilt. We have no meaningful sense of time. We do not understand that sometimes to protect a people and preserve an ideal, it is necessary to occupy areas for generations. Instead, we have signaled the world that time will always be on the side of those who oppose us. We have taken the first steps toward our irrelevance.

Abraham H. Miller is an emeritus professor of political science, University of Cincinnati.

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The value of a fierce enemy is that he forces us to recognize and overcome our weaknesses. We are now faced with several fierce enemies. Their actions are reprehensible. Their crimes are horrific. We are on their list of prospective conquests.

Today, the focus is on the Taliban, but they are not our most dangerous enemy. Russia is worse, China is even more so, but there is a fourth enemy that overshadows them all. Its accomplices propagandize our young people from kindergarten through college to hate Western civilization. It even indoctrinates our soldiers to despise the country they are charged with defending. That enemy is, as you know, the American left.

We can learn from our enemies  not to engage in their brutal crimes, but what it takes to defeat them. The Taliban, for example, are vicious thugs, but just as a champion boxer respects his opponent's strengths, so also must we acknowledge that the Taliban have won a stunning victory. A few years ago, we thought them defeated. A few weeks ago, we thought we could ignore them. They proved us wrong. There is a reason for their success.

The Taliban have something our Republican Party has not: the courage of their convictions (despicable as their beliefs are). They can suffer defeat after defeat, year after year, and yet relentlessly continue the fight. They care nothing for leftist opinion. They have no prestigious cocktail parties to attend. They have no fear of bad press. They care not if they are "canceled." And they never, but never, cave in to the other side.

If evil people can be so committed to murder, torture, and oppression, then why cannot good people be even more committed to standing strong for moral principle, for biblical values, and for the Bill of Rights? What the hell is wrong with us, and how do we overcome that?

It took the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor to awaken us from our status as the "sleeping giant." Virtually nobody in public office at that time asked, what did we do to offend the Japanese imperialists? How can we assuage their hurt feelings? No. We nuked them.

I had thought that the atrocity of 9/11/01 was going to have an effect similar to Pearl Harbor. I had thought Americans would finally mobilize to eradicate the threat. I was wrong. We actually had government officials and academics openly sympathizing with the enemy.

I hope we are not yet too far gone to preserve our freedoms from the many enemies now arrayed against us. They look upon us as weak, timid, and morally confused. None of those enemies obsesses over personal pronouns. "He" and "she" will do just fine.

Antifa and BLM would not survive one minute inside Russia, China, or Afghanistan. They would be crushed before they could burn the first police station.

True, we are fettered in our opposition to evil, by the restraints imposed upon us by the very freedom we rightly revere. We cannot go door to door, arresting people for things they said or protests they attended. The left can do that, but not we.

We can, however, enforce the law, beginning with immigration, the most openly violated law by our government officials. If they will not, we can. We can organize massive civil disobedience campaigns to oppose lawless lawmakers. We can stage 1960s-style sit-ins in our state capitols, just as the left has done more than once in recent years. Most importantly, we can persist, for days, weeks, even months in such events, in open defiance of the imposters who rule over us. If Antifa can, we can.

We can restore moral values in education, for example, by withdrawing our children from public schools, which invite sexual predators to give lectures to small children. A good beginning of this has already occurred, the result of children being taught by distance-learning cameras, whereby many parents became witnesses to the shocking things their children were being taught by "woke" teachers, teachers who then had the audacity to demand that parents not watch.

We can flood the places where votes are counted with people who will not be cowed into being blocked from looking at the process. We can demand, and get, complete transparency in the workings of election officials, but only if we stubbornly refuse to be expelled.

It will not be easy. If we persist, then Ashli Babbitt will not be the last person murdered by leftist thugs. The prisons will be filled to overflowing with us. Many of us will die in the struggle for freedom, just as hundreds of thousands of our forebears were killed so we could enjoy the fruits of liberty.

The Taliban have shown us how evil succeeds. We can show them how the forces of good triumph.

Image: tomaszmichalkania via Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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See also: Can the Biden presidency last much longer?

In the wake of the Afghanistan debacle, demands have arisen in Congress for President Biden to resign or to be removed via the 25th Amendment. Elements of the formerly pro-Biden media have joined in the condemnation.

Many silent Democrat office-holders likely want Biden out, as they fear that the systemic incompetence of his administration will bring them down come 2022.

But Joe cannot resign or be fired. The Democrat high command will not let either happen, no matter the short-term political cost.

On the surface, that makes little sense. Joe's resignation or removal would not alter Democrat control of the presidency and Congress. If Joe leaves, Kamala Harris becomes president. She is incompetent, too, but no more so than Joe, and is on board with the administration's radical agenda.

So. Why can't Joe quit the office or be removed?

Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states: "The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided." The current Senate is equally divided with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans.

As soon as Kamala Harris takes the presidential oath, the vice presidency is left vacant. In that case, a tie vote means that the legislation, resolution, or confirmation under consideration fails.

A Senate chamber without a vice president puts Mitch McConnell in the catbird seat. He can kill all Democrat initiatives, including any nomination to refill the vice presidency.

The Democrat agenda goes up in smoke. The 3.5-trillion-dollar budget reconciliation bill is blocked. The For the People bill is blocked. The Green New Deal is blocked. Packing the Supreme Court is dead. As is any attempt to scuttle the filibuster or grab guns.

Therefore, the Democrats will keep Joe in office. Even if he's reduced to talking gibberish and eating Jell-O. Kamala also stays where she is, and the Democrat dream of fundamental transformation remains alive.

OK. But what if Joe Biden dies? This 78-year-old man is certainly at risk. When Joe was three decades younger, in 1988, he suffered two brain aneurysms. Doctors at the time gave him a 50-50 chance of surviving.

"He's not a healthy guy," said Dr. David Scheiner in 2020. Dr. Scheiner was concerned about Biden's potential for a stroke. Biden receives treatment for an irregular heartbeat and high cholesterol. Joe has also undergone surgeries for gallbladder and partial prostate removal, and on his sinus and nasal passages to treat sleep apnea.

If Joe dies, Kamala automatically vacates the vice presidency. The Democrats again face the throttling of their agenda. Mitch again rules.

The Democrat high command are not stupid. Indeed, as they proved during the last presidential election, they are quite willing to do whatever needs to be done. We must assume they have contingency plans in place.

If Joe were to expire while addressing the United Nations or during a live press conference, that would be one thing. His death must be acknowledged and the consequences accepted.

If Joe passes while out of sight of the public, that is something else. The something else would probably go like this:

His body is secretly transported to Camp David or the family compound in Delaware. His sudden disappearance is explained by announcing that an assassination plot (by Islamic terrorists, or better, by white supremacists) has just been discovered. The president will remain at an undisclosed location until the threat is neutralized.

Biden's existence and whereabouts can be easily faked, so the pretense could be kept up a while. Also remember that a president need not actually sign a bill for it to become law (if Congress remains in session ten days after passage).

With Joe presumably alive and Kamala able to break Senate tie votes, the Democrats have a window of about sixteen months to enact their agenda. Only recalcitrants Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema stand in the way. The party that plays the hardest ball ever seen will go to work hard on those two.

The window ends Jan. 3, 2023, when the new Congress convenes. Almost certainly the GOP will control the next House, and the Republicans stand an increasingly good chance to take back the Senate. If not passed, the Democrat agenda is truly dead as of that date.

While the window remains open, Joseph Robinette Biden must remain president. Whether he serves honorably or dishonorably, whether coherently or incoherently, whether alive or dead.

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(Image source from: Apnews.com)

USA Advises Booster Shots For The Fully Vaccinated:- The coronavirus pandemic is here to stay and several scientists advised of taking the third dose of vaccination dose for those who are fully vaccinated and after six months. Some of the health experts conducted detailed research and advised of a third booster dose. The USA happens to be the most impacted country due to the coronavirus. The third wave is happening now and more than 1 lakh cases of coronavirus are reported in the country on a regular basis. The Biden administration decided to get a booster shot for coronavirus for all those who are fully vaccinated. They can take the booster shot eight months after they have taken the second dose of coronavirus dose. The decision was made considering the widespread of Delta variant of coronavirus.

The offering of the third shot of the vaccine will commence from the third week of September as per the administration. The Biden administration made it sure that Americans need additional protection against the delta variant as it is highly transmissible and there are more changes of the varus to get contracted to those who received both the dose of the vaccine. The new policy will depend on the Food and Drug Administration authorizing additional shots. All those who received the single dose of Johnson and Johnson vaccine will have to take the second dose. The clinical trials for the same are happening and they will be concluded by the end of this month. As per the data, 14 million people from the United States received Johnson and Johnson shot.

The first booster shots will be given to the nursing home residents along with the healthcare workers and emergency workers in the country.
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Covid: Tunisia requires hotel quarantine for unvaccinated Fully vaccinated are exempt

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, 20 AGO - Starting on 25 August 2021, all travellers entering Tunisia who haven't been fully vaccinated against Covid will be required to quarantine, at their own expense, for 10 days in a government-affiliated hotel, the Tunisian Health Ministry's quarantine committee chairman Mohamed Rabhi told TAP news agency.



He said the health ministry is working with the tourism ministry on a list of affiliated hotels.



Travellers who have already received two doses of Covid vaccine are exempt from the quarantine period, provided they present upon arrival in Tunisia proof of a negative PCR test taken within the past 72 hours, as well as a document from official authorities that shows proof of vaccination, Rahbi said.



He said a QR code will not be used at the current time to verify vaccination certificates. (ANSAmed).




(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, 20 AGO - On Monday, Turkey evacuated at least 40 senior Afghan government officials, hidden on a Turkish Airlines repatriation flight of Turkish citizens that landed in Istanbul with 324 passengers aboard.



Among the officials evacuated were second vice president Sarwar Danish, foreign minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar and the head of the National Directorate of Security Ahmad Zia Sraj, as well as three other former ministers and several MPs.



The news was released Friday by local media after the evacuated officials were placed under security.



According to a reconstruction, Turkish soldiers oversaw the boarding of the flight, preventing many people from boarding the aircraft amidst the chaos at the Kabul airport.



The evacuation plans were reportedly organised in the days prior, before the Taliban entered the Afghan capital.



"We are grateful to Turkey for what it has done for us," said the vice chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Enayatullah Babur Farahman, cited by Turkish daily Hurriyet. (ANSAmed).


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Dominic Raab has defended the Governments handling of the Afghanistan crisis as he said the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country had prevented a call being made to Afghan ministers while he was on holiday.

The Foreign Secretary has come under increasing pressure to resign after it was revealed he was on the Greek island of Crete as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

But Mr Raab said ministers have been working tirelessly over the last week to evacuate British nationals and Afghans, with the priority being keeping Kabul airport open.

It came after it was reported that Foreign Office officials advised the Cabinet minister on August 13 to call Afghan foreign minister Hanif Atmar  two days before the Taliban marched on Kabul  to arrange help for those who supported British troops.

But Mr Raab delegated this to junior minister Lord Goldsmith, and it later emerged the call had never been made.

In a statement on Friday, Mr Raab said: This was quickly overtaken by events. The call was delegated to a minister of state because I was prioritising security and capacity at the airport on the direct advice of the director and the director-general overseeing the crisis response.

In any event, the Afghan foreign minister agreed to take the call, but was unable to because of the rapidly deteriorating situation.

He went on: The Governments approach to prioritise security at the airport was the right one. As a result, 204 UK nationals and their families, Afghan staff and other countries citizens were evacuated on the morning of Monday 16 August.

Since then, 1,635 have been evacuated. I pay tribute to the excellent team we have in place, and we continue to prioritise what is required to evacuate people to the UK safely.

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Mr Raab wrote on Twitter that his statement was responding to the inaccurate media reporting over recent days.

It comes as Boris Johnson called the latest in a series of COBR meeting on Friday afternoon over the crisis.

The Times reported that Sir Philip Barton, Matthew Rycroft and David Williams, the respective permanent secretaries of the Foreign Office, Home Office and Ministry of Defence, were on holiday amid the evacuations from Afghanistan.

It is understood the senior officials continued to work on Afghanistan while on leave, with the Whitehall departments running systems where there is another minister or an acting permanent secretary to cover periods of leave.

But Labour has demanded details about the Governments handling of the situation in Afghanistan and the Foreign Secretarys holiday while Kabul fell to the Taliban.

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy also said Mr Raabs statement simply doesnt add up, adding: Who knows how many more people might have been saved in the hours leading up to the fall of Kabul if the Foreign Secretary had made the call he was advised to.

To suggest it was too late to stop the capital falling to the Taliban is not a defence, but a shameful admission of his own failure to act sooner.

Conservative MP David Davis defended Dominic Raab (Luciana Guerra/PA)

Conservative former Cabinet minister David Davis said it was nonsense that Mr Raab should consider his position after he was found to be on holiday in Crete as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban.

Speaking to the PA news agency, he said that while there had clearly been failings in the handling of the crisis by the Government, they could not be directed at any one person and that having worked with Mr Raab he was a workaholic who would often pull 60-hour weeks.

Mr Davis said: Last Friday, nobody in the House of Commons, or anywhere in Fleet Street or anywhere, or indeed, in the organisation of the Taliban knew that they would have, by Sunday, taken Kabul. Nobody.

The Americans were saying it could happen in 30 days, our own intelligence said similar. So the idea that somebody should rush back from a holiday  frankly, a workaholic minister, which is what he is  is sort of daft, really, its worse than 20:20 hindsight.

The Governments not had a good week, lets be clear about this, in terms of the handling of this crisis, and it looks like somebody is trying to scapegoat one member of Government.

One Tory MP reportedly told the Guardian Mr Raabs position was untenable and that not coming home was his biggest mistake.

But Sir Roger Gale, Conservative MP for North Thanet, said: This is an anti-Raab witch hunt, and I dont like it.

Defence minister James Heappey said the Taliban was being officious rather than malicious in stopping people reaching Kabul airport for evacuation flights.

A total of 963 people have been evacuated from Kabul on the RAF air bridge in the last 24 hours, according to the minister.

The former soldier, who fought in Afghanistan, added that he is kept awake at night by the knowledge the UK will not be able to get absolutely everybody out.

Mr Heappey said it is unclear how long the UK evacuation plan will last as it is dependent on the dynamic circumstances.
Asylum seekers were previously removed from the hotel where a five-year-old Afghan refugee fell to his death from a window because it was unfit for refugees to stay in, it has been claimed.

Mohammed Munib Majeedi fell from the window of the Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel in Blonk Street at around 2.30pm on Wednesday.

The youngster, who is understood to have arrived in the UK with his family this summer, fell on to a car park behind the hotel.

Labour MPs in the city demanded a full, urgent, independent inquiry after asylum seekers were previously moved out of the accommodation.

Labour shadow frontbencher Louise Haigh, who is also MP for Sheffield Heeley, said: The Home Office has a duty of care when placing asylum seekers of any description, but especially under their resettlement scheme, here in the UK, and clearly that duty of care has been at the very least undermined, if not breached.

Labour MP Louise Haigh. (Liam McBurney/PA)

Ms Haigh and fellow Sheffield MPs Clive Betts (Sheffield South East), Olivia Blake (Sheffield Hallam), Paul Blomfield (Sheffield Central), and Gill Furniss (Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough) have written to Home Secretary Priti Patel. They are calling for a full, urgent, independent inquiry into the circumstances that led to Mohammeds death, but also into the placement of vulnerable refugees in this accommodation.

She told the PA news agency: We know that the Home Office placed some refugees there last August, in 2020, and then moved them following concerns about the suitability of that accommodation.

So why vulnerable families from Afghanistan, involving children, were placed in this accommodation again this year is a very serious question that they have to urgently answer.

It is understood previous concerns had been surrounding fire safety.

Sheffield City Council confirmed that the Home Office had ceased use of the hotel in November.

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The Home Office did not deny the claims when approached for comment but said: We are extremely saddened by the tragic death of a child at a hotel in Sheffield. The police are providing support to the family while the investigation continues and we are providing accommodation and support.

We are absolutely committed to ensuring that Afghan refugees are appropriately accommodated and supported and we are working hard with local authorities to deliver this.

Ms Haigh said the fact that all remaining families had been removed from the hotel demonstrates that they know that is unsafe and unsuitable.

And she added: Its just absolutely appalling that the family had fled unimaginable horror in Afghanistan, to come to this country seeking safe haven, find themselves placed in unsuitable accommodation, and now have to face this tragedy of equally unimaginable proportions.

The Refugee Council has also called for a review of the accommodation offered to those fleeing the Taliban following the tragedy.

People leave the Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel in Blonk Street, where a five-year-old boy, an Afghan refugee whose family recently fled the Taliban, died after he fell from a window on Wednesday (Peter Byrne/PA)

A spokesman for the Afghan Community Association in Sheffield said: Whether it was a mistake or something, I dont know, but what happened is not acceptable at all.

Liberal Democrat peer and former leader of Sheffield City Council, Lord Scriven, said officials needed to take a long look at themselves over what had gone wrong.

He told PA: These refugees are fleeing from some of the most horrendous and traumatic experiences one could ever begin to imagine. So why on earth the Home Office thinks it is acceptable to put them into a hotel that theyve already withdrawn previous vulnerable people from, is jaw-dropping.

The council should not have stayed quiet about this, but should have made it very clear on our soil, in Sheffield, as the first city of sanctuary, this wasnt good enough.

Senior officials and the Home Secretary need to take a long look at themselves in the mirror tonight and question their conscience as to why they feel it was acceptable.

Witnesses said the boys father had worked in the British Embassy in Kabul.

People leave the Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel in Blonk Street, where a five year old boy, an Afghan refugee whose family recently fled the Taliban, died after he fell from a window on Wednesday. (Peter Byrne/PA)

He said the family came to the UK three or four weeks ago, landing at Birmingham Airport, then staying in Manchester during quarantine for Covid.

The family, including the parents and three boys and two girls, then moved to the hotel in Sheffield in the last week.
Stephen Fry has voiced support for the Extinction Rebellion protests which aim to occupy parts of central London from next week in the name of climate change.

In a video shared on Twitter, the actor and comedian praised the group for attempting to make politicians really recalibrate, realign, revolutionise politics through their mucky and disruptive demonstrations.

Extinction Rebellion activist Zoe Blackler told PA that this years protest will involve occupations, targeted action and marching in London, and the groups main demand is that the Government stops all new investment in fossil fuels.

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In the two-minute video shared by Extinction Rebellion, Mr Fry, 61, said: I know Extinction Rebellion, XR, are mucky and they make a fuss, theyre loud, theyre disruptive, they sometimes throw paint and other such things and they block traffic.

But what else is going to make politicians really recalibrate, realign, revolutionise politics so that it faces the horrors of climate change and all the damage were doing to our planet?

Its a very complex and very difficult situation, but unless we recognise that everything has to change then nothing will change, it seems to me.

I know that you can point the finger of hypocrisy at everybody who owns an object and drives a car, but were all going to have to re-think the way we live our lives and the way we dispose of all the things we buy and the way society works.

Its much better if we think about it together and without enmity, but understanding a common purpose for the common good  is that so much to ask?

XR, Extinction Rebellion, seem to be the only people who are sensibly, even if angrily, even if energetically, trying to move society and the world towards this.

Its going to be a heck of a fight, but unless we get together, its a fight well lose.

Extinction Rebellion will kick off demonstrations in central London from Monday, with their main demand this year being to ask the Government to stop new investments in fossil fuels (Luciana Guerra/PA).

The Metropolitan Police force said it is engaging with Extinction Rebellion leaders on Friday, two days before the protests are due to begin in Trafalgar Square in central London.

They added that three similar demonstrations by the group in 2019 and 2020 cost more than 50 million to police in total, and that millions more will be spent in the response to this years demonstration.
Aug 20 (Reuters) - NATO foreign ministers on Friday warned the Taliban not to let Afghanistan become a breeding ground for terrorism, as it did two decades ago, prompting Western forces to intervene.

"For the last 20 years, we have successfully denied terrorists a safe haven in Afghanistan from which to instigate attacks," the alliance's foreign ministers said in a statement after a virtual crisis meeting.

"We will not allow any terrorists to threaten us. We remain committed to fighting terrorism with determination, resolve, and in solidarity."

The ministers did not explicitly threaten the Taliban with military strikes, though, as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg did at a news conference earlier in the week.

"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," Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

In his opening remarks on Friday, Stoltenberg called it NATO's priority to get people out of Kabul and keep the airport running.

"The situation remains difficult and unpredictable," he told reporters. "The main challenge we face is ensuring that people reach and enter Kabul airport."

More than 18,000 people have been flown out of Kabul since the Taliban took over Afghanistan's capital, according to a NATO official, but thousands of people, desperate to flee the country, are still thronging the airport.

Stoltenberg thanked Turkey, the United States and Britain for their efforts to establish security at Kabul airport, and again urged the Taliban to allow the safe passage of all foreign nationals and Afghans seeking to depart the country.

After almost two decades, NATO this summer completed military operations in Afghanistan and withdrew most troops from the country.

But the alliance still operates a diplomatic representation in Kabul and, headquartered in Brussels, it also serves as a forum to coordinate national measures in Afghanistan, such as the evacuation of citizens. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold Editing by John Chalmers)
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APSUs Newton Military Family Resource Center open, hosting open house Aug. 27

Maj. Gen. Walt Lord, APSU military advisor, in the new center.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.  Its not a secret, but some people still havent heard. The 5,200-square-foot building at 426 College St., next to Johnnys Big Burger, is now open, making Austin Peay State University home to the largest military student center in Tennessee.

Because Austin Peay hosts the largest family of military-affiliated students, by far, in the State of Tennessee, it only makes sense that we are also the home of the largest, by far, military student center to facilitate the best possible services and support to those students, retired Maj. Gen. Walt Lord, APSU military advisor in residence, said

In January, APSUs William E. & Sadako S. Newton Military Family Resource Center quietly opened, providing the Universitys military community with a one-stop shop for most of their social, financial and academic needs. The new facility houses Austin Peays Veterans Upward Bound program, VetSuccess on Campus, the Military Student Center, a Career Services coordinator and a Student Success coordinator.

This space is a dream come true, Jasmin Linares, coordinator for the center, said. All students are welcome, but our target population is military-affiliated students. For us, that means anyone who is active duty, a veteran, in the reserves, the National Guard, ROTC, retirees and their families.

Inside the Newton Center.

The Newton Center will host an open house at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 27, and all members of the community are welcome to stop by. At 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 10  the day before Veterans Day  the University will host an official ribbon cutting and grand opening for the facility.

We were lucky and really blessed

Austin Peay, as the states largest provider of higher education to military-affiliated students, has a long history of supporting military students, but for years these services were housed in small offices, spread out across campus. When Linares first arrived at APSU, the Military Student Center occupied a 700-square-foot space in the basement of the Morgan University Center.

We were outgrowing that space right away, she said. We had events and gatherings, whatever events we had, we ran out of room. We wanted to provide our military-affiliated students with one place to come, and we were really lucky and blessed to have Ms. Wilma Newton and her gracious donation.

The lounge in the Newton Center.

In 2019, APSU alumna Wilma Newton (73) gave a transformative gift to the University in honor of her late parents. That gift made the William E. & Sadako S. Newton Military Family Resource Center a reality. Newtons father, William, met her mother, Sadako, in Japan when he was stationed there as part of the military efforts to reconstruct the country following the end of World War II.

Newton, along with her late husband Raymond Vares, previously decided to contribute to the University because of their appreciation for education and their family connection to the military. Newtons late father, husband, brother and several uncles all served in the military.

My parents encouraged us to obtain a college degree and worked hard to afford it, she said in 2019. My siblings and I were the first grandchildren to earn a college degree.

The new Newton Center will carry on that tradition by supporting military-affiliated students during their academic careers. In addition to housing several University and military offices, the newly renovated building features a computer lab, a lounge area for watching television, eating and unwinding, tables for studying or eating and a self-serve coffee and tea bar.

The Black Rifle Coffee Company is sponsoring our coffee, so its free coffee for a year, Linares said. Students can come here and get help with a variety of services. They can come and connect with like-minded students; they can use the computer lab to their homework.

Near the main entrance, the space also resembles a small military museum. A row of glass cases bisects the large, open room, and the displays feature military artifacts  including World War II items that belonged to APSU President Mike Licaris grandfather.

I want all our military-affiliated students to know this place exists for them, Linares said.

For information on the services APSU offers military students and their families, visit https://www.apsu.edu/military/index.php.
Indiana pro-lifers lament ruling, but say fight to save unborn undeterred

By Natalie Hoefer

A U.S. District Court judge placed a permanent injunction on Aug. 10 on several Indiana pro-life laws, including those that required physicians to examine patients in person before performing abortions and that mandated that only physicians can administer first-trimester medication abortions.

An Indianapolis Star article said several requirements in state law were deemed unconstitutional by Judge Sarah Evans Barker of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana in a ruling in Whole Health Alliance v. Rokita.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a pro-life Catholic, said in a statement that Barkers ruling only strengthens our resolve to keep fighting for the lives of unborn children and the health of mothers.  We will continue to fight to defend Indianas commonsense abortion laws and to build a culture of life in Indiana.

Some provisions were upheld, including the requirements that only physicians can provide first-trimester aspiration, or suction, abortions and that ultrasounds must be performed before an abortion.

But the Indianapolis Star article said the judge blocked the states ban on the use of telemedicine as it regards abortionwhereby doctors use an online platform to prescribe abortion-inducing mifepristone and misoprostol.

She also put a stop on a requirement that second-trimester abortions must be performed in a hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center as well as blocked requirements that abortion providers provide state-backed information to patients on fetal pain, the beginning of life and the mental health risks of abortion.

A lot of chaotic jurisprudence

In an initial statement following the ruling, Rokita said he was grateful the district court upheld Indianas eminently reasonable laws requiring ultrasounds, limiting surgical abortions to licensed physicians, ensuring pre-abortion counseling sessions are provided by physicians or advanced-practice clinicians, and imposing criminal penalties for violations of abortion laws.

But he lamented the injunction placed on other provisions in the law, thus contradicting binding precedent, including a 7th Circuit [appeals court] decision that upheld the very same in-person-counseling Indiana law that the district court invalidated today.

In an interview with The Criterion, Rokita noted the recent ruling underscores how real this fight is in legal terms, period. We have a real fight on our hands, and these recent rulingsnot just Judge Barkers rulingpoint out how chaotic these rulings are becoming. The precedent doesnt jive across the country, so judges take liberty by applying facts that would have otherwise been decided against. That leads to a lot of chaotic jurisprudence.

The attorney generals filing with the U.S. 7th District Court of Appeals is for a stay against the permanent injunctions. But Rokita is willing to go to the U.S. Supreme Court if we have to.

Were going to hope that the 7th Circuit recognizes the right of societya group of people, in this case Hoosierswho elected representatives as their lawmakers, to respect the laws those representatives make. We dont find anything Indiana has done as being unconstitutional.

Judicial activism at its absolute worst

Other pro-life leaders weighed in on the ruling and its impact on prolife law in Indiana.

Its horrible, Right to Life of Indianapolis President Marc Tuttle told The Criterion. This is a broad-sweeping abuse of judicial power, no doubt about it. Especially when you look at hospital admissions for abortion past the first trimester. A lot of those laws had been in place for 30 years. This is devastating.

He said the ruling opens up abortion on demand without a doctor throughout the state well-past the gestation limits in place now. It also opens the door for abortion clinics to open in Fort Wayne and EvansvillePlanned Parenthood has made no bones about wanting to open in Evansville.

Mike Fichter, executive director of Indiana Right to Life, agreed.

This is a horrific ruling that will directly lead to a massive expansion of chemical and late-term abortions in Indiana, he said in a statement.

The sweeping blockage of these commonsense laws jeopardizes the health and safety of women, leaves women in the dark on issues of fetal pain and the development of human life, and places communities like Fort Wayne and Evansville clearly in the crosshairs for abortion business expansion, he continued. This is judicial activism at its absolute worst.

Other provisions challenged in the case that Barker upheld were requirements that abortion providers maintain admitting privileges with a hospital or a written agreement with a provider who has such privileges; that minors receive either parental consent or a judicial waiver to receive an abortion; and that patients delay their abortions for at least 18 hours after receiving state-mandated disclosures.

Making abortion  unthinkable

While Rokita is determined to fight the ruling in court, he noted that the battle is not just legal.

I continue to believe that at the root of all this, the best solution is going to be not to rest or focus completely on the legal aspect of this fight, he said. Its going to not just be about making abortion illegal or limited, but unthinkable.

Thats where the Church comes in. Weve got to be changing hearts and minds  . Theres a lot of evidence that elements of the culture are pro-lifewe just need to make it the majority. That will bring along judges.

We have real opposition, whether its Hollywood or media or the nonparochial school system. But our work as a Church and as God-loving people means you dont have to wait for the attorney general to be in court. The real fight is the hand-to-hand combat of changing hearts and minds.

For this reason, said Tuttle, the recent decisionwhich doesnt have much in the way of a silver liningultimately does not alter the mission of the pro-life movement.

Our main mission is to make abortion unthinkable and illegal, he said. Abortion is becoming increasingly unpopular in public opinion, and fewer women choose abortion year after year.

For the pro-life movement, we need to continue to work to decrease the number of abortions regardless of what the law is. 
Minister S. Jaishankar told the UN Security Council that the terrorist Haqqani Networks activities in Afghanistan were of great concern

New Delhi: India may resume special flights by Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft to Afghan capital Kabul as early as Friday to evacuate the remaining Indians stranded in the strife-torn country, sources said on Thursday, as external affairs minister S. Jaishankar told the UN Security Council Thursday evening that the terrorist Haqqani Networks activities in Afghanistan were of great concern and that some countries seek to undermine and subvert our collective resolve to fight terror which cannot be allowed, a thinly-veiled reference to Pakistan, adding that whether it is in Afghanistan or against India, (terrorist) groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) continue to operate with both impunity and encouragement.

Chairing an UNSC open briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts, the minister said that what is true of Covid is also true of terrorism and that none of us are safe until all of us are safe.

Given the ouster of the Afghan government and the Taliban takeover in Kabul, Indias assessment is learnt to be that the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan will only strengthen the terror organisations in the region and that the recent developments in Afghanistan are of grave concern to India, which continues to fight terrorist activities from safe havens and sanctuaries from across our borders.

As far as evacuation efforts are concerned, it may be recalled that the IAF C-17 special flights evacuated Indian diplomats and security personnel from Kabul Tuesday and the government continues to look at the swift evacuation of all Indians stranded in Afghanistan as a top priority. The MEA had recently set up a Special Afghanistan Cell and had earlier told Indian nationals still stranded there or their employers to urgently share the relevant details. Some of these include Indian citizens who are employed by other countries and some are Indian academics teaching in Kabul.

At the UNSC, mentioning the terror attacks against India in the past like the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in 2008, the Pathankot attack in 2016 and the Pulwama attack in 2019, Mr Jaishankar said: Unfortunately, there are also some countries who seek to undermine or subvert our collective resolve to fight terrorism. That cannot be allowed to pass In our own immediate neighborhood, ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K) has become more energetic and is constantly seeking to expand its footprint. This should be taken seriously. Events unfolding in Afghanistan have naturally enhanced global concerns about their implications for both regional and international security. The heightened activities of the proscribed Haqqani Network only justifies this growing anxiety. Whether it is in Afghanistan or against India, groups like the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed continue to operate with both impunity and encouragement.

The minister added: It is, therefore, vital that this council does not take a selective, tactical or even a complacent view of the problems we face. We must never countenance sanctuaries for terrorists or overlook the raising of their resources. And when we see state hospitality being extended to those with innocents blood on their hands, we should never lack the courage to call out this doublespeak.

Mr Jaishankar reiterated his eight-point action plan -- that was proposed in January this year -- to the UNSC that included summoning of political will, not justifying terrorism and not glorifying terrorists, no double standards and not making distinctions on terrorists, not placing blocks and holds on listing requests without any reason and supporting and strengthening global anti-terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force.
The CM further announced that in the coming days every airport in each district in Madhya Pradesh would be functional

New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday proposed that Civil Aviation Minister (MoCA) Jyotiraditya Scindia should rename Jabalpur airport as Rani Durgawati Airport.

Addressing the IndiGo's inaugural flight to Jabalpur Chouhan said: "If the name of Jabalpur Airport is changed after our pride Rani Durgavati, then I understand that her feelings will be respected."

He also appreciated the way Union Minister Scindia was doing tremendous work in the aviation sector and for Madhya Pradesh.

"In the last 35 days, we have commenced operations on 44 new flights in Madhya Pradesh out of which 26 aircraft movements have been attributed solely to Jabalpur," Scindia said.

The CM further announced that in the coming days every airport in each district in Madhya Pradesh would be functional.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan attended IndiGo's inaugural flight program virtually.
Hoshang Merchant  a midnights child, as old as our independence  reflects on the coinciding evolution of the life of a poet and a nation

Hyderabad: Finding a semblance of normalcy in life after a pandemic that pushed our world towards seclusion  when quarantine and self-isolation became medical recommendations for staying safe  as India as a nation celebrates its 75th independence day, poet, thinker, gay activist and academic Hoshang Merchant  a midnights child, as old as our independence  reflects on the coinciding evolution of the life of a poet and a nation.

Prof Merchant released his lifes most comprehensive collection, an opus, and the best slice of his oeuvre  Rebel Angel  in the midst of the worst health crisis of over a century, an ongoing existential war  and tasted triumph, the book emerging as a bestseller.

As he appears on a scheduled Zoom call window, he resembles a seasoned actor auditioning for the role of Professor Albus Dumbledore, wrinkled white skin, magnetic eyes, sharp nose and an unmistakable voice. Or given the Indian-ness he reaffirms with every idea and sentence, maybe he should be seen as an aghoori sadhu amongst Parsi priests.

He is old, as old as Independent India. He sounds sad at times, yet exudes mischief, child-like curiosity, youthful energy, and coquettish humour. Sharp and devilish in putting down rivals and bad ideas, he speaks his heart out on his life, literary journey, losing innocence and finding it all over again.

Q. Being born in Mumbai in 1947

A. Bombay (he corrects).

Q. How fortuitous was it to be born, as a Midnights Child, in Bombay, in 1947, to the direction and plot of your life? How did you feel when it became Mumbai?

A. Monumental. Bombay was a westernised thought of India; and a microcosmic model of what many in that generation believed the rest of India would become like. Over 70 years, India has become many things but not really like the Bombay I was born in. When Bombay was renamed as Mumbai, it felt like sectarian and chauvinist tendencies won. We must respect transition, as Tagore observed, based on the determinism of people; after all, we, the people are the three most powerful words in the Constitution.

But I resent the renaming of Bombay. India lost when and Bharat asserted. I resent every renaming because I see it as a violation of history.

Q. You are a proud Indian. Why would you resent a post-colonial reassertion of an indigenous culture?

A. The word cosmopolitan comes from the times of the Roman Empire, where the provinces tried to imitate the mothership, Rome. But Bombay was not an imitation of imperial London. It was a new Indias mixture, a bhelpuri of regional cultures, a cosmopolitan ideal being constructed amalgamating varied cultures, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil and so on, even as migrants from every corner of the country came and melted into its fast-paced life, trying to find opportunities and success. Bombay was not a relic of cosmopolitan imperialism, it was a future-looking melting pot.

Q. So Bombay was Indias best living example of the Independence era idea of India?

A. Yes, we are being post-colonial. Of course, there were relic of the past trying to assert themselves, the aristocracy of old money and spirit but the city was being shaped by a modern, progressive thinking middle-class; the city throbbing with life and modelled on the rebellious, curious, possibility-filled mood of a mid-western American university.

Q. On cue, universities. As a professor, how do you see the happenings of our universities in the last few years?

A. The siege of our universities makes for a good headline, but it is not recent. Wasn't the JNU under siege for over five decades by the leftists? We have known reports of lady scholars who did excellent work with a right-wing slant, not getting opportunities or rewards commensurate with their work. They would not be promoted, they would be blatantly denied opportunities. The dictatorship of the Left is no less dangerous.

Of course, as we saw since the fatwa was issued on Rushdie, religious right-wing autocracy is equally dangerous, even if it is a narrow-minded puritan imitation.

Q. When did you realise you are gay and how did it impact your life?

A. Pretty early. It must have been in class five. Once my parents realised it, I was given psychotherapy. My mother would beat me violently for a sexual crime of thought. It traumatised me. I knew, however, that I was attracted to men and it made me lonely. Then hypocrisy began to manifest. Our Parsi community has a way of doing things do them silently. My father had a mistress which all of Bombay knew, except my mother. Then I was sent abroad for education.

Q. Did you find any significantly higher intellectual sexual freedom in the West?

A. I left before I was 21. I was sent to Occidental College, one of the most expensive private colleges, and I wasted my privilege to express my anger against my father, because he was paying for the education. It was an elite experience. I returned after only a nine months course to take care of my mother, who passed away. It was the darkest phase of life.

Q. Did writing afford a safe place?

A. Poetry snarls an angry heart and a hurt soul. I studied English literature, finished my bachelor of arts - English honours course. I was reading Auden and T S Eliot. I did my Ph. D, but was not writing much till I turned 23, except for coursework. My doctorate was on Anais Nin, Henry Millers girlfriend, essaying, novelist and erotica writer.

Even in literature freedom has eluded though authors, poets and thinkers have claimed it, after a bitter fight, again and again. Look at the issue of acceptance of erotica as an acceptable genre in literature. Anais fought for it and reduced the gap between pornography and literature.

I went to America as a young dream poet. I was so stupid to actually believe the streets of USA were paved with gold, instead I found blood and pain of exploitation of Red Indians and the Blacks. Poets are literalists of imagination.

In 1968, I did not find America to be a land of the free for a young man to be gay. Truth is, social reality takes a long while to change and we have to fight for our worldview every single day. It is the same for LGBTI, the same for women, for Dalits.

I am aware of my privilege, a man from the social elite, powered with language, but what the rest of the people. An author lives in the mind. Poets dont live in the society, they are born as a soul empowered to select a society of their own, to paraphrase Emily Dickenson.

Q. In that sense, every writer is a rebel against society, against status quo, trying to imagine a different world?

A. Society allows for good ideas to win but slowly, far too slowly. And some people dont have the time. What if a gay author is also a Black or Jewish? It can become a double or triple whammy. We in India today are freer today as genders go. My sisters were freer than my mother but they too had to struggle all over. But my sisters could become freer because they were daughters of my mother, who could fight for them too.

But authors are not the only rebels seeking change. Everyone suffering is. Some succumb, some retreat into madness, and some win. Authors capture the angst.

Q. Finally, your latest work has got critical attention. How important is it for you?

A. For any writer  it is just the word that matters. In the Bible, the genesis is the naming day, when Adam was named, plants and animals got named. The act of naming is the act of creation, the identification of reality. Words are power but they can be used to abuse; the weapons of the anti-poet. I believe in the sacredness of words. I wanted to capture all words, not just as a poet but also my prose to get together as an anthology. It means life to me as an old man in the dusk of life. It has found resonance. It is an inter-linked collection of 20 years of words, from the earliest to most mature pieces. Indulge me, I want a little fame before I die (laughs).

We are seldom truly free, except in the arts. We will never be truly free in this world because society is out to catch you and put you in a box. A box suits the world. But a poet fights on, because only when we are free, can we free others. Empires will fall, words will last.

Q. As India touches 75 years of Independence, and you turn 75 too, what does the country mean to you?

A. We are a Hindu culture, the only surviving ancient cultures. We should not confuse Hinduism, a great wise culture of the world, as a religion. To do so would be an insult, to shame it. But to politicise it is a shame too.

Q. Will end with a question of love  as a gay, I notice so many women falling in love with you. What is the secret?

A. (Starts laughing). As an Indian, I benefit from the perception of instant approval for fair complexion. Gay men are sexually safe we are pretty sentimental. I talk of love all the time and the romantic myth of the poet comes in.
In his words: "I am just a professional writer, which means I don't do blogs and try and get money for whatever I write."

He reported from several cities as they fell to the Taliban offensive -- a hurricane through yielding fields

Afghan nationals line up to board a military transport plane at the Kabul airport on August 17, 2021, for evacuation from Afghanistan after the Taliban's military takeover of the country. (AFP)

I have known Secunder Kermani from the day he was born. Those of you who watch the news on the BBC will probably know that he is the BBCs Pakistan correspondent, and his brief extends to covering Afghanistan.

The last few days have been very tense for my very good and long-standing friends, Secunders parents (whom I shall not name for a very specific reason), who live in London and have been in as constant touch with Secunder as phone connections allow.

He reported from several cities as they fell to the Taliban offensive -- a hurricane through yielding fields. The offensive turned Secunder from a reporter into a war correspondent.

Having lived through the era of the Vietnam war and closely followed the reports of the war correspondents, I must admit to having taken these brave men and women for granted. I mean, I didnt give a thought to the dangers of their situation, even as I followed the wars and their reports from, say, Bosnia.

It was when the death-cultists of the Middle East, the Daesh or ISIS, as they were variously called, began executing journalists and putting videos of their beheadings on the Internet that the phrase war correspondent was accompanied by a shudder for the courage of him or her who would voluntarily enter the jaws of precarious possibility.

So, when, after watching Secunder report from Mazar-e-Sharif, which had in the previous few hours fallen to the Taliban advance, I called his father to enquire about him, and was told that they were worried to pieces and distraction as he was now headed to Kabul -- as were the Taliban.

And then the world heard, through the uninterrupted coverage on very many TV channels, that the Taliban had entered Kabul and that the President of Afghanistan had fled to Tajikstan (and then to the UAE).

So where was our Secunder? The next thing I heard, keeping in touch on the phone, was that he was headed to Kabul airport with the intention of getting back to his base in Islamabad as he had, through having had a suspected case of Covid-19, a scheduled return ticket.

The airport was in chaos with thousands of people attempting to leave the country. I tried to muster reasons to offer some reassurance, some shield against inevitable anxiety to his parents -- and to myself.

Then the UK government announced that it had sent 600 troops to ensure the evacuation of British citizens, but I didnt know whether this applied to Secunder. Still, to my mind, that was a good bet.

The best argument that occurred was that the high command of the Taliban, if not their rank and file, would want to project themselves as responsible an image as they could to an anxious and bewildered, if not hostile, world. There were statements from some delegated spokesmen of the Taliban that women would be allowed to go to the markets unaccompanied -- Wow! A real step towards human rights. One of their turbaned and bearded spokesmen even said that as long as women covered themselves in hijabs, they could go to school for a few years before they reached puberty and became breeding-machines for more Talib warriors.

Was this all reassuring? Did it mean that with this great liberalisation of their ideology, they would see foreign journalists as the vehicles to spread the new message of a liberal Talibanist Afghanistan? Then one heard, through the same channels, that the new controllers of Afghan cities outside of Kabul were getting on with chopping hands, stoning women, beheading or shooting people associated with the government they had defeated and generally indulging in acts which would have made an ISIS death-cultist proud. Then I heard Secunder was back in Islamabad. Phew! But not phew! The next day he saw it as his absolute duty to fly back to Kabul and courageously report on the most devastating event on his turf. He voluntarily flew back.

Let me now say what Secunders BBC brief probably prevents him from saying: The developments in Afghanistan will be historically seen as the greatest example of international hypocrisy: A force dedicated to Sharia and the Quran sells toxic heroin to buy armaments: the Prime Minister of Pakistan, otherwise known as Im the Dim, hails the success of an insurgent movement at the instruction of the Muslim whisky-priests of the Pakistan Army; China stays put in its embassy in Kabul negotiating filling the gap of withdrawn Western aid to Sharia maniacs while sending Uighur Muslims to virtual concentration camps; Russia, chased out of Afghanistan over 30 years ago, now extends a friendly hand to the Talib government As for the United States and Britain, where does one start?

The statements coming out of the White House, the Pentagon and the Democratic administration would make Alice feel that Wonderland held no contradictions, irony, puzzle or downright hypocritical celebration.

In the British Parliament, dissenting MPs make brave speeches about rescuing those who had assisted Britains abortive efforts in Afghanistan. Radical but too-late speeches -- all about urgently evacuating the perhaps 20,000-odd individuals who are at risk of revenge executions from the Taliban. So, what does home secretary Priti Clueless Patel do? She says that there is space in Britain for just 5,000. Murder most foul!
With Kabul gone, the Taliban is back in control, and that is indeed an ominous sign for us, here in India, as well as the rest of the world

Indias connections to Afghanistan go well beyond geopolitics in the perennially troubled region. Not all of us are experts at deciphering the tragedy unfolding virtually next door, but most are horrified and saddened by what they see on their television screens. With Kabul gone, the Taliban is back in control, and that is indeed an ominous sign for us, here in India, as well as for the rest of the watching world. Never mind that the big global players are being silent and distancing themselves from the carnage as innocents cower in fear, wondering about their fate. Familiar scenes of American military helicopters hovering over the city, evacuating their own, bring back disturbing memories of Vietnam and the resounding defeat of America at the hands of local nationalists determined to take on and chase out the American bullies.

Kabul has always evoked a deep emotional resonance with Indians. There is sentimentality involved, not mere curiosity. Which may explain why desi millennials feel so strongly about the recent happenings in Afghanistan. Till today, most discerning customers of dry fruits in urban markets wait for local merchants to announce the arrival of fresh consignments from our neighbouring country. Growing up in Delhi, I remember my mother eagerly looking out for the well-built Pathans to visit the colony, carrying the best dried apricots, walnuts, pistachios. Kids would squeal in delight and alert others about the sighting of the impressive looking, kindly men, sporting zari jackets over voluminous Pathan suits, the long tail of those distinctive turbans catching the breeze as they strode from house to house with their wares.

Our film industry was equally fascinated by these men, after the success of a Bimal Roy produced film titled Kabuliwala (1961), starring the magnificent Balraj Sahni as Abdul Rehman. I recall lustily singing, Mera naam Abdul Rehman, pistawala hoon mein Pathan and being intrigued by the character based on a 1892 short story written by the great Rabindranath Tagore. This may be the reason why I am unable to watch the gut-wrenching footage of the current Taliban takeover. Its inhuman and outrageous that America and the UN nonchalantly waltzed away after being around for 20 long years of faking, not staking, a claim in the interests of humanity. This false narrative has been totally seen through. But who can question either America or the UN?

Besides Vladimir Putin, of course!

The reasons for the withdrawal of troops remain disingenuous and unconvincing. America is done with Afghanistan -- thats the truth which will never be acknowledged. Perhaps it is believed that theres nothing more to gain, only American lives to lose, by staying on. Afghanistan has been left high and dry to survive or collapse. Zero collateral damage. Zero accountability. What the rest of the watching world feared (the Talibanisation of the region) is taking place even as those who can flee to safer terrain have done so, starting with the President, who is believed to be in Tajikistan, after abandoning his people. The same people who must feel twice betrayed -- by their own leaders and by the Americans. Twenty years of being around, and America walked away without any attempt to make the Afghans self-sufficient on any front. Ill-equipped to resist an attack, it was a no-brainer that the Taliban forces would move in swiftly and take full control once the American troops pulled out.

The biggest concern remains the fragile status of women in Afghanistan. They will be the worst hit and most abused segment of society controlled by the medieval, cruel, misogynistic thinking of the Taliban bosses. The other major concern involves China swiftly replacing America in the power axis. Whichever way one looks at it -- there are no victors in this grim scenario. Its a leap backwards into several centuries of oppression and brutality. The world will have no recourse, no choice, but to stand by and see a country self-destruct. What did anybody do when the magnificent sixth century Bamiyan Buddhas were blown up by the Taliban forces? According to reports at the time, Mirza Hussain was 26 years old when the Taliban forces took him and 25 other men prisoner and ordered them to plant explosives that blew up the world-famous Buddha statues in Bamiyan, their hometown. He survived the incident, and restarted life as a bicycle repair man. A shocked world remained a mute witness to this destruction.

So, the big question remains: Who let down Afghanistan? Was Ashraf Ghani, 72, as weak a puppet as the Americans desired when they made him President back in 2014? For a former academic and economist, who had vowed to die for his countrymen a few months earlier, it was indeed disgraceful of him to flee with his wife and children to Dushanbe. The Americans not only looked the other way during the siege of Kabul, they had sent Black Hawks and Apache helicopters, plus 5,000 soldiers, to ferry their own diplomats to the airport. But Joe Bidens ruthless, cold-blooded move will not cost him a thing back home! Americans were fed up with the distant war and the $2 trillion that had been spent on well, pretty much nothing!

Joe Biden merely completed the dirty job started by Barack Obama and carried forward by Donald Trump. If ever the sinister machinations of various US administrations are honestly chronicled by impartial historians (if such a breed exists), it will be a sorry narrative on all counts. As analysts have pointed out, this is an old, old tactic, successfully carried out across the globe, from El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Cambodia, Panama, Haiti and beyond Most infamously and publicly in Vietnam -- where there was a lot of egg on Americas face.

Despite all this, of course, successive US Presidents have continued to play nasty war games in countries they have no business to be in. Had President Ghani been more engaged with his own people, and helped build Afghanistan, perhaps history would have read differently.

At the moment, we in India need to behave more like Americans, and plan our strategy with the same level of far-sightedness and calculation. There is much more at stake for us in Afghanistan than there ever was for America. Besides, I hear our embassy in Kabul is housed in a staggeringly beautiful building with a lovely compound. We definitely dont want to jeopardise that gorgeous former palace by messing up in this hyper-sensitive period!
China permitted all couples to have two children in 2016, scrapping the draconian decades-old one-child policy

In May this year, the ruling Communist Party of China approved a relaxation of its strict two-child policy to allow all couples to have up to three children. (Representational image: AP)

Beijing: China's national legislature on Friday formally endorsed the three-child policy mooted by the ruling Communist Party, in a major policy shift aimed to prevent a steep decline in birth rates in the world's most populous country.

The revised Population and Family Planning Law, which allows Chinese couples to have three children, was passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

In an apparent attempt to address the reluctance of the Chinese couples to have more children due to mounting costs, the amended law has also passed more social and economic support measures to address the concerns.

The new law stipulates that the country will take supportive measures, including those in finances, taxes, insurance, education, housing and employment, to reduce families' burdens as well as the cost of raising and educating children, state-run China Daily reported.

The NPC has revised the law to implement the central leadership's decision to cope with new circumstances in social and economic development and promote balanced long-term population growth, the report said.

In May this year, the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) approved a relaxation of its strict two-child policy to allow all couples to have up to three children.

China permitted all couples to have two children in 2016, scrapping the draconian decades-old one-child policy which policymakers blame for the demographic crisis in the country.

Chinese officials claim the one-child policy implemented for over three decades has prevented over 400 million births.

The decision to permit the third child came after this month's once-in-a-decade census showed that China's population grew at the slowest pace to 1.412 billion amid official projections that the decline may begin as early as next year.

The new census figures revealed that the demographic crisis China faced was expected to deepen as the population of people above 60 years grew to 264 million, up by 18.7 per cent last year.

As the calls for the government to do away with the family planning restrictions grew louder due to the concerns that the declining population in the country could result in serious labour shortages and negatively impact the world's second-largest economy, the CPC decided to permit a third child while declining to completely scrap the family planning policy.

"Data shows the ageing of the Chinese population has further deepened, and we will continue to face the pressure to achieve a long-term balanced population development," Ning Jizhe, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said while releasing the census figures on May 11.

The two-child policy failed to enthuse couples to have a second child as fewer opted for the second child, citing heavy expenditure in raising the children. The poor response made Liang Jianzhang, professor at Peking University's School of Economics, to suggest the government offer parents one million yuan (USD 156,000) for each newborn child to shore up the country's declining birth rate.

Dan Wang, the chief economist at Hang Seng Bank (China), said the three-child policy would have a positive impact on Chinas birth rate, but not as much as the authorities hoped for.

The high costs of housing and education, as well as a lack of job protection for women, are strong economic constraints on having children, she said, adding that the cost of having a third child would be too high for most middle-class families.

The declining trend prompted Chinese demographers to predict that India's population may overtake China's earlier than the UN projection of 2027 to take the top spot as the most populous country in the world.

Projected to surpass China as the world's most populous country around 2027, India is expected to add nearly 273 million people between now and 2050 and will remain the most populated country through the end of the current century, a UN report said in 2019.

The UN report stated that in 2019, India had an estimated population of 1.37 billion and China 1.43 billion and by 2027 India's population is projected to surpass China's.

Lu Jiehua, professor of sociology at Peking University, said that China's population may peak by 2027 before it starts to decline. Some demographers believe the peak may come as soon as 2022.

China is also facing the risk of falling into the trap of low fertility, as it recorded 12 million births in 2020, marking a drop for the fourth consecutive year.

China's total fertility rate of women of childbearing age was 1.3, a relatively low level.

A report this year by China's central bank - the People's Bank of China (PBOC) - said demographics of China is set to change as its population growth enters negative growth after 2025, which will result in a shortage of consumer demand. "When the total population enters negative growth [after 2025], there will be a shortage of demand. We need to pay attention to the impact of demographics on future consumption," said Cai Fang, a member of the monetary policy committee of the PBOC.

The PBOC study said China should immediately liberalise its birth policies or face a scenario in which it has a lower share of workers and a higher burden of elderly care than the US by 2050.

It said the country should not interfere with people's ability to have children or it will be too late to reverse the economic impact of a declining population.

China is also eyeing a progressive, flexible and differentiated path to raising the retirement age.
Bernard Wayne Taylor, 81, passed away Aug. 12, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Karen Taylor; brothers, Gerald, Harold (Loretta) and Charles (Marlena); mother-in-law, Thelma Brown; and numerous nieces and nephews. He worked as an educator at TVCC in Athens, Texas for many years before retir
SUV

AWD

Quickly confirming the rumor that Ford is making the flagship Explorer ST a standard rear-wheel-drive affair, the Detroit automaker has revealed most details about the 2022 model year changes across the entireseries. Chief among them is the switch from standardto standard RWD for the ST, but we dont have the exact pricing details just yet.Hopefully, the change comes with a lower MSRP, but who knows... Anyways, all mysteries will be solved once the Explorer line hits nationwide dealerships later this year. Until then, we need to check up on the highlights. Aside from making the Explorer ST a base RWD model and optional AWD SUV, the company is also introducing an Explorer ST-Line.It is positioned between the XLT and Limited grades, and brings all the styling of a fully equipped Explorer ST. But, instead of the 400-horsepower 3.0-liter EcoBoost, under the hood resides the 2.3-liter EcoBoost mill with just 300 ponies. Its also $7,570 cheaper than a fully-blown ST if that aspect matters.On the other hand, several trims can now be had with the same power as an Explorer ST. That would be the Explorer King Ranch and Platinum models, which now have a standard 400-hp powertrain. Additional changes for the model year include the free choice between a traditional second-row bench seat or a captains chair arrangement, two new exterior colors (Stone Blue and Burgundy Velvet), or the introduction of a second-row bench option on the Timberline The King Ranch and Platinum grades are also getting a standard Technology Package with a 10.1-inch touchscreen display for the infotainment system, a 14-speaker B&O sound system, as well as multi-contour seats. Additionally, the XLT Sport Appearance Package has a new Ebony with Light Slate seat trim.
The California resident was baffled by the audacity of the technician who was supposed to take care of his vehicle and ensure it is in proper operating condition but decided to street race it instead. The technician had to drive the vehicle to ensure that the strange noise was gone, but that does not justify his further actions. At first, the owner posted the footage from his Performance Data Recorder online to ask others what he should do about it.The video went viral, but the owner also had the inspiration to contact the dealer. At first, he was told on the phone that the manager was not in to take his complaint, so he managed to find his e-mail address right before writing an angry review on Yelp. The owner of the dealership responded and invited the C8's owner to his office to make things right.After offering appropriate apologies on behalf of the dealership staff, the owner was offered interior and exterior detailing worth $500. He turned down the offer and requested an extended warranty instead. The owner then went on social media to let others know about his progress in the matter.Eventually, the dealer contacted the owner again and then offered an even better deal. According to the report on The Drive , the dealership's management decided to trade in the 2021 Corvette C8 for a brand new 2022 Corvette . The latter will come with the same options ordered for his 2021 model, and the dealer even offered an extended warranty and to pay the sales tax. That is a generous offer and should bring peace of mind for the customer, if you ask us.The dealer also restricted the list of technicians who are allowed to take performance cars on test drives to prevent incidents like this from happening again. The owner of the 2021 Corvette C8 involved in the situation will get to keep his car until the replacement arrives, and he is happy about the arrangement.Meanwhile, the California Highway Patrol is investigating the video recorded by the vehicle's PDR, which may lead to legal repercussions for both the technician and the driver of the Dodge Charger in the video.
But the various versions of the Batmobile hold a special place in his heart when it comes to decades of iterations of a single idea.For me, there's no more iconic place to start than in Gotham City with Batman himself. Over the years there have been numerous interpretations of the Batmobile and it was a lot of fun to be able to cast my eye over them, Stephenson says.According to Stephenson, there are limitless ways a design can communicate the intention of a vehicle. Hes made a project of analyzing lines of designs and looking at them as rolling sculptures which can influence gaming and the world of cinemaWhile hes never done a Batmobile, he would be delighted to apply his pen to that task.The character of Batman first made an appearance 75 years ago in May of 1939 in Detective Comics #27. The first real Batmobile didnt make an appearance until two years later, but it now ranks as the Dark Knight's most high-profile weapon.The Batmobile has gone through many different artists' modifications and has frequently been subject to changes in shape, feel and features. Since 1939, there have been more than 250 versions of Batmobiles in films, television shows, comics and cartoons.Stephenson points to the 1966 Batmobile to help discuss the evolution of the breed and says that version was very typical of the time as it had a space-age design which called out tail fins and a huge amount of glass. He says many of the cars design cues - from another automotive genius, George Barris - derived from a concept car of the era dubbed the Lincoln Futura.As for the changes to the car over the years, Stephenson says the 1989 Batmobile marks a watershed moment when it became less like a product and more like Batman himself and more akin to an armored tank, perhaps a sort of military-grade type weapon.The designer says it is the 2005 version of the Batmobile which saw a shocking transformation as the humanity and vulnerability of the 95 Batmobile is long gone. He says that iteration removed all traces of the style and elegance" of the 1989 Batmobile and wiped clean the light-heartedness and the comedy of the 1966 Batmobile.
EV

According to Automotive News , the Bolt-making facility is grinding to a teething halt over the ongoing shortage of semiconductors. Paul Jacobson, the senior financial exec at General Motors, previously highlighted that GM is safeguarding chips for more profitable models, especially pickup trucks.In a way, the automakers decision is very coherent and sensible. Ram sold more workhorses than General Motors in the second quarter of the year while the Ford F-Series line finished the quarter in third place. These results present a huge chance for the half-ton Silverado and Sierra, which moved 117,275 and 53,640 examples, respectively, from April through June 2021.We also have to remember that GM prepares to launch the mid-cycle refresh of the Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500, and the latter is getting a lot more chips due to Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving tech. As for the former, the ZR2 will be introduced as the more capable sibling of the LT Trail Boss.Turning our attention to the Boltand Bolt EUV, the all-electric hatchbacks moved 11,263 units in the second quarter compared to 2,498 units in the same period last year. Thats a 350.9-percent improvement, which seems extremely impressive at first glance, but its not good enough.Tesla, the Palo Alto-based automaker thats notorious for quality issues, delivered 199,360 units of the Model 3 and Model Y worldwide in the same time frame. As far as North America is concerned, the extended-range Model 3 and Model Y are currently listed with January 2022 delivery dates.As far as legacy automakers go, the biggest of the Big Three still cant hold a candle to Elon Musks company. Adding insult to injury, General Motors will spend $11,650 for each of the 68,667 recalled Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles. Of the $1.3 billion that GM set aside for warranty recall costs in the second quarter of 2021, $800 million will be going toward the Bolt.
An RDE works by using a form of pressure gain combustion in which one or more detonations go around an annular channel in a continuous loop. Through computational models and experiments, the RDE has been demonstrated to have great potential in transportation.Now, JAXA has successfully demonstrated that it can also have potential in deep space exploration. By creating detonation and compression waves at extremely high frequencies (1 to 100 kHz), the detonation engine greatly enhances reaction speed, reducing the weight of the rocket engine and allowing it to generate thrust more efficiently, further boosting its performance.This new engine system was installed on the No. 31 vehicle of the S-520 sounding rocket series operated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. The rocket took off from JAXA Uchinoura Space Center on July 27th at 5:30 JST. The rotary detonation engine produced about 500 N (112 lbf) of thrust once the first stage was separated, which is only a fraction of what conventional rocket engines can achieve in space.The success of this space flight demonstration experiment has substantially enhanced the chances of the RDE being used in practical applications, including in rocket motors for deep space exploration, first-stage, and two-stage engines, and more.In the future, JAXA plans to apply detonation engine technology not only for deep space exploration missions but for other scientific operations as well. Reducing the size and weight of spacecraft systems could thus significantly aid interplanetary journeys.But JAXA is not the only agency working to develop detonation engine tech. Several U.S. organizations are also working on RDEs. The U.S. Navy is particularly interested in RDEs capability to reduce the fuel consumption in their heavy vehicles.In May 2020, a group of U.S. Air Force engineers claimed to have created a highly experimental functioning model of RDE capable of delivering 200 lbf (about 890 N) of thrust by using a hydrogen/oxygen fuel mix.
SUV

The Jimnyis now in its fourth generation and has somehow managed to keep its appeal ever since 1970 when it was introduced by the Japanese automaker. Production started in 2018 and this somewhat small, boxy-looking vehicle has an easy-to-remember design, with its straight-up windshield, round headlights, and small hood. Suzuki released its fourth-generation Jimny in two versions: the base Jimny and the Jimny Sierra, with the latter being a bit wider and packing a more powerful engine. The base Jimny comes with a 660 cc three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, while the Sierra is powered by a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine.User TzyHerr91 built a LEGO model of the Japanese off-road vehicle, based on the fourth generation Jimny Sierra. The result was impressive, as he managed to accurately reproduce both the exterior and the interior of the (seemingly) simple SUV.TzyHerr91 explains that the car body has a shape that is more intricate than it looks at first sight, but he still managed to honor the design and nail all the details. His LEGO Jimny features the front grille with vertical openings, those round headlamps and independent indicators, and the clamshell bonnet.His creation also mimics the interior of the real car, down to every switch and button. The miniature car comes with sliding and folding seats, and you can even see the specific ladder frame, an iconic element of the Jimny.The LEGO creator built his SUV with customization in mind, so you can open the doors and car bonnet, fold the rear seats, play with the steerable wheels and independent suspension, remove the hood to get a better look inside the vehicle, and more.You can support the LEGO Suzuki Jimny Sierra on the LEGO Ideas website and help it become a commercial set.
Its not uncommon for urban explorers to stumble across amazing finds, sometimes even a secret hoard of classic cars . However, the persons responsible for this discovery were not urban explorers, but rather curious teens who had been wondering about an abandoned lot for some time, before they decided to do some breaking and entering to see for themselves what treasures lay hidden there.A group of ten teenagers, averaging 15 years old, broke into a storage facility somewhere in the district of Rio Grande Do Sul, in Brazil, Motor1 reports. What they found surpassed their expectations: a two-story barn packed with classic automobiles , dating from the early 1920s to the late 1970s, classic motorcycles, parts galore, gas pumps, a technical library, and even the reconstruction of an old coffee shop.They wandered about the place at will, got into the cars and, when not possible, peered through the windows, and were duly amazed. All the vehicles were complete, some with just delivery miles on them but licensed. All sat neatly arranged, confirming that this was not random hoarding. The teens also shot videos of their findings and then shared them on Whatsapp, which brought the police to their respective homes and undoubtedly angry parents.As per the same media outlet, theres now an investigation into their trespassing on the property. As for who had stashed all those classics in there, the location was once a private museum, which was never open to the public but offered free entry to friends of the owner and fellow collectors. Upon the owners death, the heirs couldnt decide what to do with the contents, so everything was pretty much abandoned.On the lower floor, the fleet included a Ford Model T , a Citroen DS, Chevrolet Corvair and a 1952 Styleline, a 1969 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe (which has since been washed and listed for sale ), a Simca 8, Morris Oxford and a Hudson Hornet. On the upper floor, standing on steel railings and with the wooden floor almost completely collapsed were an Austin A90 Atlantic coupe and convertible, a Chrysler Airflow, 1938 and 1940 Ford coupes, a 1951 Ford van, Standard Vanguard, Renault Gordini, Ford Consul, Ford Taunus, and a Goliath pickup truck, as per the same publication.The current owners have removed all the vehicles and are supposedly considering  at long last!  selling all of them after the proper appraisal. Heres one of the videos of the amazing discovery. Motor1 has more photos.
But a group of seven thieves from New York turned to a different approach. Not only that they didnt want to track their belongings (but somebody elses), but they also turned to an Apple Watch for the whole thing, not necessarily because the AirTag wasnt on the market at the time of their hit, but because the smartwatch offered a very convenient way to locate it.So as per a recent report , after identifying their target back in January 2020, the group found his car and installed an Apple Watch under the bumper to always track his location.Their victim was an alleged drug-runner who was believed to carry tons amount of cash, so based on information collected from the Apple Watch installed on the moving car, they could determine the best moment to steal the money.The hit, however, didnt go exactly as planned, and after tracking down the car and breaking into it to search for the cash, they found nothing, so the burglars decided to wait for the alleged drug-runner and politely ask for the money. They eventually forced him into the vehicle, found his hotel key, and searched the room where they came across $500,000 in cash.Funnily enough, the crew ran away with the money but later took some photos with the cash, probably proud of their heist. The pictures, however, were used by prosecutors as evidence of the theft after arresting the whole group, with the law enforcement also coming across other incriminatory content on the phones, such as guns.The leader of the group has pleaded not guilty, with prosecutors now trying to convince the judge to keep him locked up during the trial.
Of the thousands B-17s built, only a handful survive and even fewer are of the B-17E variety, of which just 512 units were ever produced. B-17, dubbed the Flying Fortress and widely considered the most impressive aerial weapon built in the United States, became fully combat ready with the B-17E model , introduced in September 1941.This particular item, also known as El Tigre, was never used for combat, so, in a way, its almost brand new. Completed early in May 1942, its now being reconstructed by Vintage Airframes in Seattle, under the ownership of World Jet Inc. Its been listed on Platinum Fighters with an asking price of $9 million (hat tip to HotCars ), even though its not put together yet.The listing notes that the restoration is some 80% complete and that, once done, it will make the heavy bomber one of the most beautifully restored of the kind in the world. While this B-17E never saw combat, it was used heavily for pilot training and might have even made a few appearances in Walt Disney films on the C-1.After the war, the aircraft was donated to the University of Minnesota, where it went on a static display until it was traded for a Cessna 170. It was then relocated to Canada in the mid-50s, where it was used as a prop in photography junkets, and ended up in Bolivia in the early 60s. Renamed El Tigre, it was extensively used as a food cargo plane until it was eventually taken out of service. In 1974, the landing gear was badly damaged and, in 1976, it crashed during landing.El Tigre became a parts supplier for other B-17s before it was salvaged and moved back home, where it had been built, to Seattle. The current owner says they plan on a full and exact restoration, including the twin 0.50-caliber machine guns, the four turbocharged nine-cylinder, 29.8-liter Wright radial engines, and the period-correct propellers.As of the moment of press, the front fuselage, including nose and cockpit, are still to be rebuilt . But since the aircraft has been listed for sale as a completed project, its safe to say work is progressing smoothly. You still have some time left to pinch pennies, though.
Were not going to get into how strong of a bond can sometimes be created between a human and his car, as all of us have seen plenty examples of that. But we will tell you that no matter how strong someone thinks that bond can be, it will never match in intensity the connection soldiers have with their tools of the trade.And here is the perfect proof of how much soldiers connect with their machines: a pic (click main photo to enlarge) showing a crew chief with the 40th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron touching the nose of a C-130J Super Hercules , and respectfully bowing his head, as if in prayer.What may seem a quirky habit of the said crew chief in the eyes of some is perfectly explainable in the eyes of others. You see, unlike a car, a military airplane is more than just a means of transport or a prized possession. In many cases, it is the difference between life and death, a safe haven, or a connection to what the soldiers fighting our battles consider home.According to the U.S. Air Force ( USAF ), which released this photo last week, the unnamed crew chief is touching the planes nose to wish it good luck. Thats because the Hercules was not about to fly in friendly skies, but in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.That would be international military operation that kicked off no less than 7 years ago, targeting the ISIS organization in Iraq and Syria.
EV

Although it may seem that Volkswagen is ready to produce the electric crossover in its U.S. plant, it is not there yet. As the president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America clarified in his LinkedIn post about the visit, this is just a preparation. To quote him, it is a wayKeogh visited the Chattanooga plant with Thomas Du Plessis, the president and CEO of the Volkswagen brand for the American market. According to the Volkswagen Group CEO, the pre-production ID.4 is more than just the confirmation about the production of the MEB platform in the U.S.: he sees it as a symbol of the $800 million investment Volkswagen made in Tennessee to manufacture electric cars there.The ID.4 is just the first and probably not the more critical product Volkswagen has for the U.S. The I.D. Buzz will also be produced in Chattanooga in 2022. It may not have the same sales volumes compared to the ID.4, but it may become Volkswagens most desirableon the American market soon after it will be introduced. The German manufacturer may export it from Chattanooga to other markets, with a higher profit margin than the ID.4 may offer.Unlike the European ID.4 , the one made in the U.S. will use SK Innovation cells. Strangely, the South Korean battery supplier was almost forbidden to sell batteries to Volkswagen due to a legal dispute with LGES (LG Energy Solution) involving patents. LGES is the company that supplies battery cells to the German carmaker in Europe.
EV

The Meternieuws YouTube channel video description states the owner of this ID.3 had just disconnected her car from a public charger. After she placed her 3-year-old son in the car and moved to the drivers seat, she noticed smoke coming underneath it. We discovered that the ID.3 owner was Mariska Steenmeijer-Van Nijen thanks to RTV Noord The Dutch article also revealed that she had left her car charging overnight. Luckily, the ID.3 owner had time to take her 3-year-old son from the vehicle before the flames started to erupt. Despite her quickly warning the firefighters, they did not have time to save the car, which was destroyed by the blaze.A white first-generation Nissan Leaf that was charging right behind the Volkswagen seemed to have been lightly affected. However, the firefighters had to open its bonnet and throw water inside that compartment. We have no idea if the Nissan can still be repaired.Theres no word on any of the sources we mentioned about the fire investigations. We have contacted Volkswagen to ask if it was aware of the fire and the company said is still investigating what happened. The automaker confirmed this is the first case involving the vehicle, which already has about 100,000 units in European streets.Considering how long similar investigations have taken, we would not expect that they have any answer anytime soon. We will try to get in touch with the Groningen police to learn more about the circumstances of the incident.Spontaneous fires such as this one may be related to multiple causes, such as a short circuit. Another possibility is a thermal runaway issue with the battery pack, such as the ones that caused the Chevrolet Boltand Hyundai Kona Electric recent recalls. Both vehicles use cells from the same Volkswagen ID.3 supplier: LGES (LG Energy Solution).The batteries for the Volkswagen are made in Poland and shipped to Brunswick, where Volkswagen Group Components assembles the battery pack and sends it to the Zwickau plant. The cells that had manufacturing issues in the Kona Electric's case were made in Nanjing, China, but a Kona Electric made in Europe recently caught fire in Norway . The batteries on the Chevrolet Bolt EV were made in South Korea.Some people who watched the video said that it was apparently too easy to put the fire out, which would exempt the LG Energy Solution cells from blame in this case. Fires in the battery pack indeed demand lots of water to cool it down. However, we don't know how long the fire lasted nor if the video was edited for the whole situation to look shorter than it actually was. Summing up, it is too soon to have any idea of what caused the fire. The answers will only come with an extensive investigation. May it be faster than the ones that involved the Kona Electric and the Bolt EV
ECU

KPower Industries first teased the kit on its Facebook page on 86 Day, which is on August 6th, and they announced that the package would be ready for order by the end of the month. At the time, they displayed exhaust headers, modified oil pans, custom engine mounts, a modified fuel rail, a Haltech Elite 1500 standalone engine management system, and many other mechanical components needed to ensure the K24-swap fits and works in a Subaru BRZ and its platform siblings.At this point, you may be inclined to think that all those components can be fabricated by another workshop and that you can get a standaloneon your own. That is partially correct, as you can do all those things, but KPower Industries has produced a solution that saves time and money for those interested in performing the K24 swap on their Scion FR-S, Toyota GT 86 , or Subaru BRZ.But an engine swap does not end with just fitting the power plant under the hood, as the unit will still have to be able to communicate with the vehicle's CAN system. Well, this is where KPower Industries has developed something interesting.The company has developed a plug-and-play solution for the K24 swap on the first-gen BRZ, 86, and FR-S that mates the Honda engine with the electronics of the Japanese trio of sporty cars. According to KPower Industries, installing the kit does not require removing the dash, passing wires through the firewall, or ending up with a vehicle that loses its functions once the original engine is swapped out.Their electronics package retains full OEM dash and chassis functionality, and it is even pre-wired for A/C and the oil pressure and temperature sensor. It is based on Haltech's Elite 1500 ECU that is pre-installed with the K24A base calibration.Customers also get a Haltech CAN wideband sensor and controller, a KPower injector sub-harness, a motorsports-grade Raychem engine wiring harness by KPower, a KPower ECU jumper board, a KPower jumper harness, and a Bosch oil pressure and temperature sensor.With all the above installed, the Subaru BRZ , Scion FR-S, and Toyota 86 will work as if they were made with a K24 engine under the hood instead of their boxer unit. The plug and play kit is an impressive feat, as it involves making components from different manufacturers work together as if they were made that way.Like all standalone ECUS, this electronics kit will not be street legal in California due to the state's laws. However, it can be shipped to California if the owner wants to use it on private roads. The price of the electronics kit and the entire swap package should be revealed by the end of August 2021.Just for reference, the basic swap package for a K24Z3 engine in a Miata starts at $2,125, while the race swap package with the same engine for the Miata starts at $4,095. There is also an Ultimate swap package for the K24Z3 Miata, which is priced at $4,695. A similar package for the BMW E30 costs $4,995.
First of all, Alphabets self-driving arm announced that its building a dedicated trucking hub in South Dallas, which means that the 9-acre (3.6 ha) facility will be used exclusively for Waymo Via operations. While it did not release too many details about this new hub yet, we know that the facility is set to become its primary operations center in Texas, and that it will be spacious enough for hundreds of trucks and personnel.Waymo estimates that its expanding operations will also increase testing needs, and this is what the new Dallas hub is intended for. Plus, its going to provide support for long-haul routes across the Southwest area by connecting to the companys other operations center in Phoenix.The second important announcement that Waymo made was the launch of a partnership with Ryder, for the autonomous truck fleet management. It turns out that Ryders maintenance expertise helped not just with fleet management for the Waymo Via testing sites in Texas, Arizona, California, Ohio, and Michigan, but even with the design and layout of this new facility. Also, the two companies are working on a transfer hub model thats going to be built in the near future.The new Dallas hub is set to become an important testing center for the fifth-generation Waymo Driver, a system that incorporates a complex set of cameras, sensors, and radars, which are specifically adapted for truck driving, and that focus on challenges like turning, braking, and lane changes.Ultimately, the goal is to commercialize fully autonomous trucks, together with carrier partners in the trucking industry.
People caught in a sudden rain shower in a flooded neighborhood of LaPlace, Louisiana, on Aug. 30, as a volunteer high water truck assists people evacuating from homes in the area. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Crews were working to rescue people trapped by former Hurricane Ida's floodwaters as utility workers moved to try and restore power to over 1 million customers in Louisiana and nearly 60,000 others in Mississippi Monday, per AP.

The big picture: NASA Earth said preliminary data suggests Ida was the fifth-strongest storm "ever to make landfall in the continental U.S." when it hit Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane Sunday, leaving New Orleans with no electricity except power from generators.
Sri Lanka on Sunday banned all public gatherings and advised people to avoid public spaces amid a worsening COVID-19 situation, AP reports.

Why it matters: The country is struggling to contain a rapid surge of cases as daily infections continue to rise, according to Reuters' tracker.

Wedding receptions will be banned starting Tuesday, while restaurants can only operate at 50% capacity.

State of play: Hospitals and morgues are being overrun because of the surging case and death numbers, per AP.
In an interview to CNN Turk television on August 14 the Azerbaijani leader argued that while the Armenian people and their leadership have put up with the defeat in last years Nagorno-Karabakh war with Azerbaijan, continuing to arm Armenia appears illogical.

Aliyev referred to the August 11 statement by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu about the start of military supplies to Armenia made during a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Arshak Karapetian in Moscow.

We expect that Russia will stop arming Armenia, we dont see it at the moment, Aliyev said.

At a news briefing on August 19, Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, reminded that Russia has supplied weapons not only to Armenia, its key military and political ally in the South Caucasus, but also to Azerbaijan.

It is Russias sovereign right, and the Russian side always takes into account the need to maintain a balance of military power in the region, she said.

In an apparent reference to Aliyevs recent statements Zakharova also said that bellicose rhetoric does not help settle the situation, stressing that Moscows unconditional priority remains the implementation of the trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia from November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that high-level contacts with Yerevan and Baku continue on a regular bases. As for the mostly non-public nature of these negotiations, she said: Simply, [publicity] may really get in the way of achieving sustainable results. And in this regard, I would like to note the absolute counter-productiveness of confrontational rhetoric, let alone bellicose rhetoric, which political leaders in the South Caucasus sometimes resort to. It strikes directly at one point and, unfortunately, damages the main thing  the achievement of a sustainable result.

Zakharova noted with satisfaction that the tripartite working group on unblocking regional transport links resumed its work in Moscow on August 17, getting down to practical discussions.

She once again called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to start work on the delimitation and demarcation of their border as soon as possible.

The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has worsened due to an acute lack of trust between the two sides, and a long-term solution is to launch negotiations on the delimitation of the border with its subsequent demarcation, she said, reiterating Russias readiness to provide necessary consultative assistance to this process.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone remains relatively calm due to effective service of Russian peacekeepers deployed in the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke about an overall stable situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region as he discussed this and other international issues in a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on August 19.

Steps are being taken to restore economic and transport links in the South Caucasus and to meet the humanitarian needs of the population, Putin said, according to the Kremlin.
The efficient use of the Unions energy potential can be a response to many challenges, contributing to the strengthening of energy security and the sustainable development of our countries economies, Pashinian told the prime ministers of four other member states  Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan  at a prime-ministerial summit in Cholpon-Ata, a Kyrgyz resort town on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.

The Armenian leader said that Yerevan was satisfied with the significant work done by the Commission and the Authorized Bodies of the Member States in the direction of developing common markets for natural gas, oil and oil products of the Union, which is reflected in the reports.

This year, the Member States together with the Commission started discussing an international agreement on the development of a common natural gas market of the Union. We expect continuous constructive work on the basis of mutual understanding, with the consideration of the interests of all the Member States of the Union, Pashinian said, as quoted by his press service.

I would also like to note with satisfaction that we have managed to agree on the concept of establishment of a common market for oil and oil products, based on the five principles approved by all the Member States of the Union.

Pashinian also said that Armenia regards the roadmap for the systematic implementation of transport policy by the EEU Member States for the period of 2021-2023 as a balanced program for the development of the sphere.

The document envisages comprehensive development of the Eurasian transport corridors, and consistent work for the harmonization of the legislations of our countries in this sphere. Last year we ascertained the demand for transport and logistics cooperation inside the EEU. During the pandemic, green corridors were formed within the Union for key products. Mostly due to these measures we managed to prevent food shortages and interruptions in trade in the Union, the head of the Armenian government said.

Speaking about ways of increasing the competitiveness of products made in EEU-member states in the domestic and foreign markets, Pashinian emphasized the importance of establishing a system of joint export insurance assistance.

We support the establishment of the Eurasian Company, which will give an opportunity to increase insurance assistance volumes for trade inside the Union and exports to third countries by creating additional insurance capacity, he said.

A number of documents concerning the EEU were signed based on the results of the two-day sessions of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council held in narrow and expanded formats.

It was decided to hold the next session of the Council in Yerevan in October.
It gave no names, but media reports suggested that the commander of the Goris military unit where the incident happened and the head of the local military police department have already been fired.

Three 19-year-old conscripts were found dead at the Kornidzor military base in the southern Syunik province in the early hours of August 19, triggering suspicions about a possible Azerbaijani commando raid.

The Ministry of Defense, however, almost immediately dismissed such a version of events, saying that based on the preliminary information there was no indication that the incident was connected with any attack by the Azerbaijani military.

Later on August 19, the Investigative Committee said another conscript from the same military unit had been arrested on suspicion of killing the three soldiers.

No motives for the killings have been reported yet. Investigators continue to look into the case as part of a criminal case launched on an article dealing with the murder of two or more persons.

The full name of the suspect has not been published yet. It is only reported that he is a native of Armenias Gegharkunik province.

Out of 44 army deaths reported in Armenia since the beginning of this year 35 were non-combat deaths.

Human rights activist Artur Sakunts, who has dealt with the issue of army deaths for years, described it as an alarming statistics that reveals a long-standing problem with the proper organization of military service.

There are issues related to the organization of military service. They have been continuous, and we have continuously raised our concerns. Unfortunately, we havent seen necessary actions that would have changed the situation and reduced the number of non-combat deaths, Sakunts said.
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- For the first time in history, a water shortage has been declared on the Colorado River, a source of water for approximately 40 million people in western states, including Arizona. Years of severe drought conditions made worse by climate change has led to record low water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead along the Arizona and Nevada borders, two of the river's main reservoirs.

According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the total Colorado River system storage as of August 16 is 40% of capacity, down from 49% at this time last year.

The U.S. Department of Reclamation officials announced their decision to declare a "Level 1 water shortage on Monday. According to the states largest supplier of water, the Central Arizona Project (CAP), the reductions would force the agency to take a cut of up to 30% of CAPs normal supply and about 18% of Arizonas Colorado River supply. This would be less than 8% of Arizonas total water use. CAP serves agricultural and municipal customers throughout northern, central, and southern Arizona, including Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.

Todays announcement of a Level 1 Shortage Condition at Lake Mead underscores the value of the collaborative agreements we have in place with the seven basin states, Tribes, water users and Mexico in the management of water in the Colorado River Basin, said Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Camille Touton.

"We've only received about 30 percent of what normally would've flowed into Lake Powell this year," explains the Bureau of Reclamation's Bob Martin. "It's getting serious, and after 21 years of drought, it's easy to get calloused to that news headline," he added. "But as we get further into the drought, the more serious it becomes for everybody.

"What's affected most is access," said Bill McBurney, a fishing guide in the area. "The ramps are running out of water." Several of the lake's docks and marinas are closed for now, with docks danging in mid-air above the water level below. At Antelope Point Marina, they build a ramp to connect the parking lot ramp to the floating dock below.

"The whole effect, the whole picture of it leaves you in wonderment, just how far it can go," added McBurney. The popular fishing guide says the fish are still biting and he hopes people won't cancel their trips to the lake. "There's still a lot of water. We've got over 30 feet here and almost 400 in the main channel."

The Arizona Farm Bureau says this is something they've been keeping an eye on for the last several years. "We track the conditions on the Colorado River extremely closely and so we saw the trends and we were expecting this announcement to come out today," said Philip Bashaw, the CEO of the Arizona Farm Bureau. "It will take several years of above-average snowpack up on the western slope in the states above us for the river to recover."

The Central Arizona Project says the shortage has been pushed back for five years thanks to conservation efforts. Bashaw and the CAP says the agriculture community in Pinal County will see the brunt of the shortage.

"Farmers down in Pinal County are going to lose access to approximately 50% of the water they currently rely on to produce food and fiber in that agricultural-growing region so it will have a devastating impact on farmers down there," Bashaw said. "The irrigation district and the farmers that are within those irrigation districts have been working diligently to find alternative water sources, to build out infrastructure, to take advantage of groundwater resources and replace some of that water we're going to use as part of that shortage, but it will have a significant impact on our farmers down there."

However, this shouldn't impact grocery store shelves--at least for a while. "Overall, we don't anticipate for this to cause any spikes in those prices but there will be a decline in productivity," explained Chuck Cullom, the Colorado River Programs Manager with the CAP.

As for residential water users, Cullom says homeowners in places like Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties won't see a difference in tap water. "Depending on the city, they may see a very minor increase in their water rates, but overall, 2022 will look very similar to a homeowner in Gilbert to 2021," Cullom said.

Good snowfall in the Rockies will certainly play a role in getting out of the shortage, but CAP and the Farm Bureau said it's also up to us to conserve water. "We've felt for a very long time that water conservation needs to be a part of everyone's mindset, particularly in the desert when it comes time for things like this where we're seeing shortages and we need to conserve in order to get through a drought," Bashaw said.

"The Gila River Indian Community, the Ak-Chin (Indian) Community, Fort McDowell and others have played a central role in preparing Arizona to adapt to the shortage that we're experiencing," Cullom said. "Cities, tribes, agriculture are all part of the fabric of the water community in Arizona and we've come together to face this shortage in 2022 together and I'm optimistic we'll be successful in the long term with this shortage that we all share."

The Colorado River and Lake Mead provide drinking water, irrigation for farms, and hydropower generated at the Hoover Dam to seven Western states and parts of Mexico.

Agriculture in Pinal county will be hit hardest when the cuts start in 2022. According to the Arizona Farm Bureau, farms in Central Arizona will lose access to nearly half of the water on which they now rely to grow food and fiber for Arizonas families. Bureau officials warn that the cuts will not only have a devastating impact on each farming family in Pinal County, but the surrounding communities will also feel the ripple effects for years to come. Agriculture contributes nearly $23 billion a year to the state.
CAMP CREEK, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- A former Maryland deputy and his wife were found dead Thursday morning following Wednesday's flooding in northern Maricopa County.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, at around 4 p.m. Wednesday, deputies received a call that an ATV RZR was seen floating and tumbling down a flooded wash in the Camp Creek area. The Camp Creek area was one of several throughout northern Maricopa County that was put under a Flash Flood Warning as monsoon storms moved into the Phoenix metro. Camp Creek is about 12 miles northeast of Carefree. Deputies were already in the area rescuing multiple people who found themselves stranded.

Deputies initially believed everyone was accounted for, but received a call later in the day from a local off-road rental company that an ATV RZR that was rented had not returned. The vehicle was reportedly in the same area as the rescues earlier in the afternoon. Deputies continued their search with multiple resources, including a helicopter, into the evening hours but didn't find anything.

MCSO resumed their search Thursday morning, and around 8 a.m. found the missing ATV just east of the Camp Creek wash, buried in sand and debris. Deputies and crews with the Maricopa County Department of Transportation worked to pull the vehicle out of debris and found the couple dead inside.

Calvert County Sheriffs Office mourns loss

The Calvert County Sheriff's Office confirmed that former Deputy Scott M. Brown, 44, of Owings, Maryland, and his wife Laura passed away in the accident. Brown always served with honor and dignity. He will be remembered for how he loved his family and community and how he cared deeply for those he served with, said Sheriff Mike Evans.

CCSO says his career began with the department in 2004 as a patrol deputy. He left in 2011 to become a federal agent but became active in the community. The couple is survived by their three young children. An investigation is underway.
Abbott, GOP want to double Texas spending on border security with $1 billion in new appropriations
utiliVisor In Conversation with Richard Angerame, utiliVisor, and Jennifer Kearney, Gotham 360, discusses New York City Local Law 97, its impact on building owners, tenants, and brokers. LL97 caps carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (known collectively as carbon equivalent, or CO2e) for buildings within the five boroughs larger than 25,000 square feet or campuses larger than 50,000 square feet. This series of audio episodes address what Local Law 97 is, its implications, mitigation possibilities, submetering advantages, C-PACE, and lease considerations.
Kern Countys unemployment rate increased from 10 percent in May to 10.8 percent in June, according to preliminary data from the California Em
The Kern County Fire Department said a fire, named the French Fire, broke out west of Lake Isabella on Wednesday. By about 9:15 p.m. it had gr
Email Dan Walters of CalMatters at dan@calmatters.org. CalMatters is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining Californias policies and politics. For more columns by Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.
Bluefield, WV (24701)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High 69F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 54F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Masked and ready to start the new academic year, students in Austin's Eanes Independent School District returned to campuses excited to reunite with friends and meet their new teachers.

"Campus principals report several 'magical moments,'" Tom Leonard, the superintendent, said in a note to parents and staff on Tuesday, one day before the district's first day of school.

But there were also "a few sad moments" at recent school events, he qualified.

Some parents physically and verbally assaulted teachers because of masks. One parent ripped a teacher's mask off her face, Leonard said. Others yelled at another teacher to remove her mask because they claimed it made it difficult to understand what she was saying.

"This type of behavior will not be tolerated in Eanes ISD," Leonard wrote Tuesday. "Our staff are on the front lines of this pandemic; let's give them some space and grace. Please, I am asking everyone to be kind . . . do not fight mask wars in our schools."

The incidents reflect the growing tensions around mask mandates in schools as students return for the new academic year while coronavirus cases surge. Last week, a parent in California allegedly yelled at a school principal over mask requirements and then struck a teacher. The parent is now banned from school grounds.

Covid cases in Texas continue to rise, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. In the past week, cases rose 11 percent and hospitalizations increased by 21 percent, according to The Washington Post's coronavirus tracker. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has pushed to ban mask mandates in schools, announced Tuesday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Earlier this month, the state requested five mortuary trailers as hospitals anticipate a dramatic spike in covid-related deaths. As of Monday, the Austin area had only three available intensive care unit beds, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services covid dashboard. Deaths in the state have jumped by more than 64 percent in the last week, data from The Post's covid-19 tracker shows.

Despite the dramatic increase and evidence showing that children are now more likely to contract the virus because of the more contagious delta variant, executive orders from Republican governors banning mask mandates have restricted some schools' protective measures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends students, teachers and staff at K-12 schools wear masks indoors.

Some counties in Texas, including Travis County - the home of Eanes ISD - have defied the governor's order. Earlier this week, the Dallas Independent School District superintendent said schools would require students and staff to wear face coverings despite the Texas Supreme Court siding with the governor in a battle over mask mandates. Similarly, Bexar County in San Antonio will also require masks in public and private schools after a judge there granted a temporary injunction on Abbott's executive order.

Stephanie Elizalde, the superintendent of Austin Independent School District wrote in an essay for Time that she was mandating masks because the situation in the city is "dire."

"I cannot live with a tragedy occurring because I was afraid of the possible consequences of defying part of the governor's order," she wrote. "I realize, of course, that the governor's executive order may mean that we will be fined for requiring masks. I'd rather pay money than risk a child's life."

At least four school districts in the state have closed over covid outbreaks.

Gorman Independent School District, about 100 miles southwest of Fort Worth, was supposed to resume school on Wednesday, but the superintendent announced Monday the district was pushing the start date to Aug. 25. The Bloomburg school district in East Texas also announced Monday it was closing for a week after several teachers tested positive for the coronavirus just eight days into the academic year. An elementary school in Waskom, Texas, a town of almost 2,000 people about 60 miles south of Bloomburg, also temporarily shut down this week, along with Iraan-Sheffield Independent School District in the western part of the state.

In his note to the Eanes ISD community, superintendent Leonard noted that wearing masks in schools is vital to preventing hospitalizations since "medical personnel are under extreme pressure," he said, adding, "We are doing our part to help."

Leonard went on to applaud the "vast majority" of students and staff who have been wearing masks on school grounds.

"Mandate or no mandate . . . children and adults in our schools are doing what they believe is best for themselves and our community," he said.

Leonard implored community members to refrain from violence, regardless of whether they agree with mask policies.

"The children are watching and learning how we behave," he said, "so let's make the time our students spend in school a joyful and positive experience."
Beaumont ISD will not pursue a mask mandate at this time.

The school board adjourned from its meeting Thursday evening without publicly considering an item regarding "COVID-19 Mitigation Practices and Face Coverings."

The action to end the meeting came after about 30 minutes in executive session.

Superintendent Shannon Allen said she's uncertain if she ultimately will ask the board to consider a mask mandate, but she is encouraged by the response in schools.

BISD has masks on hand for students if they don't have one.

"Last year when we had a mandate, there were no issues," she said. "I wish it were different this year. The politics of it is frustrating."

Related: Uncertainty lingers as BISD students return

Allen and the board are aware of the Texas Supreme Court ruling that allows masking mandates for the school districts that have them.

According to Beaumont ISD's online COVID-19 case tracker, the district has 59 active cases of coronavirus -- 27 students, 16 teachers and 16 staff members.

West Brook High School has the largest number of cases -- seven students and two teachers. Regina Howell Elementary has the second-highest number of active cases with three staff members, one teacher and three students.

This report will be updated.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Firefighters have contained a major wildfire that ravaged a pine forest and burned homes near the Greek capital, the minister for citizens' protection said Friday night, adding that a prosecutor for organized crime cases was involved in the investigation of this summer's major fires in Greece.

Hundreds of wildfires have burned across the country this month, including massive blazes that have taken days to bring under control. Tens of thousands of hectares of forest and farmland, as well as hundreds of homes and businesses, have been destroyed and thousands of residents have been forced to flee. One volunteer firefighter has died, and at least four more have been injured.

Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said the prosecutor was already cooperating closely and regularly" with the fire department and the police "for the in-depth investigation of the causes of all the large fires which have broken out this year.

A major fire burning near the village of Vilia, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of Athens, since Monday was now under control, Chrisochoidis said, adding that firefighting forces remained in the area to ensure there were no flare-ups.

By Friday evening 461 firefighters, including 143 from Poland, 166 vehicles, 10 water-dropping planes and 18 helicopters were fighting the blaze, the fire department said.

It said 41 new wildfires broke out in the 24 hours between Thursday evening and Friday evening, with most being tackled and extinguished in their early stages.

They included a blaze that began overnight in a seaside area southeast of Athens and quickly spread towards houses triggering an evacuation order, Chrisochoidis said.

And all this because, according to witnesses, the fire was due to the use of a flare by one or more" people, he said. The fire was brought under control, and its causes were being investigated for suspected arson.

So far more than a dozen people have been arrested on suspicion of arson across Greece, including a 14-year-old boy.

Greeces wildfires come in the wake of the countrys worst heat wave in about three decades that left shrubland and forests parched.

The blazes have stretched Greeces firefighting capabilities to the limit, leading the government to appeal for international help, including through a European Union emergency response system. About 24 European and Middle Eastern countries responded, sending planes, helicopters, vehicles and hundreds of firefighters.

The Romanian government said 142 firefighters with vehicles were heading to Greece on Friday.

Intense heat and wildfires have also struck other Mediterranean countries. Recent wildfires have killed at least 75 people in Algeria and 16 in Turkey, while in southern France 1,200 firefighters have been struggling to contain a major blaze that has forced thousands to flee, killed two people and injured 26. Worsening drought and heat have also fueled wildfires in the western United States and in Russias northern Siberia region.

Scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving more extreme events.

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Nicolae Dumitrache in Bucharest contributed to this report.

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Follow APs coverage of climate issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-change
BRUSSELS (AP)  NATO foreign ministers committed Friday to focus on ensuring the safe evacuation from Afghanistan of their citizens and of Afghans deemed at risk after the Taliban takeover, centering on improving operations at Kabul airport first.

Faced with continuing chaos in the capital and the exit roads, many of the 30 allied nations raised the need to work harder on how we can get more people ... into the airport, then processed and then onto the planes, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

He called that "the big, big, big challenge.

All too often over the past hours and days, planes from NATO nations have been able to get to Kabul, only to be forced to leave empty or near-empty.

Belgium, for example, sent two big C-130 planes into Kabul, but of some 500 people who had been called up to board, only some 20 were lucky enough to get on the first plane, foreign minister Sophie Wilmes said. A second plane had to return to neighboring Pakistan empty, since designated passengers could not enter the airport.

There are Taliban controls and U.S. controls which are very strict, said Wilmes.

She joined several other allies to call on the United States to secure Kabul airport for as long as it takes, even if that stretches beyond the evacuation of all U.S. nationals.

A NATO statement Friday said that as long as evacuation operations continue, we will maintain our close operational cooperation through Allied military means at the airport.

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said she already had received such assurances.

They (the United States) have assured us that they wont withdraw from the airport until the last person requiring evacuation is out, she told Spanish public radio RNE.

Stoltenberg also insisted that the Taliban have to give free passage to any Afghan wanting to leave the country.

Beyond the immediate challenge, the NATO foreign ministers insisted that the new rulers in Kabul would have to make sure that the nation does not revert to being a center for terrorism.

We will not allow terrorists to threaten us again from Afghanistan, Stoltenberg, reminding that NATO's engagement in the nation was based on the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. in 2001.

NATO has been leading international security operations in Afghanistan since 2003 but wound up combat operations in 2014 to focus on training the country's national security forces. NATO helped build up an army of some 300,000, but that force withered under the Taliban offensive in just days.

NATO headquarters has blamed a failure of Afghan leadership for the swift collapse of the countrys Western-backed armed forces.

A year ago, NATOs Resolute Support Mission to train Afghan security forces involved around 10,000 personnel from 36 member and partner countries. Last Sunday, there were no troops under NATO command in Afghanistan.

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Associated Press writer Barry Hatton in Lisbon contributed to this report.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  Around 150 people protested in front of the New Mexico state Capitol Friday, demanding an end to vaccine mandates for health care workers.

Many protesters identified themselves as hospital workers  nurses, nursing assistants and clerical workers. Other attendees included correctional officers, retirees and children of health care workers.

A state mandate requires nurses and other workers in high-risk environments to get vaccinated, and some hospitals have their own mandates.

I believe the vaccine is harmful, said practical nurse Katrina Philpot, who was picketing along the road outside the Capitol complex with a sign that read Healthcare workers deserve rights."

Philpot said the hospital she works at in Rio Rancho is requiring her to be vaccinated by Aug. 27 or be fired. She fears she won't qualify for medical or religious exemptions to the mandate.

State employees, including prison guards, are required to get vaccines or submit to weekly testing. At least one prison guard has sued the state over the mandate.

Supportive drivers honked as they passed, while those who disapproved yelled at the group.

Under the public health order rolled out earlier this week, all workers in New Mexico hospitals and congregate care facilities are required to be fully vaccinated, with only limited exceptions. California and Washington have issued similar mandates.

Those workers who are granted exemptions still will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test every week.

New Mexico has outpaced neighboring states when it comes to getting people vaccinated. About two-thirds of residents 18 and older have been fully vaccinated, but state health officials have warned that evidence shows inoculated people can still become infected and spread the virus.

The latest data provided by the state shows there were at least 2,866 breakthrough cases as of Aug. 9.

In all, more than 223,000 infections have been reported since the pandemic began.

Federal officials also are calling on people to get booster shots eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, saying signs point to the effectiveness of the vaccines waning over time.

Republican state lawmakers and others in New Mexico have raised concerns about the governor's mandates, including one that requires attendees of the upcoming New Mexico State Fair to show proof of vaccination. Agriculture groups say the short notice may result in some teenagers not being able to participate in the annual junior livestock exhibition.

U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, New Mexico's sole Republican delegate, and other top GOP officials sent a letter to the governor asking that individuals be allowed to attend the fair if they test negative for COVID-19. They noted that many people, especially children from rural areas, will likely be unable to receive their second dose in time.

It is unreasonable and harsh to ask families to choose between unwanted medical decisions and their childs hard work, said state Sen. Gregory Baca of Belen. Our rural families who work all year to show at the state fair deserved to be included in this decision."

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Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque.

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Attanasio is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Attanasio on Twitter.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Louisianas largest hospital system, Ochsner Health, delayed more than 1,160 surgeries and medical procedures across the system over the past week because the hospitals are swamped with COVID-19 patients, system CEO Warner Thomas said Thursday.

The hospitals had too few beds and health care staff amid record-breaking number of COVID-19 hospitalizations across Louisiana.

That is a significant disruption for other patients that we could not take care, Thomas said in a Thursday briefing with reporters.

Louisiana's daily statewide hospital count stood at 3,013 in numbers released at midday Thursday. The number was down by nine from the previous day  the first time since Aug. 2 that the hospitalization numbers didn't set a record. But the number continues to hover over 3,000, far surpassing hospitalizations during three previous coronavirus surges in Louisiana that topped at or near 2,000.

The Ochsner system also turned down 150 patient transfer requests from other health care facilities, for people who had medical issues requiring more specialized care than they were currently receiving, officials said Thursday.

The state Health Department reported 5,550 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 infections Thursday, with 58 newly reported deaths. The department said 89% of cases reported from Aug. 5 to Aug. 11 involved unvaccinated people, while 80% of deaths in that period involved the unvaccinated. Unvaccinated patients account for 91% of those currently hospitalized, according to the state figures.

Vaccination rates in the state continue to rise, but the percentages remain well below national rates. The Health Department reported Thursday that more than 2.2 million people or more than 47% of the state's population had gotten an initial shot of vaccine; more than 1.8 million, more than 39%, are fully vaccinated. A week ago the figures were about 45% and 38%, respectively.

Earlier this week, the Beauregard Health System Hospital in DeRidder temporarily halted all elective surgeries and procedures amid the hospitals battle against COVID-19.

Chief Medical Officer David Jones told the American Press in Lake Charles that all available physicians and nurses have been moving from the surgical unit to the emergency department to assist with the overwhelming number of patients seeking medical attention for COVID-19 symptoms.

It is literally an all-hands-on-deck situation right now. Every day is about adapting and working as hard as we can to take care of our sickest, which right now is our COVID patients, Jones said.
The headline on the email that I and many other Texans received from Gov. Greg Abbott last week was clear, and ominous: Ill be honest; this is bad.

Wow, I thought, the guv finally gets it. He has seen the scary rise in Covid numbers, and he will finally allow school districts and cities to impose mask mandates to fight this rebounding pandemic.

False alarm. The this is bad email referred to his fund-raising problems, not this annoying disease.

That was disappointing, especially because the same email neglected to mention that Abbott is sitting on a gargantuan $55 million war chest for his re-election battle next year.

If either one of his far-right primary opponents raise a fifth of that, Id be surprised. Unless Abbott is planning on running for emperor of the universe, he doesnt need to be sending out any this is bad fund-raising appeals.

Where Abbott should be concerned, of course, is with a state that is inching back toward the bad old days of overflowing ICUs and patients stacked in parking garages or tents outside hospitals. In fact, were already there in some cities.

The upward trendline is worrisome enough. Each week sees more cases, not fewer. Its not hard to be concerned about where those numbers will be in a month  and again, the stats are already bad.

And two things will probably make it worse  the start of school and a delta variant that is infecting more children. You dont have to work at the CDC to fear the combination of those two factors.

Abbott knows this, and in his heart of hearts, he probably has no problem with school superintendents issuing mask mandates for their districts. Ditto for mayors and county judges, in their cities or counties.

But in todays red-meat GOP primary atmosphere, masks have been redefined as a dire infringement on our freedom. So Abbott cant require students to wear masks  to stop a disease spread by the exhaled breath of infected people. On the other hand, he doesnt want to see Covid hospitalizations and fatalities resembling the numbers earlier this year, before we had vaccines.

He may be saved here by Texas judges, even conservative Republican judges appointed by Abbott or elected by voters.

Those judges are far less inclined to play political games in the face of a raging epidemic. Using either the law or common sense, they will likely rule that Abbott cant prevent school superintendents from doing something that is so obviously necessary  like requiring mask-wearing to slow the spread of a deadly disease. Thats not a guarantee from the men and women in robes, but its quite possible.

If that happens, Abbott has the escape hatch he was seeking. He can tell Republican primary voters, Hey, I tried to protect you from these terrible masks, but some darned judge yanked the rug out from underneath me!

Then Abbott can cruise to re-election as governor and start thinking about that presidential run in 2024. Its the happy ending hes been looking for, and he can resume sending out those this is bad emails without any Texan getting the wrong idea about his priorities.

Thomas Taschinger, TTaschinger@BeaumontEnterprise.com, is the editorial page editor of The Beaumont Enterprise. Follow him on Twitter at @PoliticalTom
When Southeast Texans read that Motiva Enterprises had paused on plans for major local expansion, they had to be disappointed. A few days later, however, they saw that a new ethane cracker is running in Port Arthur and will be creating supplies for the expanding Baystar Polymers polyethylene plant in Pasadena.

Welcome to the new world of major petrochemical projects, in not just Southeast Texas but the entire country. A few steps forward, a few back, all against a backdrop of a worldwide shift toward renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. All of this can be a chaotic ride for workers and taxpayers, who have a vested interest in the outcome.

The news from Motiva last week was discouraging, especially because the company also planned to renovate two historic buildings in downtown Port Arthur and bring new life to that city center. That was one of the most exciting projects the region had seen in years, but now its future is in doubt. Not finished, fortunately, but uncertain as major companies like Motiva try to navigate the post-Covid greener-future landscape. And right now, the executives making those decisions still probably dont know what the final picture will look like.

For now, however, those executives have pulled Motivas request for tax incentives for the $6.6 billion investment in the companys Port Arthur complex that would include a new steam cracker, aromatics unit and multiple polyethylene units. Yet that report was quickly followed by better news from Baystar Polymers.

Its ethane cracker is the first big step in a chemical expansion initiative by Baystar, a joint venture between TotalEnergies and Borealis. The cracker should be able to create around 1 million metric tons of ethane per year to help supply the polyethylene plant near the Houston Ship Channel and the Bay 3 project, a polyethylene unit that should be completed in early 2022.

The cracker will have about 60 full-time employees here when its fully operational. Thats the kind of news Southeast Texans had been seeing over the past decade as local industrial expansions took off at a dramatic pace. But while some projects will keep moving forward  like Baystar  there probably wont be as many in coming years.

Our elected officials and business leaders must be aware of these realities and shift their focus to facilities and jobs that have a better long-term future. And there are moves in that direction, like last weeks news by Arbor Renewable Gas to set up a renewable gas plant on the citys southeastern side.

That plant would take biomass and use it to produce crude feedstock gases that could meet the demand of other companies looking to make renewable gasoline or eventually, renewable hydrogen. The facility could create 20 permanent jobs and bring an initial $325 million in local investment, with expansion planned for the future.

We certainly hope those plans come to fruition, and meanwhile. Southeast Texas can benefit from our industrial base for a long time. But going forward, we need to attract projects that have a better fit in a world that will be shaped by renewable energy and much less pollution. We have the skilled workforce and industrial infrastructure that this new generation of plants will need; all we need is the projects to use those resources.
Bedford, PA (15522)

Today

A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Potential for flooding rains. High 67F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Rain showers early with mostly clear conditions later at night. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
A man who claimed to have a bomb in a pickup truck near the U.S. Capitol has surrendered to law enforcement after an hourslong standoff that prompted a massive police response and the evacuations of government buildings and businesses in the area
Motorists stop to salute the Indonesian flag along a road in Malang to mark the countrys 76th Independence Day, Aug. 17, 2021.

Jemaah Islamiyah, the militant group behind the 2002 Bali bombings, had been plotting some kind of attack during Indonesias Independence Day celebrations earlier this week, police said Friday.

Police arrested 53 militant suspects  all but three believed to be JI members  during several raids across the archipelago since last week, national police spokesman Argo Yuwono said.

According to statements from several suspects that we arrested, the JI group had wanted to take advantage of Independence Day on August 17, to carry out an attack, Argo told reporters in Jakarta on Friday.

Argo did not provide details but said police had confiscated items, including homemade guns and bullets from some of the suspects.

He also said some of the suspects had been tasked with raising funds, recruiting followers, and overseeing training.

The police revealed the plot days after the Taliban, a radical Muslim insurgent group, toppled the Western-backed government in Afghanistan. Since then, security experts in Southeast Asia have warned that the Talibans swift takeover of that country could embolden Muslim extremists in the region.

The Taliban victory in Kabul will ignite the spirit of jihad in Indonesia, Sofyan Tsauri, a former member of Jemaah Islamiyah and former policeman who spent five years in prison for terrorism-related offenses, told BenarNews.

The movement of terrorist groups in Indonesia is more or less influenced by developments at the global and regional levels, said Wawan Hari Purwanto, a spokesman for the National Intelligence Agency (BIN).

Dragnet

In the nationwide sweep, authorities said that Densus 88, Indonesias counter-terror police squad, had rounded up 53 suspected extremists in nearly a dozen provinces over the past week.

Two suspects, who police identified by their initials S. and D.W., were arrested in Jambi city on the island of Sumatra. They were believed to have attended a JI training program in Bogor, a town just south of Jakarta, and the Central Java regency of Klaten, Argo said.

Some of the arrested JI members were also involved in fundraising activities through a JI-linked charity called Syam Organizer.

Police said those suspects were arrested in Central Java, Lampung, North Sumatra, Banten, West Java, East Java, Jambi, South Sulawesi, Maluku, and West Kalimantan.

Independence Day is among key dates and celebrations targeted by militants in Indonesia  the others being Ramadan and Christmas  said Stanislaus Riyanta, a security analyst at the Indonesian Center for Political and Strategic Policy Studies (POLKASI).

The authorities have identified this pattern, and raids usual increase during those three occasions, Stanislaus told BenarNews.

Indonesian authorities blamed the group for a series of deadly attacks in Indonesia after the 9/11 attacks in the United States, including the October 2002 bombings at nightclubs in Bali, which killed 202 people in Indonesias most fatal terror attack.

The outlawed Jemaah Islamiyah is the Southeast Asian affiliate of al-Qaeda, which launched the 9/11 attacks from their safe haven in then Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, but JI hasnt staged a major attack here since 2011.

Good at adapting

Meanwhile, a senior anti-terrorism police officer warned the public to watch out for JI militants activities.

Police had arrested 123 JI suspects since 2019, Aswin Siregar, the head of operational support at the Densus 88 anti-terrorism police unit, said.

We want to remind people that JI members are very good at adapting to situations, including possibly participating in politics and mingling with communities, Aswin told the same news conference.

Police also said they had arrested a local JI leader identified by the initials R.H. and seized 1,540 boxes suspected of being linked to the groups fundraising efforts during a Sunday raid at a house in Bandung, the capital of West Java province.

Another police spokesman, Ahmad Ramadhan, said that the boxes belonged to Syam Organizer, and were used to raise funds without attracting authorities suspicion.

He said the proceeds were used to send JI members to Syria from 2013-2017 to provide clean water and build houses in the war-ravaged Middle Eastern country.

Separately, police last week also arrested three people in East Kalimantan province with suspected links to the Islamic State-affiliated Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) militant network.

Since last year, police have stepped up arrests of suspected JI members.

Last November and December, police announced the arrest of Aris Sumarsono (alias Zulkarnaen), JIs military commander during the 2002 Bali bombings, and Upik Lawanga, an expert bomb maker.

Aris had been on the run from authorities for 18 years. Upik allegedly was involved in several attacks in Central Sulawesi province between 2004 and 2006.

In 2020, JIs overall leader, Para Wijayanto, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Although Indonesia banned JI in 2008, the government has given it some autonomy to engage in social welfare, charitable, educational, and religious activities, as long as its members eschewed violence, counter-terrorism analysts have said.

The groups radical spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir, 83, was released from prison in January after serving nearly 10 years of a 15-year-sentence on terror-related charges. Experts say the organization has been rebuilding slowly since then.

JI has also sent jihadists to fight in Syria and Iraq in the past. Abu Bakars son, Abdul Rohim Bashir, told BenarNews, that his father was rejoicing over the Taliban victory.

Ustad (teacher) Abu is happy that the Taliban have succeeded in liberating their country after 20 years, Abdul Rahim said. What the Taliban have done for so long is exemplary.

Security analysts have previously said that although JI did not pose an immediate threat, it could destabilize Indonesia in the future.

Currently, JI is not a security threat because JI is more focused on missionary work, said Moh Taufiqurrohman, a senior researcher at the Center for Radicalism and Deradicalization Studies (PAKAR).

But in the future, it will be very dangerous when it has established a military and begins to attack the government, he warned. The impact will be worse than JAD, he said, referring to Islamic States local affiliate.
A Taliban fighter walks past a beauty salon with images of women defaced using a spray paint in Kabul, Aug. 18, 2021.

The Talibans swift takeover in Afghanistan is drawing cheers of support from some Islamic and political groups in Southeast Asian countries and Bangladesh, as well as warnings from experts and security officials that it may embolden local militants.

The Afghan government collapsed at the weekend after President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad and Taliban insurgents seized the capital. The Islamic fighters swept into Kabul without any armed resistance after the United States withdrew military forces that were part of an international coalition backing the government.

According to Rommel Banlaoi, a Filipino security expert, in the days since Kabul fell militant groups worldwide have been celebrating it as the victory of jihadism.

The possibility of a spillover of violence in the southern Philippines is high, he warned, with serious implications globally because Afghanistan continues to be a safe haven for active international terrorist groups.

Banlaoi said Taliban supremo Haibatullah Akhundzada was a good friend of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri and the relationship between the two groups will really have serious implication for global counter-terrorism.

In the southern Philippines, where violent extremist groups have operated for years, Muslimin Sema, chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), said it was sheer determination, persistence, and resoluteness of the Taliban that defeated hypocrisy and opportunism in Afghanistan.

MNLF is an Islamic separatist force that signed a peace deal with Manila in 1996.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)  an offshoot of MNLF  expressed hope that all parties in Afghanistan could strike a compromise, to prevent that country from descending into more conflict after decades of war.

We opted for negotiation for the sake of the people, MILF spokesman Von Al Haq told BenarNews, referring to talks that led to the groups peace settlement in 2014.

Drieza Lininding, a civic leader in the southern Philippines, likewise appealed to the Taliban and other stakeholders to come up with a peace plan inclusive of all.

We congratulate the Taliban and the people of Afghanistan for the successful coup and liberation against the incompetent and corrupt politicians of Afghanistan, Lininding said.

Lininding is from the southern city of Marawi, which was destroyed during a battle between government forces and pro-Islamic State fighters who seized it for five months in 2017.

One of the most violent Islamic groups in the southern Philippines, Abu Sayyaf was founded by a Filipino who fought in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.

A more recent leader of Abu Sayyaf, Isnilon Hapilon, became the emir of the so-called Islamic State group in Southeast Asia, and headed the siege of Marawi.

After the 9/11 attacks in the United States 20 years ago, the southern Philippines became an Asian theatre in the global war on terror largely because of Abu Sayyafs presence.

The international terrorist group al-Qaeda had launched the 9/11 attacks from its safe haven in Afghanistan, when the Taliban first ruled the country.

Buildings burn in Marawi, weeks after militants took over the southern Philippine city, June 5, 2017. [Richel V. Umel/BenarNews]

Victory will ignite spirit of jihad

In Indonesia, local veterans of the war against the Russians in Afghanistan were among extremists who joined Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian affiliate of al-Qaeda. Indonesian authorities blamed JI for the October 2002 Bali bombings  the deadliest terrorist attack in Indonesian history.

The Taliban victory in Kabul will ignite the spirit of jihad in Indonesia, said Sofyan Tsauri, a former member of Jemaah Islamiyah.

Sofyan defended the Taliban, comparing them to the Islamic State group.

The Taliban dont require people to pledge allegiance and they dont kill innocent people just like that, Sofyan, a former policeman who spent five years in jail for terrorism-related offenses, told BenarNews.

Another former terrorism convict, Joko Tri Harmanto, said Indonesian jihadists will have more motivation because the Talibans struggle is successful.

But I hope our brothers (in Indonesia) realize that the Talibans success has been because they hold on to their principles by not hurting women and children and respecting human rights, said Joko, who was jailed for more than four years for his involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

Meanwhile, Abu Bakar Bashir, an 83-year-old radical cleric whose sermons were believed to have inspired the Bali bombers, was rejoicing over the Taliban victory, according to his son, Abdul Rohim Bashir. Bashir, JIs co-founder, was freed in January after serving nearly 10 years of a 15-year-sentence.

Ustadz (teacher) Abu is happy that the Taliban have succeeded in liberating their country after 20 years, Abdul Rohim said.

What the Taliban have done for so long is exemplary. Their consistency in fighting on the path of Allah and their struggle finally paid off. They also continue to adhere to Islamic law. They dont even kill corrupt government officials, who are allowed to stay, the son said.

Since 2002, Indonesia has witnessed a rise in radicalization, along with occasional terrorist attacks. Dozens of Indonesians travelled to the Middle East to join the Islamic State after it took over parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014.

Wawan Hari Purwanto, a spokesman for the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), said the movement of terrorist groups in Indonesia is more or less influenced by developments at the global and regional levels.

Since the Taliban takeover, the agency has taken steps to strengthen early detection and early prevention, especially regarding terrorist groups that have an ideological resemblance to the Taliban, he said.

The Indonesian government continues to monitor the security situation in Afghanistan, he told BenarNews on Thursday.

According to Indonesian security expert Muhammad Adhe Bhakti, the authorities should watch out for Indonesian militants leaving for Afghanistan.

A power struggle between the Taliban and other groups, including Islamic State, could attract Indonesian jihadists to travel to Afghanistan, warned Adhe, the executive director of the Center for Radicalism and Deradicalization Studies (PAKAR).

Indonesian radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir enters a courtroom for the first day of an appeal hearing in Cilacap, Central Java, Jan. 12, 2016. [Reuters]

Different times, different situation

In Malaysia, the chief of the polices counter-terrorism branch said it was too early to make an assessment about a terror threat stemming from the events in Afghanistan, because the Taliban is still offering peace to all parties.

The time is different, the situation is different and the outcome surely different, Normah Ishak told BenarNews when asked if the Taliban takeover would energize local extremist groups or cells in Malaysia.

Former counter-terrorism chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, for his part, warned that the establishment of a new Taliban government may energize dormant terror cells in Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia.

The Taliban may have changed its approach in gaining power and softened its stand on certain issues, he told BenarNews.

But those who have been analyzing terror organizations and extremist outfits would know their agenda and propaganda remain the same. They want to establish an Islamic State.

He said some Malaysians may even emigrate to fight alongside the Taliban, adding they are willing to make sacrifices in the name of religion.

Meanwhile, a government security source said that former Malaysian members of Muslim militant outfits, such as Jemaah Islamiyah and Islamic State, had expressed their happiness with the new development in Afghanistan.

They say finally an Islamic State has been established. They finally won a fight against colonizers. They are quite high-spirited, the source told BenarNews on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak to reporters on the matter.

There is a possibility of Afghanistan becoming a training ground. The possibility of foreign fighters migrating there is also there.

People light candles at a beach during a memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks in Kuta, Indonesia, Oct. 12, 2012. [AP]

In Bangladesh, another Muslim-majority country, police said this week they were monitoring online activities after the Taliban victory.

We have seen that some youth in Bangladesh have posted euphoric comments after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, Md Faruk Hossain, the spokesman for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told BenarNews on Monday.

The Taliban usurpation of power in Afghanistan is likely to inspire the local militants and their sympathizers in Bangladesh, he warned, adding that police, counter-terrorism units, and other agencies were on high alert.

But the militants and extremists will be dealt with an iron hand, Hossain said.

A day before the fall of Kabul, Dhaka Police chief Shafiqul Islam said that, in recent weeks, some people from Bangladesh had responded to the call of the Taliban to join the war in Afghanistan, and had left their families to go and fight for the Taliban.

We suspect that some of them were caught in India, while others have been trying to reach Afghanistan on foot, Islam told reporters on Aug. 14.

Mohammed Yahya, a former vice president of the radical and influential faith-based group Hefazat-e-Islam, issued an assurance that what has happened in Afghanistan will not take place in Bangladesh.

We at the madrassa do not teach violence. We teach our students about true values of Islam, he told BenarNews. The government should not fear us.

Jason Gutierrez, Dennis Jay Santos, Jeoffrey Maitem, Mark Navales, and Froilan Gallardo in the Philippines; Ahmad Syamsuddin and Kusumasari Ayuningtyas in Indonesia; Muzliza Mustafa and Nisha David in Malaysia; and Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Bangladesh contributed to this report.
A collection of memes on Ismail Sabri Yaakobs fondness for batik-print shirts is seen on the soon-to-be prime ministers Facebook page, May 1, 2020.

Until the king named him Malaysias new prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob had the dubious distinction of being the countrys shortest-serving deputy PM  albeit one with an enviable closet of batik-print shirts.

A local Malaysian daily, the Malay Mail, also called him arguably the countrys most unexpected prime minister to date, because until now, anyone from the United Malays National Organization who has become PM has also been the partys leader.

But with the UMNO president battling a corruption case in court and with the partys deputy president not being a member of parliament, the party chose its vice president, Ismail Sabri, to be its nominee for the top job in government.

The 61-year-old veteran politician was seen as amenable to a majority of lawmakers, who named him as their choice for prime minister when the king sought their nominations. And on Friday, the king appointed him Malaysias ninth prime minister.

Ismail Sabri, who Malaysians affectionately called pak long, or eldest uncle, hails from Temerloh in the eastern state of Pahang, from where the current king and former PM Najib Razak also hail.

Undefeated MP from Bera since 2004

Ismail Sabri started his career as a lawyer in 1985 and was first elected as an UMNO MP in 2004 from the then-newly created Malay-majority constituency of Bera in Pahang. He has been re-elected from there ever since.

His first cabinet appointment came in 2008 when then-Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi appointed him Minister for Youth and Sports. He held various cabinet positions in UMNO governments after that, including as minister for Domestic Trade, and Agriculture and Agro-based Industry.

After UMNO suffered a shock defeat in the 2018 elections, Ismail Sabri was elected one of three party vice presidents  he got the largest number of votes of the three. Analysts said this reflected his popularity with the party rank-and-file.

According to the Malay Mail, one of Ismail Sabris top notable initiatives was his 2014-2015 work to rid farmers of middlemen. He called it a jihad against the middlemen.

But there have been blots on his career too.

In February 2015, when he served as Agriculture and Agro-based minister, he urged ethnic Malays to boycott Malaysian Chinese businesses, in a now-deleted Facebook post. He claimed that Malaysian Chinese monopolized businesses and discriminated against non-Chinese entrepreneurs, local media said at the time.

That same year, Ismail Sabri pushed to launch a mall exclusively for Malay traders to sell digital devices, which ended up a failure, according to analysts.

In the run-up to the 2018 elections, he warned that every vote for the opposition coalition would eliminate ethnic Malays rights and special privileges  this angered Malays as well. Special rights and privileges for the Malay Muslim majority are woven into Malaysias constitution.

Newly appointed Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob waves to the media at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. [AP]

He came back as cabinet minister in 2020 under his predecessor Muhyiddin Yassins administration. He was named defense minister and was the official put in charge of handling several key aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many Malaysians have criticized the Muhyiddin government  especially Ismail Sabri  for what they said were confusing lockdown protocols. During a so-called strict lockdown imposed on June 1, more than a dozen manufacturing sectors were allowed to keep operating at 60 percent capacity, which many cited as the reason for a huge surge in COVID-19 infections.

Still, Ismail Sabri became a very familiar face to Malaysians as he appeared on their TV screens for daily  and then thrice weekly  pandemic-related press conferences.

That is when the country noticed his penchant for batik shirts. Memes about his colorful shirts  said to be designed by his son-in-law, fashion designer Jovian Mandagie  went viral on social media, with people comparing them to food and drink.

Ismail Sabri took it in good spirit and even posted some on his Facebook page.

Net citizens are really creative. My clothes have become cakes. I thought I was just a Malaysian batik model. Apparently I became a model of cake and ice cream, he wrote.

Thank you net people for entertaining [not just me] me but all Malaysians.
Updated at 2:20 p.m. ET on 2021-08-20

UMNO, Malaysias graft-tainted party that lost the last polls, returned to power Friday without having to fight an election when the king appointed party lawmaker Ismail Sabri Yaakob to be the next prime minister.

King Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah will swear in Ismail Sabri, 61, as Malaysias ninth prime minister on Saturday, palace officials announced four days after former PM Muhyiddin Yassin resigned.

In line with the Federal Constitution, His Majesty has consented to appoint Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Bera MP) as the ninth prime minister of Malaysia, the palace said in a statement.

The king hoped the appointment would end political tussles and parliament would work together to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement added.

The palace announced the appointment after the king met with Malaysias nine other royal rulers at the National Palace earlier on Friday. Ismail Sabri had been nominated by a majority of MPs  114 of 220 lawmakers  the palace said.

The prime minister-designate did not issue a statement on Friday.

After Muhyiddins resignation on Monday, the king ruled out fresh elections due to an unprecedented spike in coronavirus cases.

With no clear successor to Muhyiddin it fell to the king to pick a PM. And he chose Ismail Sabri, vice president of the ethnic Malay-centric United Malays National Organizations  despite concerns voiced among some Malaysians that the new leader is prejudiced and that he botched the governments pandemic response while serving as deputy prime minister under Muhyiddin.

The new PM will have to promptly call for a vote of confidence in parliament, though, to prove that he has the backing of a majority of lawmakers, the king decreed earlier this week. Parliament is scheduled to begin a regular sitting Sept. 6.

The kings decision marks a change from last year when he appointed the unelected Muhyiddin as leader without requiring a confidence vote in the legislature.

Ismail Sabri is a veteran politician who most recently served as Muhyiddins deputy and a main official in charge of handling the pandemic.

New covid cases have soared despite the imposition of another lockdown by Muhyiddins government in June, with daily infections breaching a record on Friday for a second consecutive day. The country has racked up 1.5 million cases of the virus so far.

On Thursday night, police arrested 31 people attending a memorial vigil for the 13,700 COVID-19 victims, Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, executive director of Amnesty International Malaysia, said in a statement.

Old wine in a same old bottle

UMNO is back in power three years after being defeated in a general election for the first time in more than 60 years.

The party was swept out of power in 2018 by a wave of popular criticism in the wake of a financial scandal that implicated then-Prime Minister Najib Razak and in which billions of dollars were looted from 1MDB, a state sovereign wealth fund which he had established.

UMNO this time around will be ruling with a slim majority and with the support of a sizable number of lawmakers loyal to Muhyiddin, whose fall it engineered.

After Muhyiddin resigned, UMNO cobbled together support for its candidate Ismail Sabri, much like the previous coalition government did in March 2020.

All except one of the MPs who support UMNOs Ismail Sabri were part of Muhyiddins ruling coalition, which lost majority backing when UMNO said 15 of its lawmakers had pulled support for the alliance on Aug. 4.

For Tunku Mohar Tunku Mokhtar, from the International Islamic University of Malaysia, that means there is no perceptible difference between this administration and the previous one.

This government is going to be no different from the one it is going to replace. Old wine in a new bottle is what it is, the political analyst told BenarNews.

Like Muhyiddins government, this one, too, was not elected by Malaysians  and the new coalitions partners are the same as in the previous government.

After its 2018 loss, UMNO managed to become part of the government after the coalition that defeated it fell apart in February 2020. Now, Muhyiddins coalition is supporting UMNO.

Still, many on social media noted that they were again saddled with a government Malaysians had not elected.

The very government that was dissolved due to their incompetence was made government again, tweeted @ MrFaizAhmad.

And @Gobinat Murugayah riffed on the old wine proverb, tweeting: Its more like same old wine in a same old bottle, with the label being replaced. It will taste the same.

Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the opposition who again was denied an opportunity to serve as prime minister, described the kings move to appoint Ismail Sabri as PM as aligning with the Constitution.

Let us all pray and work so that the COVID-19 epidemic crisis and the economy are immediately resolved and addressed for the sake of the people, Anwar said in a statement.

For all leaders, members and supporters, we urge all to accept this decision with determination to work harder towards GE-15, so that we can win back the peoples mandate that we have received in the last General Election, he said.

Before the 2018 polls, he and Mahathir Mohamad formed a pact to lead the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition to victory, but they agreed that Mahathir would transfer power to Anwar, his former deputy and longtime political rival, within two years.

That never happened. Pakatan collapsed over internal resistance and fighting over the prospect of Anwar taking over as PM.

What happens to 1MDB trials?

Meanwhile, many are raising questions about how trials in the 1MDB case would proceed with UMNO back in power.

Former PM Najib was convicted in one case and sentenced to 12 years in prison, but he is out pending a decision on an appeal. He is charged in a second case related to 1MDB, but that trial has yet to begin, and many of his associates are facing court cases as well.

Separately, UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is also being tried for 47 corruption charges involving millions of ringgit in an unrelated case.

Analyst Oh Ei Sun believes these corruption cases will be affected with UMNO back in power.

There must be some deals right, struck between Ismail Sabri and  UMNO, Oh, with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, told BenarNews.

There are various subtle ways where they can go slow and lessen this prosecution without outright dropping the charges.  They could also withdraw charges bluntly, they could do that, but that unseemly, right?

Racism allegations against Ismail Sabri

Others are concerned not only about UMNO, but Ismail as well.

A petition titled We dont want Ismail Sabri Yaakob to be prime minister [of] Malaysia, on Change.org, has collected more than 360,000 signatures since it was started on Wednesday, when it became almost certain that the UMNO nominee would be named PM.

It said Ismail Sabri had mismanaged the pandemic and made offensive comments about Chinese Malaysians. In 2015, Ismail Sabri indicated that ethnic Malays should boycott Chinese-owned businesses.

Academic Tunku Mohar expanded on some of these critiques, saying Ismails record was filled with failures.

For instance, his decision to set up a shopping mall exclusively for Malay traders to sell digital devices ended up a failure and a short-lived venture, the academic noted.

Hes also not known for any ideas or vision, Tunku Mohar said.

As fragile as before

However, despite reservations about UMNO, some Malaysians on social media said they were glad that political instability had ended.

Analyst Oh believes they may rejoicing prematurely.

The government is as fragile as before, Oh said.

In addition, Muhyiddins coalition  which boasts 50 MPs  could do to UMNO what UMNO did to their leader, Oh said.

That is, these MPs could withdraw support to Ismail Sabri, leaving him with only 64 MPs in his corner, well short of 111 that a PM needs to stay in power.

The current governments term is scheduled to end in July 2023.

Some opposition parties congratulated Ismail Sabri on being named PM, but they were also bitter that they could not be back in government despite winning the 2018 elections.

Mohamad Sabu, president of Amanah, a member of the 2018 winning coalition, hoped Malaysians would not lose faith in the countrys democratic election process.

I am saddened that those who were given the mandate by the people in the 2018 General Election did not get a mandate again, he said in a statement.

Maybe the people now feel that the election process has become wasted.
An Exocet MM40 missile is fired from the KD Lekir during the Taming Sari exercise by the Malaysian Navy, Aug.12, 2021.

Malaysias successful test-fire of three live anti-ship missiles last week clearly shows it is prepared to deal with intrusions into its South China Sea territory, analysts said on Friday.

The Malaysian Navys Taming Sari exercise was noteworthy, as it was conducted following the intrusion of 16 Chinese military planes into Malaysias maritime airspace over the disputed South China Sea in May, said Lai Yew Meng, a regional security analyst.

There is indeed a need to visibly demonstrate, via exercises like the Taming Sari, Malaysia's capabilities and national will to defend its sovereignty, Lai, with Universiti Malaysia Sabah, told BenarNews.

This is especially significant following the [Chinese military planes'] overflight that ostensibly almost encroached on Malaysian air space at the end of May. Observers suggest that was a possible attempt by the Chinese military to test Malaysia's combat readiness and operational capabilities.

The six-day exercise, which ended Aug. 12, was the first warfare drill since the COVID-19 pandemic began early last year. Malaysia held similar drills in 2019 and 2014.

During the exercise, the Malaysian Navys submarine, KD Tun Razak, successfully launched one Exocet SM39 anti-ship missile, while two other ships, KD Lekiu and KD Lekir, launched one Exocet MM40 guided missile each.

Both the anti-ship missiles are made by French defense manufacturer MBDA Systems. The MM40 Exocet can hit a target as far as 35 miles, while SM39 Exocet can reach 22 miles.

The drill included nine ships, five Fast Combat Boats, a submarine, two Super Lynx helicopters, four Royal Malaysian Air Force F/A-18D Hornet fighter jets and two assets belonging to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

More than 1,000 members of Malaysias security forces participated in the exercise.

Malaysia is no pushover

Security analyst Lai said the exercise sends a strong signal, especially to Beijing, which claims almost all of the disputed South China Sea.

A successful exercise would send a clear message across to other SCS claimants, including China, that Malaysia is no pushover, and nor is it unprepared to use force, if absolutely necessary, to rebuke imminent external threats, despite the obvious power asymmetry vis-a-vis the likes of China, Lai said.

The analyst was referring to the May 31 incursion by Chinese military aircraft, which flew to as close as 60 nautical miles from Kuala Lumpur-administered Beting Patinggi Ali  also known as Luconia Shoals  which Beijing, too, claims as part of its territories in the maritime region.

The incursion prompted Malaysia to scramble Hawk 20 combat jets from its Labuan airbase after the Chinese aircraft failed to respond to local air traffic controllers.

Chinese coast guard ships have since early June also been putting pressure on and harassing new Malaysian oil and gas projects in the South China Sea off Sarawak state on Borneo Island, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, a U.S.-based think-tank researching ship-tracking data said in a report last month.

This is at least the third time since last spring that the CCG has harassed Malaysian energy exploration, AMTI, a subsidiary of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said in the report titled Contest at Kasawari: Another Malaysian Gas Project Faces Pressure.

It demonstrates again Beijings persistence in challenging its neighbors oil and gas activities within their own exclusive economic zones. And the air patrol, which was likely not a coincidence, suggests Beijings willingness to engage in parallel escalation to pressure other claimants to back down, the report said, referring to Chinese planes' incursion.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including waters within the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. While Indonesia does not regard itself as party to the South China Sea dispute, Beijing claims historic rights to parts of that sea overlapping Indonesia's exclusive economic zone as well.

Earlier this month, Malaysia also participated in the annual multilateral exercise Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) with the United States and 20 other countries.

Lai said that such multilateral military and naval exercises are an essential feature in Malaysias hedging policy." This strategy is meant to strengthen the countrys limited defense capabilities  via partnerships with traditional defense partners  against security threats and challenges amid geopolitical uncertainties in the region, he said.

Apart from being a deterrence to potential Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, such multilateral exercises involving the U.S. would certainly provide an additional sense of reassurance to regional states regarding Washingtons credibility as a security partner and regional security provider, Lai said.
A health worker gives a Buddhist monk a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Bangkok, Aug. 20, 2021

Thailand surpassed the 1 million mark for COVID-19 infections on Friday, with 97 percent of those cases being recorded since April, health officials reported, as the country reels from a viral wave driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.

The Philippines, meanwhile, recorded its highest-ever daily caseload of coronavirus infections, officials said Friday, even as Metropolitan Manila and two nearby provinces were preparing to ease pandemic-related mobility restrictions to help the economy.

Thailand logged 19,851 new cases overnight to bring the cumulative tally to 1,009,710, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), a government task force.

As many as 240 new deaths from the virus were also recorded, lifting the nationwide death toll to 8,826. Nearly 99 percent of all coronavirus deaths in Thailand also occurred since early April, officials indicated on Friday.

Thai hospitals have more than 200,000 patients to treat, 50,000 more than the nations capacity, according to the CCSA, chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha.

There are more than 5,000 patients in critical condition. And over 1,000 are relying on respirators, Dr. Apisamai Srirangsan, the CCSA deputy spokeswoman, told reporters in Bangkok.

Thais have harshly criticized Prayuth, a former junta chief, for his governments response to the latest spike in infections in the country and its slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. The governments perceived failure to contain the latest wave of infections has been at the core of recent anti-government protests, which have become more violent lately.

The prime minister did not issue a statement on Friday to mark the milestone of one million infections.

Meanwhile, the public health ministry announced that it had signed a deal to purchase another 10 million vaccine doses from Pfizer in addition to a first lot of 20 million, all to be delivered in the last quarter of 2021.

To date, Thailand has relied on AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Sinopharm to vaccinate its population. The United States donated 1.5 million doses of Pfizer at the end of July.

All told, the kingdom has vaccinated about 5.7 million people, or 8.6 percent of the total population, officials said. Meanwhile, a COVID-19 lockdown is in place in Bangkok and 28 other provinces.

Philippine medical front-liners treat patients suffering from the coronavirus disease inside a chapel in Quezon City that was converted into an Intensive Care Unit to help a local hospital deal with a surge in patients, Aug. 20, 2021. [Dante Diosina Jr./BenarNews]

The Philippines is also battling a spike in infections stemming from the Delta strain, which was first detected in India earlier this year.

On Friday, health officials reported 17,231 new COVID-19 cases during the previous 24 hours. The new figure eclipsed the previous daily record of 15,310 cases, set in early April.

The Philippines has recorded 1.8 million COVID-19 cases with a resulting death toll of 31,198 since the virus was first detected in the country early last year.

COVID-19 cases may continue to rise in the coming days, the health department said in a statement Friday.

The agency cautioned people to follow minimum public health standards such as wearing face masks and social distancing, and to get vaccinated, even as authorities loosen lockdowns in Metro Manila and the province of Laguna beginning Saturday. Bataan province will follow on Monday.

The country cannot always rely on quarantine classifications as it is costly to the economy and livelihood of people. People need to return to a safer and smarter workplace, and act prudently, the health department said.

In easing mobility restrictions, the governments anti-COVID task force decided that we all need to be strategic and purposive in our responses to control the further spread of COVID-19 and its variants, said Harry Roque, the spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte.

Community quarantine is not the only solution to the pandemic, he stressed.

Prolonged restrictions have taken a toll on the Philippine economy, which shrank by 9.5 percent in 2020, when large swathes of the country were put on lockdown for up to five months.

Yet, the economy grew by 11.8 percent from April through June compared with the same period a year earlier, despite worsening coronavirus conditions, government planners said earlier this month.

Metro Manila and its nearby provinces were under the strictest form of community quarantine over the past two weeks, after a private medical research group warned about a surge in infections caused by the Delta variant.

A short supply of vaccines and COVID tests as well as inefficiencies in contact tracing and isolating patients have strained the Philippines response to the pandemic.

As of Aug. 15, only about 11 percent of the countrys roughly 110 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the government.

Only healthcare and frontline service workers, people with co-morbidities, the elderly, and Filipinos classified as poor or indigent are so far allowed to receive vaccines from the government.

The rollout has yet to cover the general population. Some private businesses have recently begun inoculating their employees and their families, but the majority of Filipinos may have to wait until 2023 to get a jab.

Dante Diosina Jr. contributed to this report from Manila.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Cloudy with rain developing later in the day. High 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Periods of rain. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
NH lawmakers will meet in person to take up retained bills

The New Hampshire House will begin holding committee meetings on retained bills next week, without the option to participate remotely that existed during much of the coronavirus pandemic
Is imitation really the sincerest form of flattery?

That's the question posed in The Clark Art's "Durer and After," on view in the Eugene V. Thaw Gallery for Works on Paper through Oct 3.
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Police are looking for two people believed to have set fire to side doors at St. Joseph's Church in Pittsfield this month.
PITTSFIELD  The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has budgeted about $2.9 million to replace a faulty state bridge on Holmes Road that has forced traffic slowdowns for years. The project will be completed by fall 2023, with the help of federal money.

Quote "It's a state bridge and the DOT has done precious little to make it tolerable for us." Ingrid MacGillis, who lives beside the Holmes Road bridge

The new bridge would maintain a similar footprint as the existing one in southeast Pittsfield, but again would allow for two-lane traffic, expand the existing sidewalk and add a bike lane on either side of the road, project engineer consultant Joseph Gill told residents and officials during a public meeting Thursday night.

Project manager Bill Brown said there is not a hard cost attached to the project yet, but the $2.9 million budgeted by MassDOT will help cover 20 percent of the construction cost, with the money for the other 80 percent coming from federal government.

The meeting was the first look residents had for a replacement project since the bridge was reduced to one lane of traffic in 2018. In May of that year a bridge inspection revealed problems with one beam in particular, the seventh from the north side of the bridge.

Mark DeVylder, the MassDOT District 1 bridge engineer, said that a load rating report conducted after the inspection showed that that beam had a zero ton capacity.

That was not what we were expecting, DeVylder said. We had not anticipated that the bridge closure was coming.

Why one bad bridge beam slows traffic on Pittsfield road PITTSFIELD  People traveling Holmes Road in southeast Pittsfield get a little more time these days to admire the neighborhood as they wait for newly erected traffic lights to change. That's 

The state Department of Transportation said in May 2019 that repairs could start in 2020, but nothing materialized. The tentative timeline presented to residents Thursday night has the design portion of the project ending in January, advertising for bids in June and construction beginning in 2023.

Gill said that if work on the bridge was accelerated, the surrounding road might only need to be closed for 60 days. On that timeline, MassDOT would hope to have two-lane traffic on the bridge again before school started in fall 2023.

Residents at the meeting at the Berkshire Athenaeum said they are happy something is being done about the bridge, but wonder why it has taken so long.

Weve really been put through the wringer, said Ingrid MacGillis, who lives next to the bridge. She said traffic backups at the bridge have brought noise and congestion and made it difficult for neighbors to make it in and out of their homes.

Its a state bridge, and the DOT has done precious little to make it tolerable for us, she added.

State and local officials joined residents in asking why it likely will be another two years before there is a solution to an almost 3-year-old problem.

How do we make sure were not going through this ever again in our community and other communities? state Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, asked project representatives, referring to the lengthy design and funding process.

DeVylder repeatedly told the audience that the local MassDOT office had tried since day one to expedite the bridge replacement, attempting to consider timelines and solutions outside the departments typical options.

Weve tried to accelerate this as quickly as we can, DeVylder said. We tried some things we dont conventionally do, but unfortunately, there were too many barriers in the way to do that.

He added that some accommodations had been made and that if the bridge had been treated as a typical bridge replacement, it likely wouldnt have received funding until the states 2025 budget.

Brown said the current construction timeline attempts to hurry the work with a limited impact on the neighborhood.

While some neighbors voiced concerns about potential traffic detours and emergency vehicle access, MacGillis seemed to sum up the sentiment of the crowd. If you ask me, you can build the bridge tomorrow, MacGillis said.
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 signed an executive order Thursday mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for all executive department employees. The order will apply to about 42,000 state employees.
The author says that we still are at the mercy of the coronavirus pandemic, and until we get with the vaccination program, we never will get out from under it.
For South Burlington, Vt., Police Chief Shawn Burke, policing is about priorities. He says carrying naloxone (Narcan) to reverse overdoses and decriminalizing buprenorphine (Suboxone) are both policies that help his department focus on its priority  keeping people safe.
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to give context to this story," the "Dawson's Creek" alum said. "So I accidentally threw my wife under the bus because that story was told quickly and it didn't give the full context and holy Jesus, the internet is racist and misogynist."

In an interview published on Tuesday (Aug. 17) with Refinery29 , the 43-year-old actor shared details about the proposal.

Joshua Jackson condemned social media trolls who posted "racist and misogynist" comments about his wife Jodie Turner-Smith , after he revealed that she initially proposed to him.

The way @VancityJax loves and defends his wife, @MissJodie : "And also for anybody who is freaked out by a woman claiming her own space, shut the fuck up." https://t.co/gUSJgIMvK5

A social media firestorm erupted after Jackson appeared last month on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and mentioned that Turner-Smith proposed to him first before their 2019 nuptials.

RELATED: Joshua Jackson Reveals The Unexpected Story Behind His Engagement To Jodie Turner-Smith

"So yes, we were in Nicaragua on a beautiful moonlit night, it could not possibly have been more romantic. And yes, my wife did propose to me and yes, I did say yes, but what I didn't say in that interview was there was a caveat," Jackson told Refinery29.

The actor explained that he wanted to do things the "old school" way.

"She has a biological father and a stepdad, who's the man who raised her. [I said], 'You have to give me the opportunity to ask both of those men for your hand in marriage.' And then, 'I would like the opportunity to re-propose to you and do it the old-fashioned way down on bended knee.' So, that's actually how the story ended up," he stated

RELATED: Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson Have Welcomed Their First Child

Jackson clarified that there were two proposals.

"And also for anybody who is freaked out by a woman claiming her own space, shut the f**k up. Good God, you cannot believe the things people were leaving my wife on Instagram," he continued.

All the hate was an eye-opener for him.

"That has been a real education for me as a white man, truly," Jackson said.

He added: "The way people get in her comments and the ignorance and ugliness that comes her way is truly shocking. And it has been a necessary but an unpleasant education in just the way people relate to Black bodies in general, but Black female bodies in specific. It is not okay. We have a long way to go."
Travis Scott announced an opportunity for students to work with his CACTI Spiked Seltzer brand.

The Sicko Mode rapper launched a CACTI College Ambassador program for the fall that will allow students to work with the company from their campus, Complex reported.

Update those resumes because this semesters hottest back-to-campus job is officially accepting applications, a statement from the company said, according to Complex.

The program will pay ambassadors $2,000 plus bonus incentives and more.

Ambassadors will receive experience in both marketing and leadership, ongoing coaching and professional development, networking and the opportunity to join, the statement continued.
Search and rescue teams in Haiti tragically found more bodies in the rubble on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to more than 2,000 people after a massive earthquake hit the Caribbean nation over the weekend.

CBS News reports rescue and recovery efforts have been slowed by Tropical Storm Grace and the destruction of paths and roadways leading to some of the hardest-hit areas.

So far, the Haiti Office of Civil Protection tweeted late Wednesday that at least 2,189 people have died while 12,268 have been hospitalized with injuries. 332 are still missing.

RELATED: Haiti In Crisis: 5 Things To Know About The Horrifically Devastating Earthquake

Jerry Chandler, the head of Haitis Civil Protection Agency told Reuters that more than 600,000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance and 135,000 families are displaced.

"Haiti is now on its knees," Prime Minister Ariel Henry said in a Wednesday video address, Reuters reports. "The earthquake that devastated a large part of the south of the country proves once again our limits, and how fragile we are."

More U.S. forces have been deployed to Haiti as Navy warship USS Arlington will carry 600 more military personnel to the nation.

"It's a heavily damaged area and I think the need is going to be great," Lieutenant Colonel Cory Murtaugh of the Marine Corps, said, according to CBS News.

Many of Haitis hospitals are becoming overwhelmed, which is forcing some patients to be treated outside.

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday. The seismic event has also taken an emotional toll on the country.

"The fatigue is mostly just the emotional beating that we're taking, because it's been disaster after disaster after disaster," said Macollvie Neel, managing editor of the New York-based Haitian Times.
A man has pleaded guilty to threatening Georgia Senator Raphael Warknocks life and is now facing years behind bars.

According to the New York Times, Eduard Florea, 41, of Queens, New York, posted online on Jan. 5, Warnock is going to have a hard time casting votes for communist policies when hes swinging with the f fish.



Prosecutors also claim the software engineer promised to travel to Washington D.C. and slice a throat at the Jan. 6 riot, according to The Associated Press.

Additionally, a new release stated that Florea posted on the day of the U.S. Capitol insurrection, Guns cleaned loaded . . . got a bunch of guys all armed and ready to deploy . . . we are just waiting for the word and its time to unleash some violence.

The New York Times also reports Florea pleaded guilty 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.

Florea was reportedly a supporter of the Proud Boys.

RELATED: Historic Black Church In Washington, D.C. Sues Proud Boys Over Vandalization

Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis said in a statement, With todays guilty plea, Florea admits to threatening the life of a successful candidate for the U.S. Senate and to urging others to take up arms to unleash violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 to thwart the results of the Presidential election. This Office is deeply committed to protecting our democratic institutions and to using all available tools to preserve the public safety, uphold the rule of law and support the peaceful transfer of power.

Floreas charges are one count of transmitting threats to injure and one count of possessing ammunition after having been convicted of a felony.

Florea is facing up to 15 years in prison and will be sentenced on Nov. 29. Back in January, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara ordered Florea to be held without bail. Eduard Florea is still being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Call ahead to confirm events. Due to COVID-19, many events have been canceled but hosting organizations might not have updated their entries.

Email Blast Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Daily News Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a digest of each day's headlines & events from The Daily News by email? Signup today! The Amplifier Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a weekly digest of headlines & events from The Amplifier by email? Signup today! Daily News Hosted Events The Daily News is a proud host of community enrichment events. Join our Daily News Events mailing list to learn about the next event we are planning. Sign up now. Manage your lists
FILE - In this Aug. 22, 2019 file photo, thousands packed the Minnesota State Fair fairgrounds as the 12-day Fair got underway in Falcon Heights, Minn. Minnesota State Fair officials strongly urged fairgoers Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, to mask up both inside and outside but stopped short of imposing any mandates to fight the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus at the Great Minnesota-Get Together. The state fair opens Aug. 26, and runs through Labor Day.
The top Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate says he's putting a different senator in charge of an election integrity undertaking and removing a senator who had aimed to carry out an Arizona-style forensic investigation of Pennsylvanias 2020 presidential election
Spearfish, SD (57783)

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Clear this evening then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 66F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph..

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Clear this evening then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 66F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph.
Gabe Heck (Belle Fourche football): Heck had four receptions for 101 yards and he had seven tackles on defense.

Peyton Millis (Spearfish football): Millis had six catches for 176 yards and one touchdown. He also had seven tackles on the night, and he had a total of 20 return yards.

Charles Alberts (Belle Fourche boys soccer): Alberts tallied three goals against Sturgis Brown on Tuesday, which resulted in a 5-1 win for the Broncs. Alberts has scored 19 goals in only five games for the Belle Fourche this season.

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How Should We View Our Anger?

To many, anger is probably seen as a sin because of it can create in people the desire to do something harmful. However, if we were to read the words of King David in Psalm 4:4, we will see that, according to David, it is okay to be angry, but it shouldnt lead to sin. He mentions instead to meditate in your heart about this anger, quietly in your bed, and be still.

Davids advice about what to do with anger is similar to Pauls, which is to not let it get out of hand or to where you cant control what words or actions you do next. Instead of moving swiftly into doing something to make you feel better (that could actually make the situation worse), you should take the time to come to terms with your anger and see what ways you can harness it.

Writer Meg Bucher describes human anger and righteous anger that God creates. Human anger always leads to sinful words and actions, things we will regret later on. Righteous anger is being angry about what makes God angry: unlawful acts against children, people manipulating others for personal gain, those who know Gods love doing the opposite to show it to others, etc.

So, when Paul and David instruct us to meditate or resolve our anger, they are encouraging believers to take the time to see if their anger is human or righteous. Is the anger something that personally is an affront to you or to your expectations of something, or is it something God has called you to stand up and do something about? Once you take the time to come to terms with your anger, you will be more inclined to listen to God through His Word, prayer, or even speaking with another Christian to determine what the next course of action might be.

Photo credit: Getty Images/fizkes
LES CAYES, Haiti (AP)  Haitians left hungry and homeless by a devastating earthquake swarmed relief trucks and in some cases stole desperately needed goods Friday as leaders of the poor Caribbean nation struggled to coordinate aid and avoid a repeat of their chaotic response to a similar tragedy 11 years ago.

The attacks on relief shipments illustrate the rising frustration of those left homeless after the Aug. 14 magnitude 7.2 earthquake, which killed nearly 2,200 people, injured more than 12,000 and destroyed or damaged more than 100,000 homes.

I have been here since yesterday, not able to do anything, said 23-year-old Sophonie Numa, who waited outside an international aid distribution site in the small city of Camp-Perrin, located in the hard-hit southwestern Les Cayes region. I have other people waiting for me to come back with something.

Numa said her home was destroyed in the quake and that her sister broke her leg during the temblor.

The food would help me a lot with the kids and my sister, she said.

George Prosper was also in the large, anxious crowd awaiting aid.

I am a victim. I was removed from under the debris, the 80-year-old Prosper said. I don't feel well standing up right now. I can barely hold myself up.

In the small port city of Les Cayes, an AP photographer saw people stealing foam sleeping pads from a truck parked at a Red Cross compound, while others stole food that was slated for distribution, said Jean-Michel Saba, an official with the country's civil protection agency. Police managed to safely escort the food truck away, Saba said. He did not say how much was taken. People also stole tarps from a truck in a community outside Les Cayes.

Similar thefts appeared to take place in the small town of Vye Terre near Les Cayes, where a second AP photographer witnessed a group of men pulling large sacks from a half-opened container truck. People then grabbed the sacks and rushed off. One man who made away with a parcel of food was immediately surrounded by others who tried to grab it from him as people nearby screamed.

The frustration over the pace of aid has been rising for days and has been illustrated by the growing number of people crowding together at aid distribution sites. But Friday was the first time there was such widespread stealing.

Some of the trucks that were looted were part of the convoy of the United States-based nonprofit group Food For The Poor. The trucks were transporting cases of water, bags of rice and beans and cases of Vienna sausage.

Although this unfortunate situation took place, our drivers were able to remain safe and the trucks were not damaged spokeswoman Soraya Louis said in a statement. ... Our staff members in Haiti are working on assessing the damage and figuring out how to continue the task at hand in reaching even the furthest of the localities in need.

Complicating aid matters, officials began restricting access to the bridge connecting Les Cayes to the small, quake-impacted port city of Jeremie, meaning aid distribution had to be delivered there by boat or plane.

The quake wiped out many of the sources of food and income that the poor depend on for survival in Haiti, which is already struggling with the coronavirus, gang violence and the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Most of the devastation happened in Haiti's already impoverished southwestern region.

As of Wednesday, more than 300 people were estimated to still be missing, said Serge Chery, head of civil defense for the Southern Province, which includes the small port city of Les Cayes. In that community, a group of Mexican rescuers focused Friday night on a quake-damaged two-story home where equipment that allows them to detect sounds beneath the rubble caught noise.

Pressure for coordinated aid efforts mounted this week as more bodies were pulled from the rubble and the injured continued to arrive from remote areas in search of medical care.

International aid workers on the ground said hospitals in the areas worst hit by the quake are mostly incapacitated and that there is a desperate need for medical equipment.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Friday asked international governments and aid groups to funnel all of their donations through the country's civil protection agency, which will specify the needs of each town, each village and each remote area not yet attended.

U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, on a two-day mission to Haiti, met with Henry on Thursday and also visited quake victims in the city of Les Cayes. She said Friday that she was particularly impressed by the work of Haiti's civil protection agency, and that the agency "must be empowered to lead a coordinated response.

Henry said earlier this week that his administration will work to not repeat history on the mismanagement and coordination of aid, a reference to the chaos that followed the countrys devastating 2010 earthquake, when the government was accused of not getting all of the money raised by donors to the people who needed it.

Mohammed said doing things differently this time will require investing in long-term development and supporting government leadership.

The Core Group, a coalition of key international diplomats from the United States and other nations that monitors Haiti, said in a statement Wednesday that its members are resolutely committed to working alongside national and local authorities to ensure that impacted people and areas receive adequate assistance as soon as possible.

____

Associated Press writers Fernando Llano in Vye Terre, Haiti; Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City; Edith Lederer at the United Nations; Alan Clendenning in Newbury, Vermont; and Lisa J. Adams Wagner in Evans, Georgia, contributed to this report.
Joe Bidens approval rating drops as Afghanistan unravels, the President claims a chaotic withdrawal from Kabul was his only option, Gavin Newsom launches an ad blitz ahead of the recall, COVID Booster shots start in September, daily deaths top 1-thousand for the first time since April.

Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, the states vs. the president.
The European Commission (EU) said it had reached a temporary agreement with South Africa to use a plant there to bottle Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines that are being imported into the EU, after criticism of the arrangement.

Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Johnson & Johnson logo in this illustration taken 31 October 31, 2020. Reuters/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

Closing the circle

The World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that he was "stunned" to hear that J&J vaccines were being exported from South Africa to the EU, because the bloc has very high vaccination rates while even the most vulnerable people in many African countries have not been vaccinated.A spokesperson for the European Commission told reporters on Thursday the agreement with South Africa was reached after J&J faced problems in producing vaccines in the United States at a factory belonging to its partner, Emergent Biosolutions.The deal highlights the complexity of producing vaccines from factories spread across the world and drugmakers' power in negotiating supply deals with countries.The arrangement means South African drugmaker Aspen Pharmacare bottles the vaccine produced elsewhere, mostly in Europe, and then transfers the finished doses to South Africa and the EU.A J&J factory in Leiden, in the Netherlands, is a major producer of the vaccine substance for Covid-19 shots worldwide, and J&J will transfer all bottling operations from South Africa to Leiden from the end of September, the EU spokesperson said.J&J had no immediate comment on its bottling operations and the number of doses to be transferred from Aspen to the EU.South Africa's exports of vaccines to the EU were reported by theon Monday, confirming earlier public statements from South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and Aspen.The newspaper cited a confidential contract between J&J and South Africa's government and said the deal prevented the country, against its will, from imposing restrictions on vaccine exports.Under its contract with the EU, J&J had also negotiated a complex supply chain that involved US-based firms despite opposition from EU countries, EU internal documents seen by Reuters show.Aspen is also bottling J&J vaccine for South Africa, although officials in the country warned earlier this month that deliveries from the US drugmaker had so far been slow.On Thursday, the WHO softened its remarks on South Africa's enforced exports of J&J shots. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's regional director for Africa, told a news conference the arrangement was "presumably" part of the investment in the development and production of vaccines in Africa.The EU is leading global investments to create vaccine "hubs" in Africa, including South Africa and Senegal, to increase the continent's ability to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines.Aspen's plant does not appear to be among the manufacturing sites approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for J&J vaccines.EMA declined to comment about whether Aspen had been authorised, saying it was confidential information. J&J did not comment, but the EU Commission said later on Thursday that Aspen is a recognised site to produce for the European market.The EU Commission added that it was up to EU countries that buy the J&J vaccine to decide what they will do with doses imported from South Africa.Public EU data show that J&J has delivered 21.5-million doses to the EU as of Thursday. It was supposed to ship 55-million by the end of June.Of the delivered doses, only 12.9-million, or about 60%, have been administered in the EU, public data show, by far the lowest take-up among all EU-approved vaccines, which have a usage rate of at least 75%, and above 90% for the Pfizer/BioNTech shot.Many EU countries have stopped using J&J over health concerns. The EU has promised to donate at least 200-million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to poorer nations, mostly in Africa, by the end of the year.J&J said the company was not involved in negotiations concerning the re-allocation or donations of its vaccine.
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Bradford, PA (16701)

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Rain showers in the morning becoming more intermittent in the afternoon. High around 65F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 49F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
A teenage boy who allegedly led police on a chase from Brandon to Sandy Bay First Nation in a stolen vehicle was granted bail on Thursday morning.

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A teenage boy who allegedly led police on a chase from Brandon to Sandy Bay First Nation in a stolen vehicle was granted bail on Thursday morning.

The boy is under 18 years of age, so he cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty and the charges have not been tested in court.

On Tuesday morning, Brandon police reported they saw someone driving a stolen vehicle with a Saskatchewan license plate in the 600 block of McTavish Avenue, Crown attorney Caroline Lacey told the court.

The driver reportedly tried to avoid police by turning quickly onto Third Street and then east on Victoria Avenue, she said. Police activated their emergency lights, but Lacey said he kept driving "at a high rate of speed," up to 100 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.

A second police car joined the chase with sirens activated, the Crown said, but the accused didnt stop.

The chase took them to Highway 110 and onto the Trans-Canada Highway, allegedly reaching speeds up to 140 km/h. Lacey said officers called the pursuit off and stopped following the teen.

Portage la Prairie RCMP were notified to be on the lookout for the vehicle. Lacey said RCMP officers attempted to stop it on the Trans-Canada, but werent able to.

Police tracked the vehicle using OnStar and found it was taking backroads to Sandy Bay First Nation, she said.

An hour later, at approximately 11 a.m., Lacey said Manitoba First Nations Police Service officers in Sandy Bay First Nation found the vehicle. After it came to a stop, the two boys and a girl inside allegedly fled into the bush before being arrested.

The 15-year-old boy was identified as the driver based on his tattoos, Lacey said.

"He had an odour of liquor coming from his breath and he advised to police he was using cocaine prior to his arrest," she said, adding he was reportedly screaming and yelling at police during his arrest.

Police allege the boy stole the vehicle from someone staying at his mothers residence.

Lacey opposed the boy being released on bail and said the allegations are "very serious."

The boy is also waiting to be sentenced on other charges.

Defence lawyer Michael Nerbas described it as a "challenging situation."

"What can be gleaned from these instances is there is possibly the sad reality of some addictions issues to alcohol and cocaine. At such an early age, this is a very challenging thing to be brought before the court," he said.

The boy is Indigenous, Nerbas said, and keeping him in provincial custody should be a last resort. The teenager needs help to get his addictions under control.

"There are some mental health concerns  hes certainly a young man who has been struggling," he said.

Judge Patrick Sullivan remarked on the high speeds the boy is reported to have been driving at and called them "terrifying."

Sullivan granted him bail, but said it was a very close decision based on his young age. He was released to his home on a 24-hour curfew, except for school or when accompanied by his caregiver. Sullivan also banned the boy from driving.

He is next scheduled to appear in court in September.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
Both of Brandons major post-secondary institutions will require most staff and students to be vaccinated for the upcoming academic year, according to a pair of news releases sent out on Thursday morning.

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Both of Brandons major post-secondary institutions will require most staff and students to be vaccinated for the upcoming academic year, according to a pair of news releases sent out on Thursday morning.

While representatives from Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College told the Sun earlier this week that they would not be implementing any kind of vaccine policy, their respective positions have changed alongside that of other Manitoba schools.

Around the same time on Thursday, the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, Red River College and the University College of the North all sent out similar news releases about their own vaccine mandates.

"Our college believes that requiring individuals to be vaccinated in order to be on campus could be one added layer of protection to complement other safety measures adopted throughout the pandemic," Assiniboines news release reads.

"Assiniboine was the first institution in Manitoba to adopt a face mask mandate and is maintaining that mandate through the fall term."

BUs news release adopts a slightly different tone, making some concessions about when this vaccine policy will come into effect for staff and students.

"The university will not require vaccines before the start of fall term, which is just three weeks away, but vaccination as soon as possible is strongly encouraged," the statement reads.

"Through the coming year, the university will move towards being a campus that is as fully-vaccinated as possible."

However, BU officials maintain that their previously announced plan for in-person learning this fall will remain the same, where only classes that contain 25 people or less will be allowed on campus. All other classes will take place online.

In-person classes at BU this fall will also require the use of masks, physical distancing and enhanced cleaning protocols.

Both statements from BU and ACC admit that their respective vaccine policies probably wont be applied across the board, with accommodations having to be made for those who cannot get their shots in time or at all. This includes people with certain medical conditions and international students who may not have access to vaccines in their country of origin.

Both statements were also short on specific details, with BU officials admitting they will be using the next couple weeks to find answers to questions such as: when is the most appropriate deadline to begin requiring a vaccine? Can people opt for regular testing if they prefer not to get a vaccine? What requirements are appropriate for campus visitors, contract workers and similar groups on campus?

Similarly, ACC representatives revealed that their vaccine mandate hasnt been approved by their Board of Governors yet, with Thursdays statement being designed to give staff and students a heads up before the fall semester begins.

Brandon University Faculty Association president Gautam Srivastava praised the BU administration for their about-face on Thursday.

After all, this decision comes after BUFA released its own statement on Monday morning, calling on the BU administration to adopt a vaccine policy to maintain the overall safety of the university community.

"Our members are quite happy to have our association take this position and for Brandon University to listen clearly to our advocacy in this instance, which will protect faculty, staff and students on campus," Srivastava said.

This update from BU and ACC comes at a time when many other high profile universities in Canada have adopted similar vaccine policies for the 2021-22 academic year.

At the beginning of the month, only a few post-secondary schools in Canada had established vaccine requirements for the upcoming 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.

While schools like BU, ACC, U of W and U of M held out until this week, Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations president Scott Forbes credits his affiliate organizations, including BUFA, for causing this widespread change of heart through their public advocacy.

"This would not have happened if not for pressure from faculty and their representatives," he said. "And we are delighted that a strong, clear message from faculty was heard by university administrators who eventually reached the correct decision."

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @KyleDarbyson
A man accused of contaminating a bin full of grain by stepping and sleeping on it during a period of transiency was given a chance at bail on Monday morning.

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A man accused of contaminating a bin full of grain by stepping and sleeping on it during a period of transiency was given a chance at bail on Monday morning.

Dwayne Moar is accused of a number of incidents since March 2021, Crown attorney Rich Lonstrup told the court. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the charges have not been proven in court.

On July 4, police in Portage la Prairie received a call about a man who broke into a local agricultural co-op, Lonstrup said.

An employee reported an unknown man entered the building through an unlocked door while staff were working and hid until the staff left, Lonstrup said.

Once employees were gone, he slept on top of a grain bin, he said, and allegedly stole approximately $1,500 worth of items.

"They also had to dispose of about 2,000 pounds of grain because, of course, its contaminated when a male actually walks on them and sleeps on them," Lonstrup told the court.

It cost approximately $2,300 to replace the grain, he said.

While it was unclear exactly when Moar left, the Crown said it was clear he spent the night.

Moar is also charged with getting into a physical fight with a woman at a Brandon thrift store and stealing from Brandons Superstore on both March 30 and on June 30.

In both incidents, Lonstrup said Moar stole items, but was found by police nearby. In one incident, he was allegedly found with a collapsible baton.

Lonstrup opposed Moar being released on bail and said he appears to be getting in trouble with the law over and over again. He said businesses could be at risk with Moar in the community.

"When weapons are possessed that means the people working at these businesses have at least the potential risk. They have to wonder exactly how bad things are how unstable its going to get," he said.

Moar, who appeared in court over video, shook his head while Lonstrup spoke.

Defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn said Moar had just been released from the Winnipeg Remand Centre before the July 4 incident. He was on his way to his residence at the time, where he was under court orders to live.

"He was making his way by walking, or hitchhiking, and I can tell you the reason he ended up in the grain bin was he was looking for a place to sleep as he had been walking for the full day," Synyshyn told the court.

"The motive to do so wasnt nefarious," he said, adding at the time Moar didnt have any resources to get home.

Synyshyn said there are triable issues with both incidents in which Moar is accused. He proposed a bail plan for Moar to live with a family member and abide by a curfew.

Judge Patrick Sullivan said he had concerns about Moar coming before the court again, but said the suggested plan was tight enough. He released him on bail, but put him on conditions not to attend Brandon except for court.

Moar is next scheduled to appear in court in September.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
If theres one word Heather Stefanson wants to get across about her leadership style, its conciliatory.

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If theres one word Heather Stefanson wants to get across about her leadership style, its "conciliatory."

The Tuxedo MLA, who earlier this week became the first official candidate to succeed Brian Pallister as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and by extension the provinces next premier, used the word early and often in a 20-minute sit-down interview with the Sun on Thursday morning.

Asked what 24 of the provinces 36 Tory MLAs who have already endorsed her leadership campaign see in her, she said what theyre looking for and what Manitobans are looking for is a conciliatory leader.

"Its something thats in my nature and its the way Ive always taken an approach to things ever since I was elected 20 years ago," Stefanson said. "I think Manitobans have been saying they want a government that listens a little bit more, reaches out and takes a collaborative approach to things."

Though she shied away from directly criticizing the man she wants to succeed, it was clear she wants to differentiate herself from the brashness that got Pallister in trouble this summer over his comments on reconciliation and the subsequent resignation of one of his cabinet ministers over them.

After the premier announced his intention to leave politics in Brandon last week, former Indigenous Relations minister Eileen Clarke posted on Facebook it was what she was "silently hoping for but in no way expecting."

She had previously commented she had felt her voice and others werent being heard at the cabinet table. By comparison, Stefanson said theres a need to listen to her colleagues, since they represent the voices of those who elected them.

"I think this is a time to bring people together," Stefanson said. "All of my colleagues, they are out listening to their constituents and theyre hearing loud and clear and that was obviously one of the things that we heard with Bill 64. Manitobans dont want to move forward with that bill."

One of Stefansons first announcements on Wednesday while declaring her candidacy was to promise the cancellation of the controversial bill that would reshape the administration of Manitobas education system by eliminating school boards and replacing them with a centralized governance structure.

The changes proposed in Bill 64 came after the release of the Manitoba Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Educations report earlier this year, though the government was criticized for selectively choosing which of the reports recommendations it was implementing.

Stefanson said what she and her colleagues have heard is there is still a desire for education reform but the proposed governance system in the bill made Manitobans uncomfortable. After scrapping the bill, she would go back to the reports recommendations and consult the public to find a different way of reforming the system.

"Its a lot of change," she said. "I think, right now, Manitobans are exhausted from COVID. Theres been a lot of challenges in peoples individual lives, and I dont think theyre up for that amount of change on the governance side of things right now."

However, Stefanson didnt specifically say what part of the proposed governance structure was a problem or what problems she has with the bill.

One of the MLAs backing Stefanson is Education Minister Cliff Cullen, who was seen cheering when the Bill 64 promise was delivered. After the announcement, Cullen wouldnt comment directly on the future of a bill he has previously insisted only has a vocal minority spurred on by a misinformation campaign fighting against it.

"I know that Cliff Cullen supports me as the MLA for Spruce Woods," Stefanson said when asked if she and Cullen are on the same page about the bill.

"Sometimes you bring forward pieces of legislation that require feedback from Manitobans. This is a time where weve received significant feedback just beyond some of the consultations that were taking place at the legislature during the time when the bill was introduced."

As health minister, Stefanson was frequently criticized for not making public appearances or speaking to the media for what seemed like months or weeks at a time as the COVID-19 pandemic and the complications stemming from it continued. According to her, that was because Pallister had been taking the lead in addressing the public and she was working behind the scenes.

"Im not a person that necessarily needs to be in the limelight every day," she said. "I think its more important and Manitobans are more concerned with whether they have a minister thats working hard to ensure that were taking on the challenges of the health portfolio. Health, in general, is a very challenging portfolio, and then you put a pandemic in the middle of that. There are a lot of moving parts. Its not something you do as an individual."

Stefanson did, however, concede she regrets not spending a little more time in the public eye.

After the premiers comments on colonialism and reconciliation, Indigenous groups in Manitoba made it clear their relationship with the province had been damaged.

To try to get reconciliation back on track, Stefanson said she would take that conciliatory approach and listen to what First Nations have to say.

Avoiding the pitfall Indigenous Reconciliation minister Alan Lagimodiere experienced during his first media appearance in the role by saying the creators of residential schools had good intentions, Stefanson called residential schools "absolutely horrific" and "a terrible situation."

Despite that, she wouldnt say if she thought Pallisters comments on colonization were wrong, only acknowledging that it might not have been the approach she would have taken.

"I dont want to look to the past," she said. "I think the premier has made his decision to move on. I think theres a way that I would do things differently than perhaps he has in the approach. Everyone has their own approach to things. Nothing is necessarily right or wrong, its just that I have a different way and a different approach to doing things.

"Is my approach the right way? I dont know. What I am hearing from Manitobans is that its the kind of approach theyd like to see moving forward."

 cslark@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ColinSlark
Westman Immigrant Services in Brandon is on standby as it awaits word from the federal government as to when it will receive Afghan refugees fleeing from the Taliban in Afghanistan.

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Westman Immigrant Services in Brandon is on standby as it awaits word from the federal government as to when it will receive Afghan refugees fleeing from the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"We are on standby," executive director Enver Naidoo told The Sun. "We know there is a possibility of it (happening)."

FILE Westman Immigrant Services executive director Enver Naidoo says his organization is waiting to hear from the federal government about when it will receive Afghan refugees fleeing from the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Tuesday saw a number of Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban in their country land at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. It is part of the federal governments efforts in accepting 20,000 Afghan refugees into Canada who contributed to Canadas efforts in Afghanistan.

Naidoo said his organization is waiting to hear when and how many Afghan refugees will arrive and where they will be settled.

"We dont have any details yet. We anticipate as soon as the decisions are made, well be informed."

"Theres a number of agencies including ourselves in Brandon that are excited to step in and play a role in support in the resettlement of these refugees," he said.

Naidoo doesnt know exactly when the Afghan refugees will arrive, but hes expecting it to happen fairly soon.

Preparations have already begun as the organization is taking steps to secure temporary and permanent housing, a challenge in a university town with a zero vacancy rate, he said.

"We cant always plan too far ahead until we receive clients," he said.

Naidoo is looking to partner with landlords where there may be more affordable housing opportunities and a willingness to work with the organization. Those supports are in conjunction with securing medical care, employment and schooling for any children who may be accompanying their parents.

Naidoo recognizes the challenge resettling in a foreign country may present but is hopeful the organization will successfully bridge any gaps they may encounter.

While its only a matter of when Afghan refugees will arrive in Brandon, Brandonites interested in helping those refugees settle into the community can contact Westman Immigrant Services for more information.

Westman Immigrant Services has been in existence in Brandon for roughly 20 years and employs approximately 60 part-time and full-time workers, some of whom are former refugees.

Anyone interested in assisting in the support of refugees arriving in the city, Naidoo explained financial support is far more effective as it addresses those refugees needs directly.

"As a community, we have done a great job stepping up. Weve had many successful refugee families call Brandon home."

For more information on Westman Immigrant Services, see westmanimmigrantservices.ca or call 204-727-6031.

 kkielley@brandonsun.com
OTTAWA - Canada will accelerate processing the families of interpreters and others who supported its mission in Afghanistan to quickly evacuate as many approved people as possible, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Friday.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says his department will accelerate the processing of the families of interpreters and others who supported Canada's mission in Afghanistan to evacuate as many approved people as possible quickly. Refugees from Afghanistan and Canadian Citizens board a bus after being processed at Pearson Airport in Toronto, Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021, after arriving indirectly from Afghanistan. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Canada will accelerate processing the families of interpreters and others who supported its mission in Afghanistan to quickly evacuate as many approved people as possible, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Friday.

Mendicino made the remarks as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan confirmed that the first Canadian plane full of Afghan refugees took 188 people out of the Kabul airport Thursday night.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Mendicino said his department is ramping up processing Afghan refugees by adding resources to the operation.

He said the government is not requiring passports or COVID-19 negative tests from the Afghan passengers and is deferring biometric screening to a third country, where it's safe for evacuees and government officials to be screened.

"We have now two of our largest air carriers running back and forth from Kabul. We're going to keep those flights going for as long as possible," he said.

Mendicino said the main obstacle remains the Taliban checkpoints that Afghans have to go through to reach the Kabul airport.

"It's our expectation that every Afghan that is eligible under our program be permitted safe passage to get to the airport," he said.

The Department of National Defence announced this week that two C-17 transport aircraft had been deployed to conduct regular flights out of Kabul.

Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said in an email Thursday that the C-17s have been reconfigured to maximize the number of passengers they can carry and have begun to fly in and out of Kabul.

In a tweet, Sajjan said Thursday's flight took out 175 Afghans and 13 foreign nationals.

"Canadian flights will continue for as long as the situation on the ground permits," he wrote.

Mendicino says almost 1,000 Afghan refugees have already arrived in Canada.

"We have been working closely with our allies, particularly with the U.S. and the U.K. on ensuring that we are as effective as possible, all together, bringing out as many Afghans as possible and getting people to safety," Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said at a campaign stop in Winnipeg.

He said several more round-trip flights from Kabul were to follow Friday.

Lamirande said Afghans evacuated Thursday have been accepted under the immigration programs of other nations and will be transferred to their care. Other participating nations are carrying Canadian citizens and Afghan nationals destined for Canada.

An interpreter currently waiting in Kabul to be evacuated to Canada with his wife and three children said the Taliban militants knocked on his door Friday morning asking what he does for a living and why he is not in his home province.

The interpreter that The Canadian Press is not naming to protect his safety said he had to lie to the militants by telling them he worked at a bakery shop and he is in Kabul for work.

"They were searching every house where I live," said the interpreter who previously worked with the Canadian Armed Forces in Kandahar.

He said he submitted his application for resettlement in Canada last month and he and his wife visited the Canadian Embassy in Kabul on Aug. 5, before the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital.

He said he has not heard from the Canadian government since then.

"It is very dangerous to be in Kabul," he said. "Things are getting worse hour by hour."

He said he can make his way to the Kabul airport but he is not sure he will be able to get inside with his family because of the large crowd of people waiting outside.

"It's a very difficult situation outside, he said. I have seen some videos from outside the gate  and they are shooting in the air just to scare the people."

Canada is trying to evacuate Afghans including former interpreters and support staff as well as their families, who are now at risk of Taliban arrest or worse for having worked with the Canadian military and other organizations.

The Trudeau government promised last week to resettle 20,000 refugees who have already fled Afghanistan.

Veterans and advocates have complained for weeks about the government's handling of the crisis. Their concerns include complicated forms for Afghans to fill out, unrealistic and confusing application requirements and complete silence from the department after paperwork has been submitted.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2021.



This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said a plane full of Afghan refugees landed in Canada on Thursday night.
VANCOUVER - An Indigenous man who spent 37 years claiming his innocence in the murder of a toddler is going back to prison after losing his appeal in British Columbia's highest court.

Phillip Tallio, left, is seen with his daughter Honey Hood in this undated handout image. The B.C. Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal launched by a man convicted of killing his 22-month-old cousin more than 30 years ago. The panel of three judges ruled Thursday that Phillip Tallio had not established that he received ineffective representation from his original trial lawyer, that his guilty plea was uninformed because of a cognitive disability, that DNA evidence exonerates him or that the police investigation into the murder was inadequate. Tallio pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Delavina Mack in April 1983. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Rachel Barsky

VANCOUVER - An Indigenous man who spent 37 years claiming his innocence in the murder of a toddler is going back to prison after losing his appeal in British Columbia's highest court.

A three-member panel of the B.C. Court of Appeal unanimously ruled Phillip Tallio didn't prove his lawyer provided ineffective representation, that the police investigation 40 years ago was inadequate, that someone else killed the girlor that DNA evidence exonerates him.

"The appellant is not credible and his evidence that he did not understand the plea is rejected," the panel says in a written decision released Thursday. "Fresh evidence tendered by the appellant does not support his contention that he lacked the capacity to understand the nature and consequences of a guilty plea in 1983."

Tallio was 17 years old when the body of 22-month-old Delavina Mack was found in April 1983 in the family home in Bella Coola on B.C.'s northern coast.

The girl, who was Tallio's cousin, had been sexually assaulted and a pathologist later determined that she likely died after being smothered.

He was originally charged with first-degree murder, but received a life sentence with parole eligibility set for 10 years in a plea bargain.

Because of his refusal to admit guilt, he was never paroled and was only released last year on bail during the appeal.

Rachel Barsky, one of Tallio's lawyers, said in an interview that he was to be taken into the custody of Correctional Services on Thursday.

Barsky said the legal team is examining the ruling and intends to file an application to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

"It's not the outcome we were hoping for, but we always knew this would be a possibility."

Barsky said Tallio is also disappointed with the outcome.

During the month-long Appeal Court hearing last year, Tallio told the panel that he wasn't aware of the implications of the plea agreement his trial lawyer had him sign.

A Crown lawyer argued that Tallio exaggerated some aspects of his testimony while giving different details about his whereabouts around the crime scene in Bella Coola.

The panel ruled that Tallio appeared to be aware of the details of both his sentencing and plea agreement. It also questioned Tallio's credibility throughout his appeal process.

"Our impression was that he often claimed he could not remember when presented with evidence that was unfavourable to him, yet was forthcoming with information that was supportive," the decision says.

Lawyers for Tallio argued during the hearing that there is an important Indigenous cultural component in assessing issues and evidence in the case, that the Nuxalk Nation in Bella Coola has significant communication and trust issues with the non-Indigenous community.

"That Mr. Tallio may face difficulties in marshalling evidence in relation to events that occurred nearly four decades ago does not relieve him of the requirement to satisfy the usual rules that govern the admissibility of evidence," the decision says.

Tallio's lawyers introduced the possibility of two other suspects who could have been responsible for Mack's death.

However, the decision says the evidence against both those potential suspects was unpersuasive and that it "falls far short" as proof.

Tallio's attempt to overturn his conviction had been taken up by the University of British Columbia's Innocence Project in 2009.

The project, run through the university's law school, reviews cases where there are claims of wrongful conviction.

Barsky joined the Innocence Project in 2011 and has been involved with Tallio's case since.

"(The case) has really been my entire legal career. It has been wrapped up in this case, so of course it is disappointing, but it's not hopefully the end," she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2021.
OTTAWA - A Conservative government would respond to the needs of Canada's LGBTQ community  including on the issue of "poppers"  says Erin O'Toole, despite skepticism from Justin Trudeau on the Tory leader's commitment to queer priorities.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole is zeroing in on the housing crisis, pledging to build a million homes in three years and raise barriers to foreign investors. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole speaks to the media Wednesday, August 18, 2021 in Quebec City.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

OTTAWA - A Conservative government would respond to the needs of Canada's LGBTQ community  including on the issue of "poppers"  says Erin O'Toole, despite skepticism from Justin Trudeau on the Tory leader's commitment to queer priorities.

The recreational drug, a muscle relaxant used largely by men who have sex with men, requires a prescription and circulates in the grey market due to its limited availability, potentially jeopardizing users' safety.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner recently sent a letter asking the federal health minister to study the benefits and harms of alkyl nitrites  the official name for poppers  amid a lack of attention that the lawmaker attributes to stigmatization of LGBTQ health care.

At a campaign stop in Ottawa, O'Toole said Tories will advocate for LGBTQ community members, including through requests to Health Canada, with an eye to creating a safer supply.

I want members of the LGBT community to know if they want something looked at, if theyre advocating for an issue  as Michelle has, as I have, as other members of our caucus have  we want to make sure that a federal government is responsive to the needs of all Canadians in all communities," O'Toole told reporters Thursday.

We will advocate, including asking for Health Canada to examine issues of concern to the LGBT community."

O'Toole repeated his criticism of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's "broken promise" to end a discriminatory policy that prevents many gay and bisexual men from donating blood.

Canada introduced a lifetime ban for gay men in 1992 and in 2013 changed it so blood would be accepted from a man who abstained from sex with another man for at least five years.

The waiting period then dropped to one year and became three months in 2019.

Recently, Canadian Blood Services said that by the end of 2021, it would recommend to Health Canada that it remove the waiting period and bring in screening for all donors based on sexual behaviour.

Trudeau has acknowledged ending the blood ban was a Liberal platform plank dating back to 2015, reiterating Thursday that the federal government is committed to realizing that goal.

"We recognize that Canadian Blood Services is independent from government, but we can give them the tools to be able to do it and that's what we've been working on," the Liberal leader said in Victoria.

Trudeau also sought to draw a line between Liberals and Conservatives on conversion therapy.

It is not right for anyone to be told that they are broken or imperfect or there's something wrong with them," he said.

"It is going to be an absolute priority for us if we get re-elected. And unfortunately, we do have to highlight the contrast of the fact that there is a party out there (whose) members majoritively voted against banning conversion therapy."

A bill to ban LGBTQ conversion therapy that the Liberals introduced late in the spring sitting faced pushback from some Tory legislators, providing an opening for the Liberals to exploit after 62 of 119 Conservative MPs voted against the legislation.

The Tory platform unveiled this week states: "Conservatives have been clear in our opposition to conversion therapy and attempts to forcibly change a persons sexual orientation."

Len Tooley, a director at the Community-Based Research Centre, said he was "pleased" to hear O'Toole's pledge on poppers.

Instead of protecting the health of Canadians, the actions of Health Canada have threatened the health of Canadians, and its unclear why that was done," he said.

A crackdown by the department on the sale of non-prescription alkyl nitrites starting in 2013 drove the market underground, he said.

The truth is that that did not impact the level of the use of poppers. What it did was create an unsafe supply where people dont know the type or quality of the product that theyre getting."

That risk carried personal consequences for Tooley, who started suffering from a type of vision loss called retinal atrophy that he linked back to a particular chemical compound in some poppers.

About one in three Canadian men surveyed in an annual report by his Vancouver-based centre said they had used the drug in the previous six months.

Health Canada has pointed to difficulties users might have controlling how much of the drug they inhale, potentially leading to overdose, particularly for users with certain medical conditions.

The Conservative platform views addiction and the opioids epidemic "as the health issue that it is." Police should focus on traffickers and the government's "overarching goal" should be recovery, it states.

"The last thing that those suffering from addiction should have to worry about is being arrested," the policy reads, pledging to revise Ottawa's substance abuse policy framework.

Garth Mullins, a representative of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), an advocacy group, says the approach marks an improvement from former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper's tough-on-crime stance.

"They're saying some of the right words in that policy."

Nonetheless, a focus on recovery and abstinence is "misplaced" as it misidentifies the crux of the crisis, Mullins said.

"For them, the problem is that people use drugs; for me, the problem is that people die. And the more you try to police drug users or the drug supply, the more contaminated the drug supply gets," he said.

"Recovery is a lovely idea, but we need triage right now."

Health Canada is currently working with Vancouver on the city's request for exemption from criminal provisions on simple possession of small amounts of drugs.

Vancouver has been the epicentre of an opioid crisis that saw B.C. record 1,176 illicit drug overdose deaths in 2020  the highest ever in a single year  and more than 7,000 deaths since a public health emergency was declared in April 2016.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2021.
SAULNIERVILLE, N.S. - Days after he was arrested by federal Fisheries Department officers, Sipeknekatik First Nation Chief Mike Sack said Friday his band members will continue to fish in St. Marys Bay whether Ottawa likes it or not.

Fishing boats from the Sipekne'katik First Nation prepare for the start of its self-regulated treaty lobster fishery in Saulnierville, N.S., on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Chief Mike Sack says members of the Sipeknekatik First Nation will fish until the end of the year as planned, despite the fact federal officers continue to haul his community's traps from the water. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

SAULNIERVILLE, N.S. - Days after he was arrested by federal Fisheries Department officers, Sipeknekatik First Nation Chief Mike Sack said Friday his band members will continue to fish in St. Marys Bay whether Ottawa likes it or not.

His community's self-regulated lobster fishery  opened months ahead of the start to the federally regulated season  will continue to operate until the end of the year as planned, he said in an interview.

Officers with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, known as DFO, have pulled his members' traps out of the water, but Sack says his community will replace them.

"For me it's simple," he said. "We have a right for this fishery and all we want them to do is to respect that and to let us govern our own fishery and to actually exercise that right."

The Sipeknekatik First Nation argues that a 1999 Supreme Court of Canada decision affirming its members' treaty right to fish allows them to harvest lobster year-round to earn a "moderate livelihood."

But the court has also said the government can regulate that treaty right for conservation and other limited purposes. Federal regulation dictates that the area where the Sipeknekatik First Nation fishery is operating in southwestern Nova Scotia  LFA 34  is open for lobster fishing from the last Monday in November until the end of May.

Last September, the band launched a self-regulated lobster fishery outside the federally regulated season, which led to violence and the burning of a lobster pound that stored Indigenous catch.

The band's traps aren't authorized under the Fisheries Act. And Noel d'Entremont with the Department of Fisheries says the federal agency will continue to remove the lobster traps and seize them as evidence.

The acting director of conservation and protection for the department, d'Entremont said in an interview Friday officers with his agency have collected "a couple hundred" traps in the area since Monday, about 90 of which were seized. He said about 500 live lobsters were released into the water.

On Monday, Sack announced his community had expanded and opened its lobster-fishing season, describing the operation as a "treaty fishery." He was arrested by fisheries officers shortly after and held at the DFO detachment in Meteghan, N.S., for about 45 minutes.

Sack said he was questioned for being party to the offence of (an) unauthorized fishery. He was not charged.

He said he hopes his band can operate its own fishery without being subject to enforcement operations by the federal government. The community has said it will operate under the guidelines of its own fisheries-management plan, which it has said is based on sound conservation principles.

When asked if the Fisheries Department plans on considering the community's conservation research, d'Entremont said, "the Government of Canada  is very interested in working with communities and making progress on negotiating moderate livelihood fishing licences."

"Other parts of our department are actively working on that," he added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2021.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
VICTORIA - Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said a re-elected Liberal government will give provinces up to $9 billion over the next five years to hike wages and train more workers in Canada's troubled long-term care homes.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau holds a campaign event in downtown Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

VICTORIA - Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said a re-elected Liberal government will give provinces up to $9 billion over the next five years to hike wages and train more workers in Canada's troubled long-term care homes.

"This pandemic laid bare unacceptable and heartbreaking conditions in too many long-term care homes across the country," Trudeau said, speaking outside the Veterans Memorial Lodge in Victoria Thursday.

"Think about it: we had to send the Armed Forces into retirement homes  in Canada."

The funding would triple the $3 billion promised in last spring's budget, and will require Ottawa to reach similar agreements with provincial governments to the child care deals signed in the days leading up to the election call.

Provinces that want the federal money for long-term care will have to agree to hike wages to at least $25 an hour, for instance. There will also be funds to train 50,000 more workers, and money to improve both the quality of care and capacity in care homes.

The Liberals intend to ensure nationwide standards with new legislation called the Safe Long-Term Care Act.

The budget money was to go to provinces which agreed to implement new national standards for long-term care that are being developed currently by the Health Standards Organization and Canadian Standards Association.

Those standards aren't expected to be ready until late 2022 at the earliest, but the funds Trudeau discussed Thursday could start to flow to provinces before, if agreements can be reached on how the money will be spent.

Trudeau visited with residents at the facility before Thursday's announcement, and several told him the care they received was fantastic. He said he knew that because his grandmother had lived out her life there before she died in 2012.

Thats one of the challenges were facing where quality of care across the country is uneven, and even from place to place, and we want to make sure that all of our seniors get the kind of care that you guys are getting here.

The Veterans Memorial Lodge was not among the long-term care homes ravaged by COVID-19. A single staff case confirmed last fall did not spread to any other staff or a single resident, the facility reported in December 2020.

But hundreds of homes across Canada did not fare that well, as ineffective infection control measures, low standards of care, and in many cases, low wages for staff, had devastating consequences. More than 55,000 residents and more than 29,000 long-term care workers have been infected with COVID-19.

The Ryerson University National Institute on Aging has tracked 15,217 COVID-19 deaths among long-term care residents since March 2020, 57 per cent of all deaths from the pandemic in Canada to date.

The Service Employees International Union Healthcare, which represents some long-term care workers in Ontario, welcomed the promise Thursday,

"Leadership at the federal level directly in support of our health care heroes is nothing short of historic for working women in the elder care economy," said SEIU Healthcare President Sharleen Stewart.

The Canadian Nurses Association said in a statement the promise is a "good start" but that long-term care reform has to be at the top of the next government's agenda.

Trudeau said he would work with the provinces, not micromanage long-term care, which is a provincial jurisdiction.

But Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet called on Trudeau to give up on the idea of creating national standards for long-term care homes.

"What Quebec needs to improve care for the elderly and support nursing staff is a fair share of federal funding through health transfers," Blanchet said in a statement in French.

Trudeau said he is open to discussing increasing health-care transfers with the premiers after the election.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was critical of the Liberals for voting against an NDP motion earlier this year to eliminate for-profit facilities from long-term care.

He voted against getting rid of profit from long-term care, making it clear he would rather protect the interests of the for-profit, billion-dollar corporations that profit off the backs of seniors, rather than putting seniors first," Singh said.

Liberals' Seniors Minister Deb Schulte said at the time that because long-term care is a provincial jurisdiction, not covered by the Canada Health Act, Ottawa does not have the ability to do what the NDP was demanding.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information says more than half of the long-term care homes in Canada are privately owned, and one-quarter are private-for-profit facilities.

Jodi Hall, CEO of The Canadian Association for Long Term Care, said they are "extremely pleased" to see the commitment from the Liberal party.

"We have just released our election platform document and we have three key areas of recommendations, one of which is a proposal for a sustainable model for funding and that is the Canada senior care transfer," she said.

"We have done a 10-year projection, where we believe $23 billion will be required."

 With files from Maan Alhmidi.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version reported that the Liberals are promising to hire 25,000 personal support workers. In fact, the number is 50,000.
Branson teacher Nancy Brashers was awarded two mini-grants form the Missouri Farm Bureau. Pictured left to right: Education and Promotion Chairman of the Taney County Farm Bureau Dan Swearengen, Nancy Brashers, and President of the Taney County Farm Bureau Ben Carpenter.
Harrisonburg, VA (22807)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms likely. Potential for flooding rains. High 74F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch..

Tonight

Rain showers early with clearing later at night. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
A week of mixed reactions

Bumper profits and big shareholder returns have continued into the second week of earnings season - but investor reactions have been decidedly mixed.

The bulk of the benchmarks top 200 companies have now reported, with firms including Domain Holdings, Dominos Pizza, Inghams, Carsales.com, Amcor, and Pro Medicus enjoying both strong figures, and strong shareholder support in the wake of their earnings.

And although the wider run of results has generally shown improved profit and dividend payouts, a number of companies were heavily sold down.

Investors fought over Dominos Pizza this week. Credit:AP

Sure, it has been a weak five days for the market with heightened coronavirus fears and plunging commodity prices, but there could also be a number of other factors at play.

Some firms such as - Beach Energy and Magellan - merely had a tough year.

Some had booming results, but were dumped after a predicted rise in costs. This was the case for Seven West Media, Netwealth, and Bendigo Bank, the latters decline described by E&Ps Matthew Wilson as misplaced.

Other firms reported huge results but still missed expectations - see Cochlear, Sezzle, and Sims - while the worsening lockdowns and threat of the COVID pandemic take up increasing space in investors minds.This was certainly a major factor in Lendlease and Breville results.

Elsewhere, merger and acquisition activity in the resources space created a bit of noise, with investors perhaps struggling to see though the major changes afoot at Santos, BHP and Woodside Petroleum.

All said, an adverse share price drop is not necessarily an indicator that a company has had a poor performance.

Anthony Golowenko, a portfolio manager at MLC Asset management, this week said it may also indicate the heightened expectations and sky-high prices heading into the season.

On the one hand, coming into this reporting season we had quite a lot of optimism, and prices were starting at reasonably elevated levels so what needs to be delivered is reasonably high expectations to support those prices, Mr Golowenko said.

So with that mindset and framework, I think the earnings that are coming through this earnings season is reasonably solid.

Miners in the dumps

The market could not escape the downward pull of our mining sector.

Despite BHP reporting a bumper result and dividends it could not escape the massive slide in iron ore prices. The ore declined 31 per cent from July 15 to August 18 as the markets priced in more restrictions on Chinas steel output later this year.

The price, which started the year just below $US160 a tonne, peaked at just over $US230 a tonne - feeding the blockbuster results by miners like BHP and Rio - dropped to a low of $US130 this week.

Sentiment this week was dominated by falling iron ore prices.

BHPs underlying $US17 billion ($23 billion) profit, and the $US15 billion of shareholder returns via dividends was also overshadowed by the spinoff of its oil and gas business to Woodside Petroleum and the ending of its awkward dual listing structure.

With dividends staying well ahead of market expectations, companies appear to be providing evidence of their healthy state while sharing that vigour with shareholders, Kalkine Group chief executive Kunal Sawhney said.

Logistics issues rearing their hear

We didnt need Toyota slashing its car production by 40 per cent, on chip supply issues, to tell us that global supply chains are still being squeezed by pandemic spasms.

Lynas has been grumbling since last year that it has had trouble shipping its rare earth ores to customers.

And this week Breville shed some light on just how big a problem it is for the group which makes domestic appliances that have flown off the shelves in lockdown like coffee machines.

The company told the market it is not afraid to hike its prices to protect profits as the company prepares to tackle rising inflation and higher shipping costs through the new financial year. But it also detailed the extra effort needed to source parts for its domestic appliances, getting the appliances made in a climate of high factory demand. And then there is the challenge of shipping it out to customers.

And the challenge has not stopped with Chinas Ningbo-Zhoushan port, one of the worlds busiest, closed last week due to COVID infections.
When the former NSW auditor-general Tony Harris described a $40 billion rail corporation as a rort and a vehicle for deception, it was a reminder of the fiscal dishonesty and lack of transparency that has become endemic in state and federal politics.

Financial mirages, sports rorts, car park rorts, grants rorts, land deal scandals and pork barrelling bushfire recovery funds are part and parcel of a political landscape of whatever it takes.

Tony Harris, the former NSW auditor- general, sees TAHE as a vehicle for deception. Credit:Fairfax Media

The NSW government, lauded as great economic managers and praised by Prime Minister Scott Morrison as the gold standard for its approach to managing the virus, is looking increasingly like it has feet of clay.

Its management of COVID-19 is a shambles. With one forlorn Sydneysider comparing its lockdown health information sheets to Tolstoys War and Peace. In length, totally incomprehensible, and subject to change at least twice a day.
Two books about the media have landed and the buzz is considerable. Reading these two books is akin to watching an episode of the TV drama Upstairs, Downstairs. Both concern themselves with the lived experience of those who went through the most tumultuous decade in Australian media history, when thousands of journalists lost their jobs as tectonic forces combined to reshape the landscape and destroy journalisms business model.

Upheaval concerns itself with the journalists who lived through the job losses that devastated print newsrooms, Media Unmade with the executives that made the cuts.

Two new books shine a light on print-era journalism, and the boardroom deals that shaped Australias rapidly changing media industry. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

First, lets head upstairs to mahogany row. Media Unmade starts as it means to go on. It is 2010, the start of medias most disruptive decade.

Anthony Catalano, property reporter-turned-entrepreneur, has exited The Age only to appropriate a large chunk of his old employers property ad revenue with a new classifieds business model that cuts in real estate agents. The Cat, as hes known, is basking in his business success while holidaying in Las Vegas when his mobile phone chirps.
Review: Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy, Anne Sebba, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, $32.99

The unsettling opening of Sylvia Plaths The Bell Jar  It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they executed the Rosenbergs  echoes the disturbing death of Ethel Rosenberg. At 8.08pm on June 19, 1953, Ethel was informed that her husband, Julius, had been pronounced dead minutes previously. The rabbi implored her, for the sake of her children, to recant and make a statement, any statement. She remained silent. Then she spoke: I am ready.

She was led to the white-walled death chamber and strapped to the same oak chair in which Julius had just been electrocuted. When the electrodes were attached, she stared defiantly into the faces of the guards. A leather mask was lowered over her face. At 8.11pm, the executioner sent 1800 electric volts through Ethels body. But she died slowly. The doctors applied their stethoscopes and found her still alive. Two more currents of electricity were administered, which triggered a plume of smoke arising from her head. At 8.16pm she was dead.

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg sit in a police van after being convicted of espionage in 1951. Credit:

Ethel Rosenberg was the only woman in American history to be executed for spying. The evidence against her was, at best, flimsy, and spousal knowledge of espionage was not in itself a crime. The chief assistant prosecutor, Roy Cohn, persuaded Ethels brother, David Greenglass  whose trial testimony was, literally, lethal  to commit perjury.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The legend goes like this. If you drink from Runaway Ghaut, a ravine that channels rainwater from the volcano to the sea on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, you will one day return. Artist and childrens book author Frane Lessac, who lived on the island between 1979 and 1983, remembers filling her young daughters bottle with that water when the family would regularly visit throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Her daughter, Cody Greenwood, is now 31, and she did more than return to the island. She has produced a documentary about it called Under the Volcano. It details the story of AIR Montserrat, one of the most legendary recording studios in the world  built by the Beatles producer George Martin in 1979  and what happened when two cataclysmic natural disasters struck the island. Australian film producer Cody Greenwood, left, as a child with her mother Frane Lessac and brother Luke on Montserrat in 1993. Credit:Mark Greenwood I instantly fell in love with the island and no place has ever felt like it before or since, says Lessac, sitting in the kitchen of the large Fremantle house she shares with her husband and fellow childrens book author, Mark Greenwood. I was in my 20s and Id been living in California, where I studied film, but I wanted to live somewhere in the Caribbean. I read about Montserrat, where the harbour was too shallow for cruise ships and the runway too short for jets. That sounded great to me. Her arrival coincided with the opening of Martins studio, and Lessac became friends with the legendary producer and his family and hung out with some of the famous musicians who came there to record. Many of them are now interviewed in her daughters documentary, in which they express their love for Montserrat and detail how it helped them get away from the paparazzi, the record companies and distractions of the city, and inspired them to reconnect and create, revitalising their careers in the process.

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Elton John arrived in 1982 with no songs and in the middle of a career slump following his 1970s heyday, and recorded three albums back to back  notably 1983s Too Low For Zero, which contained two of his most enduring hits, Im Still Standing and I Guess Thats Why They Call It The Blues, written on the island with Bernie Taupin. Elton John photographed at AIR Studios Montserrat where he recorded three albums. Credit:Martyn Goddard The Police recorded Ghost In The Machine (1981) and Synchronicity (1983) there, albums that catapulted them to superstar status, even as the band members relationships were falling apart. The video for Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic was filmed on Montserrat and includes many of the locals, along with footage of Martins studio. (Martin was displeased that guitarist Andy Summers danced on top of the precious Neve mixing desk in the video.) And following a period of estrangement between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones regrouped and healed old wounds to record their 1989 comeback album Steel Wheels. It was to be the final recording session at AIR Montserrat. Away from the distractions of the city: AIR Studios Montserrat in its heyday. Credit:Frank Oglethorpe The dream came to a terrible end on September 17, 1989, when Hurricane Hugo damaged or destroyed 90 per cent of the structures on the island. It left AIR Montserrat in ruins. Then, between 1995 and 1997, Montserrats volcano erupted, burying the capital, Plymouth, destroying the airport and making the southern half of the island uninhabitable. There were 19 deaths and two-thirds of the population of 10,000 left the island, half of them for the UK. The Police in the studio in 1981, from left, Andy Summers, Sting and Stewart Copeland. Credit:Getty Images

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We got permission to go to the studio to film, but its falling apart and very unsafe, says Cody Greenwood, sitting in her familys Fremantle kitchen. Everyone had to wear masks to protect us from mould and if you stepped on the wrong part of the floorboards you could fall right through. Everyone had to wear masks to protect us from mould and if you stepped on the wrong part of the floorboards you could fall right through. Producer Cody Greenwood She chose Gracie Otto to direct as she loved her 2013 documentary The Last Impresario, about legendary British theatre and film producer Michael White (famous for The Rocky Horror Show, Oh! Calcutta, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail). AIR founder and Beatles producer George Martin takes a call by the pool at his dream studio. Credit:Martyn Goddard Loading I feel that if Cody and I were on The Amazing Race together, wed win, says Otto via Zoom from Sydney. Were a great team. Were both very similar, but we both have different strengths. Shes an early bird and Im a night bird. Shes got a producer brain and Ive got a director brain. Weve spent so much time together making this film that now were like best friends. Otto and Greenwood agree the toughest thing about making Under the Volcano was getting the stars to talk on camera. They thought they were off to a flying start when the very first person on board was Sting, who was interviewed in New York. But the filmmakers had to keep pushing for other famous names. By far the hardest nut to crack was Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, who recorded his magnum opus, Brothers In Arms, at AIR Montserrat in 1984 and 1985.

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Director Gracie Otto, left, and producer Cody Greenwood in 2019 on the diving board where rock stars once sunbathed. Credit:Amanda Fordyce Cody tried for two years and he said no six or seven times before finally agreeing to do it, says Otto. Then when we got back from the interview, we discovered that the camera card had over-heated and we couldnt get the footage off it. I felt sick. We ended up having to send the card to Hong Kong to the manufacturer and they put it in a freezer for 10 days and extracted the footage minute by minute. Verdine White of Earth Wind and Fire recorded at the studio in 1980. But for Greenwood, the film was not just about getting the rock stars. Like her mother, she had become close to many of the residents when she was a kid, including George Tappy Morgan, the studio cook with the big personality, and Danny Sweeney, who taught Sting and other stars to windsurf. Interviewed in the film: legendary studio cook George Tappy Morgan. Credit:Frank Oglethorpe It was really important to me that everyone who sees the film experiences the magic of the place through the people who lived there, Greenwood says. I knew we couldnt make this film without their involvement. Lava flows from the volcanic eruption of the Soufriere Hills. Credit:Getty

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One of Greenwoods favourite interviews was with Rose Willock, a radio DJ who stayed on the air throughout the volcanic eruption, a calming voice for her people during the disaster. Willock also makes the observation that the locals were not starstruck by the famous musicians who arrived regularly throughout the 80s  she adds that if they were famous cricketers, it would have been a different story. Of course, the person who hovers over the film is George Martin, who died in 2016 at the age of 90. If Greenwood had a chance to speak to him, what would she have wanted to ask? Aftermath of the volcanic eruption in the centre of Plymouth, the capital of Montserrat. Credit:Getty Images I would have asked him about the creative process and what drew him to Montserrat, she says. But I really think a lot of George came through from the musicians we interviewed and also his son, Giles. And I love the archival footage, especially that scene of George on the balcony of AIR after the studio was destroyed. All that remains: AIR Studios Montserrat in 2019 Credit:Amanda Fordyce Indeed, that scene is the emotional heart of the film. As the famous producer surveys the ruins of his dream studio, he pauses and says, Its like everything in life, isnt it? Everything has a period. You bring something out of nothing and it always goes back to nothing again. After I first saw that footage, I had a sense of being at peace with what happened to the studio, says Greenwood. George was so accepting, and I think that was one of his great characteristics. He could accept change for what it was. He knew that AIR Montserrat had its time. And that time was over.

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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When she was 12, Molly Lewis was given a CD by her father. It was peculiar album that had gone largely unnoticed in the wider world, but it shifted her young life on its axis. The CD was Broadway and Beyond by Steve The Whistler Herbst, a veteran New York whistling champion. It included whistled medleys from Les Miserables and West Side Story, and the famous old standard, Danny Boy. The year was 2001, and Sydney-born Lewis was living with her parents and younger sister Annie in Los Angeles, where her father Mark made documentaries and her mother Rhyl worked as a music supervisor. While there were always melodies in the house  Rhyl liked old-time tunes, soundtracks, exotic music, and played piano herself  Lewis was the only family member who whistled while going about her daily activities. I wish I could say that I come from a long line of whistlers, says the now 31-year-old. I dont. But both my parents were very encouraging of my strange talent. Remembering the CD makes Mark Lewis laugh. He does that a lot as we talk about his older daughter, a laugh of pride and joy but also, you sense, some bemusement. I could talk about Molly all day long if you like. His daughters whistling was, at this stage, just another thread in the family fabric. Today, Lewis is fast whistling her way to indie stardom. Living again in LA, shes performed for all manner of hipster identities including Canadian musician Mac DeMarco, and Americans Karen O and Father John Misty as well as, more recently, Dr Dre, probably the biggest hip-hop producer in the world. In 2017, she performed by request at the deathbed of cult American actor Harry Dean Stanton (Paris, Texas, Blue Velvet, Alien) after appearing in an LA tribute show to him. She whistled Danny Boy and Just a Closer Walk from Thee, a country-gospel number he had sung in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke. When she finished, Stanton kissed her hand. Today Lewis hosts her show, Cafe Molly, at a kitschy lounge bar in LA. She has whistled at gallery openings and at the roller-skating club of actor John C. Reilly, as well as touring with various bands. And in a major step up, next month she will release her first recording: a wonder- fully odd and beautiful EP of whistled originals, The Forgotten Edge, that pay homage to 1950s film noir, spaghetti westerns, jazz and old Hollywood. John C. Reilly appears in the video clip for the EP, which is on the uber-hip label Jagjaguwar, tastemakers behind alternative stars Bon Iver, Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten.

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One song from the EP, Oceanic Feeling, pays tribute to Alessandro Alessandroni, who whistled and played guitar for Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone in the 1960s, including on Leones A Fistful of Dollars and Once upon a Time in the West. Molly Lewis as a child  while she hails from a musical home, she is the only family member who whistles. Molly Lewis was born in Sydney, the first of two daughters to Mark, who wrote and directed the 1988 hit documentary Cane Toads: An Unnatural History, and Rhyl, who works on soundtracks for films, including many of her husbands documentaries. The family moved to LA when Lewis was a baby so that Mark could chase work. He recalls his daughter giving whistling recitals when friends came over, first there, then again in Mullumbimby, on the NSW North Coast, to which the family moved when Lewis was 13. After one of these evenings, a friend told her father: She is extraordinary. Perfect pitch. While Lewis doesnt recall when she started whistling, her father insists she has always done it, suggesting its a subconscious urge, a bit like humming, rather than something she was taught. For a parent to hear his young daughter whistling around the house is beautiful, because its a sign of contentment, Mark says with a laugh. The funny thing is that when it goes

on for 12 or 14 hours a day ... The Steve Herbst CD played a huge role in young Mollys musical education. It had a picture of Herbst on the back, lying across the bonnet of an Oldsmobile Aurora in an orange knitted jumper, tight pants and boots. The car had the number plate WHISTLR. Whistled showtunes! Mark says of the CD. It was fabulous. I remember now! I think she saw the potential, so to speak. One day, when Lewis was ensconced at Byron Bay High School, her father showed her the hilarious 2005 documentary Pucker Up, which follows an

international whistling competition in Louisburg, North Carolina (population 3500). Herbst is in it; in one dramatic scene the CD backing his whistling

begins to skip. The judges give him dispensation to start again. High-stakes stuff. Whistling, he says in the film, is an idea whose time has returned.

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Pucker Up observes all the minutiae of the oddball contest but also goes beyond it to outline the history of whistling  the ancient mouth-music languages of the Canary Islands and beyond, the classical arias written for flute and whistle, the folk songs and work songs and the golden age of whistling, from the 1920s until the 1950s. Elmo Tanner, Muzzy Marcellino, Blind Fred Lowery, all the greats. Lewis loved it. I made the fateful remark at that time by saying, Molly, when you are old enough, Im going to take you to the world whistling competition,  says Mark. She held me to that. After finishing school, Lewis, whod been voted school captain in year 12 after whistling on stage for her peers, enrolled at Sydney University, where she studied arts and film. After graduating, she went travelling and ended up in Berlin, where she frequented electronic dance clubs, a period she calls my techno years. Loading In 2012 her father, by now back working in the US, invited her over to LA from Europe, where he sensed she was drifting a little, for a road trip that would take in the Louisburg meeting that had featured in Pucker Up. Before the show, he took her to a thrift shop for a cocktail dress she could perform in. Lewis entered the competition, whistling Crazy by Patsy Cline and the Queen of the Night aria from Mozarts The Magic Flute. It was incredible, she says. So many characters from all over the world. The towns folk were excited about the competition. It was a [mockumentary director] Christopher Guest movie come to life, really interesting and wacky and fun. I was able to meet whistlers in a way Id never done and see them do incredible things. When I was first getting good, I always wanted to get better and learn more, but I didnt know where to turn. Who could I talk to who was another whistler? She didnt win in Louisburg  she received a novelty prize for the contestant whod travelled the furthest  but it confirmed her path. I realised I could whistle like them, and whistle the songs they whistled. Settling back in LA, she started going to open-mic nights at the urging of her father, including at the Kibitz Room, a bar at the citys storied Canters Deli. She gradually forged music and film connections while working behind the scenes on TV commercials, eventually launching Cafe Molly, in which she whistles with a revolving group of musicians at various LA venues.

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Performing at Sydneys Oxford Art Factory in 2015. Credit:Jon Lewis Lewis jokes about her maintenance routine of lip balm and a special mouthwash recommended to her by a trumpeter. She knows whistling is central to being human; something weve done since before we could speak, used to hunt and communicate. She enjoys the lore and superstitions, tales involving sailors and demons born from myth and spirits. For a long time in many cultures it was considered bad juju for women to whistle, and she knows those yarns, too. A man once accosted her for whistling while walking in Sydney, shouting, Whistling attracts ghosts! Whistling is so strange for a lot of people, she says. I find that interesting  hearing it without context. I forget sometimes that what I do is different. I meet people all the time who cant whistle but I never know what to say. I couldnt even explain to someone exactly how to whistle. Whistling is so strange for a lot of people. I find that interesting  hearing it without context. I forget sometimes that what I do is different. There must be something about the make-up of a good whistlers jaw, lips and tongue that allows them to do what most of us cant. To mimic birds and make them respond; to whistle like trumpets in tune; to double-whistle (make two notes at the same time). Lewis thinks its a whole mix of things. What is the thing that makes me able to do this? Its just air, she says. A lot of it is breathing and being able to whistle breathing in and out. Oh, and tongue control.

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A stoush is brewing among Australias car suppliers over the best way to track the industrys carbon dioxide emissions with even the government-run National Transport Commission unhappy with its access to accurate data.

Big carmakers, including Volkswagen and Toyota, have tangled over how best to report emissions of new vehicles in the absence of federally mandated standards. The industry, for now, has settled on data standards that appear to favour Toyotas hybrid petrol-electric vehicles over emerging electric vehicles brands.

Australian emissions standards from our new cars trails all European nations surveyed by the National Transport Commission. The story may be even murkier. Credit:AP

The issue was crystallised in the recent release of the 2020 National Transport Commissions annual survey of the emissions intensity for new cars. The survey relies on the cooperation of industry lobby group, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, which last year altered reporting methods in a way that prevented the Commission from making comparisons with previous years.

It has caused a break in our established methodology and that is unfortunate, Mandi Mees, an NTC executive, said. It is what it is, and we have to work with it.
Environment and Climate Action Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said she would carefully consider the report and its strategic advice. Loading Exmouth Gulf is a significant and valuable asset for all West Australians, she said. Understanding potential cumulative impacts on the social, cultural and environmental values of the gulf ensures we are equipped with the right knowledge to complete environmental assessments. There is already a proposal in the works for a new national park covering the southern and eastern shores of the gulf which is supported by the EPA.

EPA chairman professor Matthew Tonts said there was a risk impacts from both existing and potential pressures may not be sustainable for the gulf. While there is a broadly held view that Exmouth Gulf is a relatively pristine environment, its long history of development has contributed to considerable environmental change, he said. Our strategic advice shows there is an opportunity to strengthen the protection of Exmouth Gulf through avoidance of activities and development that could use alternative locations. The EPA has also recommended a new co-ordinating body is set up with a defined role around planning, environmental protection and management of the gulf. Port developer welcomes EPA findings

The boss of the proposed Gascoyne Gateway project, a renewable energy-powered single-jetty deep water port 10 kilometres south of the Exmouth town site, said the EPA report did not preclude new development. The companys chief executive Michael Edwards said having a properly regulated port would mitigate the existing impacts from marine traffic, as highlighted by the report, with better management. We will continue to seek environmental approval from the EPA, which has set the highest possible standard for assessing our project, he said. Gascoyne Gateway wants to build a single-jetty deep-water port and renewable hub near Exmouth. Credit:Gascoyne Gateway The jetty project is close in proximity to Qualing Pool, but Mr Edwards said the company hoped it could work with traditional owners to enhance the environmental, social and cultural values of the site.

Through our engagement with the traditional owners and the local community over the last year, we have come to understand the importance and significance of Qualing Pool, he said. At present, Qualing Pool is not protected or managed in any way. Green groups like Protect Ningaloo remain steadfast against the port and other projects like a proposed salt operation, by K+S Salt, on the north-east of the gulf. The Ashburton Salt project falls outside the proposed footprint of a new national park but is also facing opposition from WA billionaire couple Andrew and Nicola Forrest, who lodged an objection through their pastoral company against an application for a mining lease by K+S given it is on their property Urala Station. The Forrests are facing their own environmental challenges, however, with an exploration lease for a potash project on the eastern gulf boundary within the proposed national park.

A redevelopment of a tourist resort at the tip of the peninsula owned by the couple is also facing both state and federal environmental reviews in concert with a proposed realignment of a road to go behind the site and through the limestone ranges. Marine fauna values in a poor state The EPA found marine fauna values for sea snakes, turtles, dugongs, seabirds and shorebirds were in a poor state. Seabirds and shorebirds were found to be in poor condition, primarily due to direct disturbance of burrows and nests from trampling and unmanaged off-road vehicles on foreshore and coastal dune areas, the report said. Anecdotal evidence suggests the current state of some teleost fish species such as trevally, red emperor and coral trout populations may be poor due to their popularity as targeted recreational fishing species.

Loading Professor Tonts said further deterioration of values should be avoided through the establishment of an integrated management approach to further activities and development. Within Exmouth Gulf, avoidance of environmental disturbance should be a key consideration for all new developments in site selection, he said. The EPA noted recreational fishing outside the Ninagloo marine park and off-road driving and camping on beaches was not being adequately managed, with an expansion of tourism sectors likely to lead to an increase in activity. Fishing trip limits were recently reduced from 20 kilograms of demersal fish fillets to 10 kilograms as of July 1 after a push from recreational anglers including fishers in Exmouth.

Recfishwest chief executive Andrew Rowland said the gulf was incredibly important for fishers given its unique wilderness experience. The Gulf is also one of WAs most accessible wilderness areas and attracts dedicated sport fishers from across the country and globe, he said. Any large-scale development  industrial or tourism  that may put the Gulfs wilderness value at risk is a concern to Recfishwest. As active contributors into this EPA review process, Recfishwest look forward to continuing in future discussions about how the values provided by Exmouth Gulf can be protected, forever. Protect Ningaloo director Paul Gamblin said he thought the overall direction of the report indicated the gulf should be treated just like the reef.
Police have appealed for public help to find a Sydney man who they say has tested positive for COVID-19 and has failed to isolate.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Anthony Karam, 27, who police allege has failed to isolate as directed by the Public Health Order.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for Anthony Karam, 27. Credit:NSW Police

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant issued a public warning statement, saying Mr Karam posed a risk to the health or safety of the public.

The community is warned to avoid contact with Mr Karam and not approach him, she said.
I live in a local government area of concern. The news from Fridays press conference ricocheted around my community like a bullet. There were tears, disbelief, anger. My friends and neighbours have been trying so hard to do the right thing for so long, yet the screws have tightened even further. It wouldnt feel so oppressive if Sydney was all in this together, but theres no longer any pretence of that.

Police drive up our streets, cycle along walking tracks and check on us from helicopters. Im a white, middle-class woman who has never had an adverse encounter with law enforcement, but its difficult to avoid a sense of panic when a squad car slows to check on me as I watch my kids scootering up the lane.

Near me are long blocks of apartments, many of them home to new migrants. Children play on the footpaths; they dont have backyards. In some parts of the council area, playgrounds are shut and basketball hoops have been taken down. Residents are hanging their washing on their balconies, to avoid interaction with others in the communal laundry.

A resident of Fairfield enjoys the sun during Sydneys lockdown. Credit:Janie Barrett

At least theyve been able to get out for a walk, with a mask, until now. Soon theyll only be able to leave their apartment for an hour a day.
In my eleventh day of hotel quarantine, I have no complaints. The challenges for physical and mental health are obvious, and those are for each individual to cope with. A nurse is at the other end of the phone if I need someone, other than family and friends, to talk with.

Using hotels for this purpose has been deemed a least-worst solution to the need to isolate returned international travellers. It might be overkill in my case  I have been working in a COVID bubble in Japan since July 19 reporting on the Olympics, submitted 23 negative COVID tests in the 25 days prior to entering hotel quarantine in Sydney and two more since  but the blunt instrument of quarantine is obviously one thing that has kept Australias infection rate lower than most of the worlds. The current outbreak, of course, is believed to have started from a leak out of hotel quarantine operations, which emphasises both the flaws and the necessity of this model.

Lockdown is normalising the presence of police and the defence force in Australian lives. Credit:Kate Geraghty

While the overall principle is sound, the improper, politically motivated use of institutions and symbols of authority to enforce it leaves me with increasing concerns as I peer out through the tunnel of my lockdown into yours. If I wanted to join you and left my room, caught the lift and tried to exit, I would quickly realise that I am not a guest but an internee.

At the start of the hotel quarantine process, when you walk through Sydney Airport and board your hotel-bound bus, you realise that you have passed into the hands of the state police and the Australian Defence Force. Suddenly, everyone is wearing a uniform. My escorts were friendly and polite, but I didnt quite grasp that I was under armed guard until it had already started.
A committee considering Queenslands proposed voluntary euthanasia laws has recommended they pass through Parliament as written, suggesting only that the Commonwealth act urgently to ensure doctors giving advice to regional residents are not exposed to federal laws.

But three of the health and environment committees six members  all of the non-Labor MPs  have tabled their own dissenting or reserved-decision reports, in a sign of the intense debate to come next month ahead of a rare conscience vote given by both major parties.

If passed by the states unicameral parliament, Queensland would become the fifth Australian state to introduce such laws behind South Australia  which passed its bill in June  Western Australia and Victoria. Credit:Jason South

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk introduced the long-awaited bill in May to allow suffering Queensland-based adults the ability to end their lives under strict criteria including a diagnosed eligible condition expected to cause death within a year, and capacity to make the decision themselves without coercion.

If passed by the states unicameral parliament, Queensland would become the fifth Australian state to introduce such laws behind South Australia  which passed its bill in June  Western Australia and Victoria, the only state where they are operational.
In one email they told the pope that Bishop Daniel was not a Shepherd but a failed property tycoon. In another, they accused him of devoting his time to property investments rather than the spiritual needs of the Flock. Pope Tawadros II, the head of Egypts Coptic Orthodox Church. Credit:AP According to its financial statement for the year ended June 30, 2020, the church had land and buildings valued at $154 million. In late 2019 Pope Tawadros II sent several bishops to Sydney to investigate the allegations against the bishop.

Four months earlier, Bishop Daniel had declared that the five bishops he had appointed to conduct an inquiry into the allegations against him had determined those claims were unfounded and false. Former Deputy Commissioner of NSW Police, Nick Kaldas, is one of the current trustees of the church. Credit:Daniel Munoz However, in January 2020 the pope issued a Papal Decree which stated that after reviewing the report of the investigating Bishops he had decided to strip Bishop Daniel of his administrative and financial duties. The caveats were subsequently withdrawn. An interim board of trustees has been appointed in his place. The board comprises Metropolitan (Archbishop) Tadros, who is in Egypt, and prominent Sydney church members Dr Medhat Guirgis and Nick Kaldas, a former NSW Police Deputy Commissioner. The Financial Crimes Squad confirmed that an investigation was underway. A spokesperson said it was inappropriate to comment further on the matter.

Bishop Daniel declined to answer questions, including how many properties the church owned and whether he had previously put caveats in his own name on any of them. His lawyer, Rob Tassell from Pikes and Verekers, said it would be inappropriate for the Bishop to comment given the inquiries by the Crown Solicitors Office. He added: If there is an ongoing police investigation, that is another reason why it would be inappropriate for our client to respond to your questions or make any comment. He said the Bishop had not been spoken to by NSW detectives. In recent years Bishop Daniel has been a polarising and controversial figure within the NSW diocese, which also covers Queensland and the Northern Territory. According to its website, there are 22 churches in NSW, six in Queensland and one in the Northern Territory.

Its estimated there are some 80-90,000 churchgoers nationally, mainly of Egyptian heritage. The Attorney General, Mark Speakman, confirmed that complaints had been made to his office more than two and a half years ago. My office has received complaints about alleged maladministration with the Coptic Orthodox Church (NSW) Property Trust, the first of which was received in November, 2018. Mr Speakman said he had instructed the Crown Solicitors Office to provide advice concerning the alleged breaches but added that the issues raised are complex. (Under legislation, the Attorney General is the protector of charitable trusts in NSW).

He confirmed that NSW Police have commenced a criminal investigation. In a separate letter to one of the complainants, the CSO said the police were looking into the actions of certain individuals. Several people with knowledge of the complaints said they were deeply disappointed with the inaction of the Crown Solicitors Office and asked why, if the complaints alleged criminal conduct, they were not referred to NSW Police more than two years ago. One critic of Bishop Daniel, who did not wish to be identified, spoke of their spiritual leaders foolish frolics which had to be brought to a halt. Another said the Bishop had absolutely divided the community into for and against.
By Arundhati Sarkar

(Reuters) - Indian rice export prices slipped this week to four-and-a-half year lows due to thin demand and higher shipping costs, while COVID-19 curbs in Vietnam pushed rates to 1-1/2-year lows.

Top exporter India's 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $352 to $356 per tonne this week, down from last week's $354 to $358.

"Buyers have taken a pause due to higher They are waiting for shipping and container charges to come down," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Vietnam's 5% broken rice edged lower to $385 per tonne on Thursday - their lowest since February 2020 - from $390 a week earlier.

"Traders are hesitant to sign new export contracts, as they are not sure if they can purchase rice from farmers amid the coronavirus movement restrictions," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.

The trader said high shipping cost also hindered export activities.

Earlier this week, Vietnam's agriculture minister said the country would consider cutting the area under rice cultivation if prices of the grain fell further, to make way for other crops that were more profitable.

Thailand's 5% broken rice prices edged up to $387-$400 per tonne this week, from $380-$395 per tonne a week ago, their lowest in more than two years.

But demand remained largely flat, while a weak baht kept prices at low levels, Bangkok-based traders said.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh cut the import duty on rice to 15% from 25%, the second reduction since December, in an effort to bolster reserves and cool record local prices of the staple grain, officials said.

Bangladesh, traditionally the world's third-biggest rice producer, has emerged as a big importer of the grain due to depleted stocks and record local prices after repeated flooding ravaged its crop last year.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka and Patpicha Tanakasempipat in Bangkok; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

(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 latest government attempt to ensure the safe and sustainable disposal of fly ash--a toxic residue left over from burning coal--could end up damaging India's farmlands, water bodies and fragile habitats, say researchers and activists. Fly ash is known to cause air and water pollution.

Coal and lignite-based thermal power plants should "ensure 100% utilisation of ash generated by it in an eco-friendly manner", said an April 22, 2021 notification of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Over the last two decades, the Indian government has been issuing similar notifications on the disposal and utilisation of fly ash. Its recommendations have varied: use it to manufacture building material and in construction work; apply it as soil conditioner in farms and use it to reclaim low-lying areas and empty mines. However, over 50% of industries remain non-compliant, mostly dumping the ash in the open, in water bodies and in unlined and uncovered pits.

There have been eight major incidents involving coal ash in India between August 2019 and May 2021, as per a status report by Fly Ash Watch Group, a collective of activist individuals and organisations across India. The Singrauli region spread across Singrauli district in Madhya Pradesh and Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh accounted for half of these.

In 2019-20, 197 thermal plants in India generated 226 million tonnes of fly ash. And nearly 1.6 billion tonnes of it are scattered over 65,000 acres of land, as of 2019.

Accidents happen mostly when fly ash overflows or breaks through the embankment of ash ponds where it has been dumped. An ash pond is designed with an embankment all around and an internal and external drainage system. It needs to be constantly monitored for safety and spillage.

Environmentalists have been urging the government to delete "filling of low lying area" as an accepted use of fly ash. "There are no clear guidelines on what constitutes a 'low-lying area'," said Rahul Choudhary, Supreme Court advocate and founding member of the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE). Even riverine stretches and wetlands can be considered low-lying, he pointed out.

Little action has been taken against erring units, as we detail later. We reached out to the MoEFCC for comments on fly ash mismanagement. This article will be updated as and when we receive a response.

Coal-based power plants are among the most polluting industries in India, significantly responsible for its dire air pollution levels, studies have shown. Coal-based thermal power plants are water intensive, using more water than permitted, IndiaSpend has reported in September 2019.

Rules diluted over the years

Over 76 fly ash accidents have been reported in mainstream English media in the last decade, killing people and extensively damaging water sources, air and soil, said a joint 2020 study by the Healthy Energy Initiative and Community Environmental Monitoring, a clean energy advocacy. Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have the highest number of coal-based thermal power plants and report the most fly ash accidents, according to the study.

Fly ash spillage is hard to fix and polluters and authorities have shown no interest in cleaning up, observed experts. "Once water is contaminated there is no undoing [the contamination], but even for the visible spots of ash spillage there is no clean-up undertaken by plant authorities," said Shripad Dharmadhikary, analyst at the research organisation Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, who also co-authored the Fly Ash Watch report. "The eight major incidents [August 2019 - May 2021] don't take into account the ash spill that happens routinely."

The government has been attempting to tackle the problem since 1999.

The first official notification on the subject came in 1999 and it outlined some methods for the constructive use of fly ash--to manufacture cement, concrete blocks and bricks and in the construction of roads and embankments within a 100-km radius of thermal power plants.

However, subsequent notifications--in 2003, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020 and the latest, in 2021--diluted the definition of and deadline for ash utilisation by polluters. They allowed the reclamation of low-lying areas and abandoned mines using ash, extended deadlines for polluters, raised the distance over which fly ash can be transported and did away with the ash content cap in coal.

In 2019-20, the power sector consumed 678 million tons of coal and generated 226 million tonnes of ash. Of this, only 187 million tonnes (82%) was put to use in various ways. The remaining waste piled up, damaging the environment.

The Centre for Science and Environment analysed state wise-data on ash generation and utilisation between 2010 and 2019 and found Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh had accumulated the most ash during this period. And Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha have huge ash backlogs. In order to minimise this pollution, urgent measures are needed, said experts.

On the draft notification, the Manthan Adhyayan Kendra commented that it "appears to prioritise full disposal of fly ash without adequate considerations of the safety of health and environment". The think-tank Centre for Policy Research also noted the need to take into account "non-compliance induced breaches of ash dykes and ponds and present preventive and restitutive measures for the same". Apart from legal issues, it pointed to "serious impacts such as contamination of farmlands, common use areas, water bodies and air, for years".

Periodic disasters, no action

"In the last two decades since the notification was first introduced, the problem of fly ash has escalated. The subsequent notifications have allowed violations which have led to fly ash breach accidents and the regulatory authorities are clueless on how to handle it," said Shweta Narayan, an environmental justice activist and campaigner for climate and health with Health Care Without Harm in India.

In June 2021, a fly ash breach accident was reported in Chattisgarh's Korba thermal power plant, said Savita Rath, a local activist and lawyer. "Only three plants--Jindal's Raigarh power plant, Korba West plant and DB power plant--have ponds to dispose of ash. So many other plants in Chhattisgarh don't have any mechanism in place. And, even in these ponds, ash is piled up like small hills. Is there no limit to how much one can accumulate in the ponds?"

Earlier, in April 2020, the wall of the Reliance Thermal Plant's ash pond in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh collapsed claiming at least two lives, destroying agricultural land and contaminating groundwater. The Singrauli region houses 10 thermal power plants. It is a preferred industrial location because it offers easy access to coal and water from the nearby Rihand reservoir. In the last two years alone, four of the eight major ash pond breach incidents took place in the region.

"Around six months before the collapse of the [ash pond] wall, local villagers and gram panchayat members had protested and warned that the wall of the pond could collapse anytime," said Sandeep Sahu, a local activist, on the Reliance Plant accident. "This was [the result of] long-term negligence." The district collector's office had also warned plant officials about the precariousness of the ash dyke but no action was taken, said a Newsclick report.

Truant units undeterred by strictures

Since 2013, Supreme Court advocate and environmentalist Ashwani Kumar Dubey has filed several petitions in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on fly ash disposal in the Rihand reservoir. All the thermal plants in the region are located on the banks of the reservoir, he told IndiaSpend. "The reservoir is the only source of drinking water for the people of Singrauli and Sonbhadra districts and the entire water body has been contaminated, making it unfit for consumption," Dubey said. In several cases, the NGT has reprimanded plant authorities but that does not appear to work as a deterrent.

The North Chennai Thermal Power Plant is a case in point. The litigation on ash slurry leaks has been going on for years. In 2017, the NGT had warned the plant of total closure if it failed to contain the discharge. In January 2020, the tribunal even imposed a penalty of Rs 8.34 crore. Despite this, the pollution continues.

Fly ash transportation is also hazardous. India exports large quantities of fly ash to Bangladesh, where it is used to make cement and it is transported through the Sundarbans by barges. Five incidents of capsizing of such barges occurred in 2020, according to the reply to a Right-to-Information request filed by the Manthan Adhyayan Kendra.

"Containing the spread of pollutants is more difficult in the water and when combined with heavy rains or cyclones, it is dispersed to a longer and wider stretch of the water bodies," Avli Verma, an analyst at the Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, told IndiaSpend. There are no studies in the public domain to assess the damage caused by fly ash to water bodies in various accidents.

We reached out to the Inland Waterways Authority of India on whether any damage assessment is undertaken when fly ash barrages capsize. We will update when we receive a response.

Deemed non-hazardous waste

In 2000, the ministry reclassified fly ash as solid waste from "hazardous industrial waste", and put it in the same category as household waste. As solid waste, fly ash is subject to different and far less stringent regulations on how it should be handled unlike hazardous waste, said Narayan of Health Care Without Harm.

Since 2009, the Expert Appraisal Committee--which assesses the environmental impact of a project for the MoEFCC--has been directing plant authorities to not dispose of ash in low-lying areas in their environment clearance conditions (see here, here and here). However, the 2019 office memorandum by the ministry deleted this condition with retrospective effect.

In the case of Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power Ltd Plant in Ghatampur, Kanpur Nagar, the environment clearance directed the plant authorities to put in place mechanisms for the continuous monitoring of radioactivity and heavy metals in fly ash.

"None of the orders have been complied [with]. The state agencies are also in denial mode," said SC advocate Dubey. He approached the Supreme Court on non-compliance in the Rihand reservoir case, but the matter is pending because of the ongoing pandemic.

The NGT has been imposing penalties on erring plants in several cases but it does not factor in the ongoing contamination and the damage this causes to the lives and livelihoods of those living in the vicinity and to its long-term ecological impact, Choudhary said.

Fears over increased coal production

Over the years, with an increase in power generation, India has been seeing an increase in coal ash generation. As the amount of fly ash increased, the environment ministry brought in, as we said, several notifications and amendments to the notifications aiming to achieve 100% utilisation of fly ash within a specified deadline.

"Utilisation targets are difficult to achieve," said Dharmadhikary of the Manthan Adhyayan Kendra. Legacy ash--unused over years--and the freshly generated ash piles up in ash ponds or open fields. Without adequate legal action against violators and weak compliance, breaches will continue undeterred, said activists.

With the opening up of the coal sector for commercial mining by private players in 2018, and with reduced oversight, there will be further increase in ash generation, it is feared.
More than 356,000 people died in 2019 as a result of extreme heat and that number is likely to grow, according to a study published in The Lancet this week.

The Global Burden of Disease review, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found while cold temperatures still cause a greater number of deaths, mortality rates attributable to heat are growing faster, particularly in hotter regions of the world.

This is very concerning, particularly given the risk of exposure to high temperatures appears to have been increasing steadily for decades, said co-author Katrin Burkart from the University of Washington.

The findings echo another report, a two-part series called Heat and Health that was also published in The Lancet this week. It calls for global warming to be limited to 2.7 degrees F, in line with the Paris Climate Accords, to reduce heat-related mortality in the future. Otherwise, deaths will increase further and extreme heat will also lessen worker productivity and exacerbate other environmental challenges, such as wildfires, researchers said.

The effects extreme heat exposure can have on the body present a clear and growing global health issue, said Ollie Jay, a professor from the University of Sydney, and a co-author of the Heat and Health report.

In addition to causing heat stroke, high temperatures have been linked to increased hospitalizations and mental health issues. Older people and other vulnerable groups, such as those with low mobility, are likely to be more at risk. High temperatures can also reduce productivity. Around 1 billion workers, many engaged in manual labor, often report lower output due to heat stress.

Even with strategies to slow and reduce carbon emissions, environmentally sustainable changes need to be made to adapt to an increasingly hotter world. Measures that can be taken to mitigate the heats worst effects on health include increasing the amount of green space in cities, putting wall coatings that can reflect heat on buildings, and using more cooling and misting fans. While air-conditioning is becoming more available, not everyone can afford it and it can harm the environment.

With more than half of the global population projected to be exposed to weeks of dangerous heat every year by the end of this century, we need to find ways to cool people effectively and sustainably, said Kristie Ebi, a professor from the University of Washingon and co-lead author of the Heat and Health study.
is struggling at home to sell the as a suitable partner for a country waging a war on alleged Islamic extremism, as it prepares to embrace an led by the militant group.

State media and diplomatic attempts to paper over the groups past and present it as the peoples choice have met sharp criticism at home from those familiar with militant organizations history of violence and repression of women. Beijing has long linked the with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which it has blamed for terrorist attacks in Xinjiang.

Now, in the wake of the chaotic exit of US troops, is embracing the groups return to rule, a strategic U-turn that has left many at home feeling whiplashed. Further instability in could impact Pakistan, where has $50 billion in Belt and Road investments, and send extremism over its border.

The Peoples Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, posted a brief video history of the on Monday without mentioning its links to The 60-second clip said the group was formed during Afghanistans civil war by students in refugee camps and expanded with the support from the poor, adding that it has been in a war with the US for 20 years since the September 11 event.



The post, which was later deleted, became the fifth-ranked trending top on Weibo, after prompting a huge backlash from users questioning why party newspaper tried to whitewash the group. Some cited its violent past, including beheading people in the streets, destroying the famed Bamiyan Buddhas and banning women from work and study.
Afghanistan's could shrink by as much as 20 per cent this year and its currency may slide further than it already has following the Taliban's takeover, Solutions said on Friday.

"It is likely that the will contract sharply this year," Anwita Basu, head of Asia Country Risk at Solutions - the analysis and research arm of Group - told Reuters. "Countries facing similar circumstances like Myanmar and Syria have seen their GDPs collapse by around 10-20%, which can't be ruled out for too."

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BHP Group fired 48 staff in the two years to the end of June for sexual harassment, it told a Western Australian government inquiry investigating such incidents at mining camps in the mineral-rich state.

The government probe comes as the sector struggles with a dire skills shortage and low female representation.

BHP received four rape allegations, one allegation of attempted rape and other reports of unwanted sexual touching, in addition to 73 substantiated reports of from June 2019 to June 2021, it said in a submission.

Two rape allegations were substantiated, investigation for one was continuing and one was not substantiated, it said in the report, which outlined sweeping measures to reduce such incidents.

That includes $300 million to increase camp security by improving its training and workforce vetting practices, making reporting of incidents easier, and ensuring its contractors abide by those rules.

Other major miners including Rio Tinto Fortescue, unions and interest groups have also made submissions to the enquiry, which will make recommendations to West Australia's parliament in April 2022.

(Reporting by Melanie Burton. Editing by Gerry Doyle)

(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.)
Norways wealth fund says there are oil companies in its portfolio that absolutely arent doing enough to cut emissions, as the guidelines it operates by are reviewed to give climate risk greater prominence.

Norges Bank Investment Management still holds stakes in a number of fossil-fuel giants, including Exxon Mobil, Chevronand BP, after failing to win political approval to dump its entire portfolio of a few years back.

These are companies we monitor very, very closely with a view to the climate and emissions, Carine Smith Ihenacho, chief corporate governance officer at the Oslo-based fund, said in an interview.

Norway is now taking another look at the mandate handed to its wealth fund, the worlds biggest. On Friday, a government-appointed expert group submitted its recommendations, amid increasingly disturbing evidence that the planet is heating up much faster than previously feared.





The expert group says the government should change the mandate under which the fund operates to better handle climate risk. Changes would include giving the fund more leeway to put pressure on greenhouse-gas emitters, using its global dominance as a stock owner to influence the outcome of shareholder votes. And if companies dont improve, the fund should have more scope to divest.

Martin Skancke, who led the expert group, said the fund already incorporates climate risks in its strategy. But thats because there have been people at the fund who are passionate about this, and who treat this as a serious issue, he said in an interview. But its not satisfactory to just rely on good people, he said. It needs to be in the mandate.

The fund used the votes it had, which didnt include weighing in on shareholder proposals on board seats, to demand that Exxon be transparent around political contributions, in an effort to stop the kind of lobbying that leads to dubious policies.
is struggling at home to sell the as a suitable partner for a country waging a war on alleged Islamic extremism, as it prepares to embrace an led by the militant group.



State media and diplomatic attempts to paper over the groups past and present it as the peoples choice have met sharp criticism at home from those familiar with militant organizations history of violence and repression of women. Beijing has long linked the with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which it has blamed for terrorist attacks in Xinjiang.

Now, in the wake of the chaotic exit of U.S. troops, is embracing the groups return to rule, a strategic U-turn that has left many at home feeling whiplashed. Further instability in could impact neighboring Pakistan, where has $50 billion in Belt and Road investments, and send extremism over its border.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying appeared to moderate the official messaging at a news briefing Thursday, pointing to foreign commentary characterizing the as more clear-headed and rational than during its first period in power 20 years ago.

Some people stress their distrust for the Afghan Taliban. We want to say that nothing is unchanged forever, Hua said. We need to see the past and present. We need to listen to words and watch actions.

Later Friday, she attempted to refocus the conversation on the failure of America to impose democracy on Afghans. As facts have shown, democracy has no set model, just like cold milk doesnt agree with the Chinese peoples stomach, and Americans are not used to using chopsticks, she said.





The Peoples Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, posted a brief video history of the Taliban on Monday without mentioning its links to terrorism. The 60-second clip said the group was formed during Afghanistans civil war by students in refugee camps and expanded with the support from the poor, adding that it has been in a war with the U.S. for 20 years since the Sept. 11 event.

The post, which was later deleted, became the fifth-ranked trending top on Weibo, after prompting a huge backlash from users questioning why party newspaper tried to whitewash the group. Some cited its violent past, including beheading people in the streets, destroying the famed Bamiyan Buddhas and banning women from work and study.



Foreign Ministry comments professing Chinas respect for the will and choice of the Afghan people, suggesting the Taliban had popular support in the country, similarly raised questions. A post on the WeChat blog Philosophia asking Is Taliban the choice of the people? was read more than 100,000 times, and widely shared on social media platforms, before it was censored Thursday.

The possibility of Afghanistan women losing hard-won opportunities to study and work hit at a sensitive time in China. Sexual assault allegations against celebrity Kris Wu and an Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. executive have fanned a new wave of criticism against the entrenched patriarchy.

After a female Afghan filmmakers plea for the world to pay attention to her country was scrubbed from Chinese social media sites, some users lashed out. The voice of Afghan people have all been censored by you! one woman wrote.

Even the state broadcaster has found it hard to carve a single narrative -- but appeared to have adopted a dual track for domestic and audiences.

People in Afghanistan are scared and some women are choosing to stay home, the state-backed China Global Television Network said in an English report targeting Western audiences on Wednesday. The Taliban has not given specifics on what respecting womens rights within the framework of Islam will entail.

On the same day, a Chinese-language report in CCTV4, the state broadcasters channel for news, spun a more optimistic picture. While acknowledging some women expressed worries for future, the report said the situation in Kabul was gradually returning to normal and the Taliban had made multiple promises, including protecting womens rights, including allowing them to work and study.
As stood in the wings at Teslas AI day, a person dressed in a skintight white suit and black helmet did a jerky robot dance across the stage.

And with that, Musk flagged a move into a new realm of science fiction: life-like humanoid designed to take the drudgery out of everyday life.

The Tesla Bot, a prototype of which should be available next year, is designed to eliminate dangerous, repetitive and boring tasks, like bending over to pick something up, or go to the store for groceries, Musk said. Essentially, in the future, physical work will be a choice.

Tesla is arguably the worlds biggest robotics company, Musk said. Our cars are basically semi-sentient on wheels.

The bot was the show-stopper of Teslas AI Day, during which engineers gave highly technical presentations on the companys autonomous-driving development work with the goal of recruiting talent to the Palo Alto, California-based company.





Develop the next generation of automation, including a general purpose, bi-pedal, humanoid robot capable of performing tasks that are unsafe, repetitive or boring, says a job posting on its site. Were seeking mechanical, electrical, controls and software engineers to help us leverage our AI expertise beyond our vehicle fleet.

Musk has a long history of unveiling products that are merely prototypes, essentially selling a vision before it exists in reality. In November 2017, Tesla unveiled its Semi truck at a late-night event near Los Angeles, but that vehicle has been pushed back until 2022 at the earliest, due in part to challenges making larger battery cells.

Teslas stated mission is to accelerate the worlds transition to sustainable energy, so a humanoid robot feels a bit like mission creep. Musk didnt outline how would fit into the companys clean-energy initiatives.
The Monetary Fund (IMF) will inject $650 billion in Special Drawing Rights into the global economy. It will allocate them among its member states, which can then decide for themselves how they want to use their Special Drawing Rights.

This injection, which will take place on 23 August 2021, is more than double the total number of Special Drawing Rights the IMF has ever issued and is equal to about 5% of total global reserves.

The will allocate the Special Drawing Rights among its member states based on their quotas, which are determined by the size of a countrys economy and its role in the global economy. Therefore, about 60% of these funds will go to rich countries that do not need them. African countries will receive $33.6 billion, with the lions share going to the five largest economies on the continent  South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt.

The and many countries recognise that this division of the new resource is both inequitable and inefficient. They are talking of creating a mechanism for reallocating some of the funds  an amount of $100 billion is mentioned  to developing countries. If done effectively, the reallocation could help African countries deal with COVID-19, climate change and their many other economic and social challenges.

It is also an opportunity for African countries to begin reforming their relationship with the But this will require them taking the initiative to ensure that the reallocation mechanism is fully responsive to African needs and is accountable to Africans.

To understand what needs to do, its helpful to review the history of Special Drawing Rights.

A short history

In 1969, the IMF member states authorised the organisation to issue Special Drawing Rights. At the time, the leading member states were becoming concerned that countries might not be able to obtain enough dollars to meet their trade and financial needs, which would adversely affect the global economy. They thought Special Drawing Rights could help overcome this shortage.

To encourage states to hold Special Drawing Rights, they decided that there would be no policy conditions attached to their use. However, in order to ensure that countries would not use Special Drawing Rights imprudently, they decreed that their use would carry an interest charge.

The membership also decided that the Special Drawing Rights would be allocated to the members according to their quotas in the IMF. This meant that the majority would always go to the richest and most powerful IMF member states, which were unlikely to actually use them. Their use was also restricted to transactions with the IMF, other IMF member states and any other organisations that the IMF explicitly authorised to hold Special Drawing Rights  today there are 15 such organisations.

Special Drawing Rights have not played a major role in global finance over the past 50 years. One reason is that the IMF had the financial resources and bargaining power to convince states to adopt policies that made it unnecessary to issue new Special Drawing Rights.

This is now changing.

Comparing the IMFs role in the 1982 sovereign debt crisis and its role in the current COVID pandemic helps illustrate the changes.

Then and now

In 1982, many Latin American sovereign borrowers were in danger of defaulting on their debts. This had serious implications for their largest creditors, the big US banks. This situation threatened the US banking system as well as the stability of the financial system and the global economy.

Both debtors and creditors turned to the IMF for help. It responded by providing financing to the debtor states on condition that they adopted tough policy reforms, that their creditor banks provided new financing and that they renegotiated their debts. For example, the IMF provided Mexico with US$3.4 billion to meet its debt obligations in exchange for the country substantially cutting its budget deficit and implementing structural reforms and the commercial banks extending $1.5 billion in new funds and rescheduling $23 billion of Mexicos total debt.

Forty years later a very different scenario unfolded.

In the early days of the pandemic the fortunes of most countries were more influenced by the actions of the worlds key central banks and by private investors than by the IMF. Unlike in 1982, the IMF no longer had the resources or bargaining power to drive the global response to a financial crisis.

In March 2020, investors, panicked by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, withdrew from domestic and financial markets, thereby reducing the financing available to sovereigns, corporations and households.

The major central banks responded swiftly by injecting over US$10 trillion in dollars and other convertible currencies into financial markets, and taking actions to support other central banks. These actions provided support to commercial banks and other financial institutions which, in turn, decided how to allocate the trillions among their many sovereign, corporate and household clients.

The IMF response was much weaker and slower. From the advent of the pandemic until 30 June 2021, it has provided about $115 billion to 85 countries and $726.75 million in debt relief to 29 low-income member countries.

Opportunity to gain lost ground

This months issuance of Special Drawing Rights is an opportunity for the IMF to regain some of its lost influence in global economic governance. It is working with its membership to create a mechanism through which rich countries can reallocate a substantial portion of their Special Drawing Rights to help poorer countries.

So far, these discussions have focused on an existing, but controversial, IMF trust fund, the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust. The IMF has historically used the fund to provide concessional financing to low-income countries in return for them adopting harsh policies, including raising taxes and cutting social spending.

There is therefore also talk of creating a new mechanism, the Resilience and Sustainability Trust. But this would take time and would depend on the outcome of complex and unpredictable negotiations among the IMF member states.

Time, however, is of the essence. Neither the IMF nor developing countries can afford to wait too long for the reallocated Special Drawing Rights to begin flowing and being used effectively to help those most in need.

This creates an opportunity for to work with the IMF to ensure that the reallocation mechanism meets Africas needs as closely as possible.

What should do?

Africa should call for reforms that will make the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust more responsive to African needs and more accountable to Africans. In particular, the IMF should take the following three actions. All can be implemented by the IMF management and board on their own initiative:

Create a third African chair on its board of executive directors. Currently, sub-Saharan Africa only has two seats on the 24-member board, each representing over 20 African countries. A third chair would help ensure that Africa had a louder and more effective voice on matters relating to the use of the trust and other IMF policy matters.

The IMF should follow the example set by all other international financial institutions and draft and publish operational policies applicable to the use of all IMF resources, including Special Drawing Rights. This is becoming more necessary as the IMF begins to add new, important but complex topics such as climate, inequality and gender-based budgeting to its areas of interest and operation.

The IMF should establish an independent ombudsman that can receive and investigate complaints from stakeholders who claim that the IMF has not acted in full compliance with its own policies and procedures and that they have been harmed as a result.

Danny Bradlow, SARCHI Professor of International Development Law and African Economic Relations, University of Pretoria

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Although President Biden has held fast on his commitment to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, he has thrown a few bones to advocates of U.S. power projection. One, in particular, stands out, and that is Bidens promise to use our counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability in and the wider region if necessary.

What does this mean? On one level, it sounds like well keep killing people with drones. That, after all, seems to be the real-life application of over-the-horizon capability in the other places that Biden mentioned  Somalia, Syria, Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula.

More broadly, however, Biden is assuring us that the War on Terror will continue. This has serious implications not only for American foreign policy, but also our society, politics, and legal system.

The Global War

Globally, the temptation of a drone here, a SEAL team there is that the United States can keep killing its enemies without the American population really feeling it.

In recent years, there has been some noise in Washington about the massive and wasteful defense budget, and the significant long-term financial cost of the War on Terror. But this isnt the same as war-induced tax hikes, or mounting numbers of dead, maimed, and traumatized American soldiers. A big part of the War on Terrors longevity is owed to its relative detachment from the lives of Americans.

However, remote-control warfare is not as risk-free  or remote  as it seems. We hear about the dangers of drone strikes requiring only the push of a button by some dude in Arizona, but its never that simple.

If the strike occurs in a country with a functioning government, it is inevitably politically loaded. Is the target a threat to the United States or to that government? Does that government admit that it approved the strike or is there a hush-hush agreement behind the scenes? What are the implications for that government if its collaboration with the U.S. military or Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) becomes an open secret?

Yemen is a tragic case study of these chickens coming home to roost, its government completely collapsing in 2014 after twelve years of U.S. drone strikes conducted with its full complicity and connivance. This is to say nothing of the general tendency of drone attacks to terrorize civilians and fuel animosity to the United States.

Another problem with the remote-control war concerns its inevitable reliance on humans. A drone strike requires intelligence, and human intelligence is always better than so-called Signals Intelligence, which can be readily fooled by any terrorist who has the modest necessary brainpower to realize that their devices are being tracked. And, especially in urban areas, a physical raid may be less risky than an aerial attack.

For these and other purposes, various brands of U.S. special forces are scattered all over the world, especially in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. It is hard to know exactly what they are doing, although intrepid journalists like Jeremy Scahill have given us some idea.

Despite the Hollywood propaganda, there is no lack of evidence to suggest that these guys are not always distinguished for high standards of restraint and moral conduct. It is not hard to imagine a SEAL or JSOC team becoming embroiled in an crisis either of their own making or if (when?) a competent adversary manages to hold them hostage.

We do, after all, have a long and unhappy history of apparently innocuous military advisers getting dragged into  or dragging themselves into  escalating conflicts. Just ask anyone familiar with Vietnam in the early 1960s.

The Domestic War

So, the whole low-cost, low-risk, light-footprint thing is not as straightforward as it sounds. Indeed, it may delude us into thinking that we can kill people all over the world, whenever we want, without meaningful political consequences.

There remains the matter of the War on Terror within the United States. Guantanamo may now be in terminal (if painfully slow) decline, and Congress may now be (again, slowly) reasserting its war-making prerogatives against the presidency. But the basic legal architecture of the War on Terror remains firmly in place.

You can face jail time for providing expert assistance and advice to an organization that the State Department deems worthy of inclusion on the terrorism blacklist, even if that advice involves nonviolent advocacy. You can continue to expect surplus military equipment to flow into local police forces. Your communications will still be monitored by the National Security Agency, albeit with slightly less sweep than the Agency enjoyed before Edward Snowden intervened.

Parts of the domestic War on Terror have been questioned by the judiciary, including the No Fly List and the larger FBI Watch List. However, as the Trump travel ban case amply displayed, even an obviously contrived counter-terrorism argument still gets a long way in court.

Many scholars and commentators have put these things down to an unchecked and unbalanced executive branch that has grown fat on the follies of an inept Congress and a supine Supreme Court. The reality is worse.

Notwithstanding some of the Bush administrations fantastical dreams of executive power, the domestic War on Terror has been thoroughly rooted in laws  laws like the PATRIOT Act, but also the pre-9/11 Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which first broadened the meaning of material support for terrorism as a criminal offense.

Legislators have been active participants in the domestic and global War on Terror. The members of the intelligence committees get all the classified gossip. They knew about NSA spying long before we did, they have been treated to real-time viewing of drone assassinations, and they have stood up for the national security state when it has been riven with scandal. They dont  surprise, surprise  bite the hand that feeds them.

When Will it End?



The rot, in other words, is deep. The War Party  in all its glory, and with all its money  still runs Washington.

All the same, the end of the war in could be a crucial step towards the end of the War on Terror. There is a raw, powerful symbolism to this moment, and to the President of the United States effectively saying, were done here, and nearly admitting, we lost. This, combined with the unmistakable message of 2020 and 2021  that we ought to be more worried about pathogens than terrorists  may generate wider change.

Time will tell. For now, we should celebrate the end of one war, and prepare to dismantle the bigger one.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed as the new Prime Minister of on Friday.

Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah appointed Ismail Sabri as the new Prime Minister of the country, the national palace said, reported Xinhua.

He will succeed Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned on Monday after losing majority support in the lower house of parliament.

Ismail Sabri, 61, is a veteran politician of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and has served in Muhyiddin's cabinet as defense minister before being appointed as deputy prime minister in July, reported Xinhua.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Tesla Inc Chief Executive on Thursday said the electric automaker will probably launch a "Tesla Bot" humanoid robot prototype next year, designed for dangerous, repetitive, or boring work that people don't like to do.

Speaking at Tesla's AI Day event, the billionaire entrepreneur said the robot, which stands around five foot eight inches tall, would be able to handle jobs from attaching bolts to cars with a wrench, or picking up groceries at stores.

The robot would have "profound implications for the economy," Musk said, addressing a labour shortage. He said it was important to make the machine not "super-expensive."

The AI Day event came amid growing scrutiny over the safety and capability of Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" advanced driver assistant system.

Musk didn't comment on that scrutiny over the safety of Tesla technology but said that he was confident of achieving full self-driving with higher safety than humans using current in-car cameras and computers.

U.S. safety regulators earlier this week opened an investigation into Tesla's driver assistant system because of accidents where Tesla cars crashed into stationary police cars and fire trucks.

Two U.S. senators have also called on the Fair Trade Commission to investigate Tesla's claims for its "Full Self-Driving" system.

At the event on Thursday Tesla also unveiled chips it designed in-house https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-unveils-own-chip-ai-training-computer-dojo-2021-08-20 for its high-speed computer, Dojo, to help develop its automated driving system. Musk said Dojo would be operational next year.

He said Tesla will also introduce new hardware for its self-driving computer for its Cybertruck electric pick-up truck in "about a year or so."

Tesla in July pushed back the launch of its much-anticipated Cybertruck from this year, without giving a timeframe for its arrival on the market.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Karishma Singh and Kenneth Maxwell)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinas rolling regulatory crackdown on unfair has found new targets, with liquor makers, cosmetics firms and online pharmacies in the cross-hairs.

A slew of commentary and reports in state media called for better oversight of these industries on Friday to protect consumers, adding to earlier rulings targeting private tuition firms and technology firms as President seeks to address inequality.

Distillers led a decline in the benchmark CSI 300 Index after it was reported that liquor producers will meet the regulator over market order. The nations biggest liquor maker Kweichow Moutai Co. plunged as much as 4.3%. Online health care stocks also dropped, with JD Health Inc. down 13% after the Peoples Daily urged more protection and guarantee of prescription drugs sold through the internet.

The plunge in these new sectors comes at a time when investors have become super-sensitive about which companies will be the target next of official scrutiny. Over the past weeks, theres been selloffs in everything from private tutoring firms to e-cigarettes, games and infant formula amid a new regulatory drive stressing social equality.





With regulation worries and the beginning of a downturn in economic growth, its extremely hard to make money right now, said Hou Anyang, fund manager at Frontsea Asset Management in Shenzhen. At this rate even the winning stocks in electric vehicles and chips may not stay strong much longer.

State media also turned up the heat on the cosmetic surgery industry, calling for better oversight in the face of incomplete regulations and growing medical disputes. Ping An Healthcare & Technology Co. dropped by as much as 17%, its biggest intraday decline ever.

Foreigners net sold 6.5 billion yuan ($1 billion) worth of mainland shares via the trading links as of the mid-day break in Shanghai and Shenzhen, after dumping 10.7 billion yuan on Thursday, the most this month.

Meanwhile redemptions from China equity products could be picking up pace as the year-to-date underperformance of some funds is causing additional difficulties in recapturing substantial inflows in the short term, Morgan Stanley quant analysts wrote in a note this week.
Tech made a weak debut on the bourses as the companys shares listed at Rs 1,600, 1 per cent below its issue price of Rs 1,618 per share on the BSE on Friday. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the stock opened at Rs 1,599.80, the exchange data shows.

At 10:01 am, Tech was trading at Rs 1,579.70, down 2.4 per cent, after hitting a low of Rs 1,548 in intra-day trade post its on the BSE. A combined around 4.1 million equity shares changed hands on the counter on the NSE and BSE. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 0.49 per cent at 55,356 points.

The initial public offering (IPO) of Tech, a company that operates online platforms for buying and selling of vehicles, had received a strong response from the investors, with issue garnering 20.3 times subscription. The qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) portion was subscribed 35.45 times, the non-institutional investors (NII) investor portion was subscribed 41 times, and the retail portion was subscribed 2.75 times.

CarTrade Tech is a multi-channel auto platform provider company. The company operates various brands such as CarWale, CarTrade, Shriram Automall, BikeWale, CarTradeExchange, Adroit Auto, and AutoBiz. The platform connects new and used automobile customers, vehicle dealers, vehicle OEMs, and other businesses to buy and sell different types of vehicles. The company offers a variety of solutions across automotive transactions for buying, selling, marketing, financing, and other activities.

According to ICICI Securities, with 90 per cent Indian customers estimated to be using online channels for research before buying a new or used car, the space is susceptible to market share gains by organised players (particularly ones with end-to-end presence) at the expense of current unorganised, fragmented industry segments.

In this regard, CarTrade Tech stands to benefit courtesy its suite of strong brands. CarWale and BikeWale were ranked No. 1 in relative online search popularity compared to peers during FY21, while as of FY20, Shriram Automall was a leading used vehicle auction platform based on the number of vehicles sold.

That said, Nirmal Bang Securities cautioned that many companies have entered the vehicle platform business since 2014 including the bigger competitors like Cars 24 and Droom who, just like CarTrade, are backed by multiple marquee global investing firms. An increase in aggression by competition fueled by large amounts of global appetite to participate in this industry in India could impact the positioning of CT and its profitability, the brokerage said. Although it had assigned a Subscribe rating on the company in its IPO note owing to CarTrade's well-positioned balance sheet and plans to capture adjacent business opportunities.
Nifty futures on Singapore Exchange were down 220 points at 16,342 around 8.20 am, indicating a gap-down start for the benchmark indices on Friday.

Here are the top stocks to track in today's session:

Listing Today: Shares of Tech will list on the exchanges. The company's IPO had garnered strong response from investors with 20 times subscription. The final issue price is at Rs 1,618 per share.

HDFC Bank: India's largest private sector lender said it has raised $1 billion in its maiden AT1 bond issue from global investors at a tight pricing, in a deal that will help allay fears over the capital raising instrument for lenders in the country.

Vodafone Idea: The company Thursday said it has paid licence fee dues for the first quarter of 2021-22. The comment came amid a report that the troubled telco -- which is struggling to stay afloat -- fell Rs 150 crore short on payment of licence fee for the June quarter.

Aavas Financiers: Government of Singapore and Monetary Authority of Singapore on Wednesday purchased shares worth over Rs 782 crore in AAVAS Financiers Ltd, through open market transactions. In a separate deal, 49.54 lakh shares, worth over Rs 1,215 crore, of the firm were offloaded by its promoter Lake District Holdings.

Zomato: The company acquired 9.16 per cent shareholding in Grofers India for Rs 518.21 crore and 8.94 per cent shareholding in Hands-on Trades for Rs 222.83 crore.

Bharti Airtel: The telecom major has moved the Supreme Court with a review petition on the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) matter. The company has sought correction of arithmetical errors in calculations linked to AGR.

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank: MD and CEO Nitin Chugh of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has resigned from the bank and his tenure will come to an end on September 30. Ujjivan SFB said Chugh's resignation is due to personal reasons, as he has confirmed in his resignation letter, and there are no material reasons.

Jet Airways: The cabin crew and ground staff of Jet Airways have challenged the Jalan Kalrock consortium's resolution plan, which was approved by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in June, flagging concerns about pending salaries and retirement benefits.

HCL Tech: HCL Technologies has appointed Fabiano Funari as the country head for Brazil, a move aimed at fueling the growth of the IT services firm in the Latin American market.

Bank of Maharashthra: The government has appointed Lalit Kumar Chandel, Economic Adviser, Department of Financial Services, on the board of Bank of Maharashtra. Chandel replaced Hrisheekesh Arvind Modak.

Hindustan Zinc: Vedanta group firm Hindustan Zinc said that there is no change to its dividend policy and it will adhere to it. The statement comes a day after the company deferred its board meeting which was to consider interim dividend for FY22.

CDSL: Leading depository CDSL on Wednesday said its wholly-owned subsidiary CDSL IFSC has been recognized as the bullion depository in IFSC by the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA).

Advanced Enzyme Technologies: The compay has completed the acquisition of additional stake of 15 per cent in its subsidiary, JC Biotech. The company bought of 31.06 lakh equity shares of JCB for Rs 21.12 crore.

NLC India: The company raised Rs 750 crore through allotment of 15,000 Commercial Papers of face value of Rs 5 lakh each.

Tata Elxsi: The company collaborated with DStv Media Sales to build a vision for DStv Media Sales (DMS) that addresses current challenges while also positioning DMS for future growth.

Reliance Industries: The company has taken shutdown of its manufacturing units at Nagothane, Maharashtra to assure reliability and integrity of operations. Product supplies to customers will continue through available stocks and diverting from other manufacturing sites. Complex is expected to be back into normal operation from August 25.

Indostar Capital Finance: Promoters to sell up 61,89,737 equity shares of the company on August 20 and August 23 via offer for sale issue.
GMR Infrastructure (GMR) announced that the company had emerged as the highest bidder in the tender process conducted by MIHAN India (MIHAN) for the Nagpur Airport in 2019. The Letter of Award (LOA) was issued to GMR Airports (subsidiary of the company) in March 2019.

However, Government of Maharashtra decided to cancel the tender process in March 2020 and MIHAN issued a Letter annulling the bid process.

The decision of MIHAN was challenged by GMR before the Hon'ble Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court. The Hon'ble Bench heard the petition and delivered the judgement on 18 August 2021, quashing and setting aside the annulment letter issued by MIHAN and directed MIHAN to execute Concession Agreement for the project.

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Key benchmark indices are trading weak in early trade on selling pressure in index pivotals as trading resumed after a local holiday. At 9:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 237.22 points or 0.43% at 55,392.27. The Nifty 50 index was down 81.20 points or 0.49% at 16,487.65. The Nifty dropped below the 15,500 mark in early trade. Weak global stocks played the spoilsport.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was down 0.45%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 0.34%.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, is weak. On the BSE, 769 shares rose and 1768 shares fell. A total of 128 shares were unchanged.

Stocks in news:

Reliance Industries (RIL) fell 0.69%. RIL has taken shutdown of its manufacturing units at Nagothane, Maharashtra to assure reliability and integrity of operations. "Product supplies to customers will continue through available stocks and diverting from other manufacturing sites," it said in a statement. The complex is expected to be back into normal operation from 25 August 2021, it added.

HDFC Bank fell 0.8%. HDFC Bank said that it has fixed the coupon rate of its $1 billion additional tier- I (AT-1) bonds at 3.70% per annum. The bank said that the US dollar-denominated, direct, subordinated, unsecured, Basel III compliant, additional tier-1 (AT-1) notes are rated Ba3 by Moody's Rating Services.

Zomato rose 1.37%. Zomato has completed the acquisition of 9.16% shareholding in Grofers India for Rs 518.21 crore and 8.94% shareholding in Hands-on Trades for Rs 222.83 crore.

Tata Elxsi gained 1.85%. Tata Elxsi collaborated with DStv Media Sales, a media sales organisation and part of MultiChoice Group, to consult and collaboratively build a vision for DStv Media Sales (DMS) that addresses challenges while positioning DMS for future growth.

KIOCL advanced 1.76%. KIOCL on Wednesday announced that it has been granted environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF&CC) for Devadari Iron Ore Mine.

Vishwaraj Sugar fell 1.17%. Vishwaraj Sugar announced that its board approved sub-division of equity shares of the face value of Rs 10 each into five equity shares of face value of Rs 2 each (5-for-1).

Global Markets:

Asian stocks fell Friday as the fast-spreading delta virus strain stoked concerns about economic growth and China's regulatory curbs sapped sentiment.

China's one-year loan prime rate (LPR) and five-year LPR were both left unchanged at 3.85% and 4.65%, respectively, on Friday.

US stock markets ended mixed on Thursday as gains in technology shares were countered by selling in cyclical sectors.

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week for a fourth straight time to a pandemic low. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims fell by 29,000 to 348,000.

Back home, the Indian markets were closed on Thursday on account of Muharram. Key indices ended a volatile trading session with small losses on Wednesday. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, slipped 162.78 points or 0.29% to settle at 55,629.49. The Nifty 50 index declined 45.75 points or 0.28% to end at 16,568.85.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 595.32 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were also net sellers to the tune of Rs 729.49 crore in the Indian equity market on 18 August, provisional data showed.

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Natco Pharma declined 2.51% to Rs 940.85 after a US District Court issued a decision in favour of Pharmacyclics, a subsidiary of Chicago-based AbbVie's Pharmacyclics LLC, the brand owner of Imbruvica in a PIV litigation involving the product.

In the year 2018 NATCO and Alvogen, have filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with PIV certification for generic version of the product.

The company and its marketing partner in US for the product, Alvogen Pine Brook LLC, USA, shall review the judgement and evaluate all options to appeal the judgement, Natco Pharma said. We believe that we have a strong case and will continue to defend vigorously, the company said.

On a consolidated basis, Natco Pharma's net profit dropped 38.6% to Rs 75 crore on 27.2% fall in net sales to Rs 410.30 crore in Q1 June 2021 over Q1 June 2020.

Natco Pharma manufactures a comprehensive range of branded and generic dosage forms, bulk actives and intermediates for both Indian as well as International markets.

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Benchmark indices were trading in a narrow range with losses in morning trade. The Nifty hovered at 16,450 level. Barring IT and FMCG stocks, selling pressure was seen across the board. Weak global cues weighed on domestic market sentiment.

At 10:29 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 305.61 points or 0.55% at 55,323.27. The Nifty 50 index was down 116.45 points or 0.7% at 16,452.65.

In broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was down 1.01% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.94%.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was weak. On the BSE, 796 shares rose and 2041 shares fell. A total of 132 shares were unchanged.

COVID-19 Update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 209,934,849 with 4,402,002 global deaths.

India reported 363,605 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 433,589 deaths, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

New Listings:

Shares of CarTrade Tech were currently trading at Rs 1518.35 apiece on the BSE at 10:11 IST, at a discount of 6.16% as compared with the issue price of Rs 1618 per share. The stock was listed at Rs 1600 per share, at a 1.11% discount to the issue price. So far, the stock has hit a high and a low of Rs 1600 and Rs 1481.55, respectively.

On the BSE, over 1.84 lakh shares of the company were traded in the counter. The initial public offer of CarTrade Tech received bids for 26.31 crore shares as against 1.29 crore shares on offer, according to stock exchange data. The issue was subscribed 20.29 times.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Metal slumped 3.42% to 5,507, falling for third trading session. The metal index slumped 6.4% in three days.

Hindalco Industries (down 4.64%), NMDC (down 4.46%), Tata Steel (down 3.94%), JSW Steel (down 3.89%) and Jindal Steel & Power (down 3.82%) were the top losers. Among the other losers were Steel Authority of India (down 3.47%), Vedanta (down 2.98%), Hindustan Zinc (down 2.02%) and Coal India (down 0.87%).

Stocks in Spotlight:

Zomato rose 1.52% to Rs 137.05 after the company said that it has completed the process of acquiring minority stakes in Grofers India and Hands-on Trades for an aggregate consideration of Rs 741.04 crore. In its prospectus dated 19 July 2021, the company had informed about the definitive agreements signed with Grofers India (GIPL), Hands on Trades (HOTPL) and their parent entity Grofers International (together the "Grofer Entities") and others, in relation to acquisition of certain minority stake in GIPL and HOTPL, as well as certain rights in each of the Grofer Entities. The food delivery aggregator has acquired 3,248 compulsorily convertible preference shares and 1 equity share, representing 9.16% stake on fully diluted basis, of Grofers India (GIPL) for a cash consideration of Rs 518.21 crore.

Wipro fell 1.12%. The company on Friday announced the launch of its @now Studio in partnership with ServiceNow to support digital transformations for customers, increase innovation and develop unique industry solutions. he @now Studio is located at Wipro's Technology Center in Plano, Texas where the IT major has facility focused on developing niche capabilities in new and emerging technologies. This is Wipro's first @now Studio. The company said it has plans to launch additional studios in Europe and APMEA in the coming months.

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Reliance Industries (RIL) has taken shutdown of its manufacturing units at Nagothane, Maharashtra to assure reliability and integrity of operations. "Product supplies to customers will continue through available stocks and diverting from other manufacturing sites," it said in a statement. The complex is expected to be back into normal operation from 25 August 2021, it added.

HDFC Bank said that it has fixed the coupon rate of its $1 billion additional tier- I (AT-1) bonds at 3.70% per annum. The bank said that the US dollar-denominated, direct, subordinated, unsecured, Basel III compliant, additional tier-1 (AT-1) notes are rated Ba3 by Moody's Rating Services.

Shares of CarTrade Tech will debut on the bourses today, 20 August 2021. The issue price is Rs 1,618 per share.

Zomato has completed the acquisition of 9.16% shareholding in Grofers India for Rs 518.21 crore and 8.94% shareholding in Hands-on Trades for Rs 222.83 crore.

Tata Elxsi collaborated with DStv Media Sales, a media sales organisation and part of MultiChoice Group, to consult and collaboratively build a vision for DStv Media Sales (DMS) that addresses challenges while positioning DMS for future growth.

CRISIL Ratings has reaffirmed its 'CRISIL A+/Stable/CRISIL A1' ratings on the total bank facilities worth Rs 100 crore of Advanced Enzyme Technologies (Advanced Enzyme).

KIOCL on Wednesday announced that it has been granted environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF&CC) for Devadari Iron Ore Mine.

Vishwaraj Sugar announced that its board approved sub-division of equity shares of the face value of Rs 10 each into five equity shares of face value of Rs 2 each (5-for-1).

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Wipro on Friday announced the launch of its @now Studio in partnership with ServiceNow to support digital transformations for customers, increase innovation and develop unique industry solutions.

The @now Studio leverages ServiceNow's digital workflows and simplified processes to develop customized solutions. The studio will focus on building competencies, serving as a platform to develop and showcase solutions, accelerating co-selling and co-creation with ServiceNow and leveraging the ecosystem including universities and leading start-ups. Additionally, Wipro said there will be a focus on ServiceNow Global Risk & Compliance and Security Operations to help clients protect their data and remain secure

The @now Studio is located at Wipro's Technology Center in Plano, Texas where the IT major has facility focused on developing niche capabilities in new and emerging technologies. This is Wipro's first @now Studio. The company said it has plans to launch additional studios in Europe and APMEA in the coming months.

Nagendra Bandaru, managing partner - iCORE, Wipro said, We are excited to strengthen our partnership with ServiceNow. We look forward to leveraging the @now Studio to increase our ServiceNow capabilities, build solutions across industries, and help our customers simplify processes and automate their workflows. We are also thrilled to expand our presence in Texas and leverage the ecosystem the state has to offer.

Wipro is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company

Shares of Wipro were trading 0.21% lower at Rs 627.85 on BSE.

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To serve as a hub for advanced analytics and cloud technologies

Wipro announced the launch of its @now Studio in partnership with ServiceNow to support digital transformations for customers, increase innovation, and develop unique industry solutions.

The @now Studio leverages ServiceNow's digital workflows and simplified processes to develop customized solutions. The studio will focus on building competencies, serving as a platform to develop and showcase solutions, accelerating co-selling and co-creation with ServiceNow, and leveraging the ecosystem including universities and leading start-ups. Additionally, there will be a focus on ServiceNow Global Risk & Compliance and Security Operations to help clients protect their data and remain secure.

The @now Studio is located at Wipro's Technology Center in Plano, Texas where Wipro has a state-of-the-art facility focused on developing niche capabilities in new and emerging technologies. The Technology Center serves as a hub for advanced analytics and cloud technologies and is the company's US cyber security center. This is Wipro's first @now Studio. There are plans to launch additional studios in Europe and APMEA in the coming months.

The @now Studio also supports Wipro's continued efforts to create jobs throughout Texas and hire graduates from universities including the University of Texas at Dallas, University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, and University of Houston.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Zomato announced that Zomato USA LLC (ZUL), step down subsidiary of the Company has been dissolved and wound up.

ZUL was not a material subsidiary of the Company and didn't have any business activity and the dissolution of ZUL will not affect the turnover/revenue of the Company.

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The onus of keeping like-minded parties together to fight the BJP in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls was on the Congress, which had failed to do so in 2017, senior leader said on Friday.

Patel, who is the party's Gujarat in charge, said people were against the BJP in the last polls but the Congress, despite winning 88 seats, could not dislodge the former as it had failed to take along other opposition parties.

'To avoid repeating this in the 2022 Assembly polls, all like-minded parties must come together (to defeat the BJP). As always, the will cooperate in this endeavor. But more importantly, being the largest opposition party, needs to think over it," Patel, a former Union civil aviation minister, said.

He said the had taken the lead (to form such an alliance) in Maharashtra as it was powerful there, while in Gujarat this onus fell on the as it was the principal opposition party.

The people of Gujarat were suffering from poverty, unemployment, poor law and order under BJP rule, Patel claimed.

The NCP and were in a seat sharing agreement in the 2017 Assembly polls, but the former had also claimed it was not given enough seats to fight.

On the NCP's lone MLA in the state, Kandhal Jadeja, openly defying the party whip and voting for the BJP instead of the Congress in the last Rajya Sabha polls, Patel said it was Jadeja's personal issue and did not reflect his party's stand.

(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.)
SPAC /

In Depth: What could stop the hottest thing in IPOs from landing in Hong Kong

Rather than applying to list on stock exchanges and going through a disclosure process, companies seeking an IPO instead negotiate a deal with an already listed SPAC, a company created for the sole purpose of taking another business public. "SPAC" stands for special purpose acquisition company.

In Asia, the pace of SPACs has been picking up in South Korea, ratings agency S&P Global Inc. wrote in a June report. And in June, the Hong Kong government said the citys stock exchange would begin accepting public comments in the third quarter of this year about whether to allow SPACs.

Despite their growing popularity, allowing SPACs in Hong Kong will be no easy feat as the citys securities regulator is concerned about shell companies being used to manipulate the market, such as through pump-and-dump stock schemes.

Airlines /

U.S. slashes inbound Chinese passenger flights to 40% of capacity

U.S. aviation authorities forced four Chinese carriers that fly to the country to slash their passenger capacity by 60% after Beijing imposed a similar restriction on four United Airlines routes to China.

The order from the U.S. Department of Transportation dated Wednesday applies to Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines over a four-week period.

FINANCE & ECONOMY

Huarong offices in Beijing on July 4. Photo: VCG

Huarong

Huarong bonds surge on bailout hopes despite huge loss

Debt-ridden China Huarong Asset Management Co. Ltd. warned investors Wednesday that it expects to report a 2020 net loss of 102.9 billion yuan ($15.87 billion), but said that it plans to bring strategic investors on board.

Despite the huge loss, the latest progress on Huarongs bailout has eased investor jitters, with its dollar bonds surging following the news after they had previously sunk amid uncertainty about its future.

The Beijing-based distressed-asset manager Wednesday signed investment framework agreements with five potential strategic investors, including state-owned giant Citic Group Corp., Huarong said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The other investors are China Insurance Investment Co. Ltd., China Life Asset Management Co. Ltd., China Cinda Asset Management Co. Ltd. and Sino-Ocean Capital Holding Ltd.

Evergrande /

Chinas financial regulators summon debt-ridden developer Evergrande for a talk

Two top financial regulators directed debt-ridden China Evergrande Group to maintain stable business operations and resolve debt risks as they summoned the property giants senior management on Thursday for a talk, according to a statement (link in Chinese) from the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC).

The PBOC and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission also ordered Evergrande to disclose significant issues without disseminating inaccurate information and to clarify misinformation in a timely manner.

Wealth taxes /

Chinese academics call for wealth tax to redistribute income

Chinese academics in a province thats pilot-testing measures to reduce income inequality said the government should impose wealth taxes, including on property and inheritance.

In a front-page article published Thursday by the official Economic Daily newspaper, two researchers at Zhejiang University argued that the taxes would help adjust the earnings of high-income groups and narrow the income gap. Li Shi, a professor, and Yang Yixin, a researcher, said the taxes should be imposed at an appropriate time to promote common prosperity.

Quick hits /

Vietnam and India top annual crypto list as China sinks to 13th

Zhang Wenhong: My dream scenario for fighting Covid

BUSINESS & TECH

A customer inquires about transferring his phone number from one carrier to another at a China Mobile office in Hangzhou, East Chinas Zhejiang province, in November 2019. Photo: VCG

Information protection /

Chinas lawmakers plan to make personal data portable across platforms

Chinas top lawmakers are considering amending personal information protection legislation to allow people to more easily transfer their online information across platforms, a move that could reduce the information monopolies of leading internet businesses.

The revised draft of the Personal Information Protection Law has been submitted to the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas top legislature, for a third round of review (link in Chinese), usually the last stage before a law is passed, a statement published on the NPC website said Tuesday.

The latest draft highlights mobile applications handling of personal data in relation to issues such as excessive collection of personal data, and illegal trading and leakage of such information, the statement said.

Alibaba /

Investors dump more Alibaba shares as bears and bulls grapple

Institutional investors further dumped shares of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. in the second quarter as Chinese regulators tightened scrutiny of internet companies.

Institutional investors holdings of the e-commerce giants American depositary shares (ADSs), securities representing non-U.S. companies shares, accounted for 24.3% of its total shares at the end of June, 8.6 percentage points lower than a quarter earlier. The decline almost doubled the drop of 4.6 percentage points at the end of March, public filings show.

Ride-hailing /

Ride-hailing companies should pay their drivers better and limit their hours, transport authority says

Chinas top transport authority called on ride-hailing businesses to cap the commissions they take from drivers  and disclose them publicly  in the latest move by a government regulator to restrain tech companies behavior.

Li Huaqiang, deputy director of transport services at the Ministry of Transport, said at a Wednesday press conference that companies should set reasonable rates for driver pay, reveal these rates to the public, use algorithms to manage driver fatigue and limit working hours, and provide drivers with contracts and social insurance coverage.

Baidu /

Baidu rebrands robotaxi app in push to commercialize its driverless technology

Baidu Inc. rebranded its two-year-old driverless taxi service platform in a move it said could inject impetus into its efforts to truly commercialize its self-driving technology amid growing concerns over the safety of autonomous vehicles.

At the annual Baidu World conference Wednesday, the Beijing-based tech giant announced the launch of Luobo Kuaipao, an updated version of its Apollo Go robotaxi service app that allows users to hail autonomous cabs equipped with a safety driver in limited areas of Beijing, Guangzhou, Changsha and Cangzhou.

Quick hits /

Tencent doubles social aid to $15 billion as scrutiny grows

China Mobile plans $8.6 billion Shanghai IPO after being booted from New York bourse

Hot Topics /

Tencent earmarks 50 billion yuan for common prosperity, Beijing says no to shared electric bikes in city, H&M fined

GALLERY

Delta deals a blow to day laborers

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Some students at primary and middle schools are returning to classes for the new semester, after the latest delta outbreak has been brought under control in provinces like Jiangsu and Anhui. In some places, students must take Covid-19 tests before returning to school, while many campuses have disinfected classrooms and canteens. Besides, Beijing city has adjusted class times in response to new regulations on easing students' pressure, a local government spokesperson said Tuesday

Aug 31, 2021 05:31 PM
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Right after updating its sub-compact Coolray , Geely is now doing the same with its compact SUV offering, the Azkarra.
The forecast track on a National Hurricane Center map shows Tropical Storm Henri is expected to stay offshore as it strengthens to a hurricane. (NHC graphic)
This map of Carteret County shows active known case of COVID-19, broken out by zip code, as of Wednesday. The largest single concentration, 111, is in the Newport zip code. (Carteret County map)
A sign hanging on the door to Pine Knoll Shores Town Hall Monday alerts visitors that public access is prohibited as cases of the COVID-19 in the area continue to rise. (Mike Shutak photo)
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Flee, the much-hyped animated refugee documentary, has a North American release date: Neon and Participant will release it in theaters on December 3.

Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Flee is based on the testimony of Amin (a pseudonym), who fled Afghanistan as a child and is now living in Denmark as an openly gay man. The film, a European co-production, interweaves limited animation and archive footage to tell his tale of trauma and secrecy.

Flee has been a wild success on the festival circuit, earning an official selection at last years cancelled Cannes. Premiering at Sundance, it won the festivals world cinema grand jury prize, then added two awards at Annecy  including the top feature prize  to its haul.
Prime Focus founder Namit Malhotra will remain in his current roles as DNEG chairman and CEO. A portion of Novators investment will allow Malhotra to increase his ownership stake in the parent company from 35% to around 70%. The doubling of my equity investment in DNEGs parent company is testament to my full commitment and total belief in the opportunity, said Malhotra. DNEG is perfectly positioned to strategically align with our clients and partners to create compelling and successful content for global audiences.

DNEG says it is well positioned to capitalize on the demand for its services from the fast-growing streaming marketplace, adding that it is exploring opportunities in areas including gaming and original IP creation.

The company has won six Oscars for its vfx work, which includes Ex Machina, Blade Runner 2049, First Man, and Tenet, as well as series like Chernobyl and Catch-22. Among its upcoming releases are Dune and The Matrix 4. Its young feature animation unit worked on Rons Gone Wrong (image at top), which Disney will release in October.

Based in London, DNEG employs nearly 7,000 people across eight locations, including a recently announced studio in Bangalore. In October 2019, it announced that it was preparing for an IPO. It shelved the plan the following month, citing market uncertainty.
Having grown fast in the pandemic, Vancouvers Mainframe Studios is now going one further and opening a brand-new virtual studio based in Toronto.

Mainframe, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based Wow! Unlimited Media, is looking to hire 100-plus staff from across Ontario. The new studio will be connected to Mainframes Global Studio Pipeline, which it developed in 2018 to facilitate outsourcing to international studios, then used last year to help transition employees to remote working.

How can an animation studio be both virtual and in Toronto? The answer: there will eventually be an actual studio in the city, but the company has decided to launch the unit while staff are still working remotely. Once the physical location has opened, Mainframe will adopt a hybrid working model, just as it will for its Vancouver headquarters.
The rock balancer Michael Grab of Boulder, Colorado makes gravity-defying, visually stunning sculptures simply by balancing rocks atop one another. By stacking only rocks into works of art, Grab finds zen.
Photo: The Canadian Press Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet arrives to speak at a campaign event outside the Gatineau Hospital in Gatineau, Que., on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Party leaders battled on the campaign trail over the right prescription to help the country's health-care systems and how much more funding provinces need to meet needs during and after the pandemic.

This year's federal budget, released in April, forecast $43.1 billion in health-care transfers to provinces, a drop from the $45.9 billion last fiscal year after extra cash flowed to bolster systems besieged by COVID-19 cases.

At current rates, health transfers are scheduled to rise to $51.7 billion by 2026 under the five-year plan in the budget, a three per cent annual growth rate that premiers have unanimously agreed is not enough to keep up with costs.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said he would boost federal funding for provincially run health-care systems by six per cent annually.

Speaking in French at a stop in Ottawa, O'Toole left the door open to offering more money if the national economy grows faster than expected, which would give federal coffers extra cash to potentially splash around.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, speaking shortly after O'Toole on Thursday morning, said the Conservative plan falls well short of what provinces need.

Blanchet said the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the ills from years of federal funding falling behind rising costs, and warned the gap will only continue to rise as the population ages with the oldest baby boomers turning 75 this year.

His party, which is only running candidates in Quebec, is telling premiers that the Bloc backs provincial calls for a far greater jump in federal health-care spending, and warned Quebec voters that neither O'Toole nor Trudeau could be trusted.

"Quebec has made seven demands before last election. Not one, not a single one of the seven demands of Quebec has been met. Not one," he said at an event near the Gatineau hospital, across the river from Ottawa.

The country's premiers have demanded about $28 billion more this year and $4 billion annually thereafter in health-care funding from the federal government, arguing the current plan of three per cent jumps in spending means transfers don't keep pace with yearly cost increases of about five per cent.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has said his government wouldn't talk about changes in spending plans until after the pandemic passes.

Speaking in Victoria, B.C., where he outlined plans to improve wages and conditions in long-term care facilities, Trudeau said the country needs to invest more in health care and that his government would be there to increase provincial transfers, although he did not detail when and by how much.

"How we do that, what kind of objectives we're looking for, how we ensure that Canadians get the best quality of care is at the heart of the discussions that we need to have with those provinces," he said.

But he, like other party leaders, focused attacks on O'Toole and a Conservative plank to defend the right for nurses and doctors to object to taking part in certain procedures, such as a medically assisted death or abortion.

O'Toole fended off questions about the proposal by noting he is "pro-choice," but Trudeau, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Blanchet argued the Conservative platform commitment signalled the opposite.

Singh took aim at Trudeau over the Liberal government's track record on health-care spending during a campaign stop in Edmonton where Singh highlighted his party's pledge for a $250 million fund to help train and hire 2,000 nurses.

The NDP leader said the Liberals lambasted the previous Conservative government for cutting funding to provinces in 2014, only to turn around and keep funding increases at that level once in office.

Singh backed the call from premiers to increase health-care spending, and promised to work with provinces if elected to govern.

"The only way we can make sure people have the care they need is if we invest in our publicly funded health-care system with the appropriate funds to make sure it's there for people when they need it," Singh said.
WTF Mr. Trudeau? What in the name of Zues are you thinking calling an election right now, it is clearly not in the best interest of all Canadians is it? It is in the best interest of one Canadian, and that Canadian is Justin Trudeau! Mr. Self-Centered. Seriously, a pandemic and the worst fire season in the history of British Columbia.

Where is your support for all Canadians here, there is none for the west coast! Promising to train more firefighters if you get elected! All I can say is too little too late and I hope this election backfires.

Shame on you!

Mary Lou McTaggart, Enderby

Calling an election at this time by the Liberal government shows extreme insensitivity to what many British Columbians are suffering due to the wildfires not to mention surges in COVID. In response, Trudeau claims to promise funding 1,000 new fire fighters for next year. Unfortunately BC needs help now not next year. Next year is too late. If we werent in an election, BC may have received the help we needed today. Another example of an empty election promise. Disgraceful.



Barbara Dhortreed

I am asking people to please not make the fires political.

It amazed me to see Mel Arnold and Election Time Blasted, as part of your first headlines waking up this morning. Parroting. and cut and pasting what Mr. OToole had to say. We need to come together as a community here in the Vernon area and the surrounding areas. We really appreciate your coverage andd information for those on alert and those displaced.



All levels of government, and parties have had a hand in the neglect of the fuel on the ground and the removal of natural fire barriers over the years.

Monty Pownall

The calling of this election is a very obvious show of Mr. Trudeaus ego! Not of a substance of character of keeping his word after voting against an election only two months ago. Cannot believe a word he says. Now is not the time for an election with the pandemic and wildfires! People are concerned with these things and to use this political strategy is an insult, certainly not thinking of Canadians.

Joyce Geering
Re: Political bait-and-switch

In the Castanet letter dated August 18 Diane Eaton questions Kelowna Lake Country MP, Tracy Grays motives for voting against Bill C-7 (MAiD) and Bill C-6 (conversion therapy) insinuating that she voted to appease a Social Conservative base while politically implying that Tracy has an erratic voting record. Nothing could be further from the truth from my perspective.

If Ms. Eaton was concerned about these bills she should be writing to condemn the Prime Minister, who by calling an election effectively killed bill C-6 and the protections it would have afforded.

Where is your outrage at the PM and the Liberal Party? Oh, your letter was politically motivated, designed to cast dispersions on Tracy Gray during an election and not designed to assist in banning conversion therapy.

I have analyzed Tracys voting record and found a very consistent voting record that highly likely represents the feelings of a majority of the riding. She has consistently voted her conscience. Thats what I want in my MP.

Her voting on Bills C-6 and C-7 reflect diligent effort to protect the vulnerable. If she says that she is against conversion therapy, but voted the way she did because the bill was flawed, I have no reason to disbelieve her, she has a history of significant service in our community. Have you spoken to Tracy to find out what her issues were with the bills? I have and found that she is against conversion therapy as are a great majority of her constituents. The bill at 3rd reading had flaws that she wanted corrected. Anyone that follows the legislative process understands that at various readings of a bill, individual MPs can and do regularly change their vote for various reasons. Sometimes changes to those Bills between readings changes the meaning or intent of the bill in question.

As for appealing to the social conservative voter base by voting against Bill C-7, I dont see how that is possible. A quick search of the position of faith groups and there are lot of them in Kelowna Lake Country, shows the majority being against conversion therapy. So how does voting against what she termed as a flawed bill that bans conversion therapy appeal to social conservatives, if most social conservatives are against conversion therapy? This defies logic.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the most conservative religious organizations, opposes conversion therapy.The United Church of Canada is against conversion therapy. More than 40 faith groups in Regina, SK joined together to sign a letter supporting the ban on conversion therapy.

This document from the EFC, the Christian Legal Fellowship and the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities (formerly Canadian Council of Christian Charities) appears to also be against conversion therapy, while offering concerns about the wording of the bill.

Summarizing various faith group statements: We strongly condemn the practice of conversion therapy or any efforts that attempt to change a persons sexual or gender identity through treatment that is hostile to a persons identity, unethical, spiritually and psychologically damaging, and not supported by evidence.

So, it appears that so called social conservatives are against conversion therapy. I applaud MP Tracy Gray for taking a principled stance on these bills. Flawed legislation helps no one.

Diane, why write a political hit piece with seemingly no merit against a diligent MP and post it during an election time in multiple publications? Thats dirty politics, less than desirable ethics and likely a placed Liberal hit-piece.

It appears that the great majority of Canadians, including MP Tracy Gray, are on-side with the principles in Bills C-7 and C6. Lets codify that desire into good legislation. Vulnerable groups need protection. I dont like the politicization of the vulnerable. Can we honestly talk about issues?

Gordon Oliver, Kelowna
Photo: Glacier Media

A North Vancouver man is facing a host of gun charges after a routine traffic stop led to a cache of contraband.

On July 17, a West Vancouver police officer pulled over a driver and quickly learned the man was wanted on two different arrest warrants.

In his vehicle, officers found a loaded handgun and other weapons along with methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl, all pre-packaged for sale. They also found a fake police badge and gun belt. Some of the items were stashed in secret compartments, police say.

At the man's home, officers discovered more suspected drugs and paraphernalia, fraudulent IDs, more weapons and the components and tools required to make new guns, including 3D printers capable of producing gun parts, said Const. Kevin Goodmurphy.

Were confident that we were able to dismantle a gun-making lab, he said. What seems to be an up-and-coming and concerning trend for us in law enforcement is the ability to obtain the schematics  online, on how to print firearm parts.

Investigators called in the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit and Real Time Intelligence Centre, to assist in the investigation.

Seven charges have been sworn against Thomas Barewski, 31, including three counts of possession of a prohibited device or ammunition knowing it is unauthorized; one count of possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to prohibition order; unauthorized possession of a firearm; one count of possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm, and one count of possession of an identity document.
Cemex's aggregate production returns to Alabama

20 August 2021

Cemex is investing more than US$6m in its new Brierfield aggregates plant to produce high-quality aggregates for Alabama, USA. The Brierfield plant is the latest addition to Cemex USA and Ready Mix USA's strong network in the state that consists of one cement plant, three cement terminals and more than 30 ready-mix concrete plants.

The Brierfield plant, which is located approximately one hour from Birmingham, Alabama, began operations in June 2021, processing aggregates under the name RM USA Aggregates. The operation is expected to produce close to 600,000t of asphalt stone, concrete stone and base annually. The investment ends Cemex's absence from aggregate production in Alabama, providing a new, local resource for customers and Cemexs own Ready Mix USA concrete operations in Tuscaloosa, Vance and Alabaster.

Published under
Buena Vista, CO (81211)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. High around 75F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms in the evening. Partly cloudy skies overnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 48F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Chatham, VA (24531)

Today

Thunderstorms. High 78F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 61F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
A Hamilton County General Sessions Court judge is unable to hear cases for the time being after he was suspended due to not completing Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements.

Judge Gerald Webb was not in court on Thursday morning, though he had a full docket for morning and afternoon sessions.

Judge Christie Sell, the senior General Sessions judge, said she was alerted to the situation on Wednesday night.

The suspension is from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC).

Judge Sell said Judge Alex McVeigh stepped in and heard a few of the Webb cases on Thursday morning. She said she did not know what happened to the rest of the cases.

She said an attorney sat in the judge's seat for the afternoon docket. Judge Sell said it is preferable for an elected judge to sit, but at times when a fill-in judge is needed none is available.

It is the second time that Judge Webb has been suspended for failure to complete CLE requirements. It happened last year, and he was able to get reinstated soon afterward.

Most judges fulfill the requirements by attending judicial conferences in the Spring and Fall. The last conferences were virtual due to COVID-19 concerns.
Over the past few days, I have had an opportunity to chat with several fellow veterans, service members, military family members, and Gold Star families. It is beyond the obvious in saying that the past few days have been extraordinarily difficult for those with a personal connection to our mission in Afghanistan. My wife Tiffany and I are no different.

Earlier this week, a CNN reporter broadcast from a base in Andar, Afghanistan  this was a base that my soldiers and I built, its the base where I was wounded in 2006. Seeing it on the screen brought back a lot of memories  good and bad. When we first secured Andar we were using an open space adjacent to the district center compound where I lived with the local Governor to land helicopters. Unbeknownst to us  that open space was a Cemetery.

One day the elder approaches me and says youre landing helicopters in our cemetery, and this is deeply disrespectful. We talked for hours and right as the villagers and the elders were satisfied that we intended no harm and that we had agreed on a new place to land helicopters I heard the distinct sound of a far-off Chinook Helicopter. Despite my best efforts to wave them off, two giant Chinooks land right in front of us in the cemetery, sandblasting the entire group of gathered elders in the process, and effectively undoing all the goodwill I had just spent hours building. Of the 847 days I spent serving in Afghanistan, every. single. one. was like that day. A few steps forward, a few steps back.

In my conversations with fellow veterans, their memories are about the same. The question that keeps coming up: was this worth it?

Unfortunately, most are having a hard time answering that question. Theres a term for that, Moral Injury. Moral Injury is the minds response to actions or memories that are in violation of a persons values and beliefs  some might say its an injury to your soul. For 20 years the full weight of the War on Terror fell on the shoulders of less than 1 percent of us. 2.7 million Americans voluntarily answered the call to serve, .7 percent of the U.S. population to be precise. 7,057 never came home, another 30,177 came home only to take their own lives.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, my generation of veterans has been fortunate to have a grateful nation behind us  I attribute this to our Vietnam and Korean War Veterans who after 9/11 were adamant that my generation received a proper welcome home and proper access to care, something many of them never received. Believe me when I say, all of us appreciate that gratitude  but over the past few days the resounding impression I get from talking to my fellow Veterans is that thank you for your service has lost its meaning. Many veterans have begun to see this as a hollow or superficial gesture, people say it because thats what youre supposed to say.

Like most veterans, on my right wrist I wear a silver bracelet, I have a collection of them, but they all look the same. Most people assume its a medical alert bracelet, but if you look closely each bracelet is inscribed with the name of a friend or colleague Ive lost, either to our enemies abroad, or the demons within. I wear the bracelet so that I can read their name, when I shake hands, when I render a salute, when I play with my kids, while I type these words, their names are always with me. Almost every veteran I know does this. We do this because it inspires us, they inspire us. They sacrificed their tomorrow so that we could have our today  and that is not something to be taken lightly. We have an obligation to live up to their legacy, we have an obligation to make those sacrifices matter, and what were seeing today should only strengthen our resolve to do so.

As we reflect as a nation on the current situation in Afghanistan and on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I think it is more important than ever to remind ourselves of the unity that existed immediately following the 9/11 attacks. On 9/12 there was no doubt in anyones mind that we would prevail, there was no doubt that we were stronger together. Now, 20 years later, we should focus our efforts on those elements that unify us, those elements of our history that make us stronger, those elements that define American exceptionalism.

Pearl Harbor, Sept. 11, whatever the crisis, Americans have always stood up and found a way to overcome any obstacle. Despite the fear, the heartbreak, the anger were all experiencing we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our fallen to be good stewards of our democracy, we must live up to their legacy and be good stewards of our communities. As we approach the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, all of us must find a way to serve, we must ensure that the sacrifices made by the .7 percent were not in vain.

After Pearl Harbor our entire nation mobilized in support of the war efforts. Everyone made sacrifices in support of our common goal. When the war was over, we quickly made up for lost time. The greatest generation not only secured victory in World War II but they returned home to oversee the largest period of economic growth this country has ever seen, and some of the greatest technological advances the world has ever seen. For the greatest generation there was no obstacle that couldnt be overcome  and today we have the opportunity to harness that same spirit.

To the brave men and women who volunteered and to your families, and to the families of the fallen. The sacrifices you made  and your families made  were not in vain. What we are witnessing today is not our failure, this is not our burden to bear. Having had the privilege of serving alongside so many amazing Americans (and allied Service Members as well), quite frankly Im tremendously proud of what you were able to accomplish, and I hope you are too. The fact is you carried more than your fair share  and you are stronger because of it.

Its okay to not be okay right now. Take some time to reconnect with old friends, remind ourselves about that time we were handed a mission, given no resources to execute the mission, and somehow figured out how to make it work. Let's take that problem-solving mindset into our next mission. There's a lot of work to be done - your country and your communities need strong leaders like you to tackle tough problems and solving tough problems is what we do best.

Adlai Stevenson II said, Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. I can think of no better way to demonstrate our gratitude for the sacrifices of our service members, veterans, and their families than by reaffirming our commitment to service, to each other, to our communities, and to our nation.

Joe Reagan
A consumer/carry-out beer license was approved on Thursday for Lo Main, 2315 E. Main St., near Dodds Avenue. The business is envisioned as a small bar and restaurant for the Ridgedale neighborhood.

It will start with opening evenings from 5 p.m. until midnight. The owners hope to later expand to opening during the day. The space has an occupancy of 49 people plus there is a front and back porch.

For the time being the only alcohol sold will be beer but an application for wine and liquor will be applied for in the future, said owners Graham Courter and Justin Sigman.
The County School Board on Thursday approved hiring an architect to design a new Tyner High/Middle School to replace the current dilapidated schools.

Conditions at Tyner are so bad that students walked out in protest on Wednesday.

That came after a section of one of the Tyner buildings partially collapsed.

Deputy Supt. Justin Robertson said officials plan to have the new Tyner school open by August 2024. To wait any longer would mean the schools could not utilize $25 million in ESSER (COVID) funds toward the project.

He said the schools are looking into a possible agreement with the city to place the new building behind the current Tyner where ball fields are now located. Dr. Robertson said after the new school is ready that the ball fields could go where the Tyner schools are now located.

Dr. Robertson said both Tyner High and Tyner Middle would be torn down. He said they were listed as the schools in the second worst condition in the system in the MGT report. CSLA was the worst.

He said there would be separate wings for the high school and middle school.

Dr. Robertson said students are going to be allowed back into portions of the building that had a partial collapse. He said structural engineers said it was safe to do so. Students will not be near the partially collapsed section.

Board members Marco Perez and Tucker McClendon praised the students for the walkout.

Mr. Perez said, "If there is something we should be angry about, it is these buildings. Students deserve to be in buildings that are not falling apart and that are not dangerous."

He said, "With a building that starts crumbling, it can happen when students are inside. As a community we cannot accept this."

Mr. McClendon said, "I am ashamed of the condition of many of our schools. We have kids going to school in condemned buildings."

He said of the Tyner students, "Yeah, they're fed up. I'm fed up. I hope this Tyner situation is a wake up call."

The board also approved up to seven days of paid COVID leave for teachers so they will not have to dip into their sick leave in cases where they have to go into quarantine.

The initial motion was for five days, but Mr. McClendon made a motion for seven.

On the motion of board member Jenny Hill, the leave will also apply in cases when the minor child of a teacher is quarantined and the teacher needs to be home with the child.
Lee University hosted the Church of God International Teen Talent, a competition for teens ages 13-19, in partnership with the Church of God Department of Youth and Discipleship. This years Teen Talent took place virtually.

While we missed the on-campus engagement and energy, we were privileged to serve students and their families and share the Lee story with them virtually, said Dr. Mike Hayes, vice president for student development at Lee.

During the first week of August, approximately 550 talent videos were shared online in 58 categories such as music, drama, art, and writing. Each submission was reviewed to determine this years top finishers, which were announced during the live Awards Ceremony held in the Conn Center on Lees campus.

The Church of God International Youth and Discipleship Department was thrilled to once again hold the International Teen Talent competition, said Rob Bailey, International Youth and Discipleship director for the COG Department of Youth and Discipleship. Due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and in an effort to be inclusive to those nations with limitations still in effect, the incredibly difficult decision was made to hold this years competition virtually. Parents, leaders, and state, regional, and national youth and discipleship directors gave wonderful support to bring this competition to fruition and continue a tradition that has spanned 60 years.

Over 157 trophy awards were announced in various categories for first, second, and third place. Lee gave 16 scholarships to top winners in several music, drama, and art categories. Awards were presented by Mr. Bailey and Brian Yaun from the COG Department of Youth and Discipleship.

Watch parties were held in various locations across the Bahamas, Canada, and the United States to view the live ceremony.

We are extremely grateful to Lee University for hosting our staff and adjudicators on their beautiful campus, said Mr. Bailey. Our sincere appreciation also goes out to the individuals who served as adjudicators, video editors, and support team members during this magnificent celebration of Church of God young people using their gifts to glorify God.

To view the Awards Ceremony, visit livestream.com/leeu/events/9784797. To see the full list of winners or for more information about Teen Talent, visit cogteentalent.com.






In Alabama the states fire-and-brimstone preachers speak of the Apocalypse in the same way they can scare a congregation by dwelling too long on the Book of Revelations. Yet in the center of the Bible Belt at the famed University of Alabama-Birmingham, Dr. Jeannie Marrazzo has just told CNN that the state could be facing a Doomsday-situation in coming weeks; We are facing a potentially apocalyptic scenario, she told the TV cameras. And ditto for us in Chattanooga.

I know some are tired of my COVID porn, as it is called by the unbelievers, but I am telling any unvaccinated people in the under-vaccinated South that people far smarter and better informed than me believe at the height of this Delta variant this scourge could be tapping on nearly 40 percent of the anti-vaxxers' very shoulders.

And the belief is also by the time Delta is gone it will leave a swath so wide it will make these last 16 months with COVID look like a walk in the park.

You should know there are no intensive care beds in any hospitals in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. To illustrate I am going to use UABs numbers where researchers have pin-pointed that as of Wednesday (Aug. 18) there were 2,723 COVID-19 patients in the state, which is overwhelming the hospitals, the doctors and nurses, and the general staffs at every state facility. In Jackson, Miss., they triaged an entire parking deck and now its full!

When the apocalypse comes every hospital (already) is stretched to capacity. Yet public health projections show Alabama will require an estimated 5,000 beds by mid-September. Where will they put people? Where will Nashville or Chattanooga? When a body is admitted to intensive care, it isnt for a day. A week is more like it. At the COVID peak last winter, the Alabama hospital on one day cared for a record 3,084 patients. This weeks peak, which will likely be tomorrow or Saturday, is easily believed to set a record, with a pressing demand every day

To date, 3,434,499 people in Alabama have been vaccinated and 1,639,032 are fully vaccinated, which is 33.61 percent of the state. (In Tennessee, 6,059,413 have been vaccinated and 2,780,707 are fully vaccinated, which is 41.44 percent of the state.)

According to UAB research, the Delta peak will be in mid-September. It really looks like were going to have surges, where it ebbs and then surges again, said Dr. Suzanne Judd, but we may be on a path that would take (the state) over 5,000 hospitalizations (in the next several weeks.) Thats twice what todays groaning point is. And thats where potentially apocalyptic is feared from Mobile to Huntsville to ... in the northeast corner of the state, Chattanoogas Erlanger Hospital.

The tensile point is what number of cases will be the non-vaccinated. While breakthrough infections are occurring to the totally-vaccinated  like Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly and Texas Governor Greg Abbott -- the non-vaccinated are requiring hospitalizations and are easily the sickest of the incoming patients. Repeatedly we are urged to Vaccinate! Vaccinate! and repeatedly we are seeing what the victims are saying, Get. The. Damn. Vaccine  allegedly the last words of a man in Texas this week who leaves a one-year-old son.

Unfortunately, the vaccine by itself isnt the Holy Grail. No, once a patient receives the vaccine, it is believed it takes about two weeks for the drugs to begin to work into the matrix of the human body. Understand, you are not fully immunized until two weeks after your second jab of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, but the experts are hopeful any vaccine in your body might lessen the symptoms and the severity of the Delta variant.

When I took my third Moderna dose at Publix in Fort Oglethorpe on Wednesday, this because I am among the immuno-compromised, there were several other third timers. While there has been an uptake of first timers at the stores pharmacy, there was little of what I hoped because the Delta variant can indeed be lethal. (Knock on wood, but thus far I have had no ill effects from the third dose.)

* * *

THURSDAYS NEWS RELEASE FROM THE TENNESSEE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

The Tennessee Hospital Association is urging communities to help combat COVID-19. "Every hospital in our state is experiencing capacity issues due to the surge in COVID patients," Wendy Long, MD, CEO of the THA, said in an Aug. 19 statement.

"All ICU beds are currently full in most hospitals in every major metropolitan area of the state," Dr. Long wrote. Several Nashville hospitals are running low on beds, staff, and morale.

From July 1 to Aug. 15, COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide have increased more than 800 percent, from fewer than 300 patients to more than 2,300, according to Dr. Long. The THA is urging more community members to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks indoors.

Over the past few weeks, vaccination rates in Tennessee have increased, but "it's not enough," according to Dr. Long. "To reduce the strain on our hospital system and prevent more illness and death, more Tennesseans need to get vaccinated."

"Please help ensure there is a bed available for all Tennesseans in their time of need by reducing the spread of COVID by getting vaccinated and wearing a mask in public spaces," Wendy Long added.

* * *

GET THE VACCINE TODAY and take your closest pals with you. There are 7.9 billion people who live in this world and 32 percent of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 24 percent is fully vaccinated. 4.84 billion doses have been administered globally, and 34.95 million are now administered each day. (Kinda knocks the conspiracy argument in the head, dont you think?)

royexum@aol.com
Soddy Daisy will keep the new certified property tax rate and will not have a property tax increase, officials said Thursday. The new certified rate was set at $1.1159 for every $100 of assessed value by the state of Tennessee. It was lowered from the previous rate of $1.3524 after reassessments were done recently. The lower rate will keep revenue collected from property taxes the same as last year.

"There is no tax increase," said City Manager Burt Johnson. Commissioner Gene Shipley thanked the city manager and all the department heads for managing money carefully which he credited for not having to raise taxes.

A public hearing and first reading was held at the commission meeting Thursday night for an ordinance amending the municipal code relating to pre-owned mobile homes. In 2014-2015 the commission passed an ordinance that was meant to improve quality of life, said City Attorney Sam Elliott. "What we found was that there is a fine line for balancing quality of life and affordability," he said.

The requirements that were made 5-6 years ago were too costly to owners of the mobile home parks, who own the trailers that are rented out, said Mr. Johnson. The board met with owners of the parks recently to come up with a plan that is a compromise of what the city wants and the owners have asked for. Among the changes, a requirement has been removed for a mobile home which is brought into a park to be newer than six years old. Remaining is the requirement that if a mobile home in the park is over 40 years old it must be replaced. There are also multiple inspection requirements that must be met.

The ordinance about advertising signs was amended. Attorney Elliott said he has addressed concerns about signs and First Amendment rights while keeping as much as possible from Soddy Daisys old ordinance. He said that advertising signs can be regulated as to size and location but not based upon what it says. He recommended that the commissioners pass the amended ordinance to keep the city in accordance with the Constitution.

Public meetings and first readings of two rezoning cases were approved with no citizen speaking either for or against. Land located at 10127 Card Road was rezoned from A-1 Agricultural to C-2 Local Business District. This will divide a tract into two properties. An existing home will be kept on one lot and the other will be sold.

A tract of land located at 238 Goose Creek Dr. was rezoned from R-2A Rural Residential and A-1 Agricultural to R-1 Single Family Residential to increase the lot size of a home.

The city manager said that the city received a notice to proceed with the resurfacing project on Dayton Pike and it will be put out for bid. The board gave the mayor authority to sign a contract. Bids will be opened Sept. 8 and the city is hoping to start paving in November. Dayton Pike will be resurfaced from one city limit to the other.

Police Chief Mike Sneed was given approval to order three Dodge Durango SUVs, and he was also given the authority to surplus a 2001 transport van that is no longer being used.

The city manager announced that Dallas Hollow Road will be closed on Sept. 3 for fire training with a controlled burn. More information will be available on Facebook.

Mr. Johnson also informed the commission of plans to combine all of its leases with TVA. The city has 30-year leases on property around the lake that is owned by TVA, where various parks are located. The one park not currently included is referred to as the State Park or Pine Tree Park. Soddy Daisy wants to include it with the other TVA properties that are renewed every five years. Having the long-term leases makes the city eligible to receive funding for improvements to the parks.

During the citizens participation time in the commission meeting, Cindi Sanden, who is revitalizing the Farmers Market, gave an update. She said more vendors are now taking part in the market than earlier in the summer and a food truck will come to the market this weekend. She is partnering with Thomas Farms to sell produce. She is also planning for a Fall Festival there for the first Saturday in October.

Jim Stewart, a two-year resident of the area who is recently retired, told the board he is trying to spend time helping keep Soddy Daisy beautiful with different projects. At the Thursday night meeting he received the commissioners' permission for exploring the creation of a city tree board. He said typically a tree board would be part of city government and would partner with a non-profit which is allowed to raise money. His plan is to partner with Keep Soddy Beautiful, the volunteer group which has been cleaning up trash along the roadways. Some ways he suggested that a tree board could benefit the city would be to educate the community by having an arborist present at public events to give advice for property, to plant trees on Arbor Day, and work with developers to protect existing trees or plant new ones. All would benefit Soddy Daisy in future growth, he said.
Tennessee American Water will begin its annual water system flushing program throughout the Chattanooga area the week of Aug. 23 and continue through the month of September.



Tennessee American Water crews will open selected fire hydrants throughout the water distribution system for several minutes.

"Periodic flushing is essential to providing excellent water quality to customers because it removes natural sediment that builds up in water pipes over time," officials said.

The company also flushes its hydrants to confirm they are operational and to check fire flows in the system."Customers count on us to provide high quality water for their comfort, sanitation and fire protection, said Doug Wagner, vice president of operations. In addition to continuous infrastructure renewal like main replacements, essential maintenance activities such as our hydrant flushing program are key to providing our customers with high-quality drinking water.As employees perform this work, Tennessee American Water asks that customers maintain a safe distance from the worksite and equipment in the field. "We also remind our customers that for their safety and the safety of our employees, to follow social distancing recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and not approach employees when they are seen working in the field," officials said.During flushing, customers may experience a temporary drop in water pressure or slight discoloration of their water. Customers with discolored water should open a cold water spigot, like a hose bib or their bathtub, until the water clears. The water remains safe to consume, officials said.Customers with questions about the flushing program may also contact Customer Service at 1-866-736-6420.
A woman was shot and killed at a residence on Daisy Dallas Road on Thursday afternoon.

She was identified as Tina Holmes, 51.

At 5:12 pm., Hamilton County Sheriffs Office deputies were dispatched to the 8600 Block of Daisy Dallas Road on a report of a shooting.

Deputies arrived on the scene at 5:14 pm.

Upon arriving at the residence, deputies found Ms. Holmes deceased.

Her body was transported to the Hamilton County Medical Examiners Office.

Detectives continue to investigate the incident and are working closely with the Hamilton County Medical Examiners Office.
Career criminal Richard Devin Waddle was arrested on multiple charges Thursday.

Beginning on July 14, the Bradley County Sheriffs Office began having a rash of thefts and auto thefts reported across the county. Investigators were able to identify Waddle as a suspect in multiple cases. It was determined that he had recently moved to this area from Georgia after being released from prison. It was also discovered that he was a convicted sex offender in Georgia and had not reported his move to Tennessee.

During multiple attempts to arrest Waddle, he evaded arrest on foot and he once attempted to hit a deputy with a stolen vehicle.



On August 19, Bradley County patrol deputies responded to an auto theft report in the 64 Highway

area. While on scene, they were able to identify Waddle as the suspect in that case. Within an hour of the report, detectives located the vehicle at a residence inside of the city limits. At that

time, officers from the Cleveland Police Department Patrol Division, the Cleveland Police Department Crime Suppression Unit, the Bradley County Sheriffs Office Patrol and the Bradley County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigation Division, responded to the location and had all other occupants of the house come outside.



Waddle refused to come outside and was taken into custody with the assistance of a Cleveland Police Department K9. He was arrested on outstanding warrants for the following charges listed below and additional new charges of aggravated assault on an officer, felony evading, and felony vandalism, are pending:

- failure to appear on schedule 1 for resale

- burglary

- theft over $60,000

- two counts of theft over $10,000

- three counts of theft over $2,500

- one count of theft over $1,000

- two counts of theft under $1,000

- two counts of vandalism

- two counts of resisting arrest

- cruelty to animals

- criminal impersonation

- alteration of VIN



Sheriff Steve Lawson said, It is apparent Mr. Waddle came here with an intent to commit crimes against our citizens. As I have previously stated, Bradley County has a zero tolerance for thieves. The Bradley County Sheriffs Office and Cleveland Police Department, along with detectives from both departments, did a phenomenal job of apprehending Mr. Waddle, as he absolutely needed to be held accountable for his actions.
A quick response and fire attack kept flames from spreading in a building on the campus of Tennessee Baptist Childrens Home on Friday afternoon.

The call came out at 1:46 p.m. to 6623 Lee Highway and firefighters found fire in the basement of the structure that contains the commissary and several cottages.

Thankfully, everyone had safely evacuated the structure.

Crews worked fast and had the blaze under control by 2:05 p.m., within minutes of arriving on scene and establishing firefighting operations. There were heavy smoke conditions so they started overhaul with ventilation to clear the building. They also made sure there was no extension.

The cause of the fire will be under investigation. One cat was rescued. There were no injuries.

Due to the heat, firefighters were rotated in and out and extra companies were brought to the scene for staffing. Hamilton County EMS monitored firefighters vitals.

City fire officials said, "Thanks to our mutual aid partners for manning our stations while everyone worked this fire. Responding companies/agencies: Quint 6, Quint 8, Quint 21, Squad 13, Ladder 7, Squad 7, Engine 15, Ladder 13, Battalion 1, Battalion 2 (Green Shift), CFD Operations Chief, CFD Special Operations Chief, CFD Safety Chief, Hamilton County EMS, CFD Supply, CPD and East Ridge Squad 1."




Matthew McConaughey never planned on anything but a small part in 1994s horror franchise installment Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. But a burst of ambition and an unlikely utensil wound up changing everything.

McConaughey shared the story on his YouTube page

Matthew McConaughey | Gary Miller/Getty Images

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Matthew McConaughey took to his YouTube page to share the story of how he landed the role of Vilmer in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. And it turns out he only planned to shoot for one day in his home state of Texas, then relocate to Los Angeles. McConaughey said that he had a truck loaded up and ready to go.

I got to the production office, and I am talking to the director Kim Henkel, and he says, Matthew, do you have anyone in mind who could play the lead killer, Vilmer? McConaughey said on YouTube.

McConaughey says he suggested a few, left, then hatched a plan.

I said, I should try out for that role, he recalled. He returned and asked if he could read for the role. Henkel agreed, and the secretary in the production office said shed read opposite him. And in a creative epiphany, he decided to add one ordinary item.

I ran to the kitchen  grabbed a big tablespoon, came back in, and just pinned her in a corner and acted like it was a weapon, said McConaughey. I did it until she cried. And Kim was like, That was good, and she was like, Yeah, that was really good. You really scared me.

The role helped propel Matthew McConaughey to stardom

McConaugheys believably unhinged turn as Vilmer wound up being part of a cluster of roles that helped propel McConaughey into the spotlight. Along with roles in Dazed and Confused (1993, also filmed in Texas,) Angels in the Outfield (1994), Boys on the Side (1995), and A Time to Kill (1996), his TCM role helped showcase McConaugheys range and versatility.

He went on to star in romcoms including Failure to Launch with Sarah Jessica Parker (2006), Fools Gold (2008) with Kate Hudson, and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) with Jennifer Garner. In grittier films Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and White Boy Rick (2018,) he proved that he couldnt easily be typecast. Finally, two other horror movies, Frailty (2001) and Dark Tower (2017,) cemented him as a solid choice for horror movies.

His steadily proliferating lead roles ultimately pushed him to greater heights in Dallas Buyers Club  the movie that would net him an Academy Award in 2014.

McConaugheys unconventional audition worked out for him

Would a fork have had more impact? Probably not. While McConaugheys method may seem a little extreme, it worked for him. He was offered the role right then and there, and after filming for a month, he picked up again and moved to LA.

In November of 2014, he proved that he made the right decision by seizing the strange audition. McConaughey officially claimed the 2,534th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The rest is Hollywood history.

RELATED: 9 Horror Movies to Watch in the Summer
The popular 90 Day Fiance series Darcey & Stacey is back, and a lot has happened. Stacey Silva is now newly married to her husband, Florian Sukaj, a model from Albania. Shes tried to talk to Florian about having a baby before, and fans have seen it all play out. Florian says its what God choose. Apparently, Florian also said its in Gods hands according to his wife.

But Stacey, who is 46, is interested in IVF. She recently spoke to Florian again, and he agreed to go to a doctor with her to learn what options are available. Florian revealed to the camera that he agreed to go to make his wife happy.

Darcey Silva and Stacey Silva | Brad Barket/Getty Images for Discovery, Inc.

Stacey Silva and Florian Sukaj go to a fertility doctor on Darcey & Stacey

In episode 5, Stacey and Florian finally go to the fertility doctor. They sit down with the doctor, who wears a mask along with them. Stacey begins by revealing theyve been together for almost six years. She mentions that they are married and they feel like starting a family. She reveals she already has two sons, but Florian doesnt have any kids. Next, she adds that shes 46 and hes 29.

So we wanted to consult with you to see what our options are, Stacey says.

The doctor asks if theyve been trying to get pregnant, and Stacey tells him, Um, you know, its activelifestyle. We dont use protection, so it hasnt happened yet.

RELATED: Darcey & Stacey: Georgi Rusev Explains the Money in the Sock

The doctor goes on to explain that after trying for a while that he recommends taking some tests. He admits his concern is Staceys age.

Once you get into your 40s, the number of eggs that you have is reduced, and you see a very sharp decline in success, the doctor explains. He goes into further detail saying an option is to take Staceys eggs and mix the eggs with the sperm to create embryos, which is IVF. He also reveals another plan of action in which the eggs are frozen until they want to have a child.

The thing is, because of the age factor, I think you need to be more aggressive as far as the approach

But the doctor doesnt stop there, he says, The thing is, because of the age factor, I think you need to be more aggressive as far as the approach. Stacey tells the camera that she hopes she has at least a year or two.

When Stacey asks about the odds of her becoming pregnant naturally, the doctor says, Yes, I think the odds are slim that it will happen naturally. Stacey then looks at her husband.

Stacey reveals that she thinks freezing the eggs would be the right plan of action, and the doctor explains testing is the next part, which includes bloodwork and an ultrasound as well as testing of Staceys egg production.

I need to take these tests because I need to know whats my egg count, whats going on, am I able to have children with Florian? Stacey tells the camera. The test is everything, and that scares me.

Before the scene concludes, Stacey says, So, the window of time we have is not years. Are you talking months?

You should not delay, the doctor tells her.

Well have to see how things play out from here when it comes to Stacey and Florian having a child together.
Its been a long time since Will Smith has been The Fresh Prince. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air wrapped in 1996. That summer, Smith pinpointed the opening of Independence Day as when he officially became Mr. Smith in Hollywood. Fans still remember The Fresh Prince fondly, and that includes the explorers of Smiths National Geographic series Welcome to Earth.

Will Smith | Chris Cuffaio/NBCU Photo Bank

National Geographic previewed Welcome to Earth for the Television Critics Association on Aug. 18. Engineer Albert Lin shared the story of how he tried to get Smith to sing the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song in the remotest expedition. Welcome to Earth is coming soon to Disney+.

In Welcome to Earth, Disney+ sent Will Smith to far reaching places

In the movies, Smith has saved the world and traveled through space. He wanted to see the real wonders of our planet, so hes going there in Welcome to Earth. Smith traveled responsibly, joining up with experts to keep him safe.

Will Smith | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

RELATED: Will Smith Regrets His Treatment of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Co-star Janet Hubert: I Wasnt Sensitive

When we were diving, we had to rappel 300 feet into this cave or 400 feet into this cave, high up in the central part of Namibia, Lin said. And then, go into this cobalt blue water, just the most stunning water youve ever seen and try and measure these stalactites. But you couldnt see the bottom beyond these walls, and it dropped down some 400, 500 feet. Its never been mapped and Will has this capability to compose his fear. There was a moment when things were getting a little bit crazy. He could have descended too far and things could have gone really wrong, but he composed himself and kept going.

This Will Smith documentary was no time for the Fresh Prince

Lin thought taking Smith back to familiar, comfortable times might be a way to ground him. His suggestion was the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song.

When we got to the surface I was trying to make light of it and ask him to like start singing the Fresh Prince theme song and things like this, Lin said. That didnt work out. I think we all did that.

The Fresh Prince wouldnt have this much composure

Once both Smith and Lin were on solid ground, Lin inquired how Smith kept his composure. Smith explained some of his growth and maturity that enabled him to stay cool, without and Fresh Prince assistance.

Will Smith | Stefania DAlessandro/Getty Images

RELATED: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Star Janet Hubert Shares Emotional Turmoil That Led to Leaving Aunt Viv Role

When I asked him how he overcame all his fears, he recounted that he used to go to work every summer with his father, who was an electrician dealing with high-power electricity, Lin said. His dad taught him that if he let fear takeover that it was deadly. So it was all about keeping calm and keeping in the moment. Then youd turn that around and say, Lets go again. That was, to me, one of those moments where he became much more than a movie star. He just became an awesome human.
The pandemic has caused a dramatic price increase in raw building materials such as lumber and metal, so much so that some people have turned to the illegal market to access these goods.

During the July 13 Town Council meeting, Chair Rob Oris commented on a worrying trend he had noticed while perusing the Towns police and fire report included in Town Manager Sean Kimballs monthly reports.

In the last month, we have (reported) that five catalytic converters were stolen out of peoples cars on Industrial Avenue, over on Knotter Drive. Do we have any more information on that? Oris asked Kimball.

While I cant speak with any certainty on that, we are noticing that this is becoming a bit of a trend, not just in our community, but around (the state), said Kimball. Prices on the black market, or whatever it is where these things are sold or taken  the value has certainly come up to a high enough amount that certain people seem to be taking advantage.  I am aware, just through conversations both with George Noewatne (Public Works Director) and Jack Casner (Fire Chief), who are aware of or had seen a video of somebody doing it on a home security camera.

Councilor Don Walsh chimed in, offering an explanation as to why the converters may be targets.

As many of you might know, for my full-time job, I work with precious and semi-precious metals. I know that catalytic converters actually have a metal called rhodium inside, and the price of rhodium has skyrocketed over the past year or so, during the pandemic, he explained.

Walsh, who is a jeweler and owns DW Gem Services, explained to The Herald that rhodium is used to help plate white gold jewelry, and he has noticed that the prices for the material has risen exponentially in the past year.

Rhodium is something that we use to help give regular gold that white gold appearance. Youre never going to get gold to be that white without rhodium, Walsh explained. Its not a dangerous metal by any means, and is relatively easy to remove if you know what you are doing, but its certainly an expensive one now.

Walsh joked that he wishes he had invested in rhoduim a year ago, if he had only known how much the metal would increase in price.

What used to cost maybe $500 for an ounce a year ago is now as high as $20,000 in some places, he said. It really has just shot up in value along with a lot of other raw materials.

People should make sure that their cars are locked and protected, but again, its a catalytic converter. I dont know how you lock it, Walsh added.

According to Cheshire police reports, at least 15 catalytic converters have been reported stolen from vehicles throughout Cheshire over the past year.

They could be selling them for scrap, or a variety of other uses, answered Kimball. I will try to get a better understanding of what this means from our Police Department and have something for you for our next meeting.

Police Chief Neil Dryfe told The Herald that the uptick in catalytic converter thefts is unusual.

Its not just here, its all over the state they are seeing this, even all over the country, Dryfe said. This is certainly an uptick in cases. Its not something that we see all the time.

In the past few years, Connecticut has seen an increase in vehicular thefts across the state, and Cheshire residents see it as a rising issue that is impacting their daily lives.

Recently, there was a public safety forum held at Viron Rondo Osteria in Cheshire to help residents address this very issue.

At the July 13 Council meeting, Town Councilor Sandra Pavano also requested an update from Kimball at a future Town Council meeting on where Cheshire stands among other towns.

I would like to know if we are seeing an improvement or increase in car thefts and how we are doing with that issue, she asked Kimball. I am concerned, and perhaps the rest of the Council is too, about this issue and where we stand.
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This article was originally written in January, 2017, after President Trump passed the Muslim ban that blocked immigration from primarily Muslim countries. That was 5 years ago, and we watched as legal immigration and refugee resettlement were decimated under that administration. My husband and I work with refugees in the USA, and we saw the number of new arrivals slow to a trickle, then a drip, then dry up completely. If Trump had won again in 2020, we planned to move overseas and work in a refugee camp, but President Bidens win gave us new hope. Its July now, and so far that hope has been frustrated, deferred again and again. I understand that refugee resettlement agencies have had to cut their services to the bone, and that rebuilding takes time. But the number of refugees and internally displaced peoples (IDPs) is at an all-time highright now, 1% of the worlds population is displaced, a breathtaking 82.4 million people. Thirty-five million of them are children.

So Ive gone from being mostly silent on social media to speaking out against the presidents recent executive order on immigration, and this morning I got called on the carpet, so to speak, at my church. One of the pastors, very gently, wanted to have a conversation with us about how strongly we were expressing ourselves. His problem wasnt exactly with our opinions, but with how he perceived us being critical of the church.

Hes right. We are critical of the church, by which I mean American evangelicalism in general. The church, as he rightly pointed out, is made up of broken people who have been redeemed and are all in process of being sanctified. I know that, and I also know that I fall far short myself. I tend to love my Muslim refugee neighbor to such an extent that I sometimes have a harder time loving my white suburban neighbor too, but of course both need it.

In case you cant tell, I go to a conservative church. Its actually a great church in many ways, filled with generous people who love Scripture. Our church loves the Bible. But it has some blind spots, and they coincidentally seem to coincide with many of the shortcomings of the Republican party.

The people at my church who are most vocal are very politically conservative. So they are reacting in a loving but conservative way to the refugee ban. They say things like, governments main job is to keep us safe and a sensible cap on numbers so we can properly care for them and its good to take a break from letting in refugees so we can really work on the vetting program and then well let some of them in. They say those commands are for individuals and we should do that but governments have different commands. And its snowing in Greece, in Jordan, in Lebanons Bekkah Valley, and families are sleeping on frozen ground in unheated tents, and dying of exposure, all so we can feel safer.

Refugee families who have lost everything already are losing whatever shreds of hope they had, and people who love their Bibles think God is okay with that because governments main job is to keep us safe. Caring is optional. Its great that I care, Ive been told, but they dont have to. They can care about something else. I dont have the right to tell them what Gods heart is.

If I were fiery about abortion, these good people would applaud menot because they see it as a Republican issue, but because they see it as morally black and white. Murder, plain and simple. They start with it being wrong and work their way on to it being partisan. But refugee care is like that. It doesnt matter that Trump is a Republican. I couldnt care less who created this chaos. Caring for desperate, needy people is the very heart of God, and it should be the least controversial topic at church.

Im not saying that you as a Christian have to be involved in refugee care. . . . BUT. You do need to care. You do need to let it inform your vote. You do need to not support practices that break families even further.

My pastor talked to me about calling. Its my calling to care, and thats good, but everyone else can choose. Hear me out: Im not saying that you as a Christian have to be involved in refugee care. You may or may not be called to go minister in refugee camps or spend your daylight hours driving recent arrivals to doctors appointments or grocery stores. You dont need to march in protests if you dont want to. BUT. You do need to care. You do need to let it inform your vote. You do need to not support practices that break families even further.

Its not controversial. Its not partisan. Its right and wrong.

What if God wants America to take a 120-day break from letting refugees in? our pastor asked. Im still grappling with how to respond to that, but my husband was ready. I am not taking a break from caring for them or advocating for them, he said. And I dont believe God is taking a break from them either.

I left the meeting at the church running late for a coffee downtown with a Syrian asylum seeker. Were friends on Facebook, so shes seen my posts. She thanked me for, as she put it, fighting for the Arab people. Shes broken-hearted at the response in her church to the crisis, and she loves that Im fiery about it. I have gotten this over and over from my refugee friends. They love that I am showing my love for them by fighting for them. They take comfort in the fact that I care so deeply about them that Im being emotional, and that Im taking on other people on their behalf.

And tomorrow, I will visit a woman whose mother is dying and who desperately longs to go visit, but shes afraid to leave her house, husband and children, in case she cant come back. My husband will continue to help a man who is trying to bring his wife and toddler here. The wife was approved a year ago but they are still waiting for the 2 year old to get through the vetting process. They all have stories for us to listen to, and they all ask us to pray for them.

But I need prayer too; that my righteous anger would be like Jesus and heal, not scorch.

*Im assuming you already know that we have a very strict vetting process in place. For more information, this is a helpful article.

Elizabeth Jones is the ESL Director and Volunteer Coordinator for PDX Friends of Refugees in Portland, Oregon. She and her husband have been working with refugees in Portland since 2010. She fills her days with friends from around the world.
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden announced that after close to 20 years, the United States would be withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan. Last week, as the military began its exit, the Taliban was ready and within days had seized control of the country. The ascent sparked widespread fear and led to thousands arriving at the airport only to find their flights out of the country had been canceled. Some even grabbed a hold of an aircraft in desperation.

Biden defended the decision, arguing that Afghanistans leaders gave up and fled the country. He also said: The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight. If anything, the developments in the past week reinforced ending that US military involvement Afghanistan now was the right decision.

He did concede: The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. As the government fell, it was not clear if the US had done anything to protect those who had worked with the military as translators. Plans to resettle Afghans as refugees seemed to be formulated in real time. The rights of women and girls, which were suppressed under the Talibans previous time in power, also appeared in jeopardy. And the lives of Christians, who according to official numbers only make up a miniscule number of the countrys nearly 40 million people, seem in peril as well.

David Paiman is an Afghan pastor and evangelist. You can follow his ministry here.

Paiman joined global media manager Morgan Lee and news editor Daniel Silliman to discuss how he converted from Islam to Christianity, the withdrawals consequences for the church in Afghanistan, and how we can best support the country and people during this time.

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Music by Sweeps

Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder

The transcript is edited by Faith Ndlovu

Highlights from Quick to Listen: Episode #277

David Paiman: Thank you for your concern about Afghanistan. We are grieving and our hearts are heavy. We see the news that Afghanistan is blaring and everywhere in the street, we can see hopeless people are left behind. But we see the reality more when we talk to people inside Afghanistan.

I've been talking to many believers inside Afghanistan. They are hopeless. They are crying out for help, and they are crying out for the American army, and some of them sent me a video of many women and girls.

They have been to the airport and they're crying out to American soldiers to help them. They have been there to serve them and help them but that is over. What we are seeing is too much and my heart is broken.

We are here in America, we see what we see on Twitter or television or wherever, but generally speaking, what do you find that Americans don't know about Afghanistan that you really want them to know? What do they maybe misunderstand about what they do know?

David Paiman: Americans should know about Afghan believers, those who have converted to Christianity. Their lives are in danger, especially for people who are registered as Christians in Afghanistan. There are about 39 families there and they already got their identity. 40 other Afghan believers only registered but they dont have their identity yet it's still being processed. Suddenly everything has turned in a different way and they are in desperate need of help. Many people just heard the Taliban say very good news using soft words to say, we forgive everyone, and we will do our best to build the country. Thats not the truth. The truth we heard from inside is that they are going from house to house to search for people. They have been to many Afghan believers houses, and they took their Bibles. Praise God that the Afghan believers were not at their home. But they're still searching for them.

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Did President Ghanis government require Christians to register?

David Paiman: They were not required to register, but they registered for the next generation. They don't want their children to be called Muslims, they want their identity to be Christian.

Is your religion something that is printed on your ID cards?

David Paiman: Yes. But what the system did, because they dont like Christians, when they printed out the cards for Christians they print out other. If they print out Christian, they face trouble with their own family, they cannot go to the bank, they cannot get a license, they cannot get anything. In reality they are Christian but they print out other, not Christian.

So, this was a big step historically for people to start declaring themselves in this official way, that they're Christian and making public their faith, sometimes at great risk.

Afghanistan is a big country. Was this happening in Kabul? Was this happening in the villages? Where were these Christians deciding to take the stand?

David Paiman: All the Christians that registered are in Kabul. Today I heard the news, which I hope is false news. But I heard that three Christian families were taken by the Taliban and their houses got burned. We don't know where they are, but I'm not sure yet that that is exactly what's going on there.

There are very few Christians that live in this country. How did people end up hearing the gospel?

David Paiman: There are a lot of Christians during these two, three years. I am in media and get many calls every day, at least 10 calls from Afghanistan.

They want to receive Christ. Many house churches inside Afghanistan have started sharing the gospel with each other. Some families have been openly sharing the gospel with people and others heard from media, from Facebook, YouTube, and TV.

But whenever they receive Christ, we try to connect them with them to get discipled and to grow in Christ, inside Afghanistan.

Take us back to 2001 when America invaded, what was that like for you? What was that like for Christians in the country?

David Paiman: Yeah, thats what I call false hope. I will never forget in 2001 when the American army came and took over, everyone was celebrating, everyone got freedom and people were praising and thankful to America. Exactly 20 years later we see what's happening now.

Where were you living at that time?

David Paiman: I was in Saudi Arabia.

With the hope that you experienced, what did you think might happen?

David Paiman: The real hope is Jesus Christ. Afghanistan has been trying many ways to get hope, to get peace inside Afghanistan, but they did not try Jesus Christ. They did not try God. They did not try His love and His mercy. My prayer and zeal are to share Christ with them.

They can receive Christ and they can get the real hope, the living hope that never ends.

How old were you back in 2001?

David Paiman: I was about 17 years old.

What did you hear about the American military during that time?

David Paiman: I was very excited because I was a Muslim from Hazara tribes. My tribe experienced the pressure of the Taliban, because mostly Hazara from Shia Muslim and all Taliban from Sunni Muslim. I saw many Hazara killed by the Taliban in those times and when America came in 2001, I was so excited that we got freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of everything that we could practice in Afghanistan.

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Did that happen when the US first showed up in the first year or two?

David Paiman: From 2001 to 2006 it was good. From 2006 to 2010 it changed a little. From 2010 to 2021 it was not a good situation in Afghanistan as well because the government was corrupt. However, America helped the Afghanistan government, the Afghanistan government did not do what they were supposed to do. I don't want to go into politics. I'm angry with Joe Biden because he said Afghanistan was not willing to take care of their country, yet billions of dollars have been used to help them.

It's painful that many Afghanistans leave it behind and now we see that Afghanistan is bleeding and people are crying out for help, but it's because they don't take care of their own country.

Talking about the issue of women and girls, how did you notice how they were treated before the Americans arrived?

David Paiman: The girls could not go to school and the women could not go out without any man and there was trouble. Now Taliban is a little bit different, but this morning I heard the news that the girls and the women cannot go out without any men. I don't know what to say about the Taliban 20 years ago and now, I don't think they have changed. Its still the same, the Sharia never changes.

But under the past 20 years though, you saw girls going to school, which was not happening under the Taliban. And you saw way more women working?

David Paiman: Yeah exactly.

Did you have any women who were leading churches or doing evangelism, or did they show up in church leadership too?

David Paiman: Yes, my sister-in-law, who is leading a house church there under the mens leadership. She tries to help other women, does Bible study with them, and leads them woman to woman and men to men; under the mens leadership which is what the Bible says.

Now the fear is that the schools that were open to girls are going to be closed and as you said, women may not be able to leave the house without men?

David Paiman: Yes. They cannot leave the house without the men. A few schools are open, but only girls under 14 years can go to school. We don't know yet about college. In Herat city last week, the girls were supposed to go to college, but the Taliban stopped them.

You mentioned that in 2001 you were a Muslim. How did Jesus find you?

David Paiman: I didnt want to come to the faith. I hated Christians and didnt want to be one because Im from a very religious Muslim background.

My father was an imam. They taught me how to be a good Muslim. I have been to Mecca six times, and I practiced my religion very well because I thought the Muslim religion is the only religion, the only way to God. But after my sixth pilgrimage to Mecca, a stranger came to me from Syria and he shared his testimony, how he received Christ inside the Mecca, how he saw the vision of Christ during his pilgrimage in Mecca. That made me get angry with him. I tried to fight with him. I wanted to kill him. But after 45 minutes of our conversation, he asked me, Would you please let me pray for you?

I was very proud. I said, Okay, you pray for me. I will pray for you. When he started to pray, I closed my eyes to listen to him and it seemed that he knew my problem. He knew my heart. He knew that I'm searching for real peace and that prayer led me to Christ. After he finished his prayer, the big questions came to my mind.

I said, If he is an infidel, how could he know my heart? He then gave me a New Testament Bible. I read but I didn't accept it because my father taught me that the Bible is corrupt.

Six months later I went to Afghanistan, and I shared this experience with my best friend. He then gave me a Bible in my language. He said not to worry about the New Testament I should just start from Genesis. When I started reading from Genesis, I knew inside my heart that something is true here because God Himself is reaching humans, to bring them back to Him. It was so clear to me that this is God Himself wanting human beings to come to Him. I then took the Bible from him.

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I started to read the Bible in my city Ghazni, which is about 250 kilometers from Kabul, and I started comparing the Bible and Quran. With two of my friends, every day we started comparing the Bible and the Koran to try to find which part of the Bible is corrupt.

While I was still reading the Bible, I was still a Muslim practicing Muslim, and I got caught by the police because somebody reported that I was reading the Bible. They took the Bible from me. I found myself in the mosque and there were about 60 or 70 people there and they started asking me why I was reading the Bible. I argued with the imam and started asking him a question from the Quran himself, he could not answer me. He started a claim that he proved that I was a Christian. I was not a Christian. I was Muslim. I didnt want to become a Christian.

They started beating me until I became unconscious. I then found myself in a police station. I gave them a lot of money and then I ran away from the police station. I went to Kabul. I was hiding in a safety house, which had a lot of Americans.

A lady from Canada who was a missionary helped me to escape from my country to India. I didnt know she was a missionary at that time. In India, I met Afghan Christians and I was very angry with them. I started to fight with them. One of the guys I fought with is now inside Afghanistan and is sharing the gospel there.

Three months later, one of my friends had epilepsy. I called the pastor and his friend, and they came and prayed for my friend who had epilepsy. At that moment he got healed and I saw the power, actually, I felt the power. I knew then there was power in the name of Jesus. I went to the bathroom, and I received Christ and asked Him to come into my life and I received Him. I gave my life to Christ in 2008.

Why did you go to the bathroom?

David Paiman: Because I didnt want to receive Christ in front of them because I didn't want to become a Christian.

I didn't want them to know that I am receiving Christ. I wanted to receive Christ very secretly.

How did that practically change your life in 2008?

David Paiman: On that night after I came out from the bathroom and had washed my face as I had been crying, I proceeded to make tea for my guests and the pastor knew something had happened to me. After the tea service, the pastor came to me and asked if he could pray for me.

I said, of course. He put his hand on my shoulder and started to pray. I started to cry and confess my sin. The next day everything changed. I felt different. I talked differently and everything changed in my life. I saw things differently. I could see people differently and I started sharing the gospel the next day, right away.

I started sharing the gospel with people. I told them only Jesus could save their lives. Only Jesus can give you peace only Jesus can give you hope.

When you started telling people did anyone believe you? Did anyone decide to learn more about Christianity?

David Paiman: At first believers didn't believe me because I had been persecuting them.

They thought maybe I had come from the Afghan government because I had a very close friendship with the embassy. They thought maybe I was a spy from them. But later on, they believed me.

But yeah. I saw many people come to Christ in India. I received Christ in India in 2008.

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And then you started telling people in India for many years?

David Paiman: Yes. I was in India for five and a half years, and then I moved to Indonesia. I was in Indonesia for three years.

We started house churches there and then we baptized about 72 Iranian people. During those three years, 17 Afghan Muslims converted to Christ, and we baptized them. In 2015, I moved to Australia. I started an Afghan church in Sydney, Australia till 2019.

In 2019, I moved here and now we have a ministry. We are helping refugees and we started our house church here in Memphis, Tennessee.

What do you find about God or Jesus resonates with Afghans? What do they love about Christianity?

David Paiman: I heard many people like my friends, especially here saying they see the reality of love in Christian life.

They love you unconditionally. They don't expect you to do something. They love you just as you are. In Afghan culture when you love some people you expect them to love you back but many of them say they see true love here in American people and Christian people.

That love has now opened the door for us. We can share the gospel with our Afghan friends here.

What's your sense of what American Christians should be doing out of love right now?

David Paiman: For me, all Christians should practice at least two things, go, and give. If you cannot go, you should give. If you're a believer, you have to share the gospel, go, or give, giving and supporting it's all the one part. Christians in America can also pray and help financially. Send them food to eat. This morning I talked to one leader and he's ready to go to Christ and what he asked me was, after I go will you please take care of my family.

He shared Philippians 1:20 (Phil 2:20) which says, For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. He said, to die, I get my life. I start my life with Christ and that encouraged me. The only thing for me is the burden of his family. He has given his life to Christ.

I have a burden in my heart to take care of his family and it's the burden for all Christians in America and to cry out to God and pray for them. If you know people in Afghanistan help them out of Afghanistan. That's the greatest help.

So, you would say American Christians should also support welcoming thousands of refugees here.

David Paiman: Exactly.

What type of long-term impact do you think that the withdrawal will have on the mission field in Afghanistan?

David Paiman: To help Afghan believers inside of Afghanistan. The missionary can easily come out of Afghanistan, but Afghanistans are left behind.

If they are discipled well, they can share the gospel inside Afghanistan. That for me is long-term, helping Afghan Christians inside Afghanistan. It should start from inside of Afghanistan not from outside Afghanistan, that's my opinion.

Because now Afghans will be leading these churches, not foreigners?

David Paiman: No, Afghans should start leading the church. They should start discipling people and that's all Afghans are doing now.

How do the Christians that you meet find Christianity? Who tells them about it?

David Paiman: It's mostly from media, from Facebook, YouTube, radio, TV, those are the four sources that we have inside Afghanistan. Now it's not too difficult we can give them the bible. When they're sleeping in the bed, they can hear the gospel, and no one can stop that.

This past week has been demoralizing. How has it affected your faith in God?

David Paiman: Whenever I talk to believers inside Afghanistan, I find that their faith is very big and mine is very low, and they give their life to Christ. Jesus said, if you dont take your cross, you are not worthy to follow Me, if you dont confess Me in front of people, I will not confess you in front of My Father. Thats exactly what they are doing now. They took their cross willingly and they tried to come under the grace of God, joyfully give their life to Jesus.

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Daniel Silliman: Yeah. That's compelling, that's what we all believe as Christians and that's our call daily to take up our cross and the challenges that they're facing are serious. Thanks for sharing that with us.

David Paiman: The other thing that American believers and Americans should know is this word about the church. In Afghanistan, people know they are the church, and they understand that. But here, mostly most of America, they say the building is a church. There is a building with a cross on it thats what they call church but, in Afghanistan, the real church is going on.

I'm so encouraged by their ministry.

What are you praying for as you speak to people back in Afghanistan and Afghans here?

David Paiman: To be honest in the first two, three days, I didn't know how to pray, and I could not pray because my heart was so heavy and when I saw the news, I was so upset with Americans, I was so upset with the missionaries. I was so angry and that's my human nature. I could not pray but praise God when I talked to them, they encouraged me. They said, Jesus is with us now. Now my prayer for Afghanistans especially for believers is for the grace of God to be always over them because they cannot do anything out of the grace of God. With the grace of God, they can do all things.

That's my prayer.

As we close our conversation, is there anything else that you would like our listeners to know, any information you've heard from your friends and family back in Afghanistan that you want to share, or anything we didn't ask you about?

David Paiman: Yeah, please pray for believers. They are leaving the country, especially pray for two families who just arrived in Pakistan, three families that are in Iran now, and four families that are in Tajikistan. Please pray for them and specifically pray for four families inside Afghanistan. I think I already mentioned their life is seriously in danger.

In their new countries, what should we pray for them, that they get connected to a church community and build their lives someplace new?

David Paiman: Yes, we are praying for them to make contact with other believers at churches and their second countries. Pray for us here that we can make decisions wisely and that we dont give them false hope or false promises.

Would you be willing to end our show in a word of prayer?

David Paiman: Sure. Dear Father. You are a good father. I know you know everything about my country. You love my people. You love the Taliban. You love even the people persecuting us. Lord. You command us to love them back. Please help Afghan Christians, especially those inside the country to love them and share your words with them. Lord, I pray for your protection over believers inside Afghanistan I pray for my people, they're hopeless. They just see the darkness. Lord, I pray that your light will shine on them. Open their minds and their hearts to see you and to see that you love them to see that You died for them. Lord, open their eyes so that they can taste and see that you are a good God.

You are a merciful, God. Lord, I pray for the American army in Afghanistan. I pray that you protect them from evil. Help them, give them the wisdom to choose the right people, and bring them out. Lord, I also pray for my brothers and sisters outside Afghanistan. I pray for the churches. Thank you for my spiritual family here, Lord, they encourage us. Lord. I pray that you give them wisdom and knowledge to help us in Your way, not in their way. Thank you, Lord, in Jesus' name, Amen.
'A kingdom issue': Christian leaders share how believers should pray for Afghanistan

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Christian leaders are asking believers everywhere to unite in prayer as the Taliban has taken over large portions of Afghanistan, leaving the Christians and other minorities in the country susceptible to severe persecution.

Taliban fighters infiltrated the Afghan presidential palace after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. The takeover came as the United States pulled troops out of the country after having forces in the Middle East country for nearly 20 years.

Although the Taliban has vowed to impose a more reformed approach to governing, many are fearful that the Taliban, which refers to itself as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, could institute a form of shariah law.

A Church leader in Afghanistan says the extremist group will eliminate the Christian population in the country.

"Right now we fear elimination. The Taliban are going to eliminate the Christian population of Afghanistan," a leader who disguised his identity told CBN News in a recent interview.

The leader is among thousands who have come to faith in Jesus Christ over the past two decades.

"There weren't a lot of Christians 20 years ago during the Taliban time but today we are talking about 5,000 to 8,000 local Christians and they live all over Afghanistan," he said.

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistans capital, Kabul, Christain leaders worldwide are sending instructions on how Christ's followers should pray for those at risk.
Uganda: Father murders son for refusing to forsake his faith in Jesus

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A 20-year-old man in Uganda who had converted from Islam to Christianity was tied up and murdered by his own father after he refused to forsake his faith in Jesus, according to a report.

The victim, identified as Tabiruka Tefiiro from Bupalama village in Kibuku districts Buseta sub-county, was murdered by his Muslim father, Kasimu Kawona, on Sunday, Morning Star News reported.

Tefiiro had been living and working in Kampala since he put his faith in Christ in 2019. Amid pressure from family members to return to Islam, Tefiiro agreed to come back on Aug. 1 but continued to refuse to recant his faith in Christ.

His father, who was away, returned on Saturday and called a family meeting to question Tefiiro about whether he had come back to Islam.

I am mature enough to join any religion that I feel like because I am above 18 years old, Tefiiro told his father. I want to confirm that I am saved by the grace of God. I cant renounce my Christian faith now or in the future, the victim added, according to his aunt.

Kawona left home and returned on Sunday with a knife and hoe and struck Tefiiro, who managed to escape to a neighbors house.

He followed Tefiiro and forcefully entered the house and forced him back to the homestead, where he tied him up and started beating him with the hoe, the relative added. He fell down unconscious. He then hanged him up.

Kawona was not charged with murder but a lesser charge of manslaughter because he killed his son in anger for leaving Islam, sources told MSN.

Muslim neighbors and local leaders condemned the murder, however.

In June, 39-year-old Abudlawali Kijwalo from Kibuku Districts Nankodo area was attacked by his brother wielding a machete as punishment for putting his faith in Christ and listening to gospel music. Kijwalo survived but remained hospitalized for a long time.

While most people in Uganda are Christian, some eastern and central regions have higher concentrations of Muslims.

The Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project shows that about 11.5% of Ugandas population is Muslim. Muslims in Uganda are primarily Sunni. Armed attacks and murders of converts are not uncommon in the region.

Radical Islams influence has grown steadily, and many Christians within the majority-Muslim border regions are facing severe persecution, especially those who convert from Islam, a Voice of the Martyrs factsheet explains.

Despite the risks, evangelical churches in Uganda have responded by reaching out to their neighbors; many churches are training leaders how to share the Gospel with Muslims and care for those who are persecuted after they become Christians.
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Note: The Second Part of the Series on How the Christian Should Respond to Americas Identity Crisis: What About Separation of Church and State will appear next Friday.

Literally, where do I begin in seeking to address the unprecedented events of the last fortnight in Afghanistan?

This is a conglomeration of tragedies. It is a scandal, a debacle, a defeat, a humiliation, a massacre, a nightmare, a route, a death knell, and many other sobering nouns can be employed.

The great American bugout from Afghanistan  a betrayal revealing a level of incompetence from our American military, security and political establishment is both breathtaking and incomprehensible. This collection of buffoons and pretenders has just presided over a national humiliation that will reverberate around the globe with truly legally dangerous consequences extending for the entire life span of virtually all currently living Americans.

This fully preventable foreign policy debacle is a humanitarian and security disaster which has generated potentially horrendous conflicts across the globe that will now be very difficult to contain or prevent.

1. Domestic Humanitarian Tragedy. As we have witnessed the ignominious collapse of the 20-year American presence in Afghanistan, our hearts and minds turn inevitably to the loved ones of the 2,448 brave men and women who gave the last full measure of devotion as servicemen and women in Afghanistan.

To all those American families and the loved ones of those wounded and maimed in Afghanistan as well, we all need to say, our hearts go out to you, and we truly appreciate your sacrifice and devotion. You did not sacrifice in vain. Your dedication and bravery helped to defend the homeland and keep us free from attack for 20 years. Your dedication also gave the Afghan people a two-decade experience of freedom (the median age of the Afghan population is 18) they had never previously experienced. You are our defenders and heroes, and I hope and pray that you know you have the gratitude of a grateful nation. Your political and military leaders failed you, our country, and the Afghans. You did not fail!

President Biden and his foreign policy team have given us a new definition and a blood-curdling illustration of dereliction of duty. They are truly the gang that couldnt shoot straight.

2. Afghan Humanitarian Tragedy. We have all seen the heartbreaking scenes flashing across our TVs and popping up on our smartphones. I was personally reduced to tears, as a parent, by two scenes I witnessed in the last two days. The first involved women lifting their babies and young children over the concertina wire-topped fences at the Kabul airport to anyone willing to take their children and deliver them from the Taliban and the hell on earth they would impose upon them.

The second was a picture of a dozen or so first-and-second-grade eager Afghan children arriving for school with their backpacks and western-style clothing, ready and eager to learn. They were told their school was closed and the teachers said goodbye to all the female students because they knew they would never be allowed to come back to the school.

The future these innocent young children face under Taliban rule is a tragedy beyond description.

For those who might take such descriptions as Islamaphobia, let me remind everyone that at least 90% of the victims of Islamist terror to date have been fellow Muslims who refuse to acquiesce to the radical Islamists extreme death cult heresy interpretation of Islam as the one true faith. Wahhabisms claim to be the one true Islamic faith (the Taliban being one infamous expression of it) would be analogous to a radical white militant group financed by an eccentric Texas millionaire claiming to be the only legitimate expression of Christianity and if you disagree with them, they will kill you.

The Taliban are murderous Islamist fanatics who will reimpose their barbarous, medieval religious worldview on 37.4 million Afghans, at least 60% of whom are under 20 years of age.

As the Taliban has assumed control of Afghanistan, the sale of burkas has doubled, lest women be assaulted, beaten or shot for appearing in public without this all-encompassing female garment. Women have had their fingers chopped off for wearing nail polish. Afghans are being forced to turn over their 15-year-old girls for wives for Taliban soldiers. The fate of women and girls in the Talibans Afghanistan will be atrocious and gruesome. Where has the outrage been from the militant feminist groups in the United States? Their silence has been deafening.

The government of the United States of America, the home of the brave and the land of the free, has abandoned all these children, young people, and women to these psychopathic murderers. Remember, Joe Biden, architect of our drawdown in Iraq as Vice President, left Christians and other religious minorities to a gruesome fate after the complete American withdrawal. By the way, that policy is the cause of the rapid rise of ISIS.

For those unhinged and biased commentators like Joy Reid who are attempting to compare the Taliban to pro-life Catholic and Evangelical activists, the answer is No, we dont want to segregate women, and we do not want to control womens bodies. We do want to keep mothers from exterminating the human beings they have conceived when they voluntarily engage in activities which they must know may eventuate in the conception of another human being, their child.

3. Diplomatic and Strategic Debacle. The decision by President Biden to unilaterally withdraw in the manner he authorized has ruined our ongoing relationship with all our allies. The fact that Joe Biden did not inform any of our NATO partners in Afghanistan of our withdrawal is unconscionable (they had 8000 troops still there compared to our 2000.) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to reach President Biden beginning on Monday morning and was not able to connect with him until around 10 p.m. Tuesday night.

The leading candidate to be Germanys next Chancellor declared that this was the greatest debacle since NATOs founding. MPs in the British Parliament asked, How can we ever trust the Americans again? That the British, our strongest ally for the last 100 years, are asking this question illustrates just how much damage the clueless President Biden has caused.

The Germans, the French, the Ukrainians, the Japanese, the Taiwanese, and the Israelis are all asking that same question.

Furthermore, the next time we attempt to convince foreign nationals to support our efforts in their country, why should they do so? Their response will be, No! We remember how you abandoned the Afghans. You are not going to make suckers of us like you did them.

The big winners in this debacle are the Russians, the Chinese, and the Iranians. The Chinese are already telling the Taiwanese, You dont think the Americans are going to keep their commitment to defend you? You might as well surrender. Frankly, if we are able to keep Taiwan and its 24 million people free without an actual war with China, providence will have indeed smiled upon us. If China is allowed to take Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia will abandon their relationships with a fickle Uncle Sam and will cut the best deal they can with China. Americas influence in the Pacific will be cut all the way back to Hawaii.

Biden has guaranteed that the 20th observance of Sept.11 will be a celebratory anniversary for the Taliban and the Islamists around the world, not for the U.S.

Biden, with his catastrophically wrong withdrawal plan, has undone the entire post-World War II treaty arrangements defending freedom around the world.

China and Russia have been saying America is in decline and is no longer a great power, and Mr. Biden has just given them the greatest evidence for that argument that could be imagined.

If Biden wanted to leave Afghanistan, they should have withdrawn the troops last. The idea that our Afghan allies did not know we were leaving Bagram Air Base until they woke up and we were gone is indefensible. We should have taken the civilians out first. Then we should have taken the military equipment out next. If that proved impossible, we should have destroyed it rather than leaving it for the Taliban to capture and turn against us. Then the military personnel should have come out last.

I know this and Ive never had any military training. How come Bidens incompetent boobs didnt know that?

The final straw was the interview President Biden did with George Stephanopoulos where the President acknowledged he could not conceive of an exit from Afghanistan that did not involve chaos and he agreed with Stephanopoulos depiction that the utter chaos was priced into the decision.

In other words, President Biden acknowledges that he knew this was coming and it did not cause him to reconsider his course of action? Incredible!

In the end, why should we be surprised by President Bidens actions? His legendary incompetency in foreign policy was referenced by Robert Gates, President Bushs (2006-2009) and President Obamas (2009-2011) Secretary of Defense. In his memoirs, Gates noted that Joe Biden had been wrong about virtually every important foreign policy decision for the last 50 years. Remember, then Vice President Biden was virtually the only senior administration official to argue against taking out Osama bin Laden!

President Biden was incompetent on foreign policy when he was fully in control of his faculties, which he clearly is not now! This is not ageism. Senator Bernie Sanders, who will be 80 on Sept. 8, is clearly sharp as a tack  wrong on most issues, but clearly cogent. President Biden, who will be 79 on Nov. 20, is clearly in cognitive decline.

In the Stephanopoulos interview, President Biden was asked if his intelligence people told him that this chaos would ensue if we did not leave a token force in place. The President replied, No one told me that, that I can recall. Unless the intelligence community is lying, President Biden was told and just didnt remember. I hate to say this, but we have now descended into 25th Amendment territory (unless the President was lying).

One last word needs to be said. The U.S. State Department sent out an email to the thousands of Americans stranded behind Taliban lines, and the email said was that American citizens should make their own way to Hamid Karzai Airport to be evacuated. Then in all block letters: THE US GOVERNMENT CANNOT ENSURE SAFE PASSAGE TO HAMID KARZAI AIRPORT. Really?

That sentence enrages me as an American, and it should enrage every American. President Biden has failed his oath of office to protect America and protect American citizens.

The late great Charles Krauthammer observed, National decline is a choice. It may be President Bidens choice, but it is not mine. Is it yours?
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It is 11:45 p.m. Tuesday night as I sit here in front of my computer, having just responded to some emails and after finishing some editorial work on an academic project. But Im a late-night person, and theres still plenty of time to work. So, as I often do, I take a moment to pray, asking the Lord, Is there anything You want me to write? Immediately I hear the words (in my thoughts, not audibly), No time for passivity.

Now, to be perfectly clear, I am not claiming special inspiration for this article. Im simply saying that, as often happens when I pray about what to write, a thought comes strongly to mind.

If you find the theme of this article relevant or helpful, great.

The simple truth is that we are in a war. An ideological war. A spiritual war. A moral and cultural war. A war that, in many ways, is even more real than a physical war.

The soul of our nation is at stake. The future of our children and grandchildren is on the line. The fate of tens of millions of people hangs in the balance. This is certainly no time for passivity!

Instead, it is a time for action, for resolve, for courage, for tenacity, for faith, for determination.

It is time for the weak to become strong and for the strong to become stronger.

It is time for the weary to be renewed and for the warriors to be reinvigorated.

It is time to stop making excuses and to stop feeling sorry for ourselves.

It is a time for encouraging rather than complaining and for strategizing rather than blaming.

Yes, were tired. Yes, things are messed up. Yes, life seems out of control. Yes, the odds against us at times seem overwhelming.

But that is what this world says. That is what our circumstances proclaim. That is the perspective of this earth.

What does Gods Word say? What do His promises proclaim? What is the perspective from Heaven?

Remember that, during times of great crisis when Gods purposes came under great attack, the Bible says this: He who sits in the heavens laughs! He holds His enemies in derision! (Psalm 2).

When Hezekiah and the people of Judah were about to be destroyed by the mighty and brutal Assyrians, the prophet Isaiah sent the king a simple message: The king of Assyria is not fighting against you but against Me! You will shake your head at him and his armies as they flee (Isaiah 37-38).

It is the same with us now. We may feel outnumbered. (For a reality check, just imagine what it feels like to be a Christian in Afghanistan or North Korea, just saying.) We may feel like throwing in the towel (or, at the least, taking a break from the front lines). We may even feel paralyzed by so many battles on so many fronts, starting with the battle for our own lives, for our families and friends, for our churches and cities, for our nation and for the world.

Where do we even start? And what about our own personal failures over the years? What about all the prayers we prayed that were never answered? What about all our shattered expectations? Why get our hopes up again?

But what else can we do? Put another way, how can we not get our hopes up again? How can we not stand and fight for what is right? How can we sit idly by while a generation is destroyed? How can we afford to lose any more ground?

Does not the Spirit of God living inside us call us to action? Does not His Word remind us that if He is for us, no one can be against us? And didnt Jesus assure that He will be with us always, even to the end of the age? And didnt He guarantee us times of tribulation and testing  they are as much a part of this world as sunrise and sunset  but with it all, victory in Him?

This reminds me of the story of John and Betty Stam, graduates of Moody Bible Institute who sailed for China as missionaries during a difficult time for foreign religious workers. (They were married in China, Betty preceding John to the mission field by one year.) They knew the risks involved, as the China Inland Mission was specifically recruiting laborers to work in dangerous, Communist-infested areas.

But both of them had been inspired by a poem written after Southern Presbyterian missionary Jack Vinson was martyred in 1931. Vinson had showed no fear of death to his Chinese captors, telling them, Kill me, if you wish. I will go straight to God.

The calmness he showed inspired his colleague E. H. Hamilton to write this poem.

Afraid? Of What?

To feel the spirits glad release?

To pass from pain to perfect peace

The strife and strain of life to cease?

Afraid  of that?

Afraid? Of What?

Afraid to see the Saviours face,

To hear His welcome, and to trace

The glory gleam from wounds of grace

Afraid  of that?

Afraid? Of What?

A flash, a crash, a pierced heart;

Darkness, light, O Heavens art!

A wound of His a counterpart!

Afraid  of that?

Afraid? Of What?

To do by death what life could not 

Baptize with blood a stony plot,

Till souls shall blossom from the spot?

Afraid  of that?

With courage and faith, John had challenged the graduating class at Moody in 1932: Shall we beat a retreat, and turn back from our high calling in Christ Jesus; or dare we advance at Gods command in face of the impossible? Let us remind ourselves that the Great Commission was never qualified by clauses calling for advance only if funds were plentiful and no hardship or self-denial involved. On the contrary, we are told to expect tribulation and even persecution, but with it victory in Christ.

The day of reckoning came for John and Betty Stam in 1934, just one year after their marriage in China. They were captured by Communists (their little baby, Priscilla, was miraculously spared), then painfully bound, stripped down to their underwear and kept under guard for the night. The next morning, they were paraded down the street while being mocked and ridiculed, after which they were beheaded  baptizing with blood a stony plot, till souls have blossomed from that spot. They were not afraid of that!

As word got out about their martyrdom, the impact was dramatic, both in terms of new missionary volunteers, new student prayer meetings and large monetary donations to the work in China. A missionary with the China Inland Mission wrote to Bettys parents: A life which had the longest span of years might not have been able to accomplish one-hundredth of the work for Christ which they have done in a day.

As Jesus taught, Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds (John 12:24). One short act of obedience to death gave many others eternal life, and what Satan meant for evil, God turned for good.

So, say goodbye to passivity and inaction, and quit making excuses. The battle is the Lords (and, once again, I am talking about a spiritual, moral and ideological battle, not a battle fought with guns and bombs). And we belong to Him.

In the words of the Letter to the Hebrews, So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong (Hebrews 12:12-13).

Its time for holy action.

(The paragraphs about John and Betty Stam were adapted from my book Revolution: An Urgent Call for a Holy Uprising.)
Alabama church involved in civil rights to become museum that celebrates Christian impact

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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.
Empowerment Temple announces firing of Jamal Bryants successor over late audit reports

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The Baltimore-based Empowerment Temple AME Church has terminated the services of lead pastor GJ Barnes for failing to file timely audit reports, which cost the congregation tens of thousands of dollars in fees levied by its mortgage holder.

Church officials did not immediately respond to calls for comment from The Christian Post Monday, but a spokesman for the congregation told The Baltimore Sun that a majority of their board voted to dismiss Barnes immediately on Aug. 4.

Empowerment Temple solicits prayers during this time of transition, a statement from Empowerment Temple leadership said. The current and previous leadership have reached a fork in the road where it is best that we separate. We look forward to new leadership where we can continue to serve the community.

Barnes, who has been heralded as an astute businessman who became a millionaire before he was 30, succeeded Empowerment Temple founder Jamal Bryant in 2019 after he moved on to become the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia.

Addressing his dismissal during a town hall with congregants last Wednesday, Barnes acknowledged that he had indeed been late with filing audit reports for 2020 and 2021 required by the churchs lender out of my concern to be thorough and complete, not rushed.

People hear the word audit, and they assume the problem has to do with financial problems, he explained, according to The Baltimore Sun. This wasnt. Its unfortunate that this spectacle has become a distraction, that an internal church matter has become the focus, not the work of the church at large, he noted. He said that the church had been paying its mortgage on time.

Information previously shared on Empowerment Temples website described Barnes as a visionary, leader, executive, intellectual, and servant who served as president and Chief Executive Officer for multiple national multi-million-dollar organizations.

Although he has been preaching for more than 20 years, his passion for entrepreneurship was realized at the age of 15 when he was accepted into the NAACP Regional F. Lewis Youth Entrepreneurship Institute. He would graduate and go on to become one of the youngest successful African-American entrepreneurs in the country, the church boasted.

Barnes and his wife, Junetta, have faced personal financial difficulties in the past few years.

Maryland court records show the federal government recorded a lien against the couple of more than $1 million in a 2017 case now listed as closed. In 2020, the Maryland comptrollers office filed a $273,000 lien against the couple in a case that has since closed.

The Empowerment Temple spokesman told the publication that the AME Church had offered Barnes a chance to start another church in its 2nd District, covering Maryland, the District of Columbia and adjacent states. But he declined, choosing to start a church of his own in violation of church doctrine.

Barnes said he would continue offering sermons on his personal website in preparation for what God wants him to do.

"We are grateful that God is still calling us to serve. God is still calling us to ministry," he said in a Facebook video.

Before joining Empowerment Temple, Barnes founded the Elevation Chapel in Owings Mills, which he led for about nine years.
Kentucky pastor hospitalized with COVID-19 as church pleads for prayers

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Center Point Church in Lexington, Kentucky, prayed for God to restore their senior pastor, Tim Parsons, back to his normal self during an online-only service on Sunday, just two days after he was hospitalized with COVID-19.

Tyson Steelman, a member of the churchs leadership team, explained to congregants during the virtual service Sunday how the pastors health rapidly deteriorated after he was diagnosed with the virus on Monday, Aug. 9.

As many of you know, Tim is sick, and we wanted to kind of shed light on that situation. On Monday, Tim tested positive for COVID-19. And ever since then, he had been quarantining at home with his family. On Friday, the conditions worsened where he was taken to the emergency room. And as of right now, he has been intubated in the hospital, Steelman said.

We know many of you, weve heard your concerns, your prayers, we thank you for your compassion during this time, and we know that your concerns are heard, and we appreciate those.  But as of right now, wherever you are, whether youre in your dorm room, whether youre in your home, wherever youre at, were asking you to pray, he continued. Pray with compassion for a God who heals and a God who is faithful.

Steelman said the church community was praying with heavy hearts that Parsons would recover so he could continue doing the Lords work.

Lord, I pray that you would hear the cry of your people, he prayed. We pray that hes not done, that youll restore him back to his normal self.

Parsons hospitalization comes as churches, like the rest of the nation, continue to grapple with disparate responses to the coronavirus pandemic, including whether or not they should endorse coronavirus vaccines. Center Point Church officials were not immediately available for further comment when contacted by The Christian Post.

In Bible Belt states like Kentucky, however, many preachers have remained silent on vaccinations because of the deeply divided positions held in their religious communities even if they support getting the vaccines themselves, the Associated Press reported.

I would say that the vast majority are paralyzed or silent because of how polarized it has been, theologian Curtis Chang, who has pastored churches and is on the faculty at Duke Divinity School, told the AP.

Some church leaders, like George Davis of the 6,000-member Impact Church in Jacksonville, Florida, are driven to action.

Six church members recently died from the virus in a 10-day window, and the church is now working to promote vaccinations in their community. Earlier this month, the church held a vaccination event where over 260 people were vaccinated. It held a similar event in March where over 800 people were vaccinated.

Davis said that four of the six people who died were under 35, and they were all unvaccinated.

We are a faith-teaching church. We are a faith-believing church. We believe in divine healing, Davis told The Christian Post. But, I just happen to believe that faith and science are not at odds, especially medical science.

God gives wisdom to doctors and scientists to come up with cures for the body," he continued. "And when cures are available and they have not proven to be detrimental, I believe its wise for us to take advantage of them.

The effort to get more people vaccinated comes as infections continue surging across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a 700% increase in the week-over-week average of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. since July 1.

The U.S. registered an average of 10,000 new COVID-19 cases per day in late June, but Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Epidemiology Professor William Moss told USA Today that average has increased to 125,000 cases daily.

The combination of the delta variant, susceptibility due to relatively low vaccination coverage, some relaxing of our public health measures, these all came together, and we're seeing this wave," he explained.

The Biden administration is also expected to announce as early as this week that most Americans should get a coronavirus booster vaccination eight months after they received their second shot, The New York Times reported.

Officials, the report noted, want Americans who received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to know now that they will need additional protection against the delta variant that is causing caseloads to surge across much of the country. The additional shots will need to be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.
Megachurch Pastor Miles McPherson seeks prayers for wife as she battles COVID-19

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Miles McPherson, the lead pastor of Rock Church in San Diego, California, has made an emotional plea for prayers for his wife, Debbie, as she fights to breathe on her own at a local hospital due to complications from a COVID-19 infection.

Thank you so much for praying for my wife. Shes definitely had improvement in her appetite. Shes eating. She hasnt had a fever for a couple of days which is amazing. Shes had one for every day for like 10. The nausea went away now its back, so  pray it goes away for good, McPherson said in an update to his followers on Instagram Sunday.

Her breathing is still struggling, so we just ask that you continue to pray for her lungs that they would heal. Thats what were waiting on, that shed come home and her lungs are healed enough for her to breath on her own.

McPherson first revealed his wifes hospitalization in a post on the social network Friday during which he said that God knows all the details about his wifes health.

You know, Ive been in ministry for a long time and Ive seen so many people get help and I just want you to pray for my wife, Debbie, that God would heal her and bring her home," the pastor said. "God knows all the details about her health. I just pray that hell bring her home and that shell be able to breathe on her own."

In May, just a month after McPhersons Rock Church held its first indoor worship service since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the church suspended indoor worship at all campuses except the Point Loma campus and microsite locations after multiple staffers tested positive for COVID-19 even though they followed state guidelines.

Speaking with The San Diego Union-Tribune after his churchs first indoor service since the start of the pandemic on April 18, McPherson revealed how happy he was to reunite with his spiritual family. Rock Church did not hold indoor services until state officials lifted mandatory restrictions a week earlier.

It was so good to see our family back together, he said. It was like Thanksgiving or Christmas when you get to reunite with your family and reestablish your relationships.

More than 5,000 attended in-person services across four campuses, and 300,000 watched Rock Church services online, the publication noted.

Debbie McPhersons hospitalization comes as COVID-19 cases continue surging in the United States.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a 700% increase in the week-over-week average of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. since July 1.

"There's no doubt we're seeing a surge in cases now," Dr. William Moss, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told USA Today.

While the U.S. registered an average of 10,000 new COVID-19 cases per day in late June, Moss said that average has now shot up to 125,000 cases daily due to many factors.

The combination of the delta variant, susceptibility due to relatively low vaccination coverage, some relaxing of our public health measures, these all came together, and we're seeing this wave," he explained.

Dr. Larry Brilliant, an epidemiologist who was part of the World Health Organizations team that helped eradicate smallpox, told CNBC that the delta variant is maybe the most contagious virus ever. He believes the pandemic won't end soon because only a small portion of the worlds population is vaccinated.

I think were closer to the beginning than we are to the end [of the pandemic], and thats not because the variant that were looking at right now is going to last that long, Brilliant, who is founder and CEO of the pandemic response consultancy group Pandefense Advisory, is quoted as saying. Unless we vaccinate everyone in 200-plus countries, there will still be new variants.

He predicts the coronavirus will eventually become a forever virus, like influenza.
5th Circuit upholds Texas dismemberment abortion ban, says providers can't 'set their own rules'

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The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that a Texas law banning second-trimester dismemberment abortions can be enforced, reversing earlier rulings.

In an en-banc decision released Wednesday, the 17-member circuit court upheld Texas Senate Bill 8, which bans the dilation and evacuation abortion procedure. Critics of the law argue that what is commonly referred to as dismemberment abortion is the most common abortion procedure for terminating second-trimester pregnancies.

Physicians that violate the law can be punished by a minimum of 180 days to a maximum of two years in jail.

The majority of the circuit court concluded that previous decisions on the 2017 law presented a false dichotomy in their reasoning, namely that either D&Es can be done only by live dismemberment or else women cannot receive abortions in the second trimester.

Instead, the record shows that doctors can safely perform D&Es and comply with SB8 using methods that are already in widespread use, reads the majority opinion authored by Trump-appointee Don R. Willett and George W. Bush-appointee Jennifer Walker Elrod.

The plaintiffs have failed to carry their heavy burden of proving that SB8 would impose an undue burden on a large fraction of women.

Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, a Clinton appointee who had previously ruled against the law as part of a three-judge panel in 2020, authored a dissenting opinion and joined two other circuit judges.

Today, in a Sisyphean return to form, our court upholds a Texas law that, under the guise of regulation, makes it a felony to perform the most common and safe abortion procedure employed during the second trimester, dissented Dennis.

Further burdening abortion access, many abortion providers will likely decline to perform later-term abortions rather than face the dilemma todays ruling foists upon them: become a felon or do a risky procedure that is contrary to the doctors medical judgment regarding the patients best interests.

The majority argues, however, that the abortion industry should not be allowed to "set their own rules."

"[The district court] did so by holding that SB8 was unconstitutional because live dismemberment is a common abortion method in the second trimester," the ruling states. "This was exactly backwards. Since Casey, we have recognized that abortion doctors do not get to set their own rules. They are not permitted to self-legislate or self-regulate simply by making an abortion method 'common.'"

Dennis argues that the majority "misconstrues the district courts reasoning, which merely considered what proportion of abortions would be affected by SB8 in evaluating the burden the legislation places on a womans right to choose."

For pro-life activists, the Fifth Circuit decision is a long-awaited victory," according to Texas Right to Life Director of Media and Communication Kimberlyn Schwartz.

Anyone can see the cruelty of dismemberment abortions, ripping a childs body apart while her heart is still beating. Were grateful the judges recognized this horror, Schwartz said in a statement.

Whole Womans Health, an abortion provider that was a plaintiff in the case, argues that the law is focused on "cutting off abortion access, and nothing else.

It should never be a crime for doctors to use their best medical judgment and follow the most current science," Whole Woman's Health President Amy Hagstrom Miller said in a statement. "Texans deserve the best care available, and this law prevents that.

The law was signed in June 2017 by Gov. Greg Abbott and includes an exception for when "dismemberment abortion is necessary in a medical emergency.

The term does not include an abortion that uses suction to dismember the body of an unborn child by sucking pieces of the unborn child into a collection container, the law reads.

The term includes a dismemberment abortion that is used to cause the death of an unborn child and in which suction is subsequently used to extract pieces of the unborn child after the unborn child's death.
Biden says Taliban not a threat; Americans not blocked from getting to airport, despite reports

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President Joe Biden said the Taliban is not a major threat to the United States and is allowing American citizens to get to the airport unimpeded for evacuations from Afghanistan, despite reports to the contrary.

At a press conference Friday, the president talked about the evacuation of Americans and Afghans amid the quick takeover by the Taliban.

Biden began by touting the significant progress made in getting people evacuated, stating that around 5,700 people, including 169 Americans "who got over the wall using military assets," were flown out of the country on Thursday.

As many as 10,000 to 15,000 Americans have yet to be evacuated from Afghanistan.

The president said the U.S. government "doesn't have the exact number" of Americans who are in Afghanistan or where they're located and is working to "verify" their whereabouts.

On Friday, the Kabul airport was shut down for more than eight hours amid concerns that the U.S. evacuation base in Qatar was quickly becoming overcrowded with Afghan refugees.

Weve secured the airport, enabling flights to resume, said Biden. Now we have almost 6,000 troops on the ground, including the 82nd Airborne, providing runway security.

This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history. And the only country in the world capable of protecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision is the United States of America.

Biden said around 18,000 people had been evacuated from Afghanistan since July and 13,000 since their airlift began on Aug. 14., when the Taliban seized control of key areas in Afghanistan before taking control of Kabul on Sunday.

Biden took five questions from reporters, one of whom asked the president whether he will commit troops to Kabul to rescue Americans who have been unable to get to the airport to leave the country.

He responded by saying, we have no indication that Americans seeking to flee the country have been unable to safely reach the airport in Kabul.

Weve made an agreement with the Taliban, answered the president. Theyve allowed them to go through. Its in their interests to let them go through. We know of no circumstance where American citizens are carrying an American passport, are trying to get through to the airport. But we will do whatever needs to be done to see to it that they get to the airport.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent out a security alert published online, noting that the U.S. cannot ensure safe passage to the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

In response to a separate question about rescuing Americans stuck behind Taliban checkpoints, Biden said they are considering ways to evacuate those citizens, but added the U.S. wouldn't be expanding the securing perimeter outside the airport.

For his part, Biden said that the U.S. and allies will still stay vigilant regarding Afghanistan, both regarding potential terrorist threats and human rights abuses.

According to Biden, this would include bringing international pressure on the Taliban with respect to the treatment of Afghan people overall, but including Afghan women and girls.

When asked whether the aftermath of the withdrawal had damaged America's reputation, Biden replied: "Ive seen no questioning of our credibility from our allies around the world. In fact, I've seen the exact opposite."

The question came after a former Obama administration official criticized those advising the president, even calling for their firing.

President Biden needs to fire his national security adviser and several other senior leaders who oversaw the botched execution of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, Brett Bruen, who served as the director of global engagement in the Obama White House, wrote in a USA Today op-ed on Monday. He has to restructure how and with whom he is making foreign policy decisions, allowing for more input from career experts.

In an interview with Fox News Thursday, Bruen added: What were seen at the NSC (National Security Council) is a lot of political appointees, but not the folks who have the relevant experience.

After a Cobra emergency committee Friday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the fallout from the U.S. withdrawal has left Afghanistan in a precarious" situation.

So when the U.S. decides emphatically to withdraw in the way that they have then clearly we are going to have to manage the consequences, Johnson said, according to The Telegraph.

The president was also asked about a leaked classified cable sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken in July signed by 23 U.S. Embassy staffers in Kabul, raising concerns about a collapse of Afghan security forces and a Taliban takeover.

Biden said: "We got all kinds of cables, all kinds of advice. ... I took the consensus opinion ... that, in fact, it would not occur, and if occurred until later in the year."

Following the drawing down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly seized control of much of the country, eventually taking the capital Kabul and forcing the government to flee.

In response to the unexpected speed at which they retook the nation, large numbers of Americans, Afghan allies, and others have desperately tried to leave the country.

A return to Taliban rule for Afghanistan has led many to express concern over the treatment of women, as well as religious minorities, such as the small Christianity community.

On the website of the missionary group Frontier Alliance International, an anonymous pastor posted a statement saying the Taliban was already cracking down on Christians.

The Taliban has a hit list of known Christians they are targeting to pursue and kill. The U.S. Embassy is defunct and there is no longer a safe place for believers to take refuge, stated the figure, known only as Pastor X.

All borders to neighboring countries are closed and all flights to and from have been halted, with the exception of private planes. People are fleeing into the mountains looking for asylum. They are fully reliant on God, who is the only One who can and will protect them.
Christian group witnesses spiritual hunger in Haiti amid tragedies; death toll rises to 2,100

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Five days after an earthquake struck Haiti's southern coast, the death toll has risen to more than 2,100 and the number of people injured has surged to over 12,000. With an estimated 684,000 people in need of immediate assistance, several Christian charities are providing basic provisions and medical care for those devastated by the recent disasters.

Haitis Civil Protection Agency said late Wednesday that dozens of people are still missing and confirmed that 2,189 have been found dead, while those wounded had risen to 12,268.

Just two days after Saturday's 7.2 magnitude earthquake near Les Cayes, the country was hit with heavy rains from Tropical Storm Grace that brought flooding and hindered search and rescue efforts.

Among the tragedies to befall the nation is the two-day closure of a hospital in the nation's capital of Port-au-Prince, where some of the injured were transported. It was shut down Thursday to protest the kidnapping of two doctors, The Associated Press reported.

Several Christian organizations are assessing the damages and providing disaster relief. Those include Samaritan's Purse, which sent medical teams and water filtration units, and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, which was among the first to reach Saint-Louis de Sud. On Thursday, the group Free Wheelchair Mission announced its plans to send 2,500 wheelchairs to Haiti.

LiveBeyond, a Christian nonprofit organization that's been operating in Haiti for over a decade, said in a post on Twitter Monday that its operations in the Thomazeau region were not affected and urged people worldwide to pray for Haitians mourning the loss of loved ones and for the nation's recovery. The nonprofit is providing medical care for many who suffered injuries from the earthquake near Les Cayes.

Dr. David Vanderpool, the founder of LiveBeyond, said he's working to get back to Haiti, as LiveBeyond has opened its hospital to receive the injured by helicopter as part of a disaster relief group working under the Haitian Ministry of Health. They anticipate expenses nearing $200,000 to provide medical care and disaster relief assistance to those in need.

Saturday's earthquake is the deadliest to hit the Caribbean nation since January 2010, when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake claimed 316,000 lives and left more than 1.5 million homeless.

The impoverished nation was already struggling in the social and political aftermath of the assassination of President Jouvenal Moise last month.

Haiti has also seen an increase in crime since last year. The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti stated in a February report that there were 234 kidnappings in the previous 12 months, an increase of 200% from the previous year.

In a recent interview with The Christian Post, Vanderpool, who launched LiveBeyond in 2005 to provide disaster relief in response to Hurricane Katrina and then went to Haiti in 2010 to help relief efforts after that earthquake, said many Haitians of faith "have turned to God more now than ever."

Vanderpool, a trauma surgeon, and his wife, Laurie Vanderpool, were already short-term missionaries working around the world for LiveBeyond when they followed God's call to expand the organization to Haiti, where they provide healthcare, nutrition and educational resources for women and children.

After the couple moved to Haiti, Vanderpool said he and his wife bought 63 acres of land where they built The Scott & Tracie Hamilton Guest House and a medical clinic.

Since 2010, LiveBeyond has provided medical care to thousands of residents in the Thomazeau area of Haiti who had no access to healthcare, and drilled 97 water wells to provide safer drinking water. These wells provide over 200,000 gallons of water to area residents each day.

Along with spiritual support through Scripture, prayer and discipleship training, LiveBeyond serves thousands of meals daily to children and families. It also estimates that 300 lives have been saved through its maternal health program.

Community healthcare worker programs are also offered, where workers go out in the community daily and care for the sick. LiveBeyond also provides educational programs for children in first through the 11th grade, including for students with special needs.

Through their organization, the Vanderpools have increased nutritional support from 6,400 children per day to nearly 7,500. Vanderpool said he estimates that his organization would need to expand to feeding roughly 10,000 children each day to fully provide for all the hungry children in Thomazeau.

Although LiveBeyond is fulfilling its mission in Haiti, it has also come with risks.

Five years after the Vanderpools moved to the Caribbean island, five armed gang members attempted to kidnap Laurie Vanderpool while she was standing outside the couple's home.

Both David and Laurie Vanderpool ran to escape. Laurie, however, was severely injured by the attackers who dragged and beat her. As a trauma surgeon, Vanderpool said he had no choice but to perform multiple surgeries on his wife on-site at the medical clinic on their property. She was later transported to the U.S.for further medical treatment.

Although Laurie Vanderpool didn't require any long-term hospitalization and she has no permanent injuries, it took nearly a month for her to fully recover.

Following his wifes attack, Vanderpool said they had no hesitation in their minds about continuing God's mission for them in Haiti.

Vanderpool said he has seen violence firsthand, particularly gang-related violence, which has escalated since the assassination of Moise on July 7, he added. Yet, the increase in crime and facing natural disasters has led to a rise in spiritual hunger and growth among Haitians.

Even though Im not currently there now, our base is operating completely normal, and our staff have reported that we are feeding more people because marketplaces and ports have been shut down in Haiti, so food is scarce, he said. Typically, persecution increases faith for those who have faith."

Introducing people to the Christian faith is a real challenging situation because many people respond differently. But many Haitians with faith have turned to God more now than ever, he said.

Even with the rising number of Haitians turning to God, Vanderpool said thatduring the decade he's been doing missions work in Haiti, he has learned and seen firsthandthat many Haitians practice Voodoo as a religion.

Haiti's former minister of tourism, Colombe Emilie Jessy Menos, who now serves as minister delegate to the prime minister, described the stronghold Voodoo has in many Haitians lives.

In an interview with "This Is America & The World" host Dennis Wholey in 2018, two years after the country was recovering from Hurricane Matthew, Menos described Voodoo as the center of Haitian culture. She asserted at the time that even many Catholic and Protestant Haitians incorporate Voodoo practices in their daily lives.

Vanderpool told CP that there are many Voodoo priests who have influence over people because they are known for "casting spells and asserting their power in Haitis villages," and "they often are well-off."

Many people in Haiti worship the devil through Voodoo and they understand there are bad spiritual forces in the world, and that when bad things are happening its due to the evil that Satan brings about, Vanderpool said. Many Haitians have a clear picture of the spiritual realm and they know God is a God of love.

"But on the one hand, Satan has power in this world because he can do things in this world and God doesnt necessarily stop him. And the Haitians that worship Satan tap into the power that Satan has, and that is the attraction.

"It's a complex issue, and our goal is to continue to preach about the truth that can be found in God only, while doing the work we were called by God to do for the purpose of aiding in humanitarian development to improve people's physical and spiritual lives," Vanderpool added.

Even with the increased levels of violence in Haiti, Vanderpool said he and his wife plan to return to advance the mission work of their nonprofit.

But he cautioned church missions groups against traveling to Haiti at this time and instead give to organizations that are already operating on the ground.

Before the earthquake, the U.S. State Department had already raised its travel advisory to a level four "due to kidnapping, crime and civil unrest."

I would discourage any short-term mission trips to Haiti at this time because of the increased danger," Vanderpool said of the gang violence. "The way people can help is to find a good organization that is feeding children and support it."

Another way Vanderpool said people can help Haiti is by praying for the country.

We are asking people to pray that the peace of God will permeate Haiti, that God will allow His peace to reign in Haiti, and godly leaders will be raised up in the country, he said. Pray that the corruption that exists in Haiti will be eliminated and that godliness will then reign. Our hopes and dreams are to continue to expand our mission and to be able to take care of more people and that more Haitians will follow a godly path.

Our message as we go out into the communities has always been to preach that God is a God of peace and justice and we hope to keep taking care of Haitis physical needs because we were called to go to Haiti and that calling supersedes danger, he said, adding that more than 100 LiveBeyond employees are keeping their operations going in Haiti.

Vanderpool's book, Live Beyond: A Radical Call to Surrender and Servedetails the couple's work in Christian missions.
Former Satanist says he converted to Christianity after having out-of-body experience in Hell

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Worshipping the devil, practicing witchcraft and delving into the occult world for decades alongside family members who were practicing witches are all memories ex-Satanist John Ramirez has of the life he lived for 35 years before turning to God.

Ramirez, who is now 57 and an evangelist, said he will never forget the night 22 years ago when he made the decision to walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

On that evening in 1999, Ramirez said that God gave him a "life-altering, out-of-body experience" in which he transcended from his bodily form and went on a train that he knew was traveling to "Hell rapidly.

In a recent interview, Ramirez told The Christian Post that during his out-of-body experience, he remembers sitting on the train, going faster than anything on the planet.

"There also were people on the train and I could see the terror of fear on them, but I couldnt see their faces," he said. "They knew they were going somewhere and they knew they were not coming back."

"Also, Jezebel was on the train, which is a demon principality, yelling from across the aisle, calling me a traitor in demonic tongues. The train made an explosion right into Hell and the doors were opened," he added.

"When I came off the train in Hell, I stepped onto the ground and the ground was breathing like a human being. I encountered people in Hell that were in the occult that were still alive on the earth. God told me sometime later that these individuals were not going to repent.

He said what he experienced was life-transforming, similar to the transformation of Apostle Paul. Today, he is an evangelist for Jesus Christ, seeking to win souls around the world and setting the captives free by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Following that night in 1999, Ramirez has devoted the past two decades to preaching the holy Gospel and sharing his testimony globally of Gods goodness in His life.

He has also authored several books, including Out of the Devil's Cauldron: A Journey from Darkness to Light. He is set to release his new book on Oct. 12, Conquer Your Deliverance: How to Live a Life of Total Freedom.

His ministry, John Ramirez Ministries, offers multiple programs, books and courses on spiritual warfare available online. He said his mission in Christ is to fight the good fight against the kingdom of darkness and point people to the cross of Jesus Christ. Ramirez has made appearances in various regions to share his testimony.

The evangelist was first introduced to the occult at the age of 8 by his Puerto Rican parents, who practiced Santeria. The belief system blends spirit worship and animal sacrifice with aspects of Roman Catholic teaching.

Ramirez often shares with others how he was once trained to be part of a satanic cult by witches and warlocks and how he became a high-ranking warlock in the highest level of the occult  casting powerful witchcraft spells and "controlling entire regions and astro projecting and cursing regions under the name of Satan and his kingdom."

Eventually, Ramirez said he sold his soul to the devil in a diabolical, blood-soaked ritual."

In his testimony, Ramirez shares how he would actively recruit souls into this unholy kingdom by haunting the bars and clubs of New York City by night to find his next victims.

The love of Jesus Christ is in my heart and what He has done in my life is truly supernatural, Ramirez told CP. There are a lot of people who have been hurt by witchcraft and demonic forces, and I am here now to set others free because God freed me."

"I am free in Christ," he added. "I know my purpose and my destiny today in Christ.

Ramirez said one of the greatest tricks of the enemy is to pretend to make life easier and let people play into the great deception. People dont know these consequences lead them straight to Hell.

People want a microwave-effect," he detailed. "When I was in the devil's kingdom, it was like a microwave: You get it fast and you lose it fast. But the devil comes to collect later."

For Ramirez, it is a special and worthy experience to put his faith in God. He stressed that "when [people] sell their souls to the devil, they are giving away their purpose and their destiny.

Everyones soul belongs to God, and no one truly sells their soul to the devil because their soul will always belong to God, their Creator," he said. "But, selling your soul to the devil is another way of saying you are devoting your focus, allegiance and time to the devil. You are making a commitment to something that isnt worthy and that is not a good return in the end."

But even people who sell their soul to the devil, Ramirez added, will have to "face God at the end of time in the final judgment."

"God has the final say," he said.

Ramirez recently made a guest appearance in California. He shared a sermon, his testimony and participated in a Q&A for an audience at the Explosive Spiritual Warfare & The Prophetic event livestreamed on YouTube on July 17.

At the event, Ramirez told viewers that God is calling him for East Coast and West Coast ministries and ministries around the world. He said God has plans for California and the world for Jesus Christ.

Theres a spirit of pride and religion that are running Hollywood, and the altar of Satan is [located] in Hollywood, he said as a response to an audience members question. We are going to take Hollywood back from California.

"Gods going to give an eviction notice to the enemy and around the world," he said.

He advised churches to never leave your post because God never created anyone to run [from where He is calling them to go].

Coming from a past lifestyle where he attended church in the daytime and practiced witchcraft at night, Ramirez told the crowd that they could be a generation of people who know how to fight, shake, dismantle and uproot the demonic assignment of their lives.

Truthfully, a religious spirit is a demonic spirit. That is the same spirit that killed Jesus. The spirit of religion is a spirit that is a cancer that is killing the Church within, and the devil is into religion, he contends. The only way you can have Jesus is when you have a real encounter. ... The fight has been won at the cross. Jesus said, It is finished, which means [He] did everything to fight your fight. Jesus did everything to equip the saints to fight the good fight.

He believes "many Christians run from where God is calling them to go by sweeping their assignment from God under the rug. Many, he preached, have been running away and not confronting the enemy who is in front of them."

"It is time to stop talking about the enemy and its time to confront," he concluded. "The battle has been won through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Nearly 70% of Americans disapprove of Biden's handling of Afghanistan exit: poll

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Nearly 70% of likely American voters disapprove of how President Joe Biden is handling the situation in Afghanistan as the Taliban takes control of the country, according to a recently released poll.

The Trafalgar Group released a poll on Monday which found that 59.5% of respondents strongly disapproved of Bidens handling of Afghanistan while 9.8% disapproved, for a combined 69.3% disapproval.

By contrast, 12.4% of respondents approved of Bidens handling of Afghanistan, 10.7% strongly approve, and 7.5% responded that they have no opinion on the issue.

The poll was conducted Aug. 14-15 and had a sample of 1,084 likely general election voters, which had a reported margin of error of 2.98%.

Another finding of the poll was that Democrat respondents were also largely critical of Bidens handling of Afghanistan, with 48.2% saying they either strongly disapprove or disapprove, while 39.8% saying they either approve or strongly approve.

Harrowing footage shows dozens of Afghans clambering to enter the cabin of a plane at the Kabul airport during a chaotic rush to flee the country. Live updates: https://t.co/bDE47puNc5pic.twitter.com/PIOZPEqGVI  NPR (@NPR) August 16, 2021

Mark Meckler, president of conservative group Convention of States Action, which partnered with the Trafalgar Group to release the poll, said in a statement released Monday that the poll showed evidence that the American people are not buying the lies on Afghanistan.

This is Saigon, and its far worse. Our nation has watched the same group of leaders in Washington, D.C., flounder and blunder on foreign policy, on COVID-19, on the border, and on the economy, stated Meckler.

After spending more than $1 trillion dollars and enduring wounded and dead soldiers, we are confronted with a basecamp for terror, a foreign policy nightmare, and are now less safe here at home. Time for new leadership.

Over the past several years, the United States has been slowly reducing troop numbers in Afghanistan; although they had toppled the Taliban regime in 2001 for their connection to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Islamic extremist group maintained a longstanding insurgency.

In February 2020, at a speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland, then President Donald Trump announced an agreement with the Taliban and the Afghan government as a means of ending the war in Afghanistan.

In a distressing video, Afghans can be seen attempting to hold onto a U.S. military plane as it takes off from Kabul airport. According to reports, at least three people died after falling from the aircraft. pic.twitter.com/WvrO0FIIyv  euronews (@euronews) August 16, 2021

Today, the United States signed a deal with the Taliban, so that we can hopefully begin the immediate process of finally bringing our troops back home, Trump told CPAC.

I want to just thank our military because weve been really a police force there for the last long time. Were not supposed to be a police force, were supposed to be fighting soldiers.

Earlier this year, Biden announced that he planned to withdraw the last of the U.S. forces by the beginning of September, reportedly against the wishes of his military advisors.

Recently, with the American withdrawal largely complete, the Taliban went on the offensive, retaking large parts of Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul, with surprising speed.

The result has been a rushed evacuation of Western sympathizers and others from the country, which many have compared to when the U.S. hastily evacuated Saigon in 1975 at the close of the Vietnam War.

In response to the situation, Biden announced that 5,000 U.S. troops would be deployed to evacuate Americans. The Pentagon announced Sunday that an additional 1,000 troops would be deployed to provide security for evacuations after the U.S. State Department reported gunfire at the Kabul international airport and told Americans to "shelter in place."

Biden also ordered our Armed Forces and our Intelligence Community to ensure that we will maintain the capability and the vigilance to address future terrorist threats from Afghanistan.

America went to Afghanistan 20 years ago to defeat the forces that attacked this country on September 11th. That mission resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden over a decade ago and the degradation of al Qaeda, Biden said in a statement on Saturday.

I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistantwo Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.
Taliban going door-to-door searching for Christians, inspecting phones for Bible apps

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As the Taliban continue to gain control of Afghanistan following the pullout of U.S. troops, leaders of the underground Christian church are warning of the implications for religious minority groups in the country.

In a statement released Tuesday, the leader of the underground church ministering to Christians in Afghanistan and the founder of the nonprofit organization Global Catalytic Ministries, who goes by the alias Pastor X, provided a first-hand ground report on the situation in the country. The statement was shared by Frontier Alliance International, an organization committed to laying the foundations for the Gospel where there are none.

The Taliban has a hit list of known Christians they are targeting to pursue and kill. The U.S. Embassy is defunct and there is no longer a safe place for believers to take refuge," the statement reads.

All borders to neighboring countries are closed and all flights to and from have been halted, with the exception of private planes. People are fleeing into the mountains looking for asylum. They are fully reliant on God, who is the only One who can and will protect them.

The statement noted that the Taliban are going door-to-door taking women and children."

"The people must mark their house with an X if they have a girl over 12 years old, so that the Taliban can take them. If they find a young girl and the house was not marked, they will execute the entire family," the statement added. "If a married woman 25 years old or older has been found, the Taliban promptly kill her husband, do whatever they want to her, and then sell her as a sex slave.

Additionally, Pastor X stated that Husbands and fathers have given their wives and daughters guns and told them that when the Taliban come, they can choose to kill them or kill themselves  it is their choice.

In a statement released Tuesday and shared with The Christian Post, Rex Rogers, the president of the nonprofit Christian media ministry SAT-7, elaborated on the dangers faced by Christians.

Were hearing from reliable sources that the Taliban demand peoples phones, and if they find a downloaded Bible on your device, they will kill you immediately," Rogers said.

Its incredibly dangerous right now for Afghans to have anything Christian on their phones. The Taliban have spies and informants everywhere."

With the Taliban's takeover, SAT-7 reports that many Afghans have begun censoring themselves to avoid "retribution." In the first six months of 2021, SAT-7 PARS reported an increase in audience engagement from viewers in Afghanistan. SAT-7 PARS broadcasts two Dari programs targeting Afghan viewers titled "Window of Light" and "Secret of Life."

In an update Thursday, SAT-7 reported that an anonymous SAT-7 PARS viewer told the organization that Christians "are in real danger."

"Sadly, in the past two to three days, my family and I have received death threats," the viewer was quoted as saying. "In this emergency situation, I have no other way but to escape from the country."

Another viewer who came to Christ about a year ago told SAT-7 that the situation is "dreadful."

"My daughters life and my life are both in danger," the viewer was quoted as saying. "My daughter is 8 years old. She has no one else except me. It was so difficult to find a phone to contact you.

Joel Richardson, preacher and host of The Underground podcast, explained Monday that In the rural villages, what the Taliban is doing  especially if they know that the families are Christians, i.e., infidels, theyre taking the women who are  teens and younger and giving them away as prizes to Taliban fighters. According to Richardson, its not just Afghan Christians who find themselves in danger due to the Talibans resurgence.

The Taliban has also set its sights on Afghans who have demonstrated any allegiance to the U.S. over the past two decades. Tens of thousands of Afghanis who worked with the American military as translators, who were part of the government, many of them are being targeted, executed, he said.

As the Taliban gains ground in Afghanistan, leaders of Christian nonprofit agencies and pastors have called on Americans and the international community as a whole to pray for Christians in Afghanistan. Officials with faith-based refugee resettlement agencies have urged the U.S. government to admit tens of thousands of Afghan Christians and American-affiliated Afghans as refugees.

Although leaders of Christian organizations agree that Christians, other religious minorities and women will face much stronger persecution with the Taliban in control, they disagree about the degree of progress made in Afghanistan before the pullout of U.S. troops.

Pastor X lamented that "20 years of work and the strengthening of a nation being destroyed in a single day while World Evangelical Alliance Secretary General Bishop Thomas Schirrmacher stressed that we should not pretend as if everything was well in Afghanistan before the Taliban taking control of the country. Schirrmacher asserted that because the constitution of 2004 stated that Afghanistan is an Islamic republic with Islam as its state religion, religious minorities never fully received equal rights in the country.

With the Taliban on the march in Afghanistan, Global Catalytic Ministries has launched a war chest for Christians in Afghanistan that seeks to provide them with emergency funds and supplies to help them get to safety as well as food, water, shelter and other basic needs. The organization hopes to raise $500,000 for 1,500 families between now and Sept. 11, which marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that led the U.S. to become militarily involved in Afghanistan to combat al Qaeda.
The worldview of the Taliban

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After seeing the images out of Kabul in recent days, Maajid Nawaz, a former radical Muslim, said, Barefoot Taliban conquered a palace. They believed in something and fought for nothing. I have lived with men like this in prison. It is difficult to describe just how seriously they take their cause. There is a lesson here for us in the West, if we are humble enough to see it.

We hear the terror from Afghan women who now wonder what the lives of their daughters will be like, worried that 20 years of progress in womens rights have disappeared overnight. We see the desperation of men so afraid of what might come next that theyre literally clinging to the wheels of American aircraft as they depart. Yet, we struggle to have a category for what they actually fear. Many Westerners dont have the categories to understand the realities of Islamic fundamentalism.

Much of the world has long struggled to understand the worldview that is driving the Taliban conquerors today, or the ISIS fanatics from a few years ago, or the al Qaeda terrorists that struck on 9/11. These groups are driven by their own internal logic, their own worldview.

Im not going to try to explain the entirety of radical Islam. However, there are a few key points about this worldview that can give us clarity in understanding whats happening in Afghanistan and what we might expect in the days ahead.

First, for radical Islam, this isnt about this particular American president or the last American president or any particular foreign policy decision. This is seen as part of a war thats been going on for over 1,000 years.

In the wake of 9/11, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the second in command of al Qaeda, and in many ways the strategic planner for Osama bin Laden, spoke about his groups goals for this war with the West. In repeated statements to the press, he referred to waging war until all Muslim lands were restored, connecting the conflict in Afghanistan and the battle for Palestine to a worldwide conflict that spans from Iraq to Spain. Yes, Spain.

To American ears, it doesnt make any sense. Iraq, Israel, we can follow. Palestine, sure. Spain? You see, what he knew and what many Westerners have forgotten is that the mostly Catholic country of Spain was once the heartland of the Muslim world. Centuries before the Turks or Indonesians followed Islam, Spain was the base of operations for a potential invasion of Europe. It wasnt until 1492 that Spain was retaken for the Cross.

For radical Islam, once lands have come under the sway of Islam, it is vital that good Muslims do whatever it takes to return those regions to the House of Islam; places where Islamic law and teaching is practiced. Whether were talking about Catholics in Spain or Israelis in Palestine, these people are merely occupying whats rightfully a Muslim land.

This connects to another element of this worldview that we often miss. For Islamists, the West is not the primary enemy. Were merely in the way of where historys headed. What they seek is the overthrow of false Muslim rulers who have been corrupted by the wiles of Western influence. These are, as Al-Zawahiri put it, the "near enemy," and they must be cast down. Only then can true Muslims take control and implement the fullness of Sharia.

In other words, what weve seen on the ground in Afghanistan and what weve seen in the Middle East for a long time is the working out of a worldview. None of the happenings of the last 20 years, or the last 20 days, can be understood without understanding the worldview.

Now, every worldview answers questions. Among these questions are those that ask, what is wrong with the world, and what must be done to make it right? For Christians, the problem is sin and all of its myriad manifestations. The solution is conversion: the conversions of individuals, as well as the restoration of culture through the grace and work of Christ, and through His Church, the restoration of the goodness of His creation.

For secularists and much of contemporary Western culture, the problem is ignorance. Through education and science, and by becoming aware of the perspectives of others, we can hope to improve the structural failings that have plagued our world.

But the problem is seen differently in radical Islam. The problem is seen as the internal corruption of the Islamic states and the unwillingness of the rest of the world to bow to what is ultimately true.

Heres how Islamic scholar Bernard Lewis described it:

For Usama bin Laden and those who share in his views, and there are many of them, the object of the struggle is the elimination of the intrusive Western power and corrupting Western influence from all the lands of Islam, and the restoration of Islamic authority in these lands. When this has been accomplished, the stage will be set for the final struggle to bring Gods message to all mankind in all the world.

Now, I hope one of the things that you notice is that for a true Muslim, Islam is not a point of personal and private belief. Islam describes the actual condition of the world. It describes whats happening and where history is going. And for radicals, whatever needs to be done to accomplish that mission is justified. Whatever atrocities are committed along the way will find their purpose in this overriding goal.

For this goal, they are willing to sacrifice themselves by the thousands. Radical Islamic leaders are willing to be incredibly patient to see this goal accomplished, because they are fully assured that one day their work will indeed bear fruit. The brutality, the absolutism, and the unyielding determination that we see in radical Islam are driven by a worldview. Without a true and accurate understanding of the world, theyll continue to pursue their ends by any means necessary.

We are right to oppose these ideals because lives are at stake. Ideas have consequences. Bad ideas, like the bad ideas of radical Islam, have victims. How we push back on these forces will take many different forms, sometimes even force, but heres whats clear. We will never make headway if we fail to understand the worldview that animates the whole thing in the first place.

Originally published at BreakPoint.
Massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits Haiti; over 200 killed, thousands feared dead

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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.
Biden says Taliban's quick takeover shows Afghanistan pullout was 'right decision'

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As the Biden administration faces bipartisan criticism amid the fall of the Afghanistan government at the hands of the Taliban, President Joe Biden defended his decision to pull U.S. troops out, casting some blame on Afghan political leaders in a speech Monday.

In his speech delivered in the East Room of the White House, Biden lamented the Talibans quick advancement throughout the war-torn Middle East country but maintained that he made the right decision by pulling troops out nearly 20 years into the War in Afghanistan.

Biden said that while he is "deeply saddened by the facts we now face," he does "not regret" his decision.

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, he added.

The president admitted that this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. He placed the blame for the deteriorating situation in the Middle East on the Afghani political leadership, whom he argued gave up and fled the country.

The Afghan military collapsed  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.

Biden said the original mission of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan was to get those who attacked us on September 11, 2001, and make sure Al-Qaeda could not use Afghanistan as a base from which to attack us again.

He contends that the mission was successful but stressed that Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation-building, it was never supposed to be creating a unified, centralized democracy.

Additionally, the president said the only national security interest remaining in Afghanistan is preventing a terrorist attack on [the] American homeland.

After highlighting the money and resources spent on the war in addition to the Americans who lost their lives fighting there, he argued that 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 their country when the chips were down," Biden said.

How many more generations of Americas daughters and sons would you have me send to fight  Afghanistans civil war when Afghan troops will not? How many more lives, American lives, is it worth? he asked. I will not repeat the mistakes we have made in the past, the mistake of staying and fighting indefinitely when the conflict 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.

Acknowledging the gut-wrenching scenes unfolding in Afghanistan, Biden outlined his administration's actions to ensure that Americans residing in Afghanistan and Afghanis who have worked alongside Americans could evacuate safely.

The president specifically highlighted the deployment of 6,000 American troops 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.

The mission also includes securing the airfield and ensuring continued operation of both the civilian and military flights," "taking over air traffic control, shutting down the embassy and evacuating the diplomats.

Over the coming days, we intend to transport out thousands of American citizens who have been living and working in Afghanistan and supporting the safe departure of civilian personnel, he stated. 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 continue to support the Afghan people, Biden vowed. We will continue to 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.

With some claiming that the military pullout from Afghanistan will hurt minorities and women, Biden indicated that the U.S. would continue to speak out for the basic rights of the Afghan people, of women and girls.

He rejected endless military deployments as the way to achieve the U.S.s objective of advancing human rights, instead pointing to diplomacy and economic tools as the most effective means to that end.

Our current military mission will be short in time, limited in scope, and focused in its objectives," he said, emphasizing that once we have completed this mission, we will conclude our military withdrawal.

Biden noted that he is the fourth U.S. president to serve since the war first started nearly two decades ago. He promised that he would not pass this responsibility onto a fifth president.

The events we are seeing now are sadly proof that no amount of military force would ever deliver a stable, united, secure Afghanistan, he concluded. From now on, the president vowed that the U.S. mission in Afghanistan would be narrowly focused on counterterrorism, not counterinsurgency or nation-building.

Following the speech's conclusion, the president refused to take questions, much to the chagrin of the White House press corps.

The presidents refusal to take questions comes as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is on vacation. Reporters seeking to ask her questions via email received an auto reply informing them that she was out of the office for the week. Biden, who was scheduled to be on vacation at the presidential retreat of Camp David through Wednesday, returned to the White House to give the speech.

As the Taliban has taken over the capital of Kabul and Afghanistan's president fled the country by airplane, human rights activists and religious leaders have warned about the fate of religious minorities under Taliban rule. The Taliban refers to itself as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The World Evangelical Alliance, which represents over 600 million evangelicals worldwide, expressed deep concerns about the situation Monday. In a statement, the alliance noted that the Taliban has been known for the persecution of religious minorities, suppression of women, drug trade and human trafficking.

The WEA believes that religious minorities in Afghanistan  including Muslim minorities  will "suffer even more now."

We are very concerned about the recent developments in Afghanistan and the dire prospects for all those who do not fit within the Talibans view of a society," WEA Secretary General Bishop Thomas Schirrmacher said in a statement.

"What is less reported is the plight of religious minorities, including Christians, who have suffered severe oppression during the past twenty years and who are now at even greater risk."

We should not pretend as if everything was well in Afghanistan prior to the Taliban taking control of the country now," he added. "Converts from Islam have been killed in areas under the former official government, and war lords who controlled part of the country, and are now losing their power, were not much better."
Lawmakers slam Biden DOJ for dropping suit against hospital that forced nurse to help with abortion

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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.
Critics blast MSNBC host Joy Reid for comparing Christian right to Taliban militants

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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.
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It is horrible to see the collapse of Afghanistan and thousands trying to flee the country before the Islamists take complete control there. What motivates the Taliban who once again are violently asserting power in that country? What makes the Taliban tick?

Theres no mystery here. In some ways, its the same impulse at work in our world for the last 1,400 years, ever since Mohammeds disciples arose from the Arabian desert and took over the Middle East and North Africa.

Mohammed himself said, I have been ordered to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah, that Mohammed is Allahs prophet, that they offer prayers and give obligatory charity. If they perform all of that, they save their lives and their property (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 24).

After Mohammeds death in 632, Muslims spread Islam by the sword, conquering from the Arabian Peninsula throughout the Mediterranean world. They even conquered much of Spain and tried to conquer France, until Charles Martel, the grandfather of Charlemagne, defeated them at the Battle of Tours in 732.

One of the most astute authors commenting on Islam is Robert Spencer, director of JihadWatch.org and author of many books on Islam, including The Complete Infidels Guide to the Koran. Ive been privileged to interview him often.

I once asked him about the notion we repeatedly hear: Islam is a religion of peace.

He told me, Islam is a religion of peace, yes. The peace that Islam envisions is the peace that will come when the whole world is ruled by Islamic law and Muslims have the obligation to wage war against non-Muslims until that time, and so its a religion of violence and hatred and supremacies, ultimately culminating in an era of peace that will see the essential enslavement of non-Muslims.

Zhudi Jasser is the president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. As a Muslim who disagrees with the Taliban and all violent forms of Islam, he has chosen America as his adopted home. (Sadly, his views are not widely shared by many of his fellow Muslims.)

Jasser said of Americas founders, I think our founding fathers demonstrated that the best society is that founded by religious individuals as they were religious Christians but were escaping theocracy.

So what is the problem with groups like the Taliban? Jasser says, The root cause, I believe, as a Muslim, is the ideology of Islamism. The ideology of wanting to create Islamic states that are supremacist  That no other legal system takes precedence.

The Taliban are strict Islamists, who believe in the legal system of Sharia, which is strict Islamic law.

A decade ago, I interviewed Nonie Darwish, author of the books, Now They Call Me Infidel and Cruel and Usual Punishment. She said, The word Sharia is an Arabic word meaning literally the way. Its the way to live, and Sharia is a set of very detailed laws.

Sharia law is found throughout the Quran and the Hadith  the collection of the sayings of Mohammed. Nonie notes, Whatever Mohammed did in the seventh century became the law for the Muslims to live by forever.

Sharia law is often presented to the West as religious law, simply governing how Muslims live out Islam in their private lives. But Sharia law governs everything from how to wash your hands to how to run a country.

Nonie told me, Theres a law in Sharia that tells Muslims  anybody on the street can murder an apostate and he will not be punished for it.

Ironically, many American liberals who always clamor for womens rights cant seem to see how repressive strict Islamic law is toward women. Before the American invasion of Afghanistan to avenge 9/11, the Taliban were often killing women teachers and women doctors in Afghanistan.

Wherever Sharia law is in effect, women (not to mention minority religious groups) are second-class citizens. Under strict Sharia law, a womans testimony in court is worth half of a mans testimony. If a woman claims to be raped, it can only be established to be truthful by the testimony of four male eyewitnesses.

A woman cannot be caught with a man in public who is not her husband or relative. Nonie notes, The police go into coffeehouses to check if the male sitting with the female is a blood relative or not. If a woman is caught with a non-relative, she will face public flogging  under Sharia.

A woman under strict Islamic law must be covered from head to toe. And on and on it goes with strict Sharia law.

To understand how the Taliban tick, understand strict Islamic ideology. The writings of Robert Spencer and Nonie Darwish are a good place to start.
Atheist defends Christian evangelist amid arrest for publicly preaching on homosexuality

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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:

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There are a lot of things your employer doesn't know right now - like the future of remote work or when the coronavirus pandemic might end.

But your activity during the workday is less of a mystery.

The pandemic pushed many into work-from-home setups, and companies turned to employee data to keep tabs on their workforces. Your company can get access to almost everything you do electronically, and monitoring software makes that data easy to collect and analyze.

As some employees see work-from-home time extended because of the delta variant spreading across the world, reliance on employee tracking is staying steady at lockdown-level highs, say executives at monitoring software firms.

Elizabeth Harz, chief executive of Connecticut-based employee monitoring software provider InterGuard, said one of her clients came to her convinced that remote work would mean "economic ruin" for his company. That was until the client saw what InterGuard could do for his newly dispersed workforce, Harz said. The software tracks employees' productivity, down to how long it takes to respond to emails.

"They woke up in 2021 and said, 'Half of our employees don't even work where we are anymore,' " Harz said.

Your company may or may not be collecting data on your every move, but it certainly has the capability. The best way to know for sure is to ask, says Tom Kelly, CEO of consumer privacy firm IDX.

On work-issued computers, employers can gather data from your keyboard, like how often you're typing, and even your webcam, if it's in your employment agreement. On corporate Internet connections, your employer can likely see which sites you visit, and it can access the emails you send from company accounts. Those without office jobs get monitored, too. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly deployed tracking technology for both drivers and warehouse workers. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Business is booming for companies that make software analyzing the data employees generate during the workday. These programs present reports to superiors on how often employees are typing, when they log off and on, and what social media sites they look at. When the pandemic began last spring, 30% of large employers - defined as companies with several thousand workers - adopted employee-tracking software for the first time, says Gartner's chief of HR research, Brian Kropp. Now, 60% use it in general, he said.

Some states - such as Delaware and Connecticut - require employers to provide written notice to workers if their electronic activity is being monitored. If your company gave notice, it likely came in one of the many forms you signed when you accepted the job, Kropp said. But if you get in trouble for something your employer catches you doing while monitoring you remotely, you likely don't have recourse. Almost all types of employee surveillance are entirely legal, according to Emory Roane, privacy counsel at the nonprofit organization Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

"In general, you have very, very, very light protections, if any, for employee privacy," says Roane.

You may not be able to avoid tracking, but it's good to know what's private and what isn't. Here are five areas your employer might be watching:

- 1. Your email. If your company has an enterprise account with a provider such as Gmail or Outlook, authorized administrators can access every email you send and receive, Google and Microsoft said.

But Microsoft says it "does not agree with using technology to spy on people at work."

Companies that pay for monitoring tools such as Teramind can view the content, subject lines and attachments from both professional and personal inboxes, if the employee uses them on the same computer. Employers can put up guardrails around data collection from personal inboxes by telling the tool not to read inboxes accessed in Web browsers, for example, says Eli Sutton, Teramind's vice president of global operations.

Teramind can even scan for signs of disgruntled employees by flagging profanity in emails, as well as visits to job-search sites or negative posts on social media, Sutton said. Its website says it does this to prevent unhappy workers from stealing company data or trade secrets. But there's nothing in Teramind's policy preventing companies from disciplining employees who complain about a boss in an email to a co-worker - or from misusing the tool in any way.

The company has to use it responsibly, Sutton said, adding that Teramind can be abused just like anything else, and his company cannot implement safeguards without significantly hindering the software's capability.

- 2. Your focus and activity. Monitoring tools including Teramind, InterGuard, ActivTrak, Hubstaff and TimeCamp gather data from your keyboard and mouse to see when employees are "active" and when they've stopped clicking around.

Spend too long scrolling on social media and your activity could be flagged. Teramind's clients may set rules like "no more than five minutes of Facebook at a time" or "no more than 60 minutes of Facebook a day," Sutton said. If the Teramind "agent" is turned on, the tool can collect social media activity, including what you type, even if you're using your personal accounts from a work computer or remote network. Some companies create exceptions for certain apps and sites to avoid collecting data from employees' personal social media accounts.

Hubstaff can take intermittent screenshots of your desktop to see what you're up to. With Teramind, administrators can even access real-time recordings of employees' desktops. And London-based start-up Sneek takes workers' photos throughout the day and lets people activate video chats with the click of a button, according to its website.

- 3. Your browser. If you're on a company computer, any unencrypted traffic is most likely visible to your employer, privacy experts say. If you're on a personal device, traffic routed through a company network is visible, so your company could have access, Roane said. Be cautious about what you search while connected to the company's Internet, whether in the office or remotely. Your employer may not be able to see what you did on a website, but it can probably see that you accessed it.

- 4. Workplace collaboration tools. Say it with me: Do not bare your soul over Slack, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or other office collaboration tools.

In the case of Slack, whoever owns a Slack workspace - in this case, your employer - can apply to export messages from private conversations and direct messages, per the company's export policies. Slack says it will allow exports of private conversations only if the employer has a "right under applicable laws." But U.S. law allows companies to monitor employee communication that's part of the "normal course" of employment, which means, especially if you've signed an agreement outlining the employer's right to your communications, Slack is unlikely to deny the request.

Slack also reports your activity on the tool. Say you spent the day gazing at clouds but didn't request time off to do so. Slack might sell you out right here: [workspace].slack.com/stats. I searched my own name under the "members" tab and checked how many days I'd been active on Slack out of the past 30. (It was 23 days, compared with 27 for one of my colleagues. Now everyone knows I'm unlikely to check channels on weekends.)

Remote monitoring software can also record your video conferences. Teramind can capture audio and video from Zoom, Webex and Microsoft Teams, for example.

- 5. Your surroundings. Members of your household aren't necessarily immune to employee monitoring, even though they don't work at your company. Teramind can collect data from the microphone and speakers on your computer, which could record ambient noise from your home office, Sutton said.

Some companies have gone further: Multinational call center company Teleperformance drew criticism after pressuring employees in Colombia to sign a contract allowing the company to install cameras in their homes where they work, NBC News found. And specialized smartphone apps have been sending employees' locations to their managers in real time for years.

- What if I don't like this at all? If you don't want your company to digitally stand over your shoulder, there's not much you can do.

Some employers even use this data to make personnel decisions - like letting people go - and, while that might not be a good idea, they're in their rights to do so, Gartner's Kropp said. Recently, Russian company Xsolla said it used AI analytics to justify the layoff of 150 "unengaged" employees, according to reports.

One silver lining is that companies rarely look at this data at an individual level, Kropp said. The average manager, InterGuard's Harz said, isn't a creep.

"At the end of the day, most managers don't care if you're buying your kid's back-to-school lunchbox on Amazon," she said. "They're doing the same thing."

Monitoring tools also serve essential functions for companies. Occasionally, employees make cybersecurity mistakes or steal sensitive data, and automated systems help stop that. Employee data makes for more "personalized" experiences on workplace software the same way personal data helps websites serve more tailored offers, ads and features, Kropp said. And employees who feel like they're spending too much time on busy work can use InterGuard's time-tracking tools to gather hard evidence, Harz said.

If data collection also helps companies track productivity and encourages employees to stay focused, what's the harm?

Surveillance makes employees lose trust and motivation, says Allen Holub, a software consultant who helps teams work together more effectively. If you think your employees are going to steal from you, that's a hiring problem, he said. And if you worry they're not going to do their jobs, then you've failed to create a system that incentivizes them - maybe because they're not paid a fair wage or their contributions at work don't feel meaningful.

According to IDX's Kelly, this all hinges on how employers treat monitoring software: Are they being transparent, sharing which metrics they're collecting and why, and treating employees well?

The more important question, though, is whether employees have any power in this back-and-forth, said Roane, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse counsel. The line between "monitoring" and "surveillance" depends on whether individual employees can opt out of data collection.

"You can say no to the job," Roane said. "But you probably can't say no to that collection."
When Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was asked about the surge in coronavirus cases during a Thursday night appearance on Fox News, the Republican said "African Americans who have not been vaccinated" are "the biggest group in most states" contributing to the spike.

Laura Ingraham had asked Patrick to respond to criticism from Democrats that covid-19 cases and deaths were on the rise in Texas due to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's policies. The governor has resisted public health mandates aimed at mitigating the highly contagious delta variant's spread and announced on Tuesday that he had tested positive for the virus despite being fully vaccinated.

Patrick acknowledged that "covid is spreading" and that infections are largely among people who have not received the vaccine.

"Democrats like to blame Republicans on that," Patrick said. "Well, the biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated. The last time I checked, over 90% of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties."

Patrick's comments, one video clip of which had been viewed more than 845,000 times on Twitter as of early Friday morning, drew immediate criticism, with some calling the lieutenant governor's assertion unfounded. His office did not respond to a request for comment late on Thursday.

The latest data from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows that the African American population there is not driving the increase in cases. Black residents in Texas accounted for 16.4% of the state's cases and 10.2% of deaths as of Aug. 13. While vaccination rates are low among Black Texans, the highest coronavirus case rates are among Whites and Hispanics, who make up 34.9% and 35.8% of the state's cases respectively, according to the latest data.

"Making a statement that casts blame on a racial or ethnic minority for the spread of disease is a well-known racist trope that predates most of us," Jorge Caballero, a former instructor at the Stanford University School of Medicine who is now working as health data scientist, told The Washington Post. "People are already getting hurt by this virus, and it makes absolutely no sense for us to add insult to injury."

On Thursday night, Caballero cast doubt on Patrick's claims on Twitter, referencing U.S. Census Bureau data collected in July and August that suggests unvaccinated White Texans outnumber unvaccinated Black Texans roughly three to one. Texas's vaccination and case numbers are so stark, he said, "there's just no room for misinterpretation."

About 46% of Texans are fully vaccinated, according to The Post's tracking. The nationwide rate is about 51%.

The Texas Tribune reported this month that Black Texans hold the lowest vaccination rates among racial groups statewide, at 28%. For that population, the paper noted, a "lack of trust" in health care can be common based on generations of disparities in the American system.

Hispanics and White conservatives in rural areas also have low vaccine rates in Texas, according to the Tribune.

Covid-19 cases there have risen 17% in the last week, and deaths are up nearly 60%, according to The Post's coronavirus tracker. Meanwhile, Abbott has sought to ban mask mandates, and tensions continue to play out. At one Texas school, a superintendent detailed instances of parents verbally and physically assaulting educators over masks, including one parent pulling off a teacher's face covering.

The day before Abbott announced his positive coronavirus diagnosis, videos posted online show the governor delivering remarks and interacting with a maskless crowd at an indoor event. Earlier this month, the Texas Department of State Health Services requested five mortuary trailers in anticipation of a possible surge in deaths related to the state's ongoing spike, driven by the highly transmissible delta variant.

"Whether we're talking about a deep red or deep blue state, we really need all of our leaders to actually focus on the problem and to stop trying to score political points," Caballero said. "Because we are our own worst enemy at the moment - and the delta variant is just having a field day with us."
NEW YORK (AP)  Twitter suspended the account of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' press secretary for violating rules on abusive behavior after The Associated Press said her conduct led to a reporter receiving threats and other online abuse.

The DeSantis aide, Christina Pushaw, saw her account locked for 12 hours, a Twitter spokeswoman said. She won't be able to tweet, although others can retweet or like her messages.

Earlier Friday, incoming AP CEO Daisy Veerasingham wrote to DeSantis, asking him to end Pushaw's harassing behavior." AP is seeking to fight online bullying against journalists, a growing trend that is often triggered by public figures.

You will ban the press secretary of a democratically-elected official while allowing the Taliban to live tweet their conquest of Afghanistan? Pushaw said. She said those who challenge false narratives are often silenced by corporate media and Big Tech collusion.

Pushaw denied trying to direct the governor's followers to target AP's reporter despite retweeting his article and writing drag them in a now-deleted post.

She had objected to Tuesday's story by AP's Tallahassee, Florida-based reporter Brendan Farrington, which pointed out that one of DeSantis multimillion-dollar donors invests in a company making the COVID-19 treatment drug Regeneron. DeSantis has been touting the monoclonal antibody treatment throughout the state.

In another tweet, she wrote that if Farrington didn't change the story, she would put you on blast. She also retweeted a message that said Light. Them. Up. in reference to the AP.

Early Wednesday, Farrington tweeted that he had received online threats and hate messages about the story. For your sake, I hope government doesn't threaten your safety. I'll be fine, I hope. Freedom. Just please don't kill me.

Farrington declined to be interviewed for this story.

Brian Carovillano, AP's vice president and managing editor, said Pushaw's tweets were particularly egregious because she's a public servant whose job it is to work with the press.

There's pushback, which we fully accept and is a regular facet of being a political reporter or any kind of reporter, and there's harassment, Carovillano said. This is not pushback, it's harassment. It's bullying. It's calling out the trolls at somebody who is just doing his job and it's putting him and his family at risk.

Pushaw said her drag them comment was social media slang and was not meant as a violent threat. She said she deleted it because she didn't want it to be misinterpreted.

As soon as Farrington told me he received threats, I tweeted that nobody should be threatening anyone, that is completely unacceptable, she said. I also urged him to report any threats to police.

Viktorya Vilk, program director for digital safety and free expression at PEN America, said the Urban Dictionary defines drag them as to roast (make fun of/mock) someone very hard. Its use seems to imply or encourage people to go on the attack, in a way that's just shy of being direct, Vilk said.

Pushaw believes AP's story was unfair and endangers Florida residents.

The backlash he is receiving is a direct result of his and AP's decision to cherry pick facts to prop up a false narrative, which sadly puts the lives of your readers at risk, she said. If people falsely believe Regeneron  a clinically proven lifesaving treatment  is part of a corruption scheme, they will hesitate to get it, and this causes harm.

The AP said it stands by its story.

This past spring, DeSantis supporters objected to a 60 Minutes story that pointed out DeSantis had received a $100,000 donation from the supermarket chain Publix, which the state was working with to distribute vaccine.

In her letter, Veerasingham asked DeSantis to assure the people of Florida that there is no place for Pushaw's behavior in government. Veerasingham, AP's vice president and chief operating officer, will become AP's CEO in January.

Also this past spring, AP said it would study ways to more aggressively fight online harassment of journalists. This came after several AP reporters expressed concern in internal meetings about whether the organization would have its back if they came under online attack.
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President Biden delivered remarks about the ongoing crisis and evacuation in Afghanistan caused by a Taliban takeover and the swift collapse of the American-backed government following the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history, Biden said in a speech from the White House on Friday. More than 5,200 members of the U.S. military are now back on the ground, helping to airlift people out of the country. So far, Biden said, they have evacuated approximately 13,000 people since August 14th.

Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home, Biden promised. But, he added, I cannot promise what the final outcome will be, or that it will be without the risk of loss.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the military is capable of airlifting between 5,000 and 9,000 people per day, the AP reported, but fewer than that are making it to the Kabul airport, as the Taliban have been blocking people from reaching it and firing guns at those waiting in line to get inside. That is counter to what National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the Taliban agreed to on Tuesday.

The Taliban have informed us that they are prepared to provide the safe passage of civilians to the airport, and we intend to hold them to that commitment, Sullivan said. On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy announced that it can no longer ensure safe passage to the airport.

Justifying the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden asked, Does anybody truly believe that I would not have had to put in significantly more American forces? Send your sons, your daughters, like my son was sent to Iraq, to maybe die?

As the evacuation continues, as many as 20,000 Afghan interpreters, who assisted the U.S. with translation during the war, face threats of violence from the Taliban. Biden said Friday that he is committed to helping the interpreters, but Americans are his top priority.

Were making the same commitment [to the interpreters]. Theres nothing more important than getting citizens out, I acknowledge that. But equally important is all those who, in fact, helped us. They were translators, they went into battle for us, they were part of the operation, he said.

According to the non-profit No One Left Behind, 300 Afghan interpreters and members of their families have been killed since 2001 because they assisted U.S. troops. Interpreters and their families have access to special U.S. visas, but there is currently a backlog in processing them at the State Department. When Biden first took office, nearly 17,000 cases were waiting to be processed. In the meantime, they are in a very precarious position.

Since these insurgents have arrived, I cannot sleep for a minute. I cant sleep for a single minute, an Afghan national who went by Reggie told NPR. Im standing out in front of my house, but Im not feeling safe. There isnt a single moment that I can be feeling relaxed.

Many Afghan people are also gathering outside Kabul airport, hoping to get on a plane out. Some Afghan mothers are so desperate to get their children to safety, they are lifting their babies over barbed wire to hand them to U.S. troops inside the airport. The U.K.s Secretary of State for Defense, Ben Wallace, said that the U.S. and allies are making sure the children are reunited with their families before leaving the country. If you see in the footage, the child is taken, that will be because the family will be taken as well, Wallace said on Sky News.

It will be the challenge of trying to make it through the crowd, he added. We are finding other ways of dealing with that, but that is what is happening.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP)  Britney Spears is under investigation over misdemeanor battery after a staff member at her home alleged the singer struck her, authorities said Thursday.

Deputies responded to Spears' home in Southern California after the staff member reported the Monday night dispute, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said.

No one was injured.

Reports taken by deputies will be handed over to prosecutors for consideration, the sheriff's office said, giving no further details.

Spears attorney Matthew Rosengart said in an email that the investigation is "overblown sensational tabloid fodder -- nothing more than a manufactured he said she said regarding a cellphone, with no striking and obviously no injury whatsoever.

Anyone can make an accusation but this should have been closed immediately, Rosengart said.

Spears has a home in Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles.

Spears, 39, hired Rosengart last month as she seeks to regain greater control of her life 13 years into a court conservatorship that has power over her money and affairs.

In court hearings, Spears called the conservatorship abusive.

Rosengart has made his first priority removing Spears' father, James Spears, from his role as conservator of his finances.

James Spears said in a court filing last week that he has a plan in the works to step down, but gave no timetable.
NEW YORK (AP)  James W. Loewen, whose million-selling Lies My Teacher Told Me books challenged traditional ideas and knowledge on everything from Thanksgiving to the Iraq War, has died. He was 79.

Loewen's publisher, New Press, announced that the author died Thursday at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. A professor emeritus at the University of Vermont who lived in Washington, D.C., he had been diagnosed two years ago with Stage IV bladder cancer, enough time for him to post Notes toward an obituary on his website.

Telling the truth about the past helps cause justice in the present," was his guiding principle, he wrote. "Achieving justice in the present helps us tell the truth about the past.

Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong was published in 1995 and became a favorite of students and former students as it challenged what Loewen considered a white, Eurocentric view of the past and the stale prose and bland presentations of classroom books.

He based his findings on his research while on fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution, where he spent two years looking through textbooks. He gave his chapters such headlines as The Truth About the First Thanksgiving, Gone With the Wind: The Invisibility of American Racism in American Textbooks and See No Evil: Choosing Not to Look at the War in Vietnam."

Loewen prided himself on pointing out the socialist beliefs of Helen Keller or the diversity of American Indian culture. He chastised textbook authors for ignoring the history of labor unions and leaving students with the impression that the mistreatment of workers was something that happened long ago, like slavery, and that, like slavery, was corrected long ago.

In a 2018 interview with NPR, he said that inspiration for Lies My Teacher Told Me came while he was teaching at the historically Black Tougaloo College in Mississippi, and asked his students for their thoughts on Reconstruction.

And what happened to me was an 'A-ha' experience, although you might better consider it an 'Oh-no' experience: 16 out of my 17 students said, Well, Reconstruction was the period right after the Civil War when Blacks took over the government of the Southern states. But they were too soon out of slavery and so they screwed up and white folks had to take control again.

My little heart sank.

Loewen's book won the American Book Award and was sometimes likened to Howard Zinn's A People's History as an alternate text for progressives. A Publishers Weekly review called Lies My Teacher Told Me a politically correct critique of 12 American history textbooks that was sure to please liberals and infuriate conservatives.

He continued the series with Lies My Teacher Told Me About Christopher Columbus, Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong and Lies My Teacher Told Me: Young Readers Edition" and revised the original work in 2018, during the Donald Trump administration. His other books included Teaching What Really Happened, The Mississippi Chinese: Between Black and White and the memoir Up a Creek, With a Paddle. The New Press will publish a graphic edition in 2023 of Lies My Teacher Told Me, which Loewen had been working on with artist Nate Powell, who had collaborated with Rep. John Lewis on his acclaimed March graphic trilogy.

Loewen is survived by his second wife, Susan Robertson Loewen; children Nick Loewen and Lucy Loewen McMurrer; four grandchildren and his sister, Mary Cavalier.

Fathering was his happiest role, Loewen wrote in his prepared obituary.

He was born in Decatur, Illinois, his father a doctor and his mother a teacher and librarian. While studying sociology at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, during the height of the civil rights movement, he spent the early part of 1963 auditing courses at Mississippi State University, while also visiting Tougaloo College and the Tuskegee Institute.

He enjoyed all three Southern colleges but felt a particular kinship with Tougaloo, where students actually bought and read books not assigned them in courses, a rarity at MSU, Loewen wrote on his website.

Before establishing himself as an author, Loewen co-wrote a textbook which helped lead to a legal battle that anticipated current debates over how race should be taught. In 1974, he and Dr. Charles Sallis published Mississippi: Conflict and Change, an intended corrective to what they saw as the racially biased information that his Tougaloo students had been assigned for a required 9th grade course on the state's history.

The book won the Lillian Smith Award for nonfiction, presented by the Southern Regional Council, but officials in Mississippi voted to reject it for classroom use, alleging that Mississippi: Conflict and Change devoted too much time to Black history. Loewen and others sued. In 1980, U.S. District Court Judge Orma Smith ruled in the plaintiffs' favor and ordered the book placed on the approved list.
Courtesy of Lake|Flato Architects and Ten Eyck Landscape Architect

A new hotel from the Austin-based hospitality group, Bunkhouse, is coming to Houston. Hotel Saint Augustine will be the groups first project in Houston and is planned to be adjacent to the Menil Collection in Montrose.

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Bunkhouse has previously renovated old buildings in cities like Austin and San Antonio for their award-winning spaces, but Hotel Saint Augustine will be a new construction. The hotel is scheduled to break ground in 2022 and open in fall 2023. The two-acre space will feature 71 rooms, two floors, a restaurant, bar and event space.



Located in the 4100 block of Loretta Drive, the hotel will be within walking distance of the Menil Collection, a decision Bunkhouse Group CEO, Amar Lalvani says he was excited about.



As with all Bunkhouse hotels, Hotel Saint Augustine will be deeply rooted with a sense of place, Lalvani told the Houston Chronicle. Were honored to be adjacent to the internationally known Menil Collection, an art museum we adore.



Its grounds will be designed by Ten Eyck Landscape Architects. Post Company will be handling the interiors. Lake|Flato will design the structure. The Marchbanks Company will be developing the project.



Founded by Liz Lambert, Bunkhouse Group aims to root their spaces in the communities theyre built should fit right at home in Houston.



Houston is a vibrant, culturally rich city, Lalvani said.
DEDZA, Malawi (AP)  More than a year after COVID-19 began sweeping the world, abruptly cutting short her Peace Corps stint, Cameron Beach is once again living in rural Malawi  this time on her own dime.

The Peace Corps, a U.S. government program marking its 60th anniversary this year, boasted 7,000 volunteers in 62 countries in March 2020. They were given little time to pack before being put on a plane and sent back to the United States that month.

It was especially painful for me because I was given 24 hours to leave a place that Id called home for almost two years, Beach said during a recent video call from her home in Malawi, a landlocked country in southern Africa.

Beach was trained to speak Chichewa and had been teaching English at the Mkomera Community Day Secondary School in Dedza, located in a compound about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Lilongwe. The 25-year-old Greenville, South Carolina, native paid her own way back to her post nine months after evacuation and is living on savings, but says she would absolutely rejoin the Peace Corps if it became possible.

It might be: The organization hopes to begin returning volunteers to the field late this year or early next year.

While Peace Corps volunteers would be required to be vaccinated, sending them back will depend on the situation in individual countries. Initially, about 2,400 evacuated volunteers expressed interest in going back and there are about 10,000 applications on file, Acting Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn told The Associated Press.

Immediately after the evacuation we had tremendous interest from volunteers who were evacuated in returning to their country of service, Spahn said. Clearly, as time goes on, you know, people do move on with their lives, but I will say we have a robust pipeline of both people who were evacuated as well as those who were invited, but were unable to go and those who are expressing new interest.

How soon they can be sent overseas depends on the worldwide fight against the virus, complicated by the recent emergence of the more transmissible delta variant and the slow rollout of vaccines in developing countries  many of which host Peace Corps programs.

Spahn estimates it will be several years before the Peace Corps is back to its full strength. After all, while volunteers in select countries had been evacuated before, March 2020 marked the first time since the organization was founded by President John F. Kennedy that it had to evacuate all its volunteers at the same time.

Since its creation in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in scores of countries. The goal is to help the countries meet their development needs with a wide variety of programs  from education to health and agriculture programs  while helping promote a better understanding of Americans.

Typical service lasts two years after a training period, the length of which depends on the country and the program. During the pandemic most Peace Corps staff, both U.S. citizens and local hires, remained in place and, in some cases, kept up some programs. Some former volunteers even worked remotely on development projects from the United States, receiving a small stipend for their work.

Heading back overseas is nonetheless a daunting undertaking between the required training and rebuilding of programs. Areas that have few returning volunteers will also lose the institutional, cross-cultural and local knowledge typically passed on by departing volunteers to their successors.

It's not just the Peace Corps that has had to recall thousands from remote reaches of the globe and navigate the aftermath.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had to send home about 26,000 missionaries tasked with recruiting new members to the faith known widely as the Mormon church. Many pivoted to doing missions in their home countries with a focus on online work.

In November, the church began sending missionaries back into the field and, in June of this year, the church reopened its missionary training centers in Utah, the Philippines and Mexico.

All missionaries from the United States who serve overseas are required to be vaccinated, said church spokesperson Sam Penrod. Missionaries who do not want to be vaccinated will be assigned to missions in their home countries.

The church is taking a careful approach when assigning missionaries outside of their home country, based upon local conditions and following the guidance of government and health officials," he said in an email.

As time goes by, potential recruits and returnees are moving on.

Cullen O'Donnell, 25, originally from Mentor, Ohio, served two years with the Peace Corps in Ecuador teaching English and then extended for a third year. He was planning another year, working on the Galapagos Islands, when COVID-19 hit.

He'd still like to go back  then again with Peace Corps its very vague: Yeah were hoping to get back to the field, but it keeps getting pushed back.

So he's getting on with his life. He now has a fulfilling job at a school for at-risk students in Pennsylvania and was just accepted to graduate school.

The Peace Corps has been accepting new applications throughout the pandemic, but in June the agency began planning for a return to Belize after the government there asked for volunteers who could help local schools recover from the pandemic's disruptions. But there is no indication when the first trainees would be sent to the tiny country tucked between Mexico and Guatemala.

A few volunteers refused to be evacuated but their Peace Corps service was ended, Spahn said. Despite their truncated service, volunteers are eligible for the variety of benefits typically afforded those who complete the two years  including resettlement payments, preferred hiring status for federal jobs and special scholarships.

But those former volunteers  like Beach  could help seed the revived Peace Corps, Spahn said.

Beach hadn't been able to say goodbye. Her students had missed her.

The time when Madam Beach left Malawi, lots of things went wrong especially in our class, said Aness Leman Filimoni, who is in her last year of high school. Madam Beach was teaching us English but when she left, the school could not find a suitable replacement.

Beach is now teaching her usual two classes a day, five days a week. Shes also helping finish up a girls dormitory built in part with a Peace Corps grant.

Just before the pandemic, there were 108 volunteers in Malawi. Peace Corps Malawi Director Amber Lucero-Dwyer, who stayed, has seen a handful of former volunteers return on their own  although she thought most were visiting, not staying indefinitely as Beach is.

We have tried to be as creative as possible to determine what can we do, what core Peace Corps work can we do in the absence of volunteers, Lucero-Dwyer said.

Beach was originally sent to Malawi just weeks after her college graduation, and was scheduled to complete her service in August 2020; if she's able to return to service, she doesn't know how long the stint would last.

Regardless, she's found her niche.

It's what I feel I'm meant to do, Beach said of what she sees as the calling that drew her to the Peace Corps and ultimately Malawi. It wasn't a very windy road.

___

Ring reported from Stowe, Vermont.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A North Carolina man who claimed to have a bomb in a pickup truck near the U.S. Capitol surrendered to law enforcement after an hourslong standoff Thursday that prompted a massive police response and the evacuations of government buildings in the area.

Authorities were investigating what led the suspect, identified as 49-year-old Floyd Ray Roseberry, to drive onto the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress, make bomb threats to officers and profess a litany of antigovernment grievances as part of a bizarre episode that he live-streamed for a Facebook audience. Police later searched the vehicle and said they did not find a bomb but did collect possible bomb-making materials.

The standoff was resolved peacefully after roughly five hours of negotiations, ending when Roseberry crawled out of the truck and was taken into police custody. But even in a city with a long history of dramatic law enforcement encounters outside federal landmarks, this episode was notable for its timing  Washington remains on edge eight months after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol  and for the way the suspect harnessed social media to draw attention to his actions in the hours before his arrest.

Authorities who spent hours negotiating with Roseberry  he held up handwritten signs through his driver-side window  were continuing to dig into his background Thursday evening. They did not reveal any details about a motive, and no charges were immediately announced.

Investigators had been speaking with members of Roseberrys family and learned that his mother had recently died, Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said. There were other issues he was dealing with, the chief said, without providing specific details.

But social media appeared to offer its own clues.

As police continued negotiations, video surfaced of Roseberry on Facebook Live inside the truck, which was stuffed with coins and boxes. He threatened explosions, expressed hostility toward President Joe Biden, profanely warned of a revolution and laid bare a series of grievances related to U.S. positions on Afghanistan, health care and the military.

Roseberrys ex-wife, Crystal Roseberry, said she had seen images of the man in the standoff at the Capitol and confirmed to The Associated Press that it was her ex-husband. She said she had never known him to have explosives, but he was an avid collector of firearms.

Videos posted to Facebook before the page was taken down appear to show Roseberry at a Nov. 14 Washington rally attended by thousands of Trump supporters to protest what they claimed was a stolen election. One video appears to be filmed by Roseberry as hes marching with a crowd of hundreds of people carrying American flags and Trump flags and shouting stop the steal.

Thursday's incident began around 9:15 a.m. when a truck drove up the sidewalk outside the library. The driver told the responding officer he had a bomb, and he was holding what the officer believed to be a detonator. The truck had no license plates.

Kelsey Campbell, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison visiting Washington as part of a class trip, said she and another student encountered Roseberry around 9:20 a.m. outside the nearby Supreme Court building. Campbell said he was with his truck, which was parked next to the sidewalk, and was holding a large stack of dollar bills.

He said, Hey, call the police, tell them to evacuate this street, and Ill give you all this money, Campbell recounted to The AP. I said, No! and he threw the money at us and we started running.

Campbell said she and the other student saw some police officers standing nearby. They told the officers what happened, and the officers then went to confront Roseberry.

The standoff brought the area surrounding the Capitol to a virtual standstill as police emptied buildings and cordoned off streets as a precaution. Congress is in recess this week, but staffers were seen calmly walking out of the area at the direction of authorities.

By Thursday evening, authorities had finished searching the vehicle and determined the area to be safe after not finding an explosive.

The nation's capital has been tense since the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, when thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the building as Congress was gathered to certify the results of the presidential election.

A day before the riot at the Capitol, pipe bombs were left at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee in Washington. No one has been arrested yet for placing the bombs.

The RNC, not far from where the truck was parked Thursday, was also evacuated over the threat. A spokesman for the DNC said its headquarters, which is located farther away from the trucks location, was put under lockdown, but that lockdown has been lifted.

Thursdays incident marked the third time in as many weeks that federal and military law enforcement authorities had to respond to attacks or possible threats in the Washington area. Officials are also jittery over a planned rally in September.

___

Long reported from New Buffalo, Michigan. Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston, Tom Foreman Jr. in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Zeke Miller, Nathan Ellgren, Ashraf Khalil and Alex Brandon in Washington contributed to this report.
CALUMET CITY, Ill. (AP)  A vehicle left the road and crashed into a bus stop in suburban Chicago on Thursday, killing one person and injuring two others, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 2 p.m. in Calumet City, police said.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  New indictments have been filed against four men, including two former U.S. Marines, in connection with a plot to damage a power grid somewhere in the northwest U.S., federal prosecutors said Friday.

A news release from the U.S. Department of Justice said Paul James Kryscuk, 35; Liam Collins, 21; Jordan Duncan, 26; and Joseph Maurino, 22, were charged on Friday. Duncan, Kryscuk and Collins were previously indicted on charges of planning to illegally manufacture and sell guns.

Prosecutors said the four men researched and discussed a previous attack on a power grid by an unknown group which used assault-style rifles in an attempt to explode a power substation, the news release said. Authorities have not said where that attack occurred.

Between 2017 and 2020, Kryscuk manufactured firearms while Collins  who was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina  stole military gear, including magazines for assault-style rifles and had them delivered to the other defendants, prosecutors said. During that time, Duncan gathered information on firearms, explosives and nerve toxins and shared it with Kryscuk and Collins.

The indictment also says the men discussed using a homemade combination of metal powder and metal oxide, which burns at over 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,200 degrees Celsius), to burn through and destroy power transformers.

In mid-2020, Collins asked others to each purchase 50 pounds (23 kilograms) of an explosive, authorities said. In October 2020, a handwritten list of approximately one dozen intersections and places in Idaho and surrounding states was discovered in Kryscuks possession, including locations of transformers, substations or other components of the power grid for the northwest U.S.

In a previous indictment, prosecutors said Duncan, Kryscuk, Collins and 21-year-old Justin Hermanson intended for their illegally manufactured guns to be unlawfully used in furtherance of a civil disorder. Collins, Duncan and Kryscuk were arrested in October. Hermanson was an active-duty Marine at the time of his arrest last year.

Duncan was stationed at Camp Lejeune when he joined a group organized by a fellow U.S. Marine who used a neo-Nazi internet forum to recruit members for what he called a modern day SS," according to the indictment. He moved to Idaho in 2018 after separating from the Marines and discussed the shooting of protesters with a group member who had been observing Black Lives Matter rallies in Boise, Idaho, the indictment said. Less than a month later, FBI agents notified two BLM movement co-founders that their names were on a list kept by a different paramilitary group member.

During a hearing last December, Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Kocher showed the judge a 90-second recruitment video that she said shows Duncan firing gunshots, participating in military-style exercises and flashing Heil Hitler salutes with three other members while wearing skull masks associated with a neo-Nazi group called Atomwaffen Division, the indictment says.

Duncan, a military contractor, served in the Marines from 2013 to 2018. Collins served in the Marines from 2017 to 2020. Hermanson was assigned to the same unit as Collins.
As Mark Davis slowly woke up, he shuddered over the terrible dream he'd just experienced. In it, he had no feeling in his right side and each breathe was a struggle.

He was relieved to leave it behind as he thought about getting up and going to work.

Except, he couldn't move.

It wasn't a dream. He was in a hospital bed with a breathing tube down his throat.

His wife, Lisa, was in the room. So were nurses and a doctor.

Mark heard the doctor tell Lisa that a series of strokes left her husband with locked-in syndrome. Mark had recently seen a television show that included the neurological disorder. So he knew it meant he could be paralyzed except for his eye muscles. He could think, but not speak or move.

The doctor told Lisa all the things Mark wouldn't be able to do  that is, if he survived. He braced her for a best-case scenario of life in a long-term care facility, breathing with a ventilator.

"That is not what my life is going to look like," Mark wanted to tell his wife of 30 years. But he could only make that promise to himself.

Mark first noticed a problem in July 2019. While trap shooting in a remote area of Tennessee, he felt so weak and dizzy that he thought he was going to pass out. Minutes later, he felt fine.

Those symptoms played out almost daily, although milder. Yet sometimes they included double vision.

"The truth is, I didn't take care of myself at all," said Mark, who was then 54. "I didn't eat well, I drank too much and I could have lost 20 or 30 pounds. My cholesterol was always a little high for like 20 years."

Never one to see a doctor, he was frightened enough to see a general practitioner. He was prescribed migraine medication. The medication wasn't helping, so he requested an appointment with a neurologist. However, that visit was six weeks away, on Oct. 30.

The evening of Oct. 29, Mark felt weak and nauseous. His eyes shifted left and stayed there. To walk straight, he had to turn his head to the right.

He called for Lisa.

At the hospital, a CT scan showed Mark was having a stroke. He was given clot-busting medication and transferred to a larger hospital in nearby Nashville for more specialized care.

During the ambulance ride, Mark had a second stroke and lost movement in his right side. In the emergency room, he had a third stroke, which paralyzed his diaphragm and stopped his breathing.

Doctors told Lisa that Mark had experienced a series of brain stem strokes, and likelier smaller strokes earlier. The brain stem controls all basic activities of the central nervous system  consciousness, blood pressure, breathing and motor control.

Doctors also said she might have to decide whether to take him off the ventilator.

"They didn't give me any hope," Lisa said. "But I just blocked them out. I wasn't ready."

Neither was Mark.

Three days later, one of Mark and Lisa's three daughters noticed her father's left thumb twitch. She excitedly called for a doctor.

"It's just a reflex," the doctor said.

It happened again.

"It's not just a reflex," Lisa insisted. "He's trying to get our attention."

Finally, Mark thought. Someone is listening.

He hated that they talked as if he couldn't hear them.

From that moment on, he said later, "I took every negative word those doctors said as motivation."

His family posted a sign on his hospital door saying, "Negative-free zone. Positive conversations only, please." Mark is convinced that was the key to his recovery.

With a speech therapist, Mark began to communicate with eye movement.

After two weeks, he was transferred  not to a long-term care facility, but to a rehabilitation facility, where Lisa would learn how to care for him.

When Dr. Antoinne Able walked in to meet the couple, Mark gave him a half thumbs-up.

"Dr. Able got really excited," Lisa said. "They hadn't expected that."

Mark and Lisa celebrated many milestones during his rehabilitation, but Lisa's favorite was when she heard him use his nickname for her: Sweet Pea.

Mark's most memorable moment came when he was being taught to use a slide board to transfer from one spot to another. When asked to start moving, Mark "just kept going," he said.

Eventually, he astonished everyone  including himself  by standing.

When he left the hospital on Dec. 31, he took several steps on his own with a walker on the way to his car.

Once home, Mark went regularly to outpatient rehab, working on his speech, gait, coordination and strength. In June, he returned to work as a network engineer.

Today, Mark feels he is about 85% recovered. He continues to work on vision and balance. He also struggles with uncontrollable bouts of crying.

Able calls Mark's recovery "truly incredible."

"While a good many survive this catastrophe, only a few will actually return to work," Able said.

Mark feels the stroke has made him more patient and less judgmental.

"My thinking used to be, 'Lead, follow or get out of the way.' I understand now that that's not always possible."

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BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP)  A federal appeals court has blocked enforcement of provisions in a Kansas law that ban the secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities, finding that the statute seeks to stifle speech critical of animal agriculture.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a split decision Thursday ruled that even if deception is used to enter private property, Kansas may not discriminate based on whether the person intends to harm or help the enterprise.

But that is the effect, and stated purpose, of the provisions at issue, the appeals court said. And the statute is not limited to false speech lacking constitutional protection. Instead, it punishes entry with the intent to tell the truth on a matter of public concern.

The decision upholds a permanent injunction issued last year by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil.

Kansas' ag-gag law, enacted in 1990, made it a crime for anyone to take a picture or video at animal facilities without the owners consent or to enter them under false pretenses.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Center for Food Safety, Shy 38 Inc., and Hope Sanctuary sued.

Kansas has hindered the ability of whistleblowers to expose inhumane conditions associated with factory farms for more than three decades while infringing on First Amendment rights, Stephen Wells, executive director for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, said in a news release. The Tenth Circuits decision is a victory for animals throughout the state who are forced into industrial animal agriculture and suffer in secret, behind closed doors.

The Kansas attorney general's office said Friday that it is reviewing the court's disappointing decision and will determine its next steps in the weeks ahead.

Kansas enacted this law to add an additional layer of protection regarding unauthorized access to agricultural facilities, and to help improve security measures against those who seek to disrupt the food supply, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a news release. Animal agriculture is vitally important to our states economic well-being.

His office noted that earlier this month the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a similar Iowa law, creating a split of opinions among federal appeals courts.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund said courts have struck down similar provisions in Iowa, North Carolina, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals last week cleared the way for a lawsuit challenging Arkansas' law, while a lawsuit in North Carolina is pending in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
PHOENIX (AP)  An appeals court on Thursday rejected an effort by the Arizona Senate to keep secret records of its ongoing review of the 2020 election in Maricopa County that are in the possession of the contractors conducting the recount.

The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that the documents sought by the watchdog group American Oversight detailing how the recount and audit are being conducted are public and must be turned over.

Republicans who control the Senate argued that because the records are maintained by its contractors, they were not subject to public records law and that legislative immunity applies. But the court said that was not the case.

The court said the main contractor, Florida company Cyber Ninjas, was subject to the records law because it was performing a core government function that the Senate farmed out.

"Allowing the legislature to disregard the clear mandate of the (public records law) would undermine the integrity of the legislative process and discourage transparency, which contradicts the purpose of both the immunity doctrine and the (law)," acting presiding Judge Maria Elena Cruz wrote for the three-judge panel.

"The requested records are no less public records simply because they are in the possession of a third party, Cyber Ninjas, Cruz wrote later in the ruling.

The ruling upholds a decision by a Maricopa County Superior Court judge, who has ordered the Senate to turn over the records by Aug. 31.

The Senate has taken radical positions to obstruct basic public access to information about its so-called audit," Austin Evers, American Oversight's executive director, said in a statement. It has tried to get away with outsourcing the audit to a third party and argued that the public has no right to enforce transparency laws against them.

Kory Langhofer, the Senate's lawyer, said they planned to appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court.

The unprecedented partisan recount and review of election results in the state's most populous county was prompted by former President Donald Trump's loss in the state and his contention without evidence that he lost in Arizona and other battleground states because of fraud.

Senate Republicans issued subpoenas to Maricopa County for all 2020 ballots, the machines that counted them and other data in the states most populated county.

The materials were given to contractors with little to no election experience for what Senate President Karen Fann calls a forensic audit. Election experts say the 2020 election was secure and well-run, and the contractors are using bizarre and unreliable procedures. Maricopa County has refused further participation.

The results of the audit and hand recount are expected to be handed over to the Senate next week. A date for public release has not been announced.
SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. (AP)  Two people died and a third was critically injured Friday during a shooting at a Lake Michigan beach pier in southwestern Michigan, police said.

Beachgoers scrambled when they heard shots in South Haven, 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) north of the Indiana-Michigan border.

WOOD-TV, which had a camera at the beach, said two people fell to the ground after being confronted by another person. After another minute, that person also hit the ground.

Two men, including the shooter, 19-year-old Aidan Topher Ingalls of Bangor, Michigan, were found dead, South Haven Police Chief Natalie Thompson said.

A third person, the wife of the man Ingalls shot, was in critical condition at a hospital, she said. The names of the couple were not immediately released.

Ingalls died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Thompson said.

A motive for the shooting was unknown.

"The South Haven Police Department can also confirm that this was a random act and that there was no known relationship between the shooter and his victims," Thompson said in a news release.

Ingalls acted alone and officers recovered as 9mm handgun and a pellet gun from him, Thompson said. At least a dozen spent casings were recovered.
President Joe Biden is nominating longtime former senior State Department official Nicholas Burns to serve as his ambassador to China and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve as his envoy to Japan.

The White House formally announced the much-anticipated nominations Friday.

Emanuel was also a former three-term congressman who served as President Barack Obamas first White House chief of staff and was a senior adviser in President Bill Clintons administration.

If confirmed by the Senate, Emanuel will be dispatched to Tokyo at a critical point in the U.S.-Japan relationship as Biden has made strengthening relations with partners in the Pacific a priority as he increases focus on China.

Biden with his pick of Burns turns to a seasoned career foreign service officer to serve as his envoy to arguably the most difficult diplomatic mission. The president has repeatedly called China the United States most significant economic competitor and a rising national security concern and subsequently has sought to center his foreign policy on the Pacific in the early going of his administration.

The White House also announced that Biden was tapping Michael Battle, a former diplomat, academic, and military chaplain to serve as ambassador to Tanzania. Battle was executive vice president/provost at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also previously served as the U.S. representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the U.S. ambassador to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Biden had considered naming Emanuel to serve as his transportation secretary but ultimately passed him over in the face of fierce opposition from some in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party who took issue with his record on policing and school closures in predominantly Black neighborhoods during his time as Chicago's mayor.

Emanuel served as an informal adviser to Biden's White House campaign and has been a significant force in Democratic Party politics for much of the last three decades.

He left Congress to serve as Barack Obama's first White House chief of staff, helping the president shepherd his signature health care law and push for massive stimulus in the wake of the Great Recession.

As the House Democrats chief fundraiser in 2006, he was the architect of the wave election that delivered his party to the majority for the first time in a dozen years, and made Nancy Pelosi the first female speaker in history.

As mayor, Emanuel touted record high school graduation rates in the nation's third largest city and his success recruiting several large corporations to relocate to Chicago among his chief accomplishments.

But he faced criticism for soaring homicide rates during his time as mayor, a fraught relationship with the Chicago Teachers Union, and mounting unmet pension obligations for city workers. Much of the city's financial plight was something Emanuel inherited from his predecessor Richard M. Daleys administration.

In 2018, he announced that he wouldn't seek a third term as mayor as the city was bracing for the high-profile trial of a white police officer who fatally shot a black teen, Laquan McDonald, on a city street.

The 2014 shooting death of McDonald, who was shot 16 times, was one of the several high-profile police shootings of black men and women around the country that spurred national outrage and a larger debate about policing in Black communities.

Emanuel, facing reelection in 2015, argued against releasing police video of the shooting while the investigation was continuing.

After months of litigation  and after Emanuel was reelected to a second term  a court ordered the city to show the footage to the public. Emanuel's relationship with Chicago's Black community became strained following the video's release.

Emanuel in a statement touted his decades of working with Biden and the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship.

"The alliance between the United States and Japan is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific, and I would proudly represent our nation with one of our most critical global allies in one of the most critical geopolitical regions," Emanuel said.

Burns previously served as undersecretary of state under President George W. Bush and as U.S. envoy to Greece and NATO. He also served as State Department spokesman and spent five years on the White House National Security Council, a tenure that overlapped the Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush administrations.

His foreign service officer career included a stint as consulate general in Jerusalem (19851987) as well service at the U.S. embassy in Egypt (1983-1985) and Mauritania (1980 as an intern).

Burns is now the executive director of the Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum. Hes also a professor of the practice of diplomacy and international relations at the Harvard Kennedy School.

If confirmed by the Senate, Burns will head to Beijing at a difficult moment.

U.S. intelligence officials are in the midst of a 90-day review focused on determining the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, including any possibility the trail might lead to a Chinese lab.

The president has also pressed Chinas Xi Jinping on his government crackdown of democracy activists in Hong Kong, human rights abuses against Uyghur and ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province, and what the U.S. sees as unfair and coercive trade practices.

The administration accused China of being behind a massive hack of Microsoft Exchange email server software and indicted four Chinese nationals on charges they tried to steal U.S. trade secrets, technology and disease research. China rejected the hacking accusation and demanded that Washington drop the charges against its citizens.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Amid the continuing crisis in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden postponed plans to head to his Delaware home on Friday and instead will spend the night in Washington.

The White House announced the latest schedule change hours before Biden spoke about the chaotic evacuation of American citizens and allies from Afghanistan. The president has been under mounting pressure over his decisions in Afghanistan, which ultimately led to last weekend's collapse of the U.S.-backed government and complete takeover of the country by Taliban militants.

The U.S.-led evacuation effort has been complicated by a range of obstacles, from armed Taliban manning checkpoints to airport pandemonium to cumbersome red tape.

Though the pace of evacuations has picked up, tens of thousands of people are still waiting to leave. Biden has set an Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

The White House offered no explanation for the schedule change, which came near the end of a topsy-turvy two weeks that Biden had planned to spend in Delaware.

He was now expected to head to Wilmington on Saturday and stay through the weekend.

The news of Friday's change was announced minutes before the small group of reporters, and some White House aides, who accompany the president were set to head to Delaware to be in position to watch the Marine One military helicopter arrive with the president.

Biden had planned to spend a couple of weeks away from the White House, starting earlier this month, as most presidents try to do in August, a traditional vacation month in Washington.

He left the nation's capital as the Senate debated a $1 trillion infrastructure bill and returned to the White House to take a victory lap after the measure passed on a big bipartisan vote.

As the Taliban continued its takeover of key Afghan cities, Biden went to the official Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, which is where he was when the Afghan government collapsed last weekend.

Under pressure to comment, Biden returned to the White House on Monday and addressed the nation before he returned to Camp David.

He flew back to the White House on Tuesday night to be interviewed on Wednesday about the situation in Afghanistan by George Stephanopoulos of ABC News.

Biden remained at the White House with plans to leave Friday  before he changed the plan again.
LONDON - British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is facing growing calls to resign following his alleged failure to help evacuate interpreters, who had worked for Britain, as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban while he vacationed on the Greek island of Crete last week.

Raab reportedly did not make a crucial phone call to his Afghan counterpart that could have supported the interpreters in their efforts to leave the country as it was descending into violent chaos. Britain's top diplomat had been advised to make the call on Friday, Aug. 13, according to British media. He returned home Sunday, the day Kabul was taken over by the Taliban.
Pennsylvania prosecutors dropped their case Friday against a jail guard accused of sexually abusing inmates, saying they were hamstrung by the recent state Supreme Court decision that freed Bill Cosby.

The attorney general's office had been seeking to prosecute John Shnipes on charges that he assaulted four female inmates at the Lackawanna County jail in Scranton between 1999 and 2013.

A judge dismissed the case against Shnipes last year, ruling that state prosecutors were bound by a 2013 agreement in which county prosecutors promised Shnipes he would not face charges if he resigned.

The state attorney general's office was in the process of appealing that decision when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed Cosby's sexual assault conviction in June, ruling the entertainer shouldn't have been charged in the case because of a promise made by a previous prosecutor.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the Cosby decision set a precedent that left him no choice but to drop the case against Shnipes. His office sought court permission Friday to withdraw its appeal.

The Cosby decision has handcuffed the Commonwealth to an ill-informed agreement that allowed Mr. Shnipes to resign instead of facing prosecution, Shapiros office said in a written statement. As a result of this agreement made 8 years ago, prior to a full investigation into Mr. Shnipes criminal conduct, our office sees no way forward in achieving accountability for this defendant and justice for his victims.

Shnipes was charged in 2018 along with six other guards after a grand jury probe into what Shapiro has called a persistent culture of abuse at the scandal-ridden lockup.

Only three of those cases resulted in convictions. One of the guards initially named by the grand jury sued Shapiro this year, accusing him of malicious prosecution after the case was ultimately dropped.

Shnipes' attorney, Brian McMonagle, said Shapiro's office made the correct decision.

John and his family are just very, very happy that this is over, said McMonagle, who also represented Cosby in his first sexual assault trial, which ended with a deadlocked jury. He's always maintained his innocence in reference to these allegations.

A grand jury said Shnipes serially assaulted inmates at the prison in Scranton, forcing them to perform sex acts and giving them cigarettes and other contraband afterward.

One inmate did what she thought has had to do in order to survive, the grand jury said. Another testified that she complied with Shnipes' demands to avoid further harassment and punishment. A third said she felt so ashamed and disgusted that she attempted to commit suicide by hanging herself in her cell," the grand jury said.

Shapiro's office said in its statement that the Cosby precedent has significant consequences for the public, though McMonagle said it's only in the "rarest of circumstances" that a defendant and a prosecutor's office strike a nonprosecution agreement.

And when they are entered into, they should be upheld, he said. When a prosecutor gives his word, his word is his bond, and when people rely on that, it should be enforced.

State prosecutors had alleged a pattern of sexual coercion and cover-up at the Lackawanna County jail, with the grand jury contending in 2018 that guards traded commissary items, food, cigarettes or extra phone time for sex.
AUBURN, Neb. (AP)  An outbreak of COVID-19 cases has shut down a southeastern Nebraska elementary school only days after it opened for the new school year with no requirement for face masks.

Officials shut down Calvert Elementary School in Auburn on Thursday after a pretty high number of cases were confirmed among students and staff, Auburn Public Schools Superintendent David Patton said.

School and health officials declined to say how many cases were confirmed, citing privacy concerns, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. There are 466 students enrolled at the school.

The school is set to reopen Monday following a deep cleaning. And when it does, Patton said, masks will be required.

The school board has called an emergency meeting for Monday to discuss and possibly take action on COVID-19 protocols. School officials said they were not aware of any hospitalizations tied to the outbreak.

The school logged one case in an adult on Monday, and by Wednesday, it was a floodgate," Patton said. "I was getting notifications of positives on the hour.

About 55 miles northwest of Auburn, Bryan Health Medical Center in Lincoln announced Thursday that it's at capacity and has begun postponing elective surgeries. Of the hospital's 541 patients being housed Thursday, officials said, 66 were COVID-19 patients.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska has risen from 307 new cases per day on Aug. 4 to nearly 564 new cases by Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
PHOENIX (AP)  An Arizona state senator who resigned after being arrested early this month on child molestation charges has been indicted, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

The indictment charges Tony Navarrete with six felony counts related to sexual contact he's accused of having with a boy. He's charged with one count for alleged contact with a second boy.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A federal appeals court on Friday said a pause on evictions designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus can remain in place for now, setting up a battle before the nations highest court.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected a bid by Alabama and Georgia landlords to block the eviction moratorium reinstated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month.

The landlords filed an emergency motion hours later with the Supreme Court, urging the justices to allow evictions to proceed.

The Supreme Court voted 5-4 in June to allow the moratorium to continue through the end of July. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh  who joined the majority  warned the administration not to act further without explicit congressional approval.

As five Members of this Court indicated less than two months ago, Congress never gave the CDC the staggering amount of power it claims," attorneys for the landlords told the Supreme Court on Friday.

In a short written decision, the appeals court panel said the court had rejected a similar bid and a lower court also declined to overturn the moratorium.

In view of that decision and on the record before us, we likewise deny the emergency motion directed to this court, the judges said in the ruling.

The Biden administration allowed an earlier moratorium to lapse on July 31, saying it had no legal authority to allow it to continue. But the CDC issued a new moratorium days later as pressure mounted from lawmakers and others to help vulnerable renters stay in their homes as the coronavirus delta variant surged. The moratorium is scheduled to expire Oct. 3.

As of Aug. 2, roughly 3.5 million people in the United States said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey.

The new moratorium temporarily halted evictions in counties with substantial and high levels of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives.

The Trump administration initially put a nationwide eviction moratorium in place last year out of fear that people who cant pay their rent would end up in crowded living conditions like homeless shelters and help spread the virus.

President Joe Biden acknowledged there were questions about the legality of the new eviction freeze. But he said a court fight over the new order would buy time for the distribution of some of the more than $45 billion in rental assistance that has been approved but not yet used.

In urging the appeals court to keep the ban in place, the Biden administration noted that the new moratorium was more targeted than the nationwide ban that had lapsed, and that landscape had changed since the Supreme Court ruling because of the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

The landlords accused Bidens administration of caving to political pressure and reinstating the moratorium even though it knew it was illegal.

In light of the Executive Branchs statement that its litigation efforts are designed to buy time to achieve its economic policy goals  and the fact that landlords are now subject to federal criminal penalties for exercising their property rights depending on where they do business  applicants respectfully ask this Court to issue relief as soon as possible, their lawyers told the Supreme Court.

A lower court judge ruled earlier this month that the freeze is illegal, but rejected the landlords request to lift the moratorium, saying her hands were tied by an appellate decision from the last time courts considered the eviction moratorium in the spring.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Friday that the rise of the delta variant made the continuing moratorium vitally important and she praised the appeals court decision. Psaki called on state and local officials to move more aggressively in distributing rental assistance funds and urged state and local courts to issue their own moratoriums to discourage eviction filings" until landlords and tenants have sought the funds.

___

Richer reported from Boston.
WAYNESVILLE, Mo. (AP)  Search crews have found the body of a Fort Leonard Wood soldier who was reported missing over the weekend while he was kayaking on the Gasconade River in south-central Missouri.

Recovery crews found the body of 21-year-old U.S. Army Spc. Joshua Morrison, of Stockbridge, Georgia, on Thursday morning downstream from the spot along the rivers shore where he was last seen Sunday evening, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
LE LUC, France (AP)  Firefighters have tamed but not fully controlled a huge wildfire blazing through the backcountry of the French Riviera, the top state official in the region said Friday.

The prefect of the Var region, Evence Richard, told reporters that the fire was considered stabilized, meaning not spreading. But he warned that rising temperatures and a changing wind forecast for the weekend could bring more bad news.

We cant exclude a new restart of the fire, he said.

The fire, now in its fifth day, has killed two people since it started Monday, a man in his 50s who died at his home in Grimaud, about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) inland from Saint Tropez, and a 32-year-old woman on vacation in the same village.

Mayors of impacted towns held a meeting on Friday to assess the situation.

The coming three days will be decisive, the regional government said in a statement. The entire forested area remains at very serious risk of fire with access strictly forbidden.

Since Monday, the blaze has eaten through 8,100 hectares (20,015 acres) of forests and other vegetation, including vineyards.

More than 1,000 firefighters with 250 trucks worked through the night to secure the edges of the blaze so flames would not spread before daylight allowed flyovers by water-dumping aircraft to resume, the Var government said.

The blaze, which has forced the evacuation of some 10,000 people from summer campers to residents, is the latest among numerous large wildfires to have scorched the Mediterranean region this summer. Forest fires have left areas in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Algeria and Spain in smoldering ruins.

Hundreds of fires in Greece this month came in the wake of the countrys worst heat wave in about three decades that left shrubland and forests parched. The causes of all fires have not been officially established, although more than a dozen people have been arrested on suspicion of arson.

A major wildfire that has decimated a pine forest and burned homes northwest of Athens appeared somewhat abated Friday, although hundreds of firefighters were still working to fully contain the blaze.

The fire near the village of Vilia, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the Greek capital, broke out Monday. Firefighters had been facing particularly tough conditions, including lack of access roads into the dense forest, high temperatures, dry conditions and constantly changing winds, he said.

In a sign of the reach large fires can cause in terms of impact, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity said on Friday that an earlier forest fire in southern France resulted in the Iberian peninsula being disconnected from the rest of the continental grid for 37 minutes last month.

Many parts of the world have seen summer wildfires fueled by extreme heat and drought conditions. Scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving such extreme weather events, and that the world will see more and more of them as the planet warms.

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Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's coverage of climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-change
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  The European Union should assist Afghans in Afghanistan and in neighboring countries to avoid a new migration wave, Turkey's president told Greece's prime minister in a telephone call Friday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greece's Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussed developments in Afghanistan in a rare call, as both countries worry over a potential influx of refugees fleeing the Taliban.

Erdogan's office said he told Mitsotakis that a new wave of migration will become inevitable if necessary measures are not taken" to help Afghanistan and neighboring countries, such as Iran, where Afghan migrants would head before trying to reach Turkey and Europe.

Erdogan also said that Turkey, which has reinforced its border with Iran, was discussing the issue of Afghan migrants with Tehran, according to a statement from his office. There's been an increase in recent weeks in Afghans entering Turkey from Iran.

Meanwhile, Athens insists it will not allow a repetition of 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people crossed in smugglers boats to Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast, on their way to seek asylum in more prosperous EU countries.

Turkey has also expressed concern over the potential of large numbers of Afghans heading its way. On Thursday, Erdogan called on European nations to shoulder the responsibility for people fleeing the Taliban, warning that Turkey will not become Europes refugee warehouse.

Greece's defense and citizens' protection ministers visited the northeastern Evros land border with Turkey on Friday to view barriers against potential migratory pressure and other recently installed security systems.

Greece has bolstered border defenses since March 2020, when Turkey announced its frontier to Europe was open and encouraged thousands of migrants to head to the Greek side, leading to scenes of chaos.

Citizens Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said that while Greece is an EU member and supports human rights, we can't wait apathetically for the possible consequences. Speaking during his visit to the Evros area, he added that Athens would not allow migrants to be used to put pressure on Greece.

It is our decision to defend and secure our borders, he said. Our borders will remain safe and inviolate.

Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said Greece had examined ways to bolster the surveillance and guarding of its frontier, while Chrisochoidis noted that a border fence about 40 kilometers (25 miles) long had been constructed in Evros since the March 2020 events.

In Turkey, anti-migrant sentiment has been running high as the country grapples with economic woes, including high unemployment, that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

We need to remind our European friends of this fact: Europe  which has become the center of attraction for millions of people  cannot stay out of (the refugee) problem by harshly sealing its borders to protect the safety and wellbeing of its citizens, Erdogan said on Thursday.

Turkey has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europes refugee warehouse, Erdogan said.

The previous day, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said the current priority was to evacuate Europeans and Afghan citizens who had worked with EU forces there, but that Greece does not accept to be the gateway for irregular flows into the EU.

Speaking on private Skai TV, he noted that Greece does not border Afghanistan, and there are countries to the east of us who could provide initial protection where necessary. Turkey, he added, was a safe country for Afghans.

But Turkey already hosts 3.6 million Syrians who fled the civil war in the neighboring country and 300,000 Afghans.

In 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a deal for Turkey to stop the hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees heading toward Europe, in return for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and substantial EU financial support.

Erdogan has frequently accused the EU of not keeping its side of the bargain, while the deal led to thousands of asylum-seekers languishing in squalid refugee camps on the eastern Greek islands.

The migration issue has also led to flare-ups in tension between Greece and Turkey, NATO allies who have come to the brink of war several times since the mid-1970s.

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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.

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Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Stressed with too little staff and too many patients in an unrelenting COVID-19 resurgence, some hospitals in Louisiana are pressing insurance companies to ease up on requirements that can slow the transfer of recuperating patients to other facilities.

At issue are Medicare Advantage plans that supplement government-funded Medicare coverage. These insurance policies require extensive reviews and sometimes consultations with other doctors before transfers to inpatient facilities providing skilled nursing care, rehabilitation or long-term care.

Some of these patients are clearly ready to be moved to a non-hospital setting, but the bureaucracy has them stuck in badly needed beds, said Dr. Leslie Dean, of the Willis-Knighton system in northwest Louisiana.

Its almost impossible for them to move these people along in a timely manner right now because of these delays with some of these insurance plans, unfortunately, she said.

The delays are critical as COVID-19 numbers grow, but the issue doesn't just involve coronavirus patients. The paperwork also can slow transfers of Medicare Advantage-covered patients recuperating from a stroke, a heart attack or some other illness or injury that will need post-hospital attention.

Theres this crunch for beds, particularly in the South. And it just doesnt help to have this administrative burden, Dr. John Heaton, of the New Orleans-based LCMC system said Wednesday.

Hospitals and insurer conflicts over the approval of expensive procedures or transfers to possibly more costly settings long predate the pandemic, but they've taken on new urgency as Louisiana suffers through its fourth coronavirus surge. Statewide hospitalizations have set records almost daily through most of August, and doctors say the bureaucratic requirements contribute to long waits in emergency rooms.

Just yesterday, I had five or six patients waiting for beds at post-acute care facilities all waiting for authorization from an insurance company, Jason Lindsey, case management director at North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond, said Thursday. The emergency department "didn't have one minute yesterday where we didn't have somebody waiting on a bed, he added.

Heaton said these insurers need to allow hospitals to unilaterally move out patients who are ready for post-hospital care, and receive approval retroactively.

Some insurers are easing up on at least some of their requirements.

The Louisiana Hospital Association released a statement by Humana on Wednesday suspending prior authorization requirements through Sept. 3 for transfers to skilled nursing facilities, long-term care facilities, inpatient rehab and home health care. Another Medicare Advantage insurer, People's Health, did the same for skilled nursing care and long-term acute care, but its announcement made no mention of rehabilitation facilities.

Nationally, many insurers temporarily suspended their prior authorization requirements at the start of the pandemic. In Louisiana, the Department of Insurance issued an emergency rule restricting the use of prior authorization policies that could bog down transfers.

But a department spokesperson and the Louisiana Hospital Association said regulation of the Medicare plans falls to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The hospital association has asked Louisianas congressional delegation to urge the agency to require that the prior authorization practices be waived.

On Friday, the agency issued a memo that stopped short of requiring a waiver of the practices, although it strongly encourages Medicare Advantage Organizations ... to waive or relax" the requirements.

At Willis Knighton, meanwhile, the need for beds has been so serious that the hospital has at times made transfers without waiting for insurer approval. We've had to even move patients  go ahead and just move them  and try to get the qualification on the back end," said Dean. "Because, we're just out of beds."
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  An Iowa man is suing an eastern Nebraska county, its sheriff and several deputies, saying their lack of training led one of the deputies to shoot him in the eye with a pepper ball during a protest last year.

Adam Keup, 24, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, filed the federal lawsuit last week against Sarpy County, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The lawsuit also names Sheriff Jeff Davis and four deputies as defendants and alleges that Davis handed out the pepper balls to his deputies before the May 29, 2020, protest in Omaha without providing any training on how to use them or on crowd-control tactics.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  The owner of a now defunct health care business has been sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to repay more than $4 million illegally received by defrauding Medicaid, state officials said.

Regina Thomas, of Bolton, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to five counts of Medicaid fraud and was sentenced Tuesday by Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Faye Peterson, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a news release.
NACHES, Wash. (AP)  New go now and other evacuation notices were issued near a wildfire northwest of Naches.

Fire incident managers said on Thursday afternoon personnel went door to door telling people living along State Route 410 from the intersection of Highway 12 to Little Naches and Bumping Lake Road to evacuate immediately. Others in the area were told to be ready to leave.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  The Ohio Attorney General's Office on Friday approved summary language in a petition to legalize marijuana use and sales in the state.

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol wants to make it legal for adults 21 and older to buy and possess 2.5 ounces (71 grams) of marijuana and grow as many as six plants inside their homes.
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP)  A 67-year-old woman was struck by a car and killed while crossing a street in New Hampshire on Thursday evening, police said.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as a 22-year-old man from Bedford, New Hampshire. The woman was taken to Elliot Hospital in Manchester where she died. The names of the driver and the pedestrian are being withheld by Manchester police pending proper notifications of next of kin.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  A police boat and divers joined the search for some 30 people still missing more than a week after severe floods devastated parts of Turkeys Black Sea coast, Turkish media reported Friday as authorities raised the death toll from the disaster to 81.

The Turkish disaster management agency, AFAD, said 70 people were killed in Kastamonu province, 10 in Sinop province and one other in Bartin province. The agency said earlier this week that 34 people were unaccounted for.

Torrential rains pounded the Black Sea provinces in northwestern Turkey on Aug. 11, causing floods that demolished homes and bridges, swept away cars and blocked access to roads.

Turkish channel HaberTurk TV said a police boat and police divers were searching for people still unaccounted for in an area where the Ezine Stream flows into the Black Sea, and where they fear the floods may have carried away some of the missing.

More than 10,000 personnel were involved in search-and-rescue missions across the region as well as efforts to assist survivors, AFAD said. Nineteen trained dogs were also searching for the missing, the agency said.

The worst-hit area was the town of Bozkurt, in Kastamonu, where the floods swamped homes and shops, flattened an eight-story building and seriously damaged other buildings that are suspected of being improperly constructed on a streambed.

The contractor of the eight-story apartment building that collapsed was arrested on Wednesday and charged with negligently causing death and injury. At least four people - a woman and three children - died in the collapse. Several neighbors remain unaccounted for.

About 2,400 people were evacuated across the region amid the floods. Many are being temporarily housed in student dormitories.

The floods hit Turkeys northern coast as hundreds of rescue workers were trying to tame wildfires racing across the countrys southern Mediterranean coast.

Climate scientists unequivocally say that climate change is leading to more extreme weather events as the world warms because of the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.

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Follow all AP stories on climate change developments at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-change
BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (AP)  A retired Massachusetts State Police captain has been arrested on child pornography charges, the state attorney generals office announced Friday.

Francis Hart, 60, of Amherst, was arraigned in Eastern Hampshire District Court on Friday and pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography. He was released on bail and is due back in court on Oct. 22.

Hart was arrested Thursday at his home in Amherst. During a search, police seized digital devices that they say contained images of child pornography, according to Attorney General Maura Healeys office.

It was not immediately clear if Hart has obtained a lawyer to comment on his behalf.

State Police began investigating in January after getting a tip that an email address registered to Hart had uploaded a file with numerous images of child pornography, Healey's office said.
The Texas Supreme Court declined Thursday to block restraining orders against Gov. Greg Abbotts mask mandate ban.

The justices remanded Attorney General Ken Paxtons appeal to the 3rd Texas Court of Appeal in Austin for a hearing. The court did not issue an opinion for its decision.

The move came the same day that the Texas Education Agency suspended enforcement of the states public school systems of Abbotts ban on mask mandates has been dropped, for now, the Texas Education Agency said Thursday.

In a public health guidance letter, the TEA said enforcement was being dropped because of ongoing court challenges to the ban. The letter said the new guidance is effective immediately and further guidance will be issued once the litigations are resolved.

In an emergency order issued last month, Abbott reaffirmed his ban on mask mandates by any government entity, although federal agencies have mandated masks in their facilities. The governor and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have said they would sue any entity that does not comply with the emergency order. No such lawsuit has been filed. The Texas Supreme Court had upheld the ban in a previous decision, but that did not stop dozens of entities from imposing mask mandates.

The Supreme Court ruling came in some of those cases filed in state district court in Austin. Several South Texas school districts along with the states most populous county won temporary legal victories on Friday as they seek to override Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates, which they argued is making the COVID-19 pandemic worse.

Before she granted the temporary restraining orders, state District Judge Jan Soifer said she was troubled that Abbotts executive order was prohibiting a requirement that the schools and the local authorities and the people who generally Texas relies on to make decisions for its citizens think are necessary.

The TEA letter recommended public school systems consult local public health officials and legal counsel before making final decisions. It also requires districts to notify their teachers, staff members and families if a test confirms a COVID-19 case in a classroom or extracurricular activity. The state previously only recommended such notification.

The TEA guidance was issued in the wake of multiple court challenges mounted by parents, advocates for disabled children and local governments and school boards. Seven counties and 48 school districts have implemented mask mandates, Abbotts ban notwithstanding.

As of Aug. 8, the most recent total available from the Texas Department of State Health Services, 829 students and 872 staff members had tested positive for COVID-19. On Monday, the Iraan-Sheffield Independent School District in West Texas closed its schools for two weeks so students and staff could quarantine due to COVID-19.

The push for masking and social distancing came as the number of COVID-19 cases continued to soar across Texas, largely because of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. The rolling seven-day average of daily new cases in Texas was 16,000 on Tuesday, compared to 1,495 on June 30, according to Johns Hopkins University research data. Texas COVID-19 hospitalizations have reached levels not seen since late January with 12,705 hospitalized on Wednesday, state health officials reported.

As hospitals beds fill, especially in intensive care units, Abbott directed the Texas Department of State Health Services to use staffing agencies to import medical personnel from out-of-state to supplement the COVID-19 operations of Texas health care facilities. He stuck to his mask-mandate ban, nonetheless.
MOSCOW (AP)  Syrias air defense forces have shot down 22 missiles launched by Israeli warplanes during an airstrike against targets in Syria, the Russian military said Friday.

Rear Adm. Vadim Kulit, head of the Russian militarys Reconciliation Center in Syria, said six Israeli fighter jets targeted facilities in the provinces of Damascus and Homs from Lebanon's airspace late Thursday.
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP)  Authorities in Uganda have suspended more than 50 civic groups for allegedly not complying with regulations, dealing a blow to hundreds of thousands of people who directly benefit from the organizations' activities.

The suspensions, which target agencies ranging from rights watchdogs to women's groups, were announced Friday by the government's Non-Governmental Organization Bureau. Prominent rights group Chapter Four Uganda and election observer group CCEDU are among 15 facing indefinite suspensions over allegedly failing to file annual returns and audited accounts.

The suspensions take immediate effect and will be enforced, the NGO Bureau said in a statement.

The government's action will renew fears of an assault on civil society that grew before a charged presidential election earlier this year. Many of the affected groups have been in limbo for months, unable to carry out their regular activities after authorities suspended the operations of a leading donor known as the Democratic Governance Facility, or DGF.

Unfortunately, in our failing democracy, anything can happen, said Dickens Kamugisha, whose group advocating good energy governance is among the suspended. This is all part of the political harassment of citizens and the NGOs."

He said he had expected the suspensions to happen sooner after the DGF's troubles as well as multiple attacks on the offices of civic groups seen as critical of the government.

DGF was launched in 2011 by Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the European Union as a five-year program to support government and non-governmental groups working to promote human rights, strengthen democracy and improve accountability.

Renewed in 2018 and with offices in the Danish embassy in Kampala, the capital, the fund says it aims to encourage Uganda to be a country where citizens are empowered to engage in democratic governance and the state upholds citizens rights.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, a U.S. ally who has held power since 1986 and was reelected in January, has repeatedly accused unnamed Western nations and groups of interfering in the internal affairs of the East African country.

Museveni won the Jan. 14 polls with 58% of the vote while his closest rival, the singer and lawmaker known as Bobi Wine, had 35%, according to official results. Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, claims that he won the election and that Museveni's victory is fraudulent.
NENAHNEZAD, N.M. (AP)  U.S Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm met with Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and other tribal leaders Thursday at a power plant in northwest New Mexico Thursday to discuss renewable energy initiatives, including a solar project and energy storage system.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., and U.S. Office of Indian Energy Director Wahleah Johns joined the meeting at the Four Corners Power Plant in Nenahnezad near Farmington about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of the Colorado line.
MILAN (AP)  The Italian charity Pangea helped tens of thousands of Afghan women become self-supporting in the last 20 years. Now, dozens of its staff in Afghanistan are in hiding with their families amid reports that Taliban are going door-to-door in search of citizens who worked with Westerners.

Pangea founder Luca Lo Presti has asked that 30 Afghan charity workers and their families be included on Italian flights that have carried 500 people to safety this week, but the requests were flatly refused. On Thursday, the military coordinator told him: Not today.

Dozens of flights already have brought hundreds of Western nationals and Afghan workers to safety in Europe since the Taliban captured the capital of Kabul. Those lucky enough to be rescued from feared reprisals have mostly been Afghans who worked directly with foreign missions, along with their families.

European countries also have pledged to evacuate people at special risk from the Taliban  feminists, political activists and journalists  but it is unclear exactly where the line is being drawn and how many Afghan nationals Western nations will be able to evacuate.

Pangeas staff in Afghanistan is getting increasingly agitated. Lo Presti says they are specifically at risk for their role creating the kind of independence for women that is at odds with the Taliban's tenets.

Pangea is an enemy because whoever creates awareness and rights is the enemy. We now have to hide, Lo Presti said from his base in Milan. Pangea gave loans to help 70,000 women open their own businesses  hair and beauty salons and bakeries  and many of them support families with at least eight to 10 children.

The Italian Foreign Ministry touted the arrival of activist Zahra Ahmadi and female researchers from the Veronesi Foundation on a Thursday flight carrying 202 Afghan citizens, noting the special attention to those who worked for Italy and who is under threat, such as women and young people.

Yet still unprotected are untold numbers who worked with aid groups and other nongovernmental organizations in the fledgling democracy. Also included are those who assisted U.S. and NATO forces and are now stranded and being hunted by the Taliban. Many are deleting contacts with the West from their phones, or memorizing key numbers to maintain contact.

An Italian-Afghan doctor who worked for Italys development agency broke down after arriving on an evacuation flight and offered a harsh assessment of the Wests decision to leave the country.

We need to save those people in Kabul. We left them in Kabul with nothing, Dr. Arif Oryakhail told reporters, his voice breaking. They cooperated with us, we trained them as obstetricians, nurses, doctors. They were working and now they are abandoned, our hospitals are abandoned.

A German network has closed its safehouses for Afghan nationals who worked with coalition forces, calling them death traps.

The Taliban are going door-to-door looking for local forces, said Marcus Grotian, an active German soldier who runs the network. This was foreseeable, and there has already been a visit to one of the safehouses by the Taliban. Thank God it was empty.

He is fielding 400-500 calls a day for help from stranded former workers and feels helpless. Afghans who were key to aiding the NATO deployment now are throwing away their documents, and trying to get by, he said. We dont know how to help them anymore.

French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged not to abandon Afghans who worked for the country, from translators to kitchen staff, as well as activists. More than 300 have been evacuated, and Macrons office says charities want more added to the list.

Over 130 Czech nationals and Afghans were evacuated Monday and Tuesday, and Hungary has begun an evacuation mission for its citizens as well as some Afghans who helped its military.

Lo Presti is calling for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate Afghans who worked with the West. He has been blocked so far from going to Kabul to help identify Pangea workers and their families amid the chaos. One family who ignored his advice and went to the airport lost sight of their children in the confusion and are unable to locate them, he said.

He acknowledged concerns in the West over "jihadist factions who are brought to the West and pass themselves off for refugees, making it more urgent that members of his organization get to Kabul to vouch for those who have worked with him.

But he also is cognizant of the risks for those left behind.

Every night brings trepidation, because roundups like those of the Nazi regime are real, and the fear of being taken and arrested without the possibility of a defense and not knowing the future and imaging that it could be death," Lo Presti added. "This is terrifying us, and we are here. Imagine the women who are living it.

A former British Marine, Paul Farthing, is campaigning to help 25 Afghans who work for the Nowzad animal sanctuary in Kabul and their families to settle in Britain. They include female surgeons in their 20s who fear forced marriages with Taliban fighters and an end to their careers.

We gave them hopes, aspirations, dreams for the future, Farthing said. Thousands of people now have had their lives ripped from them.

The concern is not only for individuals, but for the credibility of Western democratic values promoted over the last two decades as well as that of humanitarian organizations which recruit and rely on local staff in other danger zones.

Grotian says the Afghanistan withdrawal has exposed "that there is no concept of how to stand by people when things go bad."

The YAAR association for the Afghan diaspora in Germany is being barraged by calls from Afghans desperate to get out. Others, despondent, are deleting cellphone contacts altogether, so they don't leave a digital trail.

Any failure to evacuate Afghans will have long-term consequences, said YAAR head Kava Spartak.

It is a sort of an endgame for the morale and for the European ethics. If they leave Afghans behind now, particularly those Afghans who worked with NATO troops and with international organizations fighting for democracy 20 years long, I think there wouldnt be much left for European values anymore, Spartak said.

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Sopke reported from Berlin. Sylvia Hui in London, Kristen Grieshaber in Berlin, Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington, Sylvie Corbet in Saulieu, France, Karel Janicek in Prague, Czech Republic, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed.
I had a very Houston shower thought the other day: "With all the flood problems we have, why does Houston line its bayous with impermeable, non-absorbent concrete?"

There are different schools of thought on this matter, and the official line from Harris County Flood Control District is that the concrete helps speed up the flow of water out of the city toward to the coast.

"There is concrete on some of our bayous and channels because it increases the conveyance capacity of a channel versus other types of channel linings," district spokesperson Sheldra Brigham said.

Basically, concrete lining helps move water faster than another lining, like grass or trees. That method, Brigham said, proliferated in Harris County throughout the 1970s and 1980s when a majority of concrete lining that exists today was constructed.

Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Concrete also helps prevent erosion. Coupled with retention ponds and reservoirs dotted along the bayous, this method seems to be the district putting its best foot forward.

This approach to channeling the city's excess rainwater has not gone unchallenged, however.

According to Susan Chadwick, executive director of Save Buffalo Bayou, there might be a better way.

"Our motto is, 'nature is the best engineer,'" Chadwick told Chron. "Nature has engineered our streams."

Chadwick envisions bayous not covered with concrete but lined with trees and other plants that help absorb and filter water. She says she and her advocacy group have done comprehensive research and published numerous blog posts on alternatives to the flood district's ideas.

Michael Ciaglo, Staff file photo/Houston Chronicle

In a perfect world, according to the group's philosophies, Houston could also "make room for the river" to ebb and flow over time, as meandering streams and creeks typically do.

Currently, in many spots, the natural erosion process is stopped by concrete reinforcement. That's to the detriment of how nature intended, and could lead to more flooding, Chadwick claims.

"A lot of people think bayous are manmade ditches," Chadwick said. "They don't realize that White Oak and Brays among other streams were once meandering and forested and filled with wildlife just life Buffalo Bayou is, although Buffalo Bayou is less and less also. It's our natural drainage system."

Brigham pointed out that only six percent of channels (bayous, ditches or streams) are lined with concrete. In Chadwick's world, the number should be zero.

"Trying to deepen and widen and straighten the bayous is like trying to build bigger highways," Chadwick said. "The principle is the same. Widening highways just leads to more traffic."

Do you have any other lingering questions about Houston you're afraid to ask? I'm not. Let me know yours on Twitter: @jayrjordan
Marion, IN (46952)

Today

Mainly sunny. High 78F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low around 50F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
We have all watched in dismay the images coming from Afghanistan.

Desperate people are looking for a way out as they fear for their lives under the Taliban. If the past is a prologue, Taliban rule will result in millions of Afghans looking to flee. According to the UN, there were nearly 5 million Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons prior to the arrival of the NATO-led coalition in 2001.

Afghanistans population has doubled since 2001, so another major humanitarian crisis appears imminent and it is incumbent on Canada to act. Since the end of the Second World War, Canada has played a leading role in helping those in need. In this case, we have an added moral obligation to provide safety to the very same Afghans who assisted Canadian troops, diplomats, Canadian NGOs and our allies. Afghans that assisted foreigners are now walking targets for the Taliban and we as Canadians cannot leave them hanging out to dry.

Lets remember there is a unique opportunity for Canadians to identify solutions amid the federal election campaign. Every party which aspires to lead our country for the next four years must table robust and specific plans that we can use to measure them up before we go the polls.

To provide a roadmap of what needs to be done, here are three significant actions that a new government, whoever should win on September 20th, should do to assist Afghans.

First, we need a significant initial commitment and a deadline to resettle vulnerable refugees. The still governing Liberals have said they would resettle 20,000 Afghans. The Conservatives, NDP, and Greens have also committed to Afghan resettlement. This is all welcome but we need more detail.

For instance, with any commitment there needs to be a deadline set for resettlement. Since 2001, Canada has already resettled some 23,000 Afghans but we hope that the new government can move in a far shorter period of timehopefully over a few months, rather than over two decades. Unlike the past, we no longer have the luxury of time given Afghans are now subject to the brutality of Taliban rule.

We have also done it before. Operation Syria showed us that even the most aggressive of deadlines can be achieved so long as a goal has the full weight of the government behind it. Canada successfully resettled 25,000 Syrians in just 100 days between November 2015 and February 2016. The three levels of government, in conjunction with Canadians from all walks of life worked day and night, seven days a week, including through the winter holidays to achieve this goal. Canada can use this know-how to fulfil its Afghan target within an aggressive timeline.

Yes, the pandemic poses additional logistical complications, but we can and must respond quickly to this urgent crisis. Operation Syria also posed logistical challenges yet the Canadian government still upheld its duty to screen for health, security, and criminality before welcoming Syrians to our shores. We can do the same for Afghans.

Second, we should increase the initial Afghan resettlement target over time. Canada has welcomed 45,000 Syrians since 2015which is 20,000 more than its initial target. Prior to its civil war, Syrias population stood at some 23 million people. In all, Canada has resettled 0.2 per cent of Syrias pre-war population. Afghanistans population stands at an estimated 40 million people. This suggests Canada would need to welcome 80,000 Afghan refugees to match its Operation Syria effort.

This figure is ambitious but lets remember that half of Afghanistans population will be repressed by the Taliban for the simple fact they are female. Female journalists, female parliamentarians, female activists female lawyers, female teachers, female judges, female athletes could well be at greater risk along with other minorities, LGBTI individuals, and human rights defenders. Canada, its armed forces, and many Canadian-led NGOs supported these very individuals and their efforts and therefore we have an honour-bound responsibility to resettle them to safety.

Third, Canada should expedite the processing of Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program applications. The generosity of Canadians is limitless. Some 400,000 privately-sponsored refugees have arrived to Canada since we were the first country to launch the program in 1978including 19,000 Syrians since 2015. There should be little doubt that Canadians are willing and able to support the arrival of tens of thousands of privately-sponsored Afghans. But the Canadian government must do its part to facilitate these private acts of generosity. Depending on the Canadian visa office abroad, the processing time can take three or more years before sponsored refugees can gain approval to move to Canada. This is far too long and impractical in light of the desire of Canadians to help and the need to respond swiftly in the wake of Taliban aggression.

Canada deserves credit for already stepping up to the plate while its allies are still in the process of determining what they will do to assist Afghans. Given the magnitude of this crisis, it can be hoped that Canada will pursue these three steps to provide even more innocent Afghans with a second lease on life.

Learn about Canadas special immigration measures for Afghanistan

This article was originally posted on ipolitics.ca

 CIC News All Rights Reserved.
Legacy data infrastructures can no longer support the massive amounts of data that companies now create and collect. A modern data strategy, created from data lakes, purpose-built data stores, machine learning, and other cloud-based services, removes the restrictions of the traditional one-size-fits-all approach.

But this is not about simply connecting a data lake with a data warehouse. Rather, a modern data strategy is about creating a tightly integrated ecosystem that gives companies seamless data access and enables safe and secure governance over that data.

Attempting to scale an older data infrastructure often results in the first compromise for one-size-fits-all approaches. Legacy systems are typically expensive to build and maintain, and difficult to scale as more data is generated.

Given the explosion in data volumes and the types of data that customers are dealing with, they quickly reach a point where they need a different technology, says Rahul Pathak, Vice President for Analytics at AWS. With a general-purpose database, youll generally end up in a dead end at some point because youre trying to do everything reasonably well, which means you cant be excellent at any one particular thing.

A more practical approach is mixing and matching the right tools for the right jobs. The type of database that you use to power something like an Amazon.com shopping cart has very different characteristics, in terms of performance and scale and cost, from something like an Oracle database, says Pathak. A more focused approach lets you build something where theres no compromise on performance, functionality, scale, or cost.

A modern data strategy also supports the data- and performance-intensive needs of technologies such as machine learning, which has become critical for data-driven business. When customers move from basic reporting to machine learning, typically they are going to use a different system, but they want to use the same data, says Pathak. Services such as Amazon SageMaker enable organizations to add machine learning capabilities to existing data stores to quickly build, train, and deploy models that adapt as the data adapts.

None of these benefits are possible without integration. In any enterprise, multiple systems are used to process, store, and manage data. Some systems may be accepting data in real time, another might be recording transactions, and another might be generating reports and dashboards, says Pathak. You need data to be interconnected across these systems so different parts of the company can access the same data in different ways. Thats why we really believe in the approach of the right tool for the right job, making sure they are well integrated.

Integration often involves both relational data warehouses and data lakes. Data warehouses let organizations quickly run complex queries on relational data, while data lakes can store and analyze vast amounts of data from various data silos into a single location. A modern data strategy enables organizations to have data warehouses and other purpose-built data services around the data lake, with unified data access that lets people access data wherever it lives, in a secure and governed way.

Its completely modular, by design, so you can start with whatever your priority is, says Pathak. This approach will help you evolve as your business evolves.

Learn more about ways to reinvent your business with data.
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Background

The UN Human Rights Office (Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights  OHCHR) represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. It has a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect all human rights.

The OHCHR field presence in Moldova, led by the Human Rights Adviser, assists the UN RC Office, UN Country Team in Moldova (UNCT), Government and civil society in strengthening human rights and human rights-based approach, working closely with the UN Country Team on capacity building and mainstreaming human rights in their work, as well as providing support in engagement with national actors on human rights, including advising national authorities upon request. Thematic priorities for the work of the Office are: (i) Strengthening rule of law and accountability for human rights violations; (ii) Enhancing equality and countering discrimination; (iii) Integrating human rights in sustainable development; (iv) Enhancing civic space and peoples participation.

Starting from 2021 the HRA presence in Moldova jointly with UNFPA is implementing the project Empowerment of Older Women and Women with Disabilities in Moldova (2021-2022), implemented with the contribution of Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) in the context of the UN Socio-Economic Response and Recovery Plan in Moldova. The main aim of the project is the empowerment and building of social resilience of older persons by fostering intergenerational dialogue with young people and improving their access to quality social services. It also aims at building the capacity of social professionals in applying a human rights-based approach in their work. As part of the OHCHR component of the project, the staff of the faculty of social assistance will be enabled to apply and transmit a human rights-based approach to and in their teaching, and trainers of the social assistance services will have an increased knowledge on human rights and human rights based approach, which they will integrate in their trainings. The main partners of the project are National Agency for Social Assistance and Social Work Department of the Moldova State University. Two main results are envisaged: (1) Human rights are mainstreamed in the curriculum of the faculty of social work at the state university and (2) Human Rights training package drafted (off- and on-line) for staff of the National Agency for Social Assistance (NASA), as well as for all the specialist in the field of social work, including in the field of social services delivery.

For more detailed information please see Terms of Reference.

Scope of work

The Consultant works under the direct supervision of the Human Rights Adviser, in close collaboration with the Human Rights Officer and the Lead consultant to mainstream human rights-based approach to social work. He/she will also work closely with staff of the Social Work Department of the Moldova State University for the effective achievement of expected results.

Under the present Terms of Reference, the Consultant will:

Facilitate the process of access and analysis of the existing educational program that is being used by the Social Work Department of Moldova State University in the initial training of the social workers and assess the extent to which human rights have been and can be mainstreamed in the existing educational programme. The consultant will provide support to the Lead Consultant and guide the process of evaluation of the existing curricula and materials and development of the concept of human rights mainstreaming in the initial training of social workers. The mobilization consultant will facilitate the discussion and consultations with lecturers and students, as well as the representatives of the National Social Assistance Agency. Provide support in developing the concept of mainstreaming human rights and the human rights-based approach to social work in the initial training of social workers. The mobilization consultant will provide support to the lead consultant to mainstream the human rights-based approach in the initial training of social workers in identification of proper models of mainstreaming, ie either developing a separate course on human rights based approach to social work and/or mainstreaming human rights through the existing courses. Provide support and guidance in developing the set of educational curricula and materials/initial training package based on the established concept. Facilitate the conduct of consultation sessions/meetings with the representatives of Social Work Department and students. Facilitate the internal consultation within the university, before the extended consultation with the OHCHR team, NASA and other important stakeholders. Facilitate the process of conducting of at least 3 days training for lectures. Co-facilitate the training together with the Lead Consultant to mainstream human rights-based approach to social work and the OHCHR team.

Contribute to adaptation and finalize the curricula and educational materials (training package), based on the feedback received during the lecturers training.

Requirements for experience

I. Academic Qualifications:

University degree in social science, law, human rights or other relevant discipline;

Masters degree/courses in human rights would be considered an advantage.

II. Experience and skills:

At least 7 years of professional experience at the national level in human rights work, social assistance work, sociology;

At least 7 years of experience in conducting the initial training of social workers;

Experience in conducting analysis and developing and providing capacity building programs for the specialists in the social field.

III. Language requirements:

Fluency in Romanian language; Fluency in Russian and English would be an asset;

Knowledge of one or more relevant minority languages, including Bulgarian, Ukrainian or Romani, as well as sign language(s), will be a strong advantage.

Diversity Clause: Applicants  particularly women  from under-represented groups (persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, refugees and other noncitizens) will have an advantage during the selection process. OHCHR is committed to reasonably accommodate the working environment for the persons with diverse needs.

Documents to be included

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Proposal:

Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work;

Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work.

Financial proposal (fee per day and total amount); Personal CV including past experience in similar assignments and the contact details of at least 3 reference persons; Offeror's Letter confirming Interest and Availability.

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables. Payments are made in installments and are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including fees, taxes, mobile phone calls, etc.).

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates are invited to submit their online applications by August 31, 2021 23:00 (Moldova local time) by accessing the following link:

https://sc.undp.md/jobapplication2/2329
Background

The UN Human Rights Office (Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights  OHCHR) represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. It has a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect all human rights.

The OHCHR field presence in Moldova, led by the Human Rights Adviser, assists the UN RC Office, UN Country Team in Moldova (UNCT), Government and civil society in strengthening human rights and human rights-based approach, working closely with the UN Country Team on capacity building and mainstreaming human rights in their work, as well as providing support in engagement with national actors on human rights, including advising national authorities upon request. Thematic priorities for the work of the Office are: (i) Strengthening rule of law and accountability for human rights violations; (ii) Enhancing equality and countering discrimination; (iii) Integrating human rights in sustainable development; (iv) Enhancing civic space and peoples participation.

Starting from 2021 the HRA presence in Moldova jointly with UNFPA is implementing the project Empowerment of Older Women and Women with Disabilities in Moldova (2021-2022), implemented with the contribution of Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) in the context of the UN Socio-Economic Response and Recovery Plan in Moldova. The main aim of the project is the empowerment and building of social resilience of older persons by fostering intergenerational dialogue with young people and improving their access to quality social services. It also aims at building the capacity of social professionals in applying a human rights-based approach in their work. As part of the OHCHR component of the project, the staff of the faculty of social assistance will be enabled to apply and transmit a human rights-based approach to and in their teaching, and trainers of the social assistance services will have an increased knowledge on human rights and human rights-based approach, which they will integrate in their trainings. The main partners of the project are National Agency for Social Assistance and Social Work Department of the Moldova State University. Two main results are envisaged: (1) Human rights are mainstreamed in the curriculum of the faculty of social work at the state university and (2) Human Rights training package drafted (off- and on-line) for staff of the National Agency for Social Assistance (NASA), as well as for all the specialist in the field of social work, including in the field of social services delivery.

For more detailed information please see Terms of Reference.

Scope of work

Develop a training programme for mainstreaming a human rights-based approach in theinitial training of social workers, in cooperation with the Social Work Department of Moldova State University.

Analyse the existing educational program that is being used by the Social Work Department of Moldova State University in the initial training of the social workers and assess the extent to which human rights have been and can be mainstreamed in the existing educational programme. The process of analysis will include the review of the existing documents, including the materials developed at international level and jurisprudence emanating from the United Nations Treaty Bodies and other mechanisms, discussions and consultations with lecturers and students, as well as the representatives of the National Social Assistance Agency. Develop the concept of mainstreaming human rights and human rights-based approach to social work in the initial training of social workers. Based on a needs assessment the proper option for integrating human rights will be identified: developing a separate course on human rights-based approach to social work and/or mainstreaming human rights through the existing courses. Develop the set of educational curricula and materials/initial training package based on the established concept. The content of the training package will also include interactive exercises and lesson self-checks. Conduct consultations sessions/meetings with the representatives of Social Work Department and students, to ensure a participatory and consultative process of developing the concept and educational materials. Based on the revised curricula, train lecturers on human rights and the HRBA to social assistance, by conducting a training (at least 3 days of training). This will include developing, beforehand, the concept, agenda, training materials. The training will serve also as a basis for testing of the developed materials. Adapt and finalize the curricula and educational materials (training package), based on the feedback received during the lecturers training.

Note: The process will be conducted with the support of the Mobilization consultant to facilitate the process of mainstreaming human rights-based approach in the initial training of social workers and other specialists in social field.

Coordinate and co-facilitate the process of developing the initial and in-service training program on human rights-based approach to social work and the process of capacity building of professionals from the Social Work Department of Moldova State University and pool of trainers from NASA.

Under this task, the Lead consultant will coordinate and co-facilitate, together with the OHCHR team and consultants the process of developing the initial and in-service training program for mainstreaming human rights-based approach in social work. For this, the consultant will, among others:

Develop the plan of actions for ensuring the implementation of the output of the project, under OHCHR responsibility: the staff of the faculty of social assistance are enabled to apply and teach a human rights-based approach to and in their teaching, and trainers of the social assistance services have an increased knowledge on human rights and human rights-based approach. Provide support, review and co-facilitate the process of developing the training needs assessment, development of on-line and off-line training programme and conducting the ToT for the NASA pool of trainers. Ensure the implementation and reporting on the development of the initial and in-service training programme and capacity building.

Requirements for experience

I. Academic Qualifications:

University degree in social science, law, human rights or other relevant discipline;

Masters degree/courses in human rights would be considered an advantage.

II. Experience and skills:

At least 7 years of professional experience at the national level in human rights work, social assistance work, sociology, as well as experience in promoting the rights of people in vulnerable situation;

At least 7 years of experience working in the area of social assistance;

Experience in conducting analysis and developing and providing capacity building programs for the specialists in the social field;

Experience in working with academia is an asset.

III. Language requirements:

Fluency in Romanian language; Fluency in English would be an asset;

Knowledge of one or more relevant minority languages, including Bulgarian, Ukrainian or Romani, as well as sign language(s), will be a strong advantage.

Diversity Clause: Applicants  particularly women  from under-represented groups (persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, refugees and other noncitizens) will have an advantage during the selection process. OHCHR is committed to reasonably accommodate the working environment for the persons with diverse needs.

Documents to be included

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Proposal:

Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work;

Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work.

Financial proposal (fee per day and total amount); Personal CV including past experience in similar assignments and the contact details of at least 3 reference persons; Offeror's Letter confirming Interest and Availability.

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables. Payments are made in installments and are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including fees, taxes, mobile phone calls, etc.).

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their online applications by August 31, 2021 23:00 (Moldova local time) by accessing the following link:

https://sc.undp.md/jobapplication2/2328
Steel produced in Youngstown, Ohio, helped America win World War II, and it was used to build the bridges that we cross and the buildings in which we live. But in the 1970s, the mills began closing. Some fifty thousand well-paid jobs were gone. There was a concurrent rise in anger as the workers and their children struggled to survive with minimum-wage jobs or in the gig economy. Youngstown represents the widening chasm of class division in the United States. Journalists need to understand how class informs politics and culture. In this episode of How We Got Here, a podcast by the Columbia Journalism School faculty, host Dale Maharidge talks with a labor studies expert about how to cover the working class.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

The Editors are the staffers of the Columbia Journalism Review.
On Monday, the day after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, the publishers of the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal sent a letter to Joe Biden. They requested safe passage out of Kabul for Afghan colleagues and family members who were trapped there, their lives in peril; 204 of them were stranded on the civilian side of Hamid Karzai International Airport. Fred Ryan, the publisher of the Post, followed up with an email to Jake Sullivan, Bidens national security adviser. On Tuesday, thirteen Washington Post employees and family memberstwelve Afghans and one Americanlifted off from the airport on a US military flight. By late Wednesday, the Times confirmed that 128 Afghan colleagues and family members had flown out to safety, too. Yesterday, the Journal said that more Afghan journalists were on their way to safe passage and promised details soon. The papers efforts have been time- and resource-intensive, requiring close contact with the Biden administration, as well as the government of Qatar and others on the world stage. (Per the Times, Hillary Clinton offered up a few seats on a charter flight that, in the end, were not taken.) Youd have a plan at night, Michael Slackman, an assistant managing editor at the Times, said, and two hours later the circumstances on the ground would have shifted.

US news organizations have had lots of people to evacuate in recent days. In a remarkable display of solidarity, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, a Times correspondent and former Marine, flew back into Kabul after having left, in order to extract Afghan journalists, coordinating with them from the US side of the airport as they tried to get there; Mujib Mashal, another foreign correspondent, helped out, too. Yesterday, CNNs Oliver Darcy confirmed that the Post, the Journal, CBS News, and NBC News have removed all of their reporters from the country; the Post is now relying on stringers. The Times still has reporters and photographers in country and abroad, but did not specify whether these people are freelancers or staff correspondents.

Related: A dark time for Afghanistans journalists

Still, some foreign correspondents for major US outlets remain in Kabul. Taliban officials have granted them permission to report relatively unencumberedas NBCs Richard Engel and others have pointed out, its been in the Talibans interests to show the world their victory. But in the past two days or so, the risks have become more acute. On Wednesday, CNNs Clarissa Ward, who has been reporting from the streets in full-length Islamic dress, was confronted by a Taliban fighter with a whip and an AK47. The fighter followed Ward and her team, and at one point charged past them with his guns safety off; soon, two other fighters ran at Wards producer with their rifle butts raised. They relented only when they found out that Ward had permission to be there. Its the Taliban, its not like youre dealing with a force where theres recourse, Ward said afterward. It was mayhem. Yesterday, when Marcus Yam, of the LA Times, was covering a protest with another foreign reporter, two Taliban militants beat them up. One of the assailants, upon realizing where Yam and his colleague worked, promised, bizarrely, to punish whoever hit themeven though it was himthen brought them each cool water and a Monster energy drink, and called their driver. A third militant demanded a selfie with the journalists before they departed.

Many more Afghansreporters, interpreters, and others who have worked for international outletsremain in the country, often not of their own volition. In recent days, some evidence has emerged that the Taliban is starting to target journalists who have worked with foreign media and, as the BBC reported yesterday, hunt for all those they believe collaborated with the former government and its NATO allies. Wesley Morgan, an American freelancer, told the Committee to Protect Journalists that militants raided the home of a journalist and interpreter with whom hed worked, only to find that the man had already gone into hiding.

Some reporters for US outlets have been trying (without much success) to help evacuate relatives of their Afghan colleagues and others with whom they are close. After David Rohde, a former Times correspondent who now works for The New Yorker, wrote a story about his struggle to assist the family of Tahir Luddina US-based Afghan journalist who once helped Rohde escape Taliban captivitythe US embassy sent Luddins wife and children a pass for a military flight. They navigated a Taliban checkpoint and made it to the airport, but were not able to board, and went back home. Kiana Hayeri, an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist who has worked for the Times and National Geographic and was evacuated the day Kabul fell, has been trying to help someone she met while reporting a story inside a womens prison, and with whom Hayeri later worked on an audiobook; the womans children are also in danger. The family managed to get a ticket out but, as of yesterday, they were unable to enter the airport; eventually, they headed home.

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News organizations outside the US have also been trying to extract their Afghan colleagues from the country. A coalition of media companies in the UK urged their government to evacuate Afghan journalists and their families; prior to the fall of Kabul, British officials said they would consider providing visas, but as of Wednesday, according to The Guardian, no one had been evacuated. On Sunday, German news organizations appealed to their government with a similar request; on Tuesday, Deutsche Welle reiterated the urgency of the matter after learning that Taliban militants had searched the homes of three of its Afghan staffers. Yesterday, Deutsche Welle said that the Taliban had gone door-to-door looking for one of its editors. That editor has been living safely in Germany. But the Taliban killed one of his relatives and seriously wounded another. The rest of his family is on the run.

Below, more on Afghanistan:



Other notable stories:

Related: The Taliban spin machine

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP)  The remnants of tropical storm Fred closed roads and flooded basements Thursday in parts of upstate New York, and forecasters warned more flooding was possible.

As much as 4 inches of rain fell in parts of western and central New York, swelling creeks and rivers.

About 10 families evacuated their homes in the rural town of Western in central New York as waters rose.

Ive got three roads that are closed and 15 that have flooding, said Western town Supervisor Diane Butler, who noted the town is still recovering from a tornado last month that downed trees and damaged homes.

Butler said there were no injuries.

Tropical Depression Fred blew into the northeastern U.S. on Wednesday after closing highways and cutting power to thousands in the South.

Rain continued over parts of New York on Thursday.

Officials from the Cayuga County sheriffs office in the Finger Lakes tourist region said they were barricading roads as they warned on social media that flooded roads may be washed out or have heavy currents.

About 7,000 customers scattered around New York were without power Thursday morning, with the heaviest concentrations in central New York.

There was a tornado warning overnight in the Hudson Valley, though it was not clear if one touched down.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LE LUC, France (AP)  Just when fire officials thought a huge wildfire near the French Riviera might be slowing down, a new pocket of flames shot up. And just as a water-dumping helicopter finished dousing one hot spot, another ignited.

Despite calmer winds and cooler weather, the fire that has forced thousands to flee and ravaged woodlands raged for a fourth day Thursday, defying some 1,200 firefighters struggling to bring it under control.

The blaze, which has killed two people and injured 26, is the latest among numerous large wildfires to have scorched the Mediterranean region this summer. The spokesman for the regional fire service, Florent Dossetti, called it one of the worst forest fires to hit southern France in centuries.

The fire has burned 8,100 hectares (20,015 acres) of forest since it started Monday about 40 kilometers (24 miles) inland from the coastal resort of Saint-Tropez. Several thousand people have been forced to evacuate campgrounds, hotels and homes across the region at the height of summer vacation in France.

In addition to chestnut, oak and pine trees, the blaze has consumed vineyards on the rolling hills of the low-lying Maures mountain range. One family desperately shoveled dirt on flames in a vain attempt to protect their vines. Smoke swept through wooded valleys as sirens wailed and the propellers on firefighting helicopters whipped overhead.

Earlier in the day, local authorities had said the fire was less violent and its progression has slowed. Strong winds coming off the Mediterranean Sea that had fanned the flames calmed overnight. High temperatures in the region  which had reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) in recent days  were dropping.

But new bursts of flames ignited in three spots Thursday, complicating firefighting efforts, Dossetti said.

We are working on drowning the edges (of the fire) to ensure it is extinguished, and to avoid new bursts of flames, Dossetti told The Associated Press.

The regional administration warned that the risk of new flames remained high, and kept several roads closed. About 2,000 people evacuated from campgrounds earlier in the week were allowed to return, the administration said in a statement, though thousands of other evacuees remained housed in temporary shelters.

In the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, huge water-bombing planes could be seen swooping down to fill their bellies with water to dump across the flaming Riviera backcountry. Reinforcements came in from elsewhere around France.

This summer has brought extreme heat, drought or wildfires to many parts of the world. Scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving such extreme weather events, and that the world will see more and more of them as the planet warms.

Wildfires this summer have left areas in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Algeria and Spain in smoldering ruins. In Greece on Thursday, hundreds of Greek and Polish firefighters battled a major wildfire decimating a pine forest northwest of the Greek capital for a fourth day.

The fire near the village of Vilia, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Athens, has already burned through thousands of hectares, destroyed some homes and led to evacuation orders for several villages in the area. Strong winds forecast for later in the day could complicate firefighting efforts.

On the Croatian island of Hvar, a large fire that broke out overnight torched bushes, olive trees and some pine forests. About 50 fire trucks and three firefighting planes were being used to control the blaze.

Charlton reported from Paris. Elena Becatoros in Athens and Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TACOMA, Wash. (AP)  Taxpayers will not pay the Pierce County, Washington, sheriffs legal costs in state and county investigations surrounding his January confrontation with a Black newspaper carrier.

The Pierce County Council voted Tuesday to deny Sheriff Ed Troyers request for legal representation at county expense, The News Tribune reported.

In an August letter to council obtained by The News Tribune, Troyer asked to hire outside legal counsel, saying his job is 24/7 and therefore he was working at the time of the incident.

The Washington state Attorney Generals Office has opened an investigation into whether Troyer made a false 911 call saying the newspaper carrier was threatening him.

Council Chairman Derek Young, D-Gig Harbor, said while the council debated whether the encounter was part of Troyers duties as sheriff, it is the councils decision whether to provide Troyers legal representation.

Even if we think he was representing the county, its up to our discretion, Young said.

Four members voted to reject Troyers request and three voted to approve it.

Troyer has indicated legal counsel is needed for interviews investigators are requesting, Young said during the meeting.

Council member Ryan Mello, D-Tacoma, said before the vote the sheriff was not acting in an official capacity.

In public comments, he said he did not identify himself as a sheriff, he was not in public vehicle and did not have a badge, Mello said in the meeting. Those data points lead me to say that the taxpayers should not pay for the criminal defense.

Troyer was elected as sheriff in November with 64% approval. Previously, he was the public information officer for the department for 19 years.

On Jan. 27, Troyer confronted Sedrick Altheimer, who was delivering newspapers. Troyer got in his personal vehicle without his badge or weapon and said he went to catch a license plate of the car he believed to be suspicious.

Altheimer eventually stopped and asked Troyer what he was doing.

Troyer called 911 and asked dispatchers to send a patrol car or two but told dispatchers at least three times he was threatened by Altheimer.

The emergency call triggered an officer in trouble response, and 42 officers, deputies and troopers began responding. Nearly all were called off after Tacoma officers arrived and found no danger.

Altheimer denies threatening Troyer. A Tacoma police officer wrote in a report the sheriff told him Altheimer never made threats. Troyer later told The News Tribune that Tacoma police misunderstood him when he said he didnt want anything done about the carriers alleged threat.

Troyer has repeatedly said he did not racially profile Altheimer.

The confrontation prompted the County Council to open a fact-finding investigation in April and the state Attorney Generals Office to start the criminal investigation. One of the charges being considered against Troyer is criminal false reporting for telling the 911 operator Altheimer threatened him.

Additionally, Altheimer has filed a $5 million claim for damages against Pierce County. The claim is the first step in suing a government agency.

The claim says Altheimer suffered emotional distress from the racial profiling, false arrest and unnecessary use of excessive force of this man whose only crime was being a black man in a white neighborhood.

Prosecuting Attorney Mary Robnett has yet to decide whether the county government will represent Troyer if a lawsuit is filed, spokesperson Adam Faber said.

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Any notion that the worst days of Islamist terrorism are long behind us was brutally shattered at Kabul Airport Aug. 26 as twin bombs ripped indiscriminately through Afghan civilians and U.S. and other foreign servicemen trying to complete the desperate evacuation of thousands of people for whom Taliban rule represents the most terrible fate.
COFFEY, Mo. [mdash]John Nelson Eacret, 73, Coffey, MO passed away Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at his home. He was born on September 16, 1947 in Portland, Oregon the son of Earnest and Rachel (Stone) Eacret. On July 7, 2007, he married Joan A. Hughes in Tracy, Missouri. She survives of the home.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 19)  As the Taliban takeover unfolded in Afghanistan early this week, Elmer Presa knew he and his team needed to leave the country - and they had to do it fast.

Presa has been working in a private security company in Afghanistan for more than a decade now.

On August 16, he was told that Taliban militants have already entered their area and they need to leave immediately.

"Pagka-advise po sa amin na nandiyan na sila sa area talagang mabilisan po," Presa said.

[Translation: When we were told that Taliban militants were already in our area, we immediately left.]

The initial plan was to go to a more secure spot, then head to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, and board the first flight out.

But amid the chaos, Presa refused to leave instantly.

"Umikot pa ako. Hindi ako agad nakasunod sa airport kasi may mga Pinoy na dapat sunduin," he said.

[Translation: I drove around first. I was not able to go to the airport immediately because I knew some Filipinos were trapped.]

Presa asked permission from his employers to fetch the remaining Filipinos, but he was told they could no longer leave their area.

His employers will also not allow other company personnel to go with him.

"Sabi ko teka mag take charge ako. I'll take responsibility for this kailangan ko sila kunin," the OFW recalled.

[Translation: I told my bosses I'll be in charge and take responsibility for this mission. I can't leave my co-workers and fellow Filipinos behind.]

Encounter with the Taliban

Presa said he drove towards the first embassy where one of the Filipinos was located.

A checkpoint manned by the Taliban stopped him for a while but allowed him to pass through.

"Nagulat din po ako dahil Taliban na po magmamanning po sa mga checkpoints. Nakiusap po ako na dadaan lang kami. Pinayagan naman po," Presa said.

[Translation: I was surprised to see the Taliban guarding the checkpoints. I appealed to them to let us in because we will only pick up our fellow Filipinos. They granted our request.]

Presa said while the first checkpoint went smoothly, it was a different scenario on the second checkpoint heavily guarded by Taliban fighters.

"Wala eh kailangan mo sila babain ng sasakyan, kausapin at sabihin na kailangan mo lang sunduin yung kasamahan mo. Medyo nagtagal pero sa bandang huli pumayag din," he recalled.

[Translation: I had to get out of the car to explain to them why we needed to pass through the checkpoint. It took some time but they eventually granted our request again.]

Presa was able to pick up at least two other Filipinos that same day before they boarded a United States Air Force plane.

Despite the challenging escape from Afghanistan, Presa was able to take a photo with a group of Taliban militants at the Kabul airport.

He also shared images of him inside the US military plane with thousands of Afghans on board.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Final Word, Presa said there were seven Filipinos with him on that same flight.

Presa is now in Doha, Qatar waiting to be repatriated.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  A party-list lawmaker questioned the Department of Health on the unspent 2.2 billion meant to help indigent patients.

"For 2020, ang dami-dami namang na-oospital. So bakit tayo may unutilized na 2.2 billion for assistance to indigent patients?" Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy asked health officials during a House committee hearing on Friday.

[Translation: For 2020, there were so many people being brought to hospitals. So why do we have unutilized 2.2 billion for assistance to indigent patients?]

DOH Undersecretary Roger Tong-An explained the funds were allocated to support elective surgeries of hospitals, but most of these medical operations were canceled to augment their COVID-19 response.

Tong-An added that people refused to go to hospitals over fears of contracting COVID-19, another reason the funding remained idle.

But Herrera-Dy said the 2.2 billion should have been transferred to private hospitals to help indigent patients pay for high hospitalization costs in these facilities.

Tong-An said the DOH has been transferring funds to private hospitals, but the transfer should follow the agency's guidelines which require downloading the money to DOH regional offices, and signing a memorandum of agreement with the hospitals.

When asked by Herrera-Dy on whether private hospitals are hesitant to sign a MOA with the DOH due to slow payment of dues, Tong-An sought an executive session to discuss the matter.

But House Committee on Public Accounts chairman Rep. Bonito Singson did not respond to Tong-An's request.

Last May 20, the DOH vowed to pay for indigent patients' medical expenses in eight private hospitals in Metro Manila in a bid to accommodate them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indigent patients can avail of at least 50,000 in medical assistance, depending on the assessment of a social worker.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  Heads of government hospitals found to have mismanaged the pandemic response funds intended for healthcare workers' benefits can be held liable, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said Friday.

Duque explained that each government hospital has a state auditor who could check whether there is mishandling of public funds.

"''Yung pong mga hospital chiefs, mayroon pong accountability yang mga yan...'Yang accountability na yan, kapag nakita na nagkamali sila, they're liable. They can be issued notice of disallowance," Duque told a House hearing.

[Translation: The hospital chiefs, they have accountability. If proven they have committed a mistake, they are liable.]

The Commission on Audit defines disallowance as the "disapproval in audit of a transaction, either in whole or in part."

COA usually "disallows allowances without legal basis or proper documentation, as provided by policy," a state auditor who asked not to be named told CNN Philippines.

In public hospitals, mishandled funds may reflect on their heads' semi-annual performance evaluation, guidelines of which were set by the Civil Service Commission, the source said.

"Poor" performance is a ground for termination, the source added.

For fund mismanagement in private hospitals, it's the government agency which released money from government coffers that can be held accountable, the state auditor said.

Duque's remarks came after Ang Probinsyano Party-list Rep. Alfred Delos Santos said a number of healthcare workers told him they have yet to receive their special risk allowances (SRAs) while others admitted they have gotten this benefit even if they are unqualified.

The Department of Budget and Management and DOH Joint Circular No. 2 issued in Nov. 2020 provides the guidelines and conditions on the grant of SRAs.

The DOH already completed disbursements of health benefits earmarked under Bayanihan 2 law, which expired on June 30, DOH Assistant Secretary Maylene Beltran told the same hearing.

The funds released to hospitals were based on the "master lists given to us by our chief of hospitals or heads of facilities," she added.

"Disbursed po ang lahat ng ating (We have disbursed all the) benefits up to June 30 po - both the hazard pay and SRA," Beltran said.

Low funding for unpaid health workers hit

Another lawmaker slammed the DOH for proposing a small amount for unpaid health workers.

Beltran said the DOH will only request a total of 311 million to pay health workers who have yet to receive their SRAs, which irked Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo.

Quimbo, an economist, said the DOH can allocate at least 5 billion to pay thousands of health workers.

The Marikina representative also said based on the latest Labor Force Survey from the Philippine Statistics Authority, there are over 695,000 health workers in the country, but the figures given by the DOH were just 526,627.

In response, Beltran said the reason for their small funding pitch is not all private healthcare facilities in the country are eligible to receive such compensation from the government.

"There are 66,000 private health workers on our data. Out of that, ang eligible sa aming (only those eligible according to our) new estimate is just around 17,000 because we have made an assumption...they would be mobilized for COVID response," Beltran explained.

Quimbo reacted sharply to Beltran's statement.

"One-third lang sa buong private health sector ang sa tingin nyo dapat bigyan (ng SRA). Hindi yan ang intent nung pinasa natin ang Bayanihan 2 (You think only one-third of the whole private sector should be compensated. But that is not the intent when we passed Bayanihan 2). The intent really is to make sure to properly compensate and protect our frontliners so that they don't leave the frontline," Quimbo said.

"Kung hindi tayo nakakapagbayad, may banta na umalis sila ng frontline. When that happens, hindi lang tayo magkakasakit, hindi tayo makaka-advance in terms of economic recovery," she added.

[Translation: If we can't compensate them, there's a threat they'll leave the frontline. When that happens, we will not only get sick, we will also not advance in terms of economic recovery.]

Health workers in the public and private sectors earlier warned they are planning to stage a mass protest over the DOH's supposed failure to listen to their grievances.

RELATED: Health workers to stage mass protest on DOH neglect of their plight
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 20)  Navotas City's COVID-19 vaccination efforts slowed during the hard lockdown as some healthcare workers had to shift their attention to tending to ill patients, Mayor Toby Tiangco told CNN Philippines on Friday.

Tiangco said the city had to scale down its vaccination sites from seven to five facilities.

"Noong tumaas ang cases natin at nagbukas tayo ng more beds for isolation facility, 'yung ibang tagabakuna natin inilipat natin doon sa mga isolation facility natin," Tiangco told News.PH.

[Translation: When our cases rose and we added more beds for isolation facilities, we had to transfer some of the vaccinators to our isolation facilities.]

There was also an influx of walk-in vaccinees which caused crowding at the sites, the mayor added.

However, Tiangco assured the public there is no issue with supply as there are still enough vaccines to go around.

To address the surge in infections, Tiangco said the city will implement granular lockdowns and continue providing 24-hour reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR testing to trace more cases.

The city has a total of 13,163 infections, including 1,310 active cases or people currently ill.

On Friday, the country hit its highest daily infection tally at over 17,000, just a day before the National Capital Region eases from enhanced community quarantine to modified enhanced community quarantine until the end of the month.
(CNN)  The Taliban have moved swiftly to crush early opposition to their rule across Afghanistan, clashing with protesters and forcing an entire city to stay inside, as a frantic rush to escape the country intensifies at Kabul's international airport.

A curfew will be imposed "for an indefinite time" over the entire southeastern Afghan city of Khost on Thursday, multiple Taliban sources told CNN on Wednesday, after videos emerged on social media purporting to show hundreds of people there demonstrating against the militant group's seizure of power.

All kinds of movement will be banned "while joint forces of the Islamic Emirate carry out clearance operations" in the city, one source said. Around 650,000 Afghans are estimated to live in the rural and urban areas of surrounding Khost province.

The rapid shutdown of opposition undermines the Taliban's repeated attempts to convince international media and observers that their rule will be more restrained and inclusive than it was two decades ago.

But it reflects the reality across the country, where similarly severe approaches have been taken.

Tensions are especially heightened because August 19 is Afghanistan's Independence Day, commemorating the date Britain relinquished control of the country in 1919.

Afghans poured onto Kabul's streets with the national black, red and green flag to mark the date on Thursday, in defiance of the Taliban. In some instances they removed the white and black Taliban flag; one witness told CNN the Taliban fired into the air to try and break up the procession. It is unclear if anyone was injured.

Large Taliban convoys have also been deployed through the city's streets, a CNN team witnessed. The convoys, consisting of two to three pickup trucks with at least six Taliban fighters in each, were seen circling several areas of the city with sirens blaring.

Sporadic gunfire was also heard, at a more intense rate than on previous days.

On Wednesday militants fired into the crowd and beat protesters at a rally in Jalalabad, where demonstrators had removed the group's flag from the main square, three witnesses told CNN.

And on the streets of Kabul, women who occupied prominent positions in the past two decades continue to fear for their safety.

At the capital's airport, where for days images of frantic Afghans looking for escape have underscored the dramatic unraveling of two decades of US involvement in the country, crowds are swelling and locals are struggling to get through Taliban checkpoints and into the facility.

The US embassy in the city warned people on Wednesday evening that it cannot ensure safe passage to the airport. The US has evacuated 7,000 people in the past five days, the Pentagon said Thursday.

President Joe Biden, still facing international condemnation for his unapologetic stance on the American withdrawal and the ensuing rise of the Taliban, has suggested US troops could stay past withdrawal deadline to evacuate all Americans.

But he did not make the same pledge for Afghan partners, and locals face a chaotic rush to get themselves onto a flight.

Desperation at Kabul's airport

As the final departure of Western forces looms larger, scenes at the airport are becoming more disorderly. The Pentagon admitted on Thursday that US troops are still not being used to retrieve Americans from elsewhere in Kabul, saying it was prioritizing securing the airport.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that "we don't have the capability to go out and collect the large numbers of people," adding that he would "draw a distinction between extracting someone in an extreme condition or circumstance versus going out and collecting up large numbers of American citizens."

The US Embassy in Kabul has instead notified Americans who want to leave the country, as well as locally employed staff and a "segment" of those with an Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) "to consider traveling to the airport" overnight, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday.

Price said he had seen reports of people not able to access the airport, telling reporters that "every report of someone unable for whatever reason to reach the airport is something we take very seriously."

But there has been "no decision to change" the August 31 deadline to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan at this point, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday, adding that "if and when there is a decision to change that" deadline, further conversions with the Taliban would need to take place

Images of mothers handing their babies to British soldiers over barbed wire outside the airport have emerged on social media in recent days, highlighting the dire outlook for many Afghans trying to leave Kabul.

The UK's defense minister Ben Wallace said Thursday they cannot take unaccompanied minors, and that those parents would have had to force their way through the crowds to be reunited with their children. He added it has been "very difficult" for troops "dealing with some desperate people, many of whom are just wanting to leave the country."

Wallace claimed that the Taliban were "letting our people through" to the processing center "which is good news," but people CNN spoke with on the ground have reported severe difficulties in accessing the airport, with several saying they were turned away despite having the correct paperwork.

In total 12 people have been killed in and around the airport since the Taliban took control of the capital on Sunday, Reuters reported Thursday, citing NATO sources and Taliban officials.

The deaths were caused either by gunshots or stampedes of people trying to get into the airport in the hope of boarding an evacuation flight, Reuters reported. CNN has been unable to independently verify the reports.

A Dutch evacuation plane was forced to leave with no passengers on Wednesday, while the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has lamented that the bloc cannot rescue all Afghans seeking a way out.

"These people have loyally promoted and defended EU interests in Afghanistan over many years, it's our moral duty to protect them and to help to save as many people as possible," he said, conceding: "We cannot take all Afghan people out of the country."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Taliban crush opposition across Afghanistan, as chaos builds at airport."
State College Interim Mayor Ron Filippelli announced in a statement he does not intend to sign the ordinance establishing a Community Oversight Board for the State College Police Department.

Filippelli said while he supports "the creation of a fair and unbiased community board" to work alongside the SCPD, community groups and the State College Borough Council, he said he believes one of the requirements in the ordinance's intended training program for board members is not "reasonable and useful."

The requirement is Critical Race Theory.

"It is, in large measure, good scholarship, and I agree with much of it," Filippelli said in the statement. "But it is one of many theories that deal with the impact of slavery and racism in American history. Many American historians endorse CRT. But also, some American historians of all races have expressed disagreement with elements of CRT."

Filippelli said he believes board members should be given access to "a variety of scholarly sources" that address the "catastrophic impact" of slavery and racism on America.

"As a professional historian, I cannot accept the idea that Borough Council, no matter how good the intentions, has chosen to imbed in a law one particular body of historical theory that members of a public body must be exposed to," Filippelli said in the statement. "This should not be done in a democracy."

Due to his interim position, Filippelli said he decided not to outright veto the ordinance but instead allow it to become law without his signature.

On Monday, State College's Borough Council voted unanimously via roll call to establish the Community Oversight Board.

A resolution was initially passed by the council on June 23, 2020, allocating SCPD funds to the COB's establishment. According to a release, the COB intends to "provide an independent analysis of problems, policies and practices, and oversight of services provided by the [SCPD]."

The proposed COB follows the death of Osaze Osagie, a 29-year-old Black man who was killed by a State College police officer on March 20, 2019 when three officers arrived at his apartment to serve a mental health warrant.

Osagie, who had autism and a history of schizophrenia, allegedly ran at the officers with a knife. After an unsuccessful attempt to deploy a Taser on him, he was allegedly shot by Officer M. Jordan Pieniazek.

The three officers involved in the shooting have not been charged.

Sylvester Osagie, Osaze's father, filed a lawsuit in November 2020 against the borough of State College, and Judge Matthew W. Brann of the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania set a long-term trial date in 2022.

The case may be ready for trial in approximately 729 days, according to Judge Branns case management plan. This puts the suggested date for trial in November 2022, two years after the lawsuit was filed.

MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE

Penn State University Health Services to provide vaccination appointments for students Penn State University Health Services announced it will provide appointments for students to
Penn State released its preliminary student arrival coronavirus testing results Thursday, which demonstrated a positivity rate of less than 0.5% after the first three days of move-in week, according to a release.

From Monday through Wednesday, a total of 4,664 students moved into University Park residence halls, and 1,050 students were required to take coronavirus tests because they had not submitted proof of vaccination.

Out of the 1,050 students tested, five received positive test results, which is a less than 0.5% positivity rate thus far.

According to previously announced coronavirus mitigation plans, on-campus residents who have not shared their vaccination status or a positive coronavirus test from the last 90 days with the university are required to be tested upon arrival.

Students who test positive on the initial rapid test are allowed to isolate on campus for 10 days or return home for 10 days, the release said.

Additionally, if a students required secondary PCR test shows a negative result, the student will be released from quarantine and allowed to continue moving in, the release said.

Throughout the semester, students, faculty and staff who have not submitted their vaccination records will be required to get a coronavirus test weekly, according to the release.

Vaccination records can be uploaded to myUHS for students at University Park and Commonwealth campuses. World Campus students and employees can upload vaccination records through Salesforce Health Cloud, Penn State said.

MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE
Those who follow the judicial nominating and confirmation process believe Colorado has been quick to repopulate its bench for one likely reason: U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper have been fast at making their preferences known.
Last weeks review of some of the Colorado political superlatives of the last 50 or so years  a selection of the longests, the mosts, the firsts  didnt include the name of one of the states most renowned trailblazers.

Mary Estill Buchanan, the Boulder Republican who served two terms as secretary of state and came within fewer than 20,000 votes of the U.S. Senate, owns more than a couple of the states political firsts.

While Virginia Blue proceeded her as the first woman elected statewide, when the Republican won the race for state treasurer in 1966, Buchanan was the first woman to serve as secretary of state, beginning in 1974.

With an undergraduate degree from Wellesley College and an MBA from Harvard Business School, Buchanan and her family moved in 1963 to Colorado, where she worked as a labor-management consultant.

In addition to serving on the Colorado State Board of Agriculture and the Colorado Commission on the Status of Women, she long had her eye on statewide office but lost a Republican primary for CU regent at-large in 1970 before being appointed secretary of state in 1974 and winning a full term later that year.

She was joined four years later when Democrat Nancy Dick was elected lieutenant governor, and four years after that, in 1983, Buchanan was succeeded as secretary of state by Republican Natalie Meyer. For all but four of the ensuing 40 years  from 2011 to 2015  Colorado could always count on there being a woman holding statewide office, even though the state has never elected a woman governor or senator.

From 1995 to 1999, women even held the majority of the major state executive offices: Lt. Gov. Gail Schoetler, a Democrat; and Attorney General Gale Norton and Secretary of State Vickie Buckley, both Republicans, along with Democratic Gov. Roy Romer and Republican State Treasurer Bill Owens.

When Buchanan was elected secretary of state, she interrupted what had been a 98-year stretch of men holding the office. She also kicked off an unbroken run of women secretaries of state  all Republicans, the others were Meyer, Buckley, Donetta Davidson and Gigi Dennis  that came to an end when Republican Mike Coffman won the seat in 2006. (The offices current incumbent, Jena Griswold, is the first Democratic woman to hold the seat and the first Democrat to hold it in 56 years.)

Six years after Buchanan became secretary of state, she was the first woman nominated by either major party to one of Colorados two most prominent statewide offices, governor and U.S. senator. Buchanan won the hard-fought GOP nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Gary Hart by notching another milestone, when she became the first major party candidate for statewide office to petition their way onto the Colorado ballot. (She lost the general election to Hart in a nail-biter, by about 1.5 points.)

Another distinction held by Buchanan: Nearly 50 years ago, she was the Colorado Republicans version of turn-of-the-century Ken Salazar  or, since Buchanans situation preceded Salazars by a few decades, it could be more accurate to describe Salazar as the latter-day, Democratic version of Mary Estill Buchanan.

The same way Salazar spent some time from 1999 to 2005 as the only Democrat elected to major statewide office  when he was serving a term and a half as attorney general, before his election to the U.S. Senate  Buchanan found herself in an analogous position from 1975 to 1979, when she was the only Republican elected to major statewide office.

After four years, Buchanan got some company when fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Armstrong won the U.S. Senate race in 1978, the same year she won a second term. Democrats, however, continued to occupy all the other statewide offices for another four years  Hart in the other U.S. Senate seat, along with Gov. Dick Lamm, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dick, Attorney General J.D. MacFarlane and State Treasurer Roy Romer.

Buchanans political trajectory and its collection of firsts launched into high gear with one of the great  though little-known  right-place, right-time stories.

She tells how it went down in an extraordinarily detailed and candid 2013 oral history interview, part of the Boulder Public Librarys local history collection.

When Andy Anderson, the incumbent Republican secretary of state, died in office in 1974, Buchanan spent a few days sounding out local party officials to see if she could drum up support for the appointment which would be made by Republican Gov. John Vanderhoof, though she wasn't greeted with much enthusiasm. A quirk in the state constitution mean the governor couldn't appoint a legislator, ruling out many of the obvious choices.

Buchanan recalled that Vanderhoof had picked someone to appoint  Robin Johnston, who had just come off the Denver Public Schools board  but kept her identity under wraps while teasing the announcement, saying he planned to name "a dynamic, Republican woman ... whom the rest of the state might not know as well as he did  and he was very excited about it  and he hoped that she would be welcome and that she would be a wonderful addition to the Republican ballot."

After the governor floated that he would be appointing a woman  and not suspecting that he had already chosen someone  Buchanan set up a meeting with Vanderhoof to discuss whether she might run for the office that fall and to let him know she was open to being appointed. After making her case, Buchanan said, Vanderhoof deadpanned, "That is very interesting, Mary Estill."

A week passed by and the governor's chief of staff invited Buchanan to join the governor the next day for a press conference there he planned to announce he was appointing Buchanan as secretary of state.

After Vanderhoof had leaked his description of the "dynamic woman" he planned to name to the position, Buchanan later learned that Johnston went to scope out the operation. "She walked across the hall into the secretary of states office"  the office was on the first floor of the State Capitol in those days  "and saw it. And it was chaos. It was rooms and rooms of file clerks, greyfile cabinets, papers blowing around. It was chaos. Lines and lines and lines of people trying to get documents. And the lines werent even organized. It was just terrible."

After that one look, Buchanan related, Johnston walked into the hallway, found the ladies' room "and went in there and vomited," then went home, discussed it with her husband and returned to tell the governor she didn't want the job.

As it turned out, Buchanan said, "She had walked out of the office as I was sitting there waiting to walk in when I was just going in to make my offer  my suggestion  and her appointment had been to tell Johnny then that she could not accept this and was not going to do it. Now, my God, that man was between a rock and a hard place."

As Buchanan tells it: "In I trot, and so thats how that appointment happened."

+4 Buchanan denounces 'smear campaign' in assembly loss, weighs petition drive to take on Hart; State reels from 1965 flood Thirty-five Years Ago this week in The Colorado Statesman  Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Hart, who was facing an avid crop of potential Republican challengers in his 1980 bid for a second term, sat ...

YESTERYEAR: Allegations surface that embezzlement scheme helped fund U.S. Senate petition drive Thirty-Five Years Ago this week in The Colorado Statesman  Some of the money allegedly embezzled from the Central Bank for Cooperatives in Denver by Eve Lincoln, a former coordinator for Secretary of State Mary Estill Buchanans 1980 Senate campaign, could have been used to help finance Buchanans petition drive to get on the ballot, the Republicans former campaign manager said. Under federal election law, if thats what had happened, it could have counted as an illegal corporate campaign contribution, said Curt Uhre, who helmed Buchanans bid. He explained that was why the campaign had reimbursed the bank $2,591 just six days before
The federal appeals court based in Denver ruled Monday that VDARE, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled a white nationalist hate group, had not shown that Mayor John Suthers violated its free speech rights and retaliated against it when he issued a statement pledging no city resources to the conference.
In 1994, Ernest Lee Johnson bludgeoned three people to death with a hammer in Casey's General Store. On Tuesday, the children of one of the victims will come back to Missouri for what they hope to be the last step in more than 20 years of legal proceedings  Johnson's execution.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
passed away on August 26, 2021 at OSF Scared Heart Medical Center in Danville. A celebration of Phyllis's life will be held at a later date. Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, Danville assisted her family with arrangements.
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Today

Sunny skies. High 81F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

A few clouds overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable.

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Singapore reports 32 new COVID cases

The Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday reported 32 new cases of COVID-19 in Singapore, bringing the country's total to 66,366 infections.

About 8.51 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered under the national vaccination programme. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@parrysingh

Of them, 29 are locally transmitted  the lowest daily count of such cases in over a month  including 13 unlinked infections. The ministry did not provide a breakdown of how many of them are in the community or are dormitory residents.

The remaining three cases are imported, of whom one was detected upon their arrival in Singapore, while two developed the illness during the stay-home notice or isolation period.

Two new clusters were announced, while five have closed, bringing the total number of active COVID-19 clusters here to 84.

The new "Case 67220" cluster is linked to 32 infections, all of whom are new infections. The ministry did not provide any details on the case as well as its linked infections.

The other new cluster is linked to a Giant outlet at Block 683 Hougang Avenue 8, which has seven cases, all of whom are also new.

The MOH noted that the number of new cases in the community has decreased from 412 in the week before to 290 in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also decreased from 112 in the week before to 80 in the past week.

About 8.51 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered under the national vaccination programme. Some 4.45 million have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with some 4.19 million having completed the full vaccination regimen.

Separately, 153,913 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organizations Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered as of Wednesday, covering 84,219 individuals.

This means that 77 per cent of the population have completed their full regimen, or received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 82 per cent have received at least one dose.
These days, technology is impossible to avoid. Were even embracing AI here at Cracked.com, with joke efficiency up by 5% ever since we farmed out all our New Hampshire stereotype gags out to a bot from Vermont. But for every tech advance that improves our lives, another seems to come along to make everything just a little bit worse. And luckily were here to make things even worse than that by telling you all about it.

4 Chicagos Minority Report-Style Future Crime Program Told A Guy He Was Going To Be Involved In A Shooting -- Then Made Sure Of It

Robert McDaniel is a Chicago guy with no violent criminal record. So he was quite surprised when he opened his front door one morning to find a bunch of cops, who informed him that he was going to be involved in a shooting. That sounds like a threat, or possibly just the entire CPD getting hit by that truth curse from Liar, Liar, but fortunately there was nothing sinister about it! The officers were just referring to Chicagos heat list program, which used an algorithm to scan police data and somehow compile a list of people likely to be involved in a shooting in some way (it apparently couldnt predict whether they would be the shooter or the victim). And so the police informed McDaniel that they would now be monitoring him at all times in an effort to prevent this future crime. Like we said, nothing sinister about that!

Asher Heimermann They had to call it the Heat List because Minority Report already referred to the CPDs traffic enforcement policy.

So McDaniel, who, again, had never been involved in a shooting, suddenly found the cops tailing him everywhere. They even insisted on searching the corner store where he worked, then fined him for having a tiny amount of weed. His life was already a nightmare, and thats when things got really crazy. Just like the program in Minority Report went horribly wrong, the heat list actually created the very shooting it had predicted. Some of McDaniels neighbors became suspicious of why the police kept visiting his house without ever arresting him. So rumors began to spread that he was a police informant. And apparently they werent at all convinced by his attempts to explain that he was simply trapped in a sci-fi dystopia. Long story short, McDaniel ended up getting shot (twice) for being a snitch.

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This is actually a trend. In Pasco County, Florida, the local sheriff launched a reign of terror against an algorithmically generated list of potential offenders. The goal was to make their lives hell, forcing them to move away before they could actually commit any of their dastardly crimes. One of the names on the list was a 15-year-old boy whose criminal record extended to stealing a bicycle, and who suddenly found himself constantly followed, questioned, and harassed by the police. The kid was lucky if he could take out the trash without a SWAT guy rising out of the bin like Oscar the Grouch and screaming I HAVE EYES ON THE TARGET!

20th Century Pictures Suspect is juuling while doing kickflips in the park ... we fear hes becoming too powerful for us.

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Predictive policing has been developing for a while. Successful companies like PredPol market software that can supposedly analyze police data and predict where criminals will strike next, allowing cops to rush to the scene and either prevent the crime or join in (depending on your city). Critics say that theres no evidence that these programs actually work, and quite a lot of evidence that they simply replicate existing racial biases in policing. But treating individuals as guilty of future crimes is a new and disturbing development. Seriously, algorithms can just about figure out how to sell sex toys online, are we really going to let them decide whether your uncle might suddenly snap and launch an international meth ring?

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Well, folks, if you just can't wait for the 11th season of Curb Your Enthusiasm to hit HBO at the end of the year, it seems you may be in luck. Earlier this week, Larry David found himself in an unwitting, guerrilla reboot of the show, landing in a verbal altercation at a Martha's Vineyard grocery store with Harvard Law professor, Alan Dershowitz, over his association with former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

"We can still talk, Larry, Dershowitz pleaded to his former pal, according to tabloid Page Six, who broke the story.

No. No. We really cant, David allegedly snapped back. I saw you. I saw you with your arm around Pompeo! Its disgusting!

Although the attorney purportedly attempted to backtrack, claiming he taught Pompeo at Harvard Law school and that he greets all of my former students that way, it seems David was having absolutely none of his excuses. Its disgusting, the comedian continued, according to the publication, the Curb theme magically playing in the heads of every witness. Your whole enclave  its disgusting. Youre disgusting!

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However as the comedian walked away, Dershowitz, evidently well-prepared for battle, allegedly did what any sane, rational person would do in this situation  removing his t-shirt to reveal another shirt, underneath, reading reading It's The Constitution Stupid!'

Although David has remained tight-lipped on the bizarre altercation, Dershowitz has most definitely not curbed his enthusiasm about the incident, dubbing David a knee-jerk radical and accusing him of "screaming" and partking in contemporary McCarthyism."

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While he was writing bad jokes, I was helping to bring about peace in the Middle East, Dershowitz recalled to Page Six. What has he done? he asked, evidently behind on the last several seasons of Curb.

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ on TikTok as @HuntressThompson_, and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.
Yes, there is no better qualified city than Colorado Springs.

Not a big deal, as long as most Space Force operations remain here.

Huntsville, Alabama deserves it. People can afford to live there.

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Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday said hes requesting a state of emergency to be declared as Tropical Storm Henri intensified and the National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for parts of Connecticut.

Tropical Storm Henri is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall in southern New England by late Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. The latest forecast calls for the storm to shift farther west with the potential to impact most of southern Connecticut.

In requesting a state of emergency for federal assistance to help with storm damage, Lamont also called for 200 members of the National Guard to be prepared to conduct search-and-rescue missions, as well as clear routes, help with power and distribute goods if needed.

Right now, its a good idea for everyone to be prepared and expect to shelter in place by Sunday afternoon through at least Monday morning, said Lamont, who canceled his weekend trip to Maine to return to Connecticut.

The National Weather Service sent out phone alerts throughout the state late Friday afternoon, warning residents of the storms potential impact.

The weather service issued storm surge warnings and hurricane warnings for southern Middlesex, southern New Haven and southern New London counties. Hurricane watches are in effect for northern Middlesex, northern New Haven and northern New London counties.

A storm surge warning and tropical storm warning are in effect for southern Fairfield County.

All of Connecticuts shoreline is under a storm surge watch, meaning there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline over the next 48 hours, the weather service said.

Eversource, the states largest energy provider, has elevated its projection for the storm to a level 3, meaning up to 49 percent of customers could be without power for up to 10 days, President and CEO Joe Nolan said.

This will be a very significant storm, Nolan said during a news conference in Hartford Friday afternoon. He said the path of the storm is expected to stretch nearly 170 miles from New Haven to Cape Cod.

Gary Lessor, chief meteorologist for Western Connecticut State University, compared the storm to Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Everybody should be taking some precaution, Lessor said, adding residents should have groceries for up to five days.

The National Weather Service forecasts Henri to become a hurricane by Saturday. The storm will be at or near hurricane strength when it makes landfall in Long Island or southern New England on Sunday morning, the weather service said.

As the storm lifts northward between Bridgeport and New Haven Sunday morning, Henri is expected to bring heavy rain that could lead to flooding throughout southern New England. Ocean swells from the storm are expected to last through the weekend and may bring potentially life-threatening surf and rip currents, the weather service said.

Central Connecticut could see 3 to 7 inches of rainfall Sunday, Lessor said. The strong winds could cause potential roof damage, as well as snap or uproot large trees, according to the National Weather Service.

Lessor said precipitation from the storm will affect the coastal areas by 4 a.m. Sunday and will move out of the area by 4 p.m. Sunday or as late as 8 p.m. in the Danbury area.

The worst of the storm will occur midday Sunday, Lessor said.

We have everybody  all hands on deck, Eversources president and CEO said. I have canceled all vacations so everybody is here working, and we will work until the last customer is back on.

The utility company plans to bring in around 4,000 additional crews along with trailers and what Nolan described as military-style barracks to house the workers, along with thousands of hotel rooms. The utility plans to use the Crystal Mall in Waterford as a staging ground.

The utility CEO said he was concerned about the possibility of tree damage from the storm, and have crews out right now taking down problem trees. He also raised concern about the possibility of flooding disrupting the utility companys gas service.

I want to assure everyone here in Connecticut that we will do everything we can to restore their power as quickly as possible, but I do need to ask for patience, Nolan said. We really are facing a storm that I cant recall ... some of the patterns that Im seeing right now, I have not really seen for several decades.

United Illuminating, serving parts of Fairfield and lower New Haven counties, said in a statement it has doubled the size of its field crews ahead of the storm.

Customers are urged to begin preparing for the storm now as forecasters predict Henri to cycle between tropical storm and hurricane strength before entering the area early Sunday morning just east of United Illuminatings service area, the statement said. Winds will increase throughout Sunday and steady rain through Monday. This combination can cause tree branches, debris, and unsecured items to damage electrical poles, power lines and cause outages.

A Verizon spokesperson said in a statement the telecommunications company remains vigilant and prepared to keep customers connected, during the storm. The company recommended people charge their phones and devices ahead of the storm and keep battery backups in case of power outages.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the storm will potentially impact Metro-Norths New Haven Line.

MTA is advising people to avoid unnecessary travel. MTA is also taking all necessary precautions to protect its transportation network and deliver safe service, the authority said Friday afternoon.
FINLAND, Minn. (AP)  Authorities fighting a northeastern Minnesota wildfire ordered additional evacuations Friday after the blaze jumped a highway before an anticipated shift in the wind this weekend that could put more properties in danger.

The U.S. Forest Service sent in ground crews and water-dropping aircraft after the Greenwood Fire crossed over to the west side of Lake County Highway 2, just north of Stony Lake. The Lake County Sheriffs Office was evacuating residents from the Stony Lake and Sand Lake areas near where Highway 2 intersects with Minnesota Highway 1.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people were affected, Superior National Forest spokeswoman Joanna Gilkeson said. The area is dotted with seasonal cabins and some year-round residences. Earlier in the week, authorities evacuated around 90 residents from the McDougal Lake area.

The Forest Service also ordered an expanded closure of part of the southern Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) to the northeast, due to a blaze called the Whelp Fire, which has grown to 35 to 40 acres (14 to 16 hectares.) The closure includes the popular Sawbill entry point for overnight trips, though it remains open for day trips. No ground crews have been sent in because that fire is in a remote spot, so water scooping planes and helicopters were hitting it from the air. Ranger crews were paddling the area to search for visitors.

Forest Service officials warned home and cabin owners at a public meeting Thursday evening in the small town of Finland that the winds could shift this weekend, putting their properties in danger, Minnesota Public Radio reported Friday.

The fire has grown to 7.4 square miles (19 square kilometers) since it was first spotted Sunday. The Forest Service says it was caused by lightening. Around 200 firefighters are now working on the blaze, coming from as far away as Mississippi and Colorado. So far it has burned mostly north and west into the forest, and no structures have burned.

The concern now is a cold front expected Saturday, something that incident commander Brian Pisarek said was keeping him up at night. He told the crowd that the front is expected to bring strong winds from the northwest, which could push the fire aggressively to the east, toward homes.

The big unknown is this system coming through, is it going to be wet? If it comes through wet, and we get three-quarters of an inch of rain on it, and that happens before the wind, were golden, he said.

But if the winds pick up and it doesnt rain, Pisarek said, the fire could get out of control quickly.

I dont want to give illusions that this is going to be a good weekend for us," he said. "Its going to be tough.

Drought conditions in western states, which extend as far east as Minnesota, are fueling around 100 wildfires. California has already surpassed the acreage burned at this point last year, which ended up setting the record. In northeastern Minnesota, heat, low humidity and a tinder-dry forest have fueled the Greenwood Lake fire, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of the small town of Isabella.

Its the summer from hell, for watching the forest get compromised, said Doug Lande, who lives on an area farm.

On Wednesday, winds pushed the fire directly toward his property. Lande, a former firefighter, said aircraft likely saved his house by dumping water and fire retardant all around it.

"They slurried the house with retardant and about 20 acres around the farmstead. That lasts only so long. Now, Im wondering when the next run of the fire will be at the house.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden pledged firmly Friday to bring all Americans home from Afghanistan  and all Afghans who aided the war effort, too  as officials confirmed that U.S. military helicopters flew beyond the Kabul airport to scoop up 169 Americans seeking to evacuate.

Bidens promises came as thousands more Americans and others seeking to escape the Taliban struggled to get past crushing crowds, Taliban airport checkpoints and sometimes-insurmountable U.S. bureaucracy.

We will get you home, Biden promised Americans who were still in Afghanistan days after the Taliban retook control of Kabul, ending a two-decade war.

Now Playing: President Joe Biden is pledging to Americans still trapped in Afghanistan: "We will get you home." Biden also said Friday the U.S. is committed to evacuating all Afghans who assisted the war effort and their close family members. (Aug. 20) Video: Associated Press

The president's comments, delivered at the White House, were intended to project purpose and stability at the conclusion of a week during which images from Afghanistan more often suggested chaos, especially at the airport.

His commitment to find a way out for Afghan allies vulnerable to Taliban attacks amounted to a potentially vast expansion of Washingtons promises, given the tens of thousands of translators and other helpers, and their close family members, seeking evacuation.

Were making the same commitment to Afghan wartime helpers as to U.S. citizens, Biden said, offering the prospect of assistance to Afghans who largely have been fighting individual battles to get the documents and passage into the airport that they need to leave. He called the Afghan allies equally important in the evacuations.

Meanwhile, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had disconcerting news for the lawmakers he briefed Friday, confirming that Americans are among those who have been beaten by the Taliban at airport checkpoints.

Biden is facing continuing criticism as videos and news reports depict pandemonium and occasional violence outside the airport.

I made the decision on the timing of the U.S. withdrawal, he said, his tone firm as he declared that it was going to lead to difficult scenes, no matter when. Former President Donald Trump had set the departure for May in negotiations with the Taliban, but Biden extended it.

Thousands of people remain to be evacuated ahead of Bidens Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw most remaining U.S. troops. Flights were stopped for several hours Friday because of a backup at a transit point for the refugees, a U.S. airbase in Qatar, but they resumed in the afternoon, including to Bahrain.

Still, potential evacuees faced continuing problems getting into the airport. The Belgian foreign ministry confirmed that one of its planes took off empty because the people who were supposed to be aboard couldnt get in.

A defense official said about 5,700 people, including about 250 Americans, were flown out of Kabul aboard 16 C-17 transport planes, guarded by a temporary U.S. military deployment thats building to 6,000 troops. On each of the previous two days, about 2,000 people were airlifted.

Biden said 169 Americans had been brought to the airport from beyond its perimeter, but he provided no details. Later, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the 169 had gathered at the Baron Hotel near the airport and were flown across the airport perimeter to safety Thursday. He said they were transported by three U.S. military CH-47 helicopters.

Kirby said the helicopters took no hostile fire. He added that the Americans initially were going to walk the short distance from the hotel to an airport gate, but a crowd outside the gate changed the plan.

Separately, senior American military officials told The Associated Press that a U.S. helicopter picked up Afghans, mostly women and children, and ferried them to the airport Friday. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the Armys 82nd Airborne Division airlifted the Afghans from Camp Sullivan, near the Kabul airport. Those officials commented only on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.

Kirby said he was not aware of any such Friday helicopter mission.

For those living in cities and provinces outside Kabul, CIA case officers, special operation forces and agents from the Defense Intelligence Agency on the ground are gathering some U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked for the U.S. at predetermined pick-up sites.

The officials would not detail where these airlift sites were for security reasons. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing operations.

In Washington, some veterans in Congress were calling on the Biden administration to extend a security perimeter beyond the Kabul airport so more Afghans could get through.

The lawmakers also said they want Biden to make clearer that the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops is not a firm one.

The deadline is contributing to the chaos and the panic at the airport because you have Afghans who think that they have 10 days to get out of this country or that door is closing forever, said Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., who served in Iraq and also worked in Afghanistan to help aid workers provide humanitarian relief.

With mobs of people outside the airport and Taliban fighters ringing its perimeter, the U.S. renewed its advisory to Americans and others that it could not guarantee safe passage for any of those desperately seeking seats on the planes inside. The Taliban are regularly firing into the air to try to control the crowds, sending men, women and children running.

The advisory captured some of the pandemonium, and what many Afghans and foreigners see as their life-and-death struggle to get inside. It said: We are processing people at multiple gates. Due to large crowds and security concerns, gates may open or close without notice. Please use your best judgment and attempt to enter the airport at any gate that is open.

While Biden has previously blamed Afghans for the U.S. failure to get out more allies ahead of this months sudden Taliban takeover, U.S. officials told The AP that American diplomats had formally urged weeks ago that the administration ramp up evacuation efforts.

Biden said Friday he had gotten a wide variety of time estimates, though all were pessimistic about the Afghan government surviving.

He has said he was following the advice of Afghanistans U.S.-backed president, Ashraf Ghani, in not earlier expanding U.S. efforts to fly out translators and other endangered Afghans. Ghani fled the country last weekend as the Taliban seized the capital.

Biden has also said many at-risk Afghan allies had not wanted to leave the country. But refugee groups point to yearslong backlogs of applications from thousands of those Afghans for visas that would let them take refuge in the United States.

Afghans and the Americans trying to help them also say the administration has clung to visa requirements for would-be evacuees that involve more than a dozen steps, and can take years to complete. Those often have included requirements that the Taliban sweep has made dangerous or impossible  such as requiring Afghans to go to a third country to apply for a U.S. visa, and produce paperwork showing their work with Americans.

___

LaPorta reported from Boca Raton, Florida. Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Josh Boak, Lolita C. Baldor and Kevin Freking contributed from Washington.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Greg Ryken showed up to his favorite lunch spot in San Francisco on Friday with an appetite and his vaccination record in hand.

A manager at Sam's Grill and Seafood restaurant verified he was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, put him on a list of customers who have met the city's new requirement for future reference, and walked him to his table.

Easy, Ryken said as San Francisco became the first major city in the U.S. to enforce the strictest vaccine mandate for entering restaurants, bars, gyms and large concerts.

Businesses posted signs and added extra staff to begin verifying people's vaccination and identity cards before allowing them in. Many gyms had already been checking their members' vaccination status before the health order went into effect.

We tested systems in place to see how we would do it, we were talking to our customers, getting our staff prepared, and we are so thrilled to have the full-throated support of the leadership of our city so we can confidently walk into this new landscape together, said Tracey Sylvester, owner of a Pilates studio in the Mission neighborhood.

Pete Sittnick, a managing partner of Waterbar and EPIC Steak restaurants on the city's waterfront, said he was worried about slow check-ins, resistance from guests against the requirement or people showing up without proper documentation. So far, he said, the lunch crowd came with vaccination cards in their hands, and the line to get through the door was short.

The good thing is, if somebody doesn't have their verification of vaccination they can still eat outside. There is an option and we just need to be ready for different scenarios, he said.

Mayor London Breed announced the requirement more than a week ago in an attempt to stem rising COVID-19 cases, saying she was worried the highly contagious delta variant could disrupt the citys economic rebound. She also hopes it will encourage vaccine holdouts to join the 79% of the population that have gotten their shots.

This is not a punishment, Breed said Friday. It's really about a chance to try and get us moving in the right direction and keeping people safe.

The mandate goes further than New York City, which requires people to be at least partially vaccinated for a variety of high-risk indoor activities, and New Orleans, which requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for indoor dining or drinking. All three cities make exceptions for people who don't qualify for the vaccine, including children under 12.

It follows a number of tough safety measures San Francisco imposed since the beginning of the pandemic. The city and its neighboring counties in the Bay Area were the first in the U.S. to issue a stay-at-home order, and was the first big city in the nation to require all city employees to be vaccinated, without the option of testing regularly.

This week, the city sent letters recommending a 10-day suspension without pay for 20 employees in police, fire and sheriff's departments who refused to report their vaccination status by the Aug. 12 deadline, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has also tighten the rules after announcing the reopening of Californias economy in June. He has required health care workers to get vaccinated to keep their jobs and all teachers and state workers to either get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

Local business groups have supported the new vaccine mandate, saying it will protect their employees' and customers' health and keep them from having to limit capacity indoors. Some businesses that had taken it upon themselves to check for proof of vaccination at the door said a citywide policy helps set clear expectations for all customers.

Jody McCord said the mandate forced her to cancel plans to meet relatives visiting from Wisconsin at her favorite dine-in spots because not everyone in her party is fully vaccinated. They had to take their reunion across San Francisco Bay to a restaurant in Sausalito.

It puts people between a rock and a hard place, McCord said.

Online ordering and reservation systems such as OpenTable are helping businesses by warning customers of the mandate ahead of time. The city's hospitality industry has launched a campaign called Relax, We're Vaxxed to get the word out to travelers.

City officials said a paper card issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a photo of the CDC card, or a digital vaccine credential will suffice. Proof of vaccination issued by foreign governments is also acceptable.

Pearce Cleaveland, co-owner of the Temple nightclub, said his security guards have been trained to check all forms of vaccination proof and they have caught some people with fake vaccination cards.

Weve had people who get upset at the door when theyre turned away, but in general theyre understanding, he said.

Workers have until Oct. 13 to prove they are fully vaccinated and Cleaveland said he expects to meet compliance by then.

After a sharp increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the Bay Area over the summer, the numbers appear to be leveling off but remain high, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an expert on infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco.

He said reinstated restrictions have helped slow the spread.

There is no magic bullet, just a combination of a hard stick and soft stick, he said. The proof of vaccination mandate is a soft stick because you can still eat outdoors, but if you want to hang out with people indoors you better get vaccinated.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Faced with a potential new migration wave from Afghanistan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on European nations Thursday to shoulder the responsibility for Afghans fleeing the Taliban and warned that his country wont become Europes refugee warehouse.

In a televised address following a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan also said his government would if necessary engage in talks with a government that could be formed by the Taliban  for the stability and security of this country.

Erdogans comments come amid an increase in recent weeks in the number of Afghans making their way into Turkey across the border from Iran. Anti-migrant sentiment is running high in Turkey as it grapples with economic woes  including high unemployment  that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, and there is little appetite in the country to take in more people.

We need to remind our European friends of this fact: Europe  which has become the center of attraction for millions of people  cannot stay out of (the refugee) problem by harshly sealing its borders to protect the safety and well-being of its citizens, Erdogan said.

Turkey has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europes refugee warehouse, Erdogan said.

Erdogan said his country is home to 5 million foreign nationals  including 3.6 million Syrians who fled the civil war in the neighboring country and 300,000 Afghans. Around 1.1 million are foreigners with residence permits, he said.

In 2016, Turkey and the European Union signed a deal for Turkey to stem the flow of hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees towards Europe, in return for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and substantial EU financial support. Erdogan has frequently accused the EU of not keeping its side of the bargain.

The president said he was aware of the Turkish public's unease about refugees. He reiterated that the country had reinforced its border with Iran with military, gendarmerie and police and that a wall being erected along the frontier is nearing completion.

Our state is primarily responsible for the safety and well-being of its 84 million citizens. On the other hand, we are not a society that lacks character, thinks only about itself and turns its back on those who come to our door, Erdogan said.

In reference to the millions of Syrians in Turkey, Erdogan said that those who have learnt Turkish, acquired professional skills and adapted to the country would remain in Turkey, while others would have to return to Syria once conditions in the war-torn country improve.

It is our responsibility toward our own citizens to help those who do not succeed to return to their homes in parallel with an improvement of the situation in their own country, Erdogan said.

Around 450,000 Syrians have already returned to Syria, he added.
BRIDGEPORT  Goodwin University and the University of Bridgeport announced on Friday programs and support for recent Afghan refugees in Connecticut.

Goodwin and UB, which was acquired by the former in May, sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday to offer assistance with language skills, work and career programs and housing. The universities were still awaiting a response from the White House as of Friday afternoon.

UB has a long history of serving international students in a diverse, accepting and supportive environment, said Danielle Wilken, president of the University of Bridgeport. This along with our other capabilities puts us in a unique position to support these refugees right now, during the time when they need it most as they begin to carve out new lives in America.

UB said it would use an unoccupied 140-bed residence hall to temporarily house refugees in Bridgeport. The university said it will also offer classes through its English Language Institute for non-native English speakers, and in its work and professional career programs.

Offering our support to Afghan refugees demonstrates our commitment to doing our part to be good global citizens, said Wilken. We also hope to provide leadership in helping these new Americans to quickly find employment as they forge their paths to becoming productive new citizens of the U.S.

Wilken estimated that if the White House accepts the universities offer, it will likely be weeks or months until the refugees are vetted by the military and Department of State and the University of Bridgeport can begin housing them and offering programs.

Still, the university president said the initiative aligns with UBs mission to provide a culturally diverse and supportive learning environment for students, preparing them for what she called an increasingly interconnected world.

It has been heartbreaking to see the photos and video of Afghans desperate to find passage to America that have filled the news this week, said Mark Scheinberg, president of Goodwin University, in a statement, and we feel a deep sense of responsibility to assist however we can.

The federal government is in the process of evacuating Americans and Afghans who assisted with the 20-year war effort and their families from Kabul, seized early this week by the Taliban. The scene at the airport has been characterized by chaos and desperation, and the United States has advised it cannot guarantee safe passage, the Associated Press reported.

If we have learned anything from the recent challenges of the pandemic, said Scheinberg, it is that we all need to look out for one another, and we quickly realized we could help.

U.S. Reps. John Larson, D-Conn., and Jim Himes, D-Conn., applauded the universities announcement on Friday.

We have a moral obligation to do everything we can to help Afghans escaping the Taliban, said Larson. As the United States Government works to evacuate Afghans to safety, our communities must be prepared to welcome our brave allies.

He added he hopes to see more local institutions open their doors and house refugees.

The story of immigration, refuge, and opportunity is quintessentially American, said Himes. I am proud of Goodwin University for recognizing a moral duty and welcoming those so in need of aid.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has given new urgency to Vice President Kamala Harris' tour of Southeast Asia, where she will attempt to reassure allies of American resolve following the chaotic end of a two-decade war.

The trip, which began Friday and has stops in Singapore and Vietnam, will provide a forum for Harris to assert herself more directly in foreign affairs. She will have opportunities to affirm what she and President Joe Biden view as core American values, like human rights. That's especially important given concerns about the future for women and girls in Afghanistan with the Taliban back in power.

A particular high priority is making sure that we evacuate American citizens, Afghans who worked with us, Afghans at risk, including women and children, Harris told reporters before her departure.

But there are also substantial risks. A longtime district attorney and former senator, Harris is largely untested in diplomacy and foreign policy. Her swing through Vietnam could draw unwanted comparisons between the humiliating withdrawal of U.S. troops there in 1975 and the tumultuous effort this week to evacuate Americans and allies from Afghanistan. And it's all happening in the shadow of China, whose growing influence worries some U.S. policymakers.

Shes walking into a hornets nest, both with whats taking place in Afghanistan, but also the challenge of China that looms particularly large in Vietnam, said Brett Bruen, who was global engagement director during the Obama administration and a longtime diplomat. On a good day, its walking a tightrope. On a not so good day, its walking a tightrope while leading an elephant across. Theres just an enormous set of issues that she will run into from the moment that Air Force Two touches down.

Harris said Friday that the nations she will visit "are the seat of the Indo-Pacific region. We have interests there that relate to both security interests, economic interests and, more recently, global health interests.

Harris struggled at points in June when her first major trip abroad took her to Guatemala and Mexico. Her unequivocal warning to migrants not to come to the U.S. angered some liberal Democrats while doing little to mollify Republican critics who said the administration wasn't doing enough to address a growth of crossings at the southern border.

She'll have a fresh chance to make a global impression when she arrives in Singapore, anchor of the U.S. naval presence in Southeast Asia.

On Monday, Harris will speak with Singapore President Halimah Yacob over the phone, participate in a bilateral meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and deliver remarks on a U.S. combat ship visiting Singapore.

On Tuesday, she plans to deliver a speech outlining the U.S. vision for engagement in the region, and participate in an event with business leaders focused on supply chain issues.

Harris then heads to Vietnam, a country that holds both strategic and symbolic significance for the U.S. Leaders there have echoed U.S. concerns about the rise of neighboring China and the threat that could pose to global security. But it's also a nation etched into American history as the site of another bloody, costly war with an ignominious end.

The vice president will almost certainly address that parallel when she takes questions in Singapore during a joint press conference with the prime minister Monday. It's a potentially awkward position for Harris because Biden expressly rejected comparisons between Afghanistan and Vietnam in July, insisting there would be no circumstance" where the world would see people being lifted off the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, a reference to historic images of a helicopter evacuating the U.S. Embassy in Saigon in 1975.

The harried effort to get Americans to the airport in Kabul this week defied that prediction.

While the disorderly conclusion of the Afghan war dominated Washington in recent days, China may be a bigger priority for Harris' trip. Biden has made countering Chinese influence globally a central focus of his foreign policy. Relations between the U.S. and China deteriorated sharply under Bidens predecessor, Donald Trump, and the two sides remain at odds over a host of issues including technology, cybersecurity and human rights.

And with Beijings incursions in the disputed South China Sea, engagement with Vietnam and Singapore is key to the Biden administrations diplomatic and military goals in the region.

David Shear, a former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, said Harris must be careful to offer a positive message to the nations, and avoid focusing entirely on China during her trip.

Our relationships with these countries are important in themselves, and they dont want to be thought of solely as a pawn in a U.S-China chess game," he said. They want to be thought of on their own terms, and they want their interests to be considered on their own terms,.

Instead, analysts say they hope Harris will focus in particular on trade issues. The White House has been considering a new digital trade deal with countries in the region, which would allow for the free flow of data and open opportunities for U.S. companies for greater cooperation on emerging technologies in a fast-growing region of the world.

And COVID-19 is certain to be top of mind in two countries facing starkly divergent virus trends. Singapore has experienced just a few dozen pandemic-related deaths and has a relatively high vaccination rate. It's getting ready to ease travel and economic restrictions this fall. Vietnam, meanwhile, is facing record-high coronavirus infections driven by the delta variant and low vaccination rates.

The U.S. has provided more than 23 million vaccine doses to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and tens of millions of dollars in personal protective equipment, laboratory equipment and other supplies to fight the virus.

During her visit to Vietnam, Harris is planning to hold a virtual meeting with ASEAN health ministers and cite the launch of a regional office of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gregory Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said showing a commitment to the region on the pandemic is key for Harris' trip.

I think on COVID, the administration realizes that this is the singular issue," he said. If theyre not seen as leading vaccine distribution in the region, then nothing else they do in Asia matters, or at least nothing else they do is going to find a willing audience.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect the name of an Obama administration official. He is Brett Bruen, not Bruin.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  Malaysias longest-governing political party reclaimed the premiership it lost in a shock 2018 election defeat, after the king on Friday named its candidate, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, as the countrys new leader.

Ismail was the deputy prime minister under the government of Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned Monday after less than 18 months in office as infighting in his coalition cost him majority support.

Ismail's appointment essentially restores Muhyiddins alliance. It also brings back the rule of the United Malays National Organization, which had led Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957 but was ousted in 2018 elections over a multibillion-dollar financial scandal.

King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said Ismail had secured the backing of 114 lawmakers for a slender majority. He said Ismail, 61, will be sworn in as Malaysia's ninth prime minister on Saturday.

The announcement came after the monarch met state Malay rulers who advised him on the appointment. The kings role is largely ceremonial in Malaysia, but he appoints the person he believes has majority support in Parliament as prime minister.

Sultan Abdullah said in a statement that he hopes Ismail's appointment will bring an end to the country's political turmoil. He urged lawmakers to set aside their political differences and unite to tackle the country's worsening pandemic.

Ismail's appointment was not unexpected. With this, UMNO is now back in the driver's seat," said James Chin, an Asian expert at Australia's University of Tasmania.

Ismail's 114 votes exceed the 111 needed for a simple majority but is close to the backing Muhyiddin had and was unable to keep. Ismail is from UMNO, the larger party in the alliance, leaving him on firmer ground, but he still needs Muhyiddins party for enough support to lead.

Angry Malaysians had launched an online petition to protest Ismail's candidacy, with more than 340,000 signatures collected so far. Many believe Ismail's choice will restore the status quo, with its perceived failed response to a worsening pandemic.

Malaysia has one of the worlds highest infection rates and deaths per capita, despite a seven-month state of emergency and a lockdown since June. Daily new infections have more than doubled since June to hit a new record of 23,564 on Friday, bringing the country's total to over 1.5 million cases. Deaths have surged to above 13,000.

A lawyer before he joined politics, Ismail held several ministerial posts in previous UMNO governments. In 2015 as trade minister, Ismail courted controversy when he urged ethnic Malay consumers to boycott profiteering Chinese businesses. He was also slammed for supporting the vaping industry, which is dominated by Malays, despite health warnings from the health ministry.

In 2018 polls, Ismail waved the racial card, warning that every vote for the opposition was akin to eliminating special privileges given to Malays under a decades-old affirmative action program.

Ismail was named defense minister when Muhyiddin took power in March 2020, and became the governments public face through daily briefings on security issues related to the pandemic. He was promoted to deputy prime minister in July as Muhyiddin sought to woo support from UMNO, which was unhappy at playing second fiddle to Muhyiddins smaller party.

Ismail defeated opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, whose three-party alliance is the biggest opposition bloc with 88 votes. Even if all opposition parties support him, he still falls short with 105 votes.
MOSCOW (AP)  German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their sharply different views of Russia's treatment of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, democratic values and other major topics of dispute Friday but vowed to maintain a dialogue.

Merkel traveled to Moscow as she is nearing the end of her almost 16-year-long leadership of Germany. Despite deep disagreements, she has tried throughout her tenure to preserve close contacts with Putin, who has been in power for more than two decades.

Their meeting Friday came on the anniversary of Navalny falling gravely ill on a domestic flight over Siberia from what European officials would later say was poisoning with a Soviet-developed nerve agent. After the opposition leader was stricken, he was flown to Germany for medical treatment at his wifes insistence and spent five months there recuperating.

Navalny, who is Putins most outspoken critic blamed the Aug. 20, 2020 attack on the Kremlin  an accusation that Russian authorities reject. Upon his return to Russia in January, he was immediately arrested and handed a 2-year prison term for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated.

Speaking after Friday's talks with Putin, Merkel reiterated a call for Navalny's release, pointing out that the European Court of Human Rights had criticized his 2014 conviction as clearly disproportionate is unacceptable.

Putin rejected the criticism, arguing that Navalny's sentencing wasn't connected to his opposition activities.

He was convicted of a criminal offense, not his political activities, the Russian leader said, customarily avoiding mentioning Navalny by name. No one should use political activities as a cover for conducting business projects in violation of the law.

Putin also rejected the accusations of a crackdown on Navalny's allies in the run-up to Russia's Sept. 19 parliamentary election. As he has before, he attempted to turn the tables on the West by pointing to the prosecution of people who participated in storming the U.S. Capitol in January.

Putin also scathingly criticized the West over Afghanistan, saying that the Taliban's rapid sweep over the country has shown the futility of Western attempts to enforce its own vision of democracy.

It's necessary to stop the irresponsible police of enforcing its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries based on outside models without taking into account historic, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoring other people's traditions, he said.

Merkel, meanwhile, urged Russia to use its contacts with the Taliban to press for Afghan citizens who helped Germany to be allowed to leave Afghanistan.

Another item on the agenda was the situation in eastern Ukraine, where Germany and France have sought to help broker a peaceful settlement to end the fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists that has killed more than 14,000 people since 2014.

Merkel, who plans to visit Kyiv on Sunday, made clear that she hasnt given up hope of progress in the coming weeks on long-stalled peace efforts in eastern Ukraine.

I will work until my last day in office so that the territorial integrity of Ukraine can be ensured, she said.

Putin pointed at the increasing number of cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine and asked Merkel to reaffirm to Ukrainian authorities during her upcoming trip the importance of honoring their obligations under a 2015 peace deal brokered by Germany and France in Minsk, Belarus.

We have not yet achieved the aims we wanted to achieve in the Minsk agreement, but it is the format for talks that we have,.. and we should deal carefully with this format so long as we dont have anything else, Merkel said. Every little bit of progress could be important, but the work we have to do is very, very hard, and there have been disappointments of the most varied kind.

The German leader and Putin also discussed the nearly finished Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will carry natural gas from Russia to Germany. The project has angered the United States and some European countries, but the U.S. and Germany announced a deal last month to allow its completion.

Putin, who said that just 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) need to be finished, emphasized that the new pipeline offers a much cheaper and safer transit route for Russian gas supplies to Germany and other EU nations.

Merkel noted her desire to see Russia extend its transit contract to pump gas via Ukraine after the current deal expires in 2024. Putin said Russia stood ready to negotiate an extension of the deal but noted that specific details, such as transit volumes, would depend on market demand for the Russian gas in Europe.

Other topics the two longtime leaders discussed included stabilizing Libya, the situation in Syria, efforts to help revive the Iranian nuclear deal and developments in Belarus, where authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has relentlessly cracked down on dissent. Three of Belarus' EU neighbors - Lithuania, Poland and Latvia - have accused Belarusian authorities of encouraging a flow of migrants to destabilize the EU.

Merkel, 67, who grew up in communist East Germany and is fluent in Russian, has always stressed that relations with Russia can only improve through dialogue.

Her visit to Moscow could be one of her last trips abroad as chancellor since she is not running in Germanys national election next month. Its not clear when she will step down, because the outgoing government remains in place until a new one is formed.

Putin, 68, speaks fluent German that he polished while serving as an officer in the Soviet KGB secret service in East Germany during the 1980s. He hailed Merkels role in developing Russian-German ties and said she would be always welcome to visit after she steps down.

Germany is one of our key partners in Europe and the entire world thanks to your efforts over the past 16 years, he said.

Even though we certainly have deep differences today, we speak to each other -- and that should continue to happen, Merkel said during the Kremlin talks.

___

Moulson reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber, Frank Jordans and Dorothee Thiesing in Berlin contributed to this report.
SEDALIA, Mo. (AP)  Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday said he wont call lawmakers back to work this year to redraw the states congressional districts, setting up a compressed timeline for candidates running for the U.S. House in 2022.

Parson told reporters gathered at the Missouri State Fair that he doesnt plan on calling a special legislative session this year. Some lawmakers involved in the redistricting process had expected he would do so.

I dont anticipate a special session at all for the remainder of the year unless we had to do that, said Parson, a Republican.

That means state lawmakers won't be able to debate and vote on new boundaries for Missouri's eight U.S. House districts until they return to the Capitol in January for their annual session.

Candidates can begin filing for office on Feb. 22. But potential candidates often prefer to know the new district lines well in advance, so they have time to decide whether to run and to begin organizing their campaigns.

State Rep. Dan Shaul, who is chairman of the chamber's redistricting committee, said he was disappointed by the governor's decision but plans to hold interim committee meetings nonetheless with the goal of having a proposed map ready in January.

I would like to do it in a special session so our total focus is committed to the proper drawing of maps for the state of Missouri," said Shaul, a Republican from Imperial. "If we do it in regular session, our focus will not be there  it will be divided.

All states must redraw their U.S. House and state legislative districts based on 2020 census data, which was released last week. In Missouri, state lawmakers create congressional districts. Citizen commissions draw state legislative districts.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  The mayor of Salt Lake City announced Friday that she had issued a mask order in the city's K-12 schools as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus spreads.

Mayor Erin Mendenhall said she used her emergency powers to issue the order and that she plans to work with health officials to determine when it can be lifted.

As Mayor it is my responsibility to do everything I can to keep our City, and our school district, from going down the tragic and dangerous path many others are already on, Mendenhall, a Democrat, said in a statement.

The order comes a week after the Salt Lake County Council overturned a school mask order for kids under 12 that the countys top health official issued. Mendenhall said the majority of board members had privately told her that they feared retaliation and urged her to issue the order.

Unfortunately, and despite all the evidence that masks protect children and the adults who care for them, this issue has become politicized to the point that elected bodies across the country, and in the State of Utah, worry about retaliation if they take stand as an organization, Mendenhall wrote.

Masks were required in classrooms last year, but under a new state law, school mask mandates are now banned. Local health departments can issue a rule but only with the support from elected county leaders, and anti-mask advocates have been vocal in their opposition.

Meanwhile, a summer surge of the virus  mostly among unvaccinated residents  has continued to grow.

New data from the Utah Health Department showed that in the past 28 days, residents who are unvaccinated have been over five times more likely to die from COVID-19 and are more than six times more likely to be hospitalized than those who are vaccinated.

About 59.2% of Utah residents ages 12 and older were fully vaccinated as of Thursday, state data shows. Utah reported three new deaths from COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 2,563.
BRIDGEPORT  Bridgeport youth from an immigrants rights and education equity group have turned to art to demand more money be invested in students.

Student leaders from Make the Road Connecticut participated on Thursday at McLevy Green in an art installation made from shoe boxes, meant to represent what a more equitable school system could look like.

The event was part of National Week of Action, which includes youth Make the Road organizers from New Jersey to Nevada, according to Mwiche Siwingwa, the groups youth coordinator.

The boxes show student concerns within the school system, explained Siwingwa, and things that theyd like to see in the future of our schools on the other side.

Siwingwa, who is a Zambia native, grew up in Bridgeport.

The youth picked this idea because art gets people involved, she said. It attracts them to see what theyre doing.

One box tackled metal detectors in schools, which some have said evoke a sense of wrongdoing and criminalization. Another addressed strict dress codes that they say hinder student autonomy.

Part of the groups demands are to invest in safer walking routes and transportation funds for students  a Make the Road campaign since 2017 called Walking Towards a Brighter Future.

I walk 1.3 miles to school, said Maria-Camila, a senior at Bassick High School, and have to walk in storms sometimes. I have asthma and I would prefer having the bus in the morning and afternoon, but they dont give me the bus pass because they say I live close.

Maria-Camila and her peer Janet Cruz asked the school to provide bus passes for public transportation.

In the summertime, I can overheat, said Cruz, a sophomore at Central High School. In the winter, it gets darker earlier, so it scares me that Id have to walk a long distance.

If we got bus passes, it would make me feel safer to get to extracurricular activities and it would also help me commute faster from place to place, she said.

Superintendent Michael Testani said it would be difficult to meet the students demands.

Theres board policies that we follow in terms of whos eligible for transportation, he said. In terms of federal (relief) dollars, transportation is not one of the buckets for ESSER (or) ARP money.

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief and American Rescue Plan funds are pandemic-era grants from the Trump and Biden administrations.

The student group is also calling on the Bridgeport school board and superintendent to use funds from federal relief and school police to invest in community schools, restorative justice and mental health, according to a press release for the event.

Thats what we are using ESSER money for, Testani said Friday, citing six new hires in restorative practice and the elimination of in-school suspensions last year.

The district has also expanded its mental health offerings, he said, including services through an outside provider and additional social workers and school counselors.

Were trying to do everything we can, he said.
I remember the day when the Pantone Color Institute announced their annual color of the year selection for 2021. It was early December 2020, and things were not goinggreat. Pandemic infection rates were surging into the holiday season, political unrest in the Whitehouse was mounting, my elderly mother-in-law was into her third week of being bedridden with COVID, and I was not feeling the holiday spirit. Home-grown pumpkins were still scattered across my coffee table, in a defiant attempt to ignore the pressure of the most wonderful time of year. I was working a lot and running a lot and sleeping a lot; anything to get my mind off the real world.

When lo and behold, Pantone announced their color selection  two colors, in fact: a cheery, vibrant buttercup yellow and a sleek, neutral grey. These colors were crowned as the two most important colors in 2021, and would influence everything from graphic design, to fashion, to interior decorating. Pantones annual color selection is an enormously influential moment for anyone across the globe who touches branding, marketing, design, and art. Its a big deal.

By now, youve surely seen this color combination in a variety of applications. Its a combination that speaks to the resilience, the optimism and hope and positivity that we need, as we reset, renew, reimagine and reinvent, said Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute in a CNN interview. Two extremely independent colors highlight how different elements come together to express this message of strength and hopefulness.

In the spirit of collaboration and purpose-driven branding, I wanted to know if the alternative players the financial industry, the non-big banks, if you will, were embracing the Pantone Color of the Year. These players are plentiful: credit unions, smaller banks and neobanks, FinTech, a variety of apps, crypto. How were they incorporating yellow and grey into their logos, designs, lobbies, websites, and marketing?

But first

Lets talk about Yellow and Grey

Yellow is a wildcard. It connotes many emotions and meanings across cultures, from warning, to happiness, to mourning. It is bright. In fact, it is the easiest color for the human eye to see. Our eyes are most sensitive to yellow and green, so theyre the easiest colors for us to see, even when were not looking directly at them. And even people with red-green color blindness can still see yellow, thats why its the most popular color for highlighters, says Laura Leslie of a Moment of Science. You can learn all about the unique effects yellow has on our brains in this fun article.

No, lets not get too excited about grey, but the shade of grey Pantone selected, ultimate grey is unique because it is very neutral. Many people do not realize how many different shades of grey exist. Next time you visit Home Depot, check out the grey paint chips. There are hundreds, if not thousands of grey, and they only look different when compared against each other. Very warm greys can look red against ice cold greys.

Just look at all these greys! You can even have warm and cool blacks, based on how they are mixed. You cant argue with a name like ultimate grey. It is going to be very, very grey. The greyest of grey.

As a quick way to gauge the current perception surrounding color usage in financial services, I created four logo versions for a fake company, with the only difference being the logos color palette. I then asked a sample of 25 professionals across Facebook and LinkedIn to choose which FI they would do business with purely based on the logo.

Not surprising to anyone I am sure, B took the prize with 65% of the votes. Participants commented that B evokes calm, trust, and professionalism. Which version came in second place? C, with 25% of the votes. The Pantone Colors of the Year version, D, had just 9% of votes. What does this mean? I am not sure. Was by sample biased? Maybe, but I do feel this is a pretty accurate representation of color preference in the industry. Which version would you choose?

Now, without further ado, lets explore a variety of examples showcasing how alternative financial institutions are incorporating the Pantone Colors of the Year.

Credit Unions

I would be remiss if I didnt begin my research with the credit union community, a scrappy group I have been a part of for nearly a decade. Credit unions tend to be smaller and nimbler when it comes to marketing and branding. What they lack in big budgets they make up for in adaptability and efficiency, which allows them to incorporate trends easier, without a chain of signoffs and bureaucracy. Lets face it: Are Chase or Bank of America really going to throw some yellow into their lobbies?

Ill begin with HOCU, a Honolulu-based credit union who is making incredible use of these colors. In previous Pantone Color of the Year articles, I have featured Hawaii-based credit unions; they seem to embrace color and creativity in a bold way, fearlessly incorporating trends. And doesnt HOCUs brand just look incredible? I also love how they used actual on-site photos, not purchased stock photography.

Dont you just love how that marigold yellow pops against the warm grey and bright white? **drooling**

Lets travel 3,200 miles east to Pocatello, ID, home of Lookout CU, Idaho State Universitys (enrollment 22,000) community credit union. The contrast between HOCUs and Lookouts brands illustrate the diversity in color usage, even within a niche industry. Two very different organizations, in two very different cultures and locations, have made elegant use of a similar color palette.

Lookout CUs rebrand was a two-year project that was completed at the end of 2020. BJ Fillingame, Vice President of Marketing at Lookout CU, filled us in on the project. The Lookout Credit Union rebrand represents our passion and connection to a way of life, our deep sense of community and an organizational pride for the positive impact we strive to make in our members lives. Our colors are inspired by our surroundings, grounded in nature, and injected with energy. Color is an instant identifier for Lookout Credit Union, and we dont shy away from using it, he wrote. One can easily see how color inspired their brand in this photo of Pocatello.

For a purist example of 2021 Pantone color usage, check out LGFCUs logo. They are located in Raleigh, NC and have a membership base of state and local employees.

I meancome on. You arent gonna get much closer than this for color similarity!

Lets head a few miles west to Salt Lake City-based Utah CU for a lovely example of yellow and grey in branch design. Their corporate headquarters are a combination of both urban and cozy, created by the warm glow of marigold.

Last but not least, well head to the border to check out Tucson FCUs brand. Their use of illuminating yellow throughout their website is demanding but welcoming. You cant help but read the web copy in the bright yellow boxes. It slaps you across the face and tells you where to look. And that is the beauty of using yellow in design.

Banks

Lets now focus on banks, at a community, national, and global level. I love showcasing what financial institutions are doing in other countries and how their customers respond and experience color in a different way than Americans. Studies show that humans are deeply impacted by color at a cultural level. Just take a look at this fascinating article about why Japanese traffic lights are blue instead of green.

And this in-depth article explains how cultures not only have unique words and designations to describe colors, but some undeveloped cultures do not even have words for colors!

Lets take a look at Kakao Banks branding, which uses illuminating yellow in their logo, website, and mobile components. They are a mobile-only South Korean bank who supposedly attracted 240,000 users in the first 24 hours of launching. Yellow is a very significant color in Korean culture. The Pujok, a bright yellow talisman hung over entrance doors in Korean homes, acts as a good luck charm and wards off bad spirits. Youll see a very similar color is used for their logo identity.

A personal favorite is Aldermore Bank, out of Reading, UK, which is just west of London. They provide financial business services to small and medium businesses only. Their brand is fresh, original and a great example of how a bright yellow and neutral grey palette can be effective across many marketing channels. Combined with a quirky animal-based motif and uncluttered design, they speak to the busy but down-to-earth business owner who rejects the marble floors and pillars of big bank life.

Tyme Bank, based in Johannesburg, South Africa is a digital only neo bank. Their simple, mid-century modern logo and airy website lean into Pantones Colors of the Year unapologetically. Note: In an attempt to not write a blanket statement for the whole of Africa as many do: Yellow is considered a color representing success and prosperity in many African cultures, but I could not find specifics on South Africa.

Lets head back to the USA. MA Bank is a small community bank located in Missouri. They reside in the definition of rural, right smack in the middle of a Bermuda triangle of St. Louis, Kansas City, and Des Moines  population 5,500. But look at how lovely their brand is. MA Bank is a tremendous example of a small time FI investing in design and brand, and a compelling case of perception is reality in branding. You would never think this logo was that of a small, midwestern bank **wipes tear from eye**

Financial Services and Cryptocurrency

Our last category of focus includes catch-all financial services  those entities that arent banks or credit unions but offer services within the financial realm. This category, especially crypto, is positively exploding with new players and innovative brands. Lets take a look.

You couldnt help but smile at Syncrony Financials cheerful logo, website, and retail locations. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, they specialize in consumer loans, credit and purchase planning. Doesnt that bright yellow just make you want to spend SPEND, SPEND!? Something tells me thats what they were going for.

And my boss, Alan Bergstrom, who has been in the branding business for a couple of decades, reminded me that one of his efforts was the creation of CUNA Mutual Groups TruStage direct-to-consumer insurance products brand about 10 years ago (2011). Yes, it was yellow and grey and still is today. Just consider him the Nostradamus of branding. Perhaps I should ask him what next years color(s) will be? Note: he wrote this paragraph.

Onto everyones favorite topiccryptocurrency, the buzzword of the century. Whether you love it, hate it, are terrified of it, or are investing in it, it wont be ignored. The crypto design realm is full of energy and innovation. Ill admit that I look to crypto design for inspiration, and with new offerings seemingly every day, there is no shortage of it. Yellow is a popular color choice, linking back to the symbolic gold coin color that the crypto movement was born from.

I reached out to Taylor Lahey, the designer behind the Celo logo, a mobile-first platform that makes financial dApps and crypto payments accessible to anyone with a mobile phone. I wanted to know his opinion on Pantones 2021 color sections and the role they play in not just the crypto realm, but the entire financial services realm.

As you can see, Lahey utilized a color very similar to Illuminating Yellow in his design of Celos logo. He tells me, CELO, originally named Celo Gold, is the Celo deflationary asset. CELOs role, not unlike the United States previous Gold Standard, is to keep Celo Dollar (cUSD) and other stablecoins like Celo Euro (cEUR) stable. Celos first initiative was to build a protocol featuring Celo Gold and Celo Dollar. Strap in, we are going down the crypto rabbit hole now, folks.

He continues, Our choice of yellow was narrative and identity-oriented. We chose a derivative of a Paris Green for the top ring and complimented it with slightly more saturated and brighter yellow for the bottom one. And his thoughts in design trends in the crypto world? The crypto industry visual direction trends toward science fiction and flamboyant characters colored in neons, purples, and pinks. Where the industry zigs, Celos logo zags and has references to the history of money and value sporting colors like green and gold. You can read about his fascinating journey to create Celos logo here.

Conclusion

If youve made it this far, then youve seen your days worth of yellow. Are you feeling hopeful? Optimistic? Resilient, as the experts at the Pantone Color Institute hypothesized you would?

Ill be honest with you, I am. Yellow and grey are not colors I much care for, but writing this article gave me a new appreciation for this color combination within a branding framework. Illuminating yellow, even in small quantities, can encourage customers to take a certain action, i.e., click a button or read critical text. It can brighten a marketing campaign without adding bulk or whimsy. It can distinguish your brand from a sea of cobalt blue and cherry reds. And Ill close with this question: Would you be willing to try it out?
Cullman, AL (35055)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 84F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
STORY LINK GBP/AUD Forecast: Pound Australian Dollar Exchange Rate Edges Higher as Aussie Sours

Pound (GBP) Pushes Higher Despite Fall in UK Retail Sales

Australian Dollar (AUD) Struggles on Back of Ongoing Coronavirus Situation

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Outlook: Flash PMIs in Focus

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The Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate has edged higher this morning despite the release of disappointing retail sales figures from the UK.At the time of writing the GBP/AUD pairing are trading around the AU$1.9143 level as a worsening coronavirus situation in Australia dents Aussie appeal.The Pound has pushed higher against the Australian Dollar this morning despite an unexpected fall in UK retail sales data.Retail sales fell -2.5% during July, missing forecasts of a 0.4% increase as the boom of Euro 2020 began to wear off.Aled Patchett, head of retail and consumer goods at Lloyds Bank commented on the figures, saying:With the UKs recovery lagging behind that of other major economies, the return of holidays, social events including weddings and the general easing of restrictions last month hasnt turbocharged consumer spending in the way many hoped it might have.As with last year, this could see shoppers front-load the traditional Christmas spending window as they are asked to select from a leaner menu of gifts and goods than usual.If the market mood sours further the Pound could find itself supported further against the Australian Dollar heading into the weekend.The Australian Dollar has struggled across the board this morning as the ongoing coronavirus situation in Australia limits the Aussie.It comes as New South Wales records a further 644 cases and Sydney extends its current lockdown measures.New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian commented on the ongoing outbreak, saying:I apologise to the vast majority of people in those communities who are doing the right thing but for our health and safety moving forward we need to make these difficult decisions.More so, a more fearful market mood has driven investors to safe-haven currencies, meaning the risk-correlated Aussie has missed out heading into the weekend.On Monday, flash PMI figures from the UK will be looked at to drive movement in Sterling.Whilst the preliminary figures are not as influential as the final figures, they are expected to drive movement in GBP exchange rates.The GBP/AUD pairing will continue to be driven by any further coronavirus developments in the coming days as Pound investors digest the rise in global cases.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

TAGS: Pound Australian Dollar Forecasts
Edenton, NC (27932)

Today

Mostly cloudy in the morning with scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 89F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially before midnight. Low 69F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Elizabeth City, NC (27909)

Today

Becoming windy with a thunderstorm or two possible in the afternoon. High 89F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms. Low 68F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
US DOLLAR STRENGTH ACCELERATING USD/CAD BREAKOUT, AUD/USD PLUNGE

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US Dollar bulls staged a forceful move during Thursdays trading session. The Greenback strengthened against virtually all major FX peers such as the Euro, Sterling, Aussie, and Loonie. Broad-based US Dollar gains helped the DXY Index invalidate key resistance and soar to a fresh yearly high above the 93.50-price level.

USD/CAD and AUD/USD have reflected US Dollar strength in particular recently with mounting global growth concerns weighing negatively on commodity currencies and fueling safe-haven demand. In fact, both the Canadian Dollar and Australian Dollar now trade at their weakest levels relative to the US Dollar since February 2021 and November 2020, respectively. Intensifying Fed taper talk has likely helped propel the US Dollar broadly higher as well, though uncertainty surrounding the timing and scope of tapering remains.

DXY  US DOLLAR INDEX PRICE CHART: WEEKLY TIME FRAME (APR 2019 TO AUG 2021)

Chart by @RichDvorakFX created using TradingView

The DXY Index closing above technical resistance at the 93.35-price level this week could open up the door to further gains. As such, US Dollar bulls might have their sights set on the 94.65-price level highlighted on the weekly chart above.

This is an area of confluence underpinned by the March 2020 swing low, September 2020 swing high, and 38.2% Fibonacci retracement of the DXY Indexs pandemic trading range. Failure to maintain altitude at current levels into week-end has potential to see US Dollar bears fade recent strength and search for support around the 92.00-handle.

USD PRICE OUTLOOK  US DOLLAR IMPLIED VOLATILITY TRADING RANGES (OVERNIGHT)

USD/CAD overnight implied volatility has crept higher owing to the latest breakout above the 1.2800-price level. More volatility for this pair is expected on Friday in light of event risk detailed on the economic calendar. Specifically, Canadian retail sales and housing price index are scheduled for release at 12:30 GMT while Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan is slated to give a speech at 15:00 GMT. USD/CAD overnight implied volatility of 8.6% is above its 20-day average reading of 6.3% and ranks in the top 91st percentile of measurements taken over the last 12-months.

-- Written by Rich Dvorak, Analyst for DailyFX.com

Connect with @RichDvorakFX on Twitter for real-time market insight
Gregory (Greg) Boggs of Greenup, age 68, died on August, 20 2021, at Kings Daughters Memorial Center.. Gregory is survived by his wife of 43 years, Tina (Madden) Boggs; his daughter Jennifer (Boggs) Brown and son in law Bill Brown, of South Portsmouth; his daughter Anna Collister and son in 
Sunbury, PA (17801)

Today

Periods of rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Potential for flooding rains. High 67F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

A steady rain in the evening. Showers continuing late. Low around 55F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
NORRISTOWN  A Perkiomen man was convicted of charges he intentionally killed his Gilbertsville girlfriend during a brutal beating outside his home.

After about 90 minutes of deliberations on Thursday, the Montgomery County jury convicted Nicholas Alexander Forman of first-degree murder, which is an intentional killing, in connection with the Feb. 3, 2020, beating death of 22-year-old Sabrina Harooni, of Gilbertsville.

Forman, 24, of the 900 block of Hamilton Road, showed no emotion as the jury forewoman announced the verdict after a four-day trial.

Forman, through his lawyer Michael A. John, indicated to Judge William R. Carpenter that he wanted to be sentenced immediately. Carpenter then imposed the sentence of life imprisonment.

Forman, who was charged with first- and third-degree murder, did not testify during the trial.

During his closing statement to the jury, District Attorney Kevin R. Steele argued Forman committed first-degree murder, which is an intentional killing.

How do we know what a persons intentions are? We know because of what they do and we know because of what they say, Steele said as he replayed a cellphone video that Forman recorded of Haroonis lifeless and battered body lying on the grass outside his Hamilton Road residence.

This is what a cheating liar gets, Forman could be heard on the video recording, which also included several obscenities and derogatory comments.

According to testimony, the fatal beating occurred after Forman argued with Harooni about a text message she received from another person. Forman repeatedly demanded to see the message and Harooni ignored his demands, at one point telling Forman, Youre scaring me, according to one witness testimony.

Steele and co-prosecutor Erika Wevodau argued at trial that after severely beating and strangling Harooni, Forman dragged her body inside his residence where he kept her for more than 10 hours before taking her to a hospital. Prosecutors argued Forman had numerous opportunities to get help for Harooni and failed to do so.

This is specific intent to kill because of the fact he did not seek medical treatment for herhe hid her away so nobody could help her, Steele argued. Each of these acts to put her into that condition is a deliberate act. Hitting, compression, strangling  deliberate actions.

But defense lawyer Michael A. John, while conceding the case was not a whodunit, suggested Forman didnt intend to kill Harooni, arguing against a first-degree murder conviction. John suggested the evidence supported a finding of third-degree murder, which is a killing committed with malice, a hardness of heart and an extreme indifference to the value of human life.

This wasnt a whodunit. It was cruel. It was extremely indifferent to Sabrina Haroonis life. My client did have malice but he did not have the specific intent to kill Sabrina Harooni, John argued during his closing statement to jurors.

Hes jealous. Its a strong emotion. He was selfish. He didnt intend to kill her, John continued.

Several of Haroonis relatives and friends were in the courtroom for the lawyers closing arguments.

An investigation of Forman began about 11:28 a.m. Feb. 3, 2020, when officials at Pottstown Hospital Tower Health notified Pottstown police that Harooni arrived at the emergency department in an Uber with Forman and she was suffering from injuries to her neck, face and head.

The victim was cold to the touch, with blue lips and not breathing, county Detective John Wittenberger and state police Trooper Richard W. Sanzick Jr. wrote in the arrest affidavit, adding Harooni subsequently was pronounced dead.

Doctors told detectives Haroonis body temperature was no more than 79 degrees and her pupils were blown out, which is indicative of head trauma or lack of oxygen, according to arrest documents. Doctors stated Haroonis injuries were consistent with a severe physical assault.

An autopsy determined Haroonis cause of death to be asphyxia and multiple blunt force injuries.

The only defense witness called by John on Thursday was a medical examiner who reviewed the autopsy report and said he respectfully disagreed with the finding that one of the causes of Haroonis death was asphyxia.

Forman told Pottstown detectives and state police at Skippack that he and Harooni went to PJ Whelihans Pub in Oaks on Feb. 2 to watch the Super Bowl and that Harooni had a verbal altercation with three females who later beat her during an altercation that carried over outside his Hamilton Road residence. Forman claimed he carried an injured Harooni into his home, that she was still breathing and that he continually checked on her until he fell asleep.

Forman claimed he woke up about 8:45 a.m. Feb. 3 and took an Uber to go to a hearing in Limerick district court where he had to answer to drug-related charges stemming from a previous alleged Upper Providence incident. Forman claimed when he returned home at 10 a.m. he checked on Harooni, realized Harooni was unresponsive so he summoned an Uber driver to take them to the hospital, according to court papers. Forman claimed Harooni was still breathing when he took her to the hospital.

But prosecutors presented video surveillance footage from the PJ Whelihans to the jury that depicted the couple inside and showed there was no evidence of Harooni ever having an altercation with other women.

Detectives also uncovered the 13-second audio and video recording on Formans cellphone that depicted Harooni, traces of blood on her face, lying unresponsive on a grassy area believed to be outside Formans residence.

In the recording, Forman is heard stating, This is what a cheating liar gets. The cellphone also contained two photographs of an injured Harooni outside and inside the Perkiomen residence, according to court papers.

Court documents indicate Forman and Harooni had been dating for about seven months and that he had recently rented a room at the Hamilton Road residence and that Harooni stayed there with him several times a week.

The investigation led to an Uber driver who transported Forman and Harooni from PJ Whelihans to the Perkiomen residence about 10:07 p.m. Feb. 2. During that drive, Harooni received a text message from someone and Forman repeatedly demanded to see the message, prompting Harooni to tell Forman youre scaring me, the Uber driver testified.

The driver added he observed Forman and Harooni continue the argument on the driveway of the Perkiomen residence and he waited nearby for about 10 minutes until he could not hear any more shouting.
Brenda Blethyn is donning DCI Vera Stanhopes familiar scruffy mac again as an 11th series of popular crime drama Vera comes to our screens. But the Oscar-nominated actress says she would be as happy in Lycra and sequins as she is in her characters comfy clobber.

Watching Dancing On Ice, Ive often thought Id like to have a go at that, says Brenda, 75, with a chuckle. But whos going to let me? None of them can stand up on the ice to start with, can they? Doing all the twiddles and turns would be very difficult.

You wouldnt put it past Brenda to have a spin around the rink, though. She exudes youthful energy and looks at least a decade younger than she is.

In the past year Brenda has been busy filming six new episodes of Vera in Northumberland, two to be shown this year, the rest in 2022.

Brenda Blethyn, 75, shared the challenges of filming Vera in the Covid era, after spending the past year working on new episodes. Pictured: Vera with DS Healy

Even after a decade in the role, Brenda remains excited by it. I was very happy to go back and make more, she says.

I was thinking of retiring just before I was first offered the part, but when a job like this comes along, its too good to turn down. I thought, No ones ever thought of me as a detective before.

Brenda then ran out and bought the Ann Cleeves novels on which the series is based.

I turned the page and it said something like, In lumbered this great lummox of a woman, like a bag lady carrying bags of shopping, and I thought, Is this who they want me to be?! I carried on reading and I thought, Oh, my goodness, this is a wonderful character. Yes, please, Id love to play this part.

Making the new series in the Covid era brought distinct challenges. Veras famous Land Rover had to be disinfected before Brenda could film in it, but this created a new problem.

When we shot the first scene in the Land Rover, I was horrified to see that all Veras accumulated rubbish had been removed and the whole vehicle sanitised, she laughs.

I want all Veras rubbish back please! I cried. So they sanitised all the apple cores and crisp packets and put them back.

The first episode focuses on the murder of a builder whose body is found at the Collingwood Monument in Tynemouth. Vera, with the help of right-hand man DS Aiden Healy (Kenny Doughty), has to figure out whether the victim was silenced because he was about to give evidence in a court case, or whether family tension had erupted into violence.

Brenda, who knows Vera better than anyone else on set, said the lasting appeal of the character is that she's an ordinary person. Pictured: Vera by her Land Rover

Brenda says she has free rein to advise the writers on her characters development. I know Vera better than anyone else on set, because Ive lived with her longer, she explains.

The guest writers who come in dont know her as well as I do. Also, I like solving problems. Sometimes, when Im reading a draft Ill say, Ive guessed whos done that from page four, so they go back and adjust it. But theyre open to that.

Veras lasting appeal, she says, is that shes one of us.

Shes an ordinary person. You feel like you can talk to her; shes not a fashion icon, theres nobody lusting after her. She gets the job done and is a woman in charge of the team in what used to be perceived as a mans world.

Filming on the new series was delayed by the first Covid lockdown, which also separated Brenda from her husband Michael for three months: when it began she was at their second home in Ramsgate, and he was at their London home, and neither was allowed to leave.

I couldnt come home and he couldnt come there, she says.

But Covid restrictions did make her appreciate this country. Id be quite happy if I never went abroad again, she shrugs.

I loved all the places Ive been to, but Im kind of happy with where I am and what Ive got right now. Lockdowns reminded us of the value of our home and what weve got on our doorstep.

And, in Veras case, thats the beautiful wilds of Northumberland where murder is always afoot.

Vera begins later this month on ITV.
Verity Carter's earliest memory, from when she was about three, is of being beaten for the 'crime' of spilling blackcurrant juice on a curtain. 'Physical discipline was extreme and regular,' the now 41-year-old recalls.

And it was just one of many horrific elements of the life her parents had chosen for her, raising her in the notorious Children of God cult in the 1980s.

For years the global sect was shrouded in secrecy, although in recent years the convictions in the UK of two cult members for rape and sexual abuse have shed light on the sinister teachings of its late founder David Berg.

And now three British women who grew up in the cult, in properties scattered across the UK, have chosen to speak out in a compelling new five-part documentary that is in turn revealing and chilling.

Sara Kelley (pregnant with Serena) and David Berg. Children Of The Cult. Discovery

Berg was an evangelical preacher who founded the Children of God in California in 1968. He attracted a group of runaway teens and hippies with a mantra of free love and family, and the movement swept the globe.

By the mid-70s he claimed to have 10,000 followers in 130 communes, among them the families of Hollywood stars Rose McGowan and Joaquin Phoenix.

Berg advocated promiscuous sex and insisted there should be no limits, regardless of age or relationship.

Verity was sexually abused from the age of four, including by her own father, while Celeste Jones, 46, who also features in the documentary, remembers being put on her commune's 'sharing schedule' at the age of ten. That meant being on a rotating timetable of sexual partners. 'It was not a choice, it was a duty,' she recalls.

Celeste's mum had joined the Children of God at 16 after the group were asked to give a talk at her school. She met Celeste's father at a commune in Kent, in a grand Elizabethan manor house in the village of Hollingbourne, near Maidstone.

'My parents thought they were on a mission to save the world,' says Celeste.

Yet any rebellion or deviation from Berg's teachings was brutally quelled, recalls Hope Bastine, 42, the third British woman in the documentary. 'I got severely punished for speaking out and was locked in a room for several days while the men took it in turns to give me corporal punishment,' she says.

By the 1990s Berg had drawn the attention of Interpol and the FBI, and his prophecy that the world would end in 1993 had passed unfulfilled. Hope became convinced there was a better life outside and, aged 18, took the plunge.

'I'd squirrelled away enough for a bus ticket, and I got to London, to my nan's house,' she recalls. But it took several years until she found the courage to tell police about the men who had abused her  among them Derek Lincoln.

Celeste Jones, 46, who remembers being put on a rotating timetable of sexual partners, revealed becoming a mother was the catalyst she needed to leave. Pictured: Celeste as a child, living in the cult

The agonising case ended last year when Lincoln was sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison for rape and sexual abuse.

It also took time for Verity to speak out. She spent her early years with her family in a flat in Paisley near Glasgow, but they were shut off from everything.

'We did not have music or TV or culture. We had no idea how the world worked,' she has said. By 11 or 12 she was in one of the cult's communes in Scotland, where some properties had up to 50 people under one roof.

At 15 she was kicked out, surviving on cash-in-hand jobs, but was 31 when she finally went to police. In 2018, her father, Alexander Watt, was convicted of sexual abuse.

For Celeste, becoming a mother 22 years ago was the catalyst she needed to leave  but it wasn't easy.

'I had no money, no bank account, my daughter's passport and mine were with the leaders, and any communication was monitored,' she says.

Today, the organisation is called The Family International and operates online. Its website boasts of a presence in 75 countries.

Hope's mother remains a member, while Verity is frustrated that many others who abused her are still walking free. 'I'll feel I've got justice when my worst abuser has been caught,' she says. 'I'll feel I've got justice when my worst abuser has been caught,' she says.

Children Of The Cult is available from today on discovery+.
Two decades on from 9/11, artist Vanessa Lawrence is running along a deserted beach near her home on the west coast of Scotland. She is in a setting about as far removed from the horrors of that day in New York as you can get.

Its a clever and poignant opening to a new documentary about the attacks on the Twin Towers of Manhattans World Trade Center, underlining that however many miles  or years  we put between ourselves and personal tragedy, sometimes there is no escape.

Manchester-born Vanessa is, technically, a survivor of the terror attacks (although the film questions that neat description). As an artist, she had won a residency at the World Trade Center and was working on a painting of the city skyline from a studio on the 91st floor of the North Tower.

Vanessa, then 26, had arrived at 6am to catch the early morning light, which was particularly beautiful that day. Id been trying to capture that amazing sunrise, she recalls.

A new documentary reveals the impact the attacks on the Twin Towers of Manhattan's World Trade Center has had. Pictured: The towers ablaze

Had Vanessa been at her easel when the plane hit, she would not be here to tell the tale. My studio was on that side of the tower. It would have been over very quickly, I think.

But shed popped downstairs to get a juice, and at 8.46am was just coming back up in the lift, which was on the opposite side of the building. As she stepped out on the 91st floor the tower was rocked by a massive explosion, which threw her out. The lift plunged downwards.

No one in the building above this level survived. That Vanessa made it down at all is a miracle, but she did, walking down 1,729 fire escape steps, in the pitch black, sometimes trapped in smoke-filled stairwells.

Today, the images are still vivid in her head, which is a whole other terror. I was watching a film the other night and there was an explosion, and it happened in slow motion. I thought, Theyve got that right, because it is what it felt like.

She was on the ground at the bottom of the North Tower, when she saw the South Tower coming down.

I remember it being silent, but obviously it cant have been. The thing that strikes me now is how every tiny decision you make in that situation determines whether you will live.

'I remember seeing people rushing down a subway entrance across the road. Id only taken one step when there was a big explosion coming out of it.

In the chaos, she was aware shed lost one of her flip-flops, then that she couldnt breathe. I was trying but I just couldnt, she recalls.

One of the surivors Vanessa Lawrence said she still has 'episodes', because the smell of any burning gives her a sense of panic ( Pictured: A firefighter heads up the North Tower as others flee down)

Then this little voice, which seemed to come from my stomach, said, Keep going, keep going. Somehow she managed to get a breath, and staggered to a nearby fire engine, where a firefighter helped her pour water over her face.

It was then I saw my flip-flop poking out of the debris and went to get it. He said, You have more important things to worry about than your flip-flop.

She walked, in a daze and barefoot, to her friends house in Manhattan. She said when she saw me coming down the street that I looked like a walking statue.

Like so many 9/11 survivors, Vanessa divides her life into before that day and after, and even now has difficulty talking about it. She still has episodes.

It will be a windy day, and I will think something is going to fall on me, I will get trapped. Things still trigger it, smells, sounds. Any smell of burning and I go into a sense of panic.

Tears fall from her eyes. Its not rational.

Any smell of burning and I go into a panic

Vanessa moved back to the UK shortly after the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people in total, and has returned to Manhattan only a couple of times. The last time was difficult, she says.

I had a meeting in the financial district [where the towers had been] and had to sit down in the street because I felt so claustrophobic.

Since then she has tried to make sense of it all (Why did I make it out? Its a huge part of who I am) through her art.

Twin lights known as the 'Tribute in Light' memorial are a reminder of whats been lost (pictured)

She used her lost flip-flop as inspiration for a piece of sculpture, which featured a flip-flop twisting out of plaster. She called it Left Behind, because a part of me was left behind.

Shes also returned to the painting she was working on that morning, attempting a re-creation.

Obviously the original was lost. So Ive had to work on it from memory. Its unfinished, and perhaps always will be.

Surviving 9/11 is a devastating documentary, intersplicing the minute-by-minute events of that day told by witnesses with an examination of what has happened in survivors lives since.

It didnt feel enough to make a film purely about the past, says director Arthur Cary, who spent more than a year talking to contributors. Its much more interesting to see the impact of the past on the present.

The whole world saw my son being killed

That impact can be devastating to witness. We meet Malcolm Campbell, from Northampton, who lost his son Geoff, 31, in the disaster. A risk analyst working in New York, Geoff was at the World Trade Center for a meeting.

Malcolm was hillwalking in Wales on the day, and returns to the spot on each anniversary, needing to be alone in his grief. The whole world watched Geoff being killed, he says. Thats very strange and very difficult.

Geoffs brother Matt has a wholly different way of coping with the loss. He believes theres been a conspiracy to conceal the truth of what happened on 9/11 and is filmed poring through documents seeking evidence.

Father and son have clearly pulled apart on this, grieving in incompatible ways. There is a gap in the family, says Malcolm. It doesnt quite work as well as it did before.

In the States, Lauren Mannings son Tyler, 20, is not on any official list of victims of 9/11. In fact, theoretically, hes one of the lucky ones. His mother, who was late getting to work at the World Trade Center on that fateful day, did come home again.

Granted, it was six months after the attacks, the intervening time spent in hospital after being badly burned when hit by a fireball in the lobby of the North Tower while going to get a lift up to the offices of financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald  658 of her colleagues died that day.

She was not expected to pull through after suffering third and fourth-degree burns on 82.5 per cent of her body, yet she did. She has said that as she was lying on the ground outside the towers, she knew she must fight because Tyler, aged just ten months at the time, needed her.

Lauren has since written books and given motivational talks about her fight for survival. Its a difficult balance, though.

Ive come to be defined by it, she says, of that day. So has her son, it seems.

In the documentary they are filmed watching terrible footage from 2001, with Laurens hands so badly damaged they do not even look like hands and part of her ear just melted off. Tyler was brought in to see his mother and did not recognise her.

The footage features him pushing his little walk-along along the corridors.

Hes grown up watching her having to learn to walk and talk again, and enduring hundreds of operations.

Now, hes an angry adult, telling the cameras that rather than the authorities killing Osama bin Laden, I wish they had brought him here so I could torture him. Yeah, Id hurt him.

Lauren admits questioning whether it would have been better for her son if shed died that day. The sight of her wounds are, to this day, the cause of such pain to him.

She talks of Tyler growing up with a mother who didnt look like other moms, of endless hospital visits, and of scarring  of all types.

Ive asked myself if it would have been better, for him, if Id died. If there was a perfect picture of us on his bureau, he would have those unblemished memories. Would that have been a better legacy?

Tyler wouldnt agree, of course. Hes been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, and has set up an organisation to help others.

On the anniversary this year, the Manning family will join their Cantor Fitzgerald work family  including hundreds of bereaved children  to mourn and remember. Twenty years on, the pain is still palpable.

Surviving 9/11 will be broadcast at 9pm on Monday, August 30 on BBC2.
While today's churchgoers are perceived to be modest and respectful believers who quietly dedicate time to their religion - the same cannot be always have been said for British society.

From men punching vicars in the face for questing their right to bring a hawk into church, to a French aristocrat advising his noble daughters not to have sex in the pews, the escapades of Medieval and Tudor society have been revealed in a new book.

The periods (classed as 1066-1603) saw all adults required to go to church, meaning that behaviours such as gossiping, fighting and bearing weapons were commonplace.

Going to Church in Medieval England by Nicholas Orme, Professor of History at Exeter University, reveals the scandalous stories of how it really was going to church in the Medieval period.

WEAPONS, GOSSIP AND FISTFIGHTS IN CHURCH

Badly behaved clergymen! Henry II (1133-89) King of England from 1154 is seen disputing with Thomas a Becket (1118-70), the Archbishop of Canterbury. Also pictured are four knights who murdered Becket

The Church insisted that all adults attend mass from roughly the twelfth century, meaning that many of the congregation weren't quite as well behaved as modern day churchgoers.

As medieval society was a military one, men bearing arms during church was not illegal nor opposed by the clergy.

In 1430, the Bishop of Durham was forced to tell parishioners of Lanchester not to leave their swords, bows and arrows in the churchyard or the porch as it was obstructing entry to the building.

Another behaviour disapproved of by clergy and parish leaders was noise and disorder - among both children and adults. They frowned upon those who left their seats and walked around, especially men who would wander the church showing off their lavish clothes.

An example of both violence and gloating occurred in Kent in 1514, when a knight hit the vicar in the face after he questioned him for coming to mass with his hunting hawk.

Gossiping was frowned upon but common among both males and females, with complaints about five such men disturbing a civil parish near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.

Church leaders were equally disapproving of those who brought their quarrels into mass, with reports of two wives squabbling in London in 1501 and a man harassing the priest and the parish clerk while they read the banns of a marriage in Kent the same year.

VIOLENT ASSAULTS ON PRIESTS

A common complaint from the Church was members of the public venting their rage at the priest or the parish leaders, with serious allegations of assault made to the court of Star Chamber during the sixteenth century.

In one instance the rector of Workington in Cumberland was assaulted while wearing a vestment, while his counterpart at Winchelsea, Sussex, was molested as he read the gospel before criminals stole the gospel book and the offerings of money made that day.

At a church in Pawlett, Somerset, men forced the vicar to sign a bond worth 10 after seizing him while he was preparing to distribute holy bread to the congregation at the end of mass.

In the Cornwall, two criminals invaded St Just in Roseland church to stop the first two masses taking place on Christmas Day.

Orme noted that while events of this kind could be exaggerated in order to convince a judge, some truth lies behind the allegations.

CLERGYMEN BEHAVING BADLY

The Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Arundel (1353-1414) preaching to the English nobility against Richard II (1367-1400),

Up until the Norman Conquest, several clergy members were married, with celibacy a choice rather than a requirement.

But amid reform in the twelfth century authorities began to prohibit relationships, which they felt inhibited clergymen spiritually and decreased the control of the Church.

They initially prohibited subdeacons, deacons, and priests from living with wives before eventually ordering all married men to be deprived of their benefices and separated from their partners, dubbing them invalidly wedded.

However illicit relationships continued, with thirty-nine clergy reported for fornication with unmarried women or adultery with the married between 1391 and 1394 in Berkshire, Dorset, and Wiltshire.

In 1397 fifty-four men were named as suspected or rumoured to have had illicit relationships in Herefordshire, west Gloucestershire, and south Shropshire.

How has language changed since the Medieval period: Clergy ranks and terminology from the church Clergy - The body of people ordained for religious duties. Minster - Communities of monks and priests during the first three centuries of English Christianity. Deacon - A member of the clergy who assists the priest. They can baptise and distribute communion but no more. Subdeacon - A member of the clergy ranked below the Deacon who helps in the order of precedence. Parish Clerk - A permanent aide who assists with tasks such as holding the cross and candles at major services. Rector or Vicar- A member of the Clergy expected to have been ordained as a priest rather than at a lower level of ordination and to be capable of celebrating mass, which was restricted to priests. Tithes - One tenth of annual produce or earnings taken as a tax for the support of the Church and clergy. Diocesan - An area controlled by a bishop. Advertisement

Other questionable behaviour from religious leaders was one vicar of Aldworth who, in 1391, was accused of allowing a clandestine marriage and refusing the sacrament to a dying woman.

CEMETERIES USED FOR SEX AND FIGHTS

While churches themselves were at some points in this period were for used for non-secular activities - it was cemeteries that saw the biggest violations.

Fighting was common in the fifteenth century - with at least thirty-three cases of bloodshed reported in Cornwall and Devon between 1421 and 1454.

Equally as detrimental to the Church was sexual intercourse in sacred areas.

Although it is impossible to know how often this happened, it was considered a big enough issue that church leaders felt the need to comment on it.

One Medieval Bishop made a point of denouncing it, suggesting he had cause for concern.

Fourteenth-century French knight Geoffroy de la Tour Landry even wrote a book of instruction for his daughters in which he advised them against intercourse in church, scaring them with a fable of a man and woman who became welded together after having sex beneath an altar.

The rules around confession also suggest the church was guarding itself against any potential sexual dalliances.

Some diocesan statutes insisted women taking confession should take place outside Lenten curtain in the chancel due to a fear of males and females being together out of sight.

ARISTOCRACY BICKERING OVER SEATS

In public, the those of rank made sure to maintain their status in public by attending church as often as they could, especially on Sundays - making sure to occupy the seats saved exclusively for them, ensuring they didn't lose respect and loyalty.

But it wasn't only the upper echelons of society who saw church as a place to cement your status in society.

The wealthy yeomen who lived outside the cities would routinely travel to Sunday mass, keen to confirm their social standing with appropriate seating - occasionally turning violent if they felt they had been snubbed.

In 1502, four women were dragged from their seats at a church in Kent by men who felt their own wives were more deserving of their seats, while similarly in Somerset in 1533, a woman was forcibly removed from the 'best pew' in the church.

SLEEPING, EATING OR DRINKING INSTEAD OF CHURCH

A landlord draws more wine from his cellars as his patrons indulge upstairs, pictured is from c.1350

While we tend to assume Medieval society was entirely pious, there were several who broke the law by deciding not to attend church.

And it seems that teenagers were as adverse to early mornings as they are today, with a common reason for absence young people refusing to get out of bed.

In Great Bealings, Suffolk in 1499, young William Herwer was reported to the Church because he was lying in bed, while a youth called Perce from Redmile, Leicestershire was dobbed in for not attending mass in 1518.

One poor youth was hit in the face in Essex in 1512 when a rector asked him why he did not attend a statutory evensong and he replied 'I was asleep'.

Going to Church in Medieval England by Nicholas Orme, Professor of History at Exeter University, reveals the scandalous stories of church in the Medieval period

Eating and drinking out on Sundays were also popular, with reports of three men keeping Bedford locals away from service on Sunday morning by serving breakfast in 1518, while a man and wife in Sutton received servants and labourers to drink in their house.

But some indulged in drinking and went to mass. In 1364 the nuns of Shaftesbury complained that they were disturbed by the crowds who came to church of St Cross, for an early morning mass  so they could spend the rest of the day drinking.

PROSTITUTES AND LEPERS EXCLUDED FROM CHURCH

While many were expected to go to mass every Sunday, some members of society were deemed not worthy of attending, or being buried on church grounds.

In 1229, Worcester diocese banned women with yellow wimples  doubtless prostitutes  from receiving holy water or holy bread and public fornicators from receiving communion on Easter Day.

In London, prostitutes were buried in a separate graveyard in Southwark titled the single womens churchyard.

Others who were not allowed in standard graveyards were stillborn children because they had not been baptised and those who committed suicide because it was considered to be a result of mental illness.

Lepers were excluded from church, as well as other institutions - with hospitals , chapels and cemeteries built for those with the disease.

Going to Church in Medieval England by Nicholas Orme is published by Yale and available for 20
A 29-year-old cancer survivor who is set to become the first-ever person with a prosthesis to jet into space as part of an all-civilian SpaceX mission has offered a glimpse into the rigorous training process that each of the budding astronauts has had to go through ahead of next month's flight.

Hayley Arceneaux, who was named as the youngest member of SpaceX's first all-civilian space mission, Inspiration4, earlier this year has been busy documenting the in-depth preparation process that is required of her and all three of her space-bound companions ahead of their flight on September 15.

Speaking to the Today show about her training, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native - who now works as a physicians assistant at St. Jude's Children's Hospital, where she herself received treatment for bone cancer - explained that the preparation process began months ago, shortly after the four members of the crew were named.

The training began in Pennsylvania, where Hayley and her companions were given a taste of the kinds of intensive physical strain their bodies will undergo during their space flight.

Hayley Arceneaux, 29, will be the youngest SpaceX crew member and the first astronaut with a prosthesis when she takes off in the first all-civilian space mission, Inspiration4

The crew did a 30-hour simulation to get an idea of what the multi-day trip will be like, including 'eating our space foods and wearing our space clothes'

'As soon as the whole crew was announced, we went straight to Pennsylvania and did centrifuge training to get our bodies accustomed to the (gravitational) G-forces that we're going to feel with launch and re-entry,' she said, adding that the training has 'really been ramping up in intensity' in recent weeks.

In centrifuge training the crew members are spun very fast in a rollercoaster-looking contraption designed to train their bodies to tolerate the increased acceleration and lower gravitational forces they will experience once they leave earth's surface.

'Since then, it's been a lot of studying and a lot of time in the simulator,' Arceneaux added.

'We've done a lot of cool things, too.'

One of the first things the crew did together to break the ice - literally - and build chemistry was hike Mount Rainier in Washington. Arceneaux recalled their commander saying it was 'to get us comfortable with being uncomfortable'.

'We camped on this mountain together for three days - we hiked for ten hours on the first day, straight up the mountain,' Arceneaux said.

One of the first things the crew did together was climb a mountain 'to get comfortable with being uncomfortable'

The Inspiration4 crew (left to right): Forty-one-year-old Iraq war veteran Chris Semboski, 51-year-old professor of geoscience Sian Proctor, billionaire Jared Isaacman and Arceneaux

Arceneaux (right) and Proctor (left) in altitude chamber training in case of an emergency where a malfunction in cabin pressure could cause oxygen levels to drop

Arceneaux has been documenting her training on social media, which includes hitting the gym

'We learned a lot about ourselves and each other and it made us even more confident in the chemistry of our crew. We get along so well.'

She told Today: 'We did a zero-gravity flight and got to experience weightlessness for the first time.'

Arceneaux described being in the spacecraft without gravity as 'the weirdest sensation of not being attached to anything'.

'It's harder than you would expect to navigate in zero gravity,' she added.

The crew then participated in high-altitude training in case of an emergency where a malfunction in cabin pressure would cause oxygen levels to drop.

'We've done it all,' she said.

'We did some water survival training, hypoxia training - all of the quintessential astronaut training and it's been all of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences packed into one year. It's been the best.'

Arceneaux completed fighter jet training in Montana as well as centrifuge training to get accustomed to the g-forces

The crew practiced weightlessly navigating in the spacecraft with a zero-gravity test flight. Arceneaux said: 'It's harder than you would expect'

Aside from physical training a lot of studying has gone into preparing for takeoff

Hypoxia training is another exercise astronauts do to know how to continue navigating the spacecraft with reduced oxygen.

Arceneaux told Today that 'there have been so many moments that have made it feel real but when I got to put on my space suit two weeks ago I was like, "Yep I'm an astronaut. I am going to space".'

The crew even did a 30-hour simulation to get an idea of what the multi-day trip will be like, including 'eating our space foods and wearing our space clothes'.

'And then I actually got to see our Falcon 9 rocket,' she said.

'It was so exciting. We got to sign our names in the soot because it's been used a couple times.

'The beauty of Space X is they're making this reusable technology and so this rocket's been to space, it's got soot and we got to sign our names in the soot. It (the rocket) knows what it's doing,' she added.

The other two crew members are 51-year-old professor of geoscience Sian Proctor, and 41-year-old Iraq war veteran Chris Semboski.

Arceneaux showed her Instagram followers what she's packing for space, including her late father's favorite tie, a t-shirt from her alma mater, her parent's wedding rings and other special mementos

Arceneaux is a physician's assistant at St Jude's Children's Research Hospital where she was treated for bone cancer at age 10.

The hospital replaced a diseased portion of Arceneaux's right femur with a metal rod and 19 years later the prosthesis will make her the first to journey into earth's orbit with an artificial body part.

Arceneaux told Today that she first knew she wanted to be an astronaut 'a few months before I was diagnosed when my family went to NASA in Houston'.

She is now less than a month away from achieving that dream as part of a three-day space mission after joining the crew alongside billionaire Jared Isaacman - who purchased the flight - back in February.

Arceneaux signed her name in the spacecraft's soot

The Falcon 9 was covered in soot because it had been to space before

'The beauty of SpaceX is they're making this reusable technology and so this rocket's been to space, it has soot and we got to sign our names in the soot,' Arceneaux added.

'I feel like I'm getting all of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences all in one,' Arceneaux told Today.

However, there's less training when it comes to packing for space. When asked what she's putting in her suitcase Arceneaux laughed and said 'there are no travel blogs' when she tried searching for tips on what to bring into orbit.

She shared her own video sharing what she's packing for the space mission including a t-shirt from her alma mater Southeastern Louisiana University, her parent's wedding rings and letters from her family she won't open until in orbit.

Arceneaux shared: 'I'm bringing pictures of friends I lost through the years to cancer because they're such an important part of why we're going on this mission (and) raising money for St Jude.'

She's also bringing her late father's favorite tie.

The three-day space mission is taking place September 15-18, 2021

The crew did a 30-hour simulation to get an idea of what the multi-day trip will be like

The civilian astronauts completed water survival and fighter jet training in Montana as well as centrifuge training to get accustomed to the g-forces

Arceneaux said on the morning talk show: 'I lost my dad to cancer just three years ago and he had this really bold St Jude tie and I would always say "Don't wear that, that's not the most fashionable." But he would insist on wearing it because people would ask him about it and then he could tell them about St Jude.'

The physician's assistant wants to show her young patients and other cancer survivors that 'the sky is not even the limit anymore'.

She is looking forward the life-changing moment that past astronauts have experienced when in space looking back down on earth but said she is most excited about calling the St Jude patients from space.

'Kids are so visual and it will actually show them what their future can look like,' she said.

Arceneaux said: 'I really just want to pass on the message that if I can do this, you can do this. And to hold onto hope that there will be better days. The hair will grow back and you're going to feel better and you're going to grow up and accomplish your dreams.'

She is now a physician's assistant at St Jude's Hospital and wants to show patients and cancer survivors that 'the sky is not even the limit anymore'

Arceneaux was treated at St Jude's Hospital (pictured) for bone cancer and has since recovered from the illness

Arceneaux knew she wanted to be an astronaut after visiting NASA in Houston with her family
A mother of 11 has revealed how she rescued ten girls on Afghanistan's robotics team after reports of a Taliban takeover prompted fears over their safety.

Allyson Reneau, 60, from Oklahoma, was on the board of directors for Explore Mars when the organization flew the Afghan Girls Robotic Team to its annual Humans to Mars Conference in 2019.

Reneau, who graduated from Harvard in 2016 with a master's degree in international relations and U.S. space policy, told Today that she 'immediately connected' with the group of girls - who are ages 16 to 18 - and has kept touch with them over the years.

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Hero: Allyson Reneau, 60, from Oklahoma, rescued 10 girls from Afghan Girls Robotic Team after hearing reports of a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

Bond: Reneau met the group of girls, who are ages 16 to 18, at Explore Mars' annual Humans to Mars Conference in 2019 and has stayed in touch with them over the years

On the night of August 3, she found herself unable to sleep in her Oklahoma City after learning about what was happening on the other side of the world.

'I didnt know where to start but I couldnt shake it. I said to myself "What do I have in my hand? Where can I start?" I felt a little helpless,' she told Today.

Reneau made use of her extensive network and called Senator Jim Inhofe 'because he is the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee'.

The senator put her in touch with the military liaison for the Senate, but it was immediately apparent that he was 'overwhelmed with the need to help our American citizens'.

When 'that lead went cold,' Reneau debated flying to Qatar herself.

Pulling strings: After learning that the Taliban was seizing power in Afghanistan, Reneau reached out to an old roommate who works at the US Embassy in Qatar

Dedicated: Reneau, who has 11 children of her own (pictured), worked tirelessly for two weeks to help fly the girls to a secure location where they will be able to pursue a higher education

'I decided that Monday, Im just going to fly to Qatar - like a leap of faith - and see what I can do,' she told Today. 'Sometimes action just opens doors, [but] I was going alone, and Im thinking, "Do I even know anyone in Qatar?"'

Reneau then remembered her former roommate in Washington, D.C. worked in the U.S. Embassy in Qatar. She made a 'Hail Mary' call to her friend before boarding a flight, hoping she could help.

Her former roommate wrote up a request and spent all night at the embassy preparing the necessary paperwork. Meanwhile, Reneau got all of the girls' passports together.

They faced a number of obstacles, including the unrest in Kabul.

Reneau would work with the embassy at night after working all day long, which she admitted was 'exhausting.'

Celebration: Reneau has nine daughters of her own, and she was filled with emotion when she learned the girls were safe

Devoted: The Harvard graduate is now working on rescuing 25 more girls and their mentors from Afghanistan. The Afghan Girls Robotics Team is pictured in Washington, D.C. in 2017

'Its [a] very narrow window of opportunity,' she said of rescuing the girls. 'I knew that if I didn't run through that door now - its now or never. Sometimes you only get one chance.'

After two weeks of work with the US Embassy in Qatar and a canceled flight, the ten girls were successfully 'on the US military side [of the airport]' where they were protected from the Taliban.

'All the emotion, two weeks of work for them, it hit me all at once,' said Reneau, who was hesitant to celebrate until she got a text saying the girls were airborne.

Today reported that the girls were flown to a secure location where they will be able safe to pursue a higher education.

Reneau and a team in the Middle East are still working to help 25 additional girls from the robotics team and their mentors leave Afghanistan.

Impressive: Reneau (pictured with physicist and Harvard professor Avi Loeb) first made headlines in 2011 when she enrolled in Harvard University at age 50 to get her master's degree

Impressive: Reneau's Harvard thesis on the United States Space Policy has won awards and has been repeatedly published. She is pictured with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

This is not the first obstacle Reneau has overcome in her life.

She has done it all - including owning a gymnastics studio and graduating from NASA's International Space University.

Reneau first made headlines in 2011 when she returned to college 30 years after she dropped out to raise her 11 children.

She enrolled in Harvard University at 50 years old and commuted over 3,000 miles per week for three years to get her master's degree in international business relations.

Before graduating in May 2016, she studied piano performance at Julliard, the famous private performing arts conservatory in New York City.

Reneau's Harvard thesis on the United States Space Policy has won awards and has been repeatedly published. She was nominated as the 2019 Harvard Emerging Leader of the Year.
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A nature-filled house that frames 200-year-old trees as an 'art piece' hides a breathtaking hideaway just a short drive from one of Australia's biggest cities.

Designed by Eastop Architects in collaboration with owners Alesha and Ryan Elkins, the home in Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula, 90 minutes from Melbourne CBD, has the calm and serenity of a five-star spa resort.

The extraordinary five-bedroom is fronted with an intentionally unassuming facade of white brick and timber that almost looks like a large electricity box, but behind the front door lies an 824sqm home with sprawling split-level living spaces, a luxury kitchen, a 1970s-style sunken lounge and stone bathrooms with freestanding tubs.

The extraordinary five-bedroom house is fronted with an intentionally unassuming facade of white brick and timber that almost looks like a large electricity box, but behind the front door lies a sprawling luxury home

The home in Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula, 90 minutes from Melbourne CBD, has the calm and serenity of a five-star spa resort

No expense has been spared to ensure the house is kitted out with every imaginable creature comfort, including polished concrete floors, underfloor heating, 'his and hers' double sinks and an outdoor shower and fireplace.

North-facing windows, high ceilings and sliding glass doors ensure the house is flooded with natural light throughout the day.

A tiled swimming pool is surrounded by indigenous moonah trees, which act as the centrepiece of the property and can be seen from almost every room.

There are sprawling sunlit living spaces flooded with natural sunlight through north-facing windows

The house contains five bedrooms (left) and three stone bathrooms with freestanding tubs (right)

The house was designed by Eastop Architects in collaboration with owners Alesha and Ryan Elkins

A luxury kitchen (pictured) opens out onto a sun-drenched decking area with an outdoor shower and fireplace

Owner Alesha Elkins said the trees were used as the focal point to blur the lines between nature and the interior of the house.

'It's as if all of the outside has been pulled inside,' she told realestate.com.au.

The house recently hit the market with a price guide of $3.15 to $3.35 million (AUD), giving prospective buyers the chance to enjoy the peaceful oasis the Elkins so cleverly created.

A tiled swimming pool is surrounded by indigenous moonah trees, which act as the centrepiece of the property and can be seen from almost every room

No expense has been spared to ensure the house is kitted out with every imaginable creature comfort, including polished concrete floors, underfloor heating and 'his and hers' double sinks

Owner Alesha Elkins said the design of the house makes it feel like 'all of the outside has been pulled inside'

Listing agent Danielle Vains, who is overseeing the sale of the property for Sotheby's International Realty, told Daily Mail Australia she is still seeing high demand for areas like the Mornington Peninsula as Melburnians look to escape the restrictions of big city life during Covid.

Melbourne on Thursday marked its 200th day in lockdown since the pandemic began 18 months ago, with all metro residents currently under strict stay-at-home orders and a 9pm to 5am curfew.

'There's definitely people looking for a more balanced lifestyle since Covid,' Ms Vains said.

Listing agent Danielle Vains said she is still seeing high demand for areas like the Mornington Peninsula as Melburnians look to escape the restrictions of big city life during Covid

The house recently hit the market with a price guide of $3.15 to $3.35 million (AUD), giving prospective buyers the chance to enjoy the peaceful oasis the Elkins so cleverly created

Unprecedented demand for rentals across the Mornington Peninsula has made the region a top pick among Australian property investors.

The area dominated a list of the top 50 suburbs investors should be targeting with 10 entries - the highest for any region nationwide, according to realestate.com.au.

Real estate economist Paul Ryan said 'the Covid effect' has led to increased demand for houses further away from the CBD, particularly on the coast.
A young businesswoman with long hair down to her waist abruptly decided to cut and dye her luscious locks to her shoulders using kitchen scissors as Melbourne remains in a strict lockdown.

Samantha Parkinson, 23, told Daily Mail Australia she had been growing her hair for five years but now feels far more confident with her new look.

'My long hair was becoming a security blanket for me over the past five years and I really just wanted to be free!' she said.

'I feel so much happier and more confident now and I am donating it to Little Princess Trust in the UK who make wigs for children with cancer.'

Samantha, who runs the luxury sleepwear business Skeletons of Habit, posted a now-viral TikTok video documenting the process.

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Samantha Parkinson, 23, (pictured) originally had hair down to her waist after growing it for five years but decided to cut it to her shoulders

Samantha, who runs the luxury sleepwear business Skeletons of Habit , posted a now-viral TikTok video documenting the process

While she used kitchen scissors instead of hairdresser scissors, the end result looked fantastic as if it had been cut by a professional.

In the video Samantha said she was initially going to trim the ends of her hair but decided to cut it to her shoulders instead.

After the first trim, she dyed her hair a gorgeous dark brown colour using L'Oreal Paris products.

After the first trim, she dyed her hair a gorgeous dark brown colour using L'Oreal Paris products

The video was flooded with hundreds of comments and words of praise from other TikTok users who admired the end result.

'So gorgeous! Special shout out to the kitchen scissors who went above and beyond,' one person wrote.

'It looks incredible!' another said, a third added: 'Looks so lovely, so much more sophisticated and elegant.'

'When I saw the scissors, I was expecting this to be a disaster! I'm so glad I was wrong!' another wrote.
Dr Carmel Harrington said the COVID-19 crisis has lead to an increase in the number of people suffering psychologically and in many cases this leads to an inability to get to sleep or stay asleep at night

An Australian sleep expert has revealed her tips on beating stress and anxiety induced sleeplessness as more Australians are impacted by the condition following widespread lockdowns.

Doctor Carmel Harrington said the COVID-19 crisis has lead to an increase in the number of people suffering psychologically and in many cases this has meant many have developed an inability to get to sleep or stay asleep at night.

'It often makes no difference whether our worries are reasonable or unreasonable  both will make relaxation difficult and cause sleep to become elusive,' Dr Carmel told FEMAIL.

'Once sleeping difficulties begin a vicious cycle can start to build up with our sleeplessness causing increasing anxiety which leads to increasing sleeplessness and then increased anxiety, and so on. What's more, often just the thought of missing out on sleep can lead to incredible stress.'

The doctor explained hormones are responsible for the sleeplessness we experience during high-stress periods.

This is because our body's natural response to challenging situations is to make adrenaline and cortisol - two chemicals integral for an effective 'fight' response.

The doctor explained hormones are responsible for the sleeplessness we experience during high-stress periods

What are Carmel's tips for getting a better sleep? 1. 'If you have had a busy and stressful day make sure you factor in some exercise. 2. When you stop working, devote some time, no longer than 15 minutes, to thinking about the issues of the day and perhaps write them down in a book, along with any potential solutions. Importantly, when you finish, close the book, and put it away. Not only are you physically putting aside your worries, but you have now managed to deal with your concerns, rather than waiting until going to sleep. 3. Establishing a sleep routine is very important in preparing our mind and body for sleep. One hour before bedtime, switch off technology, dim the lights in the room, and reach for sleep inducing essential oils. My go-to is the In Essence Sleep Blend popped into a diffuser. This act of switching off allows our body to recognise when it's time for sleep. Our brain responds so well to environmental stimulators, so when diffusing essential oils at this time, our body gets ready to quiet down and enter the nurturing and nourishing phase. 4. Practising a relaxation or meditation exercise, or using some aromatherapy is a great way to prepare the body and mind for sleep and will often assist with initiating and maintaining sleep. Restorative yoga can also work well to calm the mind and put us in a good place for sleeping well. 5. If however you find yourself lying in bed not able to get to sleep after about 30 minutes  whether it be at sleep onset or in the middle of the night  it is better to get up, sit in a dimly lit room and do something relaxing, like reading a magazine or maybe even doing a breathing exercise to relax. It is important not to go back to bed until you feel sleepy again. Once in bed, if you are not asleep within about 30 minutes, get up again and repeat the process. By doing this you are teaching your mind and body that bed is for sleeping and you will find that over time you develop the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep on a nightly basis.' Advertisement

'Unfortunately though, our body will increase adrenaline and cortisol production regardless of the source of the stress, and the stress hormones cause many bodily reactions including increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and increased breathing rate to name just a few, but they also stimulate the alert pathways in our brain and actively prevent us from succumbing to sleep,' she said.

The doctor recommends prioritising exercise on stressful days and devoting 15 minutes to thinking about and writing down any issues creating stress.

She also recommends developing a sleep routine which should include dimming the lights and turning off technology an hour before bed time.

'It often makes no difference whether our worries are reasonable or unreasonable  both will make relaxation difficult and cause sleep to become elusive,' Dr Carmel told Femail

The addition of aromatherapy and meditation exercises can also help.

Dr Carmel also recommends getting out of bed if you don't fall asleep within 30 minutes.

Research has shown that the sedative action of simply smelling a few drops of your favourite oil can help induce a state of slumber that will continue throughout the night.

In addition to acting as natural sedatives, essential oils reduce stress levels often synonymous with sleep disorders.

Having a good routine is important for a good night's sleep, the doctor explained

The doctor previously revealed what your increasingly vivid dreams really mean during the pandemic - from deaths, fears, going to the supermarket and talking to animals.

Dr Carmel Harrington said the COVID-19 crisis sparked a rise in unusually strange dreams around the world - as millions of people shelter at home due to strict social distancing to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.

As the hashtag #pandemicdreams sweeps the internet, many are sharing their amazement of the strangeness of their dreams, while others feel disturbed by their dark subconscious.

'It's due to anxiety and the high media coverage of COVID-19 we're being exposed to. Every article is about COVID-19, you have nothing else to think about,' Dr Harrington told Daily Mail Australia.

'The things you are contemplating during the day will be processed at night in your sleep, it's embed in our memories.

'If that's what you're exposing yourself to especially one hour before bedtime, the fear and anxiety we're getting can produce quite vivid and worrisome dreams.'

The managing director of Sleep for Health has highlighted what each dream really means - and what you can do in the one hour leading up to bedtime to ensure you get a good night's rest.

Some of the common 'lockdown' dreams circulating on Twitter include death, fear, loss, betrayal, coronavirus-related, going to the supermarket and conversing with animals.

Many people revealed their dreams have been centered around deaths or loss. Dr Harrington said she believed this was due to the high coverage of COVID-19 death tolls we read about

Death and loss

Many people revealed their dreams have been centered around deaths or loss.

'The stories we read increases these dreams because we're being confronted with the high coverage of death tolls. We can't avoid it,' Dr Harrington explained.

'The headlines we read about is how many people have died around the world we live in or the death toll in the US, UK or Australia.'

For people who have dreams about losing a loved one to coronavirus, Dr Harrington said it's due to the real-life stories you read about.

'Stories about loss are very personal. Personal life stories like 'the loss of a young person' or a 'beautiful mother dying' can really affect people,' she said.

Fear and being scared

Some people said they are dreaming about their biggest fears such as spiders, snakes or drowning, while others are experiencing 'scary' nightmares.

'How that happens is it's an acute emotional time so our dreams are accessing an emotional part of our brain a lot,' Dr Harrington said.

'When we sleep, fear files new information about COVID-19 that we're exposed to during the day. Our brain looks at all the 'fear' files like snakes, spiders or drowning, and when it's not there, it investigates that file you remember encountering.

'So our brain investigates our 'fear' or 'scared' files to figure out which file to put this anxiety and fear into.'

Dr Harrington said many of us only remember dreams when we wake up in the middle of the night.

'If dreams aren't fearful, we go into the next stage of sleep and gradually go in and out of sleep. We don't remember dreams but if you have a strong emotional response like it made you upset or happy, it responds to that and you wake up,' she said.

'We remember dreams due to the acute emotional response - that's the only reason we're aware. If it's a fearful dream, you wake up more.'

Some people said they are dreaming about their biggest fears such as spiders, snakes or drowning, while others are experiencing 'scary' nightmares

Dr Harrington said the rise in COVID-19-related dreams stems from the repetitive information we're being exposed to in our daily lives such as washing your hands regularly

Dr Harrington explained we've been told 'over and over' again about the signs of symptoms - and so it begins to play on people's minds

Pandemic-related dreams

Dr Harrington said the rise in COVID-19-related dreams stems from the repetitive information we're being exposed to in our daily lives such as washing your hands regularly or the signs of symptoms to look out for.

'It's a personalisation. We're told over and over again we might have it even when we have no symptoms. We might feel fatigue, or have a cough or runny nose - that's the hidden thing we don't know about,' she said.

'So we walk around and when you go to bed, it all bubbles to surface. I always say that when we don't deal with things during the day, our brain deals with it at night.

'The thoughts we don't think about now, our brain and body will think about it later - our brain doesn't stop.'

Being betrayed

Dr Harrington said she believed dreaming about being betrayed is linked to people flouting social distancing of maintaining a distance of 1.5 metres in public.

'This is an interesting one. We are now relying on ever more than we have on other people to protect us,' she said.

'In these circumstances, people have given up so much to ensure others are safe but when we go out and about, we see other people who aren't abiding by the rules, so it ignites your betrayal of trust.'

Many are dreaming about breaking social distancing because we're in isolation at the moment

In Australia, Scott Morrison announced only five people will be allowed to attend weddings - so it's no surprise people are dreaming about 'crashing' a special day after tens of thousands of brides and grooms were forced to postpone their wedding due to the guest restrictions

Dr Carmel Harrington's top tips on good sleep practices Maintain a regular bedtime and awakening time

Do not sleep during the day

Avoid alcohol

Avoid caffeinated beverages after noon

Do not smoke before bedtime

Do light exercises before bedtime

Finish eating two to three hours before bedtime

Read a novel before bedtime or do crosswords Adopt a going-to-bed routine: One hour before bed turn off all technology and dim all lighting. Perhaps do a relaxation exercise and/or have a hot shower

Do not use the bed or bedroom for anything other than sleep and sexual activity - do not watch TV or read complex material

Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet Advertisement

Having conversations with animals

Many people said they have been experiencing bizarre dreams about having conversations with animals or their pets.

'We always have weird bizarre dreams at any time in our lives, there's nothing more to it but if you're increasingly speaking to pets in your dreams, it's our brain responding to not having much social contact with people,' she said.

'Many people live alone or they are now working from home so they're not having the same conversations they normally have with friends, family or colleagues.

'I'm not surprise we're getting voices from something else like animals we don't normally do.'

Many people said they have been experiencing bizarre dreams about having conversations with animals or their pets

Dr Harrington said the reason we are dreaming about talking to animals is because we haven't had much social contact in the real world

Some people revealed they've been dreaming about going to the supermarket or 'finally' getting their hands on essential items like toilet paper or pantry staples

Going to the supermarket

Some people revealed they've been dreaming about going to the supermarket or 'finally' getting their hands on essential items like toilet paper or pantry staples.

'I think this also comes into fear,' Dr Harrington said.

'People are fearful of going to the supermarket, they don't want to go so their dreams are driven by necessity. I have spoken to people who are fearful of going to the supermarket. It doesn't surprise me that this translates fear to a supermarket.

'It's been playing on your mind, you need to go tomorrow but what If I get there and there's no more toilet paper or what if I have to fight with someone? Interestingly, emotional centre is acute in dream sleep - it's very busy processing our memories.'
A retail worker was shocked to find a scathing note slotted inside a book at a charity shop from a woman whose partner was allegedly leading a 'double life'.

Dean Cuthbert found the note inside a pre-owned copy of The Best A Man Can Get by John O'Farrell in an Age UK charity shop in York last week.

The note, handwritten by a woman called Sarah, was addressed to her partner Chris, accusing him of leading a double life and deceiving her.

The partner then goes on to say she was 'completely unaware' of his actions as she brought up their children.

Dean Cuthbert, 43, from York, found the note inside a pre-owned copy of The Best A Man Can Get by John O'Farrell in an Age UK charity shop in York last week

And until realising about his antics, the woman believed the reason her partner was away from home so much was because he was 'just a workaholic'.

Dean shared images of the note on Facebook today prompting hundreds of comments from concerned followers who were keen to find out more.

The full note read: 'Chris, Is this what you thought you could do with me? Lead a double life with your so-called "recreational relationships".

'Leaving me completely unaware, bringing up our children, and thinking you were just a workaholic and that's why you were away from home so much.

The book the note was tucked inside of was by British author, John O'Farrell (pictured) who was previously a lead writer for such shows as Spitting Image and Have I Got News for You

'What a b*****d you have been to me. Sarah.'

The book the note was tucked inside of was by British author, John O'Farrell who was previously a lead writer for such shows as Spitting Image and Have I Got News for You.

O'Farrell has since commented on the strange incident, saying: 'I think Sarah's plan was "Chris will read this note and this book and then feel shame" and Chris just thought 'Oh, she gave me a book. Well that can go straight to the charity shop...'

'I had the double life idea for that book as a sort of metaphor for how fathers of young kids are suddenly very busy at work when babies come along.

'But it seems like someone was doing it literally!'

Speaking today (WED) Dean, 43, who found the note said: 'I must admit at first I thought it was strange.

'I thought it might have been a free gift in a promotional book but the author himself was so surprised I thought not.

O'Farrell has since commented on the strange incident, saying: 'I think Sarah's plan was "Chris will read this note and this book and then feel shame" and Chris just thought 'Oh, she gave me a book. Well that can go straight to the charity shop...' (pictured)

Dean shared the find to Facebook today (WED), writing: 'Bought a book from a charity shop.

'The gist of the story is of a bloke living a double life of sorts.

'Imagine my surprise when I found this. Someone has been in Sarah's bad books.

The post has already gathered over 600 likes and hundreds of comments since it was posted today.

One social media user said: 'I hope her revenge didn't end there.'

Another wrote: 'Go Sarah! Go Sarah! I hope she went, and stayed away, bad news buddy, no one needs that s***.'

One user said: 'Poor Sarah, wonder what happened next?'

Another added: 'Two sides to every story.'

While one group member said: 'This is like the start of a film. I'm Team Sarah all the way, hope she's OK now!'
A bride-to-be engaged to a man almost 20 years her senior has claimed that she has been accused of being a 'gold-digger' because of their age difference.

Taylor-Rae Hamilton, 29, and 48-year-old business owner John Falconer, from Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, met on dating app Tinder just seven months ago.

The couple say they regularly face cruel comments from passersby who say he 'looks like her grandfather' - and claims some strangers even stop to snap photos of them.

John, who is the same age as Taylor-Rae's mother, popped the question and the couple are planning to wed in August 2022.

Now, Taylor-Rae is speaking out to 'normalise' age gap relationships, urging people to 'always do what makes you happy' no matter what people might say.

Taylor-Rae Hamilton, 29, and 48-year-old business owner John Falconer, from Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, pictured, are regularly bombarded with negative comments online about their age difference

People tell Taylor-Rae that John looks old enough to be her grandfather, but she doesn't let that get to her. Pictured: the couple together

'People think a 20-year age gap is controversial but as for us it's totally normal,' explained Taylor-Rae. 'Some people make comments about me being a gold digger or child bride on social media.

'It's usually where people feel like they can hide behind a screen and write what they feel like they want to write and it's pretty sad.

'When we're out in public in person it's more the looks, the whispers, the nudges, the photographs being taken.

'I'm so tiny as well. I'm only 5ft 1 and also very petite body-wise and John's just over 6ft so it makes me look even younger again.

'When they're nudging each other and looking they could possibly be mistaking us for father and daughter.'

The couple are engaged and Taylor-Rae loves to show off her impressive engagement ring, pictured

Taylor-Rae loves to pamper herself and likes to look glamourous, pictured, so people have accused her of being a gold-digger

'I look like a little girl standing beside him - we're holding hands and I've got my engagement ring on.

'When I see people staring and taking pictures when we're out I hug him even more, hold his hand even more and say 'give me a kiss'.

'I'm always very glamorous. I always have my big glasses on, one of my big bags and John will usually have his shorts and flip flops on.

'People do judge and assume. John laughs about it and says to me "do they really think that by asking if I am your dad or grandad that it's insulting me?",' she added.

Taylor-Rae said John doesn't care about other people's looks or remarks, and said he was happy to be with her

'It doesn't insult him, people think it's a low jab but he just says "I'm the one that pulled her".'

Taylor-Rae met dad-of-three John after swiping right on him on Tinder in September 2019.

After exchanging a couple of messages, Taylor-Rae asked to call him and the pair chatted for three hours.

'I downloaded the app out of boredom, I was just swiping and then I matched with him,' explained Taylor-Rae. 'I only had his name John and his age and that was it.

John, pictured in bed, often wear shorts and flip-flops and his beard makes people think he is older than he actually is

'There was no information on him so it wasn't as if I saw a profile and I was able to look him up and think 'oh my god there's a man who could be a sugar daddy'.

'I think what caught my eye was his smile and his eyes. He has such kind, happy eyes - when he smiles his eyes just sparkle.

'I'm quite witty so we had a good laugh on the phone and we just talked about who we were and what we do.

'We chatted about a whole number of topics, we just got on really well. He got my humour, and not many people do.

'John said he was nervous coming to see me because he thought I was going to be a catfish. He couldn't believe me being so young that I wanted to go out with him.'

The following day they met up for their first date in Belfast for dinner and a film and just six weeks later John whisked her away to New York for a romantic five-day visit.

Taylor-Rae said that her mum Leesa Hamilton was delighted that her daughter had found someone who made her happy.

The couple even have a pet monkey they look after together, pictured, who they have called Winston

Taylor-Rae, pictured with Winston, reveals it was hard to break the news of her age gap relationship to her father

But the fashion fan conceded her 52-year-old dad Keith Hamilton was initially wary and concerned that John was only interested in flaunting her on his arm.

However, Taylor-Rae says the pair are now 'like two peas in a pod' after John crafted a thoughtful text explaining his honest intentions, and that Keith 'spoils him'.

Taylor-Rae explained: 'My mum and dad were young parents. My mum's nearly a sister to me, she was fine about it.

'I slowly broke it to my dad that John was a lot older than me and has experienced much more in life and he was a wee bit protective.

'He didn't want an older man taking advantage of me being a young, glamorous girl as some arm candy and showpiece.

John told Taylor-Rae's disgruntled father he totally 'understood where he was coming from' in a letter

The couple, pictured, met in September 2019 and got engaged in 2020 after eight months of dating

'My dad's very close to me and he's been the only man that's never let me down my whole life, he's been such a good dad.

'He's seen the heartbreak I've been through before with people taking advantage so I think he felt a wee bit worried.

'John totally understood and sent him a well-worded message saying "I totally understand where you're coming from and how you feel".

'It was a good length of time before they met, that one text message just lightened it all.

'It makes me laugh now because the two of them are like two peas in a pod, they get on so well.

'I think because time has shown this is such a genuine relationship and my dad knows it now and he spoils him in a way.'

Despite the age gap, Taylor-Rae said she knew John was the one after their trip to New York.

Petite Taylor-Rae, pictured, has learned to ignore other people's mean remarks about her relationship

The couple, pictured, were aware that their age gap was 'an elephant in the room,' but knew they were very compatible

'Once we came back from New York I knew this was the person I really wanted to be with - and him too,' she explained. 'From the start we knew there was a gap, an elephant in the room, but as time went on we knew we were very compatible.

'We have a lot of chemistry, our humour is exactly the same and our ambition in life is very similar.

'We're both very kind and giving people, [for example] simple things like if I run a bath and have his jammies and slippers out for him, the following night he'll do something similar. We're very giving, it's a lovely mutual balance between the two of us.'

John got down on one knee and proposed with a custom-made diamond ring in April 2020 and the pair are now looking forward to their wedding next year.

Taylor-Rae said: 'During lockdown on one of our date nights he just dropped to his knee and asked me to marry him.

'Of course I said yes, so got the ring on the finger, made all the phone calls - I was so ecstatic.

'My ring is beautiful, it's massive. He knows me - go big or go home. It's a custom-made cathedral setting ring with a nice big diamond in the middle. Everyone always admires it.

'I found John very attractive from the start but I feel we did it the right way. We took that time to really date, get to know each other a lot more and fell in love with the whole being.

Taylor-Rae (pictured) showing her engagement ring. The 29-year-old admitted she's struggled with her self-esteem her whole life

She continued: 'My whole life I've battled an awful lot with my own self-esteem and my own self-confidence.

'I'm quite a glamorous person - I love all my make-up and tan and fake hair and my lip fillers and all that but I feel like John has made me love myself in the right way and brought out the best in me.

'He's this little puzzle piece that was always missing and I feel he loves me for who I am and not the image that I portray.

'I can run around the house with no eyebrows on and my hair tied up like Miss Trunchbull and he will still love me as much as I would be completely glammed up.'

The bride-to-be said that you should 'grab what makes you happy' relationship-wise when it comes along and to ignore naysayers.

Taylor-Rae said: 'I would say to anyone in an age-gap relationship, always do what makes you happy and be with the person who makes you happy.

Taylor-Rae (pictured popping champagne) said John was the 'puzzle piece' that had always been missing

'At the end of the day people are going to talk about you anyway regardless of what you do in life and they are the people that do not matter.

'If that person brings something good to your life then go with it. Life's hard and if that person brings any sort of hope or joy or light to your life grab it with both hands and don't let go of them.

'With younger men we may have looked more matched in photographs but deep down your smiles can hide a lot of pain.

'I'm approaching 30 but I've always had a very old mind, I've always been very mature for my age.'

When it comes to negative comments, Taylor-Rae said trolls are the ones with the problem, not them.

Taylor-Rae said: 'We're living our best lives, we're happy with each other, we're loyal to each other, we know we've got a good, trusting and happy relationship.

The couple are seen enjoying fine dining with a view at the Gherkin in London during one of their date nights

'We even ended up getting a monkey called Winston together too. It's such a happy home, we have a laugh all the time. I'm blessed.

'Anyone who brings any negativity to our relationship - it's them bringing it. They're the ones with the problem, not us.

'I feel I've finally found my happiness, you have to kiss a few toads before you find your prince.

'I always say behind every dark cloud there's a lovely rainbow. John's definitely my rainbow.'
Sex workers and models who have built their livelihoods on OnlyFans have spoken out to slam the website for 'using them' and then 'betraying them' after the company announced it will ban all 'sexually explicit' content from October 1.

The website, which is primarily known for hosting X-rated content that can generate millions of dollars in income for its most popular users, announced on Thursday that it is 'evolving its content guidelines' after facing pressure from its financial backers.

Its decision has prompted bitter backlash from its content creators - with some threatening to boycott the site altogether, while others have lashed out at OnlyFans for ruining their sole source of income.

One US-based creator, Camila Elle, 21, accused the site of 'using' its explicit creators to promote it on social media and draw in users - noting that many, including herself, have turned OnlyFans into a full-time career, abandoning other professional opportunities in order to dedicate themselves to creating the kind of risque images and videos that will soon be banned.

Backlash: Sex workers and models have slammed OnlyFans' decision to ban sexually explicit content from October 1 - with US-based user Camila Elle accusing the site of 'using them'

Fury: The 21-year-old college student took aim at OnlyFans, saying that 'sex workers built the platform' and accusing it of 'throwing them away'

Warning: New York-based OnlyFans star Ona Artist said that it is 'suicide' for the site to ban sexually explicit content, insisting sex workers will find another platform

'I feel betrayed by OnlyFans, I made it my entire livelihood, and quit my dreams of becoming a doctor to pursue a full time career on the site,' the college student said.

'Sex workers built this platform, it's a business to us. We were the ones who promoted OnlyFans across social media.

'They used us to build the site and now they're throwing us away.'

Her comments come amid growing outrage against the increasing number of celebrities who have joined the website - and now rake in millions of dollars a month from their subscribers, with many charging top prices for images that are much more tame than the sexually explicit content many sex workers offer on the site.

Meet OnlyFans' top 10 highest earners: How celebrities like Bella Thorne and Blac Chyna rake in MILLIONS a month on the site OnlyFans has become a hugely lucrative endeavor for many of its users - particularly celebrities like Blac Chyna, Bella Thorne, and Mia Khalifa who are among its highest-earning creators. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, these A-listers rake in millions of dollars a month, with Blac Chyna topping the list of the site's biggest earners with an estimated monthly income of $20 million. Here, FEMAIL reveals the site's top 10 earners - and their estimated monthly incomes: 1. Blac Chyna: $20 MILLION 2. Bella Thorne: $11 MILLION 3. Cardi B: $9.34 MILLION 4. Tyga: $7.69 MILLION 5. Mia Khalifa: $6.43 MILLION 6. Erica Mena: $4.49 MILLION 7. Pia Mia: $2.22 MILLION 8. Safaree Samuels: $1.91 MILLION 9. Megan Barton Hanson: $1.06 MILLION 10. Jem Wolfie: $900,000 Advertisement

OnlyFans creator Satine Doll, who lives in New York and charges $10 a month for her online subscriptions, took to Twitter to blast the site for 'using sex workers' to increase its popularity, before hanging them out to dry when 'celebs got on board'.

New York-based OnlyFans star Ona Artist warned that the explicit content ban could mark the end of the site's success because many of its creators will simply find another platform on which to sell their risque images and videos.

'If OnlyFans does go ahead with this it's suicide,' she said. 'They might claim it's because of payment processors rules but those companies put through porn purchases all over the web.

'Models will always find a way to share sexual content with those who want it.'

Colorado-based user Nita Marie, 45, a Christian model who rakes in an average $1.8 million a year from her nearly-one-million subscribers, also warned that the site's explicit content ban could put sex workers at risk - because it will leave them without a 'safe and legal' forum through which to earn money.

'OnlyFans helps reduce sex trafficking and illegal sex work as it's down to the creators who choose to post content,' she said.

'Online sex work is verified, safe and legal and OnlyFans also offers an opportunity for the user to interact with the creator in a safe environment.

'Changing their conditions could cause huge issues for people.'

The move is part of the UK-based company's changes 'to comply with the requests of our banking partners and payout providers'.

OnlyFans says creators can continue to share content with nudity 'as long as it is consistent with our Acceptable Use Policy'.

These prohibit specific explicit content such as rape, torture, revenge porn and sex trafficking.

OnlyFans, which has 130 million users, has become synonymous with explicit and nude content, particularly during the pandemic, when many sex workers and porn stars began using the site to make money after the adult film industry shut down over fears about COVID safety.

As a result, the site's membership has skyrocketed over the past 18 months and it now boasts more than two million creators, who have earned more than $5 billion since OnlyFans was launched in 2016.

However, the company has not disclosed how much of its revenue is generated from pornography and adult content shared by creators.

The increased popularity of the site also saw it draw in multiple celebrity creators, including Blac Chyna, Bella Thorne, Cardi B, Tyga, and Mia Khalifa - all of whom are among the top ten highest earning members of the site.

Concern: Colorado-based user Nita Marie, 45, a Christian model who rakes in an average $1.8 million a year, also warned that the site's explicit content ban could put sex workers at risk

Fears: Nita, who has nearly one million subscribers, said that OnlyFans' ban could leave many sex workers without a 'safe and legal' place to earn money

Backlash: OnlyFans creator Satine Doll took to Twitter to slam the site for abandoning sex workers as soon as celebrities began signing up

However their involvement in the site has sparked furious controversy, with many accusing OnlyFans' A-list creators of 'taking money away' from the sex workers who use it as their primary source of income.

Thorne in particular has found herself at the center of a bitter backlash - with dozens of social media users now blaming her for the explicit content ban.

OnlyFans' announcement comes one year after the former Disney star sparked outrage by joining the site and charging $200 for a single image. At the time, claims spread online that she had offered a 'nude' snap, however the actress insisted that she never intended to pose naked, and that any suggestion to the contrary was spread without her knowledge.

Still, the 23-year-old earned $1 million on her first day on the site, a figure that she then doubled in just 48 hours - and soon after, OnlyFans announced that it would be implementing a controversial payment cap for all of its creators, prompting many to place the blame for the new limits on Thorne.

Following the backlash over Thorne's account, OnlyFans initiated a $50-per-image cap, down from its previous limit of $200, while also implementing a $100 cap on any tips.

The company also enacted a hold on payments that would make some international creators wait 30 days to receive their money  without any warning.

OnlyFans said in a statement that the changes were not prompted by any one user, however Thorne still faced much criticism in the wake of the announcement - which prompted her to issue an apology to sex workers, insisting in a series of tweets that she had only ever intended to normalize sex work, not financially harm those who work within the industry.

Thorne has yet to comment on the explicit content ban, however she was quickly drawn into the bitter backlash against the site on Twitter, where dozens of users accused her of 'ruining' the site by launching her own account in 2020.

'I blame the OnlyFans thing on Bella Thorne,' one person posted, while another said: 'Bella Thorne started it all. She proved that Only Fans could make money millions off just thong shots. There was no reason to have sexual content on it.

Under fire: Some social media users have blamed former Disney star Bella Thorne for 'ruining' OnlyFans after she sparked furious controversy last year by joining the site

Controversy: The 23-year-old was blasted last year when she charged $200 for a single image on the site - particularly after OnlyFans implemented a payment cap of $50-per-photo

Under fire: Many social media users took aim at Thorne in light of OnlyFans' announcement, accusing the site of prioritizing celebrity creators like her over sex workers and models

'Now banning sexual content they probably hope to lure more celebrities to post pictures of themselves in bikinis on the App.'

The user continued in a second tweet: 'Bella Thorne is going to take a lot of heat again over Only Fans banning sexual content. She was able to make OnlyFans realize that they don't need to host sexual content to make money off the suckers that want to pay to look at a thong covered a**. Bella has never been topless.'

One person then chimed in: 'I have no ties to OnlyFans but I just wanna put it out there Bella Thorne f****d that app and started the downwards spiral, anyone with one I hope for success no mess!'

The site's other celebrity users also found themselves drawn into the controversy, with several Twitter users branding A-list OnlyFans creators as 'greedy'.

'Celebs really came through and ruined only fans for those who were actually using it to make a living,' one person wrote, as another tweeted: 'I always though celebs having OnlyFans was weird.

'They lowkey ruined the platform [by] being greedy.'

A third described the move as a 'slap in the face' to sex workers, writing: 'OnlyFans banning sexual content is a slap in the face to the ones who really built the site.

'And shoutout to all the celebs who ruined the safe space for sex workers.'

OnlyFans was launched four years ago by Timothy Stokely who is, in his own words, a 'British entrepreneur in the adult entertainment industry'.

Hitting back: OnlyFans has been accused of siding with celebrities like Thorne, who rake in millions of dollars on the site by posting much tamer content than its more explicit creators

It is a subscription-based site that allows creators to earn a living by sharing original videos on the platform.

Fans pay creators for access to their content via a monthly subscription, which can range from $4.99 to $49.99. OnlyFans takes a 20 per cent cut of all payments.

However the company has become something of a 'no fly zone' for venture capital firms who have rules against investing in apps and websites that promote and host adult content.

It is for this understood that the lack of investment opportunities is the reason behind OnlyFans' sexually explicit content ban, with a statement from the company issued on Thursday saying: 'In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and the continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines.'

The platform's slick PR team insists that the site was set up for all creators, 'from fitness, dancing, DJs to music', on the premise that if fans of influencers were really fans, they'd pay a subscription fee to see the content their idols produced.

However, much of OnlyFans' popularity stems from its adult content that has attracted millions and even celebrities.

It has also become a safe haven for sex workers who could generate an income without meeting a client in person.

Criticism: OnlyFans has lured in several celebrity creators, including Cardi B (left) and Blac Chyna (right), who are now among the top ten highest earners on the site, raking in millions

A-list outrage: Celebrity users of OnlyFans were blamed for the website's decision to ban explicit content, because many of them rake in millions by posting much tamer images

The ban on pornography changes how these individuals conduct business and may even push them back to their 'unsafe underground conditions,' the National Center for Lesbian Rights shared in a tweet.

Thursday's announcement comes just a day after OnlyFans launched a new 'suitable for work' app that allows people to share nudity-free content about topics such as fitness, wellness and cooking.

Called OFTV, the free app has a library of more than 800 videos, including ones with its biggest stars such as Khalifa, Thorne and Holly Madison.

There are also clips from chefs, Pilates instructors and podcasters, as well as meditation videos and instructions for how to make tasty cocktails.

OFTV is available for free on all major devices, including iOS, Amazon Fire and Roku. It was launched in January but only now has the company started to promote it.

'OFTV provides a super convenient way for fans to watch content from favorite creators,' Stokely told Bloomberg.

'There's no adult content on OFTV. Because it's not being monetized and there's no direct impact on creators' earnings, we are able to be in the app store.'

OnlyFans is planning to use OFTV as a marketing tool to attract a different audience. It doesn't plan to make any profit from it, at least to begin with, and the app won't include advertising.
Dear Bel,

At a major crossroads in life, Im close to falling apart. I was raised by my parents in a strict Christian faith, which was everything.

I did all that was expected of me. I was taught that homosexuality is an abhorrent sin. My faith is one that expects much. Young men are expected to give up two years in missionary service; health codes prohibit alcohol, smoking and drugs; a tenth of our salaries are paid as tithes in good faith. This was all I knew.

I am now approaching 50 with a wife, three adult offspring and grandchildren. But suddenly I am finding myself at a crisis. I have always been attracted to the same sex but dutifully pushed those feelings aside. Now, after having a serious health scare a couple of years back, I have come to realise that life is too short.

I am at war within myself. My faith is actually diminishing, although for my family (immediate and extended) it remains strong.

I could easily pick fault with the faith but dont want to upset anyone. I would rather slip away from my faith quietly. But that isnt really an option, as I know family members would very much disapprove, if not disown me. What can I say about my wife, after almost 30 years of marriage? Im not even sure she suspects. She probably does because, as much as I love her, it is more as a friend. Sex is not something I ever initiate. Personally, I would be happy for her to take me for everything.

I dearly love my children and grandchildren and would hate to be distanced from them, but sometimes faith and feelings make it inevitable. It almost feels as if Id have no option but to run away without leaving any way for forward communication  because I know it would only be negative.

I can no longer live a lie. Recently, I started communicating with a new-found gay friend who is supportive. This friend gives me courage as I edge closer to the closet door. I know if I dont come out I will have security but with it comes self-loathing.

But if I come out I risk losing everything and will have to start my life anew, leaving all that has shaped me so far. It causes me mental anguish and preoccupies every waking moment. How do I summon the strength to follow my heart?

HUGH

This week Bel Mooney advises a 50-year-old married father of three if he should follow his heart and come out as gay

This is one of the toughest letters Ive ever read; your final question is all but impossible. All I can do is walk you through alternatives to see if we arrive anywhere at the end. Each step must be profoundly uncomfortable, I know. And, to be honest, right here at the outset, I also fear that pain is the inevitable destination.

Let us identify four different factors within this problem.

First, there is the particular Christian belief you show to be repressive, yet which is all you have known. You are now chafing against it.

Then there is the love you have for your family: wife, adult children and grandchildren  which now feels in conflict with your feelings of wanting to break out of the closet and acknowledge a repressed sexuality.

Thought of the day I have seen the sun break through to illuminate a small field for a while, and gone my way and forgotten it. But that was the pearl of great price, the one field that had treasure in it. From the Bright Field by R.S.Thomas (Welsh poet and priest, 1913-2000 Advertisement

For better, for worse, both those elements (church and family) represent the known.

And while you are currently feeling them both to be a lie, they still represent the undeniable lived experience of your hearts truth up until now.

Now come the other two factors  both of them new. Fifty is an age when many people feel and fear the brutal march of years and yearn for a fresh lease of life: new job, new friends, new home, new love. And your health scare intensified an understandably urgent wish to seize the time.

Second is your conviction that you are gay, long suspected but now encouraged by a new friend supportive of your leaving the closet  at whatever cost.

You give no indication of whether this is a platonic relationship or whether youve had any sort of sexual engagement. Im suspecting not.

Both those elements represent the unknown  the latter because you have no idea what your life would be like as an openly gay man, nor can you predict how you will feel about the ageing process when you are 60.

All things change and we change with them; such ancient wisdom tells us not to believe the present is a permanent state.

It would cause great distress to your family if you simply walked out of their lives.

A wife loved for 30 years does not deserve that treatment, nor does a cherished family.

The opposites to weigh are the known versus the unknown. You could destroy the whole life you know  and find yourself unhappy in the end. That is to say, more unhappy than if you had stayed.

I dont think anybody could possibly advise you, because we all have a different attitude to risk; some (like me) prefer the known, others run away to the new  and damn the consequences. Either way, the Greeks were surely right that life is suffering.

I feel desperately sorry for your turmoil and believe you would benefit from counselling. You can find help at counsellingdirectory.org.uk/sexuality.html#sexuality andmentalhealth.

And is there anybody within your church you can talk to about losing faith? Have you confided that part of your angst to your wife? Does she have any inkling that you are unhappy?

You have to start the conversation  and if she rejects your hesitant confidences it might help make up your mind. In my opinion, sympathy, not sex, is essential to happiness.

Im fed up with life being on his terms

Dear Bel

I have been dating a man for seven years and want to take the relationship further and purchase a house together.

However, hes not ready for this next stage. Hes intimated he would like me to move in with him, but I dont want to take that alternative to combining our assets and buying a home belonging to us both.

Our relationship is all on his terms. He does not stay at my place; I stay at his four or five nights a week. That impacts on my personal life as I cannot get things done at home, so that when I go home for a couple of days its a mad rush to complete all my tasks before its back to his again.

I didnt envisage my life would be like this in our late 50s. The last time I brought the subject up I was told not to ask any more questions about it. When I did I was told I had ruined the weekend.

We do everything together and are close but I feel rejected and not like a proper couple because I want that one last piece of the jigsaw that he is not ready for.

He has told me it will happen but will not make any plans.

I honestly feel as though I am chasing a rainbow. What do you think?

LILIAN

Perhaps its strange, but I stumble over the concept of dating when it comes to mature people  and shouldnt adults discuss things properly? But, of course, you tell me nothing about both your previous marital histories, which might have explained this mans reluctance to commit to you.

I understand how much, in your late 50s, you want to settle down with a man who proves steadfast affection, not necessarily by marriage, but by agreeing to symbolic shared roof tiles. After seven years, it would hardly be an impetuous leap of faith, after all! You know each other well, share activities and (you say) are close.

But if you are indeed close why is the relationship so one-sided that he is incapable of compromising? To be frank, its surprising you have tolerated such an unequal relationship for so long.

For me its that very aspect of your story that gets in the way of your being a proper couple, not the bricks and mortar. He tells you not to express your wishes; I dont know many women who would accept being shut down like that.

Yet there must be enough happiness in the times you share with this man to outweigh your frustration at his unwillingness to talk.

Since he has intimated that you could move into his place, why not suggest you take him up on that plan? It could be that his love of his own home is much deeper than yours for your place. Would it be so painful to rent out your home, stashing the money away and/or spending some of it on lovely holidays with him  while retaining your own property just in case your relationship becomes problematic?

Its far less stressful than house-hunting, selling two places etc.

But if you reject this pragmatic option, then why not cultivate some friends and activities you dont share with him, maintaining more independence during the week and not always staying at his? More absences and less compliance might stop him taking you for granted.

And finally... Dying to do something? Dont wait!

Two inspirational friends came to lunch. Both 90, they have razor-sharp minds, impeccable taste, jovial personalities and are as elegant as they are adventurous.

Stalwart Mr D goes everywhere on his mean mobility machine, and he and his wife are planning a trip to the Holy Land, among other things. Nothing can keep them down. Amazing.

Contact Bel Bel answers readers' questions on emotional and relationship problems each week. Write to Bel Mooney, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT, or email bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk. A pseudonym will be used if you wish. Bel reads all letters but regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Advertisement

By way of thanks, Mrs D posted me a book as uplifting as she is. The title might put you off, but 33 Meditations On Death by David Jarrett was hard to put down. Its subtitled Notes From The Wrong End Of Medicine  because the author, an NHS consultant in stroke and geriatric medicine, knows all about the dying game.

His brilliant crisply-written book is a series of reflections on death in all its forms, which asks key questions like, How would you choose to live your last few months? and Are we wrong to keep people alive when really theyve had enough?.

A thought-provoking coda to the time of Covid-terror, its my must-read of the year so far.

Jarrett quotes the American novelist Garrison Keillor, recalling his mothers advice for life: Cheer up, make yourself useful, mind your manners and, above all, dont feel sorry for yourself. Hooray for that!

He then reminded me of the Mails important campaign (in 2018) to get people volunteering: Being useful is a beautiful thing. However badly your own life turns out, if you have been helpful to others, or to animals, or to the world in general, you dont have to apologise. Theres dignity there.

Such precious wisdom there. So is Jarretts advice to get on with the things you long to do (like walk through the streets of Naples  one of my own modest ambitions  or watch the sunrise on a tropical isle) as soon as you can, because making plans for retirement just tempts fate. Remembering mortality urges you to live  just like Mr and Mrs D who refuse to let age stop them.
This week Social Studies founder, Amy Griffin, along with Baby2Baby co-CEO Kelly Sawyer, Erin and Sara Foster hosted a luncheon for their closest friends to shop and celebrate their clothing line, Favorite Daughter.

The invite-only event took place in East Hampton, New York.

To say it was a powerful crowd with incredible style is an understatement. Attendees included the likes of Karlie Kloss, Rachel Zoe, Molly Sims and Candace Bushnell.

This week Social Studies founder, Amy Griffin along with Baby2Baby co-CEO Kelly Sawyer, Erin and Sara Foster hosted a luncheon for their closest friends to shop and celebrate their clothing line Favorite Daughter

The invite-only event took place in East Hampton, New York

Both Erin and Sara (daughters of legendary music exec David Foster) were in full looks from their line, Favorite Daughter.

Erin rocked the brand's black Perfect Bodysuit ($88) and the Eva Long Slim Short ($188).

While Sara donned the striped Revenge Top ($138) and the matching hip hugging Revenge Skirt ($148.)

Rachel Zoe and Molly Sims opted for long maxi dresses for the beautiful day.

The stylist-turned-designer was a vision in a white floor-length dress, accessorized with a chunky gold necklace and oversize sunglasses, a look that has become her signature.

To say it was a powerful crowd is an understatement. Attendees included the likes of Karlie Kloss, Rachel Zoe, Molly Sims and Candace Bushnell.

Molly elevated her dress with several gold chains and large raffia tote bag

The rustic chic tablescape was made complete with clear glassware, jute placemats, white flowers and grey linens

Karlie Kloss was in attendance looking causal chic in a lime green sweatsuit and flat black sandals, and so was her friend Derek Blasberg in khaki pants

Attendees ate lunch and shopped their the Favorite Daughter collection

Molly swept her hair up into a sleek ponytail and elevated her black frock with several gold chains and a large raffia tote bag.

Model friend Karlie Kloss went for a causal chic aesthetic in a lime green sweatsuit and flat black sandals.

Lydia Kives stood out in an adorable pink two-piece set.

Guests - including Markarian founder Alexandra O'Neill, Fashion editor Elizabeth Saltzman, YouTube's Derek Blasberg, Misha Nonoo and her husband Michael Hess - enjoyed a sit down meal at a beautiful table dseigned by Social Studies.

The rustic chic tablescape was made complete with clear glassware, jute placemats, white flowers and grey linens.

1stdibs editor Mollie Ruprecht Acquavella, Head of Creative and Communications at CHANEL Rebekah Mccabe, Bumble Chief Brand Officer Selby Drummond, Co-founder of Bastide's Shirin von Wulffen and Designer Tabitha Simmons were also among the who's who crowd.
A young baker has sparked a debate on social media after he suggested a McDonald's Big Mac burger tasted better without the top bun.

Jonathan Massaad, from Sydney, shared a video showing himself ditching the top bun with the toasted sesame seeds before flipping over the middle bun which contains the special Big Mac sauce.

By doing this method, you now have two beef patties, lettuce, cheese, onions, pickles and the signature sauce sandwiched between two buns rather than three.

'Now your meat and sauce ratio is a lot better because the top bun has no sauce - and now this has all the sauce,' the 22-year-old said.

Scroll down for video

Young baker Jonathan Massaad (pictured), from Sydney, has sparked a debate on social media after he suggested a McDonald's Big Mac burger tasted better without the top bun

'The best Big Mac hack ever. Who has tried this before?!'

After sharing his tip, many asked why he would waste the top bun while others suggested he should have ordered extra sauce on the side.

'Next time just order a Big Mac with extra sauce... it's a game changer,' one said, while another added: 'Why are you wasting food?'

However, many diners confessed they have been doing this 'hack' for years.

He shared a video showing himself ditching the top bun with the toasted sesame seeds before flipping over the middle bun which contains the special Big Mac sauce

By doing this method, you now have two beef patties, lettuce, cheese, onions, pickles and the signature sauce sandwiched between two buns rather than three

'That's old school I've been doing it since I was a kid,' one woman wrote.

Another said: 'I thought I was the only one in the world who did this,' while one added: 'I've been doing this hack for years. Now I want a Big Mac.'

Others said they were keen to give it a go.

'Oh my god, this is amazing how did I not know until now?' one wrote.
Many U.S. hospitals are transferring critically-ill COVID-19 patients to other parts of the country on planes, helicopters and ambulances for treatment as they run out of beds for them.

The outbreak of the Indian 'Delta' variant of the coronavirus, as well as low vaccination rates, have overwhelmed facilities in many states and resulted in a desperate scramble to find beds for patients.

A special COVID-19 hotline in Arizona and Iowa have been getting desperate calls from hospitals in Wyoming, Arkansas, Texas and California who are in search of bed space.

Large hospitals in urban areas already were running short of space and staff when the summer COVID-19 surge started because of other procedures like cancer biopsies and hip replacements.

That means they have very few free beds to offer to patients from small rural hospitals without ICUs or from medical centers in coronavirus hotspots.

Louisiana is seeing a major surge of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, taxing emergency personnel and overwhelming city hospitals. Pictured: A woman with Covid-19 symptoms is being treated at Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson, Louisiana

Since July 4 celebrations, the majority of states, including Mississippi have seen their number of COVID-19 cases surge. Pictured: A staff set up a portable in one of four wards that are part of the 32-bed set-up at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

Hospitals that don't have intensive care units, such as Prosser Memorial in Washington (pictured) often have to send COVID-19 critically ill patients to other states, hoping their hospitals aren't overflown

'Just imagine not having the support of your family near, to have that kind of anxiety if you have someone grow acutely ill,' said Steve Edwards, CEO of CoxHealth, whose hospital in Springfield, Missouri, is treating patients from as far away as Alabama.

Hospitals across the U.S. had more than 75,000 coronavirus patients as of last week, a dramatic increase from a few weeks ago but still well below the winter surge records.

However, Florida, Arkansas, Oregon, Hawaii, Louisiana and Mississippi all have set pandemic records for COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks.

Unlike the winter surge, hospitals this summer were already strained because emergency room volumes are back to pre-pandemic levels and patients are catching up on care they put off.

'We are seeing COVID patients and we are seeing car accidents and we are seeing kids come in with normal seasonal viral infections,' said Dr Mark Rosenberg, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

'And we are seeing normal life come into the emergency department along with the extra surge of COVID patients, so it is causing that crisis.'

In Arizona, a special COVID-19 hotline is getting desperate calls from hospitals in Wyoming, Arkansas, Texas and California who are in search of bed space.

Often, there are no takers.

'We just can't get them out,' lamented Dennis Shelby, CEO of the 15-bed Wilson Medical Center in Neodesha, Kansas.

Officials at the small hospital recently called 40 other facilities in multiple states seeking a bed for a COVID-19 patient before finally finding one more than a day later about 220 miles away.

Six of its seven patients have COVID-19, a pandemic high.

In Kansas, sick COVID-19 patients at small rural hospitals are waiting an average of nearly 10 hours to be flown somewhere else, according to Motient, a company contracting with the state to help manage transfers.

Dr Richard Watson, founder of Motient, said Kansas patients were being sent as far away as Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado and Texas. Often, though, the rural hospitals just muddle through.

'That is just the worst day that you can have in the emergency room as a provider, to be taking care of a patient that you are totally helpless to give them what you know they need,' he said.

He said the delayed transfers can have dire consequences for patients, especially those who urgently need to see specialists, often available only in bigger hospitals, for issues such as strokes or heart attacks.

'Imagine being with your grandma in the ER who is having a heart attack in western Kansas and you are saying: "Why can't we find a bed for her?" Watson said.

'We are watching this happen right in front of us. This is America. Why don't we have a hospital bed for her? Well, here we are.'

Hospitals in Texas have been filled with more COVID-19 patients since the surge of the 'Delta' variant this summer. Pictured: Emergency room nurses tend to a COVID-19 patient in a hallway at the Houston Methodist in Houston, Texas

In Washington state, the 25-bed Prosser Memorial Hospital doesn't have an intensive care unit, so it often sends critically ill patients elsewhere in the state.

Hospital spokeswoman Shannon Hitchcock said Washington hospitals are full, so Prosser patients are being sent as far away as eastern Idaho - 600 miles away.

Luke Smith, director of the Arizona Surge Line, which coordinates COVID-19 patient transfers for Arizona patients and offers advice to out-of-state hospitals, said people arriving at emergency rooms 'are more acutely ill than we have seen historically.'

Finding a hospital to take them is made more difficult by staffing shortages, after pandemic-fatigued doctors and nurses walked away.

'Most of them are saying it isn't that they don't have an open bed, it is that they don't have nursing staff to care for them,' said Robin Allaman, chief nursing officer at the 25-bed Kearny County Hospital in tiny Lakin, Kansas.

Officials there called hospitals in Nebraska, Oklahoma and New Mexico before one in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 200 miles away, agreed to take a recent patient.

Allaman has no idea how many calls they made. 'I think we quit counting,' she said.

High vaccination rates among the 65-plus age group group that filled beds early in the pandemic were supposed to protect hospitals from becoming overwhelmed again.

But Justin Lessler, a professor of epidemiology at John Hopkins University, said there hasn't been the kind of reduction in hospitalizations that officials had hoped for because the 'Delta' variant seems to be more severe, particularly in younger age groups, whose vaccination rates are lower.

University of Iowa Healthcare in Iowa City has been getting calls from out-of-state hospitals seeking transfers, said Dr Theresa Brennan, the hospital's chief medical officer.

They turn down most of them 'because we have beds full of our Iowans.'

Des Moines emergency medicine specialist Dr Clint Hawthorne, like many doctors in Iowa, is concerned that the situation could get worse after the Iowa State Fair, which is expected to draw 1 million people.

'How are we going to be able to handle that?' Hawthorne said. 'There's not a good answer to that.'
A majority of Americans want mask mandates, despite a minority currently living in areas with them, a new poll finds.

The survey, conducted by Axios/Ipsos, published on August 17, questioned U.S. adults about how they feel regarding mask requirements.

Nearly two-thirds, 64 percent, said they support their local government requiring face coverings in public places.

Despite the popular support for the measures, only 33 percent of Americans report actually living in an area where masks are enforced.

Around two-thirds, 64%, of Americans responded to an Axios/Ipsos survey saying they either 'strongly' or 'somewhat' support mask mandates

Many COVID-19 related restrictions were lifted in recent months when it began to look like the pandemic was going to end.

In the time since, a surge of Indian 'Delta' variant cases have caused one of the largest spikes the nation has faced.

Cases have risen from less than 20,000 per day on July 1 - one of the lowest points during the pandemic - to more than 130,000 a day in mid-August, a 550 percent increase.

Local leaders across the country have been reluctant to bring bac pandemic mandates, and some have even taken measures to ban them entirely, despite what residents and localities may want.

Just over 1,000 participants were surveyed in the Axios/Ipsos poll.

They were asked a variety of questions on the pandemic and policies put in place in response to the virus.

Despite masks not being required in many areas across the country, more than half of Americans report that they are wearing them in public anyways. Pictured: Two women in a store in Austin, Texas, wear masks indoors. Mask mandates are currently banned in the state of Texas

When asked about whether they support mask mandates in their local community, 64 percent of participants responded that they either 'strongly support' (39 percent) and 'somewhat support' (24 percent) the measures.

Just over one-third, 36 percent, voiced displeasure with mask mandates, with 14 percent answering they 'somewhat oppose' them, and 22 percent saying they 'strongly oppose'.

Democrats, at 88 percent were more than twice as likely to support the measures than Republicans, at 40 percent.

About 71 percent of Americans who live in urban areas support mask mandates compared to 46 percent of their rural counterparts.

Despite a majority of Americans in favor of the requirements, only 33 percent reported living in an area where the state or local government enforces masks.

Areas that do require masks are largely in western and urban parts of the nation.

As the Delta variant surges across the nation, masks have become a point of controversy once again.

Cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia have reinstated mask mandates in all indoor public areas.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even revised its mask guidance at the end of July, advising masks to go back on indoors in areas of high or substantial transmission - which is almost the entire country at this point.

Some states have gone the other way, though, and banned localities from instituting mask mandates.

States like Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have all banned local mask mandates.

Utah and Oklahoma both have specific bans targeted at schools, though localities can set mask mandates in other public places.

Arkansas previously had a similar ban, though Gov Asa Hutchinson recalled the legislature for a special session to repeal the ban after cases begin to rise in the state.

Despite the limited mandates on masks, a majority of Americans are still wearing them anyways.

The Axios/Ipsos poll finds that 63 percent of Americans still wear a mask at least sometimes in public areas.
A Florida professor predicts that the state will see its peak of COVID-19 cases next week and that herd immunity will soon follow.

Dr Edwin Michael of the University of South Florida's College of Public Health said he has been running computer models of the recent surge that has seen 20,000 cases per day in the Sunshine State.

Michael told WPBF that the simulations suggest Florida will report a record-high of 23,000 infections on August 24.

This will result in the majority of the state having protection against the virus - either natural immunity or through vaccination - which lead to herd immunity being achieved by mid-September.

Dr Edwin Michael (pictured), of the University of South Florida's College of Public Health, has been conducting models of the recent surge of COVID-19 cases

He predicts that Florida will see its peak of infections on August 24 and record a high of 23,000 cases

'The peak will occur August 24 - a week from now,' Michael told WBPF.

'So we are very close to the peak of the current wave.'

According to Michael, reaching that peak will mean that 90 percent of Floridians have immunity either from being previously infected or from being vaccinated.

Public health officials have warned for years that vaccines not only protect individuals but also the community as a whole in what is known as 'herd immunity.'

This occurs when the vast majority of a community becomes immune so that, if a disease is introduced, it is unable to spread.

Therefore, those who are unable to be vaccinated, including the ill, very young and very old, are protected.

Experts like Dr Anthony Fauci have estimated that at least 85 percent of a population needs to have antibodies to achieve herd immunity.

The 90 percent mark well crosses that threshold.

'September 11 or something like that, we'll get herd immunity,' Michael told WPBF.

According to Michael's models from two weeks ago, the peak was supposed to be much worse, reaching 31,000 cases per day before declining.

Michael says that shortly after the peak, it will mean that 90% of Floridians have immunity either from being previously infected or from being vaccinated, and the state achieve herd immunity by September 11 (left)

'Now its come down drastically to 23,000 [new cases], and that's because vaccinations have picked up, more people are getting immune - thank God - and another thing we are noting, more people are now observing social mitigation measures on their own,' he explained.

Health experts have previously suggested the spike in infections could be pushing more people to get shots.

Across the state, Florida is recording a seven-day rolling average of 760,000 doses administered per day, the highest seen since late June, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Michael told WPBF that once the virus almost runs out of people to infect, there will be only small spikes here and there before it 'dies out.'

'We are predicting by early next year this will just go away,' he said.
An unvaccinated single mother in Florida has died from COVID-19, and her family is now urging others to get their shots.

Cindy Dawkins, 50, of Boynton Beach, passed away on August 7, just two days after being admitted to the hospital due to complications with the virus.

Dawkins, who was born in the Bahamas, was set to finalize paperwork to complete the process of becoming an American citizen when she fell ill.

She leaves behind four children, aged 12 to 24, who are now facing struggles as they hope to keep the family together in the wake of their mother's death.

Cindy Dawkins (pictured), 50, died of COVID-19 on August 7 after being hospitalized with the virus only two days before

Dawkins, was was unvaccinated, is survived by her four children, who are now urging others to get vaccinated to protect from the tragedy that struck their family. Pictured: Dawkins with her four children

Many Americans are hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccines, due to concerns over side-effects - whether false or not - and misinformation about them spread on social media.

'I think she wasn't sure about the vaccine, and we followed the rules and kept our masks on,' Tre Burrows, 20, Dawkins' second oldest child, told Good Morning America (GMA).

'Now seeing how it happened and how quickly it happened, it definitely changed our perspective. Getting a vaccine helps more than any damage it could do.'

Tre, alongside his siblings Jenny, 24; Zoey, 15; Sierra, 12; are working to pick up the pieces in the wake of their mother's death.

'Even when we were younger, [our mom] would tell us that we were brothers and sisters and we had to look after each other,' Jenny told GMA.

'Right now we're in survival mode trying to make sure that everything gets done.'

'...we're trying to stay on top of everything because we don't want to disappoint [our mother].'

As the two adult siblings, Jenny and Trey are bearing the load to take care of their younger sisters.

'We're making sure everything is set for our sisters, that they have a good foundation,' said Tre.

'We're doing exactly what our mother was doing.'

Janie Rosenberg Yoshida, a family friend whose daughter attended school with Tre, has started a GoFundMe for the children to assist them in the wake of their mother's death.

Tre (left), 20, and Jenny Burrows (right), 24, are working to keep the family together and support their two younger siblings in the wake of Dawkins's (center) death

The children say they plan on using money raised via GoFundMe, more than $20,000, to purchase a home so the children can continue living together. Pictured: Dawkins with her four children

'Cindy was a loving single mother of [four] who came to this country from the Bahamas to achieve the American Dream,' Yoshida wrote in a letter attached to the GoFundMe page.

'She worked [two] jobs, made sure her kids were fed, clothed, and went to school every day, while at one point even having to live in hotels for years just to keep from being homeless.

'She taught a strong work ethic and strong values to her children and to always help others when they can.

'...And now, cruel, relentless COVID-19 has heartbreakingly, quickly and unapologetically taken another life, leaving behind 4 children to now struggle to not only stay together as a family, but to also somehow strive and thrive through this grief to make their beloved mother proud.'

Yoshida told GMA that she met the family when she saw Tre walking home from school to the hotel his family lived in at the time.

She offered him a ride home, and after befriending the family, assisted them in finding an apartment to live in.

The GoFundMe has raised over $23,000 as of Friday morning.

The children told GMA that they plan to use the funds to place a down payment on a house that they can live in together.

'We are so grateful to everybody,' said Tre.

'I know [our mom] is so happy that we are sticking together the way that we are and not letting a tragedy separate us.'

Cindy is one of nearly 42,000 Floridians that has died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Around 38 percent of the state remains unvaccinated, though vaccine demand in the state is on the rise with an average of 78,137 administered on Thursday, the highest June 23, according to federal data.

Florida is currently recording more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases every day, the most of any state.
After several weeks of lagging rates, the pace of U.S. COVID-19 vaccinations has come roaring back to life.

More than one million Americans received a COVID-19 vaccine in the last 24 hours, which is highest single-day total in seven weeks.

Of those shots, more than half were people getting their first dose of a two-dose vaccine.

What's more, several states that are seeing the highest uptake in shots are among those with the worst surges in Covid cases, such as Florida and Louisiana.

On Thursday, the U.S. recorded more than one million COVID-19 vaccines administered, the highest single-day total seen since July 3 (above)

Of that figure, 562,000 were people getting their first dose of a two-dose series, according to White House official Cyrus Shahpar (above)

The upticks come due to fear of the Indian 'Delta' variant and governments and businesses requiring vaccinations for workers and customers. Pictured: Diana Meyers get a third dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic in Pasadena, California, August 19

After millions of Americans lined up to wait for their turn to be vaccinated in the winter and spring, the pace slowed down in the summer.

However, a mix of fear due the spread over the Indian 'Delta' variant and vaccination mandates from governments and businesses have caused demand to increase again.

On Thursday, the U.S. reported 1,023,545 new doses administered in a single day, which is the most seen since July 3 when 1,161,081 doses were administered.

This number includes 562,000 first doses according to White House Covid Data Director Cyrus Shahpar.

'First 1M day reported in nearly seven weeks!' he tweeted on Thursday.

'[Thirty one percent] week-over week increase in the daily average of people completing their vaccine series, maximizing their protection against Delta.'

President Joe Biden encouraged Americans to keep getting vaccinated in a tweet on Thursday

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data show that some states seeing disproportionately high case rates are also seeing their vaccination rates rise to their highest levels in months.

In Florida, the seven-day average of vaccines administered sits at 78,137, the highest number seen since June 23.

And in Louisiana, officials report a seven-day average of 20,642 per day, which is a figure not seen since May 12.

President Joe Biden also heralded the good news and urged Americans to keep getting shots in arms.

'We have administered over one million COVID-19 vaccine doses in the past 24 hours - thats the highest number in seven weeks,' he tweeted on Thursday.

'If you havent yet, please get vaccinated. Lets keep this momentum going and defeat COVID-19.'

In Florida, the seven-day average of vaccines administered sits at 78,137, the highest number seen since June 23 (above)

In Louisiana, officials report a seven-day average of 20,642 per day, which is a figure not seen since May 12 (above)

It comes one day after the White House said it is planning to make COVID-19 vaccine booster shots available to all Americans - not just those with compromised immune systems.

Three studies, published by the CDC on the same day, suggested the vaccines protect against severe disease, hospitalization and death but lose effectiveness against mild and moderate illness.

Adults over age 18 of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna vaccine will be eligible to received a third dose eight months after their final shot starting the week of September 20.

The decision is pending approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a recommendation from the CDC's advisory committee.

During an interview with Good Morning America on Thursday, Biden said that he and First Lady Jill Biden plan on receiving booster shots.

'We're gonna get the booster shots. And it's something that I think - you know, because we got our shots all the way back in I think December,' Biden told host George Stephanopoulos.

'So it's past time...Yes, we will get the booster shots.'
U.S. health officials are investigating whether or not Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is tied to a higher risk of rare heart inflammation in younger adults than the Pfizer-BioNTech shot is.

Sources told The Washington Post that the probe from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes due to emerging reports out of Canada.

The Canadian data seem to suggest that males under age 30 have higher odds of the heart condition, known as myocarditis or pericarditis, after being dosed with the Moderna vaccine.

What's more, the risk could 2.5 times higher for those get the Moderna jab compared to the Pfizer shot.

The source said this investigation is behind the delay in the FDA approving Moderna's vaccine for emergency use authorization in 12-to-17-year-olds.

The FDA and CDC have launched an investigation into whether or not there is a greater risk of myocarditis/pericarditis with the Moderna vaccine than with the Pfizer vaccine. Pictured: University of Tennessee senior Gwendolyn Keiser is given her second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at UTC's vaccination center, April 2021

Canadian data indicate those under age 30 have a 2.5 times risk of heart inflammation with the Moderna jab. In the U.S, officials have found a risk after the second dose in adults under age 30 (above) - but not tied to any particular vaccine

One anonymous source told The Post that the investigation is still in its early stages and more evidence is needed before the federal health agencies add any new or revised warnings.

'We have not come to a conclusion on this,' a source told The Post.

'The data are not slam bang.'

FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Caccomo told The Post that officials cannot comment on whether an investigation is occurring.

'We can say that FDA is absolutely committed to reviewing data as it becomes available to us,' she said.

'We have previously communicated about myocarditis and COVID-19 vaccines and if new information changes the risk/benefit profile, we will update the public accordingly.'

Meanwhile, the CDC told the newspaper in a statement that its 'Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has and continues to review reports of myocarditis and pericarditis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.

'CDC, FDA, and our vaccine safety partners are actively monitoring these reports, including reviewing data and medical records, to learn more and understand any relationship to COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.'

Young males were up to seven times more likely to report heart inflammation, known as myocarditis, than young women

Neither the CDC nor the FDA immediately responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

It's unclear which Canadian data the agencies are reviewing that indicate a higher risk of myocarditis and pericarditis from the Moderna vaccine.

The Public Health Agency of Canada states on it website that, as of August 6, there have been 423 cases reported - of which 223 have been after the Pfizer vaccine and 184 after the Moderna vaccine.

Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle and pericarditis is inflammation of the lining around the heart.

These types of heart inflammation can be caused by a variety of infections, including a bout of COVID-19, as well as certain medications.

According to the CDC website, there have been more than 1,000 preliminary reports of myocarditis or pericarditis in young people under age 30 since April 2021.

It's unclear how many of those patients were hospitalized, including in intensive care units, and how many have since recovered.

Data from a CDC June presentation suggest men are seven time more likely to report heart inflammation after receiving a second dose than women.

As of June 11, there were 9.1 per million reported cases of myocarditis/pericarditis in females ages 12-to-17 compared to 66.7 per million in males of that age group.

What's more, rates among females ages 18-to-24 and ages 25-to-29 were 5.5 per million and 2.6 per million respectively.

At a meeting on June 23, an advisory group for the CDC said there is a 'likely link' between cases of heart inflammation in adolescents and young adults and COVID-19 vaccines.

However, the committee said that the risk of myocarditis is greater from the virus itself and strongly urged young Americans to get vaccinated.

Public Health Canada issued a similar warning on June 30 and updated the labels pf the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to describe the rare reports.
The United States on Friday donated 500,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine to Kosovo through the COVAX distribution scheme, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter.

It comes just days after Kosovo on August 15 offered to provide temporary refuge to U.S. allies in Afghanistan at risk after the Taliban seized power.

The shipment also comes amid a U.S. vaccine diplomacy effort that has sent vaccines around the world.

Over 110 million vaccine doses have been distributed to at least 65 different countries, including Afghanistan, Colombia, Rwanda and Zambia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a 500,000 dose shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Kosovo on Twtter

Only 21 percent of Kosovans have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Pictured: A woman in Pristina, Kosovo, received a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

'This gift represents the shared values and unwavering bonds between our people,' Blinken tweeted on Friday.

'Together we can defeat COVID-19.'

Blinken has previously pledged that Washington will not trade vaccine doses for political favors.

President Joe Biden's administration has been in discussions with countries including Kosovo about protecting Afghans, amid a chaotic effort to airlift thousands of Americans and other foreign nationals, as well as Afghans who aided the 20-year American war effort from Kabul.

The State Department did not immediately respond to an request for comment.

The doses were delivered through the World Health Organization-backed COVAX that aims to equitably expand access to vaccines.

However, U.S. officials have said they can decide where U.S.-made doses donated through the facility are sent.

In June, during the G7 summit, Biden 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.

The U.S. will ship 200 million of the doses pledged by the end of 2021 and the other 300 million by June 2022, according to Jeff Zients, coordinator of the president's COVID-19 task force.

'Everything is on schedule there,' he said at a White House news briefing earlier this month.

Of those doses, 75 percent will be sent to countries via COVAX and 25 percent will be shared with countries directly.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration sent 80 million doses to other nations after the president promised shots would be donated from the U.S. supply.

Biden administration health officials have said efforts to quell the 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.

The White House had shifted priorities to sending vaccines abroad after the U.S. vaccination campaign slowed down to fewer than 500,000 doses a day in July, down from 3.5 million per day in April.

Vaccine demand in the states has increased in recent weeks as the Indian 'Delta' variant surges across the nation.

As of now, around 750,000 Americans are receiving a vaccine dose every day, and more than one million doses were distributed in a 24 hour span this week - the first time that has happened since July 3.

Anna Durbin, an International Health professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, told DailyMail.com on Thursday that she believes distributing doses abroad should be a priority for America, as it will help combat variants forming and eventually coming to the states.

Just over 60 percent of the U.S. population has received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 51 percent are fully vaccinated.

It has not been enough to keep up with the variant, though, as cases have grown by 600 percent from July 1 to mid August - from around 20,000 a day to 140,000 per day.

In Kosovo, 410,000 of the nation's 1.8 million residents - or 21 percent - have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Nearly 12 percent of Kosovans are fully vaccinated.

The Eastern European is currently experiencing its worst Covid surge since the pandemic first struck in March 2020.

The country is recording around 1,500 new cases per day, up over 2,000 percent from the start of August, where only 60 cases were recorded every day.
Americans are starting to worry about COVID-19 again.

Earlier this summer, the combination of a strong vaccine rollout and low case rates made the pandemic feel it was coming to an end.

In the time since, a COVID-19 surge fueled by the Indian 'Delta' variant has caused many to fear the virus once more.

A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that at least 40 percent of Americans are worried about themselves of their family members contracting the virus.

It is a 50 percent increase over the previous month, and the first time the total has eclipsed 40 percent since January - before COVID-19 vaccines were readily available.

More than 40% of Americans report that they are worried about themselves or a member of their family contracting COVID-19, the first time the figure has eclipsed 40% since January

The poll was conducted between August 12 and 16 and involved 1,729 adults above age 18.

Results showed 41 percent are 'extremely' or 'very' worried about themselves or their family becoming infected with the virus.

That is up from 21 percent in June, and about the same as in January, during the country's last major surge, when 43 percent were extremely or very worried.

'I wouldn't have said this a couple of years ago, but I'm not as confident as I was in America's ability to take care of itself,' said David Bowers, a 42-year-old business analyst in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria.

Bowers, a Democrat, and his wife, a public school teacher, got vaccinated early.

But they fret once again about their daughters, ages seven and nine, attending school in a state whose Republican governor, Doug Ducey, signed a law to block school districts from mandating masks, let alone vaccines.

A brief summer respite from COVID-19 fatigue included a family trip to New York.

'COVID was pretty much out of mind,' Bowers said. 'Now it feels like we're going backward.'

Cases in the United States have rapidly grown throughout the summer, after months of decline in winter and spring.

The winter COVID-19 surge - the largest that has struck the U.S. to this day - reached its peak in early January when over 250,000 cases were being recorded every day.

In January, 43 percent of of Americans reporter being worried that themselves or a member of their family would catch the virus.

As more Americans got vaccinated, cases began to fall.

By April, vaccine demand reached its peak, with more than 3.5 million Americans getting the shots every day.

April was also the first month since February 2020, before the pandemic had first effected a majority of Americans, that less than 30 percent of Americans reported being worried about the pandemic, at only 24 percent.

Cases continued to decrease from April into the summer.

In mid-April, the nation was averaging around 70,000 cases a day, that figure dropped by 70 percent to less than 20,000 per day in late June.

Vaccination rate decreased as well, though, with less than 500,000 Americans getting vaccinated a day at some points in early summer.

Then the Delta variant emerged.

Since July 1, cases in the United States have grown by 600 percent to now over 140,000 per day - with the Delta variant accounting for around 99 percent of cases.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said he feels this surge could get worse, growing to over 200,000 cases a day soon.

The cases are largely concentrated among the unvaccinated, and states like Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri with lower vaccination rates have particularly struggled with the Delta variant in recent months.

An increased fear of the virus has led to more Americans getting vaccinated, though.

Around 70,000 Americans are getting vaccinated every day in mid-August, and the figure has steadily climbed in recent weeks.

Nearly 200 million people, or just over 60 percent of the U.S. population, had received at least one vaccine dose as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Just over half of the population was fully vaccinated.

The poll suggests that despite increasing cases and greater concern about the virus, Americans have not stepped up their own precautionary behavior since Jun.

However, at least half still say they always or often wear a mask around other people, stay away from large groups and avoid nonessential travel.

Confidence in vaccines to withstand virus variants has not waned, either, as U.S. health officials this week announced plans to dispense booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection.

The doses could begin next month.
Doctors in North Texas are denying they are considering COVID-19 patients' vaccination status in deciding who gets life-saving care.

A memo from the North Texas Mass Critical Guidelines Task Force was sent to members about a plan should the region run out of intensive care beds, according to the Dallas Morning News.

If this occurs, physicians can take into account whether or not a person has been vaccinated when deciding how to triage beds.

Dr Mark Casanova, director of clinical ethics for Baylor University Medical Center and a spokesperson of the group, initially told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth on Thursday that it was meant to be a guide for doctors in rare situations.

However, in a separate interview, he backpedaled and said the memo was a 'homework assignment' that members can think about and make suggestions for.

A memo on patient care was written by members of the North Texas Mass Critical Guidelines Task Force that says that if the region run out of ICU beds, physicians can take into account whether or not a person has been vaccinated. Pictured: Dr Michael Nguyen tends to a patient in a hallway at the Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital in Houston, August 18

'Seriously, we need help. We need help to help you. We're not exaggerating things,' Casanova told NBC DFW.

'We have limited capabilities at this time. Limited bandwidth, limited staff, and the numbers are likely to outpace our capabilities.'

The memo was written by Dr Robert Fine, co-chair of the task force, and a copy was leaked to the Morning News.

The guidelines in the memo are not enforceable but are generally followed by the members, who work at dozens of hospitals in North Texas.

In Texas, COVID-19 cases have risen dramatically over the last four weeks from an average of 9,238 per day to 19,899 per day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

This is not a 115 percent jump but nearing the seven-day average record for 23,195 cases per day set on January 12.

Data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) show than 91.8 percent of all ICU beds are occupied with COVID-19 patients accounting for half.

North Texas has been hit especially hard, asking for thousands of staff to be deployed to the area.

According to the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, there are also no pediatric beds left in trauma service area E, made up of 19 counties in North Texas.

The Morning News said the memo. which summarized decisions made by the task force during a meeting on Monday, has three main points:

Vaccination status can be 'considered when making triage decisions' estimating a patient's likelihood of survival

Factors 'beyond the patient's control' have to be considered if he or she is unvaccinated such as a caretaker refusing to have a dependent vaccinated

Healthcare professionals have to continue to be show 'care and compassion' even if angry that a patient is unvaccinated

According to the memo, these rules will only go into effect if North Texas hospitals declare a Level 3, or crisis, alert, reported the Morning News.

The group says vaccination status is not he only factor, meaning a vaccinated patient will not automatically be chosen over a non-vaccinated person for a bed.

Doctors will have to considered other factors when triaging care including pre-existing conditions and the chances the person will recover and be discharged.

Dr Harald Schmidt, a professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Morning News the memo does not take into account patients that are at a socioeconomic disadvantage such as poor people and minorities.

He explained there are several reasons these groups have lower vaccination rates than rich and white Americans including lack of transportation to appointments and distrust of healthcare.

'This policy pretends that it is just focusing on objective medical knowledge, but it ignores societal injustices,' Schmidt told the newspaper.

'In such cruel clarity, COVID-19 has exposed the consequences of the structural inequities that we've had so long. That's why it's critical that we don't add to that, and in this case, we risk that.'
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans on giving full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine by Monday, according to The New York Times.

The two-dose vaccine was the first to receive emergency use authorization in December 2020.

Sources told told The Times that the FDA had previously expected to approve the vaccine before Labor Day, but decided to expedite the timeline.

Regulators are currently working through paperwork and final negotiations with the company before the Pfizer vaccine becomes the first to receive full authorization.

Full approval by the FDA could push more Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine as it might reduce their fears about the safety of the shot.

The FDA plans to give the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine full approval by Monday. Pictured: A Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine vial is pictured at a vaccine mobile clinic in Los Angeles, July 2021

The FDA plans to give the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine full approval by Monday, according to anonymous sources who spoke to The New York Times (file image)

The Pfizer vaccine is the most common in the U.S., having been administered over 200 million times in the last nine months, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

News of full approval comes amid the country's fourth wave of the pandemic.

Daily COVID-19 cases have increased by 600 percent from 20,000 cases per day on July 1 to over 140,000 cases per day in mid-August.

Demand for the vaccines has grown in recent weeks as well, as the surge in cases has pushed more Americans into getting the shots.

As of now, around 750,000 Americans are receiving a vaccine dose every day, and more than one million doses were distributed in a 24 hour span this week - the first time that has happened since July 3.

The federal government also recently announced plans to roll out third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, starting on September 20.

Pfizer's vaccine is currently approved for use on an emergency basis, it is still considered somewhat experimental despite data showing it is safe and effective.

Emergency use authorization requires less clinical trial data, with the FDA only requiring two months of follow-up before approving the shot for those 16 and older last year compared to six months for full approval.

The designation is also intended to be temporary.

When the shot is fully approved, companies and schools may feel more comfortable requiring employees and students to get it.

A recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found three in ten unvaccinated adults said they would be more likely to get vaccinated if one of the vaccines were fully approved.

However, the researchers warned that most unvaccinated respondents did not understand the FDA approval process and may just be looking for a reason to not get vaccinated.

'If vaccines are fully authorized, that would take that excuse [for not getting vaccinated] off the table,' Dr William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told DailyMail.com in an interview last month.

'If fully licensed, I think that movement of [vaccine] mandates would accelerate and generate lots of vaccinations.'

The decision would also allow the vaccine makers to market their shots directly to the general public.

Currently, more than 60 percent of people have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 51 percent are fully vaccinated.

Anyone over the age of 12 is eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.

Moderna, which produced a similar mRNA vaccine to Pfizer that also received emergency use authorization in December, has also submitted an application for full FDA approval.
Styling: Holly Elgeti. Make-up: Nicky Weir using Hourglass. Hair: Alex Szabo at Carol Hayes using T3. Dress, Iris & Ink. jewellery, Daisy Jewellery, Alighieri, Pilgrim

My husband recently bought me a DNA-testing package as a present. Wow, you might be thinking, what a romantic. But, actually, it really was a heartfelt gesture: Id been umm-ing and ahh-ing about getting one for years. On the one hand, I was interested to find out more about my ancestry. On the other, I was scared that if the robot overlords took over the world, then my DNA would be stored on a database and make it easier for them to defeat me. Or, you know, clone me. Although Im not sure what good that would do anyone.

Still, more and more people kept getting tested, including my husband and his children, and eventually my innate curiosity got the better of me. What if I turned out to have fascinatingly glamorous ancestors? What if I was secret royalty, with a direct line to Catherine the Great of Russia? What if I was adopted? I think it says something about me that this last prospect did not worry me in the slightest. If my parents had lied to me all my life, I reasoned, then it was probably for my own good.

The package, when it arrived, was more prosaic than all of these fevered imaginings. Basically, I had to spit into a tube. And I had to spit quite a lot. Still, it was better than the time Id ordered an allergy test online and was required to draw blood from my own finger, during which I felt like I was going to faint and had to lie down for 20 minutes. I never did discover if I was allergic to oysters.

I could have glamorous ancestors or be secret royalty

I sent off the DNA test and waited for several weeks. I had almost forgotten about it when  ping!  the results appeared on my phone while I was out for a drink with a friend. I read through the precis of my ancestral DNA. It was more or less what I expected: mostly Northern European, with bits of Britain, Ireland (my father) and Switzerland (my mother) thrown in. There was a trace of Scandinavian. But then, as I scrolled down, came the surprise: 18.2 per cent Ashkenazi Jewish.

Id known, of course, that I had Jewish ancestors on my paternal side, but I had no idea they were specifically Ashkenazi or that there was that much of their lineage in my blood. I went down a rabbit hole of historical investigation, which mainly involved googling famous Ashkenazi Jews. Albert Einstein came up. As did Steven Spielberg, Gertrude Stein and Rachel Weisz. Terrific genes.

I remembered, a few years ago, being sent to interview Rachel for the newspaper I was then working for. I liked her immensely. More than that, Id felt strangely connected to her.

Sorry, she said to me, breaking off halfway through the interview. I just feel I know you or that Ive met you before.

I know! I replied. Me too! Almost like we could be related or

Yes, like cousins or something.

(Im recalling this conversation from memory, but youll have to trust me that it was more or less along those lines.)

And now here I was with actual scientific proof! We were as good as related given that all Ashkenazi Jews are believed to have descended from the same 330 people. There were other things that I discovered too: that I have a trace of Anatolian, Levantine and North African DNA, which at least partly explains my predilection for aubergines and hummus.

And apparently I share a gene variant with elite athletes, which explains why I recently triumphed in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics.

OK, so I made that last bit up. But Im probably related to Rachel Weisz and Albert Einstein, and thats good enough for me.

This week Im

I'm...Reading Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason. Packing for a long-awaited holiday with an Away case and carry-on bag. And wearing this icy pink jumpsuit from Me+Em

Reading Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason. The most wonderful, heartbreakingly gorgeous novel of the year.

Packing for a long-awaited holiday with an Away case and carry-on bag that slips neatly over the handles.

Wearing this icy pink jumpsuit from Me+Em. Comfortable, stylish and (even better) with pockets.
Mexican meets Japanese? It works, somehow, at this fusion newbie. Tom is pleasantly surprised

Teriyaki duck  on tacos! A perfect match at Los Mochis

Los Mochis is, according to the website, the ultimate pan-Pacific pairing of Mexican and Japanese cuisine. Dear god, what fresh hell is this? As if we havent all suffered enough, then along comes a new restaurant threatening to mash two of the worlds most thrilling cuisines into one half-witted, leaden-palated, presumably Instagram-able mess. The horror.

So pen sharpened, delicate culinary sensibilities primed to be oh-so offended, and ghast very much flabbered, we march upon Los Mochis, tucked away in a pretty street behind West Londons Notting Hill Gate, growling Saturday Nights Alright (For Fighting) with a steely glint in our eyes. But before the rout commences, a decent margarita from the lovely waiter. And as we settle into our table, half inside, half out, a balmy breeze cutting through the sultry night, irritation slowly softens. The bare brick walls and vaguely psychedelic portraits of Santa Muerte, Frida Kahlo and, er, Yoda certainly look more attractive as the natural light fades. And even at 6.30, the whole place is bathed in a blissfully happy hubbub. It feels like, well, old times.

The food is far better than expected. No birria ramen or natto-stuffed chillies, rather a menu firmly divided into sashimi, tacos, ceviches and maki rolls. But am I not being prissily close-minded? Maybe its the second margarita kicking in, but havent Peruvian and Japanese food been beautifully melded together, as Nikkei cuisine, for decades? And Roy Choi, among others, shows exactly what fun the marriage of Mexican and Korean can be.

That, though, is for another time and place. Fish quality is excellent, the otoro sashimi lavishly rich and gloriously fatty. OK, so Jiro might not be dreaming of the knife skills, but theyre good enough. Theres a bracing seabass ceviche, pert and sharp, and a soft, subtle tuna tartare. Tortillas and salsas are made fresh, always the sign of a place that takes tacos seriously. Cabo fish taco, carnitas and al pastor are more than respectable. By now, the place is throbbing, and any initial misgivings have long since disappeared.

If youre after authentic regional cooking, then you may be disappointed. But if its good tacos and sashimi, cracking cocktails and a merry night out, youre very much in luck. Los Mochis is a blast.

About 40 per head. Los Mochis, 2-4 Farmer Street, London W8; losmochis.co.uk

Drinks: Ollys South African fine fizz

Cap Classique is celebrating 50 years of South Africas unique fine fizz. This bottle-fermented wine with rich, rampaging flavours and lively bubbles is South Africas fastest growing wine category. It takes time to make a bottle  the minimum has just gone up to 12 months  and as far as grapes go, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir tend to be the leading lights. Pop a bottle and raise a glass on your next sunny picnic!

WINE OF THE WEEK Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel 2019 (12%), 12.95, leaandsandeman.co.uk. Terrific value for a fine fizz balanced with vibrant refreshment and rich aromas.

Boschendal Chardonnay-Pinot Noir Brut (12.5%), 15, thewinebox.co.uk. Lemony flavours with bold bubbles, this is a top fizz to pair with nibbles or canapes.

Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs 2016 (12.5%), 17.50, vinvm.co.uk. Brioche aromas, umami richness and bright delicious invigoration. Splendid fizz.

Bon Courage Jacques Bruere 2012 (11.5%), 17.99, thewinereserve.co.uk. Silky and rich, this is amazing bubbly to sip with comte cheese.
Interactive Investor Richard Wilson has been a vocal advocate for greater involvement for retail investors in IPOs

Interactive Investor is eyeing a London stock market listing in 2022 which could value the DIY investing platform at up to 2billion.

After posting strong growth in the pandemic, the UKs second biggest DIY investment platform has started talks with several investment banks as it eyes a London listing, according to Sky News.

It would join major rivals Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell on the stock market if it floats and while no formal decision has been made, an IPO could see the Manchester-based firm valued in the range of 1.5billion and 2billion.

Interactive Investor, which is part owned by US private equity firm JC Flowers, has been mulling a flotation for some years. Chief executive Richard Wilson told This Is Money in 2019 of his ambition to follow rivals Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell to become a listed company.

Earlier this year the company appointed Gordon Wilson as a non-executive director as part of its IPO plans.

The possible listing in 2022 follows a year in which investing platforms have seen a rise in customers as those with savings and more time to spare became retail investors for the first time.

Hargreaves Lansdown has proved a runaway stock market success story, with its shares rising 265 per cent over the past decade, compared to a 52 per cent rise for the FTSE All Share Index.

AJ Bell shares floated at 160p in December 2018 and immediately soared 38 per cent. Today they stand at 429p - some 168 per cent above their IPO price.

Interactive Investor has said it has seen record levels of new customers and asset inflows during the pandemic, with rival AJ Bell reporting similar increases. Interactive Investor now boasts over 400,000 customers and 55billion of assets under administration.

Interactive Investor stands out among investment platforms because it operates a flat-fee monthly subscription model. It charges 9.99 per month on its standard plan and gives investors back 7.99 in the form of a free monthly trade.

In its most recent results for the first half of 2021, the company reported a 19 per cent rise in net revenue year-on-year to 76.1million and a 33 per cent rise in new clients to 31,667.

The company has been on an aggressive acquisition spree in a bid to take on investing giant Hargreaves Lansdown, the UKs largest DIY investment platform.

Earlier this year, Interactive Investor snapped up Equinitis share dealing, Isa and Sipp accounts for 48.5million. That followed its deal to buy rival Share Centre for 62million last February, and its acquisition of Alliance Trust Savings in 2019 and of TD Direct Investing in 2017.

The steps towards an IPO come in the wake of a review by Lord Hill, which recommended measures to make it easier for private investors to access IPOs.

Interactive Investor boss Richard Wilson has been among those agitating for retail access, alongside Andy Bell and Chris Hill of AJ Bell and Hargreaves.

Earlier this year the chief executives wrote to City minister John Glen saying retail investors were excluded from the majority of IPOs via the LSE.

For too long UK listings have been the preserve of financial institutions and we urge you to consider the rights of retail shareholders in relation to IPOs, they said.

They noted that between October 2017 and October 2020, private investors were invited to take part in just 24 out of 352 IPOs on the main market and Aim.
Ultra Electronics shares lost ground after Kwasi Kwarteng ordered an investigation into its takeover by Advent International.

In a victory for the Mail, the Business Secretary this week intervened in the 2.6billion deal.

He also banned Ultra  which makes crucial precision control systems for the military and commerical aerospace  from sharing any sensitive details about its work with the Government and armed forces with its American private equity suitor.

Ultra Electronics, which makes crucial submarine-hunting kit for the Royal Navy, has been banned from sharing any sensitive details about its work with its US private equity suitor

The intervention means Kwarteng could block the takeover on national security grounds  and even if he does not, it could drag out the process.

Ultra's stock slipped 1.7 per cent, or 56p, to 3308p. It is still trading below the offer price of 3500p per share.

Ultra's stock was worth 2156p in June before any talks of Advent making an offer for the firm were announced.

Analysts said the slight trip in the share price meant investors had broadly expected the intervention.

Nicholas Hyett, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'It's a bit of a wait-and-see game.'
Hundreds of former Debenhams workers are taking legal action after losing their jobs with just a few days' notice  some by text message or Zoom call.

Lawyers say there was a 'complete failure' to follow the statutory process, and that the workers' employment rights were breached.

Details of the claims come as the department store's former private equity owners  who extracted more than 1billion of dividends despite saddling the chain with enormous debts and costs  face mounting pressure to help cover a 32million deficit in its pension fund.

The closure of Debenhams stores has cost 18,500 people their jobs over the last 12 months. Staff are angry they were not given the 45-day minimum consultation period for redundancy

The staff, some with decades of service, are angry they were not given the 45-day minimum consultation period for redundancy, which would have allowed them time to look for other jobs.

They argue Debenhams should have collectively consulted with employees for 45 days leading up to the redundancies  made during 2020 and 2021 when the chain was operated by Department Store Realisations Limited, a company overseen by administrators FRP  but didn't.

Closure of the chain has cost 18,500 people their jobs over the last 12 months.

There are at least two separate group actions to employment tribunals, each involving hundreds of ex-employees.

Law firm Simpson Millar is representing 500 former workers, while SDM Legal is taking action on behalf of almost 300 people. If successful, the pay-outs would be made through the Government Insolvency Service.

SDM is representing staff who worked at a number of stores in England and Scotland, offices in Taunton, Somerset, and the company's warehouse and distribution centre in Peterborough.

A spokesman said: 'Some of our clients have worked for Debenhams for their entire working life and so the administration, the way in which the redundancy process was handled and the widely-reported issues regarding the alleged pension deficit is a devastating reality.'

The maximum award per claimant is 90 days' pay  with each award varying depending on each individual salary.

If the tribunal is successful, the Government will underwrite up to eight weeks of the 90 days. Payments for those made redundant after April 6 this year are capped at 544.

One affected worker, who had a 20-year career at a store in Scotland having started part-time as a teenager, said: 'We were working in the stores packing online orders during lockdown but at the beginning of March we were given just a day or two's notice that we were losing our jobs.

'We were simply given details of how to apply for the Government's statutory redundancy scheme, then that was it. The administrators washed their hands of us.'

Staff who were at work were told the news in person while others were invited to join a video call.

The worker, who has since found a new job, received 6,000 in statutory redundancy pay but argues he should have received 12 weeks rather than days' notice  allowing him time to find a new job  along with payments to reflect his years of service.

He added: 'There were people with mortgages, two or three kids, couples who were both losing their jobs at the same time. The cut to pensions as well is a very bitter pill to swallow, to be sure.'

Debenhams' administrators, FRP, said it was difficult to abide by the statutory consultation period as decisions had to be taken on a day-by-day basis including sudden needs to reduce costs.

A spokesman said: 'In normal circumstances an employer proposing to make redundancies would embark on a period of consultation with its employees.

'But this is rarely possible in insolvency where the options available are limited, particularly in an unpredictable and challenging trading environment.'

However, Damian Kelly, head of employment law at Simpson Millar, said: 'While many people would as-sume that Debenhams would not have to follow the correct employment procedures because it had gone into administration, they still have a duty under current employment law legislation to carry out a proper consultation with staff at risk of redundancies.'
Sir Terry Leahy looks set to make a dramatic comeback into British supermarkets following a 7billion bid for Morrisons.

Private equity group Clayton Dubilier & Rice  which counts the former Tesco chief executive as a key adviser  last night struck a deal to buy Morrisons for 285p a share.

The offer trumped an earlier 272p a share bid worth 6.7billion from rival private equity group Fortress and puts CD&R in pole position to seize control of the British grocer.

Shares in Morrisons were up 4.2 per cent to 291p just shortly after the London stock market close on Friday.

Private equity group Clayton Dubilier & Rice  which counts the former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy (pictured) as a key adviser  last night struck a deal to buy Morrisons for 285p a share

Leahy, 65, is understood to have been instrumental in the deal.

The agreement, announced last night after the stock market closed, will spark speculation that Leahy could take a place on the Morrisons board  possibly as chairman.

Unveiling the deal, he said: 'CD&R is delighted to have the opportunity to support the management of Morrisons in executing their strategy to grow and develop the business.

'The grocery sector in the UK is undergoing great change and we believe Morrisons is well placed, with CD&R's support, to succeed in this environment. CD&R values Morrisons' distinctive business model and is committed to supporting it.'

The battle for Morrisons started back in June when CD&R offered 230p per share, or 5.5billion.

This was countered by private equity rival Fortress which offered 254p per share, or 6.3billion in July. Fortress then sweetened its own bid to 272p per share or 6.7billion two weeks ago.

The Morrisons board had backed the Fortress bids. But last night it swung behind CD&R and Leahy.

Directors have said shareholders should vote in favour of the takeover at a meeting due in early October.

Morrisons chairman Andrew Higginson said: 'The Morrisons board believes that the offer from CD&R represents good value for shareholders while at the same time protecting the fundamental character of Morrisons for all stakeholders.

'CD&R have a strong record of developing, strengthening and growing the businesses that they invest in and they share our vision for Morrisons' future.

'This, together with the strong set of intentions that they have set out today, gives the Morrisons Board confidence that CD&R will be a responsible, thoughtful and careful owner of an important British grocery business.'

The Morrisons board, which had previously backed a deal by Fortress, has now backed CD&R

Danni Hewson, a financial analyst at investing platform AJ Bell, said there was still 'a real possibility' that Fortress may raise its offer.

But he added: 'However, Clayton, Dubilier and Rice always seemed like the more natural fit for the Yorkshire business.

'Its forecourt operation might require a few tweaks to please the UKs competition watchdog but adding Morrisons to the portfolio will put them in a strong position to be at the forefront of the switch to electric.

'It wont hurt shareholder sentiment that retail royalty Sir Terry Leahy is a senior advisor on this deal and he took the opportunity last night to play on emotions, spotlighting his relationship with the late Sir Ken Morrison. But ultimately this is a numbers game and in business sentiment often only goes so far.'
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A 89-year-old former Los Angeles model revealed how she hid under dead bodies as a 13-year-old girl when Nazi soldiers massacred a Hungarian 'safe house' harboring Jews.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV, Marianne Klein recounted how she survived for months hiding from the Germans and living on moldy bread until Russian soldiers liberated Budapest in January 1945.

Now almost 90, she wants to tell the story of her endurance and escape from the holocaust.

Her journey took her to Paris and Canada, ending up as a Beverly Hills model, mixing with movie stars and celebrity musicians, writing her own screenplays and exhibiting her paintings in Los Angeles.

She says she has chosen to relive the horrors of her World War II upbringing on camera for the first time, to remind Americans of the perils of fascism.

Klein was born in 1931 after her mother, Erzsebet Weisz, eloped with an older man, Joszef Roth.

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Marianne Klein told DailyMailTV how she spent months hiding from Nazis in Hungary as a young girl after her mother died and her father was taken to a concentration camp during the German invasion in 1944

Klein was born in 1931 after her mother, Erzsebet Weisz (left) eloped with an older man, Joszef Roth (left). However the marriage did not last and her mother would later ban contact with her father

The relationship didn't last, but after Erzsebet struck up a romance with a Russian baron, the young Klein was raised to join the upper echelons of Budapest society.

'My mother wanted me to be a lady, she wanted me to be royalty. She wanted me to play the piano. I was put into school with people who were very high class, who had a lot of money,' Klein told DailyMailTV.

'My father was a gambler. My mother absolutely objected to my contacting my father. She wouldn't let me see him because she thought that he was a bad influence.'

But Erzsebet caught tuberculosis and when she was close to death in 1943, Klein was sent to a Jewish orphanage in the city.

Though banned from seeing her, Klein's father snuck into Friday night services to watch her sing, and would hide gift packages in the lobby, she said.

In 1944 the German army invaded Hungary. A battalion seized the orphanage as a headquarters, forcing Klein to take refuge in her father's apartment.

Klein said she was unaware of the looming threat of the holocaust as a young girl, and was more concerned with seeing the next Shirley Temple or Laurel and Hardy movie.

'I was in la la land. I was a little girl, I was only interested in fairy tales, children's stuff,' she said.

'My father and I had a lot of fun. He was a gambler, he took me to horse races. I loved that. He took me to the movies, which is where I learned about Shirley Temple. As a little girl I wanted to be Shirley Temple.'

Erzsebet became ill with tuberculosis and when she was close to death in 1943, Klein was sent to a Jewish orphanage in the city

Klein, pictured as a baby with her mother, was forced to move in with her father after a German battalion seized her orphanage as a headquarters in 1944

But it wasn't long before the Nazis came for them, rounding up Jews in synagogues and taking her father away to Bergen Belsen concentration camp.

'It really hit me when I was locked up in the synagogue with my father and we had to wear the yellow star on our garments,' Klein said.

'They came into the house and they ordered all the men to the courtyard. All the men were lined up and they started pushing them around with machine guns and kicking them. It was a terribly painful scene.

'I kept running after him on the street and I saw him being shoved into a cattle truck and he was gone. I think it was probably the worst day of my life.'

She said before he was taken away, Joszef told her: 'No matter what happens we will see each other again. We will think about each other at the same time every day. Think of me at 12 o'clock I'll think of you at 12 o'clock.'

Determined to survive so that she could be reunited with her father, Klein drew on one of the few role models she had left to guide her: Shirley Temple.

Klein was able to create a new life for herself after moving to the US in 1978. Her memoir, All The Pretty Shoes, was published in 2011

'She was cute, she had pretty clothes, and she was always sweet and nice. Everybody loved her, even the grumpy people fell in love with her,' Klein said.

'This was something that stuck with me. I used that image for my own survival. Whenever people were mean to me I thought I could turn them around and make them like me by being sweet and nice.'

Klein walked the war-torn streets of Budapest, scrounging food and shelter and doing her best Temple impression to charm passing German and Hungarian fascist soldiers into believing she was a gentile running errands for her mother.

In 1944 some Budapest Jews were still able to shelter in 'safe houses' set up by Swedish diplomats.

Klein managed to find one, and slipped in pretending to be part of another refugee family.

'Every apartment had so many people they had to throw the furniture into the courtyard to make room. We all slept on the floor,' she said.

'When it was cold they started cutting up the beautiful antique furniture for firewood. People started sharing the little bit of food they had. We felt safe. I thought I was safe there.

'But then came the [Hungarian fascist force] Arrow Cross and the Germans.

'They rounded everybody up. They told us everybody had to get out of the apartments and stand on the balcony. And the next thing we knew, they started shooting their machine guns.

'The first shot I heard I fell onto the ground and pretended I was dead.

'They came around and started kicking everybody, making sure that they were dead.

Decades later, Klein would move to the US where she fell on her feet, getting a job as a showroom model for a store on Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive

'They kicked me in the ribs to see if I was dead, and I was dead for them. I was very, very lucky.

'There was blood all over the place. I just lay there until it was dark and I didn't hear anybody around anymore. It was quite a moment.'

Back out on the streets again, the 13-year-old was picked up by a policeman who said he was hiding Jews in his house.

One of the residents tried to molest her the first night, and the next morning the officer did the same.

'He took me into the kitchen and locked the door. Then he unzipped his pants and he wanted me to caress him,' Klein said.

'I took one of the frying pans and hit him where he wanted me to caress him. Then I ran away as fast as I could.'

Klein found a deserted neighborhood outside the city and hid in an abandoned apartment.

The Hungarian winter winds came right through its blown-out windows, and at night she would listen for the whistling of bombs landing all around her.

'I was a bit delirious by then. I hadn't had much food. I found a bag of moldy bread in a cupboard in the kitchen. That was my delicious meal every day,' she said.

Lice forced her to cut off the Temple-like pigtails that had helped her charm soldiers in previous months.

'I got this bug in my hair and it was the worst. I got very sick from that. I found newspapers and a pair of scissors and cut my hair. The bugs were dancing on the paper. It was so horrible,' she said.

'That's when I would entertain myself with thinking how pretty Shirley Temple was and how she would dance, and I would hum to myself.

In February 1945 the Germans surrendered to Russian troops besieging the city.

Klein heard the celebrations in the street and finally emerged, bald, emaciated and with only newspaper to protect her feet.

Her remarkable survival story would see her move to Paris and Canada before ending up in California where she would find work as a Beverly Hills model, artist and writer

Klein mixed with movie stars and celebrity musicians, writing her own screenplays and exhibiting her paintings (pictured) in Los Angeles

Paintings by Marianne Klein. The 89-year-old's life in the US is a far cry from her grim Hungarian childhood

'On my way to Budapest I saw dead horses on the street, frozen. People were cutting them up for meat. Stores were ransacked. It was complete chaos,' she said.

Klein found a girl from her orphanage while obsessively checking lists of holocaust victims posted at the Budapest train station, looking for her father.

The friend found her a room and a job sewing soldiers' pants, but when she took her to a tailor to get shoes, the middle-aged man raped Klein.

'I went home to my little room, crying my heart out,' she said. 'And I never got the shoes.'

It was around that time she was told her father had died in Bergen Belsen of typhus, though at the time she refused to believe it.

The indefatigable teen and two friends convinced bootleggers to get them on a train to Paris by spinning a story about a rich uncle there who would reward them  but she gave them the slip by leaping from the train just before it entered the city.

'We walked around in seventh heaven. During the war everything was so dark. But Paris was so full of food and stores, baguettes and cheese,' she said. 'It was wonderful. We heard music and saw lights. We hadn't seen lights in the street at night forever.'

Klein joined a French government program pairing holocaust refugees with Canadian families, and was sent to an orphanage in Montreal.

But disliking the parents 'shopping for children', she rebelled and aged 15 got pregnant by another of the orphans.

'He became the father of my two children and we got married when we were 15 years old,' she said.

By 16 I had my daughter, by 17 I had my son, and by 18 I had no husband.

'He was absolutely useless. He was a gambler, he was irresponsible. He was a chronic liar.'

Klein, who turns 90 in November, is still working on paintings which have been exhibited around Los Angeles, and has written several screenplays, including of her wartime childhood

Klein said she took the children to Toronto and worked as a waitress at the famous jazz haunt The Town Tavern, frequented by Oscar Peterson.

Her deadbeat husband followed, took the children from their babysitter 'for ice cream' one day and never returned.

'He took them to Montreal and gave them up to the welfare. He said 'these children were abandoned by their mother, she is a wh***. She shouldn't have these children, she's an unfit mother.'

Struggling to pay the legal fees to fight a court battle to reclaim her kids, Klein took a high-paying job as a model for a luxury coat designer, who soon became her lover.

The man, who she named only as Robert, left his wife for Klein, helped her reclaim her children, and the family moved to a farm in the Canadian provinces.

At first he was her hero, but Klein said as the years went by his mood soured, he mistreated her children and got into debt  becoming so desperate that he burned down their farm in a failed attempt at an insurance payout.

By then her children were grown and had left the house, and there was nothing keeping Klein in Canada.

During the war she and her father vowed to escape to America, and she decided to finally make the fantasy real.

'I came to Los Angeles in 1978. I was there illegally. But thanks to President Reagan he gave amnesty at the time so I became an American citizen,' she said.

Klein fell on her feet, getting a job as a showroom model for a store on Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive. It was a far cry from her grim Hungarian childhood.

'They had chrome staircases, thick carpets, people who came to shop were offered a glass of champagne at the door,' she said.

Klein mixed with celebrities including Hungarian movie star Eva Gabor, and began a 35-year romance with a publicist from her writing class that took her to the red carpets and star-studded parties of Hollywood.

'He worked with a lot of movie stars: Kirk Douglas, Ella Fitzgerald. He took me to all those events and it was very interesting. We got along beautifully,' she said.

'He encouraged me to write. He said you've got to write your memoir. I said I don't need to, I've lived it.

'But then I lost him. He died of cancer. When he died I was really lonely and missed him very much. In his honor I started writing a memoir.'

Klein's memoir, All The Pretty Shoes, was published in 2011.

Though she turns 90 in November, she is still working on paintings which have been exhibited around Los Angeles, and has written several screenplays, including of her wartime childhood.

'What keeps me going is my love of life and the love of my family and my friends. They give me energy,' she said.

'We call each other the little family, because all we have is each other.'
A young couple whose illegal lockdown engagement party shocked Melbourne are living in fear of vile anti-Semitic bullies following an outpouring of hatred.

Daily Mail Australia has learnt Michal Franck and Yoni Rubin are now in hiding after being targeted in an anti-Semitic campaign since they were publicly exposed last week.

A source within the tight-knit Jewish Orthodox community has revealed the much-loved couple has been forced to hire private security to protect them after receiving numerous death threats.

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. Ten 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

Social media has always been a hive anti-Senitism, but it has exploded in the past week

The number of Covid-19 cases now linked to their engagement party grew to at least 10 over the past few days, with the story making international headlines.

Sixty-nine people had attended the illegal gathering on August 11 in St Kilda.

The children of a prominent psychologist and a cancer specialist doctor, Daily Mail Australia has been told the orthodox community has rallied behind the families in the days following their public outing.

The party had initially been condemned by St Kilda Rabbi Ronnie Figdor, who said the couple 'should have known better' and his community was upset and disappointed.

Jewish leaders have since gone to ground as angry Australians turned their hatred on the entire community.

The video of the party, which was taken by a close friend of the couple, showed guests crammed into a small room as Yoni Rubin mocked the lockdown laws they were flouting.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal the video had been shared among friends in a WhatsApp messenger group.

Someone within that group shared the video and within hours it went viral.

The hate campaign swung into full gear days later when an unusually angry Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews during his Covid press conference on Monday slammed attendees for their 'selfish choices'.

'They are sh**ty choices and they keep us all locked down for longer than we should be,' Mr Andrews said.

'Every time even a small number of people make really bad choices, selfish choices, it take away from the hard work that so many millions more are doing, and it extends these lockdowns because it makes it more likely that we will have more cases.'

So furious was Mr Andrews, he turned-up at Monday's press conference with Victoria Police Commissioner Shane Patton, who read Victorians the riot act in a display of solidarity with his political master.

Mr Andrews inadvertently fanned the flames of hate further when he deliberately made note that those who attended the party had all shared a religious affiliation.

'This is not an act of faith. This is not part of any cultural practice. This is just bad behaviour," he said.

Staff continued to refer to the 'Jewish community cluster' for days until Covid commander Jeroen Weimar took a bullet for the team and apologised.

'I am hugely disappointed that my words have been interpreted as a slight or criticism of the Orthodox Jewish community  this was absolutely not intended,' he said on Thursday.

'I apologise to Melbournes Jewish community for the hurt and harm that my words have done.'

The Jewish community has been appalled by the level of hatred sent their way over the past week

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

CALL FOR CALM FROM JEWISH LEADERS Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, Dr Dvir Abramovich, has witnessed open slather against the Jewish community. 'This erodes the unity our state needs now more than ever. We know that in times of crisis, those wishing to sow discord can drown out the voices of reason, and this singling out and disparaging of Jews is dangerous,' he said. 'I applaud the swift and decisive action by the RMH, sending the unmistakable message that antisemitism will never find a safe haven in their institution. 'There is never any excuse or justification for this kind of disturbing and ugly rhetoric. I also welcome the strong and principled condemnation by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton of the tsunami of antisemitic expression and abuse directed at the Jewish community.' 'Leaders need to lead, and I urge all elected representatives to call out this racist blame-game because if they dont, there is risk that this kind of hateful rhetoric and harassment of the Jewish community will take on a life of its own and end in tragedy.' 'This threat cannot go on unchecked, and we must make sure that a further escalation in antisemitism does not become a side effect of this virus.' Advertisement

But the floodgates were already open.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital took almost instant action against a staff member for making racist comments.

The comment was made on a Facebook post where people were discussing how the party had the potential to create a superspreader event that could keep Melbourne locked down longer.

It had suggested the couple be 'put in the gas chamber'.

Since then, things have gone from bad to worse for the couple and parents of the bride, who all copped a $5452 fine.

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.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has launched its own investigation into the party, with the power to suspend the licenses 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,' an APHRA spokesperson said this week.

This week, the Victorian premier attempted to clean up the fallout from his scathing press conference.

'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.'

Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, Dr Dvir Abramovich, told Daily Mail Australia the entire Jewish community had been stunned by the level of anti-Semitism following the St Kilda incident.

St Kilda Rabbi Ronnie Figdor admitted the couple 'should have known better'

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and his cronies threw the Jewish community under the bus with their continued references

'The genie of antisemitism is out of the bottle. Words do not exist to describe the rage I feel right now. As this pandemic disrupts and takes a toll on our lives, we are seeing the outright scapegoating and the pointing of fingers at the Jewish community for this extended lockdown spiral out of control,' he said.

A quick look at social media shows a litany of outrageous, unvetted comments on mainstream news sites.

'A good shower would sort em out,' one man posted - in reference to the gassing of Jews in false shower blocks during World War II.

Dr Abramovich said the degree of anger from some Australians had 'rocked the Jewish community to its core'.

'We know that anti-Semitism is at record highs in this country, but the volume and the viciousness and the cruel comments that have been posted, I think it has taken a lot of people by surprise. It's quite chilling,' he said.

'Seizing on fear and existing anti-Semitic sentiments, this engagement party has become a vehicle for malicious stereotyping and generalising, demonisation and calls for violence which are frightening in their intensity.'
Sydney University Liberals are campaigning for an end to lockdowns around the country, saying they ruin lives and go against the Liberal values of freedom and small government.

The student group, which counts NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian among its alumni, has set up a website called 'Live With The Virus' which invites Australians to sign a petition against the 'disproportionate Covid-19 response'.

The students believe that lockdowns are shattering young lives and causing a huge deterioration in mental health. Lifeline is fielding 3,500 calls a day across the country, up from about 2,500 in 2019.

Sydney University Liberal Club President Alex Baird and Vice President Abby Donaldson, who works for federal MP Jason Falinksi

The student group is encouraging people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to help end lockdowns. Pictured: Queues for vaccines at Macquarie Fields in south west Sydney

'We're so impacted by lockdowns, we can't see our friends, a lot us work in hospitality, we're missing out such an important part of our lives,' Sydney University Liberal Club President Alex Baird told Daily Mail Australia.

He said the campaign was set up to 'call on all governments across Australia to consider the damaging impacts lockdowns have on society, and our economy, families, and mental health in particular.

'After 19 months of uncertainty and anxiety, we are questioning whether governments are getting the balance right,' he said.

The campaign also has an Instagram page which slammed the NSW government for tightening restrictions last week.

The post read: 'According to the NSW Liberal Party Website, the Liberals believe ''in the inalienable rights and freedoms of all people: we work towards a lean government that minimises interference in our daily lives and maximises individual and private-sector initiative''.

'What we have seen today is a backflip of Liberal values.

'Vaccination is our path to freedom, but the politicians are weaponising a spike in cases to take away our liberties.'



Mr Baird (pictured with John Howard) said the campaign was set up to ' call on all governments across Australia to consider the damaging impacts lockdowns'

Mr Baird said pursuing a zero-Covid policy was 'ridiculous' and slammed Ms Berejiklian for creating uncertainty about when the state can open up.

The national re-opening plan states that lockdowns become 'less likely' when 70 per cent are vaccinated and only 'highly targetted' when 80 per cent are jabbed.

But earlier this week the Premier suggested restrictions would still be in place if cases are too high.

'Even if you get to 80 per cent double doses, if the case numbers are very high, it does limit what you can do,' Ms Berejiklian said on Monday.

Mr Baird criticised the Premier for moving the goalposts and said young people need a firm commitment to freedom.

'We need a guarantee by Government that once we hit 70 or 80 per cent vaccination rates, we can ease restrictions, and learn to live with the virus,' he said.

'NSW won't get to zero cases. Pursuing zero cases against Delta at any cost is ridiculous,' he added.

NSW Police man a checkpoint along Woodville Road in Guilford, western Sydney on Thursday

'We are also calling on all eligible Australians to get vaccinated as soon as possible, to deter future lockdowns and the extension of current restrictions,' he said.

The Live With The Virus website says lockdown is costing Sydney $143million per day and causing a sharp increase in domestic violence.

It reads: 'Health officials demand a zero-transmission strategy. While this may reduce Covid-transmissions, the drastic measures are not without cost. Politicians, riding the easy wave of popular opinion, want us to ignore that.

'Ending lockdowns may increase the risk of transmission. But combined with a faster vaccine rollout, and after nearly 18 months of disruptive on-again, off-again restrictions, we believe the time is right to do so.'
Israel's health ministry last night expanded the country's booster Covid vaccine programme in an effort to clamp down on its unprecedented fourth wave.

Over-40s and teaching staff of all ages are now eligible for a third jab, marking the second time the scheme has been expanded.

Israel began administering third doses to people over 60 in July, later dropping the minimum age of eligibility to 50 and offering boosters to health workers and others.

The country's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, 49, was the first newly-eligible person to get his booster vaccine today.

More than a million of Israel's 9.3m population have received a third shot. Israel is in the midst of a spiralling fourth wave that shows no sign of slowing despite its original, world-leading vaccination drive.

The spread of the much more infectious Delta variant as well as waning vaccine immunity after six months is to blame.

Experts told MailOnline today that Israel was the canary in the mine', providing an important early warning of what could happen in other countries.

They called for the UK Government to push ahead with a mass booster vaccination programme, despite reports last night that a watered down version will go ahead.

The Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises No10, is expected to only green light third doses for vulnerable adults with suppressed immune systems.

The boosters will almost certainly be offered to the 3.7million Britons classified as 'clinically extremely vulnerable', with diseases such as cancer.

But originally it was hoped that the programme would be open to all over-50s, key workers and sick patients - which would have included as many as 32m people.



Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, 49, was the first newly-eligible person to get his booster vaccine today

Israel began administering third doses to people over 60 in July, later dropping the minimum age of eligibility to 50 and offering boosters to health workers and others

Around two-third of people in Israel are fully-vaccinated, and its inoculation drive was the fastest, with the nation hitting the 50 per cent threshold by mid-March. But daily coronavirus infections reached a six-month high of 8,752 on Monday, before falling slightly on Tuesday. And more than half of cases are in fully-jabbed people

Deaths are rising in Israel, despite the high vaccine uptake, with 120 people dying in the last week  similar to levels seen in September, when Israel was in lockdown

Britain's Covid cases have remained stubbornly high - averaging about 30,000 new infections daily currently - and there are fears that as the country moves into the winter that vaccine-induced immunity could fade

Covid deaths in Britain are still a far cry of the levels seen in previous waves thanks to the jab rollouts but experts have said Israel should serve as a warning that fatalities could rise once more

Israel is reporting a much higher number of cases (755 per million people) than the UK (433 per million people) and US (416 per million people). One expert warned Israel is the canary in the mine', providing an important early warning of what could happen in other countries

Experts warned the UK will have to rely on boosters in an attempt to avoid a similar crisis and other measures  such as face masks and social distancing may need to be brought back if there is a rise in breakthrough cases.

Dr Simon Clarke, an associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, told MailOnline: 'I think we should pay close attention to the situation in Israel.

'People's commentary in this country  both from Government and experts  has been deliberately optimistic when perhaps the evidence is not suggesting that.

'One difference is Israel are only using Pfizer and we have used a lot of different vaccines, but mainly AstraZeneca. There may be differences due to this.

'But we know the protection offered by the vaccines decreases over time and arguments that the three-week gap between doses in Israels seems to be scooped by studies.

'So, we need to be aware we could see something similar happening in the coming weeks or months, but that is very much a "could".

'There are some differences between societies in the UK and Israel, with people moving around in different ways. With students going back to universities and schools in the UK, infections could trickle down to vulnerable populations.'

It emerged yesterday that a mass booster jab campaign for the over-50s in the UK is now unlikely to begin next month.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said vulnerable adults with suppressed immune systems will still receive third doses.

But officials are dithering over a broader booster programme for all over-50s.

Earlier in the summer, the Government drew up plans for the NHS to re-vaccinate 32million people from September 6.

Dr Simon Clarke (left) at Reading University warned the UK could see a crisis similar to the one in Israel as protection offered by the vaccines decrease over time. Professor Lawrence Young at Warwick University said Israel is the 'canary in the mine', providing an important early warning of what could be coming for other countries

The JCVI met yesterday to review evidence on booster jabs but failed to come to a decision.

Sources stressed that 'nothing is off the table' and their recommendation could take weeks.

But Dr Clarke added: 'We need to be ready now and boosters are all we have got.

'People always mention lockdowns, but they were to protect the NHS and stop it from being overrun.

Israel now requires everyone over the age of THREE to show proof of Covid vaccination or a negative test before being let into restaurants and other indoor spaces - with country now 'at war' with Delta variant Covid restrictions have been extended to three-year-olds in Israel, with the country now 'at war' with the Delta variant. From today, everyone over the age of three in the country must show evidence of being vaccinated or a negative test before entering restaurants, cafes, gyms and other indoor spaces. The country is in the midst of a third wave that shows no signs of slowing. Health chiefs have warned the nation faces another draconian lockdown unless the situation improves. The situation will leave Britain, the US and other countries relying on vaccines to thwart the virus nervous. Cases started to spiral at the end of July, when health chiefs announced all over-60s would be offered a booster dose five months after getting their second. Israel only uses Pfizer's jab and insists immunity has already began to fade, echoing concerns raised by the drug company itself. It dishes out jabs three weeks apart, just like the US  which will offer top-ups to all adults. Britain separates dose by around eight weeks but has yet to confirm that any booster jabs will be needed. Now the country has brought in stringent restrictions for youngsters in an attempt to control the third wave. Until today, only over-12s were required to show proof they were double-jabbed two weeks earlier, or a negative Covid test from the last 24 hours before entering public indoor spaces. The Government is paying for tests of those three to 11-year-olds who are not eligible for the vaccine. But the 1million people in the country who have not been jabbed and are eligible have to buy their own. Advertisement

'My feeling is we are just looking boosters and any delays to the programmed could cost us, because we would be too slow to protect the vulnerable, as we cannot just vaccinated everyone in a few days.

'It took months last time, from December to April. We should be starting the programme in September along with flu jabs.

'With the flu, people get vaccinated in September, but then you do not see cases get bad until January. But this might not be the case with Covid and we could see more cases and deaths sooner than that.'

It comes as daily coronavirus infections in Israel reached a six-month high of 8,752 on Monday, before falling slightly on Tuesday. And more than half are in fully-jabbed people.

Deaths are also rising, with 120 people dying in the last week  similar to levels seen in September, when Israel was in lockdown.

This is despite 62.8 per cent of the population being fully-vaccinated, official statistics show, and its inoculation drive was the fastest, with the nation hitting the 50 per cent threshold by mid-March. Britain and the US didn't follow suit until July.

Vaccines have blunted the virus, with deaths just a fraction of what they were in previous outbreaks. But no jab is perfect and fatalities are still rising, in line with cases.

Some scientists have pinned the concerning trend on waning immunity and the three-week gap between the jabs dished out in Israel, which were exclusively Pfizer.

Professor Lawrence Young, an expert in molecular oncology at Warwick Medical School, said bluntly: 'Waning immunity from vaccination is a real concern.

He told MailOnline: 'Some have called Israel "the canary in the mine" as it provides an important early warning of what could happen here.

He pointed to a recent study from Maccabi Healthcare Services in Israel which foud that protection from Covid infection during June and July dropped in proportion to the length of time since an individual was vaccinated.

'People vaccinated in January had a 2.26 times greater risk for a breakthrough infection than those vaccinated in April,' he said.

'Potential confounders include the fact that the very oldest Israelis, with the weakest immune systems, were vaccinated first.

'So this is a real issue for the elderly and most vulnerable in the UK who were vaccinated earlier in the year and whose immune responses are not as robust as the younger population. Hence the need for booster vaccination.

'But booster shots alone are unlikely to be enough. We are likely to need other layers of protection which may mean the re-imposition of restriction measures such as face coverings and social distancing.

'Added to this is clear evidence that that double vaccinated individuals can still get infected with the Delta variant and spread infection to others.'

But Professor Keith Willison, chair of chemical biology at Imperial College London, told MailOnline the crisis in Israel may be due to specific and complicated cultural reasons.

'What's worrying people is the breakthrough cases, where fully vaccinated people are catching the virus and becoming unwell. We just do not know what's going on because the data is so uncertain.

'But in Israel, there are some big pockets of anti-vaxxers in the Orthodox Jewish community.

'So there are groups where only a few are vaccinated, which allows the virus to spread throughout bigger groups and leads to more cases in vaccinated people.

'I do not think we will see something similar in the UK, because the data is much more encouraging.'

Professor Willison, who is currently in Israel, added: 'People are going about life as normal, with some restrictions imposed. The country definitely does not want to go back into lockdown.'

Dr Alexander Edwards, associate professor in biomedical technology at the University of Reading, agreed that there were 'several differences' between Israel and the UK, including Covid restrictions, vaccination coverage, behaviours and differences in age and health within the populations.

Professor Edwards added: 'Its also not always helpful to consider waves, but the UK seems to still be in a third wave as we didnt reduce cases to low levels before the current reopening.

'It is therefore very hard to make direct comparisons. However, it is notable that there seems to be more discussion about the rising infections and deaths in Israel, than the still high infection rate, and the ongoing significant rate of tragic deaths in the UK.

'Overall, there are a few simple messages: the vaccines are very effective, but the virus remains extremely dangerous, and so anything we can do to reduce transmission remains critical to local and global populations  not just for the individuals health, but for economic recovery and to protect our health systems.

'Get vaccinated, but remember this doesnt make anyone invincible, and remember you can help the health of others even if you arent worried about your own personal health.'

Sir Professor Pollard, one of the scientists behind the Oxford AstraZeneva vaccine and a member of the JCVI, has consistently argued the best use of Covid vaccines would be to administer them to people in other countries who have not yet had a single dose, rather than giving third doses to people in wealthier countries.

Don't make our costly mistake, Britain: Israeli scientist Professor ERAN SEGAL gives a warning from the front line of new covid surge

There is no question that Israel  the country that led the way with a Covid vaccine roll out for its nine million population  is now experiencing a fourth wave of infections.

And, as is the case in several other countries such as France and Iran, it is deadlier than anyone predicted.

We are seeing the effectiveness of the double Pfizer/BioNTech jab  the vaccine most widely used in my country  waning six months after the second jabs were administered.

That fact, and the spread of the much more infectious Delta variant, is the reason for a sharp rise in infections and hospitalisations especially among the elderly and vulnerable.

Israel is responding with a vigorous programme of booster jabs and I believe our experience may have several implications for Britain and other countries.

My message is two-fold. Firstly, countries must redouble their efforts to persuade vaccine-refuseniks to get their inoculations. Secondly, a policy of booster jabs must be considered for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. It would be wise to act now to prevent a deadly wave in the UK.

Many scientists and clinicians in Israel were calling for renewed public efforts to persuade the 'vaccine-resistant' in the population to have the jab weeks ago. This could have prevented our fourth wave but unfortunately it did not happen.

Now infection rates are rapidly climbing towards the peak last seen in January. At the worst point of the third wave, we were seeing up to 10,000 new cases a day. On Monday there were nearly 9,000. Tragically, that is causing an increasing number of deaths.

Just a few months ago, we were cautiously hopeful that our stringent policy of vaccination was going to beat the virus. But now we are seeing that the combination of a highly transmittable variant, reduced vaccine effectiveness and the 15 per cent of those eligible for the vaccine who remain unvaccinated has changed the course of the pandemic.

We're only just waking up to these consequences in Israel where, as the first country in the world to vaccinate most of our population, we are also the first to see the impact of the waning effect. Other nations have to take notice and act now.

There's another unknown in the mix. When we began vaccinating, the Delta variant had not yet surfaced.

Other variants are constantly evolving around the world. What we have yet to find out is whether there will be even more aggressive new variants. That's the bad news. But the situation is far from hopeless. After a slow start, Israel's booster jab programme is now operating at maximum capacity. Within two weeks, all the over-60s and over-50s will have been offered the booster.

I'm cautiously hopeful by the time you read this, almost all the over-40s will have been be offered it too.

However, this is not a clinical trial under controlled conditions. It is happening in the real world which means there could be many other factors at play.

Even so, there is growing confidence that the boosters are already having a positive effect. Some commentators are worrying that we will be locked into a cycle of top-up jabs for years to come but that might not be the case: it could be that the immunity effect is cumulative and lasts longer with each new vaccination.

We still don't know and will need more time. One thing is certain: even if booster jabs are good, first vaccinations are better  both for the individual and for the country, since they increase a person's immunity from zero to being full vaccinated.

In Israel, there are 1.1million people aged 12 and over who have not been vaccinated. More than half of them are under 30.

I don't believe that all these people are committed anti-vaxxers. Most just haven't bothered. But that attitude is hitting the whole country hard now and we must redouble efforts to encourage people to accept their responsibility and get jabbed.

Many people are worried that another lockdown is coming. While it is too early to tell, I believe that, thanks to the boosters, we should be over the worst by mid-September and without a lockdown though this is not yet certain.

What is certain is that Britain has a chance to learn from our mistakes and avoid the pain of a fourth wave. And the time to start a campaign of booster jabs may be now.
As schools across the country re-open amid a fierce debate over mask mandates, the US is seeing a troubling surge in pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations.

More than 121,000 kids tested positive for the virus last week, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

That is a 29 percent increase over the figure of nearly 94,000 from the previous week, signaling a worrying trend as the fall semester approaches.

The rise in cases among children comes as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread across the US but children are left particularly vulnerable because many are too young to get the vaccine, which is available only to those 12 and over.

Children are left particularly vulnerable to Covid because many are too young to get the vaccine, which is available only to those 12 and over

More than 121,000 kids tested positive for the virus last week, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

More than 121,000 kids tested positive for the virus last week as kids prepare to return to school for the fall semester

The surging virus is spreading anxiety and causing turmoil and infighting among parents, administrators and politicians around the US, especially in states like Florida and Texas, where Republican governors have barred schools from making youngsters wear masks, AP reported.

With millions of children returning to classrooms this month, experts say the stakes are unquestionably high.

Dr Buddy Creech, a Vanderbilt University infectious disease specialist told the AP very high infection rates in the community 'are really causing our children's hospitals to feel the squeeze,'

Dr Creech, who is helping lead research on Moderna's vaccine for children under 12, said those shots probably won't be available for several months.

While pediatric COVID-19 hospitalization rates are lower than those for adults, they have surged in recent weeks, reaching 0.41 per 100,000 children ages 0 to 17, compared with 0.31 per 100,000, the previous high set in mid-January, according to an Aug. 13 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In total, there have been around 4.4 million pediatric Covid cases since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

However, the infections are rarely fatal with just 0.01 percent, or 379, resulting in death, an increase of eight from the week before.

Dr. Francis Collins, head of the National Institutes of Health, said the the spike in cases among children is 'very worrisome.'

He noted that over 400 U.S. children have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. 'And right now we have almost 2,000 kids in the hospital, many of them in ICU, some of them under the age of 4,' Collins told Fox News on Sunday.

Health experts believe adults who have not gotten their shots are contributing to the surge among grownups and children alike. It has been especially bad in places with lower vaccination rates, such as parts of the South.

The AAP reports that children make up around 18 percent of COVID-19 cases in the last week, and 14.4 percent of cases since the pandemic started.

In Vermont, kids make up 23 percent of total cases, the most of any state.

In Alaska, 21 percent of cases are children, also has an abnormally larger share of cases among children.

Florida (nine percent) is the only state where children make up less than 10 percent of total cases.

While many believe children are safe from the virus - as they are less likely to be hospitalized or die from it - some children do still end up suffering severe complications.

Around one percent of child COVID-19 cases require hospitalization, per the AAP, and the youth make up around two percent of people hospitalized because of the virus.

Even when kids don't suffer from a severe case, there is potential for children to suffer some conditions long-term like 'long Covid or myocarditis.

Children infected with the virus can also spread the virus to parents, teachers, staff and others.

The delta surge is yet another test for the nation's schools, which are dealing with students who fell behind academically as a result of remote learning or developed mental health problems from the upheaval.

Outbreaks have already occurred at reopened schools in the South that are facing resistance to mask-wearing, AP reported.

In Texas, some school administrators are mandating masks in defiance of the governor and state Supreme Court. Among them is Michael Hinojosa of the Dallas school system, one of the state's largest districts.

'This delta variant is different, and the numbers are really significant in the county,' he told AP. 'We're going to continue our mask mandate to keep students safe, to keep parents safe, to keep families safe and most importantly our teachers, who are on those front lines.'
Four women have accused Tony Award-winning Broadway actress Alice Ripley of 'manipulating' them and running a cult-like base of young fans.

The women made accusations of unsolicited advances and grooming against Ripley this week after TikTok user @lovelyobrie claimed she was groomed by the actress as a child, according to the Daily Beast.

A New York City actress, who was only identified by the name Liz, told the publication: 'I felt like I was in a cult, the cult of Alice Ripley. She finds people who are desperate for love, and she figures out how to fill that hole and then manipulates them with it.'

Another alleged victim, Meredith, told the outlet: 'I've spent the last 10 years thinking I'm the only one who's been in therapy because of Alice Ripley. Then in the last 48 hours, I realize there are also other individuals who are my demographic who have also felt literally traumatized by this relationship.'

Ripley earned a Tony Award for her betrayal of bipolar character Diana Goodman in Next to Normal in 2009.

She did not return DailyMail.com's request for comment on Thursday, but denied the accusations Monday in a statement.

'Recently, a claim has been made online against me,' she said. 'There's absolutely no validity to any of it. I appreciate everyone's continued support.'

Alice Ripley, whose performance in the Broadway play Next to Normal earned her a Tony Award, is accused of developing odd relationships with fans as young as 12

Twitter users @ashtraysandart (left) and Brie Lynn (right) are among the young women who say Ripley behaved inappropriately, and amassed a group of cult-like groupies

Accusers began levelling claims against the stage star earlier this week, when TikTok user @lovelyobrie claimed she was groomed by the actress as a child.

Now 25, Brie Lynn posted a series of videos describing how she 'idolized' the 57-year-old Broadway thespian and friended her on Facebook but didn't meet her until she turned 13.

'Our first conversation was about a photo of you in lingerie,' Brie Lynn, a self-described lesbian, said on the social media platform. Between 2009-2011, Alice was starring as Diana in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Next To Normal, which toured the country.

Brie Lynn spoke out about her relationship with Ridley on Tik Tok, but since expanded the ther conversation to platforms such as Twitter

Brie Lynn says families need to have more meaningful discussions about inappropriate behavior from women

The actress has denied initial claims posted on Tik Tok, as more accusers come forward with their own tales

Brie claimed that Ripley 'always requested that I come backstage by myself' and 'on the occasions that my mother was with me' the acting instructor would act 'incredibly stand-offish.'

The teen flew to cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City to meet with the thespian, often accompanied by a traveling 'adult fan' trusted by her family.

When the adult fan turned violent against then 14-year-old Brie, she locked herself in a bathroom and her parents flew to Chicago to fetch her.

'I reached out to Alice who was very nonchalant about the situation and just didn't want to communicate with me at all,' Brie recalled.

'Alice was absolutely no help to me at all despite her knowing me the best and being the only person in the state that knew me very very well. And she just didn't care...She even gaslit me and shamed me for getting into fan drama.'

Brie Lynn, now 25, says her first correspondence with Ripley was when she was just 12, although she didn't meet the star she 'idolized' until the following year

Brie Lynn shared numerous photos of the two together in a now viral Tik Tok video

Her Instagram account has since gone private as social media users launch attacks against the star.

'I looked up to her,' said Twitter user @kkeups. 'I'm disgusted. This BROKE MY HEART for her victim, and even more when I found out there were more. This needs to be talked about.'

'How is @RIPLEYTHEBAND not canceled yet???' pondered Twitter user @Jss9018gish. 'Is it because shes a woman so she gets away with grooming kids?'

Brie Lynn said she met Ripley in October 2009, after attending a Next to Normal show in New York city, and handing her a bouquet of flowers at current call. She began attending additional shows and would occasionally join the actress for group lunches with fellow fans.

She validated those claims with pictures of the two smiling together in a variety of backdrops. The two would often exchange messages on social media, she said, where they engaged in conversations now deemed by Brie Lynn as inappropriate.

'There were instances where I would bring up a sexual situation that might have involved a specific sexual act, and she was not shutting down those conversations, she was participating in them,' Brie Lynn said. 'She was responding to this back and forth. I'm 25, I can't imagine getting a message like that from a kid and doing anything other than immediately leaving the conversation.'

Other alleged victims came forward after Brie Lynn shared her claims on Tik Tok.

Leo told The Daily Beast that she connected with Ripley on social media in late 2017, when they began exchanging 'very intimate' correspondence.

Ripley became a confidante for Leo, who viewed the actress as a motherly figure. But their relationship soured when Leo became involved in a romantic relationship with another person.

Ripley has gone private with her Instagram account since the allegations began surfacing

'It definitely has messed with me,' Leo told The Daily Beast. 'I used to cry about how she quit talking to me and how I thought I was special to her. I have BPD [borderline personality disorder] so I get attached to people really easily and become dependent on them for happiness. When that happened, it was devastating. I just felt awful about it.'

Brie Lynn's now-viral social media video hit fellow accuser Liz like a brick, The Daily Beast reported.

'I was in shock,' she told the outlet. 'My body knew. As soon as I watched the video my body knew. I started sweating, my heart started racing. I was having a trauma response.'

Liz said she met Ripley during springtime 2009; she was an 18-year-old aspiring actress at the time, and already a fan of the Broadway star. As months passed, Liz said she became infatuated with Ripley, and soon realized she wasn't the only starstruck fan.

Other young fans were also eager to watch her performances, and would hurry to buy cheap tickets for her shows, Liz told the Daily Beast.

'On the outside, we looked kind of like glorified groupies,' she said, adding that she recalled Brie Lynn being part of the crowd. 'But it was teenage girls, and then a few older adults.'

Another accuser, Meredith, said she too met Ripley after attending a Next to Normal performance on Broadway in 2009. She was 16 at the time. Captivated by the thespian's charms, and spending time with Ripley and other fans, Meredith told The Daily Beast.

When Meredith moved to New York City at age 17 to attend university, she said she reconnected with Ripley, who said began feeling like a mother figure.

Around Thanksgiving in 2010, while Meredith was back at her Los Angeles hometown, she met up with Ripley who was in the area touring with Next to Normal. They shared a meal, and scheduled backstage visits.

The following February, Meredith accepted an invitation to meet up with Meredith in San Francisco, where the play was then stationed.

At one point, Meredith told The Daily Beast, she and Ripley were along in her dressing room, where the young fan was sitting on the floor reading a fan letter addressed to Ripley. Ripley was sitting at her vanity, and when Meredith finished reading the letter, she said the actress 'spun around in her chair and she bent down on the floor and kissed me on my mouth without any announcement that that was going to happen.

'It wasn't like she started making out with me, but it was enough for me to go, this person who I'd really interpreted in a familial context might not be that person.'

Brie Lynn says the first conversation she had with Ripley involved the older woman wearing lingerie

Others say Ripley's magnetic presence caused fans to fight for her attention

Yet another young woman took to Twitter to document her alleged experiences with Ripley. She said she met the actress during a time when she was recently diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. To top it off, she said she was grieving the loss of two loved ones, and coming to terms with her sexuality.

'I didn't know any better at the time, but the way Alice made me feel special and important, she was making SO MANY others feel the same way and, in turn, this started a lot of drama and competition between fans,' @ashtraysandart said in a letter she posted to Twitter. 'We all vied for her attention. We ate up every bit of it That being said, she definitely did not discourage us turning on each other and continuing to adore her.'

Alice is next set to star as Christian widow Trisha Lee - whose 14-year-old daughter announces she is 'genderqueer' - in Amy E. Jones' feature directorial debut The Pink Unicorn.

Ripley's other Broadway credits include Side Show, Sunset Boulevard, Les Miserables, The Rocky Horror Show, and The Who's Tommy.

She has also acted in episodes of Netflix's Girlboss, CBS' Blue Bloods, USA Network's Royal Pains, and NBC's 30 Rock.
A judge on Thursday approved a bankruptcy proposal by the Boy Scouts of America that includes an $850 million fund to compensate tens of thousands of men who say they were sexually abused as youngsters by Scout leaders.

However, the judge rejected two key parts of the deal, potentially jeopardizing the agreement that the organization wanted to use to emerge from bankruptcy later this year.

The decision left many involved with the case divided, ultimately infuriating insurers who issued policies to the Boy Scouts and local councils. The insurers will likely pay up to $650 million into the fund.

Attorneys representing thousands of other abuse victims called the agreement 'toothless' and criticized Judge Laura Selber Silverstein for 'gutting' key conditions.

Meanwhile, BSA officials applauded the decision, calling it 'an important development' in the case.

Following three days of testimony and arguments, Silverstein granted the BSA's request to enter into an agreement involving the national Boy Scouts organization, roughly 250 local Boy Scout councils, and attorneys representing some 70,000 men who say they were sexually abused as youngsters decades ago while engaged in Boy Scout-related activities.

It was not immediately clear how Thursday's ruling would affect the future of the bankruptcy case, given that she rejected the two provisions in the restructuring.

'Basically, everybody's going to have to go back to the drawing board,' said Paul Mones, an attorney representing hundreds of abuse claimants.

'I think this is going to cause a reset.'

While ruling that BSA officials exercised proper business judgment in entering into the agreement, the judge refused to grant a request that the Boy Scouts pay millions in legal fees for attorneys representing tens of thousands of abuse claimants.

Silverstein said she had several concerns about the fee request, including whether the ad hoc group called the Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice is duplicating the efforts of the official victims committee appointed by the US bankruptcy trustee. She questioned whether the coalition was making a substantial contribution to the case.

<i-amphtml-sizer style="display:block;padding-top:56.2500%;" slot="i-amphtml-svc"></i-amphtml-sizer><amp-img layout="fill" width="480" height="270" src="https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/mpx/2704722219/2021_07/1625267640227_nn_ath_boy_scouts_historic_settlement_210702_1920x1080.jpg" placeholder="true" class="i-amphtml-layout-fill i-amphtml-layout-size-defined i-amphtml-element i-amphtml-built i-amphtml-layout amp-hidden" i-amphtml-layout="fill" i-amphtml-auto-lightbox-visited=""><img decoding="async" src="https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/mpx/2704722219/2021_07/1625267640227_nn_ath_boy_scouts_historic_settlement_210702_1920x1080.jpg" class="i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content" i-amphtml-auto-lightbox-visited=""></amp-img><i-amphtml-scroll-container class="amp-active"><iframe class="i-amphtml-fill-content" name="amp_iframe0" allow="fullscreen" frameborder="0" title="Boy Scouts reaches historic $850 million settlement with thousands of sex abuse victims" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups" src="https://www3.nbcnews.com/news/embedded-video/mmvo115931205671#amp=1" style="z-index: 0;">

Merit badges and a rainbow-colored neckerchief slider on a Boy Scout uniform

The judge also noted that coalition attorneys emphasized last year that their fees would be paid by individual law firms they were representing, and that abuse claimants would not be responsible for those costs.

Silverstein said any payment of legal fees by the Boys Scouts, or by the victims fund, 'comes directly or indirectly out of their clients' pockets, and indeed the pockets of all abuse victims.'

Therefore, 'any funds diverted from abuse victims, especially to pay an obligation of their lawyers, needs to be closely examined,' she said.

David Molton, an attorney for the coalition, said the group was pleased that Silverstein approved the agreement. He said it enables the coalition and its partners to procure settlements from insurers and sponsoring organizations that will bring in 'additional billions of dollars' to compensate survivors.

Molton did not address Silverstein's denial of the fee arrangement with the Boy Scouts, which he described at a hearing earlier this week as 'part and parcel' of the agreement.

Silverstein also denied the BSA's request for permission to withdraw from an April agreement in which insurance company The Hartford would pay $650 million into the fund for abuse claimants in exchange for being released from any further liability.

Silverstein said the Hartford settlement was a separate issue from the agreement, and that the BSA's attempt to use the agreement as a vehicle to back out of that deal was improper.

'You can't just roll up any relief you want and put it in a request to approve an (agreement),' she said.

'The request to determine debtor's obligations or, conversely, Hartford's damages, is not appropriate in this context.'

A spokesperson for The Hartford said the company declined to comment.

Irwin Zalkin, an attorney for abuse claimants who opposed the agreement, said the judge 'gutted' key conditions that supporters were hoping to 'box her into.'

'In my view the (agreement) has been rendered toothless,' Zalkin said.

The Boy Scouts of America issued a statement describing the ruling as 'an important development' in the case. The BSA also indicated that it would be submitting a court filing regarding the timing of a hearing that was scheduled to start Wednesday.

Judge Laura Selber Silverstein granted the BSA's request to enter into an agreement involving the national Boy Scouts organization

The hearing is to determine whether the judge approves a disclosure statement that explains the Boy Scouts' reorganization plan to creditors. Approval of the disclosure statement is required before ballots can be sent to abuse claimants to vote on a plan.

Founded in 1910, the Boy Scouts, based in Irving, Texas, sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020 in an effort to halt hundreds of individual lawsuits and create a huge compensation fund for thousands of men who were molested as youngsters by scoutmasters or other leaders. Although the organization was facing 275 lawsuits at the time of the filing, it is now facing some 82,500 sexual abuse claims in the bankruptcy case.

Under the agreement, the Boy Scouts would contribute up to $250 million in cash and property to a fund for victims of child sexual abuse. The local councils, which run day-to-day operations for Boy Scout troops, would contribute $600 million.

In addition, the national organization and local councils would transfer their rights to Boy Scout insurance policies to the victims fund. In return, they would be released from future liability for abuse claims.

Opponents of the deal argued that BSA officials failed to fully inform themselves or exercise proper business judgment in entering into the agreement. They noted that the Boy Scouts board of directors never adopted a resolution approving the agreement, and that decision-making authority was delegated to an executive committee and a handful of people on a bankruptcy task force.

'Having reviewed the evidence, I conclude that debtors were sufficiently informed to make this decision,' Silverstein said.

'And while a specific (board) resolution would have been preferable, the evidence is clear that debtors approved the transaction.'
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New England is braced for its first hurricane in 30 years as Tropical Storm Henri races up the East Coast, expected to become a hurricane late Friday.

Henri is projected to approach southern New England early next week, with first coastal impacts possibly on Sunday.

Exactly 30 years ago Thursday, Hurricane Bob made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in 1991 with sustained winds of 90 miles per hour and wind gusts up to 138 mph. The intense storm killed at least 17 people and became the costliest in New England history with more than $1.5 billion in property damage - nearly $3 billion in today's dollars.

On the 30th anniversary of the last hurricane to make a direct hit on New England, the region warily braced Thursday for Tropical Storm Henri

The National Weather Service warned of the potential for damaging winds and widespread coastal flooding from Henri as the weekend approaches

A Storm Surge Watch has been issued for the possibility of storm surge inundation as high as 3 to 5 ft above ground level for New England

The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the Atlantic as it approaches southern New England on Friday

The center of Henri was forecast to approach parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard by Monday. Tropical storm watches also were posted for nearby areas including the New York City metro area.

The National Weather Service warned of the potential for damaging winds and widespread coastal flooding. Authorities urged New Englanders to secure boats, fuel up vehicles and stock up on canned goods in preparation of a potential direct hit.

Meteorologists warned that Henri's track remained uncertain, as some models suggest the possibility it will pass offshore and others putting it over Cape Cod or even Boston, as a Category 1 hurricane.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said in the most recent advisory for the area that Henri was holding on and maintaining 65 MPH winds.

It also warned: In addition to Hurricane Watches that have been issued for #Henri for portions of Long Island and southern New England, a Storm Surge Watch has been issued for the possibility of storm surge inundation as high as 3 to 5 ft above ground level.

As of Friday morning, the system was centered in the Atlantic Ocean about 370 miles (600 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and about 780 miles (1,255 kilometers) south-southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph).

Tropical Storm Fred tore through North Carolina this week leaving two dead and 20 people missing. Authorities are continuing the search as Henri pushes towards their beaches.

Authorities urged people in the storm's potential path to secure their boats, fuel up their vehicles and stock up on canned goods in case the storm makes a direct hit

As the storm's path continues to change, some models show the storm upgrading to a Category 1 hurricane with others seeing the storm pass off-shore

Forecasters have warned that the three main threats of Henri are expected to be storm surge, wind and rain

The hurricane watch stretched across the South Shore of Long Island from Fire Island Inlet to Montauk, and the North Shore from Port Jefferson Harbor to Montauk. It also covered the coast from New Haven, Connecticut, to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts; and Nantucket, Marthas Vineyard and Block Island.

The main threats were expected to be a storm surge, wind and rain, forecasters said. Storm surge between 3 and 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) was possible from Watch Hill, Rhode Island, to Sagamore Beach.

Rainfall between 2 to 5 inches (5 to 12 centimeters) was expected Sunday through Monday over the region.

Henri was heading west early Friday, but forecasters expect it to make a turn north and approach the New England coast.

The storm comes at the end of the summer season which is a popular time for vacationers to flock to the coast to enjoy the last of the warm weather. Atlantic water temperatures were close to the peak for the year, but forecasters warn that dangers such as rough surf and strong rip currents will be a concern.

On Thursday, the ocean temperatures off Outer Banks, North Carolina, were 84.2 degrees F. The water temperature at beaches in Atlantic City, New Jersey was 79.0 F, 74.3 F in the waters off Montauk, New York and 75.6 F near Nantucket.

Construction worker Ricardo Reyes helps get Vanny Lima and her children to safety after her car become stuck in rising floodwater in Worcester, Massachusetts on Thursday, August 19

Construction worker Ricardo Reyes helps get Vanny Lima, left, and her children, Luca, 7, and Alli, 4, to safety after her car become stuck in rising floodwater in Worcester on Thursday, August 19

A man steps from his car in flood waters along Quinsigamond Avenue in Worcester on Thursday, August 19

Cars drive through a flooded street as heavy rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred fall in Saugus, Massachusetts on Thursday, August 19

Preparation for Henri began even as the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred drenched the region Wednesday and Thursday unleashing pouring rains that stranded drivers as floodwaters swamped their vehicles.

In Worcester, Massachusetts, the regions second-largest city, a woman and her two young children had to be carried out of their stalled car by a good Samaritan after waters rose to the vehicles windows.

Due to the downpour from Fred, Henri's second round of heavy, tropical rainfall may trigger flash flooding in the region more easily.

These storms come during the country's Hurricane season from mid-August to mid-September, which normally peaks around September 10.

Henri will be the first hurricane that New Englanders have experienced in 30 years since Bob made landfall on August 19, 1991, as a Category 2 hurricane. Bob flooded many New Englanders, but residents of Cape Cod experienced the worst of the destruction.

Up to 6 inches of rain fell in southern New England and over 8 inches in Portland, Maine. The intense storm brought strong winds of 75 miles per hour to parts of the Cape with an unconfirmed report of 125 mile-per-hour winds over Cuttyhunk Island off Massachusetts. The storm surge washed many boats ashore and damaged homes.

Before Bob, New England was hit with two other damaging hurricanes: Carol, a Category 3 hurricane in 1954 and another in 1938.

Boats bob in Great Harbor in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, during Hurricane Bob on August 19, 1991

Jack Neal, of Colonial Gas Co. of Cape Cod, works to disconnect a gas service line along Shore Street in Falmouth, Massachusetts on August 20, 1991

Boat owners gather their belongings in Dartmouth, Massachusetts on August 20, 1991 after Hurricane Bob swept through the southern part of the state

New England regional FEMA chief Ed Thomas, right, talks with Frank and Mary Mahady, of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts on September 25, 1991

There are several reasons why New England is seeing a surge in these storms. Since Bob, ocean water temperatures have been rising around the world, but the waters off the coast of New England have been recorded as some of the fastest-warming in the world. Warmer waters are a factor that could help a storm develop and allow a hurricane to maintain its strength up the coast.

The change in tree lines also play a part in the intensity of the storms up North. Major power companies have attempted to maintain the tree lines away from their electrical wires, but a strong storm heading up through the Connecticut River valley would put the most populated areas of Massachusetts on the windy side of any storm, according to the Boston Globe.

The fallen trees could lead to multi-day or even multi-week power outages from thousands of damaged trees landing on the electrical grid. The storm could become especially dangerous due to the high temperatures on land as well.

Just last week, New England experienced its third heatwave with temperatures climbing to the low 100s.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden sounded the alarm on climate change following the release of a bombshell United Nations report dubbed a 'a code red for humanity.'

'We can't wait to tackle the climate crisis. The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. And the cost of inaction keeps mounting,' Biden said in a statement, as he urged the US and world nations to swiftly limit greenhouses gasses.

The Earth is likely to warm by 2.7F within the next 20 years  a decade earlier than previously expected  and heatwaves, flooding and droughts will become more frequent and intense, according to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment.

If temperatures continue to rise, there could be devastating effects here on Earth, including a dramatic loss of sea-life, an ice-free Arctic and more regular 'extreme' weather

On Monday, 234 experts warned in the report that the US is headed for disaster. Flooding, deadly fires and heat waves will not only become the norm but will intensify in a warming world, warns the 3,949-page assessment

On August 9, 234 experts warned in the report that the US is headed for disaster. Flooding, deadly fires and heat waves will not only become the norm but will intensify in a warming world, warns the 3,949-page assessment.

Humans have already heated the planet by roughly 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1C), since the 19th century, largely by burning coal, oil and gas for energy  with the US being one of the world's top producers.

Scientists had expected temperatures to rise by 2.7F (1.5C) above pre-industrial levels between 2030 and 2052 but now believe it will happen between this year and 2040.

The consequences are already ripping across the nation: This summer alone, blistering heat waves have killed more than 3,000 American and wildfires have cost at least $8 billion, while flooding has caused nearly $75 billion in damages in the past 30 years.

California is currently being scorched by its second worst wildfire on record, the Dixie Fire. The fire, which is just 21 percent contained, has destroyed 404 buildings, plus 185 minor structures and damaged 38 additional structures - altogether it has burned around 463,477.

Linda Mearns, a senior climate scientist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research and co-author of the report, said in a statement: 'It's just guaranteed that it's going to get worse. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.'

These graphs show how human influence has warmed the climate at a rate unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years

The UN scientists modelled the changes in annual mean temperatures worldwide based on 2.7F (1.5C), 3.6F (2C) and 7.2F (4C) global warming

The projected changes in extremes are larger in frequency and intensity with every additional increment of global warming

The 2.7F (1.5C) mark is considered to be the point where climate change becomes increasingly dangerous.

The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change committed countries to limiting warming to 2.7F (1.5C) but they have already risen by 2.2F (1.2C).

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the new report a 'code red for humanity'.

He warned: 'The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk.'

The key findings of the report are:

 Humans are very likely the main driver of the global retreat of glaciers, decline in sea ice, warming oceans and rising sea levels

 It is 'virtually certain' that heatwaves 'have become more frequent and more intense across most land regions'

 A rise in sea levels approaching 6 feet by the end of this century 'cannot be ruled out'

 The Arctic is likely to be 'practically sea ice-free' in September at least once before 2050

 Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are higher than they have been for three million years Some changes, such as sea level rises, will be 'irreversible' for hundreds to thousands of years

Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, said in a statement: 'The United States joined nearly 200 IPCC member governments in approving the Working Group I contribution to the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report.

'The report finds we are already edging closer to a 1.5 degrees Celsius [2.7F] warmer world, and every day emissions rise the prospects for averting the worst impacts of climate change become dimmer. This is why it is essential that all countries  in particular the major economies do their part during this critical decade of the 2020s to put the world on a trajectory to keep a 1.5 degrees Celsius [2.7F] limit on warming within reach.

'This is why the United States has committed to a 50-52 percent reduction in emissions from 2005 levels in 2030 and is marshaling the entire federal government to tackle the climate crisis. We cannot delay ambitious climate action any longer.'
An Aussie fisherman has been left baffled after reeling in a mysterious 'giant goldfish' from the depths of the ocean.

Brett Methven is an experienced fisherman from Hervey Bay, three hours north of Brisbane, in southeast Queensland.

He was deep-sea fishing with his mate Brad when he reeled in a colossal bright red fish from 400m below the surface that weighed ten kilograms.

Brett Methven was deep-sea fishing off the coast of southeast Queensland when he reeled in a colossal red fish, later identified as a Japanese Rubyfish (pictured)

'Look at the size of this thing,' Brad is heard saying in footage of the catch, as Brett struggles to heave the fish over the side of the boat.

Brett posted several photos of the trophy fish to his Instagram and asked if any of his followers could solve the mystery.

'So this is what happens when you flush Fred the Goldfish down the toilet as a kid,' the fisherman joked.

'Our second ever venture in to the deep sees us pushing out in some less than desirable conditions to go even deeper in search of some true beasts, and we weren't disappointed.'

The experienced fisherman also caught a Flame Tail Snapper (pictured) in the deep waters

Social media users shared their thoughts on the gigantic red fish in the comments.

'Pretty sure the scientific name is Megagoldenfishasaurous,' one user joked.

'Is it some kid's pet goldfish experiment gone horribly wrong?,' another said.

'Looks like a long-nosed goldfish to me,' a third guessed.

The fisherman told 9NEWS he had been forced to ask a professional deep-drop fisherman to identify the rare fish.

Social media users were quick to weigh in on the rare species, with one commentator describing the fish as a 'kid's pet goldfish experiment gone horribly wrong'

'It was the first time I've seen one. I had to ask a professional deep-drop fisherman what species it was,' he explained.

'It's called a Japanese Rubyfish. We couldn't find much on it.'

Fisheries Queensland described the Japanese Rubyfish as a rare and unusual specimen known for its ability to open its mouth incredibly wide.

The fish uses the unusual feature to hoover up zooplankton, bottom-dwelling aquatic animals that are found 100 to 400 metres below the surface.

While the rare species are found throughout the Indo-West Pacific region, there have only been a handful of sightings in Queensland and northern Western Australia.
Queensland recorded one new case of community transmission as some Covid restrictions were set to ease and new rules for essential workers entering the state took effect.

The new case is linked to the Indooroopilly schools cluster, a sibling of a child from the Ironside State School who has been in home quarantine and was a household contact of three other cases.

From 4pm on Friday, Queenslanders will be allowed to have 30 people at their home, wedding and funerals can host 100 people and indoor events and stadiums can operate at 75 percent capacity.

Community sport would also return from this Saturday.

From 1am Saturday, essential workers who enter Queensland from NSW will need to show they have received one dose of a vaccine under strict new border rules.

Mask-wearing will continue for another week, with chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young warning the NSW outbreak continued to pose a threat to the state.

'I am getting positive sewage tests from New South Wales each morning, showing that the cases are gradually moving north,' she said.

'It's really important that for another week we maintain some of those restrictions.'

Queensland's request for Australian Defence Force personnel to help police and SES volunteers do vehicle checks at the Queensland-NSW border was confirmed on Friday, with 120 to be deployed from August 25

From 1am Saturday, essential workers who enter Queensland from NSW will need to show they have received one dose of a vaccine under strict new border rules

A number of Covid restrictions will ease for Queenslanders from 4pm on Friday

Dr Young flagged vaccination of 12-15-year-olds in the state once vaccine supplies increased.

'It will not be long and will be looking at vaccinating all 12-15 -year-olds but at the moment it is only First Nations kids... and kids with severe underlying disease,' she said.

The new border rules come as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warned that south-east Queensland would go into lockdown if a case connected to the NSW outbreak was discovered.

'It only takes one person with that virus to bring it into Queensland and all bets are off,' she said on Thursday.

'If the virus comes into the southern parts of the Gold Coast, there will be a lockdown there, and I dont think businesses would want to see that.'

Deputy Premier Steven Miles confirmed on Friday that 120 ADF personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy would supplement police and SES volunteers on the NSW-Queensland border from August 25.

Most will be deployed at the Gold Coast checkpoints to enforce compliance with border restrictions.

Announcement of the extra personnel came as a Sydney man was allegedly caught after twice trying cross the Queensland border with 145kg of cannabis worth $1.2 million.

The 48-year-old was trying to drive his van through through a border checkpoint on Griffith St, Coolangatta, about 8.50pm on Thursday when police realised he had already tried to cross over earlier in the day.

The man was denied entry to Queensland and taken to Tweed Heads Police Station for Covid-19 testing.

Officers searched the van, finding 145kgs of cannabis in vacuum sealed bags hidden inside two large hot water systems and a toolbox.

'Can I tell you that's happened periodically through our whole operation, that people continue to try and commit criminal activity,' Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said.

'Probably not the wisest thing to do when you've got a police checkpoint.'

A man shows his border pass at the Gold Coast Highway checkpoint as Queensland Police said it would take a 'rigid approach' to enforcing public health directions

The classification of essential workers allowed to cross from NSW to Queensland would be further examined, chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said

People queue at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre Covid-19 vaccination hub. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queensland now had a 'magic window' of opportunity to increase vaccination rates in the state

Queensland is working on a revised list of who qualifies as an essential worker, with Ms Palaszczuk describing the new criteria as 'very narrow'.

'[Authorities will] go through all the people who may need to cross and work out if they are absolutely essential,' chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said.

The director-general of the premier's department will conduct the review and new restrictions will come into effect next week.

The border with NSW was tightened after that state's new infections continue to jump, with 681 locally acquired cases recorded on Thursday.

'The situation in NSW is a real and present threat to Queensland,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'We want to put tighter restrictions on our border at the moment there are too many people crossing our border.'

Ms Palaszczuk said Queensland now had a 'magic window' of opportunity to increase vaccination rates in the state, but that additional supplies from the Commonwealth were still required.

'As soon as we get more supply from the Commonwealth, we will put those supplies into the arms of Queenslanders,' she said.

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said police would continue the 'very rigid application' of public health orders at border checkpoints.

The number of vehicles intercepted at the border was 8,425 on Thursday.

'Please question whether you really need to make that trip, even if you're authorised to do so,' he said.

'We're hearing lots of sad stories around how this impacts on people, I'm terribly sorry about that, we are going to continue to do that.'

Only essential workers such as police, health workers and certain construction workers who have had one dose of a vaccine will be allowed to cross into Queensland from 1am on Saturday.

'The situation in NSW is a real and present threat to Queensland,' Ms Palaszczuk said on Wednesday

A man argues with a border official when trying to cross from NSW into Queensland this week

Dr Young says border closures and lockdowns remain the best health responses to outbreaks until 70 per cent of the population is vaccinated.

'Then people will be able to go about their lives,' she said.

'Otherwise, I can see in the future that the people who aren't vaccinated are going to have to minimise their lives to protect their own health and safety.'
Peter Dutton has thrown his support around a petition to move the New South Wales and Queensland border further south so residents living in border towns can move around with ease.

The petition, launched on Monday by Queensland MP Justine Elliot, calls on NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to set up a border zone she is hoping will stretch as far down as Ballina.

Northern NSW residents are safer in Queensland amid the current Covid outbreak according to Ms Elliot, who has had mass support for her petition so far with over 13,000 signatures.

The request from Queensland was knocked back by NSW on Friday morning but while appearing on The Today Show, the Defence Minister said he hoped Ms Berejiklian would reconsider.

Peter Dutton has supported a petition for the NSW and Queensland border to be set up at the Tweed River (pictured) so residents can move around more freely amid the lockdown

'We have thousands of movements of cars a day. People who can't get to work at the Gold Coast Hospital and people who need treatment at the Gold Coast Hospital,' Mr Dutton said.

'If you are coming up from the Tweed (region) you have just all of this checkpoint drama which is not necessary if it was moved a little further south.'

He said that the majority of those living in northern NSW had more of a connection to the Gold Coast than they did to Sydney.

'It is where they spend their lives each day coming back and forth across that border,' he said.

Thousands of residents living in Coolangatta and the Tweed region have been cut off from their jobs and even schools amid the hard border closure that was enforced due to the outbreak and subsequent lockdown in NSW.

Queensland MP Justine Elliot has launched a petition to move the NSW border checkpoints further south to allow border residents to move between states

Moving the border further south would effectively lock northern NSW away from the regions of the state that are affected by the Indian delta strain of Covid.

It also allows NSW residents to move into south-east Queensland to work when they live so close to the border.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had requested the border be set up around the Tweed River in northern NSW as there are no active cases in the area.

However she confirmed to AAP on Friday morning that her neighbouring state had shut down the request.

'We tried to keep our border communities together,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'We acknowledge these areas are part of NSW and NSW has introduced a lockdown for the whole of the state. This must be enforced.

'We tried to find a practical solution but unfortunately NSW said ''no''.'

Earlier on Thursday, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said moving the border would be a logistical nightmare.

Thousands of residents living in Coolangatta and the Tweed region have been cut off from their jobs and even schools amid the hard border closure that was enforced due to the outbreak and subsequent lockdown in NSW

'If you move that border, that becomes another border for another community. When you start dividing up NSW, you'll cause more problems than actually solving solutions,' he told reporters.

'The border cannot move and should not move because there would be unintended consequences that would actually have worse and more negative outcomes for the broader part of the Northern Rivers.'

In Queensland from 1am on Saturday only essential workers who have had at least one dose of the Covid vaccine will be allowed to enter.

In addition 100 ADF personnel will be sent to the border to ensure residents were doing the right thing.

Because of the pushback tourism industries on the Gold Coast are struggling to build revenue for their businesses, with half of their usual clients unable to get into the state.

'We've already seen in July and August over half a billion dollars lost to tourism revenues,' Patricia O'Callaghan from Destination Gold Coast earlier told Nine News.

'Further support and partnership with government will be crucial to the survival of our industry.'

The request for the border to be moved further south was shut down by NSW

With Queensland's tourism mecca running out of resilience, local business owners say that they need more support from the government in order to keep afloat while the border lockdowns remain so tight.

'What we need is a Jobkeeper 3.0 until things get back to a point in time where the borders are consistently open,' said Gordon Kerr from Duffy Down Under Boat Hire.

Residents living in the Tweed Shire Council are also feeling the struggle, unable to navigate students and teachers who would normally attend classes face-to-face in Queensland.

Queensland recorded no new local cases of Covid-19 on Thursday while NSW suffered another 681 infections.
State premiers who keep pulling the trigger on lockdowns even after 80 per cent are vaccinated are unlikely to be able to keep relying on federal government payments.

Daniel Andrews from Victoria and Western Australia's Mark McGowan have both indicated they would persist with a zero-Covid strategy even if 80 per cent of the adult population was fully vaccinated.

The Labor premiers are vowing to resort to lockdowns despite modelling from the Doherty Institute, provided to the federal government and National Cabinet, recommending an easing of restrictions once 70 per cent of the population over 16 was full-vaccinated.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is so fed up he has put state governments on notice that Canberra would stop funding welfare and business compensation payments if they kept resorting to long-term lockdowns to contain the more contagious Delta strain.

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State premiers who in late 2021 keep plunging their cities into lockdown over very few cases could have their federal government payments cut off (pictured is Melbourne in lockdown again)

'There should be no expectations that the Commonwealth will continue to provide emergency economic assistance to the quantum, to the size and the scale that were doing right now,' he told the ABC's 7.30 program.

'Billions of dollars are going out the door each and every week but the country needs hope.'

Mr Frydenberg told 7.30 host Leigh Sales a high vaccination rate made harsher lockdowns less necessary.

'The key point, Leigh, is at 70 per cent they say that stringent lockdowns will become unlikely,' he said.

'That the transmissibility of the virus reduces, and that the chance of getting a serious illness and the number of people who get it reduces so there should be no expectation on the part of the states.'

Across Australia, 50.24 per cent of working-age and adult Australians have received one dose of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer but only 28.2 per cent have had two doses, updated Department of Health data for August 18 showed.

In New South Wales, where Sydney case numbers are surging, 55.23 per cent of the population has had one dose while 29.32 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian isn't expecting 70 per cent of the population to be fully vaccinated until the end of October, with 642 new cases and four deaths announced on Friday.

Daniel Andrews (pictured) from Victoria and Western Australia's Mark McGowan have both indicated they would persist with a zero-Covid strategy even if 80 per cent of the adult population was fully vaccinated. The Labor premiers are vowing to resort to lockdowns despite modelling from the Doherty Institute recommending an easing of restrictions once 70 per cent of the population had received two doses

Lockdown payments COVID DISASTER PAYMENT: $750 a week for those who lose 20 or more hours a week, $450 if eight to 20 hours of work a week are lost NEW SOUTH WALES: JobSaver is giving weekly payments of $1,500 to $100,000 to businesses whose turnover has fallen by 30 per cent Advertisement

The NSW lockdown is being extended until at least the end of September with new rules coming into effect requiring face masks outside, except when exercising, for everyone in the state.

Like the NSW Liberal leader, Mr Frydenberg is skeptical of the zero Covid strategy, favoured by Labor premiers.

'It's a fallacy to talk about the elimination of Covid,' he said.

'Based on the medical advice today and what we know about the efficacy of the vaccines but also the transmissibility of the virus, we are going to be living with COVID for a number of years to come.'

On July 13, the NSW and federal governments announced the JobSaver scheme, offering weekly payments of between $1,500 and $10,000 to businesses if their revenue had plunged by 30 per cent or more as a result of the lockdowns.

The maximum help per week was increased to $100,000 on July 28, with the payments are based on 40 per cent of their weekly payroll.

JobSaver is also coinciding with federal Covid disaster payments of up to $750 a week for Australians who lose more than 20 hours a week of work, and $450 for those losing eight to 20 hours a week of work.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is so fed up he has given state governments notice that Canberra would stop funding welfare and business compensation payments if they kept resorting to long-term lockdowns

A separate state government grants program is also offering $7,500 to $15,000 help for businesses with a turnover of up to $10million a year.

The NSW government is funding 80 per cent of the $5.1billion JobSaver program which may have to be extended as lockdowns linger.

Mr Frydenberg has since announced jointly funded lockdown compensation programs with Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland to cover their lockdowns.

In Victoria, the Business Costs Assistance Program is giving out $2,800 a week automatically to 110,000 Melbourne businesses.

Automatic payments of $5,000, $10,000 and $20,000 a week will be made to about 7,000 licensed hospitality premises in metropolitan Melbourne under the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 2021.
A 38-day standoff by Texas Democrats who walked out of the state legislature to prevent Republicans from getting a quorum ended Thursday evening  after a Trio of Democrats showed up in Austin, infuriating members of the party.

The resolution came when some of the Democrats who had ditched Texas to camp out in Washington abandoned their effort, allowing Republicans to advance their stalled and controversial election legislation.

It abruptly and messily drew to a close one of the few - and lengthiest - quorum breaks in modern Texas history.

State Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, left to right, Rep. Garnet F. Coleman, D-Houston, and Rep. Ana Hernandez, D-Houston, enter the House Chamber at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Thursday Aug. 19, 2021. They ended a 38-day standoff that began when some of their colleagues fled to Washington. The trio dropped their holdout, paving the way for Republicans to resume pushing an elections overhaul

Only three new Democrats showed up Thursday, meaning the vast majority of the more than 50 Democrats who bolted for the nation's capital in July continue to stay away from the Texas Capitol.

Still, Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said enough were there to achieve a quorum, which in the House is normally 100 present legislators. Growing impatience among Republicans had led to escalating threats that missing lawmakers could face arrest, but officers never appeared to do more than leaving warrants at Democrats homes.

Fellow Democrats caught unawares were left fuming.

Texas Democrats fled their state on private jets in order to prevent a series of new, restrictive voting laws from becoming law. At least 58 Democratic members of the state House of Representatives left Austin to fly to Washington D.C. on two private jets

On August 6, Texas Rep Vikki Goodwin (2nd from the right) shared in her Facebook account this photo of her and other Texas democrats in Capitol Hill. She wrote: In full disclosure, I have been in DC with my fellow Democrats for most of the last 25 days, including today when we held our press conference on the last day of this Special Session

Texas State Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, wears running shoes as she filibusters Senate Bill 1, a voting bill, at the Texas Capitol Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, in Austin, Texas

Rep. Ana Maria Ramos (D) fumed that they 'threw us under the bus'

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, gavels in with a quorum present at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Thursday Aug. 19, 2021

'We were literally on caucus calls for 2 hours this morning and none of the defecting Democrats mentioned they were planning on helping the Republicans pass voter suppression bills. Guess what the other defecting Democrats have accomplished by going back-NOTHING!' Democratic state Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos wrote in an angry tweet.

The three Democrats who returned to the Texas House defended their decision, saying they had successfully pushed Congress on voting rights legislation and pointing to the growing urgency of surging COVID-19 caseloads in Texas.

One of them, Democrat Garnet Coleman of Houston, did not got to Washington because he was recovering from having a leg amputation brought on by an infection.

'One of the things in life is that we have to know what our responsibilities are and we have to work to move something in the direction we want it to be,' Coleman said from a wheelchair while delivering the prayer on the House floor.

'I pray that we, all of us look inside about where we want this world to go, this state, this House, and look at it from the perspective of trying to find as much common ground as can be found,' he told the chamber.

The other two Democrats to break quorum were state Reps. Ana Hernandez and Armando Walle. All are from the Houston area.

Many of the proposed changes to Texas voting that Democrats have railed against for months remain in a bill already passed the state Senate, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott could now sign the legislation in a matter of weeks, if not sooner.

The trio said in a joint statement they were 'proud of the heroic work.'

'Now, we continue the fight on the House floor.' Their statement also noted the coronavirus surge hitting their state hard. Gov. Greg Abbott announced this week he tested positive for the virus, and his office said he is getting a special monoclonal antibody treatment.

'It's been a very long summer. Been through a lot. I appreciate you all being here,' Phelan said. 'It's time to get back to the business of the people of Texas.'

Abbott now has an opening to divert attention back to the Capitol and away from criticism and defiance by Texas largest cities and school districts over his handling of worsening COVID-19 numbers.

Abbott this week tested positive for COVID-19, although his office had said the 63-year-old governor did not have symptoms.

It leaves Democrats much in the same position as when the holdout started: unable to permanently stop the GOP-controlled Legislature from putting new limits and rules over how more that 16 million registered voters can cast a ballot. And federal voting rights protections that Texas Democrats lobbied for while in Washington still face long odds of getting around GOP opposition in Congress.

Months of protests had put Texas Democrats at the center of a new national battle over voting. Republicans around the U.S. have rushed to enact new voting restrictions in response to former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

Republicans are now back on a path to pass new elections laws in Texas before the current special session ends on Sept. 5.
A beloved pet cat was 'mauled to death' by a police dog off its lead as it searched for a burglary suspect.

Owner Nick Hoare was devastated after receiving a call from the police to say his much-loved cat, called Buster, had been killed by one of its dogs in the operation.

The tragic incident happened close to the seven-year-old white and tabby cat's home in Weymouth, Dorset.

A beloved pet cat (pictured) was 'mauled to death' by a police dog off its lead as it searched for a burglary suspect

Police had been on the hunt for an intruder who had broken into a building site when the dog, believed to be a German shepherd, went for Buster.

The pet suffered fatal injuries and could not be saved. Mr Hoare, 70, said the police officer who broke the news asked him matter-of-factly if he wanted Buster 'returned frozen or as ash'.

The retired boat builder said: 'I didn't want to see a frozen mauled cat  so I asked them to bring me his ashes.'

The police have revealed no suspects were found or items discovered missing during the search.

They have apologised to Mr Hoare for the distress caused and said the death will be investigated internally.

Mr Hoare added: 'You fear your cat might get hit by a car but you don't expect it to be savaged by a police dog.

Owner Nick Hoare was devastated after receiving a call from the police to say his much-loved cat, called Buster, had been killed by one of its dogs in the operation

'They had the police dog out there to catch a criminal - and they caught a cat instead, poor little thing. I am gutted.'

The pensioner took in Buster when he was a stray kitten and had him micro-chipped so he could be contacted if he ever came to harm.

He said he would be in 'a lot of trouble' if it was his dog which killed a neighbour's pet.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act (1991), a pet owner can be sent to prison for six months or given an unlimited fine if their dog is 'out of control in a public place' and attacks someone's animal.

Mr Hoare said: 'The last time I saw Buster was when he popped in at around 5pm o the evening he died.

'He laid on his back and let me stroke his tummy - he didn't often do that - so that's my last memory of him, seeing his white stomach, and him just staring up at me.'
Extinction Rebellion is planning to disrupt the City of London, the Bank of England and high street banks next week to demonstrate against global warming.

In 2019, the radical climate protest group paralysed central London at a cost of 37million to taxpayers.

Since the pandemic, the group has been unable to carry out large scale action.

But yesterday it said it would relaunch its mass street protests  although it claimed it would not target public transport this time.

In 2019, the radical climate protest group paralysed central London at a cost of 37million to taxpayers

In a news conference, Extinction Rebellion ignored the concerns of the ordinary public and said it would not be giving away too many details about the two weeks of disruption planned to start next Monday because it did not want to alert the police to their plans.

The group said the City of London was its target and it would carry out 'site occupations'. It also threatened digital action against branches of HSBC and Barclays.

Asked to specify their targets in the City, a member of XR Anneka Sutcliffe said: We will be focusing a lot on the City of London, that particular square mile.

Because if that square mile was put on par with other countries in the world it would be ranked as the ninth biggest carbon emitter.

Thats just how much investment and regulation how much power it has in terms of investing in fossil fuels.

Of specific targets, she said: Im not going to name them all. Theres lots. You can use your imagination, You know, in that Square Mile, the obvious ones.

The Bank of England have huge power over regulating all the other banks in the country.

She added: We will be launching local actions as well on Barclays, these will take the form of Digital Rebellion...so people who are stuck at home with COVID like me right now will be able to take part online as well. Local branches of HSBC would also be a targeted she added.

Extinction Rebellion environmental activists at Trafalgar Square as Disclosure perform in 2019

In April, six XR activists smashed windows at HSBC headquarters in Canary Wharf, over links between the bank and funding the fossil fuel industry. All were later acquitted by a jury for causing criminal damage.

During the press conference, the group held a minutes silence for those who had lost their lives and families in floods in Germany, wildfires in Greece and extreme heat in the US and Canada.

XR declined to comment on what changes they wanted to see from individuals.

Previously the group has said it wants to see Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, 25 years earlier than the governments target of 2050.

Yesterday XR protesters blockaded an ExxonMobil refinery in Fawley, Hampshire.
Taliban gunmen opened fire in several cities on Afghans celebrating their country's Independence Day on Thursday, as they struggled to contain the chaos in the country - and a baby was seen being handed over the walls of Kabul airport, in a sign of sheer desperation.

The child was handed to soldiers standing on the perimeter wall of the airport. It was unclear whether the baby's parents were present, or what happened next. The child's fate was also unknown.

The distressing scene came as the U.S. finally appeared to be stepping up the pace of evacuations. Joe Biden said on Wednesday that an estimated 15,000 Americans remain, and 50-65,000 Afghans who the U.S. would like to get out of the country.

Ned Price, spokesman for the State Department, said that they expected 6,000 people to be evacuated on U.S. planes on Thursday night.

Footage on social media showed the chaotic scenes they were leaving behind.

A wailing baby is handed to a soldier standing on the perimeter wall of Kabul airport

People in Kabul run on Thursday after the Taliban opened fire on their Independence Day parade

Afghans in Kabul hold aloft the flag during Independence Day celebrations on Thursday

People carry the national flag of Afghanistan on Thursday in a convoy through Kabul

On the day Afghanistan celebrates its independence from British control in 1919, a social media video showed a crowd of men and women in Kabul waving black, red and green national flags.

'Our flag, our identity,' they shouted.

At some protests elsewhere, media reported people tearing down the Taliban's white flag.

One Afghan activist, Pathan Bhai, whose YouTube channel has 122,000 viewers, posted a clip that he said showed a young man shot by the Taliban during the Independence Day parade.

It was unclear where the footage was filmed, and it could not be verified.

He told DailyMail.com that he had fled to another country, but that Taliban were searching for anyone who had worked for the U.S. or the fallen government.

A report by a Norwegian intelligence group said the Taliban had begun rounding up Afghans on a blacklist of people linked to Afghanistan's previous administration or U.S.-led forces that supported it. Complaints by some Afghan journalists have cast doubt on assurances that independent media would be allowed.

A U.S. lawmaker said the Taliban were using files from Afghanistan's intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, to identify Afghans who worked for the United States.

'They are methodically ramping up efforts to round those folks up,' said Representative Jason Crow, who has been leading efforts in the U.S. Congress to accelerate the evacuation of American-affiliated Afghans.

'I've had people send me pictures of Taliban outside their apartment complexes, searching for them.'

In another clip, shared by Indian journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, people are seen marching through the streets holding aloft a giant Afghan flag.

A giant Afghan flag is hoisted above a convoy of cars in a clip shared by an Indian journalist

The billowing flag is taken through the streets, to the astonishment of a watching Westerner

A boy on his bicycle accompanies the procession, with the giant Afghan flag

A woman, with what sounded like an Australian accent, says: 'This is absolutely f****** incredible.

'Despite the fact that the Taliban fired on the protesters earlier this morning, beat a bunch of them up, threw a couple of women - well, one woman and a couple of boys - into their car, beat them up some more and then sent the women home.

'Despite this, these guys are out here with a 200 meter-long flag marching through the streets.'

One man then yells at her: 'I hate you, Pakistan.'

Pakistan is widely believed to support the Taliban financially and strategically.

In Kabul, the Taliban fired into the air, CNN and Fox reported.

'In many cities, the Taliban opened gunfire and charged and beat the people,' a source told Fox News.

In the eastern city of Asadabad, a witness told Reuters that several people were killed when Taliban militants fired on a crowd.

Taliban fighters patrol the streets of Kabul on Thursday with their white flag

The Taliban were out in force on Thursday as Independence Day celebrations took place

'Hundreds of people came out on the streets,' witness Mohammed Salim told Reuters.

'At first I was scared and didn't want to go, but when I saw one of my neighbors joined in, I took out the flag I have at home.

'Several people were killed and injured in the stampede and firing by the Taliban.'

Protests flared in the city of Jalalabad and in Paktia province, also in the east.

Kabul has been largely calm, but 12 people have been killed in and around the airport, NATO and Taliban officials said.

The U.S. military said more than 5,200 American troops were guarding Kabul airport, where multiple gates to the facility are now open, while U.S. fighter jets were flying over the city to ensure security for the evacuation operation for diplomats and civilians including some Afghan citizens.

Yet one U.S. citizen, David Marshall Fox, who moved to Afghanistan in 2013 and runs a research company, told The New York Post on Thursday that he has abandoned hope of getting onto an evacuation flight, saying the danger of his young son getting shot by the Taliban or trampled by the crowd isn't worth it.

David Marshall Fox, who moved to Afghanistan in 2013 and runs a marketing research and production company, said on Thursday he was 10 meters from a U.S. Marine at the airport, yet unable to get out of the scrum with his three-year-old son

'My position now, is I'm getting extremely frustrated  because no one is getting any Americans out until they can control the gates,' Fox said.

'For me to be 10 feet from U.S. Marines with my 3-year-old son, with my U.S. passport and not being able to get through  that's problematic.

'If I was by myself, I could have pushed my way through.

'But anyone with young kids, there is no way they're getting in.'

State Department spokesman Ned Price said 6,000 'fully processed' people were currently at the Kabul airport and would soon be boarding planes.

A source told Reuters that White House officials told a congressional briefing that the United States already had evacuated 6,741 people, including 1,792 American citizens and legal permanent residents.

A shocking image on Thursday showed a near-empty mercy flight taking the wife of an ex-Royal Marine commando out of Kabul - despite Britain and the U.S. insisting the evacuation is in full swing.

Paul 'Pen' Farthing, a British expat who lives in Kabul, has been separated from his wife during the chaos engulfing Afghanistan.

He said on Twitter that she is now on her way home, and shared an image of the inside of what is believed to be a Norwegian plane.

'Kaisa is on her way home! BUT this aircraft is empty scandalous as thousands wait outside Kabul airport being crushed as they cannot get in. Sadly people will be left behind when this mission is over as we CANNOT get it right', the ex-Marine wrote.

The Taliban swiftly conquered Afghanistan as U.S. and other foreign troops withdrew, surprising even their own leaders and leaving power vacuums in many places.

The Taliban urged unity ahead of Friday prayers, calling on imams to persuade people not to leave Afghanistan.

A shocking image shows a near-empty evacuation flight taking the wife of an ex-Royal Marine commando out of Kabul as the Taliban block thousands of Afghans from entering the capital's airport. Paul 'Pen' Farthing said on Twitter: 'Kaisa is on her way home! BUT this aircraft is empty scandalous as thousands wait outside #Kabul airport being crushed as they cannot get in. Sadly people will be left behind when this mission is over as we CANNOT get it right'

Evacuees boarding a C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation from Kabul on Thursday
A young woman who claims to be the cousin of a slain Doonside teenager has pleaded for an end to so called 'post code wars' in an online video.

In a video uploaded to TikTok, shows a series of news headlines in relation to the death of a 16-year-old Doonside teen who she claims was allegedly bashed to death by a group of 'eshays'.

'Australia's teenage wannabe gangsters killed, a boy, my cousin, my family member...' featured text written alongside the video.

In the TikTok the young woman claims to be the cousin of a 16-year-old teenager who was bashed to death by a group of youths at Doonside in Sydney's west

The 16-year-old boy was found severely injured in a housing commission home on August 4

'Someone will put an end to this postcode war and it will be messy. More people will get hurt, killed or emotionally damaged. Unless you help stop it.'

She then urges TikTok users to help end the violence by signing an online Change.org petition, which calls for the accused to be given a life sentence for the murder.

The petition alleges the 16-year-old was lured to a Doonside house under the impression he was attending a party before he was 'beaten without mercy for 48 hours' by five other teens, later succumbing to his life threatening injuries.

'These people need to be kept off the streets so no one else and their family has to suffer as this family did,' the petition read.

'No one should have to see their children die, especially when there are videos of the attack for the family to see, which as you could imagine is absolutely heartbreaking.'

A decades-old gang rivalry spurred on by pride in one's postcode allegedly led to the death of a teenager inside a derelict western Sydney home.

The 16-year-old boy was found bloodied, bruised and unresponsive inside a run-down housing commission home at Doonside in Sydney's west on August 4.

Within hours, they were alerted to footage circulating among young people on social media which appeared to show the boy denouncing '21 District', a known rival of several of the youth gangs in the Greater West.

Emotional and demonstrably in pain, the boy was forced to repeat the phrase 'f**k the '21,' followed by declaring '27' was 'on top'.

A TikTok has called for an end to the so called 'postcode wars' which claimed the life of a Western Sydney teenager in early August

He was allegedly forced to yell obscenities about the 'inner west' post code, court documents revealed.

The 27 postcode comprises suburbs including Doonside, Rooty Hill and Mount Druitt - the home of the OneFour gang and separate rap group, who are idolised by many young people in the community for their success on the Australian music scene.

21 District is somewhat of a coalition of gangs with members from all over the inner west comprising of young people usually in their teens or early 20s from postcodes that start with '21'.

The group is also known as the 'Innerwest Brotherhood' and the young victim was forced to denounce a known subgroup, KVT, during the harrowing video.

Police allege the group of teenagers had lured the victim to the Doonside home over a pair of stolen Airpods.
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Guards at the British Embassy in Kabul are pleading for their lives after apparently being told that they are ineligible for rescue because they were hired through an outsourced contractor.

Most of the 125-person team of security personnel received letters explaining they were not eligible for help because they 'were not directly employed by Her Majesty's Government'. Security for all British embassies globally was outsourced decades ago.

The guards at the Embassy in Kabul are employed by security firm GardaWorld. Meanwhile, personnel who were doing the same work for the now-closed US Embassy under a separate GardaWorld contract have been evacuated, and others are receiving support from the Americans.

The guards are now pleading with the British Government to reconsider its decision to refuse their applications. One told the Guardian: 'We worked in frontline positions, doing the most dangerous work to keep British officials safe. We risked our lives for them, and now we find ourselves in this bad situation - not just us, but our families are at risk.'

The allegations are likely to put British ministers under further pressure to redouble efforts to evacuate as many people as possible. It follows reports this week of rescue flights leaving Afghanistan with just a handful of people on board, while thousands of people struggle outside the airport as they try to escape the threat of persecution under the new Taliban regime.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace insisted that Britain is using 'every space possible' on its rescue flights and stressed 'every hour counts' in the evacuation effort. He added that Western forces are working to ensure 'not a single seat is wasted'.

However, at least one RAF jet had been forced to leave Afghanistan half-empty because Taliban militants were refusing to let people get to the airport, according to the Times.

Several British Embassy guards told the paper that after helping British diplomats get to Kabul airport on Saturday night, they were told by phone that their services were no longer provided, and were asked to hand back computers, body armour and radios.

More than 100 guards at the British Embassy in Kabul are pleading for their lives after apparently being told that they are not eligible for rescue because they were hired through an outsourced contractor

General view showing people near the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 19, 2021

Taliban patrol as nation celebrate the 102nd Independence Day in Kandahar, Afghanistan

Satellite images have revealed the extent of the crisis at Kabul airport, with cars crammed up against the southern civilian entrance and northern military entrance that can be seen from satellites

Taliban fighters have now encircled the airport in Kabul and are deciding who gets to come in and who has to stay out. Checkpoints have been set up on both the civilian south side of the airport and the military north side, with gunshots fired in both locations to keep crowds back

Troops fired gunshots and let off stun grenades at the entrance to the northern military side of the airport overnight in a vain bid to keep crowds of thousands from rushing the gates

'We haven't sent out a single empty plane so far': Ben Wallace insists 'not one seat is wasted' on RAF flights out of Kabul despite scenes of carnage at airport - with 250 more families set to be evacuated today Ben Wallace insisted the UK has not flown any empty planes out of Kabul despite carnage at the airport and fears the Taliban are blocking access. The Defence Secretary said Western forces were working together to ensure that 'not a single seat is wasted' on the evacuation flights. He said 'the Taliban are letting through our people' with 120 families being airlifted today, and another 138 families to follow later. Mr Wallace stressed the desperate efforts to get people out will continue as long as US forces are in charge of the airport - with Joe Biden suggesting he could keep troops in place beyond his previous August 31 deadline. Responding to reports that evacuation flights to other countries had left with only a handful of people on board, Mr Wallace told Times Radio: 'Our people are getting through, we haven't sent a single empty plane home. 'And I don't think many other nations have. I can't speak for other nations, obviously, but fundamentally, the key here is when we have a plane if we have a single empty seat, we will offer it to other nations. 'We've taken out interpreters who work for Nato, for example, we've taken out fellow European or other we took some Japanese people out recently who were in need, so we will use every space on our planes possible.' Advertisement

Nearly all 160 GardaWorld employees working on the British Embassy contract applied for help from the Ministry of Defence-run Afghan relocations and assistance policy, designed to assist people working for UK organisations, and all except 21 translators were rejected last month.

According to the Guardian, they received letters explaining they were not eligible because they 'were not directly employed by Her Majesty's Government'.

The letters added: 'We realise this will be disappointing news'. Most of the guards are male, but about 10 are women, responsible for frisking female visitors to the diplomatic compound among other things.

One GardaWorld HR manager claimed he was asked to prepare termination letters for many of the British Embassy guards last week, and that the process had been disrupted by the Taliban takeover of the country.

Oliver Westmacott, the president of GardaWorld's Middle East operations, denied that formal termination letters had been sent out. Asked if the guards were still GardaWorld employees, he said: 'Technically they are because we haven't communicated with them formally to the contrary.

'I fully appreciate the predicament that all these poor people of ours are in, in desperate situations trying to sort their lives out and get to safety. So, it is a nightmare. We fully recognise that.'

The Ministry of Defence said the guards were welcome to reapply for the relocation scheme.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office added: 'We are clear there is absolutely no legitimate basis to prevent civilians from travelling to safety. We are monitoring the situation with GardaWorld closely and remain in contact with them to provide any required assistance.'

Ministers have also been told that the last evacuation flight could leave Kabul in five days - before the planned US withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 31 - and that the accelerated timetable could result in more British nationals and Afghans being left behind.

Government sources told the paper that ministers have 'not agreed any date for either the end of the evacuation or the departure of the military', and would prefer an orderly evacuation over a longer period than a hasty 24-hour scuttle to get as many people out as possible.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in Washington that 6,000 people were cleared for evacuation Thursday and were expected to board military flights in coming hours.

British citizens and dual nationals residing boarding a military plane at the airport in Kabul

Evacuees boarding a C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport

US Marines assigned to 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit escort evacuees during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul

A baby is handed over to the American army over the perimeter wall of the airport for it to be evacuated, in Kabul

Westerners and visa holders trying to get to their flights say they are unable to get to the gates because of the crowd of up to 50,000 desperate locals who are gathering outside the airport and begging US and British troops to let them through.

US troops have been firing warning shots to disperse thousands of desperate Afghans outside the airport, with footage taken on Wednesday night showing stun grenades flashing beside the perimeter. Expats who tried to get through the gate claimed the shots were fired by Western forces.

At the main entrance, Taliban fighters periodically fire into the air to clear the crowd in an attempt to disperse the crowd - but video of the fighters unleashing a volley of automatic fire shows the terrifying gauntlet evacuees have to negotiate.

Taliban fighters were seen shooting over the heads of crowds, striking people with rifles, while those on the ground reported beatings and whippings being dished out seemingly at random. Crowds have also gathered at the entrance to the military wing of the airport, which is guarded by US and British troops who have been firing into the air to disperse the crowds.

Westerners face a race against time to get out of Kabul, with control of the airport resting on the up to 60,000 troops. Joe Biden has said they will stay until all US citizens are evacuated, but there are suspicions among British troops that they could leave abruptly - leaving the 600 British unable to keep operating to evacuate UK nationals and interpreters.
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Since retaking Afghanistan with alarming speed, the Taliban have gone on a charm offensive.

Insisting they're a new organisation from the despotic jihadists of 20 years ago, who brutally oppressed women and allied themselves with Al Qaeda terrorists, this new 'Taliban 2.0', the world was assured, would now respect freedom, equality and basic humanity.

But those lies have now been exposed, and Afghanistan's new rulers have proven beyond what little doubt there was that they are just as bloodthirsty and tyrannical as their equivalents from two decades ago.

Human rights group Amnesty International revealed that Taliban fighters massacred nine ethnic Hazara men after taking control of the country's Ghazni province last month, with eyewitnesses giving harrowing accounts of the killings.

Six men were shot and three were tortured to death, including one man who was strangled with his own scarf and had his arm muscles sliced off during the atrocity, which took place between 4-6 July in the village of Mundarakht, Malistan district, the group revealed.

Despite the organisation's claims it would not seek vengeance on those who fought their tyranny, one regional police chief who stood against them was executed in cold blood by the jihadist group, reports say.

Shocking video footage being circulated on the internet shows the kneeling handcuffed and blindfolded figure of General Haji Mullah Achakzai, chief of Badghis Province near Herat, being gunned down in a hail of bullets.

The grey-haired commander was reported to have been arrested by the Taliban after they seized the area, near the Turkmenistan border, in their lightning advance late last week.

The disturbing clip was re-tweeted by former BBC Persia journalist Nasrin Nawa after it emerged on the feed of an apparent resistance group to the Taliban called @PanjshirProvince.

Gen. Achakzai, in his early 60s, was an avowed enemy of the Taliban and known as a seasoned fighter in the long-running conflict between the group and the forces of the Afghan civil government, which fell at the weekend.

According to reports, the governor and police chief of Laghman Province near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan have also been detained, with their fate to be decided by the Taliban high command.

The brutal execution follows numerous reports of Taliban patrols going door-to-door in some areas and taking men of fighting age into detention.

And while Taliban militants searched for a journalist for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, one of the reporter's family members was shot dead, according to local reports .

Now the jihadis are intensifying their hunt for those who dared to work with UK, US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, a confidential report to the UN reveals. Jihadists are going door-to-door to threaten relatives of civil servants, interpreters and other consular staff, while other militants are even stopping people outside Kabul airport.

In other developments:

Joe Biden said he can't 'recall' if he was warned to maintain a troop presence in Afghanistan;

The US President insisted 'no one is being killed' during the chaos at the Kabul airport;

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed an armed resistance to the Taliban, which includes SAS-trained forces, in Afghanistan is forming in the Panjshir Valley;

Afghanistan's biggest female pop star has escaped on a US flight out of Kabul as fears grow for women in the country after the Taliban's vow to impose Sharia;

The British Foreign Office issued a slew of action shots of Dominic Raab hard at work as he faced fury for failing to make a crucial phone call about Afghanistan while he was on holiday;

Women have led anti-Taliban protesters in Afghanistan today as they waved national flags in defiance of the Islamists to mark their country's independence day.

Shocking video footage being circulated on the internet apparently shows the kneeling handcuffed and blindfolded figure of General Haji Mullah Achakzai, chief of Badghis Province near Herat, being gunned down in a hail of bullets

A Taliban fighter walks past a defaced poster of a woman outside a closed shop in Kabul

British citizens and dual nationals residing in Afghanistan getting on a RAF plane before being relocated to the UK

Westerners and visa holders trying to get to their flights say they are unable to get to the gates because of the crowd of up to 50,000 desperate locals who are gathering outside the airport and begging US and British troops to let them through

'WHEN IT IS THE TIME OF CONFLICT, EVERYONE DIES' Human rights group Amnesty International interviewed eyewitnesses and reviewed photographic evidence following a series of killings in Mundarakht. On 3 July 2021, fighting intensified in Ghazni province between Afghan government forces and the Taliban. Villagers said they fled into the mountains to traditional iloks, their summer grazing land, where they have basic shelters. There was not much food for the 30 families that fled, so the following morning, July 4, five men and four women returned to the village to get supplies. They found that their homes had been looted, and Taliban fighters were waiting for them. Wahed Qaraman, 45, was taken from his home by Taliban fighters who broke his legs and arms, shot him in the right leg, pulled his hair out, and beat his face with a blunt object. Another man, Jaffar Rahimi, 63, was severely beaten and accused of working for the Afghan government after money was found in his pocket. He was strangled to death with his own scarf. Three people involved in the burial of Rahimi said that his body was covered in bruises, and the muscles of his arms had been carved off. Sayed Abdul Hakim, 40, had been taken from his home, beaten with sticks and rifle butts, had his arms bound, and shot twice in the leg and twice in the chest. His body was dumped next to a nearby creek. One eyewitness, who assisted with the burials, told Amnesty International: 'We asked the Taliban why they did this, and they told us, ''When it is the time of conflict, everyone dies, it doesn't matter if you have guns or not. It is the time of war.'' Advertisement

Despite the Taliban's claims of an 'amnesty', terrifying video shows fighters spraying assault rifle bullets just yards away from women and children gathered at the airport's perimeter. The UN dossier leaked to The New York Times says the Taliban are 'arresting and/or threatening to kill or arrest family members of target individuals unless they surrender themselves to the Taliban.'

It was filed to the UN by the Norwegian Center for Global Analyses, a group which provides intelligence on global conflicts.

The disturbing clip of the police chief's slaying was re-tweeted by former BBC Persia journalist Nasrin Nawa after it emerged on the feed of an apparent resistance group to the Taliban called @PanjshirProvince.

After a content warning, Ms Nawa added: 'Haji Mullah, Police chief of Badghis province executed by #Taliban. This is their public amnesty!'

The Taliban had promised that there would be no acts of vengeance against former enemies following their takeover of Afghanistan on Saturday.

Gen. Achakzai, in his early 60s, was an avowed enemy of the Taliban and known as a seasoned fighter in the long-running conflict between the group and the forces of the Afghan civil government, which fell at the weekend.

According to reports, the governor and police chief of Laghman Province near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan have also been detained, with their fate to be decided by the Taliban high command.

The brutal execution follows numerous reports of Taliban patrols going door-to-door in some areas and taking men of fighting age into detention.

Senior Afghan officials told The Telegraph they have been forced into 'deep hiding' to avoid the marauding fighters who they suspect have gained access to government employee databases.

Earlier this week, former British Army officers told the same paper that hundreds of elite Afghan soldiers had gone into hiding and were trying to flee the country.

The units were made up of the Taliban's most feared enemies and there are fears that they are intent on exacting revenge.

Already, harrowing footage has emerged of the jihadists carrying out brutal executions of former government officials who surrendered.

Another senior figure in the former government, who spoke anonymously, said that he had been targeted for his view that women and girls should be educated.

The Taliban had promised that there would be no acts of vengeance against former enemies following their takeover of Afghanistan on Saturday. Pictured: Taliban fighters display their flag on patrol in Kabul on Thursday

Taliban gunmen open fire at crowds outside Kabul airport today as westerners and visa holders say they cannot get inside because of 'huge crowds' of 'terrified locals'

Taliban fighters pose for photograph in Wazir Akbar Khan in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, August 18

When Kabul fell on Sunday, militants visited his home and he was questioned without threats.

But since Tuesday, when the Taliban gave a press conference proclaiming an amnesty, he became aware that the opposite was true and chose to go into hiding.

Since then, he has learned that the jihadists have visited his house more than a dozen times in the last three days, asking his family for information.

'My house [has] now become probably their hourly point of search and my kids are deeply terrified,' he told the paper. 'The moment they knock at the door all kids start crying. They think they will be killed.'

He said he did not qualify for the UK's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) because he had not been formally employed by the British government.
A fed-up MP has hit out at Sydneysiders planning to attend anti-lockdown protests this weekend as an alleged 'rally leader' is arrested for a breach of health orders.

Federal MP Melissa McIntosh didn't hold back as she slammed protestors plotting to gather in the city on Saturday to demand an end to the state-wide lockdown.

The member for Lindsay in Sydney's Covid-hit western suburbs said case numbers had skyrocketed since the last Freedom Day rally held on July 24.

'It is absolutely rubbish that anyone would be thinking about putting themselves, their family members and their community at risk,' she told Ben Fordham on 2GB.

Federal MP Melissa McIntosh has blasted Sydneysiders planning to attend anti-lockdown protests in the city this weekend (pictured, protestors arrested at Hyde Park on July 24)

The member for Lindsay in Sydney's Covid-hit western suburbs said it was 'absolutely rubbish' that protestors would put their communities at risk (pictured, police and ADF in Bankstown)

Ms McIntosh said the ultra-hard lockdown in Sydney's west and southwest was having a significant impact on residents' mental health.

She said despite the punishing conditions the community knew strict stay-at-home orders were necessary in breaking free of a never-ending cycle of lockdowns.

'We all want to see our family. My dad's 85 today and I'd love to be able to celebrate,' Ms McIntosh said.

'But we have to remember we are doing this to protect our older people and family members.'

Meanwhile, an alleged leader and organiser of a proposed anti-lockdown protest in central Sydney this weekend has been arrested for failing to comply with NSW public health orders.

The Queensland-based Victorian man, aged 29, allegedly breached public health orders by driving to Sydney last weekend.

NSW Police say he was staying at a North Sydney hotel but was located on Thursday afternoon at Hornsby train station.

He allegedly told officers he was lost and couldn't give a reasonable excuse for travelling to Hornsby.

The man has been charged with failing to comply with public health orders, encouraging the commission of crimes and making false representations prompting police involvement.

He'll appear at Hornsby Local Court on Friday.

An alleged 'rally leader' and organiser has been arrested for failing to comply with NSW public health orders (pictured, a police blockade on King Street in Newtown)

Authorities have warned potential attendees of the protest to expect heavy police presence at the rally, which is scheduled for midday in Victoria Park.

Earlier this week NSW Police sent a stark warning to anyone who planned on attending the illegal event to expect to be fined or arrested.

'Police are aware of unauthorised protest activities planned for this weekend. Do NOT attend,' NSW Police posted on Facebook on Tuesday.

'Public safety is our first priority and you will be fined or arrested if you turn up #StayAtHome.'

Despite the fierce warnings, rally organisers continue to encourage participants on social media and complain they are being targeted, news.com.au reported.

'As the totalitarian globalist machine continues to roll over humanity, police and government agencies are increasingly targeting those who refuse to obey in an effort to crush the freedom movement and silence the growing voice of dissent,' organisers wrote on the events page.

'Protest organisers in particular have been targeted for various forms of harassment and attempted intimidation. These actions will not stop us.'

Earlier in the week NSW Police sent a stark warning to those planning to attend protests, threatening fines and arrests (pictured, police and ADF in Bankstown)

NSW Police Minister David Elliott said on Wednesday the public health orders were a restriction on movement, not on free speech.

'You can still protest. If you want to protest against the government, go online, start a petition, join social media, ring talkback radio, write a letter to the editor of a newspaper,' he said.

'There are plenty of ways for you to express your emotions right now without putting people's lives at risk.'

The scheduled protest comes more than three weeks after the original Freedom Day rally in Sydney's CBD, which saw violent clashes between attendees and police.

More than 3,500 protesters marched the streets holding posters and chanting, while copycat events were seen replicated in Victoria, Brisbane and South Australia.

In anticipation of this weekends events, 1000 police officers will be dispersed throughout central Sydney to defuse any illegal activity.

Rumours of protests scheduled for this weekend come more than three weeks after the original Freedom Day rally on July 24 which saw violent clashes between attendees and police (pictured, a police checkpoint along Woodville Road in Guilford)

The NSW Police Minister acknowledged the frustrations surrounding the public health orders and said no one would be happier than him to see them end.

''We hate them. We think it is infringement of our liberties, but this infringement of our liberties is going to ensure that we get out of this lockdown before summer and life can get back to normal,' Mr Elliot said.

Meanwhile Metropolitan Field Operations Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon warned Sydneysiders there would be a cohort of police that 'has not been seen for quite a number of years' on the streets this weekend.

On Thursday, NSW recorded 642 new cases of coronavirus and four deaths, with at least 41 of the new cases infectious while in the community.

Last Saturday, a staggering 529 fines were handed out across the state for breaches of the public health order on Saturday, with 29 people charged.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne allegedly spent $25million from her estranged husband Tom Girardi's law firm on her American Express card and her glam squad, it has been reported.

Lawyers for the trustee overseeing the bankruptcy of the Girardi Keese firm allege the company transferred the money to Jayne's EJ Global LLC, according to a letter they sent to her lawyer on Thursday, Page Six reported.

The letter will be filed with the bankruptcy court as a part of the legal proceedings, a source told the outlet.

Jayne, 50, filed for divorce from Girardi, 82, in November and has denied wrongdoing after the law firm filed for bankruptcy and he was accused of misappropriating $2million intended for victims of Indonesia's Lion Air 610 crash.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne allegedly spent $25million from her estranged husband Tom Girardi's law firm on her American Express card and other purchases

Jayne, 50, filed for divorce from Girardi, 82, in November and has denied wrongdoing after the law firm filed for bankruptcy and he was accused of misappropriating $2 million intended for victims of Indonesia's Lion Air 610 crash

Her company reportedly paid $102,596.77 to Kim Kardashian's former executive assistant Stephanie Shepherd, right, and $1,000 to influential makeup artist Mario Dedivanoic, left

From 2008 to 2020, Jayne allegedly spent $14,259,012.84 on her American Express card and $1,417,587.50 on unknown purchases - as well as $1,532,774.88 on an agency for dancers and choreographers, the McDonald Selznick Associates Agency.

Her company reportedly paid $102,596.77 to Kim Kardashian's former executive assistant Stephanie Shepherd.

EJ Global reportedly paid $17,415 to Opus Beauty - a management agency that represents make-up artists, stylists and costume designers - and $1,000 to influential makeup artist Mario Dedivanoic.

Her company also made payments to a number of various public relations firms, while doling out $10,400 to Los Angeles Times Magazine and $8,480 to the company that publishes Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter, E5 Global Media.

'Mrs. Girardi signed under penalty of perjury the return and personally approved the charges allocated to the breakdown,' the letter reads.

In total, Jayne allegedly owes the law firm more than $28million for her purchases plus interest, the trustee's lawyer Ronald Richards told Page Six.

'It is immaterial whether she knew her husband had improperly diverted funds from clients,' Richards said.

'What is relevant is that she received complete and total value for the receivable and a formal demand for payment was sent. We are hopeful she backs up her on-air statement last night that the victims come first.'

Christmas dinner: Erika Giradi was interrogated during Christmas dinner about her husband's legal scandal on Wednesday's episode of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills

Not hers! Erika Jayne mystified over sexy lingerie bought by Tom Girardi that DOESN'T belong to her... as his firm auction off the RHOBH star's memorabilia amid bankruptcy woes

Jayne had said in an episode of RHOBH that aired Wednesday that the family members of the victims of the Indonesia plane crash 'are owed their money,' but that she did not know Girardi had given her $20million in loans from his law firm.

Her lawyer told Page Six that she 'never had and does not have personal liability for any debts or obligations of EJ Global LLC, period.'

Jayne's attorney slammed the 'malicious' allegations from the trustee as a 'reckless publicity grab.'

'None of the payments and no money whatsoever went to Erika,' the statement from her lawyer to Page Six reads.

Her attorney added: 'On behalf of Erika, we will seek all appropriate remedies against all responsible parties for claims such as these.'

In July, a judge ruled that Jayne may have to pay three other clients of Girardi that he allegedly embezzled $11million from out of her own pocket.
Peterson (pictured) is accused of breaking a law that specifically applies to caregivers. His lawyer says there is not a 'single case in the history of our criminal justice system where a school resource officer was charged under this statute'

A deputy working at a Parkland high school who took cover outside while a gunman stormed opened fire, killing 14 students and three staff, will have to prove he wasn't criminally negligent, a judge ruled Thursday.

Scot Peterson, 58, was arrested in June 2019 on multiple counts of child neglect for allegedly failing to protect students as Nikolas Cruz walked through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire a year earlier.

Peterson, who was armed at the time of the shooting, was a school resource officer who was responsible for the safety and crime prevention in the school.

During a Wednesday court appearance, his lawyer urged the judge to dismiss the charges filed against him.

'I didn't do anything there to try to hurt any child there on the scene,' Peterson told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Wednesday in a Broward County courthouse hallway, fighting back tears.

'I did the best that I could with the information. I did the best ... I'll never forget that day. You know, not only kids died, I have friends that died. And never for a second would I sit there and allow anyone to die, knowing that animal was up in that building! Never!'

Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School deputy officer faces multiple charges of child endangerment for failing to stop a shooter who killed 17 people and injured 17 others

Prosecutors have said that Peterson failed to come to the rescue as Cruz made his way through the school's hallways. Rather than rushing to protect students and staff, he instead took cover outside as gunshots rang out, they said.

The law that Peterson is accused of breaking specifically applies to caregivers, but defence attorneys said in court Wednesday that a law enforcement officer doesn't fit the legal definition of a caregiver.

Prosecutors are arguing that school resources officers are inherently different from other law enforcement officers and should be considered caregivers.

Peterson's lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, says there is not a 'single case in the history of our criminal justice system where a school resource officer was charged under this statute'.

Eiglarsh, who read several Florida laws defining who is considered to be a caregiver during Wednesday's hearing, said there is one statute broad enough to include the former officer and another that specifically excluded him.

But Broward Circuit Judge Martin Fein said that it will be up to the jury to decide whether a school resource officer should be considered a caregiver. Previous Florida cases have found that a babysitter, landlord- and even a kidnapper- met the statute definition of a caregiver, Fein added.

Peterson, then a Broward County sheriff's deputy, radioed for help but did not try to stop the gunman from storming the school

Seventeen people were slain and 17 others wounded in the February 14, 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida (Pictured: Students being evacuated from the school building on Feb. 14, 2018)

Despite many red flags by school councilors, the mother of suspected Parkland school shooter allowed him to buy a gun

Before the Valentine's Day massacre, the suspected gunmen was the target of dozens of 911 calls and at least two FBI tips. School and mental health counselors raised their own red flag about the teen's behavior, but his mother would often intervene, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission chairman Bob Gualtieri previously said.

Gualtieri, who is also Pinellas County Sheriff, called the suspected shooter's mother an 'enabler' who failed to help manage his behavioral problems.

'His mother was an enabler, and his mother contributed to this significantly,' told the commission in July 2018. 'To the point where at one time when they said that he wanted to buy a gun and the counselors from the school said he shouldn't have a gun, his mother said 'I don't care. If he wants a gun, he can have a gun.'

His mother died of pneumonia about three months before the rampage.

Before the bloodbath, the suspected killer bragged about becoming 'the next school shooter,' according to videos released by prosecutors in May 2018.

Before allegedly opening fire, prosecutors said Cruz filmed himself bragging about the notoriety the massacre would bring him

'My name is Nik, and I'm going to be the next school shooter of 2018,' Cruz said in the cell phone videos. 'My goal is at least 20 people.'

One of the videos appeared to be made on the day of the massacre, and featured Cruz bragging about becoming famous.

'When you see me on the news you'll know who I am,' said the smiling 19-year-old. 'You're all going to die. Pew pew pew. Yeah, can't wait.'

Later that afternoon, a gunman walked into the school with rifle case in hand, and within four minutes, indiscriminately killed or injured all of his victims. The gunshed stopped when the killer dropped his weapon about 3 p.m., and walked out of the school, mixing in with other fleeing students. We was arrested by police about 40 minutes later.

Cruz faces the death penalty if convicted in the Valentine's Day 2018 massacre. His 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 group of 11 people who attended an illegal beachside party in Sydney's east have tested positive to Covid as case numbers in NSW refuse to drop.

Speaking at Friday's state update, chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant called out the gathering in Maroubra held in breach of public health orders.

'There was a gathering in Maroubra, and 11 people attending that gathering have tested positive,' a clearly frustrated Dr Chant said.

'I understand why people are tired and fatigued. But we just cannot have that occurring, where we end up with a further escalation of cases associated with events that are not permitted at this time.'

Dr Chant said gatherings like the one in Maroubra must not happen (pictured: nearby Bondi on Friday)

NSW reported 642 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and four deaths as curfews are imposed in western Sydney's council areas of concern and the city's lockdown is extended to September 30.

On Friday, Guy Sebastian said that his suburb of Maroubra needed to introduce curfews after a party in the area resulted in new covid cases.

'I live in the Maroubra area,' the 39-year-old tweeted to his 367,000 followers.

'If people were inconsiderate enough to have a party that resulted in 11 +ive cases then Ill cop the consequences for their actions,' he continued.

'If people out west have curfews then we shouldnt be any different. Our community do not think we are above anyone.'

Maroubra, a surfing hotspot in the city's east, has until now remained largely untouched by the latest delta outbreak (pictured: Maroubra in July)

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said NSW has recorded 642 new Covid cases on Friday with chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant calling out a gathering in Sydney's east where 11 people caught the virus (pictured: Ms Berejiklian and Dr Chant at Friday's press conference)

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant have repeatedly and vociferously denied curfews work as a public health measure.

Curfews from 9pm to 5am will nevertheless be imposed in western Sydney's 12 local government areas of concern from Monday.

People in these areas will also be limited to one hour of exercise, and NSW Police will be given the power to lock down entire apartment blocks due to COVID-19 cases.

Masks will also be mandated at all times - indoors and outdoors - across NSW from Monday.

Greater Sydney's lockdown has been extended until at least September 30 with residents unable to travel beyond 5km from their houses (pictured: a Bondi resident out for exercise on Friday)

'This is also for police, it makes it easy for them to make sure that everybody is sticking to the rules so this (means) mask-wearing outdoors unless you're exercising,' Ms Berejiklian said.

COVID-19 vaccinations for NSW healthcare workers will also be mandated by the end of next month.

All healthcare workers must have at least one jab by September 30.

Greens health spokesperson Cate Faehrmann in a statement welcomed the change but said it should've been made sooner.

Some 80 healthcare workers at Sydney's St George Hospital are this week isolating due to COVID exposure in the oncology ward.

The government is currently looking at ways to give vaccinated people more freedom in September when the state has reached six million jabs, but is yet to
Dr Kerry Chant has delivered an emotional plea to Sydneysiders to protect their loved ones from the deadly virus as NSW records 642 new cases.

The NSW Chief Health Officer appeared close to tears as she reported four new Covid-19 deaths across the state during a heated Covid briefing on Friday.

'All of us have a responsibility to do out part to protect each other and our loved ones,' Dr Chant said.

'We can get on top of this, we can reduce the rate of increase, and we can reduce the number of people who are seriously ill, and who will die. But it is going to be hard, and it requires us to redouble our efforts.'

Dr Kerry Chant appeared close to tears during a heated Covid briefing on Friday, as the state recorded 642 new cases of the virus and four new deaths

Dr Chant appeared moved as she ran through the details of the deaths of a man in his 70s, a man in his 80s and two women in their 80s.

The health boss said one of the women who died became infected with the virus at the Wyoming aged care facility, bringing the death toll of the cluster to four.

The other woman was a resident from south-western Sydney who died in Campbelltown Hospital.

Of the two men that died, the man aged in his 80s had received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine but passed away at Nepean Hospital where he acquired his infection.

The other man, aged in his 70s, died at St George Hospital having also received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

This brings the total number of fatalities to 65 deaths since the start of the outbreak on June 16 and the number of lives lost throughout the pandemic to 121.

Dr Chant didn't hold back as she threw her weight behind the suite of new restrictions announced by the NSW Premier on Friday.

The raft of new rules include a 9am-5pm curfew for residents living in the 12 local government areas of concern in south-west and western Sydney and would be enforced from 12.01am Monday.

The health boss didn't hold back as she threw her weight behind a raft of new restrictions announced by the NSW Premier, including a 9am to 5pm curfew in 12 LGA's in Sydney's west (pictured, NSW Police checkpoint in Guilford)

NSW's chief health officer announced four new deaths on Friday, two women aged in their 80's, and two men aged in their 80s and 70s (pictured, a masked woman in Campsie in southwest Sydney)

The four new deaths bring the total number of fatalities to 65 deaths since the start of the outbreak on June 16 and the number of lives lost throughout the pandemic to 121 (pictured, a police blockade at King Street in Newtown)

Only authorised workers - including emergency and medical staff - will be allowed to leave their homes during the time period.

'I wanted to indicate that I strongly support this comprehensive bundle of new measures which complement other actions,' Dr Chant said.

'We needed these measures to slow the growth of this escalating outbreak, and give us time to vaccinate our population, to save lives and prevent hospitalisation.'

The health boss revealed a staggering 470 people are currently hospitalised for Covid-19, with 80 patients in the intensive care unit.

Dr Chant said the 'vast majority' of those in hospital were not vaccinated, while others had only received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The health minister encouraged all NSW residents who had received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to get their second jab as soon as possible, a time frame reduced to four weeks during the current outbreak.

'I am urging everyone, particularly those who have had the AstraZeneca vaccine, if you have had it within four weeks, ring your doctor and get an appointment,' she said.

Dr Chant said there would be booster doses available to residents further down the track but it was important people were protected against the virus now.

'All of us have a responsibility to do out part to protect each other and our loved ones,' Dr Chant said during Friday's Covid briefing (pictured during a conference on Wednesday)

There are 470 people currently hospitalised for Covid-19, with 80 patients in the intensive care unit (pictured, queues outside a vaccination clinic at Macquarie Fields on Thursday)

'Can I indicate that I understand that this is going to be hard for everyone across New South Wales for the next 4-6 weeks,' she said.

'But I do not want to be standing here every day, announcing these high rates of hospitalisations, and these deaths, every one of these deaths is someone mother, father, grandmother, grandfather.

'We can get on top of this, we can reduce the rate of increase, and we can reduce the number of people who are seriously ill, and who will die.'

The health boss gave a shoutout to the 'resilient and vibrant' communities of west and south-western Sydney who had 'borne the brunt of this recent outbreak'.

She said that while the state had two effective vaccines, the suite of additional measures would be vital in curbing the spread of the contagious Delta variant.

The newly-announced 9am-5pm curfew will apply to residents living in the twelve LGA's of concern; Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield and Penrith.

'We don't want to see more of you end up in hospital,' Ms Berejiklian said during a press conference on Friday. 'We don't want to see more of you lose loved ones.'

'We don't want to see more of you end up in hospital,' Ms Berejiklian said during a press conference on Friday. 'We don't want to see more of you lose loved ones'

It was announced on Friday the mask mandate would be expanded to the rest of NSW with all residents told to wear face masks when outdoors unless exercising (pictured, police speaking with a resident in Bankstown)

Restrictions have also been tightened in the local government areas with police granted more powers, childcare and disability workers ordered to get vaccinated by the end of the month and a one-hour exercise limit enforced.

Ms Berejiklian claimed the tightening of restrictions was necessary to stop the spread of the Delta outbreak.

'I apologise deeply, to the vast majority of people in those communities who are doing the right thing, but for our own health and safety moving forward we need to make these difficult decisions,' she said.

Click and collect will only be allowed for garden centres, plant nurseries and stores that supply office, hardware and building, landscaping, pet and rural materials.

Childcare and disability support workers will be required to receive their first dose of the vaccine by August 30.

The mask mandate has also been expanded to the rest of New South Wales with all residents told to wear face masks when outdoors unless exercising.

A permit system will also come into force for people travelling between Greater Sydney and regional NSW from Saturday.

A record 132,000 vaccines were administered the last 24 hours.
The fire has burned through about 80 acres and is 20 percent contained as of Thursday

Aerial shots of Clearlake, just north of San Francisco, show the full extent of damage from the Cache Fire

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New images captured the devastation left behind by the Cache Fire in Northern California while the fast spreading Caldor Fire wildfire grew 24 times in size in just two days.

Aerial shots of Clearlake, just north of San Francisco, show the full extent of the damage the Cache Fire has caused.

The wildfire has burned through about 80 acres and is 20 percent contained as of Thursday, Cal Fire officials said.

About 50 homes in Clearlake have been burned to the ground and 1,600 people were forced to be evacuated at the height of the fire, and about 800 people were put on evacuation standby, NBCBayArea.com reported.

Aerial images of Clearlake show burned mobile homes in the Creekside Mobile Home Park a day after being destroyed by the Cache Fire

Burnt cars and homes are all that remain in a section of Clearlake devastated by the Cache Fire which has charred over 80 acres

An aerial shot shows pink fire retardant sprayed by fire officials to save a home in Clearlake as the Cache Fire remains only 20 percent contained as of Thursday

Properties were turned to ashes in Clearlake after the Cache Fire burned through 80 acres as of Thursday and is 20 percent contained

The high offshore winds that fanned flames Wednesday near the town of Clearlake calmed Thursday, and crews continued to prevent spread, SFGATE.com reported.

'We've got some winds going up and down ... they're making everyone a little nervous,' Lake County Fire Protection District board chairperson Jacqueline Snyder told SFGATE.

Snyder said that damage assessments are underway in burn areas, but that the number of structures destroyed is estimated in the dozens.

Meanwhile the Caldor Fire, which started on Saturday a few miles south of El Dorado County and has quickly spread, has burned through over 65,000 acres since Thursday and forced over 16,000 residents to evacuate as firefighters struggle to slow the the fire which has zero containment so far.

As with many wildfires in the west, the Caldor Fire has been fueled by wind and dry conditions and has burned through dry vegetation in the area, Cal Fire officials said.

'The unfortunate thing is that these fires continue to get bigger,' Cal Fire Director Thom Porter said Wednesday. 'But we're surging resources into communities to protect and reduce the impact.'

As of Tuesday, Cal Fire said the Caldor Fire has destroyed nearly 86 structures and nearly 7,000 structures remain threatened.

KCRA reported that a debris pile and playground equipment were all that remained at Walt Tyler Elementary School in Grizzly Flats and that a reporter for the station said she witnessed a post office that was destroyed.

'We know this fire has done things that nobody could have predicted, but that's how firefighting has been in the state this year,' Eldorado National Forest Supervisor Chief Jeff Marsolais told KCRA.

By Wednesday, fire fighters had to evacuate 16,380 people in El Dorado County, according to the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

'Getting people out of the way of these fires is the best way for us to be able to protect your communities. We need you to evacuate,' Porter told residents. 'Please heed the warnings.'

Darby Flynn was one of the evacuees and told KCRA she's 'glad to be able to evacuate and not be caught in the fire.'

'I just kind of grabbed some things and some important artwork that my mom painted for me and something my aunt made for me and that was pretty much it,' she said. 'Otherwise, I just try to remember that things are things and most of them you can replace.'

Firefighter Jesse Viescas (pictured) searches through a residence at Cache Creek Mobile Home Estates where the Cache Fire leveled dozens of homes

Scorched homes and cars line Cache Creek Mobile Home Estates where the Cache Fire leveled dozens of homes on Wednesday

Sheriff's Deputy McCabe (pictured) searches Cache Creek Mobile Home Estates left destroyed by the Cache Fire

Detective Steve Hobb searches for possible victims at Cache Creek Mobile Home Estate after the Cache Fire destroyed nearly all the structures in the area

According to Cal Fire, two people had to be airlifted to hospitals after being seriously injured in the area.

One of the victims approached firefighters, who tried conducting first aid before the person was taken to a hospital, while the other suffered 'severe' injuries, CNN reported.

In California alone, 900,000 acres have burned this year. The Dixie Fire, the largest in the state and the country, has scorched 600,000 acres in just over a month.

Dixie is the largest of nearly 100 major wildfires burning across more than a dozen Western states.

Close to 6,000 personnel have been assigned to fight off the devastating fire.

Dixie might have originated when a tree fell on one of the power lines of the Pacific Gas & Electric Company on July 13.

On July 22, Dixie merged with the Fly Fire, while firefighters battled inclement weather conditions. Four firefighters were hurt when they were struck by a fallen branch.
An under-pressure Gladys Berejiklian dramatically demanded the police commissioner and chief health officer return to the podium to answer journalists' questions over the health advice she received during lockdown.

The NSW premier looked defeated as reporters asked whether she had dismissed Dr Kerry Chant's advice about enforcing harsher lockdown restrictions, during a press conference on Friday.

The dramatic moment came as NSW recorded another 642 Covid-19 cases and four deaths.

'At every stage the New South Wales government has responded quickly to the advice we have, but we have also learned a lot,' said NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian

A curfew will be imposed in 12 Local Government area hot spots with residents unable to leave their homes between 9pm and 5am, except for essential work or in an emergency

During heated questioning, Ms Berejiklian insisted said she had followed the health advice right throughout the pandemic in the best interest of Sydney, and denied suggestions she was given advice weeks before which she had not accepted.

'I will not have anybody say otherwise. I will ask the Commissioner and Dr Chant to verify exactly when we received this advice and on how long it took for us to accept it,' Ms Berejiklian said.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the advice about a night curfew for the 12 Local Government Areas most affected by the virus was only given to the Premier yesterday.

The tense press conference came as NSW recorded another 642 positive Covid-19 cases, and four deaths.

As a result of the dire numbers, Ms Berejiklian announced harsh new restrictions and extended the Greater Sydney lockdown until the end of September.

From Monday, a curfew will be enforced in the parts of Sydney most affected by rising cases meaning people in those areas will not be allowed to leave their homes between 9pm and 5am.

People in those suburbs will only be allowed to exercise for one hour a day.

These new rules apply to the Local Government Areas of Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield, and some suburbs of Penrith.

The only exception to the rules is for essential work or in an emergency.

An exhausted Dr Kerry Chant was called back to the microphone to tell journalists the timeline of her advice to the NSW Premier

Ms Berejiklian told reporters the new restrictions were among a list of things that could have been actioned earlier.

When probed by reporters as to why further restrictions for the rest of Greater Sydney weren't imposed eight weeks prior, the Premier appeared flustered as she asked journalists to not interrupt her.

'I wish there was a perfect pathway stop, I wish there was a list of things that said do this and you will be okay,' Berejiklian said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian hit back at reporters claiming the NSW team were working closely together for hours each day

A fiery Berejiklian hit back at reporters claiming the list was only received last night calling upon the police commissioner and chief health officer to verify claims and demonstrate how 'closely aligned' the NSW officials are.

We work together hours and hours every single day to do the right thing by our citizens, and I will not have anybody say otherwise, the Premier said before she stormed off the podium.

Dr Chant said the curfew was implemented because 'we want to do everything we can'.

'I am asking everyone to hang with us for the next four to six weeks. Buckle down,' she said.

'I do not want to be standing here every day announcing deaths.'

The four deaths announced on Friday were a woman in her 80s from the Wyoming Nursing Home in Summer Hill who died at Royal North Shore Hospital.

A man in his 80s died after contracting COVID-19 at Nepean Hospital, another man in his 70s died at St George Hospital after becoming infected there while a woman in her 80s died at Campbelltown Hospital.

There have been 65 deaths in NSW since this latest COVID-19 outbreak began on June 16.
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Shortly before hosting a rally in Iowa Thursday, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene made an appearance at the Iowa State Fair - just one day after she referred to President Joe Biden as 'a piece of s**t'.

The Georgia congresswoman and controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) were in Iowa to host what they're calling an America First rally at 7pm at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.

Ahead of the rally she stopped at the state fair, where she rode down giant slides, took part in a Marine Corps pull-up challenge and answered questions from reporters.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stopped by the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Thursday afternoon

Marjorie Taylor Greene rides down a giant slide during her visit to the Iowa State Fair on Thursday

Marjorie Taylor Greene does a pull-up at a U.S. Marine recruiting booth during a visit to the Iowa State Fair

When asked about her political career and whether or not she sees a future in the White House Greene answered: 'My sole focus is putting America first and that means in any capacity'

When asked about her political career and whether or not she sees a future in the White House, Greene answered: 'My sole focus is putting America first and that means in any capacity.'

'America is failing the American people. I mean the Congress is, and so is the federal government,' she added.

Greene didn't hold back, and continued to criticize the infrastructure bills in Congress, which refers to as a Green New Deal that helps China.

Just one day before she and Gaetz appeared in Iowa, Greene posted a fiery video online criticizing Joe Biden for pulling out US troops from Afghanistan shortly before the Taliban sized control.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks during the America First Rally in Des Moines, Iowa on August 19, 2021

Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks during the America First Rally in Des Moines, Iowa on August 19, 2021

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., looks at giant produce on display during a visit to the Iowa State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tours the cattle barn during a visit to the Iowa State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) signs a birthday card for a guest while she walks through the cattle barn during a visit to the Iowa State Fair on August 19, 2021

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tours the Varied Industries building during a visit to the Iowa State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021

In the video, posted to right-wing social media site Gettr, Greene says: 'Joe Biden, you're not a president, you're a piece of s**t.'

'Thousands of Americans are stuck over there in Afghanistan, and you're letting the Taliban kick your ass, while you're lecturing governors about masks and vaccines. Do your job, bring these Americans home,' she added.

Greene is of course is referring to the thousands of Americans who are still stranded in Afghanistan after the Taliban assumed control of the country Sunday.

Heres a portion of a video Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on GETTR but not here on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/A9Hie7sJbo  PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) August 18, 2021

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., walks down the concourse during a visit to the Iowa State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021

Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks with fairgoers as she walks through the cattle barn at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday

During an appearance on The Water Cooler on the right-wing Real America's Voice, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed hospital waiting rooms are filling up with 'all kinds of things, not just COVID'

In contrast, Greene's complaint on Biden disregards the severity of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the US, particularly in her home state of Georgia.

After being banned from Twitter for a week in July, Greene continued to spread COVID-19 disinformation, denying that hospitals are seeing a surge in COVID patients and also claiming COVID vaccines aren't working.

Earlier this month, Greene appeared on The Water Cooler on the right-wing Real America's Voice, and told host Anna Perez she had talked to hospital administrators in her district and in her state.

'Yes, the waiting rooms get full. But guess what, the waiting rooms are full of all kinds of things, not just COVID - car accidents, trauma, other illnesses, cancer and so-forth,' Greene said.

Doctor Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease expert at Emory University, participates in a press conference on the surge of COVID-19 cases in Atlanta earlier this month

Data from the Georgia Department of Health shows COVID cases spiking up in the state since late June

Greene claimed that while news reports said hospitals were 'slam-packed' with COVID, 'that's just not the case.'

'Everyone needs to get back down to common sense and remember that, you know, we're human, we can't live forever, we are going to catch all kinds of diseases and illnesses and other viruses and we get hurt sometimes,' the congresswoman argued.

News reports from Georgia, including one Tuesday from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said hospitals are in 'crisis mode' because of the surge in COVID patients.

In five of the state's 14 hospital regions there were fewer than 10 ICU beds open for incoming patients.

Recent data analyzed by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that in the states that track vaccinated versus unvaccinated COVID infections, 94-plus percent of COVID cases were among those who were unvaccinated.
Canberra's coronavirus outbreak has grown to 95, with 12 new cases as the ACT warns it doesn't have enough Pfizer vaccines to cover all under-40s.

Of the new cases reported on Friday, 11 were linked to existing infections.

Children and younger adults make up the bulk of the territory's infections with exposure sites spread across schools, child care centres, pubs, clubs and public transport.

The federal government is expanding Pfizer access to everyone aged between 16 and 39 from next month in a bid to stop young people spreading the Delta variant.

Canberra's coronavirus outbreak has grown to 95, with 12 new cases as the ACT warns it doesn't have enough Pfizer vaccines to cover all under-40s. Pictured: A deserted street in Australia's capital

While ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith supports this, she is also a little frustrated about Canberra not getting a heads-up.

In the ACT, people in their 30s can already make a booking for Pfizer. From next month, GPs will be able to dole it out to all aged 16 and over.

But the ACT's vaccine clinics are booked out until mid-October.

"Until we have more clarity about what the supply from the commonwealth is going to look like into September and October, it's very hard for us to open up new appointments and to extend that eligibility for our ACT government clinics," Ms Stephen-Smith told ABC radio.

Younger adults can also talk to a doctor about getting an AstraZeneca vaccine, supplied across the bulk of the ACT's general practices.

One third of eligible Canberrans are fully immunised and almost 60 per cent have had their first dose.

Children make up 43 per cent of the ACT's first outbreak in 13 months, while 46 per cent of infections are in people aged between 18 and 44.

Children and younger adults make up the bulk of the territory's infections with exposure sites spread across schools, child care centres, pubs, clubs and public transport

Pfizer has already been opened up to 12 to 15 year-olds who are Indigenous or with underlying medical conditions and compromised immune systems.

A wider rollout for children is expected once it receives the final tick from Australia's expert immunisation panel.

Meanwhile, ACT health officials want retired nurses or anyone with nursing training to help replace staff caught up in the outbreak.

More than 600 healthcare workers across Canberra Health Services and Calvary Public Hospital at Bruce had been isolated or quarantined.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr earlier said it was impossible to "seal Canberra up in a bubble and have it operate as if there is no Delta variant spreading around Australia".

Despite the outbreak, federal parliament is returning for the last two weeks of August with many politicians set to appear remotely.
Dan Andrews has bizarrely cast doubt on whether millions of Pfizer jabs will really be available to all Australians aged 16-39 as promised by the federal government.

Scott Morrison announced on Thursday that Australians in that age group will be able to get the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine around the country from August 30.

The Prime Minister said there are 8.6million Australians in this demographic and they will be able to book an appointment at some point in the next week.

When asked at Friday's Victoria update whether the announcement would cause people to cancel their AstraZeneca bookings, Mr Andrews said he doubted the Pfizer jabs were even available.

'I wouldn't be banking on anything being here in two weeks. I haven't seen that stock. Is it even here? I hope that by the end of the month 16-39 -year-olds can get Pfizer. I don't know if they will be able to,' Mr Andrews said.

Young Australians wait in line for a Pfizer jab at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Thursday

A young woman waits for a Pfizer vaccine at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Thursday

When pressed by a reporter about whether he had received any information that the Pfizer jabs wouldn't be ready as promised, Mr Andrews snapped back that he didn't know one way or the other.

'The Federal Government is entitled to make announcements but I'm also entitled to point out the facts. Can't make a booking for this stuff, I haven't seen it, is it sitting in a warehouse, is it arriving on a big military plane, I don't know,' he said.

The Victorian Premier urged young people who had already organised to get an AstraZeneca vaccine to keep their appointment.

'For heaven's sake don't cancel an appointment you've made now of a promise that something is going to be available in in a few weeks time,' he said.

'If you haven't made a booking, there are spots available. Please make a booking, come, we will get you through as quickly as possible. If you need to sit down and talk to a senior nurse or a pharmacist or a doctor you can do that and make an informed choice.'

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) said he 'wouldn't be banking' on additional Pfizer doses being delivered in the next two weeks

Even Scott Morrison when making the announcement about the Pfizer doses implored Australians to get the AstraZeneca jab if they had already booked in for one.

'The best vaccine you can get is the one that is available right now,' he said.

'If you are in Sydney get vaccinated today. Go out and do that right now. That is my clear advice.

'And that is what we want Australians to do.'

Australia's top scientists have advised Australians over 18 in places with Covid-19 outbreaks to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, which carries an extremely low risk of blood clotting as a side effect.

Tens of thousands have taken up the offer but many have decided to wait for Pfizer, which is not as strongly linked to blood clots in young people.

Mr Morrison said young Australians would be able to book their Pfizer appointments at some point in the next week.

'I want to stress, do not make a booking yet. We will advise when bookings can be made,' he said.

But amid fears the surprise announcement will prompt young people to cancel their AstraZeneca bookings, Mr Morrison implored Australians not to wait for the Pfizer vaccine

'It isn't today. Not today. We will advise when the time will come over the course of the next week.'

Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory are already offering Pfizer to people under 40 in their state-run clinics.

The expansion announced today means Pfizer will be available for young people in GPs which are regulated by the Commonwealth.

Over the last 24 hours, 309,010 Australians stepped forward to be vaccinated. As of Thursday 28.2 per cent of Australians over 16 have been fully jabbed.

Half of the nation has received at least one dose, which Mr Morrison described as a major milestone.

Police and ADF personnel are seen together next to a patrol car in the Bankstown LGA in Sydney's south-west on Thursday

There were 681 Covid-19 cases reported in NSW on Thursday, while another 57 people in Melbourne contracted the disease.

A man in his 80s died in a Sydney hospital, taking the national toll to 971.

Canberra recorded 16 new cases taking the ACT cluster to 83.

The daily national case figure is higher than the mark of 698 set during the Victorian second wave last year.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said every state would need to confront living with the virus when double-dose vaccination coverage reaches 80 per cent.

She expects that benchmark will be reached in about three months.

'By mid-November the conversation has to be around not so much the number of cases we have, but how many people we are keeping out of hospital,' Ms Berejiklian said.

Residents arrive at a mass vaccination centre to get their Covid-19 vaccine in Sydney on Thursday

A three-day lockdown in Darwin and Katherine ended at midday after no new cases were linked to an infected US defence contractor.

Queensland, which also recorded a zero-case day, will station troops at the NSW border after the federal government agreed to the request.

Burnet Institute director Brendan Crabb said modelling showed daily cases could jump to between 3,000 and 4,000 within 30 days unless urgent steps were taken in NSW.

'We're in a steam train that is heading towards a cliff, not heading towards a station which is where we should be going,' he told the Nine Network.

Professor Crabb is urging the NSW government to implement uniform restrictions across all areas of Sydney including a curfew and five-kilometre travel limits.

Police and ADF personnel are pictured patrolling the Bankstown LGA in Sydney's south-west on Thursday. A man in his 80s has died from Covid-19 in Sydney as NSW's Delta outbreak grew by a record 681 cases on Thursday

He believes immediate action coupled with more generous support for workers and business could turn the situation around.

'The worse-case scenario is we have an Italy-style health catastrophe. That is actually the trajectory at the moment,' Professor Crabb said.

He said the best outcome was lockdown until Christmas but that would rely on keeping case increases stable rather than the current rate of doubling every 11 days.

Federal, state and territory governments support vaccine coverage targets of 70 and 80 per cent to reduce the likelihood of lockdowns and reopen Australia.

With AAP
Joe Biden will address the nation for the second time in a week on Friday, in what the White House say will be an update on evacuations of Americans and Afghan translators from Kabul.

The president gave a speech of quiet fury on Monday to defend his decision to withdraw, blaming Donald Trump and the Afghan army for the swift defeat to the Taliban.

But pressure has piled on the administration in the days since from across the political spectrum as scenes of utter despair and chaos from Kabul airport have been beamed around the world.

Biden's refusal to accept that multiple intelligence agencies had predicted such a disaster and his suggestion of cowardice on the part of the Afghans, has left allies questioning the reliability of the United States.

The president said on Wednesday that he believes 15,000 American citizens remain in Afghanistan, and that there are 50-65,000 Afghans the U.S. would like to help leave.

Joe Biden on Monday spoke from the White House and defended his administration's response to events in Afghanistan. On Friday he will once again address the nation - this time to update the public on efforts to evacuate thousands of American citizens and their Afghan allies

A U.S. Air Force plane is seen landing at Bagram Air Base on July 1. The base has since been abandoned

On Thursday Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said that they expect 6,000 people to be evacuated on U.S. flights overnight.

And he was forced to announce a reversal of plans to charge $2,000 per evacuee for the flight, after a social media outcry.

On Thursday morning, Politico reported on the State Department's Overseas Security Advisory Council, which stated in an August 14 advisory: 'U.S. lawful permanent residents may submit a repatriation assistance request, and their request will be considered depending on availability.

'Repatriation flights are not free, and passengers will be required to sign a promissory loan agreement and may not be eligible to renew their U.S. passports until the loan is repaid.

'The cost may be $2,000 USD or more per person.'

US Marines assigned to 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit escort evacuees during an evacuation at Kabul airport on Thursday

Evacuees boarding a C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation from Kabul on Thursday

Crowds are seen gathering outside Kabul airport on Thursday, trying to get in and flee

Pandemonium unfolded at Kabul airport on Monday as thousands of people ran on to the runway in a desperate attempt to escape Taliban rule, fearing bloody reprisals by the Islamists

Thousands of Afghanis had raced on to the tarmac at Kabul airport before some jumped on the side of a US C-17 jet which was flying hundreds of diplomatic staff and visa holders out of the country

An unnamed State Department spokesman initially stood by the charge, telling Politico that 'U.S. law requires that evacuation assistance to private U.S. citizens or third country nationals be provided 'on a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable.'

Price, however, backtracked by Thursday evening.

'In these unique circumstances, we have no intention of seeking any reimbursement from those fleeing Afghanistan,' he said, in a statement provided to The New York Post.

Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, on Thursday said the president believes U.S. forces will be able to get all Americans who want to leave Afghanistan out of the country by Biden's self-imposed deadline of August 31.

Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, said on Thursday that he believes the U.S. will evacuate all their citizens by August 31

However, Sullivan said the U.S. does not know exactly how many Americans are in the country.

'The U.S. government doesn't actually know the precise answer to that question and that's because we ask every American who comes to Afghanistan to register with the U.S. Embassy,' he said.

'But when people leave, they often don't deregister, and even some who come never register in the first place.

'The president is committed to ensuring that every American who wants to leave Afghanistan gets out of Afghanistan,' he told CBS Evening News.

'He believes that we can accomplish that by August 31.'

Biden on Wednesday told ABC News that that was the aim, but he was prepared to be flexible if necessary.

'We have plenty more seats on flights than we believe that there are possibly Americans still in Afghanistan, and there is plenty of time to get to the airport,' Sullivan said.

He called it a 'dynamic and dangerous situation'.

Sullivan added that the U.S. has made clear to the Taliban that if they prevent Americans from leaving, 'they will be met with a swift and forceful response.'
An activist for the Afghan community mocked a Victoria Cross recipient's name after he suggested security checks be done on those seeking refugee status to escape the Taliban.

Daniel Keighran was awarded Australia's highest military honour for bravery, demonstrated in August 2010 when a joint Australian-Afghan National Army patrol came under sustained gunfire attack.

The 38-year-old war veteran, who risked his life during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, told the ABC's Q&A program security checks needed to be done on Afghans applying for refugee status.

'My caution around this is as long as the correct checks and balances or checks are made, background checks on individuals, is so important before we just open the floodgates,' he said.

Mr Keighran based his call on the Taliban infiltrating the Afghan National Army and leading Australian troops towards improvised explosive devices, during a conflict that saw 41 Australian troops killed between 2001 and 2013.

'The Afghan National Army commander on the ground was working for the Taliban,' he said.

'I have multiple stories from other veterans as well  their interpreters working for the Taliban guiding Coalition forces into IEDS.'

Pressed by Q&A host David Speers, Mr Keighran said some Afghan refugees could be potential terrorists, after the Islamist Taliban this week seized control of Kabul following the withdrawal of US forces after two decades.

'They have previously without a doubt so why would they not do it again? I went to Afghanistan to fight the problems in Afghanistan,' he said.

'Let's not import those problems to Australia.'

Afghan-Australian Diana Sayed, the chief executive of the Australian Muslim Women's Centre for Human Rights, was initially so upset she got Mr Keighran's name wrong.

'I absolutely, unequivocally refute the framing of that, Darren,' she said.

Afghan Australian Diana Sayed, the chief executive of the Australian Muslim Women's Centre for Human Rights, was initially so upset at Victoria Cross recipient she got his name wrong and mocked it after he called for security checks on Afghans fleeing the Taliban

When Speers pointed out his name was Daniel, Ms Sayed mocked the Victoria Cross recipient's name.

'Daniel. Sorry. Daniel, Darren, David. We're losing critical political analysis here. That sort of security lens which you're looking at Afghan  we are people,' she said.

Ms Sayed, a lawyer, was offended Afghan refugees were framed as a security threat when many of those seeking asylum are from the Persian-speaking Hazara minority who the Taliban have targeted.

'That sort of security lens which you're looking at Afghans - we are people,' she said.

'We have culture, we have rich history, we're poets, we're academics, we are not just here to serve your purpose in a war, we have agency.

Daniel Keighran was awarded Australia's highest military honour for bravery, demonstrated in August 2010 when a joint Australian Afghan National Army Patrol came under sustained attack

'We are here to tell you that we are human beings, worthy of being granted safety, just like anyone else and seeing us through that security lens of refugees, of potential security threat to Australia, is so reductive you're flattening us as a people.'

Australia has reserved 3,000 places for Afghans fleeing the Taliban within its existing annual humanitarian intake of 13,750.

A third Australian Defence Force flight from Kabul carrying 60 passengers arrived at Australia's Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, taking the total evacuated by Australia to 162.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne confirmed those on board included Australians, Afghan visa holders and families.

Ms Sayed was offended Afghan refugees were framed as a security threat when many of those seeking asylum are from the Persian-speaking Hazara minority who the Taliban have targeted (pictured are Afghans climbing on to a plane at Kabul airport hoping to escape)

This was the third flight from Afghanistan after the UK carried 76 Australians and visa holders.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia remained committed to evacuating all Australian citizens from Afghanistan.

'The situation in Kabul does remain chaotic. We are engaged in constant messaging and contacts wherever we possibly can with those we are seeking to evacuate,' he said on Friday.

An Australian government-scheduled flight has arrived in Perth from Al Minhad to bring the first refugees to Australia since Kabul fell to the Taliban.

Australia has historically been generous to asylum seekers fleeing conflict and extremist rule.

An Australian government-scheduled flight has arrived in Perth (pictured is the international airport) from Al Minhad to bring the first refugees to Australia since Kabul fell to the Taliban

Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser accepted 50,000 people from Vietnam after Saigon fell in 1975 to Communist control, following a decade-long war involving the US and Australia.

His Labor predecessor Gough Whitlam was opposed on the basis they would be anti-Communists, and his left-wing deputy Jim Cairns was also an anti-Vietnam War activist.

The Fraser government in 1976 also allowed 16,000 refugees fleeing the Lebanese civil war into Australia, including many Muslims.

Labor's Bob Hawke allowed 42,000 Chinese students to settle in Australia following the June 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre of pro-democracy protesters in Beijing.

Tony Abbott's Coalition government allowed 12,000 Syrians in 2015 to settle in Australia after ISIS took over large parts of the Middle East.
A young mum and her daughter confined to a cramped, converted pool shed during lockdown are among the many faces of a housing crisis that community workers say is contributing to Sydney's Covid outbreak.

Su Myat, who home-schools daughter Mee Mee, 8, pays $250 for the one-room Blacktown home, which is a suburb in one of the eight Sydney LGAs under tough lockdown restrictions, where they sleep in one bed and the toilet, shower and kitchen are only separated by a curtain.

A lack of affordable housing, overcrowding and economic insecurity in Sydney's west and south-west make it difficult to slow the spread of the virus in hotspots, say homelessness and housing advocates.

Young mum Su Myat and her daughter Mee-Mee are confined to a cramped, converted pool shed (pictured) during lockdown are the new faces of a housing crisis that is contributing to Sydney's Covid crisis

Su Myat, who home-schools Mee Mee, 8 (both pictured above) pays $250 for the one-room Blacktown home, where they sleep in one bed and the toilet, shower and kitchen are only separated by a curtain

Poll Is Gladys Berejiklian's 'divided' lockdown turning Aussies against each other? Yes, it's unfair when the Delta outbreak started in the east No, most of the cases are in the west and south-west It's time to end the lockdown now, the damage is too great Is Gladys Berejiklian's 'divided' lockdown turning Aussies against each other? Yes, it's unfair when the Delta outbreak started in the east 305 votes

No, most of the cases are in the west and south-west 263 votes

It's time to end the lockdown now, the damage is too great 267 votes Now share your opinion





Like all Sydneysiders, Ms Myat and Mee Mee are unable to leave their unless it's for essential work or an hour's exercise a day.

But Ms Myat has a back injury and is unable to work. So she and young Mee Mee are stuck in their tiny home, which has the smallest of concrete yards for the child to play in.

They eat in the bedroom, where the daughter also studies online, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Ms Myat, who arrived in Australia on a 'women at risk' humanitarian visa from Myanmar, is still waiting for a two-bedroom home six years later.

Many people in overcrowded or unsafe homes, such as Ms Myat, are 'vulnerable women' on low incomes or fleeing domestic violence, said Simon Winya, a project officer at SydWest Multicultural Services.

Ms Myat with her daughter Mee Mee (pictured), who has only the space shown to play outside

Katherine McKernan, chief executive of Homelessness NSW was not surprised to see suburbs where a lack of affordable housing is a problem showing up as Covid hotspots.

She claimed that having 'a safe, affordable and appropriate home' makes it easier to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Mark Degotardi, Chief executive of the Community Housing Industry Association NSW, said the shortage of affordable housing was having 'dire public health consequences'.

New figures show nearly 14,000 people are waiting for housing in Covid hotspots such as Fairfield, Liverpool, Bankstown, Parramatta, Penrith and Bankstown (pictured - a woman wears a mask in a Sydney Covid-19 hotspot)

Overcrowding rates are 168 per 10,000 people at Auburn and between 46 and 92 for every 10,000 people in Covid-struck suburbs such as Fairfield, Merrylands, Guildford, Canterbury and Burwood. In Sydney's wealthier East, North Shore and the Shire, overcrowding rates vary between 0 and 10

Sydney's Covid battleground west Canterbury-Bankstown LGA became ground zero of Sydney's worst outbreak since the pandemic hit Australia after a surge a week ago. It is a focus of some of the most stringent lockdown measures seen in not only Australia, but the world. There's been 1,679 cases in the past four weeks. That is almost three times the number of previous top hotspots Liverpool and Fairfield. As a 'local government area of concern', no-one can travel more than 5km from their home, no visiting friends or neighbours or family, and testing every three days for every essential worker. No-one is allowed out for recreation, only exercise, with basketball hoops even removed from courts where local kids once played. Everyone must wear a face mask while outdoors - despite little evidence transmission happens outside. Army, navy and air force personnel have all been drafted in for the war against Covid in the west and south-western suburbs. Every day they set out with a long list of names and addresses of thousands of Covid-positive locals and knock on their doors to check they are self-isolating. But locals say they only occasionally see them patrolling the city streets, and their presence is more reassuring than threatening. What really infuriates them is that they only ever see this enforcement in the western suburbs. For them it is a tale of two lockdowns - easy in the east, and extreme in the west. - Kevin Airs Advertisement

'Economic insecurity and crowded living situations make it impossible for families to slow the spread when they're struggling to keep a roof over their head,' he said.

Mr Degotardi said it is taking up to 10 years for some families in the western suburbs to find suitable accommodation.

In the meantime they are couch-surfing, squeezing in with other families and barely scraping by.

New figures show nearly 14,000 people are waiting for housing in Covid hotspots such as Fairfield, Liverpool, Bankstown, Parramatta, Penrith and Bankstown.

Fairfield, which was a major focus of the Sydney outbreak for weeks, leads the way with 3821 people on the waiting list for community housing.

Ms McKernan urged the government to accept that having not having enough safe, affordable housing has become a health issue for 'all'.

She said 5000 affordable homes are needed each year for the next 10 years just to meet demand.

'If we can't act on providing affordable housing now when it is the primary response to keeping people safe from COVID-19 and will help the economy, then when?

In Auburn, which New South Wales Health has just named as a suburb of concern, 168 people per 10,000 live in extremely overcrowded housing.

Overcrowding rates are between 46 and 92 for every 10,000 people in Covid-struck suburbs such as Fairfield, Merrylands, Guildford, Canterbury and Burwood.

Blacktown, Parramatta, Bankstown and Hurstville also have high rates.

'Unfortunately, the lack of affordable housing in south-western and western Sydney is currently contributing to the increase in COVID cases in those areas.'

Sydney's lowest levels - between 0 and 10 people per 10,000 living in overcrowded homes - include the Eastern Suburbs, North Shore, Sutherland, Hills District and Canada Bay.

Meanwhile back in the west, residents are feeling resentful at the tough restrictions they face when health authorities were slow to react as the Delta outbreak began in the Eastern Suburbs.

In Bankstown, which has seen Covid cases mount recently, the tide turned firmly against premier Gladys Berejiklian in the wake of the tightened lockdown.

Alex Tiricovski, 28, pictured here with his wife, Vivienne, 25, has lost his security job because of the lockdown and believes the recent tough talk from the premier has all come too late

Canterbury-Bankstown became ground zero for Sydney's current outbreak after a surge in cases a week ago and a focus of some of the most stringent lockdown measures in Australia. Seen here is a police checkpoint in Guildford on Thursday

Overwhelmingly, the feeling is that she reacted too slowly when the outbreak first began - in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Alex Tiricovski, 28, lost his security job because of the lockdown and believes the recent tough talk from the premier came too late.

'She should have hit the nail on the head at the start, not now,' he said. 'We're fighting an uphill battle now.

'You can't blame her for the virus but you can for her response - and they just keep changing the laws. It's a headscratcher for me.

'What's next? Are we going to build a great dividing wall to cut us off from the rest of the city?

'It's bad for the mental health.'

After two months in lockdown, everyone's world is getting smaller, they said. With a 5km limit on movement and no way to see family outside the home, time slows.
An Oklahoma man received three life sentences on Thursday after running over and killing three cross country runners in his pickup truck last year.

Max Townsend, 58, fled the scene after he ran over seven runners from Moore High School in suburban Oklahoma City on February 3, 2020.

The three students killed were 18-year-old Kolby Crum, 17-year-old Rachel Freeman, and 16-year-old Yuridia Martinez.

The other students affected were only injured and spent weeks in recovery as a result of the incident.

Oklahoma man Max Townsend, 58, has been given three life sentences on August 19 after running over and killing three high school students in his pickup truck

Townsend was reportedly driving at 77mph and was under the influence of alcohol and THC while driving in suburban Oklahoma City on February 3 2020

Townsend ran over seven Moore High School cross country runners, killing half of them. 18-year-old Kolby Crum, 17-year-old Rachel Freeman, and 16-year-old Yuridia Martinez were among the deceased

After five-and-a-half hours of deliberations, Townsend was given three life sentences, the maximum penalty to ensure he will stay in prison.

Families of the deceased were relieved to hear of Townsend's sentencing after grieving the loss of the children for over a year.

'I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I'm still sad I don't have my son but this is such a relief that we can close this chapter', said Tansey Hellbusch, mother of Kolby Crum told sources after the hearing.

Michael Freeman, father of Rachel, told Associated Press: 'I do want Mr. Townsend to know I've forgiven him, even though he doesn't deserve it.

'I'm not asking this court for vengeance because that's in God's hands, but I do ask for justice.'

Families of the deceased were relieved to hear of the sentencing after enduring the pain of the loss of their children for over a year

Townsend was charged with three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of leaving the scene of a fatality accident and four counts of leaving the scene of an injury accident; he was charged with three counts of second-degree murder in June

Townsend reportedly showed little remorse for his actions after he was sentenced by Cleveland County District Judge Lori Walkley.

'To take their life and continue to talk about them as they were just trash that he hit in the roadway is despicable and so he deserves everyday he's going to spend for the rest of his life', Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn told KOCO5.

At the time of the crash, Townsend was allegedly driving at 77mph before hitting the runners and was discovered to be under the influence of alcohol and THC.

His BAC was reported as being .068 which is below Oklahoma's legal limit.

Townsend's defense attorney claimed he lost consciousness before the crash occurred as he was 'choking on a Red Bull.'

Cleveland County District Judge Lori Walkley has ensured Townsend would receive the maximum penalty for his actions

Officers arrested him after he crashed into a Volkswagen Bug and stopped a street over from the school, according to KWTV-DT.

Townsend was charged on three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of leaving the scene of a fatality accident and four counts of leaving the scene of an injury accident.

He was found guilty of three second-degree murder charges in June.
A sex worker in Melbourne's southeast suburbs went missing for hours after testing positive for COVID-19 as health authorities waited to interview her.

The St Kilda woman, who is homeless, presented to an emergency department earlier this week where she returned a positive test for coronavirus.

A close contact also tested positive and both have been moved into quarantine. It is still not known how the duo contracted the virus.

A St Kilda woman has gone missing for hours after testing positive for Covid, with fears for new exposure sites in the area (stock image)

Victoria's COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar confirmed there was a short window when contact tracers did not know where the woman had gone.

"One of those individuals did go AWOL for little time but came back to the ED (emergency department) and since then has been securely cared for," he told reporters on Friday.

Mr Weimar allayed fears her absence would lead to further exposure sites, assuring the public authorities knew where she had been in those "short hours".

He expressed sympathy for the sex worker, saying it was understandable some infected people found it difficult to divulge intimate details to contact tracers.

Victoria's COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar (pictured) stated there was a window of time where contract tracers do not know where she was

"No one wants to be COVID-positive. No one wants to be in a situation where suddenly the lights are all upon you and you're asked to explain what you've been doing and where you've been," he said.

"It's incredibly distressing and you have a dangerous illness. It's a bad place to be.

"Of the 300 people now active with COVID, we can only send them our sympathy and encouragement they get better."

With the Melbourne cluster growing, a pop-up testing facility has been set up (pictured), with many stepping up to get tested

The St Kilda woman is among four cases linked to the Fitzroy Street, St Kilda outbreak, with a further two infections announced on Friday.

Four more cases also emerged from an illegal engagement party in Caulfield North last week. That outbreak, known as the St Kilda East cluster, has infected 11 people.

Authorities are continuing to urge anyone who has visited one of the more than 20 exposure sites in St Kilda to come forward for testing.
After hours of extensive deliberation, school board members in Palm Beach, Florida voted 6-1 to require all students and staff wear masks on school grounds beginning next week, defying Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates.

Late Wednesday evening, Palm Beach County School Board members voted to amend the School District of Palm Beach County's COVID-19 protocols for students.

Under the approved policy, which goes into effect Monday, parents can no longer opt their children out of wearing facial coverings inside schools and on school district transportation.

Three major Florida school districts have defied Gov Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates

After hours of extensive deliberation, school board members in Palm Beach, Florida voted 6-1 to require all students and staff wear masks on school grounds beginning next week

Exceptions will be made for students with medical conditions covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The new policy is a direct defiance of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' July 30th executive order to protect 'parents freedom to choose' whether or not their children had to wear mask in schools.

On Thursday morning, DeSantis' Press Secretary Christina Pushaw released a statement to WPTV about the Palm Beach County School Board's decision, saying 'the forced masking of schoolchildren infringes upon parents rights to make health and educational decisions for their own children.'

Pushaw continued: 'No politician is above the law, even the Palm Beach County school board members. It is disappointing that the school board chose to change their mask policy  which had previously protected the freedom for parents to opt their kids out, in compliance with Florida law.'

Dr Rosalind Osgood, who heads the Broward County School Board, appeared on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday to defend her district's decision to defy Governor Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates, saying: 'We believe that we have a constitutional obligation to protect the lives of our students and staff'

However, Palm Beach is not the first jurisdiction of Florida to defy DeSantis' executive order on mask mandates.

It joins Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, and Alachua counties in mandating masks without an opt-out provision.

Last week, the chairwoman of a Florida school board has defended the decision to defy Governor Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates after three teachers in the district died from COVID-19 amid an influx of Delta variant cases.

Dr Rosalind Osgood, who heads the Broward County School Board, appeared on CBS's Face the Nation last week, saying the area is 'living out the nightmare of the COVID pandemic, where so many people in our county, including members of our staff and others, are being impacted.'

Her comments come days after the school board imposed a mask mandate for students, staff and visitors. However, a doctor's note is required for student exemptions.

'We believe that we have a constitutional obligation to protect the lives of our students and staff,' Dr Osgood said.

As Florida's cases continue to soar, the state reported a seven-day rolling average of 21,706 new cases daily on Saturday

As Florida's cases continue to soar, the state reported a seven-day rolling average of 21,706 new cases daily last week.

The state also recorded an additional 1,071 deaths, a daily average of 153, in the health department's weekly report.

This brings the statewide total to 2,877,214 cases and 40,766 deaths.

After DeSantis threatened to withhold school funds Friday, the Biden administration stepped in and allowed the schools to use funds from pandemic relief measures to replace the salaries of staff members.

'It was very encouraging to get the support of the White House during this very, very difficult time that we find ourselves in,' Dr Osgood said.

She added: 'We've been working extremely hard to put these in place, and we're not going to risk their lives by allowing it to be optional.'

DeSantis has urged Floridians to get vaccinated, and says people should continue to wear masks if they want to - but that no-one should be forced to don the face coverings.

Under 12s cannot yet receive COVID vaccines. Pro-maskers say the coverings are needed to keep them safe, but those opposed say children rarely get seriously-ill with the virus.
ABC News has been accused of editing its Wednesday night interview with Joe Biden to flatter the president, removing mumbled statements and lapses of memory.

Biden's interview with George Stephanopoulos was criticized for his claim that the chaos in Afghanistan this week was inevitable.

But on Thursday, when the full transcript was published by ABC, it emerged that chunks of it were edited out.

Biden falsely claimed that his son Beau, who died of a brain tumor in May 2015, aged 46, had served in Afghanistan. He then corrected himself and said it was Iraq, but he also claimed Beau was in the Navy, when in fact he was in the Army.

The president again had to correct himself.

Joe Biden spoke to ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday night. On Thursday the transcript was published, which showed that parts of his remarks, where he tied himself in verbal knots, were not included

Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Thursday night accused ABC of having edited out the exchange to make Biden appear less 'incoherent' and 'confused'

'Toward the end of his interview with ABC there was a telling exchange,' said Tucker Carlson, Fox News host, on Thursday evening.

'That exchange was never broadcast on camera.

'Now television networks edit interviews very often for time.

'But ABC News appears to have edited out portions that made Joe Biden look - how to put it. Not presidential. Incoherent. Confused.'

Carlson then read from the transcript.

Asked by Stephanopoulos why the U.S. could not have withdrawn from Afghanistan with dignity, Biden's response was jumbled.

'Look, that's like askin' my deceased son Beau, who spent six months in Kosovo and a year in Iraq as a Navy captain and then major-- I mean, as an Army major,' Biden said.

'And, you know, I'm sure h-- he had regrets comin' out of Afganista-- I mean, out of Iraq.

'He had regrets to what's-- how-- how it's going. But the idea-- what's the alternative? The alternative is why are we staying in Afghanistan? Why are we there?'

Biden on Wednesday referenced his son Beau (pictured in 2008), who served in the U.S. Army in Iraq. Biden mistakenly said he served in Afghanistan, in the Navy - and then corrected himself

Biden has struggled to overcome a stutter ever since he was a boy, and has been open about the challenges of public speaking, and the decades of work he put in to improving his presentation.

Yet Carlson suggested that the moment was more significant than a stutter.

'We think it's worth knowing what happened, especially in a moment of national crisis,' Carlson said.

'We are not attacking him, we are not telling you this with glee - we are telling you this because it's true.

'The scary thing about Afghanistan is that it reveals American weakness. And weakness begets aggression.'

He said that Biden's remarks revealed 'weakness at the heart of government.'

Journalist Michael Tracey remarked: 'Seems suspicious that ABC has only released a small fragment of video from this incredibly garbled transcript.'

And another Twitter user added: 'I support Pres. Biden's decision to depart Afghanistan despite the apparent incompetence in its execution.

'But reading this word salad interview transcript fits right along with the latter observation....'

DailyMail.com has reached out to ABC News for comment.
Newport Beach surgeon Grant Robicheaux and his model girlfriend appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday after a judge recused himself from case as victims spoke about how they were allegedly drugged and raped.

Robicheaux, 40, was initially charged in 2018 with plying seven women with drugs and raping them at their Southern California home. His girlfriend Cerissa Riley, 34, was charged in connection with five victims at the time.

Robicheaux, who appeared on Bravo TV's Online Dating Rituals of the American Male, and Riley have pleaded not guilty, saying the sex was consensual.

Former Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in September 2018 that the couple may have abused as many as 1,000 women and that he had troves of video evidence to prove it.

The ongoing case has seen a number of bizarre twists and turns that led one judge to recuse himself and the Orange County district attorney's office to try to have the case dismissed, saying it believed there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

A woman who accused Robicheaux of raping her told Orange County Superior Court Judge Frank Ospino that she wanted to be heard, despite her case not being included in criminal filings against the reality TV doctor, KCAL reported.

Newport Beach surgeon Grant Robicheaux and his model girlfriend appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday

Robicheaux, 40, was initially charged in 2018 with plying seven women with drugs and raping them at their Southern California home

Robicheaux, left, and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley, right, were initially charged in 2018 with plying women with drugs and raping them at their Southern California home

'I've begged a judge not to dismiss my case,' the woman said, ripping the case as a 'complete travesty' during the daylong hearing.

'I told Robicheaux I didn't want to have sex with him.'

The case was reassigned to Judge Ospino in July after Orange County Superior Court Judge Steven Bromberg decided to recuse himself, KCAL reported.

Defense attorneys had reportedly filed a motion to disqualify Judge Bromberg from the case, claiming he had shown bias. Judge Bromberg denied the motion and the claims against him - but he recused himself anyway.

Last August, another judge ordered the case be turned over to the state's attorney general's office after District Attorney Todd Spitzer accused his predecessor, Rackauckas, of manufacturing the case to bolster his reelection campaign.

Spitzer had filed a motion requesting to dismiss the case, but Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones denied the request.

During a hearing in May, the state prosecutors had asked to dismiss 10 charges involving six of the seven alleged victims.

'We have no reason to believe that any of these victims are being untruthful,' but a review found that some allegations couldn't be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, the prosecutor said.

Judge Frank Ospino addresses the court during pre-trial hearing of Newport Beach doctor, Grant Robicheaux, and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, on Thursday

Marsy's Law attorneys Michael Fell, left, and Matt Murphy at the pre-trial hearing Newport Beach doctor, Grant Robicheaux, and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, who are charged with drugging and sexually assaulting several women on Thursday

Attorney Philip Cohen speaks during a hearing for Grant Robicheaux, rear left, and Cerissa Riley, rear second from left, the Newport Beach doctor and his girlfriend accused of drugging and raping multiple women, during a hearing in superior court on Thursday

The motion said a review found that some allegations couldn't be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Noting twists and turns in the case, Judge Bromberg said it is 'becoming the never-ending story.'

Before recusing himself, Judge Bromberg granted a motion from prosecutors to dismiss charges related to two victims, KCAL reported.
A young woman has been remembered as an 'angel' after she was allegedly stabbed to death at a caravan park as she tried to break up a fight.

Dusty Rose, 22, died on Wednesday after suffering three stab wounds to the chest at the Caversham Caravan Park in Perth's north-east two days earlier.

Ms Rose is believed to have checked into the caravan park just two hours before she intervened in a dispute between a 51 year-old man and a 31-year-old woman on Monday evening.

Dusty Rose, 22, died on Wednesday after suffering three stab wounds to the chest at the Caversham Caravan Park in Perth's north-east two days earlier

The couple allegedly involved in the altercation were in a cabin next door to Ms Rose's, The West Australian reported.

The 22-year-old was taken to Midland Hospital before being transferred to Royal Perth Hospital.

Her life support was switched off on Tuesday. She is understood to have recently lost her father.

Antoinette Aleisha Winmar, 31, has been charged with murder and appeared at Midland Magistrates Court by video link on Friday.

Perth woman Elise Hedvega remembered Ms Rose as 'a super lovely girl' who cared for others.

'My heart breaks for this situation, the missed opportunities and the loss of someone I once cared for,' she said.

It is understood Ms Rose checked into the caravan park just two hours before she intervened in a dispute between a 51 year-old man and a 31-year-old woman on Monday evening

Other friends said she was 'an angel'.

'RIP Dusty Rose. You were so kind and fun. So sorry I didn't get to know you more before you passed. You deserved better,' one wrote.

'Cant believe you are gone Dusty Rose,' another said.
A Sydney pizza shop worker who took part in the gang rape of an 18-year-old has shown no remorse at all, a judge has been told.

And Ricardo Audish's moral culpability was not reduced by any mental health condition alleged by the defence, prosecutor Kate Nightingale said on Friday.

The 42-year-old faced a sentence hearing in the NSW District Court after a jury found him guilty in March of three counts of aggravated sexual assault in company.

When the jury left the courtroom he yelled there was 'no evidence' and the police 'tried to hide the whole truth,' while labelling the victim a 'prostitute' and hurling a number of other insults at the prosecutors of his case.

Ricardo Audish (pictured) faced a sentence hearing in the NSW District Court after a jury found him guilty in March of three counts of aggravated sexual assault in company

The 18-year-old victim was found to have been raped in a southern Sydney eatery in October 2016.

Earlier in the evening, the woman consented to sex with her boyfriend in a toilet cubicle, before he told her 'all the other boys want to have sex with you now', to which she replied 'hell no'.

As she was pulling up her underwear another male entered and offered her a bong with cannabis, which she smoked twice, and which was suspected of having been spiked.

Ms Nightingale said the offending had been a joint criminal enterprise involving providing the woman with a substance to override her refusal.

The 18-year-old victim was found to have been raped in an eatery in Sydney's south in October 2016

CCTV footage showed her 'sure-footed' walking and sometimes jogging upstairs before the incident, compared to after where she is seen walking slowly, stumbling and leaning on a pole for 17 minutes to regain balance.

Audish was the first of the three offenders to have sexual intercourse without consent, while he was present for the other two acts.

A passer-by later found the teenager on a road weeping, shaking and disorientated, and called emergency services.

She later revealed: 'They all took turns in me,'.

Referring to Audish's prospects of rehabilitation, Ms Nightingale said a large part of this involved remorse and contrition 'of which he has shown none at all'.

The woman, whose victim impact statement was read out in a closed court, had been greatly affected by the crimes.

Audish's barrister, Greg James QC, said his client was not the 'promoter or originator' of the gang rape, submitting it had been opportunistic.

He cited evidence from a psychologist who said Audish was likely to suffer from PTSD, having experienced a deprived and brutalised childhood in Iraq.

'He is apparently a good family man,' Mr James said.

After the woman spoke to police, an intercepted phone call showed Audish demanding to know what the boys had told police 'so we know what we are going to say'.

Mr James said this and other subsequent conduct was not an aggravating factor, but an attempt to avoid responsibility.

Judge David Arnott will sentence him on August 27.
New Zealand has extended its national Covid-19 lockdown as case numbers continued to rise and a Delta variant outbreak spread from Auckland to the capital Wellington.

The number of cases rose from 21 to 31 today, three days after the country - which has the second lowest vaccination rates in the developed world - had its first case in the community in six months.

Ardern, who is trying to sustain a 'Zero Covid' strategy through strict border controls and lockdowns, initially announced the national shutdown would last three days but on Friday had to succumb to the inevitable and extend it to at least a week.

Vast swathes of Australia are also under 'Zero Covid' lockdowns and residents of Sydney were told they will have to stay home until at least October under strict lockdown rules that will not be lifted until at least 70 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated.

When it hits that vaccination target, the restrictions will be lifted under a 'freedom roadmap' similar to the one implemented in the UK months ago.

New Zealand initially brought in its lockdown over one case but Ardern said that officials were still trying to assess the scale of the outbreak, which emerged in Auckland this week from a traveller who had returned from Australia.

Now fears are growing that the highly-transmissable Delta variant may prove impossible to contain with lockdowns as cases keep growing in Australia.

New Zealand's Covid cases keep increasing despite the lockdown being brought in after just one case was confirmed in the community

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern (pictured addressing the nation) said she wanted to go 'hard and fast' to defeat what they presume is the highly-virulent Delta strain

'We just don't quite know the full scale of this Delta outbreak. All in all, this tells us we need to continue to be cautious,' she said.

Ardern said all the cases, including those in Wellington, were linked, giving less cause for concern.

'That's important, as it means we're starting to build a picture of the edges of this cluster,' she said. 'At this stage, we don't have random cases popping up.'

New Zealand's snap lockdown came into effect at 11.59pm Tuesday after a single mystery Covid case was found in Auckland, the nation's first locally-acquired case since February. Prior to this, the country was virus-free and living without restrictions.

The move into the strictest lockdown underscored the vastly different approach New Zealand has taken to the virus than most other nations, which are trying to suppress its spread rather than eliminate it entirely.

It was sparked by a 58-year-old Auckland man, who is unvaccinated, after he 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 man is being assumed to be infected with the highly contagious Indian Delta strain until genome testing results come back on Wednesday, although it remains unclear how the virus jumped quarantine containment into the community.

Following the lockdown announcement, panic buying erupted as people stocked up on essentials at supermarkets despite repeated assurances from the government that there will be no shortage in supplies.

Disbelieving shoppers also posted videos and images on social media of empty supermarket shelves, stripped of bread and milk.

Under the level four restrictions only essential workplaces are allowed to open and schools will pause face-to-face learning.

Residents can only leave home to exercise, shop for food or medical supplies, or to get tested, and must wear a mask outside at all times.

Ms Ardern on Tuesday urged the country to follow lockdown restrictions 'to the letter' amid fears the extremely-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.

Covid infection rates in Australia and New Zealand have been exceptionally low throughout the pandemic, but even with the latest outbreaks, they are still a fraction of cases in the UK and US.

In New Zealand, there are less than two infected people per million in the population and Australia recorded just 23 cases per million people, according to figures from Our World in Data.

For comparison, there are 450 people per million tested positive for the virus in the UK, while rates are slightly lower in the US (426).

Israel, which is currently experiencing an outbreak that led officials to impose restrictions on everyone aged over three, is recording 757 infections per million people.

But New Zealands vaccination rate is one of the lowest among wealthy countries, with just just 34.4 per cent of people being injected.

The rollout is going slightly better in Australia, where four in 10 people are fully immunised.

However, rates are much higher in the UK, US and Israel, where up to 70 per cent of people are double-jabbed.

Kiwis are seen queuing outside a supermarket in Auckland on Tuesday night (pictured) ahead of the snap lockdown

Auckland has entered a week-long lockdown while other parts of the nation will be under restrictions for at least three days (pictured, women in Wellington)

It comes as Australia's New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian announced harsh new restrictions and extended the Greater Sydney lockdown until the end of September as the state struggles to contain outbreaks of the Delta variant.

From Monday, a curfew will be enforced in the parts of Sydney most affected by rising cases meaning people in those areas will not be allowed to leave their homes between 9pm and 5am.

Australia's roadmap out of the pandemic calls for lockdowns to largely end when 80 per cent of the adult population are vaccinated, along with just 30-40 cases a day

'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.'

Australia's New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian announced harsh new restrictions and extended the Greater Sydney lockdown until the end of September as the state struggles to contain outbreaks of the Delta variant

And on Monday, Ms Berejiklian said 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.

Australia and New Zealand have won widespread praise for its coronavirus response, which focuses on eliminating the virus in the community rather than containing it.

New Zealand seen only 26 deaths in a population of five million, while Australia registered on 974 in a population of over 25 million.

But in both states, the vaccine rollout has been less stellar, with only around 20 per cent of Kiwis fully inoculated and only 22 per cent of Australians.

ACT's lockdown has also been extended after 17 new cases on Tuesday. Pictured is a resident exercising along Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin
A coronavirus outbreak in the Victorian town of Shepparton has grown again to 17 cases, with regional Victoria expected to be plunged into lockdown on Saturday.

The new cases in Shepparton were in addition to 55 in Melbourne announced by Premier Andrews on Friday morning.

Thousands of locals in Shepparton, located 181km northwest of Melbourne, and surrounding areas were forced into isolation and several school campuses have closed after a man in his 30s tested positive on Friday morning.

The total number of Covid-19 infections has now reached seven in Shepparton after Dan Andrews refused to rule out a lockdown expansion to regional Victoria at Friday's press conference

Late Friday evening the state government said it had told community sporting leagues in regional Victoria to 'immediately cancel their activities for this weekend'.

'The situation in Melbourne and across regional Victoria is extremely concerning,' a state government spokesperson said.

'Advice will be provided to government tomorrow morning and all options are on the table.'

The Shepparton man has two children at St Mel's Primary in Shepparton, which has been closed for deep cleaning.

He is isolating at home and his family has also been tested.

Since then, another 16 cases, including family members from two households, have been linked to him, Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp said.

'Clearly this is an area of concern for us at the minute as we move as fast as we can through the contact tracing process,' Mr Sharp said.

Friday's additional cases come as Mr Andrews refused to dismiss expanding Melbourne's lockdown to regional Victoria.

The premier sent a warning to the people of Victoria saying the state is at a tipping point and could soon be facing the same problem as Sydney if the virus 'gets away from us'

Other possible restrictions include childcare being reduced to only essential workers, exercise cut to 1hr per day and tightening of rules for the construction industry, the Herald Sun reported.

Mr Andrews hit back at people criticising the strictness of Victoria's sixth lockdown, including the unpopular decision to close all children's playgrounds in Melbourne despite widespread backlash and no conclusive evidence of Delta transmission.

'The government is playing its part, we locked down early, we couldn't have locked down any earlier,' he said defiantly during Friday's Covid briefing.

'We went hard. I can't be clearer with the people of Melbourne.

'If we have a weekend this weekend like we did last weekend, then next week we'll look like Sydney. It's as simple as that.'

The health department confirmed 49 of the locally acquired cases are linked to known outbreaks, while 25 were self-isolating throughout their infectious period.

It means 30 people were infectious in the community - also known as 'wild' cases - and the source of six is yet to be identified.

'Earlier in the week we talked about a tipping point, this is very, very serious,' Premier Andrews said.

'This is what it will look like if this gets away from us  hundreds and hundreds of cases every day and potentially thousands in hospital.

'Anyone who speaks to a nurse in a Covid ward they will tell you stories you'll never forget.

The infected person, who did not have symptoms at the time, attended the Frankston Community Vaccination Hub at Bayside Centre on Monday before testing positive on Thursday

The Premier said 'nothing is off the table' in regards to harsher restrictions, citing Shepparton as an area officials are closely monitoring.

'I can't rule out making further changes in a whole range of different areas,' he said.

'No decisions have been made but I am being very clear with people despite the lengths we've gone to... the rules are only as good as the effort everyone puts into following them so I can't rule that out, no.'

Mr Andrews said the state was sitting on a 'knife's edge', urging Victorians to follow protocol or face an explosion in cases.

'I am asking you in your own interest, we cannot have a weekend this weekend like we had last weekend,' Mr Andrews said.

'This is difficult, but so is having thousands of people in hospital. That is what we are facing.

'If we get it again, it will mean kids get it, people of all ages will get it, people who are fit and healthy, they will die. That's what is at stake here.'

Premier Andrews' stark warning comes as a coronavirus vaccination hub in Melbourne's southeast has been declared an exposure site after a positive case visited to get their jab.

The infected person, who did not have symptoms at the time, went to the Frankston Community Vaccination Hub at Bayside Centre on Monday before testing positive on Thursday.

The Peninsula Health-run site has been declared a tier-two exposure site from 11.30am to 12.45pm on Monday, though remains open for those with a vaccination booking.

'If we get it again, it will mean kids get it, people of all ages will get it, people who are fit and healthy, they will die. That's what is at stake here,' Premier Andrews said

The Premier said the state's status is currently sitting on a knife edge, saying Victorians must follow protocol immediately or face another critical situation

Meanwhile an outbreak with several cases at Glenroy West Primary School plunged 50 families and staff from York St kindergarten, which is on the same site, into isolation.

A teacher at the kindergarten reportedly refused to be tested for Covid-19, forcing the potentially-exposed families to repeat their 14-day isolation.

The teacher was at the school from August 6 to August 12 and the kindergarten is listed as a close contact exposure site for seven days from August 6.

The teacher will face no consequences for refusing the test as there is now law surrounding mandatory testing, even though Mr Andrews suggested it was the sensible thing to do.

'If you're asked to test because there's a sense you may have the virus, and we want to rule you out  but also look after the safety of people you've been with, some of whom might be little kids, I don't think that's such a big ask,' he said.

Mr Andrews underlined the danger of the Delta variant towards children, saying people need to start taking the latest outbreak seriously.

'There are 700 kids that have Covid in NSW. No children in our country are vaccinated,' he said Friday morning.

'As a parent to every other parent, that should be motivation enough. We can't be certain how this virus effects kids.'

An outbreak with several cases at Glenroy West Primary School (pictured) also plunged 50 families and staff from York St kindergarten, which is on the same site, into isolation

With 30 people in the community for the entirety of their infectious period in Friday's figures, there are serious concerns numbers could continue skyrocket.

Premier Andrews says 38 of the 44 cases confirmed in isolation on Thursday were linked to the Al-Taqwa College outbreak, and with day 13 results set to come in the numbers will remain relatively high but not alarming.

'The story that sits behind those numbers is in fact more important than the numbers alone,' he said.

On Thursday, the state recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases since last year's deadly second wave after dozens of day-13 tests were returned from isolating close contacts.

About 3,000 primary close contacts left isolation on Wednesday, with 57 new cases reported on Thursday.

There are more than 530 exposure sites in Victoria, with a number of new sites added in Ashburton, Altona North and Newport on Thursday evening.

Melbourne is just over two weeks into its sixth lockdown, which has been extended until September 2.
American Airlines has extended its ban on alcohol in the main cabin through 2022.

The airline on Thursday announced that it will not resume alcohol service for the main cabin - which was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic - until January 18, 2022.

'We are doing all we can to help create a safe environment for our crew and customers onboard our aircraft,' American said in an internal memo obtained by NBC News.

The memo emerged after it was revealed the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a total of $1million in fines this year against unruly passengers after receiving nearly 3,900 reports of incidents since January.

The FAA has proposed fines against 80 passengers so far, including one JetBlue customer who was hit with the heaviest fine of $45,000 for hurling objects at passengers and putting his head up a flight attendant's skirt on May 24.

Of the incidents, which were detailed by federal investigators for the first time, nearly two-thirds involved passengers accused of violating the federal transportation-wide mask mandate.

American Airlines extended its ban on alcohol in the main cabin through 2022 (file photo)

Unruly passengers aboard flights have made big headlines, including that of Maxwell Berry, pictured tapped to his seat after allegedly groping and punching flight attendants in July

Maxwell Berry, 22, was duct-taped to his seat and arrested on three counts of battery

Louts and loudmouths slapped in incidents involving cocaine use, attacks on flight attendants and fights with other passengers The FAA proposed a zero-tolerance policy in 2021 A man aboard a JetBlue flight from New York to Orlando allegedly threw objects at passengers, blocked the aisles and put his head up a flight attendants skirt. The plane made an emergency landing and he was handcuffed and fined $45,000

A man aboard a JetBlue flight from New York to San Francisco allegedly snorted cocaine, kept removing his facemask, made non-consensual contact with another passenger, threatened to harm and stab other passengers. The man was arrested and fined $42,000

A man aboard a Southwest Airlines flight from Orlando to Kansas City allegedly assaulted passengers around him because someone had refused to change seats to accommodate the man's partner. The man was arrested and fined $32,500

A man aboard a Frontier Airlines flight from Atlanta to New York allegedly assaulted two flight attendants after the plane landed, threatening to kill one of them. He was arrested and fined $30,000

A woman aboard a Frontier Airlines flight from Orlando to Providence, Rhode Island, allegedly kept kicking the plane's bulkhead, screaming obscenities at fellow passengers and flight attendants, locking herself in the bathroom and throwing nuts at people. She was arrested and fined $25,500 Advertisement

Federal documents also show that half of the 34 new incidents that resulted in fines involved fights on planes heading to or from Florida. Nine passengers were accused of touching or hitting someone else, and eight passengers are accused of illegally drinking alcohol they snuck on board, CNN reports.

Unruly passengers aboard flights have made headlines recently and even spurred United Airlines to send out a company-wide memo, instructing its flight attendants not to duct tape passengers to their seat following previous incidents aboard competing airlines.

This year, the FAA imposed a zero-tolerance policy for interfering with or assaulting flight attendants that carries a fine of up to $35,000 and possible jail time.

Of the 3,900 cases reported, the FAA has opened 682 investigations into possible violations of federal laws.

The number of cases under investigation are about three times the number the agency has had to deal with in the last 15 years.

The FAA does not have the authority to file criminal charges, but instead proposes civil fines that the accused violators may pay or dispute.

House Transportation Chairman Peter DeFazio, of Oregon, told CNN that he would like to see steeper punishments for those accused of in-flight violence facing prison time.

'The first time we take one of these jerks who is assaulting flight attendants or attempting to take an aircraft down - and they go away for a few years and they get a massive fine - I think that will send a message,' he said.

The largest flight attendant union, the Association of Flight Attendants, has also called for more prosecutions.

'If you interfere with a crew member's duties and put the rest of the plane in jeopardy, or assault the crew member, you're facing $35,000 in fines for each incident and up to 20 years in prison,' association President Sara Nelson told CNN. 'People need to understand there are severe consequences here.'

In July, Maxwell Berry, 22, 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.

Sara Nelson released a scathing statement saying this was 'one of the worst examples' of unruly passengers flight attendants had ever faced.

'A drunk and irate passenger verbally, physically and sexually assaulted multiple members of the crew. When he refused to comply after multiple attempts to de-escalate, the crew was forced to restrain the passenger with the tools available to them onboard. We are supporting the crew,' Nelson said.

Berry was arrested on three counts of battery following the incident.

There was another incident on July 6 incident, where an unidentified woman aboard an American Airline flight allegedly tried to open a plane door and bit a flight attendant.

The FAA has received nearly 3,900 reports of unruly passengers so far this year. It has opened 682 investigations into possible violations of federal laws, a huge spike from recent years

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.

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.

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

House Transportation Chair Pete DeFrazio, of Oregon, said he wanted to see stricter punishments against unruly passengers aboard flights to curb the number of incidents

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.
MPs have demanded Priti Patel to launch an 'urgent' investigation into how a five-year-old Afghan refugee fell 70ft to his death from a hotel window in Sheffield.

Mohammed Monib Majeedi, who enjoyed playing cops and robbers, was looking from his ninth floor room when he plunged to his death at 2.30pm on Wednesday.

The boy had been staying with his mother Shekiba, father Omar Majeedi, two brothers and two sisters since arriving in the UK after fleeing the Taliban weeks ago.

Labour MPs from across the city have now echoed calls from refugee groups for an urgent investigation, saying 'lessons must be learned from this tragedy'.

It has also come to light that bosses at the hotel were warned about the safety of its windows two years ago.

The OYO Metropolitan Hotel in Sheffield was blasted in reviews over how far they opened at the high-rise block.

One even pointed out they were terrified of opening it amid fears their children would fall out.

Last night the first picture emerged of the five-year-old Afghan refugee who fell 70ft to his death at the site.

Witnesses told how Mohammed's devastated mother cried 'my son, my son' as the boy fell to his death.

Meanwhile, a family friend said he had gone with the parent's to hospital but 'could see Mohammed was dead'.

Mohammed Monib Majeedi was peering down from his ninth floor bedroom in the OYO Metropolitan Hotel, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, when he fell and plunged to his death at 2.30pm on Wednesday

Labour MPs from across the city have now echoed calls from refugee groups to Priti Patel (pictured above) for an urgent investigation, saying 'lessons must be learned from this tragedy'

The boy fell out from a window and suffered fatal injuries (file photo of OYO Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel)

Louise Haigh (Sheffield Heeley), Clive Betts (Sheffield South East), Olivia Blake (Sheffield Hallam), Paul Blomfield (Sheffield Central), and Gill Furniss (Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough) wrote to the Home Secretary on Friday.

They said: 'After fleeing the harrowing situation in Afghanistan they sought asylum and protection in our country, so it is devastating that this young boy lost his life in this way and here in the UK's first City of Sanctuary. His death is felt across Sheffield and across the country.

'The lessons must be learned from this tragedy so it is never repeated. You will recognise that the Home Office has a duty of care for all those who are resettled under your programmes.

'In that context, we support the Refugee Council's call for an urgent investigation into the circumstances of Mohammed Munib Majeedi's death, which must be independently conducted to establish what was known by the Home Office about the suitability and safety of this accommodation, and what procedures were followed before commissioning its use for vulnerable families.

'The UK must be a safe haven for those fleeing the appalling horrors in Afghanistan, and we must see a clear commitment from the Government to ensure this is the case.'

The Refugee Council has also called for a review of accommodation offered to those fleeing the Taliban following the tragedy.

A spokesman for the Afghan Community Association in Sheffield said: 'Whether it was a mistake or something, I don't know but what happened is not acceptable at all.

'As you can understand, it was somebody's life, it has caused big, big trauma for the boy's family.

Emergency services were called to the OYO Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel on Blonk Street in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, at around 2.30pm Wednesday (scene pictured above)

Families are seen leaving the Metropolitan Hotel in Blonk Street, Sheffield, where the five-year-old boy fell

'It is very, very sad for the whole community. Everybody has been devastated for this poor family who had just arrived from Afghanistan to have a life here.'

Meanwhile, online reviews had showed customers at the OYO Metropolitan Hotel had safety fears two years before this week's tragedy.

Guest Ashi Khan complained about the windows on the hotel's Facebook page in 2019.

She wrote: 'I could not open the window as it opened so wide I was scared my children would fall out.'

She also posted an image showing it wide open with the huge drop below down to the road. MailOnline has approached the hotel for comment.

Witnesses last night told how Mohammed's devastated mother cried 'my son, my son' as the boy fell to his death.

The youngster, who is understood to have arrived in the UK with his family this summer, fell on to a car park behind the hotel.

South Yorkshire Police confirmed the boy was from Afghanistan and referred reporters to the Home Office for more details.

How will the new resettlement scheme work and who will get priority? The resettlement programme is a new initiative to help Afghans forced to flee their country as refugees. It is separate from the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which grants haven to former interpreters and others who helped Western forces over the past 20 years. The two schemes are explained below: Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy: This is available to any current or former locally-employed staff who worked for the British forces who are assessed to be at a 'serious risk' of being killed. Successful applicants will be offered priority entry into the UK regardless of their employment status, rank or role, or length of time served. Local staff who work or worked in the public eye and who could be at risk as the security situation evolves will be relocated to the UK on a routine basis, and those not eligible to move will be offered other support such as security advice and relocation within Afghanistan. Some 10,000 former Afghan staff and their family members are expected to be relocated to the UK under ARAP. Afghan citizens' resettlement scheme: The government is aiming for the new Afghanistan citizens' resettlement scheme to resettle 5,000 Afghan nationals who are at risk due to the current crisis in its first year, and a total of 20,000 in the long term. Priority will be given to women and girls, and religious and other minorities. There will be a particular focus on whether people are at risk of human rights abuses and dehumanising treatment by the Taliban. The UK can reject cases on 'security, war crimes or other grounds'. The initiative will be modelled on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme which launched in 2014 in conjunction with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The UNHCR identifies potential cases for the UK to consider and applicants are then vetted by British officials. The government has insisted that the new route will not compromise on national security and any person arriving on the route will have to pass the same strict security checks as those resettled through other schemes. Advertisement

It said: 'His family have now formally identified him and they are being supported by our family liaison officers. We would ask that their privacy is respected at this time.

'Officers are appealing for anyone with information relating to the incident to come forward.'

Witnesses said the boy's father had worked in the British Embassy in Kabul. One, also an interpreter in Afghanistan, said: 'I was in my room. I heard a sound, like I heard the body fall.

'His mother was in the room with him. She was screaming, ''My son, my son''. When I came here (outside) I saw the ambulance and police here.'

He said the family came to the UK three or four weeks ago, landing at Birmingham Airport, then staying in Manchester during quarantine for Covid.

The family, including the parents and three boys and two girls, then moved to the hotel in Sheffield only three or four days ago and the father was regarded as, 'the new guy' among Afghans staying there.

The interpreter added: 'If the dad is working for the Americans or the English then their lives are in danger in Afghanistan.

'They came here to save their lives, they came for a new life here, but unfortunately...'

He said in his own room the windows will only open a few inches. The eight to 10 Afghan families staying at the hotel were being moved to another hotel on Thursday.

The interpreter said he and his own family, a wife and children, were hoping to be rehoused in the UK, after working for the British forces and escaping Afghanistan in July.

His friend, also an Afghan but who came to the UK in 2008, said they could not give their names as their families in Afghanistan could be killed or held to ransom.

Health and Safety Inspectors could be seen opening a number of the hotel windows following Wednesday afternoon's tragedy revealing that more than one window left a 1ft 6in gap.

The OYO hotel is temporary home to around 11 Afghan families, who had helped the British Army and Government.

It comes after it was announced 30,000 Afghans will be resettled in the UK but just 2,000 have been evacuated so far in a new scheme.

Meanwhile, a separate programme designed to protect Afghan translators and other workers who were employed by British forces is now expected to cover around 10,000, up from the 5,000 previously suggested.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed in the Commons just 2,052 Afghan nationals had been extracted so far - with thousands more still waiting.

Mohammed had come to Britain only a few weeks ago with his mother and father - a senior humanitarian worker who had worked for the British Embassy in Kabul.

On Wednesday afternoon at around 2.30pm Mr Majeedi was at work in Sheffield whilst Mohammed and his wife were in the top floor bedroom.

Afghan interpreter Jawed Jamal Akhtar, 35, who is also staying in the hotel with his wife and six children, said:'Mohammed was looking down through the window. He was leaning out of the window and he had fallen through.

'I went with his mother to hospital, but you could see Mohammed was dead. Omar came to the hospital, he was crying. The last time I saw the mother she was not good.'

He added: 'After the boy fell his mother was shouting ''save my son please'' just after it happened.

'Just the day before Mohammed was playing with my children at the front of the hotel, they were playing cops and robbers.'

He said he has checked the windows and his room and they all only open 5cm. 'Last night my children would not go to bed, they were really scared.'

Families hug as they leave the Metropolitan Hotel in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

A woman is seen leaving the hotel where the five-year-old refugee fell and died on Wednesday

Mohammed's father had worked in the role as a projects manager handling Afghan migrants returning to the country since December, 2020.

Another resident Qahar Haqjo, 32, served as an interpreter with the British Army in Afghanistan for two years, and arrived in the UK with his family on 27 July.

He said: 'The boy is from Afghanistan. His father was not inside but he was living with his mother.

'It happened at around 2pm and he fell from the ninth floor at the back of the hotel. He can't have been in England very many weeks.

'We spent two weeks in quarantine in Manchester and moved into this hotel five days ago.'

A fellow refugee staying at the hotel told YorkshireLive the boy arrived in Sheffield four days ago after escaping the advances of the Taliban in his homeland.

'They came here to save their lives and now this has happened,' he said. 'It is so sad.'

'I heard a big loud noise and then a couple of seconds later I heard the mother screaming, ''my boy!''' said one of the guests.

South Yorkshire Police at the scene of the death of a young boy outside the OYO Metropolitan Hotel in Sheffield

Police vehicles were still in situ and security guards in hi vis jackets were turning people away at the main entrance and patrolling the stairwell yesterday

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: 'This a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the family who have gone through so much trauma and suffering to reach the UK.

'It is vital the Home Office carry out an urgent investigation into what has happened so steps can be taken to quickly learn lessons.

'We don't know the details of the incident but it is imperative that families who come from Afghanistan are given all the support they need and housed in appropriate accommodation. They are vulnerable and often very traumatised.'

It is believed the boy fell about 70ft from the top floor window into an NCP car park.

Sheffield City Council health and safety officers were inspecting the hotel windows which they were able to open leaving a 1ft 6in gap at the bottom when they open.

Police vehicles were still in situ and security guards in hi vis jackets were turning people away at the main entrance and patrolling the stairwell yesterday.

The boy's family are being supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. Any witnesses, or anyone who has information, should call 101.
The owner of doomed alpaca Geronimo has said she refuses to do the Government's 'dirty work' by putting down her own animal - while his supporters hatch a plan to employ decoy alpacas to confuse his would-be executioners.

Helen Macdonald, 50, said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is 'torturing' her in order to 'set an example' for anyone thinking of challenging its bovine tuberculosis (bTB) policy.

It comes after the High Court this week rejected Miss Macdonald's request for a review into the kill order - which mandated that Geronimo must be put down within 30 days of August 5 after he twice tested positive for the disease.

Miss Macdonald, who has insisted the results were false positives, is now anxiously awaiting for a Defra death squad to turn up at the farm in Wickwar, south Gloucestershire, at any given moment.

It comes after Geronimo was granted a 24-hour reprieve Thursday, which ended at 5pm today.

Miss Macdonald said: 'We got a letter yesterday from the government legal department. I genuinely think they don't know what to do, they don't want to kill him.

'And they expect me to put down my own animal. I'm supposed to arrange his euthanasia and then say that the body will be available from 'X' time so they can come and collect it.

'Well I'm just not going to do that.

'They want me to kill him. The want to say that I consented, and they don't want his blood on their hands.

The alpaca's owner, Helen Macdonald, told ministers she can count on an 'army willing to fight for his survival'

The 'Alpaca Angels'  who have kept a constant watch over the doomed animal since the High Court ruled that he be put down  pledged last night to unleash the disruptive tactics

'They're trying to break me down. All of these extensions and faffing around is to wear down my mental state.

'They've done it before, I got bullied and threatened and all sorts in 2017.. In a two-month period he survived seven attempts to come and kill him.'

Meanwhile, supporters of Geronimo are planning to thwart his executioners by using decoy alpacas.

The 'Alpaca Angels'  who have kept a constant watch over the doomed stud since the High Court ruled that he be put down  pledged last night to unleash the disruptive tactics.

Geronimo is in isolation, but four similar-looking alpacas are in an adjacent field  with an open gate in between.

Supporters say the Defra officials will need to look hard to find the right alpaca.

They also hinted the animals could take inspiration from the movie, Spartacus, with all five pretending to be Geronimo.

Asked if officials could break in to carry out the slaughter, Miss Macdonald added: 'The police will let them in, they have a warrant on access.

'If I kill him, I'll need to agree to kill him with my vet.

'But my vet won't come as he's worried about his own safety. How is it possible to kill a healthy animal in this environment?'

Geronimo is in isolation, but four similar-looking alpacas are in an adjacent field  with an open gate in between

She continued: 'This is another mental hoop they're putting me through. I suppose if they don't have confirmation there will be a corpse by 5pm tonight then I guess they can come and, you know, break in and carry on with the warrant.

'But they wont communicate, they won't give me notice. They'll just turn up.

'And they'll probably come at some unreasonable time because they can.'

Multiple volunteers are standing close by on watch Friday, with the gated entrance to the farm blocked off by cars since early this morning.

Geronimo was seen quietly strolling around, with the rest of the pack seen mingling 200 metres away in a nearby pen.

Miss Macdonald said: 'I believe we can get this sorted out, I am looking at the gates, obviously, but I know they've lied and I know they're continuing to lie.

'The world knows that they don't have the suspicion of disease. And I still believe that something will happen that will stop this and he [Geronimo] can stay here in isolation like he has done for four years.

'That is in the legislation, that is Eustice's call. And there's absolutely no reason why he can't make that.

Geronimo's four-year fight for clemency came after he twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in 2017. Pictured: Miss Macdonald with Geronimo

'What they're doing is torturing me to set an example to everyone else because they can't bare to be challenged because they're incompetent.

'Every time someone does try to challenge them they lock down the legislation a little bit more... If there's a disease risk, we wouldn't be having this conversation. This is about me asking a question and they refuse to answer because they can't.'

It comes after Miss Macdonald told ministers she can count on an 'army willing to fight for his survival' and revealed he was not set to be killed today.

'We will form a ring of steel around Geronimo. It is now all-out war,' the 50-year-old said from her farm in Wickwar, Gloucestershire, yesterday.

'The outrage from people yesterday after Geronimo's treatment was palpable and there is an army willing to fight for his survival.'

Geronimo's four-year fight for clemency came after he twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in 2017.

The High Court decision this week means Defra will not be compelled to investigate whether it holds data that suggests bTB tests can be unreliable in alpacas.

Miss Macdonald said: 'This a needless slaughter and the whole planet knows it.'

Supporters say the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) officials will need to look hard to find the right alpaca

The High Court decision this week means Defra will not be compelled to investigate whether it holds data that suggests bTB tests can be unreliable in alpacas

A Defra spokesman said: 'We are sympathetic to Miss Macdonald's situation  just as we are with everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease'

Last night the beast was given another 24-hour reprieve after vets did not arrive to put him down.

Miss Macdonald said she had been told by the Defra officials would not attempt to enforce the destruction warrant before 5pm on Friday.

She said: 'Every day is a new day. There's been masses of emails and everything has been going manic again.

'I've been having this hanging over my head for a really long time and it is not over and we will keep going.

'It's exhausting and you have to look at what effect it is having on me and my family.

'The supporters were really angry and upset last night and shocked by the whole story.

'There are really safe solutions, and the Government are choosing the worst possible scenario in permanent destruction.

'All farmers want a better deal. He and I represent a farming voice in this country. We have to keep going and hope they come to the table and improve things for everybody.'

Ms Macdonald said when Defra officials do attend her farm to euthanise Geronimo, she will not break the law.

'I've got the world behind me and there are a few detractors who don't understand the case and I would say to those people look at the facts before you comment,' she said.

'Defra have a choice. They can either work with us or they can try and kill him in front of the world.'

Ms Macdonald said when Defra officials do attend her farm to euthanise Geronimo, she will not break the law

At her farm, friends, family and supporters have joined her to protest against Geronimo's impending fate

Last week, the Government insisted all the evidence on the animal's condition had been 'looked at very carefully'

At her farm, friends, family and supporters have joined her to protest against Geronimo's impending fate.

As well as alpacas, badgers have been a victim of the fight against bovine TB, with mass culling employed to stop the spread since 2013, sparking a huge public backlash.

Last week, the Government insisted all the evidence on the animal's condition had been 'looked at very carefully'.

A Defra spokesman said: 'We are sympathetic to Ms Macdonald's situation - just as we are with everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease.

'It is for this reason that the testing results and options for Geronimo have been very carefully considered by Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and its veterinary experts, as well as passing several stages of thorough legal scrutiny.

'Bovine tuberculosis is one of the greatest animal health threats we face today and causes devastation and distress for farming families and rural communities across the country while costing the taxpayer around 100 million every year.

'Therefore, while nobody wants to cull animals, we need to do everything we can tackle this disease to stop it spreading and to protect the livelihoods of those affected.'

Farmers come out in SUPPORT of Geronimo: Livestock owners say they have had 'perfectly healthy' animals killed by DEFRA because of inaccurate tests  including one who had vets turn up and kill 95 of his heifers

Tony Brunt, 71, barricaded himself into his farm near New Quay, Cardiganshire, in an attempt to save his heifer

He was hoping to fight it out in court but a team of 16 vets and police turned up ready to dispatch the animal

He had decided to put up a fight after 94 of his shorthorn cattle were slaughtered

Farmers have blasted Defra for 'killing perfectly healthy animals' suspected to have TB as the row over Geronimo the alpaca, who has been condemned to die by the government, carries on.

Tony Brunt, 71, barricaded himself into his farm near New Quay, Cardiganshire, in May this year in a bid to save Mary, a three-year-old pregnant heifer, condemned to die by Government ministers.

He was hoping to fight it out in court but a team of 16 vets, officers from the Dyfed Powys Police Rural Crime Unit, agriculture officials and slaughtermen turned up at his remote West Wales farm along with a marksman armed with a high-powered rifle.

Mr Brunt said: 'If they are prepared to go to those lengths what chance does the Alpaca stand? They are killing perfectly healthy animals based on inaccurate testing - I'm fed up with it.'

He decided to put up a fight after 94 of his shorthorn cattle were slaughtered over four years at his farm.

Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford had earlier this year had sparked a fierce backlash when he said the 'single biggest reason' for a rise in TB levels in parts of the country with low risk was farmers 'buying infected cattle and bringing them into the area'.

Abi Reader, who manages a dairy farm in Glamorganshire, south Wales, told Farmers' Weekly in July that she had lost 42 cows due to TB. She said: 'There is a big wildlife problem, especially in west Wales. The Welsh government needs to be a little bit bolder and have a go at a badger population cull like they have done in England.

'The testing is also not good enough. We are all suffering and that would include members of the government. They are not doing enough really.'

Tony Brunt, 71, barricaded himself into his farm near New Quay, Cardiganshire, in May this year in a bid to save Mary, a three-year-old pregnant heifer, condemned to die by Government ministers (pictured: Mr Brunt and Mary)

He was hoping to fight it out in court but a team of 16 vets, officers from the Dyfed Powys Police Rural Crime Unit, agriculture officials and slaughtermen turned up at his remote West Wales farm along with a marksman armed with a high-powered rifle

Geronimo's owner Helen McDonald is convinced her four-year-old alpaca is free of TB after being tested in 2017

Organic dairy farmers Dai, Sharon and Llyr Miles, who are based in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, said their farm had gone down with TB for the first time in three years following a positive test from a first-calving heifer.

Llyr said it was 'not just cows with TB', adding: There is nothing being done to address the problem in the wildlife reservoir.

'Let's not forget that countries such as France and Germany are able to maintain bovine TB incidence levels close to zero, and the Republic of Ireland has been able to halve TB incidents through proactive badger culling.'

Dairy farmer Mr Brunt told MailOnline he had parked a tractor to block off the farm entrance and hid Mary on the farm - not even telling his wife where she was to avoid her having to lie to the agriculture officials.

But at 7am on the morning of May 26 the couple were woken by the roar of vehicles coming into their farmyard.

Mr Brunt said: 'I was still in my pyjamas, they hammered on the door and demanded I told them where Mary was. I said: ''Why would I do that?'' If I told them I wouldn't be doing my job as a farmer to look after her.

'There were so many vehicles in my yard, I lost count. It was a big operation for just one cow - it was overkill and heavy-handed in my opinion.'

Mr Brunt, pictured with Mary, said: 'If they are prepared to go to those lengths what chance does the Alpaca stand? They are killing perfectly healthy animals based on inaccurate testing - I'm fed up with it'

The team from the Animal and Plant Health Agency began searching the 250-acre Coybal Farm for Mary who was tagged with a tell-tale plastic identity clip on her ear.

Tony, who has coronary heart disease, said: 'We had to stay in the farmhouse while they searched, I knew it wouldn't be long before they found her.

'She was shot by a marksman with a rifle, she was due to have her second calf in September.'

Mr Brunt's wife Heather, 69, said it was 'disgraceful and insensitive' that Mary was killed in front of other cattle causing them great distress.

Geronimo the alpaca at Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire

Mary, whose lineage goes back more than 50 years with the Brunt family, was loaded onto a trailer and taken away to the local knackers yard.

A post mortem examination on her carcass revealed Mary didn't have bovine tuberculosis. Tony and Heather were not surprised, their beloved animal had three inconclusive TB skin tests and five negative blood tests for the disease.

Geronimo's owner Helen McDonald is also convinced her four-year-old alpaca is free of TB after being tested in 2017.

Father-of-three Mr Brunt said: 'I don't hold out much hope for the lady's alpaca but she has Chris Packham and public opinion on her side so who knows?

'I hope the animal is saved but I don't think that will happen if our experience is anything to go by.

'The best thing she can do is keep filming it - they won't turn up and kill the alpaca if there are cameras there.

'We tried to do that to save Mary but they would not let us take photographs, in fact they wouldn't let us anywhere near when they killed her.'

The couple once had 400 cattle at their farm overlooking the Irish Sea but they are down to 150 due to Government policy on bovine TB.

They get financial compensation but nothing has come through so far for Mary and the healthy calf that died with her.

The Brunts face losing more of their herd when Welsh Government vets return to the farm later this week to test remaining cattle.

Mr Brunt said: 'We are being treated like dirt but we have to be realistic, and expect some of the cows to test positive for TB.

'I'm not impartial in this. The Government doesn't want livestock in Wales and they are taking this course. That's my opinion, some people won't agree.'

Bovine TB has become a hot-button issue in rural areas of the country, with farmers calling for more government action to tackle the disease in wildlife.
A top breast cancer surgeon has become locked in an ugly spat with her neighbours after they reported her to authorities for using a home helper during lockdown.

Dr Chantel Thornton, who is married to renowned car dealer Srecko Lorbek, has been repeatedly dobbed in by her Melbourne neighbours for using the services of a helper - despite him having a legitimate worker's permit.

The man also works as a nanny for her one-year-old baby.

Renowned breast cancer surgeon Dr Chantel Thornton is fed up with her neighbours reporting her to authorities for having a home helper on call during lockdown in Melbourne

She said her neighbours' constant dobbing in her home helper is becoming 'very nasty'

Dr Thornton pictured with her husband Srecko Lorbek. He is a renowned celebrity car dealer

'The building I live in, they (neighbours) are very difficult,' Dr Thornton said.

'They have been reporting him (home helper) every time he comes. Some nights I'm out all night operating. I need help in the home.'

The frustrated doctor said the worker has been helping her in some capacity for the past 17 years and that the situation was becoming 'very nasty', The Herald Sun reported.

'They havent wanted to allow our support person in, the person who helps look after our home and looks after Thornton and with the cleaning and helps me out,' she said.

Dr Thornton said she has called Victoria Police and the Department of Human Services to ensure her helper could legally work at her home.

She said the authorities have confirmed he has a valid reason, and that it is 'fine'.

The highly-regarded surgeon has previously revealed she is a self-confessed workaholic, often working 12-15 hour days.

The young mother was dux of her medical school in Tasmania before going on to complete her honours degree in medical science at the University of Hong Kong.

Doctor Chantel Thornton is famed for her personal touch, and works around the clock as she juggles work with motherhood

The highly-regarded surgeon has previously revealed she is a self-confessed workaholic, often working 12-15 hour days

She went on to complete her surgical training at The Alfred Hospital and finished her surgical fellowship at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in 2010.

These days she runs a thriving public practice in Melbourne, with her personal touch for women enduring breast cancer earning her global plaudits.

Dr Thornton recently said studies show high stress levels can impact survival rates, so she offers immediate treatment to her patients, even offering her mobile number so they know they can call her at any hour.

The esteemed doctor runs a thriving public practice in Melbourne, with her personal touch for women enduring breast cancer earning her global plaudits

She also encourages women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer to think carefully when choosing a surgeon and medical team.

'I encourage them to choose a surgeon that's a similar age to them,' she explained.

'You're going to get to know them over a long period of time and you don't want to have to change halfway through the journey if your surgeon retires or moves on.'
A prominent anti-lockdown activist has been jailed for eight months for helping to organise an illegal lockdown protest in Sydney this weekend, as well as multiple breaches of public health orders.

Anthony Khallouf, 29, pleaded guilty to breaching public health orders after he was arrested at Hornsby train station in northern Sydney on Thursday afternoon.

The 29-year-old Victorian man - who is the founder of anti-lockdown group Australians vs The Agenda - was sentenced at Hornsby Local Court on Friday to eight months in prison with a non-parole period of three months.

Anthony Khallouf, 29, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of breaching public health orders after helping to organise an anti-lockdown protest in Sydney scheduled for this weekend. He had travelled from Queensland to Sydney in breach of health orders

The court heard he had also broken border rules by driving from Queensland to NSW and had travelled to Sydney's Covid-hit western suburbs to visit a relative.

Khallouf said he had a seven-day booking at a North Sydney hotel but was instead 'couch surfing' in the city while living off donations from his anti-lockdown supporters, The Australian reported.

The 29-year-old pleaded guilty to not complying with a direction relating to Covid-19, encouraging the commission of crimes, and false representation resulting in a police investigation.

Mr Khallouf is the founder of a protest group called 'Australians vs The Agenda' and allegedly played a role in organising Victorian protests which took place last year

Khallouf also helped promote anti-lockdown protests in cities across Australia last month.

He shared graphics on social media advertising the 'Australia Freedom Rally' and asked his followers to help him distribute flyers for the 'Worldwide Rally for Freedom'.

Authorities have warned potential attendees of anti-lockdown protests on Saturday to expect heavy police presence at the rally, which is scheduled for midday in Victoria Park.

The Victorian man was jailed for eight months after he pleaded guilty to four charges in Hornsby Local Court on Friday. Pictured are anti-lockdown protests in Sydney in July

Earlier in the week NSW Police sent a stark warning to those planning to attend protests, threatening fines and arrests (pictured, police and ADF in Bankstown)

Earlier this week NSW Police sent a stark warning to anyone who planned on attending the illegal event to expect to be fined or arrested.

'Police are aware of unauthorised protest activities planned for this weekend. Do NOT attend,' NSW Police posted on Facebook on Tuesday.

'Public safety is our first priority and you will be fined or arrested if you turn up #StayAtHome.'
A brave domestic abuse survivor has shared harrowing photographs of the injuries inflicted by her former partner who slashed her cheek open with a mug.

Leanne Gaskell, 37, felt the skin peel away from her face when her ex-boyfriend Paul Cave, 46, from Liverpool, attacked her and left her covered in blood.

She rang 999 herself and was taken to hospital, where Cave turned up to say how 'sorry' he was, before threatening to 'have her shot' if she co-operated with police.

Cave, of no fixed address, admitted wounding over the attack in October last year - and was jailed for four years on July 30, with an extended two years on licence.

Cave has 22 previous convictions for 50 offences, dating back to 1989, including violence and dishonesty. He would also choke Miss Gaskell until she passed out.

She said on occasions she was left with a broken back after he kicked her in the spine, called her a 'sl*t', took away her phone and refused to let her go to hospital.

Now, Miss Gaskell has spoken out for the first time about the ordeal she suffered to raise awareness of domestic abuse and to help other victims to feel less alone.

Leanne Gaskell, 37, shared this photograph of her injuries after her cheek was slashed open

She said she thought she was going to die on multiple occasions during her two-year relationship with Cave, who subjected her to both physical and mental abuse.

The violence first started around a month into their relationship, when Miss Gaskell recalls Cave slapping her during an argument.

She told the Liverpool Echo: 'He was so controlling and I was scared right from the start, and once you're in something like that you can't get out.

'It just started with slaps and punches and then he'd start choking me until I passed out - that's what he used to do all the time.'

She said Cave would regularly confiscate her phone and social media accounts so she couldn't speak to people, adding: 'The bruises are constant, they're normal.

'It became normal to have bruises on my body from him, it was like everyday. I thought he was going to kill me so many times.'

Miss Gaskell was left with permanent scars and felt her skin peel away from her face

Miss Gaskell said that on one occasion, she was left with a broken back after being repeatedly kicked in the spine by Cave, who would not let her go to hospital.

She said: 'When he did my back I couldn't walk at all and he wouldn't let me go to hospital. My dad said he was coming round to see us and I had bruises on my face.

'So, Paul brought the make up to me so I could put make up on, to hide it from my dad. I couldn't stand up, I couldn't move, I was sat on the couch in absolute agony.

'Three days he left my like that until I finally got my phone and phoned an ambulance. He just wouldn't let me out or go to the hospital.'

The violence escalated even further on October 25 last year, when Cave headbutted and punched a wall in a drunken rage at Miss Gaskell's home.

When she tried to calm him down, Cave called her a 'sl*t' and broke a mug across her face, inflicting a 2in (5cm) long, 1in (2.5cm) deep wound, leaving a permanent scar.

Miss Gaskell said she is keen to 'get her life back together' after her horrifying ordeal

He then fled from the house, leaving Miss Gaskell to call an ambulance herself and she was taken to hospital for treatment.

When arrested and interviewed later that day, Cave accepted he had been drinking at his victim's home the night before.

However, he claimed he had left after an argument with his partner and denied causing any injury to her.

Things finally came to a head a few days later, when Miss Gaskell told Cave she didn't want to be in a relationship with him anymore.

She said: 'When I came out of hospital with my stitching, I went back to him and we went to stay with his friends - and that was the worst attack I've ever ever had.

'I said 'I don't want to be with you anymore', and I'd sort of told him that we were splitting up anyway and then that's why he battered me.

Paul Cave, of no fixed address, admitted wounding over the attack in October last year - and was jailed for four years on July 30, with an extended two years on licence.

'I'd only just had my stiches done and he ripped all my stitches out. I genuinely thought he was going to kill me.'

A friend dialled 999 and Cave was arrested for a second time, before Miss Gaskell found the courage to give a statement to police.

Miss Gaskell added: 'People say 'why didn't you just leave' and it sounds so simple because why would somebody rationally put up with somebody treating them like that? But it's just so hard.

'You're trapped, you're in it and you can't get out, it's like you're brain washed.'

Miss Gaskell said she is keen to 'get her life back together' after what happened, and is getting support from her local crisis and mental health services.

She has also been accepted to go back to college to complete an access course in nursing in the coming months.
A Covid antibody cocktail drug used to treat former US President Donald Trump has finally been approved for UK patients.

Britain's medical regulator gave Ronapreve the green light after a major UK study found it could prevent prevent infection and treat patients who were already sick.

It showed that among patients with at least one risk factor for severe Covid, it slashed their risk of death or hospitalisation by 70 per cent.

The drug has also been shown to dramatically reduced the risk of catching Covid, but protection only lasts for a month. UK health officials will now decide who should get it.

However, at a cost of 2,000 per patient, it is unlikely to be rolled out widely as a preventative. Experts today called for it to be targeted at the most vulnerable Britons.

The treatment is the first developed specifically to target Covid and be approved in the UK, after steroids and anti-inflammatories were repurposed to treat the virus.

It has been saving American lives for the past nine months after sailing through approval in the UK in November. Its approval in Britain comes when deaths and hospital admissions are already low.

Experts told MailOnline the treatment was pioneering and risky, so thorough studies were needed in the UK before it was approved.

Boris Johnson said the drug will be an 'important weapon in fighting Covid, particularly for those who are immunocompromised'. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it would be rolled out on the NHS 'as soon as possible'.

The drug is a combination of two cloned antibodies, casirivimab and imdevimab (pictured), and could cost as much as 1,000 to 2,000 per patient

Donald Trump (pictured on Fox News) received Regeneron when he was ill with Covid. It was approved for use in the US in November last year

The treatment is not a substitute for vaccination because the protection against Covid it sparks only lasts for up to four weeks, far less time than that from jabs.

The drug  which uses two different man-made antibodies to fight the virus  is administered by injection or intravenously. It is made by US biotech firm Regeneron and Swiss company Roche.

Separately, a study of an antibody drug made by AstraZeneca found it reduced the risk of developing symptomatic disease by 77 per cent in the immunosuppressed.

Antibodies are molecules which bind to the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike proteins  which it uses to invade cells  to prevent an infection or clear the virus from the body.

It comes as AstraZeneca revealed today that its Covid antibody treatment  which is being developed for people who cannot be vaccinated  reduced the risk of developing virus symptoms by 77 per cent.

And the drugs company said the treatment could give people up to 12 months of protection from Covid.

The treatment contains casirivimab and imdevimab which are injected together.

They are made by extracting Covid-fighting antibodies from patients who have recovered from the virus, and then multiplying them in a laboratory.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says it should be given 'as soon as possible' after a positive Covid test in at risk patients. Experts said it was most effective when given three days after a positive test.

WHAT ARE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES? Monoclonal antibody therapy is a type of treatment that is based on injecting antibodies into people who don't have them. Antibodies are proteins made by the body's immune system that can attack a virus by sticking to it and preventing it from infecting healthy cells. They are super-specific and are developed for specific viruses as and when they are needed  flu antibodies will not protect against Covid, for example. People can either develop antibodies by catching the infection for real, when their body makes them naturally, or by getting a vaccine, which forces the body to make them using a blueprint. For people who don't have them and don't have a healthy immune system that can make them quickly if they become infected, the antibodies can be injected. Monoclonal antibodies are ones that are cloned in a lab, usually from a sample taken from a person who has recovered from coronavirus already. Scientists can single out the strongest looking antibodies from the blood samples and then clone these to make a super high concentration of them in a fluid that is then injected into the patient's body through a drip. These antibodies should then recognise the virus and burst into action, attacking the virus as if they had been made by the person's own immune system and buying time for the patient's body to make its own. Clinical trials testing them on people with Covid have produced mixed results, with some clearly reducing the risk of hospitalisation or death, and others showing little or no benefits. Advertisement

In cases where doctors are aiming to prevent infection the drug should be administered every four weeks.

Clinical trials showed it slashed the time for Covid symptoms to subside in infected patients by four days, and cut the risk of hospitalisation and death by 70 per cent.

They also revealed it could prevent infection with the virus.

Of 753 people who tested negative for Covid-fighting antibodies and lived in the same house as a Covid-infected person who were given the drug, only 11 then caught the virus (1.4 per cent).

But when the drug was not administered as many as 59 people caught the virus (7.9 per cent).

Participants were tested for Covid before the drug was administered, to ensure they had not already caught the disease from the Covid-infected individual in their home. They had no underlying health conditions that put them at risk from the virus, and most were less than 65 years old.

The drug can be stored in a fridge.

It is being distributed by Regeneron in the US, where it is called REGEN-COV, and by Roche outside the US, under the name Ronapreve.

Professor Martin Landray, who co-led trials investigating Covid treatments including Ronapreve, said the licensing was an 'important step forward' but that the drug should be prioritised for the most at risk patients.

'Covid is not a rare disease and many people get better of their own accord after a few days of nasty flu-like illness,' Professor Landray said.

'It would be hard to justify giving what are likely to be limited supplies of a relatively expensive treatment to huge numbers of people who are likely to get better on their own.'

Professor Penny Ward, a medicine expert at Kings College London, said: 'I think it is most likely to be used to prevent hospitalisations among people becoming sick with Covid who are at higher risk of needing hospital care or dying from the disease.

'It might also be used to prevent Covid infections in people who are in contact with a confirmed Covid case and who might have reduced response to vaccination (for example people being treated for cancer or post-transplant).

'It can also be used to curtail outbreaks in institutions (care homes, hospitals, prisons, critical workplaces).'

Professor Ward added: 'The product has been shown to both reduce the need for hospitalisation and death when started early (within 3 days of a positive PCR test) among subjects infected with SARS-CoV-2.'

In a tweet this morning, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: 'Good news that MHRA has approved the first therapeutic treatment designed specifically for Covid.

AstraZeneca's antibody treatment 'works just as well' and can be used for people who cannot be jabbed A Covid antibody treatment developed by AstraZeneca for people who cannot be vaccinated reduced the risk of developing virus symptoms by 77 per cent, the company said. And there were no cases of severe illness or deaths from the coronavirus in those who received the antibody cocktail called AZD7442, phase three trials found. The study, which involved injecting a mix of two antibodies into the muscles of more than 5,000 adults, found the treatment offered protection compared to a placebo group. In the placebo group there were three cases of severe coronavirus which included two deaths, the company added. The drugs company said the treatment could give people up to 12 months of protection from Covid. It is the first non-vaccine antibody combination modified to provide potentially long-lasting protection that has demonstrated prevention of Covid in a clinical trial, AstraZeneca added. Sir Mene Pangalos, executive vice-president of biopharmaceuticals research and development at AstraZeneca, said: 'We need additional approaches for individuals who are not adequately protected by Covid vaccines. 'We are very encouraged by these efficacy and safety data in high-risk people, showing our long-acting antibody combination has the potential to protect from symptomatic and severe disease, alongside vaccines. 'We look forward to sharing further data from the AZD7442 phase III clinical trial programme later this year.' More than 75 per cent of participants in the trial had underlying health conditions and other characteristics that are linked with an increased risk of severe Covid or cause a reduced immune response to vaccination, AstraZeneca said. These include those with immunosuppressive disease or taking immunosuppressive medications, diabetes, severe obesity or cardiac disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney and chronic liver disease. The long-acting antibodies were well tolerated and preliminary analyses showed adverse events were balanced between the placebo and AZD7442 groups, AstraZeneca added. The participants will continue to be monitored for 15 months, the company said. AstraZeneca also said that preliminary 'in vitro' findings from investigators at Oxford University and Columbia University show AZD7442 neutralises recent emergent Covid strains, including the Delta variant. Professor Myron Levin, an expert in paediatrics and medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and principal investigator on the trial, said: 'The Provent data show that one dose of AZD7442, delivered in a convenient intramuscular form, can quickly and effectively prevent symptomatic Covid. 'With these exciting results, AZD7442 could be an important tool in our arsenal to help people who may need more than a vaccine to return to their normal lives.' AstraZeneca said it will prepare regulatory submissions of the data for health authorities for potential emergency use authorisation or conditional approval of AZD7442. Advertisement

'Alongside our life-saving vaccine programme, this will be an important weapon in fighting Covid, particularly for those who are immunocompromised.'

Mr Javid said: 'The UK is considered a world leader in identifying and rolling out life-saving treatments for Covid-19, once they have been proven safe and effective in our government-backed clinical trials.

'This is fantastic news from the independent medicines regulator and means the UK has approved its first therapeutic designed specifically for Covid-19.

'This treatment will be a significant addition to our armoury to tackle Covid-19  in addition to our world-renowned vaccination programme and life-saving therapeutics dexamethasone and tocilizumab.

'We are now working at pace with the NHS and expert clinicians to ensure this treatment can be rolled out to NHS patients as soon as possible.'

MHRA interim chief quality and access officer Dr Samantha Atkinson said: 'We are pleased to announce the approval of another therapeutic treatment that can be used to help save lives and protect against Covid-19.

'Ronapreve is the first of its kind for the treatment of Covid-19 and, after a meticulous assessment of the data by our expert scientists and clinicians, we are satisfied that this treatment is safe and effective.

'With no compromises on quality, safety and efficacy, the public can trust that the MHRA have conducted a robust and thorough assessment of all the available data.'

The regulator said the Government and NHS will confirm how the treatment will be deployed to patients in due course.

Dr Simon Clarke, an associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said it is unclear what took the UK so long to approve the treatment in the UK, but they are very risky.

He told MailOnline: These sorts of drugs are not without risk.

'You can go into shock and there are all sorts of complications that can happen, because all of a sudden your body is taking on a lot more antibodies that have got to react to something and your immune system wont like it.

Putting a vaccine into somebody is a different proposition from pumping antibodies into somebody.

When you use antibodies for example for cancer treatment, that all needs to be done under supervision. Whereas a vaccination, all you need to do is sit there for 15 minutes and make sure you dont faint.

I dont think people appreciate the risks involved.'

It comes as an antibody treatment called AZD7442, which is being developed by AstraZeneca, has displayed promising results in trials.

In a study of more than 5,000 adults, the cocktail of two long-lasting antibodies was injected into the muscles in the hopes of protecting against Covid.

No one who received the treatment experienced severe Covid or died from the virus, compared to the control group where there were three severe cases and two deaths.

And those who received the antibody injection were 77 per cent less likely to show Covid symptoms if they were infected.

It is the first non-vaccine antibody treatment modified to provide potentially long-lasting protection that has demonstrated prevention of Covid in a clinical trial, the drugs company said.

Regeneron's monoclonal antibody therapy hit headlines last year when it was given to Donald Trump and he branded it a 'cure' after being discharged from hospital.

The former American President was admitted to hospital in October after testing positive for the virus and suffering mild symptoms  including a fever and congestion.

Clinicians initially gave him remdesivir, an antiviral drug that slows down an infection giving the body more time to fight off the disease.

But Trump was then also administered with Ronapreve to help fight off the virus, which at the time was reserved for severely ill patients.

He spent three nights in hospital before being discharged. It is not clear where he caught the virus, but at the time Trump was campaigning for re-election.

Trump said in a video on Twitter at the time: 'They gave me Regeneron and other things, too, but I think this was the key. They gave me Regeneron. And it was, like, unbelievable  I felt good,' Al Jazeera reported.

'They call them therapeutics,' he added. 'To me it wasn't therapeutic, it just made me better  I call that a cure.'

'I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it. This was a blessing in disguise. I caught it. I heard about this drug. I said, 'Let me take it.' It was my suggestion. I said, 'Let me take it.''

He vowed to make it available in the US, telling people 'I want to get for you what I got, and I'm going to make it free.'

The US Food and Drug Administration approved the drug for emergency use on Covid patients on November 21.
A Texas law outlawing an abortion method commonly used to end second-trimester pregnancies has been upheld by a federal appeals court in New Orleans.

The 2017 law in question has never been enforced but sought to prohibit the use of forceps to remove a fetus from the womb without first using an injected drug or a suction procedure to ensure the fetus is dead.

Abortion rights advocates argued that the law, known as Senate Bill 8 in court records, effectively outlaws what is often the safest method of abortion for women in the second trimester of pregnancy.

The procedure is medically known as dilation and evacuation.

A Texas law, known as Senate Bill 8, outlawing an abortion method commonly used to end second-trimester pregnancies has been upheld by a federal appeals court in New Orleans (stock image)

They also argued that fetuses cannot feel pain during the gestation period affected by the law.

Under Texas law, a fetus must first have its heart stopped before the dilation and extraction procedure can take place, except for in cases of emergency - and this involves removing the fetus in pieces.

In a 2019 statement, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said it is 'the safest and medically preferred abortion procedure' and 'results in fewer medical complications' than other abortion methods.

Texas legislators banned the procedure with a law that describes it as 'dismemberment abortion.' Abortion rights supporters argued in court that one alternative provided in the law, using suction to remove a fetus, also results in dismemberment.

A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked enforcement of the law last year. But Texas was granted a re-hearing by the full court, and a majority of the 14 appellate judges who heard arguments in January sided with Texas on Wednesday.

The 2017 law in question has never been enforced but sought to prohibit the use of forceps to remove a fetus from the womb without first using an injected drug or a suction procedure to ensure the fetus is dead (stock image)

The opinion, by judges Jennifer Walker Elrod and Don Willett, said 'the record shows that doctors can safely perform D&Es and comply with SB8 using methods that are already in widespread use.'

Concurring in the result were judges Priscilla Owen, Edith Jones, Jerry Smith, Catharina Haynes, James Ho, Kurt Engelhardt and Cory Wilson.

Judge James Dennis wrote a dissent, joined by judges Carl Stewart and James Graves. A separate dissent was written by Judge Stephen Higginson, joined by Gregg Costa.

Dennis said the Texas law, 'under the guise of regulation, makes it a felony to perform the most common and safe abortion procedure employed during the second trimester.'

The Center for Reproductive Rights is analyzing the decision and considering all legal options, said its president and CEO, Nancy Northup.

'Texas has been hellbent on legislating abortion out of existence, and it is galling that a federal court would uphold a law that so clearly defies decades of Supreme Court precedent,' Northup said.

'At a time when the health care needs of Texans are greater than ever, the state should be making abortion more accessible, not less. There is no question that today's decision will harm those who already face the greatest barriers to health care.'

Texas Right to Life applauded the ruling.

'If the abortion industry appeals today's decision, the Supreme Court must answer the case's dynamic legal question: `Is a dismemberment abortion inhumane enough to warrant legal prohibition?'' the anti-abortion group's statement said.

In a statement, Amy Hagstrom Miller, president of Whole Woman's Health (stock image), a plaintiff in the case, said: 'In no other area of medicine would politicians consider preventing doctors from using a standard procedure'

'The evident answer to this targeted question directly undermines some of the Supreme Court's central premises in their abortion jurisprudence, such as the misconception that pre-viability abortions are more ethical than those that occur after viability.'

'Texans celebrate today's long-awaited victory,' Texas Right to Life Director of Media and Communication Kimberlyn Schwartz said in the release.

'Anyone can see the cruelty of dismemberment abortions, ripping a child's body apart while her heart is still beating. We're grateful the judges recognized this horror.'

In the 2021 legislative season, a record number of abortion restrictions were signed into law, the Guttmacher Institute claims.

The New York Times reported that, in a statement, Amy Hagstrom Miller, president of Whole Woman's Health, a plaintiff in the case, said: 'In no other area of medicine would politicians consider preventing doctors from using a standard procedure.

'It should never be a crime for doctors to use their best medical judgment and follow the most current science.'
A devastated widow has claimed her husband was driven to suicide after being enticed by free online betting offers while on furlough, an inquest has heard.

Luke Ashton, 40, travelled more than 100 miles from his family home in Leicester to take his own life in a flat in Swinton, South Yorkshire, on April 22.

His devastated wife Annie, 39, blames the tragedy on online betting firms whose apps lure punters in by offering free bets, the inquest at Leicester Town Hall was told.

Assistant coroner for Leicester City and South Leicestershire, Dianne Hocking, told the inquest, which opened on Thursday and was adjourned, that the father-of-two was identified by his fingerprints.

Mrs Ashton, who is a primary school teacher, said his death came just four months after he was sent an email from an unnamed online betting firm offering him a free bet.

Luke Ashton (pictured with wife Annie), 40, travelled more than 100 miles from his family home in Leicester to take his own life in a flat in Swinton, South Yorkshire, on April 22

'Two months ago today my husband took his own life,' she said in an emotional YouTube video taken earlier this summer to show the dangers of online gambling.

'Like anyone in this situation, you've got so many questions as to why.

'I did have a suspicion, but it wasn't until about two or three weeks ago, when I got his phone back from the police that it was there in plain view. Luke had developed a gambling addiction.'

It wasn't the first time that Mr Ashton had been enticed into online gambling, but Mrs Ashton claimed that he had cleared all his debts and steered away from gambling for two years until the Covid lockdown hit.

Mr Ashton, who his friends have described as being witty and loyal, and an avid Leicester City fan, initially came across a betting scheme where punters can lay odds on horses losing, rather than winning, races, according to his wife.

'Luke thought he was going to earn some money from that, but he ended up actually losing quite a bit of money,' she said.

'It destroyed him, it really did, because he then ended up with some debt.'

She said the couple paid off their debts in 2019, but claimed that Mr Ashton had received an unsolicited message from an unknown online betting firm, offering him a free bet, while he was furloughed from his job as a printer in lockdown.

Mrs Ashton said her husband had found it difficult to be on furlough as he was an 'absolute grafter' and would always work the extra hours 'to take care of his family'.

But as he had more time on his hands, Mrs Ashton said he took the initial free bet and won 'quite a bit of money', but then put the cash back into online gambling.

She added: 'He did win a few times, but with the wins there are always the losses - and the losses always outweigh the wins.

His devastated wife Annie (pictured), 39, blames the tragedy on online betting firms whose apps lure punters in by offering free bets

'He was then chasing those losses, and got some loans out - and those loans disappeared because they just went into that company's pocket.

'He then took out other loans - and he, basically, lost control.'

Her husband's mental health had continued to unravel, with Mrs Ashton saying that he would not have wanted to tell her what had happened as he was 'ashamed'.

She continued: 'I think, in his head, he just did not know what else he could do.

'For me, it's not logical what he's done but in his head it was - he must have felt so low.'

Mrs Ashton claimed that it was only after his death, when the police returned his phone, that she accessed his accounts and learnt about the extent of his gambling.

Mrs Ashton previously said: 'I went weeks asking myself why, and then I went on to his Betfair account  there's why. That's where the anger and the upset has come from.

'It all hit me at once, there's nothing I can say to describe it. It was just wow  this is really serious, it's harmful, and yet it's advertised as fun.'

Records previously showed that Betfair's app offered Mr Ashton cash bonuses, including seven in the six weeks before he died. The final offer, a 5 bonus, came the evening before he went missing.

Mr Ashton had set up a Betfair account several years before his death and had opted out of receiving direct marketing by email or text. The offers he received were available to all customers, the company previously said.

A Flutter spokesperson said: 'Our deepest sympathies are with Mr Ashton's family and friends at this sad time.

'We have invested significantly in our safer gambling measures and make it as easy as possible for customers to opt-out of marketing if it's something they no longer want to receive.'

The inquest was adjourned while further investigations into the circumstances are carried out. A review hearing was set for January 6, next year.

Mrs Ashton has launched a UK Parliament petition calling on the Government to ban free bets, which she is calling Luke's Law and has already gathered more than 15,000 signatures.

If it reaches 100,000 signatures, it will force a debate to be held on the issue in the House of Commons.

'For someone like Luke, he wasn't able to talk and didn't feel he was able to talk about his mental health and what he'd done,' said Mrs Ashton, who is also calling for an end to betting firm adverts during live sport on TV.

Mrs Ashton has launched a petition calling on the Government to ban free bets, which she is calling Luke's Law and has already gathered more than 15,000 signatures (stock image)

'There are many men out there, as we know, that are the same and, for those people, prevention is better than a cure.

'There is absolutely no reason why these free bets should even exist.'

'I've called it Luke's Law, in honour of my husband,' she added. 'I want to do something that's going to help someone out there, and I really do believe that it will.'

It comes after Flutter, which owns Paddy Power, Betfair, and Sky Bet, reported this month that losses by its UK and Irish punters jumped by a third to 1.1billion in the first six months of 2021.

The figure helped its profits rocket to 77million compared to 24million in the same period last year  which was then a record.

Outraged MPs and campaigners fighting gambling addiction said Flutter was cashing in on the 'distress and suffering' of vulnerable punters and called on the Government to take radical action.

Last week, industry watchdog the Gambling Commission put out a fresh warning to betting firms to be 'extra vigilant' because consumers are 'vulnerable' as Covid restrictions are lifted and family finances remain under pressure.

Labour MP Carolyn Harris, chairman of the parliamentary group battling gambling harm, said: 'I am worried the pandemic has created a new pandemic of gambling addiction.'

She added: 'Now is the time for the industry to be held to account for the misery and devastation that they cause to the lives of vulnerable people.'

If your family has been bereaved by gambling-related suicide, specialist support is available at www.gamblingwithlives.org, or contact support@gamblingwithlives.org.

For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123, or go to www.samaritans.org.
A mass grave described as 'one of the most important findings' of Nazi war crimes in Poland in the Second World War has been uncovered in a site known as Death Valley.

The discovery, on the outskirts of the northern town of Chojnice, has revealed 'a ton of human bones and remains taken from three burial pits.'

Filled with the remains of about 500 people, the horrific find is said to be linked to the horrific 'Pomeranian Crime' that took place in Poland's Pomerania province.

The exact number of people murdered is unknown, but it is believed Adolf Hitler's men killed up to 35,000 people in the region at the start of the war in 1939.

Also discovered in the grave were treasured possessions belonging to those who died, including a wedding ring, earrings and a battered watch.

Fountain pens, cigarette cases, glasses, cufflinks and even the remains of what were believed to be pocket Bibles were also among the artefacts found, the researchers said.

And, in a horrendous indication of the crimes which took place, nearly 250 bullet shells from German Walther PPKs and other weapons were found in the soil.

The execution site was discovered last year but it is only now that researchers have found and excavated ditches containing the human remains and artefacts.

Scroll down for video.

A mass grave described as 'one of the most important findings' of Nazi war crimes in Poland in the Second World War has been uncovered in a site known as Death Valley. The discovery, on the outskirts of the northern town of Chojnice, has revealed 'a ton of human bones and remains taken from three burial pits'

A picture taken by SS guard Waldemar Engler shows a firing squad about to shoot a group of Poles in the nearby town of Piajnica

Researchers from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences used a combination of eye-witness accounts and technology to find out where the ditches containing the remains were.

In the early stages of WWII, German SS shot dead more than 1,000 locals as part of their 'action against the intelligentsia' near Chojnice.

In addition to 40 civilians and a priest, around 200 psychiatric patients are known to have been murdered at the site.

Also discovered in the grave were treasured possessions belonging to those who died, including a wedding ring

This earring, complete with a pearl surrounded by gems, was also among the artefacts discovered

Pictured: Members of one of the Selbstschutz paramilitary groups in the Pomeranian region of north Poland

This was followed by a series of systematic killings against Poles and Jews in the town and surrounding villages.

Mass shootings also took place at the location in January 1945 and scientists believe over 1,000 bodies could be buried there.

Lead researcher Dr. Dawid Kobialka previously said: 'The bodies of the victims were thrown into shooting ditches and many were burnt to hide the evidence.'

Despite attempts to keep the execution secret and to cover up traces of the crime by burning some of the bodies, residents knew about the murders and dubbed the place Death Valley.

The remains of this wristwatch was among the artefacts unearthed in the mass grave

These teeth were also found by the researchers. Historians already knew mass killings took place in the area but had not previously been able to pinpoint the exact location of the graves

Lead researcher Dr. Dawid Kobialka previously said: 'The bodies of the victims were thrown into shooting ditches and many were burnt to hide the evidence'. Aboce: Researchers clean some of the discovered artefacts

This tooth, found in the mass grave, is seen being handled by a scientist after being cleaned

After the war, exhumations took place but were done half-heartedly.

Dr. Kobialka said: 'They were held in a hurry, many smaller human bones were not picked up, no detailed photographic and drawing documentation was made.'

The new venture was more systematic, with researchers using airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology to find the ditches.

They also analysed historical aerial photographs and satellite imagery and carried out field surveys.

Following the outbreak of WWII in September 1939, the SS formed paramilitary groups called the 'Selbstchutz', made up of German nationals living in Poland, to help them manage the local population after their invasion of the country.

Under the command of the SS, the factions were of particular danger to Poles because of their knowledge of local relations and social conditions.

The factions used the opportunity to settle old-time neighbourhood disputes and to loot the property of murdered Poles.

The first executions were carried out on September 15, 1939, with three residents of Chojnice gunned down in a nearby forest upon the orders of SS-Standartenfuhrer Heinrich Mocek, who was head of the local paramilitary group.

Pictured: An unnamed eyewitness helping with the initial investigation (left) points to the shooting ditches where SS guards murdered 1,000 locals near Chojnice in northern Poland. Researcher Dr. Dawid Kobialka, from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, stands next to him (right)

From October 1939 through to January 1940, they carried out extensive exterminations across the whole region as part of their Polish Intelligentsia Action, which saw around 30,000-40,000 Poles living in the Pomerania region murdered.

In the last days of the occupation, the Chojnice Death Valley again became a place of mass executions.

At the end of January 1945, the Germans murdered a column of between 800 and 1000 prisoners from the doomed Warsaw Uprising and those from the nearby city of Bydgoszcz being driven west.

After being shot their bodies were burned.

According to a town court survey conducted in 1945, 1,431 people were murdered in Death Valley.

An exhumation carried out shortly after the liberation of the town uncovered 352 bodies.
Meghan McCain has continued her criticism of President Joe Biden, calling him 'unfit to lead' and 'like Jimmy Carter on acid' over the disastrous retreat from Afghanistan.

The former View co-host gave a withering assessment on Thursday of what she called 'one of the greatest foreign policy catastrophes of my lifetime,' saying that Biden had brought 'shame, dishonor and embarrassment' to America.

Her fury at the president is all the more stinging as she has previously expressed fondness for Biden who consoled her after the death of her father, Republican statesman John McCain.

It follows reports that State Department officials in the Kabul embassy told the Biden administration last month that the Afghan capital would fall and urged them to speed up evacuations.

'I have been physically ill, more depressed than I have been since the beginning stages of the pandemic and filled nothing short of pure rage and anger since the calamity of a pull out which will be seen as one of the greatest foreign policy catastrophes of my lifetime,' she said in an Instagram post.

Meghan McCain has continued her criticism of President Joe Biden , calling him 'unfit to lead' and 'like Jimmy Carter on acid' over the disastrous retreat from Afghanistan

She has previously expressed fondness for Biden who consoled her after the death of her father, Republican statesman John McCain

The former View co-host gave a withering assessment of Biden on Thursday

US scraps plans to charge Kabul evacuees $2k for flights On Thursday Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said that they expect 6,000 people to be evacuated on U.S. flights overnight. And he was forced to announce a reversal of plans to charge $2,000 per evacuee for the flight, after a social media outcry. An unnamed State Department spokesman initially stood by the charge, telling Politico that U.S. law requires that evacuation assistance to private U.S. citizens or third country nationals be provided 'on a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable.' The president said on Wednesday that he believes 15,000 American citizens remain in Afghanistan, and that there are 50-65,000 Afghans the U.S. would like to help leave. Advertisement

'I am furious our President was so incompetent not to see what every expert on the planet could have seen coming,' McCain continued.

'I am furious for my friends and family who have been fighting in these wars since I was 16 (many who have lost limbs, had their life terrorized by PTSD from their experiences in war and deployments, or worse). I am furious seeing our allies and innocent Afghan citizens who trusted us are being left to be slaughtered or so desperate to escape the pure evil the Taliban will bring in that they are falling out of f***ing planes,' wrote McCain.

'This is not who America is, this is not the values this country was founded in. Our veterans deserve better, the innocent Afghan people and our allies and translators who have stood by us for the past 20 years deserve better' she went on.

'The shame, dishonor and embarrassment the Biden administration has brought to our country will take generations to undo. Not to mention our standing in the world and the cruel reality that the likelihood of another significant domestic terror attack has now risen to the highest levels since 9/11 and will usher in ISIS 3.0. - I could say so much more (and have been raging on twitter), but please reach out to your veteran friends and their families - everyone I know is struggling,' McCain added.

'May God have mercy for what we have done to these people abandoning them. Biden is unfit to lead and I am nothing short of disgusted he and his staff cant seem to be bothered to leave their vacation during an international crisis of our own creation. There should be an emergency congressional hearing before more innocent lives are lost. My heart is broken, this tragedy will absolutely haunt our country. Also - every single Afghan refugee fleeing must be granted a safe haven in America!' she concluded.

On Twitter, McCain shared footage of terrified Afghans fleeing gunfire at Kabul airport, writing that their 'blood is on the hands of the Biden administration and no one will ever forgive or forget this.'

Neither Biden nor White House press secretary Jen Psaki made any appearances on Thursday, leading to accusations that his administration had fled to a 'bunker' amid chaos in Kabul.

Meghan McCain, the 36-year-old daughter of the late Republican statesman John McCain, has previously expressed fondness for Biden who consoled her after the death of her father

Pandemonium unfolded at Kabul airport on Monday as thousands of people ran on to the runway in a desperate attempt to escape Taliban rule, fearing bloody reprisals by the Islamists

The 36-year-old McCain tweeted: 'No press briefings from the Biden White House from the President or his staff. They're all on vacation.

'He is like Jimmy Carter on acid and he and his team will be remembered in history worse than him. Also anyone in the press want to to jump in on criticism of him in hiding?'

She shared a video earlier of chaos on the runway at Kabul airport, tweeting: 'Everyone in the Biden White House should be forced to watch this. These are consequences for your reckless, insane, plan-less actions. Are you proud of yourselves?!?'

At least 12 people have died at the airport since Sunday, including several despairing young men who fell to their deaths after clinging to the fuselage of a USAF jet.

McCain shared another video late Wednesday which showed a woman holding her terrified baby as Taliban fighter fired shots outside the perimeter of the airport.

She wrote: 'THERE IS A WOMAN HOLDING HER BABY IN THIS VIDEO! This blood on the hands of the Biden administration and no one will ever forgive or forget this.'

In his woeful interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News on Wednesday, Joe Biden attempted to shift the blame and insisted there were not warnings of such a rapid fall to the Taliban

The Biden administration remains under intense pressure to explain what it did and did not know as it pushed ahead with the president's order to bring home troops by September 11.

A dozen diplomats sent a confidential memo in a dissent channel to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on July 13 that the Taliban was rapidly gaining ground and Kabul was vulnerable to collapse, the Wall Street Journal reported.

It is the latest in a series of reported warnings the Biden administration potentially ignored as American forces left and the insurgents swept through the country with ease.

During the past week, Biden has shifted blame to the intelligence community, insisting that the rapid advance of the Taliban had taken the administration by surprise.

'The truth is: This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated,' he said last week.

And in his woeful interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News on Wednesday, Biden said there was no warning of such a precipitous fall.

A U.S. Air Force plane is seen landing at Bagram Air Base on July 1. The base has since been abandoned

US Marines assigned to 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit escort evacuees during an evacuation at Kabul airport on Thursday

Evacuees boarding a C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation from Kabul on Thursday

'Number one, as you know, the intelligence community did not say back in June or July that, in fact, this was gonna collapse like it did,' he said.

Stephanopoulos proved for more detail. He asked: 'They thought the Taliban would take over, but not this quickly?'

Biden replied: 'But not this quickly. Not even close.'

In another part of the interview he said he could not remember ever being advised by senior Pentagon figures to maintain a military presence in the country.

Reports suggest that his generals urged him to leave 2,500 troops to support and train the Afghan force.

'No, no one said that to me that I can recall,' Biden said.

The White House sent the deputy National Security Adviser, Jonathan Finer, as their envoy to news networks on Thursday, while his more senior colleagues remained out of sight.

His boss, Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, has become in the eyes of many 'the face' of the crisis - and, amid calls for his resignation over the debacle, he was absent on Thursday.

The Pentagon held a press briefing, only for spokesman John Kirby to admit that he did not know how many US citizens remained in Afghanistan. He could not even muster an estimate when pushed, telling the reporter to ask the State Department.

Kayleigh McEnany, who served as Donald Trump's White House spokesperson from April 2020 to January 2021, on Thursday took Psaki to task over her failure to hold daily briefings during the crisis.

'Jen Psaki promised us a daily White House press briefing,' McEnany said.

'There isn't one today. There wasn't one Monday. When the going gets tough, the daily press briefing that she promised goes out the window.'

The Trump administration was strongly criticized for abolishing the tradition of regular briefings, and went 300 days without holding one.

Stephanie Grisham, in her nine months on the job from July 2019 until her firing in April 2020, never held a White House press briefing - a unique and ignominious distinction.

A crime writer, Don Winslow, said he would donate $100,000 to a children's hospital if Grisham did a briefing - then Stephen King doubled the bounty.

She did not take the bait and rarely conducted the smaller informal briefings known as 'gaggles' and almost never appeared on TV, unless it was Fox News.

Crowds are seen gathering outside Kabul airport on Thursday, trying to get in and flee

Furthermore, Trump himself held less than half as many press conferences as the previous two administrations during their first three years in office.

Biden has only granted nine sit-down interviews in his first seven months in office, a number far below that of his Trump and Barack Obama, who held 50 interviews and 113 interviews, respectively, at this time in their presidency.

McEnany said that Kirby's failure to find out how many Americans remained in Afghanistan compounded the mistake made by Psaki in not appearing.

'When you are a press secretary at any entity, you anticipate whatever the questions will be,' McEnany said.

'One of the most obvious questions is how many Americans are on the ground.

'He didn't take up the time to pick up the phone and call Secretary of State Antony Blinken and get that number for us when you are the one place we are getting information from today, when there are nearly 15,000 American hostages on the ground?

'And the Pentagon spokesperson could not pick up the phone and Jen Psaki won't go to the podium to give us these very basic answers we deserve.'
The West faces an 'increased threat' after the collapse of Afghanistan, the former head of MI5 warned today.

Lord Jonathan Evans said the success of the Taliban will give al Qaida 'more operating space' and a 'psychological' boost for other terrorists.

He also criticised the 'overambitious' goals of the Afghanistan campaign, saying the 'significant failure' might have been avoided if the focus was on keeping extremism in check.

The stark assessment came as the UK and US scramble to evacuate citizens and local allies from Kabul, with a blame game in full swing over the humiliating outcome.

Lord Evans told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think there are two problems  I think there is more operating space more likely to be available to groups like al Qaida, and there have been reports of Islamic State elements present in Afghanistan.

'If they get the opportunity to put down infrastructure to train and to operate then that will pose a threat to the West more widely.

'There's also the psychological effect of the inspiration that some people will draw from the failure of Western power in Afghanistan.

'That may well create a certain amount of energy in the wider networks that are still in existence in Britain and across the West.

'So, I think, in practical terms and in terms of ungoverned space, but also in psychological terms, it probably does mean an increase in threat over the coming months and years.'

Lord Jonathan Evans said the success of the Taliban will give al Qaida 'more operating space' and a 'psychological' boost for other terrorists

Taliban fighters on patrol in Kabul yesterday as the world reels from the collapse

The peer said the West had been 'overambitious' in trying to rebuild Afghanistan rather than focusing on quelling the terror threat.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'My own personal view is that we should have focused very narrowly on counter-terrorism objectives in regard to Afghanistan.

'I think it was very worthy and rather ambitious to think we could reshape the whole country, whereas the reason we went in originally was for counter-terrorism reasons, and I think that might have been a more achievable task.'

Lord Evans said the 'capability and perseverance' needed to try and rebuild the nation was 'beyond us' due to either political or resource reasons.

He added: 'It might have been the case that the Taliban were in power, it might have been possible to have maintained a smaller level of merely counter-terrorism capability in the region so that we had the capacity to intervene.

'I think right from the beginning there was a noble ambition that we would have been able to reshape the politics of that region and I think, in retrospect, that was overambitious.

'It would have been a great thing to have achieved but we raised expectations that we were not able to follow through on and the overall effect of that has been a significant failure and setback for us.'

Theresa May was among the senior MPs warning during a Commons debate this week that Afghanistan could again become a 'breeding ground for terrorism' - the reason for the original invasion in 2001.

Yesterday Ben Wallace gave a similar warnings, saying the meltdown will 'inspire' terrorists and be an 'opportunity' for al Qaida.

The Defence Secretary said the Taliban taking power will be seen as a 'victory' by extremists around the world.

And he cautioned that the West will now have to 'tool up' to counter a potential resurgence from the group founded by Osama bin Laden.

Ben Wallace said yesterday that the Taliban taking power will be seen as a 'victory' by extremists around the world

'Around the world Islamists will see what they will view as a victory. That will inspire other terrorists,' Mr Wallace told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Mr Wallace said 'cyber geography' was now more important that territory, as extremists organise online. He also insisted he hoped that the Taliban would be unwilling to host terrorist groups as they try to rebuild links with the rest of the world.

But he said: 'I don't think anyone's denied that al Qaida is potentially going to look on this as an opportunity.

'We will have to, obviously, gear up, tool up; we already have capabilities to deal with some of that.'

Thousands of British nationals and Afghan allies have been trying to get out of the country after the government dramatically collapsed and the Taliban took charge.

There have been grim scenes of women pleading to be let through the gates at the airport, and even reports of babies being passed over the railings by mothers.

UK ambassador Laurie Bristow, who has stayed in Kabul to process applications, has warned that there could only be 'days' left to evacuate people, with the extremists now controlling all access points.

Around 10,000 Afghan staff who helped the Western forces over the past year are now expected to come to the UK.
Greta Thunberg has lashed out at Britain for 'lying' over its climate change credentials in a stinging Unicef speech.

The climate change activist, 18, claimed the nation was guilty of 'creative carbon accounting' and said it was a 'lie that the UK is a climate leader'.

The Swede blasted its aviation and shipping industries and said world leaders still treat the crisis as a 'faraway, distant problem'.

But she was quickly slapped down by the government, which said: 'We stand by our assertion that we are a world leader.'

And London School of Economics climate change expert Bob Ward also said she was wrong, pointing out emissions are declining.

The climate change activist, 18, claimed the nation was guilty of 'creative carbon accounting' and said it was a 'lie that the UK is a climate leader'

Thunberg said: 'There's a lie that the UK is a climate leader and that they have reduced their CO2 emissions by 44 per cent since 1990.

'But if you include things like aviation, shipping, outsourcing, and consumption, for instance and the burning of biomass, it doesn't really look that good.

'So I'm really hoping that we will stop referring to the UK as a climate leader, because if you look at the reality that is simply not true.'

She added: 'They are very good at creative carbon accounting, I must give them that, but that doesn't mean much in practice.

'We hope that they will actually start treating this crisis like an existential crisis. And I don't know how many times we've said it, but we want them to stop talking and start acting.'

Thunberg also made barbed comments about Britain hosting the COP 26 climate summit. Pictured: President for COP26 Alok Sharma

First Covid, now global warming: Sir Patrick Vallance calls for climate change 'road maps' Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance has called on the government to implement 'road maps' to tackle climate change. Sir Patrick, who led the UK's response to Covid-19, addressed delegates due to attend the Cop26 climate summit and said that the time for vague promises on climate change are over. The Government's chief scientific adviser is now leading a new taskforce that will seek to apply the success of the UK's vaccine roll-out to help beat cancer and climate change. He is also the Chief Scientific Advisor for Cop26, after being invited by the summit's president Alok Sharma. Sir Patrick became a regular fixture on our screens during the coronavirus pandemic, regularly appearing alongside Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty at Downing Street briefings with the Prime Minister. He became the face of the battle against the virus, advising the government together with Prof Whitty, with the pair dubbed 'glum and glummer' for their sombre warnings. Sir Patrick, who pushed for lockdown long before the government enacted it, is now set to dominate our screens for a while longer with his new green role. Speaking on Sky News, he said the 'stark and rightly uncomfortable' report by the UN's intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) showed the need for immediate action. Advertisement

Thunberg also made barbed comments about Britain hosting the COP26 climate summit.

She said she did not hold out much hope for the event in Glasgow, Scotland, in November.

But there was a swift retort from Downing Street and climate change experts denying her claims.

A government spokesman said: 'We stand by our assertion that we are a world leader.'

And LSE's Mr Ward, from the university's Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, said she was wrong.

Mr Ward added that the UK 'is reducing its emissions whilst expanding its economy'.

Thunberg aired her attacks at the launch of a Unicef report showing a billion children in 33 mostly African low-emission countries faced extreme weather and poverty.

The devastating UN report found virtually no child will escape the impact of global warming.

In the first index of its kind, published on Friday, Unicef found almost all the world's 2.2 billion children are exposed to at least one climate or environmental risk.

Last week a UN climate panel of the world's top atmospheric scientists warned global warming is dangerously close to spiralling out of control, with deadly heat waves, hurricanes and other extreme events likely to keep getting worse.

Thunberg said the Unicef index confirmed children would be the worst affected and when world leaders meet for the COP26 they needed to act rather than just talk.

'I don't expect them to do that, but I would be more than happy if they could prove me wrong,' she told journalists ahead of the index's publication on the third anniversary of Fridays For Future, a now-global youth movement that started with her solo protest outside her Swedish school.

Thunberg was joined by young activists around the world including Mitzi Jonelle Tan, 23, from the Philippines, who spoke of doing homework by candlelight as typhoons raged outside or fearing drowning in her bed as floodwaters filled her room.

After months of extreme weather and dire warnings from scientists, world leaders' 'empty promises and vague plans' were no longer enough, Tan said.

'There's no excuse for this COP... to not be the one that changes things.'

Henrietta Fore, UNICEF executive director said young people globally were leading by example, pointing to a survey by the organisation that found nine in ten of them in 21 countries felt it was their responsibility to tackle climate change.

They were more at risk than adults in the 'increasingly unrecognisable' world they stood to inherit, she said, being less able to survive extreme weather events and more susceptible to toxic chemicals, temperature changes and disease.

The UNICEF index showing around one billion children in 33 mostly African low-emission countries faced a 'deadly combination' of extreme weather and existing issues like poverty, making them uniquely vulnerable.

Only relatively minor changes are needed to cut UKs greenhouse gas to net zero by 2050 - including more walking, reduced waste and cutting down on meat, report claims

By Ryan Morrison for MailOnline

Small changes to lifestyle habits such as eating less red meat and walking more are all that is needed to cut the UK's greenhouse gas to net zero by 2050, a report claims.

The new study by The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change found that small adjustments to lifestyles would be enough to meet the net zero emissions goal.

The net zero target was set by Theresa May when she was prime minister, and commits the UK to achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gas put into the atmosphere and that taken out. The goal is to reach that point by 2050.

However the study did find that more personal responsibility would be required than in previous decades, as the country becomes less reliant on fossil fuels.

It is not the case that net zero requires total transformation in all aspects of our lives,' according to the report, suggesting 'relatively minor changes' will work.

This includes making shorter journeys, taking fewer flights, reducing how much red meat we consume and increasing how much we recycle and compost.

Small changes to lifestyle habits such as eating less red meat and walking more is all that needed to cut the UK's greenhouse gas to net zero by 2050, a report claims

Over the next 15 years the amount of emissions savings reliant on behaviour changes will increase dramatically compared to between 2009 and 2019

Most people believe we should reduce meat and dairy from our diet, walk more and limit how much we fly in order to reduce climate change

WHAT IS NET ZERO? Net zero requires a balance between the greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere and those taken out. When what we add is no more than what we take away we reach net zero. This state is also referred to as carbon neutral; although zero emissions and zero carbon are slightly different, as they usually mean that no emissions were produced in the first place. The National Grid says: 'Net zero is important as its the best way we can tackle climate change by reducing global warming.' Advertisement

The report found that as the UK enters a new phase of moving away from fossil fuels, both in energy production, consumption and industry, it would be up to the British people to make the final changes to emit no extra carbon.

A Climate Change Committee (CCC) report, published last December, said reaching net zero would be 'capital-intensive, with increased upfront spending', and require dramatic lifestyle changes including less driving and fewer flights.

However, the report by the Tony Blair institute claims we don't need to all become tofu-munching tree huggers,' adopting a phrase used by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on efforts required by the country to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Decarbonisation to date has not required major changes to the economy and society, focusing on a gradual change to renewable power generation, electric vehicles and more environmentally friendly practices.

However, the report claims the next phase will be more costly, visible and impactful  requiring profound changes in how we produce and use energy, how we move around, the buildings we live in, and our environment and countryside.

It goes on to say the net zero goal is one of the most difficult interim targets set by the government, as it can't rely on technology alone.

'It will also require significant behavioural changes from consumers (and voters) across the country,' the report authors claim.

'The requirement for behavioural changes means that debates around the politics of net zero are increasingly, and rightly, focused on issues of public consent and support. Net zero cannot and should not be achieved on the quiet.

One of the surveys used to feed into the report found that most people disagree we're doing enough to tackle climate change

The new study by The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change found that small adjustments to lifestyles would be enough to meet the net zero emissions goal

SIX KEY BEHAVIOUR CHANGES REQUIRED FOR NET ZERO Install low-carbon heating and energy-efficiency measures

Reducing waste to landfill through reduced consumption/increased reuse and recycling

Increased walking, cycling, public transport in place of car usage

Purchase/use zero-emissions vehicle

Reduce international travel and domestic flights

Reduced meat and dairy consumption Advertisement

'If the governments targets are to be achieved, voters will need to act.

'And while passive consent may be enough in some areas, for net zero to be politically achievable it will need active support from those voters.'

The reason public support is required is that the researchers found the next major phase of reaching net zero will involve more 'personal responsibility'.

From 2009 to 2019, 87 per cent of emission reductions were delivered through measures requiring no behaviour change.

They say that this included the decarbonisation of power.

But that proportion falls to just 41 per cent from 2020 to 2035, and emissions savings from behaviour change rises from 13 per cent to 59 per cent.

The report said as far as travel was concerned we all need to cut the distance we drive by four per cent, and reduce the distance we travel by plane by six per cent.

It also claims that 40 per cent of homes should be on low carbon heating systems by 2035 and it be a requirement all new build homes have these systems installed.

The report asked which groups were not doing enough to tackle climate change, with the government, big companies and the public coming out at the highest

Beyond changes in how we travel, the report authors say waste should be cut by 37 per cent per person through more recycling and composting.

There is a relatively small number of key behaviour changes that will deliver most of the necessary emission reductions,' the report authors said.

The report went on: Some have argued that net zero requires mass transition to vegetarianism, an end to international flights or mass transition away from cars.

These are perfectly legitimate positions to take - but they are not necessarily required to meet net zero.

They recommend that overall meat consumption reduces by about 20 per cent over the next 15 years, but that we don't all need to become vegetarians.

'This is not, of course, to argue that there may not be other reasons to advocate for more significant behaviour change - but it is not required to meet net zero.

The findings were published by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
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Professor Chris Whitty has urged Britons to get jabbed

Professor Chris Whitty has begged young Britons not to delay getting the Covid vaccine, warning there are some 'very sick' young adults in hospital with the virus.

England's chief medical officer  who has spent the past four weeks working on a Covid ward  said it was 'stark' that the majority of patients have not had their jabs.

He revealed that many of patients told him they 'regret delaying' their inoculation.

Almost three-quarters of under-50s hospitalised with the Delta Covid variant up to August 15 had not been vaccinated, according to official figures from Public Health England.

Professor Whitty tweeted today: 'The great majority of adults have been vaccinated.

'Four weeks working on a Covid ward makes stark the reality that the majority of our hospitalised Covid patients are unvaccinated and regret delaying. Some are very sick including young adults. Please don't delay your vaccine.'

It came as Britain today recorded another 37,314 Covid cases  up by 14 per cent in seven days and the fifth day in a row that infections have risen week-on-week.

Hospitalisations also ticked upwards by 14 per cent in a week after 858 admissions were recorded on August 16, the latest available, and deaths rose to 114.

SAGE today estimated the R rate has risen to between 0.9 and 1.2, up from a range of 0.8 to 1.0 last week. The R  or reproduction  rate represents the average number of people each Covid patient will infect and keeping it below one is critical for infections to fall.

There are growing fears that Britain's stubbornly high case number could turn into deadly outbreak this winter when the cold weather hits and schools go back.

In one positive sign, however, the Office for National Statistics found England's Covid cases fell very slightly last week (4 per cent) but it noted that the drop-off could be down to the school holidays.

The ONS estimated that 698,100 people were infected with the virus on any given day in the week to August 14  or one in 80 people  compared to 726,700 in the week prior.

The figure is based on random swabbing of more than 100,000 Britons, which helps account for asymptomatic cases who would not have come forward for a test.

Public Health England data published today showed three-quarters of under-50s hospitalised with the Indian 'Delta' variant up to August 15 were un-vaccinated. The Delta variant is now behind almost every case in the country

Data from Public Health England shows that most admissions are still in the unvaccinated (shown middle) of which people under-50 make up the vast majority of cases. The same is true about admissions among people who've had a single dose (right). However it is more balanced in people who have been fully vaccinated. The reason under-50s are making up a higher proportion of the cases among unvaccinated and one dose admissions is because they are more likely to not have had a jab

Office for National Statistics figures suggested Covid cases fell by four per cent in England last week after estimating 698,100 people were infected with the virus

But No10's top scientists said the R rate had risen compared to 0.8 to 1.0 the previous week, and was now between 0.9 and 1.2. This means every ten people who catch the virus are thought to be passing it on to up to 12 others. The R rate is a lagging indicator, and can only reflect the situation on the ground up to two weeks ago.

Separate figures from No10's top scientists published today estimated the R rate has risen to between 0.9 and 1.2, up from a range of 0.8 and 1.0 last week. The R - or reproduction - rate represents the average number of people each Covid patient will infect and keeping it below one is critical for infections to fall

UK approves Regeneron's Covid antibody drug A Covid antibody cocktail drug used to treat former US President Donald Trump has been approved for UK patients. Britain's medical regulator gave Ronapreve the green light after finding it could prevent infection and treat patients who were already sick. Trials showed that among patients with at least one risk factor for severe Covid, it slashed their risk of death or hospitalisation by 70 per cent. A separate study found it dramatically reduced the risk of catching Covid, but protection only lasts for a month. Health officials will now decide who should get the drug. The drug is a combination of two cloned antibodies, casirivimab and imdevimab (pictured) However, at a cost of 2,000 per patient, it is unlikely to be rolled out widely as a preventative. Experts today called for it to be targeted at the most vulnerable Britons. The approved treatment is the first developed specifically to target Covid, after steroids and anti-inflammatories were repurposed to treat the virus. Boris Johnson said the drug will be an 'important weapon in fighting Covid, particularly for those who are immunocompromised'. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it would be rolled out on the NHS 'as soon as possible'. The treatment is not a substitute for vaccination because the protection against Covid it sparks only lasts for up to four weeks, far less time than that from jabs. The drug  which uses two different man-made antibodies to fight the virus  is administered by injection or intravenously. It is made by US biotech firm Regeneron and Swiss company Roche. Advertisement

The UK's vaccination programme has so far inoculated more than three-quarters of all adults  41.3million people  with two doses of the vaccine.

And nearly nine in ten  87.4 per cent or 47.5million  have received both doses.

But nearly three million young adults have not had a first dose, according to figures published earlier this week by the four health agencies.

There has been a concerted effort to get as many people vaccinated as possible, with 16 and 17-year-olds getting letters and text reminders this week inviting them for a jab.

PHE data published today showed of the 4,112 under-50s hospitalised with the Indian 'Delta' variant  which is behind almost every Covid case in the UK  by August 15, as many as 3,044 (74 per cent) had not been inoculated.

It also revealed that of the 113 under-50s who have sadly died from the Indian 'Delta' variant, two thirds  or 72  were unvaccinated.

There have been 1,189 deaths in people who were either confirmed or likely to have had the Delta variant since it was first spotted in the country.

The ONS report showed that across England Yorkshire and the Humber had the highest proportion of people infected with the virus, or around one in 60 (89,600 estimated cases).

It was followed by the North West where one in 60 were thought to be infected (117,700), and the East of England at one in 70 (85,900) and London also at one in 70 (123,700).

The West Midlands was estimated to have the smallest outbreak with one in 150 residents having Covid (38,900), behind the South East at one in 100 (85,900) and the South West at one in 95 (58,300).

When modelling the level of Covid infections among different age groups, the ONS said rates have increased for people aged between 35 to 49 years old.

But they had decreased for those in school years seven to 11, for 25 to 34-year-olds and for people aged 70 and over.

Britain is now gearing up to dish out Covid booster jabs at the start of September, in hopes of keeping immunity high in the face of future flare-ups this autumn and winter.

One SAGE expert today warned the high case numbers were 'very worrying' and warned 'we just don't really know what's going to happen' in the coming months.

The US yesterday confirmed all over-18s would be eligible for top-up doses, and Israel  which is currently being battered by a third wave  is already offering over-60s a third jab. There are fears that the vaccines lose potency over time, which some experts have said is part of the reason why Israel is being battered currently.

But No10's top advisers  who met yesterday to discuss the controversial topic  have yet to make a final decision on who should get the jabs.

Mr Javid today insisted the UK was going to have a programme and it will focus on vulnerable people and 'start sometime in September'.

That would seem to rule out a mass booster programme, which was originally slated to include more than 30million Britons.

One member of the expert panel the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) told The Guardian: 'The jury is still very much out on what happens.' Another today hinted the programme would only be open to the most vulnerable adults, and said the inoculation drive could still be expanded to all over-12s.

The East of England was estimated to have seen its Covid cases rise last week, while they levelled off in London and the South East. Only three regions  East Midlands, West Midlands and North East  saw their infections fall

Adults aged 35 to 49 years old saw their Covid infection rate rise in the latest week, estimates suggested, but among school-age children, 25 to 34-year-olds and the over-70s it fell compared to the previous seven-day spell

Wales was the only nation to see its outbreak grow in the latest week. Cases levelled off in Northern Ireland, and decreased in England and Scotland

It came as the UK today approved a Covid antibody cocktail drug used to treat former US president Donald Trump for its patients.

Britain's medical regulator gave Ronapreve the green light after finding it could prevent infection and treat patients who were already sick.

Trials showed that among patients with at least one risk factor for severe Covid, it slashed their risk of death or hospitalisation by 70 per cent.

A separate study found it dramatically reduced the risk of catching Covid, but protection only lasts for a month. Health officials will now decide who should get the drug.

However, at a cost of 2,000 per patient, it is unlikely to be rolled out widely as a preventative. Experts today called for it to be targeted at the most vulnerable Britons.

The approved treatment is the first developed specifically to target Covid, after steroids and anti-inflammatories were repurposed to treat the virus.

Boris Johnson said the drug will be an 'important weapon in fighting Covid, particularly for those who are immunocompromised'.
The infamous Colombo crime family boss Carmine 'The Snake' Perisco was a 'Top Echelon Informant', according to newly released court documents.

Perisco's name appeared on a Government document, dated November 1971, which listed the names of members involved in a 'Top Echelon Informant Program'.

'The Snake' was just one of four members of the Colombo family whose names appeared on the document, the New York Daily News reported.

The document has come to light as part of a Freedom of Information lawsuit by David Schoen, who represents one-time Colombo boss Victor 'Little Vic' Orena, 87, who is currently serving three life sentences.

The infamous Colombo crime family boss Carmine 'The Snake' Perisco (pictured) was a 'Top Echelon Informant', according to newly released court documents

Perisco took control of the Colombo family following the shooting of boss Joe Colombo in 1971 and, despite stints in prison, 'The Snake' maintained control of the family and built up their fortune.

He initially earned his nickname of 'The Snake' in the late 1950s while the Profaci family were embroiled in an internal war, with Perisco siding with the Gallo Borthers, before being convinced to switch allegiances and side with Joe Profaci.

Orena became acting boss after Perisco was jailed and then moved to permanently take over as head of the crime family in 1991, leading to a bloody mob war.

It led to 12 people, including three innocent bystanders being killed, and the crime family seeing 58 members being imprisoned.

The document has come to light as part of a Freedom of Information lawsuit by David Schoen, who represents one-time Colombo boss Victor 'Little Vic' Orena, 87, (pictured) who is currently serving a life sentence

Orena was convicted in 1992 for the murder of Colombo mobster Thomas Ocera three years earlier and racketeering. He received three life sentences plus 85 years in federal prison.

However, Orena, who is now senile, has claimed that he was set up by Gregory Scarpa Jr - a turncoat member of the family - and his handler Lindley DeVecchio to go to war with Perisco.

Perisco was charged alongside the heads of four other crime families as part of the Mafia Commission Trial, which was led by Rudy Giuliani.

He died in prison at the age of 85 in 2019 while serving a 139-year sentence.

Schoen is attempting to seek compassionate release of his client from prison.

And the newly filed list of informants part of a claim that Orena was imprisoned as a result of FBI misconduct, with Schoen claiming the war was more of an orchestrated campaign to remove his client as a rival to Perisco.

Speaking about the newly disclosed document, Schoen said: 'I think it changes the entire dynamic of how this so-called Colombo war has been sold.

'I never wanted to disclose this document. I think it potentially puts people in danger.'

Schoen also said that his newly submitted document explains 'many events' which relate to Orena's case, among others.

The attorney claimed to have been so confident in the legitimacy of his list of names that he approached the Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz and other federal agents, who did not indicate any reason to believe the document was not legitimate or that it was inaccurate.

Responding to Schoen's list of names, attorney Anthony DiPietro, who previously served as Carmine Perisco's lawyer, said: 'There is no truth to this allegation and the supporting record is substantively worthless... I can attest that he was not an informant nor did he provide information to the Government.'

He initially earned his nickname of 'The Snake' in the late 1950s while the Profaci family were embroiled in an internal war, with Perisco initially siding with the Gallo Borthers, before being convinced to switch allegiances and side with Joe Profaci
A mother and her two children have been killed after the car they were travelling in crashed into a power pole and exploded into flames.

A 35-year-old woman, an eight-year-old girl and a 20-month-old boy were killed when their Ford Territory mounted a curb on Flemington Road in Parkville in Melbourne's inner-city about 9.50am on Friday.

Footage at the scene showed the car in flames on the side of the road as thick black smoke billowed from the vehicle.

A 20-month-old boy, eight-year-old girl and a 35-year-old woman have been killed in a crash outside Royal Melbourne Hospital after their car exploded

The woman was a mother-of-four and had dropped off her two other children at school before the crash outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital, 7News reported.

Police have tracked down the children's father to inform him of their deaths.

Witnesses close to the scene said the explosion ripped through the car, and a photographer close to scene was hurried away by a police officer as authorities feared the car may explode again.

The car hit a curb and crashed on Flemington road in Parkville on Friday morning. Witnesses close to the scene said the explosion ripped through the vehicle

Crisis support services have also been offered to anyone working at the hospital who witnessed the crash.

Flemington Road was initially closed in both directions between Harker Street and Grattan Street as authorities investigated.

Police are urging anyone with information to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000
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A Lego-mad teacher has built a replica of the Titanic, using 25,000 bricks to capture every detail of the doomed liner  right down to the iceberg which sealed its fate.

Niklaus Meier, 31, from Lucerne, Switzerland, estimates that he spent 3,000 Swiss Francs (2,400) on the famous plastic bricks for his recreation of the ship.

With no instructions to follow, he took eight weeks replicating every lifeboat, every window and every detail in 1:145 scale, bringing the famous ship back to life.

The RMS Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg while travelling on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in April 1912. At its launch, the luxurious vessel was the largest ship in the world.

It was carrying some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of people from Britain, Ireland, and elsewhere who were seeking a new life in the United States.

After it hit the iceberg, it took less than three hours for the 'unsinkable' ship to slip beneath the waves of the freezing Atlantic Ocean, killing more than 1,500 people.

A Lego-mad teacher has built a scale replica of the Titanic, using 25,000 bricks to capture every detail of the doomed liner  right down to the iceberg which sealed its fate

Niklaus Meier, 31, from Lucerne, Switzerland, estimates that he spent 3,000 Swiss Francs (2,400) on the famous plastic bricks for his recreation of the ship

The RMS Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg while travelling on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in April 1912. At its launch, the luxurious vessel was the largest ship in the world. It was carrying some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of people from Britain, Ireland, and elsewhere who were seeking a new life in the United States

Mr Meier was inspired to take on the project by his seven-year-old nephew, Henri.

He said: 'He was allowed to watch the 1997 movie up to the scene where the ship sinks.

'My girlfriend and I were invited for dinner at my sister's, where my nephew showed me how he had begun to construct the Titanic with Lego bricks.

'Having been a Lego enthusiast myself as a boy, I offered my support for his project. I also told him to do it more accurate and bigger.

'One week later, my sister called me and told me that my nephew and his mate from kindergarten were waiting for me to come over and start building  the project had begun!'

Mr Meier began to assemble his replica in earnest using an online CAD (computer aided-design) model of the ship.

With no instructions to follow, he took eight weeks replicating every lifeboat, every window and every detail in 1:145 scale, bringing the famous ship back to life. Above: The replica iceberg next to the ship

Mr Meier was inspired to take on the project by his seven-year-old nephew, Henri. He said: 'He was allowed to watch the 1997 movie up to the scene where the ship sinks'

Apart from the rigging, the final creation is made entirely of Lego or compatible off-brand bricks, and held together by nothing but the studs of the pieces. The finished replica is more than 6feet long and weighs roughly 45lbs

Photos of the ship taken by Lucerne photographer Janis Fasser capture the remarkable detail on the model, with the anchor, capstans, cargo hatches and cranes all recreated in Lego

He said: 'I had no Lego building instructions, neither in paper, nor in electronic form.

'I looked at the details on the pictures I could find on the internet, then estimated the measurements of them in Lego bricks, then tried to find the way to best build it with bricks.

'After a phase of trial and error, I decided upon the best way in terms of stability, accuracy, cost etc.

'The model is unique and there exists no instructions to rebuild it.'

Apart from the rigging, the final creation is made entirely of Lego or compatible off-brand bricks, and held together by nothing but the studs of the pieces.

The finished replica is more than 6feet long and weighs roughly 45lbs. The real Titanic was nearly 883feet in length and weighed around 52,000 tons.

Mr Meier said he built the iceberg because he had 'plenty of white bricks left over'. He added that the iceberg model helps to capture how the Titanic story was about 'technology versus nature'

The teacher hopes that his model will prove more unsinkable than its real-life counterpart  even if it doesn't actually float

The model is currently on display at the Conditorei Fischer Cafe in Sursee, Lucerne. However it is expected to move to Brickart, a new Lego museum in Basel, in September

Photos of the ship taken by Lucerne photographer Janis Fasser capture the remarkable detail on the model, with the anchor, capstans, cargo hatches and cranes all recreated in Lego.

'There are two main reasons why I also built the iceberg.' said Mr Meier.

'First, I had plenty of white bricks left over.

'Secondly, the Titanic story is about technology versus nature. With the iceberg model, the whole display captures that, and may trigger reflections and discussions.'

But the teacher hopes that his model will prove more unsinkable than its real-life counterpart  even if it doesn't actually float.

'I have no intention to dismantle it in the near future,' he said.

'Since it's not glued together it's quite probable that it will break apart during transportation, but so far the model has survived one longer transport.'

The model is currently on display at the Conditorei Fischer Cafe in Sursee, Lucerne.

However it is expected to move to Brickart, a new Lego museum in Basel, in September.

Mr Meier began to assemble his replica in earnest using an online CAD (computer aided-design) model of the ship
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The fate of a group of 32 refugees who fled Afghanistan is in the balance after having been stranded for the last 12 days in an area between the Poland-Belarus border as the two countries engage in a standoff.

Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of sending migrants across their borders with his country in what they have called an act of 'hybrid war.'

Their borders also form part of the European Union's external border, and the countries believe Lukashenko is acting in revenge for sanctions the EU imposed over his disputed reelection and crackdown on dissent.

The stand-off near the village of Usnarz Gorny is one of several similar incidents along Belarus's borders with EU members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

All three countries are preventing the migrants from crossing to make asylum claims, saying they should go through embassies in Belarus or official border checkpoints.

Most of the recent migrants traveling from Belarus are believed to be originally from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The fate of a group of 32 refugees who fled Afghanistan is in the balance after having been stranded for the last 12 days in an area between the Poland-Belarus border as the two countries engage in a standoff. Pictured: An armed Polish border guard watches over the group of refugees, who have a line of Belarusian border guards stood behind them

The Lithuanian border force recently released footage which shows Belarus police in riot gear violently pushing migrants over their border

Polish refugee rights group, Fundacja Ocalenie, called on Polish authorities to allow the people to apply for refugee status in Poland, saying they have the right to do so. Polish authorities are refusing to let them in, and Belarusian guards will not let them return.

'In accordance with the law in force in Poland, each of these people should be allowed to submit an application for protection,' Piotr Bystrianin, the president of the group's management board, said in a statement today.

Fundacja Ocalenie said it arrived at the spot where the migrants were stuck, near the village of Usnarz Gorny, on Wednesday to bring them items such as food, tents, sleeping bags and power banks. They were not given access at first but were successful on Thursday.

Tahmina Rajabova, a member of the foundation, reported speaking to the migrants and learning that they are 32 people from Afghanistan who all want to apply for refugee status in Poland. They included a 15-year-old girl and some people who were ill.

A few days earlier, about a dozen people from Iraq - women and small children - were stranded with them, but Belarusian authorities allowed them back into Belarus, Rajabova said.

Armed members of Belarusian security forces do not let them return to Belarus while Polish border guards (pictured) and army officers prevent them from continuing their journey across Poland

Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of sending migrants across their borders with his country in what they have called an act of 'hybrid war'

'It is an inhumane and scandalous situation that Poland, together with Belarus, condemns these people to imprisonment on the border, in conditions that offend human dignity and are life-threatening,' said Maciej Konieczny, a left-wing Polish lawmaker who joined the humanitarian workers at the border.

Poland has sent soldiers to its border with Belarus to stop a stream of Afghan and Iraqi migrants that are being forced across the border as part of a 'blackmail' plot by the country's President who is an ally of Vladimir Putin.

It comes after fellow EU member Lithuania released video footage of body armor-clad Belarusian soldiers pushing a group of migrants across the border onto their territory.

The migrants are believed to have made their way into Belarus overland through either Russia or Russian-controlled Eastern Ukraine after making it out of Afghanistan to Iran on a well-trodden people smuggling route.

Poland said Wednesday it had deployed nearly 1,000 troops to its border with Belarus to help border guards cope with a surge of migrants. Pictured: File image of Lithuanian army soldiers installing razer wire on its border with Belarus on July 9, 2021

The stand-off near the village of Usnarz Gorny (pictured) is one of several similar incidents along Belarus's borders with EU members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland

Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki vowed Thursday that his country would stand firm and block migrants, mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan, who have been seeking to enter from neighboring Belarus.

He said: '(The migrants) are people with whom I sincerely sympathize, but they are an instrument, a tool in the hands of Mr. Lukashenko,' Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, told a news conference.

He vowed that Poland would not succumb to 'this type of blackmail.'

Hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to the border and at least 60 miles of barbed wire have been laid as Poland seeks to prevent the migrants from entering.

Belarusian border guards stand behind migrants believed to be from Afghanistan sitting on the ground in the small village of Usnarz Gorny northeastern Poland after they were forced over the border by Belarus

The migrants are believed to be continuing their journey to Western Europe after making it into Iran on a well-trodden smuggler trail

Thousands of Afghans are fleeing the country every day, smugglers have said, mostly on three routes all of which begin in Herat - a smuggling hub. The most direct, expensive, and dangerous route goes from there to Tehran via a crossing at Kohsan where migrants have to swim a deadly river, but stand the least chance of getting caught. A second route goes south to Zaranj before the crossing into Iran, to a safehouse in Kerman. From there, the migrants are taken to Tehran when the coast is clear of guards. The third and most-common route goes via Pakistan to Iran - it is the cheapest, but has the largest chance of capture

The European Union has also condemned what it called Belarus' 'aggressive behaviour' in organising the illegal border crossings with migrants into Latvia, Lithuania and Poland with the aim of destabilising the 27-nation bloc.

So far this year, more than 4,100 asylum-seekers, most of them from Iraq, have illegally crossed from Belarus into Lithuania.

That's 50 times more than during all of 2020 and they're being sheltered in temporary camps across the Baltic EU member.

It comes after the Lithuanian border force released video footage in which it claims Belarusian police officers in riot gear illegally pushed migrants over their border.

Poland said Wednesday it had deployed nearly 1,000 troops to its border with Belarus to help border guards cope with a surge of migrants - again mostly from Iraq - who were trying to enter the country.

'This aggressive behaviour is unacceptable and amounts to a direct attack aimed at destabilising and pressurising the EU,' said a statement by Slovenia, which holds the bloc's rotating presidency until the end of the year, after emergency talks among the bloc's interior ministers.

'The European Union will need to further consider its response to these situations in order to increase its effectiveness and to deter any future attempts to instrumentalise illegal migration in this manner,' the statement said.

The migrant movements spiked dramatically after the EU slapped sanctions on Belarus officials.

In the footage, a line of migrants could be seen being directed by a large group of police personnel

Mateusz Morawiecki vowed Thursday that his country would stand firm and block migrants, mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan , who have been seeking to enter from neighboring Belarus

A long row of police officers, donning riot gear and holding shields could be seen in formation in the footage

The migrant movements spiked dramatically after the EU slapped sanctions on Belarus officials. The measures were imposed after President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured) ordered a crackdown on opponents and protesters after claiming victory in a vote last year that the West denounced as rigged

The measures were imposed after President Alexander Lukashenko ordered a crackdown on opponents and protesters after claiming victory in a vote last year that the West denounced as rigged. His main election challenger fled to Lithuania.

Slovenia said EU nations are 'determined to take all necessary measures to effectively protect all the EU external borders, by counteracting Belarus' aggression.'

The issue has become more acute in the light of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan that was completed on Sunday, with many Afghans trying to flee the country, fearing reprisals.

EU member states are nervous about a replay of Europe's 2015/16 migration crisis when the chaotic arrival of more than a million people from the Middle East stretched security and welfare systems and fuelled support for far-right groups.

The ministers, without direct reference to Afghanistan, said there was 'a need to strengthen the entire external border' of the EU to prevent illegal crossings in the future.

No details about how that might happen were provided.

Many of the migrants were believed to have arrived in Belarus by plane on commercial flights from Iraq. Those flights have stopped for now, perhaps in part due to the EU's threat to impose visa restrictions on Iraqi citizens and officials.

Still, Lithuania's border guard released video footage on Wednesday which it said reveals that migrants are being pushed across the border into EU territory by Belarus riot police.

Another video showed several people cross into Lithuania and immediately return to Belarus to be filmed by Belarus officials.

After talks with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte on Wednesday, EU Parliament President David Sassoli accused Lukashenko of 'exploiting these poor people, men and women.'

'I have seen these outrageous actions when officials push people across the border. It is both an issue of human rights, and also a question of protecting the border of the EU,' Sassoli said. 'It is an organized activity of the Lukashenko regime.'

On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas accused Lukashenko of launching a 'hybrid attack' against the bloc by channelling migrants to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland in retaliation for the EU's sanctions.

Kallas said 'this is no refugee crisis, but this is a hybrid attack on the European Union.'

Merkel said she would raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.

Belarus depends heavily on Russian energy supplies and Moscow has authorized loans to prop up the country's beleaguered economy.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing their homes in Afghanistan with thousands being smuggled out of the country each day, which has sparked fears of a new refugee crisis.

An Afghan family on August 12 at the border crossing with Pakistan in Spin Boldack waits to cross after the border was shut when the Taliban took control of it

Smugglers in the city of Zaranj - a border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran that was captured by the Taliban two weeks ago - say the number of people looking to leave the country has trebled in recent months.

One smuggler, speaking to MailOnline, said that on a 'good day' he takes now 150 people across the border to Tehran compared to 50 in recent years - with many hoping to escape Iran into Turkey and then onwards to Europe and the UK, where they intend to claim asylum.

Most migrants make their way to the smuggling hub of Herat before they are either taken north to the Khosan border crossing with Iran, or south to Zaranj.

The northern route is the most expensive and also the most dangerous - with migrants forced to swim a river and then crawl for two hours to avoid security cameras - but carries the least risk of getting caught. A second route goes from Zaranj directly into a Iran and to a safehouse in Kerman, before a final journey to Tehran.

The third route - the cheapest and most commonly used - goes into Iran via Pakistan, then to Kerman and Tehran. It is also the safest route, but carries the greatest chance of getting caught.

Armed members of the Polish Border Guards arrive at the border with Belarus as the country attempts to stem the flow of migrants being transported in

The armed soldiers arrived near the border with Belarus on 20 August, 2021 in Usnarz Gorny, Poland

Frontex, the EU's migration agency, said just yesterday that migration through the Balkans almost-doubled in the first half of this year compared to last, driven mostly by an increase in Afghans and Syrians. That prompted Greek migration minister Notis Mitarachi to warned the EU is 'not ready' for another migrant crisis.

The Foreign Office and Border Force refused to comment about whether they fear an influx to Britain of Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban.

Speaking previously to the MailOnline by phone from Zaranj, one smuggler said: 'I and my team here used to send around 50 or even fewer people to Iran on our pickup trucks each day for years it now stands at 100 or 150 on a good day.

'I should thank Trump, Biden and the Americans. Many of these people are highly educated, sometimes I regret sending them out, but it may save their lives.

'We are responsible for getting these people to Teheran, and our job ends there.

'But I know through talking with many of them that their final destination is not Iran. Many have plans for Europe in their heads. Thousands are being sent out of Afghanistan each day through this city.'

But the perilous 1,500 mile journey across Iran holds its own dangers for the refugees as they must negotiate mountain ranges and canyons as they head west.

One migrant who spoke to MailOnline before leaving Afghanistan for Iran told us his final destination was Italy.

A second said he would go anywhere, but admitted that the UK would be top of his list, saying: 'That's always my favourite  I may decide to go there if possible.'

The smuggler explained the circuitous route followed by the caravan of pickup trucks carrying the migrants.

'We board around 20 to 25 people to each pickup, then we go through the desert towards the Pakistani border.

'After the border, we switch vehicles and hand over to our Pakistani colleagues. They transfer the people to near the Iranian border.

'This first stage takes around 24 hours. The drivers go as fast as possible. before reaching Iran, the people will have to walk for 3 hours, until they pass a deep ditch that the Iranians dug to mark the border.

'Once in Iran, the migrants board another vehicle and again speed through the Iranian desert, usually to the city of Kerman where the smugglers have guest houses. They lie low until the road is quiet with few security forces. Then they board around 12 people in each Peugeot pickup and head for Teheran. Added the smuggler:

'In the capital, again we have guesthouse, where we hold the refugees until they pay our money. After their relatives send us money, we let them go.'

The whole journey depends on the situation along the road, some days, they reach Teheran in three days and some in five.

It costs around 3 to 3,5 million Iranian Toman [$130] per person. Other smugglers will handle the journey from Teheran to Van in eastern Turkey.

But the climate in Turkey is becoming increasingly hostile for the refugees, with right-wing political parties threatening to 'send home' the refugees, whether Syrian, Kurdish or Afghan, who have swelled their population already.

A forbidding 3-metre high Trump-style concrete wall is being built on the border near Van and will stretch for 40 miles along the rugged borderland.

Along its length will be so-called 'smart towers' equipped with infra-red detection devices to spot people moving at night.
Osama bin Laden banned al Qaeda from assassinating Joe Biden because the Democrat would become an incompetent president and 'lead the US into a crisis' if jihadists were successful in killing Barack Obama.

Bin Laden made the remark in a 2010 letter that was found in a trove of documents at the Pakistan compound where he was killed by US special forces in 2011.

The document was first made public in 2012 but has been brought back to light and given new significance amid the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan that has gifted the country back to the Taliban.

Osama bin Laden banned al Qaeda from killing Joe Biden because he wanted the Democrat to become president - believing he was 'unprepared' and would 'lead the US into a crisis'

Joe Biden has been widely condemned for his withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan which has gifted control of the country back to the Taliban

Is this man fit for office? Doctors say they would be concerned about 'anyone' with Joe Biden's symptoms at age 78 after two brain aneurysms and a heart condition - which are BOTH linked to memory problems Questions have been raised about US President Joe Biden's cognitive wellbeing after a car crash interview over his handling of the unfolding Afghanistan crisis. America's oldest president provided jumbled responses to questions and mixed up details about his son in an interview with ABC. The stumbles did not make the broadcasted version but were revealed when a full transcript of the interview was published overnight. It revealed the President incorrectly stated his late son Beau Biden worked for the Navy in Afghanistan, before correcting himself that he served for the Army in Iraq. It follows a spate of gaffes and slips of the tongue since the 78-year-old ran his successful presidential campaign in 2019. Mr Biden has previously suffered two brain aneurysms and a heart condition which makes the muscle beat too fast, causing dizziness and confusion. A top cardiologist told MailOnline today that both conditions are linked to memory difficulties and confusion, as well as dementia. Dr Aseem Malhotra, an NHS consultant and expert in evidence-based medicine, said: 'Certainly there's a link [between the conditions and cognitive decline]. 'But just as a doctor observing him, given his medical history and age, I'm worried about early onset dementia. 'I would be worried about anyone exhibiting issues with recall and memory at Joe Biden's age.' And Dr Amit Bajaj, an associate professor in speech science Emerson University in Boston Massachusetts, agreed that the reasons behind Mr Biden's increasing number of gaffes might be 'because he is old'. Advertisement

Bin Laden - then-leader of al Qaeda, and the man that America went to Afghanistan to kill - penned the 48-page missive in May 2010 to an aide identified as 'Brother Shaykh Mahmud', real name Atiyah Abd al-Rahman.

In it, he discusses the need to direct resources away from terror attacks in other Muslim countries and instead focus on direct attacks against the US.

On page 36, he outlines his desire to form two hit squads - one in Pakistan and another in Afghanistan - whose job it will be to plot attacks against then-US President Barack Obama and ex-CIA director David Petraeus, should they visit either country.

Giving his reasoning for attacking Obama, he says: 'Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make Biden take over the presidency for the remainder of the term, as it is the norm over there.

'Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the US into a crisis.'

He the adds: 'As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour in this last year of the war, and killing him would alter the war's path.'

US intelligence analysts who first revealed the existence of the document to the Washington Post in 2012 said neither of the plots against Obama or Petraeus were realistic or amounted to anything.

But bin Laden's attack on Biden's abilities and his forewarning of an American 'crisis' rings truer now than it did back then.

Biden is facing mounting fury across the world for abandoning Afghans to their fate - and yesterday it emerged that his administration was warned last month that the Afghan capital would quickly fall to the Taliban after an American withdrawal.

A dozen diplomats sent a confidential memo in a dissent channel to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on July 13 that the Taliban was rapidly gaining ground and the city was vulnerable to collapse, the Wall Street Journal reported.

On July 8, President Biden said it was 'highly unlikely' the Taliban would take control of Afghanistan and denied there would be chaos in Kabul.

There are mounting questions over how the White House, the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence services were evaluating the future of Afghanistan, the threat of the Taliban and how quickly power would change hands.

Afghan security forces were collapsing, they said, and offered ways to mitigate the advancing insurgents.

But it may have been too late to stop them.

The State Department memo, according to the report, also called for the government to use tougher language on the violence in the past from the Taliban and urged them to start collecting information for Afghan allies who qualified for Special Immigrant Visas after working with US forces.

The Journal reported that 23 Embassy staffers signed the cable and rushed to deliver it considering the deteriorating situation in Kabul.

Blinken reviewed the cable, a personal familiar with it told the paper.

State Department spokesman Ned Price told the Journal: 'He's made clear that he welcomes and encourages use of the dissent channel, and is committed to its revitalization. We value constructive internal dissent.'

The memo urged the administration to start flights evacuating people out of the country no later than August 1st.

A former CIA counter-terrorism chief also advised the president's campaign Kabul would crumble within days with a depleted American presence.

But in an interview released on Thursday morning, President Biden claimed that he was never told that such a rapid collapse was possible.

And a day earlier, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he never saw any intelligence warning that the Afghan government could fall so quickly.

'There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days,' Milley said.

Their claims were disputed in a detailed account describing the state of understanding at the CIA written by Douglas London, the agency's former counter-terrorism chief for south and south-west Asia, which offered a very different assessment.

He said the rapid collapse was one of a number of possible scenarios.

'Ultimately, it was assessed, Afghan forces might capitulate under the circumstances we witnessed, in projections highlighted to Trump officials and future Biden officials alike,' he wrote on the Just Security website.

Tens of thousands of Afghans are currently trying to flee the country on mercy flights from Kabul, with babies passed over barbed wire to US soldiers

Taliban fighters swept into Kabul almost unopposed last week, and have since assumed control of the country

London, who also served as a volunteer adviser to the Biden campaign after leaving the CIA in 2019, scoffed at the president's claim that events in Afghanistan unfolded more rapidly than expected.

'That's misleading at best,' he said. 'The CIA anticipated it as a possible scenario.'

Biden has been accused of 'humiliating' America on the world stage by committing himself to Trump's plan to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan this year.

The rapid withdrawal was followed by the equally rapid collapse of the Afghan army - which the west spent 20 years and billions of dollars training and equipping - allowing the Islamists to walk into Kabul virtually unopposed last week.

That has sparked a desperate rush to get out of the country, with tens of thousands of people gathering at the airport each day in a bid to get on one of the last evacuation flights.

Meanwhile the Taliban has started going house-to-house in a hunt for anyone who collaborated with the west, so they can be tortured and killed.

Each day brings more horrifying scenes from the airport including men falling from US planes, a teenager whose body was crushed in landing gear, women being whipped by Taliban guards and children who have been trampled.

Western nations have pledged to take more than 100,000 Afghan refugees between them but have now been forced to admit that they may not even be able to evacuate their own citizens before the air bridge is cut off.

Biden has said US troops will stay past his August 31 date for withdrawal in order to get all US passport holders out of the country - but with the Taliban now firmly in control, it remains to be seen whether he can keep that promise.

UK defence sources have said they are contingency planning for withdrawal of their own forces with as little as 24 hours notice if the Americans suddenly decide to abandon ship - a scenario they fear will put troops in danger.
Dominic Raab faced a string of damaging claims about his commitment to the job last night.

Officials accused the embattled Foreign Secretary of 'appalling negligence' amid toxic claims about an alleged failure to keep on top of his brief.

In the days leading up to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, he allegedly 'refused to be contacted' about some government business while on his Crete holiday.

But Foreign Office officials yesterday told the Mail that his failure to engage as the crisis mounted was indicative of his attitude in recent months.

Officials accused the embattled Foreign Secretary (pictured today) of 'appalling negligence' amid toxic claims about an alleged failure to keep on top of his brief

Foreign Office officials yesterday told the Mail that his failure to engage as the crisis mounted was indicative of his attitude in recent months (pictured yesterday)

One insider said for the past year it was like Mr Raab had 'completely checked out'. 'How can you be bored of being the British Foreign Secretary?' they asked.

Mr Raab, who as First Secretary of State is Boris Johnson's deputy, was also accused of not being on top of his ministerial papers.

A Whitehall source said that aides working for the Foreign Secretary had complained that he failed to get through his Red Box, which is filled each night with briefings. One claimed that he could read as little as a fifth of the contents, adding: 'It is appalling negligence.'

However, a source close to Mr Raab yesterday dismissed this as 'simply untrue', insisting: 'The Foreign Secretary has never not finished a Red Box.'

Mr Raab also found himself embroiled in a briefing war last night over whether he had delayed the setting up of a scheme to bring Afghan translators into this country.

In the days leading up to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, he allegedly 'refused to be contacted' about some government business while on his Crete holiday (pictured today)

The Foreign Secretary was accused being responsible for delays in getting it agreed, before it.

A government official told the Mail that while Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel were 'totally on board' with the plan, the Foreign Secretary was 'an absolute nightmare'.

'It was the same familiar story of Dom being uncontactable and saying he wouldn't look at things for days on end,' the official claimed. 'He wouldn't clear the policy and was stalling.'

However, sources close to Mr Raab last night rejected the criticism and said the delays were caused by his desire for the scheme to cover not just translators, but a much wider list of roles. The scheme was eventually announced in December last year.

Last night, opposition MPs even issued an extraordinary threat to try to dock Dominic Raab's pay.

They threatened to submit a motion on the first day back of Parliament next month calling for Mr Raab's ministerial pay to be docked if he has not been sacked by then.

Mr Raab also found himself embroiled in a briefing war last night over whether he had delayed the setting up of a scheme to bring Afghan translators into this country. A government official told the Mail that while Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (right) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (left) were 'totally on board' with the plan, the Foreign Secretary was 'an absolute nightmare'

Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats' chief whip who is behind the move, said: 'If the Prime Minister can't show leadership on this, then I hope MPs will do his job for him.

'There is no way Dominic Raab should be in post when Parliament returns, however if he is, then I believe at the very least his wages should be docked.

'If you don't turn up for your job in a national crisis, then how on earth do you expect taxpayers to pay your Ministerial wages? In no other job in Britain would you get paid more money for failing to show up. '

She added: 'Dominic Raab is not fit to represent this country. He has let down interpreters who are now in grave danger as a result of his gross incompetence. British service men and women owe their safety to these interpreters. The Foreign Secretary should have moved heaven and earth to save them.'

As a member of the Cabinet, Mr Raab receives a 67,505 ministerial salary on top of his 81,932 wage as an MP.

Amid the growing row over his commitment to the job, critics yesterday pointed to previous comments he has made about laziness. In 2012, he co-authored a book that claimed British workers are 'among the worst idlers in the world'.

'Too many people in Britain prefer a lie-in to hard work,' said the authors, who also included current Cabinet ministers Priti Patel, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng.

In an interview to promote the book, Mr Raab said: 'People who are coasting - it should be easier to let them go, to give the unemployed a chance.

'It is a delicate balancing act, but it should be decided in favour of the latter.'

As a member of the Cabinet, Mr Raab (pictured today) receives a 67,505 ministerial salary on top of his 81,932 wage as an MP

Labour MP Kevin Brennan last night said: 'Dominic Raab is a hypocrite. How dare he malign British workers like that, especially when he couldn't be bothered to get off his sun lounger to make a phone call to save people's lives in Afghanistan.

'He should resign but if he's too stubborn, Boris Johnson should sack him.'

Since returning to Britain from his holiday in Crete in the early hours of Monday morning, Mr Raab has argued he deserved a break thanks to his 'very gruelling, demanding schedule'.

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.'

Mr Raab, 47, started his career as a lawyer. He was first elected as MP for Esher and Walton in 2010.
Police are investigating the 'unexplained' death of a teenage girl at student halls in Manchester.

Emergency crews rushed to the flats in the city centre at around 9.30pm on Thursday to reports of a sudden death.

The girl, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accommodation shortly after.

Police said today that the death is being treated as 'unexplained', with enquiries still ongoing.

Police are investigating the 'unexplained' death of a teenage girl at student halls in Manchester

Emergency crews rushed to the flats in the city centre at around 9.30pm on Thursday to reports of a sudden death

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: 'Officers were called just before 9.30pm last night to a report of a sudden death on New Wakefield Street in Manchester.

'Emergency services attended and a 19-year-old woman was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

'The death is currently being treated as unexplained whilst officers carry out enquiries.

'A report is being prepared for HM Coroner.'

The flats where the tragedy took place are understood to be part of a new multi-million pound accommodation block, standing 32 storeys high and housing some 603 students.
A pensioner has been arrested after a four-car pile-up saw a father killed and his toddler son hospitalised with serious injuries.

Police rushed to the A267 in the village of Frant, East Sussex, after the hit-and-run four-vehicle crash occurred at around 11am on Wednesday.

A 36-year-old man, from Dartford, Kent, who was driving a blue Ford Fiesta, was pronounced death at the scene, according to Sussex Police.

The man's two-year-old son was flown to King's College Hospital in south London with head injuries and he remains in a 'serious' condition.

Police rushed to the A267 in the village of Frant, East Sussex, after the hit-and-run four-vehicle crash occurred at around 11am on Wednesday (file image)

The collision also involved a white Renault Master, a silver Toyota Estima and a silver or grey Honda car.

A 76-year-old Honda driver, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, failed to stop at the scene and is currently in police custody.

He was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after a road accident.

Lorry driver Ben Evans, 30, was among the first people to arrive at the scene following the accident.

He said: 'I didn't see the accident happen I just came round the corner and I saw the traffic and a lorry and car in front that had stopped.

'They had already got the child out the car and there were plenty of people scurrying about.'

An off-duty doctor also helped cut free one of the drivers whose car had crashed into a hedge.

Specialist collision investigators closed off a section of the rural country road to gather evidence.

A 36-year-old man, from Dartford, Kent, who was driving a blue Ford Fiesta, was pronounced death at the scene and his son, two, was injured, according to Sussex Police (stock image)

It was reopened around 8.30pm on Wednesday with a yellow collision appeal notice set up appealing for information.

Detectives are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: 'Officers were called to a four-vehicle collision on the A267 where a 36-year-old man from Dartford, Kent, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

'His son and the sole passenger - a two-year-old boy also from Dartford - sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to King's College Hospital in London, where he remains in a serious condition.

'Police have been working to trace the driver of one of the vehicles involved and on Thursday arrested a 76-year-old man from Tunbridge Wells on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and for failing to stop after a road accident.

'He is currently in police custody.'

He added: 'Police are urging any witnesses, or anyone who may have captured either of the vehicles in the area on dash cam, to email collision.appeal@sussex.pnn.police.uk quoting Operation Utility.'
Her family were 'taken by surprise' by Taliban's quick surge through the country

A family from Nottingham who are trapped in Afghanistan have spoken of their 'terror' amid the Taliban takeover and have pleaded for the UK's government's help to get them home.

Nargas Ziahe, 24, flew out to Afghanistan more than six weeks ago following the death of an uncle, completely unaware of what was to come.

The admin worker says she was 'taken by surprise' as Taliban forces swept across the country, with forces entering and taking control of capital Kabul on Sunday.

Thousands of British citizens have fled the country, most on military flights out of Hamid Karzai International Airport which currently remains out of Taliban hands.

However, Ms Ziahe is trapped just outside the main airport's entrance in a camp without beds or proper sanitation, unable to get past Taliban blockades that are limiting people from reaching flights.

'It is so scary,' said Ms Ziahe. 'There was so much shooting which was scaring my five-year-old brother. They are just shooting in the air.'

Nargas Ziahe, an admin worker from Nottingham, and her young siblings are trapped in Afghanistan after they were 'taken by surprise' by the speed of the country's fall to the Taliban after they headed there six weeks ago for a funeral

'It is so scary,' said Ms Ziahe. 'There was so much shooting which was scaring my five-year-old brother. They are just shooting in the air'

'We have spoken to the Foreign Office and our names are registered there. But there are no troops. I just want to be taken somewhere safe.

'No one can do anything because all the shops are closed, it was just a big surprise for everyone.

'I am near the airport. We are sleeping on the floor. There is nowhere to wash, just little shops to get some water.'

Taliban fighters have been seen shooting over the heads of crowds, and reports of women by whipped at random.

Such is the desperation among those trying to flee that women have resorted to passing babies over barbed wire to soldiers and pleaded to fly them to safety.

Thousands of British citizens have fled the country, most on military flights out of Hamid Karzai International Airport which currently remains out of Taliban hands. Pictured: Afghan people gather along a road outside an airport

Satellite images have revealed the extent of the crisis at Kabul airport, with cars crammed up against the southern civilian entrance and northern military entrance that can be seen from satellites

Ms Ziahe also sent voice-messages from nine-year-old Asma who said she is so scared of the gunfire that it has left her in tears and she 'doesn't know what to do'.

Ms Ziahe had been in the town of Charikar, Parwan province, to the north of Kabul visiting relatives with her brother Omar, five, and her sister Asma who is just nine years old.

A number of other family members are with her, including some of her uncles, who Ms Ziahe must travel with due to the Taliban's restrictions which prohibit women going outside alone. She said all woman have been made to cover themselves.

Concern was raised back in Nottingham at Mellers Primary School in Radford which Ms Ziahe's younger siblings usually attend.

Having heard they had planned to travel to Afghanistan, headteacher Amanda Dawson to contact the family to make sure they were safe, but she ended up contacting the Foreign Office after learning of the situation.

'We realised yesterday that one of our school community families had been intending to travel to Afghanistan over the summer, so I contacted Mr Ziahe [Ms Ziahe's father] to check that everyone was safely home,' she said.

'Unfortunately, Mr Ziahe told me that his wife, eldest daughter, younger son and daughter were all stuck in Kabul and didn't know how to get home.

A baby is handed over to the American army over the perimeter wall of the airport for it to be evacuated, in Kabul

'I reassured Mr Ziahe that I would help, and trawled the internet to find out who I needed to contact to alert the foreign office to the family's plight.

'I managed to find the right contact at the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, and was able to get the family, who are all British nationals, registered for repatriation flights.'

Ms Ziahe was instructed to visit the Baron Hotel in Kabul as all embassies had been evacuated. At the hotel, which is located next to the Hamid Karzai International Airport, her paperwork would be processed for repatriation.

Upon arrival, however, they met a Taliban blockade which would not let them pass.

They have now been in a camp just outside the airport which they say has no beds and no washing facilities.

'It would be really nice if there were British or American troops here to get in touch with, because there are so many people. I am not saying they should come and fight, but we need soldiers to be here so we can see them and speak to them.'

Lilian Greenwood, the MP for Nottingham South, confirmed she had been in 'constant' contact with the Government over Ms Ziahe's situation.

'We have been liaising closely with Amanda at the school, they have shared video footage of the Taliban blocking their route to the hotel,' she said.

'I will do everything I possibly can to get them home. I cannot even imagine the terror for the family but also the anxiety and stress.'

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.

The UK evacuated 963 people on flights from Kabul, the country's only working airport, yesterday and is planning for 1,000 more to leave the country today.

Britain has promised to evacuate some 7,000 UK citizens and Afghan staff from the country, in addition to 5,000 refugees, but a foreign minister admitted they would not be able to evacuate everyone from Afghanistan.

Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey said today that 'that sad truth is, we don't have it in our gift to stay there until absolutely everyone is out'.

'The air bridge (from Kabul) could last two more days, five more days, ten more days,' he added, insisting that the armed forces are 'working hard to maximise capacity' on every flight.

However, one image laid bare the extent of the empty promises - showing what is thought to be a Norwegian mercy flight taking off from Kabul carrying the wife of a British ex-Marine who is still stranded in Afghanistan, but almost nobody else.

Posting the image on Twitter last night, Paul 'Pen' Farthing wrote: 'Kaisa is on her way home! BUT this aircraft is empty scandalous as thousands wait outside Kabul airport being crushed as they cannot get in. Sadly people will be left behind when this mission is over as we CANNOT get it right.'

The UK government is thought to be drawing up contingency plans for a hasty 24-hour exit from the country, a medium-term withdrawal over a period of several days, and a more-orderly withdrawal over a longer period.

Whitehall sources told The Times that the longer-term option is preferred as being safer for British troops, but were forced to admit 'we are in the American's hands' - with little indication coming from Washington as to how long they are willing to hold out.

British special forces are now being sent outside the walls of the airport compound in order to find passport and visa holders and get them past Taliban checkpoints so they can be put on planes home.

It is hoped that their searches outside of the airport's walls could lead to the rescue of Ms Ziahe and her family members.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow today for a showdown over the imprisonment of Alexei Navalny, a year after he was poisoned with a nerve agent.

Merkel blames the poison attack on the Kremlin and has called for Navalny's release since he was jailed in February, weeks after his return from Germany, where he received life-saving treatment. Putin denies the poisoning.

The pair are also expected to discuss Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the simmering war in eastern Ukraine and the authoritarian crackdown in Russian-allied Belarus.

In what will be Merkel's final visit to Russia, her aides have made clear that the timing of the meeting is not accidental.

'Yes, it is the anniversary of the poison attack on Mr Navalny,' her spokesman Steffen Seibert said Wednesday.

'Our demands have still not been met,' Seibert said, adding that the case was 'unresolved' and had put a 'heavy burden' on relations between the two countries.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow today for a showdown over the imprisonment of Alexei Navalny

The German and Russian counterparts are expected to discuss events in Afghanistan, Belarus, and Ukraine in a meeting at the Kremlin today

Merkel blames the poison attack on the Kremlin and has called for Alexei Navalny's release since he was jailed in February, weeks after his return from Germany, where he was treated

Merkel, who will travel to Russia's rival Ukraine after visiting Putin, is also expected to discuss major international issues with the Kremlin chief, who infrequently receives Western visitors in Moscow.

Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany, and Putin, a former KGB agent stationed there, speak each other's languages.

During the chancellor's 16 years in power, the pair always kept a dialogue despite strained relations, dampened by issues ranging from alleged cyberattacks to the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.

Merkel visited Navalny when he was treated at the Charite hospital in Berlin following the near-fatal poisoning.

Navalny is now held in a maximum security prison colony in Pokrov, 100km (60 miles) east of Moscow.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall in Moscow ahead of a meeting with Putin today

Merkel lay a wreath adorned with the colours of the German flag at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ahead of talks with Vladimir Putin today

This month he was charged with new crimes that could prolong his jail time by three years. If found guilty, he could only be released after 2024, the year Russia is scheduled to hold a presidential election.

Seibert said Navalny had been 'wrongly' imprisoned.

Navalny's movement has faced unprecedented pressure ahead of September parliamentary polls in Russia, in which Putin's United Russia party is expected to struggle.

His organisation was banned as 'extremist' and his allies have faced criminal charges, forcing some to leave Russia.

This month Navalny was charged with new crimes that could prolong his jail time by three years. If found guilty, he could only be released after 2024, the year Russia is scheduled to hold a presidential election

The 45-year-old has called on Russians from prison to sabotage the September election with his strategy of 'Smart Voting', that encourages voters to back candidates best placed to defeat Kremlin-linked politicians.

Authorities have banned his anti-corruption websites and this week Russia's censor asked Apple to remove Navalny's Smart Voting app.

In a letter from jail published in European newspapers Thursday, Navalny urged Western leaders to challenge Putin directly and impose personal sanctions on his entourage.

The German leader will also travel to Ukraine on Sunday, where she will meet President Volodymyr Zelensky as tension continues over Moscow's troop build-up on Ukraine's borders.

Germany has been a major player in efforts to broker peace in eastern Ukraine.

The German leader will also travel to Ukraine on Sunday, where she will meet President Volodymyr Zelensky (centre) as tension continues over Moscow's troop build-up on Ukraine's borders

Merkel may also seek to provide Ukraine with assurances over Nord Stream 2, the controversial gas pipeline set to double natural gas supplies from Russia to Germany.

As Merkel prepares to bow out of politics following an election in Germany on September 26, the crisis in Afghanistan could be the latest subject to drive a wedge between the two leaders.

While Merkel has described the Taliban's return to power as 'bitter', Russia has taken a more conciliatory tone.

Moscow has sought contact with the Taliban, which is saying is showing early 'positive signals' in Afghanistan.

The trip will be the 20th visit to Russia for Merkel.
Months before his execution, King Charles I was planning to build new Houses of Parliament to placate his critics, according to new research.

Architectural plans drawn up in 1648 by his court architect, John Webb, have revealed magnificent designs for a House of Lords, a House of Commons and their lobbies alongside private royal apartments.

The plans were thought to be designs for a royal residence when they appeared in an obscure 1942 book as drawings by Webb, an assistant to architect Inigo Jones.

Their true significance has now been discovered by Dr Simon Thurley, a leading historian of English architecture, who was chief executive of English Heritage and curator of Historic Royal Palaces.

The complex was so vast that it would have been one of Europe's largest royal buildings.

What makes the scheme all the more extraordinary is that it reveals the thoughts of the king as he contemplated a future that was never to be.

Soon afterwards, on January 30, 1649, he was beheaded as a traitor and public enemy on January 30 1649, following a civil war sparked by his authoritarian rule and quarrels with Parliament.

On his release from house arrest in Carisbrook Castle on the Isle of Wight, he made a last-ditch attempt to save his kingdom and his life, presenting architectural plans for a palace that put Parliament, rather than the monarch or the church, at its centre.

Months before his execution, King Charles I was planning to build new Houses of Parliament to placate his critics, according to new research

Architectural plans (above) drawn up in 1648 by his court architect, John Webb, have revealed magnificent designs for a House of Lords, a House of Commons and their lobbies alongside private royal apartments

He hoped it would show his critics that he would reign differently in future.

Dr Thurley said: 'The excitement then was that they had actually worked out who the plans were by.

'They obviously show a whacking great palace but, bizarrely, nobody asked, "what is this complex of buildings in the centre?"

'The excitement now is we actually know what they were for and it opens an extraordinary shaft of light into the mind of this tortured king, who is at his wit's end.

The plans were thought to be designs for a royal residence when they appeared in an obscure 1942 book as drawings by Webb, an assistant to architect Inigo Jones

Their true significance has now been discovered by Dr Simon Thurley, a leading historian of English architecture, who was chief executive of English Heritage and curator of Historic Royal Palaces

'He's throwing the last dice on the table. Everybody thinks it's going to work. Then there's a military coup. The moderates are kicked out of Parliament and they chop his head off

'No-one has ever suggested at any point that this plan is anything to do with Parliament.

'Everyone has assumed that this is all about royal accommodation.

'No-one has ever spotted that you've got this incredible plan where you balance the House of Commons and House of Lords across a big lobby, connected directly with the royal palace, much as it is in the 19th-century Palace of Westminster today.'

The new Houses of Parliament were not built until the reign of Queen Victoria. Above: They are depicted above in 1900

He added: 'If you look at the geometry of the plan, the thing that is right in the centre of the palace isn't the king's throne-room, his council chamber or a chapel.

'It's Parliament. That's a really big surprise.

'When you think that the new Houses of Parliament wasn't built until Queen Victoria's reign, this is the most ambitious attempt to remodel the whole relationship of the monarch and parliament before Victoria.'

Jones's Banqueting House (pictured) was spared in the blaze. Ironically, the site - outside which the king was beheaded on a scaffold - was incorporated into Webb's designs

The Palace of Whitehall in Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of it was destroyed by fire.

Jones's Banqueting House was spared in the blaze. Ironically, the site - outside which the king was beheaded on a scaffold - was incorporated into Webb's designs.

Palaces of Revolution: Life, Death and Art at the Stuart Court, will be published in September

Dr Thurley will include Webb's plans, which are in the possession of the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth in Derbyshire, in his forthcoming book, titled Palaces of Revolution: Life, Death and Art at the Stuart Court, to be published by William Collins on September 16.

He writes: 'Webb's plan of 1648 recreated the medieval arrangements of sovereign and parliament co-located in a single building

'MPs and peers would have crossed the great court and ascended stairs into a great ante room Passing through a square chamber they would have entered a central vaulted hall.

'This was the lobby, a crucially important space thronged with people during parliamentary sessions.'

Dr Thurley does not doubt Charles's intention to build a palace linking Parliament and the royal residence, partly because Webb had written the word 'Taken' on the plans, meaning the king's chosen design: 'Charles is trying to persuade Parliament that he's going to give up his old ways of not calling them regularly because he ruled for 12 years without Parliament.'

But he added: 'It seems to me to be the last expression of his duplicitous nature. I'm pretty sure that, like all his concessions, it was double-edged.

'This was, in fact, a way of keeping Parliament firmly under his control.'
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Missed chances to avoid atrocities: How security and probation services have failed to prevent terror attacks MANCHESTER ARENA (MAY 2017) Salman Abedi, and his younger brother Hashem, took months to cultivate and stockpile explosives and shrapnel at a variety of Manchester addresses, eventually using them in a heavy backpack bomb he detonated outside an Arianna Grande concert, killing 22 and injuring hundreds more on May 22, 2017. A public inquiry into the attack heavily criticised 'serious shortcomings in the security' by venue operators, security staff and police on the night of the bombing, saying this helped Abedi carry out his 'evil intentions.' The inquiry chairman recounted missed opportunities to stop Abedi and said authorities showed a reluctance to believe an attack could happen. One man waiting to pick up his partner's daughter had even raised concerns with a steward when he saw Abedi loitering in a CCTV blind spot on a mezzanine above the arena foyer with a large knapsack, but was 'fobbed off.' The inquiry also heard two officers on duty took a two-hour break to go for a kebab; emergency services could not get through to the phone line of Greater Manchester Police's initial commander; and only three paramedics entered the City Room foyer, while the fire service got there more than two hours later. WESTMINSTER BRIDGE (MARCH 2017) Khalid Masood drove into people on Westminster Bridge, killing four, before stabbing policeman PC Keith Palmer at the Palace of Westminster in March 2017. Pc Palmer's widow Michelle Palmer said he was left 'in a vulnerable location, with no protection, to die', and the coroner said the officer's death could 'possibly' have been prevented if armed officers were nearby. Senior officers said the two officers on patrol had not checked during updated guidance, but an inquest was also told that other armed officers were unaware - and patrol practices were not correctly monitored. FISHMONGERS' HALL (NOVEMBER 2019) Convicted terrorist Usman Khan was killed on London Bridge by armed police after stabbing Cambridge university graduates Saskia Jones, 23, and Jack Merritt, 25, while wearing a fake suicide belt in November 2019. An inquest jury later found failures by the Probation Service, police and MI5 contributed to their deaths, with Khan allowed to travel to a prisoner rehabilitation event alone despite being released from jail 11 months earlier. Jurors said there had been 'unacceptable management and lack of accountability' and 'serious deficiencies' under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (Mappa), which are used by police, probation and prison services to work together. The jury also concluded that police, probation officers and the securtiy servies spies managing Khan had experienced a 'blind spot' relating to the risk he posed. LONDON BRIDGE (JUNE 2017) Khuram Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, were all killed after ploughing into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people in Borough Market. Eight people were killed in the attack in June 2017, and Butt had been investigated by MI5 since 2015 over concerns he wanted to carry out an attack. Families of the victims criticised the authorities for failing to prevent the atrocity despite having its ringleader under investigation, but a coroner said he was 'not persuaded' that MI5 and police missed clues that could have helped to stop it. Advertisement

Security experts today criticised 'incompetency' and 'oversight' after a jury found the Streatham terror attack could have been prevented if convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman had been recalled to prison after police spotted him buying items used in his fake suicide belt.

In what was the latest in a line of terror disasters for Britain's security and probation services, 20-year-old Amman was shot dead by armed undercover officers after he stole a knife from a hardware shop and began randomly stabbing members of the public on Streatham High Road in South London.

The jury at the Royal Courts of Justice inquest into his death also concluded that Amman had been lawfully killed when he was shot on February 2 last year. He had been released from HMP Belmarsh ten days earlier after serving half of a 40-month sentence for obtaining and distributing material for terrorist purposes.

Police and MI5 officers were so concerned about him two days before his attack - after watching him buy materials it was rightly feared could be used to make a hoax suicide belt - that they had an emergency meeting to discuss arresting the recently released terrorist.

But HM Prison and Probation Service decided not to recall him to jail, despite undercover officers spotting him buy four small bottles of Irn-Bru, kitchen foil and parcel tape from Poundland. Amman was kept under round-the-clock armed surveillance instead.

Asked today about the mistakes leading to the attack, Dr Joseph Downing, a fellow in nationalism at the London School of Economics who studies security and terrorism, told MailOnline: 'That's clearly incompetence. The problem is when something like this happens is that the person may do stuff in the preparation for an attack but it may be mundane.

'When it's something like buying equipment for a bomb then clearly there has been an oversight. Because this is something being dealt with between numerous agencies who work to different verdicts of truth, different expertise, it can happen. Like the probation services clearly doesn't have expertise in counter-terrorism and that's one of the problems. Working among different agencies is often the problem.

'That's the problem with the checks and balances according to the law. Even if the security services do say they're identified the problem they can be overruled by other actors and that's one of the main issues we have today.'

The incident followed the Manchester Arena bombing and the Westminster Bridge attack in 2017, and the Fishmongers' Hall stabbings in November 2019 - all of which also saw killers Salman Abedi, Usman Khan and Khalid Masood spend time planning their atrocities.

Security expert Anthony Glees, emeritus professor at the University of Buckingham, told MailOnline today: 'I think the verdict is a devastating blow to the UK's security community - MI5, counter-terror police and the Probation Service - but it will also probably cause very serious disquiet amongst the public who will be feeling very angry now.

'First and foremost towards Sudesh Amman. I know he's dead, but it's the latest in a depressingly long line of Islamist terrorists who've murdered and maimed people in the UK for far too long now. But also anger towards the security services who have a duty to keep us safe.

'This is now the third time that a jury has found they failed to do their duty, and the security services will always say that a small proportion of terrorists will always get through, and we don't live in a police state, we have to accept this risk.

'But the problem about arguing this is time and time again we see the same errors made again, described as a 'blind spot' to risk. We're not talking about cleanskins, acts of God we couldn't possibly know about. We're talking about people who the security services and Probation Service knew, and that's what's so horrifying in all these cases.

The senior investigating officer on the Amman case denied suggestions from the terrorist's family that police should have intervened and that the undercover operation was a 'massive failure'. The officer said instead that the Metropolitan Police's actions on the day he struck prevented further tragedy.

But London Mayor Sadiq Khan said today: 'It is clear from the findings of the inquest that serious lessons must be learned.'

And Mr Glees continued: 'What do we need to do now? The first thing is that no file ever opened on a terrorist will ever close. They must expect very long jail sentences if found guilty of terrorist offences, and we know that the Director of Public Prosecutions (Max Hill) called for much stronger sentences for any indication of terrorist activity.

'No longer can the benefit of the doubt be given to any terrorist or terrorist subject. And particularly in respect of what is now going on in Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover will doubtless inspire the next generation of Islamist terrorists, it's got to be made clear that anybody who leaves the UK to fight for Islamism will never come back. They must expect that their British passport will be thrown away if they travel.'

Coventry-born Amman, of Queensbury, North London, had been living at a probation hostel in Streatham for ten days when he stabbed a woman - named in reports at the time as nursery school teacher Monika Luftner, 52 - in the back, before knifing a male passer-by in the torso, before turning to charge at two armed police officers who gave chase.

The male victim and the police officers who eventually opened fire on Amman both described fearing they would die during the 62-second rampage.

The inquest jury returned a conclusion of lawful killing this morning, after retiring for 11 hours to consider their finding, but said probation 'missed an opportunity' to send him back to prison following the Poundland trip.

Jurors concluded the decision not to search Amman's probation hostel, or search him in person on the day of the attack, did not amount to a missed opportunity.

The coroner Mr Justice Hilliard, at the inquest's conclusion, said: 'Amman was prepared to risk his life... In stark contrast the Metropolitan Police surveillance teams were prepared to put themselves in harm's way. They are all to be commended for their bravery, and they are owed a considerable debt of gratitude for their bravery.'

Sudesh Amman, 20, was shot dead by armed undercover officers during the incident in Streatham, South London, last year

Body worn camera footage issued by the Metropolitan Police showing armed officers approaching the prone body of Amman

Mobile phone footage issued by the Metropolitan Police today of armed officers approaching Amman as he lays prone

A Metropolitan Police photograph of the remnants of a hoax suicide belt used by Sudesh Amman during the incident

Armed officers approaching Amman as he lays prone in front of the entrance to Boots on Streatham High Street in London

A Metropolitan Police photograph of the mobile phone used by Sudesh Amman, which did not have internet connectivity

CCTV grab issued by the Metropolitan Police of the bomb vest worn by Sudesh Amman, lying on the ground in Streatham

Armed officers approaching Amman as he lays prone in Streatham High Street in South London on Febraury 2 last year

Photographs taken from a classified police intelligence report into Amman when he was under surveillance

Armed officers approaching Sudesh Amman (not pictured) as he lays prone in front of the entrance to Boots in Streatham

Amman stabbed a woman - named in reports at the time as nursery school teacher Monika Luftner, 52 - in the back

Amman's family already conceded police had little choice but to shoot him, who was born in Coventry and lived in Birmingham and North West London.

And the coroner said the evidence showed the officers who shot Amman 'at every stage honestly believed that it was necessary to use force in defence of himself and others'.

The four questions jurors had to answer in the Sudesh Amman inquest Q1: 'Are you satisfied that, on the balance of probabilities, Sudesh Amman was lawfully killed?' A: YES Q2: 'Did HM Prison and Probation Service miss an opportunity which may have prevented the attack and the consequent death of Sudesh Amman, in not deciding to recall him to prison after being notified on 31 January 2020 of the purchases he had made on that date?' A: YES Q3: 'Did the police investigation team miss an opportunity which may have prevented the attack and the consequent death of Sudesh Amman, in not asking the National Probation Service to organise a search of Mr Amman's room by staff at the approved premises between (a) the time of his purchases on 31 January 2020 and (b) the time he left the approved premises at 1.22pm on 2 February 2020?' A: NO Q4: 'Did the Metropolitan Police Service miss an opportunity which may have prevented the attack and the consequent death of Sudesh Amman, in not taking steps to have Mr Amman stopped and searched on 2 February 2020, between him leaving the approved premises (at 1.22pm) and the attack beginning (at 1.57pm)?' A: NO Advertisement

The inquest, held over three weeks in London, heard Amman was considered 'one of the most dangerous individuals' investigated by police and MI5, and heard evidence he maintained an extremist mindset throughout his time in prison.

He was said to have plotted to kill the Queen, pledged allegiance to so-called Islamic State, and wanted to commit atrocities.

While in prison, Amman was also said to have revelled in his perceived notoriety as a young terrorist, and was said to have mixed with other high-profile offenders including the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi.

He was automatically released from Belmarsh jail on January 23, halfway through his 40-month sentence for obtaining and distributing material used for terrorist purposes, despite pleas to the prison governor to keep him in custody for longer after a police officer feared an attack would be 'when, not if'.

The case resulted in a new law removing the automatic release of terror offenders on determinate sentences, meaning they now routinely serve two-thirds of their sentence before their custody status is decided by a Parole Board.

The inquest jury heard Amman was shot at six times, with between three and four bullets hitting him.

He suffered wounds in the neck and abdomen, and was pronounced dead at 3.24pm once the scene had been made safe.

There was 'no indication' of any involvement from third parties, nor that he had breached any of his licence conditions prior to the attack.

Police defended the decision not to raid Amman's hostel room following the Poundland haul, stating there was an insufficient time window in which to conduct such an operation.

Carina Heckroodt, head of the London Extremism Gangs and Organised Crime Unit at the Probation Service, denied it was a 'missed opportunity' not to recall Amman to prison on January 31 after he was spotted buying items later used to fashion a fake suicide belt.

But in their conclusion, the jury said: 'Whilst the jury does acknowledge that several other avenues were explored in order to recall, there was a missed opportunity.'

A previously-unissued screengrab from CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police of armed officers approaching Amman

Undated handout file photos taken from a classified police intelligence report into Amman when he was under surveillance

Packaging from the knife that Amman stole from the Low Price Store on Streatham High Road, before stabbing passers by

Sudesh Amman's bedroom in his approved premises, the probation hostel in Streatham, south London

Sudesh Amman's probation hostel in Streatham, south London, where he lived for ten days following his release from prison

Undated Metropolitan Police handout file CCTV image of Sudesh Amman at the till in Poundland in Streatham on January 31 2020 where he bought items including four bottles of Irn Bru and kitchen foil, two days before his attack on Streatham

CCTV footage issued by the Metropolitan Police of the bomb vest worn by Sudesh Amman lying on the ground in Streatham

A Metropolitan Police photo of the mobile phone used by Sudesh Amman, which did not have internet connectivity

Previously unissued handout CCTV image issued by the Metropolitan Police of Amman (top left) in Streatham High Street

CCTV captured by a passing bus and issued by the Met Police of Amman running from officers in Streatham High Street

Timeline of terror: Sudesh Amman's ten days between prison release and tragedy Here is a timeline in the case of Sudesh Amman, the convicted terrorist who stabbed and injured two people in Streatham High Road in February 2020. - January 23, 2020 Sudesh Amman, a 20-year-old from Harrow in north-west London, is automatically released from Belmarsh prison, having been handed a 40-month sentence for 13 counts of obtaining and distributing material used for terrorist purposes. He is released to a probation hostel in Streatham, south London, despite pleas from police and MI5 to keep him in custody for longer due to his extremist views. - January 24 Amman, who is originally from Coventry, is placed under daytime surveillance by plain clothes officers. - January 29 A decision is made to allow those surveillance officers to carry firearms. - January 30 Amman's covert surveillance is relaxed slightly, meaning there would be no coverage between 6am and 10am due to intelligence about Amman's lack of movement at this time of the day. - January 31 Amman is seen looking at knives in a shop and buying items from Poundland that police - presciently - fear could be used to create a hoax suicide belt. These items include a parcel tape, aluminium foil and four 250ml bottles of Irn-Bru soft drink.

Police and MI5 officers hold an emergency meeting with HM Prison and Probation Service, but the latter decides to put Amman under 24-hour surveillance rather than to recall him to jail and blow the cover of the covert operation. - February 1 Amman is placed on 'round-the-clock' - i.e. 24-hour - surveillance. This includes armed covert police, as well as uniformed officers nearby. He leaves his flat just once, for around 22 minutes at lunchtime, to go to a nearby takeaway for a chicken meal. - February 2 1.22pm - Amman leaves his approved premises, the probation hostel, in Leigham Court Road.

- Amman leaves his approved premises, the probation hostel, in Leigham Court Road. 1.50pm - Amman is seen in Streatham High Road. He is said to be walking 'very slowly', appearing lost, and changing direction at various times.

- Amman is seen in Streatham High Road. He is said to be walking 'very slowly', appearing lost, and changing direction at various times. 1.57pm - The 20-year-old enters a shop called Low Price Store. He is inside for barely a minute, and emerges with a knife which he has stolen. He is pursued by undercover police. Amman stabs two people, a man and a woman. Both survive.

- The 20-year-old enters a shop called Low Price Store. He is inside for barely a minute, and emerges with a knife which he has stolen. He is pursued by undercover police. Amman stabs two people, a man and a woman. Both survive. 1.58pm - Amman, reaching Boots, turns to face the officers. They shoot at him, with at least two shots hitting him. A total of 62 seconds after running from the shop, Amman falls to the ground.

- Amman, reaching Boots, turns to face the officers. They shoot at him, with at least two shots hitting him. A total of 62 seconds after running from the shop, Amman falls to the ground. 2.40pm - A police explosives expert arrives on the scene to check and carefully remove the device around Amman's waist. It contains three bottles, wrapped in tin foil and attached to a belt with brown tape. It is later identified as a hoax.

- A police explosives expert arrives on the scene to check and carefully remove the device around Amman's waist. It contains three bottles, wrapped in tin foil and attached to a belt with brown tape. It is later identified as a hoax. 3.24pm - Amman is pronounced dead by a paramedic. Advertisement

They agreed that, based on its policy framework, HM Prison and Probation Service 'could have recalled Amman to prison if satisfied that his behaviour indicated an increased or unmanageable risk of serious harm to the public or that there was an imminent risk of further offences being committed'.

The strategic firearms commander on the day, known as BX88 to protect his identity, told the inquest: 'In the context of an armed operation, one person lost his life and others were injured.

'I have reflected a great deal and I have to say, I have been back through this in my mind from a personal perspective, I don't see how we could have achieved a more effective result with the circumstances presented to us.

'I know that sounds harsh because Amman lost his life.

'We were responding to his actions, and his actions were attempting to kill people.'

Footage from undercover officers, CCTV and members of the public captured Amman's final 35 minutes, during which he walked slowly to the high street, performing a series of about-turns which police described as anti-surveillance, before stealing the knife.

Members of the public could be seen scrambling for safety in shops as Amman sprinted along the busy street, before swiftly turning 180 degrees to face the officers with his knife raised at them.

He closed the short distance between them - reckoned to be around one metre (3ft) - within half a second, just as he was shot.

One witness who filmed the incident from a 201 bus travelling south, muttered: 'This ain't real, this ain't real.'

Footage then showed Amman spending around 10 seconds lying on his back and flailing his arms and legs wildly before he stopped moving. He was declared dead 90 minutes later.

Amman had laughed as he was sent to prison after being found with a combat knife and a jihadi flag at his home and was found to be encouraging his girlfriend to kill her parents.

In jail, he boasted of a 'strong desire to go to the after life' and openly shared a desire to kill the Queen, become a suicide bomber and join ISIS.

He said he wished he had been involved in the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby, who was executed with a knife in front of Woolwich barracks in May 2013.

Prison officers searched his cell just weeks before his release and found a pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, written out in Arabic.

A senior officer wrote to the prison governor of Belmarsh jail, asking if he could keep Amman in jail longer, but it was not possible.

Police and MI5 teams believed that Amman was 'one of the most dangerous individuals' that they had investigated and it was a question of 'when not if' he would launch an attack.

Nevertheless, on February 2 last year he grabbed a carving knife from a shop and stabbed two passers-by, one of them seriously, during a rampage up a busy shopping street in South London.

He was shot dead by armed surveillance officers in front of Boots on Streatham High Road, 62 seconds after the attack began, when he turned and ran at the officers.

However, the inquest heard about three opportunities in the 10 days between his release and launching his attack, which might have stopped the attack.

Rajiv Menon QC, for Amman's family, questioned an anonymous senior Scotland Yard officer called HA6, who said he had a 'well thought-out plan to manage the risk.'

Mr Menon said the plan was a 'miserable failure' adding: 'Two people were stabbed and [Amman] was shot and killed.'

CCTV of Amman in Lidl, Streatham, on January 29, 2020. Police said he was carrying out reconnaissance before his attack

A photograph from February 2020 of an armed police officer recovering medical bags at the scene in Streatham High Road

Police officers conducting a finger tip search at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road

Sudesh Amman at his probation hostel in Streatham, south London, the day he stabbed two members of the public

Men carry a body to a private ambulance at the scene in Streatham High Road following the attack on February 2, 2020

CCTV image issued by the Metropolitan Police of Sudesh Amman holding a knife in Streatham High Street

CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police of armed officers approaching Amman as he lays prone in Streatham High Street

CCTV captured by a passing bus and issued by the Metropolitan Police of Sudesh Amman facing two officers in Streatham

CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police of armed officers approaching Sudesh Amman as he lays prone in Streatham

Amman leaving his probation hostel on Leigham Court Road, Streatham. He is shot dead around half an hour later

How homegrown terrorist was deemed one of Britain's most dangerous Sudesh Amman was described by senior police and MI5 officers as 'one of the most dangerous individuals that we have investigated' just two weeks before the homegrown jihadi was released from prison. Intelligence compiled on 20-year-old Amman - both in the build-up to his conviction for collecting material useful for terrorism and disseminating terrorist publications, and in the days before his release from Belmarsh - painted a picture of a young man bent on radicalisation and committing a crime. His inquest heard he expressed a desire to kill the Queen, and remarked his wish to have been involved in the 2013 murder of fusilier Lee Rigby outside Woolwich barracks. He was also seemingly obsessed with his own celebrity, apparently boasting to cellmates that he was Belmarsh's youngest terror offender. Amman was born on December 27 1999 in Coventry, and was the oldest of six boys of Sri Lankan descent. His mother and her children moved to London in 2007, while his father moved back to his homeland. Amman was thrown out of school several times for fighting and poor behaviour before being arrested in 2018 on suspicion of terror offences. Searches of his hard drive revealed a folder entitled 'Chemistry', including videos and instruction manuals concerning use of weapons. Another instruction manual was labelled 'How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mum'. Amman had posted al Qaida propaganda on a family WhatsApp group, and exposed siblings as young as 11 to graphic material. He also urged his then-girlfriend to kill her parents. Little was known about Amman's path to radicalisation - although he claimed to have been traumatised by witnessing the decapitation of human bodies during a family holiday to Sri Lanka aged 15. While in prison, staff heard him openly showing his extreme views, which included 'a desire to kill the Queen, become a suicide bomber and join Isis', the inquest heard. He also described himself as 'a wild tiger who doesn't obey the law'. His mother, Haleema Khan, recalled how she spoke with her son on the phone less than 30 minutes before the atrocity, as he made his way to Streatham High Road, during which he ended their conversation with 'Bye bye, I love you mummy'. She said she had no reason to suspect her son - who had a long history of extremism, was prone to bouts of anger, and repeatedly asked if she had said her prayers - would carry out such an attack. 'I didn't think he was going to do these things,' she said. Advertisement

Amman was under surveillance on January 31 when he bought bottles of Iron Bru, Bacofoil and brown parcel tape in Poundland, which they rightly believed he might use to make a fake suicide vest.

He also went into the same Low Price Store on Streatham High Road where he later grabbed the knife, and looked at a section of the shop with sharp knives before claiming he did not have any money.

MI5 and the police convened an emergency joint operations teams meeting that evening to decide what to do but decided to leave him out on the streets.

They chose not to search his room in the probation hostel in the next two days where they might have found his fake suicide vest, allowing them to arrest him and send him back to jail.

The probation service also decided that his suspicious behaviour was not enough to justify recalling him to prison for another 20 months to complete his sentence.

A third opportunity was missed when Amman, who was wearing a bulky coat, began acting oddly as he made his way towards Streatham High Road on the afternoon of February 2, walking slowly, doubling back on himself.

The inquest jury at the Royal Courts of Justice was asked to reach conclusions on whether the probation service or police could have stopped the attack taking place.

They were asked whether the probation service should have taken steps on January 31 or February 1 to have Amman recalled to prison, as a result of the purchases he had made which 'raised serious suspicion that he was intending to make a hoax suicide belt.'

They were also asked whether the police investigation team ought to have asked to have Amman's probation hostel room searched following the purchases.

A last question asked whether Amman should have been stopped and searched by armed police officers on February 2 between him leaving the hostel at 1.22pm and running out of the Low Price Store with a knife at 1.57pm.

Amman was not treated for his injuries because of the possible suicide vest, but he had suffered two significant gunshot injuries and they were not survivable, the jury was told.

They were directed to return a finding of lawful killing after one of the undercover officers known as BX87, broke down giving evidence, saying he thought Amman was going to kill him.

Questions are now likely to be asked about whether Amman could have been separated from more serious terrorist offenders while in prison.

He was moved into the high security unit in Belmarsh jail where he was seen 'deep in conversation' with Ahmed Hassan, who tried to blow up a tube train at Parsons Green tube station in September 2017.

Other reports suggested he was mixing with terrorist prisoners including Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, who helped build the bomb that killed 22 people.

In a letter to his mother on July 25, two months after his arrest, Amman wrote: 'Why do I keep smiling? I never used to smile. Wallahi [I swear] it makes me tear up when I go to jummah prayers with all the brothers.

'It is such a beautiful experience, it's a blessing, you don't understand. I have never felt this amount of happiness in any mosque, hugging and salaaming [greeting] the brothers.'

CCTV image issued by the Metropolitan Police of Amman walking along Streatham High Road before attacking two people

Undated file photo taken from a classified police intelligence report into Sudesh Amman when he was under surveillance

CCTV footage of Sudesh Amman walks from his bail hostel to Streatham High Road, where he carried out his terror attack

Sudesh Amman's very public final moments on a busy Sunday afternoon Sudesh Amman's knife-wielding final moments were all the more dramatic due to the extremely public arena in which they played out. It was a busy Sunday pre-lockdown afternoon in Streatham, south London, when 20-year-old Sudesh Amman grabbed a large kitchen knife from a hardware store and set about stabbing two members of the public at random. Little over a minute later, he had been shot dead after pivoting to charge at two undercover police officers who had given chase, as horrified members of the public looked on. The gravity of the situation was borne out in footage compiled from CCTV, public transport, police body-worn cameras and mobile phones belonging to members of the public. Witness testimony at Amman's inquest described with vivid detail the 62 seconds between him grabbing the knife and being mortally wounded. Jagmon Singh, who worked in Low Price Store on Streatham High Road, said he thought Amman 'looked disturbed' when the convicted jihadi walked into his shop and began browsing the knives before selecting a weapon with which to enact his rampage. 'I thought it was a case of shoplifting,' said an officer known as BX87, one of a dozen police witnesses granted anonymity at the inquest, and who was part of the surveillance effort on the day. A minute later, he opened fire. Katherine Day said she saw Amman apparently 'skipping and hopping' up the street before lunging at targets, including a child. She and her partner Thomas Baldwin were later commended by one of Amman's victims for helping save his life after performing initial first aid before medics arrived on the scene. CCTV footage showed the street to be busy with pedestrians, so much so that nine covert police officers were able to work seemingly undetected by Amman. Just 20 seconds before Amman burst out of the Low Price Store, and slightly ahead of his first casualty, a woman with a small child and a pushchair could be seen heading northwards along Streatham High Road. Further along the street at Holland and Barrett, internal CCTV showed two young children standing at the shop entrance as Amman sprinted past with the knife clasped in his hand. Four women were then seen scrambling into a Boots store on Streatham High Road. Two seconds later, he was dead. BX87 broke down as he recalled fearing he was about to become Amman's latest victim. '(It) was like a cartoon - the blade of the knife almost doubled in size,' he said. 'It really dawned on me at this point that I was going to get stabbed.' Pedestrian Fida Hussain said the shooting appeared to be 'some sort of prank that you see on YouTube or something'. Indeed, Mr Hussain was not the only one initially failing to fully grasp the gravity of the situation, with CCTV footage showing an elderly woman resolutely trying to cross the road on the pavement across from Amman's body, despite two armed police shouting at her to stay back. Advertisement

The case echoes that of Usman Khan, who stabbed to death two Cambridge University graduates at a prison rehabilitation conference at Fishmongers' Hall two months before the Streatham Attack.

Khan had failed to reform while in prison for planning to set up a terrorist training camp and had also mixed with serious offenders in jail.

He launched his attack 11 months after his release, after police failed to search his flat when suspicions were raised about his behaviour.

He was also wearing a fake suicide belt and was shot dead by police.

The case of Amman prompted a swift change in the law to prevent terror offenders being automatically released at the half-way point of their jail sentence.

Amman was released from HMP Belmarsh into the community on January 23, 2020 to serve the remainder of his 40-month sentence on licence.

This was despite pleas from the police and MI5 for Belmarsh to keep Amman locked up over concerns about his extremist mindset.

The Belmarsh governor at the time, Rob Davis, said he was powerless to prevent his release, Amman's inquest heard.

Amman, convicted in 2018 of 13 counts of collecting material useful for terrorism and disseminating terrorist publications, went on to commit his atrocity 10 days after he was sent to live at a probation hostel in Streatham, south London.

His case resulted in the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill, which was given royal assent less than four weeks after the atrocity.

Giving evidence in the Commons as the Bill made its way through Parliament, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC told MPs: 'As we saw in the Streatham attack, we cannot have a situation where an offender - a known risk to the public - is released without any oversight by the Parole Board.'

The law applies to offenders sentenced for crimes such as training for terrorism, membership of a proscribed organisation, and the dissemination of terrorist publications.

It ensures terrorist offenders serve two-thirds of their sentence before they are considered eligible for release.

Amman's inquest previously heard evidence of him revelling in his status as a young terror offender in Belmarsh, and also heard he was determined to commit an atrocity upon his release.

Handwritten notes found in his cell appeared to pledge allegiance to the leader of so-called Islamic State, though it was never proven that they were written by Amman himself.

The inquest heard that it was deemed impossible to conclude the disciplinary investigation into Amman before his release, meaning his detention could not be extended.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: 'My thoughts are with the innocent people who were violently attacked in Streatham as they were going about their daily lives.

'I want to commend the brave actions of Met police officers who prevented further tragedy by running towards danger and putting themselves in harm's way to help protect the public.

'It is clear from the findings of the inquest that serious lessons must be learned.

'I know that I speak for Londoners when I say that those who seek to divide us, hurt our communities and destroy our way of life, will never succeed.'

Detective Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, senior national co-ordinator for counter terrorism policing, has thanked the armed officers who shot dead Amman.

Dean Haydon, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations at the Metropolitan Police, speaks to journalist outside New Scotland Yard in London today, following the conclusion of the inquest

CCTV image of Amman pictured on Streatham High Road in London, moments before he stabbed two members of the public

CCTV image issued by the Metropolitan Police of Sudesh Amman leaving his room in his probation hostel

Metropolitan Police photo of packaging from the knife that Amman stole from the Low Price Store on Streatham High Road

Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road, South London after Sudesh Amman was shot dead by armed officers

Speaking outside New Scotland Yard, Mr Haydon said: 'I want to thank the jury for their careful examination of the evidence in this case, but also for the coroner's positive comments and praise - both towards the investigation team and the armed officers who responded to the incident.'

'Crude' bomb belt and lack of planning separated Streatham from other attacks The Streatham High Road terror attack shared many similarities with several domestic atrocities that had been carried out in the years before. But unlike 2017's Manchester Arena bombing, the Westminster Bridge attack that same year, and the Fishmongers' Hall stabbings months before Streatham, Sudesh Amman's 62-second reign of terror was later proved to be about as unsophisticated as is possible to imagine. Mercifully, only two people were injured that day. A man and a woman, stabbed in the torso as they made their way along a south London street on Sunday, February 2 2020, each suffered wounds but survived. Police said the undercover operation that placed Amman on round-the-clock armed surveillance by nine officers at the time he struck limited the number of casualties. Amman, like Fishmongers' Hall killer Usman Khan, Manchester bomber Salman Abedi, and Westminster Bridge jihadi Khalid Masood, spent some time planning his atrocity. Abedi, and his younger brother Hashem, took months to cultivate and stockpile explosives and shrapnel at a variety of Manchester addresses, eventually using them in the heavy backpack bomb he detonated outside an Arianna Grande concert, killing 22 and injuring hundreds more. Masood bought the knives he used in the Westminster Bridge attack nearly a fortnight before he struck. He then went on an effective farewell tour of family members, telling his mother 'They'll say I'm a terrorist, I'm not,' before carrying out reconnaissance in central London. He also tried to clear his debts ahead of his death, in line with his Muslim faith. Fishmongers' Hall killer Khan was said to have spent several days buying cling film, bandages, glue and a weightlifting belt, which he combined with parts from an Xbox controller and an Energizer battery charger to fashion a hoax suicide device. He wore this under his coat to a prisoner education event in central London in November 2019, in which he killed two Cambridge graduates. The suicide belt was described by an expert as 'an elaborate hoax', which looked like a realistic device capable of mass destruction. Amman's, on the other hand, consisted simply of 250ml Irn Bru bottles, kitchen foil and parcel tape bought from Poundland two days before he struck. It was later dismissed as a 'crude' fake, although police are trained to consider all such devices as viable until proven otherwise. Other than that, his only known preparation, carried out in the 10 days following his release from Belmarsh prison, was believed to be reconnaissance of the Low Price Store and the Poundland purchases. Advertisement

He added: 'I also want to pay tribute to the courage shown by the officers in relation to how they pursued the attacker but also stopped anybody else coming to harm.

'This demonstrates the true professionalism shown by them but also their bravery in the face of danger.'

Mr Haydon also praised officers for being in 'the right place at the right time' to stop Streatham terror attacker Sudesh Amman before any members of the public were killed.

'Police had real concerns about this attacker - both in relation to his extremist mindset and also what he may do on release from prison,' he said.

'It is for this reason that we employed and he was monitored by a very professional and highly skilled team.'

Amman was under 24-hour surveillance by a team of undercover officers before the attack and the inquest found the incident could have been prevented if he had been returned to prison when he bought items that could have been used to make a fake suicide belt.

Mr Haydon said: 'It is for this reason they were in the right place at the right time to intervene and stop this becoming a murderous attack.

'Lethal force is rare in this country but as you have heard the evidence in this case, that once the attack had started, lethal force was one of the most effective ways of stopping the attack.'

Mr Haydon also said the Streatham terror attack is a reminder the terrorist threat in the UK 'is very real'.

He said: 'I want to reassure everybody that we work around the clock tirelessly with great determination and effort to combat any forms of terrorist activity in this country.

'Incidents such as this take up a lot of resources and we use hundreds of officers from across the country, including police staff working with other agencies and other emergency services, and I want to pay tribute to their excellent work.'

He added: 'I also want to say thank you to the members of the public that came to the aid of those that were injured on that day, staying with them, reassuring them, until medical assistance arrived.'

Mr Haydon said his thoughts were with the two people who received serious stab wounds in the attack, adding: 'Lastly, a case such as this is a timely reminder that the terrorist threat is very real and the terrorist threat has not gone away.

'I therefore encourage everybody to remain alert and vigilant, and report anything suspicious to the police.'

The Independent Office for Police Conduct concluded that the Met officers 'acted appropriately and proportionately' to the threat that was posed when they fatally shot Amman.

The watchdog, releasing its report upon the conclusion of the inquest, said there was nothing which indicated officers committed a criminal offence or breached police professional standards, and no organisational learning was identified.

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick praised the officers for 'their professionalism, courage and decisiveness in the most challenging of circumstances - fast-moving, horrific and frightening'.

She added: 'The attack happened on a busy high street, and quite simply their quick actions almost certainly saved lives.

'While we have foiled a number of planned terrorist attacks in recent years, unfortunately we won't be able to stop every attack.

'Terrorism remains a substantial threat across the UK, and we would therefore urge the public to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity or behaviour that might be linked to terrorism to police.'
North Korea has banned citizens from discussing Kim Jong Un's weight loss and told people that gossip is a 'reactionary act'.

Government authorities have insisted the despot is eating less 'for the sake of the country' as it grapples with severe food shortages and claimed Kim is healthy.

Speculation about Kim's health started after photos showed the despot looking increasingly thin after he apparently shed up to 44 pounds earlier this year.

But efforts to stifle gossip about Kim's weight have failed, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Sources said neighbourhood watch units had made official statements warning people discussions about Kim's health were banned.

'The neighbourhood watch unit also said the sudden weight loss is not due to a health problem, but rather that he is suffering in solitude for the sake of the country and people in crisis', the anonymous source said.

It is reportedly the first time officials in North Korea have addressed speculation around Kim's weight loss or heath as it is usually considered a taboo topic.

New pictures from show Kim Jong Un waving to a crowd of enthusiastic military officers looking noticeably slimmer in his trademark Mao suit

South Korea's spy agency reported Kim (pictured in 2018) had bulked up to 285 pounds, having piled on around 90 pounds since taking power in 2011, 'bingeing on food and drink'

People lay floral tributes in front of statues of the late North Korean dictators Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il - both of whom were obese and died from heart attacks

But some residents told RFA they were pleased to see their leader slim down 'as the way he appeared before he lost weight seemed to be more dangerous to his health'.

Another source said North Koreans were pleased at Kim's weight loss because he was so large 'it had become difficult for him to walk'.

Some observers say Kim - who is about 5ft8in tall and has previously weighed 308 pounds may have lost between 22 and 44 pounds.

The despot was last month shown waving to a crowd of enthusiastic military officers and seemed to have lost weight around his waist and face with his trademark Mao suit appearing slightly baggy.

Images from the first workshop of the commanders and political officers of the Korean People's Army show held in July showed Kim with a noticeably slimmer face.

It comes two months after state TV said Kim's 'emaciated' condition was 'breaking our people's hearts' in a highly unusual broadcast in a country where public discussion of the leader's health and personal life has always been off-limits.

The tightly controlled state media on June 25 quoted an unidentified resident of Pyongyang as saying that everyone in North Korea was heartbroken after seeing images of the noticeably slimmer Kim.

Analysts say the remarks showed authorities were seeking to use the change to Kim's weight to reinforce loyalty to the regime in desperate times.

The impoverished, nuclear-armed country is more isolated than ever behind its self-imposed coronavirus barricade, and this month admitted it was tackling a food crisis, sounding the alarm in a nation with a moribund agricultural sector that has long struggled to feed itself.

At the same time Kim's health has long been closely watched internationally as his sudden death would raise questions over succession and stability.

Known as a heavy smoker, the leader has long been obese, with his weight appearing to increase steadily in recent years.

But he looked noticeably less overweight in recent media images published by Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency and on state television.

Kim's personal life is normally taboo for North Korea's state media and Pyongyang has never even confirmed how many children he has.

But KCTV in July aired a clip of an unnamed resident of the capital claiming everyone in the country was 'heartbroken' by his 'emaciated' condition.

'Seeing our respected general secretary looking emaciated breaks our people's hearts the most,' he said.

'Everyone is talking about how their tears welled up immediately.'

Some observers say Kim (pictured on February 8) - who is about 5ft8in tall and has previously weighed 308 pounds may have lost between 22 and 44 pounds

Analysts say the remarks showed authorities were seeking to use the change to Kim's weight to reinforce loyalty to the regime

Kim Jong Un also appears to have shed weight on his face, images from the first workshop of the commanders and political officers of the Korean People's Army in July 2021 show

Analysts say Pyongyang is using Kim's appearance as a way to glorify him by portraying him as a 'devoted, hardworking' leader as the country struggles to tackle its food crisis and other challenges.

'If outside observers picked up on the change in Kim's appearance, you can bet your bottom dollar that the North Korean people noticed it, too, and more quickly,' said Christopher Green, a Korea specialist at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

It shut its borders in January last year to protect itself against the pandemic, and as a result trade with Beijing - its economic lifeline - has slowed to a trickle while all international aid workers have left the country.

'The message Pyongyang is sending is that Kim is a leader who works very hard for his people even to a degree he skips meals and loses weight,' defector-turned-researcher Ahn Chan-il told AFP.

Global speculation about Kim's health flared last year after he missed the commemoration of the birthday of his late grandfather, and was absent from public view for about 20 days.

Kim's father Kim Jong-Il and grandfather Kim Il-Sung were also obese and heavy smokers. Both died of heart attacks.

In 2016, South Korea's spy agency reported Kim had bulked up to 285 pounds, having piled on around 90 pounds since taking power in 2011, 'bingeing on food and drink'.

Last year it was estimated Kim Jong Un (pictured in May 2020) had put on another 20 pounds, taking him to around 305 pounds

Last year it was estimated he had put on another 20 pounds, taking him to around 305 pounds.

But Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, pointed out it was unlikely his recent weight loss was a symptom of acute ill health, as he had attended several public events this month.

'No one can really know why he lost weight,' he told AFP. 'What's clear -- from the KCTV footage -- is the regime wants the world to think that its people love care for their leader, to a point where they'd cry over his thinner appearance.'

Kim has acknowledged a 'tense' food situation that could worsen if this year's crops fail, exacerbating economic problems amid strict self-imposed border and movement restrictions that have slowed trade to a trickle.

'The most likely reason they would mention his declining weight in this way would, in my opinion, be related to ongoing COVID-19-related border measures,' said Chad O'Carroll, CEO of the Seoul-based Korea Risk Group.

'Regardless of the motivation for Kim's rapid weight loss, it seems there is propaganda value in showing that even the leader of North Korea is enduring the same food shortages that are hitting the country at the current time.'

The regime may have intended from the beginning to emphasise the fact that Kim is working hard for the people at a time of widespread hardship, or its messaging may have been an unintended consequence of Kim's inevitable appearance, Green said.

'What matters is that the North Korean regime will have received word from its many, many, many informants that Kim's condition was a talking point among ordinary people,' he said.

'From there it is a simple matter to respond by designing a propaganda strategy to use the existing public discussion to the regime's advantage.'

Analysts say Pyongyang is using Kim's appearance as a way to glorify him by portraying him as a 'devoted, hardworking' leader

The 'pseudo-voxpop' - carefully staged by state media to look authentic - such as the one from the unnamed Pyongyang resident was a common North Korean media tactic, he added.

It is unusual, though not unheard of, for North Korean state media to mention a leader's health.

In 2014 it reported that Kim - who inherited his position from his father and grandfather before him - suffered from 'discomfort' after a prolonged period out of the public eye.

With succession plans unclear, a sudden decline in Kim's health could throw nuclear-armed North Korea's 76-year-old system of hereditary leadership into disarray.

'It is a major weight loss, and his health is important to the functioning and fate of the state, which is why people are watching this closely,' said Town of 38 North.
A Comanchero bikie boss and his two brothers are among four men who are set to be fined $14,000 after they were caught breaking Sydney's lockdown by going on a late-night walk along the city's Bay Run.

Police allege they caught Tarek Zahed, the bikie group's national sergeant-at-arms, his brothers Abdul and Omar and their associate Raouf Mousawel walking in Drummoyne in the city's inner-west about 2am on Thursday morning

The men allegedly became angry when police questioned why they were outside, and claimed they lived together and were 'just exercising'.

Abdul and Omar Zahed are believed to live in Yagoona in Sydney's south-west - more than 20km away from where they were allegedly spotted by police, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Public health orders ban anyone in Greater Sydney from travelling more than 5km from their home for exercise.

Tarek Zahed (pictured), the national Comanchero sergeant-at-arms, his brothers Abdul and Omar and associate Raouf Mousawel are set to be fined after police allegedly caught the group breaking lockdown rules on the Bay Run in Drummoyne in Sydney's inner-west at 2am on Thursday morning

The men allegedly became angry when police questioned why they were outside, and claimed they lived together and were 'just exercising' at 2am on Thursday morning (file image of the Bay Run)

Tarek Zahed reportedly lives within 5km of the Bay Run but is alleged to have broken lockdown rules by exercising with more than one other person.

The group are expected to be issued a total of $14,000 in fines for breaching public health orders.

'Inquiries established three of the men lived in the Yagoona area  part of a designated LGA  while the fourth man lived nearby,' a police spokesman said.

'All four men, aged between 28 and 41, were issued PINs and directed to return to their homes.'

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said on Friday 800 tickets were handed out overnight, as well as 50 charges for breaching public health orders.

Five hundred of the tickets were issued to people leaving their home without a reasonable excuse.

A group of 11 people have also contracted Covid-19 after attending a party in Maroubra.

Speaking at Friday's state update, Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant called out the gathering held in breach of public health orders.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said today that 800 tickets were handed out overnight for lockdown breaches, as well as 50 charges for breaching public health orders

'There was a gathering in Maroubra, and 11 people attending that gathering have tested positive,' a clearly frustrated Dr Chant said.

'I understand why people are tired and fatigued. But we just cannot have that occurring, where we end up with a further escalation of cases associated with events that are not permitted at this time.'

NSW on Friday reported 642 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and four deaths as curfews are imposed in western Sydney's council areas of concern and the city's lockdown is extended to September 30.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant have repeatedly and vociferously denied curfews work as a public health measure.

NSW on Friday reported 642 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and four deaths as curfews are imposed in western Sydney's council areas of concern and the city's lockdown is extended to September 30

Curfews from 9pm to 5am will nevertheless be imposed in western Sydney's 12 local government areas of concern from Monday.

People in these areas will also be limited to one hour of exercise, and NSW Police will be given the power to lock down entire apartment blocks due to COVID-19 cases.

Masks will also be mandated at all times - indoors and outdoors - across NSW from Monday.

'This is also for police, it makes it easy for them to make sure that everybody is sticking to the rules so this (means) mask-wearing outdoors unless you're exercising,' Ms Berejiklian said.
Officials are investigating whether poisonous algae killed a British software developer, his wife and their one-year-old toddler who were found dead on a remote hiking trail in California.

The bodies of Jonathan Gerrish, 45, his wife Ellen Chung and their daughter Muji - along with their dog Oski - were discovered by search teams on Tuesday in an area of the Sierra National Forest known as Devil's Gulch.

Maricopa County Sherriff Jeremy Briese said there was no obvious cause of death and he had not dealt with a case like this in his 20 years in the area.

He added toxic algal bloom from the Merced river was being investigated as the cause for what overcame the family, along with potentially gas escaping from abandoned gold mines.

Police are still waiting on the results of post-mortem examinations. Further toxicology reports could take up to six weeks.

California State Water Resources Control Board and Mariposa County are now re-testing the river water for cyanobacterial toxins, which can form in algal blooms.

Searchers began looking for the family after they were overdue on a day hike. They were found on the Savage-Lundy hiking trail near Hites Cove, which was once a thriving mining community after gold was discovered in 1861.

Jonathan Gerrish, his partner Ellen Chung and their one-year-old daughter were found dead near an area called Devil's Gulch in a remote part of Northern California on Tuesday

Last month, Sierra National Forest officials posted a warning about 'high concentrations' of algae which can produce 'extremely dangerous toxins that can sicken or kill people and animals' in the water in the Merced River at Hites Cove

This map shows the remote are in Mariposa County, California, where the bodies were discovered on Tuesday

The family's dog was found dead along with its owners by search teams

On July 13, Sierra National Forest officials posted a warning about 'high concentrations' of algae which can produce 'extremely dangerous toxins that can sicken or kill people and animals' in the water in the Merced River at Hites Cove.

A listing on the water board's online map of harmful algal blooms warned: 'Water Boards recommends a CAUTION due to illness report. Sample results are pending.'

Briese told The Times: 'There are those different options that are out there - mineshafts and offgassing potential and we're learning more with our partners in the Forest Service and public health on the toxicity of the algae blooms that they're posting about.'

The sheriff added: 'I've been here for 20 years and I've never seen a death, with any case, like this. There's no obvious indicators of how it occurred... you have two healthy adults, you have a healthy child and what appeared to be a healthy canine all within a general same area, deceased.'

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF ALGAE BLOOMS? Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are an ancient class of organisms that create the blooms are present nearly everywhere water is found, but thrive in warm, still bodies like lakes and ponds. It includes species which produce some of the most powerful toxins known to man, and their impact on humans is only partially understood. The incidence of freshwater harmful algal blooms (FHABs) has surged in recent years, with some scientists attributing the increase to climate change. What are the health risks? Algae is capable of producing several different toxins. People may be exposed to these toxins through contact with the skin (e.g. when swimming), through inhalation (e.g. when motor boating or water skiing), or by swallowing contaminated water. These toxins can cause skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, fever and headaches. Occasionally, the toxins can cause more serious illness such as liver and brain damage. Children are at greater risk than adults of developing problems because of their comparative lower body weight. The California Department of Public Health says it does not know of any human deaths from 'recreational or drinking water exposure to cyanobacterial toxin' although some animals have been killed by algae. How can the health risks be minimised? Not all blue-green algae blooms and scums are toxic but it is not possible to tell from appearance and so its best to assume they are harmful and take the following precautions: Do not swim in the water

Do not swallow the water

Avoid contact with the algae

Do not eat fish caught from the water

Observe and abide by any warning notices positioned around the water Anyone who has come into contact with water containing algae should shower with fresh water immediately. Anyone who has come into contact with affected water and has become ill should obtain medical attention. Advertisement

'It's frustrating and we're not going to rest... it's devastating to everyone,' he told the Modesto Bee paper.

The state map listing for the location north of Jerseydale, around where the family was found dead this week, warns people to 'stay away from algae and scum in the water.'

'Do NOT let pets go in the water, drink the water, or eat scum on the shore,' the warning continues. 'Keep children away from algae. Do not eat shellfish from this waterbody.'

The California Department of Public Health said it did not know of any human deaths from 'recreational or drinking water exposure to cyanobacterial toxin' although some animals have been killed by algae.

State waterboard spokesman Blair Robertson said officials hoped to have the results of the water tests by the weekend.

He added: 'Our staff is conducting testing of the waterways near where the bodies were located and will make the lab results available to the public as soon as we get them.

'Autopsies were to be conducted earlier today and we await those findings. Our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.'

Mr Gerrish is a software developer for Snapchat, had previously worked for Google and is originally from Lancashire.

Speaking from his home in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, his father Peter, 70, said: 'The family are just in shock - heartbroken.'

But asked whether he had received any further updates or was in contact with US authorities, the grandfather added: 'We haven't heard anything more.'

The state map listing for the location north of Jerseydale where the young family were found dead, warns people to 'stay away from algae and scum in the water.'

'Do NOT let pets go in the water, drink the water, or eat scum on the shore,' the warning says. 'Keep children away from algae. Do not eat shellfish from this waterbody.'

Kristie Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office has said investigators are still working to determine the cause of their deaths and 'looking at all possibilities.'

'It could be a carbon monoxide situation. That's one of the reasons why we're treating it as a hazmat situation,' she said.

'There are several abandoned mines up in the area and in an abundance of caution or recovery team is taking precautions for any poisonous gases, particles in the area,' Mitchell added. 'So far, there has been no measurable poisons registered.'

Mitchell also did not rule out possible exposure to toxic algae. She noted that the bodies of the deceased showed no signs of trauma, and no suicide note was found.

'It is a very bizarre situation,' she said.

Gerrish, a native of England, had worked as a software engineer at Google. Chung was from Orange, California, but was of Korean descent

According to a Reuters article published in 2013, two gold and silver miners died in Colorado after being exposed to fatal levels of carbon monoxide, and 19 others fell ill.

Dr Mike Nelson, professor of mining engineering at University of Utah, cast doubt on the theory that carbon monoxide emissions from an old gold mine were possibly to blame for the deaths.

During a phone interview with the DailyMail.com on Wednesday, Nelson explained that gold mines are not known to produce carbon monoxide, and even if the gas were present, it would have gone up into the air.

He also noted that the family were found outdoors and not in an enclosed space where exposure to carbon monoxide could be lethal.

If the medical examiner decides to conduct toxicology tests, results could take up to six weeks.

A friend had reported the family missing at 11pm on Monday evening after Gerrish and Chung failed to show up for work that day, reported Fox 26 News.

The bodies were located near the Hite Cove trail, known particularly in springtime to have spectacular wildflower displays

Gerrish and Chung, from Orange, California, were last heard from early Sunday, when they uploaded a photo of a backpack. Rosanna Heaslett, the family friend, said they hiked on weekends.

The family's gray Ford Raptor was located near the Sierra National Forest gate early Tuesday. The bodies of the couple, their daughter and pet dog were found between 9.30am and 10am.

'This is never the outcome we want or the news we want to deliver, my heart breaks for their family. Our Sheriff's Chaplains and staff are working with their family and will continue to support them during this heartbreaking time,' said Sheriff Jeremy Briese.

The sheriff's office is investigating the deaths along with the California Department of Justice.

The remote area where the bodies were found had no cellphone service, Mitchell said. It was close to the Hite Cove trail, known particularly in springtime to have spectacular wildflower displays.
Schools are free to carry on forcing children to wear masks after the Supreme Court of Texas rejected Governor Greg Abbott's latest bid to scrap local mandates.

The court rejected Abbott's request for an intervention after several counties defied his emergency ban on masking kids.

But Abbott was refused on the grounds of a legal technicality - it must first be appealed in a lower court - meaning he is almost certain to challenge the ruling.

Abbott, who tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, is leading the anti-mask charge along with his Republican colleague, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

School boards and local officials are wary of rapidly increasing Covid infections in Texas, arguing that masks are needed for children too young to take the vaccine.

It comes despite the virus posing almost zero risk to kids, as well as evidence which shows that masks inhibit learning in children and cause psychological harms.

But the local officials are emboldened in their stance by President Joe Biden who has warned he's 'very concerned' about states like Texas defying masks.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been leading the anti-mask charge alongside his Republican colleague Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

Kids going into class with masks on for their first day back at school in Richardson, Texas, Tuesday

Making kids wear masks in school stunts language skills and exacerbates anxiety, report to Irish government finds Making children wear masks in the classroom can stunt language skills and exacerbate anxiety, according to a health report commissioned by the Irish government. The Health Information and Quality Authority's report published in March informed Dublin's decision not to mandate masks for children in elementary schools. The HIQA paper noted that transmission of Covid was low in schools and that young children found it difficult to wear face coverings properly. The scientists also gave evidence that masks had adverse psychological impacts, including causing anxiety and inhibiting the development of communication skills. The report found that since the pandemic started 'the extent of transmission between children or onwards to households by children, has been low.' It said that while masks for adults were associated with lower transmission of Covid-19, the data showed a reduction in mask efficacy among children 'which may, in part, be due to reduced ability to comply with face mask wearing.' Furthermore, the paper went on to add that 'there is concern regarding the potential harms associated with face mask use, for example, anxiety or negative impacts on the development of communication and language skills, particularly for younger children.' In Britain, school children under the age of 12 have never been required to wear masks during the pandemic, neither at school nor anywhere else. Public Health England's medical adviser Dr Susan Hopkins said in March: 'The consensus view is to not advise schoolchildren at primary school age [12 and under] to wear face coverings. 'This is for two reasons: firstly they can have difficulty wearing them and keeping them on all day, and the second part of that is that it's really important that they can see facial expressions in order to develop their communications and language skills.' The mask mandate for British secondary schools was dropped at the end of May. Advertisement

Coronavirus infections in Texas rose by around 40 per cent in the last two weeks, with experts blaming the more infectious Delta variant.

The state saw an average of around 11,000 cases per day at the start of the month, with that figure rising to 16,050 by Thursday.

Abbott's battle with the school officials comes amid similar political face-offs across the southern states, which are seeing some of the highest rates of infection.

Several states across the U.S. have announced the change in plans on masking due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the country and the announcement of new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that requires fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks.

However, a few Republican states clashed with local officials who are resisting their orders banning school mask mandates, to which, Biden reacted by saying on August 12 that wearing masks is not about politics but about keeping children safe.

On August 18, Florida's Miami-Dade County School Board had imposed a mask mandate for the district's 360,000 students, as well as staff from Monday, defying the Governor Ron DeSantis' rule of banning local mask mandates.

Biden said he's looking into whether he's able to intervene in states like Texas, which have been outspoken and defiant against mask mandates.

'My concerns are deep and  I'm very concerned. And we all know why,' Biden said when asked during a press conference about some red state governors preventing compulsory mask wearing.

Biden said he doesn't believe his office was the power to intervene, but 'we are checking that.'

The mask debate has been a lighting rod for controversy throughout the country that appears to be split along political lines.

Democrats tend to agree with the mask mandate; while Republicans believe it should be a choice and have called mandates 'anti-freedom.'

Texas and Florida - led by Republican governors - have been leading the anti-mask charge.

On Monday, Florida Governor DeSantis even threatened to withhold salaries from school superintendents or board members who ignore his executive order banning compulsory face masks for students.

Meanwhile leaders in Democrat-led states and cities have moved swiftly to impose COVID-19 mask and vaccine requirements in the face of the Delta variant, including California, Illinois, Kentucky and New Jersey.

In Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee has mandated vaccines for all school workers, including bus drivers and janitors.

In 2021, 4,736 people in Alabama have been confirmed dead from the virus and a total of 11,914 since the pandemic began in March 2020. In the US, more than 624,000 people have been died COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic

As of Thursday, 649,741 people in Alabama have tested positive for the virus of the over 37 million nationwide and while there has been a significant recent uptick due to the Indian 'Delta' variant, cases have been down in the state for the past few days.

'This will be a condition of employment,' Inslee said at a press conference Wednesday.

The United States' seven-day average of coronavirus cases stands at 143,792 as of Thursday.

That's an increase of 44 per cent on two weeks ago.

This comes as the effort to increase vaccinations in America continues, in addition to the encouragement for some to get a third shot of the vaccine.

In Alabama, the Governor has blamed the unvaccinated for rising coronavirus hospitalisations.

The southern state reported 2,723 Covid hospitalisations as of Tuesday - just shy of the record of 3,084 virus patients set on January 11.

Much like in other states, benefits have been offered to those in Alabama willing to get vaccinated, including a car dealer who offered $100,000 in prizes

Republican Governor Kay Ivey has said that 'it's time to start blaming' the unvaccinated' for the continued spread of the virus.

'It's the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down,' she added.

U.S. health officials Wednesday announced plans to dispense booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and signs that the vaccines effectiveness is slipping.

Biden has recently put various public employees under vaccine mandates, including federal workers, military members and nurses.

The president has also praised businesses who mandate vaccines for their own workers and encouraged others to follow, as well as highlighting local vaccine mandates as a condition for daily activities, like indoor dining.
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Hurricane Grace struck Mexico's Caribbean coast just south of the ancient Mayan temples of Tulum Thursday, tearing the roofs off some homes, knocking out power to thousands and keeping tourists off beaches.

The push across land weakened the storm, but by evening it was centered back over the Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. National Hurricane Center said it was regaining strength as it headed for the Mexican mainland, expected to arrive late Friday or early Saturday.

Many streets were blocked by fallen limbs and trees that pulled down powerlines, leaving thousands in the dark.

One lane of the highway between Playa del Carmen and Tulum was blocked by a fallen road sign. A gas station was destroyed when a large pavilion blew down, smashing two cars.

The state had opened shelters and evacuated some hotels and residents ahead of the storm's arrival.

Hurricane Grace has made landfall on Mexico's Caribbean coast near Tulum on Thursday. Mexico and Puerto Veracruz to Cabo Rojo (pictured) have been issued a hurricane warning

Grace missed the popular cruise ship destination Cozumel and came ashore south of Playa del Carmen, where the downtown, usually thumping with music and clubgoers, was eerily desolate Wednesday night. Authorities had ordered all businesses closed and people inside by 8pm.

Most businesses still remained closed, but the few that opened saw long lines of residents waiting to buy tortillas and other food.

Quintana Roo Governor Carlos Joaquin said the storm had knocked out power to some 84,000 customers in Cancun and 65,000 in Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Puerto Aventura and Tulum. But he said there were no reported deaths.

More than 300 people have been evacuated from their homes in Quintana Roo state, according to the governor, Carlos Joaquin.

And the airport opened back up on Thursday.

Powerlines are down, leaving 84,000 customers in Cancun and 65,000 in Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Puerto Aventura and Tulum without power

Strong winds and heavy rainfalls destroyed a gas station, causing damage to cars. Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, northern Queretaro, and eastern San Luis Potosi are expected to get six to 12 inches of rain

In Tulum, some families passed harrowing hours sheltering from cracking trees and flying debris.

Around 2 a.m. Thursday, as Grace's eye spun just offshore, Carlos Gonzalez grabbed his 1 1/2 year-old son and ran from his home with his wife to a public school converted into a shelter for dozens of families. The light from his cell phone helped them find their way through the dark streets.

"The only thing I have left is what I'm wearing," the 35-year-old construction worker said. "I knew my house wasn't going to stand it because it's made of cardboard. When the wind came I was really scared and decided to leave."

Miguel Angel Garcia decided to stay. On Thursday, he used a machete to hack at a tree trunk that had fallen onto his home's roof.

"The wind came and they told us we should get to the school, but we didn't have time because the trees started coming," said the 33-year-old waiter. "We decided to stay and not go out into the street and leave it up to God."

By night, tropical-storm-force winds were back up to 65mph and rising. It was centered about 260 miles east of Tuxpan and was heading west at 16 mph.

A hurricane warning has been put in place for the coast of mainland Mexico and Puerto Veracruz to Cabo Rojo, meaning the National Hurricane Center expects the storm to recategorize as a hurricane within 24 hours.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for mainland Mexico.

Grace is expected to hit mainland Mexico late Friday or early Saturday morning and is 260 miles off the coast of Tuxpan as for 4am

The center advised those affected to prepare 'to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.'

Grace is expected to weaken considerably upon making landfall and move over the mountains in central Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, northern Queretaro, and eastern San Luis Potosi are expected to get six to 12 inches of rain with a maximum isolated of 18 inches and could result in flash flooding and mudslides through Sunday.

The sea level is also expected to rise three to five feet higher than normal near the coast and north of where the storm hits. And the surf is expected to be dangerous and life-threatening.

Video footage showed strong winds ripping through the coast of Mexico has Grace rained down. Normally a populated area, now desolate with the storm

State authorities said that as of last week, the region was hosting about 130,000 tourists and hotels were more than half full despite the pandemic.

The Category 1 storm already has soaked earthquake-damaged Haiti, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands en route to a direct hit on the Riviera Maya, the heart of Mexico's tourism industry. Grace's center struck just south of Tulum with maximum sustained winds of 80mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Henri is expected to start affecting the East Coast of the US sometime Sunday into Monday and will cause life-threatening surf and potential flash flooding

Following Grace is Tropical Storm Henri, who is heading up the East Coast of the US. The storm is expected to make contact with land sometime between Sunday and Monday.

Henri is situated about 370 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and about 780 miles south-southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts as of 6.30am today. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph.

There's an increased risk for a storm surge, heavy rainfall, and strong winds in southern parts of New England and Long Island.

A hurricane storm surge warning has been issued for Connecticut, Rhode Island, Long Island, and southeastern Massachusetts.

Heavy rainfall could prepare flash, urban, or small flooding in parts of southern New England for Sunday and Monday with two to five inches expected, as well as a three to five feet storm surge. The swells from Henri could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.
Kamala Harris will be at Joe Biden's side for his Afghanistan speech today amid pressure from feminist groups and others to speak out about the increased threat to Afghan women and girls, as she readies to embark Friday on a southeast Asian tour aimed at reassuring allies of American resolve following the chaotic end of a two-decade war.

It will be the first time she's seen at a public engagement with Biden since August 10, after the White House released a photo of her at his side in the situation room on August 18.

Harris is the first female and minority vice president - just this fact has led to some criticism that Harris should be more vocal about helping women and children fleeing Afghanistan as the Taliban is historically bad for women's rights.

'Kamala's silence on protecting Afghan women and children is deafening,' Georgia Rep. Jody Hice wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

A Rhode Island congressional candidate similarly blasted her on the site, writing 'Vice President Harris, you will not be able to save the women and young girls who will brutalized by this regime.'

Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said she 'Would love to hear from the "First Woman Vice President" on how her reckless, naive actions will cause most harm to Afghan women.'

Vice President Kamala Harris will join President Joe Biden for his Afghanistan remarks today after not being seen at a speaking engagement with him since August 10

She has been pictured a few times in meetings with President Joe Biden and his top Defense and military advisers as the situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate

Harris made her first public appearance in six days when she made pre-recorded remarks to the National Association of Black Journalists conference on Thursday

The vice president spoke out about the importance of female empowerment at her first United Nations speech in March.

In a 2019 interview, then-2020 candidate Harris sent a passionate message to young women.

'You are powerful and your voice matters. You're going to walk into many rooms in your life and career where you may be the only one who looks like you or who has had the experiences you've had. But you remember that when you are in those rooms, you are not alone. We are all in that room with you applauding you on,' she said in Marie Claire.

Now as first female vice president, Harris's appointment was lauded by feminist groups. Those same groups are now urging her to take action while the vice president presses ahead with her diplomatic trip.

Critics slammed the vice president for her silence on women and girls in Afghanistan

The trip, which begins Friday and includes stops in Singapore and Vietnam, will provide a forum for Harris to assert herself more directly in foreign affairs. She will have opportunities to affirm what she and Biden view as core American values, including human rights - especially important given concerns about the future for women and girls in Afghanistan with the Taliban back in power.

A letter signed by 85 individuals and groups addressed Harris and Biden by name and begs them to 'take actions to protect Afghan women and girls and to address this unfolding human rights and humanitarian catastrophe.'

'Vice President Kamala Harris has worked over many years for womens rights, especially women of color. That is why we are appealing to you to fulfill the promises made to protect human rights globally, especially Afghan women and girls whose lives and futures are now in peril.'

It also notes Biden's record on combating violence against women both in the Senate and as vice president before calling on Biden and Harris to immediately evacuate Afghan feminist activists and women's rights leaders.

International concern has been focused on Afghan women and girls who saw their rights and freedoms stripped away under the Taliban's previous regime

Advocacy group Women for Afghan Women called for 'all parties' to respect human rights as the chaos unfolds. The majority Afghan and Muslim organization has pled for international support as it works to evacuate its staff and clients.

'We appeal to President Biden and VP Harris to ensure that all the gains, rights, and sacrifices made over the past 20 years  especially by Afghan women and minorities  have not been in vain... we need support from the US Administration and our US partners to facilitate our evacuation and emergency efforts and to keep our essential programs going,' WAW co-founder Sunita Viswanath said in a statement obtained by DailyMail.com.

Poet Amanda Gorman, who spoke at the inauguration in January, sent the Biden administration a letter urging it to 'honor its commitment to gender equality' by immediate action to help female Afghan journalists, activists, leaders and direct service providers.

The letter, obtained by Axios, also calls on Biden and Harris to expand Special Immigrant Visas typically allocated to Afghans who worked with the US military to include at-risk women.

Poet Amanda Gorman, pictured at the Biden-Harris inauguration, is one of the voices begging the administration to do more for Afghan women

Another group called the National Organization for Women, which runs a PAC under the same name, wrote a similar letter urging the Biden administration to 'immediately expand the refugee program for Afghan women and children seeking asylum.'

'The advances in womens rights over the last 20 years are now void as Afghan women are already reporting that they are like prisoners in their homes.'

Harris has spoken out in support of her boss's Afghanistan exit on Twitter since the Taliban took Kabul and forced a hasty and chaotic evacuation. However, she has yet to mention Afghan women and girls specifically.

Her silence was blasted by Twitter users who criticized her for not mentioning Afghan women in her statements.

Under an August 17 tweet stating the US mission 'is to get our people, our allies, and vulnerable Afghans to safety,' a user named Tom Harding asked, 'Does that include the Afghan women who can no longer live their life with the same level of freedom?'

'Not a word about the Afghan women and girls by the first female VP,' user Saabira Mohideen wrote under an August 16 Harris tweet praising US servicemembers.

Afghan-American women and others also protested outside the White House last weekend, demanding Biden and Harris help vulnerable Afghan civilians and blaming them for abandoning the war-torn country.

Kamala Harris's most recent tweet on Afghanistan also made no mention of women

Twitter users blasted Harris for making statements on Afghanistan without mentioning the plight of women and girls there

One woman at the event told Fox, 'They're raping our women, they're killing our children. They have no mercy on anyone.'

Harris's last public engagement was Thursday when she made pre-recorded remarks to the National Association of Black Journalists conference.

The vice president was last pictured with the president on August 10 during Biden's remarks on the Senate finally passing the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

She held her last live public event on August 12 when she met with CEOs to discuss the care economy.

In a gaggle before the event, a reporter asked Harris if 'Afghanistan is lost to the Taliban?'. She did not answer the question, but said she would be leaving for a briefing on the situation after the roundtable on Thursday.

August 15: Harris was last seen on Sunday in a picture released from the White House of Biden on Zoom talking about the situation in Afghanistan. The vice president is pictured (center) joining the call virtually

August 16: President Joe Biden made remarks from the White House on Afghanistan on Monday and noticeably was not joined by the vice president

Afghan-American women and other protested outside of the White House last weekend begging the Biden-Harris administration to help vulnerable Afghan civilians

The vice president was also pictured in a Zoom meeting on Sunday with the president and other intelligence and global entities in an image released from the White House of Biden on the call from Camp David.

Her office said on background that Harris is being briefed regularly on the unfolding situation in Afghanistan and is actively engaged in White House and interagency discussion. They also insist her briefings will continue during her visit to Southeast Asia.

The reason Harris will not postpone her trip, the office noted, is because the Biden administration is still committed to 'advancing our strategic interest in other regions on other issues' while simultaneously managing developments in Afghanistan.

The vice president leaves from Washington on Friday and will arrive in Singapore on Sunday. While there, Harris will deliver a speech laying out the future of America's relationship with the region increasingly under pressure from Beijing.

Harris's standing among likely voters is falling as 55 per cent reveal they do not think the vice president is qualified to run the nation as she spoke publicly for the first time in six days in pre-recorded remarks for a black journalism conference.

A new poll shows 55 per cent of likely voters believe Vice President Kamala Harris is 'not qualified' or 'not at all qualified' to run the nation. There was a 6 per cent drop in those who feel she is qualified from April to August

When likely voters were asked in a Rasmussen Reports poll released Thursday if Harris is ready to be U.S. president, 47 per cent said she is 'not at all qualified' while 8 per cent said she's 'not qualified.'

Only 14 per cent of the 1,000 polled between August 12-15 said she is 'qualified' and another 29 per cent said she is 'very qualified' to run the nation.

The latest is down from her April standing, when 49 per cent of respondents said the vice president was qualified to become president.

It also comes as questions emerged over Harris' role in the chaotic and bungled U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which has garnered massive criticism from Democrats and Republicans.

Harris boasted she was the 'last one in the room' with President Joe Biden before he made his announcement in the spring of a total withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban takeover of the nation in just over a week, however, the vice president has been mostly absent from any public events. While she has been at several briefings on the situation with the president, she did not stand next to Biden on Monday during his address on the developing situation.

'This morning, the President and Vice President met with their national security team to discuss security, diplomatic, and intelligence updates in Afghanistan,' according to a White House official. 'They discussed the status of operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA)... our efforts to evacuate U.S. citizens, Embassy personnel, SIV applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans as quickly as possible; and that every day we operate troops on the ground are at risk.'

'The President, Vice President, and their team also discussed their focus on monitoring for any potential terrorist threats in Afghanistan, including from ISIS-K,' the statement continued.

It was also noticed by Americans when Harris did not join Biden for his remarks on COVID-19 and vaccinations on Thursday  despite usually standing behind the president's right shoulder when he speaks.

The vice president was pictured in three images released from the White House  two on Zoom calls with Biden over the weekend as he was briefed on Afghanistan while at Camp David and a third with the president and his top military brass in the Situation Room on Wednesday.

Harris also made her first public appearance in six days when she spoke in pre-recorded remarks to the National Association of Black Journalists conference on Thursday and said: 'A free press is essential to any democracy.'

'You turn the light of truth on some of the most consequential issues of our time,' she told the conference focused on journalism in the black community. 'You are keeping the American people informed about all of the issues that impact their lives every day.'

The Islamic militant group has vowed to respect women amid their takeover, despite a history of oppression.

Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn asked 'where's Kamala?' to stand up for women in Afghanistan.

'Where is she, defending women and girls, standing up for human rights, standing up for these women and girls who we know are going to be pushed into sex slavery?' she questioned in an interview with conservative network Newsmax on Thursday.

'We know that they are going to be brutalized,' Blackburn continued. 'We know the women who have worked with us with our Secretary of State's program for women and girls, these are women that are going to be murdered.'

'I even said where is the Squad on this? They're always about women and defending women in human rights. But where are they?' she added in referencing the so-called 'squad' of progressive lawmakers, which includes Representatives Alexandrioa Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressey and Ilahn Omar  who once was a refugee fleeing Somalia for the U.S.

Biden told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview taped Wednesday that he would not use military force to address women's rights issues in Afghanistan if they begin to deteriorate under Taliban rule.

'Beyond Americans, what do we owe the Afghans who are left behind, particularly Afghan women who are facing the prospect of subjugation again?' the ABC host asked in the president's first chat with media following the chaotic withdrawal.

'As many as we can get out, we should. For example, I had a meeting today for a couple hours in the Situation Room just below here. There are Afghan women outside the gate. I told 'em, 'Get 'em on the planes. Get them out. Get them out. Get their families out if you can,' Biden said.

'But here's the deal, George,' he leveled. 'The idea that we're able to deal with the rights of women around the world by military force is not rational. Not rational. Look what's happened to the Uighurs in western China. Look what's happening in other parts of the world. Look what's happening in, you know, in  in the Congo.'

'I mean, there are a lot of places where women are being subjugated,' the president continued. 'The way to deal with that is not with a military invasion.'

'The way to deal with that is putting economic, diplomatic, and national pre-- international pressure on them to change their behavior,' Biden concluded.

The vice president's office confirmed on Wednesday Harris still plans to depart on Friday for her second foreign trip in office to Singapore and Vietnam despite the ongoing chaos and the comparisons between the fall of Saigon in 1975 and the toppling of Kabul by the Taliban over the weekend.

Before the Thursday reports to the journalism conference, Harris' previous public event was held on August 12 when she met with CEOs to discuss the so-called care economy.

In a gaggle before the event, a reporter asked Harris if 'Afghanistan is lost to the Taliban?'. She did not answer the question, but said she would be leaving for a briefing on the situation after the roundtable last Thursday.

The vice president was pictured in a Zoom meeting on Sunday with the president and other intelligence and global entities and in another image with the president in person during a Situation Room meeting.

'This morning, the President and Vice President were briefed by their national security team on the evolving situation in Afghanistan,' reads the tweet included with the image from the White House account. 'They discussed the evacuations of U.S. citizens, SIV applicants, and vulnerable Afghans, and the monitoring of any potential terrorist threats.'

On Tuesday she tweeted her support for the withdrawal and said the mission was now to get Americans, allies and Afghans out of the country safely  but has not made any other public remarks on the situation.

'We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago. Now, our mission is to get our people, our allies, and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside of the country,' she wrote earlier this week.

Harris campaigned on the bid to get US troops out of Afghanistan during her Democratic primary run in 2020  though it was not part of her stump speech.

Biden was bashed for remaining silent on the unfolding situation in Afghanistan for six days, which has seen a dozen confirmed deaths as of Thursday.

He finally addressed the country in a White House speech on Monday, which the vice president was absent from, before promptly returning to Camp David.

Harris, a White House official said Monday, watched the speech 'from the Green Room.'

During the remarks, Biden doubled-down that the withdrawal was the right move despite almost the whole of Afghanistan falling to the Taliban in just over a week and U.S. troops questioning what the two-decade war was for.
Sotrovimab to be made widely available in hospitals from next week for patients

Australian Covid-19 patients seriously ill in hospital with the virus will soon have access to a new treatment that could prevent death.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Friday the provisional approval of Sotrovimab - making it available for use in hospitals next week.

He said the monoclonal antibody mimics the body's immune system and is likely to help between eight to 13 per cent of patients.

'So it's not a result for everybody, but it's particularly likely to help those who are at risk of progressing to very serious illness,' Mr Hunt said.

'It is the first - but not last - treatment that's likely to improve prospects.'

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Friday the provisional approval of Sotrovimab, making it available for use in hospitals across Australia from next week (pictured, a patient with Covid in Sydney)

Mr Hunt said it will be the one of many treatments which will help the health prospects of sick patients with Covid-19

The treatment will be administered through an IV infusion in approved healthcare facilities.

The antibodies bind to the virus, stop it entering host cells and help fight off already infected cells in the lungs and airways.

Clinical trialist Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases specialist and clinical microbiologist at Mater in Queensland, said the treatment will help those most vulnerable to the virus.

'New treatment options have the potential to keep people out of hospital, prevent their disease from progressing and reduce the burden on the health system,' he said.

Australia is the first OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] country to issue a formal regulatory approval for sotrovimab.

The drug has also been approved for use in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration's approval of the treatment, under strict conditions, will target those who are at increased risk of hospitalisation or death.

It is expected that sotrovimab will be for the treatment of Australians over 55 years old who have Covid-19.

Sotrovimab is administered through an IV drip (file image) and works by getting antibodies to bind to the virus, then stops it entering host cells and also helps fight off already infected cells in the lungs and airways

Vaccination remains the preferred and primary option to prevent Covid-19, supported by mask-wearing, hand-washing and social distancing.

The government has secured 7700 doses of sotrovimab for the national medical stockpile.

It is the second Covid-19 treatment to receive regulatory approval in Australia, following the TGAs earlier approval of Remdesivir.
Body cam footage has captured the moment a Florida deputy helped deliver a baby boy in a 7-Eleven parking lot early Tuesday morning.

Deputy Jordan Ream from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call from a panicked father-to-be saying his wife was in labor and he didn't think they would make it to the hospital in time.

Police arrived to the scene in Tampa within minutes around 5.30am Tuesday and 'without hesitation Deputy Ream jumped into action to assist this mother in labor,' Sheriff Chad Chronister said.

Within less than two minutes of his arrival a healthy baby boy was born in the passenger seat of the car.

'I got there and the father told me the baby was crowning and starting to come out,' Deputy Ream told Spectrum News.

'That's when I knew it was time for me to do my job,' he added.

The couple have not been named by officials.

The baby boy was born in the passenger seat of a car parked in a 7-Eleven near Tampa

A Florida deputy delivered a baby boy in a 7-Eleven parking lot around 5.30am Tuesday and captured the birth on his body camera

Deputy Jordan Ream (pictured) responded to a 911 call from a man saying his wife was in labor and he didn't think they would make it to the hospital in time for her to deliver the baby

In the body camera footage Deputy Ream is seen running up to the passenger side of the car and telling the woman in labor to 'just push, you're fine' as he grabbed the baby's crowning head and assisted in the delivery.

'Keep pushing, fire rescue's here,' he said as the mother breathed heavily.

Just before the baby is born Deputy Ream said: 'Head's coming out... keep pushing, you can do it.'

When the baby arrived and started to cry he told the mother: 'Look it's your beautiful baby boy.'

You can then hear the officer chuckling with joy as the new mom reached out to hold her baby for the first time.

When Deputy Ream arrived at the scene the panicked father-to-be said: 'It's crowning.' The officer delivered the baby within two minutes

Body camera footage from another officer showed the baby's father thanking Deputy Ream after his son's birth'Thank you man,' he said as he shook the deputy's hand

'Thank you man,' the father said as he shook the deputy's hand

As he walked away from the car Deputy Ream was out of breath and told the fire rescue officials: 'I'm going to let you do your thing.'

Body camera footage from another officer then showed the baby's father thanking Deputy Ream.

'Thank you man,' he said as he shook the deputy's hand.

'I really, really appreciate it. I was about to lose my mind. I've never - all the stuff I've been through in my life, I've never been through that,' the father added.

The mother and her baby were taken to a nearby hospital and are healthy, according to Spectrum News.

Deputy Ream told the news station that delivering the baby was 'easily (the) number one' moment in his two years as a deputy.

Deputy Ream told Spectrum News that delivering the baby was 'easily (the) number one' moment in his two years as a deputy

In a press release issued by the Sheriff's Office shortly after the birth Sheriff Chronister said: 'While a car is hardly a place anyone would want to give birth in, Deputy Ream repeatedly reassured the new mom that she was in good hands.'

'Immediately his training kicked in and he was able to deliver the healthy baby while keeping Mom safe too,' he added.

'I wish Mom, Dad and their new baby boy all the happiness. Congratulations!'
Video footage shows the final moments of Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman as he was gunned down by armed police outside Iceland.

The film shows the the 20-year-old before he was shot dead by undercover officers on the high street in south London.

It was a busy Sunday pre-lockdown afternoon when he grabbed a large kitchen knife from a hardware store and set about stabbing two members of the public at random.

Little over a minute later, he had been shot dead after pivoting to charge at two undercover police officers who had given chase, as horrified members of the public looked on.

The gravity of the situation was borne out in footage compiled from CCTV, public transport, police body-worn cameras and mobile phones belonging to members of the public.

Witness testimony at Amman's inquest described with vivid detail the 62 seconds between him grabbing the knife and being mortally wounded.

Sudesh Amman, 20, randomly stabbed members of the public on Streatham High Road in South London on February 2 last year. Footage (pictured) shows officers approaching him

Jagmon Singh, who worked in Low Price Store on Streatham High Road, said he thought Amman 'looked disturbed' when the convicted jihadi walked into his shop and began browsing the knives before selecting a weapon with which to enact his rampage.

'I thought it was a case of shoplifting,' said an officer known as BX87, one of a dozen police witnesses granted anonymity at the inquest, and who was part of the surveillance effort on the day. A minute later, he opened fire.

Katherine Day said she saw Amman apparently 'skipping and hopping' up the street before lunging at targets, including a child.

She and her partner Thomas Baldwin were later commended by one of Amman's victims for helping save his life after performing initial first aid before medics arrived on the scene.

In the clip, marked police cars arrive at the scene and armed officers are seen approaching Amman, who is lying on the pavement in front of Boots' entrance (pictured)

Little over a minute after grabbing a knife from a hardware shop (he is pictured before the attack), he had been shot dead after pivoting to charge at two undercover police officers

CCTV footage showed the street to be busy with pedestrians, so much so that nine covert police officers were able to work seemingly undetected by Amman.

Just 20 seconds before Amman burst out of the Low Price Store, and slightly ahead of his first casualty, a woman with a small child and a pushchair could be seen heading northwards along Streatham High Road.

Further along the street at Holland and Barrett, internal CCTV showed two young children standing at the shop entrance as Amman sprinted past with the knife clasped in his hand.

Four women were then seen scrambling into a Boots store on Streatham High Road. Two seconds later, he was dead.

BX87 broke down as he recalled fearing he was about to become Amman's latest victim.

'(It) was like a cartoon - the blade of the knife almost doubled in size,' he said.

'It really dawned on me at this point that I was going to get stabbed.'

Pedestrian Fida Hussain said the shooting appeared to be 'some sort of prank that you see on YouTube or something'.

Indeed, Mr Hussain was not the only one initially failing to fully grasp the gravity of the situation, with CCTV footage showing an elderly woman resolutely trying to cross the road on the pavement across from Amman's body, despite two armed police shouting at her to stay back.

Meanwhile, Katherine Day said she saw Amman apparently 'skipping and hopping' up the street before lunging at targets, including a child.

She and her partner Thomas Baldwin were later commended by one of Amman's victims for helping save his life after performing initial first aid before medics arrived on the scene.

Amman, from Queensbury, North London, had been released from HMP Belmarsh ten days earlier after serving half of a 40-month sentence for obtaining and distributing material for terrorist purposes.

Amman had been living at a probation hostel in Streatham for ten days when he stabbed a man and a woman before turning to charge at two armed police officers who gave chase.

Witness testimony at Amman's inquest described the 62 seconds between him grabbing the knife and being mortally wounded. Pictured: CCTV footage shows police approaching Amman

The jury at the Royal Courts of Justice inquest into his death also concluded that Amman (pictured) had been lawfully killed when he was shot on February 2 last year

The male victim and the police officers who eventually opened fire on Amman both described fearing they would die during the 62-second rampage.

The new footage comes as inquest jurors concluded that the Streatham terror attack could have been prevented had convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman been recalled to prison.

Police and MI5 officers were so concerned about Amman two days before the atrocity - after watching him buy materials it was rightly feared could be used to make a hoax suicide belt - that they held an emergency meeting to discuss the prospect of arresting the recently released terrorist.

Timeline of terror: Sudesh Amman's ten days between prison release and tragedy Here is a timeline in the case of Sudesh Amman, the convicted terrorist who stabbed and injured two people in Streatham High Road in February 2020. - January 23, 2020 Sudesh Amman, a 20-year-old from Harrow in north-west London, is automatically released from Belmarsh prison, having been handed a 40-month sentence for 13 counts of obtaining and distributing material used for terrorist purposes. He is released to a probation hostel in Streatham, south London, despite pleas from police and MI5 to keep him in custody for longer due to his extremist views. - January 24 Amman, who is originally from Coventry, is placed under daytime surveillance by plain clothes officers. - January 29 A decision is made to allow those surveillance officers to carry firearms. - January 30 Amman's covert surveillance is relaxed slightly, meaning there would be no coverage between 6am and 10am due to intelligence about Amman's lack of movement at this time of the day. - January 31 Amman is seen looking at knives in a shop and buying items from Poundland that police - presciently - fear could be used to create a hoax suicide belt. These items include a parcel tape, aluminium foil and four 250ml bottles of Irn-Bru soft drink.

Police and MI5 officers hold an emergency meeting with HM Prison and Probation Service, but the latter decides to put Amman under 24-hour surveillance rather than to recall him to jail and blow the cover of the covert operation. - February 1 Amman is placed on 'round-the-clock' - i.e. 24-hour - surveillance. This includes armed covert police, as well as uniformed officers nearby. He leaves his flat just once, for around 22 minutes at lunchtime, to go to a nearby takeaway for a chicken meal. - February 2 1.22pm - Amman leaves his approved premises, the probation hostel, in Leigham Court Road.

- Amman leaves his approved premises, the probation hostel, in Leigham Court Road. 1.50pm - Amman is seen in Streatham High Road. He is said to be walking 'very slowly', appearing lost, and changing direction at various times.

- Amman is seen in Streatham High Road. He is said to be walking 'very slowly', appearing lost, and changing direction at various times. 1.57pm - The 20-year-old enters a shop called Low Price Store. He is inside for barely a minute, and emerges with a knife which he has stolen. He is pursued by undercover police. Amman stabs two people, a man and a woman. Both survive.

- The 20-year-old enters a shop called Low Price Store. He is inside for barely a minute, and emerges with a knife which he has stolen. He is pursued by undercover police. Amman stabs two people, a man and a woman. Both survive. 1.58pm - Amman, reaching Boots, turns to face the officers. They shoot at him, with at least two shots hitting him. A total of 62 seconds after running from the shop, Amman falls to the ground.

- Amman, reaching Boots, turns to face the officers. They shoot at him, with at least two shots hitting him. A total of 62 seconds after running from the shop, Amman falls to the ground. 2.40pm - A police explosives expert arrives on the scene to check and carefully remove the device around Amman's waist. It contains three bottles, wrapped in tin foil and attached to a belt with brown tape. It is later identified as a hoax.

- A police explosives expert arrives on the scene to check and carefully remove the device around Amman's waist. It contains three bottles, wrapped in tin foil and attached to a belt with brown tape. It is later identified as a hoax. 3.24pm - Amman is pronounced dead by a paramedic. Advertisement

But HM Prison and Probation Service decided not to recall him to jail, despite undercover officers spotting him buy four small bottles of Irn-Bru, kitchen foil and parcel tape from Poundland. He was kept under round-the-clock armed surveillance instead.

The senior investigating officer on the Amman case denied suggestions from the terrorist's family that police should have intervened and that the undercover operation was a 'massive failure'.

The officer said instead that the Metropolitan Police's actions on the day he struck prevented further tragedy.

Asked about the mistakes leading to the attack, Dr Joseph Downing, a fellow in nationalism at the London School of Economics who studies security and terrorism, told MailOnline today: 'That's clearly incompetence. The problem is when something like this happens is that the person may do stuff in the preparation for an attack but it may be mundane. When it's something like buying equipment for a bomb then clearly there has been an oversight.

'Because this is something being dealt with between numerous agencies who work to different verdicts of truth, different expertise, it can happen. Like the probation services clearly doesn't have expertise in counter-terrorism and that's one of the problems. Working among different agencies is often the problem.

'That's the problem with the checks and balances according to the law. Even if the security services do say they're identified the problem they can be overruled by other actors and that's one of the main issues we have today.'

The inquest jury returned a conclusion of lawful killing this morning, after retiring for 11 hours to consider their finding, but said probation 'missed an opportunity' to send him back to prison following the Poundland trip.

Jurors concluded the decision not to search Amman's probation hostel, or search him in person on the day of the attack, did not amount to a missed opportunity.

The coroner Mr Justice Hilliard, at the inquest's conclusion, said: 'Amman was prepared to risk his life... In stark contrast the Metropolitan Police surveillance teams were prepared to put themselves in harm's way.

'They are all to be commended for their bravery, and they are owed a considerable debt of gratitude for their bravery.'

Amman's family already conceded police had little choice but to shoot him, who was born in Coventry and lived in Birmingham and North West London.

And the coroner said the evidence showed the officers who shot Amman 'at every stage honestly believed that it was necessary to use force in defence of himself and others'.

The inquest, held over three weeks in London, heard Amman was considered 'one of the most dangerous individuals' investigated by police and MI5, and heard evidence he maintained an extremist mindset throughout his time in prison.

He was said to have plotted to kill the Queen, pledged allegiance to so-called Islamic State, and wanted to commit atrocities.

While in prison, Amman was also said to have revelled in his perceived notoriety as a young terrorist, and was said to have mixed with other high-profile offenders including the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi.

He was automatically released from Belmarsh jail on January 23, halfway through his 40-month sentence for obtaining and distributing material used for terrorist purposes, despite pleas to the prison governor to keep him in custody for longer after a police officer feared an attack would be 'when, not if'.

The case resulted in a new law removing the automatic release of terror offenders on determinate sentences, meaning they now routinely serve two-thirds of their sentence before their custody status is decided by a Parole Board.

The inquest jury heard Amman was shot at six times, with between three and four bullets hitting him.

He suffered wounds in the neck and abdomen, and was pronounced dead at 3.24pm once the scene had been made safe.
A Seattle couple - with a two-week-old baby in their car - was attacked by a mob of homeless people before running over and killing one of the men as they tried to escape, according to published reports and a recently released shocking video.

The wild July 27 altercation shows the couple arrive at one of the homeless encampments that dot the city to retrieve items that were stolen from them, according to KIRO-7 News, which aired the video Aug. 13.

The couple got out of the four-door sedan and the female passenger proceeded to get into a bare-knuckles brawl with another woman - but not before first opening the back door to apparently check on the baby sitting there, the video showed.

The male driver of the car was slammed in the back with a large piece of wood wielded by a homeless man as the women slugged it out.

After their fight petered out, both the driver and passenger returned to the four-door sedan but their path was blocked by the group of homeless men. One with a machete cracked the back window, where the woman and baby were sitting, and others pelted the car with sticks and rocks.

The woman in blue joined the fight after going into the back seat and appearing to check on the two-week-old baby

Two women were in a fisticuffs while several other men surrounded the car with weapons

The mom goes returns to the backseat of the car with the baby as the driver prepares to make their getaway

The driver is seen peeling out with his door still open, circling around and smashing into a graffiti-covered shed. He then backs up and speeds forward before mowing down a man later identified as Zachery J Reou.

The victims body was dragged about 30 feet before the unidentified couple stopped and called 911, Seattle police said in a release after the incident.

The pair cooperated with authorities and prosecutors said they don't expect them to be charged with a crime.

They went to the encampment because reportedly their shoes and Bluetooth speaker were stolen. The violence unfolded after they took the items back to their car, KIRO-7 News reported.

'It's incredibly frustrating to feel like your things are right there and want to say, "That's mine. Give it back,'" Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, told the Seattle Times. 'But it rarely works out well.'

Two members from the encampment were taken into custody: John Henry Rosser IV, 39, and Mario J. Miller, 53.

Miller is a 12-time felon in Washington and California, and Rosser is a nine-time felon, KIRO-7 reported. Rosser was the one swinging the machete, the Seattle Times reported.

DailyMail.com called Seattle Police Department for more information.

The driver peels out with his door wide open and still under attack

As the couple drives away, the homeless mob continues its assault on the car
Regional Victoria is set to go back into lockdown and restrictions in Melbourne toughened even further to stop the spread of the city's Delta outbreak, as former Premier Jeff Kennett claimed the state will stay shut down until 2022.

Mr Kennett said 'well-placed' food industry sources briefed on distribution disruptions by the state government warned him about the extended lockdown and tighter restrictions lasting into next year, The Herald Sun reported.

Premier Daniel Andrews held an urgent Cabinet meeting on Friday afternoon to discuss new rules which could include changes for childcare centres, tighter travel limits, shorter exercise times, a construction halt, and a ban on takeaway food and coffee.

An outbreak in Shepparton grew to 17 cases late on Friday and a new exposure site emerged at a machinery hire company in Bendigo, causing grave concerns the virus has leaked further into regional Victoria - just 11 days after lockdown was lifted for its residents.

Restrictions in Melbourne are set to be tightened on Saturday, and regional Victoria put back in lockdown

Changed to Melbourne restrictions could include changes for childcare centres, tighter travel limits, shorter exercise times, a construction halt, and a ban on takeaway food and coffee

A new exposure site emerged at a machinery hire company in Bendigo (stock image), causing grave concerns the virus has leaked further into regional Victoria

The 17 new cases in Shepparton were in addition to 55 in Melbourne announced by Premier Andrews on Friday morning

VICTORIA LOCKDOWN CHANGES Dan Andrews is set to announce a new lockdown for regional Victoria on Saturday. Covid restrictions in Melbourne are also expected to be tightened. The changes could include: - Ban on takeaway coffee and food - Cut to outdoor exercise time - New shorter travel limits - Total construction industry shutdown - Childcare restricted to essential workers - Residents locked in hot spots until they test negative Advertisement

Mr Andrews was reportedly poised to announce the regional lockdown and new restrictions immediately, until deciding to wait for overnight case numbers on Saturday morning instead.

But late on Friday evening the state government said it had told community sporting leagues in regional Victoria to 'immediately cancel their activities for this weekend'.

'The situation in Melbourne and across regional Victoria is extremely concerning,' a spokesperson said.

'Advice will be provided to government tomorrow morning and all options are on the table.'

Mr Kennett said he had seen a document confirming the new lockdown for regional Victoria, and described the move as 'appalling'.

'The test will be at 80 per cent vaccination. What will Dan Andrews do when we get to 80 per cent full vaccination? He wont guarantee that,' he told the Saturday Herald Sun.

Among the new restrictions being considered is an unprecedented ban on takeaway food and coffee in Melbourne, a tightening of the city's 5km travel rule for shopping and exercise and a ban on all construction activity.

Childcare centres could also be restricted to essential workers and residents banned from leaving hot spots unless they test negative to the virus.

The 17 new cases in Shepparton were in addition to 55 in Melbourne announced by Premier Andrews on Friday morning.

A source present at the crisis meeting said the growing number of infection 'spot fires' both inside and outside Melbourne meant a regional lockdown was the only option, with more cases expected over the weekend.

Mr Andrews was reportedly poised to announce the regional lockdown and new restrictions immediately, until deciding to wait for overnight case numbers on Saturday morning instead

The whole of Victoria is set to go back into lockdown as Covid-19 continues to spread into regional parts of the state. Pictured is a pedestrian in Melbourne as the city endures its sixth coronavirus lockdown

Among the new restrictions being considered by the state government is an unprecedented ban on takeaway food and coffee in Melbourne

Thousands of locals in Shepparton, 181km northwest of Melbourne, and surrounding areas were forced into isolation and several school campuses have closed after a man in his 30s tested positive.

The Shepparton man has two children at St Mel's Primary, which has been closed for deep cleaning.

He is isolating at home and his family has also been tested.

Since then, another 16 cases including family members from two households have been linked to him, Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp said.

VICTORIA'S STATEWIDE LOCKDOWN - ALL THE RESTRICTIONS YOU NEED TO KNOW A lockdown for regional Victoria applies from 1pm on Saturday with restrictions in line with Melbourne minus the curfew. Lockdown restrictions apply until 11.59pm on Thursday, September 2. A curfew for those in Melbourne only includes: Between 9:00pm and 5:00am, you cannot leave your home (or the home of your intimate partner or bubble buddy) except for limited reasons including: - authorised work - health and medical purposes - care and support of a child or someone with special needs - in an emergency or to escape harm Across Victoria you cannot leave your home other than for one of the five following reasons: - shopping for necessary goods and services - caregiving or compassionate reasons, including medical care or to get a COVID-19 test - authorised work (with a permit) or permitted education - exercise (once a day for 2 hours, no more than 5km from where you live) - to get a COVID-19 vaccination Victorians may also leave home to visit their intimate partner, their single social bubble buddy, or in an emergency  including those at risk of family violence. You must stay within 5km of your home for shopping and exercise. This limit does not apply to permitted work or education, when giving or receiving care, getting a COVID-19 vaccination or visiting an intimate partner or your single social bubble buddy. Residents of Metropolitan Melbourne must not travel to regional Victoria other than for permitted reasons. These include: - for authorised work or permitted education - to visit an intimate partner - for care and compassionate reasons - to access COVID-19 vaccination provided it is to the closest facility where vaccination can be obtained, or - to access necessary good and services provided this is to the closest facility where these can be obtained. Face masks must be worn indoors and outdoors whenever you leave your home. Public gatherings are not allowed across the state. Childcare will be limited to only essential workers and vulnerable families using a permit system that was used in 2020. Children at primary school are also asked to wear masks but this is not mandatory. Weddings cannot proceed and funerals are capped at 10 attendees. Across the state construction sites will only be allowed to have 25 per cent of their workers on site. Essential shops remain open. Cafes and pubs will be able to remain open for takeaway only. Advertisement

'It is likely there will be further people testing positive for COVID-19 in coming days,' Mr Sharp said late on Friday.

'Contact tracing is progressing and will continue as a primary focus. Anyone identified as a close contact will be contacted directly by the contact tracing team.'

Friday's additional cases come as Mr Andrews hit back at people criticising the strictness of Victoria's sixth lockdown, including the unpopular decision to close all children's playgrounds in the city despite widespread backlash and no conclusive evidence of Delta transmission.

'The government is playing its part, we locked down early, we couldn't have locked down any earlier,' he said defiantly during Friday's Covid briefing.

'We went hard. I can't be clearer with the people of Melbourne.

'If we have a weekend this weekend like we did last weekend, then next week we'll look like Sydney. It's as simple as that.'

An outbreak in Shepparton grew to 17 cases late on Friday and a new exposure site emerged at a machinery hire company in Bendigo, causing concerns the virus has leaked further into regional areas

The premier sent a warning to the people of Victoria saying the state is at a tipping point and could soon be facing the same problem as Sydney if the virus 'gets away from us'

FIND THE LATEST EXPOSURE SITES NEAR YOU

The health department confirmed 49 of the locally acquired cases are linked to known outbreaks, while 25 were self-isolating throughout their infectious period.

It means 30 people were infectious in the community - also known as 'wild' cases - and the source of six is yet to be identified.

'Earlier in the week we talked about a tipping point, this is very, very serious,' Premier Andrews said.

'This is what it will look like if this gets away from us  hundreds and hundreds of cases every day and potentially thousands in hospital.

'Anyone who speaks to a nurse in a Covid ward they will tell you stories you'll never forget.

Mr Andrews said the state was sitting on a 'knife's edge', urging Victorians to follow protocol or face an explosion in cases.

'If we get it again, it will mean kids get it, people of all ages will get it, people who are fit and healthy, they will die. That's what is at stake here,' Premier Andrews said

'This is difficult, but so is having thousands of people in hospital. That is what we are facing,' he said.

'If we get it again, it will mean kids get it, people of all ages will get it, people who are fit and healthy, they will die. That's what is at stake here.'

Premier Andrews' stark warning comes as a coronavirus vaccination hub in Melbourne's southeast was declared an exposure site after a positive case visited to get their jab.

The infected person, who did not have symptoms at the time, went to the Frankston Community Vaccination Hub at Bayside Centre on Monday before testing positive on Thursday.

The Peninsula Health-run site has been declared a tier-two exposure site from 11.30am to 12.45pm on Monday, though remains open for those with a vaccination booking.

MELBOURNE'S LOCKDOWN WOES Melbourne marked its 200th day under lockdown restrictions on August 19, spread over six lockdowns beginning on March 30, 2020. Here's how they unfolded (regional Victoria lockdown dates not included): LOCKDOWN 1 Statewide, March 30 to May 12, 2020, 43 days Triggered at 46 locally acquired cases LOCKDOWN 2 Ten Melbourne postcodes, July 1 to July 8, 2020, seven days (not counted in the overall citywide figure) Melbourne, July 8 to October 27, 2020, 112 days Triggered at 149 local cases on July 8 LOCKDOWN 3 Statewide, February 12 to February 17, 2021, five days Triggered at one local case LOCKDOWN 4 Melbourne, May 27 to June 10, 2021, 14 days Triggered at four local cases LOCKDOWN 5 Statewide, July 15 to July 27, 2021, 12 days Triggered at ten local cases LOCKDOWN 6 Melbourne, August 5 and ongoing until at least September 2, 16 days to Saturday, August 21 Triggered at six local cases Advertisement

Meanwhile an outbreak with several cases at Glenroy West Primary School plunged 50 families and staff from York St kindergarten, which is on the same site, into isolation.

A teacher at the kindergarten reportedly refused to be tested for Covid-19, forcing the potentially-exposed families to repeat their 14-day isolation.

The teacher was at the school from August 6 to August 12 and the kindergarten is listed as a close contact exposure site for seven days from August 6.

The teacher will face no consequences for refusing the test as there is now law surrounding mandatory testing, even though Mr Andrews suggested it was the sensible thing to do.

'If you're asked to test because there's a sense you may have the virus, and we want to rule you out  but also look after the safety of people you've been with, some of whom might be little kids, I don't think that's such a big ask,' he said.

Mr Andrews underlined the danger of the Delta variant towards children, saying people need to start taking the latest outbreak seriously.

'There are 700 kids that have Covid in NSW. No children in our country are vaccinated,' he said Friday morning.

'As a parent to every other parent, that should be motivation enough. We can't be certain how this virus effects kids.'

The infected person, who did not have symptoms at the time, attended the Frankston Community Vaccination Hub at Bayside Centre on Monday before testing positive on Thursday

An outbreak with several cases at Glenroy West Primary School (pictured) also plunged 50 families and staff from York St kindergarten, which is on the same site, into isolation

Premier Andrews says 38 of the 44 cases confirmed in isolation on Thursday were linked to the Al-Taqwa College outbreak, and with day 13 results set to come in the numbers will remain relatively high but not alarming.

'The story that sits behind those numbers is in fact more important than the numbers alone,' he said.

On Thursday, the state recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases since last year's deadly second wave after dozens of day-13 tests were returned from isolating close contacts.

About 3,000 primary close contacts left isolation on Wednesday, with 57 new cases reported on Thursday.

There are more than 530 exposure sites in Victoria, with a number of new sites added in Ashburton, Altona North and Newport on Thursday evening.

Melbourne is just over two weeks into its sixth lockdown, which has been extended until September 2.
Police are looking for two witnesses over the murder of a father-of-two who died after he was attacked in the grounds of Cardiff Castle.

Dr Gary Jenkins, 54, died in the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff on August 5, 16 days after he was attacked in the early hours of the morning in the Bute Park grounds.

Three people, including a 16-year-old girl, have since appeared in court charged with his murder.

South Wales Police have now issued images of two young people who were spotted in the area at the time Gary was attacked, who may be able to help with their investigation.

Dr Gary Jenkins, 54, died 16 days after he was left fighting for his life following an attack in the grounds of Cardiff Castle in the early hours

Police have stressed the man and woman in the footage 'have done nothing wrong'.

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Wales, said: 'I would like to thank the community for the excellent support they have provided to this investigation to date, which has helped enormously.

'We are now making a further appeal for the man and the woman in these images to come forward, so that we can speak with them about their movements and interactions in Cardiff City centre during the relevant time.

'We believe the man would have been in the vicinity of the top of Queen Street near its junction with St John Street at around 11.30pm on Monday, July 19.

Police have released the CCTV images in the hopes of finding the two witnesses

Police have insisted the witnesses have done nothing wrong but may have information

'A few hours later, between 1.40am and 1.45am on Tuesday, July 20 the woman was at the same location sat on a bench speaking to a man.

'I must stress that these people have done nothing wrong but they may have important information that would further assist our enquiries in relation to what happened to Dr Gary Jenkins.'

Jason Edwards, 25, Lee William Strickland, 36, and a 16-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Newport Crown Court earlier this month.

Mr Edwards, from Riverside, Cardiff, and Mr Strickland, of no fixed abode, appeared in court, while the girl attended via video link.

A hearing will take place on 15 October where pleas are expected to be entered.

The three were previously charged with attempted murder but he died just over two weeks after the attack.

Three people - including a 16-year-old girl - have been charged with murder

Pictured: A section of the park is cordoned off as police carry out their investigations

The family of the consultant psychiatrist, who worked for Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, described him as a 'loving father of two' in a statement.

''We are distraught to announce the untimely death of Dr Gary Jenkins, who was a loving father of two wonderful daughters,' they said.

'He lived his life happily with love, music, creativity and dedication to his profession.'
A man accused of posing as a health department official allegedly told a woman in home isolation she might deported, but he could protect her if she had sex with him.

Abdulfatah Omar Awow, 25, is accused of stalking a 31-year-old woman who was in mandatory home isolation after travelling to Victoria from NSW.

Awow is facing serious charges over the alleged incident on July 14, including stalking, attempting to procure sexual penetration and sexual acts by threat or fraud, and holding himself out to be an authorised officer.

He was on bail at the time and is facing five charges of committing offences while on bail, plus a new charge of aggravated burglary.

Abdulfatah Omar Awow, 25, was arrested on August 12 and is facing 10 charges after he allegedly went to a woman's home in Melbourne's east and threatened to tell health officials she breached isolation if she didn't have sex with him

Awow faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday where his lawyer Theo Alexander said there would be no application for bail.

Court documents allege Awow obtained his victim's personal details while employed as a casual contractor doing research and data analysis for Department of Health contact tracing.

It's alleged he first spoke to her over the phone while at work, asking how she was managing in isolation, before allegedly taking a photo of a computer screen showing personal details including her address and phone numbers.

Police say he called her again after work, telling her he was a Department of Health home inspector and needed to conduct a check on her home.

The woman said Awow walked around her home taking notes and photos, including in her bedroom before telling her she was not complying with isolation requirements by living in a share house.

He allegedly warned she could get into a lot of trouble with the government and that she might be deported.

'He suggested to the victim if they have sex he won't inform the government of her non-compliance with the isolation requirements,' police allege.

Awow is said to have used a translator app on the woman's phone to communicate his message: 'you make me happy and I will lie for you and no one needs to know and you will be protected,' he allegedly wrote (file image)

The woman declined and he asked for oral sex instead, which she also declined.

Police say he told her other women he had checked on had complied with his requests and as a result they did not get into trouble.

Awow, whose employment has been terminated, only left after another housemate came out of his bedroom.

He was arrested after a warrant was issued and police appealed publicly for him to come forward.

Police say they have not recovered Awow's phone, which may still have the victim's personal details plus photos of her house and potential information for others who may have been in her position.

Awow's case is due back in court on November 12.
A disturbing image from a treatment center in Florida depicts the struggle to keep up with the influx of Covid-19 patients as the Delta variant spreads through the state.

A photo of sick patients lying on the floor of the Jacksonville Public Library awaiting COVID antibody treatments has gone viral as Florida. The state continues to set records with more than 17,000 COVID hospitalizations and 3,600 COVID patients in intensive care units, based on data comes from 232 hospitals.

The viral photo shows two patients curled up on the floor of the library. One woman is lying face down covered in a thin blue medical gown. The other is against a wall with a woman bending over her.

Louie Lopez, who took the photo Wednesday, told ABC News that he was shocked when he was admitted for treatment before either of the people on the floor even though his only symptom was a headache.

A viral photo taken Wednesday by Louis Lopez shows sick patients in Florida lying on the floor of the Jacksonville Public Library as they wait for COVID antibody treatments

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been a proponent of monoclonal antibody treatments since last year and has recently been expanding the availability of the treatment

As hospitals have become inundated with new patients, the state has turned to outside locations to administer COVID treatments

'These people would come in and they just felt so horrible, they would lay down,' Lopez told ABC News on Thursday. She said staff members at the site eventually attended to the woman in the foreground of the picture after some time, covering her with the blue gown 'to warm her up,' before they 'poured her into a wheelchair.'

After the photo circulated, Jacksonville city officials confirmed that they are working to collect more wheelchairs at sites providing Regeneron's monoclonal antibody treatments as more patients need care.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been a proponent of the antibody treatment, recently expanding the availability of the treatments throughout the state with mobile units.

'There's clear benefits to this early treatment for keeping people out of the hospital and reducing mortality,' DeSantis said during a news conference last week. The governor has been a proponent of the treatment since last year when it was used on Donald Trump when he tested positive for COVID.

DeSantis recently began pushing out mobile units to provide antibody treatments throughout the state of Florida

The Washington Post reported that one of DeSantis' top donors, Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, is an investor in the drug sold by Regeneron. Citadel bought $15.9 million in shares of Regeneron Pharmaceutical Inc., according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Griffin himself has donated $10.75 million to a political committee that supports DeSantis.

However, it is not uncommon for hedge funds such as Citadel to maintain a wide range of investments in their portfolio. BlackRock, which has donated to Democratic and Republican candidates, has a larger share holding than Citadel.

When given within 10 days of a patient's initial symptoms, Regeneron has been proven to cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 70%. While the treatment has seen positive results, it is still not as effective as the vaccines which are proven to be 95% effective against hospitalization.

Florida is currently experiencing an alarming spike in COVID cases and hospitalizations. The number of COVID patients in intensive care unit beds has leapt 50% from August 5. The 3,610 COVID patients in ICU beds represent 55% of the states ICU beds.

The Sunshine State has reported that 50% of the total population is fully vaccinated equating to 10,746,993 people. This falls behind the CDC's goal of a 70% vaccination rate in order to achieve herd immunity.

As of August 13, Florida saw 149,6262 cases increasing 13% from the previous week. COVID patients being admitted to the hospital jumped 19% with 15,317 people.

The increase in patients is putting a strain on hospitals with several reporting supply shortages and 19% of hospitals struggling with staff shortages. Vaccination rates dropped 8% in the state but remained higher than the national average.

The entire state is currently experiencing high transmission rates as the Delta variant spreads quickly accounting for 69% of cases.

This comes amid DeSantis' battle with local and federal government officials, sparked by his executive order instructing the state's health and education departments to issue rules preventing schools from enforcing mask mandates.

He has threatened to withhold salaries from school superintendents or board members who ignore his executive order banning compulsory face masks for students.

This comes as hospitals have reported a large increase in visits from patients under 18-years-old since January to the CDC.

The GOP governor issued a statement against pro-maskers, after taking action to ban compulsory masks in Sunshine State schools and offering to pay private school tuition for parents who fear they'll be shamed for refusing to cover their kids' faces.

De Santis' statement read, 'With respect to enforcing any financial consequences for noncompliance of state law regarding these rules and ultimately the rights of parents to make decisions about their children's education and health care decisions, it would be the goal of the State Board of Education to narrowly tailor any financial consequences to the offense committed.'

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faces backlash in Florida after threatening to cut school officials' salaries if they put mask wearing mandates in place

'For example, the State Board of Education could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members, as a narrowly tailored means to address the decision-makers who led to the violation of law.'

'Education funding is intended to benefit students first and foremost, not systems. The Governor's priorities are protecting parents' rights and ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education that meets their unique needs.'

But President Joe Biden threatened to use legal pressure to try to maintain COVID masking in schools. Biden spoke from the East Room amid a new policy recommendation on vaccine booster shots.

'I've said as I said before, if you aren't going to fight COVID-19, at least get out of the way of everyone else who's trying,' he said, in another missive aimed at GOP governors.

'If you aren't going to fight COVID-19, at least get out of the way of everyone else who's trying,' President Joe Biden said, picking a fight with GOP governors who have used their power to try to prevent local districts from requiring mask usage in schools

'You know, we're not going to sit by as governors try to block and intimidate educators protecting our children.'

Biden tore into the idea of governors snatching away local control.

'Some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures  that is children wearing masks in school  into political disputes, for their own political gain,' Biden said.

'Some are even trying to take power away from local educators by banning masks in school. They are setting a dangerous tone.'
Gang member admitted conspiring to cause explosions and steal from ATMs

A police force was today scrambling to track down a convicted thief after he was accidentally released from prison.

Colin Golding was in prison waiting to be sentenced after he was part of gang which raided ATMs by exploding them during a 10-month spree across the south of England.

But, following a blunder, police have admitted the 25-year-old was let out of HMP High Down by accident on August 17, three days ago.

Golding, from Aldershot, Hants, admitted conspiring to steal and conspiring to cause explosions relating to cash machines following the series of thefts between April 2019 and January 2020.

Colin Golding, 25, was in custody awaiting sentencing for a spate of ATM thefts across England's south coast when he was released 'by mistake', Hampshire Police have confirmed

Golding, from Aldershot, Hants, admitted conspiring to steal and conspiring to cause explosions relating to cash machines following the series of thefts between April 2019 and January 2020

ATMs across Hampshire, Thames Valley and Dorset were raided.

Now Hampshire Constabulary is asking the public to help them find the ATM thief.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman, explaining the blunder, said: 'We have been made aware that his release from prison has been ordered in error.

'Officers have carried out extensive enquiries to locate him and we are now turning to the public/you for assistance.

'Golding is from Aldershot, but also has links to the Surrey and Thames Valley areas.

Hampshire Constabulary released this appeal asking the public to help them find the ATM thief

'He is described as being white, around 5ft 9ins tall, of slim build and with short dark hair.'

Detective Inspector Steve Court added: 'We are keen to speak with anyone who has information about Golding's whereabouts.

'I also want to appeal directly to Colin, he knows he needs to return to prison and is awaiting sentencing. Please get in touch with us directly and hand yourself in.

'It is important to remind people that anyone found harbouring him to deliberately obstruct our attempts to find him may be committing an offence and be liable for arrest themselves.'

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'Releases in error are very rare but we take them extremely seriously and are working with the police to bring the suspect back into custody.'

The spokesperson would not be drawn on the circumstances of Golding's release. The Courts and Tribunal Service are believed to be looking into the incident.
President Joe Biden spoke exclusively to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday about the chaotic US withdrawl from the country.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, thank you for doing this.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Thank you for doin' it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's get right to it. Back in July, you said a Taliban takeover was highly unlikely. Was the intelligence wrong, or did you downplay it?

BIDEN: I think -- there was no consensus. If you go back and look at the intelligence reports, they said that it's more likely to be sometime by the end of the year. The idea that the tal -- and then it goes further on, even as late as August. I think you're gonna see -- the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and others speaking about this later today.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But you didn't put a timeline on it when you said it was highly unlikely. You just said flat out, "It's highly unlikely the Taliban would take over."

BIDEN: Yeah. Well, the question was whether or not it w-- the idea that the Taliban would take over was premised on the notion that the -- that somehow, the 300,000 troops we had trained and equipped was gonna just collapse, they were gonna give up. I don't think anybody anticipated that.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But you know that Senator McConnell, others say this was not only predictable, it was predicted, including by him, based on intelligence briefings he was getting.

BIDEN: What -- what did he say was predicted?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator McConnell said it was predictable that the Taliban was gonna take over.

BIDEN: Well, by the end of the year, I said that's that was -- that was a real possibility. But no one said it was gonna take over then when it was bein' asked.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So when you look at what's happened over the last week, was it a failure of intelligence, planning, execution or judgment?

BIDEN: Look, I don't think it was a fa-- look, it was a simple choice, George. When the-- when the Taliban -- let me back -- put it another way. When you had the government of Afghanistan, the leader of that government get in a plane and taking off and going to another country, when you saw the significant collapse of the ta-- of the-- Afghan troops we had trained -- up to 300,000 of them just leaving their equipment and taking off, that was -- you know, I'm not-- this -- that -- that's what happened.

That's simply what happened. So the question was in the beginning the-- the threshold question was, do we commit to leave within the timeframe we've set? We extended it to September 1st. Or do we put significantly more troops in? I hear people say, "Well, you had 2,500 folks in there and nothin' was happening. You know, there wasn't any war."

But guess what? The fact was that the reason it wasn't happening is the last president negotiated a year earlier that he'd be out by May 1st and that-- in return, there'd be no attack on American forces. That's what was done. That's why nothing was happening. But the idea if I had said -- I had a simple choice. If I had said, "We're gonna stay," then we'd better prepare to put a whole hell of a lot more troops in --

STEPHANOPOULOS: But your top military advisors warned against withdrawing on this timeline. They wanted you to keep about 2,500 troops.

BIDEN: No, they didn't. It was split. Tha-- that wasn't true. That wasn't true.

STEPHANOPOULOS: They didn't tell you that they wanted troops to stay?

BIDEN: No. Not at -- not in terms of whether we were going to get out in a timeframe all troops. They didn't argue against that.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no one told -- your military advisors did not tell you, "No, we should just keep 2,500 troops. It's been a stable situation for the last several years. We can do that. We can continue to do that"?

BIDEN: No. No one said that to me that I can recall. Look, George, the reason why it's been stable for a year is because the last president said, "We're leaving. And here's the deal I wanna make with you, Taliban. We're agreeing to leave if you agree not to attack us between now and the time we leave on May the 1st."

I got into office, George. Less than two months after I elected to office, I was sworn in, all of a sudden, I have a May 1 deadline. I have a May 1 deadline. I got one of two choices. Do I say we're staying? And do you think we would not have to put a hell of a lot more troops? B-- you know, we had hundreds-- we had tens of thousands of troops there before. Tens of thousands.

Do you think we woulda -- that we would've just said, "No problem. Don't worry about it, we're not gonna attack anybody. We're okay"? In the meantime, the Taliban was takin' territory all throughout the country in the north and down in the south, in the Pasthtun area.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So would you have withdrawn troops like this even if President Trump had not made that deal with the Taliban?

BIDEN: I would've tried to figure out how to withdraw those troops, yes, because look, George. There is no good time to leave Afghanistan. Fifteen years ago would've been a problem, 15 years from now. The basic choice is am I gonna send your sons and your daughters to war in Afghanistan in perpetuity?

STEPHANOPOULOS: That's--

BIDEN: No one can name for me a time when this would end. And what-- wha-- wha-- what-- what constitutes defeat of the Taliban? What constitutes defeat? Would we have left then? Let's say they surrender like before. OK. Do we leave then? Do you think anybody-- the same people who think we should stay would've said, "No, good time to go"? We spent over $1 trillion, George, 20 years. There was no good time to leave.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But if there's no good time, if you know you're gonna have to leave eventually, why not have th-- everything in place to make sure Americans could get out, to make sure our Afghan allies get out, so we don't have these chaotic scenes in Kabul?

BIDEN: Number one, as you know, the intelligence community did not say back in June or July that, in fact, this was gonna collapse like it did. Number one.

STEPHANOPOULOS: They thought the Taliban would take over, but not this quickly?

BIDEN: But not this quickly. Not even close. We had already issued several thousand passports to the-- the SIVs, the people-- the-- the-- the translators when I came into office before we had negotiated getting out at the end of s-- August.

Secondly, we're in a position where what we did was took precautions. That's why I authorized that there be 6,000 American troops to flow in to accommodate this exit, number one. And number two, provided all that aircraft in the Gulf to get people out. We pre-positioned all that, anticipated that. Now, granted, it took two days to take control of the airport. We have control of the airport now.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Still a lotta pandemonium outside the airport.

BIDEN: Oh, there is. But, look, b-- but no one's being killed right now, God forgive me if I'm wrong about that, but no one's being killed right now. People are-- we got 1,000-somewhat, 1,200 out, yesterday, a couple thousand today. And it's increasing. We're gonna get those people out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But we've all seen the pictures. We've seen those hundreds of people packed into a C-17. You've seen Afghans falling--

BIDEN: That was four days ago, five days ago.

STEPHANOPOULOS: What did you think when you first saw those pictures?

BIDEN: What I thought was we ha-- we have to gain control of this. We have to move this more quickly. We have to move in a way in which we can take control of that airport. And we did.

STEPHANOPOULOS: I-- I think a lot of-- a lot of Americans, and a l-- even a lot of veterans who served in Afghanistan agree with you on the big, strategic picture. They believe we had to get out. But I wonder how you respond to an Army Special Forces officer, Javier McKay (PH). He did seven tours. He was shot twice. He agrees with you. He says, "We have to cut our losses in Afghanistan." But he adds, "I just wish we could've left with honor."

BIDEN: Look, that's like askin' my deceased son Beau, who spent six months in Kosovo and a year in Iraq as a Navy captain and then major-- I mean, as an Army major. And, you know, I'm sure h-- he had regrets comin' out of Afganista-- I mean, out of Iraq.

He had regrets to what's-- how-- how it's going. But the idea-- what's the alternative? The alternative is why are we staying in Afghanistan? Why are we there? Don't you think that the one-- you know who's most disappointed in us getting out? Russia and China. They'd love us to continue to have to--

STEPHANOPOULOS: So you don't think this could've been handled, this exit could've been handled better in any way? No mistakes?

BIDEN: No. I-- I don't think it could've been handled in a way that there-- we-- we're gonna go back in hindsight and look, but the idea that somehow there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens. I don't know how that happened.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So for you, that was always priced into the decision?

BIDEN: Yes. Now, exactly what happened-- is not priced in. But I knew that they're gonna have an enormous, enorm-- look, one of the things we didn't know is what the Taliban would do in terms of trying to keep people from getting out, what they would do.What are they doing now? They're cooperating, letting American citizens get out, American personnel get out, embassies get out, et cetera. But they're having-- we're having some more difficulty in having those who helped us when we were in there--

STEPHANOPOULOS: And we don't really know what's happening outside of Kabul.

BIDEN: Pardon me?

STEPHANOPOULOS: We don't really know what's happening outside of Kabul.

BIDEN: Well-- we do know generically and in some specificity what's happening outside of Kabul. We don't know it in great detail. But we do know. And guess what? The Taliban knows if they take on American citizens or American military, we will strike them back like hell won't have it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: All troops are supposed to be out by August 31st. Even if Americans and our Afghan allies are still trying to get out, they're gonna leave?

BIDEN: We're gonna do everything in our power to get all Americans out and our allies out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Does that mean troops will stay beyond August 31st if necessary?

BIDEN: It depends on where we are and whether we can get-- ramp these numbers up to 5,000 to 7,000 a day coming out. If that's the case, we'll be-- they'll all be out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: 'Cause we've got, like, 10,000 to 15,000 Americans in the country right now, right? And are you committed to making sure that the troops stay until every American who wants to be out--

BIDEN: Yes.

STEPHANOPOULOS: -- is out?

BIDEN: Yes.

STEPHANOPOULOS: How about our Afghan allies? We have about 80,000 people--

BIDEN: Well, that's not the s--

STEPHANOPOULOS: Is that too high?

BIDEN: That's too high.

STEPHANOPOULOS: How many--

BIDEN: The estimate we're giving is somewhere between 50,000 and 65,000 folks total, counting their families.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Does the commitment hold for them as well?

BIDEN: The commitment holds to get everyone out that, in fact, we can get out and everyone that should come out. And that's the objective. That's what we're doing now, that's the path we're on. And I think we'll get there.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So Americans should understand that troops might have to be there beyond August 31st?

BIDEN: No. Americans should understand that we're gonna try to get it done before August 31st.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But if we don't, the troops will stay--

BIDEN: If -- if we don't, we'll determine at the time who's left.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And?

BIDEN: And if you're American force -- if there's American citizens left, we're gonna stay to get them all out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You talked about our adversaries, China and Russia. You already see China telling Taiwan, "See? You can't count on the Americans." (LAUGH)

BIDEN: Sh-- why wouldn't China say that? Look, George, the idea that w-- there's a fundamental difference between-- between Taiwan, South Korea, NATO. We are in a situation where they are in-- entities we've made agreements with based on not a civil war they're having on that island or in South Korea, but on an agreement where they have a unity government that, in fact, is trying to keep bad guys from doin' bad things to them.

We have made-- kept every commitment. We made a sacred commitment to Article Five that if in fact anyone were to invade or take action against our NATO allies, we would respond. Same with Japan, same with South Korea, same with-- Taiwan. It's not even comparable to talk about that.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Yeah, but those--

BIDEN: It's not comparable to t--

STEPHANOPOULOS: --who say, "Look, America cannot be trusted now, America does not keep its promises--"

BIDEN: Who-- who's gonna say that? Look, before I made this decision, I met with all our allies, our NATO allies in Europe. They agreed. We should be getting out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Did they have a choice?

BIDEN: Sure, they had a choice. Look, the one thing I promise you in private, NATO allies are not quiet. You remember from your old days. They're not gonna be quiet. And so-- and by the way, you know, what we're gonna be doing is we're gonna be putting together a group of the G-7, the folks that we work with the most-- to-- I was on the phone with-- with Angela Merkel today. I was on the phone with the British prime minister. I'm gonna be talking to Macron in France to make sure we have a coherent view of how we're gonna deal from this point on.

MORE: How the Taliban uses social media to seek legitimacy in the West, sow chaos at home

STEPHANOPOULOS: What happens now in Afghanistan? Do you believe the Taliban have changed?

BIDEN: No. I think-- let me put it this way. I think they're going through sort of an existential crisis about do they want to be recognized by the international community as being a legitimate government. I'm not sure they do. But look, they have--

STEPHANOPOULOS: They care about their beliefs more?

BIDEN: Well, they do. But they also care about whether they have food to eat, whether they have an income that they can provide for their f-- that they can make any money and run an economy. They care about whether or not they can hold together the society that they in fact say they care so much about.

I'm not counting on any of that. I'm not cou-- but that is part of what I think is going on right now in terms of I-- I'm not sure I would've predicted, George, nor would you or anyone else, that when we decided to leave, that they'd provide safe passage for Americans to get out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Beyond Americans, what do we owe the Afghans who are left behind, particularly Afghan women who are facing the prospect of subjugation again?

BIDEN: As many as we can get out, we should. For example, I had a meeting today for a couple hours in the Situation Room just below here. There are Afghan women outside the gate. I told 'em, "Get 'em on the planes. Get them out. Get them out. Get their families out if you can."

But here's the deal, George. The idea that we're able to deal with the rights of women around the world by military force is not rational. Not rational. Look what's happened to the Uighurs in western China. Look what's happening in other parts of the world.

Look what's happenin' in, you know, in-- in the Congo. I mean, there are a lotta places where women are being subjugated. The way to deal with that is not with a military invasion. The way to deal with that is putting economic, diplomatic, and national pre-- international pressure on them to change their behavior.

STEPHANOPOULOS: How about the threat to the United States? Most intelligence analysis has predicted that Al Qaeda would come back 18 to 24 months after a withdrawal of American troops. Is that analysis now being revised? Could it be sooner?

BIDEN: It could be. But George, look, here's the deal. Al Qaeda, ISIS, they metastasize. There's a significantly greater threat to the United States from Syria. There's a significantly greater threat from East Africa. There's significant greater threat to other places in the world than it is from the mountains of Afghanistan. And we have maintained the ability to have an over-the-horizon capability to take them out. We're-- we don't have military in Syria to make sure that we're gonna be protected--

STEPHANOPOULOS: And you're confident we're gonna have that in Afghanistan?

BIDEN: Yeah. I'm confident we're gonna have the overriding capability, yes. Look, George, it's like asking me, you know, am I confident that people are gonna act even remotely rationally. Here's the deal. The deal is the threat from Al Qaeda and their associate organizations is greater in other parts of the world to the United States than it is from Afghanistan.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And th-- that tells you that you're-- it's safe to leave?

BIDEN: No. That tells me that-- my dad used to have an expression, George. If everything's equally important to you, nothing's important to you. We should be focusing on where the threat is the greatest. And the threat-- the idea-- we can continue to spend $1 trillion and have tens of thousands of American forces in Afghanistan when we have what's going on around the world, in the Middle East and North Africa and west-- I mean, excuse me-- yeah, North Africa and Western Africa. The idea we can do that and ignore those-- those looming problems, growing problems, is not-- not rational.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Final question on this. You know, in a couple weeks, we're all gonna commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The Taliban are gonna be ruling Afghanistan, just l-- like they were when our country was attacked. How do you explain that to the American people?

BIDEN: Not true. It's not true. They're not gonna look just like they were we were attacked. There was a guy named Osama bin Laden that was still alive and well. They were organized in a big way, that they had significant help from arou-- from other parts of the world.

We went there for two reasons, George. Two reasons. One, to get Bin Laden, and two, to wipe out as best we could, and we did, the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We did it. Then what happened? Began to morph into the notion that, instead of having a counterterrorism capability to have small forces there in-- or in the region to be able to take on Al Qaeda if it tried to reconstitute, we decided to engage in nation building. In nation building. That never made any sense to me.

STEPHANOPOULOS: It sounds like you think we shoulda gotten out a long time ago--

BIDEN: We should've.

STEPHANOPOULOS: --and-- and accept the idea that it was gonna be messy no matter what.

BIDEN: Well, by the-- what would be messy?

STEPHANOPOULOS: The exit--

BIDEN: If we had gotten out a long time ago-- getting out would be messy no matter when it occurred. I ask you, you want me to stay, you want us to stay and send your kids back to Afghanistan? How about it? Are you g-- if you had a son or daughter, would you send them in Afghanistan now? Or later?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Would be hard, but a lot of families have done it.

BIDEN: They've done it because, in fact, there was a circumstance that was different when we started. We were there for two reasons, George. And we accomplished both ten years ago. We got Osama bin Laden. As I said and got criticized for saying at the time, we're gonna follow him to the gates of hell. Hell, we did--

STEPHANOPOULOS: How will history judge the United States' experience in Afghanistan?

BIDEN: One that we overextended what we needed to do to deal with our national interest. That's like my sayin' they-- they're-- they-- they b-- b-- the border of Tajikistan-- and-- other-- what-- does it matter? Are we gonna go to war because of what's goin' on in Tajikistan? What do you think?

Tell me what-- where in that isolated country that has never, never, never in all of history been united, all the way back to Alexander the Great, straight through the British Empire and the Russians, what is the idea? Are we gonna s-- continue to lose thousands of Americans to injury and death to try to unite that country? What do you think? I think not.

I think the American people are with me. And when you unite that country, what do you have? They're surrounded by Russia in the north or the Stans in the north. You have-- to the west, they have Iran. To the south, they have Pakistan, who's supporting them. And to the-- and-- actually, the east, they have Pakistan and China. Tell me. Tell me. Is that worth our national interest to continue to spend another $1 trillion and lose thousands more American lives? For what?

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STEPHANOPOULOS: I know we're outta time. I have two quick questions on COVID. I know you're gonna make-- be makin' an announcement on booster shots today. Have you and the first lady gotten your booster shots yet?

BIDEN: We're gonna get the booster shots. And-- it's somethin' that I think-- you know, because we g-- w-- we got our shots all the way back in I think December. So it's-- it's-- it's past time. And so the idea (NOISE) that the recommendation-- that's my wife calling. (LAUGH) No. (LAUGH) But all kiddin' aside, yes, we will get the booster shots.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And-- and finally-- are you comfortable with Americans getting a third shot when so many millions around the world haven't had their first?

BIDEN: Absolutely because we're providing more to the rest of the world than all the rest of the world combined. We got enough for everybody American, plus before this year is-- before we get to the middle of next year, we're gonna provide a half a billion shots to the rest of the world. We're keepin' our part of the bargain. We're doin' more than anybody.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, thanks for your time.

BIDEN: Thank you.

Source: ABC News
On Thursday morning, ABC released the full transcript of President Biden's Good Morning America interview with George Stephanopoulos.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, thank you for doing this.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Thank you for doin' it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's get right to it. Back in July, you said a Taliban takeover was highly unlikely. Was the intelligence wrong, or did you downplay it?

BIDEN: I think -- there was no consensus. If you go back and look at the intelligence reports, they said that it's more likely to be sometime by the end of the year. The idea that the tal -- and then it goes further on, even as late as August. I think you're gonna see -- the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and others speaking about this later today.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But you didn't put a timeline on it when you said it was highly unlikely. You just said flat out, 'It's highly unlikely the Taliban would take over.'

BIDEN: Yeah. Well, the question was whether or not it w-- the idea that the Taliban would take over was premised on the notion that the -- that somehow, the 300,000 troops we had trained and equipped was gonna just collapse, they were gonna give up. I don't think anybody anticipated that.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But you know that Senator McConnell, others say this was not only predictable, it was predicted, including by him, based on intelligence briefings he was getting.

BIDEN: What -- what did he say was predicted?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator McConnell said it was predictable that the Taliban was gonna take over.

BIDEN: Well, by the end of the year, I said that's that was -- that was a real possibility. But no one said it was gonna take over then when it was bein' asked.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So when you look at what's happened over the last week, was it a failure of intelligence, planning, execution or judgment?

BIDEN: Look, I don't think it was a fa-- look, it was a simple choice, George. When the-- when the Taliban -- let me back -- put it another way. When you had the government of Afghanistan, the leader of that government get in a plane and taking off and going to another country, when you saw the significant collapse of the ta-- of the-- Afghan troops we had trained -- up to 300,000 of them just leaving their equipment and taking off, that was -- you know, I'm not-- this -- that -- that's what happened.

That's simply what happened. So the question was in the beginning the-- the threshold question was, do we commit to leave within the timeframe we've set? We extended it to September 1st. Or do we put significantly more troops in? I hear people say, 'Well, you had 2,500 folks in there and nothin' was happening. You know, there wasn't any war.'

But guess what? The fact was that the reason it wasn't happening is the last president negotiated a year earlier that he'd be out by May 1st and that-- in return, there'd be no attack on American forces. That's what was done. That's why nothing was happening. But the idea if I had said -- I had a simple choice. If I had said, 'We're gonna stay,' then we'd better prepare to put a whole hell of a lot more troops in --

President Joe Biden speaks with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Aug. 18, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But your top military advisors warned against withdrawing on this timeline. They wanted you to keep about 2,500 troops.

BIDEN: No, they didn't. It was split. Tha-- that wasn't true. That wasn't true.

STEPHANOPOULOS: They didn't tell you that they wanted troops to stay?

BIDEN: No. Not at -- not in terms of whether we were going to get out in a timeframe all troops. They didn't argue against that.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no one told -- your military advisors did not tell you, 'No, we should just keep 2,500 troops. It's been a stable situation for the last several years. We can do that. We can continue to do that'?

BIDEN: No. No one said that to me that I can recall. Look, George, the reason why it's been stable for a year is because the last president said, 'We're leaving. And here's the deal I wanna make with you, Taliban. We're agreeing to leave if you agree not to attack us between now and the time we leave on May the 1st.'

I got into office, George. Less than two months after I elected to office, I was sworn in, all of a sudden, I have a May 1 deadline. I have a May 1 deadline. I got one of two choices. Do I say we're staying? And do you think we would not have to put a hell of a lot more troops? B-- you know, we had hundreds-- we had tens of thousands of troops there before. Tens of thousands.

Do you think we woulda -- that we would've just said, 'No problem. Don't worry about it, we're not gonna attack anybody. We're okay'? In the meantime, the Taliban was takin' territory all throughout the country in the north and down in the south, in the Pasthtun area.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So would you have withdrawn troops like this even if President Trump had not made that deal with the Taliban?

BIDEN: I would've tried to figure out how to withdraw those troops, yes, because look, George. There is no good time to leave Afghanistan. Fifteen years ago would've been a problem, 15 years from now. The basic choice is am I gonna send your sons and your daughters to war in Afghanistan in perpetuity?

STEPHANOPOULOS: That's--

BIDEN: No one can name for me a time when this would end. And what-- wha-- wha-- what-- what constitutes defeat of the Taliban? What constitutes defeat? Would we have left then? Let's say they surrender like before. OK. Do we leave then? Do you think anybody-- the same people who think we should stay would've said, 'No, good time to go'? We spent over $1 trillion, George, 20 years. There was no good time to leave.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But if there's no good time, if you know you're gonna have to leave eventually, why not have th-- everything in place to make sure Americans could get out, to make sure our Afghan allies get out, so we don't have these chaotic scenes in Kabul?

BIDEN: Number one, as you know, the intelligence community did not say back in June or July that, in fact, this was gonna collapse like it did. Number one.

STEPHANOPOULOS: They thought the Taliban would take over, but not this quickly?

BIDEN: But not this quickly. Not even close. We had already issued several thousand passports to the-- the SIVs, the people-- the-- the-- the translators when I came into office before we had negotiated getting out at the end of s-- August.

Secondly, we're in a position where what we did was took precautions. That's why I authorized that there be 6,000 American troops to flow in to accommodate this exit, number one. And number two, provided all that aircraft in the Gulf to get people out. We pre-positioned all that, anticipated that. Now, granted, it took two days to take control of the airport. We have control of the airport now.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Still a lotta pandemonium outside the airport.

BIDEN: Oh, there is. But, look, b-- but no one's being killed right now, God forgive me if I'm wrong about that, but no one's being killed right now. People are-- we got 1,000-somewhat, 1,200 out, yesterday, a couple thousand today. And it's increasing. We're gonna get those people out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But we've all seen the pictures. We've seen those hundreds of people packed into a C-17. You've seen Afghans falling--

BIDEN: That was four days ago, five days ago.

STEPHANOPOULOS: What did you think when you first saw those pictures?

BIDEN: What I thought was we ha-- we have to gain control of this. We have to move this more quickly. We have to move in a way in which we can take control of that airport. And we did.

STEPHANOPOULOS: I-- I think a lot of-- a lot of Americans, and a l-- even a lot of veterans who served in Afghanistan agree with you on the big, strategic picture. They believe we had to get out. But I wonder how you respond to an Army Special Forces officer, Javier McKay (PH). He did seven tours. He was shot twice. He agrees with you. He says, 'We have to cut our losses in Afghanistan.' But he adds, 'I just wish we could've left with honor.'

BIDEN: Look, that's like askin' my deceased son Beau, who spent six months in Kosovo and a year in Iraq as a Navy captain and then major-- I mean, as an Army major. And, you know, I'm sure h-- he had regrets comin' out of Afganista-- I mean, out of Iraq.

He had regrets to what's-- how-- how it's going. But the idea-- what's the alternative? The alternative is why are we staying in Afghanistan? Why are we there? Don't you think that the one-- you know who's most disappointed in us getting out? Russia and China. They'd love us to continue to have to--

STEPHANOPOULOS: So you don't think this could've been handled, this exit could've been handled better in any way? No mistakes?

BIDEN: No. I-- I don't think it could've been handled in a way that there-- we-- we're gonna go back in hindsight and look, but the idea that somehow there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens. I don't know how that happened.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So for you, that was always priced into the decision?

BIDEN: Yes. Now, exactly what happened-- is not priced in. But I knew that they're gonna have an enormous, enorm-- look, one of the things we didn't know is what the Taliban would do in terms of trying to keep people from getting out, what they would do.What are they doing now? They're cooperating, letting American citizens get out, American personnel get out, embassies get out, et cetera. But they're having-- we're having some more difficulty in having those who helped us when we were in there--

STEPHANOPOULOS: And we don't really know what's happening outside of Kabul.

BIDEN: Pardon me?

STEPHANOPOULOS: We don't really know what's happening outside of Kabul.

BIDEN: Well-- we do know generically and in some specificity what's happening outside of Kabul. We don't know it in great detail. But we do know. And guess what? The Taliban knows if they take on American citizens or American military, we will strike them back like hell won't have it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: All troops are supposed to be out by August 31st. Even if Americans and our Afghan allies are still trying to get out, they're gonna leave?

BIDEN: We're gonna do everything in our power to get all Americans out and our allies out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Does that mean troops will stay beyond August 31st if necessary?

BIDEN: It depends on where we are and whether we can get-- ramp these numbers up to 5,000 to 7,000 a day coming out. If that's the case, we'll be-- they'll all be out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: 'Cause we've got, like, 10,000 to 15,000 Americans in the country right now, right? And are you committed to making sure that the troops stay until every American who wants to be out--

BIDEN: Yes.

STEPHANOPOULOS: -- is out?

BIDEN: Yes.

STEPHANOPOULOS: How about our Afghan allies? We have about 80,000 people--

BIDEN: Well, that's not the s--

STEPHANOPOULOS: Is that too high?

BIDEN: That's too high.

STEPHANOPOULOS: How many--

BIDEN: The estimate we're giving is somewhere between 50,000 and 65,000 folks total, counting their families.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Does the commitment hold for them as well?

BIDEN: The commitment holds to get everyone out that, in fact, we can get out and everyone that should come out. And that's the objective. That's what we're doing now, that's the path we're on. And I think we'll get there.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So Americans should understand that troops might have to be there beyond August 31st?

BIDEN: No. Americans should understand that we're gonna try to get it done before August 31st.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But if we don't, the troops will stay--

BIDEN: If -- if we don't, we'll determine at the time who's left.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And?

BIDEN: And if you're American force -- if there's American citizens left, we're gonna stay to get them all out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You talked about our adversaries, China and Russia. You already see China telling Taiwan, 'See? You can't count on the Americans.' (LAUGH)

BIDEN: Sh-- why wouldn't China say that? Look, George, the idea that w-- there's a fundamental difference between-- between Taiwan, South Korea, NATO. We are in a situation where they are in-- entities we've made agreements with based on not a civil war they're having on that island or in South Korea, but on an agreement where they have a unity government that, in fact, is trying to keep bad guys from doin' bad things to them.

We have made-- kept every commitment. We made a sacred commitment to Article Five that if in fact anyone were to invade or take action against our NATO allies, we would respond. Same with Japan, same with South Korea, same with-- Taiwan. It's not even comparable to talk about that.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Yeah, but those--

BIDEN: It's not comparable to t--

STEPHANOPOULOS: --who say, 'Look, America cannot be trusted now, America does not keep its promises--'

BIDEN: Who-- who's gonna say that? Look, before I made this decision, I met with all our allies, our NATO allies in Europe. They agreed. We should be getting out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Did they have a choice?

BIDEN: Sure, they had a choice. Look, the one thing I promise you in private, NATO allies are not quiet. You remember from your old days. They're not gonna be quiet. And so-- and by the way, you know, what we're gonna be doing is we're gonna be putting together a group of the G-7, the folks that we work with the most-- to-- I was on the phone with-- with Angela Merkel today. I was on the phone with the British prime minister. I'm gonna be talking to Macron in France to make sure we have a coherent view of how we're gonna deal from this point on.

STEPHANOPOULOS: What happens now in Afghanistan? Do you believe the Taliban have changed?

BIDEN: No. I think-- let me put it this way. I think they're going through sort of an existential crisis about do they want to be recognized by the international community as being a legitimate government. I'm not sure they do. But look, they have--

STEPHANOPOULOS: They care about their beliefs more?

BIDEN: Well, they do. But they also care about whether they have food to eat, whether they have an income that they can provide for their f-- that they can make any money and run an economy. They care about whether or not they can hold together the society that they in fact say they care so much about.

I'm not counting on any of that. I'm not cou-- but that is part of what I think is going on right now in terms of I-- I'm not sure I would've predicted, George, nor would you or anyone else, that when we decided to leave, that they'd provide safe passage for Americans to get out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Beyond Americans, what do we owe the Afghans who are left behind, particularly Afghan women who are facing the prospect of subjugation again?

BIDEN: As many as we can get out, we should. For example, I had a meeting today for a couple hours in the Situation Room just below here. There are Afghan women outside the gate. I told 'em, 'Get 'em on the planes. Get them out. Get them out. Get their families out if you can.'

But here's the deal, George. The idea that we're able to deal with the rights of women around the world by military force is not rational. Not rational. Look what's happened to the Uighurs in western China. Look what's happening in other parts of the world.

Look what's happenin' in, you know, in-- in the Congo. I mean, there are a lotta places where women are being subjugated. The way to deal with that is not with a military invasion. The way to deal with that is putting economic, diplomatic, and national pre-- international pressure on them to change their behavior.

STEPHANOPOULOS: How about the threat to the United States? Most intelligence analysis has predicted that Al Qaeda would come back 18 to 24 months after a withdrawal of American troops. Is that analysis now being revised? Could it be sooner?

BIDEN: It could be. But George, look, here's the deal. Al Qaeda, ISIS, they metastasize. There's a significantly greater threat to the United States from Syria. There's a significantly greater threat from East Africa. There's significant greater threat to other places in the world than it is from the mountains of Afghanistan. And we have maintained the ability to have an over-the-horizon capability to take them out. We're-- we don't have military in Syria to make sure that we're gonna be protected--

STEPHANOPOULOS: And you're confident we're gonna have that in Afghanistan?

BIDEN: Yeah. I'm confident we're gonna have the overriding capability, yes. Look, George, it's like asking me, you know, am I confident that people are gonna act even remotely rationally. Here's the deal. The deal is the threat from Al Qaeda and their associate organizations is greater in other parts of the world to the United States than it is from Afghanistan.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And th-- that tells you that you're-- it's safe to leave?

BIDEN: No. That tells me that-- my dad used to have an expression, George. If everything's equally important to you, nothing's important to you. We should be focusing on where the threat is the greatest. And the threat-- the idea-- we can continue to spend $1 trillion and have tens of thousands of American forces in Afghanistan when we have what's going on around the world, in the Middle East and North Africa and west-- I mean, excuse me-- yeah, North Africa and Western Africa. The idea we can do that and ignore those-- those looming problems, growing problems, is not-- not rational.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Final question on this. You know, in a couple weeks, we're all gonna commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The Taliban are gonna be ruling Afghanistan, just l-- like they were when our country was attacked. How do you explain that to the American people?

BIDEN: Not true. It's not true. They're not gonna look just like they were we were attacked. There was a guy named Osama bin Laden that was still alive and well. They were organized in a big way, that they had significant help from arou-- from other parts of the world.

We went there for two reasons, George. Two reasons. One, to get Bin Laden, and two, to wipe out as best we could, and we did, the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We did it. Then what happened? Began to morph into the notion that, instead of having a counterterrorism capability to have small forces there in-- or in the region to be able to take on Al Qaeda if it tried to reconstitute, we decided to engage in nation building. In nation building. That never made any sense to me.

STEPHANOPOULOS: It sounds like you think we shoulda gotten out a long time ago--

BIDEN: We should've.

STEPHANOPOULOS: --and-- and accept the idea that it was gonna be messy no matter what.

BIDEN: Well, by the-- what would be messy?

STEPHANOPOULOS: The exit--

BIDEN: If we had gotten out a long time ago-- getting out would be messy no matter when it occurred. I ask you, you want me to stay, you want us to stay and send your kids back to Afghanistan? How about it? Are you g-- if you had a son or daughter, would you send them in Afghanistan now? Or later?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Would be hard, but a lot of families have done it.

BIDEN: They've done it because, in fact, there was a circumstance that was different when we started. We were there for two reasons, George. And we accomplished both ten years ago. We got Osama bin Laden. As I said and got criticized for saying at the time, we're gonna follow him to the gates of hell. Hell, we did--

STEPHANOPOULOS: How will history judge the United States' experience in Afghanistan?

BIDEN: One that we overextended what we needed to do to deal with our national interest. That's like my sayin' they-- they're-- they-- they b-- b-- the border of Tajikistan-- and-- other-- what-- does it matter? Are we gonna go to war because of what's goin' on in Tajikistan? What do you think?

Tell me what-- where in that isolated country that has never, never, never in all of history been united, all the way back to Alexander the Great, straight through the British Empire and the Russians, what is the idea? Are we gonna s-- continue to lose thousands of Americans to injury and death to try to unite that country? What do you think? I think not.

I think the American people are with me. And when you unite that country, what do you have? They're surrounded by Russia in the north or the Stans in the north. You have-- to the west, they have Iran. To the south, they have Pakistan, who's supporting them. And to the-- and-- actually, the east, they have Pakistan and China. Tell me. Tell me. Is that worth our national interest to continue to spend another $1 trillion and lose thousands more American lives? For what?

STEPHANOPOULOS: I know we're outta time. I have two quick questions on COVID. I know you're gonna make-- be makin' an announcement on booster shots today. Have you and the first lady gotten your booster shots yet?

BIDEN: We're gonna get the booster shots. And-- it's somethin' that I think-- you know, because we g-- w-- we got our shots all the way back in I think December. So it's-- it's-- it's past time. And so the idea (NOISE) that the recommendation-- that's my wife calling. (LAUGH) No. (LAUGH) But all kiddin' aside, yes, we will get the booster shots.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And-- and finally-- are you comfortable with Americans getting a third shot when so many millions around the world haven't had their first?

BIDEN: Absolutely because we're providing more to the rest of the world than all the rest of the world combined. We got enough for everybody American, plus before this year is-- before we get to the middle of next year, we're gonna provide a half a billion shots to the rest of the world. We're keepin' our part of the bargain. We're doin' more than anybody.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, thanks for your time.

BIDEN: Thank you.
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The wife of a former Royal Marine commando who was evacuated out of Afghanistan last night on an almost empty plane has finally arrived home and revealed the dramatic details of her escape.

Kaisa Markhus, 30, touched down in her native Norway this morning and breathed a huge sigh of relief as she met her mother and father in Oslo.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, she told of the chaotic scenes at Kabul Airport where a distressed mother tried to get her to take a baby with her and of the lonely sadness of the rescue transport with only a handful of people on board.

There are thousands trying to get into the airport and once through the gates we found a large group of people, both Afghan and Americans, trying to get on board military aircraft. T

'There were crying children, who had become separated from their parents and at least three babies who must have been handed over to soldiers by their desperate mothers,' said Kaisa.

Once on the plane, we waited on the tarmac for hours for people to get through. But eventually we had to take off. I just had a feeling of sadness because the flight was so empty.

In her four-day battle to land back in Europe, Kaisa, the partner of British ex-soldier Paul Pen Farthing, was nearly crushed to death in a stampede outside Kabul Airport, was placed in a safe house.

She told today how she got to Kabul Airport early yesterday morning to find thousands of locals besieging a barbed wire perimeter fence trying to force their way inside and on to some of the military planes evacuating Westerners.

Reunited: Kaisa Markhus, 30, touched down in her native Norway this morning, pictured, and breathed a huge sigh of relief as she met her mother and father in Oslo.

No way through: Westerners and Afghans with visas have to negotiate their way through this crowd (pictured today) if they want to make it to the airport. Kaisa said that the human tide outside the airport is only getting worse

Women and children were trampled underfoot in Kabul today in just the latest piece of footage to come from the airport as western nations are chased out of Afghanistan by the Taliban

Kaisa's Norwegian evacuation flight was almost empty. She said: Once on the plane, we waited on the tarmac for hours for people to get through. But eventually we had to take off. I just had a feeling of sadness because the flight was so empty.

She and a pregnant American friend, who manages the Nowzad animal sanctuary set up by her partner Pen, had to physically push their way through a sea of men, women and children to get to an access gate.

Once there, they had to get the attention of U.S soldiers manning the checkpoint, who had to examine their paperwork before letting them through.

During the hour-long wait to process their forms they had to remain in the crush outside the gate, frantically trying to avoid being sucked back into the crowd and out of sight of the soldiers.

Eventually they were waved through. Kaisa walked her American friend to the U.S processing centre before heading to the Norwegian office.

After her passport and paperwork was checked again, she boarded a virtually empty military plane, which remained on the tarmac for several hours waiting for fellow Norwegian ex-pats to board.

However, only a few stragglers managed to get through the chaos and confusion outside Kabul Airport and the plane had to take off with only a handful of passengers.

The military plane arrived at Georgia in the early hours of the morning and she caught a connecting commercial flight on to Oslo.

Kaisa said: Im very pleased and relieved to be home finally.

There are thousands of desperate and terrified people in Afghanistan who fear for their lives at the hands of the Taliban rulers and its these people who are crowding around Kabul Airport looking for any way out.

There are four gates to the airport and each one is surrounded by masses of people.

The problem is that unless you have valid paperwork and the proper forms to get through the gate, the soldiers wont let you through.

That needs to be made clear to people because at the moment whole families are sleeping rough outside the perimeter fencing hoping to somehow get through.

And for those who do have seats booked on flights out of Afghanistan, nobody can get through the human tide outside Kabul Airport. Its not getting any better, only worse as people get more desperate.

We need to somehow make it clear to the people that there is no point crowding outside the airport if you dont have the right papers. They wont get in and will only put their lives at risk in a dangerous crush.

The Taliban have been calm and logical to negotiate with. I think we have a few days on us, but we do not have much time to find a solution to get our employees to safety.

The journey home started for Kaisa on Tuesday when she and her friend attempted to get to the airport but were thwarted by large crowds gathered outside who had been encouraged by the fact that some locals had earlier managed to breach security and force their way onto military aircraft.

To keep the masses back, U.S soldiers fired a volley of warning shots over peoples heads, which sparked panic and confusion.

Kaisa and her friend were nearly trampled to death in the ensuing stampede and were left wandering the streets dazed and confused.

Luckily they were picked up by friends and whisked to separate safe houses in Kabul, where she was able to reassure Pen, 52, that she was in no danger.

Although Taliban fighters patrolled outside in trucks armed with AK47s, the few encounters she had with them were positive.

Recalling her first dramatic attempt earlier In the week, she said: It was not a nice experience at all.

There were a lot of scared people who just want a way out. One woman tried to hand me her baby and said please, please take my child but I couldnt, no matter how much I wanted to help. It just doesnt work like that.

She must have been desperate to do that.

A baby is handed over to the American army over the perimeter wall of the airport for it to be evacuated, in Kabul

A smiling boy moves between US troops as he makes his way through a security checkpoint within Kabul airport on Wednesday

Taliban fighters have now encircled the airport in Kabul and are deciding who gets to come in and who has to stay out. Checkpoints have been set up on both the civilian south side of the airport and the military north side, with gunshots fired in both locations to keep crowds back

Satellite images have revealed the extent of the crisis at Kabul airport, with cars crammed up against the southern civilian entrance and northern military entrance that can be seen from satellites

It was impossible to reach the gate as there were so many stronger men in front of us but when the shots rang out from the soldiers, people began running in all directions and we had to concentrate on not being thrown to the floor under the weight of the crowd.

I was more worried about my friend because she is pregnant but we somehow got clear but were then on our own in Kabul.

We were taken to two separate locations across the city and waited there for 48-hours before trying again.

The Taliban have issued a country-wide curfew of between 10pm and 4am so Kaisa began her second, this time successful, attempt just after it had ended yesterday.

She continued: We were told that first thing in the morning is usually quieter and not as many people gather outside the airport gates but when we got there, there was a familiar crush of people.

We got to the gate, having had to push ourselves to the front. You have to be able to make eye contact with the American soldiers guarding it and be able to hand over the proper documents to them

But as you are waiting, you have to somehow keep at the front of the crowd and stop people from pushing in front of you. Its easy to get lost in the crowd and if they cant see you, the soldiers cant wave you in.

It was a huge relief to finally get into the airport. I walked my friend over to where the U.S processing centre was and it was pandemonium.

There was a large group of people, both Afghan and Americans, trying to get on board military aircraft. There were crying children, who had become separated from their parent and at least three babies who must have been handed over to soldiers by their desperate mothers.

The Norwegian processing centre was much quieter but we had to wait several hours on the tarmac waiting for people to come through, but of course they couldnt because of the crowds outside the airport.

The Norwegian soldiers have been managing a hospital in Kabul but have been drafted into the airport to help get ex-pats home safely. They looked after me well.

But in the end I was one of only a few passengers to take off on that flight to Georgia. The plane was virtually empty.

It was a sad of reminder that our governments need to perhaps sit down with the Taliban and work out a way, somehow, of stopping the thousands of people massing outside the airport.

Kaisas partner Pen, originally from Essex, has vowed to stay behind at the Kabul sanctuary until all of his 25 members of staff and their immediate family members - some 71 people in total - have been given that safe passage out of Afghanistan.

He served with the Royal Marines in Helmand Province in 2006 and later set up the Nowzad sanctuary for stray animals after falling in love with a stray dog during his tour.

The charity, which is backed by Ricky Gervais and Dame Judi Dench, is Afghanistans first official animal sanctuary and looks after more than 140 dogs, 60 cats, 24 donkeys and some horses.

Father Rune Markhus saidI did not think two days ago that I would see her. It's almost a bit unreal. It is fantastic. We are very relieved.
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His Afghan government leader father reportedly fled Kabul in a helicopter stuffed with $169million in cash and four cars - but Tarek Ghani leads an altogether different existence as an economics professor residing in one of America's most genteel neighborhoods, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Life for the 39-year-old son of exiled Ashraf Ghani could not be more different to the horror unfolding on the streets of the Afghan capital where the Taliban are beginning to exert their rule of terror and killing.

He and wife Elizabeth Pearson own an immaculate $1.2million red-painted town house just a mile from the Capitol building in a charming Washington DC enclave, its patchwork of streets lined with trees and other similar upscale properties.

The power couple bought their three-bedroom, three-bathroom home for $959,000 in 2018 and it has rocketed in value since the Covid pandemic. The area's average real estate prices are in the country's top seven percent.

Tarek Ghani (pictured) is the son of exiled Afghan president Ashraf Ghani who fled the country Sunday in a helicopter stuffed with $169million in cash and four cars

Tarek (far left) is pictured with his mother Rula (second from right), father Ashraf Ghani (second from left), sister Mariam (right), and his grandparents

DailyMail.com spotted Tarek enjoying some leisure time in the Logan Circle area, but he refused to comment on the unfolding situation in Afghanistan

Tarek, 39, is as an economics professor. Following his 24-month break from academia, Tarek is now back in his former role as assistant professor of strategy at the private Washington University in St Louis, where he lectures at the Olin Business School

Tarek was born in the United States and grew up in Maryland with Ashraf, Lebanese-born mom Rula and sister Mariam, 43  who DailyMail.com revealed is a Brooklyn hipster.

Tarek and his wife Elizabeth Pearson (pictured) make quite the power couple. She is Senator Elizabeth Warren's legislative director

He has just returned to a professorship after a two-year stint as chief economist for the International Crisis Group, which describes itself as 'an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict'.

And that is after a hoard of distinguished academic achievements and associations with other leading bodies tied with the country's most prestigious universities.

For his work with the Center for Global Development  a non-profit think-tank based in DC and London  the organisation wrote: 'Tarek Ghani's dedication to global prosperity and poverty eradication is not only part of who he is; it is also a large part of where he comes from.

'While an undergraduate at Stanford, he took a year off to live in Afghanistan and serve as an assistant to his father Ashraf Ghani, who served as the finance minister after the fall of the Taliban.

'Witnessing the process of nation-building in a fragile state clearly had a profound effect on him, as it serves as a defining aspect of his promising career.'

Yet despite his proud heritage, expertise and background fighting to prevent war, he bluntly refused to discuss the unfolding situation in Afghanistan when DailyMail.com turned up at his home to ask him about it.

He forcefully said 'no', and closed the front door.

Some hours later he was spotted enjoying some leisure time in the Logan Circle area, one of DC's most fashionable.

First he went into an upscale watch and leather goods store. Wearing blue shorts, a blue shirt and flip-flops, he then headed for an outside table at a trendy cafe-diner.

There he waited, before being joined by an unknown female friend. The pair hugged and then sat down to chat over glasses of water.

Tarek and his wife live in this $1.2million townhouse just a mile from the Capitol building in a charming Washington, DC enclave

The power couple bought their three-bedroom, three-bathroom home for $959,000 in 2018 and it has rocketed in value since the Covid pandemic

The upscale area's average real estate prices are in the country's top seven percent

The couple have a private outdoor space and their street is lined with trees and other similar upscale properties

Following his 24-month break from academia, Tarek is now back in his former role as assistant professor of strategy at the private Washington University in St Louis, where he lectures at the Olin Business School.

He received his bachelor's degree in international security from Stanford University and then went on to achieve a masters and Ph.D from University of California Berkeley's Haas School of Business  where his wife also studied.

Elizabeth is equal in power status.

She is Senator Elizabeth Warren's legislative director, taking the role after serving the lawmaker as health and economic policy adviser. She also won a coveted Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University, like former President Bill Clinton.

Tarek and his bohemian artist sister Mariam were effective exiles from Afghanistan until their father became finance minister in 2002 under Hamid Karzai and then president in 2014, being re-elected in 2019.

But he fled in ignominy on Sunday as the Taliban closed on Kabul following President Joe Biden's US withdrawal announcement  leading to continuing scenes of desperation as thousands try to leave.

Russian sources claimed he left in a helicopter rammed with $169million and fours cars. They alleged some cash had to be left behind because it could not fit in the chopper.

Takek is pictured with his mother Rula (far right) and sister Mariam (left). Tarek was born in the United States and grew up in Maryland with Ashraf, his Lebanese-born mom and sister

Pearson (seen in a Twitter photo) took the role as Elizabeth Warren's legislative director after serving the lawmaker as health and economic policy adviser. She also won a coveted Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University, like former President Bill Clinton

Ghani, 72  who has been given asylum in the United Arab Emirates on 'humanitarian grounds'  denied in a social media video that he left with the money, labelling the claim a 'personality assassination'. He claimed he fled Afghanistan to prevent further bloodshed.

He said: 'The dignity of Afghanistan was important for me, and that was to be ensured, so I had to leave Afghanistan in order to present bloodshed, in order to make sure that a huge disaster (was) prevented.

'Currently I am in the UAE so that disasters are avoided. I'm in consultation with others until I (can) return so that I can continue my efforts for justice for the Afghans.'

However Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said: 'He is no longer a figure in Afghanistan.'

As Ghani ponders his next move, daughter Mariam continues her luxury lifestyle in New York City, residing in a loft in an upscale co-op in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood.

The visual artist and filmmaker has even described herself as a 'Brooklyn cliche'. She has also refused to speak to reporters about Afghanistan.

But she did post on social media: 'What can we do to help Afghans right now?'

Ashraf Ghani (pictured) fled Afghanistan on Sunday with four cars and a helicopter full of cash. Officials said he had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in the chopper

Mariam Ghani (pictured in her apartment in 2015) continues to live her luxurious New York City lifestyle as her father remains in hiding after fleeing Afghanistan in a helicopter filled with cash

In a Facebook post on Sunday Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani said he fled the country because wanted to avoid bloodshed

Mariam said she was 'angry, grieving and terribly afraid for family, friends and colleagues left behind in Afghanistan'.

She added: 'To everyone who has checked in and reached out in solidarity over the past days: thank you. It has meant a lot.'

Mariam was born in Brooklyn and has spent her adult life in art and teaching. Her work has been showcased in museums around the world, including the Tate Modern in London and the Guggenheim and MOMA in New York.

She studied at New York University and the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. In 2018 she became a faculty member at Bennington College in Vermont.
The United States extended a ban on nonessential travel along the Canadian and Mexican borders until at least September 21 to slow the spread of COVID, which jumped nearly 20 percent since last week.

The travel restriction has been in place since the the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and extended multiple times.

Commercial traffic and essential crossings will still be allowed, the Department of Homeland Security tweeted on Friday.

But the highly contagious 'Delta' variant continues to wreck havoc in the US.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases is up to 114,190 per day - an 18.4 percent increase over the previous seven-day average, according to the latest numbers from the CDC.

The 'Delta' variant - identified as B.1.617.2 - accounts for 86.1 percent of all the country's current cases between August 8 and August 14, according to the CDC.

The US extended his border restrictions from Canada (pictured here) and Mexico until at least September 21 to slow the spread of the COVID-19 'Delta' variant

Despite the spike, Canada reopened its borders to fully vaccinated US citizens in mid-July, and there's mounting pressure on the Biden administration from US border communities that rely on shoppers from Mexico and Canada to reopen the borders.

But the Department of Homeland Security said in Friday's tweet that DHS officials are working with public health and medical experts to determine how to 'safely and sustainably resume normal travel.'

That will likely come as more people get vaccinated.

As of August 20, about 72.5 percent of adults in the US have had at least one dose of the vaccine and 62 percent of adults are fully vaccinated, the CDC says.
FBI Special Agent Nick Shenkin is warning companies about insider espionage

The FBI has warned tech firms that employees with ties to China and Russia may be spying on them - and says insiders are often coerced into stealing secrets against their will.

FBI Special Agent Nick Shenkin, the Director of the Strategic Technology Task Force for the FBI's San Francisco Field Division, spoke out about the threat in an interview with Protocol published on Thursday.

While some insider spies are in it for the money, or a sense of loyalty to a foreign country, most often they are coerced by threats from a foreign regime, Shenkin says.

The agent said in one case he worked on, Chinese government agents threatened to deny an employee's mother dialysis back in China if he didn't steal proprietary information from a large technology company.

'A lot of what the briefings cover is the idea that this is not about the ethnicity of the individual. This is about: What is any individual's or entity's vulnerability to the jurisdiction of an autocracy?,' he said.

'Because what we see overwhelmingly is people who end up stealing intellectual property, very often, they have no desire to be stealing intellectual property,' Shenkin said.

Shenkin has been briefing tech companies on the the agency's 'Delta protocol' - which teaches startups and other firms how to protect themselves.

And he warned that those with families in China, Russia and other autocratic states are being 'exploited over and over and over again'.

The FBI agent has insisted that companies should not avoid hiring people with Chinese or Russian names, and said that it was a mistake to think that insider threats necessarily have national or ethnic ties to the country of concern.

But he said that individuals with particular ties to autocratic regimes could be vulnerable to exploitation and blackmail.

'From our perspective, the Chinese American community is being exploited by China. They're being targeted and exploited and forced to do illegal things by the government of China,' he said.

He added: 'What we're trying to say is, if you hire somebody that has a vulnerability to an autocracy, your best course of action is to help that person, to train that person to understand what their vulnerabilities are so they can protect themselves and the company can help protect that individual from exploitation by that autocratic government. That's our goal. And that's why we do this brief. '

The FBI is stepping up its warnings to tech firms of the insider threat posed by employees who may be stealing secrets for China and Russia, urging them to be vigilant for spies

He added: 'The idea that we're out there, targeting Russian Americans, or Chinese Americans, or anybody of those ethnic groups  I mean, nothing could be further from the truth.

'We do not live under any delusion that one ethnic group has some sort of a genetic proclivity towards dishonest behavior. Absolutely not the case,' he added.

The Delta Protocol also teaches how to identify other vulnerabilities that could leave employees open to exploitation, including gambling debts that a government could pay off in exchange for information.

In other cases, the insider is a willing spy. In one such case, DuPont employee Walter Liew was convicted of stealing trade secrets about white paint, including a production process that also has military applications, and selling them to a company in China for more than $20 million.

The FBI also warns about disgruntled employees who have no loyalty the company, or who might want to get back at them.

In another case, Boeing Satellite Systems employee Gregory Justice, frustrated with his inability to get a promotion, was convicted of attempting to sell secrets to Russian intelligence.

DuPont employee Walter Liew (left) was convicted of selling trade secrets to a company in China for more than $20 million, and Boeing Satellite Systems employee Gregory Justice (right) was convicted of attempting to sell secrets to Russian intelligence

Part of Shenkin's job is to brief companies on best practices in identifying potential insider threats, an issue that is on the rise, with employees being persuaded or coerced by foreign actors to hand over sensitive information or login credentials.

'The reason why we're being so much more assertive about these briefings and trying to be more open with U.S. industry is because we've just come to the realization that if there is no cost, then they will continue to do what they're doing,' Shenkin told the outlet.

'So the briefings are like, "Please American companies, raise your shields, protect yourselves, make it more expensive for the thieves to rob you, and the country is stronger, and you're stronger".'

Economic espionage costs the US an estimated $225 billion to $600 billion annually, and foreign actors target a wide range of industries.

Although China has been accused of being the world's 'most active and persistent' perpetrator of economic espionage, Russia, Iran and others have also been known to target intellectual property.

Often these crimes are committed through hacking and data breaches, but insiders can offer foreign actors even greater access to a company's secrets.

'This is a massive fundamental activity that bolsters and is one of the mainstays of many autocratic countries and their governments,' Shenkin told Protocol.

While some insider spies are in it for the money, or a sense of loyalty to a foreign country, most often they are coerced by threats from a foreign regime

Silicon Valley is of particular interest to foreign actors due to the cutting edge technology many companies there are working on, which could be an economic or military boon to foreign adversaries.

'If you're a quantum computing company, or a biotech company, or a green tech company, you are a juicier zebra on the Serengeti,' Shenkin said. 'But they're also going for just the slowest zebra on the Serengeti.'

The FBI agent says that companies are becoming more aware of the threat from insiders, and are often eager to receive his briefings.

'Now you go to these companies and nobody needs to be convinced. Everybody knows that this is a threat, and the big issue becomes how do we defend against it,' Shenkin said.
A businessman who molested a sleeping woman in a hotel as his wife slept beside him has been jailed for three years after appeal judges overturned a suspended sentence.

There were four people sharing the bed at the Hunters Hall hotel near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, after a wedding reception in April 2019 because one couple had mislaid their room key, a court was previously told.

Joe Holtham, 33, who lives near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, was lying on the bed with his wife to his right, another woman to his left and a third woman on the far side. The third woman's partner was sleeping on the floor.

The court heard that during the night Holtham groped the woman next to him, undoing her wraparound dress and unhooking her bra so he could fondle her breasts.

He denied her allegations and insisted that he only touched her improperly when he put his hand on her bottom thinking she was his wife.

However, after a week-long trial at Cirencester's nightingale court the jury found him guilty in May of assaulting the woman in 2019.

Holtham had originally been spared jail by a crown court judge, but three colleagues at the Court of Appeal today concluded the suspended sentence was unduly lenient after Solicitor General Lucy Frazer mounted a challenge.

Joe Holtham, 33, sexually assaulted a woman sharing a bed with him and his wife after she got locked out of her hotel room while attending a wedding reception in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. Pictured: Holtham with his wife Sarah

Holtham, pictured with his wife on their wedding day, was today jailed after Court of Appeal judges overturned his suspended sentence

The court heard that during the night Holtham groped the woman next to him, undoing her wraparound dress and unhooking her bra so he could fondle her breasts. Pictured: Holtham with his wife Sarah

Lord Justice Males, Mrs Justice O'Farrell and Sir Roderick Evans, who considered the case at a Court of Appeal hearing in London today, have imposed a prison sentence of three years and six months.

Ms Frazer welcomed the ruling, saying: 'This was a shocking assault that has traumatised the victim.

'I am glad the Court of Appeal has increased his sentence today and I hope this brings the victim some comfort.'

Recorder James Waddington had imposed a two-year jail term, suspended for two years, at a hearing in Gloucester Crown Court in June, after Holtham had been convicted of 'assault by penetration'.

Barrister Joel Smith, who represented Ms Frazer, argued that not enough weight had been given to the fact the woman was asleep, and therefore particularly vulnerable, when the assault began. Appeal judges agreed.

They heard the assault had taken place while Holtham shared a hotel bedroom with a group of people, including the woman and his wife, after attending a wedding in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, more than two years ago.

They heard the assault had taken place while Holtham shared a hotel bedroom with a group of people, including the woman and his wife (pictured together), after attending a wedding in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, more than two years ago

The court heard that a couple could not find their room key for the Hunters Hall hotel and that meant the victim was also locked out of her room because she had left her key in theirs. They agreed to share a room with the Holthams

Holtham had denied allegations made against him. He said he had thought he was touching his wife - and had stopped when he realised it was not.

Lawyers representing him argued that the appeal against the sentence should be dismissed.

Judges said the victim could not be identified in media reports of the case.
The UK is imposing asset freezes and travel bans on seven Russian nationals linked to the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The Foreign Office said the individuals were regarded as 'directly responsible' for planning or carrying out the attack on Mr Navalny on August 20 last year.

It added that the group - who are also being targeted by the US - are members of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: 'Since the horrific poisoning of Alexei Navalny took place a year ago, the UK has been at the forefront of the international response against this appalling act.

The UK and US are imposing asset freezes and travel bans on seven Russian nationals linked to the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny (pictured in February last year)

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK would continue to hold Russia to account over human rights abuses

'Through our chemical weapons sanctions regime and at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, we are sending a clear message that any use of chemical weapons by the Russian state violates international law, and a transparent criminal investigation must be held.

'We urge Russia to declare its full stock of Novichok nerve agents.'

Mr Navalny was arrested in January after recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin  a claim denied by Russia.

He was sentenced to two-and-a-half year prison term in February for violating the terms of a suspended sentence for an embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated.
State Trooper #1

Cuomo is accused of sexually harassed a state trooper, referred to in the report as Trooper #1, who he hired onto his protective detail in 2017 - bending the three-year experience requirement.

Although she had only completed two years on the force, the governor reportedly wanted the unnamed trooper in his inner circle.

He is said to have asked a senior member of his security detail to add her to the team even though she did not meet the standard requirement.

'Ha ha, they changed the minimum from 3 years to 2 just for you,' the senior security member told the trooper in an email, which was included in the AG's report.

Once she was on his team, he allegedly harassed her on a number of occasions, including one where he ran his hand across her stomach from her belly button to her right hip while she was holding the door open for him at an event.

'I felt...completely violated because to me...that's between my chest and my privates,' the trooper said, according to Business Insider.

'But, you know, I'm here to do a job.'

He also ran is accused 'running his finger down her back' while they were in an elevator together and saying 'hey you', and kissing her on the cheek in front of another trooper.

'I remember just freezing, being - in the back of my head, I'm like, oh, how do I say no politely because in my head if I said no, he's going to take it out on the detail. And now I'm on the bad list,' the trooper said.

Cuomo also allegedly asked her to help him find a girlfriend and said he wanted someone who 'liked pain', and asked her why she wanted to get married, saying 'your sex drive goes down'.

'Trooper #1 found these interactions with the Governor not only offensive and uncomfortable, but markedly different from the way the Governor interacted with members of the PSU who were men, and she conveyed these incidents contemporaneously to colleagues,' the report reads.

The trooper said she was afraid of being retaliated against if she were to speak out against the behavior.

The State Troopers Police Benevolent Association said in a statement on Tuesday that it was 'dismayed and disturbed' by the findings.

Tom Mungeer, president of the association, said: 'I'm outraged and disgusted that one of my members, who was tasked with guarding the governor and ensuring his safety, could not enjoy the same sense of security in her work environment that he was provided.'

State Entity Employee #2

A doctor says she was sexually harassed while administering a televised COVID-19 test to Cuomo.

The doctor who administered a COVID-19 test to Cuomo she was sexually harassed during the incident.

On May 17, 2020 Cuomo told the medic, in front of cameras 'nice to see you doctor, you make that gown look good'.

The doctor, who appeared in full PPE gear, did not respond to his comment.

Cuomo is accused of sexually harassing the medic while she administered him a COVID-19 test in front of cameras

Cuomo allegedly made comments towards the medic that were sexual in nature. He said: 'Nice to see you doctor, you make that gown look good'

The report also claims that before the test, Cuomo asked her not to swab him so hard that it 'hit his brain'.

She replied that she'd be 'gentle but accurate' and he said 'I've heard that before,' which the doctor said was 'implied in a sexual nature'.

The medic considered the interaction to be sexual harassment and investigators agreed.

Another unnamed 'state entity employee'

The unidentified employee, identified in the report as 'State Entity Employee #1,' said she attended an event with Cuomo in September 2019.

After giving a speech, Cuomo is said to have posed for pictures with her. While the picture was being taken, he 'grabbed her butt'.

'The employee was shocked and discussed it with a number of friends, family and co-workers,' the report says.

She also 'memorialized the Governor's inappropriate touching' contemporaneously, but the report doesn't say how.

'Executive Assistant One'

Cuomo is accused of groping an executive assistant, whose identity remains anonymous, at an event last November after routinely engaging in a pattern of impropriate conduct that began in late 2019.

The report includes photos of Cuomo with a woman described as 'executive assistant one'

The report says Cuomo repeatedly sexually harassed 'Executive Assistant One' when she worked for him by subjecting her to 'close and intimate hugs', 'kisses on the cheeks and forehead', 'at least one kiss on the lips' and 'touching her butt'.

He allegedly referred to her and one other assistant as 'mingle mamas' and asked her repeatedly if she would ever cheat on her husband.

On December 31, 2019, Cuomo asked her to take a selfies of them as they worked together inside his office at the Executive Mansion.

As she held up the camera, Cuomo 'moved his hand to grab her butt cheek and began to rub it' for at least five seconds, the report alleges.

The assistant 'was shaking so much during this interaction' that the photos came out blurry  and Cuomo suggested the two sit down to take one more, the document says.

That photo, showing Cuomo smirking while he sits back on a couch with the aide, is included in the report.

The governor then allegedly told her to send the snap to another aide, Alyssa McGrath - who has also accused Cuomo of sexual harassment - and said 'not to share the photograph with anyone else.'

The woman said she didn't report what happened because she was terrified.

'[T]he way he was so firm with [me] that I couldn't show anyone else that photo, I was just terrified that if I shared what was going on that it would somehow get around,' she told investigators.

Cuomo admitted that he and the staffer took a photo together, but said it was her idea, because 'he does not like to take selfies.'

In November 2020, he allegedly groped her breast at the Executive Mansion in Albany.

'For over three months, Executive Assistant #1 kept this groping incident to herself and planned to take it 'to the grave,' but found herself becoming emotional (in a way that was visible to her colleagues in the Executive Chamber) while watching the Governor state, at a press conference on March 3, 2021, that he had never 'touched anyone inappropriately.'

She then confided in certain of her colleagues, who in turn reported her allegations to senior staff in the Executive Chamber, the report says.

Cuomo, in a defiant address after the report was published, presented a montage of photos of him being tactile with people such as Bill Clinton, his mother and Robert De Niro. He used the photo show to claim he was never abusive, but merely someone who frequently hugged and touched people

Cuomo, who served as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration, is seen above planting a kiss on the cheek of former Vice President Al Gore

Cuomo's montage included another image of him planting a kiss on his mother's forehead

Cuomo included a photo above showing the governor grabbing a young boy's face

The assistant was summoned to the mansion under the pretext of having to assist Cuomo with a technical issue involving his phone, the Times Union reported in March.

The two were alone together on the second floor of the residence when Cuomo allegedly closed the door, reached under the woman's blouse and began to fondle her.

'You're going to get us in trouble,' the woman said she told Cuomo, who replied, 'I don't care,' according to the report.

His demeanor 'wasn't like 'ha ha,' it was like, 'I don't care.' . . . It was like in this - at that moment he was sexually driven. I could tell and the way he said it, I could tell,' the woman testified.

The governor then 'slid his hand up her blouse, and grabbed her breast, cupping her breast over her bra,' the report alleges.

A source familiar with the incident told the newspaper that the victim had asked Cuomo to stop.

This was allegedly the only time he touched her; all other instances involved flirtatious behavior.

Lindsey Boylan

Boylan, who was the first accuser to speak out publicly, said that Cuomo made inappropriate remarks to her when she worked as chief of staff to the CEO of the Empire State Development Corporation.

Boylan is seen in Washington Square Park in Manhattan on March 20 at a rally demanding Cuomo resign

Cuomo said that he found her attractive and that he wanted to play strip poker.

She also said that he physically touched her on various parts of her body, including her waist, legs, and back.

She claimed that once she reported her allegations, she was victimized by his team who ran a smear campaign against her while she ran for office.

The alleged harassment took place between 2015 and 2018.

Reports released earlier this year revealed that Cuomo's top aide tried to discredit Boylan and allegedly called at least six former employees looking for dirt on her.

Lindsey Boylan was the first accuser to speak out publicly against Cuomo. She says he made inappropriate comments towards her and physically touched her on various parts of her body

Charlotte Bennett

Bennett worked briefly for Cuomo as an aide. She was a health policy adviser in the New York governor's administration, hired in the spring of 2019 and swiftly promoted to senior briefer and executive assistant only a few months later.

AG Letitia James says her allegations that Cuomo harassed her with a series of comments are corroborated.

Among his alleged remarks are questions about if she'd date older men, asking her help to find a girlfriend, and apparently quizzing her on a sexual assault she had endured.

Charlotte Bennett, who worked for Cuomo last year, told CBS News she felt 'vindicated' by the report

EXCLUSIVE: I feel vindicated, former Gov. Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett tells @NorahODonnell after New Yorks attorney general said she believed the women who came forward saying they had been sexually harassed by the governor. pic.twitter.com/O6Iwjndwo8  CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) August 3, 2021

Charlotte Bennett worked briefly as a an aide for Cuomo. He allegedly asked her questions about if she'd date older men, asking her help to find a girlfriend, and apparently quizzing her on a sexual assault she had endured

One of the other comments that he made was that he wanted to ride into the mountains with women.

Bennett had a friendly relationship with Cuomo due to their mutual ties to Westchester County, and saw him as a mentor.

Charlotte Bennett made notes about her experience working with Cuomo which she gave to investigators

In an interview earlier this year, Bennett said her first awkward conversation with Cuomo occurred on May 15, 2020.

The report included text messages between Charlotte Bennett and another aide, and conversations she had with her parents where she had she had a 'great conversation' with the 'Governor', and others where she says he made her feel uncomfortable.

'The governor invited me to lift weights with him,' she wrote in one message. 'He challenged me to a push-up competition'.

She had told her parents how he was surprised to learn that she lifted weights and boxed, and that he had asked her to do push-ups in the office.

In another text chain she said Cuomo 'talked about age difference in relationships,' calling his comments 'explicit'.

Charlotte Bennett saw Cuomo as a mentor, but she says he was clear he wanted more

The report also included messages in which Bennett tells a confidant that she was incredibly uncomfortable following an interaction in the office. Bennett said she was 'shaking' and 'so upset and so confused'.

In texts to another aide, Bennett said Cuomo repeated to her 'over and over' that she had been 'raped'.

Cuomo was also recorded singing the popular 1960s love song Do You Love Me?, by the Contours, to Bennett during a phone call in 2019.

According to the New York Post, Bennett initiated the phone call saying, 'Hi, governor. This is Charlotte'.

Cuomo allegedly answered the call with 'Are you ready? Doo, doo, doo,' and proceeded to ask her if she was familiar with the song.

Bennett told him the song was 'before her time'.

Cuomo allegedly continued singing, 'Do you love me? Do you really love me? Do you love me? Do you care?'

Virginia Limmiatis

Virginia Limmiatis worked for National Grid and was wearing a t-shirt with the company's name written across her chest when she says she met Cuomo.

Virginia Limmiatis worked for the National Grid when Cuomo allegedly groped her

He ran his 'two fingers across her chest, pressing down on each of the letters as he did so and reading out the name of the company as he went'.

The report says he then 'leaned in, with his face close to her cheek, and said 'I'm going to say I see a spider on your shoulder' before brushing the area between her shoulder and her breasts'.

'Ms. Limmiatis came forward in this investigation after she heard the governor state, during the March 3, 2021 press conference, that he had never touched anyone inappropriately.

'As Ms. Limmiatis testified to us, 'He is lying again. He touched me inappropriately. I am compelled to come forward to tell the truth... I didn't know how to report what he did to me at the time and was burdened by shame, but not coming forward now would make me complicit in his lie, and I won't do it.''

Alyssa McGrath

McGrath, 35, was the first current employee to accuse Cuomo, and works as an executive assistant.

'In his interactions with another executive assistant, Alyssa McGrath, the Governor made inappropriate comments and engaged in harassing conduct, including: regularly asking about her personal life, including her marital status and divorce; asking whether Ms. McGrath would tell on Executive Assistant #1 if she were to cheat on her husband - and whether Ms. McGrath herself planned to 'mingle' with men'.

She also claimed he looked down her shirt to compliment her on her necklace, told her that she's beautiful in Italian and kissed her on the forehead during an office Christmas party in 2019.

Alyssa McGrath was quizzed by Cuomo about her marital status and divorce and kissed on the forehead by Cuomo at an office Christmas party

Her attorney, Mariann Wang, said on Tuesday that McGrath and another accuser she represents, Virginia Limmiatis, were relieved.

The two women 'feel profoundly grateful to the AG's team for taking this seriously and examining their reports thoroughly and carefully.'

Wang continued: 'Cuomo's misogyny and abuse cannot be denied. He has been doing this for years, without any repercussions.

'He should not be in charge of our government and should not be in any position of power over anyone else.'

'Kaitlin'

Kaitlin - whose second name is not public - met the governor in 2016 at a fundraising event where they were photographed together in a dance pose.

Afterwards, she was hired by him in a junior position but given a salary of $120,000 - a figure so high she says it was laughed at in her interview.

Ana Liss

Liss, 35, worked in the Executive Chamber between 2013 and 2015, during which time she says the governor subjected her to sexual harassment that included being called 'sweetheart' and 'darling', and placing his hand around her lower waist.

Ana Liss (pictured) worked in the Executive Chamber between 2013 and 2015, during which time she says the governor subjected her to sexual harassment that included being called 'sweetheart' and 'darling', and placing his hand around her lower waist

He also kissed her hands and cheek, she said.

Despite feeling uncomfortable, she says she did not report them because 'for whatever reason, in his office the rules were different.'

She added: 'It was just, you should view it as a compliment if the Governor finds you aesthetically pleasing enough, if he finds you interesting enough to ask questions like that.

'And so even though it was strange and uncomfortable and technically not permissible in a typical workplace environment, I was in this mindset that it was the twilight zone and...the typical rules did not apply.'

Anna Ruch

Ruch was a guest at a wedding, as was the governor, in 2019 when she says he put his hands on a section of her back that was exposed by a cut-out in her dress.

She grabbed his wrist to move it away and he responded by saying 'wow, you're aggressive,' according to the report.

Cuomo then grabbed her face with both of his hands and said 'can I kiss you?'

He was pictured kissing her cheek.

Anna Ruch was a guest at a wedding, as was Cuomo, in 2019. She says he put his hands on a section of her back that was exposed by a cut-out in her dress

Karen Hinton

Karen Hinton, 62, spoke to the Washington Post about an incident in which Cuomo summoned her to his 'dimly lit' hotel room and embraced her after a work event in 2000.

She was not among the 11 women on who the attorney general based her report.

Hinton said that she tried to pull away from Cuomo, but that he pulled her back and held her before she backed away and escaped the room.

Peter Ajemian, Cuomo's director of communications, told the Post that Hinton is a 'known antagonist of the Governor's who is attempting to take advantage of this moment to score cheap points with made up allegations from 21 years ago'.

'All women have the right to come forward and tell their story  however, it's also the responsibility of the press to consider self-motivation. This is reckless,' he added.

Karen Hinton, 62, (pictured above) claims the governor summoned her to his 'dimly lit' hotel room and embraced her after a work event in 2000 before she managed to escape

In response, Hinton told the Post that 'attacking the accuser is the classic playbook of powerful men trying to protect themselves' as she said that watching Cuomo's apologetic press conference 'drove me crazy'.

'I really thought the flirt wasn't about having sex,' Hinton said. 'It was about controlling the relationship.'

At the time of the alleged encounter in the hotel room, Cuomo would have been leading the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Hinton was a consultant after moving to California.

The Post reports that Hinton and Cuomo have a contentious past and that they had a major blow up before she left the agency in 1999, remaining on as a consultant.

She had joined Cuomo in Los Angeles to promote a HUD program and later had dinner in his hotel before allegedly receiving a phone call from him stating: 'Why don't you come to my room and let's catch up?'

Hinton said that she began to think it was unusual when Cuomo asked her to avoid being seen by Clarence Day, his longtime head of security, but that she continued to his room anyway.

'I paused for a second,' she told the Post about noticing the low lights in the room. 'Why are the lights so low? He never keeps the lights this low.'

Hinton said they sat on opposite couches and talked about their work at HUD and that Cuomo asked her personal questions about her life and marriage - including if she would leave her husband.

She claims that she grew self-conscious after speaking so much about herself and went to leave.

'I stand up and say, 'It's getting late, I need to go,' ' she said, describing the embrace Cuomo gave her as 'very long, too long, too tight, too intimate'.

'He pulls me back for another intimate embrace,' she said. 'I thought at that moment it could lead to a kiss, it could lead to other things, so I just pull away again, and I leave.'

Hinton told the Post that she viewed the move as a 'power play' for 'manipulation and control' and that the pair never discussed the incident again, although they have remained in touch.

She has both publicly praised Cuomo and been critical of him, especially when working as press secretary in 2015 and 2016 for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, with whom the governor has an intense rivalry.

The Post spoke to two people who confirmed that Hinton had told them about the hotel incident after it happened.
A Chicago mob of teenage thugs as young as 14 carried out a string of attacks that injured four people in the span of 26 hours, including a woman who was left bloodied and beaten, as violent crime continues to surge in the city.

The woman, who has chosen not to identify herself, told CBS Chicago that she begged for her attackers to stop, but they just kept punching her in the face.

Footage of the incident, captured on an Uber driver's dashcam, shows a group of at least seven teenagers surrounding the woman and beating her until she collapses in the middle of the street.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot's office has remained silent on this latest wave of violence to plague Chicago, and has not returned a DailyMail.com request for comment.

Video from an Uber driver dashcam shows the attack in progress. The victim says her attackers were both male and female

The victim and her boyfriend were on a date, heading to the Chicago Red Line Subway at State Street and Jackson Boulevard at around 11.30pm Saturday

The woman gave an interview with a local TV station but with her identity concealed and without giving her name

The victim and her boyfriend were on a date, heading to the Chicago Red Line Subway at State Street and Jackson Boulevard at around 11.30pm Saturday.

While they waited for an elevator, two males initially approached the womans boyfriend. He ignored them, but they clocked him over the head from behind.

Then, the group of about seven teenagers surrounded them both and began to attack the female victim.

'I was screaming: Please, stop, stop!' she said.

The victim, who has chosen not to identify herself, told CBS Chicago that she begged for her attackers to stop, but they just kept punching her in the face

She claims she will need plastic surgery for the scars, bruising, bleeding and broken bones she suffered.

Video from an Uber driver dashcam shows the attack in progress. The victim says her attackers were both male and female.

'I couldnt see anything, or how many was hitting me. They just kept punching me in my face harder.'

The video shows her collapse in the middle of the street. Her boyfriend tries to pull her to safety, but she said she was disoriented.

During the attack, a rideshare driver told the man and woman to jump in. The victim believes he kept things from getting much worse.

The attack is one of a string of three similar attacks over a period of 26 hours last weekend in Chicago. The group of five to 10 offenders, both male and female, could range in age between 14 and 19 years old, police said.

In each instance, a large group of teens approach their victims and demand their property. The teens then surround the victims and proceed to strike them with their hands and feet until they give up their property.

Additional attacks occurred on Saturday evening and early Sunday morning, authorities said. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

This came as theft, murders, shooting incidents and sexual assaults are all up in the city, according to police statistics.

Thefts are up 10 percent over the same period last year, with 7,086 recorded in 2021 compared to 6,466 in 2020.

Murders meanwhile saw a 4 percent jump, with 499 recorded so far in 2021 compared to 480 in the same period last year.

Shootings also jumped with 2,198 recorded in 2021 compared to 1,968 last year, a 12 percent increase.

Rapes saw the most dramatic spike of 22 percent, with 1,281 recorded in 2021 compared to 1,052 last year.

Theft, murders, shooting incidents and sexual assaults are all up in the city, according to police statistics

Earlier this week, Chicago police warned of a marauding group of teenagers behind a spree of six robberies and assaults in downtown. The group involved in this latest attack is connected to at least three of those incidents.

The attacks appear to come at all hours, ranging from late in the afternoon to early in the morning.

Meanwhile Lightfoot, who has previously supported efforts to defund the police, has been in an ongoing feud with officers in the city over the past week in the aftermath of the on-duty killing of officer Ella French last week.

Chicago Mayor Lightfoot, who has previously supported efforts to defund the police, has been in an ongoing feud with officers in the city over the past week in the aftermath of the on-duty killing of officer Ella French last week

On Thursday night Lightfoot mispronounced French's name, with the mayor mistakenly calling her 'Ella Franks.'

That came in addition to gaffes by Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown, who called her 'Ella Fitzgerald' twice earlier this week.

That's on top of Lightfoot denying French an honor guard bagpipe procession from the hospital to the morgue, a customary and symbolic act of respect for an officer killed in the line of duty.

French, 29, was gunned down in a shootout while conducting what seemed like a routine traffic stop on Saturday.

Her partner, who has not been named, was wounded but survived.

After French was pronounced dead at the hospital last Saturday night, French's body was transported by ambulance to the medical examiner's office, and fellow officers were prepared to line the streets and play the bagpipes.

But First Deputy Police Supt. Eric Carter banned it.

He told the EMTs driving the ambulance to carry on straight to the medical examiner's office for the autopsy to be carried out, saying: 'We don't have 20 minutes for this s**t.'

That same night, Lightfoot showed up at the hospital to offer her support to the families of French and her wounded partner.

Cops who were still there turned their backs on her when she arrived and there were reports that the mayor forced her way into the facility.

On Thursday night Lightfoot mispronounced French's name, with the mayor mistakenly calling her 'Ella Franks.' That came in addition to gaffes by Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown, center, who called her 'Ella Fitzgerald' twice earlier this week

On Wednesday, Lightfoot held a press conference to deny that claim and to also accuse the cops who wanted to perform the honor guard of 'hijacking' the night and depriving French's family of a crucial window of time to see her body before the autopsy was carried out.

She also railed against the journalists present, accusing them of asking her 'offensive' questions about forcing her way into the hospital and accusing them of 'mining from the bottom of the chum barrel' and producing 'sickening' reports that criticized her.

'There was no official honor guard that night.

'There was  let me choose my words carefully  well-meaning but not well-organized group that wanted to hijack the procession, which would have meant that the family would have been delayed exponentially in getting to the morgue.

'And again, given the new restrictions that the new coroner has put in place, that wouldn't have been fair to them and they may have lost an important window of time

'So the call was made, under those circumstances, to focus on the family.

During an August 7 traffic stop, two brothers allegedly opened fire, killing French and seriously wounding his son, who is paralyzed with two bullets still lodged in his brain.

Evidence from prosecutors showed both French and Yanez Jr. did not draw their weapons before they were shot.
Former Torrance police officer Christopher Tomsic, pictured in 2017, has pleaded not guilty to charges of vandalism and conspiracy for allegedly spray-paining a swastika on a car

Two former California police officers pleaded not guilty Thursday to spray-painting a swastika on an impounded car, and prosecutors are now in the process of reviewing hundreds of criminal cases associated with the pair.

Christopher Tomsic, 29, and Cody Weldin, 28, entered pleas to felony charges of vandalism and conspiracy to commit vandalism, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office announced.

An additional 13 officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into messages expressing 'racism and hatred,' said Torrance Police Chief Jeremiah Hart.

'Let me be clear. I will aggressively pursue any form of bigotry, hate and misconduct,' Chief Hart said.

In January 2020, Tomsic and Weldin were with a group of officers with the Torrance Police Department in suburban Los Angeles who answered a report about three men stealing mail from an apartment building.

They were led to a car that was suspected of having been used in the crime, the DAs office said in a statement.

Los Angeles County DA George Gasccon on Thursday announced charges against Tomsic and another ex-cop, Cody Weldin

The vehicle was taken to a tow yard but when the owner arrived to pick it up, he found a happy face had been spray-painted on the front passenger seat and a swastika on the rear seat, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also alleged that the officers falsified a document submitted to the California Highway Patrol by failing to mention the vandalism.

Torrance police placed Tomsic and Weldin on leave and after investigating, recommended that criminal charges be filed.

Tomsic left the force in September 2020 after serving for five years. Weldin, a four-year veteran, left the department last July.

In 2017, Tomsic was awarded a medal for helping save the life of a three-month-old baby girl who had stopped breathing, as NBC 4 reported at the time.

That same year, Tomsic was involved in a deadly shooting during a car chase. Police said that Michael Lopez tried to ram patrol vehicles, prompting cops to open fire. The district attorney's office declined to file charges against Tomsic in 2019, LA Times reported.



Torrance Police Department has conducted an internal investigation and placed more than a dozen officers on leave over alleged racist messages

In 2017, Tomsic received an award for saving the life of a baby who had stopped breathing

He was also cleared of any wrongdoing last year in connection with the death of suspect Deautry Ross, who was armed with a knife and allegedly tried to grab an officer's gun during a 2018 arrest.

The district attorneys office will review hundreds of criminal cases involving Tomsic and Weldin 'to ensure no other alleged misconduct occurred,' the DAs statement said.

In the course of the investigation into the two officers, police were said to have uncovered racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic messages that were exchanged between 13 of their colleagues, leading the chief to relieve them of active duty, reported the station KCAL.

'What we are looking at today is nothing even close to what can be minimized as locker room talk,' Hart said. 'Were talking about an investigation that is about hatred and racism.'

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said his office has notified the Torrance City Attorneys Office about reviewing possible misdemeanor charges against the 13 officers.

Tomsic and Weldin are due back in court for a preliminary hearing on October 4.
British poultry producers have warned that lack of staff due to Brexit could hit the supply of turkeys and see serious shortages this Christmas.

The British Poultry Council said its members, which include England's largest supplier of supermarket chicken, 2 Sisters Food Group, and KellyBronze Turkeys, said one in six jobs were unfilled due to workers returning to the EU after Brexit.

The shortages might mean the supply of turkey could decline by as much as 20 per cent at Christmas, as many fear they will not be able to employ enough seasonal workers, The Guardian reported.

The supply issues have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, as earlier this week a shortage of chicken led to a shortened menu at KFC and closures of some Nando's restaurants.

The British Poultry Council (BPC) previously said it had seen production slashed by up to 10 per cent among its members due to issues at farms and processing plants.

Poultry shortages may mean supply of turkey could decline by as much as 20% at Christmas, as firms fear they will not be able to employ enough seasonal workers (stock image)

The council's chief executive, Richard Griffiths, said the group had written to Home Secretary Priti Patel to ask the Government to relax immigration rules, but had not received a response.

In an interview with the BBC, Griffiths said: 'Our members are reporting up to 16 per cent vacancies at the moment as a direct result of the limiting of immigration policies.'

Traditional Norfolk Poultry revealed the threat Britons may have to their Christmases as turkey numbers dwindle.

Managing Director Mark Gorton told ITV: 'The big problem we've got at the moment is labour, we simply cannot find people to run our farms and run our factory, this is hugely serious, we are committed to growing these chickens to supply our customers and of course once the birds are on the ground they're growing.. they have to be processed through the factory, so to be short of people to help us do that has had a major impact.'

Meanwhile, Paul Kelly, from Kelly Bronze Turkeys near Chelmsford, said: 'There will be a massive shortage because companies cannot risk hatching turkeys and pushing them on the farm if they can't get the workers to do the job.

'It would be financial suicide. Turkey after Christmas Day is worth nothing.'

He also told ITV: 'We're okay as a small family business, we only need a relatively small number of people but the bigger guys that need thousands of people to come and make sure the turkeys get delivered, they're not taking the risk because they're not getting any support from the government in terms of 'you will be allowed to bring your usual workforce in from Europe'.

'That's not happening at this point in time so they're not taking the risk to put the turkeys on the farm, because if they can't get them processed at Christmas, they can't risk putting them on the farm.'

Traditional Norfolk Poultry revealed the threat Britons may have to their Christmases as turkey numbers dwindle (stock image)

The poultry industry employs more than 40,000 people but there are currently nearly 7,000 vacancies, while shortages mean some chicken producers have cut weekly output by up to 10 per cent, according to the BPC.

Ranjit Singh Boparan, the billionaire founder of 2 Sisters, recently said the 'pingdemic' had masked an industry already at crisis point due to Brexit labour shortages.

The company said 15 per cent of jobs within its 16,000 workforce were unfilled, with entry level jobs proving the hardest to fill.

The heightening crisis comes after several Nando's restaurants closed and KFC ran out of Zinger and Tower burgers.

Frustrated customers using the KFC app in Kent could not order the meals on Thursday, with a message simply reading: 'Unavailable.'

It comes as one of its outlets in Hull appeared to have posted a message in its window explaining it was low on stock.

The notice, topped with an image of Colonel Sanders, asked for visitors to 'be kind to staff' because 'it's not their fault'.

Traditional Norfolk Poultry revealed they 'simply cannot find people to run our farms and run our factory', branding it 'hugely serious'.

Earlier experts warned pubs will start running out of chicken because of staff shortages at suppliers and the 'pingdemic'.

Insiders called on the government to make urgent changes to the rules on overseas workers to plug the gap.

Consumers were also being warned there could be empty shelves in shops after a union said HGV drivers would go on strike over a pay discrepancy.

Frustrated customers using the app in Kent could not order the meals, with a message simply reading: 'Unavailable' (pictured)

It comes as one of its outlets in Hull appeared to have posted a message in its window explaining it was low on stock (pictured)

Up to 1,500 small stores across London and the South East could face delivery shortages after Tesco handed some drivers a 5 pay rise, but less for others.

This week, Nando's revealed it had been forced to shut almost 75 restaurants due to a lack of chicken.

It blamed the closures on the national shortage of HGV drivers, a staffing crisis and the impact of the 'pingdemic' - but sent 70 staff to help suppliers.

A message in the KFC store in Hull said: 'If you planned to order one of everything you might be out of luck.

'Some recent disruption means we might not have your favourite on the menu today. But rest assured we still have plenty of Finger Lickin' Good options available.

'In the meantime, thanks for bearing with us, and please be kind to our team. It's not their fault.'

Experts earlier raised fears chicken could also be slashed at pubs as well as restaurants.

A source told the Sun the industry was seeing shortages of 10 to 20 per cent and called on the government to change the rules on overseas workers to help.

Lynx Purchasing - which workers with 60 suppliers - said the issue would soon spread from eateries to boozers.



Boss Rachel Dobson said: 'A fast food brand dependent on a specific product such as chicken sees the impact more quickly  but most pubs and restaurants have chicken dishes on the menu.'

A sign on the doors of a branch of Nando's in White City, Manchester, telling customers that the store is temporarily closed

Young's pubs and Wetherspoon said it had not experienced any chicken shortages yet.

But supplier Avara Foods said it was concerned about getting products to sites due to filling jobs after Brexit.

A spokesman said: 'Our concern is recruitment and filling vacancies when the UK workforce has been severely depleted as a result of Brexit; this is causing stress on UK supply chains in multiple sectors.

'Labour availability is an issue totally separate to the pandemic, and one which has the potential to affect UK foods manufacturing for a lot longer  a similar story can be seen in the hospitality industry where vacancies are outstripping the available workforce.

'We're monitoring the situation closely and are putting in place measures to mitigate the strain on our supply chain, but this can only go so far.

'It looks increasingly like this is a structural change in the UK labour market, which shows no obvious signs of being resolved quickly.'

Meanwhile consumers are being warned there could be empty shelves in convenience stores after a union said HGV drivers would go on strike over a pay row.

Up to 1,500 small shops across London and the south east could face delivery shortages after Tesco handed some lorry drivers a 5 pay rise, but not others.

Unite the Union said yesterday bosses from the supermarket's wholesale division Booker were 'missing in action' after failing to engage in talks.

As many as 1,500 convenience stores across London and the south east could face delivery shortages over pay disparities caused by HGV bonuses handed out by Tesco (file photo)

Consumers have already faced barren supermarket shelves while shopping in major UK retailers, but could see more in London and the South east if the industrial action goes ahead

Drivers will now be balloted on whether to take strike action unless bosses match bonuses paid to drivers in other parts of the country.

Tesco implemented a 5-an-hour pay rise for drivers at its Booker Wholesale depot in Hemel Hempstead but refused to pay a similar increase to HGV drivers at its Thamesmead site, Unite said.

Booker drivers deliver products under the Budgens and Londis brands, with a fallout expected to hit those 1,500 convenience stores in the south east region hardest.

Unite accused the company of 'burying its head in the sand' as the HGV driver shortage across the country escalates due to an ageing workforce who are retiring.

The so-called 'pingdemic', a backlog of HGV driving tests and driver shortages as EU drivers returned home are all impacting the delivery sector.

The Road Haulage Association warned in July there was a shortage of 100,000 lorry drivers in the UK, which has been hampering deliveries from warehouses to shops.

Thousands of prospective drivers are waiting for their HGV tests due to a backlog caused by lockdown, while many existing ones have left the UK after Brexit.

Booker drivers deliver products under the Budgens and Londis brands, with any fallout expected to hit those 1,500 convenience stores in the south east region hardest

Some 2,000 HGV drivers from the Royal Logistic Corps and other corps are reported to be on a five-day notice to help distribute food and other essential supplies, including medicine (Pictured: Army delivering medicine supplies in March last year)

The problem has been exacerbated by Covid, with drivers having to go into self-isolation amid the so-called 'pingdemic'.

That led to major supermarket retailers including Tesco, M&S and Aldi to all offer pay rises or bonuses to drivers in the hope of filling gaps in supply and on shelves.

Unite regional officer Paul Travers said: 'Despite the company indicating that it wanted to get pay talks started early to address the issue, the top managers have gone ''missing in action''.

'We understand the general manager is on holiday and another senior manager has just disappeared from the scene.

'At a time when country faces the worst HGV driver shortage in modern times with an estimated 100,000 vacancies in the industry, it is the height of irresponsibility that there is no executive for Unite to negotiate with, it is worthy of a Fawlty Towers episode.

'Our Thamesmead members are outraged at the disrespect the management and the company as a whole have shown them, they are very angry as they ballot for industrial action.

'We are gaining new members from other employees disgusted at the company's contemptuous attitude.'

It comes after the Road Haulage Association warned in late July that there was a shortage of 100,000 lorry drivers in the UK, which has been hampering deliveries of food from warehouses to supermarkets (file photo)

Food supply chains have been placed under intense stress because of a shortage of around 100,000 HGV drivers.

Consumers have already been warned to expect to see empty shelves in supermarket aisles, and supply chain issues have already crippled fast food outlets KFC and Nando's.

According to their website, almost 75 Nando's venues were forced to close this week as a result of the supply chain issues.

The firm told customers online its shortages were caused by staff 'isolation periods' and suppliers 'struggling to keep up with demand'.

It was just days after KFC bosses issued a nationwide supply warning after blaming 'disruption' for causing a lack of availability for some of its menu items.

Other retailers also warned they are facing 'increased pressure' to keep shelves fully stocked during a national shortage of approximately 100,000 HGV drivers.
Police took three months to seize Plymouth incel Jake Davison's gun and licence off him despite him attacking two teenagers in a park, it emerged today.

An inquest into the deaths of his victims was told how police gave his weapon and certificate back to him just weeks before his rampage, because he completed a taxpayer-funded course designed to reduce reoffending.

The police watchdog revealed today how the 22-year-old's shotgun and licence were only seized in December last year when concerns were raised directly with Devon and Cornwall Police.

Davison had been taking part in a voluntary intervention programme - an alternative to being charged or cautioned - after admitting assaulting two youths in a park in Plymouth last September.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Devon and Cornwall Police had offered the apprentice crane operator a place on its Pathfinder scheme.

But at the end of November last year, a scheme worker raised concerns with the force's firearms licensing department about Davison's possession of a shotgun, and the weapon and certificate were seized by police on December 7.

After completing the Pathfinder scheme in March 2021 and a subsequent review by the firearms licensing department, the shotgun and certificate were returned to Davison on July 9.

Just a month later he would go on to take the lives of his mother, Maxine Davison, 51, Stephen Washington, 59, Kate Shepherd, 66, Lee Martyn, 43, and three-year-old Sophie Martyn, before turning the gun on himself in one of the UK's worst mass shooting in recent memory.

In a separate update today, Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said Davison had the gun under a 'sporting licence' designed to be used for clay pigeon shooting.

Gunman Jake Davison, 22, launched a horrific killing spree in the Keyham area of the city, shooting and killing five people before turning his shotgun on himself

Just a month after his gun was returned he would go on to take the lives of his mother, Maxine Davison, 51, Stephen Washington, 59, Kate Shepherd, 66, Lee Martyn, 43, and three-year-old Sophie Martyn, before turning the gun on himself in one of the UK's worst mass shooting in recent memory

The police watchdog confirmed today the killer first applied for a shotgun certificate in July 2017.

The application was then processed by Devon and Cornwall Police and a certificate was issued to him in January 2018, valid for five years.

The IOPC investigation centres around what police actions were taken and when, the rationale behind police decision-making, and whether relevant law, policy and procedures were followed concerning Davison's possession of a shotgun.

It is also examining any sharing of information between the part of the force aware Davison had been identified as a suspect for assault and the relevant department responsible for firearms licensing.

A spokesperson said: 'The investigation will consider what background and suitability checks were made by the police including from open source material, and whether the force had any information, from Mr Davison's GP and any other medical or mental health services he may have engaged with, concerning his state of mind.

'It will also look at the force decision to divert Mr Davison from prosecution for the assaults last year.'

As requested by the Plymouth senior coroner, the IOPC will, as part of its investigation, also consider what changes were made by police following its predecessor organisation's (IPCC) investigation into firearms licensing issues concerning Durham Constabulary after fatal shootings on 1 January 2012.

IOPC regional director David Ford said: 'Our thoughts remain with all those severely affected by the horrific events in Plymouth.

'We appreciate the significant public concern that has arisen and the need for answers to a range of questions for the safety of the public, and to understand what happened leading up to the tragedy.

'While we are at an early stage of our independent investigation, some information has been established about Jake Davison's firearms licensing history which we have been able to share.

'I can assure people our investigation will be thorough and any lessons arising will be shared as quickly as possible with Devon and Cornwall Police and wider bodies as necessary. The force has co-operated fully with our enquiries and has provided relevant documentation and information to us to assist the investigation.

'We have confirmed our earlier decision not to investigate police actions on the day of 12 August and, after further assessment of the swift attendance by police officers to the traumatic events that evening, we have decided there is no requirement for the IOPC to investigate any possible causal link between officers arriving and Mr Davison shooting himself.'

Davison first murdered his own mother, Maxine, at her home nearby, before going outside and randomly killing schoolgirl Sophie Martyn, her father Lee, 43, and dog walker Stephen Washington. He then crossed a road to a hair salon where he shot and fatally injured Kate Shepherd, 66

Mr Sawyer confirmed the force was assisting the investigation and revealed Davison was permitted to use a gun for clay pigeon shooting.

He said it was 'extremely rare' for guns to be misused in this way in the UK.

He added: 'I understand the unease. This was a licensed firearm that Jake had, I absolutely accept that.

'I'd ask people to reflect that those firearms, in my ten years as chief constable, have never been used in that way.

'This is unprecedented for us in Devon and Cornwall and the city of Plymouth.'

However Mr Sawyer said firearms were 'part of a rural economy and we have to accept that'.

He said: 'They're heavily regulated, they're heavily reviewed, and that's really important for public safety because it's the only thing police regulate that's designed to take life.'
Marc Thiessen, speechwriter under President George W. Bush, said Friday that President Biden's team of 'sychophants' had enabled him to move forward with the bungled Afghanistan withdrawal and questioned 'where are the adults in the room?'

'When President Donald Trump was in office, the media were always celebrating the 'adults in the room'  the presidential advisers who restrained Trump from following through on his worst instincts,' Thiessen wrote.

He noted that the former president sometimes invited those who disagreed with him into his inner circle, like H.R. McMaster and John Bolton, both national security advisors under Trump.

'When his generals warned him of disastrous consequences, he modified his plans,' Thiessen said of Trump. The former president had wanted to pull all US forces out of Syria, but left 900. He'd wanted to withdraw from Afghanistan, but left 2,500 troops.

'Far from a team of rivals, Biden has surrounded himself with a team of sycophants and enablers who share his worst instincts,' Thiessen wrote in the Washington Post.

'Where are the adults in the room today? Nowhere to be found,' he added.

'Far from a team of rivals, Biden has surrounded himself with a team of sycophants and enablers who share his worst instincts,' Thiessen wrote of Biden's advisers

'Blinken is an ideologue who has been working toward a full Afghanistan withdrawal since he joined the Obama administration in 2009. Ditto for national security adviser Jake Sullivan,' Thiessen claimed

He noted that Biden told ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday no one had recommended to him he leave a residual force of 2,500 in Afghanistan, 'that I can recall.'

Thiessen laid blame squarely on Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calling to mind late Sen. John McCain's warnings about the secretary.

'Blinken is an ideologue who has been working toward a full Afghanistan withdrawal since he joined the Obama administration in 2009. Ditto for national security adviser Jake Sullivan,' the speechwriter claimed.

'But others such as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark A. Milley knew better.'

'There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days,' Milley claimed on Thursday.

In a 2014 speech on the Senate floor, McCain warned that Blinken, then up for the deputy secretary of state role, would be 'dangerous to America and to the young men and women who are fighting and serving our country.'

'We will see the same movie in Afghanistan that we saw in Iraq,' adding that 'we must leave a stabilizing force behind of a few thousand troops,' McCain warned at the time.

Thiessen was chief speechwriter for former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld beginning in 2001, when the US invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, before joining Bush's speechwriting team in 2004.

On Friday the Wall Street Journal reported that State Department officials in Kabul had warned the Biden administration that the Afghan capital would fall.

A dozen diplomats sent a confidential memo in a dissent channel to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on July 13 that the Taliban was rapidly gaining ground and the city was vulnerable to collapse.

On July 8, President Biden said it was 'highly unlikely' the Taliban would take control of Afghanistan and denied there would be chaos in Kabul.

But then on Wednesday this week, Biden said there was 'no way' to leave Afghanistan without chaos ensuing.

Afghan security forces were collapsing, the diplomats said in the memo, and offered ways to mitigate the advancing insurgents.

But it may have been too late to stop them.

The State Department memo, according to the report, also called for the government to use tougher language on the violence in the past from the Taliban and urged them to start collecting information for Afghan allies who qualified for Special Immigrant Visas after working with US forces.

The Journal reported that 23 Embassy staffers signed the cable and rushed to deliver it considering the deteriorating situation in Kabul.

Blinken reviewed the cable, a personal familiar with it told the paper.
On Wednesday China threatened to 'crush' any US troops stationed on Taiwan as it conducts live fire drills in the South China Sea after Joe Biden abandoned Afghanistan.

An editorial in the regime-backed Global Times lashed out at a since-deleted tweet by Senator John Cornyn which erroneously stated there were 30,000 American soldiers stationed in Taiwan.

The bombastic propaganda article said that if Sen. Cornyn's claim was true this 'is equivalent to a military invasion and occupation of the Taiwan Province of China. It is an act of declaring war on the People's Republic of China.'

It added that China would 'destroy and expel US troops in Taiwan by any means and realize reunification by force.'

Backing up this fiery rhetoric, Beijing dispatched warships and fighter jets for drills off Taiwan on Tuesday in its latest show of strength to Washington.

Although China is the dominant power in east Asia, many of its neighbours like Taiwan and Japan look to the US as their closest military partner. Beijing, therefore, revels in anything which undermines Washington's credibility.

Chinese state media pumped out the images of desperate Afghans flooding Kabul airport in an effort to flee on Monday as a sign of the chaos prompted by the US retreat.

A nuclear-powered Type 094A Jin-class ballistic missile submarine of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is seen during a military display in the South China Sea in April 2018 (file photo)

Beijing has announced plans for a new airport on reclaimed land near Taiwan amid rising tension across the Strait

Chinese state media pumped out the images of desperate Afghans flooding Kabul airport in an effort to flee on Monday as a sign of the chaos prompted by the US retreat.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's Communist propaganda has been hammering Joe Biden for his disastrous retreat from Afghanistan

On Tuesday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Washington had left 'an awful mess of unrest, division and broken families' in Afghanistan.

'America's strength and role is destruction, not construction.'

State media has peddled the idea that America's rush from Afghanistan reflects its fair-weather attitude to all allies - including in Taiwan, which seeks strength from Washington's security guarantee as it defies Beijing.

Biden, hammered over the disorderly retreat, has defended the withdrawal saying China and Russia would 'love nothing more' than his country to have continued to sink resources into the Afghanistan quagmire.

But Beijing now perhaps senses any opportunity to seize the impetus in the region with the US licking its wounds over its calamitous foreign policy decision to quit Afghanistan.

Warships, anti-submarine aircraft and fighter jets took part in the live fire drills in an undisclosed location off Taiwan on Tuesday.

People's Liberation Army spokesman Shi Yi called it a 'necessary activity in response to the recent situation in the Taiwan Strait.'

It follows recent passages by US and European military vessels through the disputed waters in the South China Sea.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration approved a $750 million arms deal with Taiwan that included 40 M109 self-propelled howitzers and 1,700 kits to convert missiles into GPS-guided projectiles.

However, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen said today that the country needed to be 'stronger and more united' in ensuring its own defence following the chaos in Kabul.

The sudden departure of US troops has sparked discussion in Taiwan as to whether the US can be relied upon to come to Taipei's defence.

Tsai addressed those concerns directly in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

'Recent changes in the situation in Afghanistan have led to much discussion in Taiwan,' she wrote.

'I want to tell everyone that Taiwan's only option is to make ourselves stronger, more united and more resolute in our determination to protect ourselves.'

Tsai stressed that Taiwan should practice self-reliance.

'It's not an option for us to do nothing on our own and just to rely on other people's protection,' she said in the post.

She also said Taipei cannot rely on 'momentary goodwill or charity of those who will not renounce the use of force against Taiwan' in a clear reference to Beijing.

China has ramped up military, diplomatic and economic pressure since Tsai's 2016 election, as she sees Taiwan as 'already independent' and not part of its 'one China'.

But analysts say that Afghanistan and Taiwan are not easy comparisons.

'(Taiwan) is a core interest for the US in that it is a well-functioning democracy, loyal ally, (with) a capable military and directly standing up to America's most important competitor,' Robert Kelly, an international relations expert at Pusan National University, wrote on Twitter.

'Afghanistan was on the fringe of US interests. A better analogue... is Israel.'

Meanwhile, Beijing is mulling its own options in the Middle East where it shares a land border with Afghanistan into eastern Xinjiang province, home to the Muslim-majority Uyghurs.

Around a fortnight before the Islamists seized power in a lightning offensive that stunned the world, Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted a Taliban delegation in Beijing.

And just one day after the Taliban entered Kabul, China said it was ready to deepen 'friendly and cooperative' relations with Afghanistan.

While Beijing says it has no desire to direct any future political settlement in Kabul, it appears to have scented opportunity to press its Belt and Road interests as the US pulls out.

As power transitions to the Taliban, Beijing has a few key demands, said Hua Po, an independent political analyst in Beijing.

'The first is to protect China's investments and ensure security of Chinese nationals,' he says.

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, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, which is state-run media, is known to troll the U.S. in tweets

A Taliban fighter is captured outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday

Supporters of President Donald Trump invade the U.S. Capitol on January 6, as Congress was certifying the results of President Joe Biden's election

'Second, it is necessary to cut off relations with East Turkestan (Xinjiang) separatists and not let them return to Xinjiang.'

But pragmatism appears to be prevailing over ideology towards a group whose religious doctrines have in the past left China queasy.

And the Taliban appear to have understood that if they want good relations with China, they will have to leave China's Muslims - whose plight is a rallying cause for Islamists worldwide - alone.

A Taliban spokesman, Mohammad Naeem, has vowed that 'Afghanistan's soil would not be used against any country's security.'

In China, state media has buffed up the potential of driving major economic schemes under the new regime, from the Aynak Copper Mine project - Afghanistan's largest copper deposit, and the world's second-largest - to the northern oil fields of Faryab and Sar-i-pul.

Beijing-backed firms have already pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into rights to mine and build, but extreme insecurity has iced most of the plans.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's generous lithium deposits - the country has been dubbed the 'Saudi Arabia of lithium' - have manufacturers of electric vehicles which run on the mineral licking their lips.

And China is the worlds largest EV maker.

Hu also touted the Chinese policy of 'non-interference' in a Monday tweet

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

The Taliban, who stand to benefit hugely from building ties with Beijing, 'look forward to China's participation in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan,' foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on Monday.

'We welcome this,' she said.

China's embassy in Kabul remains operational, although Beijing began evacuating Chinese citizens from the country months ago as security deteriorated.' -

Afghanistan has for centuries been a cauldron of big power aspirations in central Asia - many of which have eventually run aground.

While the Taliban are trying to rebrand as a more moderate force than during their first brutal hardline incarnation, they remain an unpredictable entity leading a volatile country.

'China knows this history, and they know that this is a government that they are not going to entirely trust,' said Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore who specialises in Afghanistan.

And that makes a hasty investment drive unlikely, he said.

'Why is it suddenly a more attractive prospect now, when you have a less stable situation with a government that is not immensely reliable?'

'I don't foresee Chinese companies saying 'let's go and mine some lithium' especially in some parts of the country that are still very dangerous,' Pantucci added.
A suspected killer will stand trial over the murder of a 16-year-old girl who was 'stabbed to death' at her family's takeaway in South Wales.

Chun Xu, 31, is accused of murdering Wenjing Lin, 16, in an alleged attack at her family's Blue Sky Chinese in Ynyswen, Rhondda, South Wales, in March.

The 'role model' schoolgirl was found in the kitchen of her home over the restaurant by her mother and died at the scene despite paramedics battling to save her.

Dozens of police officers were among more than 30 emergency vehicles called to the scene.

Xu, who is not related to Ms Lin, has been charged with the teenager's murder and is also accused of the attempted murder of a 38-year-old man called Yongquan Jiang.

Chun Xu (pictured), 31, has been accused of murdering Wenjing Lin, 16, in an alleged attack at her family's Blue Sky Chinese in Ynyswen, Rhondda, South Wales, in March

Xu, who speaks no English, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday where, speaking through a Mandarin translator, he denied the two charges.

Judge Michael Fitton QC said he would stand trial on November 1 this year at Swansea Crown Court in front of Judge Paul Thomas.

He ordered translators to be prepared and work with Xu so he could follow the case.

Judge Fitton said: 'This defendant will require time before and after each court day with a translator so he can understand the court processes.'

The judge told Xu he must return to court for a further hearing on October 22.

He continued: 'You are required to attend court for the trial from custody. If you do not co-operate with coming to court the judge is likely to order the trial to go ahead without you - please make sure that doesn't happen.

'Role model' schoolgirl Wenjing Lin (pictured) was found in the kitchen of her home over the restaurant by her mother and died at scene

'It is in your own interest to co-operate, which you have done today, for which I thank you.

'You are remanded in custody.'

An inquest heard Wenjing was discovered by her mother in the kitchen and was later pronounced dead.

She lived at the property with her mother, stepfather, and another male who was staying at the home at the time of Ms Lin's death.

In a tribute, Wenjing's heartbroken family said: 'Wenjing had a very gentle soul, she was a very quiet person.

'Wenjing helped the whole family, working in the family takeaway. She enjoyed school and worked very hard. She was loved by her family.'

A post-mortem examination, which took place at the University Hospital of Wales on March 6, saw the provisional cause of death given as pressure to the neck with further investigation to follow.

Coroner David Regan adjourned the inquest but did not fix a new date in order to allow the police to continue with their investigation.

Wenjing was about to take her GCSEs at Treorchy Comprehensive School where she excelled at maths.

She had been offered a place at a sixth form college where she was going to study maths and psychology.

Judge Michael Fitton QC said he would stand trial on November 1 this year at Swansea Crown Court in front of Judge Paul Thomas. Pictured: The Blue Sky on Baglan Street on March 6

The teenager was working behind the counter at the family-run Chinese restaurant after local staff were laid off because of Coronavirus.

Wenjing had been described as a 'positive role model' in a tribute from her school, which said fellow pupils had been offered specialist counselling following her death.

Treorchy Comprehensive School said: 'Wenjing Lin's sudden death is a tragedy and has had a devastating impact on our school and in particular her friendship group and Year 11.

'Wenjing's life, however, will be remembered as a masterclass in how to be the very best version of yourself that you can be.

'The school will remember Wenjing Lin as a positive role model.

'She was extremely hardworking and was in the middle of studying for her GCSEs and had ambitions to go on to study Psychology and Maths and further Maths at A Level.

'The school is working with outside agencies to support all those impacted by this tragedy.

'Students in Year 11 and across other year groups have already had access to immediate support, and this will continue with the support of trained counsellors during the weeks ahead.'
Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the Taliban and said the West should not impose 'outside values' on Afghanistan.

He criticised the 'irresponsible policy' and said 'you cannot impose standards of political life and behaviour on other people from outside'. It comes as China has also moved towards recognising the Taliban regime.

Putin said it was not in Russia's interests to dwell on the result of the 20-year-old US military campaign in Afghanistan, which has ended in humiliating scenes of chaos at Kabul airport as states frantically try to evacuate their citizens.

And he went on to call on allies to unite to help the people of Afghanistan amid mounting evidence the hardline Islamist regime has immediately returned to brutally oppressing the population - despite promising to be 'moderate'.

Putin added Russia was interested in the country being stable and called on the global community to prevent the 'collapse' of Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.

'The Taliban movement control almost the entire territory of the country,' he told a televised press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Kremlin.

'These are the realities and it is from these realities that we must proceed, preventing the collapse of the Afghan state,' he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and said it was important to establish good and neighbourly relations with the new leadership

Putin said it was not in Russia's interests to dwell on the result of the 20-year-old US military campaign in Afghanistan, he told a televised press conference following talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Kremlin

Both leaders said Afghanistan figured prominently during the outgoing German leader's final working visit to Russia.

The Russian president also highlighted the importance of preventing 'terrorists' from entering neighbouring countries from Afghanistan, including 'under the guise of refugees'.

Moscow has been cautiously optimistic about the new leadership in Kabul and is seeking contact with the militants in an effort to avoid instability spilling over to neighbouring ex-Soviet states.

The Kremlin has in recent years reached out to the Taliban - which is banned as an 'extremist' group in Russia - and hosted its representatives in Moscow several times, most recently last month.

Both leaders said Afghanistan figured prominently during the outgoing German leader's final working visit to Russia

Taliban fighters patrol the streets of Kabul flying their own white and black flag after taking back control of the country

Taliban fighters - clearly enjoying their newfound power - pose for a photographer in Kabul, Afghanistan

The Taliban have been at pains to present a reformed image since marching into Kabul this weekend after US president Joe Biden's abandonment of Afghanistan.

But a there is mounting evidence that the hardline Islamist regime is anything but reformed from the despotic jihadists of 20 years ago, who brutally oppressed women and allied themselves with Al Qaeda terrorists

Now those realities are being exposed, and Afghanistan's new rulers have proven beyond what little doubt there was that they are just as bloodthirsty and tyrannical as their equivalents from two decades ago.

The latest footage to emerge from within Afghanistan shows Taliban fighters attacking anyone carrying an Afghan national flag in at least a dozen incidents primarily in the capital Kabul.

One video shows a heavily armed militant jumping out of a pickup filled with Taliban and pulling his gun on a man on a bicycle, who is shrouded in an Afghan flag. The fighter hastily takes the national emblem of the cyclist

It comes after human rights group Amnesty International revealed that Taliban fighters massacred nine ethnic Hazara men after taking control of the country's Ghazni province last month, with eyewitnesses giving harrowing accounts of the killings.

Six men were shot and three were tortured to death, including one man who was strangled with his own scarf and had his arm muscles sliced off during the atrocity, which took place between 4-6 July in the village of Mundarakht, Malistan district, the group revealed.

In another revenge killing, one regional police chief who stood against the Taliban was executed in cold blood by the jihadist group, local reports say.

Shocking video footage being circulated on the internet shows the kneeling handcuffed and blindfolded figure of General Haji Mullah Achakzai, chief of Badghis Province near Herat, being gunned down in a hail of bullets.
While many large companies across the US have announced that Covid-19 vaccines will be required for employees returning to work in-person, in Montana such requirements are banned under a new law passed earlier this year.

Now, physicians across the state are calling on the Legislature to reverse that law.

'This is against everything we've ever known or believed about public health,' said Dr. Pamela Cutler, president of the Montana Medical Association.

'I believe it's a travesty now and it needs to be fixed so that we can make our offices safe for patients and our coworkers.'

Under a new law passed by the state's Republican-controlled Legislature that took effect July 1, requiring vaccines as a condition for employment is deemed 'discrimination' and a violation of state human rights laws.

Montana is the only state in the US with a law like this for private employers, said Hemi Tewarson, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy.

The law has raised concern among employers as Montana struggles with a rise in COVID-19 cases that are straining the state's health care system. Vaccination rates also continue to drop from their peak in April.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (pictured) receives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from pharmacist Drew Garton at a Walgreen's pharmacy in Helena, Montana

Daily COVID-19 vaccination rates in the US, showing a spike in vaccines in April of this year. Rates have mostly steadily declined since then

GOP lawmakers who supported the bill said it was needed to prevent employers from 'coercing' employees to get vaccinations under threat of termination. Some of the loudest supporters of the bill were employees of Benefis Health System in Great Falls who were told earlier this year that COVID-19 vaccines would be necessary to keep their jobs.

Benefis was forced to backtrack on that plan when the law was signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte in May.

Gianforte, a former business executive who founded and ran a technology company, gave the bill the green light after altering it to allow health care facilities to require unvaccinated workers and those who refuse to disclose their vaccination status to wear masks and take other precautions.

The governor lifted the mask mandate back in February, saying enough vulnerable Montana residents had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

He stood behind the new law this week amid heightened scrutiny, despite daily infection rates spiking nationwide due to the more-contagious delta variant.

'While the governor continues to encourage Montanans to receive safe and effective vaccines, doing so is voluntary and no individual should face discrimination based on vaccination status,' Brooke Stroyke, a spokesperson for Gianforte, said in an email.

While the list of national corporations requiring vaccines of their employees who want to return to work in-person continues to grow - and now includes Google, Facebook, Walmart, and United Airlines - businesses in Montana dont have that option.

Number of new COVID-19 infections per day in US, with a total number of cases nationwide sitting at 37,297,023. Rates spiked late 2020, and are spiking again due to delta variant

A graph showing recent increases this month in both COVID-19 cases and related deaths, after a significant drop in June and July prior to the emerging delta variant

'Most (businesses) feel like their hands are tied right now,' said Mike Rooney, operations director for Downtown Helena Incorporated, a community organization.

'Some would definitely be very supportive of a vaccination requirement or a mask requirement.'

The Montana Hospital Association opposed the law before it took effect, warning that it would make it harder for the state to meet its need for medical services. Now, the association is saying their fears may come to fruition.

Dr. Neil Ku, an epidemiologist at Billings Clinic who sits on the board of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, said the law sets Montana apart in conversations about how to combat the coronavirus.

'It is very very difficult for me to participate in the conversation when everywhere in the country can talk about vaccinating their employees but I can't,' Ku said.

Hospitals in Montana until recently required their employees to get most vaccines approved by the Centers for Disease Control, including the annual flu shot, providing an avenue for employees to opt out for medical or religious reasons. Now, that is no longer possible, leaving both workers and patients vulnerable.

Ingrid Radke, a critical care nurse in the ICU, receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination at St. Peter's Health in Helena, Montana

Gov. Greg Gianforte speaks with the press in the State Capitol in Helena. Montana's statewide mask mandate has been lifted by Gianforte

Across the US, 60 percent of those eligible are vaccinated against COVID-19. In Montana, that number is 49 percent.

In Montana hospitals, employees are vaccinated at a higher rate, but without a requirement, patients must contend with added risk to their health when seeking care.

'It holds us out as an anomaly against the rest of the nation,' said Rich Rasmussen, president of the Montana Hospital Association.

'We have to rely on recruiting from out of state. The rest of the nation is looking at us and they are saying, 'I don't know if I want to practice in Montana, because of their approach to patient and employee safety as it relates to vaccinations.'

Like many states, Montana is dealing with a rise in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. According to a state report released earlier this week, 234 out of the 240 beds in the Benefis Hospital are occupied.

Facing the specter of a coronavirus surge, Montana employers are left to navigate their way to keep employees safe and the doors open.

'A lot of businesses feel like they don't have the support right now, so for them it's about how do they figure it out on their own end,' Rooney said.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham believes President Joe Biden will have committed a 'dereliction of duty' if every American citizen and every Afghan who aided the US isn't evacuated out of Afghanistan - and that 'Joe needs to go' if they're abandoned.

'If we leave one American behind, if we dont get all those Afghans who stepped up to the plate to help us out then Joe Biden, in my view, has committed a high crime and misdemeanor under the Constitution and should be impeached,' the South Carolina lawmaker said on Fox & Friends Friday.

His comments come as news surfaced the US paused evacuation flights

Graham noted that France and the United Kingdom have sent troops outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport into Taliban-controlled Kabul to rescue nationals.

He urged the US to embark on a joint operation with other western countries to 'get everybody out who deserves to be out.'

'We're duty-bound to get every American citizen out, we're honor-bound to get those Afghans who fought along our side out,' Graham said.

Lindsey Graham told morning show Fox & Friends that 'Joe needs to go' if all Americans and American allies aren't evacuated out of Afghanistan

Biden has stood firm on his Afghanistan policy, deflecting criticism a number of times this week

'Any military commander would be court-martialed for leaving our people behind, and I think the commander in chief owes it to every American citizen and owes it to the Afghans who fought along our side because if we leave them behind, they're going to get slaughtered.'

British, French and German special forces have been speeding into Kabul in armored cars, despite the huge risk from Taliban fighters, while the US forces are reportedly under strict orders to remain at the airport.

However Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin announced earlier this week that the US military, which already has 6,000 troops there, doesn't have the capability to rescue people stuck outside of the airport.

Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday that the US intends to get every American that wants to leave out and 'thats exactly what well do, and are accomplishing right now.'

NATO is now pleading with the US to stay at the airport past Biden's August 31st deadline to save more evacuees from the Taliban, an unusual move for the international body that signals the dire circumstances.

There are thousands of Americans still stuck in Afghanistan and roughly 18,000 Afghan translators in the special immigrant visa pipeline, according to the most recent data.

US soldiers stand guard behind barbed wire as Afghans sit on a roadside near the military part of the airport in Kabul on August 20

aliban fighters guard the Afghanistan central bank in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday, August 19

Afghans gather outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport to flee the country

He said the US military presence in Bagram was an 'insurance policy against another 9/11' that Biden had canceled.

He attacked the president as a 'wrecking ball regarding foreign policy and national security for 40 years' - despite having worked closely with Biden on foreign policy and even traveling to Afghanistan and Iraq together.

Two men forged a mutual admiration working together in the Senate. Graham took office in 2003 and Biden served as senator from Delaware from 1973 until 2009 when he joined the Obama administration. Both were on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Biden once said Graham had the 'best instincts in the Senate,' according to Washington Post.

Graham also held Biden in high regard, as he revealed in an emotional 2015 interview.

'He is as good a man as god ever created. Hes said some of the most heartfelt things anybody could ever say to me. He is the nicest person I think Ive ever met in politics,' Graham told Huffington Post, visibly choked up.

But last fall Graham joined Donald Trump in calling for an investigation into Hunter Biden, the president's only surviving son.

Biden and Graham forged a mutual admiration dating back to their time in the Senate together (pictured at an event in 2004, the year after Graham began serving)

Asked by Stephen Colbert in December whether their relationship could be fixed, Biden said 'Lindsey's been a personal disappointment because I was a personal friend of his.'

Graham had tried to call Biden after he won the election to reconcile. He told him he only went after Hunter to satisfy Trump supporters, according to the New York Times.

Biden, who reportedly viewed it as an unforgivable attack, said he would work with any Republican but described Graham's approach as two-faced.

But on Friday morning, the Republican lawmaker reiterated his call for a possible impeachment several times.

'I think the military is not going to go beyond the air base - the airport - I think that's a huge mistake. I think we're going to leave thousands of Afghans behind and most likely some American citizens because we don't have the will to impose on the Taliban an evacuation plan in our interest,' he said.

'And I do believe - and I don't say this lightly - that if Joe Biden leaves a bunch of people behind who helped us, he deserves to be impeached... Joe needs to go if he does this.'
Alan Dershowitz said he thought Larry David - a good friend for 25 years - was 'going to have a stroke' during their screaming match because the comedian was so out of control.

Their long friendship went up in flames outside a Martha's Vineyard general store because David took offense to Dershowitz patting former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the back, the famed lawyer said.

'There I was having a cup of coffee with a friend on the porch of the Chilmark (General Store), and Larry starts screaming at me,' Dershowitz told Newsmax on Thursday.

'He couldn't control himself. I thought he was going to have a stroke. It was terrible.

'I was all these horrible, horrible things. And the reason was because I patted on the back Mike Pompeo.'

Scroll down for video.

Alan Dershowitz (middle) said during an interview on Newsmax

After David stormed off, Dershowitz said he took off his t-shirt to reveal another shirt underneath that read, 'It's The Constitution Stupid!'

Dershowitz told David 'We can still talk, Larry' to which David (pictured) replied 'No,no. We really can't. I saw you. I saw you with your arm around Pompeo! It's disgusting!'

Pompeo is one of Dershowitz's former Harvard law students, and the two worked together on a number of projects.

'Of course I'm going to pat him on the back and congratulate him for the work he has done,' Dershowitz said. 'But that wasn't enough for Larry David.'

Dershowitz - a liberal who voted for Biden - told Newsmax that his feud with David started when defend Donald Trump during his first impeachment hearing in January 2020. '

Dershowitz told the comedian, 'We can still talk, Larry', to which David replied, 'No, no. We really can't. I saw you. I saw you with your arm around Pompeo! It's disgusting!

'You're whole enclave  it's disgusting. You're disgusting!'

The longtime lawyer and professor said this fight with David is microcosm of a larger societal issue where 'you have to choose sides' and if you diverge 'for one second,' friends and supporters leave.

There's no friendly debate anymore, he said.

And David hasn't been the only one who cast Dershowitz to the side after defending Trump.

Dershowitz said he was 'canceled' by the Chilmark library, where he spoke every year, the Chilmark Community Center and the Chilmark Hebrew Center.

'This is pure and simple McCarthyism when you start blaming the lawyer because you don't agree with the client,' he said.

'But Larry David just isn't quite up to understanding that distinction between supporting somebody politically and defending the constitution.'

The New York Post reported that the confrontation recently took place on the porch of the Chilmark General Store in Martha's Vineyard (pictured)

Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pictured) was one of Dershowitz' students at Harvard Law School

Alan Dershowitz (pictured) told the Post he and David were close friends until he served as Trump's impeachment defense lawyer

After David stormed off, Dershowitz took off his T-shirt to reveal another shirt underneath that read, 'It's The Constitution Stupid!'

He referenced the T-shirt during the Newsmax interview and held it up to show everyone.

The two go way back, Dershowitz said. They were so close that he said he even helped get one of David's daughters into college and once represented the comedian pro bono.

'Larry is a knee-jerk radical,' Dershowitz told The New York Post. 'He takes his politics from Hollywood. He doesn't read a lot. He doesn't think a lot.'

Dershowitz said he's willing to mend fences during his Newsmax interview but he won't fight with David.

'So, he'll go on screaming at people. I'm not going to engage with him in a screaming match,' Dershowitz said. 'I'm relatively quiet. If he wants to have a conversation with me then hey, I'm a teacher. I'm happy to do that. But I'll let him scream alone.'
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Heads of the three departments running the Afghanistan response have defended going on 'staycations' during the crisis.

The top mandarins at the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence have all been away from Whitehall amid the chaos.

The news emerged with Dominic Raab under huge pressure over staying on his luxury break in Crete when the Afghan government dramatically collapsed.

The trio are thought to have been enjoying leave in the UK, but their departments insisted they are still 'involved' in key decisions and have deputies who can take the strain.

Boris Johnson started a break in Somerset on Saturday, but has paused his holiday until at least next week as he grapples with the fallout from the collapse of the Afghan regime at the hands of the Taliban.

Left, Foreign Office: Sir Philip Barton. Right, Defence Ministry: David Williams

The news emerged with Dominic Raab (pictured today) under huge pressure over staying on his luxury break in Crete when the Afghan government dramatically collapsed

Sir Philip Barton, the permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, is said to have been in regular contact with Mr Raab despite neither being in the office.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'The permanent secretary has remained closely involved throughout.'

Home Office permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft and David Williams, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Defence, have also been away.

Mr Rycroft is understood to have been 'dialing in' to meetings today. 'They all seem to be in the UK,' one government source told MailOnline. 'Matthew Rycroft has been dialing in from where he is.'

A Ministry of Defence source insisted Mr Williams' absence had no impact because Laurence Lee, the second permanent secretary, was at work.

None of the mandarins are thought to be back in the office yet, although departments refused to comment on the details of their breaks.

A Government spokeswoman said: 'Departments across Whitehall have been working intensively at all levels in the last few days and weeks on the situation in Afghanistan.

'Thanks to these efforts, we have relocated over 2,000 Afghans to the UK since June, evacuated over 400 British nationals and their families on RAF flights since Sunday and established one of the most generous asylum schemes in British history.'

Sources insisted there are 'tried and tested systems' in place for managing when senior officials are away on holiday.

Dominic Raab insisted he had been working 'tirelessly' today as he faced fresh pressure over holidaying while Kabul burned - and it emerged that the top civil servants at three key departments have also been taking a break.

The Foreign Secretary shrugged off demands for his resignation, saying he had been 'prioritising security' at Kabul airport last Friday when he delegated a junior minister to make a crucial call to his Afghan counterpart.

Mr Raab said that had been the 'right' approach, arguing that the reason the call never happened was the 'rapidly deteriorating situation' that saw the government collapse.

Tories have joined a ferocious backlash against Mr Raab over his failure to take time during his luxury Crete holiday to help the plight of staff who worked for British forces. However, there has been a concerted effort to shore him up today with a series of MPs condemning the 'witchhunt' against him.

Other senior Conservatives told MailOnline that Mr Johnson has been privately indicating that a reshuffle is unlikely for the next six months. There are claims that Mr Raab also enjoys the support of Carrie Johnson.

'I don't think he is in any immediate danger, not least because Boris knows if you have too many ex-ministers throwing their weight around it becomes a problem,' one MP said.

The Mail revealed yesterday that Mr Raab had been advised by officials to contact his Afghan counterpart urgently on Friday. However, he delegated the task to junior minister Lord Goldsmith, with the department insisting he was engaged on other calls.

It was thought the telephone conversation had then taken place the following day - but the Foreign Office has now conceded it never happened as the Afghan regime collapsed.
Khalil Haqqani, one of America's most wanted terrorists, has led prayers for Taliban fighters in Kabul where he was greeted by adoring fans.

The Taliban fundraiser, who also has links to Al Qaeda, has a $5million bounty on his head but was cheered on the streets of Kabul before he led prayers at the city's biggest mosque.

Haqqani is now an integral part of the Taliban's moves to set up a government and he had armed escorts as he entered the religious building.

After a sermon by the imam, Haqqani told the crowd, according to The New York Times: 'Our first priority for Afghanistan is security.

'If there is no security, there is no life. We will give security, then we will give economy, trade, education for men and women. There will be no discrimination.'

His speech was greeted by cheers from the crowd, showing the significant support for the Taliban in the heart of Afghanistan.

Haqqani is part of the Haqqani network which has played a major role in the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The Taliban fundraiser, who also has links to Al Qaeda, has a $5million bounty on his head but was cheered on the streets of Kabul

The group was founded by the mujahedeen commander Jalaluddin Haqqani in the 1970s and is suspected of helping Osama bin Laden escape from Tora Bora in 2001.

Khalil is the brother of the group's founder and they continued to grow an international terrorist fundraising network.

He is also the uncle of the Taliban's deputy leader Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Haqqani is on both the US and UN terrorist lists along with other members of his family.

The crimes he is accused of include 'participating in the financing, planning, facilitation, preparation or commission of acts or activities carried out' by the Taliban.

The Haqqani network operates from the North Waziristan district in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

Haqqani is part of the Haqqani network which has played a major role in the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan

The Taliban fundraiser, who also has links to Al Qaeda, has a $5million bounty on his head but was cheered on the streets of Kabul before he led prayers at the city's biggest mosque

Haqqani has travelled worldwide to meet financial supporters of the Taliban, having previously been spotted in Gulf States and South and East Asia.

He has also acted on behalf of Al Qaeda and has been linked to its military operations.

It was recently revealed that the Taliban had placed security for Kabul in the hands of senior members of the Haqqani network.

Experts fear it raises the prospect of Al Qaeda being welcomed back to Afghanistan.

Taliban leaders had promised in talks with US officials last year not to allow the country to become a safe haven for jihadists.

A British intelligence officer told VOA: 'The fact we have Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani in charge of Kabul security is dismaying.

'The Haqqani and Al Qaeda have a long history together, you could argue they are intertwined, and it is highly unlikely they will cut ties.'

Meanwhile retired diplomat Ivor Roberts said putting the Haqqani network in charge of security is like the 'fox being put in charge of a chicken coop'.

The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks in Afghanistan including the 2008 five-star Serena Hotel attack and the 2017 truck bombing near the German Embassy which killed 96.
Forecasters said heavy showers and thunder could bring flooding, power cuts and travel disruption

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Britons are bracing for a stormy day today with the Met Office issuing a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across most of the UK and up to two inches of rain threatening flash flooding and travel chaos.

Forecasters warned of heavy showers and thunder which could cause flooding, power cuts and travel disruption in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The bleak warning covers large expanses of the three nations, with the exception of some coastal areas, and lasts from midday until 10pm.

It comes amid unsettled weather which has persisted across the UK throughout August, with the weather service also naming its first storm of the summer - Storm Evert - last month.

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said the City of London has had 117 per cent of its usual August rainfall already, with 2.4in (60mm) of rain falling on the capital up to August 17 compared with 2in (51mm) usually seen over the entire month.

And bookmaker Coral now makes it odds-on at 4-5 for this summer to be the wettest on record in the UK as more rain has been forecast to fall over the weekend.

Despite the soggy outlook, some experts insist there is still a chance for warmer temperatures while pressure builds in the south, meaning the mercury could reach 77F (25C) towards the end of the month.

One forecaster admitted a heatwave is not on the cards, but urged Brits 'not to give up hope altogether' with some September's having come up trumps over recent years.

A beach in Bournemouth, Dorset, appears fairly crowded despite the mild weather as people paddle in the sea. Forecasters warned of heavy showers and thunder which could cause flooding, power cuts and travel disruption today

A group of four people look onto a grey sea in Bournemouth, Dorset, on Friday. It comes amid unsettled weather which has persisted across the UK throughout August, with the Met Office also naming its first storm of the summer last month

Two people zip line in front of a bleak backdrop above the pier in Bournemouth, Dorset, today. Bookmaker Coral now makes it odds-on at 4-5 for this summer to be the wettest on record in the UK as more rain has been forecast to fall over the weekend

A map from the Met Office, showing the forecast for early on Saturday morning. Despite the soggy outlook, some experts insist there is still a chance for warmer temperatures while pressure builds in the south, meaning the mercury could reach 77F (25C) towards the end of the month

Northern Ireland has had 3.5in (90mm) of rain - 90 per cent of its 3.8in (97mm) average for the month.

Mr Partridge predicted that up to 1.6in (40mm) of rain could hit parts of Northern Ireland and south-west England over 24 hours today, and the same amount in the northern Pennines on Sunday.

Heavy rain and hail has already caused 'significant problems' for harvests, according to the National Farmers Union (NFU).

A spokesperson for the union said this year's harvest was delayed due to cold spring temperatures, but its too early to say how much profits will be impacted and whether consumers could see a rise in food prices.

They said: 'The localised heavy rain and hail has caused significant problems in certain areas.

'It's a mixed picture because for many areas they just haven't had many clear dry days in a row to harvest, so things have been a bit 'stop-start' with harvesting.

People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach on Friday. One forecaster admitted a heatwave is not on the cards, but urged Brits 'not to give up hope altogether' with some September's coming up trumps over recent years

Two people walk past empty deckchairs on the pier in Bournemouth, Dorset, today. Heavy rain and hail has already caused 'significant problems' for harvests, according to the National Farmers Union (NFU)

People enjoy the mild weather and paddle in the sea at Bournemouth, Dorset. A Met Office spokesman said: 'We've had flooding, some parts of the country have seen double their average rainfall and temperatures have been unremarkable'

People walk past empty deckchairs on the pier in Bournemouth, Dorset, on Friday. The bleak warning covers large expanses of the three nations, with the exception of some coastal areas, and lasts from midday until 10pm on Saturday

'Where they have been harvesting, grain has often had to be dried because the better weather hasn't lasted long enough to get moisture levels down to where they need to be.

'The problems will grow if the unsettled weather continues because it will start to impact on the quality of the grain if it goes on too long, especially for crops like milling wheat.'

However, a Met Office spokesman said earlier this month: 'We've had flooding, some parts of the country have seen double their average rainfall and temperatures have been unremarkable.

'It's been wishy-washy to say the least - and that's how it's going to end.

A beach in Bournemouth, Dorset, appears fairly busy today despite the soggy outlook. The Met Office's Simon Partridge predicted up to 1.6in (40mm) of rain could hit parts of Northern Ireland and south-west England over 24 hours tomorrow

A man and woman walk through Sefton Park in Liverpool on Friday. Meanwhile, Coral bookmakers are offering 6-4 for this month to be a record wet August

A man sits on a bench and plays his Ukulele to his dog in Sefton Park, Liverpool, today. Coral's John Hill said: 'The odds suggest there is a strong chance this month will end as a record wet August'

'A heatwave is not on the cards - but let's not give up hope altogether. Some September's have come up trumps over recent years.'

Meanwhile, Coral bookmakers are offering 6-4 for this month to be a record wet August.

The firm's John Hill said: 'This summer has already been one of the wettest in recent memory and with more rain on the way, by the time it is up, it may be the wettest we have ever had.

'Rainfall has been forecast to arrive in many parts of the UK over the weekend and as a result, the odds suggest there is a strong chance this month will end as a record wet August.'
A journalist was 'too frightened' to go to the door with English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson appeared on her doorstep 'very angry and agitated', a court has heard.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was in Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday over an application for a stalking protection order after he went to the home of Independent home affairs correspondent Lizzie Dearden and her partner, Samuel Partridge.

He attended the courts despite the expectation that he would join remotely due to coronavirus isolation.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram said the court had been 'misled' regarding applications for adjournment, which Robinson's lawyer said were made out of 'an abundance of caution and a misunderstanding as to what Mr Lennon's instructions were.'

His lawyer added that he is in compliance with the guidance on quarantine.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was in Westminster Magistrates' Court

The court heard that Robinson, 38, went to Ms Dearden's home on January 17, some days after a request for comment was sent via his solicitors about a story alleging he had misused money donated by his supporters.

Ryan Dowding, representing the Metropolitan Police, told the court that Robinson did not respond to the email, and went to Ms Dearden's home instead.

He told the court there was 'shouting about Mr Partridge, claiming he was a paedophile,' and said: 'There were threats to come back every day if he needed to.'

Video footage, filmed by Robinson, captures him saying: 'Lizzie, I will be back every day if I have to.'

Mr Dowding also told the court that Robinson was with someone in a Range Rover who was sounding the horn throughout.

Robinson was subsequently arrested over the incident.

Robinson, 38, attended the courts despite the expectation that he would join remotely due to coronavirus isolation.

The court previously heard that Robinson later posted two pictures of Mr Partridge online before emailing Ms Dearden purporting to comment on her story, in which he falsely claimed to have a source who said Mr Partridge had groomed a child.

Ms Dearden, who gave evidence remotely, told the court she 'didn't know what he [Robinson] was going to do,' when he attended her home.

'From what I could hear on the intercom and through the street, he sounded very angry and agitated,' she said.

'Basically, I was too frightened to go down.'

She told the court she 'called 999 so quickly' and was able to hear Robinson asking for her partner by name and then her by name.

Mr Partridge, who also gave evidence remotely, added that Robinson was 'polite to begin with' and added 'that changed very quickly.'

Mr Ikram agreed to impose an interim order in March this year ahead of the full application for a stalking protection order.

Robinson speaks to a camera as he arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in central London

At the time, he said he was satisfied that the temporary order was 'necessary and proportionate' because the acts were 'capable of being associated with stalking' and there was an 'ongoing risk'.

'What the police say in this case is he has embarked on all of this to persuade her not to publish the story, and he sought to do so by the threat of publishing his own allegations about her partner, which it's said are simply not true,' he said at the hearing in March.

The case was not concluded and was adjourned to August 26.
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. Ive just met with the Vice President, Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, National Security Advisor Sullivan, and other members the national security leadership team in the Situation Room to discuss our ongoing efforts to evacuate American citizens, third-country civilians, Afghan allies, and vulnerable Afghans. And I want to provide the American people with a brief update and the -- on the situation in Afghanistan.

Since I spoke to you on Monday, we've made significant progress. We have secured the airport, enabling flights to resume. Not just military flights, but civilian charters and other -- from other countries and the NGOs taking out civilians and vulnerable Afghan -- vulnerable Afghans.

And now we have almost 6,000 troops on the ground, including the 82nd Airborne providing runway security, the Army 10th Mountain Division standing guard around the airport, and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit assisting the civilian departure.

This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history. And the only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision is the United States of America.

We've already evacuated more than 18,000 people since July and approximately 13,000 since our military airlift began on August the 14th. Thousands more have been evacuated on private charter flights facilitated by the U.S. government.

These numbers include American citizens and permanent residents, as well as their families. It includes SIV applicants and their families -- those Afghans who have worked alongside us, served alongside of us, gone into combat with us, and provided invaluable assistance to us, such as translators and interpreters.

The United States stands by its commitment that we've made to these people, and it includes other vulnerable Afghans, such as women leaders and journalists.

In fact, working in close coordination with the management of the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, we have successfully evacuated all 204 of their employees in Afghanistan on U.S. military aircraft earlier this week.

We have established the flow of flights, and we've increased the number of people we are moving out of the country.

We paused flights in Kabul a few hours this morning to make sure we could process the arriving evacuees at the transit points, but our commander in Kabul has already given the order for outbound flights to resume.

Even with the pause, we moved out 5,700 evacuees yesterday, and we're working on a variety -- to verify that number of the Americans that are still in the country as we work on this because we're not -- don't have the exact number of people who are -- Americans who are there. And those who may have come home to the United States, we're not -- we want to get a strong number as to exactly how many people are there, how many American citizens, and where they are.

Just yesterday, among the many Americans we evacuated, there were 169 Americans who, over the -- we got over the wall into the airport using military assets.

We're also facilitating flights for our Allies and our partners, and working in close operational coordination with NATO on this evacuation.

For example, we provided overwatch for the French convoy bringing hundreds of their people from the French embassy to the airport.

These operations are going -- are going to continue over the coming days before we complete our drawdown.

We're going to do everything -- everything that we can to provide safe evacuation for our Afghan allies, partners, and Afghans who might be targeted if -- because of their association with the United States.

But let me be clear, any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.

But make no mistake: This evacuation mission is dangerous. It involves risks to our armed forces, and it is being conducted under difficult circumstances.

I cannot promise what the final outcome will be or what it will be -- that it will be without risk of loss. But as Commander-in-Chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary.

And as an American, I offer my gratitude to the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who are carrying out this mission. They're incredible.

As we continue to work the logistics of evacuation, we're in constant contact with the Taliban, working to ensure civilians have safe passage to the airport. We're particularly focused in our engagements on making sure every American who wants to leave can get to the airport. Where we have been -- seen challenges with Americans -- for Americans, we have thus far been able to resolve them.

We've been able -- we've made -- look, we've made clear to the Taliban that any attack -- any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with a swift and forceful response.

We're also keeping a close watch on any potential terrorist threat at or around the airport, including from the ISIS affiliates in Afghanistan who were released from prison when the prisons were emptied. And because they are, by the way -- to make everybody understand -- that the ISIS in Afghanistan are the -- have been the sworn enemy of the Taliban.

I've said all along: We're going to retain a laser-focus on our counterterrorism mission, working in close coordination with our allies and our partners and all those who have an interest in ensuring stability in the region.

Secretary Blinken, who is with me today, met this morning with our NATO Allies in consultation about the way forward so that Afghanistan cannot be used as a -- in the future as a terrorist base of attack -- to attack the United States or our Allies.

For 20 years, Afghanistan has been a joint effort with our NATO Allies. We went in together and we're leaving together, and now we're working together to bring our people and our Afghan partners to safety.

In the past few days, Ive also spoken directly with the British Prime Minster, Mr. Johnson; Chancellor Merkel of Germany; and President Macron of France.

We all agreed that we should convene and we will convene the G7 meeting next week -- a group of the worlds leading democracies -- so that together we can coordinate our mutual approach, our united approach on Afghanistan and moving forward.

We are united with our closest partners to execute the mission at hand.

We've also discussed the need to work with the international community to provide humanitarian assistance, such as food, aid, and medical care for refugees who have crossed into neighboring countries to escape the Taliban; and to bring international pressure on the Taliban with respect to the treatment of Afghan peo- -- the Afghan people overall, but including Afghan, particularly, women and girls.

The past week has been heartbreaking. Weve seen gut-wrenching images of panicked people acting out of sheer desperation. You know, its completely understandable. They're frightened. They're sad -- uncertain what happens next.

I dont think anyone -- I don't think any one of us can see those pictures and not feel that pain on a human level.

Now we have a mission -- a mission to complete in Afghanistan. Its an incredibly difficult and dangerous operation for our military.

We have almost 6,000 of Americas finest fighting men and women in Ka- -- at the Kabul Airport.

And were putting their lives on the line -- theyre doing it -- in a dangerous place to save other Americans, our Afghan allies, and citizens of our al- -- our allies who went in with us.

You know, I -- I talk -- I talk to our commanders on the ground there every single day, as I just did a few hours -- an hour or so ago. And I made it clear to them that well get them whatever they need to do the job. Theyre performing to the highest standard under extraordinarily difficult and dynamic circumstances.

Our NATO Allies are strongly standing with us -- their troops keeping sentry alongside ours in Kabul.

As is the case whenever I deploy our troops into harms way, I take that responsibility seriously. I carry that burden every day, just as I did when I was Vice President and my son was deployed to Iraq for a year.

Therell be plenty of time to criticize and second-guess when this operation is over. But now -- now Im focused on getting this job done.

I would ask every American to join me in praying for the women and men risking their lives on the ground in the service of our nation.

As events evolve over the coming days, my team and I will continue to share the information and update the American people on exactly where things are.

Well use every resource necessary to carry out the mission at hand and bring to safety American citizens and our Afghan allies. This is our focus now.

And when this is finished, we will complete our military withdrawal and finally bring to an end 20 years of American military action in Afghanistan.

Thank you, and may God bless you, our troops, our diplomats, and all those serving in harms way.

And now Ill take questions. AP, Zeke Miller.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. You vowed that your election would usher in an era where the world could count on America to live up to its promises. You promised to leave Afghanistan, but you also promised not to -- to help -- to bring out those who helped America in its war effort. Weve seen these heart-wrenching images at the Kabul airport of people trying to get there, to say nothing of the people who cant get to that airport.

You made the commitment to get American troops out, to get the American citizens out. Will you make the same commitment to those who assisted in the American war effort over the last 20 years? Number one.

And then, number two: Whats your message to Americas partners around the world who have criticized not the withdrawal, but the conduct of that withdrawal, and made -- made them question Americas credibility on the world stage?

THE PRESIDENT: I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world. I have spoken with our NATO Allies. Weve spoken with NATO Allies -- the Secretary of State. Our National Security Advisor has been in contact with his counterparts throughout the world with our Allies, as has the General -- or, excuse me, I keep calling him a General, but my Secretary of Defense.

The fact of the matter is I have not seen that. Matter of fact, the exact opposite Ive got -- the exact opposite thing is were acting with dispatch, were acting -- committing to what we said we would do.

Look, lets put this thing in perspective here. What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point with al Qaeda gone? We went to Afghanistan for the express purpose of getting rid of al Qaeda in Afghanistan, as well as -- as well as getting Osama bin Laden. And we did.

Imagine -- just imagine if that attack -- if bin Laden had decided, with al Qaeda, to launch an attack from Yemen. Would we ever have gone to Afghanistan? Would there ever be any reason we'd be in Afghanistan -- controlled by the Taliban? What is the national interest of United States in that circumstance? We went and did the mission. You've known my position for a long, long time. It's time to end this war.

The estimates of the cost of this war over the last 20 years ranged from a minimum of $1 trillion to a think tank at one of the universities saying $2 trillion. That's somewhere between $150 million a day and $300 million a day.

The threat from terrorism has metastasized. There's a greater danger from ISIS and -- and al Qaeda and all these affiliates in other countries, by far, than there is from Afghanistan.

And we're going to retain an over-the-horizon capability that if they were to come back -- to be able to take them out, surgically move.

So, this is -- this is where we should be. This is about America leading the world, and all our allies have agreed with that.

And, by the way, before I made this decision, I was at the G7, as well as -- met with our NATO partners, and I told them all. Every one of them knew and agreed with the decision I made to an end -- end -- jointly end our involvement in Afghanistan.

The first part of your question was -- I can't remember now.

Q It is: Are -- would you commit to the same commitment -- would you make the same commitment to bring out Afghans who assisted in the war effort?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Yes. We're making the same commitment. There's no one more important than bringing American citizens out. I acknowledge that. But they're equally important, almost -- is all those who -- those "SIVs," we call them, who, in fact, helped us. They were translators. They went into battle with us. They were part of the operation. As well as -- we're also trying to get out as many NGOs -- non-governmental organizations -- women's organizations, et cetera. We're doing all we can.

In the meantime, Secretary Blinken and I am going to be working with our Allies to see to it that we can bring international pressure on the Taliban to be -- they're looking to gain some legitimacy. They're going to have to figure out how they're going to maintain that country.

And there's going to be harsh conditions we're -- strong condition were going to apply. And it will depend on whether they get help -- based on whether or not how and well they treat women and girls, how they treat their citizens.

So, this is just beginning on that score.

Q And are you willing to stay passed the 31st to make that happen -- to bring all the Americans out, to bring those SIVs out?

THE PRESIDENT: I think we can get it done by then, but we're going to make that judgment as we go.

Now, Justin Sink of Bloomberg.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. You just said that you would keep a laser-focus on counterterrorism efforts and that you don't see as great of a threat of terrorism from Afghanistan as other parts of the world. But if you and your administration so badly misassessed how quickly the Taliban would sweep through Afghanistan and we no longer have an embassy there from which to run intelligence operations, how can you at all be confident of your assessment of the risk of terrorism and the ability of the U.S. to conduct over-the-horizon missions to keep it in check? Can you tell Americans that they're safe and will remain safe from terror attacks in Afghanistan?

THE PRESIDENT: I think you're comparing apples and oranges. One question was whether or not the Afghan forces we trained up would stay and fight in their own civil war they had going on.

No one -- I shouldn't say no one -- the consensus was that it was highly unlikely that in 11 days they'd collapse and fall, and the leader of Afghanistan would flee the country.

That's a very different question than whether or not there is the ability to observe whether or not large groups of terrorists began to accumulate in a particular area in Afghanistan to plot against the United States of America. That's why we retained an over-the-horizon capability to go in and do something about that if that occurs -- if that occurs.

But in the meantime, we know what's happening around the world. We know what's happening in terms of what's going on in other countries, where there is the significant rise of terrorist organizations in the Middle East, in East Africa, and other places.

And so, the bottom line is: We have to do -- we're dealing with those terrorist threats from other parts of the world in failed states without permanent military -- without permanent military presence there. We have to do the same in Afghanistan.

Q And, sir, just on that initial assessment: We've learned, over the last 24 hours, that there was a dissent cable from the State Department --

THE PRESIDENT: Sure.

Q -- saying that the Taliban would come faster through Afghanistan. Can you say why, after that cable was issued, the U.S. didn't do more to get Americans out?

THE PRESIDENT: We've got all kind of cables, all kinds of advice. If you notice, it ranged from this group saying that -- they didn't say it'd fall when it would fall -- when it did fall -- but saying that it would fall; to others saying it wouldn't happen for a long time and they'd be able to sustain themselves through the end of the year.

I made the decision. The buck stops with me. I took the consensus opinion. The consensus opinion was that, in fact, it would not occur, if it occurred, until later in the year. So, it was my decision.

Now, my -- I got -- my next is Stephanie Ramos, ABC.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Two questions for you. The military has secured the airport, as you mentioned, but will you sign off on sending U.S. troops into Kabul to evacuate Americans who haven't been able to get to the airport safely?

THE PRESIDENT: We have no indication that they haven't been able to get -- in Kabul -- through the airport. We've made an agreement with the -- with the Taliban. Thus far, they've allowed them to go through. It's in their interest for them to go through. So, we know of no circumstance where American citizens are -- carrying an American passport -- are trying to get through to the airport. But we will do whatever needs to be done to see to it they get to the airport.

Thank you.

Q And one more, Mr. President. Last month, my colleague Martha Raddatz interviewed Abdul, an interpreter who was on the frontlines with U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Overnight, we received a photo of Taliban militants coming to the door of his home, literally hunting him down. Thankfully, he was able to escape, but he is obviously still in mortal danger. What would be your message to Abdul, his wife, and his three young daughters?

THE PRESIDENT: We want you to be able to get to the airport. Contact us. We'll see whatever we can do to get you there. We've got to get you out. We are committed to deal with you, your wife, and your child -- to get all three of you out of Afghanistan. That's the commitment.

Q Thank you, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: Meredith Lee of PBS NewsHour.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. You mentioned just now using every resource available for evacuations. Why haven't you ordered the military to expand the security perimeter around the Kabul airport? Do you have any plans to do so, given that it will likely require more U.S. troops? And are you considering rescue operations to recover Americans and Afghan allies stuck behind Taliban checkpoints?

THE PRESIDENT: The last answer is yes -- to the last question. Were considering every op- -- every opportunity and every means by which we can get folks to the airport. Thats number one.

Number two, the reason why we have not gone out and started -- and set up a perimeter way outside the airport in Kabul is that its likely to draw an awful lot of unintended consequences in terms of people who, in fact, are not part of the Taliban.

Weve been in constant contact with the Taliban leadership on the ground in -- in Kabul, as well as the Taliban leadership at Daho [Doha], and weve been coordinating what we are doing.

Thats why we were able -- for example, how we got all of our embassy personnel out, how we got everyone out of the embassy safely that was at distance. Thats how we helped get the French out and -- out of their embassy.

So, the question remains -- there will be judgments made on the ground by the military commanders at the moment, and that -- I cannot second-guess each of those judgments to be made.

But the idea of -- again, let me -- let me get back to the fundamental point I made at the outset. When the decision was made by me that -- and it was made some time ago, when I ran for President saying I wanted to get us out of Afghanistan -- one of the things that is a reality is people now say to me and to others -- and so- -- many of you say it on air -- that: Why did we have to move? Because no Americans are being attacked. Why did we withdraw those -- why did we agree to withdraw 2,500 troops? No Americans were being attacked.

As I said before, the reason they weren't being attacked was part of an agreement that Trump had made a year earlier. We will leave by May 1st, he said, as long as there's no attack on Americans in that year, period. Number one.

Number two, the Taliban was taking large swaths of the countryside, north and south -- none of the major areas, none of the major points of the capitals of each of these provinces, but they were all over the -- all over the country.

And the idea that if I had said on May the 2nd or 3rd, We are not leaving; we are staying -- does anybody truly believe that I would not have had to put in significantly more American forces -- send your sons, your daughters -- like my son was sent to Iraq -- to maybe die? And for what? For what?

So the only rational thing to do, in my view, was to set up and pre-position American forces for the purpose of evacuation, and the aircraft -- to pre-position those ahead of time so that we would be able to begin the process of evacuation of American citizens, SIVs, and others who helped us.

The last point I'll make is this: Look, if we had decided 15 years ago to leave Afghanistan, it would have been really difficult. If we decided five years ago -- if we start -- if we continued the war for another decade and tried to leave, theres no way in which you'd be able to leave Afghanistan without there being some of what you're seeing now.

But what we've done so far is weve been able to get a large number of Americans out, all our personnel at the embassy out, and so on.

And, thank God, so far -- knock on wood -- we're in a different position.

Scott Detrow. Scott. NPR.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to follow up on something you said a moment ago. You said that there's no circumstances where American citizens cannot get to the airport. That doesn't really square with the images we're seeing around the airport and with the reporting on the ground from our colleagues who are describing chaos and violence. Are you saying unequivocally that any American who wants to get to the airport is getting there and getting past the security barrier and to the planes where they want to go?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I thought the question was: How can they get through to the airport outside the airport? And the answer is: To the best of our knowledge, the Taliban checkpoints -- they are letting through people showing American passports.

Now, that's a different question when they get into the rush and crowd of all the folks just outside the wall near the airport. That's why we had to, I guess, ye- -- was it yesterday or the day before? -- we went over the wall and brought in -- how many?

MR. SULLIVAN: One hundred and sixty-nine.

THE PRESIDENT: One hundred and sixty-nine Americans. So, it is a process to try to figure out how we -- how we deal with the mad rush of non-Americans -- those who didn't help, those who are not on a priority list -- just any Afghan -- any Afghan to be able to get out of the country.

And so my guess is that, no matter what, under what circumstances we -- anyone -- there's not a whole lot of Afghanis -- there's a whole lot of Afghanis that just as soon come to America, whether there were any involvement with the United States in the past at all, rather than stay under Taliban rule or any -- any rule.

So, what I was saying is that we have an agreement that they will let pass through the checkpoints that they -- the Taliban -- control. Theyve let Americans through.

Q But given this -- given the negotiations with the Taliban, the scenes that were seeing, can you just fully explain why the plan wasn't to go ahead with these evacuations of both Americans and allies before the drawdowns began, before Bagram was closed, looking back several months? Because whether it was now or several months from now, there seems to be a broad consensus that the Taliban would make these gains and these would be needed at some point.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, yeah, at some point. But the point was that although we were in contact with the Taliban and Doha for this whole period of time, that some point wasn't expected to be the total demise of the Afghan National Force, which was 300 [thousand] persons.

Let's assume the Afghan National Force had continued to fight and ha- -- and they were surrounding Kabul. It'd be a very different story. Very different story.

But the con- -- overwhelming consensus was that they -- this was not -- they were not going to collapse. The Afghan forces, they were not going to leave. They were not going to just abandon and then put down their arms and take off. So, that's what's happened.

Thank you very, very much. Thank you.

2:17 P.M. EDT

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Babies being passed over the fence to soldiers at Kabul airport are being returned to their families, according to the Ministry of Defence.

A source told the MailOnline that troops on the ground are 'doing their best to return' each child to their parents.

They added that no unaccompanied children have been left at the airport, nor are any being evacuated on flights from the Afghan capital.

The MOD source said there was not any representation from the UN on an NGO during the chaotic scenes at the airport.

It comes after the wife of a former Royal Marine commando who was evacuated out of Afghanistan said she saw at least three crying children being handed over to soldiers by their mothers in Kabul.

Kaisa Markhus, 30, touched down in her native Norway this morning and breathed a huge sigh of relief as she met her mother and father in Oslo after she fled on an almost empty plane.

A baby is handed over to the American army over the perimeter wall of the airport for it to be evacuated, in Kabul

No way through: Westerners and Afghans with visas have to negotiate their way through this crowd (pictured today) if they want to make it to the airport. Kaisa said that the human tide outside the airport is only getting worse

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, she told of the chaotic scenes at Kabul Airport where a distressed mother tried to get her to take a baby with her and of the lonely sadness of the rescue transport with only a handful of people on board.

There are thousands trying to get into the airport and once through the gates we found a large group of people, both Afghan and Americans, trying to get on board military aircraft.

'There were crying children, who had become separated from their parents and at least three babies who must have been handed over to soldiers by their desperate mothers,' said Kaisa.

Once on the plane, we waited on the tarmac for hours for people to get through. But eventually we had to take off. I just had a feeling of sadness because the flight was so empty.

In her four-day battle to land back in Europe, Kaisa, the partner of British ex-soldier Paul Pen Farthing, was nearly crushed to death in a stampede outside Kabul Airport, was placed in a safe house.

She told today how she got to Kabul Airport early yesterday morning to find thousands of locals besieging a barbed wire perimeter fence trying to force their way inside and on to some of the military planes evacuating Westerners.

Reunited: Kaisa Markhus, 30, touched down in her native Norway this morning, pictured, and breathed a huge sigh of relief as she met her mother and father in Oslo.

Women and children were trampled underfoot in Kabul today in just the latest piece of footage to come from the airport as western nations are chased out of Afghanistan by the Taliban

Kaisa's Norwegian evacuation flight was almost empty. She said: Once on the plane, we waited on the tarmac for hours for people to get through. But eventually we had to take off. I just had a feeling of sadness because the flight was so empty.

She and a pregnant American friend, who manages the Nowzad animal sanctuary set up by her partner Pen, had to physically push their way through a sea of men, women and children to get to an access gate.

Once there, they had to get the attention of U.S soldiers manning the checkpoint, who had to examine their paperwork before letting them through.

During the hour-long wait to process their forms they had to remain in the crush outside the gate, frantically trying to avoid being sucked back into the crowd and out of sight of the soldiers.

Eventually they were waved through. Kaisa walked her American friend to the U.S processing centre before heading to the Norwegian office.

After her passport and paperwork was checked again, she boarded a virtually empty military plane, which remained on the tarmac for several hours waiting for fellow Norwegian ex-pats to board.

A Marine assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) calms an infant during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday

An Airman comforts an baby during an evacuation at Kabul airport

U.S. service member carries a child at an Evacuation Control Checkpoint in Kabul on Friday

A U.S. Airman carries a child at an Evacuation Control Checkpoint during an evacuation at Kabul airport

However, only a few stragglers managed to get through the chaos and confusion outside Kabul Airport and the plane had to take off with only a handful of passengers.

The military plane arrived at Georgia in the early hours of the morning and she caught a connecting commercial flight on to Oslo.

Kaisa said: Im very pleased and relieved to be home finally.

There are thousands of desperate and terrified people in Afghanistan who fear for their lives at the hands of the Taliban rulers and its these people who are crowding around Kabul Airport looking for any way out.

There are four gates to the airport and each one is surrounded by masses of people.

The problem is that unless you have valid paperwork and the proper forms to get through the gate, the soldiers wont let you through.

That needs to be made clear to people because at the moment whole families are sleeping rough outside the perimeter fencing hoping to somehow get through.

And for those who do have seats booked on flights out of Afghanistan, nobody can get through the human tide outside Kabul Airport. Its not getting any better, only worse as people get more desperate.

We need to somehow make it clear to the people that there is no point crowding outside the airport if you dont have the right papers. They wont get in and will only put their lives at risk in a dangerous crush.

The Taliban have been calm and logical to negotiate with. I think we have a few days on us, but we do not have much time to find a solution to get our employees to safety.

The journey home started for Kaisa on Tuesday when she and her friend attempted to get to the airport but were thwarted by large crowds gathered outside who had been encouraged by the fact that some locals had earlier managed to breach security and force their way onto military aircraft.

To keep the masses back, U.S soldiers fired a volley of warning shots over peoples heads, which sparked panic and confusion.

Kaisa and her friend were nearly trampled to death in the ensuing stampede and were left wandering the streets dazed and confused.

Luckily they were picked up by friends and whisked to separate safe houses in Kabul, where she was able to reassure Pen, 52, that she was in no danger.

Although Taliban fighters patrolled outside in trucks armed with AK47s, the few encounters she had with them were positive.

Recalling her first dramatic attempt earlier In the week, she said: It was not a nice experience at all.

There were a lot of scared people who just want a way out. One woman tried to hand me her baby and said please, please take my child but I couldnt, no matter how much I wanted to help. It just doesnt work like that.

She must have been desperate to do that.

A smiling boy moves between US troops as he makes his way through a security checkpoint within Kabul airport on Wednesday

Taliban fighters have now encircled the airport in Kabul and are deciding who gets to come in and who has to stay out. Checkpoints have been set up on both the civilian south side of the airport and the military north side, with gunshots fired in both locations to keep crowds back

Satellite images have revealed the extent of the crisis at Kabul airport, with cars crammed up against the southern civilian entrance and northern military entrance that can be seen from satellites

It was impossible to reach the gate as there were so many stronger men in front of us but when the shots rang out from the soldiers, people began running in all directions and we had to concentrate on not being thrown to the floor under the weight of the crowd.

I was more worried about my friend because she is pregnant but we somehow got clear but were then on our own in Kabul.

We were taken to two separate locations across the city and waited there for 48-hours before trying again.

The Taliban have issued a country-wide curfew of between 10pm and 4am so Kaisa began her second, this time successful, attempt just after it had ended yesterday.

She continued: We were told that first thing in the morning is usually quieter and not as many people gather outside the airport gates but when we got there, there was a familiar crush of people.

We got to the gate, having had to push ourselves to the front. You have to be able to make eye contact with the American soldiers guarding it and be able to hand over the proper documents to them

But as you are waiting, you have to somehow keep at the front of the crowd and stop people from pushing in front of you. Its easy to get lost in the crowd and if they cant see you, the soldiers cant wave you in.

It was a huge relief to finally get into the airport. I walked my friend over to where the U.S processing centre was and it was pandemonium.

There was a large group of people, both Afghan and Americans, trying to get on board military aircraft. There were crying children, who had become separated from their parent and at least three babies who must have been handed over to soldiers by their desperate mothers.

The Norwegian processing centre was much quieter but we had to wait several hours on the tarmac waiting for people to come through, but of course they couldnt because of the crowds outside the airport.

The Norwegian soldiers have been managing a hospital in Kabul but have been drafted into the airport to help get ex-pats home safely. They looked after me well.

But in the end I was one of only a few passengers to take off on that flight to Georgia. The plane was virtually empty.

It was a sad of reminder that our governments need to perhaps sit down with the Taliban and work out a way, somehow, of stopping the thousands of people massing outside the airport.

Kaisas partner Pen, originally from Essex, has vowed to stay behind at the Kabul sanctuary until all of his 25 members of staff and their immediate family members - some 71 people in total - have been given that safe passage out of Afghanistan.

He served with the Royal Marines in Helmand Province in 2006 and later set up the Nowzad sanctuary for stray animals after falling in love with a stray dog during his tour.

The charity, which is backed by Ricky Gervais and Dame Judi Dench, is Afghanistans first official animal sanctuary and looks after more than 140 dogs, 60 cats, 24 donkeys and some horses.

Father Rune Markhus said: I did not think two days ago that I would see her. It's almost a bit unreal. It is fantastic. We are very relieved.
It follows Russian Foreign Minister confirming an armed resistance is forming

The Panjshir Valley northeast of Kabul is Afghanistan's last remaining holdout

Afghan resistance has claimed to have captured three towns north of Kabul in fighting that 'killed or injured 60 Taliban fighters'.

Local forces are reported to have taken back the Pul-e-Hesar, Deh-e-Salah and Banu districts in the Baghlan province on Friday.

Writing in Persian, Afghan Defence Minister General Bismillah Mohammadi said the three areas had been reclaimed, adding: 'The resistance is still alive.'

A Twitter account under the name 'Panjshir Province' - the only area not controlled by the Taliban - earlier said the Pul-e-Hesar was captured while 'fighting was raging' in the other two districts.

Tajuden Soroush, a senior correspondent for Iran International, said the Banu and Pol-e-Hesar areas had been taken back, according to an ex-Afghan government official. He later added that Deh-e-Salah had fallen to anti-Taliban forces.

The Panjshir Valley northeast of Kabul is Afghanistan's last remaining holdout, known for its natural mountainous defences.

It follows Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirming that SAS-trained Afghan commandos have joined an armed resistance to the Taliban in the Valley.

Local forces are reported to have taken back the Pul-e-Hesar, Deh-e-Salah and Banu districts in the Baghlan province on Friday (pictured: an image tweeted alongside the reports)

The Panjshir Valley northeast of Kabul is Afghanistan's last remaining holdout, known for its natural mountainous defences. Pictured: a map showing the holdout and the three areas north of Kabul reported to have been captured

A social media account posted at 1.40pm BST: 'Pul-e-Hesar district was taken back from the #Taliban and fighting is raging in Deh-e-Salah and Banu districts.

'Local sources say the Taliban have been attacked from several areas and suffered heavy casualties.'

Mr Soroush then posted at 1:53pm BST: 'An ex, Afgh government official tells me that local resistances forces in Baghlan province have recaptured Banu and Pol-e-Hesar districts from the Taliban.

'They are advancing towards the Deh Salah district. About 60 Taliban fighters were killed or injured.'

Around 10 minutes later, he wrote in a separate tweet: 'De Salah district also fell to the local resistance forces.'

Differing reports contended that Deh-e-Salah had not been captured at the time with the circumstances ever-changing, reports Newsweek.

Tajuden Soroush, a senior correspondent for Iran International, said the Banu and Pol-e-Hesar areas had been taken back, according to an ex-Afghan government official. He later added that Deh-e-Salah had fallen to anti-Taliban forces

A Twitter account under the name 'Panjshir Province' - the only area not controlled by the Taliban - said the Pul-e-Hesar was captured while 'fighting was raging' in the other two districts

It was also suggested that the Andarab district in Baghlan would be targeted by Afghan resistance fighters, with other reports even alleging that Andarab had already been recaptured.

Speaking yesterday, Russian official Lavrov confirmed that the resistance force was being led by deposed Vice-President Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, the son of a slain anti-Taliban fighter.

Reports claim that among the fighters headed to the region are members of the SAS-trained Afghan special forces, believed to be the best of the best that the Afghan military has to offer.

'The Taliban doesn't control the whole territory of Afghanistan,' Lavrov told reporters at a press conference in Moscow following a meeting with his Libyan counterpart.

Reports claim that among the fighters headed to the region are members of the SAS-trained Afghan special forces, believed to be the best of the best that the Afghan military has to offer

Speaking yesterday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (pictured) confirmed that the resistance force was being led by deposed Vice-President Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, the son of a slain anti-Taliban fighter

'There are reports of the situation in the Panjshir Valley where the resistance of Afghanistan's vice president Mr Saleh and Ahmad Massoud is concentrated,' he said.

Lavrov also reiterated his call for an inclusive dialogue involving all political players in Afghanistan for the formation of a 'representative government'.

According to images shared on social media, Saleh and Massoud, the son of slain Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud, are pulling together a guerrilla movement to take on the Taliban.

Ahmad Massoud, the son of Afghanistan's most famed anti-Taliban fighter, on Thursday said he was 'ready to follow in his father's footsteps', as he rallied his forces in the Panjshir Valley northeast of Kabul - the country's last holdout.

Massoud is the son of Ahmed Shah Massoud, the famed anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban resistance leader assassinated in 2001, two days before the September 11 attacks on the US.
An 'animal rights activist' has been branded a 'leftist moron' after suggesting Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing's sweet company promotes 'eating cats' to children.

The Twitter user, named Felicity, accused Candy Kittens of 'borderline cruelty' and of 'degrading cats' right to exist' - despite all the products being vegan or vegetarian.

Managing director Edward Williams, who co-founded the gourmet sweet brand with Mr Laing in 2012, became 'annoyed' after reading the bizarre rant.

Felicity, from Oxford, Oxfordshire, who had vented after spotting TV presenter Richard Osman praising the sweets, said: 'Why are we legitimising this sort of thing? Suggesting that cats are a valid thing to eat.

'This disgusts me. These could have been any shape, why cat shaped? They should be circles.

Managing director Edward Williams, who co-founded the gourmet sweet brand with Mr Laing in 2012 (pictured together) became 'annoyed' after reading the bizarre rant on Twitter

'They are called "Candy Kittens" why? Why not call them "Strawberry Treats" or "Fruity Discs"?

'It's because people think violence towards cats is funny. Kids eating this might think they're eating a cat, thereby degrading cats' right to exist, it's borderline animal cruelty. Ban.'

In response, Mr Williams shared the tweet on his own feed with the sarcastic response: 'I can't decide what I'm more annoyed about.

'1. It's taken nine years for someone to uncover our masterplan to wipe out cats, or 2. We didn't think of Fruity Discs in the first place. @candykittens let's get a meeting in the diary ASAP!

'And whilst we're at it, what about Jelly Babies [he then uses exploding head emoji in apparent frustration].'

A Twitter user named 'Felicity' replied to Richard Osman's praising of Candy Kittens, suggesting the brand promoted animal cruelty

In response, Mr Williams shared the tweet on his own feed with a sarcastic response

Others tweeted suggesting Jelly Babies must also pose a risk, along with jelly worms and other animal-shaped treats such as Percy Pig.

One Twitter user responded: 'You have got to be joking? I love a Percy Pig but I'm not going to be violent towards a pig, although I could murder a bacon sandwich right now!'

Felicity retorted: 'Percy Pig is a case in point. Why so many animal themed children's sweets?

'It's an obvious attempt to make children think that animals have less worth than humans, when in reality it should be the other way round.'

Felicity then continued to argue with other social media users and called for a ban on animal-themed sweets, with some questioning if she was in fact a 'very effective and amusing troll' and branding her the 'queen of clickbait'.

One user said: 'So when you eat Jelly Babies, does that make you want to go and eat a real baby?'

Social media users branded Felicity a 'leftist moron' while others said she was a top 'troll'

Another added: 'So are Jelly Babies promoting cannibalism? What about Percy Pig, Pom Bears, Jelly worms, Jelly Bunnies?

'Shall we just ban everything for you? We better not ban cotton wool though, because I have a feeling you are going to need a lot of that to wrap yourself up in.'

Another chimed in: 'Felicity, this smacks of one of two things; you are either i) a very effective and amusing troll (if so, my regards) or ii) another leftist moron, demonstrating unprecedented levels of stupidity (if so, my condolences).'

One more added: 'The queen of clickbait, the attention you seek is in abundance.'

Candy Kittens, M&S and Twitter user Felicity were approached for comment.
A billionaire Google founder set up a website to badmouth his estranged wife after dumping her by text and inflicted 'domestic terrorism' on her, a court is set to hear.

The bitter breakup happened in 2014, when tech genius Scott Hassan - who wrote much of the initial code for Google - texted Allison Huynh, his wife of 13 years, to say he wanted a divorce. The pair has for the past seven years been ensnared in a nasty divorce battle revolving around how to split billions of dollars in assets.

Huynh, a Vietnam immigrant who attended Stanford on a full scholarship, is seeking half of the couple's assets Her lawyer, Pierce O'Donnell, told DailyMail.com that it was in 2018 valued at $1.8 billion, including investments in technology companies and real estate.

'In my experience it's the longest running court case in California history,' said O'Donnell, who has been practicing for 50 years. 'It's unusually fraught and contentious, because Scott is taking the position in court that his wife of 13 years - with three children, who gave up her life, who loved him, trusted him and helped him  is entitled to nothing.'

Hassan did not respond to the DailyMail.com's request for comment, but told the New York Post that claims he wanted to leave her penniless were 'not accurate'.

Allison Huynh and billionaire investor Scott Hassan, pictured in happier times, married in Las Vegas in 2001 without a prenup,

An imposter website shared Huynh's decades-old sexual harassment lawsuit with the wor

Huynh said her ex abruptly ended the 13-year marriage via text message, sparking a seven-year dispute over the couple's $1.8 billion fortune

Huynh has accused her ex of 'domestic terrorism' after discovering he created a website to publicize details of a sexual harassment case from 1999

Monday's trial in Santa Clara County, California, will offer the public with an intimate look into the split, including details of a 'divorce terrorism,' campaign Hassan launched against his 46-year-old ex, which culminated with threats to 'bury her' and make sure she 'gets nothing,' The New York Times reported.

The billionaire bachelor intentionally prolonged court proceedings, according to his jilted ex.

Hassan also launched a revenge website, AllisonHuynh.com, in February which he used to share court documents from three unflattering lawsuits involving his ex, O'Donnell said.

Huynh, herself a Stanford grad and senior fellow at the university's robotics lab, became aware of the website Aug. 5. She reported it to her lawyers, but when their tech department couldn't definitively determine who created it, she used her own tech savvy to crack the code.

'She's the one who figured out it was Scott,' her lawyer, Pierce O'Donnell, told DailyMail.com. 'They call him the computer genius of Silicon Valley. He didn't count on his wife  his wife  figuring him out. So this super genius who co-founded Google was outed by his wife who's got her own computer chops. For me, it's a delicious story, and it's true.'

The website's banner featured a photo of Huynh, and while much of the content was complimentary, it also contained documents related to previous lawsuits she was involved in, including a sexual harassment case she won.

Hassan developed most of the coding for Google, and made much of his fortune by becoming an early investor in the search engine giant

Hassan was ordered by a judge Friday to release all records of the website, which Huynh's lawyer say was used to spread 'decades-old accusations made against her by a boss who responded to Allison's claim that he sexually harassed her by victim blaming her in his cross-complaint.'

Huynh's biggest concerns were that their Internet-savvy teenage children would discover the site, her lawyers said.

'As [Hassan] knows, the parties' children are active online and were almost certain to come across the site, review the decades-old pleadings and be left with the impression that their mother is not who they thought she wasthat she has some hidden, sullied past life,' the law firm representing Huynh wrote in a court petition to have the site removed.

'In fact, contrary to Scott's counsel's shameless claim that Allison told the three children about the imposter siteshe did notone of Allison's children sadly learned about it from Scott and questioned her mother about the 'bad stuff' about her on the site. This is precisely what Allison fearedthat the parties' children would be emotionally scarred by their father's attack on their mother and by the contents of the site, which would drag them deeper into their parents' conflict, and cause them to be alienated from one or both of their parents.'

Hassan bought 160,000 shares of Google for $800. When the company went public in 2004, the value of those stocks soared to $200million

Although he doesn't have the same name recognition as Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, Hassan played an indispensable role in the creation of Google, having written a significant portion of the code used to run the search engine while working as a research assistant at Stanford University.

When Google launched in 1998, Hassan bought 160,000 shares for $800, The New York Times reported. Three years later, in 2001, he married Huynh in Las Vegas following a yearlong courtship. There was no prenup.

The New York Times estimates Hassan's Google shares would today be worth more than $13billion. He also helped found eGroups, which was sold to Yahoo for $432million in stock, according to the Times.

Huynh's divorce attorney, Pierce O'Connell, believes this to be among the lengthiest divorce proceedings in California's history

Hassan reportedly tried to strike a postnuptial agreement with is wife after he amassed a fortune through Google's initial public offering

Hassan, considered a coding genius in Silicon Valley, was outsmarted by his wife when she discovered he was behind a malicious website, her lawyer says

There was some bickering over who supported who in the early years of their marriage, with Huynh claiming she paid many of the bills during a time when Hassan was $60,000 in debt, the Times reported.

Hassan denied those claims, saying he had by that point become financially secure.

After Google went public in 2004, bringing the value of Hassan's stocks to more than $200million, the investor tried to strike a post-nuptial agreement, The Times reported. Huynh reportedly refused his offer of $20million in Google stock and to split the three properties they shared.

They separated in 2015, and have been quarrelling in court for the past seven years.

The four-week divorce trial for Hassan and his ex could be the final chapter in a terse legal battle

The upcoming trial is expected to last four weeks.

'Allison wants to get on with her life, but she wasn't going to just capitulate,' O'Donnell said, adding the 'divorce terrorism' label 'is one that I agree with. He scorched her with litigation, and had absolutely no willingness to settle for anything remotely reasonable.'
A Colorado Springs school district banned critical race theory after a black father claimed racism in America would 'by and large be dead' if not for institutions and schools 'keeping it on life support.'

'I am a direct descendant of the North American slave trade. Both my parents are black. All four of my grandparents are black, all eight of my great grandparents, and all 16 of my great greats. On my mother's side, my ancestors were enslaved in Alabama. On my father's side, we were enslaved in Texas,' Derrick Wilburn said during last week's meeting.

'I'm not oppressed and I'm not a victim,' added Wilburn, the founder of the Rocky Mountain Black Conservatives.

Derrick Wilburn spoke out against critical race theory during a Colorado Springs School District 49 school board meeting on Aug. 13

The school board decided to ban teaching CRT in a 3-2 decision following the meeting

Derrick Wilburn is the founder of the Rocky Mountain Black Conservatives. He has three kids in the Colorado Springs School District 49 and is against critical race theory

The father of three went on to say that he could 'think of nothing more damaging to a society than to tell a baby born today, that she has grievances against another baby born today, simply because of what their ancestors may have done two centuries ago.'

'There's simply no point in doing that to our children, and putting critical race theory into our classrooms in part does that. Putting critical theory into our classrooms is not combating racism. It's fanning the flames of what little embers are left. I encourage you to support this resolution. Let racism die the death it deserves.'

The Colorado Springs School District 49 school board voted 3-2 banning critical race theory, The Gazette reported.

Critical race theory, which has not been taught in any elementary schools, is an educational program that seeks to understand the roots and persistence of racial disparities in the US.

It has been part of the curriculum in several law school programs.

The video of Wilburn's speech has been viewed thousands of time on social media as the controversial issue polarizes the country.

Some defended Wilburn's point of view on Twitter, saying 'Let racism die the death it deserves,' while others criticize his words, tweeting, 'The fellow is so disconnected from the experience of the majority of Americans of color.'

@Caspinsight criticized Derrick Wilburn's speech against critical race theory

@aeliz318 was among the many who supported Wilburn and the vote to ban CRT

@BrightPledge85 questioned Wilburn's motives and pointed out inconsistencies

@gregprink1 said that schools should teach CRT as racism does not happen in most homes

@legalrocs pointed out that CRT is not actually taught in school districts in the US

Former President Donald Trump and many prominent conservatives politicians have slammed CRT, referring to it as 'flagrant racism' that is being forced into 'every facet of our society.'

'We shouldn't be apologizing to the world,' Trump said. 'The radical left is determined to ruin everything in America. That's what they're doing. Woke politics takes the life and joy out of everything

Meanwhile, liberals like US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez support CRT, saying teachers should be fluent in 'dismantling racism.'

'We know that Republicans have started to now use these laws curtailing critical race 'curriculum,' that's not even being taught in the first place, as a proxy to saying we can't teach anything about race in our schools beyond just some of the most minimal, minimal, minimal facts,' she said.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said teachers should be fluent in 'dismantling racism' as she backed the teaching of critical race theory in an interview with CNN's Don Lemon

Former President Donald Trump criticized critical race theory during a rally in July

The Colorado Springs decision was just latest battle happening all over the country.

Last week, Laura Morris, a Virginia teacher, quit her job during a televised school board meeting over her opposition to teaching Critical Race Theory.

At the school board meeting, Morris spoke before the Loudoun County School Board in an emotional address, explaining why the 'equity trainings' and political dogma forced her to resign.

She said she could no longer be part of an organization that told her 'white, Christian, able-bodied females' needed to be reined in.

Morris, who had taught at Lucketts Elementary School in Leesburg, Virginia, for five years - half of her career - told the board: 'I quit being a cog in a machine that tells me to push highly-politicized agendas on our most vulnerable constituents  the children.'

Her voice breaking with emotion, she said she no longer felt able to teach within the district, despite it being affluent and well-resourced.

Laura Morris has been a teacher for ten years, and for the past five has taught within Loudoun County Public Schools. On Tuesday night she quit, saying she could no longer teach their 'highly-politicized agendas' and objecting at being asked to report colleagues to the authorities

'This summer I have struggled with the idea of returning to school, knowing that I'll be working yet again with a school division that, despite its shiny tech and flashy salary, promotes political ideologies that do not square with who I am as a believer in Christ,' she said.

Loudoun County, when asked about her resignation, said: 'LCPS does not comment on personnel matters.'

Earlier this month, in Rhode Island, a teachers union filed a lawsuit against a mom in a bid to block her public records requests about critical race theory.

Nicole Solas had sent a lengthy email to the principal of Wakefield Elementary, where her child attends school, to demand records about the controversial teaching practice.

The National Education Association Rhode Island filed a lawsuit claiming that Solas' requests - all emails from certain teachers - would reveal teachers' private details and were an 'unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.'

Nicole Solas sent a lengthy email to Coleen Smith - the principal of Wakefield Elementary School, where her child attends school - to acquire a trove of records pertaining to critical race theory and other topics

Solas responded to the lawsuit in comments made to Twitter, blasting NEARI for 'bullying moms'

Solas responded to the lawsuit in comments made to Twitter, blasting NEARI for 'bullying moms.'

'I just got served with a lawsuit from the teacher union NEARI. Throwing down the gauntlet, are we? Game on,' she tweeted.

The union asked that the court prohibit the disclosure of non-public records and delay the release of records that contain identifiable personal information of teachers and officials within the district to maintain their 'individual privacy rights.'

School board members had also previously considered suing Solas over the incredible number of records requested but decided against it.

In Pennsylvania, a local mom was cut off from talking about critical race theory and removed from a board meeting by police.

Anita Edgarian, a mother of three, expressed concerns to Chester School District board members about Critical Race Theory curriculum on July 26.

She was recorded at the meeting telling board President Chris McCune that she grew up during the Iranian revolution when Iran was 'ravaged by communism.' Sitting through a meeting where the board is split into groups - for and against CRT - is a 'complete nightmare,' she said.

As Edgarian yells into the microphone, McCune stands up, approaches the podium, and takes the mic from Edgarian, telling her to go

The Republican Committee of Chester County is calling for school board president Chris McCune's (pictured) resignation over the incident with Anita Edgarian

On the recording of the meeting, she compliments retiring superintendent Jim Scanlon, telling him, 'you did a good job for 12 years,' but then says, 'you are leaving a mess, you have brought division to us.'

That comment was met with a round of applause from some parents in the audience.

But before she could continue, she was cut off by McCune and told, 'Anita, you're at time.'

As Edgarian yelled into the microphone, McCune stood up, approached the podium, and took the mic from Edgarian, telling her to go.

'This is shameful,' McCune said as he returned to the stage. 'We've had a respectful meeting up until you. You bombarded up there, and now you want to monopolize the meeting. Not happening. You're gone.'

Officers came to escort her from the building as she continued to shout at board members on stage.

'Why did you say you cannot teach history without CRT?' she was heard yelling before an officer removed her from the auditorium.
Detectives have arrested a man on suspicion of murder following a fatal attack that police suspect to be homophobically motivated at a historic east London cemetery.

The Metropolitan Police said they were called to Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park by the London Ambulance Service at around 7am on Monday, following reports that a 50-year-old man had been found unresponsive.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, with a subsequent post-mortem examination finding the cause of death was 'blunt force trauma to the head', police said.

A 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Friday and taken into custody at an east London police station.

Police said searches are ongoing at the scene and at a residential address in Tower Hamlets.

Detectives have arrested a man on suspicion of murder following a fatal attack that police suspect to be homophobically motivated at a historic east London cemetery

The victim's next of kin have been informed.

Detective Superintendent Pete Wallis, of the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said the arrest 'marks a significant development' and appealed for people with information to come forward.

He added: 'Throughout our inquiries we have spoken to numerous members of the public, conducted house-to-house inquiries in the area and have trawled hours of CCTV, but we still need to hear from anyone who was in the area around Cemetery Park during the early hours of August 16.

'The victim was attacked in what is suspected to be a homophobically motivated attack, but we remain open-minded.

'The investigation team are working with the LGBT advisory group.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, with a subsequent post-mortem examination finding the cause of death was 'blunt force trauma to the head', police said

'This investigation is fast-paced, I would ask that people are aware of their surroundings and are vigilant in their personal safety.

'The concern caused by the discovery of a body in these circumstances sends ripples throughout the community and may result in people discussing information that they have.

'I urge anyone who hears anything relating to this murder to get in touch without delay.'

Superintendent Mike Hamer, from the Met's Central East Leadership and Support, added: 'We are shocked by the nature of this horrendous and brutal attack.

'Our thoughts are with the victim's family and friends at this time.

Police said searches are ongoing at the scene and at a residential address in Tower Hamlets

'We, and our partners within Tower Hamlets, are supporting the investigation team and are absolutely committed to bring the offender/s to justice.'

A crime scene remains in place at the cemetery grounds and the local community is told it can expect an increased police presence.

Anyone with information can call the incident room on 0208 345 3865, phone 101, or tweet @MetCC quoting 1277/16, or visit the website: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/01MPS21S81-PO1.

Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Anti-Taliban resistance fighters in Afghanistan issued an urgent appeal to President Biden on Friday: Back our struggle or risk the country becoming a base for attacks on the U.S.

Rebels holed up in a remote Afghan valley, with four helicopters, hundreds of fighters and a few armored vehicles, have dispatched an envoy to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness, money and political backing for their fight.

'We need arms, munitions to continue the fight against terrorism,' Ali Nazary told DailyMail.com.

'This is not only a fight against the Taliban, this is a fight against international terrorism - just as it was in the late 1990s.'

He is the head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan and is due to arrive in Washington next week.

Former government troops have assembled in Panjshir Province to keep up the fight against the Taliban. They have armored vehicles and four helicopters but are appealing to the international community for support. A gunman is pictured with armored Humvees in Parakh area in Bazarak on Thursday

National Resistance Front of Afghanistan leader Ahmad Massoud addresses his military council in the Panjshir Valley. They are mobilizing resistance to the Taliban takeover

Panjshir is the last remaining province to have escaped Taliban capture. Government soldiers and families fleeing persecution have arrived there seeking safety

Images of Ahmad Shah Masood, the 'lion of Panjshir' appear like icons across Afghanistan, testament to his memory as the country's greatest resistance leade

The movement is led is Ahmad Massoud, the 32-year-old British educated son of Ahmad Shah Masood, the most venerated of all Afghanistan's resistance fighters.

After leading the struggle against Soviet occupation through the 1980s and then battling the rise of the Taliban, he was assassinated by Al Qaeda days before the 9/11 attacks.

Now his son is building a new rebellion in the Panjshir Valley, about 100 miles north of the capital Kabul.

Nazary said several thousand government troops had arrived there bringing whatever weapons and ammunition they could carry.

Massoud himself arrived in an army helicopter as government troops gave up the fight and Kabul fell. With him is Amrullah Saleh, who was until Sunday the nation's first vice president and is now claiming to be 'caretaker president.

From there, they hope to link up with smaller groups throughout the country to push back against the Taliban.

Their model is Ahmad Shah Masood's Northern Alliance, which used western backing and media attention to fuel its fight.

Ahmad Massoud (right) is the 32-year-old son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, shown here on a rug and whose image is displayed all around Afghanistan

Afghan armed men supporting the Afghan security forces against the Taliban stand with their weapons and Humvee vehicles at Parakh area in Bazarak, Panjshir province on August 19, 2021, in the last province that hasn't fallen to the insurgents

'This is not only a fight against the Taliban, this is a fight against international terrorism - just as it was in the late 1990s,' said Nazary, who said Al Qaeda and other splinter groups had celebrated the fall of Kabul.

'We believe in order to prevent another 9/11, in order to prevent attacks on U.S. and western allies in the region, we have to lead a resistance.'

The valley they control remains littered with the rusting carcasses of Russian tanks, testament to their fighting prowess.

On Friday, they claimed to have taken several districts in Baghlan province to the north.

However, analysts wonder whether they could survive a sustained assault from the Taliban.

For now, their priority is humanitarian help for families arriving looking for safety in the only one of Afghanistan's 34 provinces that is not under Taliban control.

'Panjshir is the only safe zone in the country,' he said.

'We have thousands of people take shelter here. People who feel threatened have no choice to but to come to Panjshir.

'For us it is very difficult to sustain a safe zone without humanitarian support. We need the U.S., European Union, United Nations, anyone.'

They are pinning their hopes on support from Washington, even as Biden is under intense pressure to defend his handling of the U.S. withdrawal.

Even allies such as the United Kingdom have said the hasty departure of U.S. troops was in part to blame for the stunning collapse of Afghan government forces.

Nazary chose his words carefully. His anger is with former President Ashraf Ghani who could have resigned six months ago to pave the way for a powersharing deal - instead of giving up the country as the Taliban closed in Kabul.

Instead he voiced weary frustration with Biden's timetable.

'What we preferred was to start the withdrawal around August, September and finish at the end of the fighting season around winter,' he said.

'During winter the Taliban are not that mobile, this wouldn't have given them the opportunity to launch a blitzkrieg.'
It was the painting which stole the show during the online coronavirus briefings of former health secretary Matt Hancock.

But following his kissing scandal - and eventual resignation - the unique portrait of the Queen by Damien Hirst was cast away by his replacement Sajid Javid, who chose to hang up an 1890s oil painting in its place.

But the 'Spin Art' piece, which is part of the Government Art Collection (GAC), appears to have found a new home in the office of Oliver Dowden.

The Secretary of State for Digital Culture, Media and Sport tweeted a photo of himself on the phone Friday, with the blue and pink piece proudly hanging in the background.

He tweeted: 'Spoke with @ErnestoOttoneR about how the UK can work with @UNESCO to lead international efforts on protecting cultural heritage in Afghanistan.

'We agreed any new regime must respect existing commitments to preserve heritage and safeguard the full diversity of Afghan culture.'

Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital Culture, Media and Sport, tweeted a photo of himself on the phone Friday, with the Damien Hirst piece proudly hanging in the background

Following Matt Hancock's kissing scandal - and eventual resignation - the unique portrait of the Queen by Damien Hirst (pictured with Mr Hancock) was cast away by his replacement Sajid Javid, who chose to hang up an 1890s oil painting in its place

Turner Prize winner Hirst donated the eye-catching piece to the Government in 2015.

It was never shown to the public before it was debuted behind Mr Hancock in his Whitehall office as he briefed the nation on the latest Covid-19 news via zoom last year.

The portrait of the Queen in a 'street art style' is one of many of Hirst's 'spin paintings.'

The contemporary artist previously said the series of psychedelic compositions reminded him of his youth in the 1960s, describing them as 'childish in the positive sense of the word.'

Hirst had a special machine in his Berlin studio which helped him create the 'spin art' - which became integral to his work by the mid 1990s.

The Hirst painting was never shown to the public before it was debuted behind Mr Hancock in his Whitehall office as he briefed the nation on the latest Covid-19 news via zoom last year (Pictured: Tweet by Mr Dowden which shows painting in its new home)

The Government added the Queen portrait to its collection after purchasing one of Hirst's iconic dot paintings.

Artworks from the GAC are displayed in UK Government buildings across the UK and the world.

The collection is said to be designed to promote British art and aid cultural diplomacy.

The vast collection of works began being compiled in 1898 and now boasts over 13,500 pieces dating from the 16th century to the present day.

They are mainly works by British artists in a broad range of media.
Floyd Ray Roseberry appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Washington and was charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to use an explosive device

A man who claimed he had a bomb in a pickup truck near the U.S. Capitol, prompting evacuations and an hourslong standoff with police, told a federal judge Friday he has not taken his 'mind medication' and was ordered to undergo a mental competency hearing.

Floyd Ray Roseberry appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Washington and was charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to use an explosive device. If convicted, he could face a sentence of up to life in prison.

Roseberry, 49, of Grover, North Carolina, drove a black pickup truck onto the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress around 9:15 a.m. Thursday and began shouting to people in the street that he had a bomb.

He later made the same bomb threats to police officers and professed a litany of antigovernment grievances as part of a bizarre episode that he live-streamed for a Facebook audience.

Floyd Ray Roseberry is apprehended after being in a pickup truck parked on the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress' Thomas Jefferson Building, as seen from a window of the U.S. Capitol, Thursday

Roseberry, 49, of Grover, North Carolina, drove a black pickup truck onto the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress around 9:15 a.m. Thursday and began shouting to people in the street that he had a bomb

Roseberry later made the same bomb threats to police officers and professed a litany of antigovernment grievances as part of a bizarre episode that he live-streamed for a Facebook audience

A law enforcement official in North Carolina had recognized Roseberry and contacted the FBI to tell agents that someone had reported that Roseberry had recently 'expressed anti-government views and an intent to travel to Virginia or Washington, D.C. to conduct acts of violence,' according to court papers.

The person said Roseberry also told them he ordered a trench coat 'to protect him from Taser and pepper ball guns and he would just tip his cowboy hat at the police.'

During the standoff, Roseberry was communicating with police by using a small dry-erase board that he was holding against the drivers side window of the truck. 'Please dont shoot the windows the vibe will explode the bomb,' one read, according to court papers.

Roseberry surrendered after about five hours. Police later said they did not find a bomb but did collect possible bomb-making materials.

North Carolina state troopers block Blacksburg Road in Grover, North Carolina as cops raid Roseberry's home

The roads were sealed off as investigators made their way to the Cleveland County home

Investigators collected the device Roseberry had been holding - a large rusty can with what he had claimed was a detonator on top of it. The can had about an inch or two of an unidentified powder in the bottom of it and a 'fabricated trigger was attached to the top,' court papers said. The can was sent to an FBI laboratory to be examined.

In the court hearing Friday, Roseberry told the judge he couldn't fully understand what was happening because he had been denied medication while he was in custody. Roseberry told the judge he had gone to school until the eighth grade and then later earned a GED diploma.

He said he had not received medication for his blood pressure and his 'mind medicine.' Roseberry said he had 'been denied it for the last week Ive been here,' but later said it had been two days.

He was taken into police custody about 24 hours before he appeared in court.

Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ordered Roseberry to undergo a competency hearing and ordered him detained without bond.

Roseberry is due back in court Wednesday.

Authorities investigate a pickup truck parked on the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress' Thomas Jefferson Building

Roseberry called 911, reporting that he had a 'tannerite bomb', and livestreamed his five hour standoff with United States Capitol Police on Facebook

In the live stream - which has not been confirmed by police, the man, believed to be Ray Roseberry says: 'We got a few options here Joe. You shoot me, two and half blocks are going with me'. He is demanding to speak to President Joe Biden and claims he has a tannerite bomb that will detonate if he is shot at

A barrel on the lap of a man, identified by police as Floyd Ray Roseberry, who claims to be sitting in his truck with explosives is seen during a Facebook livestream

Earlier on Friday, FBI descended on Roseberry's home in North Carolina. It's not clear what they found, if anything.

Crystal Roseberry told the Washington Post that she was married to Floyd Ray Roseberry for 10 years - but that their marriage ended 10 years ago because he had a 'volatile temper.'

Though she added: 'He's never done nothing like this before.'

Tom Lynch, an editor with WRC-TV, tweeted that he had spoken with Roseberry's wife - though it was not immediately clear if he spoke with Crystal or if he had remarried.

'Roseberry's wife told me that her husband left North Carolina last night and said he was going on a fishing trip,' Lynch tweeted.

'She says her husband has been upset of the result of the Presidential election and voted for the first time in his life for President Trump.'

He added: 'Roseberry's wife says her husband recently struggled with mental health issues and recently changed medication. The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office confirmed they were at Roseberry's Glover, North Carolina home with FBI agents.'
Policing the last three major Extinction Rebellion protests cost 50million and next weeks fortnight of action is set to cost many millions more, Scotland Yard chiefs warned yesterday.

The eco-warriors plan to disrupt the City of London, the Bank of England and high street banks to demonstrate against global warming.

Previous demonstrations saw the group block Waterloo Bridge in London for more than a week, park a pink yacht in Oxford Circus, glue themselves to roads and stop the distribution of 3.5million newspapers by blockading a printing press.

With another protest looming, senior Tories, businesses and commuters are braced for more disruption to life and the economy.

Policing the last three major Extinction Rebellion protests cost 50million

Fashion designer on green mission The brains behind what could be Extinction Rebellions longest ever protest is a fashion designer from Devon with a lengthy rap sheet. Clare Farrell, 38, has been promoting plans to unleash endless disruption on London despite being arrested on four previous occasions. It comes as documents reveal the group is preparing for up to 1,500 arrests during the demonstrations  and is looking for at least 300 rebels who are willing to go to jail. Promotional material is goading activists to take part in higher risk activities, including calls to glue yourself to a door and disobey in the dock. Last week, Farrell, an XR co-founder, told BBC Newsnight: We dont need to be particularly popular, what we need to be is effective. She was first arrested for civil disobedience in 2017. In April, she was arrested after 19 windows were smashed at HSBCs Canary Wharf HQ. Advertisement

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith: Extinction Rebellion have proven themselves to be desperate attention-seekers frantically trying to remain relevant and distracting from their own cause.

'These protests will cause havoc for ordinary people.

Senior officers warned that ambulances and police cars driving to emergencies could be delayed by the roadblocks and officers would have to be redeployed to cope with the chaos.

Commander Rachel Williams said the protests will cost taxpayers millions more on top of the 50million spent in April and October 2019 and September last year.

Im in no doubt this years policing operation will run into the millions and will result in many officers sacrificing their time off to...bring order and safety to the streets of London, she said.

Deputy assistant commissioner Matt Twist said: Every police officer committed to a large demonstration is one extracted away from their borough.

'It is time spent away from the people of London in the parts where they are needed most  dealing with knife crime, domestic abuse and other crimes.

During previous protests in the capital police made 3,672 arrests, 1,938 of which led to prosecutions with a 73 per cent conviction rate.

XR activist Zoe Blackler said she expected thousands to join the protests in London and across the country. Stephen Fry became the latest celebrity to offer the group his support yesterday, following the likes of actors Emma Thompson and Benedict Cumberbatch.

In a two-minute video Fry said: I know XR are... loud, theyre disruptive... But what else is going to make politicians really recalibrate, realign, revolutionise politics so that it faces the horrors of climate change and all the damage were doing to our planet?
President Biden took questions from a room full of reporters Friday for the first time since the Taliban's lightning-fast takeover of Kabul, but at times the 78-year-old commander-in-chief flubbed his words and offered a series of chaotic contradictions.

Here are the seven contentious moments from the president's news conference:

Biden proclaims al-Qaeda is 'gone' in Afghanistan, in direct contradiction with the Pentagon's assessment

'What interest do we have in Afghanistan with al-Qaeda gone?' Biden rhetorically asked the White House press corps.

That assertion stands in direct contradiction to a report from the Defense Department Inspector general on Operation Freedom's Sentinel, covering April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021.

'The Taliban continued to maintain its relationship with al-Qaeda, providing safe haven for the terrorist group in Afghanistan,' the report read.

A key provision of the US withdrawal under the Taliban peace deal was that the Taliban would not harbor terrorists, thus the report signals the US upheld its end of the deal even though the Taliban did not.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, shortly after the president's news conference, disputed his claim al-Qaeda had no presence in Afghanistan, but said: 'there isn't a presence significant enough to merit a threat to our homeland.'

'We know that Al-Qaeda is a presence...in Afghanistan,' Kirby said. 'We don't have an exact figure [of how many members].

On Monday, the day after the fall of Kabul, pro-al Qaeda social media accounts circulated an unsigned statement congratulating their Taliban 'brothers' on their stunning victory.

'Afghanistan is Conquered and Islam has Won,' read the message, translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.

Biden himself said in an ABC interview released Thursday that al-Qaeda could resurge in Afghanistan even sooner than original intelligence predictions of 18-24 months.

'Could [al-Qaeda resurgence] be sooner?' ABC News host George Stephanopoulos asked Biden. 'It could be. But George, look, here's the deal. Al Qaeda, ISIS, they metastasize,' the president said, adding that al-Qaeda was a bigger threat in Syria and East Africa.

Biden says he has seen 'no indication' Americans have had a tough time getting to the airport, but American journalists on the ground say otherwise

'We have no indication that [Americans] have not been able to get, in Kabul, through the airport. We have made an agreement with the Taliban. Thus far, they have allowed them to go through,' Biden told reporters.

'To the best of our knowledge, the Taliban checkpoints, they are letting through people showing American passports,' Biden said.

Days ago the US State Department told Americans to get to the Kabul airport on their own to be evacuated. 'THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT CANNOT ENSURE SAFE PASSAGE TO THE HAMID KARZAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,' they wrote in a memo.

State Department spokesman Ned Price in a subsequent news conference conceded that Americans were having a difficult time getting to the airport.

'It remains to be the case that many Afghans and many American citizens have not been able to get through,' a reporter noted. 'I don't think anyone is denying the reports,' Price said.

'What interest do we have in Afghanistan with al-Qaeda gone?' Biden rhetorically asked the White House press corps. Al-Qaeda is not gone in Afghanistan

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 on Monday

'We had difficulty getting into the airport. Working out how to get to the airport is like a Rubik's cube,' CNN's Clarissa Ward, reporting from Kabul, said. 'I can't get into the details of how we did get in but it's very difficult ... and it's dangerous.'

'The president said he has no intelligence that the Americans have not been able to get [to the Kabul airport]. The question, obviouslydoes that square with reporting on ground?' ABC's David Muir asked foreign correspondent Ian Pannell.

'I mean - totally not,' Pannell responded. 'It just seems the reality and the rhetoric are miles apart. I'm not quite sure what advice the president is receiving but the truth on the ground is these people in fear of their lives can't get through.'

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a briefing call with House lawmakers that Americans had been beaten by Taliban, which he called 'unacceptable.'

Following Biden's speech, Fox News national security reporter Jennifer Griffin blasted Biden for living in an 'alternate reality.'

'I'm having a hard time digesting what we heard because I couldn't fact-check it fast enough in real-time because there were so many misrepresentations of what is happening on the ground,' she said, adding that it was 'an alternate reality presented by the White House.'

'President Biden just described a very orderly process,' NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel said of evacuations after the press conference. 'It is far more chaotic than that.'

'We are in constant contact with the Taliban making sure civilians have access to the airport,' Biden said.

As he turned to leave the briefing, a reporter yelled out: 'Why do you continue to trust the Taliban, Mr. President?'



'The first part of your question was  I can't remember now.'

'This is about America leading the world, and all our allies have agreed to that. And by the way, before I made this decision, I was at the G7, as well as met with our NATO partners, and I told them all, every one of them knew and agreed with the decision I made, to jointly end our involvement in Afghanistan. The first part of your question was  I can't remember now,' the president told a reporter.

'Would you make the same commitment to bring out afghans who assisted in the war effort?'

'Yes, yes, we're making the same commitment,' the president said, adding that evacuating special immigrant visa recipients was 'equally important, almost,' as evacuating American citizens.

'I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world,' Biden said, but British MPs tore into the president's Afghanistan pullout on Wednesday

Tom Tugendhat, veteran and Tory chairman of the foreign affairs committee, called Biden's criticisms of Afghan soldiers 'shameful.'

'To see their commander in chief call into question the courage of men I fought with, to claim that they ran, is shameful,' he said this week.

Khalid Mahmood, a Labour MP and former defence minister, said, according to The Telegraph: 'The Biden government have just come in and, without looking at what is happening on the ground, have taken a unilateral decision, throwing us and everybody else to the fire.'

Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: 'The American decision to withdraw was not just a mistake  it was an avoidable mistake, from President Trump's flawed to President Biden's decision to proceed, and to proceed in such a disastrous way.'

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson blamed the US and said that Biden's decision had forced his hand to end British involvement in Afghanistan.

'The West could not continue this US-led mission  a mission conceived and executed in support and defense of America  without American logistics, without US air power and without American might,' he said.

Biden flubs Doha, Qatar, calling it 'Daho'

Asked about assurances of security for people making to the airport, Biden responded: 'We've been in constant contact with the Taliban leadership on the ground in Kabul, as well as the Taliban leadership in Daho'  accidentally transposing the letters in the capital of Qatar.

'And we've been coordinating what we're doing,' he added.

He did not immediately correct himself, but he later referred to the location correctly when defending the way the evacuation was handled. 'The point was that although we were in contact with the Taliban and Doha for this whole period of time,' there wasn't expected to be a 'total demise' of the Afghan military, Biden said.

Biden, asked why his administration ignored a cable warning of the swift fall of Kabul, responds: 'We got all kinds of cables'

'We learned over the last 24 hours that there was a dissent cable from the State Department saying that the Taliban would come faster... Can you say why after that cable was issued, the U.S. didn't do more?' a reporter asked the president.

'We got all kinds of cables, we got all kinds of advice,' Biden said.

'I took the consensus opinion the consensus was in fact it would not occur if it occurred until later in the year.'

On Friday the Wall Street Journal reported that State Department officials in Kabul had warned the Biden administration that the Afghan capital would fall.

A dozen diplomats sent a confidential memo in a dissent channel to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on July 13 that the Taliban was rapidly gaining ground and the city was vulnerable to collapse.

On July 8, President Biden said it was 'highly unlikely' the Taliban would take control of Afghanistan and denied there would be chaos in Kabul.

But then on Wednesday this week, Biden said there was 'no way' to leave Afghanistan without chaos ensuing.

Afghan security forces were collapsing, the diplomats said in the memo, and offered ways to mitigate the advancing insurgents.

But it may have been too late to stop them.

The State Department memo, according to the report, also called for the government to use tougher language on the violence in the past from the Taliban and urged them to start collecting information for Afghan allies who qualified for Special Immigrant Visas after working with US forces.

The Journal reported that 23 Embassy staffers signed the cable and rushed to deliver it considering the deteriorating situation in Kabul.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reviewed the cable, a personal familiar with it told the paper.

Biden signals he'll work with the Taliban after his administration said they would pressure the international community not to recognize a Taliban government

'There's going to be harsh, strong conditions we're going to apply, and it will depend on whether they get help based on whether or not how and well they treat women and girls and how they treat their citizens,' Biden said.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US' chief negotiator with the Taliban, traveled to Doha less than two weeks ago to inform the Taliban the US and its allies would not recognize its government if it came to power through force.

A Taliban spokesman said this week: 'We are guaranteeing all their rights within the limits of Islam.'

Another Taliban spokesman vouched that women would be happy, if they followed Sharia law: 'If they continue to live according to Sharia, we will be happy, they will be happy.'

Biden admits his administration still doesn't know how many Americans are in Afghanistan

The government is working 'to verify the number of Americans still in country as we work on this,' the president said.

'We moved out 5,700 evacuees yesterday, and we're working on a variety -- to verify that number of the Americans that are still in the country as we work on this because we're not -- don't have the exact number of people who are -- Americans who are there,' Biden said. 'And those who may have come home to the United States, we're not -- we want to get a strong number as to exactly how many people are there, how many American citizens, and where they are.

In his Wednesday interview with ABC News, Biden said there were between 10,000 and 15,000 Americans still in Afghanistan.

An administration official said Thursday that 13,000 people had been evacuated on US military aircraft since August 14.
San Francisco became the first major city in the nation to require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 on Friday for people dining inside restaurants, working out in gyms or attending indoor concerts.

The mandate - that went into effect today - will require certain businesses, including restaurants and gyms. to check vaccination status of their customers.

Mayor London Breed announced the requirement more than a week ago in an attempt to stem rising COVID-19 cases - despite 80 percent of the city's population being vaccinated - saying she was worried the highly contagious delta variant could disrupt the city's economic rebound.

Mayor London Breed (pictured left) will require all city workers to become vaccinated by October 13, without the exception to opt into weekly testing to avoid the vaccine. Governor Gavin Newsom (pictured right) state's healthcare workers to get vaccinated all teachers and state workers to either get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing

Officials hope by requiring proof of vaccination, those holding off on receiving one will be encouraged to go get one.

The mandate will require all businesses with indoor dining - including restaurants, bars and theaters - to have customers show proof of vaccination.

It is also requires in places where 'heavy breathing' occurs, including gyms, yoga studios, and other recreational and fitness facilities.

All large outdoor events exceeding 1,000 people will be required to obtain vaccination records from anyone 12 years and older.

The mandate does not apply to people ineligible for vaccines, including children under 12.

Mayor London Breed's new vaccination mandate rolled out today, requiring restaurants, bars, gyms, yoga studios and more to check if all customers are fully vaccinated

City officials said a paper card issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a photo of the CDC card, or a verified digital vaccine record will suffice. Proof of vaccination issued by foreign governments is also acceptable.

San Francisco has pushed further in its efforts to curb COVID-19 by being the first city to require its workers to be vaccinated. Workers cannot opt out of vaccination and will receive weekly coronavirus tests.

Workers have until October 13 to prove they are fully vaccinated.

It follows a number of tough COVID-19 measures San Francisco imposed since the beginning of the pandemic. The city, and its neighboring counties in the Bay Area, were the first in the nation to order residents to stay at home in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

A host at Waterbar by San Francisco's waterfront checking customers vaccination cards. The actual CDC card, a picture of the card, verified digital cards, as well as accepted proof of vaccination from foreign government will be accepted

The majority of the 36,000 city workers said they are vaccinated, but about 4,300 are not. This week, the city sent letters recommending a 10-day suspension without pay for 20 employees in police, fire and sheriff's departments who refused to report their vaccination status by the August 12 deadline, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

In prep for the new mandate, restaurants and bars have posted signs and added extra staff to begin verifying proof of vaccination.

'There's definitely some anxiety around how it's all going to work,' said Pete Sittnick, a managing partner of Waterbar and EPIC Steak restaurants on the city's waterfront.

He anticipates a slowdown in checking in diners, possible pushback from guests who disagree with the requirement and awkward scenarios where someone shows up without proper documentation.

'The good thing is, if somebody doesn't have their verification of vaccination they can still eat outside. There is an option and we just need to be ready for different scenarios,' he said.

Governor Gavin Newsom also had to tighten the rules after announcing the reopening of California's economy in June. He has required the state's health care workers to get vaccinated to keep their jobs, and all teachers and state workers to either get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

The mandate goes further than New York City, which requires people to be at least partially inoculated for a variety of high-risk indoor activities, and New Orleans, which requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for indoor dining or drinking.

The state of California has been seeing rising COVID-19 cases, despite San Francisco's decline most of the week, even with vaccinate percentage going up again nationwide

Local San Francisco business groups have supported the new vaccine mandate, saying it will protect their employees' and customers' health and keep them from having to limit capacity indoors. Some businesses that had taken it upon themselves to check for proof of vaccination at the door said a citywide policy helps set clear expectations for all customers.

When Vegan Picnic restaurant announced in late July it would only allow vaccinated customers, the deli quickly received one-star reviews on Yelp, many from internet trolls who had never eaten there, and threats from callers who viewed the requirement as a violation of their personal rights and privacy, owner Jill Ritchie said.

'The phone was ringing with people yelling at us, and at the same time we had an outpouring of support from people saying, 'Thank you, I feel safe going to your store,' Ritchie said.

She said checking people's vaccination status has been easy, and soon the computer software her business uses for online ordering and payment processing will handle the verification digitally and warn customers of the mandate ahead of time.

Despite San Francisco has 80 per cent of its population vaccinated and a high percentage of the state, the Mayor put the mandate in place in hopes to encourage the unvaccinated to receive their vaccine

Online reservation systems such as OpenTable also are telling diners about the rule when they RSVP, and businesses that cater to the city's tourism industry launched a campaign called 'Relax, We're Vaxxed' to get the word out to out-of-town visitors.

Pearce Cleaveland, co-owner of the Temple nightclub, said his security guards have been trained to check all forms of vaccination proof and they have caught some people with falsified copies of vaccination cards.

'We've had people who get upset at the door when they're turned away, but in general they're understanding,' he said. 'It's the tourists who are generally disappointed, when they're unaware of the requirement and can't get vaccinated quickly enough.'

After a sharp increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the San Francisco Bay Area over the summer, the numbers appear to be leveling off but remain high, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an expert on infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco.

He said reinstated restrictions have helped slow the spread of the coronavirus. For example, after Los Angeles County reinstated a mask mandate for indoor businesses, the increase in daily COVID-19 cases slowed significantly over the last few weeks, Chin-Hong said.

'There is no magic bullet, just a combination of a hard stick and soft stick,' he said. 'The proof of vaccination mandate is a soft stick because you can still eat outdoors, but if you want to hang out with people indoors you better get vaccinated.'

San Francisco has seen a relative decline in COVID-19 cases in the past week with only 486 new cases being reported on August 19.

The seven-day average for the city is 250 cases from August 13-19.
Former Gen. David Petraueus warns in a new interview about the risks of Al Qeda reemerging in Afghanistan, and criticizes the Biden Administration's withdrawal from a conflict he served in as premature.

Petraeus, who helped formulate the counterinsurgency strategy believed to have helped the U.S. cultivate allies on the ground and ultimately pull back from Iraq, defended some of the nation's efforts at what critics call 'nation-building'  even as he allowed much of what the U.S. did was 'overbuilt.'

The former CIA director said without U.S. trainers or advisors on the ground, terrorist threats could reemerge.

'Its easy to say, You got Osama Bin Laden. What are you hanging around for?' he told the New Yorker in an extended interview.

'Its easy to say, You got Osama Bin Laden. What are you hanging around for?' Gen. David Petraeus told the New Yorker in an extended interview

'Well, because Al Qaeda will be back. If there is one thing we should have learned in the last twenty years of war, its that if you dont keep an eye on an Islamist extremist group, it will come back,' he warned, in an interview published on a day President Biden said Al Qaeda was no longer present on the ground.

He defended the role of a 'comprehensive approach,' after the U.S. spent much of two decades during the war not only defeating the Taliban, but paying Afghan security, overseeing construction, and undertaking training on a mass scale.

'If you want to really deal with the problem, you cant counter terrorists like Al Qaeda or the Islamic State with just counterterrorist forces. You have to have something that is more comprehensive. You need all those elements, but we dont want to do that,' he told the magazine.

He also took on President Biden's contention that Americans couldn't carry out a war that Afghans wouldn't take on, after local forces melted away amid the Taliban advance.

'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 this week.

Petraeus defended Afghan forces who died on the battlefield

He helped design counterinsurgency strategies and oversaw forces in Iraq and Afghanistan

He defended nation-building aspects of the U.S. role. Here he is seen with former U.S. administrator for Iraq Paul Bremer, during the ill-fated Iraq reconstruction phase

Petraeus wanred Al Qaeda could reemerge in Afghanistan. It became a safe haven for Osama bin Laden before Sept. 11th

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

Afghans gather on a roadside near the military part of the airport in Kabul on August 20, 2021, hoping to flee from the country after the Taliban's military takeover of Afghanistan

'Anybody who served in Afghanistan knows a number of Afghans who died on the battlefield, which is something like twenty-seven times the number of U.S. losses,' said Petraeus, who suffered a scandal at the end of his storied career by leaking classified information to his biographer, with whom he was having an affair.

'So to say that the Afghans wont fight for their country needs an asterisk. And it should say the Afghans will fight for their country if they are confident someone has their back and will provide reinforcements of ammunition, food, medical supplies, will provide emergency medical evaluation, and, most important, will provide close air support to get them out of a tough fight. Keep in mind, again, that the Taliban could mass anywhere on what were some isolated outposts,' he said.

One of his faults with the pullback is that the U.S. took away experienced trainers who worked with Afghans to provide close air support on missions.

'Afghanistan had so many disadvantages, no history of strong central government,' he said, listing some of the problems the U.S. and allies encountered.

President Obama ultimately surged troops into Afghanistan, but Petraeus listed an initial failure to send in enough forces immediately after the fall of the Taliban.

'Look, again, clearly there were tons of mistakes made along the way. Lets focus on the most important one, which I happen to have said publicly, which was that we didnt even get the inputs right in Afghanistan until late 2010,' he said.

'But of course we only had the inputs right for about seven months, because Obama announced the withdrawal date to begin the redeployment of those forces during the speech in which he announced the buildup. If [the former special representative Richard] Holbrooke is trying to negotiate from a position of strength, telling the enemy you are going to start withdrawing in July of 2011 probably is not providing him that position of strength,' he said.

He acknowledged some U.S. projects were 'overbuilt' in an effort whose price tag could be as high as $2 trillion.

'This kind of stuff. Threw resources at problems. You have them now and you are not going to have them a year from now, if you see what I mean,' he said.

But the general is not prepared to say the U.S. 'lost' the war he served in.

'Somebody asked me if we lost the Afghan war. I said I dont think we lost it. I think we withdrew from it. And I think there is a pretty big distinction there,' he said.
The UK vaccine rollout has been hugely successful with more than three-quarters of adults (75.7 per cent) having now received two jabs.

However, the highly infectious Delta variant of the Covid virus is spreading  some 37,314 new cases were reported yesterday  and patients are still falling seriously ill and being admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) across the country.

Sadly, some of them will die. Even more sadly, many of those deaths are entirely avoidable. Why? Because the vast majority of Covid patients presenting on ICU wards now are unvaccinated.

Here, a senior intensive care consultant at a leading teaching hospital gives a first-hand account of the pity and frustration he and his staff feel as they battle to save lives  and their anger with anti-vaxxers and Covid deniers whose influence has been a factor in so many of these unnecessary deaths.

For me and my staff, it is yet another late night in ICU. I am standing in scrubs and full PPE, surveying the cramped 22-bed ward, sealed off from the rest of the hospital. It is eerily quiet, just the low hum of ventilators and the bleeps of the monitors.

Ten of the beds are occupied by Covid victims  each bed adjacent to a ventilator pumping oxygen into the heavily-sedated patients. Clinical staff are constantly checking the screens for readouts on heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels and a host of other data.

All of it is electronically captured and interpreted by the dedicated bedside nurse and handful of trainee doctors who are led by a consultant  in this case me.

I feel sorry for the men and women lying here, plugged in to the machines.

I dont know many of them personally  by the time they arrive, its usually too late for a conversation  but its impossible not to feel compassion for those on the brink of death.

Yet the depressing truth is that most of these desperately ill patients should not be here at all.

During the first wave of the virus, I reckon we lost about 20 out of 74 Covid patients and in the second wave, 38 patients out of 96.

Now we are in the third wave, it is different. We have the vaccines, thank goodness, and most UK adults have been double-jabbed.

I feel sorry for the men and women lying here, plugged in to the machines. I dont know many of them personally  by the time they arrive, its usually too late for a conversation  but its impossible not to feel compassion for those on the brink of death. A stock image is used above [File photo]

The NHS vaccine programme has dramatically weakened the link between Covid and death  some 100,000 lives have been saved by the jab, according to the latest figures. And, as reflected in the data, we are seeing a much lower level of hospitalisations nationally.

But the patients here and in other ICUs around the country are still dying from Covid  sometimes horrible deaths  because, all too often, they have refused the vaccine.

Looking at their medical notes I know that all the Covid patients currently on the unit were offered the jab but that 90 per cent of those on ventilators here are unvaccinated. I understand this figure is roughly the same at most other units.

It is a chilling statistic and one that makes me absolutely furious. Not with the patients  my heart goes out to them for what they and their families are going through. The havoc wreaked on the lungs by Covid and the desperate sense of not being able to breathe is not something I would wish anyone to endure.

No, my quarrel is with those who perpetuate the myths that the virus does not exist or that Covid vaccines are dangerous. Their false claims are killing people.

One of my vaccine-refusenik patients was so convinced that the Covid pandemic was a conspiracy that he was still insisting loudly that Covid doesnt exist even as  struggling to breathe  he was being sedated prior to being placed on a ventilator.

Unfortunately, he didnt make it  and all of us who witnessed his avoidable death felt moved by the sheer waste of that life.

Two of the nurses who were with him in his last desperate moments were in tears. He had a wife and two young children: inevitably they couldnt be with him when he died.

The misinformation put forward by the Covid-deniers, the conspiracy theorists, the anti-vaxxers and other attention-seeking fruitcakes  mainly via social media  is having a catastrophic effect. It is undermining the monumental efforts of the NHS and of its dedicated staff to cope with the most significant public health emergency of modern times.

Worryingly, we are also seeing a big rise in the number of young people admitted to hospital for high oxygen therapy. Some believe that their youth should be enough to protect them from the worst ravages of the virus but others have swallowed the propaganda and rejected the offer of vaccination.

Sadly, we in the NHS have not yet found an effective way of countering the fake and downright dangerous news that has been spilling out about the pandemic and the vaccines. And, as a result, we are seeing patients who refuse to accept that Covid exists or that the vaccines are safe and effective being stretchered daily into this hospital.

By the time they come up to ICU, most are at deaths door.

Take Pete, one of my patients: he was knocking on that door very loudly when he was admitted to ICU in July. A 50-year-old mechanical engineer, he had called an ambulance when his breathlessness got too much. He was admitted to a general ward and then, as he deteriorated, he was transferred up to us.

In this country, too, we are faced with deranged claims about the pandemic and the jabs by some well-known conspiracy theorists. They include Covid deniers such as Piers Corbyn (left, brother of Jeremy Corbyn), who believe that governments are trying to impose a new world order through lockdown which will include injecting people with microchips. Former Green Party activist David Icke (who is the self-proclaimed Son of the Godhead and believes the Queen is a lizard) is also among them, as is former nurse Kate Shemirani (right). At a Trafalgar Square protest recently, she suggested that NHS staff who administered the vaccine were like doctors and nurses who colluded with the Nazis

At all costs, we wanted to avoid having to put him on the ventilator, which would have made him more vulnerable to secondary infections. We tried blowing high-flow oxygen up his nose; we fitted him with a tight face mask pressurising the oxygen delivered to his lungs  which is torture when you are experiencing extreme air hunger because of Covid  all to no avail.

To give you some idea of how much oxygen Pete was needing, imagine you were scuba diving with a tank of oxygen that would allow you to stay underwater for 40 hours. Pete would go through that in 15 minutes.

He was a big bloke  yes, overweight but also strong. When he was admitted to ICU we had a chat brief because he could barely breathe, let alone speak  and thats when he told me refusing the vaccine was the worst decision of my life.

Later I learned that his mates, work colleagues, people he drank with down the pub, had seeded doubt in his mind about its safety. Pete lived alone and there were no other voices to tell him differently.

Worstdecisionofmylife, he wheezed again just before we put him off to sleep prior to ventilation. He was aware this could be the last conscious moment in his life. I knew that he was terrified but the effort of breathing had taken so much out of him he knew he couldnt go on.

Most of the time it doesnt take a lot of energy to breathe. With lung failure, every drop of energy you have is going into the physical struggle of getting oxygen to your lungs theres none left over for anything else. Your brain shuts down and eventually you just stop. We had to take over his breathing before we got close to that stage.

We monitored Pete over the next few days. He was going downhill fast and also battling the spiral of physical collapse and its consequences: dialysis, numerous drugs and drips, and the daily horrors of a procedure known as proning  turning him over onto his stomach to improve the amount of oxygen getting into his blood.

Pete was 20 st so for us this was really hard work: it needed a team of seven people. What if a tube was accidentally pulled out? It could easily happen  he might be dead before we could get it back in.

And all the wires to which he was attached, and the intravenous lines delivering carefully calculated doses of drugs at certain times... some of which could not be stopped under any circumstance.

We had to be extraordinarily careful. Everyone had to know exactly what their job was and how it would be done.

I spent a lot of time thinking about Pete and where his anti-vaxxer fears had come from. I got the impression that he and his mates believed that the vaccines were part of a sinister Government conspiracy.

The politicians  including the Prime Minister and the then health secretary Matt Hancock  wanted to alter their DNA, to destroy their fertility and insert microchips into their body via the vaccine to monitor their activities. Of all this, Pete had been absolutely convinced. What he couldnt explain was the motive. Why should the British state be so ruthless and cruel to its own citizens?

Another of my patients, James, who was in his 50s, educated and intelligent, suffered a collapsed lung  caused by his desperate struggle to breathe  shortly after he arrived in ICU.

He had tested positive for Covid but didnt believe in the virus. I told him we needed to put in a chest drain to prevent him getting worse.

The misinformation put forward by the Covid-deniers, the conspiracy theorists, the anti-vaxxers and other attention-seeking fruitcakes  mainly via social media  is having a catastrophic effect

He TOLD me he didnt have Covid, because it didnt exist. This was despite the fact that other family members  including his brother who was also in hospital  were infected as well.

The pandemic and the virus were all a figment of the medias imagination, he insisted, part of a global conspiracy to repress the rights of individuals like him.

And because Covid didnt exist, he wouldnt agree to a chest drain. Tired and fractious after a busy week, Im ashamed to say that I got up, told him that I didnt have time for this and made to walk away. No, no! Doctor! He motioned me back with his hand. OK, OK, he said.

We treated him with the best we could offer  but he died a fortnight later.

I felt sad about that and when I think about him, I do not see a bombastic fool, refusing to face the facts. I see a desperately frightened man who knew what horrors and pain hed face further down the line but who was clinging to some hopeless positivity that the Covid-19 virus was an illusion.

Derek, who was in his 80s, was also admitted to my unit. Hed refused the vaccine because he wanted to wait and see if it was safe before he had it.

Given his age and vulnerability he must have been one of the first people offered it. I told him  at his age  it would have been best for him to take the risk.

Even if the vaccines are not 100 per cent effective, there is no question that theyve given people of Dereks age a second chance and kept them out of intensive care. Astonishingly, he survived.

These are just a few individuals I have encountered in recent months who said no to vaccination and paid the price.

As I have said, I dont blame them but the handful of very vocal influencers who have exploited the internet to get their twisted messages across, claiming that it is all about individual freedom. But what value is freedom if millions face endless lockdowns to control the virus? Look at Australia and New Zealand  both nations that have been slow to roll out a vaccine programme.

And what freedom do those hooked up to ventilators have as they fight for life?

In the United States, the so-called Disinformation Dozen  12 key influencers  are reportedly behind around two-thirds of the anti-vaxxer output online.

And in this country, too, we are faced with deranged claims about the pandemic and the jabs by some well-known conspiracy theorists.

They include Covid deniers such as Piers Corbyn (brother of Jeremy Corbyn), who believe that governments are trying to impose a new world order through lockdown which will include injecting people with microchips. Former Green Party activist David Icke (who is the self-proclaimed Son of the Godhead and believes the Queen is a lizard) is also among them, as is former nurse Kate Shemirani.

At a Trafalgar Square protest recently, she suggested that NHS staff who administered the vaccine were like doctors and nurses who colluded with the Nazis. Together they peddle their crackpot claims via protest marches and demonstrations on hospital premises.

Reckless, self-serving antics like these leave me furious when I look at my exhausted and dedicated staff, at the patients clinging on to life and the resources invested in trying to keep them alive.

Its worth pointing out prior to December 2020, around 850 healthcare workers died from Covid in the UK. I know many of those I work with thought nothing of risking their own lives to save others.

Eventually, there will be a Covid inquiry and uncomfortable truths may emerge for politicians, scientists and, yes, the NHS, too.

But I also feel that those who actively and malignly sought to discredit the vaccine and to destroy trust in NHS staff should be held to account  in court if possible.

To end on a happier note, let me update you on my patient Pete. We got him off the ventilator and hes back on a general ward. Hes not properly aware of where he is, is too weak to stand but can just about sit on the side of the bed.

For him, the long slow stagger back to  hopefully  full health and normality has only just begun. He remembers little of what has happened to him in the last couple of months. Perhaps hes even forgotten that refusing the vaccine was the worst decision of his life.

The writer is Director of Intensive Care at a major teaching hospital. All names have been changed to protect patients anonymity.
A police worker has been spared jail after he was caught filming his colleagues urinating in the gents toilets.

Jean Renoir Janga, 36, was found with 11 videos of his Greater Manchester Police colleagues in the staff toilets and also searched for urination porn online.

One member of staff, who cannot be named, noticed in 2017 that 'part of a mobile phone' was visible over the top of the cubicle whilst he was using the toilet.

Jean Renoir Janga (pictured outside court today), 36, has been spared jail after he was caught filming his colleagues urinating in the gents toilets

He confronted Janga, of Bamber Bridge, who denied it and the matter appeared to be dropped, Manchester Crown Court heard.

But in the autumn of 2017 a row broke out between Janga and another member of staff which resulted in him being suspended and his mobile phone was taken.

Officers then found the videos of his colleagues on his phone.

Further analysis showed a number of search terms including 'spy', 'spywc' and 'p***', as well as a Dropbox folder which contained files named 'hot guys p***ing at urinals' amongst others relating to 'urination porn'.

Following a trial, Janga was found guilty of six offences of voyeurism and was today handed a community order.

Prosecuting at the trial, Jonathan Savage said Janga 'secretly' set up his mobile phone in the gents toilets at his place of work to record colleagues as they used the toilet.

'The purpose of his doing so was for his sexual gratification', he said.

It was said that he was struggling at work and that his supervisors were aware that he had ADHD and 'efforts were made to help him cope with work'.

Janga, 36, was found with 11 videos of his colleagues in the staff toilets and also searched for urination porn online. Pictured: GMP headquarters

'As a result of the recordings found, the defendant was arrested and interviewed,' Mr Savage said.

He told officers that he had been having problems with his condition as his medication had changed and he started to experience panic attacks at work.

The jury were told that he said that he 'found solace' in toilet cubicles as they were secluded and calm and he could calm down there, but said that he once heard suspicious noises whilst in there, and decided to use his phone to effectively 'look around corners to see if anyone was doing anything wrong'.

He said he would delete them as soon as he realised there was 'nothing untoward' on them and denied any sexual gratification from the recordings, the court previously heard.

But jurors saw through his claims and found him guilty, with officers saying Janga had filmed the men 'for his own sexual desires and gratifications'.

He was said to have no previous convictions.

In mitigation for Janga, Patrick Williamson said the images on his phone were deleted and were not sent or distributed to others.

'The court cannot ignore the background to these offences and the degradation of the defendant's mental health in the months leading up to the commission of these offences,' he said.

'The circumstances which led to this behaviour are wholly out of character.

'It's extremely unfortunate due to the exemplary work he has done.

'He expresses remorse. The defendant is remorseful for acting in this way, the issue is as it was at trial - the motivation.'

Following a trial, Janga was found guilty of six offences of voyeurism and was today handed a community order

The court heard that Janga was suspended from his role and is currently awaiting disciplinary proceedings.

Sentencing him, Recorder Jeremy Lasker said: 'This is an extremely sad case, because, for many years, you did excellent service on behalf of the Greater Manchester Police, working in an extremely difficult area - and that really deserves to be recognised.

'But the other side of the coin to which I have already made reference to, is the betrayal of trust and of friendship that you had with these work colleagues.

'They all indicated how let down they felt and how betrayed they felt and how violated they felt.

'I don't think you can ever repay the harm you have caused.'

Janga was handed an 18-month community order, and was ordered to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activity requirements.

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must sign onto the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Jones, of GMP's Professional Standards Branch, said: 'Both Greater Manchester Police and the public expect officers and staff members to maintain the highest standards of behaviour.

'As soon as PSB received the complaint, Janga was suspended and a robust investigation was launched. We found that Janga had disregarded these expectations and behaved in a completely unacceptable manner - secretly filming colleagues in the toilet to fulfil his sexual desires.

'This sentencing will be shortly followed by a misconduct hearing. This is normal procedure and will be led by PSB.

'I'd like to remind the people of Greater Manchester that GMP's Professional Standards Branch is committed to maintaining their trust and confidence by dealing with issues, such as this, openly and robustly.'

Brett Gerrity of CPS North West said: 'Janga has invaded the privacy of these males by filming them whilst they used the toilet for his own depraved sexual gratification.

'Janga denied the offences throughout the investigation and refused to accept his guilt in the face of the overwhelming evidence. The Jury rejected his fanciful story as to why he had filmed males using the toilet and convicted him based on the evidence presented by the prosecution.

'I am grateful to the victims who gave evidence at trial and provided victim impact statements. I hope todays sentence will provide them with some comfort and reassure the public that the CPS will work with the police to build strong cases against sex offenders.'
The Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt during the January 6 Capitol riot has been exonerated following an internal investigation, according to reports.

Babbitt, 35, was the only person killed on January 6 when the officer - who hasn't been named - opened fire at a mob of Trump supporters as they stormed through the Rotunda.

The commander of the Capitol Police's Office of Personal Responsibility says 'no further action will be taken in this matter,' according to a memo obtained by NBC News.

In April, the Department of Justice said it wouldn't be filing charges against the officer, so the conclusion of the internal probe ends the official investigation.

Babbitt's family told The Washington Examiner earlier this month that they plan on filing a $10million wrongful death lawsuit, claiming a plainclothes officer didn't issue a verbal command.

Scroll down for video.

Ashli Babbitt, 35, was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer during the January 6 riot at the Capitol. The officer was exonerated of any wrongdoing on Friday

Babbitt was the only person killed after protesters stormed the Capitol on January 6

The family's lawyer, Terry Roberts, alluded to a video of the Air Force veteran being shot and said the fact that no one appears to be ducking for cover in the moments before Babbitt was killed also suggests that the cop gave no verbal warning.

The cop's lawyer denied this in previous interviews and said his client issued multiple verbal commands but that they weren't audible on the video because he was wearing a mask.

Babbitt served multiple Middle East tours from 2004 to 2016, according to Air Force records.

She had shown her support for former President Donald Trump and promoted conservative activists and QAnon conspiracy theory movement leaders, NBC News reported.
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Thousands of Afghans could be left behind in Kabul as ministers push to extend the deadline for the last British evacuation flight beyond Tuesday.

The UK is urging President Joe Biden to delay withdrawing US forces from the airport to help with the airlifting of as many as 6,000 British nationals and locals from the Taliban-controlled city.

Government sources stressed it was unlikely Britons would be left behind but said as many as 2,000 Afghan citizens could miss out.

Ministers have reportedly been told the last British evacuation flight out of Kabul could be on Tuesday - to establish an 'orderly withdrawal' and allow soldiers to get out - but a final decision had not been taken.

A senior government source told the Times: 'People are going to get left behind. It's a question of how many. It could be thousands. I don't think people have realised the extent of the risk.'

Another insider pointed out if the flights are ground to a halt on Tuesday there is the potential for as many as 2,000 Afghans to be left to the Taliban.

So far 12,000 foreigners and Afghans working for embassies and international aid groups have been evacuated from Kabul while 12 have died at the airport.

In a new security warning today, however, the US Embassy told citizens not to travel to the Kabul airport without 'individual instructions from a US government representative,' citing potential security threats outside its gates.

And yet crowds remained outside its concrete barriers, clutching documents and sometimes stunned-looking children, blocked from flight by coils of razor wire.

It comes as Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar arrived in the Afghan capital today for talks with militant commanders, former government leaders and religious scholars.

The source added to the paper: 'There's a risk that thousands could be left behind but it's unlikely to be British nationals.'

Nato yesterday begged Mr Biden not to leave Kabul and urged the US troops to stay at the airport to get as many people out as possible.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said: 'The US has stated that the timeline ends on August 31, but several of our allies raised... the need to potentially extend that to be able to get more people out.'

It comes as a former British Marine turned animal charity manager in Kabul painted a desperate picture of life under the new regime.

Pen Farthing, who has been an outspoken critic of the Nato response to the crisis, revealed he and his 'terrified' staff are plotting a daring effort to break through the Taliban ranks and into the city's airport.

He said insurgents had set up shop next door to where they are staying - but were leaving them alone - while people go hungry because they cannot buy food.

The Islamist militants said today the group have not kidnapped any foreigner, although some of them are being questioned before being allowed to leave.

An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: 'Our fighters will continue to demonstrate restraint.'

Meanwhile Mr Biden will leave Washington DC for his holiday home in Delaware today - exiting the White House amid the biggest crisis of his presidency.

He will have spent only four days in the last 15 in the White House since the Taliban took their first regional capital, with the rest of the time at Camp David or in Delaware.

Elsewhere in the crisis:

Afghans who worked for the British Embassy in Kabul will be rescued after a government U-turn, the armed forces minister confirmed;

Greece built a 40km fence across its border to stop Afghan asylum seekers from travelling into Europe;

President Biden took questions last night for the first time since the crisis but flubbed his words and offered a series of contradictions;

Minutes after he said the mission to destroy Al Qaeda was a success, he was flatly contradicted by the Pentagon;

Five sisters among the crowd outside Kabul airport told MailOnline of their desperate efforts to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban burnt their house down;

A baby who was captured in a viral video being handed to a US Marine over a wall topped with barbed-wire at Kabul airport was reunited with her father.

The UK Armed Forces are pictured taking part in the evacuation of entitled personnel from Kabul airport in Afghanistan yesterday

Thousands of Afghans could be left behind in Kabul as ministers push to extend the deadline for the last British evacuation flight beyond Tuesday. Pictured: British citizens catching a flight earlier this week

Afghans continue to wait around the Hamid Karzai International Airport as they try to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul today

The UK is urging President Joe Biden to delay withdrawing US forces from the airport to help with the airlifting of as many as 6,000 British nationals and locals from the Taliban-controlled city. Pictured: The airport today

An insider pointed out that if the flights are ground to a halt on Tuesday, then there is the potential for as many as 2,000 Afghans (pictured at the airport today) to be left in the hands of the Taliban

Ministers have reportedly been told the last British evacuation flight out of Kabul (pictured, the airport today) could be on Tuesday - to establish an 'orderly withdrawal' and allow soldiers to get out - but a final decision had not been taken

Pentagon contradicts Biden MINUTES after his fumbling speech Minutes after President Biden on Friday said the mission to destroy Al Qaeda in Afghanistan was a success and that he knew of no circumstances where Americans had been unable to reach Kabul airport, he was flatly contradicted by the Pentagon. Al Qaeda remains present in Afghanistan, said Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby during a briefing, and yes, he was aware of reports of Americans being beaten by the Taliban as they tried to reach safety. The contradiction will raise further doubt about whether Biden is in control of the White House messaging operation, let alone the chaotic effort to bring Americans home. He cancelled plans to return home to Wilmington on Friday evening as officials scrambled to give off an air of urgency. He even answered questions about Afghanistan for the first time in 10 days after delivering a speech in the East Room of the White House. Would he send troops out of their base in Hamid Karzai International Airport to help stranded Americans reach safety, he was asked. 'We have no indication that they haven't been able to get in Kabul through the airport,' he said. 'We've made an agreement with the Taliban thus far, they've allowed them to go through, it's in their interest for them to through.' But a different view emerged in reports of a briefing call that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held with lawmakers, telling them that Americans had been beaten as they tried to reach the airport. And officials at the Pentagon confirmed they were aware of Americans reporting being attacked. 'We're certainly mindful of these reports and they're deeply troubling and we have communicated to the Taliban that that's absolutely unacceptable, that we want free passage through their checkpoints for documented Americans and - by and large - that's happening,' said Kirby. Advertisement

One of those still on the ground is former British Marine Mr Farthing who unveiled his team's plan to break through the Taliban ranks surrounding the airport and try to catch a flight.

He told the Today programme: 'We are literally trying to plan how we are going to break into Kabul airport. Can you believe I'm saying that? We are trying to plan how we can break into Kabul airport.

'Somebody somewhere needs to get a grip of this. It's not a joke, it's not anything, that is genuinely what we are trying to do. With our team here I am going to try to plan to break into Kabul airport. I'm lost for words.'

He said he would 'absolutely not' be prepared to leave without his staff. 'I've got women and children I'm not leaving without them. They're coming with me.

'Right now they're terrified, absolutely terrified. There are no assurances that they will be okay if they were to stay here.'

He also slammed the IMF and President Biden for stopping money flowing into Afghanistan, saying the Taliban do not need it because they have the opium trade but the locals do to buy food and pay their staff.

He said: 'This is just turning into a disaster upon a disaster. The humanitarian crisis here is getting out of control and I don't see any politicians doing anything about it.

'We can't leave the country because we can't get into the airport without putting our lives at risk. I've got 71 staff members and women to get into that airport.

'We've all seen the scenes, it's no different today than it was at any other time. It's just getting worse.'

He said he had an email from the embassy this morning telling him to get an evacuation flight - but he would have had to leave his workers behind.

He said: 'How? How would you like me to get into the airport? It's ridiculous. I'm past angry, I'm past everything. I'm just completely numb at the incompetence of this operation.'

And he revealed that Taliban forces had moved in next door to where he is but were leaving them to themselves for now.

'We see them. They've left us alone. The issue here in Kabul is not the Taliban at the moment, it's the fact we can't get money out... no one can buy food... and obviously you can't get to the airport because you can't get into it.

'It's the most dire situation, a humanitarian crisis on a humanitarian crisis.' He added it was not feasible for paratroopers to go and fetch him because they would just 'be putting their lives in danger'.

But in a ray of hope for the former soldier and his entourage, his campaigner said progress is being made in the operation to evacuate them.

Dominic Dyer said all 68 people should have visas 'within the next 24 hours' and that an aeroplane with 'significant capacity' for them and the animals is being deployed in the coming days.

About 12,000 foreigners and Afghans working for embassies and international aid groups have been evacuated from Kabul airport in the last week - but 12 have died around the site.

Mr Dyer said he is seeing 'a lot more co-operation from the British Government' including 'direct involvement' from Environment Secretary George Eustice.

Speaking from Milton Keynes, he said a 'wealthy investor in the United States' is now helping fund the mission. He said the 'main obstacle' is 'getting through the airport' where thousands of desperate people are trying to escape.

He said: 'Defra are helping us now in terms of all the issues around the dogs coming - the rabies control and quarantine rules. We have an aeroplane, an A340 airbus, with significant capacity for the people and the animals.

'We are hopeful that all 68 people will be approved for visas, we can't leave anybody out, so we need that completely.'

He added: 'The one thing that we've begun to see is that the Americans began to deploy Chinooks, and the French and Germans have smaller capacity helicopters.

'We don't have any helicopters in that theatre at all because we removed them all weeks before this operation started, which sounds absolutely ridiculous.'

Afghans (pictured today) are continuing to wait around the Hamid Karzai International Airport as they try to flee the Taliban

Cars line the road on the way to the city's airport as thousands are still trying to escape the Taliban and catch a flight to the West

Pakistani soldiers stand guard as Afghan and Pakistani nationals queue to cross into Afghanistan at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman today

Son of exiled Afghan president Ashraf Ghani REFUSES to comment on unfolding crisis His Afghan government leader father reportedly fled Kabul in a helicopter stuffed with $169million in cash and four cars - but Tarek Ghani leads an altogether different existence as an economics professor residing in one of America's most genteel neighborhoods, DailyMail.com can reveal. Life for the 39-year-old son of exiled Ashraf Ghani could not be more different to the horror unfolding on the streets of the Afghan capital where the Taliban are beginning to exert their rule of terror and killing. Tarek Ghani (pictured) is the son of exiled Afghan president Ashraf Ghani He and wife Elizabeth Pearson own an immaculate $1.2million red-painted town house just a mile from the Capitol building in a charming Washington DC enclave, its patchwork of streets lined with trees and other similar upscale properties. The power couple bought their three-bedroom, three-bathroom home for $959,000 in 2018 and it has rocketed in value since the Covid pandemic. The area's average real estate prices are in the country's top seven percent. Yet despite his proud heritage, expertise and background fighting to prevent war, he bluntly refused to discuss the unfolding situation in Afghanistan when DailyMail.com turned up at his home to ask him about it. He said 'no', and closed the front door. Advertisement

Meanwhile a head teacher in Nottingham said two of her school children are expected home from Afghanistan in the 'next couple of days' after successfully making it to Kabul airport.

Nargas Ziahe flew out to Afghanistan more than six weeks ago following the death of an uncle but got trapped in Parwan province with her brother Omar, five, and sister Asma, nine, following the lightning Taliban advance.

Amanda Dawson, head of Mellers Primary School which Omar and Asma usually attend, told the Today programme: 'We're absolutely frantic about their situation.

'They are still at the airport waiting for their repatriation flights, firstly to Dubai - I think there is a military flight to Dubai and then a connecting commercial flight back to the UK.

'But they are safe, they are in the airport and, unless the airport falls of course, they are safe and we are expecting them to be home in the next couple of days.'

Ms Dawson said the videos and voice messages sent to her of the children by their older sister during their time stuck in Afghanistan were 'absolutely heart breaking'.

She added: 'They were terrified: watching shooting, watching people being assaulted and just the chaos outside that airport compound was really traumatising for anybody but particularly for young children.'

It comes as the US Embassy told Americans today not to go to Kabul airport - which is the only way out of the country - because of 'security threats' outside its gates.

The warning was issued less than 24 hours after President Biden said there was 'no indication' that the Taliban was stopping Americans and their allies from reaching the airport and promised to get everyone home.

That was part of Biden's 50-minute speech on Friday, which was the first time in nine days the president answered any questions about the chaos in Afghanistan.

During the speech, he was contradicted by Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby who said he was aware of reports of Americans being beaten by the Taliban as they tried to reach safety.

The point was furthered over the last 12 hours as videos depicting pandemonium and occasional violence outside the airport have surfaced.

Vulnerable Afghans who fear the Taliban's retaliation send desperate pleas not to be left behind.

But some outgoing flights have been far from full because of Taliban checkpoints and bureaucratic challenges.

Then a backlog at the transit facility in Qatar, which is one of the main countries welcoming refugees, stalled flights for hours on Friday.

A defense official said about 5,7000 people, including about 250 Americans, were flown out of Kabul in 16 C-17 transport planes. The previous two days, about 2,000 people were airlifted.

No one knows how many U.S. citizens remain in Afghanistan, but estimates have ranged as high as 15,000.

'This is one of the largest difficult airlifts in history and the only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision is the United States of America,' Biden said on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Taliban said today they have not kidnapped any foreigners, although some of them are being questioned before being allowed to leave Afghanistan.

Just a week after the Taliban's swift takeover of the south Asian nation, Western nations have struggled to ramp up the pace of evacuations amid chaos and reports of violence by the insurgents.

The Taliban official told Reuters on condition of anonymity: 'Our fighters will continue to demonstrate restraint.'

He ruled out incidents of reported kidnappings of foreigners, but added: 'We are questioning some of them before they exit the country.'

The official also said today the Taliban will be accountable for its actions and will investigate reports of reprisals and atrocities carried out by members.

The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that the group planned to ready a new model for governing Afghanistan within the next few weeks.

'We have heard of some cases of atrocities and crimes against civilians,' the official said. 'If Talibs (members) are doing these law and order problems, they will be investigated.'

He added: 'We can understand the panic, stress and anxiety. People think we will not be accountable, but that will not be the case.'

Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar arrived in the Afghan capital today for talks with militant commanders, former government leaders and religious scholars.

Baradar will meet militant commanders, former government leaders and policy makers, as well as religious scholars among others, the official said.

Baradar, the chief of the Taliban's political office, was part of the group's negotiating team in the Qatar capital of Doha.

Reported to have been one of the most trusted commanders of the former Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar, Baradar was captured in 2010 by security forces in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi and released in 2018.

Meanwhile German Chancellor Angela Merkel conceded today the Afghan army's resistance against Taliban militants had been misjudged.

'The army collapsed at a breathtaking pace,' Merkel said at an election event. 'We had expected the resistance to be stronger.'

Merkel said the focus now was on rescuing people from Afghanistan, but later there would need to be a discussion on what had or had not been achieved.

An Afghan man today stands near a damaged house after airstrikes in two weeks ago during a fight between government forces and the Taliban in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province

An Afghan man is pictured today standing near a damaged house after airstrikes in two weeks ago during a fight between government forces and the Taliban in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province

Two boys stand next to their crumbling house today after it was damaged during the air strikes in Helmand province two weeks ago

An Afghan boy today stands at a damaged house after airstrikes in two weeks ago during a fight between government forces and the Taliban in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province

Despite the chaos gripping the Middle East country, President Biden has decided to leave Washington DC and return to his holiday home in Delaware.

The president will have spent only four days in the last 15 in the White House since the Taliban took their first regional capital, with the rest of the time at Camp David or in Delaware.

Vice president Kamala Harris left DC on Friday for an Asia tour and will be absent for a week, visiting Singapore, Vietnam and then California. Her office insisted she will continue to work on the Afghan crisis while she is in Asia.

President Biden also has access to secure command and control centres at all the locations he travels to.

The President has taken flack throughout the crisis, most recently last night during his speech from the White House that presented a distorted reality.

Minutes after he said the mission to destroy Al Qaeda was a success and he knew of no circumstances where Americans had been unable to reach Kabul airport, he was flatly contradicted by the Pentagon.

Al Qaeda remains present in Afghanistan, said Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby during a briefing, and yes, he was aware of reports of Americans being beaten by the Taliban as they tried to reach safety.

The contradiction will raise further doubt about whether Biden is in control of the White House messaging operation, let alone the chaotic effort to bring Americans home.

He also flubbed while describing key communications with the Taliban, mangling the name of Doha, Qatar  a key focal point of negotiations as well as evacuations.

Asked about assurances of security for people making it to the airport, Biden responded: 'We've been in constant contact with the Taliban leadership on the ground in Kabul, as well as the Taliban leadership in Daho.'

He did not immediately correct himself, but he later referred to the location correctly when defending the way the evacuation was handled.

'The point was that although we were in contact with the Taliban and Doha for this whole period of time,' there wasn't expected to be a 'total demise' of the Afghan military.

President Joe Biden vowed Friday to get all Americans and Afghan allies out of Afghanistan and took questions from White House reporters - on a pre-approved list - for the first time in nine days. 'Let me be clear, any American who wants to come home, we will get you home,' Biden pledged during the speech he started 50 minutes late where he stumbled over answers.

Afghan baby seen being lifted by US Marine over barbed wire wall has been reunited with her father A baby who was captured in a viral video being handed to a US Marine over a wall topped with barbed-wire at Kabul airport has been reunited with her father. The video sees the sobbing infant being handed over to a Marine across a reinforced wall at Hamad Karzai International Airport who then hands the child to a fellow soldier. Major Jim Stenger told CBS News: 'The baby seen in the video was taken to a medical treatment facility on site and cared for by medical professionals. I can confirm the baby was reunited with their father and is safe at the airport. 'This is a true example of the professionalism of the Marines on site, who are making quick decisions in a dynamic situation in support of evacuation operations.' It is the latest iconic image to emerge as people desperate to flee the Taliban beg troops and US allies to help them evacuate. Advertisement

Elsewhere in the international crisis, the Gulf nation of Bahrain said today it was allowing flights to use its transit facilities for the evacuation, an option that should ease pressure after the US faced issues on Friday with its facilities at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

The backlog forced flights from Kabul's international airport to stop for several hours. The United Arab Emirates also said today it would host up to 5,000 Afghans 'prior to their departure to other countries'.

Tens of thousands of Afghan translators and others, and their close family members, are seeking evacuation after the Taliban's shockingly swift takeover of Afghanistan in a little over a week.

So far, 13 countries have agreed to host at-risk Afghans at least temporarily, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said. Another 12 have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.

Remaining in Afghanistan means adapting to life under the Taliban, who say they seek an 'inclusive, Islamic' government, offer full amnesty to those who worked for the US and the Western-backed government and claim they have become more moderate since they last held power from 1996 to 2001.

They also say they will honour women's rights within the norms of Islamic law.

But many Afghans fear a return to the Taliban's harsh rule of the late 1990s, when the group barred women from attending school or working outside the home, banned television and music, chopped off the hands of suspected thieves and held public executions.

Meanwhile Uzbekistan today said it had accepted about 400 more refugees from Afghanistan and put them up in temporary accommodation near the Afghan border.

It is unclear how many Afghans have crossed into the former Soviet republic as Taliban insurgents overran Afghanistan.

The Tashkent government has denied senior Afghan figures such as ethnic Uzbek leader Abdul Rashid Dustum were among them.

But approximately 650 Afghan officers from units commanded by Dustum were already at the same health centre, TASS cited the source as saying.

Uzbekistan said on Friday that it had sent 150 Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan as per an agreement with the Taliban and after requests from the refugees themselves.

UK embassy guards WILL be rescued: Government U-turns and says more than 100 Afghan security staff in Kabul are already being evacuated

Afghans who worked for the British Embassy in Kabul will be rescued after a government U-turn, the armed forces minister has confirmed.

James Heappey said the security guards were at the stricken airport in the capital and were being prepared for evacuation yesterday.

It comes after reports earlier this week suggested the UK were set to leave the 125 personnel - who guarded government workers during their time there - to a grim fate with the Taliban.

The Afghans were reportedly told they could not be flown out of the fallen city because they were hired by a contractor.

They were working for GardaWorld and some had been there for a decade before allegedly being told they were no longer needed.

It comes as British Paratroopers desperately tried to hold the line at Kabul airport amid fears the rescue mission could collapse in days, leaving thousands behind.

As dramatic pictures showed the airport being surrounded by scenes of anarchy and anguish, the Paras mounted a frantic last stand to prevent the operation descending into chaos.

Women and children were crushed in a stampede as huge crowds tried to escape the Afghan capital and reach the sanctuary of an evacuation flight.

James Heappey said yesterday the security guards were at the stricken airport in the capital and were being prepared for evacuation. Pictured: The British embassy in Kabul

Biden: Nato agreed with US withdrawal Joe Biden issued another extraordinary defence of his handling of the crisis in Afghanistan, claiming every Nato member, including Britain, agreed with his decision to pull troops out. The US President said he spoke to world leaders at the G7 summit in Cornwall in June telling them of his plans and was given full backing. Ignoring a cascade of criticism that has come America's way this week as the Taliban took over the capital Kabul, Mr Biden said: 'I've seen no questioning of our credibility from our allies around the world. In fact I've seen the exact opposite.' 'Our Nato allies are standing strongly with us,' he added. His claim came just hours after Boris Johnson appeared to issue a coded criticism of the President, saying allies would have to 'manage the consequences' of the US decision to withdraw and two days after a Commons debate poured scorn on the President. Mr Johnson said: 'We went in to Afghanistan to support and help protect the United States. So when the United States decides emphatically to withdraw in the way that they have, clearly, we're going to have to manage the consequences.' The US leader said he had spoken to Mr Johnson this week, along with German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron and said they would speak again at a special G7 meeting next week. As scenes on the ground continued to descend into mayhem, Mr Biden said: 'I cannot promise what the final outcome will be, that it will be without risk of loss. 'There will be time to criticise and second guess when this is over, for now, I'm focused on getting the job done.' Advertisement

Mr Heappey yesterday morning suggested the government was backing down under pressure over the fate of the embassy security guards.

The defence minister told Sky News: 'If you're referring to the GardaWorld staff who protect the embassy, I can tell you they have arrived at the airport this morning and we'll be moving them out later today.'

But the former British Army officer, who served in Afghanistan, refused to be drawn on why their evacuation was ever in doubt.

An FCDO spokesman added: 'We are clear there is absolutely no legitimate basis to prevent civilians from travelling to safety.

'We are monitoring the situation with GardaWorld closely and remain in contact with them to provide any required assistance.'

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds blasted the reports, said ministers should be 'ashamed' of the claims and called on the government to change tact.

He said: 'To leave over a hundred guards at the British embassy in Kabul without protection is a shameful betrayal of brave Afghans who have risked their lives serving alongside our representatives in Afghanistan.

'Ministers should be ashamed. They are not living up to our obligations as a country and are trashing Britain's reputation around the world.

'Their gross negligence is putting lives at grave risk. They must U-turn on this - urgently. Yet again the foreign secretary has made a dangerous blunder.

'He should have resigned today and if he is - dishonourably - refusing to go, the prime minister should sack him immediately.'

Nearly all GardaWorld employees working on the British Embassy contract applied for help from the Ministry of Defence-run Afghan relocations and assistance policy, designed to assist people working for UK organisations, and all except 21 translators were rejected last month.

According to the Guardian, they received letters explaining they were not eligible because they 'were not directly employed by Her Majesty's Government'.

The letters added: 'We realise this will be disappointing news'.

Most of the guards are male, but about 10 are women, responsible for frisking female visitors to the diplomatic compound among other things.

Bin Laden wanted 'incompetent' Joe kept alive Osama Bin Laden once told his fighters not to bother targeting Joe Biden because he would be an incompetent president and 'lead the US into crisis'. According to diary entries found after the Al Qaeda leader, right, was killed by a US strike force in Pakistan in 2011, he had been plotting attacks on then-US president Barack Obama and General David Petraeus, US commander in Afghanistan at the time. But Bin Laden told his followers to ignore then Vice President Biden, left. The Washington Post reported that Bin Laden wrote: 'Obama is the head of infidelity, and killing him automatically will make Biden take over the presidency. Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the US into a crisis.' Advertisement

One GardaWorld HR manager claimed he was asked to prepare termination letters for many of the British Embassy guards last week, and that the process had been disrupted by the Taliban takeover of the country.

Oliver Westmacott, the president of GardaWorld's Middle East operations, denied that formal termination letters had been sent out. Asked if the guards were still GardaWorld employees, he said: 'Technically they are because we haven't communicated with them formally to the contrary.

'I fully appreciate the predicament that all these poor people of ours are in, in desperate situations trying to sort their lives out and get to safety. So, it is a nightmare. We fully recognise that.'

The Ministry of Defence said the guards were welcome to reapply for the relocation scheme.

Meanwhile British Paratroopers desperately tried to hold the line at Kabul airport amid fears the rescue mission could collapse in days, leaving thousands behind.

As dramatic pictures showed the airport being surrounded by scenes of anarchy and anguish, the Paras mounted a frantic last stand to prevent the operation descending into chaos.

Women and children were crushed in a stampede as huge crowds tried to escape the Afghan capital and reach the sanctuary of an evacuation flight.

US President Joe Biden said it was one of the 'most difficult' airlifts in history and admitted he could not guarantee what the 'final outcome' would be.

He said he wanted all Americans out of Afghanistan by August 31  a move that appears to set a deadline for the evacuation of all Westerners and their allies.

Boris Johnson said Britain was having to 'manage the consequences' of the 'emphatic' decision by the US to withdraw its troops from the country.

He admitted the rescue effort faced 'formidable' challenges and the situation in Afghanistan was 'precarious'.

Armed Forces minister Mr Heappey conceded the UK would not be able to rescue everyone who has been promised sanctuary here and the operation at Kabul airport may remain open for only two more days.

Britain has promised to evacuate 7,000 UK citizens and Afghan staff from the country, but Mr Heappey said the 'sad truth' was that 'we don't have it in our gift to stay there until absolutely everyone is out'.

Mr Heappey's admission and the astonishing scenes in Kabul raised fears last night that many Afghan translators and their families could get left behind. The Taliban have already started going door to door in the country, hunting down those who worked for the West.

'Taliban burnt our home down': Five sisters at Kabul airport who risk being abducted as sex slaves say 'our parents made us leave because they feared for our lives'

EXCLUSIVE: The young women are Hazaras, a peaceful ethnic Shia group living in Hazarajat in Afghanistan

The Hazara have long been the victims of persecution from other groups  and most recently by the Taliban

Aaina Sheikh, 19, a high school student, said that she was at Kabul airport with her four sisters and brother

Ms Sheikh said that her and her family were desperate to get to America because: 'We cannot stay here safely'

These five sisters among the crowd outside Kabul airport have told MailOnline of their desperate efforts to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban burnt their house down.

The young women are Hazaras, a peaceful ethnic Shia group living in Hazarajat in central Afghanistan among the Hindu Kush mountains.

With fair complexions and delicate features, the Hazara have long been the victims of persecution from other groups down the decades  and most recently by the Taliban.

Aaina Sheikh, 19, a high school student, said she was at the airport with her four sisters and brother. 'We want to go to America, we cannot stay here safely,' she said.

None of the women, nor their brother, even have passports, far less the visa documentation that would allow them to travel, but that doesn't stop them hoping for a miracle.

The young women (pictured with their brother) are Hazaras, a peaceful ethnic Shia group living in Hazarajat in central Afghanistan among the Hindu Kush mountains

With fair complexions and delicate features, the Hazara have long been the victims of persecution from other groups down the decades  and most recently by the Taliban. Pictured left to right: Hawa, Hafizah and Aaina

NATO begs Biden NOT to leave Kabul: Transatlantic alliance says US should stay at airport to get people out NATO has begged Joe Biden not to leave Kabul and urged the US to stay at the airport to get as many people out as possible - as American forces are accused of hiding behind the wire while British and European troops mount recuse missions into the city. The US was urged to extend its August 31 deadline to save more evacuees from the Taliban by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference on Friday. America is by far the strongest military power in Nato and it is unusual for the alliance to publicly issue requests to the White House. He said the challenge was not so much transporting people from Kabul but getting them to the airport in the first place, and this was 'an urgent need'. British, French and German special forces have been speeding into Kabul in armored cars, despite the huge risk from Taliban fighters, while the US forces are reportedly under strict orders to remain at the airport. But they are reliant on the 6,000 American troops has deployed to secure Kabul airport, and would be forced to leave if Biden withdraws. Stoltenberg said: 'The U.S. has stated that the timeline ends on Aug 31, but several of our allies raised ... the need to potentially extend that to be able to get more people out. Advertisement

'Until last week we were living happily in our home and then the Taliban came and burned it to the ground,' said Aaina.

'Our parents told us to leave because they feared for our lives.'

In recent weeks there have been countless reports of Taliban abducting young women and girls to be their 'wives'  or sex slaves - as they have captured cities, towns and villages across the country.

So the Sheikh women set off on the 150-mile journey to Kabul airport on Sunday and have been sleeping on the pavements since then, with only their brother Nader, 25, a salesman, to try and protect them.

Aaina, the second youngest of the six siblings, added: 'We have some money which we are spending I don't know how long that will last.

'We're too young to remember the Taliban before, but our parents have told us how they killed so many Hazara people in the past.'

The sisters are all living proof of the advancement of women in Afghanistan in the last two decades.

Aaina's sister Hafizah, 23 was studying computer science at a polytechnic in Kabul, while her other sisters, twins Hawa and Latifa, 20, and 18-year-old Marjaan, are also students.

Now all that progress could be thrown away after the US and its allies turned its back on Afghanistan.

Few set much store by the doubtful pledges by the Taliban leaders that they have changed their attitude towards women.

The Taliban have promised girls can go to school, for now, but asked if women will again be stoned for adultery or if thieves would face amputations, their spokesman insisted those decisions that could only be made by a Sharia judge.

Whether the Sheikh family will be able to escape their homeland for a better life is a question which remains unanswered, but they haven't given up hope.

The Sheikh women set off on the 150-mile journey to Kabul airport on Sunday and have been sleeping on the pavements since then, with only their brother Nader, 25, a salesman, to try and protect them. Left: Aaina. Right: Marjaan

Aaina's sister Hafizah (pictured), 23 was studying computer science at a polytechnic in Kabul, while her other sisters, twins Hawa and Latifa, 20, and 18-year-old Marjaan, are also students

My (empty) flight out of hell and the agony of the husband I left behind: The nerve shredding account from the wife of a former Royal Marine who was one of the lucky ones to escape from Kabul - where her partner remains

Of all the haunting images to have emerged from Kabul this week  stampedes of Afghans desperately trying to flee the fallen city, even passing babies over barbed wire in the hope the soldiers on the other side will give their children a better life  the sight of a near empty aeroplane leaving the Taliban stronghold was enough to break your heart.

Kaisa Farthing, wife of British former Royal Marine Pen Farthing who runs the animal rescue charity Nowzad in the Afghan capital, was on that plane and knows only too well the agony of leaving so many behind.

When she finally embraced her mother at Oslo airport yesterday, her head was 'spinning' and she 'couldn't think straight' as she tried to reconcile the fact she was safe whilst so many of those she loves remain in peril.

Former Royal Marine commando Paul 'Pen' Farthing, who runs an animal sanctuary in Kabul, with his wife Kaisa Helene

Mr Farthing, a British expat who lives in Kabul, got separated from his wife during the Taliban takeover. He shared the image on Twitter last night, writing: 'Kaisa is on her way home! BUT this aircraft is empty'

'The resistance is still alive': Afghan resistance claims to have captured three towns north of Kabul in fighting that 'killed or injured 60 Taliban fighters' Afghan resistance has claimed to have captured three towns north of Kabul in fighting that 'killed or injured 60 Taliban fighters'. Local forces are reported to have taken back the Pul-e-Hesar, Deh-e-Salah and Banu districts in the Baghlan province on Friday. Writing in Persian, Afghan Defence Minister General Bismillah Mohammadi said the three areas had been reclaimed, adding: 'The resistance is still alive.' A Twitter account under the name 'Panjshir Province' - the only area not controlled by the Taliban - earlier said the Pul-e-Hesar was captured while 'fighting was raging' in the other two districts. The Panjshir Valley northeast of Kabul is Afghanistan's last remaining holdout, known for its natural mountainous defences. Pictured: a map showing the holdout and the three areas north of Kabul reported to have been captured Tajuden Soroush, a senior correspondent for Iran International, said the Banu and Pol-e-Hesar areas had been taken back, according to an ex-Afghan government official. He later added that Deh-e-Salah had fallen to anti-Taliban forces. The Panjshir Valley northeast of Kabul is Afghanistan's last remaining holdout, known for its natural mountainous defences. It follows Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirming that SAS-trained Afghan commandos have joined an armed resistance to the Taliban in the Valley. Advertisement

Talking to me from Oslo yesterday, Kaisa said: 'The Norwegian military got all the Norwegians available and they got us on the flight. There were less than 50 of us. They said, 'We're trying to reach out to the other governments and ask them if they have anyone who is ready. We're trying to fill the plane up.'

'We sat there for about two hours but they couldn't find anyone who had been processed. It's because of the crowds. People can't get in. You are pushed, squeezed. My heart was racing. I cried.

'We left behind some really young kids who had been separated from their parents in the chaos outside. What can you do? You can't ask a one-year-old, 'Who's your mum?'. We were leaving those behind on a virtually empty plane. I cried for those little babies.'

The second time she cried was when she landed in Norway. 'My heart and my mind were still in Kabul. I did not want to leave. My work is there. My life is there. I left behind every single item of clothes I have. I left behind my wedding photo of Pen and me. All I have is deodorant and a toothbrush.'

This was Kaisa's second attempt to leave Kabul. On Tuesday, she found herself caught up in similarly chaotic scenes at the airport  scenes during which, she revealed to me as I talked to her and Pen on Zoom the next day, she was subjected to a sexual assault.

'The second we [she and a 34-week pregnant worker from the charity] were in the crowd we were pushed, squeezed and trapped,' she told me. 'People were pushing, pushing. There was a lady in front of me who was crying, 'My baby, my baby is not breathing.' I looked at the baby who was crying and said, 'It's you who needs to breathe because I think you're panicking right now.'

'I remember the face of the friend [the pregnant worker] I was with. I knew her pregnant belly was that big.' She shows me with her hand, 'but her face was that close'. Now she holds her hand against her cheek. 'I thought, 'That's dangerous.' But we were being pushed squeezed  really, really squeezed.'

As Kaisa spoke to me on Zoom, she looked towards her husband, a red flush staining her neck.

'I was sexually assaulted... It started when someone  an older guy  grabbed my a***,' she states before giving more detail. Then she adds: 'I wanted to turn round and punch him in the face and my hand was on the way up, but then I realised, 'I'm in a crowd. I cannot defend myself because the second I do that we will all be in danger.' So I just had this anger inside me.'

Pen listened to his 30-year-old wife. He said nothing, but his body was taut with fury.

In the long hours before Kaisa extricated herself from that seething mob, Pen was beside himself. So much so he tweeted he would hold Prime Minister Boris Johnson 'personally responsible' if any harm should come to her.

When she finally made it back to Nowzad's headquarters, his joy was clear to see. Kaisa is a lovely, fresh-faced woman but her blue eyes were dulled by what she had seen. She, like so many here, did not want to leave this country or her husband  they were only married four months ago  but she had no choice. Kaisa, 30, was employed by a non-governmental organisation working to mentor and empower Afghan's young women. She risked being shot or worse if she stayed.

Ex-British soldier turned illegal alcohol salesman, 56, reveals how he broke out of a Kabul jail An ex-British soldier turned illegal alcohol salesman has revealed how he broke out of a jail in Kabul in his flip flops before dashing through blood-soaked streets to catch a plane back to Britain. Ian Cameron, 56, who had been arrested in March with over 30,000 worth of illegal alcohol, recalled phoning his wife Sally to say his final goodbyes as the Taliban seized the Presidential Palace in Afghanistan's capital city on Sunday. The father-of-one, above, said bullets were hitting the walls with shouts of 'Allahu Akbar' heard while the Islamist terror group engaged in a gun fight outside his jail cell at the Counter Narcotics Detention Centre in Qasaba, near Kabul The father-of-one said bullets were hitting the walls with shouts of 'Allahu Akbar' heard while the Islamist terror group engaged in a gun fight outside his jail cell at the Counter Narcotics Detention Centre in Qasaba, near Kabul. But after hiding inside for one hour, he escaped alongside nearly 1,000 other prisoners in his plastic flip flops after a guard unlocked the door. His revelations come as the UK is in a race against time to help British nationals and supportive Afghans leave the country, while the US President suggests rescue missions must be completed within 10 days. Advertisement

Nevertheless her decision to leave has been an agonising one.

'I had 75 girls in the programme to raise the position of girls in society and ten female staff,' Kaisa told me. 'They are not just my staff they are my friends, inviting me to their homes. They are the ones who surprised us [in April] throwing us a big wedding party with beautiful traditional dresses and nice traditional Afghan food.

'I say to my girls now, 'Go to your homes, cover up and stay low. That's the safest place for you.' They're sending me messages all the time saying, 'The Taliban is outside my house. They're watching me.' Even then, Kaisa's loyalties were torn. 'I cannot leave my friends,' she said, looking to Pen for support.

'You're going,' Pen said firmly. Their quiet devotion was humbling to witness. Kaisa stood behind him, draping her arms over his shoulders and rubbing her cheek against his head. 'When will I see you? Will I ever see you?' she asked.

Keeping his emotions in check, Pen simply replied: 'You need to get ready.' He has spoken to her only briefly since she's arrived in Norway. 'She told me she has landed so I said, 'Brilliant, I'll speak to you whenever.' We haven't got time for pleasantries at the moment. We just need to get this job done.'

In a week that has seen the Taliban seize control of the Afghan capital, this heroic man has run the gamut of emotions: disbelief, fear, hope, bewilderment and fury  but mostly fury, particularly at the British Government's 'clusterf***' withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Yesterday a mob of armed Taliban fighters arrived at the Kabul compound where Pen works night and day to save his Afghan staff and 156 rescue animals. 'It was a bit of a heart-pounding moment,' he says.

Talking to me on Zoom yesterday, the monumental pressure he's under was evident on his face: 'They came to our gate this morning. There were about 15 of them  all armed and ready to go. We thought they were going to come in but, thankfully, just as they were about to, their radios and walkie talkies went crazy so they ran, jumped in their cars and left. Now we are just waiting to see if they come back.'

During the last 48 hours, the Taliban have been searching door-to-door, hunting those who stood against them with the US and UK forces. There are reports of torture and executions.

Pen served with the elite 42 Commando in the Battle of Nawzad against Taliban insurgents in 2006. 'If they do come back, my office manager and I will go out and meet them,' he says. 'We are going to tell them we are a non-government organisation so they have got no worry from us. Yes, I was a marine but that was a long time ago and I've spent my last 15 years here working in a peaceful charity that only wants to improve Afghanistan. So, let's see what they say.'

Pen has a plane on standby to rescue his 25 staff  including six women  their immediate families and his beloved cats and dogs. He has jobs, and training schemes for every one of them, but is still waiting for the government to say, 'Yes you can go'. Yesterday, a woman and two children were trampled in the increasingly chaotic scenes at Kabul airport bringing the death toll to 16. UK armed forces minister James Heappey finally admitted flights might only continue for a few more days and people who had been promised sanctuary will be left behind.

Safe: Kaisa Farthing with her mum, Sissel, in Oslo, Russia, yesterday

Besieged minister Dominic Raab refuses to apologise for failing to make crucial phone call while on holiday to seek help for Afghan translators Dominic Raab last night refused to apologise for failing to make a crucial phone call while he was on holiday to seek help for Afghan translators. Boris Johnson insisted yesterday that he 'absolutely' had full confidence in the Foreign Secretary as the Government mounted a frantic operation to shore up his precarious position. But in an another damaging development last night, it emerged that Mr Raab did not call any of his foreign counterparts in the days leading up to the Taliban's seizure of Kabul. The Foreign Office had insisted he did not speak to the Afghan foreign minister last Friday  despite advice from senior officials  because he was 'engaged on a range of other calls'. But it is understood he just spoke to British officials and fellow ministers in the week before the Taliban took Kabul. Mr Raab, who was staying at a luxury beach resort in Crete, only started making calls to his foreign counterparts on the Sunday afternoon once the insurgents had entered the Afghan capital. The Foreign Office last night declined to comment. Advertisement

'I am still hearing politicians saying, 'Oh, it's a little bit of congestion outside the airport'. Thousands of people are desperate to get away. That's not congestion. It's a humanitarian disaster,' says Pen.

'If people are so desperate that they're clinging on to the sides of an aircraft now, can you imagine what the hell is going to happen on the last day when the British or American troops fly out?' Pen left the Royal Marines in 2009 but the Commando spirit  courage, determination, unselfishness and cheerfulness in the face of adversity  remains the biggest part of him. He'd no more leave a single one of his staff or his rescued cats and dogs here than leave a fellow marine in the field. It's part of the reason he is so furious with the politicians who've displayed the greatest dereliction of duty.

For along with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab who was sunning himself in Crete when the Taliban overran the city, it has since emerged senior civil servants at the Foreign Office, Home Office and MoD were also all away on holiday.

'All I can say is any of them who are on holiday don't deserve to be in office or in their jobs. They're the ones who made the call to send British troops here. They should be back at their desks watching every single moment,' he says, frustration showing on his face.

This is a man who has barely snatched three hours sleep a night in the past six days and won't until his 'mission' to evacuate his staff and animals is accomplished.

He set up his charity after rescuing a horribly mutilated dog that was used by Afghans in dogfights. It became the first of 1,700 dogs he has saved. The Taliban class dogs as dirty animals so won't allow them to be kept as pets. 'I'm not going to leave my staff here to face persecution and reprisals because they supported the rescue of soldiers' dogs,' he says.

'I justified what we [the British troops] did here so girls could go to school. It was an amazing sight to see  kids who were keen for life, women who loved the fact they had a job and an income.

'In the space of literally weeks we've said, 'Nah, we'll give this country back to the Taliban'  the very people British troops removed from power, hundreds sacrificing their lives, to give the Afghan people aspirations, hope and dreams for a better future.

Putin welcomes the Taliban: Russian President says the West should not impose 'outside values' on Afghanistan Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the Taliban and said the West should not impose 'outside values' on Afghanistan. He criticised the 'irresponsible policy' and said 'you cannot impose standards of political life and behaviour on other people from outside'. It comes as China has also moved towards recognising the Taliban regime. Putin said it was not in Russia's interests to dwell on the result of the 20-year-old US military campaign in Afghanistan, which has ended in humiliating scenes of chaos at Kabul airport as states frantically try to evacuate their citizens. And he went on to call on allies to unite to help the people of Afghanistan amid mounting evidence the hardline Islamist regime has immediately returned to brutally oppressing the population - despite promising to be 'moderate'. Putin added Russia was interested in the country being stable and called on the global community to prevent the 'collapse' of Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. 'The Taliban movement control almost the entire territory of the country,' he told a televised press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Kremlin. 'These are the realities and it is from these realities that we must proceed, preventing the collapse of the Afghan state,' he added. Advertisement

'The Western governments have just ripped up that sacrifice  that future  and thrown it down the plughole. Can someone, anywhere, explain why we did that because I don't think there'll ever be anyone who can... it's heart breaking.'

He introduces me on video link to 26-year-old Dr Hamida Shabae. She is a gentle, pretty woman who graduated from university in 2016 and, when she joined Pen's charity was beside herself with joy. Now her eyes are red raw from crying.

Her father continues to fight for the remaining Afghan military in a district north of Kabul. Her mother weeps 'every hour' at the thought of her daughter leaving Afghanistan but knows she cannot stay. 'When I was a child, I saw women wearing burkas. They didn't let their daughters go to school. During the last 20 years everything changed. When I saw women bowling or going to the gym I'd smile because I was so happy to see women improving their standing in society.

'Everything went wrong in one day. Now women are wearing burkas again. We're back to 20 years ago. We've heard in some provinces the Taliban are searching each house to get girls who are between 14 and 45 to marry them. I will not be a sex slave of the Taliban. I don't want to leave my country but I don't want to stay here. At least Pen can save my life.'

It is a huge responsibility, but one Pen is determined to shoulder. He understands from the Home Office that the Government will grant his staff visas. His challenge now is to set plans in motion to get them and his animals to the airport.

'Everything comes down to, how do I get into the airport? The British troops can't push out from the airport because it only takes one trigger happy Tali or some nervous soldier and we are severely in trouble so we are going to have to find a way to get ourselves there. Hence there might be a rather rich Tali after this.' He frowns.

'I hate the thought of giving the Taliban money but this is the only choice I've got so that's what I'm going to have to do.'

The dogs bark. We freeze. Are the Taliban back? Thankfully, they are not. 'Getting scared is not going to change the situation,' he reasons. 'It's not going to make anything better so I might as well just try to stay as calm as possible and think rationally. That's what the Marines spent a long time training me to do.

'If people don't get out, the West has got a mass hostage situation on its hands,' he states.

The International Monetary Fund has said Afghanistan will no longer be able to access the lender's resources and the US has frozen nearly $9.5billion (7billion) of the country's assets. Pen explains: 'When they decide to stop the money all the Taliban has to do is go around and find someone with a British or American passport, throw them on the TV and say, 'We are going to chop off their heads unless we get funding.' That's the scenario if we don't get out.

'They could have done this so differently but the Western governments have just demonstrated a master class of how to screw up a country. Whatever is coming our way, people need to hold their heads in shame because they created this. I was really angry but now it's just numbness because there's nothing you can do. The Taliban are now in charge.

'Do you know something?' he says. 'Yesterday was actually Afghan Independence Day so we had a little cheer in the office. It's kind of ironic  Afghan Independence Day.'

Sadly, the irony and tragedy are lost on no one.

Donations for the animals and staff seeking sanctuary in Britain can be made at www.nowzad.com

One for all and all for nothing: He saw our heroes fight and die. In this heartbreaking account that every minister must read the bitterness of Joe Biden's Afghanistan betrayal is captured by war correspondent RICHARD PENDLEBURY

While watching the West's lamentable flight from Afghanistan this week, it has been impossible not to cast back my mind 20 years. To 'liberated' Kabul in the first spring after what was then seen as the Taliban's final defeat.

Much of the outskirts of the capital lay in ruins after two decades of war. But peace had come. And so I found myself perched in the gods of a derelict cinema that had been closed down by the joyless mullahs of the ousted regime.

Unfolding below me was apparent proof of an extraordinary sea change; as sudden and antithetical to what had gone before as the shaming scenes at Kabul's Hamid Karzai Airport are to us today.

It was March 8, 2002: the first International Women's Day ever to be celebrated in a land where females had been, at best, second-class citizens.

To mark the occasion, representatives of Kabul's womenfolk  banned by the Taliban on threat of physical punishment from leaving home without a male relative or the invisibility afforded by a burqa  were filing, unchaperoned, into the stalls. As soon as they were seated, most threw off their head coverings  revolutionary stuff  and waited for the headline speaker, who had been anointed by the West to lead them into this new era of emancipation.

My own memories of almost 20 years covering the war in Afghanistan and its impact on those who fought there will stay with me, too. Were there signs along the way that the multi-trillion-dollar endeavour would simply prove to be what Marine Deen and many others have described as 'a modern-day Vietnam'? Richard Pendlebury is pictured above in Afghanistan

He was a man, of course. In fact, a man after whom the city's airport  now a symbol, alongside the old U.S. Embassy in Saigon, of ignominious evacuation and foreign policy catastrophe  would eventually be named.

The urbane, sartorially elegant but ultimately ineffectual Afghan president Hamid Karzai spoke at length of his vision of the 'new dawn'.

As soon as the event was over, the women disappeared once again under their head scarves and burqas before re-entering the doubtful safety of the streets. Karzai left with his Western Special Forces' bodyguards.

It was early days and beyond the cinema the city was coming to life. Metropolitan security was being provided by the British military, led by the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. They were the cutting edge of the newly formed International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), whose task was to provide temporary help to local police in Kabul  and nowhere else.

To this end the police had been given 60 bicycles, eight cars and an undisclosed number of notebooks and pencils.

It's instructive to re-read now what I wrote then of the  with hindsight  staggering optimism and naivety which underpinned this supposedly limited military intervention: 'The ISAF should be here for six months, by which time peaceful democracy will have taken root in Afghanistan,' I reported.

'That's the plan, at least. Thanks in part to Tony Blair's globe-trotting efforts during the post-September 11 crisis, Britain has been given first charge of the ISAF. In fact, the in-joke here is that the British 16th Air Assault Brigade, which forms the main combat element of ISAF, is actually the 'Blair Assault Brigade', so closely is it linked to the PM's statesman ambitions.'

And so the Paras patrolled the bazaars wearing friendly smiles and soft red berets  rather than combat helmets  handing out sweets to children. In six months they would be leaving Afghanistan to the Afghans.

A chimera, of course, a tragic delusion. This was not a new dawn but the slippery slope towards another abyss into which British soldiers were pitched at ever increasing rates. That 'mission creep', driven by Mr Blair's messianic tendencies, saw its apotheosis in the eventual deployment of thousands of British troops to the Taliban's rural heartland in Helmand province.

It's instructive to re-read now what I wrote then of the  with hindsight  staggering optimism and naivety which underpinned this supposedly limited military intervention: 'The ISAF should be here for six months, by which time peaceful democracy will have taken root in Afghanistan,' I reported

They were sent to support 'reconstruction' and the promotion of the Western values espoused by Karzai in that ruined cinema during the Kabul Spring.

But Kabul would prove to be a metropolitan bubble. Helmand was not to be another Kosovo-style intervention with a well-defined foe and clear victories, following which the grateful populace would name their roads and children after Tony Blair.

Helmand was like no other place on Earth. In total more than 150,000 British servicemen and women would be deployed to Afghanistan over 19 years rather than six months.

Of these, 457 lost their lives and more than 4,000 were wounded, many losing limbs. Countless more have come home mentally damaged by PTSD and other combat-related conditions.

In their heads they cannot escape Helmand. For some  scores, more likely hundreds  the only way out of this legacy was suicide.

And for what? That is the big question asked of me this week by several veterans I first met on the Afghan front-line or have come to know at home. As the Taliban walked back into power, the 'reconstruction' for which they spilled blood, saw their comrades die or suffer years of mental anguish had proved to be as durable as a house of cards in a strong wind.

Among them was former Royal Marine commando Sam Deen. He tried to kill himself with an overdose of antidepressants in the summer of 2018, having come to feel that his life post-Helmand was simply an unendurable 'vortex of s***'.

'It's difficult to comprehend what has just occurred,' he texted me on Thursday. 'My memories of Afghanistan will never leave me and it's heart-breaking to realise now that it was all for nothing.'

My own memories of almost 20 years covering the war in Afghanistan and its impact on those who fought there will stay with me, too. Were there signs along the way that the multi-trillion-dollar endeavour would simply prove to be what Marine Deen and many others have described as 'a modern-day Vietnam'?

Let us begin, back in Kabul in 2002. The carpet and antique shops of Chicken Street were doing a brisk trade with the influx of foreigners. The old British Embassy  abandoned in 1989 was still intact. I explored the interior, where bottles of gin and other aperitifs were lined along a mantelpiece, relics from when HM Ambassador was still on the premises and hosting receptions.

The best china and portraits of British monarchs had been put into secret storage against his return. The two Afghan caretakers responsible were awarded MBEs later that year. Another 'feelgood' story from the new Afghanistan. Where are those caretakers and their medals now, I wonder? I ventured out towards the eastern city of Jalalabad and took tea with turbaned tribal elders, then surveyed one of Nangarhar province's myriad opium poppy fields.

Richard Pendlebury is pictured above in Afghanistan. He writes of the conflict: 'This was not a new dawn but the slippery slope towards another abyss into which British soldiers were pitched at ever increasing rates. That 'mission creep', driven by Mr Blair's messianic tendencies, saw its apotheosis in the eventual deployment of thousands of British troops to the Taliban's rural heartland in Helmand province'

This would stop, one assumed. The West was now in a position to act. One of the world's biggest providers of the raw material for street heroin was surely going to be shut down.

Back in Kabul, more evidence of progress; the Para battalion was helping form a new Afghan army based on the Western model. I watched a Para NCO instructor putting the 1st Battalion Afghan National Guard through its paces.

'Run to the edge of the square you f*****g gy***,' he bellowed at a hapless recruit. 'What the sergeant is telling you to do . . .' began the interpreter.

Some wit at HQ had given this debut Afghan unit the acronym '1 BANG', as in 'one bang and they're off'. That seems horribly prescient since their successors' meek surrender this week. Then it was just an example of British military humour.

Because there really wasn't much danger. Then. Out on the streets the Paras were addressing common or garden banditry rather than an insurgency. Any real trouble would likely come, they thought, from squabbling between government-allied warlords.

The only casualties were those inflicted on domestic harmony. One young officer read out loud to me what he thought was the mission's first 'Dear John' letter. 'One letter in five weeks, no Valentine's card. You just cannot be bothered,' his ex-girlfriend fulminated as she terminated their relationship.

But in the mountains to the south, near Gardez, the American combat troops were busy still, rooting out what was left of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. I got there by taxi to join crowds of locals gawping on flat roofs as huge, Vietnam War-era B-52 bombers circled overhead, waiting to drop their ground-shaking loads on distant enemy positions. A visceral demonstration of superpower and why the Taliban could not hope to win.

But in the course of losing that battle, they and their foreign allies inflicted almost 100 casualties on the Americans and shot down two Chinook helicopters.

That wasn't in the script. Maybe subjugation and nation building would take a few weeks longer than anticipated.

To this end, there were whispers at Kabul HQ of an American request for Britain to send reinforcements to assist in their front-line mopping up. I broke the story and the Mail carried it on its front page with the headline 'British Marines called to war'.

Another article I wrote carried the cautionary headline: 'When will the first British soldier die?' In retrospect, a more pertinent question would have been 'How many will die?'.

The following month, 1,700 Royal Marines were flown in to help the Americans. Operation Herrick began that June. Yet from 2002 until the summer of 2006 only two British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan as a result of hostile action.

Then Mr Blair made his bold offer to turn Helmand into another Hertfordshire and the game changed almost overnight.

That summer, outnumbered and besieged in Helmand, small British units found themselves fighting desperate battles for survival. Strange names such as Musa Qala and, more regularly, Sangin, began to appear in newspaper reports. Casualties mounted.

More British soldiers were poured into the province until there were almost 10,000. Patrol bases proliferated, while the desert mother ship, Camp Bastion, grew to enormous size.

Air cover and logistical support was provided from the even more gigantic Kandahar Air Field (KAF) where, with its branch of TGI Fridays, French patisserie and Canadian roller hockey rink, one could imagine oneself almost anywhere but Afghanistan.

Still the casualty numbers grew. Increasingly from improvised explosive devices (IEDs). One of my memories of the hardship of this new phase of war was a rainswept night during the miserable winter of 2008-09.

The Gurkha patrol to which I was attached had literally run into a Taliban IED layer pushing a wheelbarrow that contained a shovel and a 'daisy chain' of three 155 mm artillery shells, wired to a detonator. He escaped because of the immaculately followed rules of engagement, which said soldiers could not open fire on someone who was not immediately menacing them. You cannot push a wheelbarrow and point a rifle at the same time.

Nothing could be done about defusing the device in darkness. So the platoon lay all night along a wall in the driving rain to guard it. In the morning we found that the bivouac covered a stretch of ground used by the village as a communal latrine.

This kind of cultural disconnect and misunderstanding of local mores had already encouraged one of the military 'reconstruction' teams I met to build a public lavatory in another village. The kind of loo you would find in Harrogate rather than Helmand.

Eager to please, perhaps, the locals, who for millennia had wiped their backsides with smooth stones, continued to do so until the new lavatory bowl was overflowing with soiled rock. This so infuriated the British NCO in charge that he commissioned a series of photographs of himself dropping his trousers and using lavatory paper, which would be exhibited outside his pride and joy, for the greater good.

But what did the locals really want? And who were Taliban among the male residents of the closed villages through which we and the British squaddies passed; fearing with every step that what was buried in the ground ahead would take our legs or life?

The answer to the first question was to be left alone by both sides. The answer to the second was 'any one of them. It's impossible to tell'.

The next summer was the bloodiest. Along with Mail photographer Jamie Wiseman, I was embedded with 2 Mercian, in the lead platoon of the final phase of the biggest British ground offensive of the war.

Object: to take back territory from the Taliban so the locals could vote.

Snapshots. In a ditch under fire beside a bearded SAS reservist who was mentoring the attached Afghan National Army platoon.

'Where are the rest of your men?' I asked him. Later, he would smile ruefully. Only eight out of the 30 Afghan soldiers of which he was in charge had turned up for duty that crucial day  one of whom would lose his life.

In the hours that followed, disaster after disaster befell the British. First, a rocket-propelled grenade knocked out the leading armoured vehicle, taking a leg off its young commander and killing 18-year-old Private Robbie Laws.

This week, Danny Eaglesfield, Laws' best friend from training  who was there when he died and wounded beside him  messaged me on Facebook.

'It's difficult to believe [the scenes at Kabul airport],' he said. 'It's like I'm watching a movie rather than real life.

'I'm so sad to think of the lives that have been lost on the front-line, for it all to end in this catastrophic disaster.'

A few minutes after Laws' death, the entire Mercian company HQ  the Officer Commanding and his entourage  was killed or wounded by an enormous IED.

As we survivors traipsed through the gathering darkness to bivouac, bats swooping overhead to eat the midges or mosquitoes that were eating us, this did not feel like victory.

But even then I did not feel the Coalition war was going off the rails. That came in the Arghandab Valley near Kandahar in the autumn of the following year.

We had joined a battalion of a famed U.S. airborne division who were part of President Obama's 'surge'. The last throw of the dice to win Afghanistan on the battlefield. They were fighting among pomegranate orchards and small villages in one of the most heavily land-mined areas on Earth  the 'Devil's Playground'. One platoon had taken 50 per cent casualties that summer.

The commanding officer had been deeply affected. He did not want to build public lavatories; instead, he planned to wipe three largely abandoned local villages off the map entirely, because they were larded with the kind of IEDs that had killed or maimed so many of his men.

He believed that the former residents  who would return to their former homes to tend their crops  knew where the mines were planted.

But they refused to tell him. Or did not know. He'd given them, he said, until Thursday to come clean. After that, their villages would be levelled by air strikes. He showed me on the map on his control room wall where he intended to build the replacement settlements.

He had become an urban planner from hell; a Colonel Kurtz driven to extremes by the heart of darkness. He had written the names of his seven men killed and 14 who suffered life-changing injuries  including four double leg amputations  on a card which he always carried in his breast pocket.

'I am unprepared to tell any more moms and dads that their sons died trying to clear [these places],' he told me. I was flown off his base before I could witness what was about to happen. But it happened.

This was not hearts and minds.

In the same small base, a U.S. master sergeant bitched about the resident Afghan National Army unit. They were slovenly and smoked too much weed or opium.

'God damn Afghans,' he declared. 'Messing up my God damned camp.' Your camp, their country, I thought.

But, arguably, by then, the American airborne should not have been leading the fight.

This week one of the Tory Afghan veteran MPs made what I thought was a very important point. Not enough had been done to make the defeat of the Taliban 'their war' as opposed to 'our war'.

The Afghan security forces, armed, dressed and paid by the West, were always only attached to Coalition forces that did the heavy lifting in combat. And when the Coalition left, they collapsed.

And now the rug has been pulled from beneath us all. The heroin cultivation is greater than ever. The Taliban are shooting demonstrators in Jalalabad. There are widespread reports of alleged revenge killings of Afghans believed to have colluded with the West. Beatings on the street for those carrying the Afghan flag  and claims that a regional police chief was executed in cold blood.

Jem McIIveen, the young commander of the 2 Mercian platoon to which I had been attached that summer of 2009, texted me this week.

'What's happened now in Afghanistan is a completely avoidable and self-inflicted disaster,' he wrote. 'I feel a great deal of sadness and guilt about the fate that awaits the people.'

The Kabul Spring, like the Prague and Arab Springs, was a giddy but mistaken moment of democratic hope before the Dark Ages returned  with a vengeance.

PLATELL'S PEOPLE: I know Dominic Raab. I believed in him. But now he has to go

There are times in the world of politics when you find it impossible to defend someone you believed in, someone you thought could make it to the top, even perhaps become Prime Minister.

That time has come for me, with Dominic Raab.

The first time I met Dom, as he prefers to be called, was a few years ago. I found him articulate, polite, handsome (and he knew it) but perhaps a little too confident.

There are times in the world of politics when you find it impossible to defend someone you believed in. That time has come for me, with Dominic Raab

I liked him though and, being in the media, gave him tips on television appearances. I pointed out that he sweated too much under the TV lights and suggested make-up products he could use  advice he rather too eagerly accepted.

Fast forward to today and the Foreign Secretary has good reason to sweat after his cack-handed and callous mishandling of the Afghanistan crisis. Even as an admirer of Dom, I can no longer in all conscience defend him.

As our troops might say, he was missing in action.

There have been days of obfuscation over why he did not return from his luxury family holiday in Crete while Kabul fell. Then muddying of the waters over the crucial phone call he was asked to make, but didn't. (As the Mail revealed yesterday, no one at all made the call that could have helped rescue Afghan translators who served us so loyally.)

On top of this were the claims from his office that he was working flat out in Crete when he was actually flat out on a sunbed, topping up his tan while those to whom we owe safe passage were abandoned.

It says something about the man that Foreign Office colleagues accused him of 'appalling negligence', saying he had 'completely checked out' of his job a year ago, and read just a fifth of his daily red boxes.

Is he so arrogant that he thinks the job of Foreign Secretary is beneath him?

I used to think he was a decent, principled Conservative who could rise to the top. Now he's at the bottom of the political heap with Labour rightly baying for his blood.

My advice would be: 'Quit now, Dom.' You had a duty to protect all those who fought side-by-side with our troops in Afghanistan, those for whom this newspaper has campaigned for years. And you failed.

Life will be worse for you if you stay  the suffering and possible torture and death of each translator caught by the Taliban will haunt you as you peruse your happy holiday snaps in Crete.

Much as it pains me to say it, do the decent thing, Dom. Take a deep breath  and walk the plank.
NYPD officer Errick Allen was only with the department for seven months before being terminated after the crime

A rookie NYPD cop accused of shooting his childhood friend to death with his service weapon while off-duty last year was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned Friday on Long Island.

Errick Allen, of North Massapequa, appeared before Judge Francis Ricigliano of the Nassau County Court, and is now back in custody.

The 28-year-old, who was with the New York City Police Department for just seven months prior to the fatal shooting, was arrested and charged in May 2020 immediately following the crime.

According to a new grand jury indictment, he is now charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and menacing in connection to the shooting death of Christopher Curro, 25, of West Babylon.

James' office reports that Allen and Curro had been friends since childhood, however text exchanges on their cell phones revealed the two were arguing.

Allen is accused of killing Curro May 12, 2020 in Farmingdale, shooting him five times at close range, including twice in the head, with his NYPD service weapon.

Allen initially fled, but returned later and was apprehended by police. Curro was unarmed, according to New York State Attorney General Letitia James' office.

Christopher Curro was 25-years-old when he was shot to death by his childhood friend and NYPD officer Errick Allen back in May 2020

Allen being walked to court by authorities after his May 2020 arrest

'We trust our police officers to protect the safety of New Yorkers, but instead, this defendant allegedly betrayed that duty and used his service weapon to end another mans life,' said James.

Allen had been out on bail following his May 2020 arrest, however the conditions changed after he was hospitalized following a 'mental breakdown,' according to Acting State Supreme Court Justice Robert Schwartz. He threatened to kill himself in November of last year, Newsday reported at the time.

He was not allowed to leave the state, and had a curfew of 7pm. He was ordered to live at his parents' home.

Allen and Curro were longtime friends since childhood

Schwartz ordered Allen to continue psychiatric treatment, with reports on his mental health provided monthly to the court.

But after the grand jury indictment on Friday, the judge Friday ultimately remanded him back into police custody.

The disgraced rookie was first suspended by the NYPD, then terminated by the department a short time later.

It is still unclear what the nature of their argument was, according to James' office.

Allen is due back in court September 23, 2021. Murder in the second degree carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Prince Charles today makes his most powerful intervention to date in the fight against climate change, telling Britain's business leaders they must help, or the planet is 'done for'.

Drawing emotionally on his family connections to wildfire-racked Greece, the prince issues a robust challenge to big business to join his crusade for action 'before it's finally too late'.

The heir to the throne says that humanity's 'only hope' is for business chiefs to join world leaders in an 'epic battle' to avert 'climate catastrophe'.

Writing exclusively for the Daily Mail, the Prince of Wales declares that business 'with its trillions of dollars' has an 'absolutely critical' role to play. He says that unlocking this private sector investment could bring about a 'game-changing green transition'.

Prince Charles today makes his most powerful intervention to date in the fight against climate change, telling Britain's business leaders they must help, or the planet is 'done for'

Using visceral and emotional language, Charles talks about the wildfires devastating his beloved Greece, saying the scenes have been 'terrifying' and 'the stuff of nightmares'.

He tells of his heartbreak at seeing the land where his father and grandfather were born being 'swallowed up by ferocious flames' and warns that 'time is rapidly running out'.

'We now have no alternative  we have to do all we possibly can in the short time left to us to avoid the enormous climate catastrophe that has already begun to show its face in the most terrifying ways,' he writes.

He says there is time to address the crisis, 'but only just'.

The prince wants leading companies to sign up to his 'Terra Carta', a charter that commits them to putting sustainability at the heart of all their business activities.

The heir to the throne says that humanity's 'only hope' is for business chiefs to join world leaders in an 'epic battle' to avert 'climate catastrophe'.

More than 400 have so far, but Charles warns the crisis is 'monumental' and can be tackled only by big business and governments working together.

Warning that weather-related disasters should serve as a wake-up call, the prince writes: 'We have been in the 'last chance saloon' for too long already, so if we do not confront the monumental challenge head on - and fast - we and the world as we know it will be done for.'

Charles's challenge to big business is a significant intervention from the heir to the throne.

It comes in the wake of a stark report from the United Nations' panel on climate change earlier this month which warned of unprecedented global warming and which was described as a 'code red' moment for humanity.

In the autumn, Britain will host COP26, the UN's climate change conference, in Glasgow, which is seen as one of the last chances for major nations to agree an approach to prevent potentially catastrophic global heating.

Charles has long been ahead of his time in highlighting environmental issues  and the role that big business can play in helping to solve them.

Last year, he launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos in a bid to accelerate global progress on sustainability.

Last year, he launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos in a bid to accelerate global progress on sustainability.

The 'Terra Carta' is one of its flagship initiatives. It aims to provide a roadmap for businesses to move towards an ambitious and sustainable future by 2030.

Its concept is based on the 1215 Magna Carta, and aimed at holding major companies accountable for helping to protect the planet.

In today's article for the Mail, the prince says we have been 'testing our world to destruction' and it is now up to all of us to get involved to combat climate change.

He tells of his heartbreak at seeing the destruction caused by wildfires in Greece, a land to which he feels an emotional connection  the birthplace of his late father Prince Philip and paternal grandfather Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.

Charles made a significant private donation to the Hellenic Red Cross recently to help assist its humanitarian response to the residents of the fire-stricken areas in Greece.

The donation was praised at the time by the president of the HRC.

PRINCE CHARLES: The devastation in the land of my father is the stuff of nightmares. We must ALL act before it's too late...

Owing to family connections, I have always felt a particular fascination and affection for Greece.

Apart from the allure of her landscapes, history and culture, both my father and grandfather were born there, which is why I was so touched to be invited earlier this year to celebrate the bicentenary of the country's independence.

Now, five months later, it has been heartbreaking to see the devastating fires affecting Greece, Turkey, and now Italy which has just recorded Europe's highest ever temperature.

It has been truly the stuff of nightmares to see the once blue skies above the Peloponnese, Attica and the island of Evia turn a bright orange as mile after mile of the country's famed landscape and over 100,000 hectares of forest and farmland have been swallowed up by ferocious flames, causing the tragic loss of life, injury and the widespread destruction of so many peoples' homes and livelihoods.

Using visceral and emotional language, Charles talks about the wildfires devastating his beloved Greece, saying the scenes have been 'terrifying' and 'the stuff of nightmares'.

He tells of his heartbreak at seeing the land where his father and grandfather were born being 'swallowed up by ferocious flames' and warns that 'time is rapidly running out'.

I have heard reports recently from British firefighters who rushed there to help who say they have never seen such fires. I can only imagine that their colleagues battling to bring the fires under control in California and from the west coast to the prairies in Canada would say the same.

I have lost count of the number of weather-related disasters that have hit so many countries across the Commonwealth and beyond. I have depressing memories of seeing at first-hand the devastation in the Caribbean in 2017 after it was struck by two Category Five hurricanes in the same week.

Now we see Haiti battered by Tropical Storm Grace, compounding the devastation caused by the earthquake which tragically claimed so many lives. The fires, floods and the increasingly severe droughts that have affected Australia make it very clear indeed: Our planet is in crisis and, no matter where you are, no country is immune.

'Now we see Haiti battered by Tropical Storm Grace, compounding the devastation caused by the earthquake which tragically claimed so many lives' he writes

Rather too many years ago than I care to remember, I tried to warn of the immense risks we were running  particularly for future generations, and for the natural world on which we depend  by not taking seriously what the scientists were saying.

The predictions last week in the Special Report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change were unequivocal. Unless we take immediate and urgent action, its scientists estimate there is an 89 per cent chance of extreme events that used to happen once a century happening every year.

As we approach COP26, the international climate change conference in Glasgow this November, this should surely serve as a wake-up call that climate change is happening now. We have been in the 'last chance saloon' for too long already, so if we do not confront the monumental challenge head on  and fast  we and the world as we know it will be done for.

I have long felt the challenge is far too big and far too important for any one country to address it alone. British firefighters are doing what they can to help in Greece, but we all need to race to the front line now to combat climate change as a whole. As the UN Panel stressed, there is still time to do this, but only just.

'Rather too many years ago than I care to remember, I tried to warn of the immense risks we were running  particularly for future generations,' he writes

This is why I have long believed that the private sector, with its trillions of dollars, has an absolutely critical role to play in an effective and practical partnership with governments, NGOs, charities and individuals. Unlocking the enormous investment potential in the private sector could accelerate the world towards a game-changing green transition  which is why, over the past 18 months, I have spent a great deal of time trying to bring the world's leading businesses together, sector by sector, to that end.

The aim has been to create a 'coalition of the willing' and I have challenged them to see what we could do to overcome endemic obstacles in order to accelerate the practical transition to a greener future ahead of COP26 and beyond.

With their help, in January this year we launched what is called the 'Terra Carta', a voluntary charter for the private sector which sets out the basis of a decade-long recovery plan founded upon adopting sustainable solutions.

In signing the Terra Carta, business leaders declare that genuine sustainability is not a fad; it must inform and lie at the heart of all their business activities. In just seven months, I am pleased to say we have won the support of more than 400 leading companies.

The Prince of Wales writes that businesses with money have critical role to play

In view of the fact that we have been busily testing our world to destruction and have left everything to the last minute, so that time is rapidly running out, they can only hope to win this epic battle if their counterparts in governments work with them to create the right conditions for an accelerated green transition.

This is why COP26 is so crucially important for our very survival on this increasingly over-heating planet  something our children and grandchildren are rightly and deeply concerned about.

The 'coalition of the willing' joins me in hoping that the conference will deliver the transformational decisions and the roadmap for change for which our planet is crying out.

We now have no alternative  we have to do all we possibly can in the short time left to us to avoid the enormous climate catastrophe that has already begun to show its face in the most terrifying ways, most recently in the Mediterranean.

World leaders, working closely with the private sector, have the power to make the difference. COP26 affords them an opportunity to do so before it is finally too late.
President Joe Biden is nominating former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve as his envoy to Japan and longtime former senior State Department official Nicholas Burns to serve as his ambassador to China.

The White House formally announced the much-anticipated nominations Friday.

Emanuel was also a former three-term congressman who served as President Barack Obama's first White House chief of staff and was a senior adviser in President Bill Clinton's administration.

If confirmed by the Senate, Emanuel will be dispatched to Tokyo at a critical point in the U.S.-Japan relationship as Biden has made strengthening relations with partners in the Pacific a priority as he increases focus on China.

President Joe Biden is nominating former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve as his envoy to Japan

Biden with his pick of Burns turns to a seasoned career foreign service officer to serve as his envoy to arguably the most difficult diplomatic mission.

The president has repeatedly called China the United States most significant economic competitor and a rising national security concern and subsequently has sought to center his foreign policy on the Pacific in the early going of his administration.

Biden had considered naming Emanuel to serve as his transportation secretary but ultimately passed him over in the face of fierce opposition from some in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party who took issue with his record on policing and school closures in predominantly Black neighborhoods during his time as Chicago's mayor.

Emanuel served as an informal adviser to Biden's White House campaign and has been a significant force in Democratic Party politics for much of the last three decades.

Biden is nominating longtime former senior State Department official Nicholas Burns to serve as his ambassador to China

He left Congress to serve as Barack Obama's first White House chief of staff, helping the president shepherd his signature health care law and push for massive stimulus in the wake of the Great Recession.

As the House Democrats chief fundraiser in 2006, he was the architect of the wave election that delivered his party to the majority for the first time in a dozen years, and made Nancy Pelosi the first female speaker in history.

As mayor, Emanuel touted record high school graduation rates in the nation's third largest city and his success recruiting several large corporations to relocate to Chicago among his chief accomplishments.

But he faced criticism for soaring homicide rates during his time as mayor, a fraught relationship with the Chicago Teachers Union, and mounting unmet pension obligations for city workers. Much of the city's financial plight was something Emanuel inherited from his predecessor Richard M. Daleys administration.

In 2018, he announced that he wouldn't seek a third term as mayor as the city was bracing for the high-profile trial of a white police officer who fatally shot a black teen, Laquan McDonald, on a city street.

The 2014 shooting death of McDonald, who was shot 16 times, was one of the several high-profile police shootings of black men and women around the country that spurred national outrage and a larger debate about policing in Black communities.

Emanuel, facing reelection in 2015, argued against releasing police video of the shooting while the investigation was continuing.

After months of litigation - and after Emanuel was reelected to a second term - a court ordered the city to show the footage to the public. Emanuel's relationship with Chicago's Black community became strained following the video's release.

Emanuel in a statement touted his decades of working with Biden and the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship.

"The alliance between the United States and Japan is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific, and I would proudly represent our nation with one of our most critical global allies in one of the most critical geopolitical regions," Emanuel said.

Burns previously served as undersecretary of state under President George W. Bush and as U.S. envoy to Greece and NATO. He also served as State Department spokesman and spent five years on the White House National Security Council, a tenure that overlapped the Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush administrations.

His foreign service officer career included a stint as consulate general in Jerusalem (1985-1987) as well service at the U.S. embassy in Egypt (1983-1985) and Mauritania (1980 as an intern).

Burns is now the executive director of the Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum. Hes also a professor of the practice of diplomacy and international relations at the Harvard Kennedy School.

If confirmed by the Senate, Burns will head to Beijing at a difficult moment.

U.S. intelligence officials are in the midst of a 90-day review focused on determining the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, including any possibility the trail might lead to a Chinese lab.

The president has also pressed China's Xi Jinping on his government crackdown of democracy activists in Hong Kong, human rights abuses against Uyghur and ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province, and what the U.S. sees as unfair and coercive trade practices.

The administration accused China of being behind a massive hack of Microsoft Exchange email server software and indicted four Chinese nationals on charges they tried to steal U.S. trade secrets, technology and disease research. China rejected the hacking accusation and demanded that Washington drop the charges against its citizens.

The White House also announced that Biden was tapping Michael Battle, a former diplomat, academic, and military chaplain to serve as ambassador to Tanzania.

Battle was executive vice president/provost at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

He also previously served as the U.S. representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the U.S. ambassador to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Cressida Dick is facing a potential misconduct probe over her open support of one of her most controversial senior officers who could stand trial over alleged data breaches.

The Scotland Yard chief has been referred to the police watchdog over her public comments and alleged actions in relation to deputy assistant commissioner Matt Horne.

She has been caught up in a string of controversies, including her handling of the Operation Midland scandal as well as her forces woeful security operation at the Euro 2020 final.

In June an official report branded the Met institutionally corrupt and accused Dame Cressida of trying to thwart an inquiry into the unsolved murder of private eye Daniel Morgan.

She has rejected the key findings. Until recently Mr Horne was head of professional standards at the Met  charged with holding officers to account.

Scotland Yard chief Dame Cressida Dick (pictured) has been referred to the police watchdog over her public comments and alleged actions in relation to deputy assistant commissioner Matt Horne

Before landing his 150,000-a-year job under Dame Cressida, he was found guilty of three counts of misconduct while deputy chief constable at Essex Police.

There Mr Horne pushed a chief superintendent into a desk and later hurled a stress ball at him  earning him the nickname Stressball Matt.

He also repeatedly swore at a colleague with his fists clenched.

He avoided the sack and later landed a key post in charge of the so-called Line of Duty squad at the Met.

After joining Britains biggest force in February 2019 further allegations were made that Mr Horne had illegally accessed confidential information to undermine the bullying probe.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has since passed a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which is considering criminal charges against Mr Horne under the Data Protection Act  namely that he and another senior officer wrongly accessed and shared confidential information.

In May Dame Cressida jumped to Mr Hornes defence when challenged by MPs at the home affairs committee over his appointment.

Senior Tory MP Tim Loughton said the post of head of professional standards probably needs a higher-than-average level of integrity and reputation.

Dame Cressida said: He had been found, as you know, in relation to misconduct.

'That is not something that should or does impede peoples appointment... He is a very capable man, and he has been doing an excellent job since he has been in the Met.

Critics accused her of undermining the legal process by backing Mr Horne, before the CPS has ruled on whether he should face criminal charges over alleged data breaches.

Before landing his 150,000-a-year job under Dame Cressida, Matt Horne (pictured) was found guilty of three counts of misconduct while deputy chief constable at Essex Police

Last month Dame Cressida was at the centre of a new cover-up storm after it emerged she was secretly referred to the police watchdog last year over comments she made about the controversial stop and search of Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams.

Dame Cressida later defended her officers on LBC radio but critics accused her of trying to pre-empt the outcome of an ongoing independent investigation into the incident.

The Mail revealed last week that her hopes of securing a contract extension as the Mets top police officer are fading, with key Government figures questioning her suitability to stay in post.

In a statement yesterday on the latest scandal, the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime said it had referred a complaint concerning Dame Cressida to the IOPC.

It relates to the commissioners public comments and alleged actions in relation to a senior officer, who is the subject of an ongoing IOPC complaint investigation.

The IOPC will determine whether there is an indication that the commissioner may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a way which would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings.

The IOPC said: We will now assess the information provided to determine what further action may be required.

Mr Horne was quietly dropped from his role as head of professional standards in the spring and given the role of senior responsible officer in charge of futures work.
Owing to family connections, I have always felt a particular fascination and affection for Greece.

Apart from the allure of her landscapes, history and culture, both my father and grandfather were born there, which is why I was so touched to be invited earlier this year to celebrate the bicentenary of the country's independence.

Now, five months later, it has been heartbreaking to see the devastating fires affecting Greece, Turkey, and now Italy which has just recorded Europe's highest ever temperature.

It has been truly the stuff of nightmares to see the once blue skies above the Peloponnese, Attica and the island of Evia turn a bright orange as mile after mile of the country's famed landscape and over 100,000 hectares of forest and farmland have been swallowed up by ferocious flames, causing the tragic loss of life, injury and the widespread destruction of so many peoples' homes and livelihoods.

It has been heartbreaking to see the devastating fires affecting Greece, Turkey, and now Italy which has just recorded Europe's highest ever temperature, the Prince writes

I have heard reports recently from British firefighters who rushed there to help who say they have never seen such fires. I can only imagine that their colleagues battling to bring the fires under control in California and from the west coast to the prairies in Canada would say the same.

I have lost count of the number of weather-related disasters that have hit so many countries across the Commonwealth and beyond. I have depressing memories of seeing at first-hand the devastation in the Caribbean in 2017 after it was struck by two Category Five hurricanes in the same week.

Now we see Haiti battered by Tropical Storm Grace, compounding the devastation caused by the earthquake which tragically claimed so many lives. The fires, floods and the increasingly severe droughts that have affected Australia make it very clear indeed: Our planet is in crisis and, no matter where you are, no country is immune.

Using visceral and emotional language, the Prince talks about the wildfires devastating his beloved Greece, saying the scenes have been 'terrifying' and 'the stuff of nightmares'.

Prince Charles tells of his heartbreak at seeing the land where his father and grandfather were born being 'swallowed up by ferocious flames' and warns that 'time is rapidly running out'.

Rather too many years ago than I care to remember, I tried to warn of the immense risks we were running  particularly for future generations, and for the natural world on which we depend  by not taking seriously what the scientists were saying.

The predictions last week in the Special Report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change were unequivocal. Unless we take immediate and urgent action, its scientists estimate there is an 89 per cent chance of extreme events that used to happen once a century happening every year.

As we approach COP26, the international climate change conference in Glasgow this November, this should surely serve as a wake-up call that climate change is happening now. We have been in the 'last chance saloon' for too long already, so if we do not confront the monumental challenge head on  and fast  we and the world as we know it will be done for.

'Now we see Haiti battered by Tropical Storm Grace, compounding the devastation caused by the earthquake which tragically claimed so many lives' he writes

'Rather too many years ago than I care to remember, I tried to warn of the immense risks we were running  particularly for future generations,' he writes

I have long felt the challenge is far too big and far too important for any one country to address it alone. British firefighters are doing what they can to help in Greece, but we all need to race to the front line now to combat climate change as a whole. As the UN Panel stressed, there is still time to do this, but only just.

This is why I have long believed that the private sector, with its trillions of dollars, has an absolutely critical role to play in an effective and practical partnership with governments, NGOs, charities and individuals. Unlocking the enormous investment potential in the private sector could accelerate the world towards a game-changing green transition  which is why, over the past 18 months, I have spent a great deal of time trying to bring the world's leading businesses together, sector by sector, to that end.

The aim has been to create a 'coalition of the willing' and I have challenged them to see what we could do to overcome endemic obstacles in order to accelerate the practical transition to a greener future ahead of COP26 and beyond.

'I have long felt the challenge is far too big and far too important for any one country to address it alone' the Prince writes

With their help, in January this year we launched what is called the 'Terra Carta', a voluntary charter for the private sector which sets out the basis of a decade-long recovery plan founded upon adopting sustainable solutions.

In signing the Terra Carta, business leaders declare that genuine sustainability is not a fad; it must inform and lie at the heart of all their business activities. In just seven months, I am pleased to say we have won the support of more than 400 leading companies.

In view of the fact that we have been busily testing our world to destruction and have left everything to the last minute, so that time is rapidly running out, they can only hope to win this epic battle if their counterparts in governments work with them to create the right conditions for an accelerated green transition.

This is why COP26 is so crucially important for our very survival on this increasingly over-heating planet  something our children and grandchildren are rightly and deeply concerned about.

'COP26 is so crucially important for our very survival on this increasingly over-heating planet  something our children and grandchildren are rightly and deeply concerned about' he writes

The 'coalition of the willing' joins me in hoping that the conference will deliver the transformational decisions and the roadmap for change for which our planet is crying out.

We now have no alternative  we have to do all we possibly can in the short time left to us to avoid the enormous climate catastrophe that has already begun to show its face in the most terrifying ways, most recently in the Mediterranean.

World leaders, working closely with the private sector, have the power to make the difference. COP26 affords them an opportunity to do so before it is finally too late.

EXCLUSIVE: Prince Charles warns UK bosses: 'Go green or we are done for' in his most powerful intervention to date in the fight against climate change, as he calls for business leaders to join the 'epic battle' to avert 'catastrophe'

By Colin Fernandez Environment Correspondent

Prince Charles today makes his most powerful intervention to date in the fight against climate change, telling Britain's business leaders they must help, or the planet is 'done for'.

Drawing emotionally on his family connections to wildfire-racked Greece, the prince issues a robust challenge to big business to join his crusade for action 'before it's finally too late'.

The heir to the throne says that humanity's 'only hope' is for business chiefs to join world leaders in an 'epic battle' to avert 'climate catastrophe'.

Writing exclusively for the Daily Mail, the Prince of Wales declares that business 'with its trillions of dollars' has an 'absolutely critical' role to play. He says that unlocking this private sector investment could bring about a 'game-changing green transition'.

Prince Charles today makes his most powerful intervention to date in the fight against climate change, telling Britain's business leaders they must help, or the planet is 'done for'

Using visceral and emotional language, Charles talks about the wildfires devastating his beloved Greece, saying the scenes have been 'terrifying' and 'the stuff of nightmares'.

He tells of his heartbreak at seeing the land where his father and grandfather were born being 'swallowed up by ferocious flames' and warns that 'time is rapidly running out'.

'We now have no alternative  we have to do all we possibly can in the short time left to us to avoid the enormous climate catastrophe that has already begun to show its face in the most terrifying ways,' he writes.

He says there is time to address the crisis, 'but only just'.

The prince wants leading companies to sign up to his 'Terra Carta', a charter that commits them to putting sustainability at the heart of all their business activities.

The heir to the throne says that humanity's 'only hope' is for business chiefs to join world leaders in an 'epic battle' to avert 'climate catastrophe'.

More than 400 have so far, but Charles warns the crisis is 'monumental' and can be tackled only by big business and governments working together.

Warning that weather-related disasters should serve as a wake-up call, the prince writes: 'We have been in the 'last chance saloon' for too long already, so if we do not confront the monumental challenge head on - and fast - we and the world as we know it will be done for.'

Charles's challenge to big business is a significant intervention from the heir to the throne.

It comes in the wake of a stark report from the United Nations' panel on climate change earlier this month which warned of unprecedented global warming and which was described as a 'code red' moment for humanity.

In the autumn, Britain will host COP26, the UN's climate change conference, in Glasgow, which is seen as one of the last chances for major nations to agree an approach to prevent potentially catastrophic global heating.

Charles has long been ahead of his time in highlighting environmental issues  and the role that big business can play in helping to solve them.

Last year, he launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos in a bid to accelerate global progress on sustainability.

Last year, he launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos in a bid to accelerate global progress on sustainability.

The 'Terra Carta' is one of its flagship initiatives. It aims to provide a roadmap for businesses to move towards an ambitious and sustainable future by 2030.

Its concept is based on the 1215 Magna Carta, and aimed at holding major companies accountable for helping to protect the planet.

In today's article for the Mail, the prince says we have been 'testing our world to destruction' and it is now up to all of us to get involved to combat climate change.

He tells of his heartbreak at seeing the destruction caused by wildfires in Greece, a land to which he feels an emotional connection  the birthplace of his late father Prince Philip and paternal grandfather Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.

Charles made a significant private donation to the Hellenic Red Cross recently to help assist its humanitarian response to the residents of the fire-stricken areas in Greece.

The donation was praised at the time by the president of the HRC.
A baby who was captured in a viral video being handed to a U.S. Marine over a wall topped with barbed-wire at Kabul airport in Afghanistan has been reunited with her father.

The video, which was taken by Omar Haidari, a human rights activist sees the sobbing infant, said to be a girl, being handed over to a Marine across a reinforced wall at Hamad Karzai International Airport who then hands the child to a fellow soldier.

Marine Corps officials confirmed Friday that a member of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is seen receiving a child in a viral video showing the infant being handed through the crowds.

'The baby seen in the video was taken to a medical treatment facility on site and cared for by medical professionals. I can confirm the baby was reunited with their father and is safe at the airport,' Major Jim Stenger told CBS News.

'This is a true example of the professionalism of the Marines on site, who are making quick decisions in a dynamic situation in support of evacuation operations,' he added.

It is the latest iconic image to emerge as people desperate to flee the Taliban beg troops and US allies to help them evacuate.

A baby is handed over to US Marines over a wall topped with barbed wire at the airport in Kabul as desperate locals wait to be evacuated, but the girl has since been returned to her father

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing on Friday afternoon that the baby was only given to the Marines to receive medical treatment and wasnt, as first thought, passed over to board a flight.

After the baby received medical treatment at a Norwegian field hospital at the airport, the Marines returned the infant back to the father.

'The parent asked the Marines to look after the baby because the baby was ill. The Marine you see reaching over the wall, took it to a Norwegian hospital at the airport. They treated the child and returned the child to the father,' Kirby explained.

'The baby was returned to its father. I dont know where they are now. Obviously we have a responsibility to return a child to the parent. I dont know who the parent is, if they're an SIV applicant. It was a humane act of compassion by the Marines.

A Marine assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) calms an infant during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday

An Airman comforts an baby during an evacuation at Kabul airport

U.S. service member carries a child at an Evacuation Control Checkpoint in Kabul on Friday

A U.S. Airman carries a child at an Evacuation Control Checkpoint during an evacuation at Kabul airport

Earlier, Britain's Ministry of Defence explained how no unaccompanied children have been left at the airport, nor are any being evacuated on flights from the Afghan capital.

The MOD source said there was no representation from the UN or an NGO during the chaotic scenes at the airport.

It comes after the wife of a former Royal Marine commando who was evacuated out of Afghanistan said she saw at least three crying children being handed over to soldiers by their mothers in Kabul.

Kaisa Markhus, 30, touched down in her native Norway this morning and breathed a huge sigh of relief as she met her mother and father in Oslo after she fled on an almost empty plane.

No way through: Westerners and Afghans with visas have to negotiate their way through this crowd (pictured today) if they want to make it to the airport. Kaisa said that the human tide outside the airport is only getting worse

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, she told of the chaotic scenes at Kabul Airport where a distressed mother tried to get her to take a baby with her and of the 'lonely sadness' of the rescue transport with only a handful of people on board.

'There are thousands trying to get into the airport and once through the gates we found a large group of people, both Afghan and Americans, trying to get on board military aircraft.

'There were crying children, who had become separated from their parents and at least three babies who must have been handed over to soldiers by their desperate mothers,' said Kaisa.

'Once on the plane, we waited on the tarmac for hours for people to get through. But eventually we had to take off. I just had a feeling of sadness because the flight was so empty'.

In her four-day battle to land back in Europe, Kaisa, the partner of British ex-soldier Paul 'Pen' Farthing, was nearly crushed to death in a stampede outside Kabul Airport, was placed in a safe house.

She told today how she got to Kabul Airport early yesterday morning to find thousands of locals besieging a barbed wire perimeter fence trying to force their way inside and on to some of the military planes evacuating Westerners.

Reunited: Kaisa Markhus, 30, touched down in her native Norway this morning, pictured, and breathed a huge sigh of relief as she met her mother and father in Oslo.

Women and children were trampled underfoot in Kabul today in just the latest piece of footage to come from the airport as western nations are chased out of Afghanistan by the Taliban

Kaisa's Norwegian evacuation flight was almost empty. She said: 'Once on the plane, we waited on the tarmac for hours for people to get through. But eventually we had to take off. I just had a feeling of sadness because the flight was so empty'.

She and a pregnant American friend, who manages the Nowzad animal sanctuary set up by her partner Pen, had to physically push their way through a sea of men, women and children to get to an access gate.

Once there, they had to get the attention of U.S soldiers manning the checkpoint, who had to examine their paperwork before letting them through.

During the hour-long wait to process their forms they had to remain in the crush outside the gate, frantically trying to avoid being sucked back into the crowd and out of sight of the soldiers.

Eventually they were waved through. Kaisa walked her American friend to the U.S processing centre before heading to the Norwegian office.

After her passport and paperwork was checked again, she boarded a virtually empty military plane, which remained on the tarmac for several hours waiting for fellow Norwegian ex-pats to board.

However, only a few stragglers managed to get through the chaos and confusion outside Kabul Airport and the plane had to take off with only a handful of passengers.

The military plane arrived at Georgia in the early hours of the morning and she caught a connecting commercial flight on to Oslo.

Kaisa said: 'I'm very pleased and relieved to be home finally.

'There are thousands of desperate and terrified people in Afghanistan who fear for their lives at the hands of the Taliban rulers and its these people who are crowding around Kabul Airport looking for any way out.

People run from gunfire in chaotic scenes at Kabul airport in Afghanistan

U.S. Marine escorts evacuees to the Evacuation Control Center at Hamid Karzai International Airpor

A U.S. Navy Sailor checks a child arriving at an Evacuate Control Center at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan

US Marines assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit calm infants during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Friday

AMarine with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) provides fresh water to a child during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan

A U.S. Marine assigned to 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit fist bumps a child evacuee

A U.S. Marine with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) provides water to a child during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport

A U.S. Marine assigned to 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit interacts with children during an evacuation

'There are four gates to the airport and each one is surrounded by masses of people.

'The problem is that unless you have valid paperwork and the proper forms to get through the gate, the soldiers won't let you through.

'That needs to be made clear to people because at the moment whole families are sleeping rough outside the perimeter fencing hoping to somehow get through.

'And for those who do have seats booked on flights out of Afghanistan, nobody can get through the human tide outside Kabul Airport. It's not getting any better, only worse as people get more desperate.

'We need to somehow make it clear to the people that there is no point crowding outside the airport if you don't have the right papers. They won't get in and will only put their lives at risk in a dangerous crush.'

'The Taliban have been calm and logical to negotiate with. I think we have a few days on us, but we do not have much time to find a solution to get our employees to safety.'

A smiling boy moves between US troops as he makes his way through a security checkpoint within Kabul airport on Wednesday

The journey home started for Kaisa on Tuesday when she and her friend attempted to get to the airport but were thwarted by large crowds gathered outside who had been encouraged by the fact that some locals had earlier managed to breach security and force their way onto military aircraft.

To keep the masses back, U.S soldiers fired a volley of warning shots over people's heads, which sparked panic and confusion.

Kaisa and her friend were nearly trampled to death in the ensuing stampede and were left wandering the streets dazed and confused.

Luckily they were picked up by friends and whisked to separate safe houses in Kabul, where she was able to reassure Pen, 52, that she was in no danger.

Although Taliban fighters patrolled outside in trucks armed with AK47's, the few encounters she had with them were positive.

Recalling her first dramatic attempt earlier In the week, she said: 'It was not a nice experience at all.

'There were a lot of scared people who just want a way out. One woman tried to hand me her baby and said 'please, please take my child' but I couldn't, no matter how much I wanted to help. It just doesn't work like that.

'She must have been desperate to do that.

Taliban fighters have now encircled the airport in Kabul and are deciding who gets to come in and who has to stay out. Checkpoints have been set up on both the civilian south side of the airport and the military north side, with gunshots fired in both locations to keep crowds back

Satellite images have revealed the extent of the crisis at Kabul airport, with cars crammed up against the southern civilian entrance and northern military entrance that can be seen from satellites

'It was impossible to reach the gate as there were so many stronger men in front of us but when the shots rang out from the soldiers, people began running in all directions and we had to concentrate on not being thrown to the floor under the weight of the crowd.

'I was more worried about my friend because she is pregnant but we somehow got clear but were then on our own in Kabul.

'We were taken to two separate locations across the city and waited there for 48-hours before trying again.'

The Taliban have issued a country-wide curfew of between 10pm and 4am so Kaisa began her second, this time successful, attempt just after it had ended yesterday.

She continued: 'We were told that first thing in the morning is usually quieter and not as many people gather outside the airport gates but when we got there, there was a familiar crush of people.

'We got to the gate, having had to push ourselves to the front. You have to be able to make eye contact with the American soldiers guarding it and be able to hand over the proper documents to them

'But as you are waiting, you have to somehow keep at the front of the crowd and stop people from pushing in front of you. It's easy to get lost in the crowd and if they can't see you, the soldiers can't wave you in.

'It was a huge relief to finally get into the airport. I walked my friend over to where the U.S processing centre was and it was pandemonium.

'There was a large group of people, both Afghan and Americans, trying to get on board military aircraft. There were crying children, who had become separated from their parent and at least three babies who must have been handed over to soldiers by their desperate mothers.

'The Norwegian processing centre was much quieter but we had to wait several hours on the tarmac waiting for people to come through, but of course they couldn't because of the crowds outside the airport.

'The Norwegian soldiers have been managing a hospital in Kabul but have been drafted into the airport to help get ex-pats home safely. They looked after me well.

'But in the end I was one of only a few passengers to take off on that flight to Georgia. The plane was virtually empty.

'It was a sad of reminder that our governments need to perhaps sit down with the Taliban and work out a way, somehow, of stopping the thousands of people massing outside the airport.'

Kaisa's partner Pen, originally from Essex, has vowed to stay behind at the Kabul sanctuary until all of his 25 members of staff and their immediate family members - some 71 people in total - have been given that safe passage out of Afghanistan.

He served with the Royal Marines in Helmand Province in 2006 and later set up the Nowzad sanctuary for stray animals after falling in love with a stray dog during his tour.

The charity, which is backed by Ricky Gervais and Dame Judi Dench, is Afghanistan's first official animal sanctuary and looks after more than 140 dogs, 60 cats, 24 donkeys and some horses.

Father Rune Markhus said: 'I did not think two days ago that I would see her. It's almost a bit unreal. It is fantastic. We are very relieved.
President Biden's Department of Justice has asked the Supreme Court to block a court order requiring his administration reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols, known as President Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' policy.

An appeals court on Thursday refused to pause the order.

Biden did away with policy earlier this year. The order required migrants seeking asylum in the US to await their court dates from Mexico. Under the program, first implemented in 2019, nearly 70,000 asylum-seeking migrants were returned to Mexico.

Texas and Missouri sued after the Biden administration ended the policy, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, ordered last week that the Biden administration reinstate the policy by Friday, a ruling the DOJ appealed.

Kacsmaryk said last week that the Biden administration had violated laws on procedure by failing to consider 'several of the main benefits' of the program and acted 'arbitrarily and capriciously' in ending it.

That appeal was rejected unanimously on Thursday by a three-judge panel from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, prompting the DOJ to seek the Supreme Court's opinion.

Alejandro Mayorkas announced last week that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered more than 212,000 migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in July

From January to May, 711,784 migrants were encountered by Customs and Border Protection at the southern border  five times the amount during the same period in 2020  and the Biden administration encountered a staggering 1 million by the end of July.

'Relief from this Court is both urgently needed and amply justified,' Brian Fletcher, the acting solicitor general, wrote in the application, according to Politico.

The Biden administration has worked to undo a number of Trump-era border policies it has deemed inhumane. Republicans say the more lax approach is behind a record surge of migrants at the southern border.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced last week that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered more than 212,000 migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in July.

'Allow me to share with you the CBP enforcement numbers for July  212,672 persons were encountered attempting entry along the southwest border, a 13 per cent increase over June 2021.'

From January to May, 711,784 migrants were encountered by Customs and Border Protection at the southern border  five times the amount during the same period in 2020  and the Biden administration encountered a staggering 1 million by the end of July.

Mayorkas admitted in leaked audio last week that the migrant crisis is 'unsustainable.'

In addition to ending MPP, the Biden administration has ended construction of the border wall and made interior enforcement more relaxed.

He also narrowed the ICE's criteria for arrests and deportations and stopped the building of Trump's border wall.

However, Biden kept in place Title 42, one of Trump's most limiting measures which allows US authorities to expel migrants caught crossing the southern border back to Mexico due to coronavirus health concerns.

As far as stemming migration, the Biden administration has focused on addressing 'root concerns,' sending Vice President Kamala Harris, the White House's point person on the border surge, to Northern Triangle countries Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to talk about the conditions that prompt migrants to leave home.

The ruling came on the same day a federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from choosing which immigrants to prioritize for arrest. The Biden administration had sought to limit arrests to those who pose public safety and national security threats.
Regional Victoria is back in lockdown from 1pm today with restrictions in line with Melbourne's tough lockdown with one major difference after the state recorded 77 new Covid cases.

There were 61 locally acquired cases plus another 16 local cases found using a rapid PCR testing platform in the Shepparton area which will be included in Sunday's official numbers.

Of the new cases only 22 were in isolation for the whole of their infectious period and only 48 have been linked to known outbreaks - with the remaining mystery cases of particular concern for contact tracers.

Regional Victoria's restrictions will be the same as for those in Melbourne minus the curfew that requires those in the capital to not leave their home between 9pm and 5am.

Construction will also be limited to 25 per cent capacity statewide to be inline with Melbourne.

For those in Melbourne there are significant changes around childcare, which has been flagged as an area where transmission has been occurring.

'We will move to a permit system, where only authorised workers will be able to send their kids to childcare and those who have vulnerable children,' Mr Andrews said at Saturday's state update.

Regional Victoria has been plunged into lockdown after the state recorded another 61 cases on Saturday and a regional outbreak in Shepparton grew on Friday night (pictured: Melbourne residents out exercising)

'We will work through all the detail of that over the course of the weekend. There will be exact words up on the website, a process for people to follow, but essentially going back to the process that we followed last year which was very successful, I know challenging, but very, very successful,' Mr Andrews said.

'We have got to limit the number of kids that are in our childcare centres. We have to got to limit the amount of movement that is occurring that involves our smallest children.'

Children at schools will also be asked to wear masks, however, this won't be compulsory.

'That's particularly reflecting on the Delta variant and the fact that we've seen significant transmission between young children,' the state's chief health officer Brett Sutton said.

'We're talking about primary school children. I'm reflecting on how challenging it will be for very young children, it is for that reason a recommendation.'

The rules for those in Melbourne will largely remain the same with the exception of childcare which will revert back to a permit system used in 2020 (pictured: Melbourne residents in August)

A new exposure site emerged at a machinery hire company in Bendigo (stock image), causing grave concerns the virus has leaked further into regional Victoria

Melbourne is in the midst of their sixth lockdown with a worrying number of new Covid cases indicating this could be extended (pictured: Melbourne this week)

The outbreak in Shepparton which has grown to 17 cases and second cluster of 14 cases linked to the Broadmeadows MyCentre Childcare are causing authorities concern after growing significantly in the last day.

Another 35 of the cases are linked to known clusters, however, there are also 11 unlinked cases across the Melbourne suburbs of Airport West, Frankston, Keysborough, Docklands and Yarraville.

On Friday, former premier Jeff Kennett claimed 'well-placed' food industry sources briefed on distribution disruptions by the state government warned him about the extended lockdown and tighter restrictions lasting into next year.

But Labor MP Martin Pakula slammed the former premier as 'alarmist' late on Friday night saying his department is responsible for industry engagement and they have not been told of lockdown into next year.

Mr Kennett on Friday said he had seen a document confirming the new lockdown for regional Victoria, and described the move as 'appalling'.

'The test will be at 80 per cent vaccination. What will Dan Andrews do when we get to 80 per cent full vaccination? He won't guarantee that,' he told the Saturday Herald Sun.

When asked on Saturday about his comments on a lockdown extending into 2022, Mr Andrews called Mr Kennett 'irrelevant' and said the comments were 'not based on fact'.

An urgent Cabinet meeting was held on Friday afternoon to discuss the possible new lockdown rules including the changes for childcare centres.

Speculated tighter travel limits, shorter exercise times, a construction halt, and a ban on takeaway food and coffee did not eventuate.

On Saturday Mr Andrews said takeaway food and coffee were not an area they were looking at clamping down on.

'I believe that [takeway] is safe and I have no advice to change those settings. If I got advice though, I would, but I don't have that advice,' he said.

Ahead of the lockdown the state government told community sporting leagues in regional Victoria to 'immediately cancel their activities for this weekend'.

'The situation in Melbourne and across regional Victoria is extremely concerning,' a spokesperson said.

Mr Andrews was reportedly poised to announce the regional lockdown and new restrictions immediately, until deciding to wait for overnight case numbers on Saturday morning instead

The whole of Victoria is set to go back into lockdown as Covid-19 continues to spread into regional parts of the state. Pictured is a pedestrian in Melbourne as the city endures its sixth coronavirus lockdown

A morning takeaway coffee could be off the table for Melburnians if restrictions are tightened

Among the new restrictions being considered by the state government is an unprecedented ban on takeaway food and coffee in Melbourne

Thousands of locals in Shepparton, 181km northwest of Melbourne, and surrounding areas were already forced into isolation and several school campuses have closed after a man in his 30s tested positive.

The Shepparton man has two children at St Mel's Primary, which has been closed for deep cleaning.

He is isolating at home and his family has also been tested.

Since then, another 16 cases including family members from two households have been linked to him, Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp said.

'It is likely there will be further people testing positive for COVID-19 in coming days,' Mr Sharp said late on Friday.

'Contact tracing is progressing and will continue as a primary focus. Anyone identified as a close contact will be contacted directly by the contact tracing team.'

VICTORIA'S STATEWIDE LOCKDOWN - ALL THE RESTRICTIONS YOU NEED TO KNOW A lockdown for regional Victoria applies from 1pm on Saturday with restrictions in line with Melbourne minus the curfew. Lockdown restrictions apply until 11.59pm on Thursday, September 2. A curfew for those in Melbourne only includes: Between 9:00pm and 5:00am, you cannot leave your home (or the home of your intimate partner or bubble buddy) except for limited reasons including: - authorised work - health and medical purposes - care and support of a child or someone with special needs - in an emergency or to escape harm Across Victoria you cannot leave your home other than for one of the five following reasons: - shopping for necessary goods and services - caregiving or compassionate reasons, including medical care or to get a COVID-19 test - authorised work (with a permit) or permitted education - exercise (once a day for 2 hours, no more than 5km from where you live) - to get a COVID-19 vaccination Victorians may also leave home to visit their intimate partner, their single social bubble buddy, or in an emergency  including those at risk of family violence. You must stay within 5km of your home for shopping and exercise. This limit does not apply to permitted work or education, when giving or receiving care, getting a COVID-19 vaccination or visiting an intimate partner or your single social bubble buddy. Residents of Metropolitan Melbourne must not travel to regional Victoria other than for permitted reasons. These include: - for authorised work or permitted education - to visit an intimate partner - for care and compassionate reasons - to access COVID-19 vaccination provided it is to the closest facility where vaccination can be obtained, or - to access necessary good and services provided this is to the closest facility where these can be obtained. Face masks must be worn indoors and outdoors whenever you leave your home. Public gatherings are not allowed across the state. Childcare will be limited to only essential workers and vulnerable families using a permit system that was used in 2020. Children at primary school are also asked to wear masks but this is not mandatory. Weddings cannot proceed and funerals are capped at 10 attendees. Across the state construction sites will only be allowed to have 25 per cent of their workers on site. Essential shops remain open. Cafes and pubs will be able to remain open for takeaway only. Advertisement

Melbourne residents have been urged to keep their vaccine bookings after the federal government said a new shipment of Pfizer doses were on the way (pictured: a Covid testing site in Melbourne this week)

When pushed on Saturday if Victoria's regional lockdown could have been enacted earlier given that Covid fragments had been detected in Shepparton's wastewater a week ago, Mr Andrews said they locked down as soon as was practical.

'We don't lock places down off sewage, right off a ping of a test, we need positive cases,' he said.

He also knocked back the idea of locking down just one regional area of the state.

'When you already know that there's been movement to other parts of regional Victoria, then the notion of trying to divide regional Victoria up into different different sectors. That doesn't work,' he said.

'We have to assume there is more of this [Covid] in regional Victoria than the testing tells us'.

The premier sent a warning to the people of Victoria saying the state is at a tipping point and could soon be facing the same problem as Sydney if the virus 'gets away from us'

FIND THE LATEST EXPOSURE SITES NEAR YOU

An outbreak in Shepparton grew to 17 cases late on Friday and a new exposure site emerged at a machinery hire company in Bendigo, causing concerns the virus has leaked further into regional areas

Hundreds of protesters have also flooded Melbourne and clashed with police as the statewide lockdown got underway.

Officers were prepared for the protest after the rally was promoted online with more than 700 were out in force since early on Saturday morning.

Crowds of protesters who were not wearing masks lit flares, held placards and chanted anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine slogans.

Hundreds of protesters (pictured) have clashed with police in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon as the statewide lockdown was brought into effect

Mounted police and officers with riot gear were seen patrolling Melbourne streets (pictured)

Protesters did not wear masks as they gathered in crowds with the city battling a Covid outbreak that threatens to surge in numbers (pictured)

Police were prepared for the protesters with more than 700 officers out in force since early on Saturday morning (pictured)

Hundreds of protesters march through Melbourne's CBD on Saturday afternoon (pictured)

Mr Andrews also previously defended his unpopular decision to close all children's playgrounds in the city despite widespread backlash and no conclusive evidence of Delta transmission.

'The government is playing its part, we locked down early, we couldn't have locked down any earlier. We went hard. I can't be clearer with the people of Melbourne.

'If we have a weekend this weekend like we did last weekend, then next week we'll look like Sydney. It's as simple as that.'

The crowds turned unruly shortly after 1pm rushing towards police officers (pictured)

A man throws a lit flare onto the a CBD street in Melbourne (pictured)

Police sprayed some protesters as they tried to rush through the police line (pictured)

Cops were not messing around with a number of protesters quickly being arrested (pictured)

'This is what it will look like if this gets away from us  hundreds and hundreds of cases every day and potentially thousands in hospital.

'Anyone who speaks to a nurse in a Covid ward they will tell you stories you'll never forget.

Mr Andrews said the state was sitting on a 'knife's edge', urging Victorians to follow protocol or there could be an explosion in cases.

Premier Andrews' stark warning comes as a coronavirus vaccination hub in Melbourne's southeast was declared an exposure site after a positive case visited to get their jab.

'If we get it again, it will mean kids get it, people of all ages will get it, people who are fit and healthy. That's what is at stake here,' Premier Andrews said

The Covid case, who did not then have symptoms, went to the Frankston Community Vaccination Hub at Bayside Centre on Monday before testing positive on Thursday.

The Peninsula Health-run site has been declared a tier-two exposure site from 11.30am to 12.45pm on Monday, though remains open for those with a vaccination booking.

Meanwhile an outbreak with several cases at Glenroy West Primary School plunged 50 families and staff from York St kindergarten, which is on the same site, into isolation.

A teacher at the kindergarten reportedly refused to be tested for Covid-19, forcing the potentially-exposed families to repeat their 14-day isolation.

MELBOURNE'S LOCKDOWN WOES Melbourne marked its 200th day under lockdown restrictions on August 19, spread over six lockdowns beginning on March 30, 2020. Here's how they unfolded (regional Victoria lockdown dates not included): LOCKDOWN 1 Statewide, March 30 to May 12, 2020, 43 days Triggered at 46 locally acquired cases LOCKDOWN 2 Ten Melbourne postcodes, July 1 to July 8, 2020, seven days (not counted in the overall citywide figure) Melbourne, July 8 to October 27, 2020, 112 days Triggered at 149 local cases on July 8 LOCKDOWN 3 Statewide, February 12 to February 17, 2021, five days Triggered at one local case LOCKDOWN 4 Melbourne, May 27 to June 10, 2021, 14 days Triggered at four local cases LOCKDOWN 5 Statewide, July 15 to July 27, 2021, 12 days Triggered at ten local cases LOCKDOWN 6 Melbourne, August 5 and ongoing until at least September 2, 16 days to Saturday, August 21 Triggered at six local cases Advertisement

The teacher was at the school from August 6 to August 12 and the kindergarten is listed as a close contact exposure site for seven days from August 6.

The teacher will face no consequences for refusing the test as there is now law surrounding mandatory testing, even though Mr Andrews suggested it was the sensible thing to do.

'If you're asked to test because there's a sense you may have the virus, and we want to rule you out  but also look after the safety of people you've been with, some of whom might be little kids, I don't think that's such a big ask,' he said.

Mr Andrews underlined the danger of the Delta variant towards children, saying people need to start taking the latest outbreak seriously.

'There are 700 kids that have Covid in NSW. No children in our country are vaccinated,' he said Friday morning.

'As a parent to every other parent, that should be motivation enough. We can't be certain how this virus effects kids.'

The infected person, who did not have symptoms at the time, attended the Frankston Community Vaccination Hub at Bayside Centre on Monday before testing positive on Thursday

An outbreak with several cases at Glenroy West Primary School (pictured) also plunged 50 families and staff from York St kindergarten, which is on the same site, into isolation
A raft of new Covid-19 rules will come into place in NSW on Monday as hundreds of police officers prepare to quash an anti-lockdown protest in Sydney.

NSW is readying for a raft of new Covid-19 rules to become mandatory on Monday as the premier pleads with Sydney residents to 'bunker down' for at least another six weeks.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced stay-at-home orders will apply in Sydney until at least September 30 while a dozen hotspot local government areas will face harsher rules, including a curfew from 9pm to 5am.

'It is time for all of us to bunker down and take this as seriously as we can,' the premier said on Friday.

Police will station more than 1500 officers around the CBD on Saturday to ensure the protest doesn't occur

The state reported 642 new locally-acquired cases - the third consecutive day daily infections have exceeded 600 - and four deaths on Friday.

Meanwhile, the alleged organiser of a proposed anti-lockdown protest in central Sydney this weekend has been sentenced to at least three months' jail for failing to comply with NSW public health orders.

Police will station more than 1500 officers around the CBD on Saturday to ensure the protest doesn't occur.

Taxi and rideshare services will again be shut out of the city between 9am and 3pm, with companies facing fines of up to half a million dollars if they take passengers to the CBD and surrounds.

From Monday, mask-wearing will be mandatory for all people in NSW when outdoors, except when exercising.

From Monday, mask-wearing will be mandatory for all people in NSW when outdoors, except when exercising

Construction sites will also face a compliance blitz as SafeWork NSW officers hunt for rule-breakers this weekend.

Three Sydney building sites saw fines of thousands of dollars each in the last week for not ensuring their workers were vaccinated.

One site in Liverpool has to cough up $20,000 after inspectors found its workers were not wearing masks or scanning QR codes, and their boss hadn't ensured they were vaccinated or tested.

Residents in those council areas in the city's west and southwest are from Monday limited to one hour of outdoor exercise per day.

Committee for Sydney CEO Gabriel Metcalf said the committee had 'grave concerns' that people in public spaces outdoors were being over-policed.

'To date, we are not aware of any evidence of significant transmission of Covid in outdoor spaces,' Mr Metcalf said.

NSW police have been given greater powers to enforce compliance including the ability to lock down apartment blocks while NSW Health assesses Covid-19 risk - before anyone even tests positive.

People who enter LGAs of concern without a reasonable excuse will face fines of $1000 and an order to isolate at home for two weeks.

Hardware stores like Bunnings, office supply stores and other retail premises must close in those 12 areas except for click-and-collect, and all exams and education activities must move online, except the HSC.

People who enter LGAs of concern without a reasonable excuse will face fines of $1000 and an order to isolate at home for two weeks

A permit system will from Saturday also come into force for people travelling between Greater Sydney and regional NSW, which is in lockdown until at least August 28.

NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns said Covid-19 does not 'respect lines on a map' and people were doing their best to comply with an ever expanding and confusing set of health orders.

'Since this lockdown started up until now, there have been 39 sets of changes to health orders and there are currently 39 pages of public health orders,' he said.

'Let's get a clear and simple message from the NSW government and that should include what is the objective of the three month lockdown if, as the premier insists Covid zero is now no longer possible.'

Covid-19 vaccinations for all NSW healthcare workers will be mandated by the end of next month, and for childcare workers and disability support workers in the council areas of concern by August 30.
The Tory politician jailed for three sex assaults on two women is to be released next month after serving half of his two-year sentence.

Disgraced former Dover MP Charlie Elphicke won his early freedom after his wife, who announced she was divorcing him when he was found guilty, agreed he could return to their family home.

He was jailed in September last year for attacking a woman who worked for him and a parliamentary worker.

He assaulted one victim, kissing her, groping her breast and chasing her around his Belgravia townhouse singing 'I'm a naughty Tory'.

The judge said Elphicke was a 'sexual predator who used (his) success and respectability as a cover' to sexually abuse the women.

Natalie Elphicke declared their marriage was over moments after the court verdict.

Despite consenting to her husband's return to their home  which this newspaper understands is one of the conditions surrounding his release  Mrs Elphicke told the Daily Mail last night she has filed for divorce and they will 'make arrangements to reflect this' after his sentence is complete.

Elphicke, 50, has been in Wandsworth Prison in south west London for 'Category B' prisoners, one level below maximum security.

Disgraced former Dover MP Charlie Elphicke won his early freedom after his wife Natalie (pictured together), who announced she was divorcing him when he was found guilty, agreed he could return to their family home

Mrs Elphicke, also 50, succeeded him as Dover MP in the 2019 general election following her husband's suspension from the party as he awaited trial.

Immediately after her husband's conviction last year, former finance lawyer Mrs Elphicke said she felt 'profound sorrow', adding: 'It ends my 25-year marriage to the only man I have ever loved.'

Later, in a tearful interview, she said she decided to divorce him after finding texts he sent to one of his victims, 20 years his junior.

He used the same flirty phrases that he had wooed her with years earlier, she said.

She said she rejected his plea to save their marriage and his promises to change his behaviour.

However, she supported him at court during his trial and backed his failed appeal against his sentence in March.

Mrs Elphicke told the Mail last night: 'Charlie has apologised for his behaviour and will served a year in prison. It is now for him to build a new life for himself and his son, who we continue to co-parent.

'I hope he will be given the space and privacy to do that. Charlie and I are separated. I have filed for divorce. We will be making arrangements after he has served his sentence to reflect this.'

Last month Mrs Elphicke was one of three Tory MPs suspended from the Commons for a day as punishment for trying to influence a judge who presided over her husband's trial.
Most people with diabetes need at least two shots of insulin per day, but to to ease this burden, scientists are working on an implantable robot to administer the medication.

A team of Italian researchers recently published a study in the journal Science Robotics that outlines a two-component system called PILLSID, which includes an implantable insulin pump that sits in the abdomen area and ingestible magnetic hormone capsules to refill it.

When patients need to reload the pump, they swallow a capsule, which is then pulled through the digestive system by magnets inside the insulin device.

The device, roughly the size of a flip phone, catches the capsule with a tractable needle, rotates it into a certain position and then extracts the hormone.

The capsule continues to move naturally through the digestive track and eventually leaves the body.

Arianna Menciassi, an author of the paper and a professor of biomedical robotics and bioengineering at Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy, told IEEE Spectrum that the process is similar to a cargo rocket launching into space and docking on the International Space Station.

Maybe it's scary to think about a docking station inside the body, but it worked, she said.

Scroll down for video

The device, about the size of a flip phone, catches the capsule with a tractable needle, rotates it into a certain position and then extracts the hormone  the capsule continues to move naturally through the digestive track and eventually leaves the body

PILLSID has shown to be successful in pigs, having been tested on three diabetic pigs.

Results showed the insulin pump is capable of controlling blood glucose levels for several hours, IEEE Spectrum reports.

Researchers have yet to study the innovation in human trials.

In future human trials, researchers plan to implant the device along the abdomen wall connected to the small intestines, allowing insulin to be delivered specifically to this region.

The insulin pump includes magnetic switchable components, miniaturized mechatronic elements, a wireless powering system, and a control unit to implement the refilling and control the infusion processes, Menciassi and colleagues wrote in the study.

The insulin pump includes magnetic switchable components, miniaturized mechatronic elements, a wireless powering system, and a control unit to implement the refilling and control the infusion processes'

The device weights 165 grams and is 78 millimeters by 63 millimeters by 35 millimeters, comparable with commercial implantable devices yet overcoming the urgent critical issues related to reservoir refilling and powering.

The researchers believe PILLSID would ideally be used in patient's with type 1 diabetes, as they have to inject themselves with insulin numerous times each day.

Although the innovation has just been unveiled, there are robotic-like devices that deliver medication with a push of a button.

However, these models sit on the outside of the body and use a tube or needle to deliver insulin.

On the other hand, there are also implantable devices, but as IEEE Spectrum explains, these require a tube protruding from the body in order to be refilled.

The research has been tested on three diabetic pigs, with results showing the insulin pump is capable of controlling blood glucose levels for several hours

A fully implantable system refilled by a pill would eliminate the need for protruding tubes and hardware, said Menciassi.

Menciassi and her colleagues note that PILLSID could have other uses, such as delivering chemotherapy to people with ovarian, pancreatic, gastric and colorectal cancers.
One billion children - almost half of those in the world - are at 'extremely high risk' from climate change, the United Nations has warned.

A new report said that youngsters living in the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau are most likely to be affected by a 'deadly combination' of exposure to climate and environmental factors, plus inadequate healthcare and education.

Sub-Saharan Africa makes up 24 of the 33 countries where children are most at risk of environmental shocks including cyclones and heatwaves, as well as being particularly vulnerable to the events based on their access to essential services such as water and sanitation.

Unicef's Children's Climate Risk Index (pictured) is the first comprehensive analysis of climate risk from a child's perspective. The 33 'extremely high risk' countries are shown on this graphic

A new report said that youngsters living in the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau are most likely to be affected by a 'deadly combination' of exposure to climate and environmental factors, plus inadequate healthcare and education. Pictured is a family in Yobe state, Nigeria

One billion children at 'extremely high risk' The Children's Climate Risk Index reveals that: 240 million children are highly exposed to coastal flooding

330 million children are highly exposed to riverine flooding

400 million children are highly exposed to cyclones

600 million children are highly exposed to vector borne diseases

815 million children are highly exposed to lead pollution

820 million children are highly exposed to heatwaves

920 million children are highly exposed to water scarcity

1 billion children are are highly exposed to exceedingly high levels of air pollution Advertisement

The Children's Climate Risk Index by the UN children's agency Unicef is the first comprehensive analysis of climate risk from a child's perspective.

It found that almost half of the world's 2.2 billion children live in a country classified as 'extremely high risk' to climate change.

'For the first time, we have a complete picture of where and how children are vulnerable to climate change, and that picture is almost unimaginably dire,' said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF's executive director.

'Climate and environmental shocks are undermining the complete spectrum of children's rights, from access to clean air, food and safe water; to education, housing, freedom from exploitation, and even their right to survive.

'Virtually no child's life will be unaffected.'

What the report also reveals is that the countries facing the worst consequences of climate change are those that have contributed the least to carbon dioxide emissions.

Collectively, the 33 'extremely high risk' nations emit 9 per cent of the world's CO2 emissions. Only India is listed among the ten biggest emitting countries, which together account for almost 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The UK is 17th in its share of worldwide emissions but 111th in climate risk to children.

The three biggest environmental risk factors for youngsters in Britain are heatwaves, coastal floods and water and soil pollution, according to the report.

Around 850 million children - 1 in 3 worldwide - live in areas where at least four of the Unicef Index's climate and environmental shocks overlap, such as coastal flooding and heatwaves.

Worse still, 330 million are estimated to be living in areas affected by at least five.

Around 850 million children - 1 in 3 worldwide - live in areas where at least four of the Unicef Index's climate and environmental shocks overlap, such as coastal flooding and heatwaves. Pictured is a child playing in floodwaters in Burundi

Fore said: 'Climate change is deeply inequitable. While no child is responsible for rising global temperatures, they will pay the highest costs.

'The children from countries least responsible will suffer most of all.

'But there is still time to act.

Around 850 million children - 1 in 3 worldwide - live in areas where at least four of the Unicef Index's climate and environmental shocks overlap, such as coastal flooding and heatwaves. Pictured are children in Mozambique

'Improving children's access to essential services, such as water and sanitation, health, and education, can significantly increase their ability to survive these climate hazards.

'UNICEF urges governments and businesses to listen to children and prioritise actions that protect them from impacts, while accelerating work to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.'

Anna Kettley, deputy executive director of Unicef UK, said: 'Children have done the least to cause climate change, yet tragically the impact of the climate crisis is threatening their futures and very survival.'
Comet ATLAS may be the remnant of a 'mysterious fireball' that swept within 23 million miles of the sun 5,000 years ago, according to a new study.

During its most recent appearance in the inner solar system early in 2020, Comet ATLAS met an untimely death when it disintegrated into a cascade of icy pieces, according to the team from the University of Maryland in College Park.

In this new study, using Hubble Space Telescope data, they found it broke off from an ancient giant comet that last came to the inner solar system 5,000 years ago.

This same comet gave birth to at least two smaller comets, ATLAS which visited in 2020, and its sibling, the Great Comet that was last seen from Earth in 1844.

When the parent comet visited the inner solar system it came closer to the sun than Mercury, about 23 million miles away, and would have presented a 'spectacular sight' to Stone Age civilisations in Eurasia and North Africa, according to the team.

Comet ATLAS may be the remnant of a 'mysterious fireball' that swept within 23 million miles of the sun 5,000 years ago, according to a new study

During its most recent appearance in the inner solar system early in 2020, Comet ATLAS met an untimely death when it disintegrated into a cascade of icy pieces, according to the team from the University of Maryland in College Park

COMET ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) was first detected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), operated by the University of Hawaii in 2019. Early observations suggested it may become a very bright naked eye comet with a zero magnitude. However, as it came closer to the sun it began to disintegrate and only reached a magnitude of seven - the naked eye can see mag 6 and higher. Follow up studies suggest ATLAS was a sibling of the Great Comet of 1844 and born from a very large comet that passed the Earth 5,000 years ago. The ESA Solar Orbiter flew through the tail of ATLAS between May 31 and June 1 and the dust tail on June 6. Facts and Figures Aphelion : 660 AU

: 660 AU Perihelion : 0.2528 AU

: 0.2528 AU Epoch : March 7, 2020

: March 7, 2020 Orbital period : 6,011 years

: 6,011 years Discovered by : Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS)

: Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) Discovery date : December 28, 2019 Advertisement

There is no historic record of the fireball streaking through the sky as the comet passed the Earth around 3000 BC.

However, the Maryland team speculated on what our ancestors may have seen by exploring the path its child, ATLAS, took around the sun in 2020.

They also compared it to the path the Great Comet of 1844 took - a bright naked eye comet seen by Victorian-era astornomers.

ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) was first detected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), operated by the University of Hawaii in 2019.

Early predictions, based on how quickly it was getting brighter, suggested it might reach magnitude zero, which would make it easily visible to the naked eye.

However, this wasn't to be, as on March 22, 2020, the comet began to disintegrate under the heat of the sun, breaking into small fragments by May 2020.

Now, in a new study exploring its origins, astronomer Quanzhi Ye of the University of Maryland discovered it was a broken-off piece of a much larger ancient comet.

Ye and colleagues confirmed ATLAS came from this larger, unnamed comet that last entered the inner solar system 5,000 years ago, because of the orbital path.

Essentially, ATLAS follows the same orbital 'railroad track' as that of a comet seen in 1844, meaning the two are likely siblings from the same parent comet that broke apart centuries earlier, according to the team behind the study.

The 'Great Comet' of 1844 was nearly as bright as the brightest naked-eye star, Sirius, but won't be seen in the inner solar system until the 50th Century.

In this new study, using Hubble Space Telescope data, they found it broke off from an ancient giant comet that last came to the inner solar system 5,000 years ago

The link between the two comets, ATLAS and the Great Comet of 1844, was first noted by German astronomer and comet hunter Maik Meyer.

Such comet families are common, according to Ye, and the most dramatic visual example was in 1994 when the doomed comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) was pulled into a string of pieces by Jupiter's gravitational pull.

This 'comet train' was short-lived, he explained, as it fell piece by piece into Jupiter in July 1994, with no evidence of existence remaining after it fell.

But comet ATLAS is just 'weird,' says Ye, who observed it with Hubble about the time of the breakup in May 2020.

This same comet gave birth to at least two smaller comets, ATLAS which visited in 2020, and its sibling, the Great Comet that was last seen from Earth in 1844

C/1844 Y1: GREAT SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE COMET C/1844 Y1 was a 'Great Comet' seen from Southern Hemisphere in 1844. It was visible to the naked eye but there are only second hand reports of its discovery, from a year after it appeared in the night sky. The comet was said to have been first observed in Guyana at dusk on December 16, 1844. Reports also show evidence of sightings in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in the following days. Recent studies suggest this was related to Comet ATLAS which disintegrated in the inner solar system in 2020 after showing promise as a bright 'naked eye' comet. C/1844 Y1 isn't due to come near the sun again until the 50th Century. Facts and Figures Perihelion : 0.250 AU

Aphelion : 717.6 AU

: 717.6 AU Discovered : December 16, 1844

: December 16, 1844 Visible : Southern hemisphere Advertisement

Unlike its hypothesised parent comet, ATLAS disintegrated while it was farther from the sun than Earth, at a distance of over 100 million miles.

This was much farther than the distance where its parent passed the sun, which further 'emphasises its strangeness,' said Ye.

'If it broke up this far from the sun, how did it survive the last passage around the sun 5,000 years ago? This is the big question,' the study author said.

'It's very unusual because we wouldn't expect it. This is the first time a long-period comet family member was seen breaking up before passing closer to the sun.'

Being able to observe the breakup of the fragments of the comet with a telescope like Hubble gave clues to how the parent comet was first put together, Ye said.

The conventional wisdom is that comets are fragile agglomerations of dust and ice, and that they may be 'lumpy, like raisin pudding.'

After one year of analysis Ye and colleagues found that one fragment of ATLAS disintegrated in a matter of days, while another piece lasted for weeks.

'This tells us that part of the nucleus was stronger than the other part,' he said.

One possibility is that streamers of ejected material may have spun up the comet so fast that centrifugal forces tore it apart.

An alternative explanation is that it has so-called super-volatile ices that just blew the piece apart like an exploding aerial firework.

'It is complicated because we start to see these hierarchies and evolution of comet fragmentation. Comet ATLAS's behaviour is interesting but hard to explain.'

The findings have been published in the Astronomical Journal.
The heaviest rain in 70 years has fallen on Greenland's snowy summit, heightening fears about how rapidly the ice sheet is warming.

Precipitation fell as rain and not snow last Saturday, dumping an 'unprecedented' 7 billion tons of water after temperatures at the summit rose above freezing for only the third time in less than a decade.

It was the heaviest rainfall on the ice sheet since records began in 1950, according to US scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

The heaviest rain in 70 years has fallen on Greenland's snowy summit, heightening fears about how rapidly the ice sheet is warming. Pictured, icebergs float away to sea near Kulusuk, Greenland, in this photo from 2019

HOW GREENLAND'S ICE SHEET LOST 8.5 BILLION TONS OF MASS IN ONE DAY Only last month Greenland's ice sheet lost enough ice in a single day to cover Florida in two inches of water. The extreme melting, which occurred on July 27, was caused by heatwaves in northern Greenland that raised temperatures to more than 68 degrees Fahrenheit - double the average summer temperature, according to the Danish Meteorological Institute. While the 8.5 billion tons of surface mass was less than the record single-day ice melt in 2019, which was 12.5 billion tons, last month's event covered a larger area. Scientists have estimated that melting from Greenland's ice sheet has caused around 25 percent of global sea level rise seen over the last few decades. If all of Greenland's ice were to melt, the global sea level would increase by another 20 feet - but this is not expected to happen anytime soon. Advertisement

Such was the scale of the downpour, the amount of ice mass lost on Sunday was seven times higher than the daily average for this time of year.

Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, told CNN this is evidence Greenland is warming rapidly.

'What is going on is not simply a warm decade or two in a wandering climate pattern,' Scambos told CNN. 'This is unprecedented.'

He added: 'We are crossing thresholds not seen in millennia, and frankly this is not going to change until we adjust what we're doing to the air.'

Earlier this month a bombshell UN report on climate change issued a 'code red' warning for humanity, saying the Earth was likely to warm by 1.5C within the next 20 years  a decade earlier than previously expected.

It also found that the burning of fossil fuels was to blame for Greenland melting over the past two decades.

Only last month, the Greenland ice sheet lost 8.5 billion tons of surface mass in a single day, enough ice to cover Florida in two inches of water. It was the third extreme melting event in the past decade.

Analysis of satellite data also revealed that the ice sheet melted more in 2019 than during any other year on record, losing a total of 532 gigatonnes of its mass.

Another study by the University of Leeds revealed that a record-breaking 28 trillion tonnes of ice  enough to cover the whole of the UK in a sheet over 300 feet thick  melted from the face of the Earth between 19942017.

The accelerating melt  which continues to get worse  has been driven largely by steep increases in losses from the polar ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland.

Ice melt serves to raise sea levels across the globe, increases the risk of flooding to coastal communities and endangers natural habitats that wildlife depend upon.

Melt from the Greenland ice sheet is one of the largest contributors to rising sea levels and presently contributes an increase of around 0.03 inches (0.76 mm) annually.

Last year a separate study revealed that Greenland's glaciers have already passed what researchers have called the 'point of no return'.

The experts warned that this means the ice would now continue to melt away even if global warming could be completely stopped.

Pictured, the extent of Greenland's ice loss over time as recorded by the Grace missions. The annual fluctuations represent summer and winter

Earlier this month a report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was produced by 200 scientists from 60 countries.

Drawing on more than 14,000 scientific papers, the review included the latest knowledge on past and potential future warming, how humans are changing the climate and how that is increasing extreme weather events and driving sea-level rises.

Among the researchers' findings was that a rise in sea levels approaching 2 metres by the end of this century 'cannot be ruled out', while the Arctic is likely to be 'practically sea ice-free' in September at least once before 2050.

Since 1970, global surface temperatures have risen faster than in any other 50-year period over the past 2,000 years, the authors said, while the past five years have been the hottest on record since 1850.

Scientists had expected temperatures to rise by 1.5C above pre-industrial levels between 2030 and 2052 but now believe it will happen between this year and 2040.

The 1.5C mark is considered to be the point where climate change becomes increasingly dangerous. The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change committed countries to limiting warming to 1.5C but they have already risen by 1.2C.

The world's largest ever report into climate change also said it was 'unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, oceans and land'.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the new report a 'code red for humanity'.

He warned: 'The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk.'
Rattlesnakes make use of sudden loud ratting to trick humans into thinking they are closer to the venomous vipers than they really are, a new study has revealed.

This abrupt switch to a high-frequency mode was previously assumed to be a simple warning signal, used to let other species know they were getting too close.

However, it is in fact a more complex communications signal than first thought, according to the team from the University of Graz in Austria.

The snake uses the shift in sound level to make another species think they are closer than they really are to provide the viper with a 'distance safety margin' if it has to act.

It is done to mess with distance perception of the approaching creature, including humans, so they can no longer accurately estimate how far away the snake is.

Rattlesnakes make use of sudden loud ratting to trick humans into thinking they are closer to the venomous vipers than they really are, a new study revealed

SNAKES USE RATTLING TO CHANGE DISTANCE PERCEPTION Being able to estimate how far you are away from a threat is essential to the survival of any animal species. Rattlesnakes are able to let other animals know they are close by generating rattling sounds. A team of researchers recreated different scenarios in virtual reality involving objects, people and a hidden rattling snake to understand the true nature of this communication tool. They found that rattlesnakes increase their rattling rate (up to about 40 Hz) the closer a potential threat gets. Rattlesnakes then abruptly switch to a higher and less variable rate of 60100 Hz when it gets 13ft away. This behaviour causes the other animal to misjudge the distance to the snake, making them think they are farther away than they really are. This process is designed to give the snake a 'distance safety margin' to make its escape or prepare for any potential prey, the team said. Advertisement

The first evidence of this came when the research team visited an animal facility and noticed the rattling increased in frequency as they approached a rattlesnake, then then decreased in frequency as they walked away from the snake.

Scientists were already aware of rattlesnakes 'vigorously shaking their tails' at different frequencies, but this is the first study to explore why they do it.

The team set out to explore what message the rattling and frequency changes was sending out to the listener, beyond a simple warning.

'Our data show that the acoustic display of rattlesnakes, which has been interpreted for decades as a simple acoustic warning signal about the presence of the snake, is in fact a far more intricate interspecies communication signal,' Chagnaud said.

'The sudden switch to the high-frequency mode acts as a smart signal fooling the listener about its actual distance to the sound source. The misinterpretation of distance by the listener thereby creates a distance safety margin.'

Chagnaud and his team conducted experiments in which objects appeared to move toward rattlesnakes, to see what happened to the rattling frequency.

One object they used was a human-like torso, and another was a looming black disk that seemed to move closer by increasing in size.

As the potential threats approached, the rattling rate increased to 40 Hz and then abruptly switched to an even higher frequency range, between 60 and 100 Hz.

Additional results showed that rattlesnakes adapt their rattling rate in response to the approach velocity of an object rather than its size.

'In real life, rattlesnakes make use of additional vibrational and infrared signals to detect approaching mammals, so we would expect the rattling responses to be even more robust,' Chagnaud explained.

The team created VR experiment to test how this change in rattling rate is perceived by other people, with volunteers moving through grassland towards a hidden snake.

Its rattling rate increased as the humans approached and suddenly jumped to 70 Hz at a virtual distance of about 13ft.

The listeners were asked to indicate when the sound source appeared to be three feet away from them, finding that the sudden increase in rattling caused participants to underestimate the distance to the virtual snake.

This abrupt switch to a high-frequency mode was previously assumed to be a simple warning signal, used to let other species know they were getting too close

The snake uses the shift in sound level to make another species think they are closer than they really are to provide the viper with a 'distance safety margin' if it has to act

'Snakes do not just rattle to advertise their presence, but they evolved an innovative solution: a sonic distance warning device similar to the one included in cars while driving backwards,' Chagnaud said.

'Evolution is a random process, and what we might interpret from today's perspective as elegant design is in fact the outcome of thousands of trials of snakes encountering large mammals.

'The snake rattling co-evolved with mammalian auditory perception by trial and error, leaving those snakes that were best able to avoid being stepped on.'

The findings have been published in the journal Current Biology.
We got one!

The first nest of Asian giant hornets - also known as murder hornets - has been found in Washington State, officials said late Thursday.

The nest was discovered east of Blaine, Washington, approximately one-quarter mile from where a Blaine resident spotted the year's first live hornet earlier this month, according to a statement from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA).

WSDA officials, along with the Oregon Department of Agriculture and USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, found the nest after netting three hornets and fitting them with tracking devices between August 11 and August 17.

The first murder hornet nest has been found in Washington State, officials said. The nest was found near Blaine, Washington, approximately 1/4 mile where a resident spotted the first live hornet earlier this month

Officials tracked and tagging three hornets between August 11-17 to find the nest

The WSDA said that reported sightings have only happened in Whatcom County, so it is 'promising' that previous eradication efforts are working.

The government agency tweeted that reported sightings have only happened in Whatcom County, so it is 'promising' that previous eradication efforts are working

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One hornet led the team to the nest; another slipped out of the tracking device and the other was never located.

The government agency tweeted that reported sightings have only happened in Whatcom County, so it is 'promising' that previous eradication efforts are working.

'Teamwork has been the key to success with this effort,' Sven Spichiger, WSDA managing entomologist said in the statement.

'Whether it is the public reporting sightings and building traps or state and federal agencies working together, this is really a model for success in invasive species management.'

The WSDA said its entomologists will now form plans to eradicate the nest, sometime in the next week.

Despite the cause for celebration, WSDA said there 'may still be more' nests and is relying on the public to report sightings at agr.wa.gov/hornets in Washington State.

WSDA entomologists will now form plans to eradicate the nest sometime next week

Potential sightings can also be reported by emailing hornets@agr.wa.gov or calling 1-800-443-6684.

For those in Oregon, suspected sightings can be reported at oda.fyi/HornetReport.

The discovery of the Asian giant hornet nest follows news earlier this summer that a dead male Asian hornet was found in Snohomish County, Washington.

A Marysville resident found and reported the dead bug on June 4 via the agency's Hornet Watch Report Form.

Entomologists determined it was a male, but after they looked at its DNA and coloring, they believed it to be unrelated to the Whatcom County or Canadian murder hornets seen in 2019 and 2020.

Murder hornets kill honeybees, which are already under siege from mites, diseases and other factors. They have an extremely painful sting and are the world's largest hornet, at two inches

The new finding highlights how important the public is to finding this invasive species, which can decimate entire hives of honeybees, which are already under siege from mites, diseases, pesticides and loss of food.

The Asian giant hornet, which has an extremely painful sting, is the world's largest hornet at two inches.

In March, Washington state said it was making plans for the 2021 murder hornet season, similar to last year's, emphasizing public outreach, reporting and trapping.

More than half of confirmed Asian giant hornet sightings in Washington and all in Canada came from the public, WSDA has previously stated.

The first confirmed detection of the hornet in the US was in December 2019 near Blaine and the first live hornet was trapped in July 2020

The first confirmed detection of the hornet in the US was in December 2019 near Blaine and the first live hornet was trapped in July 2020.

The invasive insect is normally found in China, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries.

'The hornets enter a "slaughter phase" where they kill bees by decapitating them. They then defend the hive as their own, taking the brood to feed their own young,' the WSDA has said previously.

The agency has already killed six or seven hives in Washington State.

Despite their nickname, the hornets kill at most a few dozen people a year in Asia, and experts say it is probably far less but they do deliver painful stings to humans.

Hornets, wasps and bees typically found in the US kill an average of 62 people a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A team of scientists from Tel-Aviv University have created the deadliest type of brain tumor in a lab by 3D-printing it from human glioblastoma tissues, allowing doctors to test different procedures and treatments in order to eradicate the brain tumor.

The 3D-bioprinted tumor includes blood vessel-like tubes where blood cells and drugs can flow.

'If we take a sample from a patient's tissue, together with its extracellular matrix, we can 3D-bioprint from this sample 100 tiny tumors and test many different drugs in various combinations to discover the optimal treatment for this specific tumor,' lead study author and Tel Aviv University neuroscientist Ronit Satchi-Fainaro, said in statement.

'Alternately, we can test numerous compounds on a 3D-bioprinted tumor and decide which is most promising for further development and investment as a potential drug.'

A team of scientists from Tel-Aviv University have created the deadliest type of brain tumor in a lab by 3D-printing it from human glioblastoma tissues

Glioblastoma is an aggressive type of cancer that develops in the brain, along with the spine, and is almost always fatal.

The average survival rate is 12 to 18 months and only 25 percent of patients live more than a year, but only five percent have surpassed five years.

It is estimated that more than 10,000 Americans succumb to glioblastoma every year.

The current treatments include surgery, coupled with daily doses of radiation and oral chemotherapy.

The 3D-bioprinted tumor includes blood vessel-like tubes where blood cells and drugs can flow, allowing doctors to test different procedures and treatments in order to eradicate the brain tumor

Each model is printed in special bioreactor designed the Tel-Aviv University team, who use samples taken from patients in the operating rooms to create each model

While conducting previous studies into the deadly tumor, the team identified a protein called P-Slectin that was produced when the cancer cells interreacted with cells in the brain's immune system, or brain malignancies.

'We found that this protein is responsible for a failure in the microglia, causing them to support rather than attack the deadly cancer cells, helping the cancer spread,' Satchi-Fainaro said.

'However, we identified the protein in tumors removed during surgery, but not in glioblastoma cells grown on 2D plastic petri dishes in our lab.

'The reason is that cancer, like all tissues, behaves very differently on a plastic surface than it does in the human body.

'Approximately 90% of all experimental drugs fail at the clinical stage because the success achieved in the lab is not reproduced in patients.'

This led to the development of the first 3D-bioprinted model of glioblastoma tumor.

Each model is printed in special bioreactor designed the Tel-Aviv University team, who use samples taken from patients in the operating rooms to create each model.

Pictured are the components that are used to create the 3D-printed tumors, including blood vessels (left) and tissue samples from human patients (right)

Following tests, the team found the cancer cells grown on plastic changed considerably, finally losing any resemblance to the cancer cells in the patient's brain tumor sample

'First, we tested a substance that inhibited the protein we had recently discovered, P-Selectin, in glioblastoma cell cultures grown on 2D petri dishes, and found no difference in cell division and migration between the treated cells and the control cells which received no treatment,' Satchi-Fainaro said.

'This experiment showed us why potentially effective drugs rarely reach the clinic simply because they fail tests in 2D models, and vice versa: why drugs considered a phenomenal success in the lab, ultimately fail in clinical trials.'

Following tests, the team found the cancer cells grown on plastic changed considerably, finally losing any resemblance to the cancer cells in the patient's brain tumor sample.

By using human tissue, along with its extracellular matrix, the team can 3D-bioprint 100 tiny tumors and test a range of treatments 'in various combinations to discover the optimal treatment for this specific tumor,' Satchi-Fainaro said.
A rare Blue Moon will rise this weekend, marking the only full moon in August and the third of the summer season.

Unfortunately, Earth's natural satellite will not live up to its name  it will not shine a stunning blue in the night sky, rather glow a ghostly white.

The average Blue Moon only appears once every three years, but this summer will see four full moons and the third in a season is always called a Blue Moon.

The last one rose on October 31, 2020, lighting up the night sky on Halloween  a rare event that happens every 19 years.

The Blue Moon will rise Friday, but reach its fullest Sunday, August 22 at 8:02am ET and will be visible to most of the world until Monday morning.

A rare Blue Moon will rise this weekend, marking the only full moon in August and the third of the summer season. Pictured is the Blue Moon hanging over Lodon on January 2018

The first recorded use of 'Blue Moon' in English dates from 1528, but according to NASA, the name may come from dust in the moon's atmosphere causing it to appear blue to those on Earth.

This specific moon was called the Sturgeon Moon by the Algonquin tribes, as it reflected the time of year when the large fish was easily caught in the Great Lakes and other major US water bodies.

It was also referred to by the Green Corn Moon by the same tribe to signify that crops were ready for harvest.

This weekend's cosmic event corresponds with the Hindu festival Raksha Bandhan, which is a celebration of the bond between brothers and sisters.

The average Blue Moon only appears once every three years, but this summer will see four full moons and the third in a season is always called a Blue Moon. The last one rose on October 31, 2020 (pictured in Las Vegas), lighting up the night sky on Halloween

Every full moon is a holiday in Sri Lanka, which will be celebrating Nikini Poya.

This honors the first Buddhist council, which took place about 2,400 years ago.

In Kandy, Sri Lanka, the Blue Moon falls at the end of the Esala Perahera festival, also known as the Festival of the Tooth, a two-week Buddhist festival held each year, according to NASA.

Also making an appearance on Sunday will be Venus at 8:45pm ET, which can be seen in the western sky.

Another cosmic event putting on stunning show earlier this month, when one of the most spectacular meteor showers peaked on the evening of August 12. Called the Perseids , skywatchers saw up to 40 shoot stars streak across the sky every hour that night. Perseids shower taken from Oxfordshire, UK

The next brightest planet will be Jupiter, appearing in the east-southeast, as well as Saturn, which will sit southeast.

Another cosmic event putting on stunning show earlier this month, when one of the most spectacular meteor showers peaked on the evening of August 12.

Called the Perseids, skywatchers saw up to 40 shoot stars streak across the sky every hour that Thursday night.

The shower takes place when the Earth ploughs through debris left behind by the Swift-Tuttle Comet during its trips through the inner solar system.
Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' is not only losing ice rapidly from climate change, but it's getting a double whammy from the heat of the Earth itself, a new study suggests.

The Thwaites Glacier  which has been called the 'Doomsday Glacier' due to its impact on sea level rise  is being hit with heat from the Earth's crust, as it is only 10 to 15 miles deep below West Antarctica, compared to around 25 miles in East Antarctica.

The 'Doomsday Glacier' is being hit with heat from the Earth's crust and climate change

The Earth's crust is only 10-15 miles deep under West Antarctica, where the Thwaites Glacier (pictured) is located, compared to 25 miles in East Antarctica

This results in an a 'geothermal heat flow of up to 150 milliwatts per square meter,' the study's lead author, Dr Ricarda Dziadek, said in a statement.

According to the BBC, the Thwaites glacier contributes roughly four percent to annual sea-level rise and is now believed to be losing 80 billion tons of ice per year.

Since 1980, it has lost at least 600 billion tons of ice, according to a 2017 analysis done by the New York Times, using data from NASA JPL.

This causes a 'geothermal heat flow of up to 150 milliwatts per square meter' and additional heating on the glacier

Thwaites contributes roughly 4% to annual sea-level rise and is now losing 80 billion tons of ice per year. Since 1980, it has lost at least 600 billion tons of ice, experts said previously

Some of the accelerated sea ice loss can be attributed to hidden rivers under the glacier, according to Live Science, but most of it is related to climate change and rising temperatures.

The researchers looked at geomagnetic field datasets of West Antarctica to create new geothermal heat flow maps.

If Thwaites melted completely, it could cause more than six feet of potential sea level rise

These showcase how important the second, but just as important, factor is on the glacier and its subsequent ice loss, even if the exact impact is presently unclear.

'The temperature on the underside of the glacier is dependent on a number of factors  for example whether the ground consists of compact, solid rock, or of meters of water-saturated sediment,' explained co-author and AWI geophysicist Dr Karsten Gohl.

'Water conducts the rising heat very efficiently. But it can also transport heat energy away before it can reach the bottom of the glacier.'

In 2020, researchers obtained the first-ever footage of the underside of the glacier, showing turbulent warm waters under the ice sheet that are causing an 'unstoppable retreat.'

The temperature of Earth's crust can vary depending upon location, but it can range between 200C (392F) to 400C (752F) near the Moho, according to National Geographic.

The team found that the heat flow from the Earth's crust is imperative to look at when thinking about its future.

'Large amounts of geothermal heat can, for example, lead to the bottom of the glacier bed no longer freezing completely or to a constant film of water forming on its surface,' Gohl added.

'Both of which would result in the ice masses sliding more easily over the ground. If, in addition, the braking effect of the ice shelf is lost, as can currently be observed in West Antarctica, the glaciers' flow could accelerate considerably due to the increased geothermal heat.'

The enormous basin contains more than six feet of additional potential sea level rise and a significant melting could result in the Thwaites Glacier living up to its 'doomsday' name.

The research was published Thursday in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.
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Head to Lisbon, one of the worlds oldest cities, and youll discover it is also an astonishing open-air art gallery.

For hundreds of years, its walls have been adorned with glazed, ceramic azulejo tiles, and the predominantly blue-and-white ones have become synonymous with the Portuguese city and a major feature of walking tours.

The small polished stones were used to cover up the large areas of blank wall that were common inside buildings during the Gothic period, and they told stories about the citys history, religion and culture.

Artistic graffiti is embraced, sponsored and promoted in Lisbon. Pictured is a mural by artist Shepard Fairey

Azulejo tiles have become synonymous with Lisbon. Pictured is a walkway in the Sao Vicente de Fora monastery

Today, they still decorate churches, restaurants, bars, palaces and even homes, and are used extensively on street signs, public benches, along beach walls and stops on the Lisbon Metro.

They are also complemented with a more modern take from a new wave of street artists.

Following the Portuguese revolution of 1974, there was an explosion of political murals in Lisbon, and today it is one of very few places in the world where artistic graffiti is embraced, sponsored and promoted  and its everywhere.

One of the major driving forces behind the current scene is artist Alexandre Farto, who uses the name Vhils for his striking work.

Still only 34, his art adorns top galleries worldwide, but it is in his home city of Lisbon where you can see the greatest collection of his endeavours, with 12 major pieces still on display.

His gallery Underdogs (under-dogs.net) is in the Braco de Prata neighbourhood where Madonna, who is a frequent visitor and supporter, has a home.

The tiles are used extensively on street signs, public benches, along beach walls and stops on the Lisbon Metro (pictured)

The Portuguese capital has become an astonishing open-air art gallery. Pictured is the city's port

It specialises in local artists and public arts programmes as well as the print, video and sculpture work of Vhils. It also organises tours of the citys street art.

Vhils also curates the Iminente Festival (iminente.org) which has taken place every September around Panoramico de Monsanto, a disused restaurant high on a hill overlooking the city, where you can find one of his creations  a portrait of the assassinated Brazilian politician Marielle Franco.

This year its moving Marvila, a former palace, in the east of the city.

Lisbon, as well as being a haven for art-lovers, is one of the worlds oldest cities. Pictured is the city's Bica tram

Visitors can trace the history of the walls and discover other local street art stars during walking tours

Attracting thousands, it combines international and local musicians, public art, galleries, workshops and talks. Fatboy Slim and US rap star Common have headlined.

Book a street art tour of Lisbon at lisbonstreetarttours.com and on the three-hour stroll youll trace the history of the walls and discover other local street art stars.

Typical of the ethos towards street art in Lisbon, part of the cost  from 13  goes towards creating new pieces to add to the citys ever-growing collection.
Jessica Alves has revealed she's travelled to Brazil in the hope that she can become the first transgender woman in history to have a womb transplant.

The TV personality is convinced the surgery will mean she will ovulate and have a baby through intercourse, although this has been disputed by doctors because her new uterus would not be connected to her fallopian tubes.

It is possible that Jessica could fall pregnant through IVF if she decided to go through with the 30,000 transplant.

Currently there has never officially been a successful womb transplant performed on a transgender woman, but Jessica claimed that several women have privately undergone the operation in Brazil.

EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Alves, 38, has revealed she's travelled to Brazil in the hope that she can become the first transgender woman in history to have a womb transplant

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Jessica confirmed she is now booked in to undergo the transplant, but must still undergo various tests and exams.

The star added that while her doctor, who wishes to remain anonymous, is satisfied she can have the surgery, she will not go through with it if they decide it's not safe.

Jessica also stated that she was hoping to fall pregnant naturally following a womb transplant, but MailOnline has since learned that this is not possible.

She said: 'I was having a lot of exams in Turkey to see if I could have the surgery, I could have had it in Turkey, but I changed my mind, I thought I might as well just come to Brazil where my family are.

'Whatever it takes': The TV personality exclusively told MailOnline she is hoping to have one of her frozen sperm fertilised so she can fulfil her dream of having a child

'There are some very good doctors here that could hopefully do it. The surgery is do-able, the same way that surgery is done on a biological woman. To a transgender woman is is exactly the same thing.

'To get pregnant I need to have IVF treatment after the surgery. To be honest I don't know the success rate, because there's aren't many reports about it, people have done it but they've done it very quietly.

'Maybe I'm the first person in the world to do it, but I believe there are some who have had the surgery done but they just don't talk about it.

'To be honest I don't know the success rate because there aren't many reports about it, people who have done it have done it very quietly, in other words maybe I'm the first one in the world doing it. '

Jessica added that she believes several women in Brazil have had the procedure, but they 'don't talk about it.'

Daring: The star added that while doctors are satisfied she can have the risky surgery, she will not go through with it if they decide it's not safe

IS IT POSSIBLE TO TRANSPLANT A WOMB INTO A TRANSGENDER WOMAN? There has only ever been one documented case of a transgender woman having a uterus transplant - but she died from complications just months later. Transplant operations do not involve connecting the women's uteruses to their fallopian tubes, so they are unable to become pregnant naturally. It means trans women who undergo the surgery are also unable to conceive naturally, but experts say it is at least theoretically possible to impregnate a trans woman using IVF. Danish artist Lili Elbe, one of the earliest known recipients of gender reassignment surgery, became the first trans woman to have a womb transplant in 1931. The 48-year-old had the operation in Germany with the hope of being able to have children with her fiance. But she developed a post-surgery infection and died from cardiac arrest three months later without being able to conceive. However, doctors say advances in womb transplantation mean it's now theoretically possible for a trans woman to give birth after the surgery. Dr Paulson, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said in 2017: There would be additional challenges, but I dont see any obvious problem that would preclude it. I think it would be possible. One problem doctors face is that the male pelvis would not allow a baby to pass through it because it is too narrow, so a man would have to give birth by caesarean section. But there was room inside a man to hold a womb, Dr Paulson claimed. He said hormones might have to be given to replicate the changes that go on while a woman is pregnant. Once the uterus has been transplanted, an IVF embryo would have to be implanted. Currently in the UK it would be illegal for an IVF clinic to create an embryo for the purpose of implanting it in a man under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. Several transgender men  those who were born women and then switched  have already given birth in the UK. But in those circumstances it was merely a case of retaining the female reproductive organs after they transitioned, rather than having to implant female organs into a male body. How common are womb transplants? Womb transplants, which cost 50,000 per operation, are still considered to be an experimental procedure. Only a handful of biological women around the world have successfully had the operation and a smaller number have been able to give birth to a child. It is not possible with current medical techniques for recipients of womb transplants to conceive a child naturally and IVF is required. In total, 42 women worldwide have received transplanted wombs and 11 babies has been born up as a result until May 2017. In 2014, the first baby born to a woman with a womb transplant was delivered by doctors from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. A second team at Baylor University Medical Center, Texas, delivered a baby born to a woman with a womb transplant in 2017. Many teams that perform womb transplants require an upper limit of 35 to 40 years for women and 55 to 65 years for donors. But the effect of age on the success of a transplant is currently unclear. What are the risks? Major complications suffered by recipients include organ rejection, urinary tract infections, blood clots, and internal bruising. Adverse side effects of immunosuppressants, drugs used to reduce risk of the body rejecting the organ, may also lead to other complications. Womb transplants are predominantly performed with the use of a womb donated from a living woman, although modern organ-freezing techniques have made it possible for deceased donors' uteri to be used too. The first baby was born who had been carried to term in a womb transplanted from a dead donor in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2019. The womb and blood vessels were removed from a 45-year-old woman  herself a mother  who had died of a stroke. They were then implanted into a new mother, who was born without a womb of her own, in an almost 11-hour operation, and the blood vessels connected to her own. The women then began to menstruate 37 days after the operation and then had regular periods until she became pregnant seven months later. An embryo was implanted using eggs which had been taken from her ovaries before the womb transplant procedure and fertilised using IVF. The baby grew healthily and was born after 35 weeks and three days by caesarean section. During the caesarean section the woman's implanted womb was also removed and both mother and baby recovered normally. Advertisement

She continued; 'It's something I want to get done, I'm not afraid of having the surgery, I've had so many surgeries throughout the years, this is just another one to me, next week I'm seeing more doctors having more exams and then the organ comes from a donor.

'I'll have more consultations and exams but everything's fine and healthy, so I can have the surgery done.'

Jessica said doctors are happy for her to have the risky surgery, because of the high success rate in biological women who have had the same procedure.

She continued: 'They're really positive they really are but there's not much report about transgender woman getting pregnant after surgery. Biological women have the surgery and the success rate is good.

'I'm still going to give it a go, the doctors are really positive I can do it. After the surgery I need a lot of follow-up, and doctors can investigate and see how it's going and everything they can do to get me pregnant.

'I'm 38 years old, I want to be a mother, I don't want to be alone really.'

Explaining the procedure, Jessica said: 'Once I have the womb in I will start to ovulate and I can get pregnant having sex or having a sperm donor obviously I'd like to get pregnant the natural way, I want to do everything as naturally as possible, but if I try that and it doesn't work I can have a sperm donor, that's an option as well.'

'It is a riskless surgery it really is, a biological woman who doesn't a womb will have the surgery, a transgender woman who has the surgery it's exactly the same, so please don't worry about it. I was going to get it done in Turkey but then I changed my mind because I didn't like the doctors out there.'

'This doctor has done it previously he's done two friends of my family and he's performed on a transgender woman. But I don't have a date for the surgery yet, I need to have more exams, more tests.'

There has only ever been one documented case of a transgender woman having a uterus transplant - but she died from complications just months later.

Transplant operations do not involve connecting the women's uteruses to their fallopian tubes, so they are unable to become pregnant naturally.

HOW DOES A WOMB TRANSPLANT WORK? Womb transplants are still considered to be a groundbreaking procedure, predominantly performed with the use of a womb donated from a living woman. However in 2019 history was made when a baby was born who had been carried to term in a womb transplanted from a dead donor. The womb and blood vessels were removed from a 45-year-old woman  herself a mother  who had died of a stroke. They were then implanted into a new mother, who was born without a womb of her own, in an almost 11-hour operation, and the blood vessels connected to her own. The women then began to menstruate 37 days after the operation and then had regular periods until she became pregnant seven months later. An embryo was implanted using eggs which had been taken from her ovaries before the womb transplant procedure and fertilised using IVF. The baby grew healthily and was born after 35 weeks and three days by caesarean section. During the caesarean section the woman's implanted womb was also removed and both mother and baby recovered normally. Advertisement

It means trans women who undergo the surgery are also unable to conceive naturally, but experts say it is at least theoretically possible to impregnate a trans woman using IVF.

Womb transplants, which cost 50,000 per operation, were developed to allow women to carry a baby if they were born without a womb or have had it removed through illness. Roughly 15,000 women in the UK could benefit.

It has been considered that the procedure could be trialled on those who were born biologically male using the organs of dead donors or women who have since transitioned to become men and had their wombs removed.

In 2019 a clinic in Cleveland became the first to deliver a healthy baby that was carried to term in a womb transplanted from a dead donor.

Prior to this, more than a dozen women had given birth after womb transplants, mainly from living donors.

In 2019 it was reported that experts were investigating whether a womb could be transplanted into a transgender woman who was born male.

Writing in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the scientists said it would be perfectly possible to put a womb into a male body so that they could carry a baby to full-term. And they say it may be 'legally and ethically impermissible' not to consider performing the procedure.

Several transgender men  those who were born women and then switched  have already given birth in the UK.

But in those circumstances it was merely a case of retaining the female reproductive organs after they transitioned, rather than having to implant female organs into a male body.

Six months after the surgery and the womb has healed, a donated egg would be fertilised with the transgender woman's own sperm and the embryo implanted. The baby would then be delivered by caesarean section.

In 2019 surgeon Christopher Inglefield, founder of the London Transgender Clinic, said he believes transgender women deserve a uterus implant.

He said the procedure is 'essentially identical' to the one performed on women.

Dr Inglefield, who appeared in ITV's Transformation Street, told The Mirror: 'This pioneering birth is extremely important for any trans female who would like to carry her own child.

'Because once the medical community accept this as a treatment for cis-women with uterine infertility, such as congenital absence of a womb, then it would be illegal to deny a trans-female who has completed her transition.'

There are currently no regulations in place to prevent a trans women from receiving IVF if they do receive a transplant.

Dr Inglefield says 'harvesting' the womb from the donor is tricky as surgeons must not damage arteries and veins to the uterus.

Lili Ilse Elvenes was the first transgender woman in history to receive a womb transplant in the final stage of her sex reassignment surgery in 1931.

However her immune system rejected the transplanted uterus, and she died of cardiac arrest three months after the procedure.

It comes after Jessica told MailOnline that she's 'desperate' to lose her virginity and become a mother by whatever means necessary following her sex change surgery.

She said: 'I am desperate to lose my virginity after my sex change surgery and I have been on the hunt for the right guy, but no luck.

'I've been using Tinder in order to chat to those who are supposed to be a match but I haven't been very lucky.'
Love Island's Teddy Soares has officially asked Faye Winter to be his girlfriend.

The 26-year-old senior financial consultant went on his final date with Faye on Thursdays episode of the ITV2 reality series, ahead of the shows finale on Monday.

And during their romantic getaway - which saw them take a dip in a pool full of rose petals - Teddy took their relationship to the next level by asking the estate agent, also 26, to be his girlfriend.

Leveling up: Love Island's Teddy Soares, 26, has officially asked Faye Winter, also 26, to be his girlfriend, with the pair enjoying a romantic date during Thursday's episode

He said: 'Ive been waiting for the right moment, and what I would like for our future is you being my girlfriend. So, will you be my girlfriend?'

Faye said yes, and the couple are now the second official couple from this years series after Liberty Poole and Jake Cornish made it official just before Jake headed off to Casa Amor.

The path of love has not been smooth for the pair after Faye had an expletive-ridden rant at Teddy after she watched him in Casa Amor say he was 'technically single' and 'sexually attracted' to Clarisse Juliette.

Passion: The pair coupled-up early on in the current series, although a recent argument saw thousands complain to Ofcom after Faye screamed at Teddy

Look of love: The senior financial consultant went on his final date with Faye on Thursdays episode of the ITV2 reality series, ahead of the shows finale on Monday

Making his move: He said: 'Ive been waiting for the right moment, and what I would like for our future is you being my girlfriend. So, will you be my girlfriend?'

The pair made up after she made a heartfelt apology to Teddy, reportedly prompted by producers.

However, Faye and Teddy are currently the only couple still together, as Liberty called time on her relationship with Jake later in Thursdays episode.

Following a week of rocky waters for the pair, the 21-year-old waitress admitted she was unsure if Jake was the one for her, and voiced her concerns about the future of their relationship to him.

Smitten: Faye said yes, and the couple are now the second official couple from this years series after Liberty Poole and Jake Cornish made it official

Together forever? However, Faye and Teddy are currently the only couple still together, as Liberty called time on her relationship with Jake later in Thursdays episode

Pleasing their crowd: The couple's fellow islanders looked on as they shared a kiss in the lobby of the villa

Liberty explained: 'I just don't feel like you love me for me and I want someone who loves me for me.'

In response, Jake said: 'What we saying, then, are we saying we'll go our separate ways, then?'

Liberty then removed her microphone pack before walking off to the bedrooms, where she was followed by Faye.

End of the road: Following a week of rocky waters for the Liberty and Jake, the 21-year-old waitress admitted she was unsure if Jake was the one for her

Goodbye my friend: Liberty explained: 'I just don't feel like you love me for me and I want someone who loves me for me'

When Faye asked what was wrong, Liberty could be heard saying: 'Were done.'

Awkward tension is likely to set in during Fridays episode, when Liberty and Jake will be sent on a boat for their final date of the series as they are still coupled up despite not being romantically involved.

In a preview clip ahead of the episode, they return to the villa with an announcement to make which leaves the other islanders shocked.

Love Island returns on Friday at 9pm on ITV2 and the ITV Hub.
Married At First Sight stars Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli are house-hunting in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

The reality TV couple, who are currently renting an apartment near Bondi Beach, are looking to stay in the area when they upgrade to their first house.

They were recently spotted inspecting a property just a few streets away from the iconic beach, realestate.com.au reports.

Just missed out: Married At First Sight stars Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli recently inspected a home just a stone's throw away from Bondi Beach. Unfortunately, they did not purchase the property, which sold at auction for $3.725million

They ended up not purchasing the house, which had a price guide of $2.9million but sold at auction for a jaw-dropping $3.725million.

Had they placed the highest bid, Martha and Michael would have been the proud owners of a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home.

There is a small courtyard area in addition to a period facade with original stained-glass windows.

Inside, a long hallway leads to three bedrooms and one spacious bathroom.

Beautiful interiors: Had they placed the highest bid, Martha and Michael would have been the proud owners of a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home. Pictured: one of the bedrooms

All in the details: At the end of the hall is the generously sized living room, which features bright interiors with white walls and original ornate details on the ceilings

Light and breezy: The dining room has pine timber floors that contrast the bright walls

At the end of the hall is the generously sized living room that flows into the dining room and then the kitchen.

The home features bright interiors with white walls, original ornate details on the ceilings, and pine timber floors.

The back of the property has a small laundry room and a timber deck.

Bright space: The well-designed kitchen has stylish joinery and skylights

Outdoor area: There's a small paved backyard too, which would have been the perfect backdrop for Michael's online workout tutorials

There's a small paved backyard too, which would have been the perfect backdrop for Michael's online workout tutorials.

The previous owner was environmentalist Doug McLean, who bought the property in 1998 for $505,000.

Martha and Michael's hunt for the perfect house comes two years after they tied the knot on Nine's Married At First Sight in 2019.

The couple moved into their Bondi unit early last year.
Jasmine Stefanovic (nee Yarbrough) has provided a look into her life in hotel quarantine after travelling to Queensland with her one-year-old daughter Harper.

The 37-year-old flew to Brisbane to see her 'very sick' grandmother after receiving an exemption from Queensland Health, as revealed by her husband and Today show host Karl Stefanovic on Thursday.

The shoe designer shared two photos on Instagram Stories from quarantine at the Marriott Hotel in Brisbane.

Sight seeing: Jasmine Stefanovic has shared an update from hotel quarantine in Brisbane after getting an exemption to travel from Sydney to see a 'really sick' family member. Pictured: Jasmine's one-year-old daughter Harper looking out the window of their hotel room

The first image saw little Harper peering through their hotel window inquisitively to look at the adjacent skyscrapers.

'Lockdown life,' Jasmine captioned the photo.

The next post showed a gift box Jasmine had received from chef Dion Giannarelli, which included ciabatta sourdough bread, nuts, chocolate and wine.

'Surprise delivery, thank you @diongiannarelli, you little legend,' she wrote.

Lockdown snacks: One Instagram post showed a gift box Jasmine had received from chef Dion Giannarelli, which included ciabatta sourdough bread, nuts, chocolate and wine

Important: The 37-year-old flew to Brisbane with Harper to see her 'very sick' grandmother after receiving an exemption from Queensland Health, as revealed by her husband and Today show host Karl Stefanovic (left) on Thursday

Jasmine travelled to Queensland to see her ill grandmother, who is in her nineties and to whom she is 'incredibly close.'

The Today show broadcast a photo yesterday that Jasmine took of Harper watching The Wiggles on an iPad in their suite as they began their 14 days of quarantine.

Karl shed some light on what was happening after being asked by his co-hosts why his wife had travelled interstate.

Loved one: Jasmine travelled to see her ill grandmother, who is in her nineties and to whom she is 'incredibly close'

'So she's had to go to Brisbane because her very dear, dear Nan, who she's incredibly close with, is really, really, really sick,' he explained.

Karl said it wasn't 'easy' and that 'this is going on with families right around the country' during Covid.

He also praised Queensland Health for providing Jasmine with a travel exemption.

'I know families are making these decisions because these are special times and they're hard times for loved ones who are sick,' he said.
Roxy Horner looked sensational as she arrived at Proud Embankment in London for the Cabaret All Stars show on Thursday evening.

The model, 30, put on a leggy display in a thigh-grazing floral minidress for the glamorous event which saw comedian Bill Bailey perform.

Roxy wore her blonde tresses in a middle parting and styled her hair in soft waves which tumbled over her shoulders as she posed up a storm at the venue.

Wow: Roxy Horner, 30, looked sensational as she arrived at Proud Embankment in London for the Cabaret All Stars show

The girlfriend of Jack Whitehall paired the minidress with tan leather heeled gladiator sandals which revealed a red pedicure.

Roxy had perfectly applied make up which made her glow, and she opted for a sweep of pink lipstick across her full pout.

She also posed with her mother and sister as they arrived in style wearing glamorous frocks for the evening of fun.

Amazing: The model put on a leggy display in a thigh-grazing floral minidress for the glamorous event which saw comedian Bill Bailey perform

Beauty: Her blonde tresses were in a middle parting and styled in soft waves which tumbled over her shoulders as she posed up a storm while at the venue

Roxy was out to see Bill perform at the club, as he sat on a bar stool with a yellow guitar, before Roxy took to Instagram to document his performance.

In the posts to the story, Bill could be seen playing bells along to the music of Smoke On The Water.

In later stories, Roxy snapped a quick picture of her mother enjoying the night and elsewhere showed a video of other acts at the show - including a fire breather.

Gorgeous: The model paired the minidress with tan leather heeled gladiator sandals which revealed a red pedicure

Looking good: Roxy had perfectly applied make up which made her glow

The outing comes after she was reportedly forced out of beau Jack Whitehall's new 17.5million Notting Hill home back in July.

The house, which Roxy shares with the comedian, was reportedly swamped with floodwater and the pair were forced to stay in a hotel due to the damage caused by the natural disaster.

According to The Sun, water flooded the kitchen and dining area, damaging the parquet flooring.

Stunning: She opted for a sweep of pink lipstick across her full pout

Night out: Roxy was out to see Bill perform at the club, as he sat on a bar stool with a yellow guitar, and took to Instagram to document his performance

A source told the publication: 'He's gutted. Talk about putting a dampener on moving in. The house is incredible and he loves it. There's even a lift and swimming pool in it. He wasn't expecting the kitchen to become a pool as well.'

'Roxy doesn't live there full time but she is there most of the week now and it would definitely make the perfect home to start a family.'

'They had to move out while the repairs are being done. The flooring was ruined and it was really expensive stuff.'

Family affair: She also posed with her mother and sister as they arrived in style wearing glamorous frocks for the evening of fun

Comedian: Bill performed the venue wearing pin striped trousers and a waistcoat

The source added that all the damaged property will have to be replaced, likely leaving the couple with a hefty bill.

The five-bedroom house, previously a pub, has a pool, sauna, steam room, gym, cinema and a parking garage.

Jack's property was just one of many in the area that was left flooded earlier this month.

A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea council said: 'All affected tenants who required accommodation were helped from their homes into safe accommodation.'

Funny: In the posts to the story, Bill could be seen playing bells along to the music of Smoke On The Water

Mother daughter time: In later stories, Roxy snapped a quick picture of her mother enjoying the night
Demi Rose posed up a storm on the Spanish island of Ibiza in an striped orange Jean Paul Gaultier dress with a revealing thigh-high split on Instagram on Thursday.

The model, 26, sent temperatures soaring as she showed off her jaw-dropping curves in the strapless number.

Sitting with a glass of orange juice in hand, Demi seductively gazed at the camera while showing off her tanned legs in the revealing dress.

She's on fire! Demi Rose, 26, posed for a sultry Instagram snap on Thursday, making the most of her ample assets and putting on a very leggy display in the new shot

The internet star's highlighted hair was styled into a bouncy blow dry with her loose curls gently resting on her shoulders.

Demi could be seen setting next to a large rustic table as she wound down after a busy day of sunning herself on her holiday.

In another image, Demi could be seen standing to show the print on her gown, which featured a naked figure with its arms and legs outstretched with a sun in the background.

Fashion forward: The influencer posed up a storm on the Spanish island of Ibiza in a striped orange Jean Paul Gaultier dress with a revealing thigh-high split

Ensuring the snap was of a sensual nature, she stood with her leg forward to partially show some skin, displaying her impressive tan.

Demi also put on a steamy display on Wednesday as she shared some Instagram shots of herself wearing an incredibly skimpy swimming costume.

She left little to the imagination as she relaxed in the sunshine in a red string swimsuit which plunged below the navel.

The beauty made the most of her hourglass curves and showed off her impressively flat stomach and ample assets in her attire.

Hot out here: Demi also set pulses racing on Wednesday as she shared some Instagram shots of herself wearing a plunging red swimsuit on the Spanish island of Ibiza

Time to relax: The influencer left little to the imagination as she relaxed in the sunshine in a red string swimsuit before posing up a storm for the snaps

The Birmingham beauty could be seen holding the straw hat that was perched on her head as she sat on a day bed to work on her glow.

In another picture, Demi could be seen laying on her front as she gazed off into the distance.

Sharing the images online, she wrote: 'Suns out.'
Melissa Joan Hart has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being 'vaccinated.'

The actress, 45, revealed the news in a two-minute long Instagram video on Thursday, adding that she thinks one of her three sons may have also contracted the virus.

'I got Covid. I am vaccinated and I got Covid and it's bad,' began Melissa, who broadcasted her message from bed. 'It's weighing on my chest it's hard to breathe.'

Positive: Melissa Joan Hart has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being 'vaccinated'

She continued: 'One of my kids, I think, has it so far and I'm praying that the other ones are okay.'

The Sabrina The Teenage Witch star shares three children, sons Mason, 15, Braydon, 13, and Tucker, eight, with husband Mark Wilkerson, 44.

Clearly frustrated, Hart said she is 'really mad, because we tried and we took precautions and we cut our exposure by a lot but we got a little lazy and I think as a country we got lazy.

Reveal: The actress, 45, revealed the news in a two-minute long Instagram video on Thursday, adding that she thinks one of her three sons may have also contracted the virus

'I'm really mad that my kids didn't have to wear masks at school and I'm pretty sure that's where this came from,' speculated the star, who looked visibly emotional as she spoke.

Although there is 'nothing I can do about it now,' the actress expressed pride for her youngest son Tucker for proudly wearing his mask to school 'everyday' and not taking it off.

'My little one, luckily, wore a mask everyday because he was used to it from last year. And he came home everyday bragging, "Mom! I wore my mask," and I was so thankful,' she gushed.

Experience: 'I got Covid. I am vaccinated and I got Covid and it's bad,' began Melissa, who broadcasted her message from bed. 'It's weighing on my chest it's hard to breathe'

Praying: 'One of my kids, I think, has it so far and I'm praying that the other ones are okay,' said the concerned star

'Now if [Tucker] does get it, I can at least tell him he was a superhero to those in his classroom because he protected his teacher and his classmates from it.'

Melissa and her family are believed to be living in Nashville, Tennessee, where the topic of requiring children to wear masks while attending public school in the state has become a divisive one.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee recently signed Executive Order 84, which 'requires schools to allow parents to opt their children out from mask requirements,' as per the Tennessean.

Family: The Sabrina The Teenage Witch star shares three children, sons Mason, 15, Braydon, 13, and Tucker, eight, with husband Mark Wilkerson, 44

Emotional: Clearly frustrated, Hart said she is 'really mad, because we tried and we took precautions and we cut our exposure by a lot but we got a little lazy and I think as a country we got lazy

'But officials with Shelby County Schools and Metro Nashville Public Schools stated Monday evening that all students are still required to wear them,' with the outlet adding that there is 'no process in those districts, where masks are required, for seeking a non-medical mask exemption.'

Melissa said she 'just really hopes that my husband and the other ones don't get' the virus because she is scared of what may happen if one of them is hospitalized.

'If someone has to be taken to the hospital, I can't go with them and I'm just scared and sad and disappointed in myself, some of our leaders and a lot of people, including myself,' she explained, adding: 'I just wish I'd done better, so I'm asking you guys to do better.

Proud mom: Although there is 'nothing I can do about it now,' the actress expressed gratitude for her youngest son Tucker for proudly wearing his mask to school 'everyday' and not taking it off; Melissa and Tucker pictured

'Protect your families, protect your kids, it's not over yet. I hoped it was, but it's not. So stay vigilant and stay safe,' she concluded.

Taking to her post's caption, the Melissa & Joey star stressed that she 'is not posting this to be political or gain pity.

'I just want to share my journey. This isn't up for debate, it's just how I feel today on my page.'

Tennessee: Melissa and her family are believed to be living in Nashville, Tennessee, where the topic of requiring children to wear masks while attending public school in the state has become a divisive one
Kim Kardashian continued to give her followers a glimpse at some of her newest SKIMS products and her famous curves in the process.

The 40-year-old modeled a slinky black bodysuit from the comfort of her expansive headquarters in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Shooting footage of herself in the mirror she showed off her petite frame and impossible proportions while going barefoot.

SKIMS: The billionaire businesswoman, 40, continued to treat her fans to some glimpses of her famous curves in her latest bodysuits while working on her line of shapewear at her headquarters in LA

Kim  who has been leaning into a more minimalist look  recorded herself wearing her 'essential bodysuit' which she called 'really cute' and 'super simple' as well as 'compressive.'

The all black shapewear included full coverage leggings and an attached tank top and she wore her hair slicked back in a low bun with a middle part.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star worked her angles as she did a 180-degree turn with her hand on her hip.

The Paw Patrol star's office features a similar vibe to her sprawling Hidden Hills mansion which was designed to be stylistically sparse.

Minimalistic: Kim recorded herself wearing her 'essential bodysuit' which she called 'really cute' and 'super simple' as well as 'compressive'

Mirror shot: In the brief video she posed with her hand on her tiny waist as she spoke about the garment

On Wednesday she gave her followers a small tour of some of the notable features in the intentionally barren space which included a custom Rick Owens theatre setup facing a theatre screen which takes up an entire wall.

Ahead of her day at the office she shared snaps with daughter North, eight, as they took selfies in her Maybach.

Her eldest of the four kids she shares with estranged husband Kanye West was seen rocking face tattoos and braids.

Movement: The KKW Beauty founder zoomed in on the garment a bit more before she showed a hint of her famous backside

Outfit change: She was also seen modeling a white bodysuit

Closeup: The ribbed white bodysuit showed off even more of her body

Another one: Kim continued to wear another slinky black bodysuit

See-through: Filming herself at her warehouse headquarters she flashed a hint of her bra in another more sheer one

Earlier: The reality star was seen modeling the same black bodysuit as she snapped a photo with eldest child North earlier in the day

Kim has long spoken about how she rarely drinks alcohol which she continued to harp on in a Wednesday post.

Speaking about a time she visited eldest sister Kourtney Kardashian at college she proclaimed: 'I hated all of the wild parties so much that I stayed home and never wanted to drink or party EVER,' as she thanked the University of Arizona for 'shaping her life.'

After she claimed to have been Kourtney's designated driver, the POOSH founder retorted that she remembered 'feeding [her] jungle juice,' which Kim then shut down: 'Ummm not me!'

BFF Paris Hilton did seem to confess to some wild nights with her former stylist turned best friend on an episode of her new cooking show This Is Paris, where she and Kim teamed up in the kitchen.

Hilton told Jimmy Fallon that grilled cheese was their go-to after a night out. 'Back in the day, when we would go out at night, we'd come home late and make grilled cheeses.'

Back in the day: Kim has long spoken about how she rarely drinks alcohol which she continued to harp on in a Wednesday post where she recalled visiting Kourtney at college which made her realized she 'never wanted to drink or party EVER'
Holly Madison opened up about the darker sides of the Playboy empire in the upcoming documentary series Secrets Of Playboy.

''I didn't realize that getting into the Playboy world was a dangerous choice,' Holly, 41, said in a recent trailer for the A&E Network docuseries set to premiere in early 2022.

The 10-part series will not only unveil 'hidden truths' behind Playboy, but it will also feature exclusive interviews with insiders, including Hugh Hefner's ex girlfriend Holly and former 'Bunny Mother' PJ Masten.

Dangerous decision: Holly Madison opened up about the darker sides of the Playboy empire in the upcoming documentary series Secrets Of Playboy

In a statement to Deadline, Elaine Frontain Bryant, the Executive Vice President and Head of Programming for A&E, described the series as being 'an unflinching look at the personal effects of Hugh Hefner's empire, while also exploring his legacy's larger influence on our society and modern-day views of sexuality.'

She continued: 'The fantasy world of Playboy has been shrouded in secrecy for decades and we are proud to lift the veil on these long-hidden stories.'

Hefner passed away at the age of 91 in September 2017. And since his death, many former playmates and employees of the Playboy founder have opened up about their experiences - whether they be positive or negative.

And with Secrets Of Playboy focusing on the darker notes in Playboy's lengthy history, Masten opens the trailer with the ominous line: 'There was a side of Playboy that nobody wants to talk about.'

Interviews: It will not only unveil 'hidden truths' behind Playboy, but it will also feature exclusive interviews with insiders, including Hugh Hefner's ex girlfriend Holly Madison (pictured) and former 'Bunny Mother' PJ Masten

Dangerous: Madison admits that she 'didn't realize that getting into the Playboy world was a dangerous choice'

Mixed among the newly recorded interviews with Hefner's 'staff and inner circle' is never-before-seen footage from the Playboy mansion, as well as its respective properties and entities across the globe.

Another featured interviewee paints the public perception of Hugh Hefner as being 'an advocate for sexual freedom and the first amendment,' while Miki Garcia, who worked as Director of Playmate Promotions, claims the late publisher 'really did believe he owned these women.'

Holly famously dated Hefner from 2001 until their split in 2008, which resulted in Madison moving out of the Playboy mansion that she called home for seven years.

Exclusive interviews: The 10-part series will not only unveil 'hidden truths' behind Playboy, but it will also feature exclusive interviews with insiders, including Hugh Hefner's ex girlfriend Holly and former 'Bunny Mother' PJ Masten

Unflinching: In a statement , Elaine Frontain Bryant, the Executive Vice President and Head of Programming for A&E, described the series as being 'an unflinching look at the personal effects of Hugh Hefner's empire, while also exploring his legacy's larger influence on our society and modern-day views of sexuality'

Nobody wants to talk about: With Secrets Of Playboy focusing on the darker notes in Playboy's history, PJ Masten opens the trailer with the ominous line: 'There was a side of Playboy that nobody wants to talk about'

During her stint as one of Hefner's girlfriends, Holly appeared on the hit E! reality series The Girls Next Door, which documented mansion life with her fellow playmates and Hefner lovers Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt.

Saginor, now 51, spent most of her childhood at the Playboy Mansion and even had a room of her own at the residence from age 12.

Her father, Dr. Mark Saginor, was Hugh Hefner's personal physician, also known as 'Dr. Feelgood' because he was known to dish out prescription pills.

Owned: Miki Garcia, who worked as Director of Playmate Promotions, claims the late publisher 'really did believe he owned these women'

Veiled: Despite his willingness to broadcast his lifestyle on television and in the press, Playboy Mansion West resident Jennifer Saginor suggests in the trailer that Hefner 'didn't want people to know what was really going on'

Audiences will also hear from Hefner's personal valet Stefan Tetenbaum, as well as past girlfriends Marquardt and Sondra Theodore.

Upon the trailer's close, Garcia can be seen rummaging through folders and looking over old photographs of Hugh, while warning that 'when you get someone that powerful, anything could happen. Anything!'

'His legacy should comprise the whole story,' she added, with Saginor stressing that 'the people who were really there, they're the ones who know the real truth.'

Hefner published the very first issue of Playboy in December 1953, after having founded the men's lifestyle magazine in October of that year.

Anything: Upon the trailer's close, Garcia can be seen rummaging through folders and looking over old photographs of Hugh, while warning that 'when you get someone that powerful, anything could happen. Anything!'

It would go onto became an empire, with the eventual opening of Playboy clubs across the United States and highly-sought after merchandise featuring the magazine's iconic bunny.

'Mr. Hefner has said he created the magazine with the goal of featuring 'the girl next door,'' as recalled the the New York Times, with the outlet noting that 'becoming a Playboy Playmate was the starting point of a celebrity career' for the likes of Jenny McCarthy and Anna Nicole Smith.

Playboy printed its last issue in early 2020, with the magazine deciding to go digital due to constraints brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Archival: Mixed among the newly recorded interviews with Hefner's 'staff and inner circle' is never-before-seen footage from the Playboy mansion, as well as its respective properties across the globe

Opening up: Hefner passed away at the age of 91 in September 2017. And since his death, many former playmates and employees of Playboy founder have opened up about their experiences - whether they be positive or negative
Married At First Sight star Cathy Evans recently underwent a $30,000 surgical makeover, including liposuction and a Brazilian butt lift.

And the aspiring influencer has now revealed why she decided to go under the knife, after critics told her to 'go to the gym' instead of the plastic surgeon.

'People are saying, "Why aren't you just going to the gym?" And I do go to the gym,' she said in a YouTube video.

Her truth: Married At First Sight's Cathy Evans has revealed why she decided to get liposuction and a Brazilian butt lift, after critics told her to 'go to the gym' instead of the plastic surgeon

'What I am after is not found at the gym. This shaped, sculpted body by a surgeon or doctor is not found at the gym,' she added.

Cathy debuted the results of her brutal full-body makeover on Instagram in late July.

She underwent a series of extensive plastic surgery procedures, including 10 liposuctions and a mini Brazilian bum lift.

At the time, the 28-year-old shared a series of photos of herself flaunting her artificial curves in Kim Kardashian's shapewear line Skims.

Required surgery: 'What I am after is not found at the gym,' she explained. 'This shaped, sculpted body by a surgeon or doctor is not found at the gym'

Cathy proudly showed off her smaller waist and hourglass hips and thighs as she posed in front of a mirror in her new items.

It was a far cry from the nightmare recovery process that Cathy experienced in June.

At the time, she broke down in tears as she recalled being evacuated from her home due to a nearby fire and how the experience left her humiliated and in excruciating pain because she was wearing a nappy at the time.

Finished product! Cathy proudly showed off her smaller waist and hourglass hips and thighs as she posed in front of a mirror last month

Speaking into the camera, the bandaged bride said through tears: 'We were all out on the street. I had to stand out like this, I'm so embarrassed.

'It hasn't been smooth sailing for me,' she sobbed.

She explained that she was lying down and trying to recover when police and fireman barged into her home to get everybody to evacuate.

'I really struggle to get up and all the fluid's moving through my body, so I was kind of shocked and trying to get up faster and I was in more pain.'

Horrific: It was a far cry from the nightmare recovery process that Cathy experienced in June, which left her needing diapers and puppy pads to go to the toilet

The former reality star then suffered an unfortunate accident because she was unable to make it to the bathroom in time.

'I had to go pee, but it takes me like fifteen minutes to go pee and I had peed a bit on my garment because I was stressed and they were calling for us to come out,' she cried while wiping tears away.

'And we didn't grab my medication or nothing except for a couple of puppy pads, but behind me is a diaper,' she continued.

'That's why it was embarrassing to go out on the street with blood everywhere.'
She recently returned from a luxurious Italian vacation with her husband Christian Richard and their two-month-old son Christian Georges.

And Christine Quinn was back to work on Thursday afternoon as she was spotted out and about with her boss Brett Oppenheim in Los Angeles.

The Selling Sunset star oozed glamour in a mint green tweed jacket and matching high-waisted skirt.

Working mama: Christine Quinn was back to work on Thursday afternoon as she was spotted out and about in Los Angeles

Christine's business-ready ensemble was decked out in crystals, with strands on pearls dangling from the hem of her skirt and the bottom of her cropped jacket.

Despite giving birth just two months ago, the real estate agent's stomach looked enviably toned.

She climbed out of her bright yellow Lamborghini in a pair of green mesh high heels with bows on the front of them.

Christine carried her work essentials in a matching Louis Vuitton handbag and accessorized with a stunning diamond choker necklace.

Glamour: The Selling Sunset star oozed glamour in a mint green tweed jacket and matching high-waisted skirt

Partnership: Christine was joined by her boss Brett Oppenheim (left)

Her signature blonde strands were worn down and styled in voluminous waves.

As for makeup, Quinn rocked a bold cateye flick and muted her pout with some matte nude lipstick.

She met up with Brett, who founded the real estate brokerage The Oppenheim Group with his twin brother Jason.

The 44-year-old businessman looked preppy in a white short-sleeve top and a pair of pink shorts. He completed his ensemble with some Gucci sneakers.

Christine's outing on Thursday comes after she spent three-weeks Italian sunshine with her husband and their newborn.

Luxury: She recently returned from a luxurious Italian vacation with her husband Christian Richard and their two-month-old son Christian Georges

They wrapped up their trip on Tuesday, with Quinn taking to Instagram to share a snap of herself and Christian boarding an aircraft.

The blonde bombshell looked glamorous while posing on the runway with the 41-year-old tech entrepreneur Christian, 41, and even posted a photo of her young son sitting on a blanket on one of the plane's seats.

During her and her family's time in Italy, Christine made sure to treat her 1.7million followers to countless gorgeous shots in the sunshine.

Back to LA: They wrapped up their trip on Tuesday, with Quinn taking to Instagram to share a snap of herself and Christian boarding an aircraft

Plane ride: Christine posted a photo of her young son sitting on a blanket on one of the plane's seats

Christine and Christian have been married since December 2019. They wed during an opulent Gothic Winter Wonderland at Cathedral Of Saint Vibiana in Los Angeles.

This past February, the model announced that they were expecting their first child together, documenting the pregnancy on social media.

She gave birth to son Christian Georges on May 15 via an emergency C-section.

Making memories: During her and her family's time in Italy, Christine made sure to treat her 1.7million followers to countless gorgeous shots in the sunshine

Issuing a statement to People, the reality star assured her fans that 'Baby C is more precious that I could have ever imagined.

'Nine months seems like a lifetime to wait to meet someone. It is the most incredible feeling to know that you have created life.

'My protective mama bear mentality is stronger than ever. My sole job is to protect him, to love him and to raise him,' she told the outlet.
Chris Brown's seven-year-old daughter Royalty, who he shares with his ex-wife Nia Guzman, visited Doc Antle's zoo on Wednesday in Myrtle Beach.

The little girl looked thrilled as she spent the day swimming with tigers and cuddling up to exotic animals at the disgraced Netflix star's safari park.

During the interactive wildlife experience, which Royalty attended with her mom, she nuzzled up to a baby hyena and hugged an elephant's trunk.

Time of her life: Chris Brown's seven-year-old daughter Royalty, who he shares with his ex-wife Nia Guzman, visited Doc Antle's zoo on Wednesday in Myrtle Beach

'Living the dream!' Royalty captioned footage of her taking a dip with two tiger cubs before posing for pictures with them.

She continued: 'We love what you are doing @docantle thank you for these memories!'

Her account, managed by Guzman, has more than 1.1 million Instagram followers and received a flood of sweet comments calling her 'brave.'

Fun times: The little girl looked thrilled as she spent the day swimming with tigers and cuddling up to exotic animals at the disgraced Netflix star's safari park

Making memories: During the interactive wildlife experience, which Royalty attended with her mom, she nuzzled up to a grizzly bear cub and hugged an elephant's trunk

'Lil Mama Loves Animals,' one fan of her father's commented under the video. 'Ain't Scared Of Nothin!

Royalty's mom also posted from their unforgettable day, including a few solo shots with Bubbles the Elephant.

The mother daughter duo also took a snap with Antle, who was indicted on animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking charges last October.

'Living the dream!' Royalty captioned footage of her taking a dip with two tiger cubs before posing for pictures with them

Fearless: Her account, managed by Guzman, has more than 1.1 million Instagram followers and received a flood of sweet comments calling her 'brave'

'Lil Mama Loves Animals,' one fan of her father's commented under the video. 'Ain't Scared Of Nothin!

He and his co-conspirator, Keith Wilson, allegedly trafficked lion cubs between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Antle, the owner of the Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, was one of the characters in 'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,' a 2020 Netflix documentary miniseries that focused on tiger breeders in Florida and Oklahoma.

His role in the series was overshadowed by the botched murder-for-hire plot Joe Exotic, previous owner of The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, launched against big cat advocate, Carole Baskin.

Controversial: The mother daughter duo also took a snap with Antle, who was indicted on animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking charges last October

Furry friend: Guzman received a high-five from a monkey

Antle, 60, is also the founder of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.).

The alleged mistreatment by Antle was done in a 'cruel, brutal or inhuman manner, so as to produce torture or unnecessary suffering'.

Antle was charged with 'one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty'.

Additionally, two of Antle's daughters were also slapped with similar charges in the investigation.

Tawny Antle was charged with one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor count of violating the Endangered Species Act.

Cutie: Royalty enjoyed petting a white and black striped tiger

Cuddles: The baby tigers were super playful with their visitors

Wilson, owner of Wilson's Wild Animal Park in Winchester, Virginia, was indicted with the exact same charges as Antle.

Their indictments came after AG Herring's Animal Law Unit dug into the pair's relationship and determined each man was trafficking lion cubs.

'On or about July 24 or 25, 2019 Bhagavan Antle did unlawfully conspire with Keith Wilson to take within the Commonwealth any fish or wildlife (to wit: one female lion) appearing on any list of threatened or endangered species...'court documents said.

The investigation included authorities using a search warrant at Antle's Myrtle Beach Safari by Herring's Animal Law Unit.

In August 2019, 119 animals - including lions, tigers, bears, camels, goats, and water buffalo - were seized from Wilson's roadside zoo after a judge found that Wilson 'cruelly treated, neglected, or deprived' the animals of adequate care.

Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle (pictured) was indicted on Friday by a Grand Jury in Frederick County, Virginia, on animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking

Those animals were transferred to animal control agencies and exotic animal rescue partner organizations.

'During a 12 hour seizure hearing held on August 29, 2019 in Frederick County General District Court, animal welfare experts testified as to the inadequate conditions and cruelty at Wilsons Wild Animal Park and photo and video evidence was entered showing inadequate conditions of animals and facilities,' the press release said.

In November 2019, Wilson and his nephew were indicted in November on 46 counts of animal cruelty.

A trial in that case is scheduled in June. Wilson could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday. A message was left with an attorney who represented him in the 2019 case.
Her most recent venture, a cooking show on Netflix, has been deemed a success.

And Paris Hilton looked like she was enjoying life on Thursday, when she took to her Instagram feed with an amusing snippet showing her cruising around her house on a scooter.

The hotel heiress, 40, sparkled in a blue dress as she scooted along, cruising down her hallway.

Getting around: Paris Hilton looked like she was enjoying life on Thursday, when she took to her Instagram with an amusing snippet showing her cruising around her house on a scooter

Her shiny garment featured a heart-shaped bejeweled buckle at the waist.

It was the same outfit Hilton was seen in on Tuesday, when she made an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

The scooter on which she perched, from Inokim Electric Scooter Shop, picked up the shade of light blue in her frock perfectly.

Having fun: The hotel heiress, 40, sparkled in a blue dress as she scooted along, cruising down her hallway

From the back: The scooter on which she perched, from Inokim Electric Scooter Shop, picked up the shade of light blue in her frock perfectly

Paris wore dainty black heels and modeled her iconic blonde hair in a sleek longish bob.

Set to the track Stay by Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber, the clip also featured audio and a caption that both said, 'I discovered a new way of getting around the house'.

And in the caption, the Simple Life star wrote, 'If you ever have a choice between walking or riding a scooter Choose the scooter'.

Set to the track Stay by Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber, the clip also featured audio and a caption that both said: 'I discovered a new way of getting around the house'

Paris added a scooter emoji along with a wink face and some hearts as well as her iconic catchphrase 'Loves it'.

Hilton visited Fallon to discuss her new Netflix program Cooking With Paris, among other things.

The show, which at one point features Paris baking with her old friend Kim Kardashian, is generating buzz and is another success for Paris in the reality TV sphere.

It works: Paris's dress was the same outfit she was seen in on Tuesday, when she made an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Former Big Brother star Katie Williams stepped out with her makeup artist girlfriend Georgia Hull on Friday.

The couple, who confirmed their relationship just days ago, packed on the PDA while on a coffee run in Sydney's Bondi Beach.

Katie affectionately placed an arm around her lover and kissed her as they strolled around the beachside suburb.

Loved up: Big Brother star Katie Williams (left) packed on the PDA with her girlfriend Georgia Hull (right) during a coffee run in Sydney's Bondi Beach on Friday

The two women both dressed casually in tracksuits with big jackets on top.

Georgia pulled her blonde hair back into a ponytail which she secured with a black bandana.

The duo looked relaxed as they sipped take-away coffees and enjoyed the fresh air.

The lockdown look: The two women both dressed casually in tracksuits with big jackets on top

Sweet moment: Katie and Georgia held hands as the crossed the street

The couple went public with their romance on Tuesday when Katie posted a gallery of loved-up photos on Instagram and called Georgia 'my human'.

But she insisted she didn't want her sexuality to be boxed, despite being in a same-sex relationship.

'Owning who I am means stepping fully into my sexuality,' she wrote.

'Sexuality is a spectrum. It's not black and white, it's dynamic, it's fluid, and for me it is ever evolving.

'This hasn't been easy for me. But I stand strong. We stand strong.'

Going public: The couple went public with their romance on Tuesday when Katie posted a gallery of loved-up photos on Instagram and called Georgia 'my human'

She added: 'Hundreds of people questioned me during my time on TV. Constant questions, comments and messages regarding my identity. What if I don't want to be boxed? What if I just lean into what feels right, right now.

'Thank you for the love, support and guidance. You know who you are. I am blessed.'

The post received a warm reception from Katie's celebrity followers, with Caroline Groth, Skye Wheatley and Jess Trend all commenting.

According to Georgia's Instagram bio, she works as a hair stylist and makeup artist in Sydney.

Katie appeared on the most recent season of Big Brother Australia and was eliminated on day 26.
Amber Rose was seen taking her son Slash to the mall after splitting from her ex Alexander Edwards, who she accused of cheating with 12 women.

As she went shopping with her eldest child in Van Nuys on Wednesday, the 37-year-old held hands with her little boy, who wore a surgical face mask.

For their outing, the mother-of-two sported a white fitted hoodie, grey sweatpants and sneakers.

Tough day: Amber Rose was seen taking her son Slash to the mall after splitting from her ex Alexander Edwards, who she accused of cheating with 12 women

That same day Edwards, 34, responded to her cheating claims on an Instagram Live show as he said he loved the model but it is his 'true nature' to not be faithful and he doesn't want to keep hurting the beauty so he thinks it's better that they part.

The music executive at Def Jam Recordings made these comments during Big Vons Instagram Live post.

'I mean, she texted me like, if I apologize publicly and all this sh*t, you know, she love me but I dont want to keep doing that to her,' he said.

Retail therapy: As she went shopping with her eldest child in Van Nuys on Wednesday, the 37-year-old held hands with her little boy, who wore a surgical face mask

And Alexander suggested that if they got back together, he would just cheat again down the road.

'I know that I could stop. I could give her a good, solid six months and just really like, deprive myself of my true nature for as long as I can take it but I dont want to live like that,' he added.

Amber had accused her former partner for allegedly cheating on her with multiple women in a post that was made to her Instagram account.

Emotional: On Wednesday, the model and television personality explained that she wouldn't publicly name the women she accused of being with Edwards because she's not in the business of ruining lives

Without ever mentioning his name, the model and television personality blasted the Def Jam record executive on her Instagram Stories, before seemingly ending the nearly three-year relationship, which resulted in their 22-month-old son Slash.

She wrote: 'I'm tired of getting cheated on and being embarrassed behind the scenes. All 12 of y'all bums (The ones that I know of there's probably more) can have him,' she began in the emotional post.

'Y'all very much knew he was in a relationship with a baby and y'all decided to to f**k him anyway I saw all the texts and DM's.'

Music man: Edwards, 34, is a music executive with Def Jam Recordings (pictured 2019)

Another call out: Not long after her emotional post, the School Dance star called out her mother, calling her a raging narcissistic 'who can get the f**k out of my life too'

She continued, 'Y'all were well aware but y'all but y'all don't owe me any loyalty so it's whatever. I can't be the only one fighting for my family anymore. I've been so loyal and transparent but I haven't gotten the same energy in return.'

Rose went on to explain that she wouldn't publicly name the women she accused of being with Edwards 'because I'm not in the business of ruining lives but y'all know who y'all are.'

She ended the post by implying that the couple has split up by writing, 'As for him The lack of loyalty and the disrespect is ridiculous and I'm done.'

Her reasons: The Pennsylvania native gave her 21 million Instagram fans and followers an explanation as to why she decided to go public with intimate details from her personal life

Not long after, the School Dance star called out her mother Dorothy Rose, when she shared, 'My raging narcissistic mom can get the f**k out of my life too. On my kids.'

The reason for the pair's feud is unknown. Dorothy and Amber have been close in the past, with the former joining her daughter on the annual SlutWalk event in 2018.

In 2013 she got a portrait of her mother as a young woman tattooed on her arm, tweeting: 'New tatt - Throwback to my Mommy Ms Dottie thx @bobby_serna.'

Proud mother: Rose shares her 22-month-old son, Slash, with Edwards

She would go on to give her 21 million Instagram fans and followers an explanation as to why she decided to go public with details from her personal life.

'I'm tired of being mentally and emotionally abused by people that I love I've been suffering in silence for a long time and I can't take it anymore. That's why I've been so quiet,' she wrote.

'I've been a shell of who I used to be but I refuse to let anyone damage me anymore. Family or not.'

In a move that suggests she wanted to get rid of any image of Edwards, Rose deleted every single Instagram post from her main feed, with the exception of a video that was shared back on July 10, 2020.

He took to Instagram two hours later to share snaps of himself with Tyga and a clip of himself playing with the couple's son.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for the couple for comment.

The Amber Rose Show star also has an eight-year-old son Sebastian Taylor Tomasz with ex-husband and rapper Wiz Khalifa, 33. They announced their separation in September 2014 after just over a year of marriage, and finalized the divorce in 2016.

Family matters: The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native also has an eight-year-old son Sebastian Taylor Tomasz with ex-husband and rapper Wiz Khalifa, 33
Channel Seven may soon announce a decision on whether or not the Covid-19 vaccine will be made mandatory for staff.

The network canvassed its employees' views on such a mandate in an internal survey sent out via email this week.

Some staff members are said to be concerned about their future at the company if a 'no jab, no job' policy is implemented, reports TV Blackbox.

However, Seven told Daily Mail Australia it is not yet proposing mandatory vaccines, and will only make a decision after 'consultation with our staff'.

Survey: Channel Seven may soon announce a decision on whether or not the Covid-19 vaccine will be made mandatory for staff. The network canvassed its employees' views on such a mandate in a survey sent via email this week. Pictured: Seven's headquarters in Martin Place

The survey reads: 'As the Covid Delta strain gathers momentum, talk is turning to whether or not vaccination should be mandatory for staff.

'Before Seven makes a decision, we want to understand your views.

'To obtain your input, we have designed a brief survey which you can access here. It is confidential and should take no longer than 30 seconds to respond.'

Staff on several Seven programs are already receiving three Covid tests a week and complying with Covid-safe measures.

'Talk is turning to whether or not vaccination should be mandatory': The network sent out this short survey to all its employees this week to seek their opinions on mandatory vaccinations

A Seven spokesperson said no decision had been made on mandatory vaccines yet.

'We are not proposing mandatory vaccines. We're gathering the views of our staff, which is the fair and responsible thing to do,' they said.

'The survey closes COB today [Friday], so it's premature to speculate what might happen. We will absolutely be guided by what our people want.

Under review: Seven told Daily Mail Australia it is not yet proposing mandatory vaccines and will only make a decision after 'consultation with our staff'

'We will share the results of the survey with staff and whatever happens from there will be in consultation with our staff.

'The health and safety of our staff is our number-one priority at all times.'

Mandatory vaccines have been a topic of debate at workplaces, with the government leaving the decision in the hands of employers.

Airline Qantas and food-processing company SPC have announced they will be making vaccination compulsory for their staff.
Antonia Kidman got her second AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination on Friday.

The journalist - whose sister is actress Nicole Kidman - celebrated by sharing a photo of arm, the injection site covered in a plaster, to Instagram.

The 51-year-old wrote: 'Just had my second jab of the AZ vaccine. Fully vaccinated now'.

Happy day! Antonia Kidman (pictured) got her second AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination on Friday. The journalist - whose sister is actress Nicole Kidman - celebrated by sharing a photo of arm, the injection site covered in a plaster, to Instagram

However her admission sparked shock from British talk show host Trisha Goddard, 63.

The presenter wrote in the comments: 'Yesss! However I am amazed you guys are being vaccinated so late!'

'We were vaccinated back in March in the US and UK!' the Jeremy Vine On 5 star added.

The 51-year-old wrote: 'Just had my second jab of the AZ vaccine. Fully vaccinated now'

Surprised: However her admission sparked shock from British talk show host Trisha Goddard (pictured far right)

A fan then explained: 'We're all horrified it's taken so long too! We are stuck in lockdown now and I had to hunt down a doctor to get a vax.

'We are all very angry! But happy for the US, UK and other places for getting it done so efficiently and fast!'

Trisha replied: 'Politicians, eh? Better late than never '

Antonia joined the conversation, adding: 'We getting there now though.'

Australia has lagged behind much of the developed world thanks to a bungled vaccine rollout.

The presenter wrote in the comments: 'Yesss! However I am amazed you guys are being vaccinated so late! We were vaccinated back in March in the US and UK!'

A fan then explained: 'We're all horrified it's taken so long too!' Trisha replied: 'Politicians, eh? Better late than never '

Antonia joined the conversation, adding: 'We getting there now though'. Currently just 28.2 percent of Australians are fully vaccinated

Currently, 50.2 percent of Australian adults have had heir first dose, and just 28.2 percent are fully vaccinated.

By contrast, the UK, where Trisha resides, has vaccinated 89 percent of adults with one dose, with 59 percent of adults fully vaccinated.

In the United States, CDC data shows 70 percent of adults have one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and 51 percent are fully vaccinated.
Susanna Reid returned to the Good Morning Britain studio on Friday, after cutting her own holiday short to allow co-star Kate Garraway to get away with her children.

The journalist, 50, made a statement in a red dress as she joined Richard Bacon on the show, marking her official return full-time after her summer break having kindheartedly stepped in to cover her colleague and pal's work.

In her comeback, she asked Richard how the week had been in her absence and the pair joked that Richard 'enjoyed the drama' of the voiceover saying his name.

Kate had said that she only had a small window of time to take her first holiday since Derek had fallen in with coronavirus in March 2020.

She's back! Susanna Reid, 50, returned to the Good Morning Britain studio on Friday, after cutting her own holiday short to allow Kate Garraway to get away with her children

Kate praised Susanna on Thursday after the presenter revealed she would be returning to Good Morning Britain early so her colleague can go on her first holiday since her husband Derek Draper's recovery from Covid.

The presenter revealed on Thursday's episode of the show that her co-host would be taking over for a day on Friday - so that she could go on the 'emotional' break with her children: William, 12, and Darcey, 15.

The presenter was also left red-faced as she confessed that she had to make a mad dash to the studio that morning after she accidentally overslept by two hours.

Kate explained to co-host Richard Bacon: 'Derek's family are descending to take care of Derek while I take the kids away. I want to say a massive thank you to Susanna, she has been very kind.'

'The three of us are quite emotional about going away without him': Kate is going away to rest with her children, William, 12, and Darcey, 15, while Derek is cared for by family and nurses (Kate is pictured on Thursday)

Explaining the difficult logistics of the plan, Kate continued: 'I had a very tight window where I could get everybody to come and look after Derek.

'Obviously he'll have nurses as well, but I also needed friends to help us because I think the three of us are quite emotional about going away without him.

Of going away without her husband, Kate added: 'We wondered whether that would be too strange to do,

Gorgeous: The brunette beauty stunned in a pillar box red frock as she joined Richard Bacon on the show, marking her official return full-time after her summer break

'It feels like a bit of a moment. In fact my son Billy is concerned. It feels strange to do it, but we need to do it so we can have a few days and come back refreshed.'

'We had a very tight window and nobody from GMB was available,' Kate explained.

'So, Susanna is coming off her holiday to come back for one day only to present the show tomorrow to allow me to go on holiday,' she added gratefully.

During the show, Kate also made the hilarious confession that she had to dash into the studio to present the show on time, after accidentally oversleeping by two hours.

Happy days: The co-hosts were clearly enjoying each others' company as the show began

She told Richard: 'I overslept dramatically by two hours. I normally set my alarm for 2.45am because I like to come in, have a cup of tea and settle in.

'But I got in the car at about 4.40am. There are a lot of nervous producers around this morning.'

Kate did not clarify why she accidentally overslept that morning, but did reassure viewers that made it to the studio on time, and was on air alongside Richard when the programme began at 6am.

This is not the first time Kate's alarm failed her, as back in December 2019 Ranvir Singh was forced to step in at the last minute when the broadcaster missed a show for the first time in 20 years because she overslept.

'It feels like a bit of a moment': This will be the first time Kate and her children have been away without Derek since he began his battle with coronavirus in March 2020 (pictured with his children in 2019 on Good Morning Britain)

Appearing on the show via a video call, the visibly stressed star said: 'Listen, I'm going to get fired! I can't believe I've done this!'

'I've still got my hair blow dried, all my make-up on from last night. William's off school at the moment, he's not very well so I was lying next to him and I fell asleep.

'I've still got my shoes on. I fell asleep and next thing I know it's 20 minutes ago. I've never done this in 20 years.'

'This is my first show back, I don't know what I'm going to do! 'I can't believe I slept from 6pm all the way until now.

'I've got six alarm clocks and didn't set any of them. Oh God, I'm so sorry, please don't fire me!'

Journey: The virus wreaked havoc throughout his entire body, resulting in kidney failure, liver and pancreatic damage (Derek is pictured in hospital)

Kate, who finished fourth in the Australian jungle, was seen wearing last night's clothes and had yesterday's make-up smeared over her face.

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.
He has played Jay Brown in EastEnders since 2006.

And, Jamie Borthwick looked coy as he left Frankie Bridge's GROW book launch in London with a mystery woman, on Thursday evening.

The actor, 27, flashed a wide smile as he held the door open for the brunette beauty and proceeded to walk down the street together.

Who's that girl? Jamie Borthwick, 27, looked coy as he left Frankie Bridge's GROW book launch in London with a mystery woman, on Thursday evening

Jamie kept things casual for the event, stepping out in a navy-and-white striped T-shirt and cropped trousers teamed with plain white trainers.

His mystery girl looked glam in a sexy black crop top and flared leg ensemble, with a plaid blazer draped over her shoulders.

MailOnline has contacted Jamie Borthwick's representatives for comment.

Gorgeous: His mystery girl looked glam in a sexy black crop top and flared leg ensemble, with a plaid blazer draped over her shoulders

Happy days: The actor flashed a wide smile as he and the brunette beauty walked down the street together

Avoiding the limelight: The duo chucked as they strolled along together

Jamie's night out comes after her revealed that he is second cousins with his former co-star Charlie Winter.

The TV star discovered the surprising family connection when Charlie, 24, joined the show in 2018.

Jamie made the link after noting Charlie had the same name as his uncle and found out the pair were actually related.

Speaking to The Sun, he said: 'My great uncle is called Charlie Winter, so when they said there was a kid coming in called Charlie Winter, I was like, "Seriously?"

Gentleman: Jamie held the door open for the stunning woman

'Turns out we are second cousins.'

Charlie played Mel Owen's son, Hunter, and was killed off a year later after shooting Ben Mitchell in the Queen Vic.

He was shot dead by police after taking Louise Mitchell hostage and shooting Keanu Taylor on his rampage.

Jamie was one of few mourners who attended Dame Barbara Windsor's funeral earlier this year to pay respects to the actress who played Peggy Mitchell.

The Mitchell family have taken care of Jamie's character Jay since he was orphaned by age 14.
Chris Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky denied rumours that they're selling their $30 million home in Byron Bay earlier this month.

Now new claims have emerged that the A-list pair have forked out a mammoth $50million to snag a mansion on Burraneer Bay in Sydney's Sutherland Shire.

According to Sarah McGilvary of NOVAFM's Fitzy and Wippa show, the Thor star and his wife are in the process of pinning down the property, which includes seven bedrooms and 23 bathrooms.

Moves? Chris Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky (both pictured) denied rumours that they are selling their $30 million home in Byron Bay earlier this month. Now new claims have emerged that the A-list pair have forked out a mammoth $50 million to snag a Sydney mansion

'Chris Hemsworth, this is awesome... he's been house hunting and I've had a tip-off from someone,' Sarah told the show on Friday.

'I have it on good authority that he's been there, two to three times,' she added.

The home mentioned is listed on Domain and boasts scenic views as well as up to 20 car spots.

Moved? Chris is said to have visited the Burraneer Bay property (pictured) multiple times

Roomy: The home is currently listed on Domain and boasts scenic views as well as up to 20 car spots, seven bedrooms and 23 bathrooms

It's also a recreational delight as the home also features a built-in bowling alley, cinema and a wine cellar.

Should Chris and Elsa have their Hollywood friends over, they've got plenty of room to spare as the property includes two guest houses.

The Sutherland Shire home also has a wine-tasting room, a gymnasium, and a music room, and is a short 40 minutes away from Sydney's CBD.

Wow! The Sutherland Shire home also has a wine-tasting room, a gymnasium, and a music room, as well as a cinema

Recreational delight: There is even a bowling alley featured at the pad

Earlier this month it was revealed that the high-profile couple were not selling their $30 million home in Byron Bay, despite rumours claiming they planned to offload the property.

According to a report in Confidential, a Byron Bay prestige realtor confirmed there was 'no mention' of the property coming on the books for sale.

He also said the mega mansion was not being 'quietly shopped' to potential buyers.

Staying put: Earlier this month it was revealed that the high-profile couple are reportedly not selling their $30 million home in Byron Bay, despite rumours claiming they planned to offload the property

'I see every home that is either on the market or coming on the books and there has been no mention of Chris's home yet,' the unnamed agent was quoted as saying.

The report included a friend who said widespread reports of the move were also 'surprising' for him, given the specifications of the Hemsworth mansion.

'That home was built to his family's unique specifications so it would be surprising for him to sell up now,' the friend was quoted as saying.

Nope! According to a report in Confidential , a Byron Bay prestige realtor confirmed there is 'no mention' of the property coming on the books for sale

The rumours emerged following reports the A-listers recently 'inspected a large landholding at nearby Lennox Head', according to The Courier Mail.

That property ended up being sold to some Sydneysiders, who purchased it for about $15million to use as a holiday home.

Chris and Elsa completed their mega-mansion earlier this year, and the monolithic home has skyrocketed in price since the family moved in.

Originally estimated at $20million, property experts said in January the LA-style compound, located in Broken Head near Byron Bay, is now worth $30million.

Right up his alley! Chris and Elsa installed a $110,000 two-lane bowling alley in their Byron Bay mansion

Lloyd Edge, founder and director of Aus Property Professionals and author of best-selling book Positively Geared, said the market value had gone-up significantly since the original dwelling was knocked down and rebuilt.

He told Daily Mail Australia: 'I estimate that in the current market the property could sell for up to $30million.'

'Hemsworth bought the property for $9million but spent around $18million building the mansion.'

Chris and his family began construction on the mansion, which was previously an eight-bedroom resort-style home known as Kooeloah, in late 2017.

Angry neighbours were quick to say the rebuild reminded them of a suburban shopping centre, a refurbished RSL club or a regional airport terminal.

Fitness: Their current mansion also features a gym, which Chris and Elsa use to keep fit

The property, about 12 kilometres out of Byron Bay, is on Broken Head Road and overlooks Seven Mile Beach.

A development application approved by Byron Shire Council estimated the cost of construction to be $18million.

Most of that money has gone back into the Northern Rivers community. The home was built by Jason Stehn whose company Stehnbuild is based in nearby Bangalow.

Chris and Elsa live at the home with their children, daughter India and twin boys Tristan and Sasha.
The coronavirus pandemic hasn't stopped her from jetting abroad on numerous occasions.

And Love Island's Gabby Allen displayed her toned figure and washboard abs in a skimpy brown co-ord on Thursday after touching down in Ibiza.

The reality star, 26, looked nothing short of sensational in her halterneck bandeau top and mini skirt as she posed for Instagram photos before dinner with her boyfriend Brandon Myers.

Stunning: Love Island's Gabby Allen displayed her toned figure and washboard abs in a skimpy brown co-ord on Thursday for Instagram snaps after touching down in Ibiza

Gabby's crop top featured ruched fabric in the centre of her bust and complemented her figure-hugging bottoms, complete with a drawstring waistband.

The fitness enthusiast clutched a cream quilted handbag which boasted a gold chain, similar to her chunky gold jewellery.

Gabby boosted her defined physique with unusual sandal heels as she posed by an outdoor wall.

The blonde beauty tucked her locks back in a half-up half-down hairdo while enhancing her sun-kissed glow with a warm make-up look.

Form-fitting: The reality star, 26, looked nothing short of sensational in her halterneck bandeau top and mini skirt as she posed before dinner with her boyfriend Brandon Myers

Peachy! Gabby's crop top featured ruched fabric in the centre of her bust and complemented her figure-hugging bottoms, complete with a drawstring waistband

Accesorise: The fitness enthusiast clutched a cream quilted handbag which boasted a gold chain, similar to her chunky gold jewellery

She captured additional social media selfies later in the evening as she and Brandon ate ice cream together after their meal.

The pair recently returning to London from a sun-soaked trip to Greece in July.

Greece was not the first trip abroad that the couple have been on during lockdown.

Gabby and Brandon jetted to Dubai in the first week of December last year and stated she was staying 'for the foreseeable future' for work reasons.

Playful: Gabby boosted her defined physique with sandal heels as she posed by an outdoor wall

Flawless: The blonde beauty tucked her locks back in a half-up half-down hairdo while enhancing her sun-kissed glow with a warm make-up look

The loved-up couple have been dating since June last year and went public with their romance two months later.

The television personality initially denied speculation they were in a relationship, stating at the time they were 'just friends'.

Gabby previously dated Rak-Su star Myles Stephenson until August 2019, when she accused him of cheating on her.

The reality star is thought to be worth an estimated 1.3million since finding fame on the 2017 series of Love Island.

Yummy: She captured additional social media selfies later in the evening as she and Brandon ate ice cream together after their meal
Ant Middleton has claimed his lawyer told him to lie that he had Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in order to avoid going to prison after being convicted of assualt.

The SAS: Who Dares Wins star - who was jailed for 14 months in 2013 for assaulting two police officers - said his solicitor told him to tell the court he had the condition so he'd get away with a 'slap on the wrist'.

Ant had recently left a long career in the military when he was convicted of unlawful wounding and common assault following the attacks outside a nightclub.

Claims: Ant Middleton has claimed his lawyer told him to lie that he had Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in order to avoid going to prison after being convicted of assualt

Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Ant said: 'When I went to prison I had just left the military and I remember my lawyer, he was rubbing his hands.

'He was like 'Ant, you've just left the military haven't you?' and I was like 'yeah'. He said 'how long ago?' and I went 'six months ago'.

'And he went ''brilliant, how many tours of Afghanistan did you do?'' and I said ''three''. He said ''recent?'' and I said ''yeah, I got back not long ago''.

'He was like ''excellent. Right, Ant, do you want to go to prison?'' and of course I didn't want to go to prison.

Controversy: The SAS: Who Dares Wins star said his solicitor told him to tell the court he had the condition so he'd get away with a 'slap on the wrist' (pictured during his time in the army)

'He was like ''well, you've got PTSD'' and I said ''what do you mean I've got PTSD?''

'His exact words were ''Ant, if you say you've got PTSD I promise you you will not go to prison''.

'He said ''I'll write a report, you'll get a slap on the wrist, I guarantee you with what you've done you'll be back, you'll go off and do a course and be back home with your family''.'

In the end, Ant said that he couldn't go through with the plan, continuing: 'I looked at him and said 'I can't do that, I haven't got PTSD, I can't say that'.

'I said ''I got drunk and ended up in a fucking fight and hurt someone, I deserve to be in prison, let me do my time''. And that's exactly what I done.'

Controversy: Ant had recently left a long career in the military when he was convicted of unlawful wounding and common assault following the attacks outside a nightclub

Ant eventually served four months of his 13 month prison sentence before he was released.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Ant Middleton for further comment.

Earlier this year Ant was dropped by Channel 4 due to his alleged 'personal conduct,' with the presenter fiercely denying claims that he was axed for making 'inappropriate' or 'lewd comments' to female staff on set.

Speaking on a recent podcast, he hit out at 'victim mentality' and said he's 'too far gone now to be completely cancelled'.

He said: 'I can get as drunk as a skunk and that's not in my nature, that's not who I am.

'My family knows that and my wife knows that. I'm more of a boys' boy  let's f*** off the chicks and go and have a drink with the lads. It makes me realise how this victim mentality is really taking over.

'My career could be cancelled if I wasn't who I am. I'm too far gone and too long in the tooth now to be completely cancelled.'

Holding back: In the end, Ant said that he couldn't go through with the plan, continuing: 'I looked at him and said 'I can't do that, I haven't got PTSD, I can't say that'

Ant also detailed how his wife Emilie had asked him about the furore following his exit from SAS: Who Dares UK, with him telling her to think about how he's always acted around her and his 'super polite' nature.

He told the podcast: 'I'm like, 'Emilie, go back to who I am. When you first met me and I was drunk, have I ever been sleazy? No. Am I super polite? Yes, I am.''

Ant went on to claim there has been a 'witch hunt' against him in the UK, remarking: 'Witch hunt? I never thought that existed until the latest shenanigans with SAS UK.'

He added: 'Ultimately people can see through it and know I was pushed before I could jump.'

Ant's abrupt departure from SAS: Who Dares Wins, the show he helped launch in 2015, was confirmed by Channel 4 just two weeks before filming for its next series was scheduled to begin.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 told MailOnline at the time: 'Ant Middleton will not be taking part in future series of SAS: Who Dares Wins.

'Following a number of discussions Channel 4 and Minnow Films have had with him in relation to his personal conduct it has become clear that our views and values are not aligned and we will not be working with him again.'

Dropped: Earlier this year Ant was dropped by Channel 4 due to his alleged 'personal conduct,' with the presenter denying claims that he was axed for making 'inappropriate' comments

Ant then 'wholeheartedly' denied claims he 'joked about having sex with a female contestant' on after previously hitting back at claims he made improper comments to female staff.

A spokesperson for Ant told MailOnline at the time: 'Ant has worked on TV sets around the world for many years and has never at any point been accused of speaking inappropriately by anyone.

'He has only ever been informed of these allegations, which he wholeheartedly and emphatically rejects, via the media.

'If anyone felt that he did say anything verbally offensive we would have expected a formal process of review but no such discussion has ever taken place either via any of the networks he works for or via bodies such as Bectu.'

It came following a report by The Sun that Ant was heard telling a contestant he wanted to have sex with her via his microphone during filming.

Ditched: Speaking on a recent podcast, he hit out at 'victim mentality' and said he's 'too far gone now to be completely cancelled'

A source claimed his comment were meant to be in jest, but still prompted a member of the show's production team to complain, as it was alleged he said: 'I'm going to f**k you after this.'

A representative for Channel 4 told the publication that measures are in place so any complaints from staff can be handled confidentially.

Ant also denied claims of further behaviour after it was reported four women had accused him of making 'lewd and suggestive comments' on set.

The women approached the media union Bectu, who told The Mirror they are planning to meet with Channel 4 after Ant dismissed his behaviour as 'military banter' during an interview on Good Morning Britain.

It was also reported that Ant threatened to quit SAS: Who Dares Wins multiple times and 'acted like a Hollywood star on the set' before he was ultimately axed.

A source told The Sun: 'Ant loved to be the star attraction and seemed to think the show needed him more than he needed it - and would act like that on set. He threatened to quit on several occasions.
She has a seemingly endless collection of chic work outfits.

And Kelly Brook nailed summer style on Friday in a ruffled floral top and jeans as she entered Global Radio Studios ahead of her Heart FM show.

The TV presenter, 41, exuded effortless femininity in her daytime look as she made her way to the recording venue in Leicester Square, London.

Stunning: Kelly Brook nailed summer style on Friday in a ruffled floral top and jeans as she entered Global Radio Studios ahead of her Heart FM show

Kelly's top boasted pink and red flowers, floaty cuffs and tie-neck detailing.

Her light acid wash jeans finished above her stylish brown heels, complete with a woven leather-look strap.

Showcasing her love for designer items, Kelly clutched a quilted handbag from Chanel.

The model swept her signature brunette locks back in a neat ponytail as she framed her visage with a light make-up look and Ray-Ban shades.

Fashionista: The TV presenter, 41, exuded effortless femininity in her daytime look as she made her way to the recording venue in Leicester Square, London

The outing comes after Kelly revealed last month 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.

Radio hosts Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden quizzed Kelly about taking part in the show, which was won by gymnast Louis Smith.

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?"

'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!'
Her first child, Consy, tragically passed away at four weeks old in 2019, and the Love Island star is now expecting another girl with boyfriend Jared.

And on Thursday, Malin Andersson displayed her baby bump in a figure-hugging grey dress as she left an East London studio in fluffy slippers.

The pregnant star, 28, looked radiant in her simple T-shirt dress, with her ombre tresses styled into perfect curls.

Gorgeous: On Thursday, Malin Andersson, 28, displayed her baby bump in a figure-hugging grey dress as she left an East London studio in fluffy slippers

Malin's frock boasted a split up the left hand side, which allowed her to stroll along with ease in her slides.

The reality star accessorised with silver jewellery, including a watch, bracelet, multiple rings and pretty anklets.

Malin carried her belongings in a brown Louis Vuitton tote bag and sported a light dusting of make-up on her flawless visage.

Glowing: The pregnant star, 28, looked radiant in her simple T-shirt dress, with her ombre tresses styled into perfect curls

On Thursday, Malin left little to the imagination as she took to Instagram to share a very stripped-down shot.

Cupping her ample assets with her tattoo-covered hands, the former Love Islander proudly displayed her growing bump in nothing but a pair of peach bottoms.

Her new post comes after she revealed she is expecting a girl with boyfriend Jared, after her first child, Consy, tragically passed away at four weeks old in 2019.

Beauty: On Thursday, Malin left little to the imagination as she took to Instagram to share a very stripped-down shot

Confident: The former Love Islander wrote this caption to accompany her sizzling post

Possibly teasing an upcoming shoot, the brunette beauty struck up a pose from within a photography studio.

Her full-face of makeup had been applied flawlessly and her beautiful dark brown tresses cascaded down to her shoulders in curls.

'PREGNANT & SEXY,' the model captioned the stunning snap.

It comes after Malin hosted a gender reveal party over the weekend for 80 friends at her Cambridgeshire home, with a plane flying overhead releasing pink smoke to reveal that she is carrying a girl.

Exciting: She recently revealed she is expecting a baby girl with boyfriend Jared, after her first child, Consy, tragically passed away at four weeks old in 2019

Malin told OK!: 'From the get-go I knew it was a girl, I had this gut feeling. So I was super happy. It just made sense to me.'

'Even though I knew what the gender was, because I went to the scan myself, when I saw the smoke it brought up loads of emotions.

'It made me feel really emotional. It confirmed it was real, in a weird way. It was like a little miracle and a blessing.

'To make it even more special, my new baby shares the same due date as my daughter Consy.'

Last week, Malin shared a nude photo of herself in the bathtub as she wrote a passionate message about domestic abuse.

Radiant: Last week, Malin shared a nude photo of herself in the bathtub as she wrote a passionate message about domestic abuse

Malin explained how she was living through domestic abuse at the hands of her ex Tom Kemp when she was pregnant with her first child, who sadly passed away.

She wrote: 'It isn't until you are amongst peace that you realise what your life used to be like.

'Sometimes my life right now feels too good to be true. I don't like delving into my past unless it's to make a point & help you all to understand transition and strength - and this time I would like to compare how different my pregnancies are.

'Firstly, I have never been with anyone so loving and attentive.. that makes my soul shine and brings out only the best in me.

Candid: The influencer encouraged any of her followers who may be experiencing domestic abuse to go and seek help

'I know this sounds so cringe as I write it - but when something so pure lands into your life, it almost feels alien if you've never experienced it before.

'My pregnancy so far has been stress free, calm and peaceful.. and a lot of that is down to me having a loving and stable relationship. One that has great communication and understanding - and most of all patience.

'I look back 3 years ago to when I was pregnant with Consy, and how volatile my relationship was then; and how I would wake up each day with severe anxiety, panic attacks and stress.

'With every argument and attack would come the tensing of my stomach and the knowing that my little girl could feel all the pain I felt too.

Speaking out: Malin explained how she was living through domestic abuse at the hands of her ex Tom Kemp when she was pregnant for the first time

'It saddens me to think that I thought that was 'love' - and it breaks my heart knowing I let myself endure the emotional and physical pain whilst carrying something so precious - but this is what you call domestic abuse.'

The influencer encouraged any of her followers who may be experiencing domestic abuse to go and seek help.

She wrote: 'Domestic abuse does not discriminate. If you are pregnant it can actually get worse.

'Domestic abuse during pregnancy puts a pregnant woman and her unborn child in danger. It increases the risk of miscarriage, infection, premature birth, low birth weight, foetal injury and foetal death.

'If you are pregnant and being abused, there is help. Your abusive partner is not only potentially endangering your life, but also the life of your unborn baby.

Tragic: Her daughter Consy was born seven weeks premature in December 2018 and was treated at London's Great Ormond Street hospital, but sadly passed away on 22 January 2019

'With this, I am sending you all so much love. The transition my life has endured has been surreal - I never thought I would make it through the heartache and agony.

'But I'm here. I'm thriving. I'm smiling. And I've survived it.'

Malin revealed she was expecting a baby earlier this month when she a snap of her baby bump, with her hands and her boyfriend Jared's hands resting on it.

Consy was born seven weeks premature in December 2018 and was being treated at Great Ormond Street hospital, but sadly passed away aged four weeks on 22 January 2019.

Since then the brunette beauty has struggled with further strife, reportedly left terrified after her violent ex recently broke his license conditions meaning he has been sent back to prison.

Scary: The former Love Islander has struggled with strife, reportedly left terrified after her violent ex Tom Kemp recently broke his license conditions meaning he has been sent back to prison (pictured together in 2019)

Tom Kemp, 28, was jailed at Aylesbury Crown Court in September after admitting to actual bodily harm, which left the reality star 'black and blue' but was released three months later in January.

The Sun recently reported that Tom - who was serving the remaining term on Home Detention Curfew - recently visited the area that the Love Island star lives.

He was then reportedly sent back to prison after failing to comply with the rules he was set as he continued to serve part of his sentence in the community.

A source told the publication: 'Malin was really shocked when she heard he had been in her area.

'She had really hoped his prison sentence would mark the end of having to think about him ever again.

Awful: Malin previously accused the 'narcissist' of being abusive in Instagram posts in 2019 and shared pictures of herself with a cut cheek and bloodied nose

'The whole thing has been incredibly stressful, but Malin is very strong and just hopes he's learnt his lesson now.'

A source also told MailOnline: 'Malin was glad to hear that Tom had been sent back to prison for breaching his license conditions, but to learn that he only returned for a week due to his sentence coming to an end concerns her.

'She feels that far too often the justice system fails survivors of domestic violence and ultimately believes that this contributes to the reason why perpetrators continue to abuse.'

Tom, was jailed at last year after following an attack in which he broke her hand.

Reality star Malin previously accused the 'narcissist' of being abusive in Instagram posts in 2019 and shared pictures of herself with a cut cheek and bloodied nose.

Injuries: Tom left Malin with broken bones and bruises in a violent tirade

But Tom, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, denied the claims at the time, branding her a 'liar with mental health issues'.

The former couple had an on-off romance, splitting briefly during her pregnancy, amid claims Tom had been unfaithful to her, but reconciling shortly before the birth.

In March they split again, with Malin admitting it was better to end things between them as she and her partner struggled with their grief.

In October, Malin told how she believes the physical abuse Tom subjected her to while she was pregnant was a factor behind her daughter's death at just one month old.

She revealed Kemp 'slapped and punched' her while she was six months pregnant, causing her to fall on her back and her stomach to hit the side of a bed.

Shocking: Tom, was jailed at last year after following an attack in which he broke her hand (pictured are the injuries to her face)

Speaking to The Sun, Malin said she is convinced the incident contributed to Consy's death as after a few days, she noticed she wasn't moving around as much.

A month later, the movements reduced again and Malin insisted Kemp drive her to the hospital where doctors discovered Consy's irregular heartbeat, leading her to have an emergency cesarean that day at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

She said: 'When Tom threw me about, I'd tense my stomach so much, I could feel her pausing inside me. The doctors didn't understand what happened to her, but I know in my heart.'

If you are a victim of domestic abuse, call Refuge's freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247

If you have been affected by the death of a baby please call Sands on 0808 164 3332 or email helpline@sands.org.uk
Jamie Oliver Holdings Limited (JOHL) made 8.7m EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) last year - but the chef personally took out a 1.3M loan from the company, and charged JOHL 60,000 in rent -accounts reveal.

JOHL group comprises a number of businesses that cover all the media interests of Jamie Oliver, primarily TV & digital production and distribution, book publishing, endorsements and royalty streams.

The celebrity chef, 46, who is worth an estimated 240million, suffered a turbulent financial period in 2019 when Jamie Oliver Restaurants Group Ltd went into administration, with 22 restaurants closing.

Accounts for JOHL group for the year ending December 31 2020, show the company made 8.7 million EBITDA and turnover of 24,015,754 [down from 8,962,856 and 29,955,022 in 2019].

Empire: Jamie Oliver Holdings Limited (JOHL) made 8.7m EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) last year - but the chef personally took out a 1.3M loan from the company, and charged JOHL 60,000 in rent -accounts reveal (pictured 2020)

The financial statement said: 'The Group primarily measures financial performance in terms of pre-exceptional EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), which for 2020 was 8.7m.

'The principal drives of the contraction in profitability were the travel restrictions, temporary closures and social distancing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.'

Accumulated profits/Equity now stand at 16,228,280 [up from 15,046,237 in 2019] while 10,680,799 'cash at bank and in hand' is up from 333,892 in 2019.

The document also reveals Jamie and his wife Jools received a huge loan from JOHL of 1.3million with a note stating: 'The loan is interest bearing at a rate of 2.25% per annum. Interest of 5,887 was paid in the year.'

His brand: JOHL group comprises a number of businesses that cover all the media interests of Jamie Oliver, primarily TV & digital production and distribution, book publishing, endorsements and royalty streams (pictured 2020 in Jamie: Keep Cooking At Christmas)

Jamie and Jools also received rental income from the group of 60,000 with the six directors of the group - including Oliver - paying themselves a total of 1,714,335 in 'renumeration'. The highest paid earned 871,168 - but the document does not name them.

JOHL's accounts show the group 'received support of 418k from the government by way of grants through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in the year, which allowed the group to be able to keep a total of 40 additional staff employed.

This means each staff member cost the taxpayers 10,450 - it has 151 employees, meaning more than 25 per cent were furloughed.

Loan: The document also reveals Jamie and his wife Jools received a huge loan from JOHL of 1.3million (pictured together in 2011)

Over: Oliver's chains Fifteen, Jamie's Italian and Barbecoa went into administration in May 2019, with more than 20 restaurants shutting and 1,000 jobs lost as a result

The accounts also state the company is running as a 'going concern' due to the 'potential impact of the coronavirus on our business, taking into account the level of overheads to which the business is committed, the level of contracted revenue and the strong cash position of the group'.

The company also has a 3million 'bank facility' or overdraft - and no dividends were paid out.

JOHL includes companies such as Jamie Oliver Enterprises, Jools Enterprises Ltd and Jamie Oliver Productions.

In May 2019 Oliver's chains Fifteen, Jamie's Italian and Barbecoa went into administration, with more than 20 restaurants shutting and 1,000 jobs lost as a result.

'I've had the best of it  I don't know anyone who had it better than me  and I've had the worst of it  that's life. You have to focus it to a positive.'

Accounts released in May 2019 showed the company made a loss of more than 29million on a turnover of 100million in 2017.

But in all its seven years in the black (2009 to 2015) the firm netted only 24million.

In fact, despite turning over more than three quarters of a billion pounds between 2008 and 2017, Jamie's Italian made a net loss of 15million over the period.

The extraordinary financial figures called into question whether the massive business - which in 2018 was reported to have debts in excess of 70million - was ever truly viable or was always destined to fail.

In November 2019, Jamie emotionally discussed the collapse of his restaurant empire and his hopes to start afresh with new eateries in an interview on The Graham Norton Show.

Difficulties: Earlier this month it was claimed Jamie is struggling to secure A-list guests for his popular Friday Night Feast show in the wake of the pandemic, according to reports

He said: 'It was 13 years of hard work and Fifteen was my baby, but I ran out of money, ran out of everything and it was really tough, but you have to crack on and try to get yourself together.

Earlier this month it was claimed Jamie is struggling to secure A-list guests for his popular Friday Night Feast show in the wake of the pandemic, according to reports.

Jamie hosts the show alongside his best friend Jimmy Doherty, and in the past the pair have seen the likes of Kate Hudson, Salma Hayek and Susan Sarandon make their way to the quaint cafe on Southend Pier.

However, 'uncertainty over international travel because of Covid has made it tough to bring in big-name guests,' according to The Sun.

Big names: Jamie hosts the show alongside his best friend Jimmy Doherty, and in the past the pair have seen the likes of Susan Sarandon make their way to the quaint cafe on Southend Pier

A source told the paper: 'While many shows have been able to get up and running with lockdown lifting, that's proved trickier for Friday Night Feast.

'They've got a reputation for mixing British stars with international entertainers and that's something they want to continue. But that's not easy with restrictions in various countries throwing a spanner in the works.'

They also revealed that Jamie and his production team are now 'looking at 2022 before they can get all their ducks in a row,' but insisted that Channel 4 is 'very keen' for the show's return.

Since its 2014 debut, Jamie has made a new season every year, however has not shot a new season since 2019 due to the pandemic, although the celebrity chef and his team were able to make a Christmas special last year.
She recently went to Turkey for full-body liposuction, a Brazilian bum lift and her fourth face lift.

And Katie Price's fiance Carl Woods, 31, made a powerful statement on Friday as he took to Instagram to share a snap of himself watching over her in hospital as she recovered.

The former Love Island star wrote alongside the distressing image: 'Support your women, Even when you don't support her situation!'

Distressing: Katie Price's fiance Carl Woods, 31, took to Instagram on Friday to share a snap of himself watching over her in hospital from surgery

Powerful: He made a powerful statement alongside the image

Carl's post divided his followers, with many praising him for respecting women's rights to make decisions over their bodies.

However, others insisted that he needed to intervene rather than support her desire for plastic surgery.

Earlier this month, Katie took to YouTube to share the second part of her face lift surgery journey and was also seen topping up her pout in a new video in which she had more lip filler added, leaving bruising.

The star filmed the extent of her recent cosmetic surgery for her 346,000 subscribers, with the second instalment of her video series picking up as soon as the glamour model exited surgery.

Reaction: Carl's post divided his followers, with many praising him for respecting women's rights to make decisions over their bodies

Painful: Earlier this month, Katie took to her YouTube channel to share the second part of her face lift surgery journey and was seen shaking in pain

As she was wheeled out of a hospital lift and into her room, Katie moaned and shivered in agony as her visibly distressed fiance Carl watched on.

Telling Carl that she was 'so cold' as her body shook, the mother-of-five appeared to drift in and out of consciousness.

After seeing his wife-to-be in so much pain, Carl admitted he had decided to cancel the surgery he was scheduled to have, admitting: 'I don't even know what I expected but she looks like she's in so much pain.'

Ever the supportive partner, he added: 'I'm going to stay here because I've got a bed, I was supposed to have a bed. So, I'm just going to be here for her all night and try and look after her as best as I can.'

Two hours later, Katie was on her feet and walking around the hospital.

Bruising: Katie was also seen topping up her pout in a new video in which she had more lip filler added, leaving bruising

Surgery: Katie recently had her fourth face lift in Istanbul and filmed the extent of the cosmetic surgery to show her 346,000 subscribers

The star also filmed herself having her surgical drains removed and could not help but shout out in agony.

Despite the pain, she told the camera: 'I'm one million percent happy that I did it. I wouldn't do surgeries unless I was one million percent certain.'

It has also been revealed that Katie recently had more filler added to her lips, with aesthetician Ellie Mackenzie posting a clip of Katie post-injections on TikTok.

'Russian Lift Lips for the beautiful @katieprice,' wrote Ellie.

Distressed: As she was wheeled out of a hospital lift and into her room, Katie moaned and shivered in agony as her visibly distressed fiance Carl watched on

Clearly pleased with the results, Katie told Ellie: 'I love them but the bottom lip didn't hurt but you can feel a scratch on the top. I love how you flipped them. I absolutely love that.'

Commenting on the bruising around her pout, Katie went on: 'People must know that I bruise and swell as soon as the needle touches my lip. But they will go down and I will have more in.'

Earlier in August, the star shared the first part of the video, titled: 'I FILMED MY FACE LIFT!! PART 1 (SHOCKING!!)'.

Katie began by explaining that she was flying out to Turkey for medical reasons - not to be 'out and about.'

Filler: Katie recently had more filler added to her lips, with aesthetician Ellie Mackenzie posting a clip of Katie post-injections on TikTok

Once inside the hospital, Katie was disappointed to hear from her surgeon that her skin was 'too tight' to have the exact face lift she'd envisioned.

The morning of the surgery saw the loved-up pair discussing their upcoming procedures and part one ended with Katie on the operating table, unconscious.

She penned the video caption: 'Witness first hand my cosmetic surgery journey! I not only wanted to show the before and after but during the surgery to give more of an insight into what happens and how you recover!

'Massive thank you to Comfort Zone and Dr Kerim, I am so happy with the results! PART II coming on the 8th of August at 6pm!'

Back in 2017, Katie underwent her first facelift using a London-based plastic surgeon.

Two years later, in May 2019, the star admitted she found her body 'disgusting' - and flew to Turkey for get her second face lift.

She returned for her third face lift in August 2019.
Madonna has shared further insight into the fun and frolics of her 63rd birthday celebrations in Italy, after marking the big day on Monday.

Her latest slew of snaps saw the star hitch a piggyback ride from her son Rocco, 21, cosy up to her toyboy boyfriend Ahlamalik Williams, 27, gaze at her daughter Lourdes, 24, and pose with locals as she let loose for the fun-filled bash.

She has been keeping her 16.4million Instagram followers up to date with the celebrations as she shared a montage from a fun-filled evening in Italy.

Woo! Madonna has shared further insight into the fun and frolics of her 63rd birthday celebrations in Italy, after marking the big day on Monday

Rocco was proving his strength as he scooped his mum up and ran along the streets with her on his back during the wild night.

It seemed she had plenty to chat about with Lourdes, as she shared a snap during the meal in which they appeared engrossed in conversation.

She shared more snaps with her beloved boyfriend, this time while tenderly resting her head on his shoulder as he smouldered into the camera.

The Queen Of Pop looked in great spirits, wearing a dark blue ruffled dress and a splash of red lipstick for the evening as she cosied up to beau Ahlamalik.

The happy couple: She made no secret of her love for Ahlamalik during the bash as they cosied up in the backseat of a car

Sweet: In another shot, she gazed adoringly at Lourdes, 24, as she made the most of being around her nearest and dearest

She captioned the post: 'La Famiglia#ostuni #borgoegnazi #pugliaautoclassica #casasangiacomo #terraross #deanmartin'.

Alongside Lourdes and Rocco was David Banda, 15, Mercy James, 15, and twins Estere and Stella Ciccone, eight.

The montage began with a vintage car experience, the Hung Up songstress riding in a Puglia Auto Classica with Ahlamalik before snippets showed the birthday guests also piling out of vintage cars.

Birthday girl: The Queen Of Pop looked in great spirits, wearing a dark blue ruffled dress and a splash of red lipstick for the evening as she cosied up to beau Ahlamalik

Family event: Also in attendance were David Banda, 15, Mercy James, 15, and twins Estere and Stella Ciccone, eight (pictured above: the twins with Mercy)

Dancer and choreographer Ahlamalik appeared smitten with the popstar, who is 36 years his junior, as he gave her a piggy-back into Italian and Mediterranean restaurant Casa San Giacomo.

The vibrant eatery is where the party spent the remainder of the evening and from the lively video, it looked as if it was a night to remember.

Madonna lead her birthday gang in celebrating with tambourines as they sang and danced around the table.

Party! Casa San Giacomo is where the party spent the remainder of the evening - and from Madonna's video, it looked as if it was a night to remember

Iconic: Madonna lead her birthday gang in celebrating with tambourines as they sang and danced around the table

Celebrations: A friend was heard shouting 'happy birthday queen!' as the group all clapped and cheered

It appeared that the drinks were flowing, as everyone gathered to celebrate the iconic star's birthday.

A friend was heard shouting 'happy birthday queen!' as the group all clapped and cheered.

Madonna ended the peek into her birthday celebrations with a snippet of her receiving yet another piggy-back, her heeled boots still intact.

Fun-filled evening: It appeared that the drinks were flowing, as everyone gathered to celebrate the iconic popstar's birthday
Larry Lamb discussed on Thursday the moment his brother Wesley died from cancer in 2019 when he was away, while declaring he is 'so grateful' for the final moments they had together.

The actor, 73, had grown apart from his sibling over the years but they reunited in the last week of Wes' life at a hospice, with Larry sleeping in the room to be by his side.

However, his brother tragically passed away when he went to visit a close friend - who was also dying - as he recalled the tragic phone call from nurses on This Morning.

'It changed my life': Larry Lamb discussed on Thursday the moment his brother Wesley died from cancer in 2019 when he was away, while declaring he is 'so grateful' for their final moments

Remembering one of their final conversations, the star said: 'He went like this [pointing at his mouth] and I said, "what, you want a kiss?" and he went [nodding his head].

'And so we kissed each other and I felt his hand go around the back of my head and my hand went around the back of his head and we were stroking each other like little monkeys, just like when we were boys but he was just over 70 and me over 70.'

This Morning host Ruth Langsford proceeded to ask Larry if he was there when Wes passed away.

'This is the weird thing,' Larry responded. 'They [doctors] knew right from the beginning that when I was up there [at the hospice], the problem was I had another friend in London, very close to the same point and I was trying to do the two things.

Family: The actor, 73, had grown apart from his sibling (pictured left) over the years but they reunited in the last week of Wes' life at a hospice, with Larry sleeping in the room to be by his side

Candid: However, his brother tragically passed away when he went to visit a close friend - who was also dying - as he recalled the tragic phone call from nurses on This Morning

'And they said, "look, we're here with him" because it had gone on for five days longer then they expected, and they said, "look we will hold the fort, we will keep in touch, you go off and head south," and as I went south I got the call where they said, "that's it he's gone."'

When asked how his brother's death has impacted him, Larry continued: 'Literally it changed my life and attitude to death and making amends and healing up those wounds that have festered for years.

'I am just so grateful that I went and spent time with him. We hadn't done that since we were baby boys and I always say [when I die], just don't have anyone around me that I don't like.'

On what Wes' death has taught him, the EastEnders actor concluded: 'Just how valuable life is and how important it is to hang on as long as you can, live your life. He got cut off in his prime.'

Recollection: Larry said: 'They [doctors] knew right from the beginning that when I was up there [at the hospice], the problem was I had another friend in London, very close to the same point and I was trying to do the two things'

The moment: The actor continued: 'And they said, "look we will hold the fort, we will keep in touch, you go off and head south," and as I went south I got the call where they said, "that's it he's gone"'

Wes passed away after turning 70 from an unknown form of cancer.

Larry also has a sister, Penny, 64, who is a freelance personal assistant based in Brighton.

He has a daughter Vanessa Clare, 52, from his first marriage to Anita Wisbey.

He shares George Lamb, 41, with his second wife Linda Martin and is also the parent to Eloise, 22, and Eva-Mathilde, 18, with his former partner of 20 years, Clare Burt.

Larry was speaking to raise awareness for Macmillans Coffee Morning. The annual event is dedicated to bringing people together over a cup of tea to raise vital funds for people living with cancer.

If you have any questions or concerns about cancer, the Macmillan Support Line is open every day from 8am-8pm on 0808 808 00 00.

Bonding: He also remembered the moment they kissed and stroked each other's heads, saying: '[We were] like little monkeys, just like when we were boys'
She's six months pregnant with her fifth child.

And, Danielle Lloyd put on a colourful display in a vibrant mini dress as she and husband Ronnie enjoyed brunch at Palazzo Versace during their family holiday in Dubai, on Friday.

The former Miss Great Britain, 37, commanded attention in the zig-zag print shirt dress, and took to Instagram to share snaps of herself and her loved ones.

Cute couple: Danielle Lloyd, 37, put on a colourful display in a vibrant mini dress as she and husband Ronnie enjoyed brunch at Palazzo Versace in Dubai, on Friday

Danielle let her dress do the talking, opting for a heavily bronzed, yet minimal make-up look and pulled her hair back off her face.

The doting mother shares sons Archie, 10, Harry, nine, and George, seven, with ex-husband Jamie, and Ronnie, three, with husband Michael O'Neill.

Danielle dressed her four boys in matching Versace polo shirts and shorts for their day of fun.

Her husband Michael kept things casual in a white teddy bear T-shirt and beige chino shorts, which he wore with black slides.

Pretty: Danielle let her dress do the talking, opting for a heavily bronzed, yet minimal make-up look and pulled her hair back off her face

Family fun: The former Miss Great Britain commanded attention in the zig-zag print shirt dress, and took to Instagram to share snaps of herself and her loved ones

Earlier this month, Danielle hit back at a fan after it was alleged that she was seen 'smashing' cocktails while at the pub with her ex husband Jamie O'Hara.

Danielle's plight began, when a follower wrote on Instagram: '@lavelsbylux was in the same pub as her, she was with her children and ex husband and she was smashed...

'Can assure you they wasn't cocktails. I didn't think it was her until someone told me it was and when I looked on Instagram saw she was pregnant.'

They later penned: 'Bet you've got a hangover after your antics the other night'.

Danielle responded by sharing screenshots on her stories and writing: 'Kids was with their dad at the weekend but I certainly wasn't! We don't even speak so think you got the wrong girl! Must of been another blonde!...

'Honest to god I don't even get people - you don't even follow me. Why do I have to wake up to messages like this, what is wrong with people?? Don't have to explain myself but haven't had a drink in eight months.

'I was teetotal before I was pregnant! Seriously don't get why these idiots think I know I'll wake up at 6am and make some s**t up and post absolute c**p'.

The boys: The doting mother shares sons Archie, 10, Harry, nine, and George, seven, with ex-husband Jamie, and Ronnie, three, with husband Michael O'Neill

The family holiday comes after Danielle was rushed to hospital after collapsing at home and her sons called an ambulance for her.

Danielle revealed to OK! that she fell ill at her house and began feeling pains in her stomach.

The Liverpool-born star explained she went to the toilet and while she was in there she passed out, with her sons forced to knock on a neighbour's door for help to call out an ambulance.

'It was really traumatic,' Danielle told the publication about the July incident. 'I had really low blood pressure, I was so worried for the baby and it was obviously so terrifying for the boys, but I'm so proud of them.'

Thankfully, after several tests, she was given the all clear to leave the hospital.
Farmer Wants a Wife star Hayley Love is currently expecting her first child with her former co-star Will Dwyer.

The 25-year-old celebrated reaching 26 weeks of pregnancy on Friday, sharing photos of her bump to Instagram.

'26 weeks of growing you,' she captioned the sweet images, in which she cradled her belly and smiled.

Mother-to-be: Farmer Wants a Wife star Hayley Love (pictured) is currently expecting her first child with her former co-star Will Dwyer. The 25-year-old celebrated reaching 26 weeks of pregnancy on Friday, sharing photos of her bump to Instagram

'Starting life with you has been a difficult one but I do not regret it one bit at all. I will love you unconditionally and I know you will love me too.

'Thank you for choosing me little bean. 27/11' she added, seemingly referring to her due date.

Hayley revealed she was 22 weeks along in her pregnancy in a statement last month, but confirmed she and Will were no longer together.

Sweet: '26 weeks of growing you,' she captioned the sweet images, in which she cradled her belly and smiled. 'Starting life with you has been a difficult one but I do not regret it one bit at all. I will love you unconditionally and I know you will love me too'

She was originally matched with farmer Matt Trewin on the Channel Seven show, but he broke up with her shortly before the finale.

She went on to briefly date Will and became pregnant with his child, but they broke up after she told him she was expecting.

Hayley and Will had a short-lived romance after the FWAW finale was filmed in December - and after he'd split from his winner, Jaimee.

Exes: Hayley and Will (left) had a short-lived romance after the FWAW finale was filmed in December - and after he'd split from his winner, Jaimee (right)

But they ended things around April.

Will recently released a statement finally addressing Hayley's pregnancy news.

In it, he vowed to be 'the best dad I can be... when the time comes'.

The 39-year-old Longwood, Victoria farmer and his winner, paediatric nurse Jaimee, 32, alleged they were still together on the show's finale.
Liberty Poole shocked viewers when she ended her relationship with Jake Cornish on Thursday's Love Island.

And in a new trailer for Friday's episode, Kaz Kamwi sweetly comforts her good pal Liberty after the blonde beauty revealed that she has split from Jake, before the former couple decide to quit the show.

Kaz tells her: 'I found love in you!' as she reassures her that her time in the villa has not been unsuccessful despite the romance ending.

Best friends: In a new trailer for Friday's episode of Love Island Kaz Kamwi sweetly comforts Liberty Poole after the blonde beauty revealed that she has split from Jake Cornish

Sitting down together, Liberty tells Kaz: 'I broke up with Jake earlier,' which is met with an audible gasp.

Putting an arm around Liberty, Kaz tells her: 'You are literally one of the strongest most beautiful, emotionally intelligent people I've ever met in my life.

'You may not have felt like you found love in Jake but I found love in you.'

'Thanks, babe,' gushes Liberty as she fights back tears in scenes filmed before exiting the show.

Heartbroken: Liberty shocked viewers when she ended her relationship with Jake on Thursday

Shock: Sitting down together, Liberty tells Kaz: 'I broke up with Jake earlier,' which is met with an audible gasp

MailOnline exclusively revealed that Liberty and Jake decided to leave the ITV villa after ending their seven-week romance on Thursday's show, and three days before the series finale.

They were coupled up since the first episode of this year's Love Island, however have had their fair share of troubles in recent weeks.

Cracks in their relationship started to show after Liberty discovered Jake wasn't sexually attracted to her when they first met, causing her to feel insecure.

Jake's intentions were questioned by many of the female cast after footage of him attempting to convince the boys to betray their partners in Casa Amor was aired.

Women supporting women: Putting an arm around Liberty, Kaz tells her: 'You are literally one of the strongest most beautiful, emotionally intelligent people I've ever met in my life'

Troubles: Jake and Liberty have been coupled up since the first episode of this year's Love Island, however have had their fair share of troubles in recent weeks

He asked Liberty to be his girlfriend midway through the series, giving her a magnetic bracelet as a promise of his affections, which she has since removed.

The girls also voiced their concerns about Jake's feelings for Liberty after the water engineer professed his love to the Nando's waitress.

Toby then told Jake that people were thinking his 'I love you' revelation was a 'cop out' to avoid the rocky week he and Liberty had just faced, leading to Jake walking out of the villa.

Drama: Liberty was in floods of tears during Thursday's episode

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Keeley Hazell has celebrated her 'friend' David Walliams' 50th birthday with a sweet Instagram tribute after the pair jetted to Italy for a cosy getaway.

The model, 34, took to Instagram Stories to share a slew of snaps from their friendship as she praised the 'thoughtful and generous' comedian.

Despite the pair appearing to go public with their romance at Ant McPartlin's wedding earlier this month, Keeley's post for her ex David appeared to confirm that their relationship was strictly platonic.

Pals: Keeley Hazell has celebrated her 'friend' David Walliams' 50th birthday with a sweet Instagram tribute, amid rumours that the pair had rekindled their romance

Keeley shared a sweet snap with David from their recent Italian break, with the blonde beauty dressed in a plunging dark green dress.

The star also shared an image of David kindly tying up her hair as she praised the star for being in her life 'for the past 16 years.'

Alongside the posts she wrote: 'HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY TO MY AMAZING FRIEND @davidwalliams. You are the most thoughtful and generous person I know.

'You're always fun to be around. Thank you for being in my life for the last 16 years. Have the best day.'

Touching: The model shared a slew of snaps, including a 2007 throwback (pictured) from their friendship as she praised the 'thoughtful and generous' comedian

Touching: Despite the pair appearing to go public with their romance earlier this month, Keeley's post for her ex David appeared to confirm that their relationship was strictly platonic

Keeley went onto share a throwback snap with David from the earlier stages of their friendship, followed by another image of the pair enjoying dinner together.

The couple, who were regularly spotted together on the London social circuit towards the end of the Noughties, had appeared to make their relationship Instagram official after attending Ant's wedding.

However Keeley's post now seems to have dispelled any speculation of a romance.

Their joint appearance came after Keeley's brief romance with actor Jason Sudeikis, 45, reportedly fizzled out in recent weeks, according to E! news.

Keeley and Ted Lasso actor Jason were first linked in February following his split from wife Olivia Wilde, who is now in a relationship with Harry Styles.

Touching: Keeley shared several snaps from her recent trip to Italy with David, including one of him helping to tie her hair as she praised him for being 'thoughtful and generous'

Cute: One of Keeley's snaps showed herself and David enjoying a drink together, after the pair travelled abroad

Although insiders claimed at the time that their relationship was 'never anything serious', the former flames appear to have now good their separate ways for good.

Meanwhile, David and Keeley were last seen enjoying a cosy dinner together in London in May.

In July last year, it was reported David had moved former page 3 girl Keeley, into his London home for nine months after she returned from the US.

Although they reportedly share a 'special chemistry', it was previously claimed that David and Keeley are just close pals and share a long-standing friendship.

Back on? It comes after the pair appeared to confirm their romance was back on as they attended Ant McPartlin's wedding to Anne-Marie Corbett

A source previously told The Sun: 'David and Keeley go way back and have kept in touch since she attempted to break into acting in the US.

'He has a big empty home and was grateful for the company so it suited both parties. During her glamour modelling days, David was known as a keen admirer but now sees her very much as a close pal.

Keeley also used David's pad as a base while renovating her new home in London She moved out just before lockdown.'

David's most high-profile relationship to date was with Dutch model Lara Stone, with whom he shares son Alfred, seven. The former couple wed in May 2010 after just one year of dating, and split in October 2015.
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Rebekah Vardy shunned her Wagatha Christie legal woes during a relaxing trip to the beach in Greece on Friday.

The WAG, 39, looked sensational in a pink triangle bikini with a green trim as she showed off her incredible figure while taking a dip in the warm waters and giggling among her nearest and dearest.

Looking nothing short of sensational, she was keen to show off all the best bits of her figure including her tiny waist, perky cleavage and lithe legs during the jaunt down the shores. She hit the beach with pals, with Leicester City star husband Jamie not present ahead of his match against West Ham on Monday.

Happy days: Rebekah Vardy shunned her Wagatha Christie legal woes during a relaxing trip to the beach in Greece on Friday

Rebekah looked stunning as she enjoyed the sunshine, with the simple yet stunning bikini shape perfectly complementing her toned and honed physique.

Ensuring she kept her glowing complexion ageless, she wore a her hair scraped into a bun with a protective visor in place while also wearing an over-sized pair of sunglasses.

Last month, Coleen Rooney scored another Wagatha Christie victory as Rebekah has been ordered to pay 10,500 towards her legal fees in their High Court battle. It's a further blow to the DOI star's long-running 1million libel suit against Coleen, who last week claimed a 2-1 victory in the latest round of their fight.

The victory came after a judge rejected Rebekah's bid to remove substantial parts of Coleen's defence relating to her rival's dealings with The Sun newspaper and its column The Secret Wag.

Incredible: Rebekah looked sensational in the triangle number

Making a splash: Ensuring she kept her glowing complexion ageless, she wore a her hair scraped into a bun with a protective visor in place while also wearing an over-sized pair of sunglasses

Sun-drenched: She shunned laying out on the sand in favour of taking a dip in the water

Judge Mrs Justice Steyn ruled that such dealings could be a relevant part of her defence of libel action brought by Rebekah following the leaking of Coleen's private Instagram posts to The Sun in 2019, which she denies.

Coleen's legal team compared the win to a '2-1 victory in the semi-final' and are increasingly confident going into the next part of the battle in the autumn.

A source said: 'Coleen's legal team will present further evidence concerning Rebekah Vardy's dealing with The Sun and links with The Secret WAG. There are lot of people with knowledge of her long term relationship with the newspaper and how it worked. Last week's ruling could open a Pandora's Box for Rebekah.'

However, Charlotte Harris of law firm Kingsley Napley, representing Rebekah, said: 'The Judge has struck out about 10 pages of material from Mrs Rooney's defence as irrelevant or a waste of court time. Mrs Rooney has to re-plead the part of her public interest defence which was said by the Judge to be 'impermissible'.

Incredible: Her legs were on full display as she stepped out of the water

Chilled out: Her eye-popping cleavage took centre stage in the tiny bikini

Sizzling: Every inch of her figure was on show

Cheeky! She was showing off her figure on day trip to the beach

Splashing around! She was seeing the funny side as she immersed herself in the water

'This is now Mrs Rooney's third attempt at a putting forward a defence to Mrs Vardy's libel claim. She has been ordered to cover the costs of this exercise and Mrs Vardy's costs of amending her Reply. The Judge made three costs orders  two in favour of Mrs Vardy and one in favour of Mrs Rooney for 10,500.

'Although the Judge did not allow the Summary judgement application, she said in her judgement that there was 'some force' in Mrs Vardy's case that there are very significant differences between the TV Decisions Articles and the post on which it is supposed to be based. This goes to the heart of the case.

'Mrs Vardy is not the Secret Wag. The Judge has made clear that the identity of the Secret Wag does not go to the core issues and has reserved the ability to cut out or limit this issue in the future. Mrs Vardy is completely confident that she will succeed at trial.'

Making a splash! She looked stunning during her relaxing day in the sea
Katie Holmes was seen taking a solo stroll in New York City's bohemian East Village - known for its vintage shops and outdoor cafes - on Friday morning.

The 42-year-old performer cut a very casual figure in a toned-down outfit as she made her way along the Big Apple's sidewalks while getting herself a bit of fresh air.

The actress' outing comes prior to the premiere of her second directorial debut, which is currently set to be made available to the public next year.

Taking it easy: Katie Holmes was seen cutting a very low-key figure while stepping out on a solo stroll in New York City's East Village on Friday morning

Holmes sported an oversized olive green overcoat while spending time in the fresh summertime air.

The Batman Begins actress also wore a wide-legged pair of purple pants that were offset by a pair of bright white New Balance sneakers.

Her gorgeous brunette locks fell onto her shoulders, and she kept a sizable leather bag slung over her right shoulder.

The performer notably sported a blue facial covering to keep herself protected from COVID-19 while spending time around other people.

Keeping it comfy: The Batman Begins actress was seen wearing an oversized green olive overcoat and wide-legged purple pants during her outing

Staying safe: The performer sported a light blue facial covering to keep herself protected from COVID-19 while spending time in public

Holmes wrapped filming on her second directorial debut earlier this year.

The forthcoming romance feature, which was filmed in Connecticut, is centered around a pair of strangers who find themselves sequestered in the same Airbnb in the early stages of the pandemic.

The individuals then strike up an unlikely romance while attempting to deal with the lasting effects of the global pandemic.

The performer previously made her directorial debut with the 2016 drama feature All We Had, in which she also starred.

Back in the saddle: Holmes is currently awaiting the release of her second directorial feature; she is seen working on the set of All We Had in 2015

Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman, who serve as producers on the film, gave a statement to Deadline where they expressed that they were happy to have worked with Holmes.

'As soon as we read this script, and heard Katies vision, we knew this was a project we had to be a part of. Katie is just as talented a writer/director as she is an actress,' they said.

The performer also gave a statement to the media outlet where she noted that she was happy to have worked on a feature with timely themes.

'I am so grateful to have been supported in telling a story about this particular time in all of our lives and I am proud to be a part of this team of creatives,' she said.

Relevant themes: The actress gave a statement to Deadline where she expressed that she was happy to have had the opportunity to 'a story about this particular time in all of our lives'; she is seen in 2020

Earlier this year, Holmes launched a production company with her collaborators, as well as Jesse Korman, which was given the title of Lafayette Pictures.

The creative partners are currently prepping a feature entitled Rare Objects, and the actress spoke about her enthusiasm for the project to Deadline.

'I am very excited to embark on this journey, working to bring authentic characters and stories to the screen,' she noted.

Plot details about the forthcoming project, as well as a potential release date, have not been made public as of yet.
She is an illustrious model as well as actress.

And Cara Delevingne, 29, also has 'co-owner of Lora DiCarlo' on her growing list of accolades, which is a company that aims to help people 'find their path to pleasure.'

The international supermodel lived up to the motto on Friday when she took to Instagram to promote their latest vibrators.

'Whoever said diamonds are a girls best friend never had the right vibrator!' Cara Delevingne took to Instagram on Friday to promote new Lora DiCarlo sex toys

Cara, who looked sensational in a puffy black garment to layer over a flowery long-sleeved bandeau and split skirt, showed off her comedic side in one of the snaps.

Displaying her lithe frame, the Paper Towns actress collaborated the jaw-dropping look with impressive shiny black heeled boots.

She held Lora DiCarlo's 'Sway' toy, whilst penning the post: 'Whoever said diamonds are a girls best friend never had the right vibrator'.

Lora DiCarlo co-owner: The 29-year-old looked simply sensational in the alluring snaps, selecting a puffy black garment to layer over a flowery long-sleeved bandeau and split skirt

Promoting: The international model has 'co-owner of Lora DiCarlo' on her growing list of accolades, which is a company that aims to help people 'find their path to pleasure'

For one photo opportunity, Cara perched herself on top of a Playboy pinball machine, leaving little to the imagination as she posed with another vibrator.

The London born star's natural beauty was captured in a close up image that she also shared with her 43.7million Instagram followers.

She oozed radiance in the dazzling snap, her standout eye shadow and touch of pale pink lipstick adding to her gorgeous aura.

Radiant: The London born star's natural beauty was captured in a close up image that she also shared with her 43.7million Instagram followers

Lora DiCarlo also used their profile to promote 'Sway', with an image of Cara, who recently featured in Vogue Japan, with the toy pressed against her ear.

'Make it Vogue... Japan! Our co-owner and international supermodel @caradelevingne was recently featured in @voguejapan, and here she is showing off the gently heated, double-ended Sway,' they wrote.

On their website, they are quick to credit the influential star and say: 'Setting out on a mission to destigmatize sexuality is no small feat, and we couldnt be prouder to have actress, model, and activist Cara Delevingne join Lora DiCarlo as a co-owner and creative advisor.'


President Joe Biden is taking a gamble that criticism of his Afghan withdrawal will fade quickly, limiting the political damage, even as Republicans see a humiliating capitulation as their key to retaking the House next year.

Biden and his officials insist they are handling the evacuation from Kabul as well as could be expected, given the rapid collapse of Afghan security forces and the unexpected Taliban takeover.

And they believe polling reflects the overwhelming public support for ending America's longest running war.

But Republicans sense an opportunity in next year's midterms.

'It's true that voters don't decide their vote on foreign policy,' said a senior GOP strategist speaking on condition of anonymity while Americans remained in danger in Kabul.

'This though is the sort of national humiliation that will mean we win back the House next year.'

President Biden defended his handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in a speech last week and allies think horrific images from Kabul of people falling from planes will quickly fade from public memory, limiting the political damage

But Republicans think scenes of chaos at Kabul airport - where a baby was passed over razor wire to American troops this week, will give them a chance to win back the House in midterms

Afghans crowd around an entrance to the military part of Hamid Karzai International Airport, where international forces are trying to evacuate foreign nationals and vulnerable Afghans

The White House strategy is based on internal and public polling that shows the Afghanistan withdrawal had been by far the most popular decision Biden has made, even though the issue was not central for most voters.

'The public opinion is pretty damn clear that Americans wanted out of the ongoing war and don't want to get back in. It's true today and it's going to be true in six months,' said one Biden ally.

'It isn't about not caring or being empathetic about what's going on over there but worrying about what's happening in America.'

Biden has faced a withering barrage of criticism from opponents as well as a constant stream of concerns from fellow Democrats for his handling of the crisis.

For a week, television news has been filled with images first of Taliban flags being raised over towns where American lives were lost during the 20 year war, and then with video of horrific scenes at Kabul airport where thousands of Afghans thronged in search of safety.

For much of that time, Biden remained out of sight at Camp David.

When he returned to the White House briefly on Monday to address the crisis, he was accused of failing to acknowledge the shambolic nature of the withdrawal.

Critics of Biden used a picture of him sitting alone in a Camp David conference room to suggest that he was out of touch amid a national security crisis

After delivering his speech on Monday, Biden returned to Camp David. He came back to Washington again on Tuesday but is due to fly to his Delaware home on Friday

A boy is processed through an Evacuee Control Checkpoint (ECC) during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 18.

Senior Obama White House adviser David Axelrod told CNN: 'You cannot defend the execution. This has been a disaster.'

At other times he has sounded out of touch. In an interview with ABC News, he snapped when questioned about images of Afghans falling to their death from U.S. transport planes.

'That was four days ago, five days ago,' he said, even though the video emerged two days earlier.

And he was condemned for claiming that the chaos was inevitable.

'The idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens,' Biden told ABC News on Wednesday.

'There is no good time to leave Afghanistan. Fifteen years ago would've been a problem, 15 years from now.

'The basic choice is am I going to send your sons and your daughters to war in Afghanistan in perpetuity?'

At the same time, a string of opinion polls showed the president's popularity plunging to its lowest levels so far.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken on Monday found that 46 percent of American adults approved of his performance in office, a drop of seven points in a week. It was followed by other surveys with similar findings.

But White House officials believe Americans' horror over graphic images of the chaos in Kabul and pleas from Afghans who fear they will be killed by the Taliban will morph into support for the president's decision to pull troops from the country by Aug. 31 after a 20-year war.

Helicopters flying over the U.S. embassy in Kabul to evacuate staff prompted headlines that this was Biden's 'fall of Saigon moment'

U.S. soldiers and marines have secured part of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul to assist evacuation efforts. But Americans in the city say they dare not risk Taliban checkpoints and cannot get to the airport

They expect the Afghanistan story to recede from the headlines, replaced by the resurgence in COVID-19 cases, the economic recovery and other issues, people familiar with the matter said.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment.

Biden aides honed talking points weeks ago to be used even in the worst-case scenarios of a withdrawal, some of which have come to pass, including emphasizing that leaving Afghanistan was the right decision.

In recent days, Biden has also assailed the Afghan military for refusing to fight, denounced the now-ousted Afghan government and declared he inherited a bad withdrawal agreement from his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.

The strategy has obvious risks, political experts say.

'The concern is that it's going to undercut his credibility as commander in chief,' said Jim Manley, once a top aide to former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

'If the Taliban revert to what they've done in the past, and I assume that's going to be the case, it's going to be a lot of bad images coming out of that country.'

The Afghanistan messaging is increasingly at odds with an emerging consensus within the administration that the White House, Defense and State departments as well as the U.S. intelligence community's planning for the current situation was inadequate and needs to be fully reviewed once the mission of evacuating key people from Afghanistan is complete and the 5,200 U.S. troops now in Kabul are gone.

'We're at the Pentagon and even we know it could have been better,' said one official. 'A lot better.'

Members of the U.S. Congress also plan to investigate what went wrong.

Public opinion, at least for now, is mixed. While Biden's ratings have fallen, a majority of both Republican and Democratic voters say the swift capitulation of the Afghan government was 'evidence why the U.S. should get out of the conflict.'

The Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found that 31% of American adults agreed that the United States should continue its military operations in Afghanistan, up from the 25% who felt the same way in a 2012 poll.

Yet Ipsos polling conducted on Monday also showed fewer than half of Americans liked the way Biden had steered the U.S. military and diplomatic effort in Afghanistan this year. They currently rate his performance worse than the other three presidents who presided over the United States' longest war, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Trump.

Republicans, including Trump, have seized the opportunity to weaponize the withdrawal as an issue to undermine faith in Biden as commander in chief.

The former president has repeatedly said he would have withdrawn U.S. civilians before completing the drawdown of troops.

'Leaving Americans behind for death is an unforgivable dereliction of duty, which will go down in infamy,' he said in an emailed statement on Friday.

Most Democrats are likely to embrace public support of the withdrawal decision, and the issue should die down before the November 2022 congressional elections, said one adviser working on Democratic congressional campaigns.

She added, however: 'The Biden administration will likely have to defend every negative headline that comes out of Afghanistan during his tenure, so that is a real unknown.'
Treading lightly on Tanna We go on a new ecotourism adventure tour in North Tanna
Not respecting Parliament is disturbing when so much public funds are spend on MPs to attend and transact the business into public interest, says Regenvanu
Kathryn Hunter is from McMinn County and holds a bachelor's degree in Forest Resource Management from the University of Idaho and a Master of Forestry from Yale University. She has worked with the USDA Forest Service locally as well as living and working in natural resource management and protected area conservation in eight foreign countries.
Dick Polman is the national political columnist at WHYY in Philadelphia and a "Writer in Residence" at the University of Pennsylvania. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  While many large companies across the U.S. have announced that COVID-19 vaccines will be required for their employees to return to work in-person, there is one state where such requirements are banned: Montana.

Under a new law passed by the states Republican-controlled Legislature earlier this year, requiring vaccines as a condition for employment is deemed discrimination and a violation of the states human rights laws.

Montana is the only state in the U.S. with a law like this for private employers, said Hemi Tewarson, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy.

The law has raised concern among employers across the state as Montana struggles with a rise in COVID-19 cases that is once again straining the state's health care system.

Pushback swelled this week when physicians called on the Legislature to reverse the law.

This is against everything weve ever known or believed about public health, said Dr. Pamela Cutler, president of the Montana Medical Association. I believe its a travesty now and it needs to be fixed so that we can make our offices safe for patients and our coworkers.

GOP lawmakers who supported the bill in the state Legislature said it was needed in response to employers coercing employees to get vaccinations under threat of termination. Some of the loudest supporters of the bill were employees of Benefis Health System in Great Falls who were told earlier this year that COVID-19 vaccines would be necessary to keep their jobs.

Benefis was forced to backtrack on that plan when the law was signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte in May.

Gianforte, a former business executive who founded and ran a technology company, gave the bill the green light after changing it to allow health care facilities to require unvaccinated workers and those who refuse to disclose their vaccination status to wear masks and take other precautions.

He stood behind the law this week amid heightened scrutiny.

While the governor continues to encourage Montanans to receive safe and effective vaccines, doing so is voluntary and no individual should face discrimination based on vaccination status, Brooke Stroyke, a spokesperson for Gianforte, said in an email.

While the list of national corporations requiring vaccines of their employees who want to return to work in-person continues to grow, which now includes Google, Facebook, Walmart, and United Airlines, businesses in Montana dont have that option.

Most (businesses) feel like their hands are tied right now, said Mike Rooney, operations director for Downtown Helena Incorporated, an organization that represents businesses in downtown Helena. Some would definitely be very supportive of a vaccination requirement or a mask requirement.

The Montana Hospital Association opposed the law before it took effect, warning that it would make it harder for the state to meet its need for medical services. Now, the association is saying their fears may come to fruition.

Dr. Neil Ku, an epidemiologist at Billings Clinic who sits on the board of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, said the law sets Montana apart in conversations about how to combat the coronavirus.

It is very very difficult for me to participate in the conversation when everywhere in the country can talk about vaccinating their employees but I cant, Ku said.

Hospitals in Montana until recently required their employees to get most vaccines approved by the Centers for Disease Control, including the annual flu shot, providing an avenue for employees to opt out for medical or religious reasons. Now, that is no longer possible, leaving both workers and patients vulnerable.

Across the U.S., 60% of those eligible are vaccinated against the COVID-19. In Montana, that number is 49%.

In Montana hospitals, employees are vaccinated at a higher rate, but without a requirement, patients must contend with added risk to their health when seeking care.

It holds us out as an anomaly against the rest of the nation, said Rich Rasmussen, president of the Montana Hospital Association. We have to rely on recruiting from out of state. The rest of the nation is looking at us and they are saying, I dont know if I want to practice in Montana, because of their approach to patient and employee safety as it relates to vaccinations."

Like many states, Montana is dealing with a rise in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. According to a state report released earlier this week, 234 out of the 240 beds in the Benefis Hospital are occupied.

Facing the specter of a coronavirus surge, Montana employers are left to navigate their way to keep employees safe and the doors open.

A lot of businesses feel like they dont have the support right now, so for them its about how do they figure it out on their own end, Rooney said.

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Samuels 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)  North Carolina children now must get approval from a parent before receiving the current COVID-19 vaccine available to them under legislation that Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law on Friday.

The written consent requirement is contained in a broader measure that largely expands the medications or immunizations, including vaccines, that pharmacists trained to deliver shots can administer to consumers. It comes even as the U.S. and North Carolina see a marked rise in COVID-19 cases due to a highly contagious variant.

The measure, which received near unanimous support in the Republican-controlled General Assembly, also states that trained pharmacy technicians and interns can administer a COVID-19 or flu vaccine under a pharmacist's supervision.

"This important legislation will help our state administer COVID-19 vaccines more quickly and efficiently, Cooper, a Democrat, said in a news release announcing the bill signing.

Permission from a parent or guardian applies immediately to vaccines authorized by federal regulators for emergency use  such as the coronavirus vaccine produced by Pfizer  and administered by any health care provider. Pfizer is the only COVID-19 vaccine now available in the U.S. for children 12 and older.

State law has given minors the ability on their own to be treated for certain health issues, including communicable diseases. That had included a COVID-19 vaccine if they showed "the decisional capacity to do so, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

That worried some legislators and their constitutents, who wanted more say over whether their child could be immunized given the speed in which the vaccine was approved.

The new prerequisite, which would end once an emergency-use designation is removed, comes as many parents seek the vaccine for their older children as public schools on traditional school calendars return to class next week.

As of Friday, 292,759 North Carolina youths age 12 to 17 have gotten at least one shot of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, DHHS data shows. The vaccinated youth are close to 37% of the nearly 800,000 children in that age group. Sixty-four percent of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine.

The broader bill would direct the state health director to issue standing orders for immunizing pharmacists to administer more medications without an additional doctors prescription. They include certain nicotine smoking cessation programs, some oral contraceptives or those delivered through a skin patch, and prenatal vitamins.

Bill supporters said the expanded offerings would increase health care access in rural and smaller counties.

A statewide mask mandate ended last month in North Carolina. As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations increased this summer, Cooper and health officials ultimately urged K-12 schools in the new school year to require masks for students and staff while indoors.

Many local school boards who initially decided to make masks optional this fall changed their policies. As of Friday, 85 of the states 115 districts have now decided to require masks, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  An Australian state leader warned Friday that Melbourne may be losing control of a COVID-19 delta variant outbreak that began in Sydney and has also spread to the New Zealand capital.

The fast-moving outbreak was first detected in mid-June in Sydney, Australia's largest city, which has reported more than 600 new infections in each of the last four days.

The virus has spread to Melbourne, the nations second-most populous city, and has seeded New Zealands first outbreak in six months.

The neighboring nations have succeeded in using lockdowns to stamp out clusters throughout the pandemic. But the delta variant is proving more challenging.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said he is losing hope of eliminating the latest outbreak in Melbourne, which entered its sixth lockdown on Aug. 5.

Victoria reported 55 new community infections on Friday. But most new patients were infectious before they began isolating, making today a bad day, Andrews said.

We are right on the edge of this getting away from us and its not because contact tracing arent doing everything they can; they are. Its not because we didnt lock down fast enough; we did, Andrews said.

Its this delta variant. Its so wildly infectious it will find every breach of every rule and it will potentially spread because of that, he said.

A previous outbreak in Melbourne swelled to 725 cases in a day in August last year before a suppression strategy drove daily infections down to zero in October.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Friday she is determined to eliminate the new outbreak from her country.

The virus, first detected in New Zealands largest city of Auckland on Tuesday, has spread to the capital, Wellington.

Health authorities said three people in Wellington who recently visited Auckland had tested positive.

The outbreak has grown to 31 cases, and some patients were diverted from an Auckland hospital after one person may have unknowingly been infectious while being treated there, officials said.

New Zealand's government on Tuesday hurriedly put the entire nation into a strict lockdown after the first community case was found. Genome testing has linked the outbreak to an infected traveler who returned from Sydney earlier this month and was quarantined. Authorities dont yet know how the virus escaped quarantine.

All of New Zealand will remain in lockdown until at least next Tuesday.

Sydneys lockdown was extended through September on Friday and tougher restrictions were imposed, including a curfew and compulsory mask wearing outdoors.

The city of 5 million has been locked down since June 26, 10 days after the delta variant was first detected in an unvaccinated limousine driver who became infected while transporting a U.S. cargo aircrew from Sydney Airport.

New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said increasing vaccination rates is key to easing the citys pandemic restrictions.

The new restrictions were the result of her asking police and health officials for a final list of what else can we throw at this, she said.

"I dont want us to ever look back and say we didnt try, we didnt put everything into this, Berejiklian said.

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Perry contributed from Wellington, New Zealand.
BOSTON  Taliban websites that delivered the victorious insurgents official messages to Afghans and the world at large in five languages have abruptly gone offline.

It is not immediately clear why the sites in the Pashto, Urdu, Arabic, English and Dari languages went offline Friday. They had been shielded by Cloudflare, a San Francisco-based content delivery network and denial-of-service protection provider.

Cloudflare has not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment on the development, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Also Friday, the popular encrypted messaging service WhatsApp removed a number of Taliban groups, according to Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online extremism.

The websites disappearance may just be temporary as the Taliban secures new hosting arrangements. But the reported removal of the WhatsApp groups followed the banning of Taliban accounts by Facebook, the services parent company, on Tuesday after the U.S.-backed Afghan government fell to the Taliban.

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MORE ON THE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN:

 Report: Taliban killed minorities, fueling Afghans fears

 US struggles to speed Kabul airlift despite Taliban, chaos

 Western groups desperate to save Afghan workers left behind

 Allies embraced Biden. Did Kabul lay bare "great illusion"?

 Afghan president latest leader on the run to turn up in UAE

 Afghanistan war unpopular amid chaotic pullout: AP-NORC poll

 Afghan officer who fought with US forces rescued from Kabul

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  Secretary of State Antony Blinken says 13 countries have thus far agreed to at least temporarily host at-risk Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan and a dozen more have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.

Blinken says in a Friday statement that potential Afghan refugees not already cleared for resettlement in the United States will be housed at facilities in Albania, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Rwanda, Ukraine and Uganda.

Transit countries include Bahrain, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

Blinken says: We are encouraged by other countries that are also considering providing support. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas and to fulfill our commitments to citizens of partner nations and at-risk Afghans.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  U.S. helicopters have ferried 96 Afghans to the Kabul airport for evacuation, signaling that U.S. military flights are taking place beyond the airport perimeters in the Afghan capital.

Senior American military officials told The Associated Press that an American CH-47 Chinook helicopter picked up the Afghans, mostly women and children, and ferried them to Hamid Karzai International Airport on Friday. U.S. Armys 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division airlifted the Afghans from Camp Sullivan, near the Kabul airport.

The officials say sorties like this one have been underway for days as Afghans seek to flee the country taken over by the Taliban. Intelligence teams inside Kabul are helping guide both Americans and Afghans and their families to the airport or are arranging for them to be rescued by other means.

For those living in other cities and provinces outside Kabul, CIA case officers, special operation forces and agents from the Defense Intelligence Agency on the ground are gathering U.S. citizens and Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. at pre-determined pick-up sites.

The officials would not detail where these airlift sites were for security reasons. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing operations.

James La Porta in Boca Raton, Florida.

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MOSCOW  Uzbekistan says it has sent 150 Afghan refugees who fled from the Taliban takeover back to Afghanistan, in accord with their own wishes.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the move followed talks with the Taliban, who have pledged not to persecute those who come back.

The ministry said it has contacted the Taliban to obtain security guarantees for citizens of Afghanistan who illegally crossed the border during those dramatic days as the Taliban blitzed across the country, just weeks before the final U.S. and NATO pullout.

It said the ministry learned from those Afghans who returned from Uzbekistan that they were now safe at their homes after the necessary formal procedures. The ministry did not elaborate.

The ministry noted that Uzbekistan was cooperating with the countries working to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan, including the United States, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and others. It said the country has allowed them to use its airspace and airports and provided the necessary technical and logistical support to help evacuate a total of 1,982 people.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden says his administration is also committed to evacuating Afghans who assisted the United States during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.

Biden spoke at a White House press conference on Friday, vowing to evacuate every American still in Afghanistan who wants to get out. Bidens said no American citizens who want to leave the country will be left behind.

Biden was asked whether all Afghan allies will be evacuated. He responded, Yes. Were making the same commitment to evacuate Afghan allies as has been made to Americans in Afghanistan.

The exact number of Afghans who qualify for evacuation is not clear, but it is believed to number in the tens of thousands.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is pledging to evacuate any American currently in Afghanistan who wants to come home.

Biden made the promise on Friday as he provided an update on the tense situation in Afghanistan. The president has been under mounting pressure over his decisions in Afghanistan, which led to the Taliban completely taking over the country on Sunday.

Thousands of Americans, Afghans are clamoring to leave and chaotic scenes have unfolded at Kabuls international airport.

Addressing Americans in Afghanistan, Biden said: Let me be clear. Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.

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WASHINGTON  U.S. officials say that American military planes will resume evacuation flights from the Kabul airport after an hours-long pause due to a lack of places available to take evacuees.

One official said there was a backlog on Friday of about 10,000 people at the airport who have been cleared for departure and were awaiting flights.

The backlog, in turn, caused the military to close gates at the airport perimeter, where many people are trying to get on flights. The State Department was working on arranging additional places to take the evacuees.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matter not yet publicly announced ahead of President Joe Bidens speech Friday on the situation in Kabul.

Robert Burns in Washington;

This item has been corrected to say that flights are to resume, not that they have resumed.

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MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has sharply criticized the United States and its allies over their role in Afghanistan.

The Russian leader spoke on Friday after his talks in Moscow with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He said that the Talibans quick sweep over Afghanistan showed the futility of Western efforts to enforce its own vision of democracy.

Its necessary to stop the irresponsible efforts of the U.S. to enforce its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries ... without taking into account historic, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoring other peoples traditions, Putin said.

Putin said that we know the country well and became convinced that its counterproductive to try to enforce forms of government and social life that are alien to it.

The remark was an apparent reference to the 10-year Soviet war in Afghanistan that ended with the Soviet troops withdrawal in 1989.

Putin noted the Talibans pledge to maintain public order and protect civilians and foreign diplomatic missions. He made no reference to reports of atrocities underway across Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover.

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ROME  The U.N. food agency says it has been able to negotiate access with the Taliban to distribute aid in one provincial capital in Afghanistan but hasnt been able to resume food deliveries to three other provincial capitals it supplies.

The World Food Program, headquartered in Rome, has said that some 14 million people are facing severe hunger in the nation of some 39 million. A second drought in three years, combined with fighting, had afflicted Afghanistan even before the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.

Andrew Patterson, WFPs deputy country director, told The Associated Press on Friday that after Faizabad, a provincial capital in the north, fell to the Taliban last week, the agencys field office succeeded in negotiating access with the local Taliban command, and we had (a food) truck on the road the next day.

However, Patterson said the situation in Kandahar, Herat and Jalalabad so far hasnt allowed the U.N. agency to resume distributing food in those areas.

According to WFP estimates, some 2 million children are malnourished in Afghanistan.

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BRUSSELS  NATO foreign ministers vowed on Friday to center their efforts on assuring the safe evacuation from Afghanistan of citizens from the alliances member countries and allies, as well and Afghans deemed at risk after the takeover by the Taliban.

During a virtual meeting, the ministers also expressed concern over the grave events in Afghanistan and called for an immediate end to violence amid reports of Taliban atrocities and serious human rights violations and abuses across Afghanistan.

The ministers insisted that the new rulers in Kabul would have to make sure that the nation does not become a center for terrorism. They said that under the current circumstances, NATO has suspended all support to the Afghan authorities.

Any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistans international obligations . And ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists, a statement from the alliance said.

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BERLIN  Germanys foreign minister says the United States will use its Ramstein Air Base in western Germany as a temporary transit point to transport people from Afghanistan seeking protection to the United States.

Germany, like other Western countries, has sent military aircraft of its own to Afghanistan in recent days to evacuate German nationals and Afghans who worked for its forces prior to their withdrawal amid the Taliban surge.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement on Friday that the focus is on evacuating as many people from Kabul as is possible under the very difficult circumstances and that Germany is working closely with international partners.

Maas said: We agree with all our partners on the ground that no place on our planes should remain empty. He said that, as a result, U.S. flights will also take Germans or people named by German authorities to Ramstein, while Germany also will evacuate people from various nations on its own planes.

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PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron sent a message of welcome in a tweet on Friday to Afghans evacuated to France, following the arrival from Kabul of a third group of more than 200 people, mostly Afghans.

He also noted that health rules are not being forgotten, posting photos of Afghans surrounded by doctors and a man getting a COVID-19 test, obligatory for all arrivals.

All people coming to France from Afghanistan must observe a 10-day quarantine under pandemic restrictions because their country is on the French red list of color-coded risks for coronavirus, with red the highest, the Foreign Ministry noted Thursday.

To ensure that France and other nations can continue evacuations, Macron insisted in a phone call with President Joe Biden of the absolute need for rapid and concrete coordination among allies, according to a French statement Friday about the conversation the day before.

The U.S. military is in charge of the evacuations at Kabul airport, meaning that other countries must go through them to evacuate their own citizens and Afghans considered at risk in their homeland following the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.

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ROME  A retired Italian general who commanded Italys initial contingent in western Afghanistan in 2001 says NATOs retreat should have been planned for winter, after the end of the Talibans so-called fighting season.

Gen. Giorgio Battisti, in an interview on Sky TG24 TV Friday, also said the U.S. air base at Bagram should have been left operating during withdrawal to help evacuate civilians.

Probably, in my modest opinion, it was necessary to spread out the final withdrawal, assuming one wanted to completely leave Afghanistan, Battisti said.

He contended that militarily it would have been better to pull out after the end of the traditional fighting season, which lasts from spring through much of autumn.

Instead, they left in the middle of fighting season, left, like thieves in the night, this immense base of Bagram, the general said.

Noting that Bagram is some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Kabul, he suggested it could have served as a second escape valve for thousands of citizens now clamoring to get into the one operational airport at Kabul or for those who cant make it through Taliban checkpoints along the way.

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LONDON  Britains embattled foreign minister has defended his decision not to call while on vacation his Afghan counterpart about the evacuation of translators who had helped British forces.

Dominic Raab has come under increasing pressure to resign for failing to follow the advice of officials in his department to make a call to Hanif Atmar on Aug. 13, while he was vacationing on the Greek island of Crete.

Two days later, the Taliban took over Afghanistan, 20 years after they had been ousted from power, and Raab headed back to the U.K. after cutting his vacation short to deal with the crisis.

Raab on Friday posted a statement on Twitter to counter what he described as inaccurate media reporting over recent days. He said he prioritized security at Kabul airport and delegated the call to a junior minister in his department.

Raab said Atmar wasnt able to take that call because of the rapidly deteriorating situation.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister says his government has taken on the responsibility as a NATO member to organize the evacuation of some 300 Afghans who have cooperated with the military alliance.

Mateusz Morawiecki said Friday on Facebook that following his talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Poland will be evacuating from Kabul 300 Afghans who in recent years cooperated with NATO. He did not elaborate what that cooperation entailed.

They will be brought to Poland and then on to other NATO countries, which Morawiecki did not name.

Morawiecki said that Poland is taking seriously its obligations within the alliance and that the evacuation was not the last word from Poland in the NATO response to the crisis in Afghanistan. Poland has been a NATO member since 1999.

In three previous flights, Poland has evacuated some 130 Afghans and another 100 are waiting at the Kabul airport, according to Michal Dworczyk, a top aide to Morawiecki. They were first flown on Polish military planes to Uzbekistan and then on national carrier LOT planes to Warsaw.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Swedens Foreign Minister Ann Linde said that her ministry is aware of the great difficulties in getting to the airport and through the gates amid the chaos at the airport in the Afghan capital.

Linde was writing on Twitter on Friday about plans to evacuate Swedes and local hires in Kabul from the country following the Taliban takeover.

All countries are experiencing this problem and we are working on possible solutions at the airport in cooperation with other countries, Linde wrote.

She said her Foreign Ministry had staff at the Kabul airport with resources needed for further evacuation work, and added that transport capacity is available.

Linde stressed that it is important to follow the information and always put safety first.

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MADRID  Spains defense minister says the countrys military transport planes are leaving Kabul partly empty because chaos at the citys airport is preventing Afghans from evacuating.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Friday that one Afghan family taken out by Spain had left behind a daughter they lost in the airport crush.

She told Spanish public radio RNE that an ideal solution would be to set up corridors into the airport, but thats impossible because nobodys in control of the situation.

She said that after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country, the airports air traffic controllers and security staff walked out, rendering it inoperative until U.S. forces took it over.

She said the U.S. has given assurances that its forces wont leave the airport until the last person awaiting evacuation is out.

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WARSAW, Poland  A Polish diplomat says the most difficult thing in evacuating Afghans is finding and extracting them from pressing crowds at the Kabul airport. Poland has so far evacuated a few hundred people in three flights.

Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said Friday that sometimes consulate staff can identify the individuals in the crowd but that it was difficult for them to make their way through to the gate to be pulled into the airport.

There are thousands of totally determined people in the crowd, in extremely difficult conditions pressing on the walls and gates of the airport, Przydacz told reporters.

From this desperate crowd, sometimes understandably aggressive crowd, our people are trying to extract those who are on our list, Przydacz said.

The transport logistics goes very smoothly but the greatest challenge now is how to find these people. Even if we know where they are, and sometimes our consuls can see them 40-50 meters (yards) away, they have no possibility of getting closer, Przydacz said.

These people must first of all, on their own, get as close as they can to the entrance to have not only eye contact but real contact with the consul, because very often these people are simply pulled by the hand, jerked from the crowd with the help of the soldiers, Przydacz said.

A former ambassador to Afghanistan, Piotr Lukasiewicz, has appealed to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on social media to send more evacuation planes to Kabul.

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WASHINGTON  The United States says it evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Kabul via military transport aircraft on Aug. 19.

In a Friday statement, the White House said multiple C-17 flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport evacuated nearly 350 U.S. citizens, as well as family members of U.S. citizens, asylum applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans.

We have evacuated approximately 9,000 people since August 14. Since the end of July, we have evacuated approximately 14,000 people, it said.

It added that in the last 24 hours, the U.S. military facilitated the departure of 11 charter flights, and that those numbers were not included in the other totals.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  The Danish Defense Ministry is urging interpreters who have worked with them and need evacuation from Kabul to urgently make contact.

In a message sent by Twitter Friday, it urged the interpreters to contact an included email address, saying: Urgent  Urgent Contact Danish Authorities NOW.

The tweet ended with We will do our best to assist.

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BERLIN  Germany says a civilian suffered a gunshot wound before being evacuated from Kabul on a German air force plane.

German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Friday that the wounded person was not in a life-threatening condition, but didnt immediately further details about the person or incident.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said Germany is providing 100 million euros in immediate funding for humanitarian aid inside Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

He said the money would exclusively go to aid organizations, particularly UNHCR, and not to the Taliban.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  An Afghan official familiar with talks with the Taliban says the group does not plan to make any decisions or announcements about the upcoming government until after the Aug. 31 U.S. withdrawal date passes.

The official, who is not authorized to give information to the media and thus spoke anonymously, says Taliban lead negotiator Anas Haqqani has told his ex-government interlocuters that the insurgent movement has a deal with the U.S. to do nothing until after the final withdrawal date passes.

He did not elaborate on whether the reference to doing nothing was only in the political field. Haqqanis statement raises concerns about what the religious movement might be planning after Aug. 31, and whether they will keep their promise to include non-Taliban officials in the next government.

Until now the Taliban have said nothing of their plans to replace the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, or what a replacement would look like.

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VATICAN CITY  The Vaticans newspaper is calling on the international community to welcome Afghan civilians fleeing the Taliban, expressing incredulousness that before deciding to abandon the country no one thought through such a foreseeable scenario or did anything to avoid it.

In a front-page article in the Friday edition of LOsservatore Romano, deputy editor Gaetano Vallini said the West was obliged to urgently remedy the situation with concrete action and welcome refugees to avoid a catastrophic humanitarian emergency.

The commentary was an unusually blunt criticism of the U.S., though Washington wasnt singled out by name. After expressing shock at the chaos created by the U.S.-led Western withdrawal, Gallini wrote: It would be even more serious if such a decision was taken with the knowledge of such dramatic consequences.

Pope Francis has expressed alarm at the chaos that has engulfed Afghanistan with the Taliban takeover. During his Sunday blessing, Francis asked for prayers for an end to the violence and for Afghan men, women and children to be able to live in fully reciprocal peace and security.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  Friday prayers were uneventful in the Afghan capital, with no Taliban gunmen seen guarding the entrances of mosques or enforcing dress code restrictions as they have in the past. Some mosques even saw higher numbers than normal in attendance.

The Islamic-fundamentalist Taliban issued guidance to imams around Afghanistan on Thursday, saying they should use the weekly sermons and prayers to appeal for unity, urge people not to flee the country, and to counter negative propaganda about them.

The benefits of state should be explained to all, a commission of Taliban monitoring religious affairs and mosques said in the guidance they circulated.

Kabul resident Jawed Safi was please to see the mosques secure. The Afghan government had previously posted guards at mosques to ward off attackers due to frequent bombings in the past.

People were as normal, as in the past, but there were more of them, Safi said, adding that there were no restrictions so far.

An imam in eastern Kabul, Bashir Wardak, said that Afghans should unite to stop the decadeslong bloodshed. Allah has ordered us to peace and brotherhood so we must get united, he said.

Abdul Boghdi, another imam in northern Kabul, said that people together should collect money to help those displaced.

One attendee, Qasim Ahmadi, saw people wearing jeans attend prayers as usual. There should be no restrictions on us, we are already Muslims, he said. The Taliban should aim for an inclusive government in order to be successful.

Thousand of internally displaced people are living on the streets and in the parks of Kabul, with limited access to drinking water and food. Some reports indicate that their situation has worsened since the Taliban overran the capital, causing donors to shy away.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia  Indonesia has evacuated 26 of its citizens, including 5 diplomats, from Kabul on a special military flight to Jakarta.

Indonesias foreign minister Retno Marsudi said in a tweet that the Friday flight that would land later in the day also carried five Filipinos and two Afghans, including the spouse of an Indonesian national and a local staff member of the Indonesian Embassy.

The Indonesian military aircraft carrying out this mission is now in Islamabad and will proceed to Indonesia soon, Marsudi said.

The ministrys spokesperson, Teuku Faizasyah said the evacuation was planned once the Taliban took control of the capital and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  Life is returning to normal for some Afghans in the capital, although Kabuls normally crowded streets appear empty of their usual traffic congestion.

The Taliban have not imposed any restrictions on people so far, as they prepare for Friday prayers. Having a long beard and wearing traditional hats and clothes were required while the group was ruling the country in the late 90s.

Fewer stores have opened, and few cars could be seen on the streets. Taliban checkpoints have sprung up around the city, searching cars and checking documents. Some Taliban are patrolling in cars as well.

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MADRID  Top European Union officials will visit a Spanish military airport being used as a hub to receive Afghans flown out of Kabul before they are distributed to other countries in the bloc.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Friday that EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel will visit a temporary camp at the Torrejon de Ardoz military airport near Madrid on Saturday.

Albares told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE that Spain is receiving evacuated Afghans who have worked for EU bodies or EU member nations.

The evacuees are expected to spend several days at the camp for health and security screening before moving to reception centers ahead of their journeys to other European countries.

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ISLAMABAD  Pakistans state-run airline has resumed special flights for Kabul, in order to evacuate Pakistanis and foreigners stranded in Afghanistan.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet said Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will send its two planes to the Afghan capital on Friday to evacuate 350 passengers.

Chaudhry says Pakistans interior ministry is also facilitating the evacuation of Pakistanis and foreigners from Afghanistan through border crossings.

The latest development comes days after PIA halted all flights to Kabul to protect passengers, the crew and the planes after consulting the Afghan civil aviation authorities.

Pakistans government has been trying to evacuate its citizens and foreigners by air and land routes since the Taliban took over Kabul.

For this purpose, Pakistan is issuing visas upon arrival to all diplomats, foreigners and journalists who want to leave Kabul over security concerns.

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BERLIN  Germany says it has flown out more than 1,600 people from Kabul this week.

The Defense Ministry on Friday said that the German military has carried out 11 evacuation flights so far, with more planned.

The German government has pledged to help bring all citizens and local Afghan staff who worked for the German military, aid groups or news organizations out of the country.

Senior German officials have also said efforts will be made to help Afghans who are particularly vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban, such as human rights defenders.

But Germanys commanding officer in Kabul, Gen. Jens Arlt, said the evacuation has been hampered by the large number of people outside Kabul airport hoping to get onto planes out of Afghanistan.

___

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  A plane with people who have been evacuated from Afghanistan landed Friday at the Oslo airport in Norway.

Norways Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Norwegian news agency NTB that onboard were citizens from the Scandinavian country, family members to local employees and some other European citizens. Eriksen Soereide didnt give any figures or elaborate.

Among the group were reporters for Norways TV2 and NRK television channels.

The plane arrived from Tbilisi, Georgia.

On Wednesday, a plane with 13 Norwegian citizens, mostly diplomats, arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark.

___

CANBERRA, Australia  More than 160 Australian and Afghan citizens have been evacuated from Kabul after a third rescue flight, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.

Morrison said 60 Australians and Afghans who helped Australia during the 20-year war were flown to the United Arab Emirates overnight.

The first Australian flight carrying 94 evacuees touched down in the Australian west coast city of Perth on Friday, he said.

Australia could not evacuate parts of Afghanistan beyond the Kabul airport, he added.

The situation in Kabul does remain chaotic, Morrison said. The government has not commented on media reports that Australia plans to evacuate 600 Australians and Afghans.

___
DARIEN  Two people who had never met  but were in the crowd for the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show  spent some time together in Darien last week reminiscing about one of the most groundbreaking events in cultural history.

Longtime Darien resident Preston Bealle hosted a visit from Los Angeles resident Debbie Gendler, who like him was in the audience on Feb. 9, 1964, when the Fab Four from Liverpool played the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.

It was overwhelming, said Gendler, who was then age 13.

She was actually given a single ticket for the show by Beatles manager Brian Epstein, who had sought to enlist her as an American fan club liaison for his boys, who had just begun penetrating the U.S. market.

I had made up my mind that I wasnt going to scream and I was going to take in every single minute, she said.

But moments after they started, she literally couldnt control herself and began jumping up and down and yelling.

It was stunning, because the whole country was fixated on them, said Bealle, whose father, Jim, was Sullivans lead sponsor through Lincoln-Mercury, and who was allowed to see the show despite being only 12 years of age.

The tension was very high in the studio ... you felt like it was taking forever, he said, remembering one shocking aborted moment when Sullivan stepped out wearing a Beatles wig and gave the audience a start.

For anyone not entirely familiar with The Beatles, they were the consummate supergroup, dominating the music charts with a slew of number one hits beginning in 1963 through 1970.

Just two months after the Sullivan show they would achieve the unprecedented  and never repeated  feat of holding the top five slots on the Billboard chart.

While they had conquered the European market in their first year, they were eventually the first breakthrough English musical act  to a large extent beginning with their legendary appearance on the Sullivan show  heralding what became known as the British Invasion of other English groups in following years.

While there were some 50,000 requests for tickets, only 728 people got to attend the first Sullivan show, including some dignitaries. The television audience, however, was a colossal 74 million people, amounting to roughly one-third of the countrys population at that time, who tuned in to hear The Beatles play five songs over two segments that Sunday night.

Anyone alive at that time remembers the night and where they were, Bealle said, who was a big fan but made a point of putting his hands over his ears at one moment in the hope that it might get him on camera in the audience.

It worked, as he is easily visible in the clip of the show.

I got quite a bit of attention when I returned to school on Monday, said Bealle, a retired entrepreneur and stock trader, who grew up in New Canaan.

Gendlers journey to the show began 10 months earlier when her parents brought her the first Beatles LP  Please Please Me  from London before it was even for sale in the United States.

While her friends didnt fancy the music, she was so enamored that she wrote a fan letter asking to be put in The Beatles fan club  one she never received a response to.

Six months later, however, when Epstein was in New York City trying to firm up the booking of his group on the Sullivan show, he reached out to Gendler and invited her to meet, along with her father, at his attorneys office.

I have all this in my diary, she said  how Epstein invited Gendler to help organize a U.S.-based fan initiative and lead the fan club.

Im sorry, Mr. Epstein, I have to go to college, the 13-year old told him.

He told her, however, that if the deal for the show went forward that very night  Nov. 11, 1963  he would get her a ticket and told her she would be featured on the show, which she was  the veritable first American fan at their quintessential first American appearance.

Ironically, years later, Gendler enjoyed a career as a television producer for CBS and other companies, eventually going to work with Andrew Solt  the man who today owns the entire Ed Sullivan Show catalog.

Doing research on the show, in fact, is what brought Gendler  who is visiting Darien through August along with her husband, Paul Supnik, in touch with Bealle.

Gendler recently embarked on writing a memoir  tentatively entitled I Saw Them Standing There  which recounts her unique history with The Beatles, which extends far beyond that initial experience with the Ed Sullivan Show.

Ironically, while Bealle heard from many friends about the show the next day, Gendlers contemporaries accused of making up the whole story.

Consequently, it was literally decades before she knew she was visible in the tape of the show, thanks to Solt pointing it out one day.

Take a look at this, he said. I said, Jeez, I think thats me.
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According to the data of the commerce ministry, in 2020-21, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at USD 80.5 billion as compared to USD 88.9 billion in 2019-20. (Representational AFP photo)

New Delhi: A day after Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said hopes of an India-US trade pact are off the table for now, US Ambassador to India Atul Keshap spoke to the Indian minister for over two hours, discussing trade between the two countries.

While Keshap tweeted about the meeting, there were no immediate comments from the commerce ministry over the discussions that happened on Friday.

"I had a very spirited exchange of views with Commerce Minister @PiyushGoyal about how #USIndia trade can and should attain the USD 500 billion vision set by @Potus . Across our 2+ hour discussion we agreed that our great democracies should work more closely to advance our mutual prosperity," Keshap said.

Goyal while speaking at an industry event in Mumbai on Thursday had said hopes of an India-US trade pact are off the table for now, with the Joe Biden administration conveying to India that it is not interested in a free trade agreement.

"The US as of now has kind of indicated that they are not looking for new trade agreements, but we look at working with them for more market access issues on both sides and I think that would also be a big relief and a big opportunity opener for our export sector," he had said.

According to the data of the commerce ministry, in 2020-21, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at USD 80.5 billion as compared to USD 88.9 billion in 2019-20.
Mazagon, once an island inhabited by Kolis, Bhandaris and Agris, fetched the Portuguese the highest revenue among all the islands of Bombay when it was under their control. It subsequently fell into British hands through a disputed dowry deed. Mazagon retained its identity as an island for many years, with its own fort, dock, churches and even a gunpowder factory. My Own Mazagon: The History of a Little Island in the Bombay Archipelago by Capt. Ramesh Babu encapsulates the forgotten history of Mazagon and resurrects the identity of Maza Gaon or My own Village.

Talking about the inspiration for the book, Capt. Ramesh says, I have worked and lived in Mumbai for almost 30 years of my 40-year career as an Engineer, first in the Navy (for 25 years) and then at Mazagon Dock (for almost 15 years). I retired from Mazagon Dock on 31 July, and bid farewell to Mumbai. I wanted to make a parting gift to this historic city. He felt a book on one of the citys historical precincts would fit the bill beautifully.



I chose Mazagon, as this historic island has been largely ignored by chroniclers of Bombay. It is also the place that I have walked around the most, discovering, for almost 15 years. Thus came about My own Mazagon, he explains.

Writing this sort of a book requires a lot of research. And Capt. Ramesh has the right background for it. History has been with me right from my childhood, as my grandmother put me to sleep with bedtime stories on the history of Travancore and India. I was also fortunate to learn history at school from a wonderful teacher. Years later, as a PG student at Bombay IIT, I had to do an extensive literature survey, to write my thesis and project reports. Since then, exploring books, especially history, has been a hobby, he shares.



He worked on the history of Mazagon Dock and Trincomalee, and published a book titled Calicut Heritage Trails at the Kerala Literature Festival in 2020. I found flashes on the history of Mazagon when I was editing a coffee table book for Mazagon Dock in 2010. That got me interested, he says. I picked up more books on Bombay, but only found passing mention of Mazagon in them. But these books had references from some 18th, 19th and early 20th century books and documents. I used the internet to access them, as they are scanned and preserved in libraries and archives from Bombay to Scotland.



Ironically, COVID-19 also had a part to play in the book becoming a reality. As one of the early victims of the pandemic, I was quarantined with mild symptoms in May-June 2020, allowing me enough time to start the manuscript, says Capt. Ramesh. Thanks to the prolonged lockdown, I could complete most of the draft manuscript. So, in a way, My own Mazagon is a creature of the Covid-19 pandemic!



He has used inputs from well-known historians, architects, town planners, priests, teachers, shop owners and others in the book.

The most interesting part of making the book was to remotely guide a group of young architects, three of them in Kerala and one in Jaipur, to prepare sketches and maps, without actually visiting Mazagon. They have done a wonderful job, the author says. It was a long and involved process. It took almost eight years on the whole.



The book chronicles several surprising discoveries the author made while exploring every nook and corner of Mazagon  for example, the six Portuguese graves under the floor of Rosary Church exposed during renovation efforts. One of them, dated April 1795, belonging to Senorita Roza Nesbet, has been renovated and conserved by the church. Another is the discovery of a tip of the lost Henry Fountain in a grassy patch near the Mazagon Castle bus stop, about two km away from the original spot, based on a photograph shared by historian Deepak Rao, Capt. Ramesh says. The remnants of volcanic rock, still worshipped at the Ghodapdeo Temple, part of the original geological phenomenon that made the Bombay archipelago, is another interesting find.

Asked what his next project would be, Capt. Ramesh says, It could be anything from an anthology of stories set in my Kerala village to exploits of Bombay-built battleships that crafted maritime history. Right now, I am basking in the positive response generated by My own Mazagon, and sitting by my mothers side to catch up on some 50 years that I was away from her.
Domitille Kiger has given a new meaning to flying high in the world of fashion. The sky-diving sensation plunged 13,000 feet at a speed of 300 km per hour, not in the conventional suit that skydivers use, but in a stunning designer gown by Iris van Herpen.

The dramatic retelling of Earthrise for van Herpens Haute Couture Autumn Winter 2021-22 collection presented at the Paris Fashion Week, assumes specific significance for India when Domitille reveals her middle name  Lakshmi!

In an exclusive chat with Deccan Chronicle, the Paris-born Domitille talks about her feat which took the fashion world by storm.

It started around May, when Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, who wished to showcase a collection of dresses themed on movement, air, and spectacular scenery, contracted me. Iris had a vision of one of her dresses being flown in free-fly, says Domitille.

The skydiver says she had never jumped in a dress before, but some of her friends had. One of my friends, Roberta Mancino, gave me insights, explained in detail, she shares.



Wondering how the outfit would withstand travelling head-down from the clouds at high speed, and many other variables, Domitille worked on the project for a full three months, before she finally took the plunge, literally and figuratively.

Domitille met Iriss team in Amsterdam, and went to City Skydive Wind tunnel in Utrecht, where they made a suit using lots of different fabrics to see how they held together in the tunnel, and how they looked in the wind. Most of them fell to pieces! It was good for the team to see with their own eyes what the wind can do. Its not so easy to explain to someone whos not part of our world how fabric behaves in the sky, says Domitille. I kept stressing the need to make the dress stronger than they could possibly imagine so that it wouldnt come apart in freefall.



The prototype was over twice the length of a normal gown. Under the voluminous skirt Domitille wore trainers and leggings! It was a bit scary, as I planned to try the prototype with my wingsuit canopy, Valkyrie 79. It opened great. The final dress was stitched with additional support. The dress was sewn to my leggings at the knees, so it would not ride up and engulf under canopy, she elaborates.

She says I made four jumps with the full-on Iris Van Herpen gown in early June, flying with Alex Aimard to get the footage. Flying head-down in the dress was relatively easy, according to her, but going for belly was kind of interesting, with masses of extra fabric beyond her feet. Landing was straightforward, as the dress blew out of the way behind her.



The French skydiver felt a bit nervous jumping for the first time in the dress. But of course it was fine. I guess after 9,000 skydives you have that pretty dialled-in, says the 36-year-old.

Domitille, who has spent a lot of her life leaping out of planes, says, My middle name is Lakshmi. It was given to me by my father. He travelled many times to India when he was younger, sometimes for work, sometimes for the pleasure of discovering Indias beauty and culture. In my home in Paris, there was many Indian paintings and sculptures, and my dad showed me pictures he took, and told me about Indian culture.



When she was 20, she came to Rajasthan, for an internship with French artist Nadine LePrince. I spent 6 months in Fatehpur, Shekawati, at Nadines Haveli. A piece of my heart will always be in India. It was a formative journey for me, a crossroads at teenage hood and adulthood, and it will always be a very special place for me, she adds. Last year, she came back with her partner, and was happy to see what Joel Cadiou, Nadines son, a French photographer, had done with the haveli. I cant wait to come back and see everyone again, she signs off.
Police obtained CCTV visuals from the hotel premises, in which they found an apparently unconscious Reddy being bundled into a four wheeler.  Representational image/DC

HYDERABAD: The Kukatpally Housing Board (KPHB) police have not been able to arrest Triloknath (Guruji), the self-styled godman, in connection with the murder of a businessman last month. The Cyberabad police have searched various places in South India to locate and arrest him, but it yielded no result.

Gaddam Vijaybhaskar Reddy, 63-year-old real-estate businessman, went missing from his mens hotel room on July 20. Subsequently, his nephew who came to see him at the hotel was told that he had gone out and didn't return. Both the mobile phones of the businessman were found switched off.

The nephew lodged a complaint on July 24 and sought the help of KPHB police for tracing the missing Reddy. Police obtained CCTV visuals from the hotel premises, in which they found an apparently unconscious Reddy being bundled into a four wheeler. Based on this evidence, the police registered a kidnap case and continued the investigation. Then emerged hints of a murder and a conspiracy involving Triloknath@ Guruji, police said.

"We have searched the godman's possible hideouts in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. However he remains at large," said KPHB police.

Police said they have got leads in the case to confirm that Reddy was murdered. Four suspects have been arrested in this connection so far, including Mallesh and Sudhakar, who were directly involved in the murder. The two other arrested were Sravan and Krishnam Raju, who helped in the crime.

Reportedly, all the accused were followers of the godman. Shravan, an RMP doctor, allegedly supplied sleeping pills that were mixed in a vegetable Manchurian dish before it was served to Bhaskar Reddy at the hotel, as per information collected by the police.

Police said Vijay Bhaskar Reddy was kidnapped in a filmy way. Mallesh sent his son Karthik to stay in the same hotel where Reddy used to stay in the KPHB. After gaining the confidence of Reddy, Karthik laced his mixed sleeping pills in the vegetable Manchurian dish and served it to the victim. Reddy thus went into an unconscious state. Mallesh and Sudhakar kidnapped and killed him and later took the body to Andhra Pradesh and cremated it, police have found out.

Investigations revealed a financial angle to the murder. "Vijay Bhaskar Reddy had invested huge sums as directed by Triloknath in some business enterprises. After realising that he was cheated, Reddy confronted him. This apparently led to the murder. However we are probing other angles too," said the police.
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad cops are more into moral policing these days, targeting couples spending quiet moments at parks and other public places like the expansive Necklace Road by the side of the Hussainsagar Lake.

Couples out on a walk, or sitting together, or taking a ride on two wheelers or sitting in cars are pulled up and questioned or even interrogated as to why they were together in a public place. The unwritten standard operating procedure on the part of the cops, it is said, is to pocket some money and go their way after the questioning.

There is no provision for moral policing in the IPC and CrPc and the police cannot punish people, said Tito George, a resident of Bolarum who was pulled up and harassed at Durgam Cheruvu while he was sitting with his girlfriend the other day.

I had to spare my girlfriend from the embarrassment of being questioned. So I took the constable away and paid him Rs1,200 that was in my pocket. The worst part is that the cops pull out their phones to take photos. This is embarrassing for females, he said.

The Necklace Road stretch, popular among couples, frequently see such offensives from cops. It was around September 2019 and we had gone out in a group from out college. Me and another friend were standing away from our group and talking by the side of the park. Two constables, both men, approached and asked us to go with them to the police station. Our friends intervened and requested the cops to leave us alone. I have no idea what would have happened if our friends did not intervene, said Aarti Sen, a 24-year-old from Bowenpally.

Officials from the Lake Police station said the constables and patrolmen are ordered to question students and minors. We asked the staff to bring students and minors to the police station. We contact their families and inform them about their children. Adult couples are questioned as the association could be an illicit one. Such questioning will put fear in the minds of such people, said Dhanalaxmi, Inspector of Lake Police.

Asked about cops taking photos, she said, They are ordered to take photos from a distance if and when a couple is seen behaving in any indecent manner, and then question them. The photos will act as proof. Otherwise, we will be accused of pulling up the couples without any reason and for the heck of a bribe, she said.

Young citizens are not satisfied with such explanations from the cops. They say women police officers are rarely present during such questioning. This is unlawful. Visiting parks and other public spaces is not a crime. Cops never specify on what charges we are being pulled up. They simply say that we are not allowed here and start questioning our motive for visiting a public place. What can we possibly say to that, said Shruti Rao, an employee with a private firm, who was a victim of such questioning by cops at Manikonda near Khajaguda lake some time ago.
Speaking to reporters here, she said exports from the state were very less, it has to be given priority, also fruits and vegetables that were getting exported from Kolar region, has not been up to the mark in recent times. (Representational Photo:DC)

Bengaluru: Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje on Friday said Karnataka is lagging behind in exporting agricultural produce and steps need to be taken to give priority to it.

She also asked the state to set up a separate cell for agriculture exports.

"We have to grow more crops and give priority to exports also. I have spoken to Murugesh Nirani (Karnataka Industries Minister), Karnataka is lagging behind in exporting agriculture produce, other states are ahead of us. Only things that get exported from here are coffee, pepper and more recently rose onion," Karandlaje said.

Speaking to reporters here, she said exports from the state were very less, it has to be given priority, also fruits and vegetables that were getting exported from Kolar region, has not been up to the mark in recent times.

"In all the states, the Industries Department is in-charge of exports. They largely look into machinery and IT&BT sector, and agriculture related exports are not getting attention," she said, adding that she has requested for a separate cell for agriculture exports in the state industries department so that it will be linked to Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

The Minister who had taken part in the Jan Ashirwad Yatra in various parts of the state, is in the city for the first time after becoming the Union Minister.

Highlighting that the Prime Minister's intention is to double the farmers income, Karandlaje said, he had set a target for it, but because of Corona for two years, it has been affected. However, in the days to come to improve the economic standards of farmers, the centre is taking several initiatives and is investing in it.

Noting that India is not self-reliant in edible oil, she said, "70 per cent of edible oil is imported from foreign countries. Palm oil from countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, it is blended with groundnut or sunflower oil here and packaged, which is not good for health and also a big amount of foreign exchange is being spent on it.

Despite having such a big agriculture area we have not been able to produce edible oil in a large quantity., she said, adding the PM has now set a target to become self-reliant in edible oil production in a couple of years, so we are encouraging farmers by distributing oil seeds mini kits to farmers.

Pointing out that India has a large dry land and is majorly dependent on rain fed agriculture, the Minister said, Millets can be grown in such a condition, and the government is giving stress for it.

"In the next two years we will give priority to growing millets.....It is good for health and we should also export it," she said, adding that the government is doing such experiments across the country and is investing in agriculture and horticulture.

Crediting the Modi government for increasing budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector, also record production of food grains, fruits and vegetables, Karandlaje said, the centre has taken several initiatives to improve agriculture sector.

The Prime Minister has set a target for setting up 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO), she said, our aim is to have at least one FPO in a block, also Rs 1 lakh crore has been kept under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.

Karandlaje said the current union council of ministers is "special" and the opposition is unable to digest it, as Narendra Modi has done what they were unable to do during their tenure.

"The Modi Ministry has 27 Ministers from the OBC community, for the first time in the country's history there are eleven women Ministers. Backward Classes, women, SCs, STs, Minorities- like this people belonging to all sections were identified and were given an opportunity," she said.

Opportunity has also been given to young blood and people belonging to various regions of every state, she said adding that "opposition, the Congress is unable to digest it. So they behaved badly in the temple of democracy- the Lok Sabha. Without any reason they staged a protest and did not allow the parliament to function.
Stating that the power stations that ran to 85 per capacity in 2008 were now operated to only 58 per cent capacity. (AFP Photo)

Chennai: Electricity Minister V Senthil Balajis allegation of 2,38,000 tonnes of coal, worth Rs 85 crore, missing from the warehouses of the North Chennai Thermal Power Station and the hint of action against those responsible for it is the latest of the threats being faced by former AIADMK Ministers.

Senthil Balaji, who inspected the power plant at Ennore on Friday, told the media that efforts were on to run all power stations to full capacity. He accused the previous government of not operating the plants fully with a view to purchasing electricity from private agencies.

Stating that the power stations that ran to 85 per capacity in 2008 were now operated to only 58 per cent capacity, the Minister said that an audit of the coal stocks by a three member committee had revealed that 2,38,000 tonnes had gone missing as of March 31, 2021.

The charge is seen as a direct attempt to target former Electricity Minister P Thangamani, who is identified as one of the top leaders of the AIADMK. Other leaders like S P Velumani and M R Vijayabaskar have already faced raids conducted by the DVAC sleuths and some other leaders are feeling threatened by specific actions initiated by the government.

The bid to reopen the Kodanad murder case has been openly stated as a move aimed at implicating former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in the case, an AIADMK delegation that met Governor Banwarilal Purohit with a memorandum has already alleged.

The ordering of a technical inspection to ascertain the quality of all new buildings constructed during the AIADMK regime and also the reported suspension of two engineers is seen as the first step towards pointing fingers at former Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who was in charge of housing and slum clearance board.

State Minister for Rural Industries T M Anbarasan lashing out at the poor quality construction of the slum clearance board tenements at Pulianthope in Chennai in the State Assembly on Thursday was apparently a harbinger to a crackdown, which has send shivers down the spine of the AIADMK leadership.

It was the fear of a witch hunt by the new government that sent the AIADMK top brass scampering to New Delhi and calling on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking their help to rein in the State government, it was rumoured.

But with the government continuing with its threat of action against those found guilty of various irregularities in governance, the AIADMK leaders are now running for cover. The Kodanad case, the AIADMK leaders fear, is being investigated again only with a view to implicating Palaniswami.

Similarly, the open charge in the State Assembly that new tenements were unfit for human habitation is presumed to be aimed at besmirching the name of Panneerselvam in particular and the AIADMK in general.
Rao said once the health data of citizens across the state is available, it would help in the effective implementation of welfare programmes and also the health-related schemes taken up by different departments. (Twitter)

Hyderabad: Minister K.T. Rama Rao said here on Thursday that the state is creating a health profile of the people and the work would start on a pilot basis in Mulugu and Siricilla districts soon.

The minister held a meeting on what is styled as the Telangana Health Profile Project with ministers Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Sathyavathi Rathod. Officials of the health and information technology departments were present.

Rao said once the health data of citizens across the state is available, it would help in the effective implementation of welfare programmes and also the health-related schemes taken up by different departments.

The state cabinet took this decision in June and the project would be extend to all districts in a phased manner. Under the scheme, door-to-door surveys will be conducted by health officials to collect the details pertaining to every individuals health, the minister said.

The BP, sugar, urine and blood tests would be done at the field level. In case additional details are required, such persons will be taken to the local primary health care centre or the nearest state-run diagnostic centre for further tests. "By analysing the health profile of citizens, we can identify district-specific seasonal and other diseases and initiate preventive steps," Rama Rao said.

He advised officials to study the health profile exercise taken up in Estonia and submit a report to the state government.
VIJAYAWADA: The prices of flowers touched an all-time high of Rs1,600 per kilo from the normal price of Rs 100 to 200 during the auspicious Telugu Sravana month in Andhra Pradesh. Telugu women celebrated Varalakshmi Vratham this Friday and there were many marriages due to the availability of auspicious Muhuruts on Saturday and Sunday. These, as also the Sravana Pournami on Sunday, hugely increased the demand for and prices of flowers.

The majority of Durga and Lakshmi temples including the famous Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada and other places in 13 districts of the state saw huge rush of women devotees on Friday.

The price of Kanakambaram flower (Crossandra) that normally fetched Rs 200 to 400 per kg, touched an all-time high of Rs1,600. Similarly, the price of Mallepoolu (Jasmine) rose from Rs 200 to 1,200, while that of Sannajajulu (Star Jasmine) rose to Rs 800 from a normal of Rs 200 per kg.

The Chamanthi (Chrysanthemum) price rose to Rs 400 per kilo, Banthipoolu (Marigold) from Rs 40 or 50 per kilo to Rs 200, and Rose price increased to Rs 400 per kg from Rs 40 to 80 depending on variety. Lilly price rose to Rs. 600 from Rs 200 and the prices of other flowers also increased by two to sixfold.

Senior priest Subramanayam said Varalakshmi Vratam is a festival to propitiate Goddess Varalakshmi, one who grants Varalu (blessings). This is an important puja performed by women. Varalakshmi Vrata is performed by women for their own well-being as also of all their family members. Worshipping Goddess Varalakshmi on this day is equivalent to worshipping Ashtalakshmi who are the eight goddesses of Wealth, Earth, Wisdom, Love, Fame, Peace, Contentment, and Strength.

The priest said jasmine, roses, marigold, lilies and other varieties are used for worship and pujas.

The prices of flowers would normally be less in the biggest wholesale flower market named after Rajiv Gandhi and located near the VMC office in Vijayawada. From there, flowers are supplied to other markets.

The all-time high prices of flowers this season has shocked those who visited the markets to purchase flowers for the Varalakshmi Vratam. Women devotees Polimetla Nagamalleswari and G Surekha said they were shocked.

Flower trader Durga Rao said that due to the impact of Covid, the prices of flowers had fallen drastically. Now, the prices skyrocketed due to the holding of many marriages on the auspicious Muhurtams on Saturday and Sunday. He said, this aside, the transport charges have largely increased, and so did the plucking, collecting and shifting charges this week.
HYDERABAD: Union ministry of housing and urban affairs on Friday certified Hyderabad as 'Water Plus city, making it the first urban local body in Telangana to achieve this categorisation. This has happened after Hyderabad city got cent percent marks in all nine indicators stipulated by the centre.

The union ministry has given 50 marks for safe discharge of sewage or septage (faecal sludge) and septage from community and public toilets, apart from household latrines. It has given 20 marks for safe cleaning of sewer and septic tanks through mechanised equipment, availability of personal protective equipment and safety equipment in case manual intervention is unavoidable; 10 marks for sufficient de-sludging vehicles and jetting machines for cleaning septic tanks, soak pits and sewers in the city, 50 marks for adequate treatment capacity of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and operational efficiency, 15 marks for re-use of treated water, 30 marks for length of well maintained municipal drains receiving sullage, linked with each other and leading to STPs, placing bar screens, and trash arresters at strategic locations; 40 marks for 100 percent operations and maintenance of sewer networks and STPs; 15 marks for complaint mechanism available for choked sewers, leakage of sewage, water logging, septic tank cleaning, uncovered manholes, drain cleaning, maintenance of logs, complaint redressal status, and 20 marks for responsible sanitation authority and sanitation response unit, as per the ministrys guidelines. Based on these criteria, surveys had been carried out at 79 locations within Hyderabad city.

Water plus certification comes as a credit for state capital after certification of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) as ODF++. The certification is all because of efforts made by Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), which maintains 25 STPs. Additionally, there are three more STPs maintained by Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA). The water in all these STPs is maintained to a satisfactory level before discharging the treated waste.

Water plus certification is awarded after a corporation ensures minimum 25 percent reuse of treated water in existing STPs for various purposes. The treated STP water in Hyderabad is being reused in parks, construction of roads, public toilets, agriculture, cleaning activities and utilisation for agriculture needs downstream of River Musi.

Under Swachh Bharat Mission launched in 2014, certifications are awarded to cities based on different levels, ranging from Open Defecation Free (ODF), ODF+. ODF++ and Water Plus. ODF ensures 100 percent accessibility of toilet facilities to everyone. ODF+ is for proper maintenance of toilets by ensuring basic facilities like water and cleanliness by connecting them to sewer networks. ODF++ ensures solid and liquid waste management (STPs) and visually clean toilets.
HYDERABAD: From 'achiever' to 'giver', TRS leadership has changed its poll strategy in Huzurabad for the upcoming Assembly by-election. While TRS used to seek votes as 'achiever' of Telangana state in all elections, the Congress used to seek votes as the 'giver' of Telangana state. TRS countered it by stating that history recognises only achievers and not givers.

Now, the situation has reversed for TRS in Huzurabad with BJP seeking votes as 'achievers' of dalit bandhu scheme and release of development funds for the constituency worth crores of rupees with the by-election.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Friday held a meeting with ministers at Pragathi Bhavan to discuss the party's poll strategy. T. Harish Rao, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Gangula Kamalakar and Puvvada Ajay Kumar were present in the meeting.

Sources said that Rao asked party leaders and cadre to counter BJP's 'achiever strategy' and ensure TRS gets credit as 'giver'.

Meanwhile, Thanksgiving meetings are being organised by dalit groups, women, youth and BCs for Etala Rajendar and this is causing concern for the TRS leadership. The meetings are aimed at thanking Rajendar for achieving dalit bandhu, interest-free loans to women self-help groups and the second phase sheep distribution for BCs in double-quick time with his resignation from the Assembly that has forced a by-election.

The TRS leadership contends that these meetings were not being held by various groups of their own accord but are being propped up by BJP so that they could go to town with its 'achiever' plank.
We will prepare notes at parliamentary, Assembly and mandal levels to identify the work of partymen and reward them suitably, the TPCC chief said.  DC Image

HYDERABAD: TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy said that the political atmosphere in Telangana was favourable for Congress, which is capable of winning at least 72 seats in the next Assembly elections. To cement this foundation, all leaders and activists should work hard to make a grand success of the Dalit, Girijana Atma Gourava Dandora meetings, he said.

The Dandora is a social concept and it should reach the people at the earliest, he said.

He was speaking at a meeting of Dandora coordinators in Assembly constituencies on Thursday. Reddy said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Telangana between September 10 and 17. Reddy said that most government schemes benefit SCs and STs. Successive Congress governments have always given priority for welfare schemes, he pointed out.

The TPCC chief came down heavily against Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who had destroyed the academic aspirations of Dalit and Girijan students by stopping the fee reimbursement scheme. Poor people are unable to get quality treatment following the withdrawal of Rajiv Arogyasri and free health schemes, he said. If the government had filled up all backlog vacancies, SCs and STs would be living a life of dignity, he said.

We will prepare notes at parliamentary, Assembly and mandal levels to identify the work of partymen and reward them suitably, he said adding that the success of Indravelli and Raviryala meetings have strengthened the base of Congress, Revanth Reddy said.

The partys Telangana state in-charge, Manickam Tagore said that strengthening the party from the booth-level was the need of the hour. Inter-party discipline like replacing leaders who are absent from party meetings is also essential, he said. Booth committees and booth-level agents should be appointed immediately and the cadre should continue its fight against the TRS corruption to help consolidate the party base in the state, he said.

The failures of Chandrasekhar Rao and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be exposed, he said.

TPCC working president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud presided over the meeting, which was also attended by seniors like Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Madhu Goud Yashki, Bosu Raju, Srinivasan Krishnan, Anjan Kumar Yadav and Ajmathulla Hussain.
This will contribute to strengthening multilateral cooperation among BRICS space agencies in meeting the challenges faced by mankind, such as global climate change, major disasters and environmental protection.  File photo

Nellore: Space agencies of the BRICS nations  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  signed an agreement to share remote sensing satellite data on Wednesday. India holds the chair of BRICS.

According to ISRO, this agreement enables in building a virtual constellation of specified remote sensing satellites of BRICS space agencies, and their respective ground stations will receive the data.

This will contribute to strengthening multilateral cooperation among BRICS space agencies in meeting the challenges faced by mankind, such as global climate change, major disasters and environmental protection.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Sanjay Bhattacharyya, secretary (CPV&OIA), India's BRICS Sherpa, of the ministry of external affairs and other officials.

Dr K. Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation and secretary, department of space; Zhang Kejian, administrator, China National Space Administration (CNSA); Dr Val Munsami, chief executive officer, South African National Space Agency (SANSA); Carlos Augusto Teixeira De Moura, President, Brazilian Space Agency (AEB); and Dr Dmitry Rogozin, Director General, State Space Corporation Roscosmos; signed the agreement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during the inauguration and foundation stone laying of multiple projects in Gujarat, via video conferencing, in New Delhi, Friday, Aug 20, 2021. (PTI Photo)

Somnath: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that destructive forces and people who follow the ideology of creating empires through terror can dominate for some time, but their existence is not permanent as they cannot suppress humanity forever.

He also said it was Indian people's spiritual bent of mind that kept the country united for centuries, and called for the need to develop the "spiritual tourism" sector for the progress of different regions and creation of new job opportunities for the local residents.

Modi was speaking while virtually inaugurating a few projects of the famous Somnath temple situated in Gir-Somnath district of Gujarat.

"This temple was demolished numerous times over several centuries in the past. Idols of deities were also desecrated. Attempts were made to erase its existence. But it came up again in its full glory every time it was demolished," he said.

This temple gave a message to the entire world that "truth cannot be defeated by falsehood, and faith cannot be crushed under the feet of terror", he added.

"Somnath temple is a symbol of trust and assurance for the entire world. Forces that strive for destruction and those who follow the ideology of creating empires out of terror can dominate for some time, but their existence is never permanent as they cannot suppress humanity forever," the PM said.

This was true when some tyrants were demolishing the Somnath temple, and it is true even today when the world has apprehensions because of some people following such ideology, he said.

The prime minister's remarks come in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

As the chairman of the Shree Somnath Trust, the PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for four projects, worth Rs 83 crore, of the Somnath temple. It included the ground-breaking ceremony for the Parvati Temple that is coming up near the main temple for Rs 30 crore.

The three projects that he inaugurated were a 1.4-km long 'Samudra Darshan' walkway or promenade built at a cost of Rs 49 crore on the seashore behind the temple, a newly-built museum housing ancient artefacts constructed near the temple at Rs 75 lakh, and the renovated 'Ahilyabai Holkar Temple' or the old Somnath temple, renovated at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other dignitaries attended the programme at a temple auditorium.

On the occasion, Modi also said that India, which was at 65th position in 2013 in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, jumped to 34th position in 2019.

He remembered the contribution of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in building the present Somnath temple. He also paid tributes to India's first President Dr Rajendra Prasad and freedom fighter from Gujarat K M Munshi, who played a key role in the construction of the temple.

The PM said that out of the total 40 pilgrimage places covered under the Centre's PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual Augmentation Drive) scheme, the work on 15 projects was already over.

"We are now planning to connect Somnath with other tourist spots and cities of the state, so that people who visit one place are encouraged to visit other places too," he said, adding that the Centre has identified 19 iconic tourist destinations across the country for further development.

"Thanks to such initiatives and other policy decisions for the tourism sector, India, which was on 65 position in the world Travel and Tourism Competitive Index in 2013, jumped to 34th position in 2019," he said.
Hyderabad: TPCC chief Revanth Reddy's comments against Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao while addressing the Congress Dalit Girijana Dandora public meeting on Wednesday drew sharp criticism from TRS MLAs on Thursday.

The TRS MLAs have threatened to obstruct the upcoming dandora meetings if Revanth Reddy continues to abuse the CM and Rama Rao.

MLAs Guvvala Balaraju, Jeevan Reddy, A. Venkateshwar Reddy, M. Kishan Reddy and K.P. Vivekanand addressed the media here to condemn the 'abusive language' used by Revanth Reddy against Chandrashekar Rao and Rama Rao.

"After becoming TPCC president, Revanth has lost his sense. He is constantly abusing KCR and KTR. We too can use foul language. We are maintaining restraint because we don't have the permission from the party leadership to do that. Dalit Girijana Dandora meetings have become a platform for Revanth to attack KCR and KTR. We will no longer tolerate this. We will obstruct these meetings in the coming days. We are seeking permission from KCR and KTR to allow us to do this," said Jeevan Reddy.

Balaraju said Revanth has crossed all limits and the time has come to teach him a lesson. "Revanth says after the Indervelli and Maheshwaram public meetings, his next step will be on KCR's head and he would crush KCR and TRS under the feet of the Congress cadre. Let him come to the CM's constituency Gajwel or anywhere else in Telangana to hold Dandora meetings. We will show who will crush whom," Balaraju said.

MLA Manchireddy said the Hyderabad Pharma City has contributed to an increase in the land value in Ranga Reddy district, due to which residents in these areas have benefited a lot.

"Revanth's allegations on forcibly acquiring lands for the Pharma City are baseless. Landowners voluntarily came forward to hand over their lands for the project. The people are happy with the pharma city. No local came on to the road opposing the project even as the opposition parties tried to provoke them. Adequate compensation was paid to landowners," he said.
Former Amalapuram MP Harsha Kumars son and young Congress leader Sri Raj has fried quail-Kouju in protest against Twitter suspending the account of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

KAKINADA: Former Amalapuram MP Harsha Kumars son and young Congress leader Sri Raj has created a flutter by killing a bird (quail-Kouju), to match with the image of the Twitter logo bird, and sent the fried bird to Twitter offices via post.

He did this in protest against Twitter suspending the account of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The entire action was video-graphed, and he posted it onto his Instagram page. He also informed this to the Congress office.

He said in his message to the Congress office that this protest was staged by Congress leader Harsha Kumar from the state and his followers raised slogans in favour of Rahul Gandhi and against the BJP. After posting a part of the fried bird, we ate the remaining pieces, he has stated.

The Pradesh Congress disciplinary committee and the All India Congress Committees communication wing took a serious note of the incident. Sources quoted the committee president Lingamsetty Eswararao as saying such protests would hurt the image of the Congress party.

From Mahatma Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders maintained a high degree of decency in their conduct. The AICC communication wing, therefore, suspended Sri Raj from party membership, it was stated.

Harsha Kumar told Deccan Chronicle that the incident took place as a mark of protest.
A few IAS and IPS officers, gazetted officers, industrialists, businessmen etc also reportedly gave up Rythu Bandhu but their names were kept a secret. In all, just 1,980 persons in the entire state gave up the benefit.  Twitter

HYDERABAD: It seems there are not many takers for the Telangana governments 'give it up' campaign, which was meant to encourage rich landowners and farmers to voluntarily opt out of its flagship welfare programme Rythu Bandhu to reduce its financial burden.

As per the official data, only 2,000 agriculture landowners out of over 63 lakh beneficiaries in the state opted for the Rythu Bandhu 'give it up' option. Of them, 400 landowners submitted applications to the agriculture department to reclaim the benefit.

Under Rythu Bandhu, the government transfers Rs 10,000 per acre per year (Rs 5,000 each in kharif and rabi) to all landowners irrespective of the extent of land they own. The government is spending nearly Rs 15,000 crore per year on this scheme.

The government has taken up 'give it up' campaign with the prime objective of encouraging landowners who own agricultural land above 10 acres to voluntarily opt out of the scheme. Official sources in the agriculture department said there were 6,679 persons in Telangana who owned more than 25 acres each. They together own nearly 2.25 lakh acres on whom the government was spending Rs 225 crore towards Rythu Bandhu every year at the rate of Rs 10,000 per acre per year.

There are 7,367 persons who own land between 20 acres and 25 acres. They together own 1.63 lakh acres. The expenditure incurred on Rythu Bandhu for them is Rs 163 crore per year.

There are 19,195 persons who own land between 15 acres and 20 acres who together own 3.28 lakh acres. The Rythu Bandhu expenditure is Rs 328 crore per year.

Similarly, 65,411 persons own lands between 10 acres and 15 acres, who together own 7.81 lakh acres. The expenditure incurred on Rythu Bandhu is Rs 781 crore per year.

The data shows that 98,652 persons in Telangana own lands above 10 acres each and together own 14.97 lakh acres. The government is incurring expenditure of Rs 1,497 crore per year towards Rythu Bandhu.

The government hoped that if the majority of these landowners opted out of Rythu Bandhu, it could save at least Rs 1,000 crore per year. But the ground reality looks contrasting.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was the first to give up Rythu Bandhu during its launch in May 2018 while giving a call to all rich landowners to voluntarily opt out of the scheme.

Following the Chief Ministers call, a few ministers A. Indrakaran Reddy, Tummala Nageshwar Rao and Patnam Mahender Reddy gave up Rythu Bandhu then. A few IAS and IPS officers, gazetted officers, industrialists, businessmen etc also reportedly gave up Rythu Bandhu but their names were kept a secret. In all, just 1,980 persons in the entire state gave up the benefit.

Surprisingly, nearly 400 of them have again submitted applications to agriculture department to reclaim Rythu Bandhu.
Indias exports show resilience despite mounting anti-dumping duties, according to a report by the World Trade Centre-Mumbai.

An analysis of Indias foreign trade in 48 products shows that our exports remain resilient despite foreign countries imposing anti-dumping duties on these products.

Indias export of these 48 products to the countries that imposed anti-dumping duties grew 44% from $178 million in January- May 2020 to $257 million by January-May 2021. In January-May 2019, which was the period before the pandemic, Indias exports of these 48 products stood around $178 million. Most of these products belong to the broad categories of plastics, steel, textile and organic chemicals.

USA, Turkey, Brazil, China, Argentina, European Union and South Korea are the top seven countries that imposed anti-dumping duties on Indian products as of 2021. Under the norms of World Trade Organization (WTO), a member country can impose anti-dumping duty on imports of a product if the exporter sells the product at an unfairly low price that causes injury to the domestic industry in the importing country.

Organic chemicals and iron and steel products are the major commodities that face anti-dumping duties in foreign countries. It is welcome that Indias exports of these goods have not been much affected by the anti-dumping duties of the importing countries. If the government includes organic chemicals and iron and steel in the RoDTEP scheme, it will further stimulate exports of these goods, said Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, World Trade Centre-Mumbai.

Specifically, Indias export of six organic chemical products to China, which imposed anti-dumping duties on these products, recovered from $20.3 million in January-May 2020 to $26.3 million by January-May 2021, which is close to the pre-pandemic level export of $28.78 million (during January-May 2019).

Similarly, Indias export of a range of steel and plastic products to the USA grew from $30 million in January-May 2020 to $33 million by January-May 2021, which is higher than even the pre-pandemic level of $28 million during January-May 2019). The USA has imposed anti-dumping duties on Indias steel bars, steel wires, polyethylene films and other related products.

On the other hand, Indias export of a range of synthetic yarn and fibre to Turkey, which imposed anti-dumping duty on these products, grew from $90 million in January-May 2020 to $150 million during January-May 2021. This is far higher than the pre-pandemic level export of $45 million during (January-May 2019).

South Korea is the only major country to which our exports have suffered adversely because of anti-dumping duty. South Korea imposed anti-dumping duty on Indias stainless steel bars, PET films (a kind of product used in plastics manufacturing) and certain organic chemicals. Indias export of these goods to South Korea halved from $14 million in January-May 2019 to $7 million in January-May 2020 and to $6.5 million in January-May 2021.

Export of a range of glass, graphite electrodes and steel products to the European Union grew from $16 million in January-May 2020 to $24 million during the same period in the current year, although it is far less than the pre-pandemic level of $44 million (January-May 2019).


The employees of Jet Airways have approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) seeking quashing of the NCLT's approval to the resolution plan of Kalrock-Jalan consortium.

The appeal comes after the emloyees rejected the resolution plan.

The plea by the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (BKS) and the Jet Airways Cabin Crew Association have cited concerns on unpaid salary dues and continuity.

In the voting process of employees, only 35.1 per cent approved the plan while 3.2 rejected it, and 61.6 per cent abstained from the voting. As such, the proposal for ex-employees and workmen of Jet Airways (India) Ltd, put forward by Murari Lal Jalan and Florian Fritsch, has lapsed, the consortium informed employees on Thursday.

The admitted claims of employees stood at Rs 1,265 crore, while the consortium has proposed Rs 52 crore to settle their claims.

According to employees, the airline owes at least Rs 3 lakh to each employee which may well go up to Rs 85 lakh, while now each employee is being offered a total of around Rs 23,000, which one employee, who did not want to be named, described as "peanuts".

The plan proposes to pay each workman of the corporate debtor Rs 11,000 cash, Rs 5,100 cash as medical expense reimbursement for the parents of the workmen, Rs 5,100 cash as school fee reimbursement for children of the staff, Rs 1,100 for stationery for children of the staff and one-time mobile phone recharge of Rs 500.

This cash payment will be made out of the contingency fund (Rs 8 crore). Additional amounts, if required, will be utilised out of the proceeds of sale of assets received by the corporate debtor.
By Mark Gurman and Mark Bergen

When Apple Inc. was looking to hire new management for its Siri and artificial intelligence groups, it went after a pair of high-profile targets: Googles top brass overseeing search.

Apple succeeded in attracting one of those executives: John Giannandrea, who had served as Googles search and AI chief, bringing him on as head of Siri and machine learning in 2018. That much is known. But Apple at one point also attempted to hire Giannandreas top search deputy and eventual successor, Ben Gomes, according to documents filed by the Department of Justice in its ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Google.

In a subpoena sent to Apple this week, the Justice Department asked the Cupertino, California-based technology giant to turn over documents related to efforts to hire Gomes and Giannandrea.

Also Read | Policy groups ask Apple to drop plans to inspect iMessages, scan for abuse images

The subpoena demanded all documents starting in Jan. 1, 2010, about attempts to recruit employees from Google, Microsoft Corp.s Bing, Yahoo! Inc. and DuckDuckGo with expertise or experience in internet search services or search advertising, including: John Giannandrea and Ben Gomes.

Representatives for Apple and Google declined to comment.

The search giant announced a raft of new features at an event celebrating its 20th anniversary. A Facebook-like newsfeed populated with videos and articles the company thinks an individual user would find interesting will now show up on the Google home page just below the search bar on all mobile web browsers.

The document doesnt say when Apple attempted to hire Gomes, but any such effort wasnt successful. Gomes remains at Google in a role running the Alphabet Inc.-owned companys education efforts. He was search chief until 2020 after taking over for Giannandrea when that executive left for Apple.

Gomes, who joined Google in 1999, is one of the companys most veteran engineers and a central figure on the search team from the early days. Apples attempt to hire Gomes suggests that the company may have held ambitions to more broadly rival Google in search.

Though Apple doesnt offer a Google-like search engine, it has gradually built up its search functionality via features embedded in its iPhone, iPad and Mac operating systems. Apple customers can use the Siri voice assistant or search panel to seek information, and Apple Music, the App Store and Maps have their own search engines.

Thats led to speculation that Apple plans to take on Google more directly in search. But such an effort would be a costly undertaking and threaten the billions of dollars that Apple gets in Google royalty payments. For the past 15 years, Google has served as the default search engine in Apples Safari web browser.

While the Justice Departments suit is centered on Google, Apple has been linked to the case. The department accused the rivals as working as one company in their search partnership.
The investment surge by both new and established automakers in the electric vehicle market is a bonanza for factory equipment manufacturers that supply the highly automated picks and shovels for the prospectors in the EV gold rush.

The good times for the makers of robots and other factory equipment reflect the broader recovery in US manufacturing. After falling post-Covid to $361.8 million in April 2020, new orders surged to almost $506 million in June, according to the US Census Bureau.

New electric vehicle factories, funded by investors who have snapped up newly public shares in companies such as EV start-up Lucid Group Inc are boosting demand.

"I'm not sure it's reached its climax yet. There's still more to go," Andrew Lloyd, electromobility segment leader at Stellantis-owned supplier Comau, said in an interview. "Over the next 18 to 24 months, there's going to be a significant demand coming our way."

Growth in the EV sector, propelled by the success of Tesla Inc, comes on top of the normal work manufacturing equipment makers do to support production of gasoline-powered vehicles.

Also read: Not in a hurry to get into EV space; will wait for right time to enter segment: Royal Enfield

Automakers will invest over $37 billion in North American plants from 2019 to 2025, with 15 of 17 new plants in the United States, according to LMC Automotive. Over 77% of that spending will be directed at SUV or EV projects.

Equipment providers are in no rush to add to their nearly full capacity.

"There's a natural point where we will say 'No'" to new business, said Comau's Lloyd.

For just one area of a factory, like a paint shop or a body shop, an automaker can easily spend $200 million to $300 million, industry officials said.

'Wild, Wild West'

"This industry is the Wild, Wild West right now," John Kacsur, vice president of the automotive and tire segment for Rockwell Automation, told Reuters. "There is a mad race to get these new EV variants to market."

Automakers have signed agreements for suppliers to build equipment for 37 EVs between this year and 2023 in North America, according to industry consultant Laurie Harbour. That excludes all the work being done for gasoline-powered vehicles.

"There's still a pipeline with projects from new EV manufacturers," said Mathias Christen, a spokesman for Durr AG, which specialises in paint shop equipment and saw its EV business surge about 65% last year. "This is why we don't see the peak yet."

Orders received by Kuka AG, a manufacturing automation company owned by China's Midea Group, rose 52% in the first half of 2021 to just under 1.9 billion euros ($2.23 billion) - the second-highest level for a 6-month period in the company's history, due to strong demand in North America and Asia.

Also read: India considering sharp import tax cuts on Electric Vehicles after Tesla lobbying

"We ran out of capacity for any additional work about a year and a half ago," said Mike LaRose, CEO of Kuka's auto group in the Americas. "Everyone's so busy, there's no floor space."

Kuka is building electric vans for General Motors Co at its plant in Michigan to help meet early demand before the No. 1 US automaker replaces equipment in its Ingersoll, Ontario, plant next year to handle the regular work.

Automakers and battery firms need to order many of the robots and other equipment they need 18 months in advance, although Neil Dueweke, vice president of automotive at Fanuc Corp's American operations, said customers want their equipment sooner. He calls that the "Amazon effect" in the industry.

"We built a facility and have like 5,000 robots on shelves stacked 200 feet high, almost as far as the eye can see," said Dueweke, who noted Fanuc America set sales and market share records last year.

Covid has also caused issues and delays for some automakers trying to tool up.

R.J. Scaringe, CEO of EV startup Rivian, said in a letter to customers last month that "everything from facility construction, to equipment installation, to vehicle component supply (especially semiconductors) has been impacted by the pandemic."

However, established, long-time customers like GM and parts supplier and contract manufacturer Magna International said they have not experienced delays in receiving equipment.

Another limiting factor for capacity has been the continuing shortage of labour, industry officials said.

To avoid the stress, startups like Fisker Inc have turned to contract manufacturers like Magna and Foxconn, whose buying power enables them to avoid shortages more easily, CEO Henrik Fisker said.

Growing demand, however, does not mean these equipment makers are rushing to expand capacity.

Having lived through downturns in which they were forced to make cuts, equipment suppliers want to make do with what they have, or in Comau's case, just add short-term capacity, according to Lloyd.

"Everybody's afraid they're going to get hammered," said Mike Tracy, a principal at consulting firm the Agile Group. "They just don't have the reserve capacity they used to have."
They were at the opposite ends of a communist dictatorship -- she a citizen of East Germany longing to taste freedom, he an ex-KGB agent stationed there and pained when the regime collapsed.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin's relationship was always going to be like no other.

At times openly antagonistic, at others tinged with biting sarcasm topped off with a smirk, the two world leaders have sparred over burning global issues from the Syrian war to Russia's annexation of Ukraine and the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Yet despite their bitter differences, the pair, who speak each other's language fluently, have managed to keep talking through Merkel's 16 years in office.

On Friday, she will travel to Russia for her 20th and last visit before stepping down following September's election. The meeting will mark the end of an era.

Putin, the only G20 leader still around since Merkel took over Germany's top job, will give her a "warm reception", predicted Fyodor Lukyanov, chief editor of Russia in Global Affairs magazine.

Also Read | Germany's Merkel has seen it all with US presidents

The Russian leader, who has been described by foes and fans alike as both arrogant and charming, proved from the start to be unpredictable when he hosts Merkel.

Putin gifted Merkel a small black and white stuffed toy dog back in 2006, when she met him on her first visit to Moscow as chancellor.

If the message was not clear to all then, it loomed large during Merkel's second trip to Russia, this time to Putin's Sochi summer residence.

In the middle of their talks, a big black Labrador sauntered in. "Konni" wandered over to a visibly uncomfortable Merkel, giving her a few suspicious sniffs.

"I don't think the dog will scare you," said Putin, as he pulled Konni away.

Turns out she had once been bitten by a dog and feels a "certain concern" when one comes close.

"I think although the Russian president knew very well that I was not exactly eager to meet his dog, he brought it with him. But that's the way it was. And you can see how I was trying to stay brave, by looking in Putin's direction and not at the dog," she told daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

And that has been Merkel's recipe for dealing with Putin -- cold detachment despite the discomfort, sometimes mixed with quiet amusement, while ruthlessly focused on pushing ahead with the subject at hand.

The trained chemist's tactics in dismissing the antics of macho men have proven so effective that she has cemented her reputation as the woman who even Putin cannot intimidate.

Fans point to incidents like her appearing to roll her eyes while in conversation with Putin at a G20 summit in 2017 as an illustration of her guts.

When he handed her a bouquet of flowers on another occasion, Bild daily frothed at the affront intended to convey "powerful man greets dear lady". If Merkel was upset, she did not let it show behind a jovial smile.

But when Putin lashed out at critical journalists at a joint event in 2012, she drily remarked: "If I were always getting into a huff, I wouldn't last three days as chancellor."

Putin himself has voiced respect for her.

"I trust her, she is a very open person," he said of Merkel, adding that the chancellor "really makes an honest effort towards resolving crises."

The compliment has not been returned, at least not publicly.

Last May, Merkel openly voiced frustration over Russia's behaviour following hacking attacks.

"I can honestly say that it pains me. Every day I try to build a better relationship with Russia and on the other hand there is such hard evidence that Russian forces are doing this," she told parliament then.

Nevertheless, she has stuck to the line of never cutting off direct talks with Putin, even if those discussions can be fraught.

"Our friendship will not be better if we swept everything under the carpet and did not talk about it," she said.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said Pakistan is determined to play a "positive role" in Afghanistan as he appealed to the Taliban insurgents and former rulers of the war-ravaged country to formulate an all-inclusive political government after mutual consultations.

Qureshi said that nobody is ready to face bloodshed in Afghanistan and people are looking for peace and stability in the country that has been taken over by the Taliban insurgents.

Pakistan is determined to play its positive role, he said. Our envoy in Afghanistan is also in touch with different Afghan personalities, he said in a statement.

The Taliban insurgents swept Kabul on Sunday after the US-backed Afghan government collapsed and President Ashraf 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.

The foreign minister said the Afghan delegation visiting Pakistan held talks with him and Prime Minister Imran Khan. Qureshi said some "anti-peace elements" are active to play the role of spoiler. He said it is the test of Afghan leadership's sagacity as to how they cope with such challenges.

Read | Taliban killed minorities, fuelling Afghans' fears: Report

He also said that it is time for all the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to sit together for consultations.

He announced that he will visit neighbouring countries in the next few days to chalk out a comprehensive strategy after consultations.

Our aim is Afghanistan's stability and we will continue our endeavours..., he said.

The Afghan delegation which visited Pakistan on Thursday called for the formation of an inclusive government through a power-sharing deal with all stakeholders in the war-torn country.

Comprising Speaker Wolesi Jirga Mir Rehman Rehmani, Salahud din Rabbani and former Afghan vice president Mohammad Yunus Qanooni among others, the delegation met top civil and military leadership including Prime Minister Khan, Qureshi, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt. General Faiz Hameed.

Addressing a press conference at the conclusion of the visit, Rahmani said the next phase in Afghanistan was the formation of a government.

The new government will only succeed if all stakeholders are made part of it, he said, adding that in case the Taliban failed to form an inclusive government the country could return to the post-1996 situation.

Read | Afghan influencers go dark on social media as Taliban return

Rehmani said the new government should be acceptable to the people and it should ensure freedom of speech and the rule of law in Afghanistan.

The delegation members told the media that a larger delegation would also visit other countries to seek support for their demands, and said the process has started from Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's embassy was functional in Kabul and extending facilitation to all those seeking visas and wanting to utilise Pakistan as a transit point to leave Afghanistan, while its national carrier operating to pull out the foreigners as well Pakistanis.

Radio Pakistan reported that a special flight of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) will bring 350 passengers from Afghanistan on Friday. The passengers include representatives of the World Bank and other world institutions.

So far, PIA helped to evacuate about 1,100 people, including diplomats, staff of diplomatic missions and international agencies and journalists from Kabul.
At least two children were killed and three others injured in an explosion in Pakistans Balochistan province on Friday, police said.

The blast took place on Friday afternoon in the Baloch Ward area of the port city of Gwadar following which dead bodies of two children were found at the spot.

A loud explosion was heard. The injured were shifted to a local hospital. Two children have died, police said, adding that the nature of the explosion was not known yet and nobody took responsibility for it.

In the past, Baloch nationalists and the Taliban militants often carried out such attacks against the security forces.
For more than a decade, the Afghanistan National Institute of Music has stood as a symbol of the countrys changing identity. The school trained hundreds of young artists, many of them orphans and street hawkers, in artistic traditions that were once forbidden by the Taliban. It formed an all-female orchestra that performed widely in Afghanistan and abroad.

But in recent days, as the Taliban have been consolidating control over Afghanistan again, the schools future has come into doubt.

In interviews, several students and teachers said they feared that the Taliban, who have a history of attacking the schools leaders, would seek to punish people affiliated with the school as well as their families. Some said they worried that the school will be shut down and that they will not be allowed to play again. Several female students said they had been staying inside their homes since the capital was seized Sunday

Its a nightmare, Ahmad Naser Sarmast, the head of the school, said in a telephone interview from Melbourne, Australia, where he arrived last month for medical treatment.

The Taliban banned most forms of music when they previously ruled Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001. This time, they have promised a more tolerant approach, vowing not to carry out reprisals against their former enemies and saying that women will be allowed to work and study within the bounds of Islamic law.

Also read: Guns, drugs and Taliban: Afghanistan's heroin problem

But the Talibans history of violence toward artists and their general intolerance for music without religious meaning has sowed doubts among many performers.

My concern is that the people of Afghanistan will be deprived of their music, Sarmast said. There will be an attempt to silence the nation.

In 2010, Sarmast, an Afghan music scholar who was trained in Australia and plays trumpet and piano, opened the school, which has more than 400 students and staff members, with the support of the US-backed government. It was a rarity: a coeducational institution devoted to teaching music from both Afghanistan and the West.

The schools musicians were invited to perform on many of the worlds most renowned stages, including Carnegie Hall. They played Western classical music as well as traditional Afghan music and instruments, like the rubab, which resembles the lute and is one of the national instruments of Afghanistan.

The school placed special emphasis on supporting young women, who make up one-third of the student body. The schools all-female orchestra, Zohra, founded in 2015, earned wide acclaim. Many were the first women in their families to receive formal training. In a symbol of its modern ways, headscarves for girls at the schools campus in Kabul were optional.

The schools habit of challenging tradition made it a target. In 2014, Sarmast was injured by a Taliban suicide bomber who infiltrated a school play. The Taliban tried to attack the school again in the years that followed, but their attempts were thwarted, Sarmast said.

Now female students say they are concerned about a return to a repressive past when the Taliban eliminated schooling for girls and barred women from leaving home without male guardians.

Several female students  who were granted anonymity because they feared retaliation  said that it felt like their dreams to become professional musicians could disintegrate. They worried they might not be able to play music again in their lives, even as a hobby.

In recent weeks, as the Taliban swept through the country, the schools network of overseas supporters tried to help by raising money to improve security on campus, including by installing an armed gate and walls.

But its now unclear if the school will even be permitted to operate under the Taliban. It is also increasingly difficult for citizens of Afghanistan to leave the country. Airport entrances have been chaotic and often impassable scenes for days, even for people with travel documentation. The Taliban control the streets, and although they say they are breaking up crowds at the airport to keep order, there are widespread reports that they are turning people away by force if they try to leave the country.

Read | Taliban vow to ban heroin, but can they survive without it?

The State Department said in a statement that it was working to get US citizens as well as locally employed staff and vulnerable Afghans out of the country, although crowding at the airport had made it more difficult. The department said it was prioritising Afghan women and girls, human rights defenders, and journalists, among others.

This effort is of utmost importance to the US government, the statement said.

Also read: Taliban revenge fears grow in Afghanistan

In the 1990s, the Taliban permitted religious singing but banned other forms of music because they were seen as distractions to Islamic studies and could encourage impure behaviour. Taliban officials destroyed instruments and smashed cassette tapes.

William Maley, an emeritus professor at Australian National University who has studied Afghanistan, said he was troubled by reports that the Taliban had recently sought to limit the spread of popular music in some parts of the country.

The Taliban in the 1990s were extremely hostile to any form of music other than religious chants, and people had to hide their instruments and play music secretively, Maley said. I would not be optimistic.

Amid the chaos in Kabul, students, teachers and alumni of the school have exchanged frantic messages on chat groups. They have lamented the fact that they might need to hide their instruments or leave them in the care of others if they try to flee.

Also read: Taliban killed minorities, fuelling Afghans' fears: Report

William Harvey, who taught violin and conducted the orchestra at the school from 2010 to 2014, said he felt despair thinking his former students might be in peril for pursuing their passion. Still, he said the school is an inspiration for artists and audiences around the world.

It is to those students, then, that we owe a tremendous responsibility, said Harvey, now the concertmaster of the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional in Mexico. They must live to lift their voices again another day.
Hundreds of sex workers at Bangladesh's largest brothel have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in a one-day inoculation drive the participants hope will revive an industry devastated by the pandemic.

Bangladesh, one of the few Muslim nations where prostitution is legal, has at least 11 brothels operational across the country of 169 million.

The western town of Daulatdia, a vast warren of shacks, has been running a brothel for more than a century but the livelihoods of many sex workers have been hit hard by coronavirus lockdowns and fears over contracting the virus.

Authorities have been trying to vaccinate the workers living there but have been hampered by a shortage of supplies.

Health officials administered first and second doses of India-made AstraZeneca vaccines to nearly 200 sex workers in Daulatdia starting from February.

But they were unable to expand the programme further after New Delhi froze exports.

Officials said the scheme restarted on Wednesday after Bangladesh received millions of vaccine doses from China and from the United States under the Covax initiative.

"We now have sufficient supply," Daulatdia's chief doctor Asif Mahmud told AFP.

It was "very satisfying" to witness a strong turnout for the jabs in the town, he added.

About 400 Chinese Sinopharm jabs were administered on Wednesday as first doses, covering most of the remaining eligible population of sex workers, health officials said.

The jabs are only available to workers aged above 25 but many in the brothel are underage girls.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

Ruksana, a 26-year-old lining up to receive her first shot, said business had been badly hit by coronavirus lockdowns and fears among clients that they could contract the virus.

"There were days when we had to starve. People died from the corona around the world. But we nearly died of hunger," Ruksana, who goes by only one name, told AFP.

"We are hopeful (that) as we all are gradually getting vaccines, we will start getting back work."

Bangladesh has reported more than 1.4 million Covid-19 infections and nearly 25,000 deaths, but experts say the actual figures are likely much higher.

Authorities earlier this month vaccinated about three million people across the country in a special week-long campaign during a major surge in cases that sparked a nationwide lockdown.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday Britain would work with the Taliban if necessary after the militants capture of Afghanistan, and defended his foreign minister who has come under fire for his handling of the situation.

"What I want to assure people is that our political and diplomatic efforts to find a solution for Afghanistan, working with the Taliban, of course if necessary, will go on," Johnson told media.

Read | PM Johnson says Britain will do all it can to prevent Afghan crisis

Johnson said the situation at Kabul airport, where thousands of desperate Afghans have thronged seeking exodus from the country, was getting "slightly better".

The British government said it had secured the evacuation of 1,615 people since Saturday, including 399 British nationals and their dependants, 320 embassy staff and 402 Afghans.

Asked if he still had confidence in Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab who has faced calls for his resignation from opponents for his response to the crisis, he said: "Absolutely".
China has played a constructive role in promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and is welcome to contribute to the rebuilding of the country, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Chinese state media.

Taliban militants seized control over the weekend in an upheaval that sent thousands of civilians and Afghan military allies fleeing for safety. Many fear a return to the austere interpretation of Islamic law imposed during the previous Taliban rule that ended 20 years ago.

In dealing with the Taliban, an increasingly powerful China may be able to leverage the fact that unlike Russia and the United States, it has not fought in Afghanistan.

Also Read | With Taliban in power, China eyes highly lucrative rare-earth mines in Afghanistan

"China is a big country with a huge economy and capacity - I think they can play a very big role in the rebuilding, rehabilitation, reconstruction of Afghanistan," Shaheen told CGTN television in an interview late on Thursday.

During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's meeting with a Taliban delegation in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin last month, he said he hoped Afghanistan could adopt a moderate Islamist policy.

China has cited religious extremism as a destabilizing force in its western Xinjiang region and has long worried that Taliban-controlled territory would be used to harbour separatist forces.
China passed a sweeping privacy law aimed at preventing businesses from collecting sensitive personal data Friday, as the country faces an uptick in internet scams, leaks and concerns about tech giants abusing clients' personal information.

Under the new rules passed by China's top legislative body, state-run and private companies handling personal information will be required to reduce data collection and obtain user consent.

The Chinese state security apparatus will maintain access to swathes of personal data, however, and Beijing has long been accused of harnessing big tech to accelerate repression in the northwestern Xinjiang province and elsewhere.

Also Read | China state media calls for cleanup of online fan behaviour

The new rules are also expected to further rattle China's tech sector, with companies like ride hailing giant Didi and gaming behemoth Tencent in regulators' crosshairs in recent months over misuse of personal data.

The law aims to protect those who "feel strongly about personal data being used for user profiling and by recommendation algorithms or the use of big data in setting [unfair] prices," a spokesman for the National People's Congress told state news agency Xinhua earlier this week.

It will prevent companies from setting different prices for the same service based on clients' shopping history, a common practice among Chinese online businesses.

The law is modelled after one of the world's strictest online privacy protection laws -- the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation.

"China's new privacy regime is one of the toughest in the world," said Kendra Schaefer, a partner at Beijing-based consulting firm Trivium China. "China is not really looking at the short term with this law."

Instead, she said, it aims "to establish the foundations for the digital economy over the next 40 or 50 years."

The law also stipulates that the personal data of Chinese nationals cannot be transferred to countries with lower standards of data security than China -- rules which may present problems for foreign businesses.

"The thing we're all on tenterhooks over is the issue of data transfer," Schaefer said.

"It poses a very interesting geopolitical conundrum, which is the US does not have a national privacy law."

Companies that fail to comply can face fines of up to 50 million yuan ($7.6 million) or five percent of a company's annual turnover.

Serious violators run the risk of losing their business licenses and being forced to shut down.
G7 foreign ministers urged the international community on Thursday to unite in its response to the crisis in Afghanistan to prevent it from escalating, British foreign minister Dominic Raab said in a statement.

Taliban militants seized control over the weekend in an upheaval that sent thousands of civilians and Afghan military allies fleeing for safety. Many fear a return to the austere interpretation of Islamic law imposed during the previous Taliban rule that ended 20 years ago.

"The G7 Ministers call on the international community to come together with a shared mission to prevent the crisis in Afghanistan escalating," said Raab's statement after a meeting of G7 foreign ministers.

Britain currently holds the rotating leadership of the G7, which also includes the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Japan and Canada.

"The crisis in Afghanistan requires an international response including intensive engagement on the critical questions facing Afghanistan and the region: with the Afghans most affected, parties to the conflict, the UN Security Council, the G20, international donors, and with Afghanistans regional neighbours," the statement said.

Also Read | Hunted by the Taliban, US-allied Afghan forces are in hiding

The UK said on Wednesday it would double its humanitarian and development aid to Afghanistan to 286 million ($390 million) this year.

Karen Pierce, UK ambassador to the United States, said Britain wanted to use a meeting of G7 leaders next week to work out "how to preserve the gains we've made and how to stop it becoming a breeding ground for terror."

Pierce told broadcaster NPR's "All Things Considered" program that Britain and the United States had been in almost daily contact with the Biden administration since NATO agreed on the decision to withdraw forces from Afghanistan.

She said Britain hoped to coordinate with partners and allies on any acceptance of a new Afghan government "so that we're all working on the same basis, so that we all understand the priority we want to give to countering terrorism, to human rights, to regional stability and to humanitarian issues."

Separately, Raab said late on Thursday that the UK and Turkey were working together in Afghanistan to ensure evacuations continue safely. He thanked Turkey for its commitment to safeguarding the Kabul airport alongside British troops.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Raab in a call that the world should guide and support Afghanistan as it moves to a new government instead of putting more pressure on it.
Columns of Afghan soldiers in armored vehicles and pickup trucks sped through the desert to reach Iran. Military pilots flew low and fast to the safety of Uzbekistans mountains.

Thousands of Afghan security-force members managed to make it to other countries over the past few weeks as the Taliban rapidly seized the country. Others managed to negotiate surrenders and went back to their homes  and some kept their weapons and joined the winning side.

They were all part of the sudden atomisation of the national security forces that the United States and its allies spent tens of billions of dollars to arm, train and stand against the Taliban, a two-decade effort at institution-building that vanished in just a few days.

But tens of thousands of other Afghan grunts, commandos and spies who fought to the end, despite the talk in Washington that the Afghan forces simply gave up, have been left behind. They are now on the run, hiding and hunted by the Taliban.

Theres no way out, said Farid, an Afghan commando, in a text message to an American soldier who fought with him. Farid, who agreed to be identified by his first name only, said he was hiding in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, trapped after the regular army units surrendered around him. I am praying to be saved.

Accounts of the Taliban searching for people they believe worked with and fought alongside US and NATO forces are beginning to trickle out, offering a bloody counterpoint to the kinder, gentler face that the militants have been trying to present to the world.

Also Read | Defiant Afghans wave flags amid fears of Taliban crackdown

The militants are threatening to arrest or punish family members if they cannot find the people they are seeking, according to former Afghan officials, a confidential report prepared for the United Nations, and American veterans who have been contacted by desperate Afghans who served alongside them. Most spoke on condition of anonymity to protect friends and loved ones still hiding in Afghanistan.

The officials said the Taliban had been combing through records at the ministry of defense and interior and the headquarters of Afghanistans spy service, drawing up lists of operatives to search for. And there are more and more reports that the militants are exacting swift and fatal revenge when they are found.

One former interpreter for American Special Forces said he saw another man gunned down feet from him on the mere suspicion that he had worked with foreign forces.

In the southern city of Kandahar, video posted on social media last week by RTA, Afghanistans public broadcaster, showed dozens of bodies left by the road, many of them reportedly Afghan soldiers and officials executed by the Taliban. RTA itself is now in the hands of the Taliban.

How many Afghan soldiers and security officials are on the run is unclear. Dozens of Afghan pilots escaped to Uzbekistan, where 22 planes and 24 helicopters carrying nearly 600 men arrived Sunday, according to Uzbek officials; an unknown number made it to Iran, former Afghan officials said.

On paper, the Afghan security forces number around 300,000. But because of corruption, desertion and casualties, only a sixth of that number were actually in the fight against the Taliban this year, US officials say.

Also Read | Taliban 'intensifying' search for Afghans who helped US: UN document

Thousands surrendered as the Taliban rolled through the country, laying down their weapons after being promised they would not be harmed. The Taliban so far appears to have stuck with those deals  historically a common feature of Afghan warfare  and the militants seemed far more focused on the 18,000 Army commandos, many of whom did not surrender, and officers from the countrys spy service, the National Directorate of Security, or NDS.

Some of those men have taken refuge in the Panjshir Valley, a strategic sliver north of Kabul where a handful of Afghan leaders are trying to organise a force to resist the Taliban. They are said to have 2,000-2,500 men, but independent confirmation isnt available.

Two decades ago, Panjshiri mujahedeen leader Ahmed Shah Massoud held the valley against the Taliban for years. The region then provided US spies and Special Operations forces a launchpad for the invasion that drove the Taliban from power in the months after 9/11.

But this time, the Panjshiris lack heavy weapons, a supply line through Afghanistans northern borders, significant international support, or a unifying leader like Massoud. Even Afghans who are supportive of their effort give them very long odds of succeeding.

At Kabuls airport, several hundred commandos from the NDS are helping the thousands of American soldiers and Marines who are overseeing the evacuation of foreigners and Afghans, according to American officials and former Afghan officials. The deal struck with the Americans is that the Afghans will be among the last to leave, serving as a rear guard before they are airlifted to freedom.

They are preforming heroically, said one US official.

Also Read | US diplomats sent cable warning Blinken of potential Taliban takeover in mid-July: Report

That is an understatement, another responded.

The NDS commandos have good reason to be fearful. The units killed numerous Taliban fighters and commanders  deaths that the militants appear eager to avenge.

The Taliban began showing up at the houses of senior intelligence officials soon after moving into Kabul on Sunday. At the home of Rahmatullah Nabil, a former NDS chief who left the country in recent days, the Taliban came with electronic equipment to sweep the house, according to a former Afghan official.

At the apartment of another counterterrorism official, the Taliban left a letter earlier this week instructing the man to report to the militants Military and Intelligence Commission in Kabul. The letter was reproduced in the confidential report for the United Nations, although the officials name and title were redacted.

Counterterrorism officials were responsible for overseeing the commandos who hunted down Taliban leaders, and the letter said, The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers you an important person.

If the official did not report to the Taliban as ordered, it warned, their family would be detained and punished.

The document was provided to the United Nations by the Norwegian Center for Global Analyses, a group that provides intelligence information to agencies of the global organisation. It was shared internally at the United Nations and seen by The New York Times.

There were multiple reports that the Taliban had a list of people they wanted to question and punish  and their locations, the document said. And it added that the Taliban had been going door to door and arresting and/or threatening to kill or arrest family members of target individuals unless they surrender themselves to the Taliban.

The Taliban are also aggressively expanding their network of informers and pressing mosques and Hawala dealers, the informal money traders who form the backbone of the Afghan financial system, to help them track down wanted members of the security forces, according to the report and witness accounts.

The main targets were members of the Afghan military and the police, as well as people who worked for investigative units of the toppled government, the document said. That assessment was shared by several soldiers and former officials who were in hiding, and were interviewed for this article.

Pentagon officials said they would be evacuated if they made it to the airport, but it is unclear where they would end up. Unlike interpreters who worked with American soldiers or Afghans who worked at the US Embassy, members of the Afghan security forces are not included in special visa programs set up by the US government.

First, though, they have to get past the Taliban fighters who have blocked entrances to the airport, fired rifles and beaten people to control the crowds of thousands who are trying to flee. They are also said to be searching the crowds for Afghan soldiers and security officials and others who worked directly for American-led forces.
Pakistan's role in aiding the Taliban to seize power in Afghanistan is becoming clear with the exposure of the identity of militants trained and dispatched by the Pakistan Army.

A large number of them are from Punjab, who were dispatched by the army after a short stint of training at camps run by the Lashkar-e-Taiba to beef up the ranks of the Taliban.

Punjab is home to two of the most notorious Pakistan Army supported terrorist groups -- Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Although the exact number of Punjabi militants, mostly from the LeT, is not known, various estimates suggest a figure of over 10,000.

In Kandahar, the LeT cadres were seen fighting alongside the Taliban. Scores of LeT cadres have also been killed.

Read | 'Pak determined to play 'positive role' in Afghanistan'

The LeT team was led by Saifullah Khalid, who was killed in the fighting in Nawahi district of Kandahar along with 11 of his accomplices.

Khalid was replaced by another LeT commander from Punjab named Imran. He had previously operated in Kashmir, where he was involved in terrorist activities.

It is also known that Pakistan had arranged for transporting the bodies of slain militants to their native places.

Pakistan also set up makeshift hospitals for the injured LeT and other Pakistani cadres fighting in Afghanistan.

Reports of the army forcing young men to join the Taliban war machine have also been coming from different districts of Pakistan. Places where maximum recruitment, in many cases forced, have taken place include Quetta, Dera Ismail Khan, Karak, Hangu, Kohat, Peshawar, Mardan and Nowshera.

These reports are corroborated by the incidents of a large number of young men fleeing these towns to Karachi to escape forced recruitment for fighting in Afghanistan.

Read | Pakistan took in most Afghan refugees in 2020, India at 12th place after UK

In fact, the active role of Pak-based militant groups in Afghanistan has been known for quite some time now.

The LeT has had strongholds within Afghanistan since the 90s and the group continued to train and fight alongside the Taliban even after 2001.

With the active support of the Pakistan Army, the group had started to consolidate its position in at least over eight districts in Afghanistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Likewise, Jaish-e-Mohammad too had found a few bases in Nangarhar province which the Pakistan Army was using to train cadres for Kashmir.

JeM leader Masood Azhar has close association with the Taliban leadership and has sent cadres from his Punjab-based outfit to support the Taliban fighters.

Both JeM and LeT had also been using training sites abandoned by the al-Qaeda to recruit and train new cadres from Pakistan, mostly from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A suicide bombing targeting a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals in south west Pakistan killed two children and wounded three on Friday, police officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

"Two children have been killed and three injured in the attack," Liaquat Shahwani, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, told Reuters.

The suicide blast took place at the East Bay Road in the port city of Gwadar around 7 p.m. Chinese nationals sustained minor injuries, a police statement said.

Gwadar is in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where separatist militants have waged a long-running insurgency.

The attack came after the bus attack in the northwestern Pakistani province of Khyber-Paktunkhwa in which 13 people, including nine Chinese workers and two Pakistani soldiers were killed earlier in the month.

China is heavily involved in the development of the Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea as part of a $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China's Belt and Road infrastructure project.
The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Friday that most Afghans are unable to leave their homeland and that those who may be in danger "have no clear way out".

Spokesperson Shabia Mantoo reiterated its call to neighbouring countries to keep their borders open in light to allow people to seek asylum in light of what she called the "evolving crisis".

Also read: Taliban search closed Indian consulates in Kandahar, Herat

"UNHCR remains concerned about the risk of human rights violations against civilians in this evolving context, including women and girls," she told a Geneva news briefing.
About two dozen US diplomats in Afghanistan sent an internal cable last month warning Secretary of State Antony Blinken of the potential fall of Kabul to the Taliban as US troops withdrew from the country, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The newspaper said the confidential cable sent through a so-called dissent channel was signed on July 13 and offered recommendations on ways to mitigate the crisis and accelerate an evacuation.

The administration has been criticised for leaving efforts to get American diplomats and other citizens, as well Afghan allies, out of the country, until after a Taliban takeover was well underway.

US officials declined to confirm specific details or share the contents of the cable.

Also Read | US struggling to speed Kabul airlift amid hurdles, glitches

"I think the cable reflects what we've said all along, which is nobody had this exactly right in predicting that the government and army of Afghanistan were going to collapse in a matter of days," White House deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer told CNN.

A source familiar with the situation said the State Department took on board the concerns of those who drafted the cable, including by condemning the Taliban's atrocities ahead of the group seizing the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said diplomats' views shared with Blinken through the channel were incorporated into policy and planning.

"We value constructive internal dissent. Its patriotic. Its protected. And it makes us more effective," Price said.
The United States says it evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Kabul via military transport aircraft on August 19.

In a Friday statement, the White House said multiple C-17 flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport evacuated nearly 350 US citizens, as well as family members of US citizens, asylum applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans.

Also read: Taliban search closed Indian consulates in Kandahar, Herat

We have evacuated approximately 9,000 people since August 14. Since the end of July, we have evacuated approximately 14,000 people," it said.

It added that in the last 24 hours, the US military facilitated the departure of 11 charter flights, and that those numbers were not included in the other totals
The United States struggled Thursday to pick up the pace of American and Afghan evacuations at Kabul airport, constrained by obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to paperwork problems. With an August 31 deadline looming, tens of thousands remained to be airlifted from the chaotic country.

Taliban fighters and their checkpoints ringed the airport  major barriers for Afghans who fear that their past work with Westerners makes them prime targets for retribution. Hundreds of Afghans who lacked any papers or promises of flights also congregated at the airport, adding to the chaos. It didn't help that many of the Taliban fighters could not read the documents.

In one hopeful sign, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in Washington that 6,000 people were cleared for evacuation Thursday and were expected to board military flights in coming hours. That would mark a major increase from recent days. About 2,000 passengers were flown out on each of the past two days, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

Kirby said the military has aircraft available to evacuate 5,000 to 9,000 people per day, but until Thursday far fewer designated evacuees had been able to reach, and then enter, the airport.

Kirby told reporters the limiting factor has been available evacuees, not aircraft. He said efforts were underway to speed processing, including adding State Department consular officers to verify paperwork of Americans and Afghans who managed to get to the airport. Additional entry gates had been opened, he said.

And yet, at the current rate it would be difficult for the US to evacuate all of the Americans and Afghans who are qualified for and seeking evacuation by Aug. 31. President Joe Biden said Wednesday he would ensure no American was left behind, even if that meant staying beyond August, an arbitrary deadline that he set weeks before the Taliban climaxed a stunning military victory by taking Kabul last weekend. It was not clear if Biden might consider extending the deadline for evacuees who aren't American citizens.

Read | Pentagon says 7,000 civilians taken out of Kabul

At the airport, military evacuation flights continued, but access remained difficult for many. On Thursday, Taliban militants fired into the air to try to control the crowds gathered at the airport's blast walls. Men, women and children fled. US Navy fighter jets flew overhead, a standard military precaution but also a reminder to the Taliban that the US has firepower to respond to a combat crisis.

There is no accurate figure of the number of people  Americans, Afghans or others  who are in need of evacuation as the process is almost entirely self-selecting. For example, the State Department says that when it ordered its nonessential embassy staff to leave Kabul in April after Biden's withdrawal announcement, fewer than 4,000 Americans had registered for security updates. The actual number, including dual US-Afghan citizens along with family members, is likely much higher, with estimates ranging from 11,000 to 15,000. Tens of thousands of Afghans may also be in need of escape.

Compounding the uncertainty, the US government has no way to track how many registered Americans may have left Afghanistan already. Some may have returned to the United States but others may have gone to third countries.

The White House said Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the president's national security team, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to review the situation in Kabul.

At the Pentagon, Kirby declined to say whether Defense Secretary Austin had recommended to Biden that he extend the Aug. 31 deadline. Given the Taliban's takeover of the country, staying beyond that date would require at least the Taliban's acquiescence, he said. He said he knew of no such talks yet between US and Taliban commanders, who have been in regular touch for days to limit conflict at the airport as part of what the White House has termed a safe passage agreement worked out on Sunday.

I think it is just a fundamental fact of the reality of where we are, that communications and a certain measure of agreement with the Taliban on what we're trying to accomplish has to occur, Kirby said.

Also Read | Planes, guns, night-vision goggles: Taliban's new US-made war chest

Of the approximately 2,000 people airlifted from the airport in the 24 hours ended Wednesday morning, nearly 300 were Americans, Kirby said. US lawmakers were briefed Thursday morning that 6,741 people had been evacuated since Aug. 14, including 1,762 American citizens and Green Card holders, according to two congressional aides.

Additional American troops continued to arrive at the airport. As of Thursday there were about 5,200, including Marines who specialise in evacuation coordination and an Air Force unit that specializes in emergency airport operations. Biden has authorised a total deployment of about 6,000.

Hoping to secure evacuation seats are American citizens and other foreigners, Afghan allies of the Western forces, and women, journalists, activists and others most at risk from the fundamentalist Taliban.

Will US troops go beyond the airport perimeter to collect and escort people? Austin suggested on Wednesday that this was not currently feasible. We don't have the capability to go out and collect large numbers of people, he told reporters.

Austin added that evacuations would continue until the clock runs out or we run out of capability.

Afghans in danger because of their work with the US military or US organisations, and Americans scrambling to get them out, also pleaded with Washington to cut the red tape that has complicated matters.

If we don't sort this out, we'll literally be condemning people to death, said Marina Kielpinski LeGree, the American head of a nonprofit, Ascend. The organisation's young Afghan female colleagues were in the mass of people waiting for flights at the airport in the wake of days of mayhem, tear gas and gunshots.
India has finalised a deal with Russia to buy a sizeable number of AK-103 series of assault rifles for the Indian Army under the provisions of emergency procurement, people familiar with the development said on Friday.

The Army is implementing a mega infantry modernisation programme under which a large number of light machine guns, battle carbines and assault rifles are being purchased to replace its ageing and obsolete weapons.

"A deal has been finalised with Russia for direct purchase of a batch of AK-103 series of assault rifles," one of the persons cited above said without specifying the number of rifles or the cost of procurement.

There is no official announcement on the deal yet.

The people said the rifles are being procured under the emergency financial powers granted to the three services to make urgent purchases.

In October 2017, the Indian Army began the process to acquire around seven lakh rifles, 44,000 light machine guns (LMGs) and nearly 44,600 carbines.

The government has accorded priority to the modernisation of the armed forces and the infantry modernisation has been initiated as part of the larger process to further enhance the combat capability of the Army.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a proposal on putting up relevant details of planned procurements by the three services on their or the defence ministry's website.

"To promote 'Ease of Doing Business' and provide more transparency in the capital acquisition process, aligning with the aspirations of industry, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal mandating the service headquarters to publish the relevant details on the service headquarters/MoD website within one week of receipt of approvals," the defence ministry said in a statement.

"The details shared will be subject to sensitivities keeping the security aspect in mind," it added.
In line with its historical ties with Afghan people, India will prioritise granting visas to civil society members, opinion makers, women activists, students and NGO workers from Afghanistan in view of the current situation in the country, people familiar with the development said on Friday.

Afghan people feeling threatened or facing the fear of persecution and those who supported India in rolling out various welfare and development projects will also be given priority for grant of visas, they said.

However, they said the government's immediate priority is to evacuate the stranded Indians from Kabul and arrangements are being made in coordination with the US and other partner countries to bring them home.

It is learnt that all back-up plans have been put into place to facilitate their return at the earliest. Amid fears of a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, a number of countries such as the UK, Canada, have already announced resettlement schemes for Afghan refugees while several others have agreed on providing temporary shelter to them.

Two days after Kabul fell to the Taliban, India on Tuesday introduced a new category of electronic visas called "e-Emergency X-Misc Visa" to facilitate the grant of visas to Afghan nationals after reviewing the situation in the conflict-ridden country.

Also read: Taliban revenge fears grow in Afghanistan

The people cited above said India will continue to stand by those Afghan people who have supported India in various ways. Following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul, thousands of people rushed to the airport in the Afghan capital in a desperate attempt to flee the country fearing the Taliban's brutality.

"We have a historical relationship with the Afghan people and I think that relationship will continue to guide our thoughts and outlook," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in New York on Thursday.

India has been a key stakeholder in Afghanistan and it has invested nearly $3 billion in carrying out nearly 500 projects across Afghanistan.

The people said another priority for the government has been to facilitate the evacuation of the members of the Hindu and Sikh minorities from Afghanistan. The majority of the people from the Sikh community in Afghanistan possess long-term Indian visas.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday set up a round-the-clock special cell set to keeping track of stranded Indians in Afghanistan, ascertaining assistance being sought and advising a further course of action.

The Taliban swept across Afghanistan this month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities including Kabul in the backdrop of the withdrawal of the US forces. Kabul fell to the Taliban on Sunday.

Also read: Taliban killed minorities, fuelling Afghans' fears: Report

By Tuesday, India completed the evacuation of all its diplomats and other staff members from the Afghan capital under a difficult and complicated exercise, effectively closing its mission for the second time since 1996 when the militant outfit captured power.

The mission to evacuate close to 200 people including the Indian envoy and other staffers in two military aircraft was accomplished with support from the US.

Following the evacuation, the MEA said the focus now would be to ensure the safe return of all Indian nationals from the Afghan capital.

The MEA said the immediate priority for the government is to obtain accurate information about all Indian nationals currently staying in Afghanistan. It also requested the Indians as well as their employers to urgently share the relevant details with the special Afghanistan cell.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Friday extended his "heartiest Onam greetings" to the people of the state and other Keralites all over the world.

"I convey my heartiest Onam greetings to the people of the state and other Keralites all over the world," the Governor tweeted. Khan, in a series of tweets said the celebration of Onam rekindles the splendid legacy of a life of equality, oneness and prosperity.

"The celebration of Onam rekindles the splendid legacy of a life of equality, oneness and prosperity, filling minds and homes with the celestial joy of festivity. I sincerely wish that the melody, beauty and sparkle of Onam spread across the globe as Kerala's unique message of love, equality and harmony," Khan said.

Hon'ble Governor Shri Arif Mohammad Khan said:

"I sincerely wish that the melody, beauty and sparkle of #Onam spread across the globe as Kerala's unique message of love, equality and harmony ":PRO,KeralaRajBhavan (T2/2)#Onam2021 pic.twitter.com/9QP68HOfwA  Kerala Governor (@KeralaGovernor) August 20, 2021

Keralites across the world on Saturday will celebrate the Onam, a festival connected with the return of Asura (demon) King Mahabali, under whose reign everyone lived in happiness and equality.

According to folklore, envious of his popularity, the Devas (Gods) sought the help of Lord Vishnu to get him banished into the netherworld but before going down, Mahabali secured a boon from Vishnu to visit his subjects every year on 'Thiruvonam' day, which this year falls on August 21.

The demon king's annual visit is celebrated by Keralites, who lay by their front yards with floral carpets, wear new clothes and prepare a sumptuous feast.
Union minister Narayan Rane on Friday targeted Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, saying that he was attending a meeting called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi due to his helplessness.

Speaking to reporters here, Rane said, "If Balasaheb Thackeray was alive today, he would not have compromised with his Hindutva ideology. But Uddhav Thackeray is helpless as he is attending the meeting called by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi."

The Shiv Sena had earlier said that Uddhav Thackeray will take part in the virtual interaction to be held by Sonia Gandhi with the leaders of various opposition parties on Friday.

Rane downplayed the incident in which Shiv Sena workers 'sanitised' the memorial of party founder late Bal Thackeray at Shivaji Park in Mumbai after his visit to that place on Thursday. "It is my outlook to bow before whoever I want. I visited other memorials as well and it was part of my dialogue with the people after I have been inducted into the Union cabinet," the BJP leader said.

"The (Thackeray) memorial is surrounded by mud. If Sena workers are so keen on sanitising it, then they should first keep it in a better condition. It should be on par with an international standard memorial. But its condition resembles the situation of Mumbai under the 32-year-long rule of the Shiv Sena...It is time to get rid of Sena," he said.

Rane added that the BJP would transform Mumbai into a "truly international standard" city.

"If Sena workers are acting out of some revenge, they will be rejected by the people of the state. The attitude of Sena workers is sad," the former Maharashtra chief minister said.

He also said that police cases being filed against BJP workers for alleged violation of Covid-19 norms would not deter him from continuing his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra'.

"This government has miserably failed in controlling the coronavirus situation in the state. There was a shortage of medicines, doctors and medical staff. The Sena could not even buy enough doses of vaccine for Mumbaikars because they were demanding 12 per cent commission from one supplier who had responded to the tender floated by the BMC," Rane alleged, and added, "I can produce that person before you at the right time."
Holding a meeting with top leaders of 19 Opposition parties including, four Chief Ministers from non-Congress parties Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray and M K Stalin and Hemant Soren, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday called for the coming together of the entire spectrum of the Opposition for the "larger political battle" telling them in no uncertain terms that the "ultimate goal is the 2024 Lok Sabha elections".

"The ultimate goal is the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for which we have to begin to plan systematically with the single-minded objective of giving to our country a government that believes in the values of the Freedom Movement and in the principles and provisions of our Constitution," she said in her opening remarks.

While making the unity pitch, Gandhi also acknowledged the difficulties, which was very much evident with BSP, a major regional party from poll bound Uttar Pradesh skipping the meeting and Delhi's ruling party AAP not having been invited. Akhilesh Yadav's SP was a signatory to the letter by 20 parties but did not attend the meeting,

"This is a challenge, but together we can and must rise to it because there is simply no alternative to working cohesively together. We all have our compulsions, but clearly, a time has come when the interests of our nation demand that we rise above them," Gandhi said at the meeting which was also attended by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D Raja, NC's Farooq Abdullah, PDP's Mehbooba Mufti and others.

Also read: Is TMC trying to gauge whether Mamata will be accepted as Oppn alliance leader?

Gandhi assured that "Congress will not be found wanting" in efforts in this direction as she noted that the 75th anniversary of Indias Independence is indeed the most appropriate occasion for us to reaffirm our individual and collective resolve.

Mamata Banerjee, who is emerging as a key personality to bring together Opposition forces after her Hat-trick poll victory in West Bengal, is learnt to have said, "forget who is the leader, let us keep our personal interests aside. People will lead." She is learnt to have pitched in for bringing "every opposition party in the fight against BJP." She was of the view that even parties, which are not allied with Congress, must be invited for such meetings. Her indication was apparently towards parties like BJD, TRS and YSR Congress.

Banerjee also pitched for creating a core group of leaders from Opposition parties to work out a common agenda and charter of programmes to take on the BJP.

Sharad Pawar lauded the "much needed meeting" in view of the present circumstances which he said appeared "very gloomy".

" Those who believe in democracy and secularism, those who like to work together for saving the democratic principles and ethos of the country must come together," he said, underlining the need to take up a "time bound action plan collectively".

In a joint statement issued later, the parties announced to organise protest actions including dharnas, protest demonstrations, hartals all over the country from September 20 to September 30, the contours of which will be decided at state level by all the parties. "We the leaders of twenty Opposition parties, all upon the people of India to rise to the occasion to defend our secular, democratic Republican order with all our might," the statement said.

The Opposition leaders made 11 demands in the joint statement including holding "immediate Supreme Court monitored judicial enquiry into the use of Pegasus Spyware for surveillance of people.

"The procuring of the Pegasus Military Spyware for surveillance of people by the GoI is extremely alarming. The government refuses to answer one straight question - Has it or any of its agencies purchased the Spyware. The government must answer and come clean. Such surveillance is not only a gross violation of people's fundamental rights to privacy but is an attack on Indian democracy and democratic institutions," the statement said.

Other demands were repeal of the three contentious farm laws passed by the government last year compulsory guarantee of MSP to farmers, implement free cash transfer of Rs 7500 per month to family outside the income tax bracket, withdraw petrol, diesel, LPG price hike and reverse the "unbridled privatisation" of the public sector, which it called the "loot of national assets".

At the meeting, which was attended also by leaders from RJD, AIUDF, VCK, Loktantrik Janata Dal, JDS, RLD, RSP, Kerala Congress Mani, IUML, Gandhi noted how the Monsoon session was marked by the "determined unity that all Opposition parties demonstrated for over twenty days" in both the houses and expressed confidence that this unity will be sustained in future sessions of Parliament as well.

"But the larger political battle has to be fought outside it," she stressed. The joint statement as well Gandhi herself put the blame on the government for the total washout of the Monsoon session and took note of how "MPs including women MPs, were injured by Marshals deployed to disrupt Opposition protests."

Gandhi also credited the Opposition parties for the passage of the Constitutional Amendment Bill to restore the long-standing rights of states to identify and notify OBCs.

Gandhi's meeting with Opposition leaders came 11 days after Congress leader Kapil Sibal had held a similar meeting with Opposition leaders over dinner, which was interpreted as the dissenting group in Congress asserting itself.

At the virtual meeting, Gandhi recalled that the Opposition parties had earlier written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 12 on the vaccination strategy to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, on the repeal of the three anti-farmer laws and on the free distribution of food-grains to the needy. They also issued two more public statements jointly on May May 23 on the Covid-19 pandemic and on May May 2 on the issue of the repeal of the three anti-farmer laws.
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh's condition deteriorated on Friday.

"His blood pressure is low and he's not passing urine normally. He has been placed on dialysis," Prof R K Dhiman, Director, SGPGIMS, Lucknow told ANI.

Singh is on ventilator.

The 89-year-old BJP veteran was admitted to the ICU of the hospital on the evening of July 4 due to an infection and reduced consciousness level. Earlier, he was undergoing treatment at Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences here.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital on Thursday and discussed BJP's poll preparedness in the northern state which is scheduled to go to the polls next year, sources said.

BJP chief J.P. Nadda, the party's Uttar Pradesh unit chief Swatantra Dev Singh and state unit general secretary Sunil Bansal were also present in the meeting held at Shah's official residence here.

The meeting lasted for over three hours.

Also Read | Previous govts didn't promote Kumbh, they'd rather wear 'topis', say 'mubarakbaad': UP CM Yogi Adityanath

Sources said that BJP's poll preparedness for next year's Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh was the main agenda of the meeting.

"Shah, Nadda, Adityanath and others discussed BJP's poll preparations and the party's upcoming programmes till the elections," sources said.

The sources further said that the BJP's strategy to reach out to all sections of the society was also discussed at the meeting.

Read | Proposal to rechristen Aligarh as 'Harigarh'

"Plans to win every caste and community were part of the discussion as the party is working hard to gain support of everyone," sources said.

It is also learnt that public response to the ongoing 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' was also discussed.

Also Read | MSME: Yogi Adityanath government's weapon against Opposition criticism over Covid-19

With an eye on next year's Assembly polls, seven leaders from Uttar Pradesh were inducted into the Union cabinet last month. Of the newly-inducted ministers from Uttar Pradesh, barring Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal, all are from the BJP.

This was the third visit of Adityanath to Delhi since June. Amid speculation of a change of guard in Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath had earlier visited the national capital for two days and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nadda and Shah.

Last month during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, the UP CM was present in a meeting with MPs from the state with Nadda.
The National Green Tribunal has junked a plea seeking review of its order directing a firecracker factory to pay compensation to those injured in a blast inside its unit in Maharashtra's Palghar district.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the facts on the basis of which the green panel passed the order have not been disputed.

"We have heard counsel for the review applicant and asked a pointed question whether facts on the basis of which the Tribunal has proceeded are disputed and if not, what is the ground for review.

"He was unable to dispute the facts nor put forward any ground for review. In the review application apart from inability to appear on an earlier date, no ground has been stated which may call for review," the bench said.

The tribunal had directed the Maharashtra government to initially pay a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to workers injured in a blast inside the factory.

It had, however, said that the state will be at liberty to recover the same from the occupier or owner of the premises.

The NGT had also directed the Director of Industrial Safety in coordination with the state pollution control board (SPCB) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to conduct a study of the potential for accidental, occupational and environmental hazards from such activities in the state within three months.

The green panel had directed that review be conducted at the highest level in the state to consider remedial steps.

'Hazardous activities need to be regulated in terms of quantity of material to be used in the process of hazardous activities, the number of persons to be allowed to work and safeguards to be followed and monitoring compliance of such safeguards.

It had asked the Chief Secretary, Maharashtra, to hold a meeting with all stakeholders concerned within one month. After necessary deliberations, appropriate remedial measures will be identified to avoid the recurrence of such incidents in future, it had said.

The order came after taking cognisance of a media report to the effect that 10 workers were injured in a blast inside a firecracker factory in Palghar district inside the premises of Vishal Fireworks, located at Dehne village about 15 km from Vangaon-Dahanu Road.

According to the report of the District Magistrate, Palghar the incident took place on June 17 due to a spark from the welding work which fell on the explosive meant for making firecrackers.
Tamil Nadu government on Friday extended by six months the tenure of Justice (retired) Aruna Jagadeesan Commission probing the police firing that left 13 persons dead during the anti-Sterlite protests in May 2018 in Thoothukudi.

A Government Order (GO) issued by D Jagannathan, Secretary, Public (Law & Order) Department on August 20 said the tenure of the Commission which was constituted in May 2018 is being extended till February 22, 2022. The Commissions tenure was last extended by the previous AIADMK government in February this year.

No furthermore extension beyond these six months would be granted, the GO issued on Friday said.

Justice Aruna Jagadeesan, who had submitted an interim report after the DMK assumed office on May 7, sought a year-long extension for completing her probe and submitting the report. However, the government decided to extend the tenure of the commission by six months.

The Commission will complete its inquiry and submit its report (both English and Tamil) to the Government on or before February 22, 2022, Jagannathan said in the GO. The Commission was constituted to go into the police firing that killed 13 people on May 22, 2018, when thousands of people had gathered at the Thoothukudi district collectorate as the anti-Sterlite protests entered the 100th day.

Also read: SC refuses early hearing on plea related to Vedanta's Sterlite copper unit

Chief Minister M K Stalin, taking note of the interim report submitted by the Commission, had on May 21 ordered withdrawal of most cases filed against anti-Sterlite protesters and announced monetary compensation to people picked up by police during the protests.

Stalin had also said the government will issue No Objection Certificates (NOC) to those arrested during the 2018 protests to apply for jobs or continue their education. The government also decided to withdraw all cases except those handed over to the CBI and those relating to damages to public property.

The police firing is being probed by the Supreme Court.

After the firing, the Tamil Nadu government shut the Sterlite Copper smelter owned by Vedanta on charges of pollution. Numerous attempts by Sterlite to get the factory reopened have failed so far.

However, recently, the Supreme Court allowed the company to manufacture oxygen within the closed factory to meet oxygen demands during the Covid-19 second wave for three months.
A 32-year-old Covid-19 patient, who was on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support for 72 days, has successfully recovered, a private hospital that treated him has said.

Rajesh, the patient who hails from Chennai, was shifted to MGM Healthcare on July 13 from another hospital where he was receiving treatment for Covid-19 and lung-related issues since mid-May.

He was brought to us with 100 per cent involvement of the lungs and we decided to continue ECMO support to stabilize his health condition. The team then worked on settling his health issues one by one as we first placed a stent for distended gall bladder, Dr K R Balakrishnan, Chairman - Cardiac Sciences Director, Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant & Mechanical Circulatory Support, MGM Healthcare, said.

The patient was given antibiotics to treat cellulitis on his right foot and he underwent regular bronchoscopy and was given antibiotics to treat his lungs which had a severe infection. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a procedure that oxygenates a patients blood outside the body.

It is an extremely rare occurrence as the patient was on ECMO support for a period of 72 days which makes him one of the longest ECMO Covid-19 survivors in the country, the hospital said.

Dr Suresh Rao, Co-Director, Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant & Mechanical Circulatory Support, said the patient experienced bleeding at the site of stent placement which our expert team managed to address on time and resolve the issue.

We successfully managed to treat all his health issues proactively and the ECMO support was weaned off after 72 days. The patient has responded positively to the treatment and his vitals are currently stable. We salute the resolve of the patient as he and his family didnt lose hope and fully supported him in the last three months, he added.

The patient is now undergoing active physiotherapy and has been discharged recently from the hospital. His health has shown good signs of recovery and he will soon be able to resume regular activities, the hospital said.

In another case, a Chennai man diagnosed with Covid-19 and resultant lung complications spent about 109 days on ECMO and ventilator support and recovered without having to undergo a lung transplant, the city hospital which treated him said on Thursday.

Fifty six year-old Mudijja stepped out of the hospital as a healthy man today.

He became a living miracle, as none in the country has ever recovered without a lung transplant after spending over 9 weeks with ECMO support. Further, the treatment and care at the hospital were such that Mr Mudijja did not require a lung transplant, even after 9 weeks of ECMO support, Rela Hospital, a multi-speciality quaternary care hospital at Chrompet, claimed.

SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

After testing positive for Covid-19 in April end, Mudijja developed breathing difficulties before being referred to Rela Hospital. A CT scan prior to his admission at Rela Hospital indicated moderate Covid-19 pneumonia.

His oxygen saturation level was at 92 percent in room air, when he was transferred to the hospital. His condition deteriorated and he required 10 litres of oxygen per minute. The heart and lung team led by Dr C Arumugam, senior consultant, heart and lung transplant surgeon, decided to move him into ECMO.

Despite the progress being minimal during the initial 4-5 weeks, the hospital continued the medicare, it said. ECMO, traditionally, has been used as an intermittent arrangement until lung transplantation. However, now this team has truly made it a life-saving procedure, Dr Mohamed Rela, the hospital chairman said.

With apprehensions of third coronavirus wave and the public still to be fully vaccinated, Prof Rela felt that the ECMO machine will be a critical tool on which the healthcare fraternity shall depend upon in this uncertain times for the treatment of other life-threatening illnesses.

(With PTI inputs)
As Kerala celebrates 'Thiruvonam', the main day of the Onam festival, on Saturday, a jubilant mood is prevailing across the state despite the Covid situation remaining scary.

The relaxations in Covid lockdown norms just ahead of the festival bringing relief not only to the traders who were badly hit by the the lockdown that extended up to around three months, but for the people also as they are quite relieved from the locked down life.

Meanwhile, the anxiety of the health authorities is also going up as the Covid TPR of the state is witnessing upward trend over the last few days. It reached 16.94 which is the highest after May 29. The number of active case reached 1.82 lakhs as on Friday.

Read | Health experts worried about Covid surge in Kerala amid Onam

All commercial streets, markets and shops are witnessing considerable rush even as traders are maintaining that there was only a slight improvement in business.

'Onasadhya' (Onam feast), 'Attappookkalam' (floral carpet) and 'Onakodi' (new dress) are the integral parts of the festivity. The catering units used to make brisk business during Onam season as they used to get large number of orders for 'Onasadhya' at offices and housing colonies. But this time there is demand for home delivery of the packed 'Onasadhya' only. While floral carpets could be spotted at every nook and cranny of the state earlier, this time it is hard to find a floral carpet.

Mohammed Siddique, a trader at the popular Chalai market of Thiruvananthapuram city, said that only one-fourth of the usual Onam business was happening this time and hence it would not help in overcoming the deep financial crisis caused to the traders by the three month long lockdown.

As the Covid TPR is witnessing an upward trend, there is serious anxiety among the people, especially traders, that the state may be forced to go for another lockdown after the Onam festivity.
You may think that the demon king Mahabali, who secured a boon from Lord Vishnu to visit his subjects every year on the annual 'Thiru Onam' day as per lore, is just a mythical character. But, come to Malabar, the north Kerala region, on Onam days and you can see "him" live, visiting each household in the village, where he is welcomed with traditional lamps and vessels filled to the brim with rice. He, in turn, would bless the family members by sprinkling rice on them.

The very scene of him walking and running around the green countryside and paddy fields, donning a heavy headgear and holding an "olakkuda' (palm leaf umbrella) in the hand besides ringing a brass bell, is a visual treat during the Onam season in the region. And, he is none other than "Onapottan", the folk representation of Mahabali who is revered as a demigod and symbol of prosperity.

However, the people of Malabar have missed the colourful and 'divine' presence of Onapottan for two consecutive Onam seasons including the ongoing one due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the annual 'Thiru Onam" day falls tomorrow (Saturday), the traditional artistes, who have got the birth right to deck up as the folk incarnation of the noble demon king, are disheartened as they cannot continue the decades-old practice.

Read | Health experts worried about Covid surge in Kerala amid Onam

According to local belief, the home visit and blessing by the 'Onapottan" on the 'uthradom' and 'Thiru Onam' days of the Malayalam month of Chingam are auspicious. Cutting across age barriers, members of Malaya community, a scheduled caste, are decking up as the folk character and visit local houses to retain their age-old tradition.

"It is for the second consecutive year that we are not decking up as Onapottan during an Onam season. My son and brother's son also used to don the grease paint for the character from our family," noted Theyyam-Onapottan artist Babu Thalapp told PTI. Missing an Onam season is a great pang for those who have been traditionally donning the character for years, he said, adding that they have no way other than skipping it as several risk factors are involved. "When the Onapottan travels visiting each house in his rich make-up and colourful costumes, several people especially children will follow him out of amusement. It is not good in the wake of the pandemic," he said.

At homes, this "Mahabali" is welcomed by the family members especially elderly persons by lighting lamps and the very practice could not be adhered to with the social distancing norms necessitated in the present circumstance, he said explaining the reasons to skip enacting of Onapottan. Unlike the silk attire, royal jewellery and crown worn by the 'asura' (demon) king in children's story books, this 'Mahabali' in Malabar can see draping a humble red colour cloth under the waist and holding a palm leaf umbrella in his hand. His long, yellow beard spread from the moustache up to the chest, vibrant facial makeup and rich ornaments are unique.

Also Read | Covid gives global reach to Kerala's Onam celebrations

The most interesting aspect of this folk character is that the performer would not speak to anyone after decking up as Mahabali. "Pottan" means a dumb person in the local parlance. "Onapottan does not utter any word during his travel or while visiting homes. He will ring the brass bell in his hand, while walking, to make people known about his arrival. When they listen to bell ringing, households will make arrangements to receive him at their homes," Babu, a native of Kannur district, added. After receiving blessings from Onapottan, each family gives him rice or money as 'dakshina' as per their choice.

The folk character would usually be accompanied by two other artistes who play the Chenda (drum) and Illathalam (cymbal). Each Onapottan has a designated area to visit and shower blessings on people and one would not encroach into the territory of the other. Manoj Kumar R K, a Kozhikode-based percussion artist, who used to accompany the Onapottan, said they would not use any mode of transport and would walk for several kilometres to cover all the households.

He, however, said he is a bit worried that the folk art is now performed in adherence with its tradition and rituals only in interior villages. "In cities and towns, Onapottan has more or less become a showpiece now-a-days. As children can also deck up as the character, many outfits and organisations are using the art form to add colour to their functions. Television channels are interested in them only during the Onam season," he told PTI.

P N Nambiar, a senior citizen who retired from government service, said for him, Onam would not be complete without receiving blessings from Onapottan during his childhood days. "We children used to wait for hours expecting the arrival of Onapottan. His big headgear and long yellow beard were our main attraction. I also remember walking behind him with my friends when he moves ringing the bell," Nambiar, hailing from Vadakara, said. Stating that each time he sees the Onapottan, he would go back to his childhood, Nambiar said he could not express his despair in words as the folk character could not turn up for two Onam seasons due to the Covid pandemic.

According to mythology, Onam is connected with Asura (demon) King Mahabali, under whose reign everyone lived in happiness and equality. Envious by his popularity, Devas (Gods) sought the help of Lord Vishnu to get him banished into the netherworld. But before going down, Mahabali secured a boon from Lord Vishnu to visit his subjects every year on 'Thiru Onam' day. The demon king's annual visit is celebrated by Keralites, who lay by their front yards with floral carpets, wear new clothes and prepare a sumptuous feast.
The Taliban militants have carried out searches at Indias consulates at Herat and Kandahar in Afghanistan, according to reports reaching New Delhi.

The militants entered the premises of the consulates and searched for documents although no official of the Government of India was present. New Delhi had repatriated all officials of the Government of India from its consulates in Herat over the past few weeks.

A source said that not only the missions of India, but the militants had also searched consulates of some other nations in Kandahar and Herat too.

No such search or raid was conducted at the Embassy of India in Kabul though.

Read | Afghanistan: A tragedy in many acts

Another source in New Delhi said that the militants had taken away the cars parked at the consulates of Kandahar and Herat.

New Delhi evacuated its envoy and diplomats from posted at the Embassy of India Kabul on Tuesday  less than 48 hours after the Taliban militants entered the capital city after occupying many provincial capitals across Afghanistan and President Ashraf Ghani escaped from the country marking the collapse of his Government.

India, however, did not formally shut down its embassy in the capital of Afghanistan, as it would have meant severance of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

New Delhi had shut down the Embassy of India in Kabul when the Taliban had taken over power in Afghanistan in 1996. Indias then acting envoy to Afghanistan, Azad Singh Toor, and other officials had left Kabul by a special aircraft of Ariana Airlines on September 26, 1996  just before the Taliban had entered the capital city and taken over.

The Taliban militants had not found any Indian when they had raided and ransacked the Embassy of India in Kabul after executing the former Afghan President Mohammad Nazibullah and hanging his body from a traffic light pole.

Indias diplomatic and consular missions in Afghanistan came under repeated attacks from terrorist organisations based in Pakistan over the past 20 years.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the chaotic situation in Afghanistan for a second time this week and agreed to continue their close coordination over the matter.

Taliban insurgents took control of Afghanistan on Sunday. Their sudden victory, which comes as the US withdraws from the country following a 20-year brutal war, has sparked chaos at Kabul's airport, from where America and allied nations are trying to safely evacuate thousands of their citizens and allies.

Also Read | India says it may accept 'inclusive' Afghan govt, warns Taliban against using territory to spread terror

India on Tuesday rushed back home its ambassador Rudrendra Tandon and staff from the embassy in Kabul in a military transport aircraft.

Blinken spoke with Jaishankar over the phone on Thursday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

"Secretary Blinken and Minister Jaishankar discussed Afghanistan and agreed to continued coordination," Price said in a readout of the call.

"Productive call with @DrSJaishankar today (Thursday) about Afghanistan. We agreed to continue our close coordination," Blinken tweeted after the call.

Productive call with @DrSJaishankar today about Afghanistan. We agreed to continue our close coordination.  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 20, 2021

Blinken and Jaishankar last spoke on Monday and discussed the situation in the conflict-torn country. During their call, Jaishankar underlined the urgency of restoring airport operations in Kabul."

The main challenge for travel to and from Afghanistan is the operational status of the Kabul airport.

On Thursday, Jaishankar said that India is working with international partners, principally the US, in bringing stranded Indian nationals back home from Afghanistan.

Jaishankar said this while addressing reporters at the UN Security Council stake-out after chairing the Security Council briefing on the 'Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, held under Indias current Presidency of the Council.

In response to a question, he said on the issue of where we go on from now with the Taliban in control in Afghanistan, he said: the immediate issue that we are looking at is really the repatriation of our nationals. In Indias case, Indias nationals, other countries have their concerns.

We are working with international partners in this regard, principally the US, because they control the (Kabul) airport, Jaishankar said.

The Government of India is committed to the safe return of all Indian nationals and will institute flight arrangements once Kabul airport is open for commercial operations, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday in New Delhi.
Ahead of Rakshabandhan, widows of Vrindavan on Friday sent rakhis to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as they missed an in-person meeting with him for a second year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A total of 251 rakhis that were prepared by a group of old-aged widows living in the temple town of western Uttar Pradesh have been sent to the prime minister, an NGO supporting them said.

The rakhis have colourful pictures of the prime minister and many of them have messages of caution against the pandemic and Modi's call for 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', the Sulabh Hope Foundation said.

Some of the widows have even prepared cotton face masks to be presented to him on Sunday, the day of the festival symbolising a bond between a brother and a sister.

Usha Dasi, 77, who had personally tied rakhi to the prime minister said she has been spending her days inside the ashram for the last five months but is happy that her rakhis and masks have been sent to Modi.

"I have personally designed special masks carrying messages like 'Stay safe' and 'Aatmnirbhar' and rakhis having Modi ji's picture with a covered face," the septuagenarian said.

Foundation's vice president Vinita Verma recalled that during the pre-Covid era, on behalf of thousands of widows, four-five mother widows would visit Delhi to present baskets of rakhis and sweets to Modi.

"The ongoing pandemic has disheartened them but it didn't shatter their spirit so they started preparing rakhis and special Vrindavan-themed masks for Modi," Verma said.
An Afghan national, who was deported to his country from Nagpur in June this year after he was found staying here illegally, has apparently joined the Taliban and his picture holding a rifle has surfaced on social media, a senior police official said on Friday.

The Taliban has seized power in Afghanistan as it swept into capital Kabul on Sunday after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. "The man, Noor Mohammad Ajiz Mohammad, 30, was found staying in Nagpur since the last 10 years illegally. He was living in a rented place in Dighori area of the city. Acting on a tip-off, the police had started keeping a watch on his activities. He was finally nabbed and deported to Afghanistan on June 23," he said. "After his deportation, he seems to have joined the Taliban and his photo holding a gun has emerged on social media," he added.

Read | One in three Afghans at risk of severe or acute hunger: WFP

During the probe earlier, police had found that he had come to Nagpur in 2010 on a six-month tourist visa. Later, he had applied to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) seeking a refugee status for himself, but his application was rejected. His appeal was also turned down by the UNHRC. Since then, he stayed in Nagpur illegally, the official said. Another police official said that Noor Mohammad's original name is Abdul Haque and his brother was working with the Taliban. Last year, Noor had floated a video on social media with a sharp-edged weapon.

After he was nabbed, police found that he had "entry and exit wounds" from a gunshot near his left shoulder, he said, adding that when his social media accounts were checked, it was found that he was following some terrorists whose videos of gun firing were available on social media.

"He was in the business of selling blankets and was unmarried. Police conducted searches at his rented accommodation, but did not find anything suspicious. His call details are also under the scanner of the police," the official said.
Amid the worsening situation in Afghanistan, Pune-based NGO Sarhad has sought the permission of the Centre to adopt around 1,000 students from the country till the situation improves.

Sarhad and the Sri Guru Tegbahadur ji 400th Prakash Purab-2021 committee established to celebrate Guru Teg Bahadurs martyrdom, who had sacrificed his life for the rehabilitation and safety of Kashmiri pandits.

Read | UN refugee agency says Afghans 'have no clear way out'

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sarhad founder-President Sanjay Nahar, chief organiser Santsingh Mokha and working-President Surendra Wadhwa, have made a form request.

Sarhad wishes and has the capacity to adopt 1,000 Afghani students and refugees to take care of their education and livelihood till the situation improves back home. We seek Central Governments assistance in selection of such students and refugees who can be provided with necessary help, the letter states.

Since the Afghan issue has become explosive and internationally politically sensitive, without governments permission and assistance in selection the humanitarian work we want to undertake cannot materialise. In fact, the help from Indian NGO to the distressed Afghani students and refugees can set an example of Indias border humanitarian perspective. Also this work will be a suiting tribute to Sri Guru Teg Bahadur jis martyrdom to preserve humanity, Nahar said.

They requested the Centre to permit the task of adoption of the Afghan students and refugees and to appoint a representative for the selection process.
Afghanistan has fallen to the Taliban. The words of W B Yeats -- spoken a century ago -- that the worst are full of passionate intensity, while the best lack all conviction, come to mind. The United States, the greatest power in the world, lacked all conviction in mainstreaming the Taliban, determined to make an exit from a forever war that provided no promise of victory. Americas precipitate and hurried withdrawal -- the image of the exit from Bagram airbase in the cover of darkness in early July will be etched indelibly on the flagstones of history -- and the flawed agreements at Doha provided the cue for the final Taliban onslaught. The passionate zealotry of the Taliban, which quickly overwhelmed the forces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan once the Americans had left, has brought them back, triumphant, to Kabul.

The country has reverted to default, and one recalls the British diplomat Martin Ewans -- from 20 years ago -- that in its most acute form, Afghanistan is a failed state, an acutely traditional Islamist society, especially in its villages, and a nation of divided ethnic and tribal loyalties that run extremely deep. Its people -- particularly its women -- immersed in a despair that has little parallel, have become once more the wretched of the earth. For the last 40 years and more, Afghanistans trials and tribulations have only multiplied in a macabre, repetitive dance of self-destruction, aided by foreign forces.

The Taliban is a Pakistani creation. Its restoration to power in Kabul signals a victory equally for Pakistan. The speed and sophistication with which the Taliban have moved to secure strongholds through the country point to a great deal of professional and personnel inputs from cross-border minders. Questions are also being raised about the wrong approach taken by the US in training the Afghan National Army. Also, a unified national identity is absent in Afghanistan. The more influential narrative, it is said, was created by the Taliban. A by-product of their return is that the terror pipeline that feeds the rest of the region -- in Central and South Asia -- could be back in business.

The Taliban proved during their stint in power in the nineties that they are proponents of radical Islamic overreach. The question before the world is -- have they changed? There is no evidence that they have. Crucially, their survival depends on strategic subservience to Pakistan, which has always regarded Afghanistan as providing it vital strategic depth that the generals in Rawalpindi have always sought against India.

The US is now seen in the region as having backtracked on everything -- especially by legitimising the Taliban through what former US National Security Advisor H R McMaster calls the capitulation negotiations at Doha, in a reversal of morality and in self-delusion.

The US withdrawal has also meant that there is an open pathway for China and Russia, whose partnership gets closer and closer in the region, to become key players in Afghan affairs. China, in fact, will now enter Afghanistan as a long-term player, and increasingly, for the rest of Asia, excluding nations like India, Japan and Vietnam, the Asian order will be seen as dominated by Beijing. China will work very carefully with Pakistan as this new phase begins. It displays no signs of discomfort with Afghanistans strategic subservience to Pakistan, while the Iranians, the Russians and the Central Asians also have no fundamental quarrel with this state of affairs.

More importantly, the US defeat in Afghanistan -- even if it is argued that America remains the supreme military and economic power in the world and defeats of this nature will not eclipse its supremacy -- points to the botched nature of its actions, both in that country and in Iraq over the last two decades, failures that have egged the Chinese on to believe that the West, particularly the US, is in decline. Gloating mouthpieces of the Chinese establishment are already warning Taiwan not to rely on the US for military intervention in the event of a showdown with the PRC.

The pursuit of the dream of establishing inclusive democracy in Afghanistan, as the analyst Francisco Sisci recently said, was bound to fail when a vast majority of its population remains poor, illiterate, in the shadow of the most extreme Islamist practices in the modern world, all in a terrain that is one of the most formidable and difficult on earth. If China now picks up the reins of imperial overstretch in Afghanistan -- for its own ends -- the going will be as treacherous for Beijing as it was for Washington.

The Taliban are fickle clients -- and they will be difficult to manage. The Chinese are gamblers by nature, but the risks in Afghanistan defy even the most daring of that ilk. China would like to build a great wall of steel between radical Islamist influences emanating out of Afghanistan and Chinese Xinjiang, while at the same time have the upper hand in securing access to the countrys precious natural resources, and also pursuing the agenda of Belt and Road development, through Afghanistan into Iran and West Asia.

Whether China will be able to influence the Taliban to embrace development-oriented governance in place of medieval methods remains a question. China may be thinking big, and trying to play the long game, but will this be a stepping stone to further greatness or decline (as the image of Afghanistan being the graveyard of empires suggests)?

India has not been a key influencer in the trajectory of events in Afghanistan --Pakistan has striven hard to exclude it from being one. But India was seen in these last two decades by most Afghans as a champion of what may be called Afghaniyat. It was the recipient of enormous goodwill from the Afghan people for its generous investments and aid for people-oriented development programmes and projects stretching across the 34 provinces of the country, and promotion of the interests and the welfare of Afghan women and children. It is not known whether India has established substantive, future-oriented contacts with the Taliban. For now, it has signalled that it favours an inclusive political dispensation in Kabul, that it will wait and watch, and that it is examining policy options. The priority is to safely evacuate all Indian nationals from the country. It is hoped that India will offer relief and refuge, if so called upon, to those Afghans -- civil society leaders, journalists and rights activists, as well as women and children -- who seek to escape from the Taliban.

The departure of the ambassador and Indian staff of our embassy in Kabul has been a dramatic development. It illustrates that, presently at least, for India, the equities created over the last 20 years are under threat. Deft and agile diplomacy is the need of the hour.

(The writer is a former Foreign Secretary)
Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said that he will hold talks with the Centre on setting up a branch of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Mangaluru.

"The MLAs from the coastal belt have also demanded the setting up of an NIA branch in Mangaluru in the backdrop of terror links to the coastal region. The government is considering the demand for the setting up of a unit of NIA in Mangaluru positively. We have considered the issue of the recent raid by the NIA in Ullal and Bhatkal on the alleged link with ISIS seriously. The police has already taken several measures to prevent terror activities in the region. We are also discussing adopting stringent measures. The police have also been asked to remain alert," he told media persons.

"Terror link to the coastal region is not new. Even in the past, there were issues related to the terror links that had cropped up. The police will be vigil," he said.

To a query on a number of Kannadigas stranded in Afghanistan, the minister said there is no exact statistics. The government has appointed senior IPS officer Umesh Kumar, Additional Director General of Police-CID, as a nodal officer to coordinate with the Union government to bring back residents of Karnataka stranded in Afghanistan. "The officer will be coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding residents of Karnataka in Afghanistan. The Centre has taken all steps to bring back the stranded Indians. People can contact the nodal officer seeking help," said the Minister.

To a query on a bullet being fired in the air at Yaragol, a border village in Gurmatkal taluk of the district to welcome Union Minister of State for Renewable Energy, Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagawanth Khuba, he said that an FIR has been registered. "It is a custom to fire in the air to celebrate the happiness in Malnad area. Such practices are being followed even in Kodagu and other districts in Malnad. It is wrong to display such an act in public. Such incidents of firing in the air might prove fatal sometimes," he said.

On SDPI disrupting Independence Day celebrations in Kabaka, the Minister said that the police have already taken legal action.
Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Friday decried the recent Yadgir incident where a gunshot was fired in the air to welcome Union Minister Bhagwanth Khuba, but not before justifying the act itself by calling it tradition.

On August 18, a bullet was fired in the air at Yaragol, a border village in Gurmatkal taluk of the district to welcome Khuba as part of the BJPs Jan Ashirwad Yatra. The incident drew flak for being unprecedented in Karnataka.

Action has been taken as per law. Theres an FIR, some have been arrested and 3-4 policemen have faced action as per law, Jnanendra said.

Asked about the incident taking place in the presence of elected representatives, Jnanendra said: I asked about it. I was told its a tradition there. Even in Malnad, where I come from, we used to fire shots in the air during marriages. The intention is important.

The minister added that the incident should not have occurred. It shouldnt have happened at this time. I have directed that it shouldnt recur. If something happens accidentally, there will be loss of life, he said.

After the incident, the police arrested four BJP workers. Also, three constables were suspended.

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar sarcastically applauded Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai over the incident. We were denied permission to organize an event at Ambedkar Bhavan, but BJP ministers are touring places with the Jan Ashirwad Yatra. Why is it one law for us and another for the BJP?, he asked.

Shivakumar mentioned the gunshot incident without naming Khuba. Shots were fired to welcome a minister. No action was taken against officers who were present when this happened. Only constables have been suspended. We must applaud the chief ministers transparent administration, he said, adding that the Congress would demonstrate against the police. If this goes on, there will be anarchy. This is the BJPs administration.
The Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) Belagavi has come down heavily on engineering colleges with poor facilities and ordered the closure of six institutes.

A decision to this effect was taken at the recent Executive Council meeting. The closure order applies from the current academic year and the university has issued a public notice, cautioning parents and students against getting admitted to these colleges from 2021-22 academic year onwards.

The six colleges, all private unaided, are: Alpha College of Engineering in Bengaluru and Shaikh College of Engineering in Belagavi, Islamiah Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, Ekalavya Institute of Technology in Chamarajnagar, Sri Vinayaka Institute of Technology in KGF and BTL Institute of Technology and Management in Bengaluru.

According to information from the university, one college from Bengaluru and one from Belagavi opted for closure on their own due to financial issues and the rest did not apply for renewal of affiliation.

Lack of infrastructure, difficulty in filling seats, poor quality of teaching were major reasons for closure, said a senior official. Even after repeated notices, four of the colleges did not bother to respond, the official said.

The officials said students from the six colleges will be shifted to other colleges. VTU registrar Dr A S Deshpande said, We are yet to get the exact number of students enrolled at these colleges to be shifted to nearby colleges.

The university in the notice said a notification for re-allotment process will be issued separately. Aspiring students seeking fresh admission to these colleges are advised to take note. In case any student proceeds with admission to these institutes, the university will not be responsible, the university added.

In the past two years, 12 colleges under VTU have been shut down. During 2018-19 and 2019-20, six engineering colleges were shut down.
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari on the experience of shooting post the first wave of Covid: 'New way of working'

Multi-talented filmmaker, author Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari today took to her social media to share her first day on shoot in November 2020 after the relaxation of lockdown was put in place. She shared, "One day in November 2020 post first wave pandemic, A 'how to comprehend a new way of working me taking the first shot for #ankahikahaniya with @nowitsabhi inside the Auto. Arriving on 17 Sep 2021 on @netflix_in"

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (@ashwinyiyertiwari)

The trailer of Ankahi Kahaniya released yesterday and is being loved by the audiences. Ashwiny's novel has received heaps of praises and has lived up to the hype. The filmmaker is also ready to debut in the OTT world with the web-series 'Faadu' on Sony LIV and docu-drama 'BREAKPOINT' on Zee5. Also, is currently working on the life story of Mr. Narayana Murthy and Mrs. Sudha Murthy, which she considers her most cherished project. Can't wait for all these exciting projects to unfurl in front of audiences really soon.
Blurr director Ajay Bahl: "Shooting in real locations with a popular celebrity like Taapsee can be challenging"

After launching her production house, Outsider Films last month, Taapsee Pannu has kick-started the shooting of the first film Blurr under her banner in Naintal. The versatile actress also introduced her on-screen husband in the movie, Gulshan Devaiah. Blurr will be partly shot in the heritage buildings of Nainital along with Mall Road and Russian Bypass. Besides this, certain scenes will be covered at places like Bhimtal, Bhawali Sattal and Mukteshwar.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taapsee Pannu (@taapsee)

Shooting at the picturesque locations of Nainital, director Ajay Bahl informs, Nainital is perhaps one of the most scenic places of India filled with tourists. The script of Blurr demanded that landscape and weve found perfect locations like the Mall road and Nainital Lake to shoot at. Both these places are tourist hubs.

Elaborating on the challenges to shoot with popular stars like Taapsee at public places, he adds, Shooting in real locations with a popular celebrity like Taapsee can be challenging but everyone has been patient. Locals wait until the shoot is over to click selfies and get autographs. I have to thank the people of this city for making it so convenient for us to shoot.

The movie team used to shoot during night time to avoid overcrowding. Shooting at locations like Nainital Lake and Mall road hints at the beautiful scenic view that the audience will get to witness while watching Blurr.

Featuring Taapsee Pannu and Gulshan Devaiah, Zee Studios, Taapsee Pannus Outsider Films and Echelon Productions Blurr is scheduled to release in 2022.
Ranbir Kapoor to play Ram opposite Hrithik Roshan's Ravan in Nitesh Tiwaris Ramayana? Heres what we know

Hindi film industrys heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor has been quite busy juggling two of his much awaited projects-- Brahmastra co-starring Amitabh Bachchan and Alia Bhatt, and Luv Ranjans upcoming romantic comedy opposite Shraddha Kapoor. Well according to latest buzz, Ranbir is currently in talks with filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari for his three-part 3D epic Ramayana. For the uninitiated, Bollywoods Greek God Hrithik Roshan has been approached to play the role of demon king Ravana in this film, and things between him and the makers are as good as final.

According to a report shared by Peeping Moon, Ranbir has been offered the role of Lord Rama. A source was quoted saying, Nitesh Tiwari is looking for the best-in-class actor who can completely devote himself to the character of Ram, and he believes Ranbir Kapoor perfectly fits the bill as he has that charming presence Nitesh is specifically seeking for in an actor. Ranbir is thrilled about this offer and will take a call after the full narration. He hasn't given his nod yet, however, it's very likely that he would okay the project.

Before Ranbir, this character was offered to South superstar Mahesh Babu. However, the actor politely turned down the offer and said yes to SS Rajamoulis next instead. Backed by Madhu Mantena, Allu Aravind and Namit Malhotra, Ramayana is expected to go on floors by mid 2022. The official announcement, on the other hand, is being planned for this Diwali.
Surekha Sikri's last film Kya Meri Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai is all set to premiere on ZEE5

Late actor Surekha Sikri's last film Kya Meri Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai will come out on Zee5. On Thursday, the makers of the film unveiled the poster which features lead actors Surbhi Jyoti and Jassie Gill.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ZEE5 (@zee5)

Set in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, the film is about a young man, Sintoo who falls in love with Sonam Gupta, the town's heartbeat and a girl way out of his league. The story unfolds when Sonam reciprocates his feelings, leaving Sintoo all the more confused. What happens after is a series of comedy of errors where a line written on a note goes viral and starts a chain of events. Surekha Sikri, who died on July 16 following a cardiac arrest, will be seen in a pivotal role in the movie.

Speaking more about the project, Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, Zee5 India said, "There is a story waiting to be told in every nook and corner and we are glad to be picking on these stories and presenting it to a larger audience. 'Kya Meri Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai' is based on a true incident but it picks up from there and completes the narrative. We are sure that people are curious to know why something written on a currency note was trending and we thought it would be interesting to tell a fictionalized story based on this viral incident. This movie is romantic, funny, witty, and has a message. It is a complete package, and we are excited for the premiere."

Directed by Ssaurabh Tyagi, Vijay Raaz, Bijendra Kala, and Atul Shrivastava are also a part of Kya Meri Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai.
200 Halla Ho review: A rattling film that takes you beyond the headlines about caste discrimination and crimes against women

Movie: 200 Halla Ho Rated: 4.0/5.0 Cast: Amol Palekar Director:

200 Halla Ho by no means is an easy film to watch. More so, this Sarthak Dasgupta directorial is even harder to get out of your mind once you are through. The film has its root in a real-life incident from Nagpur dating back to 2004 where 200 women from a slum lynched a rapist in open court. Why this film weighs so heavily on the mind is because for the duration of its run time the movie transports you into a much harsher reality and takes you behind the headlines about rape and Dalit atrocities that might otherwise fail to rattle you.

Balli Chaudhary played by Sahil Khattar, is a local gangster who runs his business outside a Nagpur slum predominantly occupied by the Dalit families. While he often rapes and molests the women there the police turn a blind eye to the matter. After a decade of enduring this harassment, 40 FIRs are filed against him in one day out of nowhere and he is arrested. While being presented in court he is lynched to death by 200 women with their faces covered who breach the courtroom doors. This is the point where the story of 200 Halla Ho takes off.

The entire narrative of the film is based on a moral dilemma that the movie often presents to the viewer, vigilantism versus the legal system. While Sarthak Dasguptas film takes off enquiring the matter from a legal lens, Amol Palekar as a retired Dalit judge Vithaal Daangle is asked to head a Fact Finding Committee appointed by the Womens Rights Commission to get to the crux of the matter. This happens after five women are arrested at random from the slum as accused in the murder of Balli by the police to try and find who the leader is among the 200 to close the case.

The film pivots based on Daangles point of view, as Palekar is shown to be a judge who rose above the societal perception of his caste and earned respect in the legal profession. Rinku Rajguru plays a resident of the slum, Asha Daave who leads the protests against these arrests and eventually finds herself face to face with Daangle after being turned away by the police. Barun Sobti as a pro bono lawyer Umesh backs the case of these women in court trying to get them bailed out citing lack of evidence. There is a romantic history to Asha and Umesh's character but it's something that the film might still be the same without.

The third and seemingly guilty party here are the police who try to get the case closed in a fortnight by convicting the women arrested and putting them under lifetime imprisonment to brush under the carpet their own incompetence.

The gaze of the film gradually moves from being all legal and by the book to showing a mirror to the society that we live in where caste determines a persons social standing and importance. 200 Halla Ho is hard-hitting because it neither sugar coats and neither does it attempt to hide or brush off the atrocities it talks about. As the story unravels, the film gets intentionally disturbing showing scenes like police brutality on the arrested women, the public rape and murder of a woman in front of her mother and child. These scenes are responsibly handled and go only so far as to make a point. What hits a nerve is that something like this actually came to pass in Nagpur for real while the law turned a blind eye.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rinku Mahadeo Rajguru (@iamrinkurajguru)

Powerful storytelling, cinematography and performances are the real strengths of this film. Sahil Khattar takes the cake by inciting pure hatred as Balli Chaudhary. Despite his disturbing character one wants to see more of his performance because he aces his act. Rinku Rajguru is flawless as Asha the activist who becomes more powerful and effective with every passing scene. Amol Palekar is a treat to watch as the impartial and later conflicted FFC head. His character binds the narrative and the actor reliably shoulders this position. Barun Sobtis role is small but he makes the honest intentions of his character shine when he takes the screen. Indraneil Sengupta as a conflicted ACP craftily brings out the intentions of his character while Umesh Limaye as a corrupt cop backing Balli is hard to miss.

The filmmaker keeps it real to the final moment where only Amol Palekars final courtroom speech feels a bit filmy but effective nonetheless. The cinematography and screenplay add to Sarthak Dasuptas responsible direction which gives the final product all the ammunition it needs to create a rattling impact. The opening sequence of the film itself is a great example where without words the movement of the 200 was effortlessly communicated. Another beautiful thing about the project is that the story has been weaved in a manner where it is easy to decode from the point of view of any and all characters, big or small.

200 Halla Ho is in no way offering a solution to the problems it highlights, it is simply telling a story. The film makes you weep, gasp in horror, and later keeps you thinking and rethinking about the world we live in and that is where its real victory lies.
When the time comes to buy a new laptop, people sometimes tend to get a little confused. In most scenarios, people simply look at specifications when making their decisions. However, there is a lot more to it than that. Sure, specifications are important, but you also need to consider your needs and requirements. For example, if you simply need something to create presentations or for word pressing, then buying a high-end device would be overkill. Besides your needs, youll also have to consider the future. After all, whats the point of spending so much on a laptop when it might become obsolete in a couple of years.

However, what if you wanted something that could be used for work in the morning, and gaming at night? Thankfully, MSI has thought of the same and has created something to please such customers. Say hello to the MSI GF Thin series!

The MSI GF Thin series is designed from the ground up to be a practical gaming laptop. A machine that can be used for work, play or study. In order to achieve this, MSI has used its vast know-how and experience to make this happen. The GF Thin series is available in a wide combination of processors, GPUs, storage options and display sizes to ensure that you can choose one best suited to your needs.

Game on the GO!

A major complaint that was levelled against gaming laptops is that they used to be way too bulky to be of any major use on the go. However, things have changed for the better. Living up to its name, the MSI GF Thin is quite slim and lightweight, making it easier to carry around. The larger MSI GF75 Thin weighs a shade over the 2kg mark. However, if you really want something light then you should consider the MSI GF63 Thin and GF65 Thin. Both these series of laptops weigh less than 2kg! What makes this feat even more impressive is when you remember that these are full-fledged gaming laptops. This means that students and professionals who tend to commute a lot can still carry these laptops with ease without worrying about straining their backs.

While making such a thin and compact device is a feat in its own right, keeping such a machine cool is a whole different ball game. As you may know, heat is the enemy of performance. In order to keep things cool. The engineers over at MSI have created a system that ensures cooling, even in a thin chassis. The MSI GF Thin series of laptops comes with dedicated thermal solutions for the CPU and GPU, with multiple heat pipes. These work together to minimize heat and maximize airflow. Thereby keeping the device cool.

A multirole machine

Of course, the big question here is - which laptop in the MSI GF Thin series is right for you. The best way to answer that question is to turn it on its head - what is it that you require the laptop for? If you just want something for school or office work that can also handle a bit of gaming on the side, then high-end graphics isnt really a priority. As such, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 16 series GPU should be more than enough to fit the bill. It should have plenty of power for work as well as play. In fact, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 16 series should be a great option for coders as the GPU should be up to the task of taking on the complex computational requirements of AI and ML coding.

Further, since students and professions also tend to travel a lot, they might want to consider a smaller panel size for greater portability. As an added bonus, the MSI GF Thin can be their one machine that can complete multiple use cases. Its portability ensures that students and professionals have a portable laptop to carry around. Meanwhile, its high-performance means that they dont need to have a separate gaming machine at home. Of course, all laptops in the MSI GF Thin series offer a 10th Gen Intel Core processor, which should be more than enough for your requirements.

However, if you are a gamer, then the entire series is tailor-made just for you. The multiple configurations let you fine-tune your gaming experience, while keeping your budget in mind. If you really want the best, then pick a configuration with an Intel Core i7 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series GPU to enjoy the latest AAA titles, while basking in the glory that is real-time ray tracing. As such, the laptops can even be an excellent portable gaming option for hardcore gamers with high-end rigs that expect a top-notch gaming experience.

In fact, this machine should also give users a great platform for content creation too! In fact, users should be able to edit 4K videos and even 3D modeling thanks to the power offered by the MSI GF Thin series laptops. So even streamers, content creators and animators can consider it for their work.

Game hard, work harder!

When it all comes down to it, MSI is primarily a manufacturer focused on gaming. As such, the MSI GF Thin comes with a number of features that are designed around gamers. But that does not mean that everyday users wont be able to enjoy these extra features. An excellent example of this can be seen in the overall design of the series. While most gaming-centric devices tend to feature sharp, angular designs and bright RGB lighting, the MSI GF Thin is fairly muted by comparison. This means that the laptop should not look too out of place in the boardroom or the classroom.

The overall thin profile and lightweight of the laptop also makes it an excellent choice for writers or bloggers who tend to work on the move. This portaility, combined with its impressive hardware means that the device is also a great choice for photographers who may have to edit large RAW files while out on the field. In fact, given the current nature of how many people now have to work from home, a portable and lightweight like the MSI GF Thin series makes even more sense.

For example, the backlit keyboard not only looks great, but will help users type in the dark. Similarly, the laptops offer advanced cooling to ensure optimal performance. This also means that you can comfortably use the laptop on your lap and work without worrying about things becoming too hot. Similarly, the MSI GF Thin laptops are available with a high-resolution screen, thinner bezels and high refresh rates for a more immersive experience. This allows for an excellent platform for watching movies. Finally, all gaming laptops tend to offer multiple connectivity options in order to connect a variety of peripherals. The HDMI port in the MSI GF Thin series is aimed at gamers looking for a big screen experience, but professionals can use it for presentations and more.

As one can see, the MSI GF Thin series of laptops goes beyond being just a gaming device. Its combination of portability and versatility means that users get a laptop that can be used for work and play. Users also get a lot of options to choose from, which means more power to the buyer. And who wouldnt want that?

MSI is also offering special deals and discounts for students. You can check that out here.

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By SARA CLINE

Associated Press/Report for America

PORTLAND  Amid a surge in coronavirus cases and as hospitals near capacity, Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday that Oregon is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine requirement to include all teachers, educators, support staff and volunteers in K-12 schools.

Teachers are the latest to be added to the growing statewide vaccine mandate  which also includes health care workers and state employees  that requires them to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or six weeks after a COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whichever is later.





. . .
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SEATTLE (AP)  A 50-year-old Bellevue man who made more than $1.5 million by using inside information to trade in Netflix securities has pleaded guilty in federal court.

Junwoo Chon is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 3, said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman.





. . .
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BELLEVUE  An older office building at 14400 Bel-Red Road has sold for $9.5 million, according to King County records. The seller was Weiyang LLC, which acquired the property in 2015 for almost $4.3 million.

The buyer was 3101 Northup Way LLC, which is associated with Bellevue investor Stanley Xu and his Longwell Co.





. . .
A portal that is to be set up to allow those in the South who have been vaccinated in the North to get an EU Digital Covid Certificate needs to be progressed as quickly as possible, according to Dundalk TD Ruairi O Murchu.

In a short update to the Louth Sinn Fein deputy yesterday afternoon, Thursday, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said: "Following the successful rollout of the initial implementation phase of the EU Digital COVID Certificate in Ireland, the Government is creating a specific portal to enable Irish citizens vaccinated outside of the EU, with vaccines authorised for use in Ireland, to obtain a COVID certificate valid in Ireland and across the EU.



"This portal will be released in a two-phase approach. Phase 1  applications from Irish citizens vaccinated in Northern Ireland who hold an NI COVID vaccination certificate with a QR code.

"Phase 2  applications from Irish citizens vaccinated in other countries outside the EU.



"This portal is currently being advanced on a cross-departmental basis involving technical and process development and resource management.

"Timelines for delivery will be clarified in the coming weeks."

Deputy O Murchu said: "While this is welcome news, I would have liked that it happened earlier and the latest update does not provide a specific timeframe as to when it will be operational. It needs to be progressed as quickly as possible.

"There is also little detail on the protocols and modalities about how it will operate. Updates will be posted on gov.ie/digitalcovidcertificate and I would urge people who are waiting for progress on this matter to keep an eye on this website.

"The portal needs to be operational as soon as possible to ensure that people, particularly in border areas, are not stuck in limbo."
A man looks at cardboard gravestones with the names of victims of opioid abuse outside the courthouse where the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy is taking place in White Plains, N.Y., Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. Purdue Pharma's quest to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of OxyContin is entering its final phase with the grudging acceptance of most of those with claims against the company. A confirmation hearing is to open in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Thursday for a deal that removes control of the company from members of the wealthy Sackler family and requires them to contribute $4.5 billion to opioid abatement While most states and others with claims have signed on, there's still deep anger that Sackler family members would receive protection from lawsuits under the deal.
In this Nov. 7, 2018, photo, the Old North Church stands behind a statue of Paul Revere in the North End neighborhood of Boston. The church is famous as the place where in 1775 two lanterns in the steeple signaled that the British were heading to Concord and Lexington, but its not well known that some of the churchs early congregants were slave holders. Now the church, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, is integrating that history into its educational mission.
North Andover, MA (01845)

Today

Cloudy with rain developing later in the day. High 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times late. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
There was a scramble to round up five goats that were on the loose on Corks northside this morning.

Five young goats were spotted early in the morning as they made their way down the Middle Glanmire Road after leaving their home, believed to be in the Blackpool area.

The large billy goat on the loose in the St Luke's area before eventually making its way to Spring Lane via The Glen River Park, under escort from Gardai. Pic: Larry Cummins.

They were spotted by a number of people who posted pictures and videos on social media as they made their way towards the city, with Cork Safety Alerts urging motorists in the area to take care.

The goats were spotted walking along the wall outside the Montenotte Hotel on the Middle Glanmire Road and later at the crossroads at St Lukes.

A kid goat in custody after breaking loose from its home in the Blackpool area on Thursday morning. Pic: Larry Cummins.

Four of the five goats were rounded up safely in a makeshift pen by the Cork City Council wardens but the fifth goat split from the herd and made its way toward MacCurtain Street where it was seen crossing the road before heading back up towards St Luke's.

The large billy goat on the loose in the St Luke's area before eventually making its way to Spring Lane via The Glen River Park, under escort from Gardai. Pic: Larry Cummins.

It is believed that the fifth goat has since been returned safely to its home.
CHAROLAIS, by Noni Stapleton, is on this Friday night at Elizabeth Fort, as part of the Everyman Outdoors summer season.

Its a delightfully dark comedy of love and longing, twisting the age-old story of female jealousy in quite a different direction  the Other Woman is, literally, a cow.

A pure-bred Charolais, it must be admitted, but nevertheless, not the usual challenge taken on by any forsaken fiancee. Directed by Bairbre Ni Chaoimh.

Tickets have been much in demand for this performance and there may not be any left as we write, but try anyway. You might always be lucky and find a cancellation.

On Saturday, Karan Casey is on stage at the Fort, bringing her very individual brand of folk music from a career spanning 25 years and eleven albums. You may remember that she was nominated for the best original folk song at the RTE folk awards in 2019. She should sound wonderful in this outdoor setting. 7.30pm start.

And Sunday brings the great Everyman Outdoors season to an end, with two great shows: The Two Norries Live Podcast at 1.30pm, and Karen Underwood and John OBrien in What A Difference A Day Makes, at 7.30pm.

What a wonderfully eclectic programme it has been at this historic site. We hope to see more of these creative ideas from you in the future, Everyman!

But things are going on in the world of live streaming too, and the Everyman is currently hosting an opportunity to see and hear online an incredible opera based on Joyces iconic story, The Dead.

An original production of the Performance Corporation, originally filmed at Dublins Gaiety Theatre, the cast includes Susannah De Wrixon, John Molloy, Kathy Rose O Brien and Rachel O Byrne. On-demand until this coming Sunday.

Booking for all Everyman shows, live or online, at www.everymancork.com.

There is still time to catch the premiere of Sods, a new play by Mike ODowd, at the Cork Arts Theatre which runs to this Saturday, August 21.

With their father on his death bed, the three OMahony brothers go out to collect the turf from the family bogland.

Here they reminisce about their childhood, but gradually begin to paint a picture of a stubborn old man whose actions have driven a rift between his sons.

Starring Leon Danza, Simon McKeon and Mike ODowd.

From Tuesday to Saturday next week, Mam And Me, by Dolores Mannion, is a comedy about the ups and downs of mother-daughter relationships, featuring Antoinette Hilliard and Fionula Linehan.

All shows 8pm, booking on corkartstheatre.com or 021 450 5624.

Exciting news now from the Opera House for the autumn. Patrick Talbot Productions is delighted to announce that Brian Friels Philadelphia, Here I Come! will be the first major dramatic presentation for live audiences in Cork since the easing of restrictions.

Running from Tuesday, October 5 to Saturday, October 16, it originally premiered in 1964, subsequently transferring to Broadway where it received numerous Tony Award nominations.

It is exhilarating to get back into full production, after such a lengthy period, says Patrick Talbot.

To do so with a Brian Friel play is a privilege.

Eibhlin Gleeson, chief executive of the Opera House, agrees wholeheartedly.

At a very difficult time for the arts, its wonderful to be in a position to welcome a local production onto our stage. We look forward so much to once again bringing the people of Cork, and beyond into our theatre.

Directed by Geoff Gould, the play will star Alex Murphy (Conor in The Young Offenders), with Catherine Walsh, Seamus ORourke, Fionula Linehan, and Michael Sands.

We seem to remember that the Opera House staged this play for the first time in the mid-1960s, with David McInerney as the elderly father and Pat Fenton as the young Gar. It is good to welcome it back again.

Tickets are on sale now, and we anticipate that they will be flying out the door! Log onto www.corkoperahouse.ie, or 021 427 0022.
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Effingham, IL (62401)

Today

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 81F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Clear. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable.
Elba, AL (36323)

Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Island residents to get access to NHS COVID Pass vaccine certificate

Residents who need to provide proof of their vaccination status for international travel or to attend events will soon have two options to obtain their COVID vaccine certificate.

The Department of Health and Social Care in the Isle of Man has worked with DHSC colleagues in the UK to provide Island residents access to a digital or paper copy of their NHS COVID Pass in a safe, secure and internationally recognised format.

Residents will have access to the NHS COVID Pass website and once logged in will be able to view and download a specific digital UK NHS COVID Pass, or print it as a PDF document. The digital COVID Pass provides a QR code which is internationally recognised as proof of vaccination status, based on information shared by Manx Care with the UK NHS.

The web-based NHS COVID Pass service requires individuals to set up their own unique NHS login via this link: https://covid-status.service.nhsx.nhs.uk/ Manx residents are encouraged to register if they havent done so already, noting that login registrations may be delayed when demand is high, and people should register at least two weeks before they wish to use the pass.

The NHS COVID Pass website and Freephone call centre service are due to commence for Isle of Man residents within the next fortnight, subject to final legal documentation being in place.
Bobby Leo Dean, 78, of Athens passed away August 26, 2021, at his residence. A celebration of life service will be held 3 p.m. Sunday, September 5, 2021, at the Elk River Mills Memorial Cemetery, with Bro. Jim Clutter officiating. The family asks that you please wear a mask if you are in clo
SpaceX won't be working on its $2.9 billion lunar lander contract for a while after NASA agreed to put the project on hold. The space agency told Reuters that it temporarily ceased all work on the project after Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin filed a complaint against it with the US Court of Federal Claims. "In exchange for this temporary stay of work, all parties agreed to an expedited litigation schedule that concludes on November 1st," the space agency said in a statement.

Blue Origin sued NASA over its decision to award a lunar lander contract to SpaceX alone when it originally planned to award two contracts. The agency historically works with more than one contractor for each mission to ensure that it can launch in time. However, it only received a fraction of the budget it requested for the Artemis lunar lander, which will be designed to carry human astronauts to the surface of the moon from the Orion spacecraft, and chose to forgo awarding a second contract.

Bezos' company first challenged the decision back in April and filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office. As The Verge notes, that complaint put the SpaceX contract on hold for 95 days, so this is the second time NASA and Elon Musk's company have to temporarily halt the project. Blue Origin argued that the selection process was unfair, because it wasn't given the opportunity to revise its bid like SpaceX was able to.

GAO ultimately dismissed the case, concluding that NASA's evaluation of all the proposals for the mission "was reasonable and consistent with applicable procurement law, regulation, and the announcement's terms." Before GAO revealed its decision, though, Jeff Bezos wrote an open letter to NASA, telling the agency that Blue Origin is willing to waive up to $2 billion in payments in return for a fixed-price lander contract.

In both of the lawsuits it filed, Blue Origin said it's making "an attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASA's Human Landing System." For its more recent complaint, the company explained that it "stand[s] firm in [its] belief that there were fundamental issues with NASA's decision, but the GAO wasn't able to address them due to their limited jurisdiction." We'll know soon enough which side the court will pick: A judge has set a hearing for the case on October 14th.
Conducting an APK teardown of the latest version of the Peloton Android app, 9to5Google found evidence the company is preparing the software to support a rowing machine in the near future. The outlet found various code snippets that mentioned a device codenamed "Caesar" and "Mazu." The latter is a reference to a Chinese sea goddess. Like the company's stationary bike, it appears the rowing machine will include a "scenic rides" feature that will showcase waterways from around the globe. And if you want to just row, that will be an option too.

Another set of snippets reference the four positions of a proper rowing technique. "This is the drive position of your stroke," the app explains. "Sit tall on the rower with your arms straight and your back upright. Your knees should be just above the ankles." Digging deeper into the updated software, 9to5 also found code suggesting the app will track metrics like your average and max stroke rates.

A rowing machine is something Peloton has been rumored to be working for a while now, with a recent job listing mentioning the device. We've reached out to Pelton for confirmation, but we'll note here what we say with all APK teardowns: the fact there's code pointing to a new hardware release doesn't mean a company will follow through on that work or that a launch is imminent.
Click for the latest, full-access Enid News & Eagle headlines | Text Alerts | app downloads

Staff writer Kelci McKendrick contributed to this story.

Have a question about this story? Do you see something we missed? Do you have a story idea for the News & Eagle? Send an email to enidnews@enidnews.com.
Master Sgt. Brent Hill, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, controls the infrared imagery on an RC26 in support of burn operations on the Beckwourth Fire in California from western Nevada on July 13. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. William Gray)
Sonny Chiba, the Japanese actor who rose to fame through "The Street Fighter" and "Kill Bill" series, has died. He was 82.

On Thursday, his agent and manager confirmed to Variety that Chiba - whose real name was Shinichi Chiba - passed away.

Japan Times revealed that the 82-year-old actor was admitted to a hospital in Kimitsu, Chiba Prefecture, weeks after contracting COVID-19 in July. Although he tested positive for the virus, the actor did not confine himself in a hospital.

However, his pneumonia tragically worsened as he waited for his full recovery. His health deteriorated this month and caused him to be hospitalized on August 8.

It remains unknown how one of Japan's most popular stars got the dreaded disease. Still, his fans paused for a moment to honor the legendary actor who contributed a lot in Hollywood.

One fan shared a clip from one of his films and said, "will never forget the first time i watched the street fighter (1978) which is the yakuza & martial arts film stripped to the purest essential of communication through blunt bodily harm. cut to x-ray of skull crack followed by gushing blood here is unreal."

"A true action legend. Your films are eternal and your energy an inspiration. #SonnyChiba #RIP," Lewis Tan wrote.

Sonny Chiba: The Japanese Actor Who Dominated Hollywood's Action Films

Chiba found his fortune when his family moved to Chiba Prefecture when he was 4. At the same district, he discovered his interest in acting and immediately joined Toei Studios in 1959.

He spent years acting for different industries until he landed on the spy thriller flick "Key Hunter" in 1968. He became widely known for his martial arts skills through the 1973 and 1974 films "Battles Without Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima" and "The Street Fighter."

READ ALSO: 'Jeopardy!' Commits Grave Mistake: Mike Richards Sabotaged Other Guests Hosts?

Because of these, the late actor had been frequently referred to as the Bruce Lee of Japan.

In 1970, he launched the Japan Action Club and welcomed aspiring martial arts film actors.

He rose to fame even more when Quentin Tarantino introduced him overseas. Chiba became part of "True Romance" and "Kill Bill" - where he played a character that became a nod to his role in "Shadow Warriors."

Before his death, he earned over 200 credits under his belt.

READ MORE: Francis Mossman Cause of Death: Did Actor Die of Accident or By Suicide? [UPDATE]
2021-08-19

Maeci

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, had a telephone conversation with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. They exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan with a focus on stability in the region, the evacuation operations, and the protection of human rights and civil liberties.
2021-08-19

Maeci

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, had a telephone conversation with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, on the situation in Afghanistan. During the exchange of views, Italy's support for the efforts and presence of the United Nations in the country was reiterated.
2021-08-20

Maeci

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, connected from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Crisis Unit, participates in the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs to discuss the new challenges concerning the situation in Afghanistan.

Click here to read the press statement
2021-08-20

Maeci

JazzLife, Life in J major is the title of a new web, TV and social media format presented by Umbria Jazz and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote Italian artistic and cultural heritage through the eyes and sounds of the best on the current Italian jazz scene.

Four dates in the first series, each with a theme linked to a musical project and a city in Umbria, developed through events engaging local people, food and wine, art and history.

The tunes for each theme are provided by the personality and creativity of musicians such as Fabrizio Bosso, Rita Marcotulli and Dado Moroni, Gianluca Petrella, Gabriele Mirabassi.

The four historical locations that form the setting for inspiring concerts are tied to the long history of Umbria Jazz: Perugia and Orvieto, locations of the summer and winter versions of the festival, Gubbio and Castiglione del Lago, locations in the first touring editions of the festival in the 1970s
Advertising at the airport will be spread over 14,700 sq. ft. and feature media such as Digital Screen Networks, Lightboxes, Wall Wraps, and Large Format Outdoor Billboards

Times Innovative Media Limited (Times OOH), a part of Times of India Group, has been awarded 7 years of exclusive advertising contract for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal. With this TIML extends its media footprint into the East region of India.

Kolkata International Airport, as it is also known, is the largest hub for air traffic in East India. The airport handled 22 million passengers in FY 2019 - 2020, making it the fifth-busiest airport in India. It is a key centre for flights to Northeast India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, namely Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha. The airport was awarded as the best airport by hygiene measures in Asia-Pacific in 2020 by Airports Council International, the company said in a statement.

The advertising at Kolkata airport will be spread over 14,700 sq. ft. and feature media such as Digital Screen Networks, Lightboxes, Wall Wraps, and Large Format Outdoor Billboards. The media plan is designed to be unobstructed to the passenger movement and allows for advertising exposure at strategic touchpoints through the airport premises.

The City of Joy has given us another reason to rejoice!, says Aman Nanda, Chief Strategy Officer - Times OOH, he continues, We are delighted and proud to be awarded the prestigious contract for advertising at Kolkata International Airport. With this contract and our operations at Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, Coimbatore, and Trichy airports, I believe that we have built a comprehensive presence in every zone of India and can offer an ever wider reach to our clients. I would like to thank AAI for having faith in us once again and look forward to working closely with them to develop the airport into a hotspot for advertising in the region.

Times OOH offers comprehensive media solutions across Airports, Metro, and Street furniture in India and Mauritius.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
Friday, August 20, 2021

How the Centennial State seeks to create truth in labeling

When purchasing a product, a consumer should not have to wonder whether the label on the package accurately describes the product inside. In the CBD industry, however, it is a well-known fact that product labels do not always tell the full story.

The severity of this problem can be illustrated by the staggering number of CBD companies that have been issued warning letters by the FDA due to inaccurate labeling of products. In the list of 2015 warning letters, there are shocking examples of products claiming to contain up to 500 mg of CBD, yet showing no traces of cannabinoids at all after laboratory testing. One such product even tested positive for levels of THC above the legal limit for CBD of 0.3% by weight.

With this issue in mind, Colorado is leading the charge in reimagining labeling regulations. In the wake of the 2018 Farm Bill, Colorado announced the CHAMP initiative, or Colorado Hemp Advancement and Management Plan. At the heart of the plan is an effort to create truth in labeling by continuing, to establish guidance for retailer and manufacturer marketing and labeling which harmonize with national and international standards, when appropriate, for consumable hemp products. Kazmira is a proud industry partner of the CHAMP initiative and has worked closely with regulators in developing policy that advocates first and foremost for consumer transparency.

Towards Transparency

Starting in July of this year, the state of Colorado and the industry as a whole is taking significant steps toward broader transparency and accountability for manufacturers of CBD products. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment approved new regulations pertaining to lab testing and labeling of CBD products sold in the state.

Most notably, CDPHE regulation 6 CCR 1010-21 has been updated so that, as of July 1st of this year, manufacturers of CBD products are required to display the amount of all cannabinoids, including THC, in milligrams contained in a single serving of the product as well as in the entire container (This can be in the form of a less than or equal to statement. For example, a product could display Container = 15 mg Total THC Which = 0.25 mg THC per serving). Without these guidelines, the onus falls on the consumer to calculate the amount of THC contained in a product, based only on the federal upper limit of 0.3% by weight. The CDPHE regulations signal a new era of product labeling in which the responsibility for calculating and communicating THC content will shift to the manufacturer.

Under the same regulation, ingredient lists will be required to display whether the product contains isolated cannabinoids or full or broad spectrum hemp extracts. As isolated cannabinoids are often used to boost CBD and minor cannabinoid concentration, this will give consumers insight about the manufacturing processes of the companies they purchase from.

Also effective as of July 1st are new regulations pertaining to laboratory testing of products derived from industrial hemp. Laboratory analysis will be required to determine not only the amount of THC that products contain, but also the amount of certain contaminants such as bacteria and fungi, mycotoxins, pesticides, heavy metals and residual solvents. Additional new regulations contained in 5 CCR 1005-5 detail the procedures for certifying and running approved hemp testing laboratories in the state of Colorado.

Adjacent to these regulations, CDPHE also announced a statewide ban on hemp-derived THC isomers. An example of one of these isomers that has caught the publics attention recently is delta-8 THC, which had previously been seen as a loophole to the stringent rules against the better known delta-9 THC. With CDPHEs announcement, that loophole is now closed.

US Pacific Northwest Follows Suit

The state of Oregon has also signaled its commitment to transparency and safety within the CBD industry with the passage of a recent law that bans the sale of CBD products containing more than 0.5 milligrams of THC to minors under the age of 21. The law specifically includes products containing either delta-8 THC or delta-9 THC, and applies to all hemp products that are considered consumable  meaning something one can eat, drink or inhale.

In order to be compliant with this law, vendors in Oregon will have to request Certificates of Analysis, or COAs, from manufacturers for all consumable products they sell. Using the data on the COA, the vendor will be responsible for calculating the amount of THC in milligrams of their products, and thus determining which products can and cannot be sold to minors under 21.

Taken in tandem with the sweeping new Colorado regulations, Oregons new law represents the beginning of a shift in the way the nation thinks about and interacts with CBD products, and could be a catalyst for other states to soon follow suit with consumer safety regulations of their own.

The Implications

Many consumers are under the impression that the existence of federal guidance mandating CBD products contain 0.3% THC by weight implies that those products are, for all intents and purposes, THC-free. Given that many products advertise THC-free on their label, this is not an unreasonable assumption. In reality, however, an FDA study found that 49% of a sample of CBD products contained THC.

Under Colorados new regulations, all companies will have to disclose the THC content in their products. If the data from the FDAs study can be reliably extrapolated, it means that nearly half of these newly labeled products will display a non-zero THC content. In some cases, the amount of THC in a product can exceed 70 mg and still be compliant under the federal stipulation of 0.3% THC by weight.

Though these regulations technically apply only at the state level, their effects will be felt far outside the borders of Colorado. Because the regulations dictate guidelines for products sold in Colorado, even manufacturers from outside the state will be required to indicate their products THC content if they want to sell them in Colorado retail locations.

As the de facto leader of the cannabis industry as a whole, these regulations do not represent the first time Colorado has led the charge in introducing groundbreaking legislation, and it likely will not be the last. If previous trends repeat themselves, it is probable that other states will enact similar regulations in the near future, following the example that Colorado so often sets.

As the industry leader in manufacturing THC-free CBD products and a partner in Colorados CHAMP Initiative, Kazmira stands ready for the implementation of the new CDPHE regulations. Using proprietary purification technology, we can reliably and consistently make end products with non-detect levels of THC. We do this without the use of isolated cannabinoids or synthetic compounds, using proven separation science to preserve the integrity of hemps naturally occurring compounds. Under the new CDPHE regulations, we will proudly and accurately label our products with 0 mg of THC per serving and per container.
San Antonio hotels filled nearly 74 percent of their rooms in July  their highest occupancy rate since COVID-19 started tearing into the tourism industry 16 months ago.

Thats close to the average rate in pre-pandemic July 2019, when guests bunked down in 76.6 percent of the citys hotel rooms, according to STR, which collects hospitality industry data.

But the recovery for San Antonios hotels  and other tourism-related businesses such as downtown restaurants and bars  may crash to a halt as the delta variant of the coronavirus continues to grip the region.

Even in the best of times, trips to San Antonio drop in mid-August as children return to school and families stop traveling. Before the pandemic, conventioneers and meeting attendees largely replaced tourists starting in September.

But several convention organizers have canceled or postponed their events in recent weeks. That includes two large events  the Cystic Fibrosis Foundations annual conference, scheduled from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, and the EMS Today conference and exhibition, scheduled for August 25 to 27.

Due to rising cases of COVID-19 infection across the United States, the CF Foundation made the difficult decision to cancel the in-person, 2021 North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, association spokeswoman Ashley Mahoney said in an email.

She said the organizations shift to an all-virtual meeting format is in the best interest of the health and safety of the entire CF community.

With more than 4,000 attendees, the conference would have accounted for 15,000 room nights at downtown hotels, according to Visit San Antonio, the regions public-private tourism marketing organization.

Still, Visit San Antonio spokesman Richard Oliver said 23 citywide conventions remained on the books for the reminder of 2021, representing 114,209 room nights and 102,403 attendees.

But tourism officials worry that more groups could cancel if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise.

Marc Anderson, Visit San Antonios president and CEO, emailed a list of talking points this week to hotel, restaurant and tourist attraction managers. He urged them to emphasize to meeting organizers that San Antonios hospitality industry is taking steps  including frequent cleanings  to make visits safe and healthy.

Recent history dictates that nothing replaces meeting, networking and learning face to face, and it can be done safely for those in attendance if they follow mandated safety protocols, he said in the email.

Under Mayor Ron Nirenbergs mask mandate for public schools and city facilities  which he announced last week and which has so far withstood Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons legal challenge  the Convention Center and the Alamodome require visitors to wear face coverings.

The comeback

Tourism in San Antonio hit its lowest point in April 2020, when only 22.4 percent of hotel rooms were occupied, according to STR. Average occupancy rates didnt break 60 percent  the point at which hotels often begin to turn a profit  again until Spring Break in March.

In July, San Antonio hotels benefited from people looking to again hit the road, said Chris Hagee, CEO of the Hagee Hospitality Group, a local hotel management company.

What we saw in July was pent-up demand from people who didnt travel last summer and had discretionary income to spend, he said.

Visitors flocked to area hotels earlier this summer, especially over the weekends, and hotel raised their rates. STR data showed the average room in San Antonio in July sold for $134.09 a night, up from July 2019s average of $115.91.

Hotels, however, werent without troubles last month. They continued to deal with a shortage of workers. Some hotels couldnt fill some of their rooms  leaving money on the table  because they didnt have enough housekeepers.

One July weekend, the 338-room Omni La Mansion Del Rio on the River Walk had to keep 65 rooms out of its available-room inventory because it didnt have enough workers, said Rusty Wallace, area general manager for Omni Hotels.

He said the hotel has since added employees.

The labor shortage continues to cut into hotels revenue. Its also hurting restaurants and bars business.

I do believe the recovery in the service industry could have been stronger if we had the staff, Wallace said.

Wallace, who also oversees the 99-room Mokara Hotel & Spa downtown, said the industrys continued rebound will depend on whether the current wave of COVID-19 cases continues to grow.

It will ultimately depend on how comfortable people are in traveling, he said.

randy.diamond@express-news.net
Many patients in hospitals with severe COVID-19 who had not been vaccinated are not actually opposed to vaccines. Rather, they based their decision to forgo the vaccine on false information about its risks, or they had trouble getting it.

Thats among the observations that Dr. Barbara Taylor, an associate professor of infectious diseases and an assistant dean for the MD/MPH program at UT Health San Antonio, shared with the San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board on Thursday during a conversation about the pandemic.

The discussion, which included Dr. Peter J. Hotez of Baylor University and Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston, covered topics including the delta variant, booster shots, masks in schools and more.

While city officials said 87 percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, Taylor said shes talked with patients who incorrectly thought there would be long lines for the shots, had concerns about the vaccine or couldnt find the time to get vaccinated because they have multiple jobs.

One of my patients (over the past two weeks) literally said, I just didnt get around to it, she said. What that means right now is that our hospitals are full of remorse. A lot of people are regretting prior choices, which is really heartbreaking.

On ExpressNews.com: 'We didn't need to be here': Health workers frustrated amid third surge of COVID hospitalizations

Taylor, who worked in a COVID-19 ward last weekend, said a patient told her that he didnt believe in the coronavirus until he got sick.

Later, that patient asked what he could do to help the overcrowded, stressed hospital staff who cared for him. She told him: Call every one of your friends and please ask them to get vaccinated.

She said this is what it will take to reach people who have not gotten one of the three vaccines authorized for emergency use by the FDA.

On ExpressNews.com: Watch the Editorial Boards conversation on COVID-19

U.S. health officials on Wednesday announced plans to offer booster shots to all Americans to strengthen their protection amid the surging delta variant.

As of Thursday, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported that area hospitals were treating 1,382 COVID-19 patients  up 9 percent from last week.

Currently, 22 of these patients are children, 371 are being treated in intensive care units and 253 are on ventilators.

The seven-day average, which represents new cases, has also jumped 20 percent over one week to 1,597.

Bexar Countys death toll has also risen with seven new deaths reported at Thursdays biweekly media briefing.

A total of 3,710 deaths can be contributed to COVID-19, while another five or six deaths are under investigation.

Among the most recent deaths, a San Antonio solid waste division worker became the second city employee to die of COVID-19 this week, City Manager Erik Walsh told the City Council on Thursday. Both employees were relatively young men.

This makes 10 deaths of city employees from COVID-19 since the pandemic began roughly 18 months ago.

The city has 161 employees who have recently tested positive, a little more than 260 in quarantine and awaiting testing, and four in hospitals with the virus, Walsh told council members.

Dr. Anita Kurian, assistant director of Metro Health's Communicable Disease Division, said that the city is not mandating vaccines for city employees at this time.

During the briefing, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said superintendents of the largest school districts are enforcing mask mandates.

Meanwhile, Wolff applauded San Antonio Independent School District Superintendent Pedro Martinez for mandating vaccines for staff, an action that got him sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Wolff called him a hero and said it is a badge of honor because such policies protect children from infection.

He said the county is planning to reopen the Wonderland of Americas mass vaccine site soon for booster shots. Kurian says there are more than 1,300 sites that administer COVID-19 vaccines.

She said the public health department is planning to roll out a $100 incentive by the end of the month, pending federal approval, and it will likely come in the form of an H-E-B gift card.

Staff writer Scott Huddleston contributed to this article.

laura.garcia@express-news.net
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

"Late Night" host Seth Meyers is skewering Texas, again.



Just one day after Meyers torched Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his COVID-19 diagnosis, hes again throwing shade at the Lone Star State.



During a monologue on Thursday, the comedian accused U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and other Republicans of lying about masks and trying to rewrite history when it comes to their negligent handling of the coronavirus pandemic.



Meyers said that Cruz and others are attempting to mimic former President Donald Trumps disastrous COVID response.

On ExpressNews.com: Sen. Ted Cruz backs Gov. Abbott in GOP primary - and gets booed by a tea party crowd



The comedian pointed to the surge in COVID-19 cases in Texas and blamed the rise in hospitalizations and infections on lax mitigation efforts and low vaccination rates. Politicians aren't helping, he said.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  A Polish refugee rights group said Friday that 32 people who fled Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover have been trapped for 12 days in an area between Poland and Belarus, caught in a standoff between the two neighbors.

The group, Fundacja Ocalenie, called on Polish authorities to allow the people to apply for refugee status in Poland, saying they have the right to do so. Polish authorities are refusing to let them in, and Belarusian border guards will not let them return.

In accordance with the law ... each of these people should be allowed to submit an application for protection, Piotr Bystrianin, the president of the group's management board, said in a statement.

Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of sending migrants across their borders with his country in what they have called an act of hybrid war. Their borders also form part of the European Union's external border, and the countries believe Lukashenko is acting in revenge for sanctions the EU imposed over his disputed reelection and crackdown on dissent.

A deputy foreign minister in Poland, Pawel Jablonski, said the group is still on the Belarus side of the border strip, where they have been brought by the organizers of this procedure in Belarus. He added that Belarus has full responsibility for this situation. which, he said, is aimed at destabilizing the situation inside the European Union.

It is the responsibility of the Polish government to protect the national border, which is also the EU border, Jablonski said.

Most of the recent migrants traveling from Belarus are believed to be originally from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Poland has deployed hundreds of soldiers to the border and is reinforcing it with barbed wire. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Thursday that he sympathized with the migrants, but said they were a tool in the hands of Mr. Lukashenko and Poland would not succumb to this type of blackmail."

Fundacja Ocalenie said it arrived where the migrants were stuck, near the village of Usnarz Gorny, on Wednesday to bring them food, tents, sleeping bags and power banks. They were not given access at first but were successful on Thursday.

Foundation member Tahmina Rajabova reported speaking to the migrants and learning that they are 32 people from Afghanistan who all want to apply for refugee status in Poland. They included a 15-year-old girl and some people in poor health.

A few days earlier, about a dozen people from Iraq  women and small children  were stranded with them, but Belarusian authorities allowed them back into Belarus, Rajabova said.

It is an inhumane and scandalous situation that Poland, together with Belarus, condemns these people to imprisonment on the border, in conditions that offend human dignity and are life-threatening, said Maciej Konieczny, a left-wing Polish lawmaker who joined the humanitarian workers at the border.

Lawyers with the foundation plan to submit applications for protection on behalf of the migrants, the group said.
North East Independent School District became the latest local school system to implement mandatory masks on its campuses, with its board deciding late Thursday to require them for up to six weeks beginning Monday.

The period could be extended if pandemic conditions warrant it. NEISD trustees voted after hearing from more than 100 speakers, most of them unmasked and dead set against such a mandate.

Trustee Steve Hilliard was the lone dissenting vote. Board President Shannon Grona was absent.

The board had called the emergency meeting to discuss the districts COVID-19 response and get community feedback on its safety protocols. The possibility that would include requiring masks drew more than 150 people, including 107 who signed up to speak.

In the days after the district sent notice of the meeting, district officials received about 900 emails from community members, with 67 percent favoring a mask mandate, board Vice President Sandy Winkley said. She said she read about 800 of them before the meeting.

A lot of the people who sent those emails that were in favor said that they were not comfortable coming into the board meeting because we dont have a mask policy at NEISD, she added.

The speakers were civil but hammered the board with arguments for and against the mandate. Most were in support of keeping masks optional, and several expressed defiance toward any change to that policy.

Before public comments began, they cheered Hilliard when he said board members took an oath to obey the law with their decisions and that this would include the states ban on mask mandates. Hilliard was the sole trustee not wearing a mask.

Only one audience member out of about 50 seated in an overflow room clapped during a presentation by the districts assistant director of health services, Emma Kelly, when she pointed out that there had been no spread of the virus in the districts schools last year, when all children had to wear masks.

Im not asking for any type of permission, and Im not making any apologies, Isa Ramirez, a parent with several children in the district, said during public comments. Im not asking for permission for my kids to have access to unrestricted, breathable air.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

On ExpressNews.com: School mask rules stand for now, as Texas Supreme Court upholds pause on Abbott's order

Kim Gerber, a parent with two children in the district, said that while she is a huge proponent of public schools, she was prepared to pull her children out of NEISD if a mask mandate was enacted.

I dont know that theres a way to find a compromise in this, Gerber said. I entrust my kids in you to receive a great education, and I have to say they are getting it. ... But Im not entrusting you to make these personal, medical decisions a year and a half into a pandemic.

The presentations lasted two hours; the public comments three hours. Superintendent Sean Maika then spoke about the need to let educators do what they know best amid an unpredictable pandemic, calling for flexibility to adjust to whatever it brings. The delta variant of the coronavirus was acting differently and the risks were different as well, he said.

Its not what it was last year. Its just not, Maika said.

Like other public school districts in Bexar County, NEISD is operating in the middle of a legal fight in which Bexar County and the city of San Antonio sued Gov. Greg Abbott over control of COVID-19 safety guidelines. With or without a court decision to back them, dozens of Texas school districts, most of them in urban areas, have defied Abbotts order banning mask mandates.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

The local lawsuit Monday secured legal cover for the Metropolitan Health District to require masks in all schools in Bexar County, and the 4th Court of Appeals upheld the local courts decision Thursday. The Texas Supreme Court, in a ruling favoring Travis County that also came Thursday, allowed local mask mandates to continue, for now.

NEISD adopted a mask mandate when Metro Health issued its order last week but changed to a policy of recommending masks and giving the choice to parents when the high court Sunday invalidated a temporary restraining order originally obtained by the local lawsuit. Mondays injunction kept Metro Healths order in effect, though local officials said they were leaving it up to school districts how to comply.

Nine traditional school districts in Bexar County, including Northside and San Antonio ISDs, and some charter networks have issued mask mandates.

Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox

The decision at NEISD came nearly a week after Maika sent out a video notifying families about a spike in COVID-19 cases at Castle Hills Elementary, which started classes weeks before Mondays first day of school at other district campuses. Only 20 percent of its students, at most, had been masked in its first weeks, the schools principal has said.

If the pandemic continued to worsen, Maika warned in the video, we may be forced to close schools.

Thursdays speakers included some who called for mask-wearing to be required across schools.

Your track record of keeping our kids safe last year was phenomenal, with very little track record of school (virus) transmissions, Alice Barsoumian, a district parent and infectious disease physician, told the board.

Its clear that the current strategy is not working, she added. Our hospitals are filling up. (Local officials) are requesting refrigerated mortuary trucks. This is not the time to experiment with our kids when we already know how to keep them safe.

danya.perez@express-news.net
An 18-year veteran of the Bexar County Sheriffs Office died in his home unexpectedly Thursday morning, according to Sheriff Javier Salazar.

Deputy Floyd Cardenas, 41, who was assigned to the SWAT K-9 unit, was found unresponsive by his family and pronounced dead soon after, Salazar said. Its unclear how he died, though officials believe he had no underlying medical conditions.

It is certainly heartbreaking for more reasons than one, Salazar said.

On Wednesday, Cardenas had participated in a training exercise with his K-9 partner Tango, Salazar said. The training was cut short by a pursuit in Bexar County. Cardenas and Tango participated in the search. Cardenas returned home later that evening and went to bed.

On Thursday, Cardenas was taken by a procession of fellow law enforcement officers to the Mission Park Funeral Chapel. No funeral arrangements have been announced.

Cardenas is survived by a wife and two teenage children.

I cant imagine anything more heartbreaking than teenagers losing their dad at a time when teenagers really do need both parents in their lives, Salazar said.

Cardenas was the head K-9 trainer for the sheriffs office. He had worked with Tango, his 9-year-old partner, for about six years. The pair have taken part in over 100 federal, state and local narcotics and bomb investigations.

Messages of support and condolences poured out on social media from several local law enforcement communities Thursday.

The Texas Operational Canine Care Committee, a nonprofit training organization, called Cardenas a phenomenal K-9 handler and said he was among the first students to attend its classes in Bexar County.

The nonprofit said on Facebook: Rest easy brother, we have the watch from here.

Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net
A 20-year-old San Antonio woman has been charged with manslaughter in a DWI crash that killed a husband and wife and injured their four children, one of them seriously.

A Bexar County grand jury indicted Elena Mae Carranza, 20, on two counts of intoxication manslaughter in the deaths of Craig Smith, 54, and Susan Smith, 39. Carranza also faces one count of intoxication assault and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The crash occurred on Bandera Road near OConnor High School in Helotes around 6 p.m. Jan. 3.

Carranza was driving her Toyota Tundra northwest on Bandera when she plowed into the Smiths Kia Sedona as it tried to cross the road.

The Smiths were pronounced dead at the scene. Their children, ranging in age from 6 to 16, were injured. One suffered a traumatic brain injury and a lacerated kidney, according to an arrest affidavit.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio woman arrested in connection with crash that killed the parents of four children

Carranza allegedly was driving 79 mph in a 45-mph zone and did not apply the brakes until her pickup crashed into the Kia.

Her blood alcohol level was above the legal limit, investigators said. Bank records show that late that afternoon, she paid for two mimosas and a 24-ounce container of alcohol at Mad Dogs British Pub near the River Walk, the affidavit said.

If convicted of intoxication manslaughter, a second-degree felony, Carranza faces up to 20 years in prison.

In another indictment announced by the Bexar County district attorneys office, Jose Parada, 53, was charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of Michael Cepeda on Sept. 21, 2020.

The shooting occurred at a gas station in the 6900 block of West Military Drive on the West Side.

Parada saw a vehicle that he believed was the same one stolen from his brothers house the week before, according to news reports based on the affidavit for Paradas arrest.

Cepeda and a woman were in the vehicle. Parada allegedly confronted them and demanded the vehicles return.

The woman tried to drive off but crashed on the gas station property. Parada allegedly then held her and Cepeda at gunpoint.

The two men struggled, and Cepeda hit Paradas arm, causing the gun to go off, the affidavit said. Cepeda was shot in the head.

Parada is accused of recklessly causing Cepedas death. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the second-degree felony.

In another indictment, Kristopher Anthony Espinoza was charged with murder in the shooting death of Cecilio Soria on Nov. 21.

Espinoza, 16, has been certified to stand trial as an adult, court records show. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison. His case is being heard in Juvenile District Court.

ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
When Lisa Alvarenga was a child, she spent weekends lugging plastic bags filled with clothes to and from the laundromat with her mother.

The young girl and her mom, an immigrant who didnt speak English, had little to do beyond watching clothes tumble in the dryer and listening to the steady hum of the washing machines.

Had there been a library, I could have been learning about other resources and mom could have been learning and studying to get a GED, Alvarenga, 28, said.

Alvarenga, the San Antonio project coordinator for Libraries Without Borders, is now a part of the Wash and Learn Initiative. Through the program, laundromats are equipped with tablets and pre-loaded computers with educational portals and curated databases for all ages.

Its really special for me to be able to do this. It hits home, she said.

On ExpressNews.com: Customers pitch in at Dignowity Hill diner as owner struggles to keep up amid COVID-19 pandemic

During a recent visit to wash clothes at Laundry Reys laundromat on South New Braunfels Street, Jade Fuentes, 57, noticed a library setting with equipment not typically part of a laundromat.

Curious about the new fixtures, Fuentes checked out the laptop and digital tablets affixed to polished black tables. Multi-colored stars, triangles and squares decorated a white wall. Childrens books filled the bottom shelf of a blue-cushioned bench.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

Signs in English and Spanish promoted a bilingual program that offers accessibility to the internet at the site.

I love it, said Fuentes, who washes clothes at the laundromat twice a month. Its good for kids. Books and reading, thats what they need. Im going to let everybody know.

Jessie Gomez, 31, and Araceli Linares, 25, technical clerk assistants from the BiblioTech Digital Library outreach team, helped another customer as Alvarenga explained to Fuentes the new site was a relaunch of the program paused last year because of the coronavirus.

Bexar Countys BiblioTech, the San Antonio Library and other partners are scheduled to host weekly, in-person sessions that feature basic computer lessons, social media and story-time.

Google Fiber is among the partners that support the initiative designed to bridge the digital divide in neighborhoods without internet service and meet the community where they live. According to 2019 U.S. Census figures, about 20 percent of Bexar County households dont have an internet subscription.

Were providing resources for people to use however they want to and making sure that the location is up to par, Alvarenga said. The idea is as we increase the number of partners involved, ultimately there will be more traffic, and more people will want to get involved.

Libraries Without Borders U.S., based in Baltimore, has programs in eight states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Laundry Reys is the third laundromat that Libraries Without Borders launched in San Antonio.

In early spring 2020, COVID caused the closure of two other laundromats at St. Cloud and Culebra roads. The nonprofit then offered ConnectED Technology kits that included digital tablets, books and laptops to area residents without access to digital devices and the internet.

We absolutely want to go back to the West Side where we started, Alvarenga said. We care about the space and want people to recognize that we care about them. We want to continuously improve.

Victoria Becker, Libraries Without Borders U.S. communications associate, said the FCC recently implemented the Emergency Broadband Benefit to provide $50 a month to low-income families who cant afford the internet. She said they have distributed Wi-Fi hotspots and computers to San Antonio residents since March 2020.

On ExpressNews.com: The Lord wants me to play - Boerne teen violinist selected for Carnegie Hall orchestra

Since 2007, Libraries Without Borders has promoted access to data for underserved communities across the nation and around the world. The nonprofit joins local libraries, schools, tutoring programs and other nonprofits to turn housing lobbies, libraries, parks and other public spaces into sites of lifelong learning. Sessions include basic reading, computer skills and writing to financial literacy, health and legal rights.

We really like having a space that is equipped, Becker said. Its a testament that the community feels comfortable to use the space as a mini-community.

The bookshelves and digital resources are a welcome addition, said Samuel Hayes, 31, owner and operator of the laundromat at 1401 S. New Braunfels Ave. Hayes reached out to Libraries Without Borders after seeing a news report about their partnership with another local laundromat.

Its been very well received, Hayes said of customers who use the washateria. We want this as a community hub, a place where they can wash their clothes and get other things out of it as well.

vtdavis@express-news.net
There is a difference in the COVID-19 patients Rudy Martinez now sees in the ICU at University Hospital.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the patients Martinez cared for had almost uniformly arrived for reasons other than COVID. They had been in an awful car accident or suffered a serious injury. As a precaution, doctors and nurses would swab these patients for COVID, despite a lack of symptoms, and, voila, discover a positive test.

It was kind of more of a catch, he told me.

But now ICU patients are suffering from severe coldlike symptoms, complaining of headaches. Some have trouble walking a few feet.

Now its like they are having a hard time breathing, he said.

They are children. Martinez is a nurse in University Hospitals pediatric ICU.

At the time of our interview Thursday, he said six children with COVID were in the ICU (it had recently been reported 24 children were hospitalized locally). The youngest, intubated and on a ventilator, is 6 months. But there have been younger. Martinez mentioned a 5-week-old patient.

The difference is COVIDs far more contagious delta variant.

Its broken through vaccinated adults  but, importantly, vaccinated adults have almost uniformly stayed out of the hospital. And its swept through schools, including my childrens year-round elementary school, which opened July 19 without a mask mandate or much voluntary masking (or, as some would say, personal responsibility) and has seen a shocking (but unsurprising) number of cases.

Far more COVID cases have been reported at my kids elementary school in the first month than in all of last year, when masks were required and COVID was less contagious. On one day alone, there were seven confirmed cases. My kids school, because of its early start date and initial laissez-faire attitude on masks, is the canary in the Texas COVID mine.

The odds say almost all children with COVID will be fine, bouncing back quickly from mild symptoms. But not all. As Martinez said of the pediatric ICU, You just never know when it might be your kid.

Just as you would never want to infect someone elses kid.

This brings us to COVID, schools and mask mandates  an argument Gov. Greg Abbott and indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton are willing to have people die for.

The case for mandating masks in schools is simple: Children younger than 12 cannot get vaccinated, the delta variant is even more contagious, and universal masking can reduce transmission.

As Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, recently told the Express-News Editorial Board: All we have as a backstop is masks and, yeah, we should have all of those kids masked and all of those teachers masked as well  thats not even sophisticated epidemiology, thats called common sense.

And on this front, the adults have failed our children. Not those adults serving on school boards bravely defying Abbotts order banning local mask mandates; not the judges upholding local mandates; not the teachers encouraging kids to pull masks over their noses. No, the failure resides with a political class that has made a calculated bet on childrens health.

Perhaps no adult is more responsible for this failure in Texas than Abbott. In a position to lead, he has placated anti-maskers. In a position to model personal responsibility, he landed a case of COVID and attended a packed, maskless indoor political event. In a position to bring clarity to child safety, he has politicized schools and sowed division. How many lives would he have saved, how much unity could he have cultivated, if he just allowed mask mandates in schools? If he just said to anti-maskers, I hear your concerns, and this is temporary, but we have to do this to keep kids safe.

I wonder if he ever wonders.

Our hospitals are full of remorse, Dr. Barbara Taylor, an associate professor of infectious diseases and an assistant dean for the M.D./MPH program at UT Health San Antonio, told our Editorial Board.

The pandemic has shown how everything we do ripples. If you choose not to wear a mask right now, you are choosing to potentially get someone else sick. If you choose to block mask mandates in schools during a COVID surge, you are choosing to put unvaccinated children at risk.

The governor, in quarantine, should know this better than anyone. But does he?

jbrodesky@express-news.net
It is no surprise the need for behavioral health services is at an all-time high in San Antonio and Bexar County. Our community is one of the nations largest poor and economically segregated big cities, and the resources needed to better support behavioral health services in our growing community have traditionally taken a back seat.

COVID-19 has taught us this should be otherwise.

Behavioral health (also referred to as mental health) problems are persistent and widespread in Bexar Countys communities of color and among individuals in poverty; even prior to the pandemic, both child and adult behavioral health services were operating at 120 percent of their capacity at the Center for Health Care Services, or CHCS, the local mental health authority and a certified community behavioral health clinic.

The onslaught of COVID-19-related anxieties  children out of school, loss of employment, inability to pay for food, shelter and clothing  added more stress to our community and our behavioral health system of care. These actions produced a 172 percent increase in crisis events systemwide and added 25 new consumers per day to CHCS caseloads. As we continue to be at the forefront of combating the pandemic and its effects, this increased workload has overwhelmed our clinical and direct care staff, worsening an already critical staffing shortage.

Equally alarming is that the COVID-19 impacts plaguing our community have not been equally distributed. As expected, our neighbors living in the southeast and southwest quadrants of San Antonio and Bexar County were disproportionately challenged by both minimal access to resources and the highest uptick in requests for behavioral health appointments (a 55 percent increase among Southwest Side residents and a 79 percent increase among Southeast Side residents). These disparities underscore why Bexar County and San Antonios overall situation will not improve without more behavioral health resources, awareness and, most of all, investment.

On ExpressNews.com: Commentary: Support mental health by removing stigma

Yet not all hope is lost. CHCS and its partners are working hard to raise awareness about mental health in our community. The citys Ready to Work program targets economically disadvantaged adults for meaningful employment opportunities. Bexar County is engaged in groundbreaking work with multidisciplinary crisis response teams and enhancements to the crisis response system of care. With more federal aid coming to San Antonio to combat the effects of COVID-19, now is San Antonios moment to correctly address these social and behavioral health disparities. It is a moment that likely will not come again.

COVID relief funding already has helped us shore up some of our gaps, and federal funding has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make strides toward improvement, but it still will not be enough to address the behavioral health crisis in our community. San Antonio and Bexar County must develop sustainable funding sources to avoid the inevitable funding cliff when the federal monies dry up.

Our community can no longer delay the time, energy and resources needed to move our city toward a system of behavioral health care that adequately meets the needs of our entire community. Our elected officials in Washington, D.C., have acted swiftly and decisively; our local leaders must do the same.

Jelynne LeBlanc Jamison is president and CEO of the Center for Health Care Services.
Like thousands of others in Texas, a COVID-19 diagnosis is now the sobering reality for our states top elected official, Gov. Greg Abbott. We are deeply concerned about his health, and we hope his full recovery is swift, just as we hope this for all COVID patients.

But unlike many other patients, Abbott has helped bring this upon himself by not allowing mask mandates and not masking up in public. His policies have fueled the spread of COVID in Texas, and our hope beyond his recovery is that he charts a new and better course. End the mask mandate ban, governor, and follow the health experts. Lives are at stake.

Imagine an enlightenment, hard as it may be, in which Abbott, rather than fueling the pandemic, transforms his tone and message. Imagine if the governor shifted his focus from personal freedom to one that espouses scientifically proven tools  masks and vaccines  against a virus that has killed more than 53,370 Texans. There is little freedom to be found in an ICU, governor.

In his COVID-19 announcement video Tuesday, Abbott vowed to keep working from the Governors Mansion before signing off with God bless you all and God bless Texas.

He can get to work by allowing for local mask and vaccine mandates.

No one wants to see schools or businesses closed. We dont want to witness the collapse of our hospitals. The thought of more illness and death spreading across our state is heartbreaking. But its happening.

COVID-19 cases, fueled by the more transmissible delta variant, are rampant; hospitals are overwhelmed and deaths are increasing. Our state health department reported Wednesday a seven-day average of 100 fatalities, 13,457 new confirmed cases and 12,402 hospitalizations  the highest since January. Five mortuary trailers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency soon will be centrally stationed in San Antonio and sent around the state at the request of local officials. Doctors are pleading with vaccine-reluctant Texans.

Abbott must lead the change.

He tepidly mentions vaccinations while vigorously advocating personal freedom. He fights mask mandates to help stop COVID but then falsely blames migrants for the surge. His mandate to end mask mandates is divisive and dangerous.

Abbott highlights personal responsibility, but he doesnt model it. He has posted cavalier images of his unmasked face in rooms filled with other unmasked faces. He has boasted about standing room-only events such as the packed Republican Club at Heritage Ranch event Monday, the night before his diagnosis announcement.

How many people did you infect, governor?

Trying to stay free from the grip of COVID-19 is especially challenging for children younger than 12 who, unlike Abbott, arent eligible for vaccination. And still, he refuses to fund virtual education and fights mask mandates in schools.

A growing number of schools are fighting his ban on mask and vaccine mandates all the way up to the Texas Supreme Court, which has temporarily allowed mask mandates. By Tuesday, at least four Texas school districts had temporarily closed due to outbreaks. Also Tuesday, Disability Rights Texas filed suit in Austin on behalf of 14 disabled students.

Vaccinated, able to access the best treatments and assured of hospital space, Abbott is in a favorable position not afforded to most. The governor should have optimal health care, but so should all Texans, and that makes his policies related to COVID, and his refusal to expand Medicaid, so abhorrent.

Millions in Texas, which leads the country in uninsured, dont have health insurance. They need support more than ever, and Abbott still has the power and responsibility to help provide it.

Governor, instead of fueling this crisis, work to end it. Allow mask and vaccine mandates. Do all you can to stop COVIDs spread. No one is immune.
Terrorists can crush everything but the will to survive.

As a U.S. military plane departed the Kabul airport Monday, hundreds of Afghans chased it, clinging to the fuselage in a desperate attempt to flee their fallen city. It was a heartbreaking scene, rendered more sorrowful by the fact that it was preventable.

This is easily the most catastrophic failure of an administration that had made commendable progress on several domestic fronts  including infrastructure and vaccine distribution  only to turn its back on American ideals of freedom and human rights abroad, and reveal itself to be inept on intelligence.

President Joe Biden can blame the Afghan army, pointing to its unwillingness to fight when fighting was imperative. And there is an element of truth in that. But two facts remain: Bidens decisions exacerbated this dynamic, charting a course for failure; and the wheels of failure were set in motion decades ago in the smoldering remains of 9/11 as the U.S. once again pursued nation building in a hostile region.

If we are to glean anything from the rubble of this sad episode, it is this: The era of nation building, well-intentioned or not, is over, and it must be replaced by an era of global cooperation in defense of democracy and human rights. It is only through a rebirth of global cooperation and partnerships  where is NATO or the United Nations?  that we can tackle terrorism, authoritarianism, climate change and global poverty.

On ExpressNews.com: Commentary: Afghanistan's fall foretold in Vietnam

The Taliban was a potent threat when we launched the forever war in 2001, but its malignance grows daily. Were we liberators or invaders in Afghanistan? It may be wise to leave the query for future historians. What we do know, at this moment, is that the U.S. cannot go it alone anymore.

Yes, we had allies, principally Britain, in Afghanistan and Iraq, but we were always the leaders in these conflicts. It is no coincidence that experts and casual observers are drawing parallels between Afghanistan and Vietnam, for the U.S. left both countries in chaos, their people bereft of hope. History is the best teacher, but officials rarely cast a glance backward.

The naive Trump Administration legitimized the Taliban by having talks with them about peace and openly negotiating with terrorists, while the Biden Administration tried to fulfill a campaign promise without any semblance of a plan or forethought into how this would play out, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said in a statement.

The irony of most tragedies is that they offer hope for the future, a chance to focus on mistakes in order to avoid those same mistakes in the future. We will see if that happens  it feels as though the world will become more dangerous with this collapse. Regardless, the U.S. must rebuild its relationships with our allies, forming the kind of partnerships that led to NATO in 1949.

During his administration, President Donald Trump alienated our allies, condemning NATO in favor of his America First program, although he was right in substance, but not tone, to take our NATO partners to task on paying their fair share. Still, the world is too complex for a policy of America First, particularly since our global standing has declined, as shown in Afghanistan.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: In Afghanistan, a tragic ending years in the making

The way forward is to repair partnerships and create lasting global partnerships that address the root causes of instability and threats, a promise Biden, politically vulnerable in failure, made during his inaugural address.

That goal, both noble and imperative, will be tested. The world is a large community. What impacts one region impacts another; to ignore that dynamic is to invite disaster.

Life must be lived forwards but can only be understood backwards, Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish philosopher, said.

It is time to heed those words.
Negotiators for the city and police union met for only an hour Friday and reached tentative agreements on just two items in their ongoing attempts to craft a new contract. But city officials expressed optimism that with two meetings planned in the next three weeks, a deal is within sight.

At last count, the city and the San Antonio Police Officer Association remain deadlocked on about 15 items in their 140-page contract. While most sticking points are minor, a few are contentious, including wages and the disciplinary process for officers accused of misconduct.

During Fridays meeting, negotiators came to tentative understandings on two elements: working hours and a tweak to one aspect of the disciplinary process referred to as the 180-day rule.

The two sides had reached a compromise on the rule a few months ago that allows the police chief to punish officers for major misconduct within 180 days of learning about it, rather than 180 days after the misconduct occurred, while leaving so-called minor misconduct subject to the existing 180-day rule.

The two sides on Friday agreed to a minor change regarding whom officers should report misconduct to. The union proposed that such reports be made to a captain, rather than a deputy chief, because a captain is more accessible, which the city agreed to. Alternatively, officers can report wrongdoing to the departments Professional Standards Section.

Were making progress in terms of layering down the issues, said Maria Villagomez, deputy city manager and head of the citys negotiating team, noting that meetings are scheduled for Aug. 30 and Sept. 8. Those two meetings will be telling in how close we are to a deal.

The two parties have met about 15 times since mid-February, when negotiations started. Their current agreement expires at the end of September, though an evergreen clause keeps most that contracts terms in place for eight years.

Though an agreement has been elusive, the two sides have made noteworthy progress. It took the city and the police union more than two years of intermittent and often contentious negotiations before settling on the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement in 2016.

On ExpressNews.com: City of San Antonio, police union agree on contract terms

During that time, the two sides traded countless proposals. They seemed near a deal in fall 2015, but things fell apart after the city insisted on eliminating the contracts evergreen clause.

At one point, the city filed lawsuits against the police union, as well as the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association, asking the court to declare the evergreen clause a violation of the Texas Constitution.

Later, after the two sides reached an agreement, the city dropped its lawsuit.

This time, the city and police union have made headway on several key aspects of the contract, though they are futher apart on the appeals process for officers fired or disciplined for misconduct, as well as the scope of authority granted to third-party arbitrators who hear such appeals.

Throughout the proceedings, city negotiators have said they want to limit arbitrators ability to overturn Police Chief William McManus disciplinary decisions.

By various estimates, about two-thirds of fired officers who appealed their terminations in the past decade have returned to the force  reinstated either by McManus to avoid a drawn-out appeals process or by independent arbitrators.

On ExpressNews.com: Contract talks between San Antonio and police union stall - yet again - over officer discipline

Last month, the city proposed language that would bar an arbitrator from overturning the chiefs decision to fire an officer unless the officer establishes that his or her conduct did not amount to a substantial shortcoming.

Substantial shortcoming was defined as conduct that is detrimental to effective law enforcement or conduct that the community would recognize as good reason to fire an officer.

The union offered a counterproposal that the city said shifted more of the burden onto the city and no longer deferred adequately to the chiefs discretion.

On Friday morning, however, the two sides did not discuss the scope of an arbitrators authority, as had been expected. Villagomez said she expects to do so during the next meetings.

The language from the city and union on the arbitration part of the contract is very similar, Villagomez said. The difference is who proves the substantial shortcoming.

In addition to modifying the 180-rule on Friday, negotiators discussed off-duty employment, hours of work, and sick and family leave.

Villagomez said the two sides have been able to make considerable progress, in part, because the union has changed its ways since the last round of negotiations.

I think the new team that the association has in place has a very different approach from the team we negotiated with from 2014 to 2016, she said. A very different team, a very different approach.

eeaton@express-news.net
Texas courtrooms have become a busy place this August, with Attorney General Ken Paxton battling school districts, cities, counties and nonprofits to defend Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on local mask mandates aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Tracking the status of lawsuits can be dizzying.

The way I like to think about it is there are four big buckets of cases and then there are some little minor cases out there, said Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, whose county has sued both Paxton and Abbott over the ban on mask orders.

Those buckets include Harris Countys lawsuit; one brought by a group of school districts; one from Bexar County and San Antonio; and one from Dallas County. Those cases are the furthest along in the legal process, Menefee said, and he expects a final decision on Abbotts mask order rules to come from one of those cases.

Harris Countys lawsuit and the school districts are proceeding along the same track, Menefee said. Local officials cheered a ruling late Thursday by the state Supreme Court, on a procedural question, that allowed the countys mask mandate to stay in place for now.

The all-Republican high court could have ruled on the merits of the question, but chose not to, instead punting it to a lower court. This signals that the court isnt yet prepared to offer a final decision on whether or not mask mandates across the state will be allowed to remain in place, he said.

They could rule whenever. The fact that they havent issued a ruling I think is encouraging because I think that means theyre thinking about it, Menefee said. If they do that, thats going to be the law of the land for Texas, applying to all cases.

Abbott last spring used his emergency powers to issue an executive order banning cities, counties or school districts from instituting mask mandates. His spokeswoman has repeatedly said the time for mask mandates is over and the focus should instead now solely be on personal responsibility.

Abbott himself is now recovering from COVID-19.

But his curtailing of local authority came before a surge in infections and hospitalizations driven by the more contagious delta variant. The state is approaching its previous high of coronavirus cases from earlier this year and, with a vaccination rate of about 57 percent among eligible residents, is lagging behind many other states in getting shots in arms.

With students returning to Texas classrooms, some rural school districts have already been forced to close as a result of COVID outbreaks among students and staff.

Paxtons office published a list saying that more than 60 school districts and counties around the state are defying Abbotts ban on mask mandates, calling them non-compliers, while superintendents from districts on the list say theyre simply attempting to act responsibly to keep children in their care safe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that even fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors when out in public. Dr. Anthony Fauci recently urged parents to pressure lawmakers to follow CDC guidance.

The debate has led to a flurry of lawsuits in the Lone Star State.

Some are suing Paxton, trying to stop him from enforcing mask mandates. Paxton is suing others  such as San Antonio ISD, which he did Thursday  trying to block the district from instituting a vaccination mandate.

The Texas Legislature gave the Governor the authority to create and enforce executive orders during a statewide emergency  not a hodgepodge of county judges, city mayors or superintendents, the conservative Republican said in a written statement Friday, If other governmental entities continue to blatantly disregard state law, I will sue every single one of them.

Masks have become a highly politicized issue, with many on the right decrying them as an infringement upon personal freedom. Abbott and Paxton are both facing GOP primary challenges next year.

The progress has been confusing as the cases move up and down through the court system on various questions and procedures.

In Bexar County and San Antonios case, local officials won a temporary injunction from an appeal, allowing their mask mandates to remain in place while their case is pending. A trial is scheduled for December. Paxtons office is likely to appeal that to the state Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Dallas County is fighting for a temporary restraining order to allow it to keep the mask mandate in place for the short term, a step that precedes arguments over a temporary injunction. That decision would last longer, months rather than weeks.

The stragglers, as Menefee described them, include a Fort Bend County case and a lawsuit from the Southern Center for Child Advocacy over many of the same issues.

A Fort Bend County district judge on Thursday granted the county a temporary injunction it its legal challenge to Abbott's ban on mask mandates. County Judge KP George said it removed the hurdles that have prevented our municipalities and school districts from taking the same action to protect their communities and the children

Thursdays ruling should remain in place until the issue goes to trial in at least 45 days. Or Paxton could appeal the lower courts decision to the state Supreme Court, as he has others, leaving it up to them to decide.

edward.mckinley@chron.com
Asked Thursday night about the COVID-19 surge in Texas, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick falsely claimed that unvaccinated Black Texans are the biggest group contributing to the increase in cases and hospitalizations.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham had asked the lieutenant governor to respond to political attacks on Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts handling of the pandemic. Abbott and his allies have faced criticism for forbidding local governments from instituting mask mandates, occupancy restrictions on businesses and some other public health measures to curb the spread.

Most of the numbers are with the unvaccinated, Patrick said Thursday. The Democrats like to blame Republicans on that. Well, the biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated. And the last time I checked, over 90 percent of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties.

He later added: In terms of criticizing the Republicans for this? Were encouraging people who want to take (the vaccine) to take it  but (the Democrats) are doing nothing for the African American community that has a significant, high number of unvaccinated people.

Patricks claim drew immediate backlash, with many calling his remarks racist. It is also demonstrably false: Estimates from the state health department show that white Texans make up the majority of the states vaccine-eligible population that has not received a shot.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

It is true that the vaccination rate among Black Texans is low, with about 44 percent of the eligible population having received at least one dose as of Thursday. That compares with 78 percent of Asians, 57 percent of Latinos and 53 percent of white people, per state health department data.

The raw numbers, though, tell a different story. About 24.1 million people are eligible for the vaccine in Texas, according to state population estimates. Texas has a below-average vaccination rate, with roughly 15.9 million people  or 66 percent  receiving at least one dose to date. About 13.2 million Texans, or 55 percent of the eligible population, are fully vaccinated.

Most of the roughly 8 million people who have not been vaccinated are white. While exact numbers are difficult to determine, given Texas troubled history collecting race data on vaccines, its estimated that there are about three times as many white Texans as Black Texans who are eligible for the vaccine but may not have received it  about 4.9 million to 1.6 million, the state health department data shows.

Recent U.S. Census Bureau survey data supports that determination. The Census Bureau found that white adults are the most likely group of Texans to be unvaccinated  and that group is also significantly more likely to rule out getting the vaccine than any other group. About half of unvaccinated white Texans said they definitely would not get the shot, compared with about 21 percent of unvaccinated Latinos and 28 percent of unvaccinated Black people.

But there are some notable gaps in the state data on race and vaccination. Of the 15.9 million people who have received at least one dose, race is unknown for about 1.2 million, and another 1.7 million people are listed as other, a number that three times exceeds official population estimates for that group.

Patricks comments also disregard additional factors that may influence inoculation rates, including access and historical reasons for vaccine hesitancy.

Texas current COVID-19 wave is mostly affecting that unvaccinated group, and the vast majority of hospitalizations are people who have not yet received their shots. The states most recent data on confirmed cases identifies Hispanic and white people as the largest groups impacted by the virus.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

As of Thursday, Latinos made up about 36 percent of positive tests; white people, 35 percent; Black Texans, 16 percent; and Asians, 1 percent. Race is unknown for about 11 percent of confirmed cases, according to state health department data.

The Lt. Governors statements are offensive and should not be ignored, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted Thursday night, responding to a video of Patricks media appearance.

The clip, posted by Voxs Aaron Rupar, has been viewed more than 1.6 million times as of publication.

Lt. Gov. Patrick now blames the current surge in COVID on African Americans, said state Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston. Using minorities as a scapegoat is nothing new for Republicans. This is uninformed, racist rhetoric, and it will not be tolerated.

In a statement posted to his campaign Facebook page Friday afternoon, Patrick doubled down on his comments, saying that Democrat social media trolls were up late misstating the facts and fanning the flames of their lies.

Federal and state data clearly indicate that Black vaccination rates are significantly lower than White or Hispanic rates, he wrote. Democrats continue to play politics with peoples lives, pandering to rather than serving certain constituencies. Republican leadership will continue to encourage vaccination without mandates in all populations.

cayla.harris@express-news.net
In a string of claims aired on Fox News late Thursday night, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick deflected criticism of Governor Greg Abbott and instead took aim at Black Texans, a population that has faced a greater rate of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths while often having less access to vaccination sites compared to other racial groups.

People criticizing the Republican leadership of Texas for the states rising COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths should instead blame unvaccinated African Americans, Patrick told Fox News host Laura Ingraham.

The COVID is spreading, particularly, most of the numbers are with the unvaccinated, Patrick said in response to a question about people attacking the policies of Governor Greg Abbott, who is embroiled in legal battles with school districts and counties that have required masks despite the Republican governors ban on such mandates.

The Democrats like to blame Republicans on that, continued Patrick, a Republican. Well, the biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated. And the last time I checked, over 90 percent of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties.

THE LATEST NUMBERS: Interactive maps, charts show spread of COVID across Houston

Whether Patrick's claim that Black people are the biggest group of unvaccinated people is accurate depends on whether his comment is understood as referring to the racial composition of unvaccinated Texans  or, rather, to the vaccination rates of racial groups.

In a Facebook post Friday afternoon, Patrick appeared to indicate he had meant to make the latter point. Federal and State data clearly indicate that Black vaccination rates are significantly lower than White or Hispanic rates, he wrote. Republican leadership will continue to encourage vaccination without mandates in all populations.

As of Monday, about 38 percent of Black Texans are fully vaccinated compared to 47 percent of white Texans and 45 percent of Hispanic Texans, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, only 12 percent of Texans are Black, meaning the vast majority of the state's 8 million people who are eligible yet unvaccinated  a population that accounts for almost all of the surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations  are white.

The state's roughly 6.8 million unvaccinated white Texans are almost three times as numerous as the estimated 2.39 million unvaccinated Black Texans, according to state health department data.

FACT CHECK: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick falsely claims Black Texans are driving COVID surge

Vaccination rates among racial groups vary due to many factors, according to public health officials and advocates. Unequal distribution of vaccine sites and distrust stemming from long-standing inequalities in health care access and treatment contribute to differences in vaccination rates, experts have said.

Texas is under-performing other states in vaccinating residents, with almost 55 percent of Texans older than 12 fully vaccinated compared to the national average of 60 percent. The slump manifests most in rural white communities and Latino and Black communities in large cities  though for increasingly different reasons, as a July 2021 poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed.

The survey showed Black and Latino adults comprise a higher share of people in the wait and see category  those who say they are open to eventually receiving the vaccine, and who benefit most from expanded vaccine access  whereas people who say they will definitely not be vaccinated are overwhelmingly white adults.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

As local vaccination efforts continue and attitudes diverge, the racial disparity in vaccination rates is shifting. In the two weeks ending Aug. 16, Black and Latino people nationally saw a slightly larger increase in vaccinations compared to white people, according to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Houston Chronicle/Getty Images

Patrick also blasted Democratic elected officials in his interview and Friday statement.

COVID LIVE UPDATES: Keep up with the pandemic and its impact on Houston

Both Democrats and Republicans should be responsible for increasing vaccination rates, Patrick said on Fox News. But in terms of criticizing the Republicans for this? Were encouraging people who want to take (the vaccine) to take it  but (the Democrats) are doing nothing for the African American community that has a significant high number of unvaccinated people, he said.

Democratic elected officials immediately rebuked Patricks late-night comments on Twitter  to which he replied on Friday, Not surprisingly, Democrat social media trolls were up late misstating the facts and fanning the flames of their lies.

The Lt. Governors statements are offensive and should not be ignored, said Houston mayor Sylvester Turner. The city on Aug. 3 announced employees must wear a mask, becoming one of the first local governments to defy Abbotts May 2021 executive order prohibiting jurisdictions from requiring masks.

Some of those who weighed in felt Patricks cable news comments were representative of state-level politics bitterly divided by battles over COVID-19 restrictions and who to blame for the surge in cases, among other issues.

The governor and his lieutenant have in recent months also attributed the rise in COVID-19 cases to people crossing the southern border. Abbott claimed a risk of COVID-19 spread in passing an executive order, since challenged in court, that permitted state troopers to pull over any drivers they suspect are transporting migrants.

I promise you cant make this stuff up! WELCOME TO TEXAS tweeted Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Dallas, whose school district became the first in Texas to require masks ahead of a return to in-person classes.

Joel Umanzor and Paul Takahashi contributed to this report.

charlie.zong@chron.com
As students return to campus across Texas, some school districts are requiring masks in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on such orders  with little consensus about how to ensure students and staff comply.

Houston ISD is among those taking a hardline approach to enforcing their mask mandates, with threats of being sent home and disciplinary action for students who refuse to cover their faces. Other districts said they have no such plans and are hopeful that all students and staff members will abide by the face covering requirement without stirring up drama.

Keyhla Calderon-Lugo, a spokeswoman for Edgewood ISD in San Antonio, said the only students who showed up on campus without masks on Monday, the first day of school, did so by accident.

We have surveyed our parents and have been in continuous communication with them, Calderon-Lugo said. For us, our community has been cooperating greatly with the guidelines and safety protocols established by the district.

IN-DEPTH: COVID outbreaks in rural Texas districts signal a troubled back-to-school season

Many school administrators think mask-reluctant children may just need a nudge. Almost across the board, districts with mandates in place have provided schools with extra masks and instructed staff to offer them to students who show up on campus without a face covering.

We're assuming that they didn't have one, not that they don't want to wear one, said Sheleah Reed, a spokeswoman for Aldine ISD. Our hope is that we keep students in class. Our goal is not to send them home. We've worked really hard to get all 67,000 of our students back to in-person learning.

Where school districts diverge is when students refuse to wear masks after being offered one.

North of Austin, Pflugerville ISD is certainly not denying any student access to school, said spokeswoman Tamra Spence, who added that she was not aware of any specific instances where a resolution hasnt been reached with children who have arrived unmasked since classes resumed Monday.

A WORLD OF TROUBLE: NIH director Collins addresses COVID threat in Texas schools

Some districts say they will segregate the unmasked students from those with masks.

At Houston ISD schools, students who refuse to wear masks will be placed in a separate area and their parents or guardians contacted. Those who continue to refuse will be told to stay home, marked absent and offered temporary online learning, according to district guidance.

Dallas ISD, meanwhile, is working with its schools to provide separate rooms where students who decline to follow the mask mandate will continue to receive instruction, Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said Sunday. He described Dallas ISDs approach to enforcing its mask requirement as nice but firm, and noted that the district had not had any problems since its mandate took effect Aug. 10.

Were going to be benevolent. Were going to work with people. Were going to offer masks, Hinojosa said. But were going to be firm. We have to protect the health and safety of our students.

The range of mask enforcement measures employed by Texas school districts adds to the confusion and discord sparked by a dizzying array of lawsuits, conflicting local rules, and court orders over the mandates.

Policies still in flux as court decisions loom

Numerous districts had imposed mask requirements heading into the weekend, only to make them optional Sunday evening after the Texas Supreme Court revived Abbotts ban on mask mandates in Bexar and Dallas counties. The policy change came hours before the first day of school in many districts.

On Tuesday, trustees at Northside ISD  San Antonios largest school district  voted to require masks when schools reopen next week. Many other districts in the area have made face coverings optional, however, despite a countywide public health order mandating masks in K-12 schools.

Other districts with mask mandates had only settled on the policy late last week and were still ironing out the finer points  including protocol for enforcing the orders  by the time classes began.

We made this decision on Friday. And we started school on Monday, said Reed, at Aldine ISD. So, the things that we're doing now, it could change tomorrow or next week. It just depends on what the circumstances look like.

Those pushing for the mandates have noted that children under 12 remain ineligible for the vaccine, meaning masks are one of the few defenses for young children against COVID amid a rise in pediatric hospitalizations from the virus. Texans between the ages of 12 and 17 are also the least vaccinated of all age groups, according to state data.

Opponents of the mandates argue that children are unlikely to become seriously ill after contracting COVID, even with the highly contagious delta variant causing an uptick in cases and hospitalizations at all age levels. They say students and parents should be allowed to decide for themselves whether to wear masks, instead of being directed to do so by the government.

The mandates thrust teachers and administrators into the middle of a politically charged debate and may even open them to criminal charges, according to the Williamson County attorney, who warned that teachers could face penalties for violating Abbotts executive order.

Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, said some union members have asked how to respond if they are asked to enforce their school districts mask mandate. He said the legal uncertainty hanging over the situation is absolutely an area of concern, though he said the warning about criminal charges sounds a little over the top.

It's a really tough place for any of our school employees to be in, Capo said. But at the same time, I understand why school districts are requiring these mandates  because we can figure out how to work our way through the disagreements on policy or the potential consequences that come out of this, but you can't really work a kid's life back.

For now, many district leaders are simply hoping that they receive little pushback from students and parents about the mandates.

Some districts enacted mask requirements after conducting surveys of parents and staff that revealed widespread support for wearing face coverings. In a survey of more than 27,000 families, Austin ISD found that 80 percent would choose to send their kid to school with a mask. In the Austin area, Manor ISD found that 85 percent of parents and staff would voluntarily send their child to school with a mask and wear one themselves, respectively.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday decided to temporarily allow school districts and some local governments to require masks on their property, rejecting Attorney General Ken Paxtons attempt to expedite his challenge to the mandates.

The courts decision came within hours of new guidance from the Texas Education Agency that Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts order banning mask requirements would not be enforced as the result of the ongoing litigation.

The agency also said schools must now notify all teachers, staff and families of students who come in contact with someone in a classroom or extracurricular activity who has tested positive for COVID-19. The policy, a reversal from the TEAs prior guidance that made such notice optional, brought it in line with orders from Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and other local officials who had required the notices anyway.

The high courts decision, meanwhile, stalls Abbotts efforts to ban mask requirements using his authority to control the states response to the COVID pandemic. Abbott and Paxton are seeking to overturn three separate rulings on the matter from a Travis County judge, one of which upholds Harris Countys mask mandate for schools and daycare centers.

It is also yet another warning sign for Abbott, as dozens of Texas school districts defy him by requiring children to wear masks on campus. The governor has prohibited local mask orders since the spring, drawing withering criticism from the White House and local officials who argue the mandates are needed to protect vaccine-ineligible students amid a spike in COVID infections.

Abbott faces two notable conservative challengers in next years GOP primary who have sharply attacked the statewide mask order and various COVID restrictions he enacted last year.

Though Abbotts disaster authority was repeatedly challenged in court early in the pandemic, legal experts say the battle over masks presents a new, and potentially steeper, legal test.

The all-Republican Supreme Courts decision sends the lawsuit to Texas 3rd Court of Appeals, and its ruling will almost certainly be appealed back to the high court.

It was the high courts second ruling this week on a mask-related lawsuit, after the justices on Sunday restored Abbotts ban on mask mandates in Bexar and Dallas counties.

Abbott, recovering from COVID-19 himself, could not be reached for comment Thursday. A former Texas Supreme Court justice and attorney general, Abbott has previously boasted of winning these sort of battles quickly with favorable rulings from the court.

Last year, Abbott brushed off concerns raised by critics that he was overstepping his disaster powers.

Ive been sued too many times for me to count. Every lawsuit thats been filed against me  I either won in court or its been dismissed by the court or by the parties, Abbott said at a news conference in August 2020. This lawsuit will meet that exact same fate.

ABBOTTS ORDERS: Mask fight poses most serious challenge yet to Gov. Abbotts pandemic power

Local officials praised Thursdays decision and the new state guidance, even as they braced for the legal saga to continue. Hidalgo, who issued Harris Countys mask order late last week in an effort to stem a surge of COVID-19 cases driven by the delta variant, called the ruling a victory for our kids health.

About 69 percent of Harris County residents who are 12 and up have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, while 57 percent are fully vaccinated, putting the county roughly in line with the nationwide rates. But the county is struggling with a spike in cases and hospitalizations. The Texas Medical Center admitted 429 new COVID patients Wednesday, a massive jump from the average of 58 daily hospitalizations recorded in early July.

The county has resorted to offering $100 gift cards to unvaccinated people who receive their shots.

This is an important decision, said Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, a Democrat. It means Harris Countys orders mandating masks for employees and students stand for now. Our lawsuit against the Governor will continue, and well keep giving all weve got to ensure local officials and school districts can protect our students and immunocompromised.

Menefee said hes hopeful the high court will examine whether Abbott is misusing the Disaster Act and needs to be reined in.

The Texas Supreme Court has yet to consider the actual merits of the suits in Bexar, Dallas and Travis counties. All continue to work their way through the lower courts as students have been returning to school this month.

In Thursdays ruling, the court rebuffed Paxtons attempt to tack the Travis County case onto the one involving the halted local orders in Bexar and Dallas counties. Underscoring the confusing patchwork of lawsuits, the Travis County case actually involves three separate court orders that authorize mask mandates in Harris County and all school districts in Texas.

In rejecting Paxtons request to consolidate the lawsuits, the justices cited a provision that says a case must be presented first to the court of appeals unless there is a compelling reason to send it directly to the Supreme Court.

Eva Guzman, a former Texas Supreme Court justice who is challenging Paxton in the Republican primary for attorney general, criticized the incumbent for trying to bypass the appellate courts.

Cant ignore the rules. Cant cut corners when it comes to practicing law, Guzman said in a tweet. Texas families will have to wait for a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court because the Texas AG didnt follow the rules.

Also on Thursday, Texas 4th Court of Appeals upheld San Antonio and Bexar Countys mask requirement for schools and their own facilities, moving that case a step away from reaching the Supreme Court.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who announced the ruling, said Paxton would almost certainly appeal the ruling to the high court, where he acknowledged local officials havent done too well.

The Dallas County case is in the earliest stages of the mask lawsuits, with a hearing scheduled before a state district judge on Tuesday. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has kept his mask requirement in place for businesses and schools even after the Supreme Court ruling, though he lifted penalties for violators from his order.

Paxtons office suffered another setback Thursday in Fort Bend County, outside Houston.

Judge J. Christian Becerra upheld County Judge KP Georges order requiring masks in county buildings, which he issued last week after the judge granted a temporary restraining order that suspended authority of Abbotts executive order in Fort Bend. Georges order does not apply to schools in the county.

By the court upholding the order on facial coverings, this keeps the doors open for our school districts to be champions in the fight against COVID and use the tools available to them to protect our children and their families, said George, a Democrat. We know that the best defense to keep our community safe and save lives is by wearing face coverings and being vaccinated against COVID-19.

Anna Bauman contributed to this report

jasper.scherer@chron.com
Sterling, VA (20165)

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As boating popularity has surged during the pandemic, deaths in Connecticut waters have doubled this year, including two personal watercraft fatalities  the first since 2012, state and federal data show.

Since 2017, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has recorded 231 boating accidents involving 334 vessels, 49 of which were personal watercraft. During that time, there have been 23 incidents involving personal watercraft, including the two deaths reported this year, according to Will Healey, a DEEP spokesperson.

The watercraft deaths are among six fatalities on the water DEEP has reported this year  up from three in 2020 and two in 2019. But overall fatalities are still below where they were in 2017, when the state recorded eight boating fatalities.

Boating activity during the pandemic has increased, and while unfortunately, the number of boating-related fatalities compared to past years has increased, we have not seen an increase in reportable incidents overall as compared to previous years, Healey said.

The Coast Guard, which gathers data on boating accidents nationwide, last year reported personal watercraft were the second most common vessel involved in accidents behind open motorboats.

All forms of boating have increased during the pandemic, even all the way down to paddle boards, said Officer Dakota Flis, who serves in the boating division of DEEPs Environmental Conservation police force. Were seeing a big increase in boating on weekdays and especially on the weekends, he said.

He said the majority of people are following the rules while riding personal watercraft. In Connecticut, riders are required to pass a personal watercraft certification course in addition to obtaining a safe boating certificate. Riders are also prohibited from operating personal watercraft at night, and are required to wear life jackets at all times.

Earlier this month, 59-year-old Stephen Fabians body was recovered in the water after DEEP officials said boaters found his personal watercraft adrift on the Connecticut River in Haddam.

In July, 18-year-old Matthew Horvath was killed on a personal watercraft on the Long Island Sound in Milford. The recent Shelton High School grad was killed in a collision between two personal watercraft, officials said.

According to state data, these were the first deaths since 2012 involving personal watercraft  better known by the Kawasaki brand name Jet Ski, though other manufacturers include Sea-Doo and Yamahas WaveRunner line according to state figures.

The boats speed and maneuverability present trouble for some riders, Flis said.

A lot of people like to go really fast on them, Flis said. Anytime you add speed to things ... it adds a little bit of danger.

Novice riders also struggle with a handling quirk of personal watercraft  because the boats are powered by a directed jet of water, riders have to stay on the throttle in order to steer, Flis said.

To steer them, you dont just turn the handlebars like a dirt bike, Flis said. You turn the (bars) and hit the throttle at the same time.

Youll see some accidents sometimes where the person said, I tried to steer, but it wouldnt go anywhere, because they werent on the throttle giving it the maneuverability, he added.

He said boating accidents usually occur around congested areas with high traffic.

We recommend to use a little bit more caution, boat a little more responsibly in the area where its congested. Flis said.
Child sexual abuse is such an age-old problem that its explained in many Native American communities with a parable known as the Story of the Moon and the Sun.

As retold by child psychologist Dolores Subia BigFoot, a member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, the story is about a brother and sister who have lost their parents and many relatives and have only each other.

The sister longs for companionship and tells her brother of her desire to share her life with someone, the parable goes.

One night, a man comes to her in the darkness of their camp. She cannot tell who he is, but hes kind and makes her laugh and, over time, they become lovers. Ultimately, the girl learns that the stranger is her brother, and they are devastated.

He became the MOON who does not shine except in the darkness of night and she became the SUN. You can still see his shame because he never shines brightly when the sun is out, the parable says.

BigFoot directs the Native American Programs at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She says some version of this parable has been shared among different tribes for generations.

Barbara Bettelyoun is a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota with doctorates in child development and child clinical psychology. She runs Buffalo Star People, a South Dakota-based organization specializing in healing historical and childhood traumas in Native communities. She and her husband, Francis, speak nationally on child sexual abuse in Native American communities.

I dont think that theres an Indigenous family who has not been touched by this, Bettelyoun said, pausing. I dont think theres one; I dont know of one.

Rape has historically been used as a weapon of war, and that was true when settlers colonized Native American lands. According to Bettelyoun and other experts, this learned abuse has been passed down through generations, creating intergenerational trauma.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native cabinet member in U.S. history, noted the long-standing intergenerational trauma and its cycles of violence and abuse when she announced in June a federal investigation into the legacy of Indian boarding schools.

Christian churches and the U.S. government established the schools in the 19th century to forcibly assimilate Native children into American culture. The children were taken from their families and sent  sometimes thousands of miles away  to boarding schools, where their long hair was cut short and they werent allowed to speak their own languages, wear traditional clothing or practice their religions.

The intent was so that when the children came back to their own families and villages, they would be ashamed of being Indigenous, Bettelyoun said. They did that by raping our children and molesting our children and abusing them in horrific ways.

The remains of hundreds of children have already been found on the former grounds of Canadas largest Indigenous boarding school.

A 2012 study by researchers from the University of Washington found that former boarding school attendees reported higher rates of current illicit drug use and living with alcohol use disorder, and were significantly more likely to have attempted suicide and experienced suicidal thoughts in their lifetime compared to non-attendees. The survey of 447 American Indian, Alaska Native and First Nations adults from urban areas who self-identified as LGBT, Two-Spirit or having engaged in same-sex behavior also found that those who were raised by someone who attended boarding schools were more likely to have attempted suicide and experienced suicidal thoughts in their lifetime.

Dr. Renee Ornelas, a child abuse pediatric specialist for 30 years who works at Tsehootsooi Medical Center in Fort Defiance, Arizona, said the Native children sent to boarding schools were physically, sexually and spiritually abused. And the cycle of violence continued when these children, who were never parented, returned home and became parents themselves.

All these things that you learn as youre growing up about how to be safe, nobody ever taught them, Ornelas said, adding that nine of 10 caregivers who bring their child to her clinic for sexual abuse have been abused themselves.

In addition, she said, the modern-day version of boarding schools are now seeing cases of children abusing other children. What we know now is that if youre growing up in a home where theres domestic violence, you can learn sexual abuse. You can do that to other children, not for sexual gratification, but to cause humiliation, embarrassment, bullying.

The trauma of childhood sexual abuse doesnt just create lifelong emotional turmoil, it can lead to long-term physical problems, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, said Debra Kaysen, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.

Speaking of boarding school survivors, Kaysen said, What you get is somebody who is highly traumatized, whos sent back to a community, often without coping strategies for how to manage their distress.

Francis Bettelyoun, a member of the Oglala Lakhota and Yankton Sioux Tribe, is an Indigenous liaison to Winona State University in Minnesota. He is descended from boarding school survivors and says he was sexually abused as a child.

I deal with this every day. I cant not separate myself from the trauma that happened. My dad was in boarding school, his dad, my grandfather as well, and the two generations before dealt with this, as well, Francis Bettelyoun said. To get through this, it needs to be recognized that this isnt something that goes away and will go away through time. This is something that needs to be addressed by those who have done it and those that are part of it now.

Researchers Grace Oldham and Rachel Gold contributed to this story. It was produced by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State Universitys Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, an initiative of the Scripps Howard Foundation in honor of the late news industry executive and pioneer Roy W. Howard. For more see https://azpbs.org/littlevictims. Contact us at howardcenter@asu.edu or on Twitter @HowardCenterASU.
The government must be 'revolutionary' in its approach to levelling up rural Britain as many communities continue to feel left behind, the NFU has said.

The union said policies which covered affordable housing, planning, health, education and transport must 'work well for everyone', not just for urban areas.

It comes after a roundtable was recently hosted by the thinktank Onward and supported by the NFU, which outlined the economic and societal gains to be made.

The underlying matter at the crux of many rural challenges was how policy-makers account for rural issues in their decision-making process, the roundtable found.

Contributors to the discussion agreed that current rural proofing was not sufficient due to its being siloed in one department.

Instead, the creation of a dedicated strategy was proposed and supported by participants in order to ensure that rural matters are considered from the outset.

Another issue covered was broadband provision. Access to sufficient mobile and broadband is key for future rural growth, but the participants highlighted that it was far from universal.

They said that with the right funding for connectivity, rural areas could deliver more green growth and jobs, while benefitting farming businesses and the wider rural community.

The roundtable event also said that diversified farming businesses must have more clarity on their future access to funds.

Nearly two thirds of all farm businesses in England run other enterprises such as farm shops, camp sites, wedding venues and B&Bs, and rural businesses.

Following the discussion, NFU President Minette Batters explained that a lot of rural communities across the country felt they were being left behind.

Farming  and rural Britain  can provide solutions to many of the challenges we face, from green growth and climate change mitigation to improving the health and wellbeing of our nation by the food we produce," she said.

The governments levelling up agenda is an opportunity for a revolutionary approach to rural Britain; one that maximises the potential of a community which plays such a core role in our national prosperity.

Will Holloway, Onwards deputy director, added that the government had 'rightly committed' to increasing opportunity across the country.

But he said that ensuring opportunities were increased in rural areas as well as towns and cities would be crucial to national success.

Ministers across government should address the sum of the challenges facing rural Britain, from digital connectivity to skills and training to infrastructure investment.
Farmers have been dealt a 'major blow' after the government decided to ban the live exports of animals for slaughter, NFU Cymru has warned.

Defra and the Welsh government announced the development on Wednesday, despite some concern from farming industry groups.

The new measures will end the live exports of farm animals for slaughter and further fattening from Great Britain to anywhere in the world.

Internal transport will also be improved, including reduced maximum journey times, better space allowances such as more headroom, and stricter rules during extreme weather.

The ban on live animal exports could be delivered as early as January 2022 as the legislation is already going through parliament.

But the move has been described as a 'major blow' by NFU Cymru, which had instead suggested an assurance scheme using the 'highest specifications'.

Wyn Evans, the union's livestock board chairman said: "Such a transport ban is illogical, based on crossing the short straits and to approved abattoirs in the near continent.

He said NFU Cymru was 'disappointed' that the above head height proposals of 20cm would be implemented, meaning the 'costly' redesign of many livestock transporters, and in some cases reducing the carriage of livestock to a single deck.

Mr Evans added that such a decision could actually work against animal welfare, with the increased height allowing stock to mount each other during transportation.

"We are also concerned that government has decided to bring in this change when it would have been much better to improve awareness of fitness to travel before loading," he said.

Richard Williams, NFU Cymru poultry board chairman, expressed his disappointment that the temperature restriction on poultry proposed would be implemented.

"This will cause issues to the supply chain during cold and hot periods of the year," he explained.

Announcing the new standards, minister for rural affairs Lesley Griffiths said animal welfare was a 'priority' for the Welsh government.

"These proposals go further again to ensure that the welfare of animals is protected throughout their lives, including during transport.

"We will now work with the industry on implementing the changes."
A loan scheme will offer Scottish farmers the opportunity to receive up to 95 percent of their Basic Payment Scheme and Greening payments in advance.

Around 17,000 businesses are expected to receive a loan offer from the 2021 National Basic Payment Support Scheme (NPBS), which will deliver around 337m into farmers' bank accounts.

And for the first time, farmers will be able to opt in online, potentially speeding up the process and ensuring loans arrive in September.

NFU Scotland said the scheme would add 'certainty and stability' across the agriculture sector and the wider rural community following the impacts of both Brexit and the pandemic.

The union's president Martin Kennedy said: Previous loan schemes have provided an invaluable boost to the rural economy each autumn, stimulating investment in farms and crofts across the country.

"This year, as we recover from Covid-19, the scheme will also provide much-needed cash flow ahead of our first winter since leaving Europe and the CAP."

The 2021 NPBS is the tenth loan scheme of this kind to be delivered by Scottish government and processes have continued to improve with each scheme.

The ability to opt in online adds a new, speedier option for farmers and crofters to accept their offer while the traditional email and postal options remain available.

Mr Kennedy urged farmers to opt into this year's scheme and to do so online where possible to ensure payments are processed and made as soon as possible.

Many farmers will be looking seriously at cash flows this autumn, particularly in areas where dry weather this summer has meant a significant amount of planning around availability of feed, fodder and bedding and this loan scheme will be a huge help."

He also called on the government to deliver the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme (LFASS) this winter, as it was 'critical' to the viability of remote farming businesses.

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said the Scottish government's priority was to ensure farmers received their payments on time.

"There are a number of challenges arising from Brexit including around food supplies," she added.

"We are continuing to support our farmers and crofters so we that we can maintain domestic food security and help secure local supply chains."
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2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

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We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
This is still an unfolding story and the information in this article is correct as of Sunday, August 1, 2021. We will continue to update our readers as the situation develops.

Firefighters were battling blazes for a fifth day on Turkeys southern coast on Sunday, where dozens of villages and some hotels were evacuated.

The wildfires were deadliest in Antalya, where five people, including two firefighters, were killed after they were stranded in the midst of fast-spreading flames. The sixth victim was a young man trying to aid firefighters in Marmaris, who died when his motorcycle crashed in a fire-hit area and he was caught in the middle of a forest fire. The blazes left a large number of people homeless, especially in Manavgat.

The country has declared the place a disaster area and pledged aid and new residences for locals affected by the fires. Most were villagers, who, along with their homes, lost livestock, their main source of income. A total of 42 rural neighbourhoods were affected by the fires, with forced evacuation occurring in 27 neighbourhoods. Some 279 people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation and burns in Manavgat.

In Kalemler, one of the villages most affected by the Manavgat fire, bulldozers started demolishing houses that were completely burned or heavily damaged by the fire on Sunday. Locals were taken to a safe location in the district where aid delivery spots were established.

President Erdogan said on Saturday that $5.91 million (TL 50 million) has been allocated to meet the urgent needs in areas that have experienced destruction and property damage. He said Turkey was mobilizing all means to bring the blazes under control.

112 fires

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli shared figures on his Twitter account, saying a total of 112 fires have erupted since July 28 and 107 of them have been contained.

Forest Fires Status (July 28  August 1) 107 fires under control, efforts to control 5 fires continue.

The efforts to contain the remaining five fires continued in the Manavgat and Gundogmus districts of Antalya, along with Marmaris, Koycegiz, and Milas districts of Mugla.

An aerial fleet containing 12 helicopters and three planes, ground forces  including a group of 100 Azerbaijanis sent to Turkey to assist the ongoing efforts  along with locals, were fighting the fires.

At a press conference in Mugla on Saturday, Minister Pakdemirli had warned that caution will be needed to combat the massive fires on Sunday when humidity is expected to drop 10%.

A total of 13 aircraft, nine drones, 45 helicopters, one unmanned helicopter, 708 water tankers and water sprinklers, 120 construction machines have been used in the efforts, said Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli, adding that some 4,800 personnel are active in the region.

Fire breaks out in Antalyas Manavgat district

The first fires broke out at around 12.00 on Wednesday, July 28 in the forest areas of Kavakl, Sarlar, Kalemler and Yenikoy in Antalyas Manavgat district, quickly spreading due to strong wind and leaving a trail of destruction in its path.

Manavgat (July 28, 2021)

Manavgat (July 28, 2021)

Manavgat (July 28, 2021)

Tourists were seen on the beach near the town of Manavgat in southern Turkey as dark smoke covered the sky following wildfires

Manavgat (July 29, 2021)

Manavgat (July 29, 2021)

Hundreds of residents from the four neighbourhoods in the town were evacuated as the fire was fanned by strong winds, causing it to spread rapidly.

Evacuating out of the path of the fire

A man rescues his dog from his burning house in Manavgat

By Thursday, forest fires had broken out in Akseki, Mersin, Osmaniye and Adana, Marmaris, Bodrum, Koycegiz, Didim, Milas, Karamanmaras, Kayseri, and Kocaeli.

Homes and hotels in Bodrum and Marmaris were evacuated, some by Turkish Coastguard vessels  assisted by private boats and yachts  deployed to bring holidaymakers to safety by sea as new wildfires erupted.

Marmaris

Marmaris

Satellite images shared by the Ministry of National Defense show the forest fire affecting Marmaris, in Mugla, Turkey, Aug. 1, 2021. (COURTESY OF MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE)

Drone point of view of burned forest area after forest fire that broke out in Milas district in Turkeys Mugla province on July 30, 2021. (Ali Ball  Anadolu Agency )

Hundreds of fire and forestry workers, aided by helicopters and a plane, tried to bring the fires under control. Local people join forces with the teams to put out the fires.

















A woman tries to stop an advancing wildfire in Kacarlar village near the Mediterranean coastal town of Manavgat, Antalya, Turkey, Saturday, July 31, 2021. (AP Photo)

Fire in Ovack, Fethiye

At around 00:30 on July 30, a fire broke out at three different points in the forest in the Ovack area of Fethiye. The roads providing access to Oludeniz and historical Kayakoy were closed to traffic as a precaution.







Hundreds of locals turned out to support the fire teams and the fire was brought under control in four hours.





Approximately five hectares of red pine forest was damaged in the fire. Investigations into the cause of the fire continue.







Support from neighbouring countries

Offers of practical support have come from neighbouring countries, including:

Azerbaijan: The Emergency Situations Ministry of Azerbaijan sent 53 fire trucks meant to fight large fires, as well as 220 personnel by land on Saturday. Earlier, 100 Azerbaijani firefighters arrived by air in the Turkish province of Mugla.

53 fire trucks and 220 personnel arrived from Azerbaijan on August 31, 2021

Iran: According to news reports, Iran is sending firefighting aid, including aerial vehicles, to Turkey to help control ongoing fires across the country, the Iranian ambassador to Turkey said on Saturday.

Turkeys defence ministry on Saturday tweeted photos of an Iranian firefighting plane sent to the neighbouring country, saying that efforts to extinguish the fires in Marmaris continue.

Iranian firefighting plane in Turkey

The firefighting aircraft with a capacity of 40 tons of water arrived in the province of Mugla

Russia has sent five IL-76 aircraft and three Mi-18 helicopters to help Turkey in the fight to extinguish the fires. Russia, which is itself facing strong wildfires, has managed to stabilise the situation across the country and, therefore, can give a hand to Turkey suffering from the same natural dsaster.

IL-76 water bomber

True heroes

Some 4,800 firefighters and forestry workers have, so far, been battling the fire for five days and nights, on land and from the air. Can you even begin to imagine how exhausted they must be with the hot summer temperatures as well as the heat from the fire?

Firefighters are true heroes. When there is a fire our natural instinct is to run in the opposite direction  away from the danger. Firefighters run towards the danger and are usually first on the scene.

Their courage knows no limits. They know the danger involved and that there is a possibility things may not go so well for them, but they do it anyway.









Wildfires

Wildfires are common in Turkeys Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the arid summer months and this year has been particularly dry with rainfall levels in Mugla, which is the province with the second-highest rainfall in Turkey, decreasing by 80 per cent in the last three months of this year compared to last year.

During drought conditions, fuels for wildfire, such as grasses and trees, can dry out and become more flammable. Drought can also increase the probability of ignition and the rate at which fire spreads

The fires are being treated as suspicious due to having started in more than one location at once.

President Erdogan said an investigation had already been launched.

Minister Pakdemirli also emphasized that official investigations into the causes of the fires continue.

Judicial and law enforcement authorities continue their investigation into the causes of the fires. A statement will be made once important findings are uncovered, he said.

Citing widespread speculation on social media, Pakdemirli also urged the public against relying on uncorroborated information from nonofficial sources.

Sources: NTV/Daily Mail/Anadolu Ajansi/Daily Sabah/Islam Times/Ani News
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Thalapathy Vijay and Pooja Hegde starrer Beast and Prabhas and Pooja Hegde starrer Radhe Shyam are both awaited films of next year. The audience is eagerly waiting to catch both these films on the big screen and they have been at the center of attention since their inception.



A source close to the film Beast shares, "The makers of Beast are looking at the start of Pongal next year for the film's release, which will be on the 14th of January, 2022 so hopefully theatres will be open and functioning by then." If this is true, that will mean that romantic period drama, Radhe Shyam will lock horns with it on the big screen as it is also slated for a Pan-India release on the same date.





Thalapathy Vijay and Pooja are currently in Chennai shooting for Beast, which is an out and out action flick.

Read More - Shershaah becomes the highest rated Hindi movie on IMDb




Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 19, 2021) - Conquest Resources Limited (TSXV: CQR) ("Conquest") reports its second quarter results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021.

This news release should be read in conjunction with the Company's unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and the associated management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2021 which are available on the Company's website at www.conquestresources.com or under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Q2 & RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

Construction and preparation for the Belfast-TeckMag field camp was completed at the beginning of June 2021. The planned 10,000-meter diamond drilling program commenced on June 5.

During the six-week period between June 5 and July 16, Conquest completed 12 drill holes, 3 of which have encountered significant sulfide mineralization. Drilling resumed on August 9, following a scheduled two-week break in the second half of July. The program remains on time and on budget.

Drill hole BC21-05 intersected sections of disseminated to semi-massive pyrrhotite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite mineralization in the form of disseminations, sulphidic horizons, and breccia units over a core length of 26 meters. Drill hole BC21-11 intersected numerous zones of pyrrhotite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite within chlorite-altered metasediments, in the form of sulphidic horizons and disseminations. Drill hole BC21-02 intersected sections of semi-massive to massive sulphides over a core length of 5 meters.

Subsequent to the end of Q2 in July 2021, Conquest completed a 155-line kilometer airborne MobileMT survey west of Emerald Lake. The results from the survey revealed a large area of low resistivity south of the TeckMag leases and away from the main IF trend and is encouraging for exploration for both Archean VMS and mafic intrusive related deposits.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

For the three-month period ended June 30, 2021, the Company recorded a net loss of $1,067,531 or $0.008 per share. The operating expenses included exploration expenditures of $786,294 and stock-based compensation expense of $184,217. The increased exploration costs incurred in Q2 of 2021, in comparison with previous quarters, are resulted from the ramp-up of the current drilling program at the Company's Belfast-TeckMag Project since the beginning of June 2021.

For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021, the Company recorded a net loss of $1,834,282 or $0.014 per share. The operating expenses included net acquisition cost of $107,100, exploration expenditures of $1,150,369 and stock-based compensation expense of $339,685.

The increase in the operating loss in the first half of 2021, in comparison with that of 2020, is mainly resulted from the increased exploration activities and expenditures on the Belfast-TeckMag Project and the acquisition of additional mineral rights associated with the Belfast-TeckMag Project in March 2021.

At June 30, 2021, the Company had total current assets of $4,006,156, including cash and cash equivalents of $3,764,732 to settle accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $388,156. During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company had no proceeds or expenditures from financing or investing activities. The proceeds from its previous flow-through share financing have been fully expended on qualifying Canadian Exploration Expenditures as at June 30, 2021.

Grant of Incentive Stock Options

The Board of Directors has approved the granting of 1,800,000 incentive stock options to directors, officers and consultants under the Company's Stock Option Plan, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.

All of the stock options are exercisable at a price of $0.15 per share for a term of five years and will vest quarterly over a period of two years.

As of the date hereof, the total number of Conquest shares outstanding is 134,637,106.

ABOUT CONQUEST

Conquest Resources Limited, incorporated in 1945, is a mineral exploration company that is exploring for base metals and gold on mineral properties in Ontario.

Conquest controls over 300 sq km of underexplored territory in the Temagami Mining Camp and holds a 100% interest in the Belfast - Teck Mag Project, located in the Temagami Mining Camp at Emerald Lake, approximately 65 kilometers northeast of Sudbury, Ontario, which hosts the former Golden Rose Gold Mine and is underlain by highly prospective Abitibi greenstone geology along a strike length of 17 kilometers.

Conquest also holds a 100% interest in the Alexander Gold Property located immediately east of the Red Lake and Campbell mines in the heart of the Red Lake Gold Camp on the important "Mine Trend" regional structure. Conquest's property is almost entirely surrounded by Evolution Mining land holdings.

In addition, Conquest owns a 100% interest in the Smith Lake Gold Property of six patented claims and 181 staked mining claims to the north, west and south of the former Renabie Gold Mine in Rennie Township in northern Ontario, operated by Corona and Barrick that had reported gold production of over 1,000,000 ounces between 1947 and 1991 (Northern Miner March 4, 1991).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Email: general@conquestresources.com

Website: www.conquestresources.com



Tom Obradovich

President & Chief Executive

416-985-7140



Forward-looking statements. This news release may include certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the completion of the Acquisition and the Consolidation, the release of escrowed funds, future cash on hand, potential mineralization, resources and reserves, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of Conquest, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Conquest's expectations are exploration risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by Conquest with securities regulators. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of TSXV) 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/93819
Regulatory News:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) today noted that Pershing Square Tontine Holdings, Ltd. (NYSE:PSTH) CEO Bill Ackman issued the following letter.

August 19, 2021

Dear Pershing Square Tontine Holdings, Ltd. Shareholder,

A purported shareholder filed a lawsuit on August 17th claiming that PSTH has been operating as an illegal investment company because, among other claims, PSTH invested its IPO proceeds in securities (short-term Treasurys and money market funds that own short-term Treasurys). This is of course something all SPACs do as they preserve funds necessary to complete their initial business combinations. As the law professors who brought the case should very well know (as both are securities law experts), holding cash and government securities while seeking a business combination does not make PSTH an illegal investment company, nor does it make any of the hundreds of other SPACs that do the same, illegal investment companies either.

While we believe the lawsuit is meritless, the nature of the suit and our legal system make it unlikely that it can be resolved in the short term. Even if the case were dismissed expeditiously, the plaintiff can then appeal. As a result, the mere existence of the litigation may deter potential merger partners from working with PSTH on a transaction until the lawsuit is finally resolved.

Because the basic issues raised here apply to every SPAC, a successful claim would imply that every SPAC may also be an illegal investment company. As a result, the lawsuit may have a chilling effect on the ability of other SPACs to consummate merger transactions or to engage in IPOs until the litigation is resolved in PSTH's favor, as the consequences of being deemed an illegal investment company are extremely onerous.

PSTH has about 11 months remaining to enter into a letter of intent with a transaction counterparty for its initial business combination, and six additional months to close that transaction. This period may be extended by up to six months by a vote of PSTH shareholders. While we have been working diligently to identify and close a transaction, and we have begun discussions with potential merger candidates, our ability to complete a transaction in the required time frame has been impaired by the lawsuit.

All is not lost, however. As we have previously disclosed, we have been working on obtaining approval for the launch of Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, Ltd. ("SPARC"). If we are successful in securing SPARC's approval, and I am confident that we will get it done, we will have a clear path to mitigate the harm that this litigation has and will continue to cause to PSTH shareholders and warrant holders.

Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, Ltd.

We are working to accelerate the launch of Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, Ltd. ("SPARC"), and expect that we will shortly be making a public filing of SPARC's SEC registration statement. As a reminder, SPARC, which we conceived of months ago and disclosed in connection with the UMG transaction, is a modified opt-in (rather than the current opt-out) SPAC structure where investors in PSTH would receive long-dated, transferable SPARC warrants to acquire common stock in SPARC, which we expect to be traded on the NYSE.

SPARC warrants would give investors the right to invest in SPARC's future merger transaction at a share price equal to SPARC's cash net asset value ("NAV") per share. The Pershing Square Funds will be making a large-co-investment in SPARC on precisely the same terms and at the same time as SPARC warrant holders. The SPARC warrants would not be exercisable, and warrant holders would not need to invest their capital, until SPARC has identified a merger target, completed due diligence, entered into and approved a transaction, and cleared a registration statement with the SEC, which will provide full disclosure on the transaction and the target company.

Originally, SPARC intended to issue the SPARC warrants to PSTH shareholders after PSTH's initial business combination. In light of this litigation, we expect that SPARC would issue the SPARC warrants as promptly as possible after regulatory approvals are obtained.

While there is no certainty that SPARC will be approved by the SEC, or that the NYSE rule change will be adopted, we are hopeful that SPARC's favorable investor protection features will facilitate a timely approval. The principal benefit of SPARC is that it would not hold investors' money while we are looking for a target. This eliminates the substantial opportunity cost of capital that burdens all SPAC investors.

The SPARC warrants will also remove the two-year "shot clock" for a sponsor to consummate a transaction. This reduces the time pressure faced by the sponsor, which provides an incentive for SPAC sponsors to complete transactions before the clock runs out. In a de-SPAC merger transaction, time pressure on the sponsor is the enemy of a good deal for shareholders.

We Intend to Seek Shareholder Approval to Return PSTH's Cash in Trust If and When SPARC is Approved by the SEC

Assuming SPARC is approved by the SEC and the SPARC warrants are approved for listing on the NYSE, if PSTH has not by then entered into a merger transaction, we intend to seek PSTH shareholder approval to enable us to return to shareholders the $4 billion of cash PSTH holds in trust. Following the return of cash, we expect SPARC to issue one SPARC Distributable Warrant for each PSTH Distributable Warrant, and one SPARC warrant for each outstanding PSTH common share.

As a result of the above, PSTH shareholders will receive $20 per share in cash and one SPARC warrant for each share that they own. This will entitle shareholders to invest in our next initial business combination at a share price equal to SPARC's cash NAV per share, or to sell the SPARC warrants on the NYSE. Importantly, the launch of SPARC and the distribution of SPARC Distributable Warrants to PSTH Distributable Warrant holders will give our 22.22 million Distributable Warrants outstanding, which have been put at grave risk due to this litigation, a new long-term opportunity for value realization.

Furthermore, we believe that by launching SPARC, we will be able to continue working seamlessly on a potential merger transaction, now on behalf of SPARC rather than PSTH, while eliminating the burden on PSTH shareholders of the opportunity cost from having their funds held in trust.

Timing of SPARC's Official Launch and Warrant Distribution

We have already received a comment letter from the SEC on our initial SPARC confidential filing, and we believe that we can address the disclosure and other issues that have been raised by the SEC staff. The listing of SPARC warrants on the NYSE, however, will require a NYSE rule change which will be subject to SEC approval, which we are now pursuing with the NYSE. (See https://www.nyse.com/regulation/rule-filings for details on other proposed and approved NYSE rule changes.)

We have spoken extensively with the NYSE about the necessary rule change to allow the SPARC warrants to trade on the Exchange. In short, the current NYSE listing rules for warrants require that the shares into which the warrants are exercisable be listed. Since SPARC common stock will only become listed when the warrants are exercised in connection with the business combination, the warrant listing rule needs to be narrowly modified to accommodate this distinction.

Based on our discussions with the NYSE, we believe they appreciate the investor-friendly features of SPARC, and have offered to work closely with us and the SEC to accelerate the necessary rule change. Nevertheless, there is no assurance the rule change will be approved, and it could take several months or more to secure approval.

While there is no certainty that SPARC will be approved by the SEC, or that the NYSE rule change will be adopted, we are hopeful that SPARC's extremely favorable investor protection features will permit a timely approval.

SPARC's approval will allow us to:

return your cash, preserve the opportunity for you to invest in our next business combination at SPARC's cash NAV per share, and protect the long-term value of the Distributable Warrants by replacing them with SPARC Distributable Warrants.

As a result of these benefits, we expect that all PSTH shareholders will be highly supportive of the necessary rule change.

We welcome your public input on the proposed rule change once it is filed publicly. Favorable public comments on a rule change are important factors that are considered by the SEC and NYSE as the proposed rule change is being evaluated.

We expect shortly to publicly file a revised SPARC registration statement with the SEC, which responds to the SEC's initial comments. This document will provide detailed information about SPARC. We hope you will find it an interesting read. In the meantime, we will deal with the litigation in the ordinary course and address its spurious claims with great care and diligence.

Why you might ask, would a PSTH shareholder bring such a meritless lawsuit when any shareholder would understand that the mere filing of the lawsuit, and the delays inherent in its resolution, would impair PSTH's ability to create shareholder and warrant holder value within its remaining term, by interfering with the process of consummating a merger transaction?

While the lawsuit is brought on behalf of a purported shareholder of PSTH, this individual is simply an unwitting prop to enable the academics, and the plaintiff law firms with whom they have partnered, to bring the lawsuit. The two law professors who concocted the legal theory behind the complaint conceded to the press that their motivation in bringing the lawsuit was "to reform" the entire SPAC industry.

As the largest SPAC ever, PSTH is an attractive target in that its scale and visibility maximize media attention for the lawsuit's claims and the professors' proposed efforts at reform. While some reforms to the SPAC industry adoption of the SPARC structure being one are clearly warranted, we believe that PSTH and its highly shareholder-aligned structure provide a good example of how SPAC structures and their incentives for sponsors can be improved for the benefit of public investors. This litigation only serves to harm investors in PSTH and all other SPACs. It is not helpful in achieving SPAC market reform.

Notably, one of the professors who is leading the suit, Robert Jackson, served as an SEC Commissioner between January 2018 and February 2020. During his more than two-year term as Commissioner, the SEC reviewed and declared effective more than 100 SPAC IPO registration statements, and oversaw dozens of de-SPAC merger transactions. If Mr. Jackson is so sure that SPACs are in fact illegal investment companies, why didn't he take steps to shut them down while he was an SEC Commissioner?

Beyond Its Shareholder Destructive Elements, the Lawsuit is Also Materially Misleading

The lawsuit includes misleading statements and inferences, among them that PSTH's sponsor, a wholly owned affiliate of the Pershing Square Funds (the "Sponsor"), has been "promised" "staggering compensation" of $880 million". This headline grabbing assertion is wholly fabricated none of PSTH's directors nor its Sponsor has received or has been promised any compensation of any kind.

As you may be aware, the Sponsor paid $65 million in cash for the Sponsor Warrants at the time of our IPO. The purchase price for the warrants was based on their fair value as determined with the assistance of a nationally recognized, third-party valuation firm. The Sponsor Warrants have features which increase their alignment with our shareholders that include a restriction on selling, hedging, or transferring the warrants for three years after the initial business combination takes place.

The Sponsor Warrants have the potential of becoming materially more valuable in the event PSTH is successful in completing a merger with a company whose stock price increases substantially over many years. The Sponsor Warrants will likely be worthless if we do not consummate a high-quality transaction on favorable terms.

Even if the Universal Music Group business combination had been completed as anticipated, the Sponsor would not have received any Sponsor Warrants, as it agreed to waive its right to receive warrants in that transaction.

Notably, the proposed then abandoned PSTH/UMG de-SPAC transaction is the only SPAC business combination transaction of which we are aware where the sponsor would have received no additional consideration in the form of fees, founder stock, promotes or other benefits compared to other shareholders. Had the transaction closed, the Pershing Square Funds would have invested $1.6 billion in PSTH units on precisely the same terms as every other investor who bought stock in our IPO.

As the plaintiffs are certainly aware, the time required to resolve the lawsuit and remove its overhang on the company will increase the likelihood that the Sponsor and Director Warrants will expire worthless. Rather than being "promised" $880 million in "compensation," the Sponsor and Directors have received no value, and are at risk of experiencing a total loss. This fact is not lost on the litigants, and it is one of the pressure tactics that they likely believe can be brought to bear to motivate us to settle the litigation and enrich the lawyers involved at the expense of our shareholders and warrant holders. Unfortunately for them, it won't work.

We will work diligently to make rapid progress on obtaining approvals for SPARC so that we can return your cash, preserve the value of our outstanding shareholder warrants, and give you a free option to invest in our next transaction in a better structured vehicle. That would be our greatest pleasure.

We have got your six.

Sincerely,

William A. Ackman

Important Additional Information and Where to Find It

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or buy or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. This communication is not a recommendation to buy, sell or exchange any securities, and it is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell securities. Information about PSTH and certain of the matters discussed in this press release is available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward looking statements in this release. You should carefully consider these and the other risks and uncertainties described in PSTH's annual report on Form 10-K and other documents PSTH has filed with the SEC. Those filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and PSTH assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. PSTH does not give any assurance that PSTH will achieve its expectations. The inclusion of any statement in this press release does not constitute an admission by PSTH or any other person that the events or circumstances described in such statement are material.

About Pershing Square Tontine Holdings, Ltd.

Pershing Square Tontine Holdings, Ltd., a Delaware corporation, is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with a private company. PSTH is sponsored by Pershing Square TH Sponsor, LLC (the "Sponsor"), an affiliate of Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P., a registered investment advisor with approximately $14 billion of assets under management. www.PSTontine.com

About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund.

Category: (PSH:Investments)

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210819005826/en/

Contacts:

Media

Camarco

Ed Gascoigne-Pees Julia Tilley +44 (0)20 3781 8339, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk
HONG KONG, Aug 20, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Li Jiaqi, known for his successes as a livestreaming e-commerce influencer, is set to host a fashion show at the iconic Shanghai K11 Art Mallon August 19-22. The show will feature both online and offline elements, in line with recent shopping trends in China. By taking Li Jiaqi WoW, his personal shopping information and recommendation channel, offline for the first time ever, Li will encourage viewers to interact with the five participating up-and-coming Chinese designers, based around the world, via livestreaming behind the "door" (in Li Jiaqi's new product launch, the word "door" metaphorically implies the bridge between online and offline channels). Different from conventional livestreaming shows, Li Jiaqi's team has created an immersive showcase of interconnected livestreaming and e-commerce elements.



Li is China's most popular key opinion leader (KOL) in the livestreaming e-commerce industry - with nearly 170 million fans - and has driven sales of more than$430 million (RMB2.8 billion) in a single live broadcast. Since 2016, livestreaming e-commerce has grown in popularity in China. Outperforming all other shopping channels, its user scale reached 388 million till December 2020, 66.2% of whom bought products via this channel, China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) says.



Compared to traditional online shopping, livestreaming e-commerce provokes a greater consumer response through lively visual demonstrations, greater convenience, and more affordable price during the nationwide lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Livestreaming e-commerce is especially popular during China's e-commerce festivals, such as the 618 Festival - a June festival run by many of China's e-commerce companies -with 14.2 billion views and over 100,000 brands involved in livestreaming influencer marketing in 2021.



At the heart of China's livestreaming e-commerce world as well as a contributor of such accomplishment, Li Jiaqi is a force of nature. Ever since entering the industry, Li has been a trendsetter, his opinions delivered with iconic style. A "Recommended by Li Jiaqi" endorsement can truly change a company's fortunes. Florasis, a Chinese makeup brand, was one such company, quadrupling its sales year-on-year to RMB 2.75 billion after partnering with Li, rocketing them the top of Chinese makeup brands for 2020. Leveraging his powerful influence, Li has led dozens of Chinese brands to nationwide popularity, leading to him being dubbed China's "top domestic product promoter."



Behind Li's to rise to fame are tags such as "Made in China," "makeup," and "lipstick," but deep down, Li has always had a greater ambition. In August last year, Li Jiaqi's team launched China's first livestreaming shopping information and recommendation program, Li Jiaqi WoW, a confluence of information on new products, available globally, across a number of categories. This shift to a more global focus is all part of Li's efforts to import designer brands around the world into China's market. Since then, Li Jiaqi WoW has aired nearly 50 episodes, eliciting a strong response across China's social platforms, such as Weibo, TikTok (Douyin), and Xiaohongshu (RED). The program is expected to further integrate offline channels as it looks to provide designers and brands with better opportunities for promotion.



Li's move of promoting international brands nationwide via his livestreaming channel has worked out favorably for most featured brands. In a Salvatore Ferragamo live broadcast, for example, two hundred Salvatore Ferragamo Creation handbags, priced at RMB 17,000 each, quickly sold out.



Li Jiaqi's story is not simply one of commerce and consumption, but also one that reveals the ongoing change in brand marketing and promotion in China followed by technological development and changes in Chinese people's consumption behavior.



As the "door" metaphorically implies in Li Jiaqi's new product launch, live streaming e-commerce breaks borders and boundaries of space via online and offline channels, and presents brands to the market at a minimum cost, maximizing benefits for both brands and consumers. The CNNIC stated in its report that livestreaming e-commerce users made up a mere 39% of China's netizen population as of December 2020. Given the country's total internet user population of 989 million, as well as its internet penetration rate of 70%, livestreaming e-commerce is certain to grow its market share in the coming years, with data analytics company iiMedia Research predicting that by 2025, China's livestreaming influencer-led e-commerce transaction volume will reach$1 trillion (RMB 6.4 trillion).











Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.





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20 August 2021

Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Article 53 of SIX Exchange Regulation Listing Rules

ONE swiss bank SA

H1 2021 financial results in true and fair view

"H1 2021 was an exciting and intense period as we reached several major milestones aimed at strengthening the Bank, most notably the merger between Banque Profil de Gestion and One Swiss Bank, executed on 1 June 2021, and the change in controlling shareholders. We also rebranded as ONE swiss bank, renewed the Board of Directors and senior management, and completed migration over to a single banking system and IT infrastructure. In addition, Assets under Management soared to CHF 5.2 billion while banking income jumped by 161%, thanks in particular to our external growth strategy and the new Zurich office.

In terms of financial figures, we regret the net loss of CHF -2.78 million. Nevertheless, it was forecasted and mainly originates from amortisation expense of CHF 2.5 million related to goodwill from the merger, which will be amortised over five years, as well as other goodwill items on our balance sheet. It should be highlighted that amortisation of goodwill does not negatively impact our Tier 1 capital. Despite the negative bottom line, EBITDA improved in H1 2021 relative to H1 2020, coming close to operational breakeven. We will be in a position to turn round EBITDA from H2 2021.

These achievements put ONE in a better position to face the future. We are now fully focused on implementing cost savings and unlocking synergies as we move forward and develop our range of services. Our main objective remains the success of our consolidation plan and the satisfaction of our current client base."

Gregoire Pennone, CEO, ONE swiss bank SA





H1 2021 KEY FIGURES (CHF)

H1 2021 KEY FACTS

The integration between Banque Profil de Gestion and One Swiss Bank progressed well (the transaction was executed on 1 June 2021 with retroactive effect from 1 January 2021), particularly in regard to the IT migration, which was completed by the end of June.

The merger marks an important step forward in ONE's development after several months of intense efforts. The priority is now to finalise integration and the reorganisation of the merged entities before the end of the year. With the two entities combined, the Bank will be able to draw on complementary skills, unlock synergies and implement economies of scale, with the result of generating a sustainable profit margin by 2022. A steady decrease in operating expenses is expected over the next 12 months.

The transaction also enables the Bank to harness the acquisition and integration of an entire client portfolio in Zurich. The opening of the Zurich office last February is fully aligned with the Bank's growth strategy in Switzerland and internationally, specifically providing access to fast-growing foreign markets.

This is an exciting and thrilling time for ONE. Each and every employee can play a huge part in this new banking venture, with the aim of providing even more services and expertise to our clients across our three business lines: Wealth Management, Asset Management and Asset Services.

Another objective is to consolidate the Bank's asset management capabilities through the new 'Dynagest by ONE' brand, which offers clients a strong and innovative service leveraging expertise in systematic and quantitative management offered to private and institutional investors for over 25 years. ONE plans to build on this expertise by offering additional investment solutions to private clients and independent asset managers (IAMs).

Lastly, an agreement was signed in May 2021 to acquire a Dubai-based management company. This will help develop the Bank's Middle Eastern client base once the necessary regulatory approvals have been obtained.

It also marks the next milestone in the Bank's strategy to expand its international presence and demonstrates its confidence in the Gulf region's growth and economic stability, and in the future of the UAE as a regional and international hub for entrepreneurship and wealth management



Q2 2021 RESULTS

Operating result close to breakeven. Net loss due to high amortisation expenses





As announced on 16 July 2021, ONE swiss bank has reported an expected net loss of CHF 2.78 million for the first six months of 2021, in line with management's forecasts. The difference between net profit and EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) stemmed mainly from goodwill amortisation of CHF 2.54 million, including goodwill generated by the merger with One Swiss Bank SA. Goodwill amortisation does not impact the Bank's Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1), as any goodwill booked is excluded from the CET1 calculation.

Total revenues soared by 161.5% to CHF 14.14 million, relative to CHF 5.41 million in H1 2020. Operating expenses for the period under review amounted to CHF 14.29 million, up from CHF 5.76 million for the same period in 2020. EBITDA improved to CHF -144,358 compared with an operating loss of CHF -348,899 in the prior-year period. These figures reflect the initial benefits from the economies of scales and cost synergies from the merger. The main synergies will be unlocked within the next 12 months.

As at 30 June 2021, total assets on the balance sheet rose threefold compared to 31 December 2020 to CHF 977.9 million. This surge mainly resulted from the increase in Assets under Management (AuM) resulting from the merger. Assets managed by the Bank jumped to CHF 5,297 million versus CHF 2,774 million at year-end 2020. The liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) stood at 270% as at 30 June 2021, significantly above the 100% minimum requirement.

Finally, shareholders' equity as at 30 June 2021 decreased by CHF -10.5 million, compared to 31 December 2020, as a result of the dividend payment (CHF 8 million) and the half-year net loss. Regulatory capital stood at CHF 30.7 million as at 30 June 2021. The CET1 ratio was 13.8%, compared to the minimum regulatory ratio of 10.5%.





INCOME STATEMENT OVERVIEW

(CHF) 01.01.2020 - 30.06.2020 01.01.2021- 30.06.2021 Change % Net result from interest operations 1,385,539 2,490,928 +1,105,389 Net result from commission business and services 3,096,533 9,336,894 +6,240,361 Result from trading activities and the fair value option 923,285 2,201,305 +1.278,020 Other result from ordinary activities 898 112,168 +111,270 Total revenues 5,406,255 14,141,295 +8,735,040 +161.5% Personnel expenses -3,671,998 -7,572,368 -3,900,370 General and administrative expenses -2,083,156 - 6,713,285 -4,630,129 Total operating expenses -5,755,154 -14,285,653 -8,530,499 +148.2% Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) -348,899 -144,358 +204,541 +58.6% Amortisation and value adjustments -304,959 -2,539,836 -2,234,877 Extraordinary items - - - Taxes -105,134 -100,210 +4,924 Half-year results (profit/loss) -758,992 -2,784,404 -2,025,412 -266.8%

For further information, please contact:

Julien Delecraz

Head of Marketing & Communication

investorrelations@oneswiss.com



+41 58 300 78 13

ONE swiss bank SA



Attachment
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or "the Company") (OSE: SDRL) (OTCPK: SDRLF), a world leader in offshore drilling, announces a commercial update and provides financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

Highlights

Operational/Commercial

Technical utilization of 92% and economic utilization of 88% due to downtime incidents on West Saturn and West Tellus. Excluding these units, technical utilization and economic utilization stood at 98% and 94% respectively.

Thirteen owned units operating as of June 30, 2021, with three additional units returning to operations in the second half of 2021. In addition, ten non-owned units remain under Seadrill's management.

Total backlog of $2.1 billion with approximately $0 .5 billion added during the first half of the year.

Health, Safety, and Environment ("HSE")

Record safety performance with Total Injury Frequency Rate ("TRIR") better than industry average.

Maintained our industry-leading carbon management position.

Financial

Operating loss decreased to $252 million , includes non-cash impairment of $152 million against the West Hercules rig.

Cash and cash equivalents as at June 30, 2021 of $644 million of which $428 million was unrestricted.

Financial Highlights Figures in USD million, unless otherwise indicated 1H21 2H20 % Change Total Operating Revenue 452

461

(2) % Adjusted EBITDA 20

10

100 % Adjusted EBITDA Margin (%) 4.4

2.2

100 % Operating Loss (252)

(3,110)

(92) % Net loss (605)

(2,915)

(79) %

Subsequent Events

Major milestones reached towards emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy by entering restructuring agreements with certain senior secured lenders and senior note holders, representing 58% and 79% of debt outstanding, respectively. The proposed plan leaves current shareholders with approximately 0.25% of the go forward equity and as a consequence they face a significant deterioration in value.

Separate agreements reached with SFL Corporation, to reduce our commitments on the lease agreement for the West Hercules, and with Northern Ocean Ltd., to close out all outstanding balances and claims.

Approximately $120 million of backlog added after the period end, including contracts secured for the West Hercules in Canada and the West Gemini in Angola .

Stuart Jackson, CEO, commented:

"Seadrill has continued to operate effectively and safely throughout H1 2021, despite ongoing disruptions caused by COVID-19 challenging the industry's logistical capabilities. We are delighted to have increased our order backlog during the period after signing agreements with a number of customers, and we continue to execute on our plan to positively streamline our operations, taking out assets that will not go back to work and addressing the broader leverage issues through the Chapter 11 process.

Looking forward, we will continue to leverage our technical and functional excellence to maintain our leading position in the offshore drilling industry, evident by our West Saturn drillship where the introduction of hydrogen fuel is set to significantly reduce fuel consumption and our carbon footprint.

Addressing the leverage of offshore drilling entities and progressing on the journey on asset rationalization are the first important steps prior to looking to the next stage of industry rationalization through consolidation, where I expect we will play an active part. The filing of our Plan Support Agreement with strong creditor support marked the next step in this journey for Seadrill."

About Seadrill

Seadrill is a leading offshore drilling contractor utilizing advanced technology to unlock oil and gas resources for clients across harsh and benign locations across the globe. Seadrill's high-quality, technologically advanced fleet spans all asset classes allowing its experienced crews to conduct its operations from shallow to ultra-deep-water environments. The Company operates 42 rigs, which includes drillships, jack-ups and semi-submersibles.

Seadrill is listed on the Oslo Brs and OTC Pink markets. For more information, visit https://www.seadrill.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking statements. Such statements are generally not historical in nature, and specifically include statements about the Company's plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in its business and the markets in which it operates. These statements are made based upon management's current plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to offshore drilling market conditions including supply and demand, day rates, customer drilling programs and effects of new rigs on the market, contract awards and rig mobilizations, contract backlog, dry-docking and other costs of maintenance of the drilling rigs in the Company's fleet, the cost and timing of shipyard and other capital projects, the performance of the drilling rigs in the Company's fleet, delay in payment or disputes with customers, Seadrill's ability to successfully employ its drilling units, procure or have access to financing, ability to comply with loan covenants, liquidity and adequacy of cash flow from operations, fluctuations in the international price of oil, international financial market conditions, changes in governmental regulations that affect the Company or the operations of the Company's fleet, increased competition in the offshore drilling industry, the impact of global economic conditions and global health threats and the impact of future negotiations with its lenders to obtain amendments to credit facilities and any related contingency planning efforts, the impact of active negotiations, contingency planning efforts, rulings and outcomes with respect to a comprehensive restructuring of our debt under Chapter 11 Proceedings with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Southern District of Texas, the outcome of which is uncertain, our ability to maintain relationships with suppliers, customers, employees and other third parties as a result of our Chapter 11 filing and the related increased performance and credit risks associated with our constrained liquidity position and capital structure, our ability to maintain and obtain adequate financing to support our business plans post-emergence from Chapter 11, the length of time that we will operate under Chapter 11 protection, risks associated with third-party motions in the Chapter 11 Proceedings that may interfere with the solicitation and ability to confirm and consummate a plan of reorganization, the dispute over production levels among members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil and gas producing nations, downtime and other risks associated with offshore rig operations and ability to successfully employ our drilling units, our expected debt levels, the ability of our affiliated or related companies to service their debt requirements, credit risks of our key customers, the concentration of our revenues in certain geographical jurisdictions, limitations on insurance coverage, such as war risk coverage, in certain regions, any inability to repatriate income or capital, import-export quotas, wage and price controls and the imposition of trade barriers, our ability to attract and retain skilled personnel on commercially reasonable terms, whether due to labor regulations, unionization, or otherwise, or to retain employees, customers or suppliers as a result of our financial condition generally or as a result of the Chapter 11 Proceedings, internal control risk due to significant employee reductions, tax matters, changes in tax laws, treaties and regulations, tax assessments and liabilities for tax issues, including those associated with our activities in Bermuda, Brazil, Norway, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Mexico and the United States, customs and environmental matters and potential impacts on our business resulting from climate-change or greenhouse gas legislation or regulations, and the impact on our business from climate-change related physical changes or changes in weather pattern, the occurrence of cybersecurity incidents, attacks or other breaches to our information technology systems, including our rig operating systems and other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed or furnished by us with the SEC. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risks described from time to time in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its 2020 Annual Report on Form 20-F (File No. 333-224459).

The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of these factors. Further, the Company cannot assess the impact of each such factors on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

August 20, 2021

The Board of Directors

Seadrill Limited

Hamilton, Bermuda

CONTACT:

seadrill@hawthornadvisors.com

020 3745 4960

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

The following files are available for download:
DGAP-News: African Energy Chamber / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

J. Peter Pham to Promote Africa's Leading Role in the Energy Transition, Enhance U.S.-Africa Partnerships at African Energy Week in Cape Town



20.08.2021 / 08:45

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



J. Peter Pham to Promote Africa's Leading Role in the Energy Transition, Enhance U.S.-Africa Partnerships at African Energy Week in Cape Town Johannesburg, South Africa, August 19, 2021/ -- Following several other international VIP confirmations, J. Peter Pham, the former U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel Region of Africa, has issued his support of and participation at African Energy Week (AEW) 2021 in Cape Town. Pham is focused on enhancing security and governance, social progress and economic development in Africa, and will promote U.S.-Africa partnerships and the role of Africa in the global energy transition in Cape Town, ushering in a new wave of investment and bilateral cooperation.



Pham played an instrumental role in coordinating relations between the U.S. government and African stakeholders with his service as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa from 2018-2020, and as the first-ever U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel Region from 2020-2021. With a focus on enhancing cross-border security and contributing towards both the Sahel and Great Lakes region's political and economic stability, Pham aims to unite U.S. stakeholders with African opportunities, driving regional energy and economic growth.





Additionally, Pham is a strong advocate for the role of African resources in the global energy sector. With significant renewable and mining resources ready for exploitation and export in Africa, Pham believes that the continent has a strategic role to play in driving the global energy transition. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, holds roughly half of the total global reserves of cobalt - a key component in rechargeable batteries. By promoting African renewables and minerals as a key driver of the global energy transition, and emphasizing the value of African exports, Pham remains committed to not only promoting the U.S. role in Africa, but Africa's role globally. At AEW 2021 in Cape Town, Pham will drive a strong narrative of what African resources mean for the world, promoting the fact that the continent will play a leading role in the energy transition.



"AEW 2021 welcomes all international stakeholders to come and engage with African partners. J. Peter Pham will be instrumental in not only facilitating the critical partnerships that will drive Africa's energy success, but driving investment in African developments by emphasizing the continent's role in the energy transition. By introducing U.S. policies, solutions, and stakeholders to African markets, emphasizing integration and regional collaboration, Pham will help position Africa as a united and formidable force on the global energy stage. Africa will play a leading role in the energy transition and both Pham and AEW 2021 are committed to emphasizing this," stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.



Meanwhile, by participating at AEW 2021 in Cape Town, Pham will directly engage with African stakeholders, governments, and private sector executives, offering key insights into how the continent can drive regional collaboration and development. Pham's extensive experience in both international relations and Africa positions him as an expert in regional affairs, and by driving a strong narrative on the value of cross-border integration as a key driver in economic growth, Pham will contribute to the regional narrative, emphasizing unity and market-driven policies.



Pham is a strong advocate for U.S.-Africa partnerships and will promote American strategic interests in Africa at AEW 2021 in Cape Town. Pham has had years of experience in African affairs, ranging from political and economic to social, and recognizes the value of U.S. cooperation with African states. AEW 2021's strong networking focus - in which an emphasis has been placed on engagement, deal-making and transactions among all stakeholders and delegates - positions the conference as the premier platform for U.S.-Africa dialogue. With many African countries seeking international partners to help expand their energy sectors and initiate sustainable economic growth, Pham's participation at AEW 2021 will enable the discussions to start, as he will introduce potential partners, invite further collaboration, and facilitate long-term bilateral agreements between the U.S. and Africa.



Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.



For more information about Africa's premier energy event, visit www.AEW2021.com or EnergyChamber.org and/or email Amina Williams at amina.williams@energychamber.org



For registration-related inquiries, please contact registration@aew2021.com

For sales-related inquiries, please contact sales@aew2021.com

For media-related inquiries, please contact media@aew2021.com

For speaker-related inquiries, please contact speakers@aew2021.com



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20.08.2021 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



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SYDNEY, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Active Super has migrated its investment-related data into the cloud-based platform ICS ATHENA in a move that will improve governance and increase efficiencies for the Fund.

Active Super is now leveraging the hosted data management platform provided by investment technology company Investment Control Systems (ICS) to manage and automate a range of functions including exposure reporting, cash forecasting, rebalancing, performance, risk, benchmark data and unit price verification.

"By using ATHENA, we have centralised all our investment data and analytics into a single trusted source of truth which has not only allowed us to reduce manual operational processes, but will continually enhance the capabilities of the operations and investment teams," says Stuart Hill, Active Super Head of Investment Operations.

"Working with ICS was an important strategic decision for Active Super. As a regulated superannuation fund, we are seeing increasing reporting and data requirements as well as more demand from our members to answer specific investment questions."

In the coming months, Active Super will be implementing and expanding on its ESG and sustainability reporting capabilities.

Christian Eriksen, ICS Commercial Director, says: "We are extremely excited to welcome Active Super to our growing client community. They have a great culture and a 'can do' attitude. The preparatory work they had already completed, collaborating with Cutter Associates and J.P. Morgan, meant this project was well positioned for success from the beginning and allowed our team to rapidly deploy the ATHENA platform within weeks."

Active Super's preparation for this project started in 2020 by engaging investment industry consultant Cutter Associates to do a comprehensive data strategy and to ensure a thorough and effective process was executed.

Arnie Wachs, Principal and Head of Consulting at Cutter, says: "Active Super is a great example of how starting out with the right groundwork can help fast-track implementation and achieve positive results sooner. This means setting a data strategy, aligning this plan with the right solution, and resourcing your project with both internal subject matter experts and external expertise."

For more information, please contact:

Ophelia Phu, BlueChip Communication, +61 2 9018 8628

E: ophelia@bluechipcommunication.com.au

ICS, Christian Eriksen, christian.eriksen@investmentcontrolsystems.com

Cutter, Jennifer Murray, jmurray@cutterassociates.com

About Active Super

Active Super, formerly known as Local Government Super (LGS), manages more than $13.5 billion in superannuation assets for approximately 80,000 members, including current and former NSW local government employees. Active Super is a certified responsible super fund with investments across Australian and international shares, property, infrastructure, private equity, fixed interest and absolute return asset classes.

Active Super is one of only four Australian super funds with all products certified ethical by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), and has won the SuperRatings Infinity Award for leading the industry in responsible investment for a record seven times.

About Investment Control Systems

We make your investment data worth more and your wisdom cost less by introducing a single source of truth via our cloud-based investment data management, warehouse, and reporting platform - ICS ATHENA.

This enables our clients to increase efficiency while scaling the operations of their investment teams to support their growth plans. Our solution is designed for asset owners, asset managers and asset consultants.

About Cutter Associates

Cutter Associates provides independent research, custom benchmarking, and global consultancy for the asset and wealth management industry. Investment companies of all sizes look to Cutter to provide expert advice that leads to improved capabilities, higher scale and efficiency, and generation of operational alpha.
DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Second citizenship is rapidly becoming a popular term among the world's elite, as many of them have found out, as the world becomes smaller, it becomes even more challenging to roam. The solution to a world full of borders is quite apparent, however, as obtaining a second citizenship through investment knocks down those barriers with exquisite ease.?

High-society quickly saw how second citizenship could ease their global mobility issues, unlock the door to the world and hand them the keys, but second citizenship is much more than just an enhanced travel document; it is a framework for a transcendent life.

In this article, we will show you how investing in a second citizenship can transform your life, and how it will positively affect every aspect of it, but first let's shed some light on the definition of second citizenship.

What Is Second Citizenship??

Second citizenship means becoming a national of another country in addition to your home nation. The majority of countries allow dual citizenship, which means you can hold citizenship certificates and passports of two different nations at the same time, and the world's elite have been using these laws to their advantage, creating citizenship portfolios that allow them to benefit from becoming global citizens.

Let's say, for example, you only hold citizenship X. You are then at the mercy of that country's economy, tax regime, political decisions, and laws. It's true that most people in life, journey through it living life dependent on a single government's whim, but an increasing number of pioneers are finding ways to alleviate that claustrophobic setting into something better, something more.

By obtaining another citizenship, or even more than just one, you become more than just a national of nation X, but instead a national of the world. It is worth noting that countries that allow dual citizenship normally allow you to hold more than just two, providing you with the opportunity to create a robust citizenship portfolio that enables you to take advantage of what the entire world has to offer.

But how do you do that? Easy; citizenship by investment (CBI). A plethora of nations offer global investors the chance to obtain their citizenship by investing in pre-defined ventures. The most illustrious of these citizenship by investment programs (CIPs) are located in the Caribbean Sea, as the nations of Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitt & Nevis, and St. Lucia provide investors with the chance to obtain commonwealth citizenships through investing in real estate or donating to a government development fund starting at 100,000 USD.

The Oceanic nation of Vanuatu has a similar CIP to that of the Caribbean nations in place, while Turkey currently runs one of the world's most popular CIPs since its launch in 2017, allowing investors to become Turkish nationals by buying 250,000 USD worth of real estate in the Anatolian nation.

You Might Also Like: Why Are Investors Attracted to the Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment Program?

Since various countries in the world offer the elite citizenship for their investments through easy programs which have an average processing time of 3-6 months between them, it is no wonder more people are looking to invest in another citizenship for themselves and their family members, especially when the total investment amount is similar to that of a luxury car.?

Historically, second citizenship was obtained as a means to mitigate risk, a plan b. Then the Coronavirus came swooping in and changed everything; as the pandemic's effects spread, humanity reassessed its priorities, we changed how we view everything. Adopting a proactive mindset has become a priority for everyone to mitigate the risk of a potential crisis such as the pandemic.?

Those with second citizenship could count themselves luckier than most, possessing more options for travel or refuge, but even they noticed something vital, that second citizenship is not just a contingency, but a totally new way of life from start to finish. Second citizenship is your plan A, B, and C, and we want to show you why.

Plan A: Global Mobility

Once you get another citizenship, your global mobility ability instantly increases. This travel enhancement is not just an additional perk or a contingency , but a tool to use immediately to your advantage.

Let's take the St. Kitts & Nevis passport as a prime example, the 24th best passport globally, which grants access to over 155 destinations worldwide, including the EU, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, and many more. Holding a St. Kitts & Nevis passport essentially opens up the world's most exciting, and economically vital, destinations.

Instead of being reactive and trying to get a visa to an important event or conference, you can be proactive and roam the continent making the best deals and finding hidden investment opportunities which would otherwise be undetectable.

People Who Read This Article Also Read: Why Should You Apply for the Portugal Golden Visa Program?

Enhanced global mobility eradicates the fog of uncertainty, giving you access to important locations throughout the globe. You can jump from one place to another, ensuring you don't miss an opportunity.

It doesn't just end at business and investment, but affects something much more important, your family. All CIPs allow you to add specified family members, with the Caribbean nations having the most comprehensive dependent allowances, which means your loved ones get to enjoy the perks of second citizenship along with you.

While your kids may not be interested in attending a global summit just yet, you can take advantage of your second passport by vacationing with them in countries that would have otherwise proven too much of a hassle to get a visa to, either because of complex requirements or because they don't have a visa application center in your home country.

Never underestimate the importance of leisure and spending time with your family, something which can be significantly enhanced when you can just take out the world map, point to a destination, and go.

The benefits of elevated global mobility don't stop there, as you can easily accompany your children on their quests to fulfilling their potential. Let's say you have a child who wants to pursue an undergraduate degree in The Netherlands; you can easily travel with them and check out the campus, help them arrange their living situations, and pop in with ease without needing to plan weeks ahead to accommodate a visa application. Everything just becomes much more straightforward.

Related Article: Can You Buy Citizenship in St. Lucia? - Yes, Here's How

The Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Programs are extremely popular when it comes to global mobility due to the strength of the passports they offer. You can travel to more than 140 destinations worldwide with a passport from Grenada, Dominica, or St. Lucia, while Antigua & Barbuda and St. Kitts & Nevis go above 150 destinations worldwide.

These Caribbean passports all provide visa-free access to hotspots such as the Schengen Zone, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and others, and the simplicity of the process just adds to the elegance of their CIPs.?

Vanuatu is a close second, offering visa-free access to 133 destinations worldwide, with a similar visa-free destination list.?

Plan B: Financial Freedom

While global mobility dominates the headlines, there is another major benefit of obtaining second citizenship, one that the savvy investor will take full advantage of; financial freedom.?

Becoming financially sovereign is the best way to safeguard and enhance your wealth. Being able to choose where you pay taxes, or whether you need to pay them at all, can make a huge difference in how you accumulate and grow your assets.?

Many CBI countries such as Dominica, Vanuatu, and St. Kitts & Nevis are tax havens, offering their residents and citizens a favourable tax regime that is rarely found elsewhere in the world.?

Let's take Dominica as a great example, the government does not impose worldwide income, inheritance, capital gains, wealth, or withholding taxes on its citizens.?

Consider that Jordan, for example, has an income tax rate that reaches 30%, or that Egypt has capital gains taxes set at 22.5%, or that Japan has an inheritance tax rate of a whopping 55%. You can then see how second citizenship could save you hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars throughout the years.?

But it isn't just about the taxes, as genuine financial freedom spans much more; offshore banking, for example, can make your life much easier for conducting international transfers, pursuing foreign investments, and avoiding economic fluctuations. St. Kitts & Nevis and Dominica shine here, both boasting a robust financial service and banking landscape that allows for simplified and comprehensive offshore banking.

Both countries, along with the rest of the aforementioned Caribbean nations, are regulated by common law, making them safe and efficient reserves for your wealth. It also makes it easier for you to move money around the globe without the difficulties that arise when trying to transfer from some afflicted or sanctioned nations.

Another important factor is the ease of setting up an offshore business or corporation for global entrepreneurs. Again the Caribbean nations and Vanuatu tick all the boxes, enabling you to easily set up a business within their shores and take advantage of long-term tax incentives.?

However, it is important that you don't overlook Turkey when it comes to setting up a new HQ; as it is centrally situated, it offers a robust marketplace, excellent workforce, competitive operating costs, and abundant resources. For those looking to rapidly expand their business empire, paying a few more dollars in corporate tax may be worth it to set up shop in one of the world's leading markets.

You Might Also Like: A Breakdown of Taxes for Portugal Golden Visa Residents

Expanding your asset base also plays a significant role in evolving your financial setup, and a second citizenship can help you find better investment opportunities within growing markets that can yield greater profits.?

Caribbean CIPs along the one Turkey offers are great for expanding your asset base. The real estate option in the Caribbean allows you to invest in shares within five-star, global brand resorts in some of the world's most magnificent tourist hotspots.?

Turkey expands that concept even more, as all real estate in Turkey is fair game, and you can buy one or more properties to qualify for citizenship, as long as you reach the 250,000 USD minimum threshold. The ability to create an investment portfolio made up of residential, commercial, or agricultural properties makes Turkey's Citizenship by Investment Program great for profitable investments.??

By being able to make significant investments without government interference, pay tax on your own terms, move your finances around without hassle, safeguard your wealth in secure locations, conduct seamless international banking, and optimize your business on a global scale, then you can say you are genuinely financially sovereign. And getting the right second citizenship helps you do all that - and more.?

Plan C: Contingency Asset

It is in our nature to protect ourselves, our families, and what we own. Human beings take extreme measures to safeguard what they love, it is an instinct, one that gives us the peace of mind to sleep at night.?

This innate drive to take precautions is one of the main drivers for investors to pursue CBI as a robust contingency asset. The pandemic has confirmed this statement, as those with multiple citizenships had something others rarely did; options.?

As the pandemic raged on, borders rapidly closed, and governments scrambled to deal with the new normal, many people found themselves at the mercy of their own government's decision-making process. Those with underlying health problems or housing loved ones who were at risk had to sit tight and hope for the best, unless, of course, they had invested in a second citizenship.

People Who Read This Article Also Read: Citizenship by Investment Or Residency by Investment - Which is Best for You and Your Family?

Let's stay in the region and take Jordan as an example once more; the country successfully halted the initial wave of the virus, but at great economic cost. A complete lockdown that spanned for two months with no apparent plan to re-open the market led business owners and employees to the brink of financial ruin. Then, when the country finally did open its market, COVID cases skyrocketed, even temporarily becoming the 4th highest country in the world for cases per capita per day.

Now a person in Jordan who does not have a second citizenship had no option but to roll with the fluctuating government decisions. On the other hand, dual citizens had an alternative, another home, another market, another hope.?

Jordan, till this date, has registered over three-quarters of a million COVID cases, which is about 0.075% of its population. On the other hand, Dominica reported a measly 192 cases, 0.0026% of its population. Vanuatu only registered four cases - yes, four- and was one of the first nations to declare itself COVID free.?

Those with a Dominica or Vanuatu passport could have easily waited out the pandemic on a tropical island while conducting their work remotely, the same way they would have done it in their home nations due to lockdowns and curfews, and could have enjoyed a better standard of living during the pandemic.?

But contingency planning is not just about protecting you from external factors such as the pandemic but safeguarding you and your family against internal risks as well. Political instability, for example, has been a defining characteristic in the MENA region the past few decades, while any government may spiral out of control instantly.

You don't want your kids to live in fear of instability or have their education hindered due to the economic crisis, and second citizenship mitigates that risk and provides them with options.

Being able to whip out that second passport when things go awry is the ultimate backup plan. But CBI allows you to mitigate against other instabilities as well.?

By diversifying your asset base, you mitigate the risk of currency fluctuation, economic depression, and more. Having property in Turkey or the Caribbean offsets the probability of losing all your major assets if something goes wrong in your country. They also provide you with varying streams of passive income depending on the investment portfolio you create.

Related Article: How Long Does It Take to Obtain Citizenship by Investment in Antigua and Barbuda? - Less Time Than You Think!

However, it is essential to get a citizenship of a country you would be comfortable residing in, as you may decide to move in case of any disruptions in your country of residence. Turkey is a great example here, as the vast nation has a diverse landscape with bustling cities, excellent healthcare, solid education, and a strong infrastructure.

Turkey also boasts a great living standard for retirees, many of whom look to spend their free time in an affordable country that boasts abundant activities, pleasant climate, good healthcare, and is relatively close to their home nation.

Another great thing about Turkey, which it shares with Grenada, is that their nationals are eligible for the USA's E2 treaty visa; a US residence permit available only to select nationalities throughout the world. This means that Turkish and Grenadian citizenship open up even more doors for you as a backup plan, making them great for those looking to take precautions against the worst possible scenarios.

Second citizenship is a lifestyle

Getting a second citizenship is no longer a contingency plan; it is a complete transformation of your lifestyle for the better. By obtaining another citizenship through investment, you can roam the globe freely, obtain financial sovereignty, and shield your family from instability.

To do this correctly, however, you need to understand which second citizenship is best for you, and luckily we at Savory & Partners have been mastering CBI since it was still a relatively unknown concept. We will understand your needs and find you the solutions that fit your objectives. We listen, we advise, and we transform lives.

All you need to begin your journey to becoming a global citizen is contact us today and let us take care of the rest.

Savory & Partners is an accredited agent for multiple governments where citizenship by investment is offered. Founded in 1797, the agency has evolved from pharmaceuticals to family assets and legacy protection through second citizenship and residency. The company's professional, multinational staff is made up of expert advisors who have guided thousands of clients, including many North African investors, on their journey to find the most suitable CBI program for them. The Savory & Partners team will be happy to answer your enquiries in English, Arabic and French.

For more information, please send an email to mena@savoryandpartners.com. You can also call +971 04 430 1717 or send a WhatsApp message to +971 54 440 2955.
LONDON, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Andreas Halbleib, CEO of the trendsetting Swiss company QUO AG, is honored with two CEO awards in the Business Worldwide Magazine 2021 CEO Awards. Andreas is the winner in two categories - 'Science/Technology CEO of the Year - Switzerland' & 'Most Innovative CEO of the Year - Switzerland'.

The awards seek to identify and honor the most respected C-level executives across the globe from a variety of different sectors. Unlike many other business awards that focus on the overall success of a company, here the spotlight is on the success of individuals who make the corporations excel - namely senior executives such as CEOs, managing directors, directors and senior-level management. The intention is to give a worthy individual the recognition they deserve, whilst using their example to inspire other companies and business leaders to achieve similar success.

QUO AG is a multi-award winning entrepreneurial innovation, design and engineering company known for its outstanding problem solving expertise. When Andreas took over in 2018, he was tasked with the responsibility of taking the company to an even higher level - a task that he has achieved with flying colors. Motivating his team to master new challenges, Andreas has now expanded the company's diverse offering to include innovators, human factors experts, industrial designers, business strategists, engineers, material scientists and industry experts.

Andreas describes QUO AG as a fun and forward thinking company that's firmly focused on the possibilities of "tomorrow" and has managed to turn customers into fans. His motivation came from an unlikely source - Harley Davison motorcycles. Speaking to Business Worldwide Magazine, he explained the ethos behind the company and the concept of creating a fan base instead of seeing clients just as customers. "All organizations regardless of location, size or industry sector, need to build and retain customer loyalty. We do not have customers, we have fans. We believe that actions speak louder than words. To ensure that all our customers become or remain our fans, advocate us and strengthen our market position, we've put four pillars in place as our basic cornerstones - professionalism - success - values and last but certainly not least, fun."

The approach is holistic, covering the entire value chain from market analysis, identification of market opportunities and user needs, through to developing and designing a product, service, process or technology. QUO AG's solutions are trendsetting and sustainable. Its latest roll-out of the innovation hub offers its clients access to experts no matter what industry they focus on. With products, services, processes, technologies and outcomes that stand out from competition and continue to evolve to meet ongoing and future needs, QUO AG is the right partner for bringing your ideas to life.

For further information on QUO AG and its innovation, design and engineering competencies, visit the company website www.quo.ch/en .

To find out more about the Business Worldwide Magazine Awards CEO Awards 2021, visit https://www.bwmonline.com/ceo-awards-winners-2021/

About Business Worldwide Magazine

Business Worldwide Magazine is the leading source of business and dealmaker intelligence throughout the world. Our quarterly magazine and online news portal enables an established audience of corporate dealmakers to track the latest news, stories and developments affecting the international markets, corporate finance, business strategy and changes in legislation. This readership includes of CEO/CFO - Banks, Corporate Lawyers and Venture Capital/Private Equity Companies to name a few.

Contact

David Jones

Awards Department

E: david@bwmonline.com

w: www.bwmonline.com
MOSCOW, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund), AstraZeneca and R-Pharm announce preliminary results on immunogenicity of combined use of the AstraZeneca vaccine (developed jointly with the University of Oxford) and the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine (Sputnik Light vaccine based on human adenovirus serotype 26) from the clinical trial of vaccines combination in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The heterogeneous boosting approach ("vaccine cocktail" using human adenovirus serotype 26 as the first component and human adenovirus serotype 5 as the second component) was at the core of Sputnik V, the world's first registered vaccine against coronavirus. With this approach proving successful in creating a longer and more durable immunity against the coronavirus, RDIF took the lead in initiating partnerships with other vaccine producers to conduct joint studies of a combination of the first component of Sputnik V with foreign vaccines.

The first partnership of this kind was concluded in December 2020 in the presence of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. RDIF, the Gamaleya Center, AstraZeneca and R-Pharm signed a Memorandum of Intent aimed at cooperation in conducting joint clinical trial of safety and immunogenicity of a combination of AstraZeneca vaccine and the first component of Sputnik V.

Clinical trials in Azerbaijan began in February 2021. To date 64 volunteers have been vaccinated, the enrollment of volunteers is ongoing. Preliminary data from the first 20 participants shows antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein (S-protein) elicited in 100% of cases.

The interim analysis of data has previously demonstrated a high safety profile for the combined use of the vaccines with no serious adverse events or cases of coronavirus infection after vaccination.

Clinical trials of a combination of vaccines are being carried out in several countries as part of a global program. Volunteers are being vaccinated in UAE and Argentina while regulatory approval to conduct trials has been granted in Russia and Belarus.

Key advantages of Sputnik Light:

Sputnik Light is the first component (recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26)) of Sputnik V - the world's first registered vaccine against coronavirus.

An efficacy level of almost 80% is higher than that of many two-dose vaccines.

Sputnik Light has proven effective against all new strains of coronavirus, as demonstrated by the Gamaleya Center during laboratory tests.

The Sputnik Light vaccine is based on a well-studied human adenoviral vector platform that has proven to be safe and effective, with no long-term side effects, as confirmed in over 250 clinical trials conducted globally over the past two decades (while the history of use of human adenoviruses in vaccine development started in 1953).

About the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

The vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford in conjunction with Vaccitech. It uses a replication-defective chimpanzee viral vector based on an attenuated version of the common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infection in chimpanzees, and contains genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) spike protein. After vaccination, the surface spike protein is synthesized, which leads to the formation of an immune response to SARS-CoV-2 with possible subsequent infection with this virus.

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is Russia's sovereign wealth fund established in 2011 to make equity co-investments, primarily in Russia, alongside reputable international financial and strategic investors. RDIF acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy. RDIF's management company is based in Moscow. Currently, RDIF has experience of the successful joint implementation of more than 80 projects with foreign partners totaling RUB 2.1tn and covering 95% of the regions of the Russian Federation. RDIF portfolio companies employ more than 1 mn people and generate revenues which equate to more than 6% of Russia's GDP. RDIF has established joint strategic partnerships with leading international co-investors from more than 18 countries that total more than $40 bn. Further information can be found at rdif.ru

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New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 20, 2021) - With its professional minimally invasive surgery applied technologies, SCMH & IRCAD Taiwan collaborate with the biggest healthcare accelerator, BE Accelerator to incubate twelve brilliant startups to show their solutions in the fields of minimally invasive surgery, medical devices and AI healthcare to shape the future of healthcare industry.

Image 1

To view an enhanced version of Image 1, please visit:

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BE Accelerator is expanding its local and global healthcare ecosystem, including hospitals, investors, R&D, manufacturing and government to help startups, not just in Taiwan but also worldwide, to break into Asian markets.

The Company is excited to host an online live demo day on the 28th of August to celebrate the progress of the marvelous startups as they graduate from the 24-week POC program (Proof of Concept program) as well as explore the opportunities for more collaboration. (https://reurl.cc/EnAG9m)

For the past 24 weeks, the twelve startups and the Company's accelerator teams collaborated with mentors and partners to make this acceleration program remarkable. As the world marks a year and a half of the intense disruption by the COVID pandemic, the teams still demonstrated extraordinary resilience by coming up with significant innovative solutions through the digital transformation of the program.

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There are a few talented and wholesome startups from Taiwan, Thailand and Canada that BE Accelerator would like to introduce:

EPED: An innovative medical and dental navigation solutions startup complemented with Augmented Reality (AR) Technology in the field of minimally invasive surgery.

METICULY: A Thailand based startup that provides 3D printing medical technology on personalized implant solutions for bone-related surgeries.

Asia patho Genomics: A startup developed a metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) method which is a hypothesis free and timely method that could sequence every single pathogen, inclusive of bacteria, virus, fungus, and parasite, in one test.

Pressure Dot: A startup that is involved in measuring intra-abdominal pressure in the clinical settings of preventing Acute Compartment Syndrome. The system consists of an abdominal capsulized pressure detector/sensor that can be swallowed by patients for continuous measurement of intra-abdominal pressure.

INOPASE: An entrepreneurial concept which develops wireless power miniaturized implant neuromodulation with closed-loop function for Overactive Bladder (OAB) and Fecal Incontinence (FI) treatment. Current implant neuromodulation for OAB and FI treatments require patients to take multiple implantation surgeries and still have additional safety issues, INOPASE is closing the gap to improve the treatment efficacy.

Medscope: A brilliant startup that minimizes the risk during Minimally Invasive Surgery, as known as MIS, created 15 slope design for a better visibility. Anti-drop design of the jaw could make sure a surgeon won't drop any extra clips into a patient during operations (which happen occasionally).

Protect Biotech: The company is committed to the research and development of companion animal immunotherapy drugs with the goal of becoming a leader in pet disease immunotherapy in the Pan-Asia region. Protect Biotech currently has the world's first broad-spectrum animal cancer treatment product PT001, ready to enter clinical trials.

Wisergers: An innovative concept that develops biochemical detecting systems with microfluidic technology. Wisergers is committed in the supply of affordable, fast and the convenient products for biochemical detection in food safety and blood tests.

Smart Surgery: A startup that improves the qualities of surgeries and records the surgical procedures intensively. With Smart Surgery's visual computing AI model, they deliver the services including surgery simulation system, medical image automatic labeling and surgery assistance system to better facilitate the development of education in surgical operations.

Point Robotics: A revolutionary innovation that increases the adoption of minimally invasive surgery and continues their commitment to designing minimally invasive solutions that reduce variability in surgery and help to provide deliver better care. Point's technology can lower the surgery risks, reduce medical costs, prevent unsalvageable spinal injuries, shorten patients' recovery time, prevent unnecessary medical imaging radiation exposure, and most importantly improve the precision in surgeries.

ALTUMVIEW Systems: A Canada-based AI startup that focuses on the development of smart vision technology for elderly care, rehabilitation, behavioral/cognitive health solutions.

HemoCath: Another Canada-based startup that guides diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients with heart failures (HF). HemoCath Intelligent HF Monitoring Platform is for remote patient monitoring (AI, SaaS).

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[Registration]

All participants of the virtual demo day will have access to the event live and the recorded video. Moreover, we will have an exclusive campaign for registered VIP in our mailing list, including VIP booklets files and the opportunity to attend 1-1 facilitated introductions with the founders.

Please RSVP to be included in the VIP mailing list

https://pse.is/3m2uu9

[Agenda]

14:00 - 14:05 Opening

14:05 - 14:08 Opening Remark

14:08 - 14:18 SCMH x BE Introduction

14:18 - 14:25 David & Thomas

14:25 - 15:10 Pitch Session

15:10 - 15:20 Break

15:20 - 16:20 Pitch Session

16:20 - 16:30 Dr. Lee penal

[About BE Accelerator]

BE Accelerator is the largest growth-focused program and venture fund for healthtech, medtech and digital health startups in Taiwan. Based in Taipei, the Company leverages the unique strengths of its thriving ecosystem to position as the gateway to Asia for both local and international startups. Started in 2018, the Company backs fifty-one healthcare entrepreneurs, and raised $75.8M+ USD successfully.

[About SCMH-Show Chwan Memorial Hospital]

The name "Show Chwan" originated from President Huang's commemoration of his late father. It represents an aspiration to show concern for the elderly, love the young ones, and care for everyone's health. Show Chwan is a hand-in-hand "family" healthcare system with a current number of eight hospitals. For medical and healthcare, President Huang Min-Ho advocates the spirit of "Mayo Clinic" by establishing a "sound rural hospital" system, allowing even the people in the most remote of areas to enjoy the quality and cordial medical care found in cosmopolitan cities.

[About IRCAD Taiwan]

In 1994, IRCAD opened on the grounds of the University Hospital of Strasbourg. Since its creation, IRCAD has gained world renowned fame as a leading research, technology and surgical education institute. Asian Institute of Telesurgery (AITS/IRCAD-Taiwan) was created in 2008 under the guidance of IRCAD/EITS and this groundbreaking alliance with Show Chwan Health Care System brings the 800 international experts affiliated with IRCAD/EITS to closer proximity of Asian surgeons, providing identical level of excellence in education while saving time and money in traveling. Tens of thousands of surgeons from the world over came to IRCAD-Taiwan to obtain high-level skills, cutting-edge technology, pioneering medical devices.

Company Name: BE Accelerator

Contact Person: Polly Chen

Email: Polly@behealthventures.com

Website: https://www.beaccelerator.com.tw/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93844
Partners Group acquired a majority stake in Straive, then known as SPi Global, in 2017

Under Partners Group's ownership, Straive has transformed into a technology-driven business with strong positions in the Research Content, EdTech and Data Solutions markets

Straive has over 17,000 employees across eight countries

Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, has, on behalf of its clients, agreed to sell Straive (or "the Company"), a leading global provider of technology-driven content and data solutions, to funds affiliated with Baring Private Equity Asia ("BPEA").

Established in 1980 and headquartered in Singapore, Straive provides a suite of technology-driven platforms and services for the creation, enrichment, and dissemination of e-learning content, research content, and specialized data solutions. The Company today has over 17,000 employees in 15 locations across the Philippines, Singapore, India, China, Vietnam, US, UK, and Nicaragua.

Partners Group acquired a majority stake in Straive, then known as SPi Global, in August 2017. Under Partners Group's ownership, Straive has transformed from a provider of primarily content services into a technology-driven content, data, and EdTech solutions company. It continues to be the global market leader in Research Content Services, and its expanded digital service offerings have established strong positions in the Data Solutions and EdTech markets. Straive's organic growth has been supplemented with three strategic bolt-on acquisitions between 2018 and 2020. Other major initiatives have included the development of proprietary technology and software products, as well as the deepening of strategic customer relationships.

Cyrus Driver, Managing Director, Private Equity Technology, Partners Group, says: "When we invested in Straive in 2017, we aligned upfront with management and the board on a transformation plan. We took Straive's strengths in process automation and content operations and applied them to broader end markets with higher growth, playing into the themes of e-learning and big data. Straive's team has executed exceptionally under Ratan's executive leadership and Vikram's board leadership. The team at Partners Group takes great satisfaction that Straive today is stronger than ever and its best years are still ahead of it."

Ratan Datta, Chief Executive Officer, Straive, comments: "Straive has been on an incredible growth journey under Partners Group's value-added ownership. SPi's recent rebranding to Straive marks our more advanced offering and increased focus on technology-driven solutions. We have started to see the fruits of investing behind and expanding our addressable markets. We thank Partners Group for their value creation approach, platform building contributions, and financial resources, which have been crucial in transforming our business. We now look forward to working with BPEA on our exciting next chapter."

Vikram Talwar, Chairman of the Board, Straive, says: "On behalf of the Board, I would like to congratulate Ratan and the first-rate leadership at Straive for successfully executing an ambitious strategic plan set out by the Board. My fellow Board members have played a valuable role in charting strategic direction and supporting key management initiatives. We believe together with Ratan's team, Straive is now positioned as a leading, future-ready provider of critical content, data, and EdTech platform services. I am confident the business will go from strength to strength under the new ownership."

Yuan En Lim, Member of Management, Private Equity, Partners Group, adds: "Our joint value creation plan with management has enabled Straive, already a leader in Research Content and Data Solutions, to build a strong presence in the high-growth digital education market. We believe the Company is set to continue its growth trajectory as recent investments begin to pay-off fully. We have really enjoyed partnering closely with Straive's talented leadership in true Partners Group tradition."

J.P. Morgan acted as exclusive financial advisor to Partners Group on the transaction. Latham & Watkins and EY also advised Partners Group on the transaction.
HONG KONG, Aug 20, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Li Jiaqi, the most influential figure in China's livestreaming e-commerce space, recently announced his latest move - his hosting of a new fashion show at the iconic Shanghai K11 Art Mall, to be held between August 19-22. The show will feature five up-and-coming Chinese designers, based throughout the world, who will interact with visitors on the scene. It may sound like fantasy, but such reality is made possible through the implementation of livestreaming technology.



At the show, visitors can check out the 2021 autumn and winter collections, while at the same time interacting with the participating designers through opening relevant "doors." As an extension of Li Jiaqi WoW, Li Jiaqi's online live shopping information & recommendation program, the show promises an immersive experience unbound by time or space and different from the conventional live streaming studio partitioned by screens.



Li is China's most popular key opinion leader (KOL) in the livestreaming e-commerce industry - with nearly 170 million fans - and has driven sales of more than$430 million (RMB2.8 billion) in a single live broadcast. Since 2016, livestreaming e-commerce has grown in popularity in China. Outperforming all other shopping channels, its user scale reached 388 million till December 2020, 66.2% of whom bought products via this channel, China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) says.



Compared to traditional online shopping, livestreaming e-commerce provokes a greater consumer response through lively visual demonstrations, greater convenience, and more affordable price during the nationwide lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Livestreaming e-commerce is especially popular during China's e-commerce festivals, such as the 618 Festival - a June festival run by many of China's e-commerce companies -with 14.2 billion views and over 100,000 brands involved in livestreaming influencer marketing in 2021.



At the heart of China's livestreaming e-commerce world as well as a contributor of such accomplishment, Li Jiaqi is a force of nature. Ever since entering the industry, Li has been a trendsetter, his opinions delivered with iconic style. A "Recommended by Li Jiaqi" endorsement can truly change a company's fortunes. Florasis, a Chinese makeup brand, was one such company, quadrupling its sales year-on-year to RMB 2.75 billion after partnering with Li, rocketing them the top of Chinese makeup brands for 2020. Leveraging his powerful influence, Li has led dozens of Chinese brands to nationwide popularity, leading to him being dubbed China's "top domestic product promoter."



Behind Li's to rise to fame are tags such as "Made in China," "makeup," and "lipstick," but deep down, Li has always had a greater ambition. In August last year, Li Jiaqi's team launched China's first livestreaming shopping information and recommendation program, Li Jiaqi WoW, a confluence of information on new products, available globally, across a number of categories. This shift to a more global focus is all part of Li's efforts to import designer brands around the world into China's market. Since then, Li Jiaqi WoW has aired nearly 50 episodes, eliciting a strong response across China's social platforms, such as Weibo, TikTok (Douyin), and Xiaohongshu (RED). The program is expected to further integrate offline channels as it looks to provide designers and brands with better opportunities for promotion.



Li's move of promoting international brands nationwide via his livestreaming channel has worked out favorably for most featured brands. In a Salvatore Ferragamo live broadcast, for example, two hundred Salvatore Ferragamo Creation handbags, priced at RMB 17,000 each, quickly sold out.



Li Jiaqi's story is not simply one of commerce and consumption, but also one that reveals the ongoing change in brand marketing and promotion in China followed by technological development and changes in Chinese people's consumption behavior.



As the "door" metaphorically implies in Li Jiaqi's new product launch, live streaming e-commerce breaks borders and boundaries of space via online and offline channels, and presents brands to the market at a minimum cost, maximizing benefits for both brands and consumers. The CNNIC stated in its report that livestreaming e-commerce users made up a mere 39% of China's netizen population as of December 2020. Given the country's total internet user population of 989 million, as well as its internet penetration rate of 70%, livestreaming e-commerce is certain to grow its market share in the coming years, with data analytics company iiMedia Research predicting that by 2025, China's livestreaming influencer-led e-commerce transaction volume will reach$1 trillion (RMB 6.4 trillion).











Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.





Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 2021 / Medaro Mining Corp. (CSE:MEDA) ("Medaro" or the "Company"), together with its joint venture partner, Global Lithium Extraction Technologies Inc. ("Global Lithium"), is pleased to provide an update on their lithium extraction technology.

Over the past few weeks, Global Lithium has focused on several key items, with the first being the construction of a small laboratory facility in Kingston, Tennessee (the "Laboratory"). The Laboratory is over 60% built with completion anticipated to be in the coming weeks. Once complete, the Laboratory will be the primary location for all testing during the initial phase of the joint venture.

Global Lithium has been purchasing materials and equipment to assist with its test-tube scale development of the Technology. Specifically, chemicals that will be used for process reaction experiments have already been ordered and equipment, including small pressure vessels and glass reactors, are currently being custom designed and fabricated in preparation for the commencement of testing by month-end. The Company will also be sending rock samples from its Superb Lake lithium property, located in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and CYR South lithium property, located in James Bay, Quebec, to the Laboratory for processing and preliminary extraction experimentation.

Global Lithium has engaged a Senior Chemical Technologist with over 40 years of experience designing, building, and operating equipment for bench-scale chemical processing. The Technologist will work alongside Dr. Jim Blencoe to further develop and validate the Technology.

Faizaan Lalani, Medaro's President, states, "We are very pleased with how quickly things are coming together with the development of the lithium extraction technology. The ability to source hard rock samples from our own properties is a great added benefit. We look forward to reviewing the results from this first phase of laboratory testing."

Additionally, the company is pleased to announce the extension of its engagement with Financial Star News Inc. ("FSN") (address: 701 West Georgia Street, Suite 1500, Vancouver, V7Y 1C6; email: info@thefinancialstar.com) for marketing services of up to three months, commencing August 18, 2021.

FSN shall, as appropriate, create campaigns, ad groups, text ads, display ads, perform detailed keyword research, setup and manage remarketing campaigns, optimize keyword options, coordinate online advertiser and marketers corresponding to the customers online marketing targets, create landing pages for ad campaigns and bring attention to the business of the Company in consideration of USD $500,000 (plus applicable taxes). The promotional activity shall occur on theFinancialStar.com, by email, Facebook, and Google. FSN does not have any prior relationship with the Company aside from its previous engagement with the Company.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Faizaan Lalani

President & Director

About the Company

The Company is a lithium exploration company based in Vancouver, BC. and holds options over the Superb Lake lithium property located in Thunder Bay, Ontario and the CYR South lithium property located in James Bay, Quebec. Through the joint venture agreement governing the JV, the Company is also engaged in the development and commercialization of a new process to extract lithium from spodumene concentrate.

For more information, investors should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding its joint venture with Global Lithium, the expected completion of the Laboratory, the development of the lithium extraction technology, the joint venture's planned activities over the coming two to three months and the timing thereof, statements regarding the extension of the engagement with FSN and the expected marketing activities are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

Contact Information

info@medaromining.com

604-602-0001

SOURCE: Medaro Mining Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660641/Medaro-Mining-Provides-Update-on-Lithium-Extraction-Technology
SAN DIEGO (dpa-AFX) - The European Commission said it deeply regrets Illumina's decision to complete its acquisition of GRAIL, while the investigation into the deal is still ongoing. As a result, the Commission has decided to immediately start an investigation to assess whether Illumina's decision constitutes a breach of standstill obligation. The Commission noted that the latest investigation is separate from its in-depth investigation announced last month. On Aug 18, 2021, Illumina announced the company has acquired GRAIL for a cash and stock consideration of $8 billion. GRAIL shareholders will also receive future payments representing a tiered single digit percentage of certain GRAIL-related revenues. While making the announcement, Illumina noted that it will hold GRAIL as a separate company during the European Commission's regulatory review. Illumina stated that GRAIL has no business in the EU, and the company believes that the European Commission does not have jurisdiction to review the merger. Illumina formed GRAIL and spun it out in 2016. GRAIL's first employees still owns 12 percent of Illumina. GRAIL's Galleri blood test detects 50 different cancers before they are symptomatic. On 19 April 2021, the Commission accepted the requests submitted by Belgium, France, Greece, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Norway to assess the proposed acquisition. The Commission had opened an in-depth investigation on 22 July 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.
Livestreamed company update and on-demand sessions provide actionable advice on 'making knowledge work,' process transformation, and user adoption

CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2021, the company dedicated to Making Knowledge Work, today announces its participation in the International Legal Technology Association'sto be held August 22-26 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, NV. The hybrid virtual and in-person event brings together industry experts and legal community members from over 20 countries for comprehensive peer-driven programs, educational content, and networking that address today's transforming legal industry.



An ILTAMAX sponsor, iManage will have a virtual presence featuring a robust programming lineup, including a livestreamed company update, three on-demand innovations sessions and a customer panel on the journey to iManage Cloud. iManage staff will also be available to speak with attendees virtually during ILTACON.

iMANAGE SPEAKING SESSIONS :

LIVE:

iManage Company Update

Wednesday Aug 25 - 12:30-1:15 PDT, Oceanside Ballroom A, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino

CEO Neil Araujo and Chief Product Officer Dan Carmel will share highlights of the last year, the guiding principles of "Making Knowledge Work," the company's platform vision, and details on Microsoft & iManage Better Together.

ON-DEMAND:

iManage - The Platform for Making Knowledge Work

Chief Product Officer Dan Carmel will discuss the rapid changes in today's business environment and detail how iManage is aligning strategies and resources to support the goal of "Making Knowledge Work." In this session, he will delve into product roadmap and capabilities, enhanced cloud services and security features, and iManage's path in making organizations more productive, agile, and secure.

Customer Panel: Moving to the iManage Cloud

Get a view into legal firm planning, strategy, and outcomes surrounding moving to iManage Cloud from two customers. Dana Wesley Sarti, CEDS, Litigation Support Manager from Robbins Russell and Patricia Mansuy, Interim CIO of Cole Schotz P.C. will share insights including:

Building the business case for cloud

Evaluating the market

Critical success factors and benefits

Security considerations

Lessons learned

Making Knowledge Work through Process Transformation

Learn more about iManage's approach to process transformation including three critical areas that are empowering millions of professionals to leverage iManage's platform, AI services and ecosystem to work more productively, intelligently, and securely. Legal practice experts will cover:

Transforming the Transactional Closing Process

Transforming Task Tracking and Checklists

Transforming the Contract Review and Management Process

Presented by iManage's Nick Thomson, General Manager AI; Sahil Zaman, Head of Business Operations; Becky Bloom, Product Manager; and Jenny Hotchin, Legal Practice Lead

Let's Make Knowledge Work: Tools and Resources for Your Journey

Dean Leung, iManage Chief Customer Success Officer will discuss how to align measurable business outcomes with IT initiatives and ensure users' long-term adoption. He'll cover methods to show investment value, best learning paths for different stages of adoption, and an abundance of training resources and ongoing iManage Community programming.

In its commitment to continued user engagement, iManage recently launched iMCommunity, a new program designed to deliver ongoing education and foster dialogue between iManage, its partners and customers - the iManage Community. A series of iMCommunity Annual User 'Breakfasts' will held online, closely following ILTA in early September. Topics will include iMCommunity Support, Productivity, Security, and AI. Register and get more information on the iMCommunity web page .

Follow iManage via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/imanage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/imanageinc

Blog: https://imanage.com/blog/

About iManage

iManage is the company dedicated to Making Knowledge Work. Its intelligent, cloud-enabled, secure knowledge work platform enables organizations to uncover and activate the knowledge that exists inside their business content and communications. Advanced Artificial Intelligence and powerful document and email management create connections across data, systems, and people while leveraging the context of organizational content to fuel deep insights, informed business decisions, and collaboration. Underpinned by best-of-breed security and sophisticated workflows and governance approaches, iManage has earned its place as the industry standard by continually innovating to solve complex professional challenges and enabling better business outcomes for over one million professionals across 65+ countries. Visit www.imanage.com/ to learn more.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 20, 2021) - Xplore Resources Corp. (TSXV: XPLR) ("Xplore or "the Company"), is pleased to announce that it has entered into an Option Agreement (the "Agreement") with 1544230 Ontario Inc. and Gravel Ridge Resources Inc. (together the "Vendors") to earn a 100% ownership interest in the 166 contiguous cell claims (3,370 Ha) Perrigo Lake Property ("Perrigo Lake") located in the McNaughton Township, Red Lake Mining Division, ON., Canada.

Summary of the terms of the proposed transaction:

Under the terms of the Agreement, Xplore will acquire a 100% ownership interest in Pringle Lake by completing the following:

The Company obtaining all necessary approvals from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSX.V" ); and

Making a cash payment of C$18,000 to the Vendor on signing of the Agreement (completed); and

Issuing to the Vendors 120,000 shares of XPLR within five (5) days of TSX-V approval of the Agreement; and

Making a cash payment of C$20,000 and issuing 120,000 shares of XPLR on or before the 12-month anniversary of the Closing Date; and

Making a cash payment of C$28,000 on or before the 24-month anniversary of the Closing Date; and

Making a final cash payment to the Vendors of C$30,000 on or before the 36-month anniversary of the Closing Date.

On completion of the above noted cash payments and share issuances, Xplore will have earned a 100% interest in the Pringle Lake Property and the Vendors would retain a 1.75% net smelter return royalty ("NSR") on all future metal production. The Company may purchase 0.05% of the NSR for C$600,000. The remaining 1.25% NSR is subject to a pre-existing agreement with and arms length third party.

The transaction and the issuance of the shares contemplated by the Agreement are subject to the acceptance of the TSX.V. Any securities issued will be subject to applicable statutory hold periods for a period of four months from the date of issuance.

Wes Hanson, P.Geo., President and CEO of Xplore, notes, "Perrigo Lake provides a third property in the Red Lake Mining Division, one of the premier locations in Canada for the discovery of gold mineralization. Ontario Geological Survey maps suggest that the property is dominated by felsic to mafic volcanic and volcanoclastic rocks and metasedimentary rocks with the potential to host gold mineralization. Gold was actively mined at the Uchi mine, 10 kms to the southwest, from 1939 to 1943, with over 100,000 ounces of historical production. Perrigo has not been systematically explored and we look forward to initiating exploration at our latest project. Airborne magnetic surveys at Pringle and Upper Red Lake are scheduled to commence shortly and we expect that we will be able to include Perrigo Lake in the scope of work. Our plan is to complete reconnaissance mapping and sampling of all three Red Lake properties in the fall."





Figure 1.0 - Location Map - Perrigo Lake Property Claim Group



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1.0, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7519/93796_992fb530d46abba9_002full.jpg

About Xplore Resources (TSXV: XPLR)

Xplore Resources is a Toronto based mining exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under symbol XPLR and is focused on the acquisition and development of copper and gold projects in the Americas. The Company is led by a highly experienced management team and is comprised of industry experts with executive and senior management experience in geology, banking, private equity, investor relations and law.

Valk Project

Xplore's 100% owned Valk copper-gold project (1,614 Ha) is located in the Nanaimo Mining Division, British Columbia, approximately 20 Km NW of Port Hardy. The Project is road accessible via an extensive network of provincial highways, local roads, and logging roads. Soil geochemistry and surface rock sampling have identified anomalous copper, vanadium, and gold mineralization within rocks of the Karmutsen Formation. Valk is located 25 km north of the former Island Copper Mine (reported historical production 367 Mt @ 0.33% Cu - Ref. BC Minfile 092L 158) and the North Island Copper and Gold Project (Indicated resource of 304 Mt @ 0.21% Cu - Ref. BC Minfile 092L 240).

Qualified Persons

Mr. Wes Hanson, P. Geo., President & CEO of Xplore and registered in the Provinces of Ontario is the "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and is responsible for the technical contents of this news release and has approved the disclosure of the technical information contained herein.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Wesley C. Hanson"

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Phone: +1 647-362-9675

Email: info@xploreresources.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

ANY SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "1933 ACT"), AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO A U.S. PERSON IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE 1933 ACT.

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS IN NO WAY PASSED UPON THE MERITS OF THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Notice on forward-looking statements:

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Xplore 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 Xplore's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Xplore's ability to complete the proposed Transaction; and other risks and uncertainties, including those to be described in the Filing Statement to be filed by Xplore on SEDAR.com. Accordingly, actual, and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Xplore undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93796
Conference call to be conducted on August 25, 2021 at 11 a.m. ET.

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoomd Technologies Ltd. (TSXV: ZOMD) (OTC: ZMDTF) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Zoomd Ltd. (collectively, "Zoomd" or the "Company"), the marketing tech (MarTech) user-acquisition and engagement platform, announced today that it expects to report its financial results for the second quarter 2021 on August 24, 2021. The Company has scheduled a conference call on August 25, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. ET, to discuss the results.

Interested parties can access the conference call via Internet webcast, which is available in the Investors section of the Company's website at https://zoomd.com/investors/ or at https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2473/42590 .

Interested parties who would like to submit a question to be addressed on the call should email the question to ZOMD@lythampartners.com .

A webcast replay will be available in the Investors section of the Company's website at https://zoomd.com/investors/ or via https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2473/42590.

About ZOOMD

Zoomd (TSXV: ZOMD, OTC: ZMDTF), founded in 2012 and began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in September 2019, offers a site search engine to publishers, and a mobile app user-acquisition platform, integrated with a majority of global digital media, to advertisers. The platform unifies more than 600 media sources into one unified dashboard. Offering advertisers, a user acquisition control center for managing all new customer acquisition campaigns using a single platform. By unifying all these media sources onto a single platform, Zoomd saves advertisers significant resources that would otherwise be spent consolidating data sources, thereby maximizing data collection and data insights while minimizing the resources spent on the exercise. Further, Zoomd is a performance-based platform that allows advertisers to advertise to the relevant target audiences using a key performance indicator-algorithm that is focused on achieving the advertisers' goals and targets.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclaimer IN REGARD TO Forward-looking statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect Zoomd's release of its financial statements on August 24, 2021. Forward-looking statements are based on our current assumptions, estimates, expectations and projections that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, technological, legal, privacy matters, political and social uncertainties (including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic), the extent and duration of which are uncertain at this time on Zoomd's business and general economic and business conditions and markets. There can be no assurance that any of the forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

The reader should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.

For further information please contact:

Company Media Contacts:

Amit Bohensky

Chairman

Zoomd

ir@zoomd.com

Website: www.zoomd.com

Investor relations:

Lytham Partners, LLC

Ben Shamsian

New York | Phoenix

ZOMD@lythampartners.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1039696/Zoomd_Logo.jpg
The information contained in this release was correct as at 31 July 2021 . Information on the Company's up to date net asset values can be found on the London Stock Exchange Website at

https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-home.html.

BLACKROCK FRONTIERS INVESTMENT TRUST PLC (LEI: 5493003K5E043LHLO706)

All information is at 31 July 2021 and unaudited.

Performance at month end with net income reinvested.

One

month

% Three

months

% One

year

% Three

years

% Five

years

% Since

Launch*

% Sterling: Share price -3.3 -4.4 34.3 -12.8 12.5 71.2 Net asset value -2.2 0.7 35.1 -2.4 24.9 88.3 Benchmark (NR)** -2.3 -1.1 11.6 -6.3 26.5 54.0 MSCI Frontiers Index (NR) -1.0 6.0 31.2 17.1 47.1 80.3 MSCI Emerging Markets Index (NR) -7.3 -4.8 13.9 18.6 56.4 66.3 US Dollars: Share price -2.7 -4.0 42.3 -7.5 17.9 53.3 Net asset value -1.5 1.1 43.1 3.5 30.9 68.4 Benchmark (NR)** -1.7 -0.7 18.3 -0.7 32.5 38.4 MSCI Frontiers Index (NR) -0.3 6.4 39.0 24.1 54.1 60.7 MSCI Emerging Markets Index (NR) -6.7 -4.4 20.6 25.7 63.8 48.3

Sources: BlackRock and Standard & Poor's Micropal

* 17 December 2010.

** The Company's benchmark changed from MSCI Frontier Markets Index to MSCI Emerging ex Selected Countries + Frontier Markets + Saudi Arabia Index (net total return, USD) effective 1/4/2018.



At month end US Dollar Net asset value - capital only: 172.99c Net asset value - cum income: 174.99c Sterling: Net asset value - capital only: 124.42p Net asset value - cum income: 125.85p Share price: 116.50p Total assets (including income): 238.3m Discount to cum-income NAV: 7.4% Gearing: nil Gearing range (as a % of gross assets): 0-20% Net yield*: 4.3% Ordinary shares in issue**: 189,325,748 Ongoing charges***: 1.4% Ongoing charges plus taxation and performance fee: 1.4%

*The Company's yield based on dividends announced in the last 12 months as at the date of the release of this announcement is 4.3% and includes the 2020 final dividend of 4.25 cents per share declared on 11 December 2020 which paid on 12 February 2021. Also included is the 2021 interim dividend of 2.75 cents per share, announced on 01 June 2021 and paid to shareholders on 25 June 2021.

** Excluding 52,497,053 ordinary shares held in treasury.

***Calculated as a percentage of average net assets and using expenses, excluding Performance fees and interest costs for the year ended 30 September 2020.

Sector

Analysis Gross market value as a % of net assets Country

Analysis Gross market value as a % of net assets Financials 34.7 Saudi Arabia 18.8 Consumer Discretionary 15.0 Greece 8.8 Materials 14.6 Vietnam 8.6 Industrials 12.6 Indonesia 7.3 Energy 10.3 Kazakhstan 7.2 Consumer Staples 6.2 Thailand 7.1 Real Estate 4.3 Egypt 5.8 Information Technology 3.7 Poland 5.6 Health Care 2.9 Chile 5.5 Utilities 1.4 Hungary 4.9 Communication Services 1.4 United Arab Emirates 4.8 ----- Philippines 4.4 107.1 Malaysia 3.9 ----- Ukraine 2.9 Short positions -2.3 Romania 2.4 ===== Kenya 2.0 Peru 1.9 Qatar 1.7 Pakistan 1.7 Panama 1.4 Nigeria 0.4 ----- Total 107.1 ----- Short positions -2.3 =====

*reflects gross market exposure from contracts for difference (CFDs).

Market Exposure



31.08

2020

% 30.09

2020

% 31.10

2020

% 30.11

2020

% 31.12

2020

% 31.01

2021

% 28.02

2021

% 31.03

2021

% 30.04

2021

% 31.05

2021

% 30.06

2021

% 31.07

2021

% Long 110.2 107.8 106.9 107.3 107.9 110.5 114.0 105.7 108.5 105.3 106.8 107.1 Short 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1 1.1 4.5 3.4 2.5 2.3 4.6 2.3 Gross 110.2 107.8 106.9 107.3 109.0 111.6 118.5 109.1 111.0 107.6 111.4 109.4 Net 110.2 107.8 106.9 107.3 106.8 109.4 109.5 102.3 106.0 103.0 102.2 104.8

Ten Largest Investments

Company Country of Risk Gross market value as a % of net assets National Commercial Bank Saudi Arabia 4.9 Kaspi Kazakhstan 4.4 FPT Vietnam 3.7 Mobile World Vietnam 3.4 Emaar Properties United Arab Emirates 3.3 Saudi British Bank Saudi Arabia 3.2 LPP Poland 3.1 Ferrexpo Ukraine 2.9 CP All Thailand 2.8 Sahara International Petrochemical Saudi Arabia 2.6





Commenting on the markets, Sam Vecht and Emily Fletcher, representing the Investment Manager noted:

The Company's NAV returned -1.5%1 versus the Company's benchmark (the MSCI Emerging ex Selected Countries + Frontier Markets + Saudi Arabia Index ("Benchmark Index")), which returned -1.7% in July2. For reference, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index ended the month -6.7% and the MSCI Frontier Markets Index -0.3%2 over the same period (all performance figures are on a US Dollar basis with net income reinvested).

July news flow was dominated by China with the market down 14% on the month on the back of regulatory tightening. This move led the MSCI Emerging Markets Index to fall 6.7% in July, underperforming the MSCI World Index by 8.7%. The frontier and smaller emerging countries fared much better, especially outside of Asia. The Delta variant remains a key concern, especially affecting countries where vaccinations are still lagging.

Egypt (+7.0%), Turkey (+6.4%) and Argentina (+6.4%) were some of the best performing markets in July while Philippines (-11.7%), Peru (-9.1%) and Thailand (-6.9%) lagged.Philippines and Thailand sold off on Covid-19 concerns and continued impact on travel and tourism in the region. Peru lagged on continued political uncertainty under new president Castillo.

In terms of contributors to performance over the month, the largest contributor once again was stock selection in Vietnam as our holdings in retailer Mobile World (+8.4%) and IT services company FPT Corp (+7.1%) continued their strong earnings and investment performance. Stock selection in Poland also contributed strongly, led by debt collection agency Kruk (+19.3%) benefiting from improved earnings prospects, as did our investment in Polish apparel retailer LPP (+9.5%). Our holding in FinTech company Kaspi (+6.8%) continued to benefit from structural trends. Allocation to Egypt was an additional contributor as the market rallied on hopes of recovery in domestic economy and tourism post Covid-19.

Primary detractors from performance in July were our holdings in the Philippines, tobacco company LT group (-26.0%) and casino and hotel resort operator Bloomberry (-14.8%) as prospect of tourism returning to the region seems further delayed. Peru also detracted through our financial holding in Credicorp (-16.6%) on the back of higher operating expenses as well as continued political uncertainty surrounding the cabinet appointments under new President Castillo. IRPC Thai energy refiner and cracker (-10.6%) share price performance was disconnected from its positive earnings revisions given concerns around Covid-19 in Thailand.

We made a few changes to the portfolio in July. In ASEAN markets we trimmed winners in Vietnam and added to some of the underperformers in the Philippines. We also took some profit in Saudi miner MA'ADEN given uncertainty around aluminium price sustainability at current levels. Elsewhere in materials we added to Ukrainian Iron Ore company Ferrexpo which benefits from strength in ore prices; even as iron ore prices normalize, we expect strong cash generation to support the share price.

Overall, for countries that have stable macro environments and have made timely progress in vaccination rollouts, we believe the global macro recovery provides a favourable backdrop to recover lost economic productivity. Valuations in a lot of the frontier end emerging markets remain attractive relative to their own history and also relative to the more evolved markets. We believe our opportunity set is a compelling universe to generate alpha.

Sources:

1BlackRock as at 31 July 2021

2MSCI as at 31 July 2021

20 August 2021

ENDS

Latest information is available by typing www.blackrock.com/uk/brfi on the internet, "BLRKINDEX" on Reuters, "BLRK" on Bloomberg or "8800" on Topic 3 (ICV terminal). Neither the contents of the Manager's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on BlackRock's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.
The solar tiles were deployed on a conference center in Glucksburg, Germany. In addition to PV, the building also uses solar thermal energy and biomass to cover heat demand. The power generated by the PV array is utilized entirely for self-consumption.From pv magazine Germany A solar system comprising PV tiles has been deployed on the conical roof of the Artefact - Center for Sustainable Development in Glucksburg at the Baltic Sea in Germany this summer. The PV tiles were provided by German specialist Autarq and have been installed everywhere on the roof except for the north side. They were placed ...

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.
Y-T-D sales total $17.7 million

CHICO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 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 approximately $488,000. Year-to-date, AmeraMex has announced sales of approximately $17.7 million.

The orders included a 2013 Taylor Loaded Container Handler shipping to a logistics company in Florida and a 25,000-pound capacity Taylor Forklift shipping to a customer in Northern California. The equipment will ship before the end of the third quarter.

Taylor XLC-975 Loaded Container Handler

Taylor TB-250 Forklift

For more information and pricing of logistics, construction, and forestry equipment or to receive information and 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/660623/AmeraMex-International-Receives-Approximately-488000-in-Equipment-Orders
Powerhouse Energy Group plc

("Powerhouse" or the "Company")

20 August 2021

Change of Directorate

Powerhouse Energy Group plc (AIM: PHE), the UK technology company commercialising hydrogen production from plastic, regrets to announce that Tim Yeo has informed the board that he wishes to step down as Executive Chairman of the Company for personal reasons with immediate effect. It has been agreed that he will remain as a consultant to Powerhouse for a period of 12 months.

This will enable an orderly handover of Tim's responsibilities, including the recruitment process for Powerhouse's new CEO which he and Myles Kitcher are leading, to take place. A separate announcement will be made in due course about the appointment of the CEO.

James Greenstreet will take over from Tim as Chairman. James has been a non-executive director of Powerhouse since 2011 and is a founder of aircraft lessor, Falko Regional Aircraft. He also sits on the board of regional airline, CityJet DAC and Electric Aviation Group Ltd an early-stage company developing hydrogen electric commercial aircraft.

As part of the termination of his existing contract as Executive Chairman the board has agreed in a settlement payment of 35,500. The Consultancy agreement provides for a monthly fee of 6,000 per month. The settlement payment and the Consultancy agreement are related party transactions under the AIM Rules for Companies. The Directors consider, having consulted with WH Ireland Limited, that the terms of the transactions are fair and reasonable insofar as shareholders are concerned.

Tim Yeo said "It has been an honour to lead Powerhouse through an important phase of its development. Under my chairmanship Powerhouse's management and finances have been substantially strengthened and the SPV which is building our first commercial scale plant has been placed on a firm footing.

The arrival of our new CEO will ensure this progress continues. Now is therefore the right time for a younger chairman to take over the reins. I am confident that Powerhouse's technology will soon be successfully proved and widely deployed in the UK and abroad for the benefit of the global environment.

I intend to remain a shareholder and wish James Greenstreet and all my colleagues well in taking Powerhouse forward to the next stage of its development."

James Greenstreet said "On behalf of the whole board and our shareholders I thank Tim warmly for his tireless work for Powerhouse over the last fourteen months. Under his chairmanship the Company has made considerable progress and the foundations of a truly sustainable and prosperous future have been laid. We are very pleased he will act as a consultant to Powerhouse."

-ENDS-

For more information, contact:

Powerhouse Energy Group plc Tel: +44 (0) 203 368 6399 James Greenstreet, Non-Executive Chairman WH Ireland Limited (Nominated Adviser) Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 1666 James Joyce/ Lydia Zychowska Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Ltd (Joint Broker) Tel: +44 (0) 203 657 0050 Andrew Thacker / James Pope SisterSmith PR (media enquiries)

Becca Smith

Mob: +44 (0) 7766522305

Notes to Editors:

About Powerhouse Energy Group plc

Powerhouse has developed a proprietary process technology - DMG - which can utilise waste plastic, end-of-life-tyres, and other waste streams to efficiently and economically convert them into syngas from which valuable products such as chemical precursors, hydrogen, electricity and other industrial products may be derived. Powerhouse's technology is one of the world's first proven, distributed, modular, hydrogen from waste (HfW) process.

The Powerhouse DMG process can generate up to 2 tonnes of road-fuel quality hydrogen and more than 58MWh of exportable electricity per day.

Powerhouse's process produces low levels of safe residues and requires a small operating footprint, making it suitable for deployment at enterprise and community level. As announced on 11th February 2020 under its Supplemental Agreement with Peel Environmental, Powerhouse will receive an annual license fee of 500,000 in respect of each project which is commissioned.

Powerhouse is quoted on the London Stock Exchange's AIM Market under the ticker: PHE and is incorporated in the United Kingdom.

For more information see www.powerhouseenergy.co.uk
PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 2021 / Hiru Corporation (OTC PINK:HIRU), a Georgia corporation, would like to provide revenue projections for the 3rd and 4th quarter for the FYE December 31, 2021.

Based upon conservative projections, the Company will produce top line revenue in excess of $250,000 USD for 3rd quarter ended September 30, 2021; and $1,000,000 USD for 4th quarter ended December 31, 2021.

Ms. Kathryn Gavin (President and CEO of the Company), states, "Starting in the 3rd quarter, the Company's new facility will be up and in full operation which will provide a tremendous boost in not only our ability to produce a larger amounts of client product than ever before over our previous capabilities (e.g., with our cost per unit dropping precipitously), but to our top line revenue as well. Shortly after labor day, the Company can be more specific as to the identity of the new clients that we have signed leading up to our major expansion which has been previously announced (e.g., pictures of which on our social media sites) and the exact size of their ongoing purchase orders with the Company."

The Company anticipates that each proceeding quarter in FYE 2022 will show top line revenue growth well into the foreseeable future. The Company expects top line revenue for FYE 2022 to be between $10,000,000 USD and $20,000,000 USD.

Ms. Gavin further stated, "As we move into the new FYE 2022, we expect the orders from our current new clients to grow each quarter, but we also expect to bring on several other new sources of revenue. These new sources of revenues will be from new products from existing clients and new clients who learn of our expanded capabilities that the Company will have with its new state of the art facility. The future looks bright for both the Company and its shareholders. Again, everything that we do as stewards of the Company is to maximize shareholder value!"

Disclaimer Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements that we make may constitute 'forward-looking statements' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include information concerning future?strategic objectives, business prospects, anticipated savings, financial results (including expenses, earnings, liquidity, cash flow and capital expenditures), industry or market conditions, demand for and pricing of our products, acquisitions and divestitures, anticipated results of litigation and regulatory developments or general economic conditions.? In addition, words such as 'believes,' 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'estimates,' 'projects,' 'forecasts,' and future or conditional verbs such as 'will,' 'may,' 'could,' 'should,' and 'would,' as well as any other statement that necessarily depends on future events, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees, and they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. ?Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.? We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking?statements.

ABOUT US

Hiru Corp. is a Georgia corporation, is a public quoted Pink Sheet issuer under the ticker symbol 'HIRU' (the 'Company'). The Company reports as an alternative reporting issuer with OTC Markets Group, Inc. and is current in its mandatory required filings (e.g., Pink Sheet Current). Currently, the Company has one wholly owned, operational subsidiary, AZ Custom Bottled Water, Inc., a Nevada corporation ('AZ Water'), which owns and operates a commercial water bottling and labeling facility based in Phoenix, Arizona. AZ Water operates a B2C website at https://azcustombottledwater.com/.

CONTACT:

3331 North 35th Avenue

Phoenix, Arizona 95107

Web Site: www.waterandiceshop.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hirucorp

Phone: 928-408-4486

Email: info@waterandiceshop.com

Contact: Kathryn Gavin, CEO

SOURCE: Hiru Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660642/HIRU-CORPORATION--Revenue-Projections-for-3rd-and-4th-Quarter
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 2021 / Aegis Capital Corp., - Aegis Capital Corp. (www.aegiscapcorp.com) a full-service wealth management, financial services and investment banking firm is pleased to announce James Brennan has joined the firm as a Senior Vice President of Investments

James Brennan has worked as a financial advisor dealing primarily with high net worth clients for over 35 years. Mr. Brennan began his career in the financial services industry with Dean Witter Reynolds which became Morgan Stanley and for the last fourteen years has worked with Principal Securities. James develops and implements strategies to help his clients meet and exceed their goals. Mr. Brennan works with clients ranging from small business owners to highly compensated professionals.

Robert Eide Aegis' CEO commented: "We are excited to welcome Jim to Aegis. With significant industry knowledge and a commitment to provide a high level of personalized service to clients, he is a great fit with our firm's culture and will be a valuable addition to our team."

Michael Pata Aegis' Head of Business Development commented: "Jim joins Aegis with more than three decades of experience and a reputation as a trusted advisor to his clients. We are thrilled that he has chosen Aegis and look forward to providing him the necessary support he needs to continue delivering excellent service to his clients."

About Aegis Capital Corporation

Aegis Capital Corporation "Aegis" has been in business for over 35 years catering to the needs of private clients, institutions and corporations. Aegis was founded in 1984 and offers its investment representatives a conflict free service platform and is able to provide a full range of products and services including investment banking, wealth management, insurance, retirement planning, structured products, private equity, alternatives, equity research, fixed income and special purpose vehicles. Aegis is able to provide quality service through its primary clearing relationship with RBC Correspondent Services whose parent company, Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY), is one of the world's leading diversified financial services companies. Member: FINRA / SIPC.

Any questions contact:

Michael Pata, Head of Business Development

Telephone: 1-212-813-1010

mpata@aegiscap.com

www.aegiscapcorp.com

SOURCE: Aegis Capital Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660692/Aegis-Capital-Corp-Announces-the-Hiring-of-a-New-Senior-Vice-President-of-Investments
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - August 20, 2021) - Quantum eMotion Inc. (TSXV: QNC) (OTC Pink: QNCCF) (FSE: 34Q) ("QeM" or the "Company") today announces its participation in the Hudson Institute's Quantum Alliance Initiative (QAI), an international consortium of companies, institutions, and universities whose mission is to raise awareness and develop policies which will serve as a guide for the creation of a robust quantum ecosystem in the Western world.

The Hudson Institute has identified quantum computing and quantum cybersecurity as critical and strategic technologies with inevitable impact on national security and on the economy, hence the creation of QAI helps to foster more urgency among the cybersecurity industry to establish necessary global standards for securing quantum communication.

Francis Bellido, CEO of Quantum eMotion, commented "We are very excited and honored to have been invited to join the QAI. We believe our innovative approach to Quantum Random Numbers Generators can solve the inherent challenges of modern-day encryption and it positions QeM to be a valuable and contributing member of the QAI".

QeM's second generation QRNGs is based on the quantum tunneling phenomenon created by electrons and show distinctive advantages in term of robustness, speed, scalability, and cost which is perfect to address the cryptographic needs of Datacenters, Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies industries.

"As the quantum computer threat to today's encryption system grows more real, innovative approaches to quantum security and safety will determine which companies dominate the post-quantum cryptography landscape," says Arthur Herman, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and Director of Hudson's Quantum Alliance Initiative.

About QeM

The Company's mission is to address the growing demand for affordable hardware security for connected devices. The patented solution for a Quantum Random Number Generator exploits the built-in unpredictability of quantum mechanics and promises to provide enhanced security for protecting high value assets and critical systems.

The Company intends to target the highly valued Healthcare Services industry while ensuring its technology is also relevant and applicable to others, such as Financial Services, Cloud-Based IT Security Infrastructure, Classified Government Networks and Communication Systems, Secure Device Keying (IOT, Automotive, Consumer Electronics) and Quantum Cryptography.

For further information, please contact:

Francis Bellido, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 514.887.5469

Email: info@quantumemotion.com

Website: www.quantumemotion.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from targeted results. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in the Corporation's periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Quantum from time to time with securities regulatory authorities.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93884
New World Capital Advisors Sdn Bhd (NWCA Malaysia) has appointed Rahimin Aziz and Jalil Rasheed to its Board of Directors

LONDON, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NWCA Malaysia was established earlier this year by New World Group (NWG), a London based global diversified investment company, in partnership with Berjaya Corporation Bhd (BCorp), a leading Malaysian conglomerate.

New World Capital Advisors Ltd (NWCA) is the advisory and merchant banking division of New World Group and acts as a fiduciary to institutional and sovereign capital across the asset management, technology, and venture capital verticals. NWCA Malaysia provides advisory services including mergers and acquisitions, strategy, and operations advice to diversified businesses, corporations, and institutional investors in Malaysia as well as neighbouring countries in the region. NWCA Malaysia is focused on exclusive opportunities in Asia, with Malaysia being the launchpad into the region.

The group continues to strengthen its partnership and leadership team in Southeast Asia and beyond, with Rahimin Aziz and Jalil Rasheed joining Tan Sri Dato' Seri Vincent Tan (Chairman & Founder of Berjaya Corporation Bhd), Adam Sadiq (Co-Founder & CEO of New World Group) and Lena Tan (Chairman and Managing Director of NWCA Malaysia) on the board.

Rahimin Aziz is the CEO of a strategic Family Office in the region and brings extensive investment experience across the Energy, Real Estate and Financial Services sectors, focusing on Asia and the US. Prior to his formal appointment, Aziz has supported NWG co-founders, Adam Sadiq and Zeiad Idris, in an advisory capacity.

Jalil Rasheed is currently the CEO of Berjaya Corporation Bhd. Prior to joining BCorp he was CEO of Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), one of the largest government asset management companies in Malaysia. Jalil Rasheed previously held positions at Invesco and Aberdeen Islamic Asset Management, based in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Lena Tan, Chairman and Managing Director of NWCA Malaysia, said: "We are delighted to welcome Rahimin and Jalil to the Board. With growing international investor interest in Malaysia and the region, a board of such high calibre and international experience would be a tremendous asset to unlock significant opportunities for investments. Rahimin and Jalil are highly respected with outstanding track records in value creation across the developed and emerging markets."

Tan Sri Dato' Seri Vincent Tan, Chairman & Founder of Berjaya Corporation Bhd, added: "I am delighted to welcome Rahimin and Jalil to the Board of NWCA Malaysia and I extend my best wishes to this group of business leaders and entrepreneurs. The NWCA Malaysia business has hit the ground running since Q2 this year and I am excited to see them work on unlocking the immense opportunities that Malaysia and the broader region have to offer. All of us here at BCorp are delighted to be a part of this journey with New World Group as the company continues to expand into Asia."

Co-Founder and CEO of New World Group, Adam Sadiq, added: "We are excited to formalise the appointments of Rahimin and Jalil to the Board, bringing their extensive experience, ranging from asset management to consumer business. They will bring tremendous value-add to the NWCA Malaysia team as we continue to build globally recognised brands."

New World Group, through its NWCA Malaysia division, will focus on exclusive opportunities in the region which enhance the firm's global portfolio of businesses. In the last year, NWG has made several strategic investments, including the launch of its GP programme by taking a stake in real estate investor The Valesco Group, which has successfully grown its AUM to EUR 2 billion. NWG furthermore invested in Algbra, a global digital bank focusing on banking the world's underbanked, and which sees Southeast Asia as a pillar region for the company's global expansion.

About New World Group

The New World Group is a global diversified investment company which builds, acquires, invests, and scales businesses, focusing on long-term growth around the world. New World Group adds value to its partners and portfolio companies, from deal origination and execution to value realisation.

About Berjaya Corporation Berhad

The Berjaya Corporation group of companies is a diversified conglomerate under the flagship of Berjaya Corporation Bhd (BCorp), with core businesses across industries including Retail, Food and Beverage, Property, Hospitality and Services.

About New World Capital Advisors Sdn Bhd

New World Capital Advisors Sdn Bhd (NWCA Malaysia) is the advisory and merchant banking division of New World Group ("NWG") and acts as a fiduciary to institutional and sovereign capital across the asset management, technology and venture capital verticals.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1599032/New_World_Group_Logo.jpg
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH ITS DISTRIBUTION MAY BE UNLAWFUL

BH MACRO LIMITED

(a closed-ended investment company incorporated in Guernsey with registration number 46235)

LEI: 549300ZOFF0Z2CM87C29

20 August 2021

Combination with BH Global Limited - Timetable Update

BH Macro Limited (the "Company") announces the following updates to timetable for the Company's combination with BH Global Limited ("BH Global").

Expected Timetable

Publication of final Net Asset Values per share for each class of the Company's shares (the "Shares") as at 31 July 2021 26 August 2021 Publication of final Net Asset Values and residual Net Asset Values per share of each class of share in BH Global as at 31 July 2021 26 August 2021 Admission and commencement of dealings in the Shares 31 August 2021 CREST accounts credited with BH Macro Shares 31 August 2021 Share certificates in respect of Shares expected to be despatched By 3 September 2021



The Company has also been informed by the liquidators of BH Global that payments are expected to be made to BH Global shareholders who have elected for the Cash Option pursuant to the scheme of arrangement effecting BH Global's combination with the Company on or around 3 September 2021.

Enquiries

Richard Horlick

Chairman

William Simmonds

J.P. Morgan Cazenove

020 7742 4000

Edward Berry / Tom Blackwell

FTI Consulting

07703 330 199 / 07747 113 919

Important notices

The information contained in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. No reliance may be placed by any person for any purpose on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy, fairness or completeness.

Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all of the amount invested. Persons considering making investments should consult an authorised person specialising in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the Company's shares. The value of shares can decrease as well as increase.

Nothing contained herein constitutes or should be construed as (i) investment, tax, financial, accounting or legal advice (ii) a representation that any investment or strategy is suitable or appropriate to individual circumstances or (iii) a personal recommendation.

J.P. Morgan Securities plc, which conducts its UK investment banking activities as J.P. Morgan Cazenove ("J.P. Morgan Cazenove"), which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for the Company and no-one else in connection with the Combination and the Issue and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to customers of J.P. Morgan Cazenove or for providing advice in relation to the Combination, the Issue or any other matter referred to herein.

This announcement does not constitute an offer or solicitation to acquire or sell any securities in the Company. This announcement is not for distribution in or into the United States or to any US Person, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa, any European Economic Area state or any other jurisdiction in which its distribution may be unlawful. A "US Person" is any person who is not a "Non-United States Person" as defined in US Commodity Futures Trading Commission Rule 4.7. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or elsewhere. The securities of the Company have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States unless registered under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from such registration. The Company has not been and will not be registered under the US Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and investors are not entitled to the benefits of that Act. There has not been and there will be no public offering of the Company's securities in the United States.

Information to Distributors

Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("Directive 2014/65/EU"), (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing Directive 2014/65/EU, (c) local implementing measures or (d) (where applicable to UK investors or UK firms) the relevant provisions of the UK MiFID Laws (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that the Shares to be issued pursuant to the Issue are (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in Directive 2014/65/EU or the UK MiFID Laws (as applicable) and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by Directive 2014/65/EU or the UK MiFID Laws, as applicable (the "Target Market Assessment").

Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that the price of the Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment, the Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection, and an investment in the Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Issue.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of Directive 2014/65/EU, or the UK MiFID Laws, as applicable or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Shares.

Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own Target Market Assessment in respect of the Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.
PENTICTON, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 2021 / EastWest Bioscience (the "Company" or "EastWest") (TSXV:EAST) reports that, on July 8, 2020, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") issued an order of suspension of trading in shares of EastWest traded on the US "over-the-counter" market (the "Order"). The Order referenced the accuracy and adequacy of information that was contained in the press release of EastWest distributed on May 28, 2020 regarding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (the "FDAs") approval of the Company's hand sanitizers (entitled "Eastwest Bioscience 80% Ethyl Alcohol Hand Sanitizer Receives FDA Approval").

This news release is a correction and clarification to the May 28, 2020 release and its prior corrective release dated July 23, 2020 to further clarify information pertaining to the Company and its operations as contained therein and to correct a disclosure about a phone call that occurred with FINRA, not the SEC as discussed below.

Hand sanitizer is considered an "over-the-counter" ("OTC") drug which requires a National Drug Code ("NDC") to be manufactured and marketed. Under FDA rules, a Domestic (US Facility) hand sanitizer manufacturer must register their establishment with the FDA and complete a hand sanitizer listing to acquire an NDC within a specified period of time. A Foreign hand sanitizer manufacturer must complete registration and drug listing before they begin marketing in the USA.

EastWest has secured hand sanitizer supply both in the US and Canada to ensure that it can meet demand in an efficient manner on both sides of the border.

Contrary to the Company's May 28, 2020 news release, the Company nor its manufacturing subsidiary in Canada, Orchard Vale Naturals, have received FDA approval for its hand sanitizer. However, the Company is abiding by the FDA's requirement, by and through the fact that hand sanitizer sourced for distribution to US consumers, is done so from a manufacturer with an NDC number listed with the FDA. The Company did not communicate this clearly in the previous news release and would like to ensure the public that our manufacturing supplier has an NDC number and is registered with the FDA.

In Canada, our raw materials supplier has procured an agreement with an existing Health Canada licensed bulk material supplier of hand sanitizer. This hand sanitizer is then shipped to our contract manufacturer in Ontario and our Penticton, BC facility for further processing, including packaging, bottling, and labelling. The product is then shipped to our Canadian customers from each facility.

Processing at the facility in Penticton is conducted by Orchard Vale Naturals ("OVN") which is the supplements and health products manufacturing subsidiary of EastWest. As a health supplement manufacturer that is Health Canada Licensed, under License #301957, OVN was able to obtain permanent Natural Product Numbers ("NPN") for the hand sanitizers. The Company wishes to highlight the ability of OVN to obtain permanent NPNs, in contrast to companies that have been granted temporary authorization by Health Canada to manufacture and sell specific hand sanitizers and hard-surface disinfectants. Health Canada conducts annual inspections of the OVN facility and approves its Standard Operating Procedures to ensure all products released by OVN are produced under the Good Manufacturing Practices guidelines.

A secondary facility in Ontario is also Health Canada Licensed and provides shipping savings to our East Coast customers and more importantly, on-site bottling production. Supply of packaging material has been a challenge globally due to COVID-19, and access to packaging materials at this facility ensures that our hand sanitizers can be packaged and delivered to our clients in a timely manner.

These hand sanitizers are marketed through Sangster's Health Centres stores under the Sangsters Brand with NPN #80101027. Sangster's Health Centres is a wholly owned subsidiary of EastWest with retail locations throughout Canada, predominantly in Saskatchewan.

The same hand sanitizers are also marketed to independent retailers, wholesalers, and distributors under the brand Natural Advancement with NPN #80101027. Additionally, OVN provides private labelling and contract manufacturing for retailers and distributors who would like to use their own brand name(s).

As a wellness company with a Health Canada licensed facility to manufacture health supplements and a national chain of Health Centres, EastWest understands firsthand the importance of consumer health and safety. It has conducted its due diligence to ensure that any products it manufactures and/or distributes are safe to be consumed by its customers and have followed regulations on both sides of the border to ensure that this is the case.

The TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") halted trading in EastWest stock on July 9th, 2020 as a response to the SEC suspension of trading of EastWest shares in the OTC alternative markets in the US. EastWest previously traded on the pink sheets in the US through a symbol that was not initiated by the Company.

In June, 2020, EastWest management was contacted by FINRA in relation to the Company's May 28, 2020 news release and the US market reaction to the news. FINRA had questions regarding the FDA approval process and, more importantly, they were concerned about the concurrent trading volume on the OTC alternative markets. During the call, the FINRA staff provided several names that may have been involved in suspicious trades possibly contributing to the volatility. The Company is unaware of any of the named parties. Further, all of the Company's Investor Relations arrangements have been filed with the TSX Venture Exchange and disclosed in accordance with TSX Venture Exchange Policies. FINRA also enquired about the management trading history and asked if management had sold stock in the recent run-up. EastWest management clarified that they have in fact been purchasing stock in the open market since April 2020. In addition, EastWest senior management recently completed a debt conversion at $0.05.

The company has received no further communication from FINRA. The Company is providing this corrective response to ensure information pertaining to the Company's production and distribution of hand sanitizer as disclosed to the public is clear and accurate.

About EastWest Bioscience Group

EastWest Bioscience is a vertically integrated wellness company with a multitude of business units and assets that allow for seed-to-sale supply chain management. We source our raw material, process, manufacture, test, brand, market, and distribute our products to our customers in Canada, the United States, and beyond. The Company owns and operates retail and manufacturing subsidiaries.

The Company's retail subsidiary is the award winning, Canadian, natural health retail franchise - the Sangster's Health Centre's - with over 40 years of legacy in the health and wellness industry. Sangster's goal is to provide natural choices through quality products and educated advice for a healthy lifestyle. Sangster's Health Centres occupies a unique position in the industry, the stores provide vast knowledge and safe natural remedies for the prevention and treatment of disease and ailments. Sangster's introduction and development of over 202 exclusively labeled products (vitamins, mineral, herbs, proteins, natural body care and organic foods) catapulted Sangster's name and product into a large number of Canadian households. From a solid base in Saskatchewan, Sangster's has become a national brand name with franchise stores located across Canada.

Orchard Vale Naturals is the Company's manufacturing arm that is certified with a Health Canada Site License and has GMP Certified NHP Manufacturing capabilities. Orchard Vale Naturals specialize in custom blends and production runs of all sizes, small to large, for top-quality products with quick turnaround times. Orchard Vale Naturals operate out of the 34,000 sq Health Canada licensed facility in Penticton, British Columbia that is owned by EastWest Bioscience and is the Head Office for all its Canadian operations.

SOURCE: EastWest Bioscience Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660693/EastWest-Bioscience-Issues-a-Correction-to-the-News-Release-Distributed-on-May-28-2020
Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States

Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust (the "REIT") (TSX:INO.UN) announced today that its Board of Trustees has declared the REIT's monthly cash distribution for the months of September, October and November 2021 as per the following schedule:

Month Record Date Distribution Date Distribution Amount September, 2021 September 29, 2021 October 15, 2021 $0.06875 October, 2021 October 29, 2021 November 15, 2021 $0.06875 November, 2021 November 30, 2021 December 15, 2021 $0.06875

ABOUT INOVALIS REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST

Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust is an unincorporated, open-ended real estate investment trust established pursuant to a declaration of trust under the laws of the Province of Ontario. The REIT has been created for the purpose of acquiring and owning office properties primarily located in France and Germany but also opportunistically in other European countries where assets meet the REIT's investment criteria.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210820005330/en/

Contacts:

David Giraud, Chief Executive Officer

Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust

+33 1 5643 3323

david.giraud@inovalis.com

Khalil Hankach, Chief Financial Officer

Inovalis Real Estate Investment Trust

+33 1 5643 3313

khalil.hankach@inovalis.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 20, 2021) - Tesoro Minerals Corp., (TSXV: TES) ("Tesoro" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced non-brokered private placement financing (the "Private Placement") raising aggregate gross proceeds of $250,000 by the issuance of 5,000,000 units (a "Unit") at $0.05 per Unit (all dollar amounts in CAD$). Each Unit consists of one common share (a "Share") and one transferable common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional Share at a price of $0.10 per Share for a period of two years from the date hereof.

In connection with the Private Placement, the Company paid a finder's fee to Haywood Securities Inc. in respect of subscribers introduced to the Company, which consisted of a cash payment of $15,000.

The net proceeds of the Private Placement are expected to be used by Tesoro for general working capital and operating expenses to support business efforts.

All securities issued under the Private Placement are subject to a four month and one-day restricted resale period expiring on December 19, 2021 in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable securities laws.

One insider of the Company participated in the Private Placement, thereby making the Private Placement a "related party transaction", as defined under Multilateral Instrument - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Security Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Private Placement was exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as the Company is not listed on a specified market (as set out in Section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101) and the fair market value of the Units issued to, nor the consideration paid by, the insider did not exceed $2,500,000 (as set out in Section 5.7(1)(b) of MI 61-101). A material change report in respect of the Private Placement will be filed less than 21 days before closing of the Private Placement as the closing date and the participation by the related party were not settled until shortly prior to closing and the Company wished to complete the Private Placement in an expeditious manner for sound business reasons.

About Tesoro

The Company has assembled a team of experienced geoscientists with extensive exploration experience in the Americas with the aim of acquiring other assets. For further information on the Company please contact Scott McLean, Interim President & CEO at info@tesorominerals.com or at (604) 710-2140.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"Scott Mclean"

Scott McLean

Interim President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (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 in the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available.

Cautionary Statements regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. 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 the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially.

All statements including, without limitation, statements relating to the ability to complete the offering on the proposed terms or at all, anticipated use of proceeds from the Private Placement and receipt of regulatory approvals with respect to the Private Placement as well as any other future plans, objectives or expectations of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include risks relating to the availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions, regulatory changes, the COVID-19 pandemic or other similar health crisis, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation.

(Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States of America)

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/93902.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 2021 / The SNOWLINE GOLD CORP. (CSE:SGD)(OTCQB:SNWGF) (the "Company" or "Snowline") Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Berdahl as the Company's new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Berdahl will be promoted from his previous role as Chief Operating Officer, emphasizing a shift to a strong technical focus for Snowline. The promotion is effective immediately and Mr. Berdahl will retain his position as Director.

Mr. Berdahl is a professional geologist with over 15 years of industry experience. He has business development experience with a number of private and listed companies that focused on gold and base metals. Born and raised in the Yukon, he earned a BSc in Geology and an MS in Science Writing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MSc in Earth Science & Engineering from KAUST in Saudi Arabia, and an MBA from INSEAD in France and Singapore. His skill sets provide the company with considerable technical expertise for the management of the mineral exploration discovery process.

This appointment follows notice from Nikolas Matysek who will be leaving as CEO and a Director of the company to pursue personal and other business interests. Mr. Matysek is thanked for his significant efforts to establish the company it in its current form, and for his sound management and organization.

"The Board greatly appreciates Nikolas' contributions to the company, particularly through its early development to become an ambitious mineral explorer, and for laying solid administrative and financial foundations." remarked Chairman Craig Hart.

The Board is considering the provision of additional support to the management team.

ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.

Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with a seven-project portfolio covering >90,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship 72,000 ha Einarson and Rogue gold projects in the highly gold prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline's project portfolio is within the prolific Tintina Gold Province that hosts multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits, such as Kinross' Fort Knox mine, Newmont's Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold's Eagle Mine. Snowline's first-mover land position provides a unique investor opportunity to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Craig J.R. Hart

Chairman & Director

For further information, please contact:

Snowline Gold Corp.

+1 (778) 650-5485

info@snowlinegold.com

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the anticipated use of proceeds from the Offering and the Company's future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof. Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things, risks associated with executing the Company's plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

SOURCE: Snowline Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/660634/Snowline-Gold-Announces-the-Appointment-of-Scott-Berdahl-as-Chief-Executive-Officer
Driving more traffic to your website will improve your brand awareness and increase your sales! But, for the best results, you need to ensure that the traffic you attract is high-quality.

In this article, were going to outline how you can drive more high-quality traffic to your businesss website. Lets get started!

Improve your SEO by targeting the best keywords

Its important that you target the right keywords with your website copy. This will ensure that your website ranks for the right queries on search engines so you reach the most suitable people.

To conduct some keyword research, head to a tool like Google Keyword Planner with a list of words and phrases related to your business. Plug them into the planner, and Google will provide you with different words and phrases that people are searching for related to your business. Youll be given information about their competitiveness, or how hard they are to rank for, and their average monthly search volumes.

You can use these keywords to create content, write your web page copy, and choose your page titles. Getting this right will boost your search engine optimization, or SEO, meaning that your site will be more visible on search engines.

Its also important that these keywords are weaved into your copy naturally. If you just throw a bunch of keywords onto a single page, Google will recognize this as keyword stuffing and dock your rankings on relevant search engine results pages (SERPs).

Lets take a look at a few businesses that have incorporated keywords into their website copy well for inspiration.

For instance, Backlinko, a digital marketing expert, has an article on getting high-quality backlinks, which ranks very well on the SERPs. In fact, this article ranks #1 on the first page of Google for the phrase how to build backlinks, so the company has clearly targeted keywords very well in this piece.

Throughout the article, keywords are present in titles, headers, and throughout the copy. On your website, think about how you can base your guides and articles around keywords  this is a great way to draw in organic traffic.

Similarly, SurveyMonkey, an online survey creator, has an article on identifying customer touchpoints that also targets relevant keywords successfully. They also rank #1 on the first page of Google for the phrase how to find customer touchpoints.

In the article, SurveyMonkey covers what customer touchpoints are, how to gather feedback from these touchpoints, and more. Its very likely that this piece of content was shaped and written with common keywords in mind.

When youre writing your own website copy and coming up with ideas for new content, make sure you always look into what kinds of keywords you should be targeting. Incorporating these into your writing in a subtle but effective way will set you up for success.

Write guest posts for other websites in your field

By writing guest posts for relevant websites, you can reach a wider audience and drive more high-quality traffic to your website.

Guest posting is the process of writing articles for other authoritative websites in your niche. This can draw in new traffic! Its also a great way to build backlinks, which involves acquiring hyperlinks to your website from other high-quality websites. When this happens, Google takes it as a vote of confidence in your authority, boosting your SEO as a result.

You should always check a websites domain authority before reaching out with a guest post idea. A websites domain authority will tell you how likely its links will help to boost your rankings. To determine this, check out the domain authority checker tool offered by Loganix. We can show you the strength of any given website so you can make informed decisions when it comes to guest posting.

Create informative and helpful content that your audience wants

By addressing your customers pain points with your blog content, you can show that you really understand your target audience. This is a great digital marketing strategy that will drive more traffic to your website and should lead to more sales.

Start by checking in with your customer service team to see if there are any common questions or concerns that they get frequently. Basing your content off of these will not only save your customer service team time, but it will show that you understand your audience and drive more traffic to your website.

You can also conduct some question keyword research. Head to a question keyword research tool like Answer the Public. Plug in words and phrases related to your business, and theyll provide you with a list of questions that people are searching for on these topics! You can then allow these to inspire your future content.

If you just dont have the time or skills to create high-quality content for your blog, it could be time to enlist the help of a professional. If you think youre in this situation, check out some of the blog writing services offered by Verblio. They can provide you with articles that boost your SEO and help your customers!

Lets take a look at an example of helpful content for inspiration.

Blue Apron, a meal kit subscription service, has an article outlining how to make fresh tomato salsa. The article covers ingredients, cutting strategies, and more.

Blue Aprons audience is full of novice cooks and adventurous eaters  if they come across this website while looking for salsa recipes, they might be willing to buy Blue Aprons products! This makes it great for drawing in traffic and getting sales.

On your website, think about how you can use tutorials and guides to draw in more traffic, and encourage your ideal audience to shop with you!

Make sure your social media profiles have a consistent output

If youre active on social media, youll make your business a lot more visible online and will attract more of your ideal customers. You can engage with your target customers on social media by sharing their content (with their permission), commenting on their posts, and the like.

Keep in mind that different social media platforms will work better for different businesses. If your business has a lot of opportunities for visual content, Tiktok and Instagram are good choices. If you are just looking for the largest user base, go with Facebook. If you market mostly to professionals, LinkedIn is your best bet.

If you need help staying on top of your social media platforms, consider using a program that will let you bulk schedule your posts in advance. That way, you can make a series of posts at once and not have to worry about it for a while. It can really streamline your processes and ensure youre always staying active online.

Harness the power of online advertising

It might seem obvious, but a lot of businesses wait too long to invest in online advertising. You can take advantage of online advertising in the form of paid search ads, social media advertising, Google ads, and more.

Because paid ads are typically well targeted and very convincing, they can do a great job of sending more traffic to your website. You will need to put some time and effort into getting your paid ad campaigns right, though. So, here are a few tips for getting the best results from paid advertising:

Set a budget and stick to it

Incorporate keywords in your ads

Ensure your landing pages are optimized for conversions

Advertise across multiple platforms

You should also see paid advertising as a form of marketing that can take some trial and error. Choose a strategy, try it out, and track your results. If you arent getting the rate of conversions youre looking for, try another tactic. Youll eventually find the best method to suit your business.

Provide free tools that your customers will use and love

Free tools and resources can be very powerful marketing tools for certain types of businesses. They can help you show potential customers what you do, build loyalty among new website visitors, and will be very shareable. This means that theyre great for building links and boosting your SEO.

There are a huge variety of tools that your business can make. If you offer financial advice or information, for instance, unique calculators could work. If you provide cosmetics or fashion products, virtual try-on features could prove very beneficial for your customers. Or, depending on the type of business you run, you might be well-served offering templates or checklists that outline your helpful processes.

Lets take a look at a few examples of businesses that do a good job providing free tools to show their prospective customers what theyre capable of.

Looka, an online branding and logo company, has a business name generator that serves as a helpful tool for drawing in traffic.

A website visitor simply plugs in their industry type or business idea, and Looka offers a series of potential business names  this tool is supplementary to their branding software! If a user then needs to come up with branding after determining a name, they can do so on Lookas website. On your site, think about what tools you could create that will lead your website visitors to your main products or services.

FreshBooks, an online accounting software company, does something similar with their free invoice templates.

FreshBooks target audience is full of freelancers and small business owners who are likely to do their own accounting. By offering these invoice templates for free, FreshBooks can draw in anyone that is looking for help in this area, thus promoting their other products. On your website, think about what tools or templates you could offer that lend themselves well to your actual products to draw in the best traffic.

Summary

If you want to make sales, you need to get more eyes on your products and website. In this article, we outlined how you can get more traffic, including by providing free tools, creating helpful content, investing in paid advertising, and more.

Take a look at your strategy and see what needs work! If you implement some of these ideas, it wont be long before you start to see results.



Author bio & headshot:

Adam Steele is COO and co-founder of Loganix, which is an SEO fulfillment partner for digital marketing agencies and professionals. The company provides the SEO services that businesses need to grow and achieve their goals. If you enjoyed this article, you can find more SEO guides and templates on the Loganix blog.
Castor, an Israeli 3D printing tech company, raised $3.5m in a seed+ funding round.

The round includes two new investors:

Xerox, a global technology company, which recently launched its ElemX 3D liquid metal printer for Metal Additive Manufacturing,

Spring Ventures, a Tel Aviv based publicly traded company, led by Aviv Refuah,

Evonik Venture Capital,

Jeremy Coller,

TAU Ventures, and

Chartered Group.

Founded in November 2017 by Omer Blaier, CEO, and Elad Schiller, CTO, Castor helps manufacturers automatically identify and maximize Additive Manufacturing opportunities. Its platform, cloud-based or on prem, analyzes parts to identify which are a good fit for 3D printing, both technically and economically, suggests best-match materials and 3D printing technology, carries out geometric analyses, identifies redesign opportunities, compares the cost of additive printing to traditional manufacturing, and simulates the likelihood of failure.

Using it, manufacturers are able to:

Analyze thousands of CAD files to efficiently assess which parts are suitable for additive manufacturing Identify optimal materials and printing technology for production Validate the design and evaluate failure risk using CASTORs stress test simulation

FinSMEs

19/08/2021
Jnana Therapeutics, a Boston, Mass.-based biotechnology company utilizing its next generation chemoproteomic platform to target SLC transporters and other well-validated but hard-to-drug targets, closed a $50m Series B financing.

The round was led by RA Capital Management, with participation from existing investors Polaris Partners, Versant Ventures, Avalon Ventures, AbbVie Ventures and Pfizer Ventures. In conjunction with the funding, Matthew Hammond, Ph.D., Principal at RA Capital, will join Jnanas Board of Directors.

The company intends to use the funds to progress its lead program for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU) into clinical development, while advancing a pipeline of additional programs and continuing to invest in its innovative and validated RAPID platform for the discovery of small molecule therapeutics for hard-to-drug targets.

Led by Joanne Kotz, Ph.D., Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and President, Jnana Therapeutics is a biotechnology company utilizing a next generation chemoproteomic platform to address well-validated but hard-to-drug targets, including the solute carrier (SLC) family of metabolite transporters. Jnana is focused on developing therapies to treat a wide range of diseases, including immune-mediated, neurological and metabolite-dependent diseases.

Its lead program is designed to provide a novel oral approach to address PKU by inhibiting the SLC transporter SLC6A19 that is responsible for kidney reabsorption of phenylalanine (Phe), thereby reducing the elevated blood Phe levels that drive PKU disease pathologies. Based on data from human biology and in vivo experiments in animal models, SLC6A19 inhibition offers a promising approach to provide a profound therapeutic benefit to PKU patients.

FinSMEs

20/08/2021
Trifecta, a Sacramento, Calif.-based organic food delivery service, closed a $20m Series B funding round.

The round was led by Spring Lake Equity Partners (Plated, Signify Health), with participation from Data Point Capital, Raptor Group, and Hall Group. In connection with Spring Lake Equity Partners investment, Managing Partner Bob Forlenza will be appointed to Trifectas Board of Directors.

The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand the reach of its core fully prepared meal delivery services and its immersive digital offerings.

Led by Greg Connolly, CEO, Trifecta is a large organic meal delivery service which uses organic, gluten-free ingredients that are never frozen, and sustainably caught/grass-fed. The company, which offers meals in six categories including Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Clean Eating, Classic Meal, and an A La Carte section, has developed partnerships with CrossFit, The PGA Tour, Mr. Olympia, Team USA Weightlifting, the Celiac Disease Foundation, and partners with the American Heart Association. The mobile application allows people to track their food and performance utilizing a food database of 7+ million food items.

The company  which offers free shipping to all 50 states  is already profitable with an annual run rate north of $100M.

FinSMEs

19/08/2021
Tampa, FL (33646)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. High 82F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall possibly over one inch..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms during the evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low near 75F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
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Samsung launched the Galaxy A22 5G last month as the companys first budget 5G phone in the A series. It is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC with support for 11 5G bands that you rarely see in the price range. The phone has a FHD+ LCD screen, comes with a 48MP rear camera and packs a 5000mAh battery. Specifications are decent on paper. Is the phone worth the price? Let us dive into the review to find out.

Box Contents

Samsung Galaxy A22 5G 6GB RAM, 128GB storage version in Mint colour

2-pin 15W (9V-1.67A / 5V-2A) fast charger

USB Type-C Cable

SIM ejector tool

Quick Start Guide and Warranty information

Display, Hardware and Design

The phone comes with a 6.6-inch Full HD+ Infinity-V LCD screen with a resolution of 10802408 pixels at about 400PPI, aspect ratio of 20:9. The display looks bright, offers good color reproduction and the sunlight legibility is good as well, but it cant be compared to an AMOLED panel that is available on several Samsung phones in the price range. The phone doesnt have a notification LED. Since it doesnt have an AMOLED screen, you also dont get Always on display.

Since it has a 90Hz refresh rate screen that offers a fluid user experience since it offers smoother animations, scrolling and gaming. Similar to the other Samsung phones, there is Blue light filter, which is called Eye comfort shield. This is said to reduce eye strain by limiting the amount of blue light emitted by the screen, You can set it for sunrise to sunset and also set a custom schedule. You can change font size and style and select apps that you want to use in the full screen aspect ratio. There is also dark mode.

On the top, there is an 8-megapixel camera in the Infinity-V style notch and the earpiece is present on the top edge. It has gyroscope and magnetic sensor, otherwise known as magnetometer.

The phone has a plastic frame, but it has a smooth finish, so it is not prone to scratches and smudges. Coming to the button placements, the power button that includes the fingerprint scanner and the volume rockers are present on the right side. The dedicated dual SIM and microSD slot is present on the left side. The secondary microphone is on the top. The 3.5mm audio jack, primary microphone, USB Type-C port and the loudspeaker grill are on the bottom.

On the back, there is a triple camera module arranged in a rectangular array that also includes a LED flash. It is 9mm thick and weighs 203 grams mainly due to the huge 5000mAh battery. The phone has a plastic back with a matte finish that doesnt attract fingerprints or smudges, and is also not prone to scratches with day-to-day use. This might not feel premium, but the design looks attractive, and you can use the phone without a case.

In addition to the Mint colour variant that we have, the phone also comes in Gray, and Violet colours. The phone doesnt have any kind of water resistance.

Camera

It has a 48-megapixel rear camera with f/1.8 aperture. The secondary camera is 5-megapixel ultra-wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture and there is a 2-megapixel depth sensor with f/2.2 aperture. The phone has an 8-megapixel camera on the front with f/2.0 aperture. There is Live Focus that makes use of the 5-megapixel depth sensor. You can also adjust the bokeh effect before or after the shot. There is a selfie portrait option for the front camera that uses software to blur the background. There is also a wide-angle option for the front camera.

It has Food, Night, Panorama, Portrait, Slow motion and Hyperlapse as well as Pro mode to adjust ISO, white balance and exposure manually. You can choose 48MP option from the aspect ratio settings on the top. It also has scene optimizer, which is AI mode that automatically detects modes, and you can also enable auto HDR option. The phone has Cam2API support with RAW support.

Coming to the image quality, daylight shots are decent, and auto HDR helps in improving dynamic range and detailing since it automatically turns on HDR when needed. Even though the phone has a 48-megapixel sensor, the final output has 12-megapixel resolution, which is common in phones with large sensors. Autofocus speeds are fast and accurate. Ultra-wide shots from the 5MP camera is just average. Even though the edges look a bit curved due to the ultra-wide lens, Shape Correction is automatically applied that automatically crop the edges, still some images look a bit curved at the corners, which is common in wide-angle lenses.

Portrait shots are good with decent edge detection. Low-light performance is just average, and the Night mode is not much useful. 48-megapixel shots have a good amount of details, but the images are about 15MB in size. Images with flash is good and is not overpowering. The 8-megapixel front camera is decent in daylight. Both the normal and Wide-angle mode takes images in the same 8-megapixel resolution. Software blur in the live focus mode has average edge detection.

Check out some camera samples.

It can record videos at maximum 2K resolution at 30 fps from both front, rear cameras, but it is limited to 1080p in the ultra-wide camera. There is no 60fps option. There is EIS, but it doesnt have a separate Super steady mode. This is smooth, but you dont see a huge difference between this and the normal stabilization from the main camera. You cant switch between normal and ultra-wide cameras when video recording is in progress, which is a feature available in several Samsung phones.

It can shoot slow motion at 720p, but there is no super slow motion. Video quality is good, and the audio crisp since it has a secondary microphone.

Software, UI and Apps

Coming to the software, the phone runs on Android 11 with Android security patch for May 2021. On the top of Android 11, it has the Samsung One UI Core 3.1, so it lacks some features like Knox security, Secure Folder, Samsung Pay and Bixby features.

The advanced features option has Games Launcher that gathers your games downloaded from Play Store and Galaxy Apps into one place for easy access, motion gestures like double tap to turn on or off the screen, turn over to mute and fingerprint sensor gesture to bring down the notification panel. The one-handed mode that lets you use the phone easily with one hand, Dual messenger lets you sign in to a second account of social media apps and the Panic mode lets you Send SOS message by pressing the Power key three times.

The Device maintenance option lets you manage your devices battery life, storage, RAM usage, and security all in one place. Out of 128GB in our unit, 107.9GB is free. Out of 6GB LPDDR4x RAM, about 5.6GB is usable and 3GB is free when default apps are running in the background. Even though it was claimed to come with UFS 2.1 storage, we got sequential read speeds of about 288MB/s, so it is eMMC 5.1 which is disappointing for a phone in the price range.

Apart from the usual set of utility apps and Google Apps, the smartphone comes with Facebook, Netflix and Microsoft apps such as OneDrive. There is also Samsung Max, My Galaxy and other Samsung apps. You get the option to install apps when you are setting up the phone, which you can choose not to.

Fingerprint sensor and Face unlock

The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor that immediately unlocks the phone even when the phone is locked. You can add up to 3 fingerprints, and adding fingerprint is easy. It has support for Face recognition, which doesnt work well if the lighting is poor in the room, if you are hats, or use heavy makeup.

Music, FM Radio and Multimedia

YouTube Music is the default music player. It has Dolby Atmos and Dolby Atmos for Gaming that improve the audio when listening through earphones, but misses UHQ upscaler, Surround and Tube Amp Pro sound effects that is available in high-end A series models. It has FM Radio support with support for recording. That said, audio through third-party headphones is good. Loudspeaker output from the mono speaker is decent.

The phone comes with Widevine L1 support out-of-the-box so that you can enjoy HD content on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar and other streaming apps, but there is no HDR support.

Dual SIM and Connectivity

The connectivity options include, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), with VoWiFi for Jio and Airtel, Bluetooth v5.1 and GPS with GLONASS. It has support for USB OTG, but there is no NFC. It has 5G connectivity with support for several 5G bands (N1, N3, N5, N7, N8, N20, N28,N38, N40, N41, N78, N79). There is also 4G connectivity with support for a lot of bands and has Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) and WiFi-Calling or Vo-WiFi support for Reliance Jio, Airtel and more, and also has support for LTE-A or Carrier Aggregation. The dialer and messaging have familiar UI. Since this is a dual SIM phone, you get the option to select either SIMs when calling or sending a text message. Moving on, the call quality is good, and we did not face any call drops and the earpiece volume was loud. Speaker output during calls were good as well.

The Galaxy A22 5Gs head SAR is 0.47 W/Kg, which is less than 1W/kg, even though the limit in India is 1.6 W/kg (over 1 g).

Performance and Benchmarks

Coming to the performance, this is powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek Dimensity 700 7nm processor which has 2 x Cortex-A76 CPUs clocked at up to 2.2GHz and 6x Cortex-A55 CPUs at up to 2GHz. It has Mali-G57 MC2 950MHz with support for up to 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB storage. We did not face any issues or frame drops in the graphic-intensive games. It gets a bit warm on intensive gaming and 4G data use, but it doesnt get too hot to handle. That said, check out some synthetic benchmark scores below.

Battery life

The 5000mAh battery offers good battery life that lasts for a day with heavy use. With average use, it should last for two days. I mostly got 5 to 6 hours of screen on time, mostly on Wi-Fi and occasionally on 4G for close to 2 days. Adaptive battery saving and other options will let you increase the battery life, but the performance might be affected.

In our One Charge rating, the Samsung Galaxy A22 5G scored 18 hours and 15 minutes, which is good. We tested in 90Hz, so it will be better in 60Hz. Samsung has offered 15W fast charger in the box. Charging with the bundled charger takes about 2 and half hours for 0 to 100%, and 0 to 50% took about about an hour minutes. Charging time is high compared to most competitors that takes less than one and half hours to charge the phone.

Conclusion

Overall, the Galaxy A22 5G is strictly for those who need a Samsung 5G phone with a lot of 5G bands and a long battery life for under Rs. 20,000. It has a 90Hz LCD screen which is decent, but the camera is just average and the One UI core lacks a lot of features that the other A series phones like A52 have. Hope we can expect better mid-range

Alternatives

iQOO Z3 5G is a good option for a 5G phone that is powered by a faster Snapdragon 768G SoC and has 120Hz HDR screen. The realme Narzo 30 Pro is also a good option with a better Dimensity 800U SoC if you need 5G.

Pros

5000mAh battery offers good battery life

Smooth performance

Decent build quality

Future-proof with 5G support with several bands

Cons

One UI Core misses some One UI features

Average camera performance

Slow charging
Parolee pleads guilty to theft of government property for stealing Humvee from Army Reserve Center in Upland
The Cherry of the Tropics: Meet Pitanga

Raw Materials

In the universe of Brazilian aromas, textures, colors, and flavors, many balsams, wood, flowers, and exotic fruits are part of what we consider to be typical for where we live.

We love rich and intense smells, succulent sensations that make you salivate, and colors that fill the eyes with deep greens, oranges, reds, and violets. This living and pulsating kaleidoscope of images that sharpen the senses is almost infinite, and in every region of the country we find even more extraordinary plants.

Pitanga is one of those exotic fruits with an intense texture, shape, color, and aroma, and I'm exploring it with you today. Known outside Brazil as the Brazilian cherry, the pitanga is scientifically cataloged as Eugenia lineatifolia, first described in 1857, native to the Atlantic Forest, and to be found not only in Brazil but throughout South America, the Caribbean, and some African countries.

The fruit of the pitanga is unfortunately not suitable for commercial cultivation for fresh consumption because when ripe, it becomes so delicate that it does not hold up against packaging and transport. For this reason, it is more common to find pitanga in the form of jellies and processed fruit pulp so that the juice of the fruit can be obtained.

The pitanga tree is most commonly born in regions close to the Brazilian coast and in areas of a biome called restinga; under ideal conditions, the tree can reach up to 12 meters in height and produce many fruits throughout its life.

Its inflorescences that precede the fruit have a white hue with very light nuances of pink, making the flowering period one of the most beautiful phases of the life cycle of the pitanga.

The fruit starts to be born soon after flowering, and during its maturation period, it takes on colors ranging from yellowish green to orange, red, and (when very ripe) even dark violet in some trees. The pitanga is rich in vitamin C and calcium, and according to studies, the leaves can be used for an infusion that helps treat diseases of the digestive system and gout.

The smell of the pitanga is a mix of sensations, as it depends on the degree of ripeness of the fruit. When it is very young and still green colored, the pitanga has a green smell that resembles more leaves than fruit. With the passage of time and its ripening, the fruit takes on yellow and orange tones, and at this stage, we notice fresh floral nuances with citrusy and slightly astringent touches, yet without a defined sweetness.

When the pitanga takes on its intense red color and begins to develop a violet hue, all the previously light floral nuances become more intense, the citrus touch becomes more delicate and less sharp, and the astringent nuances calm down, giving way to the sweet and bitter taste that's typical of the delicious and fragrant fruit.

The pitanga, since it's so delicate, is one of the many fruits from which, just like strawberries, no essential oil can be extracted, but there are fruit aromas built from floral, citrus, sweet, bitter, and astringent nuances to recreate the fruit's aroma so that it can be used in perfumery.

In addition to these recreated aromas, there are modern aroma extraction methods such as 'headspace,' which manage to reproduce the fragrant molecules of this fruit in the most faithful way. In perfumery, pitanga notes give life to floral and green notes when perfumers want to highlight their creations' citrusy, sweet and bitter side.

Still little used in the world of perfumery, pitanga has only a few perfumes that carry its fragrance, one example being Natura Ekos Frescor de Pitanga, a perfume that translates the most intense ripening phase of the fruit, just before it becomes dark and very sweet.
Yes! Ive really missed regular library visits during the pandemic.

Im excited, but I dont think Im ready to make a full return to the library just yet.

Ive shifted to using the libraries virtual and curbside services, and itll probably stay that way.

I dont use the local library.

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The exterior of the U.S. Courthouse for the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2012 in Atlanta. A surge of COVID-19 cases sparked by the delta variant is prompting federal courts to impose new restrictions and requirements for mask-wearing and vaccinations.
Palestine Independent School District bus driver Linda Alvarez uses an electrostatic mister to sanitize the bus she drives twice a day. Alvarez is in her second year as a driver and always wears her mask. She said she praises students for using sanitizer and still choosing to wear masks on the bus.
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms mainly in the morning. High around 90F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms later during the night. Low 83F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
An Indianapolis, Indiana man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for sex crimes committed in Albany.

Ronald Clifford Miller, 51, was found guilty of one count of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and one count of first-degree sexual abuse in Linn County Circuit Court on Tuesday.

The trial was originally set for four days with a 12-person jury, but the defendant waived his right to have a jury. Linn County Circuit Court Judge David Delsman deliberated and delivered the guilty verdict after the second day of the bench trial.

Delsman sentenced Miller to 25 years in prison Thursday morning for the unlawful sexual penetration charge. Miller was sentenced to a little more than six years for the sexual abuse charge. The state argued for the terms to run consecutively, but the judge decided that sentence would run concurrently with the 25 years.

Im proud of the job the judge did in spending time looking at the evidence and making a decision, prosecutor Keith Stein said.

Defense attorney Arnold Poole could not be reached for comment.

The defendant was fined $200 for each charge and ordered to pay $1,480 in restitution to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Account.
We get it, a good bevvy goes down a treat on a the weekend!

But while lockdown is in play, our social gatherings have been restricted to good ol Zoom meetups with whatever you had left over from last weekend's pres.

While some stores in New Zealand are doing deliveries, its not as easy as going into the shop and getting an ID check.

You will need to provide your drivers licence - so sorry mate youre outta luck if you lost it last weekend on that bender you thought was a great idea!

New Zealand alcohol websites must include age verification checks, despite the fact that the click-through rate for no is almost definitely limited to someone who clicked the wrong box after already having a few.

It's a small audience that ends up on the wrong side of the "no" button, but that doesn't stop the people behind the website from having a laugh at their expense.

When you head on to NZ liquor store websites you are asked the question of whether you are over the age of 18.

If the answer is no, LiquorLand will automatically direct you to the Scholastic website where there are plenty of ISpy games available!

Seems as though youd need a bit of an eye check after that embarrassing mistake!
Remembering September 11

We pledged on Sept. 11, 2001, that we would never forget. As if we could. The tragedy and loss we felt 20 years ago is forever imbedded in our memories. We remember where we were, what we felt. We remember the loss of innocence. What do you remember about 9/11? Please share your memories with us that we can include in a special edition on Sept. 11. Send emails to aturner@gillettenewsrecord.net.
4 takeaways from new Pa. census data and what it means for redistricting
An additional 1000 sq. km of reprocessed 3D data from OPL 248 is now available. This completes the PGS Niger Delta 2020 Reprocessing package and is well-timed for a reassessment of Nigerian offshore exploration opportunities.



On Monday 16 August, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the much-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), 2021, with new preferential tax provisions for deep offshore projects that encourage exploratory activities in this area.

One thousand square kilometers of newly reprocessed 3D seismic data over OPL 248 is now available in the PGS MultiClient Library. This completes our West Niger Delta 2020 survey.





Improved Imaging of Complex Structure Related to Shale Diapirism

The West Niger Delta 2020 Reprocessed 3D survey covers blocks OPL 248, 249, 250, 2011, and OML 140, and spans two main structural provinces directly linked to the gravity-driven movement of the Akata Shale Formation. Enhanced imaging has been achieved by broadband reprocessing of PGS 3D data using modern workflows, resulting in a far clearer illumination of complex structures and potential exploration targets.

 Read more about the prospectivity and imaging | PGS Reprocessed 3D Data for West Niger Delta

Imaging of potential reservoir targets in Miocene stacked-turbidite channel complexes is significantly improved by broadband reprocessing. Compare vintage data from 1999 (before) with broadband Niger Delta 2020 reprocessed 3D data (after). New data also offers clearer imaging of faulting related to the diapiric movement of the Akata Shale Formation.

Find Out More

To arrange a data show of the PGS Nigeria MultiClient data library, or talk with our experts about acquisition, imaging or integrated projects in Africa, contact amme.info@pgs.com
Oklahoma City, OK, United States , Aug. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With this latest announcement, business owners can look to the results of their complimentary SEO analyses to quickly identify potential problem areas and accompanying opportunities for a stronger online presence. The experts at Web Marketing Solutions provide the cost-effective strategies business owners can rely on to amplify online visibility, drive traffic, and increase revenues.



More information is available at https://www.webmarketingokc.com

The addition of the newly updated complimentary SEO analyses offers the sort of insights business owners need to decide whether to maintain current activities, or develop a more finely-tuned approach. As specialists in digital marketing, SEO, and Brand awareness, the Web Marketing Solutions team are equipped to formulate these plans.

Ideal for local business owners who want to build brand recognition to grow and entrench a loyal customer base, Web Marketing Solutions specializes in creating comprehensive, affordable strategies designed to break through online clutter, increase exposure and boost sales.

Studies show that 89 percent of todays consumers begin their buying process with an internet search. Furthermore, websites found on the first page of a local Google search receive 95 percent of consumer traffic.

A separate study reveals that 70  80 percent of search engine users ignore paid advertisements, opting to engage with the first five organic listings, instead.

Web Marketing Solutions ensures their clients websites are configured to comply with the latest Google ranking factors and are designed to engage and convert in-market consumers. This means traffic is funneled from search engine pages to company websites so that target audiences can learn more and make contact.

Internet marketing is the most powerful and effective method of optimizing reach and directly driving sales. Done correctly, internet marketing delivers a level of ROI conventional print or broadcast advertising approaches are unable to match.

By creating strategies that integrate keywords with the type of content todays search engines favor, Web Marketing Solutions places their clients in front of audiences who are actively seeking out the goods and services they offer.

To help business owners understand the fundamentals of internet marketing, and how Web Marketing Solutions can help them improve their online exposure and convert more in-market customers, the agency offers a complimentary 30-minute demo.

A recent client says, Using Web Marketing Solutions for our internet marketing has really revolutionized our business. Overall sales have jumped and our exposure for wireless solutions is like never before.

With the update in services to provide a complimentary SEO audit, business owners in the Downtown Oklahoma City area can now access a real-time snapshot of how their websites are performing. Companies losing search engine rankings to the competition can rely on Web Marketing Solutions to create strategies that capture qualified prospect customers and increase sales and market share.

Visit https://www.webmarketingokc.com to find out more.

Website: https://webmarketingokc.com
BALTIMORE, Aug. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MissionGO, a provider of unmanned aircraft solutions, was announced as an XCELLENCE Award winner by the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI) today. The entry MissionGO Completes Longest UAS Human Organ Delivery Flight was selected from a pool of accomplished applicants in the Humanitarian category. Winners were announced today during the awards ceremony at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2021 in Atlanta.



The award is for two successful and record-setting test flights conducted with Nevada Donor Network, an organ procurement organization (OPO) serving the state of Nevada. The first flight transported research corneas from Southern Hills Hospital to Dignity Health  St. Rose Dominican, San Martin Campus. The second flight delivered a research kidney from an airport to a location outside of a small town in the Las Vegas desert, the 10-mile flight marked the longest organ delivery flight in UAS history.

This award is a testament to MissionGOs trailblazing work the research conducted during our test flights are another data point to illustrate that unmanned aircraft are a reliable mode of transportation for life-saving cargo, and that MissionGOs UAS are safe for both the payload and people on the ground, said Frank Paskiewicz, EVP of Cargo Operations at MissionGO. MissionGO will continue to lead the way with more research flights to operationalize the first-ever human organ transplant shipment system across all OPOs, transplant centers and hospital systems to take full advantage of the efficiency and scalability of UAS delivery.

MissionGO chose Donate Life America to receive the $1,000 award donation to support their outstanding work in donor registration promotion and education in order to increase the number of donated organs, eyes and tissues available for transplantation. Upon accepting the donation Karen Headley, Vice President, Partnerships & Philanthropy at Donate Life America, said We are grateful for MissionGOs support. MissionGOs work will be instrumental in increasing the lifesaving gift of donation through safe and effective organ transports.

During the last year, the unmanned systems industry rose to meet urgent new challenges posed by the pandemic. It is inspiring to see organizations and companies that led this charge, said Brian Wynne, President and CEO of AUVSI. As unmanned systems become increasingly integrated within our society, AUVSI is pleased to recognize this distinguished group for their innovative work that will accelerate our industry forward toward assured autonomy.

The AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards honor individuals and organizations that are innovators in the unmanned systems industry, with a demonstrated commitment to advancing autonomy, leading and promoting safe adoption of unmanned systems, and developing programs that use these technologies to save lives and improve society.

About MissionGO

MissionGO is setting a new standard for next-generation transportation logistics. By leveraging unmanned aircraft systems, MissionGO delivers improved reliability, reduced costs, and increased transparency to benefit multiple sectors, including healthcare and critical infrastructure. The company is led by CEO and Co-Founder Scott Plank. Learn more today at www.missiongo.io

About Donate Life America

Donate Life America (DLA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization leading its national partners and Donate Life State Teams to increase the number of donated organs, eyes, and tissue available to save and heal lives. DLA manages and promotes Donate Life, the national brand for the cause of donation; motivates the public to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors; provides education about living donation; manages the National Donate Life Registry at RegisterMe.org; and develops and executes effective multi-media campaigns to promote donation.

About AUVSI

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)  the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems and robotics  represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries involved in industry, government and academia. AUVSI members work in the defense, civil and commercial markets. For more information, visit AUVSI.org.

Media Contact: Amy Larkin, pr@missiongo.io, (443) 478-1208

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4abe79af-eb15-4ceb-bf45-da9ae34bbb7e

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2b0f2ae-9cc6-42d7-aa2c-403f7aa7b098
English German

SIKA TO DIVEST EUROPEAN INDUSTRIAL COATINGS BUSINESS

Sika has agreed to sell its European industrial coatings business, based in Germany, to The Sherwin-Williams Company, the US-based global leader in paints and coatings. In 2020, the business segment generated sales of approximately CHF 75 million. The transaction is expected to close in the beginning of 2022.

Sika has taken the strategic decision to divest its European industrial coatings business. The business offers a wide portfolio of innovative products and solutions primarily sold to specialized customer groups such as steel construction companies or anticorrosion experts. These customer segments provide little synergy potential on a Group-wide level and the business has remained a specialized niche within the Sika Group. The transaction includes the European industrial coatings business with the main location and manufacturing facility in Vaihingen, Germany. The product range encompasses anticorrosive and fire protection coatings which are mainly sold in Germany, Switzerland, Poland, and Austria.

With Sherwin-Williams, Sika is convinced to have found the right long-term owner for the European industrial coatings business. Industrial coatings is a core competence for Sherwin-Williams and the acquired business an important strategic opportunity to drive growth and support the expansion of its market position in Europe.

Ivo Schadler, Regional Manager EMEA: It is of great importance for Sika to have found a good strategic owner for the European industrial coatings business that will continue to invest in the further development of its people and products. Customers can continue to rely on the availability of high-quality products and technical support in the future. Sherwin-Williams is a strong, growing company with the strategic focus on coatings and paints. Within this organization, the industrial coatings business along with its employees will be in an ideal position to develop and grow to their full potential.

CONTACT

Dominik Slappnig

Corporate Communications &

Investor Relations

+41 58 436 68 21

slappnig.dominik@ch.sika.com

SIKA CORPORATE PROFILE

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 100 countries around the world and manufactures in over 300 factories. Its 25,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 7.88 billion in 2020.

The media release can be downloaded from the following link:

Media Release
OSLO, Norway, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultimovacs ASA ("Ultimovacs") (OSE ULTI), a clinical stage leader in immune stimulatory vaccines for cancer, announces its second quarter 2021 results today. A presentation by the Company's management team will take place today on a webcast at 09:00 CEST.



The presentation can be followed as a live webcast (access through the link https://channel.royalcast.com/hegnarmedia/#!/hegnarmedia/20210820_5 ) which will also be available on our website.

Highlights for the second quarter of 2021:

Data from cohort 1 in the Phase I clinical trial of UV1 combined with pembrolizumab were presented in June at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2021 Annual Meeting. The primary endpoint of safety and tolerability was achieved with strong initial signs of clinical response.

Results from the 10 patients in cohort 2 of the same trial released on 12 August also showed strong safety and efficacy data after one year (60% objective response, 30% complete response, 90% overall survival and median progression-free survival not reached), reinforcing the cohort 1 data presented at ASCO.

INITIUM trial: 68 patients enrolled to date compared to 40 patients in the previous quarterly report.

NIPU trial: 38 patients enrolled to date compared to 29 patients in the previous quarterly report.

FOCUS trial: The first patient was enrolled on 4 August 2021.

DOVACC trial: Regulatory approval is in place and the first patient is expected to be enrolled during Q3 2021.

TENDU trial: Enrollment of the first cohort of three patients treated with a 40 g dose was completed. In June 2021, having found no safety concerns in the first cohort, the Drug Safety Monitoring Board allowed the dose to be increased to 400 g for the next patient in cohort 2.

COVID-19: The effect of the pandemic on the biotech industry and the general ability to conduct clinical trials is still uncertain and dependent on the speed of return to a more normal situation. The Company continues to monitor the situation and to implement activities to minimize the impact on patient recruitment.

Total operating expenses amounted to MNOK 39.2 in Q2-21, and MNOK 70.4 YTD.

in Q2-21, and YTD. Cash flow from operations was MNOK -29.8 in Q2-21, and MNOK -59.2 YTD. Total cash and cash equivalents were reduced by MNOK 29.7 during Q2-21 and amounted to MNOK 381.8 as per 30 June 2021.

The report and presentation are also available on the Company website:

www.ultimovacs.com/investors/reports-and-presentations

For further information, please visit www.ultimovacs.com or contact:

Carlos de Sousa, CEO

Email: carlos.desousa@ultimovacs.com

Phone: +47 908 92507

Hans Vassgard Eid, CFO

Email: hans.eid@ultimovacs.com

Phone: +47 482 48632

Mary-Ann Chang, LifeSci Advisors

Email: mchang@lifesciadvisors.com

Phone: +44 7483 284 853

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 in the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

This stock exchange announcement was published by Hans Vassgard Eid, CFO at Ultimovacs ASA, on 20 August, 2021 at 08:00 CET.




Dublin, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Agritourism Market 2021-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The publisher has been monitoring the agritourism market and it is poised to grow by $4.33 billion during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of over 2% during the forecast period. Our report on the agritourism market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors.



The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by the growing tourism industry, technological advancements, and rise in popularity of outdoor recreational activities.



The agritourism market analysis includes the application segment and geographic landscape.



The agritourism market is segmented as below:



By Application

Domestic

International

By Geographic Landscape

North America

Europe

APAC

South America

MEA

This study identifies the growing popularity of instant bookings as one of the prime reasons driving the agritourism market growth during the next few years. Also, the rapid growth of educational agritourism and the adoption of effective promotional strategies will lead to sizable demand in the market.



The report on agritourism market covers the following areas:

Agritourism market sizing

Agritourism market forecast

Agritourism market industry analysis

The publisher's robust vendor analysis is designed to help clients improve their market position, and in line with this, this report provides a detailed analysis of several leading agritourism market vendors that include Agrotours Inc., AgTours.US, Diniscor, Domiruth PeruTravel, Innisfail Travel Service Ltd., Liberty Hill Farm, Nokyo Tourist Corp., Quadrant Australia, Star Destinations, and Stita Group. Also, the agritourism market analysis report includes information on upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth. This is to help companies strategize and leverage all forthcoming growth opportunities.



The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors.



The publisher 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 such as profit, pricing, competition, and promotions. It presents various market facets by identifying the key industry influencers. The data presented is comprehensive, reliable, and a result of extensive research - both primary and secondary. The market research reports provide a complete competitive landscape and an in-depth vendor selection methodology and analysis using qualitative and quantitative research to forecast the accurate market growth.



Key Topics Covered:



Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Application

Customer landscape



Geographic Landscape

Vendor Landscape

Vendor Analysis

Companies Mentioned

Agrotours Inc.

AgTours.US

Diniscor

Domiruth PeruTravel

Innisfail Travel Service Ltd.

Liberty Hill Farm

Nokyo Tourist Corp.

Quadrant Australia

Star Destinations

Stita Group

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fwp8uk
Dublin, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "US Acoustic Sensing Technologies Growth Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report analyzes the state of acoustic sensing technologies in the United States

Naval acoustics is the most important segment; its development is mostly in response to the advances of US adversary world powers, especially the progress of China's naval programs.

The development of naval acoustics is on a two-track basis to equip an entire unmanned fleet, which comprises offensive unmanned undersea and surface vehicles and a defensive underwater network of unmanned devices. Other segments in this study are acoustic detection devices of unmanned air vehicles, acoustic detection of gunshots, and acoustic devices as non-lethal weapons.

Information to derive spending data is from US 2019-21 defense budget documents. The data includes expenditures for research, development, testing, and evaluation, and procurement.

Some development projects involve classified sensitive information not releasable to the public; therefore, the actual current and future spending may be higher than forecast. The competitive landscape for this analysis is compiled from defense contracts awarded during the fiscal years 2019-21. The ranking of competitors is according to the awarded contracts' total face value.

Drivers and restraints cited in this analysis are primarily for naval acoustic technologies. Additional drivers and restraints are expected to arise when the development phase completes and production commences. The military sonar market's future is promising due to the US Navy's strategic decision to almost double its fleet in the coming decades.

The analysis also highlights viable growth opportunities for companies currently involved in acoustic sensors development and those contemplating to enter the future acoustic sensing technologies market.

Key Topics Covered:

Strategic Imperatives

Why Is It Increasingly Difficult to Grow?

The Strategic Imperative

The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on the Acoustic Sensing Technologies Industry

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine

Growth Opportunity Analysis

Acoustic Sensing Technologies Market Scope of Analysis

Acoustic Sensing Technologies Segmentation

Acoustic Sensing Technologies Key Competitors by Segment

Growth Drivers for Acoustic Sensing Technologies

Growth Restraints for Acoustic Sensing Technologies

Growth Opportunity Analysis, Naval Sonars

Growth Opportunity Analysis, Naval Sonars

US Navy Acoustic Technology and Unmanned Vehicles Contract Awards Share

US Navy Program for Unmanned Vehicles

DARPA's Persistent Aquatic Living Sensors Program

DARPAs Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel

Growth Opportunity Analysis, Shot Detection Systems

Growth Opportunity Analysis, Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Growth Opportunity Analysis, Non-Lethal Weapon Acoustic Systems

Growth Opportunity Universe

Growth Opportunity 1 - Naval Sonars for Manned and Unmanned Future US Navy Fleets

Growth Opportunity 2 - Shooter Detection Systems for Networked Battle Management Systems

Growth Opportunity 3 - Acoustic Sensors for Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Urban Combat

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4sf8q5
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newcore Gold Ltd. ("Newcore" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NCAU, OTCQX: NCAUF) announces the annual grant of equity incentive awards. Newcore has granted 1,190,000 stock options, 370,000 restricted share units and 400,000 performance share units (together the "Equity Incentive Awards") to various employees, directors and executives of the Company. The stock options were granted at a price of $0.54 per share for a period of five years. The Equity Incentive Awards are subject to regulatory approval, are granted under the Companys long-term incentive plan and are subject to vesting provisions.



About Newcore Gold Ltd.



Newcore Gold is advancing its Enchi Gold Project located in Ghana, Africas largest gold producer (1). Newcore Gold offers investors a unique combination of top-tier leadership, who are aligned with shareholders through their 27% equity ownership, and prime district scale exploration opportunities. Enchis 216 km2 land package covers 40 kilometres of Ghanas prolific Bibiani Shear Zone, a gold belt which hosts several 5 million-ounce gold deposits, including Kinross Chirano mine 50 kilometers to the north. Newcores vision is to build a responsive, creative and powerful gold enterprise that maximizes returns for shareholders.

(1) Source: Production volumes for 2020 as sourced from the World Gold Council

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Newcore Gold Ltd.

Luke Alexander

President, CEO & Director

For further information, please contact:

Mal Karwowska | Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations

+1 604 484 4399

info@newcoregold.com

www.newcoregold.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.
Dublin, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Aircraft Leasing: Commercial, Legal and Technical Issues" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Further to its previous success in Washington DC, Dubai, London and Dublin, the hosts are delighted to offer this high-level seminar for the 28th time.

The Aircraft Leasing: Commercial, Legal and Technical Issues conference will take place in Washington on 10th September, 2021.

The workshop has been fine-tuned over the years and recently some major changes have been made, which are being introduced this year.

The format is different, and in addition to the legal side of leases, they are including significantly more material on the technical side and including the commercial issues.

Who Should Attend:

Aircraft operators and manufacturers, lawyers, consultants, bankers, leasing and financing companies, insurance companies and all aviation professionals with an interest in aircraft leasing.

Speakers

Mark Atwood, Member, Cozen O'Connor

Jamie Baldwin, J.D., Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland Global Campus and Visiting Lecturer, University of Westminster (London, UK) and Emirates Aviation University (Dubai)

Jay Faria, President, Airtrade Aviation

Bryson P. Monteleone, Senior Advisor, PwC

Agenda:





9.00 Registration & Networking Coffee



9.30 Welcome & Introductions

Introduction to the Seminar Materials

9.40 Commercial Aspects

Airline Sector (Lessee)

Aircraft Acquisition/Fleet Planning

Buying versus Leasing

ACMI Leases

Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic

11.00 - 11.30 Networking Coffee Break

Leasing Company Sector (Lessor)

Lessor Priorities and Interests

Outlook

General Aviation/Business Aviation Snapshot

Au Revoir, A380

12.30 Networking Lunch

13.30 Legal Aspects

Overview of Major Legal Issues of a Typical Lease Agreement

Summary of Transaction

Parties/Property

Definitions

Representations and Warranties

Conditions Precedent

Lease Term

Payments

Security Deposit/Lockout

Rent/Net Lease

Covenants

Operation of Aircraft

Insurance

Record keeping and Logs

Events of Default

Indemnities

Subleasing

Quiet Enjoyment

Cape Town Convention

Sovereign Immunity

Confidentiality

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

14.30 Networking Coffee Break

15.00 Technical Aspects

Overview of Technical Components of a Typical Lease Agreement

Delivery Conditions

Airworthiness Directives/Service Bulletins

Maintenance Program

Records

Maintenance Reserves

Return Conditions

16.30 Concluding Remarks



For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hdmct

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
Cincinnati, Ohio, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- What could be more fitting for the pride of Douglas, Wyoming, known as the Jackalope Capital of the World, than commemorating their citys mascot, the jackalope, in pure silver metal. Osborne Mint has done just this in the latest addition to their Cryptid Creatures Collection. Osborne Mint is the oldest privately owned and operated mint in America minting silver, bronze and copper rounds and ingots since 1835, featuring presidents to aliens, war posters to jackalopes.

The fine silver Jackalope collectible round is the second cryptid featured in Osborne Mints Cryptid Creatures series, joining The Abominable Snowman (The Yeti) as beasts believed in, feared and revered. The jackalope is said by many to be a mythical creature that exists only in folklore and tall tales. However, the artisans at Osborne Mint believe differently. Their designers and artisans studied the habitats, reviewed known sightings and scanned hundreds of images of the jackalope to construct the perfect likeness on the obverse of this .999 fine silver round.

The Cryptids are rapidly becoming one of my favorite collections. The research, the conversations and the believers are so exhilarating. The more I discover about these somewhat mythical creatures, the more I believe. Our rendition of the jackalope will serve notice to the presence, history and reality of these critters, stated Gibson Olpp, Marketing Manager at Osborne Mint. Celebrate the jackalope with this made in America fine silver collectible.

The jackalope, one of the rarest animals in the world, is a cross between a now extinct pygmy deer and a species of killer rabbit. Others claim the jackalope to be a cross between a jackrabbit and an antelope. These antlered rabbits stand about one to two feet tall, with brownish colored fur and an average weight of three to five pounds. They can move at lighting speeds, at times up to 90 miles per hour. These fearsome critters are extremely vicious when attacked, using their antlers as spears and their powerful hind legs as clubs. These little devils often avoid capture by imitating human voices to confuse or misdirect a hunter. The one sure fire means to even get close to a jackalope is to lure it to your campfire. The cowboys of the old west perfected this trick by placing a fresh glass of whiskey next to their fire and waiting for the jackalope to come take a drink to warm itself inside and sit by the fire to warm itself outside. Once relaxed, the cowboys would make their move, capturing the critter and making plans to post it on the trophy wall.

The history, heritage and folklore that are the Jackalope are enveloped in this collectible round. Not only is the jackalope itself prominently featured, but the folktale is maintained with the addition of the boot, the bottle of rye whiskey and the full glass of whiskey awaiting its recipient. This art is minted onto one troy ounce of .999 Fine Silver, along with these words of wisdom: FEAR the Jackalope. The silver collectible is 39 mm (1.54) in diameter and is 0.12 thick with detailed engraving.

The common reverse for this collection contains the Osborne Mint logo, synonymous with quality, purity, authenticity and artistry. This side also formalizes the weight and metal of the piece being one troy ounce and .999 fine silver. Along with the starred and striped shield blanketed with the spread wings of an eagle, is a banner signifying the collection by name  Cryptid Creatures.

ADDITIONAL FUN FACTS ABOUT THE JACKALOPES CENTRAL HOME  Douglas, Wyoming:

Douglas, Wyoming is the Jackalope Capital of the World

Douglas Herrick is credited with perpetuating the jackalope

Douglas, Wyoming hosts an eight-foot concrete statue of a jackalope in the town square

Warning signs are posted in Douglas and across the southwest  Watch out for the jackalope 

 At the Douglas Chamber of Commerce one can purchase a LEGIT jackalope hunting license

Wyoming State Legislature declared the jackalope Wyomings Official Mythical Creature

The collectible round featuring The Jackalope can be ordered on Osborne Mints Shop-The-Mint e-commerce website - https://shop-the-mint.com/collections/all/products/now-available-the-jackalope-solid-silver-round. Connect with Osborne Mint via their multiple social media outlets (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube  click the You Tube link to see the Cryptid promotional video) to track future release dates and announcements. Our exclusive distribution partners at APMEX will soon have available a one ounce, .999 fine copper version of this collectible, as they did the original cryptid The Abominable Snowman (The Yeti).

Osborne Mint products are proudly made in the USA and every purchase of an Osborne Mint product supports American jobs.

###

About Osborne Mint: www.OsborneMint.com / #OsborneMint

Established in 1835, Osborne Mint is Americas oldest continuously operating private mint. Osborne Mint is part of the Osborne Coinage family, which includes Osborne Coinage, TokensDirect and Van Brook of Lexington. The mint, a 60,000 square foot facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, houses the development, engraving and manufacturing of numismatic quality collectible rounds, bars and coins. Products made by Osborne are manufactured to strict standards for metal purity, weight and dimensions. Osborne Mint strikes thousands of collectible rounds annually and circulates them to the public through certified distributors. Now one can purchase collectibles direct from Osborne Mint through their e-commerce portal (Shop-The-Mint.com). Featured collections include: designs by Lisa Parker, Anne Stokes Dragons, The Galaxies and Nebulae, The Fight for Freedoms Sake, Aliens and The American Legacy Collection. Gold plate, fine silver, copper and brass collections from Osborne Mint are truly pieces of art and are 100% Made in America.

Stay in the know, follow our hashtag: #OsborneMint

For more information on Osborne Mint visit our website: www.OsborneMint.com

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Surrey, Maine, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Institute for Humane Educationa nonprofit that helps schools and institutions give young people the knowledge and skills to create a more just, healthy, and sustainable worldis excited to announce the appointment of Steve Cochrane as its new Executive Director.

Steve comes to IHE with decades of experience in both K-12 and higher education. From 2013-2020, he served as the superintendent of the Princeton Public Schools in New Jersey, where he was honored with the countys Superintendent of the Year award.

Steve has also been an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction; a principal at both the elementary and middle-school level; a classroom teacher; an assistant dean of students at Princeton University; and a residence director and associate dean of admissions at Wheelock College.

Using his breadth of experience, Steve will forge collaborations with schools, districts, and other nonprofits to ensure that IHEs solutionary approach to education continues to gain tractionboth here in the U.S and around the world.

Having made equity a primary focus of his tenure as superintendent, Steve brings a passionate dedication to racial justice, along with a steadfast commitment to serving the most vulnerable studentsand the schools with the greatest needs.

Steve joined IHEs Board of Directors early this year, bringingamong other thingsstrategic planning leadership and a vision of educational transformation, says Zoe Weil, cofounder and president of IHE. From the moment he began working with us, we all recognized him as an outstanding leader, excellent listener, brilliant synthesizer, and deeply humane person. Its been a privilege to work with him for the past six months, and we are thrilled to have him leading and working alongside our team to achieve our mission.

In reflecting on the importance of his new role, Steve reiterated the importance of creating more solution-minded students. Whether were considering issues of social justice, the crises facing our environment, or persistent cruelty to animals, our world has never been in greater need of the vision and resources of the Institute for Humane Education, Steve says. "I am eagerand truly honoredto join the IHE family and to work with our many partners to advance our mission. Together, I believe we can multiply the institutions across the globe that embrace an approach to learning that prepares our young people to be not only critical and creative thinkers but active, humane, and ethical caretakers of our planet. A future of hope and healing depends on our success.

The Institute for Humane Education offers numerous resources to educators, including a free Solutionary Guidebook with a step-by-step process for helping students identify and address problems in their local communities and the world. IHE also offers graduate degree programs in humane education, along with a 30-hour Solutionary Micro-Credential Program for those who want to deepen their understanding of the connections between human rights, environmental sustainability, animal protection, culture, and innovation.

Steve received his undergraduate degree in English from Princeton University and his masters degree in educational administration from Harvard.

He can be reached at steve@humaneeducation.org and followed on Twitter at Steve Cochrane @Be_Solutionary.

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Chicago, Illinois, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Niles, IL  August 20th, 2021  Award-winning importer Winesellers, Ltd. is proud to announce that Wine Enthusiast Magazine has honored Todd Nelson, their Vice President of Marketing and Communication, as one of 2021's "Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers." Wine Enthusiast will be profiling Nelson in its October 2020 print issue.

As Wine Enthusiast states, 40 Under 40 Tastemakers feature isnt just a roll call of the latest drinks professionals to hit the scene. Instead, its where we call attention to people who are shaping the future of the entire spectrum of food, beverage and hospitality for years to come.

Nelson as one of the rising young stars that is changing the way consumers experience wine in the digital age, is listed among some of the top sommeliers, winemakers, and wine media moguls in the nation. Nelson is one of the first tastemakers from the wine importer/marketing side of the business to be honored.

In his more than nine years working with importer Winesellers, Ltd., Nelson has innovated a digital-first approach, not just in marketing, but also in data gathering. This forward thinking has led to growth while helping the company remain nimble, which carries over to his work with the recently launched Kind of Wild Wines. The direct-to-consumer brand sells vegan wines made from organic, sustainably farmed grapes around the world, says Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Utilizing leading indicators such as digital analysis to pinpoint next trends and market driven approaches helps us deliver new consumer experiences, says Nelson. He has set Winesellers, Ltd. apart in the industry as a progressive, tech-forward company. Weve optimized ourselves by not just relying on Nielsen & IRI data to collaborate but have also partnered with other innovative companies like 3Tier Beverage, VIP Analytics, SevenFifty, PIX, and Meltwater. By keeping a finger on the pulse of the wine, food, and hospitality industry trends Im able to help brands stay ahead of the curve with relevant digital ads and social media content to drive consumer conversions, as well as partner with professional journalists across lifestyle and wine media.

Nelson contributes his success to the amazing brands within the Winesellers, Ltd. portfolio. They have helped generate attention among national journalists for the portfolio (Zuccardi Valle de Uco, Tortoise Creek, Mont Gravet, Carlos Serres, Tiamo Organic, Quinta de la Rosa, Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Muller-Burggraef, Besserat de Bellefon, or Santa Julia) and showcased its second-generation family owners, Adam & Jordan Sager, as industry leaders.

Todds understanding of the three-tier system and finding pathways to connect with consumers has been crucial for our growth, says Adam Sager, Co-President of Winesellers, Ltd. As a value & premium driven portfolio, social and lifestyle media have been the main avenue to drive our family estates stories to our audience.

Nelson, a native of the Central Coast, got his start at Paso Robless renown Eberle Winery back in 2008.

About Winesellers, Ltd.

Founded in 1978 by Yale Sager, Winesellers, Ltd. is a second generation, family-owned and globally recognized importer, and marketer of fine wines to the U.S. market. The companys portfolio represents the finest quality of wines in their respective price category and has widespread distribution in all 50 U.S. states. Photography is available upon request.

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Cincinnati, Ohio - Northern Kentucky, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FUSIONWRX Inc, a Flottman Company, a digital marketing and communications agency based in Northern Kentucky, is the new digital agency of record for Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. FUSIONWRX will develop an enhanced digital communications strategy with the goals of raising interactions, driving interest and increasing enrollment for Cincinnati State.

"We liked that FUSIONWRX is locally owned and operated because it helps them understand how to best market to our diverse student body, and also the great value that Cincinnati State has in our region," said Amy Wagner, Website and Digital Manager for Cincinnati State.

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College has been a fixture in Cincinnati, Ohio for the past 50 years. Growth of the college now includes four locations in Clifton, Harrison, Evendale and Middletown each alive with students from all backgrounds, ages and experience. Cincinnati State is dedicated to offering an affordable and achievable education, whether you are looking for an Associates degree, Bachelors degree, a technical certificate or a jumpstart towards a four-year degree.

FUSIONWRX has already begun their work to evaluate the current digital communication structure and to integrate a strategic program to build brand awareness. FUSIONWRX will collaborate with Cincinnati State to customize the digital marketing and interactive experience across social media channels, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. The agency will also activate Google Ads, Facebook ads and display ads to provide multiple communication touch points. With FUSIONWRXs vast educational marketing experience they will also build a library of motivational, inspirational and informative content designed to encourage the reader to consider and attend Cincinnati State.

The entire team at FUSIONWRX is thrilled and grateful to be selected by Cincinnati State for their digital marketing activation, said Sue Steller, President of FUSIONWRX Inc, a Flottman Company, We competed with some really big fish during the pitch process, and we are grateful that Cincinnati State was able to recognize our abilities and passion for what we do. This is a huge step forward for our rapidly growing agency. We are excited to work with such an iconic, asset-rich, diverse, educational staple of our community. We look forward to a successful partnership with Cincinnati State Technical and Community College for years to come.

As a women-owned, full-service marketing agency, FUSIONWRX prides itself on delivering strategic thinking, digital advertising, marketing expertise and outstanding tactical implementation. The marketing and communications origins of FUSIONWRX stem from their parent firm, Flottman Company, a third generation, award-winning, commercial printer currently celebrating their 100th year anniversary. FUSIONWRXs online expertise includes Google My Business directory listings management, social media activation, Google, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn advertising, geofencing and digital content development and placement. FUSIONWRX is consistently identifying market opportunities and innovative ways to showcase the companies and brands they serve.

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About FUSIONWRX Inc, a Flottman Company: www.FUSIONWRX.com

FUSIONWRX Inc, a Flottman Company is an integrated digital and traditional marketing agency, serving clients in the food service, financial, educational and service industries. FUSIONWRX supplies clients with a multitude of media outlets to connect with their target audience, digital ads, directory listings, print materials and social media communications. Growth in the fields of content management, geofencing and out-of-home media have diversified FUSIONWRXs service portfolio, adding to their product offerings. FUSIONWRX has experience working with companies of all sizes, including family and private businesses to leading Fortune 500 companies. FUSIONWRX is part of the 100-year-old Flottman Company Inc.s family of businesses that are a women owned, third generation and family business. FUSIONWRX is a three-time recipient of the Print Solutions PEAK Award for Top Marketing, Cross-Media Campaigns. Clutch, a global marketing research company, ranked FUSIONWRX amongst the top digital, public relations, web design and strategic marketing business-to-business firms in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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English French





PRESS RELEASE

New Delhi, 20th August 2021

VELCAN HOLDINGS: SUSPENSION OF INDIAN OPERATIONS

Velcan Holdings announces that the Government of Arunachal Pradesh (GoAP) has refused to consider vital amendments to the concession agreements of its Indian hydropower projects. As a consequence, the projects are not in a position to progress and the company has decided to suspend them. The company will look for a majority partner to take over the projects and will focus on the management of its global portfolio of minority financial assets.

The main provisions at stake relate to the allocated installed capacities, the administrative fees, the development timeframe, the conditions under which Velcan Holdings would be obliged to start the projects constructions, the obligations of both parties, and the increase of the free power to the GoAP against the withdrawal of its potential equity participation in the projects. After several years of negotiation, the GoAP only agreed on the later point, whereas Velcan Holdings considers the GoAP had initially no right to any equity participation in the projects.

The concession agreements are the central foundation of the projects as they are the basis of all technical and environmental licenses and authorizations, and the basis for further projects development, including their bank financing. In absence of the above-mentioned amendments, notably appropriate allotted capacities and timeframe, the current concession agreements are inadequate and the Techno-Economic Clearances granted by the Government of India in 2015 are technically not valid anymore as their renewal depends on the concession agreement amendment.

This comes on top of the numerous deadlocks encountered by the projects during the past 3 years regarding essential development activities which mostly depend on the Governments (central and local), such as the delays in the road infrastructure, the inability of the GoAP to make significant progress in the land acquisition and the inability of electricity distribution companies to sign long term bankable power purchase agreements (projects status is detailed in the annual report available at www.velcan.lu).

As a result, Velcan Holdings cannot pursue anymore the development of the projects and has decided to suspend its entire Indian operations. The Groups New Delhi Office as well as site offices will be shut down by the end of Q3 2021. The Group will continue to monitor the evolution of the Indian hydropower market and will look for a majority partner to take over the projects and the development operations.

An additional provision or Eur 7.4 million (50%) for S1 2021 will be booked on the intangible value of the Indian projects, in addition to the previously booked provisions. Considering the previously booked provisions, this will bring the total provision to Eur 14.5 million (100%).

From now onwards, Velcan Holdings balance sheet will be constituted exclusively of minority financial investments (except for its historical participation in the Rodeio Bonito plant in Brazil).

* * *

Investor Relations Contact investor@velcan.lu



About Velcan:

Velcan Holdings is a Luxemburg headquartered investment holding company founded in 2005, managing a global portfolio of financial assets, focusing on minority investments, as of today mostly in listed securities.

Velcan Holdings headquarters are in Luxemburg, with administrative and financial offices in Singapore and Mauritius.

The company was launched more than 15 years ago by its reference shareholder LHP SA, owned by Velcan Holdings management team.

Velcan Holdings is listed on the Euro MTF Stock Market in Luxembourg (Ticker VLCN/ISIN FR0010245803).

Velcan Holdings never performed any Public Offer as understood under Directive 2003/71/CE of the European Parliament and Council.

Disclaimer

This press release contains prospective information about the potential of the projects in progress and/or of the projects of which the development has begun. This information constitutes objectives attached to projects and shall not be construed as direct or indirect net income forecast of the concerned year. Readers attention is also drawn on the fact that the performance of these objectives depends on future circumstances and that it could be affected and/or delayed by risks, known or unknown, uncertainties, and various factors of any nature, notably related to economic, commercial or regulatory conjuncture, which occurrence could be likely to have a negative impact on future activity and performances of the Group.

This announcement does not constitute a public offering (offre au public) nor an invitation to the public or to any qualified investor in connection with any offering. This announcement is not an offer of securities in the United States of America or in any other jurisdiction/country.

Attachment
Phoenix, Arizona, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CarGuard Administration is excelling in the vehicle service contract industry by offering superior customer service. To that effect, CarGuard Administration distinguishes itself by talking directly with customers when they have a claim for repairs to their vehicles. This ground-breaking vehicle service contract administrator employs claims adjusters who are highly specialized in customer service and retention. More so, all of its claim adjusters are certified mechanics, so they thoroughly know the mechanical issues that carsand customersface.

This positive, empowering approach perfectly suits the mandate of PACE, the only national non-profit trade association that devotes itself to inspiring and enhancing companies that handle volumes of customer service interactions through contact centers. Thats why CarGuard Administration is extremely proud to be a silver partner for the 2021 PACE Convention, to be held September 19th to 21st, in Arlington, Virginia. PACE is aptly named: Professional Association for Customer Engagement.

PACE strongly recognizes the strategic importance of contact centers for service companies that handle so many customers needs and expectations. To maximize the positive customer experience, PACE researches, drafts, and promotes industry best practices and professional education with respect to customer engagement. This is done primarily through the strategic conduit of contact centers. As the customer experience becomes increasingly digitized, so has PACE kept abroad of technology as a valuable tool to achieve satisfied customers.

CarGuard Administration had already incorporated customer service as the primary driver in its business operations from the get-go but also welcomed collaboration as the best means to take this philosophy further. Thats why CarGuard Administration has always supported PACE and participated in its training and outreach programs. Again, it is exceedingly pleased to be a silver partner for the 2021 PACE Convention.

Backed by one of the most stable insurers in the industry, CarGuard Administration focuses on continually evolving its vehicle service contracts to best suit customers. Moreover, CarGuard Administration offers exemplary customer service at all levels of its operations, from drafting vehicle protection plans that are consumer-friendly and easy to read, to offering first-day rentals (and peace of mind) to customers who find themselves stranded with cars that need fixing.

Vehicle protection plans are complementary, but just as vitally important, to collision insurance plans. Only 10% of all people with collision insurance end up using it, but over 80% of drivers with vehicle protection plans experience a vehicle breakdown. Those statistics demonstrate CarGuard Administrations strategic role in fulfilling the needs of drivers as well as peace of mind.

CarGuard Administration very much looks forward to the 2021 PACE Convention and to attending its speeches, workshops, and symposiums. But the work doesnt just start and end with the three-day convention. All year long, every year, CarGuard works closely with PACE to jointly assure the best standards and practices of customer service and will continue to be close partners in the future. For more information on CarGuard Administration, please visit https://carguardadmin.com/.
ING PROFILE



ING is a global financial institution with a strong European base, offering banking services through its operating company ING Bank. The purpose of ING Bank is empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business. ING Banks more than 57,000 employees offer retail and wholesale banking services to customers in over 40 countries.



ING Group shares are listed on the exchanges of Amsterdam (INGA NA, INGA.AS), Brussels and on the New York Stock Exchange (ADRs: ING US, ING.N).



Sustainability forms an integral part of INGs strategy, evidenced by INGs leading position in sector benchmarks by Sustainalytics and MSCI and our A-list rating by CDP. ING Group shares are included in major sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) index products of leading providers STOXX, Morningstar and FTSE Russell. In January 2021, ING received an ESG evaluation score of 83 ('strong') from S&P Global Ratings.







IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION



Elements of this press release contain or may contain information about ING Groep N.V. and/ or ING Bank N.V. within the meaning of Article 7(1) to (4) of EU Regulation No 596/2014.



Certain of the statements contained herein are not historical facts, including, without limitation, certain statements made of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on managements current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those in such statements due to a number of factors, including, without limitation: (1) changes in general economic conditions, in particular economic conditions in INGs core markets, including changes affecting currency exchange rates, (2) the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and related response measures, including lockdowns and travel restrictions, on economic conditions in countries in which ING operates, on INGs business and operations and on INGs employees, customers and counterparties, (3) changes affecting interest rate levels, (4) any default of a major market participant and related market disruption, (5) changes in performance of financial markets, including in Europe and developing markets, (6) political instability and fiscal uncertainty in Europe and the United States, (7) discontinuation of or changes in benchmark indices, (8) inflation and deflation in our principal markets, (9) changes in conditions in the credit and capital markets generally, including changes in borrower and counterparty creditworthiness, (10) failures of banks falling under the scope of state compensation schemes, (11) non-compliance with or changes in laws and regulations, including those financial services and tax laws, and the interpretation and application thereof, (12) geopolitical risks, political instabilities and policies and actions of governmental and regulatory authorities, (13) legal and regulatory risks in certain countries with less developed legal and regulatory frameworks, (14) prudential supervision and regulations, including in relation to stress tests and regulatory restrictions on dividends and distributions,, (also among members of the group), (15) regulatory consequences of the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union, including authorizations and equivalence decisions, (16) INGs ability to meet minimum capital and other prudential regulatory requirements, (17) changes in regulation of US commodities and derivatives businesses of ING and its customers, (18) application of bank recovery and resolution regimes, including write-down and conversion powers in relation to our securities, (19) outcome of current and future litigation, enforcement proceedings, investigations or other regulatory actions, including claims by customers who feel mislead and other conduct issues, (20) changes in tax laws and regulations and risks of non-compliance or investigation in connection with tax laws, including FATCA, (21) operational risks, such as system disruptions or failures, breaches of security, cyber-attacks, human error, changes in operational practices or inadequate controls including in respect of third parties with which we do business, (22) risks and challenges related to cybercrime including the effects of cyber-attacks and changes in legislation and regulation related to cybersecurity and data privacy, (23) changes in general competitive factors, including ability to increase or maintain market share, (24) the inability to protect our intellectual property and infringement claims by third parties, (25) inability of counterparties to meet financial obligations or ability to enforce rights against such counterparties, (26) changes in credit ratings, (27) business, operational, regulatory, reputation and other risks and challenges in connection with climate change, (28) inability to attract and retain key personnel, (29) future liabilities under defined benefit retirement plans, (30) failure to manage business risks, including in connection with use of models, use of derivatives, or maintaining appropriate policies and guidelines, (31) changes in capital and credit markets, including interbank funding, as well as customer deposits, which provide the liquidity and capital required to fund our operations, and (32) the other risks and uncertainties detailed in the most recent annual report of ING Groep N.V. (including the Risk Factors contained therein) and INGs more recent disclosures, including press releases, which are available on www.ING.com.



This document may contain inactive textual addresses to internet websites operated by us and third parties. Reference to such websites is made for information purposes only, and information found at such websites is not incorporated by reference into this annual report. ING does not make any representation or warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of, or take any responsibility for, any information found at any websites operated by third parties. ING specifically disclaims any liability with respect to any information found at websites operated by third parties. ING cannot guarantee that websites operated by third parties remain available following the filing of this document or that any information found at such websites will not change following the filing of this document. Many of those factors are beyond INGs control.



Any forward looking statements made by or on behalf of ING speak only as of the date they are made, and ING assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or for any other reason.



This document does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction.
Toronto, ON, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CCAB Announces 2021 Companies Achieving Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) Status

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto, ON  August 19, 2021 Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) announced today several prominent Canadian corporations to be recognized at the Business Recovery Forum, being held September 22, for achieving certification in Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR).

Each year we are proud to announce a growing number of companies committed to creating positive, meaningful relationships with Indigenous businesses and communities, said CCAB President & CEO, Tabatha Bull. I admire the dedication these companies have demonstrated to furthering economic growth and opportunities with Indigenous business.

Congratulations to the following PAR-certified members:

Gold Certification Silver Certification Bronze Certification ALPAC Imperial Oil CAHILL Bee Clean Building Maintenance Hydro Quebec Syncrude Canada Ltd. Allteck Line Contractors BC Hydro Greater Victoria Harbour Authority SaskPower BC Housing Ontario Power Generation

PAR is a CCAB certification program that confirms corporate performance in Indigenous relations. Using an online management and reporting tool, the program supports participants efforts towards progressive improvement and commitment to prosperity in Indigenous communities. CCAB member companies build a framework that enables them to achieve certification in Indigenous relations at the bronze, silver, or gold level. As a premier corporate social responsibility program, a high level of assurance is provided through an independent, third-party verification process of company reports on measurable outcomes and initiatives in four performance areas: Leadership Actions, Employment, Business Development, and Community Relationships. These verified reports are then reviewed by an independent jury of Indigenous business leaders who assign the final certification level.

About Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB)

Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business is committed to the full participation of Indigenous peoples in Canadas economy. A national, non-partisan association, with a mission to promote, strengthen and enhance a prosperous Indigenous economy through the fostering of business relationships, opportunities, and awareness. CCAB offers knowledge, resources and programs to its members to foster economic opportunities for Indigenous peoples and businesses across Canada. For more information visit www.ccab.com.

-30-

For media enquiries, contact :

Marissa Baecker

Sr. Associate, Communications

Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business

mbaecker@ccab.com | 250-470-7779

Attachments
LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAAT GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC. (CSE: TAAT) (OTCQX: TOBAF) (FRANKFURT: 2TP) (the Company or TAAT) is pleased to announce that it has received a purchase order for two containers of TAAT valued at 720,000 (approximately CAD $1,075,000) from a wholesaler based in London, England who will be the exclusive distributor for TAAT in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In a press release dated April 30, 2021 , the Company announced that this same distributor had placed an initial purchase order of 100,000 (approximately CAD $149,000), and subsequently detailed in a May 20, 2021 press release the competitive advantages TAAT would have compared to other tobacco brands in the United Kingdom, where tobacco cigarettes must be sold in plain packaging, as shown below. The Companys distributor has also been granted a Confirmation of Registration to the Tobacco and Related Products and Regulatory Competent Authority from Public Health England, providing clearance for TAAT to be sold in all of Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales).

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f35cfb31-0197-42bf-99a7-bf1ca1cc6bc3

Readers using news aggregation services may be unable to view the media above. Please access SEDAR or the Investor Relations section of the Companys website for a version of this press release containing all published media.

The launch of TAAT in the United Kingdom will coincide with anticipated market changes in the coming years resulting from the planned withdrawal of Philip Morris International from the tobacco cigarette category in the U.K. by the end of the decade, which the firm announced in late July 20211. With the recent ban of menthol cigarettes in the United Kingdom as of May 20, 20202, TAAT Menthol can provide legal-aged smokers who preferred mentholated tobacco cigarettes a familiar flavour profile that cannot be had with any combustible tobacco product in the country. Additionally, TAAT will be sold in the United Kingdom at an attractive price point compared to leading brands of tobacco cigarettes, which stands to allow legal-aged smokers in the United Kingdom to benefit from a cost savings by switching to TAAT.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/106e0a92-529d-4e55-98a8-58710b37c10e

Readers using news aggregation services may be unable to view the media above. Please access SEDAR or the Investor Relations section of the Companys website for a version of this press release containing all published media.

TAAT Chief Executive Officer Setti Coscarella commented, Less than four months after our distributor for the U.K. and Ireland placed their initial purchase order valued at CAD $149,000, we are very pleased to have already received a second order for several times that amount, in addition to clearance from Public Health England for TAAT to be sold in all of Great Britain. We fully support Philip Morris Internationals plan to stop selling tobacco cigarettes in the U.K., not just because it creates opportunities for us as we enter that market, but also because it validates what weve been saying all along that smokers of legal age deserve access to a better choice than tobacco cigarettes. After adding distribution for TAAT in seven new U.S. states in two months we are thrilled to be executing our first international launches as the next chapter in our journey to make TAAT a global brand in the USD $814 billion tobacco industry.

Sources

1 - https://www.npr.org/2021/07/26/1020571339/marlboro-maker-ceo-says-the-company-plans-to-stop-selling-smokes-in-the-u-k

2 - https://www.acs.org.uk/advice/menthol-ban

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

TAAT GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC.

Setti Coscarella

Setti Coscarella, CEO and Director

For further information, please contact:

TAAT Investor Relations

1-833-TAAT-USA (1-833-822-8872)

investor@taatglobal.com

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (CSE) HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE, NOR HAS OR DOES THE CSES REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER.

About TAAT Global Alternatives Inc.

The Company has developed TAAT, which is a tobacco-free and nicotine-free alternative to traditional cigarettes offered in "Original", "Smooth", and "Menthol" varieties. TAAT's base material is Beyond Tobacco, a proprietary blend which undergoes a patent-pending refinement technique causing its scent and taste to resemble tobacco. Under executive leadership with "Big Tobacco" pedigree, TAAT was launched first in the United States in Q4 2020 as the Company seeks to position itself in the $814 billion1 global tobacco industry.

For more information, please visit http://taatglobal.com .

References

1 British American Tobacco - The Global Market

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur, or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding the anticipated performance of TAAT in the tobacco industry, in addition to the following: Potential outcomes from the introduction of TAAT to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and anticipated changes to the tobacco products sector in the United Kingdom as a result of Philip Morris Internationals stated plan to stop selling cigarettes in the market by 2030. The forward-looking information reflects managements current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed timeframes or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) changes to the growth and size of the tobacco markets; and (iii) other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Companys management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Companys business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The statements in this news release have not been evaluated by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As each individual is different, the benefits, if any, of taking the Companys products will vary from person to person. No claims or guarantees can be made as to the effects of the Companys products on an individuals health and well-being. The Companys products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This news release may contain trademarked names of third-party entities (or their respective offerings with trademarked names) typically in reference to (i) relationships had by the Company with such third-party entities as referred to in this release and/or (ii) client/vendor/service provider parties whose relationship with the Company is/are referred to in this release. All rights to such trademarks are reserved by their respective owners or licensees.

Statement Regarding Third-Party Investor Relations Firms
New York, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PHI Group, Inc. ( www.phiglobal.com , PHIL ), a company currently focused on implementing PHILUX Global Funds, a group of Luxembourg bank funds organized as Reserved Alternative Investment Fund (RAIF), and developing the Asia Diamond Exchange (ADE) in Vietnam, is pleased to announce that its Chairman and CEO Henry Fahman has substantially increased his stock ownership in the Company.



On August 19, 2021 Henry Fahman converted $500,000 of the loan that he made to PHI Group on 02/07/2020 into 103,279,112 shares of restricted Common Stock of PHI Group, Inc. to increase his direct ownership in the Company. A Form 4 will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to report the transaction.

Mr. Fahman stated, "My commitment to PHI Group and to PHIL shareholders has never been stronger, and my belief in future success for the company has never been brighter. After years of laying the groundwork, PHI Group is ready to capitalize on those efforts with many exciting and cutting-edge ventures, including the Luxembourg bank funds, the first-ever Asia Diamond Exchange, and the disruptive initiatives which we believe will bring tremendous benefits to our shareholders as well as all other stakeholders around the world. I look forward to the coming weeks, months and years, with great enthusiasm and determination to create the best results ever for our company, and to maximize our shareholder value."

About PHI Group, Inc.

PHI Group ( www.phiglobal.com , PHIL ) primarily focuses on advancing PHILUX Global Funds, a group of Luxembourg bank funds organized as Reserved Alternative Investment Fund (RAIF) ( www.philux.eu ), and building the Asia Diamond Exchange (ADE) in Vietnam. The Company also engages in mergers and acquisitions and invests in select industries and special situations that may substantially enhance shareholder value.

Safe Harbor Act and Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements 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, which 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 as a result of various factors.

Contact:
Belleville, Illinois, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Biden administration announced it will eliminate student loan debt payments for more than 300,000 Americans with severe disabilities, said Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation services. The move comes after years of criticism from advocates and former students about strict rules and conflicting policies affecting those with disabilities.

The decision to cancel student loan debt for individuals with disabilities is a significant development and past due, said Jim Allsup, CEO and founder of Allsup LLC. Seeking the advantages of an education and economic self-sufficiency is an admirable goal that many individuals set for themselves. Few anticipate that a severe disability will rob them of their ability to apply the skills they worked so hard to obtain, and at such a high price.

The Allsup organization has successfully represented more than 350,000 former workers and veterans in obtaining their disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Managing debt and avoiding bankruptcy are common financial challenges faced by those with disabilities who can no longer work. The average monthly income from SSDI is $1,277, which leaves little room for student debt payments when housing, healthcare and food are the utmost priorities for beneficiaries and their dependents. Allsup data indicated that 27% of its customers have missed loan or credit card payments and 17% have been unable to make mortgage payments.

Allsup also noted that a determination of disability by the SSA, which administers the nations disability insurance program, should be the accepted standard for acknowledging a disability by other agencies, including the Department of Education (DOE), which directs the student loan program. Approximately 8.4 million former workers and their dependents are SSDI beneficiaries.

It makes sense that the SSA and DOE policies and processes align, added Allsup. Trying to comply with slightly different DOE rules is an unnecessary burden for those who receive SSDI or Supplemental Security Income benefits and are struggling with student loan debt. The SSA already determines who is disabled and monitors beneficiaries and recipients medical status.

Find more information about SSDI and how to apply for disability benefits at Allsup.com.

ABOUT ALLSUP

Allsup and its subsidiaries provide nationwide Social Security disability, veterans disability appeal, return to work, exchange plan, and Medicare services for individuals, their employers, and insurance carriers. Allsup professionals deliver specialized services supporting people with disabilities and seniors so they may lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible. Founded in 1984, the company is based in Belleville, Illinois, near St. Louis. Learn more at allsup.com and @Allsup or download a free PDF of Applying for Social Security Disability Insurance: Getting It Right The First Time.
Gloucester, MA (01930)

Today

Cloudy in the morning, then off and on rain showers during the afternoon hours. High 73F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Periods of rain and windy at times. Rain becoming heavy at times late. Low 61F. NE winds at 10 to 20 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
TOPEKA [mdash] Ervin H. Fry, 82, Topeka, died at 12:10 p.m., Monday, Aug. 30, at his residence after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born on April 2, 1939, in Yoder, Kansas, to Harvey and Elizabeth (Miller) Fry. On Dec. 13, 1962, in Topeka, he married Barbara Ellen Frey. She survives
Kevin Kisner was one spot out of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings going into the tourna
A progress report to members of the Joint Committee on Minerals, Business & Economic Development in Laramie Thursday offered mostly good news to proponents of building a first-of-its-kind nuclear reactor in Wyoming. Even with the backing of the Biden White House and the U.S. Department of Energy, however, the nascent plan still faces numerous administrative and legislative hurdles.

Officials with Rocky Mountain Power  who will facilitate construction of the project alongside billionaire tech entrepreneur Bill Gates company, TerraPower  told lawmakers they will select a project site by the end of 2021. They are eying four potential choices across Wyoming: Jim Bridger near Rock Springs, Naughton in Kemmerer, Dave Johnston near Glenrock or WyoDak near Gillette.

Appropriators in the U.S. Senate recently approved billions of dollars in aid to bolster nuclear energy production.

In addition, Wyoming Mining Association Director Travis Deti informed lawmakers the DOE filed a request for information regarding the establishment of a domestic uranium reserve program in an effort to reinvigorate domestic nuclear fuel supply chain capabilities.

Were hopeful we can start producing [uranium] again in this state, Deti said.

Numerous legislative fixes would be required to keep Wyoming statutes up- to date with changing technologies and accommodate such a facility.

Concerns from lawmakers about Wyomings ability to capitalize on the project, however, are likely overblown, officials with the Idaho National Laboratory in Arco told the committee.

Easy access to natural gas and hydrogen along with pre-existing rail infrastructure make Wyoming a prime site for the facility as well as a potential location for manufacturing its components, according to the INLs Dr. Richard Boardman.

Boardman added that while the University of Wyoming lacks a nuclear energy program, its School of Energy Resources could facilitate the training necessary to develop workforces for constructing and operating the facility.

Probably 90% of what we have spoken of thats necessary for this project is already located at the university in what is currently the Department of Chemical Engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, Boardman said.

Some remained skeptical of the projects broader implications.

State Rep. Chuck Gray (R-Casper)  a staunch advocate for coal  expressed concerns about a Wyoming-based utility courting federal funding to pioneer an alternative form of energy.

I just dont understand from a market perspective how thats even appropriate, Gray said.

This came despite project boosters billing the facility as a way to fill the void left behind by coal-fired facilities that are no longer competitive against cheaper energy sources like oil and gas.

Others have raised environmental concerns outside of the meeting. (Activist pressure helped defeat a plan in the Wyoming Legislature to pursue a temporary nuclear waste storage facility in the 2019 interim session.)

Natrium officials previously told WyoFile the waste produced by the facility would be stored on site.

Still up for debate, however, is how to tax the new style of reactor.

Some cited low taxes for energy produced by renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Senate Minority Leader Chris Rothfuss (D-Laramie), however, was reluctant to give nuclear a tax-free pass, urging lawmakers not to set an arbitrary tax rate that would hinder Wyomings future earning potential.

The last thing we need to do is find ways to reduce our revenue right now, Rothfuss said.

The committee ultimately defeated a motion to reduce the states production taxes on nuclear energy to zero.

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
Rex Gary Bennett, 67, passed away suddenly on August 9, 2021 after a courageous battle against cancer.

Rex was born in Ames, Iowa on December 5, 1953 and after moving to Wyoming as a child, graduated from Rawlins High School. He retired after a long career with BP Amoco. Rex loved the outdoors and spent time touring the landscape of the Wind Rivers on his ATV, camping, fly fishing on Wyoming lakes, rivers and streams, and shooting. When Rex wasnt adventuring outdoors, he enjoyed gunsmithing, riding his motorcycle and cruising the highway in his convertible.

Rex is survived by his loving wife, Rae Dawn, his three children, Stefanie M. Deters (Michael), Brandon R. Bennett (Daniela), and Derik C. Bennett, his sister Cheryl Bowen (Donald), his brother Jack Bennett (Mary), three step children, Monica Gibbs (Michael), Amanda Short, and Cynthia Short, and several nieces and nephews. He was a proud grandpa to three grandchildren, Caleb, Cate and Nicolas.

He is preceded in death by his parents and nephew Alan Bennett.

Rex will be honored by his close friends and family on Saturday, August 21st at the family home at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to The American Cancer Society or The Humane Society of the U.S. on his behalf.

Online condolences for the family may be made at theDavisFuneralHome.com.

Services are under the direction of the Davis Funeral Home.
One thing that can be safely said about the Biden Administration is that when you think they could not become even more extreme, they make clear that you underestimate them at your peril. Take President Bidens Executive Order 14008, entitled Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Buried on page 9, is Section 216, with the heading, Conserving Our Nations Lands and Waters, the goal of which is to develop a plan to conserve at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030. Known as the 30x30 program, the ultimate objective of the land grabbers is to move on to the 50x50 program, which, as you probably guessed, would allegedly conserve fifty percent of our lands and waters by 2050.

The Executive Order is entirely silent on how or why expanding federal control over private property or further restricting the use of federal lands would address the so-called climate crisis. The preliminary report to the National Climate Task Force, entitled Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful, is likewise silent on the practical aspects of this issue, providing instead what can only be described as a word salad of buzzwords that is typical of a collaborative effort among government agencies who seek to appear to be doing something while also avoiding any accountability. Although EO 14008 and the agencies preliminary report provide a litany of feel-good platitudes, the reality of the 30x30 program, if it comes to pass, will be quite destructive.

The 30x30 program is simply bad public policy and will quickly and negatively impact our standard of living, housing costs, food production, and the environment. Many of our lower-income communities in the West struggle with capital investment and opportunities because they are dominated by federal land ownership, with little economic development or innovation allowed. If your goal is to address income inequality, high housing and building costs, and poverty, you do not increase federal ownership or control, you decrease it.

There are housing shortages throughout the country, with homelessness on the rise in many urban areas. The 30x30 program will make this situation worse by restricting access to developable lands while making building costssuch as lumberthat much more expensive. The cost to produce our food will skyrocket while also impacting our supply chain. Taking lands out of agriculture production will make the United States more dependent on food imports. And speaking of imports, the 30x30 program is intentionally designed to make us yet again dependent on foreign, and often hostile, governments for our energy resources.

The federal government already owns 640 million acres of land across the United Statesequal to more than one-quarter of the countrys total landmass. Wyoming has the sixth-highest percentage of federal land ownership at 48.4%. The United States Forest Service has an $11 billion dollar maintenance backlog, as does the National Park Service. Neither agency has the capacity or wherewithal to take on additional responsibilities. Increasing federal control of land does not impact climate; it just stockpiles more power in the nations capital and leaves local communities devastated by the bad policies for which Washington, DC is notorious.

Nebraskas Governor Ricketts understands the threat posed by the Biden 30x30 program, exposing the fact that it interferes with the states constitutional and traditional power over land and water uses. He is also working to reveal the tax consequences associated with this federal power grab. Governors throughout the country should follow his lead and block any further efforts to increase federal management at the expense of local control.

For a frightening glimpse into the crystal ball, one must only take a look at our neighbor to the North. A recent Bloomberg article entitled The Second-Largest Country in the World is Running out of Land, explains that [t]he worlds second-biggest country by landmass is effectively running out of space, and that has Canada on course for a reckoning. The article failed to disclose, however, that 89% of the land in Canada is owned by the government. Canada, in other words, is not running out of land. The Canadian government, through its control and ownership of the majority of the land, is instead pursuing a policy that is crushing the dream of homeownership, and thereby blocking what has historically been the surest way to middle-class prosperity. The Biden Administration, by pushing the 30x30 program, intends to do exactly the same thing; a federal policy of intentional decline.

Harriet Hageman was a Republican candidate for Governor of Wyoming in 2018. Harriet is Senior Litigation Counsel at the New Civil Liberties Alliance.
Animal Control Officers Tracy Wyant and Kim Wilkins pet Xena, a one-year-old Burnese mountain dog and Pyranese mix and is available for adoption. Star photo by Hannah Romero

Green River Animal Control has been busy.

Tracy Wyant and Kim Wilkins, Green River's two full-time Animal Control Officers (ACOs), have had their hands full lately. The Animal Control Shelter usually averages six to seven dogs at a time - last Friday they had 19.

Wyant said the shelter has seen more animals than usual this summer, and Wilkins noted that they've been dealing with a number of other cases, such as wildlife calls. However, staying busy is nothing new for Animal Control.

"We do more than people think we do," Wyant said.

Along with two part-time ACOs, Wyant and Wilkins keep up with a wide range of responsibilities. Most noticeably, they run a full-service animal shelter, taking in and caring for animals before finding them homes through adoptions. The shelter also offers microchipping and vaccinations for pets and gives out a spay/neuter certificate with every adoption.

In addition to being over the shelter, Animal Control is a branch of the Green River Police Department. Wyant explained that ACOs fulfill a number of law enforcement duties, including doing routine patrols, answering calls for service, completing investigations, writing citations, pursuing charges, testifying in court and enforcing city ordinances.

Animal Control's regular duties also include responding to any and all situations with animals, from cats and dogs to reptiles to wildlife.

"If it involves an animal, we're going to get involved in some capacity," Wyant said.

Just this summer, Animal Control has dealt with badgers, rattlesnakes, coyotes and deer, according to Wilkins. These situations have become normal to Wyant, but she does enjoy the out of the ordinary calls - like the time she had to climb a tree to catch a five-foot iguana.

Even if cases are later transferred to other organizations, such as the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, they start with Animal Control, Wyant said. ACOs respond to a situation, then use their network of connections to find the best people to help.

Connections are crucial to the way Green River Animal Control operates, from partnerships with other organizations to working together with the community. Because Green River Animal Control is a small shelter with a trained and dedicated staff operating in a tight-knit community, the ACOs are able to focus on serving the animals and the people around them.

From teaching school groups to holding clinics to working directly with pet owners, ACOs spend lots of time on education and outreach, according to Wyant. She said that they will do what they need to when it comes to enforcing the law, but they prefer to educate with compassion so they can work together with people.

The ACOs also regularly help people who need support in caring for their animals. Wyant said the team at Animal Control often ends up digging into their own pockets to pay for needs that they see. They also give back from what is given to them. When the shelter has extra donations, they are re-donated to people who need them. For example, Wyant said that one Christmas the animal control team went out at night in the snow to leave dog food on the porches of families they knew were in need.

"We're here to help," Wyant said.

Wyant personally understands what it means to be a community member working with Animal Control, since she was an owner of runaway dogs before she was an ACO. Wyant's dogs were escape artists who frequently had to be picked up from the shelter. Eventually they started showing up at the shelter on their own when they ran away. At one point Wyant joked to the Animal Control staff, "I'm down here so much, you should hire me." Not long after, they did. She began working part time, then became full time, and has now been with Animal Control for 24 years.

Wyant gives credit to both the team at Animal Control and the community for the ways people currently work together to take care of animals. This includes spaying and neutering pets, which helps the shelter keep up with animals who need homes.

Even with the recent increase in the number of animals, the shelter hasn't reached capacity, and is able to care for the animals that come in and continue working to find them homes.

Wyant worries that some people hear "animal shelter" and form opinions based on stereotypes, picturing large, overcrowded shelters.

"We run things a little bit differently here," Wyant said.

The team at Animal Control goes out of their way to make sure the animals that come in end up going out and finding their forever homes, according to Wyant. Everything is focused on finding the best adoptions possible. The ACOs listen carefully to what people want and take all the circumstances into consideration to make sure they can place the right animals in the right homes.

"We try to find the best pet for you," Wyant said. She believes adoptions are Animal Control's strong point, and that the shelter has developed a strong reputation and built a network of connections that help those adoptions continue. The ACOs work together with other local shelters, and Wyant said people come from all over to take home pets.

The ACOs truly care for the animals they work with - which comes with its own challenges and rewards. Wyant said that being an ACO requires a whole other level of compassion, and any given shift can contain an entire gamut of emotions.

Handling the emotions of being an ACO is one of the biggest challenges, according to Wyant. She said it's often important to keep emotions in check, especially when it's necessary to follow policies and procedures and not take sides. This is often necessary to make sure an animal gets what they deserve. However, Wyant said one of her biggest frustrations is when people don't treat their animals well, but aren't technically doing anything wrong, they're just doing the bare minimum.

"There is no law that I can enforce to make you love your animal," Wyant said.

Wilkins also understands the frustrations and difficult emotions involved in being an ACO. One of the dogs currently in the shelter illustrates how upsetting it can be to see animals who aren't cared for.

"You look at that face and I don't know how you could not have helped him," Wilkins said, looking at PD.

PD is a 10-month-old male pitbull who was in the shelter for a while in May as a happy, fat, healthy puppy. He returned to the shelter this past week, thin and injured. Wilkins explained that PD was in an accident where he was run over several months ago and not properly taken care of after. PD now needs surgery to repair damage to his femur. Animal Control hopes to raise the money needed to cover his surgery - about $1,500.

Despite all he's been through, PD's future is looking good. He already has a foster home lined up that will take care of him while he recovers once he's able to have surgery, and he should be able to make a full recovery, according to Wilkins.

Wilkins also noted that PD demonstrates the loving and forgiving nature of animals.

"They don't hold grudges," Wilkins said.

Seeing animals go from terrible situations to loving homes make all the challenges worth it, Wyant said. She loves seeing pets go to the right owners and thriving in their new environments. She also loves hearing how the animals' lives change when they go to a good home, and hearing stories of how animals have changed their owners' lives.

"That's what makes your heart feel good, and you're ready to do it again," Wyant said.

Wyant also noted that Animal Control's work is especially important because animals can't speak up for themselves.

"We are advocates," Wyant said. "We are the voices for these animals."
Craig Barringer, superintendent of Sweetwater County School District No. 2, shakes hands with Rick Haydon, a representative of PBI, after the company donated 160 backpacks filled with school supplies to the district.

"Everywhere we go we try to give back to the community," Rick Haydon said.

Haydon was one of the representatives from Peterson Beckner Industries (PBI) who brought backpacks full of school supplies to the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Central Office last Friday.

PBI is a steel erection company out of Houston, Texas, that is currently working at the Genesis Alkali Granger facility. Haydon said the $350 million project will last until the spring. Local workers were hired for the project, but PBI also has employees who are staying in Sweetwater County during the work.

"It has been a great pleasure to be here and we appreciate what Green River and your community are affording us and we just want to give back a little," Nicky Parker, PBI's project administrator said.

To give back, PBI ironworkers filled 160 backpacks with school supplies for students in the second to fifth grades, including notebooks, pencils, crayons, scissors and more. The backpacks will be distributed to local students in need for the start of the new school year.

Representatives from the district accepted the backpack donation, including Superintendent Craig Barringer, Board Chairman Steve Core and Board Clerk Robin Steiss.

"This can make a dramatic difference in kids' lives," Steiss said, looking over the backpacks with tears in her eyes.
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Stepping into the waist-deep waters of Sky Lagoon, I saw blurry shapes through swirling steam. Pink-cheeked women waded past holding phones and pint glasses aloft as I entered the geothermal spa that opened in June outside of Reykjavik, Iceland.

Still dazed from an overnight flight, I had come to the spa with my always-intrepid mom, my travel companion for a two-week road trip by camper van. A profusion of hot water and white towels is my panacea anywhere on earth - I'm just as happy in a Budapest bathhouse as a Moroccan hammam - but this version was unmistakably Icelandic.

Dim, cavelike changing rooms led to pools flanked by lava rock walls, mirroring the volcano-blasted landscape surrounding the capital. Bathers at the edge of the water watched smoke drifting from the Geldingadalir eruption, which had been fuming and flowing for months. Slabs of grassy turf roofed low-slung spa buildings.

"It's an ode to Icelandic bathing culture," said Dagny Petursdottir, general manager at Sky Lagoon, explaining that public bathing is at the heart of the country's social life. Spas like Sky Lagoon are popular with groups of co-workers, a bartender told me later that day; it's team-building in bathing suits. Even the tiniest towns have their own public pools in this windblown, almost-Arctic island country, haunts for everyone from school kids to retirees. Deep in the countryside, roadside signs point to natural hot springs burbling straight from the earth.

Blissed out after the soak and eyeing cool weather in the forecast, we decided to seek out every spa, pool and spring we could find.

And we did: One cloudy evening at Myvatn Nature Baths, a lakeside spa along the popular Golden Circle driving route, we watched young mothers sip beer from plastic cups as their kids played nearby. Every few minutes, a bather walked into the chilly lake, then scurried, shivering, back toward the hot pools. Beside me, an elderly couple held hands underneath the water.

"Pools are the most interesting public sphere in the country," said Valdimar Hafstein, a professor of folklore and ethnology at the University of Iceland who studies Icelandic bathing culture. Icelanders tend to be reticent among those they don't know, Hafstein said. "Except when you're sitting in the hot tub at your local pool - then you will talk to anyone and everyone. It's where strangers meet."

At Myvatn, I made my move. "Do you come here often?" I asked the couple beside me. "In the summer, we like to visit the spa and sit out in the sunshine," said the woman, her scalp rosy beneath thinning hair. "But usually we just go to our local pool."

If nearly everyone in Iceland has a local pool, said Hafstein, who is developing an exhibition on Icelandic swimming pools for the Museum of Design and Applied Art outside of Reykjavik, it's because of a century-old, desperate bid to save Icelandic lives amid a sudden crisis.

At one time, Icelandic people - then ruled by Denmark - were required by law to live on farms. That created a perpetual underclass of agricultural laborers with limited seafaring experience, Hafstein said. When the rules changed in the late 19th century, some workers left for the seacoast to make their livings in open fishing boats.

Most of them didn't know how to swim, Hafstein said. "People were just drowning by the scores. It's in my own family history as well. My great-grandfather drowned along with three of his sons, in plain view of his wife and younger children. Not 50 feet from shore, but nobody could swim." Icelandic authorities decided that every child in the island country should learn. By the 1920s and 1930s, swimming was a mandatory part of school, and local swimming societies and municipalities were building pools across the country.

On a howling, windy day in Stykkisholmur, a harbor town on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, we took shelter at the public pool while watching swim-capped kids racing up and down the narrow lanes. Swim lessons are still mandatory, and days at the pool are an integral part of life for many.

"I was brought up in the swimming pool, that was my playground," said Jon Karl Helgason, a filmmaker whose documentary "Sundlaugar a Islandi," which translates to "swimming pools in Iceland," premieres in the country this winter. "Since then, I've been visiting the swimming pool every day for almost 60 years."

Helgason went to some 100 pools while filming the documentary. Like the one we visited at Stykkisholmur, most are warmed by hot water drawn from beneath the earth. Iceland is one of the world's most volcanically active countries, and although eruptions are an occasional hazard, geothermal power keeps the lights on, houses cozy and pools warm.

That abundant hot water is a major tourist draw, too. Among the country's most prominent sites is Blue Lagoon, a man-made, geothermally heated spa where natural algae tint water the hue of a blue-raspberry Popsicle. On the day we visited, steam from the pools smudged into the cloudy sky above, creating an otherworldly dome of white haze. Visitors queued for gobs of mineral mud to daub on faces and arms.

I asked for directions to the bar from a passing group of women carrying plastic glasses of wine. They pointed the way in a bracing chorus of Long Island vowels. Joyous and a little drunk, they were friends vacationing together for the first time since the pandemic. Gulping from a spout piping cool water from the wall, one in the group hollered: "It's melted glaciers, girls!"

More tranquil are the rustic, natural hot springs dotted across the country. The water is hottest in central Iceland, a geologically youthful area where scalding water erupts from the earth at regular intervals. The Westfjords region, at Iceland's northwestern corner, is geologically older, farther from that fresh magma. There, I found rustic hot tubs at Goldilocks-perfect temperatures.

Near my riverside camp spot in Heydalur, a Westfjords farm with a campground, cabins, riding stables and restaurant, water gushed from below ground into steaming tubs just outside a greenhouse. Inside, fruit trees overhung a small, warm pool; saddles and bridles stored nearby gave the humid room a pleasantly horsy smell.

In the 12th century, Bishop Gudmundur Arason had blessed these hot springs, said Stella Gudmundsdottir, Heydalur's tiny, white-haired matriarch. "He was blessing everything, really - cliffs, ponds, whatever," Gudmundsdottir said. "But he blessed the hot pool, too, so people believed it was holy."

After dinner and a swim in the greenhouse, I walked across a shallow river and flower-filled meadow to a simple hot spring ringed by stones. Blossoms bobbled on thin stalks at the edge of the possibly holy pool. I floated with eyes closed against the midnight sun.

Most Westfjords springs, of course, don't benefit from official blessings. But they're a refuge for travelers in a country where wild, unpredictable weather is all part of the charm.

In Reykjafjardarlaug Hot Pool, near the village of Bildudalur, we lay warm beneath the surface as a gale whipped the nearby fjord into froth. Following an evening squall, we watched the sun emerge from a pool high above the sea at Talknafjordur. Once, we picked up a damp Czech hitchhiker who had reached the road after three days of walking among peaks. Peering through the rainy windshield, he said: "Now it's time to go to the pool."

And another day, on the Westfjords' southern coast, we donned clammy bathing suits in the van, then raced through cold air to Hellulaug, a beachside thermal pool contained by a pile of mossy rocks. We joined a handful of cheery Bavarian tourists marinating in the warm water.

On vacation after an agonizing winter, the group was exploring Iceland in camper vans, stopping to linger in hot springs as often as they could. They were leaving soon. In a few days, they said, they'd return to the German hospitals and clinics where they work.

We chatted and slid deeper into the tub from stone perches. "What will we do without hot pools when we get home?" someone asked aloud, speaking for us all.

- - -

If you go

Where to stay

Heydalur

Heydalur

011-354-456-4824

heydalur.is/en

A valley idyll with hot pools, camping, simple accommodations, horseback riding and other country pursuits. The on-site restaurant serves tender, local lamb and trout from a nearby pond, or you can hike to nearby Lake Ausuvatn to fish for your own. Single rooms about $118 per night from June to mid-September, $91 from mid-September to May. Riverside camping about $12 per person for adults, free for youth under 15.

What to do

Sky Lagoon

Karsnes Harbour, Kopavogur

011-354-527-6800

skylagoon.com

This oceanside geothermal spa outside Reykjavik is the country's newest spa, and a smaller, quieter alternative to the Blue Lagoon. Open daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 1 to Aug. 31, Monday to Thursday 1 to 8 p.m. and Friday to Sunday 1 to 9 p.m. Sept. 1 to May 31. June hours have not yet been announced. Admission from about $79 per person for Pure Pass package including the "Sky Ritual," with a cold plunge, sauna and body scrub. Pool-only access about $55.

Myvatn Nature Baths

Myvatn

011-354-464-4411

myvatnnaturebaths.is

Hot tubs at the edge of Lake Myvatn range from scalding hot to pleasantly tepid and everything in between. A wooden walkway leads into the chilly lake itself, or you can cool off with a bracing bucket shower before visiting saunas with picture windows overlooking the water. Towels, swimsuits and bathrobes available to rent. Open daily noon to 10 p.m., last entrance 9:30 p.m.; check website for holiday hours. Adults about $45 per person; 13- to 15-year-olds about $21; students and disabled guests about $29; children under 12 free. The on-site Cafe Kvika serves light meals, drinks and rye bread baked underground using geothermal heat.

Blue Lagoon

Grindavik

011-354-420-8800

bluelagoon.com

Vast lava fields surrounding the brilliant blue water here makes it feel as if you're bathing on Mars. Although very popular and sometimes crowded, the Blue Lagoon remains thrillingly beautiful. Day visits about $48 per person, including a towel, silica mud mask and a drink from the swim-up bar. Access to the more exclusive Retreat Spa - whose quieter pools are closed to general-admission visitors - from about $387. Children 13 and under free. Open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. August to December; hours from January to July have not yet been announced. About 20 minutes from Keflavik International Airport, the Blue Lagoon has two on-site hotels.

Westfjords hot springs

011-354-450-8060

westfjords.is/en/experiences/things-to-do/take-a-dip

Most basic Westfjords hot springs, including Reykjafjardarlaug and Hellulaug, don't charge entry. Some have basic changing rooms and showers on-site. Icelanders take swimming hygiene seriously, and visitors should scrub down without a bathing suit before entering the water whenever possible. Bring your own towel. Free.

Information

visiticeland.com
Cathy Zuraw / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

The American Contract Bridge League announced that it has approved staffing for three sectional tournaments for September and is considering the approval of six more September tournaments on a case-by-case basis. If any of these tournaments takes place, it will mark the first time since March 2020, when the COVID-19 crisis began, that the league has held an open face-to-face competition.

The league also announced that a regional tournament scheduled in Oregon for the end of September is still on its schedule, and that the national tournament slated for November in Austin, Texas, remains a go. Needless to say, all duplicate players who enjoy face-to-face competition are hoping against hope that all these events will take place, and that tournament bridge, including duplicate games at local clubs, will return to normal.
It looks like Xiaomi will be launching revamped T-versions of its Mi 11 flagships in September, similar to the Mi 10T last year. According to a source from Vietnam, the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro will keep the Snapdragon 888 chipset and 120 Hz OLED display, but it will upgrade the charging hardware.

Specifically, the phones 5,000 mAh battery will be reworked to support 120W charging, similar to the Mi 10 Ultra. Theres no word on changes to the camera department. As for price, YouTube channel The Pixel claims that the phone will be in the VND 13-15,000,000, which is around $600.

The original Xiaomi Mi 11

There should be a vanilla Mi 11T as well, that one will give up the Snapdragon 888 chip of the original version and swap it out for a high end Dimensity chipset (possibly the 1200). A few more specs for the 11T leaked in August  it will have a 64 MP main cam (OmniVision OV64B), 8 MP ultra wide (IMX355) and a 3x telemacro camera. It will stick with a 120 Hz 20:9 display, likely the same panel as the original Mi 11.

Xiaomi is expected to unveil the Mi 11T series on September 23 and should make it available globally.

Source 1 | Via 1 | Source 2 | Via 2
Unappreciated and considered worthless swamp land, mangroves were destroyed in Florida, Indonesia, and the Philippines, to build houses and hotels with ocean views, or fish and shrimp farms.

Fortunately, Guams mangroves are protected from development and extraction of wood and aquatic species. This policy ensures that we reap benefits such as increased forest growth that absorbs energy from storm surges and tsunamis and reduces flooding.

Dense networks of mangrove roots filter sediment from runoff and rivers, preventing corals from being smothered. Healthy mangrove forests absorb tons of carbon dioxide gas, which can help decrease warming and ocean acidification.

Protection

Prop roots of red mangroves provide refuge from predators for juvenile reef fish including tagafi (snappers), ie (skipjacks), manahak (rabbitfish), gadao (groupers), alu (barracudas), fanihin tasi (sting rays), and haluu (sharks).

When the fish mature and outgrow their nursery, they move to coral reefs to sustain that ecosystem. Native birds such as the kakkak (yellow bittern), and migratory herons and egrets are also supported by the mangroves.

Take some time to explore the mangroves and observe a few permanent residents. Mangel trees, unlike regular trees, have air roots that allow them to access oxygen even at high tide.

In dealing with seawater, some species block the salt from entering, while others remove salt through glands in their leaves. Try licking the underside of an Avicennia leaf to taste the salt.

Fiddler crabs

For the lelente, or fiddler crabs, its all about the claw. The males over-sized bright red or orange claw distinguishes it from the female.

When defending his territory, the male brandishes the claw like a sword and may even engage with the other male in a duel.

The mating ritual can be just as dramatic as the male must convince the female that he would be the best mating option by dancing and swishing the claw like a semaphore flag.

Mudskippers

Another iconic resident is the elusive macheng, or mudskipper.

Equipped with chambers that keep their gills covered with oxygenated water, and skin that exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide, this fish lives most of its life outside of the water.

Even if you walk quietly and slowly, with periscopic eyes that rotate almost 360 degrees, a mudskipper is likely to spot you first and use its tail and pectoral fins to launch itself across the mudflat.

Look for mudskippers lounging on a prop root, or peeking out of their burrow.

Looming threats

Although most of Guams mangrove areas are protected by law, they still face threats like pollution and effects of climate change. The most concerning effect of all is the rise in sea levels.

Worldwide, massive losses of these forests are predicted because the ocean could rise faster than mangroves can shift toward land. In many places, it will be impossible for mangroves to expand because of coastal development.

How can we help our mangroves survive?

The answer could involve multiple approaches: leave them alone and let them grow (Guam is already doing this in the MPAs); limit coastal development to allow mangroves to expand landward as sea levels rise; and plant many mangrove seedlings in vulnerable areas.

Perhaps with luck and a great deal of community buy-in, we can protect our mangroves so that they can continue to provide benefits for other ecosystems, as well as for our community.
Guam Air Guard Aerospace medical technician Amber Quichocho administers a dose of COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination outreach conducted by the American Medical Center and the Guam Department of Education at the Tiyan High School gymnasium Aug. 14.
The Biden administration is recommending Congress extend the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program beyond the Sept. 4 deadline, but with some changes.

A letter was sent to Congress Aug. 19 in Washington, D.C., by Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh, requesting the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program be extended for states and territories where unemployment remains high and the delta variant of COVID-19 is disrupting the economy.

This is still very early and only a letter, said Guam Department of Labor Director David DellIsola.

He said the letter is about officially starting a dialogue about extending Pandemic Unemployment Assistance at the federal level  but nothing is guaranteed.

The Biden administration is in favor of ending the $300 extra benefit, known as Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, in September.

In the recommendation to Congress, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance payments would be lowered. In the case of Guam, it would drop from $645 a week to $345 a week.

It makes more sense that there would be a gradual decrease to the unemployment program instead of an abrupt ending, said DellIsola.

He said the smaller amount would also encourage recipients to attend interviews and secure jobs.

In my talks with the U.S. Department of Labor, ... they said it would not be surprising for the program to continue based on economic need, DellIsola said.

While the latest unemployment numbers havent been released for June, DellIsola said hes aware that it has lowered from the last figure of 17%, but its still in the double digits.

This means, according to the recommendation by the Biden administration to Congress, Guam would be an area discussed for a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance extension.
A man was pronounced dead as a result of a car crash on Sunday night in Sinajana making it the second fatal crash in three days.
It was with deep honor that I sat at the table. With awe, I listened to the thoughts of some of Guams heroes.




Haiti - Politic : The DG of EDH throws in the towel and resigns





Michel Presume, the Director General of Electricity of Haiti (EDH) installed at the head of the State enterprise in July 2020, threw in the towel and resigned on the evening of Thursday, August 19, 2021.



On his official Twitter account he explains:



"Public enterprises of a commercial nature obey the laws of the market to satisfy consumers and make them fulfill their obligations to service providers. When it is impossible to apply this principle, the conclusion must be drawn



I bring to the attention of customers in particular and the general public that I resigned from my post of Director General of Electricity of Haiti (EDH) this Thursday, August 19, 2021.



I thank everyone who supported me during this experience."



One can estimated that the refusal of consumers to pay their bill https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26711-haiti-flash-nearly-90-of-edh-customers-have-not-paid-their-bill.html, the proliferation of illegal connections, repeated sabotage, the insecurity that prevents the regular supply of fuel to power plants and the lack of support from political, police and judicial authorities as well as the lack of resources to tackle these problems, are some of the reasons which prompted Presume to resign...



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34418-haiti-flash-edh-power-plants-fuel-theft-network.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34411-icihaiti-flash-the-peligre-plant-occupied-and-under-the-threat-of-armed-individuals.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34054-icihaiti-justice-resurgence-of-cases-of-theft-of-electricity.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-32672-haiti-flash-sabotage-of-the-avenue-n-power-substation.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31409-haiti-security-sabotage-and-vandalism-at-edh.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26711-haiti-flash-nearly-90-of-edh-customers-have-not-paid-their-bill.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





3rd convoy towards Nippes

Thursday, a third convoy is about to go to Nippes to continue government actions in the most affected areas. At the same time, all state structures are working to clear the pathways for channeling aid to disaster victims.



Qatar ready to support Haiti

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi in a statement released Wednesday, affirmed the support of the State of Qatar to Haiti and its full preparation to provide the necessary assistance to enable it to recover from the effects of the earthquake. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi expressed the condolences and sympathy of the State of Qatar to the Government and people of Haiti for the victims of the earthquake.



The Core Group alongside Haiti

The Core Group (made up of the ambassadors of Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, the United States of America, the European Union, the Special Representative of the Organization of States Americans and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations) offers its condolences to the families of the victims of the deadly earthquake of August 14th https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34525-haiti-flash-the-toll-is-growing-nearly-15-000-victims-partial-assessment.html and expresses its solidarity with the populations of the Great South so severely affected by this disaster. Like the rest of the international community, the members of the group are resolutely engaged alongside national and local authorities so that the people and areas affected receive adequate assistance as quickly as possible.



Appeal of the Minister for the Status of Women

In this moment of deep sadness, Sofia Loreus the Minister for the Status of Women and Women's Rights calls on all women's organizations to mobilize in a spirit of sharing and solidarity to support the parents of the victims of the departments strongly affected by this earthquake.



Earthquake : Towards a consultation mechanism

The Government wishes to set up a consultation mechanism integrating the business sector, civil society, political parties, the diaspora, with a view to setting up an ad hoc group to work in concert with an interministerial commission on the responses to be made to the consequences. of the earthquake.



Sympathies from the President of South Korea

The President of the Republic of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, extends his deepest sympathies to the Prime Minister, Dr. Ariel Henry, as well as to the Haitian people following the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit southern Haiti on August 14, 2021 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34525-haiti-flash-the-toll-is-growing-nearly-15-000-victims-partial-assessment.html



Words of Me Andre Michel

"It takes a sweeping blow to the head of the PNH to be able to restore security and dismantle the armed groups. "This question was raised during the meeting with the Special Envoy Foote," said Andre Michel, one of the leaders of the radical opposition, adding "This must be part of the political agreement. The leadership of the PNH has totally failed."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Korean Movie | 2021

 Omnibus

Directed by  Kim Neung-jo ()  Shin Woo-yong ()  Son Da-gyeom ()  Yang Shimeng ()

83min | Release date in South Korea: 2021/08/20

Synopsis

Any place, any season, there is love

'Ordinary Romance'



"Confession Letter" (, go-baek-pyeon-ji)

Ji-mo, a novelist with cerebral palsy, has a crush on Nok-joo, a volunteer who helps him practice handwriting. Ji-mo tries to deliver a handwritten letter to Nok-ju from her heart.



"Varanasi Romance" ( , ba-ra-na-si ro-maen-seu)

The excitement of traveling and finding romance in a new environment. Jun-ho and Hwa-yeong met in a strange land in India, attracted to each other like magnets, leaving their real problems behind.



"When The Wind Blows" ( , ba-ram bul-myeon)

Han-byeol, a deaf helper, will learn sign language in the condition that she teaches lip reading to a deaf student Eun-ha. As they learn each other's language, they get closer and closer, and they are reminded of childhood memories.



" Interview " (, in-teo-byu)

In an interview with a best-selling author, magazine reporter 'She' reunites with her former lover 'He.' The two of them interviewed and exchanged memories of each other.
Published on 2021/08/19 | Source

Actor Lee Min-ho expressed his conviction on his YouTube channel.

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On Wednesday, magazine Esquire released Lee Min-ho's pictorial. The pictorial was carried out under the title of "I'm Not There" and started with a plan that sheds light on Lee Min-ho's unique charm.

Lee Min-ho showed off his various charms through the interview that followed. Regarding his YouTube channel "leeminho film" which has recently been very popular, he said, "People are the most important factor", adding that most projects start with inspiration for good people around him. "It's not something that I do with the greed of showing something new to the public".

In addition, Lee Min-ho confessed that he always seems to have a new obsession with his acting. That's the reason of choosing Ko Han-soo from the Apple TV drama "Pachinko" which he recently finished filming.

He said, "I thought it was a must-have role in terms of the Korean landscape and the history of Korea from the eyes of overseas filming teams but I felt that I could show something that I had not shown before through the character Ko Han-soo".

In addition, he told a variety of stories, including the personal meaning of his previous film, "The King: Eternal Monarch", the reason why he appeared without a guarantee in a documentary, and his thoughts on his works in his 20s.
Published on 2021/08/19 | Source

New stills added for the Korean movie "Hostage: Missing Celebrity" (2021)

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Directed by Pil Kam-sung

With Hwang Jung-min, Kim Jae-bum, Lee Yoo-mi, Ryu Kyung-soo, Han Kyu-won-I, Jung 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
Editor: Our Constitution was written in 1787 after 116 days of long hours and hard
The Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees will meet Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. in Robins School Administration Building

The agenda for the meeting is:

A. Call to order

1. Pledge of Allegiance

2. Roll call

3. Welcome to visitors

4. Agenda deletions or corrections, and additions allowed by policy, if any

B. New business

Personnel

Public Comment  An opportunity for any member of the audience to bring to the attention of the board questions or relevant comments concerning district matters not on the agenda. The board will not discuss or take action on items not on the agenda, but may refer a matter presented to a future agenda.

C. Superintendents report

1. ESSER II review and feedback

D.Closing

The next board meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 6:30 p.m at Havre Middle School
From Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Hunter Education course dates have been set for Harlem and Box Elder. All hunter education classes are free of charge.

 Harlem, starting Aug. 23, 5 p.m. at the ECNA Church

 Rocky Boys Indian Reservation, starting Sept. 7, 6 p.m. at Stone Child College Kennewash Building.

In-person, instructor-led hunter education courses are available to anyone 10 and older. In-person courses are led by volunteer instructors who are passionate about preserving Montanas hunting tradition, teaching firearm safety, ethics, and other outdoor skills.

A release from the Chippewa Cree Tribe Fish and Wildlife Department says the last day of the Sept. 7-10 class at Stone Child College will be a field day and says a parent or guardian must accompany the the child on the first day to sign a signature card and that masks are required.

It adds that the participant must attend all four sessions for tribal and state certification and is open to people 11 and older.

People can call the Chippewa Cree Tribe Natural Resource Office at 409-395-4207 to sign up.

For youth to be eligible to hunt and be fully certified during the 2021 season, hunters must be 12 years old by January 16, 2022. Students aged 10 and 11 can take a course and hunt as an apprentice but will not be fully certified until the year they turn 12.

Montana also provides a self-paced online-only hunter education course that is available for anyone turning age 12 by January 16, 2022, and older.

Instructor-led hunter education courses provide new hunters with a hands-on learning experience and can be particularly beneficial for people who have minimal experience in the field or handling firearms. The self-paced online course provides a convenience for those who are comfortable with eLearning, already have a solid firearms and hunting background, or for those that cannot attend an in-person course.

Students must register prior to attending a class. To find a class and register, people should go to https://fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter-education and make sure to print, read and sign any necessary paperwork ahead of the class.

Many classes require students to pick up a manual and complete chapter quizzes before class begins.

People who have any questions are asked to contact the instructors listed on the registration page or to call the Havre office at 406-265-6177.
From Montana Playwrights Network

Montana Playwrights Network is offering performances of Montana-made works in September with Bards of the Big Sky.

The production is a unique and entertaining blend of original plays written by Montana playwrights Jay Kettering, Pamela Jamruszka Mencher, and Cynthia Webb, coupled with lively and original music by Bozeman musician John Hosking.

Supported by SHARP Grant funding from Humanities Montana and sponsor Slate Architecture, Montana Playwrights Network is opening the Helena Avenue Theatre at 1319 Helena Avenue in Helena with performances of Bards of the Big Sky Sept. 16-18 and 23-25 7:30 p.m., with matinees Sept 19 and 26 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 each and may be purchased online at http://www.montanaplaywrights.org or people can call or text 406-235-0353 to make reservations.

Jay Ketterling earned his Bachelor of Arts in English/creative writing at the University of Montana in 1982 and is a working writer living in Missoula. His three-part radio series "Notes From The Huntley Project," was produced by Montana Public Radio. To date, he has written four plays for the Montana Repertory Theatre's Educational Outreach Tour, including "Raised in the Saddle: The Phantasmagorical Journey of a Future Rodeo Queen" in 2017. For more about Ketterling and his work, people can visit https://www.jaykettering.com .

Pamela Jamruska Mencher returns to Big Sky Country after working as a college professor and arts advocate in Colorado. She is an actor, director, producer, costume designer and playwright with more than 26 of her

plays performed throughout the United States and has received many awards recognizing her playwriting, teaching and professional theater careers. She serves as Montana Playwrights Network president and the executive director of the Helena Avenue Theatre.

Cynthia Webb wrote

her first story when she was p years old. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication at Montana State University Billings. Her work experience includes public radio dj, production assistant at a television station, and emergency medical technician for a volunteer fire department. She's published op-eds in several newspapers, produced four one-woman photography shows, her screenplays have won multiple awards and two of her plays have been produced in Montana. For more about Webb and her work, people can visit https://coyoteunderground.blogspot.com .

As a musician, John Hoskins was first recognized for the music he wrote and performed for the Vigilante Theatre Co. He also performed at coffee shop gigs, playing folk music, Beatles

covers, and his own original tunes. After 30 years with the Vigilante Theatre Company, he began to focus solely on his song-writing. Today he's enjoying freedom he's found in growing his own unique sound. For more about Hoskins and his work, peple can visit https://thirdpathpromotions.com/artists/john-hosking .

The Helena Avenue Theatres the home for the Montana Playwrights Network, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization incorporated in Montana. The Helena Avenue Theatre is available to individuals, businesses and organizations to rent to present performances, recitals, and other special events.

Jay Ketterling

MPN was formed to provide a forum focusing on story as expressed through a variety of formats including but not limited to playwriting, storytelling, poetry, history, non-fiction, essays, and memoirs. We're looking to connect with writers, storytellers, teachers, performers, theatre companies, libraries, book clubs, and businesses that are interested in storytelling as a way to build communities across Montana.
North Central Senior Citizens Center

Aug. 23-27

The Senior Center is open

Menu

Monday  Hamburger steak, mash potatoes and gravy, veggies, fruit

Tuesday  Spiced applesauce, roast pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli, rolls, cake

Wednesday  Chicken chow mein, noodles, egg rolls, dessert

Thursday  Cabbage Rolls, Baked Potatoes, Sunshine Carrots, Pudding

Friday  Soup, salad bar, chefs choice, dessert

The Senior Centers doors are open to the public, and crowds have been growing. We are very excited to be open and seeing our senior friends again. Marci wants everyone to remember to make an appointment if you need help from her. Also everyone must be wearing a mask to go back and meet with her. We are still providing limited services by phone with individuals bringing their paperwork down to the center only if they have an appointment. Help is also being given over the phone whenever possible. For those still a little worried about eating out, our grab-and-go bags are still available. Remember to call for the to-go bags before 10 a.m. that morning.

Reopening: With the increase of COVID-19 cases in Hill County, we did delay our reopening of the center. The reopening plan was taken to the commissioners and they agreed it was time to open our doors. When we opened, many things had to change. The center will be open to the public Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Upon entering the building, you will have to wear a mask and your temperature will be taken at the door. The number of occupants in the building will be limited. We will seat only four guests to a table. When they came in they kept mask on until they began eating. Meals were served at their table. Our new hours for the Senior Center will now be Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Transportation: The Senior Center will provide Senior Transportation Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday is medical transportation only and you must give 24-hour notice. Shopping trips are still call ahead for Walmart, first Thursday of the month, 1:30-3:30 p.m. There will be no more grocery delivery.

Bingo: We will be playing bingo at the Senior Center on Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Everyone welcome. Come try it and see what you think.

Would you like to be a volunteer at The Senior Center? We are very thankful for the many volunteers who help us daily and also during our special Events. If you have a little extra time, we could sure use your help. We are finding ourselves a little short on volunteers now that we have opened our doors after closing due to the pandemic. If you would like to share your time and talents, please give us a call at 265-5464 to let us know. There are many different volunteer opportunities, maybe one just right for you, give us a call.

Silver Sneakers Membership: The Hill County Counsel on Aging, also known as the Senior Center, is excited to say we are working with Down Under Fitness Center for the seniors and sponsoring a total of 20 Silver Sneaker memberships at Down Under for August. You may already be attending their Silver Sneaker program and still take advantage of this offer. The classes are at 10 a.m. Monday and Wednesday and in addition also 2 p.m. Wednesday. At this point in time, the Wednesday classes will be limited to 10 participants with all COVID-19 safety precautions in place. As a senior wishing to participate, contact Down Under at 406-265-4805 and request the Silver Sneaker membership being sponsored by the Hill county Senior Center.

We hope you will enjoy this opportunity to work on your agility, balance, and physical health. This is an activity that will continue if the community uses the opportunity to attend the Silver Sneakers program and shows support. Please call Down Under at 406-265-4805 and schedule your time while requesting one of the memberships. Let us know if youre enjoying these.

Senior Center Gift Shop: If there is someone special you are shopping for remember the Senior Centers gift Shop. Find some up-to-the-minute gifts along with some fun antiques. Also some beautiful glassware, handmade gifts, pictures, yarn and much more. We have Cards for all occasions at great prices. We also have Depends in assorted sizes. We know you will be pleased with both our selection and our prices. Hope to see you there.

Commodities: If you are interested in receiving commodities, we have some open slots now. If your income falls within our guidelines and you would like to sign up, come to Senior Center and fill out application. If you qualify, you can receive commodities once a month. You do have to come to Senior Center to pick them up.

Important phone numbers

 Montana Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

 RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 Tumbleweed Runaway and Family Crisis Program: 259-2558 (local) 1-888-816-4702 (toll free)

 Friendship Line by Institute on Aging  The Friendship Line is both a crisis intervention hotline and a warm-line for non-emergency emotional support calls. It is a 24-hour toll-free line and the only accredited crisis line in the country for people aged 60 years and older, and adults living with disabilities. Toll-Free Line: (800) 971-0016

 For those seniors getting frustrated with staying home and needing someone to talk to you can call 1-877-688-3377 for Montanas Warm Line.

Medicare open enrollment has come to an end. However, if you are having problems with prescriptions you can call Marci and see if she can help you. For those on Medicaid and Big Sky she can still make changes. For an appointment call Marci at 265-5464.

Improving care through telehealth: Technology can be especially valuable for people in remote areas or places with few medical professionals. Using portable devices, health care providers can test and treat patients without them coming into the office. This practice is called telehealth. A doctor in a rural area can consult on a patients scan with a specialist in another state if need be. Someone with diabetes can monitor their blood sugar in real-time and have the data sent to their health care provider. Wearable sensors can alert a caregiver if a person with dementia leaves the house. These are all examples of how telehealth is changing medical care. Researchers are developing new ways to analyze blood samples for patients at home. Through advances like this, telehealth is helping medical professionals deliver effective, long-distance care.
Clarice Jean "Teeny" (Sargent) Evans, age 84, passed away peacefully in the company of her loved ones on the afternoon of August 17, 2021, at Great Falls Clinic Hospital after a well-fought battle to overcome complications from a heart attack and open-heart surgery.

The family welcomes friends and loved ones to join them for a celebration of Teeny's life on Saturday, August 28, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. Services will be held at Harvest Springs Community Church with a graveside ceremony at Mt. Olivet Cemetery and a reception to follow.

Teeny was born on November 2, 1936, in Whitefish, Montana, to Myra Ellen (Maetche) Sargent and Clarence Daniel Sargent. In 1939, the Sargent family moved to Chinook, Montana, where her family ran the Milk River Mine.

Teeny married Thomas "Tom" Edmond Evans on September 10, 1953, when their greatest adventures began together. Tom served in the military which took their family to many places across the United States and even to Spain.

Her greatest joy and certainly her greatest gift was her devotion and unconditional love for her family. She was kind, generous, hospitable, and spirited. She engraved her love into every heart that ever knew her. She was a very special kind of woman that came from a long line of resilient, persevering, and tenacious people. With a heart for God and born-again Christian values, she and Tom raised a beautiful family; all of whom will carry on her legacy.

Our hearts feel great loss without our fearless and devoted matriarch, but we rejoice knowing that she now walks with Our Lord in a brand-new body free of pain and sickness. She is surrounded by glory, grace, and family who have gone before.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Dan and Ellen Sargent; siblings Dick Sargent, Lila Tow, Stanley Sargent, Billie Sargent, Gale Sargent, Vic Sargent, Vickie Jones, Wayne Sargent and Tom Sargent.

Teeny is survived by her husband, Thomas Evans of Great Falls, MT; children, Tracy Evans, Dana Kaye Ellington, Kelley (John) Lind, Kippy (Dean) Schuler, and Thomas (Dawn) Evans; grandchildren, James "J.D." (Adrienne) Ellington, Josh (Carla) Lind, Lacy (Stephen) DeVries, Danny (Nicole) Schuler, Brittany Evans, Tessa (Chris) Blade, Dusty (Jen) Schuler Jerrica (Erik) Seilstad, Riley (Jim) Ricci, Hannah (Cody) Evans, and Thomas "T.R." (Hannah Belle) Evans. She is also survived by 21 great-grandchildren; her beloved siblings Darlene Hills and Jeanette Blatter, and many nieces and nephews whom she adored and they her. They all carry a special place in her heart for eternity.

We all look forward to the day that we are reunited with "Mom," "Grandma," "Aunt Teeny," and "GG."

The family would like to extend sincere gratitude to the doctors, nurses, and staff at Great Falls Clinic Hospital that cared for Teeny over the last few weeks. She was in the best hands possible and your care and comfort during this difficult time will carry on in our hearts.

Condolences for the family may be shared online at http://www.SchniderFuneralHome.com or sent to Schnider Funeral Home (1510 13th St S, Great Falls, MT 59405) which will be shared with the family.
It is water, in every form and at every scale, that saturates the mind. All the water that will ever be is, right now.  National Geographic, October 1993

Here in north-central Montana this year, we are celebrating every rare tenth of an inch of rain wrung from the sky, not enough to fill our waterways or make dry grasslands green, maybe only enough really to grow mosquitoes to any degree.

But in County Kerry, Ireland, which has thus far in 2021 received almost 34 inches of rain, three boys vacationing with family to The Glen Pier along the Atlantic shore found a bottle with a message written, sealed, then tossed in the ocean by a Canadian fisherman, a UPI article said.

The bottle washed up on shore prior to Thursday and it started raining here Tuesday  coincidence, or not? Im thinking Mother Nature diverted our water to the ocean to wash that stupid bottle across the Atlantic Ocean, and once the job was done we got our water back. Its kind of like how your shower water pressure dies out when some fool turns on the kitchen faucet.

Ive heard more far-fetched explanations for our drought.



For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), its always our self we find in the sea.  E.E. Cummings

After almost drowning in the ocean once, Im not particularly fond of its awesome power.

CBS8 out of San Diego reported July 15 that commercial diver Luke Halmay was under 60 feet of water when he found an iPhone-wallet case combo dropped by fellow Californian Steven Grafton while Grafton was fishing on the ocean. Basically it was a miracle for someone to be in the right place at the right time in all of the Pacific Ocean to find that phone and wallet.

The only thing I ever found in the ocean was that day I almost drown because a large wave crashed on top of me and held me down.

I was flailing under turbulent water until my left hand hit the sandy ocean floor and I just kept digging in while I scrambled on hands and knees up out of the water and onto the dry beach  which is where I finally stopped long enough to find my bikini top down around my waist.

No one noticed.



Filthy water cannot be washed.  African Proverb

I lost my glasses in Fresno Reservoir once. I dont wear my glasses very often, so I forgot to leave them in the car, then forgot they were on my face and then I dove into the water. Well, technically I remembered them just before my face hit the water but, of course, that was too late.

I had recently relocated to this land of the silted river from the land of clear mountain waters and was pretty disgusted that I couldnt see 2 inches under the surface of the water let alone the 3-feet or more down to where my glasses were sitting in the murk and mud.

My husband came to my rescue that time. I was heading out into the water to tramp around with low hopes I of a miracle that I would stumble upon my precious personal item, but John was all slow your roll there, steamboat, lets walk a grid. So I was the movable marker on the beach while he walked a grid pattern in the general area in which the glasses were lost. He found my glasses in the blind with his toes in less than 5 minutes.



I got this powdered water  now I dont know what to add.  comedian Steven Wright

In answer to a plea for assistance posted on Facebook, a British diver traveled to Windmere, the largest natural lake in England, to help a woman from Birmingham find her prosthetic leg that she lost in the lake.

UPI reported Tuesday that Josephine Bridges lost the prosthesis while swimming at some point after jumping off the Millerground jetty. And I know what youre wondering: At some point? Wouldnt she know exactly where she lost the leg because thats the exact spot she started swimming in circles?

Thats an astute question, which I think I can answer because my husband only has one arm but I have observed that he can swim in pretty straight lines. So, yeah, its very possible that she couldve swam for a ways just as straight as can be before her dire situation sank in  so to speak.

The good news is that the volunteer diver, Angus Hosking, founder of Lake District Diving, was able to find the prosthetic right away. He said the search conditions were difficult, but the leather Birkenstock sandal on the foot caught his eye.

Bridges said she was grateful to have her artificial appendage returned to its rightful place.

If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water, anthropologist and philosopher Loren Eiseley once said.

And maybe a little bit of it is in that leather sandal.



Deep waters run silent and wise. Shallow waters chatter and gurgle without saying anything at all  Relatively unknown column writer at http://www.facebook.com/viewfromthenorth40 .
(The Center Square)  A long-awaited new veterans affairs hospital in Louisville is closer to reality. Earlier this week, the VA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded an $840 million contract to build the new medical center.

Chicago-based Walsh-Turner Joint Venture II won the bid for the project. In a statement, the government agencies said the new facility, which will be constructed near the intersection of Brownsboro Road and the Watterson Expressway in Louisvilles East End, would replace the existing Robley Rex VA Medical Center, a 69-year-old campus about 5 miles west of the new site and closer to the citys downtown.

The medical center serves more than 150,000 veterans living in 35 counties in Kentucky and southern Indiana.

The facility will be built on a 34-acre lot. It will feature a 910,115-square-foot medical center, two parking structures, a utility plant as well as roads, sidewalks and other essential infrastructure.

The new full-service hospital will feature 104 beds and also include a dedicated facility to serve female veterans.

It will integrate modern patient-centered care design concepts in order to provide the best possible care to our veterans, said Stephen Black, the Robley Rex Medical Center Director, in a video statement announcing the winning bid.

Walsh-Turner brings together Chicago-based Walsh Construction and New York-based Turner Construction. The two construction companies combine to offer more than 240 years of building management experience.

The two companies are currently building a new $1.8 billion medical center at The Ohio State University.

Black added that the building of the new complex will also offer job and business opportunities for veterans. In its bid, Walsh-Turner identified about $95 million in projects that will be subcontracted to qualified small businesses.

That would include work for both veteran-owned small businesses and ones owned by service-disabled veterans.

Not only is this going to be a hospital that focuses on world-class care for veterans, but theres going to be lots of opportunities for work for veterans in the building of this hospital, Black said.

A formal groundbreaking date has not been announced but is planned to happen this fall. The new facility is expected to open in late 2025.

The announcement of the contract award came a day after the VA officially opened a new clinic in southwest Louisville that will serve more than 8,000 veterans living in the community.

The $4.7 million, 33,750-square-foot facility offers 27 examination rooms for primary care, womens health, telehealth, audiology and optometry. Additionally, there are 15 rooms for mental health, a vocational rehabilitation computer lab, and three
Henderson, NC (27536)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. Isolated tornadoes possible. High around 80F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 61F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Fred's rain ruins hundreds of acres of crops, further damages apples

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler (left) listens as Kirby Johnson talks about crop damage caused by flooding.

MILLS RIVER  Bradley Johnston, Dave Shaffer, Jason Davis and Kirby Johnson sat around a picnic table outside Johnstons barn, under the gaze of a few of Johnstons Jersey cows, and talked about the growing season  in the past tense.



I had the best crop this year that I had in 20 years, said Johnson, who grows hundreds of acres of tomatoes. It was perfect weather in Mills River. It was just an excellent growing year. This year of all the years I planted seven plants; normally I do five. Went to seven this year, starting May the 5th, the last one July 15th, which is another 30 acres of loss. Last plant, up the river, thats why I planted up there, in case you do get one of these tropical storms and Im a son of a b--- if it didnt get three acres of it.

The farmers were approaching harvest time for corn for feed and silage, tomatoes and other crops. Instead the rainfall from Tropical Storm Fred on Tuesday and big storm the day before dropped 6-9 inches of rain in the Mills River and French Broad River valleys, submerging the crop and ruining much of it.

On a lot of it, water got up over the ears, Johnston, who milks 63 cows for his Mills River Creamery, said of his 1,450 acres of corn. We dont know if we cant harvest it, going to have to take a discount on it or what. Kind of like Daves sod. Water stays on it too long it kills the grass, and its a total loss.

Dave Shaffer said it will take a few days to find out whether the turf crop he manages for SuperSod is ruined or is harvestable. The sod, visible on either side of the French Broad River where it passed under N.C. 280 here, is underwater now.

The intense rain from the storm on Tuesday pushed the Mills River hundreds of yards beyond the banks and created a huge logjam just west of the Hoopers Creek bridge.

Weve had eight floods in the last five years  there should be no debris in it, Johnston said. Its all washed out. Theres trees in there 40 inches in diameter. Theyre leanin, they fall over, they take a metric ton of our dirt to Tennessee. They dont have enougn sense to plant little cane, thats what I plant.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler talks to farmers about crop damage.The farmers had met at Johnstons dairy to await N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, who reached Mills River on Thursday afternoon after touring even worse damage in Haywood County.

Weve been to Cruso and Bethel as far as we could go, Troxler said when he arrived. Ive seen crop damage of all kinds, from vegetables to nurseries. We have also been flying so weve seen a lot of damage from the air. Coming in this morning, I saw a railroad trestle washed out. Theres a lot of water damage.

While many large farmers have crop insurance, the claims dont make up for the profit they stood to make on a good harvest. Troxler said the first thing he will seek is a federal disaster declaration, triggering relief programs through the U.S. Farm Service Agency, and then working with legislative leaders in Raleigh for state aid. He will be on the ground in Western North Carolina today with House Speaker Tim Moore to look at the damage at the state side to see what the state can possibly do. Gov. Roy Cooper, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn visited Haywood County on Thursday.

Troxler recalled that one of his first tasks when he was elected agriculture commissioner in 2004  after the double hurricane disaster the month before  was to design a disaster program for the mountains.

We have the expertise to do a disaster relief program. Thats the good news, he said. The bad news is weve got to do it.  As bad as it is, if we can get the money to do a program, were ready.

Floodwaters from the French Broad River cover a sod field.I hate to have to continually doing these disaster programs  mostly in recent years in Eastern North Carolina, where numerous hurricanes have ruined crops. Then we come up here and weve got Western North Carolina tore up.

On the bright side is that the state is sitting on a sizable surplus, and Troxler will try to persuade leaders to part with some of it for farm relief.

Ive done this for 16 years and I know theyve got money but theyll never own up to it, he said. We will look at how we handle making people closer to whole than they are with just crop insurance.

His advice to farmers with crop damage: Take all the pictures you can take, keep receipts, start getting prepared right now so theres no delay when a program is designed to help.

Mark Williams, the executive director of AgHC, the farm promoting agency, said the storm also heavily damaged blackberries, apples and grapes. Blackberry farmers were nearing the tail end of a good season, while apple farmers had already seen losses of 70 to 80 percent of this years crop from two April freezes.

Our berry folks, some were doing quite well with blackberries before Fred ruined the crop, Williams said. Devastation is not limited to this area.
A COUPLE who bring memories back to life are to open a shop in Henley.

Eva and Graham Rickett run Henley Scan, restoring images and footage from old media, such as photographs, slides, negatives, videos, camcorder tapes and 8mm cine films.

They have run the business from their home in Kings Road for more than three years.

Now they are to open a shop in Reading Road, which will be officially launched on Thursday and start trading the next day.

Mrs Rickett said she and her husband started restoring old negatives and photos for family and friends and realised that there was a bigger market for such a service.

She said: We thought, Theres a business here and we decided to see if there actually was  and there was.

We started it from home and it has grown so much that we have taken on our first staff member. It has evolved because everyone has personal memories they want to keep and businesses have archives they want sorted out  no one wants papers lying around.

People have memories they want to see and keep and tapes, for example, are getting old.

At the beginning of lockdown, it went a bit quiet for us but then everyone started to clean up their basements and lofts and found old stuff, precious memories that they wanted restored.

I think because of the pandemic everyone realised what is important and that heritage and memories make us who we are.

To be able to share a video with your family who is far from you or send a picture book to a care home  it makes memories precious.

Mrs Rickett said that during the pandemic she did some work for Henley Town Council, Phyllis Court Club and Henley Rugby Club and the local community had supported the business through lockdown.

She said: We realised that we were growing out of our own house, so we decided it was time to open a shop and its all very exciting.

Initially we didnt know if we could afford it and we started to ask around and realised that it was actually affordable.

Since we have customers coming from London, it was important to have a place with parking nearby and close enough to the station.

Mrs Rickett, who is originally from Sweden and has a degree in computer science, met her husband in 1985 in Linkoping, where he was working as a software consultant.

They moved to the UK in 1987 and were married in the Swedish Church in London. They moved to Henley in 2015 and have three children.
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Uniontown, PA (15401)

Today

Rain. Potential for flooding rains. High 67F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Evening clouds will give way to clearing. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 51F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
A drop box for mail-in election ballots has been installed at Highland City Hall. It will be available for drop offs beginning Tuesday, Oct. 6. The ballot boxes employ multiple locking mechanisms and are bolted to concrete for security purposes.
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Appointment

20 August 2021

Sarovar Hotels and Resorts pleased to announce the joining of BK Kaushik as the new General Manager for Marigold Sarovar Portico, Mashobra- Shimla.

Result driven, highly motivated with an experience of close to thirteen years in the hospitality industry with expertise in Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, Hotel operations, Client management & Customer service.

Prior to the joining of Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, his last assignment was with Radisson Hotel Agra as a Director of Sales & Marketing

With a humble career start as a Sr. sales executive, over these years he has worked with various brands in India, like Radisson Blu Agra, Nadesar Palace; The Gateway Hotel, Varanasi and at Crystal Sarovar Premiere, Agra.

In his Leisure time, Kaushik loves to go out on long drive with Family and cook food for them.
Supplier News

19 August 2021

DALLAS, TX - UniFocus, the leading provider of Workforce Management Systems, today announced a powerful scheduling feature for their Labor Management and Time & Attendance partners. ShiftGenius makes managers lives easier, helps employees reach a better-balanced schedule for their lives, and helps employers stand out in the labor market by addressing the trend towards more flexibility. Managers can send open shifts  whether a single shift or the whole schedule  to employees, who can then pick up shifts or create their own schedule.

Anticipating that the gig economy will represent more than half the labor market by 2023, UniFocus is introducing ShiftGenius as a standard feature so that organizations are equipped to provide schedule flexibility to their employees. But for organizations to feel confident implementing flexible schedules, they must first ensure that their schedules meet the needs of the business.

UniFocus is uniquely equipped to provide a feature like ShiftGenius because it is informed by an intelligent labor management system that leverages accurate, multi-variable forecasts and specific service level needs to automatically generate optimized schedules that ensure quality service. This makes UniFocus the only provider that can implement flexible scheduling options without risking service quality and significantly increasing manual admin tasks.

In todays workforce, managers and employees working with shift-based work schedules need tools that allow flexibility and control of schedules, said Mark Heymann, CEO of UniFocus. Workers were already turning to gig work before the pandemic because it gives them control of their own working hours. The pandemic has complicated peoples lives, which contributes to the labor shortage. Were thrilled to provide our partners the tools they and their employees need to ensure that business needs are met and to provide employees have some of the flexibility they need. ShiftGenius helps our partners in the fight to be the employer of choice in their areas.

Building on an existing feature for finding immediate coverage when an employee is absent, ShiftGenius expands that concept to all open shifts, even before the schedule is published. ShiftGenius is smarter than a general blast  it allows managers to target whom they want to send the shift(s) to, based on their own rankings or groupings (like seniority and skills), cross-utilize within the property or across properties, all while providing visibility into availability, overtime, and other work rules. The UniFocus environment is real-time, meaning that the system wont allow employees to pick up shifts that violate work rules and all updates are live immediately.

If they chose to do so, this feature also allows managers to send out the entire open schedule for employees to select the shifts they prefer. Managers will still approve the schedules to ensure the business needs are met. With the current demands of the workforce, this allows employees to work shifts that fit with the rest of their lives.

ShiftGenius is an additional, standard feature both in the web version and in the highly rated UniFocus mobile app.
Press Release

20 August 2021

With the help of summer vacation, Mainland Chinas overall hotel occupancy rate showed a good upward trend in July, with the second and third week of the month reaching 2019 levels.

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Average daily rate (ADR) was even stronger, and when indexed to 2019, remained stable at roughly 110meaning it was well above 2019 levels. As a result, Mainland Chinas revenue per available room (RevPAR) index climbed from 87 at the beginning of the month to 117 by the end.

However, with confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nanjing on 20 July, momentum shifted abruptly. The current outbreak has spread to several provinces and cities across the country, resulting in show cancellations and meetings postponements. The out-of-the-city initiative has put the hotel industry, which had been looking forward to this summers summer vacation, back into a winter-type situation and significantly shortened summer vacation season.

Photo: STR

As such, national occupancy and RevPAR have shown a certain downward trend since 20 July. At the end of the month, due to the spread of the pandemic, some provinces and cities have repeatedly reported new local cases, and hotel performance has dropped sharply with occupancy at only 60% of the comparable period in 2019.

Nanjing deep dive

As the epicenter of this latest outbreak, Nanjings hotel market performance has been hit hard. After cases were reported on 20 July, Nanjings overall occupancy fell sharply over the next seven days, dropping rapidly from a peak of 78% to a trough of 28%. The city center market, specifically, bottomed out at 17% on the last day of July.

Although the market around Nanjing also experienced a sharp decline on 25 July, the submarket, however, showed a small increase at the end of the month reaching levels of more than 40%. It is believed that the main reason for that higher level is that some surrounding hotels have been temporarily requisitioned as quarantine hotels.

Photo: STR

Select market performance

In the past five weeks, Mainland China has shown a trend of up and then down. Occupancy peaked in the third week or fourth week of July and then fell to varying degrees.

On 20 July, the Hunan Province was hit by heavy rains, with serious flooding in Zhengzhou. Occupancy fell from nearly 80% in the week ending with 17 July to 50% in the week ending with 31 July, with a loss of nearly 30%. In addition to the current emergence of local cases in Zhengzhou, the situation is even worse.

Yangzhou, the second-worst city to be affected by the recent outbreak, saw a 33% occupancy rate for the week ending 31 July.

Hunan Provinces occupancy rate, affected by the local outbreak in Zhangjiajie, fell by 20% in the last week of the month.

Beijing is a summer market, with occupancy rates exceeding 80% in the third and fourth weeks of July. But with the spread of this outbreak, the last week of the month showed a downward trend. Sporadic confirmed cases of related cases no doubt cast a shadow on the market.

Photo: STR

Guangdong recent performance

Over the past three months, Guangdongs occupancy rate has been on a rollercoaster. The Labor Day holiday rushed to a high point, then fell, and then quickly recovered, while Shenzhen occupancy was as high as 77%. However, due to the emergence of the outbreak in Guangzhou, the markets occupancy fell off a cliff, dropping to as low as 20%.

After a full month of decreases in June, July began to show a gradual climb, with end-of-month occupancy at 60%. Although the recent domestic outbreak situation is serious, Guangdong hotel market has shown resilience.
Press Release

20 August 2021

The history, the culture, the beautiful scenery  there are so many reasons to love European travel. But if an international destination isnt on the horizon for you just yet, there are plenty of cities right here in the U.S. that brim with European charm.

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From the "American Riviera" in California to the old-world Parisian charm of New Orleans French Quarter, here are just five destinations (and the nearest Hilton hotels) that can give you a taste of Europe without crossing the Atlantic.

Spanish Desert Escape: Phoenix, Arizona

Arizonas Sonoran Desert is reminiscent of Spains Almeria Province, where 3,000 hours of annual sunshine are paired with heavenly beaches and vast semi-desert scrubland. The newly renovated Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, located near eight lakes and rivers within an hours drive of the resort, encapsulates the magic of the deserts allure with an adults-only pool lined with chic cabanas and towering palm trees, a wildly popular Latin restaurant, and more.

Austrian Mountainside Retreat: Park City, Utah

For a taste of Austrias stunning mountainous scenery, Park City boasts gorgeous alpine vistas, world-class hiking trails, and a bustling Main Street lined with buildings built during a 19th-century silver mining boom. At the epicenter of the action is Waldorf Astoria Park City, an alpine paradise where dramatic architecture, in-room fireplaces, and Wasatch Range mountain views transport guests to Austria.

Greece-inspired Getaway: Las Vegas, Nevada

Both known for mesmerizing and endless nightlife, a Las Vegas stay will inspire memories of coastal European cities with pool parties, nightclubs, and an annual Greek Food Festival held in September. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Curio Collection by Hilton offers a dash of Greece with the onsite Elia Beach Club, a poolside day club boasting wood-framed cabanas overlooking a Mediterranean-style pool. The theming continues at the sparkling, sand-bottom resort pool and beyond. The resort also offers a variety of European-inspired fare at Todd Englishs Olives and Kassi Beach House, each with unique and mouthwatering Mediterranean and coastal Italian offerings.

Scenic Spanish Riviera: Santa Barbara, California

Trade the Spanish Riviera for Santa Barbara which is known as the "American Riviera" for its Mediterranean climate, shore-cliff views, and Spanish Colonial architecture. On par with Spain's coastlines, Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort offers endless views of California's coast from private Hacienda-style accommodations, cliffside pools, and waterfront dining.

Closer Parisian Culture: New Orleans, Louisiana and Canada

Offering a rich culture and cuisine influenced by French settlers, New Orleans is home to French design, European-style markets amid iron-lace balconies. Experience the dramatic architecture of the nation's oldest Catholic Cathedral and check into the historic The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, just down the street from the old-world charm of the French Quarter. In Canada, travelers will delight in Quebec Citys charming roads and natural Parisian buzz thanks to French-speaking locals. Travelers can stop by the Louvre-inspired Parliament Building and stay at the newly renovated Hilton Quebec right in the heart of Old Quebec, the birthplace of French Canada boasting cobblestone streets and European architecture.
Press Release

20 August 2021

CHICAGO  JLLs Hotels & Hospitality Group announced today results from its annual Global Hotel Investor Sentiment Survey and reported investment activity for the first half of 2021 at $30 billion, inclusive of entity-level deals, with a gust of optimism for the industry as investors show signs of increased activity.

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Global investor sentiment overview

This level of sales volume represents a strong increase of 66% year-over-year and only 4% less than activity observed in the first half of 2019. With 2021 very much a year of two halves, the pace of investment activity is expected to accelerate throughout H2. Over half of investors responded they will implement a more aggressive investment acquisition strategy in 2021, as they become more forward-looking, with 29% of respondents indicating interest in over $200 million worth of assets, up from 25% during the onset of the pandemic.

Hotel investors have their sights on Europe, North America and Southeast Asia as activity picks up. In particular, Asia Pacific hotel transactions totaled $3.7 billion in the first half of 2021, with a significant level of institutional investor funds flowing into hotel assets. With wider vaccine rollouts, North Americas market is opportunistic, with domestic travel continuing to increase and drive-to leisure markets experiencing a flurry of travelers. Investors eyeing European assets are encouraged by the increasing vaccination rate, with many expanding their strategies to consider less dense markets, with the diversification of assets being top of mind.

In addition, investors sentiment suggests that full-service hotels will endure the deepest discounts, as select-service and economy hotels were less impacted by the pandemic and still able to fill rooms. In fact, nearly 50% of respondents expressed that the best investment opportunities to emerge over the next six months will be full-service hotels.

Last year, navigating a zero or negative cashflow environment coupled with a high degree of uncertainty surrounding the lodging industrys recovery profile, posed various challenges for investors underwriting hotel acquisitions. This resulted in 2020 surveyed cap rates increasing an average of 120 basis points globally when compared to 2019. In 2021, investor cap rate expectations compressed an average of 30 points globally, driven by a decrease in the Americas and in Europe.

Key priorities for the remainder of 2021

With 70% of respondents anticipating their property or portfolio RevPAR to return to 2019 levels in about three to four years, investors are keen on operational changes and re-evaluating strategy. An imperative function of business that has gained enormous spotlight during the pandemic is asset managers. That said, investors indicated the following to be key operational focus areas:

Profitability improvement measures, such as service and amenity offering evaluations and labor optimization.

Sustainable operation programming and enhanced focus on ESG.

Guest-facing and back-of-house technology implementations.

Download the full report here.

JLLs Hotel Investor Sentiment Survey has been referenced by the global hotel investment community since its inception in 2000. Responses for JLLs most recent survey were collected during May and June 2021. This survey represents a compilation of 7,800+ data points from hotel investors on future hotel operating performance expectations, yield requirements and future cap rate trends.

JLLs Hotels & Hospitality Group has completed more transactions than any other hotels and hospitality real estate advisor over the last five years, totaling $83 billion worldwide. The groups 350-strong global team in over 20 countries also closed more than 7,350 advisory, valuation and asset management assignments. Our hotel valuation, brokerage, asset management and consultancy services have helped more hotel investors, owners and operators achieve high returns on their assets than any other real estate advisor in the world.

For more news, videos and research resources on JLL, please visit our newsroom.
This isn't the first time we've heard Sonny Moore, also known as Skrillex, unite with Justin Bieber in the booth, but in this round, Cactus Jack's Don Toliver adds his voice to the mix. Skrillex and Bieber came together years ago on their Diplo-assisted "Where Are U Now," and on Friday (August 20), the EDM superstar DJ, the mega-Popstar, and the hitmaking rapper joined forces on their moody single, "Don't Go."

The HARV and Aldae-produced track arrives on the heels of the news regarding the lineup of the Justin Bieber & Friends three-day event at the Wynn in LAs Vegas. The phase one lineup will include a headlining performance by Justin at the acclaimed XS Nightclub, along with performances by the hit-making French DJ and producer David Guetta, rapper and songwriter The Kid LAROI, beloved vocalist Kehlani, Bieber's good friend Jaden Smith, dance music heavyweight TroyBoi, and musical prodigy Eddie Benjamin.

Stream "Don't Go" and let us know what you think about this trio's collaboration.

Quotable Lyrics

I woke up in the city, I ain't seen your face

Almost lost my mind, medication (Woah)

Five stars for participation (Yeah)

It's a COVID operation (Woo)

Hope you hear this where your stationed (Stationed)

I lost my Bonnie, by that time you already banged it (Banged)

She armed and dangerous, that long hair got me tangled up (Yeah)
Oil companies are unleashing dangerous gases from their wells in West Texas, and the state agency charged with regulating them has little idea about how much is released or how often.

Even if operators voluntarily report the releases or burn-offs, known as flaring, the Texas Railroad Commission will probably do nothing more but give rubber-stamp approval.

A new report cross-referenced the flaring permits issued by the commission with flares observed by aircraft from the Environmental Defense Fund, a watchdog group. The results suggest oil and gas companies are illicitly flaring in the Permian Basin and violating state law with impunity.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Race is on to see who can produce the cleanest fossil fuels

The Railroad Commission is making little effort to rein in the dangerous and polluting practice that is a significant contributor to global warming, according to Earthworks, which produced the report.

The scale of unpermitted flaring -84 percentis not the result of a mistake by the RRC, or a few bad actors, according to the report by Earthworks, an environmental group. Instead, it is the consequence of a conscious choice by the RRC not to put sufficient effort into determining if the law is being violated, never find enforcing the law when it is violated.

An RRC spokesman, Andrew Keese, insisted everyone is following the rules. In an email to Earthworks, another RRC spokesman said the correct number for unpermitted flaring was closer to 69 percent.

A short-term observation of a flare from a flyover and absence of an explicit exception does not necessarily mean the observed flaring is illegal, Keese wrote in an email. There are flaws in Earthworks analysis.

Well operators need to flare when they drill a new well or service it. The process releases dangerous gases, predominantly methane, the main component of natural gas that is 10 times more damaging to the climate than carbon dioxide. Drillers use flares to reduce the environmental impact by burning the gas.

New Mexico and North Dakota, along with most states, strictly limit flaring. Texas has few regulations and has approved tens of thousands of flaring permits while denying only a handful since 2008.

RRC Rule 32 allows flaring for 10 days while completing or servicing a well and during emergencies. Operators must apply for a permit if they need to flare for more than 24 hours, and permits are limited to 180 days, though commissioners routinely grant extensions.

But the RRC, which relies on the Texas Legislature for funding, has only 175 inspectors for over 175,000 wells. Commissioners rely on operators to follow the honor system.

Since the RRC makes no serious effort to police the industry, EDF and other environmental groups have used aircraft, trucks and satellites to monitor flaring and emissions. Earthworks used the observation data to see how many operators are reporting their flares to the state.

The group asked for permit data, and emergency flare reports from 2008 to 2019, the latest year available.

We tried to do a public information request to get that data, said Jack MacDonald, the reports co-author. The railroad commission very clearly did not have a clean way to get that data because it took them over a month to fulfill the request. And when they did fulfill it, they basically just sent us an email dump with no clear filing system.

He found only 20 operators were reporting emergency flares out of more than 100 working in the Permian Basin. Big companies that publicly support tighter regulations on flaring and methane were not any more responsible than the smaller companies, he added.

The direct observations of flares combined with sloppy record-keeping reveal the duplicity of the RRC and the oil and gas companies. Both promised to reduce flaring but fail to respect even ludicrously loose regulations.

The RRC spokesman provided data showing Texas operators have dramatically reduced flaring since 2019. But operators also dramatically cut back operations due to the collapse in oil price from the COVID-19.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Texas oil and gas regulator needs to explain failure during February blackout

The three commissioners, who are elected every six years, have promised to reduce flaring and have revamped the permit application. Public pressure and threats of increased federal regulation have spurred some improvement.

These statewide elected officials, though, rely on oil and gas players for campaign funding. All three have personal ties to the industry and oppose stricter federal regulation by the Biden administration. Critics say the commissioners are not serious about regulating because that would reduce operators profits and campaign donations.

If the commissioners dont clean up flaring, though, more international buyers will boycott Texas oil and gas. Forget fighting climate change or protecting human health; the industry should understand continued sloppy regulation will cost them customers, which will hit their bottom line.

Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and politics.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
As a third COVID wave coincides with the back-to-school season, more Texas teenagers are getting the vaccine  but health experts say they need to see shots increase in even larger numbers to protect children from the delta variant.

Vaccinations have gone up recently among all Texas age groups, especially for those under 50, and theyve more than doubled over the past six weeks for 12- to 17-year-olds.

In the last week of June, about 36,000 Texans under 18 got a shot  the lowest point to date  but that number shot up to 86,000 two weeks ago and remained there last week, according to new data from the state health department.

The jump is promising for public health experts, who stress that vaccines are the best way to avoid severe illness and slow the spread of the coronavirus. Still, youth vaccination rates are the lowest of all age groups in Texas, with just 49 percent of those under 18 getting at least one shot, compared to much higher rates for their elders.

The percent of adolescents that are eligible for vaccination and have been vaccinated, certainly in Houston and in Texas, is still quite low, said Dr. Stan Spinner, the vice president and chief medical officer for Texas Childrens Pediatrics and Texas Childrens Urgent Care in Houston. Yes, the numbers are going up. Thats encouraging. But theyre not going up fast enough.

About 46 percent of 12- to 15-year-olds, who have been eligible for the Pfizer vaccine since May, have received a shot. Roughly 55 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds have gotten the shot, according to the health department data.

A RECIPE FOR DISASTER: Texas Medical Center president says 18% of new COVID cases are kids

Meanwhile, the number of pediatric COVID cases and hospitalizations has exploded  more than 500 children are currently hospitalized with the virus in Texas. Children account for about 20 percent of all positive COVID tests at Texas Medical Center, Spinner said.

They are the major component of the population thats vulnerable, he said. They have not been able to get vaccinated, and we know kids get it. Were seeing it. Its not a myth. Were seeing it in larger numbers than ever.

Youth vaccinations are crucial at this point in the pandemic, Spinner said, especially as children head back to classrooms, many of them without masks. Some districts have openly defied Gov. Greg Abbotts order by enacting local mask mandates, but many are still debating how to enforce them..

But for some children, the shot is not even an option  the Pfizer vaccine, the only brand approved for use in Americans under 18, is only authorized for those 12 and up. The children who are not eligible yet, especially toddlers, are most likely to spread the illness  increasing the need for buy-in from those who can get the shot, said Dr. Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metric science at the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

If we dont increase the level of vaccination to put a very strong fence around our children, children will be infected because theyre not vaccinated, he said. They will bring it back to their family members with the delta variant. Even the vaccinated could be infected and could spread the virus and then bring it up to their grandparents during major holidays when we get together.

This virus is not over, Mokdad added. But we can contain it, and we can bring it down to the level that we can manage it.

Some school districts have already had to close down because of COVID outbreaks this year. Spinner said thats just the tip of the iceberg.

TEXAS TAKE: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday

Youth vaccination rates could be lower than other age groups for several reasons, including the shorter length of time that the shots have been available for 12- to 15-year-olds. Parents may also be more hesitant to vaccinate their children than themselves, Spinner said.

Parents want to protect their kids, Spinner said. The irony is, the way you protect your child is to get them vaccinated, not to not-get them vaccinated.

Unvaccinated Texans make up the vast majority of current hospitalizations. About 84 percent of Texans over age 65 have received at least one shot, alongside 76 percent of Texans between ages 50 and 64. Roughly 59 percent of 18- to 49-year-olds have gotten their vaccine, according to the state health data.

Still, it takes about five weeks for a patient to receive the full benefits of the Pfizer vaccine, and there is an immediate need to slow the spread of the virus in classrooms and elsewhere.

What we can do right now, in addition to trying to get people to get their kids and themselves vaccinated, is to wear masks, Spinner said. This is a real political juggernaut. It shouldn't be. There is absolutely no doubt scientifically that people wearing masks reduces the spread of infection.

cayla.harris@express-news.net
A faded photograph of hundreds of children lined in front of the Paul Laurence Dunbar School on Clark Street in 1915 captures a moment in Houstons past that many have never seen.

The two-story school, named for the famed Black poet, was razed many years ago and is now a freeway. If it werent for the photo, we might not know it even existed and, likely, it would be lost in time.

The school had a principal and some dozen teachers who were dedicated to educating Black children at the turn of the century, a time when such efforts were often futile given that slavery was recent.

The photograph is one of many images captured in The Red Book: A Compendium of Social, Professional, Religious, Educational and Industrial Interests of Houstons Colored Population, which offers a rare look at the citys Black community during 1915, just 50 years after June 19, 1865, or Juneteenth, when former enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom.

It lists teachers, lawyers, inventors, ministers and doctors with their salaries and addresses and even has in-depth profiles of some prominent residents. Its loaded with statistics and data much like an almanac. It also celebrates an educated and entrepreneurial Black community middle-class; men and women who worked to make a living and a life for their families, in spite of adversity.

It was published only once, then forgotten as the city grew and highways replaced landmarks, often carving away Black communities. The book was written by seven Houston residents who referred to themselves the "Board of Censors."

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The Red Book shows us the way our city has changed for good and ill, said Norie Guthrie, an archivist and special collections librarian in the Fondren Librarys Woodson Research Center at Rice University. Since 2019, Guthrie has led the universitys ambitious project to extract data and details from the book for a free online interactive map, which allows researchers and those interested in genealogy and the citys history to use the data for projects or personal research. The project is funded by a Fondren Fellows grant and incorporated a team of researchers, including Dr. Rachael Pasierowska, who served as a Fondren Fellow until the project was completed earlier this year.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

There is no book like it in any other U.S. city, said Guthrie, who pored through Census records to confirm data, some of which could not be verified. She canvassed the city to photograph many of the addresses listed in the book to show what has replaced history. More than 900 names and addresses were extracted from the book for the project.

Its incredible how little people in Houston know what came before, not realizing this vibrant community was here, she said. There has been a very clear and purposeful decision to build through Black communities.

Guthrie said as she walked the neighborhoods, she quickly discovered that many of the historical places were gone; replaced with highways, vacant lots or commercial buildings.

I mostly kept running into interstate. People could actually walk from Fourth Ward to downtown, but when an interstate is placed in the middle of a neighborhood, it is difficult for people to move around. Our highway system has profoundly impacted how people move through this city.

The Red Book contains a 10-page directory of businesses organized by type, ranging from attorneys to postal workers. Many of the restaurants were run by women and based out of their homes. The list of businesses conjures images of a bustling community, with places like Dreamland Ice Cream Parlor and Cafe, which was located at 613 San Felipe, or the shoe-shine stand owned by Thomas Fletcher at 817 Congress with the motto, We never close. Try us when others fail you. The Rex Grocery, 606 Allston, which was owned by King Hughes, touted more groceries for less money, while Standard Tailoring, Cleaning & Pressing Co. at 220 San Felipe seemed to be the the place for hat cleaning.

Theres a section dedicated to clubs and lodges, such the Sisters of the Mysterious Ten, the Married Ladies Social Club and the Hotel Mens Benevolent Association, which met the first and third Thursday of the month at the Odd Fellows Hall at Crosby and Hopson streets.

The books list of professionals encompasses a variety of careers, such as C.G. Harris, an Arkansas native who moved to Houston in 1910 and became a noted photographer, and Dr. O.C. Garrett, a surgeon and 1904 graduate of Meharry Medical College in Nashville who lived at 417 Robin. A midwife named Annie Hagen, who came to Houston with just 50 cents, amassed enough money to buy several houses, which were later demolished to make way for Interstate 45 and Allen Parkway.

Theres a grainy wedding photograph of the Rev. Elder James Pendleton, the founder of the Church of God, and Lillie Bell Price. Their marriage in 1913 was deemed among the most important Houston has produced, being attended by white and colored en masse. According to the book, Pendleton started the church with one member and in six years was able to purchase a lot for $600 (roughly $16,000 today) to build a beautiful church. Interestingly, women were often listed under their husbands names, making it harder to trace their background.

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A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the citys churches and pastors, as religion was vitally important to the community. Also, the thriving spirit of many neighborhoods, such as Independence Heights, which became the first African American municipality in Texas, fills the books pages.

There are few remaining original copies of The Red Book  at Texas Southern University and the Gregory School in Fourth Ward. Available copies have been photocopied and bounded. I found mine, a new copy, at the Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum in Freedmens Town.

Similar books came after, such as the Negro Motorist Green Book, of 1936, a guide for Black residents of New York City to businesses they could frequent without facing discrimination. It was expanded nationally the next year, and became the focus of the 2018 movie, Green Book, starring Mahershala Ali.

The Red Book wasnt cheap, selling on glossy stock for $3.50, which equates to nearly $100 today. But its value extends beyond money. Its our history, particularly for the citys Black community.

We know the major obstacle to tracing African-American lineage is slavery, an institution that broke family bonds and made record-keeping nearly impossible. Also, the migration of Black people after slavery ended was often not documented in written form.

The Red Book could potentially fill in some blanks.

This is a great resource for genealogists who are trying to trace their family history in a personal way, said Dr. Fay Yarbrough, the projects adviser and professor of American Indian, African American and Southern History at Rice University. This gives so much more texture than people usually have and gives a glimpse into what life was like. These people made this book for a reason, and it does something to honor them by keeping this book alive. They would want people to know about them.

joy.sewing@chron.com
The bond between siblings takes center stage during the Hindu celebration of Raksha Bandhan.

In Sanskrit, raksha translates to protect or guard against evil, and bandhan means binding or tying.

During the holiday, on Aug. 22 this year, sisters tie a rakhi, a woven bracelet, around their brothers wrists. The act symbolizes their commitment to love and protect each other.

The holiday is rooted in the story of Lord Krishna cutting his finger, and Draupadi tearing off a piece of her sari as a bandage. In return, Krishna vows to protect her.

Samir Sanghanis extended family usually gathers for the occasion. Uncles and aunts, cousins, brothers and sisters all participate.

There are usually 100 rakhis being tied, he said. We have pictures with two sofas full. All the sisters would line up.

For the past 20 years, however, Sanghani could only occasionally make the festivity. He left his hometown of Houston to study business and then settled with his wife in Los Angeles.

I was the only one in my family away from Houston, he said. We wanted to feel closer.

During the pandemic, Sanghani was able to shift to remote work. In July, he moved with his family to Sugar Land. Now his sisters  Sonal Shah and Sandhya Thakkar  are in the same neighborhood.

So far, its been awesome, Sanghani said. My kids get to see their cousins every day.

This year, he looks forward to spending time with Shah and Thakkar. In the past, they would mail his rakhi.

For us, its a reason to get together, he said. I can take my sisters for granted sometimes. Its really nice to take time to appreciate that relationship. Its the one time a year, were just talking about that  and nothing else.

The siblings were taught the rakhi tradition by their parents, Anil and Ranjan Sanghani. Their late father, Anil, had memories of his own father and aunts connecting for Raksha Bandan.

Even though his father couldnt afford it, he would borrow money to send a carriage to pick up his sisters from the train station and receive his sisters with honors, Thakkar said.

Later Anil sponsored his sisters when they moved to the U.S. from India in the 1970s and 80s.

He told me that a brother is responsible for the well-being of his sister and must take care of her to the end of her days. If anything happens to her, his home is her home, Thakkar said.

Thakkar looks forward to celebrating Raksha Bandan with her brother this year.

I never, ever, ever, ever, thought Samir and his family would move back to Houston and be 7 minutes away from me, she said. I am blessed to have my brother back in my city and my life.

Arpita Chatterjee, a resident of the Energy Corridor, remembers tying a rakhi for her younger brother, growing up in Kolkata, India.

I look at it as a tie between brother and sister, she said. You are always connected. You share each others happiness and joy. You grow up together.

When Chatterjee moved to Houston almost 30 years ago, she would send a rakhi to both her brother and her cousin, who was an only child.

At that time, the Indian stores did not have any, she recalled. I would crochet or hand-make a string with beads to mail.

Her husband, Partha Chatterjee, board member of Hindus of Greater Houston and volunteer priest of the Houston Durga Bari Society, had a younger sister and fondly remembers her annual rakhi gift.

I would proudly wear it to school, he said. It was a very sweet occasion.

Now, the Chatterjees celebrate the holiday with their children. We are blessed with one boy and one girl, Arpita Chatterjee said. We continue the tradition.

Friends can also tie rakhis for each other. Beth Kulkarni of The Woodlands, founding member of Hindus of Greater Houston, has celebrated the holiday for the past 35 years with Vijay Pallod.

Vijay considers me his sister, even though were not related biologically or through marriage, and I consider him my brother, she said. He would do anything possible to protect me, to make things well for me.

Kulkarni is glad to have a holiday dedicated to honoring the relationship.

The Houston chapter of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Hindu values and hosting outreach efforts, celebrates Raksha Bandhan in a unique way.

We take it beyond the family and to the community level, said Manoj Rathi of Sugar Land. We celebrate the holiday as Universal Oneness Day. We should all protect each other.

Members meet with civic leaders and first responders on Raksha Bandhan, tying rakhis on police officers and firefighters.

Theyre the ones who protect us, Rathi said. We tie rakhi as a sign of our gratitude toward to them.

He hopes that more Houstonians will jump on board and recognize their sisters and brothers throughout the city.

There are so many superficial distinctions, whether its caste, color, nationality, but in the Hindu philosophy, everyone is seen as divine, Rathi said. Everyone is one. Lets use this opportunity to connect and bond.

Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer.
Courtesy of Asian Chamber of Commerce

The Asian Chamber of Commerce is putting the finishing touches on its Trade Forum and Business Expo, an annual conference that focuses on global and local trade.

The event will be held on Sept. 10 from 9 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. at the Houston Marriott Westchase, 2900 Briarpark Drive, Houston. The conference aims to provide tools to businesses to help re-engage customers as international borders start to re-open. The chamber will also host the Rising 10 Awards, which highlights Asian-owned businesses that have excelled over the past three years.
Humble Independent School District has more children lining up for cafeteria lunch, and is in need of both parent volunteers and additional workers to meet demand.

The district called on all registered volunteers in an email Wednesday evening to help serve lunch in many of its schools, citing the increased demand.

Humble is among many Houston-area districts offering a virtual learning option this school year, but the district has still noticed an uptick in students electing to learn on campus.

Enrollment is up district-wide by about 1,500 students compared to last school year, which means more mouths to feed, says district spokesperson Jamie Mount.

"New homes continue to be built and families continue to move into Humble ISD," Mount said in an email.

"The districts Child Nutrition Services Department is serving about 6,000 more meals a day than at any point last school year."

The increased demand comes shortly after the district announced earlier this month that all students will receive free meals this school year, thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture waiver put in place during the pandemic.

FREE FOOD: Fort Bend ISD ready to provide students free meals this school year

The call for help targets parents, either those who can volunteer or want a job at the district. Child Nutrition Services is hiring to fill vacancies in cafeterias. The job pays a minimum of $11.50 an hour, with work 182 days in the year, according to a listing. The district has 45 schools and there are about two openings per school.

"One advantage of working in a school cafeteria is that you can work while your child is in school and be off on weekends, and school holidays with your children," Mount said.

On the volunteering side, many parents have stepped up to the plate.

Within two hours of the request, the district filled more than 85 volunteer slots and more than 100 people had signed up as of Thursday night.

"This is characteristic of how the Humble ISD community wraps its arms around schools and children so that students have the best school experiences, " she said.

"Volunteers are focused on serving meals that child nutrition staff members prepare. Having more people on the serving lines helps the lines move faster."

OnHoustonChronicle.com: Humble ISD reports nearly 500 active COVID cases just 8 days after 1st day

Volunteers must apply and have an approved background check before signing up for a shift, according to the signup page. Volunteers are asked to wear long pants, and the department provides a hair net.
Before starting a dual doctorate in medicine and philosophy this week, Alexandria Adigun spent 10 years of her childhood in Richmond, cooking up at-home chemistry projects to see how things related.

That interest has served her well. Just 7 percent of science, technology, engineering and mathematics bachelors degrees went to Black students in 2018, according to the Pew Research Center. Adigun beat those odds in May when she became one of 27 inaugural graduates from Howard Universitys Karsh STEM Scholars Program.

On HoustonChronicle.com: American Heart Association: Dont put off that doctors appointment any longer

A George Ranch High School alumna, Adigun moved four years ago to Howard University in Washington, D.C. During her time at the historically black university, she became the first Black woman to complete a research internship at the Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna. She said it could be discouraging when she was the only Black student at internships but that her presence and inquisitiveness helped pave the way for others.

I really think my unique position helped people also get involved with STEM, asked the questions theyre too afraid to ask someone else and also propelled them. Not where I am, but maybe even farther than Ill ever go, Adigun said.

Karsh students receive full scholarships toward STEM degrees at Howard as they commit to pursuing a doctorate of philosophy or a dual doctorate of medicine and philosophy after they graduate. Adigun earned a bachelors in biology with minors in both chemistry and psychology.

She has started classes at the University of Pennsylvania. For her doctorate of philosophy, Adigun plans to study neurodegenerative diseases and stem cells to regenerate a persons own cells to address illnesses such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons. She is less certain about her path ahead in medicine but is currently considering neurology and psychiatry. But she is also interested in obstetrics and gynecology and regenerative medicine.

Adigun said to promote more diversity in STEM studies, current Black students must be willing to answer future students questions. The idea that she may be able to help others keeps her going when things become difficult.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Missouri City to celebrate local Olympic hero this Saturday

Black STEM students working toward advanced degrees, Adigun said, want more people there that look like them. She advised young students who enjoy STEM areas to figure out why they first grabbed onto a calculator or what was the first spark of happiness. She said that joy will attract others.

Ronald H. Smith, director of the Karsh STEM Scholars Program, said although Howard University leads in many areas in STEM education, its leadership recognized that Black people and some other minorities are underrepresented in research, teaching at the college level, policy development and leadership in STEM-related organizations. They wanted to build more diversity in those areas. A few years later, Smith said it is gratifying to see the first class of students graduate.

We are filled with mixed emotions; we couldnt be sadder to see them go, but we are thrilled with knowing that they are moving on to the next stage of a dream that is manifesting right before our eyes, he said. They are a remarkable group of young people who have laid a very strong foundation of excellence, hard work and achievement.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

When Karsh students start the program, they stand up, introduce themselves, tell where theyre from and describe something theyve done that makes them proud. Adigun said it is powerful when 100 Black STEM students share what they have been doing in their communities and what they have been researching.

The Karsh inaugural class grew and evolved, sometimes learning what they originally wanted to focus on in STEM at the start wasnt what they ultimately wanted to pursue. Like other Karsh graduates, Adigun will mentor future students in the program.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Residents invited to attend Sugar Lands Food Truck Friday Movie Series

She is excited about the future and urges other Black students who are interested in STEM to follow that dream.

Well, you know in your heart what is going to make you happy and keep you happy. Pursue it to the ends of the earth and do what you want to do, Adigun said.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
BOSTON (AP)  Masks will be required for all indoor public places in Boston starting Aug. 27 as the city moves to contain rising COVID-19 infections blamed on the highly contagious delta variant, acting Mayor Kim Janey said Friday.

Janey's office issued a statement saying the mandate will apply to everyone age 2 and older who enters a business, retail shop, club, government office or any other public venue.

Janey said the mask mandate was being imposed ahead of the arrival of more than 50,000 college students from across the nation and a return to classes for more than 50,000 Boston Public School students.

There is nothing more important than Bostons safe recovery, reopening, and renewal from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, she said. We know that masks work best when everyone wears one. Requiring masks indoors is a proactive public health measure to limit transmission of the delta variant, boost the public confidence in our businesses and venues, and protect the residents of our city who are too young for vaccination.

On Thursday, Gov. Charlie Baker said tens of thousands of state workers in Massachusetts will need to prove theyre fully inoculated against COVID-19 by October or risk losing their jobs.

Massachusetts remains one of the most vaccinated states in the nation, with more than 64% of residents fully inoculated against COVID-19. But cases have been creeping up in recent weeks.

___

SCHOOL MASK MANDATE

Massachusetts is proposing a statewide mask mandate for students and teachers in K-12 schools until COVID-19 vaccination rates increase among eligible students, state education officials announced Friday.

Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said he plans to ask the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to grant him authority to require masks in public schools through Oct. 1. The measure aims to make sure schools reopen safely and to give more staff and eligible students time to get vaccines.

After Oct. 1, middle and high schools with high enough vaccination rates would be allowed to lift mask requirements for inoculated students and staff. At least 80% of a school's students and employees would need to be vaccinated to make the change.

With cases rising, this mask mandate will provide one more measure to support the health and safety of our students and staff this fall, Riley said in a statement.

The mandate would apply inside schools for children 5 and older. Students with certain medical conditions or behavioral needs would be exempt.

Riley said he plans to ask the board for permission at a meeting on Tuesday. The commissioner said he would revisit the mandate in the future if public health data warrants it.
The fight over redrawing political maps is just ramping up in state legislatures and nonpartisan commissions around the country. But both Republicans and Democrats already are planning for major showdowns in the courts.

For months, Democrats and Republicans have been laying the groundwork for a complex, 50-state legal battle over the once-a-decade process of redistricting. Both parties are preparing for a changed legal climate  where federal courts are newly hostile to claims of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering and state courts could create a patchwork of rulings. And it will all play out in a tightened timeframe, thanks to pandemic-related delays.

Experts say that adds up a challenging landscape for Democrats, who have in the past won major court victories by proving Republicans deliberately used maps to disenfranchise Democratic voters. Some are predicting far fewer dramatic court interventions, despite plans for a more aggressive strategy.

There will be a lot of litigation, but in a lot of ways the tools will be less sharp than they used to be, said Michael Li of the Brennan Center for Social Justice in New York City.

Democrats began filing preemptive lawsuits in April, well ahead of last week's release of the Census' detailed population data used to draw the lines for Congress, statehouses and school districts around the country. Still, the most significant lawsuits are yet to come, and probably won't be filed until states begin to produce maps over the next few months.

After the 2010 redistricting cycle, courts eventually tossed out maps drawn by Republicans in four states. The courts found Republicans improperly used voters race and party affiliations to draw lines that favored their candidates  a practice known as gerrymandering. The judges redrew the maps in Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas to give Democrats a better chance of winning congressional seats. Without that intervention, the GOP would currently control the House of Representatives.

But legal experts are skeptical there will be such dramatic reversals in court this time. They note that the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court has already cut off one avenue for legal challenges, ruling that striking down partisan gerrymanders is no longer the role of federal courts. That makes it less likely that courts intervene, experts said.

The one way the dynamic could change is if Congress passes an ambitious election bill known as the For the People Act, which would, among other provisions, outlaw partisan gerrymandering. But the legislation is stuck in the Senate, where Democrats have been reluctant to change rules to eliminate the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a Republican filibuster blocking the measure.

The longer odds of litigation are particularly ominous for Democrats, who start the process at a significant disadvantage. They control line-drawing in states with 75 House seats, while the GOP controls the process in states with 187 seats.

Democrats have a lot more incentive to litigate because they would have a lot more to gain, said Jason Torchinsky, general counsel to the National Republican Redistricting Trust.

Kelly Ward Burton, executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which coordinates litigation for that party, agreed that Democrats will be aggressive. We fully anticipate being in court in the states where Republicans control the redistricting process and where they intend to gerrymander, she said.

Burton said she's not too concerned about the Supreme Court's 2019 ruling that federal courts cannot overturn partisan gerrymandering, because racial gerrymandering remains illegal under federal law. In the states Democrats are most worried about where the GOP controls the process  Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas  party affiliation often runs along racial lines, with Black, Latino and Asian American voters more likely to be Democratic and white voters more likely to be Republican.

But Li warned that's a double-edged sword. Democrats can argue Republican gerrymanders are racial, rather than partisan, but GOP lawyers can just tell judges they were following the Supreme Court's direction and looking only at party, not race. The Supreme Court has created this weird binary  if it's on the racial side, it's bad, but if it's on the partisan side, it's okay, he said.

Republicans in the North Carolina legislature  who have complete control over the process because the state's Democratic governor cannot veto a redistricting bill  have already taken advantage of that dynamic by formally declaring they won't use racial data in drawing lines.

Tom Saenz, president of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said he still expects there to be plenty of successful racial gerrymandering cases, especially because populations of voters of color swelled so significantly in the recent census data. The Voting Rights Act still requires the creation of majority-minority districts in areas where a compact legislative district could be drawn that way, and due to the continued growth of several racial and ethnic groups there are more of those places than ever before, Saenz said.

That won't always help Democrats  Saenz notes that, in some states like California, his group has fought with white Democrats over the creation of majority Latino districts. And he noted another obstacle  the tight timelines of redistricting this decade. The Census data used to draw the maps was released six months late due to COVID-19 and legal disputes over how the Trump administration ran the survey. That means courts may only have a few weeks to act before the 2022 elections formally kick off with deadlines to file to run in state primaries. Often, redistricting cases take months if not years to decide.

We have to engage in triage, Saenz said. In some cases we may have to allow an election to go by with bad lines.

Though several lawsuits have already been filed, they're mainly opening salvos trying to gain advantage before line-drawing begins in earnest. Democrats have sued in Louisiana, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, arguing that deadlock is inevitable between those states' GOP-controlled legislatures and Democratic governors, so courts need to get ready to draw lines. Republicans are filing public records requests to see if they can challenge the way the Census calculated people living in college dorms and other large residential areas.

Still, the only significant litigation so far has come in Illinois, where the Democratic-controlled state legislature redrew its own state maps without waiting for the Census data so as not to miss a legal deadline and have redistricting power handed to the courts. Republicans and civil rights group are suing to overturn those maps.

Though federal courts will no longer be able to strike down gerrymanders due to reliance on partisanship, state courts remain free to. The willingness of state judges to do that may depend on their party, legal analysts say. It depends on who your state judges are, said Edward Foley, a law professor at The Ohio State University.

In the Southern states where redistricting legal battles are likely to run hottest, the state supreme courts are largely controlled by Republicans. Florida's was Democratic in the previous decade and overturned the GOP redistricting plan then, but it is now majority Republican. North Carolina's, once solidly Democratic, is now more evenly divided.

Absent congressional action it's going to be a decade of extreme gerrymandering, Foley said. I doubt that you'll get much judicial relief.

This story corrects the name of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, not the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
PINE TOP, Ky. (AP)  During a five-year span that ended last year, Kentucky State Police fatally shot at least 41 people  more than any other law enforcement agency in the state, according to a published report.

Police declined to release the numbers, but the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting and The Marshall Project built a database using a combination of publicly available data and state police records, according to an article the entities published in partnership with the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Kentucky troopers killed more people in rural communities than any other department in the nation, according to the partnership's analysis of data compiled by the Washington Post, the report said.

None of the 41 fatal shootings resulted in troopers being prosecuted. Of those killed, about 75% were armed and a majority were suffering from addiction or mental health problems, according to the investigation.

Kentucky State Police investigate shootings with no outside oversight, a practice some experts and prosecutors say is problematic.

I dont think it should be done, said Dave Stengel, the former commonwealths attorney in Louisville. He said there is potential for conflicts of interest. Everybody knows everybody else.

Kentucky State Police declined an interview request but Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. defended the agency's work in a statement. Burnett said he is committed to protecting the integrity of all investigations, interactions with the public and our state officials as we conduct law enforcement in the right way.

Agency spokesperson Sgt. Billy Gregory said all shootings are reviewed by prosecutors who decide whether to present them to grand juries. The agency is committed to being transparent while ensuring the integrity of the investigation, he said.

The report identified 22 fatal shootings prosecutors presented to grand juries, though none handed down indictments, and 10 others that prosecutors decided not to present. It's not clear what happened in the other cases.

In comparison, Louisville Metro Police, which has about 300 more officers than Kentucky State Police, fatally shot 20 people in the same time span, according to the report.

Policing experts say state police shootings don't get the same level of scrutiny partly because video footage in rural communities is rare. Kentucky troopers dont wear body cameras.

Among the shootings cited in the report were those of Stephen Brock in 2015 and Kenneth Huntzinger in 2017, both of which were presented to grand juries who declined to indict.

Brock was killed by Kentucky State Trooper Luke Pridemore outside his home in Pine Top in rural Knott County. A neighbor called police because Brock, who suffered from mental illness, was pacing outside, making threats and carrying what some thought was a gun. Pridemore told investigators Brock kept one of his hands behind his back and he thought the man was armed. He fired three shots, killing Brock, who held a length of rusty chain with a padlock on the end.

Huntzinger was killed in 2017 by Sgt. Toby Coyle as the Richmond man tried driving away from his home after his wife reported he was acting erratic after taking medicine for insomnia. Coyle told investigators Huntzinger was driving toward him and he was afraid he would be run over. Huntzingers family filed a civil rights lawsuit in which they said Coyle was not in danger of being hit by the truck and the fatal shot entered Huntzingers body after going through the driver-side window. The lawsuit is pending.

Pridemore and Coyle declined to comment for the article.
Frank Malone, a 57-year old Houstonian who works at a chemical plant, wasnt opposed to the idea of getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

I had been thinking about getting the vaccine, Malone said on Thursday afternoon, as he sat on the patio outside Dodos Chicken in west Houston, awaiting his first dose. I was reluctant.

His wife had been vaccinated and felt fine afterward, which eased his mind. But I was still, you know, being stubborn. He continued to procrastinate even after his employer sent out an email, saying it would expect all workers to be vaccinated. I didnt want to do it.

Then they came out with the $100, Malone said, referring to an incentive program that Harris County launched this week to pay folks to get vaccinated. The $100, it really kind of pushed me. I could use the $100.

Show me the money  that seemed to be the response of those with vaccine hesitancy who turned up at county vaccination sites in recent days to take up County Judge Lina Hidalgo on her offer of $100 gift cards for those who get their first-time shots.

This isnt a silver bullet, exactly; there are few silver bullets in life, especially in the face of a pandemic. But thus far, the incentive program seems to be having an impact.

More Information Harris County is urging residents to get vaccinated at sites run by the county health department and receive a $100 gift card for first-time shots. Information: ReadyHarris.org or 832-927-8787. See More Collapse

Oh wow, yeah. OK. It went up pretty considerably, said Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for Hidalgo, after I asked him to check the numbers Thursday morning.

For the three weeks prior to the start of the vaccine incentive, the health department had administered an average of 431 first doses a day. On Tuesday  the first day of the incentive program, which was really more of a half-day due to Hidalgos noon announcement  914 first doses were administered.

And get this, Lemaitre said. On the second day, Harris County Public Health administered 1,596 first doses.

Come Thursday, an additional 1,628 county residents had received their first doses of the vaccine, officials said.

Im here because of the money

Not everyone was excited about getting their shots. But with the highly transmissible delta variant sweeping across Texas and the county tossing in some coin for good measure, some residents found it an offer they couldnt turn down.

I dont even want to be here! said Jesse Hernandez, a 25-year-old who works as an assistant for several companies, joining the table with Malone on Thursday. Im afraid when I get this Im not going to feel invincible.

Still, he said, his aunt called him the day before to say he could get a free shot  and a $100 gift card  at NRG Stadium or any other county-run vaccination site.

Im here because of the money, Hernandez said wryly, adding that since he got a flat tire on the way to Dodos, he wont really profit from the exchange. Still, he was at peace with his decision. Most of his relatives had already been vaccinated, except for his younger brother and sister, who arent eligible yet. At the end of the day, you know, its something I had to do. Everybody gotta do it.

Thats what public health experts and local leaders have been saying for months, and with growing urgency in recent weeks. So on Tuesday, Hidalgo began tapping funds from the federal American Rescue Plan to boost the countys vaccination rates, which had stalled out with about 57 percent of eligible county residents fully vaccinated.

The number of people hospitalized in Harris County with COVID-19 has soared to levels that were unthinkable weeks ago. On Wednesday, the Texas Medical Center admitted 429 new COVID-19 patients, up from an average of 369 per day last week  and an average of 100 per day just a month ago.

Through the end of August, Hidalgo said, residents who get their first shot from a Harris County Public Health vaccination site will get a $100 Visa gift card. She has stressed that boosting vaccination rates could reverse the surge by September. Late Friday, the county sent out an emergency text alert warning residents that the highly contagious delta COVID-19 variant is spreading rapidly in your area and reminding them of the $100 offer.

Houston may also tap federal funds to offer a financial incentive to vaccine-hesitant constituents, officials said late Friday. Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city will vote next week on a measure to offer $100 gift cards for the first doses and $50 for the second doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines administered at its health centers or multiservice centers starting next Thursday. Those who opt to get the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine would receive $100.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Harris County to offer $100 shot in the arm for, well, a shot in the arm

Residents said Harris Countys incentive is well-timed, given the unsettling spread of the delta variant.

I was never going to take the vaccine, said Don Hanks, a construction worker from Katy, as he waited outside Dodos to be summoned for his appointment.

What changed his mind?

A hundred dollars, he said, with a laugh. But no, actually what changed my mind is its starting to get worse. Im 60 years old.

Breakthrough cases cause worry

Over at the Health Museum, another Harris County Public Health vaccination site, Leah Miranda and Cody Greenwood, 33 and 32, respectively, said that their household had recently seen a couple of COVID cases, courtesy of a fully vaccinated roommate who came down with a breakthrough case.

Sinus pressure. Sinus pressure. Bad sinuses. Too much sinus pressure, said Greenwood, a bike mechanic, recalling the experience.

I dont think hes ever been that sick before, Miranda said.

She said that she was still somewhat ambivalent about the shot she was about to receive, not so much because of the risk of a sore arm, but because its long-term effects havent been studied yet. Still, she was there.

Theyre doing vaccines, theyre giving out gift cards  might as well get vaccinated, Miranda said. I guess its for the best.

Greenwood concurred, explaining that he had decided to get vaccinated because he doesnt want to get COVID again  and yeah, $100 sounds cool!

Its perhaps surprising that many Texans, considering their options in the face of a virus that can lead to hospitalization and death, would be swayed by $100. But people are facing hard times after a pandemic that has lasted nearly a year and a half. Many getting their first dose this week were planning to use the money for necessities such as food, flat tires or gas.

The fact that the incentive is making a difference is auspicious for all of us. If this is the nudge people need to get vaccinated, lets keep it up.

erica.grieder@chron.com

twitter.com/ericagrieder
Jay Jordan

Houston homicide detectives are responding to a report of an elderly woman who was found dead Thursday afternoon at a home in Acres Homes.

The woman was found dead about 1 p.m. in the home near the 700 block of Granville Drive near North Shepherd Drive.
Rice University will shift the first two weeks of the fall semester online and has implemented a host of temporary restrictions following a surge in COVID-19 cases on campus and in the Greater Houston area.

Since students arrival Sunday, the campus, which is largely vaccinated, experienced an increase in cases, Rice Provost Reginald DesRoches wrote in a letter to the university community Thursday.

Harris County also saw more than 2,300 new COVID-19 cases as of Aug. 17, the highest since January, according to Harris County Public Health and Houston Health department data.

Classes at Rice will now begin on Aug. 25 instead of Aug. 23, and will run online through Sept. 3 while university officials reassess its policies and how instruction will be held. Courses that can be conducted with masking and social distancing, such as graduate research, will remain in person, he said. Dining in groups indoors and drinking on campus is also banned through Sept. 3, making it a dry campus for at least two weeks, according to Bridget Gorman, Rices dean of undergraduates.

Gorman said in a letter to students Thursday that the number of breakthrough cases  positive tests among vaccinated people  was much higher than anticipated. No exact number was stated.

And while its important to recognize that we can expect illness to be much milder among the fully vaccinated, it has become clear that as a campus community we need to take steps to further assess and recalibrate how we will manage this illness at Rice this year, Gorman wrote.

The university has also asked upperclassmen who were expected to move in the coming days to delay their return to campus until the weekend of Sept. 4. Students who live further away and have not yet moved are also encouraged to stay home. Those who have already relocated on campus can choose to return home until instruction begins again in person.

This will provide us more flexibility in assessing and arranging for housing needs for students who may need to isolate or quarantine following exposure to COVID in the coming weeks, Gorman said.

Rice officials are also offering to waive fees and provide refunds for students who decide that they no longer want to live on campus because of the recent changes. Students living on campus who want to move off can have their fees waived and will only have to pay for the days they lived on campus before Sept. 3. Those yet to move and have decided to stay off campus can receive a full refund for room and board.

Undergraduates have also been notified that they must take a COVID-19 test by the end of the day Friday, and all upperclassmen returning to campus must get tested before their arrival, regardless of vaccination status. Those who are vaccinated must take a test the day that they arrive to campus and another test three to five days later.

I am sure that reading this, you feel a sense of disappointment that we find ourselves in this situation -- I know that I do. But, as much as our vision for our fall start is shifting, I remain optimistic that these changes reflect a relatively short-term opportunity to pause-and-reset, rather than permanent alterations to how life on campus will be this semester, Gorman wrote in the letter. If we can all embrace these safety protocols, our ability to provide a healthy campus environment will improve and the time frame for these extra protections to be in place will be more limited.

Officials will use the following weeks of remote learning to test and assess the prevalence of COVID-19 in the Rice community and its related health outcomes, and to implement any appropriate risk mitigation actions, DesRoches said.

Instructors can choose whether they want to teach live or allow students to view prepared or prerecorded coursework, whether they want to teach on campus or at home, and how theyd like to conduct office hours  whether online or in-person. Any faculty who wishes to teach in person for the first two weeks should send a request to the provost explaining why they wish to be exempt.

Despite all of the recent changes, DesRoches said it remains our intention to return to fully in-person instruction this semester.

The university expected a more normal posture for the fall semester a few weeks ago, but he added, much remains to be learned about the delta variant and we need to pay close attention to the current surge that is especially pronounced in Texas.

The announcement comes as many Texas colleges, including Rice, have altered original plans for a close-to-normal fall semester. Houston Community College announced Monday that it would hold its first four weeks of classes largely online.

The University of Texas at Austin, Prairie View A&M University, and Texas A&M University are requiring students to be tested before arriving on campus or in student housing. Others, like the University of Houston and Texas A&M have strongly encouraged masks and have offered incentives, including free tuition, parking permits, or cash credit, for students to get vaccinated.

Rice lifted mask mandates in May, but will now require masks indoors for all individuals this fall. The university also banned college events typically open to the public, delayed the reopening of its on-campus pub, and plans to ramp up testing on campus. All students are required to be vaccinated unless they have a medical waiver or cite religious reasons.

The university expects at least 90 percent of its community to be vaccinated by the start of school. Still, those who are vaccinated must be tested every two weeks, and those who are not, twice a week, officials have said.

*This story is developing and will be updated.

brittany.britto@chron.com
Ambulances waiting outside hospitals and patients stacked up in emergency rooms. Bodies left to wait for a funeral home to collect them because there is no room in the hospital morgue. Exhausted nurses and doctors  and not enough of them.

The latest surge of the COVID-19 pandemic is overwhelming the Houston regions healthcare system, according to grim testimony from local health professionals in a Fort Bend County courtroom Thursday.

Were not used to dealing with this much death and dying, said Melissa Phillips, a vice president at Oak Bend Medical Center. It is taxing. Nurses are breaking down. Physicians are breaking down. It is absolutely affecting all of us.

The testimony came out during a temporary injunction hearing in Fort Bend Countys legal challenge of Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates. Judge Christian Becerra of the 434th District Court granted the injunction, blocking the states order and enabling local officials to exercise their power in making public health decisions.

County Judge KP George, a Democrat, said Friday that the ruling paves the way for school districts to mandate masks, urging but not requiring them to do so.

I know that I am on the right side of the history, George said. Thats why we are doing everything within our power to open the door and clear the pathway for our schools to act now. Care for our children. Our children are our future.

The ruling came hours before the Texas Supreme Court decided to temporarily allow local governments and school districts to require masks on their property.

In the Fort Bend case, attorneys with the Texas attorney generals office had argued that the governors authority under the Texas Disaster Act supersedes the countys authority, which they said is subject to legislative regulation.

This is a pure legal question, an attorney representing the state said in court. Its not, Whos right? Its Who gets to decide?

County attorneys successfully argued that the county commissioners have authority granted by the Texas constitution and that Abbotts order, if left standing, would cause irreparable harm.

Thursdays decision upholds a restraining order issued last week by Becerra that suspended Abbotts executive order in Fort Bend County. The ruling should remain in place until the issue goes to trial in at least 45 days. However, county officials expect the state to appeal the decision.

We expect the AGs office is going to fight, said county attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson. Theyre fighting against us being able to make decisions regarding the safety and protection of our citizens locally.

Paxton struck just such a theme Friday, vowing in a written statement, If other governmental entities continue to blatantly disregard state law, I will sue every single one of them.

The rulings by the state supreme court and district court both dealt blows to Abbotts highly controversial decision last spring to ban local mask mandates. Since then, the emergence of the delta variant has led to a fourth surge in COVID-19 cases and packed intensive care units at hospitals.

Dr. Jacqueline Minter, the local health authority, testified earlier Thursday that the county is in a public health crisis with a rapid rise in cases, especially among children and young people, and a lack of medical professionals staffing hospital beds.

We are overwhelming our healthcare system, she said.

Hospital systems across the region have more COVID-19 patients than ever before, said Dr. Faisal Masud, director of critical care at Houston Methodist. Most patients are unvaccinated and many are young people in their 20s or 30s.

Even patients seeking treatment for non-COVID-19 injuries are experiencing delays in care because the system is maxed-out, Masud said.

This is such a preventable thing, he said, urging people to wear masks and get vaccinated. It doesnt have to be like this.

After the judge granted the temporary restraining order, George last week issued a public health order mandating masks in county buildings, but stopped short of requiring them in schools.

Also last week, Minter penned a letter to the superintendents of local school districts informing them of the necessity of indoor masking for teachers, staff and students. However, documents introduced in court Thursday showed the districts legal representatives questioned her authority to require masks and kept them optional.

Initially, some of the school board said, Our hands are tied, George said Friday. Listen to me: Your hands are no more tied. Go do the right thing.

A handful of Fort Bend ISD schools parents attended Thursdays hearing because they were interested in the ruling.

Zaka Khan, a physician with three children who are too young to be vaccinated, attended in scrubs. He said he believes its risky for his kids to be in the classroom. One is immunocompromised.

I do not think we can control this pandemic unless everyone, including the kids, including elderly and young, are following all the guidelines that are based on the scientific evidence, not based on any politically charged environment, he said.

anna.bauman@chron.com
Lauded poet Nikki Giovanni has been named Prairie View A&M Universitys writer-in-residence.

Starting this fall, the award-winning African American writer will teach, do readings of her work and mentor other writers with the goal of bringing more exposure to the craft and to the legacy of African American writers, particularly those educated at historically black colleges and universities.

Giovannis appointment officially begins with a Sept. 27-29 virtual series, the university said in a release.

The opportunity for students to develop their voices as writers, thinkers, and leaders is immeasurably enhanced by having the tutelage of such a noted, gifted, caring literary notable as Nikki Giovanni, Emma Joahanne Thomas-Smith, Prairie Views provost emerita, said in a written statement.

The writer-in-residence position is a component of Prairie View A&Ms Toni Morrison Writing Program, which Thomas-Smith will oversee. The brainchild of university President Ruth Simmons, the program honors Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, who was Simmons friend and a mentor to philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Prairie View honors Toni Morrison, MacKenzie Scott with writing program

Scott donated $50 million  the largest donation in Prairie View A&Ms history  in December, of which $3 million will be used to kick-start the writing program.

Through partnerships with area high school English departments and writing contest, the program will aim to build the talents of young writers.

Named a living legend by Oprah Winfrey, Giovanni has published poetry anthologies and recordings, nonfiction essays and childrens literature. Her early work, a staple within the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 70s, earned her the title of Poet of the Black Revolution. She was awarded with the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award.

Like Morrison and Simmons, Giovanni graduated from a historically Black university  Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn. She now serves as a distinguished professor at Virginia Tech University.

brittany.britto@chron.com
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A Houston man is facing a criminal charge after a fatal hit and run crash Thursday night near George Bush Park where the victim was later stuck by several other vehicles.

Gustavo Mendieta Del Valle, 53, has been charged with failure to stop and render aid after the crash at Texas 6 south near Piping Rock.
Its a nightmare scenario that keeps forecasters up at night: A tropical cyclone strengthens quickly over a 24-hour period.

It happened last year close to home with Hurricane Laura, which evolved from Category 1 to a more devastating Category 4 before striking near Lake Charles, La., sweeping buildings from foundations and killing seven people with surf and falling trees.

Researchers in the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change agree its likely that tropical cyclones that formed over the past four decades increasingly went through such rapid intensification. They also say a greater proportion of future hurricanes will very likely be Categories 4 and 5.

Coastal communities need to prepare, experts say.

The trend toward a greater frequency of storms getting stronger fast may continue, said Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon. Unexpected high winds and storm surges can cause disaster. Strong winds leave communities powerless, and storm surges kill.

But evacuating vulnerable areas requires time; doing so too hastily can be dangerous.

Thats really the nightmare scenario for forecasters and emergency managers, said Robert Rogers, a research meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who studies storm intensity changes. Imagine a tropical storm thats approaching landfall, maybe a 55 mph tropical storm, and it undergoes rapid intensification to become a 130 mph monster at landfall. Thats really what keeps the forecasters up at night. Thats really what a lot of our effort is going toward trying to better understand.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Gulf Coast residents brace for storm season after Hurricane Laura

NOAA scientists recently found that while predictions of a storms path have improved dramatically over recent decades, the accuracy of predictions about their intensity improved little until 2010. How intense a storm is reflects how fast its winds are. Forecasting this is challenging because both large- and small-scale factors are at play, and its hard to gather all the data, Rogers said. One cant fly to ocean level in the eye of a hurricane.

The potential ramifications of getting this wrong, though, are significant.

Stronger storms bring with them damaging winds that can rip off rooftops, snap trees and topple power lines. They can also shove storm surges ahead of them, the prominent reason for evacuating. (Lower-category storms can bring devastating surges, too.) But evacuating ideally occurs over days: Harris County emergency officials prefer to ask people to leave at least 80 hours before a storm hits.

Meanwhile, climate change has altered the disasters that communities face. Sea levels have risen, meaning storm surges may cause more damage. The ocean has warmed, one factor to consider for rapid intensification. Thats still an area of study: IPCC researchers reported limited evidence so far that human-caused climate change affected the intensities of strong tropical cyclones that were analyzed.

Whether or not it happens with every storm, local officials need to keep in mind that rapid intensification is possible and account for it in their planning, said emergency management expert Samantha Montano, an assistant professor at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. She advised considering the worst that could happen, rather than necessarily what we know will happen.

As it stands, local weather officials rely on conventional wisdom in preparing for one hurricane category higher than expected, not more. The way emergency officials do long-term planning for potential storms may also be outdated. Assessing the likelihood of a certain danger was typically based on what storms occurred in the past, not what climate science predicted was coming, said Francisco Sanchez, Harris Countys deputy homeland security and emergency management coordinator.

People also need to be ready to believe a catastrophic forecast, Sanchez said.

We cant pretend or rely on our past experiences, Sanchez said. We have to recognize that each disaster is different. And if its telling us its going to be catastrophic, if its telling us its going to be like something weve never faced before, we need to take it at its word and act accordingly.

Residents may not have five or six days to prepare for and evacuate from a storm, said Jeff Lindner, meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control district.

Three-quarters of storms that struck Texas since 1852 developed and hit within 60 hours, he said. Rapid intensification can add pressure to that timeline. Hurricane Humberto in 2007 famously went from tropical depression to tropical storm to hurricane in 19 hours, hitting east of High Island.

Other memorable storms intensified rapidly too: Ikes winds in 2008 went from tropical storm-level to Category 4 in a 24-hour period when it formed, according to satellite estimates, but weakened before hitting Galveston with deadly surge. Harvey in 2017 rapidly strengthened to a Category 4 before striking near Rockport and later drenching the Houston area, unleashing catastrophic flooding.

What terrifies Jim Blackburn, an environmental attorney and longtime climate advocate, is the scenario where people feel equipped to handle what they think is coming and are caught off guard when it becomes something else. He worries about coastal residents dying because they prepare to ride out a small storm  and a much stronger one hits.

People have assumed or have fallen into routines based on the past, Blackburn said, and thats the whole point of climate change. You cannot depend on the past to predict the future.

emily.foxhall@chron.com
The creator of Star Trek once said humanity must appreciate its own differences before its ready to meet aliens, who will undoubtedly be more diverse than what we find on Earth.

The whole show was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate but to take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms, Gene Roddenberry said in 1976. We tried to say that the worst possible thing that can happen to all of us is for the future to somehow press us into a common mold where we begin to act and talk and look and think alike.

Star Trek and its spinoffs were (and are) about space exploration: to boldly go where no man has gone before. But in many ways, the show sought to inspire a better future. Star Trek: The Original Series aired in the late 60s with characters that included an African American woman, a Russian man and a man of Japanese heritage. One episode became famous for its interracial kiss.

BATTLE OF THE BILLIONAIRES: Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos' space race is heating up, and Texas gets a front-row seat

This representation during the civil rights movement  and not long after the Cuban Missile Crisis  was ahead of its time.

Roddenberry, who was born in El Paso, died of a heart attack in 1991. He was 70.

Thursday would have been his 100th birthday. To celebrate, NASA used its Deep Space Network of radio antennas to broadcast Roddenberrys 1976 remarks toward star system 40 Eridani, which is home to the planet Vulcan in the Star Trek universe.

NASA also aired a prerecorded virtual discussion where Roddenberrys son Rod Roddenberry, Star Trek actor George Takei (he played Sulu) and a group of NASA employees discussed how Star Trek had inspired them  and how the agency could continue advancing the shows vision by improving its diversity.

What Star Trek has always been about, you guys are doing it for real, Rod Roddenberry said. Not just going into space and not just getting people into space. Star Trek was more than just sci-fi. It was about humanitys future.

NASA employee Tracy Drain was raised on sci-fi because her mom used to watch Star Trek with her sisters. Nyota Uhura, the African American character portrayed by actress Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek: The Original Series, looked like one of her moms sisters.

Drain liked the idea of humans exploring different places. At NASA, shes a flight systems engineer for Europa Clipper, designed to travel to Jupiters icy moon, Europa, and investigate whether it could have conditions suitable for life.

Swati Mohan, lead for the guidance, navigation and controls operations on the Mars 2020 mission that sent a rover to the Red Planet, also watched Star Trek as a kid. She enjoyed how each episode took what she knew about the universe and turned it upside down. She realized theres more out there than humanity can comprehend.

However, she said NASA needs diverse mindsets and thoughts to solve some of its biggest challenges. That requires a pipeline of diverse students.

Diversity in the science, technology, engineering and math pipeline is nowhere near as equal as it could be, Mohan said.

Curating a future pipeline thats diverse will require the agency to increase its diversity today, said Hortense Diggs, director of the Office of Communications and Public Engagement at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. She said NASA needs to attract a more diverse workforce now because people are inspired by other people who look like them.

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And its not as if these people dont exist. She said there are people from diverse backgrounds who majored in STEM fields, and there is no excuse for why NASA has been unable to attract them.

For whatever reason, we are not being creative enough to go get them and bring them to us, Diggs said, so that we can then inspire future generations to follow in our steps. Its something that we have to be intentional and work hard and dont give up on doing it.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim recalled having a picture of the Apollo 11 astronauts over his bed. Yet Kim didnt think he could become an astronaut.

When we dont see someone that we can relate with in the places we want to be or the things that were striving to do, we just dont think about doing it, Kim said. Its just the way it is.

He said NASA strives toward that representation and to do bold things and to do them together.

In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Rod Roddenberry described his father as someone who lived intellectually in the future.

Gene Roddenberry could look to the past and consider previous societal faux pas that were acceptable in his present day, his son said. Then he could look to the future and think about what uncomfortable present-day controversies would be acceptable in the next 100 years.

He put white, Black and Asian characters together because, in his future, they would work side by side without any issues.

Regarding todays tensions around issues such as race and sexuality, Rod Roddenberry believes his father would have acknowledged societys improvements and recognized that theres still a long way to go.

He would often say that we are a child species. Were in our adolescence, and when youre kids you always fight and you do dumb things, Rod Roddenberry said. But eventually we are going to grow up, and one day were going to be spectacular.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com

twitter.com/a_leinfelder
SAN ANTONIO  Many patients in hospitals with severe COVID-19 who had not been vaccinated are not actually opposed to vaccines. Rather, they based their decision to forgo the vaccine on false information about its risks, or they had trouble getting it.

Thats among the observations that Dr. Barbara Taylor, an associate professor of infectious diseases and an assistant dean for the MD/MPH program at UT Health San Antonio, shared with the San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board on Thursday during a conversation about the pandemic.

The discussion, which included Dr. Peter J. Hotez of Baylor University and Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston, covered topics including the delta variant, booster shots, masks in schools and more.

THE LATEST NUMBERS: Interactive maps, charts show spread of COVID across Houston

While city officials said 87 percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, Taylor said shes talked with patients who incorrectly thought there would be long lines for the shots, had concerns about the vaccine or couldnt find the time to get vaccinated because they have multiple jobs.

One of my patients (over the past two weeks) literally said, I just didnt get around to it, she said. What that means right now is that our hospitals are full of remorse. A lot of people are regretting prior choices, which is really heartbreaking.

Taylor, who worked in a COVID-19 ward last weekend, said a patient told her that he didnt believe in the coronavirus until he got sick.

Later, that patient asked what he could do to help the overcrowded, stressed hospital staff who cared for him. She told him: Call every one of your friends and please ask them to get vaccinated.

COVID LIVE UPDATES: Keep up with the pandemic and its impact on Houston

Tom Reel/Staff photographer

She said this is what it will take to reach people who have not gotten one of the three vaccines authorized for emergency use by the FDA.

U.S. health officials on Wednesday announced plans to offer booster shots to all Americans to strengthen their protection amid the surging delta variant.

As of Thursday, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported that area hospitals were treating 1,382 COVID-19 patients  up 9 percent from last week.

Currently, 22 of these patients are children, 371 are being treated in intensive care units and 253 are on ventilators.

The seven-day average, which represents new cases, has also jumped 20 percent over one week to 1,597.

Bexar Countys death toll has also risen with seven new deaths reported at Thursdays biweekly media briefing.

A total of 3,710 deaths can be contributed to COVID-19, while another five or six deaths are under investigation.

Among the most recent deaths, a San Antonio solid waste division worker became the second city employee to die of COVID-19 this week, City Manager Erik Walsh told the City Council on Thursday. Both employees were relatively young men.

This makes 10 deaths of city employees from COVID-19 since the pandemic began roughly 18 months ago.

VACCINE TRACKER: Interactive map shows where you can get vaccinated in Houston

The city has 161 employees who have recently tested positive, a little more than 260 in quarantine and awaiting testing, and four in hospitals with the virus, Walsh told council members.

Dr. Anita Kurian, assistant director of Metro Health's Communicable Disease Division, said that the city is not mandating vaccines for city employees at this time.

During the briefing, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said superintendents of the largest school districts are enforcing mask mandates.

Meanwhile, Wolff applauded San Antonio Independent School District Superintendent Pedro Martinez for mandating vaccines for staff, an action that got him sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Wolff called him a hero and said it is a badge of honor because such policies protect children from infection.

He said the county is planning to reopen the Wonderland of Americas mass vaccine site soon for booster shots. Kurian says there are more than 1,300 sites that administer COVID-19 vaccines.

She said the public health department is planning to roll out a $100 incentive by the end of the month, pending federal approval, and it will likely come in the form of an H-E-B gift card.

Staff writer Scott Huddleston contributed to this article.
New Braunfels is now the third-fastest-growing city in the United States and that has caught the eye of The New York Times.



The newspaper declared in a Thursday morning online headline: How a Remote Town in Texas Became One of Americas Fastest-growing.



The Times, which recently launched its first Texas bureau, has since made two revisions after taking heat on Twitter from New Braunfels local newspaper, area journalists and residents. Critics took issue with the Times remote characterization of the city sandwiched between San Antonio and Austin.

NOT BIGGEST, YET: Why Houston, not Chicago, deserves to be third in the Census

South Texas-based national reporter Edgar Sandoval, who penned the piece, describes how the once quaint town known for its German roots and the Schlitterbahn water park, had been transformed with clusters of sleek apartments, gated communities and big-box stores.

In the lengthy feature, Sandoval traced New Braunfels' humble beginnings and its steady building boom. He quoted the citys mayor, prominent officials and one former resident who said New Braunfels was losing its small-town vibe.

Sandoval also examines how the city is among the fastest-growing places in the nation. Using Census Bureau data released last week, the reporter illustrated how in-demand New Braunfels had become, noting that the city grew by about 56 percent between 2010-2020. The piece also showed how the changing demographics are making the city more diverse and more liberal.

For a short time Thursday afternoon, the city trended locally on Twitter, with scores of users weighing in.

The New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung tweeted: Remote? Were like 20 minutes from the seventh largest city in the country and maybe 40 minutes the other direction from the 11th. Its not like you have to dog sled across the tundra or hack through a jungle to get here.

Whether you call it remote like the New York Times or simply home, theres lots to do in New Braunfels, a Main Street community between Austin & San Antonio thats one of the US' fastest-growing cities.



See the history & heritage that draws people in: https://t.co/9CLU88aqys pic.twitter.com/uBVvLGDVZZ  Texas Historical Commission (@TxHistComm) August 19, 2021

Twitter user Gearis Herdon put it: I hate when I want to go to New Braunfels because its so remote you can only reach it by steam engine.



Michael Board, who works for San Antonios news radio 1200 WOAI, tweeted: Calling New Braunfels remote is exactly what I expect from the same knuckleheads who want to put peas in guac. Do better, @nytimes.

By 11 a.m., the Times had changed its headline from "remote" to "outlying." It's now just "Texas town."



Neither Sadoval nor Jamie Stockwell, the Times deputy national editor overseeing Texas and the South addressed the criticism directly.



Stockwell, who was the San Antonio Express-News managing editor in 2018 before moving to The Times, did describe what it was like growing up in South Texas.



Some of my favorite childhood memories were made in New Braunfels, and specifically summers at Schlitterbahn with my parents and brother, Stockwell said. The quaint town with German roots is now the third-fastest-growing city in the country.

New York Times

Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net
Wakil Kohsar/AFP, Contributor / TNS

As the United States withdraws troops from Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan citizens are fleeing their homeland and into countries around the world. Dan Stoecker, CEO of refugee agency The Alliance, said that the Houston area is preparing to welcome 70 Afghans by the end of August. Most Afghans coming into the country are Special Immigrant Visa holders, which means that they worked with the U.S. military.

An analysis of other data related to refugees entering the U.S. shows there is a long history of Afghan resettlement in Houston. A total of 885 Afghan refugees arrived in Harris County between the years of 1975 and 2018, according to a dataset of U.S. refugee resettlements published late last year. These data are a combination of Office of Refugee Resettlement records and publicly available data obtained from the Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration after 2008.
This article is an opinion piece that was originally published by The New York Times. You can read editorials from the Houston Chronicle's opinion staff here.

Lets talk for a minute about Lollapalooza. After canceling in-person events last year, a few weeks ago Chicago once again hosted the long-running music festival, drawing more than 385,000 people. Many feared that the huge, raucous crowds could produce a coronavirus superspreader event.

But the festival required proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for entry, and it introduced indoor mask requirements halfway through. And very few people appear to have been infected.

What does this tell us? That the return to more or less normal life and its pleasures many expected COVID vaccines to deliver could have happened in the United States. The reason it hasnt  the reason we are instead still living in fear, with hospitals in much of the South nearing breaking point  is that not enough people have been vaccinated and not enough people are wearing masks.

Its possible to have sympathy for some of the unvaccinated, especially workers who find it hard to take time off to get a shot and are worried about losing a day to aftereffects. But theres much less excuse for those who refuse to get their shots or wear masks for cultural or ideological reasons  and no excuse at all for MAGA governors like Ron DeSantis in Florida, Greg Abbott in Texas and Doug Ducey in Arizona who have been actively impeding efforts to contain the latest outbreak.

So how do you feel about anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers? Im angry about their antics, even though Im able to work from home and dont have school-age children. And I suspect that many Americans share that anger.

The question is whether this entirely justified anger  call it the rage of the responsible  will have a political impact, whether leaders will stand up for the interests of Americans who are trying to do the right thing but whose lives are being disrupted and endangered by those who arent.

To say what should be obvious, getting vaccinated and wearing a mask in public spaces arent personal choices. When you reject your shots or refuse to mask up, youre increasing my risk of catching a potentially deadly or disabling disease and also helping to perpetuate the social and economic costs of the pandemic. In a very real sense, the irresponsible minority is depriving the rest of us of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Furthermore, to say something that should also be obvious, those claiming that their opposition to public health measures is about protecting freedom arent being honest.

Most notably, ever since masks became a front in the culture war, it has been clear that many opponents of mask mandates arent merely demanding the right to go unmasked themselves; they want to stop others from acting responsibly. Tucker Carlson has called on his viewers to confront people they encounter who are wearing masks, and there have been scattered reports of violent attacks on mask-wearers.

Also, its striking how quickly supposed conservative principles have been abandoned wherever honoring those principles would help rather than hurt attempts to contain the pandemic.

For decades, conservatives have insisted that business owners should have the right to do as they please  to hire and fire at will, to deny service to whomever they choose. Yet here we have Abbott threatening to pull the liquor licenses of restaurants that ask for proof of vaccination, even as Texas runs out of ICU beds.

Conservatives have also championed local control of education  except, it turns out, when school districts want to protect children with mask rules, in which case MAGA governors want to seize control and cut off their funding.

So the friends of COVID-19 arent motivated by love of freedom. I could offer some hypotheses about their real motives, but understanding whats driving these people is less important than understanding how much harm theyre doing. That goes double for politicians who are cynically playing to the anti-vax, anti-mask crowd.

Recent polling suggests that the public strongly supports mask mandates and that an overwhelming majority of Americans opposes attempts to prevent local school districts from protecting children. I havent seen polling on attempts to prevent businesses from requiring proof of vaccination, but my guess is that these attempts are also unpopular.

But politicians like Abbott and DeSantis are catering to the anti-public health minority because its loud and angry, and they dont think theyll pay any political price.

Well, I think the pro-public-health majority is also getting increasingly angry, and rightly so. It just hasnt been vocal enough  and too few politicians have sought to tap into this righteous rage. (Gavin Newsom, Californias governor, is trying. Hes pointing out, correctly, that voting for his recall would probably install an anti-vaccine, anti-mask fanatic as governor, with dire consequences for the state.)

So its time to stop being diffident and call out destructive behavior for what it is. Doing so may make some people feel that theyre being looked down on. But you know what? Your feelings dont give you the right to ruin other peoples lives.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The crisis in Kabul is visible from space.

Satellite images released this week show thousands of cars lining the streets outside the Kabul airport and marooned crowds clamoring desperately to flee after the Taliban, in a matter of days, erased two decades of American efforts to bring security, stability and civil liberty to Afghanistan.

The relentless footage of Afghans storming an airport tarmac and clinging to planes, some apparently falling to their deaths, shocked and angered the world and shamefully caught our nations leaders off guard. The horrific scenes persist days later, with frantic parents passing children over walls to soldiers amid a haze of gunfire, tear gas and sheer panic.

This is the disastrous outcome  every bit as wrenching as the fall of Saigon in 1975  that President Biden assured Americans we would not see. Because of his compassion, common sense and decades of foreign policy experience, perhaps more than any other president, many believed him. He failed us.

Yes, the president was right to act on his promise to the American people to withdraw from Afghanistan, which has cost more than $2 trillion and more than 2,400 lives. And the presidents no-strings-attached approach seemed more pragmatic than lenient; after all, the best way to ensure the forever war never ended was to insist that a murderous group of seventh century thugs adhere to the stipulations of a gentlemans agreement first.

Likely no level of caution and planning could have prevented the Taliban from reclaiming the country from a half-hearted military whose allegiance to inept, corrupt and opportunistic leaders was never as formidable as their advanced weaponry.

But a steadfast exit plan didnt have to mean a fiasco. Bidens bravery didnt have to mean blindness. Resolve didnt have to mean betrayal of the many Afghan allies who stood with America and now stand to be executed as soon as the last U.S. soldiers depart.

Bidens miscalculations  on Afghan soldiers ability and will to fight without American support, on timing the withdrawal in the height of fighting season, on the amount of time, planning and military support needed to evacuate diplomats, aid workers and Afghan allies  are catastrophic.

America cant undo the damage thats been done. We can only control how much worse it gets.

In leaving Afghanistan, Biden gave us clear insight into his foreign policy doctrine: we wont meddle indefinitely in another countrys civil wars.

Now, he needs to re-commit America to another doctrine: Refugees are welcome here. We have a moral obligation to help Afghans who risked everything to help us. The president must be willing to extend the arbitrary withdrawal deadline of Aug. 31 not just for the evacuation of Americans but for the brave interpreters, fixers and other Afghans who worked and fought through fear alongside American soldiers.

We agree with a bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators who wrote Biden Thursday that American inaction would ensure they become refugees or prime targets for Taliban retribution.

Even before Afghanistan fell, Bidens support for refugees had been spotty. He initially waffled on his promise to raise Trumps low refugee cap, although he quickly reversed himself under pressure from progressives. But a president who ran largely on the virtues of inclusion, compassion and improving Americas moral standing in the world needs to walk the walk. Never more so than now.

Biden said this week that the buck stops with me on the botched pullout, and it does, so he should stop blaming others, including his predecessor and Afghan leadership for the crisis. He owns this moment, and what comes next.

We expect Biden to give us what other wartime presidents wouldnt: the truth, no matter how ugly. No more exaggerating Afghan military strength or downplaying how many translators and other Afghan workers who helped America are caught in the backlog of some 18,000 Special Immigrant Visa applications. Vetting these folks is essential for U.S. security and Biden has increased staff to cut processing time but advocates complain his administration has moved too slowly to expedite applications. Theres got to be a way to further streamline a process that involves five agencies and still averages nine to 12 months to complete.

The U.S. military has the capacity to evacuate 5,000 to 9,000 people per day, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Thursday, but in the most recent 24-hour period, just over 2,000 people got out of Kabul safely via aircraft. The State Department said Thursday afternoon that 6,000 more people there would soon be boarding planes. Since Saturday, officials said, about 7,000 people have been flown out of Kabul, and 5,200 U.S. troops are at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Amid countless reports of violence and intimidation at Taliban checkpoints, U.S. leaders said they cannot guarantee safe passage to the airport, even for Americans still in Afghanistan.

Some right-wing commentators have predictably pivoted to xenophobic rhetoric in arguing against welcoming refugees. But this is no time for Biden to worry about optics or people who cant tell the difference between Southern border asylum-seekers and battlefield allies.

Women and girls in Afghanistan are already receding from public life in the days since the Talibans ascendance. The youngest have no memory of a country where education, jobs and free movement were punishable by death, where women were not citizens but chattel.

The Taliban has assured women theyll be allowed to participate in society within the bounds of Islamic law, which, considering their perverted interpretation of it, is about as comforting as the phrase with all deliberate speed was to Black southerners working to end school segregation in 1955.

Biden rightly said on ABC Wednesday that the U.S. cant militarily engage everywhere in the world to protect womens rights  but our inability to do everything doesnt absolve us of the responsibility to do something.

In Houston, where about 11,800 Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas and others have resettled since 2007, several organizations are preparing to receive more.

These are dedicated people who want to work and get their life restarted, said Dan Stoecker, CEO of The Alliance, which expects to welcome 75 Afghans this month. These are people who have been proven to make Houston thrive.

Houstonians looking to help have plenty of options. Stoecker says his group and others need volunteers. Employers can consider hiring the arriving Afghans, and refugees often make great tenants.

Whether or not this moment defines Biden as president, we cannot let it define America. Our commitment to our allies must be even more enduring than the haunting images of Afghans clinging to military aircraft for salvation. Biden neednt dwell on poll numbers or politics. He must be the president we elected him to be:an experienced leader who owns his mistakes and then opens his arms to the huddled masses who kept their end of the bargain with America and are waiting for America to keep ours.
Regarding Editorial: How can Abbott protect Texas from COVID when he can't protect himself? (Aug. 17): I have been struggling to come up with the right words to express my feelings about the news that Texas governor has come down with COVID. I think reveling in the immediate feeling of schadenfreude would be bad form. Instead, I want to encourage those opposed to simple precautions for our children to wake up. Kids arent vaccinated like the governor. Regeneron therapy is not widely available and is not for children. COVID is not  let me repeat  COVID is not political. Health precautions for children are not political. By banning schools from mandating masks for children our putative leader may have sentenced a number of our children and grandchildren to death.

The failure to lead, demonstrated by his political pandering with the mandate ban, is reprehensible. As stated by the Houston Chronicle in its editorial, our governor is not a champion of personal freedom and is only a mascot of incompetence. My hope is that he recovers, but only after getting sick enough to realize that perhaps he should do all he can to prevent our kids from suffering the same illness.

Tanner Garth, Houston

Your slam at Gov. Abbott in the Wednesday opinion section was predictably snarky and petty. The fact that the governor has an asymptomatic case of COVID does not diminish the validity of his executive orders. Rather it only supports the efficacy of the vaccine as a prophylactic against COVIDs more serious consequences.

Jon Elmendorf, Houston

Criticize the system, not those forced into it

Regarding Editorial: Texas Chief Justice Hecht is a champion of judicial reform. Now he's Exhibit A, (July 30): The inferences drawn by this newspapers recent criticism of Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht are unfair to him and the entire Texas judiciary. As a state, we cling to an outdated elections system that forces judges into politicking, then cry out when they must engage in the political process.

In 2020, the Judicial Fairness PAC (JFPAC) conducted an independent expenditure campaign to re-elect four Texas Supreme Court justices. JFPAC scrupulously complied with Texas law, meaning no one from JFPAC or its contributors had any contact with the candidates or their campaigns. Contributions to JFPAC are public record and reported to the Texas Ethics Commission as required by law. There is no evidence the judges knew about any contributions or expenditures prior to their public release, and its wrong to assert they had any bearing on the outcome of any case. Moreover, focusing only on contributions from corporate defendants glaringly ignores regular contributions made to judges by plaintiffs firms. If we are concerned about campaign contributions impacting judicial decisions, we cant overlook this.

Until Texas has a merit-based judicial selection system, we shouldnt attack judges, PACs or contributors for lawfully participating in a system Texans have selected for themselves.

Lee Parsley, Treasurer of the Judicial Fairness PAC

Afghan refugees

Regarding Grieder: Houston should be ready to welcome Afghan refugees, (Aug. 18): Watching the chaos at the Kabul airport is heartbreaking. Concerns about letting Afghan allies directly into the U.S. means that hundreds, if not thousands, are stuck in Afghanistan due to State Department red tape in getting the necessary visas. Reports are saying that the U.S. is seeking a third country to take Afghans to be processed. Here's a thought: the U.S. has territories and military bases in locations to which we could evacuate these people for the necessary processing. Three immediately come to mind - Guantanamo (Cuba), Guam, and Diego Garcia (an island in the British Indian Ocean Territory with a U.S. military base).

We owe our loyalty to those who were loyal to us over the past 20 years. It will be a crime to abandon these people now.

Aletha Evert, Houston

I am glad we are pulling out of Afghanistan. The factions in that country have been killing each other for centuries. We cannot stop it. My only hope is that the U.S. does not abandon the people who helped our military in country. Leaving those people would be a terrible footnote to this countrys involvement in Afghanistan.

Rusty Knight, Missouri City

In reading your article this morning, I noticed there was no mention of the 5,000 to over 10,000 Americans stranded in Afghanistan who have been told to get to the airport in Kabul, through the Taliban gauntlet, without the guarantee of safe passage from the U.S. government. This is as the Taliban goes door to door looking for them. Our citizens come first and the refugees second. What a debacle created by our failure of a president.

Patti Miller, Houston
As Gov. Greg Abbott fights county governments and school districts in court over mask mandates, one Republican lawmaker has proposed making Abbotts ban on local mask orders the law of the land.

State Rep. Jeff Leachs bill was yet another reason Democrats said they were wary of returning to the Capitol after their six-week standoff away from the Legislature, and it remains a key concern now as they return.

The initial goal of the walkout was to block GOP priority election legislation, which Democrats have said will disenfranchise minority voters and voters with disabilities. But that purpose morphed and expanded, Democratic lawmakers said, and the Leach bill was top of mind.

Heroes leading our school districts have defied Greg Abbotts order and set local policy to protect millions of children and their families from COVID, but those brave efforts are now at risk if the Republican legislative majority has its way, a group of 34 Democrats said in a statement Friday, as they expressed their disappointment in colleagues who had returned to restore the quorum.

While mask mandates and COVID-19 in schools are not on Abbotts agenda for the special session, the governor can always add an item.

Its very possible, House GOP Caucus Chair Rep. Jim Murphy told reporters Thursday. I know there have been a lot of conversations about that. Theres only one person that gets to make that decision and I am not that person.

State Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, said the items on Abbotts 17-point agenda as of now are really partisan, red-meat issues that are designed to not only get Greg Abbott re-elected as governor but set him up to run for the presidency, pointing to bills aimed at transgender athletes, stopping abortion and dictating how teachers can instruct on current events and the history of racism in America.

Those are hallmarks of his agenda, Anchia said. We dont want to be complicit in this really sort of craven political exercise because we take our responsibility as a co-equal branch of government very seriously.

IN-DEPTH: COVID outbreaks in rural Texas districts signal a troubled back-to-school season

Republicans have pointed to more moderate measures on the special session agenda, such as allocation of federal COVID-19 dollars, foster care system improvements and an effort to give retired teachers a pension bonus, known as a 13th check. Murphy said he believes most of those have bipartisan support and will pass fairly quickly.

Leachs bill, House Bill 141, would essentially codify Abbotts executive order that blocked local jurisdictions from enacting mask mandates to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Republican governor has characterized it as a matter of defending Texans liberty to choose whether or not they mask up.

Under the bill, a student cannot be compelled to wear a mask as a condition of the students admission to, continued enrollment in, or attendance at any public school in this state.

That contradicts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

Neither Leach nor Abbott could be reached for comment Thursday. Leach has defended the bill as being about freedom. The governor has not made any public statements about the bill or his willingness to expand the special session agenda to include COVID-19 and schools.

Already, hundreds of COVID cases have been reported at Houston-area school districts with Abbotts order in place. The Texas Supreme Court last week allowed the policy to stay in place while it deliberates.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

A recent Ipsos poll found that two-thirds of Americans oppose state prohibitions on mask mandates. The issue split down partisan lines, however, with 57 percent of Republicans in support compared with just 16 percent of Democrats.

Its just dangerous, Anchia said about Leachs bill. And its going to lead to unnecessary deaths of Texans.

State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, echoed those sentiments on Twitter last week, saying: Dont be fooled. A Texas Special Session under the Republican majority will only wreak more havoc on our communities.

Leach shot back in response with a photo of maskless Texas Democratic lawmakers on a private airplane during their July walkout to Washington, D.C.

My children should be allowed to live their lives like you, Gina, with the freedom to wear a mask or not wear a mask, Leach responded. If you can do it on a plane, certainly my 6-year-old should be able to do it in his classroom.

At least six Democrats, all of whom were vaccinated, contracted COVID-19 within a week of arriving in Washington, causing the group to quarantine in their hotel rooms.

Rep. Shawn Thierry, D-Houston, said Leachs bill could have catastrophic results.

If we codified that, children will die, Thierry said. These are real peoples lives. They should not be political pawns.

Thierry said there are other options even if the state-level suits fail, such as suing in federal court.

Passing Leachs bill into law, she said, would close those options off for at least the next two years when lawmakers meet for the next biennial legislative session.

An attorney and a mother of a third-grader herself, Thierry said she has struggled with what to do with all the uncertainty around COVID-19 precautions in schools. On Thursday morning, she told the Houston Chronicle she made the difficult decision to pull her daughter out of the Houston Independent School District and enroll her in private school.

While the district has said its mandate will remain in place and classes for her daughter have not started yet, Thierry said she worried about its ability to enforce the mask rule.

I had to go somewhere where I know (COVID-19 rules) will be abided by, she said. Im a product of public schools; I support them. My daughter was in a magnet program. To have to pull her out now  shes been there since kinder  is just devastating to us, but even she had the maturity at 8 years of age to say she could accept it.  I cant play Russian roulette with my daughter.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com

twitter.com/taygoldenstein
The Texas House, after six weeks, finally has a quorum, and a committee hearing on the contentious elections bill that triggered the standoff has already been called for Saturday.

The Legislature has been at a standstill since Democrats left the state during last months special session and have remained out of the Capitol since, an extreme measure taken to avoid a vote on the GOP priority election bill.

The gap closed Thursday after three Houston-area representatives reappeared in the chamber after weeks of absence. Their presence brought the chamber to the 99 members needed to restore a quorum and vote on legislation.

State Reps. Garnet Coleman, Ana Hernandez and Armando Walle, all from Houston, entered the chamber about 5 p.m. with Walle pushing Coleman, whos recovering from amputation surgery, in a wheelchair. Chatter in the room came to a full stop as they walked through the door.

In a statement released minutes before they arrived on the floor, the representatives said they returned to address the delta-driven COVID-19 surge and its effect on schoolchildren.

It is time to move past these partisan legislative calls, and to come together to help our state mitigate the effects of the current COVID-19 surge by allowing public health officials to do their jobs, provide critical resources for school districts to conduct virtual learning when necessary, while also ensuring schools are a safe place for in-person instruction, and will not become a series of daily super-spreader events, the statement read.

Coleman, giving the invocation on Thursday, told members he hoped they would look inside about where we want this world to go, this state, this House, and look at it from the perspective of trying to find as much common ground as can be found.

With a quorum present, the House was able to accept bills from the Senate, including SB 1, the elections legislation.

The Senate has also already passed a host of other bills on Gov. Greg Abbotts 17-point agenda for the session, such as blocking transgender student athletes from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity, restricting abortion-inducing drugs and reducing opportunities for cashless bail for serious offenders.

A committee hearing is set for Saturday morning at which the panel will consider both the elections and bail legislation.

The elections bill would limit early voting options, add new vote-by-mail ID requirements, create new criminal penalties on the state election code and expand the power of partisan poll watchers. Republicans say the measures are necessary to ensure the integrity of future elections, while Democrats say they are calculated to limit voting access and discourage involvement.

Its yet to be seen whether the House will retain the minimum members needed throughout the rest of the session.

Members, this has been a very long summer, weve been through a lot. I appreciate you all being here, and I appreciate the members who made quorum today, Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said as he adjourned the House until 4 p.m. Monday. Its time to get back to the business of the people of Texas.

House Republican Caucus Chair Jim Murphy, R-Houston, interviewed just moments after a quorum was met, said it was like prayers being answered. Murphy said he and other Republicans had been applying pressure for weeks, urging colleagues to come back to the chamber for good-faith discussions.

With just a couple of weeks left in the session, there is limited time for the Legislature to move bills on Abbotts agenda. Murphy said he was confident that the House will be able to approve all the bills sent over by the Senate so far.

We can get our work done, and those of us who have waited all this time, coming here every day for the last six weeks, feel vindicated, Murphy said.

Some Democratic members expressed surprise and bitterness at their colleagues return on Twitter. Rep. Donna Howard, of Austin, said the members did not let the caucus know ahead of time.

Guess what the other defecting Democrats have accomplished by going back  NOTHING! wrote Rep. Ana Maria Ramos of Dallas.

Others were more supportive.

Serving with Ana, Walle, and Garnet has taught me that they are consistently guided by their values, wrote Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood. I believe them when they say that they believe they can do more good on the House floor than off of it. Those who share values can disagree on tactics.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, in a statement stressed that through the walkout, members had secured major victories and pushed up the timetable on federal legislation, including the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which could get a U.S. House vote next week.

All 66 members of the Democratic Caucus oppose Texas Republicans efforts to erect deliberate barriers to voting, barriers based on the Big Lie, Turner said. We will fight with everything we have in this special session to protect Texas voters and push for real solutions to the actual issues families in our state face every day.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
Talks between Chicago and its teachers union are stalled  but teachers will still return for first day of school
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The McCann School Committee on Thursday holds its first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

McCann School Committee Opts Not to Require Masks

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Students at McCann Technical School will not be required to wear face coverings when the 2021-22 academic year gets underway next month.

On Thursday, the Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School District Committee voted 10-1 to support a recommendation from Superintendent James Brosnan that the district follow to the letter a July 30 memo from the commonwealth's commissioner of education.

That state guidance recommends unvaccinated school personnel, students and visitors wear masks indoors but stops short of requiring the face coverings and says schools may "allow vaccinated students to remain unmasked."

"[The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Public Health] strongly recommend that unvaccinated staff in all grades, unvaccinated students in Grades 7 and above, and unvaccinated visitors wear masks indoors, in alignment with the statewide advisory on masking," Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley's four-page memo reads in part. "DESE and DPH recommend that schools allow vaccinated students to remain unmasked."

The guidance was formulated in July when positive cases were extremely low; the numbers have risen sharply in the last three weeks but the state has not altered its guidance as of yet.

Brosnan on Thursday told the School Committee that if the state's guidance changes, he would be able to implement more restrictive measures without requiring the panel to convene for another vote.

"I've got to go with DPH, and that's where DESE comes from," Brosnan said. "When we stay with that guidance, we eliminate any of the decision making. If this doesn't work out, and we get cases, OK, we've got to do something different.

"They're still pushing: This is our guidance. It would be easy for me to say, 'Everyone has to wear a mask.'  If we stay with the higher HQ guidance, then we can adjust later if we have to."

DESE is "strongly recommending" that pupils in pre-K through sixth grade wear masks while indoors; that population currently is not eligible to receive vaccines. McCann Tech exclusively serves students in Grades 9 through 12, who have been eligible to receive vaccines since the spring.

A couple of times during a lengthy conversation with the School Committee, Brosnan noted that he cannot ask students or staff about their vaccination status without violating privacy laws.

When asked if he had data on what percentage of high school age kids are vaccinated, Brosnan said statewide it is estimated that about a third have been vaccinated for COVID-19.

That prompted another member of the committee to say the school should expect two-thirds of the students wearing masks in September.

"Yes, if they're honest," Brosnan replied.

"You're cheating yourself and others if you're unvaccinated and not wearing a mask. Shame on you."

Brosnan said that allowing vaccinated students and staff to go maskless will provide an incentive to get the vaccine and that the school will continue to promote a pro-vaccination message to its community.

A couple of members of the School Committee challenged Brosnan on his decision to adhere strictly to the language in the DESE guidance.

One committee member said he has a relative who is a teacher at a school in Tennessee, which he characterized as, "even more lax than we are in Massachusetts," that has a 20 percent positivity rate for the novel coronavirus.

"I feel masks are for everyone," he said. "But that's just me. In the future, things are going to start rising again."

Adams' Bruce Shepley was the lone member of the School Committee to vote against Brosnan's recommendation.

"As a health-care provider, I think that following the guidance  that's the easy way out," said Shepley, a registered nurse. "I would like to see the district take a stronger position on that and not lean back on something that says, 'We're OK because the state says so and we're following the minimum.'

"If Big Y is saying you can't come in without a mask or Walmart is going in that direction or the restaurants in New York City  I think we have a higher responsibility."

The reaction to Thursday's vote on social media was, predictably, divided.

One commenter on the iBerkshires.com Facebook post asked, "Do they really think the unvaccinated are going to wear masks?"

But many echoed an individual who wrote, "So thankful for this decision, leave it up to the individual."
Design consultant John Gill presents the project goals for the Holmes Road bridge on Thursday.

'Accelerated' Holmes Road Bridge to Be Done in Fall 2023



Above, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier says abutters need to be heard because a bridge closure will directly impact them. State Sen. Adam Hinds, right, asks MassDOT officials why the process was taking so long.

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Under an accelerated construction schedule, the Holmes Road bridge is staged to be finished in fall 2023 after a 60-day closure over the preceding summer.

Nearly a year and a half after the bridge was deemed unsafe for two-way traffic, the project is at a pre-25 percent design phase.



The state Department of Transportation says it has done all it can to fix the "structurally obsolete" bridge.



At a public hearing on Thursday, local and state officials spoke for residents who are frustrated by the seemingly long process.



State Sen. Adam Hinds said it is hard to for residents to feel good about this process with such extended timelines since the bridge has already been closed for some time and speculated on what the underlying factors were.



"We're often trying to put a good face on what government does, but boy, oh, boy, it's tough to put a good face on the fact that the design segment was about two years and so I guess one question becomes, how do we fix that problem? Is it a money problem? Is that a personnel problem?" he asked.



"I happen to be someone who likes bureaucracy, I think it serves a role when it comes to ensuring public safety and due diligence and double-checking and triple-checking things for safety measures, but it feels like at each step of this project, we've been hitting our head against prolonged timeframes that just can't quite seem to accelerate, even though from MassDOT's perspective they're accelerating."



State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier seconded the community's frustration with the project's extended timeline and highlighted the need for including the opinions of abutters when deciding when to close the road for 60 days.



"It's the opinions of the people in this room and other abutters and neighbors who I would very much value in helping to make that decision," she said. "Because bridge closure is going to impact these people the most."



Mayor Linda Tyer was also in attendance.



The bridge over the Housatonic Rail line was reduced to alternating one-lane traffic in March 2019 because of issues with carrying capacity and a temporary traffic signal was implemented to mitigate the flow of vehicles.



During a routine inspection of the bridge in May 2018, MassDOT engineers identified conditions that warranted further analysis into the structure's load-carrying capacity. These include "severely deteriorated" beams on the east side of the structure.



It was determined that the bridge could only remain open with single-lane, alternating one-way traffic until repairs are done.



Built in 1977, the bridge is in need of a superstructure replacement that includes bridge demolition, concrete repair to the existing substructure, pre-cast beam erection, a cast-in-place topping slab, sidewalk, and safety curb construction, and new pavement on approaches and over the bridge.



The proposal is for a single-span bridge with the existing abutments reused with modifications. The width will be slightly less than the existing bridge but will accommodate a larger sidewalk and painted buffer bike lanes.



The cost is not yet determined but MassDOT has allocated $2,868,450, a combination of 80 percent federal funding with a 20 percent state match.



To complete the bridge, MassDOT is proposing a complete roadway closure in summer 2023 while using an accelerated bridge construction schedule and extended work hours.



Because the bridge was in the program for replacement, if the team had gone the "conventional" way it would have been looking at an end date of 2025.



They were able to convince the state to accelerate the program and it was placed in the state Transportation Improvement Program for the federal fiscal year 2022.



Ward 4 Councilor Chris Connell said this process should have begun before COVID-19 to be proactive.



"The bridge has been postponed almost two and a half years, let's just put COVID off to the side, that's a year over a lot in everyone's lives," he added. "But we have almost a year and a half before that, that even if we did not have the federal funds to do the actual construction or reconstruction of the bridge why didn't we at least have some of the design work done ahead of time so that we would be in a better position right now to jumpstart this program?"



Reportedly, the team has been working on this project since May 2019 and hit a "ton of roadblocks."



A number of abutters attended the hearing to voice their concerns on the timeline. Noise mitigation was mentioned as a request from neighbors, one abutter saying they have been "put through the wringer" with the noise of trucks stopping at the temporary traffic light.



Andrew Wrinn, a candidate for Ward 4, expressed concern over the bridge closure's impact on firefighters in the area.



Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales said that previously, Pittsfield firefighters were housed in Lenox.



"I agree with your timeline, I agree with what you're suggesting, noise is an issue, we know that, traffic's an issue, we know that," Holmes Road resident Stephen Johnson said.



"I'm living south of the bridge, I'll be traffic-free, with the exception of construction vehicles for two months, I can live with that, it's a temporary inconvenience and we all got to know that, the fact that we have to put up with it for another year, year and a half before anything's actually helped, it's the way it is."



MassDOT is encouraging feedback, which can be submitted to Carrie E. Lavallee, P.E., Acting Chief Engineer, at MassDOTProjectManagement@dot.state.ma.us or to Suite 6340, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Project Management, Project File No. 611955.
Pittsfield Man Sentenced Who Attacked Woman With A Hammer

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  On Wednesday, Judge Jane Mulqueen sentenced Curtis McGirt, 45, to serve five to seven years in state prison on charges of breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony, aggravated assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, and malicious destruction of property over $250.

Judge Mulqueen also sentenced McGirt to serve concurrent time at the Berkshire County House of Correction on single counts of threat to commit a crime, assault and battery, and malicious destruction of property.

The state's sentencing guidelines recommend a sentence of four to six years.

The case dates back to Sept. 10, 2016, when McGirt first pushed in a screen window, damaging property inside the home, and assaulted the victim. He returned to the house later and struck the victim with a hammer.

"I thank the Pittsfield Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory for their investigation into this violent assault. This conviction holds Mr. McGirt accountable for his actions and provides the victim an opportunity to heal," District Attorney Andrea Harrington said.
Tropical Storm Henri is projected to make landfall in New England as a Category 1 hurricane. It's on track to hit the eastern part of the state but could shift west as it comes up the coast.

Henri Swerves Left, Bringing Rain, Wind to Berkshires

They're putting up the new flood barriers at Aquarium. @universalhub pic.twitter.com/bAzQD1L2bG  Nicholas Bauer, PhD  (@BioTurboNick) August 20, 2021

Tropical Storm Henri shifted left in is track to New England late on Friday, putting much of Long Island, Connecticut and Western Mass in the crosshairs. Currently at tropical storm level, it is expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it churns north on Saturday.

The storm was expected to arrive over the east end of the Bay State and have significant impact as far west as Worcester. But now landfall is forecast over eastern Long Island and through the center of Connecticut.

The Berkshire was forecast for heavy rain but now its expected to get anywhere from 4 to 10 inches from Saturday through Monday. The heaviest rainfall is forecast for Sunday afternoon into Sunday night. Wind gusts will reach 25 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 in Southern Berkshire and parts of Connecticut.

The forecast for the Berkshires is cloudy on Saturday with a stray thunderstorm later in the evening and temperatures in the 80s. Sunday will be cloudy with a 25 percent chance rain, and much higher chance on Monday.

For now, the Susan B. Anthony daylong celebration in Adams is still on for Saturday; but Williamstown's Summer Sunday street fair is now canceled. We will list any updates on cancellations on the iBerkshires Facebook page.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday was urging residents to prepare for the arrival of the hurricane, which is expected to affect much of the state beginning Saturday night into Monday, including the potential for strong winds, heavy rain, flooding and power outages.

Visitors to Cape Cod and the islands were strong encouraged to cut their vacations short and leave by Saturday or to extend their plans into next week.

The National Guard was activated to fulfill high-water rescue, debris clearing and public safety support from impacted communities. The activation order allows for up to 1,000 guardsmen and will remain in place until support is no longer needed.

"I know that August weekends in Massachusetts are usually a great time to be outside and enjoy what's left of the rest of summer, but it looks like this storm is going to have a big impact on the commonwealth, and we really would urge everybody to do everything they can stay home on Sunday, and to be mindful of the fact that the high winds and the rain that come with the storm will in fact create issues across the commonwealth," Baker said during a press conference on the storm livestreamed from Boston.

The Berkshires are so far in the "hazardous weather outlook," according to the National Weather Service office in Albany, N.Y. NWS says there is a chance for thunderstorms Saturday through Monday, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours and there is the potential for flooding.

That could change depending on Henri's track, which on Friday has its center driving up the Connecticut/Rhode Island border, through east central Massachusetts and then along the south coast of New Hampshire.

The storm is about 700 miles south of New York City, which has a storm surge watch for the Bronx and Northern Queens. A tropical storm and surge watches also are in effect for southern Connecticut. The eastern end of the state and much of Rhode Island are under hurricane watch.

"This is the most serious hurricane risk in New England in 30 years, since Hurricane Bob in 1991," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said. Henri is rated a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact Scale for Hurricanes due to the anticipated rainfall, damaging winds and storm surge set to impact New England.

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Pat Carnevale said it was important for the public to prepare for storm conditions. Those in the path should make sure devices are charged, their gas tanks are full and they have stored outside furniture and other materials. More information on emergency preparedness can be found here.

"We've activated the SEOC, State Emergency Operations Center," he said. "We've also activated the two regional offices, one in Tewkesbury and one in Agawam, and those will be activated partially today, and then fully on Saturday and Sunday."

Carnevale said the team is in "constant contact" with the National Weather Service and has been getting briefings twice a day on the condition and track of the storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is also part of those conversations and resources  tarps, food, water, generators  are being positioned ahead of Henri's arrival.

National Grid said it positioning more than 3,000 personnel as part of its response team.

"Our message is simple and really, to reiterate what the governor said, we need to take this storm seriously," he said.

The goveror added, "So the shorthand is Sunday really should be a stay at home day for everybody who can make it one."

Henri is arriving one week before the 10th anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene, which hit Northern Berkshire, eastern New York, and Vermont hard on Aug. 21, 2011. Irene, which made landfall as a hurricane, damaged roads and bridges, swept away homes and trees, and flooded large areas.

Worst hit was the Spruces Mobile Home Park in Williamstown, which flooded when the Hoosic River overflowed its banks for the first time in decades. The retirement community was washed out and had to be abandoned; it is currently being used as a low-impact recreation area.

Some 13 miles of the historic Mohawk Trail was buried, broken, washed away, undermined or otherwise made impassable after the passage of Irene. The damage left small towns along the state highway isolated, their residents forced to take long detours to reach schools, stores and hospitals. It cut off North Berkshire from I-91 and Greenfield for the three months it took to rebuild the bridge, road and banks of the Cold River.

Someone is going to see 5-8 inches of rain from #Henri. The challenge is where. Inland flooding from this could be major in areas subjected to so much rainfall. pic.twitter.com/XtxwZl3rJ2  Dave Epstein (@growingwisdom) August 20, 2021

. @ericfisher and I are watching that western trend in some models.



A western track would be a lesser impact storm for eastern MA, but worse for CT/NYC. pic.twitter.com/p2jwV5p8YN  Jacob Wycoff (@4cast4you) August 20, 2021
Apple to pay $300 million for infringing wireless patents

A US jury has determined that Apple should pay $300 million after an East Texas-based federal court ruled that Apple had infringed a range of Optis-owned wireless standard-essential patents, Reuters reports.

This isnt the first time that Apple has appeared in court accused of infringing Optis wireless patents. In 2020, a court awarded Optis, PanOptis Patent Management and Unwired Planet $506 million in royalties after it concluded Apple violated their LTE patents.

But US district judge Rodney Gilstrap forced a retrial in the case over concerns that the jury in the original case didnt determine if the $506 million settlement was based on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.

In an emailed statement, an Apple spokesperson said: We thank the jury for their time but are disappointed by the verdict and plan to appeal.

"Optis makes no products and its sole business is to sue companies using patents they accumulate. We will continue to defend against their attempts to extract unreasonable payments."

Twitter tweaks redesign following user complaints

Twitter has been forced to tweak its redesigned platform because some users experienced discomfort and headaches, as reported by the BBC.

The redesign included high-contrast colours and a new Twitter-designed font called Chirp, but these changes were met with criticism from many users.

In one tweet identified by the BBC, a user complained that the sites smaller and denser font caused eye strain when reading. Meanwhile, another user warned that people with visual and processing impairments may find it impossible to read the new font.

Responding to these concerns, Twitters accessibility team explained that it was making contrast changes on all buttons to make them easier on the eyes because you told us the new look is uncomfortable for people with sensory sensitivities.

As well as making contrast changes, Twitters accessibility account tweeted that we've identified issues with the Chirp font for Windows users and are actively working on a fix.

US government announces investigation into Tesla cars

US government officials are to investigate Teslas autonomous driving system, Autopilot, over fears it struggles to identify stationary emergency response vehicles.

As reported by Fortune, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation after discovering eleven instances of Tesla vehicles crashing when emergency response vehicles were also at the scene.

In official documents, the NHTSA explained that the vast majority of these accidents happened at night and involved emergency response scenes with first responder vehicle lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board and road cones. Each Tesla vehicle used either Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control in the run-up to the incidents.

As part of its investigation, the NHTSA will probe 765,000 Tesla cars released between 2014 and 2021. They include the Tesla Model Y, Model X, Model S and Model 3.

The investigation will assess the technologies and methods used to monitor, assist, and enforce the driver's engagement with the dynamic driving task during Autopilot operation, said NHTSA.

The investigation will additionally assess the OEDR by vehicles when engaged in Autopilot mode, and ODD in which the Autopilot mode is functional. The investigation will also include examination of the contributing circumstances for the confirmed crashes listed below and other similar crashes.

Google and Facebook team up on subsea internet cable

Google and Facebook are teaming up to build a new undersea cable aimed at improving internet connectivity across the Asia-Pacific, as reported by CNET.

The Apricot undersea cable will link Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. Its set to launch in 2024 and will span 12,000 kilometers.

Undersea cables play an important part in the modern world, transporting internet data from country to country. In fact, its believed that 98% of global internet traffic travels via undersea cables.

Apricot is the latest subsea cable unveiled by Google this year - in March, it announced the Echo undersea cable, which will connect the US, Singapore, Guam and Indonesia.

Bikash Koley, VP and head of global networking at Google, explained in a blog post: The Echo and Apricot cables are complementary submarine systems that will offer benefits with multiple paths in and out of Asia, including unique routes through southern Asia, ensuring a significantly higher degree of resilience for Google Cloud and digital services.

Together theyll provide businesses and startups in Asia with lower latency, more bandwidth, and increased resilience in their connectivity between Southeast Asia, North Asia and the United States.

Think tank calls for right to disconnect law

Independent think tank Autonomy has warned about an epidemic of hidden overtime as more people work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, as reported by IT Pro.

Autonomy has proposed new right to disconnect legislation that would mean employees can ignore work-based emails and phone calls outside of working hours.

It claims that this could be implemented quickly and easily if the government makes two changes to the Employment Rights Act 1996.

The first would be the creation of a right to disconnect law, while the second would be a law that enables workers to hold employers accountable in an employment tribunal should they ignore this rule.

Will Stronge, director of research at Autonomy, said: The Covid pandemic has accelerated the need to create much clearer boundaries between work-life and home-life.

By enshrining a right to disconnect in British law, workers will be able to take back some control of their lives. British workers put in longer full-time hours than most of Europe and action is needed at the level of government to address these fundamentally unsustainable working conditions.

Facebook bans 3,000 accounts for spreading COVID-19 misinformation

Facebook banned more than 3,000 accounts, pages and groups that spread COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation on its platform between the beginning of the pandemic and June 2021, as reported by Engadget.

In addition, the US social media giant also deleted 20 million pieces of COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook and Instagram.

The firm also issued warnings on 190 million pieces of COVID-19 misinformation after its fact-checkers said they were false, partly false, altered or missing context.

COVID-19 is still a major public health issue, and we are committed to helping people get authoritative information, including vaccine information, explained Facebook in a media release. We continue to remove harmful COVID-19 misinformation and prohibit ads that try to exploit the pandemic for financial gain.

Security roundup

Hackers have stolen the records of 47.8 million current, former and prospective T-Mobile customers, as reported by IT Pro. The company confirmed on Tuesday that the account information of 7.8 million current post-paid customers had been breached, while records of more than 40 million former and prospective customers also appeared in compromised files.

Virtual private networks were downloaded 616 million times in the first part of 2021, according to new research from Atlas VPN. Last year, VPN downloads totalled 277 million. VPNs are tools that allow people to browse the web anonymously and access geo-restricted web content.

83 million internet-connected devices have been affected by a critical risk vulnerability, according to new research from US cybersecurity firm Mandiant. The security flaw, which is named CVE-2021-28732 and has a CVSS3.0 score of 9.6, affected devices that used the ThroughTek Kalay network and could allow cybercriminals to listen to live audio, watch real-time video data and compromise device credentials for further attacks  including remote code execution  based on the exposed devices functionality. Devices included IoT cameras, smart baby monitors and digital video recorders.

Most IT decision-makers are concerned that nation-state tools, techniques and procedures could be assessed by hackers on the dark web and leveraged in cyberattacks against their organisations, according to a new survey from HP Wolf Security. Worryingly, 58% of respondents think their organisation could one day be targeted directly in a nation-state attack. Meanwhile, 70% of IT leaders are worried about becoming collateral damage in a cyberwar. They have a range of concerns regarding nation-state cyber attacks, including sabotage of IT systems and data (49%), disruption to business operations (43%), theft of customer data (43%), impact on revenues (42%) and theft of sensitive company documents (42%).

BlackBerry for months hid the fact that its QNX real-time operating system could be breached by hackers due to a serious security flaw, according to a report by Politico. Older versions of the software, which are still used by 200 million cars in addition to hospital and factory equipment, were affected by a flaw dubbed BadAlloc. But two Politico sources, aware of talks between BlackBerry and American federal cybersecurity officials, claim that the firm at one point failed to acknowledge that the flaw affected its products and was reluctant to announce this news publicly. Yet different companies whose products were impacted by BadAlloc warned their customers of the flaw in May.

M&A roundup

American technology firm Cisco has acquired Israel-based application monitoring firm Epsagon for $500 million, as reported by TechCrunch. In a blog post, Cisco chief strategy officer Liz Centoni said the acquisition will allow Cisco to expand and accelerate its full-stack observability roadmap.

Paysafe, a London-headquartered specialised payments platform, is to acquire Latin American online payments platform SafetyPay in a $441 million all-cash deal. According to Paysafe, the deal will allow it to scale in the Latin American region, take advantage of the nascent open banking ecosystem and build on its acquisition of PagoEfectivo.

German software giant SAP has confirmed its acquiring the intellectual property of SwoopTalent, a platform that automatically links different talent systems and data, in an undisclosed deal. SAP said itll embed SwoopTalents machine learning and data technology in its SuccessFactors solutions.

Conga, commercial and revenue operations transformation experts, has acquired contract management software firm Contract Wrangler for an undisclosed amount. Conga said the acquisition will boost its growth and expansion plans.

American fintech firm Brex has acquired Weav, which offers a universal API for commerce platforms, in a $50 million deal. Brex claims that the deal will allow it to accelerate its international growth plans by establishing an innovation hub in Israel.

5G handsets will make up 50% of smartphone sales in 2025

5G capable handsets will be responsible for generating half of smartphone sales revenue in 2025, according to new data from Juniper Research. It found that 5G smartphones sales will total $108 billion in 2021, before growing threefold to $337 billion by 2025.

Juniper Research also predicts that the international prices of Android smartphones will be 65% less than iPhone prices in 2025, making them highly affordable for people living in emerging markets. As a result, Android handsets will dominate 5G markets in places like Latin America.

But in advanced economies such as North America and Europe, Juniper Research forecasts that iPhones will account for 40% of international smartphone sales in 2025 due to their enduring popularity

While the 5G smartphone market is set to enjoy impressive growth in the years to come, Juniper Research questions whether this will last forever. It believes that new right-to-repair laws in North America and Europe, which could encourage more people to repair ageing handsets instead of buying newer models, may slow down 5G smartphone sales in the long-term.

Adam Wears, who authored the research, said: The effect of these laws will not be felt initially, as consumers adopt 5G smartphones to leverage the high speeds and reduced latency of 5G networks. Hardware vendors must use this opportunity to build out new device capabilities to encourage consumers to continue regularly upgrading and avoid churn to competitors.
There are two overdose awareness walks coming up at the end of the month in Shelton and Belfair. It's the fifth year folks have been walking to raise awareness of overdose in Mason County. Abe Gardner and Jamie Ellertsen came on iFIBER One KMAS to talk about the walks and the meaning behind 
"We had one instance of a family being threatened and told the only way they would be left in peace is if their daughter - a journalist - married the local Taliban commander." As the taliban now control the country, the IFJ monitoring of the situation on the ground and the many requests for emergency support reveal panic and fear amongst Afghanistans media community. Jeremy Dear is the IFJ Deputy General Secretary and is co-ordinating the emergency response to the situation in Afghanistan. He tells us about the situation on the ground and how the federation and its local affiliates are helping journalists in need.

Credit: A girl runs towards an airport shuttle bus as people disembark off a Royal Air Force military transport aircraft carrying evacuees from Afghanistan and arriving at Al-Maktoum International Airport in the United Arab Emirates on August 19, 2021. Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

How can you describe the situation of journalists and other media professionals in Afghanistan at the moment and what are you hearing from Afghan journalists?

J.D: It is an incredibly challenging time for media workers. Many are fearful for their lives, women journalists are being prevented from working, some media have been forced to close, hundreds have fled or are trying to leave the country. At the same time others are trying to continue to work as journalsts but with a threat hanging over them and with severe restrictions on what they can report. Despite the propaganda that there would be no revenge by the taliban there have been reports of door to door searches for journalists and threats against many of them.

What does the Taliban takeover mean for press freedom? Can we trust their promises to respect press freedom? We heard that TOLO, an independent news channel, was still operating in Kabul for example.

J.D: We should take such promises with a large pinch of salt. There are still media operating but even for them it is unclear what the rules will be. What is journalism based on the principles of Sharia law, what kind of independent journalism is it when the Taliban will tell you what you can and can't report and who can and can't work?

Reports mentions that some female journalists in Kaboul were sent home by the Taliban on their way to work and that many feared for their lives throughout the country. What are you hearing from them?

J.D: Women journalists are particularly fearful. Many have been prevented from working, many are now in hiding. Among those trying to flee the country the majority are women. We had one instance of a family being threatened and told the only way they would be left in peace is if their daughter - a journalist - married the local Taliban commander.

How are IFJ Afghan affiliates AIJA and ANJU coping with the situation? Are they under threat too?

J.D: Organisations supporting journalists are facing enormous difficulties because they themselves face danger, it is hard to get money into the country to help them support the hundreds who need safe passage, a safe house, food, shelter, internet connections and so on and they are overwhelmed by requests for help. Despite this there are those, like our colleagues from AIJA, who have been working tirelessly, day and night, to provide what support they can and we are determined to help them do that.

Can you describe the work IFJ is doing to help journalists on the ground? Have you received many requests for evacuation?

J.D: We have received hundreds of requests for help - either for evacuation or for assistance for those who have moved from one province of Afghanistan to another to escape threats.

We are working at a number of levels - helping to process and check each application for support, meeting with governments and others who can help to provide safe passage and asylum for those fleeing, working with our colleagues in Pakistan to help journalists get special visas and to be able to survive once they reach Pakistan, lobbying governments to accept more of those needing to flee and helping to get them to the airport, raising funds to help provide humanitarian assistance and solidarity with those on the ground, developing safe spaces for people to stay, have access to internet, get food and shelter. Many of our affiliates are also lobbying and negotiating directly with international media employers to get their staff to safety.

How do you see the situation on the ground evolving for the press in the upcoming days?

J.D: The next few days are crucial for the evacuation plan - no one knows how long US troops may stay at the airport and once they leave that route is effectively closed to the majority. For the media who are continuing to work there are discussions with the Taliban to try to understand what their announcements mean in terms of how journalists can operate - what topics are off-limits, what pictures can they publish, can women work. Others who have fled will be starting to set up operations in exile but many of them will need the support of the international community to help fund smaller media to enable them to continue to report on what is happening in Afghanistan. We are lobbying donors and governments to try to secure funds to enable media to keep working.

What do you recommend our affiliates and their members do to help Afghan colleagues and ensure they are safe?

J.D: If anyone receives applications for assistance please forward them to the IFJ so we can co-ordinate the appeals to governments. Please lobby your own governments to ask them to agree to provide safe refuge for journalists and their families forced to flee - this includes helping them to subsist while in the host country. It is important it is not restricted just to journalists who worked for the host country's national media but is open to all Afghan journalists.

If affiliates can please help support the special fundwe have established - the response has been amazing but much more is needed. Send that appeal to branches and local organisations who may also be able to contribute. Ask your government to donate funds.
Even when it was illegal in his home country, serial entrepreneur Joe Spector was driven to become a founder.

In 2017, Spector co-founded Hims, a telehealth and over-the-counter prescription drugs company focused on treatments for erectile dysfunction (ED) and male baldness. Then this summer, he applied the Hims telehealth model to veterinary services and co-founded Dutch.

Simply having the ability to pursue entrepreneurship is something Spector has never taken for granted.

Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Spector says that growing up, it was made clear by the Soviet Union government that anything entrepreneurial could potentially result in being sent to a labor camp in Siberia. Despite the risks, his grandfather ran an illegal dentist practice in Spector's home and Spector has memories of his mom nervously watching for anyone suspicious coming by the house to report him. From early on, his family's traits rubbed off on him. "I'm someone who just never followed rules or listened to authority," he says.

Due to antisemitism concerns, Joe and his parents left Uzbekistan in 1989 and lived in a refugee camp in Italy before getting political asylum status to come to the U.S in 1990 -- living out of a suitcase with only $100 to the family's name. Settling in Fremont, California, Spector's dad gave him life-changing advice: If you really want to succeed in this country, you have to be an entrepreneur.

"I remember those words when I was 10 and I've never forgotten that," he says. "Having to be scrappy my whole life, having to be a survivor -- those skills have helped me." Focusing on studying hard, Spector went to the University of California Berkeley's Haas School of Business and then got his MBA from Wharton in 2007.

A decade later, Spector co-founded Hims and launched Hers a year into the business, which focuses on women's health, including access to birth control and mental health prescriptions like anti-depressants. In 2020, the companies combined as Hims & Hers and went public through a SPAC that valued it at $1.6 billion.

Spector's biggest lesson from Hims & Hers was the importance of branding. "A lot of first-time startup entrepreneurs are so short-term ROI focused that they don't invest in branding, which is a long-term investment," Spector says, adding that doing so was key to Hims's success. Importantly, Hims & Hers's branding focused on eliminating stigmas for touchy subjects like ED and mental health with friendly messaging and subtle packaging that didn't make customers want to hide pill bottles out of embarrassment.

Spector carried that branding lesson over to Dutch. Inspired by his own adoption of a corgi puppy during the pandemic and anticipating the separation anxiety his pooch will likely feel as Spector returns to the office, Dutch connects pet owners with vets to prescribe medication and treatments for ailments ranging from anxiety to fleas to allergies, with prescriptions shipped to their door.

Dutch is in good company in the growing pet care industry, which is seeing growth in convenience and accessibility solutions -- just this summer, doggy daycare company Rover went public, veterinary company Modern Animal raised $75 million, and online pet pharmacy Mixlab raised $20 million.

For Spector, the decision to start another telehealth company right after exiting his first was fueled by a love of building early-stage companies that he first discovered at Wharton. Even after seeing his first startup mature, the itch to build never went away. His advice for other serial entrepreneurs? Remember that climbing Mount Everest starts with taking one step.
In 1938, Jewish department-store magnate Max Emden, who left Germany before the Nazis took power, sold three city views by 18th-century painter Bernardo Bellotto to an art buyer for Hitler.

The works, which were with Emden in Switzerland, were destined for the Fuhrermuseum that Hitler planned for Linz, Austria, but never built.

During the Second World War, the paintings were hidden in an Austrian salt mine. Officers of the Allied Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Unit  known as the Monuments Men  recovered them at the end of the war, and two of the Bellottos were returned to the German government. The third, The Marketplace at Pirna, was mistakenly sent to the Netherlands.

In 2019, Germany returned those two works to Emdens heirs after the governments advisory commission on Nazi-looted art determined that Emden was a victim of the systematic destruction of peoples economic livelihoods by the Third Reich as a tool of National Socialist racial policy.

But the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, which ultimately came to possess the third Bellotto, has rejected the Emden heirs claims since 2007. Its director, Gary Tinterow, argues that Emden sold the painting voluntarily and, that after conducting provenance research and consulting lawyers, we concluded that we had good title.

The different evaluations reflect the difficulty of building consensus on what constitutes a sale under duress. In 2009, the Terezin Declaration, an international agreement approved by the United States and 46 other nations, specified that the need to find just and fair solutions to looted art in museum collections extended to works that had been sold under duress.

Understanding market conditions and prices 80 years after the fact can be a daunting exercise. But in some cases, defining duress has not been difficult. The Nazis simply forced some Jewish art dealers to auction their inventories, for example, at prices well below market. Many Jewish collectors also were forced to sell paintings to fund their escape from Germany and pay the Reich flight tax, a levy imposed in 1931 to prevent capital leaving the Weimar Republic that the Nazis exploited to seize the assets of Jews escaping persecution.

Though Emden had left Germany years earlier, a large part of his wealth remained there, and after the Nazis took power, it became increasingly difficult for him to access it. His accounts were blocked and from 1937 on, his assets and real estate were seized and he faced financial ruin.

The Monuments Men realised a mistake had been made, but by then, it was too late

The 1938 sale of the three paintings for Hitlers museum was arranged by art dealer Anna Caspari, from whom Emden had bought the work in 1930. The purchase price was 60,000 Swiss francs (50,000). The research report by the Houston museum describes this as an appropriate and fair price.

The German Advisory Commissions report, by contrast, says the sale was not undertaken voluntarily but was entirely due to worsening economic hardship. It says Emdens financial predicament was deliberately exploited by potential buyers during extended sales negotiations and noted that Hitlers chancellery purchased a painting in the style of Bellotto  a less valuable imitation  for a higher price a short while later.

Tinterow argues that as a private American institution, the Houston museum is not bound by the same moral criteria as the German government. European governments which participated in the atrocities against the Jews have different standards, he says. The museum, by contrast, is guided by centuries of property law.

But Robert M Edsel, the chair of the Monuments Men Foundation, which is supporting the Emden heirs in their claim, says the museums response is legalistic and disregards the Washington Principles, an international agreement that is a predecessor to the Terezin Declaration, which identifies principles of fair play designed to compensate those wronged in the war.

In 2021, have the Washington Principles faded out of the minds of at least some American museums? Edsel asks.

David Rowland, a New York-based lawyer who represents the heirs of Curt Glaser, a Jewish art critic and museum director who fled Berlin, says he notices that European museums have been more receptive to restitution claims he has filed related to works that the Glaser family argues were sold under duress, even in cases where the paintings were sold under identical circumstances.

Some US museums are reverting to strictly legal approaches to claims, Rowland says. In Europe, there is more awareness of museums moral responsibility under the nonbinding Washington Principles.

Five paintings that were returned to Germany in cooperation with the Monuments Men Foundation in 2015 (AFP/Getty)

Juan Carlos Emden, the Chile-based grandson of Max Emden, says the family has been trying to recover The Marketplace at Pirna for about 15 years. He says that in November 2011, a lawyer for the Houston Museum of Fine Arts wrote to a representative of the heirs threatening legal action if the family did not immediately cease and desist from contacting the museum and required all correspondence to be sent via its lawyer.

It was really scary wording, Emden says. We didnt get in touch again until the Monuments Men Foundation got involved.

A spokesperson for the museum says its staff members had received inappropriate and threatening communications from a representative of the heirs.

Until recently, the Houston museum had also questioned whether the painting in its collection was the version that belonged to Emden. After the war, the Monuments Men first identified the work as having belonged to Hugo Moser, an art dealer operating in Amsterdam. (Moser had owned a painting with the same title, attributed to Bellotto.) So The Marketplace at Pirna was delivered to the Dutch government, which sent it to Moser in 1949. He sold it to Samuel Kress, a New York collector who, in turn, donated it to the Houston museum in 1961.

But the Monuments Men Foundation has recently unearthed new evidence that identifies the museums version of The Marketplace at Pirna as Emdens. The front of the Houston work bears an inventory number, added by its 18th-century owner, that is also visible in a photograph of Emdens painting that was taken by Caspari in 1930 before she sold the painting to Emden.

The foundation discovered the photograph at the Witt Library in London and also found a letter from 1949 in which an official of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives unit, realising the painting had been wrongly sent to the Netherlands, asked the Dutch government to send the painting back to Germany.

The Monuments Men realised that a mistake had been made, but by then, it was too late and his letter fell between the cracks in the Netherlands, says Edsel of the Monuments Men Foundation. If this mistake had never been made, the painting would have been returned to the German government and it would have been restituted to the Emden heirs in 2019, along with the other two.

Tinterow argues that when the Dutch government, a sovereign state, mistakenly returned the painting to Moser, rather than Germany, it nonetheless, under United States law, conferred good title to Moser.

German born Harry Ettlinger, a Jewish member of the Monuments Men, stands in front of a Rembrandt painting at the art museum Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe, southern Germany in 2014 (AFP/Getty)

Part of Edsels issue with the Houston museum is that he does not think it did enough to track the history of its Bellotto, or is doing enough now to acknowledge the new evidence that suggests Emden once owned the work.

Until a few weeks ago, the museums website mentioned both Emden and Moser as previous owners in the paintings provenance section. It no longer includes Emden as a previous owner, just the Dutch restitution to Moser.

Tinterow says that after the Monuments Men Foundation contacted him, he became aware the museums online provenance information about the painting was incorrect because it conflated the provenance of both Emdens and Mosers Bellotto paintings. He amended it himself to reduce it to only what we know to be absolutely true.

It was not meant to deceive, he says. It was due to my frustration with a garbled provenance that needed to be sorted out.

Tinterow now accepts that Houstons version of The Marketplace at Pirna very likely belonged to Emden and that he plans to update the website provenance as soon as the museum has finished reviewing the matter.

Still, he does not think that Emden sold the work under duress.

The 1938 sale, he says, was initiated by Dr Emden, as a Swiss citizen, with the painting under his control at his villa in Switzerland, and concluded by him voluntarily.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times
The crossings along the mountainous 540km border between Turkey and Iran are protected by a concrete wall, a barbed-wire-topped barrier that stretches for 140km. But it does little to stop thousands of mostly young people fleeing from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran every year to leave conflict, violence, and despair behind in search for a better life. With no prospects of a decent future at home, they are forced to leap into the unknown and gamble on their quest for a dream that for many turns out to be a nightmare.

Ahmed and his six friends have been walking for 28 days. They left Afghanistan looking for a future in Europe  today, they find themselves in the middle of an almost deserted area near the Iran-Turkey border.

"I am a Turkmen from Afghanistan. A month ago, we started our journey in Afghanistan, coming through Iran and from there to Turkey. I want to go to Ankara. I will work there. I will send money to my hometown," Ahmed says. "Mum and Dad need money. There is no job there, so we have to come here."

Irregular migrants, who are in some cases unrecognised refugees, risk their lives in the hopes of finding a job in the Turkish cities and eventually mainland Europe.

An Afghan family rests in an abandoned shepherds house (EPA-EFE)

Ahmed (third from right) and his friends walk on a highway (EPA-EFE)

Two Afghans sleep in the open next to a highway near Tatvan district in Bitlis city (EPA-EFE)

According to the official figures, some 53,176 migrants have been stopped so far during this year up to 16 June. The figure is half of the 122,302 registered last year and a major drop from the 454,662 migrants stopped in 2019.

Most of the migrants flee their countries for similar reasons. For Afghans and Pakistanis, war and violence force them from their homelands. For Iranians, they hit the road to Turkey  their main access point to Europe  dreaming of better economic opportunities and escaping the oppressive regime in Tehran. But the route is fraught with peril and risk, with many joining the growing list of victims of human trafficking in the region.

Nasrollah Movahedpour, who was born in Mashhad, northeast Iran, arrived in Turkey four years ago after fleeing his native country. He says that he left after the authorities closed his fifth store. The pain and frustration led him to assault a police officer.

He fled, and made a new life in Van, the first city irregular migrants and refugees come to when they make it onto Turkish soil after crossing from Iran. But very few remain there, as for most the promised land lies much farther west.

A group of people walk at sunset next to a railway in Van city (EPA-EFE)

Gravestones of refugees who died crossing the Turkish-Iranian border stand at the 'unidentified' cemetery in Van (EPA-EFE)

Migrants rest after a gruelling day on their feet (EPA-EFE)

People sit round a bonfire as temperatures start to drop (EPA-EFE)

In the last 10 years, Turkey has become one of the most important countries on the migrants route to Europe. The country is home to one of the largest refugee populations in the world, especially Syrians. As of 28 April 2021, the number of registered Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey increased by 4,396 compared to the previous month, bringing the total to 3.6 million. Nearly half of them are minors.

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) states that as of 2019, there were 5,678,800 refugees and irregular migrants in Turkey.

In the city of Van, near the Turkish-Iranian border, human trafficking is barely concealed. Refugees pay between 440 to 740 each to cross, depending on the security situation at the border.

According to smugglers EPA spoke to, migrants arrive at the Turkish border after walking in rugged Iranian mountains for days. They get into the country through the districts of Ozalp and Baskale and are kept in safehouses in Van for days.

Abandoned vehicles often become temporary homes (EPA-EFE)

A group of people rest at the bus station in Van city (EPA-EFE)

Afghans and Iranians rest near a former oil refinery wall, where they will likely to be waiting three days (EPA-EFE)

An Afghan boy hides inside a concrete sewer pipe (EPA-EFE)

There, they wait for the contact. If they are lucky they will find shelter under bridges, abandoned shepherds houses, or a barn. If not, they must sleep out in the open. Some travel in groups of five, others in tens. The route and tensions will inevitably force the groups to split. A telephone will be the only form of contact with the smugglers throughout the journey.

Lake Van is a safer route, away from the checkpoints on the highways. The traffickers use boats powered by extra engines to dodge the coast guard.

On the western side of the lake, the migrants are taken to the mountainous regions of Tatvan district in Bitlis by boat after midnight or early in the morning. There, again, they wait.

In June last year, around 100 people died when a boat sank in Lake Van.

The bodies of these refugees have still not been recovered. They are not the only ones to never be found again by their relatives. In the cemetery of the "unidentified" in Van, hundreds of gravestones are marked with country names and numbers. These are the only traces of the lives of those buried beneath.

For the survivors who have made it this far, the next stop is Diyarbakir, the largest city in southeastern Turkey and the honorary capital of the Kurds. There, migrants and refugees wait for days for someone to take them in a bus, living off the charity and goodwill of the locals.

Most of them will have to make it on their own beyond this point  once they realize they have been abandoned by smugglers who have stopped picking up their phones.

EPA
Liberty Poole is one of the original contestants on the brand new series of Love Island, but who actually is she?

The 21-year-old student from Birmingham is among the youngest of this years cast, and in reality works at Nandos while studying marketing.

Despite working at Nandos, though, Poole has never actually gone on a date in one of the restaurants  primarily because shes so used to amorous customers attempting to romance her purely for her staff discount.

Ive had a few things happen at work, she says in her ITV bio. Ive had a napkin shaped as a rose given to me which was cute  and then Ive been proposed to. It was a bit unexpected!

It turned out the regular customer had substituted a diamond ring for a charity support badge, with Poole adding: I was thinking, thats one way of saying Im a charity case when it comes to love!

Poole, who describes herself as a social butterfly and a girls girl, says that shes never had that nice, happy relationship, so has high hopes for Love Island 2021.

Love Island star Liberty Poole (ITV)

Pooles Instagram can also be found here.

For much of the series so far, Liberty has been coupled up with Jake Cornish, who finally told Liberty that he loves her, almost a month after she first said those important three words to him.

However, their relationship has since been on the rocks and viewers will find out tonight (20 August) if Liberty and Jake will stay together or choose to split and leave the show.

You can find a run-down of the rest of the contestants here.

Love Island airs each night at 9pm on ITV2.
Heavy security and state surveillance were never far away on a recent Chinese national holiday as visitors to Xinjiang enjoyed new theme-park-style centres showcasing the regions Muslim Uyghur culture.

Tourists smiled and posed in traditional dress on camels for photographs amid billboards extolling the ruling Communist Party.

China is trying to move on from the security crackdown in which more than a million ethnic Uyghurs have been detained in re-education centres since 2016, according to UN experts and researchers  part of what Beijing has described as an effort to eradicate extremism.

Traditional Uyghur costume is worn in a show for tourists with a camel procession in the old city in Kashgar (Reuters)

It wants to build a patriotic, multi-ethnic region that is secular, Mandarin-speaking and attractive to domestic tourists who spend trillions each year on group tours and curated experiences.

Beijing says reporters are able to travel freely in Xinjiang but we were tailed by a rotating cohort of plain-clothed minders who were rarely out of sight, day and night, during a recent two-week trip to the region.

We were unable to establish who the individuals were; they walked away when approached and did not respond when addressed.

An unidentified man who followed journalists for several days in Urumqi (Reuters)

Within an hour of reporters leaving their hotel in the city of Kashgar through a back gate, barbed wire was erected across the exit and fire escapes on their floor were locked.

Upon arrival in Urumqi, Xinjiangs capital, uniformed police entered the plane and escorted the reporters on to the Tarmac in front of other passengers. They photographed the reporters credentials and recorded information including the hotel they planned to stay in.

A police officer orders journalists off the plane before all others without explanation while parked on the Tarmac at Urumqi airport (Reuters)

A dog is chained up next to a now-demolished mosque in Karakax outside Hotan, Xinjiang (Reuters)

Chinas foreign ministry and the regional government in Xinjiang did not respond to requests for comment on the specific security measures or on their ambitions for tourism in the region.

It said: Regarding foreign journalists coverage in Xinjiang, China has always maintained an open and welcome attitude, adding that journalists must strictly abide by Chinese law in the region.

Some new attractions in southern Xinjiang are just a short drive away from the camps and prisons built to service Beijings anti-extremism drive.

Police officers stand guard among tourist stalls in the old city in Kashgar (Reuters)

In the city of Kashgar, as Uyghur musicians serenaded tourists from the balcony of a picturesque tea shop, about a dozen police carrying shields and batons emerged from surrounding alleyways in an afternoon shift change.

In the city streets and countryside of Xinjiang, Communist Party propaganda urges loyalty and ethnic unity.

Billboards show President Xi Jinping standing among a crowd of smiling Uyghur children. Murals on the walls of houses in one small village outside Hotan warn against the evils of extremism and depict happy mixed Uyghur and Han families.

A poster on high in an industrial estate outside Kashgar prison showing the picture of President Xi with Uyghur children (Reuters)

A government-installed facial recognition device to grant residents access to their compound in Urumqi (Reuters)

A banner in a residential building in Urumqi read: Build ethnic unity, build a Chinese life, build a better Xinjiang.

Another on a mosque wall in Changji city reads: Eternally strengthen every ethnic groups approval of the motherland.

The tourist drive is mostly targeted at domestic travellers, offering Xinjiang a new revenue source as the west imposes sanctions. China expects more than 200 million visitors to Xinjiang this year, up from 158 million last year, and 400 million by 2025.

A performer in a monkey costume at a night market in the old city in Kashgar during the May holidays (Reuters)

The west accuses China of committing what amounts to genocide in Xinjiang in recent years, citing the internment programme, forced sterilisations and mass labour transfers.

Beijing denies accusations of genocide and says its policies in Xinjiang were necessary to stamp out separatists and religious extremists who plotted attacks and stirred up tensions between Uyghurs and the Han, Chinas largest ethnic group.

In Hotan, a majority-Uyghur prefecture heavily impacted by the internment programmes, a new old city is under construction.

A broken-off minaret of Xinqu Mosque in Changji, outside Urumqi, lies near a Chinese national flag (Reuters)

Every few yards, posters show homes before they were demolished and replaced by buildings in keeping with the architectural style of the tourist developments.

They read: Old appearance turned into new, feel gratitude for the Communist Party.

Photography by Thomas Peter, Reuters
The US military flight crew that helped hundreds of Afghan civilians escape from Kabul set a record for the load carried by a C-17 Globemaster III Air Force aircraft.

An image from inside the plane went viral, with Air Mobility Command initially estimating that 640 Afghans were included on the 15 August flight.

But the major command of the US Air Force revised that figure on Friday to say that the C-17 plane actually carried 823 people, setting a record for that type of aircraft.

The initial count of 640 inadvertently included only adults. 183 children were also aboard, Air Mobility Command said. The original number was based on how many bus seats were filled departing the aircraft and didnt account for the number of children in laps.

I wonder when you realised that a C-17 is big, but 640 people ... what was the decision that you all made collectively to say you know what  lets go, this is the right thing to do, were saving lives, lets put all the other questions aside for the time being? CNN anchor John Avlon asked the flight crew.

That was exactly it, we were doing just that. And our 640 number was a little bit underestimated, we actually carried 823 to get everybody out of there, the C-17 loadmaster, Technical Sergeant Justin Triola, said.

Afghan citizens pack inside a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, as they are transported from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. On Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 (AP)

Asked about the mood of the Afghans on the plane, Sgt Triola said they were definitely anxious to get out of the area, and we were happy to accommodate them, and they were definitely excited once we were airborne.

Was there a moment of celebration, of palpable relief once you took off? Avlon asked.

Absolutely, everybody was very thrilled to actually leave, Sgt Triola said.

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the US could evacuate as many as 65,000 Afghans, a number that includes those who have worked alongside the US as well as their families.

Mr Biden told ABC News that all Americans should be out of the country by 31 August, but that US troops could stay behind if that hasnt been achieved.

If there [are] American citizens left, were going to stay until we get them all out, Mr Biden said.

He added that evacuations must increase if all Afghans with US connections are to be flown out.

The commitment holds to get everyone out that, in fact, we can get out and everyone that should come out, Mr Biden said about Afghan civilians who have worked with the US. Thats the path were on. And I think well get there.

White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield told CNN on Friday that we dont have a precise number of how many Americans remain in Afghanistan.

As of a few weeks ago, we had already begun reaching out to all American citizens who were in Afghanistan via email, via text, via messaging app to hear from them and to understand their plans and work with them to get them out, if they want to get out, she said. And so that is a massive logistical operation thats underway.

The president has committed, we will get every American who wants to get out, out of Afghanistan. And we are working to move as many of our allies  who helped us, who stood by us, who helped our servicemen and women  get out as possible, she added.

Ms Bedingfield was pushed on whether the US would be willing to leave some people behind in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

We are doing everything we can to get as many people out who want to get out before the August 31 deadline. That is the sole focus of the president of the United States and his team right now. They are doing everything operationally within their capacity to get out, Ms Bedingfield told CNN.
The Afghan baby filmed being lifted over a wall at Kabuls international airport has been safely reunited with its father, US Marines say.

The youngster was seen on video being handed up to a waiting US Marine during chaotic evacuation scenes at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Now the USMC says that the baby is with its father and is safe at the airport.

Video of the incident went viral on social media, as the baby was seen being handed up to a soldier, leaning down over razor wire to grab it by the arm

I can confirm the uniformed service member depicted in the video is a Marine with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The baby seen in the video was taken to a medical treatment facility on site and cared for by medical professionals, Marine Corps spokesperson Major Jim Stenger said in a statement.

Recommended Photo of US marine calming infant during Afghanistan evacuation goes viral

And later he added: I can confirm the baby was reunited with their father and is safe at the airport.

This is a true example of the professionalism of the Marines on site, who are making quick decisions in a dynamic situation in support of evacuation operations.

US forces have evacuated around 12,700 people from the country since Saturday, with up to 80,000 Americans and Afghan allies still wanting to leave.

The US had to pause its evacuation flights for around eight hours on Friday, as processing facilities in Qatar had reached capacity and officials were trying to find other places to land flights.

Joe Biden has defended his administrations handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years, and said that chaos was impossible to avoid.

Recommended Chaotic scenes at Kabul airport as thousands try to flee Afghanistan

Mr Biden has said that he is prepared for US troops to remain in the country beyond the 31 August deadline for withdrawal to ensure that all American citizens can get out of the country.

US intelligence had warned the White House that the Taliban could eventually overthrow the US-backed government in Kabul, but the speed with which the Taliban swept back into power caught many by surprise.
 Close Biden describes Afghanistan withdrawal as 'extraordinary success' as he defends evacuation mission

Dominic Raab today faces his toughest interrogation yet about alleged government mistakes during Afghanistans fall into Taliban control, as the foreign secretary prepares to endure a 90-minute grilling from the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

Labours shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said on Tuesday that Mr Raab was responsible for the biggest foreign policy failing in a generation, and demanded his resignation should he fail to tell MPs in the emergency session how he intended to put it right.

Meanwhile, former foreign secretary Jack Straw questioned Mr Raabs role in allowing the development of a distant relationship with Washington which, he claimed, allowed the UK to be blindsided over the abrupt pullout of US troops.

It comes as No 10 announced last night that Boris Johnsons special representative for Afghan transition, Simon Gass, was in Qatar to meet with senior Taliban representatives over the safe passage of British nationals out of Afghanistan, following the withdrawal of western troops from the country.
A British national, desperate to escape Afghanistan with his new wife, is fearing for his life after being told by the Foreign Office to make his way to a hotel that is behind three Taliban checkpoints.

The man, who we are choosing not to identify, received an email from the British Embassy that told him to head to Baron Hotel in Kabul  where Brits are being processed and being taken to evacuating flights.

Last night, he tried to travel to the hotel with his wife but was brutally beaten by Taliban guards at the first checkpoint on the way and told to return on pain of death.

He told The Independent that he was now scared to leave the house and had moved with his wife seven times because the Taliban were targeting foreign citizens.

He said: People from the Foreign Office were instructing us to go to the Baron Hotel  but before you get to the Baron there are three Taliban checkpoints.

When we went to the first one last night, there were about four to five Taliban there and they would not let us get through.

We showed them our documents, emails, and our Foreign Office details, but the Taliban attacked us because they knew we were fleeing the country. They said theres no way we could go to the hotel and that we should go back or they would shoot.

A baby is handed over to the American army over the perimeter wall of Kabul airport on Thursday (Reuters)

The British national started pleading with the Taliban to let him and his wife pass. He said: I spoke to them and started arguing with them, saying: Please let us go. We dont want to stay here in Afghanistan. We are going back to the UK. But they said no and started to fire on our car.

My wife escaped from the car and another guy, who had a Kalashnikov, started to beat my wife. I tried to save her from the beating and then he started to beat me as well. We were in so much pain so we told them we would leave.

The Brit had travelled to Afghanistan in early August for his wedding and had booked flights for next week to return to the UK with his new wife.

The restaurant owner, originally from Manchester, told The Independent that they had not expected the Afghan government to collapse so quickly and that his flights had now been cancelled, with American forces in control of the airport.

There is no possibility to go directly to the airport because it has been seized by American forces, he said. The airport security is run by the Americans and they are not letting anyone inside unless they are American nationals. They are not providing help to British nationals.

He said British nationals have to go to the Baron Hotel and from there they will be escorted to the airport by British forces. They will then be able to get on evacuating flights, he said.

He has tried to get in touch with the British Embassy in Kabul to ask for help, but hasnt heard anything back.

Taliban fighters patrol the streets of Kabul (AP)

With his way to the Baron Hotel blocked, he is desperately worried for himself and his wife. Speaking about returning to the Taliban checkpoint, he said: If I go again, they will recognise me. The Taliban gave me a warning. They said: If I see you again on this road, I will kill you. I cant go out from my home now because I am really, really scared. If I go there the Taliban will recognise me and they might kill me next time.

A UN document warned on Thursday that the Taliban are going door-to-door searching for people who worked for Nato forces or the previous Afghan government.

Describing the atmosphere in the city, the British man said: Everyone is scared. Women are not coming out from their homes. Kids are not playing in the street, the streets are empty. The parks are empty and the bazaar is completely closed. There is no way for people to buy credit and reload their phones or get internet.

He added: I havent been able to seek medical help because the hospitals are empty. There is no one in the hospital because they ran away.

He and his wife are having to rely on painkillers to treat their wounds.

Pleading for help, he said: If the Foreign Office can provide us a route to the hotel, then we can get a flight back. Otherwise we wont be able to leave.

He said he is worried the evacuations will soon halt altogether, and then the foreign forces will move out. If that happens and we cant get a flight we will be stuck here forever. Our lives will forever be in danger.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: Our staff are working tirelessly to facilitate the swift evacuation of British nationals, Afghan staff and others at risk. The scale of the evacuation effort is huge and we have helped more than 2,400 people leave Afghanistan since Sunday.
A former Royal Marine has warned people will be left behind in Afghanistan, after sharing an image of the near-empty rescue flight that took his wife home.

Paul Farthing, who runs the animal welfare charity Nowzad, has been working to save his wife, dozens of staff members and their families since the Taliban swept back to power last week.

On Thursday evening he tweeted his wife Kaisa was on board a plane flying to her native Norway, but said the aircrafts hundreds of seats were otherwise empty despite the thousands of Afghans desperate to escape Kabul.

Kaisa is on her way home! BUT this aircraft is emptyscandalous as thousands wait outside #Kabul airport being crushed as they cannot get in Sadly people will be left behind when this mission is over as we CANNOT get it right, he posted on Twitter, including a picture of the inside of the aeroplane and its rows and rows of empty seats.

Mr Farthing told Sky News he and his wife had decided to brave Kabuls streets at night to reach the safety of the airport, the only part of Afghanistan still controlled by Western forces.

This was because it had become impossible to get into the airport at day due to the thousands of Afghans who crowded the gates trying to force their way in through the American and British troops guarding the runways.

"Going at night obviously has its own hazards  it was the choice of two evils and thankfully it paid off, he said.

Mr Farthing, who earlier had vowed not to leave the country until his staff and their dependants are safe, said flights were taking off "regardless of whether theyre full or not", adding: "We are going to leave people behind, that is an absolute given.

Unconfirmed reports from Kabul have suggested Taliban fighters are already searching door-to-door for locals who worked with Western forces or whose charities contradicted the groups austere and fundamentalist brand of Islam.

Despite the militants spokespeople insisting there would be no reprisals, the German broadcaster DW has reported Taliban gunmen searching for one of their Afghan journalists have shot several members of his family, killing one and wounding another, in Kabul. The journalist has already escaped to Germany.

The defence secretary Ben Wallace has insisted Britain is using all the space available on each flight and was attempting to ensure not a single seat is wasted.

However, many of the planes departing Kabul are reportedly leaving Afghanistan with dozens if not hundreds of empty seats.

One German aircraft which can carry 150 reportedly took off with only seven people on board.

A Government spokesperson said earlier: "Departments across Whitehall have been working intensively at all levels in the last few days and weeks on the situation in Afghanistan.

"Thanks to these efforts, we have relocated over 2,000 Afghans to the UK since June, evacuated over 400 British nationals and their families on RAF flights since Sunday and established one of the most generous asylum schemes in British history."
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.
Ahmad Massoud, sitting under a photograph of his father Ahmad Shah Massoud, the renowned mujahideen leader, and Amrullah Saleh, vice-president of the recently defeated Afghan government, have declared an armed resistance has begun against the Taliban.

General Bismillah Khan Mohammedi, the former defence minister, is another commander in the fightback against the Islamists and Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, the Uzbek warlord, may, it is claimed, also join.

Whether the National Resistance Front for Afghanistan, based in the Panjshir Valley, the traditional stronghold of the Northern Alliance, and the last area unconquered by the Taliban, turns into a viable force remains to be seen.

It faces a number of formidable obstacles to do so, surrounded as it is by enemy occupied territory, outnumbered as well as being outgunned, with the Taliban now in possession of vast quantities of western weaponry, including artillery and aircraft either captured from government forces or handed over to them.

But to the opponents of the Taliban, still reeling with shock at how quickly the group seized power sweeping all before them, and distraught at the prospect of extremist rule, any such opposition is a silver lining, albeit a thin one, in a very dark cloud.

There was a boost for the opposition when Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, spoke of the forming of the group and stressed that the Taliban does not control the whole territory of Afghanistan.

His government is studying reports of the situation in the Panjshir Valley where the resistance of Afghanistans vice president Mr Saleh and Ahmad Massoud is concentrated, said Russias foreign minister.

Mr Lavrov also wanted to stress that Moscow wanted an inclusive dialogue involving all political players in Afghanistan for the formation of a representative government.

This is a change of tune from the Kremlin. Russia has long been building relations with the Taliban, and indeed has been accused by Washington of paying bounty to the group for killing US soldiers.

Vladimir Putins envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said after the Taiban takeover: I have long since decided that the Taliban is much more able to reach agreements than the puppet government in Kabul.

One reason for Moscows cultivation of the Taliban was Russias own Islamist terrorist problem in the former Soviet Central Asian republics. The Taliban, the narrative read, would keep Isis and al-Qaeda in check.

There havent been any obvious acts by these two groups, but there have been some worrying promotions of militancy. The Afghan Taiban handed over five districts inside the country to the Jamaat Ansarullah, aka the Tajik Taliban, which is banned as a terrorist organisation in Tajikistan, a close ally of Russia.

In response the government in Dushanbe rushed 20,000 troops to the border and asked for Russian help. The Kremlin sent a thousand troops for an exercise with the armed forces of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and said it would send urgent defence supplies to Tajikistan.

The comprehensive Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has worried a number of states in the region and beyond, with apprehension that without any need to bring in other political factions the government which emerges will be aggressively hardline and may end up by promoting jihad.

Mr Saleh, who has declared himself leader of the country with President Ashraf Ghani having fled abroad, has built up extensive international links when vice president and also in his previous post of the chief of the intelligence service the NDS ( National Directorate of Security).

Ahmed Massoud, who read War Studies at Kings College London, will benefit from the veneration in which is father, murdered by al-Qaeda in the run-up to the 9/11 attacks, was held among the supporters of the Northern Alliance.

In a comment piece in the Washington Post , the 32 year old Mr Massoud said members of the Afghan military including some from the special forces units supported the resistance and asked the west for help.

We have stores of ammunition and arms that we have patiently collected since my fathers time, because we knew this day might come, he said. If Taliban warlords launch an assault, they will of course face staunch resistance from us.

Extensive footage has been posted in the social media of columns of armoured cars and trucks of the Afghan security forces moving to the Panjshir. Some soldiers have said they withdrew from battles they were losing to fight in the Taliban offensive to fight another day on ground of their choice.

There have been messages among former American and British military, many of whom had deployed in Afghanistan while in service, or later as private security contractors, about Afghans abroad allegedly starting to raise funds for private forces to be raised to fight the Taliban.

But any hope of the resistance taking on the Taliban would depend on support at home; how unpopular the Islamist regime becomes, and how far people are prepared to go to stand up to them.

On Thursday, on the anniversary of Afghan Independence, rallies were held in a number of towns and cities across the country, including Kabul, with people carrying the national flag. The Taliban, who have replaced it with their white banner, broke up the marches, in one town, Asadabad in Kunar, opening fire and killing two people.

In their first press conference since seizing power, the Taliban claimed, among other things, that they did not want revenge on those who opposed them, people who worked for foreign governments and institutions had nothing to fear, and women would have rights under sharia law.

But, since then there have been raids and arrests of opponents as well as assassinations, including one of a relative of a journalist in Herat. At the same time, fighters coming into Kabul from other parts of the country appeared to have brought a markedly harsher attitude with them towards the population.

Jamal Abdullah Wardak, a former soldier who left the army three years ago, believed that the Taliban would become increasingly brutal and that could well lead to an armed struggle in response.

Afghan embassy staff in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, hang a portrait of Amrullah Saleh who has declared himself the legitimate caretaker president (Reuters)

I dont think Ill be able to go to a foreign country to get away from here at the moment, I have an ill elderly mother and I do not want to leave her, said Mr Wardak, 38.

I have no doubt that once the American and British forces leave the Taliban will start hunting the people they hate. I was a soldier and I would be on their list. So what am I supposed to do ? Wait for them to come and then kill me like a dog? No, I have already moved out with my family, and if I have to Ill do what I have been trained to do, fight for Afghanistan.

In Herat in the west of the country, Saifdullah, who had joined a volunteer force raised by the veteran 75-year-old mujahideen commander, Ismail Khan, to fight the militants held that the true face of The Taliban has been quickly exposed.

The 33-year-old engineer, who did not want his family name publicised, feels that he, too, is a marked man. When they came into Herat City they said they wanted peace, and we would be alright if we just gave up our guns.

But they started arresting people and now people are being killed. Now we know they havent changed, we must prepare to face them again. I dont think people will be going all the way to Panjshir to fight, but here, and in other areas, we will have to organise ourselves and defend ourselves, that is becoming clear.
Taliban militants tortured and killed several members of an ethnic minority group as they swept through Afghanistan, a leading human rights charity has said.

Witnesses told Amnesty International members of the militant group carried out a massacre of the Hazara minority in early July in Ghazni, about 90 miles southwest of Kabul.

Since the killings, the Taliban has taken full control of Afghanistan after entering the capital on Sunday.

Its leaders have sought to assure the world that the group has changed from when it was last in power in the late 1990s, when women were prevented from working and criminals had their limbs amputated.

But there have multiple reports of killings in recent days, and Amnesty's disclosure adds to growing concern that the group will revert back to a brutal form of regime once the chaotic US and UK troop withdrawal has ended.

In its report published on Thursday, Amnesty said nine Hazara men were killed in the Malistan district in Ghazni's east between 4 and 6 July.

Amnesty examined photographic evidence and interviewed witnesses, which the charity said corroborated the reports.

Some interviewees said they escaped to the mountains as fierce fighting broke out between the Taliban and Afghan government forces.

After returning to their village of Mundarakht to collect food, they said the militants had ransacked their homes and while waiting.

According to Amnesty's report, some men who walked through the village as the encounter unfolded were also ambushed.

In total six men were allegedly shot, the report added, some in the head, and three were tortured to death.

One eyewitness said they asked the fighters why they inflicted such brutality on their people.

"When it is the time of conflict, everyone dies, it doesn't matter if you have guns or not. It is the time of war," a fighter allegedly said.

Agnes Callamard, Amnesty's secretary-general, said: "The cold-blooded brutality of these killings is a reminder of the Taliban's past record, and a horrifying indicator of what Taliban rule may bring."

"These targeted killings are proof that ethnic and religious minorities remain at particular risk under Taliban rule in Afghanistan."

The charity is calling on the United Nations to investigate.

It comes after a separate UN report said that the group is going door-to-door searching for people who worked for NATO forces and employees who worked for the previous US and UK-backed regime.
Angela Merkel, who made a career of outfoxing powerful male rivals as she led Germany through a 16-year-long period of prosperity, will be leaving office after next months parliamentary elections as the countrys first post-war chancellor to retire on her own volition.

Merkels calm leadership, longevity in office and towering reputation abroad may have helped to burnish Germanys image overseas, yet her failure to groom a successor and her efforts to push her conservative Christian Democrats into the political centre have weakened her party at home  possibly dooming the success-spoiled conservatives to the opposition benches after Septembers election.

The unflappable trained scientist, who earned a PhD in quantum chemistry in formerly Communist East Germany, has been the epitome of tranquility while steering the EU and the continents most important country through a series of major crises  from the 2008 global financial crisis to the Greek debt and Eurozone crises to the 2015 refugee crisis and the United Kingdoms tortuous Brexit. Merkel, who turned 67 last month, also showed plenty of spine in standing up firmly yet politely to former US President Donald Trump in four years of withering attacks on Germany, the EU and NATO.
I was led into a cavernous space, where chandeliers built from decanters (no, really) cast an almost ethereal glow upon a room that felt a million light years away from London. This was, as far as I was concerned, not the UKs capital city. Paris, perhaps, or maybe Barcelona, but more fittingly Buenos Aires. Its a city I lived in for a month in my last year of high school, more concerned with fake IDs and loose clubbing laws than I was gastronomical adventures. While I was running around drinking too much fernet and learning that 10pm was South Americas 5pm, chef Fernando Trocca was busy cooking up a storm. More fool 16-year-old me.

The Argentinian chef opened the original Sucre in Buenos Aires in 2001 and more or less hasnt looked back, paving a way for a culinary revolution in the city (not that I would I know, I was probably three drinks deep and trying to forget I had maths homework to do). Two decades later and hes made the leap to London, taking over an enormous space on Great Marlborough Street that, as mentioned earlier, feels a hundred miles away from the Soho we all know outside.

A take on the Peruvian dish causa  and this writers favourite thing on the specials menu (Hannah Twiggs)

It takes real skill to transplant a popular restaurant in an entirely new country. Trocca seems to have almost picked up a slice of Buenos Aires and dumped it in Soho. Sliding into my seat  literally, the tables are so close together I had to almost asphyxiate myself to make it through the gap  I was struck by how distinctly special the space felt. Corniced ceilings, vibrantly upholstered chairs and a kind of roaring chatter that only works in a space as big as this. The cocktail menu forced me to confront my adolescent past, packed as it was with mentions of the infamous fernet, the cause of my first real hangover and many decisions that seemed ruinous at the time. The food menu, meanwhile, was gargantuan  spanning continents and cuisines but still heavily anchored in South America  with enough dishes that you could visit at least three times and have three completely different meals.

I woke up the day after dining at Sucre still thinking about one dish in particular. It was on the specials menu that day (Trocca, if youre reading this, please make it a permanent fixture!) and was one of the best things Ive eaten since I started writing about restaurants a few months ago. I couldnt quite hear our waitress when she told us the name but I believe it was a take on the Peruvian dish causa. Traditionally a layered salad of mashed potatoes, at Sucre it was recreated in a one-tier iteration, fluffy room-temperature mashed potatoes topped with prawns, avocado, red onion, a jammy boiled egg and a mayonnaise-esque sauce. Explained like that I would be sceptical  in fact, I was when our waitress talked us through it  but it was a true delight. Zingy, bright and a multitude of textures and flavours that made for joyful eating. Seriously, please put it on the menu.

To start: scallop tiradito and cheese and onion empanada (Hannah Twiggs)

Other starters included the scallop tiradito, which saw tender slices of the shellfish in a soy-based sauce, covered in fresh chilli and delicate horseradish shavings. While packed with flavour, it perhaps lacked an enlivening spike of acidity. The cheese and onion empanada, meanwhile, is everything you want to kick off a meal. A little bit naughty, simply delicious, and enough to kick-start your appetite without leaving you too full for the mains. You may have seen me write about often judging a restaurant based on their snacks, and this would easily be the pick here  the perfect partner to a solitary drink.

The main dishes are split by cooking method  charcoal fire, wood oven and stove  and again there is a lot to choose from. Dont do what we did and go for the two carb-heavy options. It was too much. Although, in our defence, we didnt quite realise how focused on risotto the osso buco would be. Less emphasis on the meat and more on the saffron-spiced carby base, it was delicious but not quite what it said on the tin. The black fideua  a sort of paella-style dish that uses tubes of pasta instead of rice  opted for a thicker pasta than the usual super-skinny spaghetti-style, and was wonderful. Deep inky black in colour, the squid and cockles mingled beautifully with the bucatini-style noodles, the addition of aioli adding a fatty depth, although it could have done with a little more than the three scant dollops we got.

For mains: osso buco and black fideua (Hannah Twiggs)

By the time dessert menus were placed in front of us, we were full to the brim. A dessert of tarragon-infused marinated peach decorated with ribbons of melon made the perfect palate cleanser: flavourful enough to provide a fitting end to the meal, without tipping my already bursting stomach over the edge.

In keeping with Argentinas quasi-nocturnal lifestyle, it would be very easy to keep your night at Sucre going with a visit to the downstairs bar, Abajo. Experimental cocktails are served futuristic in style in long, capacious glasses set atop lit-up coasters and based around eye-catching colours, like something out of A Clockwork Orange. It continues the otherworldly theme from upstairs, and is sure to become a favourite watering hole in a neighbourhood that isnt exactly short of underground bars.

The colourful cocktails on lit-up coasters are straight out of A Clockwork Orange (Hannah Twiggs)

With international travel still in a precarious state, a dinner at Sucre is as close as any of us might get to the old-world glamour of Buenos Aires anytime soon, and it doesnt make a bad substitute. While we may be darting out the doors to make the final Central line train as hardy Buenos Aires locals would just be starting their nights, Fernando Trocca has done a mighty job of a difficult task here, creating a little pocket of South America when we need the excitement of something new the most.

Counter culture

This weeks food and drink news

The Beaumont Hotel relaunches with a new look

After the renovation of most of the hotels public spaces, The Beaumont will reopen at the end of August, debuting a new look for the Colony Grill and the brand new Le Magritte bar. The Twenties-inspired New York feel makes it the perfect space to sidle in for a luxurious tipple.

Pensons launches bedrooms for overnight stays

While nabbing a room for a staycation may feel like an impossible endeavour at the moment, Pensons in Herefordshire has launched two new bedrooms and has some precious availability left for the coming months. Perfect for a romantic getaway, you can eat and drink all you want and then simply steal upstairs  no commute home required.

Calling all sweet tooths  Ring Ring ice cream opens in Ramsgate

While the classic red phone box has been adapted for multiple purposes over the years, an ice cream parlour is arguably the most exciting. Serving up gargantuan treats on the seaside, this small box has big dreams  including hopefully a stint on the festival circuit this summer.
Facebook has brought in new security measures to protect its users in Afghanistan over concerns that the Taliban, which continues to tighten its control over the country, is using social media platforms to track its opponents.

The social media giant launched a new feature on Thursday for its Afghan users to lock their account on the platform, Nathaniel Gleicher, Head of Security Policy at Facebook, announced on Twitter.

When their profile is locked, people who arent their friends cant download or share their profile photo or see posts on their timeline, Mr Gleicher noted.

On Facebook-owned Instagram, the company said it is also rolling out pop-up alerts in Afghanistan with specific steps on how users could protect their accounts.

Mr Gleicher also announced that Facebook has removed the ability for users to view and search the Friends list for the accounts on its platform in Afghanistan to help protect people from being targeted by the Taliban.

And for users outside Afghanistan with friends in the country, Facebook shared a set of guidelines to tighten their visibility settings.

Many of these were informed by feedback from activists, journalists and civil society groups, Mr Gleicher noted.

Were working closely with our counterparts in industry, civil society, and government to provide whatever support we can to help protect people, he said.

The company has also started a special operations centre to respond to new threats as they emerge, the head of security policy noted.

We know that no single step is enough by itself in crises like this, but were watching closely as the situation develops and will take steps to help protect people in real time, Mr Cleicher added.

The current moves by the company follow its measures earlier in the week to ban content supporting the Taliban on all of its platforms, including Instagram and Whatsapp.

The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organisation under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organization policies, a company spokesperson had toldThe Independent.

Facebook said a dedicated team of Afghanistan experts, who are native Dari and Pashto speakers and have knowledge of local context, are helping the company identify emerging issues on the platform.

We remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them, the companys spokesperson had said.

Meanwhile Twitter said earlier this week that it is monitoring the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan, adding that its top priority is to keep people safe, and remain vigilant.

Were also witnessing people in the country using Twitter to seek help and assistance, CNBC reported, quoting a Twitter spokesperson.

The microblogging platforms lack of action led to criticism from people, including supporters of Donald Trump, who said the former president is still banned for life from Twitter while the spokespeople for the Taliban are allowed to post.
What is OnlyFans and how is it changing?

OnlyFans was launched as a content subscription platform in November 2016 by British entrepreneur brothers Tim and Thomas Stokely, who intended the site to be a place where creatives could sell access to their videos and pictures, essentially crowdfunding their wages from the monetary contributions of loyal followers.

While in theory that output could be anything, from live gaming streams to acoustic guitar performances, in practice the site has come to be primarily associated with pornography, popular with adult performers, webcam girls and strippers who can earn income from their fans directly at a time when their content is otherwise commonly uploaded to X-rated streaming sites without permission and where they typically receive little or nothing by way of royalties.

The site has been a haven for sex industry performers during the global coronavirus pandemic, given that many were able to earn a living through webcam shows when they were otherwise prohibited from attending film sets or clubs by lockdowns.

But the site, which has an estimated 130m subscribers, has now surprised its users by announcing a change of tack, declaring a ban on any content containing sexually-explicit conduct from 1 October in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform.

Nudity will apparently still be allowed and details on precisely how OnlyFans intends to police its pages and draw distinctions between different types of material are currently limited but will be forthcoming in the coming days, according to the company.

The announcement followed shortly on from Axios reporting that OnlyFans had run into difficulties securing investment from venture capital outfits - despite its rapid growth - in response to the abundance of adult content on its pages, with some would-be financiers taking exception to working with apps that distribute pornographic content.

OnlyFans said it was making the change to comply with the requests of our banking partners and payout providers, without naming names.

We are often associated with adult content, I think, because you have to be over the age of 18 to use the platform, Tim Stokely told The Independent in March. And all the content is behind a paywall. That allowed us to have more liberal content policies.

We found that creators from the adult industry really embraced the platform early on. But the content on the platform has really evolved.

The co-founder insisted that other, safe-for-work (SFW) interest areas were booming on the site, citing fitness, music and more recently fashion, suggesting a move towards the more influencer-led culture of Instagram.

To that end, OnlyFans this week announced it was launching a new streaming platform and app called OFTV, offering PG-rated material.

How have content creators reacted?

Not at all well. OnlyFans users took to social media on Thursday and Friday to berate the company for abandoning a key user base having made billions off of the backs of sex workers.

Onlyfans catered their platform almost exclusively to sex workers, built their wealth and popularity off the backs of sex workers, and within only a year ditched the creators who made their empire so they can cater to banks, one user wrote. Even if you dont use the site you should be p***ed.

The OnlyFans news is yet another example of big companies profiting off of sex workers and then casting them aside when they are trying take their image into the mainstream, tweeted another. My heart goes out to all my friends in the industry affected by this. Sex work is real work.

Others expressed sympathy for those left feeling blindsided and terrified for their incomes or laid into the site for its exploitative hypocrisy in turning its back on a community it had once relied upon.

Not surprising but still disgusting that OnlyFans is choosing banks, VC investors, big tech (Apple+ Google dont allow adult content on their app stores, hence no app until the sfw one announced this week), and profits over the sex workers using its platform, journalist Harron Walker wrote.

Some were less kind, joking on Twitter about porn industry veterans being forced to take jobs at McDonalds or sleep rough on the streets or gleefully anticipating the prospect of OnlyFans proving itself the architect of its own downfall.

People are not going to be able to make ends meet, content creator Meredith Jacqueline told Taylor Lorenz of The New York Times. People are going to lose the roofs over their heads.

Labour union the Adult Performance Artists Guild said on Twitter on Thursday that the potential income loss that many may face due to upcoming OnlyFans changes can cause duress and fear. We want to express that we are working to get answers. As this happens, we want performers to know we are here to offer support and services.

Why are we asking this now?

OnlyFans subscribers spent over $2.4bn on subscriptions in 2020, according to The Financial Times, but the new policy shift could place its prosperity in jeopardy should audiences for the sexually-explicit material it once offered desert the site en masse in search of pastures new.

A number of commentators on Thursday compared its about-turn on pornography to the fall of Tumblr, which instigated a similar ban in December 2018 and duly lost one-fifth of its audience.

Whether OnlyFans manages to shrug off its past and become a lifestyle-oriented brand like Instagram remains to be seen but, if not, the site risks making itself redundant and setting itself up to fail - as well as arguably impacting on the wellbeing of its creators, as Victoria Richards of Indy Voices wrote on Friday.

Women are so often exploited in the sex industry that the relative safety of online-only work during the pandemic - and the ability to choose their own content and payment rates - could even be said to have changed the industry for the better, she adds.

As lockdown underlined and the hostile reaction to OnlyFans decision has reiterated, the problem of regular income for sex industry workers is a real one, particularly given the dominance of streaming sites that give little back. OnlyFans provided an important platform for webcam performers to deal directly with a dedicated audience, without which they will once more be forced to innovate to survive.

Taking greater control of ones own work is increasingly popular among freelance creatives attempting to break loose from the established gatekeepers of publishing, with the likes of Patreon and Substack empowering consumers to pay directly for the content they really like. Twitters new Super Follows function will shortly bring a similar model to social media.

Perhaps an alternative to OnlyFans like PocketStars, set up by adult star Elle Brooke to offer support, safety and recognition and take back our industry, will be able to offer a new home.
The apps run by many of the UKs biggest banks all appear to have been hit by technical problems at the same time.

Users of the Santander, Natwest, Halifax and TSB websites and apps complained they were unable to access online banking as usual.

Santander said on Twitter that it was aware of an issue that was stopping some of its customers from logging on. It suggested that users switch between WiFi and data connections and see if they were able to get online.

Natwest also acknowledged the issues and suggested that the problems could be related to what network provider customers are using. It also suggested that customers might find success if they switch between different kinds of connections, presumably to try with a different network.

HSBC also said that it was aware of the problems, and said they only appeared to be affecting some of its customers. Were really sorry and are working hard to fix this, it wrote, and asked customers to call if they have urgent issues.

Some suggested that at least some of the issues might not actually be the result of problems with the banking apps themselves, but with a problem with Sky Internet, which appears to be wrongly routing internet traffic so that some websites are not working.

As such, people might have some success changing their DNS to use Googles, which can be done relatively simply from the browser. But switching onto a phones data connection rather than WiFi may have some of the same effect.
Prince Harry has made his first public appearance since welcoming his daughter, Lilibet, at a charity polo match in the US.

The Duke of Sussex returned to the field in Aspen, Colorado on Thursday to raise money for Sentebale, a mental health charity that supports young people affected by AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana.

The father of two was pictured back in the saddle, scoring two goals for his team and leading them to a 3-0 victory.

Ahead of the event, he announced that $1.5 million (1.1m) of the proceeds from his upcoming memoir, due to be published next year, will be donated to the cause.

Im thrilled to be able to support Sentebale, both in person and financially through a separate charitable donation to meet this immediate need.

This is one of several donations I plan to make to charitable organisations and Im grateful to be able to give back in this way for the children and communities who gravely need it, he said.

Harry said the match, which raised almost $3.5 million (2.5m) in total, was critical to securing the funds needed to advance the charitys aim.

Our refocussed mission at Sentebale is about addressing the most immediate needs of vulnerable children in Southern Africa, helping them access vital health services, receive necessary care, and build skills to be more resilient and self-sufficient in the future, he said.

Harry co-founded Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 in memory of his mother, Princess Diana, after visiting the country during his gap year.

The annual polo match, known as the ISPS Handa Polo Cup, marks his first public appearance since he announced the birth of his second child with his wife, Meghan Markle, in June.

The charity event was postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Harry was also in attendance in May 2019, flying to Rome just weeks after the birth of his first child, Archie.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Thousands of people took to the streets of Latvias capital of Riga late Wednesday to protest mandatory COVID-19 vaccination.

The Baltic News Service, the regions main news agency, said the number of people exceeded the maximum allowed for public protests, people did not observe distance, and many didnt wear face masks.

Up to 3,500 people participated, BNS reported, quoting police.

On Thursday, police said it was investigating after a few minor incidents were reported, including a smashed police car window and firecrackers being used.

The protest ended around midnight.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Gulf Coast glows like a bad sunburn on maps that show COVID-19 trouble spots in red

 What is being done to distribute COVID-19 vaccines globally?

 Ethnic health care systems strained in Myanmar amid pandemic

 Pandemic fiction: Upcoming books include stories of the virus

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

CANBERRA, Australia  Australias two most populous states on Thursday recorded new highs in COVID-19 cases.

New South Wales reported a record 681 cases in the latest 24-hour period, mostly in Sydney. The previous high was 633 on Wednesday.

Neighboring Victoria reported 57 new infections in its capital Melbourne It was the highest daily tally since the final days of a second wave of infections in early September last year.

Melbourne and the entire state of New South Wales are in lockdown as authorities attempt to stamp out coronavirus spread as Australia had successfully done throughout the pandemic before the delta variant arrived on its shores.

Melbourne is in its 6th lockdown of the pandemic and Thursday marked the 200th day that Australias second-most populous city has been locked down.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand  New Zealand will now allow youths aged 12 to 15 to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Previously, only those aged 16 and over were eligible.

The government announcement Thursday came as the nation remains in a strict lockdown as it deals with a new outbreak of the fast-spreading delta variant, its first virus outbreak in six months.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there were 11 new infections, bringing the total in the outbreak to 21. She said the outbreak had been linked to a passenger who returned from Sydney earlier this month.

On Tuesday, the government imposed a lockdown of at least three days across the country and of at least seven days in in Auckland and Coromandel. New Zealand health workers are using only the Pfizer vaccine in their inoculation campaign.

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UNITED NATIONS  The United States is urging the more than 150 countries planning to send their leader or a government minister to New York to speak at the U.N. General Assembly next month to consider giving a video address instead to prevent the annual high-level week from becoming a super-spreader event.

A note from the U.S. Mission sent to the 192 other U.N. member nations also called for all other U.N.-hosted meetings and side events to be virtual, saying these parallel meetings that draw travelers to New York needlessly increase risk to our community, New Yorkers and the other travelers.

The U.S. note, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, said the Biden administration is particularly concerned about Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the incoming General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid hosting high-level in-person events on climate change, vaccines, the 20th anniversary of the U.N. World Conference Against Racism, food systems and energy.

The United States is willing to make every effort to make these important events on shared priorities successful in a virtual format, the note said.
A 36-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the discovery of a body in a London park in what police believe was a homophobically motivated attack.

Detectives investigating the murder said the arrest marks a significant development and commended officers involved in the case for working around the clock to bring justice to the victim and his family.

Metropolitan Police were called to Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, in Southern Grove, by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) at around 7am on Monday, following reports of a 50-year-old man being found unresponsive.

Officers and LAS paramedics who attended said they found the victim with a head injury. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination, conducted on Thursday, found that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. His next of kin have been informed, the Met said.

The man arrested on Friday has been taken into custody at a police station in east London, where he will remain for further questioning.

Searches are ongoing at both the murder scene  where an extensive crime scene remains in place, as forensic teams examine the Cemetery grounds  and at a residential address in Tower Hamlets, police added.

The cases detective superintendent said the investigation into this death is being conducted by homicide detectives who are committed to discovering the circumstances of this incident.

The victim was attacked in what is suspected to be a homophobically motivated attack, but we remain open minded, Pete Wallis, of the Mets Specialist Crime Command, said. This investigation is fast-paced, I would ask that people are aware of their surroundings and are vigilant in their personal safety.

He added that detectives were working with the voluntary LGBT Advisory Group to seek answers.

Throughout our enquiries we have spoken to numerous members of the public, conducted house to house in the area and have trawled hours of CCTV, but we still need to hear from anyone who was in the area around Cemetery Park during the early hours of 16 August, Mr Wallis said in a statement.

The concern caused by the discovery of a body in these circumstances sends ripples throughout the community and may result in people discussing information that they have. I urge anyone who hears anything relating to this murder to get in touch without delay.

Meanwhile, superintendent Mike Hamer, of the Central East Leadership and Support, said officials were shocked by the nature of this horrendous and brutal attack and sent reassurances to the victims family and friends at this time.

We, and our partners within Tower Hamlets, are supporting the investigation team and are absolutely committed to bring the offender/s to justice, he added. The community can expect increased police presence in the area by way of reassurance, and I would ask anyone with information to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room direct on 0208 345 3865, or to call 101. Alternatively, you can tweet @MetCC, quoting 1277/16, or give information by clicking here.

To remain 100 per cent anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The owner of an alpaca sentenced to death by government officials is spending the weekend on tenterhooks, not knowing whether  or when  a slaughter team might arrive at her farm to kill the animal.

Helen Macdonald and supporters insist the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) is using untrustworthy tests to prove Geronimo had tuberculosis and justify ending his life.

The alpaca has twice tested positive, according to Defra, prompting staff to issue the death order, which Ms Macdonald has been fighting in courts for four years.

But the developer of the tuberculosis test himself says it cant be relied on in this case, as The Independent reported on Thursday.

Since Ms Macdonald lost her final legal case on Wednesday, officials have given the alpaca two 24-hour stays of execution. Those have come and gone, and it was unclear on Friday night what the governments next step would be.

The department has until 4 September to carry out the warrant to kill Geronimo, leaving his owner in agony and suffering mental torture.

The issue is about more than the life of one animal, as critics argue it raises questions about the governments strategy of using the tests on cattle to tackle bovine tuberculosis.

A vet and TB researcher said the case could highlight large numbers of false positive tests in cattle, and accused the government of trying to kill its way out of trouble.

Iain McGill said Geronimo was twice primed  or micro-vaccinated  before being tested for TB, which caused him to have high levels of antibodies, which in turn caused false positive results.

Defra claims an accuracy for the TB tests of 99 per cent  but that is in animals that have not been primed. In fact, the test manufacturer has no data for its accuracy in animals that have been primed, Dr McGill said.

Weve got lots of data from alpacas that have been killed after having false positives and they havent got TB at all at post-mortem, he added.

And he has issued a last-ditch challenge to the civil servants  who have refused permission for Geronimo to have a third test  to debate the science with him.

Volunteers have been on the alert to go to the Gloucestershire farm to physically defend Geronimo from a slaughter team.

Ms Macdonald, a veterinary nurse, said Geronimo has never failed a validated test. Defra cannot produce any evidence to support their claimed suspicion of disease nor will they come out of hiding and admit there are lessons to be learnt, she wrote on Facebook. This is an absolute scandal being played out on the world stage.

Defra would not confirm, when asked by The Independent, what method would be used to kill the alpaca, nor would it reveal its next planned step.

Ms Macdonald said: Theres a principle at stake here about valid testing for all animals in the UK, proper science and were just not getting it. Im just disgusted really by the whole attitude.

A webcam has been set up in Geronimos pen so that supporters can see if any cull officials arrive.

Dr McGill told the Vet Times: The reason they want to make an example of Geronimo by killing him is that they are hoping the problem will then go away. But I think it has opened a can of worms for the government.

This isnt just the tide turning, this is a tsunami that is going to change the way that TB is controlled.

John Carr-Ellison, a Northumberland farmer, said five of his pet llamas had tested positive for TB and were slaughtered  but post-mortem results showed they did not have the disease. In some cases, culled badgers that have been analysed after death have been shown to be clear of TB.

A Defra spokesperson refused to comment on operational matters  the next step  but said: We are sympathetic to Ms Macdonalds situation, just as we are with everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease.

Recommended Geronimo the alpaca to be slaughtered after owner loses High Court bid to save him

It is for this reason that the testing results and options for Geronimo have been very carefully considered by Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and its veterinary experts, as well as passing several stages of thorough legal scrutiny.

Bovine tuberculosis is one of the greatest animal health threats we face today and causes devastation and distress for farming families and rural communities across the country while costing the taxpayer around 100m every year.

Therefore, while nobody wants to cull animals, we need to do everything we can to tackle this disease, stop it spreading and to protect the livelihoods of those affected.
Serious staff shortages caused by Brexit could mean there arent enough turkeys for Christmas, poultry producers have warned.

The British Poultry Council (BPC) said its members, which includes the countrys largest supplier of supermarket chicken, have told them that one in six jobs were unfilled because EU workers have left the UK after Brexit.

The problem has been thrown into the limelight this week after restaurant chain Nandos had to temporarily close more than 40 outlets in Britain due to staff shortages.

Paul Kelly, the managing director of KellyBronze, which produces free range turkeys, told The Guardian that big producers would opt to rear fewer birds if they were not confident of securing the 1,500 to 2,000 needed to get the birds ready for sale at Christmas.

He said: There will be a massive shortage because companies cannot risk hatching turkeys and pushing them on the farm if they cant get the workers to do the job.

It would be financial suicide. Turkey after Christmas Day is worth nothing.

The British Poultry Council wrote to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, this month asking for the Government to relax immigration rules but have yet to receive a response. The poultry industry employs more than 40,000 people but there are nearly 7,000 vacancies, according to the Council.

The letter detailed how some chicken suppliers have cut their weekly output by up to 10 per cent. The supply of turkey is down by a similar amount but firms fear it will sink to as much as 20 per cent in December, due to the lack of seasonal workers.

The British Meat Processors Association has also called on the government to allow their production workers on the Home Offices shortage occupation list, which allows more workers to come from overseas.

Nick Allen, chief executive at the British Meat Processors Association, told The Independent: The supply problems are coming from the underlying labour problems happening since Brexit... Its certainly Brexit-related, but its also the immigration decisions our politicians are making since Brexit.

He added: Nandos is the tip of the iceberg. I think were going to see more and more [closures]. Some people are still trying to open up their restaurants - but theyre struggling to get staff and struggling for deliveries.

One of Britains largest poultry producers dismissed claims the supply crisis was down to the recent Covid pingdemic that forced staff into isolation. An Avara Foods spokesperson said: Our concern is recruitment and filling vacancies when the UK workforce has been severely depleted as a result of Brexit.

Last week KFC said supply chain issues were disrupting its food and packaging stocks nationwide.

Ranjit Singh Boparan, the billionaire founder of 2 Sisters, the Birmingham-based food manufacturing company, warned Government a few weeks ago that his industry was at crisis point.

He said the pingdemic was masking other issues, including Brexit-related shortages and Covid troubles. He added that the Government needed to act or face the most serious food shortages that this country has seen in over 75 years.

Supply of chicken and turkey is under threat. Our retail partners and the wider supply chain have worked together closer than ever before to ensure we retain food supply and this is of huge credit to everyone. But we are at crisis point, he said.
A 13-year-old boy has died from a suspected drug overdose in Bournemouth.

Mehmet Altun died in hospital, where he was taken by ambulance on Thursday evening from Columbia Road after falling ill.

Dorset Police said they believed Mehmets death was caused by a drug overdose, but added that a post-mortem examination had not yet taken place.

The force has arrested a 14-year-old boy from Bournemouth on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs. He was reported to be helping police with their inquiries.

Detectives have launched an investigation and are looking to speak to anyone who may have seen Mehmet on his bicycle on Thursday afternoon.

This is a very tragic incident with such a young life being lost and my thoughts go out to Mehmet's family and friends, said Detective Inspector Neil Third, who is leading the investigation.

Mehmet is believed to have been out on his mountain bike between approximately 12:10pm and 1:45pm. The bike is described as an orange-red colour, fitted with two different types of wheels.

I am hoping that somebody saw him during that time and can help us establish where he went and whether he met up with anyone, Det Insp Third said.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. 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The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. 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Anyone with information that might help our investigation is urged to contact us.

He stressed that the cause of Mehmets death had not yet been confirmed, but added: I would like to use this opportunity to remind everyone of our advice.

Anyone thinking of taking substances, please think again. You can never be sure what you are taking when you use illegal substances and the side-effects are unpredictable and potentially may have tragic consequences.

Additional reporting by PA
A terror attack launched by a released Isis supporter on a London high street could have been prevented, an inquest has found.

Sudesh Amman stole a large knife from a shop and stabbed two people before being shot dead by police in Streatham on 2 February 2020.

It came just 10 days after he was released from prison automatically after serving a sentence for spreading Isis propaganda.

Police and MI5 feared he would launch an attack, after stating his violent wishes in prison and associating with high-profile terrorists, and put him under 24-hour armed surveillance.

Two days before the attack, the operation revealed that Amman had purchased items in Poundland that could be used to make a fake suicide belt of the kind used in recent attacks.

The inquest into his death found that HM Prison and Probation Service had missed an opportunity which may have prevented the attack by failing to recall Amman to prison after being notified of the purchases, which Amman used to construct a hoax vest worn during the attack.

Jurors highlighted evidence that the police informed a National Probation Service (NPS) official and asked how he could potentially be sent back to prison.

HM Prison and Probation Service could have recalled Amman to prison if satisfied that his behaviour indicated an increased or unmanageable risk of serious harm to the public or that there was an imminent risk of further offences being committed, a document read.

Concerns that Amman could make a fake suicide vest sparked a joint operational team meeting with MI5 on 31 January 2020.

But police decided not to arrest Amman over the purchases and attempt to prosecute him for attack-planning, instead drawing up a series of tipping points that would spark different kinds of intervention.

They included breaching a curfew, entering areas of central London that he was excluded from, and purchasing a knife.

A knife, centre, of the kind stolen by Sudesh Amman and used in the Streatham attack (Metropolitan Police)

The plan said police would also swoop if they received intelligence that Amman was planning an attack or making a fake suicide vest.

However, the inquest heard that police did not search Ammans room at a probation hostel before the attack or ask staff to inspect it. No intelligence was received that he had made the vest he wore during the attack.

A former probation service worker defended the decision not to recall Amman to prison during the inquest, saying there was not enough information.

Alan Reid, the former national security lead for the probation service, said: There was certainly scope to do a routine search [but] the overarching impression that I was left with was that we didnt want to take any action that would compromise the police operation.

Carina Heckroodt, head of the London Extremism Gangs and Organised Crime Unit at the probation service, also denied there was a missed opportunity to recall Amman to prison after his Poundland purchases.

Jurors concluded that Amman was lawfully killed by police, who shot him after seeing him stab two victims, who survived their injuries.

The two police officers who shot Amman told the inquest how they feared for their lives, after he stopped in the street and turned towards them brandishing his knife.

An undercover officer codenamed BX87 had been following the terrorist as part of the planned surveillance operation when he went into a shop called Low Price Store.

A CCTV still showing undercover armed police officers chasing Sudesh Amman, right, with their guns drawn after he stabbed two people in the Streatham attack (Metropolitan Police)

He was directed to enter the shop to monitor Ammans activities but was still around 15m away when he ran out with the stolen knife.

BX87 described seeing Amman stab his first victim and shout Allahu akbar, meaning God is great, adding: It was at this point, really, that it really dawned on me that this was a terror attack, and that he was looking to attack numerous people.

An officer codenamed BX75 to protect his identity described Amman locking eyes with him as he ran along Streatham High Street.

He was running towards me, BX75 said. I thought he was gonna stab me and kill me.

The officer took a shot at Amman but missed, shattering the frontage of a Lidl supermarket, and started chasing the terrorist as he ran past him.

Witnesses described hearing shouts of stop, armed police as Amman continued running.

Outside a Boots pharmacy, around 100m away from where the attack started, he stopped and turned to face the officers.

BX75 said: I thought he was gonna stab me, attack my colleague, attack anyone who came out of Boots that didnt know what was going on outside, or turn and run into Boots and continue his attack. I was convinced he was making a decision there and then of who to attack next.

His colleague, BX87, said Amman had his arm stretched out with the knife pointing towards them as he turned.

Part of the fake IED made by Sudesh Amman and worn during the Streatham attack (Metropolitan Police)

It was pretty clear to me that he was intent on attacking me or further members of the public, he added. I continued armed police, drop the knife throughout the whole thing.

I saw Amman take a number of paces towards me, closing the gap further. It really dawned on me at this point that I was potentially going to get stabbed.

Both officers opened fire, with BX75 firing two shots and BX87 three, although not all the bullets hit the attacker.

BX87 said it was only when he had kicked away the knife and moved towards Amman with the intention of giving first aid that he saw his fake suicide belt.

The officer said he saw what he believed to be an explosive vest strapped to his chest, adding: I immediately retracted because I thought I was going to get blown up.

Authorities defended their decisions and the efforts to monitor Amman following his release from prison during the inquest.

A Metropolitan Police officer claimed the surveillance operation that was active during the attack could not have achieved a more effective result in the circumstances, and prevented Amman harming more people.
Boris Johnson is being urged to appoint a minister to find out the truth about the Taliban directly from Afghan women, instead of simply talking to other male leaders.

Harriet Harman, the former Labour leader, raised fears that the voices of women bravely standing up for their rights will be missed in the crucial days and weeks to come.

The warning follows a controversial prediction, by the head of Britains armed forces, that the Taliban could be more reasonable than during their brutal rule in the 1990s.

Others have warned that a clever media campaign to project an image of modernisation masks a fundamentalist Islamist ideology that remains unchanged.

Ms Harman said it was not correct that women in Afghanistan are all seeking to flee the country or just staying behind closed doors.

There are some women out there who are standing up for their rights and the rights of other women and we want to be supporting women in whatever choices they make, she said.

But, to do that, weve got to be listening to the women themselves  rather than having Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, and the prime minister simply talking to other male leaders, either internationally or in Afghanistan.

Ms Harman called for a minister who would be responsible for liaising with women in Afghanistan, speaking to the BBC.

It would ensure that, in talks about evacuations and humanitarian aid, women are there in all the discussions, she said.

And, as soon as there start to be discussions with the Taliban  which inevitably there will  there must be women as part of that discussion team, Ms Harman added.

General Sir Nick Carter, the armed forces chief, told the BBC, on Wednesday, that the Taliban should be given the space to show their credentials.

It may be that this Taliban is a different Taliban to the one that people remember from the 1990s, he argued  suggesting it might be more reasonable.

The comments followed Tuesdays surreal press conference, when the Taliban spokesman took questions from female journalists and claimed the regime is committed to the rights of women  but within our framework of sharia.

Both Mr Johnson and Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, have declined, to echo Sir Nicks optimistic prediction

The prime minister told MPs that the Taliban would be judged on its actions, rather than by its words about an amnesty and protecting womens rights.
The Taliban was inevitably going to assume political power in Afghanistan despite two decades of Nato involvement in the country, a UK defence minister has said.

Armed Forces minister James Heappey said it was always inevitable the Taliban would be part of the solution  comparing the current situation to the peace process in Northern Ireland.

Despite a UN warning that Taliban militants have been going door-to-door in their hunt for those who worked with Nato forces, the defence minister insisted the group was part of the peace.

Mr Heappey told Sky News: It makes me sick, of course it does, to see the scenes were seeing in Afghanistan, I gave some of the best years of my life and I risked my life in Afghanistan.

He added: The fact the Taliban is part of the peace, as painful as that is for people like me who have served, was always going to be the reality.

The defence minister, who served in Afghanistan during his time in the British Army, compared the current need to engage with the Taliban to engagement with former provisional IRA figures in the 1990s.

He told LBC radio: The reality is that anyone who served knows that peace is imperfect. I severed in Northern Ireland and I know that Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness who had been part of the provisional IRA became part of the government in the peace deal.

It comes as a UN document warned that the Taliban are targeting Afghans who worked for Nato forces or the previous government. The group are targeting collaborators according to a document by the RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses, which provides intelligence to the UN.

Former MI5 chief Lord Jonathan Evans has said the Taliban takeover was likely to increase terrorism threat which will emerge in Afghanistan over the coming months and years.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think there are two problems  I think there is more operating space more likely to be available to groups like al Qaida, and there have been reports of Islamic State elements present in Afghanistan.

Lord Evans added: If they get the opportunity to put down infrastructure to train and to operate then that will pose a threat to the West more widely  it probably does mean an increase in threat over the coming months and years.

Meanwhile, the governments is facing calls to do more and speed up the evacuation of remaining British citizens and Afghans who worked with UK forces, as the push to get people on flights continues.

The defence minister said on Friday that 963 people have been evacuated from Kabul on the RAF air bridge in the last 24 hours. Were looking forward to delivering similar numbers today, tomorrow and over the days ahead.

Mr Heappey said it was unclear how long the UK evacuation plan will last as it is dependent on the dynamic circumstances. We dont have it in our gift to say it will last for five days, 10 days, 15 days.

He said he understood the Taliban are not turning people away from Kabul airport, noting: Where they have done Ive heard its more that they are being officious rather than malicious.

The Guardian reported that a group of around 100 guards at the British embassy in Kabul were told they are not eligible for government protection because they were hired by a private contractor, the security firm GardaWorld.

But Mr Heappey said the guards would be evacuated. They have arrived at the airport this morning and we will be moving them out later today.

The minister insisted that people at all levels in the government are working their backsides off to evacuate people after he was questioned about foreign secretary Dominic Raabs response to the Afghanistan crisis.

Mr Raab is under growing pressure to resign over his failure to cut his holiday short as the Taliban advance. The crucial phone call he was urged to make to help evacuate interpreters in Afghanistan did not happen, the Foreign Office has admitted.

Defending the government, Mr Heappey told Sky News: No one phone call would have changed the trajectory, either for the collapse of the Afghan government or the acceleration of the airlift.

Asked whether Mr Raabs job was safe, the junior minister added: Thats not a judgement for me. He has been very, very effective in what he has been doing in the last week.
Seven Russians have been sanctioned by the UK following the poisoning of Alexei Navalny.

The Kremlins foremost domestic critic fell ill on a flight to Moscow last year and was subsequently found to have been poisoned with what experts concluded was the nerve agent novichok.

Mr Navalny, 45, was arrested on 17 January after returning from Germany, where he spent months recovering from the attack. He is in prison in Russia on charges of embezzlement.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office announced on Friday that seven individuals, said to be members of the Russian Federal Security Service, would be subject to travel bans and asset freezes. Government officials believe those sanctioned were directly responsible for planning or carrying out the attack on Mr Navalny on 20 August last year.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: Since the horrific poisoning of Alexei Navalny took place a year ago, the UK has been at the forefront of the international response against this appalling act.

Through our chemical weapons sanctions regime and at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, we are sending a clear message that any use of chemical weapons by the Russian state violates international law and a transparent criminal investigation must be held. We urge Russia to declare its full stock of novichok nerve agents.

Mr Navalny, a consistent thorn in the side of president Vladimir Putin, blames the Kremlin for targeting him with novichok  the same nerve agent used in the Salisbury poisonings in 2018, for which the Russian intelligence services have also been blamed.

The anti-corruption investigator has millions of Russian followers on social media and frequently attends protests against Mr Putins government, though he has been unable to challenge the president at the ballot box.

Earlier on Friday, Mr Navalny marked the anniversary of the novichok attack by urging global leaders to devote more attention to combating corruption and to target tycoons close to Mr Putin.

The UK and US also issued a joint statement in which they reaffirmed their condemnation of the assassination attempt on Mr Navalny.

The statement added: We welcome sanctions actions made by international partners and will continue to co-ordinate with international partners on further measures.

Today the UK and the US join in taking further action against the individuals directly responsible for carrying out the poisoning of Mr Navalny.

As we did after Russias use of a chemical weapon against the Skripals in the United Kingdom in March 2018, we continue to underline that there must be accountability and no impunity for those that use chemical weapons.
The crucial phone call foreign secretary Dominic Raab was urged to make to help evacuate interpreters in Afghanistan did not happen, the Foreign Office has admitted.

Senior government officials had reportedly advised that Mr Raab should call Afghan foreign minister last Friday as the Taliban neared Kabul  but were told he was unavailable while on holiday.

Responsibility was handed to a junior minister, and it was initially thought a delayed call had taken place on Saturday or Sunday as Kabul fell.

But the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has admitted no call took place. Given the rapidly changing situation it was not possible to arrange a call before the Afghan government collapsed, said a spokesman.

Mr Raab is facing mounting pressure to resign over his handling of the Afghanistan crisis as Labour warned there had been an unforgiveable failure of leadership by the government.

The party has demanded details about the governments handling of the situation in Afghanistan and the foreign secretarys holiday to Crete while Kabul fell. It has set out a list of 18 urgent questions for Mr Raab and other ministers to answer.

It comes as it emerged that the top civil servants at key departments are all currently on holiday. The Times reported that Sir Philip Barton, Matthew Rycroft and David Williams, permanent secretaries of the Foreign Office, Home Office and Ministry of Defence, were on holiday amid the evacuations from Afghanistan.

It is understood that the senior officials continued to work on Afghanistan while on leave, with another minister or an acting permanent secretary covering periods of leave.

A government spokesperson said: Departments across Whitehall have been working intensively at all levels in the last few days and weeks on the situation in Afghanistan.

Labour said it is requesting specifics on when Mr Raab was on leave from official duties, if he received advice from officials on the advisability of leaving, if he attended a Cobra meeting on August 15, and if other ministers were authorised to approve intelligence operations

The party also questioned Boris Johnsons involvement, asking Mr Raab if he spoke with Mr Johnson while he was away, and if the PM gave permission for him to leave the country.

Labours shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said: For the prime minister and foreign secretary to be on holiday during the biggest foreign policy crisis in a generation is an unforgivable failure of leadership.

Labour, the SNP, Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru have all called for Mr Raab to either quit or be sacked by the PM. They accused him of failing to perform his basic duties and argued he is no longer fit to represent the country.

Filmed walking into Downing Street on Thursday, a smiling Mr Raab was asked if he would resign  but told reporters: No.

Conservative MPs are said to be angry about Mr Raabs handling of the crisis. Raab was asleep at the wheel. Backbench MPs are absolutely livid about his not my problem guv attitude, as if it was not his responsibility. It has really riled up colleagues, one Tory MP told the Daily Mail.

Defending the government over the failure to place the call for Afghan interpreters, junior defence minister James Heappey told Sky News: No one phone call would have changed the trajectory, either for the collapse of the Afghan government or the acceleration of the airlift.

Asked whether Mr Raabs job was safe, the junior minister told LBC: Thats not a judgement for me. He has been very, very effective in what he has been doing in the last week.

Only one backbench Tory MP has publicly defended Mr Raab in recent days. Angela Richardson tweeted: Thanks for everything you do. I know that you are working around the clock no matter where you are located  that means any time zone, anywhere.

Meanwhile, senior MPs have warned the government must ensure it meets its responsibility towards UK-linked workers pursued into hiding by Taliban forces.

Labours Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, and Conservative Tobias Ellwood, chair of the defence select committee, warned the scope of the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) was too narrow.

In a letter to the home secretary, they urged Priti Patel to provide more resources to support the issuing of visas to ensure those trying to leave Afghanistan do not face administrative delays which would be unforgivable at this dangerous time.

The junior defence minister said 963 people had been evacuated from Kabul on the RAF air bridge in the last 24 hours. Mr Heappey said it was unclear how long the UK evacuation plan will last because of the dynamic circumstances.

He said he understood the Taliban are not turning people away from Kabul airport, noting: Where they have done Ive heard its more that they are being officious rather than malicious.
The SNP and the Scottish Greens are expected to confirm a deal to share power in Holyrood.

The power-sharing agreement would bring the Greens into government for the first time anywhere in the UK.

The deal would be the result of months of intense negotiations, which began in May after the SNP fell one seat short of an overall majority in the Scottish elections.

A meeting of the Scottish cabinet will take place on Friday morning in which the agreement is expected to be finalised.

Both parties have said that there will not be a formal coalition between them, however an agreement would see them work together on key issues.

The specifics of the deal are expected to be announced later on Friday after the plans have been signed off by the Scottish cabinet.

It could also see some Green MSPs appointed as ministers in Nicola Sturgeons government. Two Green MSPs, co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, are tipped to find roles as junior ministers under Ms Sturgeon.

On Sunday, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said the two parties had been trying to finish off those last bits of discussion.

When asked about what details the deal might include, Mr Harvie told the BBC: Everybody is very keen to know the outcome, I dont think you have very long to wait.

If we do agree something with the SNP it wont be put into practice until our party members have had a vote ... were trying to finish off those last bits of discussion.

The deal must be confirmed by Scottish Green members on 28 August, which is three days before Nicola Sturgeon is planned to address MSPs on her programme for government.

Opposition parties have already criticised the arrangement, with the Scottish Conservatives describing the Greens as extremists who dont belong anywhere near government. Labour condemned it as a coalition of cuts, saying that it confirms the long-held suspicion that the Scottish Greens are just a branch office of the SNP.

Scottish Conservative net-zero spokesperson Liam Kerr said that the Greens manifesto at the May election was a doctrine to start a war on working Scotland. The Greens had proposed to move away from North Sea oil and gas and end new road-building projects.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Greens said: Its no surprise that parties only interested in scoring political points would be alarmed about any suggestion of cooperation in the interests of people and planet.

People vote Green to get results, and over the last five years the Scottish Greens have achieved more from our manifesto than Labour and the Tories combined. We will continue to do that, whatever happens.

A spokesperson for first minister Nicola Sturgeon said: Following the SNPs record landslide election win in May, the first minister extended an open invitation to all parties to discuss areas where they thought they could work closely with the SNP in government ... The fact that Labour and the Tories chose not to pursue that offer says far more about them than anyone else.
The world will watch anxiously as the 400-metre container ship that blocked the Suez canal attempts to navigate the tricky passage once again.

The Ever Given, which caused global disruption when it became stuck in the shipping lane for six days back in March, today entered the Suez for the first time since then.

According to MarineTraffic, the ship left the Port of Felixstowe on the coast of Suffolk on 5 August and is partially laden with cargo. James Baker, the container shipping editor of Lloyds List, said on Twitter that the ship is en route to Singapore for repairs.

Live ship-tracking showed the vessel beginning a successful passage through the waterway at 3pm on Friday afternoon.

The Ever Given, one of the worlds largest container ships, became an internet phenomenon after running aground in the canal on 23 March after a gust of wind blew it off course. Images showed the Japanese-owned ship wedged between the two embankments of the waterway.

The ship was freed at the end of March  six days after it brought traffic on one of the worlds busiest trade routes to a standstill. Egypt reportedly demanded 397m as compensation for the major disruption caused by the blockage.

Hundreds of ships were unable to navigate the passage as engineers raced to free the vessel. Many were forced to take a much longer route around the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa, requiring additional fuel and other costs.

Roughly 15 per cent of world shipping traffic transits the Suez Canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia. The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) claimed the blockage in March would cost the world more than 730m.

Both parties agreed on an unspecified compensation fee last month after the SCA threatened to seize the ship unless the vessels Japanese owners paid 648m in damages.

The firm, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd, had previously blamed the authority for the blockage. They claimed the ship should never have been allowed to sail through the waterway during bad weather.

It contradicted earlier suggestions by Admiral Osama Rabie, chairman of the SCA, who said in a press conference in March that there may have been technical or human errors.

The container ship finally docked in the UK on 3 August  four months later than planned.
Conservative radio host Glenn Becks listeners raised $22m in three days to help free 5,000 enslaved Christians from Afghanistan.

Beck urged his audience to give until it hurts to fund the evacuation of thousands of mainly women and children from the country, which is now under Taliban control.

Every single penny that you can come up with will go to flying those planes and getting those people out, Beck said Wednesday.

We need, obviously, an enormous amount of money. These are people that are marked for death for what they believe in.

Im BLOWN AWAY by what this audience has done to help rescue persecuted Christians in Afghanistan! OVER $20 MILLION raised in less than 3 days! THANK YOU! https://t.co/yt6ZHp9dMk  Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) August 20, 2021

Encouraging people to donate to the Nazarene Fund he created, the former Fox News host said Christians faced being crucified by the Taliban.

After 24 hours, nearly $10m had been donated.

And by Friday, Beck announced the fund had surpassed $22m.

Im BLOWN AWAY by what this audience has done to help rescue persecuted Christians in Afghanistan! OVER $20 MILLION raised in less than 3 days! THANK YOU!

He later tweeted: YOUR generosity toward rescuing Christians in Afghanistan will be a Moses-style miracle. And it has given me back my hope for the future.
A man suspected of threatening to detonate explosives in the nations capital on 19 August before an hours-long standoff with US Capitol Police has been charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction, which could carry a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.

Floyd Ray Roseberry, of North Carolina, was also charged with the use or attempted use of an explosive device.

The charges were revealed during a virtual court hearing on 20 August with Magistrate Judge Judge Zia Faruqui of the US District Court for Washington DC.

The US Department of Justice has sought a mental competency screening for Mr Roseberry, who told the judge that he has been without his blood pressure medication and mind medicine for several days and had difficulty understanding the proceedings and what day it is.

My memory isnt that well, sir, he said.

Judge Faruqui has issued a medical alert to ensure Mr Roseberry receives his medication.

He has been appointed a federal public defender and will remain in jail.

Mr Roseberry will appear back in court on 25 August.

He told the judge that he made it to the eighth grade before dropping out from school to go to work, then received his General Educational Development degree followed by two years of technical training.

Mr Roseberry told the judge he is 51 years old, though police reports and the US Attorneys Office list his age as 49.

On Thursday, Capitol Police arrested Mr Roseberry after he allegedly parked his truck near the Library of Congress and streamed an anti-government diatribe to thousands of viewers on Facebook, which has since removed the video and his profile from the platform.

In his livestream, which was also shared widely across other social media platforms, Mr Roseberry held a barrel in his lap while discussing a revolution and warning that other patriots had joined the cause.

Capitol Police reported that a bomb was not recovered from the truck but but possible bomb-making materials were collected after Mr Roseberrys arrest.

He reportedly told a Capitol Police officer at the scene that he had a bomb, and the officer noticed what appeared to be a detonator in the mans hand, according to a statement from Capitol Police.

On his livestream, Mr Roseberry indicated his truck contained explosives and issued a warning to President Joe Biden against shooting him to prevent sound-sensitive detonators from igniting them.

In an unsealed indictment, federal prosecutors point to threats reportedly made by Mr Roseberry on the livestream.

The f****** revolution starts today, Joe Biden, he said, according to prosecutors. And before you go crackin any pop on me, you better get your military experts out, ask them mother******* what a 7 pound keg of gun powder will do with 2.5 pound of tannerite on that mother*******.

He added: If you want to shoot me and take the chance of blowing up two-and-a-half city blocks, cause that tool box is full, ammonium nitrate is full.

Police recovered a rusted drum with one to two inches of an unknown powder in the bottom with a fabricated trigger attached to the top of the can, according to the indictment. The can has been sent to an FBI laboratory.

When police arrived, Mr Roseberry was communicating by holding up hand-written signs through the front, driver-side window, Capitol Police said.

Officers then gave him a phone in hopes of trying to continue the dialogue, according to a police statement.

Mr Roseberrys Facebook account frequently referenced Donald Trump, including posts from the Million MAGA March on 14 November, which undermined the results of the 2020 presidential election and backed the former presidents baseless claims of election fraud.

During his livestream, he falsely claimed that Mr Biden had not been legitimately elected, echoing the persistent lie that the 2020 presidential elections was rigged against Mr Trump and his supporters.

He also claimed this aint about politics.

I dont care if Donald Trump ever become president again. Dont matter to me, he said. I think all you Democrats need to step down. You gotta understand the people dont want you there.
One person was admitted to a Mississippi hospital after taking veterinary drug Ivermectin allegedly for Covid-19 treatment as the state continued to see growing resistance against vaccines and reliance on unconventional treatments to fight the deadly contagion.

Ivermectin, a drug used for treating worms in mainly horses, has not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The patient, now suffering from Ivermectin toxicity, has been hospitalised, the state health department confirmed, reported Mississippi Free Press. The patients condition and the time of incident have not been shared.

Mississippi state health officer Dr Thomas Dobbs urged people to not rely on unusual drugs in a bid to avoid catching Covid-19.

Stating that potential toxicities are involved, Dr Dobbs said that people are trying to use Ivermectin as a preventive drug which is kind of crazy. So please dont do that, Dr Dobbs said on Friday.

Underlining that Ivermectin is not a substitute for Covid-19 vaccines, Dr Dobbs said: You know, please work with your doctor. This is medical treatment. You wouldnt get your chemotherapy at a feed store. I mean, you wouldnt want to treat your pneumonia with your animals medication.

Wrong doses of medication which is a dedicated drug for horse or a cow can prove to be dangerous, the doctor said.

The claim has been backed by the FDA which has clearly stated that Ivermectin is not approved for use in treating or preventing Covid-19 in humans.

Stating that Ivermectin is not an antiviral drug, the FDA says: The drug is approved at very specific doses for some parasitic worms, and there are topical (on the skin) formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.

Mississippi, an active Covid-19 hotspot in the US, has the second lowest vaccination rate. The state is battered by the outbreak and is facing the worst part of the pandemic in a week, Dr Dobbs said, after more than 20,000 students were quarantined for Covid-19 exposure, reported The Washington Post.

The state saw a record-breaking spike of 7,839 Covid-19 cases earlier this week on Monday and more than 4,000 new cases were registered in Mississippi on Wednesday.

Top officials and health experts are pushing for Covid-19 vaccination as a way out to break the chain of transmission and combat the disease outbreak.

"Its effective and extremely safe. Covid has killed almost 8,000 Mississippians, but weve seen very few side effects from the vaccine," Dr Dobbs was quoted as saying by The Washington Post.
A Covid patient who was waiting for an intensive care unit bed to become available died inside an Oregon hospitals emergency department.

State public health officials sounded the alarm as a wave of unvaccinated people infected with with Covid-19 overwhelmed southern Oregons hospitals.

A COVID positive patient was in our Emergency Department, within our four walls, waiting for an open Intensive Care Unit bed to receive life-saving care, the Douglas County COVID-19 Recovery Team said in a statement.

It had been several hours because other COVID positive patients had filled those beds. Even after expanding ICU care onto other floors, there werent any beds available for this patient.

We didnt have enough. This patient died in the Emergency Department waiting for an Intensive Care Unit bed.

Director Patrick Allen of the Oregon Health Authority said in a briefing:

Right now, ambulances are transporting more people in respiratory distress, but they have to wait longer to get patients into emergency departments because those beds are full.

He said about 200 patients were having to be held in ERs while waiting for intensive care beds, explaining: Patients are spending days in emergency departments because critical care beds are not available.

Mr Allen continued: Patients are parked in hallways. Staffing is critically short. I need to be direct about whats causing this crisis: a growing wave of unvaccinated patients who have become so sick with the delta variant they need to be hospitalized.

Around half of Douglas County adults are fully vaccinated, and Oregon health officials have repeated urgent warnings about the surging numbers of unvaccinated patients infected with the delta variant.
A man has described his harrowing ordeal at a Covid treatment centre, saying it showed the true seriousness of the pandemic.

Louis Lopez was waiting in Jacksonvilles main public library in Florida for a Covid monoclonal antibody treatment, when he witnessed patients coming in who were so ill they couldnt stand up.

A woman suffering from Covid-19 symptoms lies on the floor of a monoclonal treatment facility in Jacksonville, Florida (Reddit screengrab)

He took a photo showing one woman apparently collapsed on the floor while waiting to be seen, while another person was curled up in the background. Mr Lopezs wife posted the snap on Reddit, which then was widely shared on social media and news outlets.

These people were in bad, bad shape, said Mr Lopez.

In an interview with CNN, he said his experience at the library, which has been repurposed as a state treatment centre, made him deeply thankful to be fully vaccinated.

I lost two cousins to Covid in San Diego, Mr Lopez said. If I was unvaccinated theres no doubt in my mind it would have taken me out.

Mr Lopez has been sick with Covid for more than a week, with symptoms including swollen glands, a runny nose and a migraine. He made an appointment to get a monoclonal antibody treatment that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has promoted this week.

Dont wait till you need to be hospitalised, Mr DeSantis said on Wednesday during a visit to a facility in West Palm Beach.

Do it early, go in and people do good and obviously keep out of the hospital, but it resolves the symptoms for a lot of people very quickly to where they feel a lot better and they maybe were not at a hospital-level initially, but they felt symptoms, this has a great opportunity to really resolve it and I think resolve it in a good fashion.

Mr Lopez described distressing scenes in the library, with constant cries of pain coming from those seeking help. As time went on, more people started showing up. And it became evident that they were taking walk-ins and appointments. Some of the people that were coming in were really sick, he said.

He added: Thats when I actually thought ... this thing kills, he said. "If you die because of Covid, not only are you going to be alone, youre going to be in a lot of pain. It really illustrated that for me.
A jealous Pennsylvania man who beat and strangled his girlfriend to death before filming himself taunting her as she lay dying has been convicted of first-degree murder.

Nicholas Forman, 24, flew into a rage after his 22-year-old girlfriend Sabrina Harooni received a text message from an ex-boyfriend while the couple were on their way home from watching the Superbowl in PJ Whelihans bar on February 3 2020.

Mr Forman, from Perkiomen, demanded to see her phone as they took an Uber home, their driver Daniel Persing testified in court.

When Ms Harooni refused, he told her she couldnt return home until he showed it to her, the Uber driver testified.

Sabrina Hoorani was close to death when she was taken to hospital in an Uber the day after being beaten (Facebook)

Mr Persing said he was so concerned for Ms Harronis safety that he hung around after dropping them off, and told the court he heard her screaming and something breaking on the ground.

He would later tell law enforcement he waited for 10 minutes and when he couldnt hear any more swearing, he drove off.

Another witness, Brady Reese, saw Ms Harooni stumbling and appear to mouth the word help on a driveway next to his parents home.

He said Forman approached him in an agitated state and said that his girlfriend was drunk, and she gave him a thumbs up which he interpreted to mean she was OK.

Once inside the house, prosecutors said Forman beat and strangled her, leaving her with bleeding to the brain and bruising around her neck.

He filmed Ms Harooni on his cellphone as she lay dying, tell her: This is what a cheating liar gets.

Forman waited until the next day before ordering an Uber and taking Ms Harooni to the hospital.

There, a nurse described her as ice cold, with dried blood in her nose and dried vomit on her mouth. The nurse began performing CPR on her. According to media reports at the time of her death she reported feeling fluid in her lungs.

Nicholas Forman, 24, of Perkiomen, Pennsylvania, was convicted of the first-degree murder of his girlfriend (Montgomery County Sheriffs Office)

Forman told Pottstown police his girlfriend had been attacked by three women during their night out. He was arrested soon after, and footage from his cellphone was retrieved by police.

At trial, Forman admitted killing Ms Harooni and faced charges of first-degree and third-degree murder.

As the cellphone footage was played in court, her mother Rabia shouted: How could you do that to my baby?

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele urged jurors to convict Forman of first-degree murder, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

You know it by his words, his actions, and his inactions.

What did he do? He hid her away, and he made it so that nobody could help her, Mr Steele said.

Defence lawyer Michael John told the jury Forman was selfish and criminal, and it is homicide.

This wasnt a whodunit. It was cruel. It was extremely indifferent to Sabrina Haroonis life. My client did have malice but he did not have the specific intent to kill Sabrina Harooni, the Pottstown Mercury reported him saying.

The jury convicted Forman of first-degree murder, after a four-day trial, on Thursday.
The FBI has reportedly found no evidence that far-right allies of Donald Trump conspired to overturn the presidential election during the January 6 assault on the US Capitol, according to law enforcement officers briefed on the investigation.

Reuters reported the FBI doesnt believe the thousands-strong mob that stormed the Capitol was part of a coordinated effort, or that the rioters had planned what they would do once they breached the building.

The story was immediately seized on by supporters of Mr Trump as evidence that the mob that smashed their way into the Senate chamber had not been trying to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential results.

However, other commentators pointed out that the FBI investigation overlooked the fact dozens of members of far-right militias are facing conspiracy charges relating to the riot.

Or the role Mr Trump played in encouraging supporters to come to Washington DC on January 6, and then telling the riled-up crowds to march on the US Capitol buildings.

Charging documents show a member of a Proud Boys Telegram chat group wrote that he wanted turn the normies loose on Jan. 6 & hoped they would burn that city to ash today, wrote Alan Feuer, a legal reporter at the New York Times.

National security expert Marcy Wheeler said it appeared as though the law enforcement officers spoken to by Reuters were downplaying the large number of defendants facing conspiracy charges.

There are a few more conspiracies out there likely to be charged. So youre already over 60 people who were coordinating with EACH OTHER, Ms Wheeler said on Twitter.

So one thing thats saying is that a huge number of people worked in concert without anyone directing them where to go, she wrote on Twitter.

Mobs took control of the US Capitol building on January 6 (REUTERS)

Ms Wheeler, who has tracked each individual charge arising from the federal investigation, said members of both the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers were cooperating with the FBI investigation.

Mother Jones reporter Dan Friedman said it seemed pretty evident the January 6 attack wasnt centrally organized.

And focusing on whether there was some secret plot probably distracts people from how it was overtly incited by Trump and the Big Lie.

Seven months into the largest investigations ever undertaken by the FBI, 570 alleged rioters have been arrested and more than 170 people have been charged with crimes including assaulting or impeding a police officer.

The FBI has charged 40 followers of far-right militias the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys with conspiracy relating to the riots.

But the report said the FBI had found little sign of a scheme on what they would do once they were inside.

Roger Stone, center, meets with supporters of Donald Trump (REUTERS)

There was no grand scheme with Roger Stone and Alex Jones and all of these people to storm the Capitol and take hostages, a law enforcement official told Reuters.

Mr Stone, a Florida-based Republican dirty trickster, has been closely linked to the Proud Boys, the far-right militia.

Mr Jones runs the conspiracy theory site Infowars, which has been at the forefront of spreading election misinformation.

A January 6 Commission made up of nine lawmakers - seven Democrats and two Republicans - is investigating the events leading up to the riots, including the role Mr Trump played.

It has a broader remit than the FBI investigation, and is considering whether to subpoena Mr Trumps phone records to show who he was speaking with on the day.

Four police officers who fought the rioters have died by suicide, while Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick died of the next day from a stroke.

Ashli Babbitt was shot dead by a police officer as she tried to smash through a window inside the Capitol.

Earlier this month, former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen spoke to the Senate Judiciary Committee for six hours about his former deputys attempts to convince top officials to release statements claiming that investigations of voter fraud cast doubt on the veracity of the 2020 election results .

Mr Rosen described multiple instances in which Jeffrey Clark, former head of the DOJs civil division, pressed colleagues such as himself to make statements they believed to be false concerning the 2020 election, a source familiar with the discussions told the New York Times.
Larry Nassar has been ordered by a federal judge to hand over the money in his prison bank account to his victims.

The former USA Gymnastics team doctor is serving between 40 and 175 years in prison for sexually abusing young female athletes in his care.

Prosecutors had asked the judge to let them seize around $2,000 from Nassars Bureau of Prisons account, which he had tried to fight.

In court papers prosecutors stated that the prison system had collected just $100 a year in restitution in the three-and-a-half years that Nassar has been behind bars.

But they noted that during the same period Nassar, who owes victims more than $60,000 in judgments, had spent more than $10,000 on himself while in prison.

Nassar, defending himself, argued that he had been in full compliance with the Bureau of Prisons policy of paying less than one per cent of the owed restitution.

But that argument was rejected by US District Court Judge Janet Neff, who said that Nassar may have followed the Bureau policy but that he owed his victims much more than he was paying.

The judge signed a court order to force the Bureau to hand over $2,041.57 from Nassars account, according to The Washington Post.

Because [the] Defendant has received substantial non-exempt funds in his inmate trust account since incarceration, he was required by law to notify the Court and the United States Attorney and to apply those funds to the restitution that he still owed, the judge stated.

In court papers Nassar stated that the money came from two stimulus checks worth $2,000, as well as personal gifts from people.

Nassar is being held in a high-security prison in Florida to serve his state sentence for sex abuse, and a federal sentence for child pornography charges.

Last month the Justice Department Inspector General released a report criticising the FBIs botched investigation of the sexual abuse claims made against Nassar.

He has been accused of abusing hundreds of women, including Olympic great Simone Biles and a string of other Team USA gymnasts.

Court records show that Nassar has not paid any of the $57,488.52 he was ordered to turn over to five victims in the federal child pornography case, according to The Washington Post.

He also still owes $834 in the Michigan abuse case, as well as $5,000 in special assessment in the federal case.

The Bureau of Prisons declined comment when reached by The Independent.
Two police officers from Los Angeles County have been accused of painting a swastika on a car, according to authorities.

The two officers were identified as Christopher Tomsic, 29, and Cody Weidin, 28, by law enforcement. They stand accused of conspiracy to commit vandalism and committing vandalism. They have both pleaded not guilty.

The pair were a part of a response team to reports of stolen mail. While answering the call, they were taken to see a car that was allegedly used in the crime. Following this, the two officers took the car for inspection.

When the car was delivered back to the owner, he found a swastika painted on the backseat and a happy face painted on one of the front seats.

Our voice is committed to uprooting discrimination within the law enforcement ranks to preserve the integrity of the criminal legal system, George Gascon, attorney general of Los Angeles county, said in a statement.

The alleged incident is said to have happened in January 2020. Torrance Sgt Mark Ponegalek said in a statement that immediately upon learning of the reprehensible allegations in 2020, the Torrance Police Department opened a criminal investigation and the officers were put on leave.

The officers no longer work in the department. According to the LA Times, it is not clear if they quit or if they were fired.

According to the Attorney General, hundreds of cases the two officers were connected to will be reviewed for potential misconduct.

Let me be clear. I will aggressively pursue any form of bigotry, hate and misconduct, said Torrance Police Chief Jeremiah Hart about the incident, according to the AP.

Both are expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on 4 October.
Texas' lieutenant governor blamed rising hospitalization and death rates from COVID-19 on unvaccinated Black people  comments that were quickly denounced as racist.

Republican Lt. Governor Dan Patrick made the remarks Thursday night on a Fox News segment in response to question about the latest coronavirus surge in Texas. The state is seeing its highest hospitalization rates since January as the highly contagious delta variant spreads.

The biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated, Patrick said.

Patrick did not change course Friday, saying Democrat social media trolls misstated facts and that he had used state data in his assertions.

But statistics from the Texas Department of State Health Services don't back that. Black people  who make up about 12% of the more than 29 million people in Texas  accounted for about 15% of total COVID-19 cases and just more than 10% of deaths.

Patrick also told Fox News that Democrats were to blame for low vaccination rates among Black people, who frequently support that party, even though he believes Republicans should persuade more people to get their shots, too. But he also tiptoed around that issue, which has been sensitive for the GOP.

But we respect the fact that if people dont want the vaccination, were not going to force it on them," Patrick said. Thats their individual right.

City and county officials in Texas  many of whom are are in ongoing legal battles with state government over mask mandates  met Patrick with swift rebukes.

The Lt. Governors statements are offensive and should not be ignored, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner who is Black, said on Twitter.

Rodney Ellis, a Black commissioner for the county that encompasses Houston, tweeted that Patricks comments were racist and flat out wrong.

Its disappointing that the Lt. Governor would rather scapegoat Black people than do the right thing and work with local government to help control the spread of COVID-19, Ellis wrote.

About 8% of the eligible Black population in Texas has been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to state data, compared with 35% of the white population. White people make up the largest racial group in Texas at about 40% of the total residents.

Overall, 44% of Texans are fully vaccinated, less than the national rate of about 50%. COVID-19 is blamed for more than 50,000 deaths in the state, and more than 600,000 across the U.S.

Failures and abuses on behalf of government  including the Tuskegee syphilis study, in which unsuspecting Black men were used as guinea pigs in a study of a sexually transmitted disease  have led to mistrust in public institutions for many African Americans.

Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas State NAACP Conference, said those historic disparities combined with the politicization of vaccines, misinformation and access to shots is the problem. Bledsoe said he was shocked by Patricks comments.

I am so concerned that he is going to give field to somebody to go out there and do something outrageous because they think someone in their community got infected by Black people. That is just not true," Bledsoe said. Reach out beyond your political base, reach out to people of all the political persuasions in Texas, all the races and religions, and say, Let's come together, because this is a major problem."

The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths from COVID-19 in Texas has risen over the past two weeks from 50.29 deaths per day on Aug. 4 to 115.14 deaths per day on Aug. 18, according to data from Johns Hopkins University Center.

This is not the first time that Patrick has been criticized for comments related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an April 2020 appearance on Fox News, Patrick said the U.S. should get back to work in the face of the pandemic and that people over the age of 70, who the Centers for Disease Control says are at higher risk for the coronavirus, will take care of ourselves.

___

Acacia Coronado is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Federal prosecutors are recommending the leader of a far-right nationalist gang labelled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center should spend three months in prison for burning a Black Lives Matter banner outside a Washington DC church and carrying high-capacity magazines into the city days before the Capitol riot.

In July, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio pleaded guilty to one count of destruction of property and another charge stemming from possessing two illegal magazines, both bearing the groups gold insignia.

The citys Metropolitan Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Mr Tarrio after he admitted to burning a Black Lives Matter flag outside Asbury United Methodist Church in December during a violent pro-Donald Trump rally in the streets.

He was arrested upon entering the capital from Miami on 4 January, just two days before the riots in the halls of Congress. He was carrying two magazines, compatible with AR-16 and M4 rifles, in his bookbag. Both were empty.

Tarrio was subsequently charged with two felony counts of possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device.

Prosecutors told a judge on 20 August that Tarrio should also be ordered to stay away from the nations capital during his probation, which could extend through 2023.

He will be sentenced on 23 August in Washington DC Superior Court.

At least four churches were vandalised during riots on 12 December, 2020. Rioters destroyed two Black Lives Matter banners at Metropolitan AME and Asbury United Methodist Church, both historic African American churches.

Tarrio admitted in comments on Parler and on a Proud Boys-affiliated podcast that he was responsible for burning a churchs sign.

In the burning of the BLM sign, I was the one that lit it on fire, he said on the War Boys podcast that month. I was the person that went ahead and put the lighter to it and engulfed it in flames, and I am damn proud that I did.

He told NPR earlier this year that he intends to step down from the organisation in September.

 Trump refuses to denounce white supremacism and instead tells Proud Boys to stand back and stand by'

Over the last several years, the Proud Boys have staged scenes of political violence, galvanised by the former president after he invoked their name from the 2020 debate stage.

Dozens of people with alleged ties to the group are among the hundreds of people who were arrested or under investigation in the wake of the Capitol insurrection, with several men charged with conspiring to attack the halls of Congress, fuelled by Mr Trumps stolen election narrative to forcibly overturn the results of the 2020 election
A man is reportedly under investigation in Birmingham, Michigan, after he chanted heil Hitler in front of Black and Jewish members of a school board, which announced the introduction of face masks in classrooms.

The man, who has not been identified, was allegedly watching the Birmingham Board of Education meeting on Wednesday evening when he yelled out heil Hitler and saluted from the audience.

He was among the students, parents and members of the public who filled two rooms of the building to watch the school board debate a mandate on face masks.

Im more sad than angry because what it means is a real trivialisation of the Holocaust, of Nazism, and its a real breakdown in civil discourse, said Rabbi Asher Lopatin, a local rabbi.

As a Jew, it hurts. Its painful. A million and a half children died in the Holocaust so its just unbelievable that this was at a school board meeting.

According to ClickOnDetroit, many parents told board members that masks were against science and common sense, and that children were at zero risk from Covid. Neither is true.

At least one parent said she would be removing her daughter from school.

The man who shouted the offensive slogan was comparing a school board member to the Nazi figure, after board members announced the reintroduction of face masks for schools. He was removed shortly after by police.

As The Detroit Metro Times reported, the salute came as a Black woman and Jewish woman were addressing the board in support for mask wearing. The school board said in a statement that emphatically denounces and will not tolerate any act of racism, disrespect, violence and/or inequitable treatment of any person, including actions and statements made at Board of Education meetings.

It comes amid increasing rates of infection in Birmingham and across Michigan, and while many school-age children remain too young to be vaccinated against Covid. School boards across the US have also debated whether or not to introduce face masks to slow the spread of the virus.

The number of fully vaccinated adults in Michigan, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, is around 54 per cent. Cases are meanwhile rising in the state, with 23,323 cases confirmed in the past fortnight, according to data from Michigans health department.
Residents of Orlando, Florida are facing several weeks of water cutbacks due to a shortage of liquid oxygen, which is used to treat the citys water.

The shortage has been triggered by the Covid pandemic, as hospitals treating the current wave of infected patients with liquid oxygen has left a shortfall.

Orlando Utilities Commission said it expected to receive as little as half as much liquid oxygen in the coming weeks than is usually needed to remove odours and colour from the water supply.

The utility company, which provides water services to about half a million people in Orlando as well as unincorporated Orange County, was forced to ask its customers to cut back on their water usage immediately.

Those without reclaimed water systems were asked to limit watering their lawns and all customers were requested to stop washing their cars and performing non-critical activities such as pressure washing.

In a statement released on the companys website, OUC said lawn and landscaping irrigation accounts for about 40 per cent of its consumption and they need to reduce that in the coming days to help conserve its liquid oxygen supply.

It continued: If OUCs liquid oxygen supplies continue to be depleted and water usage isnt reduced, water quality may be impacted. But, we believe that will not happen if everyone does their part to conserve water.

The company said its liquid oxygen supply comes from a single local vendor, and the utility has already tapped into its reserves. It usually consumes 10 tankers of liquid oxygen each week to maintain water quality.

Liquid oxygen removes hydrogen sulfide from the water, a gas that gives it a strong rotten egg smell if not removed.
Two young ospreys were taken from their nest on a light pole at a park in Calvert County, Maryland, and euthanised, causing a stir among local wildlife enthusiasts.

County officials said they followed all laws protecting birds in removing the young ospreys from the pole to replace a light fixture on it at Cove Point park in Lusby, but that is little comfort to local wildlife rehabilitation experts and birders.

Supporters of the ospreys said officials should have consulted a wildlife sanctuary to take the birds or relocate them rather than kill them. Birders said the animals were about to fledge from their nest and appeared to be perfectly healthy, but a federal wildlife official said the ospreys werent close to fledging.

Ospreys, like bald eagles and falcons, were nearly wiped out because of pesticide use more than 40 years ago, but they have made a comeback as part of widespread conservation efforts. Federal wildlife officials said there are about 2,000 nesting pairs of ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay area. They often nest on top of lights or utility poles. At the Calvert park, they had made a nest in the pole.

Robert Kyle, who lives nearby, said he was outraged when he learned from online reports and wildlife social media groups that the ospreys had been removed from the Calvert County park and euthanised. He said he couldnt believe that something like this could happen.

There was a way to save them, Mr Kyle said, noting that several area rehabilitation groups probably could have taken the birds.

Donna Cole, who rescues birds of prey and runs a website called Annapolis Creative, was among the first to report on the ospreys removal in late July. She said the juvenile ospreys were perfectly healthy and the countys way of dealing with this was by killing wildlife.

Officials in Calvert County disagreed, saying they had the necessary approval from the US fish and wildlife service.

In a statement, the countys board of commissioners said that because the nest was located in an area adjacent to a ball field, the nest posed a risk to the safety of the public. It went on to say that the light pole at the park is not equipped to accommodate the presence of ospreys. The commissioners said falling sticks or other nesting material could fall from the nest and endanger visitors.

County officials said they had a cooperative services agreement with the US agriculture departments animal and plant health inspection service (APHIS) to have the ospreys and their nest removed. The commissioners said they were not consulted or informed as to why or how the decision was made to euthanise the juveniles in the nest rather than relocate.

Sarah Ehman, a county spokesperson, said that similar maintenance has been done at other spots in the area and in those cases, the raptors were placed in proper care.

The commissioners said going forward they plan to work to ensure that any ospreys removed from county property will be relocated.

In an email, Tanya C Espinosa, a spokeswoman for APHIS, said the birds were removed from the nest at the request of Calvert County parks officials due to human health and safety and property maintenance concerns.

Ms Espinosa said the wildlife service divisions work to do a lethal removal is done with consideration for the population of the species as a whole. She wouldnt say whether officials had considered contacting a rehabilitation centre or moving the birds to another nesting spot.

David Eisenhauer, a spokesperson for the US fish and wildlife services north Atlantic-Appalachian region, said in an email that depredation permits are sometimes issued for the capture or killing of birds to help reduce damage to agricultural crops/livestock, private property, human health and safety, and protected wildlife.

He said birds are sometimes relocated or sent to a federally permitted rehab centre. Theyre not always euthanised, and every case is different, depending on the specifics outlined in a permit, Mr Eisenhauer said.

Mr Kyle and other wildlife supporters said they still werent pleased.

Kathleen Woods, who is president of the Maryland wildlife rehabilitators association, said birds are euthanised more than the public realises, but people seem to be taking more notice of wildlife as theyre spending more time outdoors because of the pandemic.

Were all post-pandemic and freaked out about life, Ms Woods said. People just want to see good things happen in life.

The Washington Post
Robert Durst said he deeply regretted telling his life story to filmmakers in hopes of restoring his reputation.

If a Los Angeles prosecutor keeps exposing lies Durst told over the years, the New York real estate heir on trial for murder may wish he hadn't taken a chance to appeal directly to jurors in his bid for acquittal.

Durst testified under cross-examination Tuesday that he lied under oath in the past and would do it again to prevent incriminating himself. But he said he hadn't lied  at least up to that point  during his five days of ongoing testimony in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Under questioning from Deputy District Attorney John Lewin, who relished the prospect of grilling Durst and prepared a 200-page outline for questioning, the multimillionaire acknowledged there are some acts he would never come clean about.

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, can you tell me how that would not destroy your credibility? Lewin asked.

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 in 2000.

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. They also say he murdered a neighbor who discovered his true identity when he was hiding from authorities in Galveston, Texas in 2001.

Robert Durst has never been charged with a crime in his wifes disappearance and has denied killing her.

He was acquitted of murder in Morris 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.

If he had killed his wife and murdered Morris Black, Durst said he wouldn't admit those crimes.

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 that a history of lies and inconsistent stories had made him vulnerable.

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, Durst said 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 a note directing police to Bermans cadaver, explained that the mic hadn't captured his full thought.

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 interpreted the remarks, 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 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.

When pressed by Lewin about the note, Durst said he had to lie because otherwise it was clear he was present when Berman died.

Well, its worse than that," Lewin said. You previously said on multiple occasions that quote, 'Thats a note only the killer could have written.'

Durst said it was a line fed to him by the film's producer that he repeated again in an interrogation in 2015 by Lewin.

Seriously? Lewin said in a comment stricken from the record after an objection from the defense.

Durst reached out to filmmaker Andrew Jarecki in the hopes of burnishing his reputation after becoming a pariah following the Texas case.

Despite being the scion of a New York developer, 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.

Jarecki had made All Good Things," a feature film based on Durst's life starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst.

Durst hoped he'd be treated sympathetically.

Despite advice from his lawyers and everybody not to give a series of interviews for the film project, Durst ignored them all.

He said he was high on methamphetamine and repeatedly lied during the interviews. He had assured Jarecki he was being honest because things would go very, very wrong if he wasn't truthful.

When Lewin suggested that his lies to the filmmakers and at trial were coming back to haunt him, Durst said only that everything he did with Jarecki was a mistake.
Texas medical leaders preparing for potential ICU bed shortages have discussed taking a patients vaccination status into account when making critical care decisions.

The Dallas Morning Post published the contents of a leaked email sent to members of the North Texas Mass Critical Care Task Force from co-chair Dr Robert Fine.

It quoted a section that said: COVID-19 vaccination decreases severe infection and death. Vaccine status therefore may be considered when making triage decisions as part of the physicians assessment of each individuals likelihood of survival.

The planned strategy caused outcry, as medical ethicists pointed out that factoring in vaccination status would unfairly impact low-income people and people of colour  groups who have been historically disadvantaged when it comes to accessing medical care.

Dr Harald Schmidt, a professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, said such an approach would risk adding to existing injustices.

This policy pretends that it is just focusing on objective medical knowledge, but it ignores societal injustices, Dr Schmidt said. In such cruel clarity, COVID-19 has exposed the consequences of the structural inequities that weve had so long. Thats why its critical that we dont add to that, and in this case, we risk that.

Dr Mark Casanova, a spokesperson for the task force was interviewed about the planned policy on NBC 5 shortly after the email was leaked. He described it as a brief internal memo summarising task force discussions for members, adding that vaccine status was something doctors could consider in limited situations.

However, in a second interview later the same evening, Dr Casanova appeared to reverse the groups decision. Having spoken with members of the task force, he said the email had been a homework assignment to prompt feedback.

In the future, he clarified, vaccination status would not be among the factors hospitals are told to consider when making critical care triage decisions.

In the midst of this reconvening, and exploration and discussion with various triage committee members, the consensus is vaccination status, or more specifically a lack of a vaccine will not be considered as part of any exclusion criteria for treating patients, he said.
Earlier this week T-Mobile acknowledged that hackers had breached its security and stolen data on 40 million of its customers. The hackers claim they actually stole data on 100 million people, and were found selling the information on a forum for 6 bitcoin, or about $280,000 at the time of the listing.

Once a consumer's information has been compromised there is not way to undo that action, but there are ways that people can mitigate the potential risks tied to having their data leaked.

While "assume the worst" is advice unlikely to appear in any self-help books, it is actually a good policy for protecting yourself online. If you act as though your information has already been compromised and take appropriate security steps, then you will be protected when - or if - your data actually is stolen. Those steps include changing your passwords, setting up two-factor authentication on appropriate accounts, keeping a vigilant watch on your bank account and ordering credit reports to ensure no one is using your identity to purchase items.

While your data may not have been part of the T-Mobile breach, it is entirely possible your data was made public during one of the numerous other breaches that have occurred over the last decade.

T-Mobile has set up a special page on its website to explain the hack and provide its customers with options for protecting themselves, including free two-year access to an identity protection service through McAfee and step by step instructions for securing their accounts.

If you are fairly confident your data was stolen, it is a good idea to freeze your credit, which you can do through Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. The process is free and can be completed online, and is not permanent. You can lift the freeze whenever you want.

Freezing your credit prevents lenders from opening up new accounts in your name. This ensures identity thieves cannot use your Social Security number to sign up for a credit card in your name, or take out a loan.

In addition to checking your bank account and reviewing a credit report to ensure there has not been any unauthorized activity, it's also important to keep an eye open for bills that don't align with your spending.

While many people would be content with just tossing out a bill that seems weird or out of place, it could be evidence that your data has been stolen and is being used by a thief.
Amanda Gorman and other high profile cultural figures have joined together to call on President Joe Biden to protect women and girls in Afghanistan.

The National Youth Poet Laureate, who recited a poem at the presidents inauguration, added her name to an open letter urging Mr Biden to act to ensure women and girls are safe in the country where the US spent 20 years involved in a military conflict.

Other names attached to the letter, shared by Axios, include actors Connie Britton and Charlize Theron, the fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg.

We join a growing chorus of global leaders and advocates in raising up the voices of Afghan womens rights activists who are under imminent threat, and urge the Biden administration to honour its commitment to gender equality by acting swiftly to support women who are trapped in a dire crisis, they write.

On 15 August, the Afghan capital of Kabul fell to the Taliban, a militant and repressive group that poses grave threats to women and girls, including denying them access education and right to work outside of the home.

Mr Biden has been met with widespread criticism for the US governments lack of planning as chaos ensued amidst their departure from the region.

The letter details how the Taliban has been doing door to door looking for women who held public-facing jobs. The letter details that the Taliban have no reason to stop and they therefore urge the president to do something to stop the human rights abuses.

They outlines four demands for the commander-in-chief: Provide safe passage for women and girls to leave the country through military personnel remaining on the ground; increase the amount of Special Immigrant Visas and create a special category for women fleeing the Taliban; and allocate funds for Afghan civilians on those visas to help resettle. Finally, they ask for support for grassroots women movements in Afghanistan.

Twenty years ago, we were told that the US governments invasion of Afghanistan was justified, in part, because of the threat the Taliban posed to women and girls, the letter says.

The letter states that history will judge whether or not we did the right thing.

We call on the administration to act immediately to protect and support Afghan women, and urge others to join us, it concludes.

Ms Gorman also tweeted herself on 17 August imploring the US to welcome refugees.

As Afghanistan suffers, America has to take a long look at how weve perpetuated horror & how we can provide healing. We must welcome refugees & at last become the country we say we are. Today is the day to take in the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, she wrote.
 Close 'We will get you home': Biden promises to evacuate every American from Afghanistan

US President Joe Biden delivered an address to the nation for the second time this week, as the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan continues.

Mr Biden, who said this week chaos was unavoidable with his country's withdrawal from Afghanistan, addressed concerns about the evacuation of Americans, allies, and Afghan refugees, amid reports that the effort is falling behind.

The president vowed to Americans in Kabul we will get you home, but is being criticised for saying that there were no reports of people being stopped from reaching the airport by the Taliban who took control of the city on Sunday.

Reporters on the ground have many examples of people held back from accessing the airport by Taliban fighters and there are reports of physical violence and intimidation. The Pentagon then appeared to contradict the presidents statement.

Senator Lindsey Graham has threatened the president with impeachment if one American or Afghan ally is left behind in Kabul.

It remains unclear exactly how many people are awaiting airlifts from the country before an agreed deadline of 31 August, after Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban last weekend.

The US military has evacuated 13,000 people since 14 August, and 18,000 since late July. In the past 24 hours 5,700 people have been airlifted as the operation begins to meet capacity levels of 5,000 to 9,000 per day as detailed by the Pentagon.
President Joe Biden has called off his planned trip to Delaware and will stay at the White House for the weekend after speaking to the American people about the situation in Afghanistan.

President Biden will not be travelling to Wilmington as he had been scheduled to do so, a White House official stated, according to a pool report. He will instead remain at the White House this weekend.

After receiving criticism following the publication of an image of a lone president speaking to his national security team over video link from Camp David in the initial stages of the Afghanistan crisis, Mr Biden is now changing course and staying in Washington DC to oversee the progress of evacuations of Americans and Afghan allies from the airport in Kabul.

The past week has been heartbreaking, Mr Biden said on Friday as he provided an update on the status of evacuations of American citizens, SIV applicants, vulnerable Afghans, and their family members.

Mr Biden has travelled to Delaware 18 times as president. He was slammed for staying at Camp David in Maryland last weekend as the Taliban took the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday.

The president eventually returned to the White House to address the public on Monday, admitting that this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. But after his speech, he avoided answering questions from reporters and made his way back to Camp David again, returning to the White House roughly 24 hours later on Tuesday.

According to figures tabulated by former CBS White House Correspondent Mark Knoller, Mr Biden has spent more of his time off away from the White House than Presidents Obama and Trump.

Out of his first 29 weekends as president, Mr Biden was at the White House for six of them, NPR reported. He was in Wilmington, Delaware for 14 of those weekends and at Camp David during eight weekends. During one of those weekends, the president attended the G7 summit in the UK.

Clearly, they were flat-footed, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told The Washington Post about the White Houses response to the fall of Afghanistan.

Senators received an hour-long briefing about the situation in the country from administration officials, as Mr Biden was spending his time at Camp David.

The briefing was called by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and was attended by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley.

The thing that struck me, having been with all those guys over the years, was the amount of ums, uhs and you knows, Wyoming Republican Senator John Barrasso told The Post. This is a group that usually speaks in complete sentences, and they all sounded, especially Blinken, less confident in what he was saying.

These are Democrats who have been supporters of the president and wanted us out of Afghanistan, Mr Barrasso added. And the criticism was about the execution, as opposed to the political decision to bring everybody home, and how poorly it was being executed.

During his speech on Friday, Mr Biden said: Since I spoke to you on Monday, weve made significant progress.

Let me be clear: Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home, he added. Were in constant contact with the Taliban.

On 8 July, Mr Biden was asked if he trusted the Taliban. Its a silly question, he said. Do I trust the Taliban? No. But I trust the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better trained, better equipped, and more ... more competent in terms of conducting war.

The Afghan government and armed forces later fell in just 11 days.
President Joe Biden said he has seen no questioning of the United States credibility amid the chaos unfolding in Afghanistan despite numerous elected officials throughout Europe voicing objections.

I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world, Mr Biden said in a news conference on Friday. Matter of fact, the exact opposite Ive gotten.

But despite Mr Bidens words, plenty of European politicians have objected.

In the UK, former prime minister Theresa May was among dozens who criticised Mr Bidens decision to follow through with former president Donald Trumps exit plan from Afghanistan.

Speaking in the House of Commons during a heated debate on Wednesday, she said: It was a unilateral decision of President Trump to do a deal with the Taliban that has led to this withdrawal.

What weve seen from the scenes in Afghanistan is that it hasnt been alright on the night, so I say that there are many in Afghanistan who fear not just that their lives will be irrevocably changed for the worse, but who fear for their lives.

Similarly, Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, himself a veteran of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, told The Independent earlier this week: Blame shifting in the face of the predicted disaster that is Afghanistan today is extraordinary.

Following Mr Bidens speech on the situation in Afghanistan on Monday, British Conservative MP Simon Clarke posted on social media: "The more you reflect, the more you realise the speech POTUS gave last night was grotesque.

"An utter repudiation of the America so many of us have admired so deeply all our lives  the champion of liberty and democracy and the guardian of what's right in the world."

 'We will get you home': Biden promises to evacuate all Americans, 13,000 evacuated

Former Tory MP Rory Stewart, who ran for the leadership of the party in 2019, also described the speech to The Independent as "hollowed, devoid of empathy, and naively pessimistic".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not explicitly criticise Mr Biden but did call the events bitter, dramatic and awful, according to The Washington Post.

But Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the German parliaments foreign relations committee, was more vocal in his criticism, Politico reported.

I say this with a heavy heart and with horror over what is happening, but the early withdrawal was a serious and far-reaching miscalculation by the current administration, he said.

This does fundamental damage to the political and moral credibility of the West.
After President Donald Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February 2020, he optimistically proclaimed that we think well be successful in the end. His secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, asserted that the administration was seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation.

Eighteen months later, President Joe Biden is pointing to the agreement signed in Doha, Qatar, as he tries to deflect blame for the Taliban overrunning Afghanistan in a blitz. He says it bound him to withdraw U.S. troops, setting the stage for the chaos engulfing the country.

But Biden can go only so far in claiming the agreement boxed him in. It had an escape clause: The U.S. could have withdrawn from the accord if Afghan peace talks failed. They did, but Biden chose to stay in it, although he delayed the complete pullout from May to September.

Chris Miller acting defense secretary in the final months of the Trump administration, chafed at the idea that Biden was handcuffed by the agreement.

If he thought the deal was bad, he could have renegotiated. He had plenty of opportunity to do that if he so desired, Miller, a top Pentagon counterterrorism official at the time the Doha deal was signed, said in an interview.

Renegotiating, though, would have been difficult. Biden would have had little leverage. He, like Trump, wanted U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. Pulling out of the agreement might have forced him to send thousands more back in.

He made that point Monday, saying in a televised address from the White House that he would not commit to sending more American troops to fight for Afghanistans future while also harkening back to the Trump deal to suggest that the withdrawal path was predetermined by his predecessor.

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.

The Taliban takeover, far swifter than officials from either administration had envisioned, has prompted questions from even some Trump-era officials about whether the terms and conditions of the deal  and the decisions that followed after  did enough to protect Afghanistan once the U.S. military pulled out.

The historic deal was always high-wire diplomacy, requiring a degree of trust in the Taliban as a potential peace partner and inked despite skepticism from war-weary Afghans who feared losing authority in any power-sharing agreement.

The Doha agreement was a very weak agreement, and the U.S. should have gained more concessions from the Taliban, said Lisa Curtis, an Afghanistan expert who served during the Trump administration as the National Security Councils senior director for South and Central Asia.

She called it wishful thinking" to believe that the Taliban might be interested in lasting peace. The resulting agreement, she said, was heavily weighted toward the Taliban, contributed to undermining Afghan President Ashraf Ghani  he fled the country Sunday  and facilitated the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners without a commensurate concession from the Taliban.

They wanted U.S. forces out, and they wanted to take over the country militarily, and they believed that they could do that, Curtis said of the Taliban. That was just crystal clear.

The agreement called for the U.S. to bring down its forces to 8,600 from 13,000 over the following three to four months, with the remaining U.S. forces withdrawing in 14 months, or by May 1.

It stipulated commitments that the Taliban were expected to make to prevent terrorism, including specific obligations to renounce al-Qaida and prevent that group or others from using Afghan soil to plot attacks on the U.S. or its allies. Though the agreement bound the Taliban to halt all attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, it importantly did not explicitly require them to expel al-Qaida or to stop attacks on the Afghan military or offensives to take control of Afghan cities or other populated areas.

The agreement provided significant legitimacy to the Taliban, whose leaders met with Pompeo, the first secretary of state to meet with leaders of the group. There were also discussions of them coming to the United States to meet with Trump.

Stlll, Trump spoke cautiously about the deal's prospects for success and warned of military firepower if bad things happen. Pompeo similarly said the U.S. was realistic and restrained, determined to avoid endless wars.

U.S. officials made clear at the time that the agreement was conditions-based and the failure of intra-Afghan peace talks to reach a negotiated settlement would have nullified the requirement to withdraw.

One day before the Doha deal, a top aide to chief U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad said the agreement was not irreversible, and "there is no obligation for the United States to withdraw troops if the Afghan parties are unable to reach agreement or if the Taliban show bad faith in the course of this negotiation.

Those negotiations were intended to begin within a month of the U.S.-Taliban deal being signed but were delayed amid disputes between the Taliban and the Afghan government over prisoner releases. Amid numerous fits and starts, the negotiations had not produced any outcome by the time Biden announced his withdrawal decision in April. Nor have they done so since.

Miller said it was the right approach and necessary to force Ghani into negotiations. He said the Doha deal was always supposed to be phase one of the process, with the next part being the U.S. using its leverage to have Ghani negotiate on a power-sharing deal with the Taliban.

Obviously, he was not jazzed by that, but he was going to do it  or he was going to be removed, Miller said. We were going to put some serious pressure on him to make him cut a deal with the Taliban.

In hindsight, though, said Curtis, the U.S. should not have entered the Doha talks unless we were prepared to represent the Afghan governments interests. It was an unfair negotiation, because nobody was looking out for the interests of the Afghan government.
The US Justice Department and federal law enforcement deliberately targeted Black Lives Matter demonstrators under the express direction of Donald Trump and former US Attorney General William Barr, according to a sweeping analysis from advocacy group Movement for Black Lives.

In nearly every prosecution, cases related to protests from 31 May through 25 October resulted in hundreds of organisers and activists facing years in federal prison with no chance of parole after federal law enforcement exploited the expansive federal criminal code to assert jurisdiction over protest-related cases that bore no federal interest, according to the report.

The report  which examines 326 criminal cases brought by federal prosecutors in the wake of 2020 protests amid an uprising against police violence and racial injustice after the police murder of George Floyd  appears to largely corroborate what Black organisers have long known intellectually, intuitively, and from lived experience about the federal governments disparate policing and prosecution of racial justice protests and related activity, the report says.

Movement for Black Lives has pointed to the findings as part of a legacy of government and law enforcement attempts to undermine Black organising and opposition to white supremacy, from the FBIs harmful legacy of Cointelpro operations to Trump-era prosecutions of racial justice protesters while ignoring police brutality and rising threats of white supremacist violence at the heart of the protests.

Federal prosecutors aggressively sought jurisdiction in protest cases despite equivalent state-level charges that were sufficient in nearly every case, according to the report, issued in conjunction with the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) clinic at the City University of New York School of Law.

Federal prosecutions typically result in higher conviction rates, and roughly 88 per cent against protesters carried harsher penalties than equivalent state charges, the report found.

The government greatly exaggerated the threat of violence from protests, with the vast majority of charges involving non-violent offenses or offenses that were potentially hazardous but were restricted to property destruction, not violence against people, according to the report.

More than 25 per cent of all cases included stacked charges against defendants with multiple redundant charges being brought arising from the same facts  leading to far more severe potential sentences against defendants, according to the report.

More than 22 per cent of all cases involved potential mandatory minimum sentences, and 20 per cent involved offences where the defendant was alleged to have conspired or abetted a crime without actually committing any.

Rhetoric from the White House and Justice Department depicted protests as made up of violence radicals, while federal law enforcement justified its authority by pointing to state and local leaders abdication of their law enforcement responsibilities in deference to this violent assault, according to the report.

In May, then-Attorney General Barr claimed that anarchistic and far-left extremists hijacked protests and pledged to invoke federal laws against crossing state lines using interstate highways to incite or participate in violent rioting. He also directed the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate such acts of domestic terrorism and, in one memo, urged prosecutors to charge protesters with sedition.

Mr Trump also announced he would be mobilizing all available federal resources ... to stop the rioting and looting. He also signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to dispatch law enforcement to cities and states with Democratic-led governments.

These directives, meant to disrupt the movement, were the primary reason for the unprecedented federalisation of protest-related prosecutions seen in 2020, the report says.

The most common charge (32 per cent) was arson, which prosecutors broadly encompassed beyond setting a fire, according to the report.

Civil disorder accounted for 15 per cent of charges, followed by assaulting an officer (13.8 per cent), which included pointing laser pointers in the general direction of law enforcement.

The report also found that protest-related prosecutions by federal authorities generally did not correlate to population size, as one might expect, but rather to the deployment of federal law enforcement to police protests, suggesting that the deployment of federal law enforcement functions as a self-fulfilling prophecy, leading to more prosecutions, and serving to legitimize in circular fashion the alarmist rhetoric that led to the deployment in the first place.

The only two violent charges related to murder were brought against members of the far-right paramilitary group Boogaloo Boys.

And though Mr Trump, members of his administration and his allies in Congress continue to blame antifa for protest violence, the report found just one criminal complaint that listed any affiliation to antifa, and one pointed to their self-identification as an anarchist.

The report demands amnesty for protesters and calls on Congress to pass the Breathe Act, which would move federal funding for police departments to community-based public safety programmes.
The Capitol Police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot has been formally exonerated after an internal investigation found the shooting was justified.

In a statement published on 23 August, the Capitol Police said:

USCPs Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) determined the officers conduct was lawful and within Department policy, which says an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes that action is in the defense of human life, including the officers own life, or in the defense of any person in immediate danger of serious physical injury.

The statement added of the unnamed officer: The officer in this case, who is not being identified for the officers safety, will not be facing internal discipline.

During the 6 January riot, the officer fired on Ms Babbitt while she and other Trump supporters tried to force their way into the internal chambers of the US Capitol, where lawmakers were still being evacuated.

In April, the Justice Department announced that no charges were being brought against the officer. The conclusion of the Capitol Police's internal investigation ends the official inquiries into the shooting.

Video shot during the riot captured the moment Ms Babbitt was shot. In the footage, Ms Babbitt - cloaked in a Trump flag - can be seen attempting to climb through a broken window into an interior chamber of the Capitol. When shes about midway through the window, and officer can be seen levelling their pistol on Ms Babbitt. A moment later a shot rings out and Ms Babbitt falls backward onto the Capitol floor.

Ms Babbitt was declared dead at a hospital a short time after the shooting.

Republican Congressman Markwayne Mullin witnessed the shooting, and said the officer didnt have a choice, and claimed that the officer saved peoples lives.

Witness accounts from immediately before the incident report that protesters were shouting F*** the Blue and were rallying to push through into the Capitols interior.

Capitol Police officers claim that some of the protesters were carrying concealed weapons on the day of the riot, but a search of Ms Babbitt after the shooting found that she was unarmed at the time of the shooting.

Ms Babbitt, who was a believer in the QAnon conspiracy theory, tweeted the day before the riot that the storm is here, referencing a prophecy that Donald Trump, his allies and the military would round up his enemies and members of the Deep State, after which they would be tried and executed or imprisoned.

After the shooting, right-wing extremists have hailed Ms Babbitt as a martyr and have demanded that the name of the officer who shot her be released. Ms Babbitts family has sued the city of Washington DC demanding the name of the officer.

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is among the right-wing voices calling for the officer to be named.

During an interview with Newsmax, Ms Greene likened the shooting of Ms Babbitt to the police killing of George Floyd.

If this country can demand justice for someone like George Floyd, she said then we can certainly demand justice for Ashli Babbitt and everyone deserves to know who killed her ... we need to know who it is.

She also said that she was sure that if she and Ms Babbitt knew each other, they would have been friends. Ms Greene has also previously voiced support for the QAnon conspiracy movement, though she has since rescinded her adherence.

Mr Trump made similar claims, calling the officer who shot Ms Babbitt a murderer.

I spoke to the wonderful mother and husband of Ashli Babbitt, who was murdered at the hands of someone who should have never pulled the trigger of his gun, Mr Trump said in an email press statement.

Like Ms Greene, he complained that the acceptance of Ms Babbitts death was hypocritical, indirectly comparing it to police shootings of Black men in the US.

If this happened to the other side, there would be riots all over America, and yet there are far more people represented by Ashli, who truly loved America, than there are on the other side, he said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called for an end to the calls for the officer to be named.

Enough is enough. These attacks are disgusting, wrong and a wholly unacceptable way to treat the men and women who went through hell to protect our democracy from armed insurrectionists, Ms Pelosis spokesperson said in an email to Axios.

She also called on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to rein in his colleagues.

Its long overdue for Minority Leader McCarthy to get off of his hands and stand up to the members of his conference and party who have been terrorising the brave officers that saved the lives of countless workers, staff, journalists and Members on January 6th, she said through her spokesperson. It is no less than these heroes deserve.
Yogananda Pittman, the Capitol Police official who led intelligence operations when thousands of pro-Trump rioters descended Jan. 6, is back in charge of intelligence as officials prepare for whats expected to be a massive rally at the Capitol to support those who took part in the insurrection.

Pittman  elevated to acting chief after then-Chief Steven Sund was forced to resign in the aftermath of the deadly insurrection  was passed over last month for the role of permanent chief. The Capitol Police Board, which oversees the force, instead picked J. Thomas Manger, the former chief of the police departments in Fairfax County Virginia and Montgomery County Maryland.

Pittman's tenure as assistant chief was marred by a vote of no-confidence from rank-and-file officers on the force and questions about intelligence and leadership failures  specifically, why the agency wasnt prepared to fend off a mob of insurrectionists, even though officials had compiled intelligence showing white supremacists and other extremists were likely to assemble in Washington on Jan. 6 and that violent disruptions were possible.

But more than six months after the riot, Pittman has been put back in charge as assistant chief of the agencys intelligence operations and supervising officers who protect top congressional leaders.

Supporters of the current president see Jan. 6, 2021, as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election, said a Jan. 3 Capitol Police intelligence assessment. This sense of desperation and disappointment may lead to more of an incentive to become violent.

Unlike past events, when pro-Trump supporters clashed violently with counter-demonstrations, Congress itself is the target on the 6th, the assessment added.

Police officials in Washington are increasingly concerned about a rally planned for September 18 on federal land next to the Capitol that organizers have said is meant to demand justice for the hundreds of people who have already been charged in connection with Januarys insurrection. Organizers of the event, known as Justice for J6, have said the event will be peaceful but law enforcement officials fear such an event with thousands of people could devolve quickly into violence.

That Pittman remains in the position overseeing intelligence is notable given the internal leadership upheaval that followed the riot  Sund, the House and Senate sergeants at arms and the only other assistant police chief all resigned after January's attack  though on the other hand, removing her from the job could also represent a concession by the department that there was an intelligence failure on their part.

Capitol Police officials say Pittman was given the additional responsibility of being the acting police chief on a temporary basis and never left her old job, though an organization chart obtained by The Associated Press shows that the position of assistant chief overseeing intelligence was held by a different official, Sean Gallagher He is now temporarily in charge of the department's uniformed officers.

In that temporary position, Chief Pittman led the Department through numerous reviews. She also directed and led improvements to pivot the USCP towards an intelligence based protective agency, the agency said of Pittman's time as police chief.

As the temporary public face of the department, Pittman conceded to Congress at a February hearing that multiple levels of failures allowed pro-Trump rioters to storm the building but dispute the notion that law enforcement had failed to take the threat seriously, noting how Capitol Police several days before the riot had distributed an internal document warning that extremists were poised for violence.

Capitol Police had compiled numerous intelligence documents suggesting the crowd could turn violent and even target Congress.

The Associated Press has obtained full versions of four separate Capitol Police intelligence assessments in December and January that warned that crowds could number in the tens of thousands and include members of extremists groups like the Proud Boys and Antifa. A Jan. 3 memo, for instance, warned of a significantly dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public alike.

But none of the assessments envisioned the deadly violence that actually happened when thousands of Trump loyalists overran the building, and police officials have repeatedly said they had no intelligence to suggest that would happen.

Arguably the most detailed Capitol Police intelligence document was a Dec. 21 assessment that showed how people had been researching and discussing the tunnels under the Capitol  typically used by members of Congress and staff  on public websites. A Jan. 5 FBI memo from its Norfolk field office contained a similarly ominous warning.

Pittman told congressional officials that she had distributed that Dec. 21 intelligence assessment to her command staff, including the chief, the other assistant chief and deputy chiefs, but one recently retired deputy chief, Jeffrey Pickett, told AP that he had not received the document and was unaware of other senior officials who had.

In a statement, Capitol Police officials said that the department had enhanced its security posture because of the intelligence indicating increased interest in the tunnels." A law enforcement official told the AP that Pittman had emailed Sund and the other assistant chief, Chad Thomas, about the tunnel information. The department did not say whether Pittman sent the actual intelligence assessment to other chiefs, as she testified.

What the intelligence didnt reveal was the large-scale demonstration would become a large-scale attack on the Capitol Building as there was no specific, credible intelligence about such an attack, the department said in a statement.
Texas lieutenant governor Dan Patrick is facing criticism for pointing the finger at Black Americans, who he claimed were more unvaccinated than other populations, for a spike in Covid.

In a television appearance on Thursday, Mr Patrick told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that African Americans who have not been vaccinated were the biggest group in most states who were unvaccinated.

The Covid is spreading and particularly, most of the numbers are in the unvaccinated, said Mr Patrick, who was asked about rising infections in Texas, and the Democrats like to blame Republicans on that.

Well, the biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated, he then alleged. The last time I checked, over 90 per cent of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties.

While vaccination rates are relatively low among Black Texans, the group is not primarily responsible for rising cases in Texas, which is currently fighting over governor Gregg Abbotts ban on mask-wearing mandates in schools.

State health department figures also show that Black residents accounted for 16.4 per cent of the states cases and 10.2 per cent of deaths last week, while being only 13 per cent of the Texas population, The Washington Post reported.

White Texans, meanwhile, accounted for 41 percent of the states population, but 34.9 percent of all Covid cases infections. Hispanic Texans accounted for 35.8 per cent of cases but are 40 per cent of the Texas population.

Lieutenant governor Dan Patrick is a lying racist, wrote Jorge Caballero, a former instructor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and health scientist, on Twitter.

We know this because data shows that white Texans are responsible for twice as many cases as Black Texans, and there are 3 unvaccinated white Texans for every 1 unvaccinated Black Texan.

Texans falls below the American average for vaccinations, with 46 per cent of the state receiving both doses, compared to the national average of 51 per cent, according to The Post.

More than 1.5m people have now viewed a video of Mr Patricks remarks on Twitter.
President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday asked Brazil's Senate to impeach a Supreme Court justice  a largely symbolic move that shows he has little desire to ease tensions with the judiciary.

Joao Marques, Cabinet secretary of the Senates president, Rodrigo Pacheco, confirmed to The Associated Press that he received the president's request to impeach Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Pacheco will now have to decide whether there is justification to open investigations that could lead to impeachment. On Tuesday, Pacheco made comments to reporters widely interpreted as a signal that he does not see such grounds.

Bolsonaro has bristled at the top courts rulings since early in the pandemic when justices ruled mayors and governors -- and not just the president -- have jurisdiction to impose restrictions to slow the viruss spread. Lately, the feud has been coming to a head, with the president targeted by two investigations stemming from his relentless attacks on the integrity of the nations electronic voting system.

For a long time, the justices Alexandre de Moraes and Luis Roberto Barroso have gone beyond constitutional limits with actions, Bolsonaro wrote Aug. 14 on Twitter. He cited Article 52 of Brazil's constitution, which says judges may be tried for crimes and eventually removed from their positions.

The president's 18-page impeachment request ultimately targeted only de Moraes, and not Barroso. It alleges de Moraes' has carried out investigations with partisan and anti-democratic bias while acting as both investigator and judge and has censored freedom of speech.

Never before has the Senate invoked Article 52 against a Supreme Court justice, and signs indicate there isnt a will to do so in this case, said Paulo Calmon, a political science professor at the University of Brasilia.

Still, the request serves to keep Bolsonaro's base mobilized, he said.

This has a symbolic effect for his base, as it shows the president is combative and always ready to react forcefully, Calmon said.

With his approval ratings sliding, Bolsonaro has insisted the country's electronic vote system is prone to fraud -- but without presenting any evidence. That has prompted concern he may be laying the groundwork to dismiss election results. Recent polls have indicated that former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is expected to challenge the incumbent in next years race, would win handily in a runoff.

The electoral court on Aug. 3 announced an investigation of Bolsonaro for his comments about the voting system, and de Moraes included the president in the Supreme Court's investigation into the spread of allegedly fake news.

On Aug. 13, de Moraes also ordered the imprisonment of Roberto Jefferson, a fervent Bolsonaro ally and president of the Brazilian Labor Party, for allegedly making threats to democracy on social media.

If there is no printed vote and no public vote count, there wont be an election next year, Jefferson said in one video, published Aug. 10, echoing prior comments by Bolsonaro. His social media posts often show him brandishing firearms.

In a statement, the party denied any wrongdoing by Jefferson and said his jailing amounted to persecution and censorship.

In Bolsonaro's impeachment request, he likewise denied having committed any crime for which he is being investigated, and said he exercised the fundamental right to freedom of thought.

Lower house lawmakers last week voted down the proposal to adopt printed vote receipts. Some of Bolsonaros allies have implored him to set aside his discontent with the votes result and Jeffersons imprisonment in order to stop antagonizing the top court and get his legislative agenda back on track. Their influence has been limited. ___ Associated Press writer Debora Alvares reported this story in Brasilia and AP writer Silva de Sousa reported from Rio de Janeiro. AP writer David Biller in Rio contributed to this report.
Peru's foreign secretary resigned Tuesday amid criticism for comments he made about terrorism in the country in the late 20th century, leaving the new government of President Pedro Castillo less than a month after it assumed power.

The presidency's press office said in a statement that Foreign Affairs Secretary Hector Bejar, 85, had handed in a letter of irrevocable resignation and the president accepted it.

The government didn't cite any reason, but the opposition and some media have been criticizing the sociology professor and former guerilla member for saying that the Shining Path terrorist group was a CIA creation and that the Peruvian navy had been responsible for terrorist acts.

Bejar was taken to task for not presenting any evidence to back up his comments, and some opposition members had called Monday for his resignation.

Jorge Montoya, a retired admiral and a current legislator for the conservative Popular Renewal oarty, said Bejar's comments are tremendously damaging the image of the Foreign Ministry and tarnishing the prestige of our armed forces.

The navy disputed the comments, saying in a statement Monday that the Peruvian Navy deplores statements of this nature that seek to distort the history of national pacification.

Castillo, a leftist political novice who is the first Peruvian president of peasant origins. has not made any public comment.

In late 2020, Bejar said at a news conference that terrorist acts in Peru were started by the navy. That can be historically proved, he said, referring to some incidents a few years before the appearance of Shining Path.

According to U.S. diplomatic cables from the 1970s released some years ago by Wikileaks, the U.S. Embassy said some dissidents or right-wing navy members might be behind a 1975 explosion at the navy ministers home and two attacks in 1977 against two Cuban ships docked on the Peruvian coast.

Shining Path is a Maoist-inspired group that began its fight against Perus government in 1980, but was weakened by the 1992 capture of its leader, Abimael Guzman, and many of its other leaders.

Bejar was not the only Cabinet member being criticized. Prime Minister Guido Bellido has been lambasted for homophobic and misogynists comments made some years ago in his social media accounts, and the opposition has asked for his resignation.
A Colorado county employee under investigation by the FBI for allegedly leaking voting machine passwords to a well known conspiracy theorist is reportedly hiding out in a safe house owned by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

Mesa County clerk Tina Peters is the subject of an FBI probe into whether or not she allowed unauthorised access to the county's voting equipment. Colorado's Secretary of State Jena Griswold has called on her to comply with inspections of voting equipment and explain video footage showing her accessing the machines with an unauthorised person. That unauthorised person, believed to be a man named Gerald Wood, allegedly took video of the machine upgrades. The footage contained sensitive data that could be used to breach the county's election equipment. Prior to Mr Wood allegedly entering, Ms Peters reportedly told her staff to turn off the room's surveillance cameras.

Ms Griswold announced the investigation last week, as Ms Peters was flying to South Dakota to participate in Mr Lindell's "cyber-symposium," where he promised to reveal information proving the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.

Ms Peters  an outspoken Trump supporter and election conspiracy theorist  was invited to be a speaker at the three-day event. The Mesa County clerk responded to Ms Griswold's statement during the show, accusing the Colorado secretary of state of invading and having raided her office. She continued grandstanding, saying Mesa County was the last bastion of freedom and suggesting that the state wanted to take over my office and control the way you vote.

I don't know what [the secretary of state's investigators] did, but I can tell you I don't trust them, she said.

Later in the event, computer files from Mesa County voting machine hardware was displayed on a giant screen over the main stage. Ron Watkins  the owner of the 8chan image board who is believed by some to be Q of the QAnon conspiracy movement  also appeared on the screen. Mr Watkins appeared set to provide analysis of the data, but was interrupted by his lawyer. The lawyer advised him to say that the files had been taken without authorisation from Ms Peters office, that the data should be returned to the clerk, and that we should stop this data review.

Ms Peters took to the stage and denied that anything came from her office, unless it happened during the raid. Mr Watkins said during the confusion that Ms Peters had previously told him that she had collected the data, before changing his story and claiming that the information got to him via a former campaign manager for Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert.

After the event, Ms Peters allegedly went into hiding at the behest of Mr Lindell.

The MyPillow CEO told VICE News on Wednesday that she was worried about her safety because these people are ruthless.

According to Mr Lindell, Ms Peters was initially taken to Texas after the symposium, where she was meant to shelter in secret. However, a disgruntled member of Mr Lindell's security team apparently leaked her location, prompting the pillow boss to move her again. Her whereabouts are currently unknown.

Ms Peters has been banned from from accessing Mesa County elections equipment pending the investigation.
The bomb threat instigated by a supporter of former President Donald Trump outside the Library of Congress on Thursday triggered headlines across the nation, but by the end of the day for residents of the area and members of Capitol Police the event was worth little more than a roll of the eyes or exasperated sigh.

The scene that unfolded out front of the Library of Congress and Cannon House Office Building drew immediate attention from the national and local news media  dozens of reporters and assembled news cameras were present on the scene at either side of the police perimeter by noontime.

At a news conference, Capitol Police Chief J Thomas Manger said that statements made by the suspect as well as items seen in his car on a Facebook Live broadcast made by the suspect led officers to believe there may have been serious cause for concern.

There were things that we saw in the truck, for instance a propane ... gas container, Mr Manger told reporters.

But the incident wound down in the afternoon with the suspect, identified as Floyd Ray Roseberry of Grover, North Carolina, surrendering to police officers without bloodshed. By the time happy hours were beginning in bars across the city, those in the immediate area appeared unshaken by the suspects stated intention of detonating explosives nearby if President Joe Biden refused his demand to speak with him.

One Capitol Police officer stationed outside of the Russell Senate Office Building told The Independent that the events of Thursday were a sign of an unexplained mania that he said appeared to be spreading around the US, pointing to other incidents including a massive spike in violent and unruly passengers recorded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in recent months.

Its not just you ... between all the incidents on airplanes right now, and this stuff, were living in the Twilight Zone," he said.

He went on to note derisively that the suspect had expressed grievances with Mr Biden on social media but inexplicably chose Capitol Hill as the target of his standoff with police, and did so while the House was out of session leaving the Cannon House Office Building far emptier than usual.

 Floyd Ray Roseberry: Capitol bomb threat suspect identified, told his wife he was going fishing

He was up here ... demanding to talk to Joe Biden, who is like 16 blocks that way, the officer said, laughing.

His sentiments were echoed by employees and owners of businesses just around the corner from the Capitol Hill office area.

At a tuxedo rental shop less than a block away from one of the police perimeters, owners Dorian and Tony Lipscomb told The Independent that other than traffic disruptions, their business had been unaffected by the commotion.

I'm used to it ... Ive lived here all my life, Dorian said.

Tony remarked that the presence of a nearby Capitol Police officer stationed across the street meant the area was typically pretty quiet, though he noted that in recent months DCs growing number of individuals experiencing homelessness had led to a rise in people asking for money on the street and sometimes in the business.

Most of the craziness is from panhandlers ... people asking for money, so we sometimes keep the door locked, he told The Independent.

The chief of staff for Rep Jamaal Bowman, whose aides were not in the office at the time of the bomb threat, expressed her disgust with the situation on Twitter: Were home safe and sound. Congressional staff dont sign up to work in the midst of insurrections and bomb threats.

This isnt normal, she added.

Were home safe and sound.



Congressional staff dont sign up to work in the midst of insurrections and bomb threats.



This isnt normal. https://t.co/iptaCJq8yf  sarah (@SarahIddrissu) August 19, 2021

The incident is the second bizarre security situation to occur on Capitol Hill since the bloody assault on the Capitol building by supporters of the former president on 6 January. In April, a man was killed by Capitol Police officers after allegedly ramming his car into barricades put in place after the pro-Trump riot and brandished a knife at officers following the crash.

The shocking attack of 6 January still remains burned in the memories of many in the city, and four officers with the Capitol Police force who responded to the riot have died by suicide in the months since it occurred.

Barricades erected by law enforcement after the attack only came down in July, marking the end of a months-long stretch during which members of the public were not permitted on the Capitol grounds.
A former White House Homeland Security official has accused the Trump administration of deliberately obstructing visa processing for US allies in Afghanistan.

In a series of posts on Twitter, Olivia Troye, who served as an aide to former Vice President Mike Pence, eviscerated the previous administrations actions, which she said were steeped in racism.

There were cabinet mtgs about this during the Trump Admin where Stephen Miller would peddle his racist hysteria about Iraq and Afghanistan she wrote, adding that Mr Miller  a senior aide and speechwriter for Donald Trump  would undermine anyone who was trying to resolve the Special Immigrants Visa issue.

Ms Troye went on to say that while Mr Pence was fully aware of the problem, it was impossible to make progress because Mr Trump and Mr Miller had watchdogs in place at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, State and security agencies to make the process even more difficult.

According to Ms Troye, the Pentagon weighed in, and there were memos sent from General James Mattis and others attempting to expedite the visas, but to no avail.

There were cabinet mtgs about this during the Trump Admin where Stephen Miller would peddle his racist hysteria about Iraq & Afghanistan. He & his enablers across govt would undermine anyone who worked on solving the SIV issue by devastating the system at DHS & State.(1/7) pic.twitter.com/vtNWaasCK7  Olivia of Troye (@OliviaTroye) August 20, 2021

Trump had FOUR years  while putting this plan in place  to evacuate these Afghan allies who were the lifelines for many of us who spent time in Afghanistan. Theyd been waiting a long time. The process slowed to a trickle for reviews/other priorities then came to a halt. she wrote.

Ms Troye  who resigned from her White House job in August 2020 and has previously publicly criticised the Trump administration  added that she was grateful to everyone advocating the urgency of getting American allies evacuated out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.

Its the least we can do for these individuals and its a matter of national security. she said, warning: The world is watching.

Former Pence press secretary Katie Miller, who is married to Stephen Miller, told The Independent: Stephen didnt work on SIV policy in the White House. In fact, under President Trump, SIV grant rates increased from the previous administration.
The United States will keep its land borders with Canada and Mexico closed to non-essential travel until September 21, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Friday.

The move to extend the ban on land and ferry crossings for an extra 30 days comes after Canada said it would allow in fully vaccinated US tourists from 9 August.

The borders have been closed since March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced countries to seal borders to prevent the spread of the virus.

Air travel is still permitted between the three countries.

In a statement on Twitter, the DHS said the extension was necessary to minimise the spread of Covid-19, and essential trade and travel would continue to flow.

In coordination with public health and medical experts, DHS continues working closely with its partners across the United States and internationally to determine how to safely and sustainably resume normal travel, DHS said on Twitter.

To minimize the spread of #COVID19, including the Delta variant, the United States is extending restrictions on non-essential travel at our land and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico through September 21, while continuing to ensure the flow of essential trade and travel.  Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 20, 2021

Airline officials expect the ban to potentially remain in place for months, severely limiting cross-border travel during what is usually the summer peak season, Reuters reports.

US citizens and lawful permanent residents are still permitted to return.

Non-US citizens who have travelled to the United Kingdom, Europe, Brazil, China, Ireland, India or South Africa in the past 14 days are barred from entering the US.

The failure to make opening the U.S. - Canada border the priority that it should be is a huge mistake. It is beyond disappointing; it is hurtful both at a human and economic level. @LetUsReunite



Full Statement: pic.twitter.com/rHAR6hbHzi  Brian Higgins (@RepBrianHiggins) August 20, 2021

The Biden administration is considering making it compulsory for foreign travellers to be vaccinated before being allowed to enter the US.

When asked if he would consider shutting down the border to US citizens again, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday the risk of welcoming fully vaccinated people was minimal.

New York Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins called the decision beyond disappointing.

The failure to make opening the U.S. - Canada border the priority that it should be is a huge mistake, he said.
Authorities in Sydney have extended the citys lockdown for another month as the New South Wales capital faces surging cases caused by the Delta variant.

Tougher restrictions, including a nighttime curfew in 12 of Sydneys worst affected suburbs, will also be introduced, as well as an outdoor mask mandate.

Two million of Sydneys five million people will be affected by the curfew, which will run from 9pm to 5am from Monday. The measure was aimed at reducing the movement of young people, New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

People living in those areas will also be limited to just one hour of exercise daily.

The lockdown in Australias most populous city, which was first imposed in late June, was due to end on 28 August, but will now continue until 30 September.

I apologise to the vast majority of people in those communities who are doing the right thing but for our health and safety moving forward we need to make these difficult decisions, Ms Berejiklian said.

Daily cases across New South Wales have exceeded 400 for the past seven days despite Sydney have been locked down for the past two months. New South Wales reported 644 new cases on Friday, the majority of which were in the capital.

The rest of New South Wales has also been locked down since last week after cases spread beyond the city, but the shutdown will end in the rest of the state at the end of August as previously planned.

The new measures introduced on Friday will require people across New South Wales state to wear masks in public outdoor spaces.

The development comes after Australia recorded 754 cases on Thursday  its highest daily number of infections since the onset of the pandemic.

More than half of Australias population are currently under lockdown, following outbreaks in Melbourne and Canberra. Thursday marked the 200th day Melbourne residents have been under stay-at-home order since the pandemic began.

The country of 25 million has suffered a far lower death toll compared with many other nations, recording 971 deaths from Covid since the pandemic, with Australia has relying on extended lockdowns and strict border policies for its pandemic response.

Although the vaccine rollouts pace has significantly increased in recent weeks, there has been frustration over its slow progress. Half (50.2 per cent) of over-16s in Australia have had a first vaccine dose, while just 28.2 per cent are fully vaccinated.

The governments vaccination targets have shifted over time, but it now aims to have 80 per cent of over-16s vaccinated by December.
For the past two decades, their leadership roles have been intertwined  rivals, sometimes confidantes and undisputed political heavyweights  but on Friday Angela Merkel began the process of leaving centre stage to Vladimir Putin alone.

Ms Merkel insisted she hadnt travelled to Moscow just to say goodbye. There was business to get down to: Afghanistan, bilateral relations, Ukraine. And on a day marking the one-year anniversary of the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, there was also the small matter of his arbitrary trial and unjust imprisonment.

But her host preferred to emphasise the triumphant occasion. Fitting out the Kremlins opulent St Alexander Hall to host her  a first for any visiting leader  Vladimir Putin was even on time to present the 16-year chancellor with flowers.

We will always be very pleased to see Ms Merkel in Russia even after she finishes her term, Mr Putin told journalists at the end of three and a half hours of talks.

She is respected as someone who with a sure hand ran one of Europes largest economies, and someone who goes down in history as one of the most authoritative European and world leaders.

The two leaders certainly share common history, with careers the products of conflicting Europes post-war ideologies.

The German leader, daughter of an East German pastor, fluent in the language of Russian occupiers, became leader of the liberal West. The Russian president, KGB officer, fluent in the language of his East German posting, is increasingly the autocrat others want to emulate.

Ms Merkel has on occasion been a tough critic on Russia, but no other western leader has invested as much into close relations with its president. Over eight years between 2012 and 2020, the two leaders spoke by phone 67 times and met 34 times.

That dialogue was tested most notably over 2014 and 2015, when Mr Putin oversaw the annexation of Crimea and the start of undeclared war with Ukraine.

At one point, in an uncharacteristic display of frustration, Ms Merkel suggested her opposite number was living in another world. All the same, the German leader remained committed to searching for peace, overseeing tense negotiations in Minsk in February 2015.

Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraines foreign minister at the time, witnessed Chancellor Merkel and President Putins close relationship during 17 hours of negotiations.

He said he saw Merkel grow increasingly disappointed with her Russian counterpart. At the start their interaction was good, but things became more difficult when she understood he had been lying to her about Ukraine, he said. Mr Klimkin refused to elaborate with details, but said it left Ms Merkel emotional.

Other difficulties followed. An alleged Russian hack of the national parliament in 2015, reported five years later. The poisoning of double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, UK, in 2018. The murder of a Chechen exile in central Berlin in 2019. In response, Ms Merkel became a leading proponent of joint sanctions against Russia.

I try to improve the relations with Russia daily, Ms Merkel said in 2020 in response to an investigation into the Bundestag hack, but its unpleasant and outrageous.

Despite the difficulties, Ms Merkel pushed hard to preserve trade and cultural ties with Moscow. German industry has grown inside Russia despite sanctions, with its corporations well represented in government infrastructure projects from hi-speed rail to energy pipelines. Last year, Germany was Russias second most important trading partner behind China.

On Friday, Mr Putin made note of those efforts, thanking his opposite number for maintaining good business relations.

Chancellor Merkel was always ready to speak to him, he said: We havent always shared the same positions, but she always showed a readiness to compromise and resolve the most serious problems.

Ms Merkel agreed: Not to continue dialogue was never an option.
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It is one more case of survival which is a miracle. A COVID-positive man survived after being on ventilator support for at least 109 days in Chennai as per a report in NDTV online, according to Times Now.

56-year-old Mohamed Muddhija is supposedly the longest survivor on ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) without transplantation). He was on ECMO support for 62 days.

Mohamed was admitted to Rela Hospital. The patient's lungs suffered total damage after he was tested COVID positive in April this year, according to a report in NDTV online.

NDTV

Put on ECMO

As the condition of Mohamed's lungs deteriorated, he was put on ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) by doctors. He needed 10 litres of oxygen per minute. "It's my second birth. Whatever the doctors asked me to do I did. I had put all my efforts in God's hands. I was mostly unconscious. My wife took care of everything. But I am a sportsman and that kept me strong. Now, I will get back to my business activity and take care of my family and relatives"," the report quoted Mohamed as saying.

The businessman, who is still in a wheelchair, remained on ventilator support for 109 days. The doctors said the patient showed tremendous strength and willpower to survive.

iStock

Mohamed's daughter MA Marzuka has now set up a gym at their house so that her father could work out. Marzuka said the treatment cost of ECMO per month cost them Rs 40 lakh. She said everyone can't afford the costly treatment but they had to do it for their father.

Mohamed's wife HA Arunmozhi Fathima, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, said she was sometimes confused. Fathima also said that she was clear that a lung transplant could affect her husband's nature.


1. MEA Releases A List Of Updated Phone Numbers, E-mail ID For Indians Stranded In Afghanistan

Reuters

The Ministry of External Affairs has released updated mobile numbers, WhatsApp numbers and email id to coordinate repatriation if Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan, which is now under the control of the Taliban. Read more



2. Taliban Going House To House To Execute Those Who Helped US Forces, Says Report

AFP

The Taliban are going house-to-house searching for opponents and their families, according to an intelligence document for the UN that deepened fears as Afghanistan's new rulers were reneging on pledges of tolerance. Read more

3. Taliban Stop TV Anchor From Entering Studio Days After Assuring Afghan Women Their Rights

Reuters

An Afghan woman journalist has said she was barred from working at her TV channel after the Taliban took control of the country, and pleaded for help in a video posted online. Wearing a hijab and showing her office card, well-known news anchor Shabnam Dawran said "our lives are under threat" in the clip on social media. Read more

4. Top Taliban Man Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai Was 'Sheru' To IMA Batchmates In 1982

AFP

To the 1982 batch of the IMA, he was Sheru  well-built, not too tall and never religiously inclined. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai is at the moment one of the seven most powerful men in the Taliban regime about to take over Afghanistan, as per TOI. Read more

5. Hindus Observe Muharram In A Karnataka Village As There Are No Muslim Families

EPS

Harlapur village in Saudatti taluk of Karnataka is unique. Why? Because it is the Hindus who observe Muharram here and there are no Muslim families either, as per The New Indian Express. Read more


Global warming has been a concerning topic of discussion for a while now and things do not seem to be going well to reverse the effects. The United Nations issued a code red warning for humanity as the climate crisis is predicted to cause extreme weather on Earth in the next few years.

An example of climate change can be seen in Greenland as the island near the north pole received rain on Saturday. For the first time in recorded history, the summit received precipitation in the form of rain and not snow.

Alicia Bradley/National Science Foundation via CNN

This means that climate has changed the weather patterns due to rising temperatures in the cold region. According to a press release by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the National Science Foundation's Summit Station had observed above-freezing temperatures and wet snow for the third time in less than a decade and the latest date in the year on record.

The press release also said that there is no previous report of rainfall at the location. The location reaches 10,551 feet in elevation above sea level. The island has also lost ice mass due to the rain and it is supposed to be seven times higher than the daily average for this time of the year.

The NSIDC also said that such melt events have taken place in 1995, 2012, and 2019.

Joseph Cook via BBC from March 2019

The Polar Portal released data that warned Greenland is on track to lose its vast ice sheets. The region lost 8.5 billion tons of surface mass on August 3 and 8.4 billion tons on August 5.
The strike at the Cala Cala iodine refinery in northern Chile began on Friday August 6, one of the sources told Fastmarkets.

Production operations have been affected as a result of the strike and shipments delayed, Fastmarkets understands.

The situation could cause temporary tightness in the market and make it difficult...
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. Isolated tornadoes possible. High around 80F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Rain ending early. Partial clearing late. Low near 60F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Maine last month enacted a law that makes it the first U.S. state to ban the use of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in nearly all products. PFAS are commonly referred to as forever chemicals because of their inability to fully break down.

The law, An Act To Stop Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Pollution, was sponsored by Representative Lori Gramlich and became effective July 15 as an emergency measure not requiring the governors signature upon approval. The measure passed with 121 Maine House lawmakers voting in favor and two voting against the measure. An additional 28 House lawmakers were absent from the vote.

The legislation will ban the use of PFAS compounds in all products by 2030, except in specific cases where their use is considered unavoidable. These instances include in certain products that have been deemed essential for health, safety or the functioning of society and for which alternatives are not reasonably available.

The law says the full extent of PFAS contamination in Maine is not currently known but is anticipated to be widespread and will require significant resources to identify and remediate.

PFAS is at a crisis level here in Maine its in the soil, groundwater and household items, and it is making people severely sick, Gramlich said in a statement. We have a moral obligation to not only be good stewards of our environment, but we also must ensure that we are protecting public health.

The Guardian reported last month that PFAS include a range of about 9,000 chemical compounds that are typically used to make products water and stain resistant. Theyre used in food packaging, cosmetics, cookware, dental floss and a variety of other products.

Beginning January 1, 2023, a manufacturer of a product for sale in Maine that contains intentionally added PFAS is required under the law to submit written notification to state authorities including a description of the product and the purpose for which PFAS are used in the product.

Phasing out these chemicals and requiring companies to disclose their use will force companies to address their exposure and find non-PFAS substitutes in their products, said Daniel Drennen, environmental, energy and construction broker and national environmental practice leader at Amwins, adding that he believes the passage of this bill has established Maine as a climate leader.

Changing the Conversation

The law has been met with praise among environmental advocates that have been pushing for the ban of PFAS in products nationwide.

I am proud to see Maine taking action that will change the conversation on how PFAS are regulated, not only addressing the entire class, but creating the requirement to avoid these persistent and toxic chemicals wherever possible, said Patrick MacRoy, deputy director of public health organization Defend Our Health, in a public statement.

Linda S. Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, said in a public statement that she hopes Maines efforts will serve as a model for other policymakers.

The more we study PFAS, the more we learn of their harm to human health, she said. Maine should be congratulated for taking proactive action to work towards eliminating unnecessary uses of PFAS in all products.

Regulatory Costs, Lawsuit Concerns

However, others have expressed concern about the legislation.

Unfortunately, as written, this misguided law will eventually ban thousands of products that Maine families and businesses rely on without providing meaningful impact on public health, The American Chemistry Council said in a public statement regarding the bills enactment. It is our sincere hope that the legislature will realize the unintended consequences of this new law and work to fix the problems in the next legislative session.

Drennen said since companies currently using PFAS in their products will have to find alternatives, there has been some concern that this could lead to increased costs and some products being unavailable.

increased regulatory costs could cause some manufacturing companies to look at moving to other states with lower regulatory standards, he added.

Other areas of concern with the legislation center on product liability and pollution liability lawsuits for companies that have exposure to PFAS in their manufacturing process or end product, as well as insurers that provide coverage for supply chain exposures, Drennen said.

Lawsuits over PFAS have increased in the past several years. A widely reported $671 million settlement in 2017 saw DuPont and Chemours Co agree to settle thousands of lawsuits involving a leak of perfluorooctanoic acid, a compound that is part of the PFAS family, Reuters reported. Since then, several U.S. states including New York, Ohio and Vermont have sued the manufacturers of PFAS over alleged harm to public health and the environment, Reuters added in its report.

It is crucial that businesses do a complete audit of the materials and products that they have manufactured to see where their exposure to PFAS is, Drennen said. Additionally, they should look at their disposal and waste streams to make sure their insurance policies are covering them for non-owned disposal sites.

Questions for Insurance Carriers

Drennen added that insurance carriers should be inquiring about the use of PFAS in the supply chain, and even companies without direct use of PFAS in products should still consider examining supplier materials to make sure PFAS are not being used.

Having these chemicals in products could open up insureds/carriers to lawsuits for personal injury to environmental clean up claims, he said. General liability polices after 1985 contain stronger pollution exclusions, but PFAS has been around since the 1950s so there is likely a lot of legacy exposure.

He said the first step is for carriers to identify all of their insureds who have exposures to PFAS and address where each insureds facility is located in relation to drinking water intakes, residential areas and bodies of water.

We are seeing many carriers add PFAS/PFOS exclusions to environmental policies, but this is not on a blanket basis, he said. I expect this will continue unless insureds can show they do not have contamination on their site.

However, he said he remains hopeful any challenges will be ironed out in the long run as more states are beginning to implement stricter guidelines around PFAS.

In fact, Maryland recently banned 13 PFAS from being sold in cosmetic products, and Vermont passed a law prohibiting the sale of several categories of commercial products containing PFAS, according to an article on Lathrop GPMs blog. The article added that last year, state legislatures considered more than 180 bills involving PFAS and at least 15 states enacted 27 bills focused on efforts regulating PFAS.

Many states are looking at similar legislation, and there is currently a bill in the Senate that, if passed, would give the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) one year to designate PFOS and PFAS harmful chemicals paving the way for federal enforcement action for clean-up of groundwater, Drennen said. Short of federal guidance [on] drinking water standards for PFAS, which tells you how much contamination is legally allowed, individual states will continue to pass their own standards.

Related:

Topics Trends Chemicals Maine
Six Maryland law enforcement officers are facing federal indictment for charges related to schemes to defraud financial institutions and insurance companies.

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging an officer for the Fairmount Heights Police Department, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Maryland-National Capital Park Police, and three officers from the Prince Georges County Police Department (PGPD) with federal charges for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and mail fraud. The indictment was returned on July 28, 2021. The following defendants are charged in the federal indictment:

Conrad Darwin DHaiti of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police

Philip James Dupree of the Fairmount Heights Police Department

Mark Ross Johnson Jr. of the PGPD

Michael Anthony Owen Jr. of the PGPD

Jaron Earl Taylor of the Anne Arundel County Police Department

Candace Danielle Tyler of the PGPD.

According to the three-count indictment, the defendants conspired to commit three separate frauds, each of which involved filing false police reports and falsified loss claims in order to fraudulently obtain funds from financial institutions and insurance companies. The defendants were all police officers at the time of the alleged criminal activity.

Specifically, the indictment alleges that from May 2019 until June 2019, Dupree, Johnson and Tyler conspired to defraud three financial institutions by coordinating the withdrawal of money from their financial accounts through ATMs for the purpose of fraudulently claiming the money was stolen and seeking reimbursement from a financial institution.

In order to execute the fraud scheme, Dupree, Johnson and Tyler allegedly coordinated the submission of police reports to PGPD, falsely stating that their debit cards were stolen and used to withdraw funds from the ATM without their permission. The indictment alleges that members of the conspiracy, including the defendants, then submitted fraudulent claims to the victim financial institutions seeking reimbursement for the purportedly unauthorized ATM withdrawals.

Further, the indictment alleges that in January 2020, DHaiti and Owen coordinated the relocation and vandalism of DHaitis vehicle in order to file a fraudulent insurance claim. Members of the conspiracy, including DHaiti and Owen, allegedly coordinated the submission of a PGPD police report that falsely stated that DHaitis vehicle was stolen. DHaiti then allegedly submitted an insurance claim and documents to the victim insurance company by mail and wire, seeking reimbursement for the vehicle that was reported as stolen.

Finally, the indictment alleges that in January 2020, Owen and Taylor coordinated the relocation of a vehicle in a garage to hide the vehicle for the purpose of filing a fraudulent insurance claim. Specifically, the indictment alleges that members of the conspiracy, including Owen and Taylor, moved the vehicle to a garage and conspirators, including Owen, then submitted a false PGPD police report stating that the vehicle was stolen. A co-conspirator then submitted an insurance claim seeking reimbursement for the vehicle that was reported stolen.

If convicted, Dupree, Johnson and Tyler each face a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. DHaiti and Owen each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and Owen and Taylor each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

Source: Maryland U.S. Attorneys Office

Topics Fraud Abuse Molestation Law Enforcement Numbers Maryland
More than a decade on from the financial crisis, regulators are spooked once again that some companies at the heart of the financial system are too big to fail. But theyre not banks.

This time its the tech giants including Google, Amazon and Microsoft that host a growing mass of bank, insurance and market operations on their vast cloud internet platforms that are keeping watchdogs awake at night.

Central bank sources told Reuters the speed and scale at which financial institutions are moving critical operations such as payment systems and online banking to the cloud constituted a step change in potential risks.

We are only at the beginning of the paradigm shift, therefore we need to make sure we have a fit-for-purpose solution, said a financial regulator from a Group of Seven country, who declined to be named.

It is the latest sign of how financial regulators are joining their data and competition counterparts in scrutinizing the global clout of Big Tech more closely.

Banks and technology companies say greater use of cloud computing is a win-win as it results in faster and cheaper services that are more resilient to hackers and outages.

But regulatory sources say they fear a glitch at one cloud company could bring down key services across multiple banks and countries, leaving customers unable to make payments or access services, and undermine confidence in the financial system.

The U.S. Treasury, European Union, Bank of England and Bank of France are among those stepping up their scrutiny of cloud technology to mitigate the risks of banks relying on a small group of tech firms and companies being locked in, or excessively dependent, on one cloud provider.

Were very alert to the fact that things will fail, said Simon McNamara, chief administrative officer at British bank NatWest. If 10 organizations arent prepared and are connected into one provider that disappears, then well all have a problem.

Rapid Pace

The EU proposed in September that critical external services for the financial industry such as the cloud should be regulated to strengthen existing recommendations on outsourcing from the blocs banking authority that date back to 2017.

The Bank of Englands Financial Policy Committee (FPC) meanwhile wants greater insight into agreements between banks and cloud operators and the Bank of France told lenders last month they must have a written contract that clearly defines controls over outsourced activities.

The FPC is of the view that additional policy measures to mitigate financial stability risks in this area are needed, it said in July.

The European Central Bank, which regulates the biggest lenders in the euro zone, said on Wednesday that bank spending on cloud computing rose by more than 50% in 2019 from 2018.

And thats just the start. Spending on cloud services by banks globally is forecast to more than double to $85 billion in 2025 from $32.1 billion in 2020, according to data from technology research firm IDC shared with Reuters.

An IDC survey of 50 major banks globally identified just six primary providers of cloud services: IBM, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Alibaba and Oracle.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)  the largest cloud provider according to Synergy Group  posted sales of $28.3 billion in the six months to June, up 35% on the prior year and higher than its annual revenue of $25.7 billion as recently as 2018.

While all industries have ramped up cloud spending, analysts told Reuters that financial services firms had moved faster since the pandemic after an explosion in demand for online banking and emergency lending schemes.

Banks are still very diligent but they have gained a higher level of comfort with the model and are moving at a fairly rapid pace, said Jason Malo, director analyst at consultants Gartner.

No More Secrecy

Regulators worry that cloud failures would cause banking systems to fall over and stop people accessing their money, but say they have little visibility over cloud providers.

Last month, the Bank of England said big tech companies could dictate terms and conditions to financial firms and were not always providing enough information for their clients to monitor risks  and that secrecy had to end.

There is also concern that banks may not be spreading their risk enough among cloud providers.

Google told Reuters that less than a fifth of financial firms were using multiple clouds in case one failed, according to a recent survey, although 88% of those that did not spread their risk yet planned to do so within a year.

Central bank sources said part of the solution may be some form of mechanism that offers reassurance on resilience from cloud providers to banks to mitigate the sectors aggregate exposure to one cloud service  with the banking regulator having the overall vantage point.

Regardless of the division of control responsibilities between the cloud service provider and the bank, the bank is ultimately responsible for the effectiveness of the control environment, the U.S. Federal Reserve said in draft guidance issued to lenders last month.

FINRA, which regulates Wall Street brokers, published a report on Monday ahead of potential rule changes to ensure that using the cloud does not harm the market or investors.

Being able to switch cloud providers easily when needed is, however, a task that is more easily said than done and could introduce disruptions to business, the FINRA report said.

The Buck Stops with Us

Banks and tech firms contest the suggestion that greater adoption of the cloud is making the financial systems infrastructure inherently riskier.

Adrian Poole, director for financial services in the United Kingdom and Ireland for Google Cloud, said the cloud can be more effective in bolstering a banks security capabilities than by building it in-house.

British digital lender Zopa said it had moved 80% of its transactions to the cloud and was working to mitigate risks. Zopa Chief Executive Jaidev Janardana said the company was also deliberately leaning on tech firms expertise.

Cloud providers invest a lot of resources in security at a scale that few individual companies could manage, he said.

Googles Poole said the company was open to working more closely with financial regulators.

We may one day see regulators pulling data on demand from regulated banks with cloud-enabled application programming interfaces (APIs), instead of waiting for banks to periodically push data at them, he said.

NatWests McNamara said the bank was collaborating closely with tech firms and regulators to mitigate risks, and had put alternative services in place in case things went wrong.

The buck stops with us, McNamara said. We dont put all our eggs in one basket.

One problem, though, is that not all banks have a full understanding of the risks to resiliency that could come with a wholesale shift to the cloud, said Jost Hoppermann, principal analyst at Forrester, particularly the smaller lenders.

Some banks do not have the necessary know-how, he said. They think doing this will vanish all their problems, and certainly that isnt true.

(Reporting by Iain Withers and Huw Jones; additional reporting by Michelle Price in Washington and Francesco Canepa in Frankfurt; editing by Rachel Armstrong and David Clarke)

Topics Carriers InsurTech Tech
A controversial Russian pipeline to Europe can deliver its first batches of natural gas to Germany this year, according to Gazprom PJSC.

The Nord Stream 2 link can ship 5.6 billion cubic meters of the fuel in 2021, the Russian gas giant said in a statement on the eve of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Moscow. The new pipeline will help ease a supply crunch in the European market, with the news sending benchmark futures in the Netherlands down as much as 12%.

More than 99% of the pipeline has been completed, according to its operator. But before carrying the first gas to Germany, the link needs to obtain insurance and certification, a task made difficult by U.S. sanctions that restrict providing these services to the project.

The twin link  which will double the capacity of the existing undersea route from Russian gas fields to Europe  has been a major source of friction in trans-Atlantic relations for several years, with the U.S. claiming it could give Russia new leverage over Europe and introducing sanctions targeting the project. Joe Bidens administration softened its stance, reaching a deal with Germany last month to end a longstanding rift over the pipeline.

Europe desperately needs gas and Russia has been limiting flows at a time when cargoes of liquefied fuel are being redirected to Asia to meet soaring demand from countries including China, Japan and Korea. With inventories in Europe at their lowest level in more than a decade for this time of year, prices had been breaking records day after day even though its summer, when demand is usually low.

Industry watchers from S&P Global Platts to Moscow-based Vygon Consulting expect Nord Stream 2 to start supplies in October and to boost volumes through the winter season.

Mid-October would be the most realistic timeline to meet the 5.6 billion-cubic-meters supply plan announced by Gazprom, to have room for a gradual and smooth ramping-up, said Maria Belova, head of research at Vygon Consulting.

Gazprom and the project operator, Switzerland-based Nord Stream 2 AG, declined to comment on when the pipeline may be launched.

More than 99% of the pipeline has been completed, according to its operator. But before carrying the first gas to Germany, the link needs to obtain insurance and certification, a task made difficult by U.S. sanctions that restrict providing these services to the project.

Aside from regulatory issues, Gazprom needs gas to refill underground storage facilities in Russia, which are at abnormally low levels, before the heating season that starts in October. While the companys daily production climbed 1.1% in the first 15 days of August from a month earlier  even after a recent fire at a facility in West Siberia  Gazprom said this week that its overwhelmed with high demand both abroad and in Russia.

We would note that overall Gazprom production is currently limited, said James Huckstepp, an analyst at S&P Global Platts.

Keeping Up Pressure

Some traders had argued Russia was capping flows to Europe this year as a way to keep up the pressure to get Nord Stream 2 over the finish line.

I read this to say: there is a supply problem in Europe this winter; we can deliver at least some gas to help this; if you certify the pipeline and be reasonable about the regulation of its capacity, this will be a win-win solution,' said Jonathan Stern, a distinguished research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

Technically, the construction of the gas link may be completed this month, Chief Executive Officer Matthias Warnig told Handelsblatt in July. If the launch schedule for the original Nord Stream pipeline provides any guidance, commissioning works necessary for actual gas supplies via Nord Stream 2 may take another six to seven weeks.

As one line has been completed and testing and commissioning work is being done, we could see flows via Nord Stream 2 sooner than expected, said Sova Capital senior analyst Mitch Jennings. But if Gazprom waits for the second line to be completed, flows could start in October.

Speculation about the start of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline sent European gas markets haywire on Wednesday. Prices plunged 9.5% after the German gas grid posted data on its website suggesting physical gas moving through the link. Futures then pared losses after Gascade said the information was wrong and removed it from its website.

With assistance from Anna Shiryaevskaya and Isis Almeida.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Russia
Environmental activists who caused days of traffic chaos in London two years ago said on Wednesday [Aug. 18] they would start a fortnight of action next week focused on the capitals financial district, which they blame for helping to fuel climate change.

Extinction Rebellion (XR), which has regularly staged demonstrations across Britain targeting banks, financial institutions, energy firms and media organizations, said it expected thousands of activists to take part its disruptive protests which will start on Monday.

Related: Climate Change Protesters Set Off Stink Bomb at Lloyds of London in Ongoing Activism Climate Change Activists Protest at Lloyds of London, Dumping a Load of Coal

Well be targeting the City of London because its time that people understand the real contribution of the UK to this crisis, lawyer and XR activist Tim Crosland told reporters.

The City of London is the arch financier of the carbon economy. It supports 15% of global carbon emissions. It hosts BP, Shell, Glencore, Anglo American, and Russian oil and gas companies such as Gazprom and Rosneft.

Extinction Rebellion brought much of central London to a standstill during 11 days of action in 2019, bringing its cause to the fore but also provoking criticism from some politicians who said the police had been too tolerant.

The planned Impossible Rebellion will involve site occupations and marches through the capitals financial district. The group declined to give any details of targets, but said there were no plans to target public transport.

The action will coincide with a planned strike by a rail union next week which the capitals transport operator said could cause major disruption.

Extinction Rebellion wants an emergency response from governments and a mass move away from polluting industries to avert the worst scenarios of devastation outlined by scientists.

A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) earlier this month warned global warming was dangerously close to spiraling out of control, with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling it a code red for humanity.

Britain will host the United Nations COP26 climate conference later this year, which will try to wring more ambitious climate action from governments and the money to fund it.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by David Holmes)

Topics London Civil Unrest
Reinsurance Placement Platform Supercede Hires Former Willis Re CTO

Supercede, the London-based global reinsurance placement platform, announced the appointment of Aydin Betez, formerly chief technology officer of Willis Re, to lead the development of its cloud-based digital ecosystem, built for the global reinsurance market.

Betez appointment will build on the strength of Supercedes platform for reinsurance that connects, which brings together data, deals, and people across Supercedes three interoperable solutions: analytics, placements and network.

As the former CTO of Willis Re, Betez was responsible for leading the firms global technology, engineering, dev-ops, delivery, and data strategy. Betez pioneered the new digital ecosystem for Willis Res employees and clients and worked closely with the firms partners across the reinsurance market to co-develop platform strategies and initiatives.

Before this, Betez worked at Capco as a digital executive adviser, supporting large financial institutions to integrate with fintech partners. He was also an award-winning leader at TD Bank and has broad experience working in numerous senior technology and transformation roles across the financial services sector over the last two decades.

Betez has a long and successful track record of building globally distributed, agile product functions to develop business-critical solutions and cloud-based digital ecosystems for financial services organizations. This experience will be invaluable as Supercede scales up to the next stage of its development, worldwide.

Supercede, the provider of a global reinsurance placement platform built for industry dealmakers, manages the complete placement lifecycle for a network of reinsurance professionals, worldwide. It captures actuarial-grade submission data with Supercede Analytics and enables users to trade without cost on one intuitive placement platform, the company explained in a statement.

***

Sedgwick Hires Cordingley for Major Event Response in Australia, Cooper for Asia Business Development

Sedgwick, a global provider of technology-enabled risk, benefits and integrated business solutions, strengthened its team in Sydney and Singapore with the appointments of Clare Cordingley as senior manager, major event response, and Catherine Cooper as director of business development for Asia.

In this new role, Cordingley will be responsible for preparing, practicing and leading Sedgwicks major event response and strategy in Australia during catastrophes and surge events.

Cordingley has over seven years of experience within the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), with substantial involvement in many of the major events, including severe storms, flood events and bushfires. Her broad industry knowledge and efficient team management skills have led her to effectively resolve complex insurance issues for disaster scenarios.

In a newly formed role, Cooper will be responsible for supporting Sedgwicks growth strategy in the Asia-Pacific region by securing new business partnerships and opportunities, as well as ensuring that current clients receive the highest quality services.

Cooper has over 28 years of experience in the insurance sector, including tenure as a placement broker in the UK and Hong Kong. She joins Sedgwick from global loss adjuster McLarens, where she has been working for four years as regional head of business development, based successively in Hong Kong and Singapore. Prior to that, she spent three years as distribution manager for the international broker sector at an insurance company.

Cooper brings to Sedgwick a wealth of expertise in client relationship management, as well as the successful negotiation of new deals on large and complex national, regional and global programmes across all lines of business. Her experience with partnerships and contract negotiations specifically in Asia is at the heart of Sedgwicks expansion plans.

Topics Willis Towers Watson Australia
A man who suffered a compound fracture to his leg when he was hit by a tear gas canister during racial injustice protests last summer has received a $200,000 settlement from the Kansas City, Missouri, police department.

The man did not sue the department and did not want his name publicized, The Kansas City Star reported.

He said he was about 10 feet from police during demonstrations on the Country Club Plaza on May 30, 2020, when a tear gas canister hit his leg. He said he was hospitalized for several days.

Police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said the department would not comment on the settlement because there is ongoing litigation in the case.

More than 150 people were arrested during the 2020 protests that were sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The police response sparked more protests and calls for the resignation of Police Chief Rick Smith. Civil rights groups in July asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the police department.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Law Enforcement Kansas
A contractor that recently took over management of the University of Iowa utility system has been cited for safety violations after a worker fell into an underground steam tunnel and was injured, newly released records show.

The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Engie North America for five violations in connection with the March 25 incident in which a steamfitter fell 20 feet from a ladder down a maintenance hatch.

Engie paid a $16,000 penalty as part of a settlement reached in July, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request. Under the deal, the agency dismissed two of the violations and downgraded the severity of others.

Engie took over the universitys utilities operations, running plants that provide energy, steam and water to campus buildings, under a landmark $1.2 billion privatization agreement that began last year.

The injured employee and more than 120 university utilities workers accepted jobs with Engie, which will receive escalating payments from the university for providing service for the next 50 years. The university received a cash windfall upfront that it has invested an endowment for education and research programs.

The incident occurred underneath the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. The employee was going down a fixed metal ladder to get to the lower level of a steam tunnel when he slipped and fell, plunging through the hatch and striking the floor.

The 30-year-old suffered dislocated and fractured foot bones and was later hospitalized, state records show.

The employee has since returned to work, said Engie spokesman Michael Clingan.

The Iowa City Fire Department said emergency responders were on the scene within minutes, treating the worker roughly 30 feet below ground. But the department said it took a 43-minute rescue operation to remove him from the tunnel to above ground.

Engie failed to report the workers hospitalization within 24 hours as required under OSHA rules, missing the deadline by four hours, records show. The agency performed an inspection of the work site days later.

Inspectors found that the ladder from which he fell had a width of 15 inches between its side rails, an inch less than safety rules require. The citation said that exposed workers to a risk of falling.

Inspectors also found the ladder had suffered significant corrosion on its bottom 10 inches (25.4 centimeters), also increasing fall risks. They found a second ladder that led to the tunnel was too close to a sump line, violating a rule that requires more space between rungs and the nearest object.

Clingan, the Engie spokesman, said one ladder has been repaired and another has been temporarily taken out of service. The company inspected other ladders and will repair any deficiencies that are identified, he said.

Clingan defended the companys overall safety record, citing data showing it has fewer lost-time incidents than most of its competitors and a goal to eliminate all injuries. He said the company continues to integrate its safety practices and culture with the recently added members of our workforce.

OSHA records show the universitys facilities management division, which previously oversaw utilities, was cited for safety violations only once in the last 10 years, a 2019 case that resulted in a $8,051 fine.

Steam tunnels, where workers maintain pipes that distribute steam to heat and cool buildings, can be dangerous. In 2018, a 61-year-old steamfitter at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls died after getting caught in a massive steam leak. A university investigation found that a cap that failed was likely to blame, and the school paid $14,000 to settle safety violations.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Education Iowa Universities Contractors
The Boy Scouts of America has received a green light from a judge to proceed with its $850 million reorganization plan to exit bankruptcy and settle more than 80,000 claims brought by victims of sexual abuse.

The ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein means the organization can proceed to try to get formal approval for the plan from creditors, including a majority of the victims, as part of the larger goal of exiting its bankruptcy and compensating claimants.

The $850 million agreement is between the Boy Scouts national organization and about 250 local councils along with law firms representing about 70,000 former scouts who allege they were molested. A fund for survivors would receive about $250 million from the national Boy Scouts and $600 million from local councils, along with insurance rights.

Whats at Stake in Boy Scouts Bankruptcy Case

The Restructuring Support Agreement (RSA) was opposed by insurers for the organizations. They contend there were conflicts of interest among the parties to the agreement and that the parties did not meet the proper business judgment standard required by law in negotiating it.

However, the judge rejected the arguments by insurers, finding that the debtors have met the relevant standard and that the insurers evidence was unconvincing.

The judge also declined to dismiss a $650 million settlement that the Boy Scouts reached in April with one of their insurers, The Hartford. The Boy Scouts asked to be excused from that deal because abuse claimants do not support it but the judge left the fate of the Hartford offer to be decided at a later date.

The judge also withheld approval of a provision relating to payment of about $10.5 million in legal fees to lawyers for the Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice, which represents about 60,000 of the sex abuse victims. She expressed concern that these millions of dollars would come out of the pockets of victims. While one can argue that on a relative scale thats not that great, any funds diverted from abuse victims, especially to pay an obligation of their lawyers, needs to be closely examined, the judge said.

Not All Abuse Survivors Welcome Boy Scouts $850M Bankruptcy Deal

In announcing her overall decision, the judge stressed its limited nature.

My conclusion: I have found that the entry into the RSA is a sound exercise of Debtors business judgment. The parties can proceed with the RSA without the findings regarding the Hartford settlement agreement and fees for the coalition, or not, Silverstein said in reading her ruling.

According to a transcript, she then added, Let me emphasize the limited nature of my ruling today. I am being asked to approve Debtors entry into the RSA. I am not approving the term sheet, the fourth amended plan, any disclosure statement, or anything else, and the order I entered today does not suggest that I will do so or need to do so.

David J. Molton, attorney at Brown Rudnick who represented the Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice, praised the ruling by Judge Silverstein approving the RSA.

The agreement, which cements the initial $850 million funding of a compensation fund for survivors of sexual abuse, mandates safe scouting protocols for Boy Scouts exit from bankruptcy and enables the Coalition, together with its partners in the agreement, to procure settlements from Boy Scouts insurers and sponsoring partners that will bring in additional billions of dollars to compensate survivors, Molton stated.

The ruling came after a three-day hearing. The next step is an August 25 hearing to decide on a disclosure statement that explains the terms of the reorganization to creditors so they can vote on the plan.

The Boy Scouts filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2020. The organization has argued that the restructuring agreement and bankruptcy process provide the best opportunity to compensate victims.

Topics Legislation Abuse Molestation
Local prosecutors have reached a $2 million settlement with a New Orleans man who spent 23 years in prison before being cleared on charges including rape and manslaughter.

I welcome this measure of justice after so many years, Robert Jones, now 48 and community outreach director for Orleans Public Defenders, said in a statement released through his attorneys.

Jones will get the money over six years, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said in a news release.

After years of intense litigation, and with trial approaching, the settlement will avert the expense of a three- to four-week trial and the risk that a jury might award Jones more money, the statement said.

Jones, who always had said he was innocent of the crime wave in 1992, when he was 19, was convicted in 1996 of rape and robbery. After the conviction, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing of British tourist Julie Stott.

A state appeal court vacated the convictions in 2014 because prosecutors under former District Attorney Harry Connick, who retired in 2003, never gave defense lawyers some favorable evidence. Williams said he and Jones attorneys worked out policies to ensure that defense lawyers get such evidence.

Jones was released on parole from Louisianas maximum-security prison in 2015. Two years later, on Jones 44th birthday, Judge Jerome Winsberg vacated his guilty plea and formally accepted the decision by prosecutors not to retry the rape and robbery charges.

Former District Attorney Leon Cannizzaros office dropped charges against Jones. At the time, a spokesman said prosecutors didnt consider him exonerated but felt it impractical to retry a case more than two decades old.

Williams said in a news release that he intends to keep working toward the day when the District Attorneys Office will not be burdened with vacated convictions and wrongful-conviction lawsuits from previous administrations.

On Aug. 16, a man sentenced to life without parole for stealing a wallet was freed after prosecutors agreed to dismiss a habitual offender sentencing enhancement brought against him under Cannizzaro.

Williams office also recently agreed, without disclosing terms, to resolve remaining claims in a lawsuit involving practices that included using fake subpoenas to threaten uncooperative witnesses with jail time, The Times-Picayune / New Orleans Advocate reported.

In June, a judge overturned a Black mans murder conviction after prosecutors agreed with defense attorneys that it was unlikely that earlier prosecutors struck a dozen possible Black jurors by chance.

Another murder conviction was overturned in May after Williams said earlier prosecutors had failed to turn over favorable evidence.

Cannizzaro, who did not run for reelection last year, now works for state Attorney General Jeff Landry. He had no comment on Williams decision and statement, a spokesman for Landrys office said in an email.

Connick, who retired in 2003, has long defended his 30-year tenure as district attorney against allegations of prosecutorial misconduct in various cases. Now in his 90s, he has consistently declined to comment on specific cases.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana
A bill that becomes effective in Texas repeals a section of the states insurance code that allows certain auto insurers to file rates with the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) without providing actuarial support or justification for those rates.

Senate Bill 965 was backed by the Texas Office of Public Insurance Council (OPIC), which said the exemption in Section 2251.1025 of the Insurance Code for some auto insurers limits the ability of OPIC and the Texas Department of Insurance to monitor those carriers rates for compliance with state law. When the exemption is lifted regulators will be able to monitor rate filings to make sure insurers rates are not inadequate, excessive, unreasonable, or unfairly discriminatory, OPIC said.

This exemption limits OPICs and TDIs ability to monitor those insurers rates for compliance with state law, or in other words, (Insurance Code Section 2251.052). With the exemption in place, TDI can still require these insurers to provide certain kinds of actuarial support on an ad hoc basis, [however] there is no uniform applicability in what is required and for which filings because of the exemption. Moreover, the current file and use system makes this delayed receipt of information problematic for thorough and timely rate review, OPIC said in a statement on its website.

Section 2251.1025 is repealed by SB 965 as of Sept. 1. After that date all auto insurers will have to file actuarial support for their rates with TDI.

Source: OPIC

Topics Carriers Texas Auto
CSRisks

Capitol Special Risks, a division of Specialty Program Group, LLC, announced that Amanda Sedliak will succeed Dorothea Westin as President of the specialty lines insurance brokerage firm.

Ms. Sedliak joined CSRisks as an Account Manager in 1998, working her way up the ranks through Director of Marketing, Vice President, and Senior Vice President to Director of Brokerage, a position she held from 2017 to the present. Prior to working with CSRisks, Ms. Sedliak worked for American International Group first as an Underwriting Assistant and then as an Underwriting Technician.

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, CSRisks is a specialty lines insurance brokerage firm founded in 1991.

Pinnacle

Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, Inc. (Pinnacle) has added Daniel Linton to its property/casualty consulting firm as senior consulting actuary and consulting actuary, respectively.

Linton is located in Nashville.

Linton joins Pinnacle from another actuarial consulting firm where he was a partner and consulting actuary. His actuarial services included reserving and forecasting in alternative risk markets with a focus on large deductible, self-insured entities including Fortune 500 corporations, captives and municipal risk pools.

He has over 16 years of actuarial experience and has served as the appointed actuary for multiple single parent and group captive insurance companies.

Pinnacle is an independent, full-service actuarial firm focused on the property/casualty insurance industry.

Topics Tennessee
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is urging firefighters, scientists, teachers and moms to help form new strategies to deal with increasingly unhealthy air quality in Nevada caused by wildfires that continue to worsen and no relief in sight in the years ahead.

This is something thats happening all the time now, the Nevada Democrat said at a roundtable gathering in Reno Wednesday with experts who shared their challenges and frustrations on numerous fronts.

The 10 worst days for small particulate pollution over the past 22 years in the Reno-Sparks area all have been recorded in the past 11 months, said Brendan Schneider, an air quality specialist for the Washoe County Health District.

The Regional Emergency Medical Services Authoritys paramedics are responding to 52% more respiratory distress calls than normal, including 458 already this month compared to a month-long norm of 350, said Adam Heinz, REMSAs executive director of integrated health.

Smoke also has forced cancellation of 52 Care Flights this year that are critically important to rural areas that need the helicopters to transport patients from remote areas to medical centers in Reno and Las Vegas, he said.

Wildfire smoke also appears to be contributing to COVID-19 transmissions. Its made it more difficult to keep schools safe, deliver meals to low-income seniors and allow first-responders to meet dual demands of raging wildfires and a resurgent pandemic, the experts said.

A recent Desert Research Institute study of patients at Renown regional medical center in Reno suggests COVID-19 cases increased nearly 18% during high levels of wildfire smoke in 2020, said Daniel Kaiser, a DRI researcher.

Washoe County schools faces a Catch-22 with COVID inside and smoke outside, said Adam Searcy, the districts facilities boss. He said theyve been working to replace filters and upgrade air flow systems to try to flush the building with fresh outside air, except on days like today.

Kacey KC, Nevadas state fire warden and forester, said front-line responders to COVID-19 and wildfires are the same people.

These people arent getting a break, she said. It used to be six months up, six months down.

Local fire chiefs joined Cortez Masto around the tables in a conference room in the federal building beneath a smoky haze in Reno Wednesday with environmental scientists, medical researchers and a northern Nevada organizer for the Moms Clean Air Force.

They agreed with her belief they need to learn more about the long-term impacts of poor air quality on firefighters who man the front lines in the battles to snuff out the flames.

As far as I know, nobody is studying it, she said Wednesday. It makes sense to me weve got to start to capture data. There is no data apparently. This a concern I know is not going away.

Charles Moore, chief for the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, said firefighters take extraordinary precautions to protect firefighters responding to blazes in a warehouse with toxic chemicals but not out on wildfire lines.

Reno Fire Chief Dave Cochran said exposures to unhealthy air quality are to some extent unavoidable during a wildland blaze. He recommended developing new protective equipment for responders because existing versions often are not practical on fire lines in 100-degree temperatures.

If theres any upside to the latest blankets of thick smoke, Cortez Masto said its getting the attention of politicians in Washington from regions outside the West.

Western state senators get it, she said. But this is the first time Ive heard from some of our eastern senators because theyre smelling the smoke in their air on the East Coast. They are saying to me, Oh, my gosh, how are you doing out there?'

Cortez Masto told reporters after the event that should help Western lawmakers make their case for why we need to put these dollars and make this bold, big investment in wildfire suppression and recovery and preparation, and put money into the federal agencies budgets as well.

Does it make it easier? Absolutely.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Nevada
Yellowstone National Park rangers and Wyoming sheriffs deputies seeking a murder suspect held a vacationing family at gunpoint for an hour without adequate cause, a lawsuit claims.

Brett and Genalyn Hemry, of Independence, Missouri, say they are victims of false arrest, excessive use of force and false imprisonment. Their lawsuit filed July 19 in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne seeks unspecified damages to be determined at trial.

Law enforcement officers at the time of the 2017 encounter were seeking Gerald Michael Bullinger, a Utah man suspected of killing his wife, his girlfriend and his girlfriends daughter in Idaho. Bullingers whereabouts remain unknown.

Investigators had found a car Bullinger was driving in Bridger-Teton National Forest outside Moran, near Grand Teton National Park in western Wyoming, on July 12, 2017.

On July 20, 2017, two park rangers in separate vehicles closely followed the Hemrys and their minor child after they drove out of Yellowstones east gate, prompting Brett Hemry to pull off U.S. 14-16-20 about 15 miles east of the park, according to the lawsuit.

Park rangers allegedly had flagged the familys car as one Bullinger may have been driving. The rangers allegedly pulled in front of the familys SUV, blocking it, and held the family at gunpoint, ordering them to drop their car keys outside and keep their hands up.

More officers arrived, including Park County sheriffs deputies, and officers then held the three family members at gunpoint in separate vehicles, the lawsuit alleges.

About an hour after being pulled over, officers allowed Brett Hemry to show his identification, told him they were seeking a murder suspect and showed him a photo of Bullinger, the lawsuit alleges.

Hemry bore no resemblance to Bullinger except for his light hair color, the lawsuit claims.

The terrified family went on its way, without receiving an apology or additional explanation, the lawsuit states.

Park County Sheriff Scott Steward and Yellowstone spokeswoman Linda Veress declined to comment on the pending litigation.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits
The Department of Health has reported 2,098 new cases of Covid-19.

This is the second time in a week over 2,000 cases has been reported.

Currently, there are 251 people hospitalised with the virus, of which 52 are in ICU.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Tony Holohan has said "this is a concerning indication of the level of Covid-19 circulating" around the country.

"We havent seen this number of cases since late January 2021.

"Covid-19 vaccines are very effective against severe illness from Covid-19 and are protecting people from needing care in hospital and ICU.

"While it is possible for fully vaccinated individuals to become infected with Covid-19 and pass the virus on to others, vaccines also remain effective in significantly reducing this risk.

That is why it is vital for as many people as possible to come forward for vaccination against this disease.

"We must all remain vigilant to the risk of contracting Covid-19. To protect everyone and to safeguard the progress we have made, please follow the public health advice to limit transmission of Covid-19.

"If you display symptoms of Covid-19 like cough, fever, headache, sore throat and blocked or runny nose - isolate and get a test immediately. Continue to socialise safely by risk assessing, meeting outdoors where possible.

"Only meet up with small numbers of people and avoid crowds. Remember, it is okay to leave if you do not feel safe," he said.

Vaccination centres to be retained for potential booster campaign

The HSE hopes to retain its vaccination infrastructure until at least the end of 2021, to facilitate a potential booster campaign, chief executive Paul Reid has said.

About 5,000 staff are employed to work in more than 40 vaccination centres nationwide, delivering more than 6.5m Covid-19 jabs to date.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) is currently considering whether booster vaccines will need to be administered in the autumn, to provide extra immunity.

HSE boss Paul Reid said the most likely scenario is that they will be given first to those with underlying conditions and then to prioritised groups, which could include the elderly and healthcare workers.

He said: We need to have pandemic capacity and capability.

Nobody knows what will emerge, firstly, in terms of boosters for vaccinating the population. Secondly, with variants, which we all hope never come along but may come along.

We will be looking to attain an element of our infrastructure, which is our vaccination centres.

We have 5,000 members of a workforce involved in the vaccination process.

We dont see it all being fixed for the future. But we will be looking to retain, certainly into the end of 2021, and then accommodating whatever recommendations come from Niac in relation to booster campaigns.

The HSE is currently planning for a number of scenarios that could emerge from the NIAC advice, including that booster jabs could be given in conjunction with the flu vaccine.

That may be a combination of GPs and pharmacies, but also some vaccination centres, Mr Reid told RTEs News at One.

"The evidence will emerge and Niac will make those recommendations, like they always have, quite well and thoroughly.

But weve looked at the scenarios that may emerge. The most likely scenario that may emerge in the early term is immunocompromised people needing a booster. And following that, prioritised groups. 

Mr Reid said it was unlikely that the booster campaign would be hindered by the delivery and supply issues that blighted the early part of the vaccination rollout, saying supplies are strong.

We really are at a different phase now in terms of supplies, he said.

This week alone weve received 540,000 mRNA vaccines in the country.

Part of that delivery was part of the 700,000 Romanian vaccines that have been allocated to this country.

And we expect a similar delivery next month, another 540,000.

Israel has already begun its booster campaign, with prime minister Naftali Bennett receiving his shot on Friday.

Over-40s started receiving the booster jabs amid a spike in infections.

However, the World Health Organisation had criticised plans to administer booster shots, arguing that the supplies should go to developing countries instead.

Meanwhile, Gardai have issued a warning about a recent text message scam in which people are receiving messages purporting to be from the HSE and offering appointments for Covid-19 tests.

Once the person clicks on the link they will be taken to a cloned website where the fraudsters will seek their personal information, including their PPS number and payment for the Covid-19 test or vaccine.

In most instances the supplied links look very similar to the authentic HSE URL but may be misspelled.

Gardai say the HSE will never ask for payment for Covid-19 tests or vaccinations and the public should be wary of such text messages.
Former Miss Ireland and social media influencer Aoife Walsh, has been reprimanded by an advertising watchdog for not fully clarifying that she was taking part in a paid promotion of a bottled water product.

The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland partly upheld a complaint against Ms Walsh that she had breached its code over a post and story on her Instagram account where she talked about Tipperary Water and its new sustainable eco-carton.

A complaint was made to the ASAI that the promotion was misleading as Ms Walsh had not made it clear she had taken part in a paid collaboration with Tipperary Water on her Instagram account, which has more than 50,000 followers.

In parts of the post, the word AD is featured in a white text on a white background.

In reply to the ASAI, the company said it had made it clear to Ms Walsh that the post should be marked as a collaboration between her and Tipperary Water and it was intended that paid partnership with Tipperary Water would be used in the post.

While the post had been flagged as a collaboration using the #collab hashtag, the company said it did not consider it had gone far enough to meet the ASAI standard.

Tipperary Water said it had now amended its quality assurance process to include a further content check before sign-off to prevent similar errors in future.

Ms Walsh, a native of Co Tipperary who won the Miss Ireland contest in 2013, told the ASAI she always had and would continue to follow ASAI guidelines.

Paid promotions

The 32-year-old model, who also operates a blog called That Ginger Chick, said the static post had clearly marked it as collab, which she regarded as an industry standard and a term often used in paid promotions.

Ms Walsh said she always used either collab ad or sp to make it clear to her followers that what they were seeing involved a paid partnership.

She claimed she used ad in all her stories in relation to the collaboration with Tipperary Water and considered it had been made very visible to viewers.

The ASAI noted research showed only 4% of consumers who used social media identified collab as an advertising disclosure.

In its ruling, the ASAI observed it did not consider collab was a clear indication of commercial content and advised that its use should be discontinued.

The advertising watchdog also noted there was a significant difference in the clarity of the images of the promotion provided by Ms Walsh and the complainant.

While the ASAI accepted the influencer had included the word ad in the story, it did not consider that every part of the promotion clearly showed the word due to the colour of the text against the background imagery.

It directed the advertisement should not reappear in its current form.

Another social media influencer, Michelle Fox, who runs an Instagram account on health and beauty products, was also found in breach of the ASAIs advertising code for failing to state she acted as a brand ambassador for cosmetic firm Inglot in every part of a post.
Burma 50 Myanmar Junta Soldiers Killed in Landmine Attacks

A truck carrying junta reinforcements arrives in Loikaw, Kayah State in June. / Tharlikar

Around 50 junta soldiers were reportedly killed and many others wounded in a series of landmine attacks over the previous two days by civilian resistance fighters in Magwe Regions Gangaw Township.

On Thursday evening, one of six vehicles carrying junta soldiers triggered a landmine planted by the civilian resistance fighters of the Peoples Defense Force (PDF)-Gangaw on the Gangaw-Kale Highway. The junta troops were returning from Kale in Sagaing Region to Gangaw.

At least 20 soldiers were killed in the explosion and many others were injured, a PDF-Gangaw spokesperson told The Irrawaddy on Friday.

On Wednesday, two out of over 50 military vehicles travelling to Kale were also attacked with landmines on the Gangaw-Kale Highway. An estimated 30 junta troops were killed and two military vehicles damaged.

However, the Irrawaddy was unable to confirm the military casualties independently.

The PDF-Gangaw spokesperson said that the civilian resistance fighters planted landmines at six locations on the highway to attack junta convoys, but not all exploded.

On Wednesday night, regime soldiers deployed at Hnan Khar Village on the Gangaw-Kale Highway and looted the homes of residents who had fled. A 72 year-old villager left behind in the village was beaten by the soldiers, according to PDF-Gangaw.

We will fight back until the military regime is gone and our elected government returns to power said the PDF-Gangaw spokesperson.

Armed resistance against the junta started in late March after the regime began lethal crackdowns against peaceful anti-coup protesters.

Over 1,000 people were killed by junta forces between February 1 and August 19, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Another 7,300-odd people have been detained or have arrest warrants issued against them.

Myanmar military units have been suffering heavy daily losses in battles with civilian resistance fighters and ethnic armed organizations across the country.



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Burma Australian Mining Company Sells Stake in Myanmar Project

A refinery at the Bawdwin mine. / The Irrawaddy

Australian mining company Myanmar Metals Limited (MYL) has divested its entire stake in a historic mining project in Myanmars northeast, saying the political situation in Myanmar has undermined confidence of markets.

MYL said on Tuesday it had entered into binding agreements to dispose of its 51-percent stake in the Bawdwin project to its local partner Win Myint Mo Industries Co. Ltd. for a total of US$30 million.

The Australian company is the latest international investor to retreat from the Southeast Asian country, which has been in political and economic turmoil for more than six months since the military staged a coup on Feb. 1. In July, Norways Telenor, one of the largest telecom operators in Myanmar, sold all its businesses to a Lebanese company, saying it was too difficult to operate under military rule.

MYL said in a statement it had undertaken a detailed review of its assets and operations in Myanmar and determined that the political situation has undermined the confidence of markets identified by the company as sources of capital required for development of the project.

Consequently, the board considers that the company can neither progress, nor indefinitely sustain its Myanmar operations without the realistic prospect of further and ongoing funding, it added.

Prior to the divestment, the company said it had received a non-binding, conditional proposal from Chinese company Yintai Gold Co. Ltd. in June to acquire all of the ordinary shares on issue in the company. But MYL said there has been no formal offer from Yintai capable of being accepted by MYL shareholders.

MYL entered a joint venture deal for the mining project with local Win Myint Mo Industries Co. Ltd in 2018. At the time the local partner had been granted the mining operation for 15 years. While MYL holds a 51-percent stake, its local partners EAP Global Mining and Win Myint Mo own 24.5 percent each.

Mining of silver, lead and zinc at the Bawdwin dates back to the 15th century, with Chinese artisanal miners extracting silver from surface and near surface deposits. British underground mining of the deposit commenced in the early 1900s under the management of Herbert Hoover, who would later become the 31st president of the United States.

Prior to World War II, Bawdwin was the largest producing lead mine and one of the largest producing silver mines in the world. After the war the Myanmar state-owned mining entity held the mining concession until 2009, when Win Myint Mo Industries Co. Ltd (WMM) acquired the rights to produce.



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Burma COVID-19 Hits Myanmar Refugees in Thai IDP Camps

Mae La IDP Camp / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy

Eight COVID-19 cases have been reported in two internally displaced persons (IDP) camps sheltering 20,000 refugees in Mae Hong Son Province in northern Thailand, according to the chairman of the Karen Refugee Committee, Saw Robert Htwe.

Mae La Oon IDP camp has reported six cases, while Mae Ra Moe IDP camp reported two. The victims are family members. The two camps are in close proximity, said Saw Robert Htwe.

The COVID-19 victims in Mae La Oon are a six-member family, including an eight-year-old boy. They tested positive on Tuesday after displaying symptoms for a week. The cases are the first in Mae La Oon, home to more than 9,000 refugees, most of them ethnic Karen and Kayah people.

The camp has been locked down. The IDPs are short of food as they cant go out and work now. Previously, they could earn a living by working outside the camp. But they have no income now and are having troubles, said Saw Robert Htwe.

Mae Ra Moe IDP camp is home to over 10,000 refugees. A school teacher contracted coronavirus some two weeks ago and his child recently tested positive for COVID-19, too. The camp has been placed in lockdown, said Saw Robert Htwe.

COVID-19 patients have been isolated in the camps, while those who came into contact with them will also be tested for the virus, he added.

A number of IDP camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, including Mae La, Umphang and Tham Hin, recorded coronavirus infections last month. But there were no reported fatalities.

Over 90,000 refugees are sheltering in nine IDP camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, after fleeing armed conflicts in ethnic areas in Myanmar. Some have been in the camps for more than 30 years.



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Burma Detained Myanmar Doctors Catch COVID-19 in Custody

Dr. Kyaw Kyaw Thet (left) and Dr. Thet Htay were violently arrested by junta soldiers on July 13 and 16 respectively.

Two detained Mandalay doctors, who treated those wounded in junta crackdowns on protesters and COVID-19 patients, have been infected with coronavirus while in custody.

Dr. Kyaw Kyaw Thet and Dr. Thet Htay were taken to the Mandalay Palace military base for interrogation more than a month ago.

The pair were beaten when seized on July 13 and 16 respectively after allegedly taking part in the civil disobedience movement against military rule and for assisting the National Unity Government (NUG), said a Mandalay doctor who is close to the families.

Dr. Kyaw Kyaw Thet was teaching medical students online and providing online medical consultations for COVID-19 patients until his arrest. He was detained at his home. According to his cousin, who was taken away with him and later freed, the doctor was beaten during interrogation.

Dr. Thet Htay, a well-known surgeon in Mandalay who worked at a charity clinic and in a hospital, was detained on July 16 on his way home from the hospital. He had been active in treating civilians injured in the juntas crackdowns on protesters.

Later that day, he was seen with a battered face being taken to a temporary clinic where his belongings were confiscated.

No further information was heard about the two until this week, leaving families and friends anxious about their conditions after their violent detentions.

We were told they are in quarantine at the Mandalay Palace as they caught COVID-19 and they will be relocated to Obo Prison next week, said the Mandalay doctor.

The junta has detained at least 190 health care workers since the Feb. 1 coup. Despite the countrys worst surge of COVID-19 during the past two months, the junta continues to detain medical staff. Volunteers and doctors, who are helping COVID-19 patients independently, are increasingly being arrested while the regime urges them to join junta moves to curb the pandemic.

Dr. Maung Maung Nyein Tun, a 45-year-old surgical lecturer from Mandalay detained by the regime in June, has died of COVID-19. He reportedly did not receive timely treatment after being infected while in detention.

They were only infected because they were arrested by the junta. They are highly aware of preventive measures and would be able to stay safe from infections as doctors and instead could help cure COVID-19 patients, the Mandalay doctor added.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Abducts Wife of Absent NLD Ward Chairman

Kale Township. / Kale University / Facebook

Myanmars military junta detained the wife of a National League for Democracy (NLD) ward chairman after failing to find him at their house in Kale Township, Sagaing Region, where civilian resistance fighters are battling the regime.

Junta troops came in five vehicles to the house of U Tha Tun, the NLD chairman in Aung Thitsar ward on Wednesday morning, and detained his wife instead. They also searched their house and took 7.8 million kyats (US$4,800), according to a Kale resident, who asked for anonymity.

Troops searched for a neighbor and took 4.8 million kyats from his house as he was also absent. They detained two other residents.

They took a 50-year-old man reportedly for questioning. They released him that evening. They also took a 20-year-old man to the police station, said the resident.

Junta troops have been making arrests after they were attacked with remotely detonated mines on the outskirts of Kale in mid-August.

On August 14, junta troops detained three teachers who have refused to work under the military regime in Kale town. The following day, they detained six men from villages in the township.

Twelve residents have been detained since early August on suspicion of anti-regime activities, according to residents.

The Kale Peoples Defense Force has said junta troops have been active in the south of the township and warned civilians to avoid their outposts.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Confiscates Radios to Silence Shadow Government Broadcasts

Shortwave radios are now in high demand.

Myanmars military regime is confiscating radios from shops and planned to restrict imports after the parallel civilian National Unity Government (NUG) launched a radio station.

Radio NUG, named after the shadow government formed by the ousted National League for Democracy and ethnic representatives in April, launched on Friday and will air twice daily for 30 minutes at 8am and 8pm on 17.71 MHz on a 10-band radio.

A Yangon police source told The Irrawaddy: It was discussed at a security meeting in Yangon to confiscate radios from shops like with PSI satellite dishes before. It was decided at the meeting to seize all shortwave radios. Some suggested restricting peoples access to radios, for example, requesting shops not to sell radios to the public for a certain period.

Police and ward and village administrators will be tasked with seizing radios, he said.

Regime troops confiscated radios from an electronics shop at Ga Mone Pwint shopping mall in Bogale Zay Street, Yangon, on Friday morning, according to witnesses.

We saw them confiscating radios. We dont know what they told the shop owner, a witness told The Irrawaddy on condition of anonymity.

Radios have been in high demand since the NUG announced its radio station this week.

When the regime restricted internet access after its February coup, people used radios to listen to Radio Free Asia, the BBC and Voice of America, fueling demand for radios.

In April, the regime confiscated PSI satellite dishes that provide access to news from several domestic independent media outlets to restrict access to anti-regime news.

Under previous military dictatorships, citizens were detained for listening to the BBC and teashops were shut for screening Norway-based DVB.



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Burma Myanmar Regime Troops Detain Youths and Loot Shops in Night Raids

Junta soldiers question detainees on a street on August 19. / CJ

Myanmars military beat and arrested at least 15 young people during night raids in Yangon on Thursday, while also looting shops and offices, according to eye witnesses and local sources.

Junta troops raided neighborhoods in Sanchaung, Kamayut and Yankin townships, arresting four young people in Sanchaung, eight in Kamayut and three in Yankin.

Soldiers arrived at Kankaw Street in Sanchaung around 11pm along with some detainees. After questioning the detainees in the street, soldiers raided a condo and arrested three young people, a witness told The Irrawaddy on condition of anonymity.

The detainees were beaten and questioned outside the condo.

I saw they arrested three from the condo. There were also five others they had detained in other parts of Sanchaung. The detainees were ordered to lie on the ground, while the soldiers questioned and beat them. The five detained elsewhere were released, said the witness.

Junta soldiers looted the offices and shops at the condo. They returned around 1am on Friday morning and took oxygen concentrators and hospital beds from a shop on the ground floor of the condo, residents said.

They stole expensive chairs, beds, televisions and guitars among other things. There are several offices at the condo which they broke into and looted furniture from. They came again around 1am in two vehicles. There is a shop that sells and donates oxygen concentrators on the ground floor. They stole oxygen concentrators and hospital beds from there, said a resident who asked not to be named.

Another youth from Shan Gon Street was arrested in Sanchaung. Junta forces also arrested three more youths from Yan Shin Street in Yankin.

Soldiers also raided three wards in Kamayut Township around midnight, arresting youths and looting items. Residents said they saw junta troops questioning the youths after they were detained.

They came in around 12 vehicles. I think it is connected with the Sanchaung case. They broke into a gym and took things from there. We dont know what they took, a Kamayut resident told The Irrawaddy.

Yangon has seen frequent junta raids lately, with some resulting in deaths. On August 10, five young people jumped from a building in Yangon to avoid being captured by the junta. Two, including a woman, died and three others were seriously injured and detained. The military regime said the three injured were in hospital, but family members have not been allowed to visit them.

1,007 people were killed by junta forces between the February 1 coup and August 19, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Another 5,747 people have been detained and arrest warrants issued for a further 1,984 people during the same period.



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Neither Sanctions Nor Engagement Will Influence Myanmars Military

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Burma Singapore FM Admits ASEAN Not as Effective as Hoped on Myanmar

ASEAN leaders attend a special summit on the situation in Myanmar in Jakarta in April.

Five months after its announcement in April of a five-point consensus on resolving the crisis in Myanmar, regional grouping ASEAN finally appointed Bruneis second minister for foreign affairs Erywan Yusof as special envoy to the country early this month. But with Yusof yet to make his first visit to Naypyitaw as envoy, some ASEAN members are expressing frustration.

[ASEAN is] not as effective or as quick as we would have hoped for. But this is a difficult situation, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Reuters.

Balakrishnan said he hoped there would be progress to report on the envoys visit before the ASEAN leaders summit in November. But he cautioned that if the visit was to be meaningful, the military would have to grant the envoy access to all stakeholders.

The key litmus test now will be how they engage with our special envoy, Balakrishnan said.

Describing the situation as dire, Balakrishnan said ASEAN was trying to be constructive by facilitating dialogue and delivering humanitarian assistance.

We have maintained lines of communication, Balakrishnan said, when asked whether ASEAN or Singapore had engaged with the shadow National Unity Government (NUG).

Were not trying to make things difficult. And were not playing sides. But [the Myanmar military authorities] know we will engage everyone.

Singapore is one of the largest foreign investors in Myanmar after China, with US$24.1 billion worth of investments approved there as of 2020.

Last month, Balakrishnan called the situation in Myanmar a perfect storm. The violence unfortunately has not stopped. There has been no release of the political detainees, he said.

There has been no dialogue going on between all the stakeholders in Myanmar. And on top of the political turmoil, the economic standstill. Then to make things worse, the very dire COVID-19 situation.

He added: The political turmoil contributes to the humanitarian disaster which is unfolding now and there is a need for us to extend assistance to the maximum extent that we can to the people of Myanmar.

Coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing this month pledged to hold an election by 2023.

Past Myanmar regimes denied visas to several UN-appointed special envoys to Myanmar. Currently the UN has two Myanmar envoys: Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener and UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews. Both have been denied visas to enter the country.



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Guest Column Neither Sanctions Nor Engagement Will Influence Myanmars Military

Myanmar military chief-cum-coup leader Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing inspects troops during the Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw in March 2021. / Cincds

As the Tatmadaw, Myanmars military, appears to be consolidating its grip on power, at least in the capital Naypyitaw, the debate over whether sanctions or engagement would be the best way to influence the generals has once again begun. There is, however, a simple answer to that question: neither is effective. Myanmars military rulers have always had their own agenda and dont listen to people outside their own inner circle, regardless of what outsiders say or do. Attempts to understand the Tatmadaw by using as yardsticks the standards of modern Western militaries such as conventional command structures, promotions, equipment, orders of battle and deployment is equally fruitless.

The way the Tatmadaw works and functions can best be described as feudal and deeply rooted in traditional authoritarian values where the king was God. The supreme ruler demands and rewards loyalty and disowns and punishes those who dare to be differentand this is the system that was introduced by General Ne Win when he built up the Tatmadaw in the 1950s and created a state within a state, which in 1962 seized absolute power.

Ne Win stepped aside in 1989 and died in 2002 but the system lived on under Senior General Than Shwe, supreme ruler from 1992 to 2011. Than Shwe even changed the stated purpose of celebrating March 27, which in the past was called Resistance Day and meant to commemorate the day in 1945 when the Myanmar military, armed and equipped by the Japanese, turned against their former masters. Now, in the new, monumental capital Naypyitaw created by Than Shwe, there stands an enormous statue of the three main warrior kings in Myanmar history: Anawratha, Bayinnaung and Alaungpaya. Tributes to them and their virtues have replaced references to the anti-Japanese struggle, which may still be mentioned but only in passing.

But he is now 88 years old, has been hospitalized with COVID-19 and may not be around for much longer. That means that Myanmar right now is at a crossroads. Although Than Shwe retired from active duties after the 2010 election, he has remained a father figure for the military and when he is gone there is no obvious candidate for the role as the next King of the Tatmadaw.

The new junta leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, is perceived by many as weak, and lacks charisma as well as leadership qualities. As a Yangon-based Myanmar analyst put it: He doesnt have the political stature of General Ne Win, the military manpower of General Than Shwe or the wiliness of both. The future of military rule is therefore up for debate and that is where the question of sanctions versus engagement comes into the picture.

Sanctions and boycotts serve a purpose when it comes to rallying support for Myanmars democratic forces, which is important in order to keep the movement alive and prepare for possible future scenarios, but recent history shows that such measures have so far had zero impact on how the Tatmadaw as an institution acts and thinks. The views of those in the West who advocate engagement actually reflect what amounts to a blatant neo-colonial attitude or, as I wrote in The Irrawaddy on June 11, 2015, words to the effect of: We have to go and tell those funny little brown fellows how to run their country, and, because we are big and clever white guys, surely they will listen to us. It is, however, easy to image what the generals reaction is when they receive those Western proponents of engagement: Those myaukpyu [white monkeys] are sort of amusing. But they are not very clever. So lets use them. Or words to that effect.

The third way, some Western diplomats and academics argue, is to apply a carrot-and-a-stick policy with punishments such as sanctions when the Tatmadaw behaves badly, and rewards in the form of aid and investment if the generals take some positive steps such as allowing more openness and demonstrate a willingness to negotiate a peaceful solution to the countrys decades-long civil wars. But, as one analyst put it: That would work only if you are dealing with a donkey or a rabbit. Josef Silverstein, a renowned Myanmar scholar who died on June 29 this year, once said: If you offer them [the generals] a carrot, they will just eat it and ask for another one.

Proponents of engagement have always underestimated the manipulative skills of the Tatmadaw and failed to realize that using military officers as intermediaries in the belief that their Myanmar counterparts would be more willing to listen to them than to civilians does not work. This was clearly demonstrated when Vice-Admiral David Johnston, vice chief of the Australian Defense Force, rang Vice-Senior General Soe Win, number two in the junta, or State Administration Council (SAC), to press for the release of Sean Turnell, an Australian academic and economic adviser to Daw Aung San Suu Kyis ousted government who was detained after the coup. Johnston also said that he urged the Tatmadaw not to use force against the protesters who were then filling the streets of Yangon and practically every city, town and major village in the country. But in Myanmars military-controlled media, the talk was described as a friendly discussion between two equals, thus appearing to be an endorsement of the coup.

When the European Unions military chief of staff, Vice-Admiral Herve Blejean, called on Soe Win on March 9 to urge the Tatmadaw to stop all violence and release the countrys democratically elected leaders, the official media reported that they had discussed the SACs efforts to establish community peace and the rule of law. Myanmar analyst Ye Myo Hein pointed out succinctly in The Irrawaddy on Aug. 13: Constructive engagement with the military by Western democracies did not transform the military into a professional organization, but instead and inadvertently emboldened and legitimized its leadership to do whatever they wished.

Calls for engagement can also be outright distasteful and lacking in respect for the victims of the Tatmadaw. Erik Solheim, a Norwegian politician and former development minister who became a controversial figure when he unsuccessfully tried to mediate in the Tamil-Sinhalese conflict in Sri Lanka, wrote in the Norwegian journal Bistandsaktuellt on March 15 that the best way to honor Kyal Sin or the Angel, a 19-year-old demonstrator in Mandalay who was shot and killed by a sniper, would be through engagement and investment. Solheim asserted that the Norwegian telecom giant Telenor is more important than the [UN] Security Council. That, of course, was before Telenor in July sold all its businesses to a Lebanese company because it was too difficult to operate in SAC-ruled Myanmar. Telenors Sigve Brekke told Reuters after the pull-out: There are three reasons why we think a sale is necessary: it is the safety of our employees, but also the regulatory conditions and also that there is good compliance.

Sanctions, smart or otherwise, will remain ineffective for two major reasons. The first, which is also mostly overlooked, is the size of Myanmars parallel, or greyish-black, economy, which does not show up in any official statistics, and then the fact that countries such as China, Russia, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Vietnam and SingaporeMyanmars main trading partnersare happy to continue dealing with whoever is in power in Naypyitaw. Actually, most of them would prefer to deal with a military-run Myanmar than a democratic, transparent and accountable system where the authorities may have the audacity to clamp down on corruption and other malpractices.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech at a forum at Tsinghua University on July 3 that the international community should refrain from imposing sanctions on the SAC, branding such actions as inappropriate intervention. Russia, another SAC ally, said as early as April 6 that sanctions against the SAC were futile and extremely dangerous. In fact, such a line contributes to pitting the sides against each other and, ultimately, pushes the people of Myanmar towards a full-scale civil conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, as quoted by the Interfax news agency and reported by Reuters.

Russia and China, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, have consistently vetoed any attempt by other members to get the world body to take action against the SAC. China was also for years the Tatmadaws main source for military hardware and Myanmar has long been a buyer of Russian fighter jets, helicopters, drones and anti-aircraft missile systems.

And then there is the underground economy, which has kept Myanmar alive throughout rigid socialist policies before 1988 and sanctions and boycotts after that and until the West changed its policies in the aftermath of the 2010 election and the formation of a quasi-civilian government led by ex-General Thein Sein. Drugs, precious stones, timber, antiques and other artifacts have always been smuggled out of the country while assorted consumer goods have traveled in the other direction from countries such as China, India, Thailand and Singapore. The exact value of this informaland illegaltrade is not known but runs into millions if not billions of dollars.

With an inadequate and largely untrustworthy banking system, many people in Myanmar prefer to utilize the services of dealers in what is called hundies, which in the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East is known as hawala. Through this system, money is transferred via a network of private brokers, leaving no paper trail that any authorities can track down and follow. In short, Myanmar will, as it always has done, survive another round of punitive measures imposed by the West.

All that does not mean that change is never going to come to Myanmarbut it would have to come from within the Tatmadaw. And even the officer corps must realize through their Buddhist belief in anicca that nothing is permanent.

The possibility of splits within the military is usually dismissed by most foreign observers as unlikely because of the remarkable cohesion among officers that exists in the officer corps and their loyalty towards the supreme leader. While that is correct, Australian Myanmar expert Andrew Selth pointed out in a Feb. 19 article for the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank, that the highly unpopular coup will test the loyalty of military and police officers. Times have changed and the latest generation of men in the security forces has grown up in a different environment than its predecessorsit would be a mistake to assume that they are just a mindless mass prepared to do whatever they are told, Selth wrote. Even more importantand crucial for Myanmars futurewould be what happens after the death of Senior General and Tatmadaw King Than Shwe.

Many pundits predicted that Myanmar, and the Tatmadaw, would change after the demise of Gen. Ne Win. But that did not happen. After an interregnum with the almost farcical junta leader General Saw Maung, a new strongman emerged. That may happen this time as well and it is highly unlikely that he will be more democratically minded than his predecessors. On the contrary, if Min Aung Hlaing were to be replaced because of his weaknesses, the new King could be even more savage and barbarous. But, on the contrary, if no person with strength and omnipotent stature is to be found, it would open a Pandoras box of possibilities that could lead to unimaginable chaos and mayhem. And that is the grim legacy of the system Gen. Ne Win laid the foundations forand which has prevailed since the military takeover in 1962.

Bertil Lintner is a Swedish journalist, author and strategic consultant who has been writing about Asia for nearly four decades.



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Opinion Myanmar Militarys Superior Size Means Less When the People Are United Against it

Myanmar military's Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw in March 2021.

It has become the norm in analytical pieces on Myanmars conflict to note that the Myanmar military has approximately 350,000 members. It is then surmised that the ethnic armed organizations can muster around 75,000 and the National Unity Government (NUG)-instigated Peoples Defense Force militias around 25,000 at best. It is then neatly concluded that these are wholly unequal forces in comparison to those of the military regime.

One-to-one comparisons of the Myanmar military versus the assorted ethnic and democratic armed resistance groups opposing it are not adequate analytically to understand the military balance in Myanmar. It is an over-simplification of a foundational issue and leads to questionable analytical conclusions.

These conclusions by some non-Myanmar nationals who are so-called Myanmar experts run the gamut. Most notably, they include the notion that the regime cannot be defeated and that the conflict is inherently going to become a stalemate because nobody can win. The one-to-one figure also implies other realities: that Myanmar is a conflict pitting one army against another and that an equal or greater force must be created to counter the military.

As conventionally understood, the military balance is a conceptual tool used to compare military forces and generally includes a straightforward listing of such things as the number of armed force members and the assorted weaponry available to them. I have no doubt that the Myanmar military is a significant force and that the figure of 350,000 could be roughly accurate. What is important is that the size of the military  if used as such an important analytical premise for so many wider conclusions, underpinning everything from geopolitics to political negotiations  be appropriately analyzed. This requires framing the issue adequately by asking better questions for the sake of strategic-level discussions.

Firstly, how do we analyze what the 350,000 means in terms of actual capabilities? The simplistic use of the number is a bad starting point because it implies that all those soldiers are combat forces. They are not. In fact, a large proportion are support units as would be normal for any conventional armed force anywhere in the world. Realistically, the Myanmar military has between 100,000 to 120,000 actual combat personnel available. More significantly, the simplistic usage of the 350,000 number fails to give any weight to the actual competencies of the Myanmar military. Essentially a light infantry force, it is dispersed across the country in numerous small bases. This has important ramifications for conflict analyses.

Secondly, how do we accurately assess the prospects of ongoing armed resistance? There is a need to focus on military capacities in terms of their trajectory rather than view them as static. Revolutions never start with a resistance that is well-armed, fully staffed and professionally competent. Successful ones have a steep learning curve in terms of effective leadership, developing tactics and making all due haste in acquiring weapons. This also has important ramifications for political questions around the solidarity of the democratic movement. Battlefield successes against the military will do more to catalyze national solidarity than anything else.

Thirdly, and more importantly, how do we clearly define what type of conflict this is? The political environment is very different from what we saw in 1988, 1996 and 2007. Myanmar since the coup cannot be understood using conventional notions. This is not a conventional war, not even a civil war or an insurgency. It is a national uprising. It is rare to find a country where the population has so conclusively turned against one institution. The biggest threat to the military is not another standing army; it is a public that is united in seeing it as the problem. Resistance against the Coup is taking many forms, of which being armed is just one of them. The question is whether a single institution, the military, is viable against such a wide confluence of social, economic, political, and military dynamics confronting it?

It is pointless to focus on the size of the Myanmar military unless it is clearly juxtaposed against the actual opposition. If we like to argue about figures, we need to focus on the fact that Myanmar has a population of over 54 million and they nearly all viscerally hate the military. It is this context that confronts the generals. They have reduced their military to essentially being a foreign occupying force desperately trying to suppress nearly all the Myanmar population. Wherever their soldiers look, they see hostility. Other than its immediate proxies, notably the police and the Union Solidarity and Development Party, there are no significant chunks of the public that are supportive of the military anymore.

There is nothing pre-determined about what will happen in Myanmar and that includes the survival of the military. The coup was a historic shift in the country and a strategic blunder by the generals of existential proportions. To understand adequately what is happening and what might be possible requires a seismic shift in analysis to match the fluid reality on the ground.

This requires asking some big questions. What does winning even look like for the opposition? Can the peoples government, the NUG, translate public support into concerted action? Does the military have a viable strategy to counter the national uprising? It also requires asking more boring but detailed questions. Does the Myanmar military have the logistics capacity to support so many small bases spread out the country, especially when it is having to fight routinely across the Bamar-majority regions as well as across the ethnic states?

None of this is to say the military will be absolutely defeated. It is simply to say that this common analytical point, the figure of 350,000, is not helpful in understanding the current situation in Myanmar. Decisively removing the military from power is not an easy task, otherwise it would have lost control of the country decades ago. However, no country has the same dynamics forever and there is a strong argument to be made that the events since the February 1 coup are a historic shift. Supporting a positive outcome and path towards it requires asking the right questions, framing the context appropriately, and strong analysis.

Zaw Tuseng, a former pro-democracy activist, is founder and president of the Myanmar Policy Initiative (MPI). The MPI was formed recently to mobilize Myanmar researchers to formulate policies and institutionalize the policymaking process for Myanmar. He holds an executive Master of Public Administration from Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs.



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Youth Lead Change is a program that educates high school students in leadership skills, social entrepreneurship and mindful thinking.

I think there is a general tendency to think of high school students community impact in the form of beach cleanups and a series of projects, said Pat Woodson, the director of YLC. However, they are even more important as the thought leaders of their generation, and observers of the status quo with penetrating insights valuable to everyone.

The students either attend MAST Academy or live on Key Biscayne. This is the first in a series of profiles of YLC students and their projects.

Jonathan Mendez was born and raised on Key Biscayne and he loves his island home. His parents, Jorge Mendez and Vivian Galego-Mendez, came to Florida from Cuba, and Jonathan is cognisant of his familys history and the impact the Cuban government had on their lives.

I want to show the importance of a governments impact on peoples lives, Mendez said as he shared the story of his grandmothers traumatic escape from Cuba during the Communist overthrow of the country.

It touches her life still, he said of his grandmother, Leisle Mendez. Her whole world was taken from her. She lost everything and had to start over with nothing since they were only allowed to bring two changes of clothing. It is as if she has had two separate lives, and the government was the reason.

Mendez is a rising senior at MAST Academy. He also works at Islander News as an intern, transcribing press releases, doing research, creating graphics and assisting with IT work.

All of these experiences will come in handy in the future since he hopes to follow a career in journalism. He wants to focus on reporting on politics and government -- his passion, which is where all projects begin in the YLC Program.

I feel most passionate about equal voting representation and the preservation of democracy, said Mendez. I cant vote yet, but I realize what a power it is, and I encourage everyone to use it to the best of their ability

Preservation Democracy is the title of his YLC project -- a social media campaign based on research and stories people share on the site. Mendez hopes people will use his platform to share their experiences and challenges as students who have grown up amid two cultures. It will be a bilingual site (Spanish and English), and it will also use Zoom as an engagement component.

Mendez has received several awards during his academic career, but it is the Johns Hopkins Book Award he is most proud of. The criteria for this award are: a demonstration of intellectual and moral growth; an uncommon interest in, and capacity for, independent and original scholarship; and the strength of character necessary to employ the results of their scholarship for the betterment of society.

Next school year ,Mendez will be the MAST Student Government President. Now he is in the summer intern program, Vote the Future, and he is also co-president of the U.N. Model Club with the HahnX Expeditionary Leadership Course. All of these engage him in hands-on experiences with the policies, procedures and challenges in government, and place him in leadership roles.

Mendez said he has been lucky to have incredible support and guidance from teachers and mentors. In particular, he noted Pat Woodson, Dr. Megan Poe of NYU, who has guided him through Zoom sessions, and Eduardo Belezaro, his mentor with HanhX.

Mendez added that he is extremely thankful for mothers strength, resiliency, and outgoing personality. I am lucky to have learned these social skills from her!

It is not all work and study for Mendez. He is also an avid reader, citing George Orwell as one of his favorite authors. There are so many things to learn about society and government in these timeless works of fiction, said Mendez.

I think what inspires me to take leadership positions is really just the sheer love and passion I have for it, he said. I find human relationships and connections to be my favorite part of life, and being in a leadership position usually grants access to meet more people and participate in a wider range of events.

Woodson is impressed by the YLC students. Within a few years they will be stepping into roles that will impact business decisions, public policies and more. I hope this series will help us understand better how to support and appreciate these young people as they chart their paths to grow into these roles, she said.
Huntsville, TX (77320)

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Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 98F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

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A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 77F. Winds light and variable.
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Showers early, becoming a steady rain later in the day. High 68F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Clearing skies after some evening rain. Low 53F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
ResusRight, a start-up formed jointly by the University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, has raised $784,000 in an investment round to manufacture a paediatric device designed to safely resuscitate babies who have difficulty breathing soon after birth.

The company was founded by doctoral biomedical students Matt Boustred and Matthew Crott, along with Dr Mark Tracy and Dr Murray Hinder, a research team based at Westmead Hospital that specialises in improving care of vulnerable babies. The objective is to lower neonatal mortality rates and prevent babies from developing disabilities due to complications at birth.

A statement from ResusRight said funding had been received from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Startmate Accelerator and angel investors. The device will be known as Juno.

The money will be used to set up a training system and build a prototype monitor for use, with manufacturing scheduled to begin in the 2021-22 financial year.

Boustred, the chief executive of the organisation, said: "It was very empowering to find a group of investors who strongly support our team and mission. This funding will allow us to roll out the Juno, followed by the manufacture of a resuscitation device prototype in the second half of this year.

"Worldwide, every year over 10 million newborn babies require resuscitation at birth, with approximately one million babies dying annually from birth asphyxia. Experts estimate that at least 30% of these deaths  300,000 babies a year  could be prevented with better resuscitation.

"A lack of access to life-saving training and equipment contributes to a large proportion of these deaths. ResusRight aims to advance the gold standard of newborn resuscitation through equipment that is accessible in design and at a price point that is affordable to a global market. We want our monitoring systems to be as useful for a consultant in Westmead Hospital as for a midwife out in Bourke or a birth attendant in India.

"Our mission is to improve outcomes at birth to ensure no baby dies or is left with a preventable disability when their life has just begun."

Crott, the company's chief technology officer, commented: "We want to give clinicians the tools to be trained and resuscitate babies more effectively. A key issue in current practices is that the resuscitator has no measure of how much air they are giving to the baby, or whether their mask technique is correct. This means they can easily over-deliver or under-deliver air to the baby, both of which have potential to lead to lung or brain injury.

"In Australia, approximately 17,000 babies require resuscitation annually  sadly, thousands of infants are left with injury or disability through this process which more effective monitoring could help reduce.

"Newborn babies should be given the best chance at life and they deserve high-quality medical techniques that are tailored for their needs.

"With our Juno training system, we aim to provide both better quality and a higher frequency of resuscitation training  something that was recognised as a priority area in the most recent Australian Resuscitation Council guidelines."

The two founder aim to start training programs, which are moderately priced, at Westmead Hospital, Monash Health and the Royal Women's Hospital.

ResusRight is a member of the Sydney Knowledge Hub, a co-working space for start-ups seeking to collaborate with staff and students across the University and helps members connect with researchers, grant consultants, labs and makerspaces, and other resources at the University.
Software company GapMaps launches GapMap Essentials, a free online tool for communities in New South Wales and metropolitan Melbourne that can quickly find supermarkets, pharmacies, hospitals, fast food, takeaway, liquor, and petrol stations within permitted 5km radius.

The platform can be accessed here.

Here are the steps on how to locate near establishments:

1. Enter address and select a category (or categories) of the service they need

2. Adjust the distance from 0 to 5 km range (the default setting is 5km)

3. Choose to see the results in a list form or a map format

GapMaps has created this tool to help those currently in lockdown under a 5km travel restriction quickly identify and understand the range of essential services in their local area, GapMaps managing director and founder Anthony Villanti says.

While residents may have a good idea on what facilities are nearby, this tool removes the guess work on whether or not they may be in breach of the 5km restrictions, Villanti adds.

GapMaps has shared details with both the Victorian Government Department of Health and the New South Wales Department of Health, encouraging agencies to share the tool with residents via their communications channels.

The data for the platform is gathered from a variety of public sources and open datasets.
Security vendor BlackBerry has gone where no other firm in its space has, by providing links to ransomware leaks on the dark web, something that is studiously avoided by both infosec outfits and journalists.

In a post published last month, the company provided a link to the leak site of the Hive ransomware, another Windows-only malware group. The link provided at that time is still valid on Friday morning AEST.

The reason why firms and journalists do not provide links to such leak sites is because there may often be information available there which should not get into the public domain.

iTWire will not be linking to the BlackBerry post for the same reason.

For example, one of the data dumps on the site that Blackberry linked to contains the names and addresses of people under state protection.

iTWire asked Blackberry about this practice and Eric Milam, vice-president, Research Operations at BlackBerry, responded: "The research blogs that BlackBerry publishes are geared towards cyber security researchers and are in line with standard responsible disclosure practices that BlackBerry adheres to."

This explanation does not hold water for the simple reason that the BlackBerry post in question is open to world+dog. Had it been open to only a select audience, there would be no need to write about it.

Cyber security has become an extremely lucrative field and the number of companies offering services in this area has grown by leaps and bounds.

In fact, BlackBerry is itself a recent entrant to the field, having made its debut after acquiring an existing vendor, Cylance, in February 2019. Prior to that, the Canadian firm was only known for its distinctive smartphones with old-style physical keyboards.

Given this explosion in the number of companies vying for available business, companies do everything possible to get their names in the media. Blog posts about the company's own research or a general security issue, which journalists are informed about, are one way to show up on a media site.

This is not to decry the BlackBerry research in the post under discussion; it contains a very detailed and ionteresting discussion of Hive, a ransomware group that is relatively new.

However, the publication of material that should not be disclosed tends to nullify its good points altogether.
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Services for Robert Kesinger, 67, of Alto Will be Thursday August 26th at 10am at the O.T. Allen and Son Chapel. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the funeral home. Interment will follow services at Old Palestine Cemetery in Alto. Robert Kesinger was born May 18th, 1954 in Rus
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Jennifer Dorsey is chief copy editor for the News&Guide and one of the editors for local articles printed in the Jackson Hole Daily.
Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.
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Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

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A mostly clear sky. Low 64F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
President Joe Biden speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021, on the COVID-19 response and vaccination program. U.S. health officials Wednesday announced plans to offer COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and signs that the vaccines' effectiveness is falling.
ONGOING LEGAL ACTION

Updated: A lawsuit filed by the Nunes Co. was initially included in this list. That suit has been dismissed, according to Judicial Department records.

These companies also have filed legal action against Calamar.

 Portland Winair Co., a Delaware corporation that provides heating, plumbing, and ventilation parts, says Calamar owes $173,935.98 for both Watermill Landing and Spencer Landing in a complaint filed Feb. 3.

 JSL Asphalt Inc., a Massachusetts company, says Calamar owes $174,561.66 for paving services and equipment at the East Windsor site in a complaint filed March 1.
Today

Rain in the morning. Scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 77F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny. Less humid. High 81F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
The Bolivian prosecutors office said on Friday it had filed charges of genocide and other crimes against former acting president Jeanine Anez, over the death of 20 opposition protesters in 2019.

Attorney General Juan Lanchipa said he had presented documents against citizen Jeanine Anez before the countrys Supreme Court of Justice, including charges for genocide, which carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison, according to the Bolivian penal code.

The conservative Anez came to power in November 2019 after her predecessor and rival, former president Evo Morales, resigned following weeks of protest over his controversial reelection to an unconstitutional fourth term.

He fled the country after an election audit by the Organization of American States (OAS) found evidence of fraud.

After the election, at least 37 people died in violence that flared between supporters and opponents of Morales, as well as between protesters and the security forces.

Most of the deaths came in clashes between Morales supporters and security forces after the socialist leaders flight.

The specific accusation against Anez relates to two incidents in November 2019 in which a total 22 people died. A report released by the OAS on Tuesday described those incidents as massacres.

Lanchipa said they had been provisionally classified as genocide, serious and minor injury, and injury followed by death.

After Morales resigned, Anez was the most senior parliamentarian left and was sworn in by congress as interim president despite the lack of a quorum, with legislators from Morales Movement for Socialism (MAS) boycotting the session.

MAS cried foul and accused the interim government of having pulled off a coup.

Under Anezs administration, Bolivia held peaceful, transparent elections in October 2020 in which Moraless protege Luis Arce stormed to a landslide victory.

He subsequently vowed to go after those he accused of staging a coup.

Anez was arrested in March 2021 on accusations of leading a coup against Morales, including charges of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy. She has remained in pre-trial detention since then.

Her detention elicited widespread international condemnation.
Aleph.im, a cross-blockchain decentralized storage and computing network, today announced the release of a decentralized index Solana Blockchain.

The Solana blockchain is driven by intra-shard parallelism, which can process thousands of smart contracts at the same time, as well as historical proofs (a distributed timing innovation that unlocks low latency).

So far, applications built on Solana have had to rely on their own centralized indexing solutions, requiring high-cost physical hardware, infeasible fast Internet connections, and computing power. Aleph.im is a Decentralized solution Provide computing power (virtual machine) to manage all indexes.

Since the network runs 50 independent nodes, VMs can be automatically expanded as needed, and indexes will be synchronized across nodes as needed. Later this year, additional resource nodes will increase the number of nodes in the Aleph.im network tenfold.

Solana + Aleph

Anatoly Yakovenko, CEO of Solana Labs, said: Data availability is an indispensable part of building a consumer-friendly web3 world, and decentralized indexing services will play an important role in this transformation.

In order to help the project accelerate the realization of full decentralization, Aleph.im is providing free time-limited development and implementation of GraphQL endpoints (also known as subgraphs) for all projects in the Solana ecosystem. More than 8 Solana-based projects have begun to work with Aleph.im developers to integrate this indexing solution, and there will be more projects in the future.

We are happy to help Solana-based applications reduce costs and provide their users with better data retrieval and simple data queries, said Jonathan Schemoul, CEO of Aleph.im. Together with the aleph.im decentralized storage and indexing solution, projects on Solana can move towards full-stack decentralization, and we hope to help more protocols and ecosystems achieve the same goals.

Aleph.im has built solutions for Ubisoft, Polygon, Synaps, and Request. Its mission is to help any protocol and DApp decentralize to the last mile and achieve a smooth transition to Web 3.

In addition to a strong infrastructure layer, Aleph.im has also developed modular components on top of its system, providing a competitive advantage for becoming a leading provider of truly decentralized and user-friendly blockchain indexing solutions.

laser

Projects like Raydium, Automatic market maker Built on Solana, it has benefited from Aleph.ims indexing solution, helping them provide users with a wealth of data, such as historical token swaps, liquidity provision, token prices, total trading volume of trading pairs, and integration The TVL of the pool.

Alephs indexing tool will contribute to Solanas success, and currently supports all Raydium analysis, said AlphaRay, the head of Raydium.
What does it feel like to live on the brink of a vast historical change? It feels like now.

Of course that sounds hyperbolic, and maybe even panicky, but I think were there. Not that a science fiction writer can see the future any better than anyone else; very often worse. But between the pandemic, the accelerating drumbeat of extreme weather events and the accumulations of data and analysis from the scientific community, its become an easy call.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I drove across the US east to west. In Wyoming, we hit a pall of wildfire smoke so thick that we couldnt see the mountains just a few miles away on each side of the road. It went on like that for 1,000 miles.

Then we arrived in California just in time for the latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which documents in meticulous detail the true scale of the climate problem. Humanity now stands on the brink of not just change, but disaster. And because we can see it coming, just as clear as a black storm on the horizon, our attempts to dodge disaster and create a healthy relationship with our only home will bring huge changes in our habits, laws, institutions and technologies.

All this is visible to us now. Unlike the people living in the years before the first world war, we wont be sandbagged by catastrophe. The 2020s will not be filled with surprises  except perhaps at the speed and intensity of the changes coming down. With its atmosphere of dread foreboding, our time more resembles the years preceding the second world war, when everyone lived with a sensation of helplessly sliding down a slippery slope and over a cliff.

Firefighters light a controlled burn while battling the Dixie Fire near Quincy, California, July 29  Nic Coury/New York Times/Redux/Eyevine

But historical analogies will take us only so far in understanding our current situation, since we have never before been able to wreck our own means of existence. Scientists coined the name the Anthropocene to signal that this moment in history is unprecedented. There are so many of us, and our technologies are so powerful, and our social systems so heedless of consequences, that our damage to Earths biosphere has increased with stunning speed.

Many historians refer to the period since the second world war as the Great Acceleration, and the harmful aspects of the changes weve initiated have immense biological and geophysical momentum. We cant just gather our diplomats and call it off, declare peace with the biosphere.

Although we did do that, in 2015: its called the Paris agreement. But that was an agreement to start a process of change, which we now have to live up to if it is to become real. We in effect agreed to decarbonise our civilisation across the board: in energy generation, transport, construction  everything. But since all these activities were run largely by the burning of fossil fuels, this change is a stupendous challenge, equivalent to the mobilisations made in the 20th century to fight world wars.

Whether we can muster that kind of intense effort now is an open question. Not everyone is yet convinced that such an effort is necessary, and there are vested interests  not just private individuals or corporations, but many of the most powerful nations on Earth  deeply committed to continuing to burn fossil fuels.

So the Paris agreement could end up as something like the League of Nations, a nice idea that failed. But if we fail this time, the consequences could be even worse than the great wars of the 20th century. Again, this feels hyperbolic, but the facts in hand support the thought, alarming as it is. We are in terrible trouble, and not everyone agrees that we are; never will everyone agree on this, even though droughts and fires, storms and floods, are coming faster than ever.

Each moment in history has its own structure of feeling, as the cultural theorist Raymond Williams put it, which changes as new things happen. When I write stories set in the next few decades, I try to imagine that shift in feeling, but its very hard to do because the present structure shapes even those kinds of speculations.

Right now things feel massively entrenched, but also fragile. We cant go on but we cant change. Even though we are one species on one planet, there seems no chance of general agreement or global solidarity. The best that can be hoped for is a working political majority, reconstituted daily in the attempt to do the necessary things for ourselves and the generations to come. Its a tough challenge that will never go away. Its easy to despair.

Still, recently some things have happened that give me cause for hope. I wrote my novel The Ministry for the Future in 2019. That time surely torqued my vision because several important developments  ones I described in my novel as happening in the 2030s  I see now are already well begun. My timeline was completely off; events have accelerated yet again.

The smoking remains of the town of Greenville, California, after wildfires on August 5  Stephen Lam/Polaris/Eyevine

Part of that acceleration was caused by Covid-19. It was a slap in the face, an undeniable demonstration that we live on a single planet in a single civilisation, which can be disrupted in deadly ways. And it wasnt just people everywhere dying of the same disease, but also our reactions to that shocking reality.

Supply chains that we rely on for life itself can be disrupted by hoarding, which is to say by loss of trust in our systems. In the US, it was toilet paper and cleaning supplies  but if it had been food, then boom: panic, breakdown, famine, the war of all against all. Thats how fragile civilisation is; thats how much individuals are forced to trust each other to survive. A prisoners dilemma indeed, all of us locked together on this one planet. We either hang together or we hang separately: Franklins law.

Another lesson from the pandemic, one we should have known already: science is powerful. We need to learn to put it to better use than we do, but if we were to do that, lots of good things would follow. Aiming science is the work of the humanities and arts, politics and law. We have to decide as a civilisation what tasks are most important for us to take on now.

If private capital will not invest in the cost of pulling carbon out of the atmosphere  the cost of survival  then we are cooked

A third lesson we learnt in 2020 was the medical news that humans cant survive prolonged exposure to extremely high combinations of heat and humidity. This realisation, which was already somewhat known but not yet recognised as an existential problem, should have silenced those sanguine commentators who were asserting that humans could simply adapt to whatever climate we happened to create. Just adapt!, these confident people pronounced. So what if we create a 3C or 4C rise in average global temperature? Well just adapt. Humans can adapt to anything!

But no. Human beings cant live in conditions above the heat-index number called wet-bulb 35C, a measure of air temperature plus humidity. We didnt evolve for such conditions and, when they occur, we quickly overheat and die of hyperthermia. And in July this year, wet-bulb 35s were briefly reached in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

As we keep burning fossil fuels, global average temperatures will continue to rise, and this deadly combination of heat and humidity will occur more often. And not just in the tropics, where more than 3bn people live; British Columbias high temperature record this summer overtook that of Las Vegas. So mitigating climate change by rapidly cutting greenhouse gases becomes not just a good idea but a survival necessity.

The Paris agreement can serve as our way to organise this massive effort. We need it because, although our problem is global, we live in a nation-state system in which the representatives of each nation are charged with defending that nations interests. In any perceived discrepancy between the interests of ones nation and the world at large, some people will choose their nation.

This creates a lot of problems of the prisoners dilemma sort. When it comes to virtuous action, who goes first? The countries that act first might create future advantages for themselves, but many people are too cautious to see that, and so there are some very tough choices coming.

For example: we can burn about 900 more gigatons of carbon before we cross the 2C average global rise in temperature that will put us in truly dangerous territory. But weve already located thousands of gigatons of fossil fuels around the world. Most of those, which simply must be left in the ground if we want to avoid cooking the biosphere, are owned by national governments, who consider these reserves part of their national assets. Theyre already collateral, and a steady source of income and, for quite a few of these nations, a big portion of their wealth.

A fire in the Bayramic district of Canakkale, Turkey, on August 14  Burak Akay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

So although almost every nation has signed the Paris agreement and agreed in theory to the principle of rapid emissions reduction, nations including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Canada, Brazil, Nigeria, Australia, Mexico, China, Venezuela, Norway and the US  not to mention several others  have made promises under the Paris agreement that will cost them many trillions of dollars in lost income.

Thinking about money, and directing money, are key to getting through this crisis century successfully

Naturally, there will be elected officials and civil servants in these governments doing their best to burn a few last trillions worth of these soon-to-be-stranded assets. They will see this as their patriotic and fiduciary duty. So unless we make other arrangements, there will be a fire sale.

This means that one giant aspect of the problem we face is financial. Thinking about money, and directing money, are key to getting through this crisis century successfully. We have to figure out ways to pay ourselves to decarbonise as fast as possible, and to do all the other work needed to establish a sustainable civilisation. Keeping the petrostates from going bankrupt and doing desperate things will have to be part of that new arrangement, tricky though that will be. Discounts, amortisation, giving up on blame and righteousness, big haircuts  all these will come into play.

And dont think that the market will do all this by itself, because it wont. That whole notion of rule by market was a catastrophic example of monocausotaxophilia, the love of single causes that explain everything, Ernst Poppels joke neologism for a tendency very common in all of us. This weakness in our thinking, the futile hope for a reliable algorithm, or a monarch, needs to be resisted at all times but especially when constructing a global economy.

It is not true that leaving finance to the market will arrange everything well, as the past 40 years have shown. The market systemically misprices things by way of improper discounting of the future, false externalities and many other predatory miscalculations, which have led to gross inequality and biosphere destruction. And yet right now its the way of the world, the law of the land. Capital invests in the highest rate of return, thats what the market requires.

But saving the biosphere is not the highest rate of return (surely clear proof of another market miscalculation) because that rescue involves replacing most of our infrastructure, while also building what will be in effect a planetary sewage system, retrieving and disposing of the waste weve been dumping into the atmosphere.

This is no ones idea of a high-return investment, because no one actually wants thousands of billions of tons of dry ice. Pulling that much carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere is simply a cost  the cost of survival, but not the highest rate of return. So private capital will not invest in it, and if we allow that judgment to stand, we are cooked.

A deer runs through the ruins of homes burnt in the Dixie fire in Greenville, California, August 2021  Jungho Kim/The New York Times/Redux/Eyevine

But finance, too, is a technology, being civilisations software. Its critically important software because its how we value our own work; and, being a human system, we are free to improve it by way of various alterations and improvements. And now we have to.

Happily, many people staffing the central banks of the world are feeling this need, and looking into innovations. Their involvement is critically important, because no cryptocurrency will do the job. Indeed, some of these new cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, only exacerbate the problem. And in any case, none of them are money; they are tulips, or any other speculative bubble. Money is a medium of exchange, a storehouse of value, and  crucially  a sign of social trust. And in a nation-state system, the money we trust is money that is nationally backed. The richer the country, the more we trust its money. So fiat currency is what well need to deal with the existential emergency that climate change represents.

Even in our current political economy?.?.?.?we might be able to pay ourselves to do the necessary things and thus dodge the coming mass extinction event

What this suggests is that we are soon going to be testing out how many trillions of dollars our central banks can create per year without altering peoples trust in money. This will be an experiment, an improvisation. The quantitative easings of 2008-11 and 2020-21 gave strong evidence that a pretty large amount of new money can be created every year without negative results. The new wrinkle to add to that finding is the idea of spending newly created money first on decarbonisation and other biosphere-friendly activities. This is getting called carbon quantitative easing, and is something many central banks are now investigating.

The Network for Greening the Financial System, an organisation of 89 of the biggest central banks, recently released a paper outlining possible methodologies for this financial innovation. They suggested that possibly nations, companies and individuals who draw carbon from the atmosphere could be paid for it directly.

Possibly petrostates could be compensated for the fossil fuels they keep in the ground. Possibly oil companies could be paid to suck carbon from the air and then pump it back into the ground; they could also be paid to pump water from under the great glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland, which are currently sliding into the sea on newly melted subterranean water slides.

FT Weekend Festival Our festival is back and in person at Kenwood House (and online) on September 4 with our usual eclectic line-up of speakers and subjects. Infusing it all will be the spirit of reawakening and the possibility of reimagining the world after the pandemic. To book tickets, visit here

Of course, legislatures and citizens will need to urge their central banks, and ultimately to instruct or order them, to do these things. But the good news is that with these new strategies in hand, even in our current political economy, awkwardly suited at best to the task at hand, we might be able to pay ourselves to do the necessary things, and thus dodge the coming mass-extinction event.

This is not the total solution; I dont want to succumb to monocausotaxophilia myself. It will take far more than carbon quantitative easing to finesse the coming years. Well need to re-establish wild land to maintain biodiversity, as in the various 3030 plans; we may start growing food in vats from micro-organisms, freeing up land for other purposes; well have to green our cities; we have to replace much of our infrastructure; and so on. All this implies a stupendous amount of work, all of which will have to be paid for.

A playground polar bear statue disappears into the smoke during fires in Norilsk, Russia, August 6  Denis Kozhevnikov/Tass

Carbon quantitative easing wont be enough to do all of that but, when combined with regulation and taxation channelling private capital into useful, survival-oriented projects, we might squeak through. And, by the way, full employment is very much implied in all this; theres that much work to be done. Can we leverage all that needed work toward climate equity between nations and to the lessening of the grotesque inequality between rich and poor? It seems like we could.

This array of new policies means returning to some kind of Keynesian balance of public and private. Good. We need that. But this big shift naturally adds to the feeling of dread in our time. What  a new political economy? Didnt that kind of change last happen in 1980, or 1945, or in the 18th centurys great democratic revolutions? Surely its impossible now? Easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism?

No. The time has come to admit that we control our economy for the common good. Crucial at all times, this realisation is especially important in our current need to dodge a mass-extinction event. The invisible hand never picks up the check; therefore we must govern ourselves.

Kim Stanley Robinsons The Ministry for the Future is published in paperback in October. He will be speaking at the UNs Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow in November

More on climate change?.?.?.? Nations face fierce headwinds IPCC report reveals urgent need for countries to prepare for events already under way Climate capital Where climate change meets business, markets and politics. Explore the FTs coverage here

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British consumer confidence surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the second consecutive month, as people continued to spend their pent-up cash on beauty, clothing and hotel services in the mid-summer month.

According to data released by the research company GfK on Friday, the consumer index was negative 8 in August, a slight drop from the negative 7 in July, but still higher than the January 2020 level.

Joe Staton, GfKs director of customer strategy, stated that the expectations of our personal financial situation in the next 12 months remain unchanged, adding that this positive factor is an important factor for the economy of this year and next. good sign.

Peoples outlook for the coming year is the same as that in July, at 11, the highest level since 2007, and much higher than the negative 0.5 average of 2008-2019.

The results of this survey, which tracked consumers certainty about their personal finances, were slightly lower than the forecasts of economists surveyed by Reuters, who did not expect the level to change in July.

Samuel Tombs, chief British economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said that the large number of Covid-19 cases in early summer prevented the mood from improving further.

In general, the survey conducted between August 1 and 12 shows that consumers feel they can spend their savings accumulated during the months-long lockdown.

After the removal of the remaining restrictions on most companies in July, despite the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing health crisis, the willingness to consume remains strong.

As GDP continues to rebound, Staton said that overall, the countrys economic health looks good for the rest of 2021.

Lisa Hooker, Head of Consumer Markets at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the UK, also reported positive sentiment about spending in her latest survey results. She said: [The] The successful launch of the vaccine has promoted a high degree of confidence among consumers of all ages. 

Hook said that she expects the beauty and fashion retail industry to continue to promote shopping enthusiasm, stimulated by the return of large-scale gatherings.

The return of social events such as weddings, despite their small scale, gives people a reason to shop and will benefit spending on clothing and beauty. These two categories are the most severely affected by the lockdown.

According to official data released earlier this month, household consumption accounted for 4.1 percentage points of the 4.8% increase in UK GDP in the second quarter.

Despite signs of strong growth, consumption in the UK in the second quarter was still well below pre-pandemic levels, indicating that the economy still has room for further expansion.

Economists pay close attention to consumer confidence as a measure of peoples sense of security at work, which may affect their confidence in spending and saving.

Staton said: When we started to leave the worst of the epidemic behind for a few months, we had compelling reasons to be happy.
The "Potato Bachelor" is consistent in stealing fangirls' hearts. His newest magazine snaps proves that he is a certified K-drama hottie!

Chae Jong Hyeop Graces Cosmopolitan Magazine's September Issue

Cosmopolitan Korea surprised fans by unveiling three photos of actor Chae Jong Hyeop on their Instagram. It was a sneak peek for their forthcoming September magazine issue. With his increasing popularity, the "Sisyphus: The Myth" star is becoming a more in demand celebrity in the industry.

After the young actor finished his fantasy series "The Witch's Diner," Chae Jong Hyeop is preparing to say goodbye for his role as Yang Do Hyeok in JTBC's "Nevertheless." But before that, let's take a short glimpse of his soon to be released interview where he talked about his dramas "The Witch's Diner" and "Nevertheless."

First, he shared his thoughts of filming the romance drama with Han So Hee and Song Kang. According to him, "The way I express myself should have been a little different from Jae Eon (Song Kang). However, it was hard most of the time that I went on set. I didn't know how to immerse myself in Yang Do Hyeok's character and react to the next scene because I had to connect also with Yoo Na Bi and Jae Eon's emotions."

He added that actress Han So Hee had helped him in controlling his emotions during filming. In the full interview, Chae Jong Hyeop also mentioned his chemistry with his "Nevertheless" co-star.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 3 Key Points to Anticipate Ahead of 'Nevertheless' Episode 10 + Finale Release Date And Where To Watch Online

Chae Jong Hyeop Display His Toned Body and Perfect Visuals

Meanwhile, during the magazine shoot, Chae Jong Hyeop was dubbed as "Bagel Man" which is a combination of having a baby-faced and at the sametime looking glamorous with his outfits.

He is attracting the netizens by revealing his biceps, aside from his bashful smile and fresh visual, Chae Jong Hyeop has a perfect physique. And he maintained it by doing some fitness such as running and swimming.

On the other hand, the 28-year-old actor made a splendid exit in TVING's "The Witch's Diner" along with "Running Man" host Song Ji Hyo and actress Nam Ji Hyun. Chae Jong Hyeop was asked about his two previous drama characters, and according to him Yang Dong Hyeok and Lee Gil Yong showed different but realistic characteristics.

He said, "In Yang Dong Hyeok's case, he tried to express his feelings in a subtle way where he accepted and understood everything. It was different from Lee Gil Yong, because he is more solid when it comes to expressing himself. "

These are just chops of Chae Jong Hyeop pictorial and interview from Cosmopolitan Korea. They will be releasing more of Jong Hyeop's content in the following week.

Plus, the new K-drama heartthrob also shared his newly released magazine photos on his Instagram account.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Here's Why Rising Star Chae Jong Hyeop Should be on Your Stan List Right Now

What are your thoughts about Chae Jong Hyeop's new Cosmopolitan photos? Share it with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Shai Collins
Vogue Korea officially released the captivating photos of Hallyu queen Song Hye Kyo donning Fendi's Fall/ Winter collection.

Over the publication's official Instagram, the actress looked timeless as she graced Vogue Korea's September issue.

Song Hye Kyo Stuns in Fendi for Vogue Korea

According to the caption, the "Descendants of the Sun" star is wearing Kim Jones' ready-to-wear debut for the Italian luxury fashion house.

The A-lister's striking beauty complimented the stunning skyline of Seoul.

As cited by the publication, this was shot at 5 in the morning, capturing the calmness of Gangnam.

In one photo, the South Korean beauty looked timeless in Fendi's fall collection inspired by Roman architecture, with dramatic silhouettes featuring intricate details.

Meanwhile, the second snap highlighted Song Hye Kyo's ethereal beauty while surrounded by colorful flowers.

Back in February, Song Hye Kyo was named Fendi's muse and became the first-ever Korean ambassador for the luxury brand, joining the hottest names in Hollywood, such as Zoey Deutch, Sabrina Carpenter, and more.

#SongHyeKyo Trends on Twitter

With this, the Hallyu queen became a top trending topic over Twitter as fans hyped her recent shoot with Vogue Korea.

Netizens lauded her goddess-like visuals and jaw-dropping beauty.

Swear she gets hotter every time I see her yesss miss song hye kyo #SongHyeKyo pic.twitter.com/h02JLgidUk  kyodose (@kyodose) August 20, 2021

Moreover, several users mentioned how Song Hye Kyo set the bar high for fashion shoots.

OMG Kyo  Your beauty and aura is on another level. You are always on  You are making the standard for photoshoots so high. Queen #SongHyeKyo



Vogue September Issue New Beginnings pic.twitter.com/E8b7P3kEst   Song Hye Kyo (@YeppeudaSHK) August 20, 2021

Song Hye Kyo's New Drama with Jang Ki Yong

During her interview with Vogue Korea, the "Encounter" star spoke about her personal life, including her upcoming K-drama "Now We're Breaking Up."

When asked about her character in the soon-to-be-released series with Jang Ki Yong, she mentioned that it illustrates the realistic life of a woman who is in her late 30's.

"'Now, We're Breaking Up" is not the female protagonist of a fairytale-like fantasy melodrama, but a female character of the same age as me now, and the worries and situations that the woman had were very realistic.

In the forthcoming K-drama, she takes on the role of Ha Young Eun, a design team's manager who works for a famous fashion label.

Song Hye Kyo described her character as someone who has a "powerful approach to love and work."

For more than two decades in the industry, Song Hye Kyo appeared in several remarkable dramas, and it is safe to say that she has done tons of melodrama since her debut.

However, she mentioned that "Now, We're Breaking Up" is far different from her previous project.

This is because of the various experiences from the past and how she expresses them through acting.

Song Hye Kyo on 'The Glory' with 'Descendants of the Sun' Writer Kim Eun Sook

As for her reunion project with "Descendants of the Sun" writer Kim Eun Sook for K-drama "The Glory," she revealed that it was the genre that she has been looking forward to doing.

"I've always wanted to do it, so I'm excited, worried, and nervous," she added.

"The Glory" follows a sad revenge story of the main character Moon Dong Eun, played by Song Hye Kyo and set to be released in 2022.

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Wills
Broadcasting company KBS released a new special poster for its newest coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama, "Police University," on August 20.

The new special poster displayed the amazing and undeniable chemistry between B1A4 member Jinyoung and f(x) member Krystal who both lead the drama series alongside "Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds" actor Cha Tae Hyun.

'Police University' Unveils Special Poster Featuring Jinyoung and Krystal

On August 20, KBS revealed a special poster featuring lead actors Jinyoung and Krystal, who played the roles of Kang Seon Ho and Oh Kang Hee, respectively.

The new special poster attracted attention as it displayed the amazing chemistry between the two main leads. In the newly released poster, Jinyoung and Krystal showcased their chemistry as they lean their backs with each other while holding a gun in their survival gears.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: IN THE LOOP: Check Out the Newest K-Dramas and Episodes to Binge-Watch This Week

The two actors give off the courageous and refreshing aura of freshmen students at the Korean National Police University. Jinyoung and Krystal dazzle the viewers with firm eyes and reassuring smiles, showing justice and passion as a police officer.

Jinyoung and Krystal's refreshing combination and amazing acting skills shown on the small screen were deeply loved by viewers and fans. Anticipation and excitement towards the drama and its next episode are amplified.

'Police University' Soars With High Ratings During its Second Week of Broadcast

"Police University" captured the hearts of viewers of all ages with the unique and hilarious stories of the professors and aspiring police officers in the university.

During its fourth episode which was aired on August 17, "Police University" recorded a new high viewership rating of 8.5%, breaking its own highest ratings from its preceding episodes.

The new hilarious romance comedy-drama series is expected to continue to receive love and support from viewers during its run.

'Police University' Episode 5 Spoilers

In the previous episode, Yoo Dong Man, played by Cha Tae Hyun, desperately asked for Kang Seon Ho's (Jinyoung) help to catch the illegal online gamblers that were inside their peaceful university.

No Beom Tae (Lee Dal) and Jo Joon Wook (Yoo Yongjae) took interest in the same woman who was their senior as they put their friendship at stake. Kang Seon Ho and Park Min Gyu (Chu Young Woo) also clarified their feelings for their co-captain, Oh Kang Hee (Krystal).

In the next episode, Yoo Dong Man and Kang Seon Ho's confidential investigation begins. The professor and student duo is expected to be closer to each other, after starting on the wrong foot.

Meanwhile, Judo girl and second unit captain Oh Kang Hee starts to see her good friend Kang Seon Ho in a different light.

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN: Krystal Jung Net Worth 2021: How Rich Is The f(x) Member?

The highly anticipated fifth episode of the new drama is scheduled to air on Monday, August 23.

What is your favorite scene in the drama? Share it with us in the comments!

Follow KDramastars for more Kdrama, KMovie, and celebrity news updates!

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
CARBON COUNTY, Utah  An amber alert has been issued by the Idaho State Communications Center.

The Carbon County Sheriffs Office are looking for two children last seen in Price, Utah and are believed to be in danger.

The children may be traveling with a man named Derek Rowley in a gold Chevy Silverado flatbed with Washington plate #51311AE, hauling a white 5th wheel camp trailer that was last seen heading toward Washington state. The drive from Utah to Washington could go through Southern Oregon.

If you have any information about the where abouts of these children, contact 911 immediately.

Child 1: Mason Rowly

8 year old white male

311

50 lbs.

Blonde hair

Blue eyes

Wearing pajamas

Child 2: Arson Mangum
Wiley River Foxx, 18, of Gold Hill, was arrested shortly after 4:15 AM in connection to the shooting death of Thomas James Watters, 24, of Gold Hill.

Shortly before 4 AM, Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon (ECSO) received a report of gunshots, screaming, and people leaving the scene on the 500 block of Gustaf St. in Gold Hill.

When Jackson County Sheriff Deputies arrived, they found Watters unconscious and not breathing. Jackson County Fire District Three (JCFD3) rendered aid until Mercy Flights medical personnel arrived. Medford Police Department (MPD) assisted at the scene.

Watters was pronounced dead at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds.

Foxx has been lodged at the Jackson County jail on a charge of second-degree Murder.

Jackson County Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit (MADIU) is assisting with the case. MADIU consists of detectives from Oregon State Police (OSP), JCSO, MPD, Jackson County District Attorneys office, and other local agencies.

Further information will be released from the District Attorney of Jackson County
PHOENIX, Ore--Senator Ron Wyden is in Southern Oregon today, talking with healthcare providers.

With ongoing mental health challenges nationwide posed by COVID and in southern Oregon also with extreme heat, wildfires, and wildfire smoke, Wyden is meeting with local mental health providers and advocates to gather input for his upcoming legislation about addressing barriers to mental health care.

"There is nothing about this mental health challenge that is about Democrats or Republicans," said Sen. Wyden. "This is about doing right by our communities and our people who are struggling."

He was scheduled to meet with a cadre of mental health professionals, as well as Phoenix Mayor Terry Baker, and State Representative Pam Marsh in Phoenix.

Earlier in the day, Wyden visited Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, where he spoke with doctors, nurses, and staff. Wyden was at Asante to discuss the impact of the surge of COVID-19 patients.

"You can see the incredible physical and mental toll that COVID is taking this morning on a local hosital not from here," Wyden said. "They are dealing with people who are incredibly sick."

Asante is due to receive help from Oregon National Guard personnel this week to assist with the sure.
Its the end, but its also the start of a future career path, Lois said, Its not the end of me in the industry.

Lois said he was grateful to his family and friends for the help they gave him along the way.

None of it would be possible without that team effort, Lois said.

Burlington resident Ashley Schaal, who will be going into 8th grade next year, got best in the poultry barn with her White Plymouth Rock chicken.

I was super surprised and I was so happy and grateful for my family. Schaal said.

Schaal said her great-grandpa, dad and brother have all raised chickens. Back in 2019, her brother even won best in the poultry barn.

I really love chickens, and I love seeing them grow up, Schaal said, Its a great experience.

Ian Kerkman, son of state Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Salem Lakes, managed to get third place in the same competition as Schaal. Kerkman said her son enjoyed the event.

Its just a really great experience for the kids, Kerkman said. Its made for some great family time.
PLEASANT HILL, Ore.  The community is coming together to support a family that suffered a tragic loss earlier this month, raising tens of thousands of dollars.

On Aug. 9, Caelen Bosisto was fatally shot in her home near Pleasant Hill and her husband, Staton, was shot in the head and taken to the hospital. Their 2-month-old baby was present at the time of the shooting, but was unharmed.

Papas Pizza Parlor held a fundraiser on Thursday for the family, giving half of the value of food purchases to the cause. Between the three area restaurants, the fundraiser brought in more than $22,000.

If you would like to donate to the family, you can find their GoFundMe HERE. So far, theyve raised more than $100,000. The money will go to Caelens memorial, Statons health care bills, and their childs needs.

MORE: MAN ARRESTED FOR PLEASANT HILL MURDER, ASSAULT

Authorities say there is no known connection between the Bosistos and suspect Andrew Geronimi, 34, who has been charged with first-degree murder, assault, burglary and attempt to commit murder.

In January, Geronimi was arraigned on several charges related to a domestic violence hostage situation in Norway, Michigan. When asked about Geronimi, Norway police said they "know him very well."
EUGENE, Ore. --- A group of local health care workers released a letter Thursday evening, pleading for community members to get vaccinated to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The group, Eugene Emergency Physicians, consists of 37 emergency medicine physicians and 13 physician assistants who are contracted with PeaceHealth.

In the message, they identify themselves as members of the community asking for the help of their peers.

Please believe us when we tell you that we have the communitys best interest at heart because it is our community as well. You have trusted us to care for you, the letter reads.

Dr. Charlotte Ransom is the Medical Director for the University District Emergency Department. She, and many of her colleagues, are desperately urging people to roll up their sleeves.

Our hope with this letter is to reach those people who have some concerns about the vaccine or feel that they don't need the vaccine, Ransom said, It is really important that we increase our vaccination rate to help combat this virus that is overtaking our community right now."

The letter is not directly associated with PeaceHealth administration.

The entire letter reads as follows:

"Dear Community Member:

We are asking for a moment of your time on behalf of Eugene Emergency Physicians, a group of 37 emergency medicine physicians and 13 physician assistants (PAs) contracted with PeaceHealth. We cover the RiverBend, University District, and Cottage Grove Emergency Departments. For 30 years, we have cared for this community. We live here, our children attend school here, we see you in the grocery store. Please believe us when we tell you that we have the communitys best interest at heart because it is our community as well. You have trusted us to care for you.

This pandemic has tested us like never before. We have been front-line witnesses from the beginning. Every physician and PA in our group has been voluntarily vaccinated for months and has looked on with sadness and despair as public health has become polarized. We have chosen to speak out in order to lend our voice to the growing cry for vaccinations to protect our Community.

We are appreciative and fully supportive of the recent PeaceHealth initiative to require Covid-19 vaccinations for health care workers. We state unequivocally that vaccinations are our best hope to keep our community safe. If you have chosen not to be vaccinated, we strongly ask you to reconsider. If you have questions or concerns about the vaccine, please reach out to a trusted health care provider, Lane County Public Health, or ask us if you see us.

As of August 18, PeaceHealth Oregon hospitals have diagnosed 1,037 patients with Covid-19 in 2021. Of those, more than 96 percent were not fully vaccinated. Although it is possible to contract Covid-19 following vaccination, it is clear that the chances of hospitalization or death are exponentially lower.

We are running out of hospital beds in our state. We may soon be unable to adequately care for patients needing surgery for other ailments or treat medical conditions unrelated to Covid-19. We are rapidly losing the ability to care for all of the communitys needs.

We know that many of you will read this letter and have information from various sources that you feel supports the choice not to vaccinate yourself or your family. We urge you to take a moment and consider the impacts of your decisions on the greater community. These vaccines are safe and effective.

We have heard concerns from patients that some vaccinated people are becoming infected with Covid-19. Yes, this is true, but the likelihood of contracting the virus is substantially lower. If you become infected following vaccination, the disease course is significantly milder.

You may be very healthy and have a strong immune system. You may feel you will be safe. We have cared for and admitted many patients who have had this very thought. Unfortunately, we are admitting younger and healthier people with complications from Covid-19. It is NOT a bad cold. It is NOT a bad flu. It hurts. It keeps people awake at night because of pain. It causes fluid to build up in the lungs making breathing difficult. It is AWFUL even in those not sick enough to require hospitalization. Yes, some people are lucky and have milder case, but is this a risk you really want to take for you or your parents or your children? We urge you to

consider your circle of friends and family. Do you have or know children who are too young to be vaccinated? We are seeing a rise in cases in our pediatric patients. Do you have elderly relatives who have chronic diseases? They are more likely to suffer devastating

illness and death. This is not only about you and your healthy immune system. It is about the greater good of the community. We cannot keep fighting this fight without your help.

We are seeing people resist not just vaccinations, but the return of mask mandates. We too are tired of masks. We wear them every day, all day. We cannot defeat this disease without increasing vaccination numbers, and we cannot control the spread without masks. Vaccines and masks work. If you want your children to return to school in person, please vaccinate. If you want your children not to be masked in school, please vaccinate. If you want to go to the store unmasked, please vaccinate. If anything in this letter resonates with you, please go get vaccinated. The following link lists vaccine clinics in our community.

www.lanecountyor.gov/vaxclinics

Thank you for consideration of our perspective. We feel fortunate to be part of such a wonderful community and look forward to a return to normalcy. This return can be hastened by your participation in vaccinations and following other public health mandates.

The physicians and PAs of Eugene Emergency

Physicians"
EUGENE, Ore. -- Gov. Kate Brown's announcement of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all school staff is drawing mixed reactions among local parents.

Teachers and others who work at K-12 schools will be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or six weeks after the vaccines receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whichever comes later.

RELATED: BROWN ORDERS TEACHERS, HEALTH CARE WORKERS TO BE VACCINATED

Some parents were comforted, knowing those responsible for their children throughout the school day would be less likely to spread COVID-19.

"I'm happy about that because I think it makes transmission of the COVID virus less likely for my kid and for other kids in the school," said Elliott Farren, father of an incoming kindergartner.

Others were concerned the mandate forces educators to choose between getting vaccinated and risking losing their jobs.

"I feel that it's an individual choice, so I don't think it should be mandated that our teachers have to be vaccinated," said parent Teia Brady.

The president of the Eugene Education Association, Sabrina Gordon, said the vast majority of educators in Eugene are already fully vaccinated.

"If we have the goal of keeping kids in-person learning full time as much as possible this year with as few disruptions as possible, this is the number one safety measure that can help make that happen," Gordon said.

Eugene School District 4J reported more than 80% of its staff members were vaccinated as of spring. That percentage has likely increased since then.

4J officials said the district is prepared to implement the new policy as soon as more detailed instructions are given. It's already checked the vaccination status for the majority of its staff and is planning to check vaccination status for the remaining staff members before Brown's deadline.

A spokesperson for 4J said a district-wide vaccine mandate was being considered until the governor announced a statewide mandate. They said the district's main goal is to keep children safe inside the classroom while learning in person.

So far, more than 2% of students in the district have opted into fully remote learning for the first semester, the district said. That number is expected to rise as the deadline to apply for online-only schooling is Monday.

According to Lane County Public Health, more than 60% of educators throughout the county are fully vaccinated at this time. There are roughly 10,000 total educators in the county.

Bethel and Springfield Public Schools have not responded to requests for comment at this time.
Weather Alert

...FROST ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM PDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures as low as 37 will result in patchy frost formation. * WHERE...Colfax, Chewelah, Wallace, Osburn, Worley, Cheney, Hayden, Rathdrum, Republic, Eastport, St Maries, Moscow, Bonners Ferry, Kellogg, Tekoa, Uniontown, Mullan, Oakesdale, Kettle Falls, Rockford, Rosalia, Spokane, Sandpoint, Wauconda, Coeur d'Alene, La Crosse, Post Falls, Newport, Davenport, Priest River, Potlatch, Plummer, Genesee, Deer Park, Inchelium, Pullman, Colville, and Pinehurst. * WHEN...From 2 AM to 9 AM PDT Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Frost could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Clouds are expected to thin overnight with winds calming down in sheltered valleys after midnight. The coolest temperatures will likely be just before sunrise Wednesday morning. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. &&
A free entrepreneurship development programme is taking applications until 31st August from County Kilkenny entrepreneurs and innovative business start-ups for its first phase, which starts in September.

1.5m in Enterprise Ireland (EI) funding has been secured to run the New Frontiers programme at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) over the next five years. The 55 early-stage entrepreneurs who progress to the second phase of the programme will have access to 15,000 funding each.

Maria Barry from Kilkenny was among those who received support for the New Frontiers Programme at the ArcLabs innovation hub in Waterford.

New Frontiers Programme Manager at Waterford Institute of Technology, Eugene Crehan explains who the programme is for. The New Frontiers programme is designed to help ambitious individuals bring their business idea from concept to successful start-up. The time commitment for Phase 1 is two evenings per week, starting from Tuesday, 14 September 2021. The application process is online, so people can apply easily.

Over the next five years we hope to support another 250 entrepreneurs on Phase 1 of our programme with about 20% making it through to the second phase and access to EI funding every year. Those who get onto Phase 2 are on the programme two days per week for six months and get funding of 15,000 each. The programme is run by the WIT School of Business from ArcLabs, the innovation hub based at WITs West Campus, Carriganore.

Former New Frontiers participant Maria Barry of Maria Barry Skincare offers advice to entrepreneurs considering the New Frontiers Programme: Having completed both New Frontiers Phase 1 and 2 programmes at WIT, I would highly recommend New Frontiers to any individual who is ready to test the market potential of a business idea or develop and validate a business proposition. The content of the programme was superb and covered a broad range of business topics. Gaining insights from past and present New Frontiers participants was particularly valuable. By attending weekly workshops delivered by leading industry experts and receiving expert guidance and mentoring from the WIT programme team, Maria Barry Skincare is now one step closer to bringing the initial product range to market.

Phase 1 of the New Frontiers Programme will commence in Waterford at ArcLabs, the innovation hub based on WITs West Campus in September 2021 on a part-time basis, with Phase 2 commencing in December 2021. For more information and to make an application see www.wit.ie/newfrontiers.

Earlier this year WIT and Institute of Technology Carlow (IT Carlow) jointly secured 3m from Enterprise Ireland to operate the New Frontiers entrepreneur development programme in the south east over the next five years.

Paula Carroll, New Frontiers National Programme Manager at Enterprise Ireland said, Enterprise Ireland is proud to continue to support and fund this critically important entrepreneurial development programme for the next five years in order to accelerate the development of sustainable new business start-ups within the South-East region. Our continued partnership with Waterford IT and Carlow IT will ensure we deliver on this ambition.
On Tuesday, August 10, Elaine Bryan bid her farewells and best wishes as postmistress for the past 29 years to the people of Callan.

It was fitting that it was the tenth day of August as it was to the day that she took over the post her late mother Nellie as postmistress. Between them both they had served for a total of 63 years at the helm of the local post office.



Elaine Bryan pictured on her final day as postmistress of Callan Post office with her husband Bosco along with her children Aislin, Fiona and Sean.

During that long period there has been many changes with Elaine experiencing most. The changing face of the rural post offices has seen local village closures in Windgap, Kilmoganny, Kells and Grangemockler. For the most part most people from those areas now use the Callan Post Office as a place to do their banking as well as other services such as pension and social welfare. Even when Elaine's mother retired in 1992 she still was always in the background as a guiding hand for her daughter.

Even when computerisation was introduced after she retired, Nellie kept herself up to date to make sure she was fully versed when she had to stand in for staff who were on leave of out sick.

Elaine continued those hands on traditions of her mother right up to last Tuesday and now she hands over to the very able hands of Dermot McCabe of Super Valu Callan. The new Post Office is now part of the Super Valu supermarket.





New Postmaster Dermot McCabe of Super Valu presenting Elaine with a special cake on her retirement

The Callan branch is typical of the changing face of our post offices as across the country the become more and more attached to local supermarkets and shopping centres as they move away from the high streets. An Post area manager Hugh OConnor oversaw the actual handover last week as he paid a glowing tribute to Elaine and her family for the service provided to the people of Callan. He also wished Dermot McCabe and his staff the very best for the future as representatives of the company.

Hugh presented Elaine with a beautiful replica statuette of the Cuchulainn statue which sits inside of the iconic and historic General Post Office in Dublin. Dermot McCabe wished Elaine well in retirement and also thanked her for her service to the community.





Dermot presented Elaine with a beautiful Keogh's cake depicting the old post office on Upper Green Street to mark the occasion. An emotional Elaine thanked the people of Callan for all their support over the years to her family and business and she wished Dermot well in the future.

Elaine paid tribute to her staff Sinead Brennan, Kathleen Scriven, her sister Pauline O' Neill and her daughter Aisling for all their loyalty over the years and she was delighted to wish Sinead well in her new role as manager in the new office while Kathleen too will remain at the counter along with new face Darren McNulty to ensure all runs smoothly following the handover.

The end of an era for sure but we wish Elaine well in her retirement along with husband Bosco who also recently retired. It is the beginning of a new chapter in her life and knowing Elaine she is going to grasp it with all her might.
The Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan has urged 'walrus-watchers' along Ireland's southern coast to observe 'Wally the Walrus' from a distance.

The Arctic walrus was first spotted in Ireland off the coast of Valentia Island in March, and following sightings along the coast of Western Europe has recently returned to the southern coast of Ireland.

While its understandable that many people are excited about the presence of a walrus on the Irish coast, we must remember that this is a wild animal and it should be respected," Minister of State Noonan said.

"Im appealing to everyone not to get close and only view it from a distance. This is for the animals sake, but also for your own, as there may be risks from a water safety perspective where large numbers of people are congregating on the water.

"Walruses are not a protected species under the Wildlife Act, its basically the same as a fox or rabbit under the law, so its up to people to cop on and have consideration for this poor wild animal, which is a long way from home. Leave it alone and if you must go and see it, use binoculars.
Kilkenny female entrepreneurs are encouraging others from the county to join the latest cycle of ACORNS - a highly-successful development initiative to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland.

The call for applications for the latest cycle of the programme  ACORNS 7  has been launched by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. ACORNS is funded under the Departments Rural Innovation and Development Fund.

Programme organisers are looking for female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland, who wish to start and develop new businesses or who have recently started a venture.

A total of 50 new entrepreneurs will be selected and the free initiative will run over six months from October 2021 to April 2022 with the deadline for applications midnight on September 10, 2021.

Past participants from Kilkenny include: Kay Lyng of K Kajoux and Roisin Cahill of RoCa Healthcare. Both business women are still part of the ACORNS community and encourage anyone interested in ACORNS to apply for the programme.

Kay Lyng of K Kajoux says:

The ACORNS network is a key necessity for any female entrepreneur that wants to achieve growth in a strategic way. The network gives access to a wealth of expertise in a multitude of disciplines.

Among the 50 new businesses that took part in the last cycle of ACORNS during the Covid-19 pandemic, many changed their career direction completely to establish their businesses.

A desire to make lifestyle changes was a common thread among the participants. Resilience and flexibility  especially during the challenging economic circumstances  was particularly evident. There was great variety and diversity in the new businesses.

Based on a belief that entrepreneurs learn best from each other, ACORNS is centred on interactive round table sessions facilitated by successful female entrepreneurs who have started and grown businesses in rural Ireland. These are known as ACORNS Lead Entrepreneurs, and they give their time free of charge to encourage and support the new business owners.

There is no charge for those participating in ACORNS, thanks to the continuing support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the voluntary contribution of time by the Lead Entrepreneurs.

This years voluntary Lead Entrepreneurs are Anne Reilly, PaycheckPlus; Caroline Reidy, The HR Suite; Eimer Hannon, Hannon Travel; Larissa Feeney, Accountant Online; Mary B Walsh, Ire Wel Pallets; Norma Dinneen, Bo Rua Farm and Triona MacGiolla Ri, Aro Digital Strategies.

In addition, Monica Flood, formerly Olas IT and a Going for Growth Lead Entrepreneur, will facilitate an ACORNS Plus round table for selected previous participants who are committed to driving forward the growth of their businesses.

The previous cycle of the programme  ACORNS 6  was held during nationwide restrictions to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite the challenges that they were facing, the ACORNS 6 participants were very positive, and their businesses grew. Over the six-month period of the programme, the combined turnover of the overall group doubled from 1.8 million to 3.6 million.

Six new businesses started to trade during the programme and there were seven new exporters. At the end of the cycle, ACORNS 6 participants employed 107 people  an increase of 29.

A further 150 past participants were actively involved in other Community aspects of the initiative during the sixth cycle.

Charlie McConalogue T.D., Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, says:

Now in its seventh year, and going from strength to strength, ACORNS continues to support early stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland. Over 300 female entrepreneurs have taken part in ACORNS to date and a significant proportion of these are still actively involved. The progress made by participants in previous years has been remarkable. This is an incredible opportunity and a wonderful support for rural-based female entrepreneurs, particularly in the current environment and I encourage those who have recently started or are about to start a new business to apply to participate in this very exciting initiative.

Fitzsimons Consulting, specialising in entrepreneurship and growth, developed the initiative. Founder Paula Fitzsimons says:

What the ACORNS participants achieved during the last cycle in challenging circumstances was remarkable  new sales, additional employees, and new exporters. We are delighted that, through the support of the Minister and his Department, we are in a position through ACORNS to continue to support entrepreneurial women in rural Ireland, as they start and develop their businesses.

Any woman with a new business based in Kilkenny  or a well-developed idea for a new venture they want to get off the ground  can get more information and register to receive an application form at www.acorns.ie.
ShinAwiL are currently looking participants for the next series of the RTE Ones - Home of the Year.

Each week a panel of three expert judges will visit three homes across the country.

They will tour each home giving it a score out of 10.

The home that receives the highest score goes through to the final of Home of the Year, where the judges crown the winner.

ShinAwiL are looking to cast a diverse range of homes and their owners throughout the whole of Ireland.

Big or small, the judges will be looking for what makes your home special, and they will base their decisions on individuality, functionality, and clever design, as well as their own areas of expertise.

Its really easy to apply, just email 'homes@shinawil.com' for an application form.

After you have submitted your application and some photographs of the interior and exterior of your home, one of the casting team may get in touch to organise a Zoom virtual recce with you.

Auditions are currently underway, with the heats filming throughout September/October 2021.
AMES, Iowa (AP)  An Ames man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder after police found a woman dead inside an Ames apartment.

The discovery was made shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday, when officers sent to an apartment for a welfare check discovered a woman dead there.

Police have not released the name of the woman or said how she died, but did say her death was the result of a homicide.

Police immediately identified 26-year Oscar Chavez as a suspect in the killing. Police say Chavez was later arrested near Auburn, when he was stopped on suspicion of a traffic violation in Sac County.

"The defendant, identified as Oscar Chavez, called a witness on the phone. The witness heard Chavez yelling at a female who was

screaming. The witness also heard what she believed to be a violent physical altercation. The witness then heard a series of gun shots. The witness asked Chavez if he had killed the female. Chavez stated that female was dying," court documents state.
MASON CITY, Iowa - An Austin woman is facing a felony charge for allegedly repeatedly going into Walmart and changing bar codes to reduce prices.

Tonya Turvey, 40, is facing a felony charge of ongoing criminal conduct.

On at least three occasions, authorities said she went into Walmart and changed the bar codes to change the price of items and sometimes did not pay for them at all.

She fled the scene every time when confronted by loss prevention.

She is being held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on $25,000 bond.
BUTLER COUNTY, Iowa  One person is dead after a car smashed into a semi Thursday morning.

The Iowa State Patrol says it happened around 9:35 am at the intersection of 300th Street and Ridge Avenue in Butler County. A northbound semi driven by Dillon Nissen, 20 of Reinbeck, was slowing to make a left-hand turn when the car driven by Mary Vry, 82 of Parkersburg, crashed into the back drivers side of the semi trailer.

The State Patrol says Vrys vehicle rolled into the west ditch and Vry was thrown from the vehicle and killed. Nissen was not harmed.

The Butler County Sheriffs Office and the Iowa Department of Transportation assisted at the scene.
Jennifer Carnahan is no longer the Party Chair for the Minnesota GOP after she resigned at their executive board meeting Thursday night.

The Minnesota GOP will give Carnahan a severance package worth $38,000 dollars.

The vote for the severance package was eight to seven, with Carnahan casting the tie-breaking vote.

Calls for Carnahan's resignation started last week when GOP donor Anton Lazzaro was arrested on federal child sex trafficking charges.

Lazzaro was a close associate of Carnahan's, donating at least $21,000 dollars to her husband, United States Representative Jim Hagedorn.

Hagedorn said he will donate the money to charities throughout southeastern Minnesota.

Andrew Schmitz is a state delegate for the Minnesota GOP and said his decision to call for Carnahan's resignation stemmed from her treatment of staff.

"I think her behavior over her tenure has been completely unacceptable. She has mistreated staff horribly, people that I know and this is unacceptable for the leadership of our party. We need her to resign immediately, so we can move on and rebuild the party," Schmitz said.
HENRY COUNTY, Iowa  Three people from Minnesota are dead after a single-vehicle crash in southeastern Iowa.

It happened around 6:21 am Thursday on Highway 218 in Henry County. The Iowa State Patrol says Chester Lee Simmons, 55 of Minneapolis, was driving south when he went off the road, entered the median, and went airborne. The State Patrol says Simmons vehicle struck a bridge pillar near mile marker 43 and came to rest upside down on some railroad tracks.

Simmons and two passengers, Robert Earl Frost, 44 of Minneapolis, and Johnatta Vernessa Cook, 62 of Minneapolis, were killed in the crash. Two other passengers, Yolanda Crystal Smith, 49 of Brooklyn Center, and Leo Simmons, 3 of Minneapolis, were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.

The Henry County Sheriffs Office, Mount Pleasant fire and rescue, BNSF Railroad, Henry County Ambulance, Medforce, and the Iowa Department of Transportation assisted with this accident.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The United States struggled Thursday to pick up the pace of American and Afghan evacuations at Kabul airport, constrained by obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to paperwork problems. With an Aug. 31 deadline looming, tens of thousands remained to be airlifted from the chaotic country.

Taliban fighters and their checkpoints ringed the airport  major barriers for Afghans who fear that their past work with Westerners makes them prime targets for retribution. Hundreds of Afghans who lacked any papers or clearance for evacuation also congregated outside the airport, adding to the chaos that has prevented even some Afghans who do have papers and promises of flights from getting through.

It didnt help that many of the Taliban fighters could not read the documents.

In a hopeful sign, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in Washington that 6,000 people were cleared for evacuation Thursday and were expected to board military flights in coming hours. That would mark a major increase from recent days. About 2,000 passengers were flown out on each of the past two days, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

Kirby said the military has aircraft available to evacuate 5,000 to 9,000 people per day, but until Thursday far fewer designated evacuees had been able to reach, and then enter, the airport.

Kirby told reporters the limiting factor has been available evacuees, not aircraft. He said efforts were underway to speed processing, including adding State Department consular officers to verify paperwork of Americans and Afghans who managed to get to the airport. Additional entry gates had been opened, he said.

And yet, at the current rate it would be difficult for the U.S. to evacuate all of the Americans and Afghans who are qualified for and seeking evacuation by Aug. 31. President Joe Biden said Wednesday he would ensure no American was left behind, even if that meant staying beyond August, an arbitrary deadline that he set weeks before the Taliban climaxed a stunning military victory by taking Kabul last weekend. It was not clear if Biden might consider extending the deadline for evacuees who aren't American citizens.

At the airport, military evacuation flights continued, but access remained difficult for many. On Thursday, Taliban militants fired into the air to try to control the crowds gathered at the airports blast walls. Men, women and children fled. U.S. Navy fighter jets flew overhead, a standard military precaution but also a reminder to the Taliban that the U.S. has firepower to respond to a combat crisis.

There is no accurate figure of the number of people  Americans, Afghans or others  who are in need of evacuation as the process is almost entirely self-selecting. For example, the State Department says that when it ordered its nonessential embassy staff to leave Kabul in April after Bidens withdrawal announcement, fewer than 4,000 Americans had registered for security updates. The actual number, including dual U.S.-Afghan citizens along with family members, is likely much higher, with estimates ranging from 11,000 to 15,000. Tens of thousands of Afghans may also be in need of escape.

Compounding the uncertainty, the U.S. government has no way to track how many registered Americans may have left Afghanistan already. Some may have returned to the United States but others may have gone to third countries.

At the Pentagon, Kirby declined to say whether Defense Secretary Austin had recommended to Biden that he extend the Aug. 31 deadline. Given the Taliban's takeover of the country, staying beyond that date would require at least the Taliban's acquiescence, he said. He said he knew of no such talks yet between U.S. and Taliban commanders, who have been in regular touch for days to limit conflict at the airport as part of what the White House has termed a safe passage agreement worked out on Sunday.

I think it is just a fundamental fact of the reality of where we are, that communications and a certain measure of agreement with the Taliban on what we're trying to accomplish has to occur, Kirby said.

Of the approximately 2,000 people airlifted from the airport in the 24 hours ended Wednesday morning, nearly 300 were Americans, Kirby said. U.S. lawmakers were briefed Thursday morning that 6,741 people had been evacuated since Aug. 14, including 1,762 American citizens and Green Card holders, according to two congressional aides.

Although Afghanistan had been a hotspot for the coronavirus pandemic, the State Department said Thursday that evacuees are not required to get negative COVID-19 results.

A blanket humanitarian waiver has been implemented for COVID-19 testing for all persons the U.S. government is relocating from Afghanistan, the department said. Medical exams, including COVID-19 tests, had been required for evacuees prior to the Talibans takeover of Kabul, which added extra urgency to efforts to get at-risk Afghans out.

Additional American troops continued to arrive at the airport. As of Thursday there were about 5,200, including Marines who specialize in evacuation coordination and an Air Force unit that specializes in emergency airport operations. Biden has authorized a total deployment of about 6,000.

Hoping to secure evacuation seats are American citizens and other foreigners, Afghan allies of the Western forces, and women, journalists, activists and others most at risk from the fundamentalist Taliban.

Will U.S. troops go beyond the airport perimeter to collect and escort people? Austin suggested on Wednesday that this was not currently feasible. We don't have the capability to go out and collect large numbers of people, he told reporters.

Austin added that evacuations would continue until the clock runs out or we run out of capability.

Afghans in danger because of their work with the U.S. military or U.S organizations, and Americans scrambling to get them out, also pleaded with Washington to cut the red tape that has complicated matters.

If we dont sort this out, well literally be condemning people to death, said Marina Kielpinski LeGree, the American head of a nonprofit, Ascend. The organization's young Afghan female colleagues were in the mass of people waiting for flights at the airport in the wake of days of mayhem, tear gas and gunshots.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is extending a welcome mat for refugees from Afghanistan.

In a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday, Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan offered to to work with the federal government to continue Minnesotas history of welcoming refugees by assisting with the resettlement of people fleeing Afghanistan.

They wrote that Minnesota has a strong tradition of helping them rebuild their lives and become part of the community.

Minnesota is already home to some of the largest Hmong, Somali and Liberian communities in the U.S., as well as a small Afghan community.
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- At a press conference on Thursday, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and members of the immigrant community in St. Louis proclaimed that immigrants fleeing Afghanistan are welcome.

"We're ready to welcome Afghan citizens and their families to the Gateway City with open arms and open hearts," said Jones.

Sunday, the Taliban swept into Kabul, the Afghan capital, after capturing most of the country. Following the takeover, thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport in hopes of escaping the country over fears of what the Talibans rule will bring.

Three Afghan families arrive in St. Louis after fleeing country Among the throngs of Afghans seen at Hamid Karzai International Airport trying to get on US planes to evacuate the country, were three families that ended up in St. Louis.

Those Afghans being evacuated and brought to the US, have special immigrant visas. The visa shows they worked for the US government or a government contractor in Afghanistan.

Three Afghan families have arrived in St. Louis in the last week and are currently in a 14-day quarantine. Nearly 300 immigrants with special immigrant visa have resettled in St. Louis in the last few years.

An immigrant from Afghanistan who came to St. Louis in 2018 talked with News 4 about the recent immigrants, but asked to remain anonymous to protect loved ones still living in Afghanistan. He said no one needs fear the new immigrants will be a drain on society, because most are from upper-middle or upper class status and are educated.

"They are highly trained," he said.

According to reports, 60% of immigrants to the US start their own business.

The International Institute of St. Louis is contracted with the federal government as an immigrant resettlement agency. It's contracted to receive 1,050 immigrants this year but that doesn't necessarily mean 1,000 Afghans are coming to St. Louis. So far this year, the agency has resettled immigrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, Uganda, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Ukraine and Indonesia.

The agency is obligated to provide housing and financial aid to immigrant families for 3 months. After that, there are partner agencies that step in to provide support to immigrants when needed.
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Phil Goodchild is a retired attorney and a volunteer with the Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation, a member of the All IN for Democracy coalition. He lives in Zionsville.
Here's what you need to know: Friday, Aug. 20




A U.N. Security Council panel has approved sanctions exemptions for a German project to provide North Korea with medical equipment for the prevention of COVID-19, its website showed Thursday.







The exemptions will allow Germany to export medical equipment to prevent and control the coronavirus, including the delivery of "six units of a Rotor-Disc 100 Starter Kit" for PCR testing to the North's Ministry of Public Health, according to the website of the North Korea sanctions committee.







The sanctions waiver will be in place for nine months until April 23, 2022.







In an approval letter published on its website, the committee stressed that U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang are "not intended to bear a negative impact" on the North Korean people.







North Korea has claimed to be coronavirus-free but has taken relatively swift and tough measures against the pandemic, such as imposing strict border controls since early last year.







It remains unclear whether the supplies will be delivered to the North in time, due to the tightened border controls. (Yonhap)


The Korea Times and The Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) will co-host an essay contest with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the theme: "Youth, Disarmament, and Peace in the Asia-Pacific Region."



We invite not only Korean but all international students  graduate and undergraduate  to submit essays for the contest, which aims to foster a new generation of scholars committed to examining nuclear issues.

Applicants should submit their essays (of between 800 and 1,000 words) in English, and include the following details: name, major area of study, year-level, email and phone number. All submissions will be placed in the same judging pool.

Essays must address one of the following major themes:

1. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and international nuclear governance

2. Emerging nuclear trends (new technologies, the future of arms control, big data, etc.)

Submission deadline: Sept. 30, 2021

Submission instructions: submit your essay to

Announcement of winners: November 2021

Award Ceremony: Late November 2021 (Tentative)

* Subject to change depending on COVID-19 situation Sept. 30, 2021submit your essay to apln@apln.network with the subject line "APLN-KT Essay Contest_Name" with your name placed where it says "Name."November 2021Late November 2021 (Tentative)* Subject to change depending on COVID-19 situation

Prizes

Winners will receive awards from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Korea Times, and the APLN Chairman. They will receive monetary prizes and certificates and their work will be published by APLN and The Korea Times.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Award (1): 2 million won

The Korea Times Award (1): 1 million won

APLN Award (1): 1 million won

Honorable Mention (3): 500,000 won
hospital workers

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A father and son check out a Hudson Hornet during a cruise-in in downtown Auburn earlier this summer. The Studebaker Drivers Club and Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club will celebrate Indianas automotive roots during a car show Sept. 11 at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.
PORTLAND, OR (KPTV)  Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler will host a virtual event to denounce hate and violence in the city on Friday morning.

The livestream, called Choose Love: A Community Gathering to Denounce Hate and Violence in Portland, will start at 11:15 a.m. You can watch it on the citys YouTube channel.

Mayor Wheeler, Chief Lovell discuss ongoing gun violence problem; say PPB is 'under-resourced' PORTLAND, OR (KPTV)  In light of Saturday morning's mass shooting, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Police Chief Chuck Lovell said they need mo

Wheeler will join fellow elected leaders, leaders of community-based organizations, Portlands business community and labor. Speakers include a performance by the Brown Sisters, Eric Ward, Executive Director of Western States Center, Amy Spitalnick, Executive Director for Integrity First for America, and Neil Lee, President of the Oregon Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.

The event builds upon the collective call to action announced on Aug. 14, 2019 at Our City, Our Home and the Aug. 13, 2021 Joint Peace Statement from Governor Kate Brown, Metro President Lynn Peterson, Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury and Mayor Ted Wheeler.
DOUGLAS COUNTY, OR (KPTV) - "We need your help, grace and kindness."

Doctors, nurses and hospital staff at CHI Mercy in Douglas County are making a "very emotional plea" to their community after a COVID-19 patient died waiting for a bed in the intensive care unit. According to the hospital, the patient was in the ER and had been waiting several hours.

"It had been several hours because other COVID positive patients had filled those beds," hospital employees said. "Even after expanding ICU care onto other floors, there weren't any beds available for this patient. We didn't have enough."

Douglas County Public Health officials shared the sobering message as COVID-19 patients cripple hospitals throughout Oregon. As of Thursday, 94 percent of all ICU beds and 93 percent of all adult non-ICU beds were full. The Oregon Health Authority also reported 19 additional COVID-19 deaths Thursday, bringing the total number of COVID deaths in Oregon to 2,994.

"The recent surge of cases has clearly impacted our hospital in ways that are unimaginable," the Douglas County Board of Commissioners wrote. "We can never predict at what moment in a crisis you realize that we are human, and that we are doing the best we can, and that that, is all we can ask of one another. This pandemic has impacted everyones life, some more than others, and some in ways you will never know. The men and women who are on the front lines at our local hospitals and medical care facilities are dealing with the latter, every day, every hour and every minute."

OHSU adding visitation restrictions at hospitals and clinics PORTLAND, OR (KPTV)  Oregon Health and Science University said it is adding new visitor restrictions at its hospitals and clinics on Thursday

On Friday, 500 Oregon National Guard troops are set to deploy to more than 20 hospitals in the state. They're expected to help with logistical support as materials handlers and equipment runners, as well as assisting with COVID-19 testing and other services.

In an attempt keep hospital beds open, health systems across Oregon have opted to postpone elective procedures, nurses and physicians say they are overwhelmed and health officials are desperately urging people to get vaccinated and wear masks.

"This is very real to our physicians, clinicians, housekeepers, and each member of our Mercy family," CHI Mercy employees in Douglas County said. "Today, we paused, we reset and we tried to move forward mentally and physically for our own well-being and serving our most vulnerable, sick patients within our four walls."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
PORTLAND, OR (KPTV)  COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are continuing to spike in Oregon, especially in smaller counties and rural areas. Some funeral homes in these places have reached their limit and are now asking for help from the state to help store bodies. Both Tillamook and Joseph
POCATELLO, Idaho (KPVI) - "As we saw the last four years, we had low gas prices, a stable Afghanistan and other things," said Bannock County Commissioner Terrel Tovey, who believes the new presidency has gone off the path. Read more
MONTANA - A national survey conducted by iprospectcheck.com, a background check and screening solution company, shows that 48% of Montana employees believe disclosing your vaccine status to your employer should be mandatory.

The survey, which includes results from 3,000 Montana employees, also shows that 42% would be more concerned about sharing a workplace with unvaccinated colleagues than someone with a lengthy criminal record and that one in five believe improper disclosure of vaccine status should lead to disciplinary action.

Although there is no legal obligation to share your vaccination status with everyone, this information might be required in certain circumstances.

In a similar way that schools ask for details about childhood vaccinations, companies might inquire about employees vaccine status as a matter of health and safety.

Even though vaccinated people are less likely to get seriously ill, its still possible for them to become infected with the coronavirus.

Those in Massachusetts and Hawaii were most supportive of this idea, with 79% saying improper disclosure of vaccine status should result in disciplinary action. By comparison, employees in Louisiana seemed slightly more apprehensive of disclosing this information at work, but 31% were still in agreement.

Over half (55%) of employees across America think it should be mandatory for all staff to take daily COVID tests in the workplace as a precaution.

It was also found that 42% of all employees would be more concerned about sharing a workplace with an unvaccinated colleague than one who has a lengthy criminal record.

The idea of being required to disclose ones vaccine status to an employer can be a contentious one. However, as employers begin to require employees to return to the office, the health and safety of all employees is a very high priority for employers.' Matthew Rodgers, president of iprospectcheck, said.
If you are someone who works as a server in a restaurant, what keeps you in the job? If youve recently left that line of work, why did you leave?
ROME, AUG 20 - The Italian airlift from Kabul continued Friday as 297 Afghans under threat of Taliban reprisals were flown to Rome. One flight arrived in the early morning with 194 people aboard, and a second one came in later with 103 rescued Afghans aboard. The second flight was laid on in Kuwait by the NGO Nove. Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio is set to brief parliamentary intelligence oversight body COPASIR on Afghanistan later Friday. He will then take part in an extraordinary meeting of NATO foreign ministers. Medical warzone NGO Emergency said Friday that 10,000 Afghans were seeking a flight out from Kabul. It also said there had been reports of the Taliban raiding door-to-door to find Afghans that worked with the NATO-led 20-year mission in the Asian country. (ANSA).
RIMININELLO, AUG 20 - Getting the COVID jab is a civic duty, President Sergio Mattarella said Friday. "Responsibility starts with ourselves," Mattarella told the annual meeting of influential Catholic activist group Comunione e Liberazione (CL) in Rimini. "Getting vaccinates, among many examples, is a duty not in obedience to an abstract principle, but because it is born out of concrete reality that shows that the vaccine is the most effective instrument we have at our disposal to defend ourselves and safeguard the weakest ones and the most exposed to grave dangers". He said "it is an act of love towards them, as Pope Francis said a few days ago". Mattarella went on: "Because of COVID we found ourselves more fragile than we had thought. "We understood with greater clarity that we needed the support of others. "We experienced pain, fear, solitude. "But in the community we found precious resources, decisive to make sure that our hopes and aspirations would not be uprooted and could still find confirmation and development". Turning his attention to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the head of State said that "the loss of freedom of some marks the whole world". (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 20 - A 25-year-old Italian man was killed by seven gunshots in his car in a Naples street Thursday night, police said Friday. The man, Antonio Zarra, had a criminal record possibly related to the local mafia, the Camorra, police said. Zarra was shot by several people, police said. The incident took place in via Jacopo Carrucci, in the Pianura quarter. Police said it may have been a Camorra hit. Zarra was rushed to the San Paolo hospital but died of his wounds there. An autopsy has been ordered. (ANSA).
AREZZO, AUG 20 - A 33-year-old Albanian man living in Novara was caught with 0.7 kilogrammes of drugs in Tuscany Friday and admitted he had been supplying a controversial six-day illegal rave party straddling the borders of Tuscany and Lazio near Viterbo which ended Thursday amid rightwing recriminations against Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese. The man was found with large amounts of cocaine, marijuana and hashish, police said. The drugs were hidden in the car engine and under the windscreen, police said. The man was arrested and taken into custody in a local jail near Siena. His car was stopped at the Chiusi exit on the A1 north-south motorway. The huge illegal rave party that brought young people from across Europe to a country site straddling Lazio and Tuscany was broken up early Thursday leaving piles of waste, at least four alcohol-induced comas and one drowning death in its week-long trail, plus a political furore as rightwingers attacked the interior minister over the alleged lack of policing of the event. Two people were taken to hospital Thursday in a grave state of agitation after the rave. Police from the nearby city of Viterbo put an end to the revels after identifying over 3,000 people and more than 1,000 vehicles. Prosecutors said they were investigating to establish if any crimes had been committed at the venue. "The area has been liberated," said the mayor of the nearest town, Valentano, Stefano Bigiotti. "There is no longer anyone at the site. "I can only express satisfaction. "(Interior) Minister (Luciana) Lamorgese, who personally contacted me yesterday afternoon, kept her promise to free the area by today. "The operations were carried out with the utmost respect for persons. "Now they are already at work to remove the rubbish left at the site as soon as possible". The Viterbo police HQ said two vans with acoustic equipment aboard had been seized, one belonging to two Dutchmen and the other to two Italians. Viterbo's provincial public order panel asked the interior ministry to wind up the rave party. The unauthorized event, which had attracted young people from across Europe, had been going on in the countryside at Valentano since Friday night. "The situation is out of control, no negotiation is possible, public order must be restored, people identified and the responsibility for such a gathering established," said Lazio regional health councillor Alessio D'Amato. Viterbo prosecutors, meanwhile, opened a probe into the death of a 25-year-old man at the rave. The man, born in London but resident in the north of Italy, was found dead in a lake near Viterbo Monday after taking part in the massive event. The man's body was found in Lake Mezzano. He had been seen going into the lake Sunday night and not coming out again. The interior ministry said Wednesday that police were working to "restore legality" in the area. Rave attendees were reported later having a dip in the Saturnia Falls and the Flora Rover, in Tuscany. Rightwing leaders Matteo Salvini of the League and Giorgia Meloni of Brothers of Italy (FdI) slammed Lamorgese for allowing the rave to take place. Salvini said "Lamorgese ought to explain what she is doing to defend the health and safety of the Italians". He called the rave incident "madness". League sources criticized Lamorgese for discussing citizenship rights for migrant children born in Italy instead of addressing such "a major public safety emergency". Meloni said: "after six days, with a dead boy, economic and environmental damage, health risks, the rave party ends at Mezzano Lake, without the State doing anything to prevent his disgrace. "A serious government would have invited the interior minister to resign". Lamorgese's leftwing defenders said she had been tasked with a very tricky case and had restored order as soon as possible. (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 20 - Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on FRiday briefed parliamentary intelligence service oversight body COPASIR on Afghanistan. "He went over the latest stages in the affair, also in relation to the allies' decisions and the unexpected collapse of the Afghan government institutions and army," said panel chair Senator Adolfo Urso. "He also went into detail on the issues relating to the new international set-up, also regarding relations with the Islamic world and the consequences on other areas of priority national interest." Di Maio also spoke about the Italian government's plan to call an ad hoc meeting of the G20 on Afghanistan, D'Urso said. (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 20 - Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told his NATO colleagues Friday that theirs was a key meeting on Afghanistan and the gravity of the situation was clear to all. "I believe that today's extraordinary meeting is crucial, at a time when our Alliance must face and seriously reflect on the outcome of our commitment in Afghanistan," he said, according to sources who heard him speak. "The gravity of the current situation is clear to all". Di Maio went on: "its is fundamental that (Kabul) airport should continue to function for all the time necessary, and on this issue allow me to thank (US Secretary of State) Tony Blinken, who I spoke to in the last few days, and our US allies for their decisive role. "Our main priority now is to protect civilians". (ANSA).
No criminal charges will be filed in more than 30 cases of sexual assault mishandled by the Wisconsin National Guard between 2009 and 2019 after a review by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

However, DOJ is recommending changes to the National Guards handling of complaints of sexual assault in order to prevent future cases.

DOJ on Thursday announced the completion of its review, which began after a 2019 report by the National Guard Bureaus Office of Complex Investigations that found the Guards policies and procedures for handling allegations of sexual misconduct were out of date, ineffective, understaffed and in violation of federal rules.

At the request of Gov. Tony Evers, former Wisconsin National Guard Adjutant General Donald Dunbar resigned in December 2019 over the reports findings.

The report had found that the Wisconsin National Guard had used its own investigators to look into many sexual assault allegations instead of referring them to local law enforcement or other outside authorities, violating Department of Defense and National Guard policies.
Unvaccinated Wisconsin residents are almost three times as likely to catch COVID-19 and nearly four times as likely to be hospitalized for the coronavirus than their fully vaccinated peers, according to new data from the state Department of Health Services.

The data, posted on the DHS website Thursday, also show fully vaccinated people experience a 10-fold reduction in their risk of dying from COVID-19  which has seen increased transmission across the state due in large part to the more contagious delta variant.

DHS Secretary Karen Timberlake said in a statement that the overwhelming majority of people who are contracting COVID have not been fully vaccinated.

With the original strain of COVID-19, an infected person was likely to infect two other people, who were then likely to infect two additional people for a total of six cases from one infection, she said. With the delta variant, an infected person is likely to infect about five people, who are then likely to infect 25 people for a total of 30 cases from one infection.
This stand of hemp is just one of TKTK varieties of hemp being grown and studied at Penn State's Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Manheim, Pa.
New quarantine measures introduced by the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka with effect from 18 August 2021.

For further information

Circular issued by Director General Health Services dated 18 August 2021 in English
TikTok has once again drawn attention following a 12-year-old boy's death due to the video-sharing app's "blackout challenge."

The said challenge has been connected to several deaths of children. The social media stunt encouraged people to hold their breath until they pass out. One of those who participated was Joshua Haileyesus from Aurora, Colorado, according to CBS News.

The 12-year-old boy was found unconscious in his home with ligature marks around his neck last March 22 and was put on life support in a hospital.

Nineteen days later, Haileyesus died. The boy's family believed that he has accidentally choked himself with a shoelace while trying the blackout challenge. His father said their house is now very quiet, now with his son gone.

Advocates urged TikTok to improve its parental monitoring features due to the number of deaths surrounding the challenge.

READ NEXT: Selena Gomez Shares a TikTok About 'Red Flags' in a Relationship and Fans Think It's About Justin Bieber

TikTok's Safety

Attorney Dalia Hashad said that TikTok is not a safe place for kids. Hashad is advising ParentsTogether, a group calling for the social media company to change its practices.

More than 12,000 parents have signed in an open letter asking TikTok to launch a new feature that would allow parents to see what their children see on social media, according to a Fox 31 Chicago News report.

ParentsTogether CEO Vanessa Pappas urged TikTok to introduce a "mirror" setting for parents to keep tabs on what their children are viewing.

The group said that TikTok should allow parents to see mirror accounts of their minor children. The group noted that it would allow parents to monitor the often dangerous content their kids see and talk to their children about harmful content.

Authorities had warned parents to stay involved in their children's social media use. Bethany Police Department in Oklahoma said in a statement that social media is a very influential part of a child's life and should be heavily monitored by parents.

TikTok 'Blackout Challenge'

The blackout challenge did not originate from TikTok. It was sometimes called the "choking game." Online platforms made information about them more accessible, and it has led more children to try it alone rather than with friends, Insider reported.

A 2008 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study reported that there were 82 probably choking-game deaths between ages six to 19 from 1995 to 2007.

In June, 9-year-old LaTerius "TJ" Smith Jr. from Tennessee was also found dead after playing a TikTok challenge. His family found him hanging by a belt in his closet.

The blackout challenge is not the only dangerous challenge that can be found on the platform. There was also one that was called the "nutmeg challenge."

The nutmeg challenge urges people to ingest dangerous amounts of the spice, having over 46 million views at one point.

TikTok said they were removing content related to the said challenge while also making the hashtag unavailable. Justin Ruben, co-director of ParentsTogether, said that dangerous challenges could spread like wildfire and turn tragic.

Mitchell Prinstein, chief science officer at the American Psychological Association, further noted that kids are biologically built to become much more susceptible to peers, while social media magnified peer influence.

READ MORE: Swavy Death: Tiktok Star Also Known as Babyface.s and Matima Miller Dies in Tragic Shooting at 19

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: What Was the Blackout Challenge on TikTok? - From Ask About HEALTH






The U.S. State Department on Thursday clarified that they would not charge Americans and other foreign nationals for evacuation flights out of Afghanistan.

The State Department's statement came following reports that the department charged evacuees for the cost of their flight, The Hill reported.

"In these unique circumstances, we have no intention of seeking any reimbursement from those fleeing Afghanistan," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said.

READ NEXT: Taliban Leaders Could Receive Russia, China Support as Regional Powers Want To Maintain Their Embassies in Kabul

Americans, Foreign Nationals in Afghanistan Asked to Pay for Evacuation Flights

Earlier reports said that Americans and other foreign nationals were asked to pay for the flights out of Afghanistan amid the unrest that continues to occur in the country.

A report published on Thursday noted that an unidentified source said that staff from the State Department asked American passengers to pay up to $2,000 for the flights, while foreign nationals were asked to pay larger amounts.

However, a different spokesperson from the department, which was not named, told Politico that the U.S. law requires that evacuation assistance to "private U.S. citizens or third-country nationals be provided on a reimbursable basis."

According to The Daily Wire, a security alert from the State Department issued last Saturday said repatriation flights are not free. The security alert further noted that passengers would be required to sign a "promissory loan agreement and may not be eligible to renew their U.S. passports until the loan is repaid."

Republican Representative Claudia Tenney quickly criticized the Biden administration for the said paid repatriation flights. In a tweet, the congresswoman noted that Americans should not be asked to pay for their "ride to safety."

Tenney ended her statement by saying that she's now drafting legislation to prevent the government from charging the Americans.

Biden created this crisis, now he wants to charge Americans who are desperately fleeing the Taliban? Thats wrong. We should not be making Americans pay for their ride to safety. Im drafting legislation now to PROHIBIT the US government from charging Americans, period. https://t.co/urYL9GYIfh  Congresswoman Tenney (@RepTenney) August 19, 2021

Evacuation Status in Afghanistan

The evacuation of Americans and other foreign nationals in Afghanistan was placed under chaos amid the Talibans' takeover of the country, but there were developments.

Since Saturday, the Biden administration evacuated at least 7,000 people from Afghanistan, including 2,000 Americans. On Thursday, Price noted that about 6,000 people were processed for evacuation at Kabul's international airport.

The U.S. Department of Defense said they hope to scale up their evacuation between 5,000 and 9,000 people per day. Its plan of upscaling the number of people to evacuate comes as the department urged the Americans who wish to flee the country to go to the Kabul airport.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden said a faster evacuation would be possible if they could get out at least 7,000 individuals per day. Biden wanted to get all the Americans out of Afghanistan by August 31, the deadline he set for U.S. troops to fully withdraw from Afghanistan.

However, the president noted that he would make sure that the U.S. troops would be available for every American, even if the deadline is already over.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Defends Decision to Pull Out U.S. Troops in Afghanistan After Taliban Take Over

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: At Kabul Airport, Evacuations From Afghanistan Continue - From TODAY
Department of Homeland and Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said three more Cuban officials connected to the country's crackdown on anti-government protesters were sanctioned by the United States on Thursday.

The said sanctions to the Cuban officials were announced by the U.S. Treasury Department and the DHS secretary himself during a meeting with Cuban Americans in Miami.

READ NEXT: Rapper Pitbull Calls on World Leaders to 'Stand Up, Step up' Amid Cuba Protests

3 More Cuban Officials Sanctioned Over Protest Crackdown

The sanctioned Cuba officials were composed of two officials from the Cuban Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces and one from the Cuban Interior Ministry.

The sanctions imposed on Cuba officials reportedly involved freezing assets and the U.S. travel ban under the Global Magnitsky Act that targets those who commit serious human rights abuses worldwide.

It was not the first time the U.S. issued sanctions on Cuban officials. On July 22, President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Alvaro Lopez Miera, minister of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces, and a special brigade in the government's intelligence ministry.

The new sanctions issued by the U.S. stay true to Biden's remarks in April, saying more sanctions will be issued to Cuban officials responsible for the "oppression of Cuban people."

The DHS Secretary announced the new round of sanctions during his meeting with Cuban Americans who are local activists and lawmakers in Miami to address the current crises in Cuba and Haiti.

Felice Gorordo, CEO of technology company eMerge Americas, said Mayorkas' audience was "diverse." Gorordo, who attended the meeting, noted that there were people who disagreed on the tactics when it comes to Cuba's policy. However, the CEO underscored that the people were "firmly united" in supporting the people in Cuba.

Cuba Passes Regulation Involving Online Content

The new roll of sanctions by the U.S. came as Cuba passed a new regulation on Tuesday that would criminalize the contents on social media or the internet that would incite protests or insult the state.

The said decree was reported to be signed by Cuba's Communication Minister Mayra Averich. It was meant to prevent, detect responses to "possible enemy, criminal, and harmful activities that could occur in cyberspace."

Meanwhile, Cuban Ministry of Communications director Pablo Dominguez Vasquez said that the new rules would empower the government regarding cybersecurity breaches. The director further noted that when the people behind the breaches were identified, they would be penalized if they are in the country.

Organizations quickly slammed the said regulation passed by the Cuban government. On Thursday, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) denounced the new regulation passed by the country's government.

CPJ Latin America and Caribbean Senior researcher Ana Cristina Nunez said the new regulation passed by Cuba shows that the government seeks to prevent the Cubans from expressing their discomfort on their country and having access to free information online.

"Cubans have the right to unfiltered and unbiased news. These regulations should be repealed immediately," Nunez noted.

READ MORE: Critics Link Mysterious Death of 5 Cuban Generals to COVID-19 as Cuba Remains Mum on the Cause

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Protests in Cuba: Should the Government be Worried? - From Al Jazeera English
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently announced that an unruly passenger of JetBlue might be fined $45,000 after putting his head up a flight attendant's skirt.

The JetBlue passenger was accused of throwing his carry-on luggage, lying down in the aisle, grabbed a flight attendant by the ankles, and stuck his head up her skirt, Business Insider reported.

The crew has restrained the unruly passenger with a zip-tie. He was then removed from the May 24 flight when the plane made an emergency landing in Richmond, Virginia.

The JetBlue passenger was among the recent 34 passengers whom the FAA proposed fines against on Thursday. The total proposed fines were $531,545, bringing the total for 2021 to more than $1 million.

One JetBlue passenger on a cross-country flight was accused of refusing to comply with the mask mandate. The passenger had also threatened other passengers with physical harm and was seen snorting on what seemed to be cocaine from a plastic before the flight was diverted to Minneapolis.

He was then removed there by law enforcement and received a $42,000 fine.

READ NEXT: Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Tells Mom to Glue Mask to Her Toddler's Face After Kid Refused to Keep It On

Unruly Passengers on Planes

In a normal year, around 100 to 150 formal cases of bad behavior are usually being reported to FAA. But since January, nearly 3,900 incidents have already been reported, including 2,867 cases involving passengers who refused to comply with the federal mask mandate on airplanes, according to NBC News.

The FAA warned airports across the country to monitor serving alcohol to passengers, noting that there has been an uptick in unruly or dangerous passenger behavior on planes this year.

One JetBlue passenger was also fined $29,000 after allegedly refusing to follow the mask mandate. The passenger had also shouted obscenities at crew members and punched a seated passenger.

Airline Mask Mandate

Existing mask mandates for transport had been extended until January 2022, as announced by the Transportation Security Administration.

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson asked U.S. airports to assist in the effort to hold down disruptive passengers. Dickson also indefinitely extended a "zero-tolerance policy" on disruptive passengers. He noted that alcohol often contributes to unsafe behavior.

He then urged airports to prevent passengers from taking alcoholic drinks while onboard. Airlines for America said it appreciates the FAA's continued support and enforcement of the zero-tolerance policy.

A Frontier Airlines passenger on a January flight was also fined $30,000 for attempting to gain entry to the flight deck by physically attacking two flight attendants. The passenger also threatened to kill one of the flight attendants and demanding them to open the door.

The FAA has initiated 682 probes this year, more than four times the total in 2019. Dickinson suggested that local police should file charges more often against unruly passengers. He also believed that airports should step in and work with concessionaires.

Meanwhile, the Association of Flight Attendants wanted more action on the matter. Almost one in five flight attendants have witnessed physical altercations this year, as reported by the union.

READ MORE: Southwest Airlines Pilot Caught Ranting About Bay Area's 'Liberal F---s'

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Written By: Mary Webber

WATCH: FAA Fines For Unruly Passengers Hit Record High - From CNBC Television








An Oklahoma mom has managed to evacuate 10 girls from Afghanistan. The girls were members of the Afghan Girls Robotic Team.

According to NBC News, Allyson Reneau, an entrepreneur and author from Oklahoma City, met the girls in 2019 through her work on the board of directors for Explore Mars. She has kept in touch with the girls over the years since then.

The Oklahoma mom,60, managed to get the girls out of Afghanistan with the help of a former roommate, who wrote up a request and got all of the girls' passports together.

Reneau decided to take a "leap of faith" after she could not stop thinking about the girls when the Taliban began to take over the country. She flew to Qatar on August 9 to ask for help from her former roommate, who was transferred to Qatar a few years back.

The Oklahoma mom said the roommate went to the embassy and worked all night to prepare the documents and packets for the girls.

Reneau said they were able to get them on the U.S. military side of the airport. She then received a text saying that they were now airborne.

READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Does Not Regret Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan, Says Afghans Must Fight Taliban 'For Themselves'

All-Girls Robotics Team Members

Huffington Post reported that members of the robotics team flew to Qatar and would stay there to continue their education.

Roya Mahboob, the team's tech founder, said the Taliban has vowed to allow girls to be educated to whatever extent permitted by Shariah law, which they will have to wait and see what it means.

The militant group had banned girls from attending school when it last led Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Many Afghans remained skeptical despite the leaders' promise that they will allow greater freedoms.

The robotics team, composed of girls ages 16-18, had gained public attention in 2017 when six members were denied visas to travel to the United States for a robotics competition.

They were later allowed after a public outcry through a congressional petition and intervention by former President Donald Trump, The New York Times reported.

New York-based international human rights lawyer Kimberley Motley noted that the girls were experiencing panic and uncertainty since the Taliban seized the capital.

Motley said the girls were extremely terrified. Their hometown, Herat, was turning away girls, according to a CNET report.

The universities were telling the girls not to come back to the premises, while women showing up for work were being turned away. Most of the team members were born after the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001, which opened new doors, particularly to girls.

At the time, girls were free to go to school, and women were getting some opportunities that had been denied. Motley said they are hopeful that the girls are safe. However, she added that they are concerned with the reports that the girls are seeing, NPR reported.

The all-girls team had worked on a low-cost ventilator using old car parts during the COVID pandemic. The design was inspired by work on an emergency ventilator out of MIT.

The robotics team made it to Forbes Asia's 30 Under 30 list this year for their contribution.

READ MORE: U.S. Military Launches Airstrikes Against Iran and Syria, Targets Militia Groups Behind Drone Attacks on U.S. Personnel

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Afghanistan's All-Girls Robotics Team Tries to Flee the Country - From TRT World






For the first time since he was arrested in 1989, Guadalajara Cartel founder Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo has openly talked about his connection to the death of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar.

In an interview with Telemundo, Felix Gallardo denied knowing Camarena, saying he does not know why officials relate him to the death of the DEA agent and why he's in prison.

The Guadalajara Cartel founder that he was very sorry because he believes that Camarena was a good man. He also said that he's not a gun person.

Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo also delivered a message to Camarena's widow, saying he wishes her comfort and hoped she feel relieved that the culprits are serving time.

The now 75-year-old drug kingpin also denied any relationship or connection with the alleged Guadalajara Cartel co-founders, Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo and Rafael Caro-Quintero.

Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo said he does not know the two men as he has never met them or talked to them. The alleged three Guadalajara Cartel co-founders were convicted for their participation in Camarena's kidnapping, torture, and murder. However, only Felix Gallardo remains incarcerated in a penitentiary center.

The former Guadalajara Cartel boss noted that he had never met Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, who founded the Medellin cartel. He also denied the existence of the Guadalajara Cartel. He noted that drug cartels have never existed in Guadalajara.

"I don't know if that's changed now. That never happened. In other words, we led a family life. I took my children to school," Felix Gallardo said.

When the former Mexican drug kingpin was asked if he regrets anything, he answered by saying he has not made a mistake, so there's "nothing to regret."

Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo also said that he does not have hopes of getting out of prison. He noted that he had lost all hope to be released and believed that he would die in prison.

READ NEXT: Sinaloa Cartel Founder 'El Guero' Is Still in Custody of Mexican Authorities

Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo of the Guadalajara Cartel: 'The Godfather' of Narco Crime

Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo has once worked with Caro-Quintero, who has been named to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, Axios reported.

Felix Gallardo also oversaw lieutenants like young Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who later became the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The Guadalajara Cartel founder was also known to work with Amado Carrillo Fuentes for the fleet of airplanes used to move drugs for his Juarez cartel.

Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo was first arrested in April 1989 and had since then spent 32 years in prison in Mexico for the death of Camarena.

According to an NBC News report, he was re-sentenced to 37 years for Camarena's murder, including other charges such as stockpiling weapons, bribery, murder, drug trafficking, and money laundering.

Felix Gallardo's first trial was the longest in Mexican history, which lasted for more than 28 years until his conviction in 2017.

The Guadalajara Cartel

The rise of the Guadalajara Cartel started during the emergence of marijuana and cocaine in the U.S. in the 1960s and '70s.

Wilson Center reported that Felix Gallardo's drug cartel gained power due to their connections to the powerful Colombian drug cartels and the lack of internal rivalries and competitions in Mexico at the time.

Camarena has started gathering evidence to prosecute the Guadalajara Cartel members in the early 1980s. He then helped Mexican authorities destroyed large marijuana fields before Guadalajara Cartel operatives killed him.

The group started to split apart in the late 1980s partly due to the 1985 murder of Camarena. The Sinaloa cartel and Tijuana cartel assumed control of what remained of the Guadalajara Cartel.

READ MORE: A Four-Part Docuseries About Enrique "Kiki" Camarena's Short Life

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Exclusive Interview with Jailed Mexican Drug Lord Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, 'The Boss of Bosses' - From Noticias Telemundo






A new poll showed that many Americans do not see Vice President Kamala Harris as qualified to replace President Joe Biden.

The latest survey of Rasmussen Reports showed that only 43 percent believe that Kamala Harris was qualified to run the country, while 55 percent do not think she is qualified. Of that, about 47 percent of likely voters said she's "not at all qualified."

Despite the vice president's fall in popularity, most voters believe it's likely that Joe Biden will not finish his term, and Kamala Harris will replace him.

The survey results revealed that 51 percent believed that Kamala Harris would likely replace Joe Biden before the 2024 election, while 37 percent said it will not happen.

The said poll of 1,000 likely voters was conducted between August 12 and August 15, as the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan that led to the collapsed of the South Asian country's government, New York Post reported.

READ NEXT: VP Kamala Harris to Talk With Mexico's President Over COVID Vaccines

Vice President Kamala Harris on Afghanistan

Kamala Harris has remained mum on the Afghanistan crisis and has yet to hold a public event since last week. The vice president took part in at least four briefings with Joe Biden and his national security team. But instead of addressing the public, Harris took to Twitter to tackle the issue in Afghanistan.

On August 18, the vice president tweeted that the mission of the U.S. is to get the Americans, allies, and the vulnerable Afghans to safety.

We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago. Now, our mission is to get our people, our allies, and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside of the country.  Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) August 17, 2021

On Thursday, she again tweeted that they are "closely monitoring" the situation in Afghanistan. Harris also reiterated her statement on August 18, saying that the priority of the U.S. is to evacuate the "U.S. citizens, SIV applicants, and vulnerable Afghans" out of the country.

Were closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan. Our priority is to continue evacuating U.S. citizens, SIV applicants, and vulnerable Afghans out of the country. https://t.co/kR2YF84AFx  Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) August 19, 2021

On Thursday, the vice president gave her first on-cam remarks in seven days. She delivered a taped three-minute address to the National Association of Black Journalists' (NABJ) virtual convention. However, Kamala Harris failed to mention Afghanistan.

Kamala Harris to Visit Singapore and Vietnam

Kamala Harris was scheduled to depart on Friday for her second overseas trip. The vice president will visit Singapore and Vietnam.

Kamala Harris is set to speak with Singapore President Halimah Yacob over the phone on Monday. She will participate in a bilateral meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and deliver a speech on a U.S. combat ship visiting Singapore.

Kamala Harris would then head to Vietnam to tackle the rise of China and the possible threats posing to global security.

Meanwhile, former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam David Shear said the vice president should avoid focusing entirely on China during her trip and be careful to offer a "positive" message to the nations. Shear noted that the U.S. relationships "with these countries are important in themselves."

READ MORE: VP Kamala Harris Visits Hospital for "Routine" Medical Examination After Meeting With COVID Infected Politicians

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Maria Bartiromo Torches Kamala Harris for Silence on Afghan Women - From Fox Business
After the disappearance and unexplained deaths of a Northern California family of three and their family dog, investigators are now searching for clues in a remote area of the Sierra national forest.

According to The Guardian, San Francisco-based software designer John Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter, Muji, and their dog were found dead in Mariposa county's hiking trail on Tuesday. A family friend reported that they were missing Monday evening.

Unsolved Deaths of California Family

Based on the investigation crews that had searched the area, they located the family's vehicle near a gate to the Sierra national forest on Tuesday. During their search, they have found the bodies of the family members and the dog just a little over a mile away. The said hiking trail, which is a remote area, had no cellphone service.

Kristie Mitchell, a spokesperson with the Mariposa County sheriff's office, said Thursday that the cause of death of the family members and their dog remained unclear. Mitchell added that they had not ruled anything out yet.

The sheriff's office was currently investigating the deaths along with the California Department of Justice. Sheriff Jeremy Briese said that this was never the outcome they wanted or the news they wanted to deliver. Briese added that his heart breaks for their family.

Briese also said that Sheriff's Chaplains and staff were working with their families and would continue to support them during this heartbreaking time.

READ NEXT: 2 California Police Officers Shot While Trying to Apprehend Suspect in 'Ambush' Shooting of Sheriff's Deputy

California Mine Turned into Hazmat Site?

According to CBS News, Briese said there were some abandoned mine shafts in the area, which could release dangerous gases. However, this has not yet been ruled as a determining factor.

Briese said they had not located a mine nearby. But in their initial investigation, they suspected that it was mine in the area.

Briese clarified that they were taking the investigation slow and methodical for the safety of their rescuers as well. The sheriff said the trail, where the family was on, had warnings about toxic algal blooms in the Merced River.

However, authorities said it was still too early in the investigation to determine if that possibly impacted the family during their hike.

On Wednesday, investigators noted that the area where the family was found was briefly treated as a hazmat site. Investigators were exploring whether there was carbon monoxide or they were exposed to gas from mines in the area. They added that toxic algae also could have been responsible for the tragedy.

A family friend, Sidney Radanovich, a Mariposa real estate agent, said Gerrish, a San Francisco-based software designer, fell in love with the Mariposa area.

Radanovich noted that Gerrish already bought several homes there. He added that the Gerrishes were avid hikers.

"They were such a loving couple, they loved each other quite a bit," Radanovich said.

READ MORE: Real-Life 'Mario Kart': Police Bust Man Riding Go-Kart in Florida Streets With Cocaine, Gun

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Family of 3 Found Dead in Remote California Hiking Area - From CBS News
Calcutta HC Orders CBI Probe Into West Bengal Post Poll Violence Cases Of Murder And Rape

The case was of Anindya Sundar Das v. Union of India and other connected matters. The Calcutta HC handed over the investigation of the cases related to murder, rape and crime against women which happened in the State of West Bengal in May 2021 soon after the declaration of the assembly election results to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal delivered the lead judgement whereas Justices I.P Mukerji, Harish Tandon and Soumen Sen delivered separate but concurring judgements.

What do you think about this case?

SC: Merely Because An Arrest Can Be Made Lawfully Does Not Mean That Arrest Must Be Made

The case was of Siddharth v. State of Uttar Pradesh. The decision was given by Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy. It was observed that personal liberty is an important aspect of constitutional mandate. Merely because an arrest can be made because it is lawful does not mandate that arrest must be made. A distinction must be made between the existence of the power to arrest and the justification for exercise of it.

What do you think about this case?

Gujarat Freedom Of Religion (Amendment) Act 2021 Won't Apply To Inter Faith Marriages Without Force, Allurement Or Fraudulent Means

In this case, the Gujarat High Court has protected inter-faith marriages based on free consent by adults from undue harassment. It has passed an interim order stating that the provisions of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021, will not apply to inter-faith marriages which take place without force, allurement or fraudulent means. The decision was given by the Division Bench comprising of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Biren Vaishnav.

What do you think about this case?

Widow Seeks Cancellation Of Bail To Mother In Honour Killing Case

The case was of Mamta Nair v. State of Rajasthan and others. A notice was issued by the Supreme Court in the plea filed by a widow seeking cancellation of the bail granted to her mother in a case of 'honour killing' of her husband. The decision was given by a Bench comprising CJI N V Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Aniruddha Bose.

What do you think about this case?

Bombay HC: Court Can Interfere In Unconditional Bank Guarantee Only When There Isn't A Slightest Possibility Of Amount's Restitution

According to the Bombay High Court, there can be no interference with an unconditional bank guarantee except when fraud is established or apprehension of irretrievable injustice is demonstrated. The decision was given by Justice G S Patel. The summons for judgment was made absolute and the summary suit was decreed in favour of the plaintiff in the amount of Rs.121.65 lakhs with interest at 6% per annum from the date of the decree till payment or realization.

What do you think about this case?

Allahabad HC: Forensic Science Laboratory Report Need Not Be Proved By Calling It's Director As It Is A Public Document

The case was of Jose Luis Quintanilla Sacristan v. State of U.P. It was held by the Court that a report of State Forensic Science Laboratory is admissible in evidence (as per the provision of Section 293 Cr.P.C.), therefore, there is no requirement to call the Director of that laboratory to get the same proved. The decision was given by Justice Ajay Kumar Tyagi.

What do you think about this case?

Accused Cannot Claim That His Confessional Statement Be Considered Regarding Some Offences Only And Not For Others

The case was of Vinod Mali v. State of U.P. The decision was given by Justice Ajay Tyagi. The Allahabad High Court has recently held that when a conviction is made as a whole regarding any occurrence or set of occurrences, the accused cannot, at a later stage, claim that confessional statement made by him should be considered regarding some of the offences only and not for others.

What do you think about this case?
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, today announced that 50 Irish towns will avail of a 7 million fund to support the enhancement of streetscapes and shopfronts.

The towns of Mountrath, Rathdowney, Mountmellick, Ballinakill and Ballylinan have been chosen under the new government initiative.

'The Streetscape Enhancement Initiative' will provide funding to property owners to improve the facades of their buildings.

The Department of Rural and Community Development have said that the initiative will make our rural towns, "a more vibrant and attractive place to live, work and visit."

The funding of 260k will provide property owners a great opportunity to improve the facades of their buildings.

Grant Funding Rates are as follows;



*70% for Individual premises with 30% matched funding from the owner.

*80% for Joint applications (groups of 3 or more) with 20% matched funding from the owners.

*100% Where painting is undertaken by direct labour by applicant.

Laois County Councillor James Kelly shared the news on Facebook, calling the news "a great opportunity".

In 2018, Mountrath Community Forum engaged with Dulux Colour Specialist Kathy Phelan, who assembled a colour scheme for 94 premises/residences in the town. This project was sent to Laois County Council with a request for funding.
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The death has occurred of Jane Reynolds (nee Kavanagh)

St. Fintan's Tce., Mountrath, Laois / Kilberry, Kildare



Jane Reynolds (nee Kavanagh), St. Fintan's Tce., Mountrath, Co. Laois and formerly of Kilberry, Athy, August 18, 2021 (peacefully) at her residence. Predeceased by her mother Elizabeth and father Arthur. Deeply regretted and will be sadly missed by her heartbroken family, her husband Patrick, daughter Jessica, sons Mark, Michael and Sean, her adored grandchildren Sophia and Alix, son in law Eoin and Michael's partner Saoirse, brothers, sisters, extended family, relatives and friends.

May Jane 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 her home this Friday morning (August 20th) travelling via Athy and Kilberry, to arrive at St. Mary's Church, Broadford, Kildare, for Requiem Mass at 11am, followed by removal to Newlands Cross Crematorium, Dublin, arriving 1.30 pm.

Jane's family would like to thank you for your understanding and support at this sad and difficult time.

Family flowers only please, donations, if desired, to the Cuisle Cancer Centre Portlaoise.

Jane's funeral mass can be viewed using the following link : https://youtu.be/DZrxiyBSR4o

he death has occurred of Anne Teresa (Nancy) Scully (nee Quigley)

Leixlip, Kildare / Tallaght, Dublin



Scully (nee Quigley) (Oaklawn and formerly of Main Street, Leixlip, Co. Kildare and Kiltalown, Embankment Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24) August 18th, 2021. Peacefully, at Dunboyne Nursing Home. Anne Teresa (Nancy), beloved wife of the late James (Jim) and dear mother of Patricia and the late Declan and Niall. Sadly missed by her loving daughter Patricia, granddaughter Clodagh and Craigh, granddaughter Darina and her husband Paddy, her five great-granddaughters Megan and her partner James, Arwyn, Jessica, Patrick and Ruby Lou, her great-great-granddaughter Cali, brothers, sisters, extended family and friends.

R.I.P.

Due to Government advice and restrictions regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place. Nancys Funeral Mass may be viewed on Monday, 23rd August, at 11.00am by following the link below:

http://oln.ie/oln/live-webcam/

Family flowers only, please.

Those who would have liked to attend the funeral; but due to current restrictions cannot, please leave your personal message by selecting Condolences below or alternatively leaving a message at www.cunninghamsfunerals.com.

A special word of thanks to the staff at Dunboyne Nursing Home for the care and love they showed to Nancy.

The death has occurred of Sean Berry

Marhaba, Tully East, Kildare Town, Kildare



Berry, Sean (Capt Retd. and formerly of Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association). Husband of the late Alyce and father of the late Gill, peacefully at Naas Hospital on August 17th 2021. Sadly missed by his loving son Paddy, daughter Vivienne, daughter-in-law Anne, son-in-law Tom, grandsons Jeff and David, sister Joan, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends.

May Sean 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 by Glennons Funeral Directors from McWeys Funeral Home, Abbeyview, Kildare Town on Saturday (21st August) to arrive at St. Brigid's Parish Church, Kildare Town, for Requiem Mass at 12 noon. Mass will be live streamed on mcnmedia.tv. Burial afterwards in St. Conleth's Cemetery, Kildare Town.

The death has occurred of Marion Malone

Kilcock, Kildare / Leixlip, Kildare



Malone (nee Parsons) (Ballycannon, Kilcock and formerly of Avondale Leixlip, Co. Kildare), August 17th. 2021, (peacefully), at St. Vincents Hospital. Marion, beloved wife of John and dear mother of John, David, Robert and Paul. Sadly missed by her loving husband, sons, daughter-in-law Noreen, granddaughters Lauren and Abigail, brother John, sister Susie, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends.

Rest in Peace

Due to Government advice and restrictions regarding public gatherings and to protect our most vulnerable family members and our friends, a private family funeral will take place. Those who would have liked to attend Marions funeral; but due to current restrictions cannot, may view the Mass on Saturday morning, 21st August, at 10.00am by following the link below;

https://churchmedia.tv/camera/confey-parish

If you would like to have attended the funeral, but due to current restrictions you cannot, please leave your personal message by selecting Condolences below. Family flowers only please.
A woman who was covered in blood, ran towards two gardai seeking help at an address in Newbridge, it was claimed at Naas District Court yesterday.

Andrei Stroescu, 20, and Robert Ion, 22, whose addresses were given as 102 Donaghmore, The Anchorage, Bettystown, County Meath, face allegations of assault, trespass and possessing a knife and clawhammer respectively on August 17.

Garda James Quigley told of arresting Andrei Stroescu and Garda Martin Staunton told of arresting Robert Ion.

Garda Quigley claimed bail was being opposed because of the seriousness of the allegations, the likely sentence that could be imposed in the case, the reliability of a bails person and he claimed they were caught red handed.

Read more Kildare news

Garda Quigley said the gardai got a call on August 17 at 11.40pm to say two males were gaining entry at the front door of a premises at Henry Street, Newbridge.

A female could be heard screaming for help inside, he said.

When he got there with Garda Staunton the front door was slightly ajar and he could hear great distress and commotion inside.

He added they identified themselves and he could hear further screams for help.

The court heard the woman ran towards them screaming for help and they brought her to a place of safety.

There were three males in the house, he alleged, and Andrei Stroescu had a large metal meat cleaver with a 12 inch blade in his hand.

Gda Quigley said he told him to drop it and he didnt.

He said he advanced towards him brandishing the meat cleaver and a violent struggle ensued before the man was arrested.

He added the man was disarmed and handcuffed.

He said the woman made a statement saying three males burst through and bound her behind her back.

She was punched and hit. She was hit multiple times with a blunt object, believed to be a claw hammer. He said she had a broken nose and two puncture wounds to her buttocks as well as multiple lacerations to her body. The woman said the males were not known to her and they gained entry by force.

He said no admissions were made.

Gda Quigley claimed Robert Ion was in possession of what is believed to be a claw hammer and he approached the two gardai with this.

He told defending barrister Mark Gibbons he could not confirm who assaulted the woman and the third man was not apprehended and fled the scene.

Mr Gibbons said that Andrei Stroescu did not have a weapon and the witness agreed that pepper spray was used.

He submitted that the gardai could not be sure what had happened in the absence of the third man.

The court heard that Andrei Stroescu has been in Ireland for 18 months and Robert Ion is here for three weeks.

Mr Gibbons said there are no issues which would prevent bail being granted and its likely to take a considerable amount of time before the case is heard.

Sgt Brian Jacob said that if bail is granted they are free to leave and would not need travel documents to go to the UK.

Judge Miriam Walsh said the defendants are a serious flight risk and refused bail, remanding them in custody until August 26 when they're likely to appear by videolink.
A verdict by An Bord Pleanala on a proposed new wind farm for the Monasterevin area has been deferred until October.

Ummeras Wind Farm Ltd (Statkraft) wants to build five 169m high turbines in the townlands of Ummeras Beg, Coolatogher, Mullaghroe Lower, Ummeras More and Coolsickin/Quinsborough.

Kildare County Council refused the application due to Air Corps flight path, ecological and road network concerns. The refusal was appealed to An Bord Pleanala, and a decision had been due by last Tuesday, August 17.

However, the Bord informed interested parties this week that it would not be possible to determine the case within the statutory period of 18 weeks from receipt of an appeal - and pushed its decision date to October 12, noting that it would take all steps open to it to ensure that the appeal is determined before that date.

Over 170 submissions were made by local residents, politicians, Kildare Failte, the Irish Peatland Conservation Council and the Irish Aviation Authority to the initial planning application.

Residents also raised concerns about the possible impact the facility would have on the Ballykelly distillery project, the 5m investment in the Blueway Grand Canal cycle and walkways, and the development of Umeras Peatland Park. The Monasterevin Rathangan Wind Awareness Group also raised these concerns with An Bord Pleanala after Statkraft lodged its appeal back in April.
Members of the public are being urged to stay vigilant and keep up their guard against COVID-19 especially if visiting hospitals.

As Sligo University Hospital (SUH) continues to deal with a COVID-19 outbreak, visitors are being asked to be mindful of patient and staff safety when attending.

Visiting restrictions are in place in areas of the hospital impacted by the outbreak. Sligo University Hospital is facilitating patient visiting in all areas of the hospital not affected by the outbreak in line with national guidance.

In accordance with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre guidelines, an Outbreak Control Team has been convened at SUH and is working with Public Health and Occupational Health to manage the response to a COVID-19 outbreak at the hospital. An outbreak in a healthcare setting is called when there are two or more positive cases.

The hospital facilitates one visitor per inpatient each day between 6pm to 8pm. Only one visit per patient per day can be facilitated at the present time. Visits must be pre-arranged by family members / visitors, who should contact the relevant ward or Unit in advance. Visitors are required to complete a screening checklist regarding COVID-19, prior to visiting the hospital.

Sligo University Hospital is also requesting that where possible, approved visitors will have received a COVID-19 vaccination, in order to minimise the risk to patients.

It is also recommended that children do not visit the hospitals, unless agreed in advance on compassionate grounds, with the ward / Unit manager.

Grainne McCann, General Manager of Sligo University Hospital urged people to take every precaution when visiting. We are asking our local community to be mindful of the safety of our patients and staff. Please follow all guidelines when attending at our hospitals. Levels of COVID-19 remain very high in our communities and in the hospital. If visiting the hospital, staying vigilant and cautious will help us to lower that risk.

People are asked to be particularly vigilant if attending Sligo University Hospital for appointments or as a visitor.

Please be mindful of others when attending SUH and to follow all guidelines.

- Do not attend if you are showing any symptoms.

- Do not visit patients if you are a close contact of a COVID-19 case.

- If attending follow all the public health guidance; wash your hands, wear a mask and socially distance.
SUCKLER dairy farmer Brenda Lundon has been called the 'Banksy of East Limerick' thanks to her bold white on black creations.

While graffiti artist Banksy uses buildings as his canvas, Brenda prefers silage bales for her expressionism. The lady from Pallasbeg, Cappamore, has been getting rave reviews for her daily creations in support of the Limerick hurlers.

Brenda started writing the messages on Sunday morning and posts photos daily on her Facebook page.

"I usually do something at Christmas around Elf on the Shelf but I do Elf on the Shed! So I said I'll do something for the All-Ireland. People are getting great craic out of it.

"It's all good fun and light humoured and wishing Limerick the very best of luck," smiled Brenda, whose brother James came up with the "Banksy of East Limerick" phrase.

She got more bales brought in on Thursday morning so she has plenty of room for messages. And if Limerick do beat Cork, Brenda will be out early on Monday morning to paint a new one.

But like any good artist, Brenda divides opinion with farmers an easy target.

"One person said, 'Farmers haven't much to be doing if theyre out painting bales' but I fired right back at them," laughed Brenda.
A COUNTY Limerick haulage company is facing the prospect of having to remove a large hardstanding area which was constructed without planning permission.

O'Carroll Haulage and Crane Hire Ltd has been unsuccessful in its appeal against the decision of Limerick City and County Council to refuse permission for the development.

The company had sought to retain the extended hard standing area, security lighting and boundary security fencing at a site adjacent to its premises at Court, Kildimo.

The development at the centre of the An Bord Pleanala appeal, is located on around 2.6acres of land in a rural area off the N69.

The local authority refused permission for a number of reasons including the unacceptable scale of the development due to it being located in an unserviced rural area.

It was submitted that the applicant should relocate to zoned land and the unauthorised works should be removed.

In his report, Senior Planning Inspector Kevin Moore stated: The proposed development allows for a very substantial extension of the surfaced area of the site to be utilised for the parking and holding of vehicles and plant associated with the established business. Such a development would allow for a significant expansion of the facility itself as plant and machinery are core components of the business.

Mr Moore expressed concern the granting of permission would facilitate the expansion of the business.

While I acknowledge that the business has been operating at this location for many years, I am of the opinion that facilitating, and thus encouraging, the expansion of a development of this nature in this rural area is not best placed, he stated.

The established nature of the premises cannot reasonably justify the expansion of the development footprint on this site, which would facilitate potentially significant intensification at this site, he added.
Rain has fallen on the summit of Greenland's ice sheet for the first time in recorded history, heightening concerns about the already precarious condition of its ice.

An unprecedented 7 billion tons (6.3 billion metric tons) of water pelted the ice sheet last Saturday (Aug. 14), falling as rain and not snow for several hours. This was the third time temperatures at the summit had risen above freezing in less than a decade, according to recordings taken by the National Science Foundation's Summit Station .

The rain, which occurred over two days from Aug. 14 to Aug. 15, was also accompanied by the melting of up to 337,000 square miles (872,000 square kilometers) of ice, according to the U.S. National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) .

"There is no previous report of rainfall at this location, which reaches 3,216 meters (10,551 feet) in elevation," NSIDC researchers said in a statement , adding that the amount of ice lost in one day was the same as the average ice lost across a typical week for the same time of year.

Related: Images of melt: Earth's vanishing ice

The rainfall, which is the heaviest since records began, is a sure indication that Greenland is warming at a rapid pace, Ted Scambos, a scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, told CNN .

"What is going on is not simply a warm decade or two in a wandering climate pattern. This is unprecedented," Scambos said. "We are crossing thresholds not seen in millennia, and frankly this is not going to change until we adjust what we're doing to the air."

This year, 2021 has been an ominous one for the enormous ice sheet that, along with the Antarctic ice sheet, make up 99% of the Earth's freshwater reserves. In February, researchers warned that Greenland's ice sheet was barreling toward a tipping point beyond which large parts of it could melt even without further increases to global temperatures, Live Science previously reported . In July, the ice sheet suffered a massive melting event, losing 9.37 billion tons (8.5 billion metric tons) of ice from its surface per day  twice its normal average rate of loss during summer  over the course of the week, Live Science previously reported .

Global sea levels would rise by about 20 feet (6 m) if all of Greenland's ice melted, according to an NSIDC estimate.

Scientists attribute the cause of the rainfall to an atmospheric event, called an anticyclone, above the island. Anticyclones are regions of high pressure that cause air to sink, warming as it falls. These anticyclone conditions enable hot weather to persist in one area for long periods of time, creating heat waves.

A landmark report released this month from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a stark warning that Earth was expected to reach the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming due to climate change within the next 20 years.

The report, which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, described as a "code red for humanity," warns that increasingly extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts and floods will become more common as the planet warms.

Originally published on Live Science.
WASHINGTON - Tennis legend Billie Jean King, fashion designer Tory Burch, actress Lynda Carter and former commerce secretary Penny Pritzker are among the inaugural members of the advisory council of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum.

The council is charged with advising the Smithsonian's Board of Regents on the location, planning and design of the proposed museum and with helping the institution raise money from private donors. The Board of Regents announced the council members on Friday.

In December, Congress authorized the Smithsonian to build two museums, one focused on women's history and the other on the American Latino. They will be the first new Smithsonians since the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened almost five years ago.

Congress gave the Smithsonian six months to assemble advisory boards. The board of the Latino Museum was named last month.

Congress also set a two-year deadline, or to the end of 2022, for the Smithsonian to identify locations for the museums. The Smithsonian has hired the architectural/engineering firm Ayers Saint Gross to conduct site evaluations for both museums.

"As someone who helped bring a museum to life on the National Mall, I know firsthand how indispensable an advisory board is," Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, the founding director of the African American Museum, said in a statement. "We have been fortunate to enlist an extraordinary group to help envision, create and guide this new museum, enabling the Smithsonian to expand the breadth and vividness of the American story by illuminating the essential contributions women have made to our nation."

Other members of the advisory council include: Jane Abraham, former chairwoman of the Congressional Commission to Study the Potential of a National Women's History Museum; Catherine Allgor, president of the Massachusetts Historical Society; attorneys Mary Boies and Singleton McAllister; Jean Case, chairwoman of the National Geographic Society; Melissa Fetter, a former JP Morgan vice president; AARP Chief Diversity Officer Edna Kane-Williams; television and museum executive Abbe Raven; former McKinsey & Co. executive Vivian Riefberg; SiriusXM founder Martine Rothblatt; S. Mona Sinha, founder of the Asian Women's Leadership University; and Target executive Cara Sylvester. Three seats remain open.

The 25-member board also includes Bunch; Barbara Barrett, a Board of Regents member and former ambassador; Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.; and Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind. The appointments of two Senate members are pending.

The Smithsonian appointed Lisa Sasaki as interim director of the Women's History Museum while it conducts a national search for a founding director. Sasaki has temporarily left her position as director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.
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K-pop superstars BTS have canceled their planned Map of the Soul world tour, due to complications brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS Map of the Soul Tour, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour, the bands backer Big Hit Music said in a statement released on its Weverse fan platform.

Due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned.

The tour had previously been due to start in April 2020, shortly after the band put out its fourth album Map of the Soul: 7. After a start in Seoul, South Korea, it was scheduled to have 39 legs and land in 18 countries including the U.S. and Germany before finishing in Japan.

A temporary postponement the same month has now turned into a 16-month hiatus. In that time, BTS has performed at online concerts for paying fans and released a movie.

Big Hit Music suggested that performances at live gigs might resume, but it offered no timeline. And these may include more virtual concerts.

We are working to prepare a viable schedule and performance format that can meet your expectations, and we will provide updated notices as soon as possible, the label said.

South Koreas daily new coronavirus cases remained in the 2,000s for the second straight day Friday amid little signs of letup, triggering the extension of the toughest level of virus restrictions for two more weeks, according to the Yonhap news agency.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Friday announced 2,052 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,001 local infections. Since the beginning go the outbreak the country has endured a total of 233,000 infections.

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BTS postponed Map of the Soul Tour has been officially canceled, according to a post made on Weverse and BTS official Twitter via their label Bighit on Thursday. A rep for the band confirmed to Rolling Stone that the dates that had been announced in January 2020 have been nixed.

Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS Map of the Soul Tour, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour, the label wrote. However, due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned. Therefore we must announce the cancellation of the BTS Map of the Soul Tour.

The North American leg of the tour was initially postponed in March 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. It had been originally scheduled to kick off a month later. They had previously nixed a string of concerts planned in South Korea. Rescheduled dates were not announced prior to the tours official cancelation.We regret that we must now inform you of the formal cancellation of the tour. For fans who have reserved tickets for the North American shows, you will receive an email from your original point of purchase regarding refunds.

Once again, please allow us to offer our sincere apology to all fans who have waited for the BTS Map Of The Soul Tour to resume, Bighit concluded. We are working to prepare a viable schedule and performance format that can meet your expectations, and we will provide updated notices as soon as possible.
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Starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield, The Eyes of Tammy Faye will receive its European premiere at late Septembers San Sebastian Festival.

The biggest film event in the Spanish-speaking world will open with the anticipated One Second from Chinas Xhang Yimou, which was dramatically pulled from competition at the 69th Berlin Film Festival.

Both titles play in competition, vying for San Sebastians top film plaudit, its Golden Shell, where they are joined by French filmmaker Thierry de Perettis Undercover.

Recounting the rise, fall and redemption of Tammy Faye, the indomitable wife of televangelist Jim Bakker, The Eyes of Tammy Faye weighs in as the only U.S. movie in San Sebastian main competition. It catches Chastain on a high as she will receive the TIFF Tribute Actor Award, coinciding with the premiere at Toronto of the film.

The three new films mark the final titles to be selected for San Sebastian competition this year, which boasts a strong Spanish presence  new films from Jonas Trueba (Quien lo impide!), Iciar Bollain (Maixabel), Fernando Leon de Aranoa (The Good Boss) and Paco Plaza (La abuela)  as well as titles from Terence Davies (Benediction) and Laurent Cantet (Arthur Rambo), an awaited female auteur genre title  Lucile Hadzihalilovics Earwig  and three first features, from Romanias Alina Grigore (Blue Moon), Denmarks Tea Lindberg (As in Heaven) and Chinas Zhang Ji (Fire on the Plain)

The San Sebastian Film Festival runs Sept.17-25.

Final Additions to Main Competition at the 2021 San Sebastian Film Festival:

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Michael Showalter, U.S.)

Directed by film and TV writer-director Showalter (The Big Sick), the Searchlight Pictures title presents a bright, brassy chronicle of the roller-coaster life of Tammy Faye Bakker, co-creator of the biggest religious broadcasting network in the world. Chastain, who also produces, looks to relish her titular role as the outspoken, unabashed televangelist, if a trailer last month is anything to go by.

One Second, (Yi miao zhong, Zhang Yimou, China)

One of the latest features from the celebrated Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Hero) One Second was famously yanked from the 2019 Berlin Festival by Chinese authorities for technical reasons, frequent governmental shorthand for political issues. Though set during Chinas 1966-76 Cultural Revolution  a sensitive, if not taboo, topic, Variety has commented - Zhang Yimou himself has described the film as a love letter to cinema. It turns on a prisoner who escapes from a labor camp hoping to see images of his estranged daughter in a film screening nearby. A Neon U.S. pick-up sold by Wild Bunch, One Second is scheduled as the Toronto Festivals closing night film.

Undercover, (Enquete sur un scandale detat, Thierry de Peretti, France)

Roschdy Zem, Pio Marmai, Vincent Lindon and Julie Moulier star in Undercover, which charts a star journalist investigations into police corruption, aided by a self-declared witness. The fourth feature from actor-director Peretti whose Apaches (2013) and A Violent Life (2017) were selected for Cannes Directors Fortnight and Critics Week respectively. Produced by Paris-based Les Films Velvet, who backed Rebecca Zlotowskis Planetarium. Wild Bunch again handles sales.

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Nearly everyone we meet in The Protege is on the brink of retirement, all but one or two of them nudged violently in that direction by Maggie Qs title character. Anna specializes in finding things that dont want to be found (as a cover, she maintains a rare book store), but her true gift seems to be in disposing of them once theyve been located, which Q handily demonstrates in the operation that opens the movie, one that ends with a hard-to-reach Russian crime boss floating face down in his private pool.

Anna is ruthlessly efficient, but also works best as a team, paired with mentor Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) in a combo one wishes the good folks at Millennium (who make movies with the grimacing likes of Sylvester Stallone, Gerald Butler and Jason Statham) had thought of long before. Here, the combo was suggested by The Equalizer writer Richard Wenk, and while his script is pure pulp, the execution assumes an air of plausibility in the hands of Casino Royale director Martin Campbell. This is one of those movies in which assassins are so experienced, they can recognize what model of gun is being pointed at them by the signature sound it makes when cocked. They can also quote obscure poetry.

The movie wants us to believe that Anna acquired such skills from Moody, whose multimillion-dollar home (and equally impressive art collection) has been financed by those aforementioned finding-and-disposing gigs. He claims never to have killed someone who didnt deserve it, which means their consciences are clean  how fortunate for them  whereas their latest target is the other kind of killer, whose expensive, heavily protected compound was paid for by crimes too dastardly to trouble audiences with. This particular monster (whose identity is better left a surprise, even if it feels like a missed opportunity for a juicy cameo) is protected by several layers of professionals, including Michael Keaton as a man who, if they didnt find themselves on opposite sides of a high-stakes shooting match, probably wouldve made an ideal partner for Anna.

Theres precious little in The Protege that audiences havent seen before in some form or another, but thats hardly a liability, since the script recombines those familiar elements in such entertaining ways, counting on Q, Jackson and Keaton to make these stock characters come alive. Although Q has done her share of action roles before (from Mission: Impossible III to the CWs Nikita TV series, in which she starred), Hollywood has somehow failed to capitalize on that potential, and here she reminds what fun it can be to watch an elegant and limber leading lady cycle through half a dozen form-fitting disguises and different-colored wigs, all in service of dispensing justice.

From Alias to Atomic Blonde, its a proven formula when the casting is right, and Q makes practically anything thats asked of her look easy  whether its diving for cover as henchmen reduce her rare book store to confetti or jumping off a third-story balcony and riding the emergency fire hose all the way to ground level. There are some who find it tough to swallow certain actors as action heroes (the snipes against Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft come to mind), but gladly accept stunt doubles standing in for a rickety Roger Moore or Tyler Perry as Alex Cross.

What matters most is the suspension of disbelief, and Campbell specializes in creating an atmosphere where audiences are surprised by the plot twists rather than the characters abilities, while Q can handle both the physical demands and stone-cold dramatics the part requires. The Protege offers flashbacks throughout to a turning point in Annas childhood in Vietnam, starting with the moment Moody discovered her, hiding in a cabinet, having dispatched a room full of mercenaries. He instantly recognizes her aptitude for killing, and so the decades spent learning English, martial arts and marksmanship can be elided without question.

Campbell also knows where to put the camera in order to give a sense of basic geography (where both adversaries and exits are relative to Anna at any given time) and fight-scene choreography (its almost always Q doing her own stunts). The directors style can feel a little old school at times  as in the opening shot of a shadowy mans foot stepping into a neon-reflecting rain puddle  but make no mistake: Thats a comfort when compared to the relative incompetence of so many recent genre movies. Without some degree of artificiality, the movie wouldnt be permitted to explore the unusual chemistry between its characters, whether its Moody and Annas skewed father-daughter dynamic or the sultry, Out of Sight-like flirtation that she and Rembrandt (Keaton) cook up en route to their final standoff.

Which brings us back to the idea of retirement. Could Anna and Rembrandt realistically wind up together? Or is theirs a life meant for reading poetry and polishing their weapons in solitude? In a way, its a shame that The Protege serves as a one last job movie for most of its ensemble, since the title lends itself to a franchise starter more than a standalone. With any luck, it will inspire others to recognize Qs capabilities as marksman, martial artist and all-around action star.

Reviewed at Lionsgate Screening Room, Santa Monica, Calif., Aug. 17, 2021. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 109 MIN.

Running Time: Running time: 109 MIN.

MPAA Rating: R

Production

A Lionsgate release, presented with Millennium Media, in association with Ingenious Media of an I Road, Fourteen Films, Millennium Media production, in association with Ingenious Media, Campbell Grobman Films. Producers: Arthur Sarkissian, Moshe Diamant, Rob Van Norden, Yariv Lerner, Chris Milburn. Executive producers: Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, Boaz Davidson, Christa Campbell, Lati Grobman, Bruno Wu, Gareth West, Andrei Boncea, Dragos Buliga, Simon Williams, Daniel Negret, Balan Melarkode, Euzebio Munhoz Jr., Claiton R. Fernandes, Vladimir D. Fernandes, Luke Daniels, Kyle Stroud. Co-producer: Ekaterina Baker. Co-executive producer: Regina Seifert.

Crew

Director: Martin Campbell. Screenplay: Richard Wenk. Camera: David Tattersall. Editor: Angela M. Catanzaaro. Music: Rupert Parkes.

With

Michael Keaton, Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Patrick, David Rintoul, Patrick Malahide, Ray Fearon.

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The executive producer of The Young and the Restless allegedly made repeated advances toward an actress, commented on her body, offered her a private acting lesson and had her fired when she rebuffed him, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday.

Actress Briana Thomas filed suit against Sony Pictures Television, which produces the long-running CBS soap opera, and CBS Studios. The complaint alleges that showrunner Anthony Tony Morina took an interest in Thomas when she appeared in a background role as a barista in 2018 and 2019.

According to the complaint, he would often leer at her, get close to her, and compliment her looks, telling her she could really be something on the show. In one poolside scene, he allegedly tried to get her to remove her sarong so that he could see her in a bikini.

Its a tough industry to break into, unless you know someone who can help you, he said, while touching her waist and playing with her bikini strings, according to the suit. Lets start with a private session and see if we can get you a little more comfortable.

The suit comes as Sony Pictures Television is dealing with fallout from its selection of Mike Richards as the new host of Jeopardy! Richards has apologized in recent days for misogynistic and stereotypical comments he made on a podcast, which were unearthed by The Ringer.

Thomas attorney, Carney Shegerian, also filed the lawsuit that accused Richards of discriminating against a pregnant model while he was a producer on The Price Is Right. Richards has denied misconduct in that case.

Thomas alleges that Morina continued to harass her and make sexual advances through 2018 and 2019. According to the suit, he also complained about having to attend sexual harassment training, saying the seminars were bullshit and that some bitches had their panties in a bunch and didnt know how to take a compliment.

Morina also allegedly referred disparagingly to a Black actress with short hair, saying she has a hot body, but it is too bad her head looked like a Chia Pet.

On another occasion, Morina allegedly cornered Thomas in a stairwell, asked her if she lived alone, and asked again if she wanted private lessons. She was more forceful in her rejection than she had previously been, prompting Morina to ask if she knew what she was doing, according to the suit. She took that as a threat.

Subsequently, Morina would yell at her on set, saying she was just an extra, according to the complaint.

Im the reason why you have a job, he allegedly said. I am doing you a favor. I like you. Do you understand what Im saying?

Thomas was later fired.

CBS and Sony Pictures Television did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Runners looking for a new experience and the thrill of racing down a runway against airplanes can take part in the Oct. 9 Runway Run 5K and 1K, hosted by the city at the Signature Flight Support Building at the Laredo International Airport.

According to Laredo Airport Director Jefferey Miller, the run will be specifically held at the old airport terminal on 4805 Maher Ave. and will be an opportunity for the community to see the entirety of the airport from a new perspective.

Its a one-of-a-kind race in our community which participants from all around will experience running on the actual runway used by commercial aircraft, District V Councilmember Ruben Gutierrez said. Itll be a unique and once-in-a-lifetime experience as runners will be able to see commercial and general aviation aircraft taking off and landing on the runway itself  and no, they wont be chasing you.

Early registration prices for both the 5K and 1K will be $35 and $10, respectively, and $45 and $15 on the day of the event. The city states that the registration fee is non-refundable, but the registration can be transferred to a new participant.

If the prospect of running parallel to an airplane and effectively challenging it to a race does not interest community runners, Senior Sales Manager of Aeromar Jesus Briones announced that prizes for the event include plane tickets from Laredo to one of Mexicos beaches.

Briones said that the first-, second- and third-place winners within the overall male and female category will receive the beach getaway for two to any beach with a connecting flight in Mexico City through Aeromar.

Additionally, the first 500 participants will receive a shirt, special finisher medal and timing BIB.

Briones said that the goal of the partnership is to entice the community to fly locally to their destinations. After the pandemic has made operations difficult for airlines and airports throughout 2020, he hopes for a favorable situation once it is over.

Additionally, winners will also receive small model airplanes as a token of their achievement that can be set on a desk of bookshelf.

The event marks the first time Laredo has hosted a Runway 5K, and officials said that they hope to continue to host them year after year in conjunction with the annual air show. Miller said that events like these showcase the intricacies and wonder of aviation to children and any prospective employee in the field.

The experience and theme of aviation was made clear as the press conference was drowned in noises from airplane turbines as they taxied down the runway. Miller enthusiastically said that he has hosted several runways runs at previous airports and expects approximately 500 participants to run alongside airplanes this October.

City Manager Robert Eads said it also helps to promote healthy recreational activities and an active lifestyle. He echoed Millers sentiments regarding the community gathering at the airport to see the resources, airlines and services.

Gutierrez added that he was also excited for the inaugural 5K announcement, and despite the run being slated for 2019 and seeing two postponements due to COVID, he hopes it will become a Laredo tradition.

The airport and its multiple facets have seen multiple improvements and investments over the years, some of which are difficult to see and understand, Miller said. The race will be taking place at the west side of the airfield and will start on the newly-built ramp. The $100 million ramp project is currently under construction, but by October, runners will be starting the race from it.

Miller said that the ramps importance is overlooked. Between the ramp, runway, taxi way and more, the community will have a first-hand look at where the $100 million investment is allocated and see it work.

Another aspect of the event is to showcase aviation to the youth and the many careers available. With spectator stands, static info and photo displays, and the opportunity to ask questions, he said that the 5K will have multiple opportunities to satisfy curiosity and answer questions.

Its been one of my key points here in Laredo to try to get people involved in aviation, and I think this is one of the first steps for people to see the airport in maybe a different light, Miller said.

As for the future of the airport, the terminal improvement program saw an approved vote by Laredo City Council for a full planning and development contract that will see a year-long design period with construction slated to start in July 2022. The plan includes an expansion of the terminal and the relocation of the security checkpoint within the terminal.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
A family escaped unharmed from a house fire, according to first responders.

Laredo Fire Department crews responded to a house on fire at 9:17 p.m. on Wednesday in the 2700 block of Palo Blanco Street. Firefighters said they encountered a single-story residence actively burning.

Crews managed to extinguish the flames without injury. Residents of the home managed to escape unharmed, according to first responders. AEP was called to the scene, and the electrical meter was removed.

The American Red Cross was contacted to assist the family. First responders said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Beth D. Ramage, formerly of Lockport, NY, passed away August 21, 2021 in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Beth was born May 17, 1931, daughter of Howard H. Dobbins and Almeda T. Dobbins. Beth was a graduate of Lockport High School and Queens College in Charlotte, NC. Predeceased by her husband of 6
Local News, Business & Finance

By Chris Boyle Published: August 20 2021

Cradle of Aviation & Armor Museum unveil renderings of future property enhancements  to be fast tracked with Countys new funding opportunity.

As part of her efforts to ensure Nassaus museums and cultural institutions rebound and thrive following the devastating impact of the pandemic, County Executive Laura Curran was joined by representatives from the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Armor Museum and NC Firefighters Museum to announce a new funding commitment from the County. Nassau County is committing to matching funds raised by their 14 museum partners  dollar for dollar - to undertake capital improvements  many of which have been delayed due to the pandemic.

This program will encourage each property to pursue physical enhancements  creating jobs in the process. This funding opportunity is in addition to the Countys ongoing, contractual financial support of these institutions.

Our museums are invaluable assets, serving as incredible educational resources while attracting visitors from across the region, stimulating our local economy, said County Executive Curran. With this commitment, we hope to fast-track shovel ready projects  generating jobs while preserving the institutions that pay tribute to first responders, our military and showcase Long Islands history.

We are deeply appreciative of County Executive Curran recognizing the role that all museums play in adding considerable strength to the economy as well as our shared educational and cultural experiences. With some of our armor vehicles 75 years old, this matching grant could not have arrived at a more opportune time, explained Armor Museum Senior Trustee Michael Sapraicone. With significant financial pledges already in place we have the means to break ground by the end of the year and move quickly on needed maintenance of armor that represent courage, valor, and sacrifice on behalf of our freedoms.

Armor Museum founder and President, Lawrence Kadish, stated, There are some fifty armor vehicles in the museums collection and each one of them requires varying amounts of maintenance and repair at any given time. The ability to build a free-standing structure that will allow us to perform that work is essential to our long-term commitment to operate these historic vehicles for todays visitors and tomorrows generation.

We're very excited about the support the County is offering to the Cradle. We hope our new projects will add some excitement and encourage visitors to all of Museum Row, added Andrew Parton, President or the Cradle of Aviation Museum and Education Center.

In many situations, the Countys non-profit museum partners raise funds or receive grants for infrastructure improvements or to expand exhibits and the overall experience. This program will encourage each property to advance existing projects or pursue new ones.

Eligible museum properties include:
Health & Wellness

By Ls Cohen Published: August 20 2021

Also boasts the third-highest rate in the country among counties with one million residents or more.

With the rate of Nassau County residents with at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine at 85%, that number tops all other counties in the state and ranks as third highest in the United States among counties with a population greater than one million.

Nassau County has led the way in vaccinations since Day 1, and were committed to protecting our progress and building on it, said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran. The vaccine is saving lives every day. If you havent rolled up your sleeve yet, now is the time.

According to a press release, Nassau also over-performed the state and the nation in vaccination rates across demographic groups including seniors, youth, black and hispanic residents. With a push to vaccinate eligible youth ahead of the school year, Nassau launched its Student Vaccination Initiative, which has vaccinated thousands of eligible students through various pop-up events, most recently in Hempstead.

Last week, County Executive Curran also announced a new initiative to further increase vaccinations, a new Department of Health program offering onsite vaccination events to businesses.

For more information on the vaccine and making an appointment click here.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of share dealings by London-listed company directors and managers announced on Friday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







BHP Group PLC - Melbourne, Australia-based miner - Edgar Basto-Baez, president of Minerals Australia, sells 32,502 shares at AUD44.63, worth AUD1.5 million, about GBP760,000, on Thursday. This was after Basto-Baez had received 27,651 shares from the vesting of deferred shares under an incentive plan.







Prospex Energy PLC - investor in onshore and shallow offshore European gas and power projects - Company receives GBP262,000 after issuing 11.6 million new shares for the exercise of warrants at 2.25 pence. The stock was quoted at 2.90p on Friday. Of the new shares, Non-Executive Chair Bill Smith receives 1.2 million and now has 3.9 million in total, a 2.4% stake. Smith had bought 1.0 million shares on Tuesday. Richard Mays, another director, receives 595,705 shares and now has 708,105.







RWS Holdings PLC - Buckinghamshire, England-based language, content management and intellectual property support services - Chief Executive Officer Ian El-Mokadem buys 10,000 shares at 616.8p, worth GBP61,680, on Wednesday. El-Mokadem also had bought 10,000 shares earlier this month and now has 60,000 shares. The former managing director for UK & Ireland at caterer Compass Group PLC joined RWS at the end of July.







IntegraFin Holdings PLC - London-based investment platform - Patrick Sweeney, an associate of Chief Operating Officer Judith Davidson, sells 5,000 shares at GBP5.80, worth GBP29,000, on Wednesday. Sweeney had sold 144,000 shares on Friday last week and on Monday.







By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Block Energy PLC - oil and gas development and production company focused on Georgia - Notes that the report by Institutional Shareholder Services Inc recommends that shareholders vote against the resolution proposed by Forest Nominees Ltd on behalf of GP Jersey at the general meeting on September 1.

GP Jersey requisitioned the meeting in early July, demanding the replacement of Chair Philip Dimmock by Chuck Valceschini.

"The dissident has not offered any compelling rationale to commence an investigation", the report said.

Current stock price: 2.47 pence

Year-to-date change: down 24%

By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Today

Partly cloudy in the morning followed by scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Hot and humid. High 91F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 74F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

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The Lycoming College Art Gallery will open a new exhibit this fall featuring works of photography by Mark Chen, as well as a Ring doorbell feature that can be rung to ask the artist questions in real time. The show opens on Friday, Sept. 3, with a gallery talk at 5:30 p.m. The show will run through Saturday, Oct. 9, and is free and open to the public.

Chen is a photographer, a digital media artist, and an activist. Based on still images and videos, he expands to media including animations, soundscapes, installations and performances. The narratives in my work aim to raise awareness on sustainability and climate change among other environmental and social issues, said Chen. Digital post production is highly integrated into his artistic expression to encompass the essences of fiction, satire, and futurism.

Chens exhibition path traverses locally, nationally, and internationally, including the Houston Center for Photography, Fotofest (Houston), the Arc Gallery (San Francisco), and the Artists Cabin (Taipei, Taiwan). He is currently working on his MFA at the University of Houston where he receives merit-based scholarships for his education. Chens Windtopia, a multimedia series that envisions the future of our planet, is fiscally sponsored by Fresh Arts.

In addition to his career as an artist, Chen is an educator who has taught at University of Houston, Houston Baptist University, and Houston Community College, among other institutions. He is also an avid published author, producing seven book titles on photographic art and techniques from Amherst Media.

The Lycoming College Art Gallery, located in downtown Williamsport at 25 W. Fourth St., contributes to the citys arts culture and allows the College to become more involved with the surrounding community. Lycoming art students have the opportunity to interact with visiting artists and learn first-hand the inner workings of an art gallery.

The gallery is open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 4-8 p.m. For more information, please visit the gallery online at: https://www.lycoming.edu/art/gallery/20-21.aspx.
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As desperate images continue to pour out of Afghanistan in the midst of a U.S. withdrawal, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally is the first high-ranking state official to voice support for resettling Afghan refugees in the U.S. Other state officials remain divided on welcoming refugees to Tennessee.

The Oak Ridge Republican said in a statement Thursday that the United States should do everything it can to assist legitimate and authentic political refugees from Afghanistan in finding new places to call home.

While it remains important that we halt illegal immigration, protect our borders and limit those entering our nation, Afghanistan is a unique situation, McNally said. For nearly 20 years, we have had a significant military presence there and solicited help from many inside the country to fight against the Taliban. Those that helped us are now at risk.

Unlike immigrants who relocate to another country by choice, refugees are a vetted group of people who are forced to flee their country due to war or persecution. Tennessee has welcomed refugees for decades.

Nearly 6,000 people  U.S. citizens and Afghans holding special immigrant visas  had been evacuated by the U.S. military from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul as of Thursday morning, according to a White House official.

The United States has said it will issue up to 80,000 special immigrant visas to Afghans who have helped U.S. personnel and troops on the ground. SIV holders would arrive with legal permanent resident status and are eligible for the same resettlement benefits as refugees for up to eight months after arrival in the U.S., according to the Tennessee Office for Refugees.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, does not support accepting Afghan refugees for resettlement in Tennessee.

I do not have confidence in the Biden Administrations vetting process concerning the refugee issue, much less his ability to work with law enforcement and immigration officials, Sexton said in a statement. His administration has been a failure on both immigration and foreign policy.

Since President Joe Biden took office, the vetting process for the United States Refugee Admissions Program, including for SIV applicants, has been updated. In February, Biden ordered that security vetting for the program be improved to be more efficient, meaningful and fair and complemented by sound methods of fraud detection.

The Tennessee General Assembly sued the federal government in 2017 over refugee resettlement, saying Tennessee was forced through the federal program to spend money on state services for refugees being resettled.

While Gov. Bill Lee has historically taken a strong stance in support of refugee resettlement in Tennessee, he has not yet said whether he supports resettling Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban.

Asked about the situation unfolding in Afghanistan on Monday, Lee told reporters that its way too early to talk about whats going to happen later.

We first need to see what the intervention there is going to be from a military standpoint, and well go from there, Lee said.

Despite opposition from top Republicans in 2019, when a new federal policy required states to declare in writing their willingness to participate in the federal refugee resettlement program, Lee opted Tennessee in, joining only a handful of Republican-led states to continue accepting refugees.

The United States and Tennessee have always been, since the founding of our nation, a shining beacon of freedom and opportunity for the persecuted and oppressed, particularly those suffering religious persecution, Lee said at the time.

Due to changes in the program during the Biden administration, states are no longer able to opt out.

This week, at least nine other governors  four Democrats and five Republicans  have voiced support for accepting Afghan refugees to their states, including South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.

Lee had not changed his stance on the matter on Thursday, spokesperson Casey Black confirmed.

State Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, says its time for Tennessee to live up to the claim of being the shining beacon of freedom for refugees that Lee touted in 2019.

We absolutely need to open up our doors to refugees from Afghanistan, especially right now, when we have women and children who are particularly vulnerable to the Taliban, Campbell said.

Refugees, by definition, are people that are escaping unlivable and challenging situations, and that is certainly the case right now in Afghanistan where we see people throwing themselves on the wings of airplanes and risking their lives to try and get out of what they know is going to be an unlivable environment.

Tennessee has resettled 6,383 refugees since 2015, including 371 refugees from Afghanistan. A total of 153 refugees have been resettled in Tennessee in 2021.
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Foreign minister S Jaishankar detailed India's concerns about terror for the first time since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, naming specific groups in another first.

"Whether in Afghanistan or against India, groups like Lashkar-e Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed continue to operate with impunity and encouragement...

Heightened activities of the proscribed Haqqani network justify growing anxiety," he said in an address to the United Nations Security Council in New York.
India added 36,571 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours while deaths from COVID-19 rose by 540.The country's overall case load now stands at 3.23 crore, while total fatalities are at 4.33 lakhs, according to the health ministry.

Kerala contributed 21,116 cases to the country's daily numbers. The southern state has been contributing to more than 50 per cent of new infections in the country. Kerala has a test positivity rate of around 13.97 per cent.

Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in the country, reported 5,225 new infections and 154 fatalities in 24 hours.
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Allen Dean Semeski, Sr., 50, of Norman, formerly of Hartshorne, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 25, at his home in Norman. The family will welcome friends for visitation on Thursday, Sept. 2, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Brumley-Mills Funeral Home in Hartshorne. Graveside funeral services will be F
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Aug. 18Local public health and hospital leaders on Tuesday told Cobb lawmakers they are pleading with the public to wear masks and get vaccinated, as they watch hospitalizations climb and the number of younger residents hospitalized increase. County Manager Jackie McMorris also told lawmakers during the meeting that the county will begin requiring masks in public facilities on Friday. Cobb ...
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Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker has often come under fire of the troll brigade for being vocal and also for her outspoken activism. Her thoughts on Twitter have often enabled her to land in troublesome situations that she might have not imagined in the first place.



Recently, she was massively trolled for her tweet in which she compared Indias radical Hindutva with Taliban activities in Afghanistan. Not only this, Swara also compared Hindutva with militancy.

In her tweet, she wrote, We can't be okay with Hindutva terror & be all shocked & devastated at Taliban terror .. & we cant be chill with #taliban terror and then be all indignant about #hindutva terror (sic)! Our humanitarian & ethical values should not be based on the identity of the oppressor or oppressed.

Check out the tweet here-

We cant be okay with Hindutva terror & be all shocked & devastated at Taliban terror.. &

We cant be chill with #Taliban terror; and then be all indignant about #Hindutva terror!

Our humanitarian & ethical values should not be based on identity of the oppressor or oppressed.  Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) August 16, 2021

Now, she has been accused in a cyber cell of Kolkata police for hurting religious sentiments on Twitter over the Taliban issue in Afghanistan. A resident of Park Circus, Raj Chowdhury, lodged a written complaint with the Deputy Commissioner (Cyber Cell) Kolkata police on Thursday morning.

Swara Bhaskers post from August 17 was re-tweeted many times on Twitter and went viral. Many people on the internet didnt agree with her thoughts and protested in the comments section.



Also because of the tweet, a Kolkata resident lodged a complaint with the cyber cell of the Kolkata police.

According to News18, the Kolkata police did not want to comment on the allegations and are investigating the case.



What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!
Its sad that Neeraj Chopra, after his big win at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, has been subjected to constant pestering by famous media personalities. The star athlete who made history by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020 with a throw of 87.58 meters in the javelin competition, has found it hard to stay away from the media attention following his incredible achievement.

After his big win, he soon became the talk of the town. Notable journalists are seen asking him about his relationship status and now, Red FMs popular RJ Malishka Mendonsa has taken it to a next level by making him uncomfortable with her dance performance. She shared a video of her and the Red FM staff dancing in front of the ace javelin thrower.

Despite Chopra looking uneasy and forcing a smile on his face, the radio jockey and her team continued dancing to the tunes of Ude Jab jab zulfein teri. She wrote on Twitter, LadiesssssYes, I got the hard-hitting, deep answers too but..Take the first 4 secs before the cam moves to the zoom call to guess who we are dancing for #udejabjabzulfeinteri, and then tell me I did it for all of us.

Heres the video:

Ladiesssss..Yes I got the hard hitting, deep answers too but..Take the first 4 secs before the cam moves to the zoom call to guess who we are dancing for ;) #udejabjabzulfeinteri and then tell me I did it for all of us #gold #olympics #neerajchopra @RedFMIndia @RedFM_Mumbai pic.twitter.com/SnEJ99MK31  Mumbai Ki Rani (@mymalishka) August 19, 2021

After the video went viral, people started to bash her for objectifying the male athlete. People also questioned that had a female player been subjected to similar harassment, how would pseudo-feminists have reacted. This shameless objectification has made people lose their calm and question the whole idea of gender equality and sexism.

Heres how they reacted:

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

 Twitter

A while back, he was trolled for wearing cargo pants, and before that, Neeraj Chopra was bashed for his speech, over his support for the current regime.

To be honest, he doesnt deserve all this mental harassment. He has made us proud and its time that people and the media let him celebrate in peace.
Last week a hacker stole over $600 million in different cryptocurrencies from a company and hid it in different digital wallets. Now, the company that was targeted has offered the hacker a job as Chief Security Advisor.

 Unsplash/art-rachen

The company deemed the heist in high regard since the hacker was able to steal cryptocurrency worth $600 million. Poly Network is a company that allows transactions between different blockchains. However, the platform had a vulnerability that the hacker could exploit and get away with hundreds of millions of dollars in different cryptocurrencies.



Poly Network was founded by Chinese entrepreneur Da Hongfei, who is also the chief executive of Neo, a blockchain platform. The network operates on Ethereum, Polygon and Binance Smart Chain blockchains. Tokens can be swapped using a smart contract that contains instructions on how to release the asset.

 Unsplash/clint-patterson

According to blockchain forensics company Chainalysis, the hacker was able to steal funds in more than 12 different cryptocurrencies. Some of the cryptocurrencies include ether and a type of bitcoin.



Poly Network warned the hacker that the cryptocurrencies he stole will not work as a financial transaction. "Law enforcement in any country will regard this as a major economic crime and you will be pursued," said the company in an open letter to the hacker. The person responsible for the hack is now returning the money.

 Unplash/giorgio-trovato

Now, the company has offered a job to the hacker who they call Mr White Hat. The Poly network explained in a blog post that the company shares similar concerns as the hacker for its overall security and development strategy.



"We are also counting on more experts like Mr White Hat to be involved in the future development of Poly Network since we believe that we share the vision to build a secure and robust distributed system, the company said. "Also, to extend our thanks and encourage Mr White Hat to continue contributing to security advancement in the blockchain world together with Poly Network, we cordially invite Mr White Hat to be the Chief Security Advisor of Poly Network, the company added.

The company has now created a patch to fix the security breach that was exploited by the hacker to steal millions of dollars.

Source: Chainalysis
Video sharing website OnlyFans, known for hosting adult photos and videos for its creators, will now prohibit sexually explicit content from October 1st. First reported by Bloomberg, the company says it is making these changes because of pressure from its payment provider and banking partners.

 Reuters

In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines, OnlyFans said in a statement.



While content creators will still be able to post nude images, creators will now need to comply with the sites acceptable use policy. The website will make additional information available soon and added, OnlyFans remains committed to the highest levels of safety and content moderation of any social platform.

Previously, OnlyFans claimed it had over 2 million creators who had earned more than $5 billion on its platform. Last year, the platform generated $2 billion in sales out of which the company got a 20% cut in revenue.

OnlyFans has been trying to seek investors at a valuation of more than $1 billion but has been facing trouble finding investors according to Axios. The company has not been able to get investors primarily due to the nature of adult content shared on its platform. It is also worth pointing out that OnlyFans did not mention pornography in its pitch to investors.

 Reuters

OnlyFans saw heightened growth during the pandemic as content creators connected online with customers. During the lockdown, the platform was responsible for providing a livelihood to many creators who either lost their job or wanted a safer workplace for sex workers/porn stars.



This is not the first time a website has been forced to change its content policy due to a lack of investors. Verizon had to ban adult content on Tumblr in 2018 as the company was unable to attract investors at the time.

Apart from announcements regarding sexually explicit content, OnlyFans also published its first monthly transparency report for July, earlier this week.

Source: Bloomberg, Axios
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EGLE Clean Diesel Program Grants replace older diesel engines, improve air quality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 20, 2021

Irene Queen, Environmental Quality Analyst, Queeni1@Michigan.gov, 517-420-3230

Jill Greenberg, EGLE Spokesperson, GreenbergJ@Michigan.gov, 517-897-4965

Projects to replace tugboat engines, a forklift that operates adjacent to the Hiawatha National Forest, near the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Seney Wildlife Refuge, and older school buses have been chosen for funding under the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's (EGLE) Clean Diesel Program Grant.

Applicant proposals were rated on criteria that included reductions in nitrous oxides and fine particulate matter, both of which contribute to unhealthy air, greenhouse gases; also rated were the expected lifetime emissions reductions and lowest lifetime costs of emissions reductions. The four projects chosen total $366,150 and will replace older, highly polluting diesel vehicles with new, more efficient, and cleaner operating diesel and propane vehicles and engines.

"Health, environment, climate, and environmental justice are all affected by diesel emissions," said Elizabeth M. Browne, director of EGLE's Materials Management Division. The projects will "reduce exposure to harmful exhaust fumes and airborne particles at Michigan ports, near wellknown recreation areas, as well as at schools and municipalities."

The following were approved:

Luedtke Engineering Company, $165,372.94: tugboat engine replacement.

Livonia Public Schools, $73,529: diesel to propane school bus replacement.

Hopkins Public Schools and Allegan Public Schools, $72,125: diesel to diesel school bus replacement.

Timber Products, $56,124: Caterpillar forklift replacement.

The grants were available through the federal Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, funded by EGLE and the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Diesel Program. Twelve applicants requested a total of $1,299,831.

Due to EPA regulations, newly built diesel engines are cleaner than ever before; however, millions of older, dirtier engines are still in use. In the journey toward zero emissions vehicles, there will be a period of transition, where diesel and propane vehicles with cleaner technologies will be part of a bridge toward new technologies. EGLE's Clean Diesel Program will continue to incentivize zero emission vehicles, and next year's RFP will be focused solely on the replacement of diesel-powered vehicles with zero-emission vehicles and engines.

More funding is expected to be announced later this year for vehicle and engine replacements, and information will be posted to the Michigan Clean Diesel website.

# # #
AmeriCorps members help individuals prepare for and recover from disasters

AmeriCorps members help individuals prepare for and recover from disasters

After retiring Kenneth Marks wanted to find a way to give back to his community. He found it with AmeriCorps and served for a year. Then he served again. And again.

Marks is in his third year of service with the Together We Prepare AmeriCorps program through the American Red Cross. It was important to him to have chance to help those who are struggling. The Together We Prepare focuses on preparedness education for natural disasters, home fires, and more for people of all ages. He enjoys the chance to see how excited children are to learn about what to do in an emergency.

"I do not think we do enough to teach young people about the importance of service. I want to teach them how AmeriCorps can tie into their dreams," Marks said.

The program created a home fire campaign to give out smoke detectors to families, including bed shaker smoke alarms for those who are deaf. One of Marks' favorite projects was serving within a deaf school and having the chance to educate these students and give out bed shaker alarms.

In conjunction with this project, Together We Prepare also has Disaster Action Teams which assist those who have been affected by house fires, giving them access to blankets, water, and even Red Cross debit cards for finances. Something AmeriCorps member Emily Diller has enjoyed participating in.

Diller's traveled to Oregon to assist community members after the wildfires. She had the opportunity to help uncover vital lost items, such as medications, wheelchairs, and more. Having the chance to see the other volunteers around her and the impact they have on the communities they work with has been her favorite part of service.

"They go above and beyond, and I enjoy getting to see that side of it," Diller said.

To learn more about the service AmeriCorps programs are doing throughout Michigan and the positive impact that they are having, please visit Michigan's AmeriCorps website.
Michigan Formally Joins Historic Opioid Settlement

Michigan Formally Joins Historic Opioid Settlement

Lynsey Mukomel agpress@michigan.gov Attorney General

August 20, 2021

LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has officially signed on to a proposed multibillion-dollar national opioid settlement with Johnson & Johnson and the three largest pharmaceutical distributors in the country: Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen.

The historic agreement was announced last month and was the result of ongoing efforts to hold these companies responsible for their roles in contributing to the opioid epidemic gripping this country.

Depending on the allocation metrics and participation of local units of government, Michigan stands to receive up to nearly $800 million from these defendants over the life of the settlement, with priority placed on spending for treatment and prevention. Only the 1998 national tobacco settlement has involved more dollars than this proposed settlement.

The state deadline to join the settlement is Saturday, Aug. 21. Next, the defendants will evaluate the extent of state sign-ons and determine if they wish to continue the process. They have up to 14 days to do that. If the defendants decide enough states have signed on, then the process moves to the local government sign-on period, which is 120 days. Following that timeframe, the defendants will determine if enough local governments have signed on to move forward.

"Holding these companies accountable for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic has remained one of my biggest commitments as Attorney General," Nessel said. "Our official sign-on is an important step in the progression of this historic settlement. This funding would support ongoing prevention and treatment efforts across the state, and I have long argued that much-needed financial support should be coming from those who created this crisis-not the communities suffering through it."

Since taking office, AG Nessel has prioritized combatting the opioid epidemic. Most recently Nessel joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in February to secure a $573 million settlement with one of the world's largest consulting firms, McKinsey & Co. Michigan is on the receiving end of $19.5 million in that settlement. Michigan has already received approximately $16 million of this money.

Additionally, Michigan became the first state in the country to sue major opioid distributors as drug dealers under Nessel's leadership in December 2019. That case remains in active litigation. However, this historic settlement will resolve the claims against three of the four defendants in the case. The litigation against Walgreens will continue.

SETTLEMENT BACKGROUND

State negotiations were led by Attorneys General Josh Stein (NC), Herbert Slatery (TN) and the attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The agreement in principle was reached by all parties in October of 2019 and the parties have been working on the particulars of the settlement since then.

Funding Overview:

The three distributors collectively will pay up to $21 billion over 18 years.

Johnson & Johnson will pay up to $5 billion over nine years with up to $3.7 billion paid during the first three years.

The total funding distributed will be determined by the overall degree of participation by both litigating and non-litigating state and local governments.

The substantial majority of the money is to be spent on opioid treatment and prevention.

Each state's share of the funding has been determined by agreement among the states using a formula that takes into account the population of the state along with the impact of the crisis on the state - the number of overdose deaths, the number of residents with substance use disorder, and the number of opioids prescribed.

Injunctive Relief Overview:

Requires Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen, through court orders, to: Establish a centralized independent clearinghouse to provide all three distributors and state regulators with aggregated data and analytics about where drugs are going and how often, eliminating blind spots in the current systems used by distributors. Use data-driven systems to detect suspicious opioid orders from customer pharmacies. Terminate customer pharmacies' ability to receive shipments, and report those companies to state regulators, when they show certain signs of diversion. Prohibit shipping of and report suspicious opioid orders. Prohibit sales staff from influencing decisions related to identifying suspicious opioid orders. Require senior corporate officials to engage in regular oversight of anti-diversion efforts.



Requires Johnson & Johnson, through court orders, to: Stop selling opioids. Not fund or provide grants to third parties for promoting opioids. Not lobby on activities related to opioids. Share clinical trial data under the Yale University Open Data Access Project.



A breakdown of how the settlement money is to be spent on opioid treatment and prevention is available here.

A copy of the full settlement agreement is available here.

In addition to her legal actions against companies, AG Nessel serves on the Michigan Opioids Task Force. The group released its 2020 Annual Report in May, which noted opioid overdoses killed 1,768 Michiganders in 2019 - an average of almost five people every single day. If you or a loved one are in need of opioid addiction treatment, there are resources to help.

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Council on Climate Solutions to meet, discuss equity and EJ issues August 24

Council on Climate Solutions to meet, discuss equity and EJ issues August 24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 20, 2021

EGLE Media Office, EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov, 517-284-9278

The Council on Climate Solutions will discuss equity and environmental justice issues at its meeting next week as it works with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Office of Climate and Energy to develop an effective and equitable strategy to achieve economywide carbon neutrality by 2050 in Michigan.

When: 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, August 24. A draft agenda is posted online.

How to join: Online meeting link and phone number are posted to Michigan.gov/Climate (after navigating to page, click on "More About the Council" button).

Of note: Individuals needing language assistance or accommodations for effective participation at the meeting should contact Kimber Frantz at FrantzK@Michigan.gov or 517-284-5035 prior to the event to request language, mobility, visual, hearing, translation and/or other assistance.

Background: Fourteen state residents appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and representatives of several state departments make up the Council, with EGLE Director Liesl Clark as chair. The Council will advise EGLE in forming the MI Healthy Climate Plan, the governor's action plan to protect public health, create clean energy jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition toward statewide carbon neutrality.

Public participation in the planning process: Email topical comments to the council or its five workgroups: Council on Climate Solutions: EGLE-ClimateSolutions@Michigan.gov. Buildings and Housing Workgroup: EGLE-BuildingsHousingClimate@Michigan.gov Energy Intensive Industries Workgroup: EGLE-EnergyIntensiveClimate@Michigan.gov Energy Production, Transmission, Distribution, and Storage Workgroup: EGLE-EnergyProductionClimate@Michigan.gov Natural Working Lands and Forest Products Workgroup: EGLE-NWLForestClimate@Michigan.gov Transportation and Mobility Workgroup: EGLE-TransportMobilityClimate@Michigan.gov



Recordings of previous Council meetings and two public listening sessions can be accessed through Michigan.gov/Climate.

EGLE does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, national origin, color, marital status, disability, political beliefs, height, weight, genetic information or sexual orientation in the administration of any of its programs or activities, and prohibits intimidation and retaliation, as required by applicable laws and regulations.

Sign up to receive updates about EGLE's climate and Catalyst Communities initiatives at Michigan.gov/EGLEConnect.

# # #
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announces Wisconsin-based JD Castings expanding into Iron Mountain, creating 24 high-wage jobs

Governor Gretchen Whitmer announces Wisconsin-based JD Castings expanding into Iron Mountain, creating 24 high-wage jobs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 17, 2021

Contact: Press@michigan.gov

Governor Gretchen Whitmer announces Wisconsin-based JD Castings expanding into Iron Mountain, creating 24 high-wage jobs

LANSING, Mich. - Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined the Michigan Economic Development Corporation today to announce that Wisconsin-based JD Castings, a provider of casting solutions, is expanding into Iron Mountain, signaling continued economic recovery in Michigan. The project is expected to create up to 24 new jobs in Iron Mountain and generate a total private investment of $770,000 with the support of a $200,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant approved by the Michigan Strategic Fund. Michigan was chosen for the expansion over company's existing facility in Wisconsin.

"JD Castings' expansion in the Upper Peninsula underscores the strength of Michigan's business climate and will create good-paying jobs for our skilled workforce," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "This is great news for workers and their families as we continue our economic jumpstart and put Michigan back to work. With the help of companies like JD Castings, we can put Michigan first and build back our state's economy stronger than ever before."

Governor Whitmer is in the Upper Peninsula over the next few days meeting with businesses and visiting communities to hear from them and talk about her economic jumpstart plan that will put Michigan back to work with better jobs and bigger paychecks.

JD Castings, Inc. provides services for foundries that produce castings for the automotive, agriculture and industrial industries. The company is currently at capacity at its Wisconsin facility and is experiencing increased customer demand. The company plans to purchase a vacant building in the city of Iron Mountain to accommodate its expanded operations and allow for additional space for future growth.

"JD Castings is expanding into Iron Mountain because of the readily-available facility that will allow for significant growth in the future and the access to the talented workforce Michigan has to offer," said JD Castings President Rod DeClark. "The MEDC, Dickinson Area Economic Development Alliance and other local partners all provided support with the expansion, and will serve as valued partners as we continue to grow our team."

The project aligns with MEDC's strategic focus area of supporting an advanced manufacturing business growth in the state. In addition, the new facility will provide high-wage jobs to area residents, put a vacant building back into use, and brings an out-of-state business to Michigan. JD Castings provides health benefits, paid time off and on-the-job training to its employees, and plans to work with Michigan Works! to reach local talent in disadvantaged areas.

"We are pleased to welcome JD Castings to Michigan as they create 24 new advanced manufacturing jobs and tap into a robust, highly skilled talent pool that stretches across all corners of the state," said Josh Hundt, Chief Business Development Officer and Executive Vice President of the MEDC. "We appreciate the efforts of local partners in Iron Mountain to support this project and will work with JD Castings as it continues to grow and add jobs for Michigan residents."

The Dickinson County Economic Development Alliance has offered to support the project with staff time and resources. Individuals interested in careers with JD Castings should submit their resumes to jdcasting1@gmail.com.

"The Dickinson Area Economic Development Alliance is pleased to welcome JD Castings to the Iron Mountain community and we look forward to working with the company as they grow their team and expand into their new facility," said DAEDA Executive Director Lois Ellis.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state's marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan's economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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BIG RAPIDS  Everyone is encouraged to clean out their medicine cabinets and take advantage of free drug take back events at Spectrum Health Big Rapids and Reed City Hospitals.

Medication and needle take back events are scheduled for Aug. 24-25 at the following locations and times:

 Tuesday, Aug. 24 from 3-6 p.m. at Reed City Hospital Multi Specialty Clinic, 300 N. Patterson Road in Reed City.

 Wednesday, Aug. 25 from 3-6 p.m. at Big Rapids Hospital, 605 Oak St. in Big Rapids.

Items accepted include over the counter and prescription medication, liquids, ointments, inhalers, needles and pet medications. Full needle containers can be exchanged for empty containers while supplies last.

Sadly, and sometimes tragically, if people dont properly dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs, they can find their way to others leading to bad outcomes, said Scott Lombard, manager of community health at Spectrum Health Big Rapids and Reed City hospitals. We ask area residents to take advantage of this free, anonymous and safe way to dispose of their unwanted medication.

Spectrum Health Big Rapids and Reed City Hospitals, Ten16 Recovery Network and the Mecosta Osceola Substance Awareness Coalition are partnering to provide safe, convenient and anonymous opportunities to dispose of these unwanted items.

Naxolone (Narcan) will also be available free to community members after education about the overdose prevention medication is received. Naxolone quickly restores normal breathing to someone who may be suffering a life-threatening accidental overdose from prescription and other opioids.

The United States Drug Enforcement Agency advises the public not to flush medications down the toilet or throw them in the trash because doing so poses potential safety and health hazards.

For more information, call 231-592-4204.
MANISTEE  After a months long search, ECHO His Love has named Rev. Dr. David J. Carlson its new executive director.

Carlson, of Ludington, is currently serving as a U.S. Navy Chaplain in Okinawa Japan. He will begin work with ECHO His Love starting Oct. 1.

Carlson replaces current executive director, Robin Paulus, who announced in January that she would be stepping down after 15 years leading the organization.

The board of ECHO His Love has found executive director, Robin Paulus, to be a wonderful blessing in growing and moving forward this organization, said board secretary Michael Woroniak in a press release.

During her tenure, Paulus directed the organization through two name changes, expansion of territory, development of new programs and services, and several office and store location moves, according to a 2019 interview.

In this time I have met, worked, laughed, prayed and even cried with the most amazing people from our partner churches, community agencies, businesses and community members. Together we have fed, clothed, housed, supplied uncountable needs and transformed tens of thousands of lives, Paulus wrote in an email to the News Advocate.

ECHO His Love, a 501c3 nonprofit, began as Love For Children in 1992, with a mission to support the needs of families with young children in the county.

That mission expanded to meet the needs of all low-income residents, and in late 2005, the organizations name changed to Love INC of Manistee County. In 2006, the organization was expanded to serve Benzie County residents.

The organization serves from 1,200 to 1,500 individuals on average each year, and provides for some basic needs, life skills educational classes and winter shelter for the homeless.

In 2018, the local board disaffiliated from Love INC National, in part to keep local resources local, Paulus had told the News Advocate.

A new name with the same love  ECHO His Love continues the mission to mobilize area churches and transform lives by meeting physical and spiritual needs with the love of Jesus, Paulus had said. Our vision is to strengthen our community one person, one family at a time with love, hope and dignity.

With support from the board and various partners, Paulus opened the Safe Harbor winter homeless shelter, created the Faith Family Fashions clothing pantry, Comforts of Home furniture ministry, TENTS ministry, two resale stores and most recently the MANNA food pantry in Oct. 2018.

I know for certain the work done thus far through this ministry, during my time and through my predecessors, Karen Bruchan and Mary Ann Hagemeyer, have laid a solid foundation for the future, said Paulus. Who would have thought serving young ones as Love for Children would grow to ECHO His Love to all peoples in need throughout Manistee and Benzie counties?

Paulus will continue serving the 501(c)3 organization in a grant writing and fund development capacity, according to the release.

The board is thankful that Robin loves ECHO His Love and the community so much that she has continued in her role as we completed our search, and will remain until the transition is complete, said Sherry Pries, ECHO His Love board president in the release.

Paulus was also involved in finding the right person to carry the torch, and while several qualified candidates from around the United States applied, Carlson stood out from the rest.

The board graciously allowed me and core staff to be part of the search, Paulus stated in the release. I am more than pleased that the board of directors chose David. He and I sensed a kindred spirit-type relationship from the first time we spoke.

Who would have ever thought that God would call our new Executive Director from across the world?  I shouldnt be so amazed, because that is how God works things out here at ECHO His Love, but I am, Paulus statement continued.

ECHO His Love will use its annual fundraising dinner  tentatively scheduled for Oct. 17  as a way for residents to say good-bye to Paulus as executive director and to introduce Carlson to the community. Ticket information will be announced as plans are finalized.

To learn more about ECHO His Love, volunteer or make a donation, visit echohislove.org or on Facebook at ECHOHisLoveManistee.

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Some new changes at the state level will change how Huron County Friend of the Court operates in the coming year.

Ann Schultz, the Huron County Friend of the Court juvenile services director, gave her annual presentation to the Huron County Board of Commissioners at the most recent meeting, informing it of the current state of the friend of the courts programs and expenses.

The child care fund oversee services Huron County provides for youth involved with abuse and neglect cases or delinquent youth with mental health issues, substance abuse issues, not following reasonable expectations, or are trauma victims whose mental needs are not being met.

Schultz said that all the cases dealt with are for Huron County, even though some get placed outside of the county. The county currently has 35 youth who are either in foster care or a residential placement. Those placements cost between $100 and $300 per day.

Starting on Oct. 1, Michigan will launch a new program called Raise the Age, where 17 and 18 year olds will be tried in the juvenile system instead of the adult criminal system.

The history has been a 17 year old first time offender was put through the adult criminal system, Schultz said, adding the county is eligible to get reimbursement for this which would go towards the child care fund. On average, weve had 30 youth the last two years that fall into that age group.

Another change at the state level, which began in March, was that for qualified residential treatment programs, the state now requires an independent assessment of the youth who is going out of their home into a residential setting

Schultz said this process is part of the reason why Huron County is seeing longer detention stays for its youth.

The youth are going into placement with an identified treatment and coming home with identified support plans, Schultz said. This new program will be beneficial to us going forward.

One new pilot program as part of the truancy services is to early identify Huron Intermediate School District students who had missing assignments.

If they have more missing assignments, you can see their absences increase, Schultz said. Well continue to work on it this fall.

There are no other changes made to the home care programming, supervised parenting time, truancy, or intensive prevention services.

Youth in residential treatment programs are normally in their placements for between six and nine months, depending on their needs.

The goal upon completion of the residential programing is to return to their home, Schultz said, adding there may be times they will be in a foster home setting before returning to their home.

The funds overall budget remains the same as last year at around $850,000, but the funding towards home care programming has decreased by about $30,000, set at around $325,000. The rest of the budget goes towards taking care of state wards.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  The former school resource officer accused of hiding during a South Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead will have to convince a jury that he wasn't criminally negligent, a judge ruled Thursday.

Broward Circuit Judge Martin Fein declined to dismiss the child negligence charges against former Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Peterson, 58, had worked as a school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Nikolas Cruz, who was 19 at the time of the February 2018 shooting, has been charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors have said that Peterson failed to come to the rescue as Cruz was making his way through the schools hallways. The law that Peterson is accused of breaking specifically applies to caregivers, but defense attorneys argued during a hearing Wednesday that a law enforcement officer doesnt fit the legal definition of a caregiver.

Prosecutors are arguing that school resources officers are inherently different from other law enforcement officers and should be considered caregivers.

Fein ruled that a jury can decide whether a school resource officer should be considered a caregiver and noted that a jury instruction will be included to that effect.

Cruz faces the death penalty if convicted in the Valentines Day 2018 massacre in which 17 people were slain and 17 others were wounded. Cruzs 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.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Reports of targeted killings in areas overrun by the Taliban mounted Friday, fueling fears that they will return Afghanistan to the repressive rule they imposed when they were last in power, even as they urged imams to push a message of unity at weekly prayers.

Terrified that the new rulers would commit such abuses and despairing for their country's future, thousands have raced to Kabul's airport, where chaotic scenes continued unabated. People seeking to escape struggled to get past crushing crowds, Taliban airport checkpoints and U.S. bureaucracy. Video images showed crowds gathered in the dark outside the barbed-wire topped walls. Occasionally someone shot a stream of gunfire into the air.

What appeared to be American troops stood in the distance. In one dramatic image, a U.S. Marine reached over the razor wire atop a barrier and plucked a baby by the arm from the crowd and pulled it up over the wall.

Reports of planes leaving at least partly empty underscored how difficult it still is for people to get into the airport. In an indication of the extent of the chaos, the Belgian foreign affairs ministry confirmed that one of its aircraft took off from Kabul without a single passenger because the people who were supposed to be on board got stuck outside the airport.

Also Friday, American officials confirmed to The Associated Press that U.S. military helicopters flew into Taliban-held Kabul to scoop up would-be evacuees, and President Joe Biden pledged to bring all Americans back from Afghanistan  and Afghans who aided the war effort, too.

We will get you home, Biden said from the White House.

The Taliban say they have become more moderate since they last ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s and have pledged to restore security and forgive those who fought them in the 20 years since a U.S.-led invasion toppled them from power.

But many Afghans are skeptical, fearing that the Taliban will erase the gains, especially for women, achieved in the past two decades. Opposition to the takeover has included street protests  acts of defiance that Taliban fighters have violently suppressed.

An Amnesty International report provided more evidence Friday that undercut the Taliban's claims they have changed.

The rights group said that its researchers spoke to eyewitnesses in Ghazni province who recounted how the Taliban killed nine ethnic Hazara men in the village of Mundarakht from July 4 to July 6. It said six of the men were shot, and three were tortured to death. Hazaras are Shiite Muslims who were previously persecuted by the Taliban and who made major gains in education and social status in recent years.

Amnesty International warned that more killings may have gone unreported because the Taliban cut cellphone services in many areas they captured.

Separately, Reporters without Borders expressed alarm at the news that Taliban fighters killed a family member of an Afghan journalist working for Germany's Deutsche Welle on Wednesday. The broadcaster said fighters conducted house-to-house searches for their reporter, who had already relocated to Germany.

Meanwhile, a Norway-based private intelligence group that provides information to the United Nations said it obtained evidence that the Taliban have rounded up Afghans on a blacklist of people they believe worked in key roles with the previous Afghan administration or with U.S.-led forces.

In an email, the executive director of the RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses said the organization knew about several threat letters sent to Afghans.

A report from the group that was obtained by the AP included one of the letters, but the AP could not independently verify the group's claims.

Its not clear whether the reports of abuses indicate that Taliban leaders are saying one thing but doing another or whether they simply do not have full control over their forces. The scale and speed of their takeover seems to have challenged the leaderships ability to control their fighters.

Under the Talibans previous rule, women were largely confined to their homes, television and music were banned, and public executions were held regularly.

Amid the uncertainty, thousands have tried to flee the country.

Mohammad Naim, who said he used to be an interpreter for U.S. forces, has been in the airport crowd for four days trying to escape. He said he put his children on the roof of a car on the first day to save them from being crushed by the mass of people. He saw other children killed who were unable to get out of the way.

He urged others not to come to the airport.

It is a very, very crazy situation right now, he said.

A widely seen video shared on social media showed some of the chaos when a U.S. Marine at the airport pulled a baby out of the crowd. A spokesman from the Marine Corps, Maj. Jim Stenger, confirmed that the Marine was a member of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and said the baby was "cared for by medical professionals. The child was later reunited with its father, and they are safe at the airport, Stenger said.

It was not clear when the incident happened.

The United States is struggling to pick up the pace of evacuations. American military planes paused flights from the airport for six to seven hours Friday due to a lack of places available to take evacuees, but they later resumed.

So far, 13 countries have agreed to host at-risk Afghans at least temporarily, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Another 12 have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.

Biden's pledge to bring home all Americans and to evacuate all Afghans who assisted the war effort represented a potentially vast expansion of the administrations commitments on the airlift so far. Tens of thousands of Afghan translators and others, and their close family members, are seeking evacuation.

European countries are also working to bring out their citizens and those who have worked with them. But Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Friday that the country's military transport planes are leaving Kabul partly empty in the tumult.

Nobodys in control of the situation, Robles told Spanish public radio RNE.

Germany was sending two helicopters to Kabul to help bring small numbers of people from elsewhere in the city to the airport, officials said.

___

Akhgar reported from Istanbul, Santana from New Orleans. Associated Press writers Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Kathy Gannon in Islamabad, David Rising in Bangkok and Rod McGurk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.
With the popularity of vacation home sales skyrocketing in 2020 and continuing into 2021, homes.com ranked the five best places to buy a vacation home in the nation.

Two Michigan counties made the list.

Alcona County

Located in the Northeastern Lower Peninsula with 6 miles of Lake Huron coastline, it is the perfect destination for people looking for a home on a lake. The county is heavily forested by the Huron-Manistee National Forest.

Canoeing, boating, swimming, fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing are all popular activities for visitors. There are also more than 450 campsites available. And, Detroit is about four hours away.

It is one of the smallest vacation home counties, with 5,573 seasonally vacant homes that make up 49.8% of its housing stock. Even with the increased interest in vacation homes, with a median sales price of $150,000, the area boasts some of the most inexpensive vacation properties, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Oscoda County

Located on the northern side of the Au Sable River, you can beat the heat of the southern states if you choose Oscoda County as your vacation home destination. The river draws fishers from across the country due to its pristine habitat great for trout and fly fishing.

The county boasts the Huron-Manistee National Forests, Oscoda Beach Park, Clark Marsh and Turtle Marsh. You can hike, bike, drive an off-road vehicle, ski and horseback ride on hundreds of miles of Huron National Forest trails.

It is one of the smallest vacation home counties with 5,028 seasonal vacant homes that account for 54.5% of the housing stock. It is one of the most inexpensive vacation counties, with a median sales price of $107,500, and it's ideal for outdoor enthusiasts, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Why are vacation home sales soaring this year?

Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, explains: "Eight percent of all transactions were classified as vacation home sales in the latest data. Usually, vacation home sales would comprise 4% or 5%, so a rise to 8% is a meaningful increase."

One reason for this could be the rise in remote working. Another is explained by Matt Smith, a Midland realtor.

A big reason for what has driven more people to Alcona County and Oscoda County is the loss of the lakes in Midland County and Gladwin County due to the dam failures. Its not like those areas weren't popular before, but a lot of people are looking for homes on a lake outside of the area.

Additionally, in 2020, Michigan was one of the five states listed for having some of the top 10 vacation home counties by National Association of Realtors. The others were in the states of Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts and North Carolina.
DURHAM  After a more than two-year-long process, the Regional School District 13 Board of Education has moved forward with a draft plan to regionalize the schools, which will allow officials to eventually close John Lyman Elementary School in Middlefield.

A public hearing regarding the matter was held Aug. 11 at Coginchaug Regional High School in Durham. During the meeting, BOE Chairman Robert Moore detailed the process that led to the public session, according to the minutes.

He explained that, after several building studies, enrollment studies and projections, focus groups, a false start on closing Lyman a few years ago, and strategic planning effort, members voted to create a single educational program in December 2018.

In January 2019, the board voted to establish a district-wide grade configuration that did not include Lyman School. The savings from closing the building was then allocated to making improvements at Brewster Elementary School in Durham.

A problem arose when the bond counsel determined that the plan of regionalization did not provide the authority for the board to close a school. An amendment was brought to the public in 2019 and 2020 with language that would give the board power to close schools as well as other changes, according to the

The referendum was defeated in February 2020 and rejected in both Durham and Middlefield. An alternative was considered after the referendum failed  but then the pandemic hit, stopping the process.

During the budget process this spring, the board realized there were significant costs at Lyman and began to draft an amendment that would specifically close Lyman only.

If the closure is approved, the districts grade configuration may be reworked to include per-kindergarten to second grade at Brewster Elementary, third to fifth grade at Middlefield Memorial School, sixth to eighth at Strong Middle School, and ninth through 12th at Coginchaug Regional High School.

At the hearing, Heide Pizzo spoke about meeting with the town clerk and discussing the topic.

The town clerk told her that the number of houses being sold and new families coming in will affect the school district, according to the meeting minutes. Pizzo wondered how what the clerk said would impact regionalization.

Board member Robert Yamartino told Pizzo that multiple enrollment studies have been done, with the most recent being in November 2019. The study showed a slight decline in the populations of both towns. It also showed that from 1999 to 2007, roughly 60 new housing permits were issued per year.

This has changed to less than 10, with the last two years being six and four.

The study also looked at the number of students per household, looking back a decade or more. In that time frame, there were roughly 50 students per 100 households. In the last eight to 10 years, its been 32 students per 100 households.

The birthrate in the two towns has also dropped from 117 births per year in 2008 to an average of 77 births per year over the last five years, according to the data.

Yamartino also spoke about enrollment this year compared to 2004, explaining that one in three students were no longer in the district. During the 2019-20 academic year, 122 people left the district  the largest single year decline that has been seen.

Mary Johnson of Middlefield also spoke at the hearing, saying that if Lyman were to remain open, $2.8 million in repairs would be needed. She wanted to know why, and asked how much improvements at Brewster would cost.

Schools Director of Finance Kimberly Neubig said the district has not saved enough money to take care of capital needs projects. When budget cuts are needed, it is easier to cut capital projects instead of programming and staffing, Neubig said.

Closing Lyman will save the district $1.5 million a year, enough to bond $30 million in expenses, according to Yamartino.

Other concerns brought to the board include keeping the kids together from the start, having the high school draw people to the district, and why the district is having a hard time retaining students.

A referendum date is yet to be determined, however the board hopes to have the question on the Election Day ballot in November.

christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
HONG KONG (AP)  Hong Kong police said Thursday that they seized 195 million Hong Kong dollars ($25 million) worth of illegal drugs as part of a monthslong investigation, the largest seizure of the year.

Police said the drugs, including 148 kilograms (326 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine and 86 kilograms (189 pounds) of heroin, were uncovered Wednesday in an industrial building. A suspect was arrested and was due to appear in court Friday.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  Law enforcement officials have completed their investigation into whether a U.S. Senate candidate and former State of Alaska official illegally obtained a fishing license for a sportfishing event two years ago and turned it over to a special prosecutorial branch of the Department of Law, an official said Thursday.

Kelly Tshibaka, a former commissioner in the state Department of Administration and a Republican candidate for Senate, received the license during an event on the Kenai River in 2019.

Records show she received the permit in August 2019, eight months after she moved to Alaska to take the commissioners job, the Anchorage Daily News has reported. To obtain a resident fishing license, state law says the person must have lived in the state for 12 consecutive months before applying for a license.

Tshibaka signed the license application, acknowledging she had read the rules for residency. She also indicated on the license that she was a resident for 15 years, 8 months.

A person could be fined up to $300 for knowingly violating the law on fishing licenses, a misdemeanor.

After a thorough investigation by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers into the media reports regarding Mrs. Tshibaka the investigation has been completed and will now be reviewed by the Alaska Department of Laws Office of Special Prosecutions, Department of Public Safety spokesperson Austin McDaniel said in an email to The Associated Press.

When asked if it were unusual to involve the special office, he said in a follow-up email that law enforcement regularly works with prosecutors when building cases.

Due to the circumstances involved with this investigation, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers requested an independent review of the case by the legal experts at the Alaska Department of Law, McDaniel said.

Tim Murtaugh, a senior adviser to Tshibakas campaign, said she attended the 2019 Kenai River Classic in her capacity as commissioner.

He said her confirmation hearings were public and it was well-known she had just returned to the state.

The event organizers asked if she had a current fishing license, and when she said she didnt, they issued her one, Murtaugh said in an email to the AP.

The form was filled in for a license that expired after one day, going from August 22nd to the 23rd, which is only available to non-residents. This shows clear intent to purchase a non-resident license, not a resident license, he said.

Tshibaka announced her resignation from the state on March 29, the same day she said she would challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Murkowski, who was critical of former President Donald Trump, was censured by the Alaska Republican Party, which later endorsed Tshibaka in the race. Trump also has endorsed Tshibaka.

Murkowski has not announced whether she will seek reelection next year. However, last month Kevin Sweeney, a consultant to Murkowskis campaign, said she had raised about $1.15 million in the second quarter of this year and had $2.3 million on hand.

That, Sweeney said, strongly positions Murkowski for a reelection bid.

Murkowski on Monday declined to discuss reelection plans.

__

Associated Press journalist Becky Bohrer in Juneau contributed to this report.
Preparations began Friday on the shoreline as a hurricane warning was issued for southern Connecticut ahead of Tropical Storm Henri.

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for southern Middlesex, southern New Haven and southern New London counties. Tropical Storm Henri is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall in southern New England by late Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

The situation prompted Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday to request a state of emergency and partially activate the State Emergency Operations Center on Saturday. It will be fully activated by Sunday, he said. The station will be staffed by state agency and utility company representatives so they can monitor and manage issues that may arise.

The main threats from Henri are heavy rain capable of producing flash flooding, tropical storm-force winds along the south shore and east end of Long Island, and across southeast Connecticut, and associated marine and coastal hazards, including very rough seas and dangerous rip currents, the NWS said in a situation overview.

Eversource, the states largest electrical supplier, has bumped its projection for the storm from a level four event to a level three, meaning up to 49 percent of customers could be without power for up to 10 days, President and CEO Joe Nolan said.

This will be a very significant storm, Nolan said during a news conference in Hartford Friday afternoon. He said the path of the storm is expected to stretch nearly 170 miles from New Haven to Cape Cod.

Residents along the shoreline were preparing for the storm Friday morning, as Henri moved northwest off the coast of Florida.

We may get a storm, we may not. I need the gas anyway, WTNH Channel 8 news anchor Darren Kramer, a Madison resident, said as he filled two gas containers at the Henny Penny. Im a belt-and-suspenders guy. I like to be prepared.

The Middletown area is not yet at the level of risk compared to other parts of coastal Connecticut, Mayor Ben Florsheim said late Friday, following an afternoon call with state officials.

Still, he and others are monitoring the potential flooding of the Connecticut River at Harbor Park.

We anticipate heavy, heavy rainfall, which could cause water levels to rise due to recent higher-than-normal precipitation in the central part of the state, which saturated the soil, he said.

Florsheim expects to reconvene with state leaders and emergency management crews Saturday. Its a little too soon to tell how much preparation that means for us in Middletown, he said.

The emergency shelter will be on standby should it be needed, the mayor said.

The Durham Public Works and Emergency Services departments are preparing to respond to any issues presented by the storm, First Selectman Laura Francis said in an email Friday.

Guilford

In Guilford, Police Chief Warren Hyatt said his department is working with First Selectman Matt Hoeys office and fire crews to prepare their emergency operations center. He said police have their four-wheel-drive vehicles ready, and equipment on standby in case they need to block off roads because of downed trees, power lines or flooding.

Were making sure we have plenty of fuel  both for our vehicles and our generators, he said. Were also sending out information through our Facebook to just give the community a heads-up to some of the things they need to remember in a situation like this.

Hyatt said that includes avoiding fallen trees, not driving through standing water, and treating all downed power lines as if they are live. He said residents should notify the department of issues such as these as soon as possible so police can close the road or notify Eversource.

The weather report is changing regularly, Hyatt said, but, so far, the community should expect heavy rain and at least low hurricane or tropical storm winds.

A Category 1 hurricane has sustained winds between 74 and 95 mph, while a Category 5 is characterized by 157 or greater mile-per-hour winds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Thats going to be one of those minute-by-minute things that weve got to watch, he said. If it tracks further west, we may get hit a little bit harder with higher winds and heavier rain. If it tracks a little bit further east, I think those things may minimize a little bit for us. Were hoping it goes east.

First Selectman Matt Hoey said the emergency operations team met at 11 a.m. Friday to work on opening up the command center and to discuss preparing for downed trees and power lines.

Public works is on the ready, he said. They are prepared to bring crews in to respond. Our tree warden is already engaged with tree removal companies that we contract with for potentially using their services.

Hoey said Parks and Recreation staff are preparing to open up the community center as a shelter if need be, and he is also telling residents to remove their kayaks from Jacobs Beach.

At the community center, Director Rick Maynard said hell be ready as soon as he receives the directive to open. In the meantime, Maynard has filled the generators with gas and food and cots will be available.

Hoey said the fire department headquarters has sand and bags for people who want to put barriers on their property to prevent flooding.

Weve been through this deal before, and weve got a great team here who knows the drill, and is always ready to respond when the need arises, he said.

New Haven

Mayor Justin Elicker said at a Friday afternoon press conference that Henri was expected to be a Category 1 hurricane or a tropical storm when it hits New Haven, including two to four feet of storm surge, two to four inches or rain and wind up to 70 miles per hour.

At the time, it was headed toward Rhode Island, east of the city, but had been tracking westward, he said.

He noted the amount of flooding in the city saw during Tropical Storm Elsa. Henri may be worse, he said, given the timing of tides and potential for greater winds.

The Emergency Operations Center will open at 9 a.m. Sunday, including city officials and a representative of United Illuminating, he said. A shelter will be opened at Career High School beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday for residents in need, with staffers currently engaging with people experiencing homelessness.

I want to just remind people to prepare for a storm, said Elicker. Weve done this many times, but make sure if you have outdoor furniture, anythings around outside, bring (it) in your home. Make sure youve charged your phone, you have extra batteries, you have some extra water in case you lose power for a while; make sure you have supplies and check on your neighbors.

Emergency Management Director Rick Fontana said the storm was very concerning   a little bit different than the normal significant weather event, and edging closer to the city. A full complement of city staffers will be out to manage the situation as best as possible, he said, and the emergency operations center will be active.

But again, Mother Nature doesnt have any regard for public safety. This is going to be a difficult storm, said Fontana. Well keep our fingers crossed; well prepare for the worst; and well hope this storm doesnt impact us as other storms have.

City Engineer Giovanni Zinn reminded residents to never drive through flooded roads. People regularly total their cars by doing so, he noted, and the chance for downed wires, always notable, was more significant this time around.

Old Saybrook

Larry Bonin, head of the Old Saybrook Public Works Department, said he is reaching out to contractors to get logging equipment for tree removal, and calling lumber yards to get wood to board up windows at municipal facilities.

He said the town also secured the use of the Ocean State Job Lot warehouse parking lot for temporary storage of storm debris.

Tomorrow morning is when were really going to be in gear, filling sandbags, Bonin said.

He is especially concerned with the town-owned concession  The Sand Bar  at Saybrook Point, which they plan on boarding up Friday afternoon or Saturday.

Westbrook

Greg Prevost, technical systems supervisor at Valley Shore Emergency Communications, chief of Westbrook Ambulance Association and captain of the Westbrook Fire Department, said preparations are proceeding as they normally do.

All our equipment has been gone through, he said, including generators, portable equipment and apparatuses. Our plans our ready, and were ready for whatever comes.

Prevost said Westbrook is planning for anything  from nothing to Hurricane Sandy.

Its just a matter of keeping an eye on the forecast  depending upon where the track of the storm goes, Prevost said. If it gets closer, and were in the bullseye, then well obviously up-staff with personnel and everything. But well be prepared to go.

The entire area is ready for whatever may come, he said.

Were getting good with this, he said. Were getting hit, it seems, about every year, every other year, so we have a good routine.

Sarah Page Kyrcz, Susan Braden, Cassandra Day and Ban Lambert contributed to this article.
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP)  Two major airlines are offering flights from New England's second largest city to New York City.

JetBlue is set to restart its route from Worcester, Massachusetts to New York City on Thursday evening while Delta Air Lines says it will begin offering a new route from Worcester Regional Airport in November.
The Defense Department recorded five additional deaths of service members from COVID-19 in the past week, the deadliest for the U.S. military of the pandemic.

According to Pentagon data published Wednesday, 34 service members have now died of coronavirus infections, up from 29 a week ago. During the same time frame, the DoD recorded 4,156 new infections among U.S. troops, bringing the total for the pandemic to 222,138.

The military services have not yet released the names of the deceased, and it is unclear whether all the deaths occurred in the past week or were the result of delayed reporting to the DoD from active-duty, Reserve or National Guard units.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 333,000 DoD beneficiaries have contracted COVID-19 and 409 have died, including the 34 service members, 17 family members, 267 civilian DoD employees and 91 contractors.

Defense Department officials have urged personnel to get vaccinated against the virus but have stopped short of mandating the immunizations while they are distributed under an emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier this month that by Sept. 15 he planned to ask President Joe Biden to order troops to get vaccinated or would make it mandatory as soon as the FDA formally approves the vaccines' use, expected by the end of the month.

The deaths come as the Delta variant of COVID-19 is striking some states particularly hard. U.S. Northern Command announced Wednesday that five teams of military medical personnel are preparing to mobilize to support medical care in affected regions, starting in Lafayette, Louisiana.

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a team of 20 military medical personnel, including nurses, respiratory therapists and doctors, will deploy to Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center to bolster hospital staff caring for COVID-19 patients.

Read Next: Cost of Benefits for Post-9/11 Veterans to Double by 2050, New Report Estimates

"This is the second time Department of Defense medical assets have deployed to support Louisiana during the pandemic," said U.S. Army North Commander Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson. "While COVID-19 continues to challenge the community here and elsewhere in the U.S., we remain steadfast in our support of our local, state and federal partners."

As of Wednesday, 1.07 million service members have been fully vaccinated against the illness, or slightly more than 50% of the total force, including the Reserve and National Guard.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Aug. 10 that 73% of the active-duty force had received at least one shot and roughly 62% were fully vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that all vaccinated Americans over age 18 should expect to get a booster shot eight months after their last shot -- an effort to end the pandemic and save lives.

"Right now, our quickest path to getting COVID-19 under control, once and for all, is getting vaccines to those who need them as quickly as possible," said U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy during a press conference.

More than 37 million Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus and 623,956 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Within the U.S. military, 14 active-duty Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers; 10 Navy and Navy Reserve sailors; and five Air Force and Air National Guard members have died, along with the five who have yet to be identified.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: Marine Corps the Least Vaccinated Military Service, New Data Shows
The Biden administration is hoping to fly thousands of Afghan refugees, allies and American civilians out of Afghanistan daily before the end of the month. Yet the Defense Department has no plan to get people trapped in Kabul behind a gauntlet of Taliban checkpoints to the airport. Instead, it is zeroing in on military efforts to secure the airfield itself and not go into the city, which has been thrust into chaos.

The Taliban control all of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, where Hamid Karzai International Airport is located. It is the only functional airport in the country, and U.S. and allied troops have dug in to secure evacuations of what the Pentagon hopes to be 4,500 to 9,000 people per day.

In his first remarks since the Taliban laid claim to Kabul, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he could not help open a path to the airport using the military. I do not have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul, he told reporters Wednesday at a press conference with chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.

We will stay focused on securing the airfield, he said. We cannot afford to either not defend that airfield or not have an airfield thats secure, where we have hundreds or thousands of civilians that can access the airfield at will and put our forces at risk.

Austin suggested that forces on the ground could take military action, but did not go into detail as to what that would entail or what limits might be imposed on their combat. He emphasized that those forces are not equipped to go into the city and evacuate large groups of people ahead of the administration's announced deadline of Aug. 31 to withdraw from the city.

Pushing into Kabul could set up a fight for territory between the U.S. and the Taliban, who have otherwise ceded the airport for now and appear to be waiting out American forces.

Read Next: Air Force Reviewing Fatal Incident at Kabul Airport Where Crowd Rushed a C-17

Suhail Shahenn, a Taliban spokesman, told NPR that American troops and civilians will not be attacked. But U.S. forces are expected to complete their withdrawal by Sept. 11, and any further continuation of the mission could be considered an "occupation," he added.

In an interview with ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, clips of which were released online Wednesday evening, Biden said troops would stay beyond Aug. 31 if necessary to evacuate all Americans  but stopped short of making the same commitment for Afghans.

Were going to do everything in our power to get all Americans out, and our allies out, Biden said.

If the military can increase its evacuations to 5,000 to 7,000 people per day, Biden said, everybody will be out by the end of the month.

Biden differed with Stephanopoulos estimate of some 80,000 Afghan allies and their families who need evacuation, and said the administration believes there are more like 50,000 to 65,000.

Biden said he is committed to get everyone out that, in fact, we can get out and everyone who should come out.

If not all evacuations are done by Aug. 31, he said, well determine at the time whos left. If any Americans remain behind, Biden said, troops will stay until they are out.

The stalemate at the airport, with the Taliban preventing people from getting in and U.S. forces keeping people out, unfolded as blame for the rapid takeover of Afghanistan by an enemy American troops have fought for two decades was being assigned in Washington.

The Pentagon did not expect the Afghan government to crumble so quickly. The Biden administration projected many scenarios where the Taliban conquered the country, but no officials seem to have foreseen how quickly Afghan security forces would surrender, effectively erasing the U.S. war effort in weeks.

Still, Milley told reporters Wednesday that now is not the time to analyze military and White House failures, delaying a reckoning until some time later. He said troops are in a dangerous faceoff with the Taliban.

"The time frame of a rapid collapse ranged from weeks, months and even years following our departure, he said. There was nothing I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and government in 11 days."

"Right now, we have to focus on this mission because we have soldiers at risk and we also have American civilians and Afghans who supported us for 20 years at risk, he added. This is personal."

As of Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. has amassed a force of 4,500 troops, all at the Kabul airport. That includes two Marine battalions, one battalion from the Minnesota Army National Guard, three from the 82nd Airborne Division, and one from the 10th Mountain Division.

In total, Milley said there are some 20 companies on the ground ready to fight. On top of ground forces, he said there are "multiple squadrons" of combat aircraft, including F-18s, AC-130 gunships, B-52 Stratofortress bombers, F-16 Fighting Falcons and drones.

President Joe Biden has authorized as many as 6,000 ground forces. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said earlier on Wednesday that a few hundred extra troops are expected to arrive within the next 24 hours.

Foreign forces, including Turkish, French and British troops, are backing up the U.S. in securing the airfield, which both Milley and Austin described as the top security priority in the country. Without the airfield, there can be no evacuations, and American civilians and Afghan allies likely would be trapped in what has become a nation ruled by the Taliban.

Roughly 600 Afghan troops, who may be the last remnants of that military who refused to surrender to the Taliban, also are holding their ground at the airfield. Kirby did not offer any clear plan to get those soldiers into the U.S. when asked by reporters.

Milley noted that a "variety of special operations units" are on the ground, to include special forces from allied counties such as the United Kingdom. Special operations forces are rarely deployed just to secure a perimeter, although any missions into Kabul could upend the status quo that has created some level of calm in the city.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesperson, said at a press conference Monday that the Afghans who fought against the Taliban or aligned with the U.S. and its coalition partners will be forgiven. Yet the city is laced with Taliban checkpoints, and there are reports of Afghans being beaten as they attempt to make their way to the airport.

On Capitol Hill, there's widespread bipartisan fury over what is almost universally seen as an abysmal exit from Afghanistan as most U.S. troops were removed from the country before civilian evacuations could take place.

"I am disappointed that the Biden administration clearly did not accurately assess the implications of a rapid U.S. withdrawal, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in a statement Tuesday. We are now witnessing the horrifying results of many years of policy and intelligence failures.

Menendez placed some of the blame with President Donald Trump's "inadequate agreement" with the Taliban, but said the current quagmire is the result of two decades of bipartisan failure. He added that he is launching a congressional investigation into the failed exit. The Trump administration had reached a deal including a ceasefire with the Taliban that stipulated that U.S. forces pull out of the country by May 1 and release prisoners of war in exchange for the Taliban not allowing Afghanistan to be used as a hub for terrorism, a deadline Biden initially extended to Sept. 11 before scaling back to the end of August.

"The committee will seek a full accounting for these shortcomings as well as assess why the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces collapsed so quickly," Menendez said. "Congress was told repeatedly that the Afghan Defense and Security Forces were up to the task, that it had the troops, equipment and willingness to fight. To see this army dissolve so quickly after billions of dollars in U.S. support is astounding."

Scorn from Democrats potentially sets up Biden's first serious bout with his own party, which has previously been mostly supportive of his agenda.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., chair of the Armed Services Committee, said that committee will also hold hearings on "what went wrong in Afghanistan and lessons learned to avoid repeating those mistakes."

"There are no easy answers to how we got here," Reed said in a statement Tuesday. "I would argue that several factors... [including] a disastrous pivot to a war of choice in Iraq; a failure to have an effective policy to deal with a duplicitous Pakistan; a failure of mission creep from counter-terrorism; and a lack of ability to build an effective Afghan government and security forces."

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: 'We've Abandoned the People Who Helped Us': Vets Grapple with Emotions over the Fall of Afghanistan
The U.S. government has filed a motion to dismiss Bowe Bergdahl's petition to have his military conviction and sentence overturned.

Attorneys with the Justice Department's civil division filed a motion Aug. 2 asking U.S. District Court Senior Judge Reggie Walton to throw out the case of the former Army sergeant, who pleaded guilty in 2017 to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy after leaving his post in Afghanistan in June 2009.

Bergdahl was a private first class on July 30, 2009, stationed at Observation Post Mest, Afghanistan. Assigned to guard duty the following day and a convoy to a nearby forward operating base, he left the post. He later said that he wanted to call attention to poor leadership in his unit and his observations of the situation in Afghanistan.

He was captured by the Taliban and held captive for five years. His departure from the remote observation base set off a massive search-and-rescue mission that involved thousands of U.S. troops, some of whom were injured in the effort.

Bergdahl has been back in the headlines since the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan. One of the leaders allegedly responsible for orchestrating the takeover, Khairullah Khairkhwa, was one of five prisoners freed from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and exchanged for Bergdahl's release in 2014, various media outlets have reported.

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Bergdahl first appealed his case in 2019, arguing that negative remarks made by President Donald Trump and Sen. John McCain constituted unlawful command influence and may have unfairly swayed the court-martial proceedings.

In a 3-2 decision in August 2020, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces upheld his conviction, saying the comments did not invalidate his prosecution and pointing out that he had pleaded guilty.

Bergdahl then filed a suit this past February in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking to have his case overturned.

In requesting that the case be dismissed, Julia Heiman, senior counsel for the Justice Department, argued that the military courts have "exhaustively considered" the unlawful command influence issue.

Heiman noted that Bergdahl raised the issue of unlawful command influence three times during court-martial proceedings and at least five times during his appeal.

"It would be an understatement to say that the military courts 'fully' considered plaintiff's claims of unlawful command influence," she wrote in the motion to dismiss.

Bergdahl also argued that the judge in the original case, Jeffrey Nance, should have recused himself from the court-martial because he had applied for a job with the Justice Department as an immigration judge.

But Heiman said that point was moot because Bergdahl waited two years after Nance was employed as an immigration attorney in Trump's Justice Department to raise the issue in his defense.

According to court documents, several soldiers were injured in the massive manhunt that ensued following Bergdahl's capture by the Taliban, including Cpl. Jonathan Morita, who was shot in the hand with a rocket-propelled grenade; Senior Chief James Hatch, who was shot in the leg with an AK-47; and Master Sgt. Mark Allen, who died in 2009 as the result of his wounds during the search, having been shot in the head.

Bergdahl's attorney, Eugene Fidell, declined to comment on the most recent filing. Bergdahl has until Oct. 4 to respond to the Justice Department's motion to dismiss.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: Court Upholds Bowe Bergdahl's Sentence Despite Trump 'Dirty Traitor' Comments
A man was arrested Thursday and accused of unlawfully entering Fort Drum in New York, where he allegedly injured a soldier while stealing a Humvee, according to law enforcement.

Nathan McElhone, 46, is accused of sneaking onto the base, which is home to the 10th Mountain Division, at 5 a.m. Authorities say he drove to an M4 carbine firing range and stole a Humvee. A soldier was injured after confronting him, they added.

The soldier's injuries were minor and did not warrant medical attention, a spokesperson with the New York State Police told Military.com.

McElhone faces charges of robbery, reckless endangerment, criminal possession of stolen property and criminal trespassing.

Theft of military vehicles is relatively rare, although they do not require keys to operate and can easily be turned on with a flip of a switch. In January, a Humvee was stolen from a National Guard facility in California. Authorities quickly recovered it after it was abandoned. But the military has lost at least 1,900 weapons over the past decade, some subsequently used in crimes.

McElhone was detained by a group of soldiers and turned over to Fort Drum military police. He also was found to be in possession of stolen military property, including targets for marksmanship training and a wooden shelf.

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He remains in custody of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office without bail.

The New York State Police was assisted in the investigation by Fort Drum's military police and federal police.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Army Gives Colonel Facing Kidnapping and Assault Charges After Police Standoff an Honorable Discharge
In a notice recently sent to schools, the Department of Veterans Affairs is looking for more than 115,000 veterans who may be owed refunds of up to $2,700 for their GI Bill contributions. That means more than $300 million belonging to veterans could currently be unclaimed.

The Veterans Educational Assistance Program, or VEAP, was a precursor to the Montgomery GI Bill and was available to active-duty military members who served from Jan. 1, 1977, through June 30, 1985.

The VEAP program required participants to contribute up to $2,700 of their own money to the program, which the government then would match with $2 for every $1 a service member contributed.

Details on the VEAP program.

However, veterans who participated in the VEAP program and used only a portion of their GI Bill -- or who didn't use it at all -- may be due a refund of their original $2,700 contribution or of the unused portion of it. Since the VEAP program closed to new participants in 1985, the VA may be attempting to close out the program, which hasnt paid out any benefits in a number of years.

The VA is trying to locate veterans who may be eligible for the refunds. The next-of-kin also may receive the refund if the veteran is no longer living. The letter notifying schools of the refunds was posted to social media.

Veterans who believe they may be eligible for a refund of their VEAP contributions should contact the GI Bill hotline at 888-442-4551 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central time. Veterans living overseas should call 001-918-781-5678 for assistance. There is no deadline for claiming the unused funds.

Vets also may contact the VA online via the GI Bill Help Portal for assistance.

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Say what you want about Steven Seagal. The 1992 film Under Siege might be one of the best Navy movies ever made and maybe one of the Navy's greatest recruiting tools -- even if its not the most accurate.

No, there is no volleyball in 'Under Siege.' (Paramount Pictures)

For anyone who doesnt remember or never knew the apex of Seagals film career, Under Siege is best described as Die Hard on a boat. But for all the knockoffs that came in the wake of Die Hard, this movie and its two Academy Award nominations stands tall on the quarterdeck.

Seagal plays Casey Ryback, the cook aboard the battleship USS Missouri. As the Missouri makes its way to California to be decommissioned, its taken over by mercenaries led by an ex-CIA operative. They quickly discover Ryback is more than a cook; hes a former Navy SEAL.

The mercenaries imprison the crew while trying to offload nuclear-armed Tomahawk missiles so they can sell them to North Korea. During the attempt, Ryback (spoiler alert) kills them all with the help of Miss July 1989.

One of these two is a stone-cold killer. The other is Steven Seagal. (Warner Bros.)

Seagal might be missing his trademark ponytail, but no ones hair is in regs. Heres why Navy recruiters should be handing out free copies anyway.

1. Theres a lot of beautiful Navy footage.

Sure, battleships arent out roaming the seas anymore, but that doesnt mean they arent awesome to look at. Even though some of the footage isnt the Missouri (most of the film features the South Dakota-class USS Alabama standing in for Missouri), the filmmakers got some majestic battleship shots, so you can still get an appreciation for these monsters. The opening credits sequence is basically a Navy commercial.

Viewers also get a good look at naval aviation in the form of an FA/18, a CH-46 Sea Knight carrying a team of SEALs and the badass raw power of the Navy's CIWS, Harpoon missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles at work. They even get a taste of the battleships 16-inch guns firing on terrorists.

2. It reminds us of the Navys World War II days.

At the beginning of the movie, the filmmakers recorded a speech from President George H.W. Bush commemorating the battleships long service to the Navy at Pearl Harbor. In the background, the USS Arizona memorial can be seen, along with numerous ships manning the rails for the battleships.

U.S. Sailors man the rails aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz as the ship prepares to moor at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.(U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Cole Schroeder)

There are even World War II veterans aboard the ship, visitors who somehow managed to go undetected by the mercenaries. A salty old gunners mate even teaches the loose crewmembers how to fire the Missouris guns.

That World War II veteran has a game face for the ages. (Warner Bros.)

3. The movie outright quotes a Navy recruiting slogan.

Somewhere in the course of the film, Seagal and his band of rescued sailors acquire enough weapons to try to retake the ship. One of them was hesitant to take up arms, telling Seagal he was ironing during the Gulf War and isnt cut out for combat. Seagal replies, Youre in the Navy. Its not just a job, its an adventure.

Its not just a job, its an adventure was the Navys longest-running recruiting slogan. First coined in 1976, the phrase came about because the draft was gone and the Navy needed to entice volunteer recruits. It ran until 1986 but was still memorable. By the time the movie was released, the Navy was using the slogan, You and the Navy Full Speed Ahead.

4. Under Siege is full of historical easter eggs.

The opening credit sequence where President Bush gives his speech at Pearl Harbor covers a real speech, but comes in the context of a fake newscast created by the filmmakers to explain the power of the USS Missouri. It covers the Iowa-class battleships trial by fire in WWII and explains how they served through the 1990-1991 Gulf War.

Later in the film, an F/A-18 flies by the battleship when it stops responding via radio. In the background, radio chatter can be heard. This is actually real Navy radio chatter from the United States F-14s attacking Libyan aircraft in January 1989. It also describes how Navy SEALs were tasked with taking airports in Panama, a job usually reserved for the Army.

14 SEALs (SEAL Team Four) from Operation Just Cause, Panama, 1989. Steven Seagal's character Casey Ryback was a SEAL in Panama before he became a cook. (U.S. Navy SEAL Museum)

5. It shows real changes in Navy policies regarding nuclear weapons.

In Under Siege, the Missouri is ferrying nuclear-armed Tomahawk missiles to California, which is central to the movies plot, but it also reflects the reality of post-Cold War politics. In 1991, President Bush ordered that all surface ships in the U.S. Navy no longer could carry nuclear weapons. Accidents happen aboard surface ships, and the policy was intended to mitigate the risks to those weapons.

The last nuclear weapon aboard a surface ship was offloaded in 1992. Ballistic missile submarines still carry nuclear missiles, but the risk of accidents is far less aboard a sub.

6. The Navy gets all the credit. For everything.

Navy SEALs and naval aviators notwithstanding, the rest of the Navy generally doesnt get credit for being hardasses outside of World War II movies. But aside from the fact that Seagals character is a SEAL, regular Navy sailors come out looking pretty good, even when held captive for most of the movie. When theyre finally freed, they look ready to come out shooting and retake the ship.

Good shootin' there, chief. (Warner Bros.)

To top it all off, the Marines in Under Siege dont fare too well. One Marine Corps private first class gets disrespected by everyone until mercenaries kill him. The rest get tossed around like sacks of potatoes, which is not the usual treatment Hollywood gives Marines. No one is going across the street to the Marine Corps recruiter after watching this.

Seriously, Marines look really bad in this movie. (Warner Bros.)

The Navy makes the CIA look like a bunch of scheming tools, the Marines look like bumbling goobers and hired mercenaries look like amateurs. Even the Navys laundry sailors can turn into badasses with just a little inspiration.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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By the time Army spouse Ashlyn Drake discovered she was a victim of a scam, her bank account was $15,000 in the red.

Drake, who has been a military spouse since 2015, said she was looking for a flexible, work-from-home job to help support her family after they had moved to Alaska. What she found was anything but.

"I decided I wanted to help our family bring in a second income while still being able to stay home with our kids," she wrote on the GoFundMe page she created, asking for help. "I thought this job was going to be perfect for me and also be perfect for our family in the end."

Drake saw what she thought would be the perfect job, posted in a Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Facebook group. The position stated that it was an online and work-from-home job with flexible hours, no location restrictions and a starting pay of $15 per hour.

The company, Mercer Consulting Limited, said that after completing training, the pay increased to $20 an hour with a maximum amount of 45 hours per week. Drake had a conversation with the hiring manager through Facebook Messenger.

Drake was sent checks to purchase office supplies for the job, she said, and when she talked to the hiring manager about what kind of supplies, she was shown a photo of them. She then was expected to transfer money to other places, and when she asked her contact about that, she was reassured that it was standard.

"Once those funds hit my account, I would then mail off the money from these checks in the form of money orders, cash or even through money apps," she said in an interview with Military.com.

And that's when things started to go downhill.

Just a few days later, her bank account with USAA was locked down. She was told the checks were forged and a scam. She messaged the person who posted the job, and they denied the scam. Drake later found out that the person who posted the job, did so from a hacked Facebook account and has posted the same scam in many spouse groups.

The Drakes are now $15,000 in debt, and she said USAA expects it to be paid back in 60 days.

"They offered zero help to us and said there was nothing they could do to help get our money back," she said. "We found it odd that they allowed our balance to get to $0 and then into the negative, and not try and stop it somehow, especially since the checks I deposited were made available in our account immediately."

Officials with USAA's banking section said in an email that "there are many reasons why financial institutions may close or freeze a bank account," but said they couldn't comment without more information.

More millennials than older generations are falling for scams like this, according to The New York Times. And it's sometimes hard to tell if it's a scam until you're in it. A survey completed by the Better Business Bureau said 32% of people who were victims of an employment scam saw the job listed on Indeed, a popular employment website.

So how are spouses supposed to know the difference? There are a few key red flags, J.J. Montanaro, a financial planner at USAA. He suggests starting with the Federal Trade Commission's website for information on job scams.

"You've heard it before, but if it seems too good to be true -- no qualifications, easy money, etc. -- it probably is," Montanaro said. "The pandemic has made things challenging for a lot of families, but don't become a victim by grasping for a solution that is really just a scam playing on your fears."

He also encourages anyone who gets caught up in an employment scam to visit reportfraud.ftc.gov and get guidance on what to do next.

"If you're in the states, you should report the scam to the state attorney general," Montanaro said.

Drake said she's heard from multiple military and civilian spouses who have had something similar happen to them.

"Typing my story out makes me feel sick to my stomach all over again. I don't ever ask for help, I especially do not like asking for money that I can't pay back, but my family really needs some help," Drake shared on GoFundMe.

As of publication, they have received $1,685 of their $10,000 goal.

-- Rebecca Alwine can be reached at rebecca.alwine@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebecca_alwine.

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The Marlins are selecting right-hander Bryan Mitchell to the big league roster, relays Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Fellow righty Luis Madero, whose contract had just been selected on Tuesday, has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Additionally, infielder Deven Marrero has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Jacksonville, per the MLB.com transactions tracker. Marrero has the right to elect free agency, but hes previously accepted multiple outright assignments this season, so it seems likely hell again report to the Jumbo Shrimp.

Miami signed Mitchell to a minor league contract a few weeks ago, shortly after he was granted his release from a minors deal with the Phillies. Mitchell struggled to a 6.04 ERA with the Phils top affiliate in Lehigh Valley, but hes been far better in brief action in the Miami system. Since being assigned to Jacksonville, Mitchell has tossed twelve innings across five appearances, allowing four runs on ten hits with fourteen strikeouts and six walks.

That decent showing earns Mitchell his first major league call in three years. He began his career as a swing option with the Yankees, pitching with New York from 2014-17. He didnt find a ton of bottom line success, but Mitchell posted gaudy groundball numbers and showcased plus spin rates on his curveball. That earned him a look in the Padres rotation to open the 2018 campaign, but he only managed a 5.42 ERA with a higher walk rate (12.8%) than strikeout rate (11.3%) over 73 innings that year. Mitchell was designated for assignment before the start of the 2019 season. Hes bounced around on a few minor league deals in the years since but hadnt gotten back to the highest level before today.

Like Marrero, Madero has now been selected to the roster and designated for assignment four times apiece this year. Hes allowed seven runs over six innings between those big league stints. Madero has spent the bulk of the year in Jacksonville, working to a 3.07 ERA across 41 innings at the minors top level.
[August 19, 2021] A $5.8 Billion Global Opportunity for Aircraft Health Monitoring by 2026, According to a New Study by GIA SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new market study published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., (GIA) the premier market research company, today released its report titled "Aircraft Health Monitoring - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics" . The report presents fresh perspectives on opportunities and challenges in a significantly transformed post COVID-19 marketplace. FACTS AT A GLANCE

Edition: 9; Released: April 2021

Executive Pool: 2628

Companies: 35 - Players covered include Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance; Airbus Americas, Inc.; Boeing Company, The; Cobham PLC; Curtiss-Wright Corporation; Embraer SA; Esterline Technologies Corporation; Flight Data Services Ltd.; FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.; General Electric Company; Gogo LLC; Honeywell International, Inc.; Inmarsat PLC; Iridium Communications, Inc.; L3 Technologies, Inc.; Lufthansa Technik AG; Meggitt PLC; Panasonic Avionics Corporation; Safran; SITA; SKYTRAC Systems Ltd.; Teledyne Technologies, Inc.; United Technologies Corporation (UTC) and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Aircraft Type (Commercial, Business, Rotary, Military); Solution (Hardware, Software, Services)

Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; Spain; Russia; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific (Australia; India; South Korea; and Rest of Asia-Pacific); Latin America (Argentina; Brazil; Mexico; and Rest of Latin America); Middle East (Iran; Israel; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates; and Rest of Middle East); and Africa. 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 Aircraft Health Monitoring Market to Reach $5.8 Billion by 2026

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Aircraft Health Monitoring estimated at US$3.9 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$5.8 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 6.6% over the analysis period. Commercial, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 7% CAGR and reach US$2.7 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 Business segment is readjusted to a revised 6.1% CAGR for the next 7-year period. The U.S. Market is Estimated at $1.1 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $1.2 Billion by 2026

The Aircraft Health Monitoring market in the U.S. is estimated at US$1.1 Billion in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$1.2 Billion by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 10% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 3.6% and 5.9% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 4.2% CAGR. Rotary Segment to Reach $872.5 Million by 2026

In the global Rotary segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 5.2% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$466.5 Million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$665.9 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$117.5 Million by the year 2026, while Latin America will expand at a 6.8% CAGR through the analysis period. 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:

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Info411@strategyr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-5-8-billion-global-opportunity-for-aircraft-health-monitoring-by-2026--according-to-a-new-study-by-gia-301358227.html SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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My partner and I had been manning our forex dealing room for a few months with little success when a game-changer arrived  the Reuters screen.

Hitherto, we had no way of knowing what the international exchange rates were, except by contacting an overseas dealing room through the telex, but now the rates were right in front of us, live and up-to-the-second, on the little screen.

We were not quite sure how to use this gadget or, indeed, what was expected of us.

The latter point was clarified soon enough.

The boss walked into our dealing room, pulled out his pipe, tamped tobacco into it, lit it, emitted a puff of aromatic smoke and said, This contraption is expensive. I want Rs30 lakh (3 million) profit a month.

We were aghast. Our monthly profit would break through the Rs5 lakh barrier on a very lucky month, but now this gora wanted Rs30 lakh!

I ventured to ask Why Rs30 lakh, sir?.

One lakh a day and 30 days in a month, got it? the boss elaborated.

But we work only 20 days a month, sir. On Saturdays and Sundays, the markets are closed.

Well, 20 lakh, then. Another puff, and the boss turned and left.

After this magnificent example of budget-making, my partner and I looked at each other and set to learning about the Reuters screen and what we could do with it. Things went quite well, profits rose, and soon we were nudging the Rs10 lakh mark. Things were going great.

Until the fateful day

My partner and I reached office to find that the pound had dropped below $2 for the first time in history after frenzied selling in New York the previous night. It stood at $1.997.

We both felt, quite strongly, that the pound had to bounce back. We decided we must ride the wave, and bought 3 million pounds against US dollars at 1.997 in the Singapore market.

To our horror, all day long the pound fell and fell and fell. We just could not bear to cut the position and take the loss  it was too big! Yet, the loss grew and grew and when we finally cut the position at 1.969 in New York at 7.30pm, we had lost nearly Rs5 lakh.

Remember, in those days Rs5 lakh would get you a nice three bedroom flat in Bandra, which could cost Rs10 crore (Rs100 million) today. Dammit, Rs5 lakh was the combined salary of my partner and me for five years!

That night my partner and I drowned our sorrows in a bottle of Old Monk. We were certain to be fired the next day.

The next morning, we were standing outside the boss office at 7.45, knowing that he came in around 8am.

He arrived, took one look at us and asked You boys want to see me?

We nodded.

Well, come in, he said.

Once the tobacco tamping and pipe lighting ritual was over, the boss looked at us and said How much?

Five lakh, I whispered.

Not funny, is it? he asked.

We shook our heads. No, decidedly not funny, in fact disastrous.

Well, go and make it up today. the boss turned and picked up the Economic Times.

We almost ran out of the room, not believing our luck.

Once back at the office, we looked at the Reuters screen. Pound was at 1.966.

We looked at each other, took deep breaths, and said, almost in unison Buy. We bought 3 million pounds in Singapore and sold them in London at 7 pm at 2.095. We had recovered the Rs5 lakh, and more.

That night, we hit the bottle again (DSP this time) and, in a drunken stupor, agreed that this hell or heaven business was not going to work. From now on, we would cut a losing position when the loss hit Rs10,000, no more.

Thus, was born our own version of 'Stop Loss' which served us very well indeed. In the many months to come, my partner and I never had a red number on our daily profit sheet. Eventually, we did reach, and sustain, the Rs20 lakh mark, which the boss, in his wisdom, had set for us.

Forgiveness was indeed heavenly!

The Caring Boss

I was a junior officer, staying in the banks chummery in Bombay when my mother died in Calcutta. I got the sad news at eight in the morning, and also the news that my sister would be flying to Bombay from Ahmedabad, with her six month old baby, in a few hours. I was to take them to Calcutta by the evening flight.

I went to office to meet my boss, the operations manager, to tell him what had happened, and also ask for leave.

He nodded, thought for a moment, and asked What will you do with your sister and her baby?

I had actually not thought about it, and all I could say was that I would pick her up from the airport and take her to the chummery to wait until it was time to catch the plane to Calcutta.

He said You idiot, have you any idea what a small baby need? Do you have milk in the chummery?

Before I could figure out what to say he ordered, Take my car, pick up your sister and take them to my house. My wife will look after her and the baby. In the evening, go to the airport in my car.

My boss cared!

Unfortunately, he did not seem to care quite as much for his wife, because he omitted to tell her that we would be landing up at her house.

Needless to say though surprised, she rose to the occasion and took great care of my sister and the baby the entire afternoon.
In a clear case of insider hand, Dr Jayaprakash Narayan, a former officer from the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) and founder of Lok Satta Party, lost Rs13.58 lakh during the second COVID lock-down when his mobile subscriber identity module (SIM) card was allegedly swapped. For the past three months, Dr Narayan has been running from pillar to post to recover his money siphoned off from his account in the State Bank of India (SBI) through 101 illegal transfers, mostly via unified payment interface (UPI).

Last month, the Hyderabad police traced some beneficiaries and had recovered Rs2,18,600 that were illegally transferred. To recover the balance Rs11.50 lakh, the former IAS officer has now approached the banking ombudsman of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

There are two things that clearly show insider hand in this fraud. First, Dr Narayan is an old-school customer and never used mobile banking app or internet banking. For each payment or money transfer, he uses a signed cheque. Secondly, he says his mobile SIM was swapped and then the fraudsters downloaded an app, obtained a UPI customer ID for Dr Narayan and transferred money from his account without his knowledge or consent.

All this took place when there was strict lock-down during the second wave of COVID-19. This incident took place over 21 days in May this year. Dr Narayan came to know about this fraud only on 31 May 2021, when he presented some cheques for withdrawing money. The bank official told him that most of his account was depleted. He immediately filed a complaint with the SBI branch as well as the Hyderabad police.

In his complaint to the banking ombudsman, he says, "In all my account history, there were never multiple transfers of money on successive days. In this case, there were 101 illegal and unauthorised transfers in just 21 days. These transfers were made all over the country. This was completely out of character, and is totally deviant of past history. The account is held by an individual, not a company. In my account, there were probably never that many transfers in any year, let alone in a month. And on several days Re1 was transferred first, presumably to test as a trial balloon, and it was followed by several transfers of large sums on the same day. There were as many as 22 such transfers of Re1 on each occasion. This is anomalous and the culprits were obviously testing waters. Despite these obvious anomalies, no red flags were raised in the bank's system, and my interests were not protected."

"There was no possibility of my complaining to the bank until 31 May 2021. My phone was hacked or SIM was taken possession of without my knowledge by the culprits. Despite my repeated efforts, the mobile phone service provider did not rectify the phone or detect illegal use of the SIM card or invalidate the SIM card. If the bank sent any messages regarding the withdrawals, they went to the criminals, who perpetrated the crimes. I had no knowledge whatsoever of the transfers from my account," the former IAS officer says.

Dr Narayan says, he has never shared his account details with any person and, since there was no electronic payment authorised by him and no payment app was downloaded or ever used by him, sharing of his payment credentials with anyone does not even arise.

"Technology is meant to protect the customers and facilitate easy transactions. If the depositor's money disappears without consent or authorisation, and for no fault of the depositor, and the depositor has to bear the loss, then the trust in our banking system will collapse," he says, adding, "The bank holds the customer's money as a trust. The bank has a fiduciary responsibility to safeguard the depositor's money. Out whole financial and banking system rests on this public trust and faith in the fiduciary responsibility of the banks. If there are any systematic deficiencies that cause loss of depositors' money, the depositors must be protected at all costs. The banking system must find answers, which will protect the honest and innocent customers at all times."

As reported by Moneylife, earlier this month, the Gondia District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directed the SBI to reverse the disputed transactions worth Rs18.36 lakh into the customer's bank account.

Read: Reverse Disputed Transaction of Rs18.36 Lakh, Consumer Commission Tells SBI ) Coming down heavily on SBI, the district commission, stated, "... it is a burden on the part of the bank and its employees to discharge their burden first then only can the complainant be held responsible for any alleged negligence. Hence looking from any angle, the opposite parties miserably failed to discharge their burden that the complainant was negligent." (

As per the RBI master circular on customer services in India dated 1 July 2015, point (iv) mandates that banks may put in place a mechanism for velocity check on the number of transactions effected per day or per beneficiary and any suspicious operations should be subjected to alert within the bank and to the customer.
The Hyderabad police on Thursday arrested Karvy Stock Broking Ltd (KSBL)'s chairman C Parthasarathy for allegedly defaulting on a loan taken from IndusInd Bank. The central crime station (CCS) police made the arrest after registering a case against KSBL on the basis of a complaint filed by the Bank.



Mr Parthasarathy will be produced before a city court later in the day, a police official told IANS.



In 2019, IndusInd Bank had granted a loan of Rs185 crore to KSBL on depositing securities and guarantees. However, the broking company failed to repay the loan. It was alleged that KSBL illegally transferred Rs138 crore to other companies.



Two other banks had also lodged the complaint against KSBL but, for now, the police have taken action only in connection with the case registered on IndusInd Bank's complaint.

HDFC Bank, in its complaint, alleged that KSBL defaulted on the loan taken in 2019. The stockbroking company had taken a loan of Rs350 crore against shares but only repaid Rs142 crore. HDFC Bank says the remaining balance loan amount of Rs208 with Rs38 crore interest remains unpaid.

As reported by Moneylife in September last year, a set of lendersHDFC Bank, ICIC Bank, Indusind Bank and Bajaj Finance Ltd had allowed Karvy to borrow money by pledging clients shares, putting the investment of over 90,000 investors at risk. (Read: How Exchanges, Clearing Houses, Clearing Brokers and Banks are Permitting Frauds by Brokers)



Last month, responding to a question on the Rs2,500 crore Karvy scam, Pankaj Chaudhary, minister of state for finance had said, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has already passed orders in the matter of Karvy Stock Broking and initiated action against directors and key management personnel (KMP) of KSBL. In addition, adjudication proceedings have been initiated against both NSE and BSE for violating provisions of SEBI circulars. This is in addition to the criminal complaints filed by the NSE and its declaration of the broker as a defaulter. Claims of investors have been invited through a public notice.



In November 2019, The SEBI banned KSBL over client defaults worth Rs2,000 crore. The company was banned from taking on new clients and executing trades for existing customers.



This followed an investigation by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) which found that Karvy had allegedly sold client stocks pledged with it through associated entities. The regulator had told depositories not to act upon any instructions by KSBL on the basis of powers of attorney given to the brokerage house in order to prevent further misuse of client securities.



However, as reported by Moneylife, even several months after its expulsion, there was no legal action against Karvy by retail or institutional investors. Mr Parthsarathy has been assuring people that the brokerage was close to selling its data management business, Karvy Data Management Services Ltd (KDMSL) and expected to raise almost Rs1,000 crore.



Some large investors contemplating litigation against Karvy were told that litigation and any coercive action would scuttle the deal and eliminate any chances of investors getting their money back.



Responding to Moneylife query about Karvy negotiations to sell the data management company, NSE had said, "Karvy has, for more than a year, claimed that they have finalised a deal with UK-based non-resident Indian (NRI) to gain full control of KSBL associate, subsidiary company KDMSL but we are not aware of the current status. However, NSE and other exchanges have monetised trading and demat accounts of Karvy. NSE, jointly with other MIIs (market infrastructure institutions), completed the transfer of the trading and demat accounts of Karvy to another stockbroker and depository participant, through a formal bidding process. (Read: Karvy Once Again Buying Time and Negotiating a Foreign Buyer for Its Data Management Business)



You may also want to read...

Karvy Once Again Buying Time and Negotiating a Foreign Buyer for Its Data Management Business

How Exchanges, Clearing Houses, Clearing Brokers and Banks are Permitting Frauds by Brokers

Karvy Default: For Once SEBI Acts Quickly To Protect Retail Investors Interest

Karvy Investors Start Receiving Their Money from NSE's IPF in Record Time after Broker Expulsion



Karvy Default: NSE Settles Claims Worth Rs2,300 Crore of 2.35 Lakh Investors; More Expected


We had mentioned in previous weeks closing report that Nifty, Sensex may continue to inch up. The major indices had rallied this but faced a correction and ended lower.

The trend of the major indices in the week is given in the table:

On Monday, the indices opened higher and closed with minor gains. On the NSE, there were 655 advances, 1,356 declines and 0 unchanged.

Tata Steel reported consolidated net profit of Rs 8,907 crore for the quarter ended 30 June 2021 compared to net loss of Rs 4,648.13 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year (YoY). Revenue doubled to Rs 53,372 crore from Rs 25,475 crore YoY.

SpiceJet consolidated net losses for the April-June 2021 quarter widened to Rs 731.12 crore compared to a loss of Rs 600.52 crore YoY. Revenue more than doubled to Rs 1,125 crore compared to Rs 521 crore YoY.

Future Retail reported higher consolidated net loss at Rs 1,147.13 crore compared to loss of Rs 553 crore YoY. Consolidated revenue grew 4% to Rs 1,406 crore from Rs 1,355 crore YoY.

ONGC reported consolidated net profit of Rs 5,985 crore compared to Rs 116 crore YoY. Revenue increased 73% to Rs 108,136 crore compared to Rs 62,496 crore YoY.

On Tuesday, the indices opened lower and ended flat. On the NSE, there were 680 advances, 1,322 declines and 2 unchanged.

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.

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.

On Wednesday, the indices opened higher but faced a minor correction. On the NSE, there were 689 advances, 1,325 declines and 3 unchanged.

Vodafone India is in discussion with bond holders to refinance over Rs 6,000 crore of debt that is due in the next four-six months, the company said.

The RBI relaxed restriction placed on HDFC Bank for sourcing of new credit cards. The restrictions on all new launches of the Digital Business generating activities planned under Digital 2.0 will continue till further review by RBI, bank said in the press release.

Hindustan Aeronautics placed an order of Rs 5,375 crore for 99 F404-GE-IN20 engines and support services with GE Aviation, US to power the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

Bharat Forge plans to enter the electric vehicle (EV) space with two-wheelers and three-wheelers in FY22, a top company official said.

The equity markets were closed on Thursday on account of Muharram

On Friday, the indices opened lower and continued to fall. On the NSE, there were 394 advances, 1,637 declines and 5 unchanged.

CarTrade Tech made a weak debut on the stock market and got listed below the issue price of Rs 1,618 per share.

The employees of Jet Airways have approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) seeking quashing of the NCLT's approval to the resolution plan of Kalrock-Jalan consortium.

Steel Strips Wheels confirmed export orders valued close to USD 11 million from Western Hemisphere. SSWL will complete their execution by December 2021 from its Chennai & Dappar plants.

Ashoka Buildcon has bagged order from Rewa Ultra Mega Solar for development of transmission system for 1500 MW solar parks in Madhya Pradesh for a contract price of Rs 186.11 crore.

Aarti Industries plans to demerge its pharma business into Aarti Pharmalabs Limited (formerly known as Aarti Organics Limited).
Weather Alert

...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT... The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality alert for Beaverhead, Carbon, Gallatin, Madison, and Park counties in effect until 9 AM MDT 9/1/2021 This alert will be updated again at 9 AM MDT 9/1/2021. An Air Quality Alert means that particulates have been trending upwards and that an exceedence of the 24 hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) has occurred or may occur in the near future. As of 1230 PM MDT, Particulate levels in Red Lodge are Unhealthy As of 1230 PM MDT, Particulate levels in Bozeman, Dillon, and West Yellowstone are Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups As of 1230 PM MDT, Particulate levels in Billings, Butte, Columbia Falls, Cut Bank, Hamilton, Helena, Libby, Missoula, Seeley Lake, Thompson Falls, White Sulphur Springs are Moderate When air quality is Unhealthy... State and local health officials recommend that people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly, and children should avoid prolonged exertion; everyone else should limit prolonged exertion. When air quality is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups... State and local health officials recommend that people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should limit prolonged exertion. When air quality is Moderate... State and local health officials recommend that unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion. For more information visit the Montana Department of Environmental Quality at http://todaysair.mt.gov
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Lansdale, PA (19446)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms - a few could contain very heavy rain, especially in the afternoon. Isolated tornadoes possible. High 72F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers during the evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
August 20, 2021

Britain Wants A Rerun Of The War On Afghanistan

Immediately after the Taliban victory an enormous dis-information campaign was launched to again badmouth them.

There are now suddenly all kinds of allegations that the Taliban are doing this or that bad. These are mostly based on hearsay and no or very little evidence is presented. Don't believe them without direct confirmation from original sources.

The launch of Amrullah Saleh and Ahmed Massoud as leaders of a new resistance against the Taliban must have been long prepared. One does not get op-ed space in the Washington Post and several big European papers just some three days after Kabul falls without some lead time and without serious 'western' backing.

While Saleh is an old CIA spy Ahmed Massoud has been prepared by the Brits:

After finishing his secondary school education in Iran, Massoud spent a year on a military course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.In 2012, he commenced an undergraduate degree in War Studies at King's College London where he obtained his bachelor's degree in 2015. He obtained his master's degree in International Politics from City, University of London in 2016.

The type of disinformation campaign combined with the well prepared launch of the 'resistance campaign', allegedly with SAS trained Afghan soldiers, and the regional op-ed placements let me conclude that he is run by the Brits. They are quite excellent in their 'strategic communication' disinformation business.

The conservatives speaking in their special parliament session were also the most angry about the outcome of their imperial war on Afghanistan and about their own inability to stop its end while claiming to be a 'Global Britain'.

As Richard Murphey remarks on Withering Britain:

This then is a massive moment for the role of the US in the world. It does not create a vacuum, but the risk that one might follow  which China will all too willingly seek to fill  seems very real at present. And where does Britain fit into this? In a sense it does not. The US did not consults us, and is still not apparently telling us what it is doing in Kabul. We were not a player. There was no special, relationship. Our opinion was not worth having. It did not matter to the US. The pretence is over. With that the vestige of British power, built on the coat-tails of the 1940s and the mutually advantageous myths formed since then, has gone. We are now just a rather remote, small, and fairly insignificant state who is just one amongst many. The delusion that we are otherwise has to go. But will the delusion disappear? Will we, with its demise, stop building aircraft carriers that were strategically useless decades before they were designed? Will we stop thinking ourselves exceptional? And will an England thwarted become ever more aggressive towards its last vestiges of empire  those states it subjects to its rule within the supposed United Kingdom, which increasingly feels anything but that? These are big questions. Only time can provide the answers. But I have a feeling that everything has changed. The image of British power has withered away. If all involved now deal with the reality for the these islands and their future that might be for the better. If at the same time we stop hectoring and abusing the world and actually learn to live with and work alongside it, so much the better too. But will we do that? Thats anyones guess. The wise will hope that we do.

That hope is, see above, in vain.

Stories about alleged Taliban acts 'against Afghan women' will now again get special features. Women have been used to sell the long war on Afghanistan since its very beginning. But how many women were actually killed by Soviet, British and U.S. bombs during the war?

On the abuse of feminism to promote the never ending war on Afghanistan, the badmouthing of the Taliban please read the excellent piece Afghanistan: The End of the Occupation which was co-written by a female anthropologist who has done field work there.

Posted by b on August 20, 2021 at 15:40 UTC | Permalink

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Ed Sheeran has announced his fifth studio album, '=' to be released on the 29th of October.

The album will feature 14 songs, which Sheeran said he cut down from a much longer list in a painstaking process.



The lead single Bad Habits became his 10th UK number one hit and spent seven weeks at number one in New Zealand.


Moultrie, GA (31768)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Widely scattered showers or a thunderstorm early. Then partly cloudy. Low 72F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Tim Fischer/Midland Reporter-Telegram

The Midland Health Department has counted 200 new COVID-19 cases in one day this week, according to an unofficial report cited by Midland Health Chief Medical Officer Larry Wilson.

The 200 cases are expected to be confirmed in seven to 10 days. Wilson said the health department is more than a week behind releasing official numbers. The last day numbers had been reported on Thursday afternoon was Aug. 9  139 cases, the sixth straight weekday with 100 or more cases in Midland County. Just in a two-day period (Aug. 8-9), the Midland health Department had reported 221 cases, which put the community on pace to record a seventh-straight week of increased cases.

Wilson said the 200 cases is concerning primarily because he expects 20 percent of cases on any particular day to become very sick in about seven to 10 days.

This is continuing to be a very difficult management issue for health services across both Midland and Odessa and in our surrounding community, Wilson said during a press event Thursday.

Other highlights from the press conference included:

- The number of COVID inpatients in Midland Memorial Hospital rose to 99 (88 active patients and 14 convalescing). That included 17 on ventilators.

- The number of patients inside the Critical Care Unit was 21 (10 active and 11 convalescent) and 14 in progressive care.

- The percentage of COVID inpatients that were unvaccinated was 88 percent and the age range was 19 to 91, but Midland Health CEO Russell Meyers said there was only patient over the age of 80 and two-thirds of the patients were younger than 60. This is very much a phenomenon of the younger and clearly the unvaccinated people in our community, Meyers said.

- Midland Memorial still has not had a COVID-related death involving a vaccinated patient.

- The seven-day COVID occupancy percentage at Midland Memorial topped 40 percent for the first time during this most recent spike. The occupancy percentage takes the total number of COVID inpatients (99) and divides it by the total number of hospital inpatients (233). On Thursday, that rate was 42.48 percent.

- The vaccination rate in the community remained below 40 percent (39.4 percent).

- With the arrival of state resources, MMH opened six more beds. Another six are expected when the rest of the 21 nurses and 10 respiratory therapists arrive early next week.
Sheriff's Office

An Odessa man was arrested by the Midland Police Department on Thursday and charged with harassing and stalking a Midland woman.

Blake Andrew Parks, 36, allegedly stalked the woman on several occasions from Aug. 5 through Aug. 9, according to an arrest affidavit. He allegedly repeatedly called, emailed, sent the woman videos and showed up at her home, the affidavit states.
Kevin Sparks is running for the Texas Senate. For those in Midland and Odessa considering a run, the bar has been set.

I was excited to hear that the Sparks family is again attempting to engage in representative government. His brother Jeff was one of my favorite councilmen in my 20 years of covering city government. We saw eye to eye on most things.

Will Kevin be the best choice for the senate? We will find out. The process typically does a good job of letting us know.

Heres what I am looking forward to as we start to talk about the person who will next represent Midland-Odessa in the state senate, beginning in 2023. I am a believer that Midland-Odessa is the capital of one of the most important oil patches in the world. For that reason, I believe Midland-Odessa has a greater stature that any other metropolitan area in West Texas. Political types have often taken advantage of Midland-Odessa by coming to town to take our money but dont think enough of our region to open an office here.

I believe the recent congressional race was a lost opportunity for our community. Texas Congressional District 11 was drawn specifically for Midland-Odessa, yet there isnt a Midlander or Odessan sitting in U.S. House, providing a best defense for the oil industry. Maybe Republican August Pfluger is worthy of the push House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy provided, but it was hard to understand that we  the voters of Midland and Odessa -- staffed out the defense of our interests to someone that few of us knew.

When it comes to the representation of District 31 in the Texas Senate, Republicans will go to the polls, sometime next spring. And voters from Midland and Odessa again will have the chance to pick representation. Will we again push the responsibility of representing the Permian Basin to someone who isnt from here? Will we settle for a candidate that doesnt represent our region when it comes to his turbulent relationship with the lieutenant governor (arguably the most powerful person in state government)? Will we be satisfied to again roll the dice on settling?

Some will call this regionalism, and they are probably correct. If that is the case, it is no different than the regionalism exhibited in the northern half of Senate District 31, where their newspaper takes direct shots at our candidates and where residents are emboldened to elect one of their own.

I would argue this is less about geography and more about protecting an industry with its most capable defense. Because the oil industry provides so much for our city, region and state, people from Midland-Odessa shouldnt apologize for demanding the best leadership possible in Washington and Austin. In this case, we should make sure there is at least one member of the state senate with a background in the oil industry, considering how much it benefits our state. People from the outside dont know our region like we do. It really doesnt matter what organization awards adorn ones wall.

Midland-Odessa matters. It is time voters recognize that. Those who are younger or new to the region, get engaged in what is happening. Do your homework, and then go to the polls. We might end up with a result that doesnt satisfy some of us, but it shouldnt come without a full-throated defense of one of the worlds most important energy-producing regions.
Blaine County public schools will start the year wearing masks on Monday after the trustees voted 4-1 to adopt a suite of COVID-19 safety plans during a special meeting Thursday night.

For now, the decision resolves a political flare-up around the subject of masks that saw more than 150 public comments for and against the requirement, and led the board to cut short an attempt at a vote on the plan after a group of protestors refused to put on masks during a special meeting at the Community Campus Tuesday evening.

As a result, Thursday's rescheduled meeting took place digitally, with significantly reduced public seating at the District Office in Hailey. Board Chairman Keith Roark, Vice Chairman Lara Stone, Trustee Dan Turner and Trustee Gretchen Gorham voted to adopt a proposal drafted by school administrators that, among other things, requires masks; Trustee Amber Larna voted against it.

The plan that will be in effect when the 2021-22 class year starts on Aug. 23 sees staff and students wearing masks indoors during the school day. Masks wont be required outside and will be optional for students and staff if the state Department of Health and Welfare deems the communitys COVID-19 transmission level greenits lowest risk designation. All parents, volunteers, vendors and outside members of the public would have to wear masks to enter school buildings.

The main reason for masking, Superintendent Jim Foudy told the board last week, had to do with quarantine requirements laid out by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If everyone inside is wearing masks, kids wont need to quarantine following close contacts with a COVID-positive person, he said; without them, they will, per those standards. Thats especially important this year, when twice as many students will be back in the classroom, making social distancing impossible, he said.

What mitigations are we okay with, knowing that without masks, when we quarantine, were quarantining whole classrooms and whole schools, Foudy said at the time. With face coverings, its only the infected individual.

If masks are worn, nobodys quarantined, he added. If theyre not worn, everybodys quarantined. Thats the tradeoff.

Quote "No matter how you feel about masking, I am not your enemy. This board is not your enemy. COVID-19 is your enemy." Keith Roark, BCSD Chairman

On Thursday, he reiterated the importance of keeping school buildings open in person during the year ahead.

"We're playing catch-up right now," Foudy said, citing stark academic slides exacerbated by remote and hybrid classroom models implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It's imperative that we get kids back in the classroom 100% of the time."

On that, the board--and most parents who participated in the debate--agreed. Otherwise, there was little consensus. Public comments, which were written and filed digitally in advance of this week's meetings, were split down the middle, both Larna and Roark said. The board was of two minds, too.

"We've heard [parents] begging us not to mask their kids," Larna said. "Not your kids--their kids.

"It's really hard for me to put in perspective why we're masking and no one else in the region is."

Foudy, relaying information from a meeting of medical professionals earlier this week, said that Blaine County--like Idaho as a whole--is in the midst of a spike in COVID-19 cases spurred by the delta variant. The difference, he said, is that the impact here is tougher to pin down, where positive tests from out-of-county or out-of-state visitors ping back to their hometowns, not Blaine County. Of the six most recent COVID-19 cases admitted to St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center in Ketchum, five were people from outside Idaho, Foudy said. That means only one registers on Health District charts as a local case, even though six people were sick locally.

"The caution flag was, whatever the numbers are, they're under-representing what's happening here," Foudy said of the meeting.

Both the CDC and American Academy of Pediatricians recommend that schools mandate masks indoors. But requiring them puts the school district once again on the vanguard of COVID-19 protocols in the area; though cities have discussed reinstituting masks to stymie the delta variant, no jurisdiction has returned one to law.

Larna, who represents Carey--the only city in Blaine County not to require masks during previous peaks in the pandemic--cited the lack of current mask requirements among local governments and other entities in her argument against the school district's proposed safety plan.

The remaining four trustees, though, didn't see the reticence of other boards to institute mask requirements as reason to limit how schools would operate.

"You can choose whether or not to got to a store," Stone said. "Our kids cannot choose whether or not they're going to school, and they cannot choose who they go to school with. We have a lot more choices as adults, and as a result, I think it's important that we do everything we can to protect [kids], and to keep them in school."

The policy will be in effect until further notice, Roark said. He plans put it on the agenda of the board's regular meeting in October. "At that point, I hope we'll have sufficient evidence to assess the situation," he said.

Protestors halt BCSD mask vote A Blaine County school board special meeting to vote on mask mandates lasted just minutes on Tuesday as a group of maskless protestors spurred

On Thursday, Roark told viewers that he didn't relish the decision to require masks--though, it was clear he didn't approve of the tactics and rhetoric deployed by opponents of mask-wearing earlier this week, either.

"We listen--we do listen," he said. "We just can't agree with all of you...What really bothers me is the rancor that's surrounded this issue. It makes me wonder what'd happened in the 44 years since I brought my family here. This was a community where we cared about each other. We disagreed, but we cared about each other. We were civil. We understood that you could disagree without being disagreeable.

"No matter how you feel about masking, I am not your enemy," he continued. "This board is not your enemy. COVID-19 is your enemy, and if all of us could join together to fight the enemy rather than ourselves, we'd put it to bed."
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Former Council Speaker Joe Byrd took his oath of office as the tribes first special envoy for International Affairs and Language Preservation at a ceremony in Tahlequah on Sunday. Cherokee Nation District Judge Luke Barteaux administered the oath of office.
Sen. Kim David, R-Porter, and Gov. Stitt held a ceremonial signing recently for SB 624, renaming a section of Oklahoma 51B in Porter as the Lieutenant Eugene Smith Memorial Highway. They were joined by Smiths children, Eugene, Mathew and Billie Smith as well as Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliott and former deputy Doug Grammar. Several of Smiths grandchildren and other family members were also present for the ceremonial signing. Also pictured are the bills co-authors Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman and Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow.
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP)  New Englanders bracing for their first hurricane in 30 years began hauling boats out of the water and taking other precautions Friday as Tropical Storm Henri barreled toward the Northeast coast.

Henri was expected to intensify into a hurricane by Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Impacts could be felt in New England states by Sunday, including on Cape Cod, which is teeming with tens of thousands of summer tourists.

Henri's track was imprecise, but as of 5 p.m. EDT Friday, the National Weather Service suggested it might make landfall first in eastern Long Island before careening further north. The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed on the storms track.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday urged people vacationing on the Cape to leave well before Henri hits, and those who planned to start vacations there to delay their plans. We don't want people to be stuck in traffic on the Cape Cod bridges when the storm is in full force on Sunday, he said.

Baker said up to 1,000 National Guard troops were on standby to help with evacuations if needed.

This storm is extremely worrisome, said Michael Finkelstein, police chief and emergency management director in East Lyme, Connecticut. We havent been down this road in quite a while and theres no doubt that we and the rest of New England would have some real difficulties with a direct hit from a hurricane.

Finkelstein said hes most concerned about low-lying areas of town that could become impossible to access because of flooding and a storm surge.

Thursday marked exactly 30 years since Hurricane Bob came ashore in Rhode Island as a Category 2 storm, killing at least 17 people and leaving behind more than $1.5 billion worth of damage. Bob, which left streets in coastal towns littered with boats blown free of their moorings, knocked out power and water to hundreds of thousands for days.

Large swaths of the Eastern seaboard were mopping up on Friday from the effects of Henri's predecessor, Tropical Depression Fred. In North Carolina, Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher said four people died and five individuals remained unaccounted for, down from around 20 people reported missing on Thursday.

The weather service warned of the potential for damaging winds and widespread coastal flooding from Henri, and officials in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York cautioned that people could lose power for a week or even longer. Authorities urged people to secure their boats, fuel up their vehicles and stock up on canned goods.

The system was centered in the Atlantic Ocean late Friday about 230 miles (370 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and about 615 miles (990 kilometers) south of Montauk Point, New York. It had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph).

A hurricane warning stretched across the South Shore of Long Island from Fire Island Inlet to Montauk, and the North Shore from Port Jefferson Harbor to Montauk.

The main threats were expected to be storm surge, wind and rain, forecasters said. Storm surge between 3 and 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) was possible from Flushing, New York, to Chatham, Massachusetts; and parts of the North Shore and South Shore of Long Island.

Rainfall between 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 centimeters) was expected Sunday through Monday over the region.

Henri was heading north Friday night, and forecasters expected it to approach the coastlines of New York's Long Island or southern New England by Sunday. New York hasnt had a direct hit from a major hurricane season storm since Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc in 2012.

At Safe Harbor Marina in coastal Plymouth, Massachusetts, Steve Berlo was among the many boaters having their vessels pulled out of the water ahead of the storm.

Its rare, but when it happens, you want to be sure youre ready, said Berlo, 54. Got to protect our second home. So thats that. Now I can sleep tonight.

In the Hamptons, the celebrity playground on Long Islands east end, officials warned of dangerous rip currents and flooding thats likely to turn streets, like mansion-lined Dune Road on the Atlantic coast, into lagoons.

Ryan Murphy, the emergency management administrator for the Town of Southampton, said that while the storms track continues to evolve, we have to plan as if its going to be like a Category 1 hurricane that would be hitting us.

The National Weather Service also warned residents and beachgoers on the North Carolina coast of rip currents and rough surf associated with Henri. Meteorologist Steven Pfaff of the weather services Wilmington office said swells from Henri were expected to create hazardous surf conditions beginning Friday and continuing on Saturday.

At the U.S. Navys submarine base in Groton, Connecticut, personnel on Friday were securing submarine moorings, installing flood gates in front of doors on some waterfront buildings, and doubling up lines on small boats, officials said. Families were being encouraged to watch the forecast and make any necessary preparations.

The Coast Guard urged boaters to stay off the water, saying in a statement: The Coast Guards search and rescue capabilities degrade as storm conditions strengthen. This means help could be delayed.

At the Port Niantic marina in Niantic, Connecticut, Debbie Shelburn and her employees were already busy Friday hauling boats out of the water and into a large storage building.

Basically, its become all hands on deck. No matter your position  mechanic, whatever  everybody is out there helping with the logistics of moving the boats and getting them secure on land, she said.

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Eaton-Robb reported from Columbia, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak in New York, Skip Foreman in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and William J. Kole in Warwick, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.
TOKYO (AP)  Japan's space agency plans to bring soil samples back from the Mars region ahead of the U.S. and Chinese missions now operating on Mars, in hopes of finding clues to the planet's origin and traces of possible life.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, plans to launch an explorer in 2024 to land on the Martian moon Phobos to collect 10 grams (0.35 ounce) of soil and bring it back to Earth in 2029.

The rapid return trip would put Japan ahead of the United States and China in bringing back samples from the Martian region despite starting later, project manager Yasuhiro Kawakatsu said in an online news conference Thursday.

NASA's Perseverance rover is operating in a Mars crater where it is to collect 31 samples that are to be returned to Earth with help from the European Space Agency as early as 2031. China landed a spacecraft on Mars in May and plans to bring back samples around 2030.

JAXA scientists believe about 0.1% of the surface soil on Phobos came from Mars, and 10 grams could contain about 30 granules, depending on the consistency of the soil, Kawakatsu said.

Tomohiro Usui, professor at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, said soil on Phobos is likely to be a mixture of material from the moon itself and material from Mars that was spread by sandstorms. Collecting samples from multiple locations on Phobos could provide a greater chance of obtaining possible traces of life from Mars than obtaining soil from a single location on Mars, he said.

Any life forms that might have come from Mars will have died because of harsh solar and cosmic radiation on Phobos, JAXA scientists said. The NASA and the European Space Agency missions focus on potential life forms and evolution of the area of the Jezero crater, believed to be an ancient lake.

By studying Phobos soil samples including material from Mars, scientists hope to learn about the evolution of the Martian biosphere, Usui said.

He said Japanese research on Phobos and NASAs samples from specific locations in the Martian crater can complement each other and could lead to answers to questions such as how Martian life, if present, emerged and evolved in time and place.

Last December, a JAXA probe, Hayabusa2, brought back more than 5 grams (0.19 ounce) of soil from the asteroid Ryugu, more than 300 million kilometers (190 million miles) from Earth, in the worlds first successful return of an asteroid sample.
Czech film festival to honor Michael Caine, Ethan Hawke View Photo

PRAGUE (AP)  The international film festival is returning to the Czech spa of Karlovy Vary after it was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 55th edition of the festival will honor Oscar-winning British actor Michael Caine for his outstanding contribution to world cinema at its start on Friday night.

Caine won two Academy Awards for best supporting roles in Hannah and Her Sisters in 1987 and The Cider House Rules in 2000.

He will also present Best Sellers (2021), a comedy in which he stars, at the festival.

Organizers will also honor U.S. actor, director and writer Ethan Hawke.

Actor Johnny Depp will present two movies he produced: Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan and Minamata.

Depps planned presence at Karlovy Vary and a decision by the The San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain to award the actor its highest honor in September have been criticized by British domestic abuse charities.

Last year, Depp lost a libel case against a British newspaper that accused him of domestic violence, with a judge ruling the allegations were substantially correct.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival runs through Aug. 28 under strict conditions for the visitors, who must cover their face with a quality respirator. They also need to be vaccinated, or have recovered from Covid-19 or have tested negative for the coronavirus.

The festivals grand jury will consider 12 movies for the top prize, the Crystal Globe.
BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  Gunmen ambushed a Malian army convoy in central Mali on Thursday, killing at least 15 soldiers, the army said, just days after another attack in the countrys north left several dozen civilians dead.

The soldiers had been heading from the town of Douentza to Boni when it came under attack by a vehicle that exploded as it passed, the Malian military announced. Intense gunfire soon followed, the statement said.

The attack has not been claimed, but bears the mark of armed groups linked to al- Qaeda that have been active in the region for years. Islamic extremists grabbed control of major towns across northern Mali in 2012.

A French-led military operation the following year dispersed the militants, but they have mounted frequent attacks against Malian soldiers and U.N. peacekeepers in the years since. Islamic extremists have also made inroads into central Mali, destabilizing the region.

France, the former colonial power, has announced it will withdraw more than 2,000 troops from its anti-extremism force in Africas Sahel region by early next year.

Islamic militants, though, have continued to launch devastating attacks, and hundreds of civilians have died this year in a series of massacres targeting villages along Malis border with Niger.

By BABA AHMED

Associated Press
UK watchdog probing why Plymouth shooter got back his gun View Photo

LONDON (AP)  A 22-year-old man who fatally shot five people in southwestern England earlier this month had his confiscated shotgun and gun license returned to him after he completed a program that aims to keep offenders out of the British criminal justice system, a police watchdog said Friday.

Police have said that Jake Davison killed his mother and four other people, including a 3-year-old girl, before taking his own life in the port city of Plymouth on Aug. 12. It was Britains first mass shooting in over a decade.

He started participating in the voluntary Pathfinder program, an alternative to being charged or given an official caution, after admitting assaulting two youths in a Plymouth park in September 2020.

His shotgun and license to own it were confiscated in December while he was taking part in the program and given back to him July 9 following a review by firearms licensers, a police investigation found.

Britains police watchdog is investigating what information was shared and decisions made in connection with Davisons possession of the gun. Firearm crimes are rare in Britain, which has strict gun control laws and regulations.

Our thoughts remain with all those severely affected by the horrific events in Plymouth, David Ford, the regional director of the Independent Office for Police Conduct, said. We appreciate the significant public concern that has arisen and the need for answers to a range of questions for the safety of the public, and to understand what happened leading up to the tragedy.

The IOPC said Davison first applied for a shotgun certificate in July 2017 and received one valid for five years in January 2018. It is believed he then legally purchased a shotgun in March 2018.

Police have said that Davison appeared to have shown interest in incel  shorthand for involuntarily celibate  forums on social media. The incel movement justifies violence against women as revenge for men who are rejected as sexual partners. The online subculture has been linked to deadly attacks in California, Toronto and Florida.

Davison posted online that while he wouldnt describe himself as an incel, they are people similar to me, theyve had nothing but themselves, and then theyve socially had it tough.
Mexican journalist shot to death in Gulf coast state View Photo

MEXICO CITY (AP)  A radio journalist was shot and killed in the Mexican Gulf coast state of Veracruz Thursday, according to his station and state authorities.

Jacinto Romero Flores was gunned down in the community of Potrerillo, in the township of Ixtaczoquitlan, according to Hugo Gutierrez Maldonado, the head of Veracruz state security agency, via Twitter. Gutierrez said state police were carrying out an operation in the area following the killing.

Romero worked for Ori Stereo 99.3 FM. The station expressed its sadness for his death. The media are not the cause nor the effect of violence in the country, but we do suffer the consequences for carrying out journalism and communication, it said in a statement.

The State Commission for Attention to and Protection of Journalists condemned the killing and called on the state prosecutors office to open a full investigation, including into what role if any Romeros journalism played in his murder.

Press freedom organization Article 19 said Romero had received threats. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists said via Twitter that it had learned of and strongly condemns the murder of reporter Jacinto Romero in the state of Veracruz and urges authorities to undertake a swift, transparent and exhaustive investigation into the killing.

Veracruz has for years been one of Mexicos most deadly states for reporters. Multiple organized crime groups operate within the state and have infiltrated local and state government.

Journalists marched late Thursday in the port city of Veracruz to protest Romeros killing.

Press groups say nine journalists were killed in Mexico in 2020, making it the most dangerous country for reporters outside of war zones. Romero is at least the fifth journalist killed in Mexico this year.

Earlier this month, the Jalisco New Generation cartel publicly threatened to kill a prominent television news anchor.
Smoky skies in downtown Sonora 8-19-21 View Photos

Sonora, CA  With the skies blanketed by wildfire smoke, Tuolumne County health officials are alerting the public to potential health risks.

The public health department and the Air Pollution Control District issued a joint public health and air quality advisory regarding the poor air quality conditions due to the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County and other large wildfires burning in Northern California. They note that currently, due to northerly winds, the county is experiencing air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups or unhealthy depending on where you reside.

In a written statement county health officials detailed, Over the next week, weather conditions and winds will vary in this region which could change from moderate to very unhealthy air quality.

While smoke exposure produces varying degrees of symptoms, health officials inform the health risk to an individual depends on age, health status, and length of exposure. They added, For the young and elderly or those with underlying health conditions, it is imperative that measures be taken to minimize your exposure to wildfire smoke. Anyone experiencing serious symptoms should contact their health care provider or the emergency department.

On Tuesday, as reported here, Calaveras County issued an Air Quality Advisory that is scheduled to end at 1 p.m. on Friday (Aug. 20) but relayed that could be extended if smoky conditions persist. No end date was given by Tuolumne County health officials.

Here are the recommendations provided by local health officials to reduce exposure to smoke:

If you can see or smell smoke, limit all unnecessary outdoor activities;

Stay indoors, closing all windows and doors, and use the air conditioner on the recirculation setting, replacing air filters can also help;

Keep in mind that healthy individuals can be negatively impacted by the pollutants from smoke;

Limit even indoor physical activities:

Wearing a mask indoors is not considered adequate protection for smoke-related impacts;

Smoking, using the vacuum, fireplace, or candles are not advised due to the build of particulate matter from these activities; and

Check on your loved ones and neighbors
Caldor Fire In El Dorado County View Photo

Sacramento, CA  Citing the dry conditions and high fire risk, nine federal forests in California are going to be closed to recreators after this weekend.

The closure order includes the Tahoe National Forest, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, Klamath National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Shasta Trinity National Forest and the Modoc National Forest. It takes effect at 11:59pm on Sunday and will continue through September 6 at 11:59pm.

Locally, the Stanislaus National Forest is NOT included in the closure order.

The federal action comes as the Caldor Fire continues to burn out of control in El Dorado County. As of this morning, it is 73,415 acres and there is no containment. Over 1,100 firefighters are assigned to the incident. 104 structures are destroyed. There are mandatory evacuation orders in parts of El Dorado County, and evacuation warnings continuing for some residents in Amador County.

Firefighters are spread thin in the state. The Dixie Fire, further north, is 699,666 acres and 35-percent contained.
The Latest: Official Taliban websites abruptly go offline View Photo

BOSTON  Taliban websites that delivered the victorious insurgents official messages to Afghans and the world at large in five languages have abruptly gone offline.

It is not immediately clear why the sites in the Pashto, Urdu, Arabic, English and Dari languages went offline Friday. They had been shielded by Cloudflare, a San Francisco-based content delivery network and denial-of-service protection provider.

Cloudflare has not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment on the development, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Also Friday, the popular encrypted messaging service WhatsApp removed a number of Taliban groups, according to Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online extremism.

The websites disappearance may just be temporary as the Taliban secures new hosting arrangements. But the reported removal of the WhatsApp groups followed the banning of Taliban accounts by Facebook, the services parent company, on Tuesday after the U.S.-backed Afghan government fell to the Taliban.

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MORE ON THE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN:

 Report: Taliban killed minorities, fueling Afghans fears

 US struggles to speed Kabul airlift despite Taliban, chaos

 Western groups desperate to save Afghan workers left behind

 Allies embraced Biden. Did Kabul lay baregreat illusion?

 Afghan president latest leader on the run to turn up in UAE

 Afghanistan war unpopular amid chaotic pullout: AP-NORC poll

 Afghan officer who fought with US forces rescued from Kabul

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  Secretary of State Antony Blinken says 13 countries have thus far agreed to at least temporarily host at-risk Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan and a dozen more have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.

Blinken says in a Friday statement that potential Afghan refugees not already cleared for resettlement in the United States will be housed at facilities in Albania, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Rwanda, Ukraine and Uganda.

Transit countries include Bahrain, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

Blinken says: We are encouraged by other countries that are also considering providing support. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas and to fulfill our commitments to citizens of partner nations and at-risk Afghans.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  U.S. helicopters have ferried 96 Afghans to the Kabul airport for evacuation, signaling that U.S. military flights are taking place beyond the airport perimeters in the Afghan capital.

Senior American military officials told The Associated Press that an American CH-47 Chinook helicopter picked up the Afghans, mostly women and children, and ferried them to Hamid Karzai International Airport on Friday. U.S. Armys 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division airlifted the Afghans from Camp Sullivan, near the Kabul airport.

The officials say sorties like this one have been underway for days as Afghans seek to flee the country taken over by the Taliban. Intelligence teams inside Kabul are helping guide both Americans and Afghans and their families to the airport or are arranging for them to be rescued by other means.

For those living in other cities and provinces outside Kabul, CIA case officers, special operation forces and agents from the Defense Intelligence Agency on the ground are gathering U.S. citizens and Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. at pre-determined pick-up sites.

The officials would not detail where these airlift sites were for security reasons. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing operations.

James La Porta in Boca Raton, Florida.

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MOSCOW  Uzbekistan says it has sent 150 Afghan refugees who fled from the Taliban takeover back to Afghanistan, in accord with their own wishes.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the move followed talks with the Taliban, who have pledged not to persecute those who come back.

The ministry said it has contacted the Taliban to obtain security guarantees for citizens of Afghanistan who illegally crossed the border during those dramatic days as the Taliban blitzed across the country, just weeks before the final U.S. and NATO pullout.

It said the ministry learned from those Afghans who returned from Uzbekistan that they were now safe at their homes after the necessary formal procedures. The ministry did not elaborate.

The ministry noted that Uzbekistan was cooperating with the countries working to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan, including the United States, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and others. It said the country has allowed them to use its airspace and airports and provided the necessary technical and logistical support to help evacuate a total of 1,982 people.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden says his administration is also committed to evacuating Afghans who assisted the United States during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.

Biden spoke at a White House press conference on Friday, vowing to evacuate every American still in Afghanistan who wants to get out. Bidens said no American citizens who want to leave the country will be left behind.

Biden was asked whether all Afghan allies will be evacuated. He responded, Yes. Were making the same commitment to evacuate Afghan allies as has been made to Americans in Afghanistan.

The exact number of Afghans who qualify for evacuation is not clear, but it is believed to number in the tens of thousands.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is pledging to evacuate any American currently in Afghanistan who wants to come home.

Biden made the promise on Friday as he provided an update on the tense situation in Afghanistan. The president has been under mounting pressure over his decisions in Afghanistan, which led to the Taliban completely taking over the country on Sunday.

Thousands of Americans, Afghans are clamoring to leave and chaotic scenes have unfolded at Kabuls international airport.

Addressing Americans in Afghanistan, Biden said: Let me be clear. Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.

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WASHINGTON  U.S. officials say that American military planes will resume evacuation flights from the Kabul airport after an hours-long pause due to a lack of places available to take evacuees.

One official said there was a backlog on Friday of about 10,000 people at the airport who have been cleared for departure and were awaiting flights.

The backlog, in turn, caused the military to close gates at the airport perimeter, where many people are trying to get on flights. The State Department was working on arranging additional places to take the evacuees.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matter not yet publicly announced ahead of President Joe Bidens speech Friday on the situation in Kabul.

Robert Burns in Washington;

This item has been corrected to say that flights are to resume, not that they have resumed.

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MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has sharply criticized the United States and its allies over their role in Afghanistan.

The Russian leader spoke on Friday after his talks in Moscow with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He said that the Talibans quick sweep over Afghanistan showed the futility of Western efforts to enforce its own vision of democracy.

Its necessary to stop the irresponsible efforts of the U.S. to enforce its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries  without taking into account historic, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoring other peoples traditions, Putin said.

Putin said that we know the country well and became convinced that its counterproductive to try to enforce forms of government and social life that are alien to it.

The remark was an apparent reference to the 10-year Soviet war in Afghanistan that ended with the Soviet troops withdrawal in 1989.

Putin noted the Talibans pledge to maintain public order and protect civilians and foreign diplomatic missions. He made no reference to reports of atrocities underway across Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover.

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ROME  The U.N. food agency says it has been able to negotiate access with the Taliban to distribute aid in one provincial capital in Afghanistan but hasnt been able to resume food deliveries to three other provincial capitals it supplies.

The World Food Program, headquartered in Rome, has said that some 14 million people are facing severe hunger in the nation of some 39 million. A second drought in three years, combined with fighting, had afflicted Afghanistan even before the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.

Andrew Patterson, WFPs deputy country director, told The Associated Press on Friday that after Faizabad, a provincial capital in the north, fell to the Taliban last week, the agencys field office succeeded in negotiating access with the local Taliban command, and we had (a food) truck on the road the next day.

However, Patterson said the situation in Kandahar, Herat and Jalalabad so far hasnt allowed the U.N. agency to resume distributing food in those areas.

According to WFP estimates, some 2 million children are malnourished in Afghanistan.

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BRUSSELS  NATO foreign ministers vowed on Friday to center their efforts on assuring the safe evacuation from Afghanistan of citizens from the alliances member countries and allies, as well and Afghans deemed at risk after the takeover by the Taliban.

During a virtual meeting, the ministers also expressed concern over the grave events in Afghanistan and called for an immediate end to violence amid reports of Taliban atrocities and serious human rights violations and abuses across Afghanistan.

The ministers insisted that the new rulers in Kabul would have to make sure that the nation does not become a center for terrorism. They said that under the current circumstances, NATO has suspended all support to the Afghan authorities.

Any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistans international obligations . And ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists, a statement from the alliance said.

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BERLIN  Germanys foreign minister says the United States will use its Ramstein Air Base in western Germany as a temporary transit point to transport people from Afghanistan seeking protection to the United States.

Germany, like other Western countries, has sent military aircraft of its own to Afghanistan in recent days to evacuate German nationals and Afghans who worked for its forces prior to their withdrawal amid the Taliban surge.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement on Friday that the focus is on evacuating as many people from Kabul as is possible under the very difficult circumstances and that Germany is working closely with international partners.

Maas said: We agree with all our partners on the ground that no place on our planes should remain empty. He said that, as a result, U.S. flights will also take Germans or people named by German authorities to Ramstein, while Germany also will evacuate people from various nations on its own planes.

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PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron sent a message of welcome in a tweet on Friday to Afghans evacuated to France, following the arrival from Kabul of a third group of more than 200 people, mostly Afghans.

He also noted that health rules are not being forgotten, posting photos of Afghans surrounded by doctors and a man getting a COVID-19 test, obligatory for all arrivals.

All people coming to France from Afghanistan must observe a 10-day quarantine under pandemic restrictions because their country is on the French red list of color-coded risks for coronavirus, with red the highest, the Foreign Ministry noted Thursday.

To ensure that France and other nations can continue evacuations, Macron insisted in a phone call with President Joe Biden of the absolute need for rapid and concrete coordination among allies, according to a French statement Friday about the conversation the day before.

The U.S. military is in charge of the evacuations at Kabul airport, meaning that other countries must go through them to evacuate their own citizens and Afghans considered at risk in their homeland following the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.

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ROME  A retired Italian general who commanded Italys initial contingent in western Afghanistan in 2001 says NATOs retreat should have been planned for winter, after the end of the Talibans so-called fighting season.

Gen. Giorgio Battisti, in an interview on Sky TG24 TV Friday, also said the U.S. air base at Bagram should have been left operating during withdrawal to help evacuate civilians.

Probably, in my modest opinion, it was necessary to spread out the final withdrawal, assuming one wanted to completely leave Afghanistan, Battisti said.

He contended that militarily it would have been better to pull out after the end of the traditional fighting season, which lasts from spring through much of autumn.

Instead, they left in the middle of fighting season, left, like thieves in the night, this immense base of Bagram, the general said.

Noting that Bagram is some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Kabul, he suggested it could have served as a second escape valve for thousands of citizens now clamoring to get into the one operational airport at Kabul or for those who cant make it through Taliban checkpoints along the way.

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LONDON  Britains embattled foreign minister has defended his decision not to call while on vacation his Afghan counterpart about the evacuation of translators who had helped British forces.

Dominic Raab has come under increasing pressure to resign for failing to follow the advice of officials in his department to make a call to Hanif Atmar on Aug. 13, while he was vacationing on the Greek island of Crete.

Two days later, the Taliban took over Afghanistan, 20 years after they had been ousted from power, and Raab headed back to the U.K. after cutting his vacation short to deal with the crisis.

Raab on Friday posted a statement on Twitter to counter what he described as inaccurate media reporting over recent days. He said he prioritized security at Kabul airport and delegated the call to a junior minister in his department.

Raab said Atmar wasnt able to take that call because of the rapidly deteriorating situation.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister says his government has taken on the responsibility as a NATO member to organize the evacuation of some 300 Afghans who have cooperated with the military alliance.

Mateusz Morawiecki said Friday on Facebook that following his talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Poland will be evacuating from Kabul 300 Afghans who in recent years cooperated with NATO. He did not elaborate what that cooperation entailed.

They will be brought to Poland and then on to other NATO countries, which Morawiecki did not name.

Morawiecki said that Poland is taking seriously its obligations within the alliance and that the evacuation was not the last word from Poland in the NATO response to the crisis in Afghanistan. Poland has been a NATO member since 1999.

In three previous flights, Poland has evacuated some 130 Afghans and another 100 are waiting at the Kabul airport, according to Michal Dworczyk, a top aide to Morawiecki. They were first flown on Polish military planes to Uzbekistan and then on national carrier LOT planes to Warsaw.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Swedens Foreign Minister Ann Linde said that her ministry is aware of the great difficulties in getting to the airport and through the gates amid the chaos at the airport in the Afghan capital.

Linde was writing on Twitter on Friday about plans to evacuate Swedes and local hires in Kabul from the country following the Taliban takeover.

All countries are experiencing this problem and we are working on possible solutions at the airport in cooperation with other countries, Linde wrote.

She said her Foreign Ministry had staff at the Kabul airport with resources needed for further evacuation work, and added that transport capacity is available.

Linde stressed that it is important to follow the information and always put safety first.

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MADRID  Spains defense minister says the countrys military transport planes are leaving Kabul partly empty because chaos at the citys airport is preventing Afghans from evacuating.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Friday that one Afghan family taken out by Spain had left behind a daughter they lost in the airport crush.

She told Spanish public radio RNE that an ideal solution would be to set up corridors into the airport, but thats impossible because nobodys in control of the situation.

She said that after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country, the airports air traffic controllers and security staff walked out, rendering it inoperative until U.S. forces took it over.

She said the U.S. has given assurances that its forces wont leave the airport until the last person awaiting evacuation is out.

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WARSAW, Poland  A Polish diplomat says the most difficult thing in evacuating Afghans is finding and extracting them from pressing crowds at the Kabul airport. Poland has so far evacuated a few hundred people in three flights.

Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said Friday that sometimes consulate staff can identify the individuals in the crowd but that it was difficult for them to make their way through to the gate to be pulled into the airport.

There are thousands of totally determined people in the crowd, in extremely difficult conditions pressing on the walls and gates of the airport, Przydacz told reporters.

From this desperate crowd, sometimes understandably aggressive crowd, our people are trying to extract those who are on our list, Przydacz said.

The transport logistics goes very smoothly but the greatest challenge now is how to find these people. Even if we know where they are, and sometimes our consuls can see them 40-50 meters (yards) away, they have no possibility of getting closer, Przydacz said.

These people must first of all, on their own, get as close as they can to the entrance to have not only eye contact but real contact with the consul, because very often these people are simply pulled by the hand, jerked from the crowd with the help of the soldiers, Przydacz said.

A former ambassador to Afghanistan, Piotr Lukasiewicz, has appealed to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on social media to send more evacuation planes to Kabul.

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WASHINGTON  The United States says it evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Kabul via military transport aircraft on Aug. 19.

In a Friday statement, the White House said multiple C-17 flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport evacuated nearly 350 U.S. citizens, as well as family members of U.S. citizens, asylum applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans.

We have evacuated approximately 9,000 people since August 14. Since the end of July, we have evacuated approximately 14,000 people, it said.

It added that in the last 24 hours, the U.S. military facilitated the departure of 11 charter flights, and that those numbers were not included in the other totals.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  The Danish Defense Ministry is urging interpreters who have worked with them and need evacuation from Kabul to urgently make contact.

In a message sent by Twitter Friday, it urged the interpreters to contact an included email address, saying: Urgent  Urgent Contact Danish Authorities NOW.

The tweet ended with We will do our best to assist.

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BERLIN  Germany says a civilian suffered a gunshot wound before being evacuated from Kabul on a German air force plane.

German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Friday that the wounded person was not in a life-threatening condition, but didnt immediately further details about the person or incident.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said Germany is providing 100 million euros in immediate funding for humanitarian aid inside Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

He said the money would exclusively go to aid organizations, particularly UNHCR, and not to the Taliban.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  An Afghan official familiar with talks with the Taliban says the group does not plan to make any decisions or announcements about the upcoming government until after the Aug. 31 U.S. withdrawal date passes.

The official, who is not authorized to give information to the media and thus spoke anonymously, says Taliban lead negotiator Anas Haqqani has told his ex-government interlocuters that the insurgent movement has a deal with the U.S. to do nothing until after the final withdrawal date passes.

He did not elaborate on whether the reference to doing nothing was only in the political field. Haqqanis statement raises concerns about what the religious movement might be planning after Aug. 31, and whether they will keep their promise to include non-Taliban officials in the next government.

Until now the Taliban have said nothing of their plans to replace the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, or what a replacement would look like.

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VATICAN CITY  The Vaticans newspaper is calling on the international community to welcome Afghan civilians fleeing the Taliban, expressing incredulousness that before deciding to abandon the country no one thought through such a foreseeable scenario or did anything to avoid it.

In a front-page article in the Friday edition of LOsservatore Romano, deputy editor Gaetano Vallini said the West was obliged to urgently remedy the situation with concrete action and welcome refugees to avoid a catastrophic humanitarian emergency.

The commentary was an unusually blunt criticism of the U.S., though Washington wasnt singled out by name. After expressing shock at the chaos created by the U.S.-led Western withdrawal, Gallini wrote: It would be even more serious if such a decision was taken with the knowledge of such dramatic consequences.

Pope Francis has expressed alarm at the chaos that has engulfed Afghanistan with the Taliban takeover. During his Sunday blessing, Francis asked for prayers for an end to the violence and for Afghan men, women and children to be able to live in fully reciprocal peace and security.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  Friday prayers were uneventful in the Afghan capital, with no Taliban gunmen seen guarding the entrances of mosques or enforcing dress code restrictions as they have in the past. Some mosques even saw higher numbers than normal in attendance.

The Islamic-fundamentalist Taliban issued guidance to imams around Afghanistan on Thursday, saying they should use the weekly sermons and prayers to appeal for unity, urge people not to flee the country, and to counter negative propaganda about them.

The benefits of state should be explained to all, a commission of Taliban monitoring religious affairs and mosques said in the guidance they circulated.

Kabul resident Jawed Safi was please to see the mosques secure. The Afghan government had previously posted guards at mosques to ward off attackers due to frequent bombings in the past.

People were as normal, as in the past, but there were more of them, Safi said, adding that there were no restrictions so far.

An imam in eastern Kabul, Bashir Wardak, said that Afghans should unite to stop the decadeslong bloodshed. Allah has ordered us to peace and brotherhood so we must get united, he said.

Abdul Boghdi, another imam in northern Kabul, said that people together should collect money to help those displaced.

One attendee, Qasim Ahmadi, saw people wearing jeans attend prayers as usual. There should be no restrictions on us, we are already Muslims, he said. The Taliban should aim for an inclusive government in order to be successful.

Thousand of internally displaced people are living on the streets and in the parks of Kabul, with limited access to drinking water and food. Some reports indicate that their situation has worsened since the Taliban overran the capital, causing donors to shy away.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia  Indonesia has evacuated 26 of its citizens, including 5 diplomats, from Kabul on a special military flight to Jakarta.

Indonesias foreign minister Retno Marsudi said in a tweet that the Friday flight that would land later in the day also carried five Filipinos and two Afghans, including the spouse of an Indonesian national and a local staff member of the Indonesian Embassy.

The Indonesian military aircraft carrying out this mission is now in Islamabad and will proceed to Indonesia soon, Marsudi said.

The ministrys spokesperson, Teuku Faizasyah said the evacuation was planned once the Taliban took control of the capital and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

___

KABUL, Afghanistan  Life is returning to normal for some Afghans in the capital, although Kabuls normally crowded streets appear empty of their usual traffic congestion.

The Taliban have not imposed any restrictions on people so far, as they prepare for Friday prayers. Having a long beard and wearing traditional hats and clothes were required while the group was ruling the country in the late 90s.

Fewer stores have opened, and few cars could be seen on the streets. Taliban checkpoints have sprung up around the city, searching cars and checking documents. Some Taliban are patrolling in cars as well.

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MADRID  Top European Union officials will visit a Spanish military airport being used as a hub to receive Afghans flown out of Kabul before they are distributed to other countries in the bloc.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Friday that EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel will visit a temporary camp at the Torrejon de Ardoz military airport near Madrid on Saturday.

Albares told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE that Spain is receiving evacuated Afghans who have worked for EU bodies or EU member nations.

The evacuees are expected to spend several days at the camp for health and security screening before moving to reception centers ahead of their journeys to other European countries.

___

ISLAMABAD  Pakistans state-run airline has resumed special flights for Kabul, in order to evacuate Pakistanis and foreigners stranded in Afghanistan.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet said Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will send its two planes to the Afghan capital on Friday to evacuate 350 passengers.

Chaudhry says Pakistans interior ministry is also facilitating the evacuation of Pakistanis and foreigners from Afghanistan through border crossings.

The latest development comes days after PIA halted all flights to Kabul to protect passengers, the crew and the planes after consulting the Afghan civil aviation authorities.

Pakistans government has been trying to evacuate its citizens and foreigners by air and land routes since the Taliban took over Kabul.

For this purpose, Pakistan is issuing visas upon arrival to all diplomats, foreigners and journalists who want to leave Kabul over security concerns.

___

BERLIN  Germany says it has flown out more than 1,600 people from Kabul this week.

The Defense Ministry on Friday said that the German military has carried out 11 evacuation flights so far, with more planned.

The German government has pledged to help bring all citizens and local Afghan staff who worked for the German military, aid groups or news organizations out of the country.

Senior German officials have also said efforts will be made to help Afghans who are particularly vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban, such as human rights defenders.

But Germanys commanding officer in Kabul, Gen. Jens Arlt, said the evacuation has been hampered by the large number of people outside Kabul airport hoping to get onto planes out of Afghanistan.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  A plane with people who have been evacuated from Afghanistan landed Friday at the Oslo airport in Norway.

Norways Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Norwegian news agency NTB that onboard were citizens from the Scandinavian country, family members to local employees and some other European citizens. Eriksen Soereide didnt give any figures or elaborate.

Among the group were reporters for Norways TV2 and NRK television channels.

The plane arrived from Tbilisi, Georgia.

On Wednesday, a plane with 13 Norwegian citizens, mostly diplomats, arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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CANBERRA, Australia  More than 160 Australian and Afghan citizens have been evacuated from Kabul after a third rescue flight, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.

Morrison said 60 Australians and Afghans who helped Australia during the 20-year war were flown to the United Arab Emirates overnight.

The first Australian flight carrying 94 evacuees touched down in the Australian west coast city of Perth on Friday, he said.

Australia could not evacuate parts of Afghanistan beyond the Kabul airport, he added.

The situation in Kabul does remain chaotic, Morrison said. The government has not commented on media reports that Australia plans to evacuate 600 Australians and Afghans.

___

By The Associated Press
Ex-Arizona state senator accused of molestation indicted View Photo

PHOENIX (AP)  An Arizona state senator who resigned after being arrested early this month on child molestation charges has been indicted, the Maricopa County Attorneys Office announced Thursday.

The indictment charges Tony Navarrete with six felony counts related to sexual contact hes accused of having with a boy. Hes charged with one count for alleged contact with a second boy.

Navarrete is a Democrat who represented parts of west Phoenix and Glendale. He resigned from the Senate on Aug. 10. He released a statement that day saying, I adamantly deny all allegations that have been made and will pursue all avenues in an effort to prove my innocence.

The first victim, a now-16-year-old boy, told Phoenix Police detectives that Navarrete molested him starting when he was 12 or 13 years old and continued until he was 15. A police probable cause statement said he admitted the crimes in phone call with the boy recorded by police.

He was arrested Aug. 5 and released on $50,000 bond two days later. A prosecutor said at his initial court appearance that he faced a mandatory minimum of 49 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will chose a replacement to serve the remainder of his Senate term.
Illinois Democrats to redraw political maps using census View Photo

CHICAGO (AP)  Illinois Democrats said Friday the Legislature will return to Springfield to redraw political districts that will be used for legislative elections over the next decade, this time using data from the 2020 census.

The announcement came as Republicans said census data released last week show the maps that majority Democrats approved and Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed earlier this year amounted to an unconstitutional power grab. Democrats used population estimates, not the actual census, to draw the boundaries  a move that prompted lawsuits from GOP leaders and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a leading Latino civil rights organization.

The release of the Census data is game-set-match against the Illinois Democrats, House GOP Leader Jim Durkin said. Now knowing that their original map is unconstitutional, the Democrats are now scrambling to draw a new backroom map on short notice.

The Legislature is scheduled for a one-day session on Aug. 31 to consider the new maps, Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch said.

Our goal has always been to implement a map that is fair and represents the diversity of the population of Illinois, Harmon said. With census data now available, we will take any necessary legislative action with that same goal in mind.

But Republicans and others who want independently drawn maps  not districts created by the party in power  still have concerns about how the next round of maps will be created.

Political maps must be redrawn after each decennial census to reflect changes in population and ensure the protection of voters rights. The districts must be compact, contiguous and of equal population, among other things. Historically lawmakers have used census data to draw those boundaries, but the release of 2020 data was delayed this year due partly to the pandemic.

In Illinois, if the governor doesnt approve new maps by June 30 the job shifts to a bipartisan commission. So Democrats, citing June 30 as their deadline, used the American Community Survey to draw the boundaries. The ACS uses five-year estimates rather than an actual count.

Republicans say the census data show the maps Democrats approved with no GOP votes are unconstitutional. Among the violations, they say, are districts with populations that deviate by three times the allowed maximum. CHANGE Illinois, which supports independent map making, said its analysis also found large differences in population between districts. That resulted in a majority Black district on Chicagos South Side where voting power was diluted and a district in the Chicago suburb of Aurora that gave voters substantially more voting power than any other, the organization said.

Republicans want a federal court in Chicago to declare the maps approved this spring void, shifting the responsibility for drawing new maps to the bipartisan commission. In a court filing late Friday, MALDEF  which sued top Illinois Democrats and state election officials on behalf of five Latino registered voters  also asked that the maps be thrown out and that the court set a schedule for the creation of a court-approved plan.

CHANGE Illinois is asking lawmakers in each chamber of the Legislature to hold at least four public hearings, and to give the public a two-week period to review changes to maps and give feedback.

By SARA BURNETT

Associated Press
The Texas Department of Transportation will host a car seat checkup on Saturday at the Market Street at 19th and Quaker Avenue in Lubbock.

Certified car seat technicians will be on-site to assess car seats from 10 a.m. to noon.
Five new COVID-19 deaths were reported in Hale County this week as of Wednesday and there are 182 active cases.

The totals were presented to the Plainview City Council by City Manager Jeffrey Snyder during a Thursday work session.

According to Snyder, 95% of the active cases are individuals who are unvaccinated.

The numbers are higher than theyve ever been, said Mayor Charles Starnes. They continue to get higher and higher.

Plainview and Hale County are not alone, he noted. Lubbock and Amarillo are also seeing substantial growth in COVID cases and area health facilities are feeling the strain.

As of Monday, there had been four COVID-19-related deaths in Hale County in August, alone. The five deaths reported within the past week are individuals who are older than 65. The city releases regular COVID-19 updates every week on Tuesdays so these numbers could change again before the next report is released.

It was also noted that all but one of the recent deaths were individuals who were unvaccinated.

The vaccinated individual who died had underlying health problems, Starnes added.

A COVID shot does not make you immune to the virus but it provides a layer of protection. City and local health officials continue to encourage COVID vaccinations for those eligible to receive one of the three available brands from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

The latest data was presented during a brief presentation by Snyder regarding another update to the citys standing disaster declaration item. The Council voted 5-0 to extend the disaster declaration for another 30 days. Councilwoman Teressa King, Councilman Evan Weiss and Councilwoman Patra Moreno were absent.

The resolution has been a standing item on the Councils agenda since 2020 and allows the city to remain eligible for any COVID-related state or federal assistance should it be available. It also allows the Council to easily adopt any related mandates from the governors office.
MERIDEN  Tacos Mi Nacho owner Luis Lemus spent the past 15 years leasing space for his restaurants, but he will soon have a newly built restaurant to call his own.

The new building, under construction at 562 Broad St., is just north of the original Tacos Mi Nacho location in a small plaza at 550 Broad St. The original location remains open until the planned move into the new building.

The new restaurant is 3,500 square feet compared to the 1,800 square-foot space currently operating.

Lemus said while the new restaurant does not have an opening date yet, he expects construction to be completed early next year.

Lemus also operates a Tacos Mi Nacho location in Southington. That location opened in January in a former Blimpie sandwich shop at 1796 Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike.

Were happy to continue to work. Were working hard with both restaurants. We are not in a rush, he said. Were taking it day by day and enjoying every part of the journey.

The Mexican eatery is expected to include a bar, outside seating area and an indoor dining area. It will seat between 80 and 100 people. The current restaurant has just six tables, Lemus said, making it cramped for customers and employees.

What is more important to me is the comfort of the clients. I am anxious because this place is a lot bigger, we are hoping to get more personnel too, he said.

Lemus has been living in Meriden for 30 years and would like to help improve the neighborhood with the addition of the new stand-alone restaurant. His family works at the Meriden business and lives a short drive away, on Collins Avenue.

In a previous interview, Lemus told the Record-Journal he got into the restaurant industry by luck.

After being laid off from his construction job, Lemus was washing his clothes at the laundromat next door when he noticed the restaurant space, previously occupied by a pizzeria, was empty.

"I never planned it, but it came out this way," Lemus said.

With additional space, Lemus said he will add more Mexican dishes to the menus, along with a more comfortable dining area for customers.

Right opportunity

Lemus has wanted to expand the Meriden restaurant for six years, but multiple plans fell through.

In 2018, he struck a deal with the city to purchase a city-owned lot at 69 E. Main St., however, an environmental cleanup of the site found contaminated soil, so the project fell through.

Lemus at one point looked into opening a new location on the first floor of the newly constructed Meriden Commons I mixed-use apartment building downtown, however, he learned that wasn't possible due to a lack of parking spaces.

He began considering building a new location next to his current site a few years back after the owner of a nearby multi-unit residential home, located in between the restaurant's current and future site, reached out to Lemus offering the property to him for an expansion.

Lemus purchased and razed the home to make room for parking, and also purchased the adjacent empty lot from the city.

Patient, thankful

Cecilia Beltran has been working at Tacos Mi Nacho for five years.

I feel good for all of us. I am especially happy for the owners. They deserve this and the clients are looking for a place that is more comfortable, Beltran said.

Lemus co-owns the restaurant with his wife Claudia Sanchez.

While the owners are patient for the building to finish, they continue to be thankful for the opportunity to expand.

I am happy with all that we have done, Sanchez said. I am thankful to the customers. We wouldn't have been able to do it without them.

jdiaz@record-journal.com203-317-2386Twitter: @jarelizz
Joel Pena

San Antonio's ninth annual Monster-Con festival is slated to frighten the public in person this September at the Wonderland of the Americas Mall.

This year, after going virtual in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, the "best lil' horror con in Texas" will run Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26 from 10 a.m.; to 6 p.m.
SpongeBob Squarepants has a better chance of getting his boating license than this Houston pop-up has of getting away with knocking off the franchise.

Houston's own The Rusty Krab Experience has been slapped with a copyright infringement lawsuit from Viacom, the media corporation that owns Nickelodeon and the under-the-sea cartoon. The company wants upwards of $250,000 from Kefi HTX and Sanju Chand, the company and owner behind the experience.

The pop-up, located at 711 Main Street in downtown, bills itself as an "artistic adaptation recreation" of the beloved kids series that offers slightly altered references to the show. Of course, Krusty Krab is changed to "Rusty Krab."

SpongeBob is instead called "The Big Sponge," Patrick is now "Pinky," and Bikini Bottom is called "Bottom of the Bikini." Squidward is "Octoward," Mrs. Puff is "Professor Pufferfish" and Plankton is "Tiny Cyclops."

Worst of all? Fictional Texas native Sandy Cheeks was changed to the "Cheeky Texan."

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

The pop-up even has this disclaimer (or admission of guilt, depending on who you ask) at the bottom of its website:

"We are not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with NICKELODEON, or the SPONGEBOB BRAND DIRECTLY, or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates. This is Kefi HTX's artistic adaptation recreation of an amazing series that added value to our childhood! Enjoy the story telling from OUR eyes in the most FUN WAY!"

Charging for someone's child to have a knock-off experience sure sounds like a "fun way" to make a quick buck. The rest of the website is a treasure trove of red flags.

Viacom caught wind of the pop-up and filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Kefi HTX violated the law and Viacom's own licensing guidelines, particularly by associating the brand with alcoholic drinks, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by Chron.

Viacom has a strict policy against using its SpongeBob Squarepants brand, marketed to kids six and up, to sell alcohol. It also said the name and logo design of Rusty Krab was "confusingly similar" to the actual Krusty Krab name.

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Attorneys tried to settle things out of court by sending the company a cease and desist letter in May 2021, but the company didn't comply.

Chand, the owner being sued, instead reached out to Viacom to "partner up," according to the lawsuit. Viacom declined.

It's unclear who exactly the experience is marketed to. Its drink menu is just as large as its food menu, but tickets for kids are discounted.

Parents complained in online reviews, one saying that her child was "verbally and then physically assaulted" by a large group of adults who were apparently intoxicated, according to the lawsuit.

Other reviews on Facebook were just as negative:

Kefi HTX has yet to formally respond to the lawsuit, and an employee at The Rusty Krab Experience told Chron the pop-up had no comment when reached by phone. Viacom is seeking a $250,000 payout from the company, a transfer of all assets and all of the profits the pop-up has made so far.

What do you think? Is this good parody or blatant infringement? Let me know on Twitter: @jayrjordan
Leo Castillo and Makena Hamilton didnt expect to become parents to Odin, their one-year-old pug, but the couple has embraced their role with gusto.

Now, theyre the moderators behind San Antonio Pug Meet-Up, a Facebook group that hosts monthly mixers for pugs in the Alamo City. Since first formed in January, the group has achieved a lot  and all because of Odin.

Though Hamilton said she had been wanting a dog, she didnt expect to own a pug. But when a neighbor found Odin, then just two weeks old, near a trash can, Castillo and Hamilton took him in without a second thought.

He was about a pound and a half, pretty sickly, Castillo says. We didnt know if he was going to survive or not.

Courtesy of San Antonio Pug Meet-Up

Castillo says Odin was small enough to fit in the cup holder in his car. He says they put their hearts into it, taking the tiny pup to the veterinarian to give him the care he needed, feeding him the food that was best for him, and offering up lots of prayers.

Now, hes 19 pounds, thriving, and spoiled, the couple says. Hamilton credits Odins success as a result of the Facebook group.

We didnt know where to start, she says, adding that they had wondered when Odin would need his vaccines and had other concerns related to caring specifically a pug. She saw Facebook groups for Texas-based pugs, but sought out a more local community.

Thus, the San Antonio Pug Meet-Up Facebook group was born.

Courtesy of San Antonio Pug Meet-Up

At the groups first meetup, Hamilton says 25 pugs showed up. At Julys gathering, 60 pugs roamed around together at Phil Hardberger Park.

Its just pure excitement and pugs, Hamilton says.

In addition to local pugs and puggle mixes making friends with one another, the group and its corresponding meetups allow the owners to learn from one another.

For Castillo and Hamilton, the group also allows them to do on-the-ground work in their roles as dog park ambassadors for the City of San Antonio, a new program. During each meetup at a local dog park, the couple ensures that its facilities are in order and strengthens the pug community in San Antonio.

Its nice to have a group where you can talk about some of the specific issues that you have with pugs and provide a service to the community, Castillo says.

Part of providing a service to the community is spotlighting locally owned businesses. Within the group, owners can ask one other where to get food and supplies for their pets as well as about pet-friendly hangouts and businesses around town.

We dont want new owners to feel like they dont have anywhere to go, Hamilton says.

Courtesy of San Antonio Pug Meet-Up

With 425 members on Facebook and nearly 500 followers on Instagram, the group has seen a variety of pugs and owners at the gatherings, with each offering treats and giveaways for pets and providing hand sanitizer and bug spray for owners. The couple says some owners show up with just their pet in tow, while others bring the whole family (one family has a whopping four pugs). Some owners are new pug parents, while others have had a pug for years.

Though the group is dedicated to San Antonio, some owners drive from New Braunfels, Laredo, and the Rio Grande Valley. One woman has even driven in from Odessa for the occasion.

Castillo says the variety of owners has resulted in a wealth of knowledge to be shared, a community that is expanding both on Facebook and offline.

We didnt expect for it to grow so much and so fast, he says.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  A Florida judge on Thursday refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that parents should decide whether their children wear masks at school to combat the coronavirus.

The order by Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper clears the way for a three-day hearing next week on whether to block enforcement of the governor's order.

The lawsuit was filed Aug. 6 by parents opposed to the DeSantis order banning schools from imposing mask mandates unless parents can opt out of the requirements. Cooper decided the parents have a legal right to sue, overruling the state's position.

I do believe they have a right to challenge the governor, the judge said after a three-hour hearing. I'm not deciding whether they are right or wrong. We'll have to see what the evidence shows.

Five Florida school districts  including four of the largest  are defying the governor's order by permitting mask opt-outs only for medical reasons rather than parental choice. An attorney in the lawsuit, Charles Gallagher, said such decisions should be left to local school boards, not imposed by the state.

They have a right to govern themselves. They can enact their own policies, Gallagher said.

In their motion to dismiss, attorneys for the Republican governor and state education officials contended that the parents have no legal standing to sue in a matter between DeSantis and the 67 Florida school boards.

Beyond that, they argue that the governors order properly reserves to parents the right to decide whether their child should wear a mask at school.

The governor's decision is aimed at protecting safety in the schools while protecting parent rights," attorney Michael Abel said. But Cooper said those rights include the right to sue.

This case should be tried and a record made, the judge said.

The decision came as worries grew that rapidly spreading infections could force officials to close classrooms. Thousands of schoolchildren are already being sent home, only days after their school year began.

Children  particularly those too young to get vaccinated against COVID-19  are really good at transmitting the coronavirus, said Dr. J. Stacey Klutts, a special assistant to the national director of pathology and lab medicine for the entire Veterans Affairs system.

Klutts said the highly contagious delta variant makes it absolutely necessary to wear masks indoors and avoid large group gatherings, so if unprotected students sit for hours in classrooms every day, it could rapidly spread infection in the community at large.

Its terrifying. Im afraid that were going to have a lot of really sick kids in addition to the spread which is going to be a lot of sick adults, Klutts said.

School boards in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties voted Wednesday to join Broward and Alachua in requiring students to wear facial coverings unless they get a doctor's note.

Students began their school year in Palm Beach County on Aug. 10 with a parental opt-out policy that allowed more than 10,000 children to attend classes without masks. The board reversed course after seeing the numbers: After just one week, 734 students and 112 employees had confirmed infections, and more than 1,700 students had been sent home home, interim Superintendent Michael Burke said.

Hillsborough, which also began its school year last week, also changed its policy during an emergency meeting Wednesday after tallying 2,058 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and sending more than 10,000 students into isolation because of infection or quarantine because of exposure.

Asked about the decision of the school board in Hillsborough County, DeSantis defended his stance that parents should continue to decide for their children.

They had allowed the parents to make the decision and have an ability to opt out and thats how school started, DeSantis said. They reneged on that and basically took the decision out of the parents hands.

Statewide, Florida reported 23,335 new COVID-19 infections for Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services dashboard reported 16,973 hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients Thursday.

DeSantis also is in an escalating power struggle with the Democratic White House. After President Joe Biden ordered possible legal action Wednesday, the U.S. Education Department raised the possibility of using its civil rights arm against Florida and other Republican-led states that have blocked public health measures meant to protect students.

Some state governments have adopted policies and laws that interfere with the ability of schools and districts to keep our children safe during in-person learning, Biden's executive order said.

____

Associated Press Writers Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale and Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP)  Millions of acres of national forest in Northern California are being closed because of dangerous fire conditions that already have sent a score of blazes raging through the area and destroyed hundreds of homes.

The U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday that beginning on Aug. 22 it will close nine national forests from near Lake Tahoe at the Nevada border on the east all the way west to Six Rivers National Forest, which stretches north to the Oregon border and contains more than 1 million acres of land alone.

The Eldorado National Forest already had been closed because of the Caldor Fire, which gutted the Sierra Nevada town of Grizzly Flats this week. The uncontained blaze had destroyed well over 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) of land.

After growing to 10 times its original size in just two days, the fire's progress slowed a bit on Thursday and it was pushing east into less-populated forest areas. However, some 25,000 people remained under evacuation orders.

Fire managers rushed resources to the fire growing on steep slopes in a forested region southwest of Lake Tahoe. More than 650 firefighters and 13 helicopters were assigned to the blaze, and air tankers from throughout the state were flying fire suppression missions there as conditions allowed, authorities said.

The hope is with the additional resources and personnel on scene, we can really start to build that box around this fire and start the containment, said Keith Wade of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

In Omo Ranch, close to where the fire started, a bulldozer ripped out trees to build a fire line and stop the blaze from spreading south.

While nearly the entire town evacuated, Thurman Conroy and his wife, Michele, stayed behind to protect their house and their business, Conroy General Store. But they were prepared to flee if the fire got too close.

The fire wants us bad because its made every attempt it can to get out of that canyon and up this way, Thurman said. So they keep beating it down. And its just ... its resilient, its stubborn, it wont go away. Thats all we can do.

Evacuees from the Caldor Fire found refuge in places like the Green Valley Community Church in Placerville, west of the fire, where they set up tents and trailers in a parking lot. Adrian Childress, 7, painted pictures to pass the time and a special tent was set up for people who wished to pray.

Gusty weather has pushed a series of disastrous blazes through California trees, grass and brush. A dozen fires threatened thousands of homes and the hottest have forced evacuations of entire small communities tucked into scenic forest areas.

More than 10,000 firefighters were on the lines.

The Dixie Fire, burning since July 13 in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades, ballooned further to about 1,060 square miles (2,745 square kilometers) and was only 35% contained, authorities said.

It is the first fire in recorded state history to stretch east and west all the way across the Sierra Nevada range, authorities said.

The fire, which gutted the town of Greenville two weeks ago, has destroyed more than 1,200 buildings including 649 homes, according to ongoing damage assessments.

There have been a handful of injuries but no deaths but it was only three years ago that a fire not too far southwest of a current blaze killed 85 people and virtually razed the town of Paradise in Butte County.

One small but destructive blaze burned through a mobile home park and reduced an estimated 50 homes to ashes in Lake County, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

Climate change has made the 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.

The vegetation has been turned to tinder by hot, dry weather and an ongoing drought that also has scorched much of the Western United States, fire officials said.

More than 100 large, active fires were burning in more than a dozen Western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Those fires were straining resources and that has made it harder for California to obtain equipment and crews from out of state.

The U.S. Forest Service has approached Canada, Mexico and Australia for assistance, although they already are busy battling Canadian blazes, agency spokesman Jonathan Groveman said.

___

Antczak reported from Los Angeles.
DALLAS (AP)  A Dallas-area real estate agent pleaded guilty Thursday to participating in the January 6 raid on the U.S. Capitol in which five people died.

Frisco realty broker Jennifer Leigh Jenna Ryan entered her plea in a virtual hearing before a Washington, D.C., judge after agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors. In return, federal authorities agreed to drop prosecution of other counts against her.

Court records showed that Ryan, 51, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of knowingly parading, demonstrating and picketing inside the Capitol during a riot supporting Donald Trumps presidency. The count carries punishment of up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. Under her plea deal, Ryan also agrees to pay $500 in restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for November 4 in Washington.

Ryan was arrested on January 15 and charged with multiple counts after she shared photos and videos on social media, including a video in which she says, Were gonna go down and storm the Capitol, in front of a bathroom mirror, according to the FBI criminal complaint. The FBI also said Ryan live-streamed a 21-minute Facebook video of her and a group walking toward the Capitol.

We are going to (expletive) go in here, Ryan said in the video as she approached the top of the stairs on the west side of the Capitol building. Life or death, it doesnt matter. Here we go.

She then turned the camera to expose her face, the complaint noted, and said, Yall know who to hire for your Realtor, Jenna Ryan for your Realtor. Nearly halfway through, Ryan appears to have made it to the front door, chanting, USA, USA and Here we are, in the name of Jesus.

The riot was prefaced by a rally at which Trump urged the mob to fight for his presidency. At the time of her arrest, Ryan told KTVT-TV in Fort Worth that she was a normal person, that I listen to my president who told me to go to the Capitol. At the time, she said she deserved a presidential pardon from Trump. No pardon was forthcoming.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz announced Wednesday he will vote for Gov. Greg Abbott for reelection, prompting boos from a staunchly conservative crowd after citing their long relationship working together and saying he would be a "disloyal jackass" if he did not vote for the fellow Republican.

Cruz's remarks came during a town hall in Grapevine organized by the True Texas Project, a far-right group that was previously known as the NE Tarrant Tea Party. An audience member stated that the crowd favors "anyone but Abbott" in 2022 and asked Cruz if he would commit to endorsing one of Abbott's primary challengers or commit to staying out of the primary altogether.

Abbott has drawn at least three primary opponents, including former Dallas state Sen. Don Huffines and former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West. They have been critical of Abbott's response to the coronavirus pandemic and questioned his overall commitment to conservative causes.

Cruz said there are "a lot of people" running for governor that he considers friends, but he quickly brought up his personal history with Abbott, who hired Cruz as solicitor general when Abbott was attorney general. Cruz said Abbott took an "enormous leap of faith" with the hire, and he recalled how Abbott has been "by my side" through his campaigns.

"I can tell you very, very simply, if it were not for Greg Abbott, I would not be in the U.S. Senate," Cruz said. "So listen, I understand there are a lot of folks here who have concerns, some of the things Greg Abbotts done. ... I understand it, and I think primaries are a healthy thing in politics. But I gotta say, as for me, Im gonna vote for Greg Abbott."

Boos erupted in the crowd upon that comment, but Cruz continued, saying, "and to be honest, I think Id be a disloyal jackass if I didnt vote for him in our two decades of our working side by side."

There was also applause when Cruz said he would vote for Abbott, as well as applause when he finished his overall answer.

The negative reactions were not entirely surprising. The True Texas Project regularly hosts Huffines, West and other GOP detractors of Abbott.

After Cruz spoke, True Texas Project CEO Julie McCarty addressed the audience and brought up how a state representative from the area, Giovanni Capriglione, fell out of favor with the group years ago after it initially supported him. She recalled that the group "started holding him accountable" and he "still did not turn his ways."

"So I would encourage Sen. Cruz to hold Gov. Abbott accountable and then do whatever step comes next," McCarty said.

Abbott acknowledged Cruz's reelection support Thursday afternoon, tweeting that he was "proud to have my friend [Cruz] behind me."

"Friendships are important, but I have plenty of personal friends I would never vote for," Huffines said in a statement. "This race is about one thing: Greg Abbotts job performance as governor. And he has failed."

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
On Thursday, August 19, North East Independent School District voted to implement a temporary mask mandate during an emergency meeting that went into the late night hours.

The district previously announced it would not mandate face coverings on its campuses. The decision came after the Texas Supreme Court sided with Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order banning schools systems from mandating face masks last weekend.

However on Thursday, the Texas Supreme Court temporarily struck down Abbott's ban, clearing the way for school districts to require masks on campus. The Texas Education Agency also updated its guidance Thursday, writing that it is currently not enforcing the ban on mask mandates "as the result of ongoing litigation."

"In the interest of student health and safety, the NEISD Board of Trustees has voted to implement a temporary face mask mandate for all students, staff, and visitors," NEISD states on its Facebook post. "Thank you for your continued support."

During the meeting, NEISD trustees voted 5-1 after hearing from more than 100 speakers. Most of them were unmasked and against the mandate, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

NEISD board called the emergency meeting to discuss the district's COVID-19 response. The meeting drew more than 150 people, including 107 who signed up to speak, the Express-News reports.

In its Facebook post announcing the vote, several commented against the decision but the majority of the remarks were supporting the district's decision.

"You are mistaken. You don't have my continued support. Your time is better spent focusing on education. Kids get sick- that is a part of life," Tiffany Wilkinson Throckmorton writes.

"Thank you for doing this to protect the health and safety of our students and staff," Wendy Mueller comments.

"Everyone that angry reacted can keep your unmasked child at home. Problem solved," Kellie Loughmiller writes.

The mandate goes into effect Monday, Aug. 23, and applies at all NEISD campuses, school buses, and facilities while indoors.
San Antonio COVID-19 cases are still on the rise as the number of fully vaccinated people slowly ticks upward.

Metropolitan Health District Director Claude Jacob said during today's COVID-19 briefing that there are 1,340 new cases as of Thursday evening and seven new deaths, including two city employees. That brings the number of COVID-related deaths in Bexar County to 3,710.

The seven-day rolling average is 1,597 cases, and 1,382 total COVID-19 patients in area hospitals with 212 new admissions as Thursday, Jacob said. Of the new admissions, 22 of those were pediatric cases. Children under 12 are still not eligible to receive the vaccine.

There are 371 COVID patients in the ICU and 253 on ventilators. About 87 percent of COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated. Jacob said an average of 200 COVID-19 patients are entering area hospitals daily.

County Judge Nelson Wolff said area hospitals received 295 nurses to help manage the surge of COVID-19 patients and he expects 315 more soon.

San Antonio has 65.9 percent of its eligible population now fully vaccinated, and 81.1 percent of the eligible population has received the first dose of a vaccine. The positivity rate remained at 16.9 percent.

Wolff said the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld San Antonio's injunction on Thursday, even as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues San Antonio ISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez. SAISD is requiring students and staff to wear masks, and all staff to receive the vaccine.

Today, over 50 legislators signed and sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott asking him to ensure full funding for public schools whether students attend in person or virtually.

Wolff called Martinez a "hero" for standing up for the safety of children, and he had a few words for those opposing mask mandates believing their rights are being violated.

"You do not have the constitutional right to pass along your disease to someone else," Wolff said.

Even with the injunction upheld, Wolff said it could still go to the Texas Supreme Court before a trial date in December.
An unknown number of people were cleared from a houseless camp under I-37 and San Antonio claims it wasn't ready.

Roland Martinez with the Department of Human Services says the city was not aware that the Texas Department of Transportation moved forward with clearing the camp under I-37 and Brooklyn Avenue on Wednesday.

By the time DHS was notified, he says in an email, TxDOT was already in the process of clearing the camp.

DHS Street Outreach, Haven for Hope, Corazon San Antonio, Christian Assistance Ministry, SAMMinistries and Center for Health Care Services moved quickly, Martinez says, to help people access services and find alternate living situations. They were able to get 20 people into a shelter and residential detox.

A spokesperson with Haven for Hope says they took in 10 people who are houseless. The city last cleared the camp on February 3, where it was estimated that 85 to 100 people who are houseless lived at the time. In February, a spokesperson for Human Services cited a concern for criminal activity, combined with increased trash and human waste, as a catalyst for advancing the cleanup.

Martinez says the city did not know how many people or tents were cleared from the camp. He adds that DHS is typically more coordinated with TxDOT when it comes to clearing camps.

"Typically the City and our partners are made aware of the date at least two weeks prior to the abatement," Martinez says. "This allows us time for targeted street outreach and development of low-barrier options to accommodate those living in the abated area. "

MySA reached out to TxDOT to find out why DHS wasn't notified in time and how many people who are houseless were cleared from the camp, but did not hear back by time of publication.

This is a developing story. MySA will provide updates as more is learned.
New York officer rescues fallen man from subway train (video) BBC. More important, I think, is that the officer had civilian assistance.

Large OneCoin Transactions Worth Over $10 Billion Related To Cryptoqueen Traced To Seychelles Finance Feeds

Rain fell at the normally snowy summit of Greenland for the first time on record CNN (dk).

Afghanistan

#COVID19

China?

Vietnams biggest city issues stay-home order as COVID-19 deaths soar Reuters

The slow decay of the Malay political establishment Asia Link

Myanmar

New Zealands Ardern vows to stamp out Delta COVID-19 variant as outbreak widens Channel News Asia. Meanwhile: 1pm Daily Update IMDB (vlade). Plot summary:

Set in a dystopian world where autocratic and populist leaders are in charge of the USA, China, UK, Brazil and many other nations. 1pm Daily Update takes place in the imaginary island nation of New Zealand, a utopian society where science, facts, strong leadership and a genuine care for its people and environment take precedence over money and big business.

Dang. I dont see billionaire bolthole in there, or bunkers. Perhaps in some future episode, when the casting is firmed up?

The Koreas

Syraqistan

UK/EU

The Caribbean

Biden Administration

FTC Alleges Facebook Resorted to Illegal Buy-or-Bury Scheme to Crush Competition After String of Failed Attempts to Innovate (press release) FTC. When Lina Kahns FTC amends a complaint, it doesnt [family blog] around.

Were already paying for it Interfluidity. Back-of-the-envelope calculation:

On the face of it, the United States collects taxes equal to just under a quarter of its GDP, while social democracies like Denmark or Norway collect taxes that amount to 40% to 50% of GDP. But how much do Americans pay once the plutocracy tax is taken into account? A recent study by Carter C. Price and Kathryn A. Edwards suggests that between 1975 and 2018, the share of taxable income paid to the top 1% grew by 13 percentage points, from 8% to 22%. Treating that additional income as our plutocracy tax, and naively summing it with the overt tax share of GDP, we get a total tax share of 38%, within spitting distance of Norway.

Well worth a read.

Man surrenders after claiming to have bomb near US Capitol AP

Imperial Collapse Watch

Assabiya Wins Every Time The Tablet

Guillotine Watch

Jeff Bezos house has artisan soft-serve ice cream on tap now New York Post. With rocket-shaped sprinkles?

Class Warfare

Encountering infinity: the aspects of reality we cannot comprehend Physics World

Antidote du jour (via):

Winter is coming.

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
My position with Nashville Post has evolved since 2000 when I began work with the now-defunct The City Paper. TCP became a Post sister pub in 2008 (when I began some Post work) and folded in 2013. I have worked mainly with the Post since late 2011.

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(Natural News) There was a classic moment in modern journalism last summer when the rioting kicked off in Minnesota following the death of George Floyd. As burnings literally burned behind him, flames soaring 50-100 feet in the air, CNN correspondent Ali Velshi was telling viewers that the protests were mostly peaceful.

Of course, that was nonsense; on a number of other networks whose correspondents arent quiet as big of left-wing ideologues as they are at the Cable News Network, Americans could see that the protests werent protests but full-blown riots. And in the end, hundreds of buildings in Minnesota lay in smoldering ruin, all owned by people and companies who had nothing to do with Floyds death.

Well, its been a little more than a year, and CNNs fake news correspondents havent learned anything, as we saw earlier this week.

As Kabul was falling into the hands of the Taliban like the rest of Afghanistan earlier this week, a CNN correspondent told viewers that Afghans behind her who were literally chanting Death to America  and mind you, Taliban and Afghan fighters had been killing Americans for 20 years by then  are actually pretty friendly in real life.

Breitbart News noted:

Monday on CNNs New Day, network chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward delivered a report from the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, after Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani reportedly fled the country upon the arrival of Taliban forces. Ward said it is clear the Taliban is now back in charge of Afghanistan.

As soon as we leave our compound, its clear who is now in charge, Ward said in her report. Taliban fighters have flooded the capital. Smiling and victorious, they took this city of 6 million people in a matter of hours  barely firing a shot.

This is a sight I honestly thought I would never see: scores of Taliban fighters, and just behind us, the U.S. embassy compound. Some carry American weapons. They tell us theyre here to maintain law and order, she added.

Sure they were. Theyre Taliban; they were there to reimpose Islamic law and order, which is a whole other can of worms.

Ward went on to translate an interview with a Taliban commander who laughingly told her that everything is under control and that America needs to leave Afghanistan (which we were in the process of doing).

Everything is under control. Everything will be fine, the commander said. Nobody should worry, she reported.

Whats your message to America right now? Ward asked of the commander.

America already spent enough time in Afghanistan, he said, according to the reporter. They need to leave, he tells us. They already lost lots of lives and lots of money.

At that, CNN then played a clip of Taliban fighters holding rifles in the air and chanting.

Theyre just chanting, Death to America, but they seem friendly at the same time, Ward said, without a hint of irony. Its utterly bizarre.

You could say that.

Interestingly, these friendly Taliban obviously caused a dramatic shift in Wards wardrobe.

Here she is being interviewed by Stephen Colbert before the Taliban entered Kabul:

Powerful wordsThe Afghans (that @clarissaward spoke with) do not blame America for withdrawing. They did not expect America to fight another countrys war they understand fully that Afghan people must assume responsibility of their own country. But pic.twitter.com/k8oBWctQQU  Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) August 18, 2021

Here she is reporting after the Taliban entered Kabul:

Days after the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan, CNN's @ClarissaWard reports on what life looks like in Kabul at the moment. https://t.co/kRYDhEYMxP pic.twitter.com/A6iglJQioU  CNN (@CNN) August 18, 2021

For someone who isnt particularly worried about friendly Taliban, Ward sure became very dress code conscience after the Taliban, known to be strict enforcers of Islam, blew into the city.

Tonight on Black News Tonight, I have my thoughts on CNNs Clarissa Ward, Afghanistan, and the pretext of hijab. pic.twitter.com/v3yDSjEows  Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) August 17, 2021

The fact is, we may be witnessing the end of Joe Bidens fake presidency; it will be difficult, if not impossible, for him to recover from this absolute debacle that left-wing networks like CNN would really rather we didnt notice (like the death to America guys).

Meantime, these fools will continue to tell their brain-dead viewers not to believe their lying eyes.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

WhiteHouse.news
(Natural News) The Middle Eastern states of Israel and Palestine show contrasting figures in both vaccination rates and case counts amid the ongoing pandemic. Israel recently saw a massive spike in Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases despite three-fifths of its population being vaccinated. Meanwhile, Palestine saw its COVID-19 cases drop even though more than 90 percent of its population remains unvaccinated.

Naturopathic doctor Suneil Jain pointed out the stark contrast in a tweet. His post said: Palestine: 8.2 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Israel: 62 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Guess which one is doing better?

Jain pointed to figures from the website OurWorldInData.org to support his tweet. He compared the vaccination rates and the number of COVID-19 cases in both countries and found that the former was directly proportional to the latter. While Israel suffers from high case counts despite the majority of its citizens being vaccinated, Palestine, with many remaining unvaccinated, has seen a steady drop.

As of Aug. 10, more than half of Israels population have been fully vaccinated, while only 8.2 percent of Palestinians have received two doses of coronavirus vaccines. Palestine has only administered around 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, a small number compared to the more than 10 million doses administered by Israel.

Furthermore, figures from OurWorldInData.org show that the daily number of new COVID-19 cases in Israel has surpassed the 3,500 mark. Meanwhile, daily new COVID-19 cases in Palestine never went beyond 500. These figures suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are not only ineffective, but they could also be responsible for the new wave of COVID-19 infections.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker, Israel procured and approved both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines for use. On the other hand, Palestine relied on donated vaccines for its vaccination program. The country received a total of 37,440 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the World Health Organizations COVAX initiative. Palestine also received doses of the Russian-made vaccine, Sputnik V, according to a BBC report.

Israel relied too much on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine

Israel used the two-dose Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on a huge percentage of its population, alongside the two-dose Moderna vaccine. More than 5.4 million Israelis received the Pfizer/BioNTech shot in the countrys widely praised mass inoculation program. However, examinations done by Israeli medical experts reveal that Pfizers vaccine may have caused more harm than good.

Back in April 2021, researchers from Tel Aviv University and Israeli healthcare provider Clalit Health Services reported that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine increased the risk of people catching COVID-19 variants. They found that Israelis who completed the vaccines two-dose schedule were eight times more likely to get infected with the South African B1351 strain. Meanwhile, those who received one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech shot were at higher risk of catching the British B117 strain.

We found a disproportionately higher rate of the South African variant among people vaccinated with a second dose, compared to the unvaccinated group. Based on patterns in the general population, we would have expected just one case of the [B1351] variant  but we saw eight, the studys lead researcher, Dr. Adi Stern, said. (Related: Study finds Pfizer coronavirus vaccine puts people at HIGHER risk of covid variants.)

Months later, the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) revealed that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was only 39 percent effective against the B16172 delta variant. The ministry noted this finding in its July 22 report, which included COVID-19 cases recorded between June 20 and July 17. This corresponded with the time of the more infectious variants spread in Israel. (Related: Israel faces new coronavirus outbreak even though its citizens already got vaccines.)

The MOHs report also noted the waning effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 transmission. People vaccinated in March and April 2021 had more than 50 percent protection against the COVID-19 virus, while those inoculated in February 2021 only had 44 percent. Israelis inoculated at the start of the year saw their vaccine-induced protection levels drop to a measly 16 percent.

First identified in India, the B16172 delta variant has since spread to other countries. According to Israels Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center, the strain is 60 percent more infectious than the British B117 strain. It has also caused almost three times more hospitalizations than the B117 variant.

VaccineDamage.news has more articles about vaccination programs contributing to COVID-19 surges.

Sources include:

InfoWars.com

Twitter.com

COVID19.TrackVaccines.org

BBC.com

LifeSiteNews.com

i24news.tv

JPost.com
(Natural News) Many Democrats believe that people should show proof of vaccination against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) before being allowed into public indoor spaces. This is according to a new Rasmussen Report poll released on Monday, August 9.

The new poll shows that 44 percent of American adults are in favor of such measures. The number was much higher among Democrats, 65 percent of which said that the requirement should be nationwide, with only 25 percent saying it should not.

Meanwhile, only 29 percent of Republicans and 36 percent of independents want vaccine requirements for indoor public spaces like restaurants, gyms and theaters.

Survey highlights political division in Americans opinions on the pandemic

The new survey highlights the political division Americans face when it comes to how the virus should be tackled.

For example, most Democrats  74 percent  believe that even those whore already vaccinated should still wear face masks. Meanwhile, only 32 percent of Republicans agree.

The poll also shows that Democrats generally have a sour view of the nations handling of the pandemic. Just 28 percent believe that the Biden administration is winning the war against the virus.

Opinions on how to approach the pandemic are also split by race. More blacks  61 percent  approve of the Center for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) mask mandates. This is compared to only 49 percent of whites and 48 percent of other minorities.

Meanwhile, blacks are split down the middle when it comes to whether proof of vaccination should be required for public spaces, with 50 percent for and 50 percent against. Meanwhile, only 43 percent of both whites and other minorities agree with the need for proof of vaccination.

Poll comes as cities implement stricter vaccine measures

The Rasmussen Report conducted the poll from August 4 to 5, two days before New York City became the first place in the U.S. to require people to show proof of vaccination before entering indoor public spaces.

It is so important to make clear that if you are vaccinated, you get to benefit in all sorts of ways. You get to live a better life, stated New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio when he announced the new rule earlier this August.

And if youre unvaccinated, there are going to be fewer and fewer things that youre able to do, he added. (Related: New York City now segregating the unvaccinated, ordering restaurants NOT to serve them.)

NYCs move was immediately criticized by Republicans as several red states have been fighting to ban vaccine passports and similar mandates for months now. That said, its still not as extreme as measures implemented in cities such as Los Angeles and Washington D.C., which have reimposed mask mandates for indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status, though this approach is at least more fair and less divisive.

President Joe Bidens administration has been adamant that there will be no federal-level vaccine passport mandate. That said, the administration has made it clear that it would support local governments and private entities that choose to impose these measures.

Last month, the CDC released new guidance stating that high case-rate areas should reimpose indoor masking even for those whove been vaccinated.

The guidance came as the Delta variant and breakthrough cases among vaccinated people continued to surge.

On Friday, August 6, the White House announced that 50 percent of the entire U.S. population is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. But despite this, vaccination rates have actually plateaued over the summer. The administrations efforts to encourage people to get vaccinated are meeting resistance from hesitant communities in red states, as well as with minorities and young people.

This then raises the question of whether further mandates, similar to those in New York City, are coming in the future.

For more on vaccine mandates, follow Immunization.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

RasmussenReports.com

News.Yahoo.com
(Natural News) The most educated people in the world are the least likely to get vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), a new study has found.

Nearly one in four PhDs, according to researchers from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), is refusing to get injected, which is roughly the same as the number of high school graduates or less who are hesitant to get the jab.

The most willing group to get injected are people with Masters degrees, the study further found, followed by people with Bachelors degrees, those with professional qualifications, and finally those with some college.

These findings directly contradict the mainstream media narrative that only dumb hicks and Trump supporters are refusing to take Donald father of the vaccine Trumps Operation Warp Speed abominations.

Based on more than five million responses to a survey that classified people based on demographics and whether or not they would probably or definitely get the shots, CMU researchers found that those with the most amount of higher education are by far the most hesitant when it comes to taking the experimental gene therapy.

The data shows that the association between hesitancy and education level follows a U-shaped curve with the highest hesitancy among those least and most educated.

People with a masters degree had the least hesitancy, and the highest hesitancy was among those holding a Ph.D., Unherd further reported about the findings.

The largest decrease in vaccine hesitancy occurred among the least educated

Conversely, the quickest demographic to change its mind based on media and government propaganda was those with the least amount of education.

During the first five months of 2021, those with a high school education or less were the most likely to be convinced by all the brainwashing on television and social media to ignore their better senses and roll up their sleeve, even if they had doubts or concerns prior.

PhDs once again were found to be the least likely demographic to change their mind. If they did not want the injection to begin with, chances are that PhDs stuck with that decision up until now.

So not only are the most educated people most skeptical of taking the Covid vaccine, they are also the least likely the change their minds about it, Unherd further reported.

To be fair, there are relatively few PhDs throughout society and many more people with minimal education, aka indoctrination. This could play a role in the percentage differences appearing as they do.

On the other hand, perhaps those who made it the furthest they could go up the educational pyramid saw behind the curtain and know that these injections are not what they are being presented as by the powers that be.

Big Tech has also been actively censoring posts and other content that is deemed as possibly encouraging more people not to get the shots. Do PhDs use Facebook as much as blue collar workers, for example, who may be presented with different information about the vaccines?

The issue deserves a deeper dive, but it is food for thought as to what the elite really think about these shots compared to what most other people think. Our guess is that the most vaccine hesitant group of all are those at the very top of the pyramid because they know exactly what is in those vials and want nothing to do with it.

Among the most recalcitrant, commonly cited reasons included not trusting the vaccine and not trusting the government, while less hesitant groups were more inclined to explain they were waiting to see if the vaccine is safe, reported UPMC.

The latest news about Chinese Virus injections can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

Unherd.com

Archive.is

NaturalNews.com

UPMC.com
(Natural News) A Western Sydney official has compared the latest anti-Covid measures imposed on his area by the New South Wales (NSW) state government to the times of Nazi Germany. His comment, since removed, caused a rumpus on social media.

(Article republished from RT.com)

Mayor Steve Christou, of Cumberland City Council, tweeted an official graphic illustrating new lockdown rules on Friday. Having posted the image that warned residents of the mandate that requires them to have a permit to leave the region and to register their personal details to be allowed to visit a singles buddy within a five-kilometer (three-mile) reach, he wrote: Welcome to Nazi Germany. The comment from the councilor, who describes himself as having a tendency to speak what I think, was later deleted.

The official has previously expressed his opposition to the tightening of lockdown rules and any mandatory vaccination, describing the situation as dictatorial madness.

His latest provocative tweet was publicly available for long enough to elicit an array of reactions.

Welcome to the end of your political career.  Jim Sim (@shitfor) August 14, 2021

Heres a good bit of advice; never use Nazi Germany as comparison for anything. Resign and take a lesson in Ethics.

 Andrew Hall (@Killer_Gas) August 14, 2021

Some dubbed it disgusting and offensive to Holocaust survivors, while others called on Christou to delete it. In contrast, there were those who apparently supported him.

Nazi Germany would be an improvement.  George Sinam (@geoma1991) August 13, 2021

A number of commenters called for the mayor to step down, among them the NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services, David Elliott, who said the comment was the most abhorrent thing.

Under the latest changes to the lockdown rules, residents of several areas of Greater Sydney, including Cumberland, have had their permitted travel radius reduced by half. Those wishing to go beyond that would have to apply for a permit. Only one person from each household, except in special circumstances, is allowed to leave home at any one time to undertake essential errands. Hundreds of defense force personnel, including heavily armed riot squad officers, have been deployed to ensure compliance with the rules. An additional 500 troops will patrol Sydneys residential areas from Monday, as NSWs law enforcement agencies launch their stay-at-home operation. Roadblocks have been installed, with police stopping drivers to check their identification documents in a major compliance exercise.

Adding to the public outrage and frustration, the announcement of the statewide lockdown was made by authorities on social media, rather than at an official press conference.

As someone with many family members in regional NSW I find it appalling a statewide lockdown is announced on Twitter. Yes lets protect them but also show some respect  Im sure there was time in todays 45 min presser for a mention! #nswcovid #nswlockdown #nswcovid19  Sarah Stewart (@SarahStewart_9) August 14, 2021

As the region was plunged deeper into lockdown, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the situation was the worst the state had been in since day one. The authorities say the hardline measures are essential to deal with the worsening Covid-19 situation in the region, where 466 new local cases were recorded on Saturday. NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller said he wasnt apologetic for imposing some of the strongest laws, with some of the strongest police action coming, adding: Please dont write in and complain to me. We have given ample warnings and cautions, and that time has gone.

Read more at: RT.com and MedicalTyranny.com.
(Natural News) Are you ready for this weeks absurdity? Heres our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty, risks to your prosperity and on occasion, inspiring poetic justice.

(Article by Simon Black republished from SovereignMan.com)

Racist Boulder Removed From University Campus

The University of Wisconsin recently spent as much as $50,000 to remove a boulder known as Chamberlin Rock from campus in the name of racial justice.

The large rock, estimated to be 2 BILLION years old, was placed on campus in the 1920s to honor a geologist and past president of the university, Thomas Chamberlin.

Now, you might be thinking that Chamberlin was a terrible racist, and thats why they moved the rock.

But thats actually incorrect. Chamberlin was born in 1843 to a family of staunch abolitionists who left North Carolina because they thought slavery was evil.

The primary issue is that, in 1925, after the boulder had already been placed on campus and dedicated to Chamberlin, a local newspaper used a racial term when referring to the rock.

That single newspaper article was literally the source of all the commotion.

And so, because some irrelevant newspaper reporter who had nothing to do with Thomas Chamberlin used a racist term to refer to the rock, one time, nearly 100 years ago, the mob demanded action.

The rock has now been relocated. But even more, the plaque honoring Chamberlin has been taken down.

What exactly did Thomas Chamberlin do wrong to be de-honored and have his name tarnished?

Well, the students who demanded this change dont exactly know. But they assumed that, since the reporter who wrote about the rock was a bad guy, and the rock was placed in honor of Chamberlin, then Chamberlin must also have been a bad guy too.

Woke logic makes perfect sense!

Click here to read the full story.

France enters Papers Please Phase of COVID Dictatorship

Videos began emerging this week of French police officers going table to table in outdoor cafes, checking citizens for their COVID health pass.

France now requires proof of having received a COVID vaccine to access restaurants, public transit, and other businesses.

The videos show restaurant patrons pulling out their papers for inspection by uniformed police officers in order to enjoy the privilege of eating at an outdoor cafe.

And this time, it didnt even take a German invasion.

Click here to read the full story.

Teachers Union Sues Mom for Demanding to See Her Childs Curriculum

The National Education Association teachers union is suing a Rhode Island mom after she made Freedom of Information requests of her childs school.

The NEA is also suing the local school board for fulfilling many of the requests.

Nicole Solas was told by the principal of her childs public elementary school that the school does not use the terms boys and girls and instead uses gender neutral pronouns.

When Solas requested specifics about the schools policies, the [principal] told her she should file a Freedom of Information request.

Thats exactly what Solas did, filing about 200 requests for information relating to the schools gender policies, Critical Race Theory in the curriculum, and disciplinary action against teachers.

For example, she requested emails between teachers and administration that contained the words whiteness and race, as well as, All lesson plans in which the concept of whiteness as a social construct is discussed, at all grade levels.

But the teachers union thinks Solas has no right to see what the public school is teaching her kid. And it thinks the school board violated the privacy of union members when it turned over certain documents containing private communications.

Click here to read the full story.

Antifa Attacks Christian Prayer Meeting in a Park

Antifa activists, dressed in black, hiding their faces, and carrying riot shields, attacked Christians as they set up for a prayer meeting in a Portland park last Saturday.

Entirely unprovoked, the fascists who call themselves anti-fascist assaulted the Christian attendees with mace and projectiles. They also stole and destroyed equipment and food, and then bragged about everything on Twitter.

Of course, nothing says anti-fascism like violently persecuting peaceful people for their religious beliefs.

But the Christian prayer event still attracted thousands of attendees the next day, despite the attempts at intimidation. Vastly outnumbered, Antifa activists waited to attack attendees as the crowd dispersed.

The police did not intervene and have reported no arrests for the flagrant public assaults caught on camera, and which Antifa admitted to online.

Click here to read the full story.

Exodus of Orthodox Jews from New York to Florida

Orthodox Jews are moving out of New York City at a record pace and heading to Florida.

Many are reporting that the decision to move came down to a few common factors:

One, Florida has school voucher programs which allow some public school funds to pay for private Jewish schools.

Nearly 2,000 new students joined Jewish day schools across Florida from 2018-2020. Meanwhile New York City banned private schools from operating during the pandemic, and New Yorkers ratted-out their Jewish neighbors for running the schools anyway .

Two, the government of New York City, with strict lockdowns, mask mandates, and now forced vaccination to participate in normal life, is becoming too burdensome . And remote work has freed many to move.

Three, low taxes. You can save a lot of money moving from New York City, with a combined state and local income tax burden of up to 14.776%, to Florida which has no state income tax.

But perhaps the key factor is Orthodox Jews often join existing Jewish communities throughout Florida. A support structure of like-minded individuals is probably something we could all benefit from.

Click here to read the full story.

On another note We think gold could DOUBLE and silver could increase by up to 5 TIMES in the next few years.

Thats why we published a new, 50-page long Ultimate Guide on Gold & Silver that you can download here.

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Read more at: SovereignMan.com and Insanity.news.
(Natural News) A groundbreaking postmortem study on the corpse of a man who had been vaccinated with an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine prior to his death revealed that every organ in the 86-year-olds body was infested with spike proteins thanks to the jab.

This is according to an article that was published in the June 2021 edition of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases entitled, First case of postmortem study in a patient vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.

In the journal, German researchers describe what they found in a post-mortem study of an 86-year-old man who lived in a retirement home and had been given one dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The man had a history of high blood pressure, dementia, prostate cancer and chronic venous insufficiency but was asymptomatic before getting the shot.

Two weeks afterward, he collapsed while having breakfast; he went to the hospital three days later with progressively worsening diarrhea. His health deteriorated quickly from there and he passed away just four weeks after getting the Pfizer vaccine.

The studys authors note that the man had tested negative for COVID-19 when he arrived at the hospital and did not have any symptoms while there, but he did test positive for it the day before he died. The researchers theorized that he had been infected by a patient with whom he shared a hospital room.

The researchers also noted that his cause of death was officially listed as being acute bronchopneumonia and kidney failure, even though his tissues did not have any characteristic morphological features of COVID-19.

Mans body was overrun with vaccine-induced spike proteins

The most concerning part of their study was the fact that tests found SARS-CoV-2 in nearly every organ tested, including the mans brain, lungs, trachea, kidney and heart. In short, his whole body was overrun with high loads of vaccine-induced spike proteins, or viral RNA.

This prompted the authors to conclude that the first vaccination may create a strong immune response, but it does not lead to sterile immunity, which means that the immunity that the vaccine gives a person does not completely prevent SARS-CoV-2 from causing disease. The vaccine did trigger an immune response in the man in question, but it did nothing to stop the virus and the spike proteins from spreading and causing his organs to fail.

For vaccines to achieve sterile immunity, they need to trigger the immune system to generate neutralizing antibodies that target and neutralize pathogens. Several medical research publications have shown that the mRNA vaccines currently available do not provide this level of effectiveness. That much has been quite clear as we see more and more fully vaccinated individuals experiencing so-called breakthrough cases.

Although this is just one study, many experts believe that this will become a common finding as we continue to go through the pandemic. The studys authors wrote: Comprehensive analysis of autopsy data must be performed to provide more detailed insights into lethal adverse effects and any deaths associated with vaccination.

Unfortunately, many doctors are afraid to question the narrative as those who have raised important questions about the effectiveness of vaccines have been mocked, shunned, blacklisted and threatened with potentially losing their license. On social media, simply mentioning a doubt you have about the vaccines or a side effect that you may have experienced after a vaccine is enough to have you silenced.

While we would all like to believe that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and could put this pandemic to rest once and for all, that simply is not the reality that we are seeing right now, and it is important to have a better understanding of what these shots are doing to people instead of blindly insisting that the whole world complies and threatening people with social isolation for not doing so.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalHealth365.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Mandatory cutbacks pose a major challenge for Arizona farmers next year as the federal government declared water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time, reducing water allotments for some states and Mexico.

This declaration by the Bureau of Reclamation has been anticipated for months. It was triggered by the spiraling decline of water levels in Lake Mead, which stores the water used by Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico.

Water levels have been falling faster than experts predicted. The scorching temperatures and less melting snow in the spring have reduced the amount of water flowing to the lake from the Rocky Mountains, where the river originates.

The reservoir has fallen to its lowest levels since the Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s. It is still continuing to drop its water levels after years of chronic overuse. With the megadrought intensifying, the dam now stands at only 35 percent capacity.

To prevent the lake from falling to critically low levels, officials from the affected states have begun discussing potential steps to take, which could include more water cuts.

Water managers noted that the first shortage declaration shows how severe the drought has affected the river that provides water for 40 million people.

Reclamation does not take these actions lightly or do so easily. We do so because it is necessary, protecting the system and implementing the agreements we have in place, said Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Camille Touton.

These cuts will reduce the flow of the water through the 336-mile Central Arizona Project Canal, which supplies water for Arizonas growing desert cities and stretches of farmlands.

Farmers in central Arizona will be facing major cutbacks in water deliveries. These reductions will force some growers to leave fields dry and unplanted while the state is providing funds to help local irrigation districts drill wells to pump more groundwater. (Related: Lake Mead reaches another record low as water apocalypse nears for Las Vegas, a city living in denial.)

Bigger cuts to be made in the near future

The announcement also shows that even bigger cuts will be made in 2023 and 2024, with some Arizona cities finding their water deliveries slashed as well.

The water levels of Lake Mead are projected to end the year at a 1,065-foot elevation, putting the rivers Lower Basin in a tier-one shortage. The government already estimated that the reservoir is likely to continue to fall in the next years. Lower-level shortages are also expected to bring larger cuts.

The reductions are in effect under the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan, which aims to reduce the risks of Lake Mead falling to critical levels. However, the extreme heat and unrelenting drought persisted across much of the watershed, bringing reservoir levels down faster than expected.

The agreement also included a backstop provision that called for the states to reconvene and consider additional measures if necessary to guard against the lake falling to critical levels.

While there havent been additional actions confirmed, the possible steps could include reducing the amounts of water taken from Lake Mead and conserving it in the reservoir. With levels at Lake Mead projected to continue dropping, researchers warned that the cuts agreed to in 2019 may no longer be sufficient in dealing with the severity of the situation, and the region should need bigger efforts to adapt.

The rapid decline of the reservoirs showed that the drought deal will not be enough. Arizona and the neighboring states should find strategies to ensure that the system can stay functional in the next several years.

Read more about the megadrought and the problems that it can cause in the U.S. at Climate.news.

Sources include:

LATimes.com

MSN.com
(Natural News) CNN talking head Don Lemon says we shouldnt waste our breath on unvaccinated people, so instead of talking to them as rational human beings with dignity and personal freedom, we should ban anyone who hasnt gotten the Rona vaccine from the grocery store (and employment). Im sure a lot of people are not gonna agree with this, but [you] dont get the vaccine, you cant go to the supermarket. You dont have the vaccine? You cant go to the ball game. Dont have the vaccine? Cant go to work. Dont have the vaccine? Cant come here. No shirt, no shoes, no service.

(Article by Neenah Payne republished from NaturalBlaze.com)

Ah, yes. An emergency authorized vaccine for a virus that is insanely survivable for healthy people is the exact same as the moral argument against walking in butt naked to a store. Its also okay that half of America starves based on this premise.

If Lemons comments had been said about ANY other group, they would be banned as hate speech and incitement to violence. CNNs Don Lemon has lowest-rated week since struggling program switched names shows that Lemon is struggling to maintain an audience. So, these comments may have been an attempt to get publicity.

Are the Unvaxxed the New Jews?

Are The Unvaxxed The New Jews? points out:

Physicians and medically trained academics, many of whom were proponents of racial hygiene, or eugenics, legitimized and helped to implement Nazi policies aiming to cleanse German society of people viewed as biologic threats to the nations health. Racial-hygiene measures began with the mass sterilization of the genetically diseased and ended with the near-annihilation of European Jewry.

Combined with terror to intimidate those who did not comply, a new state propaganda apparatus headed by Joseph Goebbels manipulated and deceived the German population and the outside world. Propagandists preached an appealing message of national unity and a utopian future that resonated with millions of Germans. They also waged campaigns that facilitated the persecution of Jews and others excluded from the Nazi vision of the National Community.

In the name of public health  COVID-19 Eradication Hygiene

The article adds:

This topic [the Holocaust] allows us to study the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping  to explore the danger of silence and indifference in the face of human rights abuses, and to examine the use and abuse of power. How Will It End, This Time???

Are COVID Shots Fueling More Dangerous Mutations?

Are COVID Shots Fueling More Dangerous Mutations? by Dr. Joseph Mercola points out:

Interestingly, as noted in a February 15, 2021, article in The Conversation [Why more contagious variants are emerging now, more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic], variants with measurably different behavior did not emerge until mid-December 2020, which just so happens to be the exact time at which the first COVID shots were rolled out

In a July 30, 2021 report, Sharyl Attkisson cited data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which show that 74% of COVID-19 diagnoses in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, between July 6 through July 25, 2021, and 80% of hospitalizations, were among the fully vaccinated.

The article adds:

Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche, whose resume includes work with GSK Biologicals, Novartis Vaccines, Solvay Biologicals and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, published an open letter to the World Health Organization, March 6, 2021.

In the letter, Bossche warned that implementing a global mass vaccination campaign during the height of the pandemic could create an uncontrollable monster where evolutionary pressure will force the emergence of new and potentially more dangerous mutations.

There can be no doubt that continued mass vaccination campaigns will enable new, more infectious viral variants to become increasingly dominant and ultimately result in a dramatic incline in new cases despite enhanced vaccine coverage rates. There can be no doubt either that this situation will soon lead to complete resistance of circulating variants to the current vaccines, Bossche wrote.

Top Virologists Urgent Call to WHO: Stop The COVID Vaccines

In Urgent call to WHO, from Geert Vanden Bossche (DMV, Phd), Dr. Bossche issued an alarm in March 2021. Dr. Bosche pointed out:

Mass infection prevention and mass vaccination with leaky Covid-19 vaccines in the midst of the pandemic can only breed highly infectious variants.

See Top Virologists Urgent Warning About COVID Vaccine

The Horror Of Friendly Vaccine Fire  Decimating Humanity By Suppressing Immunity by Dr. Mark Sircus says:

Doctors are warning us that we are about to experience a health catastrophe of unknown proportions. That the COVID vaccines will seriously backfire, decimating our natural human responses to viruses and other infections. That is the threat for the future that is measurable in terms of months. However, people are already dying and being seriously hurt within days or even hours of getting COVID vaccine shots.

The article links to an urgent warning by top vaccine scientist Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche who works for two of Bill Gates foundations. Dr. Bossche says the COVID vaccine is an imminent threat to humanity because it targets us both by destroying our immune system and by weaponizing the virus. He says thats why there are now more virulent strains coming from Brazil, the UK, and Africa.

The article says:

Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche is one of the top leading vaccine experts in the world and is seriously pro-vaccine. Yet he is urging WHO and world political leaders to immediately halt all ongoing Covid-19 mass vaccination campaigns as there is compelling evidence that they will soon dramatically worsen the consequences of the current pandemic.

Dr. Bossche is crying out to the world that the present mass vaccination already in progress is becoming the biggest and most tragic mistake made in the history of public health in general and in the field of immunization in particular. Immediate cancellation of all ongoing Covid-19 mass vaccination campaigns should become THE most acute health emergency of international concern. As we shall see below, more than several countries are suspending their vaccination programs. Irish health officials on Sunday became the latest to recommend the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of serious blood clotting.

Why Are US and UK Expecting Mass Deaths?

Dr. Mercolas article links to the Variants video by WhatsHerFace. He says:

WhatsHerFace questions why the U.K. government is procuring 6 million pounds worth of body bags, or temporary body storage, even as government officials announce that the current vaccination rate has created a protective wall against the infection. If thats true, why are they expecting an excess death scenario? The procurement agreement will remain in effect for four years. Does the U.K. government know something theyre not sharing with the public?

In Recipe For A False Flag: Military Mass Casualty Drills Happening Now, Spiro Skouras says,

The US Army just conducted a three-day exercise in collaboration with the New York City Police and Fire Department. The exercise simulated a nuclear and biological event on the NYC subway system and Yankee Stadium. Similar drills are scheduled for Philadelphia and Los Angeles in the coming months of September and October.

CDC Admits Fully Vaccinated Spread Delta Variant

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky just reversed policy reports that the new data shows the COVID injections dont stop infection or prevent transmission. So, getting the shot doesnt protect the people who get it or others. She says we should expect tens of thousands of breakthrough cases.

OXFORD VACCINE SCIENTIST ADMITS  NO HERD IMMUNITY FROM JABS

The jab doesnt protect or does it? CDC Director Walensky says the obvious  it doesnt stop transmission by vaccinated. Now a professor with the Oxford Vaccine Group (AstraZeneca) says herd immunity is impossible. So why are we obsessing and forcing jabs?

So, only the naturally infected provide herd immunity.

Rand Paul: Resist!

In Perspectives on the Pandemic | Professor Knut Wittkowski | Episode 2, epidemiologist Knut Wittkowski explained early last year that the best way to solve the COVID-19 crisis was with natural herd immunity  not with a lockdown or vaccines. He explained that nursing homes should be closed for about four weeks. He said COVID-19 is a flu like every other flu. If schools and business had remained open, we would have gotten herd immunity last year. Professor Wittkowski said if the government had not intervened, the epidemic would have been over early last year. He said we are experiencing horrific consequences now of bad policy.

Professor Wittkowski says Americans are too docile. If people dont stand up for their rights, they will lose our freedoms forever. He says Americans should resist and should hold politicians responsible for their misguided policies  all for nothing.

Senator Rand Pauls Resist video calls on Americans to reject the COVID health policies.

Video: Making The Unvaccinated Pay

Making The Unvaccinated Pay points out:

For the unvaccinated, its feeling a bit lonely out there. With increased pressure coming from all corners to just get the jab, advocates are ratcheting up pressure to strip away additional liberties from those who choose not to get inoculated. This is a classic Communist tactic of dividing the people to distract them from what is really going on. Well look into this and offer some perspective and ways you can help in todays episode of Analysis Behind the News where we provide the perspective and the plan to help restore American liberty and independence.

The latest edition of The New American is called COVID Lies and is free online.

New American Article: COVID Lies

COVID Lies by Rebecca Terrell points out:

Government and media have lied to us from pandemic day one. Are they lying about the vaccines, too? What is their goal?

Indeed, since March 2020 when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic, calling on all countries to double down with aggressive virus containment efforts, the official response to this nebulous advice has made matters far worse than the disease. From mask mandates to economic shutdowns, from quarantining healthy people to placing COVID patients in nursing homes, from ignoring proven remedies to mandating untested experimental vaccines, the reaction to COVID would be laughable if it were not so destructive.

Yet these are the same leaders who are now dangling the carrot of vaccines in exchange for your hostage liberties. Your cooperation is so important that President Joe Biden is sending government agents to your home to make sure youre vaccinated. (Did thoughts just spring to mind of Nazi agents and their mass sterilization and ethnic-cleansing programs of the 1930s? As today, government then claimed it could rid society of disease, and public health was their excuse for stripping individual rights, too.)

Before rolling up your sleeve for the jab, it may be wise to take a closer look at the track record of COVID deceit, and to learn what Deep State perpetrators openly admit is their ultimate goal. Also of interest is what experts are saying about our disastrous course  experts whom bureaucrats and major media are desperately trying to suppress.

The article discusses the problems with facemasks and lockdowns. It explains the importance of readily-available, inexpensive, proven treatments for COVID including hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), ivermectin, and budesonide which when given early help keep people out of hospitals and have allowed hundreds of thousands of Americans to recover quickly and easily.

The article includes this graphic about facemasks.

The article concludes:

The lies and deceit surrounding COVID-19 seem endless. As former Pfizer VP Yeadon wrote in a recent e-mail: What almost every government told their people was an absurd set of statements, most of them easily disproven by reference to published literature & often simply by thinking (published at off-guardian.org). We hear the imminent arrival of vaccine passports, which dont enhance public safety yet grant to the state totalitarian tyranny, he concluded. There is no other interpretation that fits all the major facts, than that the goal is control through what will be the worlds first digital identity database.

Does this mean we are destined for inevitable techno-enslavement? Not at all. The good news is that both the public and the medical community are waking up.Among them are the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FCCC), PANDA (Pandemics  Data & Analytics), BiRD (British Ivermectin Recommendation Development Group), and the Covid Medical Network.

Members of these groups have created home treatment guides and established telemedicine services nationwide. [Dr. Peter] McCullough credits the roughly 500 doctors who participate in these programs and says, we crushed the epidemic curve in the United States. These organizations are also helping educate the public about COVID vaccines and support legal action to resist mandates. For example, McCullough is serving as lead expert in the bellwether case before the Texas Supreme Court against Houston Methodist Hospital, which recently lost 153 workers who refused vaccination as a condition of employment.

Another source of COVID legal assistance is Americas Frontline Doctors (AFLD), a group founded by physician and attorney Simone Gold. AFLD has filed injunctions to halt COVID vaccines in children, is helping college students whose schools are forcing vaccination on them. Additionally, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) provides an Advocacy Portal to protect against vaccine mandates.

For more information:

Are the Unvaccinated to Blame?: The establishment opinion cartel is shamefully demonizing the unvaccinated for not getting the jab. Their demagoguery has no basis in fact. Countering COVID-19 Overreach Freedom Is The Cure: Stay up-to-date on the truth behind the Coronavirus pandemic by signing up and downloading our FREE COVID-19 PDF. The number of rights, liberties, and freedoms lost during this COVID-19 lockdown is tremendous! We, as Americans, are responsible for defending our rights against this tyranny. We do not consent to these tyrannical orders of shutting down places of worship and not being able to peaceably assemble. Freedom IS The Cure!

Read more at: NaturalBlaze.com and VaccineWars.com.
(Natural News) As weve been reporting, Western leaders are proving that deep down, they are really tyrants just like the authoritarian regimes they claim to oppose, as we are increasingly seeing in the age of COVID-19.

In the U.S., one Democratic leader after another locked down their communities and their states and then kept them locked down for as long as possible, destroying jobs, their economies, and countless lives in the process. Those same leaders pushed citizens to get vaccinated on the premise that if they did, they could have their lives back. But now, theyve pulled the rug out on vaccinated people, demanding that even though theyre vaccinated they show proof to participate in society and still be forced to wear a mask anyway.

The same things are happening in Canada, Europe and elsewhere across the Western zone of influence, including Australia, where the tyrannical government has not only called up the countrys military to enforce COVID restrictions but is behaving more like the old Soviet Union.

LifeSite News reports that the situation is getting worse by the day Down Under:

Australian officials, having legislated the Stay-at-Home order for New South Wales (NSW), have instructed their citizens to report all infringements of COVID regulations including those committed by neighbors and co-workers.

Do not let your guard down, Premier Gladys Berejiklian leader of the Liberal Party commanded during a press conference late last month.

If you see somebody not doing the right thing, please, report it.

She went further and pressed Australian citizens to report anything which is not according to the health rules, anywhere, anytime, and includes their friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

That is chilling coming from a leader in a Western democracy.

Dr. Kerry Chant, the Chief Medical Officer for NSW, is also working to keeping people safe by discouraging social interactions and neighborly exchanges, LifeSite News added.

In a press conference earlier in July, Chant said whilst it is in human nature to engage in conversation with others, to be friendly, unfortunately this is not the time to do that.

Now is the time for minimizing your interactions with others, Chant continued, even telling people not to stop to chat with one another if they see friends in a grocery store.

Even if you have a mask, do not think it affords total protection. We want to be absolutely sure that as we go about our daily lives we are not coming into contact with anyone else that would pose a risk, Chant continued.

And just last week, the national government launched Operation Stay at Home, which is self-explanatory and which involves a 21,000 personnel operation  including 18,000 police officers and 800 members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF)  to enforce public health orders, ABC News in Australia reported.

Enough is enough,Berejiklians Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said in a statement. If you [break the COVID restrictions], you will get fined  $5,000.

He went on to say that officials have had to tighten the current public health orders because of the minority who exploited them.

Yes, those minority of Australians who still foolishly believed they lived in a free country.

The Australia Lawyer Alliance, one of the nations legal groups, said in an understatement that using the military to enforce COVID restrictions is a bit of a dangerous precedent.

The role of defence force personnel must be clearly defined, stated the ALA. The group said the Australian government has to define what the military will be doing to help manage the response to the virus.

But is all of this even necessary? Of course not.

Cases of the Wuhan virus have risen in the past month in NSW. On August 15, 2021, out of a population of around 8 million, 0.31% of the population tested positive, and the death rate in relation to COVID is currently at 0.001% with a total of 111 individuals out of 8,000,000 having passed away, LifeSite News noted.

So its really just about power, not about COVID science, which is the case throughout the increasingly tyrannical West.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) President Joe Biden announced that his administration will require nursing home staff to be vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) as a condition for those nursing homes to receive federal Medicare and Medicaid funding. But nursing home operators believe this will have the opposite effect of making the staffing situation in assisted living facilities even worse.

Biden made this announcement on Wednesday, Aug. 18, during a press conference at the White House. (Related: Hawaii health care whistleblower says he has seen more people die from COVID-19 vaccines than from the virus.)

The new vaccine mandate will come into effect as early as next month. It will apply to more than 15,000 nursing home facilities and around 1.3 million workers. The vaccine mandate regulation will be issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services.

If you visit, live or work in a nursing home, you should not be at a high risk for contracting COVID from unvaccinated employees, said Biden.

Vaccination rates among nursing home staff significantly train the rest of the country, he said. With this announcement, Im using the power of the federal government, as a payer of healthcare costs, to ensure we reduce those risks to our most vulnerable seniors.

The federal government has in recent weeks been pushing for regulations that will coerce the unvaccinated into getting the experimental and side effect-riddled vaccines. In just the past three weeks, Biden has forced millions of federal workers to get vaccinated or to deal with strict requirements that will make it more difficult to work for the government.

Lets be clear. Vaccination requirements have been around for decades, said Biden. Students, healthcare professionals, our troops are typically required to receive vaccines to prevent everything from polio to smallpox to measles to mumps to rubella.

Vaccine mandate will exacerbate labor shortage in long-term care facilities

Neither Biden nor anybody else in the federal government has pointed out that a vaccine mandate for nursing home workers will cause many who are on the fence about getting the COVID-19 vaccines to leave. But nursing home operators and employees are already sounding the alarm.

Scott Stout, CEO of WLC Management Firm, which operates 11 nursing homes in southern Illinois, said he is scared of losing workers.

Im just a little bit scared of what this is going to do to the staffing in our buildings, where people are not pro-vaccine and are against it and then they take this mandate and will not want to continue to work in long-term care and healthcare in general, said Stout.

Rich Abrams, CEO of the Wisconsin Health Care Association and Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living believes a mandate will drive away critically-needed staff.

We have employees who are dug in, basically saying, I am not getting vaccinated, and a federal mandate will unlikely change their minds, said Abrams.

He noted that nursing homes in Wisconsin are already short on staff, and the mandate will only force more employees to move to other workplaces without vaccine mandates.

If they exit the facilities, its not only going to exacerbate the labor crisis that our facilities currently face, but its also going to jeopardize the high quality of care that our most vulnerable and sickest residents in Wisconsin deserve, he said.

Abrams said around 60 percent of long-term care facility staff in Wisconsin are vaccinated. He does not believe a federal mandate will affect these numbers.

James Cox, CEO of Paramount Senior Living which operates around a dozen assisted living facilities in Pennsylvania, is worried for the people that live in his facilities.

My concern is its going to be catastrophic when it comes to making sure we have enough staff that want to work in these buildings caring for seniors who need to be cared for, said Cox.

Around 40 percent of all nursing home employees in Pennsylvania have so far refused to get vaccinated. A vaccine mandate is unlikely to change their minds.

I wouldnt get it if it were mandated today, said Karlie Wolfe, a licensed practical nurse.

Pete Van Runkle, executive director of the Ohio Health Care Association, said the vaccine mandate will only make Ohios labor shortage worse. A recent survey conducted by the association found that an average of 19 out of 120 positions are unfilled.

People are preparing to leave now just on the word, you know, this announcement, that is coming, he said.

Around 47 percent of staff in nursing facilities in Ohio are fully vaccinated. Van Runkle said some of the unvaccinated will be coerced into taking the vaccine, but many others wont. He said this will be disastrous for long-term care residents.

They may end up with a vaccinated person taking care of them or they may end up with nobody taking care of them.

Learn more about how Biden will make the COVID-19 situation worse with his vaccine mandates by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

ABCNews.go.com

CBSNews.com

WSILTV.com

WKOW.com

WPXI.com

WLWT.com
(Natural News) Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, a board-certified New York physician in the forefront of the battle against the pandemic, made headlines with his overwhelming success in treating coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a protocol that included the use of hydroxychloroquine.

His success rates are impressive: 100 percent for low-risk patients and 99.3 percent for high-risk patients.

The Zelenko Protocol includes expensive, safe and efficient medications, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prevented the information from getting out.

Zelenko believes COVID-19 vaccines could reduce life expectancy by several decades depending on several factors, including whether youre required to get boosters. Michael Yeadon, former vice-president and chief scientist of allergy and respiratory research at Pfizer, thinks the same way. So does world-renowned virologist Luc Montagnier, who won the Nobel prize for his discovery of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Zelenko: Vaccines are poison death shots

In his recent testimony, Zelenko referred to the COVID-19 vaccines as poison death shots. He said vaccines do more harm than good and they are not safe, effective or necessary. He noted that forcing anyone to take experimental injections is equivalent to genocide. (Related: Moderna rep: Everyone taking COVID-19 vaccine is pretty much part of a clinical trial.)

In his testimony, Zelenko said that it is important to evaluate these experimental injections and that asking the right questions is absolutely critical before getting vaccinated. According to Zelenko, you have to know whether or not the substance injected into your bloodstream is safe, see compelling evidence that the vaccines work and and know if you really need the vaccine.

Data showed that the number one cause of death after receiving COVID-19 vaccines involves blood clots, which occur within three to four days of vaccination in 40 percent of the cases. Zelenko explained that once inoculated, the body becomes a spike protein-producing factory, making trillions of this viral protein that migrate to the endothelium  the inner lining of your blood vessels.

As blood cells flow through the blood vessels, tiny thorn-like spikes damage them and cause blood clots. They usually occur in the heart and can lead to a heart attack. If they occur in the brain, blood clots can lead to a stroke.

Blood clots are not the only side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines. There have been reports of myocarditis in young adults and miscarriage among pregnant women. These complications occurred within a few days from receiving the vaccine.

Zelenko said underreporting is part of the problem. The real number of side effects is impossible to determine, given the fact that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) didnt insist on a robust post-vaccination data collection system.

When considering actual data, mass vaccination is not necessary. Zelenko noted that fear is an extremely useful tool for manipulating peoples behavior. He said that fear has been used to create psychological motivation to get a vaccine that is not medically necessary, has a lot of potential risks and has very questionable efficacy.

Zelenko noted that governments around the world are using COVID to commit the ultimate crime against humanity by permitting human experimentation on their own people.

Protecting your health post-vaccination

Individuals who are facing regrets upon getting vaccinated can still protect their health. After the first three months of receiving the vaccine, the risks of clotting and other side effects decrease.

Zinc supplementation is important to prevent or treat infections early as it impairs viral replication. It is also necessary to take the supplement with a zinc ionophore such as quercetin, hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin.

For more news and updates related to the coronavirus pandemic, visit Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

NaturalHealth365.com

VerveTimes.com
(Natural News) For anyone paying attention, its abundantly obvious now that the entire covid plandemic scam is a global depopulation scheme to scare people into taking spike protein bioweapons shots (vaccines) that will kill them over time. What the globalists didnt anticipate, however, is the rapid awakening to the truth thats now spreading like wildfire across the landscape of medicine and science. With more doctors, PhDs, nurses and health care workers waking up and blowing the whistle every day, the globalists are in a panic to hurry up and kill the masses before the normies catch on to the vaccine depopulation scam.

Hence the mad rush into a so-called booster shot which of course contains yet more spike protein bioweapons to accelerate mass death across the planet.

The globalists are so desperate to scare people into taking booster shots that theyre now openly admitting the existing covid vaccines are failing and simply dont provide lasting protection at all.

In a truly astonishing admission of all this, the New York Times ran an article yesterday entitled, Israel, Once the Model for Beating Covid, Faces New Surge of Infections.

The article openly admits that covid vaccines given to 2.5 billion people around the world no longer work very well, and that the people who took those vaccines are now the ones getting sick and dying. From the story:

One of the most vaccinated societies, Israel now has one of the highest infection rates in the world, raising questions about the vaccines efficacy.

A fourth wave of infections is rapidly approaching the levels of Israels worst days of the pandemic last winter. The daily rate of confirmed new virus cases has more than doubled in the last two weeks, making Israel a rising hot spot on the international charts.

The vast majority of Israels older population had received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by the end of February, and by now about 78 percent of the population 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

But some experts fear that Israels high rate of infections among early vaccine recipients may indicate a waning of the vaccines protections over time, a finding that contributed to a U.S. decision Wednesday to begin offering booster shots to Americans starting next month.

And among the fully inoculated, Israeli scientists have found growing evidence of waning immunity, particularly among the older population who were vaccinated first.

Data published by Israels Ministry of Health in late July suggested that the Pfizer shot was just 39 percent effective against preventing infection in the country in late June and early July, compared with 95 percent from January to early April this scourge primarily took hold in well-vaccinated, middle-class suburbs.

Even the CDC director has now abandoned the original promise of covid vaccines

Remember the original narrative about how vaccines would provide absolute, permanent immunity and protection against covid? That narrative has now collapsed. Even the NYT is no longer claiming the vaccine provides lasting immunity of any kind.

But it gets worse: The CDCs director, Dr. Walenksy, is now openly admitting that vaccines increase the risk of sickness. They not only dont work, they actually make sickness worse. Heres nine seconds of Walenksy admitting this:

This means that as the initial wave of vaccines inflicts accelerated sickness and death among the 2.5 billion world citizens who have already been jabbed, were going to see a wave of hospitalization and fatalities among the vaccinated. (The worlds hospitals will be overwhelmed.)

Dubbed breakthrough cases by the fraudulent mainstream media, these are really the result of vaccine kill shots that are designed to reduce the human population.

But people are waking up to the scam, so theyre hurrying their push for booster shots to kill off the masses before they revolt

Because of all the deaths, injuries and outright fraud committed via PCR-diagnosed cases, the people of the world are rapidly awakening to the astonishing truth of all this: Its a scam to achieve global depopulation and authoritarian control over humanity.

As the lockdowns intensify, the people are taking to the streets and demanding an end to the scam. With hundreds of thousands now protesting in France, the establishment there is locking unvaccinated people out of grocery stores, seeking to literally starve out the unvaccinated. This will only serve to wake up the people even faster, adding to the levels of discontent that are now exploding across the planet.

We have arrived at a tipping point. Humanity is awakening at an accelerating rate, so now the globalists are trying to exterminate people as rapidly as possible to stop the spread of truth. Get full details in todays Situation Update podcast, which also covers no-tech preparedness using bows and blades, along with news about the government-initiated nursing shortage thats already worsening.

Brighteon.com/ed44b9dd-a64f-4b26-8bc0-d3a83374d015

Get more podcasts and updates at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport

Also see:
(Natural News) As the Biden regime and Democrat drones around the country continue to implement COVID-19 vaccination mandates, more and more Americans are rising up and saying no, and that includes health care professionals like highly skilled, highly experienced nurses.

In Houston, for instance, 150 nurses and healthcare pros refused to get the vaccine and knew they would be fired for it, but decided to stand firm in their belief.

Houston Methodist hospital began firing its nurses earlier this month as the delta variant of the virus (is that even real?) began to spread around the country, as did other facilities in the city, and now, suddenly, many of them are suffering nursing shortages.

We all knew we were getting fired, Jennifer Bridges, 39, told CBS News, according to HumansAreFree.com. We knew unless we took that shot to come back, we were getting fired today. There was no ifs, ands or buts.

All last year, through the COVID pandemic, we came to work and did our jobs, Kara Shepherd, a labor and delivery nurse who joined Bridges and other workers in an unsuccessful lawsuit, noting that they put their lives on the line when there was no vaccine.

We did what we were asked. This year, were basically told were disposable, Shepherd added  though thousands of vaccinated Americans are continuing to come down with or test positive for COVID-19.

And now, as HumansAreFree notes, Houston-area hospitals are suffering staff and nursing shortages:

While most media reports focus on LBJ Hospital, reports also make it clear other hospitals, including Houston Methodist, are experiencing similar struggles. The Houston Chronicle says Harris Health System (which includes LBJ) is short some 250 nurses, while the University of Texas Medical Branch has requested an additional 100 nurses to help address staff shortages at four hospitals.

Baylor St. Lukes Medical Center, a private Houston hospital jointly owned by Baylor College and a local healthcare system, said the hospital is definitely being impacted by the nurse shortage.

As for Houston Methodist, the hospital is reportedly struggling as well  although theyve yet to admit it publicly.

An internal memo at Houston Methodist Hospital said it is struggling with staffing as the numbers of our COVID-19 patients rise, the Chronicle reports.

Another nurse from San Diego said precisely the same thing that Shepherd said at a county board meeting this week.

A registered nurse who resigned from her job over mandatory vaccine requirement. "I was no problem working in the healthcare system over the last 18 months, without a vaccine, but now, all of a sudden, I'm a threat to public health?" More: https://t.co/CHL6atoyFi pic.twitter.com/cjqxbgPqJg  KUSI News (@KUSINews) August 18, 2021

I had no problem working in the healthcare system over the last 18 months, without a vaccine, but now, all of a sudden, Im a threat to public health because I wont take an experimental shot? the nurse, who identified herself as Heather Cobble, said after announcing she quit her job as a registered nurse the day before because of Californias authoritarian vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.

Re-Open San Diego co-organizer Amy Reichert delivers speech to @SanDiegoCounty Board of Supervisors. "I actually work for a big corporation, and my CEO has a message for you, he's not going to do it. Go pound sand @NathanFletcher." More info: https://t.co/CHL6atoyFi pic.twitter.com/63VmUWWfAK  KUSI News (@KUSINews) August 17, 2021

I actually work for a big corporation and my CEO has a message for you, hes not going to do it. Go pound sand, Re-Open San Diego co-organizer Amy Reichert told the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

America is not a hospital; California is not a hospital, another of the speakers  wearing a T-shirt that read if youre not angry, youre not paying attention  declared as she also provided the supervisors with a much-needed American Civics lesson.

I love the smell of FREEDOM in the morning. pic.twitter.com/KxXTnwWUjZ  *Stang (@Zieleds) August 18, 2021

San Diego  its not a hospital. This is a constitutional republic that guarantees protection of individual freedom, and liberty, and due process, she continued.

This applies to our individual pursuits of medical interventions and health practices. San Diego is not a hospital ward that we collectively have checked into that subjects all patients to equitably prescribed medical care with no due process. Our constitution does not secure for government power to impose forced equity in medical mandates and interventions or the power to punish carte blanche, she added.

Americans are fed up with the COVID Nazism and this resistance is only going to grow the more Democrats push.

Sources include:

HumansAreFree.com

KUSI.com

Vaccines.news
(Natural News) The Afghanistan debacle has woken up the rest of America which previously refused to see what was in front of their very own eyes  that the OBiden regime is working for the Chinese Communist Party and the globalists in their rabid desire to destroy the American republic.

(Article republished from CreativeDestructionMedia.com)

Its not going to work.

Kabul is their Waterloo.

Even the most Kool Aid-drinking limousine liberal now can see what is actually going on. (Although they still may not admit it publicly).

Afghanis who served America falling off C-17s as they take off, trying desperately to avoid what the Taliban has in store for them, is just too much to ignore.

This comes on the heels of mountains of irrational spending and debt, Covid death shot mandates, an open southern border with terrorists streaming across, CRT in schools and DoD, et cetera, et cetera.

In many ways it is fitting that the Middle East/Central Asia is the arena that finally ends the forever wars dreamed up by the Bush clan.

We have too many problems here in these beloved United States.

Bring the troops home.

Get the traitorous regime out of power.

Close our borders.

Rebuild America.

Read more at: CreativeDestructionMedia.com and JoeBiden.news.
(Natural News) Just as a Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine needle was being plunged into his arm while on live television, New South Wales (Australia) Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello developed Bells palsy, complete with a visibly droopy eye.

The moment the mRNA chemicals were being dispensed into his muscle tissue, part of Dominellos face became paralyzed, a hallmark of Bells palsy. His one eye also started to close, which left viewers wondering if he was winking at the camera.

As it turns out, Dominello was unable to feel that side of his face post-injection. He later confirmed via Instagram that he was officially diagnosed with Bells palsy, a condition that is commonly seen after a person is injected with one of Donald father of the vaccine Trumps Operation Warp Speed injections.

At this mornings press conference  a number of people commented on my droopy eye, Dominello wrote on his LinkedIn account. Some people thought  I was winking at the cameraman. Some thought I had a stroke. I have actually been diagnosed with Bells palsy.

Dominello went on to explain that immediately after getting jabbed for the Chinese Flu, he began to feel a pain in his skull right behind his ear. He woke up that morning with pins and needles on the right side of his tongue, he says.

But I did not notice any droopiness around my eye, he added.

Dominello ignores vaccine, chalks up Bells palsy diagnosis to chance

After receiving a slew of information from people prompting him to seek medical attention, Dominello did just that. He was then diagnosed with Bells palsy, a direct consequence of taking the injection.

The reason I am posting is because hopefully it will remind people to look after their health, Dominello told his followers. We are focused on Covid but there are plenty of other health problems going on.

If you have any health concerns  please get them looked after.

At no point in his message did Dominello even address the experimental vaccine he received at the moment his symptoms appeared. In fact, he went out of his way to suggest that his newfound health problems are something different than Covid, and that anyone else like him who notices them should immediately seek medical care.

Only a buffoon or a shill would be so dense as to ignore the elephant in the room  so which is it, Dominello? How can you not see that the experimental gene therapy you took is directly responsible for your now-paralyzed face and droopy eye?

Fortunately, many of Dominellos followers responded to his post by pointing out that the unnecessary over the top C19 protocols are causing this type of thing to happen all over the place.

With all due respect you did take part in an experimental vaccine, one person wrote. Hopefully you have reported your adverse reaction. Our stats are slowly following the U.K.

Another asked Dominello point blank: Can you clarify if this has anything to do with the vaccination that youve just had?

You seemed well before this, as I follow your posts, this same person added.

Meanwhile, a female official in Sydney made a public announcement calling for Australians to not act like a human.

Dont talk to your friends, even when masked, she proclaimed. Dont be friendly. This is not the time.

The endgame of these vaccines is population reduction, commented one person at Information Liberation. We were warned by various people but since it was labeled a conspiracy theory no one took it seriously, and now its too late.

The latest news stories about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine genocide can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

InformationLiberation.com

NaturalNews.com

Archive.is
(Natural News) Quinnipiac University in New Haven County, Connecticut is taking desperate, illegal measures to coerce young people to vaccinate. This private liberal arts college is not only violating the medical privacy of individuals  forcing each student to provide private medical information  but they are also EXTORTING students who do not take covid-19 vaccines. Quinnipiac University warned unvaccinated students that their internet access will be cutoff and they will be fined up to $200 per week. This extortion racket is a criminal act. The outlandish extortion threats are coming from maniacal forces within the federal government. The Biden regime is currently threatening to withhold federal funds from universities, nursing homes and other institutions if they do make vaccines and masks mandatory.

Quinnipiac threatens students with weekly fines, as discrimination against the unvaccinated morphs into criminal extortion

These threats of extortion and discrimination were sent out via email to some six hundred students who have not provided a certificate of covid-19 vaccination. The letter threatens these students with $100 weekly fines, that will increase by $25 every two weeks, before maxing out at $200 per week or $2,275 for the fall semester. These students will be profiled and socially ostracized for their private medical decisions every day, as they are cut off from the schools Wi-Fi network. The university is also punishing people with medical exemptions and threatening $100 fines every time a student misses a weekly DNA swab. The students are being treated like prisoners, with no body autonomy rights, their consent threatened by coercion and extortion. Connecticut is also one of the states that recently stripped students of their conscientious, religious rights to exempt themselves from vaccines they dont want in their body.

Moreover, students who suffered heart inflammation and other side effects from the first dose will still be punished and forced to get a second dose, against their will and against sound medical advice. The university says students who only received one dose of the vaccine by September 14 will still be subject to the same fines and will be cut off from the schools internet connection.

The Chief Experience Officer, a coward by the name of Tom Ellett, said: We wish we did not have to take these measures, but protecting the health of our QU community by ensuring compliance with our vaccination requirement is the only way we can ease most of our COVID-related restrictions and safely return to our in-person learning and living activities. In this statement of coercion, Ellett just admitted that the past years COVID related restrictions were put in place to manipulate people to vaccinate this year, against their own conscience and consent. Its becoming clearer by the day that last years COVID restrictions were just torture techniques to force people to comply with false authorities and their mental illness control tactics to ultimately create an abusive new normal, where peoples basic rights are stripped, and the molestation of their bodies through vaccine mandates occurs routinely.

Criminal extortion of students is spreading across the academic landscape

This criminal extortion racket is gaining steam across the academic landscape. Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee recently threatened all unvaccinated students with $3,000 fees and announced a new policy of segregation targeting them for not lining up to be a compliant lab rat. West Virginia Wesleyan College announced $750 fines to discriminate against unvaccinated students who havent given their body over to false, abusive authorities. The students are profiled and abused every day, with strict oxygen restriction requirements, weekly DNA swabs, and torturous social distancing requirements that have no basis in health or well being. None of these restrictions are about public health or student safety  terms that these school administrators hide behind to make themselves look like great, compassionate, protective leaders. These authorities who claim ownership over people are a threat to liberty, health and dignity and should be charged criminally for participating in a discrimination and extortion racket.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

DailyMail.co.uk

NBCConnecticut.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The goalposts are moving once again as the Biden regime contorts what it means to be fully vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

For many months, Americans were told that if they agreed to get both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna injections, or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) shot, they would be welcomed into the new normal with open arms. Now that the jabs are failing, though, there is talk of needing a third injection that they are calling a booster.

I think whats very important for people to know is that if youve gotten both shots of your mRNA vaccine, you are fully vaccinated right now, announced Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, placing an emphasis on the words right now.

You have full  you have a high degree of protection against the worst outcomes of Covid-19, Murthy added, correcting his mistake from full to just a high degree of protection.

Murthy had a difficult time getting through this simple statement because it deviates from what the Biden regime was saying just a few shorts weeks ago. Tony Fauci, Rochelle Walensky, and others had reassured us all that the first two jabs would cure the Chinese Virus. Now, they are admitting that was not true.

Suddenly, the only way to get rid of the delta variant and the nonstop media reporting about Chinese Germs is for people to roll up their sleeves again and keep having needles stuck in their arms. Eventually, we are told, this will get rid of the Wuhan Flu once and for all.

Youll get as many shots as the government demands if you want to participate in the new normal

What this means is that in the future, establishments that are asking for proof of vaccination to enter will no longer accept people who just received the first two jabs. Sooner or later, fully vaccinated will mean that a person received three or more shots in accordance with government guidelines.

Should health experts determine later on that five or even six doses of the shot are necessary to flatten the curve, then the rules will change again and again, possibly forever.

Pending official approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Donald father of the vaccine Trumps Operation Warp Speed injections could soon become FDA-approved medicine. If that happens as many seem to expect it will, then the government will likely attempt to mandate as many shots as it can get away with forcing on people.

Our recommendation down the line, pending the advice and the review of the FDA and ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices)  is that we believe that that third dose will ultimately be needed to provide the fullest and continual extent of protection that we think people need from the virus, Murthy added.

Murthy later asked during an appearance on CNBC whether private sector CEOs should consider mandating two, three, or more Chinese Virus injections on their employees as a condition of employment.

Right now, if youre a business thats thinking about putting in requirements for vaccines, if youre a university thats considering that, nothing in todays announcement should change what youre doing, he stated.

It would seem as though the government really wants people to take the mRNA injections from either Pfizer or Moderna as opposed to the single-dose viral vector injection from J&J. This could have something to do with the mRNA shots containing the blueprints for the eventual rollout of the full Mark of the Beast, as outlined in the Bible.

The latest news about Fauci Flu shots can be found at Genocide.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Archive.is

Archive.is

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The Taliban now has its hands on billions of dollars worth of U.S. weaponry following the quick collapse of Afghan security forces trained to use the military equipment.

Photos have been circulating showing Taliban fighters holding U.S.-made M4 and M16 rifles instead of the Russian AK-47s they normally use. Militants have also been spotted using driving U.S. Humvees and mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles.

In addition, the Taliban is also reported to have seized Black Hawk helicopters and A-29 Super Tucano aircraft.

Everything that hasnt been destroyed is the Talibans now, said one U.S. official to Reuters on the condition of anonymity.

A psychological win for the Taliban

While its nearly impossible to operate advanced aircraft, such as those left behind in Afghanistan, without training, the seizing of the hardware gives the Taliban a propaganda boost. In addition, it also underscores the amount of money wasted on U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. (Related: The government spent BILLIONS to equip Afghan forces, only for American military hardware to end up in Taliban hands.)

When an armed group gets their hands on American-made weaponry, its sort of a status symbol. Its a psychological win, explained Elias Yousif, deputy director of the Center for International Policys Security Assistance Monitor.

Clearly, this is an indictment of the U.S. security cooperation enterprise broadly, Yousif added. It really should raise a lot of concerns about what is the wider enterprise that is going on every single day, whether thats in the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia.

According to a 2017 Government Accountability Office report, the United States transferred 75,898 vehicles, 599,690 weapons, 162,643 pieces of communications equipment, 208 aircraft, as well as 16,191 pieces of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment to Afghan forces between 2003 and 2016.

Meanwhile, a report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) states that the U.S. also gave Afghan forces 7,035 machine guns, 4,702 Humvees, 20,040 hand grenades, 2,520 bombs and 1,394 grenade launchers from 2017 to 2019 alone.

The SIGAR report also confirmed that Afghan forces had 211 U.S.-supplied aircraft in their inventory as of June 30. Of these, at least 46 are now in Uzbekistan after more than 500 Afghan troops used them to flee the country.

Exactly how much U.S. weaponry has fallen into the hands of the Taliban is unknown. That said, the Biden administration has acknowledged that its a fair amount.

We dont have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defense materials has gone, but certainly a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban, said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday, Aug. 17. And obviously, we dont have a sense that they are going to readily hand it over to us at the airport.

Concerns raised over how left-over US equipment will be used

With large numbers of U.S. equipment now in Taliban hands, concerns are now being raised over how theyll be used.

Both current and former U.S. officials have raised fears that theyll be used to kill civilians or be seized by other militant groups, such as the Islamic State, to attack U.S.-interests in the region. Worse, they could even potentially be handed over to U.S. adversaries including China and Russia.

The Biden administration is so concerned about the weapons that its now weighing a number of options it may pursue.

Officials have stated that launching airstrikes against some of the larger equipment, such as helicopters, has not been ruled out. However, there are concerns that such strikes would antagonize the Taliban at a time where the U.S.s main goal is evacuating people.

Others have pointed out that some of the larger equipment, such as helicopters, require frequent maintenance and are too complicated to fly without extensive training.

Ironically, the fact that our equipment breaks down so often is a life-saver here, one official said.

Such equipment would be used more as trophies and propaganda boosters.

In some cases, some of these will be more like trophies, retired U.S. Army General Joseph Votel said. Votel oversaw U.S. military operations in Afghanistan as head of U.S. Central Command from 2016 to 2019.

Small arms could still give the Taliban an edge

The more immediate concern is about some of the easier-to-use weapons and equipment, such as night-vision goggles and small arms.

The ability to operate at night is a real game-changer, said one congressional aide to Reuters.

Meanwhile, the small arms seized by the insurgents, such as machine guns, mortars and even howitzers, could give them an advantage over any resistance that could surface in historic anti-Taliban strongholds. (Related: Taliban immediately moves to confiscate firearms from civilians.)

Another concern is that the Taliban could grant the U.S.s adversaries, such as China, access to these weapons. Andrew Small, a Chinese foreign policy expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States said that this outcome was likely.

However, other U.S. officials say that China is not likely to gain much, because Beijing already has access to American weapons and equipment.

Regardless of how the weapons are used, the situation in Afghanistan shows that the United States needs a better way to monitor the equipment it gives to its allies. According to Justine Fliescnher of the U.K.-based Conflict Armament Research, the U.S. could have done much more to ensure that weapons and equipment supplied to Afghan forces was more closely monitored and inventoried.

But the time has passed for these efforts to have any impact in Afghanistan, she concluded.

Follow Collapse.news for more on the worsening situation in Afghanistan.

Sources include:

TheHill.com

Reuters.com
Recently, scientists discovered close to 15,000-year-old viruses in the melting glaciers of Tibet, China that humans aren't aware of before now. Most of these viruses remained alive since they had stayed frozen in ice.

The 15,000-year-old viruses

The study may assist in getting knowledge about how viruses have developed over centuries and also find new types of viruses. The team from Ohio State University conducted the study's findings and it has been released in the journal Microbiome.

The team studied two dissimilar ice samples from the Guliya ice cap of the Tibetan Plateau located in China - about 22,000 feet above sea level.

Each ice sample consists of layers that tell stories of previous climate activities and environments. Various substances were stuck in the ice slabs during the time they were formed. It is possible that these 15,000-years-old viruses in melting glaciers originated with plants and soil.

As per the study, they are not animal or human-based and are capable of adapting to extreme conditions. The researchers examined the ice and found the genetic codes for 33 viruses.

Also Read: First Ever Human Death Due to Highly Fatal Monkey B Virus Reported in China

Naming a New Virus

The scientific community has already identified four of those viruses, but not less than 28 of them were not known to science before now. Actually, the four identified viruses in the Guliya ice cap are among virus families that normally infect bacteria.

The team discovered the concentrations of the viruses (15,000-years-old) in melting glaciers far below their average levels when identified in other environmental regions such as soil or ocean.

Viruses do not have the same universal gene, so researchers haven't actually been able to give them a name yet because naming a new virus and trying to figure out the category it belongs to in the landscape of already known viruses has to do with a lot of steps.

Climate Change

To compare the previously unrecorded virus with the known ones, researchers made a comparison of gene sets that are classified in scientific databases for viruses that were previously discovered. The four discovered viruses that give the impression of being similar, are truly among the virus families that normally infect bacteria.

Experts have highlighted the threat of viruses coming out of melted glaciers a long time ago. Scientists have made it known that climate change is thawing the permafrost soils that have stayed frozen for thousands of years.

As they melt, ancient viruses and bacteria get freed as well, and these viruses bounce back to life just like the finding of viruses (15,000-years-old) in melting glaciers demonstrates.

Additionally, melting ice exposes lots of reserves of secluded greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, that boost global warming - the main reason for the melting of the ice in the first place.

Related Article: Deadly Virus Detected in Hawaiian Dolphin May Trigger Global Outbreak Amongst Marine Animals

For more news, updates about viruses and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Baby birds in the United States' West are leaping from their nests before they are completely capable of flying, all to escape the scorching heatwaves.

In the fall of last year, there were reports of widespread mortality among migrating birds. Wildfires drove them to deviate from their regular itinerary, forcing them to choose paths with less reliable food supplies.

Birds are among the animals most affected by extreme weather events, which are occurring more frequently because of human-caused climate change. Thousands of birds died because of the lack of food. These are sad signs of our planet's status, and we should not dismiss them.

Bird's natural adaptation to increasing temperature

Wildlife is scrambling to find ways to escape the heat as record-breaking temperatures continue to afflict Oregon, Washington, California, and other western states. Birds frequently build nests on treetops, typically in areas with little shelter and intense sunshine.

This is not usually a concern because temperatures in June and July are comfortable for most birds, and by August, when the year's warmest heat arrives, the young are old enough to fly and seek cover. The direct sunshine has simply been too much for these baby birds to bear as the heat waves have arrived.

They leap from their nest to seek protection and shade outside of the nest to live, but they are too young to fly and helplessly fall to the ground.

The overall result is upsetting. If these birds fall from a great height, they can sustain injuries such as head trauma, shattered wings, and broken bones. People continue to find these unfortunate youngsters in bad condition, and wildlife rehabilitation facilities have been swamped with birds in need of treatment and rehabilitation.

According to the Washington Post, a wildlife group in Oregon received as many wounded birds in three days as they normally do in an entire season. The Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society in Delta, British Columbia, reported receiving between 12 - 20 birds in need of treatment each day, describing the admissions as "record-breaking admissions for wildlife intakes."

Over a four-day span, the Audubon Society of Portland reported it took in more than 100 Cooper's hawks. Blue Mountain Wildlife has taken in 118 birds at its Oregon facility and another 70 at its Washington location, according to the Blue Mountain Wildlife Org.

Many of these baby birds do find their way into capable hands. Some have been nursed back to health by wildlife organizations, others however, have not been so fortunate. Some organizations have received birds that had suffered such serious injuries, that they had to be euthanized.

Also read: China's Wandering Herd of Wild Elephants Finally Home After Traveling for 17 Months

Scorching heatwaves 'cook' 1 billion sea creatures

During the region's record-breaking heatwave, an estimated 1 billion aquatic animals were cooked to death, according to a marine researcher.

After temperatures across British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest smashed records in late June, the shores of Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver, Canada, were littered with tens of thousands of cooked and putrefying marine animals including clams, mussels, sea stars, and snails.

For more news and updates about nature and similar topics, don't forget to follow Nature World News!

Also read: Snake Bites an Indian Man, He Takes 'Revenge' by Biting it Repeatedly
Western North Carolina had completely saturated after consecutive days of torrential rain brought by Tropical Storm Fred.

Fred's remnants left the town of Candler, North Carolina 'completely underwater', although the town is 500 miles northeast of where Fred made landfall in Cape San Blas, Florida. The storm struck the town just as much as Southeast with formed tornadoes, power outages, and flood.

"It was like a whole bunch of cars were going through, everyone was going through, but see now I got stuck," said Andrew Nesbitt, a driver whose car got stranded in floodwaters.

Residents have also told AccuWeather National Reporter Jillian Angeline that this flooding was the worst they had in years, where much of it stemmed from overflow of the Pigeon River, which crested at 15.75 feet on Wednesday morning.

This makes the river rank sixth in the highest gauge height in the history, nearly 6 feet higher than its minor flood stage level.

Ironically, Fred never reached hurricane status.

Although Fred which made landfall on the Florida Panhandle never reached a hurricane status - just 9 mph shy of Category 1 hurricane strength - its impact and 35-mph winds were felt throughout the Southeast, leaving saturated and soggy grounds.

As of Wednesday, the disorganized system paraded through the Appalachians associated with heavy rain and localized severe flooding.

An aerial footage covered by AccuWeather's Reed Timmer shows how flood water engulfs the whole town of Balsam Grove, southern North Carolina by the borders of Georgia and South Carolina, Tuesday.

The Asheville Fire Department works day and night to perform swift-water rescues and keeping residents at their houses.

"The big thing now is to try and stay home if you can," Landon Davis, Acting Battalion Chief of the Asheville Fire Department, told Angeline. "Don't go through floodwaters; stay out of them. Don't go around barricades and try to stay home."

Also read: Tropical Depression Brewing Near Florida Puts the State in a Ticking Clock Situation

Life-threatening flash flood dangers hit the Asheville metropolitan area

WRAL reported over 9 inches of rain fell in Haywood County in less than 48 hours, posing serious flash flood danger in the Asheville metropolitan area especially those who lived along Pigeon River. A search is ongoing for 30 missing people in Haywood County as of Wednesday afternoon, AccuWeather's Jillian Angeline reported.

"Debris, power lines down, sink holes, broken roads," Cruso resident Josh Stepp told Angeline. Cruso sits southwest of Asheville along the Pigeon River. "You name it, I've seen it."

Meanwhile, deadly rain also struck the farther South in Florida and Georgia. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) reports nearly 20 tornadoes along North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia from Monday night into Tuesday.

Trees and powerlines are down in South Carolina, commonly in Newberry County and Lexington County. Tens of thousands of residents faces power outages since Fred made landfall, stretching from northern Florida to the East Coast states.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson said Fred will continue to spread northeastward and people in the area are asked to come prepared for possible flooding.

Also read: Tsunami Terror: At Least 70 People Died After Flash Floods Engulfed Town in Turkey
According to Australia's leading fisheries research agency, social media is a threat to the country's developing aquaculture industry since influencers may weaken confidence by spreading false information.

The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation claimed advertising on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter present a reputational risk to operators in a statement to a parliamentary investigation into the $1.5 billion sectors.

Australia's Aquaculture Industry

Southern bluefin tuna, Atlantic salmon, and barramundi are among the ten species of fish cultivated in Australia. Mud crabs have also been grown for many years in Australia, occasionally to the point of over-exploitation.

Traditionally, this aquaculture was restricted to pearls, but since the early 1970s, other kinds of aquaculture, including finfish, crustaceans, and mollusks, have received substantial study and commercial development.

Aquaculture contributes a third of Australia's annual fish production of 240,000 tonnes. Aquaculture production nearly quadrupled from 29,300 tonnes to 57,800 tonnes in the decade leading up to 2006-07.

In 2007-08, the total value of aquaculture production in Australia increased by $62.7 million to $868 million. In 2008, the aquaculture sector, directly and indirectly, employed over 7000 people, supporting 20,000 people, making it Australia's fastest expanding primary industry.

Related Article: Digital Tagging: Can Blockchain Technology Turn the Tide for Sustainable Fishing Industry?



Receiving Bad Social Media Reps

The idea comes as sectors of the booming industry, particularly Tasmanian salmon farms, are under increasing criticism for their social and environmental records.

Salmon farmers were shaken this year by "revelations" by famous author Richard Flanagan's book Toxic, which triggered a flurry of social media responses.

It occurred after similar attacks on the industry five years ago when salmon aquaculture became a hot topic.

Harmful Misinformation

Changing consumer and public needs, according to the FRDC, provided an opportunity for aquaculture suppliers, but the strength of social media suggested that there were also risks.

According to the corporation's statement, consumer disruption from social media influencers, which may pose reputational hazards to markets, is a danger that has to be handled.

"Based on incorrect information, [the interruption] has the potential to erode community confidence and support for the aquaculture business."

The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources, led by Liberal MP Rick Wilson, is looking at methods to grow the aquaculture business in Australia.

Booming Industry

According to the FRDC, aquaculture is the world's fastest-growing food sector, valued at $243 billion and accounting for more than half of all seafood consumed by humans.

Although the sector has developed substantially in recent years, the corporation claims that Australian aquaculture accounts for less than 1% of worldwide production.

Despite this, the report stated the significant potential for Australian producers, notably in higher-value markets like Atlantic salmon, barramundi, and oysters.

It also stated that while most aquaculture takes place in state waterways, Canberra could assist by expediting environmental permits and expanding Commonwealth waters further out to sea.

Also Read: Aquaculture Causes Stress and Suffering for Certain Fish Species This Way

For the most recent updates about aquaculture and other similar topics, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Last week, three individuals in northern Canada narrowly escaped a polar bear attack. One survivor lived to tell the tale of this gruesome incident.

On August 10, Elijah Kaernerk, his partner, and her sister-in-law drove by ATV to Sanirajak, Nunavut, to see a cabin.

He'd been informed that a polar bear had been spotted nearby earlier in the day, but he decided to sneak a peek around the corner of his cabin nonetheless. The bear, who was rummaging around a corpse, noticed Kaernerk and took off after him.

Elijah was merely attempting to confirm the existence of a polar bear chewing on a carcass outside his cabin near Sanirajak, Nunavut, after being tipped off previously that one could be in the vicinity.

"It snarled and walked away from the meal... Then it got up and started racing towards me," said Kaernerk, who speaks Inuktitut. The bear soon cornered Kaernerk and pushed him to the ground, then turned around to attack Kaernerk's companion. "I struggled a little but made an effort to get up... I got up and started walking towards the bear."

Getting the Bear's Attention

He was able to reclaim the bear's attention, and it then pursued him around the ATV until it grabbed him a second time.

"I didn't feel as much pain while I was being attacked," he added. "I was attempting to prevent the bear from approaching the other two. They all have children and grandchildren."

Related Article: Grizzly Bear Stalks Man for Days, Until He Was Rescued by Coast Guard After Spotting SOS Sign



Quick Respond

Officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were immediately sent. It's uncertain what transpired afterward, but all three people survived the terrifying ordeal. The survivors had already been taken to the local community health facility when the cops arrived. All three were eventually flown to an Iqaluit hospital by medevac plane. Kaernerk was then sent to an Ottawa hospital for treatment.

"They are expected to recover from their injuries," the RCMP said, although they were seriously hurt.

According to the RCMP, the polar bear was discovered dead nearby. Members of the community had shot and killed it.

Similar Incident

The incident occurred in Nunavut, Canada's biggest and most northern jurisdiction. It's an 800,000-square-mile swath of Arctic tundra, mountains, and isolated settlements inhabited primarily by Inuit. Polar bear assaults are uncommon, although they have happened before. For example, on Hudson Bay's Sentry Island in July 2018, a 31-year-old father was murdered by a bear while defending his three children. Later that summer, a 33-year-old hunter was murdered when a mother grizzly and her youngster got into his hunting camp.

Polar Bear Encounters

As the Arctic sea ice thins and retreats, an increasing number of polar bears are resting along Arctic coasts throughout the summer open-water season.

Their acute sense of smell draws them to human garbage, hoarded food, dog teams, and animal carcasses, putting them in confrontation with Arctic residents.

Polar bears, being formidable predators, represent a significant threat to human life and property. Attacks on persons and property are on the rise across the polar bear's habitat. In recent years, more than 20 direct assaults on people have been documented within the polar bear's range.

Also Read: Bear Climbs Utility Pole in Arizona, Worrying Residents

For more wildlife news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
The summit of Greenland's ice sheet has just experienced rainfall for the first time in recorded history, in yet another disturbing milestone in our ecological unravelling.

Like most parts of the Northern Hemisphere, Greenland has been experiencing an intense heatwave with temperatures at the summit of the glacier increasing above freezing for the third time in at least a decade.

On the 14th of August 2021, the National Snow and Ice Data Center's (NSIDC) Summit Station recorded some hours of rain at an area usually far too cold for water to reach down as a liquid.

Taking note of the amount of ice lost in a day was seven times greater than every day's average for this time of the year, NSIDC reported that there is no past report of rainfall in this region, which gets to 10,551 feet (3,216 meters) in elevation.

University of Colorado Boulder glaciologist whose name is Ted Scambos told the Washington Post that "Greenland, like the rest of the world, is changing. We now see three melting events in a decade in Greenland - and before 1990, that happened about once every 150 years. And now rainfall: in an area where rain never fell. As the heat wave in the [US Pacific] northwest, it's something that's hard to imagine without the influence of global climate change."

Also Read: Massive Ice Melt in Greenland in Single Day is Enough to Cover Florida With 2 Inches of Water

Ice Sheet

Ice sheets develop in regions of our planet that hardly experience thaw over the summer. Over thousands of years, winter snow accumulates squeezing beneath the weight of new layers.

Just warm air temperatures have caused former recent melts here, creating developing networks of summer lakes that can hasten melting and causes the ice sheets to destabilize.

The rain doesn't just melt snow alone that contributes to increasing melting events, it also has the extra ability to mess with long-lasting ice sheet dynamics, too. Rain exposes and becomes frozen into a layer of darker ice and therefore absorbs more heat than the typical packed-snow ice of the glacier which is white.

Collapse of the Enormous Sheet

When it's already frozen, it will also develop a fine barrier that prevents meltwater from leaking down below the surface. This can then inundate the surface of the ice sheet, bringing about even more melting at a greater elevation than runoff normally impacts.

NASA glaciologist named Lauren Andrews said, during melt events, these processes can happen over portions of the ice sheet that do not experience melt normally, making the impact more extensive. These types of positive feedbacks are beginning to take their toll.

The Greenland Ice Sheet carries enough freshwater to bring about the rising of sea levels to 6 meters (20 feet) and has a great impact on weather and climate. Surpassing 2 degrees Celsius of warming will prompt the collapse of this enormous ice sheet, the recent IPCC report warned. This is one of the chief tipping points researchers are very worried about.

Related Article: Rainy Weather on the Greenland Ice -- Triggering Sudden Melting Events

For more news, updates about rainfall and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
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Level 3 evacuations now in place for all residents SR 410 from Rock Creek road to Little Naches road. Fire crews have wildfire zero percent contained.
RICHLAND, WA - The Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (WAPA) have completed their review of the deadly use of force case from Feb
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Millions of students in Florida, Texas and Arizona are now required to wear masks in class as school boards in mostly Democratic areas have defied their Republican governors and made face coverings mandatory.

The three states are all hot spots in the nation's recent COVID-19 surge, and defiant boards in Miami, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and other urban areas argue that requiring masks protects students, teachers and staff from contracting and spreading the virus as many pediatric hospitals fill.

The districts often cite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends teachers, staff and students all wear masks regardless of whether theyve been vaccinated.

This thing (the virus) is not playing with us, Marcia Andrews, a member of the Palm Beach County, Florida, school board, said this week as it passed a mask mandate, according to the Palm Beach Post. I dont want to see a kid die.

The governors argue that wearing masks stifles learning and does little to stop the virus's spread but children rarely get seriously ill from the disease. They say mandates violate parents' rights to determine how best to protect their children.

Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said when he banned local mask mandates.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a July executive order barring masks, cited a Brown University study that examined schools in New York, Florida and Massachusetts. He said it showed masks at schools made little difference, but it had a caveat he doesn't cite: It analyzed cases associated with schools and not cases spread in schools.

One of the study's authors, Brown economist Emily Oster, said recently that she was not consulted by the governor and the study relied on data from before the emergence of the more contagious delta variant. She supports masks in schools.

Dr. Jessica Snowden, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Arkansas Children's Hospital, said masks are proven to cut the virus's spread among children if worn consistently. She said the delta variant infects children more often and makes them sicker than last year's variants, adding that masks do not impede learning.

There is lots of evidence that supports masking and there is no evidence that it causes any harm, she said. Children are much more adaptable than adults are.

Florida and Texas combined make up 15% of the U.S. population but 28% of its recent COVID-19 cases, according to the CDC, and both states have seen their hospitalization numbers skyrocket over the past two months. Arizona's COVID-19 cases have jumped sixfold since June.

Mask rules in U.S. public schools vary widely. Eleven states require masks, including California, Illinois, Louisiana and Kentucky, while Florida, Texas and five other states prohibit mandates: Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Iowa and South Carolina. Arizona's ban takes effect Sept. 29. The other states leave the decision to local officials.

In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey this week barred districts that mandate masks from accessing a $163 million virus relief pool and said parents could receive $7,000 per student for private schools if their district mandates masks or goes into quarantine. More than two dozen districts, accounting for a third of the state's 930,000 public school students, require masks.

Safety recommendations are welcomed and encouraged  mandates that place more stress on students and families arent, Ducey said in a statement.

Save Our Schools, an Arizona group that successfully repealed a statewide voucher program, said Ducey is trying to use COVID-19 to restore public funding of private schools.

We are ready to fight the abhorrent policies, the group said in a statement.

In Texas, the states biggest districts, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, are all defying Abbott and requiring masks. Abbott, who recently tested positive for the virus, is fighting the districts in court, but they aren't budging. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the districts can require masks until the legal battle is decided.

Were going to continue our mask mandate to keep students safe, to keep parents safe, to keep families safe and most importantly our teachers, Dallas school superintendent Michael Hinojosa said.

In Florida, where the battle is particularly heated, DeSantis and the state Board of Education, which he appoints, have threatened to cut funds from districts that impose mandates that don't provide an easy opt out for parents. The state is also allowing students who feel bullied into wearing a mask to apply for a private school voucher.

Forcing young kids to wear masks all day, these kindergartners, having the government to force them, thats not defying me; that is defying the State of Floridas laws, DeSantis said this week. This is not something we are making up.

But four of Florida's five largest school districts  Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough and Palm Beach counties  along with mid-size Alachua, the home of the University of Florida, have adopted mask mandates with exemptions only with a doctor's approval. They represent more than a third of the state's 2.8 million public school students.

Miami-Dade, the nation's fourth-largest district with 341,000 students, adopted its mask mandate Wednesday, hours after Superintendent Albert Carvalho told the state board the district would not back down.

For the consequences associated with doing the right thing, whatever that right thing is, I will wear proudly as a badge of honor, Carvalho said, according to The Miami Herald.

DeSantis has accused the defiant boards of playing politics.

The five Florida districts that have imposed strong mask mandates are all Democratic strongholds that supported President Joe Biden in Novembers election even as former President Donald Trump carried the state. Biden recently told districts that the federal government would replace any funds the state cuts because of mandates.
All teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 must be vaccinated by Sept. 27 or agree to weekly testing under an order Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday, as the number of people covered by the mandate continued to expand.

Look, Im not eager to do this. Were doing everything we can to keep Connecticut safe, Lamont said in a briefing Thursday. Weve got over 80 percent of our adults vaccinated. Lets build on that.

The mandatory vaccine requirement applies to teachers in public and private schools under an order Lamont said he would sign. Also covered under the mandate rolled out Thursday are all state employees, as reported by Hearst CTInsider Wednesday.

The University of Connecticut on Tuesday ordered vaccinations or mandatory testing for all faculty and staff, after an order that students must be vaccinated to attend classes. On Thursday, the state colleges and universities system joined UConn in the vaccine requirement.

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities announced Thursday it is eyeing a similar policy to UConns for its employees, which could come as soon as Friday. Students who participate in on-campus activities at CSCU institutions are already required to be vaccinated against the virus.

Also Thursday, Lamont tightened an existing vaccine mandate for state employees who work in hospitals. They will not have an option to avert the vaccinations by agreeing to weekly COVID testing. That rule is also in force for all nursing home and other long-term care employees and volunteers, under an agreement with the industry, effective Sept. 7.

The mandates allow for an affected person to claim a medical exemption as authorized by a health professional; or a sincerely held religious objection under federal civil rights law.

Reaction from the unions to Thursdays announcement was mixed, with the largest teachers union expressing support. The coalition of more than 30 state employee unions issued a statement saying it recognizes the governors right to require vaccinations but that the state must negotiate over details of how it would work.

The governor also issued an order Thursday night allowing individuals, their doctors, and local health directors to access digital COVID-19 vaccine records from Connecticuts immunization information system, which will allow people to more easily provide proof of vaccination, a growing requirement in workplaces and at private establishments. At least 37 other states, including New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island, have similar databases in place, according to the governors office.

Executive powers

The latest requirement for teachers and state employees goes into effect three days before Lamonts pandemic-related executive authority is set to expire.

Asked whether the new order was a sign he intends to request another extension of his powers, the governor said, this is something I want to do in collaboration with the legislature and right now weve got it in place until Sept. 30.

But, he added, I think its easiest if you give the governors office some flexibility within narrowly defined health care protocols so we can react to the delta variant because you see how much has changed in the last 30 days.

Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate said given latest COVID-19 surge, they would be open to a continuation of Lamonts powers if the situation does not improve. Republican House leader Vincent Candelora said Thursday that lawmakers need to begin the conversation of what things look like after Sept. 30.

Candelora said its reasonable to require employees to be vaccinated or get tested weekly, especially if they work in a health care setting. Im not sure why we need it for workers who might be telecommuting or isolated, he said.

Candelora later issued a joint statement with Senate Republican leader Kevin Kelly saying Lamonts order will surely trigger many immediately unanswerable questions from workers and entities impacted by it  from how much it will cost employees who instead choose weekly testing to the scope of disciplinary action faced by those who fail to comply with this mandate altogether.

They said they hope the Lamont administration, during negotiations with union leaders, will remain firm if talks extend beyond subjects such as disciplinary options and access to testing and vaccines.

Must negotiate details

The Connecticut Education Association, the states largest teachers union, said in a written statement that Lamonts order is a reasonable accommodation and should result in greater safety and almost everyone being vaccinated.

But the statement added, We want to ensure that the state assists school districts in providing the time and resources necessary to meet the vaccine mandate and testing requirements...That means a deadline that can be met by all districts, and the clinics and supplies necessary to get the job done. We cannot afford to risk staffing shortages that could cause shutdowns and disruption as the school year begins.

The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, which negotiates alongside more than 30 state employee unions, issued a statement that stopped short of support for the new requirements.

Courts have upheld employer rights to mandate vaccination, SEBAC said on its website. The state of Connecticut is required to negotiate with their employees unions over the details and impacts of the EO and the Lamont Administration has acknowledged its obligation to do so. Our demand to bargain is effective immediately.

Asked what those details might be, aides to Lamont said they were issues such as discipline and record-keeping, including documenting one of the two exemptions, not the order itself.

The weekly testing requirement also will need to be ironed out as unionized employees will have to negotiate with their employers how that process will work. Depending on their health plan, some employees could have to pay out of pocket for testing.

The SEBAC statement, similar to a statement earlier this week by the largest nursing home workers union, supported public safety broadly. SEBAC is a strong advocate of doing all we can to protect the safety of members and the public in these unprecedented times.

How many unvaccinated?

The state does not know how many employees are vaccinated and has not asked. Providers are not allowed to inform employers that someone has been vaccinated. With the mandate, the state will now be able to track this data.

Lamont estimated Thursday that 75 percent of teachers are vaccinated. The average vaccination rate for nursing home staff was 74 percent, as of Aug. 8, the latest state data available, up from 72 percent the week prior.

Prison staff, who are already required to submit to regular testing if they arent vaccinated, are one group of employees where rates are lagging, Josh Geballe, the states chief operating officer, said Thursday. The vast majority of Connecticut adults are vaccinated, a sign Geballe said indicates rates are likely high among state workers.

Connecticut ranks second in the nation for its vaccination rate. Of people 12 and older who are eligible to get the shot, 74 percent are fully vaccinated, according to Thursdays data.

Older age groups, those who are 55 and up, have full vaccination rates above 80 percent. The rate of fully inoculated people ages 45 to 54 is 73 percent, followed by 69 percent for 35- to 44- year-olds and 60 percent for those 25-34.

Youth rates continue to lag behind adults. Fifty-seven percent of 16- and 17- year-olds have received the two-dose series from Pfizer-BioNTech, the only vaccine currently available to them, compared to 49 percent of 12- to 15-year-olds.

Hearst Staff Writer Cayla Bamberger contributed to this report.

julia.bergman@hearstmediact.com
A plurality of us are unaffiliated. No town our size in America swung as far from supporting Romney to not supporting Trump. Voting surveys categorize us as somewhat liberal. What should we do in the upcoming Board of Education election?

Julie Toal, Dan Bennett, Hugo Alves and Phil Hogan are committed to providing parents with transparency, accountability and access in order to protect our excellent schools. They would ensure that our kids are able to focus on their academics without being subject to anyones political agenda.

In the past, there has been a small gap between the local parties with respect to the BOE. But things have changed. Today, illiberal, leftist groups around the country are pushing hard for anti-American and race-based curriculum that have no place in our schools.

One such group in New Canaan fawningly quotes communists and chastises autistic people for their race. They call the Fourth of July a celebration of genocide. They want to turn children into fellow leftist activists.

This is a radical departure from American and New Canaan values. Electing the same people would politicize our schools. It isnt how theyll campaign, but it is who they are. It offers a better preview of what would be in store after Election Day than any election season platitudes.

There is a liberal American order that is worth protecting, one that moderates, conservatives, and true liberals can all support. It includes the constitutions equal protection clause, Brown v. Board of Education, and the values of fairness and equality championed by Martin Luther King. It also includes merit-based hiring and objective, academic criteria for tracking and matriculating students. Today all of that is under direct attack from the illiberal left under various innocuous sounding names including the Orwellian equity - implying a synonym for equality while meaning its opposite.

Anyone who steps out of line will be guaranteed withering personal attacks. It has already started. When Phil Hogan recorded a thoughtful conversation with a local journalist, he was denounced by a political adversary in an unhinged tirade that readers called one-sided, imbalanced, and lacking substance, unequivocally wrong, disgusting and wildly incorrect, weird political attacks that defy any logic and plausibility. In substance and civility, were in for two months of this kind of treatment. We must decide if we want it for four years.

According to the illiberal left, we are not supposed to question any of this. Our kids cant just be kids, but instead must be political pawns. We must accept it without debate. I dont. And Julie, Dan, Hugo, and Phil dont either. And thats why I plan on voting for them and for everyone on Row B.

Chris DeMuth
New Castle, PA (16103)

Today

A steady rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. Potential for heavy rainfall. High around 70F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low around 50F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Newburyport, MA (01950)

Today

Cloudy early with showers for the afternoon hours. High around 75F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times late. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
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DANBURY  Danbury-area towns Friday were preparing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Henri as the National Weather Service said the storm may soon strengthen into a hurricane.

Henri is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane Saturday before touching down in Southern New England late Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

It is likely that the storm could track farther west  but just how far west wont be clear until early Saturday, said Gary Lessor, chief meteorologist for Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.

Lessor expects Henri to hit hardest between New Haven and Bridgeport, but said Fairfield and Southern Litchfield counties should brace for impact.

At this point, its a little better for Danbury, and worse for New Haven, said Lessor. It looks as though the storm is definitely speeding up quite a bit.

He compared the storm to Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, which hit Connecticut in late August.

Precipitation is expected to start in the Danbury area around 5 or 6 a.m. Sunday.

Lessor said it would be a quick mover and would be out of the area by 8 p.m. with some lingering showers. Cumulative rainfall is estimated around one to two inches, but could be more if the storm tracks further west.

Danbury is expected to see gusts around 45 to 50 mph. Other parts of the state could see gusts up to 60 or 70 mph.

Minor flooding is expected in the area with the Housatonic River experiencing moderate flooding around Southbury.

All Connecticut residents should prepare for the storm, Lessor said.

You should go and have enough groceries for five days with something like this and if were wrong you have five days of groceries, he said. Everybody should be taking some precautions.

Gearing up for the storm

Danbury-area towns emergency services are preparing for the storm.

Were hopeful that this isnt as bad as its possibly projected, but we just dont know yet, so were getting as prepped as we can get for any event, said Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo.

The city plans to send a robocall Friday night to alert residents to the storm. Public works teams have been clearing storm drains and preparing vehicles.

Cavo has been discussing plans with Matthew Cassavechia, Danburys director of emergency services and Nuvance Health ambulance, since Wednesday. The mayor will meet with department heads and medical services early Friday to assess the storms trajectory and determine next steps.

(Fridays) going to be the telling day, he said.

In New Milford, Mayor Pete Bass said theyve partially activated their emergency operation command and have been talking with its Eversource representative to discuss a plan of action. First responders, police, fire and ambulance teams are on alert, Bass said. The town has designated certain areas for people to gather in case of severe power outages of 12 hours or longer.

Seniors will head to the Senior Center, while other residents will go to The Maxx on Railroad Street, Bass said.

Department of Public Works teams have already sharpened chainsaws, moved debris, and made sure vehicles were in good condition, he added.

Brookfield will have its three ambulances ready by Saturday night, and will bring staff in ahead of the storm to make sure they can access vehicles and equipment.

First Selectman Steve Dunn said theyve already reached out to their volunteer firefighters.

We had a problem during the macroburst [in 2018] where we couldnt get to the firehouse, said Brookfield Fire Chief Andrew Ellis, referencing blocked roads.

This time, theyre prepared in case of road closures or downed trees. Ellis said they will be checking equipment and fuel levels Saturday morning at the firehouse, and will do a big grocery run to feed emergency services personnel.

Weve all been through this before. We know what we have to do. We know what to plan for, Ellis said

The Brookfield firehouse will have chargers, water, and batteries for residents to use.

The Bethel Emergency Management and Fire Marshal Facebook page posted an update for residents, telling them they will continue to update the page with information about the storm.

In the meantime, please start your preparations for the possibility of several days without power due to winds and downed trees and wires. Have extra chargers, flashlights and batteries and extra water on hand if you have a well, the post reads.

Dunn and Bass told residents to make sure they have flashlights, batteries, and water at the ready.

I would suggest if you do have a generator please make sure you have plenty of gas for the generator ahead of time, Bass said.

Staff writers Liz Hardaway and Peter Yankowski contributed to this story.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  It's one of the stranger, lesser-known aspects of U.S. health care  the striking, milky-blue blood of horseshoe crabs is a critical component of tests to ensure injectable medications such as coronavirus vaccines aren't contaminated.

To obtain it, harvesters bring many thousands of the creatures to laboratories to be bled each year, and then return them to the sea  a practice that has drawn criticism from conservationists because some don't survive the process.

The blood, which is blue due to its copper content, is coveted for proteins used to create the LAL test, a process used to screen medical products for bacteria. Synthetic alternatives aren't widely accepted by the health care industry and haven't been approved federally, leaving the crabs as the only domestic source of this key ingredient.

Many of these crabs are harvested along the coast of South Carolina, where Gov. Henry McMaster promoted the niche industry as key to the development of a domestic medical supply chain, while also noting that environmental concerns should be explored.

We dont want to have to depend on foreign countries for a lot of reasons, including national security, so its good to see this company thriving in the United States," McMaster told The Associated Press. He spoke this month during a visit to Charles River Laboratories at its Charleston facilities, to which AP was granted rare access. We want to do everything we can to onshore all of these critical operations.

Horseshoe crabs  aquatic arthropods shaped like helmets with long tails  are more akin to scorpions than crabs, and older than dinosaurs. They've been scurrying along the brackish floors of coastal waters for hundreds of millions of years. Their eggs are considered a primary fat source for more than a dozen species of migratory shore birds, according to South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources.

Their value to avoiding infection emerged after scientists researching their immune response injected bacteria into horseshoe crabs in the 1950s. They ultimately developed the LAL test, and the technique has been used since the 1970s to keep medical materials and supplies free of bacteria.

Their biomedical use has been on the rise, with 464,482 crabs brought to biomedical facilities in 2018, according to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

In South Carolina, thats done only by Charles River, a Massachusetts-based company that tests 55% of the worlds injectables and medical devices  like IV bags, dialysis solutions and even surgical cleaning wipes, according to company officials.

We are almost the last line of defense before these drugs leave the manufacturing area and make it to a patient, senior vice president Foster Jordan told McMaster. If it touches your blood, its been tested by LAL. And, more than likely, its been tested by us.

Charles River employs local fishermen to harvest the crabs by hand, a process governed by wildlife officials that can only happen during a small annual window, when the creatures come ashore to spawn.

Contractors bring them to the companys bleeding facilities, then return them to the waters from which they came. During a year, Jordan said his harvesters can bring in 100,000 to 150,000 horseshoe crabs, and still can't satisfy the growing demand.

We need more, though, Jordan told McMaster, adding that his company is working with the state to open up more harvesting areas. The population's steady. ... We need access to more beaches, to get more crabs."

The practice is not without its critics, some of whom have argued that bleeding the crabs and hauling them back and forth is harmful. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 10% to 15% of harvested crabs die during the process.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the species overall as vulnerable," noting decreasing numbers as of a 2016 assessment. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission listed 2019 stock as good in the Southeast, but poor in areas around New York.

Conservationists sued last year, accusing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of shirking its duty to protect areas including South Carolina's Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge by allowing horseshoe crab harvesting. They argued that taking out the crabs affects other species in the protected area. A federal judge temporarily halted the harvest, but was reversed following Charles River's appeal.

The environmental groups asked to withdraw their complaint this month after federal officials imposed a permitting process for any commercial activity in the refuge, including horseshoe harvesting, beginning Aug. 15. Even if such permits are denied, Jordan told McMaster that only 20% of its harvest came from the refuge, with most coming from further down the South Carolina coast.

There is a synthetic alternative to the horseshoe crab blood, but it hasnt been widely accepted in the U.S., and meanwhile, Charles Rivers international competitors are making synthetics and also pressing for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, which Jordan said could hamper domestic efforts like his own.

My mission is to make sure that any competitor that comes into the United States, from China or any of these other producers, has to go through the same regulatory process that we had to go through, to make sure that its safe, Jordan said. If all these synthetics start coming in from other countries, were going to lose the protection that weve had for all these years, and the safety, and the control of the drug supply.

We want to have as much stuff made here as we can, McMaster said in response.

As for the environmental concerns, the governor said maintaining a healthy balance between scientific demands and the state's ecosystems, which bolster a significant portion of South Carolina's tourism economy, is paramount.

Its like a house of cards. You pull out one part, and the rest of it will fall, McMaster said. So I think we have to be very careful, and be sure that any company, any business, any activity, whether its commercial or otherwise, meets whatever requirements are there to protect the species  birds, horseshoe crabs, any sort of life.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  The former fiancee of Larry Elder said Thursday that the conservative radio talk show host now running for governor in California showed her a gun during a heated argument in 2015.

Elder, widely seen as the leader in the Republican field running to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in next month's recall election, issued a statement saying I have never brandished a gun at anyone." Elder, who is seeking to become California's first Black governor, noted that he grew up in South Los Angeles, an area with high violent crime.

I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is, he said.

Alexandra Datig's accusation, first reported by Politico, comes with less than four weeks until the Sept. 14 election and at a time when mail-in ballots already have arrived at voters' homes. Elder said he intended to stay focused on the issues that inspired the recall drive by Republicans upset with Newsom's progressive policies and handling of the pandemic.

His campaign said he was planning weekend rallies.

Datig, 51 and a longtime Los Angeles resident, said she worked on Elder's show and they lived together during their 18-month romantic relationship from 2013 to 2015. A letter and other records provided by Datig to The Associated Press  including an April 6, 2015, email in which she wrote about the collapse of their engagement  sketched a portrait of an emotionally abusive relationship in which Elder routinely was using medicinal marijuana to excess.

Datig claims Elder was high during the 2015 argument and went to a cabinet where he kept his gun and made sure it was in my view.

He did not point it at me, but he wanted to make sure that I knew that he was checking" to see it was loaded, she told the AP.

Threatening another person with a firearm could be a criminal offense but Datig said she never reported it to police.

Elder did not specifically address the claim about cannabis use in questions submitted to his campaign by AP. His statement in response to Datigs claims of abuse referred broadly to salacious allegations.

People do not get into public life precisely because of this type of politics of personal destruction. I am not going to dignify this with a response  its beneath me, Elder wrote. A short time later he tweeted: Theyre coming at me with every dirty trick because they know whats coming on September 14."

Datig supports one of Elders Republican rivals, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Earlier this week Faulconer began targeting Elder with criticism and specifically questioning his attitudes about women, noting among other things that Elder had written that employers should be able to ask women if and when they plan to get pregnant.

Larry Elder doesnt have the judgment or character to lead our state, Faulconer said in response to Datigs allegations.

Another Republican in the race, state Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, said in a statement that he found Datig's claims disturbing.

I believe that any woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, and Ms. Datigs deeply troubling account should be treated with the utmost seriousness. Mr. Elder should be given every opportunity to respond, he said.

However, in a televised debate Thursday night with Faulconer, Kiley and fellow GOP candidate John Cox, the issue never came up.

Elder entered the race in July and Datig said she waited until now to come forward because she initially didn't think he would be competitive.

I didnt take it seriously but when Larry started to trend and become the frontrunner, I became extremely concerned, she said.

The documents provided by Datig described months of emotional distress from the unraveling romantic and business relationship. I feel trapped and afraid, she wrote in the mail.

Datig also provided the AP with a copy of a confidentiality agreement she signed in 2014 barring her from speaking about the personal and business affairs of Elder and his business, Laurence A. Elder & Associates, Inc. She said she was breaking it to go public with her accusations.

A March 31, 2015, letter from her attorney to Elder asked for $6,000 in monthly support for Datig for one year, to cover expenses including rent, car and health care costs. She also asked for $195,000 for public relations, marketing and other services she said she provided for his show.

The two ultimately signed an agreement on April 13, 2015, for Elder to pay Datig $20,000 and cover the cost of her $5,000 legal retainer and $185 to dry clean her wedding dress. Elder agreed he and his assistant would sign a nondisclosure agreement regarding anything to do with Datig, that he would write her a letter of recommendation for her work product, and that they two would halt mutual insults."

Datig refers to herself as a sex trafficking survivor and has publicly disclosed working for so-called former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, who was convicted in the mid-1990s of running a high-priced call-girl ring, a conviction that was later overturned. Fleiss was later sentenced to federal prison for cheating on her taxes and laundering call-girl profits. In a 2013 interview with KCAL-TV, Datig described becoming an informant on Fleiss.

__

Ronayne reported from Sacramento.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation, his spokesperson said Thursday.

Senator Wicker tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after immediately seeking a test due to mild symptoms," his communications director, Phillip Waller, said in a statement. "Senator Wicker is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, is in good health, and is being treated by his Tupelo-based physician. He is isolating, and everyone with whom Senator Wicker has come in close contact recently has been notified.
HARTFORD  A 40-year-old Hartford man was sentenced to 37 months in prison for distributing fentanyl, according to Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut Leonard Boyle.

Armando Quinones, also known as Yayo, will also have four years of supervised release after his three-year imprisonment, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticuts office said in a statement Wednesday.

The U.S. Attorneys office said Quinones sold drugs on behalf of Ricardo Reyes, also known as Rick the Ruler.

Both Reyes and Quinones were alleged members of the Los Solidos street gang, which distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack in the Park Street and Hungerford Street area in Hartford, according to the U.S Attorneys Office.

The FBIs Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force began investigating Reyes, purchasing narcotics from him and conducting court-authorized wiretaps. These wiretaps confirmed Reyes was distributing narcotics to numerous customers, as well as identifying Reyes suppliers and associates, Boyles office said.

The wiretaps also revealed Reyes was acquiring and trafficking firearms, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticuts Office.

Boyles office said Quinones has a criminal history that spans more than 20 years, including multiple convictions in Connecticut and New Jersey.

Quinones has been detained since he was arrested June 20, 2019. A grand jury in Hartford indicted Reyes, Quinones and 13 associates with various narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses.

On April 19, Quinones pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with intent to distribute.

Reyes also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment Feb. 11, 2021.

In 2020, there were 1,812 fatal overdoses involving fentanyl, heroin or cocaine statewide, according to data from the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

Those struggling with substance abuse issues can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration national hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for a free and confidential treatment referral or information.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday that his goal is to keep as many schools open as possible, even as COVID-19 cases continue to rise sharply in the state, because he does not want children to lose academic advancement.

Reeves, a Republican, said local school districts have the power to offer vaccinations to children 12 and older, with parents' permission. He said school districts also can set mask mandates or require students to maintain distance from one another to mitigate the spread of the airborne virus.

While there are certainly risks with schools being open, there are also risks with schools not being open, Reeves said during a news conference. He said, for example, that calls to mental health hospitals increased last year when schools in some places were online only.

For some individuals, those that are the higher achievers, you know they're probably going to be OK. They're probably going to be able to overcome that, Reeves said of schools opting out of in-person classes. But for those who are going to struggle to make it, anyway, if they spend an entire year out of the classroom, they are never going to make up their loss of academic progress.

The governor's comments came the same day that the state's only only pediatric hospital said it is treating its largest number of COVID-19 cases so far during the pandemic. Childrens of Mississippi is part of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

Today, Childrens of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi Medical Center reported 28 children with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, the highest number of pediatric COVID-19 patients at the states only childrens hospital since the beginning of the pandemic," the hospital said on Facebook. "Of these hospitalized children, 100% are unvaccinated. This number includes eight children in the ICU, including five who are too young to receive the vaccine.

The state Board of Education on Thursday voted to allow school districts to use a mix of on-campus and online classes until at least Oct. 31 to try to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus  a decision made in consultation with the state Health Department. Before the school year started, the state Board of Education had said districts should mostly use in-person classes.

Some Mississippi school districts started the academic year in July, and others have started this month.

We did not anticipate the rapid rise in COVID cases in Mississippi so early in the beginning of the school year, Paula Vanderford, chief accountability officer for the state Department of Education, told board members Thursday.

More than 20,300 Mississippi students were quarantined the week of Aug. 9-13 because of exposure to COVID-19, according to reports submitted to the Health Department from schools in 74 of the 82 counties. That is about 4.5% of students in public schools.

Mississippi has the highest per capita rate of new COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 case tracker. The tracker shows that as of Wednesday, Mississippi had 118.1 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents. Louisiana is next-highest at 111.9 cases per 100,000, then Florida at 101.8.

The tracker showed that Neshoba County, Mississippi, had the 38th-highest caseload per 100,000 residents among all counties and parishes in the United States. Neshoba County has a population of 28,376, and it has 5,627 cases of COVID-19. That translates to 19,155 cases per 100,000 residents.

Neshoba County also has the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate in Mississippi, according to the state Health Department. About 22% of eligible residents in Neshoba County are fully vaccinated, compared with 36% in Mississippi and 50% in the United States. Mississippi has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation.

Mississippi has just under 3 million residents. The state Health Department on Thursday reported 4,807 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 401,201 cases since the pandemic started. Mississippi has had 7,937 coronavirus-related deaths during the pandemic.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  Three parents are suing over a northwest Arkansas school district's decision to require face masks after a judge blocked the state's mask mandate ban, as the state reported its biggest one-day jump in cases in seven months.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday over the Bentonville School District's mandate argues the local school board had no authority to impose the requirement. The parents are asking a Benton County judge to temporarily block the district from enforcing the ban while they challenge it.

The parents are forced to choose either to exercise their fundamental liberty interests in refusing to place face coverings on their children against their will or for the children to face expulsion from school," the lawsuit said.

Public health officials have urged schools to require masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus due to the highly contagious delta variant. The state's virus cases rose by 3,549 on Thursday, the Department of Health said.

Thursday marked the biggest one-day jump the state has seen since Jan. 6, when it reported more than 3,700 new cases. Asa Hutchinson said students' return to classes statewide this week is one reason for the spike.

Arkansas ranks fourth in the country for new cases per capita, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University researchers. The state's COVID-19 hospitalizations rose by 38 to 1,410, and the state reported 16 new deaths from the virus.

Hutchinson said 118 public school districts and charter schools have imposed mask mandates since Arkansas' ban on them was blocked. The requirements cover more than half of the state's public school students.

Our legal counsel is currently reviewing the matter and we look forward to a vigorous defense of our district," Leslee Wright, a spokeswoman for the Bentonville School District, said in a statement.

Hutchinson, a Republican, has said he regretted signing the mask mandate ban and agreed with the judge's decision against the law.

What we see is that school districts are weighing this decision very carefully, theyre listening to people and theyre making a judgment based upon what they see is the best health outcome for students in their district," Hutchinson said.

The state is delivering more than 500,000 high filtration face masks to public schools this week, Hutchinson said, with 325,000 specifically designed for children.

A state lawmaker on Thursday also said she tested positive for COVID-19 and was isolating at home. Republican Rep. Julie Mayberry said she tested positive on Wednesday and had few symptoms other than pain in her leg and hip.

Mayberry received her second dose of coronavirus vaccine on Aug. 12. Mayberry had received her first dose in March but had delayed getting the second one after having an adverse reaction. The lawmaker said she decided to get the second dose this month because of the rise in cases due to the delta variant.

During a special session earlier this month, Mayberry sponsored one of two bills rejected by a House committee that would have amended the state's mask mandate ban to allow some schools to require them. That session adjourned hours before the state's mask mandate ban was blocked.
Salisbury is leading the way in the Litchfield County towns for children ages 12 to 15 who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19  with more than 70 percent vaccinated, state data shows.

According to the most recent data provided on CT.gov, in Salisbury, with a population of 147 children aged 12-15, 105, or 71 percent, have been fully vaccinated.

The rest of Salisburys age groups have even higher rates of vaccination  some, such as 16 to 44 and 65 and over  have more than 95 percent vaccinated against COVID-19, the data shows.

Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand said hes very happy with the results for the youth in town, and also said hes pleased with the 83 percent overall vaccination rate for residents.

Im grateful to the residents for doing this, Rand said.

Of its 1,513 children ages 12 to 15, New Milford has about 42 percent of its children fully vaccinated, the data show. Of the 4,276 residents age 65 and up, data show 100 percent are vaccinated, while those ages 45 to 64 are 73 percent vaccinated. Ages 25 to 44 are 63 percent vaccinated, while ages 18-24 are 62 percent vaccinated.

Additionally, the town of Washington has about 60 percent of children age 12-15 fully vaccinated, according to the data. And like Salisbury, the other age groups in Washington also have high numbers of fully vaccinated people  about 77 percent of residents aged 16-44, about 68 percent of residents aged 45-64, and 100 percent for those ages 65 and over.

In Bridgewater, 39 children ages 12-15 have been fully vaccinated, or about 56 percent, the data shows.

Bridgewater First Selectman Curtis Read said the numbers for young people in town are encouraging and added he hopes everyone  of all eligible ages  who isnt already vaccinated against COVID-19 will do so.

I brought up to the Western Connecticut Council of Governments in a COVID call on Friday with a lot of the CEOS or first selectmen and mayors in the Western Connecticut Coalition, and my point was not only do we need to encourage mask wearing with the delta variant, but we need to not forget there are a lot of people that are not vaccinated yet and that is causing the spread, Read said.

Read added that all towns in the state really need to make every effort to get everybody vaccinated, and children are the next rung.

Towns in the county with lower rates of vaccination against COVID-19 for children ages 12 to 15 include Torrington, where out of the 1,584 kids in that age group, 593 are fully vaccinated.

Additionally, Winsted, with a population of 493 youths 12 to 15 years old, has 117 fully vaccinated, or about 24 percent. In New Hartford, 107 youths ages 12 to 15 are fully vaccinated, or 27. 3 percent, state data shows.

We would love to see 70 percent

Robert Rubbo, director of health at Torrington Area Health District, said its becoming easier for children to get vaccinated.

There are several pediatric offices that are doing it now, and pharmacies, said Rubbo, adding, though, that children under 18 are only eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

He said overall, hes pleased with the state vaccination rates for the school-aged population.

As of last Thursday, 97,800 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 55 percent; the fully vaccinated  which are those who have received their second dose at least two weeks ago  total about 78,000, and make up about 44 percent of that population.

While Rubbo said this news overall is positive, he added, though, from a public health perspective, we would love to see 70 percent  because that gets us to that magical herd immunity number.

As long as those who have received their first dose receive their second dose, which most will, at least the state will be roughly at the 60 percent vaccination rate in the state of Connecticut between 12 and 15 by the time school opens, which is much, much better than where we stood last year, Rubbo said. Given the amount of time the vaccine has been eligible for 12 to 15 year olds, I think were doing pretty well in the state of Connecticut, especially compared to the rest of the country.

Conversely, in Torrington, state data shows in the 65 and older category, 91.67 percent of residents, or 5,670 people, are fully vaccinated, state data shows. In Winchester, 1,803 residents 65 and older are fully vaccinated, or 90.24 percent, state data shows.

Megan Bennett, superintendent of regional school district 12  which includes the towns of Bridgewater, Washington and Roxbury  said that they are finding vaccination clinics are pretty readily available.

Gone are the days when the vaccine was in short supply, Bennett said. Now its just a matter of people booking their appointments and finding ways to get their students vaccinated in time for school.

Parents who want more information on COVID-19 vaccinations can find it at cdc.gov, immunize.org and the Connecticut state portal, ct.gov.

sfox@milfordmirror.com
President Joe Biden on Friday tried to put an optimistic face on the chaotic evacuations taking place at Kabul's airport as American forces scramble to remove US citizens and vulnerable Afghans from Afghanistan.

In remarks at the White House, Biden sought to project calm at the end of what has been a trying week for his administration. He took on criticism about how America's longest war is ending and injected more empathy for the suffering of Afghans into his remarks than he'd shown in two previous appearances.

Still, some of his comments did not square with conditions witnessed by CNN on the ground -- or some of what his own administration has since said.

After the President's remarks, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told House lawmakers in a call that Americans in Kabul have been beaten by the Taliban, according to multiple sources on the call. And hours after Biden claimed there was "no indication" of Americans being unable to get to the airport, a White House official acknowledged that there have been reports of Americans facing "challenge and chaos at the airport."

"It's a volatile situation on the ground," the official said.

On the call with lawmakers, Austin called the beating of Americans "unacceptable" but added that generally the Taliban were not hindering Americans seeking to get to the airport.

Asked about Austin's comments and the reports of beatings, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Friday, "We're certainly mindful of these reports and they're deeply troubling, and we have communicated to the Taliban that that's absolutely unacceptable, that we want free passage through their checkpoints for documented Americans. And by and large, that's happening."

In his Friday remarks, Biden also seemed to dismiss the international outcry over how the United States has handled the war's end.

Offering an overview on the evacuation mission, Biden recounted valiant efforts by US troops over the last several days. While reports from the ground indicate the scene outside Hamid Karzai International Airport is growing increasingly desperate, Biden said the US is pulling off "one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history."

"Let me be clear: Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home," Biden said. He committed later to evacuating all Afghans who assisted in the war effort, and said the US was also working to find flights for vulnerable women, journalists and others who could be targeted by the Taliban.

"I cannot promise what the final outcome will be ... or that it will be without risk of loss," Biden said. "But as commander in chief, I can promise you I will mobilize every resource necessary, and as an American, I offer my gratitude to the brave men and women of the US armed forces who are carrying out this mission. They're incredible."

The US military used helicopters to evacuate 169 Americans from a hotel near Kabul's airport, Kirby said Friday evening, providing new details about a mission that Biden first revealed in his speech. The Americans were retrieved after another country informed US commanders that citizens had gathered at the Baron Hotel near the airport, Kirby said.

The President's speech came after days of withering criticism over how his administration prepared for the fall of Afghanistan's civilian government, which prompted chaotic and violent scenes as thousands of people sought access to the airport to leave the country.

Biden said Friday there would be "plenty of time to criticize and second guess this operation," but insisted that for now he was focused on "getting this job done."

He was flanked by top members of his national security team, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Austin, signaling his continued confidence in the people navigating the crisis.

Biden focused mainly on the evacuation of American citizens and their families, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and other vulnerable Afghans. While he attempted to give a positive look at the evacuation, the reality on the ground is far more dire. Afghans in Kabul are battling massive crowds and violence to make it to the airport gates, and have to wait hours to enter once they've arrived.

CNN's Clarissa Ward reported there hadn't been any flights out of the Kabul airport in more than eight hours Friday. Biden addressed the pause in his remarks and said flights in Kabul were paused for "a few hours this morning to make sure we could process the arriving evacuees at the transit points." He said the order had already been given to resume outbound flights, and said the US had evacuated 5,700 people on Thursday.

The President stressed the US was doing everything it could to provide safe evacuations for its Afghan allies, partners and Afghans who may be targeted because of their association with the United States.

"The United States stands by its commitment that we've made to these people and it includes other vulnerable Afghans such as women leaders and journalists," Biden said.

He added the US was in constant contact with the Taliban working to ensure civilians have safe passage to the airport, and said the US has communicated that any attack on US forces or disruption of its operations at the airport would be "met with swift and forceful response."

"The past week has been heartbreaking," Biden said. "We've seen gut-wrenching images of panicked people acting out of sheer desperation. You know, it's completely understandable. They're frightened. They're sad. Uncertain what happens next. I don't think anyone, I don't think any one of us can see these pictures and not feel that pain on a human level."

Still, he remained firm in his ultimate decision to end the 20-year war.

"What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point, with al Qaeda gone?" he asked. "We went and did the mission. You've known my position for a long, long time."

Tents are needed for the thousands of Afghans standing out in the blazing sun for hours at Kabul airport, Ward reported. Mothers of children are particularly struggling in the sweltering heat. CNN has met people at the airport who have been waiting there for two days

The US Embassy warned Friday morning of continuing safety concerns over getting to the Kabul airport, and said that -- due to large crowds and security worries -- "gates may open or close without notice."

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield told CNN Friday that the White House does not have a precise number of Americans who are still in Afghanistan, saying the administration is still trying to account for Americans who may have left the country prior to August 14 without notifying the US embassy.

The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military had increased the pace of evacuations. The US evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, and approximately 14,000 people since end of July, according to a White House official.

Biden, who met with senior staff in the Situation Room on Wednesday, made clear he wants every flight leaving the airport filled to capacity. An official cautioned that, given the chaotic nature of the evacuation, the presidential directive doesn't always mean it will happen for every flight.

The US military hopes to move 5,000 to 9,000 people a day, but they have not been able to meet that goal since the evacuation process started.

Biden suggested in an ABC interview this week that he's willing to keep US forces in Afghanistan until all American citizens who want to leave are out of the country, but stopped short of making the same commitment to the United States' Afghan partners but said Friday he is committed to getting the US' Afghan allies out.

"There's no one more important than bringing American citizens out. I acknowledge that. But they're equally important, almost, as all those SIVs we call them, who in fact helped us," he said. "They were translators. They were in the battle with us. They were part of the operation," he added.

The President said Americans should expect for all US citizens in Afghanistan to be evacuated by August 31, the deadline the administration has set for ending the nation's longest war. Biden said a Group of Seven meeting would be convened next week to coordinate "our united approach on Afghanistan and moving forward." He noted he had spoken directly with United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

This story has been updated with additional information Friday.

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Amazon upended the US brick-and-mortar department store model built by companies like Sears and J.C. Penney. Now, the e-commerce giant reportedly has plans to open physical stores that resemble the concept it's helping to crush.

Amazon is expected to open department stores in the United States, starting in Ohio and California, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The stores are expected to be roughly 30,000 square feet  less than a third of the size of a traditional department store. Amazon will sell clothing, household items, electronics and other merchandise at the stores, the Journal reported. The company's growing lineup of private, in-house brands are expected to be featured prominently.

Amazon declined to comment on its plans. "We do not comment on rumors and speculation," a spokesperson for the company said in an email.

It may seem surprising that Amazon, which controls an estimated 40% of all online shopping in the United States, would want to open locations resembling department stores.

But retail analysts said that this plan would represent a lower-stakes commitment than buying a big chain like Kohl's, which Amazon has a partnership with, and a way for Amazon to experiment with and learn from a new format. A brick-and-mortar presence in areas like apparel and home decor would help Amazon reach customers who prefer to try on clothes and see other goods before buying them. It would also help spur growth of Amazon's more profitable but lesser-known  private labels, these analysts say.

These stores would also give Amazon central locations where customers would be able to return products they purchase off its website and serve as de-facto warehouses to ship goods to shoppers' homes faster. Opening stores would make sense from a real estate perspective, according to analysts, because vacant storefronts are spattered across cities and inside malls, and Amazon can move in for cheap prices.

But there are risks. Amazon doesn't have any experience running department stores, and it's record with physical stores is spotty.

'Touch and feel'

Department store sales shrunk from $184 billion in sales in 2010 to $135 billion in 2019, according to Census Bureau data. In 2020, they plunged to $114 billion, according to the Census Bureau.

The dropoff tipped some department stores that were already struggling  such as Neiman Marcus, J.C. Penney, Lord & Taylor and Stage Stores  into bankruptcy. Nearly 1,000 department stores have closed since 2018, said real estate research firm Green Street.

The void in the market opened up by the collapse of many traditional department stores is one reason that may factor into Amazon's calculations to open such stores.

"They have long been planning to explore that opportunity, created by the vacuum of a lot of department stores closing," said Venkatesh Shankar, professor at Texas A&M University's Center for Retailing Studies. "They're getting in at a good prices and lease rates."

Despite the rapid growth of online shopping in recent years, physical stores still make up around 84% of total retail sales in the United States, according to the Census Bureau.

"Online is a convenient, efficient channel for repeat purchases, reordering bath tissues, diapers, batteries," said Shankar. "If you really want to build brands, the brick-and-mortar presence is critical."

Analysts say physical department stores may be a vehicle for Amazon to gain a greater share of customers who prefer to shop in stores, don't have credit cards to shop online, or live in areas Amazon doesn't service.

"I believe that Amazon, in their endless intent to continue to grow, intends upon expanding their market share through customers who can't or don't want to shop via e-commerce," said Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia Business School and the former chief executive of Sears Canada.

In categories like clothing and home decor, Cohen said, a physical presence appeals to customers "who do want to touch and feel products rather than buy them blindly." Physical stores also better help drive impulse and unexpected purchases than online shopping, he said.

Amazon is trying to build out its private label brands such as Amazon Essentials, Goodthreads, and Core 10 clothing and Rivet and Stone & Beam furniture. These department stores would give Amazon a platform to introduce customers these less-familiar brands.

"Stores will help Amazon do a much better job of showcasing its offer, especially in own brand," Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail, said in an email to clients. Saunders noted that other online brands, such as Warby Parker and The RealReal, are also expanding their physical presence.

Finally, Amazon is rushing to expand same-day delivery and stores could double as shipping hubs for speedy online orders and locations where customers can scoop up online orders.

"These locations will function as last mile distribution hubs in highly populated urban areas, where distribution centers are not located," said Matthew Katz, managing partner at SSA & Co., an advisory firm, in an email. This is an "advantage for same day, even same-hour delivery."

'Terrible track record'

There is no guarantee Amazon can create a vibrant department store, though. Its recent forays into physical stores have been mixed.

Amazon is known as an online store, but it has moved into physical retail in recent years. In 2015, Amazon opened its first physical store, Amazon Books, in Seattle. Two years later, Amazon bought Whole Foods' 471 stores for $13.7 billion. Amazon also has dozens of 4-Star stores, where it sells its highest-rated merchandise, Amazon Go cashier-less convenience stores, and pop-up stores. Amazon is also is building a new, separate line of grocery stores, called Amazon Fresh, to chase a mid-market shopper, different from Whole Foods' high-end customer base.

As of December 31, 2020, Amazon had 611 physical stores in North America, including Whole Foods, according to its latest annual filing.

Amazon has not seen the same level of success with physical stores as it has online. Sales at Amazon's physical stores dropped 0.18% in 2019 from the year prior to $17.2 billion and 5.6% in 2020 as more shoppers ordered online in the pandemic.

"Amazon has a terrible track record in physical retail," said Sucharita Kodali, a retail analyst at Forrester.

Kodali said "department stores are a dying format" and it would be a mistake for Amazon to open a similar concept. The previous stores Amazon has opened have been "entirely unremarkable. It doesn't lend any confidence in a thesis that Amazon's next store is going to be a game changer."

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Gopuff, a startup that originally launched to offer hookah deliveries for college students and later food deliveries to help satisfy the munchies, is rapidly establishing itself as the future of the on-demand industry.

The Philadelphia-based company has announced raising billions of dollars from investors to grow its on-demand delivery business this year alone amid a pandemic-driven boom for online shopping. But it's also raising a familiar set of labor concerns in the process.

In an industry that prides itself on speed, Gopuff is one of several startups whose promise is being as close to instantaneous as possible. Better known services like DoorDash, Instacart and Uber Eats leverage fleets of drivers who pick up and deliver items from retailers and restaurants. Gopuff, on the other hand, has more than 450 micro-fulfillment centers in college towns and some major cities stocked with everything from food to over-the-counter medicine in order to better control the inventory and deliver products to customers within 30 minutes.

But Gopuff's rapid growth, heavily fueled by venture capital, comes at a time when there is heightened attention to gig worker pay and benefits, or lack thereof, at both a federal and local level. Gopuff relies largely on the same controversial playbook as some of the larger on-demand companies in terms of how it works with delivery drivers. And in its push to fulfill deliveries in minutes instead of hours, Gopuff's model may only exacerbate existing gig economy labor concerns.

Recently, some Gopuff delivery workers have taken issue with how they're treated as independent contractors for the company, a classification that helps on-demand companies to cut costs by not obligating them to provide benefits like minimum wage, overtime, and unemployment insurance. These delivery companies typically defend this arrangement as allowing their workers more freedom to be their own boss, but some Gopuff workers have said they've experienced what they feel is a lack of independence.

In their day-to-day work, drivers say it feels as though they report to managers at Gopuff's fulfillment centers -- who are classified as employees by the company -- rather than just dealing with the whims of an app, as is the case with other gig economy services. These managers control how many shifts to post to meet demand. Some workers said they communicate with managers using Slack and notify them when, for example, stopping for gas.

"As Gopuff drivers, we work on set shifts, have no ability to reject orders, and even report to managers who control almost every aspect of our work, from what jobs we get to whether we're fired," a group of workers said last month in an open letter done in collaboration with Working Washington, a Seattle-based workers' rights organization. According to Working Washington, several hundred drivers have since signed on to the letter.

In response, Gopuff said fulfillment center managers do not have managerial authority over drivers. The company said workers have the choice for whether to secure shifts, which are eligible for minimum pay guarantees that can provide baseline earnings during slow periods, or to pick up delivery orders whenever they want, but without that pay guarantee. With the latter option, it's unclear whether there would be enough work to make it worth their while given the company uses shift scheduling to meet demand.

On a FAQ page for drivers, Gopuff said it "highly suggests" drivers reserve scheduled shifts -- which can be competitive to secure. When pressed by CNN Business for more information about how drivers are informed they can bypass signing up for shifts, Gopuff said it runs campaigns periodically to remind its drivers of different options and pointed to the FAQ page, which had been updated from earlier that day to remove the language recommending drivers secure shifts. When asked about this change, Gopuff said it is in the process of updating external resources for delivery partners.

"We recognize that as we grow, we must continue to improve our communications channels with delivery partners, and are actively working to enhance delivery partner communications, websites, customer support, and more," said a Gopuff spokesperson in a statement provided to CNN Business.

The company also said it offers full-time and part-time employment opportunities, which come with benefits, inside its warehouses. Gopuff said it has more than 8,000 employees -- including its corporate and warehouse employees. However, Gopuff declined to tell CNN Business how many independent contractors work as delivery drivers with the company.

Trying to make ends meet

Founded in 2013, GoPuff largely stayed under the radar until more recently when its valuation doubled and then nearly doubled again to $15 billion in less than a year. In recent months, Gopuff has scaled to more than 650 cities; acquired two international rivals, a US-based alcohol delivery startup, a liquor store chain and a fleet management startup; and secured a partnership with Uber. (The Uber deal is reportedly the subject of an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission into whether the agreement could hurt competition in online delivery of alcohol and convenience store items. Gopuff and the FTC declined to comment on it; Uber did not immediately respond to request for comment.)

Rafael Ilishayev, Gopuff's co-CEO and cofounder, told CNBC in May that the company's business model "is predicated on making margins on products, and really not making margins on people or the gig economy." Because Gopuff buys products directly from suppliers, it then owns the inventory and can price it accordingly, making money off the sales. The company also has an advertising business for brands to market their products to customers.

But as with other gig economy firms, one of the biggest costs that Gopuff can control when offering expedited deliveries at affordable prices is how much it pays its workers, according to Gad Allon, a professor at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. "Ultimately, most of their costs are labor costs -- labor for picking, labor for delivery," said Allon.

In the letter, the workers are calling on the company to raise its hourly pay guarantee (which varies by location but in some places is as low as $8 per hour, the letter says) to ensure a living wage and cover basic expenses like vehicle mileage. (Gopuff said its minimum pay guarantees are at or above the local minimum wages in each market and that drivers earn $18 to $22 per hour on average across the US, including tips and other bonuses.) The workers are also calling for real flexibility and independence as well as more pay transparency, among other demands.

With the scheduled shifts, workers are eligible for a minimum hourly earnings guarantee, according to the company. That means Gopuff will subsidize their earnings to meet that threshold if they don't hit it through commissions earned on each order, which range from $2.25 to $5.00, according to the company. But just as other gig companies have tweaked rates for workers over the years, Gopuff can choose to raise or slash its hourly earnings guarantee. According to Working Washington, workers at nearly 50 locations have recently reported having their hourly guarantees slashed. By its analysis, the average hourly subsidy cut was $3.96 per hour.

Gopuff said temporary subsidies were offered due to what it called operational changes. In a statement, the Gopuff spokesperson said that "given the fast moving nature of our industry, we will make adjustments to partner compensation to balance a continuously changing supply and demand dynamic in each market we serve," calling it "industry standard." (In addition to subsidies, Gopuff, like other gig companies, also offers workers promotions and incentives to boost earnings.)

"We will continue working to communicate any changes clearly, transparently and proactively to delivery partners," the spokesperson said.

Bradleigh Aeh, a Gopuff delivery worker in Athens, Ohio who has been vocal about the work conditions, said she received a notification last week that a temporary increased subsidy that guaranteed she would make at least $12 per hour would be reduced to $9 this week. Despite Gopuff's claim that minimum guarantees are at or above local minimum wages, prior to the temporary bump, the pay guarantee at Aeh's location appeared to be below the local minimum wage of $8.80, according to Aeh and a screenshot reviewed by CNN Business. According to the Working Washington letter, at "some warehouses, the minimum guarantee is lower than local minimum wage," an amount that is further lowered when factoring in how much workers spend on gas.

"I'll try to make ends meet, which was still difficult with the $12 and will be even harder now," Aeh said, noting it can be challenging to quickly secure free shifts before they're swept up by others as the company adds new workers. "I could find another job in food service, or something ... but I'd just be scraping by on minimum wage or close to it the same as I am now."

Sage Wilson, an organizer with Working Washington, said Gopuff's model feels familiar. "So much of it seems to be about shifting the cost of driving to workers," Wilson said. "That's one of the very expensive parts of doing delivery, and it's a cost which in the short term can remain hidden from people doing the work until they get the big repair or run their car into the ground."

According to Gopuff, there are unique benefits to its business that set it apart from other gig economy jobs, including that drivers deliver within a short radius of a micro-fulfillment center, resulting in less wear and tear on vehicles. It also said delivery partners can use the restroom at these fulfillment centers.

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Pikeville, KY (41501)

Today

Occasional rain. High 72F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

A few clouds. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.
Weighing in with their view of last week's controversy are the seven members of the Mahomet-Seymour school board: Max McComb, Jeremy Henrichs, Ken Keefe, Meghan Hennesy, Justin Lamb, Sunny McMurry and Colleen Schultz.
Shamar Betts, 20, of Urbana is shown July 8, 2021, at the Champaign County Courthouse in Urbana at his sentencing on state charges for burglary in during a May 31, 2020, riot in north Champaign. On Aug. 19, 2021, he was sentenced in federal court to four years in prison and ordered to pay about $1.5 million in restitution for inciting the riot.
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
A fire in a home in the 2300 block of County Road 1050 North, between Sidney and Homer, on Thursday night caused heavy heat and smoke damage, but the house is repairable, said Sidney Fire Department spokesman Mike Dilley.
Editorial | The disaster of Afghanistan is clear for all to see
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A shipment of 249,000 UK-donated AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines has today (Wednesday, 18 August) arrived in Accras Kotoka International Airport.

The vaccines were met at Kotoka International Airport by senior officials from the British High Commission to Ghana, including Charge d'affaires, Dr Joseph Whittle and the UK Health Adviser to Ghana, Uzoamaka Gilpin. Honourable Deputy Minister Tina Mensah and representatives from Ghana's Ministry of Health also attended the arrival alongside UNICEF Representative in Ghana, Anne-Claire Dufay.

Today's shipment is part of a broader pledge made by the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at the G7 meeting in June. The UK will share 100 million jabs with the rest of the world, of which 80% will be through COVAX. The UK has already donated around 5 million vaccine doses to COVAX and 3 million of these doses will be sent to countries across Africa. Nigeria, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Ethiopia are among the countries to already receive vaccines.

Speaking at Kotoka International Airport, the Charge d'affaires for the British High Commission to Ghana Dr Joseph Whittle, said:

Today's shipment signals another step forward in Ghana's vaccine programme. It means 249,600 front-line health workers, vulnerable people most at risk from COVID-19 and those in need of their vital second jab have access to vaccinations and better protection against COVID-19 variants. Our shared commitment to overcome COVID-19 has only strengthened the UK-Ghana partnership, and this is reflected by the fact that Ghana is one of the first countries in the world receiving UK-donated vaccines."

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 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. More than 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.

The UK kick-started efforts to establish COVAX in 2020, providing 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. 65% of the initial vaccine doses have been Oxford-AstraZeneca. COVAX aims to deliver 1.8 billion vaccines to lower-income countries around the world by early 2022.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said:

Three million doses of UK-donated vaccines are now arriving in 11 countries across Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, to help the fight against COVID-19. This is the first batch of 80 million being donated via COVAX - because we know no one is safe until everyone is safe."

The UK continues to support Ghana's COVID-19 response: putting UK experts at the heart of Ghana's Health Service and the Ministry of health, supporting the Ministry of Health to expand quality COVID-19 treatment and testing in 40 underserved districts whilst ensuring continuation of essential health services for women and children.
Considerable evidence suggests that e-cigarettes are an effective smoking-cessation tool for adults in the United States, where hundreds of thousands of people die of smoking-related illness each year.

Vaping: a more balanced message | Michigan Public Health Play

Video Credit: University of Michigan

Kenneth Warner, dean emeritus and the Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigans School of Public Health, says, however, that the potential of vaping to increase smoking cessation has been largely overshadowed by media coverage and policies that focus on the potential risk vaping represents for teens.

Warner and 14 other past presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco co-authored an article that argues that the media, legislators and the general public have developed a negative view of e-cigarettes because of the heavy emphasis public health organizations have placed on protecting kids from vaping while ignoring the potentially substantial benefits of e-cigarettes in helping adults quit smoking. The article is published online in the American Journal of Public Health.

Warner discusses why the group, all of whom have presided over the top tobacco research society in the world, decided to take on this issue.

What prompted this group to write this article?

In my 45 years in the field of tobacco control research, Ive never seen an issue that is as divisive as this one; and maybe none that is as important to public health. We have a large group within public health who are very much opposed to vaping because they see it as imposing huge risks on kids. On the other end of the spectrum, we see a number of researchers and members of the vaping community who believe that vaping is a great tool for helping people to quit smoking and that it is far less hazardous than smoking. These polar opposite views have created much of the contention within the tobacco control community.

Our goal in this paper is to try to inject some sense of balance, to get public health organizations, the media and legislators to recognize that their appropriate but singular desire to keep e-cigarettes out of the hands of kids may actually be harming public health. Policies oriented exclusively toward protecting kids may be responsible for more adults smoking than would be if we had policies that also emphasized helping adults to quit with vaping, and frankly, if we had honest characterizations of the risks of vaping.

Exaggerations of the risk have led a majority of Americans, including a majority of smokers, to the erroneous belief that vaping is as dangerous as, or more dangerous than, smoking. The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine has determined that vaping is likely substantially less dangerous.

What do you want people to take away from the AJPH article?

We call for a rebalancing of societys consideration of vaping, and specifically for more attention being paid to its potential to increase smoking cessation. We should continue working to decrease young peoples use of e-cigarettesof all nicotine products, for that matterbut we must increase our focus on adult smokers.

In the article, my colleagues and I express concern that we have forgotten about the adults who are going to die as a consequence of smoking. We lose 480,000 Americans every year as a result of smoking. Understandably and justifiably, all Americans were enormously concerned by the toll of COVID-19 this past year. Consider that we have a COVID-level disaster created by smoking every year, year after year after year.

How would you characterize the risks associated with e-cigarettes? What are the potential benefits of vaping for adult smokers?

Vaping is clearly not risk-free, but it is also substantially less dangerous than cigarette smoking. Inhaling combusted tobacco smoke, which includes over 7,000 chemicals, is what causes the disease and death associated with tobacco use.

Multiple types of evidence, identified in our article, demonstrate that vaping can increase smoking cessation. The highly respected Cochrane Review has concluded that it is likely that vaping is more effective than FDA-approved nicotine replacement products like gum and patches. The CDC has also found that more smokers use e-cigarettes than other aids in attempts to quit smokingand with a higher self-reported success rate.

Still, the public is largely unaware of the potential vaping has to aid in smoking cessation. As I mentioned previously, a majority of adults, including a majority of smokers, believe that vaping is as dangerous as, or more dangerous than, cigarette smoking. This misunderstanding has actually worsened over time. That reflects, in part, the medias coverage of vaping.

A recent study cited in our article found that 70% of U.S. news coverage on vaping mentioned vapings risks to kids, while only 37% noted the potential benefits for adult smokers. As such, its likely that fewer smokers are trying e-cigarettes as a method of quitting smoking than would be the case if they were accurately informed about its potential to help them quit and its smaller health risk compared to smoking. That means fewer people are quitting smoking.

Put simply, research shows that the potential benefits of vaping for adult smokers are substantial. Those benefits are not being fully realized in todays environment of misinformation and a singular focus on the welfare of kids, to the detriment of the health of adults who smoke.

What is known about the risks of youth e-cigarette use?

Vaping does have risks for kids, including the potential of addicting some to nicotine. But in our article, we point to evidence that the percentage of kids being addicted to nicotine by vaping is much smaller than popularly believed.

We also note that while prospective studies have found that vaping by kids who had never smoked increases their risk of trying cigarettes 6-24 months later, much of this may be explained by what is called common liability, meaning that kids who try e-cigarettes are more prone to risk-taking than are kids who dont vape, so the former may be more likely to try cigarettes anyway, even if e-cigarettes had never existed.

Furtherand very importantlyeven if there is an increased risk, doing the math indicates that this factor would increase overall smoking initiation by kids by only a very small amount. However, even that seems unlikely since weve seen smoking rates fall among young people (both adolescents and young adults) at unprecedented rates precisely during the period of vapings ascendancy. That certainly is not consistent with the idea that vaping increases smoking.

Why has e-cigarette use in adults not been a focus in policy or the media?

First, the concern for young peoples welfare is a compelling one, and the rapid increase in youth vaping in 2018 and 2019 understandably created a great deal of anxiety. The focus on youth drowned out attention to the welfare of adults who smoke. Youth vaping decreased significantly in 2020. We will have to monitor future years trends closely.

Second, I think a lot of people may believe that the problem of smoking is pretty much resolved. Im referring mainly to the higher education, upper socioeconomic status population. They dont smoke, their friends and colleagues dont smoke, theres no smoking in their workplaces, and theres no smoking in the restaurants and bars that they frequent. They dont see smoking and thus may believe the problem has largely been solved.

And yet 1 out of 7 adult Americans is a smoker today. When we take a look at whos smoking, its the underprivileged members of our society, those who dont have a voice in politics. African Americans as a group, although they dont smoke more, have higher rates of smoking-produced disease and death than do whites. There are groups like low socioeconomic populations, people with mental health problems and the LGBTQ community that all have higher-than-average smoking rates.

My fear, frankly, is that many nonsmokers are ignoring smokers because they may not care that much about them. There is a very large life expectancy differential between the rich and the poor in the United States and perhaps the single most important behavior-related variable is differences in smoking. The data show that low-income, low-education populations smoke at much higher rates than the high-income population, and they die at much younger ages. If we could reduce smoking among these often marginalized populations, we might be able to reduce the gap in life expectancy. This is fundamentally a matter of social justice.

What are some policy changes that might help achieve a more balanced approach to e-cigarettes?

Currently, we have very unbalanced policies that are directed exclusively at trying to reduce youth vaping. Two of the most prominent are eliminating or seriously restricting flavors in e-cigarettes and trying to equalize the taxation of e-cigarettes and cigarettes. Both of these policies can have adverse consequences for adult smokers. Adult smokers like flavors just like kids do, and in fact, they tend to like the same flavors.

Banning flavors would eliminate adult smokers access to the flavored e-cigarettes that they prefer in attempts to quit smoking. So thats a real concern. We propose restricting the sale of e-cigarettes to adult-only establishments such as vape shops. This is a compromiseflavors are a significant attraction to vaping for kids, and our recommended policy would not eliminate flavors; at the same time, the policy would restrict access for adults, thereby creating an inconvenience for them. But this policy would strongly limit youth access to flavored e-cigarettes, while allowing adults to get the flavored e-cigarettes they want to aid in their attempts to quit smoking.

We also suggest a substantial increase in excise taxes on cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products, and a much more modest tax on e-cigarettes. This is the opposite of what is happening now, with states imposing equalizing taxes on e-cigarettes without raising taxes on cigarettes. Significantly raising the tax on cigarettes will discourage both adults and kids from smoking. A big differential in price between very expensive cigarettes and less expensive e-cigarettes creates an incentive for adults who dont quit smoking to switch to e-cigarettes. For kids, a modest tax on e-cigarettes will discourage them from vaping, because theyre the most price-sensitive group when it comes to nicotine and tobacco products.
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)- a nonprofit alliance of leading cancer centers across the United States- joins the growing call for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for all eligible healthcare workers. The organization issued an official statement today at NCCN.org/covid-19 calling on all healthcare systems to ensure their workforces are immunized, which includes the following perspective:

"Patients with cancer are more susceptible to COVID-19 complications and may not mount effective immune responses to vaccination, so it is incumbent on healthcare workers to be immunized against COVID-19. In so doing, we help to create a cocoon effect in which vulnerable individuals are protected from COVID-19 by vaccinating those who care for these patients."

Cancer care providers have a responsibility to their patients and colleagues to do everything they can to reduce the spread of COVID-19; that includes getting vaccinated. We know cancer patients already face a higher risk from COVID-19 and must be protected during their many interactions with healthcare workers. According to the science, vaccines are our best option to safely protect ourselves and the people around us from this potentially deadly disease." Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN

NCCN's endorsement of mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers stems from the work of the NCCN COVID-19 Vaccination Advisory Committee, a group of leading physicians with expertise in infectious diseases, vaccine development and delivery, cancer management, and medical ethics. The committee has previously shared evidence-based expert consensus recommendations on vaccinating people with cancer against COVID-19. They regularly update this guidance-;which is intended for clinicians and also available in a patient-friendly format.

"We're deeply committed to doing everything to protect our patients from COVID-19," said Brahm Segal, MD, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Co-Leader of the NCCN COVID-19 Vaccination Advisory Committee. "Our patients come to our centers for high quality and cutting-edge cancer care. We must insist they are protected as much as possible from COVID-19 during medical visits, and this requires that our workforce be immunized."
A research project affiliated with the University of Helsinki's Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) has identified serious deficiencies in the Stoffenmanager and Advanced REACH Tool occupational exposure models used for assessing chemical safety and calls for the discontinuation of their use in statutory chemical safety assessment.

Stoffenmanager and the Advanced REACH Tool (ART) are models recommended by the European Chemicals Agency for the statutory assessment of chemical safety at workplaces. The models are used in legislation to determine the framework for the safe use of chemicals. They are also used for conducting occupational exposure and risk assessment and describing the necessary protective measures in material safety data sheets.

Stoffenmanager offers the facility to register hazardous substances as well as create, export and distribute workplace instruction and safety cards.

The deficiencies in the models recommended by the European Chemicals Agency have a significant effect on chemical safety. Stoffenmanager alone has more than 37,000 users globally, with more than 310,000 risk assessments relating to chemical safety carried out using the model by 2020.

According to a multinational research project headed by researcher Joonas Koivisto from the University of Helsinki, the problems relating to the models are evident in all instances of their use. The models in use have been reported to observe physical principles, such as the law of conservation of mass. However, a theoretical analysis shows that this is not the case.

The study demonstrates the models' uncertainty from three perspectives. Firstly, the models are not based on physics, since the parameters used in the models do not observe causality. For example, in a situation where a local exhaust ventilation is applied, the model should either reduce the general ventilation exhaust volume flow rate or increase the incoming air volume flow rate.

In addition, the parameter values are selected partially subjectively, or as a result of the user's interpretation. According to the third finding, the models are calibrated with subjectively assigned multipliers, which have been determined by mixing various exposure groups, such as the pharmaceutical industry, bakeries and construction sites.

Based on the findings, the modelling approaches do not fulfil the requirements set by the European Chemicals Agency for exposure assessment, which requires objective, or quantitative, exposure values. By combining the uncertainties associated with the models and their interpretive parametrisation, a tiered modelling approach can be used to manipulate exposure values according to the user's wishes.

"There are a lot of uncertainties also in physical models, but in these cases the uncertainties can be determined and modelling accuracy assessed more reliably," says Koivisto.

The researchers recommend that the non-physical models be replaced with e.g., a physical two-compartment model. This modelling approach is used to describe higher concentrations close to point sources of emission, taking into account that mass (or amount of the chemical) cannot appear or disappear without a cause.

Koivisto and his colleagues have also carried out a study which describes how the two-compartment model can be used to make well-grounded decisions pertaining to chemical safety, and how this helps determine the preconditions for safe use.

The multi-year project affiliated with the University of Helsinki's Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) is carried out in cooperation with several research institutes.
Since the early days of the COVID pandemic, scientists have aggressively pursued the secrets of the mechanisms that allow severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to enter and infect healthy human cells.

Early in the pandemic, University of California San Diego's Rommie Amaro, a computational biophysical chemist, helped develop a detailed visualization of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that efficiently latches onto our cell receptors.

Now, Amaro and her research colleagues from UC San Diego, University of Pittsburgh, University of Texas at Austin, Columbia University and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have discovered how glycans-;molecules that make up a sugary residue around the edges of the spike protein-;act as infection gateways.

Published August 19 in the journal Nature Chemistry, a research study led by Amaro, co-senior author Lillian Chong at the University of Pittsburgh, first author and UC San Diego graduate student Terra Sztain and co-first author and UC San Diego postdoctoral scholar Surl-Hee Ahn, describes the discovery of glycan "gates" that open to allow SARS-CoV-2 entry.

We essentially figured out how the spike actually opens and infects. We've unlocked an important secret of the spike in how it infects cells. Without this gate the virus basically is rendered incapable of infection." Rommie Amaro, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and senior author of the new study

Amaro believes the research team's gate discovery opens potential avenues for new therapeutics to counter SARS-CoV-2 infection. If glycan gates could be pharmacologically locked in the closed position, then the virus is effectively prevented from opening to entry and infection.

The spike's coating of glycans helps deceive the human immune system since it comes across as nothing more than a sugary residue. Previous technologies that imaged these structures depicted glycans in static open or closed positions, which initially didn't draw much interest from scientists. Supercomputing simulations then allowed the researchers to develop dynamic movies that revealed glycan gates activating from one position to another, offering an unprecedented piece of the infection story.

"We were actually able to watch the opening and closing," said Amaro. "That's one of the really cool things these simulations give you-;the ability to see really detailed movies. When you watch them you realize you're seeing something that we otherwise would have ignored. You look at just the closed structure, and then you look at the open structure, and it doesn't look like anything special. It's only because we captured the movie of the whole process that you actually see it doing its thing."

"Standard techniques would have required years to simulate this opening process, but with my lab's 'weighted ensemble' advanced simulation tools, we were able to capture the process in only 45 days," said Chong.

The computationally intensive simulations were first run on Comet at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego and later on Longhorn at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at UT Austin. Such computing power provided the researchers with atomic-level views of the spike protein receptor binding domain, or RBD, from more than 300 perspectives. The investigations revealed glycan "N343" as the linchpin that pries the RBD from the "down" to "up" position to allow access to the host cell's ACE2 receptor. The researchers describe N343 glycan activation as similar to a "molecular crowbar" mechanism.

Jason McLellan, an associate professor of molecular biosciences at UT Austin and his team created variants of the spike protein and tested to see how a lack of the glycan gate affected the RBD's ability to open.

"We showed that without this gate, the RBD of the spike protein can't take the conformation it needs to infect cells," McLellan said.
A team of engineers and physicians has developed a steerable catheter that for the first time will give neurosurgeons the ability to steer the device in any direction they want while navigating the brain's arteries and blood vessels. The device was inspired by nature, specifically insect legs and flagella--tail-like structures that allow microscopic organisms such as bacteria to swim.

The team from the University of California San Diego describes the breakthrough in the Aug. 18 issue of Science Robotics.

The steerable catheter was successfully tested in pigs at the Center for the Future of Surgery at UC San Diego.

Approximately one in 50 people in the United States has an unruptured intracranial aneurysm--a thin-walled, blister-like lesion on a cerebral artery that is prone to rupture. These kinds of lesions affect over 160 million people worldwide, half of them under the age of 50.

Of patients that suffer ruptured aneurysms, more than half die. Half of the survivors experience long-term disabilities. Studies show that a quarter of cases cannot be operated on because of how difficult the aneurysms are to reach.

As a neurosurgeon, one of the challenges that we have is directing catheters to the delicate, deep recesses of the brain. Today's results demonstrate proof of concept for a soft, easily steerable catheter that would significantly improve our ability to treat brain aneurysms and many other neurological conditions, and I look forward to advancing this innovation toward patient care." Dr Alexander Khalessi, Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, Uiversity of California San Diego Health

The current state of the art in aneurysm surgery involves neurosurgeons inserting guidewires into an artery near the groin to take catheters through the aorta and all the way up into the brain. Surgeons use curved-tip guidewires to navigate the brain's arteries and junctions. But these guidewires have to be removed before the catheter's tip can be used to provide treatment.

"Once the guidewire is retrieved the catheter will return to its native shape, often straight, resulting in loss of access to the pathology," said Dr. Jessica Wen, who was instrumental in serving as a bridge between clinicians and engineers, and coordinated work with the Center for the Future of Surgery at UC San Diego.

As a result, it is extremely difficult to place and keep it in the right position to release platinum coils that block blood flow to the aneurysm and prevent a brain bleed.

Steerable catheters are not available for neurosurgery because of how small the brain's blood vessels are. Specifically, devices need to be less than one millimeter in diameter--that's roughly the diameter of a few human hairs--and about five feet long (160 cm). Industrial fabrication methods struggle at this scale. That's partially because gravity, electrostatics, and the van der Waals force are all similar at this size. So once you pick something up with tweezers, you cannot drop it. If you coax it from the tweezers, it may leap into the air from opposing forces and disappear, never to be found again.

"Unfortunately, many of the most important blood vessels we need to treat are among the most tortuous and fragile in the body," said James Friend, a professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and School of Medicine and the paper's corresponding author. "Although robotics is rising to the need in addressing many medical problems, deformable devices at the scales required for these kinds of surgeries simply do not exist."

Bioinspiration

To solve this problem, researchers turned to inspiration both from nature and from soft robotics.

"We were inspired by flagella and insect legs, as well as beetles mating, where microscale hydraulics and large aspect deformation are involved," said Gopesh Tilvawala, who recently earned a Ph.D. in Friend's research group and the paper's first author. "This led us to developing [a] hydraulically actuated soft robotic microcatheter."

Computer simulations and new fabrication methods

The team had to invent a whole new way of casting silicone in three dimensions that would work at those scales, by depositing concentric layers of silicone on top of one another with different stiffnesses. The result is a silicone rubber catheter with four holes inside its walls, each about one half the diameter of a human hair.

The team also conducted computer simulations to determine the configuration of the catheter; how many holes it should include; where these should be placed; and the amount of hydraulic pressure needed to actuate it. To guide the catheter, the surgeon compresses a handheld controller to pass saline fluid into the tip to steer it. Saline is used to protect the patient; if the device should fail, then saline harmlessly enters the bloodstream. The catheter's steerable tip is visible on X-rays.

A new way of doing neurosurgery

"This technology is ideal for situations when I need to make a 180 degree turn from the catheter position in the parent artery, and maintaining position and reducing kick-out is critical," said Dr. David Santiago-Dieppa, neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health. "This advance may ultimately allow us to treat aneurysms, other brain pathologies and even strokes that we haven't been able to in the past."

The work is poised to make a significant difference in the way aneurysm surgery is conducted, physicians said.

"This type of precision can be realized with steerable tools and the successful deployment of these tools should move us forward in permitting improved access, decreased procedural time, better capacity utilization, decreased radiation exposure and other related and expected benefits," said Dr. Alexander Norbash, chair of the Department of Radiology at UC San Diego Health.

The next steps include a statistically significant number of animal trials and first in human trial.
Despite their higher risk of chronic kidney disease, people with hypertension or diabetes usually are not given a simple test for protein in the urine to screen for this potentially deadly disorder, according to a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The researchers analyzed data on nearly four million hypertension and diabetes patients around the world, and found that only about 4 percent of the former and 35 percent of the latter had been screened for chronic kidney disease with a test for albuminuria, a standard measure of protein in the urine. This was despite the relatively high rates of chronic kidney disease that are generally found among hypertension and diabetes patients.

The study was published online August 9 in the journal Hypertension.

These results highlight the need to widen albuminuria testing for early detection of chronic kidney diseases- especially now that we have new and more effective treatments that could benefit these patients." Jung-Im Shin, MD, study first author, assistant professor, Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School

"We're really missing a huge number of chronic kidney disease cases that should be detected and treated, and apart from all the other downsides of letting it go untreated, there is the fact that COVID-19 outcomes are often much worse for people with kidney disease," says study senior author Josef Coresh, MD, the George W. Comstock Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Bloomberg School.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 37 million U.S. adults have chronic kidney disease, although the vast majority do not know it. Chronic kidney disease is easy to miss, especially in its early stages, because it typically features mild and nonspecific symptoms such as unexplained itching and swollen feet and ankles. It often progresses undiagnosed until late stages when kidney failure is unavoidable.

Testing for an abnormally high level of protein in the urine, a marker of kidney damage, is an accepted method for detecting possible chronic kidney disease. The clinically preferred test is called the ACR test, which measures the level in a urine sample of albumin, a common protein, corrected for the urine concentration as determined by the level of a molecule called creatinine.

Medical associations now recommend frequent ACR testing for people with diabetes, which often co-occurs with chronic kidney disease, and that patients with ACR levels of at least 30 mg/g-;the threshold of albuminuria and a potential sign of early chronic kidney disease-;be given medications to protect the kidneys. Many researchers believe that ACR testing in people with hypertension, another condition strongly linked to chronic kidney disease, would have significant benefits for similar reasons.

"There are new treatments for patients with albuminuria, including a class of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors, which appear to be quite effective in protecting the kidneys as well as the cardiovascular system," Shin says. "Our findings suggest that albuminuria screening should be used much more often for detecting chronic kidney disease early, so that patients can benefit from earlier treatment."

To find out how often patients with diabetes or hypertension are given ACR urine tests to detect albuminuria, Shin, Coresh and their colleagues analyzed datasets including medical records for a total of 1,344,594 adults with diabetes and 2,334,461 adults who had hypertension but not diabetes. The datasets were assembled as part of the Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium, a global research collaboration on chronic kidney disease that includes over 80 cohorts of patients across 40 countries. Coresh is a co-principal investigator for the consortium's Data Coordinating Center.

A key finding was that only 4.1 percent of the hypertension patients and 35.1 percent of the diabetes patients had had an ACR test during a two-year time window starting with their inclusion in a dataset. This was despite the fact that in these groups, those who were given ACR tests had relatively high rates of albuminuria defined as ACR  30 mg/g: 32.1 percent for the diabetes patients, and 21.8 percent for the hypertension patients. Additionally, in both groups more than 20 percent of those with ACR < 30 mg/g in the initial time window converted to ACR  30 mg/g in the ensuing five years.

The analysis further showed that whether a patient received an ACR test or not essentially had nothing to do with his or her predicted risk of ACR  30 mg/g.

"People who were tested were not those at highest risk-;they were just a random subset," Coresh says. "So we estimate that the number of patients with undetected ACR 30 mg/g was far greater than the number of detected cases-;almost 20 times greater among the hypertension patients."

The study also included the development of a risk model-;one of many now available for physicians who are considering the possibility of chronic kidney disease in a patient-;that predicts the development of ACR  30 mg/g within a few years. Prominent risk factors in the model included older age, male sex, history of heart failure, and a lower measure of kidney filtration rate.
A UC Davis Health retrospective study published recently in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology shows how quickly COVID-19 infections were reduced among health care workers when vaccines were first distributed late last year. Researchers examined the incidence of COVID-19 in thousands of UC Davis Medical Center employees before and after vaccines were made available.

Shana Ruggenberg of the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing gets her COVID shot at the UC Davis Medical Center in Jan. 2021

COVID-19 infection decreased among workers from 3.2% during the eight weeks prior to vaccinations to 0.38% by four weeks after the start of vaccine administration. The case positivity rate dropped to 0.04% at two weeks after the second vaccine dose.

"As the general public was waiting to get vaccinated, we as health care workers thought it was imperative to understand the effect of COVID-19 vaccines in the health care setting in which we work," said Sarah Waldman, lead researcher and infectious disease specialist. "It was understanding more of what the real-world impact was of COVID-19 vaccines and using that to potentially combat vaccine hesitancy."

The data showed a single dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, available at that time, decreased the risk of contracting COVID-19 by 48% among hospital personnel. A second dose decreased the risk by 83%.

"We found that vaccines are effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, regardless of where you work or what type of job you perform," Waldman said. "Our findings were consistent with the Phase 3 mRNA vaccine trials for both the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine."

The study

We found that vaccines are effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, regardless of where you work or what type of job you perform." Sarah Waldman

The study included more than 16,000 faculty, staff, and medical and nursing students at UC Davis Medical Center. These were the employees who were eligible for the first doses of vaccine. Researchers divided workers into five main groups with varying on-the-job risk of COVID-19 exposure. They included staff in environmental and custodial services, nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists and "other," or employees with limited patient contact, such as those in administration and information technology. The study also examined vaccination acceptance, the incidence of COVID-19 after the vaccine and hospitalization.

The review took place from October 2020 to March 2021 to include both pre- and post-vaccine time periods.

Timothy Albertson, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine and a specialist in pulmonary and critical care, was a co-author of the study. "We were particularly interested in generating data from our own institution to make people well aware of the protective background that vaccines give you against this particular COVID infection," Albertson said.

Vaccine hesitancy

This study's release comes as COVID-19 rates are soaring again across the country and at the UC Davis Emergency Department. Many of these patients have the highly contagious Delta variant. Most are unvaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control reports the increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths are most prevalent in areas with low vaccination rates.

UC Davis Health pharmacy team members process the first shipment of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses in Dec. 2020

The UC Davis study found COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy varied among health care workers. "The highest acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination was among physicians and the lowest was among non-clinical health care personnel," said Waldman. She noted that reasons for uncertainty about the vaccine are complex, ranging from concerns about unknown long-term risks and side effects, as well as distrust over the regulatory process. "As time goes by, we are constantly gathering more and more data about the safety of these vaccines. I am not sure that will change the people who are in the 'definitely no' category. It might convince some people who are waiting for more data."

Vaccine mandates

The prevalence of the COVID-19 Delta variant has prompted the state of California to require health care workers to show proof of vaccination by the end of September. Some exceptions to vaccination are allowed, however unvaccinated workers will have to undergo regular testing.

Currently, more than 90% of UC Davis Health employees are fully vaccinated.

"The Delta variant has shown that getting our population vaccinated is more important than ever," said David Lubarsky, UC Davis Health chief executive officer and a co-author of the study. "This study proves that vaccines dramatically reduce the incidence of the virus in the health care setting  and the same is true throughout our community."
Chemical Insights Research Institute, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), and Georgia State University's School of Public Health (GSU) announced the launch of a research initiative on understanding human exposure and the potential health effects of vaping and e-cigarettes. Researchers will characterize airborne particulate aerosols and volatile organic chemicals released during e-cigarette and vape use and determine human exposure levels and potential toxicity for users and bystanders.

With a focus on public health and safety benefits, our research findings will provide data on specific particles and chemicals and their exposure levels so that human health impacts may be further understood." Dr. Marilyn Black, vice president and senior technical advisor, Chemical Insights Research Institute

The use of vapes or e-cigarettes among adolescents and young adults has increased in the United States over the last decade, with an estimated 3.6 million U.S. youths using e-cigarettes in 2020. One contributing factor is the perception that vaping and e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products. However, a series of studies have proven pulmonary toxicity in e-cigarettes and a link to negative impacts on adolescents' respiratory health. Currently, vaping and e-cigarettes lag in product safety testing for numerous proprietary liquids and aerosol delivery methods available in the expanding marketplace.

Recognizing this gap in research knowledge, UL assembled a team of highly skilled researchers and technical facilities to collect more data and draw more insights. Combining UL's specialized human exposure chambers with the expertise of GSU public health researchers will allow the team to conduct real-time exposure studies; characterize the physiochemical aerosols and measure biological activity and genotoxicity of the vaping and e-cigarettes aerosols. Initial research findings will be available in Fall 2021.

"This study will provide scientifically sound data to inform policy makers, healthcare providers, manufacturers, and consumers of potential health risks and approaches for product usage and warnings to educate consumers of potential respiratory hazards," said Dr. Roby Greenwald, co-principal investigator, GSU. "We're looking at multiple liquids and aerosol delivery methods that are readily available to better understand toxicity and their impact on human health."

The UL initiative builds upon the organization's past research projects on emerging technologies' impact on health, including the toxicity of 3D printing emissions, furniture flammability and global air pollution. UL's research paves the way for improved practices, alternative product designs, new legislation, regulatory changes, and educational programs to enable safer products and healthier environments.
The Biden administration's plans to make covid-19 booster shots available next month has drawn a collective scream of protest from the scientific community.

As some scientists see it, the announcement is rash and based on weak evidence, and they worry it could undercut confidence in vaccines with no clear benefit of controlling the pandemic. Meanwhile, more information is needed on potential side effects or adverse effects from a booster shot, they say.

Perhaps even worse, the announcement has fueled deeper confusion about what Americans need to do to protect themselves from covid.

"I think we've scared people," said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and an adviser to the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.

"We sent a terrible message," he said. "We just sent a message out there that people who consider themselves fully vaccinated were not fully vaccinated. And that's the wrong message, because you are protected against serious illness."

As of Thursday, 51% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows. Biden administration officials - citing data from Israel, a study from the Mayo Clinic that is not yet peer-reviewed and new CDC studies - say it's necessary to plan for boosters to prevent a worsening of the pandemic as the delta variant powers a surge in cases and overwhelms hospital intensive care units.

In essence, officials are caught between a rock and a hard place - trying to be prepared while simultaneously not undermining messaging about how well the existing vaccines work.

Officials must weigh two unknowns: the risks of moving ahead aggressively with booster shots versus the risks of waiting to learn much more about the virus and the power of the vaccines. The governments normal path to regulatory approval is, by design, slow and deliberate. The virus has its own schedule, fast and unpredictable.

"Arguably, I think that the federal government is simply trying to stay ahead of the curve," said Dr. Joshua Barocas, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado. But, he said, "I have not seen robust data yet to suggest that it is better to boost Americans who have gotten two vaccines than invest resources and time in getting unvaccinated people across the world vaccinated."

Beginning in late September, boosters would be made available to adults (age 18 and up) eight months after they received the second dose of a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna covid vaccine, President Joe Biden said. But his plan comes with big caveats: It does not yet have the blessing of a CDC advisory panel, and the FDA has not authorized boosters for all adults.

The urgent question is whether the vaccines are losing their power against covid.

"We are concerned that this pattern of decline we are seeing will continue in the months ahead, which could lead to reduced protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death," Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said.

But many scientists and public health experts say the data doesn't demonstrate a clear benefit to the public in making booster shots widely available, and the Biden administration's message confuses people about what the covid vaccines were designed to do.

"They're not a force field. They don't repel the virus from your body. They train your immune system to respond when you become infected  with the goal of keeping you out of the hospital," said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Meanwhile, questions abound. Will boosters for fully vaccinated adults make the virus less transmissible - that is, slower or less likely to spread to others?

"I certainly hope that's the case  but the bottom line, with full transparency, we don't know that right now," Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden's chief medical adviser, said Wednesday.

What about side effects? "It would be nice to understand what side effects people have after their third dose," Nuzzo said.

"We don't have any reason to believe, based on the safety profile of the vaccine itself, that we're going to see significant adverse events with booster shots," Barocas said. However, those things are "just now being studied."

The concerns are real. While serious side effects from covid vaccines have been rare, some have caused alarm - including mRNA vaccines being linked to cases of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart.

"At the individual level, we need to know the side effect profile of a 3rd dose, especially in younger people. Until now, the benefits of vaccination have far outweighed the potential side effects," Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, wrote in a blog post outlining why he was skeptical about a plan to give boosters to everyone.

Even in light of the new CDC studies published Wednesday, experts say one thing is clear: The vaccines still work very well at what they were meant to do, which is to protect people against the worst outcomes of getting infected with the virus.

One study, relying on data from 21 hospitals in 18 states, found no significant change in the vaccines' effectiveness against hospitalization between March and July, which coincides with delta becoming the prevalent covid strain. Another, using data from New York, also found the vaccines highly effective in preventing hospitalization, even as there was a decline in effectiveness against new infections. The third, evaluating the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in nursing home residents, saw a drop in how effective they were at preventing infection - but the research didn't distinguish between symptomatic and asymptomatic cases.

"It's like we're engaged in friendly fire against these vaccines," Nuzzo said. "What are we trying to do here? Are we just trying to reduce overall transmission? Because there's no evidence that this is going to do it."

Fauci, in outlining the case for boosters, highlighted data showing that antibody levels decline over time and higher levels of antibodies are associated with higher vaccine efficacy. But antibodies are only one component of the body's defense mechanisms against a covid infection.

When the antibodies decrease, the body compensates with a cellular immune response. "A person who has lost antibodies isn't necessarily completely susceptible to infection, because that person has T-cell immunity that we can't measure easily," said Dr. Cody Meissner, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases who sits on the FDA's vaccine advisory panel.

John Wherry, director of the Penn Institute of Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania, recently published a study finding that the mRNA vaccines provoked a strong response by the immune system's T cells, which researchers said could be a more durable source of protection. Wherry is working on a second study based on six months of data.

"We're seeing very good durability for at least some components of the non-antibody responses generated by the vaccines," he said.

For protection against serious disease, "really all you need is immunological memory, and these vaccines induce immunological memory and immunological memory tends to be longer-lived," Offit said. Federal scientists also are studying T-cell response, Fauci said.

Pfizer and Moderna have said they think boosters for covid will be necessary. But it's up to the government to authorize them. Federal officials say they are sifting through new data from the companies and elsewhere as it becomes available.

There's not a deep playbook for this: Emergency use authorization, or EUA, of vaccines has been sparingly used. The FDA has already amended Pfizer's prior EUA clearance twice, first in May to expand the vaccines to adolescents 12 to 15 years old and, again, this month to allow immunocompromised people to obtain a third dose. The FDA did not respond to questions about the process for authorizing widespread booster shots.

Pfizer announced in July that it expects $33.5 billion in covid vaccine revenue this year. Its stock has risen 33% this year, closing at $48.80 Thursday. Moderna reported sales of $5.9 billion through June 30 for 302 million doses of its vaccine. The company's stock has skyrocketed 236% year-to-date, closing at $375.53 Thursday.

In applying for emergency authorization, the FDA requires vaccine manufacturers to submit clinical efficacy data and all safety data from phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials as well as two months of safety data from phase 3 studies. For full approval, the FDA requires manufacturers to submit six months of data.

Pfizer this week announced it has submitted phase 1 clinical trial data to the FDA as part of an evaluation for future approval of a third dose. The company said phase 3 results are "expected shortly."

Pfizer said its preliminary trial results showed a third dose was safe and increased antibody levels against the original virus and the delta variant. Moderna found a third dose had safety results similar to a second dose and produced a strong antibody response.

Typically, any distribution of shots would occur after the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices also developed recommendations. But with the Biden administration's announcement about boosters, public health experts worry the message suggests the outcome is preordained.

"They have completely and unfairly jammed FDA and ACIP. They've left them no choice. If there's no booster program, FDA gets blamed and that's not appropriate," said Dr. Nicole Lurie, a former senior Health and Human Services official in the Obama administration and U.S. director of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, the global epidemic vaccines partnership.

KHN senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble and editor Arthur Allen contributed to this report.
Extreme heat is an increasingly common occurrence worldwide, with heat-related deaths and illnesses also expected to rise. The authors of a new two-paper Series on Heat and Health, published in The Lancet, recommend immediate and urgent globally coordinated efforts to mitigate climate change and increase resilience to extreme heat to limit additional warming, avoid permanent and substantial extreme heat worldwide, and save lives by protecting the most vulnerable people.

In alignment with the Paris Agreement, the Series authors call for global warming to be limited to 1.5C to avoid substantial heat-related mortality in the future. Reducing the health impacts of extreme heat is an urgent priority and should include immediate changes to infrastructure, urban environment, and individual behavior to prevent heat-related deaths. The Series is published ahead of this year's COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, UK.

Effective and environmentally sustainable cooling measures can protect from the worst health impacts of heat. These range from increasing green space in cities, wall coatings that reflect heat from buildings, and widespread use of electric fans and other widely available personal cooling techniques that have been shown by thermal physiologists to help people regulate their body temperature without exacerbating other types of physiological strain.

While air conditioning is becoming more widely available around the world, it is unaffordable for many of the most vulnerable is financially and environmentally costly, and leaves many defenseless against extreme heat during power outages.

"Two strategic approaches are needed to combat extreme heat. One is climate change mitigation to reduce carbon emissions and alter the further warming of the planet. The other is identifying timely and effective prevention and response measures, particularly for low-resource settings. With more than half of the global population projected to be exposed to weeks of dangerous heat every year by the end of this century, we need to find ways to cool people effectively and sustainably," says Series co-lead author Professor Kristie Ebi from the University of Washington, USA.

She adds, "Failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to develop and deploy evidence-based heat action plans will mean a very different future awaits many people and communities around the world. Day-to-day summer activities  such as exercising and working outdoors  may change dramatically as increasing warming means people are at greater risk of exposure to intolerable heat far more often, particularly in tropical regions."

Health risks of extreme heat

According to a new Global Burden of Disease modeling study, also published in The Lancet, more than 356,000 deaths in 2019 were related to heat, and that number is expected to grow as temperatures rise worldwide. However, Series authors note, many heat-related deaths are preventable by mitigating climate change and reducing exposure to extreme heat.

When exposed to extreme heat stress, the body's ability to regulate its internal temperature can be overwhelmed, leading to heatstroke. In addition, physiological thermoregulatory responses that are engaged to protect body temperature induce other types of physiological strain and can lead to cardiorespiratory events.

Effects from extreme heat are also associated with increased hospitalizations and emergency room visits, increased deaths from cardiorespiratory and other diseases, mental health issues, adverse pregnancy, and birth outcomes, and increased healthcare costs. Older people and other vulnerable people who may be less able to take care of themselves in extreme heat (e.g., people isolated at home, people who have poor mobility) are also more likely to experience the health effects of extreme heat.

Extreme heat also lessens worker productivity, especially among the more than 1 billion workers who are exposed to high heat on a regular basis. These workers often report reduced work output due to heat stress, many of whom are manual laborers who are unable to take rest breaks or other measures to lessen the effects of heat exposure.

Finally, warming temperatures are exacerbating other environmental challenges, including adverse ground-level ozone concentrations, wildfires, and rapid urban population growth.

"Extremely hot days or heat waves that were experienced approximately every 20 years are now being seen more frequently and could even occur every year by the end of this century if current greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. These rising temperatures combined with a larger and older population, mean that even more people will be at risk for heat-related health effects," says Ebi.

Effective cooling strategies for today and the future

To counter these health effects, the authors highlight accessible and effective cooling strategies at the individual, building, and urban and landscape levels. They also recommend tailored approaches for specific settings including care homes, heavily populated urban areas, workplaces, schools, mass gatherings, refugee camps, and playing a sport, where people may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat.

The Series authors highlight actions individuals can take to cool themselves down and blunt other types of physiological strain that arise from regulating body temperature to combat health risks from extreme heat. These include using electric and misting fans, self-dousing with a water spray or sponge, wearing wet clothing, and immersing feet in cold water. Other simple measures such as taking short breaks from physical activity, remaining well hydrated (the temperature of the water that is consumed has little consequence), and modifying clothing or protective equipment to improve ventilation are also effective and sustainable strategies (see infographic).

"The effects extreme heat exposure can have on the body present a clear and growing global health issue. There are many sustainable and accessible options to reduce effects of heat exposure if we focus on innovations for cooling down the body instead of cooling down the air around us," says Series co-lead author Professor Ollie Jay of the University of Sydney, Australia.

In addition to individual approaches to lowering physiological heat strain, adaptations to buildings can help cool indoor environments. These include external coatings to reflect heat away from buildings and green walls to reduce surface temperatures, improved insulation and glazing, and better ventilation through and around buildings.

Features of the urban environment and surrounding landscape also influence conditions in built-up areas. Lakes, large grasslands and parks, and shaded outdoor areas, as well as reducing pollution within cities are important.

To protect populations, heat action plans, which include early warning systems and robust surveillance and monitoring, must include evidence-based cooling strategies.

It is critical that the personal cooling strategies we recommend in heat-health action plans are based on scientific evidence. After all, having a plan is not enough; it must be the right plan. Too many strategies that are recommended in some existing heat-health action plans seem to be based on conventional wisdom." Ollie Jay, Series Co-Lead Author, and Professor, University of Sydney

Professor Jay, continued, "For example, it is commonly recommended that sugary drinks and high protein meals are avoided, and that fans should not be used, yet studies demonstrate the cooling effectiveness of fans at higher temperatures and other strategies such as self-dousing with water or wearing wet clothing. Early warning systems for extreme heat events, including evidence-based measures to protect vulnerable populations and raising awareness of the health risks posed by heat, will be central to limiting ill health and deaths from heat events, today and in the future."

"As a result of human activity, it is inevitable that much of the planet's population will in future be at greater risk of exposure to extreme heat than they are today. Amid stark projections about the increasing effects of climate change, urgent investment in research and measures to combat the risks of extreme heat is critical if society is to not only survive, but thrive, in a hotter future world," adds Jay.

A Lancet editorial adds: "[] action plans provide measures to adapt to extreme heat, but do not tackle a root cause of heat extremes-;greenhouse gas emissions. Minimising the effects of temperature on health requires both prevention of and adaptation to a changing climate But there is a danger that promises and pledges to tackle the climate crisis will not be reflected in decisive action and effective policies. Leaders at the [COP26] meeting must provide transformative regulatory frameworks, policy, and investment to ensure sustainable climate change mitigation and adaptation. The papers we publish today provide a strong scientific argument that the health dimensions of heat can no longer be overlooked."

Extreme temperatures are on the rise (GBD paper)

As reported in previous studies, both high and low temperatures lead to increased deaths and ill health. In addition to the 356,000 deaths estimated from the heat in the new Global Burden of Disease study, researchers also estimate that 1.3 million deaths were related to cold in 2019. The study links non-optimal temperature-related deaths to 17 specific causes of disease and highlights the relevance of cardiorespiratory and metabolic mortality, as well as external causes of death such as interpersonal violence, self-harm, drowning, and injuries.

In most places, cold temperatures were linked with more deaths than heat, with a 31% increase in cold-related deaths since 1990. In contrast, deaths attributable to heat during the study period increased by 74%, suggesting growth in extreme heat mortality, particularly in hotter regions of the world.

The authors note that the study is based on mortality data from nine countries and that the global estimates may underestimate the impact of temperature extremes in locations with greater temperature sensitivity, and overestimate them in places with less temperature sensitivity. In addition, cause-specific mortality data was not available for Europe or south and southeast Asia and included only one country in sub-Saharan Africa.

Study co-author Dr Katrin Burkart, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, USA, said: "Where people live has a major bearing on their risk of exposure to extreme heat and cold. In most regions, cold temperatures have a greater impact on health, however, our analysis finds that the harmful effects of extreme heat can far exceed those caused by cold in places where it is already hot, such as Southern Asia, the Middle East and many parts of Africa. This is very concerning, particularly given that the risk of exposure to high temperatures appears to have been increasing steadily for decades." 
Aging-US published "PirB functions as an intrinsic suppressor in hippocampal neural stem cells" which reported that neural stem cells play pivotal roles during prenatal development and throughout life.

PirB expression increased with age during development, and its deficiency promoted neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation in vivo and in vitro.

Furthermore, the authors detected an increase in Type 1 neural stem cells in PirB-deficient mice compared to their wild-type littermates.

PirB deficiency promoted stemness marker gene expression of Sox2 and KLF4 by activating Akt1 phosphorylation.

These Aging-US findings suggest that PirB inhibits the self-renewal and differentiation capacities of neural stem cells.

Dr. Cuiping Yang and Dr. Yongbin Chen both from The Kunming Institute of Zoology said, "Neural stem cells (NSCs) generate all major neural cell types in the central nervous system (CNS), including neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes."

NSCs are radial glia-like cells with an elaborate tree of processes in the granule cell layer and GFAP expression.

Adult neurogenesis is regulated by physiological and pathological activities at all levels, which includes adult NSCs proliferation, maturation, survival, differentiation, and integration of newborn neurons.

CNS resident cells, including peripheral immune cells, participate in functional regulation during hippocampal adult neurogenesis, and the inflammatory environment enhances NSC proliferation in the SGZ.

Paired immunoglobulin-like receptors, also known as leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors or Ig-like transcripts in humans, are expressed on B cells and myeloid lineage cells, and include the inhibitory PirB and activating isoform PirA, which bind to class I MHC molecules.

Thus, although PirB is involved in neural development, whether intrinsic PirB can regulate the stemness maintenance of NSCs is unknown.

The Yang/Chen Research Team concluded in their Aging-US Research Paper, "our results suggest that selectively blocking PirB might be a promising therapeutic strategy for elderly or other neurodegenerative patients in the future"
James Patrick Constantine, 71, passed away on Thursday, August 26, 2021 at the Robley Rex VA Medical Center in Louisville. He was born in Jeffersonville, and was a retired Operations Manager for Insight Cable. He was an Army Veteran of the Vietnam War. He was preceded in death by his parents
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. And an endless American presence in the middle of another countrys civil conflict was not acceptable to me, President Joe Biden said Saturday.
Local

Ruck March remembers fallen heroes

Submitted photo Participants in last years ruck march carry the POW/MIA flags through downtown Goldsboro. This years event will be Sept. 13. Submitted photo Those taking part in the 2020 ruck march sit beside the POW/MIA flag and the display of boots, rifle and helmet before the start of the event. Submitted photo A ceremonial ruck team changes the flag at the grave of Pfc. Dan Bullock at Elmwood Cemetery during last years event. Submitted photo Parading through the streets of Goldsboro are participants of last years ruck march.

Goldsboros second annual POW/MIA Ruck March will honor those who have served and were taken prisoner or are still missing from previous wars and conflicts.

The event will take place Sept. 13, with check-in between 6:45 and 7:45 a.m. and the march at 8 a.m. It will start and end at the Bryan Multi-Sports Complex on Oak Forest Road outside the Oak Forest Road gate to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Chapter 371 of the Air Force Sergeants Association is sponsoring the march again this year.

The registration fee is $60 for a team of four and $20 per individual, which includes a POW/MIA shirt.

First prize will be awarded for the fastest female, fastest male and fastest team.

During the opening ceremony, there will be various speakers.

The 12-mile march will take participants through downtown Goldsboro past the Freedom Tree on Center Street.

The tree honors Capt. Peter Cleary, an F-4 pilot shot down in 1972 over Vietnam and declared missing in action until February 2002 when his crash site was located and his remains were identified. Hes buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Well go down to Elmwood Cemetery where the youngest killed in action in the Vietnam war in all the branches of the military, Pfc. Dan Bullocks headstone lies, said Brandin Wendt, AFSA Chapter 371 president.

We have a special team that will carry the Marine Corps flag and theyre rucking as a ceremonial ruck team. When they get there, they will lower the old Marine Corps flag down and put up the new one.

Then the marchers will return via the same route back to the Bryan Multi-Sports Complex.

Participants will be required to carry 15% of their body weight in canned and nonperishable goods in their rucksack. The food will be given to the Salvation Army, United Way and St. Marys Church, Wendt said.

Wendt said last year, there were more than 150 participants who donated more than 5,000 pounds of food.

He explained that a rucksack is like a backpack, but it has a frame on it to make it a little bit easier on a persons back.

You can carry pretty much anything in it, Wendt said. In this case, theyll be carrying canned goods and nonperishable items.

If youre talking military, you have your MREs (meals ready to eat), sleeping bag, whatever gear you need, whatever you can stuff in there.

Wendt said military personnel have carried and still do carry a rucksack out in the field in a war zone.

Anybody, military or civilian, can take part in the ruck march. To register, go to raceroster.com/events/2021/49548/21-powmia-ruck-march and click on the QR code.

We want to get the community involved, and we thought the march would be a good idea, Wendt said. A lot of people are into physical activity. Combining that and helping remember POW/MIA week, just tying it all together is a good idea.

He said participants not only get the satisfaction of knowing theyve completed a 12-mile ruck march, but it also gets them to thinking about the sacrifices that military members who were in Vietnam made.

Youre just rucking 12 miles, he said. But think about everybody that was out there rucking in Vietnam. Sometimes you sit back and think youre having a bad day, but are you really having a bad day compared to what those people went through?

Wendt said its a great feeling to know that he and others can still remember those who have served in the past.

I think its important that we dont forget our past, he said. Theyve made sacrifices and their families made sacrifices, and we want to let them know that we will stand with them, even if they didnt come home or were killed in action or were prisoners. We as a country, as a nation, can remember those sacrifices.

Members of AFSA Chapter 371 will also sponsor a POW/MIA 24-hour vigil from 3 p.m. Sept. 16 to 3 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Freedom Tree at 300 S. Center St. downtown for military personnel and civilian community members.

Wendt said participants will carry the POW/MIA flag throughout the vigil, while some will read the names of those who didnt make it home to keep their memory alive.

Anyone can sponsor a small flag for $20. They will be displayed during the event. Proceeds from flag sales will go to the Wayne County Veterans and Patriots Coalition.

Those wanting to sign up to read names, take registrations, carry the POW/MIA flag or participate in the event should go to www.signgenius.com/go/10C0C44ADAB29AOFBC25-powmia.

For more information about the vigil, contact Christine Intorre at Christine.Intorre@gmail.com or Hannah Black at Hannah.Black970@gmail.com.

AFSA is an organization that lobbies for the military members past and present, said Nikki Bowers, events coordinator. Not only do we work hard at keeping those rights that our service members have earned, but we also ensure that we remember those who have walked before us to pave the way.
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(Newser)  Michael Williams was arrested last August, accused of murdering a young man from his Chicago neighborhood who asked the 65-year-old for a ride during a night of unrest in May over police brutality. The key evidence came from video of a car driving through an intersection, and a loud bang picked up by acoustic sensors. Prosecutors said audio technology powered by a secret algorithm indicated Williams shot and killed the man inside his car; Williams countered that a car had pulled up alongside his and someone shot Safarian Herring, 25. Williams was jailed for nearly a year on a charge of first-degree murder before prosecutors, citing insufficient evidence, asked a judge to dismiss the case. From the AP:

'That's not fair.' "I kept trying to figure out, how can they get away with using the technology like that against me? said Williams. "Thats not fair. While he was in the Cook County Jail, his wife pleaded with him to remember their fishing trips with the grandchildren, how he used to braid her hair, anything to jar him back to his world outside the concrete walls, but at one point, he felt couldnt go on and made plans to take his life with a stockpiled stash of pills.

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The growing influence of algorithms . Williams experience highlights the real-world impacts of societys growing reliance on algorithms to help make consequential decisions about public life. This is especially apparent in law enforcement, which has turned to technology like acoustic gunshot detection. One such firm, ShotSpotter, says its evidence has increasingly been admitted in courtrooms, now some 200.

. Williams experience highlights the real-world impacts of societys growing reliance on algorithms to help make consequential decisions about public life. This is especially apparent in law enforcement, which has turned to technology like acoustic gunshot detection. One such firm, ShotSpotter, says its evidence has increasingly been admitted in courtrooms, now some 200. Serious flaws exposed . ShotSpotters website says its a leader in policing technology solutions that help stop gun violence by using algorithms to classify 14 million sounds as gunshots or something else. But an AP investigation, based on thousands of internal documents, emails, and confidential contracts, along with dozens of interviews, has identified serious flaws in using ShotSpotter evidence in court.

. ShotSpotters website says its a leader in policing technology solutions that help stop gun violence by using algorithms to classify 14 million sounds as gunshots or something else. But an AP investigation, based on thousands of internal documents, emails, and confidential contracts, along with dozens of interviews, has identified serious flaws in using ShotSpotter evidence in court. Algorithms are a trade secret. APs investigation found the system can miss live gunfire right under its microphones, or misclassify sounds of fireworks or cars backfiring as gunshots. ShotSpotter's forensic reports have been used in court to improperly claim that a defendant shot at police, or provide questionable counts of the number of shots fired. It calls the technology virtually foolproof, but its algorithms are a trade secret, largely inscrutable to the public, jurors, and police oversight boards.

APs investigation found the system can miss live gunfire right under its microphones, or misclassify sounds of fireworks or cars backfiring as gunshots. ShotSpotter's forensic reports have been used in court to improperly claim that a defendant shot at police, or provide questionable counts of the number of shots fired. It calls the technology virtually foolproof, but its algorithms are a trade secret, largely inscrutable to the public, jurors, and police oversight boards. How it works . The company identifies possible gunshots with the acoustic sensors. Then ShotSpotter employees listen to audio recordings of those sounds, and confirm or change the source of sounds, introducing the possibility of human bias. Employees can and do modify the location or number of shots fired at the request of police, according to court records.

. The company identifies possible gunshots with the acoustic sensors. Then ShotSpotter employees listen to audio recordings of those sounds, and confirm or change the source of sounds, introducing the possibility of human bias. Employees can and do modify the location or number of shots fired at the request of police, according to court records. The Williams case . Evidence in pre-trial hearings shows ShotSpotter first said the noise the sensor picked up was a firecracker but a ShotSpotter employee relabeled it a gunshot. Later, a ShotSpotter engineer changed the reported Chicago address of the sound to the street where Williams was driving, about a mile away, court documents show. ShotSpotter said the report was corrected to match the actual location that the sensors had identified. ShotSpotter insists it warned prosecutors not to rely on its technology to detect gunshots inside vehicles or buildings.

. Evidence in pre-trial hearings shows ShotSpotter first said the noise the sensor picked up was a firecracker but a ShotSpotter employee relabeled it a gunshot. Later, a ShotSpotter engineer changed the reported Chicago address of the sound to the street where Williams was driving, about a mile away, court documents show. ShotSpotter said the report was corrected to match the actual location that the sensors had identified. ShotSpotter insists it warned prosecutors not to rely on its technology to detect gunshots inside vehicles or buildings. Williams remains shaken. When he walks through the neighborhood, he scans for the acoustic sensors that almost sent him to prison for life. The only places these devices are installed are in poor Black communities, nowhere else, he said. How many of us will end up in this same situation?"

(Read more algorithms stories.)
(Newser)  Canadian soldiers complained of feeling paranoid, sluggish, and confused during a live firearms field exercise on a hot day in 2018. Medical officials were called to the training site in New Brunswick, and the cause was traced to the homemade chocolate cupcakes the troops had just eaten, the BBC reports. On Wednesday, Bombardier Chelsea Cogswell, who passed around the treats, was convicted of administering "a noxious thing" to eight soldiers without their consent. She was in charge of the canteen at the time and distributed them there.

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Five soldiers and one cupcake wrapper later tested positive for cannabis, which was legalized in Canada three months later. Cogswell, who joined the army in 2012 and is still serving, had a prescription for medical marijuana. It's the first such case in the Canadian military, officials said. The soldiers said they started feeling the effects about a half-hour after eating the cupcakes, which had chocolate icing and a jelly bean on top. The troops lost focus, per the CBC, and some became worried about handling weapons.

Cogswell also was convicted of one count of behaving in a disgraceful manner, a charge under Canada's National Defense Act that carries a maximum five-year prison sentence, prosecutors said. She said she'd been called a misogynist term by other troops and told an investigator that she wanted a transfer because she "couldn't take the unit any longer." After finding her guilty, the judge told Cogswell, "I've been on this bench long enough to see that there are a lot of good people that sometimes exercise very poor judgment," she said. Sentencing is scheduled for November. (Read more marijuana stories.)
(Newser)  For the first time since July, the Texas House had a quorum on Thursday, after a few Democrats returned from their stay in Washington. Democratic members had left the state to prevent the Republican-controlled House from passing election legislation that Democrats say would restrict participation. The end of the stalemate, in a special session called by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, sets the bill up for passage, the Washington Post reports. "It's time to get back to the business of the people of Texas," Speaker Dade Phelan said on the floor when the House convened, per the Texas Tribune. "I appreciate every one of you. I'm looking forward to working with you over the coming week or two." It was the longest stretch without a quorum38 daysin the history of the Texas House.

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In defending their return, the Democrats said they had pressured Congress to approve legislation to trump state voting restrictions while in Washington, which was a goal. "Now, we continue the fight on the House Floor," Democrats Garnet Coleman, Ana Hernandez, and Armando Walle said in a joint statement, per the AP. Fellow Democrats argued that and said they were blindsided. "We were literally on caucus calls for 2 hours this morning and none of the defecting Democrats mentioned they were planning on helping the Republicans pass voter suppression bills," Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos tweeted. "Guess what the other defecting Democrats have accomplished by going backNOTHING!" The Texas Democrats seem to be in the same position as before the walkout, per the AP: able to slow but not stop GOP restrictions on voting. (Read more Texas stories.)
(Newser)  An audience member was booted Tuesday from a school board meeting in Birmingham, Mich., where an indoor mask mandate was passed, after giving a Nazi salute. Suzanne Busdiecker had joined a friend at the podium at the Birmingham Public Schools board meeting as the friend spoke in support of the mask mandate, announced Monday, Busdiecker tells the Detroit Free Press. The friend had been heckled as she discussed losing a loved one to COVID-19, Busdiecker says. Then as the pair turned to leave, "there was this man that raised his hand in the heil Hitler sign, and I just kind of froze," says Busdiecker, who is Jewish. "I don't take that lightly."

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Police immediately removed the man and the incident was not included on footage of the meeting posted to YouTube. "Birmingham Public Schools emphatically denounces and will not tolerate any act of racism, disrespect, violence, and/or inequitable treatment of any person," Superintendent Embekka Roberson wrote in a Wednesday email to community members. It wasn't the only disruption at the meeting, at which audience members booed and interrupted speakers. The president of the district's board had to remind the crowd "to please respect each other."

This wasn't the first time a Nazi salute has appeared at a school board meeting regarding mask mandates. A man directed a Nazi salute at school board members of the Fox Chapel Area School District outside Pittsburgh, Penn., after they passed a mask mandate at a meeting on Aug. 9, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Within seconds, another audience member yelled, "You made Dr. Mengele proud!" in reference to the Nazi doctor who performed medical experiments on Auschwitz prisoners. That Nazi salute featured on John Oliver's Last Week Tonight, per the Daily Beast and Hollywood Reporter. (Read more school board stories.)
(Newser)  The White House says nobody anticipated that Afghanistan would fall so quickly. But the Wall Street Journal is out with a scoop about an internal State Department cable dated July 13 that warned things were about to get very bad in a hurry:

Warning: The cable, signed by 23 staffers, warned that Kabul would likely collapse quickly after the Aug. 31 troop withdrawal and urged the White House to immediately ramp up evacuations of Afghans who worked with the US. It was sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken through the department's longstanding "dissent channel," and Blinken personally reviewed it, per the story.

The cable, signed by 23 staffers, warned that Kabul would likely collapse quickly after the Aug. 31 troop withdrawal and urged the White House to immediately ramp up evacuations of Afghans who worked with the US. It was sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken through the department's longstanding "dissent channel," and Blinken personally reviewed it, per the story. Context: "The classified cable represents the clearest evidence yet that the administration had been warned by its own officials on the ground that the Talibans advance was imminent and Afghanistans military may be unable to stop it," writes Vivian Salama of the Journal.

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Context, II: The cable "casts perhaps the harshest light yet on the administration's performance," per the Politico Playbook.

The cable "casts perhaps the harshest light yet on the administration's performance," per the Politico Playbook. What they said: In July, President Biden said it was "highly unlikely" the Taliban would be able to run roughshod over the country. On Wednesday, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that "there was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days," per Yahoo News. (The cable did not appear to suggest the collapse would happen before the withdrawal deadline of Aug. 31.)

In July, President Biden said it was "highly unlikely" the Taliban would be able to run roughshod over the country. On Wednesday, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that "there was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days," per Yahoo News. (The cable did not appear to suggest the collapse would happen before the withdrawal deadline of Aug. 31.) Effects: It appears the White House did implement some recommendations contained in the cable, but apparently not aggressively enough. The Journal notes that an estimated 18,000 Afghans who have applied for a special visa remain stuck in Afghanistan.

It appears the White House did implement some recommendations contained in the cable, but apparently not aggressively enough. The Journal notes that an estimated 18,000 Afghans who have applied for a special visa remain stuck in Afghanistan. Accountability: The House Foreign Affairs Committee has summoned Blinken to appear, and ranking Republican Michael McCaul said he wants a full readout of the cable, reports the Hill. "If these reports are true, it means this Administration also willfully ignored the pleas of their own people on the ground in Kabul and their warnings of how dire the situation truly was," McCaul said.

(Read more Afghanistan stories.)
(Newser)  The former Broward County Sheriff's deputy accused of hiding as 17 people were killed during a mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school will face trial. A judge on Thursday denied a motion to dismiss the 11 charges against Scot Peterson, who was the school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when the 2018 shooting took place, the AP reports. Peterson's lawyer says the truth will come out at trial, CNN reports. "The public has been fed a false narrative about Scot Peterson. We have overwhelming evidence proving that the numerous actions that my client took during the attack was done to save lives," the attorney says.

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After the Wednesday hearing at which his lawyer argued charges including child negligence and perjury should be dismissed, Peterson, 58, fought back tears as he spoke to journalists, the Sun-Sentinel and Local 10 report. "I did the best that I could with the information," he said. "You know, not only kids died, I have friends that died. And never for a second would I sit there and allow anyone to die, knowing that animal was in that building! Never!" Prosecutors will have to prove Peterson was a caregiver for the students and that his actions exposed them to harm. His lawyer says no other school resource officer has been charged under the statute Peterson is charged under, and that the legal definition of caregiver does not apply to him. (Read more Parkland school shooting stories.)
(Newser)  Will Elon Musk soon have his own Westworld-style theme park? Things probably won't get that far, but you can't blame the thought from arising after an announcement this week from the Tesla CEO. That reveal, made at Thursday's AI Day in California, per CNBC: The company is working on the "Tesla Bot," a machine designed to take care of the drudgery that humans don't feel like doing. This "general purpose, bi-pedal, humanoid robot" will be "capable of performing tasks that are unsafe, repetitive, or boring," according to the AI section on the Tesla site. Musk said that a prototype of the 5-foot-8, 125-pound bot, which will have a screen for a face, will be built "sometime next year," reports the Verge.

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The robot, known internally as "Optimus," is based on the same technology behind Tesla's self-driving vehicles, down to the Autopilot cameras inserted into the bot's head. Musk said the device will be able to run 5mph, transport 45 pounds, and lift up to 150 pounds. The whole point of it, Musk elaborated, is to take over the tasks that we wish we could delegate. "It should be able to, you know, 'please go to the store and get me the following groceries,' that kind of thing," he said, reports CNBC. In other words, "I think essentially in the future, physical work will be a choice," he added.

As for how this news jibes with Musk's known fear of artificial intelligence, he says not to worry too much. Although the Tesla Bot is "intended to be friendly," it's being constructed so that people can run away from it, and most likely overpower it, he said. And anyway, "it probably won't work" at first, he added, per CNBC. TechCrunch notes that Tesla isn't the only company to boast humanoid robots as part of its portfolioToyota, GM, and Honda all have their own versionsbut that we may be getting excited about this one "just because it's Tesla." Or, alternatively, because of the "potentially really powerful vision-based supercomputer that will be powering it." (Read more Elon Musk stories.)
(Newser)  A woman found clinging to an upturned dinghy more than 100 miles off the Canary Islands is believed to be the sole survivor of a migrant disaster that killed as many as 52. The 30-year-old, spotted by a passing ship some 135 miles from the Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa, was flown by helicopter Thursday to the Canarian capital of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where she was hospitalized with severe dehydration, per Reuters. She told officials she'd been on the inflatable dinghy with dozens of others. Spain's Maritime Rescue Service said the boat had departed from Africa a week earlier carrying 53 migrants and refugees, per Al Jazeera. It may have encountered poor weather conditions, per the Guardian. The Coast Guard said the bodies of a man and woman were the only ones in the vicinity.

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Many migrants seeking passage to Europe depart for the Canary Islands from a disputed area between Morocco's Tarfaya and Western Sahara's Laayoune, as passages through the Mediterranean have become increasingly difficult with tighter controls. More than 7,500 migrants have already reached the islands this year, or more than twice as many as this time last year, per Reuters. More than 23,000 migrants arrived in the islands in 2020, for an eightfold increase over 2019, per the Guardian. But many never arrive. Human rights group Walking Borders suggests more than 2,000 have died while traveling the route this year, per the BBC. The outlet notes another 47 people were feared dead this week after seven survivors were found on a boat that had lost power and drifted for almost two weeks. It's believed to have left Laayoune on Aug. 3. (Read more Canary Islands stories.)
(Newser)  An Oklahoma man will likely never leave prison again after plowing his truck into a high school cross-country team, killing three and injuring four, on the day after his own son's death. Kolby Crum, 18; Rachel Freeman, 17; and Yuridia Martinez, 16, died as a result of the Feb. 3, 2020 incident in Moore, which saw Townsend driving 77mph in a 25mph zone, reportedly while drunk. "Justice has been served," Yuridia's mother, Erika Martinez, told KFOR Thursday after Max Townsend, 58, was sentenced to serve three consecutive life sentences.

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A Cleveland County jury convicted him of three counts of second-degree murder in June, per KOCO. The mothers of all three teens gave victim impact statements at Thursday's hearing. Kolby's mother, Tansey Hellbusch, said her son's last words were "go help the others." He "would never abandon anybody on the side of the road hurting"which is what prosecutors say Townsend did in fleeing the scene. "He left them there, all those children, on the ground," prosecutor Jennifer Austin said Thursday, per the AP.

Townsend's attorney, Kevin Butler, claimed Townsend was unconscious at the wheel, having choked on a sip of Red Bull; prosecutors said he had alcohol and THC in his system at the time of the crash. District Judge Lori Walkley upheld the jury's recommendation of life in prison at the hearing. "There's not enough years that I can give Mr. Townsend," she said following the victim-impact statements, in which Hellbusch testified that seniors Freeman and Crum had received college scholarships to run cross country. Townsendwhose 29-year-old son died in a car accident on Feb. 2, 2020plans to appeal. (Read more life sentence stories.)
(Newser)  The Grand Canyon may be a geologic marvel, but it's also a geological puzzleone that may have finally been cracked. The puzzle is known as the Great Unconformity, explains a release at Phys.org. In parts of the canyon, layers of rock about 520 million years old sit directly atop layers roughly 1 billion years older. The cutoff, visible to the naked eye, was first pointed out by geologist and explorer John Wesley Powell in the 1860s. Since then, scientists have been trying to answer a basic question: Where did a billion years of rocks go?

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Now, a study out of the University of Colorado published in the journal Geology suggests an answer. We can blame Rodinia, an ancient supercontinent that researchers say wreaked havoc on the landscape when it broke up and washed those "missing" rocks into the ocean, per Forbes. "The Great Unconformity is one of the first well-documented geologic features in North America," says lead author Barra Peak. Above layers of rocks that have been pushed together vertically at the canyon's bottom, "you have these beautiful horizontal layers that form the buttes and peaks that you associate with the Grand Canyon."

To figure out how this came to be, Peak's team used a method called "thermochronology," which detects ancient heat signatures in rock formations caused by enormous pressure. They concluded that when Rodinia broke up, it "may have torn at the eastern and western halves of the Grand Canyon in different ways and at slightly different timesproducing the Great Unconformity in the process," per the release. The Great Unconformity is not unique to the Grand Canyon, but the canyon makes the phenomenon easy to see. Peak's team is now looking at other Great Unconformity sites in North America to see if their findings apply there, too. (Read more Grand Canyon stories.)
(Newser)  After being hit with a devastating earthquake and then a tropical storm, Haiti clearly did not need this latest problem: Gangs kidnapping doctors. One physician rushing to deliver a baby via emergency C-section was kidnapped in the capital of Haiti Tuesday, and the woman and her baby died. Another doctor, an orthopedic surgeon treating earthquake victims, was kidnapped a day later. On Thursday, a network of eight private hospitals declared a two-day shutdown, except for emergency patients, to protest the unchecked gang activity. Kidnapping is one thing. But the fact that the mother and child died is unacceptable, Ronald Laroche, founder of the Port-au-Prince hospitals, told the Miami Herald. Kidnappers have contacted both families, but there were no details on ransom demands.

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Ariel Henry, Haitis prime minister, said that though the rival gangs apparently responsible for the kidnappings were supposed to have a truce to help earthquake relief get through, police presence was going to be ramped up to protect doctors and aid workers. Police are focusing on the Martissant region, which has a reputation for being rough, per the AP. But the woman and child died in Petionville, a quieter, wealthier part of Port-au-Prince. Aid distribution has been slowand tense. Police fired warning shots over young men packed into a crowd against the fence around a small airport in Les Cayes, Al Jazeera reports. Residents of villages along routes to harder hit areas are building barricades to stop aid packages from passing them by, too. (Read more Haiti earthquake stories.)
(Newser)  An appeals court on Thursday rejected an effort by the Arizona Senate to keep secret records of its ongoing review of the 2020 election in Maricopa County that are in the possession of the contractors conducting the recount. The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that the documents sought by the watchdog group American Oversight detailing how the recount and audit are being conducted are public and must be turned over, per the AP. Republicans who control the Senate argued that because the records are maintained by its contractors, they weren't subject to public-records law and that legislative immunity applies. But the court said that wasn't the case, noting that the main contractor, Florida company Cyber Ninjas, was subject to the records law because it was performing a core government function that the Senate farmed out.

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"Allowing the legislature to disregard the clear mandate of the [public records law] would undermine the integrity of the legislative process and discourage transparency," Maria Elena Cruz, the acting presiding judge, wrote for the three-judge panel. "The requested records are no less public records simply because they are in the possession of a third party." The ruling upholds a decision by a Maricopa County Superior Court judge, who ordered the Senate to turn over the records by Aug. 31.

The unprecedented partisan recount and review of election results in the state's most populous county was prompted by former President Trump's loss in the state and his contention, without evidence, that he lost in Arizona and other battleground states because of fraud. Senate GOPers issued subpoenas to Maricopa County for all 2020 ballots, the machines that counted them, and other data in the state's most populated county. The materials were given to contractors with little to no election experience for what Senate President Karen Fann calls a "forensic audit."

Election experts, meanwhile, say the 2020 election was secure and well-run, and the contractors are using bizarre and unreliable procedures. Maricopa County has refused further participation. The results of the audit and hand recount are expected to be handed over to the Senate next week. A date for public release hasn't been announced. Kory Langhofer, the Senate's lawyer, says they plan to appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court.

(Read more Arizona stories.)
(Newser)  Charlene Cakora has been trying for more than a year, during two presidential administrations, to win US help for rescuing her brother from the Taliban. A Navy veteran, Mark Frerichs, 59, had worked as a civil engineer for 10 years in Kabul when he was kidnapped, the BBC reports. Cakora said her family has been patient, but after the collapse of the Afghanistan government and President Biden's declaration that the war is ending, she fears time is running out. "We don't question the President's reasons for getting out of Afghanistan," Cakora, of Lombard, Illinois, said in a statement. "We needed to hear why he didn't use any leverage to get my brother home and what he's prepared to do now."

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Family members have grown frustrated with the efforts of the Biden and Trump administrations to gain Frerichs' release. They met Monday with officials from the National Security Council, State Department, FBI, and Department of Justice, per the Daily Herald. They've been to the White House recently. Trump officials had told the family to be patient, and "we have been hearing the same things from this administration," Cakora said. "They kept telling us they had time, they had leverage. Well, they didn't." Illinois' Democratic senators wrote Biden in January, on the anniversary of the abduction, that troop withdrawals would leave the US without its main leverage in winning hostages' freedom.

"We must ensure we bring all Americans, including Mark Frerichs, safely home," Sen. Dick Durban said Monday. Art Frerichs, the captive's father, said he's putting his faith now in lawmakers. "It seems like the politicians don't get anything done unless it's last minute," he told WBBM. Taliban representatives in Qatar did not respond to a BBC request for comment. A State Department spokesperson said the US special representative for Afghanistan has pushed the Taliban to release Frerichs.

Paul Overby Jr., last heard from in 2014, is the only other American unaccounted for who's thought to have been taken by the Taliban. "We place a high priority on Marks Frerichs' safety and will not stop working until he is safely returned to his family," the spokesperson said. Biden has given an end date for the war of Aug. 31. When a war ends, each side get to have their prisoners come home," Cakora said. "That is all we are asking for Mark." (Read more Taliban stories.)
(Newser)  As critics slammed his administration for not starting evacuations sooner, President Biden told Americans in Afghanistan on Friday that "we will get you home. Tens of thousands of Americans and Afghan allies are still waiting to leave the country as the Aug. 31 deadline looms, the AP reports. Flights paused for a few hours Friday but have since resumed. Among the chaotic elements is a lack of organization and communication at the Hamid Karzai airport in Kabul. Biden said he isnt willing to expand the security perimeter around the airport despite calls to do so from Congress, the BBC reports. Some members of Congress are also asking Biden to acknowledge that the deadline could be extended. From Biden's Friday statements:

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"This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history," he said. "Any Americans who wants to come home, we will get you home."

"We're going to do everything, everything that we can, to provide safe evacuation for our Afghan allies, partners, and Afghans who might be targeted because of their association with the United States. The United States stands by the commitment it made to these people."

We've seen gut-wrenching images of panic, people acting out of sheer desperation. You know, it's completely understandable. They're frightened or sad, uncertain what happens next. I don't think anyone of us can see these pictures, and not feel that pain on a human level."

Biden also said the US has warned the Taliban that "any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with swift and forceful response."

About 6,000 US troops are in Afghanistan to facilitate the evacuation. Roughly 3,000 peopleincluding 300 US citizens and their familiesleft Thursday, and around 14,000 total have been evacuated since the end of July, NBC News reports. Thats a lot of churn at the airport. Taliban shots were fired over crowds on Thursday, prompting a US Navy fighter jet to pass over the crowds, per the AP. Officials are also challenged by the head countits not clear how many US citizens are still in the country, and how many people of other nationalities, including Afghan allies, are lining up to leave. (Read more Afghanistan exit strategy stories.)
(Newser)  A man who claimed he had a bomb in a pickup truck near the US Capitol, prompting evacuations and an hourslong standoff with police, told a federal judge Friday he has not taken his "mind medication" and was ordered to undergo a mental competency hearing. Floyd Ray Roseberry appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Washington and was charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to use an explosive device, the AP reports. If convicted, he could face a sentence of up to life in prison. Roseberry drove a black pickup truck onto the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress around 9:15am Thursday, police said, and began shouting to people in the street that he had a bomb. He later made the same threats to officers and professed a litany of antigovernment grievances as part of an episode that he livestreamed on Facebook.

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Roseberry surrendered after about five hours. Police later searched the vehicle and said they did not find a bomb but did collect possible bomb-making materials. In the hearing Friday, Roseberry, 49, of Grover, North Carolina, told the judge he couldn't fully understand what was happening because he had been denied medication while he was in custody. Roseberry said he had not received medication for his blood pressure and his "mind medicine." Roseberry said he had been denied it for the last week Ive been here, but later said it had been two days. He was taken into police custody about 24 hours before he appeared in court. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ordered Roseberry to undergo a competency hearing and ordered him detained without bond. Roseberry is due back in court Wednesday.

(Read more bomb threat stories.)
(Newser)  Florida officials are threatening to withhold funds equal to the salaries of school board members if school districts in two counties don't immediately do away with strict mask mandates as the state continues to battle through high hospitalization rates. School boards in Broward and Alachua counties received a warning Friday from the state Board of Education giving them 48 hours to walk back their decisions requiring masks for all students, only exempting kids with a doctor's note, the AP reports. "We cannot have government officials pick and choose what laws they want to follow," said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran in an emailed statement.

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Corcoran says the districts in those two areas are violating the Parents' Bill of Rights and a late July executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that prompted rules limiting how far districts can go with mask requirements and other COVID-19 measures. Legislative data show school board members in Alachua County make $40,000 per year and in Broward County, $46,000. The order establishes the punishments for all four members in Alachua and eight of nine school board members in Broward. Florida, meanwhile, is adding an average of about 20,300 new COVID-19 infections per day, says the CDC. (The school board of the state's largest district in Miami-Dade passed a measure this week requiring masks for all students and only exempting those with a doctor's note.)
(Newser)  In a time of rare weather events, New England is preparing for another one: a hurricane. On Friday, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for much of New England, saying Tropical Storm Henri probably will become a hurricane and hit the Northeast coast over the weekend, NPR reports. It's been 30 yearsas of Thursdaysince a hurricane has hit the region. Hurricane Bob, which made landfall in Rhode Island as a Category 2 storm, killed at least 17 people and caused damage surpassing $1.5 billion. Henri was "almost a hurricane" on Friday, the hurricane center said; its winds hit 70mph, while a hurricane has sustained winds of at least 74mph. Winds from Henri could reach shore late Saturday.

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Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker advised vacationers to leave Cape Cod soon. "We don't want people to be stuck in traffic on the Cape Cod bridges when the storm is in full force on Sunday," Baker said. As many as 1,000 National Guard troops are on standby to help with evacuations, per the AP. The storm's path isn't entirely clear, but the National Weather Service suggested it develop into a hurricane Saturday, then make landfall on Long Island and turn north. Storm surge is a major concern. Rainfall of 2 to 5 inches was predicted for Sunday through Monday in the region, possibly reaching 8 inches in spots. Officials warned residents in the Hamptons that streets could be flooded. North Carolina could face rip currents and rough surf caused by Henri, the weather service said. (Read more hurricane stories.)
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Heffner found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; acquitted of third-degree murder charge

Heffner

SUNBURY  Brian George Heffner, who was charged with shooting to death his best friend, 33-year-old Sean Maschal, of Mount Carmel, four years ago at Locust Gap while allegedly high on bath salts, was found guilty Thursday of a misdemeanor of involuntary manslaughter, but acquitted of the most serious charge of third-degree murder.

A jury comprised of nine women and three men deliberated for approximately two hours before rendering its verdicts on 10 criminal charges, including five felonies.

The 40-year-old Heffner, of Coal Township, who will be sentenced within 90 days by Northumberland County President Judge Charles H. Saylor following a pre-sentence investigation, cried as he left the courtroom after hearing the verdicts.

Jurors began deliberations at 3 p.m. and court was reconvened for about 15 minutes when they asked Saylor to further explain the law regarding third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

Saylor said third-degree murder is a felony involving malice, whereas involuntary manslaughter involves recklessness and gross negligence.

The involuntary manslaughter charges carries a maximum sentence of five years in state prison. Third-degree murder carries a maximum state prison sentence of 40 years.

After the judge explained the charges, the jury went back into negotiations on the third-floor of the courthouse before rendering its verdicts at about 5:15 p.m.

In addition to involuntary manslaughter, the jury found Heffner guilty of felonies of possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon, criminal conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property, receiving stolen property, possessing a firearm without a license and aiding consummation of a crime, and misdemeanors of recklessly endangering, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

The jury also acquitted Heffner of a felony of theft by unlawful taking.

Saylor, who met with defense attorneys John McLaughlin and Michael Dennehy and Northumberland County Assistant District Attorney Michael Seward in his chambers at the conclusion of court Wednesday afternoon to discuss motions, dismissed felonies of robbery, aggravated assault (two counts) and criminal conspiracy to commit robbery on Thursday morning due to lack of evidence.

A total of 14 criminal charges, including an open count of criminal homicide, were filed against Heffner by Mount Carmel Township Patrolman Michael Pitcavage in connection with Maschals shooting death on Sept., 12, 2017, along Route 901 at Locust Gap. Maschals body was found the next day dumped along Ash Hill Road near Locust Gap.

Heffner was sitting behind Maschal in a red Dodge Durango when police said he shot his friend in the back of the head with a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson.

David Matthew Brown, 37, of Ashland, was driving the vehicle, while Robert Louis Villari Jr., 34, of Coal Township, was sitting behind Brown.

The shooting occurred after all four men had gotten high on balt salts in the Sagon area.

Saylor also ruled on Thursday morning that first-degree murder, second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter that are included in an open count of criminal homicide were not applicable in the case.

At the conclusion of the three-day trial, Dennehy stated, We are satisfied with the verdict and dont plan to appeal. The verdict is proper and fair. It wasnt an easy decision by the jury. Nobody is really joyous about the verdict because somebody died in this case. You cant bring Mr. Maschal back. Mr. Heffner, who lost his mother to cancer (April 2017) and a brother to suicide (August 2017), also lost his best friend in Mr. Maschal.

Seward reserved comment about the jurys decision to find Heffner not guilty of third-degree murder.

In his 30-minute closing argument, McLaughlin told jurors Maschals death was an accident.

It was not an intentional act and there was no arguing going on when the shot was fired, he said. Third-degree murder shouldnt even be considered. Convict him for what he did, not for what he didnt do. Hes not guilty of third-degree murder.

Seward disagreed with McLaughlin during his half-hour closing argument.

This was not an accident, he said. Villaris and Browns stories match up. Heffner has a reason to lie because hes on trial. Heffner pointed a gun at Maschal, pulled the trigger and shot him. Hes guilty of murder because there was malice involved, which is an extreme indifference to the value of human life.

Earlier in the day, Heffner took the witness stand to defend himself.

He said Maschal was like a brother to him.

Heffner said he had serious drug problems and was in and out of jail and a half-way house prior to the fatal shooting. He recalled being really depressed following the deaths of his mother and brother in 2017 that led him to give up and get back into the heavy drug culture.

He recalled most of the circumstances leading up to Maschals death, including a Sept. 12, 2017, stop at a car wash in Coal Township in which he claimed Brown and Villari wanted to sell a gun in Lebanon for drugs. Heffner told the court he and Maschal didnt want to get involved in trading the gun for drugs because they were felons.

Heffner also remembered stopping at Weis Markets in the Anthra Plaza, where he said Villari purchased needles before the four men drove to the Sagon area to get high on bath salts. He also claimed Villari pulled a gun out and fired a shot into the air, which prompted him to briefly choke Villari.

But Heffner didnt remember exactly what happened from the time the four men left the Sagon area until he discovered Maschal had been shot in the Durango at Locust Gap.

I was nodding out in the vehicle, he said. I remember seeing Villari pulling out a clip (magazine) on a gun he had in the back seat and then seeing Sean (Maschal) slumped over in the front seat. I remember opening the front door and Sean falling out onto the ground. I thought we were still in Sagon. It was utter shock. Ive never seen anything like that. I have no reason to lie.

Heffner said he lied to police in his initial interview that he didnt know anything about the deadly shooting.

During his second interview with police at SCI-Camp Hill, Heffner said, I told them what I said today. I didnt say I did it or didnt do it.

He added, I never denied things I did. Once I got sober, I wanted to tell the truth.

When asked by Seward on Thursday if he remembered shooting Maschal, the defendant replied, No, I dont know if I fired the handgun that killed Sean Maschal.

Dr. Richard Fischbein, a licensed and board certified psychiatrist at Nesbitt Memorial Hospital in Kingston who evaluated Heffner for one hour on July 14, 2019, and July 17, 2021, at Snyder County Prison and Columbia County Prison, respectively, testified about the horrible effects of using bath salts.

He said bath salts, which is a synthetic stimulant, can cause people to temporarily or permanently lose their memory about certain things. He said Heffners inability to recall certain events, including the day of the deadly shooting, is consistent and believeable because of the amount of bath salts he had consumed.

Fischbein, who was present for Heffners testimony, said, Sometimes when you blackout, you cant regain a lapse in memory. He (Heffner) was tormented by waking up to the gunshot.

The doctor said ejecting yourself with bath salts, which is what Heffner and the other three men allegedly did in the Sagon area prior to the shooting, magnifies the potency of the very addictive drug.

The psychiatrist said bath salts, which vary in strength, mimic cocaine and amphetamine, but are cheaper to purchase. He said bath salts can cause people to sweat profusely. He said the drug causes peoples hearts to race, sleep deprivation, euphoria, hallucinations and paranoia, and provides extra energy.

He said bath salts are very dangerous and can be mixed with millions of things. He said the drug can be chewed, snorted or injected.

Fischbein said, All hell can break lose when people use bath salts.

He said Heffner was treated by a psychiatrist for depression and anxiety while in high school and has a substance abuse history.

Fischbein said Heffner was competent to stand trial and is still tormented by what happened to Maschal.
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An aerial view of a ConocoPhillips oil exploration pad at its Willow prospect during the 2018 winter season. (Judy Patrick Photography/ConocoPhillips Alaska)
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The far-sighted vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has turned the Kingdom of Bahrain into a model of humanitarian state and society of coexistence and tolerance, said Council of Representatives Speaker Fawzia bint Abdulla Zainal.

The Speaker paid tribute to HM the King as Bahrain joins the other nations in in marking the UN World Humanitarian Day today under the theme #TheHumanRace.

She reiterated Bahrains commitment to the principles of human rights, which represent the cornerstone of the comprehensive development march.

She commended the efforts of the Government, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, hailing his leadership of Team Bahrain to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) and protect the health and safety of all citizens and residents without exception.

The Speaker praised the lofty role played by the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF), chaired by HM the Kings Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

She reiterated the keenness of the Council of Representatives to develop legislations in the field of humanitarian work, lauding institutions, enterprises and societies that serve the community through legal charity and humanitarian works.

Congratulations

Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh extended sincere congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad on World Humanitarian Day. He took pride in the Kingdoms humanitarian initiatives, under the leadership of HM the King, which show solidarity with brotherly and friendly countries.

The Shura Council Chairman commended the ongoing efforts of the government to promote the humanitarian approach embraced by the Kingdom.

He also praised HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Ministers unlimited support to the national efforts in combating the COVID-19 and providing top-level healthcare services for citizens and residents alike.

Al Saleh lauded the contributions of HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister in the humanitarian work field, wishing him every success in achieving the aspirations of HM the King. The Shura chief congratulated HH Shaikh Nasser praising his tremendous efforts in the humanitarian work field.


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Every 15th of August, the Church celebrates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven.

On Nov. 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary as an article of faith, or dogma, for the universal Church. The essence of his statement is: The immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, after completing her life on earth, was taken up, body and soul, into the glory of Heaven.

It is interesting to note that prior to the definition, the pope had written to the Catholic bishops throughout the world to see what the faithful believed in this regard. The immense majority answered that Catholics already believed in the Assumption of our Lady. Consequently, the pope, as the visible representative of Christ, head of the Mystical Body, declared as dogma what the Church already believed.

In the Book of Revelation one sees a glimmer of Marys Assumption in the mysterious woman, clothed in the sun with the moon at her feet and crowned with stars. Furthermore, as the Mother of God, Mary accompanied her son Jesus Christ in all the important aspects of his life, from the conception in her womb to his birth to his death on the cross. Then, as Christ was glorified in his Ascension into Heaven, one can assume that Christ did not wish that the body of his mother to decompose in the tomb and thus he took her, body and soul, into heaven to be with him.

Now, what can we learn from this? To begin, we turn to the statement of Pope Pius XII, who wrote that through Marys Assumption he hopes that the destiny of our own bodies and souls would be more evident, resulting in a greater respect for all human beings, body and soul, or in other words, as we are.

In this context it is said that for the Swiss Protestant psychotherapist Karl Jung the most important religious act after the Protestant Reformation was the dogma of the Assumption of Our Lady because it emphasizes for everyone the dignity and the destiny of the human being, body and soul. It is the promise that God gives us through Saint Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians, that Christ will change our mortal body to conform with his glorified body.

Thus the Assumption of Mary can be seen in the context of two disastrous world wars, the extermination of 6 million Jews and 2 million Poles by the Nazis and more than 200,000 people killed by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Aug. 6t and 9, 1945.

Marys Assumption leads us to be more aware of the great dignity of every human person who deserves the utmost respect at all stages of life, from conception to natural death. Moreover, the Assumption stands in opposition to all attacks against it such as abortion, pornography, substance abuse and human trafficking, for example.

In the light of our bodily dignity, torture is therefore exposed as evil. In the last point of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations Organization, Article 5, we read: No one will be subject to torture or to any treatment or punishment that is inhuman and degrading. Moreover torture degrades all those involved, from public authorities to those who authorize it to its victims and those who actually do the torturing.

May Mary intercede for all members of the human race so that we may become more and more respectful of each and every human being, body and soul.

The Most Rev. Peter A. Rosazza is auxiliary bishop emeritus, Archdiocese of Hartford.
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 20, 2021 /CNW/ - Euromax Resources Ltd, (TSX: EOX): ("Euromax" or the "Company") announces a new decision in its legal process to reinstate the Company's Ilovica 6 concession. The Company has received official notification of the decision by the Higher Administrative Court ("the Higher Court") of the Republic of North Macedonia to rule in favour of Euromax and overturn the previous ruling by the Lower Administrative Court ("the Lower Court"). The case was originally brought by the Company challenging the legality of the Government of North Macedonia's termination of the Ilovica 6 Exploitation Concession, one of two concessions concerning the Ilovica-Shtuka copper project ("the Project"). The case will now return to the Lower Court to be reheard.

In a separate case, Euromax had also challenged the initial decision by the Ministry of Economy to reject the Company's application for an exploitation permit for the Ilovica 6 concession and on the 20th December 2020 the Higher Court also ruled in Euromax's favour in that case.

Tim Morgan-Wynne, Euromax's Executive Chairman, stated: "The ruling by the Higher Administrative Court to overturn the Lower Administrative Court's negative decision endorses the company's strong legal position. We look forward to making further progress in both the legal process and the Project development."

Nicolas Treand, Euromax's President and Executive Director, commented: "Alongside our legal process, we also continue to work with the local community, the relevant state institutions and all relevant stakeholders to ensure the development of a world class mine with our primary sponsor, Trafigura. The Project will be developed to the highest safety and environmental standards and will help the region recover from the economic hardships imposed by the ongoing global pandemic."

About Euromax Resources Ltd.

Euromax has a major development project in North Macedonia and is focused on building and operating the Ilovica-Shtuka gold-copper project.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains statements that are forward-looking, such as those relating to the Company's potential courses of action in response to recent decisions by agencies of the government of North Macedonia, including potential legal appeals to other courts of applicable jurisdiction in North Macedonia or the pursuit of international arbitration processes; the results of any such appeals or legal processes that may be pursued by the Company, if any; any future decisions, whether by way of appeal or otherwise, of any agency of the government of North Macedonia or of any court of applicable jurisdiction; whether or not any decision of any agency of the government of North Macedonia or of any court of applicable jurisdiction would be favourable to the Company's interests; whether or not any decision of an agency of the government of North Macedonia or of any court of applicable jurisdiction that was favourable to the Company's interests would be implemented by applicable government authorities or could otherwise be enforced by the Company; potential investments in the Ilovica-Shtuka Project, with or without the support of any of the Company's current or future third-party investors; the potential impact of any investment by the Company or any third-party investor on the development of the Ilovica-Shtuka Project; the effect of the development of the Ilovica-Shtuka Project on the economy of North Macedonia, including the number of jobs which may be produced in connection therewith; the results of operations and financial condition of the Company; permitting and licensing matters related to the Ilovica-Shtuka Project; capital spending by the Company; financing sources available to the Company, including from any current or future third-party investors in the Company; commodity prices; mineral resources; and property evaluation plans and programmes. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterised by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the dates the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. This information is qualified in its entirety by cautionary statements and risk factor disclosure contained in filings made by the Company, including its annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2019 and financial statements and related MD&A for the financial years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the three months ended September 30, 2020, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available on SEDAR. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are as of the date of this document, and are subject to change after this date. 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. Euromax disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

SOURCE Euromax Resources

For further information: Please visit www.euromaxresources.com or contact: Tim Morgan-Wynne, Executive Chairman, +44 20 3918 5160, [email protected]

Related Links

www.euromaxresources.com


The new distribution centre, to be located at 135 Frenette Ave., will provide fresh and frozen groceries to 43 Walmart stores in Atlantic Canada. The next-generation facility will benefit our East Coast customers by bringing products closer to them. Customers will see better product availability and quicker service whether they choose to shop in-store or online through Walmart.ca .

This project will strengthen the local economy, creating more than 200 jobs in Moncton and surrounding communities, including more than 100 jobs inside the distribution centre. The distribution centre, which sits on nearly 19 acres of land, will emphasize environmental sustainability by reducing long-haul truck deliveries and removing millions of kilometres from the supply chain each year. The company plans to invest over $56 million in the project, part of a $3.5 billion investment into all aspects of the business over five years.

Quotes

"We are thrilled to be making investments for growth in New Brunswick because we believe there's a bright future for Walmart Canada in Atlantic Canada," said Horacio Barbeito, President and CEO of Walmart Canada. "This is an exciting time at Walmart Canada as our new distribution centre will be a game-changer for our customers, associates and suppliers in Atlantic Canada. We're proud to work with local contractors and suppliers to develop a world-class supply chain that puts our customers first while protecting the planet."

"I am very pleased by the strong vote of confidence Walmart has given our province by choosing to build their distribution centre in Moncton," said New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs. "We are reinventing New Brunswick as a stronger, more resilient and more self-sufficient province, and developments like this one are helping us reach that goal."

"We are thrilled to welcome Walmart to one of Moncton's Industrial Parks," said Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold. "This is another great addition that will bring jobs to the City and contribute to the three-year streak of record-breaking land sales and development for Moncton Industrial Development. Walmart Canada is another client that has demonstrated their confidence in our city as the hub for business expansion in Atlantic Canada."

"ADL is pleased to see investment in Atlantic Canada," said Chad Mann, CEO of Amalgamated Dairies Limited. "Access to this type of distribution capacity should open up more opportunities for local suppliers."

Job opportunities

Walmart Canada will be hiring more than 100 associates to fill roles in the new distribution centre. The company is also working with local contractors from Moncton and surrounding communities to build this world-class facility. Individuals interested in applying for positions at the distribution centre can visit https://careers.walmart.ca/.

Supporting local

Walmart Canada is proud to work with more than 2,200 Canadian suppliers. From the biggest brands to local small businesses, Walmart helps move Canada's economy forward by creating jobs and strengthening communities. Over the last 12 months, Walmart Canada has purchased more than $400 million worth of products from over 69 suppliers based in Atlantic Canada in support of local economies, including 22 located in New Brunswick.

Environmental impact

Walmart's ambition is to become a regenerative company. The retailer takes environmental sustainability very seriously. Here are some ways the new facility prioritizes the environment:

Reduces long-haul distances for truck deliveries by moving our products closer to stores

Energy Star white reflective roof

Energy efficient LED lighting with integrated motion sensors and intelligent controls

Incorporating natural refrigerants

Waste heat generated from the refrigeration system will be reclaimed and used to supply underfloor heating systems

Efficient and longer-lasting lithium-ion electric material handling equipment

Key project details

223,000-square-foot distribution centre to sit on nearly 19 acres of land

Providing fresh and frozen groceries to 43 Walmart Canada stores in Atlantic Canada

Reducing long-haul truck deliveries to promote environmental sustainability

Creating more than 200 jobs in Moncton and surrounding areas

and surrounding areas Hiring more than 100 associates to fill roles inside the distribution centre

Working with local suppliers, partners and contractors

Investing more than $56 million in the local economy

in the local economy One of three distribution centres currently under construction, including:

Surrey, British Columbia (opening in 2022)

(opening in 2022)

Vaughan, Ontario (opening in 2024)

About Walmart Canada

Walmart Canada operates a chain of more than 400 stores nationwide serving 1.5 million customers each day. Walmart Canada's flagship online store, Walmart.ca is visited by more than 900,000 customers daily. With more than 100,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is ranked one of the country's top 10 most influential brands. Walmart Canada was recently recognized as a LinkedIn Top Company of 2021 and was also named one of Canada's most popular brands (based on Google searches). Walmart Canada's extensive philanthropy program is focused on supporting Canadian families in need, and since 1994 Walmart Canada has raised and donated more than $500 million to Canadian charities.

SOURCE Walmart Canada Corp.

For further information: Jon Rumley, Manager of Corporate Affairs, Walmart Canada [email protected]

Related Links

www.walmart.ca


The meeting was held at Shah's official residence here. Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swantantra Dev Singh, national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, general secretary (organisation) of party's state unit Sunil Bansal were also present in the meeting.

Ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held a meeting with BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here that lasted for over 3 hours.

The meeting was held at Shahs official residence here. Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swantantra Dev Singh, national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, general secretary (organisation) of partys state unit Sunil Bansal were also present in the meeting.

According to party sources, many important issues were discussed in the meeting.

Sources said that in view of the elections, the strategy for the upcoming party programmes in the coming months was discussed, including the partys Booth Vijay Sankalp program which is going to start on August 23. As per sources, through this program, the BJP plans to strengthen every booth across Uttar Pradesh.

The upcoming programmes, that are scheduled to be held by top state leaders ahead of polls, were also discussed. Sources said that Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad who was also present at todays meeting is likely to be nominated to one of the four MLC seats lying vacant in Uttar Pradesh.

Sanjay Nishad also put forward his points regarding the share of his party in the upcoming assembly elections, informed sources. Nishad Party is demanding more seats, they added.
Speaking after launching of Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC) 5.0 under Innovations for Defence Excellence - Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO) through video conferencing, Singh underlined the importance of creating a strong, modern & well-equipped military and equally capable & self-reliant defence industry.

Highlighting that the rapidly changing geo-political and security scenario in the world, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that Indias national security challenges are becoming complex.

Speaking after launching of Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC) 5.0 under Innovations for Defence Excellence  Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO) through video conferencing, Singh underlined the importance of creating a strong, modern & well-equipped military and equally capable & self-reliant defence industry.

He said India cannot depend on other countries for its security and asserted that it is not easy to identify between the countrys allies and friends.

Today the security scenario of the whole world is changing very fast. Because of this, the challenges to our national security are increasing and becoming complex. There are constant changes in the geo-political situation of the world. We are monitoring he situation in our neighbouring country, he said.

Nothing can be said when what kind of news will come. Our country is also not untouched by these changes. In such a situation, we cannot accept being dependent on someone else for our security as a nation. It is not easy to identify who is our friend and who is our enemy in todays time, he added.

The Defence Ministers comments came amid concerns in India as the Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the nation. The Taliban leaders are discussing future government plans and are in touch with intra-Afghan parties.

Earlier on August 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and instructed all concerned officials to undertake all necessary measures to ensure safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Afghanistan in the coming days.

The Defence Minister urged the private sector to contribute towards building a self-reliant defence industry, assured all possible support.

Thirty-five Problem Statements  13 from the Services and 22 from Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs)  were unveiled under DISC 5.0. These are in areas such as Situational awareness, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Aircraft-trainer, Non-lethal devices, 5G network, Underwater domain awareness, Drone SWARMS, and data capturing. The Problem Statements, designed to ensure military advantage in the foreseeable future, are the highest in any edition, so far, read the release by the Ministry of Defence.

Lauding the efforts of iDEX-DIO, Singh, in his address, termed DISC 5.0 as another step towards independence in the defence sector as the launch comes at a time when the country is celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Stating that DISC 5.0 is a reflection of the Governments resolve of creating an AatmaNirbhar defence sector, he exuded confidence that this challenge will move forward from its earlier editions and take innovation, design, and development to newer heights.

He said iDEX is playing a crucial role by providing a platform wherein the government, services, think tanks, industry, startups, and innovators can work together to help the defence and aerospace sectors reach full potential.

The Minister expressed confidence that iDEX will support five times more start-ups over the next five years as the aim is to accelerate progress, reduce costs, and complete procurement in a time-bound manner. For this, he said, there is a need to adopt the concept of 5 Is (Identity, Incubate, Innovate, Integrate, and Indigenous).

Commending various stakeholders for indigenously developing world-class technologies, he called for identifying and developing new technologies to take forward the vision of Make in India  Make for the World. Singh called upon the private sector to come forward and contribute towards building a self-reliant defence sector and assured all possible support of the government.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Defence Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar, and other senior officials of the Ministry of Defence were present at the launch of DISC 5.0 The iDEX initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2018 to achieve self-reliance and foster innovation & technology development in defence and aerospace sectors. (ANI)
STAMFORD  Soon-to-be Stamford High School freshman Shreyans Daga wants to study mechanical engineering and computer science, so watching a live drone demonstration was just about the perfect way to spend a Thursday morning.

Daga was one of roughly 50 Stamford students about to begin high school next semester who attended the demonstration as part of a summer program designed for recent middle school graduates interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

I really enjoyed the demonstration, Daga said. It was very educational and I got to learn a lot from professionals in the industry.

The Beyond Limits Academic Program, run by nonprofit Stamford Peace Youth Foundation, started five years ago. Andrew Sklover is the co-founder of the program, and he was the one who first came up with the idea of inviting drone operators to show off their technology to students.

I get super excited about this stuff, Sklover said. If I was their age, this is what I would want to be doing.

About five months ago, he reached out to representatives from Hartford-based Aquiline Drones.

On Thursday, the company showed off some of their hardware, flying a $30,000 drone at Mill River Park for students in the Beyond Limits program.

A large monitor was installed so the students could see the images being captured by the camera on the drone. And students got to control the camera onboard the flying device.

Sklover said the hour-long demonstration was a success.

I wanted something that would really excite (students) and be a memorable experience, Sklover said.

At the end of the demonstration, students got to pose questions to Aquiline engineers.

One of Dagas questions to the team was why the drone was made out of reinforced carbon fiber, and not a less expensive material such as graphene.

Daga learned that graphene was studied as a potential material in 2010, but discarded because it was deemed too unstable. But the engineers said the material is being studied again.

For Daga, getting to see a $30,000 drone was a thrill. He said hes flown drones in the past, but only of the $100 variety.

The difference between the two is night and day, he said.

The drone he witnessed Thursday morning can go higher and faster than the budget ones hes interacted with, and also comes mounted with a sophisticated camera that captures images in 4K resolution.

Beyond Limits summer program is targeted toward students enrolled in Stamford Highs Early College Studies program, a partnership with Norwalk Community College. Students can simultaneously earn a high school diploma and associates degree in computer science in four to six years through the partnership.

Thursday was the final day of the four-day Beyond Limit program.

Any time there is an opportunity for students to develop their personal skill sets while also establishing connections with peers through team building, project-based learning and STEM activities, you start school on the right path, said Stamford High principal Matt Forker, in a press release.

During the week, students took in various activities, including coding, 3-D modeling and a Shark Tank-inspired challenge to create a solution to real-world problems.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
WEST HAVEN  Over and over, the new Afghan refugee said he and his family finally were secure, with no shootings or bomb blasts awaiting them.

I am happy the U.S. government brought me here, he said, as his 11- and 9-year-old sons played on a grassy area outside a motel in West Haven this week.

This is now our country, not only the American country. This is also our land, A.A. said.

A resident of the Arghandab District of Kandahar, Hearst Connecticut Media is only identifying him by his initials, A.A. on the advice of Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services of New Haven, who said the Taliban in Afghanistan are going door to door to relatives looking for those affiliated with the U.S., and that any identification generates hate mail.

A.A.s message of hope for his immediate family was tempered by the needs of other colleagues and relatives left behind, as he showed copies of documents on his phone from several of them who hoped their pleas would reach U.S. government officials.

The 33-year-old, his 28-year-old wife and four children, which also includes a 6-year-old girl and a disabled 3-year-old boy, arrived in Connecticut Aug. 7 and are awaiting an apartment through IRIS.

Ordinarily, a furnished unit would have been secured for them, but there was no time as the U.S. rushes to get its citizens, and the Afghans who worked with them, out of the country, which now again is being controlled by Taliban fighters.

A.A. said the Taliban hate the tribe to which he belongs because they were shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. government.

He said he worked with the U.S. military for 6 years, first as a translator for 3 years and then with a cement contractor through CDG, an American company hired for construction work on U.S. projects.

We had a lot of laborers, he said. For a decade, he also worked for the Afghan government, he said.

He said it was dangerous going back and forth to the work site outside Kandahar. He witnessed a tank being blown up by a suicide bomber with some eight people killed, as well as another incident in which a friend died.

A.A. said when he arrived in the U.S. at Fort Lee in Virginia at the end of July, where the family stayed for eight days after some 22 hours of traveling, he contacted his parents and a friend back in Afghanistan.

Every day they are crying that all the cities, all the country is under the Taliban, he said.

Their message: Please help us. Dont leave us behind. Please help us as soon as possible, he said.

He said his friends are afraid to leave their houses and have been cut off from the Internet. A.A. said the Taliban went to one friends house looking for him, as he tries to stay safe and somehow get passage out of the country.

The Taliban say they dont want to hurt people who helped the U.S. government. ... We dont trust the Taliban. The U.S. government must bring the people here as soon as possible, A.A. said.

When he was growing up, A.A. said his father would praise the Americans for building hospitals, schools and bridges, which the terrorists then would blow up.

Zeenie Malik, who is with IRIS, said the family is on an expedited path to an official Special Immigrant Visa.

The SIV is available to Afghans who worked with Americans and now are in danger of being killed because of that affiliation.

Malik said, in order to speed up the evacuations, special travel documents were issued for some like him.

She said they know he will qualify for an SIV, but because the American embassy there was shutting down, all the steps could not be completed for the large numbers in need of green cards and full SIVs, with which the refugees normally arrive.

In addition to the necessary paperwork, the family carried a letter from Sarah Chayes, a former senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The former National Public Radio journalist and former special adviser to U.S. Adm. Michael Mullen when he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff through 2011, vouched for the family.

A.A. said Chayes knew his wifes father, who was a high government official in Afghanistan for a time. He said his wifes father was killed in a suicide bomb attack when she was a child.

He said she had reached the 7th level in school by that point, but her uncle did not let her advance beyond that for fear of more attacks.

The whole family soon will be enrolled in English classes and the children in school, with visits this week to a refugee health clinic at Yale New Haven Hospital.

A.A. said his wife hopes at some point to start a business as a seamstress, but they are awaiting feedback first on their disabled child, who he said cannot speak or walk.

His wife was not in the interview, he said, as she had walked to a nearby location for food that they then would heat in the microwave in their motel room.

The whole family is staying in one room with two beds as IRIS puts out the call for temporary accommodations or landlords with reasonable rents for them.

Donations are welcome to help the agency, which it said is the largest resettlement group in the state, as expenses increase and it remains on 24-hour notice for more arrivals.

A.A. is confident he will get a job as he also has computer science training in addition to having worked for the contractor. He asked to come to Connecticut because he has a friend who immigrated here three years ago.

Anne OBrien, director of community engagement at IRIS, said since July, 32 Afghans have come to Connecticut through IRIS  seven families and a number of individuals.

In addition to the stepped-up processing of refugees, OBrien said they are in contact with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal because some 40 clients of the agency are now stranded in Afghanistan, having gone there to visit after becoming citizens or permanent residents not realizing how quickly the situation might deteriorate.

The agency has hosted some 500 Afghans in the last five years; the majority of refugees it has helped in recent years are from that country.

This year and in 2022, OBrien said they project they will resettle about 400 refugees from all countries: 250 in Greater New Haven, 100 in Greater Hartford and 50 sponsored by others, usually religious organizations.

A.A. wants President Joe Biden to help Afghans get to the airport through the Taliban checkpoints, and he wants to see more troops sent back to Afghanistan. His hope is that Biden gets those supporting the government and the Taliban to resume talking and stop fighting.

While much of the discussion nationally on Afghanistan is on the chaos now unfolding there and Biden has made it clear he feels he is on the right path, A.A. holds out hope things will change, starting with a renewed commitment from the U.S.

Without the U.S., we cannot do this, he said of peace and progress.
PHOENIX (AP)  Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday toured a small community where recent flooding inundated homes and led to two deaths, part of a trail of destruction in the state unleashed by a fierce monsoon season.

The governor praised the resiliency of the people of Gila Bend, 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Phoenix, and other hard-hit areas.

We knew early on that there would be challenges that come from this monsoon season  but as I look around me, its tough to comprehend just how devastating its been, Ducey said. I want every resident of Gila Bend to know that we are with you, and we are going to overcome this.

Two additional deaths were reported this week, and several people were rescued, after a torrential downpour sent rainwater and debris rushing through a wash near Scottsdale.

Flooding has occurred across the state this summer, with heavy damage in the northern Arizona city of Flagstaff, the mining communities of Miami and Globe, and the desert areas surrounding Tucson and Phoenix.

Wildfires that denuded mountain areas outside Flagstaff in recent years and near Globe this year made runoff much worse.

The National Weather Service says Tucson, in southern Arizona, has seen nearly 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain this summer compared with an average of less than 6 inches (15 centimeters) from June through September.

Phoenix and other parts of the state have also seen a significant monsoon season, although not on par with Tucson.

The 2021 season follows near record-low summer rainfall across the Southwest in 2020.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said two people died Saturday in Gila Bend, which has a population of about 2,100, when heavy rains hit the area. One county flood control district rain gauge near Gila Bend measured 3.9 inches (9.9 centimeters) of rain in a 24-hour period ending Saturday.

The other two deaths were reported Thursday when an off-road vehicle was found buried in sand and debris in a wash about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Scottsdale following heavy thunderstorms. Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Calbert Gillett on Friday identified the victims as Scott Brown, 44 and Laura Brown, also 44, of Calvert County, Maryland.

Their bodies were recovered a day after witnesses reported seeing an off-road vehicle floating and tumbling down the flooded Camp Creek wash. Arizona washes are normally dry creek beds, but heavy rains can turn them into raging torrents.

Sheriff's deputies rescued numerous people in the same area Wednesday afternoon and initially thought everyone had been found safe, Gillett said. But they later got a call from an off-road vehicle rental company reporting the people who rented a Polaris RZR all-terrain vehicle had never returned and had been in the area where earlier rescues were conducted.

A search using ground crews and a helicopter was unsuccessful, but crews returned Thursday morning and located the couple still in the ATV. They had to dig the vehicle out to recover the bodies.

In Gila Bend, the two people who died were identified as Blanca Ruiz and Jesus Perez. She was swept down the river bottom by floodwaters, and he was in a vehicle carried away by flooding.

Ducey on Friday announced a new $5 million program designed to help businesses affected by the pandemic, wildfires and flooding. The allocation will fund up to $10,000 for small businesses that award employees hiring or retention bonuses or pay relocation expenses.

Ducey previously declared a state of emergency in Gila Bend, and on Friday honored the local fire chief, who stayed on the job all weekend even though her own home was flooded. He called her an "inspirational leader.

Right now, Gila Bend has 28 firefighters  all volunteers  who are helping this community recover, Ducey said. The Gila Bend fire crews perseverance and altruism are exemplified by their fire chief, Arelia Henry.
NEW HAVEN  The number of incidents in New Haven Parking Authority garages and lots  most of them minor car crashes or break-ins  reached 31 in July, the highest since that number was recorded in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

However, according to the most recent monthly report by Sammy Parry, chief operating officer, far fewer drivers are using the garages, in particular the two largest, the Air Rights Garage and Union Station.

Despite the July increase incidents, Doug Hausladen, executive director of the Parking Authority said the trends are showing that were having a normal year when it comes to incidents.

In 2019, the Air Rights Garage, the authoritys largest with a maximum capacity of 2,552, averaged 2,332 users, according to Parrys report. In 2020, the garage had a low of 1,196 in April. Through July 2021, the average was 1,578, with 1,619 users in July. The Parking Authoritys seven garages and 19 parking lots total about 10,000 spaces, Parry said.

The pandemic is continuing to cause parking numbers to be lower than normal, Hausladen said. The numbers of parkers in our garages follow the pattern of the pandemic and reopening of the economy.

He said numbers should rise as colleges reopen and students and staff use both Union Station and downtown garages.

College Street Music Hall has reopened indoors to shows as well, requiring a proof of vaccination or a negative test, Hausladen said. These individual steps will lead to a collective return of our parking numbers, slowly but surely, as we reopen from the pandemic.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media

The most common incident in all the facilities is motor vehicles being struck, with eight in July, all in the Air Rights Garage; six were reported by the person whose car caused the damage.

Our customers are incredibly honest and forthcoming. They apologize and are profusely sorry, Hausladen said.

In one case at the Air Rights Garage, for example, as reported by the authority, a hospital employee went to Security office to report she backed into another vehicle on Level 3.

A security officer accompanied her to her vehicle where he saw a dent in the middle of her rear bumper and small dent in bumper of vehicle she hit. Contact info was left on vehicle that was hit, the report notes.

In another case at the same garage, security was dispatched to Level 1, where a hospital employee stated that he hit the credit card reader by accident. The incident also was witnessed by an authority cashier. No other damage was done, the report said.

Hausladen said that, in addition to a 24/7 security team, the Parking Authority partners with New Haven police, who also patrol the garages, Yale New Haven Hospital security and Amtrak police.

The authority also holds educational campaigns and communications with our customers with regards to how best to report issues they see in our garages, he said.

Part of the issue is a lot of renovation going on in the garage, and, because it provides parking for Yale New Haven Hospital, many parkers are trying to fit into tight spaces, officials said.

In a case where a hospital employee reported to security that her car was keyed while parked in the garage and the damage was not superficial, the surveillance footage was then viewed but distance, low lighting and [a] person seen in the area but obscured between two vehicles made it impossible to determine the persons actions, the report says.

But in another incident at the Air Rights Garage, a hospital employee whose passenger-side door does not lock parked her car on Level 3 at 6:30 p.m. and, when she returned at 7:30 a.m., she discovered someone was in her car as the contents of the center console were all over the seats, the report says. She found the fuse cover was removed and found on the drivers side floor. She stated this was the second time her car was broken into in a month.

After Air Rights, the facility with the most incidents was Union Station with 13, but those were not caused by vehicles. Usually, we have more than 90 percent of the incidents in the transportation center occur in the building, Parry said. It constitutes multiple characters coming into the building.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media

In July, there were five calls for medical assistance to people experiencing homelessness, five incidents of disorderly conduct and two thefts at the rail station. Garages are regularly patrolled by New Haven Parking Authority security officers, according to the agency.

In one case for example, a patron got off the train and sat down in the lobby but after some time Patron beckoned to Security and asked for an ambulance, the report says. A supervisor was called and spoke to her and called 911. EMS arrived and transported her to the Hospital, the report says.

The only other Parking Authority facilities with incidents in July were the Crown Street and 270 State St. garages, with one break-in in each, and the Temple Street garage, with one break-in and one medical assistance call.

A couple of times, it was just a break-in and nothing was taken, Parry said.

There have been a couple of times over the years when someone was found sleeping in a car overnight.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media

Overall, our ratings are high, Parry said of customer satisfaction.

If you calculate the number of spaces we have  if you look at the historical data [facilities are] very safe. The feedback we get from our customers is very high.

In addition to the parking facilities, the authority has the 19 surface parking lots, which are mostly in sites around the citys downtown area. The authority has an online scroller that shows the current number of open spaces in any give parking site. Using the Happy or Not terminals, in which customers choose one of four logos, 82 percent gave the authority positive feedback the week of July 26.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
WASHINGTON (AP)  A man who claimed he had a bomb in a pickup truck near the U.S. Capitol, prompting evacuations and an hourslong standoff with police, told a federal judge Friday he has not taken his mind medication and was ordered to undergo a mental competency hearing.

Floyd Ray Roseberry appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Washington and was charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to use an explosive device. If convicted, he could face a sentence of up to life in prison.

Roseberry, 49, of Grover, North Carolina, drove a black pickup truck onto the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress around 9:15 a.m. Thursday and began shouting to people in the street that he had a bomb. He later made the same bomb threats to police officers and professed a litany of antigovernment grievances as part of a bizarre episode that he live-streamed for a Facebook audience.

A law enforcement official in North Carolina had recognized Roseberry and contacted the FBI to tell agents that someone had reported that Roseberry had recently expressed anti-government views and an intent to travel to Virginia or Washington, D.C. to conduct acts of violence," according to court papers. The person said Roseberry also told them he ordered a trench coat to protect him from Taser and pepper ball guns and he would just tip his cowboy hat at the police.

During the standoff, Roseberry was communicating with police by using a small dry-erase board that he was holding against the drivers side window of the truck. Please dont shoot the windows the vibe will explode the bomb, one read, according to court papers.

Roseberry surrendered after about five hours. Police later said they did not find a bomb but did collect possible bomb-making materials.

Investigators collected the device Roseberry had been holding  a large rusty can with what he had claimed was a detonator on top of it. The can had about an inch or two of an unidentified powder in the bottom of it and a fabricated trigger was attached to the top, court papers said. The can was sent to an FBI laboratory to be examined.

In the court hearing Friday, Roseberry told the judge he couldnt fully understand what was happening because he had been denied medication while he was in custody. Roseberry told the judge he had gone to school until the eighth grade and then later earned a GED diploma.

He said he had not received medication for his blood pressure and his mind medicine. Roseberry said he had been denied it for the last week Ive been here, but later said it had been two days.

He was taken into police custody about 24 hours before he appeared in court.

Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ordered Roseberry to undergo a competency hearing and ordered him detained without bond.

Roseberry is due back in court Wednesday.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

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Photo from Iraq altered to create fake image of chained Afghan women

CLAIM: A photo shows three Afghan women chained to one another, walking behind a man who holds the end of the chain.

THE FACTS: The photo is fake. It was based on an old photo, and the chains were digitally added. Photographer Murat Duzyol told The Associated Press he took the original photo in Erbil, Iraq, in February 2003. Tweets sharing the altered photo were among several misleading social media posts that began to emerge after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on Sunday. Twitter users posted the manipulated photo and suggested that it showed women in Afghanistan walking behind a man. In the edited photo, chains were digitally added onto the ankles of the women, with the man holding the chain. There was no chain in the original photo. Also, it was taken in Iraq, not Afghanistan. #AfghanWomen. God protect women and children because an institution like the United Nations has become impotent, said a Twitter user who tweeted the altered photo. Over the years, the photo has been misrepresented and posted multiple times. One blog falsely stated the photo was taken in Afghanistan and said it showed an example of women walking about five paces behind their husbands. Duzyol, who lives in Istanbul, told AP he took the photo in 2003. Around that time, he often visited Iraq and took photos. The day the photo was taken, there was a ceremony commemorating Iraqi civilians who were killed in the city of Erbil, he said. As people were returning to their homes after the ceremony, such a composition randomly appeared on the street. Its a completely instant snapshot and completely natural, Duzyol explained in an email. The women obviously knew each other, but Im not sure they knew the man. Many fear the Taliban will reimpose a strict interpretation of Islamic law that was practiced when they ran Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. At the time, women were barred from attending school and having jobs outside the home. They had to wear burqas and be accompanied by a male relative when they were in public. After taking over, the Taliban said they promise to honor womens rights within the norms of Islamic law, but many Afghans are skeptical.

 Associated Press writer Arijeta Lajka in New York contributed this report.

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Photo of Afghan men on plane is from 2018

CLAIM: A photo shows a plane full of Afghan refugees being evacuated from the country this week, with not a single woman or child among them.

THE FACTS: In fact, this photo appeared online as early as 2018. It shows Afghan refugees being sent back to their country from Turkey, according to a story at the time from Turkeys state-run news agency, the Anadolu Agency. The photo looks down the aisle of an airplane filled with men, some of them waving at the camera. Social media users are sharing it as new this week with claims it shows only men, with no women and children, being evacuated from Kabul after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. And not a single woman or child among them! one Facebook user wrote alongside the picture. As if the invasion of our southern border werent enough of a challenge. Now the biden Administration is flying in hardened, fighting-aged men from Afghanistan. Another Facebook user wrote, Another wave of refugees is already heading to Europe, this time from Afghanistan." But a reverse-image search reveals the picture does not show recent evacuation efforts from Afghanistan. The photo showed some 324 Afghan refugees who had entered Turkish territory illegally and were detained and sent back to Afghanistan in April 2018, according to an article on the Spanish-language version of the Anadolu Agencys website. Photos captured this week show that hundreds of Afghan men, women and children have been evacuated from Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover.

 Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed this report.

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Photo digitally altered to show Taliban flag on Afghan presidential palace

CLAIM: A photo shows the Taliban flag flying on the tower of the Afghanistan presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday night.

THE FACTS: The photo is fake  an old photo was digitally altered to make it appear that the Taliban flag was flying above the palace. On Sunday, Taliban forces seized the presidential palace. The Associated Press took photos and video Tuesday showing that the Afghan flag was still flying from the building. The photo that was manipulated was first shared in 2020 and originally showed the palace adorned with Afghan flags. In the manipulated version, the Taliban flag replaces the Afghan flag. It looks clearly altered -- the flag appears too rectilinear and the script too flat to be on a moving flag. The edited photo was shared across social media and by some media outlets, with captions saying it showed the fall of Afghanistan. The Taliban took over Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. was supposed to fully withdraw its troops from the country. President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. AP photos showed the Taliban inside the presidential palace on Sunday.

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Video claiming to show Taliban fighters on trampoline is more than a year old

CLAIM: A video shows Taliban fighters jumping on a trampoline this week as they celebrate their return to power in Afghanistan.

THE FACTS: This video is not current and has circulated online for more than a year. In the days since the Taliban seized power across Afghanistan, capturing all major cities in less than a week, social media users have shared videos of the insurgents allegedly celebrating their victory in gyms, amusement parks and presidential suites. One such video, which social media users claim shows Taliban fighters rejoicing on a trampoline, has circulated since at least March 2020. The video of four men jumping on an expansive trampoline and one standing to the side was shared with captions like Talibans terrorists right now and Taliban fighters celebrating their takeover of Kabul by Jumping on a Trampoline. But it appeared on Facebook as early as March 31, 2020. It was also shared on YouTube on Aug. 28, 2020, with the caption, Taliban first time trampoline. It wasnt clear who captured the original video or who was featured in it.

 Ali Swenson

___

Video showing shaking house is from Alaska, not Haiti

CLAIM: Video from a camera inside a home shows the house shaking from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Saturday.

THE FACTS: The video being shared online shows an earthquake that struck nearly three years ago in Alaska, not Haiti. As images and videos emerged from Haiti following Saturdays earthquake, social media users began misrepresenting the Alaska video from 2018 to suggest it showed the earthquake rumbling through a home in Haiti. More than 2,000 people have been reported dead in Haiti following the earthquake that struck the southwestern part of the Island. In 2010, an earthquake of similar magnitude left more than 300,000 dead in the country. Posts online Saturday shared the video showing the Alaska earthquake, with wording that suggested it showed the power of the earthquake in Haiti. The posts sharing the video said to pray for Haiti. The original video was shared to Twitter by James Easton on Nov. 30, 2018, when Alaska was hit with a 7.0-magnitude earthquake. At the time, The Associated Press reported that the earthquake left thousands without power and buckled roadways in some places. Easton told the AP via email that the video showed his home in Alaska. Easton tweeted the video, saying that he was just a little bit shaken by the earthquake. The video showed the house violently shaking and the camera footage soon being cut off by the quake. Its amusing to see the video pop up every so often, but the focus should really be on the actual damage in Haiti, he said.

 Associated Press writer Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed this report.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  The top Republican in Pennsylvania's Senate said Friday that he is putting a different senator in charge of an "election integrity" undertaking and removed a senator who had made waves by aiming to carry out an Arizona-style forensic investigation of Pennsylvanias 2020 presidential election.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman said he had had "many frustrations" with state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who has helped spread former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him in Pennsylvania and other battleground states.

Mastriano, R-Franklin, last month kicked off his effort to bring to Pennsylvania a repeat of the Arizona state Senate GOPs widely discredited and partisan audit of the 2020 election in that state.

Cormans move set off a round of recriminations Friday, with Mastriano going on right-wing broadcasters to accuse Corman of obstructing his efforts and lying about it. Trumps spokesperson and allies also took to Twitter to repeat Mastrianos accusations against Corman, who denied that he had tried to stop Mastriano.

It also underscored how idea of an Arizona-style audit playing out in Pennsylvania had sown discord in the Republican caucus.

Democrats accuse Mastriano of trying to orchestrate a sham audit, saying he is seeking to undermine the legitimacy of President Joe Bidens victory in a bid for Trumps endorsement to run for governor.

Mastriano last month sent letters to Philadelphia and York and Tioga counties with a sweeping request for access to documents, information and equipment, under threat of a subpoena.

However, Corman said Mastriano issued those letters without getting approval from the Republican caucus and scared off the counties, which refused to cooperate.

Mastriano had feuded with Senate GOP leadership over legalities and logistics, such as issuing subpoenas to counties, imposing costs on counties to comply, financing the enterprise with private money, and finding appropriate contractors to carry out the work, Senate Republican officials said.

To me, hes not really interested in results, hes interested in grandstanding, and this is too important of an issue," Corman said in an interview Friday. "I want someone who wants to get results.

In any case, Corman said he asked Sen. Cris Dush, R-Bradford, to take over the caucus' election integrity venture. The details have yet to be worked out, Corman said, but he did not rule out issuing subpoenas to counties or carrying out an Arizona-style audit.

Dush has been aligned with Mastriano, questioning the legitimacy of Biden's victory and advocating for an Arizona-style election audit in Pennsylvania.

In December, both men signed a letter urging Congress to reject Pennsylvania's certification of its electors for Democrat Joe Biden, who won Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes.

He proposed a resolution to declare November's election unlawful, and to undo the the result by giving the Republican-controlled Legislature the power to decide the state's electors. He never formally introduced it.

In June, Dush and Mastriano both traveled to Phoenix to see the Arizona state Senate GOPs audit up close.

___

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter
When my father was 18 years old, he fled his home in Germany and came to the United States as a refugee. He arrived in New York in 1935  the same year Adolf Hitler announced German rearmament in violation of the Treaty of Versailles and the Nazi Party enacted the Nuremberg Laws. As a Jew, my father saw clearly what future awaited him in Germany if he stayed.

I believe the fear of persecution and violence that pushed my father to escape Nazi Germany may be similar to the dread thousands of Afghans are feeling now. Throughout its history, the United States has opened its doors to millions of people in this position. People who are desperate for safe haven  people just like my dad.

Our governments immediate focus must be on doing everything possible to swiftly evacuate American citizens and vulnerable Afghans  translators, democracy advocates, civil society leaders, journalists and others whose lives are at risk.

I fear for the fate of Afghanistans women leaders, which is why earlier this week my colleagues and I called for the creation of a humanitarian parole category for these heroines. And why for months senators of both parties pleaded with the White House to authorize more quickly Special Immigrant Visas for the translators and other Afghans who put their lives on the line to protect our servicemembers.

In times of global crisis, our government has stepped forward to help, and so too have individual Americans. Over the last several days, Ive fielded calls from so many in Connecticut who watched the Talibans rapid takeover with horror. They want to help.

For anyone looking for ways to lend a hand, I urge you to focus on the upcoming crisis  how to feed, shelter and care for these individuals and families once they have escaped. Please seek out aid organizations with established reputations, especially those that work hand in hand with our state and federal agencies, and help them prepare to assist refugees in need.

Connecticut is home to several wonderful refugee resettlement organizations that have helped hundreds of families fleeing violence find safety and shelter. These organizations can always use assistance, whether its a donation of clothes, a hand setting up a new apartment, or connecting a refugee family with potential employers. These Afghans who provided so much assistance to the United States, and have sacrificed so much for us, are now in need of our help.

This issue is personal for me. Ive visited Afghanistan, and Ive seen firsthand what interpreters, drivers and other Afghans have done for our troops and for our nation. When my son Matt deployed to Afghanistan, he relied on a translator for whom my family will be forever grateful.

Ive also been honored to get to know some of the Afghan refugees who have already settled in the United States. I first met Hewad Hemat, an interpreter for the U.S. Army, the American Embassy and the United Nations in Afghanistan in 2017 when he was my guest to the State of the Union. Over the last four years, weve kept in touch. I was thrilled to join Hewad and his family at his naturalization ceremony just last year and again last Friday at an event in New Haven at Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) in New Haven to call on the Biden administration to speed up the process for admitting Afghan interpreters and their families.

No one will be left alive, he warned. Thats my fear.

That is my fear, too  but if the U.S. government and the American people step up in this moment of crisis, it does not have to be a reality.

When my father arrived in the United States, he spoke no English, knew virtually no one and had little more than the shirt on his back. Our country gave him a chance  the same chance that thousands of Afghans now deserve. I will continue fighting to bring these brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our nation out of Afghanistan to safety. I look forward to joining my fellow citizens of Connecticut in welcoming them to our country and our state and working together to help provide them with a start at a new life.

Richard Blumenthal represents Connecticut in the U.S. Senate.
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High around 75F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
Vladimir Voronkov, UN counter-terrorism chief, has raised the alarm that terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are sp...

Vladimir Voronkov, UN counter-terrorism chief, has raised the alarm that terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are spreading across the African continent.





Voronkov said this while briefing the security council on the eve of the fourth commemoration of the international day of victims of terrorism on Thursday at the UN headquarters, New York.

Presenting the secretary-generals latest report on the threats posed by terrorist groups, Voronkov said al-Qaeda and Islamic State, also known as Daesh, are exploiting the pandemic to regroup.

He said the terrorist groups have been adapting to new technologies and moving into some of the worlds fragile regions and continue to pose a threat to peace and security globally.





He said Daesh is exploiting the disruption, grievances and development setbacks caused by the pandemic to regroup, recruit new followers and intensify its activities both online and on the ground.

Today, we face transnational terrorist threats like Daesh and al-Qaeda that are enduring and able to adapt to new technologies, Voronkov said.

But also expanding to include individuals and groups that commit terrorist attacks connected to xenophobia, racism and other forms of intolerance.

He said the world is currently witnessing a rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan which could have far-reaching implications around the globe.

He cited Daeshs expanded presence in that country and pointed out that several members of the Taliban have been designated as terrorists by the security council.

We will need to ensure that Afghanistan is never again used as launching pad for global terrorism, he said.

While Daesh remains focused on reconstituting its capabilities in Iraq and Syria, Voronkov said the most alarming development in recent months is the groups relentless spread across the African continent.

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He said the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has killed several hundred civilians since the start of 2021 in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic while the groups West Africa Province will likely gain from the weakening of Boko Haram, with additional spillover of terrorists and foreign fighters from Libya.

He said the expansion of Daesh in Central Africa, and especially in northern Mozambique could have far-reaching implications for peace and security in the region.

A global response is urgently needed to support the efforts of African countries and regional organisations to counter terrorism and address its interplay with conflict, organised crime, governance and development gaps, Voronkov said.

Voronkov also cited the continued detention of thousands of individuals with alleged links to terrorist groups as another factor exacerbating the threat.





He said deteriorating conditions in detention facilities and displacement camps in north-east Syria, in particular, are serving as a rallying cry for terrorist activities.

They have already fuelled instances of terrorist radicalisation, fund-raising, arms smuggling, training and incitement to terror, he said.

Against that backdrop, he asked member states to voluntarily repatriate all concerned individuals, with a particular focus on children.
The Peoples Democratic Party has slammed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for saying he wont leave office as a fail...

The Peoples Democratic Party has slammed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for saying he wont leave office as a failure.

Buhari, according to the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno, made the statement during a meeting with service chiefs at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.

Reacting, the PDP described the statement as medicine after death, adding that the President is already a failure in governance and will leave a failure.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, titled, You are already a failure, PDP Mocks Buhari Says Lame Attempt At Damage Control Cant Help APC.

The statement read, The PDP has told President Muhammadu Buhari that he is already a failure in governance and will leave a failure, adding that his attempt at political damage control cannot help his fizzling APC.

The PDP describes the statement by President Buhari that he will not leave office as a failure as medicine after death noting that as long as he is a product of the corrupt, inept, directionless and anti-people APC, he will leave as a failed leader.

The party asserts that President Buharis veiled admission of failure, which smacks as a tactic to exonerate the APC, is an exercise in futility as the APC, which now only exists on paper, will soon fizzle from our political firmament, having shown itself as a perverted platform that cannot be entrusted with governance at any level in our country.

The PDP said the President and his APC have failed in their three-pronged promises of security, anti-corruption and economic development.

They have instead wrecked all sectors of our national life with no hope in sight.

What explanation can the Buhari Presidency and the APC offer for failing to decisively tackle terrorists, insurgents and bandits, who are daily ravaging our communities, killing and maiming our compatriots in various states across the country, despite the huge resources at their disposal?





How do President Buhari and APC leaders sleep at night when they know that due to their incompetence and compromises, hundreds of Nigerians, including school children are languishing in kidnappers den at the mercies of their assailants and the elements?, the PDP asked.

The party said Buhari has so failed as a Commander-in-Chief that non-state actors have taken over, with regions now resorting to their own security outfits while state governors, including his home, Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari, telling helpless victims of terror attacks to defend themselves.

On the economic front, President Buhari has only succeeded in ruining the once robust economy handed over to him by the PDP administration in 2015 and turned Nigeria into the poverty capital of the world, where over 82.9 million once-thriving Nigerians can no longer afford their daily meals and other necessities of life.

Moreover, the Buhari Presidency cannot point to any landmark project it conceptualised, started and completed in the last six years.

All it can boast of is the mortgaging of the future of our nation with accumulated N33.107 trillion debt with nothing to show and no clear repayment plan.

More atrocious is that Mr. President is seeking to borrow additional N5.62 trillion when he knows that he has less than two years in office.

Rather than fighting corruption, the APC-led Buhari administration has become the citadel of corruption where over N15 trillion naira have reportedly been stolen by APC leaders from various agencies under the cover of government.

Nigerians can recall how the PDP recently held a strategic meeting where suggestions on how to entrench unity, reduce tension, fight insurgency, curb corruption and restore our nation to the path of economic progress, were placed at the behest of Mr. President and how he failed to listen to the voice of reason.

What is expected of Mr. President and the APC at this point is for them to end their media orchestrations, apologise for their failure and allow Nigerians to chart a fresh course as they rally with the PDP to salvage our dear nation.
Yusuf, son of President Muhammadu Buhari, has tied the knot with Zahra Bayero, daughter of the Emir of Bichi. The lovebirds got marr...

Yusuf, son of President Muhammadu Buhari, has tied the knot with Zahra Bayero, daughter of the Emir of Bichi.

The lovebirds got married as scheduled in a wedding event that was staged in Kano on Friday afternoon.

The marriage ceremony took place at the palace of the Emir of Bichi, where the Fatiha was also staged.

According to BBC Hausa, the dowry paid for Zahra is N500,000.

The wedding was attended by a deluge of prominent figures including the president and Yemi Osinbajo, vice-president.

Also present were members of Buharis delegation including Bashir Magashi, minister of defense; Sabo Nanono, minister of agriculture; Hadi Sirika, minister for aviation; and Suleiman Hussein Adamu, minister for water resources.

Garba Shehu, Buharis senior special assistant on media and publicity, also said members of the delegation would stay back after the wedding to represent the president at the coronation of the emir at Bichi the next day.

In March, Yusufs family members had visited the family of Ado Bayero to seek the marriage of Zahra.

The lovebirds were said to have met each other in the United Kingdom where the presidents son finished his undergraduate studies.

Zahra is a graduate of architecture from Brighton University in the UK.
It had been only a few days since New Orleans' vaccination mandate took effect, but at the Beachcorner Bar & Grill on Canal Street they felt like very long days.

You just dont know what youre going to get from one person to the next walking in, said Gina Scala Perret, third-generation owner of the tavern best known for its burgers. One group is all ready to show you their [vaccination] cards, and theyre great. Then the next guy walks in and is screaming in your face about it.

The encounters have added layers of stress to a restaurant operation also pressured by an abrupt drop in business since the mandate was announced last week. Perret is convinced many erstwhile customers are getting their burgers across the nearby Jefferson Parish line in Metairie, which has no vaccination mandate for businesses.

This week has been a dress rehearsal of sorts for the new rules in New Orleans, which require customers and employees at a host of different types of businesses to show proof of a COVID-10 vaccination or a recent negative test result. That includes indoor dining, and restaurants have become a fault line for the response.

The requirements began Monday, although City Hall built in a week for businesses to adjust before enforcement is set to begin Aug. 23.

What happens once it does might prove a test case for other cities with similar plans announced or under consideration. New Orleans City Halls quick timetable between announcing and enforcing the new rules puts the city in the forefront of such mandates.

New York was the first major U.S. city to announce one, and while it it took effect the same day as the New Orleans rules, enforcement in New York is not set to begin until Sept. 13. San Franciscos mandate begins Aug. 20, but employees are excluded for two more months, a move that city officials there have explained as intended to preserve jobs.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration has said it was compelled to start the local mandate swiftly because of the dire strain faced by local hospitals amid record-breaking case infection numbers in Louisiana.

+19 Inside Ochsner's COVID units, 'rows and rows' of coronavirus patients fight to survive The sixth floor of Ochsner Medical Center in Old Jefferson was once where patients awaited heart transplants and recovered from heart surgery.

A Cantrell spokesperson said businesses found in violation of the mandate could face immediate shutdown. The administration is also offering businesses help with hiring additional staff to enforce the rules, through its Office of Workforce Development, which can connect them with workers and cover wages for six months.

Taking the measure of the immediate effect of the mandate for restaurants has shown a mixed bag of confusion, confrontation and also gratitude and relief, seemingly with no correlation to particular restaurant type or service style.

'Just glad to get out'

The mandate has brought only smooth sailing thus far at Brigtsens Restaurant, a small, upscale bistro in Riverbend.

The mayors mandate has actually reduced the stress of all this for us, co-owner Frank Brigtsen said. We were going to implement it ourselves anyway; a lot of people had asked us to. This took the decision out of our hands.

The maitre d, often Brigtsens wife, Marna, checks vaccination status at the host stand along with reservations. In the early going, business has remained strong, with two full seatings most nights, Brigtsen said.

At the back street po-boy shop Domilises, customers simply order at the bar, where proprietor Joanne Domilise or one of her employees checks their vaccination cards. When customers cant verify status, she directs them to one of the outdoor tables she added around the old shop earlier in the pandemic.

At lunchtime on Thursday, Caroline and Kyle Silliven walked in with their newborn, Maren, and the parents promptly produced their vaccine cards while ordering shrimp and oyster po-boys.

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We live in a shotgun with a 5-month-old. Were just glad to get out and be able to show our cards, Caroline Silliven said.

Domilise said shes been relieved and pleasantly surprised by the cooperation customers have shown so far.

Some people thank us for doing it, she said. Anyone who asks us about it, I just say, 'Listen, I dont have the money to pay a fine for breaking this mandate. When you tell them that, theyre just darling about it.

Cancellations, confusion

But elsewhere, reservation cancellations have continued to roll in since the mandate was announced.

The historic Antoines Restaurant, known for its many private event spaces, has seen some parties booked for the fall called off. However, manager Lisa Blount said plenty of others were still going forward, including a few that had planned their own vaccination requirement before City Hall made it so.

Chef Alfred Singleton, co-owner of Cafe Sbisa a few blocks away in the French Quarter, said some of the cancellation calls hes fielded show a common misconception about the mandate.

They ask if well be checking for vaccination, and when we say yes, some cancel, he said. I think a lot of customers look at it like its the restaurants choice to enforce these mandates. Its not up to us. But ultimately it should make people feel better about coming because youre walking into a safer environment.

Since Cantrell announced the mandate, restaurants and other businesses have been posting vaccination requirement advisories in their windows and doors and laying out the policy on their social media accounts. In many of these posts, the businesses openly plead with customers to be understanding and show respect for staff trying to keep the doors open.

This has in many cases led to instant online backlash, with streams of social media derision, promises to boycott and even fake online reviews denigrating businesses over the policies.

Ronnie Evans, co-owner of Blue Oak BBQ in Mid-City, said the feedback was how he learned he could switch off commenting on social media posts.

It seems like people are waiting around the corner for anyone who makes a statement about this, he said. People have asked us whats our stance on it. But were not taking a stance; were doing what the city is asking us to do. I cant see how going against that would work out very well.

+3 Ian McNulty: As tensions rise, customers need to bring some hospitality to the table too Hospitality is always a two-way street. You set yourself up to have a better time at restaurants, bars or anywhere people serve you when you s

Blue Oak BBQ limited its operation to outdoor dining this week as it sought to develop tactics to manage the mandate. Next week, the restaurant will close for a summer break that had been planned months beforehand. When it reopens, Evans said, he hopes tensions will have abated some.

It just seems like this has drawn a line in the sand for some people, and were not trained in how to deal with combative situations, he said.

At the Beachcorner, Perret said she resolutely believes increased vaccination will lift the community out of the pandemic. She lost her father to COVID before vaccines were widely available, and another close relative is now hospitalized with the virus. At her tavern, she offered cash bonuses to her employees to encourage them to get the shot, which all now have, she said.

We just have to get through this together, she said. I think a lot of people just dont take it seriously until it happens to someone close to them.

+8 Proof of vaccine compliance is spotty as New Orleans' new mandate takes effect at venues 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 th
And then there were none.

COVID-19 completed its sweep of New Orleans' 2021 music festivals on Friday when producers of BUKU: Planet B announced the cancellation of their event.

The festival was to have featured Megan Thee Stallion, Machine Gun Kelly, Playboi Carti, Illenium and dozens of additional acts performing along the Mississippi riverfront near Mardi Gras World on Oct. 22-23.

The 2021 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and 2021 French Quarter Festival, which, like BUKU, initially shifted from spring to fall, had already bowed out.

+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

In a statement from BUKU's producers, the cancellation was blamed on the surging rates of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths due to the highly contagious delta variant.

"We've spent the last couple weeks trying to hang on, but don't see a guaranteed path forward under the current and projected public health conditions," the statement read.

The BUKU Music & Art Project has over the past decade established itself as a springtime staple with a decidedly younger fanbase than New Orleans' other music festivals, thanks to a roster heavy on underground hip-hop and electronic dance music. BUKU normally occupies several buildings at Mardi Gras World as well as the open space near the shuttered Market Street Power Plant.

The 2020 BUKU was initially postponed, then canceled because of COVID. The producers hoped it would return in spring 2021.

After it became clear that BUKU wouldn't happen this spring, organizers pivoted to a slightly downsized event in October dubbed BUKU: Planet B. It was to have been staged entirely outdoors, on the grounds near the power plant and in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center's parking lot K.

However, given the delta variant's surge, BUKU's producers at Winter Circle Productions and AEG came to the same conclusion as the producers of Jazz Fest and French Quarter Fest: with the variables and risks posed by COVID projections, a mass gathering this fall was untenable.

"The purpose of Planet B was to 'set yourself free' as we celebrate the return of festivals in New Orleans," the statement read. "Simply put, we're not quite there yet. ... We believe we are doing the right thing to preserve the future and ensure that this surge is the last."

+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 producers also said that "we support the city's current guidelines and we fully support those festivals moving forward in other locations around the country. It was just bad timing for us down here, but the city of New Orleans is resilient."

The 2022 BUKU is scheduled for March 25-26. The lineup, Friday's statement promised, "is insane so far. Can't wait."

Ticket holders will receive an email about refunds or rolling tickets to next year's BUKU.
After literally riding their backs to record profits during the pandemic, OnlyFans is leaving sex workers out to dry.

Over the last 18 months, sex workers and adult entertainers, including numerous New Orleanians, bolstered the online platform, which became a critical economic lifeline during the leanest times of the COVID-19 lockdowns. The site, which had marketed itself as a way for creators of any kind to sell their wares directly to fans, became a haven not only for professionals but those whod never done sex work before but suddenly found themselves unable to make the rent.

It was a rare, relatively egalitarian bright spot in The Time of Covid  which, in retrospect was probably the first sign it wouldnt last.

On Thursday, Bloomberg reported the company was taking its ball-gag and going home: starting in October the site will prohibit creators from posting sexually explicit material. At the behest of payment providers and banking partners, it's part of OnlyFans pivot to a more puritan-friendly reputation.

Despite vague assurances that at a later date full details would be released of their new policies  and that nude photos and videos provided theyre consistent with OnlyFans policy  local sex workers arent holding their breath.

I dont think anybody really knows, says Bella Blue, a New Orleans sex worker and activist. Im kind of like before I just completely jump ship, I want to listen and hear what they have to say. But I am already setting up an account on JustForFans, which is another platform. So far it looks more sex worker-friendly.

The change will hit New Orleans sex workers hard, many of whom were able to find new sources of revenue online during the pandemic. But Blue says the cynical move isnt necessarily surprising.

There is a culture in sex work in general, especially if youre engaging with platforms or youre working at a club or whatever the case may be where youre not your own boss  capitalism is everywhere and in everything and this isnt any different. Companies building their successes off the backs of other people, she says.

Blue says the big surprise to her was that she and other OnlyFans creators found out like everyone else: from the news. No heads up. No explanations. Just silence. I thought that part was really fucked up, Blue says.

That silence is creating a lot of ambiguity around what exactly will happen in October. Will sex workers who put hours upon hours into making content suddenly lose everything? Will they be banned? What exactly does explicit content mean here?

While OnlyFans hosts musicians like Cardi B, comedians, chefs and Instagram influencers trying to turn their profiles into revenue, it was sex workers that drove its success to 130 million users and an estimated $2.5 billion in revenue in 2022. Now, the London-based company is reportedly trying to raise new funding for a $1 billion valuation.

This isnt the first time OnlyFans has made policy changes to try and appeal to the puritan crowd, though this is the most egregious. The platform began limiting portraying some kinks on its website last year, and earlier this week, OnlyFans rolled out a safe-for-work app stripping feeds of adult content. In the meantime, platforms like Facebook and Instagram also started to crackdown on sex workers trying to promote their OnlyFans pages.

It basically feels like OnlyFans is probably going to do that thing where sex workers build up the whole platform and then they will abandon us and make it squeaky-clean family-friendly, Jeez Loueez predicted to Gambit last summer. OnlyFans itself as a company doesnt really market it as something that sex workers even use. Its always like, look at these chefs and comedians and workout people. So Im always nervous like its only a matter of time.

OnlyFans was a major lifeline for the touring burlesque performer when the shutdowns hit. She had only recently moved from Chicago to New Orleans and couldnt access unemployment from either state.

Its how I survived and actually thrived during the pandemic, which is weird to say, Jeez Loueez said Friday morning. Still, she saw the writing on the wall.

Theyre pretty squeaky clean when youre looking at their advertisements and stuff, so I feel like this has been the direction they were going, she says.

Jeez Loueez was already toying with the idea of shutting down her account as stage performances picked back up and OnlyFans lost its appeal. She knows of a few creators considering moving to other platforms  but that carries the unknown of figuring out what might be the best home of their content.

Some platforms, Jeez Loueez says for example, could cater more to hardcore shoots and not be the right place for a pastie-covered burlesque performer. Meanwhile OnlyFans announcement leaves open the question of what nudity is acceptable on its platform, which worries some burlesque performers who might not make explicit content as defined by other users but could still be flagged for some reason breaking the policy.

What is acceptable nudity? It says, some nudes will be allowed. What the fuck does that even mean? Jeez Loueez says. I feel like its going to be like on Instagram where celebrities can post their classy nudes. Who is deciding what is acceptable nudity?

OnlyFans moves only further force sex workers to the margins  and its another hypocritical example of society capitalizing on sex workers labor only to disregard them after the deeds been done.

Since Bloomberg broke the news yesterday, sex workers have been promoting alternatives to OnlyFans, platforms like JustForFans, AVN Stars and ManyVids. OnlyFans has decided to scorn the sex workers that made that platform, but its success may have showed whats possible for those entertainers working in the digital world.

I think for a lot of us, and I know for me personally, the thought of having to run multiple accounts felt really arduous, says Bella Blue. The thought of leaving OnlyFans and then going to another platform felt arduous, when there wasnt any particular reason to do so at the time. And so while it does feel arduous to make that jump, now we have all this reasoning why, and people who are pro-sex worker, theyre not going to have any issue making that jump either.
Around 60 unmasked people gathered across from City Hall to protest mask and vaccine mandates Thursday morning, with some peddling outright conspiracy theories with others trying to frame the event as a meeting to discuss government control.

There are plenty of things that concern me about the vaccine but were not anti-vaccine, said organizer Marco Ramos. But we are against the government control that weve seen expanding and expanding.

We live in a country that was built on rebels, that was built on the blood of people that said, Im not gonna stand here and allow whats happening to happen, he added.

Some long-shot mayoral candidates used the event to promote their candidacy and rail against Mayor LaToya Cantrell, including Republican Vina Nguyen and Matthew Hill, who has no party.

This lady needs to be kicked off her throne, Nguyen said of Cantrell.

The protest was organized by Ramos and Joel Duran. Duran did not respond to questions from Gambit.

Ramos, however, did. He is the husband and business partner of Brittany Picolo-Ramos, host of HGTVs Selling The Big Easy. The Ramos own Godwyn Realty, and the show follows Picolo-Ramos and her team [as they] make house hunting fun as they take an enthusiastic approach to buying and selling elegant and historic properties in New Orleans, according to the shows website.

A spokesperson for Discovery, which owns HGTV, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the network condoned the protest.

In an interview prior to the protest Wednesday evening, Ramos downplayed his involvement in the protest and indicated his wife would not be attending. My involvement is that I'm a part of the Facebook group, I'm an admin of the Facebook group, he said, adding Brittany is not involved in any official capacity, nor is HGTV.

He also said that Neither Joel nor I are against masks, were not against vaccines, and was critical of the protesters who disrupted the Wednesday meeting of Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

It doesnt seem like they accomplished much because the people who were there didnt honor the rules that were set up regarding mask wearing, he said.

As for the decision to ask participants to leave their guns at home, Ramos said that was not in response to any particular concern. I dont have any concern of that. I think its more  making sure everyone knows our intentions are to be respectful and peaceful, he said Wednesday night.

Although Ramos had said his wife would not attend the protest, Picolo-Ramos did in fact come.

In an interview at the event, Picolo-Ramos said if there werent breakthrough cases of vaccinated people who have contracted Covid, she would be the biggest advocate ever for the vaccine.

If the vaccine is totally safe, we had long-term studies, we had proof that you won't get Covid, you won't spread Covid, I would be on that front door being like 'Get your vaccine right now!' she said. I would be the biggest advocate ever because I want people's lives to be saved.

The vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective, and the vast majority of new cases are among people who are not fully vaccinated. From Aug. 5 to Aug 11, 89% of total confirmed Covid cases were in people not fully vaccinated, as well as 80% of Covid-related deaths, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

No vaccine is 100% effective, and Picolo-Ramos told Gambit shed gotten other vaccines. I'm a fully vaccinated human being, she said. Absolutely fine with it.

One man in attendance passionately insisted the Gambit reporter watch Plandemic, a debunked 26-minute video falsely saying elites were using the virus and vaccines to gain power and which featured discredited scientist Judy Mikovits.

When the reporter did not promise to watch the video, the man said, What you just did was the height of stupidity ... What you did was just disgusting. No wonder our damn media, no one trusts them.

After 30 minutes of speakers, organizers ended the event and said there would be more in the future. The same man promoting Plandemic called out, We cannot count on the media. Its the virus. All we have to do is show ourselves in the street to make sure that we are heard. We have to become the media.

+2 Louisiana's state school board ends meeting early after multiple disruptions from anti-maskers The states top school board was set to discuss Wednesday morning whether it or the governor has final say over whether masks are mandated in 
More than 30 people, many of them parents of New Orleans school children, appeared at an Orleans Parish School Board meeting Thursday night to demand the NOLA Public Schools district expand distance learning options in response to an ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases.

You have kids in hospitals, kids that are sick, kids that are quarantining, youre not giving parents the opportunity to prepare for childcare. A virtual option is needed now. We dont have a choice, Jess Martell told the board.

The district has reported more than 299 active cases among students and staff as of last Friday, though officials have noted that 102 of those people had yet to enter a school campus. Including those no longer considered active, the district has tallied 370 cases so far in this new school year, nearly half as many as it reported for all of the 2021-2022 school year. At least 3,004 people are currently quarantined, NOLA Public Schools data shows.

+2 Big COVID quarantine numbers 'not unexpected,' New Orleans public school leaders say New Orleans school officials said Thursday that the high number of students and staffers currently under quarantine show that mitigation effor

Last school year, much milder spikes led to periodic school shutdowns, and district charter schools offered expanded remote learning programs for students. But NOLA Public Schools officials are intent on keeping students in school buildings this year, saying that precautions  quarantines, mandated mask-wearing at all schools, social distancing and vaccinations for staff and eligible students age 12 and over  will curb school infections.

The board on Thursday passed a vaccine mandate for about 200 people directly employed by the NOLA Public Schools district. Most of those employees are already vaccinated, officials said Thursday. But the remainder will be required to have received their shots by the end of September.

That measure will not apply to school teachers, administrators and support staff employed by the citys independent charter schools. But in a Wednesday press release, the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools said that 15 charter operators, representing about half the schools in the city, now have staff vaccine mandates.

Speakers Thursday night said the threat of COVID exposure is compounded by several factors including a lack of communication between school administration, teachers, families, and the child that is exposed.

Stacy Howard said her daughter was pulled out of her school bus hours before the board meeting after a potential exposure and was not told why.

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They called her off the bus, and still had yet to tell her whats going on, Howard said.

Bridgette Martin also spoke about communication problems after a potential exposure at her childs school.

I showed up to get my child, and the office staff dont even know why Im there because they feel like they dont have to let the entire staff know theres an outbreak at their school, she said.

During a news conference earlier Thursday, school district officials sought to reassure parents in anticipation of the evening meeting.

Dr. Benjamin Springgate, the district's medical advisor, acknowledged that the numbers, particularly the number of quarantines, may be alarming to parents, but said they actually show that district schools are being appropriately cautious.

+2 NOLA Public Schools will seek COVID vaccine mandate for central office staff Under a proposed NOLA Public Schools policy announced Thursday, all central office employees would be required to receive COVID-19 vaccination

The number last week may seem high but this is good, because the quarantines mean potentially infected people are not in school, he said. At this time we do not see uncontrolled or unmitigated transmission in schools and [the Louisiana Department of Health] has not called for any school closures.

Distance learning remains an option for students who are quarantining and those with medical conditions that make them particularly vulnerable, following a consultation with a doctor.

If you have a concern, go to your childs school. Go to our website. The form is there. Go to your childs physician, NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said.

Medical exemptions for distance learning arent guaranteed. Schools have the power to review and deny the request even after the form is signed by a physician, but parents can appeal those decisions to the district.
A 69-year-old cook aboard the doomed Seacor Power when it capsized off Louisianas coast on April 13 died after his body temperature plunged to fatal levels.

Then, something in the Gulf of Mexico severed an artery in his right thigh, according to autopsy results released Friday.

Lafourche Parish Coroner John Kings office said that five of the six men whose remains were recovered over the ensuing week drowned after the lift boat capsized. But Ernest Williams, a cook from Arnaudville, suffered a different, perhaps more grisly fate.

The results for the first time describe how investigators believe the end came for Williams, Capt. David Ledet, Anthony Hartford, James Wallingsford, Lawrence Warren and Quinon Pitre after the 175-foot oil services vessel overturned in a fierce storm south of Port Fourchon.

An unusual low-pressure system called a wake low churned up violent seas that night, confounding early search and rescue efforts.

Williams body was recovered two days after the wreck, some 30 miles away from the Seacor Power. His was the second body found, after Ledet.

They were among eight crew members and five offshore workers to perish, out of the 19 men who left port shortly after noon.

+3 Remembering the victims of the Seacor Power lift boat disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Five people were killed and eight others are missing and presumed dead after the lift boat Seacor Power capsized April 13 during a storm in th

Two of the three crewmen who survived testified this month at a U.S. Coast Guard hearing that they remained bobbing in the Gulf for about three hours before they were saved.

Jefferson Parish Coroner Gerry Cvitanovich, who was not involved in the determinations published Friday, described death by hypothermia in grim terms.

Cvitanovich explained that the lungs fill with water in drowning cases. Not so with hypothermia, in which the body temperature drops, which causes the heart to slow, eventually causes arrhythmia and kills you, he said.

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+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 

Gulf waters in April are typically in the 70s, far below the human bodys core temperature of about 98 degrees, and cold enough to bring on hypothermia for a person in the water for an extended period without proper equipment.

He was more than likely alive for an extended period of time," Cvitanovich said. "Is that an hour or several hours? More than likely several hours.

Williams was the oldest person aboard the Seacor Power, which didnt help, Cvitanovich said.

Age makes him more susceptible to extreme heat, extreme cold. More susceptible to hypothermia, he said.

Family of Acadiana man killed in Seacor lift boat sinking files lawsuit The family of Ernest P. Williams Jr. of Arnaudville, a cook who died April 13 when the lift boat Seacor Power flipped in the Gulf of Mexico, h

Ledet was 63, Wallingsford 55, Hartford 53, Warren 36 and Pitre 31.

The autopsy results for Williams noted probable  destruction of right femoral artery, but added that was likely after his death. The report issued Friday doesnt elaborate on the source of that wound.

Survivors or family members of the dead have filed more than a dozen state or federal lawsuits against Seacor Marine and others over the fatal accident. An attorney for Williams' family declined comment Friday.

Seven men aboard the Seacor Power when it flipped  Dylan Daspit, Darren Encalade, Jay Guevara, Jason Krell, Chaz Morales, Cooper Rozands and Gregory Walcott  have not been found.
Orleans Parish coroners office investigators on Thursday released the name of a 50-year-old man who was shot to death at the edge of the Florida neighborhood.

Mark Gilmore was found dead in a car in the 2100 block of Clouet Street on Tuesday at about 11:20 p.m.

Gilmore was one of at least five people fatally shot in a four-day stretch beginning Saturday. The others:

Isaac Johnson was shot in the 2600 block of Dumaine Street in Treme on Saturday at about 5:40 a.m. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he died Monday.

Roshelle Lemon, 35, died after being shot at the intersection of Higgins Boulevard and Louisa Street in Desire on Monday at about 1:15 p.m.

Johnny Henry, 47, and Eric Carter, 45, were shot dead in the 5300 block of Tullis Drive in Algiers on Monday at about 11:15 p.m.

Police havent named suspects or disclosed possible motives in any of the killings.

The victims are among at least 126 people who have been killed in New Orleans this year, according to statistics maintained by the City Council.

Anyone with information on the crimes may call Crimestoppers Inc. at (504) 822-1111. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.
Kenner police arrested a Slidell man accused of shooting at his 16-year-old cousin during a fight over a stolen gun, authorities said.

Jordan Mitchell, 18, was booked with attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated criminal damage to property and illegal use of a weapon, said Lt. Michael Cunningham, a Kenner Police Department spokesperson.

+5 2nd suspect indicted with murder in slaying of Kenner convenience store clerk Lamonte Loggins, the alleged gunman accused of fatally shooting a Kenner store clerk as the man knelt with his hands raised during a robbery, 

The shooting occurred about 5:15 a.m. on Aug. 14 outside of a home in the 3900 block of Delaware Avenue in Kenner. Mitchell was arguing with his cousin, a 16-year-old boy, about a stolen gun, Cunningham said.

The two began fighting in the front yard. At some point, Mitchell pulled out a handgun and pointed it at another cousin, 25, who was there, according to Cunningham.

The 16-year-old tried to run, but Mitchell began shooting at the teen. None of the bullets hit the boy.

However, the bullets struck the residence and pierced the walls of rooms inside where two children, ages 2 and 7, were asleep, according to Cunningham. Neither was injured.

Mitchell was arrested in St. Tammany Parish later that evening. He was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna Monday. Mitchell was still being held there Friday on a $325,000 bond.
New Orleans City Council members on Thursday voted to revive a special French Quarter sales tax for increased police patrols four months after voters approved it.

The quarter-cent sales tax, first passed in 2015, expired last year after French Quarter voters killed it amid disputes with Mayor LaToya Cantrell over how to use the estimated $2.5 million in annual revenue. Voters reversed course in April by approving a ballot measure that diverts some revenue to public safety programs, including homeless assistance.

Any revenue beyond $2 million must be split between police patrols and the other programs. Unlike the first iteration of the tax, the additional security patrols must be conducted by certified police officers.

Additionally, the French Quarter Management District  a state-sponsored entity  will now be charged with overseeing and administering the revenue.

The tax will be collected as of October 1 and is set to expire in June 2026, according to resolution passed Thursday by the French Quarter Economic Development District, which comprises City Council members.

The resolution passed on Thursday contains an exemption for hotel rooms that was not included in the April ballot measure. The 2015 ballot also did not include the exemption, but Councilmember Kristin Palmer, whose district includes the French Quarter, said the exemption was added during implementation at that time as well.

Palmer said theres no doubt in my mind that voters intended the tax to exempt hotel rooms, which are separately taxed.
A New Orleans man was arrested Friday in connection with an investigation into trafficking of 16-year-old girl who was allegedly sold to men for sex, according to authorities.

Cornell Cobbins, 30, was taken into custody by State Police troopers from the agency's Special Victims Unit with help from the FBI and the New Orleans Police Department.

State Police did not release any details about the specific allegations against Cobbins. But he is the fifth suspect to be arrested in the investigation, which began in December 2018, when authorities rescued the victim.

The girl told investigators that she had been beaten, drugged and raped while being forced into prostitution, according to court records. The other suspects arrested are Elbert Riascos, Kentrell Foster, Jovan Martin and David Perry, State Police said.

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Man pleads guilty to raping trafficked 16-year-old girl in New Orleans East, gets 30 years The deck was stacked against rape and child sex trafficking suspect David Tootie Perry: He was identified by DNA evidence and a co-defendant.

In addition to trafficking a child for sexual purposes, Cobbins was booked with three counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

He was being held without bond Friday at The Orleans Parish Prison in New Orleans.
School bus companies were able to get New Orleans city permits for the vast majority of about 700 yellow school buses during the first two weeks of the school year, but a nationwide driver shortage continues to vex schools and parents across the region.

In response, the New Orleans public school district has eliminated reduced capacity limits implemented last year, and some charter school operators are offering incentives to parents to find other means of transportation for their kids.

The city of New Orleans Ground Transportation Bureau had approved 642 school buses as of Wednesday for New Orleans 85 public charter schools, up from 472 last week.

But city records also show fewer than 500 drivers have up-to-date permits to operate those buses.

There are 238 drivers with pending applications, according to city data provided to WWL-TV in response to a public-records request. The data show another 238 drivers who received permits in 2019, when the city first started regulating school buses, who have since allowed their permits to expire without applying for a renewal.

The lack of drivers and buses has put a strain on many of the 48 charter management organizations that run the citys 85 public schools. New Orleans Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Tiffany Delcour said Thursday the district is now allowing buses to ride at 100% capacity, eliminating a 75% capacity cap implemented when the pandemic hit last year.

She also said the buses must follow seating charts for contact tracing in case a student tests positive for COVID-19.

New Orleans Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis said the buses are operating safely, with masks required and windows kept open.

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Were not packing a bus, Lewis said. "We have protocols in place and balancing between families bringing students to school and various other options, the buses that we have on the street with our children are in full compliance with the guidelines we have set here at NOLA Public Schools.

Lewis praised the schools for getting creative to deal with the shortage and still comply with health and safety protocols.

KIPP New Orleans, which uses two bus companies to serve its nine schools, went so far as to offer $100 stipends to parents if they would arrange for their childrens transportation to and from school on their own.

For the next month, families at our impacted schools who choose to drive their students to school are eligible for $100 transportation stipend, KIPP spokesman Kevin Barnes said. Many families choosing to drive students to school have expressed gratitude for the additional assistance, which helps alleviate some of the burden.

Barnes said 813 students have taken the stipend so far, reducing the number of KIPP students riding buses from about 4,650 to about 3,100. He said the bus companies only have enough drivers to operate 62 buses, for an average of about 50 students per bus.

KIPP has a contract with First Student, a national transportation company that acknowledged it was having trouble hiring drivers. Its been recruiting new drivers with signing bonuses and the ability to bring their own children with them on the bus.

InspireNOLA, which hired First Student for transportation to and from its eight schools, sent notices to parents last week asking for patience after parents complained that buses werent showing up to pick up their children in the mornings.

Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle Orleans, which operates two public school campuses that offer a French immersion curriculum, had to push back the start of its academic year because of a recent, unforeseeable, and untimely issue with our transportation company. Parents received that notice on Aug. 11, the day before school was supposed to start.
As scientists deliver increasingly dire warnings to curtail the greenhouse gases that are changing the world's climate, Louisiana faces special challenges in reducing its emissions: More than half of the carbon emitted in the state comes from chemical plants and oil refineries.

While other states might aim to reduce emissions by encouraging renewable energy or electric vehicles, Louisiana must work closely with business interests to come up with solutions.

A recent analysis by LSU energy professor David Dismukes found that industry accounts for 62% of Louisiana's greenhouse gas emissions  almost three times their national average. Among the biggest sources are the CF Industries fertilizer complex at Donaldsonville, the ExxonMobil refinery in Baton Rouge and the Sabine Pass LNG export site in Cameron Parish.

Alex Kolker, a coastal science professor at Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and member of the science advisory group of Gov. John Bel Edwards' climate task force, said discussions within the panel have included everything from reducing the carbon footprint of facilities to burying carbon dioxide underground, to improving our energy efficiency, to increasing solar and wind.

Producing less oil and gas would be another way to reduce emissions. But its not an idea that appeals to industry advocates, who argue that Louisiana must balance the economic interests of business and jobs with climate goals. Tyler Gray, president of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association and a member of the climate task force, said the transition away from fossil fuels cant happen overnight.

Do you want to have a state that's even further down into poverty because there are fewer jobs? he said. He said society will still need gasoline and diesel for things such as shipping and making plastic medical equipment.

Instead, Gray is lobbying for solutions such as carbon storage and sequestration, that is, pumping emissions deep underground. The task force will hold a meeting about this idea in a few weeks.

+5 How sucking carbon out of the process and storing deep underground may be a reality in Louisiana A renewed national focus on reducing carbon pollution which has been attributed to worldwide climate change has Louisiana businesses  homegro

Gray said hes also pushing the idea to cut emissions at the plants themselves, by retrofitting them with technology to capture the pollution before it gets trapped in the atmosphere where it holds heat.

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You have to have a market-driven, broad-based policy. Because if you don't, then you're going to  have an economic impact that will be far-reaching, Gray said.

For some, however, reducing emissions isnt enough. Colette Pichon Battle, director of the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy, said even if Louisiana reduces carbon emissions, the environment and residents will remain threatened as long as the state lets polluting industries operate.

While we're looking at decreased numbers around emissions, were not actually looking at the total impact of the industry on our people and their health - the true costs here, Battle said.

She added that air pollution doesnt just originate in one region and stay there. For example, the CF Industries nitrogen fertilizer plant in Donaldsonville, the states single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, ends up affecting the state twice. The fertilizer is shipped north to be used on corn and soybean fields in the Midwest, where it then runs off of those fields into streams and rivers that carry it to the Mississippi River. It then flows to the Gulf of Mexico and causes huge algae blooms that create the hypoxic area known as the dead zone.

+4 Gulf of Mexico dead zone 10 times bigger than Lake Pontchartrain 2021 low oxygen area along Louisiana coast well above the average size for past five years

A CF Industries spokesperson said the company has a plan to cut emissions, zeroing them out by 2050 largely by using ammonia production rather than using fossil fuels.

Pichon Battle says the noble goal of canceling emissions is not enough. Planting forests to offset emissions, or pumping carbon underground, doesnt alleviate the air and water pollution created by chemical, oil and gas plants in the communities that surround them, she said.

We have a broader duty to the communities of south Louisiana to make sure that what were investing in the future is safe and healthy for our people, she said.
Earl Smith, 83, former resident of Moore, OK passed away peacefully at his home in Longmont, CO. Earl was born in Depew, OK to John and Ethel Smith. He retired in 2000 from Rose State University as an accounting Professor. Graveside service will be held at Oakdale Cemetery, Depew, OK on Sept
Harrisburg, Pa. - The state is taking steps to link local farmers and school districts in an effort to improve the health of younger children.

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced the opening of the 2021-22 Pa. Farm Bill's $500,000 Farm to School Grant Program, which will improve access to healthy, local foods, and increase agriculture education opportunities for children pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

"Our Farm to School Program works to improve health and nutrition for young children, provide hands on agriculture education opportunities, and support local farmers by fostering connections between schools and farms," said Redding.

"Through this program, Pennsylvania schools have the opportunity to address our workforce needs of the future by encouraging agricultural interests in young students while simultaneously improving their access to fresh, local foods," Redding said.

According to the department, over the past two years the Wolf administration has invested nearly $800,000 in farm to school programming through the Pennsylvania Farm Bill. (2019 awards, 2020 awards)

The Farm to School Grant Program aims to enrich the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early childhood education sites.

Any school district, charter school, or private school with pre-kindergarten classes, kindergarten, or elementary through fifth grade  regardless of offering in-person, virtual, or hybrid instruction models  is eligible to apply for up to $15,000. Eligible applications should include:

A list of Pennsylvania farmers who have agreed to supply products from their farms;

Nutrition and agriculture education, including integration into regular classroom subjects;

Training of teachers and other educational staff on nutrition and agriculture education;

Inclusion of parents, caregivers, and community groups in educational activities; and

Field trips to Pennsylvania farms or other direct agricultural experiences which teach children about sources of food and Pennsylvania agriculture.

The 2021-22 Farm to School program opened for applications on Aug. 16 and the deadline to apply is Oct. 1, 2021.

For more information about the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, a comprehensive set of programming and funding to benefit Pennsylvania's $132.5 billion agriculture industry.
Wilkes-Barre, Pa. - PA 211 Northeast, Lycoming County United Way, and Maternal and Family Health Services are collaborating to help uninsured Pa. children access free, or low-cost, insurance through Medicaid and CHIP.

Their new regional education program, a localized "211 Get Kids Covered" campaign, will encourage parents and caregivers to call their regional 211 provider for information about enrolling children in Medicare or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), if they do not have healthcare coverage through an employer-based family plan.

Residents of Lycoming, Sullivan and Tioga counties can contact PA 211 Northeast, a free information and referral service provided by FSA, by dialing 211, texting 211 (898 211 and zip code), or logging on to PA 211 NEs website.

Parents and caregivers who experience high call volume at regional 211 centers can also text INSUREKIDSNOW to 211-211 for necessary eligibility information and directions on how to enroll in the programs.

Additional information is also available.

We provide essential programs for families with young children in Northeast Pennsylvania. Making sure children have access to a regular source of health care is a key component of our service to the community, said Maria Montoro Edwards, Ph.D., president/CEO of MFHS, explaining her agencys role in improving community health.

Through the WIC Nutrition Program and the Nurse-Family Partnership Program, MFHS is a trusted resource for families in Luzerne County. We are often the first point of access for families in need of services for infants and young children, and we work in partnership with PA 211 Northeast to connect families to CHIP and other resources to improve overall health and wellness, added Edwards.

Overall, Pennsylvania has the eighth highest number of uninsured children in the country with nearly 128,000 lacking coverage, according to a 2020 report by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.

Lycoming County United Way fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community, said Ronald A. Frick, president and chief executive officer of Lycoming County United Way.

Working with community partners, we mobilize the collective resources in our communities to strengthen families and change the lives of people. We accomplish this goal by assessing the needs of each community, generating resources, investing in programs, and measuring results," Frick said.

Every child in Pennsylvania should have health coverage and we are excited to partner with PA 211 NE on such an important community-outreach project that impacts many low-income children, added Frick. This campaign takes on an added layer of importance due to COVID-19 and the imminent return of students to classrooms over the next several weeks.

211 Get Kids Covered is a United Way Worldwide campaign that features local United Way agencies collaborating with providers of 211 services throughout the country.

Pennsylvania 211 oversees six regional 211 providers in the commonwealth, including PA 211 NE, which covers 17 counties in Northeastern and Northcentral Pa.

PA 211 NE is proud to play an integral role in helping parents and caregivers secure the healthcare coverage their children need to lead healthy lives, said Janyne Gurnari, interim CEO of FSA.

For more than 125 years, the Family Service Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania has worked to connect people to the health and human service programs they need to address challenging situations in their lives. Through community partnerships, like this one, we have been able to lessen the impact of those situations on the people and communities we aim to lift up," Gurnari said.

Financial guidelines, state residency, citizenship, and age determine eligibility for Pennsylvanias Medicaid Program. A family of four, for example, can earn up to $35,245 and may be eligible for coverage. The income limit increases to $41,284 for a family of five and continues to increase based on the size of the family.

Annual household income levels and eligibility requirements are different for the states CHIP Program. A family of four that earns $79,500, for example, but is ineligible for Pennsylvanias Medicaid Program, may qualify if they meet certain criteria, such as age, state residency and citizenship status.

Overall, the benefit programs offer free or low-cost health insurance that covers doctors visits, well visits, hospital stays, prescriptions, vaccines and more. For complete information about coverage and eligibility, individuals may contact PA 211 NE by phone, text, or website.

United Way Worldwide launched the national campaign on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Local United Way agencies and FSA also will utilize social media platforms to provide information on how to enroll children in the states benefit programs. The local, regional and national campaigns will feature hashtags, such as #coveragematters, #healthykids, and #healthinsurance.

The public can also follow Lycoming County United Way (@LycomingCountyUnitedWay on Facebook, @LyCoUnitedWay on Twitter and @lycomingcountyunitedway on Instagram) and FSA (@FSANEPA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) on each of their social media accounts to receive information and directions about enrolling in the benefit programs.

PA 211 NE operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 365 days a year. It is a safety-net service that connects people to information and referrals they need to address a large variety of services that address food, housing and financial insecurity, physical or mental health care, drug and alcohol detoxification or rehabilitation, crisis management, and much more.

PA 211 NE is available in 17 counties, including Bradford, Clinton, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
Rome, GA (30161)

Today

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High around 85F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low around 65F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Samsung releases some excellent devices, including the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 2. These device are expensive too, as are the newly-announced Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. Unfortunately, Samsung resorted to including advertisements within its core apps, including Samsung Pay.

Now, The Verge reports that Samsung has u-turned on including advertisements in these apps. Apparently, Samsung will remove advertisements from 'proprietary apps including Samsung Pay, Samsung Theme and Samsung Weather'. Presumably, Samsung will extend this to all its apps, such as Samsung Music.

Samsung has not offered a timeline for removing these advertisements, although all should be removed 'later this year'. For some reason, Samsung will update One UI, rather than updating the apps through the Galaxy Store.

Ultimately, including advertisements was only ever going to alienate fans, especially those paying over US$1,000 for a smartphone. Hopefully, these never return either in a future One UI update.

Purchase the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 on Amazon
Xiaomi has only released the Mi Band 6 NFC in China so far, with the non-NFC model the sole option for fans outside of the company's home market. A new certification suggests that Xiaomi could be about to bring the Mi Band 6 NFC to more markets, though.

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Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Smart Band 6 in March, also sold as the Mi Band 6 in many markets. The company released two models, XMSH15HM and XMSH16HM, which only differed on NFC connectivity. Currently, XMSH15HM is available globally, which is the version without NFC. By contrast, Xiaomi just sells XMSH16HM in China.

This has happened before with Xiaomi's fitness trackers, such as the Mi Band 5. Similarly, it took Xiaomi a year to release the Mi Smart Band 4 NFC, and only in Russia. However, XiaomiToday has discovered that Xiaomi has certified the XMSH16HM in Italy.

While certifications do not guarantee the device's release, they are usually a good indication that a company wishes to bring a device to market. On balance, it seems likely that Xiaomi will release the Mi Band 6 NFC in Italy, if not Eurozone wide.
MUNSTER  After six weeks, the Teamsters union and Pepsi have reached an agreement ending the strike at the bottling plant in Munster.

The two sides agreed to a new contract after weeks of negotiations. Workers went on strike at the plant at 9300 Calumet Ave. over health care premiums that would have risen from $14 a week to more than $80 a week by 2025.

The drivers ratified a new agreement this morning, Teamsters 142 Leader Harvey Jackson said. Were getting drug-tested and the goal is to have everybody back to work by Monday.

Jackson declined to reveal the terms of the new contract.

We came to an agreement, he said. The company doesnt like it. We dont like it. So its probably good.

Pepsi drivers at the plant in Munster haul Pepsi products like Mountain Dew, Lipton tea, Gatorade, Aquafina and Bubly sparkling water across the Midwest, including to Strack & Van Til, Meijer and Sams Club stores.
HAMMOND  The family of a Northwest Indiana man is suing the Westville Correctional Facility in LaPorte County over his death there two months ago.

Attorney David Gladish, of Highland, filed a wrongful death suit in U.S. District Court this week on behalf of relatives of Richard L. Canada.

State court records indicate the 39-year-old Canada was serving a 4-year prison term at the Westville prison for his 2018 conviction of burglary in Lake Criminal Court.

Canada died of injuries he suffered June 5 at the facility.

The federal suit names, as defendants, the Indiana Department of Corrections and two correctional officers, Larry Crittendon and Craig Johnson.

It alleges, "that while they had control over Mr. Canada, (Crittendon and Johnson) proceeded to escort Mr. Canada to a location near a stairway and proceed to push/drop Mr. Canada, resulting in him falling down a stairway while handcuffed and shackled, causing severe personal injuries to his person."

The suit also names the prisons warden, John Galipeau. It alleges the warden was negligent for failing to put into practice policies protecting Canada from excessive force, despite a history of serous risk of harm to prison inmates there.
VALPARAISO  Bond was set Friday morning at $1,000 cash for an 18-year-old Highland man charged with raping a woman in Portage he met on Snapchat.

Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer opted for a bond lower than the $5,000 sought by prosecutors after reviewing a risk assessment that found the accused, Nathan Langwinski, has no prior criminal history and is not a flight risk.

Yet acknowledging the serious nature of the allegations, Clymer told Langwinski that before leaving jail, he will have to sign an order prohibiting him from having any further contact with his accuser while the case proceeds.

"If you violate the terms of the no-contact order, your bond will be revoked," the judge told Langwinski.

The result will be Langwinski returning to jail and facing the potential of a new criminal charge, Clymer said.

"Don't communicate with the victim," the judge said.

Not guilty pleas were entered Friday on Langwinski's behalf to a felony count of rape and two felony counts of sexual battery in the alleged Jan. 23 incident.
HAMMOND  A federal judge has set the final sentencing date for former Portage Mayor James Snyder's bribery and tax violation convictions after he replaced his defense team.

On Friday afternoon, U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Kennelly scheduled the sentencing hearing for 1 p.m. Oct. 13, stating that Snyder will be sentenced that day, "period," in a teleconference.

Snyder filed a motion Thursday seeking a delay of at least 60 days after he retained attorney Andrea E. Gambino, of Chicago.

The judge ruled the 60-day request was "not warranted and not feasible," due in part to scheduling conflicts. He stated the October date is more than a sufficient amount of time for Gambino to review the case.

Gambino and the government agreed on the date and the motion to substitute was granted. Gambino said she plans to have three to four good character witnesses and one additional potential witness who testified in the trial.

Kennelly stated in no uncertain terms that Snyder would be sentenced Oct. 13 "one way or another."

A status hearing phone conference was also set for Oct. 6 at 8:30 a.m.
In 2018, he announced that he wouldn't seek a third term as mayor as the city was bracing for the high-profile trial of a white police officer who fatally shot a black teen, Laquan McDonald, on a city street.

The 2014 shooting death of McDonald, who was shot 16 times, was one of the several high-profile police shootings of black men and women around the country that spurred national outrage and a larger debate about policing in Black communities.

Emanuel, facing reelection in 2015, argued against releasing police video of the shooting while the investigation was continuing.

After months of litigation  and after Emanuel was reelected to a second term  a court ordered the city to show the footage to the public. Emanuel's relationship with Chicago's Black community became strained following the video's release.

Emanuel in a statement touted his decades of working with Biden and the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship.

"The alliance between the United States and Japan is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific, and I would proudly represent our nation with one of our most critical global allies in one of the most critical geopolitical regions," Emanuel said.
As the Delta variant fuels a new coronavirus wave, particularly in areas with underwhelming vaccination rates, Tennessee on Monday became the latest state where a governor has undermined efforts by local school districts to require students to wear masks as the new school year approaches.

Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, signed an executive order on Monday essentially gutting any school districts effort to require its students to wear masks.

According to the order, a students parent or guardian shall have the right to opt out of any order or requirement that the student wear a face covering at school, on school buses or at school functions.

The number of new coronavirus cases in Tennessee has been steadily rising since July, according to a New York Times database. As of Sunday, Tennessee recorded its highest weekly average of coronavirus cases since late January.
She died on July 30. Despite two positive Covid-19 tests, the death certificate listed her cause of death as pulmonary thrombosis. Mr. Lopez-Collazo believes that the Cuban government is systematically undercounting deaths to present a rosier picture than warranted. The countrys official death toll from the virus is 4,088.

Image Norma Lopez-Collazo, 64, died of Covid-19 in Moron, Cuba.

Statistics from the Cuban Health Ministry showed that about eight people died each day of the coronavirus in the city of Guantanamo in the first week of August. But a government official in Guantanamo told a regional television news station that in the same time period the city of Guantanamo saw 69 deaths in a single day when the average number of daily deaths before the recent wave was just eight.

If you go from eight deaths daily to 69 deaths daily, logically, no one was prepared, Ihosvany Fernandez, director of communal services in the province of Guantanamo, said in the TV interview. He said the province had 29 hearses, but only 17 were working. The incinerator at the state crematory broke down from overuse, he said.

The Cuban Ministry of Health did not respond to several requests for comment.

The Cuban government has said in state-run media that the caseload and fatality rate are improving in Havana and a few other cities, and that the death toll is expected to subside as more people get vaccinated. The country, however, has a severe shortage of the syringes needed to administer doses, according to Global Health Partners, a nonprofit that has organized a campaign to send millions to the island.

About a quarter of Cubas 11.3 million residents have received one of three vaccines that were developed and produced in the country.

Arachu Castro, a professor at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine who is studying Cubas response to Covid-19, said the country had one of the best coronavirus responses in Latin America in the early stages of the pandemic. But the situation shifted sharply after November, when tourists were allowed back into the country, and worsened again after Mothers Day and Fathers Day, when many Cubans gathered with their families.
Theres no way out

Thousands of Afghan soldiers have fled to countries like Iran and Uzbekistan over the past few weeks as the Taliban rapidly took over. Tens of thousands more are now on the run, hiding and hunted by the Taliban. Theres no way out, said one commando, who was hiding in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. I am praying to be saved.

The soldiers were all part of the sudden atomization of the national security forces that the U.S. and its allies had spent tens of billions of dollars to arm and train to stand against the Taliban, a two-decade effort at institution-building that vanished in just a few days.

Militants are intensifying a search for people they believe worked with U.S. and NATO forces, including among the crowds of Afghans at Kabuls airport, and have threatened to kill or arrest their family members if they cannot find those they are looking for, according to a confidential document prepared for the U.N.

In Kabul, hundreds of protesters opposed to the Talibans takeover took to the streets for a second day. At one demonstration in the city, about 200 people had gathered before the Taliban broke it up violently. A curfew was announced in the southeastern city of Khost after protests. Here are the latest updates.
Celebrities have joined the platform in the past year, helping to usher it into the mainstream. Cardi B, Tyga, Chris Brown and Bella Thorne have all set up profiles. Social media influencers have also hopped on board, including many from TikTok and YouTube. The YouTube star Tana Mongeau joined OnlyFans last year. The Instagram influencer Caroline Calloway said she earns six figures by sharing literary-inspired pornography on her page.

Many sex workers, strippers and porn stars rely on OnlyFans as a primary source of income. As word of the ban spread on Thursday morning, many of them frantically traded messages in group chats, trying to determine what would and would not be banned. Meredith Jacqueline, 36, who has been an OnlyFans creator for two years, said that the ban would be devastating to her and others.

People are not going to be able to make ends meet, she said. People are going to lose the roofs over their heads.

Kenneth Pabon, 22, an OnlyFans creator in New York, joined the platform last year after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and is using his income from the site to pay off his student loans. OnlyFans is how I pay my rent, he said. I feed myself from this.

Someone said its like Burger King saying theyre not selling burgers anymore, Mr. Pabon added. This is what OnlyFans is known for.

The Adult Performance Artists Guild, the labor union that represents OnlyFans and webcam creators and dancers, said on Twitter on Thursday that the potential income loss that many may face due to upcoming Onlyfans changes can cause duress and fear.

We want to express that we are working to get answers, the guild said. As this happens, we want performers to know we are here to offer support and services.
New Yorks Police Department appears to have one of the lowest vaccination rates among city agencies. As of this week, about 47 percent of the departments 36,000 uniformed and 15,000 civilian employees have been vaccinated, said Detective Annette Shelton, a spokeswoman.

By contrast, city officials have said that more than 54 percent of the Fire Departments employees and more than 60 percent of all Department of Education employees are vaccinated. Those figures do not include those who got their shots outside of New York City.

As such, the mask guidance issued this week will likely apply to a large part of the police force.

Ms. Shelton said that officers who did not submit proof that they were vaccinated would be required to wear a face covering at all times while working, whether inside, outside or driving in police vehicles. They would be allowed to remove them while eating or drinking, if they were to have difficulty breathing or were otherwise engaging in reasonable activities like adjusting their masks.

Those officers who did not comply would face appropriate disciplinary action, she said. She and other Police Department representatives did not respond to questions about what penalties officers might face.

The guidance issued this week comes as coronavirus cases have been climbing dramatically in New York City. As of Monday, an average 1,820 new cases were reported every day over a seven-day period, nearly three times the average from one month earlier, which was 607 new cases, according to the citys health department.
Will Delta be the last major variant?

There are three ways the coronavirus could continue to evolve, as Dhruv Khullar, a physician and an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, explained in The New Yorker:

In the first scenario, the virus simply fails to find a way to escape vaccine-generated immunity. Some scientists think thats a plausible outcome: Many viruses  measles, mumps, polio and smallpox among them  have never beaten the vaccines created for them.

In the second scenario, the virus manages to partly evade the vaccines protections, but at a price (a decline in infectiousness or lethality, for example). This scenario occurred with H.I.V. in the 1990s, when the virus developed a mutation that increased its resistance to an antiviral drug but lowered its rate of replication inside the body.

In the third scenario, the most concerning, the virus manages to find a way around vaccine-generated immunity while maintaining  or even gaining  transmissibility or lethality.

Many scientists say that there are biological and epidemiological constraints on how fearsome the coronavirus can become: If it grows too transmissible or too lethal, itll burn itself out, Nash Rochman, who studies computational genomics at the National Institutes of Health, told Vox.

But no one knows for certain how much evolutionary runway the virus has left. There are certainly limits, Kristian Andersen, an infectious-disease researcher at the Scripps Research Institute, told Khullar. We just have no idea where they are.

But even if another concerning variant emerges, it wont necessarily spell disaster. As John M. Barry, a historian and the author of The Great Influenza, noted in The Washington Post, all five flu pandemics we have detailed information about developed more virulent variants before petering out. And if the coronavirus circumvents the vaccines, it will happen gradually, he said, leaving time for vaccine producers to make the necessary adjustments.

Whether we need booster shots with existing vaccines or not, we will eventually require updated vaccines targeted against the latest variant, just as we do each year for influenza, he wrote. Even if Delta is the worst variant we see, the virus will continue to mutate. As with influenza, the goal is to develop a vaccine that protects against all variants.

If the coronavirus isnt going away, how do we live with it?

Eventually, experts say, when everyone has been vaccinated or infected, the coronavirus will become endemic: Outbreaks will be rarer and smaller, and hospitalizations and deaths will decline. There will be a time in the future when life is like it was two years ago: You run up to someone, give them a hug, get an infection, go through half a box of tissues and move on with your life, Jennie Lavine, an infectious-disease researcher at Emory University, told Yong. Thats where were headed, but were not there yet.

How long it will take to get there remains an open question. In the United States, its possible that the Delta variant will soon run out of unvaccinated people to infect, as some speculate has occurred in Britain.
Lets talk for a minute about Lollapalooza. After canceling in-person events last year, a few weeks ago Chicago once again hosted the long-running music festival, drawing more than 385,000 people. Many feared that the huge, raucous crowds could produce a coronavirus superspreader event.

But the festival required proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test for entry, and it introduced indoor mask requirements halfway through. And very few people appear to have been infected.

What does this tell us? That the return to more or less normal life and its pleasures many expected Covid vaccines to deliver could have happened in the United States. The reason it hasnt  the reason we are instead still living in fear, with hospitals in much of the South nearing breaking point  is that not enough people have been vaccinated and not enough people are wearing masks.

Its possible to have sympathy for some of the unvaccinated, especially workers who find it hard to take time off to get a shot and are worried about losing a day to aftereffects. But theres much less excuse for those who refuse to get their shots or wear masks for cultural or ideological reasons  and no excuse at all for MAGA governors like Ron DeSantis in Florida, Greg Abbott in Texas and Doug Ducey in Arizona who have been actively impeding efforts to contain the latest outbreak.
Tamora gives birth to a child, fathered by Aaron, who then kills the nurse to keep the childs race a secret and flees with the baby to save it from the emperor. But Lucius, Tituss son, captures Aaron and threatens to kill the child. To save his son, Aaron confesses to a plot for revenge. Lucius, who is later proclaimed emperor, orders Aaron be buried up to his chest and left to die. The baby, however, survives.

Harriss play, then, picks up where Shakespeare left off. We meet Aaron (portrayed by Paul James in the Gossip Girl episode), named after his father, in his 20s. He has been raised, ironically, by Lucius Andronicus, now in his 60s. And hes thirsty for revenge.

The thing that I think makes Aaron a complex character in literature is because hes like, Im evil because Im Black, Harris said of Shakespeares play. And this time, hes like, No, Im evil because you guys have socialized me. You have socialized rules around what Black means and what maleness means.

When the opportunity to shoot at the Public arose, Harris knew two things: He wanted to do Aaron. And he wanted the director to be Machel Ross, who also directed his play Black Exhibition at Bushwick Starr in 2019. Lila Feinberg wrote and Jennifer Lynch directed the Gossip Girl episode, in which several characters grapple with what to make of the challenging work.

I loved it. But itd be committing theatrical seppuku to transfer it, a theater critic mutters to another at the shows after party.

The other responds: It would close in a week, especially without a star. I just wish it wasnt so confrontational.

In an interview, Ross said she knew that the text was evoking a very specific sort of confrontation between audience and performer.
WASHINGTON  A sluggish State Department response to the Talibans rapid takeover of Kabul, Afghanistans capital, has stranded thousands of Afghans who helped the United States and are now clamoring to be evacuated as they wait for their immigration visas to be approved, two U.S. officials said.

As many as 6,000 people  including former interpreters and cultural and political advisers  were on standby to be flown out of Kabuls airport late on Thursday night or early Friday alone, after a days-long pause in the processing of visas for Afghans who had worked for the American military or embassy during the 20-year war, the State Department said.

Thousands more are expected to be vetted and evacuated on a daily basis after a small influx of consular officers and other diplomats  including the former ambassador to Afghanistan, John R. Bass  arrived in Kabul on Thursday to speed the visa processing. Diplomats are also deploying to Qatar and Kuwait, where U.S. military bases will serve as way stations for people arriving from Afghanistan as they search for a final destination.

This is an operation that will continue at as fast a clip as we can possibly manage, Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, told reporters on Thursday. He said American officials were continuously alerting Afghans who had been cleared to fly, including more than 800 on Wednesday night.
WASHINGTON  Days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks two years ago, President Donald J. Trump had a novel idea. He would invite leaders of the Taliban, the group that harbored Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan as the founder of Al Qaeda plotted his strikes on America, to join peace negotiations at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.

The notion of any presidential meeting with the Taliban, let alone one close to Sept. 11, stunned many of Mr. Trumps top advisers. But Mr. Trump was eager to engage with the militant group, which the United States had been fighting for almost 20 years, as he pursued his goal of removing American troops from Afghanistan by the end of his term.

Months earlier, at Mr. Trumps direction, the State Department had begun face-to-face talks with the Taliban in Qatar to negotiate an American exit. Mr. Trump called off the Taliban visit to Camp David after an American soldier was killed in a bombing in Kabul, the Afghan capital, but the peace talks continued.

They culminated in a February 2020 deal under which the United States agreed to withdraw in return for Taliban promises not to harbor terrorists and to engage in their first direct negotiations with the Afghan government. Mr. Trumps secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, attended the signing ceremony in Doha and posed for a photo alongside the Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, which resurfaced this week on social media. Mr. Baradar is widely expected to become the head of a new Taliban government based in Kabul.
HOUSTON  A 38-day walkout by Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives effectively ended on Thursday as three previously absent members arrived in the Capitol, clearing the way for Republicans to establish a quorum and pass restrictive voting rules.

Despite efforts by Democrats to maintain a solid block even as most returned from Washington this month, the three representatives from Houston decided to return together, an apparent effort to deflect any criticism from their colleagues or liberal activists.

The House adjourned until 4 p.m. Monday without any votes, but hearings were expected to take place over the weekend. The passage of sweeping voting restrictions  to undo last years expansion of ballot access during the coronavirus pandemic in places like Houston and empower partisan poll watchers  appeared quite likely in the coming days.

We took the fight for voting rights to Washington, D.C., the three Democratic legislators, Garnet Coleman, Ana Hernandez and Armando Walle, said in a joint statement, adding, Now we continue the fight on the House floor.
NAIROBI, Kenya  The Africa director at the World Health Organization, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, criticized the decisions by some wealthy nations to start administering coronavirus booster shots, saying the decisions make a mockery of vaccine equity when the African continent is still struggling to get vaccine supplies.

African countries continue to lag far behind other continents in inoculations, with only 2 percent of the continents 1.3 billion people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 so far. Though vaccine shipments have accelerated in recent weeks, African nations are still not getting nearly enough to meet their needs, Dr. Moeti said.

Instead of offering additional doses to their already fully vaccinated citizens, she said, rich countries should give priority to poor nations, some of which are being ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.

Moves by some countries globally to introduce booster shots threaten the promise of a brighter tomorrow for Africa, Dr. Moeti said in an online news conference on Thursday. As some richer countries hoard vaccines, they make a mockery of vaccine equity.
JERUSALEM  Millions in aid will be funneled to impoverished families in the blockaded Gaza Strip under a deal reached by the United Nations and Qatar on Thursday, marking a significant advance in efforts to firm up a cease-fire between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

But the agreement does not address the broader issue of reconstructing Gaza, which suffered immense destruction in the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in May, according to a diplomat briefed on the deal.

As part of Thursdays deal, 100,000 families in Gaza will each receive $100 monthly starting in September, said Mohammed al-Emadi, Qatars representative to Gaza. The stipends will be financed by the Qatari government and distributed by the U.N. World Food Program, he said. It was unclear how long the arrangement will remain in effect.

In contrast to the delivery of past Qatari payments to Gazans, the money will be transferred through the banking system, Israels defense minister, Benny Gantz, said in a statement. Before the war in May, Israel permitted Qatari officials to carry cash into Gaza for families on a near-monthly basis  a process many Israelis criticized as support for Hamas.
Chuck Closes life as an artist divided into three distinct phases  two successful, one not. From 1967 to the end of 1988, he was a celebrated painter, a singular kind of Photorealist known for enormous grisaille portraits of intimate friends and family (and himself, perhaps his favorite subject) rendered on a pencil grid with watered-down paint and an airbrush. His work was immanently desirable. Museums and private collectors started vying for it even before he had his first solo gallery show in New York in 1970. It had the instant pow of Pop Art  indeed the artist had stated his desire to knock peoples socks off. But it also had the haughtier, more conceptual imprimatur of Post-Minimalism, arguably the last avant-garde art movement of classic modernism. He was equally admired by the cognoscenti and the public.

The artist himself projected an impressive authorial persona. At 63 with a deep voice, a quick wit and a kind of goofy face, he was so widely liked and so ubiquitous that he was once called the Mayor of SoHo. At times he seemed like the chief uptown representative of the downtown art world, attending dinners and benefits and serving on the boards of museums (including the Whitney Museum of American Art) and foundations.
For more than a decade, the Afghanistan National Institute of Music has stood as a symbol of the countrys changing identity. The school trained hundreds of young artists, many of them orphans and street hawkers, in artistic traditions that were once forbidden by the Taliban. It formed an all-female orchestra that performed widely in Afghanistan and abroad.

But in recent days, as the Taliban have been consolidating control over Afghanistan again, the schools future has come into doubt.

In interviews, several students and teachers said they feared the Taliban, who have a history of attacking the schools leaders, would seek to punish people affiliated with the school as well as their families. Some said they worried the school will be shut down and they will not be allowed to play again. Several female students said they had been staying inside their homes since the capital was seized on Sunday.

Its a nightmare, Ahmad Naser Sarmast, the head of the school, said in a telephone interview from Melbourne, Australia, where he arrived last month for medical treatment.
The museum, considered one of the worlds greatest repositories of ancient cultures, suffered greatly in the 1990s as civil war led to the looting and destruction of most of its buildings. After the Taliban were ousted in 2001, officials at the museum reported that the Taliban had confiscated or destroyed many thousands of objects in its collection  largely Buddhist statues and other relics that were deemed un-Islamic or idolatrous.

There is very real reason for concern for Afghan heritage because of this invocation of the prohibition of idolatry, said Gil Stein, professor of archaeology at the University of Chicago. Their public declarations are much more moderate, but I dont know if anyone in the West knows how much of that is window dressing.

I would want them to know that the world is watching, he added, and that this really matters.

And certainly the concerns for cultural objects extend well beyond Kabul to regional museums and sensitive archaeological sites around the country, like Mes Aynak, in Logar Province, where the remains of an ancient Buddhist city have yielded many archaeological treasures.

Even in cases where artifacts are not immediately threatened by the Talibans fundamentalist rejection of pre-Islamic or other art, experts worry about what will happen to cultural objects and sites that could suffer from neglect because delicate preservation projects are halted or because looting becomes more prevalent.
Confronted by the stone-cold duplicity of a smooth-talking contestant on the reality show FBoy Island, the host, Nikki Glaser, found herself genuinely furious. Not just toward him, with his sexy French accent, rippling pectoral muscles and false claims of being a good guy, but toward all men who try to deceive women by lying and gaslighting, as she put it in an interview.

This was the first moment where I saw someone lie so blatantly on the show, said Glaser, a comedian known for her raunchy celebrity-roast routines. Are you even French? she snapped at the offending contestant, Charley, before sending him off in disgrace. (The line was cut from the final edit in order to make her look less mean, she said.)

All bad dating shows are alike; all good dating shows are good in their own different ways. The thrill of the series, which is now streaming on HBO Max, is that it is well aware of its own absurdity. Glaser is there to provide wry commentary and to help the women contestants in their efforts to make, as they say, good choices.

So many people roll their eyes at reality TV, so why not admit on the air that it is dumb and ridiculous? Glaser said.
Two new books, Edith Widders Below the Edge of Darkness and Helen Scaless The Brilliant Abyss, explore the darkest reaches and all that glows there.

In the deep sea, it is always night and it is always snowing. A shower of so-called marine snow  made up of pale flecks of dead flesh, plants, sand, soot, dust and excreta  sifts down from the world above. When it strikes the seafloor, or when it is disturbed, it will sometimes light up, a phenomenon known, wonderfully, as snow shine. Vampire squids, umbrella-shaped beings with skin the color of persimmons, float around collecting this luminous substance into tiny snowballs, which they calmly eat. They are not alone in this habit. Most deep-sea creatures eat snow, or they eat the snow eaters.

Until fairly recently, it was widely believed that the deep seas were mostly devoid of life. For centuries, fishermen hauled in deep-sea trawling nets filled with slime, not knowing that these were carcasses. Some animals, adapted to the pressure of the deep, are so delicate that in lighter waters a mere wave of your hand could reduce them to shreds. The myth of the dead deep sea, known as the Abyssus Theory, was disproved by a series of dredging and trawling expeditions in the 19th century, including a German scientific expedition in 1898 that pulled up the first known vampire squid. But the misconception nevertheless lingered. In 1977, a geologist piloting a submersible near the mouth of a hydrothermal vent, and finding it swarming with creatures, asked the research crew up above, Isnt the deep ocean supposed to be like a desert?

The naturalist William Beebe  the man who coined the phrase marine snow  famously made a series of early submersible expeditions, ultimately reaching a depth of a half-mile. He returned in a state of astonishment, carrying the memory of living scenes in a world as strange as that of Mars. In fact, it was far stranger. (Mars, being a largely dead planet, is by comparison dead boring.) Down there, many creatures are translucent; others are Vantablack. Some are delicate; others have shells of actual iron. Pale violet octopuses  which normally prefer solitude  gather for warmth in cuddle puddles numbering in the hundreds. Sperm-shaped creatures called giant larvaceans live within a self-constructed cloud of mucous many feet wide, equipped with gorgeously vaulted, wing-shaped chambers designed to filter out food. (Forget Calatrava; not even Calvino could imagine a house as mind-bendingly lovely as these giant gobs of goo.)
The cutoff of federal unemployment benefits in much of the country was meant to bring a flood of workers back to the job market. So far, that flood looks more like a trickle.

A total of 26 states, all but one with Republican governors, have moved to end some or all of the expanded unemployment benefits that have been in place since the pandemic began. The governors, along with many business owners, have argued that the benefits discourage returning to work when many employers are struggling to hire.

Several recent studies, however, have concluded that the extra payments have played only a small role in this years labor shortages. And they found at most a modest increase in employment in states that abandoned the programs  most of them in June  even as millions of jobless workers have had to cut spending, potentially hurting local economies.

The idea was that there were lots of jobs  it was just that people werent looking. That was the narrative, said Arindrajit Dube, a University of Massachusetts economist who was an author of one of the studies. I dont think that story holds up.
QUBE was a very prescient look at what multichannel television could become, he said in an interview, also in 2015.

QUBE demonstrated the viability of the cable industry and opened the floodgates for municipalities to award Warner Cable a predominant share of new cable franchises around the country. In 1980, Warner was given franchises covering 1.1 million of the 1.6 million homes receiving cable services.

The chief factor in Warners recent successes, analysts and competitors concur, The New York Times wrote in November 1980, has been its ability to use its two-way systems  the industrys most advanced interactive television service  as a means of distinguishing Warners proposals from those of its competitors. The key ingredient in Warners recent franchising victories has been the lure of QUBE.

In a market that at the time had 17 million subscribers, Warners growth was notable.

Having built Warner Cable into an industry giant  it became Warner Amex Cable Communications in 1979 and, after several changes of ownership, is now MTV Networks  Mr. Hauser decided to leave and start his own cable company. In 1983 he founded Hauser Communications, which he built over the next 10 years into a successful and highly regarded cable provider, with properties in Washington and Minneapolis among other locations.

In 1993 he sold his company to Southwestern Bell for $650 million in a deal that shook the American telecommunications industry. It was among the first of what would be many mergers between telephone companies and cable providers, and at the time it was the largest.

Mr. Hauser and his wife in 1988 created the Hauser Foundation and began a life of charitable giving, especially to Harvard and New York University. (He had graduated from Harvards law school; she began her law studies there but graduated from N.Y.U.s.)

In 2011, the Hausers gave Harvard $40 million to launch the Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching. Mr. Hauser was a strong proponent of using advanced technology in education, and their gift was aimed at putting the university at the forefront of new teaching and learning methods, including massive online open courses, which offer open access to courses with unlimited participation on the internet.
And Hugh Jackman in the lead role?

The second I even contemplated directing it, I knew Hugh was the right leading man. I wanted to show a hero unraveling, questioning his own memories and coming to understand a more nuanced version of the world. Hugh has that soulfulness. And he can also kick a lot of ass.

A lot of ass-kicking along with a lot of mind-bending.

And romance. I wanted to have all those elements in the film. Because life is like that. The polarity of film is frustrating for me. This is an art-house film. This is a popcorn film. I think that underestimates audiences.

You started out writing in comedy, on the series Pushing Daisies. When did you feel the gravitational pull toward science fiction?

Ive always liked stories that tackle great, big timeless themes. Its just where my curiosity took me. When I first went around trying to pitch Reminiscence  I was heavily pregnant  people would look at me and think, what the hell is wrong with you? Why are you writing this mysterious, dark, violent, sexy thing? Do a rom-com! People didnt expect me to do huge, ambitious, world-building things as a junior writer.

Why set the film at some unspecified time in the future?

Stories are more universal when you dont stick a pin in it. And when I first started contemplating this world, it was nothing like the world we live in now. I didnt think reality would catch up to science fiction so quickly. And then, right about when the trailer dropped, there were photos of the walls theyre building in Miami. I think it was the front page of The New York Times. They looked exactly like our set designs. There are also scenes of upheaval and rioting in the streets in the movie, and political and socioeconomic unrest. There was a moment when people were like, this is too far-fetched. And then the next week riots broke out.
On Friday, U-Haul trucks were seen outside his current residence, the 40-room Executive Mansion on Eagle Street in Albany, where a Cuomo has resided for two of the past four decades. (His father, Mario M. Cuomo, was also a three-term Democratic governor.)

It is unclear where Mr. Cuomo will move  he does not own property  but he is considering renting a house in Westchester County, according to a person close to him. He has lived in Westchester before, with his ex-wife, Kerry Kennedy, and with his former partner, Sandra Lee.

Ms. Glavin, who emerged as Mr. Cuomos chief defender after Ms. James released the report on Aug. 3, also had not spoken publicly since the governor announced his resignation, which becomes official Monday night.

Her presentation on Friday highlighted many of the points she made immediately before Mr. Cuomo announced his resignation on Aug. 10. At the time, Ms. Glavin said that the report was crafted to fit a predetermined narrative and that the governor had been convicted in the media.

On Friday, she sought to dismantle the claims made by some of the 11 women whose allegations were included in the 165-page report. In doing so, she often cited circumstantial evidence that did not necessarily disprove those claims.

Ms. Glavin homed in, for example, on allegations made by Virginia Limmiatis, an energy company worker whom Mr. Cuomo met on a rope line at a conservation event in May 2017, according to the report.

Ms. Limmiatis was wearing a shirt with her employers name on it, and the report said Mr. Cuomo had run two fingers across her chest, pressing down on each of the letters as he did so and reading out the name of the energy company as he went.
I came to New York on a bus in 1987 with an L.L. Bean bag and no money, said Dorinda Medley, the flashy entrepreneur who has run a cashmere company, created an exercise regimen and most notably, achieved reality television stardom with Bravos Real Housewives of New York City. She left the show, after six seasons, in 2020.

This month, she can add author to her list of accomplishments with Make It Nice, a memoir that chronicles her upbringing in the Berkshires, marriage and motherhood in New York and London, and her return to the region of her childhood to renovate Blue Stone Manor, an estate in Great Barrington, Mass.

Ms. Medley, 56, lives alone on Manhattans Upper East Side. Her daughter Hannah, 27, also lives in Manhattan.
While stationed there, the soldiers  many of them strangers to the overt racism of the South  were barraged with racial slurs from their white peers and local citizens. Their commander told them to respond to threats with fortitude and without retaliation.

In the North things were somewhat better than they were in the South, said Dr. Krewasky Salter, a historian and museum director who worked with Mr. Suozzis team to make sure the bill was historically accurate. So when they came down South they werent necessarily willing to accept what they were receiving.

When the soldiers arrived in Europe, they were relegated to building forts, roads, digging ditches, and other menial jobs. Their leader, Commander William Hayward, repeatedly requested that they serve on the battlefield instead.

Since American white soldiers were unwilling to fight alongside the Hellfighters, the Black soldiers were eventually assigned to the 16th Division of the French Army.

The Hellfighters spent 191 days in combat, which is believed to be longer than any other American unit in the war, according to multiple accounts. Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts were the first Americans, Black or white, to receive the Croix de Guerre, a French award given to those who show immense acts of heroism in battle.

James Reese Europe, a musician who joined the regiment as bandleader, introduced jazz to the French. His band played for soldiers at relief stations and in hospitals.

My father used to tell me how famous my grandfather was and I was too young to appreciate it, said James Reese Europe III, 65, at the armory. Before the 100th commemoration of World War I came about, people were looking me up because of my name. And only then was when I started really looking into it.
Mr. Cuomo and Ms. Hochul had no real working relationship; the two seldom appeared together in private strategy sessions or at public events. Ms. Hochul said she was eager to change that dynamic, envisioning a relationship similar to the one President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have established.

Im also looking for someone to be in the room, Ms. Hochul said last week, someone that I trust, and has good instincts, but also someone that I enjoy being with.

Mr. Bailey, 38, is considered a rising star in Bronx politics, and is said to be interested in the position, according to several sources. Mr. Bailey, who was elected chair of the Bronx Democratic Party last year, also has strong relationships in Albany; he counts Carl E. Heastie, the Assembly speaker, as a mentor.

Mr. Bailey spoke with members of Ms. Hochuls team last week who gauged his interest in being appointed lieutenant governor.

Mr. Benjamin, the senior assistant majority leader in the Senate, has represented most of Central Harlem since 2017. He ran for comptroller earlier this year in a citywide Democratic primary, placing fourth.

I would do whatever I can to help her do what she thought was necessary for the good of the state, Mr. Benjamin, 44, said in an interview. In my office, a picture of me and her was the first picture that I had with a statewide elected official. We talk frequently and its been a great relationship over the last few years.

Some of Mr. Bailey and Mr. Benjamins progressive credentials, especially on criminal justice reform, could make a ticket led by Ms. Hochul more palatable to left-wing voters, who play a crucial role in primaries.
The reports have put church officials in an awkward position: Priests take a vow of celibacy that is in no way flexible, and the downloading or use of dating apps by clergy members is inconsistent with that vow. But officials are also deeply uncomfortable with the use of cellphone data to publicly police priests behavior. Vatican officials said they met with representatives from the blog in June but would not publicly respond to its reports.

If someone who has made promise of celibacy or a vow of chastity has a dating app on his or her phone, that is asking for trouble, said Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark at a Zoom panel organized by Georgetown University. (He declined to be interviewed for this article.)

I would also say that I think there are very questionable ethics around the collection of this data of people who allegedly may have broken their promises, he said.

The only app explicitly named in the reports has been Grindr, which is used almost exclusively by gay and bisexual men, although The Pillar has made vague references to other apps it says are used by heterosexuals. Only one of the reports directly links an app to a specific person, Monsignor Burrill.

The reports have been criticized by Catholic liberals for tying the general use of Grindr to studies that show minors sometimes use the app as well. That conflation of homosexuality and pedophilia is part of a longstanding effort by Catholic conservatives to blame the church sex abuse crisis on the presence of gay men in the priesthood.
To explain more fully how China views its role in this new Afghanistan, we sought out Zhou Bo, who was a senior colonel in the Peoples Liberation Army until his retirement in 2020. He is now a senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Though he is writing in a personal capacity, Zhou is an authoritative voice reflecting the P.L.A.s thinking on Chinese and international security.

In a guest essay, Zhou describes how China bided its time as the United States fell deeper into the Afghanistan quagmire. China has kept a low profile in the country since the U.S. invasion, not wishing to play second fiddle to the United States in any power politics, he writes. All the while, Beijing was fostering stronger trade relations, eventually becoming one of Afghanistans largest trading partners.

That leaves Beijing in a prime position to take over as the most influential outside player in an Afghanistan now all but abandoned by the United States.

Yet it may be simplistic to assume that Americas departure has China ecstatic.

For one thing, China may have been content with its adversary stuck in a messy and costly morass, as Zhou describes Americas time in Afghanistan. And Beijings economic interests may not be totally secure under Taliban rule; the U.S. presence did provide a modicum of security. China is unlikely to fill that security vacuum in a significant way, in line with its stated strategy of fostering noninterventionist relationships with its neighbors.

But Beijing will likely be intrigued by the prospect of flexing its soft-power muscles, particularly if there are big investment opportunities.
Beijing is now also positioned to hold greater influence over the countrys political landscape. Afghanistans history tells us that one group is rarely in control of the entire country, and given the Talibans lightning takeover, its reasonable to expect some civil strife. China  already the largest troop contributor to U.N. peacekeeping missions among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  has also registered a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops  a move that could make it one of the largest contributors overall. If a U.N. peacekeeping mission is deployed to Afghanistan, Chinese peacekeepers, coming from a friendly neighboring country, will almost certainly be more welcome than those from afar.

Becoming an influential player in Afghanistan also means that Beijing is better positioned to prevent what it considers anti-Chinese groups from gaining a foothold in the country. A primary concern of China is the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. According to a Chinese government report, the group had early roots in Afghanistan. According to the U.N., it received Taliban and Al Qaeda support in the 2000s. Some scholars and experts question whether the group has the capacity to instigate violence, or whether it even continues to exist. Still, Chinas foreign minister, Wang Yi, said in a July meeting with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy leader of the Taliban, that he hoped the Taliban would make a clean break with the East Turkestan group because it poses a direct threat to Chinas national security and territorial integrity. Mr. Wang also expressed hope that the Taliban would build a positive image and pursue an inclusive policy  a signal that China wants the Taliban to make good on its promise of inclusive governance.

In response, Mr. Baradar promised that the Taliban would never allow any group to use the Afghan territory to engage in acts harmful to China.

The key to Afghanistans peace and stability, of course, also lies partly in Pakistan. Despite their proximity, the conjoined twins, as described by the former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, dont always look in the same direction. Pakistans Afghanistan policy is driven largely by the strategic goals of ensuring a friendly government in Kabul and undercutting Indias increasing influence in Afghanistan. It is in Beijings own interest  not least for the success of Belt-and-Road  to ensure that Pakistan and Afghanistan are on good terms.

It is no secret that China already enjoys strong influence in Pakistan. Anticipating a more prominent role and future necessity, Beijing pledged in June to continue helping develop and improve relations between the two countries.

Finally, even though the United States is leaving, there is an opportunity for Beijing and Washington to work together for a stable Afghanistan. China and the United States, despite their differences, have enjoyed some cooperation in Afghanistan already  for example, jointly training diplomats and technicians. Neither country wishes to see Afghanistan slide into a civil war. Both of them support a political solution that is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. Therefore, Afghanistan provides an area for the two competing giants to find some common cause.
The next day, jail keepers offered no resistance when the mob came around.

The vigilantes carried Mr. Johnson to the citys most visible landmark, the Walnut Street Bridge. Using trolley wires, they strung him up and offered a last chance to confess. God bless you all. I am a innocent man, he said.

They hanged him and peppered his body with gunshots.

Someone attached a note addressed to Chief Harlan. Here lay his man  though thats not the word they used. Thanks for your kind consideration of him. You can find him at the morgue.

Outraged, Justice Harlan persuaded his colleagues to take the unprecedented step of sitting as a trial court. The U.S. attorney general, William Henry Moody, filed a petition charging Sheriff Shipp, other officials and mob leaders with contempt of the Supreme Court. After the presentation of voluminous evidence  including the testimony of Sheriff Shipps Black cook, who said that the sheriff had anticipated a mob attack should the execution be stayed  six of the defendants, including Sheriff Shipp, were found guilty of contempt. The sheriff and two others were sentenced to 90 days in jail; the other three received 60-day sentences.

Sheriff Shipp was released early and returned home to thousands of supporters and a band playing Dixie. Much of white Chattanooga promptly forgot about the case. Much of Black Chattanooga didnt speak of it, hoping to spare future generations the pain. Today, LaFrederick Thirkill, a local school principal, remembers a family member refusing to cross the Walnut Street expanse, saying it wasnt a good bridge.

One day, Mr. Thirkill noticed a newspaper article about an abandoned African American cemetery. He organized a cleanup of the site. While there, Leroy Phillips  a lawyer who in 2000 had argued on behalf of Mr. Johnson in a posthumous hearing that cleared him of the rape  said that he had something to show Mr. Thirkill. Mr. Phillips led him directly to Mr. Johnsons grave. There on the grave marker were Mr. Johnsons last words: God Bless you all. I AM A Innocent man.

Between 1883 and 1941, thousands of Black men were lynched in America. Many killings were attributed to faceless marauders, which allowed civic leaders to deny any responsibility. That wasnt true in Mr. Johnsons case. Thanks to the Supreme Court case, there is a litany of evidence implicating multiple facets of Chattanooga society, from the pulpit to the newsroom to the courthouse to the jail. The Shipp case established a record that leaves no room for excuses or ambiguities. And therein lay the seeds of reconciliation.

What was horrifying was also clarifying. With Mr. Thirkill taking the lead, Black and white Chattanooga came together to memorialize Ed Johnson and to recognize the injustice that had taken place. A former Chattanooga mayor, Bob Corker, who more recently was a U.S. senator, was among the backers. Mitch Patel, an Indian American hotelier, was a major benefactor. Now, in a grove beside the bridge where Mr. Johnson was murdered, sculptures of Mr. Johnson, Mr. Parden and Mr. Hutchins will forever mark the spot of a crime for which much of Chattanooga was a co-conspirator.
Classified assessments by American spy agencies over the summer painted an increasingly grim picture of the prospect of a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and warned of the rapid collapse of the Afghan military, even as President Biden and his advisers said publicly that was unlikely to happen as quickly, according to current and former American government officials.

The drumbeat of warnings raise questions about why Biden administration officials, and military planners in Afghanistan, seemed ill-prepared to deal with the Talibans final push into Kabul, including a failure to ensure security at the main airport and rushing thousands more troops back to the country to protect the United States final exit.

  

Written by Thomas Fuller, Giulia Heyward and Holly Secon | Narrated by Thomas Fuller
Just before Ashley Marie Thomas left the New York office of The Associated Press in February 2009 for a full-time job at its Philadelphia office, she thought she had seen the last of Dino Hazell, an editor and evening supervisor who had also been working for the news service at that time.

I didnt like him at all, said Ms. Thomas, 35, now the deputy politics editor for the A.P.s Washington bureau. I found it very difficult to work with Dino in New York, Ms. Thomas said, so I was really happy to be getting away from him.

But just as the door was closing behind her, a New York manager informed Ms. Thomas that Mr. Hazell and a few other colleagues from the New York office were also being transferred to the Philadelphia office.

I wasnt thrilled, she said.

When Mr. Hazell, 51, who graduated from N.Y.U., from which he also received a masters degree in journalism, arrived, however, the change of scenery somehow made him less of a nuisance than Ms. Thomas had remembered.
But Mr. Baraschs earlier instinct had been right. Mr. Hammonds soul was in distress. In the summer of 2014, after he returned from a trip to India, where he became a Vedic meditation teacher, they broke up again, this time a mutual decision.

I was just unhappy, Mr. Hammond said. It was one of the most difficult years of my life. He had recently stepped down from his role at Friends of the High Line and was figuring out his next move. The trip to India was supposed to help. But he was still struggling.

At the end of 2014, when his replacement at Friends of the High Line quit after only a few months, Mr. Hammond resumed his job there. I had made a big deal about leaving, but my gut was telling me to stay, he said. The other thing my gut kept saying was, get back together with Dan.

The chances of Mr. Barasch risking heartbreak a third time seemed remote, but he went with his gut. In June 2015, Mr. Barasch agreed to have dinner with Mr. Hammond. At Gramercy Tavern, Mr. Hammond, who was so nervous his legs were jackhammering under the table, told Mr. Barasch he loved him.

I was sure he would reject me, he said. Mr. Barasch admits to major trepidation. My guard was up high, he said. But by the time they left the restaurant, he agreed to have dinner with Mr. Hammond once a week.

That fall, with the dinner routine holding steady, they increased the frequency of their together time at a house Mr. Hammond rented in Tivoli, N.Y. Its a magical little town, Mr. Hammond said. We connected up there. But toward the end of the year, trouble was brewing again. Robbie decided he wanted to have a baby, Mr. Barasch said. It wasnt something I wanted or was ready for.
Thirteen may be a number with a certain reputation, but it proved critical in connecting Jason Martuscello to Lindsay Simon, even if the connection invoked a family tragedy.

She had the number scribed in Roman numerals on her wrist on a whim when she was a teenager, and he noticed it on their first date in January 2019, at a restaurant in Lower Manhattan, after having met on the dating app Bumble. He asked about it, and she told him she had been born Oct. 13.

He was stunned. That was the birthday of his older brother, Matthew, whom he had idolized and emulated and with whom he had shared a room growing up. His brother died of bacterial meningitis contracted while the two were on a trip to California with their high school band.

It blows me away that they were born on the same day, said Mr. Martuscello, 33. He took it as a sign.
SOME ARTISTS FIND peace and power in the state of transience. Brian Keith Jackson, a writer who grew up in Louisiana and now, at age 53, identifies as a vagabond, was living in New York when, in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse, he felt the citys energy change. He had published three works of fiction, including a vibrant 2002 novel of manners and masquerade, The Queen of Harlem, but, he says, I didnt feel good. He left for Beijing, where he had visited once before, in 2007, when he and the artist Mickalene Thomas had gone to visit Jacksons friend the painter and fellow wanderer Kehinde Wiley. Jackson stayed in China for five years, then moved on to Tunisia and, over the years, frequently visited Dakar, Senegal, drawn by the water and by Wiley, who established an artists colony, Black Rock Senegal, there in 2019. Jackson returned to Dakar in February of 2020 for what he thought would be another short visit, but ended up staying, through the Covid-19 lockdown, for over a year  not only in Dakar, but inside. When we spoke in May, he estimated he had left his house 15 times. It was unnerving not to have a doctor or a hospital in the midst of a pandemic, yet empowering to be in a Black country. We all talk about, Oh, representation matters, like in the newsroom and on television, he says, but its still minuscule compared to being completely surrounded by people who look like you. They arent all good or bad, of course, but the experience of living among them is restorative: I think people need that, he says.

The need for Black community is no less pressing in majority-white spaces. Gallagher notes that Rotterdam is unique among European cities, in that people of color live in the center. Thats where everybody wants to be, she says, like in New York. (She keeps a second home in Brooklyn.) Ladd likewise began to feel at ease in Paris when he found areas that resembled New York: He rented a recording studio in the banlieue of St. Denis, which is like the Bronx or Brooklyn of Paris, he says, because youre surrounded by people of color. Its not that he feels politically safer in France. We keep a jump bag, he says, in case French nationalists gain more power and his family needs to leave. But he does feel more physically secure. He was walking down his street one day shortly after his move when it dawned on him: There are no guns here  and 35 years of subconscious pressure just shot right out of my body.

To some extent, the U.S. passport gives African American artists not only mobility but also protection from the abuses sustained by people of color elsewhere in the world. In the 1950s, Baldwin felt his Americanness acutely when he saw how brutally Algerians were treated in France; their struggle for independence from French colonial rule was not his war, and his nationality partially exempted him from its consequences. For all that has changed in the decades since, Americans of all ethnicities are still often seen as the agents of empire, and their reputation for arrogance and jingoism persists. Jackson tries not to reinforce that stereotype  Im always respectful that I am a visitor, he says  while being aware that this state of not belonging cuts both ways for the Black traveler. He writes in a 2010 essay of leaving one store in Brazil for another in search of cooking ingredients and being stopped by police who assumed the Black men in the car (a group that included Wiley) were buying drugs. The cops, like many men in the Rio de Janeiro favela, were armed. As Bland notes, biases of class, color, nationality, sexuality and gender just shift around from place to place. She describes being hounded by neo-Nazis in Germany and being propositioned in Italy, while dining alone, by men who assumed she was a prostitute. She has spent her life defying these assumptions, even if she cant escape them.

Image James Baldwins U.S. passport, issued in 1965. Credit... Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, gift of the Baldwin Family

IT CAN BE hard to locate oneself among such shifting affiliations and prejudices, but also to affix ones identity to spaces that are themselves always in flux. Jackson describes the changes he witnesses in Dakar  the dust storms and coastal tides, as well as the rapid urban development underway even during a pandemic. The spot where Bland, and then her children, once played in SoHo was converted into a dog park. Amid these changes, these artists turn to constants: Jacksons methodical revision process, rewriting everything as he incorporates edits to his novel in progress; the decision Ladd made, long ago, to privilege family over work. (This is totally off the record, he tells me, because I dont want my family to develop some kind of neurosis ... but theyre kind of my platinum record.)
I cried hard to see your situation. You, the friends of the occupation, we have similarly cried for you for 20 years. We told you that Tommy Ghani will never be loyal to you, he wrote in a Twitter post, using slang for a person who adopts Western styles and customs to refer to Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan president who fled this week. We have forgiven you, I swear to Allah. We are not for this situation. Please come back to your homes.

Still, the Taliban  a group known during its 1996-2001 rule for public executions, sometimes by stoning  have largely kept their messages upbeat. Taliban citizen journalists ply the streets of newly captured cities with blue-capped microphones, offering videos of bland endorsement from residents.

The Taliban dont need to post content to remind the population they are brutal, said Benjamin Jensen, a fellow at the Atlantic Council. The population knows that. What they needed were images that showed they could govern and integrate the country.

The Taliban have been able to post much of what they want online. Even as blocks on major social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube persist, dozens of new accounts have sprung up. The militants efforts have focused on Twitter, where the Taliban are not directly barred.

Some Taliban opponents have issued rallying cries. By contrast, others have fallen silent and scrubbed their accounts of material that could put them in danger. A female soccer player this week warned her former teammates to take photos down. Facebook and Twitter have said they would take steps to shield accounts.

A teacher at Nangarhar University in Jalalabad who requested anonymity said a large number of his students who had taken part in anti-Taliban campaigns had deactivated their social media accounts. The generation born after the Talibans first regime toppled had a lifetime of digital evidence to conceal, he said.
CAMERON PARK, Calif.  The Caldor fire was just a few miles from Kathy Elliot and John Niebuhrs house in Pleasant Valley on Tuesday when the authorities came up their driveway and told them it was time to get out.

We could see the flames, Mr. Niebuhr, 66, said on Friday as he sat outside an evacuation shelter in Cameron Park, 32 miles east of Sacramento, along with Ms. Elliot and their black German shepherd, Schatzi.

Ms. Elliot, 73, said they only had time to gather essentials and a few documents, not photographs or keepsakes, before they left. When youve got an hour or two, she added, it goes by so fast.

The couple, who have been sleeping in their car outside the shelter, are among more than 20,000 people subject to evacuation orders and warnings in El Dorado County, which is being thrashed by a fire that had consumed nearly 100,000 acres of mainly forested terrain by Sunday evening and was zero percent contained.
POLLOCK PINES, Calif.  Last November, my wife and I joined a wave of Americans who left urban centers during the pandemic in favor of more rural areas, relocating from Sacramento to rural Pollock Pines on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada.

The truth is wed been looking to move for years. We are outdoors people. We hike, bike, backcountry ski and backpack. Were happiest in wild spaces. Because of the pandemic, my wife could finally work from home full time, so we moved to Pollock Pines. The Eldorado National Forest is not even 200 yards from our front door, and a short drive away, there is a lake surrounded by winding mountain biking trails.

We were not naive to the dangers of living in the forests of the increasingly dry Sierra Nevada. Ive photographed wildfires for The New York Times and other news outlets for 20 years. I covered the Tubbs fire in Santa Rosa in 2017 and the Camp fire in Paradise in 2018. Seeing the aftermath of the Tubbs fire was the real eye-opener. It jumped six lanes of Highway 101, burning through strip malls and destroying the Coffey Park neighborhood. To me, it showed that nowhere in the West is truly safe from wildfire. But for my family the trade-off was worth it.
The first day of school is stressful under the best of circumstances: picking the right outfit, navigating hallways and making new friends.

And thats when there isnt a pandemic.

Across California, millions of children have returned to classrooms, including more than 600,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District who started classes on Monday.

The first day, for many the first time back in a classroom since March 2020, was both monumental and oh-so ordinary. Yes, there were masks and staggered lunches, but also reunions among buddies, tearful goodbyes with parents and confusing math problems.
More than three centuries after being tarnished by the hysteria of the Salem witch trials, a Massachusetts woman convicted of witchcraft could finally receive a pardon from the state because of the lobbying efforts of an unlikely constituency: an eighth-grade civics class.

The woman, Elizabeth Johnson Jr., who lived in what is now North Andover, Mass., was one of 28 members of her extended family who faced allegations of witchcraft in 1692, according to historians. She was born around 1670 and may have been mentally disabled.

She was sentenced to death in 1693 after she confessed to being a witch, only to be granted a reprieve by the governor of Massachusetts at the time. She died in 1747, at the age of about 77.

But in contrast with a vast majority of other people who were wrongfully convicted and carried the stigma associated with the witch trials long after their deaths, Johnson had no known descendants to try to clear her name.
Felix Hall joined the Army in 1940, just as the United States was emerging from the Great Depression and on the verge of deploying millions of troops to fight in World War II.

Private Hall, a Black teenager from Alabama, was stationed at Fort Benning, a segregated base just across the state line in Georgia. But instead of fighting overseas, he lost his life on American soil. He was hanged at Fort Benning in February 1941, when he was 19.

This month  more than eight decades after Private Halls death  a plaque at Fort Benning was dedicated in his memory. But major details about his death remain unclear. Officials have been accused of failing to fully investigate what happened, and no one was ever charged.

The sad thing to me is that this was 80 years ago, but things like that are still happening today, said Nancy Cooks, Private Halls first cousin, who was a baby when he died.
Boats being taken out of the water at Safe Harbor Marina in Buzzards Bay, Mass., on Friday in preparation for Hurricane Henri.

As Hurricane Henri churned up the East Coast on Saturday, communities from New York City to Boston prepared for what would be the first hurricane to make landfall on Long Island or in New England in at least 30 years.

The governors of New York and Massachusetts activated members of the National Guard to make high-water rescues and clear debris. The mayor of New Haven, Conn., recommended that residents on streets closest to the water voluntarily evacuate. And the utility PSEG Long Island warned customers that power outages could last seven to 10 days after the storm.

Henri was projected to make landfall on Long Island or in southern New England as a Category 1 storm on Sunday afternoon, although its precise track remained uncertain.

Dangerous storm surge from Henri, which strengthened into a hurricane with 75-mile-per-hour winds on Saturday morning, was projected in parts of Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. But even if it were to swerve toward New York City, a repeat of the damage from Hurricane Sandy was unlikely.

Residents were still scrambling to prepare on Saturday, with the Suffolk County executive, Steven Bellone, calling on visitors and residents of Fire Island, which lies on the southern shore of Long Island, to voluntarily evacuate.

If they do not leave the island today, they will be stuck, he warned.

When Tropical Storm Isaias tore through the region last summer, he said, Long Island experienced more than 600,000 power outages  and that storm did not even make a direct hit. After PSEG Long Island told customers on Friday about the possibility of lengthy outages, the Nassau County executive, Laura Curran, called it an unacceptable timetable.

Scott Hirsch, the longtime owner of the Island Mermaid in Ocean Beach, a section of Fire Island, said the restaurant began to shut down early on Saturday morning. Its not our first time at the dance here with stuff like this, Mr. Hirsch said, before adding, This ones running on a scarier pattern.

Southampton planned to issue a voluntary evacuation order affecting 6,000 people, said the town supervisor, Jay Schneiderman, who expected other towns in the Hamptons to follow its lead. We dont get that many hurricanes, he said.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, on one of his final days in office, said at a news conference he was worried that because of quick-moving forecasts, there was less time for officials and residents to prepare.

I understand we didnt have the buildup that we had with Superstorm Sandy, Mr. Cuomo said, noting that New Yorkers have had only a day of warnings. Dont be deceived by that. Its because the trajectory of the storm changed.

The governor said that New Yorkers should expect flight cancellations, and that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was preparing to cancel some Long Island Rail Road service by midnight on Saturday. He declared a state of emergency for Long Island, New York City and several other regions of the state.

Officials also began canceling other activities and events. All city beaches will be closed for swimming on Sunday and Monday. And the annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour, which was scheduled for Sunday and expected to involve about 20,000 riders, was postponed for a week because of the extreme conditions.

Earlier, it looked more likely that the storm would directly hit New England, sending customers to Adlers Design Center & Hardware in Providence, R.I., where they bought all of the stores kerosene lamps before moving on to flashlights and candles, said Leanne Dolloff, a cashier.

But even then, many longtime residents of the region were skeptical that the storm would be too disruptive.

Were New Englanders, we can handle it, said Ms. Dolloff, 40, who remembers waking up to a floating bed in her Lowell, Mass., home when Hurricane Gloria  the last hurricane to make landfall on Long Island  swept through in 1985.

Officials were preparing in case Henri causes as much damage as Gloria or Hurricane Bob, which tore its way up the East Coast in 1991. More than a dozen people died in each storm.

Gloria was a Category 1 storm when it hit Long Island, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate, bringing down thousands of trees and leaving 1.5 million homes without power. Bob made landfall as a Category 2 storm, and millions were affected by downed trees, power outages and flooding.

In Bostons Seaport District, which was built upon the mud flats and salt marshes along Boston Harbor after that lashing, bars and restaurants like Harpoon, Legal Sea Foods and Yankee Lobster had not made plans to close for Henri. Farther east, in the Cape Cod community of Buzzards Bay, boats were being removed from the marina but little was being done to secure gas grills or deck chairs.

Henri was expected to flood many areas already inundated from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred.

In Boston, officials said they were building barriers around the citys most vulnerable subway station and would suspend some transit services on Sunday. Massachusetts saw heavy rains on Thursday that required emergency workers to retrieve people from cars caught in high water. When Tropical Storm Elsa traveled up the Northeast coast earlier in the summer, New York subway riders were forced to navigate waist-deep waters at some stations.

Hurricane Sandy flooded subway and highway tunnels in New York in 2012, knocking out power to much of Manhattan. But Sandy was a much larger storm, devastating an area from New Jersey to Connecticut, and its size drove a catastrophic surge of seawater into New York Harbor.

Henri is not expected to have the same impact, and passengers waiting to board the ferry from Boston to Provincetown on Friday night were cautiously optimistic that their plans would not be foiled.

Gary Livolsi said he had been through a lot of noreasters and was content simply making sure the umbrellas and cushions were not left on his patio.

Im hoping theyre overestimating it, as they often do, said Susan Mahoney, who was off to spend the weekend in Provincetown but was fully prepared to stay longer if necessary. I brought extra wine.

Troy Closson reported from New York and Ellen Barry from Boston. Reporting was contributed by Sophie Kasakove , Michael Gold and Adam Sobel from New York, Colleen Cronin from Providence, R.I., Catherine McGloin from Boston, and Beth Treffeisen from Dennis, Mass.
CHEYENNE, Wyo.  There were no cheery signs urging Get your Covid-19 vaccine! at the back-to-school immunization clinic at Carey Junior High School last week. In the sun-drenched cafeteria, Valencia Bautista sat behind a folding table in a corner, delivering a decidedly soft sell.

Hundreds of 12- and 13-year-olds streamed through with their parents to pick up their fall schedules and iPads. Ms. Bautista, a county public health nurse, wore a T-shirt that said Vaccinated. Thanks, Public Health and offered vaccines against ailments like tetanus and meningitis, while broaching the subject of Covid shots gently  and last.

By days end, she had 11 takers. If theyre a no, we wont push it, she said.

Vaccination rates among middle and high school students need to rise drastically if the United States is going to achieve what are arguably the two most important goals in addressing the pandemic in the country right now: curbing the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant and safely reopening schools. President Biden told school districts to hold vaccination clinics, but that is putting superintendents and principals  many of whom are already at the center of furious local battles over masking  in a delicate position.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized for people 12 and older, but administering it to anyone younger than 18 usually requires parental consent, and getting shots into the arms of teenagers has proved harder than vaccinating adults. Only 33 percent of 12- to 15-year-olds and 43 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated, according to federal data, compared with 62 percent of adults.
Rice, known for its strong science curriculum, had adopted tough anti-coronavirus protocols, even as it worked to keep its campus open during the pandemic.

Mr. Leebron announced in May that all students who returned to campus for the fall semester were expected to be vaccinated. Those granted medical or religious waivers would be tested weekly.

Rice has also required face coverings indoors for students, staff and faculty, even advising faculty members to mask while lecturing.

Detailed advice included specifics on mask construction and fit. A face mask must be multilayered, fit snugly against the sides of the face and under the chin without gaps, and completely cover the nose and mouth, the university said, adding that it was preferable to have a moldable nose piece to ensure a snug fit.

Rices stringent protocols had led to a low coronavirus positivity rate even before vaccines. And Mr. Leebron announced last year that the diseases low prevalence on campus was evidence that Rice could operate safely.

A. David Paltiel, a public health expert at Yale, said the new cases at Rice were not a sign that the universitys strong mitigation plans had failed, pointing out that even places with high vaccination rates would have cases.

It will test everyones resolve when the case numbers start climbing on the dashboards, Dr. Paltiel said in an email. But lets try to focus on the outcomes that matter: total infections, hospitalizations, I.C.U. use and death. The Rice campus is likely to be among the very safest places in Houston.
While the president spoke of the heartbreak of the past week and said there would be plenty of time for criticism and second-guessing, he was defiant that leaving Afghanistan now was the right move. At one point, he referred to the Afghan people as Afghanis, a surprising lapse from someone who has visited the country multiple times over the last two decades.

This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history, said Mr. Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. The only country capable of projecting this much power, with this much precision, on the other side of the world, is the United States of America.

NATO foreign ministers also said they were working with the Taliban to make it easier for Afghans to get to the airport and vowed the allies would closely cooperate.

NATOs secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said the problem was not the availability of planes but the difficulty in filling them. The main challenge we face, he said, is ensuring that people can reach and enter Kabul airport.

The United States and Germany agreed on Friday that Ramstein Air Base in southwestern Germany will be used as a transport hub to try to bring as many people out of Afghanistan as possible.

We are in agreement with all our partners on the ground that no seat on our aircraft should remain empty, said Heiko Maas, Germanys foreign minister.

The bottleneck at the airfield threatened to set off another humanitarian crisis. Relief agencies are struggling to bring food, medicine and other urgently needed supplies into Afghanistan, according to officials.
On Friday, Mr. Biden, who had been back and forth from vacation spots at Camp David and Wilmington, Del., took questions for the first time since Afghanistan fell. He was asked about the international response to the U.S. withdrawal and how much military and intelligence officials knew ahead of time about the tenuous situation on the ground. He said he had not been criticized by an American ally for the withdrawal effort, but officials in Germany and Britain have publicly expressed alarm about how it was conducted.

What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point, with Al Qaeda gone? Mr. Biden asked in response to a question about whether American allies had been critical of the withdrawal effort. We went and did the mission. Youve known my position for a long, long time.

Mr. Bidens claim that Al Qaeda has left the country conflicts with a report from the United Nations in June, which estimated that the terrorist group still had a presence in at least 15 provinces, while the Defense Departments inspector general said in a report released on Wednesday that the Taliban continued to provide safe haven for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Scenes of chaos at the airport, which included a young infant being hoisted over a razor wire fence into the arms of American soldiers, have added to the scrutiny over Mr. Bidens defense of his decision to pull troops out. Mr. Biden said the United States had 6,000 of Americas finest fighting men and women working to restore order at the airport and get people out of the country.

Since 2002, the United States has employed Afghans to assist its troops, diplomats and aid workers. Many of those people were threatened, attacked or forced to flee their homes as a result of their work, prompting Congress in 2009 to establish a visa program specifically for those who had helped the U.S. government, as well as their immediate relatives.

The program is separate from the process typically used by those fleeing persecution or torture. About 18,000 people are in the process of applying for the visas, and those applicants have at least 53,000 relatives who would be eligible to join them. Despite a congressional mandate that the United States process the visas in nine months, thousands have faced long delays for vetting.

Responding to a question about why he had not authorized the military to expand the perimeter around the airport so more people could gain access to flights out, Mr. Biden said he did not want to open the floodgates, adding that there will be judgments made on the ground by the military commanders and I cannot second-guess those judgments. The military cannot expand the perimeter without authorization from the president.
When Nicole Kidman flew into Hong Kong to film a television series about wealthy expatriates, residents could not help noticing some of the perks at hand: a private jet, a personal driver and, most important, a pass out of mandatory quarantine.

Some of them saw a case of life imitating art, or the power of celebrity, or at least a public relations misstep amid a pandemic.

But either way, many people in the Chinese territory regarded the Australian actresss end-run around coronavirus rules  some of the strictest in the world  as a symbol of the unfairness that pervades a city known for its soaring inequalities. On Friday, the rare exemption was a point of debate on the floor of the citys legislature.

Now that you have created a precedent, does that mean that all foreign movie stars will be exempted when they fly to Hong Kong to film movies? Michael Tien, a pro-establishment lawmaker, asked Sophia Chan, the health secretary. If not, can you explain why Nicole was superior to everyone else? Even though I like her a lot.
Howard Springs, which has yet to have a Covid outbreak traced to it since it opened last year, is the new model.

If we quantify the risk of where we put people, I think Howard Springs is the lowest risk, said Peter Collignon, a physician and public health expert at the Australian National University in Canberra. Hotels are 99 percent effective, and for Australia, thats the problem  theyre not 100 percent.

That zero-tolerance attitude has kept Covid deaths far lower than in other countries, while dividing Australia. Most of the travelers I met in quarantine were from Sydney or Melbourne and were trying to get to Western Australia or Queensland, states that had shut their borders to anyone from a location with even a few dozen Covid cases. They would not let us enter and quarantine at our own cost, even when fully vaccinated.

So we had to go to the Northern Territory, the only place in Australia that would accept us. Howard Springs was what Malta had been to the British Empire  a place to let someone else deal with the problem.

And we were among the last ones in. A few days after we landed in Darwin, territory officials declared that we had exploited a loophole that would be closed. Howard Springs could no longer be used as an extended layover zone.
In Quebec, which has unique powers over immigration, it looks as though private sponsors will play no role at all. Flore Bouchon, the press secretary of the minister of immigration and international relations, said the province temporarily suspended private sponsorships by organizations, and that the deadline has passed for this year for applications from groups of two to five people. She said that the province was committed to receiving Afghans but they will be government-assisted.

Another issue is also at play. Karen Cocq, the campaign coordinator at the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, told me that already there are Afghans whose refugee claims have been refused or whose immigration status is not properly documented for other reasons. In most cases, she said, those people appear to have a legitimate claim but were rejected for arbitrary reasons, often involving paperwork. The current crisis, Ms. Cocq said, means that it is now necessary to find a way for them to remain in Canada.

Arbitrary administrative requirements and processing requirements dont adequately recognize the conditions that people find themselves in and the realities of people who are fleeing conflict and violence, she said.

Canada, of course, played a major role in NATOs 20-year war against the Taliban and in rebuilding Afghanistan, an effort that now appears to have been washed away. Its cost was terrible. Of the 40,000 members of the military who served in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2014, 158 Canadian Armed Forces members died. Other Canadian deaths included seven civilians  among them a diplomat  four aid workers, a government contractor and a journalist. Thousands of soldiers returned home with physical and mental injuries, and many of them are still recovering.

Roger Cohen, a former Opinion columnist for The Times who has rejoined the news side, has written a thoughtful analysis on how and why the mission went so wrong.

[Read: For America, and Afghanistan, the Post-9/11 Era Ends Painfully]

Trans Canada
Last year, Emergency joined the Peoples Vaccine campaign, an assembly of health and humanitarian associations and individuals lobbying to ensure that free Covid-19 vaccines are made available to all.

On the day he died, as Taliban forces advanced in Afghanistan, the Turin daily La Stampa published a front-page opinion article by Dr. Strada, who had lived in the country off and on for seven years.

We said 20 years ago that this war would be a disaster for everyone, he wrote. Today, the outcome of that aggression is under our eyes: a failure from every point of view. More than 241,000 victims and five million displaced. Afghanistan, he wrote, is a destroyed country, and those who can will try to escape and endure hell to arrive in Europe, while only arms manufacturers have benefited from the war.

David Lloyd Webber, an Emergency spokesman in Britain, said on Wednesday that Emergencys Surgical Center for War Victims in Kabul had been extraordinarily busy over the last few days.

Emergency was conceived by Dr. Strada, his wife, and friends and colleagues around the couples kitchen table in Milan in late 1993. The organizations first project was begun the next year, in Rwanda. Other projects followed, including a pediatric ward in the Central African Republic, a war surgery program in the besieged city of Misrata, Libya, and two Ebola treatment centers in Sierra Leone. Emergency also set up maternity centers, clinics and first-aid posts.

In addition, it has projects in Italy to help people on the margins, often immigrants, and it established a campaign called Nobody Left Behind to aid Italians who lost jobs or businesses because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The organization raised 48.6 million euros ($56.7 million) in 2020, mostly from individual donors, though in recent years funding from institutions and foundations has increased. From the start, Emergency has also depended on a network of volunteers, who raise money selling T-shirts, tote bags and other items in Italys piazzas and at events.
MOSCOW  President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said on Friday that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan showed that it was time for the West to end its irresponsible policy of imposing someones outside values from abroad.

Still, Mr. Putin pledged to work with the West to normalize the situation in Afghanistan and to build good neighborly relations with the country.

We know Afghanistan, we know it well, Mr. Putin said, a reference to the Soviet Unions disastrous war there in the 1980s. We saw how this country is built and how counterproductive it is to try to force unnatural forms of governance and public life upon it.

His comments came at his final news conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who will leave office after national elections in September. Ms. Merkel, who speaks Russian and has been Mr. Putins closest confidant among Western leaders, observed that Russias and Germanys political systems had drifted further apart in her 16 years in office.
In February 2020, eager to remove American troops from Afghanistan by the end of his term, President Donald J. Trump struck a deal with the Taliban: U.S. forces would leave in return for Taliban promises not to harbor terrorists and to engage in direct negotiations with the Afghan government.

Mr. Trumps secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, attended the signing ceremony in Doha and posed for a photo alongside the Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar

Some former senior Trump officials now call that agreement fatally flawed, saying it did little more than provide cover for a pullout that Mr. Trump was impatient to begin before his re-election bid. They also say it laid the groundwork for the chaos unfolding now in Kabul.

Our secretary of state signed a surrender agreement with the Taliban, Mr. Trumps second national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said of Mr. Pompeo in a podcast interview on Wednesday. This collapse goes back to the capitulation agreement of 2020. The Taliban didnt defeat us. We defeated ourselves.
More than three-quarters were low-income people and people of color, the analysis showed.

What about the eviction moratorium?

New Yorks moratorium halted evictions if tenants filed paperwork with their landlord or the court swearing that they had experienced financial difficulties during the pandemic.

But a group of landlords and the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents 25,000 landlords, sued, pointing out that the law did not allow them to challenge a tenants claim of financial hardship. They argued that tenants in some cases were abusing the moratorium, and not paying rent when they had the ability to do so.

Last week, the Supreme Court sided with the landlords and blocked that provision, effectively voiding the moratorium.

What other measures are in place to prevent evictions?

There are several, all less expansive than the state moratorium.

The Tenant Safe Harbor Act, a state law, prevents courts from evicting tenants who could not pay rent during the pandemic because of financial hardship. That law, however, does not prevent eviction cases from being filed and does not prevent evictions for reasons other than unpaid rent  and tenants must prove their claims in court.

A new federal eviction moratorium also remains in effect, covering most of New York including all of New York City, until Oct. 3, although that measure is also on shaky legal ground. There is a lot of confusion about how to implement it, and some evictions appear to be taking place around the country anyway.

Even so, tenants who owe rent from before the pandemic or who are struggling financially and continue to accrue rent debt may still be at risk of eviction, Mr. Hein said.

Why is rent relief so important?

The eviction moratorium was only meant to be a stopgap to prevent widespread homelessness and social upheaval as the government developed a permanent solution.
It does not forbid women to leave home without a male escort or bar them from working in most jobs.

How have the Taliban previously interpreted Shariah?

When the Taliban controlled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, they banned television and most musical instruments. They established a department for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice based on a Saudi model.

Restrictions on behavior, dress and movement were enforced by the morality police officers who drove around in pickup trucks, publicly humiliating and whipping women who did not adhere to their rules. In 1996, a woman in Kabul had the end of her thumb cut off for wearing nail polish, according to Amnesty International.

Women accused of adultery were stoned to death.

What might this mean for women now?

Experts have been scanning Taliban leaders recent behavior for clues as to whether their treatment of women will change.

When a senior Taliban official gave an interview to a female television journalist in Kabul this week, it was part of a broader campaign by the group to present a more moderate face to the world, and within Afghanistan.

But hours later, a prominent anchorwoman on state television said that the Taliban had suspended her and other women who worked there indefinitely.

A Taliban spokesman said that women would be allowed to work and study, and another official has said that women should participate in government  signaling a possible break with past practices.

But outside Kabul, some women have been told not to leave home without a male relative escorting them and the Taliban have prevented women from entering at least one university. They have also shut down some womens clinics and schools for girls.
Today

Becoming windy with scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 83F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Tonight

Windy early...thunderstorms likely. Isolated tornadoes possible. Low 66F. SSW winds shifting to WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 90%.

Tomorrow

A shower is possible early. Partly cloudy. High 77F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph.
After a summer of separation, students gathered together on the north side of Boone Pickens Stadium to enjoy free food and fun.
Take it from the seniors: Seniors share freshman year do's and don'ts
Georgian media recently released disturbing footage of over 500 sheep killed by a single lightning strike while grazing on a mountain pasture in Ninotsminda, southern Georgia.

According to news reports, on August 9th, Nikolay Levanov, a sheep owner from the village of Tambovka, received a distressing phone call from his sheepherder telling him that over a hundred of his sheep had been killed in a thunderstorm. What Levanov didnt know was that along with his own flock, nearly 400 other sheep had been killed by the same lightning strike. Luckily, the sheepherder himself had only been knocked unconscious by the lightning and eventually recovered.

Photo: Jnews

Shocking video footage shot at the scene of the extremely rare phenomenon shows hundreds of sheep carcasses spread over a green pasture on Mount Abul, a popular sheep grazing area in southern Georgia. Levanov and the other sheep owners have appealed to Georgian authorities for financial assistance to mitigate their losses, but the official response was that a scientific commission first had to establish the exact cause of death of the sheep.

To be honest, this is the first such case. We have not heard that a thunderstorm could kill so many sheep, the deputy mayor of Ninotsminda, Alexander Mikeladze, said. Of course, the mayors office will provide support, but first, the farmer himself must bring the opinion of experts in order to accurately determine the cause of the mass death.

On August 12, it was announced that the 550 sheep were to be burned on-site, as the difficult terrain made transporting them off the mountain impossible. Its unclear if the owners were compensated in any way.

Another similar incident occurred in 2016, in Norway, when a herd of about 300 reindeer was found dead in a remote area of the barren Hardanangervidda plateau. At the time, the lightning strike was described as one of the deadliest ever.
Rupert Murdoch unloads Knewz, the online news aggregator that shut down in July, to Dylan Howard, the American Media Inc. executive who was a key player in the National Enquirers attempts to catch and kill stories about former president Donald Trumps extramarital affairs, according to the Daily Beast. Designed as an alternative to the news aggregators of Google and Facebook, and their alleged anti-right-wing slant, Knewz was shuttered 18 months after its launch, with Murdochs News Corp saying it had failed to become profitable. Howards purchase of Knewz is the latest step in his attempt to re-establish his media career. His company has also purchased former American Media properties Radar Online and OK Magazine and is launching a Hamptons print edition of free luxury fashion magazine Grazia. Howard is represented by Howard Bragman and his LaBrea Media.

German publisher Axel Springer is in talks to pick up an ownership stake in Politico. The New York Times reports that Politico is seeking up to $1B in the potential dealfive times the $200M in revenue that the platform brings in annually. Springer is already a 50/50 partner with Politico on its European edition. The companys US holdings include Business Insider, which it obtained in 2015, and business-focused digital publisher Morning Brew. It has also recently been in talks to acquire Axios. Politico has lost several top staffers this year (including CEO Patrick Steele) and faces unionizing efforts from its employees, which the Times notes could significantly add to its costs.

Despite Tucker Carlsons ranting against the COVID vaccine, his employers at Fox News dont seem to be on the same page as he is. On Aug. 17, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott told employees in a memo obtained by CNN that the company has "asked all employeeswhether on-site as part of our essential workforce or working remotelyto upload their vaccination status" into an internal database. She also said that Fox employees are required to wear a mask in small, confined spaces with limited opportunities for social distancing and where there are multiple employees, including control rooms, but did not say that vaccines will be mandated to enter the companys offices. Requirements for people to report their vaccine status have been frequently challenged by such Fox on-air personalities as Carlson and Sean Hannity.
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Dusseldorf/Munich, August 20, 2021  Effective immediately, Joachim Rotering is a Senior Partner in Oliver Wyman's global Energy and Natural Resources practice and will also be a member of the international management team. He has 30 years' international consulting and industry experience.

As Senior Partner at strategy consultancy Oliver Wyman, he will boost the global energy division in the chemicals and process industries areas. Hailing from Hamburg, Joachim Rotering (57) will play a key role in the global further development of Oliver Wyman's client services and service portfolio. He has in-depth knowledge of transformation and growth projects, M&A deals and restructuring, and 30 years of experience as an internationally renowned industry expert consultant for clients from the chemical, energy and steel industries. The energy, chemical and steel sectors are facing major structural and strategic challenges. Joachim Rotering has the depth and breadth of international expertise required to successfully back our clients as they go through this transformation, commented Oliver Wyman Partner and Global Head of the Energy and Natural Resources practice, Francois Austin.

Prior to joining Oliver Wyman, Joachim Rotering played a key role in major transformation and change programmes, such as the ESG transformations, portfolio transformations and growth and cost transformations of leading global companies. Joachim Rotering said of his move, The combination of a clear growth path with a focus on strategic, results-oriented consulting in a global business model inspired me to take the next step in my consulting career with Oliver Wyman.

We are delighted to have gained a world-leading expert in energy and industrials in Joachim Rotering. His decades of experience in shaping successful and sustainable change processes in companies will further underscore our positioning. His excellent network of contacts in Germany, EMEA and the world will also help us to expand our role as leading strategy consultancy, said Nick Studer, CEO of the Oliver Wyman Group.

About Oliver Wyman

Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. With offices in 60 cities across 29 countries, Oliver Wyman combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, and organization transformation. The firm has more than 5,000 professionals around the world who work with clients to optimize their business, improve their operations and risk profile, and accelerate their organizational performance to seize the most attractive opportunities. Oliver Wyman is a business of Marsh McLennan [NYSE:MMC]. For more information, visit oliverwyman.com. Follow Oliver Wyman on Twitter @OliverWyman.
Pope Francis has assured his spiritual closeness to the community of Plymouth, in southwest England, where six people, including the perpetrator himself and a three-year-old girl, lost their lives last Thursday, 12 August, during a shooting which also injured others. In a telegram signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, sent to Bishop Mark OToole of Plymouth  who presided over the celebration of Vespers in memory of the victims in the citys Cathedral of St Mary and St Boniface on Tuesday evening, 17 August  the Pope commends the souls of those who died to the loving mercy of Almighty God and implores the divine gifts of healing and consolation for the wounded and for the bereaved, invoking for all the strength to renounce violence and to overcome all evil with good.

Thursdays violence marked the first mass shooting in 11 years in the UK, where gun homicide rates are among the lowest in the world.
NEW YORK (AP)  Chuck Close, a painter, photographer and printmaker best known for his monumental grid portraits and photo-based paintings of family and famous friends, has died. He was 81.

His attorney, John Silberman, said Close died Thursday at a hospital in Oceanside, New York. He did not give a cause of death.

Close, whose professional highlights include a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1973, was known for using a grid structure for the representation of an image in nearly all of his works, which he said helped him break the face down into incremental units.

Time consuming and labor intensive, he produced a plethora of paintings that dissect the human face of such luminaries as President Bill Clinton, composer Philip Glass and the artist himself.

His works have been displayed in museums, galleries and even the New York City subway.

In 2017, Close faced accusations of sexual harassment from some women who said he made inappropriate sexual comments when they had gone to his studio to potentially be models for him in prior years.

He told The New York Times that he had spoken to the women about their bodies as part of evaluating them as models, and apologized for causing any discomfort.

Close, who had been diagnosed with dementia-related conditions in 2013, also had serious mobility issues after suffering a spinal artery collapse in 1988, requiring him to use a wheelchair.

In Closes work, the pixilated images are filled with tiny abstract colored shapes, individual brushstrokes or even the artists fingerprints. When viewed from a distance, the individual marks miraculously resolve into a surprisingly realistic face, the Akron Art Museum in Ohio said in describing Closes paintings and prints for an exhibition titled Familiar Faces: Chuck Close in Ohio Collections.

Born in Monroe, Wisconsin, Close graduated from the University of Washington, Seattle, and received a MFA from Yale University.

He was married twice, both of which ended in divorce, and is survived by two daughters.
MECOSTA COUNTY  The Mecosta County Sheriffs Office responded to the following calls.

All calls may not be reported.

Wednesday, Aug. 18

 A larceny from an automobile was reported. The victim left the car doors unlocked and someone stole their wallets. Their credit card was used in a couple of places in Grand Rapids. The case is still under investigation.

 A car vs. deer accident was reported on 20 Mile Road near 80th Avenue in Chippewa Township.

 A warrant arrest was executed in the 16000 block of Myrtle Drive in Sheridan Township. The suspect was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant for failure to appear out of Walker. Walker police showed up at the Mecosta County Jail and picked up the suspect and transported her to Kent County.

 A car vs. deer accident was reported on Buchanan Road near 100th Avenue.

 A car vs. deer accident was reported on Buchanan Road near 90th Avenue.

 A woman was arrested in the 3000 block of 15 Mile Road in Sheridan Township. The woman entered the house, took items, attempted to burn the house down, all while allegedly high on meth. She was arrested for arson, breaking and entering, and possession of meth.

 Larceny from automobiles was reported at Campus Creek Apartments. A couple of vehicles were broken into and items were taken from both cars.

 A car vs. deer accident was reported on 30th Avenue near Pine Lake Road.

 A traffic stop was attempted on New Millpond Road for speeding, which lead to a pursuit where the suspect's vehicle ran through the intersection of 160th Avenue and Garfield Road. The driver then exited the vehicle and ran toward the east. Deputies apprehended the suspect within a short distance. The man was transported to Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital by EMS due to his airbag deploying and him advising that he had stuck drugs in his rectum. He was later released and lodged for operating under the influence of drugs; fleeing and eluding; resisting/obstructing; no insurance; and no license.
EMPIRE  A cooperative effort led by the Sleeping Bear Gateways Council (SBGC) is bringing federal assistance to address a critical shortage of seasonal worker housing in Leelanau and Benzie counties.

The United States Department of Agriculture on June 28 announced that SBGC has been awarded a $90,000 Rural Business Development Grant. The project will support SBGCs efforts to develop housing solutions for seasonal employees needed to serve local residents and visitors.

Local contributions from the Grand Traverse Community Foundation, Rotary Charities and SBGC bring the total project funds to $121,000, over a two-year period.

Rising real estate prices, competition from short- and long-term vacation rentals, and a general housing shortage combine to make it difficult  and sometimes impossible  for potential summer employees to rent in communities near the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Some businesses have gone so far as to purchase buildings for rental to employees. Others have been forced to cut hours or limit services because they are unable to hire enough employees.

The grant will allow SBGC to contract with a project manager to focus on types of housing to meet the needs of employers and communities, and on the transportation and financing plans required. Long-term solutions could potentially include a mix of new construction targeted to seasonal workers, expansion of work camping space, repurposing of some motel rooms, and other actions.

The manager will also work to expand SBGCs seasonal employee housing exchange, which works with employers and landlords to match employees with currently available rental space. SBGC will be considering qualified candidates for the position on Sept. 1.

Interested parties may view the Request for Proposal at sleepingbeargateways.org/swh, or contact the organization at RFP@sleepingbeargateways.org.

SBGC, formed in 2018 as a successor to the Citizens Council of the Sleeping Bear Dunes Area, initiates projects to evaluate environmental and economic impacts of the significant growth of visitors to the area. Key to this growth has been the increase in visitors to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which attracted record attendance exceeding 1.7 million visitors to the area in 2020, an increase of more than 27% over the past 10 years.

SBGCs mission is to facilitate stakeholder collaboration to enhance sustainable gateway communities and its vision is that the unique character of the gateway communities and regional natural resources remain undiminished for the benefit of its citizens, visitors, economy and environment.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  A radio journalist was shot and killed in the Mexican Gulf coast state of Veracruz Thursday, according to his station and state authorities.

Jacinto Romero Flores was gunned down in the community of Potrerillo, in the township of Ixtaczoquitlan, according to Hugo Gutierrez Maldonado, the head of Veracruz state security agency, via Twitter. Gutierrez said state police were carrying out an operation in the area following the killing.

Romero worked for Ori Stereo 99.3 FM. The station expressed its sadness for his death. The media are not the cause nor the effect of violence in the country, but we do suffer the consequences for carrying out journalism and communication, it said in a statement.

The State Commission for Attention to and Protection of Journalists condemned the killing and called on the state prosecutors office to open a full investigation, including into what role if any Romeros journalism played in his murder.

Press freedom organization Article 19 said Romero had received threats. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists said via Twitter that it had learned of and strongly condemns the murder of reporter Jacinto Romero in the state of Veracruz and urges authorities to undertake a swift, transparent and exhaustive investigation into the killing.

Veracruz has for years been one of Mexicos most deadly states for reporters. Multiple organized crime groups operate within the state and have infiltrated local and state government.

Journalists marched late Thursday in the port city of Veracruz to protest Romeros killing.

Press groups say nine journalists were killed in Mexico in 2020, making it the most dangerous country for reporters outside of war zones. Romero is at least the fifth journalist killed in Mexico this year.

Earlier this month, the Jalisco New Generation cartel publicly threatened to kill a prominent television news anchor.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  A Michigan man will go to trial on terrorism charges after allegedly threatening the life of a legislator and falsely reporting a bomb in the state Capitol.

Michael Varrone, 49, of Charlotte about 20 miles southwest of Lansing, was bound over Thursday by Lansing District Judge Kristen Simmons. He was arrested in January and could face up to 20 years in prison.
4H Midland County Small Animals President Traci Wells was excited to see the return of the small animal auction Wednesday night at the Midland County Fair.

And although the number of entries in the auction was fewer than normal, Wells said it was still a very successful auction and year.

"There were 54 entries. Our average is closer to 100," Wells explained. "But the buyers all showed up. Our buyers were amazing.

"It was a really good year for our kids."

The small animal auction was not held last year, Wells said, because 4H is under the jurisdiction of Michigan State University, which determined that it was not safe to conduct the auction amid the pandemic.

But the auction made a triumphant return this week, with rabbits, cavies (guinea pigs), ducks, turkeys, goats, and even honey being sold.

"The honey went for over $300. It was two small jars," Wells enthused.

She said that most of the buyers at the auction are business owners who are there to support the 4H youth. So, after purchasing an animal, many of the buyers will turn around and "resale" the animal, often to farm families.

In such a case, Wells explained, the 4H youth who originally sold the animal receives the proceeds from whichever of the two sales yielded the higher price. And 4H Midland County Small Animals organization receives the proceeds from the other sale, which it then uses for educational purposes.

To participate in the auction, 4H youth must be between 9 and 19 years old.

"The kids work really hard on their projects all year long and they really become attached to their animals," Wells said. "Their primary purpose (with the auction) is to create better breeding lines for better-quality show animals, or to raise money for their educational goals."
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Spencer McKee is OutThere Colorado's Director of Content and Operations. In his spare time, Spencer loves to hike, rock climb, and trail run. He's on a mission to summit all 58 of Colorado's fourteeners and has already climbed more than half.
Sammy Wade Ball Jr. was born May 16, 1966 in Bakersfield, CA. He died August 18, 2021 in Shreveport, LA. at age 55 from Covid-19. He was preceded in death by his father, Sammy Wade Ball Sr. He is survived by his wife of 27 years Angela Ball and his 3 children, Bernard, Christian, and Melissa
CHICAGO  Reaction from Chicago businesses that will be tasked with enforcing the renewed indoor mask mandate announced by the city this week ranged from relief and support to concerns about getting customers to comply after many have gone maskless for weeks.

Mary Kay Tuzi, a second-generation co-owner of Twin Anchors Restaurant & Tavern in Old Town, said shes not surprised by the mandate based on surging cases in Chicago and nationally, but worries battles with customers may be ahead.

While about half of Twin Anchors bartenders have gone back to wearing masks on the job and most servers have also, most customers do not, she said.

Hopefully word gets out and we dont have to be the people to educate everybody, she said.

Tuzi said a renewed mask edict is preferable to being forced to check for proof of vaccination at the door.

Having to check vaccine cards would have been a nightmare, she said. If this was the compromise they came up with, Id rather do it.

Her brother, Paul Tuzi, who is also a co-owner, said there may be particular customer pushback at the bar, where people have returned to crowding in together like the prepandemic days. The fact that so many people are vaccinated may also add a hurdle, he said, with some customers arguing that they dont need to wear masks because theyre vaccinated.

I can already anticipate well have arguments like that, he said.

Jewel-Osco said it would begin requiring grocery and pharmacy customers to wear a mask at all of its 37 Chicago stores on Friday. The company didnt address questions about how it would handle situations where customers walked in without a mask.

Target said it will follow all local mandates, as we have throughout the pandemic. In areas where masks are required, employees at the front of the store inform customers about local rules and offer masks to customers who enter without one or encourage them to use contactless shopping options, such as curbside pickup, the company said in a statement.

Certain retailers either never stopped requiring masks or began asking customers to mask back up before the citys mandate, including some grocery stores such as West Town grocery store Green Grocer Chicago and several shops catering to kids, who arent yet eligible for the vaccine.

Marcos Carbajal, owner of Carnitas Uruapan, which has locations in Gage Park and Pilsen, said his whole staff is vaccinated and most of his patrons still wear masks when entering the restaurant, so enforcing this mandate wont be that hard.

With things going in the direction they are going in, and with how transmissible the new variant is, this makes sense, Carbajal said. Its a small sacrifice to make, especially if we can avoid another round of capacity restrictions.

At Lift Chicago, a River North gym that offers personal training and small group classes, owner Josh Siroko said he hopes the new mask mandate will be short-lived.

People were really excited to take the masks off, so its going to be a change for everyone, everywhere, he said. Its going to be weird.

The gym has not been requiring masks for vaccinated clients, and does plan to enforce the new mandate. Siroko doesnt anticipate it will hurt business, because masks werent a deterrent to clients earlier in the pandemic, he said.

We take this all seriously, because the faster were through all this, the better it is for everyone and the better it is for businesses, he said.

Spencer Ng, second-generation owner of Triple Crown restaurant on the South Side, said he agrees with the mask mandate.

The restaurant has no outdoor seating, occupying a second floor with a view of the Chinatown Gate over Wentworth Avenue. All my employees and I still wear masks every day when were at the restaurant, he said. For us, its not too much of a change.

Masks are currently optional for vaccinated diners at the business best known for dim sum. About 70% of their diners have remained masked. Chinatown was one of the few neighborhoods where masks were not uncommon even before the pandemic.

Some places I go downtown, I dont see anybody wearing a mask, Ng said.

At Salon Envy in Lincoln Park, owner Susan Gardner implemented her own mask mandate two weeks ago, as concerns about increasing COVID-19 cases and the more transmissible delta variant began to hit home in Chicago.

With everything going on and the new variants, I just want to protect the staff and the guests, said Gardner, 51. I dont want anyone to have anything happen here.

The 15-year-old salon has 10 chairs, nine stylists and about 20 people inside at any given time throughout the day. When the mandates were lifted in June, most customers abandoned their masks during their appointments, although a few stylists kept wearing them, Gardner said.

Salon Envy did not ask customers if they were vaccinated.

Whoever wanted to be in the salon without a mask could be in without, Gardner said.

Gardner, who stopped wearing a mask herself at work this summer, had a change of heart as masks began to resurface at grocery stores and coffee shops in the wake of the delta variant surge. She decided to make them mandatory at her salon Aug. 3.

A sign was posted on the door and customers who didnt have a mask received one at the front desk. Most took the salons mandate in stride, she said.

We had one person who was not happy and refused to wear it, Gardner said. But other than that, we havent had any problems. People have actually been like, Im glad you guys are masking up again. 

Gardner said the citywide mandate is a good thing and a measure that most Chicagoans will support, as evidenced by the proliferation of mask-wearers in recent weeks. Having the city behind her will add teeth to her in-house rules, she said.

Youre going to sit in front of somebody for two hours doing their hair color and cut and youre not going to mask? Gardner said. No, I dont think so.

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CHICAGO  After years working successfully as an electrical substation operator for ComEd, Andre Burson said, he failed a marijuana drug test.

Burson said he only used cannabis after work, never on the job, but was forced to pass more tests in the months after that to prove he was clean. He said he did so, but one day, his sample was considered contaminated. He was asked to have someone watch him give a urine sample, which he said he reflexively refused. Two weeks later, records show, he was fired.

It was devastating. It still is, Burson said. My job was my life. I talked to lawyers, but nobody wants to touch it.

Bursons experience is hardly unique. Nearly 55,000 workplace drug policy violations were reported last year to the U.S. Department of Transportation alone. The pace of violations increased by 17% from June last year to the same month this year.

Part of the increase, employers say, may be due to state legalization of cannabis. The drug remains federally prohibited, and its use is not allowed by anyone with a commercial drivers license or under certain federal contracts.

While state lawmakers cant change federal law, state Rep. Bob Morgan is trying to change state law to give some wiggle room for workers being tested for pot. His proposal would prohibit workers in Illinois from getting fired solely for a low-level positive result on a marijuana test.

The intent is to categorize cannabis use on personal time the same way we treat any other substance so long as youre not impaired in the workplace, he said.

Some employers worry the change would open the gates to more widespread use of weed by workers, said Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, which represents businesses throughout the state.

The chamber didnt oppose legalization because the law included protections for employers, but this new proposal undermines those standards and would lead to more lawsuits, he said.

The controversy comes as more employers  including Amazon and the Cook County Public Defenders office  are dropping marijuana abstinence as a requirement for some jobs. The public defender previously rejected attorneys who applied for assistant public defender jobs but failed marijuana tests.

Cook County policy allows personal use of marijuana, except for safety-sensitive positions, which included assistant public defender jobs. County officials since changed that job designation to non-safety-sensitive, and the attorneys were asked to reapply.

Its archaic, said attorney Brittany Robinson, who had applied and was rejected for an assistant public defender job over marijuana use. It doesnt make any sense. Society has caught up to the reality of smoking marijuana on your own time and people dont care. But our laws unfortunately havent caught up to that. We need laws and policies that stop putting people out of a job for petty reasons.

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It should be treated like alcohol, said attorney Matt Stein, who also was rejected for an assistant public defender job for marijuana use. Theres no reason to drug test an attorney unless theres reasonable suspicion of impairment.

Since cannabis was legalized in Illinois in 2020, a cannabis drug screening is no longer required as a qualifier for employment for non-safety-sensitive positions at Cook County.

Marijuana can stay in a persons system for up to a month, according to the Mayo Clinic, so a positive test does not necessarily indicate current use.

As proposed, house bill 4116 states that an employer may not refuse to hire someone or discipline an employee for a positive drug test for THC  the main part of marijuana that gets users high  unless the level qualifies as impaired under the states driving under the influence law.

In other words, rather than having some employers rejecting workers if they have any level of THC in their systems, the law would set a minimum level of 5 nanograms per milliliter of blood, or 10 ng/ml of urine, saliva or other bodily fluid.

Fire Pritzker, Pelosi are rallying cries at State Fair Republican Day We have tremendous opportunity with redistricting to stand for our Republicans principles and win back the House, said U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, a Taylorville Republican who has been considering a run for governor.

The law states that employers may continue with preemployment and random drug-testing, with a zero-tolerance policy  yet must allow up to the driving-while-impaired limit. Exceptions will be included for federal jobs and emergency workers.

Maisch, the chamber of commerce head, worries that the wording is contradictory and confusing, and starts a slippery slope toward looser restrictions.

Perhaps one-third of employers dont make marijuana a deal-breaker for workers, but many dont want to advertise it, he said, for fear of becoming a magnet for marijuana use.

As for Burson, the fired ComEd worker, he eventually found another job with a different company, but at a fraction of the salary. He said he took pride in his work as the family bread winner, working overtime to restore power after storms. He was particularly surprised that his registration as a medical marijuana patient meant nothing when it came to his employment.

Its just not right, he said. I thought the system would protect me.

ComEd spokesman John Schoen wrote in a statement that the utilitys work can be dangerous, and the safety of the companys workers and customers is its top priority. He also noted that some workers are subject to federal rules regarding testing for drugs and alcohol.

Abiding by these rules is necessary to ensure that our employees are able to complete their work safely and return home to friends and family each day, he wrote.

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EAST ST. LOUIS  Two men from the metro-east and a third from Missouri were indicted Wednesday on charges of conspiring to steal and sell military equipment and other military property.

Jody "Joe" Stambaugh, 50, of Nashville; Gary Stambaugh,77, of Fayetteville; and Brandon Schulte, 43, of Jefferson City, Missouri, are accused of being part of a scheme to steal military uniforms, tactical robots, night vision sights, high frequency radios and other functional military equipment and resell it, according to U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft's office.

Others may be involved in the alleged conspiracy, according to a release from Weinhoeft.

Gary and Joe Stambaugh were co-owners of Stambaugh Enterprises, a scrap metal company in Mascoutah, which operated as a subcontractor on a U.S. Department of Defense contract, according to the indictment by a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court . The businesses was hired to collect and recycle scrap metal from multiple Defense Department facilities in Illinois and Missouri, including Scott Air Force Base and a Missouri National Guard facility in Jefferson City., Mo.

From January to October 2017, the indictment alleges, Joe Stambaugh provided an unnamed person identified only as "J.S." with numerous military items to be sold for profit, including LED video screens, a high frequency radio, night vision sights, an antenna system, flight helmets and an infrared thermal imager.

It's contract with the Defense Department provided that the Stambaughs destroy all military property they hauled away and prohibits them from reusing or refurbishing it for use by anybody else, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

According to the indictment, the Stambaughs submitted false certificates claiming they had destroyed equipment as mandated.

Instead, the charging documents allege, equipment was hauled back to Stambaugh Enterprises in Mascoutah and sorted through for items that could be reused for themselves or sold.

The charging documents state that the strict procedures are vital to national security because overseas terrorist groups have previously acquired U.S. combat uniforms and used them to impersonate American soldiers.

"Any theft of government property harms the taxpayers, but worse, items such as equipment and uniforms could easily fall into the wrong hands and threaten the safety of our service members," said Weinhoeft said in a statement.

Schulte was a national guardsman responsible for storing and disposing of military property at the Missouri National Guard facility in Jefferson City.

The federal indictment alleges the Stambaughs received military uniforms and other unauthorized sensitive military property from Schulte, even though Schulte allegedly knew the Stambaughs were only authorized to receive scrap metal. He conspired with the Stambaughs from 2015 through 2018 and, in 2019, lied to federal agents about his role in the crimes, the indictment alleges.

Schulte and the Stambaghs are scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 1 at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis in front if U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Beatty.

If convicted, the Stambaughs face up to 10 years in prison on each if the three counts and up to five years for conspiracy. Schulte's conspiracy count and separate charge of making false statements each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's office release.

Several federal agency's participated in the investigation. Assistant U.S.. Attorney Luke J. Weissler is prosecuting this case.

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When President Joe Biden announced last April he would withdraw the last U.S. troops from Afghanistan, he pledged to do it responsibly, deliberately and safely while that countrys U.S.-trained forces continue to fight valiantly for the freedom of the Afghan people.

Just weeks ago, Biden said the drawdown was proceeding in a secure and orderly way, rejecting any comparison with the hasty 1975 U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. He called a quick Taliban takeover of the country highly unlikely.

Now, Bidens words seem out of touch with reality as chaotic scenes in Kabul unfold on American television, illustrating the collapse of the Afghan government and the Talibans stunningly rapid takeover. Its cast a cloud over his entire administration.

The president did concede in a White House speech Monday that this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. But he insisted we planned for every contingency and strongly defended his decision to withdraw, noting 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. 

More importantly, though, he failed to explain why, despite weeks of planning meetings, his administration was so unprepared for the human, military and geopolitical disaster unfolding in Afghanistan.

While he proclaimed the buck stops with me as president, he portrayed himself as constrained by former President Donald Trumps May 1 withdrawal date and the Afghan governments pleas to slow withdrawal of Afghans with U.S. ties to avoid a panic.

The irony of the situation is that Biden, reflecting views he has held for years, made the difficult decision to implement the long overdue end of the two-decade U.S. role in Afghanistan, but he undercut the efficacy of his own action with his administrations inept management.

As Biden noted Monday, the way this unfolded underscored the fact that two decades of American support  billions in military and financial aid, plus thousands of lives  failed to give Afghans what they needed most: the will to fight for their independence.

In essence, it mirrored the similar American miscalculation in Vietnam a half century ago: the limits to U.S. nation-building abilities, no matter how good its intentions or mighty its sword.

In a more immediate sense, the events of the past week undercut the Biden administrations carefully crafted portrayal of a government that combined a return to competence and normalcy at home with a reestablished leadership role abroad.

Initial judgments about the ultimate impact of seemingly cataclysmic events often prove exaggerated. But the bipartisan congressional criticism indicated Biden, at the least, has created doubts that could fester about his overall leadership, especially in the foreign policy area that was his reputed strength.

The more immediate political impact remains to be seen. Before last weekend, polls showed strong support for Bidens decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, including a majority of Republicans.

There is plenty of blame to go around.

It was President George W. Bush who turned the widely supported, bipartisan 2001 effort to destroy Afghanistan as a terrorist haven after al-Qaida's 9/11 attacks into a nation-building effort of the sort he disdained when running for president in 2000.

"I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building, Bush said during a televised debate that fall. I think our troops ought to be used to fight and win war."

But Bush expanded the anti-terrorist campaign into an effort to create a democratic Afghanistan, and he launched a second military campaign to oust Iraqs longtime dictator, Saddam Hussein.

Later, President Barack Obama, while completing the withdrawal from Iraq that Bush began under congressional pressure, mounted a renewed effort to turn the tide in Afghanistan, over then Vice President Bidens opposition. It failed. Fighting continued, with a lower level of U.S. casualties.

Trump sharply cut U.S. troop strength and, after his peace effort stalled, announced he would withdraw the rest by May 1. Thats the decision Biden inherited, though he revised the timetable to complete the withdrawal just before next months 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that prompted the initial U.S. attack.

His hope was to celebrate on Sept. 11 both the success of the initial attacks to deter terrorism  culminating in the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden  and the ending of the ensuing U.S. mission. Now, its likely to focus as much on how ineptly he did it  and how quickly the terrorists may return.

Carl P. Leubsdorf is the former Washington bureau chief of the Dallas Morning News. Email carl.p.leubsdorf@gmail.com.

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Photo: (Photo : WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Amidst the chaos at the Kabul Airport during the Taliban takeover on August 17, a photo featuring a crying seven-month-old baby, who her parents left behind in the chaos, has gone viral on the internet.

According to reports, the photo came from a news agency and was posted on Twitter to help identify the baby's parents. It featured the child inside a blue plastic container as she was crying her heart out while people scrambled to leave the country because of the Taliban takeover.

Members of the news team on the ground said that the baby might have been separated from her mother and father because of the mad dash inside the Kabul airport. Airport authorities have already issued a missing person announcement on various platforms and social media channels.

A couple living in PD-5 #Kabul blame that their 7 Months Baby went missing from Kabul Airport yesterday during the chaos. Up to this instance they couldnt find him. @AsvakaNews trying to help them find their baby through missing announcements on social media. pic.twitter.com/TDsJEXUXAR  Asvaka -  News Agency (@AsvakaNews) August 17, 2021

Following the post, a couple came forward and claimed that they lost their baby at the airport. Local officials are trying to verify the claims and hopefully reunite the child with her parents.

Read Also: Mattel Acknowledges Mistake for Tokyo Olympic Barbies That Didn't Have Asian Representation

More Horrific Visuals in Kabul

The baby's photo is just one of several heartbreaking and horrific visuals from Kabul, including a viral video showing hundreds of locals running after a U.S. cargo plane on the tarmac. Panic, hopelessness, and desperation have gripped Kabul after the last plane flew out as the Taliban shut the airport down.

Netizens blamed the Taliban for the baby's fate, but some social media users also accused the U.S., which has allowed the situation in Afghanistan to worsen. According to reports, even the U.S. and allied troops were surprised at how the situation turned for the worst.

The American military had two weeks left to pull out of Afghanistan, but the militant group, which has been trying to take control of the country since the 1990s, seized power from the government on Tuesday. Fearing for their lives and harsher punishments, especially for the women, many Afghans tried to leave the country along with the Americans. Some died trying to climb the taxiing airplane.

Meanwhile, UNICEF acknowledged that the Taliban had asked them to pause their humanitarian operations for women and children in the region. In a statement, the foundation said that they are honoring the request for the safety of their workers, but they remain in contact with local leaders of all provinces who have expressed that they want the charity to continue its work in the country.

A spokesperson for UNICEF also said that they hope to resume work soon after learning that some schools have re-opened following the chaos. About 1,500 kids have been back to school, including 500 young girls. Health workers, including female nurses and doctors, have also been asked to report to work at the Health Commission. The spokesperson said that these are "encouraging signs."

How to Help Afghanistan

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that over 500,000 Afghans had been displaced since the conflict in the country, which started escalating in January. The humanitarian crisis has sent shockwaves across the world, but people can still send help to Afghanistan by donating to various charity groups who are still allowed on the ground, such as the Women for Women International, Afghanaid, the International Red Cross, the Save the Children Foundation, and UNICEF.

These charities will not only provide food, clothing, and medication for the displaced, but they may also provide for a plane ticket for the refugees, such as Miles4Migrants. Through donations from the public, these organizations may also help the displaced resettle and rebuild their lives in another country.

Related Article: Matthew Coleman: Friend Confirmed Dad Who Killed His Kids Believed in Conspiracy Theories
Photo: (Photo : Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Polish javelin thrower Maria Andrejczyk made her country proud after she clinched the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But, she has just won more praises for having a heart of gold after she sold her medal to help a baby who needed heart surgery.

In a post on social media, Andrejczyk wrote that she decided to sell her silver medal after hearing about Mioszek Maysa, an 8-month baby with a serious heart condition. She said she wanted to help the family as the boy's parents didn't have the money for his surgery at the Stanford University Medical Center in California.

Zabka, a popular convenience store chain, paid $125,000 for Andrejczyk's silver medal. In an interview with Eurosport Polska, Andrejczyk said that while the medal gave "enormous happiness," she wanted to pass this on to a family and their baby who needed to be happy.

Read Also: Mattel Acknowledges Mistake for Tokyo Olympic Barbies That Didn't Have Asian Representation

"This silver can save lives, instead of collecting dust in a closet," the Olympic winner said. "That is why I decided to auction it to help sick children."

In Hospice Care

Maysa is currently in hospice care in his hometown in southern Poland, but his family is due to fly him to Stanford University Medical Center for his life-saving operation. Standford didn't say when the baby will have his surgery. According to a fundraising page for Maysa, he has a heart defect that forces his blood pressure to rise, causing damage to his heart and lungs.

CNN reported that Andrejczyk's medal sale would cover half of the surgery while the fundraiser has already raised the rest of the money the family needs. Andrejczyk said that she didn't mull over her choice to sell the medal for too long because Maysa's situation was the first fundraiser she came across online, and she felt it was the right decision.

A Twist of Fate

Andrejczyk herself knows the struggle of needing a medical procedure. The athlete who lives in a small Polish village by the Lithuanian border has bone cancer and went through a lot of pain and depression before her victory at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 25-year-old javelin star said she fought for her spot in the competition like a lioness despite her physical and mental condition. She has missed out on the medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics after suffering an injury and landing in fourth place.

In 2017, the athlete had to undergo an operation on her shoulder and spent most of the year recovering and rehabilitating her body. In 2018, she was diagnosed with bone cancer but was determined to improve her health for the Tokyo Olympics.

However, Andrejczyk didn't actually lose possession of her silver medal as Zabka decided they will let the athlete keep it as her noble and selfless act moved them. The money Zabka paid for the medal will still go to the funds for Maysa, under the name of Andrejczyk.

Related Article: The Youngest Tokyo Olympics Medalist Is Only 12 Years Old
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Shalina Healthcare has been adjudged Promising Company of the Year at the just ended Ghana Pharma Awards, with its Country Director, Mr Amrit Pal Singh emerging as the Promising CEO of the Year.



The awards according to the company, would serve as a motivation in delivering the highest standard of business ethics and customer service satisfaction



Speaking on the sidelines of the awards ceremony held at the Gold Coast Kempinski Hotel in Accra, Mr Amrit Pal Singh said Shalina Healthcare will remain committed to providing innovative health care products whiles participating in both prescription and over-the-counter service delivery.



He said the company had consumer categories in a broad range of therapeutic groups, including anti-malarial, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory & nutrition.



"Shalina Healthcare is a market leader in quality pharmaceutical products at affordable price and available across Sub-Saharan Africa," he said.



"Our products are from WHO-GMP and FDA Ghana approved facilities with first-class distribution expertise," Mr Singh added.



He explained that the company's range of products includes both generic and branded generic products.



"Over the last 35 years, Shalinas reputation as a quality healthcare provider in Africa has been well accepted by the healthcare community," he emphasised.



He indicated that the company had taken new initiatives towards improvement in Healthcare access to Ghanaians in terms of geographical expansions with collaborations from various healthcare bodies such as the Ghana Medical Association and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana.



He also noted that the company had open learning centres to provide knowledge sharing platform for healthcare professionals and organizing community outreach programs across the country.



Shalina healthcare was in the forefront of giving back to the society as part of its corporate social responsibility towards Ghanaians by various initiatives including mass health checkup for various illness through a network of doctors, nurses, and volunteers which is known as the Market Clinics.



Amrit Pal Singh



Mr Amrit Pal Singh who has been the Country Director for Shalina Healthcare Ghana Limited since 2017 is a graduate in Pharmaceutical Sciences from India and an experienced Professional with a successful career spanning over 21 years in the pharmaceutical industry in India and Africa.

He is skilled in strategic planning coupled with business development and operations.



Having been in Ghana in the last 15 years, Mr Singh also holds a vast experience of the leadership positions in different pharma companies.



He believes Shalina Healthcare Ghana Limited has not only performed very well in business but also created new avenues for local employment generations by opening up the offices across all the major regional capitals across the country.



According to him, Shalina Healthcare Ghana has all the required potential and environment to be the key regional player in Pharmaceutical Industry.





Ghana Pharma Awards



The Ghana Pharma Awards recognizes excellence and provide recognition throughout the entire supply chain in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Source: Nii Martey M. Botchway









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Uganda's foreign affairs minister says the government has not yet reached a formal agreement with the US to take in refugees who have fled Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Taliban's seizure of power.



Jeje Odongo's comments came two days after Refugee Minister Esther Anyakun told the BBC that Uganda had agreed to accept at least 2,000 Afghans following a request from the US.



Addressing a parliamentary committee, Mr Odongo said discussions were continuing but no decision had yet been made.



He added that the US had approached Uganda because of its track record on hosting refugees.



More than one million refugees, most of whom fled conflicts in other parts of East Africa, live in Uganda.



On Wednesday, some members of parliament asked the government to explain why it made a commitment to take in the Afghans without consulting the legislature.



Those who support the plan say that during emergencies, Uganda, as signatory to international conventions, is under an obligation to provide support to people fleeing.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Governance Lecturer at the Central University, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah has proposed for the establishment of a National Emoluments Commission to check salary payments to public officials.



Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah made this proposal while discussing the peaceful settlement between government, the National Labour Commission and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG).



UTAG has agreed to suspend their strike action following a consultative meeting with the government and the National Labour Commission on Wednesday, August 18, 2021.



The three parties have over the weeks had a rough relationship but have finally come to terms.



In a statement signed by the Education Minister, Yaw Osei Adutwum, and the UTAG President, Prof. Charles Ofosu Marfo, the parties resolved to reach a consensus.



" . . whilst the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations in conjunction with the National Labour Commission (NLC) is taking steps to DISCONTINUE all legal processes (i.e., National Labour Commission vs. University Teachers Association of Ghana, Suit. No. IL/0116/2021) against UTAG, UTAG will also take steps to SUSPEND the on-going strike action;



"That government acknowledges the need to improve the working conditions of University Teachers and shall treat this with all the seriousness it deserves," a memorandum of agreement sighted by Peacefmonline.com read.



Addressing the issue on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Dr. Otchere-Ankrah complained about the inconsistencies in the salaries of some public officials.



He advised that the salary structure should be streamlined believing it will help resolve the labour issues in the country.



'' . . National Emoluments Commission to assess it sector by sector . . .they should look at all the parameters, risk, commitment as well as the number of working hours and so forth . . . if we don't establish a proper structure for it and we leave it like that, it will get out of hands some day," he said.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Tavona Biza, the Group CEO of Old Mutual Ghana, has in an interview after the bra Pa Retirement Salary stakeholder engagement program held in Accra advised Ghanaian youth to start thinking of retirement and life after retirement.



Speaking after the event which was themed Retiring with Confidence; how to live a fulfilled life with a retirement salary, Tavona Biza explained that, You dont start planning for retirement at the age of 50. You start planning for retirement even at the age of 18. At that age, if you come to Old Mutual, we will craft a plan for you that will ensure that by the time you get to retirement, bra Pa Retirement Salary will be there for you to enjoy. Start planning early, dont wait till you are 50.



Old Mutual, Ghanas innovative insurance company led the pack by recently launching a pioneering retirement product called With Profit Annuity dubbed bra Pa Retirement Salary to provide a guaranteed stream of income for retirees for the rest of their lives.



The bra Pa (which means good life) Retirement Salary was designed to help retirees experience all the good things they want in retirement. It helps them to enjoy a customized plan tailored towards their unique needs while helping protect what matters most to them in retirement.



To become an bra Pa Retirement Salary beneficiary, one has to be 50 years and above and invest a minimum lumpsum of GHs 20,000 upfront. In addition to the monthly salaries for individual policyholders, couples can also enjoy Joint Spousal Benefits when they take the policy together. There is also a funeral cover for all policyholders. Mrs. Boateng added.



Old Mutual is an integrated financial services provider with presence in 13 countries on the African continent. Old Mutual has 176 years of expertise in Life Insurance, Pensions, and Banking Services across Africa. In Ghana, the brand is committed to leveraging the 176 years of expertise to partner with Ghanaians to help them achieve their financial goals.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Osama bin Laden banned al Qaeda from assassinating Joe Biden because the Democrat would become an incompetent president and 'lead the US into a crisis' if jihadists were successful in killing Barack Obama.



Bin Laden made the remark in a 2010 letter that was found in a trove of documents at the Pakistan compound where he was killed by US special forces in 2011.



The document was first made public in 2012 but has been brought back to light and given new significance amid the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan that has gifted the country back to the Taliban.



Bin Laden - then-leader of al Qaeda, and the man that America went to Afghanistan to kill - penned the 48-page missive in May 2010 to an aide identified as 'Brother Shaykh Mahmud', real name Atiyah Abd al-Rahman.



In it, he discusses the need to direct resources away from terror attacks in other Muslim countries and instead focus on direct attacks against the US.



On page 36, he outlines his desire to form two hit squads - one in Pakistan and another in Afghanistan - whose job it will be to plot attacks against then-US President Barack Obama and ex-CIA director David Petraeus, should they visit either country.



Giving his reasoning for attacking Obama, he says: 'Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make Biden take over the presidency for the remainder of the term, as it is the norm over there.



'Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the US into a crisis.'



He the adds: 'As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour in this last year of the war, and killing him would alter the war's path.'



US intelligence analysts who first revealed the existence of the document to the Washington Post in 2012 said neither of the plots against Obama or Petraeus were realistic or amounted to anything.



But bin Laden's attack on Biden's abilities and his forewarning of an American 'crisis' rings truer now than it did back then.



Biden is facing mounting fury across the world for abandoning Afghans to their fate - and yesterday it emerged that his administration was warned last month that the Afghan capital would quickly fall to the Taliban after an American withdrawal.



A dozen diplomats sent a confidential memo in a dissent channel to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on July 13 that the Taliban was rapidly gaining ground and the city was vulnerable to collapse, the Wall Street Journal reported.



On July 8, President Biden said it was 'highly unlikely' the Taliban would take control of Afghanistan and denied there would be chaos in Kabul.



Read Full Story .... Dailymail.co.uk >>> :









Source: Dailymail.co.uk









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US President, Joe Biden has stated that US troops may stay in Afghanistan beyond his withdrawal deadline, vowing that no American will be left behind.



He made the statement even as armed Taliban fighters kept desperate evacuees from reaching Kabul's airport on Wednesday night and Thursday morning this week.

Biden says he wants US forces out by the end of this month, but up to 15,000 US citizens are still stranded in the country.

He also added that the turmoil in Kabul was unavoidable.



About 4,500 US troops are in temporary control of Karzai International Airport in the nation's capital, but Taliban fighters and checkpoints are allover the perimeter of the airport.



Reports say the Taliban are blocking Afghans without travel documents from going to the airport but there are worrying reports of other people going to the airport being beaten by the Taliban.



In a press conference earlier on Wednesday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was asked if the American military had the capability to rescue the stranded Americans.



"We don't have the capability to go out and collect large numbers of people," he replied.



But Biden, a Democrat, told ABC the US would stay to get all Americans out of Afghanistan, even if it meant remaining beyond the 31 August deadline for a complete withdrawal.

"If there's American citizens left, we're gonna stay to get them all out," he said.



Late on Wednesday US time, the US Federal Aviation Administration said domestic air carriers and civilian pilots would now be allowed to fly into Kabul to conduct evacuation or relief flights, as long as they had prior permission from the US Defense Department.



Asked by ABC if he would acknowledge any mistakes in the chaotic withdrawal, Biden said: "No."

He added: "The idea that somehow there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens."



Biden was also asked about images that went viral this week of Afghans falling from an American military plane as it gained altitude over Kabul.



Biden grew defensive, saying: "That was four days ago, five days ago!"









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu in the Volta Region, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has donated the contributions he received at his fathers funeral to the Battor Catholic Hospital.



The MPs father, Theophilius Brown Kisseh Okudzeto, 74 who died on June 24, was buried on Saturday, August 14, 2021, at Battor Aveyime which was attended by the Former President John Dramani Mahama among other Members of Parliament.



The former Deputy Minister of Education under the NDC administration who announce the donation on his Facebook wall after the presentation to the hospital said the donation made to the hospital was on the back of an announcement the family made during the funeral.



According to him, the donation will go a long way to help vulnerable patients in need of help.



He also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all and sundry who supported the family in their difficult moments.









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.

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The Federal Government has said it would not rest until social media is regulated, noting that nobody will survive otherwise.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, sounded the note of warning in an interview with newsmen in Washington, United States of America, USA, on Wednesday.



At the interview, he also denied reports that he sneaked out of Nigeria to meet with Twitter executives in the US, describing same as fake news.



Recall that the Federal Government suspended the microblogging and social networking platform, Twitter.



Denying the reports of a clandestine meeting with Twitter executives on Wednesday, Lai Mohammed said his official visit to the U.S. had nothing to do with the microblogging and social networking platform.



Mohammed said he was in the U.S. to meet with international media organisations and think-tanks on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buharis administration and efforts made so far in tackling insurgency, banditry and all forms of criminality.



His words: When you talk about fake news and its danger, we need to take it seriously and I am happy that the entire world is now seeing what we saw more than two years ago.



I can assure you that we will not rest until we regulate the social media, otherwise, nobody will survive it, he said.



The minister reiterated the position that the Federal Government suspended Twitter operation in the country not because it deleted the tweet by the President as being propagated in some section of the media.



He said the operation of the microblogging medium was suspended because of its persistent use of its platform for activities that were capable of undermining Nigerias corporate existence.



He also underscored the need for the organisation to register as a business entity and obtain licence from the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to carry out its activities.



Mohammed said the engagement between Twitter and the Federal Government on how to resolve the issue of the ban had reached an advanced stage.







Source: Vanguard Nigeria









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Deputy Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kamal-Deen Abdullai has applauded the government, National Labour Commission and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) for coming into agreement following weeks of industrial action by the University teachers.



A statement signed by the Education Minister, Yaw Osei Adutwum, and the UTAG President, Prof. Charles Ofosu Marfo, indicated that UTAG has agreed to suspend their strike action following several negotiations between the parties.



In respect of this, the National Labour Commission has also resolved to cancel all legal actions against the lecturers.



" . . whilst the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations in conjunction with the National Labour Commission (NLC) is taking steps to DISCONTINUE all legal processes (i.e., National Labour Commission vs. University Teachers Association of Ghana, Suit. No. IL/0116/2021) against UTAG, UTAG will also take steps to SUSPEND the on-going strike action.



"That government acknowledges the need to improve the working conditions of University Teachers and shall treat this with all the seriousness it deserves," a memorandum of agreement sighted by Peacefmonline.com read.



Making submissions on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Kamal-Deen Abdullai was happy that the parties have reached a consensus and that UTAG has called off the strike as government works to resolve the challenges confronting the University teachers.



Commending the parties over their amicalbe settlement, Kamal-Deen advised the government not to address labour issues with strong fists.



''I want to appeal to government that we should have that listening posture. Sometimes, humility is the way to go in governing the people.''



"For me, I feel that that emotion must be out. Then, secondly, taking politics out of it should also help us to be able to move," he said.



Watch video below





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Actress Empress Njamah has taken to Instagram to complain about the way things are done in Nigeria. She explained that despite leaving 3 hours earlier for the airport, she missed her flight because she was in a road block for an hour and twenty minutes.



She claimed that all roads in Abuja were blocked 'just because the President of Nigeria was passing,' thereby disrupting people's schedules.



She added that she was really upset about missing her flight and said that it's wrong that citizens have to be made to suffer in such manner.















View this post on Instagram



A post shared by E M P R E S S N J A M A H (@empressnjamah)













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says his department will accelerate the processing of the families of interpreters and others who supported Canada's mission in Afghanistan to evacuate as many approved people as possible quickly. Refugees from Afghanistan and Canadian Citizens board a bus after being processed at Pearson Airport in Toronto, Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021, after arriving indirectly from Afghanistan. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives with his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and their children, from left to right, Ella-Grace, Hadrien and Xavier, to meet with Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021.
JERSEY CITY, N.J.  The reigning FedExCup champion started his Playoffs run without a driver or 3-wood in the bag.

Dustin Johnson still shot a 1-under 70 in the first round of THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National.

Johnson noticed a crack in his driver minutes before Thursdays round. A 5-wood was the next-longest club in his bag. Fortunately, Johnson had a strong 3-wood in his car. That club was delivered to him on the second hole.

He did not have a back-up driver, however. TaylorMade shipped him some heads, though, and he was able to experiment with a new driver after finishing Thursdays round.

Driver fatigue will occur over time, of course, for these guys that are hitting so many shots, said a TaylorMade spokesman. We do regularly test all of our athletes product prior to most tournaments unless a player requests us to provide a new gamer for him. In this occasion, Dustin noticed a fine crack prior to play. He was able to switch into a strong 3-wood that he is using today.

Johnson said the tee shot on No. 7 was the scariest. Its not often that hes worried about carrying a penalty area off the tee. I was worried if I could cover the water, he said. The breeze blowing through Liberty National only exacerbated the situation, as the 3-woods higher trajectory is more greatly impacted by the wind. He was helped by the fact that rain fell on Liberty National overnight, however.

It wasnt too bad, he said. I figured out a way to shoot a decent score.
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LOUISVILLE, KY - AUGUST 17: A student is administered a test by a Wild Health nurse during a COVID-19 testing day at Brandeis Elementary School on August 17, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. Wild Health, a medical services provider, offered rapid COVID-19 testing to children at the school in response to rising numbers of positive tests in students and faculty. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear issued an executive order mandating face coverings worn in all public schools in Kentucky. In Kentucky, Lee County School District has been forced to close for three days due to a high number of COVID-19 infections. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
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USC Aikens Office of Veteran and Military Student Success awarded challenge coins Thursday, welcoming military students and veteran students to their first year at the university.

To receive a coin, students had to make a public commitment to graduate, complete a program of study, or commit to a goal within higher education. USCA Chancellor Dr. Daniel Heimmermann was awarded the first coin.

My commitment is to student success, and doing something I know military people can appreciate, walk the walk. All universities claim to be student focused and can claim to support student success, but this university is going to do it; and Im going to use my substance and the resources of my office in support of students, Heimmermann said.

Heimmermann continued to say he will make students' success a priority for faculty by incentivizing their good work and advising being mentors to students. He will also create a student success plan that will be shown by the end of the first semester.

He then handed off the first coin to the next student. Each student that received a coin was connected to the military in some way.

Its a coin that represents good work, good deeds, camaraderie, cohesion, and what a better way to welcome this group of students to this university by doing the same tradition that we have in the military by honoring them with the challenge coin? said Robert Murphy, the director of the Office of Veteran and Military Student Success.

The challenge coin has been awarded to veterans since World War I in the U.S. military, Murphy said.

Murphy said this was the inaugural ceremony of this tradition, and the office was looking for a different way to welcome students with the military tradition. A total of 45 coins were awarded.

I consider it special. Not only do I belong to a military family, but also a military family in a college aspect, knowing that I am welcomed and the coin being a physical embodiment of just how much of a brother and sisterhood the military is that it can spread throughout anything, whether just like college, job and life, said incoming freshman Adam Davis.

USCA also is in the top 100 universities ranking No. 52 in the Military Times, Best for Vets.
COLUMBIA  A Columbia area school district is asking a state ban on school mask mandates not be enforced until the state Supreme Court rules on their legality.

Richland School District Two, in suburban Columbia, is asking the state's highest court to at least temporarily block enforcement of a state law that bans mask mandates in K-12 public schools, ensuring districts don't lose state funding for requiring masks as the number of COVID-19 cases soar statewide.

The one-year ban legislators inserted into the state budget took effect July 1. It bars school districts from using state and federal funds authorized by the Legislature to impose or enforce masks. Districts have been warned that defying the law puts their funds at risk.

Richland Two and its leaders "remain steadfast in our commitment to doing all we can to keep our students and employees safe and our schools open so that our students can receive the highest quality education from face-to-face instruction," district Superintendent Baron Davis said in a statement. "We believe masks keep our students and employees safe by reducing the spread of COVID-19.

The district's Aug. 20 petition comes a day after S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson sued the city of Columbia, asking the high court to declare the capital city's mask mandate for schools  as well as any other K-12 mask mandate imposed by a city, county or school board  in violation of the law.

The state's top attorney filed the suit Aug. 19 in response to a city ordinance, passed earlier in the month, requiring masks in elementary and middle schools and day cares within the city's borders, to be enforced by money collected through local property taxes. Richland County passed a similar measure during an emergency meeting Aug. 16.

The Charleston County School District on Aug. 16  two days before the start of the school year  voted to direct district staff to require masks for students, employees and visitors while they are inside schools until Oct. 15.

Charleston City Council considered a mask mandate late on Aug. 17 for all adults and children over 2 years old in all public facilities, including public schools, private schools and daycares. But after several attempts to carve out additional exceptions for Berkeley County schools and private schools, the measure failed to get the needed two-thirds vote.

A number of private schools in the Charleston area announced mask rules well ahead of the start of the school year.

GOP legislative leaders sent Wilson a letter Aug. 6 encouraging him to sue Columbia over the mandate.

"The lawsuit does not question whether masks are effective or a good idea but is based on the importance of following state law," Wilson's office said in a statement. "Attorney General Wilson encourages everyone to wear masks when appropriate and encourages anyone who can to get the COVID vaccination. However, the General Assembly passed a budget proviso that prohibits schools or school districts from requiring masks."

Wilson contends the city doesn't have the authority to impose mask requirements on schools, as public education is the purview of state lawmakers and school boards.

Attorneys Carl Solomon and Skyler Hutto filed the injunction against House Speaker Jay Lucas, Senate President Harvey Peeler, state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman and state Treasurer Curtis Loftis on behalf of Richland Two, which has 28,500 students and 3,700 employees in 40 schools across the district.

Also on Aug. 20, the leadership of the state's public health agency joined calls for Lucas and Peeler to bring their colleagues back for a special session to overturn the ban.
IRMO  The Irmo Town Council didnt have to look too far for a new town administrator.

This week, town leaders announced Irmo Police Chief Courtney Dennis will take the job.

Dennis was among a reported 11 candidates seeking the post who have been interviewed by the town council during the past few weeks.

He will take the post held by Administrator Bob Brown, who retired in July but agreed to stay for four months to help with the transition of the new administrator.

Brown, 65, left after complaining of an unspecified hostile environment while working with the town, according to his retirement agreement. He reportedly clashed with Irmo Mayor Barry Walker Sr., a council member and former mayor have said.

Town council members are looking into that complaint and have agreed to have an outside consultant review the work environment in the town.

Brown, who spent 25 years with the town including 10 as administrator, will receive 30 weeks severance pay as well as accrued leave and sick time, according to his retirement agreement. The document included non-disparagement agreements for Brown and council members.

After getting the job, Dennis said he has always enjoyed working for Irmo, his home town. He said it will be easy to work with the team of employees who are his friends. But he said he would miss working in a law enforcement career he loved.

Its just another way to keep serving,  Dennis said in an interview after his selection.

Walker said he was happy that the town is choosing one of its own to run the town of 12,000.

Councilwoman Kathy Condom said she was very pleased with the selection, which she said was widely supported by the council. What drove the decision was that Dennis was an in-house candidate well-known by everyone close to the town, she said.

Dennis began his career with the Irmo Police Department as a reserve police officer and was hired full-time in 2002 as a patrol officer.

Since starting with the department, he has worked his way through the ranks and served in a variety of positions including K9 officer, field training officer, evidence custodian, patrol corporal and patrol sergeant, and later served as the sergeant over the criminal investigations team.

He was selected as chief in July 2020.

Final details of the contract agreement with Dennis were not disclosed. The town posted the administrator job with a pay range of $89,640-$100,000.
John Lewis, the award-winning pitmaster and restauranteur behind Lewis Barbecue and Rancho Lewis (formerly Juan Luis), which is moving into the old Workshop Space on King Street, now has another concept he's cooking up.

Lewis has turned his trailer that sits in the backyard of Lewis Barbecue and that formerly housed Juan Luis into JL's Southwest Brisket Burgers, inspired by his upbringing and the food culture in El Paso, Texas.

"I always enjoyed stopping by the roadside stands in the area where you could get delicious hot dogs and hamburgers," Lewis told The Post and Courier. "In that part of the country, hatch chiles come on just about everything and now, its my favorite ingredient to cook with."

That's why the trailer will be serving up hatch green and red chile brisket burgers, along with chile cheese hot gut sausage dogs and fire-roasted hatch chile cheese fries.

Green and red hatch chile sundaes, made from vanilla or chocolate frozen custard and topped with chiles and toasted pine nuts or buttered pecans, make the dessert menu. It's a perfect blend of sweet and heat, Lewis said.

And for the spice-averse, there's also the gringo burger with bacon and pickles or a single-scoop custard, minus the hatch chiles.

Lewis said he and partner Philip Powers started tinkering around with recipes while waiting on the Rancho Lewis venture to open this winter. He didn't want to part entirely with some Juan Luis favorites that had been so integral to the food truck since its inception.

"Of course, we had to keep the dip trio and frozen margaritas that everyone has come to love," Lewis said.

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Brisket was also a no-brainer.

"As someone who smokes a lot of meat, it was important to me to use the highest-quality beef when making the patties," Lewis said.

They're mesquite-grilled and come with a big heap of chiles and melted cheese.

"Theyre messy and delicious, just the way I like them," Lewis said.

JL's Southwest Brisket Burgers opened Aug. 18 and will keep the same hours as Lewis Barbecue: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays and Mondays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The build for Rancho Lewis over at the former Workshop space is well underway. Lewis said designer Betsy Berry has some ideas to transform the look and feel of the former multi-concept dining hall to make it suit one standalone restaurant.

He's also conducted recipe tastings with the team that have led to a mostly nailed-down menu.

If all goes according to plan, the space will be open after the holidays in early 2022. Until then, there are brisket burgers and hatch chiles aplenty from the trailer.
GEORGETOWN  A 43-year-old Georgetown man and his 35-year-old wife were arrested Aug. 19 on charges of failing to file tax returns and pay taxes and a host of other tax-related charges.

Larry A. Sypolt, owner of the now-defunct LASCO Corp., an intelligence analyst company out of Columbia, was charged with one count of failure to file a tax return and pay taxes; two counts of tax evasion; two counts of willful failure to collect, account for, and pay withholding tax; and one count of conspiracy.

Sypolt, who ran for Columbia mayor in 2013, was being held in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia on Aug. 19.

Court documents show for tax year 2017, Sypolt failed to file a South Carolina individual income tax return. Having earned $81,632 in wages and about $355,583 in income from his business, Sypolt was required to file a return based on his income, according to a statement from the Department of Revenue.

He failed to pay more than $9,800 in taxes due to the state, documents show. If convicted, Sypolt faces up to one year in prison and a fine of $10,000 for this charge.

On his 2018 state individual income tax return, Sypolt underreported his wages by $122,090 and failed to report about $697,843 in income earned from operating his business, according to warrants.

On his 2019 state individual income tax return, Sypolt inflated his business expenses and reported a loss of $474,050 in income when he actually earned about $126,696 in income from his business, according to the statement.

For the two years, he attempted to evade more than $23,500 in state income tax, the court alleges. If convicted, Sypolt faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000 per tax evasion charge.

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According to warrants, Sypolt withheld a total of $61,807 in taxes from employees' pay for tax years 2017 and 2018. He paid $13,918 of the withheld taxes to the SCDOR but diverted the rest of the funds, a total of $47,889, for personal use, the court alleges. If convicted, Sypolt faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000 per failure to collect and pay withholding tax charge.

The court also alleges that in October 2019, Sypolt conspired with his wife to deliver a false document to the SCDOR. According to the warrant, he instructed his wife to create a fraudulent W-2 on his behalf that underreported his 2018 wages and then submit the W-2 to the SCDOR. If convicted, Sypolt faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $5,000.

His wife, Jennifer L. Sypolt, was arrested Aug. 16 on one count of forgery and one count of conspiracy. As Larry Sypolt's co-conspirator, she willfully created and then submitted a fraudulent W-2 in October 2019 on behalf of her husband, according to court documents.

The W-2 reflected underreported wages, according to the statement. With the fraudulent numbers, she assisted Larry Sypolt in attempting to receive a $2,278 refund, court documents show.

Jennifer Sypolt was released from Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center with no bond. If convicted, she faces up to three years in prison and a fine at the discretion of the court for the forgery charge and up to five years in prison and a fine of $5,000 for the conspiracy charge.

Larry Sypolt has said he spent 10 years with the Richland County Sheriff's Office and five years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He ran a failed attempt for mayor of Columbia in November 2013. Media reports out of New Jersey show Sypolt was arrested in February 2020 in Atlantic City after he allegedly tried to sell an assault rifle at a casino.

Police said Sypolt was found with a handgun and a rifle in a parking garage.
GEORGETOWN  Georgetown City Council will consider an emergency ordinance at its Aug. 19 meeting requiring masks inside all city buildings.

Word about the proposed mandate came hours after Georgetown announced its city hall lobby would be closed to the public until Aug. 20 because of a COVID-19 exposure in the building.

Georgetowns previous mask mandate required masks inside businesses as well as city facilities, and expired earlier this summer when Gov. Henry McMaster ordered an immediate end to all mask mandates around South Carolina based on his emergency declaration. He lifted the declaration in June.

With several South Carolina cities and counties and universities reenacting mask mandates as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations soar again, Georgetown Mayor Brendon Barber said early Aug. 17 he had begun consulting with Georgetown first responders and medical professionals to determine if another mask mandate is necessary for the city.

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One life is one too many to lose to COVID-19, Barber said, encouraging residents to get vaccinated.

Georgetown County experienced 22 new cases Aug. 16  its worst spike since the beginning of the year.

Less than half of South Carolinians are vaccinated, and Georgetown County, like all other counties in the state, is currently experiencing high rates of transmission, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Georgetown city council meets at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at the municipal courtroom. Face coverings are strongly recommended to attend and seating will be limited, the agenda states.
GEORGETOWN  Many Georgetown County residents have been anxious for months to see an update to the county comprehensive plan, as its update deadline set by the state passed more than a year ago.

Planning commission approved 4-2 the first element of the comprehensive plan  the cultural resource element  Aug. 19 to county council, but some commissioners were confused why the element was given to them without a vision statement.

"If we can't have a discussion about getting a community vision first, then ... how are we going to later update this cultural resources element to incorporate the vision that this community comes up with for the entire comp plan?" planning commissioner Sandra Bundy asked county planning director Holly Richardson.

More than anything, though, residents and commissioners alike expressed the same concerns they have been expressing for months: what an update to the land use element will look like, and when it will come.

Residents have accused the county of not following the current land use element several times, specifically a portion that states new residential development in the Waccamaw Neck should be limited due to increasing population.

According to Census data, South Carolina's population grew by more than 11 percent in the last decade, and Georgetown County's population grew by four percent.

The county and Richardson have said several times the comprehensive plan is not a law-binding rule book, but a set of guidelines the county can look to for its future goals.

Residents also accused the county before and during the Aug. 19 planning commission meeting of not accepting public input on the comprehensive plan update, and even actively excluding it.

Richardson countered by saying public input was offered in comprehensive plan workshops last fall, and those which determined further study on the draft plan was required along with more public input, which will happen at workshops the county has planned for this fall, Richardson said.

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Bundy later accused Richardson and the planning department of slowing down the comprehensive plan update purposefully, but Richardson disagreed, citing COVID-19 and the county's data breach as reasons the update has taken longer than the county hoped.

Richardson also said before any more elements of the comprehensive plan come before planning commission, a survey will be sent to county residents to get their input on a vision like Bundy was requesting. This input along with several workshops the county plans to hold over the coming months will be used to formulate a vision for each individual element and the comprehensive plan as a whole.

The cultural resource element of the plan serves as an inventory of cultural resources in the county, Richardson said. It also serves as a guide for what facilities exist where in the county. This ensures officials can track development and ensure significant places, events or people are maintained, kept safe and honored.

"It covers things like historic resources, but not just that, also the recreational and natural resources that we have as well as classes you can take, and events and festivals," Richardson said. "It's a flavor of what Georgetown County is about and what makes Georgetown County different from other counties."

The biggest difference in this update is its user friendliness and information added related to African American heritage and ecotourism.

Richardson said previously, the document was hard to navigate and had a lot of information all from the same sources that has now been slimmed down to just include a link to the source. The county also consulted with its parks and recreation department, Richardson said, as well as local Gullah Geechee members on what specific information should be added to the guide.

The last update to this section of the comprehensive plan was in 2010, and state law says comprehensive plans must be updated at least every decade. Some municipalities, Richardson said, update their plans all together, but Georgetown has always done it one element at a time because of staffing.
GREENVILLE  The state's largest school district has updated its data tracking COVID-19 cases in the time since students and teachers returned to school, and the numbers show an increasing rate of spread as the delta variant of the coronavirus takes firm grasp.

In the time since full-time in-person learning began in the nearly 77,000-student Greenville County School District on Aug. 17, 107 students and 18 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 according to data released on the district's COVID dashboard Aug. 19. Of the student cases, 77 were not in the building during the contagious period.

On Aug. 16, a day before the first day, 99 students and 7 staff reported positive cases. Between Aug. 1 and 15, 78 students tested positive.

The district will not be releasing quarantine numbers on its COVID tracking dashboard, citing the potential for misinterpretation as the reason. Quarantine numbers will be released at the Board of Trustees meeting on Aug. 24, a school spokesman told The Post and Courier.

The policy is a departure from neighboring school districts like Pickens County and districts in Spartanburg County that report quarantine numbers along with positive cases on their online dashboards daily or weekly.

Greenville schools follow the state Department of Health and Environmental Control's updated guidelines in determining quarantine requirements.

Close contact for students, as outlined by DHEC, is within 3 feet of a COVID positive person for 15 minutes or over a 24-hour period with or without a mask.

If a student is in close contact with a COVID positive person, they will be required to quarantine for at least 10 days. DHEC did not change the close-contact guidelines for adults, which remains at 6 feet. Employee quarantines are for at least 7 days.

Students who miss school in Greenville County because of isolation or quarantine will be given makeup work and a timeline for expected completion. Absences because of isolation or quarantine will be marked as excused.

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Individuals in the district who can show proof of vaccination or proof of a positive COVID test that they have recovered from in the past 90 days will be granted either a shortened quarantine or will not have to quarantine at all.

The Pickens County School District announced in a statement on Aug. 19 that its schools would be returning to in-person learning on Aug. 23. The district moved to virtual learning 10 days after the first day on Aug. 3 after a spike in COVID-19 cases.

While masks are not required at Greenville or Pickens County schools because of a state budget proviso prohibiting a face-covering enforcement, Pickens schools spokesman Darian Byrd wrote in a statement that "masks are one of the most effective tools for reducing the spread of COVID-19."

"In the school setting, where social distancing is a challenge, masks are vital to the safety of our students and staff," Byrd wrote. "Our safety practices last year, which included the use of masks, led to being in school more than most of the schools in the Upstate of South Carolina."

The Pickens County district still "strongly recommends" that students and staff wear masks.

Since releasing its statement, the district has tracked 223 positive student cases, "almost triple the highest number of student positives in 2020-21," Byrd wrote.

"Even as we were on virtual remote learning this past week, cases in our schools and community continued to grow," he wrote.

Nathaniel Cary contributed to this reporting.
COLUMBIA  South Carolina's public health agency recommended Aug. 20 that all schools require masks indoors and urged the Legislature to return for a special session to allow that to happen.

Board members of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control became the latest officials to ask the Legislature to repeal its ban on mask mandates in K-12 schools. Following a closed-door meeting, the board directed DHEC leaders to ask House Speaker Jay Lucas and Senate President Harvey Peeler to call a special session to "provide local authority for mask mandates."

The motion came after DHEC Director Edward Simmer called mask use a must for keeping students safe and in school.

"Strictly from a public health standpoint, the best way to protect our children is to require the use of masks by everyone in the school," he said. "What the science shows is that, if we want to protect our students  and for that matter, everyone else in the school, but especially our students, and keep them in school  we should require masks."

While recognizing there are "other issues," Simmer said about the ban, DHEC's entire public health team recommends that "school districts require all individuals, to include students, staff and visitors, to wear a mask while indoors around others."

It puts Simmer and board members in conflict with their boss, Gov. Henry McMaster, who believes mask use in schools should be optional and decided by parents, not the government. While Simmer doesn't answer directly to McMaster, the Republican governor appoints every DHEC board member.

But the ban is not McMaster's. It's the Legislature's. The ban on mask mandates in K-12 public schools was inserted in the state budget and took effect as a one-year law July 1. Districts have been warned they risk losing state funding if they disregard it.

Only Lucas and Peeler can call their colleagues back for a special session. So far, the GOP leaders have been reluctant to do so. Peeler told The Post and Courier earlier this week it's impractical. There aren't enough votes to repeal the ban, he said Aug. 17, and any eventual compromise could take weeks, pushing the issue into the fall, when a special session is already planned.

But calls to return sooner are growing, and DHEC's move is significant.

Previously, DHEC recommended mask use in schools but recognized state law barred a mandate.

"DHEC recognizes mask use cannot be mandated per the SC General Assembly but is providing the following guidance for teachers, staff, and parents," reads its July 29 back-to-school guidelines.

The shift will likely increase the number of school districts defying the ban. Some school boards, including Charleston County and Richland One in downtown Columbia, have already done so.

Also on Aug. 20, Richland Two in suburban Columbia asked the state Supreme Court to block the ban's enforcement, ensuring the district doesn't lose funding by requiring masks. That board's move came a day after Attorney General Alan Wilson sued the city of Columbia for issuing its own mandate for elementary and middle schools and day cares within its borders. Wilson asked the state's high court to declare illegal all mask mandates in K-12 schools adopted by cities, counties and school boards.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 4,009 confirmed, 1,229 probable.

Total cases in S.C.: 554,415 confirmed, 127,244 probable.

Percent positive: 14.5 percent.

New deaths reported: 25 confirmed, 6 probable.

Total deaths in S.C.: 8,989 confirmed, 1,224 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled (with COVID-19 and other patients): 80.86 percent.

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S.C. residents vaccinated

In South Carolina, 54.7 percent of people who are eligible for the vaccine have received one shot, and 46.2 percent of eligible residents are considered fully vaccinated.

Hardest-hit areas

Greenville (404), Horry (300) and Charleston (298) counties saw the highest totals of newly confirmed cases.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County had 298 new cases on Aug. 20, while Berkeley had 227 and Dorchester had 153.

Deaths

DHEC releases county-level data regarding COVID-19 deaths and the ages of those who have died from the virus on Tuesdays. According to the data published on Aug 17, at least 104 people in South Carolina died from the virus Aug. 8-14, and their ages ranged from pediatric (17 and younger) to elderly (65 and older). Horry County recorded 16 COVID deaths that week  the highest number in the state. Health officials have reported that the vast majority of patients who are dying from the coronavirus at this stage of the pandemic are unvaccinated.

Hospitalizations

Of the 1,833 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Aug. 20, 461 were in the ICU and 268 were using ventilators.

Student, teacher and faculty cases

DHEC's school dashboard shows, through Aug. 18, there have been 473 probable and confirmed cases among students and employees in the state's public and charter schools since the start of the current school year.

Variants of concern

DHEC sequences a small, random sample of positive COVID-19 cases each week to determine which variants of concern (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) are circulating in the state. According to data published by the agency that is up to date through Aug. 11, 1,735 samples have been identified as variants of concern over the course of the pandemic. More than 488 of those samples have been identified as the delta variant, which health officials say is now the dominant strain in South Carolina.

What do experts say?

"Until we have a much higher vaccination rate in our schools, science shows that having all people in the school setting wear a mask is an effective, safe way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools and therefore, very importantly, keep students in school," Simmer told his board members Aug. 20. "Doing so will protect our students' health and give them the best opportunity to succeed academically and socially."

Lauren Sausser contributed reporting from Charleston.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
MYRTLE BEACH  The Myrtle Beach International Airport is looking to lease space within the airport to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, a move that has some social justice advocates upset.

Horry County Council initially approved the measure to allow ICE space within the airport on Aug. 17. A second reading and public input for the ordinance will be Sept. 7.

ICE officers already work at the airport, according to spokesman Ryan Betcher, but this proposed lease agreement would provide the agency a space in the building.

Betcher said ICE would need to clarify how it plans to use the space within the airport, but provided the following statement, ICE fulfills a federal law enforcement function related to immigration and national security.

Myrtle Beach International is not the first airport to have a relationship with ICE, as many airports across the county are participants in what the immigration agency refers to as ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.

The goal of the division is to identify, arrest and remove (immigrants) who present a danger to national security or are a risk to public safety, according to the agencys website.

ICE has come under fire in recent years from critics for its treatment of immigrants, especially children, within detention facilities.

Ashlyn Brierre, co-founder of Grand Strand Action Together, a nonprofit social justice organization, said she believes ICE shouldnt exist.

ICE was just created in like 2003, so it's not even something that has existed for a really, really long time, Brierre said. Its one of the things that I don't think we need in our society at all.

This is not the first time the county has received criticism for a partnership with ICE.

Residents complained in 2018 about a program that allows offices like the Horry Countys Sheriff Office to deputizes police officers to enforce federal immigration laws. The partnership is ongoing.
CONWAY  A pair of Horry County residents who sued local leaders over an annual $50 road fee dropped their case Aug. 18, but the S.C. Supreme Court decision it was modeled on could still have statewide ramifications no matter the lawsuit.

Residents Robert LaMaire and Crystal Goings filed a suit against the county and its council Aug. 9 suggesting the countys road fee, which funds road maintenance and the public transportation system, is unlawful. Why the residents dropped the suit was unknown Aug. 19.

Horry County officials wouldn't comment if they are actively reviewing the road fees, despite statewide county and municipal associations suggesting lawsuit or not counties throughout South Carolina need to review their road fees.

Were building a monster empire of roads, and its going to catch up with us one day, Horry County Councilmember Al Allen said during an Aug. 11 committee meeting. And with us facing the possibility of not having access to our road fund, thats kind of concerning me."

The county started placing money collected from the road fees into an escrow account while they were being sued. Spokesperson Kelly Moore declined to comment on the lawsuit.

It is unclear if that money will now become usable with the dismissal of the lawsuit.

Road fees throughout South Carolinas counties have come under scrutiny after a S.C. Supreme Court decision set legal precedent for the fees.

In June, the S.C. Supreme Court rejected two fees Greenville County placed on car and land owners, where justices determined road fees are an additional tax, not a fee and therefore not allowed under state law.

Where road fees become a problem, all comes down to the difference between a fee and a tax, said Joshua Rhodes, deputy executive director of South Carolina Association of Counties.

A fee is supposed to benefit its payer individually where a tax benefits the community because everyone is paying for it. And roads, well, are used by everyone.

At least that is the argument which decided the S.C. Supreme Courts decision.

Local governments, for obvious reasons, want to avoid calling a tax a tax, Justice John Kittredge wrote in the order dated June 30. I believe todays decision sends a clear message that the courts will not uphold taxes masquerading as service or user fees.' 

If Horry County lost access to the roughly $17 million of annual funding for its roads, it would be a large blow to a county that maintains about 1,484 miles of roads.

The impacts of losing the funding are not just at the county level as the money is divvied out to its municipalities like Myrtle Beach and Conway, which use the funding to resurface and maintain roads.

Myrtle Beach received roughly $1.1 million last year from the county, Spokesperson Mark Kruea said. While Conway received about $600,000, Spokesperson June Wood added.

Aside from its magnitude Horry is the fast-growing county in South Carolina, with its population ballooning 30 percent in the last decade going from 269,146 people to 351,029.

And with new growth, comes new roads.

Horry Countys Infrastructure and Regulation Committee, an arm of county council, adds new roads to its maintenance list often, adding roughly 17.5 miles of roads to the countys maintenance list each year.

Allen warned about increasing the long list of roads the county oversees as they face the possibility of losing their funding.

While road maintenance fees could be more problematic, other fees are likely to be OK, said Scott Slatton, Municipal Association of South Carolina director of advocacy and communications.

Rhodes explained if a county does have to remove its road fee they could charge the fee as a tax, but it would likely be a lesser revenue stream.

Since the recommendation by officials to look over fees, a few of South Carolinas counties and cities  the city of Aiken and Richland County  have publicly acknowledged they are reviewing their fees.
NORTH CHARLESTON  After more than a decade of delays, officials from Charleston County and the South Carolina Department of Transportation unveiled a new proposed route for the completion of Interstate 526.

Richard Turner, Charleston County's deputy director of public works, said in an Aug. 19 news conference that introducing the plans to the public was a benchmark moment for the Mark Clark Extension project, formally referred to as the Mark Clark Expressway project. The project would connect West Ashley to Johns Island and then James Island. The entire I-526 corridor has been in the works since the late 1960s.

The proposed route is titled Alternative G, and is essentially the same as the one proposed in 2010, when stakeholders first examined 39 alternatives. Now, 11 years later, state and county officials reaffirmed their initial decision after going through much of the same process.

"From a big picture point of view, it's the same," said Jae Mattox, SCDOT's program manager for the project. "There might be some minor design deviations that have been accommodated in the alternative today, but from my perspective, it's the same alternative."

Alternative G is proposed as a four-lane parkway including a sectioned-off, multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists. It would stretch 9.5 miles in total, including two connector roads. The route would connect I-526 and West Ashley to the James Island Connector at Folly Road.

It would begin just west of the I-526 interchange with U.S. Route 17, also known as Savannah Highway, near Citadel Mall, and end just east of the Folly Road interchange.

The proposed expressway would bridge the Stono River and neighboring marsh in two places; first at Johns Island, and then again to enter James Island. Sixty-four percent of the mainline will be elevated, helping to reduce its footprint and preserve wetlands, Mattox said. The speed limit is proposed at between 35 and 45 mph.

There will be 20 total relocations necessary as a result of the project: seven businesses and 13 residential properties. Five homes have already been acquired.

"If we know we're going to impact them, I think we're going to look at opportunities to acquire right of way," Mattox said. "Real estate costs aren't getting any cheaper, so it would be nice to go ahead and pick up some of the additional property that we need prior to construction."

The Mark Clark Extension project, a collaboration between Charleston County and SCDOT, is necessary to improve traffic and support dramatic population growth in the Lowcountry, Turner said.

While many people moved to Johns Island, for instance, most work in North Charleston and downtown Charleston, the countys employment centers, Turner said.

Its a lot of commuter traffic thats going in and out of those areas each day, he said. When I look at traffic needs, thats really the thing that sinks in to me.

By 2050, it's projected to take over two hours to travel during morning rush hour from River Road and Maybank Highway in Johns Island to Charleston International Airport if the Mark Clark Extension project is not completed. If the road does get finished, travel time would be cut to 41 minutes.

But opponents of the project have previously voiced concern over both the environmental and financial effects of the roadway.

The newly proposed Alternative G does not yet have a final price tag, Turner and Mattox said. It was last estimated in 2019, when the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank, Charleston County and SCDOT agreed again to move forward with its completion. Then, it was projected to cost between $725 million and $772 million.

Alternative G will be further refined based on public comment, and then a final price will be determined, Mattox said.

"We're not going to keep it a secret when the cost is determined," he said. "It will be released to the public. And at that point, we'll see where we're at and determine if there's ways to fund if there is a shortfall. We don't know at this point. We will find out. Time will tell."

As for the projects potential environmental effects, Mattox said more emphasis was placed on examining them while preparing the updated draft proposal than perhaps what was done in 2010.

The Aug. 19 media briefing formally kicked off a 45-day public comment period  a time frame both Mattox and Turner stressed as being essential in moving to the projects next phase.

Following the projects initial draft proposal in 2010, comments collected from the community helped bring about key changes to the routes design, Mattox said.

Those changes included the creation of Alternative G  the route proposed both in 2010 and 2021  by combining features of two other proposed alternatives. Community feedback also inspired draft planners to extend a multi-use path to the entrance of the James Island County Park.

After the comment period, a final environmental-impact statement will be prepared, hopefully by spring 2022. The official proposal will have to move through federal and state approvals before SCDOT can choose a contractor to design and build the road. If all goes according to plan, construction is expected to begin in 2024, Mattox said. It could take four years to build.

The public will likely be skeptical of the new proposal, and whether it will actually be completed this time.

After its initial unveiling in 2010, squabbles between Charleston County officials, SCDOT and the bank ensued, stalling the highway for years.

The bank voted in May 2016 to unwind the project entirely, after county officials struggled to come up with a plan to fund the roadway's growing price tag. But the three stakeholders reached an agreement in 2019 and the project moved forward. Turner remains focused on seeing it through, despite the possibility of history repeating itself.

The charge weve been given by County Council and our leadership has been to move it forward, he said. At this point  were charging forward.

Could those things creep back in? Sure. You could look at the history and say, yeah, theres a chance there. But thats not going to change our path and our charge here.

Residents looking to provide their feedback on Alternative G can visit the projects website, https://www.scdotmarkclark.com/. The period for public opinion will end Oct. 15.
After a tense start to the school year, some families are turning to virtual learning as an alternative to the in-person classroom experience.

Since Charleston-area schools opened Aug. 16, an increasing number of students have expressed interest in virtual academy programs. Both Charleston County School District and Dorchester District 2 have waitlists for virtual programs.

The interest in virtual learning largely has to do with a sense of uneasiness that has loomed over the school year since it became clear that most districts would open without mask requirements.

Even Charleston Countys requirement, which was approved by the districts board Aug. 16, has led to some confusion about whether it could be enforced.

The confusion comes as COVID-19 cases rise across the state and in the districts. Since July 1, Charleston County has reported 280 cases among students and employees, not including any positive tests from the first days of school.

As of Aug. 18, Dorchester District 2 had 200 positive cases among students and 32 cases among staff. In Berkeley County, there were 169 positive cases among students and 51 among staff as of Aug. 19.

Heres what families need to know about their options as cases continue to rise after the first week of the school year.

Is virtual learning still available in Charleston-area public schools?

Virtual learning is available for select students, but space is limited.

The S.C. state budget has a rule that prevents districts from having more than 5 percent of the total student body enrolled in virtual school. The districts will lose per-pupil funding with every virtual student over that 5 percent threshold.

Charleston County and Dorchester District 2 partnered with Low Country Virtual to start up virtual academies this year. Those programs are full and the deadline to apply passed in March, but school officials are looking at options for parents who made a last-minute decision.

Charleston has 368 students enrolled in the program, 32 of whom signed up in the past few weeks, and 673 students are enrolled in Dorchester's Virtual Academy.

Charleston Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait said the district is gauging interest in possible temporary virtual learning options for students who can't make it into the K-8 academy.

Whether those classes become an option depends on interest. Postlewait said the district would need to see high numbers of students in each grade interested before starting up a virtual classroom.

If the district has enough students in a single grade and a teacher willing to teach the classroom, then those students can be accommodated, Postlewait said.

High school students in the district have the option to enroll in virtual classes at the beginning of the school year. Since high school classes are more individualized, students can choose to take any number of online classes, including an entirely virtual schedule.

Although the deadline to apply passed in March, Dorchester 2 has opened a waitlist for its Virtual Academy, which serves students in grades 4-12.

At the moment, there arent any opportunities for Berkeley County students to enroll in virtual school. The district decided to not offer a virtual option for families concerned about the virus this year.

How do I enroll my child in virtual school?

Charleston County high school students who are interested in going virtual can enroll by meeting with their school counselor.

Families who would like to enroll their K-8 students in virtual school can do so by emailing virtualacademy@charleston.k12.sc.us or calling 843-937-6582. Dorchester District 2 families interested in the program can email DDtwoVA@dorchester2.k12.sc.us.

Postlewait said the district is creating a waitlist of families who are interested in enrolling in a virtual K-8 classroom. The district will be evaluating students based on their participation in virtual school in the past.

Students who failed to show up to virtual classes or suffered academically under virtual learning last year are discouraged from enrolling this year.

Who teaches virtual classes?

Both the Dorchester and Charleston County virtual academies are taught by local teachers.

Students who are enrolled in Charleston Countys temporary virtual options will be taught by a CCSD teacher.

Last year, teachers had to do dual-learning, which had them teach both students in person and online at the same time. The district has done away with that method, and teachers will be focused on solely virtual or in-person classes.

Will I have the option to return to in-person learning if virus numbers improve?

Students who are enrolled in the Low Country Virtual Academy options at Dorchester District 2 and in Charleston County are committed for the entire 2021-22 school year.

The same goes for high school students, who will be committed to taking the online course for the entire semester.

Students who participate in the temporary virtual option in Charleston County wont have to stick with it for the entire year, Postlewait said.

The goal of the temporary virtual classrooms will be to support students as the community and the district get through the worst of the delta variant cases. The temporary virtual option will only run for the first nine weeks of school and may be extended if virus transmission remains high, Postlewait said.

What will my students do if they are put in virtual learning due to a COVID-19 quarantine?

All three districts have strict quarantine practices for the school year. Unvaccinated students who are within 6 feet of a positive case for 15 minutes or more will be required to quarantine for at least 14 days.

Vaccinated students wont be required to quarantine unless they start to show symptoms of the virus. In Charleston County, any classroom with three or more confirmed positive cases in a span of two weeks will be put in quarantine.

Whenever any student is put in quarantine, they will be sent home with online learning materials. This situation is a little different than what the districts call virtual learning.

Those students will continue working with the same teacher they had before and in the same classes.

They also wont be considered absent while they are in quarantine. There is no risk of students being considered truant because of a quarantine.

What are some virtual school options outside the public school system?

There are other options for virtual learning if parents decide public schools doesnt work for them.

VirtualSC is a state-sponsored online program that offers courses for seventh through 12th grade students. The program is offered to any students enrolled in a public or private school, as well as home-schooled students.

For public or private students to take VirtualSC courses, they must be approved by their current school. Otherwise, students have to disenroll from their public school and start home-schooling.

More information about how to start home-schooling and enroll in the virtual program can be found at virtualsc.org.

Other tuition-free online schools include South Carolina Connections Academy, South Carolina Virtual Charter School, and the Whitmore School.
Liberty is the empty crib in our daughters nursery.

We had once believed after our vaccinations that we were free from the hardest nights worrying about pregnancy and a safe delivery in the time of COVID-19.

We felt assured, just for a moment, that we were free from fearing the misguided actions of our lawmakers and fellow citizens.

But when fatigue and fever set in for one of us on a recent evening, we began to suspect the delta variants potential to break through vaccines and infect our 6-month-old daughter.

As such, we made the only responsible decision we were free to make: to hand over our daughter to her grandparents so we could isolate.

As teachers and parents, we live in the shadow of a governor who insists that school and other mask mandates in a public health emergency infringe on the individuals liberty to choose personal responsibility.

But is it really liberty when countless parents are held hostage by the irresponsibility of others who go unmasked and unvaccinated?

A free society cannot exist when it favors the rights of some to disregard the truth and its dangerous consequences.

That is not liberty: It is the tyranny of anarchy and ignorance.

We implore our local leaders to act with wisdom so that the inalienable rights of liberty and life are secured for all citizens.

Until then, liberty will just be a corrupted ideal and the apprehension of when we will have to go through this all over again.

GREG WEBSTER

CELESTE WEBSTER

Marsh Oaks Drive

Charleston

Mace view wrong

Im highly disappointed by U.S. Rep. Nancy Maces myopic view of foreign policy, military data points and ground-truth in Afghanistan and, quite frankly, her arrogance in her Wednesday commentary.

As someone who has been in Afghanistan beginning with Task Force Dagger in Octtober 2001 with the Northern Alliance until March 2020 as an adviser, Ive had the honor to fight alongside Afghans in the Great Effort.

Weve had more than 50,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan since 1945, more than 17,000 in Italy since 1945 and more than 28,000 in South Korea.

We do this to deter aggression, which is a noble and worthy mission. And it is successful. We had 3,500 military personnel and a complement of expeditionary aircraft in Afghanistan that supported the entire range of mission requirements.

Why? Ms. Mace asked.

It was to deny terrorists sanctuary and provide breathing room for the nascent Afghan Special Forces and Air Support, another noble, worthy and successful mission.

These forces also hold off and deny Chinese dominance and exploitation.

It is this bipartisan interventionist foreign policy establishment in Washington that Ms. Mace decries that has kept the wolf from the U.S. door.

The Afghanistan campaign was doing the same noble mission as those long-standing missions in Asia and Europe.

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To deny that reality in foreign policy is to run the course of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, known for his policy of appeasement toward Adolf Hitlers Nazi Germany.

Ms. Mace hasnt paid the price of admission to tell her constituents on whom they should affix blame for this debacle.

NICK WACKYM

Barfield Drive

Summerville

Mace is right

U.S. Rep. Nancys Maces commentary on the withdrawal from Afghanistan on Wednesday is precisely the response that is needed.

Our elected leaders need to learn from the mistakes of the past and begin in earnest to deal with the numerous issues we are challenged with today. The list is long.

Stop pointing fingers and get to work. That goes for both parties.

Thank you, Rep. Mace.

ALLEN ONEAL

Stablegate Lane

Hollywood

Create carbon fee

On Aug. 9, The Post and Courier published an article on the most recent report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Authored by 234 experts and citing more than 14,000 references, the report documents unprecedented climate change, most of which is a result of carbon pollution.

If we act now, we can avoid the worst possible scenarios.

Greenhouse gas pollution would be most quickly and efficiently curbed by the placement of a fee on carbon, which could save lives, spur innovation and create well-paying American jobs.

This approach wouldnt entail additional government spending or complex regulations.

The good news is that for the first time, we have the opportunity to put a fee on carbon and seriously address climate change.

Congress is discussing the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill, which includes climate legislation.

You can support the passage of a carbon fee by using this link, citizensclimatelobby.org/house, to email and call your representative in the U.S. House.

RONALD MALCOM

River Road

Johns Island
Goose Creek, SC (29445)

Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some passing clouds. Low 71F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
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CORONAVIRUS

MCCC pushing vaccines as a way to keep everyone in school
Joe Biden spoke to the media this afternoon about Afghanistan. His talk lasted about ten minutes and he took questions for 15-20 minutes. Much of the Q&A amounted to a filibuster.

Fact-checkers can have a field day with Bidens talk, if they are so inclined. Well see if they are.

One statement that cant withstand scrutiny, and its a central one, is Bidens claim that America has no interest in remaining in Afghanistan because we went in for two reasons  to get Osama bin Laden (whose killing Biden recommended against carrying out when the opportunity arose) and to rid Afghanistan of al Qaeda  and we have accomplished both missions.

In fact, according to a U.N. report, al Qaeda is active in at least 15 Afghan provinces (and counting, would be my guess). So even if our only remaining national interest in Afghanistan were to keep al Qaeda out  and thats not our only such interest  Biden isnt telling the truth when he says this goal has been met and thus no longer justifies our presence.

Biden also promised that the U.S. will get all American citizens out of Afghanistan safely (Any American [who] wants to come home, we will get you home, he said). He added that he is working with the Taliban to make good on this promise. He thus effectively acknowledged that we will only be able to get all Americans home safely if the Taliban cooperates.

Its possible that the Taliban will cooperate, at least to the extent it has sufficient command and control to do so. The Talibans interests probably support getting all Americans out unharmed.

But Bidens own State Department understands that theres no guarantee this will happen. It has warned that the U.S. cannot ensure safe passage to those trying to make it to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

So the Biden team says one thing when the cameras are rolling and something different when they arent.

Biden also denied that our allies are criticizing his handling of the situation in Afghanistan. He said he is unaware of such criticism (which given his level of attention and alertness is possible, I suppose) and claimed that all that hes heard from allies is the exact opposite of criticism.

But even the Washington Post acknowledges that U.S. allies have complained that they were not fully consulted on the policy decision that could put their own national security interests at risk. Our allies say the presidents actions in Afghanistan are not in alignment with Bidens promises to recommit to global engagement after the Trump administration.

If Biden isnt aware of this criticism, hes asleep at the wheel. If he is, hes lying.

When we move from the question of allied criticism to the broader picture in Afghanistan, I think Biden is both asleep at the wheel and lying.

Heres the Q&A:


Reuters reports this morning, in a story billed as an EXCLUSIVE, that the FBI has concluded that there was no conspiracy or coordinated effort behind the events at the Capitol on January 6:

The FBI has found scant evidence that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result, according to four current and former law enforcement officials.

Though federal officials have arrested more than 570 alleged participants, the FBI at this point believes the violence was not centrally coordinated by far-right groups or prominent supporters of then-President Donald Trump, according to the sources, who have been either directly involved in or briefed regularly on the wide-ranging investigations.

Ninety to ninety-five percent of these are one-off cases, said a former senior law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. Then you have five percent, maybe, of these militia groups that were more closely organized. But there was no grand scheme with Roger Stone and Alex Jones and all of these people to storm the Capitol and take hostages. . . .

FBI investigators did find that cells of protesters, including followers of the far-right Oath Keepers and Proud Boys groups, had aimed to break into the Capitol. But they found no evidence that the groups had serious plans about what to do if they made it inside, the sources said. . .

But one source said there has been little, if any, recent discussion by senior Justice Department officials of filing charges such as seditious conspiracy to accuse defendants of trying to overthrow the government. They have also opted not to bring racketeering charges, often used against organized criminal gangs.

Senior officials had discussed filing such charges in the weeks after the attack, the sources said.
Earlier this week I wrote about the press release and web page on the investigation of Ilhan Omars 2009 marriage to her brother in A tale of Minnesota crime & politics. Toward the end of my post I noted Miranda Devines New York Post column on the investigation. Devine appeared for a three-minute segment on Tucker Carlson Tonight discussing her column. I wrote about it yesterday in Omars Daily Beast of burden.

Daily Beast contributing editor Justin Baragona purported to take on or take down Carlsons segment with Devine in Tucker and Guests Source to Prove Ilhan Omar Smear? An Accused Child Sex Trafficker. Baragona wrote (emphasis added, links omitted):

For years now, Omara naturalized American citizen born in Somaliahas been dogged by unproven and largely baseless rumors from the right that her ex-husband is actually her biological brother and that she married him so he could obtain American citizenship. As The Daily Beasts Will Sommer wrote back in 2019, the origin of the conspiracy centers on a single anonymous online post on an obscure Somali diaspora forum. Despite no proof surfacing to support the politically motivated smear, Carlsonwho has maligned Omar as living proof U.S. immigration laws are dangeroushas been undeterred, relentlessly promoting the conspiracy on his show and hosting anyone who will breathe more life into it. On Wednesday, he brought on New York Post columnist and Fox News contributor Miranda Devine as the latest person to make the case.

As I wrote yesterday, this is Goebbels-level propaganda consistent with the Daily Beasts approach to the case. Over the past five years we have published voluminous proof (i.e., evidence tending to support the existence of a relevant fact) of the sibling relationship between Omar and Elmi, her first legal (illegal) husband.

From the beginning, my approach to the case has been incremental. Building on my own work as well as that of Preya Samsundar and David Steinberg, the Spectators pseudonymous Cockburn  in this case, Dominic Green  examined the proof in the June 2019 column Ilhan Omar lawyer: two marriages hard to explain. Green is an eminent professional historian and now the editor of Spectator World. He knows how to review and assess evidence. That is what he did in the linked column.

Britains widely read Daily Mail also did its thing on the question whether the man Ilhan Omar married in 2009 is her brother. The story by Ross Ibbetson appeared under the headline Does this photo prove Trump tormentors second marriage was a sham? Far-left Ilhan Omar is pictured with her first husband AND her second husband  as Trump accuses him of being her BROTHER and he posts from a beach. As a bonus, the Daily Mail republished the Cockburns Spectator column. Like Cockburn, the Daily Mail compiled available documentary, photographic and social media evidence for the readers consideration (i.e., proof).

Around the same time we published David Steinberg: Tying up loose thread in the curious case. It is a post full of evidence that Steinberg has compiled in the course of his dogged work on the case.

Baragona cites Will Sommers 2019 Daily Beast column on the case. I wrote about Sommers column in Daily Mail versus Daily Beast and in Stand by your sham: Fact-check edition. Sommers column is hilariously bad. Sommer was unable even to get the year of Rathergate right; he located it in 2000 rather than 2004.

This is an error I pointed out to Sommer that he has silently corrected. Sommers link to the wrong Star Tribune story on a point he makes still stands. In any event, the point doesnt follow from the story Sommer meant to link. He doesnt understand the problem.

These errors are illustrative of the shoddy quality of his column at the most basic level, but they are the least of it. Like Baragonas story, Sommers column is a pathetic specimen. Sommer started with the conclusion that the question whether Omar married her brother is a smear that crawled out of the fever swamp and wrote a story to fit. Most of what didnt fit Sommer missed, misunderstood, ignored, or overlooked.

To take just one example, Sommer overlooked the Star Tribunes participation in the smear campaign along with Omars regurgitation of her stock nonresponse and imputation of bigotry to the paper that has treated her almost entirely like a hometown hero. Sommer must have overlooked it because it belied the thesis that we are mired in the fever swamp.

When Sommer arrived at a datapoint that he could not overlook or absorb into his fever swamp thesis, Sommer wrote: In 2012, Omar was reunited with Hirsi and had another child with him, but did not legally marry him. In 2014 and 2015, Omar and Hirsi filed joint tax returns together, even though she was still married to Elmi. Sommer commented: the political significance of this history is confusing, and moved on.

Anyone who has followed the story knows that we now have documentary evidence, social media posts, the campaign finance board investigative file, and Omars own comments to take into account. Baragona to the contrary notwithstanding, this is what is known as proof. Baragonas story is itself proof that the Daily Beast is something other than it purports to be.

NOTE: I wrote Sommer about his story at the time:

Will: I have read your Daily Beast Omar piece. I think your concern for accuracy is well reflected in your assertion that Power Line became briefly famous in the 2000 election for discrediting forged documents on George W. Bushs National Guard service. I wont comment on your gibe that we were briefly famous long ago, to borrow the Dylan phrase, but we have survived, and it was the 2004 campaign. Its easy to make a mistake like that when youre in a hurry. However I think you willfully misrepresent the facts. You assert that in my original August 2016 Power Line post on Omar I speculated she had married her brother. I dont think that is either fair or accurate. I dispute it. As you know, but do not tell your readers, I called and wrote the Omar campaign to ask whether Elmi was her brother. I received an insulting nonresponse response from a criminal defense attorney, which I quoted verbatim. (My further questions for Omar, sent to the attorney as she had directed, went with no response at all.) You do not link to my post, note my inquiry to the Omar campaign, or refer to Omars insulting nonresponse response. Why?

My original Power Line post, referred to above, is Ilhan Omar: Her back pages. Sommer responded to my email: Hey Scott, in terms of the speculation stuff  you were absolutely speculating. So Im happy with that. On the contrary, however, I drew a reasonable inference from the attorneys nonresponse response to my inquiry. The reasonableness of my inference has been borne out many times over since then. The inference was something other than pure speculation, but this is a subtlety far beyond the world of the Daily Beast.
Joe Biden and Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chief of staffs, claim that no one anticipated the Taliban would quickly take over Afghanistan when the U.S. pulled out. Secretary of State Blinken says the Talibans takeover happened more quickly than we anticipated.

But The Wall Street Journal reports that 23 State Department officials serving at the embassy in Kabul sent an internal memo to Blinken last month warning of the potential collapse of Kabul soon after the August 31 troop withdrawal deadline. Thats a far bleaker picture than the one Team Biden painted for us and planned for.

So Biden and Milley arent telling the truth. Nearly two dozen U.S. officials anticipated what Biden and Milley say no one did, and what Blinken says we didnt.

The cable was sent via the State Departments confidential dissent channel. It warned of rapid territorial gains by the Taliban and the subsequent collapse of Afghan security forces. Which, of course, is what occurred.

The cable also offered recommendations on ways to mitigate the crisis and speed up an evacuation, according to the Journals sources. One recommendation was to begin registering and collecting the personal data of Afghan interpreters and other allies who qualify for special immigrant visas to leave the country. Another was to begin evacuation flights no later than August 1.

Were these recommendations adopted? Were others that the diplomats proposed?

I dont know, but well find out. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has already asked Blinken to appear to discuss the administrations planning for the withdrawal.

State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to address the cable in question. However, he did say that Blinken reads every dissent and value[s] constructive internal dissent. So at least we know that Blinken saw the grim predictions of the 23 officials, who were certainly in a position to know the state of play in Afghanistan.

But Blinken didnt value their dissent enough to heed their warnings. Why didnt Blinken take the views of his own diplomats on the ground more seriously?

I dont know, but Blinken will soon have the opportunity to say. As noted, hes been asked to appear before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to explain.

Milley and Blinken should be fired, but Biden will be hard pressed to sack them as long as he keeps saying that nothing really went wrong in connection with our withdrawal from Afghanistan or, alternatively, that whatever went wrong was the fault of Donald Trump and the Afghans.

However, if the Taliban kills Americans or takes hostages, the pressure on Biden to sack some high level members of his team may well become irresistible. Unfortunately, there will be no sacking of Biden.
Ammo Grrrll calls on us for SMALL, POINTLESS REBELLIONS. She writes:

One time in my comedy career, I had to entertain at a Jewish Sisterhood lunch (akin to the Christian Ladies Aid). Two minutes before I was to go on, the Rabbi got up and made a lengthy, tearful announcement of the sudden and unexpected death of a beloved parishioner. When he had finally quieted the keening, semi-hysterical room, he then said, And now, our comedian, Susan Vass. You can imagine how well that went.

Trying to be funny in light of a retreat from Afghanistan as hideously organized as the 1212 Childrens Crusade with similar disastrous results is beyond my meager abilities. But I will continue my clarion call to fighting back in ways big and small, describing a few of my own small, pointless rebellions for inspiration. Or were they really pointless? Read on.

I have no idea why so many people comply so readily with whatever is cool, popular or even mandated from something as silly as fad toys like pet rocks, as trivial as hairstyles and skirt lengths, to something as important as ideas about liberty and justice.

One of the many things that attracted Max and me to each other was a mutual heavy distrust of the madding crowd and DNA-level rebellion against what we considered irrational and unreasoning authority. Even as a young teenager (which was when we got television), the scariest scenes in my beloved Westerns were not gun battles, but the scene where a drunken mob tries to get the sheriff to hand over a prisoner for lynching.

We arent idiots. We know some enterprises demand a top-down decision-making apparatus and a distinct absence of participatory democracy. Parenting and the military come to mind. Occasionally as a kid I would read some parenting magazine that would advise family councils to vote on important family issues. I thought that was hilarious in the context of my EXTREMELY patriarchal family.

But if anything would have made me feel unsafe (to use the all-purpose scare word nowadays), it would have been the thought that my parents were not in charge.

Especially appalling to me is the will to tell others what to do which infests our current political climate like bedbugs in cheap urban hotels. Outside of the relentless and thankless task all married women face of perfecting a husband I have zero interest in bossing anybody around. I am particularly unsuited for any kind of management position and, in fact, was born to be self-employed and asked to become so on numerous occasions.

Nevertheless, I seem to have been cursed with a Rebellion Gene. As for Max, well, his Israeli relatives refer to the default attitude of one of his first cousins as breaking down the open door, or, contrariness for its own sake.

When a Rebellion Gene is paired with a Devotion to Logic Gene the results can be as disastrous as they are predictable. Once in 9th Grade, my Civics teacher, Mr. S., a very large Marine turned teacher, was displeased with my talking with my neighbor and told me he wanted a 15-page paper by tomorrow. I purchased one of the teeniest spiral notebooks I could find and wrote on a Civics subject I no longer recall until it filled 15 of the tiny pages.

Any Marines reading this can only imagine how amusing and clever Mr. S. found that. Or how well my argument went that I had fulfilled the obligation because he never specified what size of pages he meant. I spent the next week in a study hall muttering It WAS 15 pages

Next up was a marginally more successful rebellion when my freshman year college dorm had the rule that young ladies had to wear dresses and high heels to Sunday dinner. Thats what it said in the Handbook, all you lawyers out there, HIGH HEELS. So, I broke the heels off a pair of ancient shoes, duct-taped them onto my bare feet and went through the lunch line until the dorm matron  who was Nurse Ratcheds more humor-impaired sister  saw me and ordered me to leave the dining room.

I showed her in the Handbook that it did not say high heeled SHOES, but simply high heels. She was no Marine and I just stayed there until I finished my Roast Beef Au Jus. I was curtly informed that a letter was going into my file. To the best of my knowledge, it joined the ream from high school and is still there and will count against me at the Pearly Gates. For the life of me, I cannot recall WHY I did it. Just the dang Gene. It does not shed any glory upon me. Onward we go into early adulthood. This one REALLY frosted my cupcake and I wasnt even trying to be difficult.

The year was 1972 and we lived in San Francisco. I decided that I was going to swim daily at the community pool near our flat. Let me emphasize that  in a rare fit of conforming  I had chopped off all my long, pretty hair to go for the Joan of Arc look that all the cool feminists in my leftist cult were adopting. I regret it to this day, but it figures into the rest of the story. The sign in the community pool said I had to take a shower before entering the pool. I did, even though I had bathed that morning. I had just begun to do laps when the pool monitor pointed out that there was another sign that said, Women and girls must wear bathing caps.

Swimming in the lane next to me was a young man with hair down to his patootie. I politely agreed that I understood why long hair was a problem in the pool filter system but said that I did not HAVE long hair  HE did. She said, But the rule is for women. I explained that it was a stupid, sexist, illogical rule and should apply to long hair without regard to gender, that I did not have long hair, and would not get out of the pool. Sadly, this was about 50 years before I could have just said that I IDENTIFIED as a male, and no problemo.

I told her she could call the Police if she liked but that I would be finishing my laps. And do you know how she defeated me? She was a black woman and she started crying and said she would lose her job. And so this white lady whose DNA was racist according to Barack Hussein Obama got out of the pool, went home and never swam there again.

Lastly  some have a long learning curve  our stupid HOA told me that the little wooden burro my beloved yard guy, Enrique, had made me as a gift could not reside in the front yard. After I began my This is AMERICA! speech to the Paranoid Texan Next Door, he informed me that he had had a months-long dispute with the HOA over the shade of grey of his fence and he ultimately lost. So what youre telling me, I said, is that you fought the law and the law won? (Bonus joke from Enrique, the yard guy: How many Mexicans does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Only Juan.)

These examples barely even count as tilting at windmills but they helped prepare me for a life as a crank and contrarian. As minor as they were, they were kind of moral calisthenics to make me stronger for things that really counted, like Civil Rights, protecting First and Second Amendment Rights, or, even, standing alone on a stage doing standup.

No wonder I loved the late, great Tom Pettys I Wont Back Down. You can stand me up at the Gates of Hell, but I wont back down. (Unless a black woman cries) Right now in our beloved country we need a Lollapalooza-sized crowd at the Gates of Hell. Maybe all my Small, Pointless Rebellions were practice for more urgent and important battles against those who would dictate to liberty-loving Americans how to live every minute of our lives. Remember that old typing exercise? Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country? It is. And, by the way, we women always knew men included us.
As John noted earlier tonight, the Biden administration has told our allies that America is back. Does this mean that it was some imposter nation that destroyed the ISIS caliphate, took out the Iranian terrorist Soleimani, helped broker peace deals between Israel and important Arab states, and supplied Ukraine lethal aid with which to defend itself against Russia?

I suppose this is all ancient history now. But whats happening in Afghanistan, now that America is back, is current history. And one thing happening there is that our allies have citizens trapped due to Bidens pullout.

So is Bidens allegedly resurgent America going to get them out? We should. After all, these allies all committed personnel to a perilous land to help America fight the forces that conspired to attack America. And they stood with us as our approach to the war zigged and zagged and the nature of the mission seemed to evolve.

Now, allied personnel are at the mercy of the Taliban because Joe Biden decided to pull U.S. troops out and badly miscalculated what the consequences of his pullout would be.

Yet, top U.S. officials are (in the words of the Washington Post) evasive on the question of what America will do to help evacuate allied personnel whom we promised to assist, but who are being stopped at Taliban checkpoints. The Pentagon says its committed to staying in Afghanistan as long as there are American citizens left there. However, according to the Post, it has not committed to evacuating all of our allies.

The Post reports that some former U.S. officials consider this unwillingness to commit to evacuate our allies a moral failing. Is that overstating things? I dont think so.

In any case, that unwillingness, and indeed this entire Afghanistan fiasco, contradict Bidens claim to our allies that America is back as a steady, reliable partner. The whole business smacks of America first in the worst sense  a fact that isnt going unnoticed by our key allies.

Bidens claim that America is back rings utterly false unless he means that were back to the harrowing Jimmy Carter years.
To my knowledge, Cacklin Kamala Harris hasnt been seen since the Afghanistan crisis exploded. This silence contrasts with her attitude in April, when she suggested that she shared responsibility for Joe Bidens Afghan policy, since she was the last person in the room when Biden made the decision to withdraw.

So, where is Kamala? Preparing to depart on a trip to Singapore and Vietnam:

Harris is due in Singapore on Sunday. She will be the first U.S. vice president to visit Vietnam and arrives in the country on Tuesday and departs next Thursday.

What message will she bring? At the beginning of this month, before the debacle in Kabul, she was arrogant:

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to travel to Singapore and Vietnam later this month, becoming the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit Asia so far. Her trip will build on the Biden-Harris Administrations message to the world: America is back, her office said in a statement.

Ive never understood that theme. Was America somehow away during the four years of the Trump administration, some of the best years this country has ever experienced? Maybe she means the swamp is back. In any event, her speechwriters will have to tweak that message in light of recent events.

Harris cant pretend to ignore the fiasco in Afghanistan:

The [senior White House] official on Thursday said Harris would continue to work on issues tied to Afghanistan while on her Asia trip. Its been an overwhelming focus and priority of the whole team including the vice president. And she will continue to work on those issues, and be in constant contact with Washington and her colleagues during this trip, the official said.

If Harris has had an overwhelming focus on Afghanistan over the past weeks, and has worked on issues relating to that country, her contributions have been kept quiet so far. I suppose that will change when she gets to Asia; she cant possibly avoid answering questions about Afghanistan from local reporters. Can she?

We will soon find out.
The former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, said at a book launch Thursday that Nigerias unity, like any other relationship, is negotiable.

The perennial presidential hopeful said this at the launch of a book, Remaking Nigeria: sixty years, sixty voices.

Edited by Chido Onumah and published by Premium Times Books, the book, a compendium of sixty essays written by sixty different authors from different sectors, dived into the various aspects of Nigerias existence, while also questioning the values the country has passed through since independence.

Speaking as the chairman of the event  during which he launched the book for N2 million  Mr Abubakar said it was amusing to hear people declare Nigerias unity as fixed, yet they do everything to destroy the (nations) fragile unity.

He spoke amidst the rise in the rate of insecurity in the country, one that has bred secessionist sentiments and agitations in some parts of the country.

The agitations are further fuelled by the perception of marginalisation in some parts of the country.

Although, some leaders of the country including President Muhammadu Buhari and recently, former head of state, Ibrahim Babangida, have said Nigerias unity cannot be debated, Mr Abubakar appears to disagree.

When we start developing with what we have, more of our people will want to identify with the country, love the country and commit their lives to the country. When that happens, especially with fairness and justice, nation-building accelerates, however imperfectly, Mr Abubakar said.

This is why I find it amusing when people declare Nigerias unity as fixed and non-negotiable, while doing everything in their power to destroy that fragile unity. Nothing in the relationships among peoples is fixed for eternity.

You cannot declare your marriage as non-negotiable, while doing everything to sow seeds of discord in that same marriage. Countries can be created by force. You can whip groups of people into forming a country but you cannot whip them into forming a nation.

Nations are built through conscious or even unconscious agreement by peoples who believe that being together is, on balance, more beneficial than being apart.

Book launch

The editor of the book, Chido Onumah, said the book was a product of eleven years of planning initially conceived in 2010, during the countrys 50th year of independence, but it was published after its third missionary journey.

He said the focus was to foster national dialogue towards a viable union.

There are Nigerians who think one option open to the country is a revolution; there are those who say the problem of Nigeria is leadership and that if we get our leadership recruitment process right, every other thing will fall in place; yet, there are others who think the fundamentals of nationhood are flawed and nothing will work if we dont fix it.

This book is the product of discussion on what needs to be done to rescue Nigeria. The aim is to give an opportunity to young Nigerians  the critical change agents  to help the country understand and sharpen its focus on those issues that hold the key to our collective survival as a people.

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The essays that make up (the book) critically examine Nigerias social, economic, and political situation and explore the options open to us, suggest solutions and how to actualise them. They take a critical look at the countrys democratic experiment since independence in 1960, where the country is today and some of the major issues that have dogged the countrys march to genuine democracy and nationhood, he noted.

Also speaking at the event was the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, who said every nation strives towards getting better, and Nigeria cannot be an exception.

He said it was important to do everything possible in remaking, as the title of the book goes, without unmaking Nigeria. This he said was possible by upholding the line in the second stanza of the national anthem which says to build a nation where peace and justice reign.

For us as a people, our focus should be about how we can reinvent our nation, work for the prosperity of our people and ensure peace and prosperity, Mr Fayemi, who doubles as the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, said in his address.

Indeed few people will disagree with the view that there is a significant gap between our potential for greatness as a country and the reality of where we are now.

It is therefore a great duty for all of us, to continue to seek every opportunity to make the dream of a great nation come to pass, he said.

The launch also featured a panel discussion where some of the articles in the book as they relate with the Nigerian reality were discussed.

The discussants were consistent with their calls for redefining Nigeria through systemic and deliberate change in the attitude of Nigerians toward their country.

They panellists included Amina Salihu, Tope Fasua, Dike Chukwumerije, Chris Ngwodo, Mojeed Dahiru and Ahmadu Shehu.

Also present at the event were Mahmud Jega, the Editor-in-chief of 21st Century Chronicle who reviewed the book; Nkoyo Toyo, Nigerias former ambassador to Ethiopia and the permanent representative to the African Union.

Others were Alero Ayida-Otobo, the CEO of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG), and Pius Anyim, former senate president and secretary to the government of the federation as well as other authors in the book.
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A young woman who was killed by a stray bullet, allegedly fired by the police, has been buried in Lagos.

Jumoke Oyeleke, 25, was hit by a bullet after police fired shots to disperse agitators during the Yoruba nation rally on July 3.

She was laid to rest Friday at the Atan Cemetery in the Yaba area of Lagos at 12 p.m.

This newspaper reported how the deceased, who was not part of the rally, was hit by a stray bullet after police officers began firing guns and tear gas canisters into the air in an attempt to disperse the peaceful rally at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota.

But the police denied responsibility for her death, saying its officers never fired a single live bullet at the rally.

The family and sympathisers had in July held a candlelight procession in her honour.

In the procession held at a hotel, the deceaseds three siblings, who were in tears, described her as the financial backbone of the family.

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, ordered an investigation into the death of the deceased sales lady.

At the second sitting of the coronary inquest held at a Magistrate Court in Ogba, Ifeoluwa Oyeleke, the deceaseds mother and boss, served as one of the witnesses.

The mother told the chief magistrate, M.K.O Fadeyi, that she learnt of her daughters death while going home in a bus.

While rushing back after the call, that same day, I was coming from Ikeja, I overheard passengers saying an innocent lady in her shop was gunned down by the police. I never knew it was my daughter, she said.

The sitting was adjourned to September 6.

Justice

On Friday, the deceaseds uncle, Afolabi Wasiu, told journalists that Mrs Oyeleke could not come to the cemetery because she is not feeling happy right now. We cannot bring her here in that state.

He mentioned that the culprit has not been identified and apprehended.

But we want justice regarding her death. We want to know who shot the gun, he added.

September would have been her birthday celebration and she had a lot of plans for her sibling.
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Emboldened by a recent judgement of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, signed into law a bill which authorises the Rivers State Government to henceforth collect Value Added Tax (VAT) in the state.

Besides VAT, the court had ruled that Rivers State Government, and not the agent of the Federal Government  the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)  was authorised by the Nigerian Constitution to collect personal income tax in the state.

It may be too early to draw conclusion on the implications of this development, as FIRS has appealed the judgement.

But clearly the move by the Rivers State Government would heighten the debate on Nigerias contentious federal system of government and the agitations for the restructuring of the federation.

VAT yields billions of naira as revenue for the government, and significantly so with the recent decline in oil revenue because of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

About N651.77billion, for instance, was generated as VAT in the first half of 2020, an 8.45 per cent increase when compared with half-year 2019.

The Nigerian government in February 2020 increased the VAT rate from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent, while it had anticipated a deficit of N2.18trillion ($6 billion) for the 2020 budget.

Strangulated

Governor Wike at the signing of the bill into law said the federal government had been perpetuating illegality through VAT collection by FIRS, and that the various states in Nigeria have been strangulated financially and reduced to beggars.

States have been turned to beggars. Hardly will any day pass that you wont see one state or the other going to Abuja to beg for one fund or the other, the governor said, according to a statement from his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri.

In this (Rivers) state, we awarded contracts to companies and within the last month we paid over N30 billion to the contractors and 7.5% will now be deducted from that and to be given to FIRS.

Now, look at 7.5% of N30 billion of contracts we awarded to companies in Rivers State, you will be talking about almost N3 billion only from that source. Now, at the end of the month, (the) Rivers State government has never received more than N2 billion from VAT.

So, I have contributed more through the award of contract and you are giving me less. Whats the justification for it?

Mr Wike said with the Petroleum Industry Bill that has just been signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation would now be unbundled and that means less remittance to the Federation Account and states having to look inwards on how to survive.

The governor also signed into law a bill prohibiting open grazing of cattle in the state.
The minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, has sought the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari to meet the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association, Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Association of Medical Doctors in the Academics and the striking National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), among other concerned parties, in a bid to resolve the lingering labour conflicts in the nations health sector.

The minister, who disclosed this on Thursday, shortly after meeting with the president, said the meeting is scheduled to hold 2 p.m. on Friday.

Similar meetings in the past ended in stalemates after the doctors accused the government of insincerity.

However, the new move is coming after failed attempts to seek a court order to compel the striking members of NARD back to work after all entreaties failed.

Legal battles

The labour ministry, on behalf of the federal government, had earlier approached the National Industrial Court at the Federal Capital Territory to seek an order declaring the strike illegal. But following the failure of the parties involved in the matter to appear before the court, hearing on the matter was adjourned till September 15.

However, in another surprising move, a non-governmental organisation, Rights for All International, also approached the same court with an ex parte application to restrain the striking doctors from continuing the industrial action.

PREMIUM TIMES, however, reported on Thursday that John Targema, the presiding judge in the matter, rejected the application, saying issuing a restraining order against the doctors to stop the strike without hearing them would be in breach of their right to fair hearing.

Scheduled meeting

Addressing the media at the state house on Thursday, the minister said his meeting with Mr Buhari was to brief the latter on the efforts made so far to address the lingering crisis.

He said; The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), came over on the prompting of the Medical Elders Council Forum; that is, experienced senior doctors, former government officials who are doctors, and we started dialogue two days ago.

So, we are continuing the dialogue tomorrow (Friday). At least, they are expected to bring to the discussion, the sub associations of NMA, including the resident doctors, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, who also threatened strike over some more issues So, we have agreed to meet tomorrow at 2 p.m.

Mr Ngige said the president also directed him to liaise with his chief of staff, Ibrahim Gambari, so that other relevant government officials can be part of the meeting.

So I have just finished briefing the president on the situation as we presently have it on ground. And he has given his blessing for us to proceed. He also gave me permission to liaise with the Chief of Staff so that some government agencies; Federal Ministry of Health, Budget Office of the Federation, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Accountant General, National Salaries Wages and Incomes Commission, Office of Head of Service, and all the government agencies involved or that have anything to do with some of the complaints of these three groups of medical doctors should come on board tomorrow so that we can sort the issues out. That is what I came for primarily, the minister said.

No work, no pay rule stands

Mr Ngige, however, said the new efforts would not stop the government from implementing the no work, no pay rule, saying it is about law and not sentiments.

He said; I invoked Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act, 2004 on withdrawal of wages during strike periods, which, in common parlance here, is called the principle of no work no pay. It is not the law of Ngige, or the law of Buhari.

You all know that this is COVID-19 period. And we were expecting Delta variant upsurge with a third wave. And suddenly, the resident doctors downed their tools, claiming that they were resuming a suspended strike. I then told them that there was nothing like a suspended strike, and that a strike is a strike.

He said the rule is not new to the country, saying such was applied against members of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) when they went on strike.

Dialogue with NGF

Meanwhile, the minister has said he was prepared to meet the Nigerian governors as part of efforts towards addressing some of the demands of the striking doctors, which he noted are within the purview of some concerned state governments.

Mr Ngige, also a former governor and a medical doctor by profession, said he was prepared to meet the governors through their body, Nigeria Governors Forum. The forum is currently chaired by the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi.

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NARD to attend meeting

Meanwhile, the leadership of the striking doctors has said it would attend the meeting but said it was not invited to the meeting by the minister but by NMA.

The unions President, Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday on the phone, said his team would be at the meeting.
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Adedamola, the kidnapped 25-year-old son of former national secretary of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Adewunmi Alayaki, has regained freedom after spending 24 hours with his captors.

The university graduate was kidnapped on Wednesday afternoon by six gunmen in his fathers farm in Isaga Orile community of Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State, after he was driven to a forest

The kidnappers later got in touch with the family and demanded N20 million. It was not clear whether the ransom was paid before the younger Alayaki was released on Thursday.

Abimbola Oyeyemi, the police spokesperson in the state, confirmed Mr Alayakis release. He was, however, silent on whether a ransom was paid.

Family sources said the kidnappers dropped him (abductee)at the Idi-Ori axis of Ibara Orile community in Abeokuta North Local Government, and phoned the parents to pick him.

The family picked him at about 10 p.m.

Mr Alayaki told PREMIUM TIMES that he was taken into a forest by his captors.

We were walking throughout the night till day. They released me with the grace of God because they were charging and fully armed.

On Thursday night they called my family about their readiness to release me and thereafter took me to Idi-Ori, a road that links Ibara Orile where they dropped me and contacted my family to come and pick me before they drove off.
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has again condemned President Muhammadu Buhari over his renewed promise to end insecurity before leaving office in 2023.

Mr Buhari was reported on Thursday by his National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, to have vowed not to leave the office a failure.

In its reaction, the PDP said the ruling party had done little to convince Nigerians that it had fulfilled the promises it made to them since it came to power in 2015 and that he (Buhari) will leave the country worse than he met it.

Two sides of same coin?

Mr Buhari-led government came to power six years ago largely on promises knitted around better security, economy and fight against corruption, the loopholes many Nigerians identified prominent in the then PDP-led government.

PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, without admitting PDP shortcomings, said Mr. Buharis attempt at political damage control cannot help his fizzling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He added President Buhari and his APC have failed in their three-pronged promises of security, anti-corruption and economic development.

They have instead wrecked all sectors of our nations life with no hope in sight.

What explanation can the Buhari Presidency and the APC offer for failing to decisively tackle terrorists, insurgents and bandits, who are daily ravaging our communities, killing and maiming our compatriots in various states across the country, despite the huge resources at their disposal?

The main opposition party inquired, highlighting unsolved cases of kidnapped Nigerians, including school children in different parts of the country.

The PDP reiterated the inability of Mr Buhari to effectively lead from the front against bandits and terrorists ravaging the country as sufficient ground to question his capacity as Commander in Chief even as the countrys debt figure remains on the rise.

Rather than fighting corruption, the APC-led Buhari administration has become the citadel of corruption where over N15 trillion have reportedly been stolen by APC leaders from various agencies under the cover of government, Mr Ologbondiyan said.
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The Western Naval Command on Friday confiscated four trucks used for illegal bunkering at the Idimu area of Lagos State.

The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Jason Gbassa, said this while addressing journalists during a visit to the site of the illegal operation.

Mr Gbassa, a rear admiral, who said no arrest was made, stated that the trucks would be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The culprits abandoned their trucks and appliances when they saw our men approaching.

The striking thing is that people have the effrontery to carry out such illegal activities against the mandate of Operation Awatse in a built-up area where people reside.

We have the trucks with us and some of them are loaded.

We are going to move them back to base and follow-up with further investigations and handing over to the appropriate agencies.

We will follow up on this case and ensure we conclude effectively to make sure that the trucks are forfeited to the Federal Government, he said.

The FOC noted that four people who were involved in a similar incident some weeks ago had been convicted.

We will continue to pursue the perpetrators in order to know those who are behind these illegal acts, he said.

Mr Gbassa added that such illegal activities have a hugely significant impact on the economy and negative consequences on the health of residents.

If we put together this four trucks with a combined capacity of over 90,000 litres multiplied against N165; it will be going into the range of about N15 million.

This is for just one nights operation for a group of people to reap the nation of such commodity free without any direct investment on it.

This invariably impacts on the availability of the products to the economy and the fumes from this activity alone is a threat to the health of the residents, he said.

The FOC said that such illegal activities required technical skills and enormous resources to muster, assuring that the command would continue to crack down on syndicate carrying out such activity.

Mr Gbassa commended the people of the community for providing the intelligence needed to halt the illegal activity and also appreciated other security agencies who collaborated in carrying out the operation.

I urge that we continue in this collaboration and synergy in going forward so we will get better and get more results in the pursuit of perpetrators of such crimes, the FOC said. (NAN)
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The Presidency has constituted a presidential delegation ahead of President Muhammadu Buharis visit to Kano for the marriage of his son, Yusuf Buhari, to Zahra Bayero, on Friday.

Zahra is the daughter of Nasiru Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi in Kano State.

A statement by Garba Shehu, the Presidents Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, on Thursday in Abuja, said Mr Buhari had already dispatched a high level delegation to be led by his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari.

The presidential aide revealed that the delegation included the Ministers of Defence, Bashir Magashi; Agriculture, Sabo Nanono; Aviation, Hadi Sirika and Water Resources, Suleiman Hussein Adamu as well as the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu.

He said members of the delegation would stay back after the wedding, to represent the president at the coronation of the Emir at Bichi the following day, Saturday.

Already, some dignataries have arrived the ancient city of Kano to witness the wedding.

They include Governors Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Babagana Zulum (Borno), former Zamfara governor, Ahmed Yarima, Minister of Communication, Isa Pantami, Borno senator, Ali Ndume, former EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu and former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode.

Yusuf, 27, Mr Buharis only son weds Zahra, a student in a university in the United Kingdom. His mother is the First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

Shehu Ahmed, the chairperson of the organising committee for the wedding and coronation, told journalists on Wednesday that the president was expected to attend the wedding on Friday.

Mr Ahmed said the wedding Fatiha would hold around 1:30 p.m. at Bichi Central Mosque after the congregational Jumaat prayer on Friday while the emir would be presented with a staff of office by the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Saturday.

President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to grace the wedding Fatiha of his son and the daughter of the Emir of Bichi in Bichi town on Friday, the official said.

Mr Ahmed said a special prayer session would also be conducted at the Central Mosque, Bichi, by 4:30 p.m.

Other lined up activities include the coronations lecture to be held at the Federal College of Education (Technical) Bichi on Thursday while the ceremony for the presentation of the staff of office would be held at the Bichi stadium on Saturday.

(NAN)
One hundred members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have sued the Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee of the party.

The plaintiffs are urging the Federal High Court in Abuja to dissolve the 13-member caretaker committee of the APC being led by Mr Buni, the Yobe State governor.

They contend that the committee falls short of the statutorily required 24 members that must be spread across not less than two-third of Nigerias 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

In the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/938/2021, the plaintiffs added that the headship of the caretaker committee by a sitting governor holding dual executive offices is prohibited by Section 183 of the Nigerian constitution and Article 17(4) of the APC constitution.

It is also the contention of the plaintiffs that Nigerias Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, lacked the legal backing to administer oath of office to Mr Buni as caretaker chairman of the party.

In the suit filed by Samuel Irabor on behalf of the paintiffs, they argued that only the National Working Committee of the party could constitute a Caretaker Committee as provided under Article 13(4)(xvi) of the APC Constitution.

Sued as defendants in the suit are Mr Malami, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), among others.

PDP asks court to sack Yobe governor Buni over his APC chairmanship roles

In a similar way, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe State has asked the court to sack Mr Buni and his deputy and swear in its own candidates in the last governorship election in the state as their replacements.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the PDP argued in the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja that combining the governors office with another executive position is a constitutional violation.

The Yobe State governors office and that of the deputy governor, Idi Gubana, have therefore become vacant after Mr Buni took up the APC appointment, the PDP said.

The opposition party asked that its governorship candidate in the 2019 election, Umar Damagum, and his running mate, Baba Aji, be sworn in as replacements for Mr Buni and his deputy.

Channels Television posted copies of some pages of the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/885/2021 on its website on Thursday.

The court document shows the PDP, along with Messrs Damagum and Aji, as the plaintiffs who jointly instituted the suit.

Mr Buni, the Yobe State deputy governor, Mr Gubana, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were sued as the defendants in the suit.

The governor was appointed the chairman of the APCs Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) in June 2020 following the crisis that led to the exit of the partys former chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

The plaintiffs, relying on section 183 of the Nigerian constitution and a recent judgement of the Supreme Court, urged the trial court to determine if Mr Buni who is the governor of Yobe State and caretaker committee chairman of the APC has not ceased to hold the office of the governor of Yobe State.

The apex courts judgement cited by the plaintiffs was delivered on July 28, 2021 on an appeal regarding the last governorship election in Ondo State.

PDPs governorship candidate in the Ondo State election, Eyitayo Jegede, had filed the appeal to challenge Governor Rotimi Akeredolus victory at the October 2020 poll.

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Mr Jegede rested his case on the argument that Mr Akeredolu was not a proper governorship candidate in the election because his nomination was supervised by Mr Buni said to be illegally doubling as the APC chairman and the Governor of Yobe State.
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Nigeria on Thursday recorded eighth deaths from coronavirus disease thereby increasing the countrys death toll from the pandemic to 2,244.

Seven deaths were recorded in the country 24 hours earlier, an indication that the third wave of the disease is hitting the country harder than anticipated.

This is as the family of the late fiery lawyer and human rights activist, Gani Fawehinmi, disclosed on Wednesday that the first son of the family, Mohammed Fawehinmi, died of the deadly infection.

The younger Fawehinmi, also a lawyer and a chip off the old block, died at the age of 52, and was confined to wheelchair after he was reportedly involved in a ghastly accident in 2003.

Meanwhile, Nigeria recorded additional 674 new infections across 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory on Thursday.

The new infection figure, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has increased the countrys infection toll to 185,267.

Breakdown

The data provided by the NCDC indicated that, as usual, Nigerias commercial hub city, Lagos, reported the highest daily tally of 355, and this was followed by 87 cases recorded in Rivers State.

The FCT ranked third with 38 cases while Ogun State recorded 33 to take the fourth slot and both Akwa Ibom and Oyo States reported 32 cases each.

Edo State recorded 22 while Ekiti State reported 20 with Kwara, Delta, Bayelsa and Gombe States recording 17, 12, eight and five cases respectively.

The duo of Kaduna and Osun States reported four cases each while both Enugu and Nasarawa States also reported two cases each. But Plateau State reported a single case to rank the state with the lowest infection figure on Thursday.

The disease centre noted that apart from 2,244 fatalities recorded, a total of 167,923 victims of the infection have been confirmed fit by physicians after they were down with the disease.

Vaccination campaign

Nigeria on Monday resumed the vaccination campaign against the pandemic with the flag-off of the second phase having received about 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).

Also, on Tuesday, the country unveiled a total of 699,760 doses of oxford-astraZeneca coronavirus vaccines which were delivered through the COVAX facility, an initiative aimed at ensuring equitable distribution of vaccines globally.

The newly delivered Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines are part of the three million doses of vaccines donated to 11 African nations by the government of the United Kingdom.
The management of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, has assured the students of the institution that all issues surrounding the attack on one of its former students and a staff member will be adequately addressed.

Ademola Adekoya, the Coordinator of the Centre for Information Press and Public Relations, LASU, gave the assurance in a statement he signed and released to journalists on Friday in Lagos.

A former students union presidential aspirant, Yusuf Nurudeen Alowonle, was shot dead on Wednesday night outside the university campus.

Mr Adekoya said the management commended the students union and the entire students for their maturity and restraint since the attack by suspected armed robbers on the former student and a staff member of LASU occurred.

The management received with great shock, the report of an attack on a former student of the university, Mr Nurudeen Alowonle, and a staff member, Waheed Majekodunmi, a Senior Assistant Registrar, which led to the untimely death of Alowonle.

The incident took place in the evening of Wednesday, Aug.18, outside the university campus, along the Egbeda-Igando Road.

The university management is deeply saddened by the incident and expresses its heartfelt condolences to the immediate and extended families of the deceased, his colleagues, friends and the students union, he said.

Mr Adekoya added that since the sad incident occurred, the social media had been circulating several accounts, many of which were inaccurate and misleading, of circumstances surrounding the incident.

We have refrained from making a hurried statement until now in order to ascertain the facts considering the very sensitive nature of the incident, he said in the statement.

Mr Adekoya said the university was putting the true position about the incident before the public based on the outcome of its investigations as follows:

That the deceased former student, Alowonle, was yet to receive his certificate due to an ongoing disciplinary case that he was facing in the university and a panel presiding over his case began sitting in 2019.

The case continued until 2020 but the panel could not sit due to the COVID-19 pandemic then. He was, however, invited by the panel, along with other students who had ongoing disciplinary cases to defend themselves.

Alowonle appeared before the panel that day and was even the first student attended to by the panel, and his case was concluded before 2.00 p.m.

He ostensibly remained on the university campus until late in the evening during which time he met up with Mr Waheed Majekodunmi, the statement said.

Mr Adekoya said the duo stayed at the university senior staff club until past 8.00 p.m., after which they left together through the Iba Gate of the university for their destinations.

Unable to get vehicles at the school junction as it was late in the day, the duo were said to have trekked several meters away from the gate ostensibly in search of a vehicle.

Unfortunately, they were attacked by suspected men of the underworld, (who) dispossessed them of their valuables and shot them.

The staff member, Majekodunmi, was lucky to have escaped with gunshot wounds and eventually got helped by passers-by to a nearby hospital, but the former student did not survive the attack.

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The body of the deceased was said to have been deposited in a mortuary in Lagos, while the injured staff member is currently receiving treatment at the University Health Centre and responding well to treatment, he said.

Mr Adekoya said the university security department was working with the security agencies to investigate the sad incident with the aim of bringing the perpetrators to book. (NAN)
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Nine suspected bandits have been killed in a gun battle between rival gangs in Giwa local government area of Kaduna State, an official has said.

The state commissioner of Internal Security and Homeland Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said this in a statement on Friday.

Mr Aruwan narrated how the bloody fight occurred on Wednesday.

Nemesis has caught up with two groups of armed bandits in Giwa local government who in a fratricidal gun duel killed nine of their fellows.

Credible human intelligence networks informed the Kaduna State Government of the development, which was further corroborated by security agencies.

Intelligence sources had reported that a notorious bandit known as Godon Mota stormed Garke village last Wednesday with his gang and clashed with a rival bandit group, leading to the killing of nine members.

Acting Governor Dr Hadiza Balarabe noted the report with thanks, and urged security agencies to sustain pressure towards the apprehending of criminal elements in the general area.

Investigations and security patrols are ongoing, he said.

Kaduna is one of the states in northern Nigeria hit by violent criminal activities and insecurity.
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Ahmed Joda and other Super Permanent Secretaries, particularly Philip Asiodu, Liman Ciroma and Alison Ayida, prevailed in guiding Nigeria away from a break up, following the civil war. For many decades after his retirement from the public service, almost all succeeding regimes have called on him to continue to offer his commitment and expertise in the public service.

Alhaji Ahmed Joda died on August 13 and since his passage, there has been a remarkable outpouring of emotion at the loss of this great and endearing elder statesman. He was a skilled, experienced and well-respected public figure, who spent almost his entire 91 years on earth in devotion to the building of a better Nigeria. His life and engagement defined a concept whose meaning we no longer know  THE PUBLIC SERVANT. For him, it was service to his country and the entire citizenry. Self-service, personal aggrandisement, corruption, sectional or religious interests were anathema to him. His concern always was how to improve the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians.

Together with some of his colleagues, referred to as super permanent secretaries, they made huge contributions to rehabilitating the country, following the 1967-1970 civil war. Their focus was to quickly rebuild confidence in Nigerias quest for national integration, and advice, or rather guide, the military rulers in the frugal and sensible use of scarce resources to advance the welfare of Nigerians. Ahmed Joda and other Super Permanent Secretaries, particularly Philip Asiodu, Liman Ciroma and Alison Ayida, prevailed in guiding Nigeria away from a break up, following the civil war. For many decades after his retirement from the public service, almost all succeeding regimes have called on him to continue to offer his commitment and expertise in the public service.

In terms of public policy, my understanding is that for him, the greatest challenge facing Nigeria since 1970 has been that of rebuilding a high-quality educational system that could build knowledge, skills, civic education and critical thinking for our young ones. That would be the basis on which they could have confidence in a future that could provide jobs, opportunities and progress for the majority. It was Ahmed Joda who drew our attention to the National Pledge made by Nigeria in 1973. He explained that in that year, the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, called a Government Retreat and asked for one policy recommendation that would ensure Nigeria would never again run the risk of another civil war. The decision was a National Pledge that every Nigerian child born from the end of the civil war, January 1970, would be guaranteed free, qualitative and compulsory primary education. Subsequently, we extended the promise from primary to basic education  nine years of free and qualitative education for all Nigerian children. All governments were to ensure that each year, sufficient resources are made available by governments to ensure that every child is in school.

I made this point at the Barewa Old Students Association Conference in Katsina in 2017. Ahmed Joda was at the conference and subsequently called me, giving me a two-hour briefing on his struggles with State governors, especially in Northern Nigeria, most of who neither understood nor were committed to providing the resources for and leading the initiatives that would lead to the actualisation of the National Pledge. In fact, in the week of the meeting, the Federal Government held another retreat on the crisis of education in the country. In his speech, President Buhari lamented the Nigeria tragedy in which 13.2 million children of school going age are not in school (Trust, November 14, 2017). This is the largest number of out-of-school children in the world today and a collective shame on all of us Nigerians. Throughout his life, Ahmed Joda was an untiring advocate for universal and quality education for all Nigerians.

In the piece, he pointed out that the actual meaning of the words almajiri (singular) and almajirai (plural) is student and students. However, because of the way the system has come to be viewed, these words now convey the meaning of beggar children, and not the real meaning of children seeking knowledge.

On April 9, 2014, Ahmed Joda published an article in Daily Trust on the almajiri issue in Northern Nigeria. He was responding to an article by one Anthony Ada Abraham in Leadership newspaper of April 1, 2014, titled: Continued Plight of the Almajirai. In the piece, he pointed out that the actual meaning of the words almajiri (singular) and almajirai (plural) is student and students. However, because of the way the system has come to be viewed, these words now convey the meaning of beggar children, and not the real meaning of children seeking knowledge. He addressed the core problematique thus:

These children are not actually in Quranic schools learning Islam and imbibing its teachings. They are children born and abandoned by their parents. They are children, at their most tender and vulnerable stages of their lives uncared for by their parents, and unrecognised by the authorities and society. They grow to adulthood without the parental care or guidance that every child is entitled to. No one knows, or cares, where they sleep, with whom they interact or what kind of lives they lead. Their permanent abodes are in the motor parks, market stalls, brothels and drug and drinking joints. Few, if any, are actually in the so-called Quranic schools. This is the society we are breeding. Ahmed Joda, in his advocacy for education, always made it clear that our refusal in Northern Nigeria to prioritise education is responsible for the present crisis of terrorism, banditry and violence in society.

As he explained in the article: If the universal education policies had been faithfully implemented, assuming that the budgetary provisions had been made, there would have been no almajirai walking around the streets with plastic, begging bowls, anywhere in Nigeria. It is not an educational problem. It is a fundamental society problem. There is no way we can continue to allow ourselves to lead this kind of life and expect a normal viable and responsible society and nation. He added that if we are to honestly face this issue, we must also acknowledge that this is not an issue which is applicable to all Northern societies. It prevails and applies largely to the Moslem Hausa Fulani societies of Northern Nigeria. For him, the parts of the North that are the most backward in education have no one but themselves to blame.

On September 9, 2020, (Trust), Ahmed Joda wrote, Re: An Open Letter to the Federal Minister of Education, recalling when he assumed duty as the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education. The first issue on his table then was the selection and recommendation of awards of the Federal Scholarships and Bursaries for the 19171/72 academic year. Nigeria had 12 states at that point in time  six northern and six southern states. There were 3,000 awards. These were shared, with about 2,750 going to the six southern states and 250 to the six northern states. When further analysed, more than 500 of the awards went to the two North-Central states of Kwara and Benue-Plateau. There was an outburst of anger at the lop-sidedness of the Award to the North. The anger was targeted at him because he was the Permanent Secretary who signed the Release Document and because as a northerner, just having crossed the Carter Bridge and drank the lagoon water, I had forgotten my roots, he said. The Northern governors, the Kaduna press and radio were unanimous in calling for his immediate removal.

May Ahmed Jodas soul rest in perfect peace and may his lifes work be a catalyst to encourage the current leaders to become truly committed to educating the children of the masses, after all they make sure that their own children get a good education.

His response was that the defunct government of Northern Nigeria and the successor governments of the six Northern states bear the full responsibility for what they were then complaining about and not the Federal Government of Nigeria. According to him:

a) Under the Constitution of Nigeria, primary and secondary education, including teachers education was the responsibility of the Regional/State Governments, and NOT that of the Federal Government. The class of students in consideration were candidates who had completed their secondary education; b) Only those who applied in response to the invitation to apply for Federal Government scholarships and who qualify were considered. In some of the Northern states, only a very few applications were received. In 1971, Lagos State was enrolling nearly 100 per cent in primary schools, the Mid-West was recording about 90 per cent, the West well over 60 per cent, while the North-West, North-East and Kano were enrolling less than 5 per cent. This was the responsibility that Northern leaders needed to take up, he declared.

May Ahmed Jodas soul rest in perfect peace and may his lifes work be a catalyst to encourage the current leaders to become truly committed to educating the children of the masses, after all they make sure that their own children get a good education.

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May Allah grant His praise, manifest his virtue and elevate the status of the noblest of the Prophets and the Seal of the Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and protect him, protect the message of Islam, protect his family and all his companions from any harm in this life or the next. As for what follows:

Dear brothers and sisters! In the Islamic worldview, justice denotes placing things in their rightful place. It also means giving others equal treatment. In Islam, justice is also a moral virtue and an attribute of human personality, as it is in the Western tradition. Justice is close to equality in the sense that it creates a state of equilibrium in the distribution of rights and duties, but they are not identical. Sometimes, justice is achieved through inequality, like in unequal distribution of wealth. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) declared that:

There are seven categories of people whom Allah will shelter under His shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His. [One is] the just leader. [Sahih Muslim]

Allah spoke to His Messenger (Peace be upon him) in this manner:

O My servants, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and forbade it also for you. So avoid being unjust to one another. [Sahih Muslim]

Thus, justice represents moral rectitude and fairness, since it means things should be where they belong.

It is a paradox that sometimes it is the Muslims who deny justice to their own people, while the cornerstone of the tenets of Islam is administration of justice. Now let us have a brief look at the significance of justice in the Islamic system.

The Noble Quran considers justice to be a supreme virtue. It is a basic objective of Islam to the degree that it stands next in order of priority to belief in Allahs exclusive right to worship (Tawhid) and the truth of Prophet Muhammads (Peace be upon him) Prophethood.

The very fact that two of the attributes of Allah are closely linked to justice, apparently, underscores the significance of imparting justice to all. The two attributes are the Just (Al-Adil) and the Dispenser of Justice (Al-Muqsit). The Noble Quran commands that:

Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that you may receive admonition. [Quran, 16:90]

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) underscored the importance of leaders being just in one of his famous sayings:

There are seven categories of people whom Allah will shelter under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His. (One will be) a just leader. [Sahih Muslim]

The Quran warns believers against subjective factors or personal emotions leading them to deviate from the path of justice, which is also the path of Islam, but it weighs heavily upon those who are required to adjudicate in disputes or to give judgment on other issues:

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: That is nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do. [Al-Maidah: 8]

Muslims are also called upon to rise above social evils such as nepotism and favoritism. Almighty Allah says in the Quran:

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do. [Al-Nisa: 135]

Respected brothers and sisters! A disordered society compounded by danger and distractions, injustice and trouble, provides no security for any other human pursuit let alone his spiritual development. The man who has to worry about his familys safety all the time is diverted from the remembrance of Allah, as is the one who has suffered injustice and must struggle to eliminate feelings of anger and resentment. Injustice fractures the brotherhood and sisterhood of the believers, which is an essential element of an Islamic society.

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The simple fact is that Allah, who is called the Just (Al-Adil), commands justice both in society and in every aspect of human relations.

There were cases in the early history of Islam when men whom the leader intended to appoint as judges fled from the court rather than assume this terrifying responsibility.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) himself when he was called upon to judge between litigants in civil matters warned that one of them might be more eloquent in putting his case than the other and thereby achieve an unjust settlement. In such a case, the Prophet said:

I will have given him a portion of hellfire.

This is clearly a grave matter indicating that those who seek justice must themselves practice it without deviation even to their own hurt.

For a Muslim, his yardstick in his life is the Noble Quran together with the example of the Prophet and their reflection in the human heart. There is no higher aim for the Muslim than the cultivation of an Allah-fearing heart. From the sound heart comes sound judgment.

Islam is a realistic religion. It recognises the reality of human weakness. Those who are injured are permitted to take retaliation (Al-Qisas) but they are reminded at every turn that it is better to forgive and to seek reconciliation. The Muslims are commanded to return good for evil, thus breaking the vicious circle of animosity, enmity and hatred.

In the Prophets dealings with the unbelievers, who tried every means to destroy him and his community, he exemplified the rule of forgiveness and reconciliation, forgiving even the most vicious of his enemies when he finally re-entered Makkah in triumph and victory, providing them with gifts so that their hard hearts might be softened and peace prevail after the years of conflict.

Justice might have required their punishment, but there is no contradiction here since there is more than one way to achieve balance, which, after all, is the ultimate objective of justice.

Islam describes its community (Muslims community) as a society of the middle way (Al-Ummah Al-Wasat), a religion of moderation in everything except the love and worship of Allah. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) condemned extremism with the greatest severity and todays Muslims have a greater need to be reminded of this than ever before as they do of his saying that:

Anger burns up good deeds just as fire burns up dry wood.

Also according to a saying of the Prophet, Almighty Allah says:

O My servants, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and forbade it also for you. So avoid being unjust to one another. [Sahih Muslim]

The late Anthony Shadid, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who died in 2012 from an asthma attack while covering the Syrian war, once noted that the one word that you would constantly hear wherever you go to the Middle East and the Muslim world is not democracy, civil rights or even freedom, but JUSTICE. This is not a random observation. It goes to the heart of the problem not only in Muslim lands but in the world as a whole. It reiterates the simple yet fundamental idea that there can be no peace, no order and no security without justice!

For example, take the Muslims travelers in Plateau state/Jos Nigeria roads issue, where 32 Muslim travelers on Saturday, August 14 were killed at Rukuba, Jos Plateau State capital. The attack was carried out by Irigwe Christians community.

Muslims are always being attacked and killed on Nigerian roads, just merely for the differences they have with some people, in languages and religion; they were always being killed, maimed and wounded and their properties being confiscated. With all the atrocities committed against them, up till today, no any justice have been done to the Nigerian Muslims Ummah!

The reprisal killings will continue unless justice is swiftly and effectively served. We must not forget that every criminal activity carried out by us will inevitably renders our loved ones prone to similar or even worse attacks. So let us all eschew violence against others in order to prevent attacks against people that are dear to us.

Take the Palestinian issue also. It is the longest standing occupation of modern history. The saga of the Palestinian people has no equivalent in any other political conflict in the 20th century. Since 1948, countless initiatives have sought the resolve the conflict. Nations went to war over the issue. But no peace initiative ended the conflict. Why? Contrary to what the Israeli propagandists claim, it is not because the Palestinians and Arabs are not interested in peace or Israel has no peace partner. It is because the so-called peace proposals always lacked the core element of justice for the Palestinians. Partitioning Palestinian lands and depriving the Palestinians of their basic rights for the security of Israel cannot lead to a sustainable peace because it is not based on justice. An enduring peace will be possible if and only when the Palestinians are accorded their rights, treated equally and fairly. Wallahi, no security consideration or political urgency will change this fact.

The Syrian war is another case where a political solution will be possible only when it is based on justice for all. With the help of its allies, the Syrian government may claim to have won the war. But this does not make it fair or legitimate. The governments shameless attempts to erase the Syrian opposition from the ground and from the negotiating table will not bring peace or stability to Syria. An enduring peace will be possible only when all Syrians are treated fairly and equally.

The same principle applies to the growing gap between the rich and the poor countries of the world. The fact that the current economic system makes the rich countries richer and keeps the poor in an endless abyss of poverty does not make the world a better place to live.

In the Islamic intellectual tradition, justice means putting things in their rightful place. It is to give everything its due. It is to recognise everyones right regardless of their language, tribe, region, status, ethnicity or religion. As a universal principle, it holds a society together. As a sociopolitical principle, it maintains order and stability.

In this broad sense, peace cannot be just absence of war because it is not enough to prevent conflict temporarily to reach peace. It has to have other elements that would make peace an enduring reality. What some scholars have called positive peace entails ethical and political principles by which peace can be lasting and produce security, stability and prosperity for all. This brings us back to the principle of justice, i.e., putting everything in its proper place and giving everything its due.

These were among the issues discussed at the second TRT World Forum held in Istanbul on October 3-4 under the theme Envisioning Peace and Security in a Fragmented World. Gathering together world leaders and leading experts, the Forum sent a powerful message about peace, order, security and justice in an increasingly chaotic and disordered world. In his address at the closing session, President Tayyib Erdogan underlined his firm belief in a peaceful world order based on justice. From the U.N.s current structure and Turkeys EU membership to the Syrian war and the Palestinian conflict, he outlined Turkeys global peace diplomacy that seeks peace and justice not just for the powerful and the rich but for all nations of the world.

Dear brothers and sisters! In this world of growing interdependence, no one is safe until everyone is safe. No single nation will enjoy peace, unity and prosperity in the full sense of the term until wealth is shared fairly to its citizens. A world without justice cannot be a safe place for anyone. It only produces more conflict and suffering. And it makes everyone unsafe and insecure.

Peace as an enduring value can be achieved only when it is based on justice. All other options are doomed to fail. The history of modern conflicts is a sad testimony to this simple fact.

All praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Muharram 11, 1443 A.H. (August 20, 2021).
Nigerians need to be on the watch out Any attempt to impose a one-party system or a replica of it in our polity will exacerbate the crises that daily confront us. Such a move must be resisted. In 2023, people must be elected into office in free, fair, and credible polls, based on their competence, capacity, experience, and ability to deliver on their promises.

Although in the 32-year staggered history of democracy in Nigeria, the country has never experienced a one-party system, it is not for the lack of trying. The countrys political history is replete with attempts by the ruling parties, at different times, to sink the opposition and impose a one-party regime on the country.

Some people believe that if not for the military incursion in 1966, the Nigeria National Democratic Party (NNDP) was already planning to eclipse the rival Nigeria National Alliance (NNA) and emerge as the only party in the country. It was believed that the imprisonment of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the brazen manipulation of the 1964 federal and 1965 regional elections in the Western Region and the appointment of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe as ceremonial president, a post which precluded him from partisan politics, were strategic moves to enervate and disorganise the opposition.

Also, the impudent manner in which the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) rigged the 1983 elections, in which its victory was dubbed a moon slide, signified the sinister plan to foist a dictatorship on the country. Despite the serious economic crisis, corruption, and general misrule that the nation experienced, the ruling NPN came out of that election having two-thirds of the total membership in both chambers of the National Assembly. It also produced 12 of the 19 State governors. Many believed if the Buhari coup of December 1983 had not overthrown the civilian government, by 1987 only the NPN would have been competing against itself.

By the time of the 2007 elections in which Alhaji Umaru Musa YarAdua emerged as president, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was also becoming confident, to such an extent that its oligarchy was already talking of ruling for 40 years. That was a declaration of the desire to become the only party in the country. And at one time, the PDP had 24 State governors, out of the 36 (two-thirds) in the country, and a comfortable figure in the National Assembly, to make it toy with a one-party system.

The luck that Nigerians had in the 16 years of PDP was that the party truly represented the diversity of Nigeria, as all the tendencies in the country were well manifested in the composition of its hierarchy. Also, the party never had an almighty figure who the rest of the members deferred to or were afraid to challenge. Thus, at the height of the control of the nations jugular, the PDP constituted a virile opposition to itself.

The closest figure to an iron-clad strong man that the PDP paraded at the height of its glory, President Olusegun Obasanjo, faced constant internal challenges to his decisions, policies, and programmes. That was why the attempt by a clique within his government to amend the Constitution and elongate the tenure of the chief executives at the federal and state levels failed due to stiff opposition within the PDP itself. A PDP-controlled National Assembly voted the effort down during a session broadcast live on television, with members rising in the full glare of the camera to vehemently oppose the attempt.

Now, the nation is on the verge of a veiled but determined resurgence of the plan to turn it into a one-party state. As it was in the past three attempts, the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is treading the same path and re-enacting the old anti-democratic ploy. The current campaign to get all governors and federal legislators to defect to the ruling party is one leg of this plan. I will dwell more on this later. Another move towards actualising this plan is the reigning culture of silence in the National Assembly, in which anything the Presidency wants it gets.

The APC already has 22 governors and 70 senators. This is just two governors and three senators short of having the two-third majority in these key power centres. The continued onslaught on governors and federal parliamentarians elected on the platform of the PDP is the rehearsal towards the one-party system plot. The real plan is to create a situation where when APC claims or declares a landslide or moonslide victory for itself in the 2023 elections

There is also the suspicion that there is already a rigging plan for the 2023 elections and those who harbour this suspicion usually query why APC took it as a party policy to frustrate the introduction of new measures that will make the political process more credible, free, fair, peaceful and modern. The fact that all APC members in the National Assembly voted against the provision on the introduction of the electronic transmission of election results contained in the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill 2021 is a testimony to the fact that they only rigidly toed a party line.

The APC already has 22 governors and 70 senators. This is just two governors and three senators short of having the two-third majority in these key power centres. The continued onslaught on governors and federal parliamentarians elected on the platform of the PDP is the rehearsal towards the one-party system plot. The real plan is to create a situation where when APC claims or declares a landslide or moonslide victory for itself in the 2023 elections, it would be easy to justify such declaration because the perception of a party that all politicians found irresistible has already been dubiously created.

The scenario setting, which the APC is creating before the 2023 elections, however needs to be interrogated. What will make any reasonable Nigerian prefer the APC at this point? This is a party that came to power on a popular mantra of change in 2015. People mistook the proclaimed change for a turn around in the fortunes of Nigeria and Nigerians; a positive change for a better Nigeria on the path of rapidly fulfilling her manifest destiny as the greatest nation in Africa; the one that Black people all over the world will be proud to showcase as their origin.

The APC oligarchs even specifically defined areas where Nigerians should expect positive changes: Security, the economy (including increases in youth employment), and the fight against corruption. Today, in all these areas, Nigeria has been 1000 per cent worse off. In 2015, while the insecurity was limited to about four of the states in the North-East, today all the 36 states, including the federal capital, are experiencing different levels of kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, ritual killing, cultism, and armed robbery. The country is now the third most unsafe country in the world.

The rate of unemployment is so high that the growing population of youths, which should form the engine of economic development, are fast becoming an army of destabilisation and contributing to the high level of insecurity in the country. In the World Poverty Clock compiled by Brookings Institute, as of 2018 Nigeria, with an estimated 87 million people living on less than $1.90 a day, had become the poverty capital of the world. The situation has since gotten worse.

Other indices place Nigeria as one of the five most violent places in the world. In the same manner, last year the country went down by three ranks on the 2020 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index to number 149 out of 180 countries. The National Bureau of Statistics also reported that as at the end of last year, the number of unemployed Nigerians rose to 23.19 million. That was 6.5 per cent higher that the 21.77 million recorded by the NBS in the second quarter of the same year.

With these statistics, it is obvious that an unrigged referendum on the question of whether the lives of Nigerians have been better in the last 74 months that the APC has been in power, unlike before, will get a resounding NO as answer. Beyond the poor performance of the APC in governance, its rank is seriously divided. In more than half of the states of the federation, it has factions. Similarly, it is unable to constitute an elected National Working Committee as provided by its constitution. Just as it has not been able to constitute its Board of Trustees since inception in 2014. In fact, a recent controversial Supreme Court verdict has raised the issue of the legality of its henchman, the Interim Caretaker Committee Chairman, Mai Mala Buni who happens to be governor of Yobe State.

the desire to be part of a clique that will determine the fate of Nigeria, whether the votes go their way or not, and the need to get forgiveness of the sins, are the motivating factors for the defections to a non-performing and divided APC. These are perhaps the only reasonable deductions one can make from the carpet crossings at this time.

If the above is true, then how is APC getting these governors, senators, and other politicians from the opposition parties to defect to it? What is the quartet of Buni, his brother governors in Kebbi, Jigawa, and the Attorney General, Abubakar Malami (SAN) telling the governors, senators, and high profile members of the opposition parties? Why is the Attorney General, the chief law officer of the nation, a member of the recruiting cabal? There are so many questions hanging out there.

One can only attempt to answer these questions. It seems to me that in the absence of genuine and well-founded popularity or good performance by the ruling party that could make it a preferred destination partisan platform, some underhand game is going on. And this game will unravel very soon. One may guess that the targeted converts are simply told that they either join the APC and be shareholders in the party that is set to win the 2023 elections, no matter the situation, or lose out. And the targets may also be reminded that when they lose out, their sins will not be forgiven. And as we all know, many top political office holders are actual sinners.

Thus, the desire to be part of a clique that will determine the fate of Nigeria, whether the votes go their way or not, and the need to get forgiveness of the sins, are the motivating factors for the defections to a non-performing and divided APC. These are perhaps the only reasonable deductions one can make from the carpet crossings at this time. However, the defections are also the stuff of which a one-party system is made.

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Although the one-party system is almost the same thing as a dictatorship or, at least, it creates a breeding ground for dictatorship to thrive, there are societies where a one-party system or the lack of Western democracy has also allowed development to thrive. Today, Rwanda is doing very well. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other oil-rich Arab countries do not have democratic governments. Yet, there is genuine development and real improvement in the standards of living of the people. Even, the socio-economic transformation that has been recorded in South-East Asia took place under undemocratic regimes.

However, the experience that Nigerians have had under the APC shows that things can only get worse under the control of the party. Whether APC becomes the only registered party in Nigeria or the behemoth with the ability to swallow or overwhelm all the opposition parties or not, there is no indication or assurance that its performance in office will improve or it will be ready to fulfill its promises to the people in the areas of security, the economy or the fight against corruption.

That is why Nigerians need to be on the watch out. They must not abandon the political space and allow the ruling party to wipe out the other opposition parties. Rather, Nigerians should be ready to empower different opposition platforms and ensure that we create viable alternatives to the ruling party. We should not allow anybody to deny us the right to make choices and punish ruling political parties whose members have demonstrated incompetence and inefficiency, while holding the levers of power. Any attempt to impose a one-party system or a replica of it in our polity will exacerbate the crises that daily confront us. Such a move must be resisted. In 2023, people must be elected into office in free, fair, and credible polls, based on their competence, capacity, experience, and ability to deliver on their promises.

Yusuph Olaniyonu, a communication strategist, journalist, lawyer and public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.
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The Bayelsa State Government has cautioned residents of the state, particularly youths, to remain calm despite the shortcomings of the Petroleum Industry Bill recently signed into law.

The government also urged the Ijaw Youths Council, an umbrella body of youth organisations in Ijawland, to operate within the confines of its Constitution and not delve into issues around the election of traditional rulers.

The state Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made this appeal at an enlarged meeting with traditional rulers from Ogbia Local Government Area of the state in Yenagoa on Friday.

Mr Ewhrudjakpo said although what the people from oil communities expected from the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was not what they got, there was still a need for them to promote peace and stability in Bayelsa.

He said the Niger Delta would continue to engage the Federal Government through dialogue and other lawful means to enable host communities to get their fair share from oil resources.

On security, Mr Ewhrudjakpo condemned what he described as pockets of insecurity emanating from unnecessary attempts to overthrow duly constituted community leadership, thereby causing tension and strife in some communities.

He warned that government would not allow any recognised traditional ruler to be arbitrarily dethroned by any individual or group of persons and impose themselves on the people.

The deputy governor said the government would always ensure a peaceful process of electing leaders into vacant traditional stools and other elective positions in the various communities.

He enjoined the leadership of IYC to only pursue worthy struggles to foster peace, unity and progress in line with the yearnings and aspirations of founders of the organisation.

While thanking the Ogbia traditional rulers for their support, Mr Ewhrudjakpo reminded them of the need to register all visitors and non-indigenes in their communities for security reasons.

In their separate remarks, the Obanobhan of Ogbia Kingdom, Charles Owaba, and the various clan heads, commended the present administration for carrying traditional rulers along in the scheme of things.

They, however, called on the Bayelsa government to address the issues of illegal oil bunkering, absence of police stations and access roads to some Ogbia communities particularly in Abhureni clan and the erosion menace at Anyama, among other challenges, facing the area.

The heads of various security agencies in the state who attended the meeting appealed to the traditional rulers and the residents of the area to always volunteer intelligence to the security agencies for prompt response.

(NAN)
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, on Thursday said over N3 billion have been paid as ransom to release about 400 people that were kidnapped in south-west Nigeria within a period of two years.

Mr Adams, who made the claim at the fourth edition of the South West Security Stakeholders Group conference held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, also said that over 400 people have been killed or maimed in the region by the kidnappers within the period.

The South West Security Stakeholders Group is a body of different security groups in the region formed in 2019 to find lasting solutions to the security challenges in all the six states of the region.

Mr Adams, a founding member of the Oodua Peoples Congress, a Yoruba nationalist organisation, said that he receives first-hand information about kidnappings happening in any part of the south-west.

He said the conference is an opportunity to bring all security agencies together to enhance his capacity.

When you quantify the amount of ransom that have been paid in Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa, Ekiti, Akoko and Yewa, it is even more than N3 billion. When you quantify those people that were killed and maimed in all these jurisdictions, they are more than 400 people.

As the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, I am privy to some certain information that certain security organizations do not have. When things happen in any community, they will call my line that Aare, what can you do?

Unfortunately, I dont have enough power to act like the olden days Aare, but I am doing my own bit as a person that has a liberation organisation.

That was one of the reasons I brought all these people together so that it can enhance (my) capacity to work with security agencies so that South-West region can be peaceful.

When contacted for comments, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Ogun State police spokesperson, said he does not speak for the south-west region.

Frank Mba, the Force public relations officer, did not respond to requests for comments.

Mr Adams said if the Yoruba leaders fail to act on the activities of killer herdsmen, the region may record the same experience as the happenings in northern Nigeria.

He appealed to the federal government to consider regionalism as an option to rescuing the country from its current situation.

There is need for self-government or regionalism in the country where states governors would control the police and other security architectures of their states.

At every point in time in the region, insecurity has reached an alarming need for us to take drastic action towards ending the prevailing scourge.

In the north, the story is even worse, bandits have taken over the entire North East, North West and Central. In Kaduna for instance, about 500 schools have been shut indefinitely. Pupils can no longer go to school because of the fear of being killed or kidnapped.

Speaking on the theme of the programme, Stemming The Tide Of Insecurity In The South-West Nigeria: A Criminological Therapy, the guest lecturer, Olugbega Akingbehin, emphasised that the federal government must rise to the challenge to maintain its economic relations with the rest of the world.

The professor stressed that the south-west leaders must secure the region to avert a sudden take over by insurgents.

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The pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has rejected the move by President Muhammadu Buhari to recover 368 grazing reserves in 25 states of the federation, saying it is a waste of taxpayers money.

The president on Thursday approved the recommendations of a committee he earlier set up to review levels of encroachment into the grazing reserves. The committee was headed by his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari.

The recovery process, according to the presidents spokesman, Garba Shehu, begins with the collection of field data on 368 grazing reserves across 25 states to assess encroachment and encroachers, stakeholder engagements and sensitisation.

The committee also recommended production of maps and geo-mapping/tagging of sites, analysis of findings and report preparations, as well as design appropriate communication on grazing reserves and operations.

The president had also directed that the assignment be carried out with dispatch.

But Afenifere, in a reaction to the development on Friday, said the approval by the president did not surprise Nigerians.

It does not also matter that having felt the pulse of the nation in his interview with the Arise Television in June, the president is still wasting taxpayers scarce resources on a programme whose conception lacks all conceivable growth capacity, Afeniferes Secretrary General, Olusola Ebiseni, said.

It is instructive that the recommendation and implementation committee is headed by Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the Chief of Staff to the President who, in conjunction with Professor Attahiru Jega, during the first term of Buhari, presented a Memorandum On Pastoralist-Farmers Conflicts And the search for peaceful Resolution published in January 2018, which contained the same recommendations now being foisted on the nation.

Mr Ebiseni noted that currently, Nigeria has a total of 417 grazing reserves all over the country, out of which only about 113 have been gazetted.

He argued that the present policy of the Buhari administration on Grazing Reserves is the implementation of the script by the Fulani intelligentsia.

The recommendations which pandered to deceptive national solutions to orchestrated farmers/herders clash, nonetheless reek of the odiferous stench of ethnic agenda for settlement of the Fulani in the ancestral lands of other ethnic nationalities, he said.

The non-Fulani Nigerians are not stupid, as the Federal Government, probably imagine, not to know that the concept of Grazing Reserve, by the Gambari and Jega definitions above, is a worse form of official dispossession of their ancestral lands for the inheritance and use of the Fulani than Cattle Colony, RUGA and Grazing Routes which they have roundly rejected.

We recall and support the resolutions of the Nigerian Governors, particularly from the south of the country, banning all forms of open grazing and it does not matter to us that some elected governors, in a federation, would condescend so low to function as members of a Committee presided over by an appointed aide of the President, no matter the name in which his office is painted.

The concept of Grazing Reserves, otherwise known as Hurumi, which was introduced during the colonial and immediately after independence failed in the north particularly in the Middle Belt provinces, notwithstanding a monolithic one North government and permissive land-use regime.

For the umpteenth time, let the President be told that the constitution which he reveres relentlessly and the Land Use Act which derives equal force therefrom, extols the majesty of the people over their land.

Even the Governor who holds the land in his state in trust for the people cannot dispossess any citizen thereof, except for proven overriding public interest through the due process of law.

The current exercise is not only a waste of taxpayers money but also a sweet pipe dream in a fools paradise.

Every herder has a state of origin. Let the governments of the respective states make arrangements for settled life for them in the territory where the culture is fully appreciated.

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Recently, some states in the south banned the practice of open grazing. However, the Ondo State Government has passed a law providing for secluded areas for grazing of cattle, but which would be privately owned or leased out to ranchers by landowners.
LEWIS [mdash] Richard A. "Corky" Griffin, 71, of Lewis, passed away unexpectedly, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, at his home. He was born in Lewis on Oct. 7, 1949, son of the late Benjamin Hastings and Evalina Griffin. Corky worked for Cornwright's Lumber Mill for many years. He is survived by his c
Southbury, CT (06488)

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Rain likely. High 67F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Low around 60F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
With an aim Towards Green Mobility , SMH Rail is redefining mobility to achieve rail sustainability and powers the vision of a clean, fast and green future. The 'H10 Series' could replace 100 cargo trucks, reduce carbon emissions by up to 75%, lower highway congestion, and is four times more fuel efficient than road freight transport on average. Its practical design improves operational efficiency, increases haulage capacity and reduces maintenance challenges, resulting in lower overall life cycle costs.

"With over 20 years of industry experience, we are committed to deliver outstanding and innovative solutions for global railway partners in terms of cost, efficiency and reliability. The first batch of 'H10 Series' will be delivered to Tanzania Railways Corporation, with funding support from the World Bank. I am confident these locomotives will bring enormous economic benefits to the African Rail cargo industry by bridging connectivity, increasing supply-chain access, accelerating industrialization and promoting cross-border trade. With over 60% local content manufactured in Malaysia, the 'H10 Series' marks a cornerstone of our company in the global rail industry," said Yang Berbahagia Datuk PK Nara, Chairman and Managing Director of SMH Rail.

Compliant with UIC standards, the 'H10 Series' is designed for heavy haulage and uninterrupted long-haul services. One key feature is its capability to operate in challenging terrains and weather conditions. The Locomotives are equipped with remote monitoring and diagnostics solution to provide real-time updates to rail operators, allowing for remote monitoring performance including speed, maintenance needs, fuel consumption and fault alerts. Data analysis tracks negligent handling, reduces risks of failures and improves operational safety.

SMH Rail aspires to position Malaysia as a regional manufacturing hub for railway rolling stock and continue to leverage global partnerships to develop its national and global footprint.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1598336/Image1.jpg

SOURCE SMH Rail Sdn. Bhd.
Saavi has a geographically diverse 2.2 net GW portfolio of 6 CCGTs, 3 compression stations and 65 km of associated natural gas pipelines. Saavi primarily serves the Mexican power market as well as providing reserve capacity for specified markets in California.

GIP's acquisition of Saavi follows its investment in the Company's $325 million Secured Term Loan in 2020, which will be repaid as part of this transaction, and marks GIP's first direct equity investment in Mexico. GIP focuses on control and co-control infrastructure investments in its core sectors. The significant need for infrastructure provision in developing markets presents opportunities for GIP to further extend its operating expertise, sector knowledge and ESG focus across these emerging global economies.

Saavi was originally created through Actis' acquisition of InterGen's Mexico portfolio based on compelling fundamentals for investing in power generation in a growing energy market where gas fired generation is key to enabling the energy transition. Over the past three years Actis has applied its industrial expertise to revamp Saavi's management team and pursue a substantial programme of technical and commercial improvements encompassing updates to the fleet, increasing capacity, efficiency, and availability. Saavi has a best-in-class and an outstanding operational track record.

Adebayo Ogunlesi, Chairman and Managing Partner of GIP, said, "We are excited to announce the acquisition of Saavi Energia and its leading power platform in Mexico. Saavi has an exceptional record of providing reliable and efficient energy to leading industrial companies in Mexico. We look forward to working with the management team that has helped build this highly successful business to pursue growth opportunities in both traditional and renewable energy and further broaden its commercial footprint."

Jaime Tupper, CEO, Saavi Energia commented: "Partnering with a global leader in infrastructure investing is an exciting opportunity to deliver on Saavi Energia's strategic vision for growth to help meet Mexico's energy needs. During the last three years, we have transformed the Company into an independent, Mexican leader in the energy space. Today, Saavi is a high performing company with a deep commitment to safety, sustainability and we are excited for what the future holds."

Michael Harrington, Partner, Energy, Actis commented, "We are very pleased with the sale of Saavi Energia to Global Infrastructure Partners. Our investment in Saavi is a great example of our replicable strategy to build, acquire and grow independent power producers that provide affordable, reliable and clean energy to the communities in which we invest. We remain committed to Mexico, where we see a healthy pipeline of investment opportunities to replicate our value creation thesis."

About Actis

Actis, is a leading global investor in sustainable infrastructure. Actis has raised US $24 billion since inception and operates with sustainability at its core. Actis believes Values Drive Value, through deep operational experience, on the ground presence and a value-led approach, Actis delivers competitive returns for its institutional investors and measurable positive impact for the countries, cities and communities in which it invests.

Actis' Latin America energy team has built and established power generation platforms since 2014 across the region in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Central America. Across Latin America, Actis has committed over US $3 billion in investments to date.

Actis is a signatory to the United Nations backed Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI), an investor initiative developed by the UNEP FI and the UN Global Compact. The firm has consistently been awarded the highest rating score in the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) independent assessment.

www.act.is

About Global Infrastructure Partners

Global Infrastructure Partners ("GIP") is an independent infrastructure fund manager that makes equity and debt investments in infrastructure assets and businesses. GIP targets investments in the energy, transport, water/waste sectors and digital infrastructure in both OECD and select emerging market countries. GIP's teams are located in 10 offices: London, New York, Stamford (Connecticut), Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Mumbai, Delhi, Singapore and Hong Kong. www.global-infra.com.

SOURCE Global Infrastructure Partners

Related Links

https://www.global-infra.com/


CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In light of all that is occurring in the United States and around the world, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) will observe its fourth annual International Day of Prayer in Tulsa, OK, on Sunday, August 22, with a full slate of activities. Members nationwide and internationally will worship and participate together in community activities as a sign of solidarity and make intercessions for global peace. While chapters will hold their individual events, the sorority's national observance will take place in Tulsa and pay homage to the City's historic Black Wall Street.

A Pathway to Hope Commemorative Walk begins at 12:30 p.m. followed at 1:00 p.m. with a Wreath Laying Ceremony at Greenwood Cultural Center located at 322 N. Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa.

"Our ceremony serves as a fitting tribute to the Black Wall Street ancestors and the estimated 300 plus individuals who were murdered and the 10,000 more left homeless," said Alpha Kappa Alpha International President and CEO Dr. Glenda Glover. "Located in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Black Wall Street was a thriving community of Black businesses and homeowners. The attack, by any standards, is one of the most unjustified acts of violence  both horrific acts of racial violence and acts of domestic terrorism  ever committed in the USA."

Prior to the day of prayer, AKA will host a weekend of community health events aimed at continuing support for the Biden Administration's efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccinations across the nation. The sorority will provide free 3-D mammograms and COVID-19 vaccines through a partnership with Walgreens on Saturday, August 21, at the historic Vernon A.M.E. Church from 8:00 a.m.  5:00 p.m. COVID-19 safety guidelines will be followed the entire weekend.

"Alpha Kappa Alpha recognizes that lack of access to healthcare for some Tulsa communities continues to be a challenge which has only been exacerbated by the unpredictability of the pandemic," added Dr. Glenda Glover. "We are committed to ensuring these communities receive the resources and services they need by providing COVID vaccines and breast cancer screenings through our AKA 3D Mammography Mobile Unit."

About Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African-American, college-educated women. Alpha Kappa Alpha is comprised of over 300,000 members in more than 1,000 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Liberia, Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada, Japan, Germany, South Korea, South Africa, and in the Middle East. Led by International President and Chief Executive Officer, Glenda Glover Ph.D., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is often hailed as "America's premier Greek-letter organization for African-American women." Visit www.aka1908.com for more information.

About Walgreens

Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is included in the United States segment of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., a global leader in retail pharmacy. As America's most loved pharmacy, health and beauty company, Walgreens purpose is to champion the health and wellbeing of every community in America. Operating more than 9,000 retail locations across America, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Walgreens is proud to be a neighborhood health destination serving approximately 8 million customers each day. Walgreens pharmacists play a critical role in the U.S. healthcare system by providing a wide range of pharmacy and healthcare services. To best meet the needs of customers and patients, Walgreens offers a true omnichannel experience, with platforms bringing together physical and digital, supported by the latest technology to deliver high-quality products and services in local communities nationwide.

SOURCE Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated

Related Links

www.aka1908.com


BEAUMONT, Texas, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brasher Law Firm founding partner Clint Brasher has earned selection to the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Recognized for his work in insurance law, Mr. Brasher's designation as a Best Lawyer places him among the nation's top leading lawyers in this practice area.

"I am grateful to my peers in the legal community for providing the positive feedback that led to my inclusion in this year's rankings," said Mr. Brasher. "And while I appreciate the honors that have been extended my way, what I am most proud of is the consistent record of success our firm has and continues to deliver to clients."

Mr. Brasher has practiced law since 1999 and focuses on first-party insurance and bad-faith insurance litigation. Among his successes, he secured a $1.7 million award for the First Baptist Church of Vidor after the church's insurance company offered an initial payment of only $4,022 for damages caused by Hurricane Rita. Mr. Brasher also won the largest verdict in a residential insurance claim case, $858,000, for a claim that was originally denied due to policy limitations.

This is not the first time Mr. Brasher's insurance work is being honored. In 2020, he was named for the third consecutive year to the list of Texas Super Lawyers. A member of the Million-Dollar Advocates Forum, he has maintained the highest AV Preeminent peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell since 2013. In addition to his insurance practice, Mr. Brasher is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law.

Since launching in 1983, The Best Lawyers in America has become a definitive guide to legal excellence and the top legal talent in the country. Inclusion on its lists, which are compiled using exhaustive peer review surveys in which tens of thousands of attorneys vote on the abilities of other lawyers, is considered highly credible and a significant honor in the legal industry.

Texas-based Brasher Law Firm is dedicated to fighting for the rights and interests of its clients using its unique and passionate approach to litigation. Brasher represents individuals throughout Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma in cases involving personal injury claims, insurance claims, employment law and maritime law. For more information, visit https://brasherattorney.com/.

Media Contact:

Jennie Bui-McCoy

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Brasher Law Firm, PLLC
PHOENIX, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dansons, the parent company of the fastest growing brands in the grilling industry, is proud to announce its products have been recognized with top honors in both the Popular Mechanics 2021 Home Awards and the Home Improvement Executive 2021 Gold Innovation Awards. For Popular Mechanics, the Copperhead 5-Series Vertical Smoker from Pit Boss Grills took home "Best Pellet Smoker" accolades, while Dansons was honored with Gold Innovation Awards in the categories of Vertical Smokers and Wood Pellet Grills by Home Improvement Executive.

"It's absolutely wonderful to see the passion of our product team be recognized at the national level," said Dansons President Jeff Thiessen. "We have an unwavering commitment to delivering a quality product at a competitive price that really resonates with our customers. The proof is in awards like this. We feel very blessed by the wonderful team that we have, led by my father, Dan Theissen, and Bobby Martin. It's a huge blessing to have the best team in the industry. We are very humbled and very blessed to continue to be recognized."

This is the third national recognition the Pit Boss Copperhead 5-Series Vertical Smoker has received in the last year, having also been named the "Best New Smoker of 2020" as well as receiving a gold medal in the "Best Value" category by AmazingRibs.com. These units can be purchased exclusively at Walmart retailers nationwide.

For Dansons, the two accolades from Home Improvement Executive mark yet another recognition in innovation for the company. The business was also honored with five Telly Awards, including one gold in the category of Branded Content  Business to Consumer, and three Communicator Awards in Distinction in varying categories, earlier this year. In total, the 11 recognitions this year are representative of a company that is rapidly expanding and houses the fastest growing brands in the grilling industry.

"It's the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of talented people," Thiessen said. "It's a blessing to have a team with this kind of talent. It's important to be recognized for your achievements, but we aren't the type to sit back and just bask in it. We want it to fuel us to continue to be the best. We feel this is God's business and, since we feel that way, there's nothing that's acceptable other than to be the best in this industry. We're excited for what's to come."

Dansons is a leading manufacturer of value-engineered, technologically innovative products including wood pellet, gas, charcoal, and combination-fueled grills, barbeques, smokers and portable grills sold under its Pit Boss, Louisiana Grills and Country Smokers brands. Additionally, within those brands exists full lines of pellet fuel, cooking accessories, spices and sauces that are available across multiple leading retailers and direct-to-consumer sales and are sold in more than 25 countries worldwide. Dansons' products are designed in-house by a highly talented team of engineers and category experts.

Dansons was founded in 1999 by Dan Thiessen and his two sons. They own and operate multiple companies and brands within Dansons itself, including Pit Boss Grills, Louisiana Grills, Country Smokers, SureLock Security Co., Thiessen's Outdoor Equipment and A-MAZE-N Smokin' Products. Each brand has a reputation that fits the founders  reliable, dependable, honest and family-oriented. From world-class wood pellet grills and vertical smokers to industrial lubricants and horse bedding, Dansons offers a wide range of quality products within their respective industries.

CONTACT: Patrick Kurish, +14805429449, [email protected]

SOURCE Dansons (Pit Boss & Louisiana Grills)

Related Links

dansons.com


BANGALORE, India, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Esoteric Testing Market is Segmented by Type (Infectious Disease Testing, Oncology Testing, Endocrinology Testing, Genetic Testing, Toxicology Testing, Immunology Testing, Neurology Testing, and Other Testing), Technology (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Chemiluminescence Immunoassay, Mass-Spectrometry, Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, DNA Sequencing, Flow Cytometry, and Other Technologies), and End User (Hospital-based Laboratories and Independent and Reference Laboratories): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021 - 2030. This report is published on Valuates Reports under Health Category.

The esoteric testing market size was valued at USD 20,218.60 Million in 2020 and is estimated to reach USD 66,214.79 Million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 12.5% from 2021 to 2030.

Major factors driving the growth of the esoteric testing market:

An increase in the prevalence of chronic, infectious, and rare genetic disease; rise in demand for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is expected to increase the market growth.

An increase in funding from private & government organizations for the diagnostic service center and advancement in technology for esoteric testing is also expected to boost the market.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF ESOTERIC TESTING MARKET

Chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are on the rise all across the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2021, it was reported that 77% of the deaths from chronic diseases occur in low and middle-income countries. Infectious diseases including Dengue fever, Hepatitis B, C, HIV, Malaria, Tuberculosis, and others are spreading at an alarming rate. The use of esoteric testing to diagnose diseases early and effectively is becoming more popular. Esoteric test technology is improving, allowing for faster results with improved efficacy, detection limits, and sensitivity. The growing use of esoteric DNA sequencing, NGS technologies, and whole-genome sequencing in cancer early detection, precision medicine, and personalized medicine is further propelling the market forward.

Emerging markets such as India, China, and India are likely to provide significant participants in the esoteric testing market's new growth prospects. The rising senior population, high frequency of chronic and infectious diseases, improved healthcare infrastructure, and rising disposable income in these countries are all contributing to this trend. Furthermore, Emerging technologies in esoteric testing, such as biomarker analysis, digital PCR, NGS, pyrosequencing, or Sanger sequencing, digital microfluidic platforms, and advanced molecular phenotyping technologies.

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ESOTERIC TESTING MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

Based on type the infectious disease testing segment dominated the market in 2020 and is expected to continue this trend during the forecast period. This is attributed to an increase in the prevalence of infectious disease, development in healthcare laboratories, and advancements in technology for molecular diagnostics.

Based on technology, the chemiluminescence immunoassay segment dominated the esoteric testing market in 2020 and is expected to continue this trend during the forecast period. This is attributed to the increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases such as autoimmune disease, diabetics, heart disease, and cancer; surge in awareness about early diagnosis of disease; and advancement in R&D for drug discovery and development activities.

Based on end user-independent and reference laboratories, the segment dominated the market in 2020 and is expected to continue this trend during the forecast period. This is due to the increase in the number of laboratories, high testing volumes, and surge in digitalization of diagnostic laboratories.

Because of the rise in the prevalence of chronic disease, the increase in the number of diagnostic tests, and technological advancement in esoteric testing, North America accounted for a large share of the esoteric testing market in 2020, and it is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR of 13.4% from 2021 to 2030.

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ESOTERIC TESTING MARKET SEGMENTATION

Esoteric Market by Type

Infectious Disease Testing

Oncology Testing

Endocrinology Testing

Genetic Testing

Toxicology Testing

Immunology Testing

Neurology Testing

Other Testing.

Esoteric Testing Market by Technology

Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay

Chemiluminescence Immunoassay

Mass Spectrometry

Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

DNA Sequencing

Flow Cytometry

Other Technologies.

Esoteric Testing Market by End User

Hospital-based Laboratories

Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay



Chemiluminescence Immunoassay



Mass Spectrometry



Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction



DNA Sequencing



Flow Cytometry



Other Technologies

Independent and Reference Laboratories

Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay



Chemiluminescence Immunoassay



Mass Spectrometry



Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction



DNA Sequencing



Flow Cytometry



Other Technologies.

Key Companies

ARUP Laboratories

Baylor Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory

Foundation Medicine

Healius Limited

Laboratory Corporation

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

OPKO Health

Quest Diagnostics

Sonic Healthcare Limited

Stanford Clinical Pathology.

Esoteric Market by Region

North America

U.S.



Canada



Mexico

Europe

Germany



France



UK



Italy



Spain



Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

Japan



China



Australia



India



Rest of Asia-Pacific

LAMEA

Brazil



Saudi Arabia



South Africa



Rest of LAMEA.

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SIMILAR REPORTS

- Infectious Disease Testing market is segmented by Type Immunodiagnostics, Clinical Microbiology, PCR, INAAT, DNA Sequencing & NGS, DNA Microarrays, by Application Hospitals/Clinical Laboratories, Reference Laboratories, Academic/Research Institutes and by various regions.

- Hemato Oncology Testing Market is segmented by Type Leukemia Testing, Acute Myeloid Testing, Multiple Myeloma Testing, by Application Clinical Laboratories, Hospitals and by various regions.

- The genetic testing market accounted for USD 12,682 Million in 2019, and is expected to reach USD 21,260 Million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 10.1% from 2020 to 2027.

- Toxicology Testing Market is segmented by Type Cell Culture Technology, High Throughput Technologies, Molecular Imaging Technologies, Omics Technologies and by various regions.

- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) market size is projected to reach USD 221.3 Million by 2027, from USD 181 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 3.6% during 2021-2027.

- Mass Spectrometry Market was valued at USD 4,598 Million in 2016, and is estimated to reach USD 7,922 Million by 2023, registering a CAGR of 8.0% from 2017 to 2023.

- DNA Sequencing market size was USD 13380 Million and it is expected to reach USD 48700 Million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 20.4% during 2021-2027.

- Immunoprotein diagnostic testing market was valued at USD 10,136.40 Million in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 18,387.19 Million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 6.6% from 2020 to 2027.

- CTMS market size is projected to reach USD 1693.1 Million by 2026, from USD 950.5 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 10.1% during 2021-2026.

- Chemiluminescence Immunoassay Analyzer Market

- Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Systems Market

- Flow Cytometry Market

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WINTER PARK, Fla., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine have honored Holiday Retirement as one of the 2021 Best Workplaces in Aging Services. This is Holiday's fourth consecutive year being named to this prestigious list, this year coming in at fourth place. Earning a spot means that Holiday Retirement is one of the best companies to work for in the country.

The Best Workplaces in Aging Services award is based on analysis of survey responses from more than 220,000 current employees. In that survey, 79% of employees said Holiday is a great place to work, compared to 59% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company.

"We couldn't be happier that our incredible employees have once again voted us as a Best Workplace in Aging Services," said Holiday Retirement CEO Lilly Donohue. "We believe great companies start with great people. Each day they do extraordinary things to help our residents live their best lives."

The Best Workplaces in Aging Services list is highly competitive. Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, selected the list using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback. Companies were only considered if they are a Great Place to Work-Certified organization. Great Place to Work is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on how well they are creating a great employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, disability status, or any aspect of who employees are or what their role is.

"We are incredibly proud of The Best Workplaces for Aging Services. They fought bravely and saved countless lives during the COVID-19 pandemic," says Dr. Jacquelyn Kung, CEO of Activated Insights, the partner of Great Place to Work in senior care. "Years of research has shown how great workplaces contribute to lower employee turnover and better quality of life for seniors. These honored workplaces showcase the compassion and stories behind the research. Our biggest congratulations and appreciation go to these awardees."

About Holiday Retirement and Atria Senior Living

Holiday Retirement is part of Atria Senior Living's senior housing portfolio. Atria Senior Living is a leading operator of independent living, assisted living, supportive living and memory care communities in more than 430 locations in 45 states and seven Canadian provinces. Atria is now the residence of choice for more than 43,000 older adults, and the workplace of choice for more than 18,000 employees. Atria creates vibrant communities where older adults can thrive and participate, know that their contributions are valued, and enjoy access to opportunities and support that help them keep making a positive difference in our world. Glennis Solutions, a subsidiary of Atria Senior Living, is the only fully integrated, cloud-based software suite specifically designed to serve the senior housing industry. For more information about Atria, visit AtriaSeniorLiving.com or follow them on Facebook or Instagram. For career opportunities and more information about working for Atria, visit AtriaCareers.com. For more information on Glennis Solutions, visit GlennisSolutions.com. For more information about Holiday Retirement, visit HolidaySeniorLiving.com.

About the Best Workplaces in Aging Services

Great Place to Work selected the Best Workplaces in Aging Services by gathering and analyzing confidential survey responses from more than 220,000 employees at Great Place to Work-Certified organizations. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place to Work Trust Index survey. Read the full methodology.

To get on this list next year, start here.

About Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All.

Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Activated Insights

Activated Insights is the senior care division of Great Place to Work and provides employee and resident surveys to aging services provides. With an expertise in senior care, Activated Insights is committed transform the aging experience by impacting the lives of seniors, families, staff, and others in senior care through research, data, and technology.

Learn more at activatedinsights.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

SOURCE Holiday Retirement

Related Links

http://www.HolidaySeniorLiving.com


BEIJING, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HebaBiz Biotech is pleased to announce, it has come to its knowledge on August 16, 2021, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted clinical trial approval for Siroquine (JP001), an innovative anti-cancer drug under development. Such a clinical trial is to be conducted on newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) -- this marks an important milestone in the ongoing multicenter, open-label, phase II/III clinical trial to evaluate the overall survival benefit and safety of JP001 in combination with standard chemoradiotherapy in newly diagnosed GBM patients. The clinical trial will be conducted in Taiwan, the United States and Mainland China.

Glioblastoma (GBM), the most common type of glioma, has a poor prognosis, with most patients reporting a median survival time of 10 to 15 months. The current standard treatment is surgical resection, followed by synchronous radiotherapy (RT) and temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy in the resection cavity, further followed by TMZ adjuvant therapy. The median survival time upon surgical resection alone is about 6 months, and the combination of surgical resection and radiotherapy extends the median survival time to 12.1 months. On this basis, the combined treatment with TMZ further extends the median survival time to 14.6 months. Although the survival time of GBM patients continues to improve slowly, treatment for GBM remains a significant challenge and yet fails to meet patients' needs.

Autophagy is a lysosomal mediated catabolic process that helps maintain cellular homeostasis and cell survival by degrading cytoplasmic components in response to intracellular and extracellular stress. GBM is considered to demonstrate very strong autophagy and is a kind of tumor that is resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and the tumor microenvironment is immunosuppressed. Autophagy regulation is the main strategy to overcome the resistance of glioblastoma cells to cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiation-induced cell death.

JP001

JP001 is a dual autophagy modulator being developed by HebaBiz Biotech, which can improve tumor microenvironment (TME) and increase tumor cells' sensitivity to chemoradiotherapy. HebaBiz Biotech was granted an exclusive global license for the anti-tumor indications of JP001 from Johnpro Biotech Inc. in November 2019. JP001 has been approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Taiwan (TFDA) for phase I exemption and could directly proceed to clinical phase II/III study for the newly diagnosed GBM; safety and efficacy data of some patients have already been obtained. HebaBiz Biotech also has plans in place to commence concurrent phase II/III clinical trials of the same indication in the United States and Mainland China.

Given JP001's nature as a dual autophagy modulator, it has an effect on a variety of cancers including GBM, such as sarcoma, refractory metastatic solid tumor, multiple myeloma treatment failure, lymphatic fibroids, bladder cancer, renal cell carcinoma, etc and a number of papers on this topic has been published. JP001 will adopt the strategy of used-in-combination with standard treatment, to develop more indications. To this end, preliminary estimates suggest coverage of at least 30% of tumor types by JP001.

The key advantages of JP001 are as follows:

Anti-cancer sensitizer

JP001 can induce autophagy, inhibit tumor cell proliferation, promote cell apoptosis, and increase the sensitivity of chemoradiotherapy.

Great development value

JP001 has a therapeutic effect on GBM, sarcoma, refractory metastatic solid tumor, multiple myeloma, lymphangiomyoma, bladder cancer, renal cell carcinoma, etc. It was found that JP001 demonstrate synergistic killing effect in connection with Clevudine (another drug candidate in HebaBiz Biotech's pipeline) in liver cancer cell lines transfected with Hepatitis B virus, and the effect of single drug or used in combination on tumor cell metabolism is under study.

GBM treatment is significantly more effective than standard treatment

At present, the treatment of newly diagnosed GBM is basically surgical treatment combined with chemoradiotherapy as the standard treatment, and the treatment results are not ideal. The efficacy of JP001 in combination with standard treatment is shown to be significantly more effective than that of standard treatment, and its therapeutic efficacy is highly correlated with a specific Bio-marker.

Summary of JP001 Phase II/III clinical trial (enrolled patients)

The ongoing randomized phase II/III trial of radiotherapy with /without temozolomide for newly diagnosed glioblastoma will involve the enrollment of 370 patients in aggregate, under international multicenter in the United States, Mainland China, and Taiwan. Six patients so far have been randomly recruited into the study arm (standard treatment TMZ/RTZ in combination with JP001).

Of the six patients in the study arm, four are female and two are male, ranging in age from 41 to 58 years, with a median treatment period of 14 months, JP001 was well tolerated with no grade 3 toxicity.

Median progression-free survival (PFS) was observed to be over 14 months (PFS > 21 months in patient 006). Up to now, certain patients are still alive, and the longest overall survival (OS) is more than 29 months. Both PFS and OS are observed to be significantly higher than existing standard treatments and has a 100% correlation with a specific Bio-marker.

Commenting on this milestone, Dr. Zhou stated:

"We have been conducting phase II/III clinical trial in Taiwan on JP001. Preliminary clinical trial results show that JP001 is well tolerated. Four of the six patients in the treatment group responded significantly in positive ways, with two surviving with no signs of recurrence and PFS is >20 months and the longest OS is > 29 months.

Even more exciting is the high correlation between effective cases and a specific Bio-marker, which has important implications for the precision treatment of JP001, reduction of costs of clinical trials, and acceleration of the NDA approval, and gaining of market share. Meanwhile, we found that JP001 when used in combination with PD-1 can enhance the sensitivity of PD-1 to GBM, and we are actively coordinating for the commencement of a clinical trial program in the United States.

We are conducting a phase II/III international multicenter trial in the United States, Mainland China and Taiwan, and we have applied for a pre-IND meeting with CDE (Center for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration) in China. I am confident that JP001 will be a successful showcase under an innovative drug strategy that will help develop more and in a faster manner, new cancer drugs that truly meet the needs of patients."

Professor KwanHwa Chi, principal investigator (PI) of JP001, also said:

"Autophagy is the subject of a Nobel Prize and is essential to every cell. Therapeutic targets for autophagy exist in every cell class, including tumor cells, cells in tumor microenvironment (TME), and normal cells in the body. Autophagy usually has a cellular protective effect when cells are stressed by starvation or chemotherapy (CT). The protective effect of autophagy is particularly prominent when tumor cells are induced to death via programmed cell death or tumor necrosis by chemoradiotherapy, so it is becoming an important target for the development of new anticancer drugs in recent years.

It is very effective to use JP001 on a stand-alone basis for lymphangioleiomyomatosis, a rare disease, and it shows better effect when used in combination with various anti-tumor therapies for most other cancers. The basic principle of JP001 also suggests that it has the advantage of sensitizing tumor cells to most anti-cancer drugs, which could demonstrate clinical value in more than 30% of advanced cancers. As an anti-cancer sensitizer, JP001 is not positioned on only one type of cancer, its market potential is much larger, an example is Bevacavastine, which it is claimed to have a global market of $12 billion by 2025  it shows huge market potential for a used-in-combination strategy despite not being as effective when used on a stand-alone basis.

About Dr. Zhou

Dr. James Zhou is the founder, Chairman and Chief Scientist of HebaBiz Biotech. His academic and research achievements include the following:

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology / School of Medicine, Yale University

Ph.D. in Genetics, Iowa State University

National "Innovative Talents Promotion Plan" Scientific and Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talent s

Director, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Anti-tumor Drug Developmen t

863 Evaluation Expert in Agricultural Biology, Ministry of Science and Technolog y

863 Expert and Host of Special Biological Resources Major Project of Ministry of Science and Technolog y

Evaluation Expert in Biopharmacy of Evaluation Center of Ministry of Science and Technolog y

Zhongguancun "High-End Leading Talent "

About Professor KwanHwa Chi

Professor KwanHwa Chi has been engaged in cancer treatment for more than 30 years. He is now the principal investigator (PI) of JP001 and holds the following positions: PhD, Tokyo Medical University, Japan, Director of the Department of Cancer Therapy, Shin Kwang Wu Hoshi Memorial Hospital, and Professor, Department of Medicine, Yang-Ming University.

About HebaBiz Biotech

Founded by Yale University scholars and their team returning to China, HebaBiz Biotech is committed to creating personalized, precise and improved solutions for the treatment of cancers and liver diseases, guided by clinical value and patients' needs and systematically improving the quality of traditional Chinese medicines by the use of cutting-edge biotechnology.

HebaBiz Biotech has established a National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Anti-tumor Drug Development, systematic technology platforms for small-molecular drugs and innovative traditional Chinese medicines. HebaBiz Biotech has a number of international and domestic patented technologies, and seven new drug candidates in its pipeline under research and development, including China's Category 1.1 Anti-cancer Innovative Drug under the National New Drug Development Major Project. HebaBiz Biotech's pipeline is also strategically positioned to comprehensively cover liver disease indications including liver cancer, chronic hepatitis B, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, weight, lipid and other metabolic disorders; at the same time, HebaBiz Biotech is seeking breakthroughs in glioblastoma (GBM), pancreatic cancer and kidney cancer etc.

In parallel with innovative research and development, HebaBiz Biotech adheres to the principle of using the best from both Chinese and Western sources and implements a commercial layout of chemical medicines and natural medicines being mutually complementary. HebaBiz Biotech currently has nine types of production dosage forms, 82 product approvals; it has built and put into operation a modern production base of 68,000 square meters and has a mature sales team, and is strategically positioned as an all-rounded innovative enterprise of "integration of research and development, production and sales".

Forward-looking statements

The forward-looking statements made herein relate only to events or information on the date on which such statements are made. Except as required by law, we assume no responsibility to update or publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events after the date on which the forward-looking statement is made, regardless of the emergence of new information, future events or otherwise.

Please read this article carefully and understand that our actual future performance may differ materially from our expectations. Statements or references in this article to the intentions of any management or the Company are made as of the date of publication. Any such intention is subject to change as a result of future developments.

Contact HebaBiz Biotech

WANG Haiyan Board Secretary

Ting-Him CHAN Managing Director Securities and Finance Department Email: [email protected]

SOURCE HebaBiz Biotech
TOKYO, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first quarter of 2021, the US economy experienced a rebound beyond estimates following a sharp contraction in 2020. This was followed by a slowdown in revival, to just 6.5% annualized growth for the second quarter as Covid-19 cases spiked  down from the expected 8.5%. Latest figures reveal a return to normality, JC Fulton Alliance analysts believe this is likely to create headway for higher annual growth forecasts.

The US economy welcomed the addition of almost 950 000 jobs for the month of July, well above estimates by analysts at JC Fulton Alliance who had anticipated an increase in the range of 870 000 new jobs. These gains allowed for a drop in unemployment by 0.5% to 5.4%, and the labor force participation rate (the number of US citizens employed or actively seeking employment) rose 10 basis points to 61.7%.

JC Fulton Alliance analysts believe the significance of the latter is that it has oscillated between 61.4% and 61.7% since February 2020 and stands as a critical gauge on economic recovery as the volume of job openings since the pandemic wrecked havoc on the employment sector far outweighs to the employment gains. The quantity of unemployed Americans fell by 782 000 in July, down to 8.7million  in stark contrast, 9.2million job opportunities were on offer in May.

The discrepancy in job availability and employment gains could be a result of early retirement, en masse openings seeking the same skills, lack of affordable childcare, concerns over contracting Covid-19 as the new Delta variant spreads, and reluctance in vaccination compliance with more and more companies necessitating workers to be vaccinated.

Analysts at JC Fulton Alliance, however, have pointed to the weekly $300 federal addition to state unemployment benefits as significant contributor, which has allowed unemployed Americans to be more lax in their approach to seeking work. This notion has led several states, most of which are under Republican government, to retract from such relief schemes which were initially set up to run until September 2021.

Press Contact:



Masanobu Ota

81345800924

https://jcfultonalliance.com

SOURCE JC Fulton Alliance
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Legacy Collective, a giving community dedicated to funding nonprofits addressing systemic issues with sustainable, innovative solutions, today announces the Afghanistan Relief Fund. Donations collected from this fund will be used to provide emergency services to the Afghanistan people, including shelter, protection, educational services, and more. At the time of this announcement, Women for Afghan Women and Love Does have been vetted and chosen to receive the donations from the relief fund, but more organizations will be added shortly.

Erin Arnheim, Legacy Collective CEO

To make a donation, go to https://legacycollective.org/relief.

"Our hearts break for the Afghanistan people, particularly some of the most vulnerable among them  women and children," says Erin Arnheim, Legacy Collective CEO. "We knew we had to act to help in fundraising efforts for organizations that have boots on the ground in Afghanistan. Our community looks to us in these times of need, asking 'how can we help?.' We are grateful that the Legacy community continues to jump in to help others in crisis."

About our Relief Fund Partners:

Women for Afghan Women (WAW) is the largest women's organization in Afghanistan , with over 850 local Afghan staff working tirelessly to provide support services to women, children, and families. Working with strategic partners and local stakeholders, WAW's ultimate goal in Afghanistan is to transform norms of violence and oppression into that of peace and equality. Women for Afghan Women is committed to working towards a world in which Afghan women and girls enjoy peace, justice, equality, and the freedoms to participate in all spheres of life and live without fear. Women for Afghan Women envisions a world in which all women and their families thrive and prosper.

is the largest women's organization in , with over 850 local Afghan staff working tirelessly to provide support services to women, children, and families. Working with strategic partners and local stakeholders, WAW's ultimate goal in is to transform norms of violence and oppression into that of peace and equality. Women for Afghan Women is committed to working towards a world in which Afghan women and girls enjoy peace, justice, equality, and the freedoms to participate in all spheres of life and live without fear. Women for Afghan Women envisions a world in which all women and their families thrive and prosper. Love Does has been fighting for human rights and providing education to children in conflict zones for over 15 years. They have built a school in Afghanistan and are bringing tremendous hope to the faces of these students! Due to the conflict in Afghanistan , many families had to flee their homes, halting kids' education in the process. Their hope in building this school is to give these families the community and stability they deserve while also creating a place of fun and learning for their students.

About Legacy Collective

Legacy Collective works to engage systemic problems related to social issues by resourcing what we believe to be the most innovative efforts and funding the most critical projects. Follow Legacy Collective online:

Contact: Whitney Otstott, 512-699-7730, [email protected]

SOURCE Legacy Collective
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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

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Contacts:

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SOURCE SpendEdge
ProSight Selects Cenata SURE for Its Outwards Reinsurance Management Solution Tweet this

"We identified Ceded Reinsurance as a 'process critical' part of our business data flow, and having undertaken a detailed review of comparable offerings, Cenata SURE provides all of the business functionality identified for both our current and future needs. The granularity of the data will provide our business with unparalleled analytical insights into our Reinsurance purchasing, provide incredible value to our Reinsurance partners, and be an intricate component of our future strategy. Equally important is that it is built on a truly modern SaaS Cloud stack and compliments our technology roadmap, which when combined with the comprehensive functionality will deliver the necessary competitive commercial edge ProSight desires. The Cenata team is exceptional, which was a significant selection decision driver. They (Cenata) have successfully delivered every implementation they have worked on and have unparalleled knowledge of the ceded reinsurance sector. We have every confidence in them and enjoy working with them as they are true partners", comments Mike Sciole, Chief Operating Officer at ProSight.

Cenata's Managing Director, Nick Freer, adds "We are extremely excited to be working with ProSight. We respect and admire their passion as innovators and visionaries for the insurance industry. Their vision for how technology can deliver a commercial competitive edge seamlessly aligns itself with our goals for Cenata SURE. ProSight wants to set a pace that their competitors cannot sustain, and we are 100% supportive of that strategy."

About ProSight Global, Inc.

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, ProSight is a specialty property and casualty insurance holding company, providing a wide range of property and liability solutions to customers across the United States. ProSight 's insurance company subsidiaries are rated "A-" (Excellent) by A.M. Best. To learn more about ProSight, visit www.prosightspecialty.com.

About Cenata Limited

Cenata is a niche technology provider, utilizing its deep subject matter expertise and industry experience to transform the insurance industry. Cenata SURE, Cenata's outwards reinsurance software solution, delivers unmatched functionality and seamless integration, all built on leading-edge technological efficiencies. To learn more about Cenata, visit www.cenatainsurance.co.uk

Media Contact

ProSight:

Ric Victores

818.230.8216

[email protected]

SOURCE ProSight Global, Inc.
COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Resurgence Behavioral Health, a nationwide network of addiction treatment centers, marked its third anniversary on August 19 and the organization has much to celebrate. Since its founding, Resurgence has helped thousands of people struggling with substance abuse and mental health disorders transform their lives for the better.

Resurgence founder and CEO, Steve Fennelly, has walked his own personal recovery journey. After finding sobriety he began serving the recovery community in 2009. Fennelly understands first hand what it takes to truly change lives and he set out to spread the message that recovery and a better quality of life are possible for those struggling with addiction.

Resurgence Behavioral Health grew out of humble beginnings as a six bed facility in Costa Mesa, California. From its inception, the vision of Resurgence has been to create a strong supportive culture of recovery and to provide a higher level of service to those they serve.

"Empathy is at the heart of everything we do," said Fennelly. "Our clinicians individualize care to ensure that each person gets the support they need to confront their own challenges and achieve their recovery goals. Most of our staff are in recovery themselves and therefore can empathize with the challenges clients face."

Resurgence focuses not only on the physical symptoms of addiction, but also on the psychological, spiritual and emotional aspects of substance use disorders. They offer the full continuum of care from medical detox and residential treatment to outpatient, sober living, and aftercare. Inpatient facilities provide 24 hour medical care by highly trained staff, individual and group therapy sessions, healthy meals prepared by onsite chefs, and experiential therapies like hiking, horseback riding, and trips to the beach.

Staying true to their vision, Resurgence has achieved big goals as a company. In three short years, they've grown into a nationwide network of treatment centers with a total of 200 beds across 4 states.

The Resurgence umbrella currently encompasses facilities in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles and Riverside California as well as Wimberley, Texas and Fayetteville, Tennessee. The company's current plans for expansion include more facilities in Texas, Tennessee and Florida.

For Resurgence, the best indicators of their success as a company are the hundreds of heartfelt testimonials from clients expressing their gratitude. For anyone struggling with addiction or concerned about a loved one, call Resurgence at (855) 458-0050 or visit https://resurgencebehavioralhealth.com/ to learn more.

Media contact:

Tanisha Porreca

[email protected]

949-899-6003

SOURCE Resurgence Behavioral Health
LEXINGTON, S.C., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As a retired US Air Force fighter pilot who has been flying for over 50 years, Rick Mantei has a wealth of stories to tell about his experiences. On December 29, he had the opportunity to publish one of those stories in Air Facts Journal.

Air Facts Journal began publishing in 1938, when Leighton Collins decided to create a magazine dedicated to "the development of private air transportation." It was relaunched by Richard Collins as an online journal in 2011, and prides itself for encouraging participation and content from its readers. The production and distribution of the online journal is directed by John Zimmerman of Sporty's Pilot Shop in Batavia, Ohio, who is dedicated to providing an informative and entertaining platform for all manner of aviation topics, written "by pilots, for pilots."

Mantei's contribution, "Ride Of A Lifetime," describes his personal experience giving a flight to WWII flying ace Robert W. McClurg, a Marine Corps fighter pilot. Mantei said he'll never forget this "ride of a lifetime." Read the article here, and check out more information and articles at Air Facts Journal's website.

Rick Mantei is the owner and founder of Cola Wealth Advisors. Securities and advisory services offered through Centaurus Financial, Inc., a member of FINRA and SIPC and a Registered Investment Advisor. Cola Wealth Advisors and Centaurus Financial, Inc. are not affiliated. With the help of Kathy Nishnic, Atul Makharia, Lisa Mantei, Matt Hawkins and Cindy Chiellini, the team assists more than two thousand families in achieving their financial goals. For more information, please visit https://www.colawealth.com/.

Contact:

Erin Miller

803-748-7666

SOURCE Cola Wealth Advisors

Related Links

https://www.colawealth.com


The day's agenda includes seminars on career and life-changing topics such as: leadership, health and wellness, financial literacy, building a personal brand and work-life balance. Participants will also be able to meet in networking sessions held throughout the day.

Seven prominent men of color who are leaders, businessmen, best-selling authors, philanthropists and entrepreneurs will speak during the event:

Jarrett M. Adams, Esq ., Author of "Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System"





., Author of "Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System" Roberto Clemente, Jr ., Entrepreneur, Broadcaster, Philanthropist, Professional athlete, President of RCJ Global Impact LLC.





., Entrepreneur, Broadcaster, Philanthropist, Professional athlete, President of RCJ Global Impact LLC. Hill Harper , Actor, New York Times Best-selling author, and Founder and CEO of the Black Wall Street App





, Actor, New York Times Best-selling author, and Founder and CEO of the Black Wall Street App Daymond John , Entrepreneur, Best-selling author, Co-host of Shark Tank, and Founder of FUBU





, Entrepreneur, Best-selling author, Co-host of Shark Tank, and Founder of FUBU Eric Lui , Author, Co-founder and CEO of Citizen University, Director of the Aspen Institute's Citizenship and American Identity Program





, Author, Co-founder and CEO of Citizen University, Director of the Aspen Institute's Citizenship and American Identity Program Dr. Steve Perry , Educator, Best-selling author, and Founder & Head of Schools  Capital Preparatory Magnet School





, Educator, Best-selling author, and Founder & Head of Schools  Capital Preparatory Magnet School Dr. Ian Smith , Television show host, Best-selling author, and medical doctor

Sponsorships for the upcoming conference are still available. The conference agenda and details may be found on the group's website: www.ccmenofcolor.org or by calling: (646) 483-8041.

Related Links:

https://www.ccmenofcolor.org/

https://twitter.com/ccwomenofcolor/

https://www.instagram.com/ccwomenofcolor/

Contact: Laurie N. Robinson Haden - Founder, President and CEO, Corporate Counsel Women of Color

Email: [email protected]; Telephone: (646) 483-8041

SOURCE Corporate Counsel Women of Color

Related Links

http://www.ccwomenofcolor.org


INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite advisors, welcomes Ausperity Private Wealth to its network of firms adopting partnered independence. Based in Moorestown, NJ and led by Founder and Senior Managing Partner Robert "Rory" O'Hara, CFP, Ausperity Private Wealth has $500 million in client assets under management and represents the second team in New Jersey and eighth from Merrill Lynch to choose partnered independence with Sanctuary Wealth this year. Previously known as The O'Hara Group at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, all the members of the four-person team are under 40 years old yet offer clients a combined 40 years of professional experience. Team leader Rory O'Hara was ranked the #3 advisor in New Jersey on Forbes' "America's Top Next Generation Wealth Advisors" last year, his fourth consecutive year of receiving that recognition.

"That Rory and his team reached out to us and chose to join after evaluating all their other options is another example of how Sanctuary has become the destination of choice for the best next gen advisors in such a short amount of time," said Jim Dickson, CEO and Founder of Sanctuary Wealth. "Ausperity Private Wealth is a young team that already has decades of experience under their belt. While they are only our second New Jersey team, they represent the tenth next gen team to join Sanctuary in the last 12 months, with quite a few more in the pipeline."

"We knew that in going independent, it would be much better for our clients if we did it with a partner. We conducted about two years of due diligence before we decided that Sanctuary is the best fit for our team," explained Rory O'Hara, Founder & Senior Managing Partner, Ausperity Private Wealth. "We wanted access to a broader marketplace from an investment perspective, best of breed technology, marketing expertise, more freedom and control over the decisions affecting our business and Sanctuary gave us all that. We also felt much more confident working with a group that has helped so many teams like ours make the transition."

Prior to founding Ausperity Private Wealth with his three partners, Rory O'Hara spent the majority of his financial services career with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management after joining in 2007 and rising to the position of Wealth Management Advisor, Senior Vice President. He has earned the Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designations and is a graduate of Villanova University.

Founder & Managing Partner Shane Fox, CPFA, CRPC joined Merrill Lynch after graduating from Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business in 2011 with a degree in finance and signed on with The O'Hara Group about three years later. He is both a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor and a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor.

Geoff Degener, CPFA is also a Founder & Managing Partner. He is a graduate of James Madison University and has been with The O'Hara Group since 2013.

The fourth member of the team is Founder and Senior Relationship Manager Jennifer Fisher, ChFC, who joined the team in 2016. She earned the Chartered Financial Consultant certification and is a graduate of Rutgers University.

"As one of the premier teams in their region at Merrill, I initially knew the O'Hara Group strictly by their outstanding reputation," said Vince Fertitta, President, Wealth Management, Sanctuary Wealth. "Rory, Shane, Geoff and Jennifer truly developed a team culture of collaboration and client focus that meshes seamlessly with what we've built here at Sanctuary. With access to our state-of-the art tech stack, wide range of investment solutions and ability to offload back-office functions, they are positioned to enjoy even greater growth going forward."

About Sanctuary Wealth

Sanctuary Wealth (sanctuarywealth.com/) is the advanced platform for the next generation of elite advisors, who have the entrepreneurial spirit to build and own their own practices and desire the freedom to deliver the tailored service their clients deserve. Sanctuary's ecosystem of partnered independence provides a complete technology and operations platform, as well as support from a community of like-minded advisors and the resources of invaluable affiliated businesses. Currently, the Sanctuary Wealth network includes partner firms across 20 states with over $17.0 billion in assets under advisement. The Sanctuary Wealth Group includes the fully owned subsidiaries Sanctuary Advisors, a registered investment adviser, and the broker-dealer Sanctuary Securities, as well as Sanctuary Asset Management, Sanctuary Insurance Solutions, Sanctuary Global, and Sanctuary Global Tax and Family Office.

CONTACT: Michaela Morales

JConnelly

973 224 7152

[email protected]

SOURCE Sanctuary Wealth
DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Second citizenship is rapidly becoming a popular term among the world's elite, as many of them have found out, as the world becomes smaller, it becomes even more challenging to roam. The solution to a world full of borders is quite apparent, however, as obtaining a second citizenship through investment knocks down those barriers with exquisite ease.

High-society quickly saw how second citizenship could ease their global mobility issues, unlock the door to the world and hand them the keys, but second citizenship is much more than just an enhanced travel document; it is a framework for a transcendent life.

In this article, we will show you how investing in a second citizenship can transform your life, and how it will positively affect every aspect of it, but first let's shed some light on the definition of second citizenship.

What Is Second Citizenship?

Second citizenship means becoming a national of another country in addition to your home nation. The majority of countries allow dual citizenship, which means you can hold citizenship certificates and passports of two different nations at the same time, and the world's elite have been using these laws to their advantage, creating citizenship portfolios that allow them to benefit from becoming global citizens.

Let's say, for example, you only hold citizenship X. You are then at the mercy of that country's economy, tax regime, political decisions, and laws. It's true that most people in life, journey through it living life dependent on a single government's whim, but an increasing number of pioneers are finding ways to alleviate that claustrophobic setting into something better, something more.

By obtaining another citizenship, or even more than just one, you become more than just a national of nation X, but instead a national of the world. It is worth noting that countries that allow dual citizenship normally allow you to hold more than just two, providing you with the opportunity to create a robust citizenship portfolio that enables you to take advantage of what the entire world has to offer.

But how do you do that? Easy; citizenship by investment (CBI). A plethora of nations offer global investors the chance to obtain their citizenship by investing in pre-defined ventures. The most illustrious of these citizenship by investment programs (CIPs) are located in the Caribbean Sea, as the nations of Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitt & Nevis, and St. Lucia provide investors with the chance to obtain commonwealth citizenships through investing in real estate or donating to a government development fund starting at 100,000 USD.

The Oceanic nation of Vanuatu has a similar CIP to that of the Caribbean nations in place, while Turkey currently runs one of the world's most popular CIPs since its launch in 2017, allowing investors to become Turkish nationals by buying 250,000 USD worth of real estate in the Anatolian nation.

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Since various countries in the world offer the elite citizenship for their investments through easy programs which have an average processing time of 3-6 months between them, it is no wonder more people are looking to invest in another citizenship for themselves and their family members, especially when the total investment amount is similar to that of a luxury car.

Historically, second citizenship was obtained as a means to mitigate risk, a plan b. Then the Coronavirus came swooping in and changed everything; as the pandemic's effects spread, humanity reassessed its priorities, we changed how we view everything. Adopting a proactive mindset has become a priority for everyone to mitigate the risk of a potential crisis such as the pandemic.

Those with second citizenship could count themselves luckier than most, possessing more options for travel or refuge, but even they noticed something vital, that second citizenship is not just a contingency, but a totally new way of life from start to finish. Second citizenship is your plan A, B, and C, and we want to show you why.

Plan A: Global Mobility

Once you get another citizenship, your global mobility ability instantly increases. This travel enhancement is not just an additional perk or a contingency , but a tool to use immediately to your advantage.

Let's take the St. Kitts & Nevis passport as a prime example, the 24th best passport globally, which grants access to over 155 destinations worldwide, including the EU, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, and many more. Holding a St. Kitts & Nevis passport essentially opens up the world's most exciting, and economically vital, destinations.

Instead of being reactive and trying to get a visa to an important event or conference, you can be proactive and roam the continent making the best deals and finding hidden investment opportunities which would otherwise be undetectable.

People Who Read This Article Also Read: Why Should You Apply for the Portugal Golden Visa Program?

Enhanced global mobility eradicates the fog of uncertainty, giving you access to important locations throughout the globe. You can jump from one place to another, ensuring you don't miss an opportunity.

It doesn't just end at business and investment, but affects something much more important, your family. All CIPs allow you to add specified family members, with the Caribbean nations having the most comprehensive dependent allowances, which means your loved ones get to enjoy the perks of second citizenship along with you.

While your kids may not be interested in attending a global summit just yet, you can take advantage of your second passport by vacationing with them in countries that would have otherwise proven too much of a hassle to get a visa to, either because of complex requirements or because they don't have a visa application center in your home country.

Never underestimate the importance of leisure and spending time with your family, something which can be significantly enhanced when you can just take out the world map, point to a destination, and go.

The benefits of elevated global mobility don't stop there, as you can easily accompany your children on their quests to fulfilling their potential. Let's say you have a child who wants to pursue an undergraduate degree in The Netherlands; you can easily travel with them and check out the campus, help them arrange their living situations, and pop in with ease without needing to plan weeks ahead to accommodate a visa application. Everything just becomes much more straightforward.

Related Article: Can You Buy Citizenship in St. Lucia?  Yes, Here's How

The Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Programs are extremely popular when it comes to global mobility due to the strength of the passports they offer. You can travel to more than 140 destinations worldwide with a passport from Grenada, Dominica, or St. Lucia, while Antigua & Barbuda and St. Kitts & Nevis go above 150 destinations worldwide.

These Caribbean passports all provide visa-free access to hotspots such as the Schengen Zone, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and others, and the simplicity of the process just adds to the elegance of their CIPs.

Vanuatu is a close second, offering visa-free access to 133 destinations worldwide, with a similar visa-free destination list.

Plan B: Financial Freedom

While global mobility dominates the headlines, there is another major benefit of obtaining second citizenship, one that the savvy investor will take full advantage of; financial freedom.

Becoming financially sovereign is the best way to safeguard and enhance your wealth. Being able to choose where you pay taxes, or whether you need to pay them at all, can make a huge difference in how you accumulate and grow your assets.

Many CBI countries such as Dominica, Vanuatu, and St. Kitts & Nevis are tax havens, offering their residents and citizens a favourable tax regime that is rarely found elsewhere in the world.

Let's take Dominica as a great example, the government does not impose worldwide income, inheritance, capital gains, wealth, or withholding taxes on its citizens.

Consider that Jordan, for example, has an income tax rate that reaches 30%, or that Egypt has capital gains taxes set at 22.5%, or that Japan has an inheritance tax rate of a whopping 55%. You can then see how second citizenship could save you hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars throughout the years.

But it isn't just about the taxes, as genuine financial freedom spans much more; offshore banking, for example, can make your life much easier for conducting international transfers, pursuing foreign investments, and avoiding economic fluctuations. St. Kitts & Nevis and Dominica shine here, both boasting a robust financial service and banking landscape that allows for simplified and comprehensive offshore banking.

Both countries, along with the rest of the aforementioned Caribbean nations, are regulated by common law, making them safe and efficient reserves for your wealth. It also makes it easier for you to move money around the globe without the difficulties that arise when trying to transfer from some afflicted or sanctioned nations.

Another important factor is the ease of setting up an offshore business or corporation for global entrepreneurs. Again the Caribbean nations and Vanuatu tick all the boxes, enabling you to easily set up a business within their shores and take advantage of long-term tax incentives.

However, it is important that you don't overlook Turkey when it comes to setting up a new HQ; as it is centrally situated, it offers a robust marketplace, excellent workforce, competitive operating costs, and abundant resources. For those looking to rapidly expand their business empire, paying a few more dollars in corporate tax may be worth it to set up shop in one of the world's leading markets.

You Might Also Like: A Breakdown of Taxes for Portugal Golden Visa Residents

Expanding your asset base also plays a significant role in evolving your financial setup, and a second citizenship can help you find better investment opportunities within growing markets that can yield greater profits.

Caribbean CIPs along the one Turkey offers are great for expanding your asset base. The real estate option in the Caribbean allows you to invest in shares within five-star, global brand resorts in some of the world's most magnificent tourist hotspots.

Turkey expands that concept even more, as all real estate in Turkey is fair game, and you can buy one or more properties to qualify for citizenship, as long as you reach the 250,000 USD minimum threshold. The ability to create an investment portfolio made up of residential, commercial, or agricultural properties makes Turkey's Citizenship by Investment Program great for profitable investments.

By being able to make significant investments without government interference, pay tax on your own terms, move your finances around without hassle, safeguard your wealth in secure locations, conduct seamless international banking, and optimize your business on a global scale, then you can say you are genuinely financially sovereign. And getting the right second citizenship helps you do all that  and more.

Plan C: Contingency Asset

It is in our nature to protect ourselves, our families, and what we own. Human beings take extreme measures to safeguard what they love, it is an instinct, one that gives us the peace of mind to sleep at night.

This innate drive to take precautions is one of the main drivers for investors to pursue CBI as a robust contingency asset. The pandemic has confirmed this statement, as those with multiple citizenships had something others rarely did; options.

As the pandemic raged on, borders rapidly closed, and governments scrambled to deal with the new normal, many people found themselves at the mercy of their own government's decision-making process. Those with underlying health problems or housing loved ones who were at risk had to sit tight and hope for the best, unless, of course, they had invested in a second citizenship.

People Who Read This Article Also Read: Citizenship by Investment Or Residency by Investment  Which is Best for You and Your Family?

Let's stay in the region and take Jordan as an example once more; the country successfully halted the initial wave of the virus, but at great economic cost. A complete lockdown that spanned for two months with no apparent plan to re-open the market led business owners and employees to the brink of financial ruin. Then, when the country finally did open its market, COVID cases skyrocketed, even temporarily becoming the 4th highest country in the world for cases per capita per day.

Now a person in Jordan who does not have a second citizenship had no option but to roll with the fluctuating government decisions. On the other hand, dual citizens had an alternative, another home, another market, another hope.

Jordan, till this date, has registered over three-quarters of a million COVID cases, which is about 0.075% of its population. On the other hand, Dominica reported a measly 192 cases, 0.0026% of its population. Vanuatu only registered four cases  yes, four- and was one of the first nations to declare itself COVID free.

Those with a Dominica or Vanuatu passport could have easily waited out the pandemic on a tropical island while conducting their work remotely, the same way they would have done it in their home nations due to lockdowns and curfews, and could have enjoyed a better standard of living during the pandemic.

But contingency planning is not just about protecting you from external factors such as the pandemic but safeguarding you and your family against internal risks as well. Political instability, for example, has been a defining characteristic in the MENA region the past few decades, while any government may spiral out of control instantly.

You don't want your kids to live in fear of instability or have their education hindered due to the economic crisis, and second citizenship mitigates that risk and provides them with options.

Being able to whip out that second passport when things go awry is the ultimate backup plan. But CBI allows you to mitigate against other instabilities as well.

By diversifying your asset base, you mitigate the risk of currency fluctuation, economic depression, and more. Having property in Turkey or the Caribbean offsets the probability of losing all your major assets if something goes wrong in your country. They also provide you with varying streams of passive income depending on the investment portfolio you create.

Related Article: How Long Does It Take to Obtain Citizenship by Investment in Antigua and Barbuda?  Less Time Than You Think!

However, it is essential to get a citizenship of a country you would be comfortable residing in, as you may decide to move in case of any disruptions in your country of residence. Turkey is a great example here, as the vast nation has a diverse landscape with bustling cities, excellent healthcare, solid education, and a strong infrastructure.

Turkey also boasts a great living standard for retirees, many of whom look to spend their free time in an affordable country that boasts abundant activities, pleasant climate, good healthcare, and is relatively close to their home nation.

Another great thing about Turkey, which it shares with Grenada, is that their nationals are eligible for the USA's E2 treaty visa; a US residence permit available only to select nationalities throughout the world. This means that Turkish and Grenadian citizenship open up even more doors for you as a backup plan, making them great for those looking to take precautions against the worst possible scenarios.

Second citizenship is a lifestyle

Getting a second citizenship is no longer a contingency plan; it is a complete transformation of your lifestyle for the better. By obtaining another citizenship through investment, you can roam the globe freely, obtain financial sovereignty, and shield your family from instability.

To do this correctly, however, you need to understand which second citizenship is best for you, and luckily we at Savory & Partners have been mastering CBI since it was still a relatively unknown concept. We will understand your needs and find you the solutions that fit your objectives. We listen, we advise, and we transform lives.

All you need to begin your journey to becoming a global citizen is contact us today and let us take care of the rest.

Savory & Partners is an accredited agent for multiple governments where citizenship by investment is offered. Founded in 1797, the agency has evolved from pharmaceuticals to family assets and legacy protection through second citizenship and residency. The company's professional, multinational staff is made up of expert advisors who have guided thousands of clients, including many North African investors, on their journey to find the most suitable CBI program for them. The Savory & Partners team will be happy to answer your enquiries in English, Arabic and French.

For more information, please send an email to [email protected]. You can also call +971 04 430 1717 or send a WhatsApp message to +971 54 440 2955.

SOURCE Savory & Partners
NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against RenovaCare, Inc. ("RenovaCare" or the "Company") (OTCMKTS: RCAR) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and docketed under 21-cv-13930, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired RenovaCare securities between August 14, 2017 and May 28, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Plaintiff pursues claims against the Defendants under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act").

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired RenovaCare securities during the Class Period, you have until September 14, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

RenovaCare is a development stage company that has not generated any revenue since its inception and has no commercialized products. Its activities primarily consist of research and development, business development, and capital raises. It owns the CellMist System, which consists of a treatment method for cell isolation for the regeneration of human skin cells and other tissues (the CellMist Solution) and a solution sprayer device to deliver cells to the treatment area (the SkinGun).

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) at the direction of the Company's controlling shareholder and Chairman, Harmel Rayat ("Rayat"), RenovaCare engaged in a promotional campaign to issue misleading statements to artificially inflate the Company's stock price; (ii) when OTC Markets Group, Inc. ("OTC Markets") inquired, RenovaCare and Rayat issued a materially false and misleading press release claiming that no director, officer, or controlling shareholder had any involvement in the purported third party's promotional materials; (iii) as a result of the foregoing, the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were defective; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

On May 28, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") issued a litigation release stating that RenovaCare was being charged with alleged securities fraud. According to the SEC's complaint, between July 2017 and January 2018, Rayat "arranged, and caused RenovaCare to pay for, a promotional campaign designed to increase the company's stock price." Specifically, "Rayat was closely involved in directing the promotion and editing promotional materials, and arranged to funnel payments to the publisher through consultants to conceal RenovaCare's involvement in the campaign." When OTC Markets requested that RenovaCare explain its relationship to the promotion, the complaint alleges that "Rayat and RenovaCare then drafted and issued a press release and a Form 8-K that contained material misrepresentations and omissions denying Rayat's and the company's involvement in the promotion."

On this news, the Company's stock price fell $0.66, or 24.8%, over three consecutive trading sessions to close at $2.00 per share on June 2, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Zymergen, Inc. ("Zymergen or the "Company") (NYSE: ZY). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Zymergen and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On or around April 22, 2021, Zymergen sold approximately 16.3 million shares of stock in its initial public stock offering (the "IPO") at $31.00 per share, raising nearly $505 million in new capital. Then, on August 3, 2021, Zymergen provided a business update regarding its commercial product pipeline and financial forecast. Zymergen claimed that it recently became aware of issues with its commercial product pipeline that will impact the Company's delivery timeline and revenue projections. As a result, the Company no longer expects product revenue in 2021 and expects product revenue to be immaterial in 2022. Additionally, the Company announced the resignation of Josh Hoffman as Chief Executive Officer and a board member, effective immediately.

Following this news, Zymergen's stock price fell $26.58 per share, or 76.31%, to close at $8.25 per share on August 4, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of the securities of SelectQuote, Inc. (NYSE: SLQT) between February 8, 2021 and May 11, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than October 15, 2021.

SO WHAT: If you purchased SelectQuote securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the SelectQuote class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2145.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than October 15, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) SelectQuote's 2019 cohort was underperforming; (2) as a result, the Company's financial results would be adversely impacted; and (3) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the SelectQuote class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2145.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

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The Olympus is strategically located from the city, whilst offering residents seamless connectivity to all parts of Hyderabad. The property has been thoughtfully planned to offer an aspiration and holistic lifestyle to its residents with modern and world-class amenities such as approximately 50,000 sq. ft. club house called the 'Zeus' club that houses Co-working spaces, Cafe & Library, Swimming Pool, Guest Suites, BBQ Terrace, Sports Bar, Gym, Badminton Court, Squash Court, Indoor Games, Spa and Saloon among many others. The project also comes with best-of-the-world specifications including centralized AC.

Commenting on the launch of the project, Mr. Madhusudhan. G, Chairman, Sumadhura Group, said, "This project is specially designed to cater to the needs of accomplished individuals and families that are seeking to maintain work-life balance. While being in the heart of action in Financial District, the project will offer space and amenities needed to relax and rejuvenate and "The Olympus" will be one of the best properties to unwind from the cacophony of the demanding lifestyle and cherish moments with your loved ones. The new property is certainly going to be a pride possession of our buyers that will be cherished for generations."

Additionally, the biggest USP of the project is its locational advantage, being adjacent to Waverock SEZ, within meters from many MNCs and offering stunning views of the Hyderabad City. It is in close proximity to some of the leading MNCs, Hospitals, Outer Ring Road, Schools & Educational Institutions, Sporting Facilities and other required social infrastructure.

About Sumadhura Group:

Sumadhura Group is a name that resonates among the prominent residential and commercial developers in the cities of Hyderabad and Bengaluru, India. We have so far delivered 8 Million sq. ft. while another 7 million sq. ft. is under construction and 5 million sq. ft. under planning stages. Our ability to deliver on-time luxurious and affordable housing projects has ensured a continual interest from our customers. Our expertise in acquisition of land, appointment of architects and designers, construction, sales to after sales service, has helped us to be counted among forerunners in real estate development. Our mission is to continuously expand the role of a leading developer in the construction industry by building lasting relationships with our clientele and all concerned on the foundations of performance, trust and confidence. Our vision is to develop quality properties based on realistic values for its owners, investment affiliates, as well as its joint venture partners.

Sumadhura is slated to launch additional 6 million sq. ft. with an investment of 2000 crores with in next 3/4 quarters

Media Contact:

Sandip Chhatui

[email protected]



SOURCE Sumadhura Group
"We proudly support the American Red Cross programs serving our military veterans and families and feel fortunate to have the ability to craft a campaign that provides our guests with an opportunity to raise funds that go directly to those who protect our freedoms," says Salim Asrawi, president of Texas de Brazil.

"Texas de Brazil's July fundraising campaign allowed both its staff and customers to make an impact on the Red Cross mission," said Ariane Einecker, chief development officer, American Red Cross North Texas Region. "We are extremely grateful for the continued support of Texas de Brazil and their customers and look forward to many more years of partnership."

Every day, the American Red Cross provides 24/7 global emergency communication services and other support in military and veteran health care facilities across the country and around the world. The Red Cross has been serving the military for more than 140 years and has deployed alongside military in every U.S. conflict since the Spanish-American War.

About Texas de Brazil

Texas de Brazil is an authentic Brazilian-American steakhouse featuring a continuous dining experience that blends the unique culture of Brazil with the generous hospitality of Texas. The menu features a vast selection of grilled meats, a 50-item salad area, an award-winning wine list and a la carte dessert selections. Founded as a family-owned business in 1998, Texas de Brazil now has locations in 21 states along with 11 international locations. For more information, visit TexasdeBrazil.com.

About American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/dfw or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on Twitter at @RedCrossNTX.

SOURCE Texas de Brazil

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HOUSTON, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Three Moody Law Group real estate attorneys are being recognized among the best in their practice area in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

The honorees are firm founder John S. Moody Jr. and veteran practitioners Tania Hovel and Gwen Smith.

Mr. Moody Jr. also earned additional recognition and has been named the Houston real estate law "Lawyer of the Year." This special designation is reserved for the lawyers who receive the highest overall peer feedback in a specific region and practice area.

The 2022 edition also marks the first time Ms. Smith and Ms. Hovel have been named to Best Lawyers.

"Having the talent and expertise of our team recognized by our peers is the best kind of honor," said Mr. Moody. "Congratulations to my colleagues Gwen and Tania for their inaugural selection to Best Lawyers, and thank you to everyone who contributed to our recognition this year."

Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Mr. Moody has more than 20 years of experience in the field. He is a respected leader in real estate matters involving development, leasing, acquisitions, sales and financing. His expertise and strong ties to the community have made him a frequent speaker at industry events, and he is often quoted in commercial real estate publications. Most recently, his commentary "These are the 6 Biggest Lingering COVID Issues Affecting Real Estate" was featured in Bisnow Houston.

Ms. Hovel focuses her practice on commercial transactions, including retail, office and industrial leasing, acquisitions, sales and development, finance, and general corporate matters. Before joining Moody Law, she advised clients on both corporate and real estate matters at other prominent firms.

Ms. Smith has an extensive background in commercial real estate law with a focus on leasing, representing both landlords and tenants in their negotiations. Her client list includes leading national and regional retailers and restaurants. She joined Moody Law as a contract attorney in 2012 before being named of counsel.

First published in 1983, The Best Lawyers in America is the U.S. legal industry's oldest peer-review guide for showcasing the country's top attorneys. Honorees are selected through a rigorous process that includes confidential evaluations by other lawyers in the same and related specialties. For a complete list of this year's honorees, visit http://www.bestlawyers.com/.

About Moody Law Group, PLLC:

Moody Law Group is a Houston-based law firm that focuses exclusively on complex commercial real estate matters. With a team composed of seasoned and board-certified real estate attorneys, the firm remains one of the most experienced and uniquely equipped teams to guide developers, property owners, financial institutions, investors, retailers, and private equity funds through their legal and real estate challenges. To learn more about Moody Law Group's commercial real estate expertise, visit www.moodylawgroup.com.

Media Contact:

Jennie Bui-McCoy

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Moody Law Group PLLC

Related Links

http://www.moodylawgroup.com

http://www.bestlawyers.com


One challenge which is being highlighted is the volatility in raw material prices. The raw material costs for chemical manufacturers are heavily dependent on crude oil and natural gas prices, which have been volatile over the past two years. A price rise in the second half of 2019 was followed by a very sharp decline in the first half of 2020 as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. These factors make it very challenging for companies to forecast the behavior of material prices and determine price and volume levels that are ideal to lock in raw material contracts for the future. By identifying such challenges, BizVibe is helping users analyze which suppliers are right for their business, while allowing them to efficiently monitor the risk of doing business.

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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 helps 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
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Wildpack Beverage Inc. (TSX-V: CANS) ("Wildpack" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated August 9, 2021, it has closed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding securities of Vertical Distilling, LLC (the "Colorado Facility") in exchange for cash consideration of US$4.5 million.

On the date of acquisition, the Colorado Facility was operating on a cashflow positive basis with only one shift. Wildpack has developed an integration and utilization step-up plan that involves completing the following milestones in stages by March, 2022: (i) shift optimization to achieve more profitable gallons at the Colorado Facility; (ii) absorbing the Colorado Facility's pre-existing back office and supply chain into Wildpack's ecosystem; and (iii) broadening the Colorado Facility's service offering.

The Colorado Facility is expected to become a central hub for Wildpack and its customers as it Wildpack continues to execute on the strategic business plan of building a network of facilities within one-day shipping range of all major distribution centers in the middle market beverage industry.

"Colorado is a key geography in the middle market beverage industry for both customers and vendors. Establishing a presence there not only furthers our strategic business objectives as it relates to decreasing shipping cost and complexity for customers, but it also places us as neighbors to several of our key vendors. Strengthening these relationships is expected to have a positive impact on our business as we continue to accumulate market share in spaces that we operate." said Thomas Walker, Chief Growth Officer.

Also, Wildpack has completed the installation of an additional brand-new decorating line housed within its pre-existing facility in Baltimore, Maryland to meet previously unmet demand. Once fully ramped in accordance with Wildpack's standard step-up plan, the Baltimore facility is anticipated to achieve throughput in excess of 2 million cans per month.

"We have developed a strong team dedicated to internal upgrades of existing lines and the installation of new ones within our operation. The efficiency with which this line was built and the lack of disruption to existing ongoing operations during its construction validates our ability to make strategic additions to our facilities beyond upgrading existing assets." said Chuck Zadlo, Chief Operating Officer.

WILDPACK BEVERAGE INC.

Per: "Mitch Barnard"

Mitch Barnard

Chief Executive Officer and Director

About Wildpack

Wildpack is engaged in beverage manufacturing and packaging, operating in the middle market by providing can filling and decorating services to brands throughout the United States. Wildpack currently operates indirectly through its wholly owned subsidiaries and out of facilities in Baltimore, Maryland, Atlanta, Georgia, Longmont, Colorado, Sacramento, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Wildpack commenced trading on May 19, 2021 on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "CANS.V".

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including, without limitation: integration of the Colorado Facility as described herein, the anticipated impact of the Colorado Facility on Wildpack's business, the anticipated production output resulting from the installations at the Baltimore facility, and our statements related to the Company's growth plans generally. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, and contingencies. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "will", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the estimated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements and the forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Wildpack's statements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and conditions, many of which are outside of Wildpack's control, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding the Transaction, including: that Wildpack's assumptions in making forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect; the inability to integrate the Colorado Facility as currently anticipated; adverse market conditions; risks inherent in the beverage manufacturing and packaging sector in general; that future results may vary from historical results; and competition in the markets where Wildpack operates. Except as required by securities law, Wildpack does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Wildpack Beverage Inc.
LES CAYES, Haiti, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the southern region of Haiti, Hope for Haiti has launched an emergency funding campaign to raise $5 million for immediate and long-term disaster relief and recovery efforts. The nonprofit - which employs 62 full-time Haitian staff members in-country including doctors, nurses, and program managers - has already been providing onsite assistance to the Haitian people. Longtime supporter of Hope for Haiti, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation has helped kick off the campaign with an initial $1 million grant.

Hope for Haiti's Infirmary St. Etienne reopened on Monday to provide critical services to members of the community, including wound care and clean water.

"Each time Bob and I visit Haiti, I am struck by the incredible spirit and resilience of the Haitian people," said President and Executive Creative Director of PXG Apparel Renee Parsons. "Now, more than ever, they need our help. Hope for Haiti is a trusted source and perfectly positioned to provide the critical assistance needed now."

The recent disaster comes after an extremely challenging few years for Haitian families who, in addition to the recent outbreak of COVID-19, have endured political and civil unrest, and food, water, and economic insecurity. For more than 30 years, Hope for Haiti has been working in southern Haiti to resource and empower local leaders and provide access to clean water, healthcare, education, and economic opportunities.

"Our entire organization is overwhelmed by the incredible generosity of The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation. They have been a trusted partner for more than a decade, and it's their past support for our work and our team, specifically our healthcare programs, that have enabled our organization to be uniquely qualified to respond to this disaster," said Hope for Haiti CEO Skyler Badenoch. "Their donation today of $1 million to support our $5 million goal will enable us to provide relief, support, and continuous assistance to Haitian families and our more than 60 partners in the greater south of Haiti."

With more than 30 years of experience in emergency preparedness and response in southern Haiti, Hope for Haiti is well-positioned to provide instant and long-term aid. The organization has taken great care in using lessons learned from its response during the 2010 Earthquake, Haiti's Cholera Epidemic, Hurricane Matthew, and the spread of COVID-19 to develop a short-term (three-month) and long-term (24-month) response to this disaster. The $5 million campaign will work towards the following goals:

Purchase, import and distribute medication, medical supplies, medical equipment, and PPE to support more than 38 government, non-government, and private medical partners.

Provide 50,000 health consultations, including medication/supplies, referrals, and health education for children, parents, and grandparents at Hope for Haiti's infirmary and through mobile clinics conducted by Haitian doctors and nurses.

infirmary and through mobile clinics conducted by Haitian doctors and nurses. Rubble removal and rehabilitation of homes, schools, sanitation blocks, and healthcare facilities in 24 rural and urban communities by hiring and resourcing only local Haitian construction firms and workers.

Distribute 15,000 Home Water Filtration Systems to families in rural and urban areas who lack access to clean drinking water, and who are at risk of contracting waterborne illnesses such as giardia, E.coli, cholera, and other parasites.

Provide 1,000 micro-grants, 20 loans, financial literacy classes, and digital currency education to schoolteachers and micro, small, and medium-sized businesses with the support of blockchain-enabled cash transfers.

"In the aftermath of this recent earthquake, Haiti is facing an extreme crisis with countless injuries and damage to homes, schools, and important infrastructure," said Founder and CEO of PXG Bob Parsons. "Hope for Haiti has been quick to respond, with boots on the ground, offering the Haitian people support they desperately need."

Hope for Haiti is the leading nonprofit focused on comprehensive poverty alleviation, healthcare, and education in Southern Haiti. The organization has a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and is recognized as a Platinum Level partner by the GuideStar Exchange. Hope for Haiti was also named one of Charity Navigator's Top 10 Humanitarian Relief Organizations. To learn more or make a donation, visit www.hopeforhaiti.com.

Media Contact:

Taylor Hebble

Hope for Haiti Director of Marketing & Communications

[email protected]

Related Files

Emergency-Appeal-for-Earthquake-Relief-in-Haiti-4.pdf

Related Images

hope-for-haiti-infirmary-st.jpeg

Hope for Haiti Infirmary St. Etienne Treating Patients in Wake of Earthquake

Hope for Haiti's Infirmary St. Etienne reopened on Monday to provide critical services to members of the community, including wound care and clean water.

SOURCE Hope for Haiti
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Archer has unveiled AIM Automated Underwriting, a data-driven underwriting tool that significantly enhances the multifamily underwriting process and reduces the amount of time required to complete a first underwriting from days to minutes.

AIM Automated Underwriting solves one of biggest challenges that real estate investors face today  evaluating and underwriting deals efficiently and effectively. With AIM Automated Underwriting, investors can complete a first underwriting of any multifamily property in less than 15 minutes.

Archer AIM Automated Underwriting

Importantly, AIM Automated Underwriting produces precise results, with or without actual financials. Investors can feel confident starting LOI discussions based on the results.

"Quality underwriting is crucial to the successful execution of an investment strategy, but speed also matters because investors that act quickly have an advantage over their competitors," says Thomas Foley, co-founder and CEO of Archer. "Before AIM Automated Underwriting, investors had to choose between speed and quality. AIM Automated Underwriting gives investors all the information they need to estimate expected returns, mitigate known risks, and take advantage of upside potential."

AIM Automated Underwriting supports Archer's mission to make real estate investing easier through better data, technology, and local expertise. The tool is an extension of AIM, Archer's proprietary technology platform, which helps investors source opportunities by converting raw, disjointed data into actionable market intelligence with a click of a button.

"Real estate investors today are overwhelmed and stretched," says Fred Canney, co-founder, COO, and CFO of Archer. "Their teams are trying to do more with less and are constantly looking for ways to differentiate their capabilities. AIM Automated Underwriting not only vastly improves the quality of each underwritten model, it also gives back the most valuable commodity of all: time."

By leveraging machine learning, AIM Automated Underwriting predicts operating costs, identifies the best comps in the market for revenues or sales, and automatically sorts through thousands of comparable properties to select only the best. It then organizes the information in a useful and intuitive way through a user interface that helps real estate acquisitions teams quickly apply their expertise to adjust the base level assumptions as needed.

AIM Automated Underwriting provides:

Speed to the first underwrite  15 minutes or less for a full multifamily evaluation, with or without a rent roll or T-12

Transparency in decision making  see all rent, operating costs, and sales comps; understand why each comp was chosen, and importantly, which comps were not chosen and why

Expansion of scope  with an automated underwriting model, investors can look at more deals than before, prioritize deals faster, and choose where to spend their time

"I can't imagine going back to the old way of underwriting," says Miles Pratt, managing director of acquisitions for Archer. "Being able to confidently underwrite dozens of properties in several different markets in a fraction of the time is a real game-changer. Though human-level refinement is still necessary for perfecting underwriting, the speed that you can get to the refinement part of the analysis is a huge leap in productivity."

AIM Automated Underwriting effectively produces a baseline underwriting complete with comparable analysis and all the information necessary for investors to make smart, informed decisions.

"At Archer, we know that data is only the start of the equation  real estate professionals bring a tremendous amount of market knowledge and acquisitions expertise," Canney says. "We believe AIM Automated Underwriting helps prioritize effort, focuses human energy where it can add the most value, and allows investors to pursue more deals with the teams they have today."

Q&A: Archer's Canney Explains the Ins & Outs of AIM Automated Underwriting

AIM Automated Underwriting is just one of Archer's unique technology tools. The company's talented data science team recently developed a recommendation engine to help investors expand from their local market into "look-alike" markets where they have a less of a presence.

The powerful recommendation engine analyzes new markets at scale that would traditionally require an army of analysts. Learn more about Archer's recommendation engine.

Since launching the platform in March 2021, Archer has grown its real estate clients to more than a dozen funds and operators who are sourcing off-market opportunities in more than 25 markets.

For example, Archer has partnered with a Houston-based private equity firm to expand its market entry to Austin and San Antonio. It's also working with an investor with very specific investment criteria to identify pockets of opportunity within San Diego and Salt Lake City.

About Archer

Archer is a real estate investment firm that helps investors build their ideal portfolios. By targeting specific cities and properties, Archer is transforming the way investors enter new markets and expand into new property types. The firm has developed a transformative technology tool, Actionable Insights Model (AIM), that merges data from trusted sources and insights from local market experts. Guided by AIM, Archer identifies the most strategic assets, allowing investors to reduce the risk associated with market entry. Learn more at www.archer.re.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Duell

817.903.2432

[email protected]

SOURCE Archer
Wang Hui - General Representative of World Expo and Global Vice President of The Association of Curators, Chen Jun - Director of Business Operation Center of China Cuisines & Culture Center of China Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Wu Qingbiao - General Manager of Bama Tea, and other guests and media representatives were invited to the ceremony.

Bama Tea's leading position in China's tea industry, and the brand's efforts to promote Chinese tea on the international stage were highly praised by Wang Hui, General Representative of World Expo and Global Vice President of The Association of Curators.

Prior to Expo 2020 Dubai, Bama Tea made its presence in Expo 2010 Shanghai and Expo 2015 Milan. In 2010, Bama Tea became 'China World Expo Ten Famous Teas  Official Tea of the United Nations Pavilion, Shanghai Expo 2010'. Its products were given to guests as gifts. In 2015, Bama Saizhenzhu Tieguanyin was awarded Golden Camel Prize, which is one of the top prizes China's tea industry had won in the past century. In addition, because of its quality and brand reputation, Bama Tea also served many important foreign affairs, such as the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen in 2017, the 3rd Maritime Silk Road International Arts Festival in 2017, promoting Chinese tea to the world.

SOURCE Bama Tea

Related Links

www.bamatea.com


STOCKHOLM, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To further strengthen the board of directors competence the Nomination Committee of Bambuser proposes that Sonia Gardner and Jrgen Madsen Lindemann, respectively, be elected as new board members of Bambuser. At the same time, Alexander Mcintyre has announced that he intends to resign from the board of directors.

In light of the Nomination Committee's proposal, the board of directors intends to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting whereas the notice will be published separately. Alexander Mcintyre will leave the board of directors in connection to the Extraordinary General Meeting.

"The board of directors thanks Alexander for his efforts and contributions to the Company over recent years. We wish Alexander every success in the future," said Joel Citron, Chairman of Bambuser's board of directors.

Sonia Gardner (born 1962) is President, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Avenue Capital Group, a global alternative investment manager with over $11 billion in assets under management. She is the Partner in charge of managing the firm, which she co-founded with her brother in 1995. Sonia previously served as Chair of the Global Board of Directors of 100 Women in Finance, and continues to serve as Chairman Emeritus. She currently serves as a member on the Client Advisory Board of Citi Private Bank. Ms. Gardner is the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Goodwill Ambassador for Gender Equality in Access to Finance. Her focus is advocating for ways to give women access to economic resources to start and grow businesses, lift their families out of poverty, and help achieve the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals. Sonia Gardner is independent in relation to the Company and its management as well as to the Company's major shareholders.

Jrgen Madsen Lindemann (born 1966) has an upper secondary education from Gentofte Gymnasium. Jrgen Madsen Lindemann is currently a board member of Miinto Group and WaterBear Network. He has previously held roles such as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Modern Times Group MTG AB and board member of Zalando. Jrgen Madsen Lindemann is independent in relation to the company and its management and dependent in relation to the company's major shareholders.

The Nomination Committee assesses that Sonia Gardner and Jrgen Madsen Lindemann have competence and backgrounds that are well suited for the work of the company's board of directors and that the election of Sonia Gardner and Jrgen Madsen Lindemann is well in line with the discussions held within the Nomination Committee regarding competence development and gender equality.

###

The information in this press release is such that Bambuser AB is required to publish in accordance with the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information in this press release was provided by the above contact persons for publication on August 20, 2021 at 01:15 AM (CEST).

Contact information

Corporate Communications, Bambuser AB | +46 8 400 160 00 | [email protected]

Certified Adviser

Erik Penser Bank AB | +46 8 463 83 00 | [email protected]

About Bambuser

Bambuser is a software company specializing in interactive live video streaming. The Company's primary product, Live Video Shopping, is a cloud-based software solution that is used by customers such as global e-commerce and retail businesses to host live shopping experiences on websites, mobile apps and social media. Bambuser was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters in Stockholm.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/bambuser/r/bambuser-s-nomination-committee-proposes-that-sonia-gardner-and-jorgen-madsen-lindemann-be-elected-a,c3400207

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/15749/3400207/1456596.pdf Release https://news.cision.com/bambuser/i/sonia-gardner---jorgen-madsen-lindemann,c2945750 Sonia Gardner & Jrgen Madsen Lindemann https://news.cision.com/bambuser/i/jorgen-madsen-lindemann,c2945751 Jrgen Madsen Lindemann https://news.cision.com/bambuser/i/sonia-gardner,c2945752 Sonia Gardner

SOURCE Bambuser
One challenge which is being highlighted is high power consumption. Data centers use a substantial amount of electricity to power their servers, storage equipment, backups, and cooling infrastructure. Most servers require temperatures below 80 Fahrenheit to operate, and cooling can account for up to 40% of electricity usage in conventional data centers. As a result, energy consumption is very high and could increase dramatically with rising demand for heavy applications such as autonomous vehicles, streaming, and 5G-enabled devices. Despite the energy efficiency gains brought in by improving technology, individual data center operators are still hard-pressed to devise strategies that can maximize energy efficiency and improve sustainability.

By identifying such challenges, BizVibe is helping users analyze which suppliers are right for their business, while allowing them to efficiently monitor the risk of doing business.

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In addition to analysis on how key challenges are expected to impact businesses, BizVibe company profiles contain numerous high-quality insights to help users discover, track, compare, and evaluate suppliers or sales prospects. These insights include:

Relevance and influence of industry trends and challenges, segmented by region

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Top company competitors at the global, regional, and national levels

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Discover BizVibe's seller tools: 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 helps 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
SHANGHAI, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Boqii Holding Limited ("Boqii" or the "Company") (NYSE: BQ), a leading pet-focused platform in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 (the quarter ended June 30, 2021).

Fiscal Q1 2022 Operational and Financial Highlights

Total revenues were RMB321.8 million ( US$49.8 million ), an increase of 35.0% from RMB238.4 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

were ( ), an increase of 35.0% from in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. Net loss was RMB37.4 million ( US$5.8 million ), compared to net loss of RMB42.3 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

was ( ), compared to net loss of in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. Adjusted net loss was RMB31.5 million ( US$4.9 million ), compared to adjusted net loss of RMB44.4 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

was ( ), compared to adjusted net loss of in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. EBITDA [1] was a loss of RMB35.6 million ( US$5.5 million ), compared to a loss of RMB35.4 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

was a loss of ( ), compared to a loss of in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. Total GMV [2] was RMB792.1 million ( US$122.7 million ), an increase of 42.9% from RMB554.5 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

was ( ), an increase of 42.9% from in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. Active buyers were 1.6 million, an increase of 27.9% from 1.3 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

[1] EBITDA refers to net loss excluding income tax expenses, interest expense, interest income, depreciation and amortization expenses, but including all the professional expenses in relation to initial public offering in the fiscal year of 2021. EBITDA is a Non-GAAP financial measurement. Please refer to "Non-GAAP financial measurement". [2] GMV refers to gross merchandise volume, which is the total value of confirmed orders placed with us and sold through distribution model or drop shipping model where we act as a principal in the transaction regardless of whether the products are delivered or returned, calculated based on the listed prices of the ordered products without taking into consideration any discounts. The total GMV amount (i) includes GMV of products sold by Xingmu, (ii) excludes products sold through consignment model and (iii) excludes the value of services offered by us. GMV is subject to future adjustments (such as refunds) and represents only one measure of the Company's performance and should not be relied on as an indicator of our financial results, which depend on a variety of factors.

CEO & CFO Quote

Mr. Hao Liang, Boqii's Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer commented, "We delivered another strong quarter of solid financial and operational results. Our relentless focus to expand and optimize our portfolio offerings powered solid topline growth and user engagement. GMV continued to see strong growth, with 42.9% year over year increase to RMB792.1 million. Total active buyers increased by 27.9% to 1.6 million, with 11.7% year-over-year growth in average spending per user. We are excited to see this continuous momentum of user development and remain committed to bringing in more buyers and retaining existing ones while growing their average spending over time."

Ms. Yingzhi (Lisa) Tang, Boqii's Co-Founder, Co-CEO and CFO commented: "Our strong user growth continued to fuel topline expansion. In this quarter, total revenues grew 35.0% year over year to RMB321.8 million, with an exceptional revenue growth of nearly 20 times year over year from online marketing and information services and other revenue. Meanwhile, in addition to our topline growth, this quarter, our adjusted net loss narrowed down to RMB31.5 million, compared to adjusted net loss of RMB44.4 million in the same period last year, showing improving operational efficiency. Looking ahead, we are committed to execute on our growth strategies with a focus on quality and improved monetization capability, which we believe will bring long-term value to both our users and shareholders."

Fiscal Q1 2022 Financial Results

Total revenues were RMB321.8 million (US$49.8 million), representing an increase of 35.0% from RMB238.4 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. The increase was primarily due to the continued organic growth of our business.

Revenues

(in million)

Three Months Ended June 30

%

2021

2020

change

RMB

RMB

YoY Product sales

311.5

237.9

30.9  Boqii Mall

108.3

89.8

20.5  Third party e-commerce platforms

203.2

148.1

37.2 Online marketing and information services and other revenue

10.3

0.5

1,944.2 Total

321.8

238.4

35.0

Gross profit was RMB56.4 million (US$8.7 million), an increase of 30.3% from RMB43.3 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

Gross margin was 17.5%, compared with 18.1% in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. The decrease was mainly due to the increased e-commerce promotions during the 618 Shopping Festival resulting in lower price points.

Operating expenses were RMB97.9 million, an increase of 14.6% from RMB85.4 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. Operating expenses as a percentage of total revenues was 30.4%, down from 35.8% in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

Fulfillment Expenses were RMB32.9 million , a decrease of 2.2% from RMB33.6 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. Fulfillment expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 10.2%, down from 14.1% in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. The decrease was mainly due to: (i) the improved utilization of warehouses by adjusting inventory mix; (ii) more cost-efficient China warehouse relocations; and (iii) lower delivery service prices through renegotiation with third-party delivery service providers.

were , a decrease of 2.2% from in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. Fulfillment expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 10.2%, down from 14.1% in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. The decrease was mainly due to: (i) the improved utilization of warehouses by adjusting inventory mix; (ii) more cost-efficient warehouse relocations; and (iii) lower delivery service prices through renegotiation with third-party delivery service providers. Sales and marketing expenses were RMB45.5 million , an increase of 30.2% from RMB34.9 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. The increase was primarily due to: (i) the increased personnel expense of RMB3.2 million and increased advertising fee of RMB4.1 million which was in line with our revenue growth, and (ii) the increased share-based compensation expense of RMB1.3 million . Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of total revenue were 14.1%, down from 14.7% in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

were , an increase of 30.2% from in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. The increase was primarily due to: (i) the increased personnel expense of and increased advertising fee of which was in line with our revenue growth, and (ii) the increased share-based compensation expense of . Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of total revenue were 14.1%, down from 14.7% in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. General and administrative expenses were RMB19.6 million , an increase of 16.0% from RMB16.9 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. The increase was primarily due to the increased share-based compensation expense of RMB4.7 million , partially offset by the reduced professional expense of RMB2.2 million with the Company's initial public offering in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of total revenue were 6.1%, down from 7.1% in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

Operating loss was RMB41.5 million (US$6.4 million), compared to RMB42.1 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

EBITDA was a loss of RMB35.6 million (US$5.5 million), compared to a loss of RMB35.4 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

Net loss was RMB37.4 million (US$5.8 million), compared to net loss of RMB42.3 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

Adjusted net loss was RMB31.5 million (US$4.9 million), compared to adjusted net loss of RMB44.4 million in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

Diluted net loss per share was RMB0.52 (US$0.08), compared to diluted net loss per share of RMB4.06 in the same quarter of fiscal year 2021.

Total cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments were RMB415.7 million (US$64.4 million), compared to RMB460.8 million as of March 31, 2021.

Conference Call

Boqii's management will hold a conference call to discuss the financial results at 8:00 AM on Friday, August 20, 2021, U.S. Eastern Time (8:00 PM on Friday, August 20, 2021, Beijing/Hong Kong Time).

To join the conference, please dial in 15 minutes before the conference is scheduled to begin using below numbers.



Phone Number International 1-412-317-6061 United States 1-888-317-6003 Hong Kong 852 800 963-976 Mainland China 86 4001-206115 Passcode 7711990

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until August 27, 2021.



Phone Number International 1-412-317-0088 United States 1-877-344-7529 Replay Access Code 10159611

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.boqii.com/ .

About Boqii Holding Limited

Boqii Holding Limited (NYSE: BQ) is a leading pet-focused platform in China. We are the leading online destination for pet products and supplies in China with our broad selection of high-quality products including global leading brands, local emerging brands, and our own private label, Yoken and Mocare, offered at competitive prices. Our online sales platforms, including Boqii Mall and our flagship stores on third-party e-commerce platforms, provide customers with convenient access to a wide selection of high-quality pet products and an engaging and personalized shopping experience. Our Boqii Community provides an informative and interactive content platform for users to share their knowledge and love for pets.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "target," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding such risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses non-GAAP financial measures, namely adjusted net loss, adjusted net loss margin, EBITDA and EBITDA margin, in evaluating its operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. The Company defines (i) adjusted net loss as net loss excluding fair value change of derivative liabilities and share-based compensation expenses, (ii) adjusted net loss margin as adjusted net loss as a percentage of total revenues, (iii) EBITDA as net loss excluding income tax expenses, interest expense, interest income, depreciation and amortization expenses, (iv) EBITDA margin as EBITDA as a percentage of total revenues. The Company believes adjusted net loss, adjusted net loss margin, EBITDA and EBITDA margin enhance investors' overall understanding of its financial performance and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by its management in its financial and operational decision-making.

These non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. As these non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools and may not be calculated in the same manner by all companies, they may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measures, which should be considered when evaluating the Company's performance. For reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, please see the section of the accompanying tables titled, "Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results." The Company encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on any single financial measure.

Exchange Rate

This press release contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("USD") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to USD were made at the rate of RMB6.4566 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on June 30, 2021 in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or USD amounts referred to could be converted into USD or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:



In China:

Boqii Holding Limited

Investor Relations

Tel: +86-21-6882-6051

Email: [email protected]

The Blueshirt Group

Ms. Susie Wang

Email: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Blueshirt Group

Ms. Julia Qian

Email: [email protected]

BOQII HOLDING LIMITED UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)













As of

As of

As of

March 31,

June 30,

June 30,

2021

2021

2021

RMB

RMB

US$ ASSETS









Current assets:









Cash and cash equivalents 292,237

287,060

44,460 Short-term investments 168,546

128,678

19,930 Accounts receivable, net 45,732

74,277

11,504 Inventories, net 91,551

105,809

16,388 Prepayments and other current assets 85,261

74,613

11,556 Amounts due from related parties 11,465

34,294

5,311 Total current assets 694,792

704,731

109,149 Non-current assets:









Property and equipment, net 8,386

8,338

1,291 Intangible assets 29,537

28,540

4,420 Operating lease right-of-use assets 29,234

32,805

5,081 Long-term investments 74,330

79,232

12,271 Goodwill 40,184

40,684

6,301 Other non-current asset 4,111

4,024

624 Total non-current assets 185,782

193,623

29,988 Total assets 880,574

898,354

139,137 LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT









Current liabilities









Short-term borrowings 85,566

103,332

16,004 Accounts payable 71,848

114,384

17,716 Salary and welfare payable 6,309

4,860

753 Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities 30,055

30,096

4,661 Amounts due to related parties, current 910

10,178

1,577 Contract liabilities 3,866

3,474

538 Operating lease liabilities, current 8,063

9,639

1,493 Derivative liabilities 9,996

10,125

1,568 Total current liabilities 216,613

286,088

44,310 Non-current liabilities









Deferred tax liabilities 8,958

8,711

1,349 Operating lease liabilities, non-current 19,997

21,891

3,390 Long-term borrowings 68,075

49,674

7,693 Other debts, non-current 433,292

365,256

56,571 Total non-current liabilities 530,322

445,532

69,003 Total liabilities 746,935

731,620

113,313











Mezzanine equity









Redeemable non-controlling interests 5,946

6,086

943 Total mezzanine equity 5,946

6,086

943 Stockholders' equity:









Class A ordinary shares (US$0.001 par value; 129,500,000 shares authorized,

54,505,108 and 54,556,503 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31

and June 30, 2021, respectively) 364

365

56 Class B ordinary shares (US$0.001 par value; 15,000,000 shares authorized,

13,037,729 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31 and June 30,

2021, respectively) 82

82

13 Additional paid-in capital 3,272,612

3,279,409

507,916 Statutory reserves 3,047

3,117

483 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (20,172)

(28,884)

(4,474) Accumulated deficit (2,759,882)

(2,794,987)

(432,888) Receivable for issuance of ordinary shares (413,377)

(343,068)

(53,135) Total Boqii Holding Limited shareholders' equity 82,674

116,034

17,971 Non-controlling interests 45,019

44,614

6,910 Total shareholders' equity 127,693

160,648

24,881 Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders' equity 880,574

898,354

139,137

Notes for all the condensed consolidated financial schedules presented: Note 1: The conversion of Renminbi (RMB) into U.S. dollars (USD) is based on the certified exchange rate of USD1.00=RMB6.4566

on June 30, 2021 published by the Federal Reserve Board.

BOQII HOLDING LIMITED UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, unless otherwise noted)













Three Months Ended June 30,

2020

2021

2021

RMB

RMB

US$











Net revenues:









Product sales 237,932

311,493

48,244 Online marketing and information services and other revenue 506

10,353

1,604 Total revenues 238,438

321,846

49,848 Total cost of revenue (195,168)

(265,465)

(41,115) Gross profit 43,270

56,381

8,733 Operating expenses:









Fulfillment expenses (33,632)

(32,887)

(5,094) Sales and marketing expenses (34,944)

(45,485)

(7,045) General and administrative expenses (16,868)

(19,571)

(3,031) Other income, net 47

12

2 Loss from operations (42,127)

(41,550)

(6,435) Interest income 1,716

5,187

803 Interest expense (7,143)

(6,062)

(939) Other gain, net 2,897

3,128

484 Fair value change of derivative liabilities 2,106

162

25 Loss before income tax expenses (42,551)

(39,135)

(6,062) Income taxes expenses 309

1,009

156 Share of results of equity investees (57)

766

119 Net loss (42,299)

(37,360)

(5,787) Less: Net income/(loss) attributable to the non-controlling

interest shareholders 279

(2,467)

(382) Net loss attributable to Boqii Holding Limited (42,578)

(34,893)

(5,405) Less: Accretion on convertible redeemable preferred shares to

redemption value (35,137)

-

- Less: Accretion on redeemable non-controlling interests to

redemption value -

(140)

(22) Less: Deemed dividend to preferred shareholders (12,547)

-

- Net loss attributable to Boqii Holding Limited's ordinary

shareholders (90,262)

(35,033)

(5,427) Net loss (42,299)

(37,360)

(5,787) Other comprehensive loss:









Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil tax (801)

(8,712)

(1,349) Unrealized securities holding gains 1,195

-

- Total comprehensive loss (41,905)

(46,072)

(7,136) Less: Total comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to non-

controlling interests shareholders 279

(2,467)

(382) Total comprehensive loss attributable to Boqii Holding

Limited (42,184)

(43,605)

(6,754) Net loss per share attributable to Boqii Holding Limited's

ordinary shareholders









 basic (4.06)

(0.52)

(0.08)  diluted (4.06)

(0.52)

(0.08) Weighted average number of ordinary shares









 basic 22,238,454

67,640,952

67,640,952  diluted 22,238,454

67,640,952

67,640,952

Notes for all the condensed consolidated financial schedules presented: Note 1: The conversion of Renminbi (RMB) into U.S. dollars (USD) is based on the certified exchange rate of

USD1.00=RMB6.4566 on June 30, 2021 published by the Federal Reserve Board.

Boqii Holding Limited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results (In thousands)









Three Months Ended June 30,

2020

2021

RMB

RMB







Net loss (42,299)

(37,360) Fair value change of derivative liabilities (2,106)

(162) Share-based compensation -

5,986 Adjusted Net Loss (44,405)

(31,536) Adjusted Net Loss Margin (18.6%)

(9.8%)



Three Months Ended June 30,

2020

2021

RMB

RMB







Net loss (42,299)

(37,360) Income tax expenses (309)

(1,009) Interest expenses 7,143

6,062 Interest income (1,716)

(5,187) Depreciation and amortization 1,750

1,928 EBITDA (35,431)

(35,566) EBITDA Margin (14.9%)

(11.1%)

SOURCE Boqii Holding Limited
SHANGHAI, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the evolving landscape of the global automotive industry, Cango Inc. (NYSE: CANG) ("Cango" or the "Company") is issuing a bi-monthly industry insight called "CANGO Auto View" to bring readers, drivers and passengers up to speed with what's on offer in the automobile market, what trends are emerging, and what holes need to be plugged.

Below is an article from the Company's 4th edition for June 2021.

There is no doubt that onboard chips, onboard sensors, ADAS solutions, advanced autonomous driving solutions and smart cockpits have become hot topics and buzzwords for new investments in the auto industry.

Smart driving technology companies for instance were a key capital market focus in 2020. According to public data, there were 39 capital raises in the global autonomous driving industry in 2020, with total financing of RMB43.162 billion, an increase of over 30% year-on-year.

Among them, domestic Chinese companies such as WeRide, Pony AI, Horizon Robotics and UISEE all completed a new series of financing, millions of dollars each.

In early January 2021, WeRide completed Series B1 financing of USD200 million, led by Yutong Group, a strategic investor. In mid-January, the company quickly completed Series B2 and B3, with total Series B financing reaching USD310 million. Immediately after completion, the company moved on to Series C.

UISEE Technology completed a new series of financing totaling more than RMB1 billion on January 25 and received a strategic capital injection from the National Manufacturing Transformation and Upgrade Fund, marking the first state-backed investment in the autonomous driving field.

On February 8, Pony AI announced it has received USD100 million in Series C+ financing, concluding Series C with a total of USD367 million in fundraising. The new investors are BIA (Brunei's sovereign wealth fund) and CPE. This was the first financing conducted by Pony AI in 2021. In the 12 months before that, the company has raised a total of nearly USD900 million.

Horizon Robotics, the only domestic company that has achieved mass production of pre-installed auto smart chips, just completed its Series C2 financing of USD400 million in early January and its Series C3 financing of USD350 million on February 9. As of now, Horizon has already raised USD900 million in Series C.

About Cango Inc.

Cango Inc. (NYSE: CANG) is a leading automotive transaction service platform in China connecting dealers, financial institutions, car buyers, and other industry participants. Founded in 2010 by a group of pioneers in China's automotive finance industry, the Company is headquartered in Shanghai and engages car buyers through a nationwide dealer network. The Company's services primarily consist of automotive financing facilitation, car trading transactions, and after-market services facilitation. By utilizing its competitive advantages in technology, data insights, and cloud-based infrastructure, Cango is able to connect its platform participants while bringing them a premium user experience. Cango's platform model puts it in a unique position to add value for its platform participants and business partners as the automotive and mobility markets in China continue to grow and evolve. For more information, please visit: www.cangoonline.com.

Media Contact:

Juliet Ye

Cango Inc.

Tel: +86 21 3183 5088 ext.5581

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cango_Group

SOURCE Cango Inc.
MIAMI, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Cansortium Inc. (CSE: TIUM.U) (OTCQX: CNTMF) ("Cansortium" or the "Company"), a vertically-integrated cannabis company operating under the Fluent brand, today announced the opening of Fluent Mechanicsburg, the Company's 2nd retail location in Pennsylvania and its 28th dispensary overall.

The new dispensary is located at 6200 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050. This 4,000+ ft2 location is in a small shopping center with ample parking, right off one of the principal commercial roads in the Harrisburg-Carlisle metropolitan area. Fluent Mechanicsburg will offer patients a broad assortment of cannabis products, including whole flower, oil cartridges, tinctures and concentrates.

"We are thrilled to open our second dispensary in Pennsylvania and begin serving the great community of Mechanicsburg and Cumberland County," said CEO Robert Beasley. "Pennsylvania is one of the largest medical cannabis markets in the countryon pace to do more than $1 billion of annual sales in 2021and we are in the early innings of capitalizing on strong growth in the state. Our medical dispensary permit allows for three different retail locations, and we remain on track to open our third store later this year."

The Fluent brand continually strives to set the standard for premium quality, consistently formulated cannabis products. All Fluent products in the Company's Florida dispensaries use high-quality cannabis that is cultivated, processed, and packaged in strict compliance with Florida regulations. For consumers, the sleek, modern dispensaries provide a warm, welcoming and professional environment, with private consultation rooms and knowledgeable staff who carefully guide patients in selecting the right products and carefully safeguard patient privacy.

For a complete list of Fluent dispensary locations, current promotions, rewards programs and hours of operation, or to explore the entire Fluent product line and place an online order for home delivery anywhere in Florida, please visit www.getfluent.com.

About Cansortium Inc.

Cansortium is a vertically-integrated cannabis company with licenses and operations in Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Texas. The Company operates under the Fluent brand and is dedicated to being one of the highest quality cannabis companies for the communities it serves. This is driven by Cansortium's unrelenting commitment to operational excellence in cultivation, production, distribution and retail. The Company is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

Cansortium Inc.'s common shares trade on the CSE under the symbol "TIUM.U" and on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol "CNTMF." For more information about the Company, please visit www.getfluent.com.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain information in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "targets", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "an opportunity exists", "is positioned", "estimates", "intends", "assumes", "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", "will" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent management's expectations, estimates, and projections regarding future events.

Forward-looking information is necessarily based on many opinions, assumptions, and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of this news release, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to the factors described in the public documents of the Company available at www.sedar.com. These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect the Company; however, these factors should be considered carefully. There can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements containing any forward-looking information, or the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

For further information: www.getfluent.com

SOURCE Cansortium Inc

Related Links

http://www.getfluent.com/


Clean Streak Ventures acquires Two Additional Blue Water Car Wash sites in the Orlando Area. Tweet this

Greg Ries, the President of Clean Streak commented: "We are thrilled to welcome Blue Water's loyal customers and team members to the Clean Streak family. The acquisition adds density to our Orlando footprint and furthers our strategy of growing through acquisitions and new developments."

Ken Tyrrell and Earl May, former owners of the Clermont & Landstar Blue Water locations, commented: "This is our second transaction with the Clean Streak team. After seeing how well they treated our customers and team members when we sold our first three locations, we knew they would be the right buyers for Landstar and Clermont. They are a pleasure to work with and we would recommend them to any car wash owner contemplating a sale."

About Clean Streak Ventures

Clean Streak Ventures is a national car wash platform, which currently operates 22 locations in Florida. The Company's main goal is to provide the best customer service experience and the industry's fastest, highest quality washes. Clean Streak prioritizes people, putting customers first and investing in its team members.

Clean Streak is actively pursuing acquisitions and partnerships to expand its geographic footprint. The Company's growth strategy is focused on acquiring regional market leaders and providing sellers with the option of realizing full liquidity or partnering with them and remaining actively involved in the business.

Headquartered in Orlando, Clean Streak Ventures is a portfolio company of MKH Capital Partners, a Miami-based private equity firm.

For more information on Clean Streak Ventures, please visit www.clean-streak.com or contact our CEO, Greg Ries [email protected].

SOURCE Clean Streak Ventures LLC
LAWRENCE, Kan., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers for GPS Impact will now be represented by the Teamsters Union, after Local 696 in Topeka, Kan., secured voluntary card-check recognition. The 28 newest members of Local 696 work in a wide-range of communications, digital and media roles for the political media firm.

Workers overwhelmingly signed up to become Teamster members, according to Claire Cook-Callen, a senior strategist at GPS Impact for over seven years.

"The workers at GPS Impact coming together to organize in our union is a testament to the work we do. We love working in this field, and we want to create a workplace where we can all thrive and stay long term," Cook-Callen said. "GPS has fostered a culture of listening to and learning from employees, and for us, this campaign has been about securing a collective voice and building an even more supportive environment. We are thrilled to be represented by a union as historic and powerful as the Teamsters."

Cook-Callen and her co-workers reached out to Local 696 in July. On August 18, they secured Teamster representation.

"Our management's decision to voluntary recognize the GPS employee union reaffirms our entire company's commitment to the national labor movement and progressive values," said Hannah J. Smith, a digital strategist at GPS Impact. "Workers had been talking about forming a union for several years, and I'm thrilled that our management has been so open about representation. I hope that GPS can serve as the catalyst for other workers to seek the representation that they deserve. While we are well aware that most workers don't have the luxury of securing voluntary recognition, this journey is worth it. We are proud to be Teamsters."

GPS Impact is a public affairs and multimedia advertising agency that provides candidates, advocacy groups, and organizations with strategic communications, advertising, and more. GPS currently has offices in Des Moines, Iowa, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

"We couldn't be happier to represent this dedicated group of workers. This group has long understood the importance of the union and believe deeply in the labor movement. This is a special win. This unit works for the very cause Teamsters throughout North America fight for every day," said Matt Hall, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 696. "We are proud to welcome them to Local 696 and look forward to securing them a contract that honors their belief in a collective voice."

Contact: Matt Hall, (785) 424-4831

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 696
RESTON, Va., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Reston-based consulting firm Counter Threat Solutions LLC (CTS) has once again earned recognition as one of Inc. magazine's fastest growing private companies. This marks the second consecutive year CTS has been named to the prestigious list, which recognizes the most successful independent small businesses in America.

"This year's list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled," says Scott Omelianuk, Inc. editor-in-chief. "Building one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. in any year is a remarkable achievementthe resiliency these firms demonstrated during the COVID crisis is just plain amazing."

Inc. ranks U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit companies according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. According to Inc., the average median three-year growth rate among companies evaluated this year was 543 percent, with median revenue of $11.1 million. Together, these businesses added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

CTS revenue has grown 400% since the firm's 2015 inception. The consulting company has more than doubled its employee base in the last three years.

"We are thrilled to make it on to this list again this year, particularly since last year was such a dramatic departure from 'business as usual' for every company in the world," shares Counter Threat Solutions' CEO Theresa Keith.

About Counter Threat Solutions

Counter Threat Solutions LLC (CTS) is a Woman-Owned Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) consulting company providing mission-savvy subject matter experts skilled in analysis, finance, multimedia, administrative support, program management, and IT solutions to the U.S. government's intelligence and defense communities as well as commercial clientele. Learn more about CTS at ctstruenorth.com or LinkedIn.

Valerie Passwaiter

(703) 987-1584

[email protected]

ctstruenorth.com

SOURCE Counter Threat Solutions
HOUSTON, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighteen attorneys from The Lanier Law Firm have been recognized in five distinct practice areas in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. It is the largest number from the firm ever selected by the editors of the prestigious legal guide.

Firm founder Mark Lanier is recognized in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions, Personal Injury Litigation and Product Liability Litigation. Featured in the publication since 2005, Mr. Lanier is considered one of the nation's top trial attorneys, with more than $20 billion in jury verdicts during his storied career.

In addition, the firm's Rick Meadow is named "Lawyer of the Year" for Houston in the area of Mass Tort Litigation. Mr. Meadow is the National Mass Tort Leader as well as the Director of Business Development for the firm.

The following includes each firm attorney honored in The Best Lawyers in America in their respective practice areas:

Appellate Practice - Natalie Armour , Harvey G. Brown Jr. , M. Michelle Carreras , Kevin P. Parker , Kenneth W. Starr

, , M. , , Commercial Litigation  Mark Lanier

Mass Tort Litigation  Mark Lanier , Darron E. Berquist , Mildred Conroy , Christina Delise , Jason Goldstein , Dara G. Hegar , Evan M. Janush , Richard D. Meadow

, , , , , , , Personal Injury Litigation  Mark Lanier , Michael A. Akselrud , Dara G. Hegar , Rachel Lanier , Richard D. Meadow , Judson A. Waltman

, , , , , Product Liability Litigation - Mark Lanier , Michael A. Akselrud , Darron E. Berquist , Mildred Conroy , Dara G. Hegar , David Kuttles , Judson A. Waltman , Lawrence P. Wilson

Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on a sophisticated peer review survey process, designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographic region and legal practice area. More information regarding The Best Lawyers in America can be found at https://www.bestlawyers.com.

About the Lanier Law Firm

For more than 30 years, the men and women at The Lanier Law Firm have worked tirelessly, throughout the United States, to find unique and effective solutions for their clients. More than 60 skilled attorneys practice law in a broad array of areas, including business litigation, pharmaceutical litigation, asbestos exposure, oil and gas litigation, personal injury as well as defective and dangerous products, among others. Named an Elite Trial Law Firm by The National Law Journal, The Lanier Law Firm has offices in Houston, New York and Los Angeles. To learn more visit http://www.lanierlawfirm.com

Contact:

J.D. Cargill

713-659-5200

[email protected]

SOURCE The Lanier Law Firm

Related Links

http://www.lanierlawfirm.com


WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifund CFP (https://equifund.com), a private market investment platform that delivers vetted, early-stage investing opportunities, announces a Regulation Crowdfunding offering for Durango Gold Corp, a pre-IPO gold exploration company searching for the next world-class deposit in the Sierra Madre Occidental.

To learn more go to: https://equifund.com/durangogold

"We're very excited to be working with Durango Gold on its Reg-CF offering," said Equifund's CEO Jordan Gillissie. "We see a lot of potential for young mining companies to use Reg-CF as a viable means to raise capital early on, and Durango is lighting a torch for others to follow."

Durango Gold has acquired rights to the 14,000-acre Claudia Project in the Sierra Madre region of western Mexico. The property contains workings of at least 9 small historical mines of unrecorded and likely small production that were operated and abandoned in the early 1990s. Durango has begun exploring the property and plans to undertake a large-scale program in the coming months. This will include approximately 15,000 feet of diamond-core drilling.

"This innovative form of financing has never been tested in the mining space before and to our knowledge, Durango Gold Corp is the first mining company to conduct a Reg-CF capital raise," said Fernando Berdegue, CEO of Durango Gold. "We see this as a strong and responsible way to allow a greater audience of investors participate in the growth of our company at an early stage. We are thrilled to work with Equifund to help make this happen."

To date, Durango Gold has been financed by management, insiders, and private common stock placements. The company aims to conduct an Initial Public Offering ("IPO") in the United States public markets in the next 12 months.

To learn more about the terms of the offering, review offering documents and execute an investment, please visit: https://equifund.com/durangogold/

Important Notice About Investing in Regulation CF Offerings

Investments on the Equifund website are only suitable for investors who are familiar with and willing to accept the high risk associated with Regulation CF Offerings. Securities sold through these types of offerings are not publicly traded and are intended for investors who do not have a need for a liquid investment. Companies seeking capital through Regulation CF tend to be in earlier stages of development and have not yet been fully tested in the public marketplace. Investing in Regulation CF offerings requires high risk tolerance, low liquidity concerns, and long-term commitments. Investors must be able to afford to lose their entire investment.

You should read the Form C offering statement appearing on the Equifund offering page. It provides more information about the company; the terms of the securities being offered and the risks and other considerations relating to a purchase of these securities.

Media Contact:

Jordan Gillissie

888.777.4003

[email protected]

SOURCE Equifund LLC

Related Links

https://equifund.com


Ending in September, the brand's 13-week mission honors the unsung heroes of our agri-food chain and highlights the fundamental role the heartland plays by delivering grab-n-go lunches and providing monetary donations to support the future of farming. The Farmland Honoring The Heartland Tour food truck completes two to three stops per week at various locations rooted in Midwestern neighborhoods, including its stop at the Johnson County Fair earlier today. In addition to distributing meals, the brand has donated $40,000 thus far to the National FFA Organization and state-level FFA Associations throughout the tour to assist them in growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture at the local, state and national levels.

This additional $100,000 donation will go toward supporting the mission of the National FFA Organization, making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. As the category evolves to increase production, innovate for the future, and improve environmental and economic sustainability, institutions like this are vital in creating the next generation of leaders and ensuring a positive future for the critical industry.

"Over the past several months, Farmland has had the privilege to be on the ground in the heartland serving extraordinary and passionate organizations across the Midwest, providing us with endless inspiration to fuel our continued commitment," said Michael Merritt, Jr. senior director for Farmland at Smithfield Foods. "Today, we're pleased to continue our pledge with a $100,000 donation to the National FFA Organization so they may continue to focus on youth leadership development and equip the next generation of agriculture enthusiasts with valuable real-world information and opportunities, helping to ensure that America's heartland can continue to feed the world.

"As FFA continues to prepare young people for the challenges of feeding a growing population, we are grateful for the continued support from Farmland," said Cassy Puskala, regional director for the National FFA Foundation. "Their contributions provide a sustainable impact on the organization at the local, state and national levels to help carryout the mission."

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 760,000 student members as part of 8,700 local FFA chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

As part of the donation event at the Johnson County Fair in Tecumseh, Neb., the Farmland food truck also supplied bacon-filled samples to community residents.

For more information and to see where the Honoring the Heartland Tour goes next, follow us on Facebook (@FarmlandFoods), Instagram (@farmlandfoods) or Twitter (@FarmlandFoods).

About Farmland

Founded in 1959, Farmland is the maker of high-quality, flavorful meats. Rooted in rich traditions of America's heartland, Farmland is committed to a strong work ethic, community, substance over flash, and wholesome, quality food that people feel good about serving. Farmland's robust portfolio of products includes varieties of bacon, sausage, ham and lunch meat. For more information about our products and recipe inspiration, please visit www.FarmlandFoods.com or follow us on Facebook (@FarmlandFoods), Instagram (@farmlandfoods) or Twitter (@FarmlandFoods). Farmland is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly." and have made us one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield, Eckrich and Nathan's Famous, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About National FFA Organization

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 760,000 student members as part of 8,700 local FFA chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook and Twitter.

About National FFA Foundation

The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders and support the future of agricultural education. A separately registered nonprofit organization, the foundation is governed by a board of trustees that includes the national FFA president, educators, business leaders and individual donors. For more, visit FFA.org/Give.

SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.

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For the 9th Time, West Physics Appears on the Inc. 5000 Tweet this

West Physics, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a leading global provider of integrated diagnostic medical and health physics testing and radiation safety consulting services. West Physics serves over 3,500 client sites, including hospitals, freestanding imaging centers, mobile imaging providers, and physician offices throughout the 50 U.S. states, federal territories, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. West Physics specializes in assisting healthcare providers in maintaining their accreditation with organizations such as The Joint Commission, the American College of Radiology, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, RadSite, and in radiation regulatory compliance with state and federal agencies. For more information, please visit www.westphysics.com.

CONTACT:

Denny Runnion

Vice President, Marketing

(770) 435-9186

[email protected]

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.

SOURCE West Physics Consulting, LLC

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DUBLIN, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global and China L4 Autonomous Driving and Start-ups Report, 2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In April 2021, Waymo's CEO and CFO left the company. In addition, the Chief Safety Officer, head of manufacturing and global supply and general manager of Laser Bear LiDAR business, head of Automotive Partnerships and Corporate Development have also resigned since late 2020.

Waymo's L4 development model has been set back. Its efforts to develop L4 with the model of "refitted vehicles-road test data collection-trial operation" hit a bottleneck, while companies like Tesla, Mobileye and Momenta adopt the widely-accepted "shadow model" where the data collected by L2 mass-produced vehicles are used to train a L4 algorithm model.

Except for few companies like Waymo and Uber which perform worse than expected, L4 autonomous driving firms in other fields gain momentum. Favored by capital in 2021, they make big strikes in technology and cost reduction, making a thriving market. As the saying goes, a thousand sails pass by the wrecked ship, and ten thousand saplings shoot up beyond the withered tree.

L4 autonomous driving for commercial vehicles enters the phase of cross-scenario mass production and application.

The demission of John Krafcik, Google Waymo's CEO, becomes a watershed in the industry. It indicates that it is hard to achieve commercial operation of L4 autonomous driving in real terms by depending on tests and verifications in ideal conditions. Given this, large companies have started developing multi-scenario application solutions to amass data and iterate algorithms in actual operating scenarios.

In the near future, L4 autonomous driving layout will target designated scenarios, especially shared mobility, trunk logistics, autonomous delivery, and (semi-) closed scenarios.

L4 autonomous driving providers are working hard on application of the technology in different scenarios. Examples include Baidu Apollo with technical expertise in Robotaxi, autonomous minibus and autonomous parking, and providers like Waymo and Pony.ai which turn to autonomous logistics and delivery from Robotaxi.

Waymo:

By the end of 2020, Waymo has boasted a fleet of more than 600 Robotaxi. In 2021, Waymo plans to introduce a fleet of 100 Jaguar I-PACE autonomous vehicles equipped with the latest fifth-generation software and hardware.

In terms of autonomous commercial vehicles, following its in-depth cooperation with Volvo in 2020, Waymo partnered closely with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to manufacture autonomous commercial trucks, and introduced Waymo Via trucking service tested on roads in two states of the US.

Motional:

In March 2020, Hyundai and Aptiv set up a joint venture, a L4/L5 autonomous vehicle developer that integrated the resources of NuTonomy. The founding of this joint venture noticeably quickened their pace of deploying autonomous driving.

In October 2020, Motional and Lyft announced the resumption of their self-driving mobility service in Las Vegas; in March 2021, Motional indicated it will select Ambarella CVflow SoC family for its autonomous vehicles; in June 2021, Motional said it will launch nuPlan, an extended public dataset.

Pony.ai:

In February 2021, Pony.ai's first Robotaxis with the latest system rolled off its standard production line; in April 2021, Pony.ai upgraded PonyPliot+ Robotaxi service in all aspects; in May 2021, the Robotaxi service was landed in Yizhuang, Beijing.

As for autonomous commercial vehicles, Pony.ai set up its Truck Division in 2020 and acquired its first autonomous truck test license issued by Guangzhou at the end of the year; in March 2021, it introduced its truck brand-PonyTron.

Although the whole highly automated driving industry still faces a range of challenges such immature supply chain, very high cost, not enough safety, and unsound laws and regulations, and needs some time for commercial application in all scenarios, L4 autonomous driving technology is getting rapid upgrade and the overall cost is dropping, which makes the commercial use in designated scenarios an expectation.

This report highlights the following:

Autonomous driving industry (main technologies, status quo of autonomous driving test, investment and financing, policies, standards, etc.);

L4 autonomous driving market (size, competitive pattern, technology trends, etc.);

Development of L4 autonomous driving technologies (computing platform, high-precision positioning, etc.) in China (technical solutions of providers, mass production plans of OEMs, etc.);

(technical solutions of providers, mass production plans of OEMs, etc.); Implementation of L4 autonomous driving (business models, main application scenarios (Robotaxi, autonomous delivery, etc.), etc.);

Main Chinese and foreign L4 autonomous driving technology providers (layout, application, etc.).

Key Topics Covered:

1 Overview of Autonomous Driving

1.1 Definition of Autonomous Driving

1.2 Main Autonomous Driving Technologies

1.3 Autonomous Driving Test

1.4 Investment and Financing in Autonomous Driving



2 L4 Autonomous Driving Market

2.1 Autonomous Driving Policies

2.2 Autonomous Driving Standards

2.3 L4 Autonomous Driving Market Size

2.4 Competitive Pattern of L4 Autonomous Driving Industry

2.5 Development Trends of L4 Autonomous Driving



3 Development Course of L4 Autonomous Driving in China

3.1 Status Quo of L4 Autonomous Driving in China

3.2 Status Quo of High Performance Computing Platform for L4 Autonomous Driving

3.3 Status Quo of High Precision Positioning Technology in China

3.4 Development of L4 Technology of Providers in China

3.5 L4 Autonomous Driving Layout of OEMs in China



4 Commercial Operation of L4 Autonomous Driving

4.1 Business Models

4.2 L4 Application Scenarios - Robotaxi

4.3 L4 Application Scenarios - Autonomous Delivery

4.4 L4 Application Scenarios - Closed Scenarios

4.5 L4 Application Scenarios - Trunk Logistics



5 Foreign L4 Autonomous Driving Start-ups

5.1 Waymo

5.2 GM Cruise

5.3 ZMP

5.4 Motional

5.5 Argo AI

5.6 Mobileye

5.7 Aurora

5.8 Zoox

5.9 AImotive

5.10 Wayve

5.11 Valeo

5.12 Navya



6 Chinese L4 Autonomous Driving Startups

6.1 Baidu Apollo

6.2 Pony.ai

6.3 WeRide

6.4 AutoX

6.5 Momenta

6.6 Didi Woya

6.7 Huawei

6.8 Haomo.ai

6.9 DeepBlue Technology

6.10 DeepRoute.ai

6.11 Allride.ai

6.12 Holomatic Technology

6.13 Uisee Technology

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ikcahf

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.): +353-1-481-171

SOURCE Research and Markets

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DUBLIN, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Automotive Safety Systems (Global) - Industry Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The report provides a detailed overview of the market and delivers a comprehensive individual analysis on the top 40 companies, including Aisin Seiki Co Ltd, Fine Blanking & Tool Co., Ltd. and Nihon Plast Co.,Ltd..



This report includes a wealth of information on the financial trends over the past four years.



Each of the largest 40 companies is meticulously scrutinised in an individual assessment and analysed using the most up-to-date and current financial data.



Every business is examined on the following features:

A graphical assessment of a company's financial performance

Four year assessment of the profit/loss and balance sheet

A written summary highlighting key performance issues

The report also includes a market analysis highlighting the latest changes in the Automotive Safety Systems (Global) market.



This section includes:

Best Trading Partners

Sales Growth Analysis

Profit Analysis

Market Size

Rankings

Select Companies Featured Include:

Aisin Seiki Co Ltd

Fine Blanking & Tool Co. Ltd.

Nihon Plast Co.,Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/uqwyci

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

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DUBLIN, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Livestock Monitoring Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Animal Type (Cattle, Poultry), by Component (Hardware, Software), by Application, by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global livestock monitoring market size is expected to reach USD 13.50 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 16.56%

An increase in the population of livestock animals, coupled with the farmer's focus on increasing yield and productivity, is the key contributor to the market growth.



The key advantages of livestock monitoring such as milk harvesting, feeding management, animal health monitoring, and behavior monitoring are anticipated to drive the market. Furthermore, there is an increase in the adoption of internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) by livestock farmers. This is due to an increase in internet penetration and widespread technological advancement.



There is an increased demand for animal products and thus several countries are focusing on livestock rearing. This has led to an increase in the livestock population. In addition, a prevalence of zoonotic diseases is fueling the growth of the market. This is because these disease outbreaks in the livestock can be major socioeconomic threats, resulting in production loss and disruption of local markets, rural economy, and international trade. Factors like these are expected to encourage the adoption of livestock monitoring systems among livestock owners.



The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an unexpected crisis in the general agricultural processing industries and the processing of dairy products. The onset of the pandemic has caused tremendous economic losses to the beef, pork, poultry, and dairy industries worldwide. As the COVID-19 virus spread across the globe, several industries evaluated its impact on their businesses.

Given the increased demand for goods as consumers stocked up for possible quarantines or restricted their visits to the grocery stores, companies faced challenges to cope with the increasing demand and protect the supply chain. However, with the improving situations, the market is expected to witness growth in the coming years.



Industry players are involved in strategies including mergers & acquisitions, collaborative agreements, and geographic expansion to gain an edge over the competition.

For instance, in February 2021, Fancom announced an enhanced version of the light control for Lumina 38H and 36/38 poultry computers. In another instance, in February 2021, MSD Animal Health announced the acquisition of PrognostiX Poultry Limited, a provider of health and environmental monitoring solutions for the poultry business, which expanded its product portfolio.

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Research Methodology & Scope



Chapter 2 Executive Summary

2.1 Market Outlook

2.1.1 Livestock Monitoring market Outlook, 2016 - 2028 (USD Million)

2.2 Segment Outlook



Chapter 3 Livestock Monitoring Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1 Market Lineage Outlook

3.1.1 Parent market analysis

3.1.2 Ancillary market Analysis

3.2 Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping

3.3 Livestock Monitoring Market Dynamics

3.3.1 Market driver analysis

3.3.1.1 Rise in livestock population

3.3.1.2 Increase in incidence of zoonotic diseases

3.3.1.3 Rising consumption of meat

3.3.2 Market restraint analysis

3.3.2.1 Lack of standardization of regulations

3.4 Livestock Monitoring Market Analysis Tools: Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3.5 PESTEL Analysis

3.6 Major Deals & Strategic Alliances Analysis

3.6.1 Mergers & Acquisitions

3.6.2 Product launch

3.6.3 Partnership & Collaborations

3.6.4 Market Entry Strategies



Chapter 4 Livestock Monitoring Market: Competitive Analysis

4.1 Market Participation Categorization

4.2 Public Companies

4.2.1 Company market position analysis

4.2.2 Heat Map Analysis

4.3 Market Entry Strategies

4.3.1 Company Market Share

4.4 Private Companies

4.4.1 List of emerging companies



Chapter 5 Livestock Monitoring Market: Covid-19 Impact

5.1 Covid-19 Impact Analysis



Chapter 6 Livestock Monitoring Market: Animal Type Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1 Animal type Market Share Analysis, 2020 & 2028

5.2 Animal type Dashboard

6.2.1 Cattle

6.2.2 Poultry

6.2.3 Swine

6.2.4 Equine



Chapter 7 Livestock Monitoring Market: Component Estimates & Trend Analysis

7.1 Components Market Share Analysis, 2020 & 2028

7.2 Components Dashboard

7.3 Hardware

7.3.1 Hardware market estimates and forecasts, 2016 - 2028 (USD million)

7.3.1.1 Sensors

7.3.1.2 Sensors market estimates and forecasts, 2016 - 2028 (USD million)

7.3.1.3 GPS

7.4 Software

7.4.1 Software market estimates and forecasts, 2016 - 2028 (USD million)

7.4.1.1 On-cloud

7.4.1.2 On-premise

7.5 Services

7.5.1 Services market estimates and forecasts, 2016 - 2028 (USD million)

7.5.1.1 Integration & Deployment

7.5.1.2 Maintenance & Support



Chapter 8 Livestock Monitoring Market: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis

8.1 Application Market Share Analysis, 2020 & 2028

8.2 Application dashboard

8.3 Milk Harvesting

8.4 Breeding Management

8.5 Feeding Management

8.6 Animal Health Monitoring & Comfort

8.7 Heat stress

8.8 Behavior monitoring



Chapter 9 Livestock Monitoring Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis, By, Animal Type, Component, And Application

9.1 Regional Market Snapshot



Chapter 9 Competitive Landscape

DeLaval Inc.

GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft

Afimilk Ltd.

Sensaphone

BouMatic

MSD Animal Health

Dairymaster

Fancom BV

Lely

Fullwood Packo

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bpz7le

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

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DUBLIN, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Solid-State Car Battery Market by Vehicle (Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicle), Battery Energy Density (>450 Wh/Kg, >450 Wh/Kg), Propulsion (Bev, Phev), Component(Cathode, Anode, and Electrolyte), and Region - Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global solid-state car battery market size is projected to grow from 27,070 units in 2025 to 661,724 units by 2030, at a CAGR of 89.5%.

The global solid-state car battery market is dominated by global players such as Toyota Motor Corporation (Japan), Solid Power (US), QuantumScape (US), Samsung SDI (South Korea), LG Chem (South Korea).

Factors such as increasing demand for electric vehicles around the world, higher battery capacity and EV range using solid-state car batteries and other features of SSB's like higher battery life, higher energy density and better safety features compared to presently used lithium ion batteries. The growing concern for larger distance commuting using EV's will also boost the market.

A major concern for EV users is the lower range of vehicle on a single charge. This issue has been a major factor reducing the growth of the EV market. Compared to EVs using conventional lithium ion batteries, those installed with solid-state batteries are expected to have a significantly higher range due to the high battery density.

Solid-state batteries can theoretically store twice as much energy as that in lithium ion batteries. Thus, various top EV manufacturers are investing in this technology. An EV installed with a solid-state battery according to various industry experts can have an approximately 600+ mile electric range.

Passenger Car Segment is expected to be the largest market in the vehicle type segment in the forecast.

Passenger cars and a small part of commercial vehicles are considered under vehicle types in the automotive solid-state battery market due to the growing demand for premium electric cars. The demand for other electric cars and commercial vehicles using solid-state batteries will increase in the coming years once solid-state batteries are commercialized to be used in automobiles. Asia Pacific is expected to be the market for passenger cars, followed by Europe and North America.

This is due to the strong government support for the adoption of electric passenger vehicles in the region. North America to be the fastest-growing region with a fast-growing demand for premium electric vehicles which will use solid-state batteries in the coming years. The market in Europe is expected to grow in the coming years.

This is due to strong emission regulations and a variety of subsidies, grants, and incentives for adopting EVs in countries such as Germany, France, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK. The demand for solid-state batteries in electric vehicles will be growing with the increased demand for EVs and the mass production of automotive solid-state batteries.

Asia is expected to be the largest market during the forecast period.

The Asia Pacific solid-state car battery market will be led by countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea. The governments of these countries have supported the growth of EV demand through subsidies, favorable policies for EVs and discouraging the use of petrol. This will lead to a fast-growing demand for solid-state car batteries in the region once they come into the market.

Premium EVs using solid-state batteries will be launched in China and Japan, followed by South Korea and India. Growth will be slower in the initial years but will speed up after 2026. India will be the fastest-growing market in the region due to current and upcoming EV policies.

Japan will also be one of the fastest-growing markets in the region due to top OEMs such as Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi and battery manufacturers working to develop solid-state batteries.

North America to be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period

The North American region is expected to achieve the highest growth for the solid-state car battery market. The market is expected to be led by sales of premium EVs in the US and Canada. Top OEMs such as GM and Ford are working with battery manufacturers to develop solid-state batteries for their EVs and plan to launch them in the coming years. It is expected that there will be a higher demand for BEVs in the two countries and a slower demand for PHEVs.

Premium Insights

Increasing Demand for Long-Range Zero-Emission Commuting to Drive the Market

Asia-Pacific Projected to be the Largest Market During the Forecast Period

The Passenger Car Segment to be a Larger Segment During the Forecast Period (2025-2030)

The Battery Electric Vehicle Segment to Grow at a Higher CAGR During the Forecast Period (2025-2030)

The <_50 />

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Faster Charging Compared to Lithium-Ion Batteries while Using the Same Ev Charging Mode is Expected to Increase the Demand for Solid-State Car Batteries

Higher Capacity in Solid-State Batteries Resulting in Increased Ev Range Leading to Higher Demand

Lower Chance of Overheating as Compared to Lithium-Ion Batteries Makes Solid-State Batteries Safer

Restraints

Higher Cost Compared to Conventional Ev Batteries

Opportunities

Rising Demand for Evs Expected to Drive the Demand for Solid-State Batteries

Government Initiatives Pertaining to Evs Expected to Increase the Demand for Solid-State Batteries

Increase in R&D Investments Expected to Lead to an Increase in Demand for Solid-State Batteries

Challenges

Technological Barriers in the Development of Solid-State Batteries

Hard Ceramics Used for the Development of Solid-State Batteries are Brittle and Have Problems with Mechanical Stress

Table 5 Solid-State Car Battery Market: Impact of Market Dynamics

Solid-State Car Battery Market Ecosystem

Ev Charging Providers

Tier 1 Suppliers (Ev Battery Suppliers)

Oems

End-users

Case Study

Performance and Cost Overview of Selected Solid-State Electrolytes: Race Between Polymer Electrolytes and Inorganic Sulfide Electrolytes

Company Profiles

Key Players

Toyota Motor Corporation

Solid Power

Quantumscape

Samsung Sdi

LG Chem

Ilika

Brightvolt

Panasonic

Catl

Ioniq Materials

Northvolt

Cymbet

Other Players

General Motors

Renault Group

Stellantis N.V.

Kia Motors

Mitsubishi Motors

Volkswagen Ag

Ford Motor Company

Byd

Hyundai Group

Sk Innovation

Dyson

Prieto Battery

Storedot

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/l0gv0w

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

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HOUSTON, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodrich Petroleum Corporation (NYSE American: GDP) (the "Company") announced that the equity strike price condition contained in its UCC Warrants (CUSIP # 382410 165) (the "Warrants") was met as of July 14, 2021. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire from the Company a number of shares of the Company's Common Stock equal to 0.00001% of the Common Stock Deemed Outstanding at the time of the exercise, on the terms set forth in the Warrant Agreement (the "Warrant Agreement"), dated as of October 12, 2016, by and among the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (the "Warrant Agent"). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to such terms in the Warrant Agreement.

Holders who wish to exercise the Warrant(s), in whole or in part, may do so by doing the following prior to the Expiry Time:

in the case of Certificated Warrants, properly completing and duly executing the Exercise Form appearing on the reverse side of the Warrant Certificates, which is substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A ;

in the case of Direct Registration Warrants, providing an Exercise Form substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B , properly completed and duly executed by the Registered Holder thereof, to the Warrant Agent; or

in the case of Book-Entry Warrants, providing an Exercise Form substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C or otherwise complying with the practices and procedures of the Depositary and its direct and indirect participants, as applicable.

Upon completion of one of the above options, please send the completed and executed Exercise Form to the Warrant Agent at the below email/address:

Email forms to [email protected] or mail to:

American Stock Transfer

6201 15th Ave  2nd Floor

Brooklyn, NY 11219

Attn: Reorg Dept

The shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants have been registered by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and are covered by a registration statement filed on Form S-1 and declared effective by, the Securities and Exchange Commission (Registration No. 333-216015). The SEC maintains an internet website that contains a copy of this prospectus. The address of that site is www.sec.gov.

None of the Company, its board of directors or employees has made or is making any representation or recommendation to any holder of the Warrants as to whether to exercise or refrain from exercising any Warrants. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company's securities and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

EXHIBIT A

EXERCISE FORM

The undersigned Registered Holder of this Warrant Certificate hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the number of Warrants indicated below:

Number of Warrants: __________________________________________



Number of Warrants Exercised: __________________________________________

(Total number of Warrants being exercised  may be

expressed as a percentage)

The undersigned requests that the Warrant Exercise Shares be issued in the name of the undersigned Holder or as otherwise indicated below:

Name ______________________________________________ Social Security or Other Taxpayer Identification Number Address ______________________________________________



______________________________________________



If such Warrants shall not constitute all of the Warrants represented hereby, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate of like tenor and date for the balance of the Warrants represented hereby be issued and delivered in the name of the undersigned Holder or as otherwise indicated as follows:

Name ______________________________________________ Social Security or Other Taxpayer Identification Number Address ______________________________________________



______________________________________________

Dated: ___________________, 20_______ Signature: ____________________________

Name: ____________________________

Note: The above signature and name should correspond exactly with the name of the holder as it appears on the face of the certificate, in every particular without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.

EXHIBIT B

EXERCISE FORM FOR REGISTERED HOLDERS

OF DIRECT REGISTRATION WARRANTS

(To be executed upon exercise of Warrants)

NOTE: THIS EXERCISE NOTICE MUST BE DELIVERED TO THE WARRANT AGENT, PRIOR TO 5:00 P.M., EASTERN TIME, ON OCTOBER 12, 2026.

The undersigned Registered Holder, being the holder of Direct Registration Warrants of Goodrich Petroleum Corporation, issued pursuant to that certain Warrant Agreement, as dated October 12, 2016 (the " Warrant Agreement "), by and among Goodrich Petroleum Corporation (the " Company "), and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (the " Warrant Agent "), hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the number of Direct Registration Warrants indicated below, to acquire the number of shares of Common Stock indicated below. All capitalized terms used in this Exercise Form that are not defined herein but are defined in the Warrant Agreement shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.

Number of Warrants: __________________________________________ Number of Warrants Exercised: __________________________________________

(Total number of Warrants being exercised  may be

expressed as a percentage)

The undersigned requests that the Warrant Exercise Shares be issued in the name of the undersigned Holder or as otherwise indicated below:

Name ______________________________________________ Social Security or Other Taxpayer Identification Number Address ______________________________________________



______________________________________________



If said number of Warrant Exercise Shares shall not be all the Warrant Exercise Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant representing the balance of such Warrant shall be issued in the name of the undersigned Holder or as otherwise indicated below and that a Warrant Statement reflecting such balance be delivered to the address indicated below:

Name ______________________________________________ Social Security or Other Taxpayer Identification Number Address ______________________________________________



_______________________________________

Dated: ___________________, 20_______ Signature: ____________________________

Name: ____________________________

EXERCISE C

EXERCISE FORM FOR BENEFICIAL HOLDERS

HOLDING WARRANTS THROUGH THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY

TO BE COMPLETED BY DIRECT PARTICIPANT

IN THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY

(To be executed upon exercise of Warrants)

NOTE: THIS EXERCISE NOTICE MUST BE DELIVERED TO THE WARRANT AGENT, PRIOR TO 5:00 P.M., EASTERN TIME, ON OCTOBER 12, 2026.

The undersigned, being the beneficial holder of Book-Entry Warrants issued pursuant to that certain Warrant Agreement, as dated October 12, 2016 (the " Warrant Agreement "), by and among Goodrich Petroleum Corporation (the " Company "), and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (the " Warrant Agent ") and held for its benefit through the book-entry facilities of The Depository Trust Company (the " Depositary "), hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the number of Book-Entry Warrants indicated below, to acquire the number of shares of Common Stock indicated below, pursuant to the exercise provisions of Section 4.3 of the Warrant Agreement. All capitalized terms used in this Exercise Form that are not defined herein but are defined in the Warrant Agreement shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.

Number of Warrants: ___________________________________________________ Number of Warrants Exercised: ___________________________________________________

(Total number of Warrants being exercised  may be

expressed as a percentage)

The undersigned requests that the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants be delivered to the account at the Depositary specified below.

THE WARRANT AGENT SHALL NOTIFY YOU (THROUGH THE CLEARING SYSTEM) OF (1) THE WARRANT AGENT'S ACCOUNT AT THE DEPOSITARY TO WHICH YOU MUST DELIVER YOUR WARRANTS, AND PAYMENT, IF ANY, ON THE EXERCISE DATE AND (2) THE ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER AND FACSIMILE NUMBER WHERE YOU CAN CONTACT THE WARRANT AGENT.

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE:

NAME:

CAPACITY IN WHICH SIGNING:

DATED:

NAME OF PARTICIPANT:

ADDRESS:

CONTACT NAME (if different than above):

TELEPHONE (INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL CODE):

FAX (INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL CODE):

E-MAIL ADDRESS:

DEPOSITARY ACCOUNT NO.:



Goodrich Petroleum Corporation Investor Relations Contact Information:



[email protected]

832-255-1300

SOURCE Goodrich Petroleum Corporation

Related Links

http://www.goodrichpetroleum.com


More information for patients about the new medical dispensary location can be found at:

https://www.harvestofohio.com/

Instagram: @HarvestofOhio

Facebook: @HarvestofOhio

Ariane B. Kirkpatrick, Chief Executive Officer and majority owner of Harvest of Ohio, LLC, Harvest Grows, LLC and Harvest Processing, LLC said, "Words cannot express how excited we are to officially begin serving patients. We are pleased that we have assembled such a diverse team of executives, managers, associates, and vendors.

As a black businesswoman, I have overcome years of obstacles to arrive at this moment, entering this new and rapidly evolving cannabis industry. Our majority-minority partnership allowed my entire team to gain valuable insight required to commence operations. I appreciate all of the assistance from Ohio state regulators throughout this process.

Harvest of Ohio aspires to become one of Ohio's most respected operators, conducting the essential business of improving patient lives with access to high quality medical marijuana products."

About Harvest of Ohio, LLC

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Harvest of Ohio, LLC is the first vertically-integrated, minority female-led cannabis company in Ohio. Harvest of Ohio, LLC has been granted licenses to dispense medical marijuana to serve the needs of patients across the state. We hope you'll join us on our journey.

SOURCE Harvest of Ohio, LLC

Related Links

https://www.harvestofohio.com


Key step in HKEX's plans to build offshore Mainland China equities derivatives suite in Hong Kong

HKEX signs licensing agreement with MSCI to launch futures contract based on MSCI China A 50 Connect Index, tracking performance of 50 Shanghai and Shenzhen stocks available via Stock Connect

stocks available via Stock Connect The offshore sector-balanced China A-share index futures product to be launched on 18 October 2021

HONG KONG, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) today is pleased to announce the launch of its first A-share derivatives product. This new contract will provide international investors with a new and effective risk management tool to manage their portfolios of Stock Connect eligible A-shares, reflecting the increasing global reliance on Stock Connect to access Mainland China's burgeoning equity markets.

HKEX has entered into a new license agreement with MSCI, a leading provider of mission critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community, to launch a futures contract based on the MSCI China A 50 Connect Index, which tracks the performance of 50 key Shanghai and Shenzhen stocks available via Stock Connect. This offshore sector-balanced China A-share index futures product will be launched on 18 October 2021.

HKEX Chief Executive Officer Nicolas Aguzin said: "Today's announcement marks a key step forward in furthering our plans to build an offshore Mainland China equities derivatives suite in Hong Kong. This exciting news further strengthens our long-term partnership with MSCI and reflects our commitment to developing Hong Kong as Asia's premier derivatives hub, expanding the breadth and depth of our product offering in Hong Kong."

"As the global markets leader in the Asian timezone with a unique role connecting China and the world, we believe this new product will act as a key risk management tool for investors in managing their A-share equity exposure," said Mr Aguzin.

Henry Fernandez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at MSCI, added: "The importance of China in global investment portfolios is growing, evidenced by the country's market capitalisation weight in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index increasing from 18 per cent in December 2009 to 34 per cent in August 2021. The investment industry is undergoing significant transformation and investments are becoming more complex and diversified, leading to a rise in demand for enhanced trading and risk management solutions. As part of our commitment to empowering global investors to better manage their portfolios, we are very pleased to expand our partnership with HKEX through this new license agreement."

This new agreement builds on the earlier licence agreements between HKEX and MSCI and underscores HKEX's ongoing strategic partnership with MSCI, following the successful launch of a suite of MSCI Asia and Emerging Market futures and options last year. HKEX has already launched a total of 41 derivatives based on MSCI indices.

The MSCI China A 50 Connect Index is designed to have a comprehensive representation of the Chinese economy by including 50 stocks of the largest stocks in the China A-share large-cap universe, and by targeting at least two stocks from each sector. The index comprises 50 Stock Connect eligible underlyings and historically has a high correlation to the performance of main MSCI A-share indices.

Since its launch in 2014, Stock Connect, the landmark mutual market access programme linking the Hong Kong and Mainland China equity markets, has become the key channel for international investors to access the A-shares market and has helped facilitate the inclusion of Chinese A-shares into key global indices.

Stock Connect trading volumes reached fresh records in the first quarter of 2021, with average daily turnover of Northbound and Southbound trading significantly increased to RMB126.8 billion and HK$60.8 billion respectively.

About HKEX

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) is one of the world's major exchange groups, and operates a range of equity, commodity, fixed income and currency markets. HKEX is the world's leading IPO market and as Hong Kong's only securities and derivatives exchange and sole operator of its clearing houses, it is uniquely placed to offer regional and international investors access to Asia's most vibrant markets.

HKEX is also the global leader in metals trading, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, The London Metal Exchange (LME) and LME Clear Limited. This commodity franchise was further enhanced with the launch of Qianhai Mercantile Exchange (QME), in China, in 2018.

HKEX launched the pioneering Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect programme in 2014, further expanded with the launch of Shenzhen Connect in 2016, and the launch of Bond Connect in 2017.

www.hkexgroup.com

SOURCE Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX)

Related Links

http://www.hkexgroup.com


CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Hydraulic Fracturing Market by Well Type (Horizontal Well, and Vertical Well), Technology (Plug and Perf, and Sliding Sleeve), Application (Shale gas, Tight Oil, and Tight gas), and Region - Global Trends and Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Hydraulic Fracturing Market is projected to reach USD 50.2 billion by 2026. The Hydraulic Fracturing Market size will grow to USD 50.2 billion by 2026 from USD 34.8 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 7.6% during the forecast period. The rising primary energy demand and increasing shale gas exploration & production activities in US is the driving factors for the Hydraulic Fracturing Market, globally.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=745

The horizontal segment is expected to dominate the Hydraulic Fracturing Market, by well type, during the forecast period.

A horizontal well requires a multi-directional drilling technique, which generally drills with an inclination of greater than 80 to enhance reservoir performance. According to the EIA, 70.0% of shale reserves are drilled horizontally in North America. Hydraulic fracturing, along with horizontal drilling, helps to increase crude oil and natural gas production. This is expected to drive the horizontal segment market during the forecast period.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Hydraulic Fracturing Market"

218  Tables

61  Figures

230  Pages

View Detailed Table of Content Here: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/hydraulic-fracturing-market-745.html

The shale gas segment is expected to be the fastest-growing Hydraulic Fracturing Market, by application, during the forecast period.

The shale gas segment, by application, is estimated to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. Shales are fine-grained sedimentary rocks that can be rich sources of petroleum and natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing is the process used to extract shale gas. Deep holes are drilled into the shale rock, followed by horizontal drilling, as shale reserves are distributed horizontally rather than vertically. The increasing demand for natural gas is expected to drive the growth of the Hydraulic Fracturing Market for shale gas applications. The demand in 2021 was 4.021 tcm, up from 3.91 tcm in 2020. Furthermore, the consumption of natural gas in the power sector of the US is expected to reach 12.1 tcf by 2050, up from 0.4 tcf (4%) recorded in 2020. Such factors propel the growth of shale gas segment in the Hydraulic Fracturing Market.

North America likely to emerge as the largest Hydraulic Fracturing Market

In this report, the Hydraulic Fracturing Market has been analyzed for six regions, namely, North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa. According to the IEA, the US is determined to become the net exporter of energy by 2021 and to fulfill this objective; oil production is being increased across the nation. Moreover, the US is the top explorer and producer of shale oil and gas. The old oil & gas fields in the Permian Basin and Bakken Ford require the hydraulic fracturing operations to enhance the productivity of the wells. Thus, North America dominated the Hydraulic Fracturing Market during the forecasted period.

Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=745

To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top players in the Hydraulic Fracturing Market.

Some of the key players are Halliburton (US), Schlumberger (US), Baker Hughes Company (US) NexTier Oilfield Solutions (US), and Calfrac Well Services (Canada). The leading players are adopting various strategies to increase their share in the Hydraulic Fracturing Market.

Browse Adjacent Markets: Energy and Power Market Research Reports & Consulting

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https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/north-america-well-intervention-market-105974250.html

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

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MarketsandMarkets INC.

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Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/hydraulic-fracturing-market.asp

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Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/hydraulic-fracturing.asp

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
RADNOR, Pa., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is currently investigating potential violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of shareholders of Lightning eMotors, Inc. (NYSE: ZEV) ("Lightning") f/k/a GigCapital3, Inc. (NYSE: GIK).

Lightning is an electric vehicle designer and manufacturer, providing electrification solutions for commercial fleets, including Class 3 cargo vans, refrigerated vans, passenger vans, and ambulances, Class 6 work trucks, and Class 7 city buses.

After the market closed on August 16, 2021, Lightning announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, including a net loss per share of $0.79 compared to a loss of $0.10 in the second quarter of 2020. Lightning also pulled its full year financial guidance for the remainder of 2021, just days after announcing a multi-year agreement with Forest River, a Berkshire Hathaway company.

Following this news, Lightning's stock price fell $1.63 per share, or almost 17%, to close at $8.00 per share on August 17, 2021.

If you are an Lightning investor and would like to learn more about our investigation, please contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP: James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453; toll free at (844) 887-9500; via e-mail at [email protected]; or please visit the following link to fill out our online form www.ktmc.com/lightning-emotors-inc-investigation?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=lightning_emotors

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, please visit www.ktmc.com .

CONTACT:

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

James Maro, Jr., Esq.

280 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(844) 887-9500

[email protected]

SOURCE Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

Related Links

http://www.ktmc.com


SHANGHAI, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JW Therapeutics (HKEx: 2126), an innovative biotechnology company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing cell immunotherapy, today announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with MediTrust Health. Leveraging the respective business advantages, both parties plan to strengthen cooperation in supplementary medical insurance and health insurance policy, to relieve the payment burden of patients and improve the accessibility of CAR-T therapy through private commercial insurance policy.

Meanwhile, both parties jointly held a seminar on "Establishing the Multi-tiered Medical Insurance System for CAR-T Therapy" and conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as how to establish the multi-tiered private healthcare insurance system and innovative payment system.

About JW Therapeutics

JW Therapeutics (HKEx: 2126) is an innovative biotechnology company focusing on the developing, manufacturing and commercializing cell immunotherapy. Co-founded by Juno Therapeutics (a Bristol Myers Squibb company) and WuXi AppTec in 2016, JW Therapeutics is committed to becoming an innovation leader in cell immunotherapy. The company has built a top world-class platform for technology and product development in cell immunotherapy, as well as a promising product pipeline covering both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, to bring hope of cure for Chinese and global patients, and to lead the healthy and standardized development of China's cell immunotherapy industry. For more information, please visit www.jwtherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements that are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial metrics, expected legal, arbitration, political, regulatory or clinical results or practices, customer and prescriber patterns or practices, reimbursement activities and outcomes and other such estimates and results. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed below and more fully described in the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HKEx) reports filed by the Company. Unless otherwise noted, the Company is providing this information as of the date it publicized, and expressly disclaims any duty to update information contained in the issues and relevant information.

No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those we project. Discovery or identification of new product candidates or development of new indications for existing products cannot be guaranteed and movement from concept to product is uncertain; consequently, there can be no guarantee that any particular product candidate or development of a new indication for an existing product will be successful and become a commercial product. Further, preclinical results do not guarantee safe and effective performance of product candidates in humans. The complexity of the human body cannot be perfectly, or sometimes, even adequately modeled by computer or cell culture systems or animal models. The length of time that it takes for us to complete clinical trials and obtain regulatory approval for product marketing has in the past varied and we expect similar variability in the future. We develop product candidates internally and through licensing collaborations, partnerships and joint ventures. Product candidates that are derived from relationships may be subject to disputes between the parties or may prove to be not as effective or as safe as we may have believed at the time of entering into such relationship. Also, we or others could identify safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with our products after they are on the market. Our business may be impacted by government investigations, litigation and products liability claims, and certain compliance risks, even sanctions from disputable market activities. We depend on third parties for a significant portion of our manufacturing capacity for the supply of certain of our current and future products and limits on supply may constrain sales of certain of our current products and product candidate development.

In addition, sales of our products are affected by the reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers, including governments, private insurance plans and managed care providers and may be affected by regulatory, clinical and guideline developments and domestic and international trends toward managed care and healthcare cost containment as well as legislation affecting pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement. Government and others' regulations and reimbursement policies may affect the development, usage and pricing of our products. In addition, we compete with other companies with respect to some of our marketed products as well as for the discovery and development of new products. We believe that some of our newer products, product candidates or new indications for existing products, may face competition when and as they are approved and marketed. Our products may compete against products that have lower prices, established reimbursement, superior performance, are easier to administer, or that are otherwise competitive with our products. In addition, while we routinely obtain patents for our products and technology, the protection offered by our patents and patent applications may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by our competitors and there can be no guarantee of our ability to obtain or maintain patent protection for our products or product candidates. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to produce commercially successful products or maintain the commercial success of our existing products. Our stock price may be affected by actual or perceived market opportunity, competitive position, and success or failure of our products or product candidates. Further, the discovery of significant problems with a product similar to one of our products that implicate an entire class of products could have a material adverse effect on sales of the affected products and on our business and results of operations. Our efforts to integrate the operations of companies we have acquired may not be successful. We may experience difficulties, delays or unexpected costs and not achieve anticipated benefits and savings from our ongoing restructuring plan. Our business performance could affect or limit the ability of our board of directors to declare a dividend or the ability to pay a dividend or repurchase our shares.

Cautionary Statement required by Rule 18A.05 of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited: JW Therapeutics cannot guarantee that it will be able to develop, or ultimately market Relmacabtagene autoleucel ("relma-cel") successfully. Shareholders and potential investors of JW Therapeutics are advised to exercise due care when dealing in the shares of JW Therapeutics.

SOURCE JW Therapeutics

Related Links

www.jwtherapeutics.com


Associate Brooke Clason Smith's practice at Keller Lenkner focuses on representing plaintiffs in antitrust and consumer-protection matters. Among her current cases, Smith represents the States of Texas, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, and South Carolina in a suit against Google, alleging that the online giant monopolized products and services used by advertisers and publishers in online-display advertising.

Among her previous matters, Smith assisted in successfully prosecuting claims against Fox Broadcasting Company for its unauthorized use of Muhammad Ali's identity in a promotional video broadcast during the Super Bowl pregame show.

Before joining Keller Lenkner, Clason Smith was an associate at Schiff Hardin LLP where she litigated complex commercial, intellectual property, and criminal matters at the trial and appellate levels and represented clients in government and internal investigations.

Associate Frank Dylewski's practice at Keller Lenkner focuses on representing plaintiffs in class action and privacy matters. Among his current cases, Dylewski is pursuing claims on behalf of individuals who were recorded by Amazon Alexa-enabled devices without consent. Keller Lenkner filed individual arbitration demands for more than 74,000 individuals, ultimately leading Amazon to abandon its arbitration clause, as reported by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

Among his previous matters, Dylewski assisted in successfully prosecuting a multi-million-dollar breach-of-contract claim against Delta Air Lines, Inc., which broke its contract with a family-owned aircraft parts manufacturer.

Before joining Keller Lenkner, Dylewski litigated complex commercial disputes at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP. His diverse litigation background includes consumer fraud, breach of contract, professional malpractice, fraud, antitrust, insurance coverage, business tort, and securities matters.

Best Lawyers compiles lists based on peer-review evaluation. Almost 108,000 industry-leading lawyers worldwide are eligible to vote, and Best Lawyers received more than 13 million evaluations on lawyers' abilities based on their specific practice areas.

ABOUT KELLER LENKNER: Keller Lenkner LLC represents plaintiffs in complex litigation matters in federal and state courts throughout the nation. The firm acts for clients in many types of cases, including class and mass actions, arbitrations, and multi-district litigation matters. Its team includes four former law clerks at the Supreme Court of the United States and former partners and associates from the country's leading law firms. Since its founding in 2018, the firm has secured results for more than 100,000 clients.

Related Links: www.kellerlenkner.com

SOURCE Keller Lenkner LLC

Related Links

http://www.kellerlenkner.com/


KATY, Texas, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Maria Milian Sobarzo, MD, FACOG, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Trusted OBGYN for her many years of outstanding service in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

A specialist with over 32 years of experience in the field, she specializes in minimally invasive procedures, and regularly performs robotic procedures at her practice Advanced Women's Wellness. Located at 21402 Provincial Blvd in Katy, TX, she offers a wide range of wellness and health services.

Maria Milian Sobarzo, MD, FACOG

Dr. Sobarzo originally worked in Obstetrics and Gynecology for over 25 years, but realized she wanted to focus primarily on Gynecology. She is a passionate advocate for reproductive health, and will do everything she can to help her patients feel their best. She has extensive experience with women's health issues, including routine examinations, contraception, laparoscopy, menopause, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, and other issues. Dr. Sobarzo works with Dr. Allyson Patronella and a talented team to help every patient receive the best possible gynecological care.

She performs hysterectomies both laparoscopically and with open laparotomy. Dr. Sobarzo performs hysteroscopies, uterine endometrial ablations, and Myosure procedures. In her daily work, she also performs in-office procedures, such as colposcopies, biopsies of the cervix, vagina, and vulva, Endocervical/endometrial biopsies, cryotherapy, LEEP procedures, IUD insertion and removal, and Nexplanon placements.

Dr. Sobarzo is a Certified Legacy Provider of the hormone replacement therapy bioTE Advanced Women's Wellness offers the MonaLisa Touch Vaginal Rejuvenation Procedure, which uses gentle lasers to create collagen growth and a healing response to restimulate the vagina. Advanced Women's Wellness is the first practice in the Houston area to use DySIS, the latest advancement in in-office colposcopy technology. In addition, they also utilize Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP) as an in-office procedure that can cut away a thin layer of the cervix to remove abnormal cells.

Born in Cuba, Dr. Sobarzo moved to the United States at age 7. She grew up in Sweeny, Texas and attended Texas A&M, earning both her Bachelor of Science degree in 1981, and her Medical degree in 1985. To hone her skills, she then completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Arkansas in 1989. Dr. Sobarzo is a board-certified Fellow in Obstetrics and Gynecology by the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FACOG), and has been serving the Katy/West Houston area since 1989. She also practices at Houston Methodist West Hospital and Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital.

To give back to her community, she volunteers with Living Water and the Make a Wish Foundation. Awards for her accomplished work include an award for Advanced Women's Wellness as the winner of the Living Best of Reader's Choice Award in 2016.

When she isn't working, Dr. Sobarzo enjoys singing in her church choir and running. She also loves spending quality time with her husband, Dr. Arturo, and her sons Gabriel, Daniel, Miguel, and Samuel. She speaks both English and Spanish.

She would like to dedicate this honorable recognition to Dr. Miller and Dr. Quark.

For more information, visit https://drsobarzo.com/.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Proposed research into the long-term funding of innovation has yielded the inaugural Panmure House Prize for Rachelle Sampson, associate professor of Logistics, Business and Public Policy at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

The $75,000 prize is administered by the Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University in partnership with U.S.-based long-term investment consultancy FCLTGlobal and funded by Baillie Gifford. Considered one of the United Kingdom's largest academic prizes, it recognizes research identifying potential flows of capital to innovation  in hope of finding the next major technological, retail or pharmaceutical up-and-comer.

Sampson is working with a team of researchers on this project including Maryland Smith's Brent Goldfarb, Cornell University's Yuan Shi and Rafael Corredoira of Ohio State University. Through analyzing U.S. patents between 1980 and 2017, the researchers seek to reveal how long-term oriented firms with government R&D, stronger scientific orientation, a more centralized organization and greater investment are more likely to produce breakthrough innovations such as Dupont's nylon or AT&T Bell Labs' transistor.

"I'm delighted to win the inaugural Panmure House Prize. This prize will support research that will help shed light on the critical importance of long-term investment horizons for the breakthrough innovation necessary to solve some of our most pressing challenges," says Sampson. "It's truly an honor to be connected with Panmure House, home of Adam Smith and a gathering place of many luminaries of the Scottish Enlightenment. I'm grateful to the esteemed panel of judges and Panmure House for the opportunity to accelerate this research and bring it into the public eye."

Prize finalists are reviewed by a panel of international business leaders and economists, which includes James Anderson, partner at Baillie Gifford, and includes Sir John Kay, former dean of Oxford's Said Business School; Nitin Nohria, dean of Harvard Business School; and Dominic Barton, global managing partner emeritus at McKinsey & Co and Canadian ambassador to China.

"Prizes have long proven to be wonderful catalysts for change but the link between Panmure House and the extraordinary heritage and global reputation of Adam Smith gives us an almost unparalleled opportunity," says Anderson (via a Panmure House press release), Panmure Prize Panel Chair, partner at Baillie Gifford and co-manager of Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust. "The chance to hear from remarkable individuals, spanning the best of investment practice and profound intellectual insights and to hear them discuss the issues and papers together is a huge privilege."

The prize is named after the eighteenth-century Scottish economist Adam Smith's final Edinburgh home. It will award $375,000 over five years for research projects into the long-term funding of innovation in the spirit of the late economist.

See more News from Maryland Smith and go to Maryland Smith Research for related content.

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, specialty masters, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

Contact: Greg Muraski at [email protected]

SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Monster Lead Group was was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America. After ranking No. 4137 on the Inc. list in 2020, Monster climbed to No. 1621 this year. This recognition has come from its dedication to being an innovative leader - from using cutting-edge technology and incorporating advanced machine learning to delivering continuous growth in a fluctuating market.

Monster Lead Group

Monster co-founder Ken Bartz attributed their growth to the hard work of the employees. He said, "our team is passionate about building something great for our customers. They take pride in their work and it shows."

Learn more about Monster Lead Group:

To learn more about Monster Lead Group, visit monsterleadgroup.com or call 410-504-6584 to talk with a member of the team.

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 multi-platform content reaches more than 50 million people each month.

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Monster Lead Group Inc. 5000

SOURCE Monster Lead Group
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Muno-Vax is a newer enterprise in the health and wellness market. However, the company is backed by a duo of well-established, reputable organizations. These connections lend weight to the brand's line of innovative immune support products.

A modern company is only worth its salt if it's backed by good, solid research. Classic concepts, traditional wisdom, and philosophical mindsets can factor into the equation. But if a product isn't rooted in science, it won't stand a chance when it comes up against the informed modern consumer.

This dependency on science is largely what helps Muno-Vax Biotechnologies, LLC stand out from the crowd. The growing European company operates out of Bulgaria, where it's backed by some of the largest private and public sector names in its industry.

First, Muno-Vax is supported by its well-established parent company Natstim, Ltd. The innovative brand has been operating in the pharmaceutical space for nearly two decades. Founded in 2003 by Professor MPharm Rahamin Shekerdzhiyski, the organization's mission (roughly translated) reads as the desire "to create effective nutritional supplements adapted to the modern lifestyle! Thus Natstim provides health and vitality to its clients and their families!"

Muno-Vax was established to operate as Natstim's marketing and distribution arm. As its parent company has steadily created its array of research-backed products, Muno-Vax has worked to help them find a positive use amongst consumers across the globe.

Along with their association with one another, Muno-Vax and Natstim have also worked closely with Bulbio, the biotech manufacturing arm of The National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. Operating in tandem with this government operation has enabled the private enterprises to "fill a great void" by creating an elite set of products designed to promote immune health.

The key ingredient for many of these products is a potent immunomodulator. This enables each product to act as an "antigen," stimulating the immune system and maximizing the body's natural defense mechanism during critical periods of time.

While Muno-Vax is a newer name on the international scene, it has gone to great pains to highlight its venerable roots. Between its highly-esteemed parent company and its association with high-profile government entities, the brand has been able to quickly establish itself as a provider of premium health and wellness products for a variety of different ailments.

About Muno-Vax: Muno-Vax distributes the nutritional supplements created by Natstim, Ltd. These products primarily focus on immune support and utilize a unique immunomodulator that the brand claims makes its products more effective than competing solutions.

Please direct inquiries to:

Abbi Russo

(954) 749-6422

[email protected]

SOURCE Muno-Vax
NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Natixis today announced the successful closing of two separate financings in support of the Project Slate, a solar plus storage project being constructed in Kings County, California. Project Slate is owned by Goldman Sachs Renewable Power ("GSRP"), an investment company managed by the Renewable Power business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Upon construction completion, the Project Slate will have a capacity of 300 MWac Solar PV +140 MW / 561 MWh Battery Storage, making it among the largest solar plus storage projects in the world.

In June 2021, Natixis acted as Administrative Agent and Joint Lead Arranger on $515.9 million senior secured credit facilities to Project Slate. Earlier, Natixis acted as Sole Lead Arranger for a $150 million Equity Bridge Loan, the proceeds of which will be used to fund GSRP's equity contribution into Project Slate.

"Together, these transactions finance debt and equity costs for Project Slate demonstrate our ability to service our key clients with financing products across the capital stack," said Nasir Khan, Head of Infrastructure & Energy Finance for the Americas at Natixis. "Natixis is committed to financing clean energy projects and accelerating our energy transition."

The Project Slate debt construction financing marks Natixis' second Solar Plus Storage financing in the Americas in as many months and comes on the back of Clearway's $285 million financing for its Mililani I and Waiawa Solar Plus Storage facilities in Hawaii in May 2021, where Natixis acted as Coordinating Lead Arranger. Those transactions are among the 26 Infrastructure Finance transactions Natixis has closed in the Americas in the first half of 2021.

About Natixis

Natixis is a French multinational financial services firm specialized in asset & wealth management, corporate & investment banking, insurance and payments. A subsidiary of Groupe BPCE, the second-largest banking group in France through its two retail banking networks, Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne, Natixis counts over 16,000 employees across 36 countries. Its clients include corporations, financial institutions, sovereign and supranational organizations, as well as the customers of Groupe BPCE's networks. Natixis has a solid financial base with a CET1 capital under Basel 3(1) of 12.4 billion, a Basel 3 CET1 Ratio(1) of 11.5% and quality long-term ratings (Standard & Poor's: A / Moody's: A1 / Fitch Ratings: A+).

(1) Based on CRR-CRD4 rules as reported on June 26, 2013, including the Danish compromise - without phase-in.

Figures as at 30 June 2021

Press contacts:

Meredith Zaritheny

Prosek Partners

+1 212.818.251

[email protected]

https://www.natixis.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/natixis

https://www.twitter.com/natixis

https://www.instagram.com/natixis_corp

https://www.youtube.com/user/Natixisvideos

Our information is certified with blockchain technology.

Check that this press release is genuine at www.wiztrust.com.

SOURCE Natixis

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Company loss narrowed sharply by 96%

Business Income Increased By More Than 26 Times Year-on-Year

Core Product OT-401 Approval Imminent

HONG KONG, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chinese ophthalmology platform company, Ocumension Therapeutics ("Ocumension" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group" , stock code: 1477.HK), announced its interim results for the 6 months ended 30 June 2021 (the "Reporting Period").

The Company recorded a loss for the period of RMB69.6 million, representing a decrease of 96.0%, from a loss of RMB1,742 million for the corresponding period in 2020. The significant decline in loss was due to recognizing a one-time loss caused by the change in the fair value of preferred shares before the IPO in the same period last year. The Company's revenue from the hospital terminal sales was more than double the full year revenue in 2020 at RMB27.74 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 2,644.7%. The number of commercialization teams increased steadily with the rapid breakthrough in hospital coverage. The company also laid a solid foundation for the commercialization of OT-401. Additionally, in the first half of the year, the company recorded a one-time investment income of more than RMB100 million through its strategic investment in Eyepoint and Alimera. The Group maintained a good cooperative relationship with its partners, made use of its strengths as an ophthalmic platform company and utilized its comprehensive ophthalmic resources to enhance the company's development. The Company achieved RMB245 million of R&D spending, representing an increase of 186.8%. During the first half of the year, the company entered phase III clinical trials for five drug candidates, achieving the leading position for clinical trials among the innovative ophthalmic pharmaceutical companies in China. The Company expects one new drug to be approved every year starting in 2022.

Ocumension core product OT-401 (fluocinolone intravitreal implant) entered the final stage as it closes in on crossing the finishing line. In April 2021, the NDA of OT-401 was officially accepted by the CDE. OT-401 also became the first innovative drug in China's history of drug registration that uses only real world data for NDA application, which is a revolutionary improvement from the existing treatment for uveitis. Recently, Ocumension OT-502 was approved for pilot sales and a real world study making it an innovative pharmaceutical enterprise with the largest range of real-world research pilots in China. It is expected to reshape the valuation system of Ocumension R&D pipeline and comprehensively accelerate the commercialization of pipeline products.

The Company's core product, OT-101 (0.01% atropine sulfate eye drop) accelerated its development in the first half of this year as phase III clinical trials were successively conducted in the United States, China and the United Kingdom. It is also the world's first international multi-regional phase III clinical trial (MRCT) for low-concentration atropine for myopia progression and its analogs that includes the Chinese population. As the hottest commodity of ophthalmic drug innovation, Ocumension uses the unique low-concentration atropine eye drops to manage myopia progression. It is consistent with the hospital preparation formulation on prescription craft and is the only conducted international multi-regional phase III clinical trials in China. The Company is confidence in research and development strength.

Ocumension disclosed hospital terminal sales' revenue for its two existing commercial products in the first half of the year, which increased by more than 26 times compared to the same period of prior year demonstrating an outstanding performance. The market expansion strongly advanced as the Company covers more than 800 hospitals and expects the commercialization team to reach 150 people by the end of year.

With strong pipeline development and rapid commercial layout, Ocumension has become a powerful force that cannot be ignored in ophthalmic innovation. With the commercialization of its core product OT-401 expected in the near-term, Ocumension is in the position to surprise investors.

About Ocumension Therapeutics

Ocumension Therapeutics is a Chinese ophthalmology platform company dedicated to identifying, developing and commercializing pioneering or best-in-class ophthalmic therapies. The company's vision is to provide world-class drug solutions to meet the huge demand for ophthalmology treatments in China. We believe that our ophthalmology platform with obvious first-mover advantage will give us a leading position in the ophthalmology industry in China. Up to now, the company has 17 kinds of drug assets in front of the eye and back of the eye, and has established a complete ophthalmic drug product line, four of which have entered phase III clinical trials in China. On July 10, 2020, Ocumension listed on the main board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (stock code: 01477).

More information about Ocumension Therapeutics: https://www.ocumension.com/

This press release is published by Porda Havas International Finance Communications Group on behalf of Ocumension Therapeutics.

SOURCE Ocumension Therapeutics
DALLAS, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Simmons Bank, as Trustee of the Permian Basin Royalty Trust (NYSE: PBT) ("Permian") today declared a cash distribution to the holders of its units of beneficial interest of $0.019552 per unit, payable on September 15, 2021, to unit holders of record on August 31, 2021.

This month's distribution decreased from the previous month as the result of decreased production of oil and gas due to the timing of receipts offset by an increase in the pricing for oil and gas for the Texas Royalty Properties during the month of June. Currently, only the Texas Royalty Properties are contributing to the monthly distribution.

Since the Waddell Ranch is in current deficit for the foreseeable future, any increase or decrease of the distribution by revenues received, will only be reflective of the activity of the Texas Royalty Properties. The activity of the Waddell Ranch will be discussed with the following narrative until it contributes back to the distribution. This reflects the production month of June.

WADDELL RANCH

In reporting June production of the Underlying Properties for this month's press release, production for oil volumes was 90,258 bbls (gross) and was priced at about $70.22 per bbl. Production for gas volumes (including gas liquids) was 220,120 mcf (gross) and was priced at about $4.21 per mcf, which now includes the value received from plant products and natural gas liquids. Net revenue for the underlying properties of the Waddell ranch was $6,956,201 (gross) for June. Lease Operating Expenses were $1,600,296 (gross) and Capital Expenditures were $9,324,242 (gross) for June. This would put the Trust's proceeds as a deficit of $ 2,976,253 (net) for the month of June, leaving an excess cost deficit cumulative of $15.5 million (net).

Resulting producing well count relating to activity on the Waddell Ranch properties for the month of June reflects 12 additional recompletion wells along with the previously stated well count of 49 recompletions giving a total for the year of 61 wells (gross) recompleted and producing. New producing drill well count for the month of June were 8 new drill wells along with the previously stated new drill well count of 22 new drill wells giving the total of new drill wells for the year of 30 (gross) drilled and producing. Both the recompletions and new drill wells are currently receiving revenue on new production, as reflected by the increasing volumes as stated above.

Blackbeard Operating has advised the Trust of the 2021 capital budget of $86.6 million (gross), ($32.5 million net to the Trust) for the Waddell Ranch proposing 91 (gross) drill wells, with 24 (gross) recompletions.

TEXAS ROYALTY PROPERTIES

Production for the underlying properties at the Texas Royalties was 17,820 of oil and 9,894 Mcf of gas. The production for the Trust's allocated portion of the Texas Royalties was 15,854 barrels of oil and 8,797 of gas. The average price for oil was $69.06 per bbl and for gas was $7.89 per Mcf. This would primarily reflect production and pricing for the month of June for oil and the month of May for gas. These allocated volumes were impacted by the pricing of both oil and gas. This production and pricing for the underlying properties resulted in revenues for the Texas Royalties of $1,308,703. Deducted from these were taxes of $129,626 resulting in a Net Profit of $1,179,076 for the month of June. With the Trust's Net Profit Interest (NPI) of 95% of the Underlying Properties, this would result in net contribution by the Texas Royalties of $1,120,123 to this month's distribution.



Underlying Properties Net to Trust Sales





Volumes Volumes Average Price

Oil (bbls) Gas (Mcf) Oil (bbls) Gas (Mcf) Oil (per bbl) Gas (per Mcf) Current Month











Waddell Ranch 90,258 220,120 67,694 165,090* $70.22 $4.21** Texas Royalties 17,820 9,894 15,854 8,797* $69.06 $7.89**













Prior Month











Waddell Ranch 94,554 194,689 70,916 146,017* $63.97 $2.61** Texas Royalties 19,114 10,523 16,949 9,333* $61.94 $6.62**



*These volumes are the net to the trust, after allocation of expenses to Trust's net profit interest, including any prior period adjustments. **This pricing includes sales of gas liquid products.

General and Administrative Expenses deducted for the month were $209,244 resulting in a distribution of $911,332 to 46,608,796 units outstanding, or $0.019552 per unit.

The worldwide market conditions continue to affect the pricing for domestic production. It is difficult to predict what effect these conditions will have on future distributions.

The 2020 Annual Report with Form 10-K and the January 1, 2021 Reserve Summary are now available on Permian's website. Permian's cash distribution history, current and prior year financial reports, tax information booklets, and a link to filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, all can be found on Permian's website at http://www.pbt-permian.com/. Additionally, printed reports can be requested and are mailed free of charge.

SOURCE Permian Basin Royalty Trust
NORTHFIELD, N.J., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the twenty-eighth consecutive year, Frank A. Petro, Esq. of Petro Cohen, P.C. has been recognized on the 2022 Best Lawyers in America list for 2022. Announced in the Best Lawyers in America publication, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, the Best Lawyers list has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence since first published in 1983.

Frank A. Petro, Esq.

The Best Lawyers list has earned the respect of the legal profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals.

As a founder of Petro Cohen, P.C., Frank Petro heads the Workers' Compensation Department for the firm. Throughout his 45+ year career, Mr. Petro has garnered numerous accolades and is widely respected throughout the region as a top workers' compensation attorney in New Jersey.

Mr. Petro is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Workers' Compensation Law Attorney, the highest specialty certification available to NJ workers' compensation lawyers.

Mr. Petro is one of only 14 lawyers throughout the county to be named to the Best Lawyers in America list for workers' compensation claimants for 28 years. He is one of only four workers' compensation attorneys in New Jersey to be named on the list, and the only NJ attorney to be named for 28 consecutive years.

In addition to Best Lawyers in America, Mr. Petro has been recognized in the area of workers' compensation for 17 consecutive years on the Super Lawyers list. For 21 consecutive years, Mr. Petro also has held a Preeminent ("A/V") rating from the world's leading lawyer referral service, Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating available to attorneys for skills and ethics. Mr. Petro also has a Superb rating from AVVO, an online legal services marketplace.

Samuel A. Scimeca recently joined Petro Cohen, P.C. as a workers' compensation attorney. Mr. Scimeca graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism in 2013. He received his Juris Doctor degree in 2018 from Widener University Delaware School of Law and was admitted to the New Jersey bar in November 2018.

Petro Cohen, P.C. handles workers' compensation, personal injury litigation, and Social Security disability claims. Serving all of southern New Jersey, Petro Cohen has offices in Northfield, Cherry Hill, Hamilton, and Cape May NJ. For more information, visit PetroCohen.com or call 888.675.7607.

Contact:

Julie Hayles

609.576.3717

[email protected]

SOURCE Petro Cohen, P.C.

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ALLENTOWN, Pa., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PPL Electric Utilities (PPL Electric) reached an agreement today that, if approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will reduce the company's transmission rates and lower customer bills.

The agreement, reached with a group of industrial and municipal customers, would reset the base return on equity for PPL Electric's transmission formula rate from 11.18% to 9.9%, saving the typical residential customer about $1.54 and the typical business customer about $2.15 on their monthly electric bill over a 12-month period. The savings and refunds will be effective Dec. 1, 2021.

The transmission rate is a component of the supply charge listed on customer bills, and PPL Electric passes those savings directly on to its customers who choose PPL's Price to Compare service. However, suppliers are not required to do the same. Shopping customers who have chosen an energy supplier  especially those with long-term contracts  are encouraged to contact their supplier to confirm that the lower transmission rate will be reflected in their bill.

"We're committed to keeping the lights on for customers at a reasonable cost," said PPL Electric President Steph Raymond. "Because of our forward-thinking investments, we have one of the most reliable grids, and our customers continue to pay below the average rate for the mid-Atlantic region."

PPL Electric provides electric delivery service to more than 1.4 million homes and businesses in Pennsylvania and ranks among the best utility companies in the country for customer service and reliability. PPL Electric is a major employer in the communities it serves. It is a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL). For more information visit www.pplelectric.com.

Note to Editors: Visit our media website at www.pplnewsroom.com for additional news and background about PPL Corporation and PPL Electric.

Contact: For news media: Caitlin Brady, 610-774-4490

For financial analysts: Andy Ludwig, 610-774-3389

SOURCE PPL Electric Utilities
MIAMI, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ProChile's innovative vision focuses on principles that include: business digitization, e-commerce B2B and B2C, food innovation, health technology, smart factories, and green hydrogen, with the United States being one of the most important trade destinations for Chilean companies in this sector.

ProChile US

The United States is the largest stakeholder in Chilean business developments, registering US$22 billion in investments in Chile over the last seven years. The U.S. is also the top destination for Chilean exports of medical devices. In light of such a mutually beneficial relationship, ProChile created Healthtech Beyond Borders, an event that explores the future and impact of new technologies in the healthcare sector, with a special focus on opportunities in Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia.

"Innovation is creating environments where ideas can connect." - Steven Johnson

One of the most impactful activities in ProChile's agenda for the United States is Go Global, a soft-landing program designed to support the globalization of innovative, scalable and high-impact Chilean ventures, by preparing and connecting them with key resources in order to approach and ease their transition to the U.S. business community. A notable Go Global success case is the Chilean brand Genosur, who opened a manufacturing facility in Miami-Dade County, after participating in the 2019 program, and they are now producing the first Covid-19 portable sampling collection kits in the world.

The acceleration of e-commerce worldwide was a key trend throughout 2020, as consumers shopped online often out of necessity, and brands were forced to rapidly change their strategies as a result. The E-commerce Acceleration Program was designed to help accelerate the online sales of Chilean brands already operating in the United States.

During this program, ProChile will support selected brands to create a marketplace strategy, penetrate new e-commerce channels and define a digital marketing focused budget. The program will also provide support on B2B e-commerce strategies.

Jewelry from Rapa Nui, mystic vineyards cultivated by members of the Lickanantay indigenous community, honey produced in the driest desert in the world, native Chilean gin, and water purification bacteria are just a few examples of Chilean products from women-owned companies that can currently be found in the U.S. market. Womens Economic Empowerment is included in more than 25 trade agreements, and ProChile is an active host and participant in events and trainings focused on the commercial expansion of companies led by women in the United States.

If you would like to learn more about what Chile has to offer, we invite you to follow Chile Connected, the largest virtual trade event ever organized by ProChile. Chile Connected is a virtual business meeting roundtable that seeks to consolidate the U.S. as a key destination for innovative and high value-added Chilean goods and services, such as creative industries, technology, healthy food, women-led businesses, and services.

If you are interested in a product or service from Chile, contact any of our seven offices in the U.S. or just use our One Click Import requests.

Media Trends Group PR Team

[email protected]

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ProChile's innovation vision

SOURCE ProChile US
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pure NZ is a New Zealand-based bottled water company that is actively transforming the beverage industry, both in its homeland and overseas. The company has resisted the temptation to create sugary, taste-filled drinks, focusing instead on the most fundamental hydration tool of them all: crystal clear spring water. The enterprise also uses an environmentally respectful manufacturing process to ensure that it isn't addressing short-term needs at the expense of long-term sustainability.

Water is a cornerstone requirement for life. It addresses a myriad of needs that help a body function well on a daily basis. According to the CDC, water helps the body:

Regulate its temperature;

Protect the spinal cord;

Maintain clear thinking;

Stabilize one's mood;

Lubricate joints;

Eliminate waste;

Avoid constipation and kidney stones.

While the need for water to keep the body functioning is obvious, it doesn't make staying hydrated easy. It's typically recommended to drink around a gallon per day for a full-grown man and three-quarters of that for a full-grown woman. Fortunately, the need to choose water over other, less effective beverage alternatives has been getting a lot of attention in recent years.

This increased awareness has improved the intake of water for many consumers, but even then it's come at a price. The positive of increased water intake has also had the negative side effect of creating more bottled water pollution.

It's a two-headed issue that one enterprise is managing to address simultaneously. The popular New Zealand-based beverage brand Pure NZ offers its customers crystal clear New Zealand spring water that is bottled on-site above an underground aquifer outside of the bustling Kiwi metropolis of Auckland. Along with offering mineral-rich, hydrating water, each Pure NZ bottle is blown out of RPET plastic. In other words, it's made from recycled plastic.

This has allowed Pure NZ to create a line of bottled water products that truly meet the needs of both consumers and the planet. While it already offers quality, sustainable products, Pure NZ is looking beyond the present, as well. The forward-thinking company continues to invest in its state-of-the-art plant, setting up the sleek, effective facility for sustainable, long-term success for the foreseeable future.

This investment in the eco-friendly production of products that meet one of humanity's most fundamental needs has set Pure NZ apart as an innovative leader in a booming industry. The well-led enterprise continues to lead the charge, with nothing but blue skies, green pastures, and of course, crystal clear water in their future.

Please direct inquiries to:

Caroline Clear

(954) 452-7681

[email protected]

SOURCE Pure NZ
BEIJING, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RLX Technology Inc. ("RLX Technology" or the "Company") (NYSE: RLX), a leading branded e-vapor company in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021.

Second Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

Net revenues were RMB2,541.4 million ( US$393.6 million ), representing an increase of 6.0% from RMB2,398.5 million in the first quarter of 2021.

were ( ), representing an increase of 6.0% from in the first quarter of 2021. Gross margin was 45.1%, compared to 46.0% in the first quarter of 2021.

was 45.1%, compared to 46.0% in the first quarter of 2021. U.S. GAAP n et income was RMB824.3 million ( US$127.7 million ), compared with U.S. GAAP net loss of RMB267.0 million in the first quarter of 2021.

was ( ), compared with U.S. GAAP net loss of in the first quarter of 2021. Non-GAAP net income[1] was RMB651.8 million ( US$100.9 million ), representing an increase of 6.8% from RMB610.5 million in the first quarter of 2021.

[1] Non-GAAP net (loss)/income is a non-GAAP financial measure. For more information on the Company's non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

"In the second quarter of 2021, our business continued to develop as we increased our efforts to further improve underage protection and product safety," said Ms. Ying (Kate) Wang, Co-founder, Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of RLX Technology. "With our strategic focus on technology investment and brand building, we strive to make RELX a trusted brand for adult smokers with state-of-the-art products, industry-leading technologies and scientific advances. Going forward, we will further enhance investments in scientific research, strengthen our distribution and retail network, and improve our supply chain and production capabilities, to create more value for our users and shareholders alike."

Second Quarter 2021 Unaudited Financial Results

Net revenues increased by 6.0% to RMB2,541.4 million (US$393.6 million) in the second quarter of 2021 from RMB2,398.5 million in the first quarter of 2021. The increase was primarily due to an increase in net revenues from sales to offline distributors, which was mainly attributable to the expansion of the Company's distribution and retail network. The Company believes that the slowdown in Q2 quarterly sequential revenue growth was primarily due to external factors including the negative publicity on the e-vapor industry in the latter half of the second quarter, coupled with the fact that the draft new rules announced on March 22, 2021 had not been formally confirmed and no new implementation details had been revealed, which had an adverse impact on our sales. Impacts from such external factors, along with recent extreme weather in several provinces of China and tightened social restrictions on a national level due to delta outbreaks, may persist after the second quarter and be difficult to predict.

Gross profit increased by 3.8% to RMB1,146.5 million (US$177.6 million) in the second quarter of 2021 from RMB1,104.1 million in the first quarter of 2021.

Gross margin was 45.1% in the second quarter of 2021, compared to 46.0% in the first quarter of 2021.

Operating expenses were RMB167.2 million (US$25.9 million) in the second quarter of 2021, representing a decrease of 86.3% from RMB1,216.0 million in the first quarter of 2021. The significant decrease in operating expenses was primarily due to the recognition of share-based compensation expenses of positive RMB172.5 million (US$26.7 million), consisting of (i) share-based compensation expenses of positive RMB51.5 million (US$8.0 million) recognized in selling expenses, (ii) share-based compensation expenses of positive RMB41.4 million (US$6.4 million) recognized in general and administrative expenses, and (iii) share-based compensation expenses of positive RMB79.7 million (US$12.3 million) recognized in research and development expenses. The significant fluctuations in share-based compensation expenses were primarily due to the changes in the fair value of the share incentive awards that the Company granted to its employees as affected by the significant fluctuations of the share price of the Company.

Selling expenses decreased by 56.8% to RMB126.0 million (US$19.5 million) in the second quarter of 2021 from RMB291.5 million in the first quarter of 2021. The decrease was mainly driven by (i) the fluctuation of share-based compensation expenses, and (ii) a decrease in salaries and welfare benefits, partially offset by an increase in branding material expenses.

General and administrative expenses decreased by 93.5% to RMB46.1 million (US$7.1 million) in the second quarter of 2021 from RMB712.8 million in the first quarter of 2021. The decrease was mainly driven by (i) the fluctuation of the share-based compensation expenses, and (ii) a decrease in salaries and welfare benefits, partially offset by an increase in legal and other consulting fees.

Research and development expenses decreased by 102.3% to positive RMB4.9 million (US$0.8 million) in the second quarter of 2021 from RMB211.6 million in the first quarter of 2021. The decrease was mainly driven by (i) the fluctuation of the share-based compensation expenses, (ii) a decrease in salaries and welfare benefits, partially offset by an increase in depreciation and amortization expenses.

Income from operations was RMB979.3 million (US$151.7 million) in the second quarter of 2021, compared with loss from operations of RMB111.9 million in the first quarter of 2021.

Income tax expense was RMB204.2 million (US$31.6 million) in the second quarter of 2021, compared with RMB176.3 million in the first quarter of 2021. The increase was primarily due to an increase in taxable income.

U.S. GAAP net income was RMB824.3 million (US$127.7 million) in the second quarter of 2021, compared with U.S. GAAP net loss of RMB267.0 million in the first quarter of 2021.

Non-GAAP net income was RMB651.8 million (US$100.9 million) in the second quarter of 2021, representing an increase of 6.8% from RMB610.5 million in the first quarter of 2021.

U.S. GAAP basic and diluted net income per American depositary share ("ADS") were RMB0.595 (US$0.092) and RMB0.591 (US$0.092), respectively, in the second quarter of 2021, compared to U.S. GAAP basic and diluted net loss per ADS of both RMB0.174 in the first quarter of 2021.

Non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS[2] were RMB0.470 (US$0.073) and RMB0.467 (US$0.072), respectively, in the second quarter of 2021, compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS of both RMB0.398 in the first quarter of 2021.

[2] Non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS is a non-GAAP financial measure. For more information on the Company's non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

Balance Sheet

As of June 30, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term bank deposits, short-term investments and long-term bank deposits of RMB14,880.8 million (US$2,304.7 million), compared to RMB14,437.8 million as of March 31, 2021. As of June 30, 2021, approximately US$1,642.9 million (RMB10,610.1 million) was denominated in U.S. dollars.

Conference Call

The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time on August 20, 2021 (8:00 P.M. Beijing/Hong Kong Time on August 20, 2021).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States (toll free): +1-888-317-6003 International: +1-412-317-6061 Hong Kong, China (toll free): +800-963-976 Hong Kong, China: +852-5808-1995 Mainland China: 400-120-6115 Participant Code: 3064741

Participants should dial-in at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time and ask to be connected to the call for "RLX Technology Inc." with the Participant Code as set forth above.

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.relxtech.com.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call until August 27, 2021, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

United States: +1-877-344-7529 International: +1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 10159403

About RLX Technology Inc.

RLX Technology Inc. (NYSE: RLX) is a leading branded e-vapor company in China. The Company leverages its strong in-house technology and product development capabilities and in-depth insights into adult smokers' needs to develop superior e-vapor products. RLX Technology Inc. sells its products through an integrated offline distribution and "branded store plus" retail model tailored to China's e-vapor market.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.relxtech.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses Non-GAAP net income and Non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating its operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. Non-GAAP net income represents net income excluding share-based compensation expenses. Non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS is computed using Non-GAAP net income and the same number of ADSs used in U.S. GAAP basic and diluted net income/(loss) per ADS calculation.

The Company presents these non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by the management to evaluate its operating performance and formulate business plans. The Company believes that they help identify underlying trends in its business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain expenses that are included in net income/(loss). The Company also believes that the use of the non-GAAP measures facilitates investors' assessment of its operating performance, as they could provide useful information about its operating results, enhances the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects and allows for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by the management in its financial and operational decision making.

The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. They should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to net income/(loss), basic and diluted net income/(loss) per ADS or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of its operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review its historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures. The non-GAAP financial measures here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data. The Company encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on any single financial measure.

For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB are made at a rate of RMB6.4566 to US$1.00, the exchange rate on June 30, 2021 set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or U.S. dollars amounts referred could be converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "potential," "continue" and similar statements. Among other things, quotations from management in this announcement, as well as the Company's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company's growth strategies; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; trends and competition in China's e-vapor market; changes in its revenues and certain cost or expense items; PRC governmental policies, laws and regulations relating to the Company's industry, and general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is current as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

In China:

RLX Technology Inc.

Head of Investor Relations

Sam Tsang

Email: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Jenny Cai

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

Email: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

Email: [email protected]

RLX TECHNOLOGY INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)



As of

December 31 June 30, June 30,

2020 2021 2021

RMB RMB US$ ASSETS





Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents 1,113,988 6,525,659 1,010,696 Restricted cash 340,813 500 77 Short-term bank deposits 493,282 2,300,950 356,372 Receivables from online payment platforms 862 2,706 419 Short-term investments 1,473,349 3,547,674 549,465 Accounts and notes receivable 20,089 22,794 3,530 Inventories, net 329,123 649,707 100,627 Amounts due from related parties 21,006 5,027 779 Prepayments and other current assets 74,383 316,623 49,039 Total current assets 3,866,895 13,371,640 2,071,004 Non-current assets:





Property, equipment and leasehold improvement, net 74,500 120,748 18,701 Intangible assets, net 5,393 6,816 1,056 Long-term investments 4,000 12,000 1,859 Deferred tax assets 6,000 815 126 Right-of-use assets, net 91,743 101,857 15,776 Long-term bank deposits - 2,506,002 388,130 Other non-current assets 11,354 25,099 3,887 Total non-current assets 192,990 2,773,337 429,535 Total assets 4,059,885 16,144,977 2,500,539







LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY





Current liabilities:





Accounts and notes payable 1,459,782 2,177,407 337,237 Contract liabilities 320,434 118,093 18,290 Salary and welfare benefits payable 179,558 321,837 49,846 Taxes payable 363,644 357,494 55,369 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 116,929 263,771 40,853 Amounts due to related parties 11,174 - - Lease liabilities - current portion 45,073 54,751 8,480 Total current liabilities 2,496,594 3,293,353 510,075







Non-current liabilities:





Deferred tax liabilities 5,210 5,210 807 Lease liabilities - non-current portion 49,448 49,824 7,717 Total non-current liabilities 54,658 55,034 8,524 Total liabilities 2,551,252 3,348,387 518,599







Shareholders' equity:





Ordinary shares (US$0.00001 par value; 15,000,000,000 shares

authorized; 1,436,815,570 shares issued and outstanding as of

December 31, 2020; 1,570,790,570 shares issued and

1,345,854,800 shares outstanding as of June 30, 2021) 94 103 16 Additional paid in capital 1,589,857 12,329,779 1,909,640 Statutory reserves 1,000 1,000 155 (Accumulated deficit)/retained earnings (81,640) 475,635 73,666 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (678) (9,927) (1,537) Total shareholders' equity 1,508,633 12,796,590 1,981,940 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity 4,059,885 16,144,977 2,500,539

RLX TECHNOLOGY INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME/(LOSS) (All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)



For the three months ended

For the six months ended

June 30, March 31, June 30, June 30,

June 30, June 30, June 30,

2020 2021 2021 2021

2020 2021 2021

RMB RMB RMB US$

RMB RMB US$

















Net revenues 712,500 2,398,496 2,541,402 393,613

1,081,102 4,939,898 765,093 Cost of revenues (450,069) (1,294,423) (1,394,916) (216,045)

(685,221) (2,689,339) (416,526) Gross profit 262,431 1,104,073 1,146,486 177,568

395,881 2,250,559 348,567

















Operating expenses:















Selling expenses (85,756) (291,535) (126,005) (19,516)

(159,821) (417,540) (64,669) General and administrative expenses (36,426) (712,814) (46,056) (7,133)

(70,111) (758,870) (117,534) Research and development expenses (27,573) (211,634) 4,911 761

(51,850) (206,723) (32,017) Total operating expenses (149,755) (1,215,983) (167,150) (25,888)

(281,782) (1,383,133) (214,220)

















Income/(loss) from operations 112,676 (111,910) 979,336 151,680

114,099 867,426 134,347

















Other income/(expense):















Interest income, net 8,835 9,414 16,069 2,489

13,487 25,483 3,947 Investment income 1,367 14,927 23,868 3,697

2,889 38,795 6,009 Others, net 315 (3,167) 9,185 1,423

12,954 6,018 932 Income/(loss) before income tax 123,193 (90,736) 1,028,458 159,289

143,429 937,722 145,235 Income tax expense (34,482) (176,293) (204,154) (31,619)

(42,619) (380,447) (58,924) Net income/(loss) 88,711 (267,029) 824,304 127,670

100,810 557,275 86,311

















Other comprehensive (loss)/income:















Foreign currency translation adjustments (209) 175,523 (184,772) (28,618)

513 (9,249) (1,432) Total other comprehensive (loss)/income (209) 175,523 (184,772) (28,618)

513 (9,249) (1,432) Total comprehensive income/(loss) 88,502 (91,506) 639,532 99,052

101,323 548,026 84,879

















Net income/(loss) per ordinary share/ADS















- Basic 0.062 (0.174) 0.595 0.092

0.070 0.382 0.059 - Diluted 0.062 (0.174) 0.591 0.092

0.070 0.381 0.059

















Weighted average number of ordinary shares/ADSs















- Basic 1,436,815,570 1,532,086,681 1,385,410,036 1,385,410,036

1,436,815,570 1,457,602,981 1,457,602,981 - Diluted 1,436,815,570 1,532,086,681 1,394,565,595 1,394,565,595

1,436,815,570 1,462,159,428 1,462,159,428

RLX TECHNOLOGY INC. UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS (All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)



For the three months ended

For the six months ended

June 30, March 31, June 30, June 30,

June 30, June 30, June 30,

2020 2021 2021 2021

2020 2021 2021

RMB RMB RMB US$

RMB RMB US$ Net income/(loss) 88,711 (267,029) 824,304 127,670

100,810 557,275 86,311 Add: share-based compensation expenses















Selling expenses 5,669 120,703 (51,473) (7,972)

9,295 69,230 10,722 General and administrative

expenses 6,553 618,493 (41,404) (6,413)

11,475 577,089 89,380 Research and development expenses 8,816 138,313 (79,666) (12,339)

14,071 58,647 9,083 Non-GAAP net income 109,749 610,480 651,761 100,946

135,651 1,262,241 195,496

















Non-GAAP net income per ordinary

share/ADS















- Basic 0.076 0.398 0.470 0.073

0.094 0.866 0.134 - Diluted 0.076 0.398 0.467 0.072

0.094 0.863 0.134 Weighted average number of ordinary

shares/ADSs















- Basic 1,436,815,570 1,532,086,681 1,385,410,036 1,385,410,036

1,436,815,570 1,457,602,981 1,457,602,981 - Diluted 1,436,815,570 1,532,086,681 1,394,565,595 1,394,565,595

1,436,815,570 1,462,159,428 1,462,159,428

RLX TECHNOLOGY INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)



For the three months ended

For the six months ended

June 30, March 31, June 30, June 30,

June 30, June 30, June 30,

2020 2021 2021 2021

2020 2021 2021

RMB RMB RMB US$

RMB RMB US$ Net cash generated from operating activities 570,525 827,565 649,441 100,585

500,434 1,477,006 228,759 Net cash used in investing activities (829,091) (2,814,247) (3,620,360) (560,722)

(1,896,193) (6,434,607) (996,594) Net cash generated from/(used in) financing activities 234,948 10,037,422 (6,174) (956)

1,051,268 10,031,248 1,553,642 Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents

and restricted cash 6,425 144,226 (146,515) (22,692)

14,090 (2,289) (355) Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents and

restricted cash (17,193) 8,194,966 (3,123,608) (483,785)

(330,401) 5,071,358 785,452 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the

period 170,884 1,454,801 9,649,767 1,494,558

484,092 1,454,801 225,321 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the

period 153,691 9,649,767 6,526,159 1,010,773

153,691 6,526,159 1,010,773

SOURCE RLX Technology Inc.
Traditional craftsmanship as applied to contemporary technology is reflected in Seiko's proprietary 8L35 movement, designed with the increased torque necessary for the most demanding dives at the Shizukuishi Watch Studio in Japan's Iwate Prefecture, a center of ironwork for over 1,000 years and the cradle of Japanese mechanical watchmaking artistry. Here, 60 master craftsmen dedicate themselves to the production of the finest timepieces, imbued by the spirit of the distant mountain ranges and flowing streams, in an exacting journey from parts production through testing, achieving a start-to-finish integration rare in the world today. The 26-jewel automatic 8L35, beating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, with a power reserve of approximately 50 hours and manual winding capability, represents the culmination of generations of technological excellence.

Appropriately, each Seigaiha U.S. Special Edition unites symbolism and technology in a design crafted to perform flawlessly in the roughest seas, with one-piece, monobloc stainless steel cases ensuring water resistance to a depth of 300 meters, following ISO standards for saturation diving. The black ceramic uni-directional elapsed timing bezels and screwdown crowns provide added security on deep dives, while LumiBrite coated hands, markers, bezel accents, and anti-reflective sapphire crystals enhance legibility.

The blue dial version, with black hard-coated case and black silicone strap, will be available only in a controlled-production run of 500, with the serial number engraved on each caseback, while the burgundy dial variation features a super-hard coated stainless steel bracelet with tri-fold push-button release clasp and slide adjuster, as well as an additional black silicone strap. Both will be packaged in special collectors' boxes, including a unique explanatory scroll and the unique gift of coordinating Seigaiha-pattern cufflinks.

The Seiko Prospex "Seigaiha" Limited Edition SLA053 ($3,200, limited edition of 500) will be available in August 2021, with Special Edition SLA059 ($3,300) following in November 2021, both exclusively in the U.S. market. To learn more about this collection visit https://seikoluxe.com/collections/seigaiha.

ABOUT SEIKO WATCH CORPORATION

Seiko Watch Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seiko Holdings Corporation, which was stablished in 1881 and celebrates its 140th anniversary this year. As one of the few true "manufactures" that design, develop and produce all components of watches, including the hairspring of its mechanical movements, the company offers a series of collections available worldwide that incorporate traditional Japanese design combined with the very best of watchmaking technology in the Seiko, Grand Seiko and Credor brands. For more information, please visit seikoluxe.com.

SOURCE Seiko Corporation of America

Related Links

http://www.seikousa.com


CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "Serverless Security Market by Service Model (BaaS and FaaS), Security Type (Data, Network, Perimeter, and Application), Deployment Mode (Public and Private), Organization Size (SMEs and Large enterprises), Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Serverless Security Market size to grow from USD 1.4 billion in 2021 to USD 5.1 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 29.9% during the forecast period.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Serverless Security Market"

198  Tables

49  Figures

219  Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=176840081

Serverless architectures are prone to several security risks such as event injection, broken authentication, insecure deployment settings, over-privileged function permission and roles, insufficient logging and monitoring, DoS, improper exception handling, and vulnerability management. Hence, the demand for serverless security is quickly gaining traction globally.

By service model, Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period

FaaS is a type of cloud-computing service (a subset of serverless) that allows developers to run a code in response to events. With FaaS, developers can spend more time writing the application code logic and less time worrying about server allocation, deployments, and backend services. FaaS simplifies the deployment of applications on the cloud. In this, all features of the application are deployed into a single independent feature, and then each feature is individually hosted by the provider. Compared to BaaS, FaaS offers a greater degree of control to the developers who create custom apps rather than relying on a library of prewritten services. AWS (AWS Lambda), Microsoft Azure (Azure Functions), Google Cloud Platform with multiple offerings, and IBM (IBM Cloud Functions) are the major providers of FaaS.

In security type, network security to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Network security is the technique of securing networks from advanced threats on the serverless architecture. Sophisticated threats are negatively impacting the serverless computing platform by evading network defenses and targeting vulnerabilities in the system. With complex and fragmented hybrid cloud networks, it is impossible for network security teams to cope with the changes. The adoption of the DevOps method has also significantly increased the loopholes as the developers build and deploy applications, often ignoring the security aspects. The key trends that contribute to the serverless network security market growth are the growing usage of cloud computing services and serverless architectures.

Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=176840081

North America to hold the largest market size during the forecast period

North America is home to two developed economies, the US and Canada, that contribute heavily to the growth of the regional market. The region is estimated to have the largest market size in the global Serverless Security Market, and the trend is expected to continue until 2026. One of the key reasons for the growth is the early adoption of technologies and the globalization of the cloud in this region. The strong financial position of the US and Canada enables them to invest heavily in leading services of the Serverless Security Market. The regional presence of key industry players offering serverless security solutions is the main factor driving the growth of the North American serverless security industry. The key top Serverless Security Market vendors functioning in the region include Microsoft, AWS, Google, Palo Alto Networks, Imperva, Signal Sciences, Rackspace, Serverless, Cisco, and IBM, among others. The dominance of Serverless Security Market players in North America is expected to drive the overall market growth.

Major vendors in the global Serverless Security Marketinclude AWS (US), Microsoft (US), Google (US), Palo Alto Networks (US), Imperva (US), Aqua Security (Israel), Signal Sciences (US), Rackspace (US), Micro Focus (UK), Serverless (US), IBM (US), Sophos (UK), Cisco (US), Fortinet (US), Oracle (US), Check Point (Israel), Cloudflare (US), Sysdig (US), Deepfence (US), Stackery (US), StackPath (US), Lumigo (US), Thundra (US), Snyk (England), Alcide (Israel).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Information Security Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Function-as-a-Service Market by User Type (Developer-Centric and Operator-Centric), Application (Web & Mobile Based, Research & Academic), Service Type, Deployment Model, Organization Size, Industry Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2021

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/function-as-a-service-market-127202409.html

Serverless Architecture Market by Service Type (Automation and Integration, Monitoring, API Management, Security, Analytics, and Design and Consulting), Deployment Model, Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/serverless-architecture-market-64917099.html

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Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

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SUNRISE, Fla., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- South Florida Community Care Plan ("CCP") in Sunrise, Florida announced today that it has taken action after becoming aware of unauthorized disclosure of certain member information. CCP is providing notice of this event to potentially impacted individuals, as well as certain regulators.

What Happened? On June 21, 2021, while reviewing a former employee's email account, CCP discovered that the employee sent emails containing CCP internal documents to the employee's personal email address in violation of company policy. Upon discovery, CCP launched an immediate investigation of the activity in order to determine the documents that were sent to the employee's personal email address, as well as the information contained within the emails. CCP's investigation has uncovered no evidence the employee was acting outside the scope of their employment in working with this information. On June 21, 2021, CCP determined the documents sent by the former employee, the individuals included in those documents, and the type of information related to each person.

What Information Was Involved? While the information varied depending on the individual, CCP's investigation determined that the impacted information could have included the person's name, address, date of birth, Member Identification Number, Primary Care Physician, diagnosis, procedure billing code, approved services, and/or procedure type.

What They Are Doing. The security of plan member information within CCP's care is among its highest priorities. Upon learning of this incident, CCP took steps to ensure the safety and security of all information held on its systems and secure its email accounts. CCP took specific steps to ensure the former employee's email and login access were revoked at the time employment ended; conducted a full audit of the former employee's actions taken in its systems; recovered all company-issued equipment; and further audited the employee's actions while employed at CCP to ensure no other non-sanctioned activities occurred. CCP also provided relevant regulatory notices, including notice to the Department of Health and Human Services. CCP is offering complimentary credit monitoring to those individuals who are impacted by the event.

What Potentially Affected Individuals Can Do. CCP encourages impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud. CCP also encourages impacted individuals to monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors over the next 12 to 24 months.

SOURCE South Florida Community Care Network DBA Community Care Plan / Mullen Coughlin LLC

Related Links

https://ccpcares.org/


SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced ten new appointees to the governing boards of California's three public higher education segments. Seven of these appointees are Latinoa strong statement in recognition of the state's diverse student population and the importance and power of Latino leadership for higher education and socioeconomic mobility.

One of the appointees, Julia Lopez, previously served as president & CEO of College Futures Foundation until 2017. She joins the California State University Board of Trustees.

Said Monica Lozano, president & CEO of College Futures, "I congratulate Julia Lopez on her well-deserved appointment. Her intellect, strategic thinking, focus on practical solutions, and dedication to students will be invaluable in this role. I look forward to working with her and the other appointees and seeing the impact of their leadership at the CSU, the UC, and the community colleges. This is a historic moment that will doubtless change the focus of these vital leadership bodies. I am glad to see this administration's continued commitment to excellence in appointing leaders of color."

A college degree sets graduates up for a lifetime of benefits that will extend to future generations and throughout their communitiesespecially for low-income families and communities of color, the majority of California's population. At their best, our systems of higher education drive economic mobility, close equity gaps, and prepare talented workers and leaders for the jobs of tomorrow, fueling a robust and inclusive economy.

"If we want to build a more prosperous and equitable future for all Californians and bridge our societal divides, institutions of higher education must embrace and fully serve the rich diversity of today's students," Lozano continued. "That means strong and thoughtful leadership within higher education that is committed to the mindset of continuous improvement in support of student success. It also means leadership throughout our education system thats reflect the racial and socioeconomic diversity of the student bodies they serve."

At College Futures Foundation, we believe there is nothing more transformative for individuals, our economy, and our society than educational opportunity, and that the pathway to a college degree should be clear and open to the diverse students of California. We work to ensure that more students who reflect California's diversity complete a B.A. and access the opportunity for a better life.

Established in 2005, College Futures Foundation uses a wide variety of human and financial resources and toolsincluding nearly $20 million in grants annuallyto work toward our mission. We partner with organizations and leaders across the state to catalyze systemic change, increase college degree completion, and close equity gaps so that the vision of a seamless, student-centered educational path to opportunity becomes a realityone that's available to every student, regardless of zip code, skin color, or income. Learn more at www.collegefutures.org.

Media contact: Regan Douglass, Director of Strategic Communications, College Futures Foundation, [email protected], (415) 287-1822

SOURCE College Futures Foundation

Related Links

http://www.collegefutures.org


BEIJING, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunlands Technology Group (NYSE: STG) ("Sunlands" or the "Company"), a leader in China's online post-secondary and professional education, today announced that it has received a letter from the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") dated July 23, 2021, notifying Sunlands that (i) it is below compliance standards due to the trading price of Sunlands's American depositary shares (the "ADSs") and (ii) it will have six months from July 23, 2021 to cure the minimum share price standard.

Pursuant to NYSE rule 802.01C, a company will be considered to be below compliance standards if the average closing price of a security as reported on the consolidated tape is less than $1.00 over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. Once notified, the company must bring its share price and average share price back above $1.00 by six months following receipt of the notification. The company can regain compliance at any time during the six-month cure period if on the last trading day of any calendar month during the cure period the company has a closing share price of at least $1.00 and an average closing share price of at least $1.00 over the 30 trading-day period ending on the last trading day of that month. In the event that at the expiration of the six-month cure period, both a $1.00 closing share price on the last trading day of the cure period and a $1.00 average closing share price over the 30 trading-day period ending on the last trading day of the cure period are not attained, the NYSE will commence suspension and delisting procedures.

As part of its efforts to cure the deficiency, Sunlands plans to change the ratio of ADSs to Class A ordinary shares from twenty-five (25) ADSs representing one (1) Class A ordinary share to two (2) ADSs representing one (1) Class A ordinary share.

For Sunlands' ADS holders, this ratio change will have the same effect as a 2-for-25 reverse ADS split. There will be no change to Sunlands' Class A ordinary shares. Furthermore, no physical action by ADS holders will be required to effect the ratio change, as the change will be effected on the books of the depositary. The effect of the ratio change on the ADS trading price on the NYSE Capital Market is expected to take place at the open of business on August 31, 2021 (U.S. Eastern Time). Any fractional ADSs will be sold and the net proceeds from the sale of fractional ADSs will be distributed to the holders entitled thereto.

As a result of the change in the ADS ratio, the ADS price is expected to increase proportionally, although Sunlands can give no assurance that the ADS price after the change in the ADS ratio will be equal to or greater than 12.5 times the ADS price before the change.

About Sunlands

Sunlands Technology Group (NYSE: STG) ("Sunlands" or the "Company"), formerly known as Sunlands Online Education Group, is the leader in China's online post-secondary and professional education. With a one to many, live streaming platform, Sunlands offers various degree and diploma-oriented post-secondary courses as well as online professional courses and educational content, to help students prepare for professional certification exams and attain professional skills. Students can access its services either through PC or mobile applications. The Company's online platform cultivates a personalized, interactive learning environment by featuring a virtual learning community and a vast library of educational content offerings that adapt to the learning habits of its students. Sunlands offers a unique approach to education research and development that organizes subject content into Learning Outcome Trees, the Company's proprietary knowledge management system. Sunlands has a deep understanding of the educational needs of its prospective students and offers solutions that help them achieve their goals.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and 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," "confident" and similar statements. Sunlands may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Sunlands' beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: Sunlands' goals and strategies; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its brand and services; its ability to retain and increase student enrollments; its ability to offer new courses and educational content; its ability to improve teaching quality and students' learning results; its ability to improve sales and marketing efficiency and effectiveness; its ability to engage, train and retain new faculty members; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; its ability to maintain and improve technology infrastructure necessary to operate its business; competition in the online education industry in China; relevant government policies and regulations relating to Sunlands' corporate structure, business and industry; and general economic and business condition in China. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Sunlands' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and Sunlands does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media enquiries, please contact:

Sunlands Technology Group

Investor Relations

Email: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

Email: [email protected]

Yang Song

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Sunlands Technology Group

Related Links

www.sunlands.com


CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 1,000 businesses across the Chicago region and serves as the leader of the business community, applauds President Joe Biden's nomination of Rahm Emanuel as the United States Ambassador to Japan. Selecting Emanuel for this important role as part of the Biden administration will heighten Chicago's global profile and enhance business relationships with Japan and around the world, ultimately strengthening the local economy, the United States, and Japan.

"I applaud President Biden on nominating Rahm Emanuel for United States Ambassador to Japan, a country that is a critical ally and leader on the world's economic stage," said Jack Lavin, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. "Rahm has a proven track record of building on Chicago's strength as a competitive, pro-growth city that welcomes businesses from around the world to set up shop and grow, creating jobs and economic opportunities. Rahm's political knowhow and business expertise will allow him to enhance the goodwill the two nations currently enjoy, and at the same time foster opportunities for future growth in the United States, Japan, and Chicagoland."

During his time as Mayor, Emanuel worked with local leaders on a mission to Japan to further bolster Chicago's economic ties with the country. He also signed the first economic partnership between the Japanese government and a city anywhere in the world.

Currently, more than 170 Japanese businesses are headquartered in the region and deeply integrated into the economic fabric of the city. Chicago is also home to more than 80 consulates and honorary consulates, 100 international/ethnic chambers of commerce and international trade-based organizations. Thanks to the efforts of the Emanuel administration, Chicago led the nation for six consecutive years on foreign direct investment. Today, over 1,800 foreign-based companies are in Chicago and invest more than $100 billion in foreign direct investment.

Rahm Emanuel served as the 55th Mayor of Chicago and is currently a senior advisor at Centerview Partners. He is also a regular contributor for ABC News. During his time as Mayor, Emanuel hosted the 2012 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Chicago. Previously, Mayor Emanuel served as White House Chief of Staff for President Barack Obama, three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and was a key member of the Clinton White House.

About the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization that represents more than 1,000 member companies, which collectively employ 400,000 employees and generate $24 billion in revenue. The Chamber combines the power of membership with its legacy of leadership and business advocacy to drive a dynamic economy. To learn more, visit www.chicagolandchamber.org .

Press Contact

Brandon Davis

Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

[email protected]

312-494-6739 | 773-383-7166

SOURCE Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

Related Links

http://www.chicagolandchamber.org


COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, August 21, The Shepard School by ECS will introduce itself to the Shepard community of Columbus, Ohio by co-hosting the 21st Annual Family Day. Family Day, organized and co-hosted by the Shepard Community Association, will take place from 1PM to 4PM on the grounds of The Shepard School by ECS.

The Shepard School by ECS is a new school opening this September for scholars from kindergarten through 5th grade at the historic Shepard School which has served the Shepard School community since 1909. The school will deploy a holistic educational approach, with its curriculum designed to focus on social and emotional growth, in addition to emphasizing Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) education in each classroom.

The Shepard School by ECS's principal, Amber Estis, will speak with parents and young scholars about the school and how it will bring high quality, technology-based education to the Shepard community. Families will also be able to tour the first floor of the newly renovated school, including the school's gym and multipurpose room.

"We are honored to introduce our school to the families of the Shepard community by hosting an exciting community event and to talk about our mission of fostering the future leaders of Columbus," said Amber Estis, the inaugural principal of The Shepard School by ECS. "Not only will The Shepard School by ECS serve as a safe haven for young scholars to grow and flourish, but it will be a place where the entire community can come together and prosper."

"The need for a first-rate elementary school in the Shepard community is high and we are thrilled The Shepard School by ECS is opening its doors to our families this fall," said Douglas McDonald, President of the Shepard Community Association. "The 21st Annual Family Day will be both a reminder of the strength and character of our community after a difficult year, and a time to celebrate the re-opening of our historic school that will only make it stronger."

The 21st Annual Family Day will serve as a celebration of the Shepard community, located in the northeastern part of Columbus. Families will have the opportunity to listen to music, eat food provided by the Queen's Table food truck, watch local Double Dutch teams, and listen to spoken word poetry. Greater Christ Temple will also host a school supplies giveaway at Family Day, to prepare young scholars for the upcoming year.

Family Day will also serve as a celebration of alumni of the former Shepard School. Founded in 1909, the old Shepard School was a vital component of the Shepard community until it was closed in the 1980s. Today, Eagle Community Schools of Ohio, which is opening The Shepard School by ECS, is honoring the traditions, values and needs of the former school and the residents of its community.

About Eagle Community Schools of Ohio

Established in 2019 by a small group of Ohio natives, Joseph Reichert, Scott Knowlton, Tom Vargo, Kenny Crump, and Joe Smith, Eagle Community Schools of Ohio was created to use the founders' deep expertise in early education and community schools to create a quality community school in Columbus. In 2020, the founding partners applied and were subsequently approved by Buckeye Community Hope Foundation to open a school in Columbus, Ohio, educating scholars from K-5. Eagle Community Schools of Ohio has the mission of building the foundation for a promising future for all scholars in a rich, robust learning environment that fosters creativity and problem-solving abilities, emphasizing cognitive, social and emotional growth by engaging children as active learners in an inclusive instructional environment.

Contact:

Caroline Beckmann

202-440-1783

[email protected]

SOURCE The Shepard School by Eagle Community Schools
"We are excited to demonstrate our next-generation, robot technology at this prestigious orthopedic event," said Jay Yang, acting CEO and COO, THINK Surgical "The TSolution One Total Knee Application is the only commercially available active robot system for total knee replacement that supports implants from different manufacturers, giving orthopedic surgeons more options to individualize each patient's treatment."

Throughout the conference, Yair D. Kissin, M.D.*, FAAOS, vice chair of the Department of Surgical Orthopedics at Hackensack University Medical Center (Hackensack, NJ) and Stefan W. Kreuzer, M.D.*, FAAOS, founder of INOV8 Orthopedics (Houston, TX) will host demonstrations of the TSolution One Total Knee Application at THINK's booth.

"The TSolution One gives surgeons the ability to plan the surgery before entering the operating room and provides each patient with a personalized surgical experience based on their specific diagnosis and anatomy," said Dr. Kreuzer. "The pre-planning reduces surprises, making each knee replacement procedure more predictable."

"The open implant platform of the TSolution One is truly a transformative leap above the other robotic-assisted surgical systems on the market," added Dr. Kissin. "The TSolution One gives surgeons the ability to select the implant from a variety of manufacturers, which they feel the most comfortable and familiar with, and in some cases may be less expensive. Other robotic systems are limited to a single manufacturer's implant."

Drs. Kissin and Kreuzer will provide demonstrations of the TSolution One system at THINK Surgical's Booth 1321 at the following times:

Yair D. Kissin, M.D.

Wednesday, September 1 at 12:45 p.m. (PST)

Thursday, September 2 at 9:45 a.m. (PST)

Thursday, September 2 at 3 p.m. (PST)

Friday, September 3 at 10:15 a.m. (PST)

Stefan W. Kreuzer, M.D.

Wednesday, September 1 at 3 p.m. (PST)

Thursday, September 2 at 12:45 p.m. (PST)

Friday, September 3 at 12:45 p.m. (PST)



In addition, demonstrations of the TSolution One highlighting United Orthopedic's U2TM Knee System will also be conducted at the United Orthopedic Booth 635 located in Hall B at the following times:

Wednesday, September 1 at 11 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. (PST)

Thursday, September 2 at 11 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. (PST)

Friday, September 3 at 9 a.m. (PST)

The TSolution One Total Knee Application consists of TPLAN, the 3D pre-surgical planning workstation, and TCAT, the active robot. Pre-surgical planning allows the surgeon to design and prepare, in a virtual environment, the patient's personalized joint replacement surgical plan. The active robot aids the surgeon in executing the preoperative surgical plan with automated cutting and removal of the diseased bone and cartilage. The TSolution One Total Knee Application helps surgeons to optimize implant placement based on each patient's unique anatomy.

This second-generation robot, which received FDA clearance in November of 2020, incorporates several changes to the hardware and software, which significantly enhance the system's efficiency, flexibility and ease of use while maintaining the precision and innovation that is the hallmark of the TSolution One Total Knee Application system.

About THINK Surgical, Inc.

THINK Surgical, Inc., a privately held U.S.-based medical device and technology company, develops, manufactures, and markets active robotics for orthopedic surgery. The core technology of the TSolution One has been used in thousands of successful total joint replacements worldwide.

The TSolution One is the only commercially available robot for total joint replacement procedures that features an open implant library.

THINK Surgical actively collaborates with healthcare professionals around the globe to refine our orthopedic products, improving the lives of those suffering from advanced joint disease with precise, accurate, and intelligent technology. Please refer to the instructions for use for the TSolution One Total Knee Application for a complete list of indications, contraindications, warnings, and precautions. For additional product information, please visit www.thinksurgical.com.

*Dr. Yair D. Kissin and Dr. Stefan Kreuzer are paid consultants of THINK Surgical, Inc.

THINK Surgical, TSolution One, TPLAN and TCAT are registered trademarks of THINK Surgical, Inc. 2021 THINK Surgical, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sheri Hensley

[email protected]

C. 510-602-0951

SOURCE THINK Surgical, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.thinksurgical.com


STOCKHOLM, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Comment by Tobii's CEO Henrik Eskilsson:

"Our result was severely affected by supply disruptions and the continuing impact of the pandemic. Business activity, however, developed favorably across all divisions, which was demonstrated by good order intake. We now look forward to a strong second half of 2021, which we kick-started with the announcement of our entry into the Automotive DMS market with several partnerships and the acquisition of Phasya. Both investments have a great strategic rationale and are fantastic complements to our current portfolio."

Second quarter April - June 2021

Revenue was SEK 282 million (333), corresponding to organic decline of 4%. In line with previous communication, supply disruptions in Tobii Dynavox resulted in a large deferral of revenue from the second to mainly the third quarter 2021.

(333), corresponding to organic decline of 4%. In line with previous communication, supply disruptions in Tobii Dynavox resulted in a large deferral of revenue from the second to mainly the third quarter 2021. Gross margin was 66% (69%).

The Group's operating result was SEK -99 million (-45).

(-45). The net profit for the period amounted to SEK -114 million (-74).

(-74). Earnings per share amounted to SEK -1.14 (-0.75).

Business development

Order intake was strong with Tobii Pro now back at around the same level as before the pandemic and order intake for Tobii Dynavox was higher than levels seen before the pandemic.

now back at around the same level as before the pandemic and order intake for Tobii Dynavox was higher than levels seen before the pandemic. Tobii Tech received five design wins, including a VR headset and several medical applications.

Tobii partnered with Nvidia to, based on Tobiis Spotlight Technology, introduce a no-code dynamic foveated rendering solution which furthers widespread adoption of eye tracking in VR.

After the quarter, Tobii announced its entry into the Automotive Driver Monitoring-Systems market.

After the quarter, Tobii announced that is has acquired Phasya. This acquisition will speed up Tobiis product roadmap within automotive as well as several other markets that Tobii addresses.

The preparations for the listing of Tobii Dynavox and the integration of Tobii Tech and Tobii Pro are progressing according to plan.

Comments from the CEO

Our result was severely affected by supply disruptions and the continuing impact of the pandemic. Business activity, however, developed favorably across all divisions, which was demonstrated by good order intake. We now look forward to a strong second half of 2021, which we kick-started with the announcement of our entry into the Automotive DMS market with several partnerships and the acquisition of Phasya. Both investments have a great strategic rationale and are fantastic complements to our current portfolio.

Tobii Dynavoxs revenue decreased by 15 percent organically. This was a result of the previously announced supply disruptions following component shortages, which led to an exceptionally large order book and sales pipeline. Deferred revenue from the first and second quarter corresponds to approximately SEK 70 million, which will materialize as additional revenue, mainly in the third quarter of 2021.

This shows a strong underlying demand and it paves the way for a return to solid growth in the second half of 2021. We have resolved the acute supply disruptions and already delivered most of the order book at the beginning of the third quarter.

Tobii Pros revenue increased by 40 percent organically despite a temporary budget freeze for most universities in China, and a continued negative impact of the pandemic where important markets have had extended restrictions.

Nevertheless, I am very pleased with the development as order intake strengthened markedly and was 50 percent higher than in the second quarter 2020, and around the same level as in 2019, and as we saw a very good development in customer interest and activity.

Tobii Pro launched a solution for market research with eye tracking on smartphones, which is an important step to grow our business in attention data analytics.

Tobii Techs revenue decreased by 15 percent organically. The pandemic has delayed the introduction and slowed the ramp up of products for our integration customers. The situation is becoming more manageable and the outlook for our customers is becoming more favorable. Intake of new customers and leads developed well and we obtained five new design wins in the quarter - one for the next generation VR headset with an existing customer, four for medical applications.

After the quarter ended, we announced our automotive driver monitoring system (DMS) initiative. Automotive DMS is a vertical that will grow rapidly over the next 5-10 years and Tobii is uniquely positioned to build a leading product and market position.

We also acquired Phasya, an innovative AI software company whose technology and expertise are a great complement to Tobiis existing portfolio, primarily in automotive, but also with applications in other parts of Tobii. With Tobiis breadth we can significantly accelerate the scaling of Phasyas sales and bring its products into more verticals and application areas. We warmly welcome the Phasya team into the Tobii family.

Looking forward to a strong second half of the year

For the group, we have seen business activity pick-up which is demonstrated in sales and marketing expenses returning to more normal levels, however, profitability was impacted by the supply chain disruptions, continued pandemic effects, and some costs related to the spin-off and listing of Tobii Dynavox. Reaching profitability for the full year 2021 remains our ambition but has become more challenging due to the extending negative impacts of the pandemic.

The preparations for the spin-off and listing of Tobii Dynavox towards the end of the year are progressing according to plan. In parallel with this, we are executing on the integration of Tobii Pro and Tobii Tech, successfully fighting our way out of the pandemic, and on top driving innovation and new initiatives. This, together with the continued improving business environment in all three divisions, is setting the stage for a strong and exciting fall.

Henrik Eskilsson

CEO

Conference call

Today at 09:00 a.m. CET, Tobii will host a conference call with web cast presentation for media, analyst and investors. Please find dial-in details on Tobii's website under Calendar.

This report has not been subjected to review by the Company's auditors.

This information is information that Tobii AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, on August 20, 2021, at 7:30 a.m. CET.

Contact

Henrik Mawby, Head of Investor Relations, Tobii Group, phone: +46 (0)72 219 82 15, email: [email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/tobii-ab/r/tobii-interim-report-for-the-second-quarter-2021,c3400180

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/2874/3400180/1456556.pdf Tobii AB Interim Report Q2 2021 https://mb.cision.com/Public/2874/3400180/b470878eedbf4c4b.pdf Tobii Interim Report for the Second Quarter 2021 - press release - Aug 20 2021

SOURCE Tobii AB
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading gubernatorial candidate Kevin Paffrath, a JFK-style Democrat, will be visiting eight cities campaigning this weekend. He is planning multiple, local campaign stops where he will be meeting supports and talking to the media. Mr. Paffrath will be available for interviews at each location.

The locations are as follows:

Friday:

6:30 p.m. Los Angeles Event: Echo Park Lake

Saturday:

10:00 a.m. San Francisco Event: Civic Center Plaza

1:00 p.m. Sacramento Event: North side of State Capital

4:30 p.m. Fresno Event: Woodward Regional Park

7:30 p.m. Bakersfield: City Hall

Sunday:

11:00 a.m. Venice Event: Muscle Beach

2:00 p.m. Newport Event: William R Mason Park (Western Side)

5:30 p.m. San Diego Event: Location NTC Park | Liberty Station

Kevin Paffrath has done many media interviews in the past week with some of the more notable ones being:

Washington Post

KUSI

Fox Business

LA Times

Politico

CNBC

Kevin Paffrath is currently the highest-polling candidate in the recall election at 27%. According to this poll, Paffrath is beating Larry Elder, Kevin Faulconer, and Caitlyn Jenner.

Media Contact: [email protected]

Related Files

Press August 20th.pdf

SOURCE Meet Kevin Paffrath For Governor
EL PASO, Texas, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dozens of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso students journeyed to the Tornillo Port of Entry in July to join the county's effort to vaccinate both sides of the border.

Students from the Hunt School of Nursing administered thousands of COVID-19 vaccines to maquiladora workers from Ciudad Juarez at the port of entry.

A Hunt School of Nursing student vaccinates a maquiladora worker from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, at the Tornillo Port of Entry in Tornillo, Texas. She was one of two dozen students from TTUHSC El Paso to assist the county in vaccinating 4,200 workers.

"I hope each vaccine is one step closer to us getting back to normal," said third-semester nursing student Abigail Balbuena. "Vaccinating our neighbors in Juarez helps everyone in El Paso because of how we're intertwined. We're one community with a lot of love on both sides."

For several weeks, El Paso County led an effort to vaccinate 30,000 maquiladora workers. On July 15, Hunt School of Nursing students helped El Paso County Emergency Services and constables administer 4,200 shots. Also volunteering regularly were individuals from the Foster School of Medicine and TTUHSC El Paso's El Paso Health Education Awareness Team (EP-HEAT), led by Jessica Chacon, Ph.D., an assistant professor of immunology and microbiology.

"TTUHSC El Paso provided amazing assistance to us today. The 25 students who came out without any hesitation helped us tremendously," said Emergency Services District No. 2 Chief Rogelio Esparza.

Providing that type of help is common for TTUHSC El Paso medical, nursing and biomedical sciences students. Every year, they provide over 19,000 service hours to the Borderland community.

"This is where we take what we learn in the classroom and in simulations and apply it to patient care," said Rhonda Sparr, D.N.P., R.N., clinical professor at the Hunt School of Nursing. "Perhaps the most important lesson taught is the moral obligation to help the community, and that includes both sides of the border."

Victor Lopez, a third-semester student, said part of the reason he chose the Hunt School of Nursing was because he knew he would get to help the community.

"We're honored to vaccinate people on both sides of the border. We also want to remind our neighbors in Juarez how much we care about them," said Lopez, who joined his classmates before sunrise to travel to Tornillo, a small border town in El Paso County east of El Paso city limits.

The US/Mexico/Canada Strategic Alliance helped organize workers on the Mexican side of the border. Cecilia Ochoa Levine, the organization's president, said it was exciting to see El Paso's future health care heroes in action.

"We saw the students come into the trenches with us. The buses come in quickly, but they're vaccinating the workers without any problems," Levine said.

TTUHSC El Paso is one of only two health sciences centers designated as Title V Hispanic-Serving Institutions - and the only one on the U.S.-Mexico border. Its mission is to prepare the next generation of health care heroes, with 48% of 2020-21 students identifying as Hispanic. The university also serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved.

Before the establishment of the Hunt School of Nursing, El Paso County faced a 40% shortage of nurses when compared to the national average. As of 2020, the Hunt School of Nursing has educated more than 800 nursing students with nearly 90% staying to practice in the region.

The Foster School of Medicine has seen similar impact, producing over 600 medical graduates since it opened in 2009. As a result, El Paso County has seen a 57% increase in physicians, a direct result of having a four-year medical school in the area.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Berenice Zubia at 915-253-9399 or [email protected]

Related Images

image1.jpg

SOURCE Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading U.S. journalists spoke out Friday against Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's unacceptable campaign of repression against La Prensa, the country's only independent print newspaper.

"We call on Ortega to promptly release the La Prensa executives he has detained, stop his other efforts to block publication of this storied newspaper and halt his broader repression of Nicaraguan journalism," said National Press Club President Lisa Nicole Matthews and National Press Club Journalism Institute President Angela Greiling Keane. "Journalists in the United States and beyond are watching out for press freedom in Nicaragua."

One week ago, Ortega sent police to raid the offices of La Prensa, a 95-year-old paper. During the raid, the police ejected employees from the office, seized materials and arrested Juan Holmann Chamorro, the paper's general manager, on charges, including money laundering, that independent press-freedom groups say are unfounded.

The executive has been denied contact with attorneys and family members, as have nearly three dozen other Nicaraguans, including journalists and others, who have been detained just since June, said Dagmar Thiel, CEO of Fundamedios, a group that advocates for press freedom in Latin America.

La Prensa has been forced to halt its print publication due largely to a government-imposed ban on newspaper ink. Employees have yet to return to their offices. It is unclear how much longer the paper can continue to publish digitally.

"La Prensa has courageously withstood government assaults for nearly a century, including the assassination of its editor in 1978," Matthews and Greiling Keane said. "Now La Prensa faces one of its most dire challenges yet."

The National Press Club will hold a press conference on Aug. 31 at 10am to hear directly from Nicaraguan journalists.

Besides La Prensa, Nicaragua's reporters generally face what Reporters Without Borders has called "a nightmare of censorship, intimidation and threats."

Journalists in that country are "constantly stigmatised and subjected to harassment campaigns, arbitrary arrest and death threats," the group says on its web site.

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the United States and around the world.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute, the Club's non-profit affiliate, promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement.

Contact: John Donnelly, chairman, NPC Press Freedom Team: 202 650 6738; [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club

Related Links

http://press.org


MOSS LANDING, Calif., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Verdagy, a Khosla Ventures backed green hydrogen technology company based in Moss Landing, California, today announced that Dr. Saroj K. Sahu has joined as chief technology officer. Dr. Sahu's key focus areas will be leading the commercial scale-up of the Verdagy Water Electrolysis (VWE) technology. Verdagy's technology combines industry-leading very large active area cells, operating at high current densities nearly ten times higher than those of traditional alkaline water electrolysis. The cell architecture and selected membranes allow a large dynamic operating range enabling both load shedding and load gaining capabilities reducing overall system energy costs. Taken together, this allows Verdagy to achieve both the lowest upfront capital costs as well as lowest unit production costs.

"Dr. Sahu is a welcome addition to Verdagy and we are very fortunate to add such an incredibly talented and innovative leader. His demonstrated track record of inventing, commercializing and scaling technology is exactly what we need at this time of Verdagy's exciting company trajectory," said Marty Neese, Verdagy's CEO.

"Saroj brings a wealth of technical and leadership experience to successfully drive Verdagy's roll out of its large area cells to customers in 2022. We are excited to attract such top talent to Verdagy to make green hydrogen a reality," said Rajesh Swaminathan, Partner at Khosla Ventures.

Dr. Sahu founded and served as the Chief Technology Officer for Deeya Energy from 2005 to 2011, where he led the development of flow batteries. Most recently, Dr. Sahu served as COO at Xnrgi, Inc., where he managed the research and development of a novel silicon anode technology and operationalized a world-class battery pack manufacturing plant in India that is starting to produce 240 MWh/year of battery systems. Prior to Xnrgi, Dr. Sahu led several battery initiatives for Apple. Dr. Sahu has 25+ years of innovation, technology leadership & commercialization experience. He is a prolific inventor with 40+ patents in the battery and energy domains.

"Verdagy has an impressive, deeply experienced team, terrific investor support, excellent lab and pilot facilities and a truly disruptive approach to water electrolysis. I look forward to commercializing and scaling this technology and truly making a difference in decarbonizing large sectors of our economy. I am very excited to join the green hydrogen revolution," said Dr. Sahu.

About Verdagy

Verdagy is innovating water electrolysis technology for the large-scale production of green hydrogen. Verdagy's industry leading solution achieves both the lowest upfront capital costs and the lowest unit economics for production. Verdagy operates laboratory and pilot plant facilities in Moss Landing, California, to further develop and rapidly scale the technology platform. For more information, visit: www.verdagy.com

SOURCE Verdagy Inc.

Related Links

https://www.verdagy.com


Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- VPR Brands LP (OTC: VPRB) a market leading supplier and patent holder for electronic cigarettes or vaporizers for nicotine, cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) and other related smoking accessories such as pocket lighters has reported quarterly and year to date sales and earnings for the period ending June 30, 2021

"The company has finally put the pandemic and other extenuating circumstances behind us and is back on track." said Kevin Frija CEO of VPR Brands LP "The numbers, which show a tremendous turnaround from last year, speak for themselves as our team is focused on maintaining not only steady growth but most importantly profitability."

Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 Compared to the Three Months Ended June 30, 2020



Revenues

Our revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 were $1,709,719 and $1,205,370, respectively. The increase was a result of an industry-wide health-related crisis that hampered sales significantly in 2020, as well as increased direct on-line sales in 2021.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 was $915,815 and $751,691, respectively. Gross margins increased to 47% in 2021 compared to 37% in 2020, due to pricing pressures from the decreased demand related to the industry crisis in 2020, and increased direct sales in 2021.



Operating Expenses

Operating expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2021 were $457,895 as compared to $372,652 for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in expenses is primarily due to increased sales activity in 2021.



Other Income (Expense)

Interest expense decreased to $71,223 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 as compared to $131,381 for the three months ended June 30, 2020 due to less interest expense recognized on related party loans in 2021.

Net Income (Loss)

Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2021 was $264,786 compared to a net loss of $50,354 for the three months ended June 30, 2020.



Results of Operations for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Compared to the Six Months Ended June 30, 2020

Revenues

Our revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 were $2,961,777 and $1,804,003, respectively. The increase was a result of an industry-wide health-related crisis that hampered sales significantly in 2020, as well as increased direct on-line sales in 2021.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 was $1,626,316 and $1,137,819, respectively. Gross margins increased to 43% in 2021 compared to 35% in 2020, due to pricing pressures from the decreased demand related to the industry crisis in 2020, and increased direct sales in 2021.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2021 were $995,798 as compared to $849,476 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in expenses is primarily due to increased sales activity in 2021.

Other Income (Expense)

Interest expense decreased to $176,528 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 as compared to $288,652 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 due to less interest expense recognized on related party loans in 2021.

Net Income (Loss)

Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $163,135 compared to a net loss of $471,944 for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

About VPR Brands, LP:

VPR Brands is a technology company, whose assets include issued U.S. and Chinese patents for atomization related products including technology for medical marijuana vaporizers and electronic cigarette products and components as well as lighters. The company is also engaged in product development for the vapor or vaping market, including e-liquids, vaporizers and electronic cigarettes (also known as e-cigarettes) which are devices which deliver nicotine and or cannabis through atomization or vaping, and without smoke and other chemical constituents typically found in traditional products. For more information about VPR Brands, please visit the company on the web at www.vprbrands.com.

Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains statements that involve expectations, plans or intentions, and other factors discussed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These statements are forward-looking and are subject to risks and uncertainties, so actual results may vary materially. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

Contact Information:

VPR Brands LP

Kevin Frija CEO

(954) 715-7001

[email protected]

SOURCE VPR Brands, LP
The Company operates 6 European Wax Center locations in the Dallas metro area and 12 centers in Northern California. Tweet this

"We are excited to welcome European Wax Center's loyal Dallas guests and team members at the Allen, Arlington, Fort Worth, Frisco, Las Colinas, and Mansfield centers into our existing EWC family. We look forward to working closely with the teams in these centers to provide our guests with the ultimate wax experience," said Julie Marlin, VP of Center Operations for Wax Center Partners.

In addition, Susan and Larry Stieber, mentioned: "We are committed to investing in the people and culture of our centers and look forward to growing the European Wax Center brand in the geographies where we operate."

"Dallas, European Wax Center's corporate headquarters home, is happy to welcome Wax Center Partners," commented Jean Grossman, European Wax Center's Chief Franchise Officer. "Wax Center Partners are tremendous operators who will continue to focus on the importance of culture and delivering best-in-class service to our guests as they continue to grow both through new developments and acquisitions."

Wax Center Partners is actively seeking opportunities to expand its footprint through both new developments and acquisitions or partnerships in new and existing markets. For more information on Wax Center Partners, please contact Larry Stieber at [email protected] and visit www.stieberewc.com.

About Wax Center Partners

Wax Center Partners is a portfolio company of MKH Capital Partners, a Miami-based private equity firm, in partnership with the Stieber European Wax Center franchise. The company operates 18 locations throughout Northern California and the Dallas metro area and has 4 additional centers under development in Northern California scheduled to open this year.

About European Wax Center

European Wax Center is a leading personal care franchise brand founded in 2004. They offer expert wax services from certified Wax Specialists, ensuring that every guest who walks through the door leaves feeling confidentin European Wax Center and themselves. European Wax Center provides guests with a first class, professional waxing experience by the most highly trained estheticians in the industry, within the privacy of clean, individual waxing suites. They are so certain everyone will love the European Wax Center experience, that they offer a free complimentary wax to each new guest. European Wax Center continues to revolutionize the waxing category with their innovative, signature Comfort Wax. This proprietary blend is formulated with the highest quality ingredients to leave skin feeling smooth and make waxing a more pleasant, virtually painless experience. To help enhance and extend waxing services, European Wax Center offers a full collection of proprietary pre and post wax products designed specifically for waxing skincare solutions. European Wax Center is a leading wax specialty personal care brand in the United States, and its network now includes over 800 centers nationwide.

For more information including how to receive your first wax free, please visit: www.waxcenter.com.

SOURCE Wax Center Partners

Related Links

https://waxcenter.com/


A look at the major movers on the London market on Wednesday

Oriole Resources PLC is shining after the second positive update in two days on its Senala project in Senegal.

Its partner in the project, IAMGOLD Corporation has the option to spend up to US$8mln to earn a 70% interest .

Following a new reverse circulation drilling programme, Oriole chief executive Tim Livesey, said: "Excellent results from this... programme, targeting previously identified but as yet unquantified gold mineralisation at FareFar South and FareNorth, continue to support our belief that the c.6 km trend at the Fare prospect has ample potential to host a stand-alone resource.

"Not only are these RC drilling results indicative of the typical grades considered mineable in West African orogenic gold systems but the intersection of significant mineralised widths, often close to surface, points to the huge untapped potential at Fare."

The news has seen Oriole's shares climb 6.65% to 0.51p.

2.42pm: Likewise jumps on first day of dealings

Floor coverings group Likewise Group PLC has stepped out smartly in its first day on AIM.

The Yorkshire business, founded just three years ago, has seen its shares jump from the 25p placing price to 30.91p, a 12.6% gain.

It raised 10m, which it will use to hire more staff, make acquisitions and expand its distribution network to the south and south west of the country.

At the placing price the company was valued at 48.1mln. Chief executive Tony Brewer has set a goal of growing that to 200mln and increasing its market share from 3% to 10% (video interview here).

The company's directors took place in the offer, with Brewer himself paying 100,000 for 400,000 shares.

He said: "Likewise is delighted to be listed on AIM in order to create access to capital and accelerate our growth aspirations."

12.05pm: Balfour Beatty drops as UK construction business still struggles

Construction and engineering group Balfour Beatty PLC has lost ground after its latest results.

First half revenues were broadly flat, while it moved from an operating loss of 14mln last year to a 60mln profit.

But its UK construction business was still loss making, and it flagged up a contingent liability on a high-rise development in London (relating to a stone facade) which could cost up to 50mln.

The company has also decided to no longer bid for fixed price residential property projects in central London.

Nicholas Hyett, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: Losses on London property construction contracts mean Balfours UK construction business has not made any progress year-on-year. Given the group was struggling with the complete closure of the construction industry 12 months ago thats a particularly poor result.

"In future the group will avoid fixed-price residential property contracts in central London altogether. That may avoid repeats of past blunders, but it continues a trend of Balfour restricting where it operates. So long as theres enough work to do in its remaining markets thats no bad thing, but construction is a notoriously fickle business and work quickly dries up when the economy takes a turn for the worse."

Its shares are down 7.21% or 23p to 296p.

10.56am: BrandShield Systems boosted by payment processing contract

Cybersecurity specialist BrandShield Systems PLC has keyed up a share price rise after detailing a new contract win.

It has expanded its presence in financial services by signing a deal with a company in the payment processing sector.

BrandShield will provide protection services against phishing and impersonation attacks, from monitoring threats to taking them down.

It said: "Payment processing customers suffer from large scale impersonation attacks which act as the gateway to further fraudulent activity targeting both online customers and online retailers, the legitimate recipients of the targeted payments. The brand reputation suffered by the legitimate payments platform can be extreme in terms of negative publicity and confidence amongst retailers and customers in the vast eCommerce space."

BrandShield shares are 4.73% or 0.86p better at 19.11p.

10.01am: SDX Energy under pressure after disappointing gas field update

( , , ) has seen a leak in its share price after a disappointing update from the South Disouq gas field in Egypt.

After drilling on the Hanut prospect in South Disouq - where SDX has a 55% interest - it found good quality sands but these were not charged with gas.

It said that Hanut was "a unique subsurface feature in the South Disouq acreage" so it believed the result of this exploration well would have limited impact for the rest of the area.

Chief executive Mark Reid said: "Whilst the result of this well is disappointing, I remain positive about the remaining prospectivity in the area which has not been materially impacted. In particular, I am encouraged by the proof of reservoir quality sands ... in the South Disouq area as this derisks further close by prospectivity. The company will now be working towards moving these prospects to drill-ready status for a 2022 campaign and looks forward updating the market on its campaigns in West Gharib and in Morocco in the remainder of the year."

But the company's shares have fallen 10.35% or 1.5p on the news to 13p.

8.58am: Novacyt climbs on COVID-19 test updates

Diagnostics group ( ) is in demand after a positive update on its COVID-19 tests.

Half year revenues grew by more than 50% to 94.7mln, with 54mln of than coming from a mixture of overseas sales and a growing UK private testing market, lessening the company's reliance on business from the Department of Heath and Social Care. Indeed the DHSC sales are currently in dispute.

Meanwhile it has been awarded a new contract for the supply of its Promate COVID-19 tests to the NHS, worth up to 4.7m .

UK private market sales, which currently includes COVID-19 testing in film, media, travel and corporate industries, increased significantly in the second quarter.

It said: "The company expects continued strong growth in private testing as markets and travel re-open and, as the Northern Hemisphere heads into winter, the potential for higher infection rates will increase the need for COVID-19 testing. Since the start of 2020, the company has launched 16 new CE-IVD products, and expects to launch a further 10 by the end of 2022.

"The company therefore reiterates revenue guidance of 100mln for the full year, excluding DHSC revenues, as announced on 22 June 2021."

Its shares are up 14.9% or 45p at 347p.

Also heading higher is cloud platform specialist ( ).

It has added 5.33% or 2p to 39.5p after recognition from Microsoft.

The US giant has awarded LoopUp its 'Calling for Microsoft Teams Advanced Specialization'.

This goes to Microsoft partners that demonstrate "deep knowledge, extensive experience, and proven success in the deployment and management of Microsoft Teams Calling and Phone System."
A look at some of the shares rising and falling in London on Friday

Looking at the biggest movers over the past week, the top three among FTSE 350 companies include Just Eat Takeaway, ( ) and ( ).

FTSE 100-listed Just Eat Just issued results earlier this week and today launched its Takeaway Pay card, complementing its business-to-business food delivery service for corporate customers, which is already available in 12 countries.

At its interim results on Tuesday, JET repeated its claim that its losses are likely to have reached their peak, even though there continues to be heavy invest in the fight for market share against the likes of Deliveroo and Uber Eats.

Of the new B2B card, analysts at ( ) said: "This initiative fits well with the JET strategy to further digitise food ordering and payment solutions for B2B customers, and the card increases flexibility in a hybrid working environment from home, office, or on business travel."

Genuit, meanwhile, as investors continue to get used to the new name for Polypipe, impressed investors with a strong set of interim earlier in the week, with revenue and profit 32% and 24% ahead of where they was in 2019, helped by the strong trading environment and three acquisitions.

The FTSE 250-listed company's overall expectations for the full year have increased, with management now anticipating that underlying operating profit will be ahead of prior guidance.

Indivior has perked up without any specific news from the company but continuing their steady appreciation begun early last year as it settled outstanding legal cases with the US Department of Justice and former parent Reckitt Benckiser, with its former CEO Shaun Thaxter jailed after pleading guilty to misrepresentations about the safety of the companys opioid addiction drug Suboxone.

In June the drug company raised its sales guidance for the current year as sales of both Suboxone and its new products are beating expectations.

Among AIM companies, diagnostics group Novacyt SA has been the top riser this week, bouncing back 42% to 423.2p, after a positive update on its COVID-19 tests, with half year revenues up more than 50% to 94.7mln.

It said: "The company expects continued strong growth in private testing as markets and travel re-open and, as the Northern Hemisphere heads into winter, the potential for higher infection rates will increase the need for COVID-19 testing. Since the start of 2020, the company has launched 16 new CE-IVD products, and expects to launch a further 10 by the end of 2022."

Second was the newly renamed Tintra PLC, formerly known as ( ), with the news this week being the conclusion of its adjourned shareholder meeting.

Third in the list was ( ), mentioned below, where the shares are up 18% to 17.3p this week.

12.30pm: Current drilling just the start says Helium One boss

( ) continued its recent rally on the back of the start of drilling at the Tai-2 well, which will test a similar target to a previous well at Rukwa in Tanzania.

Tai-2 is located only 20 metres from Tai-1 and is being drilled from the same drill pad to prove up a helium system at the project.

Tai-1 showed elevated helium indications said chairman Ian Stalker but it was impossible to measure accurately, but the second hole will focus on the upper levels and Helium expects to get decent measurements this time.

Stalker emphasised too that this is the first target in a colossal project with many other targets already identified.

Rukwa is a great opportunity, he says but there is a lot of work ahead.

Helium One takes big step forward at Rukwa Project in Tanzania with start of drilling program

Shares rose 18% to 17.25p.

11.00am: Barclays activist regroups

Sherborne Investors B shares were the biggest fallers in early trades on Friday, down 54% to 0.25p, as the activist investor fund run by Edward Bramson posted its half-year results.

The fund, famous for its failed push to get Barclays to sell off its investment banking arm, reported its net asset value attributable to shareholders of 0.76mln, down from 17.5mln a year ago and 24.6mln at the end of December.

This follows its confirmation in May that it will realise its remaining investments by the end of 2021 by way of a demerger of its largest asset, TGI Fridays, and the reclassification of Electra into an operating company substantially comprised of its second largest asset, Hotter Shoes.

In June the company declared a dividend in specie of all of its 8,250,575 shares of Electra payable to shareholders.

The Sherborne Investors C fund also reported interim results and its shares were up 2% to 59.8p.

Having sold its 6% stake in Barclays in May said it had identified a new target company but will not name it until it had a disclosable stake - it said today that this was still the case and that a turnaround of the new selected target company will increase shareholder value in line with its objectives.

9am: Remote Monitored and ( ) lead early risers

( , ) shares jumped 31% to 0.79p after the company confirmed an announcement from the British High Commission about a partnership by the company's Pharm 2 Farm Limited subsidiary in India to distribute the virus-killing Pro-Larva mask.

First reported in June, the deal is with VKE Enterprises, which placed an initial order for 350,000 masks to be airfreighted to their distribution centre in India.

As the British High Commission said, the Pro-Larva mask is the first anti-viral mask to be approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as a Class 1 medical device.

Vivek Kohli, chair VKE Enterprises, said: "I'm delighted to play a strategic role in the introduction of this cutting-edge British technology, that will keep my fellow country men and women safer. This is an exciting opportunity for a new Anglo-Indian partnership to do good in India.

"At this time, with so many countries continuing to struggle with Covid and an expected influenza surge later in the year, it's paramount for countries and their organisations to come together to support one another."

Remote Monitored Systems will change its name to Nanosynth Group PLC on Monday 23 August.

Elsewhere, ( ) PLC shares moved into a higher gear on Friday morning, rising 8% to 50.8p as the car dealer said it expects to resume dividend payments at its interim results amid the exceptional UK used car market conditions.

The UKs fifth largest automotive retailer said profit before tax for the full year will be around 50-55mln, having previously guided to 40-45mln in July and a range of 28-32mln in June.

Under its Bristol Street Motors, Vertu and Macklin Motors chains, the company said like-for-like new vehicle orders for the key month of September are currently above last year, though it flagged a risk that new vehicle supply shortages will result in vehicle deliveries being delayed into future periods.

Vertus board said it intends to re-establish the payment of dividends to shareholders upon finalisation of the interim results.

The board remains very confident in the prospects for the group, which is strategically well placed to capitalise on the changes and opportunities in the UK motor retail sector, it said in the statement.
The uncertainty around the pandemic has the market worried about demand and in Friday trading, Brent crude was priced around US$65 with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) holding on around US$63 a barrel

The market watched the oil price drop day by day this week, following weakness in the commodities and the global equities market

The oil price has been on a bit of a roll in recent weeks but the momentum stopped this week as prices fell to the lowest level since May.

The uncertainty around the pandemic has the market worried about demand and in Friday trading, Brent crude was priced around US$65 with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) holding on around US$63 a barrel.

The market watched the oil price drop day by day this week, following weakness in the commodities and the global equities market.

No end in sight

Theres no end in sight in any country as to the end of this pandemic as news of the Delta variant continues to threaten recovery. A note from Commerzbank said "concerns about demand due to the global spread of the Delta variant are continuing to preclude any higher prices".

Analysts had talked about a stronger oil price for the remainder of the year and a recovery is still possible given we have more than four months to go. Recovery from the pandemic continues to be a major concern, says Dr. Yousef Alshammari, CEO of C-Markits.

"While the observed path may well be a market correction following a period of significant speculation on demand recovery, the markets now seem to have realized the potential impact of the delta variant of COVID-19 on global oil markets."

Recent calls

Theres been recent calls from the US to OPEC to increase supply.

Dr. Alshammari also reminded us of the upcoming OPEC+ meeting and said he believes OPEC will not increase supply, particularly if prices continue to deteriorate.

The US has been putting pressure on OPEC to help keep the price lower, but Alshammari says he does not think this will influence OPECs outcome.

"That decision is purely based on fundamentals and technical issues so I don't think they will take any political influence on these technical decisions.

Supply cuts

OPEC+ has always agreed it will end its supply cuts in September next year.

The global economic performance continues to worry the market. Official Chinese market data showed that the Chinese economy had slowed and refinery output was at its lowest level in more than a year.

Looking at the US situation, crude oil inventories continue to fall to a lower level than 2019. American oil production remains steady, just over 11 million barrels a day.

The US has experienced a weaker than average driving season, according to the Energy Information Administration with signs of demand growing weaker. Commerzbank noted that while the driving season has three weeks to go "it is already clear that it will not meet the high expectations".

The oil price got off to a healthy start in the first half of the year with rising demand and price to match. It appears to be cooling off as the summer season ends, but the year has months to run and OPEC will be looking to the winter demand in its next meeting.
Australian Potash Ltd (ASX:APC) holds a 100% interest in the Lake Wells Sulphate of Potash, which is about 500 kilometres northeast of Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields.

The Lake Wells Sulphate of Potash Project will be a long life, low capital and high margin sulphate of potash (SOP) producer.

K-Brite is a registered trademark brand of the company, representing the premium SOP to be produced from Lake Wells.
Andromeda Metals Ltd (ASX:ADN) is an emerging industrial minerals company based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a vision of becoming the worlds leading supplier of high-grade halloysite-kaolin.

The companys primary focus is directed towards the final evaluation and development of the world-class Great White Kaolin Project into production in early 2022, which is a joint venture between Andromeda and Minotaur Exploration Ltd (ASX:MEP) in which Andromeda has a 75% interest.

The development of the Great White Kaolin Deposit remains the focus for Andromeda, with Mount Hope Project offering excellent potential for future growth opportunities for the company.
The ASX-lister is working to develop its base and precious metals portfolio in three of Australias hottest exploration locations: the Fraser Range, Paterson Province and Drummond Basin regions in Western Australia and North Queensland.

( ) has made its case to prospective investors during this week's Proactive Resources Webinar.

The nickel, copper and gold-focused explorer outlined its current development strategy and described its operations across Western Australia and North Queensland in a virtual presentation on Thursday.

Managing director Jon Reynolds took to the stage to discuss the companys partnership with mining titan IGO Ltd, an affiliation that could lead to a $50 million payday for the small-cap resources player.

Looking ahead, Boadicea will continue to explore over its Fraser Range, Paterson Province and Drummond Basin tenement, looking for large-scale giants as it seeks to deliver value to its shareholders".

Boadiceas enterprise value sits around $12 million  a figure the business believes poses a lot of upside for prospective investors.

Exploring the Fraser Range

Boadicea is currently exploring WA's Fraser Range region alongside fellow ASX-lister IGO.

In September last year, IGO subsidiary IGO Newsearch Pty Ltd executed a conditional sale agreement with the Boadicea team.

Over a five-year term, the mining titan can exclusively access and explore nine of the 11 Boadicea-owned tenements in the Fraser Range province.

Commenting on the exploration partnership today, Reynolds said: It allows IGO to fulfil their needs and try to find nickel mineralisation for their hungry mill.

The structure of the deal is that if they find a JORC resource of any type, they will buy the tenement office for $50 million.

Now they've got another four and a half years to do that work. And so they are really focused on testing the nickel exploration opportunities within these tenements.

But they're also looking for new opportunities within the other tenements, so this is an exceptionally strong deal for us shareholders to have.

At the Symons Hill tenement, all eyes are on the Orion intrusion, where diamond drilling has been used to explore the nickel target.

Speaking on Orions promise for IGO, Reynolds continued: Not only is it the best target they have, it is also getting better as it gets closer and further into our licence.

Eighty-nine aircore drill holes have been completed over Symons Hill to date, with a moving-loop electromagnetic survey and drilling analysis planned for the current quarter.

Prospecting in the Paterson

Elsewhere in WA, Boadicea is targeting base and precious metal mineralisation in the famed Paterson Province.

Reynolds described the area as likely the most attractive region for copper-gold mineralisation in Australia.

Weve got about 880 square kilometres of tenure, making up the Koongulla Project on the east side of the province," he said.

We've got a Native Title agreement completed so it's ready to be progressed.

Now we've done some initial geophysics and we've got some really interesting targets.

Geophysics work at the Koongulla project has pinpointed a dome structure  significant because several deposits in the Paterson are associated with known dome structures, including Newcrest Mining Ltds world-class Telfer mine.

In fact, the structure is firming up as a potential Telfer look-a-like and will be the focus of further exploration over the coming months.

Hunting for gold in Drummond Basin

Beyond Western Australia, Boadicea is on the search for precious metal mineralisation in Queenslands Drummond Basin  a region with a gold endowment totalling more than 7.5 million ounces.

Boadicea picked up the exploration tenements late last year and secured the Clarke Reward gold licence just last month.

The area, although new to the explorers portfolio, is prospective for Drummond Basin-style epithermal gold and other intrusive-related mineralisation systems

Interestingly, its never been tested by any modern exploration.

Boadicea hopes to mobilise a team to the site in the coming months and kick off drilling either next quarter or early in the new year.

Concluding todays investor session, Reynolds signed off: Were ready for growth, were ready to explore, were ready to add to the mineralisation in the ground.

The company is now very well structured to deliver some upside to our existing shareholders and any new shareholders that come in."
( ) managing director Jon Reynolds discussed its current development strategy and described its operations across Western Australia and North Queensland in a virtual presentation to investors on Thursday, August 19.

The company is currently exploring WA's Fraser Range region alongside fellow ASX-lister IGO - an affiliation that could lead to a $50 million payday for the small-cap resources player.

Looking ahead, Boadicea will continue to explore over its Fraser Range, Paterson Province and Drummond Basin tenement, looking for large-scale giants as it seeks to deliver value to its shareholders".
The multi-element explorer is working across assets in Australias eastern states and central Alaska, where its biggest exploration campaign to date is underway.

( , ) has detailed the progress made across its Australian and Alaskan exploration assets at this week's Proactive Resources Webinar.

Managing director and CEO Matthew Gill reported on the companys operations during the virtual conference on Thursday, outlining how WRMs search for volcanic massive sulphides (VMS) and precious metals was tracking across its portfolio.

Currently, the multi-element explorer is undertaking its biggest exploration program to date at the Red Mountain Project, while a merger with Victorian gold explorer and small-scale producer AuStar Gold Ltd is poised to finalise on Monday.

White Rocks market capitalisation currently stands at around A$33 million, while an independent expert report has put its fair value proposition between A$46 million and A$131 million.

Red Mountain

At the Red Mountain silver-rich zinc VMS project in Alaska, White Rock has identified multiple polymetallic VMS deposit targets and a large intrusion-related gold anomaly (IRGS) gold anomaly.

The project spans an 836-square-kilometre tenement package and contains multiple VMS targets that are yet to be drill tested. It also sits along the prolific Tintina Gold Belt.

Red Mountain hosts a maiden VMS, JORC-compliant resource of 9.1 million tonnes at 157 g/t silver, 5.8% zinc, 2.6% lead and 0.9 g/t gold for a 13.2% zinc or 609 g/t silver equivalent grade (using a 3% zinc cut-off grade).

Gill said: This is a significant resource base just from two deposits, and weve got multiple deposits still to drill.

Alaska is a first world jurisdiction, we've had great experiences in that state.

Interestingly, the last exploration in this region was done over 20 years ago, leaving significant upside for modern exploration techniques.

As a result, White Rock has embarked on its most extensive exploration campaign to date and is currently halfway through the 2021 field season.

Some of the key field activities include;

Drilling for downdip extensions to the Dry Creek VMS deposit;

Drill testing new VMS targets in the Red Mountain area and along the newly identified Keevy VMS trend; and

Drill testing the Last Chance gold target.

The MD and CEO continued: We are currently drilling deep holes 200 metres below the nearest holes at the Dry Creek deposit.

Were on our fourth hole as we speak, and two of those holes assays are in the lab.

Picking up the keys to the Woods Point Gold Project

White Rocks exposure to the Victorian gold renaissance is poised to grow when it picks up the keys to the Woods Point Gold Project on Monday.

The acquisition comes after WRM and gold explorer AuStar Gold finalised their merger, with the former to absorb all of the latters issued share capital under a share scheme of arrangement.

Gill stated: Its a great day for White Rock and shareholders where we will acquire a Victorian gold explorer and small scale producer.

We have an asset now, not just in Alaska with a great team in country, but also one right on our doorstep.

Woods Point encompasses 670 square kilometres of highly prospective exploration tenure that has historically produced more than one million gold ounces.

The project comes with existing infrastructure, most notably two mining licences, an underground mine and an 80,000-tonne-per-annum gravity gold processing plant.

In the past, the Morning Star gold mine and processing facility have delivered around 830,000 gold ounces grading at roughly 26.5 g/t gold.

Precious metal exploration at Mt Carrington

Finally, at the Mt Carrington Project, White Rock is advancing its multi-stage joint venture with fellow ASX-lister Thomson Resources Ltd.

The northern New South Wales asset is prospective for precious metals and boasts 352,000 ounces of gold and 23.3 million ounces of silver.

The project also carries a 174,000-ounce JORC-compliant ore reserve, while a pre-feasibility study for the Gold First Stage was completed and updated last year.

MD and CEO Matthew Gill described the exploration company as a fantastic partner to have.

It works for them to work with us to get Mt Carrington going, it helps enable some of their other assets.

And for us, it allows White Rock shareholders to be exposed to this great asset while we focus on Alaska and  the Woods Point gold project.

We think that's a great win-win for both Thomson and White Rock Minerals shareholders.

In the first stage of its agreement with Thomson, White Rock is free carried through the projects definitive feasibility study and environmental impact statement. This involves a budget of around A$5 million and TMZ can earn up to 30% of the asset.

In the next stage, both parties will target NSW development consent and a final investment decision. WRM will continue to be free-carried and Thomson can move to 51% ownership.

With a A$12.5 million payment in stage three, TMZ can earn up to 71% of the project, after which it will be developed along the joint venture ownership lines in stage four.

Under the agreement, Thomson will maintain Mount Carringtons tenements until a joint venture is formed and make A$1.2 million in cash payments to WRM over stages one and two.

Looking ahead

Concluding his webinar presentation on Thursday, Gill surmised: We've got great teams in-country and we obviously acquire a great team with the Woods Point Gold Project.

We think we can do both. There is a seasonality to Alaska. Come the end of September, there won't be any field activity, although news flow will continue from the drill hole results and all the geochem and geophysics.

But that allows us the opportunity and the capacity to pick up and run with the Victorian project all year round.

Thirdly, there is still news coming out of our Carrington project, but that's being managed by Thomson Resources.

We think we can deliver continuous movement across our projects throughout the year in this current structure.
What attracted Shaw and Partners was the project economics: low capital intensity, premium product, access to low-cost hydropower, tax advantages and low-cost labour.

Ta Khoa Nickel-Copper-PGE Project is west of Hanoi in Vietnam and includes an existing modern nickel mine built to Australian Standards.

( , , )s potential to become a globally significant green battery metals supplier has led to initiate coverage with a buy recommendation and A$1.90 price target.

This is well above last sales at A$0.43.

Blackstone is one of the newer players in the nickel game and has a 90% interest in the Ta Khoa project in Vietnam, where it has a maiden resource and scoping study for the large-scale Ban Phuc Nickel-PGE deposit.

About the project

The project includes the Ban Phuc nickel mine, which was in operation from 2013 to 2016 until it was put into care and maintenance.

It includes an integrated upstream and downstream processing business in Vietnam to produce Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) battery precursor products for Asias lithium-ion battery industry.

It is important to note, that Blackstone already has key relationships with a tier 1 Korean battery manufacturer, EcoPro, among others, with whom it has constructed a downstream processing business.

Scott Williamson, managing director of Blackstone Minerals, was recently on Proactives Coffee with explaining the Blackstone proposition.

Blackstone recently welcomed the outcomes of a pre-feasibility study for the proposed downstream Ta Khoa Refinery in Northern Vietnam.

Shaw and Partners base case

Shaw and Partners assumes a final investment decision and ramp-up of operations, with first production in CY24.

Blackstone recently released a downstream Business Unit PFS for a 400ktpa refinery with NPV of US$2.01 billion and an IRR of 67% that will produce 85.6ktpa of NCM811 precursor.

Shaw and Partners base case for the downstream business is relatively in line with Blackstones PFS with an NPV10 of US$1400, IRR of 52% and development CAPEX of US$490 million. An 11-year refinery life producing 88ktpa NCM811 battery precursor at a 120% payability is also assumed.

Shaw and Partners base case model of Blackstones Upstream Business Unit has a post-tax NPV10 of US$193 and an IRR of 25% assuming open cut pit requiring a development capital expenditure of US$250 million and an 11-year life-of-mine at circa 200kt/yr NI/CO concentrate production from an ore fed at 6Mtpa and a head grade of 0.5% Ni/0.01% Co/ 0.06% Cu.

Shaw and Partners base case model also assumes all-in average life-of-mine sustaining costs of US$4.30/lb Ni (2021 Real).

What attracted Shaw and Partners was the project economics: low capital intensity, premium product, access to low-cost hydropower, tax advantages and low-cost labour.

The analysts price target of A$1.90 is a fully diluted DCF valuation of a 6Mtpa open pit mine and 400ktpa nickel concentrate refinery.
Company says its well-funded for success

Experienced board and management

Near term catalysts

What does:

Corp (CVE:NUAG) (NYSEAMERICAN:NEWP) is advancing its flagship Silver Sand project in Bolivia - one of the fastest-growing economies in South America.

The asset is described as a "significant global primary silver discovery" and it was added to the portfolio when the company bought Alcira for US$40 million in 2017.

The core mineral area spans a total area of 3.17 square kilometres (sq km) but the firm has full exposure to the district over a broader area of more than 60 sq km due to its Mining Production Contract (MPC) with the Bolivian Mining Corporation (COMIBOL) signed in 2019. This MPC was approved by the Bolivian government, but remains subject to ratification and approval by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia.

The project boasts a large silver measured and indicated (M&I) resource at 35.39 million tonnes (Mt) at a grade of 137 g/t silver, which contains 155.86 million ounces (Moz) of silver. Notably, 70% of the resources are within 200 metres (m) of the conceptual open pit surface and the deposit is open to the north, south and at depth.

The project has been subject to some small-scale, historic mining and was drilled during the period 2012 through to 2015 by a previous company.

In December 2020, the firm acquired a 98% stake in the polymetallic Silverstrike project from a private Bolivian firm by making a one-time cash payment of US$1.35 million. Silverstrike lies about 450 km northwest of Silver Sand and contains extensive silver mining dumps, the results of Spanish colonial mining activities which exploited near-surface silver-gold-lead-zinc (Ag-Au-Pb-Zn).

London-listed major Rio Tinto extensively sampled the dumps and drilled four holes at Silverstrike North, and 4 diamond holes and 12 RC holes in Silverstrike Central in 1995. Near-surface silver-gold-lead-zinc mineralization was identified in all three areas.

The company also owns a 98% stake in the Carangas silver project in the Oruro Department of Bolivia. Carangas comprises two exploration concessions totaling 6.25 sq km and the project sits within the South American epithermal belt, which hosts large precious metal deposits and operations in neighboring countries but remains under-explored in Bolivia.

New Pacific's largest shareholder is - the largest primary silver producer in China, which owns 28.6% of the company's shares. New Pacific's management and board hold 8.4%. Silver mining giant Pan American Silver Corp also owns 9.5% of New Pacific's stock.

How is it doing:

( , ) has made busy progress so far in 2021.

On August 13, the company announced that Bolivia's Jurisdictional Mining Administrative Authority (AJAM) had granted an Administrative Mining Contract (AMC) for its Silver Sand Project. New Pacific said all required registration, notarization and publication steps to perfect the title of the AMC in favour of Empresa Minera Alcira S.A., the company's wholly-owned Bolivian subsidiary, are complete.

The AMC establishes a clear title to the Silver Sand Project mineral rights. In accordance with Bolivia's Mining Laws. New Pacific submitted all required documents for the consolidation and conversion of the original seventeen ATEs (Temporary Special Authorizations) that comprised the Silver Sand Project to cuadriculas and an AMC to AJAM.

Earlier, on July 27, the company told investors it had kicked off a 38,000 metre (m) diamond drill program at the Silver Sand project in a bid to expand existing resources and to support a preliminary economic assessment (PEA).

The campaign also comprises around 5,000m dedicated to testing feeder zones for the deposit, which remains open along strike and depth, and for exploration drilling at the Snake hole zone and the North Block.

Drilling to date has shown that the hydrothermal system remains open for expansion along strike and at depth, noted New Pacific, and around 23,500m of the drill program will be allocated to testing gaps in the current model and by drilling exploration targets adjacent to and beneath the current conceptual constrained resource.

To support the current PEA and future advanced engineering and mining studies, the firm added that it will carry out around 8,000m of short-interval, orientated, mineral continuity and geotechnical, cross-style drill-sets, in three separate areas in the south and north portions of the Central Zone and within the West Zone.

And in June this year, New Pacific said it had begun an initial discovery drill program at the Carangas Silver project. The company said it has identified near-surface bulk-tonnage and high-grade vein-hosted silver-rich polymetallic targets centered on and adjacent to the historically exploited West and East Dome areas.

Phase I of the 5,000-metre (m) drill program will consist of about 20 drill holes for an initial 3,000m to be completed over an eight-week period. Contingent on the success of initial results, follow-up drilling will complete the budgeted 5,000m program.

New Pacific said the Carangas exploration camp and support facilities are now fully operational and the projects Bolivian drill contractor has commenced drilling with a single diamond drill rig.

Just two weeks earlier, on June 15, New Pacific said its Bolivian joint venture partner had received the exploration licenses and environmental permits required to commence multi-disciplinary exploration activities at Carangas. The company said then that Phase I drill program at the project was expected to commence shortly after the company received exploration licenses, environmental permits, and community approvals for exploration at the project, which is situated in Bolivias Oruro Department.

It was in April, 2021 that New Pacific had revealed it would acquire a 98% stake in the Carangas silver project after inking a deal with the private Bolivian company over the purchase. The agreement has a 30-year term and is renewable for a further 15 years.

On the financial front, on May 14 New Pacific announced that, as of March 31, 2021, it had working capital of C$59.98 million. The company said the financial runway is sufficient to advance its flagship Silver Sand Project in Bolivia and regional exploration initiatives, including the Silverstrike Project and the Carangas Silver project.

New Pacific also noted then that the Silver Sand Preliminary Economic Analysis (PEA) continues to advance with approximately 65% completed as of March 31.

And in May, New Pacific revealed that it had received approval to list its issued and outstanding common shares on the NYSE American Stock Exchange. Trading in its common shares on the NYSE American commenced under the symbol NEWP on May 20. New Pacific said its shares would delist from the OTCQX but will continue to maintain the listing of its common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NUAG.

What the broker says:

On July 28, broker Roth Capital Partners repeated a 'Buy' on the company following news it had kicked off a 38,000 metres (m) diamond drill program at its flagship Silver Sand project.

"80% of the drill program is focused on resource expansion, while the remainder is focused on infill drilling. We view this as a positive development for the company as a lack of drilling in recent quarters had reduced the potential for positive catalysts," said the analysts.

"Additionally, the company is working on a PEA for the project, and we believe the release of the PEA is likely to be a catalyst for the company," they added.

Roth also noted that since it last wrote about the company, it had begun trading on the NYSE American under the symbol 'NEWP'. "As a result, we are converting our coverage from the company's Canadian ticker to the new U.S. symbol," it said.

This has resulted in the price target being converted to US$5.25 from C$6.50 previously, said the broker, adding that this technically represented a small increase in the price target, but noted this was only "due to rounding".

Inflection points:

Results from drilling at Carangas

Results from Silver Sand drillimng program

Precious metals moves

What the boss says:

"We are excited by the potential offered at the Carangas project located on La Ruta de la Plata (the Silver Road), which hosts outcropping silver mineralization and historically exploited high-grade silver veins. We look forward to sharing the results as they become available, CEO Mark Cruise said in a statement on June 29 this year, as the company kicked off an initial discovery drill program at Carangas.

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
( , , )'s ( ) Callum Laing joins Proactive London after announcing their second acquisition in the health care sector, he says 'it's nice to be talking about deals again'.

UK home care agency provider Vista Care Solutions is the companys fifth purchase of the year and its 17th since the start of 2020.

Laing explains that aside from Covid-19, this is a growth area following the acquisition early in 2020 of Samuel Hobson House, a care home based in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

He says care homes are integral to the British service economy and Vista Care represents the best of the sector with a future facing and innovative offering that gives the people it cares for the best possible experience.
Copenhagen, Aug 20 : A group of 84 evacuees from Afghanistan arrived in Denmark on Thursday, after being picked up from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad by a Scandinavian Airlines plane.

The group, comprised mainly of Afghans who have worked for the Danish embassy in Kabul and their families, was evacuated following the takeover of Kabul by Taliban, the Xinhua news agency reported.

"I am pleased to be able to confirm that we have now got a plane with 84 evacuated people on safe ground in Denmark," said Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod on his Twitter account.

Upon arrival, the evacuees were transported to Center Sandholm, Denmark's largest asylum centre, 31 km north of Copenhagen. Initially, the Red Cross will be responsible for accommodating them, and they will have to quarantine for five days under Coronavirus rules.

Kofod confirmed on Twitter that the evacuation of Danes and Afghan employees continues unabated.

"The operation is still in full swing, and we are working at high pressure to evacuate the last local staff, interpreters and other groups out of Kabul." Evacuated Afghan employees and their families are permitted to stay in Denmark for two years following a recent political agreement. Under the Danish Aliens Act, the evacuees also have the right to apply for a residence permit.
Washington, Aug 20 : The suspect who drove near the US Capitol building on Thursday threatening that the bomb in his vehicle would detonate ultimately surrendered and was taken into custody, US Capitol Police (USCP) said, ending an hours-long standoff starting in the morning during which multiple nearby buildings were evacuated.

The USCP said in a tweet that the suspect, identified as 49-year-old Floyd Ray Roseberry, "has been safely taken into custody", the Xinhua news agency reported.

USCP Chief Tom Manger told a news briefing that the man had parked a pickup truck in front of the Library of Congress, which is adjacent to the Capitol building, for several hours and had "advised he had explosives." Manger said officials do not know if there are still explosives in the vehicle and the site under ongoing investigation is still an "active scene." Officials still need to search the vehicle and render it safe, he said.

The suspect eventually got out of the vehicle and surrendered, bringing an end to negotiations during which law enforcement officers tried to use a white board to communicate with the man, who at one time refused to use a telephone officials sent to him via a robot, according to Manger.

Speaking of Roseberry's background currently known to police, Manger said the man "has had some losses of family. I believe his mother recently passed away, and we spoke with members of his family, and there were other issues that he was dealing with." Manger also confirmed some of the negotiations were being live-streamed on social media.

In a livestream video Roseberry posted onto his Facebook page, the suspect was talking about a "revolution," calling on "other patriots," and trying to get President Joe Biden or a representative to speak with him via telephone. The White House said Biden has been briefed on the incident.

Roseberry also warned that the sound-sensitive bomb in his truck would explode in the event of bullets shattering the glass, claiming in the meantime that four other "patriots" were inside four other vehicles in the area that were set to explode as well.

Describing himself as being apolitical, Roseberry in the video repeatedly called out Democrats, venting his fury with them over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and urging them to resign from public office. "I don't want to die," he said, "I'm not hurting anybody." Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said they removed the Roseberry's Facebook account and are investigating, reported The Washington Post, which cited a law enforcement official as saying while Roseberry seemed to be the only suspect, it was too early to definitively rule out his claims of having other explosives or working with others.

The incident led to a massive police response on Capitol Hill involving the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Washington Field Office National Capital Response Squad and the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police.

Multiple buildings belonging to the sprawling Capitol Complex have been evacuated due to the incident, including the Supreme Court building, the Cannon House Office Building, the Library of Congress' Thomas Jefferson Building and James Madison Memorial Building.

The House and the Senate are both in summer recess and most lawmakers are not in their offices. The Supreme Court Building remains closed to the public due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Srinagar, Aug 20 : An encounter has started between terrorists and security forces at Khrew in Pampore area of South Kashmir's Pulwama district on Friday morning, officials said.

"Encounter has started at Khrew, Pampore area of Awantipora. Police and security forces are on the job," police said.

The firefight between terrorists and security forces took place after a joint team of the police and the army cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.
Colombo, Aug 20 : Sri Lanka's health experts have said that an investigation was launched to identify the implications of three new mutations of the Covid-19 Delta variant found mainly in Colombo to see if it is more contagious than the original strain.

State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Channa Jayasumana said in Parliament that the new mutations had been identified in Sri Lanka, which might explain why the virus was spreading rapidly in the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

Head of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Sciences of the Sri Jayawardenapura University Professor Neelika Malavige said the three variants had been found from gene sequencing done by health experts around 10 days ago, and they were now probing to identify its implications.

The three new mutations had mainly been identified in Colombo which has been identified as the epicentre of the Delta variant.

Sri Lanka's total Covid-19 patient count reached 372,079 after 2,720 patients tested positive for the virus on Thursday, statistics showed.

The present active patient count in the country increased to 46,761.

The death toll from the virus reached 6,604.

Sri Lanka has presently imposed a curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. and public gatherings remain banned until further notice.
New York, Aug 20 : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has discussed the situation in Afghanistan with India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for a second time this week, according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

Price said that when the two leaders spoke on Thursday, they agreed to continue coordination in Afghanistan.

Blinken and Jaishankar last spoke on Monday, a day after the Taliban took control of Kabul.

Jaishankar was in New York for two days of UN Security Council programmes on protecting peacekeepers and fighting terrorism and was leaving the city on Thursday.

He told reporters at the UN that getting Indians trapped in Afghanistan was the Indian government's priority and US controls Kabul airport, the main gateway out of the country.

"The immediate issue that we are looking at is really the repatriation of our nationals, in the case of India. India's nationals, other countries have their concern.

"We are working with international partners in this regard, especially, principally the US because they control the airport," he added.

After his call on Monday, Jaishankar tweeted that while discussing the latest developments in Afghanistan he "underlined the urgency of restoring airport operations in Kabul. Deeply appreciate the American efforts underway in this regard".

Blinken got in touch with several Foreign Ministers on Thursday to discuss the Afghanistan situation, according to Price.

He had a videoconference with the Foreign Ministers of the G7 countries -- the UK, France, Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada -- and Joseph Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs.

"All leaders underscored the imperative of safe passage for those who wish to leave Afghanistan and the need for an inclusive political resolution that protects the fundamental human rights of all Afghans," Price said.

They also discussed counter-terrorism, humanitarian efforts, and refugee migration, he added, (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hong Kong, Aug 20 : Hollywood star Nicole Kidman has got a quarantine waiver from the Hong Kong authorities which has drawn criticism from local residents.

The 54-year-old actress jetted off to Hong Kong last week for the Amazon series "The Expats", which is now shooting there, but was not subject to the city's strict isolation rules, reports deadline.com.

According to local media reports, Kidman flew into Hong Kong from Sydney on a private jet on August 12, and in the week since has been seen out shopping in the city.

Individuals entering Hong Kong are subject to a 21-day mandated quarantine in a hotel, regardless of vaccination status.

Australia is trying to contain an outbreak of the deadly Delta variant at present and major cities have been experiencing lockdown measures to curb an increase in cases.

Many Hong Kong residents have not been able to travel overseas from the city in nearly two years.

According to deadline.com, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau released a statement confirming the actress had been "granted permission to travel to Hong Kong with a quarantine exemption" and that her filming work is "conducive to maintain the necessary operation and development of Hong Kong's economy", according to the South China Morning Post.

Some Hong Kong residents took to social media to express their dissatisfaction at the exemption.

Kidman is an executive producer on "The Expats" through her banner Blossom Films. It has not been confirmed if she will also star.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : To take stock of the party's poll preparedness, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief J.P. Nadda is reaching Uttarakhand on Friday.

It is learnt that during his visit, the BJP chief will be holding around a dozen meetings.

Nadda will be arriving in Dehradun around 10.30 a.m. "After reaching Dehradun, Nadda would visit Bhaniyawala, Chiddarwala, Nepali Farm, and Raiwala areas. In the mid noon, Nadda will reach Haridwar where all the meetings will be held," a party leader said.

A senior party functionary said, "Nadda ji will begin his organisational 'pravas' in Uttarakhand and he will take part in various party programmes and guide party workers. He will interact with state leaders in different groups and collect feedback from them.

"Nadda ji would meet and discuss party preparation separately with MPs, MLAs, ministers, state office bearers, core committee and different morcha (wings) to understand the real situation on the ground before next year's Assembly poll," a party leader said.

During his visit to Uttarakhand, Nadda will meet district presidents and elected members of local bodies, and religious leaders.

Party leaders claim that with Nadda's visit to Uttarakhand, BJP will shift into election mode in the state. Despite being a small state, Uttarakhand is crucial for the ruling BJP as the saffron party changed two chief ministers in four months.

In March, the BJP had made Trirath Singh Rawat Chief Minister of Uttarakhand replacing Trivendra Singh Rawat. In July, Tirath Singh was replaced by Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Nadda has already visited Goa and Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly polls will be held early next year along with Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur. Last month, a two day coordination meeting was held between the BJP and RSS. In July, Nadda was scheduled to visit the hill state but it was postponed.
Rampur : , Aug 20 (IANS) A government doctor has been booked for allegedly making a video of an auxiliary nurse and midwife (ANM) when she was taking a bath and blackmailing her with the intent to establish physical relations with her.

The victim, who belongs to the minority community, is posted at a community health centre (CHC) in the Shahbad area of Rampur district.

In her complaint to the police, the ANM has accused the CHC doctor of showing the video clip to her husband, following which he gave her divorce.

"The doctor had also forced himself on me," she alleged.

Milak circle officer, Omkar Nath Sharma, said, "It appears that the woman had an extra-marital affair with the doctor.

Now, she is accusing him of blackmail and rape. The doctor, around 45 years of age, is also married. We have registered an FIR against the accused under IPC sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation)." The circle officer further said, "The accused's wife is also a doctor. The couple had taken a transfer from the Shahbad CHC around ten days ago and joined the Moradabad district hospital. We are probing the case from all angles."
Ottawa, Aug 20 : The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have resumed flights to Afghanistan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced.

In a statement on Thursday, Trudeau said that CAF assets and personnel have arrived on the ground in Afghanistan to coordinate at the tactical level with the US and other allied partners, helping "get Canadians, Afghans and their families to safety", reports Xinhua news agency.

Trudeau said two CAF CC-177 planes will make regular flights into Kabul to support evacuation efforts.

"Canada has personnel on the ground now and we'll have more personnel arriving later today to help with the processing," he said, adding the images out of Kabul have been heartbreaking and that government remains committed to helping hundreds of Afghans who helped Canada.

Those Afghans include former interpreters and support staff as well as their families who are now at risk of Taliban arrest or worse for having worked with the Canadian military and other organisations after the insurgents took over the country, CTV News reported.

Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said on Thursday that the C-17s have been reconfigured to maximise the number of passengers they can carry and have begun to fly in and out of Kabul.

"Our CAF teams will be given a list of vetted and vulnerable individuals, and will be assisting those individuals onto flights," Lamirande added.

"These flights can be expected to have foreign and Afghan nationals who have been accepted under the immigration programs of other nations. In turn, other nations have, and will continue to, extract Canadian citizens or Afghans who are destined for (or eligible for immigration to) Canada." "Canadian Armed Forces flights to and from Hamid Karzai International Airport will resume shortly under Op AEGIS," Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a tweet on Wednesday night.

Operation Aegis is designed for the military to help with evacuation efforts in Afghanistan.
Lucknow, Aug 20 : The Uttar Pradesh government has renamed the Saharanpur State University as Maa Shakumbhari University.

The Uttar Pradesh State Universities (Amendment) Bill 2021 that provides for renaming the university was 'passed' in the state Assembly on Thursday.

Later Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, issued a statement saying that, "The ancient temple of Goddess Shakumbhari Devi is situated in Saharanpur district, which is one of the famous Shakti Peeths of India. The general public has an unwavering reverence for Maa Shakumbhari Devi. Dedicating the Saharanpur State University, established by the state government, to Maa Shakumbhari Devi, it was decided to name the said university after her name in accordance with the sentiments of the general public." The Bill, when it becomes law, would replace the Uttar Pradesh State Universities (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 that Governor Anandiben Patel promulgated on August 3, 2021.

It is noteworthy that the media was not allowed to cover the Monsoon Session of the state assembly citing Corona protocols and only a partial proceedings were digitally streamed.
London, Aug 20 : The G7 nations have sought to secure close cooperation in personnel evacuation and the resettlement of refugees as chaos continues at the Kabul airport amid the hasty withdrawal of the US-led military troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban's swift takeover of the war-torn country.

The Foreign Ministers of G7 -- the UK Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US -- as well as the high representative of the European Union, met online on Thursday and "spoke about the gravity of the situation and the significant loss of life and internal displacement in Afghanistan over recent days", according to a statement issued by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in his capacity as the chair of the meeting.

"G7 Ministers support the statement of the UN Security Council on August 16, and affirmed our commitment in particular to the urgent need for the cessation of violence, respect for human rights including for women, children and minorities, inclusive negotiations about the future of Afghanistan," it said.

Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan over the weekend, scenes of chaotic evacuation at the Kabul airport and desperate Afghans who fell from the sky after clinging to planes taking off shocked the world.

Thousands of the nationals and local support staff of the United States and its allies are still left stranded in Afghanistan, waiting to be evacuated.

The latest development came as the rift between Washington and its European allies seemed to have widened over the Afghan crisis.

On Tuesday, French newspaper Le Monde said "Europeans were trapped in hasty American withdrawal".

Last week, UK Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace said that the US decision to pull its military forces out of Afghanistan was a "mistake".

The G7 will continue efforts to evacuate vulnerable persons from Kabul airport and call on all parties to facilitate that, the ministers concurred during Thursday's meeting, which set the stage for a virtual meeting of G7 leaders on the Afghan situation next week.

The UK Home Office has introduced a "bespoke" resettlement plan, promising to take in up to 20,000 Afghans "in the long-term," with some 5,000 being in the first year.

The plan was considered far from enough to deal with the Afghan crisis by British lawmakers who met for an emergency Parliament session on Wednesday.
Kanpur : , Aug 20 (IANS) A Fast-track court here has sent an accused to seven years imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 15,000 for physically exploiting a woman under the pretext of marriage.

The accused identified as Dharmendra Vishwakarma was sentenced by the additional session judge of the Fast-track court on Thursday.

The presiding judge, in his order, observed that if the accused failed to pay the fine, then he would have to serve another jail term of six months. The period in which the accused was in the jail would be adjusted in the sentence term.

According to additional district government counsels Vinod Tripathi and Indralata Shukla, the complainant was the victim herself.

She had stated in her FIR that she was friendly with Dharmendra, a resident of Arra Bingawan, who promised to marry her.

Her mother had even visited Dharmendra's residence and discussed the marriage issue, but Arvind Vishwakarma, brother of Dharmendra, demanded a sum of Rs 5 lakh as dowry.

Moreover, he threatened her mother with dire consequences if she spoke about this to anyone.

Arvind, thereafter, frequently visited her house to threaten the family.

The government counsel stated that during the trial, the victim had been abducted by Dharmendra who established physical relations with her under the pretext of marriage and had exploited her several times at different places.

The presiding judge in his observation stated that prosecution had successfully proved that the accused had physically exploited the victim and sought her consent under the pretext of marriage.

The charges of dowry demand could not be proved. Therefore, accused Arvind Vishwakarma and others have been acquitted.
Madikeri : , Aug 20 (IANS) The fervent appeals of a little girl, Hrithiksha, to find her late mother's mobile phone have been answered. The Kodagu district police in Karnataka found the phone and returned it to the girl.

Hrithiksha's mother died in March due to Covid-19. Though hospital authorities had returned the luggage, the mobile phone was never returned.

Madikeri Superintendent of Police Kshama Mishra returned the phone to Hrithiksha at her office along with a chocolate bar on Thursday.

The family had recognized the mobile and it was confirmed through IMEI number. All the data and pictures in the inbuilt storage was intact. "We are happy that the mobile phone could be traced and returned. The girl has her mother's memories in the cell phone," explained SP Kshama Mishra.

Hrithiksha, who got back the mobile phone, said that she always believed that she would get back the stolen phone. "My father did not believe me all these days. Pictures of my mother, data related to my online classes are intact," she said.

The police said that hospital staff found Hrithiksha's mobile near the store room and returned it to the dean.

Hritiksha had written a heart wrenching letter to the Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Charulatha Somal, former minister and BJP MLA's K.G.Bopaiah and Appachu Ranjan and also to the staff of Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) to help her get back her mother's mobile phone which has been stolen in the hospital.

Holding a letter in her hand Hrithiksha, the daughter of a painter in Kushalnagar, had appealed three months ago to return the phone saying that some of the best pictures of her mother are stored in it. "I have to lead my life without my mother," she had mentioned.

Hrithiksha's family of three, father T.R. Naveen Kumar, mother Prabha and herself tested positive for Covid on May 6. Prabha was shifted to hospital as condition turned serious. She died on May 16 in the KIMS hospital. Though her belongings were returned, the family did not get Prabha's mobile phone from the hospital authorities.

"I am in isolation with my father. We depend on neighbours for food and other requirements. After the death of my mother, her mobile phone has not been returned to us. I am an orphan now. That mobile phone has the best photos of my mother and our memories are stored," she appealed in her letter.

The letter went viral on social media. The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the district police in this connection. Madikeri City police have taken a suo motu case.

The little girl's appeals have gone viral and melted many hearts across the country. The people also slammed the attitude of stealing away things belonging to patients as inhuman and vented out their ire on hospital staff.
Washington, Aug 20 : The Covid-19 infection rate in prisons across the US has reached 34 per cent, an expert has said.

"Prisons and jails have hosted some of the largest Covid-19 outbreaks in the US, with some facilities approaching 4,000 cases... In US prisons, the (infection) rate is 34 out of 100," Danielle Wallace, associate professor of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the Arizona State University, wrote in an article.

The article was published in The Conversation, a Melbourne-based online media outlet that publishes news stories and articles by academics and researchers.

A main reason for such a high Covid-19 infection rate is correctional officers, who have been playing a leading role in spreading infectious diseases for years, Wallace noted, calling them "a weak link".

"Current prison conditions, including poor ventilation, overcrowding and a lack of space for social distancing, and isolation, make respiratory diseases like Covid-19 very difficult to control," she said, adding that many US states have remained at a prisoner capacity of at least 100 per cent during the pandemic.

Wallace also attributed the high infection rate in US prisons to short staffing as well as low vaccination rates among correctional officers and incarcerated people.

"Across all states, incarcerated people have not been prioritised for the vaccine. Even when the vaccines are available, many incarcerated people are sceptical about receiving them due to mistrust of prison officials," she said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Lucknow, Aug 20 : In an unexpected turn of events, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has directed officials to take a pledge to not discriminate against caste, community, region, religion and language and work towards ensuring unity and harmony among all citizens.

The pledge is to be taken on the 77th birth anniversary of former Prime minister late Rajiv Gandhi.

In a letter issued to the state DGP, deputy commissioners, district officials and other senior police officers, principal secretary Jitendra Kumar has directed that programmes to commemorate the Rajiv Gandhi birth anniversary should be held and officials should take the 'Sadbhavna Diwas Pratigya'.

The pledge says, "I pledge that I will not discriminate against caste, community, region, religion and language and will work towards the unity and harmony of all Indian citizens. I also pledge to not rely on violence and resolve differences through dialogue and Constitutional medium." Rajiv Gandhi took over as Prime Minister in 1984 following the assassination of his mother and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He became India's youngest Prime Minister at the age of 40.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.

Meanwhile, the pledge order has left the BJP completely foxed.

"We fail to understand why the Yogi government is observing the birth anniversary of a Congress leader. This is the first time that a BJP government is celebrating such an occasion," said a senior BJP MLA.

Other party leaders, when contacted, refused to comment.
San Francisco, Aug 20 : Apple has delayed return to office until at least January 2022, as the US witnesses a surge in cases of the delta variant of Covid-19.

The iPhone maker said the employees would get a month's notice before they rejoin work in-person, reports The Verge, citing an internal email.

"I know there are feeling of frustration that the pandemic is not yet behind us. For many colleagues around the world, this period has been a time of great tragedy, suffering, and heartbreak. Please know that we are all here to support one another and stand with one another during such challenging times," said, Deirdre O'Brien, senior vice president of people and retail.

In June, Apple CEO Tim Cook had said that employees would need to return to offices three days a week starting in early September. That date was then moved to at least October.

Some employees have pushed back against Apple's hybrid model at workplace.

Earlier, Facebook also delayed its return-to-office plans till early next year.

Microsoft has also pushed its full office reopening date from September to "no earlier than October 4, 2021".

Twitter has shut offices in US, and Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said the company will require employees to be vaccinated before returning to the office in the later part of the year.

Amazon has also announced to delay its return-to-office timeline by January 2022.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 37,291,739 and 625,153, respectively.
Ankara, Aug 20 : Turkish police have detained 506 illegal immigrants in the country's biggest city of Istanbul, authorities announced.

Police forces have recently beefed up their controls against irregular refugees and detained 506 undocumented foreign nationals, including 239 Afghans, across the city on Wednesday, the Istanbul governor's office said in a statement on Thursday.

It added that the apprehended migrants were sent to a local repatriation centre for deportation procedures.

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said 38,251 irregular migrants have been arrested across the city since the beginning of this year.

Turkey, a key transit point for asylum seekers on their way to Europe, has been lately witnessing an increased influx of Afghan refugees fleeing turmoil in their homeland.

The country hosts more than 4 million refugees, including 3.6 million Syrians, within its borders, mostly in Istanbul.
Tel Aviv, Aug 20 : Israeli airline workers staged a protest at the Ben Gurion International Airport here to express their dissatisfaction with the distressful work environment and low payment.

On Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., hundreds of employees of Israel's major airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia halted their work and demonstrated at the airport, according to statements issued by Israeli largest worker union Histadrut.

The demonstrators claim that there has been severe employment distress in the Israeli aviation industry since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

Thousands of aviation workers have been laid off or put on unpaid leave since the crisis began, and many have not yet returned to work and fear for their job security ahead of the Jewish New Year in early September, it added.

Workers of the Israel Airports Authority, which operates the airport, joined the demonstrations to show solidarity.

As a result, more than 10 takeoffs were postponed, and baggages were not unloaded from landing planes.

The airport resumed normal operations after the two-hour demonstration.
Damascus, Aug 20 : Israel launched missile strikes at some sites in the Syrian capital of Damascus and the central province of Homs.

The Syrian air defences responded to the attacks late Thursday night, intercepting most of the Israeli missiles, Xinhua news agency quoted a military source as saying to local media.

The Syrian authorities were assessing the damages caused by the strikes, the source added.

The sounds of explosions were clearly heard in Damascus as the Syrian air defenses were responding to the attack.

A Xinhua reporter in Damascus saw Syrian air defence missiles in the sky before loud explosions were heard.

The Israeli attack was the second to hit Syria within two days, after a missile attack targeted military sites in the country's southwestern province of Quneitra on Tuesday.

Israel has repeatedly launched attacks at Syrian military sites under the pretext of targeting the sites where pro-Iran militias are located.
Nouakchott, Aug 20 : Forty-seven migrants were found dead off the coast of Nouadhibou, northwest Mauritania, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced in a joint statement.

According to the statement received on Thursday by Xinhua news agency, a boat carrying the migrants left on August 3 from North Africa's Atlantic coast for the Canary Islands and was carrying 54 people, including three children.

"After two days at sea, an engine failure left the passengers stranded without food or water for almost two weeks. When they were spotted by the Mauritanian coast guards on August 16, only seven people were still alive, four of them in critical condition," the statement said.

The tragedy came 10 days after the death of 40 other migrants on the same route, the two agencies added.

According to the IOM, in January 2021, more than 350 people died, while more than 8,000 refugees and migrants reached Spain via this sea route.

Since October 2020, more than 1,200 people have been rescued off the Mauritanian coast and received medical assistance as part of a first aid program set up by the IOM.

The IOM and UNHCR are appealing for more support to be able to continue their lifesaving interventions, including screening and medical and psychosocial aid.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : The American-based pharma major Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has applied to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for permission to conduct a vaccine trial of the Covid-19 single shot Janssen vaccine in India on children of 12-17 age group.

The American pharma J&J said in a statement that it had submitted its application on Tuesday, and that it is "imperative" to ensure all sections of the population, including children, are vaccinated against the coronavirus as quickly as possible to stop the virus.

The single-shot vaccine of J&J is the second Covid-19 vaccine which has already been approved for the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) through the fast-track approval route by the Drug Controller General of India.

In the statement, Johnson & Johnson India also said this was an important step forward in accelerating the availability of its Covid-19 vaccine to help end the pandemic.

Earlier, the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had tweeted about the Emergency Use Authorisation being given to Johnson & Johnson.

Mandaviya had tweeted, "India expands its vaccine basket! Johnson and Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is given approval for Emergency Use in India. Now India has 5 EUA vaccines. This will further boost our nation's collective fight against COVID19." The five vaccines which have been granted emergency use authorization approval in India include Serum Institute's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V, Moderna and now Johnson & Johnson (J&J).

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Film: '200 Halla Ho' (Playing on ZEE5) (IANS Rating: ***)Film: '200 Halla Ho' (Playing on ZEE5)

Duration: 115 minutes

Director: Sarthak Dasgupta

Cast: Amol Palekar, Rinku Rajguru, Barun Sobti, Sahil Khattar, Saloni Batra, Upendra Limaye, Indraneil Sengupta and Flora Saini

Rating: ***By Troy Ribeiro

The failure of the criminal justice system has often led to lynching incidents around the world. Inspired by one such event, director Sarthak Dasgupta's '200 Halla Ho' is a story of mob revenge.

Set in Nagpur, the film tells you how a group of Dalit women, residents of Rahee Nagar, take the law into their own hands by lynching and killing Balli Chaudhary (Sahil Khattar), a gangster who was terrorising them.

This mob justice was delivered within the court premises before the proceedings of the court could begin. A group of masked women slaughter Balli by chopping off his body parts with regular household items after blinding him and the policemen who had accompanied him for a court hearing with chilli powder.

Flummoxed by the incident, and when he is forced to file a case against the women, Senior Inspector Patil (Upendra Limaye) says, "This is not a failure on the part of the police but a slap on the face of the legal system." He arrests five women without any evidence against them.

The Women Rights Commission, a quasi-judicial body sets up a fact-finding committee to help these women. The team consisting of an advocate, Anwar Sheikh, a professor, Abhinav Avsare, and a journalist named Poorva Sawhney, played by Saloni Batra, and is headed by retired Justice Vitthal Dangle (Amol Palekar).

How Dalit activist Asha Surve (Rinku Rajguru) motivates the women and garners support for their cause forms the crux of the narrative. The story is not at all shocking, but the narrative ends up becoming a feel-good tale of women enduring a series of horrific abuses, but at what cost? The film exploring this kind of disturbing, emotionally complex territory, cinematically might seem like too much to bear. But Sarthak Dasgupta, the director, tactfully balances tone and pacing, thus ensuring the film is intense and gripping. He successfully brings to the fore the anguish and despair of the women, the loathsome disgust of the antagonists, and showcases how the system operates. Some of the scenes appear dramatic and have a theatrical feel to them.

The film would not have been what it is had it not been for Sahil Khattar's performance. Balli Chaudhary is a well-etched antagonist and Sahil delivers it with gusto. His repulsiveness is palpable. His lingering, predatory looks and foreboding presence elevates the film's drift. Matching him in histrionics is Upendra Limaye as the unscrupulous Senior Inspector Patil.

Rinku Rajguru, as the activist Asha Surve, is natural and engaging. Her stimulating performance, though, is limited by the script, thus failing to hit bullseye.

Amol Palekar, who returns to the big screen after a long hiatus, plays the retired justice Vitthal Dangle to perfection. He gives a subdued performance befitting his personality.

Your heart bleeds for Barun Sobti who plays the lawyer Umesh Joshi, and Asha's love interest. There is something endearing about him.

Indraneil Sengupta as ACP Deshpande is perfunctory and so are the other supporting characters. While Indraneil is soft and low-key, the others, especially the women, are loud and dramatic.

On the technical front, mounted with decent production values, the film is astutely crafted.

(Troy Ribeiro can be contacted at troy.r@ians.in)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Mumbai, Aug 20 : Yami Gautam Dhar has started preparing for her role for upcoming investigative drama 'Lost', which is being shot in Kolkata. The actress says language is fundamental in giving the character a sense of belonging and that she always tries to make sure that she gets the regional accent correct.

Essaying a feisty crime reporter based out in the heartland of Bengal, Yami is going the extra mile by learning the language to get into the skin of her character.

Yami said: "Language is fundamental in giving the character a sense of belonging and look genuine on screen. I always try to make sure that I get the regional accent or the dialect correct, even for a brief dialogue." "For 'Lost', I am conversing with the Bengali crew on the sets to understand the little nuances of their speech. It is also helping to catch its diction for my role," the actress added.

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury is directing 'Lost', based on the issue surrounding media integrity.

Yami also has 'A Thursday', 'Dasvi' and 'Bhoot Police' in the pipeline.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Aug 19: After the swift victory of Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is likely to be the new President of Afghanistan while his deputy in the Doha office, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, is expected to be a key player in the new government.

Stanikzai, who was a deputy foreign minister in the last Taliban regime, is in contrast to his peers, considered to be highly educated as he has passed out of the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun. He was trained at the officers' academy in the 1970s, under the Indo-Afghan defence cooperation programme. Most of the other Taliban leaders have in contrast studied from madrasas in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Born in 1963 in the Baraki Barak district of Logar province, Afghanistan, Stanikzai is ethnically a Pashtun.

In the 1980s, he left the Afghan army and joined "Jihad" against the Soviet army, fighting with Nabi Mohammadi's Harakat-e Inqilab-e Islami and Abd ul Rasul Sayaf's Ittehad-e-Islami, as commander of its south-western front. Harakat is the mujahidin faction considered closest to the Taliban both in terms of worldview and personnel and included Mullah Omar in its ranks. When the Taliban came to power in 1996, Stanakzai served as deputy minister of foreign affairs and later deputy minister of Public Health of the insurgent regime.

According to analyst Kate Clark, the English speaking "soldier" was the face of the Taliban for the west. But he was never trusted by his boss, the then foreign minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil Abdul Ghaffar who later defected from the Taliban, when the US started attacks on Afghanistan in pursuit of Osama Bin Laden.

Daughter studying in the US: After the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001, first he went to Pakistan like all Taliban leaders and then to Qatar. The government of Qatar has agreed to financially support the Ex-Taliban leader and his family. Two years back, the former Tolo news reporter shared a picture of Abbas Stanikzai's daughter who was studying in the US. In 2015, he took charge at the Taliban's political office in Doha.

"#Taliban's hypocrisy. Abbas Stanikzai's daughter is studying abroad while they don't let girls go to school in Afghanistan" Stanakzai is also remembered as an official deemed 'presentable' enough by Kandahar to be often assigned to entertain foreign visitors and occasionally give media interviews in English when Taliban founder Mullah Omar ruled Afghanistan.

Stanikzai as a Taliban envoy went to meet US President Bill Clinton in 1996, to ask the Clinton administration to extend diplomatic recognition to Taliban ruled Afghanistan. It was the time when Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recognised the regime.

Though Stanekzai and others were under international travel bans because of their UN designations, arrangements were reportedly made to allow them to travel to Qatar.

According to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, Stanekzai has represented the Taliban in "a number of rounds of peace talks with the US and Afghan government".

In 2016, he went to Beijing and met the Chinese leadership, establishing direct contact between the Taliban and China. After the US-Taliban agreement he had been travelling to Moscow, Uzbekistan, China and other places. The buzz is that Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai could be the Taliban's foreign minister again.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Lucknow, Aug 20 : President Ram Nath Kovind will be the chief guest at the diamond jubilee celebrations of Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey Uttar Pradesh Sainik School in Lucknow on August 27.

During his visit to the country's pioneer institution, Kovind will unveil a six-feet tall bronze statue of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Sampurnanand.

The President will also inaugurate a 1,000-seater auditorium named after Sampurnanand, a scholar of Sanskrit and Hindi, and founder of the Sainik School in 1960.

He will lay the foundation stone of a girls' hostel that will accommodate 115 students. He will unveil a design project that aims at doubling the students' strength from existing 450 cadets to 900.

Under the project, foundation stones will be laid for the administrative block, cadet mess, academic block and a hostel.

The four events scheduled on August 27 will mark the completion of the school's diamond jubilee celebrations.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Governor Anandiben Patel, and Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma who holds the education portfolio, will also attend the events.

The year-long celebrations that kicked off in July 2020 saw festivities that marked 60 glorious years of the school.

Sainik School Principal Colonel Rajesh Raghav said, "The two projects for which the foundation stones will be laid are part of the expansion plans of the diamond jubilee year." A stamp will be released to mark the occasion.

President Kovind will be on a four-day visit to Uttar Pradesh from August 26.

He will be the chief guest at the ninth convocation of the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow on August 26.

On August 28, Kovind will leave for Gorakhpur where he will lay the foundation of Ayush University and also inaugurate a hospital of the Gorakhnath University. He will return to Lucknow the same day.

On August 29, the President will visit Ayodhya by a special Presidential train and offer prayers at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
Lisbon, Aug 20 : Portugal has reached its target of fully vaccinating 70 per cent of its population against Covid-19, the Minister of Health Marta Temido announced.

With an average of around 100,000 people being immunised per day, the Portuguese Vaccination Task Force has confirmed that the milestone of 70 per cent vaccination has been hit - several weeks before it was expected, Temido said in an interview on THursday.

"Now we have to continue to the next step, which is the goal of 85 per cent," she told SIC.

The Portuguese government has scheduled a meeting of the Council of Ministers for next week, when new decisions will be made on reopening the country and easing restrictions.

One of the items on the agenda is the end of the obligation to wear masks in the street.

The Minister also revealed that the results of studies on whether or not third doses are required will be known this August.

Portugal has registered 1,012,125 infections and 17,613 deaths since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic early last year.
Mangaluru, Aug 20 : Deepak Kumar U, a 35-year-old man who worked in the rescue fire fighting crew team of the US and NATO army base in Herat, Afghanistan, shared his experience of horror with the Taliban during his stint in the war-torn country.

"I am in touch with locals of Herat city who worked with me. There is a curfew kind of atmosphere in the entire city. People are not coming out of their houses," he told IANS.

Only the Kabul airport is operating and all the others are closed.

"When we were evacuated, there was no mad rush like it is happening in Kabul. Our base was handed over to the local government after evacuation," he says.

Deepak Kumar from Puttur in Dakshina Kannada worked at the Herat army base on the Iran border for six years.

"We worked with Portuguese and British nationals. Some have joined from Maharashtra and Kerala states also," he says.

"If everything went well I was planning to stay in Afghanistan for two more years," he says.

However, he returned on June 22 from Afghanistan with his colleagues Mithun Shetty, Shekar, Hyder and others.

"The military bases were established in the areas where terrorists were highly active. When I worked at a military base, rockets launched by the Taliban used to fall right inside the premises. The radar was used to identify it and give a signal before it fell. We used to run into the well-built bunkers. Until I was there, no casualty was reported due to rocket firing.

"Military personnel never shared any information with us, however, we used to observe their operations with curiosity," he said.

"Those who went to fight against the Taliban in fighter jets returned with dead bodies and injured soldiers. They were treated at the base hospitals," he adds.

Until the American army was present, the Taliban never wagged its tail. But, the Taliban was ready with modern ammunition to declare war, according to Deepak Kumar.

When America decided to withdraw its armed forces, Afghanistan locals who were in touch were scared. They used to say that the Taliban would occupy the whole country in one month after the withdrawal of American forces, this has come true, he explains.

When Americans left, they had trained the Afghanistan military. However, the army, about 3 lakh strong, could not defend against the 50-60,000 Taliban army. Afghans predicted this and the nature of Afghan people is really good, he says.

There were many Indians in the military system established by America and NATO countries. Most of them have returned after the withdrawal of American forces. All my friends have also returned to the country safely.

When the American army was present, the Taliban was pushed to remote villages. The local villagers in touch with the army used to be very scared to go back to their villages. Taliban took their fingerprints before allowing them inside villages. If anyone having links with the army was found, they would kill them. The villagers in touch with the military did not visit their places for years, he said.

Deepak Kumar found the job vacancy at an army base in Afghanistan, on the internet and attended the interview on Skype.

He then attended a medical exam in New Delhi and reached Kabul. He was given three days off once in five or six months and his travel expenses were taken care of.

"Initially I was scared. Since it was a military base where safety is ensured and many of my friends already worked, I chose to work," he added.
Mogadishu, Aug 20 : At least four people were killed and several others injured in a suicide bombing in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, a police officer said.

The officer told Xinhua news agency that a suicide bomber walked into a busy restaurant near Juba junction on THursday and blew himself up, causing multiple casualties.

"So far, we know that four people including the suicide bomber were killed and dozens of others sustained injuries," he said.

The scene of the attack is near the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) headquarters and the restaurant is frequented by security forces.

The authorities have not established whether security officers were among the casualties in the latest blast which comes as the elections of the Upper House are ongoing.

Witnesses said security forces have sealed off the scene.

No group has claimed immediate responsibility for the latest attack in the restive city but an Al Qaeda allied terrorist group usually stages such attacks.

The militants have intensified attacks in Somalia despite government forces having made intensive operations against the extremists in central and southern regions in recent months in an attempt to flush out terror cells.
New Delhi : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off 5 critical care/ trauma care ambulances donated by the Borderless World Foundation, Pune to Chinar Corps in New delhi on Friday, August 20, 2021.(Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off 5 critical care/ trauma care ambulances donated by the Borderless World Foundation, Pune to Chinar Corps in New delhi on Friday, August 20, 2021.(Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off 5 critical care/ trauma care ambulances donated by the Borderless World Foundation, Pune to Chinar Corps in New delhi on Friday, August 20, 2021.(Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off 5 critical care/ trauma care ambulances donated by the Borderless World Foundation, Pune to Chinar Corps in New delhi on Friday, August 20, 2021.(Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off 5 critical care/ trauma care ambulances donated by the Borderless World Foundation, Pune to Chinar Corps in New delhi on Friday, August 20, 2021.(Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off 5 critical care/ trauma care ambulances donated by the Borderless World Foundation, Pune to Chinar Corps in New delhi on Friday, August 20, 2021.(Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 20 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday flagged off five critical care ambulances donated to Chinar Corps in Jammu and Kashmir.

Chinar Coprs is the Army's strategic unit that guards the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K.

Singh flagged off the ambulances donated by a Pune based NGO -- Borderless World Foundation -- from his official residence here. Rajya Sabha member Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and former BJP national vice president Shyam Jaju, party leader Rajiv Kohli and social workers of the NGO were also present on the occasion.

"All ambulances go to five different locations in two districts of Kashmir that are Kupwara and Baramulla Districts. These ambulances will serve the people in Gurez, Machil, Keran, Tangdhar and Uri sectors," Virender Sachdeva, program coordinator of the flagging off ceremony, said.

Sahasrabuddhe said, "All ambulances go to the above five sectors which are on the Line of Control. All ambulances will be managed by the Indian Army." These ambulances will be used for ensuring critical care needs of the security personnel and for local population as per need in the five sectors.

"These ambulances will help the Indian Army in saving precious lives in the area close to LoC by providing timely critical trauma care. Many lives are lost due to delayed medical intervention, which generally are lost due to the lack of timely medical attention," Adhik Kadam, founding chairman Borderless World Foundation, said.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : With a focus on environment and ethical treatment of animals, in time for World Fashion Day celebrated on August 21, 32 leading Indian designers have agreed to exclude leather after being asked by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and Lakme Fashion Week to stop using the material.

The list of designers features leading names like Gaurav Gupta, House of Masaba by Masaba Gupta, JADE by Monica & Karishma, pero by Aneeth Arora, Ranna Gill, Shyamal & Bhumika, Sonaakshi Raaj, Siddartha Tytler, Rina Dhaka, Vikram Phadnis, Rocky Star, Atsu Sekhose, Dev R Nil, and Bloni by Akshat Bansal.

"Sustainability in fashion is multifold; animal cruelty and the toxic effluents from tanneries are key issues that need to be addressed alongside others. It's promising to see the responses from Indian fashion designers, it's a crucial step in the right direction. We're committed to fashion being ethical towards animals and value our association with PETA India," says Darshana Gajare, head sustainability, Lakme Fashion Week/RISE Worldwide.

"There's no such thing as a humane leather bag, pair of shoes, or jacket, and leather is the most environmentally damaging material used in fashion," says PETA India's senior media and celebrity projects coordinator Monica Chopra. "These innovative and forward-thinking leather-free designers know that cows and buffaloes are living, thinking, feeling beings, not fabric." In its visits to slaughterhouses, PETA India has documented that cattle are crammed into vehicles so tightly that many suffer from broken bones or die of suffocation. In order to kill them, slaughterhouse workers slit their throats in full view of others -- even though these animals are just as sensitive to pain as we are. And according to the 2017 "Pulse of the Fashion Industry" report published by the Global Fashion Agenda in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group, leather is the most polluting material used in fashion.

PETA India notes that vegan leather can be made with materials as varied as cork, mangoes, coconut, pineapple leaves, recycled plastic, mushrooms, tomato composite, grapes, and discarded temple flowers. In addition to saving animals, these options avoid the environmental and societal costs associated with animal-derived leather, including greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation to rear cows, and toxic tannery waste that pollutes the Ganges and harms tannery workers.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
New Delhi, Aug 20 : The Taliban have searched the closed Indian Consulates in Kandahar and Herat two days ago and the reportedly took some documents from the two missions, sources in the security set-up said.

According to the sources, the insurgents broke into the Consulate buildings and also took parked vehicles.

India has four Indian consulates located in Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad which were closed after the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15.

Amidst the critical situation in Afghanistan, the Indian Embassy personnel were evacuated by an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft on Tuesday, bringing back 120 Indians, including ITBP personnel from the Kabul airport.

The evacuation of remaining Indian workerswere also discussed in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) wherein the Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed to take all necessary steps to bring them back.

"Modi, in the two back-to-back meetings of the CCS on August 17 and 18, instructed officials for speedy evacuation of Indians who are still in the war-torn country, in the next few days and also to provide all possible help to Afghan brothers and sisters who are looking towards India for assistance," an official privy to these development had said.

The government has also introduced a new category of visa, "e-Emergency X-Misc Visa" ,under which all Afghan nationals can apply to visit India.

The emergency visa will be valid for six months first.

Earlier, the Indian embassy in Kabul was functioning with reduced staff members but evaluating the critical situation in the country, the government decided to call all of them back.
Beirut, Aug 20 : The US informed Lebanon that it has decided to help the country draw electricity from Jordan through Syria, a statement by Beirut Presidency said.

The plan would provide Egyptian natural gas to Jordan for generation into additional electricity that can be transmitted to Lebanon via Syria, as well as facilitate the transfer of natural gas to Lebanon, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying on THursday.

US Ambassador to Beirut Dorothy Shea informed Lebanese President Michel Aoun of this decision in a phone call, said the statement.

Negotiations are continuing with the World Bank to finance the cost of the gas, it added.

The announcement came a few hours following a speech delivered by Hezbollah Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stating that a ship will sail from Iran to Lebanon carrying fuel oil amid a steep shortage of the commodity in Lebanon.

Lebanon has been facing a serious shortage in fuel oil given the financial collapse in the country and its inability to secure U.S. currency to import the much-needed basic commodities.
New York, Aug 20 : Americans have further soured on Vice President Kamala Harris as she continues her radio silence on the chaotic and tragic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, a new poll indicates.

According to a Rasmussen Reports survey, released on Thursday, 55 per cent of likely voters say the former Senator from California is either "not qualified" or "not at all qualified" to assume the duties of the presidency.

By contrast, 43 per cent consider Harris "qualified" or "very qualified" to be commander in chief, the New York Post reported.

The same poll found in April that 49 per cent of likely voters said Harris was qualified to become President, though 51 per cent of voters had an "unfavourable impression" of her.

The poll was taken between August 12 to 15, as the Taliban embarked on its sweeping offensive across Afghanistan that led to the collapse of that country's Western-backed government weeks before the deadline to remove US combat forces.

Harris has not held a public event since last week, when she cut short a meeting with CEOs to discuss the Joe Biden administration's childcare proposals in order to receive an intelligence briefing about Afghanistan, the report said.

Since then, she has taken part in at least four briefings with President Biden and his national security team, but has confined her public statements about Afghanistan to Twitter and did not appear at his side when he attempted to defend the withdrawal in remarks from the White House East Room on Monday.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)
New Delhi, Aug 20 : If there is anything that the past one year has taught us, it is that the health of one's body and the mind are of paramount importance, and need more attention than we usually give. Getting some type of exercise for both has become vital, and one of the easiest ways to do both at once is to practice Yoga.

The quality of life in yoga is measured through the transformation of a well-maintained body with absence of illness and pain, tranquillity of mind, cultivation of energy and ultimately reaching higher levels of autonomy in your practice. Yoga has a very precise, direct and practical approach towards every instance of life and towards yoga practice. But Yoga is not just what you do on the mat, its guiding principles permeate within the very essence of being.

If you're really keen on starting, here are some easy, do-able tips that can get you started on a journey you will not regret taking. Suggestions by Sarvesh Shashi, Founder, SARVA: 1. Set a specific time, separate space and focus on the yoga practice preferable at a time when your body has good energy after a restful period. It may be in the morning or evening, this time differs according to everyone's schedule.

2. Practice on an empty stomach. Set the time for practice after 2 hours of any meal consumption. Small amounts of liquid can be consumed in these 2 hours.

3. Always practice yoga on a mat or blanket to avoid contact with the floor while practicing yoga for your own comfort. It aids in ease of practise, it is easier on the joints and avoids energy transference on an otherwise cool floor.

4. Distractions are unavoidable, but setting up the practise in such a way that it's easier to focus on yoga for the whole duration is definitely possible. For example, maybe you can't put your phone on silent, but you can leave it in the adjoining room. Or maybe complete privacy may not be possible, but you can definitely invest in a good pair of noise cancelling headphones which will transport you into a space of focus while taking an online class.

5. Start the session with a good warm up to create good blood circulation all over the body before practicing asana for better results. Sun salutations are an excellent warm up before asana practice.

6. Pay attention to your breathing pattern for specific asana for an effective practice. Inhalation and exhalation patterns matter in each and every aspect of your practice. The wrong breathing patterns will cause cramps or pain or simply the inability to reach your true potential in the asana.

7. Be mindful of your injuries. If you've had a serious injury, severe pain or are recovering from a surgery, you may want to consult a doctor and of course inform your trainer of these injuries as well.

8. Practice yoga under the guidance of a Yoga Teacher. Whether you are practising in person or online with a group of friends, finding the right teacher is the best motivation you can get to continue your journey.

9. End the session with a proper cool down, relaxation and meditation for a refreshed finishing. Yoga is a psychophysiological art for the training of the mind which is just as essential as the body.

10. Lastly, be present every moment of the class. Thinking of cooking tonight's dinner or about the presentation that is due next morning will mar the experience of your Yoga workout. It's not easy, but that is why it is worth it.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Kolkata, Aug 20 : In an effort to counter Trinamool Congress' grassroots level public relations exercise, the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is working on an alternative model where they will be launching their own survey teams. The teams selected by the IT cell -- replicating the Prashant Kishore model -- will be reaching out to the people in the farthest corners of the state to understand their basic needs and problems.

Taking a lesson from the defeat of the recently concluded Assembly polls, the state BJP is leaving no stones unturned before the 2024 Parliamentary election to checkmate Prashant Kishore, who is continuing as the political strategist of Trinamool Congress. It is no secret that the survey teams of Prashant Kishore reached out to the people and worked wonders for Trinamool Congress in the recently concluded Assembly polls.

"These survey teams will be launched in all the 39 organisational districts of the party in the state. The initiative has been mooted, keeping in mind the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections. There will be booth-level survey teams. In the initial stage, these survey teams will be launched in 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state and in due course, it will cover all the 42 Parliamentary constituencies," a senior BJP leader said.

These survey teams will be working at the grassroots level where more than 30,000 party workers will be engaged. They will make a booth-wise survey and submit reports to the state leadership which will be compiled and sent to the central leadership.

"They will collect information about the existing socio-political situation in respective localities. They will, especially, gather information from the people about the benefits received by them from the Centrally-sponsored projects and who did not get it. They will also collect data on the typical problems faced by the people in a particular locality," another leader said.

Confirming the decision, a senior party leader said that these survey teams are being launched following the instructions of the party's central leadership in New Delhi.

"Already, the process has started in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies. The initial work has started. They will move around in areas slotted for them, speak to the people and collect information. We will send the data collected by them to our central leadership in New Delhi and then take action based on the inputs from the high command," he added.

After the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, the state BJP leadership had been facing problems in keeping its organisation intact. The grassroots level party workers are either shying away from the party or joining Trinamool Congress -- either in fear of the ruling party or for some kind personal reasons keeping the state leadership in the dark.

"This public relation exercise is important because unless we get into the root of the problem, it is impossible to understand the ground reality and take some strategic decisions. These survey teams will be working as a bridge between the party leadership and the people. There is a communication gap which needs to be bridged," the senior party leader said.

When asked whether they are trying to replicate the Prashant Kishore model, the leader said, "We have these kinds of survey teams in all the states. So, it is not replicating any model, rather it is an implementation of the larger network which will help in introducing a discipline and a systematic mechanism in the party."
San Francisco, Aug 20 : Fuelled by wind and dry conditions, the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado county in Northern California has scorched 65,474 acres of land so far, and grew 10 times in size in just 48 hours, according to Inciweb, an interstate incident information system.

According to Inciweb, spotting and rollout continued to be the main contributor to fire spread throughout Wednesday evening and multiple new spot fires were expected on Thursday, so the blaze sparked on August 14 had potential to grow further, reports Xinhuaa news agency.

The latest data released by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services on Thursday revealed that 25,000 people had been evacuated in El Dorado county due to the fast-moving fire.

There are 653 firefighters battling the fire, which is zero percent contained.

As of Thursday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said 86 structures had been confirmed destroyed by the fire and nearly 7,000 structures remain threatened.

Meanwhile, the Dixie Fire, California's second-largest in history which has been active for more than a month, also swelled more than 60,000 acres in two days.

It prompted a new round of evacuation orders on Wednesday as gusty winds helped spread the fire within about 15 km of Susanville, a town with 15,000 residents.

The Dixie Fire, the nation's largest active fire, burned down 678,369 acres with 35 percent containment as of Thursday, about three times the size of Manhattan.

It had destroyed more than 1,200 structures, including 645 single residences, Cal Fire said.

At least 16,085 structures were still threatened by the flames.

Three first responders had been injured fighting the fire, according to officials.

Cal Fire Director Thom Porter said Wednesday that the Dixie Fire was the first wildfire burned across the range of Sierra Nevada in history.

"The Dixie Fire is the first fire that we're aware of that has burned from the west side of the mountain range all the way over and to the valley floor on the east side of the mountain range. We don't have any record of that happening before," Porter said.

"It is exceedingly resistant to control."
New Delhi, Aug 20 : The casual, quick and creative fare offered by food trucks is the perfect fuel for road trippers in search of a tasty bite that lets them experience a destination like a local. Here's a selection of California favourites for a great road trip pit stop, when vacationing in the US.

San Diego Travelling by bike, motorcycle or car down the 101 through the bohemian beach town of Leucadia is a right of passage come summer. Motorcycle themed Moto Deli is an ideal spot to pull over when hunger strikes. Known for their chef-driven hand-crafted sandwiches, Moto Deli features a menu of worldly and locally inspired fare between two pieces of bread.

Camarillo Waypoint Cafe serves all-American breakfast and lunch options the whole family will enjoy and is unlike any other dining experience around town. This spot is perfect for a road trip pit stop. Located next to the Camarillo airport, you will get views of the plane's land and take off while enjoying their buttery Belgian waffle, breakfast burrito, or a juicy burger and fries. Don't forget to try their signature milkshakes which are crowd favorites.

Montecito Located at Rosewood Miramar Beach, the resort's charming food truck serves up a selection of elevated yet approachable fare including Cali Cobb Salad, Crispy Fish Tacos, Hank's Double Diamond Burger and Dungeness Crab Fritters, as well as inspired craft cocktails, beer and wine bottle. Led by Executive Chef Massimo Falsini, lunch options from Rosewood Miramar Beach's food truck are available daily for walk up service only.

San Simeon Settle in at the outdoor patio of Hearst Ranch Winery, overlooking San Simeon Cove, and enjoy a glass of wine with a bite to eat from their food truck located at the winery Thursday -- Sunday. After your fill of fun in the sun in San Simeon, wind your way up the coast to the Gateway to Big Sur: Ragged Point. Raved about by locals and tourists alike, Ragged Point Inn's roadside Sandwich Stand is the perfect refueling destination. Grab one of their famous burgers or sandwiches, with fries and a shake of course, and enjoy the scenic views from atop the cliff. On summer weekends, enjoy a free concert from local musicians.

San Luis Obispo County Feed My Seoul is a husband and wife team bringing thoughtfully sourced Eastern BBQ to San Luis Obispo. Specializing in artisanal Asian meat, their clean grill mobile kitchen is the ultimate food truck experience on your road trip through the Central Coast. Stop by and try their affordable lunch assortment or pick up some of their Take-N BBQ if you'd rather cook the meal yourself.

Visalia A road trip through California's Central Valley or to Sequoia National Park should include a stop in Visalia, where seasonal crops from nearby farms inspire local chefs all year long. One of the best places to explore the local bounty is the food truck scene at Visalia's farmers market. Every Saturday, food trucks roll-up alongside the farmers with options such as Quesadilla Gorilla with their Keep Calm + Curry On 'dilla, and Pita Kabob Truck serving up their Mediterranean breakfast favourites. Wesley's Wheatless, offers tasty gluten free options. Taylor Brother's Hot Dog Stand in downtown Visalia offers hot dogs with a big side of nostalgia. Opened in 1952 by Jimmy Taylor and his wife Pauline (the "Notorious Ma Taylor") this walkup with its iconic neon sign offers a slice of Americana along with their hot dogs.

Hollister Casa de Fruta Orchard Resort started out as a roadside cherry stand over 120 years ago and, today, is an iconic destination that draws over two million visitors each year. Any time you're travelling between SoCal and the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to make a pit stop for fresh-from-the-farm produce, dried fruits and nuts, gourmet gifts, homemade candy, wine tasting, and more. Casa de Fruta was selected by USA Today as the "Most Delicious Place for Pie in California", so be sure to enjoy a slice or take a whole pie to go! Stockton

Looking for flavour and variety while on your summer road trip? Stocklandia, Stockton's only dedicated food truck park, features an array of diverse truck offerings from Cambodian to Filipino and Mexican. Beat the summer head with El Futal's frozen chocobanana, or a quick burger and fries at Kozmos. Stocklandia enables small businesses to thrive and prosper, by serving as a platform of multiculturalism showcasing their passion, and their team are active members of the Stockton community.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Amaravati, Aug 20 : Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan on Friday said that Muharram symbolises the "spirit of sacrifice", which is placed above "all the virtues" of mankind.

The Governor noted that Muharram commemorates the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, who sacrificed his life at the altar of true belief.

Muharram is observed by Shias all over the world.

"Remembrance of goodness and sacrifice is the true meaning of Muharram. Let us emulate the spirit of Muharram embodying humanism, which is core principle of Islam," he noted.

Considering the coronavirus pandemic, Harichandan appealed to all the Muslims in the state to observe Muharram by staying at home.

He also appealed to the people to get vaccinated as early as possible as it will minimise the risk and offer protection against the virus.

"As new variants of Covid-19 are emerging, it is mandatory for everyone to follow Covid appropriate behaviour by wearing masks, maintaining social distance, and using hand sanitizer," he asserted.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Lucknow, Aug 20 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday visited ailing former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) here.

Adityanath, on his return from Delhi, drove straight to the hospital and inquired about his health.

According to a SGPGIMS bulletin issued on Friday, the health status of the former Chief Minister is critical.

"He is on life saving support system. He is being closely monitored by the expert consultants. The senior faculty of Critical Care Medicine, Cardiology, Nephrology, Neurology and Endocrinology are keeping close watch on all the aspects related to his health. Director, Professor R.K. Dhiman is supervising his treatment on daily basis," the bulletin said.

Singh was admitted to the SGPGIMS on July 4 following multiple ailments.
Mumbai, Aug 20 : Actor Rohitashv Gour who enjoys immense popularity for playing the role of Manmohan Tiwari a.k.a. 'Tiwari Ji' in the television sitcom 'Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai', says he sometimes wonders whether viewers even know his real name! Talking about the same, Rohitashv told IANS: "My name is Rohitashv Gour. But recently I got a call from my college and the principal started addressing me as Tiwari Ji. Even at any party or gathering, people call me Tiwari Ji. At times I wonder whether some people even know my real name! Whenever I am attending a meeting at the society where I reside, people refer to me as Tiwari Ji. Sometimes I have to remind them about my real name. I frequently have to face this. This is the impact of television and the popularity of this show!" However, nothing can match the amount of fame and popularity this show has given him, admits the actor.

He said: "I started working from the time of DD 1 when a lot of these private channels did not even exist. I have worked in so many shows, films and ad films but nothing could give me the fame which 'Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai' gave. The industry started recognising me due to this show. For me, this is a huge milestone of my life. Today I am getting a lot of work offers even in web series only because of this show." 'Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai' has completed six years and is successfully running. However, when it began six years ago, the makers did not even promote the show properly, reveals the actor. But why? Rohitashv explained: "When we started with this show, we were a little worried about how the Indian audience will react to this concept, whether they would feel offended with the idea of a person falling for his neighbour's wife. The other shows that got launched by &TV at that time were given good publicity but this one did not get any publicity because we were scared." "However, we were surprised when it topped the TRP chart. Then we got to know how much people are loving this show! A lot of celebrities from the world of cinema and music called us to express how much they are enjoying watching our show! We never imagined that our show would last for 6 years and now the 7th year is running!" the actor added.

Quizzed what makes 'Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai' different from other comedy shows, the actor replied: "The script is not preachy, it's a pure comedy. The show has been written in a way that people especially those living in small towns and villages can relate very well. Their mindset, their language, how they talk, how they sit and chat with friends and family -- all these have been included very beautifully in the script." "Also, every character is given equal importance in the show as much as the lead actors, which makes it even more interesting and helps avoid monotony. And, even though the show is a little naughty but it is not vulgar," he added.

Even though Rohitashv is getting work offers, but the actor complains of getting offers for roles only in the comedy genre.

"A bad thing about our industry is that people often get typecast over here. I am not a comic actor but being an actor I can do comedy just like I can do other kinds of roles. But in the Mumbai industry, if you are popular in one particular role, you get typecast in that genre. I don't know how much time I will take to be able to break this," he concluded, sounding a little worried.

'Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai' airs on &TV.
Wellingtin, Aug 20 : New Zealand is providing NZ$3 million ($2 million) in humanitarian assistance to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Friday.

Mahuta said in a statement that these organisations are providing life-saving humanitarian support for crisis affected communities in Afghanistan, and those seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is dire, with millions in need of assistance and hundreds of thousands displaced by the recent conflict, 80 per cent of whom are reported to be women and girls," the Minister was quoted as saying.

In Afghanistan, the ICRC is currently focusing on protection of civilians and provision of essential services including emergency health care, water and sanitation, she said.

Mahuta added that the UNHCR is providing a range of protection and assistance support to internally displaced Afghans.

It is also supporting Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries.

New Zealand calls on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect aid workers and civilians from harm, and support the right to freedom of movement, Mahuta said.

The Minister also urged those in positions of power to ensure the rights and freedoms of women and girls are protected as this humanitarian crisis deteriorates.
Mumbai, Aug 20 : Actors Shakti Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit are rooting for 'Bigg Boss OTT' contestant Karan Nath. In recently shared posts on social media they gave their best wishes to him.

The industry's stalwarts are seen coming out in support of their favourites to save them from elimination. Actors Shakti Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit have a massive fan following and their support for Nath will just increase the army of supporters for him.

Many love Karan Nath's game in 'Bigg Boss OTT'. He has raised his voice on many occasions when required. Matchmaker Sima Taparia also appreciated him as she entered the 'Bigg Boss OTT' house.

Well, what can be better for Karan Nath receiving support from outside and that too from actors who have made a mark in the industry? Shakti Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit's support would definitely be a bigger boost for him to play his game.

'Bigg Boss OTT' airs on Voot.
Lucknow, Aug 20 : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has completely lifted the weekly curfew on Sundays.

This has been done in view of the declining cases of Covid in the state.

A number of women organisations had urged the Chief Minister to lift the Sunday curfew in view of the Raksha Bandhan on August 22.

Cinema hall owners were also asking the state government to end the weekly closure since it was affecting cinema business.

The government spokesman said that markets will now observe their earlier weekly closure on designated days.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : China, already Afghanistan's largest foreign investor, is seen as likely to lead the race to help the country build an efficient mining system to meet its insatiable needs for minerals.

A follow-up report by the Afghan government in 2017 estimated that Kabul's new mineral wealth may be as high as $3 trillion, including fossil fuels.

To date, the Taliban have profited from the opium and heroin trade. Now the militant group effectively rules a country with valuable resources that China needs to grow its economy, DW reported.

In 2010, a report by US military experts and geologists estimated that Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries, was sitting on nearly $1 trillion in mineral wealth, thanks to huge iron, copper, lithium, cobalt and rare-earth deposits.

Lithium, which is used in batteries for electric cars, smartphones and laptops, is facing unprecedented demand, with annual growth of 20 per cent compared to just 5-6 per cent a few years ago. The Pentagon memo called Afghanistan the Saudi Arabia of lithium and projected that the country's lithium deposits could equal Bolivia's - one of the world's largest.

Copper, too, is benefiting from the post-COVID global economic recovery - up 43 per cent over the past year. More than a quarter of Afghanistan's future mineral wealth could be realised by expanding copper mining activities.

While the West has threatened not to work with the Taliban after it effectively seized control of Kabul over the weekend, China, Russia and Pakistan are lining up to do business with the Taliban.

As the manufacturer of almost half of the world's industrial goods, China is stoking much of the global demand for commodities. Beijing - already Afghanistan's largest foreign investor - is seen as likely to lead the race to help the country build an efficient mining system to meet its insatiable needs for minerals.

"Taliban control comes at a time when there is a supply crunch for these minerals for the foreseeable future and China needs them," Michael Tanchum, a senior fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, told DW.

"China is already in position in Afghanistan to mine these minerals." Chinese state-run media, meanwhile, described how Afghanistan can now benefit from the country's massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) - Beijing's controversial infrastructure plan to build road, rail and sea routes through Asia to Europe.

One of the Asian powerhouse's mining giants, the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC), already has a 30-year lease to mine copper in Afghanistan's barren Logar province, the report said.

Afghanistan's neighbour Pakistan is also set to benefit from Afghanistan's minerals wealth. The Islamabad government, which supported the Taliban's first takeover of Afghanistan in 1996, has maintained ties with the group and has been accused by the US of harbouring Taliban militants.

Pakistan is also set to be a major beneficiary of China's infrastructure investment - often dubbed the New Silk Road.

"Pakistan has a vested interest as the materials could potentially be transported along the commercial transit route from Pakistan to China," Tanchum told DW, adding that a deal with the Taliban would give Islamabad the incentive to support a stable security environment in the region.

The Afghan ministry of mines and petroleum has too estimated the mines and natural resources of Afghanistan worth $3 trillion. Officials in the ministry said that they have found 1,400 spots possessing various types of natural resources such as natural gas, coal, salt, uranium, copper, gold, and silver, Afghan media reports said.

Natural gas is mostly found in the northern provinces of Balkh, Shebirghan, and Saripol which has been estimated from 100 to 500 billion cubic meters. In the latest investigation conducted by NASA, there are over one hundred zones of oil and gas in Afghanistan.

Media reports said most of the investigations regarding oil-rich regions have been conducted in five zones of Afghanistan namely two of them in the north of Amo River, one in Helmand province, one in Herat, and one in Kato district of Paktika province.

Meanwhile, in the latest report of British Petroleum, the capacity of Afghanistan's oil has been estimated to be from 250 to 300 barrels per day which enables Afghanistan to earn nine billion and one hundred million dollars annually from the resource.

Officials in De Afghanistan Bank (central bank) say that Afghanistan needs from six up to seven billion dollars for its economic growth for which the natural resources are considered to be a good source of economic growth.

In 2012, 150 thousand barrels of oil were to be excavated from the wells which would then be increased to 300 thousand barrels in 2013.

Meanwhile, oil resources have also been found in Herat, Shiberghan, Maimana, Kunduz, Taloqan, Saripol, and Helmand provinces.

The coal resources of Afghanistan are estimated to be from 100 to 400 million tonnes. Coal resources have been confirmed to be in Baghlan province (Karkar mine), Kunduz province (Ash Pushta), Herat province (Karukh), and Balkh province (Dara-e-sof).

Gold mines have been excavated and used traditionally (washing gold). The method has been used in Darwaz district of Badakhshan province, Qala-e-Zal district, and the ravines of Raq and Dadung of Kunduz province. The gold mines have also been confirmed in Badakhshan, Kandahar, and Zabul provinces.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)
Seoul, Aug 20 : K-Pop super band BTS have officially cancelled their 'Map of the Soul' world tour, which has been postponed since April 2020.

The announcement was made by their label Big Hit Music through a post on Korean web platform, Weverse, reports nme.com.

The statement read: "Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour." "However, due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned. Therefore we must announce the cancellation of the BTS MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR." "Our sincere apology to all fans who have waited for the BTS MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR to resume. We are working on preparing a viable schedule and performance format that can meet your expectations, and we will provide updated notices as soon as possible." BTS or Bangtan Sonyeondan, are a septet comprising Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. The band is also known as the Bangtan Boys.

The band were meant to commence their tour in April last year, but were forced to cancel their four Seoul appearances because of the pandemic.

It was later announced they would be postponing the tour altogether, due to the ongoing global Covid situation.
Los Angeles, Aug 20 : Los Angeles has crossed a grim milestone of more than 25,000 Covid-19 deaths with a daily count of 35 fatalities, local health authorities said.

The most populous county in the US home to over 10 million residents, also reported 3,239 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall tally since the start of the pandemic to 1,362,848 positive cases with 25,002 related deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The Department said that there were 1,790 people with Covid-19 currently hospitalised in the county in California and 23 per cent of them are in the intensive care units, reports Xinhua news agency.

The county's seven-day cumulative case rate is now 204.2 new cases per 100,000 residents, which represents a 5 per cent increase from last week. Between July 11 and August 11, hospitalisations rose by 333 percent to an average of 1,622 beds filled with people testing positive on any given day, and deaths rose 275 per cent to an average of 15 deaths per day, said the Department.

County health officials noted they are monitoring school cases in outbreaks among staff and students as many school districts countywide are reopening this week.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced last week that the state would implement first-in-the-nation measure to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated as schools return from summer break amid the Delta variant spread.

"It is with much sorrow that we mark this devastating milestone of 25,000 deaths in our County. This virus continues to cause debilitating and dangerous illness among many who are infected," Barbara Ferrer, the county's director of public health, said.

"Losses we suffer now are particularly sad because almost all of them are preventable with extremely safe and widely available vaccine," she added, urging people to act with a sense of urgency to reduce community transmission as quickly as possible.

Official data showed that around 63 per cent of nearly 10.3 million Los Angeles County residents have received at least one dose, and 55 per cent have been fully vaccinated.
Mumbai, Aug 20 : Making a startling claim, a senior Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari said on Friday that the state Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party is "frantically trying" to patch up with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The BJP is also willing to concede all demands of Sena -- its former partner for over two decades -- which has now allied with the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress to head the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state.

More so since Thackeray could emerge as a major national Opposition contender in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which has spooked the BJP, he pointed out, in comments to a private local TV channel.

Tiwari -- accorded an MoS status, added: "Every two weeks or so, the BJP leaders call up the CM, requesting to bury the past and start afresh." "In fact, people like Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, even want me to mediate between the Sena-BJP and hammer out an understanding between the two parties," Tiwari later elaborated to IANS.

He contended that since the past over six months, Fadnavis and other BJP bigwigs are seeking appointments with Thackeray Sa'b "to clinch a settlement" comprising Thackeray remaining CM for full five years with their support, with choice of ministries and smoothening all other irritants.

However, the CM has given a 'thumbs down' sign -- even publicly as recently as last June -- to all BJP's overtures, while making it clear that -- "I have given my word to the NCP-Congress and will not betray them." Top Sena leaders, including Thackeray, have repeatedly accused the BJP leadership of "treachery and breaking its promise of equal power-share arrangement," made in February 2019, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Later, the BJP allegedly reneged on it, virtually calling Thackeray a 'liar', which ultimately resulted in the unprecedented MVA government taking power in November 2019.

At one point in November 2019, worried BJP leaders from New Delhi had woken up Thackeray at 3 a.m., begging to forgive-and-forget, bury the hatchet and start on a clean slate, Tiwari said.

Still not succeeding, Tiwari said the BJP resorted to 'wrecking the brand-new MVA' with Fadnavis suddenly becoming CM of a two-man government in an unprecedented dawn ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

"It was only the determination of the NCP President Sharad Pawar, Sena MP Sanjay Raut and other Congress leaders that the bloodless coup on democracy was exposed...Fadnavis' so-called second-term lasted barely 80 hours," a grim Tiwari recalled.

After that mega-failure, he said the BJP leaders kept targetting the CM and his family members personally, and attempted to drag them into the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

"Till date, the BJP is constantly harassing the MVA, misusing central agencies, filing fake cases against Sena, NCP leaders or ministers and their families, not sparing even ex-BJP leaders who joined MVA...All these gimmicks are intended to force a break-up of the 3-party alliance," Tiwari declared.

The strong reactions of the Sena's "farmer-face" came after questions on the renewed attacks on Shiv Sena launched by Union Industry Minister Narayan Rane since Thursday during his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra'.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
London, Aug 20 : Premier League club Arsenal have completed the signing of Norway's Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid on a permanent transfer, said the club on Friday.

The attacking midfielder joins Arsenal after spending the second half of last season on loan with them. In that period, Odegaard made 20 appearances, notably scoring twice in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium in March.

"Odegaard will wear the No. 8 shirt in Arsenal. He will be unavailable for Arsenal's Premier League clash with London rivals Chelsea on Sunday, awaiting visa clearance," said the club in a statement.

The 22-year-old started his career in Norway with Stromsgodset, where he made his debut as a 15-year-old in April 2014, becoming the youngest-ever player to feature in Norway's top division.

He was signed by Real Madrid in January 2015 and subsequently became their youngest player in May 2015.

In the three seasons from 2017/18, Martin spent loan spells with Heerenveen and Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands and then back in Spain with Real Sociedad in 2019/20, where he helped the club reach the final of the Copa Del Rey.

Odegaard has also made 30 appearances for Norway. He made his international debut in August 2014, becoming the youngest player to represent his country's senior national team at the age of just 15 years and 253 days.

He joins Ben White, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares as Arsenal's new signings of this summer.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : Stock market maverick Rakesh Jhunjhunwala backed upcoming airline venture -- Akasa -- is expected to get all Central clearances to commence airline operations by year-end.

Accordingly, the proposed airline venture has applied for a NoC (No Objection Certificate), AoP (Air Operator Permit) and other permits from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).

In fact, the first stage of acquiring the NoC is still underway. Interestingly, there are several stages to get the overall clearances to start an airline venture in India.

Firstly, the proposed entity receives an NoC by MoCA, followed by a security background check, then an AoP is issued and thereafter the technical viability of the airline receives a safety clearance.

"These clearances might take up to year-end as the first stage is ongoing," official sources said.

"The technical feasibility of the proposal as well as the financial backing of the promoters apart from other details regarding security based background checks are conducted in this process." According to a second source, the proposal entails the venture to operate an all Boeing 737 Max aircraft fleet.

Notably, these aircraft are yet to receive regulatory clearance to restart operations in India.

"The process of Max's safety recertification is active as of now," the second source said.

On its part, Boeing India said: "We always seek opportunities and talk with current and potential customers about how we can best support their fleet and operational needs." The proposed airline venture is partly funded by Jhunjhunwala, while ex-Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube will manage the airline.

Jhunjhunwala will be represented by ex-IndiGo boss Aditya Ghosh in the proposed airline's Board.

Additionally, the NOC will be held by SNV Aviation, the holding company for the proposed airline.

(Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in)
Amaravati, Aug 20 : As part of its efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19, the Andhra Pradesh government on Friday further extended the night curfew till September 4.

Principal Secretary, Health, Medical and Family Welfare, Anil Kumar Singhal issued the orders extending the 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for another fortnight.

"District collectors, superintendents of police and commissioners must strictly enforce these rules," said Singhal.

This decision was taken after a thorough review of the Covid-19 situation and keeping in view the number of positive cases.

Not more than 150 persons will be allowed at marriages, functions and religious events. Following Covid appropriate behaviour was a must at all congregations.

Any violation will attract action under Sections 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and other applicable laws.

Meanwhile, during the last 24 hours the state recorded 1,501 new Covid positive cases and 10 deaths. A total of 67,716 tests were conducted during that period.

The fresh cases pushed the cumulative tally to 19.9 lakh while the death toll mounted to 13,696.

Officials said 1,697 people recovered from the virus during the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative tally of recovered people to over 19.6 lakh.

Currently, 15,738 cases are active in the state. The health authorities have so far conducted 2.59 crore tests.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Hassan, Aug 20 : A video of some miscreants allegedly assaulting a youth in Hassan district of Karnataka has gone viral on social media. The incident which took place within the limits of Badavane police station near Channapatna Circle in Hassan has created a sense of fear among people living in the area.

According to police, the incident had taken place 10 to 12 days ago and the video of the incident has gone viral from Thursday evening. A fight took place between the victim and the miscreants in connection with a police case. Taking cognizance of the matter, the police have launched an investigation.

The video shows a youth being attacked by two men while it was raining in broad daylight on the main road. The miscreants also assaulted a person who tried to come to the rescue of the victim.

The assailants continued hitting the youth even after he fell down. Police sources said they are yet to identify the attackers and the details of the victim are also not known.

People have expressed concern over the public display of 'goondagiri' (violence) by anti-social elements without any fear of the police.

Hassan Superintendent of Police, Srinivas Gowda said the police have taken suo-moto cognisance of the incident. There is no complaint from the victim as well as from the person who tried to intervene so far.
Lucknow, Aug 20 : American tech giants Microsoft and MAQ Software, as well as PepsiCo have come forward to set up their units in Uttar Pradesh at a cost of Rs 2,866 crore, giving a boost to industrial development in the state.

According to a state government spokesman, the factories being set up by the three US-based multinational companies will provide employment to 7,500 people.

Microsoft and MAQ Software will set up their units in Noida whereas PepsiCo has started construction of its factory in Mathura, said an Industrial Department official.

Encouraged by these developments, several other US investors associated with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum are also keen to invest in Uttar Pradesh.

Siddhartha Nath Singh, the MSME and Export Promotion Minister, said that the US investors associated with the forum have also contacted the UP government in this regard.

The companies including Adobe, Amazon, American Tower Corporation, Apple, Caterpillar, Delphi, Cisco, Deloitte, Emerson, Ernst & Young, Google, Johnson & Johnson, JP Morgan & Company, Lockheed Martin, Marriott International, MasterCard, Mondelez International, Carlyle Group, Walmart, Warburg Pincus, IHS Markit and USIBC are willing to invest in UP and in other parts of the country, according to Singh.

The details came to light during an interaction with the entrepreneurs associated with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in which the representatives of these companies expressed particular interest in investing in the areas of medical equipment manufacturing, food processing, automobiles, IT and digital payments.

Among them, companies like Adobe, Amazon, Microsoft, Delphi New Holland, Global Logic, Excel, PepsiCo, Synopsis and Cargill are already operating in India while Microsoft, MACQ Software Noida and PepsiCo have stepped up efforts to set up their units in UP.

Singh said that more than 40 foreign companies, including American companies, proposed to invest about Rs 17,000 crore in UP in the last four and a half years of the Yogi Adityanath government.

Microsoft has been allotted 60,000 sq. metres of land in Noida to set up its 'largest' centre in the country, which will employ 3500 people.

The multinational software giant has told the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority that the company will start operations within the stipulated time of five years so that people residing in NCR can benefit from it at the earliest.

At present, the company has its largest unit in Gachi Baoli, Hyderabad.

Similarly, MAQ India Private Limited has also been allotted 16,350 sq. metres of land in Noida's Sector-145 to set up its plant.

The IT major will invest Rs 252 crore to set up its unit which will provide employment to around 2500 people.

The multinational food and beverage company PepsiCo is setting up a potato chips factory in Kosi Kalan, Mathura.

Production at the PepsiCo factory, which is being built at a cost of about Rs 800 crore, is likely to start this year itself.

Around 1500 people will get direct or indirect employment in this project. Potatoes to make the chips will be procured from local farmers to benefit them.
Bhubaneswar, Aug 20 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday launched the distribution of smart health cards under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) in Malkangiri district.

On the occasion Patnaik said, "For me, every life is precious. I wish everyone to be healthy. Money should never be a barrier for treatment. Everyone should remain healthy and work for the betterment of their families." "Today, the BSKY is being launched in a new way, which will come into effect on September 1," he announced.

"About 3.5 crore people of 96 lakh families will get benefit from the move. In this type of no frills system, a person will simply go to a hospital with the card and avail all the treatments without any hassle," Patnaik added.

Claiming Odisha is the first state in the country to provide such cards, the Chief Minister said that the beneficiaries can avail health services in more than 200 hospital chains of the country.

It's a historic, paradigm shift in the system of healthcare services in India, where a patient will get the best healthcare without any expense, he claimed.

While families can avail treatment costs upto Rs 5 lakh per annum, for women members of the family, it is up to Rs 10 lakh. Sukri Dhangda Majhi from the Bonda community was the first recipient of the smart health card.

On Thursday, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had urged the state government to implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Odisha so that "poor people, especially those who are working in others states, can get benefit from it".
San Francisco, Aug 20 : Tech giant Google's recently launched smartphone -- Google Pixel 5a -- is facing overheating issues while recording videos, media reports said.

According to GizmoChina, the phone is not able to handle 4K video recording.

As per the latest reports, when recording 4K videos at 60 frames per second, the Google Pixel 5a smartphone gets overheated. While shooting, the phone asks users to close the camera until temperatures return to a more reasonable level, the report said.

In a tweet, a reviewer complained that his Pixel 5a took just a few minutes to overheat while recording a video at the highest possible settings, before displaying this message on the screen -- "Device is too hot. Close Camera until device cools off." He added that he is also facing the same issue with 4K fps30 and 1080P 30fps. Another Twitter user said that their Pixel 5a did the same thing after about 2 minutes of recording at 4K 60fps.

Apparently, Pixel 5a is not the only recent Google smartphone to face this issue and some users are pointing out that the Pixel 5 is also having the same issue, as confirmed by Android Police.

So far, Google has not acknowledged the issue and it remains to be seen if and when the company plans to fix this, the report said.

The Pixel 5a features a 6.34-inch OLED bezel-less screen and is powered by a Snapdragon 765G 5G mobile platform, Titan M security module for on-device security, 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.

It offers a single new colour -- mostly black -- with forest green undertones and an olive-coloured power button.
Canberra, Aug 20 : Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday encouraged citizens to persevere through lockdowns as the country continues to battle a third wave of Covid-19 infections and the vaccine rollout accelerates.

Australia recorded 711 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 on Friday morning, a second day in a row to report more than 700 new cases, reports Xinhua news agency.

Addressing the media in Canberra at Parliament House, Morrison issued a reminder to state and territory leaders that restrictions should be eased when 70 per cent of the population is vaccinated under the four-stage plan out of the pandemic.

As of Friday approximately 28 per cent of Australian adults were fully vaccinated but Morrison said the rollout was ramping up with more than 300,000 jabs administered on two consecutive days for the first time.

"That is really hitting the marks that we need to hit for us to achieve the objectives of our national plan," he said.

"We've said you've, you've persevering the lockdowns. You're taking the instructions. You're making the sacrifices... And the national plan is a deal with Australians, which says when we achieve those marks of 70 per cent and 80 per cent, there'll be changes. And I'm committed to that plan." About half the Australian population in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was still in lockdown on Friday.

A vast majority of Friday's new cases were in NSW, Australia's most populous state, with Sydney as the capital city, and 55 in Victoria, where Melbourne is the capital city of the state.

NSW, the epicentre of the country's current Covid outbreak, announced on Friday to extend the lockdown on Greater Sydney until the end of September and to impose a curfew on some areas of concern.

Twelve of the new cases were in the ACT, taking the total number of cases linked to an outbreak in Canberra to 94 as the nation's capital enters its second week of lockdown.

"It's gone from one case to nearly 100 in a week," ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said on Friday.

"If there was no lockdown and we just let it rip, it wouldn't be 100 cases, it would be possibly in the low thousands and we would have a serious problem, a Sydney-scale problem." The Northern Territory (NT) on Friday recorded zero new cases for the consecutive days and lifted its lockdown.
Sofia, Aug 20 : The GERB-UDF coalition, the second largest group in Bulgaria's new Parliament, refused President Rumen Radev's proposal to form a government on Friday.

The coalition's Prime Minister nominee Daniel Mitov has turned down the exploratory mandate offered by the President due to a lack of support from other parties, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Unfortunately, we do not see a possibility of fulfilling this mandate," said Mitov, whose coalition holds 63 seats in the 240-member Parliament.

Radev first entrusted the task of forming a new government to the largest There Is Such a People party, which has 65 seats, on July 30.

However, it abandoned the task after nearly two weeks of fruitless negotiations with potential partners in the parliament including Bulgarian Socialist Party, Democratic Bulgaria, and "Rise up BG! We are Coming".

According to the Bulgarian Constitution, there remains only one chance to form a government within the current parliament, which was elected on July 11.

The third and last exploratory mandate should be given to one of the small parliamentary groups.

With 112 seats in total among them, they are far from united.

Should no agreement on the formation of a government be reached, Radev must dissolve Parliament and schedule new elections.

In mid-July, snap elections were held after the GERB-UDF coalition, which had won the general election in April this year, failed to form a government.
Panaji, Aug 20 : In two separate incidents, two Russian nationals, both women, were found dead in their respective rented homes in a North Goa village of Siolim over the last 24 hours, North Goa district police said on Friday.

While Alexandra Djavi, 24, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her rented home late on Thursday, the other Russian national Ekaterina Titova, 34, was found dead in her apartment on Friday.

"There were no injury marks on the remains of Titova. Both cases have been registered as unnatural deaths and are being investigated," a Goa Police spokesperson said.

Over the last decade, Goa has emerged as a popular tourist destination for Russian travellers. The village of Siolim is located close to the beach villages of Morjim and Arambol, which are popular with Russian tourists.
Panaji, Aug 20 : The Goa police on Friday arrested a person from Ahmedabad in Gujarat charged with the murder of a local businessman in Pernem sub-district of North Goa in July this year.

A statement issued by the Goa Police Crime Branch said the accused has been identified as Jaypuri Gosai from Gujarat, who hacked 50-year-old Chandrakant Bandekar to death after taking a lift from him in July.

"Upon interrogation Gosai revealed that he had come to Goa in June 2021. When he ran out of money, he decided to return to Ahmedabad and while on his way from Goa, he asked for a lift from the deceased. Upon seeing his gold chain, he was tempted to rob it so he stabbed the deceased and fled with his valuables," the Goa Police added.
Mumbai, Aug 20 : In a first of its kind humanitarian gesture, a Maharashtra NGO has sought permission from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to 'adopt' around 1,000 stranded Afghan students who are in dire straits after the Taliban takeover of their motherland, here on Friday.

In a letter to the PM, NGO Sarhad's President Sanjay Nahar, Working President Surendra Wadhwa and Chief Organiser Santsingh Mokha narrated the plight of the young students in Pune, Mumbai, other parts of the state and rest of India.

"Since the Afghan issue has become explosive and internationally 'politically sensitive', we cannot undertake the task without the Indian government's permission and selection of the needy Afghan students," Nahar told IANS.

Sarhad has immediately collaborated with the 'Shri Guru Teghbahadurji 400th Prakash Purab-2021 Committee' and is in talks with Jain, Buddhist and Muslim groups to help in the noble cause, with a government representative helping identify the needy youngsters, he added.

"We have decided to launch the initiative with 50 needy students in Pune right away, the rest we shall take up after the Centre's signal and participation of other religious and educational groups," Nahar assured.

Through the initiatives, Sarhad and other groups-educational institutions will provide the full lodging, boarding, financial help with fees and other requirements of these students till the situation in Afghanistan normalizes.

A delegation met Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) Vice-Chancellor Dr N.R. Karmalkar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr N.S. Umrani and a Management Council Member Rajesh Pandey to discuss the woes of the Afghan students studying in the varsity.

The VC and PVC have readily agreed to help all the past and present students, ensure nobody forfeits an academic year, will launch a special helpline on Sunday and extend all other cooperation, while Pandey will raise the issue with the Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishanker, said Nahar.

Afghani students heaved a sigh of relief after the positive SPPU meeting and the upcoming help from the NGOs, even as diplomatic and other regular channels remain practically shut since a week now.

Afghan Students Association of Pune (ASAP) President Wali R. Rahmani and ASAP girls' coordinator Farzana Amiri termed the Sarhad move "as extremely positive and would boost the morale of the Afghani students stuck here with limited resources".

"Our priority is for those students whose visas have expired or on verge of expiry, bringing back those who had gone to Afghanistan, and arranging finances since they have to pay for their food, rentals and other things," Rahmani.

Amiri said around 600 girls studying in SPPU, a majority on self-finance and a few sponsored by the Indian government, are badly hit and require urgent assistance since all banking activities are closed in Afghanistan.

"Now, there'a a ray of hope for all of us with the Sarhad initiatives and we feel more confident to face the current crises," she (Amiri) said.

Around 11,000 Afghan students, including around 35 per cent women, study in colleges and universities across India, with the largest chunk of around 5,000 in Maharashtra, according to Rahmani.

They include around 3,000 in Pune, 700 in Mumbai and the rest scattered in other cities, though the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) data shows less than 2,500 students here on government scholarships.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Panaji, Aug 20 : State Bharatiya Janata Party president Sadanand Shet Tanavade on Friday ruled out any political interference in the police investigation into the mysterious death of a 19-year-old girl, who was found dead at the popular Calangute beach in North Goa earlier this month.

"There is no involvement from our side in any way. If need be, it can be enquired into. No problem. There is no pressure from anyone. But if the case still needs to be probed again, I have spoken to the CM, he has said he will do it," Tanavade said.

The deceased, a resident of Nachinola village in North Goa, was missing since the morning of August 12 and a missing complaint was filed by her father with a local police station. The body was found the following day at Calangute beach. A post mortem has ruled out any sexual assault and murder, while identifying the cause of death as drowning.

But days after the body was found, her father has now accused the Goa Police of shoddy investigation and alleged that the police had initially tried to force him to not register a missing complaint, which eventually delayed police action.

The Opposition in poll-bound Goa has also stepped up pressure on the state administration, while accusing the police of trying to scuttle the probe into her death.
San Francisco, Aug 20 : In a bid to undermine third-party app stores on Android platform, Google reportedly ran a 'Premier Device Programme' that gave Android phone makers a greater share of search revenue than they would normally receive.

According to The Verge, newly unredacted sections of Fortnite developer Epic's antitrust complaint against Google have revealed new details.

After Google ran a 'Premier Device Programme,' the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) agreed to ship their devices without any third-party app stores preinstalled.

The products that "qualified as a Premier Device would receive a 12 percent share of Google search revenue compared to the 8 percent they'd normally earn," the report said on Thursday.

"Google's Premier Device Programme was not publicly known, and was not known to Epic, before Google recently began producing relevant documents in this litigation," Epic's lawyers wrote in the complaint.

"Google has sought to conceal its most restrictive anticompetitive conduct by, among other things, including in the agreements themselves a provision restricting signatories from making 'any public statement regarding [the] Agreement without the other party's prior written approval.'" Google made the deal better for companies like LG and Motorola, "offering them between 3 and 6 percent of what customers spent in the Google Play Store on their devices".

Epic argued that the Google programme effectively tilted the scales against third-party stores on Android.

As they bitterly fought over the popular Fortnite game on Play Store, Google even reportedly considered buying 'some or all' of its developer Epic Games.

According to newly unsealed court filings seen by The Verge, Google allegedly offered a "special deal" to launch Fortnite back on Android Store.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted on Friday that this was "unbeknownst to us at the time, and because of the court's protective order we're just finding out now about Google's consideration of buying Epic to shut down our efforts to compete with Google Play".

Epic claimed that Google was threatened by its plans to sidestep Google's official Play Store commission by distributing Fortnite through other channels.

Epic is also involved in a legal battle with Apple. Apple's main trial with Epic finished in May, with both sides now awaiting a decision from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on the matter.
Srinagar, Aug 20 : Two terrorists have been killed in an ongoing encounter between militants and security forces at Khrew in Pampore area of South Kashmir's Pulwama district, officials said on Friday.

The army said that its Rashtriya Rifles Battalion received information from the SSP of Awantipora about the presence of two terrorists in the Khreuh area.

"The Battalion launched an operation at 1 a.m. on Friday, along with the J&K Police," the army said.

"They drew heavy volume of fire from terrorists hiding in the village at 2.40 a.m. The security forces quickly isolated the house, ensuring that other innocent civilians were not caught in the cross-fire." The army said the terrorists were repeatedly asked to surrender, but they refused. Intermittent exchange of fire continued throughout the night.

"At around 6.30 a.m., one terrorist tried to escape from the house by opening firing on the troops, but he was neutralised. The second terrorist continued to fire from inside the house but was contained by the troops on ground. By 9.15 a.m., the second terrorist was also neutralised," the army said.

One slain terrorist has been identified as Musaib Mustaq Bhat, a resident of Kheruh belonging to the Hizbul Mujahideen. The identity of the other is yet to be ascertained.

"Bhat was involved in untold atrocities on local people, including the killing of Javid Ahmed Malik, a government employee, on July 23 at Luragam," the army said.

One AK-47, one pistol and other warlike stores were recovered from the terrorists.
Gandhinagar, Aug 20 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday while unveiling three projects connected to the Somnath temple said that India moved up from the 65th position in the world tourism and travels competitive index to the 34th position from 2013 to 2019.

"In the last seven years, many policy decisions have been taken for the development of tourism in the country. We have moved forward with the e-visa and visa on arrival. We have even reduced the Visa fees. We have exempted the GST on the tourism and hospitality sector, providing a boost to it. This will also help in reducing the Covid-19 effects," said the PM.

The PM said many efforts were made for the visiting tourists. "Tourists, when they visit, want adventure and want to get thrilled by it. Keeping this in mind, 120 mountain peaks have been opened up for trekking. Guides are being provided training through special programmes so that there are no inconveniences to the tourists. This will also provide job opportunities," added the PM.

Along with the tourism places, efforts were also made for the development of pilgrim places.

"We are reviving the glories of the past. The Ramayana Circuit is right in front of us. People are getting to know newer places associated with the Lord Ram. Today, we have that opportunity to experience that by visiting these places and knowing how Lord Ram is for everyone living across the entire country," said the PM.

"Similarly, the Buddhist Circuit is providing facilities for tourism to Buddha followers from all over the world to come to India and travel. Equally, our tourism ministry is developing 15 destinations on different themes under the 'Swadesh Darshan' scheme. Through these, development opportunities will be provided to many of the disregarded places of the country," added the PM.

"Our forefathers had the farsightedness to associate far-flung and remote areas of our country with our faith. They worked on giving a feeling of oneness with those places. But when we were capable and had modern techniques and resources, we just left them thinking them as out of reach. Our hilly regions are a big example of that. But now, the country is dividing the gap between these holy pilgrimages. Whether it be the development of Baba Kedarnath, the construction of highways and tunnels in hilly terrains of Uttarakhand for Char Dham Yatra, development around the 'Vaishno Devi temple' or the high tech infrastructure reaching the northeast, today there is a reduction in distances between our own," said the PM.

"Similarly, in 2014, to develop the pilgrim places in the country, we had announced the 'PRASAD' scheme where forty pilgrimages were to be developed. Out of which works on 15 have been completed. In Gujarat also, work for three projects under this scheme worth Rs 100 crore is ongoing. We are making an emphasis on increasing the connectivity between such places and cities. Efforts are that when tourists visit one place, they are attracted towards a nearby tourism place as well," informed the PM.

"We have identified 19 iconic tourist destinations in the country which are being developed. All these projects will provide a new energy in the tourism sector in the coming times. Through tourism, the country today is not only connecting the common man but is also itself moving forward," said the PM.

"The traditions of our country are inspiring us to forget the difficulties and move forward despite the tough times. We have seen that in the Corona times, tourism is a ray of hope for people. So we have to constantly expand our nature for tourism and culture.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple projects in Somnath, Gujarat via video conferencing. The projects includes the Somnath Promenade, Somnath Exhibition Centre and reconstructed temple precinct of Old (Juna) Somnath.

The Somnath Promenade has been developed under PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) scheme at a total cost of over Rs 47 crore.

The Somnath Exhibition Centre, developed on the premises of 'Tourist Facilitation Centre', displays the exhibits from dismantled parts of the old Somnath temple and its sculptures having Nagar style temple architecture of old Somnath.

The reconstructed temple precinct of Old (Juna) Somnath has been completed by Shree Somnath Trust with a total outlay of Rs 3.5 crore.

The PM also laid the foundation stone of the Parvati Temple. The Parvati Temple is proposed to be constructed with a total outlay of Rs 30 crore. This will include temple construction in Sompura Salats Style, development of Garbha Griha and Nritya Mandap.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Sri Anandpur Sahib, Aug 20 : Asserting his continued support to the farmers agitating against the three "black" farm laws, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday launched a Rs 520 crore debt relief scheme for 2.85 lakh farm labourers and landless farmers, in a "tribute" to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's pro-poor vision.

"I hope and wish a day will come when India will be free from poverty, which is Rajiv Gandhi dreamed about," he said, dedicating the important scheme to the state on the 77th birth anniversary of his "close friend".

Stressing that Rajiv Gandhi was a close friend, Amarinder Singh recalled that he always used ask when the day will come when people will have their own houses to live and India would be free from poverty.

He, therefore, thought it apt to launch this scheme on the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, said the Chief Minister, adding that the Congress had fighting for the people for the last 130 years.

The Chief Minister said his government had decided to waive off loans amounting to Rs 520 crore of farm labour and landless farmers, with respect to the principal amount against their cooperative loans as on July 31, 2017, and simple interest at the rate of seven per cent per annum on the above amount till March 6, 2019.

The state government had earlier waived off Rs 4,700 crore worth of loans (up to Rs 2 lakh of crop loan each) for 5.85 lakh small and marginal famers.

Declaring that his "heart is with the farmers who are protesting at the Delhi borders", the Chief Minister made it clear that he does not agree with the stand taken by the Central government, who are not listening to the farmers.

"We have amended the Constitution 127 times, so why are we not doing it now? Why is the government of India standing on prestige on the issue of the farm laws," he asked, adding that he had categorically urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to repeal the legislations.

The Chief Minister said he had been asked to stop Punjab farmers from going to Delhi "but I never stopped as everyone has the right to protest in the national capital; protest is a democratic right".

"These small farmers are not fighting for themselves but for their coming generations," he said, questioning why the Centre could not see the "pain of the protesting farmers".

These farmers are mostly those who own an average of 2.5 acres of land, he pointed out, recalling that during a visit to Poland long back, he had seen that country increasing the land ceiling from the existing 40 acres to 100 acres as families could not feed themselves with such small land holdings.

"So you can imagine what will happen to those who have just 2.5 acres," he remarked, asking "how will they feed their families if the new laws are imposed on them?" Pointing out that around 400 farmers had died, he said his government was giving Rs 5 lakh to the families of the state's farmers who had lost their jobs.

In addition, they were being given jobs, and 200 had already got their appointment letters, he said, adding that the Centre need to protect the MSP and the market system as well as the age-old relationship between the farmers and the arhtiyas in the interest of the nation.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : Satya Nadella-run Microsoft has invested $5 million in Airbnb-backed Indian budget hotel chain OYO taking it valuation to $9 billion, as the hospitality chain plans a potential initial public offering (IPO) soon.

According to a regulatory filing by OYO this week, Microsoft Corporation has invested $5 million (nearly Rs 37 crore) in the company via the issuance of equity shares and compulsory convertible cumulative preference shares (CCCPS).

OYO was valued at just $3 billion in recent quarters by SoftBank, one of its largest investors.

Reliable sources had told IANS last month that a deal may close soon once the due regulatory processes are met. The size of the deal could not be ascertained at that time.

The Ritesh Agarwal-run hospitality chain has Airbnb, Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing and ride-hailing firm Grab as strategic investors.

Founder and CEO Agarwal said in July that the company would consider a potential IPO soon.

The news about the Microsoft-OYO deal surfaced after OYO announced earlier this month that it has raised $660 million from global institutional investors as TLB (Term Loan B).

A company statement had said that the offer was oversubscribed by 1.7 times and the company received commitments of close to $1 billion from leading institutional investors.

The company said it will utilise these funds to retire its past debts, strengthen the balance sheet and other business purposes including investment in product technology, it said.

OYO is the first Indian startup to be publicly rated by Moody's and Fitch, two of the leading international rating agencies.

The Microsoft deal "may also involve OYO shifting to use its cloud services", a TechCrunch report mentioned.

OYO has aggressively been expanding its operations to several markets including Southeast Asia, Europe, and the US in recent years.
Varanasi : , Aug 20 (IANS) Ten priests have been barred from performing rituals inside the Kashi Vishwanath temple, while their identity cards have also been cancelled by the temple administration following charges of corruption and misbehaviour.

The priests, known as 'nishulk shastri', were tasked with facilitating the devotees' entry into the temple.

Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agrawal said, "A number of complaints were received against some priests engaged in the temple to facilitate devotees seeking entry after purchasing tickets, especially for 'Sugam Darshan', to avoid spending long time in queues. It was alleged that after taking the devotees inside the temple, these priests used to force them to perform rituals to milk money from them." "As the number of complaints increased, evidence was collected in which 10 'shastris' were found involved in malpractices, after which the action of barring them from performing rituals was initiated," he said.

According to temple authorities, the priests in the category of 'nishulk shastri' are engaged by the temple's help-desk to facilitate devotees entering the temple after purchasing tickets.

Against a payment of Rs 300 for one 'Sugam Darshan' ticket, each priest appointed to facilitate the devotees concerned is paid Rs 30.

A large number of priests in this category earn over Rs 1 lakh only by receiving the genuine amount paid to them on each ticket during the month of Shrawan, when the number of devotees coming to the temple go up.

Officials said that taking advantage of the fact that the CCTV network was disabled due to some ongoing construction work in the temple, the priests started indulging in malpractices.

Agrawal said a meeting of senior priests and temple employees was convened in which it was made clear that those distorting the image of the holy shrine will not be allowed to contribute to work in the temple.
Hyderabad, Aug 20 : A special postal cover was released on Friday in commemoration of the discovery of the malarial parasite by Sir Ronald Ross in Hyderabad.

The Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Parasitology, Osmania University, in association with the Postal Department, released the postal cover on the World Mosquito Day at an event held at the institute premises in Begumpet.

Telangana Animal Husbandry Minister T. Srinivas Yadav released the commemorative postal cover in the presence of Osmania University Vice Chancellor D. Ravinder and Chief Postmaster General of Telangana circle, S. Rajendra Kumar.

While working as medical officer and posted to the regiment stationed in Secunderabad, Ross had discovered the presence of plasmodium, the malarial parasite in female anopheles mosquito, in 1897.

It was on August 20, 1897 that he announced at this historic building in Begumpet that the malaria is transmitted from an affected person to a healthy person through the bite of the female anopheles mosquito.

Born in Almora, in today's Uttarakhand in 1857, he had served as a medical officer between 1895 and 1897 and worked on malaria while working in then Madras, Calcutta, Mysore, Bangalore and Hyderabad between 1881 and 1899.

He was awarded Nobel Prize in 1902 for his outstanding work in demonstrating the life-cycle of the parasites of malaria in mosquitoes.

In 1955, the Department of Zoology, Osmania University acquired the building from the then Deccan Airlines and established the Malaria Research Institute there.

However, for some unknown reasons, this building went again into the custody of Airport Authority of India, but in 1979, the Ross Memorial Society, Osmania University took back its possession.

During the centenary celebrations in 1997, the entire building was refurbished to its original form with the help of the British Council and the Ross Memorial Museum established with portraits, an illustrative biography of Ross, and his discovery of malaria transmission.

The Archaeological Survey of India declared the institute building as a protected monument. In 2008, the government of (then unified) Andhra Pradesh had decided to promote the institute as a tourist destination.
Bengaluru, Aug 20 : Creating a synergy between academia and industry for developing an 'Aerospace Hub' is the need of the hour to promote innovation and address the issue of skills shortage in this key sector, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday.

Addressing scientists and engineers of Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) and the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) at the HAL complex in Bengaluru, the Vice President said, "The Indian aerospace and defence market is projected to reach $ 70 billion dollars by 2030, driven by the government's thrust on the modernization of our armed forces." "It is also true that the innovation process in the aerospace industry involves high levels of risk and large investments over long periods. This process can be further accelerated through active collaboration between the industry and researchers," he asserted.

"...India has no dearth of talent. What is required is early identification and proper grooming of this talent. You should ensure that the best and brightest minds in the country join R&D in the aerospace and defence sectors," he said.

He stated that another aspect that requires the attention of policy planners is the need to involve private partners in defence projects for "fruitful" results.

"We will have to depend on strategic partnerships, technology sharing and teamwork to ensure that we build competitive products, which are comparable with the best from across the globe," Naidu added.

Praising the involvement of nearly 500 Indian companies including MSMEs with HAL in the production of 83 Tejas fighter jets, he said that the initiative would not only bring cost-effectiveness but also help in meeting the production timeline.

Naidu added that such big-ticket collaborative programs have the potential to transform the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atmanirbhar self-sustaining one.

"HAL is taking a lead in this and I congratulate you all for that," he said.

The Vice President said that during this visit to the LCA Tejas manufacturing facility, he was elated to see the "beautiful aircraft" -- the result of years of focused hard work of scientists and engineers at ADA and HAL.

"I am confident that this state-of-the-art modern 4+ generation fighter aircraft would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force," he stated.

Naidu also talked about "more potent" aircraft like the LCA Mk2 and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) for the Indian Air Force and Twin-Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) for the Indian Navy, being developed by ADA along with HAL.

"Important core technologies for these aircraft are being developed by DRDO laboratories and other scientific institutions throughout the country. With the development of these aircraft, by the next decade, I am confident the country would no longer have to be dependent on foreign nations to meet its fighter aircraft needs," he asserted.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : Pakistans nefarious role in aiding the Taliban to seize power in Afghanistan is becoming clear with the exposure of the identity of militants trained and dispatched by the Pakistan Army.

A large number of them are from Punjab (Pakistan), who were dispatched by the army after a short stint of training at camps run by the Lashkar-e-Taiba to beef up the ranks of the Taliban.

Punjab is home to two of the most notorious Pakistan Army supported terrorist groups -- Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Although the exact number of Punjabi militants, mostly from the LeT, is not known, various estimates suggest a figure of over 10,000.

In Kandahar, the LeT cadres were seen fighting alongside the Taliban. Scores of LeT cadres have also been killed.

The LeT team was led by Saifullah Khalid, who was killed in the fighting in Nawahi district of Kandahar along with 11 of his accomplices.

Khalid was replaced by another LeT commander from Punjab named Imran. He had previously operated in Kashmir, where he was involved in terrorist activities.

It is also known that Pakistan had arranged for transporting the bodies of slain militants to their native places.

Pakistan also set up makeshift hospitals for the injured LeT and other Pakistani cadres fighting in Afghanistan.

Reports of the army forcing young men to join the Taliban war machine have also been coming from different districts of Pakistan. Places where maximum recruitment, in many cases forced, have taken place include Quetta, Dera Ismail Khan, Karak, Hangu, Kohat, Peshawar, Mardan and Nowshera.

These reports are corroborated by the incidents of a large number of young men fleeing these towns to Karachi to escape forced recruitment for fighting in Afghanistan.

In fact, the active role of Pak-based militant groups in Afghanistan has been known for quite some time now.

The LeT has had strongholds within Afghanistan since the 90s and the group continued to train and fight alongside the Taliban even after 2001.

With the active support of the Pakistan Army, the group had started to consolidate its position in at least over eight districts in Afghanistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Likewise, Jaish-e-Mohammad too had found a few bases in Nangarhar province which the Pakistan Army was using to train cadres for Kashmir.

JeM leader Masood Azhar has close association with the Taliban leadership and has sent cadres from his Punjab-based outfit to support the Taliban fighters.

Both JeM and LeT had also been using training sites abandoned by the al Qaeda to recruit and train new cadres from Pakistan, mostly from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurating the Pushpagiri Lecture Hall Complex and Rishikulya Hall of Residence at IIT Bhubaneswar, on Friday. Image Source: IANS News

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurating the Pushpagiri Lecture Hall Complex and Rishikulya Hall of Residence at IIT Bhubaneswar, on Friday. Image Source: IANS News

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurating the Pushpagiri Lecture Hall Complex and Rishikulya Hall of Residence at IIT Bhubaneswar, on Friday. Image Source: IANS News

Bhubaneswar, Aug 20 : The National Education Policy (NEP) launched by the Modi government will transform the higher educational institutions into world-class centres, said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday in state capital Bhubaneswar.

Pradhan made these remarks while inaugurating the Pushpagiri Lecture Hall Complex and Rishikulya Hall of Residence at IIT Bhubaneswar here.

To overhaul the education landscape of the country, the Modi government launched the NEP, 2020, based on the foundation of affordability, accessibility, equity and quality.

"It is not merely a policy but a vision document for our future which aims to establish a student-centric education system by empowering the students with flexibility and power of choice," the Union Minister added.

He said IIT Bhubaneswar being a leading educational institute in Odisha should take the lead in the effective implementation of the NEP, 2020, and pave the path for holistic and multi-disciplinary education and thereby help the poor sections of the society.

With the spirit of 'Nation First', youth will be the torchbearers of a self-reliant India in the 21st century. Pradhan said the Union government has taken various steps to provide opportunities to our youth by supporting higher educational institutions in all possible ways.

The Minister expressed happiness at inaugurating the largest lecture complex and hostel in Odisha and hoped that the added infrastructure facilities will enable the students to strive for greater excellence. With a focus on quality research and innovation, IITs have indeed become the symbol of the progress of India and success in higher education, he added.

He complimented IIT Bhubaneswar for its teaching excellence and quality education.

On this occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between IIT Bhubaneswar Director, R.V. Raja Kumar and Chairman of Skill Development Institute (SDI), Bhubaneswar, Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra in the presence of Dharmendra Pradhan.

The MoU is aimed at enhancing skill development activities for unemployed, under-employed and underprivileged youth with technical education relevant in the industry under the expertise and guidance of IIT Bhubaneswar.

Pradhan said the collaboration between IIT, Bhubaneswar and SDI, Bhubaneswar will help to address the local issues and environmental issues in the disaster-prone Odisha and thereby act as a role model for the entire country.
New Delhi, Aug 20 Ians) : "We won. Won in a landslide. This was a landslide," Donald Trump had declared on January 6, triggering a violent attack by his supporters on the US Capitol in Washington seeking to overturn his defeat in the 2020 Presidential elections by disrupting a joint session of the Congress to count the electoral votes that would formalise Joe Bidens victory.

The building was vandalised for several hours. Five people died either shortly before, during or after the mayhem: One was shot by Capitol Police, one died of a drug overdose and three succumbed to natural causes. Scores were injured, including 138 police officers. Four officers who responded to the riot committed suicide within seven months of the incident.

The Capitol was cleared of the rioters only by mid-evening.

Politics has given some shocking and confounding moments, but none have come close to the careening final days of Donald Trump's presidency: The surreal stage management of his re-election campaign, his audacious election challenge, the harrowing mayhem of the storming of the Capitol and the buffoonery of the second impeachment trial.

But what was really going on in the inner sanctum of the White House during these calamitous events? What did the President and his dwindling cadre of loyalists actually believe? And what were they planning? Drawing on an exclusive and wide range of sources who took part in or witnessed Trump's closing moments, award-winning author Michael Wolff finds the Oval Office more chaotic and bizarre than ever before, a kind of "Star Wars" bar scene.

At all times of the day, Trump, hunched behind the Resolute desk, is surrounded by schemers and unqualified sycophants who spoon-feed him the "alternative facts" he hungers to hear -- about Covid-19, Black Lives Matter protests, and, most of all, his chance of winning the re-election.

In this extraordinary telling of a unique moment in history, Wolff gives readers front row seats as Trump's circle of plotters whittles down to the most enabling and the least qualified - and the president overreaches the bounds of democracy, entertaining the idea of martial law and balking at calling off the insurrectionist mob that threatens the hallowed seat of democracy itself.

Wolff pulled back the curtain on the Trump presidency with his globally bestselling "Fire and Fury" and "Siege".

Now, in "Landslide - The Final Days of the Trump Presidency" (Little Brown), he completes the trilogy with a final, astonishingly candid tale.

Wolff has received numerous awards for his work, including two National Magazine Awards. He has been a regular columnist for Vanity Fair, New York, the Hollywood Reporter, British GQ, USA Today and the Guardian. He is the author of seven books, including the international phenomenon "Fire and Fury", the bestselling "Burn Rate" and "The Man Who Owns the News".

He lives in Manhattan and has four children.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) administration is mulling over starting an AIIMS trauma centre for non-Covid patients in a phased manner as the daily fresh Covid caseload has substantially decreased in the national capital. Declaring the centre dedicated for Covid-19 treatment in March 2020, the trauma facilities were shifted to the main AIIMS building.

The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) had written several times to the AIIMS administration to start the trauma service as the Covid caseload has decreased now. In a recently held meeting with the RDA, it has been proposed to start the trauma centre for non-Covid patients in a phased manner.

However, the AIIMS RDA has raised objections over the phased manner plan for the trauma centre. An RDA official told IANS that they are receiving as many traumatic patients as during pre-Covid times. They have provided us just two to three wards to start the service which is not enough to handle all patients, said the RDA officials.

"In a recent general body meeting held by AIIMS administration, it was decided to allocate some general wards at Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre (JPNATC) to cater to trauma patients. Emergency, Operative and ICU are three pillars of trauma care. Unavailability of these will result in an increase in preventable deaths. AIIMS administration in a recent decision has, however, denied the availability of emergency, ICU and operative care services to trauma victims at JPNATC" the RDA official said.

The RDA says that the issues regarding trauma care prevalent at Main AIIMS such as delays in emergency operative intervention, transfer out of moderate to severe injury patients, etc, will remain the same.

The official said during pre-Covid times there were total 264 beds, including 38 ICU beds at the Jai Prakash Narayan Trauma Centre; post-Covid it has been decreased to 95 beds, including 18 ICU beds. "Several buildings at AIMMS are fully unoccupied during the pandemic times where Covid services can be started", said the RDA officials.

The RDA official said the RDA has requested AIIMS administration to restore trauma facilities at JPNATC in total.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, Aug 20 : Actress Mugdha Godse has urged people to take a moment and thank the frontline workers on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan as she believes that during the pandemic, they were the real protectors of our lives.

Mugdha said, "I love the festival of 'Rakhi' and it has a deep-rooted meaning. Especially this time around. I can't thank the frontline workers enough. They have been our true saviors who have protected us from the deadly virus for more than one and a half years now.

"There have been many instances when the family has also abandoned the individual but the frontline workers haven't. They worked tirelessly round the clock and have done way more than their bit. We have to thank them this Rakhi and even tie them a Rakhi if possible. Let's give a huge shoutout to them." Mugdha is a former model, one of the semi-finalists of Femina Miss India 2004 and is also known for her performance in films like 'Fashion', 'Jail', 'Heroine', and 'Thani Oruvan', among others.
Hyderabad, Aug 20 : Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Friday emphasised on the need for arbitration, mediation, and conciliation, saying investors want ease of doing business and the proposed International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad would go a long way in helping both domestic and foreign investors in settling their disputes as early as possible.

In his remarks at a function organised at the residence of the Telangana High Court's Chief Justice Hima Kohli, where a trust deed was registered for the proposed arbitration centre, he said that everybody should participate in this arbitration movement, to resolve disputes and to strengthen the judiciary.

"It is a burden; you know, once you come to the court... how many years it takes and of course, hierarchy starting from civil courts to Supreme Court. How many years it takes... we have eminent arbitrators in this country, some of the international arbitrators, who are world famous, also willing to participate in this arbitration centre," Chief Justice Ramana said.

He noted that in the Indian culture, all our disputes are sorted through mediation, negotiation and conciliation.

"Every day in our family, we negotiate with our children, wife, brother, friends and everybody. Mediation also takes places between friends and family members also," he said.

He emphasised that investors, both foreign and domestic, want ease of doing business and they do not want litigation, and if they are involved in litigation, then it should be resolved peacefully.

Chief Justice Ramana said dispute resolution would cost less for investors in India, unlike other international arbitration centres spread across the world. He said that the proposed centre would not exclusively decide international arbitration, but it will also help the domestic investors too. He added most of the investors seek to first avoid litigation, and if it became inevitable, they want an early resolution on their dispute.

About the Centre, he said: "It is having an efficient administration of resolving the dispute by technically expert people, so not to create any future complication. There are clear rules and quality of arbitrators are of international excellence... this will be supervised by very senior and eminent people." He thanked the Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for the promise to provide infrastructure and financial support, and added that he was happy that his dream for such a centre in Hyderabad came to fruition within three months of assuming the office of the Chief Justice of India.

The other speakers at the function included Supreme Court judges R. Subhash Reddy, and L. Nageswara Rao and Telangana Minister K.T. Rama Rao.
Colombo, Aug 20 : After recording its highest single-day Covid death toll of 186, Sri Lanka has announced a 10-day lockdown starting Friday night.

Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella announced that the island-wide lockdown will come into effect from Friday night and will end on August 30. However, essential services would function as normal, he said.

As per the latest available records, on August 18, as many as 186 deaths and 3,793 new cases were reported, taking the overall death toll to 6,790.

With the island nation facing its worst-ever bout of the pandemic, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is set to address the nation on Friday night. The President is likely speak primarily on the pandemic and the 'dire' economic situation that the country is facing.

Health workers, experts, opposition parties and 10 allies of the government have demanded to shut the country to control the surging deaths and new cases.

The opposition and health trade unions had even urged people to go on self-isolation if the government didn't close the country. A large number of cities have voluntarily closed to prevent the spread of the virus.

Lately, politically influential Chief Prelates of two leading Buddhist chapters had urged the President to lockdown the country to curb the pandemic.

State Minister of Indigenous Medicine Promotion and Community Health, Channa Jayasumana, told the media that the President has decided to close the country on the request made by the Buddhist Prelates.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal has again rejected the Delhi Government's request to set up a panel to investigate the deaths due to alleged oxygen shortage during the second wave of the Covid pandemic, said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday.

Sisodia, who is also the nodal minister for Covid management in the national capital, stated that no one can deny that Delhi grappled with an oxygen shortage during the peak of the second wave of the Covid pandemic (April-May) and several people died due to oxygen shortage.

"The Central Government has again rejected the proposal to form a committee to investigate the deaths due to lack of oxygen," Sisodia tweeted.

He added, "On the one hand, they (Centre) pretend to ask the states for the figures of deaths due to O2 deficiency, on the other hand, they stop the inquiry committee. After all, what does the Central government wants to hide." The Delhi Government had again sent a file to the L-G office seeking it's approval to form a committee to investigate deaths due to an oxygen crisis in the national capital.

The Delhi Government had formed a four-member panel in June this year to look into the deaths due to shortage of oxygen. However, the committee was rejected by the L-G.
Washington, Aug 20 : Scientists have criticised the US decision to roll out Covid booster shots for all Americans stating that the data isn't compelling, the media reports said.

Top US health officials including CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky, acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr Janet Woodcock, and White House chief medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci, had this week, announced plans for a third dose of Covid vaccine eight months after a second shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Experts argue this move is a misuse of resources and not based on data, Daily Mail reported.

The approval was not based on scientific evidence but rather on panic and fear, Dr Anna Durbin, an international Health professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland was quoted as saying.

She added that some medical professionals themselves may be contributing to panic about breakthrough cases and the Delta variant.

"People are still highly protected against severe disease, hospitalisation, and death. I don't think the data indicates that booster shots are needed," Durbin said.

Currently, data support the need for booster doses primarily among those who are moderate to severely immunocompromised, the experts contended.

Last week, the US FDA approved vaccine boosters only for immunocompromised Americans -- which include cancer and HIV patients and people who have had organ transplants or elderly.

These groups would benefit from a third dose right now, Dr Archana Chatterjee, a member of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, was quoted as saying to CNBC.

As of now, "breakthrough infections in the general public tend to be asymptomatic or mild", she said.

Dr Priya Sampathkumar, an epidemiologist at the Mayo Clinic, agreed, saying a booster could be needed for the general public in the future, but not right now. "There isn't enough data to support the third booster for all at this point," she said.

"Vaccinating unvaccinated people is going to stop the spread of Delta, and giving booster shots to people in the US is not going to stop the development of new variants around the world. They have to vaccinate everyone in the world," Durbin said.

In America, more than 70 per cent of adults have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

According to the World Health Organisation, just 10 countries have administered 75 per cent of all vaccine supply, while low-income countries have vaccinated barely 2 per cent of their people.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also lashed out at nations who have and are planning to roll out booster vaccines against Covid.

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Kochi, Aug 20 : The Spices Board, in association with the Indian and Thai Embassies, on Friday organised an International Buyer Seller Meet (IBSM) and a webinar bringing together spices importers and exporters, trade associations, chamber of commerce, leading supermarket chains, and departmental stores from both the countries.

India's spice exports amounted to more than 17 lakh MT valued at more than Rs 30,000 crore during fiscal year 2020-21. This scaled the landmark level of $4 billion, compared to the previous year despite the pandemic situation.

In all, 240 representatives from India and 60 from Thailand took part .

Thailand is an important destination for India's spices and it opens opportunities and offers ample avenues to expand this further.

India, on an average, exports 68,225 MT of spices to Thailand every year, valued at Rs 944.35 crore, which accounts for 6 per cent volume and 5 per cent in value of total spice exports. The major spices exported from India to Thailand are chillies, turmeric, garlic, and value added products, spice oils & oleoresins, and curry powders, etc.

Delivering the keynote address, Joint Secretary, Commerce, Diwakar Nath Mishra, said that India is the largest producer, consumer, and exporter of spices in the world.

"On account of the favourable agro-climatic condition of our country, spices are extensively cultivated in every state, presenting us great potential for further expansion in its production and export," he said.

Spices Board Secretary, D. Sathiyan, said they have been conducting a series of digital buyer-seller meets (BSM) for ensuring that there is no gap or hindrance in sourcing and supply of spices from the country.

"The Board is in the process of launching a unique virtual platform for export facilitation and promotion. This platform would provide the exporters with updated trade and market information in addition to the facilities for setting up their virtual office in the portal. The portal will also have the facilities to conduct virtual trade fairs and meets, seminars, workshops, training programmes etc. for the Indian spice industry," he said.

Spices Board, the link between Indian and international spice trade, has been actively taking a lead in promoting and strengthening the Indian-international spice trade for the benefits of spice community in India for many years, more so during the pandemic period.
Film: Sweet Girl (Playing on Netflix) Duration: 110 minutes

Director: Brian Andrew Mendonza

Cast: Jason Momoa, Isabela Merced, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Raza Jaffrey, Amy Brenneman, Adria Arjona, Lex Scott, Neslon Franklin and Justin Bartha.

IANS Rating: **'Sweet Girl' is an action-packed revenge thriller that is engaging yet deceptive with its narrative.

The film begins on a thrilling note with Ray Cooper (Jason Momoa), a sparrer, being chased by the police right from a tube station till he is cornered by the FBI agent Sarah Meeker (Lex Scott Davis) on the roof of a stadium.

At the opportune moment, Ray leaps off the roof, only to land into a water body. This exhilarating action shot ensures that we expect some thrilling action sequences. This is also the prologue of the film.

Immediately after the prologue, over a montage of Ray Cooper's life, we are told, "The past is like a dream, there are memories that shape us, moulding us into what we've become -- a mosaic of images and feelings ... even if details are blurred with time." This passage bookends the film.

And between the passages mentioned above, we learn how years ago when Ray's wife Amanda Cooper (Adria Arjona), a dancer, was suffering from cancer, BioPrime, a big pharmaceutical company, ensured that a generic drug was pulled off the market, just to rake in profits, thus making Amanda's survival difficult.

This naturally upset Ray and upon seeing Simon Keeley, CEO of BioPrime, on a news programme where the journalists were questioning his business practices, Ray threatens him with these words, "If my wife dies, it's your death sentence. I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands." These angry words from a family man seems justifiable for the moment. The character is given heft when we learn that he is a professional sparrer (fighter). For the next six months he is seen venting his anger on the punching bag in his gym and at the same time training his daughter Rachael (Isabela Merced) to become a sparrer.

Later, he receives a call from Martin Bennett (Nelson Franklin), an investigative journalist, who informs him that he has inside information about BioPrime's malpractices.

They meet on a subway train to exchange the proof, and while they were talking, a hit-man stabs Martin. This leads to a deadly combat, where Ray kills the assassin and this instigates him to pursue his threat to Simon Keeley. What follows is a clear-cut vengeance action drama with Ray trailing Simon.

Jason Momoa, with his rugged physique and charismatic disposition, delivers a fine performance of a loving, caring and sensitive husband and father, and also of a man out to avenge the death of his wife. Isabela Merced, as his caring daughter, is equally brilliant.

The film boasts of decent production values and camera work, and the music elevates the viewing experience.

Overall, the plot is packed with; skilfully choreographed and edited action sequences, scenes of father-daughter bonding, and the daughter's concern about her father's safety.

But somewhere, by the two-third mark of the run time, the narrative takes a cinematic liberty and switches track. This abrupt transition derails the viewer and questions the plausibility of the film's logic. Even if you refer to the passages that bookend this film, the narrative does not make any sense.

(Troy Ribeiro can can be contact at troy.r@ians.in)
Mumbai, Aug 20 : Jewellers across India will go on strike on August 23 against "arbitrarily" implemented mandatory hallmarking process in the country by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The strike has been called by the National Task Force for Hallmarking, formed by 350 associations and federations representing all four zones of the entire gems and jewellery industry. The objective of this committee is to ensure a smooth implementation of mandatory hallmarking across the country, said a statement by the task force on Friday.

There have been two committees formed and almost 10 meetings held but no relief has yet been offered in writing by the BIS or the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, it said, adding that BIS, being a standards and quality assurance institution, is playing the role of a "revenue department" with gems and jewellery industry becoming a very soft target for them.

"Jewellers have waited for almost two months with complications piling up and impractical laws resulting in industry collapse," the statement said.

Ashok Minawala, member of the National Task Force on Hallmarking, noted that jewellers have always welcomed hallmarking, but they cannot accept the new HUID (Hallmarking Unique ID) as it has nothing to do with the purity of gold.

"The new HUID is a 6-digit code, which BIS feels will improve gold purity, but BIS cannot prove even one element of how it can improve the purity, apart from it being just a tracking mechanism," he said.

"The consumer wants perfect quality of gold jewellery which we are happy to deliver. The new process has been made a 'destructive process' that damages our jewellery being hallmarked," said Minawala, who is also a former Chairman of the All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council.

He was of the view that the element of cancellation of registration, penal provisions, search and seizure will ultimately bring "Inspector Raaj" in the industry.

Dinesh Jain, member of the task force, noted that hallmarking has been made mandatory in 256 districts from June 16, 2021 and it is estimated that yearly, almost 10-12 crore pieces are manufactured in India.

In addition, existing stock of almost 6-7 crore pieces are yet to be hallmarked, he said, adding that it takes the total count of pieces to be hallmarked in a year to almost 16-18 crore pieces.

"Current speed and capacity of hallmarking centres is about 2 lakh pieces per day, at this speed it will take almost 800-900 days or equivalent to 3-4 years to mark this years' production," Jain said.

Jain, who is also the Director, GJC and GJSCI, said that the new marking system -- HUID -- is taking almost 5 to 10 days to hallmark the products, resulting into a complete bottleneck and the industry is on standstill.
Hyderabad, Aug 20 : Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday expressed happiness that Mahabubnagar district, which used to have starvation deaths and labour migration, has become an international showcase for greenery.

Water for irrigation through several projects constructed by the Telangana government have turned the arid land into a fertile one and there is greenery everywhere with abundant crops.

He said it was a moment of happiness to note that Mahabubnagar district which once had arid land, rocks and hills now has greenery and is making rapid strides in development.

KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, stated this when TRS MP J Santosh Kumar and minister T Srinivas Goud called on him and received a memento from him given by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Mahabubnagar district entered Guinness World Records for preparing seed balls on a record scale and forming the longest sentence with the seed balls.

The CM congratulated the MP and minister for their efforts. He also congratulated Mahabubnagar district's women self-help groups for preparing 2.08 crore seed balls in a record 10 days' time and for spraying them on hills, upland areas in a month's time to achieve more greenery at less cost.

KCR lauded the efforts of the Mahabubnagar district administration and Palamuru Zilla Mahila Samakya in setting a new Guinness Record for the largest seed ball sentence compromising 73,918 seed balls as part of the Green India Challenge and Haritha Haram.
Patna, Aug 20 : Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Friday gave a jolt to its alliance partners, the BJP and the HAM, as it inducted one leader each from both parties.

A welcome event was organised at the party office here where Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former minister Sonadhari Singh Yadav and Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Satyanarayan Sharma joined the JD-U in presence of its state President Umesh Kushwaha, and ministers Ashok Chaudhary and Sheela Mandal. This was the first time that a BJP leader joined the JD-U, post the 2020 Bihar Assembly election.

Yadav said that the BJP is a party of "cheaters" and "forgers".

"I have stayed in the BJP for the last 8 years and observed its leadership from top to bottom. All leaders are poisonous apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I firmly believe that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is doing good work for the welfare of Bihar and Bihari people. I am influenced by his ideology," he said.

Yadav lauded Nitish Kumar for demanding a caste-based census in the country. "Centre should conduct it in the entire country. The Prime Minister has given time to leaders of Bihar on August 23 and I am expecting a positive decision will come out from it," he said.

Sharma said that Nitish Kumar has taken some "brave decisions" in the interests of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Bihar.

Chaudhary said that the party welcomes the two leaders and they will get adequate respect.
Hyderabad, Aug 20 : Solemnity, sombreness and mourning during the annual procession marked 'Yaum-e-Ashura' in Hyderabad on Friday.

Thousands of people participated in the historic 'Bibi ka Alam' procession which passed through various parts of the old city before concluding at Chaderghat on the banks of Musi River in the evening.

'Yaum-e-Ashura' or the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of Islamic calendar, is observed in memory of the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussain and his followers at the battle of Karbala.

After a gap of one year, the 'Bibi ka Alam' was carried on a caparisoned elephant. Last year due to restrictions in view of Covid-19 and on the direction of High Court, it was carried on a motor vehicle.

The 'Bibi ka alam' is believed to contain a piece of wooden plank on which Bibi Fatima Zehra, daughter of Prophet Muhammad, was given the final ablution. The 'alam' was installed over 430 years ago during the Qutb Shahi dynasty.

Self-flagellating mourners led the procession, which began in the afternoon from Bibi ka Alawa in Dabeerpura.

The procession passed through Sheikh Faiz Kaman, Etebar Chowk, Kotla Alijah, Charminar, Gulzar Houz, Panjeshah, Mandir Mir Alam, Purani Haveli, and Darulshifa before concluding at Chaderghat.

A total of 24 groups participated in the mourning along the procession route. Blood oozed out from the heads and chests of bare-chested Shia mourners who flagellated themselves with sharp-edged objects Amid cries of 'Ya Hussain' and recitation of 'marsiyas' (elegies) and 'noha-khwani' (poems expressing sorrow), barefoot youths using knives, blade-encrusted chains and other sharp-edged weapons, inflicted injuries on themselves to show solidarity with the sufferings of the martyrs. Others were seen weeping and beating their chests.

The police made elaborate security arrangements for the procession. Additional forces were deployed along the procession route as the day coincided with Friday prayers.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar and other officers offered 'dhattis' to the Alam at Charminar. The police chief monitored the security arrangements for the procession Family members of the Nizam, the ruler of erstwhile Hyderabad state, offered 'dhattis' at Purani Haveli. Leaders of various political parties also offered 'Dhattis'. They included Congress' state Working President Anjan Kumar Yadav.

An elephant brought from Maharashtra carried the 'Alam' this year. Following a representation by the Nizam's Religious Trust, which is the custodian of 'Bibi ka Alam', and other Shia organisations, the Telangana government had granted permission for use of an elephant for the procession.

Madhuri, 38, was brought from Kolhapur to carry the 'Alam' during the annual procession. For decades, elephant Rajini from the Nehru Zoological Park was used for the procession. This was stopped in 2019 following orders of High Court that captive elephant cannot be used for religious processions.

Sunni Muslims observed the day by fasting and holding meetings to remember the sacrifices of Imam Hussain and his followers who were martyred in 61 Hijri or 681 CE at Karbala in present day Iraq.

The fasting is observed on two days - ninth and 10th or 10th and 11th Muharram.
Nagpur, Aug 20 : The Nagpur Metro's unique section - with a metro train zipping through the fourth floor of a 20-storied commercial building, a first in India - became operational on Friday, running 1.6kms between Sitabuldi-Zero Mile-Kasturchand Park.

The iconic corridor, incorporating unique architecture and design, has been constructed by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (MahaMetro) and was inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray along with Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Hardeep Singh Puri in the presence of top officials.

The 1.6 kms corridor in the Zero Mile Freedom Park station and 20-floor tall commercial tower is part of the upcoming 19 kms long north-south metro rail that will be ready by the year-end.

It is part of the total 38-kms long Nagpur Metro with another 19-kms coming up in the east-west directions, with barely a handful of such metro train passing through commercial or residential structure in the world, said a MahaMetro officail.

Flagging off the inaugural train along with Gadkari and Puri, Thackeray affirmed that development works would not be hindered anywhere in the state.

"While development should take place, we must ensure that there are no shortcomings in it We shall do a good job in the 75th year of Indian Independence and it will last for another 75 years," said Thackeray.

Gadkari urged the government to construct a tunnel to give access to the Zero Mile Freedom Park station from the Cotton Market to avoid road traffic hassles and promised all financial assistance for it.

Puri said that the project foundation stone was laid exactly 7 years ago on Aug. 21, 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its one of the fastest-moving metros in the country.

He said that Nagpur Metro is a green metro with two-thirds of its energy needs met from solar power, it will recycle 100 percent water used by it, plus harvest rainwater, bio-digesters are provided at all stations, making it a clean and sustainable project.

Puri added that a traditional Rajput-style architecture has been used in designing the Kasturchand Park station including its facade, umbrellas, arcs, nets etc, making it a unique structure in the city.

Nagpur Guardian Minister and Congress leader Dr. Nitin Raut expressed confidence that the Nagpur Metro would prove a big boon to the infrastructure development of the state's second capital.

Bharatiya Janata Party's Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said that the 'Zero Mile' has a immense historic significance with the Great Trigonometry Survey launched by the British here in 1907 from Zero Mile, Nagpur', the country's geographical center-point.

The new corridor links the Vidhan Bhavan, Reserve Bank of India, Central Museum, Sanvidhan Chowk and Morris College in Nagpur.

Simultaneously, the 40,000-square-feet 'Freedom Park' flanking the Zero Mile Freedom Park station was also inaugurated to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence.

The Freedom Park has unique concepts like a Public Plaza and a long History Wall depicting major moments of Indian Freedom Movement, an Indian Army's battle-weary T-55 tank which saw action in war is displayed on a pedestal, plus an amphitheater, adequate seating and moving spaces for the people of the city and tourists.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : The Panjshir Valley is Afghanistan's last remaining holdout where anti-Taliban forces seem to be working on forming a guerrilla movement to take on the Islamic fundamentalist group.

A Taliban resistance is forming in Panjshir Valley under the leadership of Vice President Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, the son of a famed anti-Taliban fighter, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"The Taliban doesn't control the whole territory of Afghanistan," Lavrov told reporters at a press conference in Moscow following a meeting with his Libyan counterpart.

"There are reports of the situation in the Panjshir Valley where the resistance of Afghanistan's Vice President Saleh and Ahmad Massoud is concentrated," he said, TRT World reported.

The Panjshir Valley in the northeast of Kabul is Afghanistan's last remaining holdout, known for its natural defences.

The region, located 150 km northeast of Kabul, now hosts some senior members of the ousted Afghanistan government, including the deposed Saleh and ex-Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi, DW reported.

Saleh has declared himself the caretaker President of Afghanistan after ousted President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

"I will never, ever and under no circumstances bow to the Taliban terrorists. I will never betray the soul and legacy of my hero Ahmad Shah Masoud, the commander, the legend and the guide," Saleh wrote on Twitter.

France 24 reported that in a photo released after Ghani fled the country, Ahmad Massoud sits under the portrait of his father and namesake, the legendary Afghan resistance hero, Ahmad Shah Massoud. By his side in an undisclosed location in Panjshir Valley is Saleh.

From this pocket of resistance, the two men are calling for retaliation against the Taliban.

The Panjshir Valley has repeatedly played a decisive role in Afghanistan's military history, as its geographical position almost completely cuts it off from the rest of the country. The only access point to the region is through a narrow passage created by the Panjshir River, which can be easily defended militarily.

Famed for its natural defences, the region tucked into the Hindu Kush mountains never fell to the Taliban during the civil war of the 1990s, nor was it conquered by the Soviets a decade earlier. It is now Afghanistan's last remaining holdout, DW reported.

Most of the valley's up to 150,000 inhabitants belong to the Tajik ethnic group, while the majority of the Taliban are Pashtuns.

The valley is also known for its emeralds, which were used in the past to finance the resistance movements against those in power.

Now, the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, Ahmad Massoud, says he is hoping to follow in his "father's footsteps".

Massoud, who closely resembles his father in appearance, commands a militia in the valley.

He said he has been joined by former members of the country's special forces and soldiers from the Afghan army who are "disgusted by the surrender of their commanders".

Social media images show Saleh meeting with Massoud, and the duo appears to be assembling the first pieces of a guerrilla movement to take on the Taliban.

Massoud has also called on the US to supply arms and ammunition to his militia.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Ahmad Massoud said "America can still be a great arsenal of democracy" by supporting his fighters.

"I write from the Panjshir Valley today, ready to follow in my father's footsteps, with mujahideen fighters who are prepared to once again take on the Taliban," he said.

Russia also emphasised on Thursday that a resistance movement was forming in the Panjshir Valley, led by Saleh and Massoud.

"The Taliban doesn't control the whole territory of Afghanistan," Lavrov said, DW reported.

It is, however, not clear how strong this new anti-Taliban resistance movement is and how the new rulers in Kabul will react to it.

"If we can take the Taliban at their word, then Panjshir should be safe because the war in Afghanistan is over. The Taliban have pledged to stop using force, which suggests that they will leave areas not controlled by the Taliban alone. But we will have to wait and see," Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Washington-based Wilson Center, told DW.

He added: "But if an organised military resistance forms in the region, I don't think it's out of the question that the Taliban will go against it. And if they do, they will win quickly and easily." (Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)
Patna, Aug 20 : A motorcylist was shot dead by his one of his pillion riders in Bihar's East Champaran district on Friday, police said.

The incident was reported around 3 p.m. and the victim was identified as Virendra Chaudhary, 40.

Preliminary investigation reveals that Chaudhary probably gave a lift to the two persons, police said.

"The pillion riders may have forced him at gunpoint. The eyewitnesses have said that when they reached Vijayi Champapur village, one of the pillion riders shot Chaudhary in his head," the investigating officer from Ghorasahan police station said.

This led to the vehicle falling to the ground, but the two assailants picked themselves up and fled on the motorcycle, firing in the air to deter pursuit, he said.

Chaudhary's family member said that he was on the way to Bhelwa village for some personal work, and had no enmity with anyone.

"We are investigating the case and efforts are on to identify the accused," the officer said.
Islamabad, Aug 20 : Protests have erupted in Pakistan's port city of Gwadar against a severe shortage of water and electricity and threats to livelihoods, which have been blamed on the Chinese.

The protests are part of a growing backlash against China's multibillion-dollar belt and road projects in the country, The Guardian reported.

This week, demonstrators, including fishers and other local workers, blocked the roads in Gwadar, a coastal town in Balochistan.

They burnt tyres, chanted slogans and shut down the city to demand water and electricity and a stop to Chinese trawlers illegally fishing in the nearby waters and then taking the catch to China.

Two people were injured when the authorities cracked down on the protesters.

"We have been protesting and rallying against the Chinese trawlers, and shortage of water and electricity for over a month now. But the government never paid heed to our demands. We had to observe a complete shutdown strike and we were attacked by the district administration," said Faiz Nigori, a local political worker.

The protests are part of a growing discontent with China's presence in Gwadar, whose port is an integral part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project (CPEC), in which China has invested billions in infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

Under the project, Pakistan surrendered the Gwadar port to a Chinese-backed multinational corporation for a lease of 40 years. It is part of China's mammoth belt and road initiative, which stretches across 70 countries to give China a clear trade route from east Asia to Europe.

The Pakistan government accepted China's investment in the hope that it would help boost the country's ailing economy. But Balochistan is home to a long-running violent insurgency, and China's presence in Gwadar has been the cause of much social unrest, leading to great anti-Chinese sentiments, the report said.

It has also given a fillip to Baloch militant insurgent groups, who have carried out terrorist attacks in protest at CPEC projects. However, there are signs that resentment at belt and road projects is growing across the country.

Nine Chinese workers were killed last month when a vehicle laden with explosives and driven by a suicide attacker rammed a convoy heading out to work on the Dasu dam, another flagship CPEC project.

China's ambassador to Pakistan was also targeted in a terrorist attack at his hotel in April, though he was not hurt.

Yet, in the years since China was granted a lease on Gwadar port, no work has begun on any such projects and instead the locals say that China's presence is undermining their livelihoods and creating food shortages by allowing Chinese fishing boats to illegally fish in Pakistan's waters around the port.

Nigori said that when the Chinese started developing the Gwadar port, Pakistani officials claimed that the port city would become the Singapore of Pakistan.

"But today, we don't have water, electricity and Chinese trawlers are illegally fishing at our coast. We just want our basic rights," he said.

Mir Sher Baz Khetran, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad, said that such protests could prove very destabilising for China's presence in Pakistan.

"If there is no trickle-down of development projects under CPEC, it will strengthen the insurgents' narrative of exploitation of resources of Balochistan," he said.

Last month, Pakistan had detained five Chinese trawlers on suspicion of illegal fishing, not far from the Gwadar port.

Khudadad Waju, the president of the fisherfolk alliance in Gwadar, said that it had sent a team of local fishers to examine the fish captured and they confirmed that "the fish were caught near Gwadar".

However, Chinese authorities denied that the detained Chinese trawlers were illegally fishing and claimed instead that they were sheltering from a storm.

Akbar Askani, the minister for fisheries for the Balochistan state government, alleged that the central government, which has close ties with China, was granting Chinese vessels licences to fish in the seas around Gwadar, despite the cost to the local community.
Islamabad, Aug 20 : A loud explosion was heard in Gwadar, the port city of Pakistan in Balochistan province, initial reports said on Friday.

The blast took place in the Baloch Ward near the Gwadar Expressway, and there are reports of casualties.

The nature of the explosion has not been determined as yet, sources said, the Dawn reported.

Earlier this month, at least two policemen were killed and eight others were injured in an explosion near the Serena Hotel in Quetta in the same Balochistan province.

The incident took place more than three months after a powerful bomb exploded in the parking lot of the Serena Hotel, killing five people and wounding a dozen others.

Pakistan Taliban had claimed responsibility for the blast at the Serena Hotel in April.
New Delhi, Aug 20: Russia has called for a nationwide dialogue in Afghanistan even as calls for a 'Resistance 2.0' movement against the Taliban takeover are growing stronger, especially in the Panjshir Valley where Ahmad Massoud and former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh are reuniting their forces and followers.

When asked if Moscow is ready to work with the Taliban, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that the group does not control the entire country yet.

"The Taliban does not yet control the entire territory of Afghanistan. There are reports about the situation in the Panjshir Gorge, where the resistance forces led by Vice President Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud are now concentrated. This makes our position even more consistent," said Lavrov.

India Narrative had reported Thursday on how an anti-Taliban coalition seems to be forming in Panjshir, a northern province still free from Taliban rule and from where Ahmad Shah Massoud - better known as the 'Lion of Panjshir' - had led a heroic fight against the Soviets, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Russia said that it has always advocated the need for an urgent transition to a nationwide dialogue with the participation of all opposing Afghan forces and ethnic and religious groups in that country. It said that a national dialogue will make it possible to form a representative government which, with the support of the Afghan public, will proceed to develop the final arrangements for the multi-ethnic country.

Lavrov stressed that the Moscow format continues to be recognised as the most effective mechanism for promoting external support for an Afghan settlement. Russia's sharper focus on "Moscow format" comes at a time when faith in the Doha talks, which eventually led to the one-sided takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, has dropped.

The Moscow format was introduced in 2017 on the basis of the six-party mechanism for consultations between special representatives from Russia, Afghanistan, India, Iran, China and Pakistan. The main objective of the format is to facilitate the national reconciliation process in Afghanistan and secure peace in the country as soon as possible.

"I'm convinced that the Moscow format has the best chance to succeed since the situation has already taken on a region-wide dimension, and neighbouring countries and countries located further away from Afghanistan are responding to it," said the Russian Foreign Minister.

"No official proposals have been made so far. However, the effectiveness of this 'backup group' behind the Afghan talks has invariably been recognised by everyone. We stand ready to resume the Moscow format, if needed," he added.

Russia had on Tuesday said that just like all other countries, it is not in a hurry to recognise the Taliban, saying it is observing "positive processes" on the streets of Kabul, where the situation is "fairly calm" and the Taliban are "effectively enforcing" law and order. Moscow is also backing the dialogue initiative between Former President Hamid Karzai, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah and leader of the Islamic Party of Afghanistan Gulbuddin Hekmatyar with the Taliban representatives.

"We operate on the premise that all members of this group said they were willing to meet and negotiate in the interests of the Afghan people. We will encourage these processes in every possible way and strive to translate these intentions into concrete actions," stressed Lavrov on Thursday.

Things, of course, continue to change at a quick pace on ground zero. With reports of several former top officers of Afghan forces - including General Hasib Panjshiri, General Hamid Saifi, Commander Khalid Amiri - also joining the resistance movement in Panjshir, it will be a really long road to peace in Afghanistan.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Aug 20: The Afghan crisis and conflicts in the Muslim world are opening up fault lines in Europe as more and more migrants seek to enter Europe.

Poland has deployed 900 soldiers on its border with Belarus to keep migrants from Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria out of the country. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that it has already erected a 100-km barbed-wire fence along its Belarus border. It will add another 50-km soon.

Poland says that over 2,000 migrants have crossed over from Belarus in just one month while guards were able to prevent another 1,342 from entering. The country also has begun to detain other migrants. There also are people who are trapped on the no-man's land between Poland and Belarus.

For almost similar reasons, Lithuania too is building a 550-km barbed wire fence after making allegations that thousands of migrants illegally crossed over from Belarus this year. Vilnius says that only 74 migrants had entered its land in all of last year.

The nearly 4,100 migrants in Lithuania are currently being kept in temporary shelters. It has even alleged that Belarus officials entered Lithuanian territory to help migrants cross over.

The Lithuanian border force reportedly had scuffles with migrants as they tried to enter from Belarus.

It is not just Poland and Lithuania who allege that Belarus is using migrants as a weapon. Even Estonia and Latvia have said that Belarus, reportedly the only country in Europe to be governed by an authoritarian government, is pushing migrants into their lands.

Noticing a crisis at hand, the European Union (EU) held emergency talks this Wednesday over allegations against Belarus. The EU ministers have condemned Belarus for efforts at destabilising the European Union.

European nations say that Belarus began pushing migrants illegally after the EU levied sanctions on the country for its authoritarian behaviour.

With the American pull-out from Afghanistan and the takeover of the conflict-torn country by hardline Taliban militants, Europe fears a second wave of refugees as desperate Afghans try to flee the country.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Hyderabad, Aug 20 : Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Friday stressed the need for arbitration, mediation, and conciliation as investors want "ease of doing business" and the proposed International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad would go a long way in helping both domestic and foreign investors in settling their disputes as early as possible.

He also described former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao as the father of economic reforms in the country, noting that the reforms started during the Congress leader's rule. "You know the father of the economic reforms in the country is none other than P.V. Narasimha Rao, 'Telangana Bidda' (son of Telangana). Under his leadership, in India for the first time, economic reforms started," he said.

In his address at a function organised at the residence of the Telangana High Court's Chief Justice Hima Kohli, where a trust deed was registered for the proposed arbitration centre, he said that everybody should participate in this arbitration movement, to resolve disputes and to strengthen the judiciary.

"It is a burden; you know, once you come to the court... how many years it takes and of course, hierarchy starting from civil courts to Supreme Court. How many years it takes... we have eminent arbitrators in this country, some of the international arbitrators, who are world famous, also willing to participate in this arbitration centre," he said.

He noted that in the Indian culture, all our disputes are sorted through mediation, negotiation and conciliation.

"Every day in our family, we negotiate with our children, wife, brother, friends and everybody. Mediation also takes places between friends and family members also," he said.

He emphasised that investors, both foreign and domestic, want ease of doing business and they do not want litigation, and if they are involved in litigation, then it should be resolved peacefully.

Chief Justice Ramana said dispute resolution would cost less for investors in India, unlike other international arbitration centres spread across the world. He said that the proposed centre would not exclusively decide international arbitration, but it will also help the domestic investors too. He added most of the investors seek to first avoid litigation, and if it became inevitable, they want an early resolution on their dispute.

About the Centre, he said: "It is having an efficient administration of resolving the dispute by technically expert people, so not to create any future complication. There are clear rules and quality of arbitrators are of international excellence... this will be supervised by very senior and eminent people." Justice Ramana said Supreme Court judge's Justice L. Nageswara Rao and former top court judge Justice Ravindra will be the life trustees of the arbitration centre and they will co-opt some more members in future.

He thanked the Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for the promise to provide infrastructure and financial support, and added that he was happy that his dream for such a centre in Hyderabad came to fruition within three months of assuming the office of the Chief Justice of India.

The other speakers at the function included Supreme Court judges R. Subhash Reddy, and Nageswara Rao and Telangana Minister K.T. Rama Rao.
100 days of BJP govt in Assam: Jobs to kin of 6 cops killed in border clash with Mizoram Image Source: IANS News

100 days of BJP govt in Assam: Jobs to kin of 6 cops killed in border clash with Mizoram Image Source: IANS News

100 days of BJP govt in Assam: Jobs to kin of 6 cops killed in border clash with Mizoram Image Source: IANS News

100 days of BJP govt in Assam: Jobs to kin of 6 cops killed in border clash with Mizoram Image Source: IANS News

100 days of BJP govt in Assam: Jobs to kin of 6 cops killed in border clash with Mizoram Image Source: IANS News

Guwahati, Aug 20 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday handed over appointment letters to the kin of six state policemen who were killed on the fierce clash on the Assam-Mizoram border on July 26.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's second government in Assam on Friday completed 100 days in office and on the occasion, he launched various programmes and projects and announced various schemes.

Sarma, who became the Chief Minister on May 10, gave the government job offers to the wives of slain Sub Inspector Swapan Kumar Roy, constables Mazrul Haque Barbhuiya, Nazmul Hussain, and Samsuz Zaman Barbhuiya, the sister of constable Liton Suklabaidya, and the son of havildar Shyam Sundar Dusad.

Talking to the media, he said that the government jobs given to the next of kin of the six policemen were on exceptional grounds and should not to be cited as a precedent or example.

The families of the six police "martyrs" had also been given Rs 50 lakh each soon after the July 26 incident. The state government had also provided an ex-gratia amount of Rs one lakh to each of 42 policemen who were injured in the clash.

All the martyred police personnel were also awarded the Chief Minister's Special Service Medal (posthumously) on August 15.

Highlighting his government's achievements during the 100 days, he, while claiming that the positivity rate of Covid-19 is much less than one per cent (0.74 per cent), said 1,51,57,486 people have been vaccinated with 26,47,965 people having taken both doses, one-time Covid-19 relief of Rs 15,000 each announced for the heads of religious institutions and Rs 10,000 each for bus drivers, conductors, and handymen in the state.

During Friday's cabinet meeting, it was also decided that the monthly allowance being given to more than 2.2 million women, as part of the government's flagship scheme "Orunodoi", be increased from the existing Rs 830 to Rs 1,000. The "Orunodoi" scheme made more attractive before the March-April assembly elections in Assam, played a role in facilitating the victory of the BJP-led alliance.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Sarma, also decided to incorporate the Indian and Assam history and geography as compulsory subjects in the curriculum of classes 9 and 10 in all government run schools in Assam.

Sarma said that all state-owned buses would be converted to electric and compressed natural gas vehicles within the next 12 months.

On Friday, the Chief Minister also dedicated a new building constructed at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore at Sonapur in Guwahati for use as an old age home.

He also said that his government would also set up an integrated complex consisting of an old-age home and children's shelter home including other facilities at a sprawling plot of land of 65 bighas in Boko at a cost of Rs 100 crore.

Sarma also announced that every district would have model old age homes and that the existing around 6,000 Anganwadi centres would be given a facelift to make them ideal place for welfare and development of children. He also said that the government would provide nutritious food to children for their physical and mental development.
Lahore, Aug 20 : A magisterial court here on Friday granted post-arrest bail to the individual who reportedly vandalised a statue of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the Lahore Fort earlier this week, Express Tribune reported.

The accused, Rizwan, was presented before the court on Friday. During the proceedings, the investigating officer asked the court if it had no objection against him being sent to judicial remand.

Meanwhile, the accused's counsel informed the court that the police have completed their investigation and have recovered a hammer from the possession of the accused.

He further implored the court that the sections under which the FIR was registered were bailable and requested the court to grant bail to the accused.

The judge of the magisterial court then granted bail to the accused.

The accused, an activist of the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, was arrested on Tuesday.

In a video that had gone viral, Rizwan can be seen chanting slogans and breaking the arm of the statue and then dismantling Singh's bust from the horse altogether.

This is the third time that the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been vandalised since its unveiling in 2019 to commemorate the ruler's 180th death anniversary.

The first act of vandalism took place when two men struck it with wooden rods, due to which one arm of the statue broke while other parts were damaged. The vandals were protesting the revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Consitution that granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The second incident was reported in December 2020, when a man broke one arm of the statue. The accused, reportedly an active member of a religious group, had later confessed to his crime.

The authorities in Lahore claim to have deployed dozens of guards at the fort.
New Delhi, Aug 20: While the Taliban have been talking about granting "general amnesty" to everyone in Afghanistan, the ground reality is that they are actively searching for people who worked for NATO forces or the previous Afghan government, according to a confidential UN document.

The document prepared by the RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses, which provides intelligence to the UN, states that Taliban militants have been going door-to-door to find targets and threatening their family members, the BBC has revealed.

"It is in writing that, unless they give themselves in, the Taliban will arrest and prosecute, interrogate and punish family members on behalf of those individuals." He warned that anyone on the Taliban's blacklist was in severe danger, and that there could be mass executions, Christian Nellemann, who heads the group that authored the report, told the BBC.

"There are a high number of individuals that are currently being targeted by the Taliban and the threat is crystal clear," Nellemann said.

US news channel CNN has also reported from Kabul that officials who have been working with ousted President Ashraf Ghani have been receiving threats on their mobile phones.

President Joe Biden's promise to evacuate over 20,000 at-risk Afghans who have been working with the U.S. government appears to have run into the Taliban barrier as many of these individuals are facing an uphill task in reaching the airport.

Some of these individuals are still in the provinces and have to go through several Taliban check-points before they can reach Kabul. Many of those who are in Kabul are unable to reach the airport as they cannot get past the gun-toting Taliban fighters who have set up barriers at crucial points.

An Afghan interpreter working with the Australian government was shot in the leg on Wednesday morning while he was on his way to the airport along with his family to board a military flight to Australia, according to a report in the Guardian.

The Taliban has agreed to "a safe passage" for civilians and this is what the US and NATO want to see unfolding on the ground, but the situation is chaotic and things are not playing out in the desired manner.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitted in an interview on CNN that at-risk Afghans were facing a problem in reaching the Kabul airport. He said that NATO was in touch with the Taliban leadership to allow such individuals to come to the airport.

India's embassy staff in Kabul had also been held up for a day as they could not reach the Kabul airport on Monday but eventually contact was established with the Taliban leadership to enable them to board the Indian Air Force plane at the Hamid Karzai Airport on Tuesday. Armed Taliban fighters had escorted the Indian contingent to the airport.

However, the Taliban had searched India's consulates in Herat, Jalalabad and Kandahar and taken away vehicles, despite assurances that they would safeguard all diplomatic missions.

The Taliban also knows the world is watching and have become a lot savvier than their earlier rule as was reflected in the first press conference they hosted in Kabul on Tuesday. It was at this press briefing, which was open to the foreign media, that they had announced a general amnesty even for those who had fought against them.

Analysts are of the view that the Taliban are putting up a faAade to get recognition for their regime but there is no real change of heart as such.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Aug 20: The Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police has cracked a racket of 'terror funding through admission of the Kashmiri students in Pakistans medical and engineering college.

With the arrest of six persons, including a militant-turned-separatist activist, who had also been provided a security cover by the J&K Police, the CIK claims that a part of the money collected from the beneficiary students was being used on implementation of the programmes of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

According to the information on which the CIK registered a case in July 2020, "some unscrupulous persons including some Hurriyat leaders were hand in glove with some educational consultancies" and were selling MBBS and other professional degree seats in Pakistani colleges to the Kashmiri students. Part of the money collected from the clients was used "to support and fund terrorism and separatism in different ways".

The CIK has announced the identification and arrest of six key characters of the network operating in Kashmir and different cities in Pakistan.

Those arrested include Zaffar Akbar Bhat of Usmania Colony, Bagh-e-Mehtab, Srinagar, and his brother Altaf Ahmad Bhat, who had been operating from Behria Town of Karachi, Pakistan.

After working as Hizbul Mujahideen's 'District Commander' for Budgam and 'Divisional Commander' for Central Kashmir for several years, Bhat had launched his own 'Salvation Movement' and claimed to be a political activist. Apparently for siding with the Hizbul Mujahideen rebel Abdul Majeed Dar, militants shot dead Bhat's brother Abdul Gani Bhat. Soon he bought peace with the militants who killed Majeed Dar and all of his loyalists but spared Bhat.

Bhat managed to plant his brother Altaf in Pakistan where he handled the operation of admitting the Kashmiri students in different Pakistani colleges in exchange for huge amounts of money which was partly used on terror funding in Kashmir. The CIK has discovered that the Pakistani agency had got a particular quota of MBBS, BE and B Tech seats allotted to some Kashmiri separatist leaders.

The Kashmiri separatist leaders allegedly utilised their yearly quota for over 20 years while managing admission of their own family members and close relatives for free. However, they allegedly charged Rs 10 lakh to Rs Rs 12 lakh per seat from other clients who approached them for admission in Pakistan's medical, engineering and other professional colleges.

Under ISI's direction, Pakistan's High Commission in New Delhi would issue visa and other travel documents to the students recommended by the Kashmiri separatist leaders and their contacts like Altaf Bhat would manage the hassle-free admission of these clients in some particular colleges in Pakistan.

Interestingly, while operating this network, Zaffar Akbar Bhat was also categorised as a protected person and four armed guards were allotted to him from the J&K Police. There are allegations from several quarters that even some officers of the J&K Police and civil administration grabbed MBBS seats for their own sons, daughters and other relatives from the same separatists' quota.

Early this year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, on communications from J&K Government, has fully frozen this operation and none of the students, who had returned to home during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been permitted to go back to Pakistan to continue studies. According to the allegations, around 1,000 Kashmiri students have 'purchased' MBBS, B Tech and other professional seats from the separatists for anything between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 30 lakh each.

Other identified and arrested by the CIK include Mohammad Abdullah Shah of Kulpora Salkote, Kupwara, and his brother Manzoor Ahmad Shah, who had been operating from Gulmohar Colony, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Fatima Shah wife of Nisar Ahmad Shah of Palhalan Pattan, living in Nundrishi Colony of Bemina in Srinagar, and Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh of Nowgam, Shangas, Anantnag.

According to the CIK, two more of the accused, who crossed over to Pakistan and settled there in early 1990s, "played a key role on behalf of ISI in facilitating matter pertaining to admissions under this category for this set of Hurriyat linked persons on Indian side" and were "part of nefarious design of pumping money into the militancy and other terrorist related activities".

"During investigation it surfaced that MBBS and other professional degree related seats in many cases were preferentially given to those students who were close family members or relatives of killed terrorists. There were also cases where the quota allotted to individual Hurriyat leaders were sold to anxious parents desiring to obtain MBBS and other professional degrees in one way or the other," the CIK said.

The CIK said that more than 80 cases pertaining to the seats in academic years between 2014 and 2018 were studied in which either the students or their parents were examined. Besides, searches of about a dozen premises in the valley had been undertaken to look for evidence of collection of money and its further usage.

"Evidence also came on record to show that money had been variously put into channels that ended up in supporting programmes and projects pertaining to terrorism and separatism. For example, payment for organizing stone pelting also could also be traced and brought on record", the CIK asserted.

"On the basis of available evidence, a conservative estimate indicated that the money involved could be around Rs 4 crore per annum, on the basis of the fact that allocation of seats for distribution by individual Hurriyat leaders were around 40 seats for MBBS programme every year. It could be more. This aspect is still open and a matter of further investigation", said the statement.

The investigation, as per the CIK, also revealed that both at the time of collecting the money from the parents as well as channelling it for use by terrorists and separatists, intermediaries were used to layer the transactions. "For example, in some cases money was received through educational consultancies to conceal the end-use", the agency concluded.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Mumbai, Aug 20 : The Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has kept the initial public offering (IPO) of Adani Wilmar in abeyance.

The website of the capital market regulator showed that the Rs 4,500 crore issue has been "kept in abeyance".

As per the SEBI (Issuance of Observations on Draft Offer Documents Pending Regulatory Actions) Order, 2020, issued by the SEBI on February 5, 2020, the regulator is obligated to keep issuance of observations in abeyance for a period of 30 days or 45 days or 90 days or more, as the case may be.

Adani Wilmar is a joint venture of Adani Group and Singapore's Wilmar Group.

During the Monsoon session of the Parliament, Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary said that the SEBI is investigating some Adani group companies with regard to compliance with SEBI regulations while the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is also probing certain entities under the laws administered by it.

However, the minister added that the Enforcement Directorate is not probing these companies.
Quetta : , Aug 20 (IANS) At least two children were killed and several others were injured in a suspected suicide attack in the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan province on Friday, sources said.

The blast occurred on Gwadar's Expressway near a Chinese vehicle, killing two children and injuring others, including a Chinese national, sources said.

The injured have been rushed to a local hospital where they are receiving treatment.

The police and other law enforcement agencies have reached the blast site and cordoned off the area for further investigation.

The incident comes less than two weeks after a motorcycle bomb blast took place at Quetta's Hali Road roundabout, near the BaloAchistan Assembly and the high court, leaving two policemen dead and 21 others injured, including 12 cops.

Protests are ongoing in Pakistan's port city of Gwadar against a severe shortage of water and electricity and threats to livelihoods, which have been blamed on the Chinese.

The protests are part of a growing backlash against China's multibillion-dollar belt and road projects in the country, The Guardian reported.

This week, demonstrators, including fishers and other local workers, blocked the roads in Gwadar, a coastal town in Balochistan.

They burnt tyres, chanted slogans and shut down the city to demand water and electricity and a stop to Chinese trawlers illegally fishing in the nearby waters and then taking the catch to China.

Two people were injured when the authorities cracked down on the protesters.

"We have been protesting and rallying against the Chinese trawlers, and shortage of water and electricity for over a month now. But the government never paid heed to our demands. We had to observe a complete shutdown strike and we were attacked by the district administration," said Faiz Nigori, a local political worker.
Dhaka, Aug 20 : A youth in Bangladesh's Joypurhat on Friday showed great presence of mind to flag down an approaching train and prevent a major accident after finding the rail line broken, officials said.

The incident was reported from Panchbibi upazila of the district as the Panchagarh Express, an intercity train, was supposed to pass on Friday morning.

Shafiqul Islam, 28, of Koktara village in Panchbibi upazila, said that he was walking along the rail line near his house when he suddenly saw the broken railway line.

Seeing the train coming, he immediately rushed home, found a red towel, and waved it, and the train driver stopped the train a little before the broken part.

Engine driver Shah Alam said: "The train was traveling at a speed of 80 kmph. I decided to stop the train as soon as I saw the young man waving the red towel. I went down there and saw a break in the line of about eight inches. Running a train over a broken line could lead to a fatal accident." Railway authorities repaired the broken part of the line and the train left the station for Panchagarh two hours later.

Panchbibi station master Abdul Awal said that the incident took place near the station on Friday morning, and the train service was stopped for two hours, till around 10 a.m., until the repair work was done.
Bengaluru, Aug 20 : In a shocking incident, miscreants killed an elderly couple within the limits of Kumaraswamy Layout in Bengaluru on Friday.

The incident, which took place on the day of the Varamahalakshmi festival, has shocked the city.

The deceased persons have been identified as Shantharaju (65), a former mechanic with the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), and his wife Premalatha (62). The elderly couple was stabbed and strangulated by the miscreants.

The police have formed four special teams to nab the assailants.

According to the police, the couple, who didn't have any children, lived in their own property in Kashinagar. They had rented out two houses and lived in that income. The couple spoke to their neighbours till afternoon. However, they were found murdered later.

Preliminary investigations suggest the crime to be the handiwork of known persons. The police suspect that the miscreants spent time with the victims before committing the crime, as three glasses were found on the table.

The miscreants stabbed Shantaraju and then used a pillow to suffocate him to death. Premalatha was dragged to another room where she was strangulated to death with a cable wire.

The police are checking the CCTV footages of the area, besides recording the statements of the neighbours.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant and Additional Police Commissioner Soumendu Mukharjee have rushed to the spot.

The police are also checking if anything has been stolen from the house as one almirah was found open, Kamal Pant said.
New Delhi, Aug 20 : Two Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel were killed in an encounter with Maoists near Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh on Friday, force officials said.

According to the ITBP, the exchange of fire took place at Kademeta (Narayanpur), a bordering area of Dantwada, when one company of the 45th Battalion was out on an area domination operation.

The force personnel were fired upon by a small action team of Maoists when it was approximately 600m away from the camp at around 12.30 p.m.

"In the exchange of fire, Assistant Commandant Sudhakar Shinde and ASI Gurumukh Singh were martyred," an ITBP official said.

Following the attack, the Maosists escaped with one AK-47 rifle, two bullet-proof jackets and one wireless set, the local police said.

Kademeta is located 56 km south of Narayanpur and barely 1 km from the ITBP camp.

Chhattisgarh has witnessed several incidents of Maoist attacks on security personnel this year.

On July 20, an ITBP personnel was killed while another was injured in a Maoist ambush in Narayanpur.

In March, five District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel were killed and several others were injured in an IED blast in Narayanpur. According to the police, the Maoists had targeted a bus carrying more than 20 security personnel.
Guwahati, Aug 20 : Two adult female elephants were electrocuted in western Assam's Baksa district, adjoining Bhutan, on Friday and the man responsible has surrendered to police, officials said.

Assam wildlife officials said that the incident happened in Koroibari along the Batabari Forest Range where the two elephants came into contact with a live electric fence installed around a paddy field. The farmer, Hareswar Daimary, surrendered at the Singra police station and would be booked under the Wildlife Protection Act.

According to the officials, the elephants had come down from the hilly forests in search of food.

The incident comes a day after a villager was killed and another injured on Thursday in a man-animal conflict in another village of Baksa district.

At least 13 elephants were killed this year in various parts of Assam by illegal electric fences put up by farmers to protect their crops. According to official records, over 90 elephants were electrocuted in Assam between 2011 and 2019. Poisoning and natural calamities also led to elephant deaths, including a whopping 18 jumbo killed by a lightning strike in Nagaon district in May.
Patna, Aug 20 : A 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her drunk stepfather and his friend in a village in Patna district, police said on Friday.

The incident was reported from a village under Ghoswari police station on the outskirts of Patna on Thursday night, and the stepfather has been arrested.

As per the victim's mother, her husband had invited his friend for a liquor party.

"After consuming liquor, both of them started molesting my daughter. When I objected, they beat me and locked me in a room," she said.

"Both the accused took turns to rape my minor daughter one by one. I somehow came out of the room, but by that time, both fled from the house leaving my daughter unconscious," she said.

"I immediately rushed her to a nearby hospital and admitted her for treatment," she said.

"We have received information about the gang rape of the minor. Accordingly, we visited the crime scene and found liquor bottles and glasses. We have gathered information about the accused and raids were conducted at several places. The victim's stepfather was arrested. Raids are on to arrest another accused," investigating officer P.S. Mishra said.

"We have booked them under POCSO and liquor prohibition acts. Further investigation is on. The case will be transferred soon to the women police station," he added.
Devanahalli : Aug 21 (IANS) An incident of an alleged attack on a Dalit family for questioning the assault on their son after being denied prasad at a temple in Devanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru has come to light on Friday.

The family of Munianjinappa, a government school teacher living in Ramanathapura near Devanahalli, has requested the authorities to provide them security, claiming that they are being targeted by the accused who belong to a forward caste.

Munianjinappa and his wife Aruna, an Asha worker, have two sons. On August 14, a special puja was organised at the Ramanathapura Anjaneya temple. When their younger son went to collect prasad at the temple, he was allegedly manhandled by Kishore, a youth belonging to an upper caste.

Two days later, Aruna questioned Kishore as to why he had attacked her son. In response, Kishore allegedly abused her by caste. Hearing this, Munianjinappa rushed to the spot while Kishore also called his relatives.

It is alleged that Kishore along with two others assaulted the couple with wooden logs. Aruna also alleged that while beating them, the accused even touched her private parts.

"We have been boycotted and restricted from going out of the village," Aruna said.

Earlier, Munianjinappa had questioned encroachment of his land by upper caste landlords. Since then, his family is being targeted by upper caste people, Munianjinappa alleged.

A case has been registered against Kishore, Manjunath and Venkategowda, who are absconding, the police said.

Meanwhile, members of Dalit organisations visited Munianjinappa's house on Friday and assured them of all support.
Hyderabad, Aug 21 : Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Friday slammed Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for making Telangana "bankrupt" during his seven year rule.

On the second day of his Praja Asheerwada Yatra, he alleged that 'Telangana Talli' has become a hostage in the hands of Rao and his family.

The BJP leader alleged that Rao and his family looted thousands of crores in the names of contracts, misused the tax payers' money, and pushed the state into a debt trap.

Addressing public meeting at various places in Mahabubabad district, he said the Centre was providing funds for rural development but the state was not spending these.

Tension prevailed at Thorrur when leaders of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and some Dalit groups tried to stop the yatra demanding that the Bill for categorisation of Scheduled Castes for reservation be passed in the Parliament. Police arrested the protestors.

Later addressing another meeting at Wardhannapet, Kishan Reddy exuded confidence that the BJP will win by-election in Huzurabad Assembly constituency despite all the "conspiracies" of Rao and his party.

"People want a change and BJP and E. Rajender is definitely going to win Huzurabad seat," he said.

He also slammed the Chief Minister for failing to fulfill his poll promises. He said though seven years have passed, poor families in the state were still waiting for double bed room houses but KCR has built his house on 10 acres in just four months.

Addressing a meeting at Kamalapur in Huzurabad constituency, the BJP leader alleged that sand, liquor and land mafia were ruling the state and people want to see the saffron flag flying high.

Exuding confidence that the BJP will come to power in the state in 2023, he said the change people want to see would begin from Huzurabad.

The minister on Thursday started his three-day yatra at Nallabandagudem near Kodad in Suryapet district to propagate the Central government's schemes among people.

He is visiting his home state for the first time after his elevation in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet.

The yatra will cover 305 km across eight Parliament segments and 17 Assembly constituencies.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday emphasised on opposition unity and said that those who are not allied with the Congress should also be invited to join hands, sources said.

Banerjee made the remarks at the opposition parties' meeting called by interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

As per sources, Banerjee said during the meeting, "Forget who is the leader, let's keep our personal interests aside. People will lead." Stressing on opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Banerjee said, "Every opposition party should be brought in. The fight is against the BJP. For this, those not allied with the Congress should also be be invited in the meetings." "Let's set up a core group and work together," Banerjee said.

The sources said that Banerjee also accused the BJP government at the Centre of misusing the central agencies.

"The NHRC has been misused to target Bengal," she said.

During the meeting, Banerjee also listed some urgent issues which she said need to be focused on, such as Covid vaccine for all, repealing the three farm laws, and rollback of unprecedented hike in fuel prices, among others.

The sources said that Banerjee also demanded a judicial probe into the alleged Pegasus snooping row.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), DMK, Shiv Sena, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, CPI, CPI-M, National Conference, Rashtriya Janata Dal, AIUDF, VCK, Loktantrik Janta Dal, JDS, RLD, RSP, Kerala Congress Mani, PDP and IUML were also part of the meeting convened by Sonia Gandhi.

However, the Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party were not part of the meeting.
Jaipur, Aug 21 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had brought in the anti-defection law to stop public representatives from moving from one party to another, but the present ruling party has been trying to nullify the law by making them resign to switch parties.

The practice has been witnessed in many states, leading to change in elected governments, he said in a virtual programme organised on Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary.

The present government sitting at the Centre cannot face criticism and those criticising the government are being called traitors, he added.

Praising Rajiv Gandhi for introducing a "golden era" for the nation, Gehlot said that had he been there still, the history of the nation would have been different. The present government has been changing the facts and twisting the history, he added.

"Rajiv Gandhi was a visionary leader with a progressive and modern outlook who ushered in the IT revolution in the country, gave the right to vote at 18 years.

"His decision of giving voting rights for the youth of 18 was opposed by ministers within the party at that time, who said that it can have negative effects. However, Rajiv Gandhi wanted to give participation rights for the youth in democracy, so he bypassed the protest and made a law to give voting rights to the youth of 18 years," he said.

The programme was also addressed by state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara and others.
Bengaluru, Aug 21 : In a bid to avoid long traffic snarls and save 'man hours being wasted in traffic junctions, Karnataka industries minister, Murugesh R. Nirani said on Friday that the state government was planning to launch unique concept of "Walk-to-work" across the state.

After reviewing his department, Nirani told reporters that the industries department had decided to prepare a blueprint on residential townships in industrial areas that would come up in future across the state.

"Industries department is planning to develop 9,010 acres of land for industrial development in the coming days in Kolar, Ramanagara, Mandya, Tumakuru, Vijayapura and Haveri districts. Over 81,864 acres of land in 188 industrial areas have been acquired so far and allotted for industrial units across the state," Nirani explained.

He said that the proposed residential townships will come up on Karnataka Industry Area Development Board (KIADB) land and other industrial areas.

"The main objective of this project is to help workers, officials and other staff reside on the premises which will help them avoid commuting long distances and in turn save crucial man hours, increase productivity and prevent traffic congestion," the minister who himself is an industrialist explained.

He added that residential townships will be constructed on 10 per cent to 15 per cent of land reserved in industrial areas with all basic amenities such as schools, shopping malls, clinics, parks and recreation facilities.

The minister said that the state is an ideal destination for the investors and maintaining its lead position.

"We will ensure further progress with investor-friendly and business-friendly steps in the coming days. I will also hold a meeting with top industrialists soon and discuss issues related to industrial development and attracting investments. Government will leave no stone unturned in maintaining Karnataka's lead position in the industrial sector and investor-friendly atmosphere," Nirani said.
ClearQuery is putting power into the hands of business users and domain experts. Businesses can rapidly take advantage of the tremendous amounts of data they collect and make more informed data-driven decisions to increase revenue, profits, security posture, and overall business efficiency.

Night Shift Development (NSD), creators of ClearQuery, an augmented intelligence and conversational analytics platform, today announced it has launched a public beta of the SaaS version of its flagship product. This announcement comes on the heels of signing an OEM partnership agreement with Elastic, the company behind Elasticsearch and the Elastic Stack. As an OEM Partner of Elastics, Night Shift Development will continue to sell its enterprise solution to customers in the public sector and expand to the private sector.

Todays companies collect and generate data at exponential rates. While this data is an organizations most valuable asset, 70% of these organizations cant extract meaningful insights from it. Night Shift Development is committed to helping business users and domain experts process their data by providing solutions which generate rapid and actionable intelligence from it. By removing the typical technical barriers and blockers, Night Shift Development aims to democratize data and simplify analytics for everyone.

ClearQuery, is an augmented intelligence and analytics platform designed for nontechnical users that allows end users to rapidly search, explore, and analyze their data through an intuitive interface that enables clear visual, conversational, and traditional search and analytics experiences while producing automated insights as users explore their data. One of the ways ClearQuery does this is by natural language questions into Elasticsearch queries.

This intuitive system provides value immediately, unlike other tools which require users to put in significant amounts of work before they can exploit their business data to help them operate more efficiently. Night Shift Development believes that technology solutions should work for the user  not the other way around. With ClearQuery, they hope to help businesses all over the world to analyze their data through an intuitive interface which produces automated insights and illuminates hidden relationships in data.

We believe that every business user  at any technical level in an organization  should be empowered to speak directly with their data and tell stories with it, says Night Shift Development CEO and cofounder Tim Tutt. With our flagship product, ClearQuery, business analysts and domain experts dont need to learn some complex query language just to get value from their data.

Night Shifts new SaaS offering of ClearQuery is designed to further lower that barrier to entry in data analytics for business analysts and domain experts. Users can quickly upload a spreadsheet, connect a Google Sheet, or connect to an existing Elasticsearch cluster (self managed or in the cloud). If youre interested in trying it out on your business data, you can sign up for the SaaS Beta here.

ClearyQuery was built from the ground up on top of Elasticsearch, allowing us to bring the best of both offerings to our customers. Elastic has been one of Night Shifts most strategic partners and were excited to continue developing this relationship and providing significant impact to our customers in both the public and private sectors, Tutt said.

Elasticsearch, part of the Elastic Stack, is a distributed, free and open search and analytics engine for all types of data. Elasticsearch gained popularity among developers due to its speed, scalability, and simple REST APIs that allow developers to get started easily. ClearQuery builds upon that to extend the power of Elasticsearch analytic capabilities to business users.

Night Shift is a valued partner to Elastic in the federal market, and we are excited about their expansion into the commercial sector as they continue to pursue their mission of democratizing data analytics with ClearQuery and the Elastic Stack, and enabling users of any technical skill level to realize analytic value from their data, said Steven A. Coles, US Federal at Elastic.

By putting power into the hands of business users and domain experts, businesses can rapidly take advantage of the tremendous amounts of data they collect and make more informed data-driven decisions to increase revenue, profits, security posture and overall business efficiency.

About Night Shift Development

Night Shift Development is a Virginia-based data exploitation company that builds solutions to help organizations make sense of their data. The NSD team is made up of software engineers, data scientists, and practitioners with tremendous amounts of experience in solving hard problems and answering questions with data.

For more information, visit http://www.clearquery.io or contact us.

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/nightshiftdevelopment/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/nsdtechio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nightshiftdevelopment
The MDC Studio is pleased to announce the spin-out of the company, Sonosa Medical, Inc., as an independent entity. Founded in 2019, Sonosa Medical is developing next-generation devices poised to transform the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The company is led by Dr. Stephen Restaino as Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Jeffrey Wolf as Medical Advisor, and Dr. Gil Blankenship as Chairman of the Board. Dr. Restaino and his team have been developing novel technologies for the detection and treatment of OSA using a wearable device. Their work has been funded by a $3.35 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Dr. Restaino is also the Director of Engineering and a Partner at the MDC Studio, and has been involved in developing every technology at the MDC Studio since joining in 2017. Dr. Jeffrey Wolf is a Partner at the MDC Studio, as well as a Professor of Otorhinolaryngology  Head and Neck Surgery and Program in Oncology at the University of Maryland Medical System. Dr. Blankenship is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the MDC Studio, and a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland. The MDC Studio is dedicated to building health and medical technology companies based on intellectual property from top-tier research programs in Maryland.

Stephen has played a critical role in developing the Sonosa technology and launching the company, and the MDC Studio looks forward to continuing to support the team and develop devices to revolutionize the treatment pathway for almost one billion patients worldwide with OSA, said Dr. Blankenship.

Support from the MDC Studio has been critical to the success of the Sonosa project and to the development of the Sonosa Medical company. The MDC Studios structure of engineering development complemented by business development and support services has allowed Sonosa Medical to develop both its technology and its company structure in parallel, said Dr. Restaino.

About Sonosa Medical

Sonosa Medical, Inc. is developing wearable devices to improve the diagnosis and treatment of OSA. The Company has developed a novel non-invasive technology that can both locate the source of an airway obstruction during sleep and provide measures to maintain an open airway, allowing patients to sleep normally. The development of the Companys technology has been funded by DARPA via an SBIR contract.

About the MDC Studio

The MDC Studio is the operational unit of the Maryland Development Center Partnership, which was founded in 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. The MDC Studio functions as a MedTech Startup Studio that provides engineering support, business development services, and funding to create and support companies commercializing medical devices. The Studio works with inventors to develop their ideas into working prototypes and marketable products, and form companies that will grow and create value for both their shareholders and all of society. The MDC Studio-Baltimore is located in the historic Wilkens-Robins building in the heart of Baltimore, near the University of Maryland Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Hospital, where MDCs founding partners and affiliates practice, teach, and research state-of-the-art surgery and medicine.
AC Zuckerman Jewelers, a traditional jewelry establishment that launched in Mequon, WI, 1996, announced today that store ownership will be transitioned over the next few months, allowing the parent company, Anna Zuckerman Luxury (AZL), to put all design and sales focus on ethically-sourced, lab-created, demi-precious gems.

The new owners will bring an updated line of fine jewelry, with gold and diamond pieces, and will continue to assist existing customers, provide expedient repairs, and periodically unveil new and innovative designs to liven up the Milwaukee fashion scene. They will reopen at the same location, under a different name. The date is yet to be determined, but they are prepared to make customers the number one priority, as the location has for the last 25 years.

Located at 1340 West Mequon Road, Anna Zuckerman used the opportunity of the retail location to act as a base of operations for community outreach and charity fundraising. Following this instinct to help was partly why Anna began researching and designing luxury jewelry for everyday lifestyles and budgets.

More than a decade after opening the store, Anna began researching state-of-the-art, conscientiously derived, precious metals and stones, as well as the nanotechnology behind it. She worked directly with manufacturing experts to help develop what is now known as Diamond Coated Crystalline; a new finishing technique that truly gives lab-cut jewels the same intricate beauty of diamonds, while ensuring they remain both high in quality and shockingly affordable.

The fact that every woman deserves to sparkle has been the AZL mantra since the beginning, said Anna, owner and founder of the Anna Zuckerman Luxury brand. Leaving Wisconsin is very difficult for us, personally, but our commitment to offering affordable luxury to literally everyone means a clean break from my former life in traditional jewelry. We opened our new corporate office and flagship AZL store in Boca Raton within the last year, and were now ready to formally and officially make demi-precious jewelry the foundation of this next stage.

About Anna Zuckerman Luxury

Anna Zuckerman Luxury is a demi-precious jewelry brand designed to fulfill a need in the jewelry industry for luxurious statement pieces made for everyday lifestyles. Designed and crafted with the help of the finest goldsmiths and artisans, Anna Zuckerman Luxury jewelry uses Diamond Coated Crystalline, lab created gemstones and precious metals to create jewelry that is both high quality and affordable. Anna believes everyone deserves access to luxury. The brand is currently available in over 500 retail outlets across 6 countries as well as online at https://annazuckerman.com.
It is an honor to be on the Inc. 5000 list itself, let alone for an unbelievable seventh consecutive year. -- David Feyereisen, Aladtec Founder and President

Inc. magazine revealed that Aladtec, Inc is ranked 4304 on the 2021 Inc. 5000 list. This is the seventh consecutive year Aladtec has appeared on the Inc 5000, 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.

It is an honor to be on the Inc. 5000 list itself, let alone for an unbelievable seventh consecutive year, says Aladtec Founder and President David Feyereisen. Our growth at Aladtec is due to our commitment to treat both employees and customers the way we ourselves want to be treated. Its the reason we continue to have the most talented and dedicated staff in our industry, and why the majority of our new customers are referred to us by existing customers.

Aladtec is headquartered in River Falls, Wis., 30 miles southeast of Minneapolis- St. Paul. The Software as a Service (SaaS) provider helps more than 2,400 public safety organizations with employee scheduling, time and attendance, and workforce management.

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 http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands 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.

About Aladtec:

Founded in 2005, Aladtec provides online scheduling and workforce management software for mission-critical agencies such as EMS, fire service, law enforcement, healthcare, and dispatch. The smart platform streamlines scheduling by allowing users 24/7 remote access to view, sign up, and trade shifts. Records management tools store customizable forms and employee information including certifications. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, the firm serves more than 2,400 customers across the U.S. and Canada. Annual subscription includes all set-up, training, and unlimited support. For more information, visit http://www.aladtec.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 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 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. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
London Blue Plaque honoring Sir Kenneth Clark Our new film Civilisation and America celebrates the 50th anniversary of the American premiere of Clarks groundbreaking thirteen-part BBC television series Civilisation. Clark has been our inspiration and guiding force throughout all of the films weve made.

Connecticut-based independent filmmakers Michael Maglaras and Terri Templeton of 217 Films announce with pleasure that on August 19, 2021 Sir Kenneth Clark has been honored in London with an English Heritage London Blue Plaque.

Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (1903-1983) was an eminent scholar, writer, arts administrator, television executive, and one of the foremost lecturers and thinkers of his time. For Americans, he is best remembered for his monumental achievement Civilisation.

We are delighted that the great people at English Heritage in London have made this happen, said Maglaras. We had approached them almost five years ago about the idea that Kenneth Clark should be honored for his contributions not only to the cultural life of London but also to the advancement of Western civilization. Today is a very happy day.

Our new film Civilisation and America celebrates the 50th anniversary of the American premiere of Clarks groundbreaking thirteen-part BBC television series Civilisation, added Terri Templeton. Clark has been our inspiration and guiding force throughout all of the films weve made.

Civilisation and America is currently having its virtual premiere sponsored by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. through August 24. For more information, go to: https://www.nga.gov/calendar/film-programs/spring-2021/civilisation-america.html

English Heritage is the foremost caretaker of the true heritage of England, said Michael Maglaras. Since 1986, it has managed Londons famous Blue Plaques seriesand as one wanders throughout London, you see these wonderful plaques, placed attractively on buildings throughout the city, commemorating the lives of citizens who have contributed to literature, the arts, science, commerce, and the whole diversity of human experience.

Sir Kenneth Clarks Blue Plaque is located at 30 Portland Place, where he and his wife Jane and their children lived during the time when he became the youngest director of Londons National Gallery.

Our film celebrates Western civilization and commemorates its most ardent and persuasive spokesman, Kenneth Clark, said Maglaras. Clark has now, finally, achieved his rightful place alongside other notable women and men who have made London the greatest city in the world.

Sir Kenneth Clark was not only a superb art historian and broadcaster, but also a curator, collector, patron, writer and campaigner. He was a consummate communicator and skillfully used film as a tool of mass communication  most notably in the landmark TV series Civilisation, which demonstrated his firm belief in access to the arts for all. We are delighted to honor him with this blue plaque, said Dr. Rebecca Preston, Blue Plaques Historian at English Heritage.

For more information about 217 Films:

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/civilisationandamerica/462208093

http://www.two17films.com

http://www.two17films.blogspot.com

For more information about English Heritage:

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
Giving is personal and more fun when we [nonprofits] provide easy ways for people to come together around moments that drive passion and purpose."

Today marks a historical day at Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals as the nonprofit launches its first-ever Direct Response Television (DRTV) campaign. Airing on national broadcast and cable outlets, the campaign will run mid-August through early November.

Driven by data, research and dedication to progression, CMN Hospitals deemed DRTV as an authentic next step for the organization. While it isnt the only marketing mechanism utilized by Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals, it is anticipated to be a key contributor to a rise in fundraising and awareness alike.

DRTV is a natural evolution for our organization to broaden awareness and amplify the urgency, said Teri Nestel, President & CEO of Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals. Giving is personal and more fun when we [nonprofits] provide easy ways for people to come together around moments that drive passion and purpose. This campaign does just that by giving everyone the opportunity to make a difference.

Unexpectedly, the campaign is on the heels of an uptick in positive child COVID cases, which directly affects the organizations network hospitals. Childrens hospitals are on the frontlines when it comes to protecting the health of future generations, but they cant do it alone.

Were already seeing the stresses placed on childrens hospitals given the pandemic, and right now, they need our help more than ever, added Nestel.

CMN Hospitals is a 501c-3 nonprofit dedicated to protecting kids health by raising unrestricted funds for 170 childrens hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. The organization was founded in 1983 as a telethon. Since then, it has evolved into a leading organization with award-winning fundraising programs, tenured corporate partners and passionate donors whove raised more than $7B.

# # #

About Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals:

Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $7 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charitys Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofits mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why childrens hospitals need community support and identify your member hospital at CMNHospitals.org and facebook.com/CMNHospitals.
With more than 40 years of demonstrated exceptional clinical care, they truly strive to make every patients experience a unique and positive one. We couldnt be more proud to call them allies, said David Pegg, Chief Development Officer.

Dental Care Alliance (DCA) announces the addition of Greater Maryland Oral Surgery and Dental Implants to its growing family of allied practices. Originally founded in 1973, Greater Maryland Oral Surgery and Dental Implants proudly delivers high quality, comprehensive oral surgery services through three locations, in Gaithersburg, Silver Springs and Frederick, MD.

Greater Maryland Oral Surgery and Dental Implants provides a full scope of services, including treatment of impacted teeth, corrective jaw surgery, and wisdom teeth removal. They diagnose and treat facial pain and injuries as well as TMJ disorders, and perform a full range of dental implant and bone grafting procedures. The world-class oral surgery team, led by Dr. Gregory Romanow, constantly strives to provide surgical excellence by maintaining an environment that is state-of-the-art, and by keeping abreast with surgical advancement through continuing education.

The addition of Greater Maryland Oral Surgery and Dental Implants brings DCAs footprint in Maryland to 21 allied practices. This marks DCAs fifth affiliation in 2021 so far, and aggressive growth is expected in the remainder of the year. DCAs partnership approach to affiliation appeals to entrepreneurial doctors who are interested in allying with a growth-oriented team of experts with a proven track record.

Dental Care Alliance is thrilled to welcome Greater Maryland Oral Surgery to our growing family of practices, said David Pegg, Chief Development Officer. With more than 40 years of demonstrated exceptional clinical care, they truly strive to make every patients experience a unique and positive one. We couldnt be more proud to call them allies.

Dental Care Alliances mission is to advance the practice of dentistry by partnering with and supporting dental professionals to create a lifetime of healthy smiles. DCA currently supports over 335 allied practices and more than 750 dentists across 20 states. DCAs allied practices represent all dental specialties and treat patients under more than 85 brand names.

###


Top Row, L-R: Andrew Burkavage, Jennifer Cascio, Rob Kohen, John Mennie. Bottom Row, L-R: Brian Salvi, Eirene Salvi, Michael Schostok, Heidi Wickstrom

Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C. is pleased to announce that 8 lawyers have been included in the 2022 Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognizes associates and other lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, P.C. would like to congratulate the following lawyers recognized in the 2022 Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch:

Andrew J. Burkavage



Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Jennifer M. Cascio



Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions  Plaintiffs

Medical Malpractice Law  Plaintiffs

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Rob L. Kohen



Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

John A. Mennie



Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Brian L. Salvi



Medical Malpractice Law  Plaintiffs

Personal Injury Litigation  Plaintiffs

Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs

Eirene N. Salvi



Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Michael J. Schostok



Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Heidi L. Wickstrom



Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs

Personal Injury Litigation  Plaintiffs

"Best Lawyers was founded in 1981 with the purpose of recognizing extraordinary lawyers in private practice through an exhaustive peer-review process. Nearly 40 years later, we are proud to expand our scope, while maintaining the same methodology, to recognize a different demographic of talented and deserving lawyers in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch," says Phil Greer, CEO of Best Lawyers.

Lawyers recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise, and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.

For more information, please contact Marcie Mangan at mmangan@salvilaw.com or (312) 372-1227.


Dr. Kaixuan Liu As more and more adults are carrying excess weight, we are seeing an increase in spinal disorders, particularly those that cause lower back pain.

More than twenty years ago, federal health officials warned that a growing obesity epidemic was threatening the health of millions of Americans. Since then, the situation was gotten markedly worse. Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. adult obesity rate is more than 40%.

There's a great deal of focus on the obesity-related conditions  heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers  that are among the leading causes of preventable, premature death, says Dr. Kaixuan Liu, Endoscopic Spine Surgeon with Atlantic Spine Center, but often overlooked are the effects obesity can have on the spine. Excess weight places a great deal of additional strain and pressure on back and spine tissues. It shifts your center of gravity and taxes all of the muscles and joints at the core of the body.

Back pain is often attributed to the normal effects of aging. While it is true that aging tends to weaken the spinal column  the stack of bones (vertebrae) and gel-filled cushions between them  excess weight accelerates the process, triggering a range of spinal disorders:



Disc degeneration occurs when the discs between the vertebrae weaken, they lose moisture, and begin to collapse.

Herniated disc, also known as a ruptured or slipped disc, occurs when a tear in the tough outer layer of the disc allows some of the soft inner material to protrude out of the disk. If the protruding material compresses a nerve, the symptoms of a herniated disc are felt wherever that nerve travels.

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that can compress the nerves that travel through the spine.

Osteoarthritis, which occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the vertebrae wears down, can be triggered or exacerbated by excess weight putting additional stress on the spine.

The spine is designed to support the body's weight but excess weight makes it difficult for the spine to do its job properly and these conditions cause a variety of troublesome symptoms including chronic pain, numbness, and tingling in the neck, back, arms or legs.

It isn't always possible to eliminate wear and tear on the back, says Dr. Liu, but there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. These include general best practices for good health including weight management, regular exercise, and not smoking.

Maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight can reduce stress on the spine and other joints as well. Losing just four pounds reduces 16 pounds of pressure on the spine. But losing weight is not the only avenue to improved back health. Dr. Liu highlights these important factors:



Regular exercise - cardiovascular exercise and weightlifting - strengthen the supporting muscles of the back, pelvis, and thighs and activities like yoga and tai chi stretch the muscles and improve flexibility. Exercise can also improve posture and improve the unnatural curvature of the spine that often results from obesity.

Good nutrition can also help your spine. Foods that are high in calcium and vitamin D, such as dairy foods and leafy green vegetables, can help prevent the bones in your spine from becoming thin and brittle.

Use proper lifting techniques. Do not bend at the waist. Bend your knees while keeping your back straight and use your strong leg muscles to help you support the load.

Practice good posture when walking, sitting, standing, and sleeping. For example, stand up straight with your shoulders back, abdomen in, and the small of your back flat. Sit with your feet flat on the floor or elevated. Sleep on a firm mattress and sleep on your side, not your stomach.

Stretch often when sitting for long periods of time.

Do not wear high-heeled shoes.

Obesity takes a toll on the spine, says Dr. Liu, and as more and more adults are carrying excess weight, we are seeing an increase in spinal disorders, particularly those that cause lower back pain. The best remedy is to lose weight but the good practices I've outlined can also improve back health for everyone at any weight.

Atlantic Spine Center is a nationally recognized leader for endoscopic spine surgery with several locations in NJ and NYC. http://www.atlanticspinecenter.com, http://www.atlanticspinecenter.nyc

Kaixuan Liu, MD, PhD, is a board-certified physician who is fellowship-trained in minimally invasive spine surgery. He is the founder of Atlantic Spine Center.
Karina Brez, Wearing Her Horse LUV Earrings My jewelry collection is a byproduct of my happiness and passion of equestrian sport.

For centuries, horses have inspired art and artists. Undeniably connected to humans through their soulful majesty, the equestrian world has been translated in landscapes, furniture, and sculpture and throughout the decorative arts. Jewelry, regarded as one of the most personal mediums, worn on the body and gifted from generation to generation, beautifully celebrates horses. Equestrian jeweler, Karina Brez, debuts new designs for her acclaimed Horse LUV collection, with eighteen styles across rings, necklaces and earrings. In addition, Brez will be showing these never-before seen pieces in Sag Harbor, New York, at the Keyes Art Gallery from August 26-29th, 2021.

The trademarked Horse LUV collection, by Karina Brez, has always combined the form of two horses into a heart, a symbol for those who love horses, and an heirloom for connecting those who have a shared endearment for horses. In its latest iteration, Brez has further abstracted the outline of the horses in Horse LUV, making the heart more prevalent and open. Both 18K solid gold and mixed gold and diamond styles are available, in either white, rose, or yellow gold. Timeless and elegant, Horse LUV uniquely captures the bond between human and horse, within ones everyday style.

Regarding her inspiration, Karina Brez says, My jewelry collection is a byproduct of my happiness and passion of equestrian sport.

The Keyes Art Gallery showcases works of both celebrated and emerging designers, in Sag Harbor, NY. Julie Keyes, Owner of Keyes Art Gallery says, Karina Brez is an artist, and her medium is jewelry. She is fantastic! We are honored to have her sharing her work in-person, for the long weekend in the gallery.

From Thursday August 26th through Sunday August 29th, 2021, Karina Brez will be meeting and greeting clients in person at Keyes, with a champagne reception. Keyes Art Gallery hours are 10:00 AM-10:00 PM EDT Thursday through Saturday, and 10:00 AM-7:00 PM EDT on Sunday; the gallerys address is 45 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY. Visit the gallery online at https://www.juliekeyesart.com/, or contact Keyes via email at info@juliekeyesart.com , or call 631-808-3588.

Karina Brez jewelry is additionally online at karinabrez.com, and at her new flagship, located at 240 Worth Ave., Unit 116, Palm Beach, FL 33480. Palm Beach showings are by appointment Monday, and the store is open Tuesday through Saturday, until the November 2021 official grand opening. For sales inquiries, or to book an appointment for the Sag Harbor Pop-Up, contact Karina Brez at 561-400-4085 or email info@karinabrez.com. For press inquiries, contact Pietra Communications at 212-913-9761 or email info@pietrapr.com.

About Karina Brez

A first generation Ukranian-American, Karina Brez earned the title of Miss Florida USA in 2012, and was inspired to design a jewelry collection after fellow contestants were impressed by the design she created for her own pageant dress. A horse enthusiast with a passion for gemstones, Brez completed the GIA Graduate Gemologist program, is an appraiser, and advocates for non-profits introducing children to the healing power of horses. Her signature fine jewelry collections are Huggable Hooves and Horse LUV. In 2020, Karina Brez was voted one of the top three Equestrian jewelers by Equestrian Living Magazine. She opened a retail location in Palm Beach, Florida in 2021.

About Keyes Art Consulting

Keyes Art Consulting works with architectural and design professionals, exclusive hoteliers, and private clients in the selection of exceptional contemporary art. Working closely with clients, Keyes provides a comprehensive range of services to implement and manage projects while staying within deadlines and budgetary goals. Every project is unique. Keyes Art Consulting accesses artwork worldwide from well-established artists affiliated with the New York Galleries to emerging artists in Maine. No matter what the requirements, residential to commercial, Keyes offers a culturally rich and diverse group of artists and fabricators to select from.


Fisher Auction Company will manage the sale of 40 vacant residential lots owned by Palm Beach County Housing Authority in Boynton Beach, FL. The Sale will be held on Fisher Auction Companys Online Bidding Platform/App beginning on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, at 10:00am EDT with ending times on Wednesday, September 15, 2021.

The 40 lots are in the heart of the Boynton Beach CRA District with 39 lots within the Cherry Hills Community and 1 large lot on Gateway Boulevard. All the lots are in close proximity to Public Parks, Schools and Retail Corridors and are ripe for development of workforce housing!

"Our Team is pleased to have the opportunity to manage this sale on behalf of the Palm Beach County Housing Authority, said Lamar Fisher, President and CEO of Fisher Auction Company. "Given their location and the current real estate market, we are confident these lots will draw significant interest from local, regional and national buyers.

For additional information on the Auction, please visit Fisherauction.com or contact Lamar Fisher at 754.220.4113.

Fisher Auction Company has previously handled numerous high-profile auctions including the former Versace Mansion, breathtaking private islands and multi-million dollar properties for governmental agencies, business executives, celebrities and professional athletes. Fisher recently handled the sale of the Crowne Plaza Universal Hotel in Orlando, Florida selling at $36.77M.

About Fisher Auction Company

A family-owned business founded in 1967 and based in Pompano Beach, FL, Fisher Auction Company is comprised of highly trained and skilled individuals with backgrounds in auctioneering, real estate, development, finance, accounting, law, appraising, banking, sales and marketing. The Firm is dedicated to a superior code of ethics with the highest degree of professionalism.
Breaking through the tempest of 2020 has indeed been challenging but we are anchored more unified and determined to prepare for the turbulence and opportunities ahead. says Peter Pham, the founder and CEO of PTEC Solutions Inc.

Inc. magazine today revealed that PTEC Solutions Inc. is No. 4526 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.

Breaking through the tempest of 2020 has indeed been challenging but we are anchored more unified and determined to prepare for the turbulence and opportunities ahead, says Peter Pham, the founder and CEO of PTEC Solutions Inc.

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 http://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.

About PTEC Solutions

PTEC Solutions, Inc. is a corporation focused on the electronic manufacturing services industry delivering engineering and manufacturing solutions with capabilities to support the life cycle of complex products with Defense, Industrial, Semiconductor Capital Equipment, Network and Telecommunications, and Medical Equipment market segments. Unlike many of our competitors, PTEC Solutions is focused on high-mix, low volume, and highly configurable customer products and designs.

Specialties: Box builds, copper and fiber optics cable assemblies, machine and sheet-metal fabricated parts, complete system integration, printed circuit board design. We also offer a complete suite of design and engineering services, quick turn prototyping and direct order fulfillment.

Contact:

PTEC Solutions Inc.

48633 Warm Springs Blvd

Fremont CA. 94539

510-358-3578

Email: sales@ptecsolutions.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 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 http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
fusionSpan Gold Best in Biz Award Our global team continues to raise the bar for customer success, product innovation and giving back to our local communities. fusionSpan has achieved incredible success over the last 11 years, and we are proud to be recognized this year in the Best in Biz International Awards!

fusionSpan, a Salesforce consulting and digital strategy firm located in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, continues its award-winning year with recognition in the 2021 Best in Biz International competition! fusionSpan received Gold in Company of the Year (Small), and Silver in Most Customer Friendly Company of the Year (Medium and Small)!

fusionSpan has been serving the technological needs of associations, nonprofit, and member-based organizations since 2010. Since its inception, fusionSpan has seen continuous growth, including three-year growth of over 240% through 2020! With more than 75 Salesforce-certified consultants in-house, fusionSpan has partnered with over 200 clients to date on their digital transformation journeys. The investment to bring industry specialists and high-value delivery resources to its team had led fusionSpan to be known as one of the leading Salesforce implementation vendors nationwide.

Best in Biz Awards 2021 International is the only independent global business awards program judged each year by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications. Winners in the 9th annual program were determined by an independent panel of judges hailing from a wide spectrum of top-tier publications and media outlets from 10 countries.

"Our global team continues to raise the bar for customer success, product innovation and giving back to our local communities. fusionSpan has achieved incredible success over the last 11 years, and we are proud to be recognized this year in the Best in Biz International Awards" said Gary Ondecko, Vice President of Finance & Operations

Company achievements over the last year include recognition on the Inc5000 list, a Communitas Award, a Gold Hermes Award, and becoming a Great Place to Work Certified company. Now celebrating its 11th year of providing innovative solutions, fusionSpan has been blessed with outstanding employees, customers, and recognition. As fusionSpan continues to grow and expand on a global level, the organization is constantly working to continuously deliver best-in-class solutions and make a positive impact in the communities where its teams live and work.

Stay up to date with company news by following fusionSpan on Linkedin and Twitter.

Since 2011, Best in Biz Awards has made its mark as the only independent business awards program judged by an independent panel of prominent reporters and editors from top-tier publications, both in North America and around the world. This years judging panel included writers and contributors to such publications as Bloomberg News, Data Breach Today, HTMAG (Israel), Huffington Post, NDR (Germany), Panorama Magazine (United Arab Emirates), Small Business IT (Canada), TechRadar (UK), and more. For a full list of gold, silver and bronze winners in Best in Biz Awards 2021 International, visit their website here.
We are so grateful to the donor family who is making these scholarship opportunities a reality, and to PAUs Latinx Task Force, which is committed to creating pathways for Latinx and Spanish speaking mental health providers who are greatly needed in our communities.

Palo Alto University (PAU), Northern Californias leading school of psychology and counseling, is pleased to announce a generous gift that enables the creation of ten scholarships of $10,000 each for Spanish speaking, Latinx undergraduate students in the Universitys BS in Psychology and Social Action program. PAU is also contributing to these scholarships with institutional funding.

The Latinx Merit Scholarships, which will be allocated over two years, stem from a proposal submitted by the Universitys Latinx Task Force. The scholarships are being funded by an anonymous donor family that shares PAUs commitment to teaching, research and training opportunities for Spanish-speaking Latinx students in the fields of psychology and counseling. The donors are committed to serving low-income, first-generation college students as well as recruiting underrepresented members of the Latinx community.

We are so grateful to the donor family who is making these scholarship opportunities a reality, and to PAUs Latinx Task Force, which is committed to creating pathways for Latinx and Spanish speaking mental health providers who are greatly needed in our communities. This extraordinary partnership will change the lives of 10 students, as well as those whose lives they will touch in Spanish-speaking communities in years to come.

The scholarships aim to strengthen the pipeline of Spanish-speaking students into professional positions that serve Spanish-speaking communities and individuals. Applicants are required to:

-Self-identify as Latinx and should choose the appropriate category on their application for admission. Latinx is a broad term that encompasses many identities, including Hispanic, Latino, Latina, Mexican-American, Latin American, Chicano, Chicana, Afro-Latino, etc.

-Speak Spanish with enough fluency to serve in a professional role that primarily serves Spanish-speaking clients

-Upon graduation, serve in a service role supporting Spanish-speaking clients or the Spanish-speaking community. Such positions could include a masters or doctoral degree in counseling, psychology, or social work, or might also be roles such as teaching, non-profit work, or governmental positions

Interested students are asked to:

-Complete the online application for admission to PAU

-Complete the online Latinx Service Scholarship application. The scholarship application includes demographic questions and a short essay, which should be written in Spanish

About PAUs Latinx Task Force

PAUs Latinx Task Force was formed in 2017. Its goals are to:

-Increase the number of Latinx students, staff, and faculty at PAU and to support them while at PAU

-Establish training opportunities and activities that will attract more Latinx students, staff and faculty to PAU

-Help improve the lives of Latinx locally, nationally, and beyond

Supporting the success of Spanish-speaking Latinx students at PAU is an ongoing priority. Contributions to the Latinx Merit Scholarship fund can be made here.

About Palo Alto University

Palo Alto University (PAU), a private, non-profit university located in the heart of Northern Californias Silicon Valley, is dedicated to addressing pressing and emerging issues in the fields of psychology and counseling that meet the needs of todays diverse society. PAU offers undergraduate and graduate programs that are led by faculty who make significant contributions to in their field. Online, hybrid and residential program options are available. PAU was founded in 1975 as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology and re-incorporated as Palo Alto University in August 2009. PAU is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). PAUs doctoral programs are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and its masters in counseling programs by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
Over the past five years, we have basically replaced the entire infrastructure in order to support our business and technology vision for the care of our patients and families."

Heart to Heart Hospice, a leader in hospice services since 2003, is using technology to help provide quality end-of-life care to more patients and families amid the ongoing pandemic and the unique healthcare-related challenges it continues to present.

The way Heart to Hearts digital transformation is helping patients in their care live life to the fullest is featured in the August issue of Healthcare Global, the digital community for the global hospital & healthcare industry.

Hospice care, which is based on compassionate, person-centered care, has faced unprecedented disruptions during the past two years, said Kelly Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer of Heart to Heart Hospice. Social distancing restrictions and the necessity of wearing PPE have required major adjustments to enable us to continue providing the reassuring care that our patients and families need.

The hospice provider began a digital transformation in 2016 which has positioned it to overcome many of these challenges. Over the past five years, we have basically replaced the entire infrastructure in order to support our business and technology vision for the care of our patients and families, said Russ Abercrombie, Chief Information Officer for Heart to Heart. During that timeframe, Heart to Heart has also experienced major growth  from 29 sites to more than 50  significantly increasing the number of patients it serves.

Abercrombie said a video conference and mobile client solution has enabled Heart to Heart to bridge a serious communication gap and continue coordination of its patient care throughout the pandemic. In addition, virtual hospice admissions and telehealth services have allowed all members of the hospice care team to remain available to patients and families.

Replacing paper systems with electronic health records (EMRs), along with an Artificial Intelligence-based system that tracks patient care in real time, has proved another significant part of the project, driven by the clinical department, headed by Heather Lumsdon, Chief Clinical Officer. The ability to chart the progression of an illness is perhaps even more important in palliative care, said Lumsdon, who noted that better, more timely data translates to better, more timely care. Part of our mission is to be present [with the patient] at the most important time, she said.

About Heart to Heart Hospice

Heart to Heart Hospice, founded in 2003, is one of the largest private providers of hospice care in the United States. Headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Heart to Heart provides a broad range of hospice services to patients with life-limiting illnesses across 52 locations in Texas, Michigan, and Indiana. At Heart to Heart, we understand both the physical and emotional challenges for our patients and their loved ones and our compassionate care team is committed to providing them with what they need most: comfort and dignity. Learn more about Heart to Heart Hospice.
Hyundai of St. Augustine is supporting local restaurants by offering its test drive customers $50 redeemable restaurant reward cards

The local restaurant industry in St. Augustine, Fla., has been one of the worst affected by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many local restaurants have been forced to shut down due to the indefinite lockdowns and although the situation is returning to normal, theres still a lot that needs to be done. In the wake of this scenario, St. Augustines local Hyundai dealership, Hyundai of St. Augustine, is lending a supporting hand to the citys local restaurants by offering customers who choose to test drive a vehicle from the dealership either at the dealership or their home, redeemable restaurant reward cards of up to $50.

Hyundai of St. Augustine intends to thank every customer who takes a test drive of any of the new or used vehicles at the dealership or the customers home with a FREE $50 DoorDash, Grubhub, or Visa Reward Card. Therefore, helping local restaurants by encouraging the customer to redeem the reward card and buy food at a restaurant of choice in the city.

The offer can be availed by visiting the new cars section on the Hyundai of St. Augustine website and clicking on the green 50 Test Drive Offer popup that appears on the left of the home screen.

Upon clicking the green popup, the customer will need to follow a simple 3-step process.

Step 1: Select a reward card from between DoorDash, Grubhub, or Visa.

Step 2: Furnish some personal details and the address where the test drive vehicle needs to be delivered.

Step 3: Details of the interested test drive vehicle.

Upon submitting the above details, a printable gift card/coupon code will be sent to the customers email ID along with steps on how to redeem the coupon code and the date of the test drive. The customer needs to print or note down the reward card code and validate it either by visiting the dealership in person while discussing vehicle needs with a Hyundai of St. Augustine salesperson or while receiving a freshly sanitized test drive vehicle at home.

Interested customers looking to schedule a convenient time to visit the dealership and take a test drive are invited to call 904 567-7175 to make sure Hyundai of St. Augustine has the vehicle ready and sanitized for the test drive. They can also visit http://www.hyundaiofstaugustine.com and click on the terms and conditions button on the offer popup page to learn more about the offer. Hyundai of St. Augustine is located at 2892 US 1 South.
...without [sexual orientation and gender identity] information, we cant design effective outreach strategies around vaccines and COVID-19 testing.

An editorial published in the American Journal of Public Health calls on the federal government, the National COVID Cohort Collaborative, and COVID-NET (a network of 100 large hospitals) to require the collection and reporting of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data, including intersex status data, in COVID-19 care, testing, and vaccination.

Still in the Dark Regarding the Public Health Impact of COVID-19 on Sexual and Gender Minorities asserts that public health officials and clinicians know very little about how COVID-19 is affecting sexual and gender minority (SGM) people because very little data about SGM people is collected in COVID-19 testing, care, and vaccination.

We have every reason to believe that sexual and gender minority people are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic relative to their overall share of the population, said editorial author Sean Cahill, PhD, Director of Health Policy Research at The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health. But without that information, we cant design effective outreach strategies around vaccines and COVID-19 testing.

SGM people may be at an elevated risk of COVID-19 infection because many reside in urban areas, work in frontline occupations such as retail and food services, and experience rates of poverty that are greater than the general population. All three factors have been shown to result in higher rates of COVID-19 infection in other minoritized populations, such as Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic people. Because of higher rates of risk factors for complications from COVID-19, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, SGM people may be more likely to develop complications and require hospitalization.

Analysis of preliminary polling data from an Axios-Ipsos survey conducted in the fall of 2020 found that LGBT people of color were more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than straight, cisgender people of color, and that LGBT people of color were twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19 than LGBT White people.

Only California, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia collect COVID-19 testing data. None report the data publicly. California reports the share of SOGI data it has for individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and for those who die of the disease, but it does not report prevalence data, which is needed to understand population health and design targeted, culturally competent interventions.

From the beginning of the pandemic, health advocates and LGBTQIA+ community advocates have been urging federal officials to require the collection of SOGI data. They have requested that COVID-NET, a network of 100 large hospitals throughout the country, collect and report SOGI data in COVID-19 testing, care, and vaccination. And they have asked the National COVID Cohort Collaborative to include SOGI data in its clinical data dictionary.

Last month, a cluster of nearly 1,000 COVID-19 infections were traced to July Fourth weekend celebrations in Provincetown. Are sexual and gender minority people more vulnerable to COVID-19 than straight, cisgender people? Are they more likely to be hospitalized with complications?, Cahill asked. There are many reasons to believe that the answers to both questions are yes. But we dont know for sure because we arent collecting the basic information we need to understand how the pandemic is affecting SGM people. It is baffling, and we need our state and federal governments to act now.

Still in the Dark Regarding the Public Health Impact of COVID-19 on Sexual and Gender Minorities is available online here.
Jack Ingram Nissan Offers Tire Price Match Program on Select Brands

Jack Ingram Nissan, an automotive dealership in Montgomery, Ala., is offering a tire price match program where drivers can compare the price of tires from an eligible competitor. If the price matches, the dealership will provide a 5% credit along with additional benefits on the purchase of new tires. The dealership also provides road hazard coverage that includes repairing or replacing a damaged tire at no cost. Only new tires purchased from the Jack Ingram Nissan dealership are eligible for road hazard coverage.

Drivers who are looking to take advantage of the tire price match program must reside in the United States. They can check out the eligibility criteria for the program by clicking here. Since tires wear down at a faster pace in summer, Jack Ingram Nissan is also offering a great deal on the purchase of new tires for a limited period.

Customers who will buy three tires from the dealership are eligible to pay $1 for one of the tires. This offer is valid on select brands, including Bridgestone, Dunlop, Goodyear, WIN, Hankook, Toyo, Yokohama OEM and Kumho. Interested parties can get in touch with an associate at Jack Ingram Nissan by dialing 833-343-0674. They can also visit the dealership at 227 Eastern Boulevard in Montgomery, Ala., between 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Monday to Saturday.


Attorney Kevin P. Durkin

Clifford Law Offices partner Kevin P. Durkin was recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2022 Lawyer of the Year for Product Liability Litigation in the Chicago area.

Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the Lawyer of the Year, making this accolade particularly significant. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity.

Kevin P. Durkin was chosen by his peers as Lawyer of the Year in Product Liability Litigation  Plaintiffs due to his tireless work in this practice area. In particular, Mr. Durkin has had extensive experience in the area of aviation litigation, where planes have been found to be defective, many times through the intensive work of Mr. Durkin uncovering what is wrong with the aircraft. Through hundreds of depositions and pouring over thousands of pages of documents over the years, Mr. Durkin has helped his clients who have suffered the loss of a loved one in plane crashes, figuring out what went wrong with an airplane. In one crash, it boiled down to a defective jackscrew. Mr. Durkin has served as Lead Plaintiffs Counsel, on the Steering Committee or on the Executive Committee of several major crashes in his career involving major commercial airline crashes in the U.S. for more than three decades. During his career, Mr. Durkin has successfully represented clients in many practice areas, including aviation accident litigation, transportation liability, premises liability, negligent security and medical malpractice.

Mr. Durkin has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America publication since 2011.

In addition to the Lawyer of the Year award, Kevin Durkin was also listed in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the following practice areas:



Aviation Law

Personal Injury Litigation  Plaintiffs

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

To learn more about Clifford Law Offices, click here. To learn more about Kevin P. Durkin, click here.

About Clifford Law Offices

Clifford Law Offices is ranked one of the top law firms in Illinois as well as in the country in the area of complex personal injury and wrongful death cases such as medical malpractice, aviation litigation, products liability, premises liability and transportation litigation. It also has developed a reputation in class action litigation and whistleblower cases as well as commercial litigation cases.
Dr. William Clark is an orthodontist with 50 years experience of treating patients to improve their facial appearance. As an orthodontist, he has developed new techniques and has taught worldwide in 55 countries for 40 years.

His book Faces & Braces: Treat Yourself to a Brilliant Smile! (published by AuthorHouse UK) demonstrates how everyone can improve their facial appearance and give patients a brilliant smile to improve their confidence and enhance their lives. Here, Clarks daughter, Rebecca, interacts with readers and explains how they can improve their image and prospects in life if they smile with confidence.

Do you have crooked teeth? Do your front teeth stick out? Does your chin stick out? Do you lack confidence? This book has answers for these problems. Interesting dialogue engages readers with many colorful illustrations and case reports of patients treated by Clark to demonstrate how orthodontics can improve their faces by giving them a brilliant smile to project their personalities.

When asked what he wants readers to take away from the book, Clark answers, I want to convey to readers of all ages that they can improve their appearance and their prospects in life by learning to treat themselves to a brilliant smile. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.authorhouse.com/en-gb/bookstore/bookdetails/811521-faces-braces

Faces & Braces: Treat Yourself to a Brilliant Smile!

By Dr. William Clark

Softcover | 8.5 x 11in | 98 pages | ISBN 9781728352190

E-Book | 98 pages | ISBN 9781728352183

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Dr. William Clark has 50 years experience in orthodontic practice and continues to develop innovative appliances in orthodontic and orthopaedic techniques. In 1977, he developed Twin Blocks in his orthodontic practice in Scotland. He has taught Twin Block Technique worldwide for the past 30 years and is the author of Twin Block Functional Therapy: Applications in Dentofacial Orthopaedics, published by Mosby (1995 and 2002). New Horizons in Orthodontics: Volume 1: Advances in Fixed Appliance Technique is available as an ebook, to be followed soon by Volume 2: Advances in Functional Therapy and Dentofacial Orthopaedics. Clark designed TransForce Lingual Appliances for arch development and has recently developed Fixed Twin Blocks, the next logical advance in functional orthopaedic therapy. He is the first recipient of an award of distinction from the British Orthodontic Society for an outstanding contribution to the specialty of orthodontics. In 2008, he received an award from the International Functional Association (IFUNA) for personal outstanding international service to functionalism and orthodontics.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.co.uk or call 0-800-014-8641.
Paymerang, a leader in payment automation and invoice automation, announced it has ranked #2373 on the 2021 Inc. 5000 list (https://www.inc.com/inc5000/2021), ranking it among the fastest growing private companies in America. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Ranks are based on percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020.

Previously, Paymerang ranked 2,899 in 2020 (https://www.inc.com/inc5000/2020) with a growth rate of 137% based on percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019

Were honored to make the Inc. 5000 list for a second consecutive year, moving up 526 spots. Were grateful to our passionate team members and all of our amazing clients and partners that helped us get here, said Nasser Chanda, CEO, Paymerang (https://www.paymerang.com/). Our business is accelerating and were making a huge difference in supporting finance teams across Americain healthcare, education, manufacturing, non-profits, public sector, and servicesto become more efficient, secure, and profitable. The resiliency of our people in this phase of hyper-growth during a global pandemic has been phenomenal.

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 http://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 Paymerang, Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Paymerang

Paymerang provides award-winning invoice and payment automation solutions that bring Accounts Payable (AP) departments into the modern age. Paymerang's solutions save AP departments hundreds of hours annually, enhance visibility, increase accuracy, improve efficiency, and earn rebates while reducing paper, fraud risks, and operating costs. To learn more, visit Paymerang.com (https://www.paymerang.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. (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 http://www.inc.com.
We are more than grateful for everything you are doing to save the lives of our patients. And as always, all our admiration and gratitude for having managed to obtain this donation without sparing any effort until it is achieved, said Sara, the NCCS contact at the facility.

The National Childrens Cancer Society (NCCS) secured a large quantity of Voriconazole, a drug used to treat fungal infections, for a hospital in Guatemala thanks to support from Fosun Pharma USA Inc., a new partner of the NCCS Michele Hertlein Global Outreach Program.

Through the Michele Hertlein Global Outreach Program, the NCCS works with pharmaceutical companies to distribute donated cancer treatment drugs and medical supplies worldwide. Upon hearing that a facility in Guatemala was in urgent need of Voriconazole to treat infections in patients, the NCCS reached out to partners. Fosun Pharma assisted with the request, and 1,680 vials of Voriconazole were sent to the hospital at no charge  saving the facility nearly $134,000 in costs.

Fosun Pharma USA Inc. is a subsidiary of Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co. Ltd., a leading innovation-driven global pharmaceutical and healthcare group. We believe in Caring for Life by donating lifesaving drugs to children around the world. We are proud to be a partner of NCCS as they are a great global outreach organization who makes a difference in childrens lives by supplying critically needed drugs, said Lily Zou, CEO of Fosun Pharma USA.

Fungal infections are a common side effect of chemotherapy treatment due to the impact on immune cells and other infection barriers in the body. If left untreated, these infections can become life-threatening. The NCCS and the hospital in Guatemala are thankful that Fosun Pharma provided desperately needed help.

We are more than grateful for everything you are doing to save the lives of our patients. And as always, all our admiration and gratitude for having managed to obtain this donation without sparing any effort until it is achieved, said Sara, the NCCS contact at the facility.

Approximately 170,000 kids with cancer outside of the United States have received lifesaving treatment from the Michele Hertlein Global Outreach Program. Since the inception of the program, the NCCS has distributed more than $416 million in donated medical products to 65 childrens hospitals and clinics in 42 countries thanks to the generous support of the programs corporate partners and donations.

The Michele Hertlein Global Outreach Program currently serves children in need  at absolutely no cost to the family  in El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe and various countries in Africa.

The National Childrens Cancer Society (NCCS), headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., is a not-for-profit organization providing support to families making their way through the daunting world of childhood cancer and survivorship. With over 30 years of experience serving more than 45,000 children, the NCCS is able to take a no matter what approach to help families stay strong, stay positive and stay together. The NCCS has been recognized as a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity and earned a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency. For more information, call 314-241-1600, visit theNCCS.org or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Fosun Pharma USA Inc. was founded in 2017 and continually works to enhance its portfolio of specialty pharmaceutical products and to build a pipeline of both innovative and generic pharmaceutical drugs. With strategic manufacturing partnerships around the world, Fosun Pharma USA Inc. delivers high-quality products that comply with international standards.

Caring for others and contributing to society are important components of our corporate responsibility. Our parent company, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co. Ltd., partnered with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), has supplied 100 million doses of injectable artesunate to global markets, which are estimated to have cured more than 20 million patients with malaria. For more information, call 1-866-611-8638, visit fosunpharmausa.com or follow on LinkedIn.
Same-store sales growth was 8.1% in July, an improvement of 1.3 percentage points compared to Junes results. This was the fifth consecutive month of positive sales growth for restaurants and the strongest sales growth for the industry in over 3 years.

The industry is struggling to see growth in its guest counts. Same-store traffic growth was -3.7% during June. Encouragingly, this is the smallest loss in guest counts recorded during any month since the beginning of the pandemic.

However, these results were achieved as COVID cases surged again throughout the country and the delta variant dominated the headlines. While its effect on restaurant sales and traffic seems to have been minimal during July, there is concern for a slowdown in sales and traffic in upcoming weeks if new infections continue rising rapidly. The downturn will be largely regional and focused on the new COVID hotspot states.

The relative strength of the industry is present in the percentage of positive food mentions. Over 50% of comments on review sites and social media posts centered around restaurant food were classified as positive. The percentage of positive food mentions improved by 6.5 percentage points compared to July of 2019. Still, positive sentiment declined from the peak for the year, which was back in May.

The story is similar for service. Over 50% of reviews and social media posts that were based on restaurant service were classified as positive during July, an improvement of 4.8 percentage points in positive sentiment over 2 years. But as sales and traffic improved during the second quarter of 2021, positive service sentiment slipped.

Ambiance Sentiment Dropped the Most During Q2 As Guests Returned to Restaurants

The second quarter of 2021 brought a swell in restaurant sales and traffic. Same-store sales growth improved by 10 percentage points over Q1, while traffic improved by 9 percentage points. But as more guests returned to restaurants, that put a lot of pressure on operators, especially considering the severe staffing crisis facing the industry in recent months. Given this convergence of factors, it was not surprising to find that guest sentiment slipped across all categories during Q2.

Sentiment based on restaurant ambiance dropped the most for both limited-service and full-service brands. Guests were aligned on what component of ambiance drove the decline as sentiment for cleanliness dropped significantly across the industry.

In full-service restaurants, cleanliness net sentiment* dropped by 13 percentage points during the quarter. Some of the common themes mentioned regarding cleanliness focused on the tables and floor of the restaurant, high-touch items such as tableware and cutlery or the state of the bathrooms. Many of the comments signaled a return to basics in terms of cleanliness, touching upon the kind of expectations that existed pre-pandemic and not necessarily tying them back to the safety and health concerns that drove the guests focus over the last year.

Similarly, cleanliness net sentiment for limited-service restaurants fell by 16 percentage points during the quarter. Although more than 70% of all limited-service sales continue to go through off-premise channels, there are challenges keeping restaurants clean for guests that decide to come in. The cleanliness-related themes commonly covered on online reviews during Q2 included assessments of tables and floors, bathrooms and mentions of trash found in various parts of the restaurant.

*Net sentiment is a value representing the percentage of positive mentions minus the percentage of negative mentions for a specific attribute of the restaurant experience.

Regional & Market Performance

The rapid rise in COVID cases in Florida has not yet affected most of its major markets. Orlando topped the list of metropolitan areas with the highest restaurant sentiment based on food, beverage and ambiance, while Tampa posted the most positive sentiment for restaurant service. Miami is the exception in Florida with the lowest net sentiment during July based on ambiance. This attribute of the restaurant experience has been key during the COVID era due to its close connection to cleanliness. Furthermore, last month Miami barely made the bottom 10 based on the lowest ambiance sentiment. During July, its net sentiment tumbled 4.4 points and put them at the bottom of the list.

Things are not looking bright for the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose metropolitan area. This major market posted the worst restaurant same-store sales growth during July as well as the lowest net sentiment for restaurant food and service. It also had the second-lowest net sentiment based on guests stated intent to return.

Seattle, San Francisco, Miami and Boston were on the list of markets with the lowest intent to return sentiment during July, as well as the worst same-store sales results during the month.

The Restaurant Guest Satisfaction Snapshot (RGSS) is produced by data from Black Box Guest Intelligence. Guest Intelligence is tracking over 190 brands to benchmark customer satisfaction and is the only online tool that integrates with operational performance data to validate the impact on financial performance. The data set focuses on six key attributes of the restaurant industry experience: food, service, ambiance, beverage, value and intent to return.

The RGSS algorithm determines the highest-ranking brands based on sentiment. Brands included in this monthly snapshot must have a total of at least 250 mentions for the month. Restaurants must have a minimum number of units to be eligible as well. DMA rankings consider only the largest 25 areas. Metrics are same-store metrics & reported on a 2-year comparison unless otherwise noted.
Rice University, a premier private research university, ranked among the top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report, announced today the launch of a new software platform that will make faculty recruitment easier and enable efficient, standardized processes for faculty review, promotion and tenure.

Partnering with Interfolio, Rice University will implement Interfolios Faculty Search module to facilitate all stages of faculty recruitment and Interfolios Review, Promotion and Tenure (RPT) module to digitize the process for all faculty promotion and tenure reviews.

With this investment, Rice will streamline its faculty hiring process with a trusted system used by faculty around the world. Moving from a general software to one purpose-built for faculty will ease the administrative burden on hiring committees, while also improving the experience for the applicant.

Rice will use Interfolios electronic workflows and automations to ensure consistent review procedures across campus. Additionally, administrators can use Interfolio to easily check the stage of reviews, which increases transparency and saves time.

We chose Interfolio because we wanted a system specifically built for the unique needs of faculty, and we realized the need for technology that supports the full lifecycle of faculty actions, says Dr. C. Fred Higgs III, Rice Universitys Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. With Interfolios Faculty Search and Review, Promotion and Tenure, we will effectively be providing an intuitive interface for our faculty from their first experience with Rice as an applicant to the important milestones throughout their careers.

Rice University administrators also appreciate that the new system will allow them to gather data in a centralized location. Before, we couldnt easily answer questions about particular trends in faculty promotion because the data was scattered across paper files, explains Brad Blunt, Rice Universitys Director for Academic Process. Now, we can easily query and report on important information, such as diversity data in our promotion and tenure process.

Interfolios suite of products, collectively referred to as their Faculty Information System, is designed to bring to campuses the kind of digital dexterity and data agility that the most sophisticated corporations have with their enterprise software.

The world has gone digital, and we created our Faculty Information System to give faculty and administrators the digital capabilities they need to effectively operate, said Andrew Rosen, CEO of Interfolio. Whether your institution is a top research university like Rice or a small liberal arts college, attracting and supporting great faculty is central to institutional success.

ABOUT RICE UNIVERSITY

Located in an urban environment on a 300-acre tree-lined campus, Rice University seizes its advantageous position to pursue path-breaking research and create innovative collaboration opportunities that contribute to the betterment of our world. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

ABOUT INTERFOLIO

Conceived by academics for academics, Interfolio is an education technology company headquartered in Washington, DC, USA, and in Cambridge, England, UK. Founded in 1999, Interfolio operates the acclaimed Faculty Information System for colleges and universities, the Researchfish impact assessment platform for funders and research organizations, and the widely used Dossier service for individual scholars. Over 300 clients based in 15 countries choose Interfolios technology for hiring and recruitment, academic appointments and timelines, activity data reporting, faculty reviews and promotions, and research impact analysis. Interfolio provides scholar-first products for the full academic lifecyclefrom job seeking to professional accomplishments, committee service, funding award compliance, career growth and advancement, administrative leadership, and beyond. For more information about Interfolio, please contact team@interfolio.com, or visit http://www.interfolio.com.
Saving money on car insurance doesnt have to be hard. Things like raising the deductible, keeping a clean driving history, and shopping around for better quotes, can help drivers find their perfect car insurance plan., said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents the best methods used by drivers to pay cheaper car insurance.

For more info and free car insurance quotes online, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/how-can-drivers-pay-less-on-their-car-insurance-policies/

Every driver knows how important is to save money on car insurance where they can. However, a great insurance plan is more than just prices. Policyholders also want things like an easy claims process, quality customer service, policy offerings, and other important things. The premium is determined by a large set of variables, that the insurance company factors into an algorithm. Some of these variables include the vehicle, location, environment, driving history, age, credit history, and more. With these variables, the insurance company will calculate an insurance score. The better the score, the lower will be the premium paid by the policyholder.

To save money on car insurance, drivers should consider the following:



Shop around. It's not a good idea to stick to checking insurance prices from only one provider. To make sure they get the best insurance price, drivers should shop around with different insurance providers. Insurance prices are constantly fluctuating, so a provider whose premium seemed too expensive could be more affordable the next time a driver looks. Also, getting minimum coverage is not recommended. If a driver that has minimum coverage is at fault in a crash, then he will have to pay from his own pockets for the majority of the costs.

Revisit the policy when making big life changes. Getting married, or adding a teen driver to the policy can have a huge impact on the policy premium. Because of this, policyholders should shop around and get new quotes.

Consider getting roadside assistance coverage. This type of coverage will help pay for a tow truck, a new tire, or any other service that gets the car off the side of the road after it got involved in a car crash.

Raise the deductible. The deductible is the amount the policyholder has to pay out-of-pocket in an incident before the insurance kicks in. Usually, the higher the deductible is, the lower the premium will be

Buy a car that is cheap to insure. The type of vehicle the policyholder has can have a big impact on the insurance premium. Before buying a new car, drivers should investigate the overall cost of insurance. By doing so, they will not have any surprises when they will have to insure their new car.

Invest in additional safety features. By improving the safety features of their vehicles, car owners can save money on their premiums.

Keep a good credit score. The credit score can have a significant impact on the amount the policyholder has to pay to the insurance company. A higher credit score means a lower insurance premium.

Enjoy the benefits of bundling. Most providers offer more than just one type of insurance policy. Drivers can save money by bundling their car insurance policies to other policies such as life insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, and more at the same provider.

Get a multi-car discount. The average household has more than one vehicle. By providing insurance to more than one car at the same provider, policyholders can save up to 20 percent or more on their monthly premiums.

Check the good grades discount. If a high school student that does well in school is on the policy, then the policyholder can apply for a good grades discount. Usually, a good grades discount can save up to 10 percent or more on auto insurance premiums.

Go green. Policyholders who choose to go paperless will receive policy documents and billing statements electronically instead of through the mail. By doing so, they can get a paperless discount and save money on their premiums.

For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
Yepremyan Law Firm Team I am grateful to be surrounded by an amazing team of attorneys and legal professionals at the Yepremyan Law Firm, whose hard work and dedication to our clients ensures our continued growth and the honor of being included on Inc. Magazines Inc. 5000 list for the fourth year in a row.

Inc. magazine this week revealed that a Southern California-based Yepremyan Law Firm has made it to its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies, for the 4th year in a row. 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.

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.

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.

Established in 1998, Yepremyan Law Firm is a Southern California-based law firm specializing in business law and personal injury. For the past 23 years, Yepremyan Law Firm has has been a trusted legal adviser to a wide range of clients, from start-ups to well established businesses, American and foreign companies and individuals. Over the years, the firm has earned numerous awards and recognitions, most recent ones being the Entrepreneur Magazines #101 Best Entrepreneurial Company in America, Los Angeles Business Journals Top 25 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles County, AVVOs Client Choice Award, and the firm's founder, Vahan Yepremyan has been named Top Lawyers in California Award (top 1%), Best Attorneys of America Award (top 1%), Trusted Adviser Award and many others and has been featured in Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Huffington Post and other prestigious publications.

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 http://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, 2021.

CONTACT: Vahan Yepremyan, CEO/Founder; e-mail: Vahan@vylawfirm.com; Tel. 818-574-5544; IG: @yepremyan_law, FB: YepremyanLawFirm

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.

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. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
In the opening sequence of The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess, a childless king and queen go to an inventor and a witch for help, and the two children of the title are the result. The robot looks like a small, walking wooden television set, while the princess turns back into a log at night; she must be awakened with the magic words Awake, little log, awake. A case of mistaken identity strands the two in the frozen North, and only a wonderful jumble of circumstances and the help of kindly strangers can restore them to their parents. The book is Tom Gaulds first for children, but not his first foray into publishing. Hes a seasoned comic artist, based in London, who draws weekly strips for the Guardian and New Scientist, contributes covers to the New Yorker, and is the creator of two graphic novels and several collections of comics (one of which, The Department of Mind-Blowing Theories, was nominated for an Eisner award this year). We spoke with Gauld about the world of fairy tales, how to write warmly without being too cloying, and whether sausages belong in the frozen North.

Where did the story come from?

I have two daughters, and it started as an improvised tale for the girls. The younger daughter was such a heavy sleeper, she slept so thoroughly, that it was like a magical thing, and we called her The Log. I made up a story about it. I got it wrong, and it was too scary. I kept having the log almost set on fire, and it was too much. I made it up again a few nights later and never mentioned the possibility of the log being burned, and they enjoyed it more. I worked on the story for a couple of years, pottering around, reading it to the girls and to my wife, and it was their influence that helped me realize what worked best.

Can you talk about creating a fairy tale?

I love fairy tales. What I like is that its not as if theres only one magical thing happening in the world of the fairy tale; its overflowing, like an enchanted forest teeming with life.

Is this related to the lists of adventures that the Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess have on the way home (The Old Lady in a Bottle; The Baby in a Rosebush)? The titles sound so real.

Yes! I wanted the unwritten adventures, like the map spread, to be suggestive of a whole magical world that my book is just a little portion of. The titles are an extra homage to wonderfully straightforward but evocative titles that fairy tales often have. The Mouse, the Bird, and The Sausage is one of my favorite Brothers Grimm titles. The Family of Robbers was inspired by Tomi Ungerers book The Three Robbers, which my family and I all love.

Did the writing go smoothly, or was it more of a struggle?

The basic premise flowed out of me. The first draft was 3,000 words. I showed it to someone and they said, You can do a weird book, but nobodys going to do this as a bedtime story because its too long. I spent a long time hacking it back.

Did you write the whole text before you did the artwork?

Really everything starts in my sketchbook. While I was writing the story I was making little doodles in the book. When I started as a comic artist I was self-publishing, and I realized that I wanted to make a maquette [dummy] as early as possible. I made mini versions of the book early on to feel how the words and pictures worked together on the page. Then I would bring them home to show my children.

Are the illustrations more elaborate than work youve done before?

No, not really. For New Scientist Ive done illustration work that has been very complicated. When I realized I was going to write my own fairy tale I thought, since Im in charge here, Ill draw all the things I want to draw. I have these memories of poring over picture books and loving the idea that, having been read the story, you can go back five years later and look at it again. I wanted shelves covered in lots of things. I wanted a map.

The color seems more elaborate, too.

Color is one of the things that was new in this book. Mostly my colors are quite restrained, quite muted. But my daughters said, You cant do this book in your usual colors. You need to brighten things up. I didnt want to go to crazy rainbow colors, so I thought Id make the colors richer rather than brighterthe colors I naturally go toward, but richer. Im quite colorblind, so I have to be careful that people dont have lime-colored skin. Its possible to check the CYMK values [the color process used in the printing industry], so I can mathematically check my color palette. Ive taken every page in the book home. We talked about the problems and then I took it back and reworked it.

Thats a rare thing, isnt it, to have worked so closely with your family?

Its not my usual instinct, its not very comfortable, but Im used to the three of them. Its made me better at collaborating, and more willing to do it with my other work.

How did you find an agent?

Well, Steven Malk approached me 10 or more years ago and said, If you ever feel like doing a childrens book, get in touch. I said thank you and then, to be honest, completely forgot about it. When I started working on this, I went to [Canadian graphic novel publisher] Drawn and Quarterly [the publisher of Gaulds graphic novels]. I wanted to say to them, Im doing a kids book. It wont be a comic book, and so Ill look for different representation. They said they understood totally, and that Jillian Tamaki [another Drawn and Quarterly artist], who also does work for children, was represented by Steven Malk. When they said that, I realized that it was the guy who had got in touch with me 10 years ago and I contacted him. He was immediately enthusiastic.

To have found Steve and then Neal [Porter, his editor], to have had such amazing enthusiasm and support from the beginning, its a dream. Ive reached a certain level with comics and I feel like I know what Im doing there, but I dont want to be embarrassed with this book. My hope was that the reaction Id get from a publisher would not just be politely positive, but would be to say, Yes! We want this book!

What kinds of changes did they suggest?

In my first draft, the Log Princess was woken with a kiss, and both Neal and Steven said that might have been fine in the 1800s, but that things were different now, so I switched to the magic words.

Was there anything from the 3,000-word version that got cut that you miss?

Very little was lost, actuallyI dont know what I was rambling on about. There was one scene in the first version with the Little Robot when he is left in the frozen North. Some trolls give him a cup of tea and a hot sausage. The trolls and the hot sausage are not in the final story, and my younger daughter has never forgiven me.

Some contemporary childrens books lean toward sentimentality, while others are a little snarkier. How did you walk that line?

There were moments when I felt overwhelmed by having to make a childrens story, trying to get the warmth in there without feeling that I was throwing a bucket of icing sugar over the top. I want warmth, but its supposed to be felt rather than told. I knew I couldnt be as restrained as I am when I make comics for adults, and at points I felt I was outside my wheelhouse.

The little wooden robot makes this small error of forgetting that his sister needs to be awakened with certain words. Unfortunately, things go very badly, and he probably should have asked for help. But after that, everybodys trying to help. Its a nicer way for a child to look at the worldto see that people are generally willing to help and to be kind to you. Some kids books have ironic stuff for the parents, but I imagined everyone enjoying the same things at the same time.

You have to steer between understated humor and obviousness, right?

Thats the thing, that was the riddlehow to keep whats good about what I do, but add the things that this new genre needs. The robot in my first draft didnt have a face but a blank screen, as it might have had in one of my comics. Once I realized that it wouldnt work and he needed a smiley face, and I gave him one, it was like finding out that it was part of the language of childrens books.

Did your daughters help there, too?

They were helpful, and so were all those years reading to them almost every night, sometimes multiple stories, and having a real respect for great childrens books. Also, how lovely it is reading a book that makes you a better actoreven through the way its punctuated.

A better actor in what way?

The narrator is the parent, or the caregiver, and youre writing a script for a performance by a tired and possibly not very good actorwhich youre not doing with a graphic novel or a cartoon. Before I had children I wouldnt have known that.

Who was an inspiration there?

Oh, well, a real geniusAllan Ahlberg. As a kid we loved his stories; I loved Burglar Bill. And then as an adult, reading the The Runaway Dinner aloudits a light, silly story, but its so perfectly written to be read aloud, its a delight. His writing style inspired me to do better as a scriptwriter.

The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld. Holiday House/Neal Porter Books, $18.99 Aug. 24 ISBN 978-0-8234-4698-0
In this fifth and final installment of our series, we asked editors to tell us about a book of theirs, published during the pandemic, that they wish had gotten more love.

Andrea Colvin, editorial director, Graphic Publishing, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

In the last year, books helped me feel connected to something outside of myself. And few books I edited swept me off my feet as much as Shark Summer by Ira Marcks. The script for this graphic novel had always been engaging to me: it follows 13-year-old Gayle and her new cinephile friend Elijah, with whom she enters a film competition as they try to solve an old mystery surrounding Marthas Vineyard, while at the same time dealing with her troubles at home and pesky tourist filmmakers who are working on a shark thriller movie. It is full of fun twists and as many Jaws references as you could think of, so I came to expect the unexpected with Ira. But when the art started coming in, I still found myself breathless. Each page felt like a film reel, with expressions, gestures, and the movements of characters lovingly captured. The camera lens, as it were, always seemed to move around, live with intent. One panel would be a close up of the characters talking, and to establish the next scene, the next panel would be rolling landscapes that described the sweet scenery of Marthas Vineyard in thick lines and popping colors. It wasnt just a graphic novel packed with film references, it was a love letter to classic thriller films that emulated their cinematography in a story that I think a ton of kids can relate to and lose themselves in. Shark Summer has had a slow start, but I know once readers get their hands on it, it will sweep them away just like it did to me.

Ken Geist, v-p, publisher at large, Scholastic

What happens when you pair humor with fact and fictionthe outcome is a hysterical picture book featuring Dr. Glider in Eat Your Rocks, Croc! by Jess Keating, with illustrations by Pete Oswald. Working with Jess Keating and Pete Oswald was incredible. Jess is a writer and a zoologist with a plethora of animal knowledge and Pete is an extremely talented artist. I had so much fun learning and laughing with both of them. It was so unfortunate that Eat Your Rocks, Croc! came out in May 2020 when most bookstores, schools, and libraries were closed. Eat Your Rocks, Croc! is a picture book that you need to hold in your hands and laugh a bit as you discover some intriguing and fun facts about animals and one plant you might not have known. Hopefully in September 2021, when the next Dr. Glider picture book, Set Your Alarm, Sloth! is published, readers will discover Eat Your Rocks, Croc! as well.

Melissa Warten, associate editor, FSG Books for Young Readers

In What Stars Are Made Of, 12-year-old Libby Monroe was born with Turner Syndrome, and that makes some things hard. But she has lots of people who love her, and that makes her pretty lucky. When her big sister Nonny tells her shes pregnant, Libby strikes a deal with the universe to make Nonnys baby be born perfect and healthybut does she have what it takes to care for the sister that has always cared for her? And what will it take for the universe to notice? Stars published directly into the pandemic, about two weeks after the world went into lockdown, and that definitely made some things hard; but in spite of all-virtual events and a completely upended debut experience, author Sarah Allen and I, like Libby, still felt pretty lucky. From wonderful Zoom launch panels to tweets from people with (and parents of people with) Turner Syndrome about how much the book meant to them, we watched Stars find its way to the readers that needed it most, against all odds.

One of the things I think makes this book so special is that its attitude isnt, If only I didnt have Turner Syndrome. Libby is certainly aware that her disorder makes her life complicated, but Turner Syndrome isnt the thing for her to overcomeits part of who she is. The voice is completely hilarious from the get-go; the second Libby says, There were a whole buttload of things wrong when I was born, its game over for kid readers! Stars was published to solid critical recognition, as was Sarahs next novel, Breathing Underwater, in 2021. I so want middle-grade readers to find their way to these stories of self-love, determination, and growing up.

Paula Wiseman, v-p and publisher, Paula Wiseman Books

Simply put, Stephen T. Johnson can do anything. The Caldecott Honor artist and two-time New York Times Best Illustrated artist has created a remarkable book about 10 different forms of musicfrom classical to jazz to country. The book is a visual treat with vibrant illustrations of each type of music in an amazing accordion format on card stock. The book includes nonfiction information about each type of music. Music Is... is a book that needs to be seen and experiencedas it opens from end to end to be an impressive 21 feet long with each type of music flowing the next through a connecting line. Being published during the pandemic, there was unfortunately no way to convey the format or the drama of the book. Music is original, wonderful, and a work of art.

Nikki Garcia, editor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Sonja K. Solters debut published on March 24, 2020, precisely when schools, jobs, and everything in between shut down across the country. When You Know What I Know is a heartbreaking yet hopeful novel-in-verse about sexual abuse told through the voice of middle-schooler and victim, Tori. Over the course of a year, Tori finds herself battling PTSD and all the mixed emotions that come with the traumaanger, shame, and sadness. But I promise, Tori comes through the other side stronger than before. Sonja did a wonderful job of showing Toris journey in a sensitive and kid-friendly way.

This novel was always going to make some people uncomfortable. Its a topic that many dont like to think about. But sexual abuse issadly, appallingly, unacceptablya part of our world, and yet it can feel off-limits to speak about it. Add a pandemic to the mix, and its even more difficult to get this important book in the hands of readers who need it. Quarantine forced families to stay home to protect themselves. However, the home may already be an unsafe place, and so weve learned there has been a significant rise of abuse. I truly believe When You Know What I Know will help anyone, child or adult, dealing with sexual abuse pre-pandemic, currently, or post-pandemic.

Julie Bliven, editor, Charlesbridge

Rare and Blue: Finding Natures Treasures by Constance Van Hoven, illustrated by Alan Marks, was published at the beginning of the pandemic and may have gotten a bit lost in the shuffle and shutdown. This nonfiction picture book introduces various blue species in nature and reveals why theyre either naturally rare, threatened, or endangered (e.g., blue whale, Karner blue butterfly, Eastern indigo snake, etc.). I love how interactive, informative, and striking this book is while gently encouraging conservation. The color blue happens to be the rarest color in nature, but what felt especially rare about this book was the state of the world when it published six months into the pandemic. The fact that Constance Van Hoven had to cancel her many in-person promotional events was disappointing, to say the least. In the end, I hope this book finds its way to more and more curious readers and budding naturalists, and proves to be as resilient and remarkable as the species it features.

Karen Smith, associate editor, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

A Cloud of Outrageous Blue by award-winning author-illustrator Vesper Stamper tells the story of Edyth, a teenage girl paving her own way during the Great Plague of 1348. Edyth has synesthesia, which intersects with her newfound work as a manuscript illuminator at a secluded priory. As the Plague grows closer to home and Edyth finds herself navigating forbidden love and priory politics, it becomes clear that she must carve her own path in a perilous era. Stunning on every level, the vibrant art interspersed throughout the novel helps readers to see the world through Edyths synesthetic eyes. The color and emotion against the backdrop of great historical drama and high stakes is unforgettable. A Cloud of Outrageous Blue is a wonderful literary and artistic accomplishment, and a gripping journey of self-discovery and love in all too familiar uncertain times. It pubbed on August 8, 2020 to glowing reviews but little fanfare. Its a masterpiece, and I wish it had received the attention it truly deserves.

Click here to see our previous Pandemic Missed Connections installments.
Ive been asked by the editor of the upcoming Publishers Weekly Book Publishing Almanac 2022 to contribute a chapter looking at the best books about book publishing. Its one of my favorite topics! Heres a preview.

Book publishing is of course uniquely situated to publish books about itself. And it has been generous: there are hundreds of titles that can be crowded into a library. And so many different kinds of books: memoirs and histories, how-to guides, economic overviews, studies of the digital transformation of publishing, and some purely academic work. My criteria for inclusion here is this: for someone in publishing, or soon to enter publishing, can the book increase their understanding and appreciation of how the industry functions and what their future role could be?

The all-purpose guides

There are at least a dozen books that distinguish themselves by offering a broad perspective on the undertaking. The starting point has to be Mike Shatzkins (and Roger Rigers) The Book Business: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford Univ., 2019). Its intended to be breezya succinct and insightful survey of the industry in an easy-to-read question-and-answer format. It succeeds.

Follow that with a widely read beginners guide to the U.S. trade industry, Thomas Wolls Publishing for Profit: Successful Bottom-Line Management for Book Publishers (Chicago Review, 2014). It touches most of the bases.

Sometimes overlooked is Joe Biels informal but comprehensive A Peoples Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business from the Ground Up (Microcosm, 2018). Youll see that its subtitle follows the advice in the book: Your subtitle should really distinguish your book from [comparable titles] and clarify your niche. This is the sort of specific detail that some of the guides overlook. Biel is the founder and president of Microcosm Publishing, a small press thats guided by a strong set of principles and is doing some great work.

On the edge of academe is the third edition of The Book Publishing Industry (Routledge, 2013), by Albert N. Greco, PWs Jim Milliot, and Robert Wharton. Its 500 pages go deep into the consumer book industry, including history and operations. Notably included within is a 50-page Marketing and Selling Books chaptera topic that always needs more coverage.

The must-read(s)

Beyond the basics, when Im asked which book everyone in publishing must read, its in fact two books, both by John B. Thompson: Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century (second edition, Polity, 2012) and Book Wars: The Digital Revolution in Publishing (Polity, 2021).

The books are not shortbetween the two youll be committing to some 800 pages of text. While most of the published reviews rave about his work, some Amazon reader reviews have headlines like Useful, though dry or This is a long, tedious read...suggesting, not inaccurately, that Thompsons style sometimes drifts into the dense language of academe. But push on, as his books reward the effort; no one else has Thompsons ability to marshal the facts into comprehensive and illuminating accounts of publishing in all its splendor.

If taking on Thompsons work doesnt seem too daunting, you may also be ready to purchase the 480-page Oxford Handbook of Publishing, edited by Angus Phillips and Michael Bhaskar (Oxford Univ., 2019). Heavily footnoted, its a grand collection of articles on a very broad range of topics, billed as a comprehensive overview of the different areas and sectors of the publishing industry from both scholars and practitioners (including Thompson).

I sometimes test the comprehensiveness of a book about publishing by whether it discusses metadata. From where I sit, its tough to argue that youre on top of whats going on in book publishing without an enthusiastic embrace of the topic. The Oxford Handbook of Publishing fails in this regardneither metadata nor ONIX appear in the index. A search through the text reveals that metadata for e-commerce is mentioned in passing but not as a standalone topic.

But metadata does receive coverage in Alison Baverstock and Susannah Bowens magisterial 500-page How to Market Books (sixth edition, Routledge, 2019). Multiply the number of pages by the number of editions and youve got the final word about book marketing. From traditional marketing through social media, theres really nothing like it.

Hot off the press

Thompsons Book Wars has been the book-about-book-publishing event of 2021 thus far. Also of note this year is Keel Hunts The Family Business: How Ingram Transformed the World of Books (West Margin), which offers both a (sanitized) history of the Ingram family and an insightful account of Ingrams rise within book publishing and its impact today.

So thats a quick look at a range of books to inform the faithful. Now check your collection. What have I missed?

Thad McIlroy is an electronic publishing analyst and author based on the West Coast who runs the Future of Publishing website. He is also a founding partner of Publishing Technology Partners.
During an online seminar this week, U.S. Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter revealed that some in Congress have asked the Copyright Office to weigh in on the constitutionality of Marylands new library e-book law. Perlmutter did not reveal what stage any potential review may be at, however, and officials at the Copyright Office declined to comment further.

All we can say is that the Office continues to work on responding to requests we have received from senators, a spokesperson for the Copyright Office told PW.

PW knows of one legislator that has raised concerns: North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committees Subcommittee on Intellectual Property.

In a May 26 letter, Tillis echoed concerns expressed by the Association of American Publishers in its written testimony to Maryland legislators on May 24including a contention that Marylands library e-book law is unconstitutional because it encroaches on the exclusive domain of federal copyright law.

When it takes effect in January, 2022, the Maryland law (known as SB432) will require any publisher offering to license "an electronic literary product" to consumers in the state to also offer to license the content to public libraries on "reasonable" terms.

Jonathan Band, a legal advisor to the library community who has consulted on the Maryland law insists it is constitutional, not preempted by federal copyright law, and is narrowly designed to "prevent unreasonable discrimination" against public libraries. "The [Maryland law does] not force publishers to transfer any of their exclusive rights," Band insists, "and the publishers rights remain undiminished."

In his letter, Tillis asked Perlmutter, acting in her capacity as the expert adviser to congress on copyright matters, to weigh in and "clarify if federal preemption applies."

The bill passed the Maryland General Assembly unanimously in March, and became law on June 1. Meanwhile, laws like the one in Maryland are gaining momentum in other state legislatures. In June, New York passed a similar law that is now awaiting the governor's signature or veto. At least half a dozen states are reported to have begun exploring similar legislation.

Tillis's request for guidance is not uncommon. One of the duties of the Register of Copyrights is to advise Congress on matters of copyright and such opinions are routinely sought by legislators on a range of matters. But whatever opinion the Copyright Office weighs in with, Band told PW, it is unlikely to impact the law in Maryland.

"The Copyright Office's opinion on a state law will have no influence on how a court interprets a state law," Band told PW. "Indeed, the Supreme Court recently indicated that courts need not defer to the Copyright Office even when it is interpreting the Copyright Act."

An adverse opinion from the Copyright Office, however, could chill other states from taking up similar legislationsomething Tillis himself acknowledges in his letter, concluding that an opinion from the Copyright Office would "provide helpful direction to states so they may avoid proposing or enacting legislation that is preempted by the Copyright Act."
David Grossman, trans. from the Hebrew by Jessica Cohen. Knopf, $26.95 (288) ISBN 978-0-593-31891-1

Grossmans tender and disquieting latest (after A Horse Walks into a Bar) looks at three generations of women whose bonds are fissured by histories of restlessness and war. Gili, an aspiring filmmaker, has never forgiven her mother, Nina, for leaving her and her father when Gili was a toddler. Nina was raised in Yugoslavia and hasnt recovered from her own sense of abandonment after her mother, Vera, an anti-Nazi partisan, was held in a prison camp for refusing to renounce communism. Vera, whos both Gilis biological grandmother and the stepmother of Gilis father, Rafael, is the familys center. When Nina visits for Veras 90th birthday party, she asks filmmaker Rafael to make a documentary for the family about their relationship; ultimately, Gili, who once worked as Rafaels assistant, insists on having the final edit both out of a desire for creative fulfillment and to make sure they get the project right. The four talk, film, and revisit the dilapidated island prison, and their relationships shift as they grapple with Veras and Ninas past. Grossman shines a light on the victims of the violent split between Tito and Stalin, as well as on the stories people tell themselves to explain, survive, and forgive. And in Vera, who is nimble and sharp at 90, endlessly self-mythologizing, and possessed of a broken Hebrew that Cohen renders into idiosyncratic broken English, the author has created an unforgettable character. This adds another remarkable achievement to Grossmans long list.
Suresh Mittal, Distinguished Professor of Virology in Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine, conducts research on a novel vaccine against a widespread form of tuberculosis. Mittal collaborates with Chinnaswamy Jagannath, professor of pathology and genomic medicine at Houston Methodist Research Institute, to create the vaccine. (Photo provided by Suresh Mittal)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. and HOUSTON  Innovators at Purdue University and Houston Methodist Research Institute have created a novel strategy for developing an effective vaccine for a widespread form of tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a leading cause of death worldwide, leading to over 1.5 million fatalities annually. Approximately one-third of the global population is infected with the latent form of Mtb. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is widely used as a vaccine against tuberculosis but has a variable protection against neonatal and adult pulmonary TB. That protection can, however, range from zero to 80% among infants. Children are routinely vaccinated, yet Mtb dissemination into brain and tuberculosis meningitis continues to occur.

Purdue and Houston Methodist researchers have created this novel TB vaccine formulation by incorporating autophagy-mediated antigen presentation, which initiates an enhanced T cell response. Chinnaswamy Jagannath, professor of pathology and genomic medicine at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, which is an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, showed that the novel formulation improves the development of tuberculosis-specific immune responses. Jagannath collaborates with Dr. Suresh Mittal, Distinguished Professor of Virology in Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine.

"Our vaccine approach is equally effective without or with prior vaccination with BCG," Mittal said.

"It is vital since the majority of people in Mtb-endemic countries are already immunized with BCG," Jagannath said.

Mittal's lab studies delivery platforms for vaccines, and Jagannath's lab used the nasal delivery route for this TB vaccine development.

"The great thing about this work with TB is that it can translate to other infectious diseases and possibly cancer immunotherapy," Mittal said.

The innovators have worked with the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization to patent their technology. The innovators and OTC are looking for partners to continue developing it. The next step for the vaccine formulation is to conduct a vaccine efficacy study in a nonhuman primate model. Mittal said the successful completion of the study will form the basis for a human trial, though no human trial is currently planned.

A manuscript describing this work is published in the August 2021 issue of the peer-reviewed Cell Reports Medicine. This research was conducted with research awards from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Internal Funds.

About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university's academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. The office is located in the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in Discovery Park District, adjacent to the Purdue campus. In fiscal year 2020, the office reported 148 deals finalized with 225 technologies signed, 408 disclosures received and 180 issued U.S. patents. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

About Houston Methodist

Houston Methodist is one of the nations leading health systems and academic medical centers. The health system consists of eight hospitals: Houston Methodist Hospital, its flagship academic hospital in the Texas Medical Center, six community hospitals and one long-term acute care hospital throughout the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Houston Methodist also includes a research institute; a comprehensive residency program; international patient services; freestanding comprehensive care, emergency care and imaging centers; and outpatient facilities. Houston Methodist employs more than 26,000 people and has had more than 1.3 million outpatient visits and more than 120,000 admissions in 2020.

Contact: Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org

Source: Suresh Mittal, mittal@purdue.edu
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New York City, NY (11385)

Today

Thundershowers this afternoon following a period of morning rain. High 73F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms, some heavy this evening, then periods of rain late. Low 62F. ESE winds shifting to N at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
The headlines are clear: renewable energy is on the rise as a source of electricity for America and coal power is headed for the door. President Biden has set a goal 30,000MW of offshore wind by 2030 which is the equivalent of 2,500 12MW turbines and this does not include the ever increasing number of wind turbines being constructed and planned on land. Renewable energy, which includes solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydroelectric power, now produces more of the nations electricity (20%) than coal (19%) according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Since 2008, coal-powered electrical generating capacity has declined 28%, while coal powered electrical generation has declined 61% (EIA).

The reduction in coal power is largely due to the now abundant and inexpensive supply of domestic natural gas which has allowed the U.S. to reduce its CO2 emissions to the lowest level since 1992, and a per-capital emissions to the lowest level since 1950. While natural gas CO2 emissions are half that of coal per unit of energy, many have targeted natural gas energy for extinction as they have coal energy and perhaps even zero CO2 nuclear energy. Most would have to think that coal power, as well as fossil fuels in general, are on the ropes, awaiting a knockout blow from renewable energy and especially wind power.

But, is this really the case?

Few places highlight this contrast between the rising wind power and declining coal power more than high in the Appalachian mountains at Mount Storm West Virginia. This is the home of two wind projects, the Ned Power and New Creek wind projects consisting of 181 2MW turbines with a combined capacity of 367MW, and the Dominion Energy Mount Storm coal fired power plant with its 1,681MW generating capacity. The distance between the nearest wind tower and the coal power plant is less than two miles. Senator Harry Bird built Highway RT 48 here (often referred to as corridor H), to connect northern Virginia with central West Virginia. I drive this highway often on my way to the numerous recreational offers at Canaan Valley, West Virginia, which is the highest sizeable valley east of the Mississippi River.

It is quite a sight as one drives up the steep Appalachian ridge, with the turbines majestically spinning, and in the background, the coal power plant usually emitting a huge plume of white vapor from its two huge stacks. (The white vapor is caused by the plants sulfur scrubbers). Much of the plants coal arrives by truck from a mine just a few miles away while the rest arrives by CSX trains from other parts of West Virginia.

One would logically think that the coal plants days are numbered, doomed by an every growing number of mountain top wind turbines. It is easy to know if the coal power plant is running or not. There are two boilers for the large stack and one boiler for the smaller stack. There are only three possibilities, no emissions (the plant is not producing power), one stack operating, or both. It is not so easy to know how much power the wind turbines are producing since this is a windy place and the blades are usually spinning. Fortunately, one with the interest can find out how effective both sources of energy are using the EIAs website, which shows every single public source of electrical generation in the nation and how much each produces monthly.

There are important differences, however, between electricity generated by wind and from coal. Wind is not generally predictable or reliable and does not coincide with energy demand that is generally more predictable based on the time of year, time of day, temperature etc. Wind power operates on average about 35% of rated capacity while coal power plants can operate near 90% of rated capacity. While a coal power plants boiler might require eight hours or more to get up to maximum power production, electricity will be available when needed as compared to wind power. The wind tends to blow more at night and less during the day, the opposite of when electricity demand is greatest. Similarly, there is less wind when temperatures are very cold and very hot, times when power demand is also very high.

The EIA website is very illuminating with regard to the energy produced by wind and coal power at Mount Storm and the question can wind power can replace coal power?. In the 12-month period (May 2020-April 2021) the coal power plant operated at approximately 32% of its rated capacity. The 181 wind turbines operated at just over 21% of rated capacity. The coal plant generated 5,752GWh of electricity, and the wind turbines 932GWh. It would require an additional 936 similar sized wind turbines to replace the electricity generated by the coal plant during the same 12-month period.

Peak power production for the coal power plant was in July 2020 (719GWh) which was also the month for the lowest output for wind (34.6GWh). In July, the wind turbines produced just 4.8% of the power produced by the coal power plant while operating at only 9.4% of rated capacity. In the month of July, it would require at least 3,764 similar sized wind turbines to replace the electricity generated by the coal power plant which was operating at just 47% of rated capacity.

Since this is just an average, and that wind turbine power production could have actually been near zero during some portion of the month of July, it is possible at times that no number of wind turbines could replace the electricity generated by the coal power plant without sufficient battery back-up for at least part of the month. 3,764 wind turbines would also require 427 miles of mountain top, reaching all the way to Vermont. A battery backup system with a capacity for 10 days worth of July coal plant energy generation would cost nearly $90 million dollars.

Power plant longevity is also an important factor with regard to cost. The Mount Storm coal power plant began producing electricity 57 years ago in 1964. Some estimate wind power to have a 30-year life though the nearby Pinnacle wind project with its 23 turbines is having its blades and turbines replaced after only 10 years of operation and at a cost of $128 million dollars.

It is clear that wind power is not going to knock out coal power, at least not here at Mount Storm. Wind projects and other renewables are certainly landing punches as coal loses favor as a power source in this country. Natural gas has struck the real blows and West Virginia has abundant supplies of it. With the price of natural gas significantly escalating this year, now at $3.85 per million BTU at the Henry Hub, an increase of 55% since April, coal generated power will gain somewhat of a reprieve due to its more favorable cost differential. The EIA estimates that coal consumption in U.S. electrical generation will increase 17% in 2021.

Geoffrey Pohanka

Vienna, VA
Without a major celebrity running to unseat California Gov. Gavin Newsom, this years recall couldnt live up to the showbiz carnival of 2003 when Hollywood action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger unseated the unpopular incumbent governor, Gray Davis, and an assorted cast of 135 characters also on the ballot.

But the last 24 hours have triggered a strange, bumpy ride that could change the trajectory of the 2021 race in its final weeks.

On Thursday, just hours before the third Republican debate of the recall, a bombshell story broke about Larry Elder, the conservative talk show host and surprise GOP frontrunner to replace Newsom.

Ever since entering the race more than a month ago, Elder has rocketed ahead of the rest of the field. Hes attained a double-digit lead with his bold denouncements of the states liberal policies and COVID mandates  even though most Californians dont know much about him, hes declined to take part in the debates and has held only two press conferences. During one of them, he bizarrely took questions only from Asian news outlets.

To put it mildly, the latest twist is a jaw-dropper. Alexandra Datig, Elders ex-fiancee and the former producer of his radio show, came forward with stunning accusations against him. She said she broke off her 18-month engagement to the libertarian media personality in 2015 after an argument when she said Elder took out a .45 pistol from his nightstand.

And he checked if it was loaded  while I was talking, Datig told Politico, accusing Elder of being high on marijuana at the time. He wanted to make sure I saw that he had it.

It was an act of silent scorn  and anger, she added.

There were several other disturbing elements in the story. Datig, 51, a conservative blogger and political commentator who is supporting Elders rival, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, became publicly known in the 1990s when she was an informant in the prosecution of Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. She described being paid $10,000 a day while working as a prostitute in Fleiss network and has since spoken out about human trafficking. But she said her past didnt stop Elder from pressuring her to get a Larrys Girl tattoo on her lower back, a large portrait of which she said he then hung in their home for visitors to see.

Datig recalled that she met Elder in the early 2000s at Hugh Hefners Playboy Mansion parties  events frequented by Hollywood celebrities, including rapper Snoop Dogg  although she and Elder didnt start dating until years later. Datig also provided a home video to Politico in which Elder grouses about Snoop Dogg snubbing him.

I introduced him to the evil weed.  I taught him everything he knows.  Im the one who made him what he is. I cant believe he turned his back on me, m-----------, Elder is quoted as saying.

Hours after the story posted online, the candidate issued a blanket denial, calling the story salacious allegations.

I have never brandished a gun at anyone, he tweeted. I grew up in South Central [Los Angeles]; I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. Its not me, and everyone who knows me knows its not me.

People do not get into public life precisely because of this type of politics of personal destruction. Im not going to dignify this with a response  its beneath me.

Elder also accused the Newsom campaign of attempting to keep voters distracted and vowed to stay focused on the issues that inspired 1.7 million Californians to petition for this recall.

The story sent shockwaves throughout the California political landscape, with consultants across the ideological spectrum predicting it would quicky erode Elders GOP support. Most believed it would also benefit Newsom by sowing doubts about the leading Republican to replace him and a recall process that allowed an unvetted candidate to threaten his hold on the job.

@GavinNewsom has certainly created a lot of his own problems, but he has also caught some really bad breaks. Larry Elder aint one of them. Larry Elder early Christmas continues, tweeted Rob Stutzman, who served as deputy chief of staff for Arnold Schwarzenegger  the winner of the 2003 recall.

Democrats reacted gleefully to the bombshell news.

Larry Elder is the gift that keeps on giving for all the outrageous things hes said [as a talk show host], and now this, Garry South, a longtime Democratic strategist, told RealClearPolitics Thursday afternoon. Theres a reason hes been refusing most media interviews. Theres a reason why hes skipping all the debates.

Newsom in recent weeks has trained his fire on Elder as the race has tightened into a toss-up. He has assailed his top GOP challenger as to the right of Donald Trump and ticked off a list of Elders positions that he argues are wildly out of sync with California voters, including opposition to minimum wage increases and an assault weapons ban, as well as past skepticism about climate change and support for off-shore drilling.

After the story hit social media, political consultants on both sides of the recall braced for a spirited debate Thursday evening. Three Republicans gubernatorial challengers  Faulconer, businessman John Cox and Assemblyman Kevin Kiley  were set to face-off in a debate sponsored by KTLA, a California TV station. Elder and Caitlin Jenner had declined to appear while Newsom didnt respond to the invite.

But there was no verbal jousting among the candidates as the hosts stuck to a rapid-fire questioning of each candidate on the well-worn themes of homelessness, climate change, wildfires and immigration. Only one big moment stood out  when KTLA news anchor Frank Buckley pressed the trio on whether they would vote for Trump if he were the GOPs 2024 nominee for president. Only Cox said he would do so if Biden were the only alternative, while Faulconer and Kiley refused to engage in the hypothetical.

The event ended up being fairly sedate with the moderators posing no questions about the Elder bombshell, and all three candidates eschewing the opportunity to attack the frontrunner about the allegations or anything else.

Still, both Kiley and Faulconer issued written statements on Datigs charges. Kiley said he found the allegations very disturbing, said Datig deserves to be heard and that her deeply troubling account should be treated with the utmost seriousness. Even so, he added, Elder should also be given every opportunity to respond.

Faulconer, who has the most institutional Republican support but has struggled to break out of the pack, was far more critical, arguing that allegations are further proof that Elder doesnt have the judgement or character to lead our state.

In the past few days, Newsom and Faulconer have slammed Elder over a 2000 column he penned in which he cited a University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School for Communication study that found women knew less than men when it came to campaign finance, gun control, foreign policy, defense and questions about political candidates positions.

Women know less than men about political issues, economics, and current events, Elder wrote. Good news for Democrats, bad news for Republicans. For the less one knows, the easier the manipulation.

Elder vigorously defended himself against the attacks, arguing that his opponents and journalists were misquoting the essay. He directed reporters to Annenbergs Kathleen Hall Jamieson, who had stated in the column that women were less informed than men at the time because they tended to get their news from local television.

Local news-watching makes you dumber, Hall Jamieson, who now serves as the director of the Annenbergs Public Policy Center, is quoted in Elders column as saying.

In a previous debate this week, the usually mild-mannered Faulconer blasted Elders remarks about women, labeling them bull----.

On Thursday, Faulconer said Datigs accusations should be the final straw for Elders candidacy: [Elders] writings and statements are attacks on working women and every family in California. Yesterday, he doubled down on these views, and now were hearing reports on his personal behavior. We cannot have him as our governor.

Californias political class is convinced the allegations will at least curb Elders jet-fueled rise. But whether they take him out of the running completely is hard to say. In the MeToo era, sentiments have certainly changed since California voters shrugged off a late-breaking story during the 2003 recall in which several women said Schwarzenegger groped and humiliated them. With New York Gov. Andrew Cuomos resignation last week over his treatment of women, Republicans would be wise to try to avoid a West Coast redux.

But California GOP voters havent warmed to any other candidate in the field and may be skeptical of scurrilous late-breaking allegations unless theres solid proof.

South noted how difficult it was to get voters angry enough to vote against Schwarzenegger back in 2003, even when a 1981 video surfaced in which the actor explained to Johnny Carson how he and a buddy would purposefully damage peoples chimneys at night, then ask the homeowners for payment to do repairs the next day.

But nothing seemed to matter at the time  to Team Davis frustration.

They always just let him off the hook, South recalled. They said, Well, ya know, hes a celebrity and hes an actor  blah, blah, blah.  We would show [the video] to people in focus groups and they would laugh. They just thought it was funny.

Yet, with the stakes so high, South predicts a drip, drip, drip release of negative stories about Elder between now and the Sept. 14 deadline for turning in ballots.

And it all accrues to Newsoms benefit, he remarked.

Its a logical conclusion, but so far this recall has defied all conventional wisdom. Its similar to 2003 only in this way: being utterly unpredictable.
President Biden and other Democrats have referred to Republican-sponsored voting reforms in Georgia, Texas and elsewhere as Jim Crow 2.0. Republicans, the not-very-subtle implication is, are engaged in white supremacist voter suppression attempting to restore the repressive practices of a bygone era.

While these claims have been reported (and sometimes repeated and amplified) by mainstream media, most analyses have missed a critical step. In order to evaluate the claims of Jim Crow 2.0, its essential to understand Jim Crow 1.0. How was the black vote suppressed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries? Only with such an understanding can one render a sensible judgment about todays voting reforms and proposed remedies such as H.R. 1.

In Jim Crows original incarnation, four major mechanisms were used to prevent or discourage African Americans from voting.

By far the bluntest instrument was physical intimidation and violence by the Ku Klux Klan or other organized paramilitary forces such as the Knights of the White Camelia, White Brotherhood, White League, Red Shirts, or rifle clubs made up of Confederate army veterans. These groups would assassinate black political and social leaders and threaten black voters with reprisals if they showed up at the polls. In some cases, they provided voters with certificates, which assured their safety if they voted Democratic.

In Arkansas, about 2,000 blacks were killed prior to the 1868 election; in Georgia, the number was higher. Louisiana saw approximately 1,000 blacks murdered. The consequences were predictable. In St. Landry Parish, Republicans held a 1,071 advantage in voter registrations but received zero votes in the fall 1868 election. In New Orleans, of 21,000 registered Republicans, only 276 voted. Similarly, the Republican candidate received 1,222 votes in Columbia County in Georgias April 1868 gubernatorial election. In November of that year, following a KKK reign of terror, Ulysses S. Grant received one vote for president. At least 10 percent of the Black legislators elected during the 1867-1868 constitutional conventions became victims of violence during Reconstruction, including seven who were killed, according to History.com.

In the 1920s, a resurgent Ku Klux Klan monitored polling places and even dropped leaflets out of airplanes over heavily black areas warning against voting. As late as the 1960s, the Klan engaged in open intimidation at polling places.

Second, following ratification of the 15th Amendment, which prohibited the denial of voting rights on the basis of race, Southern state governments utilized a variety of other means to suppress the black vote. One was the poll tax levied on individuals who registered to vote. The poll tax was generally between $1 and $2. This doesnt sound like much in 2021, but the contemporary Alabama sharecropper earned an average of 65 cents a day. Alabamas $2 poll tax was equivalent to three days wages. Someone making $30,000 a year today would pay around $350 at that rate. The poll tax was aimed primarily at blacks, most of whom could ill afford to pay it, but it also affected poor whites.

Another widely used mechanism was the literacy test for voter registration. In theory, the literacy test, like the poll tax, was race-neutral, typically required of anyone who could not prove that he had at least a fifth-grade education. But the tests were designed with the purpose of disqualifying potential black voters in large numbers.

Some tests focused on knowledge of the workings of the state or U.S. government; others measured logic or reading skills. A single answer marked wrong could mean failure. Whites were often exempted from literacy tests altogether due to grandfather clauses. In the mid-1960s, Duke law professor William W. Van Alstyne sent four questions from the Alabama literacy test to all active constitutional law professors in American law schools with instructions to answer without external aids. Almost 100 responded  and 70% of their answers were incorrect.

Finally, in eight Southern states, Democrats found another way to circumvent the 15th Amendment. The Constitution, they reasoned, applied to federal elections but not to party nominating processes, which were an internal function of private associations. In the Solid South, receiving the Democratic nomination for office was usually tantamount to election. Thus, only whites would be permitted to vote in the Democratic primary. Even if an African American could navigate the formidable maze of obstacles to somehow vote in the general election, it wouldnt matter. He would be denied access to the most critical phase of the election in a one-party state.

In the mid-20th century, these devices of voter suppression began being gradually dismantled. In a series of cases in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, the Supreme Court barred use of the white primary. The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, prohibited use of the poll tax in federal elections, a rule extended by the Supreme Court to state and local elections two years later. Literacy tests were driven out of usage by provisions in the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The VRA also authorized the stationing of U.S. marshals at polling places and voter registration centers in order to prevent intimidation of black voters.

The Ku Klux Klan itself, by then in its third incarnation, began suffering a massive decline of membership that has continued to the present day. A group that had upwards of 5 million members nationally at its peak in the 1920s now has around 5,000. Throughout the South, the effects of these changes were monumental. In Mississippi, for example, voter turnout by blacks grew from 7% in 1964 to 59% in 1969.

This, then, was Jim Crow 1.0. What, by way of comparison, is Jim Crow 2.0, according to President Biden and Democratic members of the Texas Assembly?

Here are some of the provisions of recent state election laws that have drawn criticism and even been subjected to (unsuccessful) lawsuits:

Voter identification requirements that can be satisfied with a drivers license or a cost-free, state-issued ID

Requiring that voters must vote in the correct precinct

Requiring that vote-collection boxes be supervised

Prohibition on paid outside groups collecting and depositing large numbers of ballots

Prohibition on electioneering within 150 feet of the polling place

Adjusting the window for absentee-ballot submission by a few days to ensure counting in a timely fashion

Enshrining in law for the first time use of ballot-collection boxes, though at a reduced number from those used during the pandemic year of 2020

Requiring voters to make requests for absentee ballots every two years rather than every four years

Requiring that local election officials actually follow the laws of the state or be subject to criminal penalties.

This list does not include other aspects of the same legislation that often broadened opportunities for voting, such as extended in-person early-voting hours and replacement of signature verification  often subject to mistaken disqualifications  with use of the voters drivers license number or Social Security number on mail ballots.

So, to recap, Jim Crow 1.0 entailed widespread murder and violent intimidation, onerous taxes, rigged literacy tests, and a flat prohibition on blacks voting in the primary elections of the dominant party, leading to results such as Mississippis 7% voter-turnout rate for African Americans. Jim Crow 2.0, meantime, requires that voters show proper identification, vote in the correct precinct, and request their absentee ballot every two years instead of every four.

Someday, historians will marvel that anyone ever took seriously the argument that these two regimes bore any relation to one another.

Nearly everyone in America understands that we need to lower the political temperature if we want our country to hold together. A good place to start would be to stop inflaming racial and partisan animosities by making incendiary  and indefensible  claims that our opponents are working to restore some dark chapter in American history. If Joe Biden actually meant what he said about unifying the country, this would be an easy call for him to make. One Jim Crow was one too many. Its time to recognize that the second one is imaginary and stop invoking it.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/19/2021



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

couple Loren Goldstone and Alexei Brovarnik have welcomed their second child into the world.Loren and Alexei both took to Instagram on Thursday to announce their son's birth several days after his arrival."Truly a Thankful Thursday!! Babyboten has arrived, much early than expected!" Loren captioned a slideshow of photos featuring Alexei and their newborn baby."Due to some circumstances, he is in the NICU, but recovering well. We can't wait to bring him home and start this next chapter as a family of 4! #teambrovarnik #boymama #beyondblessed."Alexei uploaded similar photos on his own Instagram account and wrote, "Baby Boten has arrived a bit early! Due to circumstances, he is in the NICU but recovering well. We can't wait to bring him home and start this next chapter as a family of 4! #teambrovarnik #blessed #family #dadlife #boydad."The couple's second child, whom they lovingly refer to as "Baby Boten," was born three days earlier on Monday, August 16 at 9:08ET, according to Us Weekly."Wow! And just like that, we're a family of four! It's so surreal! We are so excited to bring Babyboten home and see Shai being the best big brother!" Loren and Alexei told the magazine in a statement.Loren and Alexei said their son was born weighing five pounds and seven ounces, and he measured 19 inches tall."Babyboten wanted to come into this world earlier than expected and on his own terms. He was a C-section baby... We are so excited for this new chapter as a family of four!" the pair added.Loren and Alexei's new baby joins their 16-month-old son Shai Josef, who was born on April 14, 2020 Loren admitted on 90 Day Diaries, which airs on Discovery's new discovery+ streaming service, back in late June she was "nervous" about being a mom of two young babies and having so much responsibility."I'm still adjusting to being a mom with Shai," she said on an episode of the series, "and now he is going to be a toddler and growing, and I'm going to have a newborn at the same time. I'm going to have two under two... I have my hands full here!"However, all concerns and doubts apparently drifted away once Loren saw her "big" baby during the ultrasound.Loren and Alexei announced they had Baby No. 2 on the way in March.Loren from Hollywood Beach, FL, and Alexei from Nazareth Illit, Israel -- who appeared on Season 3 of followed by the first two seasons of : Happily Ever After? -- both announced the pregnancy news on Instagram."It's true, we are expecting Babybrov #2! We figured why not have another, and Shai is so excited to become a big brother in late summer!" Loren captioned a slideshow of family photos at the time.In one photo, Alexei was wearing a "Cool Dad" shirt, Loren was sporting a "Proud Mama" shirt, and Shai was giggling in his "big brother" shirt.Loren and Alexei will be celebrating their six-year wedding anniversary in September 2021.Loren wrote on Instagram in celebration of the milestone last year, "And they said it wouldn't work. Jokes on them! 5 years and a baby later! Happy anniversary @alex_brovarnik.""I absolutely love doing life with you! And can't wait for more to come!" she added. "Cheers to a lifetime of laughs and balagan! I love you!"Loren and Alexei's love story was documented on the franchise. After meeting on Loren's birthright trip to Israel, she visited Alexei five times in one year before he popped the question.Alexei said he applied for a Tourist Visa twice but got denied and so the couple decided to apply for a K-1 visa instead.Once Alexei got approved for the K-1 visa and traveled to America, the couple had to overcome some challenges, such as Alexei's jealousy over Loren having strippers at her bachelorette party, but they still got married during his 90-day visit in September 2015.Loren and Alexei also subsequently had a second ceremony in Israel in July 2016 so both of their families could celebrate and witness their union.Alexei was initially reluctant to have kids because he feared passing down the Tourette-syndrome gene to his future children, but he came to realize there are "more worse things in the world" and he and Loren would just deal with it if that happened.While Loren had baby fever, Alexei also really wanted to wait until he received his American citizenship to get his wife pregnant.But the couple seemed to conceive right when they started trying , and Loren and Alexei announced they were expecting their first child in October 2019.Alexei then officially became an American citizen in January 2020."Timing really is everything, and the fact he already became a citizen right before the whole coronavirus thing really broke out, we are just really, really lucky," Loren told the camera on : What Now?: Loren & Alexei's Birth Special that aired in June 2020."I can't even imagine being stuck in that process right now."Loren was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a complication characterized by high blood pressure, during her first pregnancy, so she also welcomed Shai via emergency c-section at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, FL.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/20/2021



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

couple Hannah Godwin and Dylan Barbour have fired back at "angry" fans criticizing their decision to wait so long to get married.Hannah and Dylan got engaged on a beach in Sayulita, Mexico in June 2019, and their proposal aired on 's sixth-season finale in September of that year.Given two years have passed since their engagement, critics are starting to question whether the model and the Vizer app co-founder will ever tie the knot."You know what's so funny? People get so, like, angry," Hannah shared with E! News in a joint interview with her fiance."They're like, 'When's the wedding already? What's taking you forever?' TikTok especially gets angry and I'm like, 'Are y'all that mad?' We went through a pandemic."Hannah confirmed she and Dylan are just "chillin.""I think why we've been kind of cool with just chillin is because, like, we have a mortgage together," said Hannah, who's decorated a beautiful home with a tropical-style backyard in San Diego, CA, with Dylan."It's funny how people get so angry. One day we'll give it to them and they'll be really excited hopefully."Dylan, however, pointed out how he and Hannah plan to exchange vows in "Spring 2023.""It takes 12 months to plan a wedding, but we're not gonna get married in the winter. We did look at venues. We have a planner," Dylan explained.The couple said their wedding guest list could range anywhere from 100 to 500 guests."I think with our wedding and stuff being kind of pushed back, just the older you get, the more you grow, moving away to San Diego," Hannah told E! News."I wonder if it's just like narrowing down our list, not in a bad way, but just kind of like this is who's important in our life now, not just when we're all over the place."While the couple started throwing out ideas and doing research for their wedding in early 2020, their planning got derailed due to the global outbreak of coronavirus, Us Weekly reported in July of last year."Before the pandemic, we began looking into venues, dates, etc. But with the unknown state of everything, we're putting things on pause and just enjoying being engaged," Hannah told Us at the time."I'll say this, the West Coast definitely has our hearts so we are thinking somewhere in California as a spot to tie the knot !"The couple was also considering asking former The Bachelor franchise host Chris Harrison to officiate the wedding, noting he'd be a guest at the very least.Prior to meeting on , Hannah competed for Colton Underwood 's heart on The Bachelor's 23rd season and Dylan appeared on The Bachelorette's fifteenth season starring Hannah Brown During 's sixth season, Dylan called Hannah the love of his life and had no doubts in his mind that she was his person.Dylan basically fell in love with Hannah during the first week of Paradise, but Hannah was a little terrified of investing her heart into a man after her breakup with Colton.Dylan, however, never gave up on their potential, even when Blake Horstmann was trying to charm her.After Hannah worked through "a few obstacles" inside of herself, she accepted Dylan's marriage proposal.At the reunion portion of the show, Dylan said getting engaged to Hannah was "the best decision" he's ever made."We talk all the time, like, 'How did this all work out for us?' But for some reason, it did. He's my person and I have a different kind of love for him that I knew existed, and that's really special," Hannah gushed.Hannah also revealed at the time they had met each other's families and she'd be moving from Birmingham, AL, to California in order to be closer to Dylan.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/20/2021



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

's houseguests evicted Britini D'Angelo instead of Derek Frazier and a new Head of Household was crowned during the live Season 23 episode that aired Thursday night on CBS.Britini, a 24-year-old Kindergarten teacher from Niagara Falls, NY, was evicted through a 7-1 vote over Derek "Big D" F., a 29-year-old safety officer from Philadelphia, PA.The only person who voted to evict Derek F. was Britini's closest ally in the house, Azah Awasum, a 30-year-old director of sales operations from Baltimore, MD.Britini had been on the chopping block four out of six weeks, typically as a pawn.When host Julie Chen Moonves asked Britini why she thinks her fellow houseguests chose now to evict her, Britini explained, "I think going into jury, there's definitely a conversation of who you think you can beat in the Final 2, and I think it was the consensus of the house that with the underdog story that I have, no one in this house could beat me in a Final 2.""I was going to have a really great story if I made it to the end, and they wanted to get me out while they could," she continued.Britini said she therefore views her eviction as a big compliment."I knew how hard I had to fight in this house and I knew my story was so different than anyone else's in the house. I mean, I spent 22 out 44 days on the block, so that's an insane number to me. So honestly, I'm honored [to be viewed as such a threat]," Britini said.Britini added that Kyland Young, a 29-year-old account executive from San Bernardino County, CA who currently resides in Venice Beach, CA, is "a liar" who "doesn't do deals correctly."In addition to Kyland, Britini said she feels most betrayed by Claire and Tiffany Mitchell, a 40-year-old phlebotomist from Detroit, MI, as well.Britini ended up on the chopping block on Day 41 after Kyland opted to use his Power of Veto to save one of his two original nominees, Claire Rehfuss, a 25-year-old artificial intelligence engineer from Chagrin Falls, OH who currently resides in New York, NY, because she's really tight with Tiffany.Kyland, as HoH, named Britini the replacement nominee, dishonoring a deal he had made with Britini to keep her off the block as long as she wouldn't target him for the next two weeks.Alyssa Lopez, a 24-year-old swimwear designer from Sarasota, FL, had won a second Power of Veto but chose not to use its power.While Claire and Derek Xiao, a 24-year-old start-up founder from Baltimore, MD who currently resides in New York, NY, wanted to evict Derek F. this week given he's a big social threat and well-protected in the house, "The Cookout" alliance banded together because they've promised to have each other's back throughout the entire game."The Cookout" alliance is comprised of Derek F.; Kyland; Azah; Tiffany; Xavier Prather, a 27-year-old attorney from Kalamazoo, MI; and Hannah Chaddha, a 21-year-old graduate student from Chicago, IL.Following Britini's eviction, Sarah Beth Steagall, a 27-year-old forensic scientist from Boiling Springs, SC who currently resides in Fort Myers, FL, was crowned the season's new Head of Household.Sarah Beth won the HoH competition called "Dash to Dinner," which required the participating houseguests -- minus Kyland, who as the outgoing HoH was deemed ineligible to compete -- to navigate a balance-beam course on the way to grabbing a dinner seat.The balance beams were different shapes and sizes, with some being wider than others, and Sarah Beth ended up completing the course in the fastest time of 21.03 seconds. Derek X. finished in a close second place with a time of 21.04 seconds.
Emily Hampshire said her character in the Epix series Chapelwaite is the Stephen King surrogate. Based on King's short story, Jerusalem's Lot, Hampshire plays a new character for the series, aspiring writer Rebecca Morgan.

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"If Stephen King were a super-smart educated woman in the 1850s, wearing a corset, he would be Rebecca Morgan," Hampshire told UPI in a phone interview. "I think of Rebecca Morgan as the Stephen King character of this."

King has made authors characters in his stories such as Misery, The Dark Half and Lisey's Story, which recently was adapted for Apple TV. Hampshire, 39, said adding the new character of a writer to Chapelwaite followed King's tradition.

Rebecca has writer's block, so she takes a job as the governess for widower Charles Boone's (Adrien Brody) children. As in Jerusalem's Lot, Boone has returned to Preacher's Corner, Maine, to claim his family's Chapelwaite manor.

Preacher's Corner does not welcome the Boones. They believe the Boone family is cursed, since Charles' father attempted to murder him. Rebecca takes the job thinking she could write a juicy story about the Boones for The Atlantic.

"It's really fueled by, I think, an artistic desperation," Hampshire said. "As a woman, [her article] has to be better than great. It has to be better than every guy who submits his story."

The townsfolk of Preacher's Corner remain suspicious of the Boone family after their history of attempted murder, and also shun Charles' children. His wife was a Polynesian islander, and many in town are prejudiced against his mixed-race kids.

Hampshire said Rebecca does not share the town's prejudices. However, Hampshire said Rebecca begins to feel guilty about using the Boone family for a story.

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"When you take inspiration from somebody, you're in a sense stealing their soul, taking artistic license, talking about them behind their back," Hampshire said. "I think she comes to love them as her own in a way that I don't think she thought she was capable of."

Shortly after the Boone's move to Chapelwaite, the home becomes inhospitable. Scratching noises in the walls could either be rats or unexplainable hauntings.

The series reveals more macabre occurrences each week. By the time the full horror of Chapelwaite is unleashed, Rebecca will grow attached to the Boones, Hampshire said.

"Rebecca didn't grow up with a father," Hampshire said. "Seeing Charles be this father, especially to the girls, really affects her."

Rebecca recently returned to Preacher's Corner from her education at Mount Holyoke College. Hampshire said she researched the women's college and felt Rebecca represented the women who graduated from Holyoke.

"The way they teach these women to think for themselves and question authority was mind-blowing to me," Hampshire said. "I want to rise to the occasion of this character."

Hampshire said she also felt close to the character of a writer because she is developing and writing a series. After wrapping six seasons on the comedy Schitt's Creek, but before starring on Chapelwaite, Hampshire was writing a remake of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman in which she will play the title role.

The role in a Stephen King show also felt serendipitous, Hampshire said, because she was reading King's nonfiction book On Writing while writing Mary Hartman. Hampshire said one of King's writing tips she found helpful was a suggestion to put a manuscript away after finishing a draft.

"Come back to it later because you see it so differently," Hampshire said. "That's been really good with Mary especially, because it's such a long process getting the show off the ground."

The original Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman starred Louise Lasser as a housewife who copes with soap opera style subplots from murder to UFO sightings. Hampshire said her iteration begins with Mary's nervous breakdown, which occurred in the original series' first season finale.

"In our show, she becomes famous when her nervous breakdown goes viral on Instagram live," Hampshire said. "We have taken America's typical consumer housewife and brought her to today's social media world in which she becomes the product consumed."

Chapelwaite airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on Epix.
Mike Richards is stepping down as the future host of Jeopardy! due to the resurfacing of controversial remarks he made in the past.

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Richards is an executive producer on the long-running trivia show and was recently selected to replace the late Alex Trebek as host.

Website The Ringer published an article on Wednesday detailing controversial remarks Richards made on podcast The Randumb Show about women, Jewish people and people with mental disabilities.

Richards hosted the podcast, which has been taken offline, from 2013 to 2014. Mayim Bialik was also chosen to host new Jeopardy! primetime specials and a potential spinoff series after she and Richards served as guest hosts earlier in the year.

Jeopardy! began production on a new season on Thursday with Friday's tapings being canceled.

Richards said in memo sent to Jeopardy! staff that was acquired by CNBC that Sony Pictures Television will resume the search for a permanent host, with guest hosts set to return.

"It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter. As I mentioned last week, I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role. However, over the last several days, it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show," Richards said.

"I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing. I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence," he continued.

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Jeopardy! champion Mat Amodio recently became the third-highest earner in the show's history behind only James Holzhauer and Ken Kennings.
South Korean boy band NCT 127 is getting ready to make its comeback.

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The K-pop group, a subunit of the boy band NCT, teased its comeback concept in a video Friday.

The video, titled "Who is Sticker," opens with the members of NCT enjoying a sunny day at the office. The scene then changes to the members playing computer hackers at night.

The teaser hints at a technology-inspired concept for NCT 127's new music. The group also shared teaser photos on Instagram.

NCT 127 released its third full album, Neo Zone, in March 2020, and the Japanese EP Loveholic in February.

The group consists of Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Winwin, Jungwoo, Mark and Haechan.

As a full group, NCT consists of 23 members. The group released the two-part album NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 in October and November, respectively.
Virtual textbooks, which were a necessity last year with the prevalence of online learning, have remained a crucial part of many classes this semester, despite the return to in-person classes at UGA.
In our community and all over America, where police are supposed to be mediating and solving problems, they are escalating tension and violence.
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Kenansville, NC (28349)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms. High 88F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 68F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Greenville, NC (27833)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 86F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 68F. SW winds shifting to NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
C.M. Eppes Middle School students on Thursday got a first look at parts of their school that have been closed for a year due to hurricane dama
The U.S. military and its allies have rescued a high-profile Afghan national police officer who was being hunted by the Taliban because of his years working with the American military
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Showers this morning becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. High near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 56F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy with rain developing later in the day. High near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low 56F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Beckley, WV (25801)

Today

Rain. Potential for flooding rains. High 69F. S winds shifting to NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

Tonight

A few showers early, then clouds lingering overnight. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Beckley, WV (25801)

Today

Rain likely. High 69F. SSW winds shifting to NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

A few showers in the evening, then clouds lingering overnight. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
BLOOMFIELD  Health insurer Cigna, the largest public company headquartered in Connecticut, announced this week COVID-19 vaccine requirements for its more than 70,000 employees  a change that the firm said was necessary to protect workers and their families in response to the virus resurgence.

Starting Sept. 7, employees who work remotely must be fully vaccinated before entering any U.S. work site, the company said. Beginning Oct. 18, employees whose roles can only be performed on-site  including medical care providers, pharmacists, pharmacy home delivery specialists and others  must be fully vaccinated or receive two negative COVID-19 tests per week before entering their work sites.

It's clear we need to do more to stop the ongoing spread of COVID-19, and unlike many aspects of the pandemic, keeping our work sites as safe as possible is something we can control, Dr. Steve Miller, Cignas chief clinical officer, said in a statement. Reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 not only protects our workforce and ensures we can continue to meet the needs of our customers and clients, it also helps protect our children and community members who cannot receive the vaccine for health reasons.

To encourage COVID-19 vaccinations for employees, Bloomfield-headquartered Cigna announced earlier this year that it would provide $200 incentive awards to those who become fully vaccinated. In addition, it has held vaccination clinics across the country to help employees, their families and community members get vaccinated.

Officials at the No. 13 company on this years Fortune 500 list said the organization has enacted a number of other measures aimed at helping staff during the pandemic. More than 90 percent of employees have been allowed to work from home, according to the company. Cigna plans to re-open offices throughout the fall, but it said that employees who can work from home will continue to have that option.

Cigna said it has also provided all employees 10 days of emergency time off, which can be used to stay home when ill, quarantine if needed, provide care to others and get vaccinated.

Among the other 13 Fortune 500 firms headquartered in Connecticut, Norwalk-based information technology provider Xerox is requiring all U.S. employees to attest to their vaccination status by indicating whether they are vaccinated, not vaccinated or have an approved exception. Those who are vaccinated must also provide their last date of vaccination and the type of vaccine they received.

Employees do not have to provide vaccine documentation, but company officials said that failure to provide accurate information is considered a violation of Xeroxs Code of Conduct, which could potentially lead to termination.

Several other Connecticut-based Fortune 500 firms have said in the past couple of weeks that they are recommending, but not requiring, COVID-19 vaccinations for their workers.

Elsewhere, a growing number of large companies are requiring vaccines for at least some of their employees. That list includes Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Tyson Foods, United Airlines, Walmart and Walt Disney Co.

The growing number of vaccine mandates responds to the escalation in COVID-19 case driven by the delta variant. Connecticut has contained the virus spread better than most states, with one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. But its number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations has surged in recent weeks  totaling 344 as of Thursday, compared with 25 as of July 9.

The question of vaccination mandates is a complex one, Megan Moran, a Stamford-based senior HR specialist with Insperity, a provider of human resources and business performance services, told Hearst Connecticut Media earlier this month. Insperity does not universally recommend one approach over another as unique business situations, goals and workplace dynamics dictate the right approach for specific companies.

For instance, some companies that have employees who interact closely with each other or the public may find it beneficial to enact a mandate to placate concerns of customers or colleagues. However, for business owners that allow employees to work primarily from home, vaccinations may not be an issue that requires employer intervention.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Albuquerque police have charged a suspect in the death of a University of New Mexico student who was stabbed near campus more than 30 years ago, the Albuquerque Journal reported Thursday.

The parents of Althea Oakeley established a scholarship in her name after she was killed while walking home from a fraternity party on June 22, 1988. She was stabbed four times and collapsed on a neighbor's doorstep, later dying at the hospital, police said.

The suspect remained a mystery for decades until police recently interviewed a man in another matter who confessed to killing a young woman in the 1980s near the university in Albuquerque, the Journal reported.

Paul Apocada, 53, was charged with murder Thursday after he confessed to the killing at the Metropolitan Detention Center where he had been held for about a month on a probation violation, according to the newspaper.

Police were scheduled to provide more details on the case Thursday on what would have been Oakeleys 55th birthday. But authorities postponed a news conference after three Albuquerque officers were shot and another was injured while responding to a robbery.

The Journal cited a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court that said Apodaca told detectives he was working at the Technical Vocational Institute  now Central New Mexico Community College  as a security guard when he saw Oakeley walking home on the night of June 22, 1988, and ended up stabbing her in the shoulder blade and left side.

According to the complaint, he said he left his watch  one with a sun and a moon on it that his aunt had given him  at the scene, and a watch that matched that description was found near the blood trail.

Court records indicate Apodaca pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in March and was sentenced to supervised probation for three years. He was arrested on a probation violation on July 20.

The Law Offices of the Public Defender was representing Apodaca on his probation violation case.

As the case proceeds tomorrow, we will check to determine if there are any conflicts of interest and either represent Mr. Apodaca directly or appoint a contractor to represent him, LOPD spokeswoman Maggie Shepard told the Journal on Thursday.

Albuquerque police Chief Harold Media was among those who delivered the news about the latest in the investigation to Oakeley's parents in Taos. The meeting was emotional and bittersweet, he said.

Oakeley once was in the running for Taos Fiesta queen, and Medina's mother was fashioning the girl's elaborate dress. Medina remembered the girl with the bubbly personality who always said Hi to him.

The police chief also was the first recipient of the scholarship named for Oakeley after he graduated from Taos High School in 1990.

It's tough because it's reopening old wounds, Medina said. But at the same time, there's also that fear like, God, we got to get a conviction on this."

Medina told the Journal that Oakeley didn't know her attacker, but he lived and worked in the area. .
WINSTED  Former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins is the featured guest for the American Mural Projects fifth annual Art of Work Gala, set for Sept. 18 at the projects mill building in Winsted.

The festivities begin at 5 p.m. with a reception in AMPs mill building, including an open bar and hors doeuvres, offering attendees an opportunity to view the most recent mural installation progress.

Collins takes the stage at 6 p.m., reading selections from his poems chosen especially for the bala. The evening concludes with a dessert reception: one for general ticket holders and one for VIP ticket holders, who will be joined by Collins.

Named the most popular poet in America by The New York Times and a former United States Poet Laureate, Collins is an American phenomenon, according to a statement. No poet since Robert Frost has managed to combine high critical acclaim with such broad popular appeal. Collins' readings are usually standing room only, his collections have broken sales records for poetry, and his readings delight audiences of all backgrounds and age groups with their humor and insight, according to the statement.

Three levels of tickets are offered for the event. General tickets include open bar, hors doeuvres, general seating for the performance, and a dessert reception for $175 per person. Priority tickets for $300 per person include the above, with priority seating for the performance. A VIP ticket option, including all of the above plus reserved parking, prime seating for the performance, and an intimate dessert reception with Collins, is $500 per person.

Hors doeuvres and dessert for the event are provided by Some Things Fishy Catering of Danbury, Connecticut. All food is farm-to-table, sourced from farms, butchers, and purveyors in the tri-state area, and prepared fresh, according to the statement. Sponsorship support to date for AMPs Gala has been provided by Northwest Community Bank, Scope Construction, and WSHU Public Radio.

Event contingency plans are in place to comply with state mandates.

For tickets or more information, call 860-379-3006 or visit americanmuralproject.org/gala.
WATERBURY  Police announced Friday they have charged a Massachusetts man in the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Trevor Figueroa earlier this summer.

Authorities are still searching for two other men in connection with the July 17 killing, and warn that both should be considered armed and dangerous.
Darryl Dyck/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. government on Friday extended a ban on nonessential travel along the borders with Canada and Mexico to slow the spread of COVID-19 despite increasing pressure to lift the restriction.

U.S. border communities that are dependent on shoppers from Mexico and Canada and their political representatives have urged the Biden administration to lift the ban. In addition, Canada recently began letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens enter the country.
Days after Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, Shafiqur Rahman Barq praised the Taliban for the takeover of Afghanistan, his son Mamlukur Rahman Barq followed suit on Friday. Speaking to the media, he lauded the terrorist outfit for resisting various superpowers in Afghanistan during the last 30 years. Claiming that the Taliban is not responsible for the civil war, he stressed that the terror outfit was not against India's interests.

"Since the last 20 years, superpowers such as America, Japan, UK have fought them. Before that, they fought the Russians for 10 years. They attacked (Afghanistan) without any reason. Taliban didn't go to fight them. They were fighting for power. I don't feel that the Taliban is responsible for this," Mamlukur Rahman Barq remarked.

The SP leader's son added, "As far as our country is concerned, the Taliban is with our country. It hasn't said anything against our country. That's why I congratulate the Taliban."

FIR against Samajwadi Party

In a startling comment on Tuesday, SP's Shafiqur Rahman Barq compared the Taliban's ouster of the Afghanistan government to people fighting for India's Independence from British rule. He stated, "When India was under British rule, our country fought for freedom. Now Taliban wants to free their country and run it. Taliban is a force that did not allow even strong countries like Russia & America to settle in their country".

On August 18, the Uttar Pradesh Police filed an FIR against the Sambhal MP under Sections 124A (Sedition), 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295 (Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the Indian Penal Code. This was based on a complaint by BJP's Sambhal district president Omveer Kharagvanshi. Subsequently, Barq refuted these remarks.

Shafiqur Rahman Barq said, "I did not make any such statement. This is absolutely wrong. I said that I cannot say anything on this issue. What is my relationship with that country or with the Taliban? I am neither with Taliban, nor do I appreciate it, nor have I made any statement regarding it".

Image Credit: AP/PTI
The efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine declines at a faster rate than that of the AstraZeneca jab, a new study published on August 19 stated. The Oxford University research which has not yet been peer-reviewed, is based on the results of a survey by the UKs Office for National Statistics that carried out PCR tests from December 2020 to this month on discretely selected households. The researchers said, the study found that Delta, Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines still offer good protection against new infections, but effectiveness is reduced compared with Alpha.

The researchers at Oxford University also said, Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech have greater initial effectiveness against new COVID-19 infections, but this declines faster compared with two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca.

Results suggest that after four to five months effectiveness of these two vaccines would be similar  however, researchers say long-term effects need to be studied. The time between doses does not affect effectiveness in preventing new infections, but younger people have even more protection from vaccination than older people, they added.

NEW STUDY: Oxford-led research finds that obtaining two vaccine doses remains the most effective way to ensure protection against the #COVID19 Delta variant.



Researchers analysed 2,580,021 test results from over 380,000 participants.



More info   University of Oxford (@UniofOxford) August 19, 2021

Dr Koen Pouwels, senior researcher at Oxford Universitys Nuffield Department of Population Health also said in a statement, The fact that we did not see any effect of the interval between first and second doses, and the greater effectiveness of having had two doses, rather than one dose, supports the decision to reduce this to eight weeks now Delta is the main variant of concern in the UK.

However, whilst vaccinations reduce the chance of getting COVID-19, they do not eliminate it. More importantly, our data shows the potential for vaccinated individuals to still pass COVID-19 onto others, and the importance of testing and self-isolation to reduce transmission risk, Pouwels added.

Pfizer & Moderna Signal Big Hike In Prices

Meanwhile, Pfizer and Moderna, both US vaccine manufacturers, have upped the price of their vaccine shots across the European Union (EU). According to DW News, the companies revealed the price hike in their latest supply contract with the bloc. The price of one BioNTech/Pfizer shot has risen from 15.50 (Rs 1,366) to 19.50 (Rs 1,718). Meanwhile, a single jab manufactured by Moderna Inc has surged from 19 (Rs 1,677) to 21.50 (Rs 1,897).

IMAGE: AP/PTI
Firefighters were battling wildfires across Portugal on Thursday.

The fire currently of most concern was burning in the southern region of the country, close to the Algarve, with some 600 men and women on the ground fighting the blaze along with 229 vehicles and several aircraft.

Another fire in southern Portugal destroyed 9,000 hectares of land, officials said.

In the town of Tavira, a group of deer survived a blaze which destroyed large areas of a natural park by escaping to a nearby lagoon, locals said.

The Algarve is a popular tourist destination in Southern Europe.

Wildfires have swept across the Mediterranean region in recent weeks, leaving areas in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Algeria and Spain in smoldering ruins.

While the area is known for its sunny, hot summers, scientists voice little doubt that climate change is driving extreme events such as heat waves, droughts and wildfires.

Such hardships are likely to happen more frequently as Earth continues to warm, they say.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Bolivian authorities said that 62,000 hectares have been affected by fires in the region of Santa Cruz, east of La Paz.

The towns of Robore and San Matias near the border with Brazil are most affected by the wildfires.

The mayor of Robore, Jose Diaz Ruiz, declared a state of emergency, explaining that the fire started 10 days ago and has burned 17,800 hectares so far in his municipality alone.

Firefighters are concerned about the fire reaching more wooded areas.

Santa Cruz is Bolivia's agricultural heartland and already the region most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two years ago, the region suffered a devastating fire that reduced more than five million hectares in the highlands bordering the Amazon to ashes, when more than 35% of the Chiquitania forests burned down.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Analysts say record coal and natural gas prices may lead to power shortages in months ahead.

Employees work next to tanks for liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a factory in Xian, Shaanxi province, China June 3, 2019. Picture taken June 3, 2019.

The combined forces of extreme weather, the COVID-19 crisis and political pressures may be setting the stage for energy shortages in China next winter, analysts say.

The country's electricity generators have been racking up losses due to record prices for coal and natural gas, while summer power demand spikes in a punishing season of heat waves and floods.

Spot market costs for liquefied natural gas (LNG) have climbed to nearly double the break-even rate for profitable power production, S&P Global Platts news service said.

Last winter brought unusually cold temperatures to both Europe and North Asia, straining LNG supplies, said Mikkal Herberg, energy security research director at the Seattle- based National Bureau of Asian Research.

"Now they are both having hot summers along with a huge surge in industrial activity with the easing of COVID constraints, especially China, which is putting further strain on supply and stock levels," said Herberg.

"There is something of a perfect storm going on in the global gas market," he said.

Rising demand for power and production has also lit a fire under the market for coal.

The break-even coal price for many of China's power plants is 600-650 yuan (U.S. $92.50-100.21) per metric ton, according to Platts. But on July 30, benchmark thermal coal prices hit a record 1,080 yuan (U.S. $166.51) per ton, Reuters reported.

Consumer price controls have left generators with little incentive to boost output, while other problems have only added to their woes.

High demand for coal earlier this year due to COVID-19 recovery led to a wave of mining accidents, followed by state safety inspections and a sudden drop in coal production in the second quarter of the year.

The resulting squeeze on supplies has stretched inventories thin. On Aug. 6, Reuters reported that coal stocks held by mines dropped 26 percent from a year before. Inventories at major power plants were down by a similar margin, state television said.

All this is happening while the government promises to reduce reliance on high carbon-emitting coal, which still accounts for 56.8 percent of primary energy. Gas is seen as a cleaner transitional fuel until non-fossil sources take a dominant role.

But decarbonization plans appear to be on hold as the government tries to deal with the immediate problems of power shortages and spiraling prices by reopening previously closed coal mines for a year to add 44 million tons of production, Bloomberg News reported on Aug. 5.

Last month, the government's top economic planning agency said it would open nearly 110 million tons of "advanced" coal production capacity in the second half of this year, Reuters reported separately.

"We are in the peak power consumption period and must guarantee coal supply to power plants ... and will not allow the shutdown of power generation units due to a lack of coal," the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on July 18.

The power problems have been further complicated by conditions in Europe that may keep China from increasing gas consumption as an alternative to coal.

LNG prices in Europe typically rise with winter demand and ease in warm weather months, giving consuming countries a chance to refill depleted storage facilities.

But the economic slump and partial recovery from the COVID-19 crisis disrupted the cycle while the effects of climate change have kept demand high.

European gas storage is at 50-60 percent of capacity this summer compared with 80 percent a year earlier, Reuters cited analysts as saying. Last August, European storage was over 88 percent full, according to records of the European Union's Aggregated Gas Storage Inventory.

"There is a real risk of Europe entering the winter season with low inventory levels, suggesting that prices will remain well supported," Amsterdam-based ING Group said.

Increased Demand

Heat waves in both Europe and Asia have kept energy demand high, suggesting that current prices may only be a base for increases to come.

Dutch natural gas prices have already surged 80 percent to record highs in the past three months, Reuters said.

Some analysts are warning that a harsh winter could tighten gas markets further in Europe and Asia at the same time.

"Storage levels are quite low in many places as a hot summer has meant that there has not been much chance to replenish stocks, so this could be bullish for winter, especially if it's going to be freezing again," a Singapore- based trader told Reuters.

Herberg also cited problems like China's shortage of gas storage capacity that lead to surges and slowdowns in buying on the spot market.

"Chinese majors are trying to load up on gas inventories for the winter under pressure from the government to not have another damaging gas shortage like last winter," he said.

Despite the winter warnings, little seems to have changed since Bloomberg News raised similar shortage concerns as a "desperate scenario" nearly two months ago.

In a July 9 commentary, RFA cited energy expert Edward Chow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies as saying that the LNG industry is typically cyclical and that the shortage scenario was little cause for alarm.

"Europe was always the market of last resort for spot LNG supplies, since it has access to imports of pipeline gas and more gas storage capacity, while other major LNG markets do not," Chow said.

The major difference between the Bloomberg scenario then and the Reuters warning now is that the earlier analysis focused on the risk that Europe could be forced to burn more coal next winter if gas supplies run short, while the Reuters outlook highlights the possible pressures on Asian importers.

In the brief period between the two warnings, China has already put out the call for more coal.

The backsliding by the world's leading coal producer and consumer is likely to be damaging for carbon emissions and the message it sends at a time when the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has called for "strong, rapid and sustained reductions" to avoid the worst consequences of global warming.

Platts analyst James Huckstepp told Reuters that "Russia is now the only country with spare (gas) production, but in order to increase exports they would need to book additional capacity through Ukraine, and up to this point they have refrained."

The reference is to the tangle of issues surrounding Russia's gas exports to Europe through Ukraine and the pending completion of Gazprom's Nord Stream 2 pipeline across the Baltic Sea to Germany that would draw volumes away from the Ukrainian route.

The project would allow Gazprom to dispense with Ukrainian transit entirely, potentially exposing Kiev to new security risks by ending the interdependent relationship between the two countries that has persisted since the Soviet collapse.

Despite European concerns about rising gas prices and dwindling stockpiles, Gazprom has declined to reserve additional transit capacity on either the Yamal-Europe pipeline through Belarus and Poland or the transit lines through Ukraine, Interfax reported on Aug. 2.

Price Increases

European gas importers may have gotten a taste of the rising energy security risks on Aug. 5 when a fire broke out at a Russian processing plant, causing Gazprom to reduce exports on the Yamal-Europe route and withdraw more gas from underground storage. Gas prices soared to over U.S. $540 (3,502 yuan) per thousand cubic meters, Interfax said.

On Tuesday, gas prices hit a new high as the September futures contract on the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) gas hub index traded in the range of U.S. $564-582 (3,657- 3,774 yuan) per thousand cubic meters, according to Interfax.

On Thursday, Gazprom issued a statement suggesting that gas could start flowing to Europe through the Nord STream 2 pipeline by the end of this year.

For Gazprom, the situation may help to fulfil a long-held ambition to create competition between Europe and Asia for its resources. But so far, low volumes from its 3,000- kilometer (1,864-mile) Power of Siberia pipeline to China suggest it still has a long way to go.

On Aug. 10, the official Xinhua news agency reported that China has imported over 10 billion cubic meters (353 billion cubic feet) of gas from the pipeline since it opened in December 2019.

The Power of Siberia project was designed to pump 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas annually to China in 2025 with a possible increase of capacity to 44 bcm.

In June, Gazprom reported that the line had delivered 3.84 bcm in its first year of operation, indicating that it has supplied only about 6 bcm to China so far this year.
China appears to be backing away from requiring financial institutions in Hong Kong to comply with its sanctions of foreign individuals and organizations, imposed in retaliation for U.S. and other countries' sanctions of its officials linked to rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.



Tam Yiu-chung, who represents Hong Kong on the NPC standing committee, told journalists that the vote was originally slated for , but had been postponed.



But the committee will continue to study the matter, Tam told reporters on .



The Hong Kong government issued a statement in support of the move.



"As the highest state organ, the National People's Congress and its standing committee make decisions on Hong Kong matters based on the interests of the city," the statement said. "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government fully supports and executes any such decisions."



"The HKSAR government also welcomes overseas enterprises to continue to leverage Hong Kong's advantages," it said.



The NPC had been due to deliberate adding China's Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law to an annex of Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, meaning the legislation would take immediate effect in Hong Kong.



Exodus feared

The delay comes after economists and financial analysts warned that more than 80 percent of banks with operations in Hong Kong are foreign, so requiring them to comply with sanctions against foreign individuals could trigger their departure from the city.



Foreign-funded companies are already starting to reduce their investment in Hong Kong, moving the bulk of their operations to other cities in the region, like Singapore or Tokyo.



China announced on that it it would impose "counter-sanctions" on individuals in the U.S., including former commerce secretary Wilbur Ross under the law, which took effect in .



The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) also imposed unspecified "counter-sanctions" on current and former representatives of a number of organizations, including the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC).



Chinese political scholar Chen Daoyin said it was highly unusual for the NPC standing committee to postpone a vote on an item already added to the agenda.



"Any decision, whether it is to add the law [to Basic Law Annex III] or to call a halt to it, must have come from the highest ranks of the CCP Central Committee," Chen said. "That means at least the Politburo or the Politburo standing committee."



"For it to be added to the agenda on a , and postponed by the following is highly unusual," he said. "It has to do with recent developments in China's economic situation."



Tit-for-tat PRC reaction

Hong Kong current affairs commentator Johnny Lau said the addition of the foreign sanctions law to Hong Kong's statute book had generated concern in the financial community.



"Doing this would have fueled concerns among foreign investors," Lau said.

"If it is imposed on Hong Kong, it will force foreign financial institutions to choose between the mainland Chinese market and the rest of the world."



"That would scare them away, and Beijing appears to have taken that into consideration, and put the proposal on the back-burner for now," he said.



China passed its tit-for-tat law allowing targeted sanctions against foreign individuals and organizations on , 2021. The move followed a slew of sanctions targeting CCP and Hong Kong officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.



Earlier that month, the Biden administration banned U.S. investment in around 60 companies in Chinas defense or surveillance technology sectors in a bid to limit the flow of money to firms that undermine U.S. security or domestic values, which allows listings for human rights abuses.



And on , the European Union, U.S., Canada, and the U.K. sanctioned Chinese officials and security entities as part of a multilateral approach to hold to account those responsible for Beijings policies of oppression against Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
A growing trend for extra-large public portraits of ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Xi Jinping is a further indicator that China's leader will likely remain in office for a third term after the country's rubber-stamp parliament removed term limits from the job in .



During a recent ceremony in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, marking the 70th anniversary of CCP rule there, a single, large portrait of Xi was displayed alongside another image showing five past leaders, as regional CCP secretary Wang Yang made a speech.



The arrangement was in stark contrast to a similar ceremony 10 years earlier marking the 60th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s annexation of Tibet in 1951.



Xi, then vice-president, lauded the "wise decision-making and correct leadership" of his predecessors in a speech in Lhasa, mentioning late supreme leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, as well as former CCP general secretary and president Jiang Zemin. No portraits were displayed.



When Wang Yang stood up to speak on Aug. 19, 2021, however, he spoke only of Xi.



"We must adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and thoroughly study the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the Seventh Central Tibet Work Forum and the spirit of important instructions during inspections in Tibet," he told assembled dignitaries.



"Since the 18th CCP National Congress [when Xi took power], Tibet has entered its best new era," Wang said.



Hu Ping, the U.S.-based editor-in-chief of "Beijing Spring" magazine, said the prominence afforded to Xi at the ceremony told a story about Xi's grip on power within the party.



"The fact that Xi Jinping was given such fanfare and prominence ... and the praises heaped upon him since he took office show he is strengthening his position," Hu told RFA.



"This means that Xi Jinping will definitely be re-elected for [a third term in office] the 20th Party Congress next year," Hu said. "That's the message that's being sent."



Social media image of parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Qinghai Province's Yulshul (Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. 'Xi Jinping Thought'

Large portraits of Xi have begun popping up alongside Mao portraits around China, as well as being prominently displayed in places of worship, and on the front pages of state media, amid a nationwide drive to encourage the study of Xi's personal brand of political ideology.



The CCP is working to bring "Xi Jinping Thought" into every aspect of public life, including as a research topic in universities, now that "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" has been enshrined in the party constitution.



The propaganda department of the northern city of Taiyuan recently lauded local resident Guo Yanyun as a "Xi expert" after he memorized huge swathes of Xi's speeches.



Guo is said to have studied in her free time when not working for the Taiyuan Water Supply Co., and was at the top of the leaderboard on the Xi Jinping study app, Xuexi Qiangguo, scoring 41815 points as of .



Current affairs commentator Guo Baosheng said the authorities had gamified political indoctrination, handing out badges to those who performed best.



"But it doesn't change what is happening here, which is brainwashing," Guo said. "Xi Jinping has set up a personality cult around him."



Ironically, the titles of honor on the app's leaderboard are originally from Japan, according to Yang Haiying, a professor at Japan's Shizuoka University.



"The words used for master or expert are found in Japanese, but this vocabulary doesn't exist in Chinese," Yang said. "They used to call them models, as in Lei Feng, the model worker."



Tibetans are disappointed with Xi

"If Xi is now setting up model learners or model anything ... it is a throwback to the Cultural Revolution," he said, in a reference to the the decade of political violence and social turmoil from 1966-1976 under late supreme leader Mao Zedong.



"Chinese culture and society south of the Great Wall ... have been historically all too willing to accept dictatorship," Yang said, citing strong resistance to Beijing's rule in Tibet, Xinjiang and other areas claimed by the CCP.



Tsultrim Gyatso, Chinese Liaison Officer at the Dalai Lama's Office of Tibet in Washington, said Tibetans were disappointed with Xi's performance on Tibet.



"When he first became president of the country, the Tibetans had high hopes for him, because his father Xi Zhongxun was a Chinese official who understood Tibetan Buddhism," Tsultrim Gyatso said.



"They didn't think that Chinese policies in Tibet would become even more repressive over the next 10 years."



He said Wang Yang also went out of his way to criticize the Dalai Lama at the ceremony, as well as "hostile foreign forces" for allegedly "engaging in separatist and sabotage activities."



"The real separatists are the Chinese government," Tsultrim Gyatso said. "If they hadn't implemented such oppressive policies in Tibet, the Tibetans wouldn't have protested time and again."



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Laos will no longer allow high-ranking government officials to use state-owned vehicles for personal use after they retire, a move aimed at saving money and solving a vehicle shortage that Lao citizens told RFA was a step in the right direction.

We cannot take the state cars with us after we retire. Its not allowed. High-ranking officials who have retired will have to sacrifice, starting from the central committee and downward, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh told a recent meeting of the national assembly.

Once you retire, youre retired and you cant take the states car with you. But if you want to take it you should pay for it according to the law, he said.

The push to rein in spending comes amid warnings from experts and officials that Laos has at least $400 million due in loans this year that cant be repaid, and another $1 billion coming due each year from 2022-2025 to lenders in China, Thailand and Vietnam, amid a slump brought on the global pandemic.

Several Lao citizens told RFA that they were happy that the government was trying to eliminate wasteful spending.

If they do this, I will be very happy, because the government wastes too much. Taking the state cars with them when they retire wastes the peoples money. They should just give the cars to another official instead of buying a totally new one, a Lao citizen told RFAs Lao Service.

Another citizen told RFA that the problem had been rampant among Lao officials. Some of the retiring officials even took two or more vehicles for their family members to use.

A former official who kept his government-issued vehicle after retirement told RFA that in some cases, the government awarded them cars for helping the country, but in others, the former officials took them out of a sense of entitlement.

There were many officials who took cars worth over U.S. $100,000 with them when they retired, saying that they deserve the car for helping the country become developed, the former official said.

The previous prime minister, Thongloun Sisoulith, who championed anti-corruption policies, famously sold 14 government-issued luxury cars used by retiring officials in 2016.

Among the cars were expensive imported Mercedes-Benz and BMW models that are beyond the means of ordinary citizens of Laos, whose GDP per capita is about $2,600 per year.

Reported by RFAs Lao service. Translated by Sidney Khotpanya. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
A farmer works in a paddy field under the power lines near Nam Theun 2 dam in Khammouane province in a file photo.

Villagers living near a dam in northern Laos are demanding that its owner release water in order to save their rice paddies from drying out, under an agreement made with downriver communities when the dam was built, the villagers told RFA.

The 24.6 megawatt Nam Thea Dam in the northern province of Xieng Khouang is owned and operated by the Laos-based Nong Hai Company. It is one of scores of dams the land-locked country has built to generate power for export to neighboring countries and for domestic consumption.

The dam near Nam Thea village has upset the natural flow of water, forcing farmers from about 90 families in seven downstream villages to struggle to keep their rice paddies wet.

We want water to irrigate our fields. All the crops are dry and dying, a villager living near the dam told RFAs Lao Service.

Those farmers who live upstream have water, but those of us downstream are affected by the dam. We dont have enough water for farming, so we dont know what well do if the dam does not release water, the villager said.

The dam began construction in 2019 and became operational at the beginning of this year. The villager said that before construction started, rice could be planted at any time and there was never a lack of water for farming needs.

Villagers cannot plant rice this year because there is not enough water. There are many villages affected and their rice plants are all dead, and the other crops cannot grow as well as before, another villager told RFA.

A third villager said Nong Hai is not following the MOU it signed before construction started that stipulated that the dam must release water for villagers farms all year long.

A large group of affected villagers went to a local government office on Aug. 14 with a list of demands for Nong Hai.

The farmers called on Nong Hai to follow the signed MOU which requires the dam to release water for agriculture, stop producing electricity so they can use water for irrigation, and compensate them their full crop losses if the water is not released.

If the company refuses and something were to happen to the dam, the villagers said they would not be responsible.

A local official told RFA that authorities were investigating the dispute, but added that the dam was so small that it was unlikely to be the cause of the downstream villages water troubles.

A Nong Hai official told RFA that farmers upstream are using too much water, and that the company is investigating the issue.

Laos has built dozens of hydropower dams on the Mekong and its tributaries and is building about 50 more under a plan to become the Battery of Southeast Asia and export the electricity they generate to other countries in the region, mainly Thailand.

The Lao government sees power generation as a way to boost the countrys economy, but the dam projects are controversial because of their displacement of villagers without adequate compensation, environmental impact, and questionable financial and power demand arrangements.

Reported by RFAs Lao service. Translated by Sidney Khotpanya. Written to English by Eugene Whong.
Myanmars military regime is working to block the flow of funding to the countrys shadow National Unity Government (NUG) and other anti-junta organizations by shutting down mobile banking accounts and forcing private lenders to submit daily reports on account activity, according to sources.

Public confidence in the government and banking sector was shattered on Feb. 1, when Myanmars military seized control of the country in a coup detat and began a campaign of violent repression that has led to at least 1,007 civilian deaths and 5,747 arrests.

Lines now form daily for A.T.M. withdrawals, which have been capped at around U.S. $120 to help prevent a run on the banks, and fewer than 100 A.T.M.s carry cash on any given day, according to a recent report by the New York Times.

Amid the political chaos, account holders have increasingly turned to mobile banking services to bypass the countrys cash shortage, including the NUG the various Peoples Defense Force (PDF) militias formed to protect the public from the military, and the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).

The shift has drawn greater scrutiny and restrictions from the junta.

On Aug. 17, the juntas Central Bank vice-chairman Win Thaw announced on the official MRTV that financial services, and particularly mobile payment and mobile banking services such as Wave Moneys WavePay and Kanbawza Bank Ltd.s KBZPay, will be closely monitored by the government.

He said that the NUG and parliaments Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Committee of Representatives (CRPH) are illegal organizations and specifically warned of legal action against banks whose mobile services are used to facilitate a NUG-led CDM campaign known as the Aung Lan Lwint Chi Spring Lottery organized to raise money for the shadow government.

The CRPH and NUG are actually illegal organizations, and the Central Bank needs to report this to the Ministry of Planning and Finance, as illegal cash transactions have to be stopped, he said. If financial institutions fail to report remittances, legal action will be taken against them under the Financial Institutions Act.

The vice-chairman also said that authorities are monitoring transactions related to the NUGs lottery sale, which began on Aug. 15 and offers a payout of up to 1.5 million kyats (U.S. $910) on monthly drawings for winning tickets that can be purchased through mobile banking platforms. He warned that individuals purchasing tickets could be charged under anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering laws.

Win Thaws comments came days after the Aug. 13 leak of a Central Bank letter instructing all banks and financial service providers to restrict almost all transactions related to the lottery, under orders from the Ministry of Planning and Revenue.

NUG Finance and Investment Minister Tin Tun Naing told RFAs Myanmar Service that the lottery had been planned with the publics safety in mind and said the juntas threats are empty.

They said they are going to monitor all these accounts, but in reality, there are hundreds of thousands of monetary transfers each day, he said.

How are they going to find out which are meant for our lottery, and which are not? I dont think they can do anything to actually trouble the people other than issuing threats.

Tin Tun Naing also said that the junta is unlikely to shut down mobile banking entirely because it would impact its own administration system and suggested that a more secure payment system is in the pipeline.

A young woman named Htet Myat Thaw told RFA that despite the threats posed by the junta, she would not hesitate to support the CDM.

I'm one of those people who is waiting for the Spring Revolution lotteryits not only me, but people all over the country are waiting, she said.

We are concerned about our security but we also need to support our CDM movement and so weve got to participate in this lottery, setting aside our fears. The CDM is a major part of the fight against junta rule.

People wait for a branch of the AYA Bank to open in Yangon, April 12, 2021. AFP Other accounts targeted

Other sources told RFA that bank accounts used to donate to CDM staff, assist political prisoners, and provide aid to refugees of fighting between the military and the PDF in Myanmars remote border regions were shut down between Aug. 9 and 13.

Ei Pyae Sone, a resident of Mandalay, said that she and a friend had both had their KBZPay accounts closed, adding that when she contacted Kanbawza Bank to inquire why, employees told her it had been done on the order of the authorities.

I was told to come to the bank with my ID card and to sort it out, but I didnt go, she said.

There was a little over 3.8 million kyats (U.S. $2,310) in my account. A friend of mine also had her account blocked [on Tuesday]. We called the bank and they said it was done on orders from the authorities. We asked who the authorities were, and they couldnt give a specific answer. Reporting our details to the junta and blocking the accounts like this is totally unacceptable.

Ei Pyae Sone warned that if Kanbawza and other banks operate on the orders of the junta, the people will boycott them.

A senior manager at a well-known private bank, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal, recently told RFA that junta scrutiny of the banking sector began as early as one week after the coup, with the military regime ordering all private lenders to send details of deposits and withdrawals to the Central Bank every day at 4:00 p.m.

Bank employees, especially top officials, followed the instructions mainly out of fear, the manager said.

Interfering in the banking system is not good, but the banks have no choice but to follow orders. Its the norm in our country to do what one is told because everyone is afraid.

He warned that the people will surely lose confidence if banks refuse to let them withdraw their money and restrictions on online payments continue.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Many workers who are unemployed say they dont have enough money to make ends meet.

Myanmar migrant workers returning from China amid the coronavirus pandemic sit at the Myanmar border crossing in Muse, northern Shan state, May 12, 2020.

Running out of money and pinned down by border closures and bureaucratic hurdles, tens of thousands of Myanmar migrant workers remain trapped in China and Laos long after they lost their jobs when host countries shut down factories and businesses to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of the Myanmar migrants have worked for years in China and are returning reluctantly to a country being ravaged by the third wave of the coronavirus and engulfed in political and military conflict in the wake of the Feb. 1 military overthrow of the elected government.

More than 60,000 Myanmar workers are caught in the southwestern Chinese border towns of Ruili (in Burmese, Shweli) and nearby Jiegao, chafing under onerous medical examinations with no way to earn income to survive, the workers told RFA.

The two border trading hubs are magnets for workers from Myanmar seeking better-paying construction, textile, and farming jobs in China.

Moe Pwint from Myanmars northern Shan state worked at a wok factory in Ruili for more than a year, earning 1,600 yuan (U.S. $250) a month until April, when she was told to stop working and remain at home. The factory closed two months ago, and now she is stuck in China waiting to return home.

When the border crossings were closed and the goods were not coming in, the boss couldnt pay our salaries, she said, adding that she could not subsist on the 15 yuan a day for food she was given by her employer.

The pandemic and lockdowns have driven up food prices and rents, worsening the situation for Myanmar migrant workers trying to get home, Moe Pwint said.

The complicated repatriation process requires factory owners or landlords to accompany migrant workers to the police station to fill out forms, but a positive COVID-19 test result gets them sent into quarantine, she said.

People can leave only after getting permission, she said. I was told to wait for about a week.

As she waits, Moe Pwint said she still must come up with 800 yuan a month for rent and 60 yuan daily for food.

No money, no food

Chinese authorities have set up COVID-19 test centers outside Ruili and the border town of Wanding to test Myanmar nationals and isolate them in quarantine facilities, while Chinese nationals are monitored at home and in hotels, migrant workers said.

Myanmar migrant worker Tin Zar Nwe said she worked in a Chinese garment factory in Ruili for about a decade before returning to Muse on the Myanmar side of the border on Monday.

Before going back, she spent 28 days in a quarantine facility on the outskirts of the city, where Myanmar nationals were charged 60 yuan a day for food, with those who could not pay provided only with instant noodles.

On the day we arrived, we didn't have anything to eat, Tin Zar Nwe said.

The next day, they sent food and then after four or five days, they began collecting money. We told them we had no money. We have been out of work for four or five months. They said, No money, no food, and didnt feed us for two days.

Some migrant laborers who have legal documents to work in China did not want to return to Myanmar but were forced to do so, she said

Those who do not want to return are kept in the quarantine center, Tin Zar Nwe said. They were asked for money and if they didnt pay, they got yelled at and left without food.

Kyaw Soe, an unemployed laborer from central Myanmars Mandalay region, said he was frustrated at having to undergo medical checks every other day.

I couldnt care less how much it costs as long as I could get back home, [but] it doesn't work here anymore, Kyaw Soe said.

I had to get my throat checked every day recently, he said. Now with the lockdown, I was checked last evening, and Ive got to get checked again today.

Myanmar migrant workers returning from China amid the coronavirus pandemic board a vehicle at the China-Myanmar border crossing in Muse, northern Shan state, May 12, 2020. Credit: AFP





No agreement on migrant workers

As if the frequent and mandatory health checks werent bad enough, workers must pay heavy fees to get back to Myanmar.

Before the border lockdown, a worker had to pay smugglers about 350 yuan to get out of China and back home. Ferries that shuttle workers across the Shweli River between Ruili and Muse charge 300-600 yuan per person at the border.

Myanmar and China have not signed an agreement on migrant workers, so Myanmar workers usually come to a verbal understanding with their Chinese employers, and are often exploited, laborers said.

A Muse district administration official said the Chinese side reopened the Muse border gate on July 26 after Myanmar border authorities demanded the Chinese government allow its citizens to return legally.

Nearly 5,000 Myanmar migrant workers have returned home since July 26, according to the Muse Humanitarian Aid Network, which assists returnees. But on Tuesday, China again closed its land borders with Myanmar.

Ko Htay, chairman of the Muse Humanitarian Aid Network, said officials from the two countries need to renegotiate the return of Myanmar nationals through legal channels.

I want to see people who wish to return come back in dignity with their personal belongings from the border gate, he said. Right now, they cant bring their belongings if they have to come back secretly. That's what we are asking for  to make the transfers quickly.

A Muse district administration official said charity groups are also helping make arrangements for the workers return home.

In July, Chinese border authorities in Ruili announced that they would provide 100 yuan to migrant workers without legal documents and those who could not afford to return home.

Laos repatriates workers

In Myanmars neighbor Laos, where between 5,000 and 7,000 Myanmar laborers work in a special economic zone that serves mainly Chinese tourists, authorities are set to begin repatriating the migrants to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

RFAs Lao Service reported last week that hundreds of workers from Myanmar staged a protest on Aug. 6, demanding that Lao and authorities from the Bokeo Special Economic Zone (SEZ) allow them to return home or provide them with food and financial aid enabling them to remain in Laos. The construction businesses and casino venues that employ them were closed under policies to combat the pandemic.

After a meeting on Aug. 8, officials from Laos and Myanmar agreed on policies on repatriating the laborers, said an official from the Bokeo SEZ.

All Myanmar workers are required to register and be tested for the coronavirus before they can leave Laos. Those who test positive must remain in the country for treatment and will be provided with food, while others can return to Myanmar, said the official, who declined to be named in order to speak freely.

The process of repatriating Myanmar workers is continuing daily, following inspections, he said on Wednesday.

Officials do not know the number of Myanmar workers still in the province or how many have been repatriated, he added.

The Lao government has sent many Myanmar workers home already via the Mom village port close to the special economic zone in Ton Pheung district, though the exact number is unknown, said an official from Bokeo provinces labor department on Wednesday.

They send them back via the port at Mon village, where boats come to get them, said the official, who declined to be named.

We dont know the details of how many they have already sent back and how many are still waiting, the Bokeo official added.

Up to 250 Myanmar migrant workers can be repatriated daily if they do not test positive for the coronavirus and then meet with an SEZ officer and a Myanmar government representative, according to a report from Ton Pheung districts Office of Information and Culture.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar and Lao Services. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane and Sidney Khotpanya. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Ella Morgan is a graduate student in international relations at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom who uses Twitter and Instagram to raise awareness of violations of Uyghur human rights and to chastise the Chinese government for its abuses committed against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. She has focused her campaign on what several Western governments and legislatures have deemed a genocide in Xinjiang, the use of Uyghur forced labor, and calls for a boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Morgan creates short videos on Instagram about the Chinese Communist Partys policies in Xinjiang and shoes that publicly traded companies in the United States and other Western countries do business with Chinese firms thought to use Uyghur forced labor. She also has hosted members of parliament and Uyghur activists in a webinar on Why the Uyghur Genocide Will Shape the Worlds Future. Morgan spoke with reporter Shahrezad Ghayrat from RFAs Uyghur Service on Aug. 12 about her work on behalf of the Uyghurs. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

RFA: When did you first learn about the Uyghurs?

Morgan: Last year [when] I read an article that came up on my newsfeed. I remember exactly where I was standing when I read it because it was so powerful. I think it has never left me, and I will always remember that first moment when I came across what was going on.

RFA: How did you react after learning about what was happening to the Uyghurs?

Morgan: I was shocked that nothing was being done, and I was confused about why nothing was being done. We were brought up as kids learning about the Holocaust and about international morals and human laws. It just went against everything, so I was really shocked. I did my research, and I started to incorporate that into my studies for my [school] assignments, so I was able to learn as well as start a bit of activism.

RFA: Youve been making videos on Instagram to raise awareness about the genocide of the Uyghurs and major companies that work with their Chinese counterparts, some of which have used Uyghur forced labor. Youve also called for a boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics. What motivated you to speak up about these particular issues?

Morgan: I couldnt see anyone doing anything or else it was so little. The UK government wasnt doing anything and I [wondered] what was going on? This is crazy. Since I was young, I have really valued human rights, and I have a strong sense of morals and justice. I felt like it would be a betrayal to myself, what I stood for, and what I was taught. I thought my silence was complicity at the end of the day. Because I have the power, I have my voice and I'm able to speak freely, and with so many of us being so lucky, I chose to make that decision  to say I need to do something, and I'm so pleased I did. I hope others will follow because just speaking about it is just as important.

RFA: What was the reaction of your family, friends, and followers that you have on social media after you posted the videos and talking about situation of the Uyghurs?

Morgan: My family was obviously pleased. They were shocked and horrified as much as I was, as were my friends. A lot of people dont know what is going on, so I had loads of messages asking whats going on. My family and friends check where everythings from now. They make efforts to keep up to date and [ask] if there is there anything [they] can do on social media or talk to people at work. Theyre really supportive. [My] followers on social media have been really supportive as well, so its fantastic to see a high level of engagement with that. But, sadly, I still get messages about whats going on. Its just keeping that communication and dialogue open and making things shareable and just educating everyone.

RFA: Are you worried about any retaliation from the Chinese government for speaking out for the Uyghurs?

Morgan: Naturally, there is going to be a bit of worry that they have a long reach, as weve seen, but my fear is nothing compared to what Uyghurs are going through in East Turkistan or even in other parts of the world. I am so lucky to be in the UK and be safe, to have that sense of safety. But to be honest, if more people started speaking up in the face of fear, it would invalidate what the Chinese government is trying to do. Its important that we all stand together.

RFA: What kind of actions have you seen international communities or the UK government take to hold China accountable for its atrocities against the Uyghurs?

Morgan: There have been good positive improvements this year. Independently of the UK government, the Uyghur Tribunal [held in London in June with a second session in September] has obviously started, which is fantastic. We were able to hear about the atrocities. The UK government has happily and successfully agreed to diplomatically boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics, as has the European Parliament. Hopefully, more governments will follow. The U.S. has passed a law banning products from East Turkistan, which is great. Hopefully, we will see far more. It will just take countries to do things, and then people from other countries will follow. Theres not enough being done, but there has been a significant improvement in the last few months that we have seen [with] countries declaring it genocide which, goes without saying, but its still important.

RFA: What should governments do and what should be done to governments to make them take action?

Morgan: Trade bans. Countries need to support their own companies to facilitate them and impose restrictions on them for using production lines in East Turkistan and using slave labor. It goes against international law. Its so frustrating, but it is literally as simple as that. Its tricky with trade, but that is important. Also, the Belt and Road Initiative needs to be addressed. The UK and U.S. governments are coming together on this strategic competition, which is great but more needs to be done. Countries that are already involved in the Belt and Road Initiative need to be approached. Stricter rules for companies would help. The trade issue needs to be addressed. And as individuals, we can email our employees or governors around the world and mobilize.

RFA: Have you seen any results from your activism? What kind of results are you expecting?

Morgan: I held a webinar a few months ago, which was great. I held it jointly with my university, which is fantastic. We had a great response. I'm trying to organize another one. Ive had a wonderful response especially recently, and its been fantastic. Its crucial that we get to know the people who are standing up and supporting whats going on and supporting them. That is so important. Ive seen a positive impact, which is really good. I called it Why the Uyghur Genocide Will Shape the World's Future because it will.

RFA: What can you and activists like yourself do to help the Uyghurs and force China to stop its atrocities against Uyghurs?

Morgan: I think you must use your voice. I say this quite frequently that we are so lucky to be safe and to be able to speak up and not have any repercussions. As I said before, I felt if I didn't speak up, then I would be complicit because I would be silent. I think silence is complicity, so I would say that people should engage with the issue on social media. Social media is so easy now. Don't shy away from it. Don't turn away [because you think] that its uncomfortable. Look at it and say, What can I do? Follow social media pages, sign petitions, and talk to your friends, colleagues, and family about it, because I guarantee some people will know whats going on. The more people who talk about it, the more this is going to have an impact, and things will change. With the Holocaust, we didnt have an opportunity to stop it, [but] we have an opportunity to stop this genocide. I really hope that other people [engage in] activism and show their support. I really like this quote from Martin Luther King: Our lives begin to end the day we decide to become silent about the things that matter. That says it all, really.

Reported and translated by Shahrezad Ghayrat for RFAs Uyghur Service. Edited by Roseanne Gerin.


Dr. Soe Myat Thus wife Wai Wai Myint, also called Pan Thee, is one of two Myanmar pro-democracy activists who died late on Aug. 10 when they and three colleagues jumped from a building in Yangon, the countrys biggest city, to avoid capture by junta authorities. In an exclusive interview with RFAs Myanmar Service, he describes how the death of another young woman protesting the Feb. 1 military coup that deposed the countrys elected government had inspired his previously apolitical wife to join the anti-junta movement and shares his reaction to her death. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

My wife felt terribly sorry for the young protesters who died during the protests without committing any crimes. Both of us were very sorry for the young people who sacrificed their lives and my wife had helped however she could during later protests. One day, she left home and disappeared for a week. And after that, I got a telephone call from the Tamway police station telling me she had been arrested. I was shocked to realize that my wife was involved in these protests, and I went to the station to bail her out.

Though she had been working as a gem trader, she had a masters degree in English. She was attending her final year class when we got married  [She and her fellow protesters] were just young people who played video games and held lengthy conversations. They were normal people.

Long ago, since before the wedding, she used to tell me she didn't want to be cremated when she died and that she just wanted to be buried in a grave. So, I requested that the authorities allow me to bury her wherever they would agree to, even though I wanted to take her body back to [her home region]. But they refused my request and would not even let me have her ashes  They abused her body and wouldnt allow her to become a martyr.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane.
Alyaksey and Maryya Dalbenka cast their votes for Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya in the Belarusian presidential election at a polling station in Minsk on August 9, 2020, and then headed for their cottage in the countryside cautiously optimistic.



Alyaksandr Lukashenka had been accused of falsifying all elections in Belarus since coming to power in 1994, but the Dalbenkas were hopeful things would be different this time.



They were convinced, like many others, that Tsikhanouskaya, a political novice and last-minute replacement for her husband Syarhey, a popular anti-corruption vlogger who was arrested along with other serious potential challengers during the presidential campaign, had struck a chord in Belarusians fed up with decades of Lukashenka's authoritarian rule.



"I was in contact with a lot of different people and even people at the Interior Ministry were saying they were going to vote for Tsikhanouskaya," Alyaksey Dalbenka, 59, told RFE/RL's Belarus Service in an interview.

Peaceful Protests



Despite dwindling public support -- largely the result of his refusal to institute lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing Belarus to have one of Europe's highest coronavirus infection rates -- Lukashenka was declared the winner with some 80 percent of the vote. Tsikhanouskaya finished second, officially, with just over 10 percent, an outcome that was widely dismissed as a sham.

Peaceful protests erupted in Minsk before the official result was released, after a state-sponsored exit poll indicated that Lukashenka would win again. Riot police used tear gas and truncheons to beat back the demonstrators, to the horror of the Dalbenkas, who were following developments online at their cottage.



"We had turned on the Internet and began to read about all that was happening. We immediately decided to return to Minsk," Dalbenka said.

Over the coming weeks and months, Belarus would be swept up by a wave of protests on a scale unprecedented in the country's post-Soviet history, with up to 200,000 turning out for one demonstration in the capital in August.



Long intolerant of dissent and facing the biggest challenge to his hold on power, Lukashenka met the protesters with a crackdown whose brutally exceeded the pressure applied on opponents and society throughout his rule. More than 32,000 Belarusians have gone through police detention. Hundreds have been beaten by police on the streets and in custody, and reports of torture are frequent. At least three deaths were linked to the authorities' crackdown. Opposition leaders were either locked up or forced to flee, including Tsikhanouskaya, who left for neighboring Lithuania a day after the election. NGOs and independent media have faced raids on their offices and arrests.



Dalbenka said he and his wife were active in the protests. He spoke at one rally on a central square in Minsk, and later joined the Coordination Council established by Tsikhanouskaya to guide, it was hoped, a peaceful transfer of power.

"I spoke myself on Independence Square. Maybe I upset my family, but I said everything I thought about the Lukashenka family. Then I joined the Coordination Council as a member. My wife did the same later. She also was active in the Committee Against Torture, documenting cases of the victims of police abuse," said Dalbenka.



Although they had evaded arrest, Dalbenka, who knew people in government, was tipped off that they were being watched.



"We were very visible at the protest marches. Maryya and I were told that [the police] would come for us soon," Dalbenka said. By September, they decided it was time leave Belarus.



"We had secured Canadian visas, but Canada was mostly closed due to COVID-19. However, first Maryya, and then I, managed to get to Toronto. When I boarded the plane, I prayed that I would be free and that the plane would take off," Dalbenka added, speaking from the Canadian metropolis.

A Growing Diaspora



The joined a growing number of Belarusians abroad -- many, like the Dalbenkas, fearing persecution if they stayed behind. The IT sector, one of the few to flourish in the country's still largely inefficient, state-managed economy, was decimated as many high-skilled workers left Belarus.

No figures on how many Belarusians have left the country are readily available. At the height of the protests, in September and October 2020, the Belarusian Interior Ministry said some 13,000 Belarusians had left, mainly for neighboring Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine.



With the true figure believed to now be much higher, Lukashenka made it harder for most Belarusians to get out. In June, his government banned most Belarusians from traveling abroad, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

That move came a month after Lukashenka shocked most of the world by diverting a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius to Minsk, where the blogger and journalist Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend were arrested. Western officials denounced it as a "state-sponsored hijacking," and the European Union and the United States stepped up sanctions against Lukashenka's regime.



Dalbenka said he and his wife feel welcome in Canada.



"In Toronto, at least half of the population are migrants. You don't feel what nationality you are here. People can come to the store in pajamas, no one cares how you are dressed, what hairstyle you have. People just enjoy life," he said. "Everyone smiles and they're not fake ones either! They smile at you to show you that everything is okay, that they are welcoming and mean you no harm. I was riding my bike and it broke down. The police rushed to help me. It was just fantastic."

Some 7,000 kilometers from Belarus, Toronto is distant in many ways from the life the couple left behind, and particularly from their younger years in the Soviet Union.



Born in southwestern Belarus in 1962 and educated partly in Ukraine, Alyaksey Dalbenka said he "joined the dissident ranks" at a Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces base where was sent to serve in the 1980s in Kazakhstan's Semipalatinsk region, a site used for secret nuclear bomb testing.



"I read a lot, including much classified material. Something just clicked in my head. I realized what a disgrace this union (the U.S.S.R.) was. In Kazakhstan I saw all the abominations of the Soviet regime," Dalbenka recounted. In 1987, he said, refused to serve any longer in the army and was subsequently kicked out of the Communist Party.

'Horrible Empire'



When the Soviet Union crumbled in 1991, Dalbenka was elated. "I felt so happy when I realized this horrible empire was collapsing. I had a lot of hope for the future."



Half a world away from Belarus, he and his wife remain active, pressing for changes at home.

He believes that the events of the past year have united Belarusians, including those living abroad, with young people now proudly declaring themselves Belarusians.



"It's great. We are finally coming together. Back in the 1980s, I tried to unite Belarusians in the army, but in vain. We were all out for ourselves. Now we are united. I'm convinced we will be here for a short time and return home soon."



Alyona Lyavonchanka, a Belarusian living in Toronto for 13 years and chairwoman of the Association of Belarusians in Canada, says compatriots in Canada have been active since the disputed election, holding pickets, and creating support groups on Telegram and Facebook.



"People have come together to help Belarusians back home. I can't say who because there might be consequences as a result. We organized concerts, both offline and online, zoom meetings, and collected donations to help Belarusians," said Lyavonchanka.



With the future of Belarus in the balance, Dalbenka is convinced the country must steer clear of Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin appears to be increasing Moscow's influence on the much smaller, weaker country as Lukashenka faces increasing isolation from the West.



"We need to make clear we are for the European option," Dalbenka said. "What the hell do we need Russia for? It will only destroy us."

Written by RFE/RL Senior Correspondent Tony Wesolowsky based on reporting by RFE/RL's Belarus Service.
On the anniversary of Aleksei Navalnys poisoning, Britain and the United States imposed targeted sanctions on Russian intelligence operatives as German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to release the jailed opposition politician.

Navalny, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell violently ill one year ago while on a passenger flight in Siberia, forcing the plane into making an emergency landing where he was rushed to hospital.

Days later, Navalny was airlifted to a clinic in Berlin where doctors battled to save his life. It was later determined by several laboratories that he had been poisoned with a Soviet-style nerve agent.

The U.S. State Department said on August 20 the United States in coordination with Britain imposed fresh sanctions targeting those involved in the poisoning of Navalny or Russia's chemical weapons program.

"Our actions today -- exercised by the U.S. Departments of State, the Treasury, Justice and Commerce -- send a clear signal that there will be no impunity for the use of chemical weapons, including for the individuals and organizations involved. Any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and contravenes international norms," the State Department statement said.

The Treasury website said the sanctions target nine Russian individuals and two Russian entities.

The nine individuals include: Vladimir Bogdanov, chief of the FSBs Special Technology Center; Aleksei Sedov, chief of the FSBs Service for the Protection of the Constitutional System and the Fight against Terrorism (also referred to as the FSBs 2nd Service); chemical weapons specialists Artur Zhirov and Kirill Vasiliev; FSB operatives Stanislav Makshakov, Konstantin Kudryavtsev, Aleksei Alexandrov, Ivan Osipov, and Vladimir Panyaev. The two sanctioned entities are the State Institute for Experimental Military Medicine (GNII VM) -- a scientific research organization specializing in security and defense -- and the FSB Criminalistics Institute -- a sub-unit of the FSB originally founded under the KGB.

Earlier on August 20, Britain's Foreign Office said it had imposed sanctions on seven individuals it said were Russian intelligence operatives suspected of involvement in the attempted assassination. Their names were added to Britain's sanctions list, subjecting them to asset freezes.

The newly sanctioned alleged FSB operatives included Aleksei Aleksandrov, Vladimir Panyaev, Ivan Osipov, Vladimir Bogdanov, Kirill Vasilyev, Stanislav Makshakov, and Aleksei Sedov.

The anniversary falls on the day German Chancellor Angela Merkel is visiting Moscow for talks with Putin.

Upon his return from Germany in January, Navalny, who has blamed Putin for the attack, was jailed for parole violations on what he says were politically motivated charges. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the poisoning.

Russian-German Ties

The anniversary of the incident, which severely strained Russian-German ties, coincided with Merkel's visit to Moscow for talks with Putin.

"I demanded from the Russian President that he free Navalny," Merkel said at a press conference after the meeting in the Kremlin.

Putin countered with a reply frequently used by Russian authorities, saying that the opposition figure had not been imprisoned for his political activity.

Russia's lack of action in the poisoning case also drew criticism on August 20 from Amnesty International, which slammed Moscow's "utter disregard for justice" for its failure to investigate the poisoning.

"One year ago today, the Kremlins most vocal critic was attacked with a banned chemical weapon, an outrageous crime which should have been the subject of an urgent investigation by Russian authorities. Instead, the Russian government chose to throw Aleksei Navalny behind bars on false grounds -- in conditions which almost killed him -- and to pursue a relentless campaign of reprisals against his supporters, Agnes Callamard, Amnesty Internationals secretary-general, said in a statement on August 20.

Since the poisoning, Navalny and his associates have uncovered what they say is evidence of the involvement of federal intelligence agents in the attack, while authorities have rejected any implication of official involvement.

The government has also embarked on a sometimes violent crackdown on dissent, rounding up many of Navalny's associates and other opposition figures, and detaining thousands who rallied in his support.

Putin has also moved to end the activities of Navalnys political organizations, including his Anti-Corruption Foundation, which for years has exposed alleged corruption among top officials and business elite.

The Russian authorities failure to investigate the attempt on Navalnys life is damning proof of their utter disregard for justice and for the right to life. We reiterate our call for an immediate and impartial investigation into the attempted poisoning of Aleksei Navalny, and for an end to the persecution of Navalny and his supporters," Callamard said.

We reiterate our call for an immediate and impartial investigation into the attempted poisoning of Aleksei Navalny, and for an end to the persecution of Navalny and his supporters," Amnesty's statement said.

On the eve of the anniversary of his poisoning, Navalny issued an open letter published in Western newspapers, calling on Western countries to challenge authoritarian leaders, including Putin, on corruption.

The Kremlin critic said Western leaders should show determination and political will to fight corruption as he outlined five steps that are entirely realistic.

In a related development, Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor on August 20 demanded that Alphabet's Google and Apple remove Navalny's app from their stores.

Roskomnadzor cited a Russian court ruling that found Navalny's anti-corruption foundation an extremist organization and banned it. Navalny's allies have published news and blogs through the app after Roskomnadzor blocked their websites.
CHEBOKSARY, Russia -- A Russian-Chinese company has been charged with violating environmental safety regulations in Russia's Republic of Chuvashia, where expanding Chinese investment has sparked protests over alleged corruption.

Officials at the directorate of the agricultural regulator, Rosselkhoznadzor, in Chuvashia told RFE/RL on August 20 that the Sichuan-Chuvashia Chinese-Russian agricultural joint venture was officially charged with neglecting agricultural lands leased to it that now are covered by weeds, creating the threat of wildfires.

The joint company may face up a fine of up to 700,000 rubles ($9,500).

Less than two weeks earlier, the head of the Bolshiye Algashi village in Chuvashia, Maksim Medvedev, was handed a suspended prison sentence of more than three years after a court convicted him of forging documents related to public discussions that never occurred to allocate the lands in 2019 to the Sichuan-Chuvashia.

A lawmaker at Chuvashia's State Council, Aleksandr Andreyev, had accused the republic's top officials of involvement in the illegal allocation of lands to the joint venture.

From Africa to Central Asia, China has aggressively pursued investment opportunities. Officials have largely welcomed them, but the public in many cases is wary if not outright hostile to the new Chinese guests, faulting them, among other things, for importing Chinese labor rather than hiring locals.

In recent years, residents of Chuvashia have staged numerous rallies protesting Chinese companies' involvement in the economic development of the region, accusing local authorities of corruption related to such Chinese projects.

More than 100 countries have signed agreements with China to cooperate in its Belt and Road projects like railways, ports, highways, and other infrastructure.

Critics say the plan to create a modern version of the ancient Silk Road trade route to link China with Asia, Europe and beyond is a vehicle for the expansion of Communist China. Beijing says such doubts betray the "imperial hangover" of many Western powers that humiliated China for centuries.
Russia's Justice Ministry on August 20 declared the Dozhd television channel (TV Rain) a "foreign agent," part of what Kremlin opponents say is a crackdown on critical media before parliamentary elections next month.

Adopted in 2012 and amended repeatedly, Russias controversial "foreign agent" legislation requires nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance and that the government deems to be engaged in political activity to be registered, to identify themselves as foreign agents, and to submit to audits. Later modifications of the law targeted foreign-funded media.

Organizations designated have to carry out administrative procedures, including clearly indicating their status to the public.

Dozhd operates online and has long been a platform where Kremlin critics who are unable to get on state TV have been able to express their views.

In mid-June, Dozhd was expelled from the journalists' pool of Russian President Vladimir Putin, apparently because the outlet had covered the return of politician Aleksei Navalny from Germany to Russia and the rallies in his support.

Investigative journalists working for another outlet, Important Stories, were also added to the list of "foreign agent" media on August 20, the official register of the ministry showed.

They included Editor In Chief Roman Anin; journalists Roman Shleinov, Irina Dolinina, Alesya Marokhovskaya, Dmitry Velikovsky; and former staffer, Olesya Shmagun. Journalist Stepan Petrov also appeared on the list.

On August 18, the independent election monitoring group Golos said Russias Justice Ministry has designated it a foreign agent, a move that is likely to hamper the monitor's work during next month's parliamentary and local elections.

Golos has painstakingly documented allegations and evidence of fraud in past elections, including the 2011 parliamentary vote, in which suspicions of widespread rigging on behalf of the ruling United Russia party fueled large protests, and the 2012 presidential ballot that returned Vladimir Putin to the Kremlin after four years as prime minister.

The September 17-19 elections are for members of the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament and a key instrument of Putin's power, as well as regional and local balloting.

The Justice Ministry maintains two other registries of "foreign agents" -- one is for NGOs registered in Russia, and the other is for media outlets.

With reporting by Reuters
Iranian officials have reported an increase in the overall number of child marriages last year compared to 2019.

According to the Statistics Center of Iran, the marriage rate of girls aged 10-14 last year increased by 10.5 percent compared to 2019.

It says 31,379 girls in that age bracket were married in 2020 compared to 28,373 cases the previous year.

The legal age for marriage in Iran is 13 years for girls and 15 years for boys, though it is acceptable for children younger to be married with a father's permission.

The statistics for child marriages are only those that were officially registered with the Civil Registry Office. The actual number is believed to be higher as many such marriages are unregistered.

The Statistics Center of Iran reported that about 5 percent of all the registered marriages in Iran in 2020 involved children under the age of 15.

Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, called for "immediate reforms" in the Islamic republic's treatment of women and girls in a report to the UN Human Rights Council in March, citing the prevalence of child marriage as a major issue.

Rahman said that "[Iranian] women and girls are still treated as second-class citizens."
A court in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, has sentenced well-known pro-Russian blogger Ermek Taichibekov to seven years in prison after finding him guilty of inciting ethnic discord.

Taichibekov's lawyer, Ghalym Nurpeisov, and his brother Marlen Taichibekov said the Auezov district court handed down the decision on August 19.

Taichibekov was arrested in September and charged with using media to incite ethnic hatred.

Taichibekov told his brother at the time that he was detained for an interview with Ukraina.ru, a website tied to Russia's state Rossia Segodnya media group, which mainly focuses on Russian news and official propaganda abroad.

In a video published on the YouTube channel of Ukraina.ru in May 2020, Taichibekov talked to the presenter against a background of the black-yellow-white flag of the Russian Empire and claimed that Kazakh authorities were pursuing "a Russophobic policy."

Taichibekov was previously sentenced to four years in prison in 2015 on charges of inciting ethnic hatred by placing "inflammatory" materials on Facebook and supporting the idea of Kazakhstan uniting with Russia. He served less than two years of that sentence before being released in October 2017.

Several Kazakh citizens have been sentenced to prison since 2014 for inciting separatism or ethnic hatred through the Internet amid heightened concern of Russian dominance over former Soviet republics sparked by Moscow's support for separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine and Moscow's illegal annexation of Crimea.

Based on reporting by RIA Novosti and Politnavigator
BISHKEK -- An organizer of March rallies against Kyrgyzstan's constitutional amendments has been sentenced to 18 months in prison on a charge of calling to seize power by force.

Bishkek's Sverdlov district court on August 20 sentenced Tilekmat Kudaibergenov (aka Kurenov), who reiterated his innocence after his sentence was pronounced.

Kudaibergenov was arrested in mid-March and later transferred to house arrest.

Before his detention, police searched his home and the office of the Against KHANstitution movement that opposed the amendments initiated by President Sadyr Japarov.

Kudaibergenov is one the organizers of March 9 rallies in Bishkek against the amendments that ended up being approved in a nationwide referendum on April 11.

Critics have said that the constitutional amendments that very much increased presidential powers helped Japarov to consolidate power.

Kudaibergenov is a noted activist also known as a founder and a leader of a movement against granting concessions for the Jetim-Too iron ore field near the Chinese border to foreign investors.
MOSCOW -- A Moscow court has sentenced another associate of jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny to one year of so-called "restricted freedom," a parole-like sentence, for allegedly violating restrictive measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

The Preobrazhensky district court handed down the sentence to the former chief of Navalny's team in Moscow, Oleg Stepanov, on August 20 after finding him guilty of publicly calling for people to take part in unsanctioned rallies to support the Kremlin critic in January.

Stepanov, like several other Navalny associates previously, rejected the charge calling it politically motivated while accusing authorities of using pandemic restrictions to crackdown on opposition.

Four days earlier, the same court sentenced Navalny's spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, to 18 months of restricted freedom on the same charge.

Earlier this month, Navalny's brother Oleg was found guilty of the same charges and handed a one-year suspended sentence and a one-year probation period.

Two other Navalny associates, Nikolai Lyaskin and Lyubov Sobol, also were found guilty and given parole-like sentences -- one year and 18 months, respectively. Media reports that Sobol fled Russia after the verdict have not been confirmed either by her or her associates.

Other individuals charged include municipal lawyers Dmitry Baranovsky and Lyusya Shtein; the chief of the Physicians' Alliance NGO, Anastasia Vasilyeva; and a leading member of the Pussy Riot protest group, Maria Alyokhina.

Most of them are now under house arrest or curfew.

Aleksei Navalny was arrested on January 17 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for poisoning with a Novichok-type nerve agent that he says was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin has denied any role in the incident, which was the latest of numerous attacks on Navalny.

More than 10,000 people were rounded up during nationwide rallies protesting Navalny's arrest organized in more than 100 Russian towns and cities on January 23 and January 31.

On February 2, Navalny was convicted of violating the terms of his suspended sentence related to an embezzlement case that he has called politically motivated. The remainder of Navalny's suspended sentence, 2 1/2 years, was then replaced by a real prison term.

That ruling sparked new protests that were also forcibly dispersed by police.

More than 1,400 people were detained by police in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other Russian cities during those demonstrations.
YOSHKAR-OLA, Russia -- A wave of wildfires has hit Russia's Republic of Mari El in the Volga region, blanketing the republic's capital, Yoshkar-Ola, in a thick layer of smoke.



The fires started on August 19 and hit the Medvedevo district, quickly spreading to force the evacuation of hundreds of people from several nearby villages and resorts on August 20 .



The head of Mari El, Aleksandr Yevstifeyev, has arrived in the area and met with firefighters and volunteers at the site.



Early on August 20, some 150 volunteers joined nearly 400 people already involved in firefighting operations, with more people and equipment, including military personnel, expected to be sent to the site in the coming hours, according to the republic's government.



The Emergency Ministry directorate in Mari El said that preliminary estimates put the area hit by the wildfires at around 120 hectares and in very close proximity to the villages of Sosnovy Bor, Studenka, Ustye-Kundysh, and several resort sites near Lake Shap.



Wildfires have also ravaged other parts of Russia, especially vast Siberian regions, for weeks.



The Natural Resources Ministry said last week that a total of 252 active fires were burning across the country covering more than 4.2 million hectares.



Environmental experts say a 2007 decision by the government to disband a federal aviation network tasked to spot and combat fires has hampered firefighting efforts.



Weather officials and environmentalists have linked the growing intensity of wildfires in Russian regions to climate change.
NOTE TO READERS: The Week In Russia will take a two-week hiatus. The next edition will appear on September 10.

In August 1991, the collapse of an attempted coup by hard-liners bent on reversing reforms hastened the breakup of the Soviet Union, which was gone by the end of the year -- replaced by 15 independent states. In Russia, how far back will Vladimir Putin turn the clock?

Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward.

A Coup Collapses

The attempted coup that accelerated the collapse of the Soviet Union was unexpected: The news that President Mikhail Gorbachev was ill and that a group of hard-liners was claiming to be in charge took hundreds of millions of people in the U.S.S.R. by surprise on the morning of August 19, 1991.

I was one of them: I had no inkling of the momentous events that were unfolding as I walked out of my rented Moscow apartment and boarded a rickety red bus bound for the center, where I was working at the Moscow bureau of a U.S. newspaper.

Within three days the coup was over -- defeated by defiant citizens, determined officials led by recently elected Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and what seems to have been a generous dose of incompetence on the part of the plotters seeking to snuff out Gorbachev's reforms and stop the unraveling of the seven-decade experiment that was the Soviet Union.

And unraveling it was, coming apart at the seams and at its heart under pressure from a diverse range of factors including low world oil prices and the resultant dire economic troubles, the desire for sovereignty among millions in the 15 republics, and the tantalizing taste of freedom provided by Gorbachev's reforms.

The rights and freedoms that were nascent at the time -- such as the freedom of assembly, association, and the right to free elections -- are the same ones that critics accuse Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin, of curtailing assiduously over 22 years as president or prime minister of Russia.

The taste for free assembly was in evidence, along with the growing intolerance for oppression that was a key ingredient in the collapse of both the coup and the country itself, at the biggest protest I have ever seen in person, eight months before the plotters claimed power -- and a week after Soviet troops killed 14 people in a bid to end the independence movement in Lithuania.

On January 21, 1991, a huge crowd of people packed Moscow's Manezh Square, just outside the Kremlin, to "denounce the bloodshed in Lithuania and President Mikhail S. Gorbachev's increasingly hard line," as The New York Times put it in its report that day.

Multiple media reports put the number of protesters at about 100,000. But when I climbed up onto the wall of the Hotel Moskva or some other high ground to get a better look, it seemed to me like a lot more -- a sea of people thronging the large expanse at the center of a country that had less than five months to live.

In any case, such a sight seems out of the question today.

Poison And Protest

Putin's government has used a mix of on-paper restrictions and on-the-street violence to narrow the scope for protests, both planned and spontaneous. Using a permit system that opponents say is unconstitutional, the authorities have increasingly sought to curb opposition rallies and, when permitting them in Moscow, confine them to locations further from the Kremlin.

And in the wake of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's return to Russia in January following treatment in Germany for a near-fatal nerve agent poisoning that occurred in Siberia exactly a year ago, on August 20, 2020, security forces cracked down violently on protests over his arrest and imprisonment.

Since 2004, the last year of Putin's first presidential term, the Russian state has "eroded the right to freedom of peaceful assembly by using increasingly restrictive laws, and heavy-handed police tactics and criminal prosecutions to silence peaceful dissent," Amnesty International said in a report released this month.

"Russian authorities have been curtailing the right to freedom of assembly with incredible persistence and inventiveness for years," said AI Russian researcher Oleg Kozlovsky, and "peaceful street protest has come to be seen as a crime by state officials."

In 1991, elections held the promise of change. Yeltsin's election as president of the still-Soviet republic of Russia, in June 1991, came two years after unprecedented balloting for the Soviet Congress of People's Deputies in the spring of 1989 -- the first elections in which Soviet voters really had a choice.

During Putin's time in power, critics say, the freedom of choice has faded for Russian voters, washed away by increasingly intense efforts by the Kremlin to keep authentic opponents out of elections as public support for the dominant United Russia party, never very strong, also decreases.

Dovetailing with the clampdown on demonstrations this year, the authorities have further narrowed the field ahead of elections to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, that are one month away.

Allies of Navalny and many others have been barred from running, formally or effectively. This week, Golos, an independent monitoring group that has been instrumental in documenting evidence and allegations of fraud in previous elections, was labeled a "foreign agent" -- leaving its ability to report on the Duma vote and regional elections in doubt.

'No Chance At All'

For some in a generation that held out hope for the best in the final years of the Soviet Union's existence, as the country loosened its grip on its people, opened up, and then fell apart, Russia three decades later is a bitter disappointment.

When the attempted coup began, it was "scary -- the fear that they might win," Olga Romanova, who was 24 at the time and is now a leading prisoners' rights activist, said of the hard-liners in an interview with Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with Voice of America.

Within hours, however, she knew "that we had won and that our generation would never be chased back. And ahead of us, without a doubt, was an absolutely bright and beautiful future," Romanova said. But as the years passed and Yeltsin's promise was tarnished by the shelling of parliament in 1993 and the "huge propaganda campaign" that preceded his reelection in 1996, that future faded -- and Putin's ascent was the "logical" consequence.

"When was it clear that we'd lost the country? It was clear to me when Putin came to power. In 1999-2000 it was clear that it was all over -- but nobody expected it to be over to such a degree. I thought Putin would have one, maybe two terms and then something would change, there would still be a chance," Romanova told Current Time. "Now it's clear that there's no chance at all."

Journalist Leonid Ragozin sounded a more optimistic note in an article published by Al-Jazeera on August 15, despite describing the Kremlin as "resorting to terror against its opponents."

Thirty years after the failed coup, "Russia finds itself at the end of a historical cycle which began when its people rose up against a morally and economically bankrupt regime," Ragozin wrote.

With the "unprecedented wave of repression unleashed by the Kremlin in the run-up to the parliamentary election," he wrote, "Putin's government betrays its fear of a maturing society that is increasingly hostile to the Kremlin."

Russia at this moment is "quite the opposite of a hopeless case," Ragozin contended. "It has entered a volatile period because society has outgrown the regime...and now wants change."
LEXINGTON -- Figuring out what to cook for dinner every single day is exhausting. Kimberly and Roger Sterry want to make it easier.

The couples business, Kimmys Cucina, offers a seasonal variety of premade Italian meals that are ready to pop in the oven. (Cucina is the Italian word for kitchen.)

We're quick and easy for those crazy dinner decisions that you don't want to make, Kimberly said.

Kimmys Cucina launched its meal service model in January with its signature lasagna, meatballs and homemade sauces, then expanded to add items like sweet basil lasagna and a semolina ricotta pound cake this summer.

The Sterrys plan to continue with monthly specials and seasonal items like pulled pork bolognese and homemade soups in the fall.

Were trying to mix it up a little bit to give people options, said Kimberly, who serves as the company president.

Roger and Kimberly have been married for almost 33 years. The entrepreneurial couple has always loved to cook and entertain. Kimmys Cucina isnt their first culinary venture.

The couple owned Sweet Basil, an Italian eatery in Mansfield, in the early 2000s but closed it to focus on other pursuits. Kimberly continued to channel her love for cooking into a recipe blog called Kimmys Cucina.

Once the couples kids were grown, they began discussing the possibility of another business. They wanted a way to continue experimenting with recipes and preparing dishes, without the overhead of a restaurant or catering outfit. So Kimmys Cucina expanded from a food blog to a meal kit service with a unique model -- pre-made, frozen meals that simply need to be popped in the oven or on the stovetop.

Everything is just as easy as it can be because I know a lot of people don't like to cook and that's the kind of the idea behind it is -- let us help you, Kimberly said.

The couple believes what truly sets their food apart is the ingredients and attention to detail.

"We make everything by hand, even our pasta," Roger said. "We're very particular in everything that we do. We reject more products that come in than we accept."

The couple uses meat from a local farmer, imports organic flour from Italy and grinds their cheese by hand. The homemade sauces and marinaras are slow cooked for hours to get just the right flavor profile.

"You should try it because it's done with care. We don't sub anything out," he said.

The Sterrys developed many of their recipes together, drawing inspiration from their travels and shared Italian heritage.

We're always talking about food and recipes. No matter how crazy an idea seems, when we put two combinations together, we're gonna try it, because you never know how it's gonna come out, Kimberly said.

Some of their one-of-a-kind creations include a cauliflower puree with roasted vegetables, as well as a goat cheese and walnut ravioli in a roasted beet and radish sauce.

"It's just downright good. It's good, authentic recipes that we've not only created, but we've taken what we've been handed down from our families," Roger said. "What we would serve you in our home is what we're going to be serving you through Kimmy's Cucina."

Kelli Catanese has ordered meals from Kimmys Cucina for the last five or six months. She said the cost and convenience make it a no-brainer.

I have three boys and were super busy, she said. For me, it tastes just as good as if it came out of the oven or off of the stove.

Even her husband, who is also Italian, approves.

He thinks it's really good, she said. It definitely reminds him of his grandma's homemade meatballs and homemade sauce that you just cant get at the store.

Barb Shewan is also a regular customer. She said she appreciated having a meal kit option thats locally owned and operated.

I like the idea of it being kind of hometown and that I wasnt paying shipping and handling, she said. I really appreciated that this was in town and I can pick it up.

All three of her teenagers are involved in sports, so having the pre-made meals means one less item on her to-do list.

With my schedule, it works out very well, she said. Try it and you'll probably be hooked.

In addition to making meals, Kimmys Cucina also hosts the occasional cooking class. The Sterrys plan to expand even further in the fall with a Kimmys Cucina storefront located inside Lexington's historic mill.

The couple is currently renovating the building so they can sell their homemade products as well as the ingredients they use like imported flours, tomatoes and cheeses.

"We are picking things that you cannot get around here or aren't easily available," Roger said. "We want to do the things that are unique. We want it to be kind of a destination."

For more information, visit kimmyscucina.com or follow along on Facebook and Instagram.
Richmond, KY (40475)

Today

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 79F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low around 55F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Written By

Joe Schulz served as the reporter of the Green Laker in 2019 and 2020, before being hired as a reporter for the Commonwealth in October 2020. He is from Oshkosh and graduated from UW-Oshkosh in December with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

|
Rocky Mount, NC (27804)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High near 85F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low around 65F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Danvers, MA (01923)

Today

Cloudy skies with periods of rain this afternoon. High 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times overnight. Low around 60F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Sanford, NC (27330)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 83F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 64F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
I have had countless airplane issues over the years. Of course, everyone has dealt with travel delays during flights. However, I swear Ive had more than my fair share considering that I dont even travel all that often. For example, I once tried to take a two-hour flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas. After long delays, we got to Vegas, circled for half hour because of snow, and ended up rerouting to spend the night in Phoenix. When does snow cause a a Vegas flight cancellation? In any case, because Ive had lots of issues over the years, Ive learned a lot about flight troubles. For example, here are the steps to take when flight is cancelled.

Assume Your Flight Might Get Cancelled

First of all, just assume that youll have delays or cancellations. If you have any leeway at all when making your travel plans, then plan with this in mind. If I have to be somewhere for an event thats taking place on a Monday morning, I never plan to arrive there on Monday morning. I dont even plan to arrive there on Sunday night. I take a flight that gets me there Sunday morning at the latest. That way if I have to take steps when flight is cancelled, I still have time to get where Im going. Planning ahead is the best step that you can take to prevent problems for yourself.

Its particularly likely that youll have to know the steps to take when flight is cancelled right now. Cancellations have spiked since the pandemic began. There are staff shortages and a lot of unpredictability when it comes to airline travel. Plan for flexibility.

Start Making Plan B If You See Lots of Delays

You dont usually get to the airport, see your planes on time, and then suddenly learn that your flights been canceled. Instead, your flights typically delayed first, often more than once. As soon as you start noticing those delays, began to make a fallback plan. As soon as possible, book yourself on another flight in the event that yours gets canceled. So, as soon as you start to see those delays, take these steps immediately:

1. Head to the Airline Customer Service Counter

Honestly, youre probably not going to have the best luck here. However, its a good place to start. Theres probably going to be a line there, though. Dont just wait in that line twiddling your thumbs. This is the time to multitask. As youre waiting in this line, there are additional steps to take when flight is cancelled.

2. Tweet the Airline

Real Simple says that an airlines customer service on Twitter is often faster than the customer service counter at the airport. So, send them a tweet. Let them know that it looks like your flights about to get canceled and you want to get booked on a new flight as soon as possible. See below exactly what you want to tell customer service when you think your flights getting canceled.

3. Contact Other Social Media Channels

Some airlines also offer customer service through other social media channels. Therefore, contacting them through all of those is among your steps to take when flight is cancelled. Facebook and Instagram are the two big obvious channels other than twitter.

4. Contact Customer Service Through Chat or Call

Youre still waiting in line at the customer service desk. They havent responded to your social media requests for assistance, yet. Dont just stand there doing nothing. Stay in the line but get back on the phone. Contact the airlines customer service either through their chat function or by calling them.

5. Call Third Party Travel Bookers

Did you book your travel through a travel agent? Perhaps you used an online booking service and made the smart choice to pay a little extra for the travel insurance? Or maybe youve got a travel membership? These services also have people that can help you with the next steps to take when flight is cancelled.

Heres What You Want to Tell Customer Service

Yes, youre doing a lot already while youre waiting in line but now is not the time to slow down. You need to know exactly what you want customer service to do for you if youre going to get the best result. In other words, dont just hit the counter and say, I think my flight is cancelled, what do I do? Instead, come prepared with what you want. In other words, start searching on your phone immediately for the next best flights.

US News and World Report says that you should use sites such as Google Flights to search across all airlines. Its also helpful if you know which airlines are partners with the flight youre already booked on. Its easier for them to rebook on a partner airlines next flight. So, when you do reach someone, whether its on Twitter or at the counter, let them know that youve found some good alternative flight options and youd like to get booked on one in case your flight is canceled.

But dont forget to be nice to them. Just because youre being firm and clear doesnt mean you should be rude. Its hard on those employees when dealing with flight delays and cancelations. Make the job easier on them.

Alternatively, Just Book New Tickets

Youre doing your research. You see a great price for new tickets on another flight. However, youre still waiting on hold for customer service. What should you do? Are those tickets going to go to one of the people ahead of you in line? Well, heres the thing  you could just book them yourself. If you have trip insurance  either because you added it at booking or because you paid with a travel rewards credit card  then you might be able to get a refund on the canceled flight. Therefore even though you buy new tickets online, youre not out the original flight money. Just make sure you know what your refund policies are before you do this.

If You Cant Get Booked on a Same Day Flight

Unfortunately, sometimes you just cant get on a new flight the same day that your flight got canceled. This is when you need to find out what your options are. Here are some tips:

Book the next possible flight . If you still plan to try to get to your destination, the first thing is to figure out what plane you can get on.

. If you still plan to try to get to your destination, the first thing is to figure out what plane you can get on. Start looking at hotel rooms . As youll see below, the airline might cover your hotel room. In which case, they may or may not tell you where to go stay. But dont wait because everyone else on that plane is looking for a room too. Get on your phone and start looking for the closest room to book.

. As youll see below, the airline might cover your hotel room. In which case, they may or may not tell you where to go stay. But dont wait because everyone else on that plane is looking for a room too. Get on your phone and start looking for the closest room to book. Know your passenger rights . These vary depending on whether youre on a domestic or international airline. The cause of the cancellation is also a factor. Us News and World Report explains that in some cases the airline is required to help accommodate you while in other instances they are not.

. These vary depending on whether youre on a domestic or international airline. The cause of the cancellation is also a factor. Us News and World Report explains that in some cases the airline is required to help accommodate you while in other instances they are not. Read your terms and conditions. This might tell you exactly what steps to take when flight is cancelled. If you got travel insurance, look for information about hotel stays, rebooking fees, etc.

This might tell you exactly what steps to take when flight is cancelled. If you got travel insurance, look for information about hotel stays, rebooking fees, etc. Ask for perks. Sometimes the airline will give you hotel vouchers, meal coupons, etc. when you have to rebook a flight due to cancellation. If you booked with a travel-related credit card, then you might have additional perks.

Or Cancel Your Trip

You might want to cancel your trip and get a refund. According to US News and World Report, if your flight is canceled and you opt not to rebook, youre entitled to a refund. If thats the case, and the situation is such that its not worth it to you anymore to take the trip at this time, then you can go this route. Real Simple adds the reminder that if you paid to check bags, your due back those fees if you didnt end up taking the flight. And Upgraded Points has a complete guide to getting compensation for canceled trips.

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COVID cases are surging across the nation, and kids now account for more infections than they did in months past.



Data from the CDC shows that an average of 280 people under 18 are contracting COVID every week, an increase of more than 20% since June. More than 120,000 cases were reported among children between Aug. 5 and 12, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. That figure represented 18% of the total case count for that week.



Health experts say the Delta variant of the coronavirus is likely changing the calculus. While children showed strong natural immunity to earlier iterations, the Delta variant is 50% more contagious than past variants, and its meteoric ascendence to become the supreme strain in the U.S. coincides with the rising number of infections in children.



Because Delta is so much more transmissible than the earlier variants of the coronavirus, what we see is that theres much higher community prevalence, said Dr. Alpana Waghmare, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Seattle Childrens Hospital. Whenever theres higher community prevalence, theres going to be more kids that get infected.



With most of Washingtons public schools slated to start in the coming weeks, many parents are wondering why COVID vaccines havent been approved for children under 12.



Heres what we know about the process for getting kids under 12 vaccinated.

Heres the short answer: Tentatively, late this year or early next year. The exact date depends on the childs age. Older kids will likely get vaccinated sooner, while toddlers and babies will probably have to wait.



Now, for the long answer.



Pfizer is enrolling more than 4,600 children in its clinical trials. The kids are divided into three age groups: 5-11, 2-5 and those between 6 months and 2 years old.

Waghmare said she expects the vaccine to be approved for the three age groups in descending order, which is consistent with the companys current timetable. That means, if approved, a vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 would come first.



Pfizer spokesperson Keanna Ghazvini said the company expects to have data for that age group by the end of next month. She said Pfizer could ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an emergency use authorization shortly thereafter.

Data for children under 5 will likely be submitted to the FDA by the end of 2021, Ghazvini said.



Moderna is slightly behind Pfizer in its timetable. It expects to submit data to the FDA for ages 6-11 later this year. Data for those under 6 will likely be submitted early next year.

The company recently expanded the size of its trial to include roughly 12,000 children amid worries that shots may trigger rare heart side effects. Pfizer has not said whether it will update its timeline or the size of its trial, despite fretting from federal regulators.



Johnson & Johnson has not yet begun clinical trials for children under 12.



Approval for emergency use authorizations can take several weeks. That means  assuming Pfizer and Moderna stick to their respective timelines  we could see vaccines being administered to children late this year through early next year.

Why do kids under 12 need a separate vaccine?

Children tend to have a naturally robust immune response, Waghmare said. That means their bodies typically mount a stronger and quicker defense against threats than adult bodies do.

Because of this, children may need a lower dose of the vaccine. Giving them too much could result in adverse effects, Waghmare said.

This creates a balancing act for scientists: They need to produce a vaccine thats strong enough to protect kids against COVID, but not one thats so strong that it does more harm than good.

What we want is a vaccine that produces a good immune response and has good protection, but doesnt have so many side effects, said Waghmare. Thats problematic for the kids and could make people unwilling to give a vaccine to their children.

Why is age 12 the cutoff?

Though the threshold is a bit arbitrary, Waghmare said age 12 has been traditionally used as the cutoff in past studies.



Theres not a magic change that happens at 12, she said. Its a number thats been historically used in vaccine studies and trials, so I think there was some precedent to pick it.

Why has it taken this long?

The main reason is that COVID hit older people the hardest.



In the setting of a pandemic, where we know disease severity overall is much worse for adults than kids, I think there was a priority to get the adult study completed, Waghmare said.



Also, vaccine studies traditionally focus on adults first before moving to other age groups.



Thats how all these studies work, Waghmare said. They always start with adults before they go to kids, so thats not surprising.
Seattle is getting creative this weekend.

Three local festivals are challenging you to not only think outside the box, but off the canvas. Not to mention, how to march to the beat of a different drum. However, lets not get crazy. Let the adrenaline junkies from Nitro Circus do that for you. And speaking of adrenaline, its time to celebrate an old friends 114th birthday  who still looks great.

Keep reading for what to see and do in the Emerald City this weekend.

Letao Tao

Festivals: Three experiences to bring the creativity out of you

Seattle Design Festival

Celebrating its 11th year, the Seattle Design Festival is a free, two-day, outdoor block party featuring design installations and pop-up design activities and experiences for all ages. With 75 different community partners, this is pretty incredible stuff. From the simple to the sublime and from the functional to thoughtful, there will be a lot to look at, explore and think about. Bring your camera as there will be lots of "selfie" material here, too.

Design in Public has always believed that unleashing the design thinker in everyone can help Seattle become a better city to live, work, and play," said Design in Public Board President Marisa Zylkowski. "The 2021 Seattle Design Festival is a celebration of the power of design and the power of community to help us all emerge from crisis and change."

The festival will take place at Lake Union Park on August 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. To get a better idea of what to expect, watch this video.

Fresh Paint: Festival of Artists at Work

Everetts Schack Art Center will also be busy this weekend presenting Fresh Paint: Festival of Artists at Work at the Port of Everett Marina. As Everetts largest summer art festival, you can literally purchase art right off the easel  though, let them finish the work first  from over 80 different local artists. Many of these artists will be demonstrating their crafts and will be happy to answer your questions about painting, pottery, glass blowing, jewelry-making and more. Live music and on-site food vendors will complement the event.

Fresh Paint is taking place August 21-22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the foot of the Grand Avenue Pedestrian Bridge. Parking is available at the Marina for $5 for four hours, however, you can catch a free shuttle from The Schack Art Center.

World Rhythm Festival

If you dont want to work and would rather bang the drum all day, then this event is for you. Seattles World Percussion Society (aka SWPS) presents its 27th Annual World Rhythm Festival 2021 this weekend at the Rainier Arts Center in Columbia City. The festival, which features regional, national and even international musicians, is the largest of its kind. Rhythm and dance traditions are highlighted in a variety of performances and workshops where participation is encouraged. The grand opening performance begins at 11 a.m. on Friday, and the whole festival is free of charge.

Pike Place Market

Attractions: Pike Place Market celebrates 114th year

Earlier this week, the Pike Place Market  the largest continuously operated public farmers market in the U.S. turned 114 years old. Today it operates with 500 small businesses, 450 residents, six social services, and of course, hundreds of farmers, crafters and performers. To help celebrate, the market released a free digital book, Inside Pike Place Market filled with photos and rich history.

If you havent been to the nine-acre district in a while, now is a good time to visit. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., visitors can take a self-guided tour to get reacquainted or a selfie at one of the four pop-up murals. Be sure to check out the new outdoor seating areas under the iconic clock and sign, on the old cobblestone street, or on the MarketFront deck which offers unobstructed views of Puget Sound.

Nitro Circus

Events: The crazies from Nitro Circus are back in town

Legend has it that the daredevil group known as Nitro Circus was founded by a group of friends who shared a passion for pushing the limits and no doubt, scaring their mothers half to death. According to their website, We continuously break boundaries in the name of innovation and adventure. And that's exactly what they have been doing for 15 years now, and are still alive, so thats something. This Friday, Aug. 20, Nitro Circus will be showing off in the form of FMX, BMX, skate, scooter and everything in between with their performance of Weve Got This at the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe beginning at 7 p.m.

Matthew Murphy

Tickets: "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Broadway theatre is coming back to Seattle in a big way. The 50th Anniversary  and yet reimagined  tour of "Jesus Christ Superstar" will be playing at The Paramount Theatre October 5-10, 2021. Tickets will be available online through STG Presents, Ticketmaster, calling 800-982-2787, or in-person at the theatre beginning on Monday, August 23 at 10 a.m.
Washington health officials are expressing concern about a drop in infant and youth immunization rates during the COVID-19 pandemic which could lead to more transmittable diseases spreading as many return to school.

The problem began early on in the pandemic last spring as many parents rescheduled routine wellness visits for their children in order to avoid clinics and hospitals. While health officials urged parents to catch up on immunizations to keep children protected from other diseases  including meningitis, whooping cough and HPV  the rates have continued to fall short of the state's 80% target.

"We need to get children caught up now on vaccines they missed," said Acting Assistant Secretary Michele Roberts in a news release. "They are headed back to school soon, and flu activity often picks up in the fall, so lets get them protected before theyre exposed."

Data released by the Department of Health (DOH) shows that children ages 4 to 6 saw a slight drop in vaccination rates, while children ages 11 to 12 saw more significant decreases. One of the most notable was an 11% drop in the tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough) vaccine, which is required to enter 7th grade in Washington. Rates fell from 60.3% in 2019 to 49.2% in 2020.

The 11 to 12 age group also saw an 8.4% decrease in the meningococcal vaccine, which protects against meningitis, and a 5.6% decrease in HPV vaccine from 2019 to 2020.

With the more-transmissible delta variant spreading and causing another surge of cases, Roberts also urged parents of children 12 and older to make sure they are vaccinated against COVID-19. Less than 50% of youth ages 12 to 15 in the state have initiated their vaccine course, and 38.2% are considered fully vaccinated, the lowest of any age group in the state according to DOH data.

Hospitalizations with COVID-19 like illness for the 0-19 age group are also on the rise, and are now higher than the rates during the winter peak of the virus.

"Providers are taking many precautions to keep families safe during preventive visits. It's also convenient to protect your older ones against COVID-19 since kids who are 12 and up can get the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of their vaccines," Roberts said. "Let's get everyone back to school safely after the disruption of the last two school years knowing we're protecting them from outbreaks of many diseases."
PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP)  Dry and windy weather dogged firefighters efforts to contain destructive fires that are devouring the bone-dry forests of drought-stricken Northern California on Thursday.

An estimated 11,000 firefighters were on the lines of more than a dozen large wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings, forced thousands of people to flee communities and filled skies with smoke.

The U.S. Forest Service announced that it will close nine national forests in the region beginning on Aug. 22 and running through Sept. 6 because of extreme fire conditions and because firefighting resources have been stretched thin by the sheer number of blazes burning around the country.

The monstrous Dixie Fire, burning since July 13 in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades, ballooned further to about 1,060 square miles (2,745 square kilometers) and was only 35% contained, authorities said.

The fire, which gutted the town of Greenville two weeks ago, has destroyed more than 1,200 buildings including 649 homes, according to ongoing damage assessments.

About 100 miles (161 kilometers) to the south, there was still no official count of the number of homes destroyed when winds whipped the Caldor Fire into an inferno that roared through the Sierra town of Grizzly Flats this week. Those who viewed the aftermath saw few homes still standing in the community of 1,200 residents.

Fire managers were rushing resources to the fire growing on steep slopes in a forested region southwest of Lake Tahoe. More than 650 firefighters and 13 helicopters were assigned to the blaze, and air tankers from throughout the state were flying fire suppression missions there as conditions allowed, authorities said.

The hope is with the additional resources and personnel on scene, we can really start to build that box around this fire and start the containment," said Keith Wade of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Evacuees from the Caldor Fire found refuge in places like the Green Valley Community Church in Placerville, west of the fire, where they set up tents and trailers in a parking lot. Adrian Childress, 7, painted pictures to pass the time and a special tent was set up for people who wished to pray.

In Omo Ranch, close to where the fire started, a bulldozer ripped out trees to build a fire line and stop the blaze from spreading south.

While nearly the entire town evacuated, Thurman Conroy and his wife, Michele, stayed behind to protect their house and their business, Conroy General Store. But they were prepared to flee if the fire gets too close.

The fire wants us bad because its made every attempt it can to get out of that canyon and up this way, Thurman said. So they keep beating it down. And its just ... it's resilient, its stubborn, it wont go away. Thats all we can do.

Californias fires were among 104 large, active blazes Thursday in 12 states, mostly in the West, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Those fires combined have scorched nearly 4,000 square miles (10,360 square kilometers).

Climate change has made the 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.

Drought, heat, low humidity and winds have left California vegetation ready to burn this summer. More than two-dozen new fires erupted Wednesday alone. All but two were quickly contained.

One small but destructive blaze burned through a mobile home park and reduced an estimated 50 homes to ashes in Lake County, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of San Francisco. Elsewhere in the northwestern region of the state, two big fires continued to burn in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Meanwhile, Pacific Gas & Electric said Thursday that it had restored power to nearly 50,000 Northern California customers whose power was shut off Tuesday to prevent new fires from being ignited if electrical lines were damaged during high winds. The utility said it found at least 10 instances of weather-related damage, including four that potentially could have caused fires if the utility hadn't de-energized power lines.

___

Antczak reported from Los Angeles.
MIAMI (AP)  Florida officials are threatening to withhold funds equal to the salaries of school board members if school districts in two counties don't immediately do away with strict mask mandates as the state continues to battle through high hospitalization rates.

School boards in Broward and Alachua counties received a warning Friday from the State Board of Education giving them 48 hours to walk back their decisions to require masks for all students, only exempting those with a doctor's note. Broward County has the second-largest school district in the state.

We cannot have government officials pick and choose what laws they want to follow, said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran in an emailed statement. These are the initial consequences to their intentional refusal to follow state law and state rule to purposefully and willingly violate the rights of parents.

Corcoran said the two districts are violating the Parents' Bill of Rights and a late July executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that prompted rules limiting how far districts can go with mask requirements.

The Republican governor has pushed for school districts not to mandate masks for all students, ordering the state's health and education departments to devise rules so that parents can choose. Corcoran was recommended to the post by DeSantis and appointed by the State Board of Education in 2019.

DeSantis maintains masks can be detrimental for children's development and that younger children simply don't wear masks properly. But board members in the counties of Broward, home to Fort Lauderdale, and Alachua, home to Gainesville, decided not to allow parents to easily opt out of the mandate as surging cases fueled by the delta variant began straining hospitals.

Florida on Friday surpassed 3 million total COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a weekly report from the state's health department. It also reported 1,486 new deaths in a week, significantly raising the seven-day average of reported deaths per day from 153 to 212 over the past week.

The state continued to have the highest hospitalization rates in the country, with 16,849 patients with COVID-19  3,500 of them in intensive care, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Later Friday, Sarasota County became the sixth school district in the state to adopt a stricter mask policy. Two other school districts -- Hillsborough and Palm Beach counties -- had originally started the school year allowing parents to easily opt out of wearing masks, but tightened their measures this week. And the school board of the state's largest district in Miami-Dade County adopted the same policy of only allowing mask exemptions with a doctor's note.

Because of the size of the school districts budgets, the cuts are more symbolic than harmful. According to the Legislatures Office of Economic and Demographic Research, school board members in Alachua County make $40,000 per year and in Broward County, $46,000. Alachua has about 30,000 students and a $258 million general fund budget. Broward County has about 270,000 students and a $2.7 billion general fund budget.

Corcoran's orders require that school districts provide information regarding the compensation of school board members who voted to impose strict mandates if they don't immediately reverse their decisions. It also outlines it will begin to withhold from state funds the amount equal to their monthly salary, prohibiting districts from cutting funds in other areas such as teachers pay or student services.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona spoke Friday with the superintendents of the two school districts and told them they should use federal pandemic relief funds to make up for any financial sanctions. President Joe Biden later expressed his support on Twitter.

We will do everything we can to support local school districts in safely reopening schools. American Rescue Plan funds can be used to backfill the salaries of the brave Florida school board members, superintendents, and other educators keeping our children safe, Biden said on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, DeSantis attacked the Biden administration's response, calling it absolutely outrageous and governmental overreach.

To have the federal government come in and overrule the rights of the parents as if they know better? DeSantis said at a news conference Friday. They want to kneecap the parents and empower teachers unions.

Broward school board President Rosalind Osgood stood by the boards decision, saying the governor was "overreaching his authority." In a statement, she said the district has asked its lawyers to explore legal challenges, promising a respone to Fridays order within 48 hours as requested.

It's unclear what will happen with the state funds if a judge decides to block DeSantis' order regarding masks. On Thursday, a state judge cleared the way for a three-day trial next week on a lawsuit from parents challenging DeSantis.

In asking that the lawsuit be dismissed, attorneys for the governor contended that the governors order simply upholds a law that gives parents the right to make health care decisions. The law makes no specific mention of masks.
BERLIN (AP)  A union representing many train drivers at Germany's national railway operator is calling members out on a new two-day strike starting Monday, the second round of walkouts in a bitter dispute with the company.

Claus Weselsky, the head of the GDL union, said drivers of passenger trains will strike from 2 a.m. Monday to 2 a.m. Wednesday. Freight train drivers will start their strike on Saturday afternoon.

The walkouts follow a two-day strike last week that brought large parts of Germany's long-distance and commuter train systems to a near-standstill. Railway operator Deutsche Bahn so far has shown no sign of relenting in the pay dispute it brought about itself," Weselsky said at a news conference Friday.

The union's demands include a 3.2% salary increase and a one-time coronavirus bonus of 600 euros ($700). GDL is at odds with Deutsche Bahn, among other things, about when increases should take place and over what period a wage agreement should cover.

State-owned Deutsche Bahn has lost billions since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. On top of that, recent floods destroyed or damaged numerous railroad tracks.

Critics of Weselsky's GDL contend that union rivalry is a significant factor in the dispute. GDL, which traditionally has concentrated on train drivers, is competing with larger rival union EVG to represent a broader range of railway workers.

Deutsche Bahn criticized the new strikes as completely unnecessary. The company's personnel chief, Martin Seiler, said that everything that is needed is on the table to resolve the dispute, and he appealed to the union to return to talks.

Private railway operators, which in Germany operate some regional and a few long-distance services, are not affected by the strike.

Weselsky said GDL has taken care not to disrupt weekend travel but we will no longer be able to guarantee this in the future.
LES CAYES, Haiti (AP)  As if Haitis 7.2 magnitude earthquake, a tropical storm and the coronavirus pandemic werent enough, the temblor damaged the only medical oxygen plant in the southern part of the country.

The building that housed the oxygen concentrator machines that the region depended on partially collapsed, and the machines were upended. The Etheuss company is run by the a family famous for their vetiver perfume oils plant in the city of Les Cayes, one of the areas hardest hit by Saturday's earthquake.

We are trying to get the oxygen production started again. That is our responsibility, because many people depend on it, said Kurtch Jeune, one of the brothers who run the plant, as he showed reporters through the damaged, rubble-strewn plants on Thursday.

The quake left concrete pillars and roofs at the facility leaning, and cement block rubble battered the tanks, electrical system and the delicate web of copper tubing that fills vital oxygen plants. The oxygen generators are upside down, Jeune said. We did get a promise of help from the public works department to get the rubble out with excavators.

Jeune said that, apart from two medical oxygen plants in the capital, Port-au-Prince, his factory was the only one serving local hospitals. As the COVID-19 pandemic grinds on, Jeune says demand for oxygen has gone up 200% in the last month.

We have the capacity to supply 40 oxygen cylinders per day, Jeune said. We supply several hospitals.

The powerful earthquake that struck Haiti's southwestern peninsula killed at least 2,189 and injured 12,268 people, according to official figures. More than 300 people are estimated to still be missing, said Serge Chery, head of civil defense for the Southern Province, which includes the small port city of Les Cayes.

More than 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, leaving about 30,000 families homeless, according to official estimates. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches also were demolished or badly damaged.

The earthquake was trailed by a tropical storm that brought heavy rain and strong winds at the beginning of the week.

Private relief supplies and shipments from the U.S. government and others began flowing more quickly into Haiti on Thursday, but the Caribbean nations entrenched poverty, insecurity and lack of basic infrastructure still presented huge challenges to getting food and urgent medical care to all those who need it.

Adding to the problems, a major hospital in the capital of Port-au-Prince, where many of the injured were being sent, closed for two days beginning Thursday to protest the kidnapping of two doctors, including one of the countrys few orthopedic surgeons.

The abductions dealt a blow to attempts to control criminal violence that has threatened disaster response efforts in the capital.

Further, a group of 18 Colombian volunteer search-and-rescue workers had to be escorted out of the quake-hit city of Jeremie under police protection after a false rumor circulated that they had been involved in the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The workers took shelter Wednesday night at a civil defense office, and police escorted them to the airport on Thursday.

Moises killing, still unsolved, is suspected of being carried out by a group of Colombian mercenaries. Despite what happened to the Colombian rescue workers, Haiti is welcoming everyone who is coming to bring assistance, said Jerry Chandler, the head of the national Civil Protection Agency.

Health care facilities in the Western Hemisphere poorest nation were already at a critical point before the earthquake because of the pandemic. The country of 11 million people has reported 20,556 cases and 576 deaths of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Haiti received its first batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines only last month via a United Nations program for low-income countries.

The rest of Jeunes factory, which produces an essential oil used in fine perfumes, was also badly damaged.

The familys business processes bales of beige, stringy roots culled from the vetiver plant to produce more than half the worlds vetiver oil.

Vetiver oil is also used for cosmetics, soaps and aromatherapy. It generates an estimated $12 million in revenue a year and employs anywhere from 15,000 to 60,000 farmers.

The damage to the factory threatens Haitis already perilous rural economy, plagued by drought, soil erosion and tropical storms.

Haiti produces more than 70 tons of vetiver oil a year, surpassing Indonesia, China, India, Brazil and the neighboring Dominican Republic. It is one of the countrys top exports, with up to 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) harvested annually. But more than 60% of the crop still comes from individual producers, many of whom are struggling financially, according to Gabriel Gelin, a spokesman for the United Nations Environment Program in Haiti.

___

Associated Press writer Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City contributed to this report.
BEIRUT (AP)  Loud explosions shook the Syrian capital late on Thursday as state media reported Israeli airstrikes around Damascus.

The state-news agency SANA said Syrian air defenses confronted the Israeli planes, while the pro-Syrian government Cham FM Radio reported airstrikes in the Damascus countryside and in the central province of Homs.

Damascus residents reported hearing at least five loud explosions that shook apartment buildings over a 15 minute time span. The missiles appeared to have been fired from over Lebanon, jolting residents who heard them streak across the sky before striking targets in Syria.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which rarely comments on its military operations in Syria. There were also no immediate reports of any casualties.

Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes inside Syria in the course of Syrias civil war, against what it says are suspected arms shipments believed to be bound for Lebanons Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, which is fighting alongside Syrian government forces. It rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

Earlier this week, Syrian state media reported that Israel carried out a missile attack on southern Syria late on Tuesday, targeting an unspecified military position.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP)  Washington state agriculture workers have discovered their first Asian giant hornet nest.

It was found Thursday morning north of Seattle near the Canadian border not far from where a resident saw a live Asian giant hornet on Aug. 11, The Bellingham Herald reported.

State agriculture staff then netted, tagged with a tracker and released three of hornets, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

One slipped out of the tracking device, another hornet was never located and one eventually led the team to the nest, officials said.

The Washington agency, along with the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the USDAs Animal Plant Health Inspection Service narrowed the search area by Tuesday but was unable to access the location until Thursday.

Teams spotted the nest about 9:15 a.m. Thursday. State entomologists will develop plans to eradicate the nest, most likely next week, according to the officials.

Officials hope to destroy any nests by mid-September, before the colony would start creating new reproducing queens.

The Asian giant hornet, the worlds largest at 2 inches (5 centimeters), can decimate entire hives of honeybees and deliver a painful sting to humans. Farmers in the northwest depend on honeybees to pollinate many crops such as apples, blueberries and cherries.

The invasive insect was first documented in the state late last year and officials have said its not known how it arrived in North America. It normally lives in the forests and low mountains of eastern and southeast Asia.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  The United States is warning that food aid will run out this week for millions of hungry people under a blockade imposed by Ethiopias government on the embattled Tigray region.

Samantha Power, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said in a statement late Thursday that less than 7% of the needed food aid has been reaching the Tigray region of some 6 million people, and USAID and other aid groups have depleted their stores of food items warehoused in Tigray after nine months of war.

This shortage is not because food is unavailable, but because the Ethiopian government is obstructing humanitarian aid and personnel, including land convoys and air access, she said. USAID has warned that up to 900,000 people in Tigray face famine conditions in what has been called the worlds worst hunger crisis in a decade. The Associated Press has reported that scores of people have starved to death.

Ethiopias government, on the defensive after resurgent Tigray forces retook much of the region in June, has accused humanitarian workers of arming and supporting the fighters, and aid workers have described intense searches and confiscation of personal medication, cash and communications equipment as they try to enter the region on rare convoys or flights. The government also suspended the operations of Doctors Without Borders Dutch section and the Norwegian Refugee Council, accusing them of spreading misinformation.

A spokeswoman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Billene Seyoum, rejected Power's allegations: That is not the case. Security is the top priority and there will be continuous checks and processes for aid entering Tigray, and any hiccups are discussed with affected partners, she told reporters on Friday.

Powers remarks came shortly after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that humanitarian conditions in Ethiopia are now hellish. On Friday a U.N. humanitarian spokesman, Saviano Abreu, told the AP that if the current situation continues, it poses an imminent threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people facing famine.

Guterres called for an immediate cease-fire, unrestricted aid access, the return of basic services and the creation of conditions for an Ethiopian-led dialogue.

Dialogue is highly unlikely. Ethiopias government this year declared the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, which dominated the countrys government for 27 years before Abiy came to power, a terrorist group after a political fallout turned into fighting. Asked about a peace process, the prime minister's spokeswoman said the unilateral cease-fire that Ethiopia's government declared as its forces retreated from Tigray in June was an olive branch that the TPLF refused to accept.

Power's statement urged the Tigray forces to withdraw immediately from the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, where they say they are trying to pressure Ethiopias government to end the fighting. Ethiopias government, however, has called on all able citizens to stop the Tigray forces once and for all.

The TPLFs offensive into other regions will only prolong this conflict and the suffering of the Ethiopian people, Power said, also urging the Amhara regional government to withdraw its forces from western Tigray and neighboring Eritrea to remove its forces from Ethiopia permanently.

Caught in the middle are civilians. Thousands have died.

An aid worker who recently visited the Tigray region told the AP that conditions are so dire, and resources so constrained, that at least one large aid groups staffers had been forced to begin rationing their own food, let alone have enough means to help others.

With bank services still cut off along with telephone and internet access, aid groups are running out of money, the aid worker said. And while access inside Tigray is safer and easier than before the turn in the war in June, fuel is in such short supply that its only available on the black market and diesel prices are five times higher than before, the aid worker said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

If the cash and fuel shortages cant be resolved, aid work will grind to a halt, the aid worker said, adding that some groups already had stopped some work altogether.

While the aid worker saw shops stocked with supplies, many people didnt have the means to buy them. One definition of famine is not a lack of food, its the lack of access to food, the aid worker said, adding that farmers had largely missed the crucial planting season.

The latest U.N. humanitarian update on Tigray, released on Thursday, said 100 trucks of supplies  90 of them with food  must enter Tigray every day to help meet the needs of more than 5 million people. But just 316 trucks had entered the region between July 12 and last Sunday.

Now hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in Amhara and Afar, creating a new humanitarian crisis. Abiy's spokeswoman accused the Tigray forces of indiscriminate shelling and the destruction of hospitals there. Spokesman for the Tigray forces Getachew Reda has denied targeting civilians.
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As of Friday morning, San Francisco indoor businesses like restaurants, bars and gyms were officially required to start asking customers for proof of vaccination before entering.

Our goal is to beat back this virus once again, Mayor London Breed said at a press conference at Energy, Health, Strength Pilates Studio in the citys Mission District.

Breed said the goal is also to have a vaccine mandate for outdoor events with more than 5,000 people, especially with festivals like Outside Lands on the horizon. However, she is encouraging event organizers to implement their own mandates ahead of any possible action by the city.

San Francisco is the first major city to require proof of full vaccination, rather than just partial vaccination, before engaging in high-risk indoor activities that involve eating, drinking or exercising. Officials noted that even with the mandate, people must keep their masks on inside places like gyms, where heavy breathing brings increased risk of transmission.

Right now, businesses are not being asked to verify vaccination status through the state system  they are only being asked to look at a persons paper or digital vaccine record. But if COVID-19 numbers continue to rise, the government will reconsider whether they need to be more stringent, Breed said.

For now, were doing it this way to make it as easy as possible for businesses and the people that want to attend those businesses, she said. Were not trying to get into micromanaging what you show. We just want people to get into the habit of showing proof.

The owner of the Pilates studio, Tracey Sylvester, said that she had been waiting for the full support of the government before enforcing the vaccine mandate, but that people are already very compliant.

We have had a tremendous amount of support from all of our clients and our entire staff, Sylvester said of enforcing the mandate. We were almost asked to do this.

Shes also not worried that tourists will be unaware of the vaccine mandate when they visit San Francisco businesses.

I think its a thing that people expect, she said, especially since many businesses advertise on their websites that they will require vaccination proof.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Kate Sofis, the director of the Office of Economic and Workplace Development, said that businesses concerned about how to enforce the mandate can use the resources and signage available on her offices website.

Breed also said the mandate adds an extra layer of safety as more and more businesses were seeing vaccinated workers get sick.

Its already been challenging to find employees at many of these establishments, Breed said. This was just a step that they felt was needed.

Both Breed and Dr. Grant Colfax, San Franciscos health director, emphasized that getting vaccinated is the only way to see the end of the pandemic and keep businesses and schools open.

This is about the delta surge right now. It could be about the next variant surge next, Colfax said.

Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev
In the mid-1970s, the kids in Chinatown would pile onto street corners waiting for the outbound cable car on the Powell-Hyde line. It would pop over the hill and, if the bell was ringing in a distinct staccato rhythm, it meant that the gripman they knew as Carl was onboard to entertain them all the way to school.

Theyd say, Oh, thats Carl, hes cool, recalled Lewis Fong, one of the riders, who only years later learned that Carls last name was Payne and that he was the most famous cable car conductor of them all.

Payne worked the cable cars for 29 years, putting his back into pulling the grip that grabbed the cable and putting his musical talent into winning the citys annual bell-ringing competition a record 10 times. He became well known on TV talk shows and as part of the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl entourage, and for stepping off the cable cars at age 50 to join the San Francisco Police Department as a street cop.

Always a people person, Payne retired from the Police Department in 2013, then traded his dress blue uniform for a green one, to serve as a San Francisco park ranger. He was still working and, on occasion, still ringing the brass bell at civic events.

This year, a recurrence of leukemia led to an aggressive form of lymphoma. He died Aug. 7 at his home in the Outer Sunset. He was 81.

A cornerstone of San Francisco, Officer Payne is one of those San Franciscans who help make this city shine, Mayor London Breed wrote in a note of condolence to his family. He was known by his family, friends, and community to be a man of generosity, care and spirit.

Among his many civic causes was the campaign to fund and rebuild the decrepit cable car system, which then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein recruited him to join. By the time the refurbished system reopened, Payne was a celebrity in his own right, traveling to Hong Kong, London and Amsterdam on city business.

Carl was an ambassador for the city, said Fong, who became close to Payne when they served together on the police force. He went from the Marines to Muni to the SFPD to the park rangers. He was a legend.

Carl Allen Payne was born in Pittsburgh on July 27, 1940. His father, James Payne, worked in the steel mills, and his mother, Ella Alberta Payne, cleaned houses.

Payne played drums in his high school marching band. After school he stocked shelves at the local grocery store. When he graduated in 1958 his choices were the mill or the military, so he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Payne served in the military police in Japan, where he became fluent in the language. Hed never been to San Francisco until he was discharged from the service at the Navy base on Treasure Island in 1962.

I thought Id stay for a few days, look around, he told The Chronicle in February. But once the city gets its hooks into you, thats it.

He was hired by the Municipal Railway to run the cable cars, a tough, physical job. In addition to pulling on the grip to attach the car to the moving cable under the street, it had to be released at every stop and grabbed again, all while applying and releasing the brakes. At the end of the Powell-Hyde line, operators had to get off the car and push it around on the turntable.

Payne always worked mornings and pulled the car out of the barn at 5:32 a.m. At the end of his shift, hed ride as a passenger to Powell and Market, where hed start his second job as a plainclothes security guard at Woolworths.

His third job was a drummer in R&B bands that played bars and nightclubs. From there it was a natural move to the cable car bell. It took him seven tries to win the bell-ringing competition, a promotion put on at Union Square. Then over a 15-year period from the 1970s to the late 80s, he won it 10 times.

You could give him any tune and he could mimic it on the bell, said his daughter, Cherisse Payne.

It was a talent that drew attention. After riding on the cable car with Payne, a writer from People magazine described him as a sort of ringmaster of his own thrilling road show. The road show included the on-field jazz combo at Candlestick Park during 49ers games. The group performed out of a bandshell with a cable mounted on the roof for Payne to ring.

Paynes transition to the police force began with a pickpocket problem on the cable car lines, Fong said. Police began putting plainclothes officers on the cable cars. In the morning when they would board the cars at the Powell Street turnaround, Payne would brief the cops on the situation. Wed meet him there and board the cable car and nab these guys, Fong said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Payne would follow through by serving as an expert witness for the prosecution. He carried his own handcuffs and made arrests when the cops werent available. That led him to take the Police Department entrance exam. He was on the hiring list, but by the time his name came up he was 36, one year past the age cutoff.

That rule was eventually overturned on the basis of age discrimination, and Payne was 50 when he entered the police academy in 1991, making him the oldest rookie in the history of the department at that time. He served for 23 years as a patrol officer, always with the same courtesy he brought to the cable car.

If something happened, I would try to listen to people, to hear what they had to say ... even the crazies. Id hear them out, Payne told The Chronicle. When he retired he was 73. He figured he was too old to walk the streets but not too old to walk the parks, so he became a ranger. He also worked special events.

If youve been to Bay to Breakers or Outside Lands or Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, chances are Carl was keeping you safe from behind the scenes with a smile on his face, said Phil Ginsburg, general manager of San Franciscos Recreation and Park Department.

Because hed grown up in a household too poor to afford a car, Payne developed a weakness for the fancy classics. His first was a Bentley, and then he moved on to a Rolls-Royce. He owned five at the time of his death. He showed them at classic car shows, winning awards, though not as many as he garnered for his bell ringing. The family will keep the fleet together as the Carl Payne Collection, eventually to tour the car show circuit.

Payne was married and divorced twice. Survivors include his sons, Carl Allen Payne Jr. of Pensacola, Fla., and James Payne of Picayune, Miss.; and daughters, Kimberly Goodspeed of Pittsburg and Cherisse Payne of Richmond.

My dad used to say there was no other city in the world like San Francisco with its character and its charm and opportunities, Cherisse Payne said. Through all of his talents and musical skills and his natural charisma, he gave everything he had to the city of San Francisco.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF
SACRAMENTO  Conservative radio host Larry Elder, the Republican front-runner to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom if he is defeated in the Sept. 14 recall election, once said women should tolerate some crude language and behavior from men in the workplace and that sexual harassment doesnt hold women back in their careers.

Elder outlined his views on workplace conduct in his 2000 book, The Ten Things You Cant Say in America, in which he said hypersensitivity can harm camaraderie and productivity among employees.

Smart women simply overlook some boorish behavior by men, he wrote. Off-color jokes and stupid remarks may be irritating, but a smart woman deals with this.

Elders campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Chronicle on Thursday, though he released a statement challenging Newsom to a one-on-one debate.

His statements about boorish behavior appeared in a section under the heading Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Doesnt Hold Women Back. Elder also wrote that while many men are pigs, a womans best defense against inappropriate behavior is to show competence, so that she is valuable to her employer.

The revelation comes amid a long national reckoning on sexual harassment and abuse, and as Elders views toward women draw growing scrutiny, emerging as a central issue in the tight recall contest.

Politico reported Thursday that Elders former fiancee and longtime radio producer, political activist Alexandra Datig, said he waved a gun at her during a heated argument in 2015, while he was high on marijuana.

My fear was great, and I understood I needed to de-escalate, Datig told Politico, saying she locked herself in a downstairs bedroom and ended their engagement after the incident.

Elder denied the allegation in a series of tweets, saying he never brandished a gun at anyone. He said he would stay focused on the issues that led more than 1.7 million California voters to petition for a recall.

People do not get into public life precisely because of this type of politics of personal destruction, Elder wrote. I am not going to dignify this with a response  its beneath me.

A day before the Politico story was published, Datig  formerly the producer of The Larry Elder Show, his nationally syndicated show out of Los Angeles  posted a video on Twitter demanding that Elder release her from a nondisclosure agreement she signed, so she can share concerns about him.

Im very concerned voters of California are not being presented with all of the facts about Larry Elder ... voters have a right to know the truth about who theyre electing, Datig said in her video.

Efforts by The Chronicle to interview Datig were not immediately successful.

Elders views on sexual harassment in the workplace have not been previously reported, though Huffpost.com reported last week that Elder called sexual assault allegations against former President Donald Trump childs play during a Fox News interview in 2017.

Theres no indication that Elder has reconsidered his views on sexual harassment since the publication of his 2000 book, which he wrote almost two decades before the #MeToo movement targeted sexual harassment and assault. The book can still be purchased through Elders website and online retailers.

In his book, Elder said a woman who feels aggrieved should take her concerns to managers at her workplace. But he advised smart women to refrain from reporting some level of inappropriate language or behavior.

Elder wrote that a smart woman offended by a colleague makes it clear to the speaker that she finds the remark unfunny and inappropriate. He added, But hypersensitivity creates an atmosphere where everybody walks on eggshells, no one knows what to say to each other, and camaraderie and productivity suffer.

Laura Kray, an expert on the role of gender in the workplace and faculty director of the Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, called Elders views incredibly outdated.

In a nutshell, its frightening, Kray said. I dont see this as progress in any way. It almost seems like it has to be a joke, although, sadly, I know its not.

Kray said a workplace that allows some inappropriate behavior to be overlooked creates a culture of victim blaming, an environment where women feel pressured to play along with unwanted comments or behavior and fear retaliation if they speak out.

If that is widespread and prevalent in an organization, then they are vulnerable to lawsuits about the work environment, she said. A reasonable woman in that environment would find it to be hostile.

Elders comments about women have been condemned by a few of his Republican opponents in the race, the most vocal being former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

During a debate in Sacramento on Tuesday, Faulconer denounced Elder for what he portrayed as misogynistic claims. He cited a passage from Elders 2002 book, Showdown: Confronting Bias, Lies, and the Special Interests that Divide America, in which Elder defended hiring discrimination against pregnant women.

Elder wasnt present at the debate. In the book, he wrote that employers making hiring decisions should be able to ask women if they intend to have children because it could raise costs for the business.

Are there legitimate business reasons for a venture capitalist to ask a female entrepreneur whether and when she intends to have children? Hell, yes, Elder wrote.

Faulconer called Elders stance bulls and challenged other Republicans on the ballot to similarly denounce his views. He also cited a 2000 column in which Elder stated that Democrats easily manipulate women because women know less than men about political issues, economics and current events.

Thats not who we are as Californians, Faulconer said on the debate stage. As governor, Im going to make sure that California daughters have the same opportunities as California sons.

Caitlyn Jenner, the former reality TV star and another Republican in the race, took to Twitter to slam Elder on Thursday. She said his view on pregnancy discrimination is outrageous and speaks volumes about the type of person he is.

During an online news conference on Wednesday, Elder stood by his remarks about pregnancy and hiring decisions, though he noted that numerous federal and state laws prohibit such discrimination.

I believe that government should not be intruding into the relationship between an employer and an employee, he said. I know there are all sorts of laws and rules and regulations that prevent that. But I wonder whether or not its wise for government to be interfering like this.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
Two extreme Northern California wildland blazes expanded Friday as they burned through drought-plagued vegetation in the rugged Sierra Nevada, with one of them compelling authorities to close part of a major route between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.

More than 31,000 total structures were threatened by the Caldor and Dixie fires, each of which have continued to grow amid severely dry conditions, challenging the efforts of about 7,300 firefighters trying to contain the flames.

The California Department of Transportation said Friday afternoon that the Caldor Fire, which has been raging in El Dorado County east of Sacramento and southwest of Lake Tahoe, prompted the closure of Highway 50 between Sly Park Road in Pollock Pines and Meyers  a roughly 40-mile stretch.

Authorities were evacuating people between Sly Park and Strawberry, Caltrans said. The agency had no estimate on when the highway that connects the Sacramento area to Tahoes southern shores might reopen.

Caltrans spokesman Steve Nelson said the massive road closure was a proactive move because of a windy weather forecast to hit the Caldor Fire zone on Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Sacramento has instituted a red-flag warning of critical fire danger for the Caldor area from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Forecasters said they expect west to southwest wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph, with some spots possibly reaching up to 40 mph.

We have no idea what the fire is gonna do, Nelson said. Rather than trying to push people out of there last minute to evacuate over the weekend, were trying to get people cleared out now and get them off the highway.

Officials said the fire had already sent some debris falling onto Highway 50 on Friday, making the road dangerous for cars to pass through.

The Caldor Fire remained 0% contained Friday evening and had grown to 75,845 acres.

At least 164 structures have been destroyed by the fire, though that number is expected to increase after officials gain access to burned regions. More than 1,500 people were helping fight the Caldor Fire on Friday.

With the vast majority of California under extreme or exceptional drought conditions, as defined by the U.S. Drought Monitor, parched trees and brush are providing plenty of material to foster Caldors continued growth. Its the kind of conditions scientists have long warned would become likelier due to climate change.

A lot of the fuel load out there is primed to burn, said Keith Wade, a spokesman for the incident management team working on Caldor. Its very dry. Theres a lot of dead, heavy timber thats out in that area. This fire can rapidly spread given the proper wind event coming through.

While firefighting efforts had benefited from moderate winds on Thursday and Friday, officials expect conditions to become more difficult when the wind picks up over the weekend.

Firefighters goal is to keep Caldors flames south of Highway 50. As of Friday afternoon, the fire was most active on its north and northeastern fronts  burning away from Pollock Pines but toward the small community of Kyburz.

About 12,500 firefighters were battling 14 large blazes in a fire season thats already consumed some 1.4 million acres in California, even as the driest and most historically dangerous months of early autumn are still ahead.

The gargantuan Dixie Fire, which has charred parts of five counties near Lake Almanor and Honey Lake, had grown to 705,000 acres Friday night as firefighters sought to bolster containment lines.

More than 16,000 structures are threatened by the fire thats already destroyed more than 650 homes and 565 other structures during its month-plus rampage across Butte, Plumas, Tehama, Lassen and Shasta counties.

Containment remained stuck at 35% Friday. About 5,700 firefighting personnel are assigned to the blaze, the second-largest wildfire in recorded California history and the largest to have originated from a single origin.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

Authorities on Friday issued a new evacuation order for the Plumas County community of Taylorsville, including Arlington Road and Nelson Street. Law enforcement told residents to flee south toward Quincy.

As with Caldor, severe drought conditions have aided Dixies persistent growth.

Fuel moistures are historically low, said Nicholas Prange, a spokesman for crews fighting the Dixie Fire. That creates a problem when wind blows embers into those fuels.

Officials overseeing the Dixie firefight warned that Northern California was in the midst of a long and tough fire season made worse by the ongoing drought. Fires burning in the northern part of the state have been exhibiting extreme fire growth based on critical fuel conditions, firefighters said in their evening incident update on Dixie.

Under these drought conditions, wildfires are burning rapidly with extreme severity and have traveled up to 8 miles in a single day, the update said. Fire spread is fuel driven and does not depend on wind speed, as we have seen in previous years. Firefighters are experiencing conditions never seen before, such as increased spread rates, spotting and active nighttime burning.

Smoke drifting from the fires in Northern California and southern Oregon prompted a Spare the Air alert from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Bay Area residents were advised to stay indoors as much as possible.

Chronicle staff writers Dominic Fracassa and Lauren Hernandez contributed to this report.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
In the late September days following the eruption of the Glass Fire, which would turn out to be the 10th-most-destructive wildfire in California history, officials zeroed in on one possible point of origin: an electric fence at a vineyard, high up a rugged ridgeline on Howell Mountain.

It belonged to Cakebread Cellars, one of Napa Valleys most famous wineries.

The Cakebread family understood what was at stake. Anyone would have, especially after seeing the example set by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The utility, whose equipment has caused more than 1,500 fires since 2014, has set aside billions of dollars to pay the fires victims.

If Cakebreads vineyard fence were found to have sparked the Glass Fire, and if the winery were found guilty of negligence or another statutory violation, it would have been vulnerable to lawsuits from Cal Fire, the states firefighting agency, as well as the owners of 650 destroyed homes.

Those damages would amount to a very sobering number, said Richard Linkert, a lawyer representing Cakebread. I know it would have a lot of zeroes.

So the Cakebreads jumped to action. Rather than wait for Cal Fire to complete a report on the fires origins, a process that could take upwards of a year, the winery undertook its own investigation.

Soon theyd retained Linkert, an experienced wildfire attorney who proceeded to hire an extensive crew of forensic and technical experts. The findings from this commission, which focused on analyses of photographs taken in the fires early hours, exonerated Cakebread, showing that the fence did not ignite the Glass Fire and that the blaze did not start on its property.

Those findings heavily informed Cal Fires own investigation, whose results were published this month. The evidence that Cakebread provided allowed investigators to rule out their vineyard property, fire Capt. Gary Uboldi wrote. (PG&E power lines were also ruled out.) Ultimately, Uboldi and his colleagues were unable to determine an exact cause or point of origin of the Glass Fire.

Its common for Cal Fire to make use of privately funded research in its wildfire investigations, according to Ken Pimlott, a former director of Cal Fire who wasnt involved in inquiries into the Glass Fire. But the scope of the Cakebread study, unprecedented for a California winery, raises questions about the states independence and points to possible new ways in which businesses with a lot to lose may seek to play a larger role in the future of natural-disaster accountability.

Of the 14 people interviewed for Uboldis report, nine represented Cakebread.

Members of the Cakebread family swear they were seeking the truth, not simply absolution, and instructed their consultants accordingly. If it was us, we were going to take our lumps with it. We wanted to understand what happened there, said co-owner Bruce Cakebread. But if it wasnt us, we wanted to understand that, too.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle 2020

Cakebread Cellars is one of Napas most storied names. Since the family first started its eponymous winery in 1973, it has developed a devoted following for its Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines and for its luxurious tasting room on Highway 29 in Rutherford.

The companys land holdings extend far beyond that Rutherford address. The Cakebreads own about 1,000 acres in Napa Valley, including a 210-acre parcel above St. Helena on Howell Mountain. They call their 27 acres of grapevines here Dancing Bear Ranch; Cakebread Cellars produces one of its highest-end red wines from here, sold for about $150 per bottle.

Any implication that the winery was responsible for starting a massive wildfire would have threatened Cakebreads public image and its standing in the Napa wine community  a danger that the family understood from the start.

A KTVU report on Sept. 30 that Cal Fire was investigating the Dancing Bear Ranch electric fence created a sense of urgency to get in front of the story. We had a lot of reputational damage, said CEO Mike Jaeger.

Jaeger and his team engaged Linkert the very same day. Typically, companies hire him two years after a fire, once theyre already being sued, he said. Linkert assembled a brain trust  an electrical engineer, forensic animator, fire investigator and fire engineer  to work on Cakebreads behalf.

The final bill hasnt yet been tallied, but Jaeger said the winery has spent several hundred thousand dollars on the project so far.

The main piece of exculpatory evidence: five photographs taken during the Glass Fires first moments, between 3:37 and 3:54 a.m. Two were taken by Steve Burgess, the former owner of Burgess Cellars, who snapped iPhone photos from his Howell Mountain porch just as the blaze was becoming visible. The images show a pitch-black night with bright orange flames advancing across a ridge. (Cakebread showed me the images but would not release them for publication, citing concerns that the images could be manipulated.)

Those photos turned out to contain key information, said Toby Terpstra, a forensic video technician whom Cakebread hired. Terpstra specializes in re-creating scenes based on photographs or videos, such as those taken at the scene of a vehicle accident. He often uses a technique called photogrammetry, which enables measurements to be taken from an image. Terpstra plotted the location of the fire at the time those photographs were taken.

According to Terpstra, his models revealed that by 4 a.m. on Sept. 27, the Glass Fire had already begun  but had not yet reached the area with the electric fence. Although the blaze did arrive at Dancing Bear Ranch sometime before dawn, those early pictures offer incontrovertible proof, Cakebreads team believes, that it could not have been the origin point.

Cal Fire did not use photogrammetry techniques in its Glass Fire investigation, and its unclear whether it has in the past. Pimlott, who retired from Cal Fire in 2018, was not familiar with it. The technology is not yet widespread, Terpstra said; he estimated that about 50 companies in the country employ it. The U.S. Geological Survey is now using photogrammetry to create maps, and independent forensic technician John DeHaan said he has commissioned photogrammetry in fire investigations hes led in the past.

In December, when Cakebreads team presented Cal Fire with their findings  which came in the form of a highly produced short film  it changed the course of the official investigation, Uboldis report suggested.

From the video and pictures, I saw I could rule out my prior identified location of interest for the origin of the fire at 300 North Fork Crystal Springs Road which is owned by Cakebread vineyards, Uboldi wrote.

Cal Fire did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Heat maps collected by the California National Guard at 4:16 a.m. on Sept. 27 would eventually corroborate this, as a diagram in the Uboldis report shows. The heat maps indicate that there was a period when the fire was burning but had not yet engulfed Dancing Bear Ranch.

Theoretically, that made the electric-fence hypothesis moot, but Cakebreads investigators insist that the fence could not have caused the fire anyway.

The winery had initially installed the fence to keep bears and deer from eating the grapes. But after finding that the animals could easily hop the fence, it switched to putting bird netting over the vines instead. The netting has done a better job of protecting the fruit, Bruce Cakebread said, and they hadnt turned the fence on for a couple of years.

Cal Fire investigators found the electric fences controller set to the off position during their initial inspection of the property, according to the state report. If someone had turned the fence back on, Bruce Cakebread said, he would have been notified under the companys protocol.

One might easily mistake it for an origin area, Linkert said of the fence. The burn pattern on the ground, showing char in a V-pattern advancing up a slope, looked like a possible beginning, said Linkert. So it makes sense that Uboldi had focused on the fence so intently for the first few months.

But the results of the photogrammetry eliminated that possibility, Linkert said. With only one other, de-energized power line on Dancing Bear Ranch, that left no other ignition sources on Cakebreads land, according to him.

Cal Fire agreed.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

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As wildfires become more frequent and destructive in California, the stakes for holding someone accountable are growing higher, too. Victims who lose homes, businesses or loved ones can  and do  seek compensation. With residents and commercial property owners finding it increasingly difficult to secure wildfire insurance, litigation may become an increasingly important part of that compensation process. And understanding the exact cause of each fire can help mitigate future disasters.

When a Cal Fire investigation comes up inconclusive, which is not a rare occurrence, it can be frustrating to victims.

Everyone was hoping for a more definitive response from Cal Fire, said Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin, who represents areas affected by the Glass Fire. She hopes more information may yet come to light: There will certainly be more discussion about the origin.

These dynamics take on unique meaning in Wine Country, which has suffered numerous megafires in recent years. While a winery or vineyard has not been found culpable for sparking any of those blazes, these rural agricultural parcels often contain fuel sources  electrical equipment, large propane storage tanks and power tools.

Wineries are also often public-facing businesses, dependent on the goodwill of customers and wary of the sort of public-relations nightmare that PG&E has endured.

On top of that, wealthy businesses such as wineries may be able to offer resources that perpetually under-resourced Cal Fire lacks. If an individual or a business has collected its own information  as insurance companies frequently do  Cal Fire will want to look at it.

At the end of the day, Cal Fire or the local unit is responsible for conducting the investigation, but any public agency will rely on bringing in additional experts, said Pimlott, the retired Cal Fire director. Conducting an examination like this really takes expertise thats available both in the public and private sector.

Such an arrangement presents ethical questions: Can evidence be credible if its collection is funded by an interested party? Theres a clear conflict of interest there, said Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, a nonprofit that promotes wildland management practices.

Nevertheless, multiple experts confirmed, its standard for Cal Fire to incorporate information provided by private investigators working on behalf of an insurance carrier or a company like Cakebread. All relevant information should be considered and reviewed, no matter who collected it, Ingalsbee said.

A lot of it comes back to the integrity of the private-sector investigator, said forensic technician DeHaan. The attitude, he said, is were going to look at all the options and test all the hypotheses and keep our minds open.

Pimlott said Cal Fire corroborates outside information it receives and carefully guards investigations against meddling.

You are always protecting the area of origin like a crime scene, he said. It doesnt mean a crime was committed, but they are treated like that.

Just like people accused of crimes, companies implicated in wildfire causation have varying means to spend on their defenses. Cakebreads investigation could set a new example for how businesses can work to clear their names of wrongdoing. But not every business, not even every Napa Valley winery, has several hundred thousand dollars for such an endeavor.

For the Cakebreads, the arrival of the Cal Fire report seemed to mark the end of a long, anxiety-ridden saga. While its possible the winery could still face lawsuits from victims, Linkert said the extent of the evidence they collected and its endorsement by Cal Fire would likely dissuade people from such actions. If someone wanted to file a suit, Linkert said, hes confident that theyd change their minds after seeing the high-production video he showed Cal Fire.

Cakebreads absolution doesnt change the fact that investigators still dont know what caused the Glass Fire, and its possible they never will. Knowing that Cakebread isnt responsible doesnt ease the pain of this community, a fact that co-owner Dennis Cakebread acknowledged. No matter where it started, it was still a horrible event, he said.

Still, he added, Ive got to admit theres a certain feeling of relief.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer J.D. Morris contributed to this report.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley
TACOMA, Wash. (AP)  Taxpayers will not pay the Pierce County, Washington, sheriffs legal costs in state and county investigations surrounding his January confrontation with a Black newspaper carrier.

The Pierce County Council voted Tuesday to deny Sheriff Ed Troyers request for legal representation at county expense, The News Tribune reported.

In an August letter to council obtained by The News Tribune, Troyer asked to hire outside legal counsel, saying his job is 24/7 and therefore he was working at the time of the incident.

The Washington state Attorney Generals Office has opened an investigation into whether Troyer made a false 911 call saying the newspaper carrier was threatening him.

Council Chairman Derek Young, D-Gig Harbor, said while the council debated whether the encounter was part of Troyers duties as sheriff, it is the councils decision whether to provide Troyers legal representation.

Even if we think he was representing the county, its up to our discretion, Young said.

Four members voted to reject Troyers request and three voted to approve it.

Troyer has indicated legal counsel is needed for interviews investigators are requesting, Young said during the meeting.

Council member Ryan Mello, D-Tacoma, said before the vote the sheriff was not acting in an official capacity.

In public comments, he said he did not identify himself as a sheriff, he was not in public vehicle and did not have a badge, Mello said in the meeting. Those data points lead me to say that the taxpayers should not pay for the criminal defense.

Troyer was elected as sheriff in November with 64% approval. Previously, he was the public information officer for the department for 19 years.

On Jan. 27, Troyer confronted Sedrick Altheimer, who was delivering newspapers. Troyer got in his personal vehicle without his badge or weapon and said he went to catch a license plate of the car he believed to be suspicious.

Altheimer eventually stopped and asked Troyer what he was doing.

Troyer called 911 and asked dispatchers to send a patrol car or two but told dispatchers at least three times he was threatened by Altheimer.

The emergency call triggered an officer in trouble response, and 42 officers, deputies and troopers began responding. Nearly all were called off after Tacoma officers arrived and found no danger.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Altheimer denies threatening Troyer. A Tacoma police officer wrote in a report the sheriff told him Altheimer never made threats. Troyer later told The News Tribune that Tacoma police misunderstood him when he said he didnt want anything done about the carriers alleged threat.

Troyer has repeatedly said he did not racially profile Altheimer.

The confrontation prompted the County Council to open a fact-finding investigation in April and the state Attorney Generals Office to start the criminal investigation. One of the charges being considered against Troyer is criminal false reporting for telling the 911 operator Altheimer threatened him.

Additionally, Altheimer has filed a $5 million claim for damages against Pierce County. The claim is the first step in suing a government agency.

The claim says Altheimer suffered emotional distress from the racial profiling, false arrest and unnecessary use of excessive force of this man whose only crime was being a black man in a white neighborhood.

Prosecuting Attorney Mary Robnett has yet to decide whether the county government will represent Troyer if a lawsuit is filed, spokesperson Adam Faber said.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  The United States is warning that food aid will run out this week for millions of hungry people under a blockade imposed by Ethiopias government on the embattled Tigray region.

Samantha Power, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said in a statement late Thursday that less than 7% of the needed food aid has been reaching the Tigray region of some 6 million people, and USAID and other aid groups have depleted their stores of food items warehoused in Tigray after nine months of war.

This shortage is not because food is unavailable, but because the Ethiopian government is obstructing humanitarian aid and personnel, including land convoys and air access, she said. USAID has warned that up to 900,000 people in Tigray face famine conditions in what has been called the worlds worst hunger crisis in a decade. The Associated Press has reported that scores of people have starved to death.

Ethiopias government, on the defensive after resurgent Tigray forces retook much of the region in June, has accused humanitarian workers of arming and supporting the fighters, and aid workers have described intense searches and confiscation of personal medication, cash and communications equipment as they try to enter the region on rare convoys or flights. The government also suspended the operations of Doctors Without Borders Dutch section and the Norwegian Refugee Council, accusing them of spreading misinformation.

A spokeswoman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Billene Seyoum, rejected Power's allegations: That is not the case. Security is the top priority and there will be continuous checks and processes for aid entering Tigray, and any hiccups are discussed with affected partners, she told reporters on Friday.

Powers remarks came shortly after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that humanitarian conditions in Ethiopia are now hellish. On Friday a U.N. humanitarian spokesman, Saviano Abreu, told the AP that if the current situation continues, it poses an imminent threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people facing famine.

Guterres called for an immediate cease-fire, unrestricted aid access, the return of basic services and the creation of conditions for an Ethiopian-led dialogue.

Dialogue is highly unlikely. Ethiopias government this year declared the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, which dominated the countrys government for 27 years before Abiy came to power, a terrorist group after a political fallout turned into fighting. Asked about a peace process, the prime minister's spokeswoman said the unilateral cease-fire that Ethiopia's government declared as its forces retreated from Tigray in June was an olive branch that the TPLF refused to accept.

Power's statement urged the Tigray forces to withdraw immediately from the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, where they say they are trying to pressure Ethiopias government to end the fighting. Ethiopias government, however, has called on all able citizens to stop the Tigray forces once and for all.

The TPLFs offensive into other regions will only prolong this conflict and the suffering of the Ethiopian people, Power said, also urging the Amhara regional government to withdraw its forces from western Tigray and neighboring Eritrea to remove its forces from Ethiopia permanently.

Caught in the middle are civilians. Thousands have died.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

An aid worker who recently visited the Tigray region told the AP that conditions are so dire, and resources so constrained, that at least one large aid groups staffers had been forced to begin rationing their own food, let alone have enough means to help others.

With bank services still cut off along with telephone and internet access, aid groups are running out of money, the aid worker said. And while access inside Tigray is safer and easier than before the turn in the war in June, fuel is in such short supply that its only available on the black market and diesel prices are five times higher than before, the aid worker said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

If the cash and fuel shortages cant be resolved, aid work will grind to a halt, the aid worker said, adding that some groups already had stopped some work altogether.

While the aid worker saw shops stocked with supplies, many people didnt have the means to buy them. One definition of famine is not a lack of food, its the lack of access to food, the aid worker said, adding that farmers had largely missed the crucial planting season.

The latest U.N. humanitarian update on Tigray, released on Thursday, said 100 trucks of supplies  90 of them with food  must enter Tigray every day to help meet the needs of more than 5 million people. But just 316 trucks had entered the region between July 12 and last Sunday.

Now hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in Amhara and Afar, creating a new humanitarian crisis. Abiy's spokeswoman accused the Tigray forces of indiscriminate shelling and the destruction of hospitals there. Spokesman for the Tigray forces Getachew Reda has denied targeting civilians.
California Correctional Center, a prison in the small Northern California town of Susanville, is scheduled to close in June 2022.

Local officials are fighting the closure tooth and nail. A Lassen County judge recently granted their request for a restraining order, which will temporarily halt the process.

When I first heard California would be shutting down one of its 35 state prisons, I rushed to tell my wife the news. We both believe prisons do more harm than good and are a waste of taxpayer money.

She cheered, but then reminded me of something important. As in many small towns across the country, the prison industry is the bedrock of the local economy in Susanville, which is home to not only California Correctional Center but also High Desert State Prison.

We both sat there for a moment in silence, considering what the closure would mean for those employed at the prison. My wifes late father used to work at a prison in Live Oak (Sutter County), the city right next to where we grew up. When that prison closed in 2011 and he lost his job, it sent him into a tailspin.

He worked at Leo Chesney Female Community Correctional Facility, a private prison run by CoreCivic. Its one of the biggest private prison companies in the country. Like their state-run counterparts, private prisons are often located in small towns where they are major employers. In Susanville, for example, the two state prisons account for nearly 50% of the towns employment.

But not all jobs are created equal. We must move away from exploitative and extractive industries.

Right now, the prison industry feasts on Black and Latino people. Communities of color are criminalized at higher rates than white people for the same behaviors. Then theyre transported from the urban areas where most of them live to rural prisons. Their incarceration subsidizes majority-white towns with correctional jobs.

Thats just wrong.

I get why cities like Susanville cry foul when prisons close. When prisoners are shipped out of town, jobs go with them. Thats scary. Schools lose funding, the local government loses tax revenue, and if there isnt another industry for correctional staffers to transition to, families are forced to move to find work.

But Im not suggesting we leave Susanville high and dry. On the contrary, we must invest in a just transition for its correctional employees. That means replacing the jobs lost due to the closure with ones catered to local needs.

Prisons are a hellscape. If youre honest about it, you know thats the truth.

Theyre hazardous for both correctional officers and the incarcerated population, they dont deter future crime, and they come with an absurd price tag  especially considering how terribly ineffective they are.

Next year, the state of California alone is projected to spend $16 billion on its prison system. By closing California Correctional Center, the state expects to save $122 million. Thats a lot of money, but its a drop in the bucket compared to what the U.S. spends on corrections annually.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, our federal, state and local governments spend about $81 billion per year on probation, jail, prison and parole. We should pull as much money as possible out of the bloated prison industrial complex and put it into jobs and programs that better serve Americas small towns.

Coming from a small Northern California town, I know how badly we need good-paying jobs in the states rural areas.

It doesnt take a scientist to figure out what those jobs should be.

Every year, it seems, our state suffers a new worst fire on record. As you read this, the Dixie Fire, the second largest in California history, is rampaging its way through the northern part of the state. Its just one of 15 active California fires.

We need more firefighters.

Im not talking about the incarcerated ones we pay a couple of bucks a day. Their contributions are much appreciated. But its almost impossible to morally justify prison firefighter programs because of how little they are compensated.

Either pay them a real wage or hire more firefighters.

With the $122 million California is expected to save by closing California Correctional Center, we could hire 3,800 U.S. Forest Service personnel, 2,200 CalFire firefighters or 1,300 local firefighters. And thats just from the closure of one prison.

Small towns across the U.S. would be a lot better off if we divested from the prison industry and invested in the kinds of jobs our communities actually need. For parts of California, firefighters top the list. Elsewhere, it might be teachers, electricians, domestic workers or farmers.

Rural areas, and the country for that matter, would also benefit from major investments in public transportation, broadband infrastructure and clean energy production.

As it stands, less than half of our energy comes from renewable sources. We can and must do better than that.

All of these industries are more deserving of the billions of dollars we sink into the prison industry.

Towns like Susanville are hurt when prisons shutter. But it isnt because theyre clamoring to guard people in cages. Its because they want good jobs. Lets give them ones that make the world, our state and our communities safer, better places.

Robert P. Alvarez is a media relations associate at the Institute for Policy Studies. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.
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In a rare spectacle last week, a boat full of sightseers on Monterey Bay spotted 90-foot blue whales as well as a large pod of 40-foot humpbacks just a short boat ride from Monterey Harbor.

Most people have never seen a blue whale, said Nancy Black, marine biologist and owner of Monterey Bay Whale Watch. In past years you had to be lucky. Blue whales were not very predictable. But right now they are here, and we know why.

In the past 10 days, huge masses of krill, a small, shrimp-like crustacean and the favorite food of blue whales, arrived on the edge of the Monterey Submarine Canyon, the deep underwater formation that extends out from Moss Landing. That brought in 10 to 20 blue whales to gorge. On Sunday, the sightings included a pair of blue whale calves, estimated at 35 to 40 feet long.

At the same time, mammoth schools of anchovies along the southern edge of the canyon attracted roughly 40 humpback whales, most ranging 40 to 45 feet long, known for spectacular jumps, pirouettes and lunge-feeding. The humpbacks often work as a team, swimming in circles and blowing bubbles to create an underwater curtain to corral the baitfish. The whales then take turns diving and surging up through the prey.

Courtesy Mike Kauffman / Monterey Bay Whale Watch

The ocean currents push along the wall of the canyon, so there is lots of upwelling, Black said. That makes for lots of plankton. The plankton then draws in the krill, anchovies, squid and other baitfish, which in turn draw the whales.

Blue whales are twice as long as a city bus and recognized as the largest animals that have lived on the planet. They can live 90 years and reach 110 feet.

Seeing blues and humpbacks on the same trip within close range of shore is a key reason why Monterey is considered the No. 1 whale-watching site off the Pacific Coast. While blue whales and humpbacks are the stars of the show, whale-watching trips out of Monterey in the past week have also sighted a nursery group of 30 Rissos dolphins, 10 Dalls porpoise, minke and fin whales, and four killer whales.

Unlike San Francisco and at most harbors on the California coast, whale sightings out of Monterey dont require expensive, all-day boat trips.

Within a half-hour boat ride out of Monterey, the ocean floor drops off a shelf from a few hundred feet deep to the canyon floor at 5,000 feet. That allows Black to run three- to four-hour trips that depart multiple times a day, usually 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Trips start at $60 per person, with discounts for children, for three-hour afternoon trips. For more ambitious watchers, longer trips are available.

Last Sunday, it took only 35 minutes to reach the blue whales.

Out of Monterey, theyre pretty close to shore, Black said.

The humpbacks, located to the east along the southern edge of the canyon, were easy to locate. From a distance, their spouts look like puffs of smoke rising from the sea surface.

Douglas Croft / Department of Fish and Wildlife

Looking closer, you can often see their flukes as they raise their tails high above the surface to help propel a power dive.

If you go Location/check-in: Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf No. 1 (near end of dock, walk right at Crab House Restaurant; check in a half hour prior to departure. Morning trips: Depart at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.; 3.5-to four-hour trips, $65 weekdays, $71 weekends, discounts for children; premium seating available on 10 a.m. trips for up to 22 available on upper deck, $79 weekdays, $85 weekends; eight-hour trips, $140; 12-hour trips, $190. Afternoon trips: Depart at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.; three-hour trips, $60 weekdays, $65 weekends, discounts for children; premium seating available on 2:30 p.m. trips available on upper deck, $74 weekdays, $79 weekends; sunset trips, $65, discounts for children. Contact: Monterey Bay Whale Watch, 831-375-4658, www.montereybaywhalewatch.com. See More Collapse

Other times you can spot them rocketing into the air, spinning and landing on their backs with tremendous splashes.

Most captains, as they approach the whales, will put their vessels in neutral and float free  the whales often choose to swim right up and put on a show.

Three boats run daily out of Monterey: the 65-foot Black Finn, 70-foot Sea Wolf II and 55-foot Point Sur Clipper. Because of social distancing guidelines, trips are limited to 60, 35 and 24 people, respectively  about half capacity.

For the best chance to see blue whales, the best boat is the Black Finn, where you can pay a bit more, another $10, for upper-deck seating. From a higher perspective, you can best see the outline of this rare animal. Unlike humpbacks, they almost never breach, but rather cruise forward, occasionally letting loose with their mighty blow hole on the surface, using their giant mouths as a seine-like fish trap as they swim through schools of tiny krill.

Tom Stienstra is The San Francisco Chronicles outdoor writer emeritus. Email: tomstienstra2021@gmail.com Twitter: @StienstraTom
SACRAMENTO  Supporters of recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom, including conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, the leading candidate to replace him, spread false claims this week that the mail ballot was designed to facilitate fraud and rig the election in favor of the governor.

Those allegations echo former President Donald Trumps efforts last fall to preemptively cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election, paving the way for him to challenge the results after he was defeated in November.

But the design elements that recall supporters pointed to as evidence of a conspiracy  including a pair of small holes punched into the return envelope  are standard and, in some cases, were added to ensure accuracy and accessibility for all voters.

There are failsafes in the voting process all the way through that the public is not generally aware of, said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, a nonpartisan organization that works to improve the voting process. It is unfortunate that some jump to the worst possible conclusions rather than taking the time to understand how elections officials protect votes.

A video made by an Elder supporter, drawing attention to the holes on either side of the line where voters sign their envelopes, began circulating online Thursday, as mail ballots were continuing to arrive at the homes of every registered voter in California.

In the clip, the woman points out that if her ballot is placed into the envelope in a certain way, someone could see through one of the holes that she voted in favor of the recall and potentially throw it out. She tells viewers to line up their ballots inside the envelope so that their votes are not visible.

Richard Grenell, the former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence under Trump, was among those who shared the video on Twitter, accusing Newsom of cheating.

Those holes are actually a tool to help voters who are visually impaired tactilely find where to sign their envelope, according to the Secretary of States Office, which oversees elections in California. They also serve as a visual check for elections officials to ensure that a ballot has not been left inside an envelope uncounted.

We take voters right to a private ballot seriously, spokesperson Jenna Dresner said in an email. Voters can of course fold their ballot another way before inserting it in the envelope if they are concerned, but ballots themselves are different in every county so the placement of the question on the ballot and where the hole lies is not statewide.

The elections office in Los Angeles County, where the disputed envelope appeared to be from, also publicly addressed the concerns, noting that they have used the same design for several election cycles at the recommendation of civic design consultants. Holes have also been added to return envelopes in other states, such as Utah.

Voters have control of how they place their ballot in the envelope and have multiple options for returning their ballots (mail, Ballot Drop Box, or at a Vote Center) to ensure secure and appropriate handling, Mike Sanchez, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, said in an email.

He recommended that voters sign up for Ballot Trax, which allows voters to track online when their ballot has been mailed, received and counted.

A second false claim, based on a photo of a ballot from Lake County, alleges that the field of 46 replacement candidates was ordered so that a fold would run through Elders name, which could cause votes for him not to count.

The order of the ballot is determined by a random drawing and rotates in each of Californias 80 Assembly districts, giving every candidate at least one chance to appear at the top. Each county also designs its own ballot. Elders name consequently does not appear on a fold for every voter.

Alexander said she had not heard of ballot scanners having trouble reading across folds, but if problems do occur, such as a tear or errant marking, elections officials will remake the ballot and count it.

There are always flaws and imperfections, she said. Ballots getting remade is a routine part of the process.

Elder shared an article promoting both of these conspiracies on his Twitter account Thursday evening. The article, by the right-wing site Gateway Pundit, is titled California Rigging the Governor Election Against Larry Elder and Those Who Voted for Recall.

Ying Ma, a spokesperson for Elder, said the campaign had concerns about election integrity but was not making any specific allegations.

Just because he posts something doesnt mean hes making an allegation, Ma said. We want to make sure every vote is counted.

She did not respond to a question about whether Elder would accept the results of the election after the results are tabulated. Elder subsequently shared the article again and then retweeted Grenells accusation Friday, following The Chronicles inquiry.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
On his worst day as a gubernatorial recall candidate, Republican Larry Elder -- the front-runner to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in the Sept. 14 election -- caught a break at a debate Thursday in San Francisco, held just hours after publication of multiple stories detailing his misogynistic views and an alleged threat toward his ex-fiance.

Elders good fortune: None of his Republican opponents mentioned the stories.

Nor did they -- as former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer did at a debate Tuesday in Sacramento -- mention that Elder again didnt show up to debate his opponents. Elder, the 69-year-old syndicated radio host who has never held public office, has declined all offers to debate. He has said he wont debate until Newsom shares the stage with him.

The mail-in recall ballot that will be sent to every registered voters asks two questions: Should Newsom be removed from office? And if so, who should replace him?

If a majority of voters selects yes on the first question, then whichever candidate wins the second question will serve the remainder of Newsoms term, which ends in January 2023  even if they do not receive a majority.

The three candidates, as they have during their previous encounters, spent much of their time railing on Newsoms handling of COVID-related mandates, homelessness and the high cost of living in Califonria.

Here are three takeaways from Thursdays debate at KRON TV studios in San Francisco that featured Republicans Faulconer, San Diego businessman John Cox and Placer County Assemblyman Kevin Kiley:

Elder wins by being ignored: Elder has been leading all of the early polls among the candidates to replace Newsom, although as Cox pointed out Thursday, undecided is the choice of most voters, hovering around 40% in many polls.

Yet Elders rivals passed up a chance to attack the front-runner Thursday over two stories that could have been damaging.

On Thursday, The Chronicle reported that Elder had said women should tolerate some crude language and behavior from men in the workplace and that sexual harassment doesnt hold women back in their careers.

Elder outlined his views on workplace conduct in his 2000 book, The Ten Things You Cant Say in America, in which he said hypersensitivity can harm camaraderie and productivity among employees. Elder did not respond to a request for comment on the story.

Also on Thursday, Politico reported that Elders former fiancee and longtime radio producer, political activist Alexandra Datig, said he waved a gun at her during a heated argument in 2015, while he was high on marijuana.

My fear was great, and I understood I needed to de-escalate, Datig told Politico, saying she locked herself in a downstairs bedroom and ended their engagement after the incident.

Elder tweeted Thursday that I have never brandished a gun at anyone. I grew up in South Central; I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. Its not me, and everyone who knows me knows its not me. These are salacious allegations.

The debate moderators didnt ask about the issues raised in the stories and the candidates didnt mention them.

Mixed messages to Latinos: The candidates sent conflicting signals Latino voters who, as one questioner pointed out, could hold the key to deciding whether Newsom is recalled.

Cox, who supports building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, took the hardest line, said he would absolutely kill Californias sanctuary state status, ridiculing the notion that our police aren't going to be able to talk to federal authorities about criminals in our midst.

I live in San Diego, I see human trafficking drugs and guns come across those border, said Cox, a multimillionaire who lives in Rancho Santa Fe. I'm fearful for my family. I want to make sure that every family in California is protected.

When asked what would they would do to help the 39% of Californians who are Latino, each of them mentioned improving schools. Faulconer and Kiley mentioned making it easier for parents to choose different schools if they were unsatisfied with the one their child was attending.

Dancing with Trump: The three men tread carefully around questions involving Donald Trump, fearful of alienating the states GOP base, much of which remains loyal to the former president. Their challenge is that with Elder locking up conservative voters in early polls, they each need to draw more moderate Republicans and independent voters -- many of whom dislike Trump.

When asked if they would vote for Trump in 2024, Cox said he would if it was a rematch against President Biden. Faulconer said it depended who the partys nominee was and Kiley said it has long been his policy not to comment on national issues.

Both Kiley and Faulconer made pitches to independents and Democrats in their closing pitches.Whether you're Republican or Democrat or an independent, Faulconer said, I ask for your help and support as we bring our state together.

Kiley offered a more short-term pitch.

If reluctant to cross party lines, then the recall is for you, Kiley said. Because you're not signing on for four years, you're signing on for one year. So take a chance on change, and see if things improve. If they don't, you can always vote for return the way things are next year -- when Californians will vote for governor again.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
WASHINGTON  Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign for Gov. Gavin Newsom in the Bay Area this week as the Democratic Party rallies around the California governor in his recall battle.

The former California senator will visit her hometown of Oakland on Friday, on her way back from a weeklong visit to Southeast Asia. CNN was first to report her plans.

Newsom announced the event Friday, introducing a public signup page for supporters. Specific details of the plans were not available, but the announcement billed it as a way to rally Californians.

I am excited to join my friend and our vice president next week, Newsom said in a statement. The stakes of this election couldnt be higher. Vote NO by September 14 and reject this Republican recall. Californias future is on the line.

Harris will be the highest-profile official yet to campaign for Newsom, who has already received national backing, including a formal statement of support from President Biden and a TV ad from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a popular figure on the left.

The Chronicle was first to report last month that Harris planned to campaign for Newsom. The two have long ties to each other.

Harris stint as San Francisco district attorney overlapped with Newsoms run as San Francisco mayor.

Though California overwhelmingly leans Democratic politically, backers of Newsom are concerned about a lack of voter enthusiasm during an oddly timed election and recent polls that have shown a tight race over whether to recall the governor.

The campaign swing also comes at a turbulent time for Harris, who has struggled to find her footing as vice president at times amid politically contentious assignments like Central American migration and troubles for the administration broadly, like the rise in coronavirus cases related to the delta variant and the messy departure from Afghanistan.

Newsom is facing dozens of Republicans and challengers from other parties in the recall race. Under the unusual California election rules, were the recall question to win among voters, any one of those challengers could be governor if they receive the most votes, even if their support is well below the number of votes to keep Newsom in office.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
Gavin Newsoms message to voters for how to fill out the two-part Sept. 14 recall election ballot is simple and direct: Vote no  and leave the second question blank.

The reason he and every top California Democrat are offering the same advice is rooted in political expediency. They dont want to confuse voters by asking them to make two decisions when they receive their recall ballots in the mail this week. So, their strategy goes, pay no attention to those 46 replacement recall candidates listed on your ballot, even the Democrats.

Unsaid is that there are no Democrats in that field with any significant name recognition, after anti-recall supporters cleared the field of any potential big-name rivals. They wanted to avoid a repeat of the 2003 campaign when Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante offered a campaign message that confused voters  No on Recall, Yes on Bustamante.

So is this a form of voter suppression, as some of Newsoms GOP opponents have charged? Nope, Newsom said during a recent campaign stop in San Francisco. But wouldnt leaving the second question blank help conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder, the person the governor said is running away with the lead among the replacement candidates?

Absolutely not, Newsom said. If you vote no, the second question doesnt matter.

One person who thinks the second question does matter is one of the Democratic replacement candidates, Kevin Paffrath, the 29-year-old real estate investor from Ventura County who has 1.7 million followers on YouTube. With polls showing that likely voters are split on recalling Newsom, Paffrath said, Its time to start exploring potential backup options.

Like, say, him.

Leaving the ballot blank, if anything  its almost sabotage, he told me after he was gently asked to leave Newsoms Mission District campaign stop last week. Almost like youre trying to get a Republican in.

Paffraths Democratic sabotage theory goes like this: Since a Republican governor would be unlikely to get much done with a Democratic supermajority in the Legislature, voters would be clamoring for a Democratic replacement in November 2022 when Californians vote again for governor, which would solidify Democratic power.

That theory might get some traction on YouTube, but it would require Democrats to be playing a reeeeeeally long game. Right now, theyre more concerned with their immediate future  like keeping their fellow Democrat in office.

Oh, and by the way, you cant write Newsoms name in as a replacement candidate. As a spokeswoman for the secretary of states office told me: Governor Newsom cannot run as a replacement candidate for himself, including as a write-in candidate. Write-in votes for Gavin Newsom will not be counted.

(Not) speaking of Dianne Feinstein: Throughout his recent campaign trip throughout California, Newsom has been regularly talking about the national implications if he loses

What would this mean for the future of the Democratic Party and our efforts to keep the House of Representatives? Newsom asked while in San Francisco last week. What would it mean for the Biden agenda moving forward, which is Californias agenda?

Left unsaid there is how Newsoms recall would affect the Biden agenda. Heres how some Democrats, privately, are doing that math  something we outlined in a column a couple of months ago.

If Newsom were replaced by a Republican and 88-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., were unable to finish her term, then that governor would likely appoint a Republican to replace Feinstein. Poof! There goes the Democrats slim Senate majority and any hope that the Biden agenda will be passed. (The same goes for Sen. Alex Padilla, 48.)

Not that Newsom himself was doing that math when asked during his San Francisco stop if Feinstein should resign. Instead, he dismissed the notion, saying, Those questions are hypotheticals.

I am blessed and overwhelmed by Sen. Feinsteins support, said Newsom, who added that the senators support is personal for me since they are very close. Feinstein has handwritten him letters of support over the past few months and that encouragement is a real blessing.

Feinstein has repeatedly said that she has no intention of leaving before her term ends in 2024.

Larry is no Arnie: Elder has never held elective office, unlike two of his top Republican challengers, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Placer County Assemblyman Kevin Kiley. Neither has GOP businessman John Cox.

But all three of those candidates have regularly debated  including Tuesday night in Sacramento. And all are signed up for a Inside Politics debate at 7 p.m. in San Francisco on Thursday that will be broadcast locally by KRON. Elder has not participated in one yet and shows no signs of changing his mind.

Previously, Elder campaign spokesperson Ying Ma told me that this is a recall election, not a primary election for Republicans. It makes no sense to have a circular firing squad among GOP contenders, where the only one who benefits is Gavin Newsom. Larry would be happy to debate  Gavin Newsom.

But back in the 2003 recall, there was another high-profile celebrity entertainer candidate who had never held office leading the polls. One big difference: Arnold Schwarzenegger debated. Once.

Then again, that lineup featured the political rainbow of candidates: Fellow Republican now-Rep. Tom McClintock, independent Arianna Huffington, Bustamante and Green Party candidate Peter Camejo. Voters saw that Schwarzenegger held his own enough among the top challengers that 49% of them checked his name on the replacement ballot.

The debate itself was largely chaos, best illustrated when the moderator said, Ladies and gentlemen, this is not Comedy Central. I swear. Schwarzenegger and Huffington sparred all night, with one exchange getting most of the headlines.

Huffington, after being constantly interrupted by Schwarzenegger: Let me finish, let me finish. This is the way you treat women, we know that.

Replied Schwarzenegger: I have a perfect part for you in Terminator 4.

Ma was unimpressed Tuesday by the Schwarzenegger debate comparison: We are not running as Arnold in 2003. This is the Larry Elder campaign of 2021.

Doug Oses recovery begins: I sent a text to former GOP Sacramento Rep. Doug Ose after learning that he had dropped out of the recall campaign Tuesday after suffering a heart attack.

Ose and I have had a long-running joke after he appeared on my Its All Political podcast when he was a candidate for governor in 2018. I teased him that he was the first guest on the podcast to curse when he used the adjective chickens. Since then, he has dropped that word into many of our conversations for a laugh.

Ose thanked me for my text Tuesday, then wrote: This is a chickens way to leave a campaign. When I asked if it was OK to use that in the column, he said, Its precisely what I think, but Id rather be alive than governor.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
California regulators began cracking down on water use in the sprawling Sacramento River and San Joaquin River watersheds on Friday, ordering 4,500 farmers, water districts and other landowners, including the city of San Francisco, to stop drawing water in the basins  or face penalties of up to $10,000 a day.

The move comes as the state slides deeper into an extraordinary two-year drought. Lakes, streams and rivers no longer have enough water for everyone who is taking it, and dwindling supplies must be rationed, state regulators say.

The new and unprecedented restrictions are certain to meet resistance and legal challenges. Theyll hit the states agricultural industry the hardest, denying river water for fields that have no other water source, from Fresno to the Oregon border. Numerous towns and cities across the state are also being told to halt their draws, and while most have alternative supplies or storage to fall back on, many dont like having their hands tied.

Its very important that everyone comply with the curtailment orders, said Erik Ekdahl, a deputy director for the State Water Resources Control Board who oversees the agencys Division of Water Rights. We are ready to enforce on the curtailment orders should that be necessary.

Fridays action is the latest in a series of steps the water board has taken to execute the most extensive cuts ever under Californias water rights system. Regulators in June sent letters to thousands of water rights holders, saying there wasnt enough water to meet their demands, but only now are they starting to take action. Past lawsuits challenging the boards authority prompted the lengthier and more procedural run-up.

The city of San Francisco, which draws water from the Tuolumne River in the San Joaquin River basin, has dozens of water rights that date from 1901 to 1911, which are curtailed under the water boards directive. Officials with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission told The Chronicle they were looking into the situation.

The city has enough water in its reservoirs to meet demand for at least a couple of years, and stored water is not affected by the state restrictions. Water agencies also can seek an exemption from curtailments if human health or safety are compromised.

Still, even though the orders may have limited impact on San Francisco, city water officials have questioned the states authority to restrict their water rights in the past. More recently, they have said they dont want the state to set a precedent of limiting their water.

We look forward to receiving a notice, which we will review in detail and respond appropriately, SFPUC spokesman Will Reisman said.

The new cuts conform to the states hierarchy of water rights. Per the historical system, priority is given to those who made the earliest claims to water, with some claims dating back hundreds of years, as well as to those who have property along a waterway.

While restrictions arent uncommon for those with water rights from 1914 or later, cuts to those with older water rights, known as senior water users, are rare as well as legally fraught. The state board began regulating water rights in 1914, and many argue that the board doesnt have authority over water rights before that time. The issue is yet to be resolved in court.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

In the Sacramento River watershed, which covers many rivers and streams north of Sacramento, the state is restricting water users with water rights appropriated after the mid-1890s. In the San Joaquin River watershed, which consists of rivers and streams south of Sacramento, all water rights holders are being restricted except those with land next to a waterway, with so-called riparian rights.

In total, 10,300 water rights are being curtailed. These rights are held by about 4,500 people, business and public agencies. There are a total of about 6,600 water rights holders in the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River watersheds.

State regulators say the restrictions will be lifted once river conditions improve.

The orders are not only meant to prioritize the limited water in the rivers for those with the strongest water rights but to protect fish and wildlife the rely on the water and keep the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta from getting too salty. When the rivers get low, seawater from San Francisco Bay pushes deeper into the delta, threatening to undermine that supply. Nearly 30 million Californians rely on delta water.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
Walkers climbing Hill 88, above Rodeo Beach at the end of the Marin Headlands, come upon a jaw-dropping sight: a 68-foot-long, 16-inch-caliber gun. This massive barrel  it weighs almost 120 tons  was on the battleship Missouri, aboard which Japanese officials formally surrendered to the Allied powers. Its presence on Hill 88 does not commemorate the storied Missouri, however, but two similar 16-inch guns located at nearby Battery Townsley during World War II. Those massive guns, each capable of firing a 2,100-pound shell 25 miles out to sea, were part of a formidable ring of coastal artillery emplacements that once ringed the Golden Gate, starting with the Spanish era.

The huge gun from the Missouri is the most impressive, but it is just one of dozens of historic artillery pieces and gun emplacements that recall the century and a half when cannons of all sizes ringed the Golden Gate, waiting to fire on invaders who never came.

The oldest cannon in San Francisco, and one of the oldest in the country, is called the San Domingo, cast in Peru in 1628. It was installed in 1793 by the Spanish at the Castillo de San Joaquin, on a now-vanished 90-foot cliff just south of the site of present-day Fort Point. The adobe building was not exactly an impregnable redoubt: It had just six ancient cannons, which were more dangerous to their gunners than to anyone they were fired at. In 1792, during festivities for a saints day, one cannon exploded, sending 10 pieces flying as far as 125 yards. Under Mexican rule, the Castillo became still more dilapidated: In 1824 the Presidios threadbare soldiers had to borrow gunpowder from an arriving ship to return its salute. Fortunately, the guns never had to be fired in anger (a tradition that was to continue), although they did once fire at a mysterious ship that then vanished.

In 1797, the Spanish erected a battery with five 8-pound brass cannons at Point San Jose (in todays Fort Mason) to protect the Yerba Buena anchorage (todays Aquatic Park). The Bateria San Jose, as it was called, was even punier than the Castillo de San Joaquin. Instead of a permanent garrison, a soldier was supposed to visit the battery every day, but if this ever happened, by 1806 the practice had ceased, for that year an inspector wrote, There was not even a hut for the gunners and the guns were rendered useless by exposure.

After the American conquest of Mexico, from 1854 to 1861, U.S. Army engineers razed most of the cliff the Castillo de San Joaquin stood on and erected a massive new granite and brick fortress, todays still-standing Fort Point, on the remaining shelf.

The next artillery emplacement in the city was inspired by one of the most obscure campaigns of the Civil War. In 1863, a powerful Confederate raider, the Shenandoah, was attacking Union ships off Alaska. The U.S. military became alarmed that rebel ships might sail through the Golden Gate and attack San Francisco. (As noted in an earlier Portals, the Shenandoahs die-hard commander actually planned to capture the city.) Despite the presence of Fort Point, the top brass decided they needed additional batteries to defend the Golden Gate. Washington ordered the Army to install gun batteries at Point San Jose, on the site of the old Spanish battery.

Trivia time The previous question: What's the average depth of the bay between Hayward and San Jose? Answer: Less than 3 feet. This week's question: How much did the city's premier hotel and gambling emporium, the Parker House, rent for in 1849? Dig deep into Chronicle Vault Like what you're reading? Subscribe to the Chronicle Vault newsletter and get classic archive stories in your inbox twice a week. Read hundreds of historical stories, see thousands of archive photos and sort through 153 years of classic Chronicle front pages at SFChronicle.com/vault. Editor's note Every corner in San Francisco has an astonishing story to tell. Gary Kamiya's Portals of the Past tells those lost stories, using a specific location to illuminate San Francisco's extraordinary history - from the days when giant mammoths wandered through what is now North Beach to the Gold Rush delirium, the dot-com madness and beyond. His column appears every other Saturday. See More Collapse

But this demand proved controversial, for an only-in-San-Francisco reason. Although Point San Jose had been made a U.S. military reservation in 1851, two years later civilians began moving onto it. These squatters had built fine homes in one of the most spectacular sites in San Francisco and were outraged when the U.S. Army summarily evicted them. After the war, many of those evicted filed suits against the government.

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

Six 10-inch smoothbore Rodman cannons were installed at the battery at Point San Jose. In 1988, excavations revealed that the western part of the battery was still intact. It has been restored, and one of the distinctive, soda-bottle-shaped Rodmans is displayed there, aiming at the Golden Gate Bridge.

But advances in military technology  the advent of the rifled cannon, better propellant charges and better naval armor  soon made smoothbore cannons like the Rodman obsolete. In 1885, Congress established a special body, the Endicott Board, to develop a modern harbor defense strategy. The board proposed upgrading American harbor fortifications with armored gun turrets, new rifled cannon, mortars, machine-gun emplacements, underwater mines and high-powered electric searchlights. The first U.S. port city to be fortified was New York; the second was San Francisco.

The board recommended that San Franciscos harbor be defended by no fewer than 110 guns and 128 mortars. These proposals resulted in a bristling line of artillery emplacements around the entrances to the bay, which made up the Golden Gates defenses during World War II, many of which can still be seen today. The next Portals will tell their story.

Gary Kamiya is the author of the best-selling book Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco, awarded the Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction. His new book, with drawings by Paul Madonna, is Spirits of San Francisco: Voyages Through the Unknown City. All the material in Portals of the Past is original for The San Francisco Chronicle. To read earlier Portals of the Past, go to sfchronicle.com/portals. For more features from 150 years of The Chronicles archives, go to sfchronicle.com/vault. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) 

More than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards have been confiscated at cargo freight facilities at the Anchorage airport as they were being shipped from China, officials said Thursday.

Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized the cards in the past week as they arrived in small packages, said Jaime Ruiz, an agency spokesperson.

There were between 135 and 150 packages found in Anchorage, all sent by the same person in China, Ruiz said. The packages contained small amounts of the fake cards, about 20 or 25 each.

The cards confiscated in Anchorage closely resemble the authentic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention certificates given out by health care workers when U.S. citizens receive their vaccinations, the agency said. However, this shipment had cards that exhibited low-quality printing.

The seizure comes as a cottage industry for counterfeit cards has sprung up online to accommodate people who say they wont get vaccinated for either personal or religious reasons.

Another 3,600 fake cards were found recently at cargo facilities in Memphis, Tennessee, Ruiz said.

The Federal Aviation Administration ranked Memphis and Anchorage among the busiest cargo airports in the U.S. in 2020.

Getting these fraudulent cards off the streets and out of the hands of those who would then sell them is important for the safety of the American public, Lance Robinson, the agencys director in Anchorage, said in a statement.

Other federal agencies are investigating the shipments.
This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.

Guaranteed loan approval; receive funds in 24 hours. No credit check; interest rates starting at 0%; only low application fee required. These statements may sound pretty good to a small-business owner in desperate need of capital.

But, as the old saying goes, If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, says Carolina Martinez, CEO of CAMEO, Californias statewide micro-business network. Just because its the most frequent appealing solution youre hearing doesnt mean its the right solution, she says.

Many small businesses are still recovering from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the end of the Paycheck Protection Program and bank loan approvals below 20%, scammers and predatory lenders are taking the opportunity to move in on businesses that are searching for funding.

Protect yourself from potential bad actors and find legitimate capital for your business with these four tips.

1. Be wary of speed

Fast isnt always better when youre looking for business funding. Be wary of the speed sell, says Tom McHale, president of Pursuit, a community lender operating in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Although some online lenders excel in terms of speed, predatory lenders can rush you through the loan process to push you into an expensive product without fully understanding the terms.

You're going to pay significantly higher rates and fees for that money than you would for traditional financing that might take a little more time, McHale says.

He recommends that businesses look for lenders that allow them to speak to a representative directly  rather than just a bot or live chat  so that you can ask questions and understand the loans terms and conditions.

And if a lender is unwilling to show you the terms and rates of the loan upfront, thats a red flag.

2. Never pay money upfront

Dont pay money upfront for an opportunity to get a loan, says Frank LaMonaca, chair of the Southeastern Connecticut chapter of SCORE, a network of volunteer mentors that supports small businesses across the country. You shouldnt have to ever do that.

A reputable online lender won't charge any fees unless you're approved for a loan. If a lender wants money just to look at your application, that's a dead giveaway, La Monaca says.

Nobody should be asking you for $2,500 to apply for a loan. You should be able to apply free of charge, he says.

Similarly, dont trust emails that appear to be from government agencies asking for personal information such as your Social Security number, requesting payment upfront or guaranteeing loan approval. The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends being on the lookout for these phishing scams, as well as other types of grant fraud and loan fraud, especially those related to COVID-19 relief assistance.

3. Explore all of your lending options

Businesses may have more options available for financing than they realize.

Understand your power in the marketplace, LaMonaca says. There is a variety of loan programs to choose from, including those designated for specific types of businesses, such as women-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses and veteran-owned businesses.

Community development financial institutions, known as CDFIs, nonprofit lenders and reliable online financial service companies can offer loans with affordable rates and competitive terms  even for new businesses or those that cant qualify for bank funding.

Some of these lenders, like CDFIs, may be able to help businesses burdened with predatory loans refinance into better products, Martinez says.

You can search for local CDFIs through the SBA website, as well as through organizations like Opportunity Finance Network, the national association of CDFIs. Reading reviews and referring to resources like the Small Business Borrowers Bill of Rights can help you find reliable online lenders as well.

4. Surround yourself with the right experts

If youre unsure of how to find the right financing for your business needs  or want to make sure that youre not signing onto a bad deal  turn to the experts. You can work with an accountant, lawyer or other financial expert to help you through the process and to even review your loan application and agreement.

The majority of CDFIs are equipped with an entire ecosystem of support to help small businesses assess their financial status, business models and strategies, as well as access capital, Martinez says.

Additionally, organizations like SCORE and local SBA-administered Small Business Development Centers offer business consulting services for free. You can search their websites to find experts in your area to work with your business, and browse additional online resources.

LaMonaca stresses the importance of building a team and fostering relationships to help you run your business: The best business owners don't go it alone. The best have really good people around them, he says.

Randa Kriss writes for NerdWallet. Email: rkriss@nerdwallet.com.

The article 4 Ways Businesses Can Dodge Loan Scams and Predatory Lenders originally appeared on NerdWallet.
On Monday in the Berkeley Hills, a couple witnessed their beloved cat Moka get eaten by a coyote. Hadley Louden, one of the cats owners, immediately took to social media to offer a $250 reward for all Dead Coyotes, Berkeleyside reported.

"Are you tired of Coyotes threatening your homes, children and pets, tired of elderly women now carrying Beaters and people carrying their dogs while walking . . . or just not walking?" wrote Louden on Facebook. "Government hands seem tied on this, so we're taking an old-fashioned approach here: $250 offered for each dead coyote caught within 15 miles of my home."

Despite Louden's claim in the original post that it is "legal to Kill Coyotes," it is not legal to offer a bounty or any sort of reward to kill wildlife in California. It didn't take long for him to get a call from California's Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Fish and Wildlife Capt. Patrick Foy told Berkeleyside he was surprised to hear of a coyote killing contest in Berkeley  hes only heard of these happening in rural parts of California.

In the end, Louden cooperated with the warden, and told Berkeleyside that he wasnt encouraging anyone to break the law. There are a few legal ways to kill a coyote, one of which is to hire a licensed trapper to catch it.

This incident is far from the only coyote-related incident in the Bay Area this year. In April, a coyote attacked five people, including two toddlers, in Moraga and Lafayette before officials finally nabbed the culprit. In July, a coyote was killed by federal wildlife officials after reportedly charging at toddlers on five separate occasions in Golden Gate Park. And just last week, San Francisco authorities called on the public to help identify an alleged "egregious coyote feeder"  a very dangerous act that can lead to coyotes losing their fear of humans.

Editor's note: Upon publication, this story had the headline "Berkeley man reprimanded for offering bounty for dead coyote after cat is killed." A spokesperson from Fish and Wildlife has since clarified the conversation with him was "a friendly chat." The headline has been changed to reflect this.
(Ad) Today, YouTube is one of the best places to grow your brand and company online. Influencers all over the world are targeting this platform because of the immense size of the audience it generates on a daily basis. Currently there are over a billion active daily users of YouTube. At the same time, because of the increase in competition, gaining leverage on YouTube has become fairly difficult. However, if you would like to grow on YouTube then you can make use of our curated list of best sites where you can buy YouTube subscribers. If you feel skeptical about the process, read on: we can assure you that there is nothing to worry about if you work with one of the high-quality sites described here.

Viralyft is at the top of most online lists of sites where you can buy YouTube subscribers. This is because it is one of the oldest providers in this niche, and has significantly more experience than most of its competitors. A number of Viralyfts satisfied customers are famous icons on YouTube today.

One of the primary reasons why people make use of Viralyft to buy YouTube subscribers is its affordable prices. You can buy as many as 100 subscribers for less than $11 on this site. And, even with this low cost, they maintain the quality of subscribers as well as the security of your profile within YouTube. The pricing plan gradually increases to about 500 subscribers for less than $50. At this point you cannot purchase more subscribers, but you can invest in the same plan again in order to continue increasing the number of followers that you have on YouTube.

Viralyft offers affordable prices because they work with a global audience. They understand that there will be people from different demographics and financial backgrounds using their services.

This company offers top quality subscribers to all its clients. Irrespective of the plan that you buywhether expensive or more affordablethey will always ensure you get only the highest rated followers within YouTube. This company will also make sure that you are able to create content that specifically appeals to your target audience. As a result, you will get higher engagement, and a higher placement within search recommendations on YouTube. Take a look at the Viralyft website to see the various plans for buying YouTube subscribers.

The next site on our list is this amazing place called GetViral.io, which w started many years ago to help people with social media growth. This company not only works with YouTube; it also serves other social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and others. For this reason they promote your content through a network of influencers from different media.

GetViral is known for the amazing results it has provided to some of todays most well-known figures. Lots of rising talent on YouTube have used GetVirals services to improve their visibility on the platform. Therefore you can rest assured that this company is authentic and trusted by people as a means of buying YouTube subscribers.

In terms of pricing, GetViral is as good as any of its rivals. Starting with the lowest package, you get 100 YouTube subscribers for less than $12. You can order immediately, and start seeing results within 122 days. The plans will gradually increase to up to 500 YouTube subscribers for less than $50. If you have a question about the package and the services offered, you can always get in touch with their customer support department.

Over the years people from all across the globe have come to GetViral for their services. Moreover, GetViral understands that everybody deserves a chance to be recognized in the world today. Therefore, they want to leverage any person or influencer who is passionately devoted to their content. There is nothing they love more than getting the right talent noticed in the world of social media. If you buy YouTube subscribers from them you will not be disappointed.

The third item on our list is SocialPackages, which is another one of the oldest sites among social media growth services. Like the sites mentioned above, this company can provide engagement as well as growth for different kinds of social media. Their reach is spread across avenues like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, clubhouse, and others. As a result, they can create an extensive network for promotional strategies.

SocialPackages is known especially for the services they provide to YouTube users. They started out as primarily an Instagram and YouTube service, so they have maximum experience within these niches and they know how these platforms have grown and changed over the years. When people buy YouTube subscribers from them, they always take care to follow the ethical standards required by the site.

This company strives to work with the most highly trained and professional minds in the world of digital advertising. They place great value on the qualifications and skill sets of every person working within their team and have gathered an efficient and productive team of marketers, social media experts, salespeople and others to support their customers. As a result, when it comes to promoting your account or your content there is nobody who can do it better than SocialPackages.

As we mentioned, this organization has been around for some time. Theyve been able to predict future changes to YouTube with pretty good accuracy, so they can help you stay ahead of everybody else and ace various trends when you buy YouTube subscribers from them.

Like the other sites on our list, SocialPackages is extremely affordable. They have low price plans that start for less than $10. You can get a large number of followers and subscribers for comparatively higher priced plans. But youll find that both ends of their pricing spectrum are relatively affordable.



FAQs

Is it legal to buy YouTube subscribers?

The simple answer is yes, it is absolutely legal to buy YouTube subscribers through YouTube growth services. You will not be directly buying YouTube subscribers per se. Instead, you will be engaging in promotional activities that typically lead to a large number of people subscribing and following your channel.

As long as you follow ethical and organic means of promotion to get YouTube subscribers, then you can make use of any YouTube growth service.

How many YouTube subscribers do I need to make money?

In order to make money you need to be a part of the YouTube partnership program. However, to qualify for that program and monetize an account, you need a minimum of 1000 subscribers and at least 4000 watch hours on your channel. Specifically, the 4000 watch hours must occur within the past 12 months and not earlier than that. This is one good reason to buy YouTube subscribers.

Tips on how to keep growing

Of course, even with extreme help, in the end you need to take care of your account and nurture it for growth yourself. If you're wondering how you can grow your YouTube channel and attract more people to your content, check out the tips below.

Make use of keywords

Like most other social media platforms, YouTube works mostly on the basis of keywords and engagement. However, even before you can get engagement the first thing that YouTube will take into account is the relevance of your keyword to two popular searches. You can make use of various keyword tools available online to find the keyword that suits your video best.

These keywords have to be included within the caption and description of any video that you're creating. We would also suggest that you include certain recurring keywords within your bio as well. This will make you much more SEO friendly and help people reach your account more easily.

Make use of existing content

Sometimes people lose faith in old content that they created which did not generate the right amount of traction at the time. However, it is not always necessary to build new content from scratch, because there are some amazing gems present in old content as well. Some of your best videos can be created with the help of engaging, useful, and valuable content that was already part of your previous videos.

Various online videos and guides can give you great ideas about optimizing your videos. One simple approach is to work on the visuals while keeping the content the same. Conversely, you can add background scores, additional jokes, or snippets from your new videos to make the older video more fun.

Engage with your audience

As we have already mentioned, YouTube greatly values content that yields maximum engagement. Therefore, you have to post content that encourages discussions, comments, heated debates, and the like. Occasionally you can even pitch in some controversial subject in order to get people talking. Another tactic is to put a quiz or questionnaire section at the end of your video that people can answer in the comments. These are just some of the effective strategies that many YouTubers have used over the years to create engagement and get higher ranking on YouTube.

Use other social media channels as well

A great thing about social media is that people from one platform are often present on other platforms as well. This means that if you're not able to get the right size audience within YouTube, you can always aim to get an audience on other social media platforms.

You can promote your YouTube content through reels, short stories, and other posts on platforms like Instagram. Then you can request your audience to subscribe to your YouTube channel. You can also give them teaser videos on Instagram, and ask them to follow your channel on YouTube for the full clip or the uncut version.

Create great thumbnails

YouTube videos display a thumbnail before a user clicks and opens it. A thumbnail is one of the most important determining factors for whether your audience will decide whether or not to open your video. It is the first insight into who you are and what content you create. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are able to create an attractive and appealing thumbnail that fits the current trends.

Here are some tips on how to make great thumbnails:

First, make sure that you are using the right thumbnail size for YouTube. YouTube's guidelines state that any thumbnail image should be 1280 x 720, with an aspect ratio of 16:9. Since more and more people have started to embed YouTube videos, if your thumbnail is too small, it can leave a really bad visual impression on your viewers.

Always use a high-quality picture that acts as a teaser for your video. Not only will this give a user insight into what you have created, but they will also get an idea of how you work and what your aesthetic sense is.

You can also include text headings within your video thumbnail. Make sure you keep them crisp, catchy, and straight to the point to lure in your viewers.



Use a site with a great filtering process

These days there is a range of fake accounts prevalent within YouTube. These fake accounts are not owned by real people but are created by organizations to create false engagement on YouTube. These companies make use of such bot-generated spam accounts to give you the desired number of subscriber likes or comments. If YouTube finds out that your account is getting traction through such false means, your account could be banned from the app.

Because of this, its important to buy engagement from a good site that maintains a great filtering process. They should be examining every account that is being considered for your content and channel. If they find any suspicious activities associated with an account that make it less credible and suggest that its a fake account, then they should quickly remove it and even report it to YouTube. Working with a site that follows this process will ensure that you will always have the most real accounts following you.

Use a site with a great retention rate

Its often the case that the people who subscribe to your channel show great engagement and great interaction in the beginning. However, as you keep posting content in the future, the number of subscribers gradually dies down. This low retention can be the result of using a low-quality social media growth service that is unable to produce great retention rates for either subscribers or engagement. A good service will be able to produce long-term retention for both.

If you buy YouTube subscribers from a site with a great retention rate track record, it will greatly improve the credibility of your account. When people see that an account has been receiving consistent, frequent engagement across a number of posts, they are more likely to consider subscribing to the channel themselves. Moreover, YouTube itself starts recommending such accounts to people. Therefore, getting a great retention rate can be one of the most effective strategies to get a higher ranking within YouTube.

What are the features of a good YouTube growth service?

Quality subscribers

Along with affordable prices a good company will also ensure that you get subscribers from real accounts on YouTube. Their aim is to create a perfectly analyzed target audience for you. Therefore, the people who view your content will naturally be interested in the videos that you are producing.

There are many services that will give you a large number of followers. However, these followers are not legit and they do not interact with your content. YouTube has a great filtering process, and they are very strict when it comes to real followers as compared to spam followers. This is why it is necessary for you to make sure that the quality of your subscribers remains top notch.

Quality subscribers will interact with your content, subscribe to your channel, share your videos, and engage in other forms of interaction. This naturally improves the ranking of your profile on YouTube. In the end you will be getting featured on various people's suggestions organically.

Excellent customer support

Another feature that is rare in most social media growth companies is customer support. Many companies are focused on the amount of money they can get from their customers. However, a good company values the user experience as well as their customers comfort using their work website.

Therefore, the best companies provide 24/7 customer support and customer service. There are always people who are new to social media or haven't made use of social media growth services before. And many people, new or experienced, have a number of questions about social media growth services. A good company does its best to answer your questions or issues about buying YouTube subscribers from them.

Global exposure

As we have already mentioned, a good company works with people across the globe. They want to ensure that people from any country and any region of the planet can access their services. Therefore, they keep their terms and conditions extremely simple. At the same time, they provide detailed guidelines within their website about buying their services.

In addition, they have a worldwide network of influencers on YouTube that they use to create an atmosphere through which they can promote influencers from one end of the world to audiences and influencers on the other end of the world.

Most influencers are looking for people who can promote them on a global basis. Therefore, this networking greatly helps them to leverage their YouTube promotions.

Fast delivery

Another wonderful feature that you will find within a good social media growth site is that they are able to deliver you subscribers very quickly. As soon as you place your order, it should only take about 24 hours for you to start seeing results. Sometimes the wait is even less than a day before you start seeing additional subscribers on your channel.

A good company realizes that the world of YouTube is currently full of fierce competition. It is critical to stay ahead of other influencers working in your niche at all times. Their service enables you to get a head start, increasing the number of subscribers and engagement with your content, which naturally places you higher within YouTube's algorithm.



Additional benefits of having a great company working for you:

They promote your content through absolutely organic means, so you will not be breaking any of YouTubes ethical ground rules and there is little to no chance of your account being flagged or removed from YouTube.

The better quality companies are some of the fastest service providers in the world. They are extremely rapid, providing as much as 30 to 50 subscribers within a day. Therefore, you will start seeing results within 24 to 36 hours.

With a great company, you will get recognition not only on a regional level, but also on a global level. These companies like to work with a worldwide audience, and you can reap the benefits of their network.

Why pick the sites we recommend?

User experience

A great feature of the services weve described, one we simply could not overlook, is the user experience provided within their websites. The instructions for purchasing a package and the pricing plans are clear, and there is a live chat box ready to answer your questions.

All you have to do is choose the package that will fulfill your needs. The next step is to provide some basic information, such as your username, channel, song, URL, and other information, depending on the service you are purchasing. Once your payment is complete, youre good to go. The payment gateways are secure, so you do not have to worry about your sensitive information being stolen.

Privacy and security

These companies place great value on the security of their customers. They know that online transactions can be risky, considering the amount of information customers need to give them. These companies ensure that the forms within the website are encrypted, so that no third party can gain access to the sensitive details that you might have to disclose.

Furthermore, these companies will not ask you to reveal any sensitive information that could compromise your identity in the long run. They only require generic information and never ask for passwords or login details. Their payment gateways are also encrypted with the most secure technology, so your information can never be leaked to third parties or to the company itself.

Active engagement

The companies weve recommended also make sure that you get active engagement through the subscribers they provide. If you get numerous subscribers but little interaction in the form of comments or shares, there is a high chance that you will be ranked high within the YouTube algorithm. At the same time, having a large number of subscribers without subsequent engagement could cause your viewers to become suspicious of your credibility.



For this reason, in addition to selling you YouTube subscribers, these companies also allow you to buy other forms of engagement like comments, likes, and shares. That way, you can balance your growth in a holistic fashion, and your organic placement within YouTube naturally gets leverage. This is extremely important if you would like to build an authentic YouTube channel.

Organic advertising

Most social media growth companies that claim to increase your YouTube subscribers do not follow organic advertising. Instead, they have a range of automated accounts or bot-generated accounts that they use to subscribe to your account on YouTube. These subscriptions are of no value at all, since they have been mechanically generated and do not come from organic advertising.

Organic advertising requires that the staff of the social media growth service first analyze your content.

After this, they conduct market research on the kind of target audience you should be aiming for. Then they create an extensive market strategy to precisely promote the content that you are creating on YouTube. This is a natural and ethical way to work on YouTube, and more preferred than any other method of promotion.

Why are other YouTube growth sites unreliable?

The first thing that we would like to say about such sites is that they are extremely dishonest and not transparent about what they do. They usually keep the parts of the process hidden and reveal very few of the steps they are taking to promote your account on YouTube.

The second thing that we dont trust about these sites is that they do not have a great team of experts. Instead of hiring trained professionals who can perform intensive research based on their experience, they usually hire newbies who are only in it for the money and are learning on the job  at your expense.

Another reason we would not recommend other sites is that they fail to provide timely delivery. If you want to stay ahead of the competition it is important that you start seeing changes immediately. Most of these sites are not able to provide such instant results.

Furthermore, you will not be able to find credible reviews for these sites online. This is because most people who have used their services have not been satisfied with the results. The subscribers have not been credible, and they havent received much engagement either.

Another thing that we dislike about these sites is that they have terrible customer support and inefficient customer service. They havent made the effort to give the users that come to their website a great experience. Their websites are typically not user friendly and very difficult to navigate.

Finally, these lower-quality companies give you your audience haphazardly. For instance, they typically dont perform relevant market research to ensure that you are able to reach your target audience and serve content to people who would really like to see it.

Final Words

So, that was all from our side. YouTube is a very popular platform which is why it can be quite hard to get noticed. If you follow some of the tips that we have provided and customize them based on your needs then you will start to see some growth. Yes, it is not easy but it is not impossible either. So, be patient and give it your all.

Being a popular YouTuber can be lucrative so you have to work hard and smart for it. So, all the best for your endeavours and if you want to buy YouTube subscribers then you can find some sites from our list of the best sites to buy YouTube subscribers.
TACOMA, Wash. (AP)  Two men have died in a multi-car crash in Tacoma Thursday after a stolen car they were inside ran a red light and was hit by another vehicle, resulting in a multi-car crash.

The victims have not been publicly identified but the passenger was 37, The News Tribune reported.
BURBANK, Calif. (AP)  Two teenagers were facing murder charges for a street-racing crash that killed three people and critically injured a fourth in a Los Angeles suburb, authorities said Thursday.

Hamlet Aghajanyan, 19, of Burbank and a 17-year-old boy were taken into custody Thursday, police said.

Aghajanyan has been charged by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office with three counts of murder and one count of reckless driving, Burbank police said in a statement. He remained jailed on a $6 million bond.

The other youth, whose name wasn't released, was at a juvenile detention facility and prosecutors will determine whether to charge him with murder and reckless driving, police said.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the two had legal representation.

Authorities contend that Aghajanyan was driving a Kia and racing the other boy's Mercedes-Benz on Aug. 3 in Burbank when the Kia broad-sided a Volkswagen that was trying to make a turn.

The impact tore the Volkswagen in half and flung three people from the car. Killed at the scene were Jaiden Johnson, 20, of Burbank; Natalee Moghaddam, 19, of Calabasas and Cerain Baker, 21, the son of actor and comedian Tony Baker.

A fourth person in the car was hospitalized with critical injuries.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday added to the special session agenda a spending bill that would allow for payment of a permanent fund dividend to residents this year.

Dunleavy had said he wanted lawmakers during the special session that began Monday to take up his proposal to restructure the permanent fund and place in the state Constitution a new dividend formula before moving on to other issues. Budget debates consumed the first two special sessions.
TIRANA, Albania (AP)  A court in Albania refused Friday to extradite an Egyptian man who faces a death sentence in his country.

Judge Artan Gjermeni canceled the extradition of Mohamed Rageh after Egyptian authorities did not give assurance he would not be executed.
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Alert: Federal appeals court rejects landlords' bid to block CDC eviction moratorium; appeal to Supreme Court likely
AMES, Iowa (AP)  An Ames man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder after police found a woman dead inside an Ames apartment.

The discovery of the woman's body was made shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday, when officers sent to an apartment for a welfare check discovered her dead there. Police have not released the name of the woman or said how she died, but did say her death was the result of a homicide.
SYDNEY (AP)  A lockdown in Australia's largest city was extended through September and tougher measures to curb the coronavirus's delta variant were imposed Friday, including a curfew and a mask mandate outdoors.

New South Wales state, which includes Sydney, reported 642 locally acquired infections in the latest 24-hour period, the fourth consecutive day of tallies exceeding 600.

Sydney has been locked down since late June after the more contagious delta variant was detected in a limousine driver who became infected while transporting a U.S. cargo aircrew from Sydney Airport.

Since then, 65 people have died from COVID-19 in New South Wales, included four overnight.

The Sydney lockdown was to end on Aug. 28, but the state government announced it will continue until Sept. 30.

The entire state has been in lockdown since last week because the virus had spread from the city.

A curfew will apply from 9 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday in the worst-affected Sydney suburbs. Wearing masks will be compulsory across the state outside homes. Previously, masks weren't compulsory in all circumstances outdoors.

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region:

 India has given emergency use approval for a domestically developed coronavirus vaccine for people age 12 and over. The three-dose ZyCoV-D vaccine produced by India-based Cadila Healthcare uses a DNA plasmid vector to transport a gene for the coronavirus spike protein. Cells in the recipient of the vaccine then produce the spike protein, triggering an immune response. Interim results from phase 3 clinical trials in over 28,000 volunteers showed an efficacy rate of 66.6% against symptomatic COVID-19 cases, the Health Ministry said. The company said it plans to manufacture 100 million to 120 million doses of ZyCoV-D annually. We are particularly happy that our vaccine will contribute to this fight against COVID-19 and enable the country to vaccinate a larger population especially in the age group of 12-18 years, company chairman Pankaj R. Patel said. India launched its vaccination drive in January after giving emergency approval to the AstraZeneca vaccine made by Serum Institute of India and another vaccine made by the Indian company Bharat Biotech. The Russian Sputnik V vaccine has also been approved for emergency use. India, with a population of nearly 1.4 billion people, has given vaccines to 570 million people, but only 11% with two doses, according to the Health Ministry.

 Malaysia expanded freedoms for those fully vaccinated Friday, allowing them to dine in at eateries and visit night markets despite record high daily infections. More businesses have been allowed to reopen as authorities this month begun to ease restrictions after nearly three months of lockdown. It's widely viewed as a flip-flop in policies to tackle the pandemic. Daily infections in Malaysia hit 22,948 on Thursday, more than doubled since a lockdown began June 1. The countrys total infections have surged to nearly 1.5 million while 13,000 people have died. Caretaker leader Muhyiddin Yassin also said picnics, camping and non-contact sports are allowed for those fully vaccinated. He said the decision was made as over half of Malaysias adult population have been fully vaccinated. Some eateries reportedly voiced concern due to high daily virus cases. The Malaysian Medical Association also said authorities should focus on ramping up vaccination to cover at least 80% of the adult population.

 New Zealands first virus outbreak in six months has spread from the largest city of Auckland to the capital, Wellington. Health authorities said Friday that three people in Wellington who recently visited Auckland had tested positive. They said the outbreak had grown to 31 cases. The government also expanded the lockdown that had been put in place Tuesday after the first community case was found in Auckland. All of New Zealand will remain in lockdown until at least next Tuesday. Previously it had been a three-day lockdown for the nation and a seven-day lockdown only for certain areas. Genome testing has linked the outbreak to an infected traveler who returned from Sydney earlier this month and was quarantined, although health authorities dont yet know how the virus escaped quarantine. New Zealand is continuing to pursue an elimination strategy aimed at wiping out the virus entirely.

 South Koreas new infections exceeded 2,000 for the second straight day as officials extended the highest level of social distancing restrictions short of a lockdown in large population centers. Seoul, Busan, Daejeon and the southern resort island of Jeju will remain under the strongest social distancing rules for at least another two weeks. The rules prohibit private social gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m. and force nightclubs and churches to close. Senior Health Ministry official Lee Ki-il said indoor dining hours at restaurants and cafes will be reduced by an hour to until 9 p.m. Some experts say officials should tighten social distancing even further, such as forcing more white-collar workers to work from home and expanding the gathering restrictions to daytime hours.

 Thailand passed 1 million total coronavirus infections Friday as its latest surge dropped below 20,000 daily cases for the first time in 10 days. Over 97% of the cases counted since the pandemic began have been since April. The new outbreak, connected to Bangkok entertainment venues and travel during the traditional new year in mid-April, grew more serious when the delta variant was detected in crowded construction worker camps and spread into markets, communities, and families. The government closed public places and imposed other restrictions last month, but infections and deaths remain high. On Friday, however, the Disease Control Departments daily statistics report showed the average number of COVID-19 tests had fallen over the past seven days. Thailand reported 19,851 new cases on Friday. Apisamai Srirangsan, a deputy spokesperson for the governments Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, said in a briefing that although the number of daily cases remains high, it seems quite steady.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP)  Barron Trump, the 15-year-old son of former president Donald Trump, has enrolled at an exclusive private school not far from his father's Mar-a-Lago home.

The teen will be attending Oxbridge Academy starting next week as a sophomore, t he Palm Beach Post reports. Administrators at the West Palm Beach school sent an email to parents on Wednesday telling them about his arrival with the family's permission.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  Bulgarias center-right GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Friday rejected the president's offer to form a government after last months inconclusive vote, pushing the country a step closer to a third election this year.

President Rumen Radev offered the mandate to GERB after the anti-establishment There Is Such a People party (ITN), which narrowly won the July poll, had failed to form a minority government.

Borissov, who was at the helm of the government for more than a decade, lacks support from any other party in parliament after the current caretaker government made public allegations of widespread corruption during his rule.

The partys premier-designate, former Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov, rejected the mandate to form a Cabinet before even holding talks with other parties.

We dont see an option to fulfill the second mandate, Mitov said.

In the July election, the ITN party of popular TV entertainer Slavi Trifonov, won 65 seats, just two more than Borissovs GERB party. Four other parties also made it into the 240-seat chamber.

The President must now ask a third party to try to form a government, but political analysts are pessimistic about its chances, because of a rift between the anti-corruption parties.

If that attempt fails, as expected, Radev will have to dissolve parliament once again, appoint another interim government and call a new election within two months.

Political analysts predict that a new vote could have a similar outcome and deepen the political impasse that has gripped the European Unions poorest member.

They also expect political instability to hinder Bulgarias ability to effectively fight any new surge in the COVID-19 pandemic or tap the EUs coronavirus economic recovery fund.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  A felon from California has been charged with opening fire on Albuquerque police officers, severely wounding one officer and injuring three others after they responded to a robbery.

Officer Mario Verbeck remained in critical condition Friday after being shot in the neck just above his bulletproof vest. Officer James Eichel is recovering from a gunshot wound to the forearm, and Sgt. Sean Kenny was saved by his bulletproof vest when he was shot in the chest.

Officer Harry Gunderson was hit in the face by glass and fragments as he took cover behind a police vehicle during the gunfight that broke out Thursday morning on the citys northeast side.

A criminal complaint identifies the suspect as James Ramirez, 27, of Los Angeles. Hes charged with three counts of aggravated battery against a police officer, armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon and resisting evading or obstructing an officer.

Ramirez, who was shot and injured, was recovering at an Albuquerque hospital. Court records show an attorney has not yet been appointed.

The shooting comes as Albuquerque deals with a record-setting year of deadly violence and mounting frustration among residents and law enforcement. The violence also has revived criticism of the state's no-money bail system, ushered in by a statewide vote in 2016.

Police Chief Harold Medina said during a briefing Thursday that the community needs to voice its frustrations to ensure policymakers and the criminal justice system start making changes to keep bad people in jail.

According to the criminal complaint, a man told authorities he was robbed at gunpoint while walking down the street Thursday morning. Two men had taken his wallet, shoes, gold necklace and a PlayStation that was in his backpack. He later spotted the thieves and alerted police.

The men began running as Verbeck and Eichel approached. That's when Ramirez fired at the officers, according to the criminal complaint. Both officers were hit but returned fire as the men fled.

I later observed the officers on-body recording devices and observed the officers getting shot and bleeding profusely, a detective wrote in the complaint.

Kenny and Gunderson arrived to find Ramirez hiding behind a vehicle near a coffee shop along a busy street. Gunderson told Ramirez to drop the gun and Ramirez fired at him. Gunderson was struck in his vest, and Kenny was hit by glass as he took cover.

The officers exchanged gunfire with Ramirez until he was struck and fell to the ground.

According to the criminal complaint, the second suspect has not been identified or apprehended.
Nearly two decades before conservative radio host Larry Elder joined the long list of candidates who could unseat California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in the state's second recall election in history, Elder suggested that venture capitalists have the right to ask women whether and when they intend to have children as a way to "protect" their "investment."

"Are there legitimate business reasons for a venture capitalist to ask a female entrepreneur whether she intends to have children? Hell, yes," Elder wrote in his 2002 book.

But the man believed to be Newsom's top contender didn't stop there.

In several other sections of "Showdown: Confronting Bias, Lies and the Special Interests That Divide America," Elder suggested that women who choose to have children are not "dedicated" to their jobs and are unable to give an "all-hands-on-deck commitment" to work. In another passage, Elder went after former acting Massachusetts Republican governor Jane Swift for taking on the new role after giving birth to twins, claiming that "to tell women they can run a state, have family and children, and be equally attentive to all - is a lie."

Elder's comments were first reported by Media Matters last week and gained traction in recent days.

Elder, who did not immediately respond to messages from The Washington Post late Thursday, stood by his comments when questioned by a reporter during a Wednesday news conference.

"Government should not be intruding into the relationship between employer and employee," he told a reporter with the Associated Press.

Elder's remarks resurfaced weeks before Californians take to the polls on Sept. 14 to decide whether Newsom should be ousted from his seat a year early. The news dovetailed with public statements from Elder's former fiancee, who said he had once showed her a gun during a heated 2015 argument, the Associated Press reported. Elder, 69, has denied the claims and referred to the allegations as "salacious," adding that he grew up in a high-crime part of Los Angeles.

"I have never brandished a gun at anyone," Elder tweeted. "I grew up in South Central; I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. It's not me, and everyone who knows me knows it's not me."

Elder, who announced he was joining the gubernatorial race on July 12, has hosted a conservative radio show titled "The Larry Elder Show" since 1993. He has also found himself in several controversies after making incendiary remarks during TV appearances, newspaper interviews and in social media posts.

A day after the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection, Elder minimized police brutality against Black Americans during an appearance on Fox News's "Hannity," saying, "If these protesters had been Black, the likelihood is it would've been worse because the police would've been more reluctant, more hesitant to use force against Black people than White people."

In July, Elder told the Los Angeles Times that racism no longer exists in the U.S. The newspaper also reported that Elder has previously suggested some "women were too unattractive to be sexually assaulted."

Under a section titled "Sexism in Funding?" in his 2002 book, Elder wrote that many professional sport players sign contracts preventing them from "engaging in hazardous conduct not related to their sport" to protect the team's investment. He used that as an argument to support the right of venture capitalists to ask women if and when they plan to have children.

Several paragraphs later, Elder went further suggesting "regular ol' employers" should be allowed to ask those same questions.

"Many businessmen and businesswomen deal with this reality every day: Will the woman who applies as a sales manager give me enough steady, committed time on the job to warrant my investment?" Elder wrote.

He added: "Are you dedicated? Will you give me 24/7?"

Elder went on to say that laws like the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) "increase the cost of hiring women, and the expense is passed on to consumers."

In another section titled "Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift Says Women Can Have It All - With A Little Help from the State," Elder criticized Swift for remaining in office after giving birth to twins in 2001. Elder claimed that Swift made arrangements to continue running the state from the hospital under her doctor's bed rest orders, adding that Swift traveled two-and-a-half hours to see her family on the weekend and "perhaps once or twice during the week."

Elder's book comments prompted backlash from fellow politicians, including former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who is another top GOP contender in the recall race.

"Every undecided voter - pay attention," Faulconer tweeted about Elder's remarks. "These are not California values. These are not Republican, Democrat, or independent values. Larry Elder is doubling down on his attacks on working women and California families."

Caitlyn Jenner, the Olympic gold medalist who is one of the 46 recall candidates and among the most prominent transgender women in the country, also went after Elder on social media regarding his comments about pregnant women in the workforce.

"This is outrageous and speaks volumes about the type of person he is," Jenner tweeted. "We need to protect the privacy of all women, not abuse them."
FARGO, N.D. (AP)  A patient at long-term care center in Fargo has died more than two weeks after police say the resident was assaulted by an employee.

Fargo police responded to Maple View Memory Care Aug. 3 on a report of an assault on a resident. An investigation was initiated and the 59-year-old caregiver was arrested at her home in Fargo Aug. 18.
CHICAGO (AP)  The deputy inspector general for the Chicago Park District said he believes his suspension amid an investigation into charges of sexual abuse by lifeguards is a reprisal for trying to expose attempts to cover up the misconduct.

Nathan Kipp said he was placed on indefinite emergency suspension last week in what he called an attempt to whitewash an investigation into rampant sexual assault, sexual harassment and physical abuse among the district's lifeguards.

I cant think of any reason other than that I have been zealously pursuing this investigation, Kipp said Thursday.

This meritless action is a clear attempt by Park District officials to impede and obstruct a devastating investigation into widespread sexual assault, sexual harassment and physical abuse throughout the Districts Beaches & Pools Unit, Kipp said in a statement.

Park District officials offered him no explanation for the suspension, Kipp said.

The Park District said in a statement it operates independently of the Office of Inspector General and has absolutely no influence on policies and decisions made by the IG.

The Park District on Monday announced the suspensions of two high-level managers amid disciplinary action against 42 employees, including nine cases stemming from an investigation into sexual misconduct and abuse.

The two managers  the assistant director of recreation and beaches and the pools manager  were placed on emergency suspension Aug. 13 while the district awaits the outcome of the investigation by the inspector generals office, CEO Michael Kelly announced.

The inspector generals investigation probe began in March 2020, when Kelly turned over a complaint he received from a former lifeguard, who described a toxic environment at one beach, accusing fellow lifeguards of subjecting her and others to sexual harassment and sexual and physical abuse. She also reported witnessing rampant drug and alcohol use by fellow lifeguards.

Chicago public radio station WBEZ first reported in April that the park district was investigating wide-ranging claims of sexual misconduct among pool and beach employees.
BEIJING (AP)  China is tightening control over information gathered by companies about the public under a law approved Friday by its ceremonial legislature, expanding the ruling Communist Partys crackdown on internet industries.

The law would impose some of the world's strictest controls on private sector handling of information about individuals but appears not to affect the ruling party's pervasive surveillance or access to those corporate data.

Its passage follows anti-monopoly and other enforcement actions against companies including e-commerce giant Alibaba and games and social media operator Tencent that caused their share prices to plunge.

The law, which takes effect Nov. 1, follows complaints that companies misused or sold customers' data without their knowledge or permission, leading to fraud or unfair practices such as charging higher prices to some users.

The law curbs what information companies can gather and sets standards for how it must be stored. The full text wasn't immediately released, but earlier drafts would require customer permission to sell data to another company.

Alibaba shares lost 2.6% in Hong Kong after news of the law's passage. Tencent sank after the announcement but ended up 1%. Pinduoduo, an online grocer, was down 1.2% in pre-market trading on the U.S.-based Nasdaq.

The law is similar to Europes General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which limits collection and handling of customer data. But unlike laws in Western countries, earlier drafts of the Chinese legislation say nothing about limiting ruling party or government access to personal information.

The ruling party has been accused of using data gathered about Uyghurs and other members of predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in the northwestern region of Xinjiang to carry out a widespread campaign of repression.

Chinese authorities are "concerned at the volume of data big tech has in respect of the population and the power they can provide, said Paul Haswell of law firm Pinsent Masons. He called the measure China's version of the GDPR.

Most organizations, however, should be prepared after Chinese authorities imposed other restrictions on data oversight, Haswell said.

The law reflects Beijing's new economic development strategy, in which growth has to be sustainable, beneficial for society and conducive to economic upgrading, said Rebecca Arcesati, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies.

The message from the government to internet platform businesses is clear: Future growth will only be possible within the limits of what is good for the Chinese nation, which in turn is defined by the Chinese Communist Party, she said.

Beijing wants tech giants to make money from the industrial internet, or the digitalization of public services, instead of peoples social media clicks, Arcesati said.

In April, Alibaba was fined a record $2.8 billion for anticompetitive practices.

This month, the government said online education companies are no longer allowed to receive foreign investment or operate as for-profit businesses.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A day after facing allegations that he emotionally mistreated a former fiancee, Republican Larry Elder scheduled two weekend rallies and showed no outward signs of altering the course of his campaign in the California recall election that could remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office.

The longtime talk radio host who could be the state's first Black governor is scheduled to gather with supporters in Newport Beach on Saturday and Clovis, in the Central Valley, on Sunday. Both are places receptive to his conservative message; Newport Beach is a longtime Republican stronghold, and Clovis is in the district of Republican U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes.

Elder tweeted Thursday that he was more energized than ever to fix this state and described claims of improper behavior in his former relationship with Alexandra Datig as salacious allegations.

Datigs allegations surfaced at a time when there seem to be few hard rules about personal conduct and consequence for politicians and public officials. How Elder maneuvers through the wave of unwelcome headlines will test his front-runner status.

It wasnt immediately clear what impact the Datig's assertions might have on the contest. On Thursday night, hours after the story broke, three of Elder's Republican rivals debated and the issue never came up. Newsom hasnt mentioned it, though his campaign has called Datigs statements serious allegations.

Later Friday, Republican candidate Kevin Faulconer  who was silent on the issue in Thursday's televised debate  said in a statement that Elder should withdraw from the race, calling him unfit to serve. In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Elder gave no indication he was considering leaving the contest and said Democrats were panicked that California can elect a conservative governor."

Voters ultimately will pass judgment on Elder in the Sept. 14 election. Mail-in balloting already has begun.

I think strong conservatives are most likely to dismiss these sorts of charges as false, and as driven by opponents of Elder who want to take him down. This is a highly partisan issue, Menlo College political scientist Melissa Michelson said.

Overall, these allegations are unlikely to have much of an impact. Despite the victories of the #MeToo movement, voters do not seem inclined to punish politicians based on these sorts of claims, she added in an email.

In recent decades, California voters have turned a mostly indifferent eye to sexual indiscretions by politicians, including Newsom, who while mayor of San Francisco had an affair with his then-appointments secretary, who at the time was married to his campaign manager. The issue came up only fleetingly in his 2018 run for governor.

Just days before Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor in a 2003 recall election, the Los Angeles Times reported six women, some of whom worked with him on movie sets, said he groped them. Initially, his campaign denied he engaged in improper conduct but shortly afterward Schwarzenegger apologized while disputing some of the allegations.

Kim Nalder, a professor of political science at California State University, Sacramento, said the allegations against Elder have the potential to change some voters minds, especially those who are just tuning in and didnt know much about Elder. But its unlikely to sway many voters who already have settled on Elder.

The type of folks who likely back him are Trump voters, they arent dissuaded by accusations of sexual impropriety or mistreatment of women, she said.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, a 2005 recording of Donald Trump surfaced in which he bragged about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with various women. The taped conversation surfaced roughly a month before the election in which he defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Trump also had a long history of making lewd comments toward and about women.

Sean Walsh, a lawyer and Republican who was Schwarzeneggers press secretary during the 2003 recall, said he doubted Elder would suffer much fallout. He said if voters are motivated enough to fire Newsom they are more than willing to be forgiving of certain indiscretions in candidates who want to replace him.

Walsh said the public can be especially lenient of celebrities such as Schwarzenegger, and Elder can claim a measure of Hollywood sparkle from his many years on talk radio and appearances on Fox News.

Whatever that Teflon thing is that comes with celebrity, hes got some of it, Walsh said.

California voters are being asked whether Newsom should leave office and who should replace him. If a majority vote for the recall, then the replacement will be whoever gets the most votes among 46 candidates. A winner could emerge with 25% support or less. Schwarzenegger won with 48.6% of the vote in 2003.

Datig, in documents and an interview with The Associated Press, sketched a portrait of a strained 18-month romantic relationship in which Elder was overly controlling and routinely used medicinal marijuana to excess. She claims Elder showed her a gun during a heated 2015 argument; Elder denies he ever brandished a gun at anyone. She said she never reported the incident to police and moved out after they agreed on a financial settlement.

Elder did not specifically address the claim about marijuana use in questions submitted to his campaign by AP.

Datig, 51 and a longtime Los Angeles resident who has been active on political causes, supports one of Elders Republican rivals, Faulconer, a former San Diego mayor. She endorsed Faulconer on her blog on Aug. 5, then emailed his campaigns press account to let them know about her backing and to express great concern over Larry Elders character and treatment of her, Faulconer campaign spokesman John Burke said Friday.

Faulconer said Friday he has never spoken to Datig and called her allegations disturbing and said they need to be investigated. Asked if Datigs outreach factored in Faulconers decision to criticize Elders record on women, which he began doing Tuesday, the former mayor didn't answer directly and reverted to his criticism about Elders statements about women in the workplace.

Rob Stutzman, who was communications director for Schwarzenegger during the 2003 recall, said he doesnt see the allegations against Elder as similar to Schwarzenegger. These involve a domestic dispute and a gun allegedly was involved.

Stutzman said some voters were skeptical of the Schwarzenegger allegations because they came so close to Election Day.

I think people thought it was late, people thought a lot of the stories were uncorroborated, theres vendettas in Hollywood, he said.

___

Ronayne reported from Sacramento.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP)  West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin will join Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto on a three-day, jobs-focused tour of northern Nevada next week, where the two plan on showcasing how the $1 trillion infrastructure bill will bring jobs to the region.

The Democratic senators plan to discuss wildfires and Nevada's growing renewable energy industry in Reno. They're scheduled to then head east to talk to local officials in Winnemucca about how businesses can benefit from expanding broadband access. They'll conclude their tour with meetings about gold mining and recreational tourism in Elko and the nearby Ruby Mountains. Events will not be open to the public.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  COVID-19 vaccines will be available for free at the Kentucky State Fair through Aug. 28, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

Fairgoers 12 and older do not need to RSVP or schedule appointments but must provide identification or proof of health insurance and state residency to receive a dose.
QUINCY, Mass. (AP)  Authorities say they have concluded that a police officer was justified in using deadly force when he shot an armed man suspected of robbing a convenience store in Rockland last March.

Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said the officer fatally shot Eric Leach, 37, after Leach commandeered a Rockland police cruiser and gained control of a rifle in the patrol car.
People infected with COVID-19 were captured in a photo this week lying on the floor in pain while waiting for antibody infusions at a treatment site set up inside the library in Jacksonville, Florida.

The image has become a vivid illustration of the huge demand for the once-neglected COVID-19 drugs in the states hit hardest by a summer surge of infections being driven by the highly contagious delta variant.

"They were moaning and obviously in a lot of pain. They were miserable, said Louie Lopez, who shot the photograph as he waited for more than two hours to receive the treatment.

Antibody treatments remain one of a handful of therapies that can blunt the worst effects of COVID-19, and they are the only option available to people with mild-to-moderate cases who arent yet in the hospital.

They have risen in demand in states seeing a spike in infections, including Florida, Louisiana and Texas, where hospitalizations among the unvaccinated are overwhelming the health care system.

White House officials reported recently that federal shipments of the drugs increased five-fold last month to nearly 110,000 doses, with the vast majority going to states with low vaccination rates.

They are safe, they are free, they keep people out of the hospital and help keep them alive, said Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a senior adviser to the White Houses COVID-19 response team.

The main drug in use is Regenerons dual-antibody cocktail, which has been purchased in mass quantities by the U.S. government. Its the same drug former President Donald Trump received when he was hospitalized with COVID-19 last October.

The drugs are laboratory-made versions of virus-blocking antibodies that help fight off infections. The treatments help the patient by supplying concentrated doses of one or two antibodies.

The drugs are only recommended for people at the highest risk of progressing to severe COVID-19, but regulators have slowly broadened who can qualify. The list of conditions now includes older age, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, pregnancy and more than a half-dozen other issues.

With expanded eligibility and skyrocketing caseloads across the country, more people are getting the treatments.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who this week tested positive for the virus and is himself receiving the treatments, said five state-run COVID-19 antibody infusion centers opened last week and that another four would open by Monday. At least 140 providers across Texas are offering the antibodies treatment, his office said.

In Florida, where more than 20,000 people a day on average are testing positive for the virus, the rising demand created a scene at the Jacksonville center that resembled an overwhelmed emergency room.

At one point, Lopez said staff brought out paper hospital gowns and covered a woman on the floor. It took more than half an hour for staff to bring out enough wheelchairs for people to sit in.

They poured them into the wheelchairs, he said. They were just so sick.

After the photo was published Wednesday, Florida health officials said they had increased the number of wheelchairs at the facility. They also said it is open seven days a week and has plenty of cots, as well as ambulances on standby to transfer the sickest patients to the hospital.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news conference Friday that the woman in the photo is fine and feeling great after the treatment.

None of our sites are having a capacity issue, said Weesam Khoury, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health. We have the resources and if we need more we can quickly get them.

But she cautioned, This is a site where people are going to be very ill.

Thats why state health officials are urging patients who test positive for COVID to get the antibody treatment immediately instead of waiting until they are extremely sick, which many patients are doing.

Florida over the past week has set up about a dozen monoclonal antibody clinics typically serving 300 patients per day, with an online portal for appointments, and plans to stand up more, as DeSantis has traveled around the state to promote them.

Getting the drugs involves a number of steps.

A positive test for COVID-19 is required, which must be reviewed by a physician or health professional. They then decide whether to recommend an antibody treatment for the patient, which usually means scheduling an appointment at a local administration site.

To be effective, the drugs are supposed to be given within 10 days of initial symptoms. Thats the timeframe in which they have been shown to cut rates of hospitalization and death by roughly 70%.

Medical experts agreed that the drugs should not be seen as the first line of defense against the virus or a substitute for wearing a mask and getting vaccinated.

I see the monoclonal antibodies as a short-term bridge to get us to the point where enough people are fully vaccinated, said Dr. James Cutrell of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. We definitely need to keep vaccinating as many people as possible.

Joyce Wachsmuth, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and her husband were infected with COVID-19 in January. A breast cancer survivor, she had never felt so much pain.

I actually thought to myself if 10 days of this is what COVID people go thru, I don't know if I want to live, she said.

When doctors at the local Mayo Clinic told the 67-year-old that she and her 70-year-old husband were prime candidates for experimental drug treatment, she jumped at the opportunity.

She said she felt relief just two hours after the one-hour, drip treatment.

It did wonders. It kept us off the hospital and off the ventilators, said Wachsmuth, who has since been vaccinated.

The federal government has been distributing monoclonal antibody drugs to the states since last winter but the treatments were underused due to lack of awareness from physicians, low interest among the public and the logistics of setting up areas to give them to patients via IV infusion.

Also, persistent testing delays meant many people didnt even get their results for seven days or longer, and clinics were focused on the upcoming vaccines or managing the winter surge of cases.

Since then, many cities have set up alternative locations to administer the drugs and offer vaccines. The treatments are free for most patients, largely because the federal government has been actively involved in securing and distributing them.

There was less urgency at that time  the important thing was to get people vaccinated to crush the curve, said Dr. Arturo Casadevall of Johns Hopkins University. But the delta variant has changed the equation."

___

Associated Press writer Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this story.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  The executive director of Providence's Roger Williams Park Zoo is leaving for a job in Pittsburgh, the zoo announced Thursday.

Jeremy Goodman will be stepping down next month to become president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. He has led the Providence zoo since 2013.

Goodman called it an "incredibly difficult decision" and said he has deep respect for his colleagues.

"I am incredibly proud to have led the organization to financial stability, and animal and educational programming excellence, he said in a statement.

During his eight years at the zoo, Goodman oversaw a period of growth that included nearly $27 million in capital improvements, zoo officials said. The expansion included a new rainforest exhibit, a commissary building and a new veterinary quarantine building.

Patrick LeBeau, chairman of the zoos board of trustees, said he will miss Goodman's leadership.

Jeremy leaves us with an impressive legacy on which we will continue to build," LeBeau said in a statement. He will be greatly missed.

Before joining the Roger Williams Park Zoo, Goodman worked at Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey and the Indiana Potawatomi Zoo.

Officials at the Providence zoo plan to conduct a national search for the next executive director.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  Providence's downtown arts festival has been canceled for the second year in a row amid rising cases of COVID-19, city officials announced Friday.

PVDFest, a weekend festival that typically draws more 100,000 people to downtown Providence, was scheduled to make its comeback Sept. 25 and 26. But officials said it would be unsafe to continue amid high levels of coronavirus transmission.
SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. (AP)  A Virginia man has been charged with aggravated involuntary manslaughter in a crash that killed two brothers in March.

A Spotsylvania grand jury indicted Dylan Andres Abernathy, 19, of Spotsylvania, on six charges, including driving under the influence and the two manslaughter charges, The Free Lance-Star reported.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  As anti-masking debates have intensified, Gov. John Bel Edwards called on parents Friday to take seriously the coronavirus risks for children and to ensure students stay masked up, warning that Louisiana already is seeing COVID-19 cases emerge quickly with the return to classrooms.

In the last few days, 28% of all positive tests for the coronavirus illness were in people under the age of 18, Edwards said at his weekly COVID-19 briefing. Schools that resumed classes this month already have reported more than 5,300 students and 750 employees who have contracted COVID-19.

Those numbers only are expected to grow larger in a state that ranks No. 2 per capita in the nation for the amount of people who have tested positive for the coronavirus disease over the last week.

Transmission is very high, the Democratic governor said. Simply put, we cannot keep our schools open or our kids safe today without masks.

Earlier this month, Edwards enacted a statewide mask mandate for all indoor public spaces, including at K-12 schools and universities. That has prompted angry outcries from some parents who argue they should decide whether to put a face covering on their children. This week, hundreds of those parents packed two different hearings to complain about the mask mandate.

Hospital leaders say they are seeing more children with severe symptoms from COVID-19 and more hospitalized in this latest surge driven by the delta variant. Those children are not only getting sicker from the illness, but they are also bringing it home to family members, worsening the coronavirus outbreak, they warn.

Our kids are absolutely getting COVID. They're absolutely spreading COVID, said Dr. Joe Kanter, the governor's chief public health adviser.

Dr. Kimberly Mukerjee, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at Tulane University and Childrens Hospital New Orleans, said clinics are seeing unprecedented levels of COVID-19 infection among children.

Now is not the time to politicize things that we know are excellent measures to mitigate the impact of a preventable illness on children, said Mukerjee, urging masks for children in school as she spoke at Edwards' briefing.

Edwards said if parents and school administrators don't follow the mask requirements, it's unlikely schools will be able to continue in-person classes because they'll be faced with repeated outbreaks.

Asked about the parents who criticize his mask mandate as infringing on their personal rights, the governor replied: There is no right to unreasonably endanger the lives of others. That doesnt exist.

While new cases and hospitalizations from COVID-19 remain high across Louisiana, the state is seeing the possibility of some improvement this week. The percentage of coronavirus tests returning positive has lessened slightly, and the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has declined the past two days after 16 days of record-breaking increases.

Still, Kanter warned it's too soon to suggest that's a promising trend, with 2,999 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, one of the highest numbers at any point of the pandemic.

There just remains a ton of COVID out there, he said.

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Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte. Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
PHOENIX (AP)  The former president of the union that represents Arizona's corrections officers has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for embezzling money from the union treasury, the Arizona Attorney General's office announced Friday.

Darren Sikes, 60, was president of the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association from 2016 to 2019 and used the union's funds for personal expenses. He was ordered to repay $134,000 to the union after spending the money on items including a patio for his home and a vehicle.
As Australian health officials encourage eligible high school students to get vaccinated for COVID-19 before upcoming in-person exams, social media users are spreading false claims that their efforts involve forcibly injecting children.

The posts have amassed millions of views this week and penetrated every major social media platform. Among them are a video of a police incident misrepresented as the involuntary vaccination of a young child, and a baseless rumor that the government planned to seize 24,000 students against their will and immunize them by force in a stadium.

Children are not required to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in Australia, Australia's health department confirms. Young children aren't even eligible yet. The country has authorized the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 years old and older. Children aged 12 to 15 are authorized to receive the shot if they meet certain criteria, such as living in a remote community or having a medical condition.

Here's a closer look at the facts around false posts about vaccinating kids in Australia.

CLAIM: A viral video shows police and medical workers in Australia forcibly separating a child from her parents and vaccinating her against her will.

THE FACTS: That's not what the video shows. The incident in the video is unrelated to vaccines or COVID-19 testing, according to a statement from police in the Australian state of Victoria. The child in the video, who is clearly under the age of 12, would not be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Australia at this time.

The video of a young child being wrested from an adult man's arms sparked all manner of false claims online this week, with social media users baselessly claiming the child was being forcibly vaccinated and referring to police as the Australian gestapo." Other users falsely claimed the video showed a child being separated from parents after testing positive for COVID-19.

In reality, the video shows a family incident unrelated to vaccinations or a positive COVID-19 test, according to Victoria Police.

Victoria Police can confirm this is inaccurate, the police tweeted in response to the video. This vision was in no way related to Covid/vaccinations or testing. For the privacy of those involved, we will not be providing any further details.

Police told The Associated Press in an email the incident took place at Werribee Police Station southwest of Melbourne on Aug. 14.

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CLAIM: The Australian government will seize 24,000 children and place them in a stadium quarantine camp to be forcibly vaccinated.

THE FACTS: No, that's not true. The New South Wales health department held a voluntary vaccination drive for students in their final year of high school at Qudos Bank Arena in a suburb of Sydney in early August. But the vaccination drive was not forced on the students, and the stadium didn't serve as a camp where they or other children quarantined.

Posts circulating widely on Instagram, Twitter and other platforms this week falsely accused the Australian government of plans to seize 24,000 children and place them in a stadium quarantine camp for forced vaccination. Several of the posts included excerpts from an Aug. 6 speech by Brad Hazzard, the health minister for New South Wales.

In the clip, Hazzard urged parents not to worry about their children, who would be well looked after at the vaccination site. But the clip that circulated widely did not include the full context of his remarks, in which Hazzard explained the vaccination site was an opportunity for about 24,000 older teens, not a requirement. He said students from areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates could sign up to get vaccinated at the arena ahead of October end-of-school exams.

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This is part of APs effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  A federal judge Friday ruled against South Dakota's attempt to lift a decade-old injunction that nullified part of a state law requiring women to consult with a crisis pregnancy center before having an abortion.

Planned Parenthood sued the state in 2011 after lawmakers passed a law requiring a three-day wait period for women seeking an abortion, as well as a consultation with a pregnancy center that often discourages women from having an abortion. Judge Karen Schreier ordered a temporary injunction that kept the law from taking effect. The three-day wait period eventually became law, but the consultation requirement has not.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  The energy giant at the center of a $60 million bribery scheme in Ohio has dramatically decreased the amount of money it provides to dark money groups to influence public policy, according to a Friday filing required by a deal with federal prosecutors that allowed the company to avoid a criminal case.

The company paid $2.2 million to nonprofits and groups benefitting public officials during the first half of 2021, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Thats considerably below the approximately $60 million the company paid between 2017 and 2020 to dark money groups to fund a bailout of two aging nuclear power plants.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  The mayor of the Florida city of Orlando asked residents on Friday to stop watering their lawns and washing their cars immediately, saying water usage needed to be cut back because of the recent surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The Orlando Utility Commission treats the city's water with liquid oxygen and supplies that ordinarily go toward water treatment have been diverted to hospitals for patients suffering from the virus, Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

We acknowledge that the No. 1 priority for the liquid oxygen should be for hospitals," Dyer said at a news conference.

The city-owned utility typically goes through 10 trucks of liquid oxygen a week but its supplier recently said that it would be cut back to five to seven trucks a week to accommodate hospitals, said Linda Ferrone, OUC's chief customer and marketing officer.

About 40% of the utility commission's potable water is used for irrigation so any strains on the water supply will be greatly reduced if residents stop watering their lawns, washing their cars or using pressure washers, she said.

On its website, the utility said residents should prepare to follow the conservation measures for at least two weeks.

We realize this is drastic and unprecedented," Ferrone said. If worse came to worse, we would have to look at a boil water alert."

Since the 1990s, the utility has used liquid oxygen to remove the slight discoloration and rotten-egg smell that is found naturally in Florida's water supply.

Officials at one of the Orlando area's largest health care systems said this week that they had 1,620 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, twice the level of what it was during last winters peak high for AdventHealth.

This is unfortunately a crisis of unprecedented proportions, said Dr. Vincent Hsu, executive director of infection prevention and epidemiologist at AdventHealth.

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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP
Former Kentucky lawmaker Brent Yonts, who sponsored mine-safety legislation and led a key House panel during his long legislative career, died Friday after battling a COVID-19 infection. He was 72.

Yonts, a Democrat from Muhlenberg County, was first elected to the Kentucky House in 1996 and represented his western Kentucky district until his defeat during a statewide Republican wave in 2016. The GOP took control of the House in that election, cementing legislative majorities in both chambers.

Yonts was vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to former colleagues. He still contracted the virus, was hospitalized for weeks and eventually was placed on a ventilator.

In a social media post days before his death, his daughter, Ellen Yonts Suetholz, wrote about her father's battle with the virus.

We are all heartbroken and continue to pray for peace and healing for my dad, she wrote. As weve not been able to be with him to comfort him, we especially pray he knows he is not alone. When we were able to talk to him, we were sure to let him know how many of you asked about him and prayed for him. He teared up every time we mentioned one of you.

Yonts, an attorney, was a Frankfort fixture for decades in an era when Democrats controlled the House. He was known for his colorful jackets, clever wit and jet-black hair.

In a social media tribute Friday, Gov. Andy Beshear said Yonts worked to better the lives of Kentuckians.

Yonts' legacy drew praise from both sides of the political aisle. Republican House Speaker David Osborne called Yonts a respected colleague." The speaker said he hoped Yonts' family is able to find comfort in his many accomplishments and the knowledge that Kentucky is a better place because of his service."

In a joint statement, the House Democratic leadership team  Reps. Joni Jenkins, Derrick Graham and Angie Hatton  praised Yonts for his stint as chairman of the House State Government Committee, saying he helped guide several critical laws strengthening our public retirement systems.

The Democratic leaders called for intensified efforts, in Yonts' memory, to combat the pandemic.

On his behalf, we urge eligible Kentuckians to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they have not yet and to take whatever other steps are necessary to put this terrible pandemic behind us," they said. "The virus has taken so much from so many, and the breakthrough case of Brent, who was vaccinated, is another tragic example of that.

Yonts also was remembered for playing an instrumental role in passing mine-safety legislation. The measure included provisions that exceeded the requirements of federal law in response to mining accidents in Kentucky, mine safety advocate Tony Oppegard said Friday.

The measure increased inspections of underground Kentucky mines, gave the state subpoena power to investigate unsafe working conditions in mines and required that all electrical work underground be performed by certified electricians, he said.

He was the rare legislator whose beliefs didnt shift with the political winds," Oppegard said. He was a champion of coal miners and all working people."
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  A judge on Friday handed down a three-year sentence to a former Alabama sheriff removed from office after being convicted of theft and ethics violations.

Former Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely, 70, was convicted of taking no-interest loans from a jail fund that held prisoners money and of stealing $4,000 from his campaign account.

Judge Pam Baschab handed down the prosecution's recommended sentence after they argued that the maximum penalty was needed to send a message to other elected officials, news outlets reported. Blakely's defense team expressed disappointment in the outcome and said they are focused on an appeal.

Mike Blakely received the maximum penalty for violating the law, said Attorney General Steve Marshall in a news release. It is vitally important that this sentence sends a clear and strong message that officials who breach the publics trust should and will face the same penalties as anyone else.

Blakely's defense team had asked for probation, arguing the longtime sheriff had already lost his career and reputation. "Obviously we are not happy with that," defense lawyer Robert Tuten told reporters of the sentence.

Tuten said they are appealing the conviction and Blakely will be released on an appeal bond.

Blakely told the judge he did not intend to commit a crime.

I never had any intent to violate the law and never believed I did violate the law, Blakely told the judge, according to al.com.

First elected in 1983, Blakely served 10 terms in office. He was automatically removed from office after being convicted of a felony.

Instead of prison, Blakely will get to serve the sentence in a county jail, something prosecutors recommended. However, Baschab specified that it will be at another jail instead of the Limestone County Jail that Blakely ran for decades.
TULUM, Mexico (AP)  Hurricane Grace rapidly strengthened into a major Category 3 storm Friday night as it bore down on a second landfall in Mexico, this time taking aim at the Gulf coast after crashing through the country's main tourist strip.

The storm had lost punch as it zipped across the Yucatan Peninsula, but it emerged late Thursday over the relatively warm Gulf of Mexico and began gaining energy.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Grace had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) late Friday. It was centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Tuxpan and heading west at 10 mph (17 kph).

The storm headed toward a coastal region of small fishing towns and beach resorts in the state of Veracruz, then was forecast to move over a mountain range toward the heart of the country and the greater Mexico City region.

The National Meteorological Service of Mexico predicted Grace would make landfall late Friday or early Saturday between the Veracruz state towns of Tecolutla and Nautla.

By afternoon, Grace was causing strong winds, high waves and rain in the Veracruz communities of Tuxpan, Poza Rica, Xalapa and Veracruz city as well as in coastal towns in the states of Tabasco and Tamaulipas, the agency said.

Some fishermen pulled their boats out of the water and carried them inside harbors to prevent damage, while merchants boarded up the windows of their businesses.

Forecasters said it could drop 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain, with more in a few isolated areas  bringing the threat of flash floods, mudslide and urban flooding.

Authorities expect the central states and the Mexican capital to receive the impact as a tropical storm, with strong gusts and intermittent rains during the weekend.

The Mexican government urged people to remain on alert.

Heriberto Montes Ortiz, the head of the General Technical Sub-Directorate of Mexico's National Water Commission, said Grace could cause rivers and streams to swell as well as flooding in low-lying areas, landslides and damage to roads and highways.

The agency was monitoring rivers, dams and communities expected to see heavy rain, particularly in the states of Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala.

The hurricane hit early Thursday near Tulum, a resort town famed for its Mayan ruins. Some families passed harrowing hours sheltering from cracking trees and flying debris.

As the storm approached, Carlos Gonzalez grabbed his 1 1/2-year-old son and ran from his home with his wife to a school-turned-shelter, using his cellphone light to find his way through darkened streets.

The only thing I have left is what I'm wearing, the 35-year-old construction worker said. I knew my house wasn't going to stand it because it's made of cardboard. When the wind came I was really scared and decided to leave.

There were no reports of deaths, but many streets were blocked by fallen limbs and trees that pulled down power lines, leaving thousands in the dark Thursday.

Most businesses remained closed, but the few that opened saw long lines of people waiting to buy tortillas and other food.

Quintana Roo Gov. Carlos Joaquin said the storm had knocked out power to some 84,000 customers in Cancun and 65,000 in Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Puerto Aventura and Tulum. But he said there were no reported deaths.

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Associated Press journalist Dan Christian Rojas in Cancun contributed to this report.
CARLYLE, Ill. (AP)  A southern Illinois county agreed to pay a nurse $35,000 to settle her lawsuit alleging she was fired for refusing to tell local law enforcement which residents had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The payment to nurse Diane Kuhl is part of an out-of-court settlement revealed by documents the Belleville News-Democrat obtained this week in response to an open records request.

Under the settlement, the county will pay $10,000 and its insurer will pay the $25,000 balance. Both sides are responsible for their own legal fees and Clinton County denies fault, liability or wrongdoing under the settlement, the newspaper reported.

She got the relief that she was seeking in court, which was to make up for the lost wages and benefits she suffered because of this wrongful termination, said Carl Draper, Kuhls attorney.

Ben Jacobi, an attorney representing the county, declined to comment on the settlements terms.

Kuhl worked as a part-time nurse for the Clinton County Health Department for four years before she was fired in April 2020, according to the lawsuit filed in August 2020 in Clinton County Circuit Court.

It alleged that the department's then-interim administrator told Kuhl to provide names and addresses of COVID-19 patients to the Clinton County Sheriffs Department and police chiefs in municipalities so they could take extra precautions when responding to 911 calls.

Her suit argued that it would have been illegal for her to provide the information to outside agencies under federal and state laws that protect patient privacy. In addition, she could have faced disciplinary action, including the loss of her nursing license, the complaint alleged.

Draper also characterized the administrator's request as unnecessary, noting that the Illinois Department of Public Health was already recommending that first responders behave as if everyone was contagious, as a precaution.
Sheriffs deputies in Iowa erred when they did not investigate a neighboring county prosecutor for drunk driving after encountering her intoxicated in her car on the side of a highway late one night in 2019, a state investigation has concluded.

Critics have long questioned whether assistant Jackson County Attorney Amanda Lassance received special treatment in the incident, which began when her then-boyfriend called 911 to report she had hit him during the drive home from a night out and was now in a car parked along Highway 61.

But findings released Thursday by the Office of Ombudsman, a state agency that investigates complaints against government officials, found no indication that officers gave Lassance a pass because of her law enforcement job. Instead, the probe found Clinton County deputies should have conducted an OWI investigation but did not do so because of a misunderstanding of the law, driven by inexperience and inadequate training and supervision.

Responding deputies found Lassance, who routinely prosecutes OWI cases, domestic abuse and other crime, in the drivers seat with blood-shot eyes, slurring her speech and empty beer cans strewn throughout her vehicle. Lassance said that she had been drinking beer  but claimed she started only after stopping her car along the highway.

Deputies never ordered her to conduct field sobriety tests or asked her to take a breathalyzer to determine her blood alcohol level. They also did not find any cause for a domestic violence arrest, saying they found no evidence her boyfriend was injured.

Instead, they cited her for an open container violation for which she later paid a $335 fine and ultimately drove her back to near her office at the Jackson County Courthouse in Maquoketa. Another deputy drove her back to pick up her car the next day.

The investigation by senior assistant ombudsman Bert Dalmer found that deputies erroneously believed they could not charge Lassance with operating while intoxicated because her car was shut off when they found her. Deputies also mistakenly thought they could not conduct a field-sobriety test since her keys were not in the ignition, he found.

Clinton County Attorney Mike Wolf said in a press release Thursday that he agreed that the evidence at the scene provided reasonable cause to further the OWI investigation.

Clinton County Sheriff Bill Greenwalts office said the deputies on the scene would have benefited from the ability to contact a supervisor for guidance, saying they were on their own to resolve many urgent issues presented on a dark roadside out in the country.

The office pledged to improve training for deputies on OWI cases, increase supervision within the patrol division and improve its recording equipment.

Dalmer said Friday that he could not hear the conversation between Lassance and a deputy outside of her vehicle because audio on a dash-camera video was drowned out by interference from his squad cars lights.

But he said his review found the deputy was not influenced by Lassance's title or connections to law enforcement, noting the officer acted professionally and wrote a thorough report.

I attribute his errors to a relative lack of experience on OWI stops and insufficient supervision and training, which are easily addressed moving forward, Dalmer said.

The incident occurred near the Clinton-Jackson county line, and deputies from both departments responded to the call. Jackson County deputies, who work closely with Lassance, stepped back after learning they were in a neighboring county.

Dalmer said his investigation concluded Jackson County deputies should have written a report of the incident, and the Jackson County sheriff agreed.

The case was brought to light through dogged reporting by local newspapers, including the Maquoketa Sentinel-Press. A judge had granted the newspaper's request for the release of squad car and body camera footage related to the incident last year.

Lassance, 39, didn't return messages seeking comment.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  New Jersey prisons and jails can no longer enter into contracts to detain immigrants who aren't United States citizens under a law Gov. Phil Murphy signed on Friday.

Murphy announced the new law in an email and without any additional comment.

Immigrant rights groups and the American Civil Liberties Union pushed for the legislation and lauded it.

This hard-fought victory reflects the resilience and tenacity of our communities  and reaffirms that our vision of a world without detention is within reach," said Tania Mattos, policy and Northeast monitoring manager with the advocacy group Freedom for Immigrants in a statement.

The law follows news reports that showed jails in northern New Jersey had contracted with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Those reports led to protests from immigrant rights groups, culminating in the the legislation, which was introduced in January.

It is the responsibility of the State to protect the health and safety, including the physical and mental health, of individuals detained within New Jersey," declares the text of the legislation. Detention centers and correctional facilities in New Jersey have a history of poor conditions, including inadequate medical and mental health care, use of isolated confinement, and incidents of violence and retaliation against people in detention."

A spokesman for ICE in Newark declined to comment on the new law.

It's unclear how many detainees, if any, could be affected by the law.

Essex County said earlier this year it would end its contract with the agency. Hudson County officials voted late last year to extend a contract for up to a decade after earlier saying theyd end the agreement. Bergen County also already houses detainees.

There are currently 26 people being detained at Bergen County jail, according to ICE, with 106 people at the privately run Elizabeth Detention Center. It's unclear how many are in Hudson County.
TYLER, Texas (AP)  A federal judge on Friday issued a ruling that keeps in place Texas' Medicaid agreement, blocking an effort by the Biden administration to rescind it.

Texas is one of only 12 states that have resisted expanding Medicaid coverage under a key provision of former President Barack Obamas health care law. Instead, state Republican leaders negotiated waivers to provide billions of federal dollars in reimbursements to hospitals that serve the uninsured. Texas has the nations most uninsured residents.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Firefighters called to a house fire in Kansas City, Missouri, early Friday morning found the body of a woman inside.

Fire crews were called just after midnight Thursday to a house near Vineyard Park in southeastern Kansas City, officials said, and arriving firefighters encountered heavy smoke and flames coming from the home.
HARPSWELL, Maine (AP)  A Maine lobsterman wanted by Michigan authorities for alleged sex crimes involving a minor was arrested Thursday by U.S. Marshals.

Michael Bernard, 26, of Auburn, was wanted for crimes involving a victim under 13-years-old, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Bernard met the victim online and communicated with them over several months, the Bangor Daily News reported.

Authorities said Bernard traveled to Michigan to engage in sexual activity and then returned to Maine.

Bernard was arrested Thursday in Harpswell after leaving his boat and was charged as a fugitive from justice. He will be arraigned in Maine pending his extradition back to Michigan, authorities said.

Its unknown whether he had an attorney, and Bernard didnt immediately return an email seeking comment.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  A man charged in the beating and stabbing death of his grandmother in Tennessee has been extradited from California, where he was arrested while trying to steal a yacht, prosecutors said.

Juamark Ryans has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the death of his grandmother, 63-year-old Bessie Lee Williams, who was found dead in February in her Memphis apartment, the Shelby County district attorney's office said.
BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP)  A man described by prosecutors as a career criminal was convicted Friday of killing a Massachusetts police officer who was helping serve an arrest warrant at a Cape Cod home in 2018.

After nearly three full days of deliberations, a jury found Thomas Latanowich, 32, of Somerville, guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Yarmouth police Sgt. Sean Gannon.

Gannon, 32, the departments K-9 officer, was killed in April 2018 while he and other officers were serving an arrest warrant at a Barnstable home for a possible probation violation. Gannons dog, Nero, also was shot but survived.

The jury started deliberating on Tuesday afternoon after a roughly two-week trial in Barnstable Superior Court.

Latanowich and his lawyer, Joseph Krowski Jr., had argued the defendant did not know Gannon was a police officer when he opened fire.

Latanowich took the stand in his own defense during the trial to tell jurors he had been dealing drugs and was scared after someone shot at him just days before. He said he went to the Cape Cod home, which belonged to a friend, to evade the person who was after him.

Thomas Latanowich didnt arm himself with a gun so he could shoot police, Krowski said during closing statements. His state of mind is that the people who were going to kill him are there.

Krowski said police botched the operation to detain Latanowich, and that there was no clear chain of command.

Prosecutor Michael Trudeau disputed the defense's account of events. This is not a debate of police policy and procedure," he said in closing statements. Nor is it a case of a mysterious, roving gang bent on killing, ladies and gentlemen. And it is definitely not a case for self-defense.

Police had clearly announced their presence at the home, Trudeau said, announcements that a contractor working at a home next door heard. Latanowich also sent voicemail and text messages to his ex-girlfriend after the shooting, in which it was clear he knew he had shot a police officer, prosecutors said.
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP)  A man who killed a church pastor outside a Fort Dodge church was sentenced Friday to life in prison with no chance of parole.

Joshua Pendleton was convicted of first-degree murder in April in the beating death of Rev. Al Henderson, The Fort Dodge Messenger reported.
PHOENIX (AP)  An endangered Mexican gray wolf that was roaming near Flagstaff has been captured and relocated to an area near the Arizona-New Mexico border.

The wolf had ventured into housing developments, raising concern from state wildlife officials that it might be intentionally or accidentally shot, or struck by a vehicle, said Jim deVos, the Mexican wolf coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

We believe that the wolf was in jeopardy, he told the Arizona Republic. Now hell be back in an area with females, finding a female partner, forming a pack and contributing to the recovery. Thats what our goal was.

The wolf was captured earlier this month in the Coconino National Forest and has rejoined other wolves that are part of a recovery program centered in a forested area spanning parts of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. North America's rarest subspecies of gray wolf, the Mexican gray wolf was listed as endangered in 1976 after being pushed to the brink of extinction.

The population has grown since the first wolves were released in 1998 as part of the reintroduction program. The latest annual census found about 186 Mexican wolves in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona, a 14% increase over the previous census.

The latest quarterly report released this week shows several of the wolves have died this year.

Environmental groups had been hoping the wolf captured in Flagstaff could stay, even if it was beyond the northern boundary of the designated recovery zone. The groups have been referring to the animal as Anubis," a name chosen by students in a contest not associated with government agencies.

The groups said the wolf fed on elk carcasses, stayed away from livestock and didn't exhibit any signs of danger.

I'm disappointed to hear that Anubis was captured, said Emily Renn, executive director of the Flagstaff-based Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project. Most people chose to live surrounded by the national forest for a reason, because they love the seclusion and are willing to coexist with wild nature.

Arizona wildlife officials said the wolf had crossed Interstate 40 at least three times, and the agency received reports that it had been spotted by people six times. Under a 2017 recovery plan, the Arizona Game and Fish Department is required to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to capture and release any wolf that ventures north of the highway.

Federal officials are currently rewriting the regulations in response to lawsuits filed by conservation groups.
MIAMI (AP)  The Miami-Dade school board has fired a 34-year-old sergeant with district's police agency following a fight with police officers while she was off duty earlier this year.

Dubraska Guevara asked board members on Wednesday to spare the job she's held since 2014, but they approved her termination without discussion, the Miami Herald reported.

My actions that night were not part of my duties," Guevara told the board. It was an isolated incident that occurred on my day off. Im not trying to minimize my behavior.

That night, a restaurant's general manager called Doral police, saying that Guevara and another school district officer were being disorderly and disruptive" and refusing to pay their check, the newspaper reported.

Guevara repeatedly struck and cursed at two officers, but they sent the pair home with a colleague who came to the restaurant to pick them up.

The other officer was disciplined administratively, the district said.

Doral police spokesman Rey Valdes told the newspaper in May that Guevara was not afforded any special treatment because she was law enforcement.

Theres dozens of drunks we deal with on a daily basis over there that we dont even document it. We put them in a cab and we get them the hell out of there. Its not like we tried to sweep them under the rug, Valdestold the newspaper.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan's budget director is leaving his position in October once the fiscal year budget is completed, the governor's office announced Friday.

Dave Massaron will become chief financial officer at Wayne State University in Detroit. The new position came as a bit of surprise to Massaron, but was a good opportunity, said Kurt Weiss, a spokesman for the State Budget Office.
MOSCOW (AP)  Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny marked the anniversary of a poisoning attack against him by urging global leaders Friday to put more attention on combating corruption and to target tycoons close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an article published in three European newspapers, Navalny chided Western leaders for relegating the fight against corruption to a secondary agenda item and said that graft plays an essential part in policy failures, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is precisely the fact that the West failed to notice the total corruption in Afghanistan  that Western leaders preferred not to talk about a topic they found embarrassing  which was the most crucial factor in the victory of the Taliban, Navalny wrote.

Western nations, meanwhile, also took note of Friday's anniversary. The United States and Britain announced sanctions against Russian officers and labs accused of involvement in Navalnys poisoning with a nerve agent on Aug. 20, 2020. And while visiting Moscow, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for Navalny's release from prison.

Putin strongly rejected Western criticism of the treatment of the Kremlins most outspoken foe. Speaking after talks with Merkel, he denied that his critic was punished for defying the Kremlin.

He was convicted of a criminal offense, not his political activities, Putin said,

Navalny was arrested in January upon returning to Moscow from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian officials reject the accusation.

The politician and anti-corruption activist, who is Putins most determined political foe, received a 2 1/2-year prison sentence in February for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated.

On Friday, British newspaper The Guardian, Germanys Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Frances Le Monde published Navalny's article, in which he called corruption the universal, ideology-free basis for the flourishing of a new Authoritarian International, from Russia to Eritrea, Myanmar to Venezuela.

He challenged international leaders to show a stronger political will to track financial trails from Russia and other countries beset by corruption and to more resolutely target corrupt officials.

Until personal sanctions are imposed on oligarchs, primarily those in the entourage of Putin  the role model for all the worlds corrupt officials and businessmen  any anti-corruption rhetoric from the West will be perceived as game-playing and hot air, Navalny said.

In a separate Instagram post Friday, Navalny again thanked Russian pilots and ambulance doctors for saving his life after he fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on Aug. 20, 2020. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a Berlin hospital two days later.

Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to a Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.

Reflecting on his poisoning and recovery, Navalny also thanked his supporters with a note of his usual sardonic humor.

Thanks to you all it all went fine, I survived and landed in prison, he said on Instagram.

He added sarcastically that he also should thank Russias corruption for helping disable Russias secret services along with other sectors.

The level of secret operations is on par with health care, education and municipal services, Navalny quipped.

Russian authorities have insisted that the doctors who treated Navalny in Siberia before he was airlifted to Germany found no traces of poison and challenged German officials to provide proof of his poisoning. They refused to open a full-fledged criminal inquiry, citing the lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned.

In a statement issued earlier this week, the Russian Foreign Ministry denounced Western accusations over Navalny's poisoning as a planned provocation aimed at discrediting Russia.

Navalny's arrest and jailing triggered a series of mass protests that challenged authorities, who responded with mass arrests of demonstrators and criminal prosecutions of Navalnys associates.

In June, a court outlawed Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a network of his regional offices as extremist organizations, a verdict that barred people associated with the groups from seeking public office and exposed them to lengthy prison terms.

Russian authorities also blocked some 50 websites run by his team or supporters for allegedly disseminating extremist group propaganda, and opened a criminal probe against Navalnys top allies, Ivan Zhdanov and Leonid Volkov, over a crowdfunding campaign.

Last week, Russian authorities also leveled new criminal charges against Navalny himself, alleging that his anti-corruption foundation infringed on peoples rights, a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison.

Navalny and his allies have linked the crackdown to Russias Sept. 19 parliamentary election, which is widely seen as an important part of Putins efforts to cement his rule before the countrys 2024 presidential election.

In statements issued Friday, the United States and Britain reaffirmed their condemnation of last year's attack against Navalny and cited the recent arrests of opposition activists and journalists in Russia.

The two countries also criticized Russia for failing to account for what they described as a breach of its obligations under a global chemical weapons ban by failing "to investigate and credibly explain the use of a chemical weapon against Mr. Navalny on Russias territory.

Navalnys poisoning was a shocking violation of international norms against the use of chemical weapons and was part of an ongoing campaign to silence voices of dissent in Russia, U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Andrea Gacki

Britain announced sanctions against seven operatives of Russian domestic security agency FSB accused of involvement in Navalny's poisoning. The U.S. slapped sanctions on nine FSB officers and two Russian labs.

We are sending a clear message that any use of chemical weapons by the Russian state violates international law, and a transparent criminal investigation must be held, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

___

AP diplomatic writer Matthew Lee in Washington and Mike Corder in the Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A jury found a chiropractor and Navy veteran guilty Friday in the gruesome killings of four people at a North Dakota property management firm two years ago.

Jurors returned guilty verdicts on all counts against Chad Isaak, who was charged in the April 1, 2019, deaths of RJR Maintenance & Management co-owner Robert Fakler, 52, and employees Adam Fuehrer, 42, Bill Cobb, 50, and 45-year-old Lois Cobb. The Cobbs were married.

Isaak 47, of Washburn, whose mobile home was on property managed by RJR, pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder and three other counts. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Isaak, in handcuffs, looked down before the verdicts were read but showed little emotion as the jurys decision on each count was announced.

A jury of six men and six women deliberated four and a-half hours before finding Isaak guilty following the three-week trial.

It was one of the most heinous crimes in North Dakota history, defense attorney Bruce Quick acknowledged in his opening statement. Three of the victims were shot and stabbed at the business in Mandan, a city of about 20,000. Combined, the four of them were stabbed about 100 times.

Judge David Reich did not immediately schedule a date for sentencing.

Quick said during the trial that the case amounted to a rush to judgment based on bad information that led to the wrong conclusion. The defense rested its case Wednesday.

Prosecutor Karlei Neufeld described the horrific crime scene during the trial and said evidence that included photos, surveillance video, bullet fragments, a knife and other items found during searches of Isaaks home and vehicle led to the charges against him.

Prosecutors presented the case as a puzzle in which all of the pieces pointed to Isaak, including a knife found in his clothes washer, gun parts found in his freezer and security camera footage tracking his pickup.

BCI Supervisory Special Agent Arnie Rummel testified that investigators were not able to determine a motive, but that a motive isnt a requirement for conviction.

The defense maintained that authorities overlooked numerous possible alternative suspects. Isaaks attorneys also questioned the sourcing, collection and processing of evidence; said some testimony doesnt match police reports; and questioned the absence of visible blood on the clothing of a person seen in security camera footage leaving RJR the morning of the killings.

Prosecutors showed security camera footage from numerous businesses that authorities said tracked Isaaks white pickup from Mandan to Washburn on the day of the slayings, along with footage from a week earlier that they said indicated the killer planned out the attack.

Forensic experts testified that fibers on the clothing of the slain workers were matches for fibers taken from Isaaks clothing, and that DNA evidence found in Isaaks pickup truck was linked to Fakler and possibly Lois Cobb.
BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP)  A Broken Bow man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing his stepmother last year at her home.

Trenton Esch, 45, was sentenced Thursday in Custer County District Court after a jury found him guilty in June of first-degree murder and two gun felonies in the July 2020 shooting death of 62-year-old Crystal Esch, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  The news this month that two Nigerian schoolgirls had made it to freedom, more than seven years after they were kidnapped by Boko Haram extremist rebels, has kindled new hope among parents whose daughters are still missing.

Of the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from their school in Chibok in northeast Nigeria in April 2014, many of the girls have regained their freedom  57 escaped in the hours following their abduction, 21 were released after negotiations brokered by the Red Cross and the Swiss Government in October 2016 and another 82 were freed in exchange for some Boko Haram suspects in May 2017. However, more than 100 are still missing. The reappearance of two of those kidnapped girls shows that much has changed.

Ruth Nglari Apagu turned herself over to the Nigerian military in Borno with her husband  who was one of the Islamic extremist kidnappers  and their two children.

Hassan Adamu also presented herself to security forces in Borno, and she also returned with two children she had given birth to during her years of captivity.

Borno state Governor Babagana Zulum welcomed the young women in two separate events and posed for pictures before they were reunited with their parents.

Yana Galang, 65, said she is delighted to hear of the return of two of the Chibok girls. Galang has not seen her daughter Rifkatu since she was abducted from the school at the age of 18.

We are very happy, said Galang, saying she is hopeful her own daughter will soon be back.

Galang said she draws strength from the hope that her daughter and the others still held by Boko Haram will return home.

People are so excited because some have already given up" that the community will see the girls again, Hassan Chibok, a community leader, told The Associated Press of the return of the two girls. A lot of them (the parents in Chibok) had lost hope  but with this present development, we have hope that those that are still alive will definitely come back home.

Sadly, some of the parents have not lived to see the return of the daughters. At least 10 of the parents have died since the kidnap, including several where stress and anxiety caused by the kidnappings was a factor, said Chibok, an elder in their community who was one of the strongest voices championing for the girls release in the months following their kidnap.

The girls' return was, however, received with mixed feelings by some, including Saleh Bala, a retired senior officer of the Nigerian army, who said the girls are victims of the Stockholm syndrome, an emotional response in which some hostage victims develop positive feelings for their captors.

The young women will need counseling and work to integrate them back to their communities, said Bala.

How they are handled and treated will be important to attracting those others (kidnapped students) who are alive with similar forced partners, he said.

Another factor that may have contributed to the return of the girls could be disarray within Boko Haram caused by the reported death of its leader, Abubakar Shekau, and attempts by a group of rival extremists, the Islamic State West Africa Province, to integrate his fighters to their ranks, said Confidence MacHarry, a security analyst with the SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based geopolitical intelligence firm.

But the current mood in Chibok is excitement, residents say.

Lawal Zana's daughter is among those still held by Boko Haram. The secretary of the association of the affected parents, Zana told AP that because they had stayed for long without good news the return of the two girls has encouraged them to keep the faith.

"Our own is to pray now to see that the remaining of our girls come out, said Zana.

We are expecting them! he said repeatedly during a phone interview.
ST. MARIES, Idaho (AP)  A northern Idaho man has been charged with murder after investigators found his longtime partner dead of a gunshot wound inside her home.

John D. Dalton Jr., 55, of Spirit Lake, is being held on $1 million bond on the first-degree murder charge.
TULSA, Okla. (AP)  A Tulsa man has pleaded guilty to sending emails to a Tulsa television station threatening to kill President Joe Biden, members of Congress and their families.

Court records show John Jacob Ahrens, 58, pleaded guilty Thursday to threatening the president and two counts of interstate communication with a threat to injure.
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP)  A suicide bomber detonated his explosives Friday near a vehicle carrying Chinese workers in restive southwestern Pakistan, killing two Pakistani children playing by the roadside, the interior ministry and police said.

A Chinese and two other Pakistanis were wounded in the attack in Baluchistan province. Hours after the bombing, the separatist Baluch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the bombing in the port town of Gwadar.
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. (AP)  An annual festival that celebrates a local legend about a Mothman in West Virginia has been called off for the second straight year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Organizers of the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant announced the festival's cancellation Thursday. It had been set for next month.
HOUMA, La. (AP)  A teenager accused of shooting a grandmother while she was waiting to pick up her grandchildren from school in south Louisiana has been arrested.

Jamanie Dotch, 17, was arrested Thursday on a charge of attempted second-degree murder in the shooting that happened near St. Francis de Sales Elementary, Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman said in a news release Friday.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP)  Purdue University Fort Wayne has extended its indoor mask mandate until early September for all students, staff, faculty and campus visitors, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status.

The university announced the move Thursday, saying there had been no discernable improvement in local and nationwide COVID-19 numbers since it reimplemented the mandate in early August.
WASHINGTON  Twenty years ago, Rep. Barbara Lee stood before her House colleagues and pleaded with them not to give President George W. Bush a blank check to wage war against the remote, lawless nation accused of harboring the Sept. 11 terrorists.

"Let's just pause, just for a minute, and think through the implications of our actions today, so that this does not spiral out of control," she said to them days after the attacks.

With the stunning fall of Kabul to the Taliban this week, the Oakland, California, lawmaker has been heralded as an ignored oracle, the only member of Congress to foresee an endless war in Afghanistan that would leave thousands of Americans and Afghans dead.

Lee didn't know in September 2001 that she would be the only no vote on the Authorization for the Use of Military Force that the House approved, 420 to 1, after the attacks that felled the twin towers of the World Trade Center, left the Pentagon billowing in smoke and downed a passenger airplane in Pennsylvania.

She didn't expect that vote to be a career-defining moment, widely praised as an act of political courage.

Nor did she anticipate the death threats and vilification that followed for several years.

But through it all  the ups and downs of the costly war, the overshadowing of Afghanistan by the subsequent Iraq war, the killing of Osama bin Laden and ultimately the growing acceptance by her colleagues that the battle against the Taliban could never be won  Lee said she never wavered on one thing: the conviction that she was on the right side of history.

"No way," she said in an interview when asked if she ever had second thoughts. "I did a lot of thinking about that. I talked to constitutional lawyers about that. I'm a person of faith. I prayed over that. And we're humans, because we all make mistakes. So that's the calculated risk whenever you cast a vote that may or may not be the sentiment of the majority. But no."

And Lee didn't stop with that single vote of disapproval. For two decades she has continued to fight against the war, lobbying members to repeal the military authorization, pestering each new president to wind down the fighting and becoming an antiwar crusader to bring U.S. troops home, and for Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to declare war.

Lee said she often wonders what would have happened if her colleagues had taken a few extra days to debate the 2001 resolution, which gave the president power to use all "necessary and appropriate force" against anyone involved in any way with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

She's long stressed that she was never opposed to any military intervention in Afghanistan. Her concern was giving a president such broad, unending power to take military action. And she wondered how Congress might have responded if give the option of diplomatic alternatives.

"But we don't know," she said. "We don't because nothing else was on the table."

Critics at the time dubbed Lee, the daughter of a veteran, a starry-eyed liberal, un-American, even a traitor. Hate mail and threats flowed in. She was assigned a Capitol Police detail.

Back home, voter support for Lee never wavered. Less than a month after the vote, a crowd of 3,000 cheered her name in downtown Oakland at a rally organized by actor Danny Glover and writer Alice Walker.

Since then, Lee has never received less than 81% of the votes cast in her district. In 2020, she was reelected with 90.37%.

A year after that fateful vote, the nation's attention was shifting to the brewing conflict with Iraq.

By 2003, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced that "major combat" operations in Afghanistan had ended. Though fighting continued between the Taliban and the U.S.-backed interim Afghan government, terrorist attacks and the growing insurgency in Iraq became the new top U.S. military priorities.

Lee said she soon began to notice a shift in public opinion. Returning veterans and grass-roots activists demanded to know why Congress had provided such open-ended authority to the president. Some of those who once sent her hate mail told Lee they now thought she had been right.

Lee credits activists for gradually swaying public opinion on the two wars.

"We had a long-term strategy  myself, several other members and outside organizations. And we just said, 'We're just going to keep at it,'" she said.

Slowly Lee drew allies to her cause. First were two more California Democrats, Reps. Maxine Waters of Los Angeles and Lynn Woolsey of Petaluma.

As the Bush administration failed to uncover the long-alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Congress members flocked to join the Out of Iraq Caucus in 2005, including some Republicans, starting with the now-deceased Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina.

Eight years after the war began, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) declared she would never again pressure members of her Democratic caucus to vote for Afghanistan supplemental funding.

By 2010, Democrats had created the Out of Afghanistan Caucus. Democrats added to their party platform the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Lee serves on the platform-writing committee.

After overseeing a surge in troops in 2009 and the killing of Bin Laden in 2011, President Obama set out a plan to leave Afghanistan in his second term.

An increasingly war-weary Congress was joining Lee's calls for a reduction in troops, with an unusual alliance of antiwar liberals and fiscally conservative Republicans demanding an exit strategy for Afghanistan.

In the early days, Lee said the campaign was complicated by the turnover of congressional seats. Every two years she and supporters had to lobby a new crop of members on the issue.

As the years passed, she found more members coming into Congress already questioning why children of the first group of soldiers sent to Afghanistan were now serving tours of their own.

Only 13 Californians who voted on that original 2001 authorization still serve in Congress. About 25% of all House members who took that initial vote remain in office.

Despite growing support, Lee has been unable to overturn that initial, broad authorization that every president has since used to justify using military action somewhere in the world.

This summer the White House said Biden would be open to discussing changes to the authority, but made no explicit commitments.

Lee supports Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, but was alarmed by the chaos that has unfolded this week at Kabul's airport. She is scrambling to do what she can to help constituents get their families out.

"I was very sad, upset, angry and anxious about the evacuation," Lee said. "In many ways I felt really sad, almost like after 9/11, to see all of this human tragedy take place in front of our eyes."
PRINCETON, W.Va. (AP)  A memorial service for a West Virginia sailor who died on the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor is being held in his hometown this weekend.

Gov. Jim Justice ordered that U.S. and West Virginia flags on state facilities be flown at half-staff Saturday, the day of the service in honor of Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Bernard Ramon Wimmer, 28, of Princeton.
NEW YORK (AP)  A man in a ski mask shot at another person in front of a recently opened Harry Potter store in New York City early Friday, police said.

Gunfire was reported just before 3 a.m. at the Harry Potter store on Broadway in the Flatiron district, a police spokesperson said. The shooter, who was wearing a ski mask, fled in a black vehicle, police said.
When Congress sent states billions of dollars early in the coronavirus pandemic to help make schools safe, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee saw an opportunity.

He used part of the windfall to further his goal of offering school choice options for parents, sending millions to charter schools that operate without traditional public oversight. That included funneling more than $4 million to new charters that are not scheduled to open until at least next year.

It was an easy way for the Republican governor to advance a long-held priority. For Lee and some other GOP governors, the discretionary money was a chance to sidestep their state legislatures and advance school choice, which typically involves funding charter schools or offering vouchers so parents can use taxpayer money to pay private school tuition.

Teachers unions and other critics view the efforts as a way to siphon money away from traditional public schools.

This feels like hes taking advantage of the pandemic and the pandemic relief to further his ideological goal of defunding the traditional public schools, said state Rep. Gloria Johnson, a Democrat and retired teacher.

In a series of bills since the COVID-19 outbreak began last year, Congress has allocated $190 billion to help public and private schools weather the pandemic. Although there is no centralized way to see how districts and private schools are spending the aid, The Associated Press tracked most of that money to determine how much was received by virtually every school district in the country and to analyze the ways governors distributed the assistance they were free to dole out as they wished.

In the initial wave of funding, governors were given $3 billion with few strings attached but the expectation that it be used to help schools and colleges most significantly impacted by coronavirus.

They used that money in a variety of ways: New Jersey supported colleges. Oregon used it to make sure even tiny rural districts received minimum amounts of aid. States including Indiana and Colorado established competitive grant programs for school districts.

This week, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced he was using a separate pot of federal pandemic aid to create a $10 million grant initiative similar to the state's existing private school voucher program. It was the Republican governor's latest attempt to push back against public school districts that are defying a state ban on mask mandates. The funding allows grants up to $7,000 per student if their public school requires masks, orders quarantines due to COVID-19 exposure or gives different treatment to vaccinated students.

In Tennessee, Lee has long been an advocate of launching more charter schools -- institutions that are publicly funded but operate outside traditional school districts. In a feature that appeals to many conservatives, they usually do not have unionized teachers.

Of the nearly $64 million in discretionary pandemic education money that came to his office, Lee dedicated $10 million to charters. The governor used it to make sure every charter received some aid and to help existing schools add grades. He reserved a chunk of it  $4.4 million  to help launch new charters, none of which is scheduled to welcome students until at least 2022.

Lee spokeswoman Casey Black did not directly respond to a question from the AP about funding for charter schools that are not yet open but said the use of the money would help provide families with access to a high-quality education. Brian Blackley, a spokesman for Lee's state Department of Education, said the charter school funding is meant to give families more options.

Education is not one size fits all, and the pandemic showed us just how important it is to provide families with better access to high-quality school options, he said in an email.

Beth Brown, president of the Tennessee Education Association, criticized the spending.

Using pandemic relief money to open new charter schools is an insult to the public school teachers who have worked tirelessly since March 2020 to keep public schools open, said Brown, a high school English teacher in rural Grundy County.

U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat who serves as chair of the House Labor and Education Committee, said the federal money was not intended to be used that way.

The 5% or 10% that end up in charters may or may not improve their education situation, he said. Its hard to make an argument that reducing the money available to public schools helps the 90% to 95% of those who are in public schools.

Oklahoma's GOP governor, Kevin Stitt, used $10 million of the nearly $40 million in his governor-controlled fund to create a stay-in-school program that funded scholarships for lower-income students who already attend private schools.

The state education secretary, Ryan Walters, said the state was hearing from parents who lost income early in the pandemic and could not keep paying private-school tuition.

Moving them in the middle of a pandemic to a brand-new school would create even more trauma for them, he said.

Most Oklahoma private schools are religious. One exception is Positive Tomorrows, an Oklahoma City school exclusively for students in families experiencing homelessness.

The school usually costs around $3 million a year to run, with many expenses paid through donations. It got about $350,000 from Stitts program, plus another $250,000 in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans from the federal government to keep paying teachers and staff. Public schools did not have access to the forgivable loans.

Because of the role that we serve, I think we deserve some government funding, said Susan Agel, president of the school. This is a kind of thing that Id really like to see more of, particularly for our school.

State Rep. Jacob Rosecrants, a Democrat who was a public school teacher until he was elected in 2017, said there are still major needs in public schools that should be met before taxpayer money is considered for private schools.

If you want to go to a private school, you have that choice," he said. "Youre private for a reason.

Governors in Florida and New Hampshire also used portions of their discretionary money for private-school scholarship programs.

A South Carolina program championed by GOP Gov. Henry McMaster was larger  $32 million  and scholarships were planned for students who were not already in private schools. But the scholarships were never awarded because the program was blocked unanimously by the state Supreme Court.

Shaunette Parker, board chairwoman for the Second Baptist Christian Preparatory School in Aiken, said McMaster's proposal could have been a toehold for establishing a broader voucher program in South Carolina, something that has never been adopted in the Legislature.

We were hoping the success of that one-year funding would have shown people how this wasnt going to create a mass exodus of the public schools, Parker said. It would have improved education all around.

After the court rejected McMasters effort, he redirected the money to other programs, including launching regional computer labs, boosting technical colleges, funding summer and extended-day programs for 4-year-olds  and helping helping public charter schools where enrollments have risen.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee officials have expanded an initiative for youth and young adults who have experienced a first episode of psychosis.

The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services says OnTrack TN will be newly available in Montgomery County through the Mental Health Cooperative, Anderson County through Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services, and Rutherford County through Volunteer Behavioral Health Care Services.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)  A police unions request to block vaccine requirements for Tucson police has been rejected by a county judge.

Television broadcaster KGUN reported Friday that Pima County judge Richard Gordon has rejected a lawsuit from the Tucson Police Officers Association. The suit argues that the new policy is against state law and that Tucson violated its contract with the union.

The mayor and city council last week approved a policy requiring all Tucson city employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be subject to a five-day suspension.

More than half of Arizonas population has received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Hospitalizations due to the virus continue to climb this week to the highest number since mid-February.

Arizonas Department of Health Services reported 3,546 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and four more deaths Thursday, bringing the states total to 976,471 cases and 18,508 deaths since the pandemic began.
LONDON (AP)  A jury concluded Friday that a terror attack on a busy street in south London last year could have been prevented had the perpetrator been recalled to prison after he bought items that were used in a fake suicide belt.

Sudesh Amman, 20, was shot dead by armed undercover officers after he stole a knife from a hardware shop and randomly stabbed a man and a woman in Streatham on Feb. 2, 2020, before turning to charge at the two armed police officers who gave chase. The injured people survived the attack.

After 11 hours of consideration, the jurors at Britain's high court returned a conclusion of lawful killing but said the probation services missed an opportunity to send him back to prison.

Over more than three weeks, jurors heard how authorities had grown increasingly concerned about Amman and how his extremist mindset developed during his time in prison.

They heard that police and security officers from the MI5 intelligence agency had been so concerned about Amman two days before the atrocity that they held an emergency meeting to discuss the prospect of returning him to prison following his recent release.

However, HM Prison and Probation Service opted against recalling him, even though undercover officers had spotted him buying four small bottles of carbonated soft drink Irn-Bru, kitchen foil and parcel tape two days before the attack  items they rightly feared could be used to make a hoax suicide belt.

Amman was kept under around-the-clock armed surveillance instead.

At the inquest's conclusion, Judge Nicholas Hilliard praised the police for their bravery.

Amman was prepared to risk his life," he said. In stark contrast, the Metropolitan Police surveillance teams were prepared to put themselves in harms way.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, echoed the judges remarks.

Lethal force is rare in this country but as you have heard the evidence in this case, once the attack had started, lethal force was one of the most effective ways of stopping the attack," he said outside the Mets New Scotland Yard headquarters in central London.

Amman was said to have plotted to kill Queen Elizabeth II and to have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. While in prison, Amman was also said to have reveled in his perceived notoriety as a young terrorist, and was said to have mixed with other high-profile offenders including the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi.

He was automatically released from Belmarsh jail in London on Jan. 23, 2020, halfway through his 40-month sentence for obtaining and distributing material used for terror-related purposes, despite pleas to the prison governor to keep him in custody for longer after a police officer feared an attack would be when, not if.
LONDON (AP)  A 22-year-old man who fatally shot five people in southwestern England earlier this month had his confiscated shotgun and gun license returned to him after he completed a program that aims to keep offenders out of the British criminal justice system, a police watchdog said Friday.

Police have said that Jake Davison killed his mother and four other people, including a 3-year-old girl, before taking his own life in the port city of Plymouth on Aug. 12. It was Britains first mass shooting in over a decade.

He started participating in the voluntary Pathfinder program, an alternative to being charged or given an official caution, after admitting assaulting two youths in a Plymouth park in September 2020.

His shotgun and license to own it were confiscated in December while he was taking part in the program and given back to him July 9 following a review by firearms licensers, a police investigation found.

Britain's police watchdog is investigating what information was shared and decisions made in connection with Davison's possession of the gun. Firearm crimes are rare in Britain, which has strict gun control laws and regulations.

Our thoughts remain with all those severely affected by the horrific events in Plymouth," David Ford, the regional director of the Independent Office for Police Conduct, said. We appreciate the significant public concern that has arisen and the need for answers to a range of questions for the safety of the public, and to understand what happened leading up to the tragedy.

The IOPC said Davison first applied for a shotgun certificate in July 2017 and received one valid for five years in January 2018. It is believed he then legally purchased a shotgun in March 2018.

Police have said that Davison appeared to have shown interest in incel  shorthand for involuntarily celibate  forums on social media. The incel movement justifies violence against women as revenge for men who are rejected as sexual partners. The online subculture has been linked to deadly attacks in California, Toronto and Florida.

Davison posted online that while he wouldnt describe himself as an incel, they are people similar to me, theyve had nothing but themselves, and then theyve socially had it tough.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  Current and former students of the University of Delaware can pursue claims that the school breached contractual obligations and unjustly enriched itself by halting in-person classes and shutting down the campus last spring because of the coronavirus epidemic, a federal judge ruled Friday.

Judge Stephanos Bibas said the students have plausibly alleged that the school promised them in-person classes, activities and services.

True, the school never promised them expressly. But promises need not be express to be enforceable, Bibas wrote. By its statements and history of offering classes in person, the school may have implied a promise to stay in person.

Bibas also said that, even if the university was justified in breaking any such promise because of COVID-19, it should not be unjustly enriched in doing so, and may have to return the money it saved, if any, when it went online.

The judge rejected the universitys argument that it expressly reserved the right to go online, and that the case involves claims of educational malpractice, which many states prohibit.

The students claim not that their education was bad, but that it breached a promise to provide a specific type of education, he noted.

Bibas also rejected the universitys argument that parents who paid their childrens tuition and fees do not have standing in the lawsuit because they had no duty to shoulder those costs and were not personally deprived of campus services or forced to take allegedly inferior online courses.

If the parents are right, they suffered a simpler injury: The school wrongly took their money, the judge wrote. It promised to use the money for one purpose but did not.

The plaintiffs are seeking partial refunds of their spring 2020 tuition and fees.

The students argue that before the pandemic, the school treated in-person and online classes as separate offerings and charged more for some in-person programs than they did for similar online classes. They also argue that the university charged them fees for the gym, student centers, and the health center, sometimes at higher rates than those paid by online students, and that the school kept those fees while denying them the services.

Fridays ruling came three months after Bibas refused to dismiss two separate lawsuits that the plaintiffs seek to consolidate and pursue as a class-action on behalf of all students who paid for the spring 2020 semester.

University attorneys filed motions to dismiss the lawsuits, arguing that the students failed to identify any specific contractual term that was breached, and that the school has the right to change its policies, fees and other charges without notice.

Bibas noted that, under Delaware law, the relationship between a student and a university is a contractual one. He also said the terms of an education contract may not necessarily be limited to those found in a course catalog or student handbook.

Although the Delaware Supreme Court has not yet weighed in, many other states recognize that education contracts may contain implied terms, the judge wrote. I predict that Delaware would agree.

Schools and students show their intent to contract mostly through their actions, not words: the school admits them, the students enroll and pay tuition, and the students go to class, Bibas added. The parties did that here, and their acts plausibly created an implied contract.
BOSTON (AP)  The USS Constitution sailed into Boston Harbor on Friday and fired a 21-gun salute in honor of Vietnam War veterans on board.

Old Ironsides, as the warship is known, took more than 300 military veterans on a three-hour tour of the harbor to honor their service. The trip was arranged as part of the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, an effort to thank Vietnam War veterans and their families.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP)  More than 200 University of Virginia students who didnt comply with the schools COVID-19 vaccine requirement have been disenrolled ahead of the fall semester.

The school disenrolled 238 students, including 49 students who were enrolled in fall courses, The Virginian-Pilot reported. That may mean that a good number of the remaining students may not have been planning to return to the University this fall at all, university spokesperson Brian Coy said.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A terrorism investigation led to the arrest last September of a Las Vegas man now jailed pending trial in what police called an apparent plot to mount a mass casualty attack, authorities disclosed Thursday.

Jail and court records showed that Lacy Walthour, 27, was being held on $1 million bail and is getting a new lawyer to represent him on 26 felony explosives and weapons charges. He rejected a plea deal Thursday that would have gotten him 15 years in state prison.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Health officials in Las Vegas marked a tragic milestone Wednesday, passing 5,000 deaths from COVID-19 since March 2020 in Clark County.

In the Reno area, where 707 people have died of COVID-19, officials pointed with alarm to a more than threefold increase in the number already this month compared with June and July.

Our numbers are really looking frighteningly similar to what we were seeing last year as we were entering our November surge, said Kevin Dick, chief health officer in Washoe County, where a regional COVID-19 risk meter rated very high, one notch below severe.

Were really seeing an uptick in deaths, Dick said: 16 deaths so far in August, after five deaths in each of the previous two months. He said hospitals in the Reno area were 89% full.

Hospital space was less a concern in Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County, home to about 74% of Nevada's 3.1 million residents. About 15% of Nevadans live in Washoe County.

The 129 hospitalizations with confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday in Washoe County matched the number on Nov. 4, 2020, according to state Department of Health and Human Services data.

In Las Vegas, Southern Nevada Health District medical chief Dr. Fermin Leguen issued a statement calling the 5,005 deaths in his region a tragedy for everyone who has lost a loved one, family member and friend and again pleaded for people to get free vaccine shots.

The vaccination rate in the Las Vegas area continued to tick slowly up on Wednesday, according to state health data, approaching 61% for people ages 12 and older who have received at least one dose and nearly 49% fully inoculated. Nationally, the figure is about 72%.

In Reno, 66% have gotten one shot and nearly 59% are fully vaccinated, the health department said.

State health officials also reported almost 1,100 new coronavirus cases in Clark County since Tuesday and 17 additional deaths.

Statewide, 6,248 people have died of COVID-19, the health department said. That represents 1% of the more than 621,000 who have died nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A weekly Nevada Hospital Association report charted a slowing of COVID-19 hospitalizations in southern Nevada, and increases in the Reno area.

It noted that nine Las Vegas-area facilities were reporting staffing shortages but said the percentage of COVID-19 patients in hospitals and in intensive care in the south had stabilized at almost 1,200.

Test positivity, a benchmark measure of community spread of the virus, peaked last week in the Las Vegas area at more than 17%. The World Health Organization goal is 5% or less to relax coronavirus restrictions.

The figure eased a bit to 15.6% statewide on Monday and 15.3% in Las Vegas, but it was 19% in Washoe County.

Community transmission remained high in 14 of Nevada's 17 counties, according to the CDC, including Clark and Washoe.

Dick, in Reno, compared the coronavirus to smoke fouling the air from wildfires, but invisible.

It's out there, he said.

A primary care physician called the rising number of unvaccinated middle-aged people hospitalized with severe COVID-19 alarming.

These are people in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are coming in ... (and) having to get on a ventilator very quickly, Dr. John Hess said during a conference call hosted by the Washoe County Health District.

I want people to understand the severity of the situation," Hess said. "We were not seeing that earlier.

___

This story has been updated to correct that the 6,248 deaths statewide represented about 1% of the more than 621,000 who had died nationally, not 10%.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is extending a welcome mat for refugees from Afghanistan.

In a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday, Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan offered to to work with the federal government to continue Minnesotas history of welcoming refugees by assisting with the resettlement of people fleeing Afghanistan.

Minnesota has a strong tradition of welcoming those who seek refuge and supporting them to rebuild their lives and become part of our communities, their letter said. Minnesota is eager to uphold that tradition by welcoming families and children and providing the stable foundation they need to rebuild their lives, achieve their highest potential, and contribute to our state."

Tens of thousands of Afghans have been trying to flee their home country since the Taliban takeover, with desperate crowds thronging Kabuls airport.

Minnesota is already home to some of the largest Hmong, Somali and Liberian communities in the U.S., as well as a small Afghan community. The state has also drawn significant numbers of refugees in recent decades from Myanmar, Ethiopia, Bhutan, Iraq, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bosnia and the former Soviet Union.

New Minnesotans strengthen our communities and contribute to the social fabric of our state, Walz and Flanagan wrote. They are our neighbors.
By Eli Walsh

Bay City News Foundation

Marin County's public health department will hold a mass vaccination event Saturday for fully-vaccinated residents who are eligible for a third COVID-19 vaccine dose as a result of having a weakened immune system.

The one-day event, from the Marin Health and Human Services, will be held at the Marin Center, 20 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. Vaccine seekers are encouraged to make an appointment and must bring a valid identification card, their COVID-19 vaccination card and a health insurance or medical coverage card if they have one.

Vaccinations will be available to people who received their second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine dose more than 28 days ago and have received cancer treatment, received an organ or stem cell transplant, are HIV-infected or are being actively treated with high-dose corticosteroids or other immunosuppressant drugs.

"A third dose helps boost the protection for people with severely weakened immune systems," said Dr. Matt Willis, a county public health officer. "It's also important to remember that those of us who are fully vaccinated and have normal immune response are well protected, and don't need an additional dose yet."

State and federal health officials have given their approval over the last week of third doses for immunocompromised people, who are more likely to suffer so-called breakthrough COVID-19 infections because their immune response is not as robust as that of people with fully functional immune systems.

Residents who are eligible for a third vaccine dose but cannot attend the mass-vaccination event on Saturday are encouraged to contact their health care provider or a local retail pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens.

Information about the COVID-19 vaccine can be found at https://coronavirus.marinhhs.org/vaccine.

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

With San Francisco city employees now required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, nearly 90 percent of city staff have reported being vaccinated, the city's Department of Human Resources said Thursday.

Of the city's 36,125 employees, 88 percent have, so far, reported being vaccinated, with 10 percent reported being unvaccinated and 2 percent not reporting their status at all, human resources officials said.

Two weeks ago, the city updated its vaccination policy, requiring all city employees who work in high-risk settings to be vaccinated by Sept. 15, and all other city employees to be vaccinated by Oct. 13. Additionally, all employees were required to report their vaccination status to the city by last week.

As of now, only a small number first responders have failed to report their status by last week's deadline, including two employees with the Sheriff's Department; eight with the Police Department; and seven from the Fire Department, human resources officials said.

Leaders from the three departments are being charged with disciplining their employees, with employees who continue to refuse to report their status possibly facing a 10-day suspension without pay.

Employees facing discipline can appeal the action, human resources officials said.

While an increasing number of businesses, private companies, and municipalities are requiring vaccine proof from patrons and employees, vaccine mandates remain controversial.

Last week, union leaders with the San Francisco Deputy Sheriff's Association threatened to have deputies quit or retire if the city mandate was enforced.

Also last week, San Francisco firefighter Eigil Qwist filed a civil lawsuit against Human Resources Director Carol Isen and the city, alleging the vaccine mandate violates his rights. The suit described the mandate as "draconian."

Qwist is seeking a restraining order that would prohibit the city from requiring vaccination and disciplining or terminating employees who choose to not report their status.

The city, as well as the nation, is continuing to experience a surge in COVID-19 cases over the last two months due to the contagious delta variant. The San Francisco Department of Public Health, the California Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease, Control, and Prevention have all said the vaccine is the most effective option to prevent severe illness from COVID-19.

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico's top education official during the pandemic headed into his final days in Santa Fe saying outdoor classrooms could have allowed more in-person instruction when schools were closed last year and may be key to addressing parents' masking concerns.

Education Secretary Ryan Stewart leaves on Friday, two years into his term, citing the need to be near family as his father faces serious illness.

Last Thursday, Stewart spoke with the Associated Press about the Public Education Department's accomplishments under his tenure and what he would have done differently during the pandemic.

As a former director of education innovation, first at a Philadelphia school district and later a nonprofit based in the same city, Stewart was brought to New Mexico to bring sweeping institutional change.

Before the pandemic, he oversaw the elimination of teacher assessment systems long criticized by Democrats for being punitive in a state that struggles with teacher recruitment and retention. His department also digitized more aspects of the educational bureaucracy and pioneered a new funding system to target poverty at the individual school level.

Most reforms have been blunted, slowed or eclipsed by the urgency and scope of the pandemic, which left thousands of students isolated, their only education facilitated through paper packets. The true scope of technological deprivation during the pandemic, as well as unfinished or lost learning, has yet to be fully documented.

Stewart said he has been pushing for outdoor learning, telling education leaders he could fund shade structures, furniture, and staff training.

Ive been pushing on all of these calls. Im like, Hey guys, masks are a big issue in your community. You dont want to wear them? Well help you. And let us know what you need. Lets get an outdoor learning program going. Then your kids dont have to wear masks. And they like being outside. Stewart said.

He said there weren't any takers among state superintendents.

School districts with 100 students or less were allowed to stay open, with regular COVID-19 testing.

Some private schools also offered classes in person. The United World College, a residential high school with around 200 students, kept the virus under control by isolating from the surrounding community. The Tutorial School in Santa Fe held outdoor classes.

Officials at Santa Fe Public Schools said last year they were ordering shade structures with their own funds as part of an existing outdoor learning plan. But outdoor classes never happened on a large scale.

Stewart urged superintendents to consider outdoor schooling again, as parents keep kids out of school due to concerns about rising infections and, conversely, protests over masking requirements.

While the pandemic shut down some attempts at innovation, it drove others by forcing teachers to catch up to the 20th century.

From Las Cruces to Santa Fe and Farmington, the 2020 fall semester started with some teachers not having at-home internet or their own computers. Some didnt really use email, let alone videoconferencing.

Weve moved everybody up to a baseline" of understanding email, videoconferencing and learning management systems, Stewart said.

Many students didnt have computers until December or later, missing direct engagement with teachers through the entire fall semester. Supply chains were strained across the globe, with every school ordering laptops at about the same time.

In Lovington, a small district in eastern New Mexico, Stewart will be remembered for his role in securing laptops for students after a vendor fell short on promises to deliver them September.

Still, he acknowledges there were areas where the state could have moved faster.

Stewart leaves New Mexico with unfinished business ranging from the lowest education outcomes in the country to an unresolved long-standing lawsuit over a lack of adequate educational opportunities for Indigenous and Hispanic children.

The Public Education Department continues to challenge a 2018 court judgment that found education in the state falls short of constitutional requirements for up to 80% of the children  Native Americans, English language learners and those in low-income households.

Stewart says he developed a blueprint to address the lawsuit, but it won't be released until after he leaves.

The Public Education Department consulted with dozens of education and other advocacy groups for the draft but didn't include the plaintiffs who could ultimately agree to close the case.

Since the case is still pending, Stewart said that complicates efforts to work directly with the plaintiffs' attorneys.

Stewart cited progress in Native American education, from a seismic shift in funding to schools in Indigenous communities to increased funding for Indigenous language education.

It's possible that Stewart's largest contribution to New Mexico's school system is one of the least known.

Working with the state tax department, education officials created a new way to target poverty-stricken schools by creating a detailed index of family income. Stewart's innovation was to tap into data that his department is not allowed to see  tax returns  and get it aggregated by school area.

With some $30 million set aside for around 100 schools serving the poorest communities, the pilot project will generate data that the Legislature could use to consider expanding the funding formula.

Im super proud of the Family Income Index. I think that its a really good (example) of state agencies coming together to try to work and solve a problem, Stewart said. I think were going to look back in five years and say (we're) really glad we did that and other states are copying us.

___

Attanasio is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Attanasio on Twitter.
Every year, 15 million to 25 million people visit Lake Tahoe.

There are six routes that lead in and out of the basin.

Its simple math to get a picture of the nightmare thats waiting in Lake Tahoe when an order to evacuate a wildfire comes.

In 2019, several months after the Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people, McClatchy ran an analysis of California communities to find the towns and cities that were at the most risk for wildfire. Their findings pinpointed Kings Beach in North Lake Tahoe as a very high fire hazard severity zone. Not only is the lakefront town surrounded by dense, dry forests, with limited evacuation routes, it also sees thousands of tourists every day.

Another city on the list: Pollock Pines.

This week, evacuations near Pollock Pines gave Lake Tahoe residents a glimpse of what could happen to them if or when a wildfire explodes closer to home. On Monday afternoon, as the Caldor Fire was raging, bumper-to-bumper traffic piled up on Sly Park Road toward Highway 50 as residents fled their homes and heeded orders to evacuate. Several hours later, California Highway Patrol in South Lake Tahoe warned motorists of potential closures on Highway 50, which would shut off one of the main arteries in and out of Lake Tahoe.

This week, phones have been ringing at Tahoes fire departments. As the air turned orange and the sky darkened, as flames raged just 45 minutes outside of the Tahoe Basin, residents and visitors alike have been calling in with questions about evacuating. On Wednesday, Officer Ruth Loehr, spokesperson for California Highway Patrol in South Lake Tahoe, said that Highway 50 was clear and not affected by the fire but that emergency officials are advising motorists bound for Tahoe to take alternate routes via Interstate 80 or Highway 395. The fire may still prompt temporary closures. Changes come at a moment's notice.

We tell people now to prepare for whatever kind of emergency comes, said Loehr. It doesnt matter if its this fire. It could be a fire tomorrow. It could be a fire next week.

California has already surpassed 1 million acres burned this year, which the Los Angeles Times called a grim milestone. And this horrific fire season is hardly over. Here we are in August, and a fire official told SFGATE on Wednesday that we are seeing fires typical of October.

The drought were dealing with is just astounding, said Erin Holland, spokesperson for the North Tahoe Fire Protection District.

For those who live in wildfire-primed neighborhoods and communities, like the ones that rim the Lake Tahoe Basin, evacuating is not a hypothetical situation. Its very much a reality to be prepared for.

There is a mindset of readiness that we should have, no matter where we are at, Holland said.

Officials in Lake Tahoe are well aware of the calculations between the number of roads and the number of people and the chaos that will unfold when an order is given to evacuate the basin.

If another large fire occurs on a summer day, hundreds of thousands of visitors will overwhelm the Basins limited evacuation routes, reads the Lake Tahoe Basin Forest Action Plan, a document published in 2019 by the California Tahoe Conservancy. Between 2010 and 2017, some 350 wildfires were ignited in the Lake Tahoe Basin. More than 80% were caused by humans, according to the document.

Allison Dinner/Getty Images

The majority of roadways in Tahoe are small, two-lane highways that already exceed their capacity for traffic on any given day because of the basins high volume of tourism.

Neighborhoods throughout the Tahoe Basin are clustered on steep hillsides, surrounded by dense forests that are overgrown and extremely dry. For many residents, their home is situated at the end of a single road lined by tall trees, with one way in and one way out.

For a stark reminder of the consequences, Tahoe officials and residents only have to look back to what happened in the summer of 2007, when an abandoned campfire ignited the Angora Fire, which destroyed 254 homes and structures and burned 3,100 acres in South Lake Tahoe within hours.

The No. 1 lesson learned from the Angora Fire: Do not wait until the last minute to evacuate, Loehr said.

Things are things, stuff is stuff, houses are houses. They can be replaced, Loehr said. But people and pets cannot. Take care of the important things.

During the Tamarack Fire, at one point, law enforcement and fire officials huddled to consider what might happen if the fire veered toward South Lake Tahoe and what the evacuation orders would be. They looked at a map and went through the South Lake Tahoe region, community by community, discussing different evacuation routes.

"It is definitely on all of our minds because, of course, we're in a basin here," Loehr said. "We're not in a good area as far as fire safety goes. It's definitely something that has been talked about."

Tom Hellauer/Special to SFGATE

The limited, rural highway infrastructure in Tahoe reinforces the urgency of an evacuation order and the need to leave as soon as possible, or before the order comes, perhaps when authorities issue a warning. Or even sooner. Holland says that if you have a gut instinct to get out, follow it.

Thats why leaving early is so important, Holland said. Because if you have one way out, you want to be the first guy on that road. You want to get out before its blocked. Before its congested.

Holland said she often hears people say they will evacuate to the lake if theres too much traffic on Tahoes roads. She says that idea is disturbing.

That is bone-chilling to hear that, Holland said.

For one, many wildfires blow up in red flag conditions, which are marked by high winds. Those are conditions when you dont want to be on the water, Holland said.

If flames are bearing down and theres no other way to escape, then Holland says she would seek shelter in the water as an absolute last resort. But the reality is, she said, if people are trapped in that scenario, if they are that close to the fire, then they are just as likely to die from smoke inhalation as they would from drowning. Intense heat from the fire is also something to be alarmed about. So dont go to the lake.

Instead, follow the guidance and directions given by Caltrans and the CHP. Generally, if a fire is burning in one part of the lake, evacuation orders will direct drivers to an exit route in the other direction. So people in North Lake Tahoe may have to drive down the West Shore to Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe. Or vice versa, to Highway 89 and then Interstate 80 in Truckee.

If there are evacuation orders, adhere to them, Loehr said.

Wildfire evacuations last days, not hours, Holland said. She recommends being prepared to leave for at least 72 hours and for a potentially life-altering event. Visibility is a big issue during wildfires, so she advises keeping a headlamp in addition to a high quality mask in your glovebox. Know your exit routes. And have a physical map just in case cellphone towers get destroyed in the fire and service goes out.

We just cant have people take [evacuating] seriously enough, Holland said.

On Wednesday morning, Lake Tahoes congressional representatives, the governors of Nevada and California and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland gathered for the 25th annual Lake Tahoe Summit. This event began as a campaign to promote lake clarity. Now, its focus has evolved to wildfire risk.

Even though the sky is still somewhat hazy with smoke, we can all appreciate the special beauty of this place, Haaland said in her remarks. She spoke about the people who have lost homes and businesses in the Dixie Fire and the Caldor Fire. This has come close to home for all of us.

For information about evacuating in Lake Tahoe, visit Tahoe Living With Fire, read the emergency preparedness guide for South Lake Tahoe or read the emergency preparedness guide for North Tahoe.

Editor's note: The headline of this story was updated at 10:35 a.m. Aug. 20 to clarify the number of people in the Tahoe region at one time.
San Franciscos celebrated Z & Y Restaurant settled a lawsuit on Tuesday that will require its owners to pay a whopping $1.6 million in unpaid wages and tips they allegedly withheld from their staff.

Owners Jun Yuan Zhang and Li Jun Han will pay a total of 22 employees about $73,000 each under the settlement that also includes unpaid sick leave, overtime, and split shift premiums, according to Californias Labor Commissioners Office.

California law prohibits employers from taking tips left by customers for servers, Lilia Garcia-Brower, California labor commissioner, said in a statement. Under this settlement, the employer will pay workers back all of those stolen tips totaling over $400,000.

The Asian Americans Advancing Justice  Asian Law Caucus, which helped support the Z & Y Restaurant employees in the suit alongside the Chinese Progressive Association, said that all 22 staffers were low-income Chinese immigrants. In 2018, the employees filed a complaint with the Californias Labor Commissioners Office that started their investigation in 2019.

Through their probe, the Californias Labor Commissioners Office found that servers were paid hourly while kitchen staff had a fixed salary below the minimum wage, which also didnt cover overtime pay. In addition to keeping tips, the Californias Labor Commissioners Office found that the owners didnt pay its staff for split shift premiums when they were required to work both lunch and dinner shifts.

This was my first job in the United States, employee Jayden Zhou told the Asian Americans Advancing Justice  Asian Law Caucus. I worked hard to earn my living and supported my employer to build her business. My coworkers and I often chose to grit our teeth and stay quiet, until we couldnt tolerate it anymore, and we came together to fight for what we were owed. Putting your head down and silently suffering is not a solution to wage theft. By coming together and standing up bravely, we won our rights. I hope this case sends a clear message to employers that they must follow the law.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Z & Y Restaurant denied any wrongdoing in the settlement, but despite this stance, Yuan Zhang and Han believed defending themselves would have been too costly. (SFGATE and the San Francisco Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of one another.)

A secondary settlement was also won by five Z & Y Restaurant employees who will be awarded $70,000 in alleged retaliation they faced when they brought up concerns about wage theft, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice  Asian Law Caucus added.
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NEW YORK (AP)  Several parents who were separated from their children on the U.S.-Mexico border during former President Donald Trump's administration on Friday asked the Homeland Security Secretary for permanent legal residency in the United States and compensation, said the mother of two of the children.

Keldy Mabel Gonzales Brebe, who was separated from two sons in the fall of 2017, said a group of parents made the request during a virtual meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. She said she explained her story to Mayorkas and told him that she fears her temporary status in the U.S. might end one day and her family being torn apart again.

We don't want to be separated from our kids again, after we fought for them so hard. We suffered too much," said the Honduran immigrant after the meeting.

Gonzales Brebe, who now lives with her sons in Philadelphia, has been granted humanitarian parole, which allows her to remain in the country for three years.

Family Reunification Task Force Director Michelle Brane told the AP after the meeting that the government will look at all the options until it finds a solution for these families.

The Secretary was clear in expressing to the families that we have an obligation to support them and that we are doing everything we can to get them support, to look at ways of providing them with the permanent status. We may need legislative support for that," Brane said.

The meeting was hosted by the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project.

During his administration, Trump imposed extraordinary measures to limit asylum, including the criminal prosecution of everyone who entered the United States illegally from Mexico, which resulted in the separation of thousands of children from their parents.

The Biden administration said in June that it had identified more than 3,900 children separated from their parents under Trumps zero-tolerance policy on illegal crossings. The exact number, however, changes often as new cases are added or others are inaccurate.

Many children have since been reunited with a parent, and the Biden administration has promised to reunite parents who are still apart from their children. According to the government, to date, the task force has reunited 47 families and a total of 120 total people in the U.S. This breakdown includes: 47 children, 40 parents, and 33 household members.

Gonzales Brebe, 37, fled Honduras to escape gangs, which had threatened her. She crossed the border with her youngest son Erick, now 17, and her middle child Mino, now 19, in the fall of 2017.

They were separated at the border in New Mexico and the boys were moved to a shelter for minors and later released to family members in Philadelphia. Gonzales Brebe was kept in a detention facility in El Paso, Texas, for a year and a half and then deported to Honduras in January 2019.

She immediately traveled back north and settled in Mexico, waiting for a chance to enter the United States. In May, she was reunited with her sons.

On Friday, she said she felt upbeat after the meeting with Mayorkas.

Every parent told his or her story and the Secretary promised to provide a better situation for us, she said. I know we can get that done.

The meeting happened weeks after Homeland Security said it resumed deportation flights to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador for families subject to expedited removal, a process by which people can be removed from the country without seeing an immigration judge.

The U.S. government also this month renewed emergency powers to expel families at the border due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of people stopped on the border in family groups is expected to hit a record for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, said David Shahoulian, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at DHS.

On Friday, Homeland Security said after the meeting that Mayorkas and Brane acknowledged the pain and trauma that families separated under the zero-tolerance policy endured.

The Secretary was clear in recognizing our responsibility," said Brane. "He apologized to the families for what the government did and is dedicated to supporting them as they move forward with their lives, recognizing that the harm cannot be undone, and that some of the emotional scars will stay with them. He encouraged them to move forward and committed to helping them to do so.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi's only Level 1 trauma center and teaching hospital announced Friday it will now mandate all employees and students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The policy is a reversal from a rule put in place last month that allowed employees or students to skip the vaccine if they agreed to wear an N95 mask while on campus.

In a letter Friday, a top official at the University of Mississippi Medical Center said it's time for the institution to take aggressive action. Mississippi has the highest per capita rate of new COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 case tracker.

COVID-19 in Mississippi is a raging wildfire but not everyone is helping throw water on the flames in their own backyard, wrote Dr. Alan Jones, University of Mississippi Medical Center's associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs. We  as an institution and as the workforce for the states leading health system  need to be a leader in this fight.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center's policy requires that employees and students be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 1.

Vaccinations will be required to be completed in phases: By Sept. 15, all managers and supervisors must be vaccinated; by Oct. 1, all other employees; by Nov. 1, all students.

Those who refuse vaccination may face corrective action up to and including termination or dismissal, according to Jones's letter. He said those seeking accommodations must submit requests by Sept. 10.

Mississippians getting vaccinated is the most effective weapon in the arsenal as we battle this pandemic, he wrote.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center first implemented a policy regarding vaccinations for students and employees on July 16. People either had to provide proof of vaccination or wear a N95 mask at all times while at any hospital-affiliated facility.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center has 10,000 employees and 3,000 students.

COVID-19-related hospitalizations in Mississippi are being recorded at levels not previously seen during the pandemic  1,660 people were hospitalized with the virus in the state on Wednesday.

The Johns Hopkins tracker showed that as of Thursday, Mississippi had 120 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents. Louisiana was next-highest at 113 cases per 100,000, then Florida at 102.

Dr. Mary Taylor, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Children's of Mississippi hospital, said on Friday there were 30 children hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus  a hospital record.

Were just bracing for the fact that it might get worse every day ... we have not seen that peak of the surge  were worried that its not there yet because we have not seen that that curve is starting to slow down, she said at a news conference Friday outside the hospital.

___

Leah Willingham is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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Aniano ready to lead G2S as superintendent

Riley / RILEY KELLEY | Daily News RILEY KELLEY | Daily News Jen Aniano, the new superintendent and principal of Gateway to Success Academy, is looking forward to her first academic year in the position. Aniano was hired in July and started Aug. 1.

SCOTTVILLE  Gateway to Success Academy has a new principal and superintendent at the helm for the 2021-22 school year.

Jen Aniano, who hails from the Kalamazoo area and now lives in Branch, was hired Aug. 1 to fill the position vacated by Jamie Bandstra.

Though new to administration, her credentials are extensive, and shes passionate about promoting and expanding the schools mission of project-based learning.

I feel like I was fated to come here. Like the universe sent me here, she said Thursday at the G2S campus, already working hard to prepare for the school year. Im really happy, and were going to do really cool things this year.

Aniano has a doctorate in educational leadership from City University of Seattle, a masters degree in education from the University of Michigan, and bachelors degrees in journalism and history from Eastern Michigan University. She has 12 years of experience educating in the Michigan school system, having taught and handled response intervention in the Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids school districts. She was vice president of the Kalamazoo Education Association for several years, and served in a variety of leadership roles within that association.

Her resume extends well beyond education, though. She made a bid for the Michigan House of Representatives in 2018, and later served by appointment on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. Though she lost the contested races, she said these experiences helped prepare her for her current position.

That was beneficial to what Im doing now, she said. Im a first-time administrator, but I know what Im doing, and I think a lot of that has to do with the things I learned from running for office and how to operating boards and things like that.

Shes also a former mixed martial artist, who fought professionally for several years. It was in that line of work that she met her husband, who is in the military and works at Fort Custer in Augusta. Though she no longer fights, she does still practice jiu jitsu  and she holds a brown belt, too.

With so much experience, why come to Scottville?

She said she wanted to make a difference on a wider scale, positively impacting as many people as possible. And, as she gained more and more credentials, her aspirations started to shift as well.

Being a superintendent was never a goal of mine, but after having so much experience, its one of the only ways I can implement whats right for kids, she said.  I think the (G2S) environment has a lot of potential to educate kids in a way that, in a traditional setting, you just dont have the capabilities (to do).

Also, after years in the public school system, she said she sees the benefits of the public-charter setup at G2S.

As a charter school, you have a little bit more freedom as a staff in general, Aniano said. The curriculum is yours to develop. Sure, you have to stick to certain content levels for certain grade levels, but how you do it is up to you. Thats why I think project-based learning is nice.

She said she felt that G2S needed her, and vice versa.

This school needed someone who was understanding of systems of trauma-informed care education, someone who understands restorative justice and can interpret laws for disciplinary issues, and understands how the school needs to operate for those things to work, she said. And, I cant even tell you how dedicated this group of teachers is to this group of kids. Ive actually never seen anything like it before in my life. Its a great group of people to start this journey with, and to really try as a group to do what we all know is right for kids, especially those who struggle in some way.

Aniano is implementing some changes at the school, to improve best practices. Shes bringing in a social worker, shuffling staff to accommodate an art teacher and hiring a new science teacher who will offer chemistry for the first time. The school is also purchasing some new project-based science curriculum, adding an engineering elective and placing a greater emphasis on job-skill training and getting students prepared to become certified in one of the trades.

Shes also working on a reconfiguration of the schools multi-tiered system of support program to make it more beneficial to students. The schools therapy dog, Toby, will be spending time with the social worker, and together theyll be working with kids and teachers to help respond to conflicts and improve the schools support systems, using restorative justice as an alternate to suspension when possible.

It will be awesome to have Toby in a space where kids can go to deescalate (and) do some re-thinking Lets calm down, lets talk about whats going on, and lets find some solutions and things we can do to heal relationships before we go back in the classroom, she said.

Aniano said she wants to make sure parents know that all the changes are for the sake of the kids, not the adults.

As far as goals are concerned, she hopes to see a boost in enrollment, which would help improve pay for teachers. It would also help expand the staff and classroom programming.

Aniano was hired with a starting salary of $92,000 per year, which is on the lower end for a superintendent position, but she thinks the school is a good fit for a first-time administrator such as herself. She shares values and goals with the board, and she already has a bond with staff.

She said she understands that G2S is sometimes seen as alternative-education school. Thats not strictly true  G2S welcomes any and all students, and its main focus is project-based learning  but Aniano also doesnt shy away from the label.

For me, alternative isnt a dirty word. A lot of kids dont fit the mold of traditional education, she said. We should reshape the way we think of alternative education, because alternative just means non-traditional. Its giving students who learn in a different capacity a way to achieve the education that we claim to supply to all students.

"We give kids a space who normally wouldnt have a space somewhere else.

Theres a lot of work ahead, but Aniano is ready for it, and shes looking forward to making progress.

The G2S school board is more than happy to have her join the team.

She brings a plethora of knowledge and just as much enthusiasm, said Board President Doug Bacon. Were really excited about some of her new ideas and her plan going forward.

Bacon said Aniano quickly rose to the top of a list of many, many candidates who applied for the position, noting that shes probably one of the hardest workers Ive ever met in my life.

He added that Aniano started planning for the upcoming school year weeks before her first official day on the job.

She just jumped into this with both feet, he said.

Bacon said he hopes people in the community take some time to meet Aniano and learn more about whats to come at G2S.

I would invite the public to come meet her. Shes very engaging, and she has a complete open-door policy, he said. G2S is worth checking out.  Were doing a lot of very innovative things.

The search process took about a month, according to Bacon, and Aniano came to the top all the way through our process.

We set some really lofty goals, Bacon said. We wanted someone that would be a good fit with our students  that was the important part. We can work with anyone, but we need to have someone who can talk to our kids.

Most important, Bacon said, is an ability and desire to continue to develop curriculum individually suited to students, and he cant think of a better person than Aniano.

Im glad I was able to come here, Aniano said. This is going to be a really good place to be.
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On Aug. 1, Louisiana stopped paying the $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit payment provided by federal law. Prior to the elimination of the benefit, six Louisiana residents sued the Louisiana Workforce Commission and Gov. John Bel Edwards to compel the restoration of the $300 weekly benefit payment.



The plaintiffs allege that they will suffer undue hardship as a result of the termination of the federal benefit, especially given the fact that Louisiana is among the states hardest hit by the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The lawsuit mirrors similar actions filed in Indiana and other states. (The lawsuit in Indiana was successful and resulted in the reinstatement of the $300-per-week supplemental benefit.) The plaintiffs argue that Louisiana's unemployment compensation law mandates that state officials secure federal benefits funding when available, thus rendering the repeal of the $300 benefit unlawful.

On Aug. 12, a state district court judge in Baton Rouge denied the plaintiffs' request for injunctive relief. The judge ruled that while the plaintiffs had shown irreparable harm, they failed to show a likelihood of winning the case on the merits. Counsel for the plaintiffs indicated that they would file an appeal of the court's decision. The $300 weekly benefit expires under federal law on Sept. 6.

Background



Louisiana became the first state with a Democratic governor to pass a law eliminating the $300-per-week supplemental unemployment benefit created by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Under the new measure, Act No. 276which Edwards signed into law on June 15Louisiana eliminated the $300 benefit, effective Aug. 1, while increasing the weekly maximum benefit amount.

Under the ARPA, signed by President Joe Biden in March 2021, Congress provided a supplemental unemployment benefit of $300 per week to help offset the wide unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The supplemental amount was paid in addition to the weekly unemployment benefit amounts payable under state law. The maximum weekly benefit amount will increase to $312 on Jan. 1, 2022.

With increased vaccinations, Louisiana's economy has gradually reopened with an acute demand for workers, especially in the service sector. In Louisiana, as in many other states, business groups, headed by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the state's chamber of commerce, spearheaded an effort to repeal the $300 weekly benefit payment widely perceived as disincentivizing employees from returning to the workplace.

Andrew P. Burnside and Ellen C. Rains are attorneys with Ogletree Deakins in New Orleans.  2021 Ogletree Deakins. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission.
Bitcoin is an exceedingly volatile but valuable asset. Bitcoin is underlined as the hottest asset at the instance as the return of investment. The institutional involvement of bitcoin is just expanding at an embraced pace which has astonished several economists and market players.

Bitcoin is considered the only asset or currency that has crashed ample of times, but still, the price of bitcoin has inclined since its invention. Several multinational companies like micro strategy, tesla motors, and galaxy have invested a gigantic buck in bitcoin.

A fierce bulletin arrived that Apple has invested an amount of 2 billion dollars in bitcoin. Few robust sources state that the news is a complete myth, whereas some state that Apple invested a gigantic buck in bitcoin. If you need profitable results in trading, check Immediate Edge for more details. Below we have mentioned details on whether Apple invested a magnificent amount in bitcoin, so without wasting any further dues, let's have a glance.

Investment of Multinational Companies in Bitcoin!

Multinational companies have invested a significant amount in bitcoin, and this is one of the prominent reasons why bitcoin is on a roll these days. MNCs which have invested a considerable amount of funds in bitcoin are as follows. The foremost company is micro strategy, co-founded by Michael Saylor.

The company has invested almost 3.3 billion dollars in bitcoin. The fact might amaze you that the co-founder of the micro strategy was the only individual who convinced Elon musk to convert some of his balance sheet of tesla motors into bitcoin as it would help bitcoin investors and traders to an exceeding extent.

In December 2020, Elon Musk tweeted a meme regarding bitcoin, and as a reply to that explicit tweet, the co-founder of micro strategy passed this explicit statement. Conferring the statement of Michael Saylor musk invested more than 1.3 billion dollars in bitcoin, yes, you read it right, which correspondingly changed the entire scenario of bitcoin trading and investment.

To sum up, micro strategy is the topmost public bitcoin holder, and tesla motors arrive on the number. The list is followed by companies like galaxy digital holdings, which is holding an amount of $521 million bitcoin, and Voyager, the company is holding more than $389 billion dollars in bitcoin.

Rumors of Apple Investment in Bitcoin!

Apple is one of the most renowned smartphones and Gadgets Company equipped with an exceeding extent of the user base. Recently these renowned bitcoin holders, such as micro strategy and galaxy trading, tweeted that Apple has invested more than $2 billion in bitcoin.

Joshua Roomsourg tweeted that Apple will make an announcement of their investment in bitcoin; he correspondingly tweeted that if apple has invested that amount in bitcoin, the bitcoin investment and trading scenario will be a lot different. All the more, he stated that bitcoin would halt the amount of $100k in no time.

Subsequent to that established tweet, galaxy trading, the third leading public holder of bitcoin, correspondingly tweeted that rumors are Apple has purchased more than $2 billion worth of bitcoin.

There are no clear facts at the instance as there are no official statements from the side of the apple organization. The moon tweeted a poll on twitter demonstrating that did apple really bought bitcoin worth 2 billion, 75% of the audience polled for yes, but that does not define whether apple has invested that amount in bitcoin or not.

What If Apple Really Invested In Bitcoin?

Apple has an exceeding extent of the impact on the audience as it is one of the popular gadget companies. All the more, iPhone are utilized by almost every country. If Apple did invest in bitcoin, bitcoin would be headed to Bull Run in no time. Bitcoin has gone through a bearish path in recent times; all the more the price of bitcoin is still floating over an average price.

However, in order to make the impact, an official statement from the side of the apple is necessitated as everyone is stating that news of apple investment in bitcoin is just a rumor, and there are no robust facts stating the activity. If Apple passes a statement that it has invested a gigantic buck in bitcoin, the entire bitcoin industry will be turned upside down; all the more, apple will become the second leading holder of bitcoin.
Property sales have reached an 11-year high on a monthly basis. At that time, 4 774 units of real estate were sold, which was the highest figure since 2008. And every month becomes almost doubly productive in terms of records.

More investors are seizing the opportunity to purchase property in Dubai as the government intervened. The government's announcement to create conditions to eliminate competition between parastatals and the private sector in real estate has inspired additional confidence in investors.

In addition, given the proximity of World Expo 2020, and with house prices still falling, it looks like investors are overwhelmed by the idea of snapping up all the properties for sale in Dubai.

Breaking real estate sales in Dubai for March 2021

It is worth noting that the majority of buyers in March 2021 preferred buying apartments over villas, which became a new trend compared to previous months. Thus, 71% of transactions were concluded on the purchase of apartments, and 29% were transactions on the sale of villas and townhouses.

It should be emphasized that the real estate market is showing a recovery process, returning to the indicators of 2017. For example, when selling villas, townhouses and apartments, the average price increased by 16.77% year on year.

Many investors, amid restrictions due to the coronavirus, including working and studying remotely, began to choose more spacious residential real estate. In addition, government measures of the national economy and the provision of long-term resident visas for various categories, including foreign retirees and freelancers, are also helping to restore the market.

Dubai's second largest property was also sold in March. It was a mansion in the One 100 Palm community on the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah worth 111.25 million dirhams (US $ 30.29 million). This luxury villa was bought by a Swiss family who live in Monaco and intend to use the house for short-term rent, according to one of the brokers involved in the deal.

Why is it the right time now to buy property in Dubai

Considering that almost 14,000 transactions (33% of the total) were registered in the three months before November 2020, the overall trend for the new year is positive, in particular, due to increased interest in the upcoming opening of Expo 2020, which will take place in October.

As we enter 2021 and move closer to Expo, we expect the number of deals to continue to grow and prices should stabilize in some areas. Some changes in market dynamics are already seen, which is a direct result of Expo. In addition, this trend is likely to continue throughout the year.

In the southern Spanish city of Seville, property prices rose by 23% in the five years before the 1992 exhibition and by 15% in the five years after.

In the Portuguese capital Lisbon, property values in the first three years before the Expo in 1998 increased by 18% and by 60% in the five years after the exhibition. In Hannover, Germany, where the event took place in 2000, prices rose by 12% before and by 40% after the show.

The authorities are looking forward to long-term growth in Dubai, said Mirelle Azzam Vidgen, head of strategic consulting at JLL in the Middle East and North Africa. The city's positive business environment is rapidly being complemented by the highest level of healthcare and educational opportunities and a comfortable life, which in turn attracts skilled workers and creates human resources for today's corporations. Expo influences this. The infrastructure of the city has received an incredible impetus, as well as the area of high technologies, the sphere of cybersecurity and communications, which will strengthen the position of Dubai as an important global metropolis, she added.

What kind of character such a turn has - temporary or permanent, it remains to be seen? The market has clearly demonstrated that it has bottomed out.

Experts point out that for sellers who have already announced their properties for sale, it is difficult to change the price because the levels reached in the market are well received. In practice, the correction has lowered prices to the point where Dubai has not yet become the venue for the World Expo 2020.

Dubai luxury housing market has also revived because the emirate has become a haven for a large number of wealthy Europeans looking for a way to avoid severe repetitive lockdowns at home, and for those attracted by the ease of Covid-19 vaccination in Dubai.

Rise in prices

The average increase in cost of property in Dubai as a whole since November has amounted to 7.5%, and in the popular and most popular areas with buyers - from 10% to 15%.

Recently, there has been a rather serious correction in real estate prices, and now it has reached the upper price segment of the market. But given the speed of price change in some market segments, the question remains whether this growth will be sustainable in the near term.

Emirates.Estate will help you buy property in Dubai

Our real estate platform https://emirates.estate/ is aware of all the trends in real estate market. Our win-to-win policy means that all agreements and decisions are mutually beneficial and satisfy both parties. Emirates.Estate is proud to have satisfied clients. We make people closer to their dream and become a bridge to the real estate market in Dubai.
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The social shift from the pandemic that is driving more people into regional Victoria is also putting pressure on once-humble country watering holes.

The flight from the city is driving a series of million-dollar makeovers of rustic venues, and their new patrons are expecting a gourmet dining experience to boot.

Billionaire Paul Little is renovating of the Portarlington Grand Hotel. Credit:

Customers are looking for a unique experience and theyre expecting the conveniences of urban Melbourne in tree/sea change locations, including paddock to plate, a well-curated drinks and wine list, and an on-trend venue aesthetic, said Hannah Rose, Knight Franks specialist hotel and hospitality valuer.

There are very few country pubs that successfully create their own destination driver.
Ive been having a crisis of confidence in technology. Not because of the harm that people and companies do with technology, but because of all the ways that tech may not matter very much.

Think about some of the big issues that the world is facing, in no particular order: the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, disagreements over the appropriate role of government, a reckoning over systemic racism, inequality in wealth and health and other public safety threats and educational and social safety systems that fail many people.

Technology didnt cause these problems, nor should we put too much faith that technology can solve them. I worry that when we vilify or glorify what technology and tech companies do, it makes us lose focus on whats actually important.

Technology might not matter so much overall in tackling the worlds big problems. Credit:Krisztian Bocsi

Technology is part of the solution, perhaps, but mostly we have to find the answers through collective human will and effective action.
In the first episode of Kevin Can F**k Himself, Allison (Annie Murphy) snaps and does away with sitcom cliches. Credit:Jojo Whilden/AMC

While writing her pilot, she began to wonder about those wives, women who seemed to exist to set up their husbands jokes and tote identical plastic laundry baskets around the house. What would it be like to play that woman? What would it be like to be that woman?

Armstrong (Lodge 49) grew up on reruns of classic multi-camera sitcoms  The Cosby Show, Frasier  watching them obsessively. I joke that it was my after-school activity, she said. It must have been a nightmare to my mother. But as an adult, she started to see them differently. Especially The King of Queens-style sitcoms, which paired a schlubby husband with a knockout wife.

Shortly after the 2016 presidential election, Valerie Armstrong experienced what she described as a feminist fit of rage. So she put that rage into a comedy pilot: a pussy hat in script form.

The resulting show, Kevin Can F**k Himself, offers one answer. Created by Armstrong, it stars Annie Murphy (Schitts Creek) as Allison, a Massachusetts housewife and part-time employee at a package store. For about a decade, Allison has been married to Kevin (Eric Petersen) and treated his man-child antics with some degree of amused tolerance. But during the first episode, she snaps.

During Allisons scenes with Kevin, the show is shot in the overbright style of a multi-cam set-up. But as soon as Allison steps away from him, the style switches to that of a gritty single-camera drama. The King of Queens meets Breaking Bad. An indictment of white-male entitlement, it is both a tribute to and a reassessment of the traditional multi-camera, or multicam, approach.

Shot live, more or less continuously and typically in front of an invited audience, multicams emerged in the early 1950s and dominated network schedules for decades. They have cycled in and out of fashion over the years  The Big Bang Theory was still one of TVs most popular shows when it signed off in 2019, and One Day At a Time remained a critical darling until it ended last year  but they are mostly out of favour now. This means that Kevin deconstructs a form that has already done a pretty good job of deconstructing itself. (The title is an apparent riff on Kevin Can Wait, a Kevin James sitcom that sought to recapture the ratings magic of The King of Queens and failed.)

Some multicams have skewed surprisingly progressive, taking on subjects such as abortion and the AIDS crisis sometimes years before dramas feel ready. (Think Designing Women and Murphy Brown  or a recent example, such as The Carmichael Show.) But the marital sitcoms that inspire Kevin were never especially enlightened. They worked to perpetuate certain social norms while using women, people of colour and queer people as fodder for hacky jokes.

According to Alfred Martin, a communication studies professor at the University of Iowa and author of The Generic Closet: Black Gayness and the Black-Cast Sitcom, cliches such as the spousal attractiveness gap reinforce the cultural capital of white masculinity.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd provided a COVID-19 update earlier today and was asked about vaccinating children against COVID-19.

At present, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has given approval for children aged over 12 in priority groups to be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

At the moment the prioritisation is for ... children with specific medical conditions that increase their risk of becoming seriously unwell if they were to be infected with COVID-19, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 12 and above, and children living in remote communities aged 12 and above, where were vaccinating the entire community at the one time, Professor Kidd said.

ATAGI is considering the further vaccination of all children aged 12 and above, but ... ATAGI provides its advice based on the prioritised populations, the people most at risk, and including the people most at risk of transmitting COVID-19 to other people.

And at the moment that includes of course young adults and its people aged 16 and above where were seeing the highest levels of transmission and ... the severe disease were seeing is mainly in older people. Thats why we continue to push the rollout there.

As to the vaccination of children aged under 12, Professor Kidd said were still looking at the research which is being carried out in trials overseas on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in the younger children.

But he added that I think the most important message here is that we all need to be doing all we can to protect all children in Australia from infection with COVID-19, not only those aged 12 and above, but all children.

And the way we do that is through following the restrictions which are in place by our governments, to protect the population, to reduce the risk of transmission of this Delta variant, and through vaccination. Vaccination not only protects the individual but also reduces the risk of infection and transmission of COVID-19.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has extended the lockdown for Greater Sydney until the end of September after NSW recorded 642 new local cases and four deaths on Friday.

The Premier said the lockdown extension with a suite of new restrictions - including mandatory outdoor masks across NSW unless exercising and a curfew in Sydneys west and south-west - was based on a sudden escalation in cases and police feedback.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian arrives at the daily health briefing on Friday. Credit:James Brickwood

As Greater Sydneys lockdown nears the end of its eighth week, the state recorded its third consecutive day of more than 600 new cases.

The four deaths included a woman in her 80s who was a resident at the Wyoming aged care facility, a man in his 70s who acquired his infection at St George Hospital, a man in his 80s who acquired his an infection at Nepean Hospital and a woman in her 80s from south-west Sydney.
Community leaders in south-west and western Sydney fear for peoples mental health, women at risk and disaffected youth, as they warn a police curfew imposed unevenly and without social support will further entrench us and them attitudes and inequality across the city.

The announcement of further limitations for 12 local government areas on Friday  a 9pm to 5am curfew and one-hour per day cap on outdoor exercise  hit hard for disadvantaged and ethnically diverse communities that are already bearing the brunt of both COVID-19 cases and lockdown restrictions.

Campsie Resident Eliza Rayamajhi with her newborn baby. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Selim Ucar, the street youth service manager at Bankstown-based Humanity Matters, said the curfew could deteriorate relations between young people and the police if they were targeted without accompanying welfare checks or social supports  which have been stripped back during lockdown  and saddled with fines they could not afford.

The Police Commissioner mentioned that it was young men, in particular, they were having an issue with, he said. We dont have youth services out there at the moment to pick up on young people, for whatever reason that theyre breaching the health orders. A lot of young people are feeling very isolated.
Melburnians are cancelling their regional holidays and restaurant bookings en masse rather than postponing amid fears they will be in and out of lockdown until the end of the year.

Regional hospitality and tourism operators say this marks a major change in consumer behaviour from previous lockdowns when customers were willing to park their deposits with businesses in the hope of returning later.

Sault restaurant co-owner Damien Aylward. Credit:Joe Armao

Damien Aylward, co-owner of Sault restaurant in Daylesford, said his business had lost thousands of bookings over the fifth and sixth lockdowns. On Thursday night this week all 45 of his bookings were cancelled.

He said customers from Melbourne, who make up to 90 per cent of his clientele, had lost confidence in being able to visit regional Victoria any time soon.
The WA Opposition has used Parliaments question time to cast doubt over statements made this week by Attorney-General John Quigley relating to the appointment of Perth Casino Royal Commissioner Neville Owen.

Mr Quigley was quoted in a media outlet saying he supported the decision despite learning of Mr Owens close personal and business connections to Perth billionaire Kerry Stokes.

WA Attorney General John Quigley. Credit:Philip Gostelow

But in Parliament on Thursday, Opposition leader Mia Davies challenged that comment.

Is it true that you told a journalist on August 3, that if you had known of the business and personal connections between Justice Owen and Mr Kerry Stokes, you would not have supported the decision to appoint Justice Owen?
The effort to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to Western Australias Aboriginal population has simply not been good enough, according to the states health minister.

Roger Cook has called out the federal government, which has been responsible for inoculating First Nations people in Australia, for not making enough progress as his jurisdiction starts a pilot program with mining company Rio Tinto where the iron ore giant facilitates the vaccination of its workforce as well as the regional communities it operates in.

WA Health Minister Roger Cook tours a Rio Tinto screening facility with the companys iron ore chief executive Simon Trott at Perth Airport. Credit:Peter de Kruijff

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents have been a priority group for vaccination but only a small percentage have received at least one dose. WA is the worst performer out of all states and territories with eight per cent of the cohort fully vaccinated and 16 per cent having had one jab.

Federal Labor Senator Patrick Dodson, who lives in Broome in the Kimberley region where 40 per cent of the population is Aboriginal, has been scathing of the federal government.
An eight-month investigation by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald has exposed the inner workings and the growing threat of Australian neo-nazi group the National Socialist Network.

The investigation exposed leaders of the white supremacist group advising members to hang onto their guns and raise funds to buy up rural property to form the genesis of a new, racist state, along with bizarre rituals that take place when young men are inducted into their dangerous cult.

Several members of the group are affiliated with outlaw motorcycle gangs and some of its leaders are facing court over charges of criminal activity. ASIO says more than half of their domestic anti-terrorism work is focused on neo-nazi and other ideologically motivated groups.

Today on Please Explain, investigative journalist Nick McKenzie joins Nathanael Cooper to look inside the insidious white supremacy movement in Australia.
That leaves the issue live. All that most business and workers can go on are the general principles in employment law. Employers are allowed to issue lawful and reasonable directions to their workers. They have to take reasonably practicable steps to keep staff safe. Both of those could be used to mandate vaccines but it all hinges on just what is reasonable for a particular business, in a particular place, at a particular time. All the guidance from the industrial regulators, ultimately, comes back to that. The concept of reasonableness seems key. What does it mean? No more than it says on the tin. The advantage is that it allows courts and tribunals to tailor rulings to an individual business so that office workers who are perfectly productive at home in Adelaide dont have to be treated the same way as miners operating in close quarters in the Hunter.

The downside is that legal minds can do no more than make an educated guess about how the test will apply to a given situation. Loading When the courts are looking to see whether a businesss decision to mandate a vaccine complies with the law, they will look at things such as how easily staff can socially distance (harder in a childcare centre) and where the business is located (safer in Perth than Melbourne). Vulnerabilities among the firms customers (aged care providers are a prime case) matter, too, as does the availability of vaccines. Its on the basis of such factors that the Fair Work Ombudsman has broken down businesses into these four tiers, from those most likely to be able to mandate vaccines: Tier 1 work , where employees are required as part of their duties to interact with people with an increased risk of being infected with coronavirus (for example, employees working in hotel quarantine or border control).

, where employees are required as part of their duties to interact with people with an increased risk of being infected with coronavirus (for example, employees working in hotel quarantine or border control). Tier 2 work , where employees are required to have close contact with people who are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of coronavirus (for example, employees working in health care or aged care).

, where employees are required to have close contact with people who are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of coronavirus (for example, employees working in health care or aged care). Tier 3 work , where there is interaction or likely interaction between employees and other people such as customers, other employees or the public in the normal course of employment (for example, stores providing essential goods and services).

, where there is interaction or likely interaction between employees and other people such as customers, other employees or the public in the normal course of employment (for example, stores providing essential goods and services). Tier 4 work, where employees have minimal face-to-face interaction as part of their normal employment duties (for example, where they are working from home).

Are there ways of cutting through this legal thicket? Yes. Public health orders mandating vaccines, which have so far been used only very sparingly  such as for construction workers from a small number of council areas in Sydney, and aged care workers  generally trump industrial law. On August 20, the NSW government revealed it planned to use a public health order to require jabs for all health workers, with first jabs from September 30. But even public health order mandates are easier said than done. Despite agreement by national cabinet in June to require aged care workers  a priority group for jabs since the start of the rollout  to be vaccinated by September 17, less than half have been fully vaccinated so far. Some states have not yet put in place the actual orders requiring vaccinations and the federal Department of Health has flagged that there could be exemptions for regions where vaccine supply is thin. As well as public health orders (yes, public health orders are also used for lockdowns) employers and unions can include rules on vaccinations in the collective pay deals that cover about 2 million workers, or in individual contracts. Its also much easier for firms to require that new hires be vaccinated than existing staff because they dont have the same protections that employees do at that stage.

What about discrimination? Privacy? Human rights? These could all be issues, especially if employers dont offer exceptions to staff with legitimate complaints. Advice from the solicitor-general, Stephen Donaghue, QC, provided to Prime Minister Scott Morrison indicates that requiring staff to be vaccinated is unlikely to be discriminatory because state and federal law protects only certain characteristics, such as sex and race. Vaccination status itself is not directly protected. But discrimination doesnt have to be direct. If a person is disadvantaged by a vaccination mandate in a way that can be traced back to a protected characteristic they may be able to make a complaint. But that isnt the end of the matter. Emily Howie, legal director at the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights commission, said in mid-August that there are additional thresholds. For discrimination, the test is whether its reasonably necessary to keep the workplace safe, Howie said. And for the [Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities], if its a human rights issue, whether its necessary and proportionate to impose that vaccine requirements on employees.

Businesses, though generally only those with more than $3 million in annual revenue, are also limited by privacy laws if they want to ask for vaccination status. Employees have a choice about freely consenting, and the collection of the information has to be reasonably necessary too. What are governments doing about it? Loading Not much so far, though as the NSW government decision to require jabs in hospital staff showed, that could change quickly. The Prime Minister and his minister for industrial relations, Michaelia Cash, have both been adamant: the government will not generally mandate vaccines. Were not suggesting that businesses should be mandating vaccines to their employees, Morrison said on August 13. Were not suggesting that.

Instead, they have left the political hot potato up to individual businesses, on the basis that the law as it stands is robust enough to let the businesses that have a good case to mandate jabs do so already. With unionists opposed to mandatory vaccinations outside what health professionals deem absolutely necessary, and conservative Coalition MPs raising concerns about religious and general freedom objections, state governments and Labor have also been wary of entering the debate. For instance, when asked by a journalist on August 17 whether Labor supported mandatory vaccinations, party leader Anthony Albanese did not answer directly, instead repeating his concerns about supply. So if the government isnt getting involved, who will sort out disputes? That will likely fall to the Fair Work Commission. Its not the same as the Fair Work Ombudsman; the ombudsman brings matters such as underpayment cases to court, whereas the commission is a tribunal that decides employment disputes. Workers sacked for refusing a jab may be able to bring an unfair dismissal case to the commission, but things arent likely to end there, or even only start there. The Federal Court might end up hearing disputes and Human Rights Commissions might have a role in helping resolve disputes, too.
Sixty more Australians and Afghan nationals have been evacuated from Kabul on an Australian military plane as desperate locals say the already perilous journey to the citys airport through Taliban checkpoints is becoming more dangerous.

Australia has now evacuated 162 people from Afghanistans Taliban-controlled capital after a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 aircraft made a second rescue mission on Thursday night.

Taliban fighters patrol in Kabul on Wednesday. Credit:AP

But Afghans fear they are running out of time to get to the airport, even if they have visas.

The first flight from Australias military base just south of Dubai arrived in Perth on Friday morning carrying 94 Australians and Afghan nationals, who have now entered 14 days quarantine.
Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged Scott Morrison to commit to an emissions reduction target of net zero, echoing recent calls from the United States for Australia to make more ambitious climate commitments.

Mr Johnson and Mr Morrison spoke on Thursday night Australian time, with the British Prime Minister stressing to his counterpart the importance of global action on climate change ahead of his country hosting the COP26 United Nations climate summit in Glasgow in November.

Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson spoke on Thursday night. Credit:Sydney Morning Herald

This includes setting ambitious targets for reaching net zero and increasing climate financing, Downing Streets readout of the call stated.

Mr Morrisons current stance is the government would preferably achieve net zero by 2050 but he has avoided a hard deadline.
Millions of vaccinated Australians will be able to use their mobile phones to gain exemptions to lockdown rules at cafes, restaurants and public events under a national cabinet plan to use digital records to verify vaccine status.

A federal vaccine record will be combined with state check-in systems to expand the use of QR codes at public venues to be sure those who gain entry have been immunised against COVID-19.

The vaccine passport proposal relies mostly on the QR codes already mandated across the states and territories. Credit:Joe Armao

With almost six million Australians fully vaccinated, the plans clear the way for the exemptions to begin when states and territories have vaccinated at least 70 per cent of people aged 16 and over.

Called a vaccine passport by some, the proposal relies mostly on the QR codes already mandated across the states and territories for people to record the places they visit so contact tracers can check on outbreaks.
For the past eight weeks, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has dismissed COVID-19 measures such as curfews, outdoor mask wearing, an effective ring of steel around Sydney and limits on outdoor exercise.

They have been employed in other states to varying degrees of success but Ms Berejiklian has rejected them, often with contempt, promising her governments proportionate response would lead the state to freedom.

She has been right to say, as we all agree, the evidence in favour of curfews and limits on outdoor activities is mixed at best because there is simply no strong evidence of outdoor transmission. But Ms Berejiklian has also failed to acknowledge that these measures would send a clear message that this Delta strain is not to be messed with. The Herald agrees with epidemiologist Tony Blakeley of the University of Melbourne who wrote that, in a public health crisis, you have to use a balance of evidence and theory. And the theory is quite simple here  measures that reduce mobility and contacts reduce transmission.

Yet Ms Berejiklian and her crisis cabinet have, over the past week, belatedly changed their mind on many of these measures and on Friday the rules changed again. The government imposed curfews and limits on outdoor exercise in hotspot areas and mandated outdoor mask wearing across Sydney as we bunker down and tackle the rising case numbers. She said these measures are only being introduced now based on health advice and after intelligence gathered by NSW Police.

Yet just two days ago, Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said curfews in particular were not required.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On August 16th, 2021, the Honorable Minister of Justice, Anna E. Richardson welcomed representatives of the Committee of Civil Servants Unions (CCSU) to a follow-up information session on the topic of existing policies and procedures related to sick-leave registration, re-integration, chronic illness and disability pension for civil servants. Speakers included the Social & Health Insurances (SZV), Medwork, and the Algemeen Pensioenfonds Sint Maarten (APS). The aim of the meeting was to initiate a series of informed dialogue between the Ministry of Justice and the CCSU, and ultimately serving employees in the Justice chain with adequate information about their rights and obligations pertaining to sick leave.

The Minister of Justice, reiterated the importance of safety and security in the workplace, promoting the urgency of having well-equipped workers in the Justice chain that are fit for work. SZV, Medwork, and APS all play a role in various stages of an employees sick-leave management process, including access to disability pension. The three institutions highlighted their independent roles, executing laws and procedures, the role of the employer - in this case the Ministry of Justice, and the employee  in this case, the workers in the Justice chain. CCSU representatives unanimously agreed that the information presented was very informative, echoing that more information should become available to better guide civil servants in their rights and obligations.

Kicking off the session was SZV, represented by Mr. Reginald Willemsberg  Chief Operations Officer. Mr. Willemsberg explained the role of SZV as the institution that is responsible for registering the sick leave of the civil servant as fit or unfit for work, according to the SZV AO-control procedure available via www.szv.sx. Unlike private-sector employees, civil servants, unless otherwise indicated by their HR policy, must report to SZV online on the 4th day of being unfit for work.

By law, employers may hire the services of an occupational health agency to validate the sick leave of personnel (in Dutch: Arbodienst), in addition to supporting sick-leave management and re-integration of the employee. This concerns the fact that a treating physician should not make a (value) judgment about the fitness for work of a patient who is or was under his/her treatment. Medwork, represented by Dr. Joanne Siebel  General Manager, explained the different services of the company and in particular the services to Justice workers, in accordance with the applicable laws that dictate the rights and obligations of employees and employers. Medwork is the neutral third-party between employee and employer when it comes to sick-leave management, according to Dr. Siebel during her presentation.

As a result of a medical assessment, a civil servant may be declared permanently unfit for work, in this case, the worker may be entitled to a disability pension, which is assessed and executed by APS. APS was represented by Mr. Oscar Williams - Manager Pension Administration & Reporting / Adjunct Director and Mr. Eric Tjon Tam Pau - Senior Pension Administrator. Mr. Eric Tjon Tam Pau explained the conditions, application, and approval process for disability pension from APS and the changes, due to the pension reform as of July 1st, 2020. Being registered as an APS participant prior to applying is one of the most important conditions to become eligible to apply for the disability pension, which would be paid out until the applicable retirement age, currently age 65.

The need to address the ongoing concerns of sick-leave management and re-integration is a matter of safety and security for all workers and by extension the community. I look forward to having more opportunities to collectively discuss and identify the problem areas and proposed solutions. It starts with sessions such as these, where we share first-hand information from the institutions involved. In this case, with Government being the employer, it is my wish that within the Ministry of Justice, we are able to address these matters with transparency and empower Justice workers with the knowledge they need to access their benefits. - Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson

CCSU representatives posed many questions throughout the session, not all could be answered as some scenarios are still to be addressed in pending laws or future stakeholder discussions. CCSU accepted the invitation of the Minister of Justice to revert with follow-up questions, as spokespersons indicated that grey areas still exist in the interpretation of the laws and policies that were presented during the information session. A copy of the presentations of all three institutions will be made available to the CCSU representatives.
Somerset, KY (42501)

Today

A shower or two around the area early, then partly cloudy during the afternoon. High 77F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low 57F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
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The Americans alum Noah Emmerich has been tapped for a major role opposite Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon in Dark Winds, AMCs Western noir thriller series based on Tony Hillermans popular Leaphorn & Chee book series It hails from creator Graham Roland and executive producers George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford.Created and executive produced by Roland, Dark Winds, which has a six-episode order, is a psychological thriller that follows two Navajo police officers, Leaphorn (McClarnon) and Chee (Gordon), in the 1970s Southwest as their search for clues in a grisly double-murder case forces them to challenge their own spiritual beliefs and come to terms with the trauma of their pasts. Season 1 is expected to premiere on AMC+ and AMC in 2022.Emmerich will play Whitover, a burned-out FBI agent whose once-promising career is dying on the vine. A brazen robbery puts him back in the big time, but first he must enlist the help of the Navajo Tribal Police led by Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn.
Berkshire County, Mass.

Rebelle, Great Barrington

Rebelle, a dispensary in a 100-year-old farmhouse, promises to elevate the cannabis experience, with no more windowless rooms, no more waiting in line, no more hospital vibes.

Products: Flower, edibles, vapes, cannabis beverages, prerolls, concentrates, PAX pods, tinctures, topicals

Pre-order: Yes

Hours: Sunday to Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

783 South Main Street, 413-258-3958, letsrebelle.com.

The Pass, Sheffield

The Pass, a dispensary located in a modern barn, is grounded by the areas guiding principles of human and agricultural wellness, according to its website.

Products: Flower, pre-rolls, vaporizers, concentrates, tinctures, edibles, topicals, accessories

Pre-order: Yes

Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week

1375 N. Main St., 413-644-6892, thepass.co.

Theory Wellness, Great Barrington

Theory has recreational and medical cannabis locations in Great Barrington and Chicopee and medical facilities in Bridgewater and Boston, as well as dispensaries in Maine.

Products: Flower, pre-rolls, vaporizers, concentrates, tinctures, edibles, topicals, beverages, PAX pods, accessories

Pre-order: Yes

Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week

394 Stockbridge Road, 413-650-5527, theorywellness.org.

Calyx, Great Barrington

This women-owned boutique takes its name from the female part of the cannabis flower.

Products: Flower, pre-rolls, vaporizers, concentrates, tinctures, edibles (including cannabis-infused ice cream and sorbet), topicals, accessories

Pre-order: Yes, strongly encouraged

Hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

307 Main St., 413-717-6277, calyxberkshire.com.

Farnsworth Fine Cannabis Company, Great Barrington

The company is named for Philo Farnsworth, an American inventor and television pioneer, who is known for inventing the first all-electronic television system. His great-nephews, Alexander and Brayden Farnsworth, founded the dispensary.

Products: Flower, cigarettes, cigars, concentrates, edibles, cartridges, topicals

Pre-order: Yes

Hours: Weekdays noon to 8 p.m.; weekends 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

126 Main St., 413-717-4102, farnsworthfinecannabis.com.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)  As quickly as one COVID patient is discharged, another waits for a bed in northeast Florida, the hot zone of the state's latest surge. But the patients at Baptist Healths five hospitals across Jacksonville are younger and getting sick from the virus faster than people did last summer.

Baptist has over 500 COVID patients, more than twice the number they had at the peak of Florida's July 2020 surge, and the onslaught isn't letting up. Hospital officials are anxiously monitoring 10 forecast models, converting empty spaces, adding over 100 beds and bracing for the worst, said Dr. Timothy Groover, the hospitals' interim chief medical officer.

Jacksonville is kind of the epicenter of this. They had one of the lowest vaccination rates going into July and that has probably really came back to bite them, said Justin Senior, CEO of the Florida Safety Net Hospital Alliance, which represents some of the largest hospitals in the state.

Duval County, which consists almost entirely of Jacksonville, is a racially diverse Democratic bastion, won by Joe Biden. The overwhelmingly white rural counties that surround it went firmly for Donald Trump.

But all had lower than average vaccination rates before the highly contagious delta variant swept through this corner of Florida, driving caseloads in a state that now accounts for one in five COVID patients hospitalized nationwide.

Nearly one-third of Jacksonville's population is African American, and racial tensions here date back to the Civil Rights era, when 40 young Black people sat down at a whites-only department store lunch counter and were attacked with axes and baseball bats by 150 white men. That 1960 conflict was a turning point for equal rights in the city, but mistrust of government officials still lingers.

The city is just a five hour drive from the home of the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study, in which the government used unsuspecting Black men as guinea pigs in a study of a sexually transmitted disease. Groover, who is Black, understands why people are wary, even though his hospital system promises the highest quality of care to its community, using the most advanced technologies.

The system is working overtime to get a pro-vaccine message out, but it's competing against rumors that filter through social media feeds to local BBQs and church congregations. Black leaders in the community told The Associated Press theyve heard everything, including that the government is using the vaccine to implanttracking devices.

A whole lot of rumors, said Dr. Rogers Cain, a Black primary care doctor with a predominantly Black practice, who said his elderly patients are easier to persuade to get the vaccine than his younger ones. Weve done a massive effort at educating. But it hasnt really came through.

The people that actually were closer to the Tuskegee incident are the ones who got the vaccine the quickest, he said.

While Duvals vaccination rate of 56% is in the middle among Florida counties, it has jumped 17% since early July, one of the largest increases in the state.

Vaccine skepticism also is high among the Hispanics who represent 10% of Duval's population, said Dr. Leonardo Alfonso. He rotates between emergency rooms at two other Jacksonville hospitals, working on his days off because they are so desperate for staff. One typically has around 50 patients, but some days it treats 100 or more.

The ICUs are brimming. Theyre running out of ventilators, Alfonso said with frustration. People are dying. Its so preventable.

Gov. Ron DeSantis recently ordered a rapid response unit to help deliver monoclonal antibody therapy to a wider range of higher-risk patients who become infected, in hopes of relieving some of the pressure on local hospitals.

Alfonso says vaccinations could have blunted this surge, but when he asks patients if they got their shots, I get this deer in the headlights headlights look, kind of just a blank stare, like they didnt give it importance or they just blew it off or they thought they were young and healthy.

Persuading the hesitant to protect themselves and the people around them is a ground game, experts say.

Were getting out in front of every audience we possibly can, said Dr. Groover.

His father pastors one of the area's large predominantly Black churches, where Groover says some of the parishioners told him they don't need a vaccine because God would protect them. The doctor spoke to the congregation at a recent Sunday service, trying to dispel myths and describing how he's seen families devastated by infection and deaths that vaccines could have prevented.

I got about 10 texts later that day from people who went out to Publix that same day and got the shot, he said. A large majority of the membership now is vaccinated.

Across town at Impact Church, Pastor George Davis buried six church members under the age of 35 in just 10 days. All had been healthy, all unvaccinated. Friends he's lost include a 24-year-old man Davis had known since he was a toddler, a young woman on the worship team who celebrated her first wedding anniversary just weeks before her death, and another man in his early 30s that Davis had mentored for years.

The predominantly young, Black megachurch of 6,000 has a hipster vibe, with contemporary music, and jeans and sneakers welcome. Davis has partnered with community health officials to work through misconceptions about the delta variant's impact after officials said for months that the disease couldn't hurt them much.

Now, his church members can simply walk across the hall each Sunday and talk with a medical expert about their vaccine concerns. Davis also hosted two vaccination drives, where more than 1,000 got shots.

As a pastor, honestly we really dont have much time to lick our wounds, he said. Like a police officer, if somebody they know has been shot, they still have to reach for their weapon to protect those that are left.

__

Kennedy reported from Fort Lauderdale. Terry Spencer contributed to this report.
MIAMI (AP)  Scott Smith, a correspondent for The Associated Press who traveled across Venezuela to document personal stories of desperation and hope in the troubled country, has died. He was 50.

Smith was diagnosed in February with brain cancer and was evacuated from the capital, Caracas, in a rare show of cooperation between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments amid the coronavirus pandemic and a strict American ban on all flights to the country in place since 2019.

He died Thursday at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, California, his family said.

Smith arrived in Caracas in 2017 amid a wave of deadly anti-government unrest spurred in part by growing pressure from the Trump administration, which was seeking to force President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Smiths easygoing demeanor, boundless curiosity and immense pride at being a foreign correspondent won him the trust and respect of government supporters and opponents alike.

Even while sick, he was asking when he could go back to Caracas or what his onward assignment might be elsewhere in the world once better, said Ian Phillips, APs head of international news.

Smith looked through the polarizing rhetoric of Venezuelas political crisis and gave voice to all he encountered: oil-covered fishermen eking out a hellacious existence in a polluted lake, street gangsters hurt by the rising price of bullets or the families of victims of a fire at an overcrowded prison.

He also eschewed facile explanations for the nations woes.

He used to joke that a small-town kid who showed steers at the county fair wasnt supposed to be a foreign correspondent writing the first draft of history, said Kelly Scott, his sister. He never took himself too seriously.

For all the humor, he took on challenging assignments with an understated bravery.

A story on COVID patients at a hospital mirroring the nations ruinous health care system required putting his own wellbeing on the line way before there was a vaccine, and with few means of leaving Venezuela if he had gotten sick.

His last AP article revealed the previously unknown saga of Carlos Marron, an exiled businessman lured back home by his fathers kidnapping only to end up beaten and asphyxiated in one of Maduros jails. His alleged crime: running a website that published the black-market exchange rate.

Smith joined the AP in 2014, reporting from Fresno, California, not far from where he grew up. He documented Californias battle with drought and its impacts on farmers and poor communities that struggled as hundreds of wells ran dry.

Prior to the AP, Smith spent more than a decade at The Record newspaper in Stockton, California. His reporting on the so-called Speed Freak serial killings led authorities to unearth five victims, including the remains of three women.

He volunteered for the Peace Corps after graduating from California State University, Chico, where he earned a masters degree in literature. He was sent to Uzbekistan, then emerging from Soviet rule, where he taught English. Later he ran a non-profit training Uzbek journalists on how to gather news free of government censors.

A common love of music  he played trumpet in several bands  endeared him to Hugo Mendez, a taxi driver the AP hired to pick Smith up at the airport upon his arrival in Caracas. Mendez was listening to jazz and Smith took note.

Miles Davis? was about all Mendez could understand of Smiths then-rusty Spanish. Despite the language barrier, within a few hours the two were eating pork rinds and greasy soup at a food stall in one of Caracas toughest neighborhoods  Smith betraying none of the nervousness he surely felt in what was then dubbed the worlds most violent city. Over time, he'd develop a deep affection for his new home.

I thought to myself, this gringo is crazy, remembers Mendez. I knew right away we were going to be buddies, but I never thought hed end up becoming my brother.

Smith is survived by his parents, Scott and Lorene Smith, sisters Kelly Scott and Kristy Bean and their spouses, as well as two nephews and a niece.

___

Goodman was the APs Andean News Director from 2014 to 2019.
Milton, PA (17847)

Today

Periods of rain. Rain may be heavy late. Potential for flooding rains. High 68F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Becoming partly cloudy after some evening rain. Low near 55F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Milton, PA (17847)

Today

Periods of rain. Rain may be heavy late. Potential for flooding rains. High 68F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Rain early. Decreasing clouds overnight. Low around 55F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
What would happen if I had my memory wiped, yet somehow retained my worldview, and got planted into another decade? If I had some choice as to which decade I would want to live in, which one would I choose? Allow me to rank every decade from the 1920s to the 1990s in order of how appealing they would be. The current decade and the one before it are excluded because I actually can remember those. Pre-1920s decades are also excluded for time constraints, and because I would argue there are largely interchangeable decades that dont have a feel worth mentioning. Name one historical event from the 1880s. Or one from the 1260s. Or the 420s. Cant do it.

My main objectives here are to listen to great music, watch great movies and avoid getting sick and going to war. I generally would like to avoid decades that were particularly turbulent, though I will be turning my back on this ideal throughout, largely because its an unavoidable consequence of living in the world. Finally, imagine that I start my living situation right here in Pennsylvania. This information may come in handy as we go along.

8. 1930s

Id prefer not to live in an era known as the Great Depression. Im already pretty cranky and financially nervous, so the 1930s would be less than ideal as a starting point for ones adult life. I appreciate the advancements made in film during the decade, specifically in 1939 and the pre-code noirs, but the financial hardship of the time leads me to believe that going to the movies every weekend might be a challenge. The music of the time is generally underwhelming, in my opinion, so theres not a ton of benefit in that regard, and the possible lack of a radio would make enjoying the sounds even more challenging.

7. 1920s

I adore the aesthetic of the 1920s, but its genuinely difficult to justify living in a time where alcohol is illegal, movies dont have sound and the economy collapses at the end. Theres a risky allure to the Roaring 20s that make them seem more desirable than they actually are. With a life expectancy under 60 years, Id likely already be halfway through my time at this point, and the general lack of regulation on anything is more frightening than appealing in a practical sense. Living in Pennsylvania hurts the case for the 1920s as well. Miss me working in a coal mine. Too dirty. No thanks.

6. 1940s

As not a fan of Nazis, and with no particular allegiance to a German heritage, Id likely be compelled to fight in World War II. This comes with perhaps a worthy risk. Coming home is where things might get a bit dicey. On one hand, culture was on the upswing and the country was moving in the right direction in a few critical aspects. On the other hand, my post-war shellshock, assuming I survive, would dampen the fun. I dont want to claim to know what World War II veterans dealt with when they came home, but theres a pretty sinister lack of retellings of that era from the people who actually fought in the war. The Pacific strikes me as particularly unpleasant. The 40s might be fine, but the risk of death and trauma holds it back from moving higher on the list.

5. 1980s

Possibly a controversial slotting, Ive never really known what to make of the 1980s. Big hair and no middle ground on the tightness of clothing is really weird looking back on it, and I fear that my lack of fashion sense might make me an outcast in this time. And from what I know of 80s high school movies, except for The Breakfast Club, everyone was either a jock with a cool car or a nerd with tape between his glasses and a constantly bloody nose. I guess if Im already 24, I dont have to worry about high school bullies, but the toxicity of the era reeks. That being said, Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails saved music in 1989, and Prince is pretty cool, too. And the chances of pointlessly dying in rural Pennsylvania feel relatively slim during this time. Do I get to pull a Back to the Future and meet my parents as young people? Im willing to roll the dice and find out.

4. 1970s

The 1970s are kind of like the bargain bin 1960s. Correct me telepathically if Im wrong, but was the decade not incredibly plain after Watergate? It doesnt get much more bland than President Leslie Lynch King. The big advantage is that this is the greatest stretch of years for film ever. Almost every aspect of the craft was perfected at the time, and the industry was blooming with independent filmmakers. Id like to think Id hitchhike to California and meet up with Coppola, Spielberg, Scorsese and Lucas. I picture that living in this time, despite the retroactive shelling its taken, is the closest Id get to achieving my dreams. My only misgiving is that the other extreme in life path is particularly unpleasant.

3. 1950s

Ive denoted the 1950s as the easiest decade to live through. The lack of large-scale conflict and the rise of disposable income seems heavenly on the surface. Truthfully, the white people of 50s-era America had the most peaceful, prosperous go of it. I envy the confidence of that time. Unfortunately, my perception of the decade has gradually diminished over the years. The fortune the country felt at the time was largely a ruse. A chunk of the population was left out of the prosperity, and half of the country was still fighting the Civil War (come to think of it, they still are). Living in the 1950s would be a real test of integrity with even a hint of my modern sensibilities, but itd also be an opportunity to align with those who demanded a more just society.

2. 1990s

The most modern of the decades on the board is underrated. The 1990s saw real video games become a thing, a surge in exciting filmmakers and musicians, and a gritty aesthetic that I think cracked any remaining wholesome feeling. I associate the 1990s with a rebellious streak, sometimes for good and sometimes for not so good. People actually started to pay attention to bullying in schools and life in the inner city. Not much was done to fix any of these problems because of the increasingly splintered Congress of the time, but the people actually could share their frustration openly without immediately being ridiculed. I feel like my current, brooding self wouldve gotten along in the 90s.

1. 1960s

And finally, the gold standard of decades takes the top spot. This columnist wouldve rolled into the decade with a crew cut and left it with hair down to his heels and rose-colored Lennon lenses. I want to watch the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and the moon landing and the first Super Bowl on tape delay. I want to see Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate in theaters. I want to campaign for Kennedy and Johnson, and then subsequently disown Johnson when I burn my draft card. Take me to the March on Washington and Woodstock. Let me hear the end of Ricky Nelson and the beginning of Led Zeppelin. Give me the chaos and confusion and mud. I dont care if I wont remember it. Curse me with interesting times.
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times this afternoon. Potential for flooding rains. High around 65F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Heavy rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 53F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
A second Romanian national, an employee of a NATO agency, was evacuated from Afghanistan on Thursday night by a Romanian Air Force aircraft, according to the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE), agerpres reports.

The Romanian had already been at the international airport in Kabul, and with him three other citizens of NATO countries were also taken over: a Bulgarian, a British and an American.

The Romanian Air Force military aircraft landed at Kabul International Airport at night. As in the case of the first flight, in addition to the military personnel, a mobile consular team of the MAE was on board. After picking up the passengers, the plane took off for Islamabad, where it arrived safely. The evicted Romanian citizen will be temporarily housed in Islamabad and will be repatriated to Romania.MAE says the Romanian Air Force aircraft will continue to be stationed in Islamabad, being prepared to travel again to Kabul to evacuate other Romanian nationals as they arrive at the international airport.Also, Romania's Inter-institutional Task Force continues the complex steps, through specific channels, to ensure the transfer to the airport of other Romanian nationals. The task force keeps permanent contact with Romanian nationals in various places in Kabul.MAE emphasises that in the Afghan capital there are still particularly difficult and dangerous security conditions that did not make it possible for other Romanians to access the airport before the aircraft took off. In the same situation are other citizens of European or NATO member states who could not reach the airport to be picked up by the aircraft sent by their countries.The Inter-institutional Task Force has already taken steps to identify, validate and contact Afghan citizens, former collaborators of Romanian troops on their mission in Afghanistan, as well as scholarship students with ongoing studies in Romania or who have been accepted to study in Romania. They will be evacuated by the Romanian aircraft to the extent that they can reach the airport in Kabul.
Approximately 11.5 million people have gone through the border crossing points between June 1 and August 20, the General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) announced on Friday.

"During the period of June 1 - August 20, 2021, approximately 11.5 million people have gone through the border crossings, of which approximately 9 million EU citizens and 2.5 million non-EU citizens and over 3.2 million means of transportation. Regarding the crossing points, during the period mentioned earlier, the most transited point was PTF Airport Henri Coanda (Bucharest's main international airport, ed. n.), with a traffic of over 2 million people, followed by PTF Nadlac II (at the Hungarian border, ed. n.) with approximately 760,000 people and PTF Giurgiu (at the Bulgarian border, ed. n.), where the border police checked over 700,000 people," according to a press release sent by IGPF to AGERPRES.

At the border with the Republic of Moldova (eastern), the most transited point was Albita - 700,000 people. At the Bulgarian border, there was intense traffic recorded in Vama Veche (southeast), where approximately 560,000 people crossed, and over 185,000 people crossed the Serbian border, through PTF Moravita (west), Agerpres informs.
ARTEXIM, the organizer of the George Enescu International Festival, informed on Friday the Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding the announcement made by an auction house in Bucharest referring to the selling of some goods and manuscripts that belonged to composer George Enescu and which, according to specialists, should be in the national patrimony.

According to the quoted source, the way in which the auction for these goods was announced raises numerous questions, that the authorities should check on.

"The provenance of these manuscript pieces is not known, with some being unique. There were references made to the collection of Romeo Draghici, a long-time lawyer friend and personal secretary of Enescu. But Romeo Draghici, also the founder and first director of the George Enescu Museum and his will's executor, had donated himself to several public funds - firstly the Enescu Museum, then the National Archives and the Music Cabinet of the Romanian Academy - all that remained from Enescu. His faithfulness towards everything remaining from Enescu (entrusted directly to him, in 1946) or left within the Romanian properties of Enescu (after his death in 1955, and after the death of Enescu's wife in 1968) justifies, in the context of this auction, the strictest judicial and patrimonial examination," ARTEXIM mentions, Agerpres informs.

The organizer of the Enescu Festival claims that "the manuscript of the lyrical tragedy (called 'piece') Oedipus, with a starting price of 100,000 euro and evaluated to be auctioned at 300,000 euro, is even more problematic."

"Oedipus, by the standards of its creator and international musicology, is the magnum opus of Enescu. The 'Historic' House does not mention neither dimensions, nor date, nor the origin of the piece, and the few photographs published on the auction's website justify themselves a control action, as it is known that such a document cannot enter a private collection, as it engages at the highest level the maximum patrimonial responsibilities of the Romanian state," shows ARTEXIM.

Also, according to ARTEXIM, the violin mentioned as being a Guarneri given to Enescu by the Royal House, at a completely unclear date and context, is an instrument that does not appear in the family of well-known violins that Enescu played during his lifetime (mainly four, twelve being known, with the 1885 violin auctioned not being among them), being able to be discounted as "fake information", so long as there is no clear proof to support the assertions of the organizers.

The Historic Auction House announced on its website the organization, on September 22, of the "George Enescu. Universe and Creation" auction, that intends to auction 190 lots, among them a manuscript of the piece Oedipus and a violin that was received by the composer from the Royal House of Romania.

On Friday, the Culture Ministry is to check the origin of goods in the Enescu auction announced by Historic Auction House for September 22
Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Thursday that he had discussed with President Klaus Iohannis his conviction in the United States, adding that the chief of state did not reproach him of not telling him about that predicament, agerpres reports.

On a TVR 1 show on Thursday, Citu was asked if the president had reproached him of not coming forward about his conviction in the United States 21 years ago.

"No. We talked about it and that's it. There was no reproach," Citu replied.Citu was also asked if he felt encouraged by the president in the campaign for the PNL national leadership."President Klaus Iohannis has been more of an inspiration to me. No. Encouraged, of course, because I have a good relationship with the president, and it has been seen as an inspiration for the way he has chosen to do politics in Romania. After years of having a certain kind of old politician and president, he came and changed the image of the presidency, but also the way politics is done in Romania, that's why I said that he is an inspiration to me," the prime minister said.On the other hand, he criticised the fact that members of the National Liberal Party (PNL) seem to have taken over the rhetoric of the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD)."There will always be criticism, and PSD is full of criticism. What is sad is witnessing how the rhetoric of PSD is taken over by some of my PNL colleagues; sad!" said Citu.
Romania's Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Friday that in addition to 14 Romanian nationals who arrived at the airport in Kabul, there is only one Romanian outside the airport who wants repatriation.

"I am glad that today, through the efforts of our colleagues from the task force, we managed to bring inside the airport the 14 Romanian nationals who at the beginning of the week were at a military base located about 6 km from the airport. The other Romanian nationals who are in Kabul and who are not at the international airport and who have not expressed their desire to be evacuated have evacuation plans established by their employers, whether we are talking about the UN, a company or other instances, we are in constant contact with those Romanian nationals. (...) Apart from the 14 Romanian nationals, there is only one Romanian outside the airport who wants repatriation, working for a UN programme who also tried and will continue to try to join a UN convoy to get to the airport," Aurescu told Digi 24 private broadcaster.

He added that it is difficult for people to get to Kabul airport because there are a number of obstacles, checkpoints that are controlled by various factions of the Taliban movement.

Romania's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) announced on Friday that 14 Romanian citizens arrived safely at the Kabul international airport to be evacuated on the next flight of a Romanian military aircraft that was stationed in Islamabad.

According to MAE, the 14 Romanians are employees of a security company operating in Afghanistan. They were at a military base outside the airport until Friday morning, Agerpres informs.
Romania's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) is reporting that 14 Romanian nationals have arrived safely at the airport in Kabul, and they will be evacuated on the next flight of a Romanian military aircraft, which is currently in Islamabad.

According to MAE, the 14 Romanians are employees of a security company operating in Afghanistan. They were at a military base outside the airport until Friday morning.

The ministry also says that the transfer of the group to the airport was made as a result of "extremely complex and difficult" steps carried out since the beginning of the week by Romanian officials with support from international partners and the employing company.
Romania is a green oasis on the world's air pollution map and is doing very well compared to other countries in the region, chief commissioner of the National Environmental Guard, Octavian Berceanu, said on Friday.

Berceanu announced that a Regulation will be developed in the next period on the location of air quality sensors for greater data accuracy.

Speaking about measurements done in winter time, Berceanu said that the poor air quality in certain localities during the cold season is due to thermal inversion that acts like a cap on the upward air movement and keeps the noxious substances down, near the ground. Pollution is mainly generated by residential heating with solid fuels and traffic, particularly in busy cities like Iasi, Bucharest or Cluj, Berceanu told broadcaster Digi24, Agerpres informs.

According to the Environment official, even if they are accurate, sometimes the independent air quality monitoring sensors are not properly installed, as they are placed "near vents, chimneys or close to apartment heating units". In this context, Berceanu specified that European money is available to invest in a national air quality sensor network.

"It matters a lot how we measure. People install Airly sensors around their houses, at the windows. Sometimes the sensor measurements are correct, but their placement leaves to be desired, as they are mounted near vents, chimneys or close to apartment heating units. We, experts and NGOs, are trying to develop a location regulation. We have found the solution and the resource to invest European money in a national sensor network. With this acquisition, plus the sensors from the alternative networks we will integrate, we'll have a very clear, competitive image at European level of Romania's air quality. If we look at the World Air Quality Index, we see that Romania fares quite well compared to the surrounding countries. We have a lot of pollution in Poland, in the southern Balkans, in Turkey, Greece and the Italian Peninsula. Fortunately, on this map we look like a green oasis," said the head of the Environmental Guard.

Berceanu also recommends giving up personal cars and using public transportation, particularly in winter.

"The supply of fresh air in Bucharest comes through the west and exits through the east side and is somewhat limited during the winter. For the cold season I wholeheartedly recommend leaving the cars at home and using public transportation," Octavian Berceanu advised.

According to a survey published on Thursday by the Airly platform, Covasna, Ilfov and Iasi are among the most polluted counties in Romania, along with Bucharest; the counties of Harghita and Galati are at the opposite end, with the lowest annual average concentration of PM10 in the country.

The report includes the pollution levels from November 2020 to February 2021, and shows that the five counties with the lowest air quality in Romania are Covasna - with a PM10 concentration of 52.3 lg/m3, followed by Ilfov (41.8), Iasi (40), Dolj (39.5) and Bucharest (38.6).

Harghita County tops the ranking of the counties with the best air quality (with an average of 10.6 lg/m3), followed by Galati (16.5), Valcea (16.9), Braila (16.9) and Satu Mare (18.6).

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes air quality in Romania as moderately unsafe, noting also that it is changeable and worsens significantly in winter, being mainly caused by heating with thermal power plants and vehicle emissions.
The National Liberal Party (PNL) cannot be led without knowing its past, in particular, on Friday said the liberal chairman Ludovic Orban, adding that his opponent (in the race for PNL chairmanship) PM Florin Citu did not refer to the 157th anniversary of Ion I. C. Bratianu when presenting his motion which he is running with for the party's leadership.

"When I heard that Florin wants to submit his motion today, I thought he wanted to use the 157th anniversary of Ionel Bratianu's birth as a symbolic moment of launching his candidacy for the (party's, ed. n.) presidency. I can tell, I followed him with some emotion, that he will start his speech by referring to this astral day in which the Sphinx was born, the Sphinx who materialized the dream of the generations and generations of Romanians to have their country, to live in the natural borders. Unfortunately, he didn't say anything. That's it! What could one do?! One can't lead the PNL if one doesn't know the PNL of today, but especially the PNL from yesterday, the day before yesterday, etc," said Orban, at the "Ion I. C. Bratianu - 157 years since birth" Symposium, held at the Florica Villa in Stefanesti, the Arges County.

He advocated "an adapted liberalism, a liberalism that holds into account a number of characteristics that PNL policy had in the constitution of the modern state", Agerpres informs.

"Firstly, a national liberalism is not a liberalism of open doors. It is a liberalism that has always supported the fundamental interests of the Romanian state, the promotion of these fundamental interests of the Romanian state on the international market, it has been a liberalism even with a strong protectionist accent. (...) We are not against foreign capital, but domestic capital behaves more responsibly towards society. (...) Romania has lived for a long time in communist darkness, there is a need to support the Romanian capital," Orban added.

According to the PNL chairman, "the Christian morals are a foundation for a coexistence in society".

"The liberals have always had a policy of supporting the family and we must continue this policy of supporting the family, of the Romanian village, of the school, of all the fundamental institutions that constitute, in fact, the basic pillars of the Romanian society," Orban stressed.
"This morning, we have managed to bring four more people from Kabul: a Romanian citizen and other three persons of different citizenship. We are also keeping in permanent touch with 14 other persons who have reached the airport and we are preparing the procedure to bring them to Islamabad. We also got in touch with the Afghan students who benefit from scholarships in Romania, with nine of them, actually - because there are 14 of them in total if I remember correctly - and some of them said they wanted to come to Romania so that we are taking now all the necessary steps to bring them here. In what concerns the personnel that worked with the Ministry of National Defence in Afghanistan we are also taking all the necessary steps in their case, and procedures are ongoing. In respect to a possible new quota of Afghan refugees in Romania, we are going to discuss this possibility at the level of the Commission, that is at the EU level, and after that, we are going to discuss it here, in Romania. Of course, we are also going to discuss this at the CSAT next week," the PM told a press conference at the Victoria Palace.

President Klaus Iohannis convened a meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) next Wednesday, August 25, starting 4.00 pm, at the Cotroceni Palace, according to an announcement made by the Presidential Administration. The agenda includes the security situation in Afghanistan and its implications for Romania, Agerpres informs.
Romania will send to Greece 142 firefighters, 8 trucks of putting out forest fires, three tanks, a command center, two Multirisc containers, an intervention vehicle, as well as other means of logistic support, among which a drone which can be used to fly by around the areas the interventions will occur.

The Romanian firefighters will intervene for putting out fires that are affecting an area close to Athens.

According to a press release sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), the mission is a response to the request of international assistance submitted on Thursday by the Greek state, through the European Mechanism of Civil Protection, Agerpres informs.

The firefighters that left for Greece come from the the Emergency Management General Inspectorate (IGSU), The Special Unit for Emergency Situations and 16 county inspectorates for emergency situations.

IGSU, as a national contact point, received a request from the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), by the Greek authorities to grant international assistance, given the emergency situation generated by the spread of wildfire on the Greek territory.

As a result of activating the European Mechanism for Civil Protection, the Romanian Government decided to grant an external emergency humanitarian aid to the Greek authorities.
One of the crossing points along the border with Hungary faces traffic jam on Friday morning, with the wait time for control of documents and transit at the Nadlac II crossing point (the pan-European highway) being of at least one hour, although the number of control lanes has been supplemented.

According to the border traffic monitoring application available online on the website of the Border Police, people are forced to wait 60 minutes at Nadlac II before being able to exit Romania, with six lanes available here to passengers and cars.

The application informs that "there is a very large number of passengers and means of transport arriving at the border for control on the exit side."The representatives of the Arad Border Police told AGERPRES that during this time of the summer season a large number of passengers are seeking to cross the border, especially during the weekends. According to the same source, many of them are Romanians working abroad who have returned to the country over the past weeks to spend their holidays with their families and now they are going back to their jobs. Moreover, numerous Romanians are leaving the country for a holiday abroad, especially starting on Friday morning, when the border crossing points become crowded.The border traffic monitoring application also shows that people need to wait in line for at least 60 minutes at the Petea crossing point, Satu Mare, while trying to leave the country, with six control lanes available here.
On a JetBlue flight in May, a man threw his carry-on bag at other passengers, grabbed a flight attendant by the ankles and put his head up her skirt before he was restrained with plastic ties. The FAA wants to fine him $45,000.

The FAA is seeking a $42,000 fine against a man who refused to wear a mask on another JetBlue flight in May and threatened other passengers, including making stabbing gestures toward some. Crew members confiscated a bag containing a substance the man was snorting, then armed themselves with ice mallets before police took him off the plane.

The FAA did not identify any of the passengers, including a man who allegedly punched a flight attendant in the nose during a third JetBlue flight. Although police were called in several cases, it was not clear how many of the passengers called out by FAA face criminal charges.

This month, the head of the FAA asked airport officials around the country to work with local law enforcement to prosecute more cases. The FAA does not have authority to file criminal charges.
Smaller landlords with fewer than four units, who often dont have the financing of larger property owners, were hit especially hard, with as many as 58% having tenants behind on rent, according to the National Association of Realtors. More than half of back rent is owed to smaller landlords.

Landlords, big and small, are most angry about the moratoriums, which they consider illegal. Many believe some tenants could have paid rent, if not for the moratorium. And the $47 billion in federal rental assistance that was supposed to make landlords whole has been slow to materialize. By July, only $3 billion of the first tranche of $25 billion had been distributed.

David points to two tenants who received paychecks throughout the pandemic but didnt pay rent or bother to file for rental assistance. Others singled out delinquent tenants who they claimed still managed to drive a luxury car, get food deliveries or go on vacation.

Without rent, were out of business, said Gary Zaremba, who sold 40 of his properties in Ohio due to the moratorium and still has a quarter of his tenants in the remaining 100 buildings struggling to pay rent. He has helped some apply for rental assistance, he said.
PRAGUE  Having hunkered down at home and clung on to his job through the 2020 lockdowns, Dutch IT worker Benito Castillion is now on the hunt for a career-enhancing move  and its a shift of perspective he shares with millions of white-collar staff worldwide.

Based in Prague, the 46-year-old had updated his LinkedIn profile and started attending virtual job fairs.

If the pay is right and there is a good opportunity to switch jobs Id be willing to take the risk, he told Reuters. Now I see companies are willing to pay a bit more. That is important now.

That mindset is driving what one U.S. management professor has dubbed the Great Resignation and a U.S. recruiter the biggest movement of human capital for decades, as skilled workers start to reevaluate careers and life choices.

Having spent more than a year living with the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic, many now find themselves able to call the shots on pay and conditions as companies compete for staff amid labor shortages created by fast vaccine-led recoveries in rich-world economies.

In Europes largest, Germany, more than a third of companies complained of staff shortages last month, the highest rate for three years, an Ifo institute survey showed.
But under a 1987 federal law, CMS requires facilities only to have sufficient nursing staff to attain or maintain the highest practicable  well-being of each resident. Over the years, states began to tighten up that vague standard by setting their own staffing rules.

The pandemic accelerated the pace and created a moment for us to call attention to state legislators and demand change, said Milly Silva, executive vice president of 1199SEIU, the union that represents 45,000 nursing home workers in New York and New Jersey.

This year states increasingly have established either a minimum number of hours of daily direct care for each resident, or a ratio of nursing staff to residents. For every eight residents, New Jersey nursing homes must now have at least one certified nursing aide during the day, with other minimums during afternoon and night work shifts. Rhode Islands new law requires nursing homes to provide a minimum of 3.58 hours of daily care per resident, and at least one registered nurse must be on duty 24 hours a day every day. Next door in Connecticut, nursing homes must now provide at least three hours of daily direct care per resident next year, one full-time infection control specialist and one full-time social worker for every 60 residents.
Frances blood supply agency, the Etablissement Francais du Sang (EFS), said stocks were too tight for comfort. It said there are 85,000 red blood cell bags in reserve, below a comfortable level of 100,000 or more.

No sick person will miss out on a transfusion but we are worried for September, an EFS spokesperson told Reuters, when the volume of surgical operations would typically increase.

In Italy, the National Blood Centre said there were worrying shortages in a number of regions, including Lazio, centered on the capital Rome, which had led some hospitals to postpone planned operations to conserve stocks for emergencies. It blamed the shortfall mainly on many people being away on holiday and a lack of staff in some collection centers.

Afraid to donate

Across Europe, donation levels have also been plagued by uncertainty over whether people can give blood if they have not been vaccinated, officials in various countries said. Spains Health Ministry, for instance, issued a call for donations this week, telling people its safe to donate during the pandemic.
ST. LOUIS  In the year 1700, two Jesuit missionaries from Quebec established camp next to a small stream flowing into the Mississippi River. It became known as the River of the Fathers, the River Des Peres.

The mission was abandoned after three years. The namesake river, with headwaters in present-day Creve Coeur and Normandy, meandered through countryside to the village of Carondelet. It was still a pleasant enough stream when St. Louis annexed Carondelet in 1870.

But urban growth increasingly made it a flood-prone sewer. Its path through Forest Park was encased temporarily in a wooden culvert for the 1904 World's Fair. There was talk of a permanent solution, but the $4 million price tag kept the drawings on a City Hall shelf.

On the afternoon of Aug. 19, 1915, remnants of a hurricane reached St. Louis from Texas. Heavy and steady rainfall fell through the next day, dumping a total of 7.4 inches across the area. (6.85 inches on Aug. 20 remains the one-day record in St. Louis.)
EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County prosecutors on Friday charged the driver accused of striking and killing Brooklyn police Officer Brian Pierce Jr. on the McKinley Bridge earlier this month.

Authorities said Caleb L. Campbell, 22, was speeding away from Illinois police in a Dodge Charger around 3 a.m. Aug. 4 when Pierce attempted to lay out spike strips on the bridge to stop him.

Campbell struck Pierce and fled into Missouri, where he is currently being held on unrelated charges, police said.

Madison County States Attorney Thomas A. Haine said Campbell faces charges of first-degree murder, failure to report an accident involving injury or death, reckless homicide, failure to stop after having an accident involving personal injury or death, and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

Court records in Missouri say Campbell has previous felony convictions for resisting arrest and weapons offenses. An attorney has not yet been listed in his current case.

Pierce had been working the night shift for the Brooklyn Police Department for roughly nine months and was making the drive every day from Carbondale, Illinois, and working a second job as a lieutenant at the Makanda Fire Department.
O'FALLON, ILL.  A plumber from OFallon, Illinois, was sentenced to three years of probation Wednesday for a federal crime related to a nearly $500,000 coronavirus relief loan and ordered to repay $310,000.

Jason E. Spengler, 45, applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan in 2020. He got a $487,095 loan that April. The PPP was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act.

Spengler did not disclose on his application that his company was in bankruptcy. Spengler Plumbing Co. was not eligible for the loan because of the bankruptcy. Spengler also failed to get authorization from the bankruptcy judge to take on any new unsecured debt, they said.

A representative of the bankruptcy trustee asked Spengler's lawyer about the loan in June of 2020. He repaid $176,751 nine days later but had already spent $310,343.

Spenglers lawyer, Justin Kuehn, said late Wednesday that Spengler had fully paid the restitution before sentencing.
Regardless of the charges, Burris said people are still being held too long before trial. Of the 891 people in the jail Monday, 147 had been there for over a year, he said. Sixty-eight had been there for more than two years, 33 more than three years, 10 more than four years and five for more than five years. One man has been held for more than six years, he said.

Jails are here to hold people for up to a year as they process through the system. Theyre either released, or they serve short sentences before they go off to prison, Burris said. We dont have an outdoors, and were really designed to hold inmates up to a year.

The study, part of a collaboration with the John Jay College in New York, also notes a racial disparity. Black inmates were held an average of 12 days longer than white inmates in 2019.

I wasnt surprised at the racial disparities, Huebner said. Its really important we continue to show the very big differences we see in length of stay for different groups by race. Even controlling for offense type, we still see a Black person spending more time in jail.

Bell said his administration from Day One made efforts to reduce the jail population, including issuing summonses instead of warrants for suspects of victimless crimes.

That way, they can show up to court like you would for a traffic ticket, Bell said. Theres a lot of things we could do  I have full confidence that as we start getting the courts to reopen, well see more of that, though the (delta) variant may cause problems. But well continue to get those numbers down, focusing on lower-level, nonviolent offenders.

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ST. LOUIS  A security guard for Reign Restaurant was one of two men shot downtown early Wednesday after a woman who was kicked out of the bar returned with her boyfriend to confront security.

A 24-year-old man and a 26-year-old man were shot in the legs about 12:10 a.m. in the 1100 block of St. Charles Street, behind Reign. One of the victims worked security for Reign, police said. The victims were taken to a hospital.

The injured security guard works as a contractor for Reign and is from King Security, said Dana Kelly, an owner of Reign. The guard was treated and released from the hospital Wednesday morning, Kelly said. The other injured man was stable, police said, but it wasnt clear whether he had also been released from the hospital.

St. Louis police were called downtown for a disturbance near Reign, at 1122 Washington Avenue, and found about 100 people standing in the street, blocking Washington Avenue. As officers tried to get the crowd to leave, they heard gunshots in the area of North 11th and St. Charles streets. Shots hit the two men.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  Maryland Heights will require all city employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 30 or face termination, officials voted this week.

The municipality follows Webster Groves, St. Louis, health care providers and private businesses in the region mandating that workers get immunized. It may be a signal of things to come in other St. Louis County municipalities, said Pat Kelly, executive director of the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis.

I think a number of cities are discussing it, he said. And I think youll probably see more doing it once the vaccine is fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Currently, three COVID-19 vaccines are approved in the U.S. through an emergency authorization, but the FDA could give full approval to Pfizers vaccine as soon as Monday, The New York Times reported Friday.

Several residents and some city workers attended the Maryland Heights City Council meeting Thursday to speak out against the measure, which allows for religious or medical exemptions.

The Maryland Heights Police Officers Association wrote on Facebook that at least five dispatchers and seven officers could quit over the new requirements.
DETROIT (AP)  General Motors is recalling all Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles sold worldwide to fix a battery problem that could cause fires.

The recall announced Friday adds about 73,000 Bolts from the 2019 through 2022 model years to a previous recall of 69,000 older Bolts.

The recall raises questions about lithium ion batteries, which now are used in nearly all electric vehicles. President Joe Biden wants to convert 50% of the U.S. vehicle fleet from internal combustion to electricity by 2050 as part of a broader effort to fight climate change.

GM said that in rare cases the batteries have two manufacturing defects that can cause fires.

The Detroit-based automaker said it will replace the battery modules in all the vehicles.

The move will cost the company about $1 billion.

GM said owners should limit charging to 90% of battery capacity. The Bolts, including a new SUV, should be parked outdoors until the modes are replaced.
Rasmussen said Thursday that she and her clients are investigating how the testing contracts were signed, the validity of the testing and the unprecedented use of political connections and political power in pushing these projects forward.

Reynolds has said that she decided to copy Utahs drive-thru testing program after receiving a tip from Iowa-born actor Ashton Kutcher, who was friends with a software executive working on it.

Iowa signed an emergency $26 million contract with Nomi Health in April 2020 to obtain 540,000 coronavirus tests, which were produced by Utah-based Co-Diagnostics. Utah tech firms Domo and Qualtrics also worked on parts of the program, which has since changed to at-home testing and currently faces a backlog for kits.

Nomi Health has been paid more than $35 million in all, according to Iowas online checkbook.
Ismail's appointment was not unexpected. With this, UMNO is now back in the driver's seat," said James Chin, an Asian expert at Australia's University of Tasmania.

Ismail's 114 votes exceed the 111 needed for a simple majority but is close to the backing Muhyiddin had and was unable to keep. Ismail is from UMNO, the larger party in the alliance, leaving him on firmer ground, but he still needs Muhyiddins party for enough support to lead.

Angry Malaysians had launched an online petition to protest Ismail's candidacy, with more than 340,000 signatures collected so far. Many believe Ismail's choice will restore the status quo, with its perceived failed response to a worsening pandemic.

Malaysia has one of the worlds highest infection rates and deaths per capita, despite a seven-month state of emergency and a lockdown since June. Daily new infections have more than doubled since June to hit a new record of 23,564 on Friday, bringing the country's total to over 1.5 million cases. Deaths have surged to above 13,000.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
BRUSSELS (AP)  NATO foreign ministers committed Friday to focus on ensuring the safe evacuation from Afghanistan of their citizens and of Afghans deemed at risk after the Taliban takeover, centering on improving operations at Kabul airport first.

Faced with continuing chaos in the capital and the exit roads, many of the 30 allied nations raised the need to work harder on how we can get more people ... into the airport, then processed and then onto the planes, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

He called that "the big, big, big challenge.

All too often over the past hours and days, planes from NATO nations have been able to get to Kabul, only to be forced to leave empty or near-empty.

Belgium, for example, sent two big C-130 planes into Kabul, but of some 500 people who had been called up to board, only some 20 were lucky enough to get on the first plane, foreign minister Sophie Wilmes said. A second plane had to return to neighboring Pakistan empty, since designated passengers could not enter the airport.

There are Taliban controls and U.S. controls which are very strict, said Wilmes.
Teachers are the latest to be added to the growing statewide vaccine mandate, which also includes health care workers and state employees. They must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or six weeks after a COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whichever is later.

There are those who will disagree with the actions Im taking today, Brown, a Democrat, said during Thursdays press conference. But school is starting across the state and COVID-19 poses a threat to our kids. Our kids need to be protected and they need to be in school. And thats why Im willing to take the heat for this decision.

In addition, Brown announced weekly testing for health care workers will no longer be an option for those who want to avoid vaccination. The only opt-out of the requirement is either a medical or religious exemption.



ATLANTA  Georgias Republican governor issued an executive order Thursday banning cities from requiring businesses to enforce local pandemic restrictions.

But what impact, if any, the measure would have on new mask requirements in Atlanta, Savannah and other cities was not clear.
Sindeyeva said that the move would make Dozhd's work more difficult and could discourage some companies from extending their advertising contracts and make some newsmakers more reluctant to come on air. But she added that Dozhd will continue to operate.

We hope that our viewers will not abandon us, she told the AP.

Dozhd's editor Tikhon Dzyadko said the channel will appeal the Justice Ministry's action, which he said doesn't conform with the law and common sense.

Russian authorities have previously applied the designation to several independent media outlets, including Meduza and VTimes. VTimes shut down after that, while Meduza launched a crowd-funding campaign.

Another law has been used to outlaw groups deemed undesirable and makes membership in them a criminal offense. It has been used to ban scores of opposition groups, foreign NGOs and critical media outlets.

The punitive machine has toughened its action over the past year, branding one after another as foreign agent, an undesirable organization or an extremist," Sindeyeva said. It could be connected with the election.
Erasing Trumps historic peace agreement

In an apparent bid to give Republicans greater flexibility to criticize President Joe Biden over the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the Republican National Committee found a convenient way to erase history. Recall that the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan started with an order from President Donald Trump, who on April 18 praised Bidens plans but said the withdrawal should have been scheduled even sooner.

While in office, Trump negotiated an agreement with the Taliban that included freeing 5,000 Taliban fighters and effectively giving them a green light to run roughshod over the country. Trump even bowed to Taliban demands that the Afghan government be excluded from the peace process.

That agreement used to be prominently and proudly displayed on the Republican National Committees website. But this week, The Washington Post reported, that web page had been removed and replaced with a page reading: 404 error. It looks like youre as lost as Biden is. The GOPs original wording heralded Trumps historic peace agreement with the Taliban.

Why the war on flight attendants?
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In Russia a blog operated by a politician who used to be an air force fighter pilot revealed that pilots in Su-34 fighter-bombers operating in Syria added an American Garmin GPS receivers to their cockpits. The defense ministry later confirmed this and Russian pilots say it is allowed because Russian fighter pilots had learned years ago that commercial GPS equipment, especially from Garmin, were often more reliable than the satellite navigation systems built into Russian fighters. Russian commanders consider this sort of improvisation a useful military tradition, especially when it makes Russian warplanes safer to operate in situations that require precise location information. In Syria the handheld Garmin unit in the cockpit continued to operate effectively in situations (heavy clouds, nearby mountains) when Russian GLONASS satellite navigation systems did not.

This sort of thing is not new and was noted back in 2015 when cell phone photos were taken by a Russian Su-24 fighter-bomber pilot, demonstrating how his aircraft went about aerial refueling with a Russian Il-76 aerial tanker. The photos revealed the presence of a Garmin GPS receiver sitting in a handmade cradle placed in front of the pilot, just like in the Su-34. It wasnt just a Russian thing either. Such improvised GPS receivers were common in Western warplanes in the late 1990s, before they all got GPS built into their navigation systems. Russia has not been able to upgrade the navigation systems on all their older aircraft, or even more recent ones, and improvisations like this are allowed and even encouraged, but not officially publicized.

In 2015 the Russian Air Force was adapting as best it could after two decades of sharply reduced budgets. That means the elderly (1970s) Su-24 has had to wait longer than expected for a replacement. So far Russia has only been able to buy 136 new Su-34 light bombers to replace hundreds of Su-24s. Currently only about a hundred Su-24s are still active with the Russian air force, and these are upgraded versions of those built in the late 1980s and 1993, when production ended.

The Su-34 had its first flight in 1990 and finally entered service in early 2014. While most nations using Su-24s have retired them by now as too expensive to operate and maintain, Russia had to keep many of their Su-24s in service until it had enough Su-34s to replace them. Given all the budget shortages, the Russians had to improvise because even the refurbished Su-24s usually lacked built in satellite navigation devices. Thats because Russia wanted its aircraft to use a Russian built satellite navigation system called GLONASS. Russia, without much publicity, was quick to copy the American GPS system even before the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. This became another problem because the government had been trying for decades to create a Russian version of GPS.

GLONASS was at full strength (24 satellites) in 1995. The end of the Cold War in 1991 because of national bankruptcy meant the end of the regular financing for GLONASS. Maintaining the system required launching replacement satellites every 5-7 years. With no money for that, at the end of 2002 only seven GLONASS birds were still operational. However, the Russian economy recovered at about the same time. This made possible rebuilding the GLONASS network. By the end of 2007 there were 18 GLONASS satellites active. Russia had 24 GLONASS satellites in orbit by 2011, and the system was fully operational in 2012. In theory it is widely used in Russia and most smart phones adapted for the Russian market have GLONASS. But most GLONASS equipped gear retained its GPS capability as well.

The money for GLONASS is coming from a Russian government that does not want to be dependent on the American controlled GPS system. But the money is only there because of high oil prices. Most GLONASS receivers in use are still combined GPS/GLONASS receivers. Russia has put billions of dollars into GLONASS since 2012 to keep the system fully operational. Now lower oil prices and growing economic sanctions mean there may not be enough money to maintain the satellite network. GLONASS will probably be declared an essential system and the money found. But something will have to be sacrificed and new aircraft for the Russian Air Forces are more vulnerable to cuts than GLONASS. Russian military pilots had already adapted and have been using portable GPS receivers in their cockpits because they noted American pilots doing it in the 1990s. Whatever works.
Efforts to settle long-standing armed disputes in central Nigeria and the Niger River Delta oil producing region down south are not making a lot of progress. Decades-long feuds between herders and farmers continue with the herders being the most aggressive while also insisting they are the victims because farmers are turning grazing land into farms. This happens much less often than farmers seeing their crops ruined by herds of cattle protected by armed Fulani herders. In some areas the farmers are Moslem and get the same aggressive treatment from the herders, or are all Moslem and usually Fulani, who operate like this in neighboring countries as well. The herder-farmer disputes have led to a breakdown in order throughout the north with more bandit gangs operating openly and without much fear or retribution. This land-use violence and increased banditry have surpassed Islamic terrorist related deaths for the last five years.

In the south, corruption in state governments and the police are the main cause of outlaw behavior by many of the unemployed locals angry at the pollution and lack of development efforts to improve life for those who live in the oil producing region.

Borno Bewilderment

In the northeast (Borno State) there has been progress in reducing Islamic terrorist violence because of the demoralization of most Islamic terrorists by leadership disputes between the two main Islamic terrorist factions; Boko Haram and ISWAP ( (Islamic State West Africa Province) . In mid-June Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau was killed by a large ISWAP raiding party and the factional dispute declared over. It wasnt. The death of veteran Boko Haram leader Shekau did not lead to a reunification of Boko Haram under pro-ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) leadership. ISIL released a 13-minute video showing Boko Haram and ISWAP leaders shaking hands and expressing agreement about the merger that had not occurred.

Shekau was killed by dissident Boko Haram members that had joined ISIL and considered any Boko Haram who did not do the same as traitors to Islam. Shekau had been active in Boko Haram from the beginning, in the 1990s, and has been leader since 2009. The army claimed to have killed Shekau several times and the dead Boko Haram leader soon put a video on the Internet mocking the military and saying they would never kill him. He was right. He was also correct about ISWAP, the local ISIL affiliate seeking to absorb Boko Haram. That has not happened because so many Boko Haram members preferred to fight ISWAP, or simply leave the movement. Leaders backed this forced reunification without realizing the impact the death of Shekau would have on most Islamic terrorists in the northeast. This became obvious when the number of Boko Haram and ISWAP members abandoning Islamic terrorism increased after the merger and death of Shekau was announced. Many of those defectors will switch to organized crime and ditch the religious pretensions. This has already been happening in the last few years but the merger caused the trend to spike.

Boko Haram has already appointed a new leader; Bakura Modu (or Sahaba). The new leader is half the age of Shekau and has been in Boko Haram for less than a decade. Boko Haram and ISWAP are both beset by money problems. Over a decade of Islamic terrorist violence in the north have ruined the local economy, sothere are more unemployed young men who can be enticed to join the Islamic terrorist for a joining bonus of less than $20 with the promise of more if they can learn to handle an assault rifle and succeed at looting and plundering what is left to steal in the northeast. A merger of economic, not religious, convenience was one thing most Islamic terrorists could agree on.

Since July over two thousand Boko Haram or ISWAP members have surrendered to the security forces or simply deserted. The Boko Haram and ISWAP leaders are trying to turn this around but even the recent of success of the Taliban in Afghanistan has not helped. The Islamic terrorist violence has been going on for over fifteen years in the northeast, mostly central and northern portions of Borno state and those areas are now economic wastelands. The Islamic terrorists are not strong enough to expand and, unlike their inspiration, the Afghan Taliban, Boko Haram does not have a powerful Moslem neighbor like Pakistan supporting them and providing sanctuary. There is also no massive drug production operation, like the heroin cartels of southern Afghanistan. While Boko Haram and ISWAP leaders insist prospects are great, that really only applies to the leadership. The majority of Islamic terrorists in Nigeria have destroyed their own communities for a decade and have nothing to show for it. Their leaders are seen as another bunch of corrupt officials who prosper while the majority sinks deeper into poverty.

August 18, 2021: The recent success of Pakistan-backed Taliban in Afghanistan has African governments and media fretting about Islamic terrorism in Africa, especially the ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) ultraviolence. One thing to keep in mind is that ISIL is at the top of the food chain when it comes to Islamic terror groups. That means ISIL is always at war with all other Islamic terror groups. In other words, the Taliban has long had problems with the local ISIL affiliate and even cooperated with government and American forces to greatly reduce, but not eliminate, the ISIL presence in Afghanistan. In Africa most of the local Islamic terrorists are affiliated with al Qaeda. Africa also has a multitude of small ISIL affiliates. Since 2018 there have been two ISIL provinces in central Africa. The smaller one is ISGS (Islamic State in Greater Sahara), which showed up in 2018. ISGS is currently active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The other, slightly older and larger, ISIL province was ISWAP, which is actually a faction of the Nigerian Boko Haram Islamic terror group, which sees itself as the African Taliban and has been around since 2004. SWAP personnel are mostly in northeastern Nigeria as well as smaller numbers in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon. ISWAP recently killed the Boko Haram leaders and is trying to absorb Boko Haram into ISWAP. That is encountering a lot of resistance. There is also ISCAP (Islamic State Central Africa Province) which is actually most present in southern Africa and only really active in the southeast African state of Mozambique. The problem with ISIL in southern Africa is that Moslems are a small minority there and the Christian and pre-Christian religions are the majority and fight back, often while ISIL is trying to get established locally.

Another tiny ISIL affiliate is ISS (Islamic State in Somalia) which was never popular with the local Islamic terrorists (al Shabaab). ISS spends most of its time and effort trying to survive in the northern mountains.

In Africa, corrupt local governments are a far greater threat but those same governments appreciate Islamic terrorists, especially ISIL, because it gives the local leaders something to blame all the economic and political problems on.

August 17, 2021: In the southeast, police arrested several of the men believed responsible for recent armed attacks on soldiers and police. The arrests confirmed that these attacks were organized by an associate of a local state governor and the gunmen were members of one of the many criminal gangs that work for state governors to ensure the governor continues to win elections and intimidate or silence any outspoken critics of these corrupt practices. The lethal violence is usually somewhat discreet and does not involve the army and police. These attacks were apparently in response to an army effort to eliminate some of these gangs as part of the anti-corruption effort.

August 15, 2021: In central Nigeria (Plateau state) Fulani Moslems returning from celebrating Islamic New Year celebration further south, were ambushed by armed men who separated the Moslems from Christians and killed the 25 Moslems. This was apparently a revenge attack for earlier Moslem attacks on Christian villages. Police quickly arrested 33 local men who had been openly angry about continued Fulani attacks.

The source of this violence is Moslem, usually Fulani, herders bringing their livestock into farming areas so their cattle can fatten up on crops. The armed Fulani often get away with it and when soldiers or police do show up and seize the cattle the Fulani have to pay compensation to the farmers to get their cattle back. Some of these Fulani go after local farmer leaders. These are often Christian clerics, as most of the farmers are Christian.

In central and southern Nigeria, the fighting between aggressive and heavily armed Fulani herders is against Moslem and non-Moslem farmers. This has been a growing problem since the 1990s and serious proposals to enact laws prohibiting open grazing in any grasslands not explicitly allocated for that are stalled in parliament. The Fulani promise armed resistance to such a law, but that would be nothing new as the Fulani and farmer militias have been clashing more frequently anyway. There are more farmers than herders and the Fulani reputation as warriors cannot overcome that, especially if the police and army are obliged to automatically enforce any law making open grazing a crime. Fulani call it a shoot on sight law but the Fulani have been doing that to farmers for generations and for the last seven years deaths from these grazing feuds have been higher than those caused by Islamic terrorist violence.

August 12, 2021: In the south the NDA (Niger Delta Avengers) are apparently behind attacks on navy forces that were shutting down oil-theft and offshore piracy operations. This is another example of how earlier amnesty efforts have failed. Back in June the NDA announced they would probably resume their attacks on oil installations because the government had not done enough to clean up the oil pollution caused by oil-theft gangs that NDA members often work with. Government efforts to persuade the NDA to remain peaceful have failed again. In early 2017 the government resumed payment of salaries to Niger Delta rebels who accepted the 2009 amnesty. Most of these belonged to MEND (Niger Delta tribal rebels) and many have gone on to form a new group; the NDA. In 2009 the government thought it had solved the Delta rebel problem with an amnesty deal. Like everything else in Nigeria, corruption prevented that arrangement from working. Many former rebels accepted government sponsored security jobs. These jobs were basically a payoff for gang members to ensure observance of the no more violence part of the amnesty deal. The violence against oil production declined substantially in 2009 because of the peace deal that over 30,000 local rebels accepted. That eventually changed as corruption caused the government payoffs to the former rebels to gradually disappear. In 2015 the violence began to reappear and by early 2016 there were one or more major attacks a month on oil facilities. Since then, new anti-corruption governments promised that the 2009 amnesty crowd that the payments will now reach them. The Niger Delta community has heard this before and expects the corruption to soon return and make their payments disappear. A lot of Delta rebels arent waiting and are already seeking to extort large payments or other concessions from the oil companies or the government to avoid more attacks that will reduce oil exports.

August 11, 2021: In the north (Kaduna state) army and police efforts to find camps used by local bandits have succeeded and in one recent case the surprised bandits were so distracted by the approaching security forces that eleven of their captives, being held for ransom, managed to escape. The gangs put these camps in remote locations and post sentinels to warn of a raid by the security forces. This has led to new tactics by the security forces which have a lot more aerial reconnaissance capability because of UAVs and more manned aircraft as well as better intel in general. Raids are now planned after obtaining some information about camp security and this has led to more raids that catch the bandits before they can get away, or at least cause the evacuation of the camp to be hasty and sloppy, which means lots of equipment, and sometimes hostages, left behind. In many other cases hostages are able to escape while the bandits are distracted.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 18, 2021 / NextSource Materials Inc. (TSX:NEXT)(OTCQB: NSRCF) ("NextSource" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its mine construction schedule is on track and on budget for its Molo Graphite Project in Madagascar.

Progress development highlights include:

Construction is on track, with all major equipment fabricated and ready to be received by the EPC

Overall project progress exceeds 25% completion

Personnel have been mobilized to site in Madagascar

Site works are on schedule to commence in Q3/Q4 2021

Plant equipment installation at site is on schedule to begin in Q1/Q2 2022

Mine is fully funded and on schedule to commission in Q2 2022

The Company's engineering, procurement, and construction management ("EPCM") contractor, Erudite Strategies Ltd., reports that the attrition and ball mills, crushers, flotation columns, screeners, feeders, mixing tanks, bagging and drying systems have been fabricated and are ready for assembly. These comprise the major components of the Molo mine processing plant.

This equipment will shortly be received by the Company's engineering, procurement, and construction ("EPC") firm, in order to begin assembling the modules. The EPC firm specializes in the design, engineering, construction and assembly of fully modular processing plants, and is the reason that the Company's Molo mine is able to have a very low mine capital cost ("CAPEX") versus its competition and can reach the commissioning stage inside of 12 months from initiation of construction.

Company personnel have been mobilized to Madagascar to begin preparations for site works, which are on schedule to commence in Q3/Q4 2021. Plant equipment is on track to be delivered to site in Q1 2022, with plant equipment module installation at site on schedule to begin in Q1/Q2 2022.

The various challenges associated with the construction of a mine during a global pandemic have been mitigated through the fabrication and assembly of the processing plant as a modular, turn-key' facility. This construction philosophy has enabled small, nimble technical teams to work on their components of the Molo mine in isolation, while minimizing the personnel and time required throughout the construction process.

Fully Funded to Production

Phase 1 of NextSource's Molo Graphite Project is fully funded and is expected to be the next graphite mine to enter production outside of China. The Company does not require any more money to reach commissioning, which is on schedule for Q2 2022, after receiving US$29.5 million in funding from its strategic investor, Vision Blue Resources ("Vision Blue") in May 2021. Founded by Sir Mick Davis, Vision Blue is NextSource's largest shareholder and is a private investment company with a focus on metals and minerals linked to the clean energy revolution.

As outlined in the Company's 2019 Feasibility Study ("FS"), Phase 1 of the Molo Graphite Mine is estimated to cost US$25 million, including working capital. Production capacity is expected to be approximately 17,000 tpa of SuperFlake graphite concentrate with FOB operating costs of US$566 per tonne.

Craig Scherba, CEO of NextSource Materials commented, "Constructing a mine during normal' times is fraught with challenges, and these challenges are exacerbated in the midst of a global pandemic. The construction philosophy we have adopted has mitigated these challenges, and the project is on-track due to the extremely hard work and perseverance of the various people involved. Their hard work and flexibility in adapting to ever-changing circumstances have been instrumental to date and to bringing the mine to fruition.

About NextSource Materials Inc.

NextSource Materials Inc. is a strategic materials development company based in Toronto, Canada that is intent on becoming a fully integrated, global supplier of critical battery and technology materials needed to power the sustainable energy revolution. The Company's Molo graphite project in Madagascar is fully funded to production and is one of the largest known and highest-quality graphite deposits globally, and the only one with SuperFlake graphite.

NextSource Materials is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol "NEXT" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "NSRCF."

For further information about NextSource visit our website at www.nextsourcematerials.com or contact us at +1.416.364.4911 or email Brent Nykoliation, Executive Vice President at brent@nextsourcematerials.com or Craig Scherba, President and CEO at craig@nextsourcematerials.com.

ABOUT SUPERFLAKE GRAPHITE

Independent testing by various third-party end users of flake graphite confirmed that NextSource's SuperFlake graphite meets or exceeds quality requirements for all major end-markets for natural flake graphite. The major end-markets are refractories, anode material for lithium-ion batteries, specialty graphite foils used as essential components in the chemical, aeronautical and fire-retardant industries, and graphene in high-end ink and substrate applications.

SuperFlake graphite concentrate can achieve 98% carbon (C) purity with flotation, has excellent thermal expansion, can be easily upgraded to 99.97% purity (battery grade), contains minimal deleterious substances and has high crystallinity.

SuperFlake graphite concentrate has excellent flake size distribution that is well above the global average, with 46.4 percent being classified as +80 (large), +65 (extra large) and +48 (jumbo) mesh in flake size. Specifically, 23.6 percent of SuperFlake graphite concentrate is +48 mesh and greater in size.

SuperFlake is a registered trademark in Canada, the United States, Japan, South Korea, U.K. and the European Union. These key jurisdictions represent the top demand markets for flake graphite and the locations where NextSource intends to sell its SuperFlake graphite and anode material.

Safe Harbour: This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Forward looking statements and information are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "potential", "possible" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "will", "could", or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements include any statements regarding, among others; the successful and on-budget construction of the Molo Graphite mine, estimated future production from the Molo Graphite Project, completion of any technical studies and expansion of the Molo Graphite Project, any and all other economic and technical studies, graphite prices, project economics, permitting, the development timeline and the graphite market. All such forward looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by management based on their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors they believe are appropriate in the circumstances. However, these statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected including, but not limited to, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of other parties to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure and the failure of ongoing and contemplated studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued studies, development or operations.. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based on what management believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with them. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release.

SOURCE: NextSource Materials Inc.

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LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) announced today that it has appointed new country heads for three European markets: Andreas Niklaus has been appointed as the head of Germany, Riccardo Lamanna as the head of Luxembourg and Dagmar Kamber Borens as the head of Switzerland. In their respective regions, they will be responsible for developing business, stewarding client engagement, developing talent, and building the companys brand and market network, in addition to maintaining strong and proactive regulatory relationships.

Dagmar Kamber Borens has been appointed as the country head of Switzerland. Dagmar has more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry. Most recently, Dagmar was the designated Chief Executive Officer and country head of Quintet Private Bank Switzerland AG. She spent 18 years at UBS AG, where she held a number of senior management positions, including group Chief Financial Officer for Asia Pacific in Singapore, and Chief Operating Officer for the Swiss Universal Bank at Credit Suisse AG, where she had responsibility for strategy, IT/operations, digitalization, banking products and marketing.

Riccardo Lamanna, head of Alpha Business Development for EMEA and the legal entity head and board member for State Street Global Exchange GmbH, has been appointed as the country head of Luxembourg. He joined State Street in 2010 as part of the Intesa Sanpaolo acquisition, and successfully led its Italian branch and managed Global Services in the Netherlands prior to his most recent role.

Andreas Niklaus has been appointed as the country head of Germany. He joined State Street in 2003 to manage the Depotbank and successfully integrated Deutsche Banks Security Services business into State Street Bank International GmbH. Andreas has served as Chief Operating Officer since 2006, and was most recently responsible for Global Services in Germany, Austria, Netherlands and the Nordics, and served as the European head of Depositary Services.

Our country heads are critical to our vision and path forward to being an essential partner for our clients. Andreas, Riccardo and Dagmar all bring significant, on-the-ground experience to their roles and are highly skilled to lead the creation and execution of an enterprise-wide growth strategy for their respective markets, said Jorg Ambrosius, Executive Vice President and CEO, Europe, Middle East and Africa for State Street . I am delighted to have such strong leaders in these important countries and markets to continue to drive our European expansion and deepen our relationships with local institutional investors and regulators.

About State Street Corporation

State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) is one of the world's leading providers of financial services to institutional investors including investment servicing, investment management and investment research and trading. With $42.6 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration and $3.9 trillion* in assets under management as of June 30, 2021, State Street operates globally in more than 100 geographic markets and employs approximately 39,000 worldwide. For more information, visit State Street's website at www.statestreet.com.

*Assets under management as of June 30, 2021 includes approximately $64 billion of assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated.

 2021 State Street Corporation - All Rights Reserved

3680955.1.1.GBL.RTL

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210818005250/en/

Media contact:

Ed Patterson

epatterson@statestreet.com

+1-404-213-3106

Source: State Street Corporation
ATLANTA, Aug. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of Chart Industries, Inc. (NYSE: GTLS) has appointed Paula Harris, Linda Harty, and Roger Strauch as new directors effective today. With these appointments, the Chart Board of Directors is comprised of eight independent directors and our CEO and President, Jill Evanko. Four of our nine directors are female and five of our nine are diverse.

Paula Harris has over 34 years of experience in international oilfield services with Schlumberger Ltd. Educated as a petroleum engineer with a Bachelor of Science, Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University, Ms. Harris initially worked in field operations offshore before progressing into leadership roles in training, sales and ultimately, in environmental-social (ES) sustainability. She most recently served as Director of Global Stewardship for Schlumberger from 2015 until her retirement in June 2020. Ms. Harris led the development and implementation of metrics-based, cost efficient ES programs tailored to meet the local needs of stakeholders, employees, communities and customers. She was responsible for this program aiding the delivery of the long-term Schlumberger sustainable development goals in carbon reduction, energy efficiency, increased green technology sales and increased female and minority employees. Ms. Harris currently serves on the boards of: The Vantage Group, The Houston Childrens Museum, the Petroleum Club of Houston, the Independent Petroleum Association of Americas Energy Education Center and Energized for STEM Charter School. She is a founding member of the all-girls engineering school, the Young Womens College Preparatory Academy. In 2020, she received the Women Who Mean Business Lifetime Achievement award from the Houston Business Journal and in 2019, the Women on the Move award from Texas Executive Women and the United Nations Global Citizenship Award. Paula also has a Master of Education, Technical Instruction and Learning from Abilene Christian University. Ms. Harris will serve on Charts Compensation Committee, effective immediately.

Linda Harty is a proven board member and her extensive broad-based experience across finance, accounting, treasury & tax in addition to strategy, capital allocation and M&A aligns well with the strategic direction of Chart. Ms. Harty previously served as Vice President, Treasurer of Medtronic, a global company specializing in medical technology, services and solutions. Ms. Harty also served as Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Group CFO at Cardinal Health in Columbus, Ohio and has held financial leadership positions at RTM Restaurant Group, BellSouth, ConAgra and Kimberly-Clark. Ms. Harty earned her undergraduate degrees in finance and economics from the University of Wisconsin  Oshkosh, and furthered her studies in accounting at Georgia State University. In addition to Charts Board, Ms. Harty serves on three boards of directors, Parker Hannifin, Wabtec, and Syneos Health. Ms. Harty will serve on Charts Audit Committee, effective immediately.

Roger Strauch is chairman of The Roda Group, an early-stage venture capital group focused on investment opportunities that address the consequences of climate change, stress on the Earth's natural resources and the increased demand for low carbon energy. Mr. Strauch has incubated and developed technologies sold to HP, Logitech, and American Greetings. Mr. Strauch is the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cool Systems, the manufacturer of Game Ready, a medical physical therapy system, which was sold to Halyard Health in 2018. He was CEO and former chairman of Ask Jeeves (now Ask.com) a leading search engine on the web. Mr. Strauch recently served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley. He is a member of the Engineering Dean's College Advisory Board of University of California at Berkeley and is the recipient of the 2002 Wheeler Oak Meritorious Award from the University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Strauch is a member of the Madison Council, a philanthropic advisory board to the Librarian of Congress. He is also on the Board of Trustees of the Northside Center for Child Development, a mental health social services agency in Harlem, New York City. Mr. Strauch earned a Bachelor of Science degree, with distinction, from Cornell University and Master of Science degree from Stanford University, both in electrical engineering. He holds two patents in the area of wireless communications. Mr. Strauch will serve on Charts Nominations and Corporate Governance Committee, effective immediately.

I am thrilled to welcome Paula, Linda and Roger to our Board of Directors, stated Jill Evanko, Charts CEO and President. Their skills and interests are a unique combination that will, combined with our other Directors capabilities, help us as we enter the 'Roaring 2020s'.

About Chart Industries, Inc.

Chart Industries, Inc. is a leading independent global manufacturer of highly engineered equipment servicing multiple applications in the Energy and Industrial Gas markets. Our unique product portfolio is used in every phase of the liquid gas supply chain, including upfront engineering, service and repair. Being at the forefront of the clean energy transition, Chart is a leading provider of technology, equipment and services related to liquefied natural gas, hydrogen, biogas and CO2 Capture amongst other applications. We are committed to excellence in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues both for our company as well as our customers. With over 25 global locations from the United States to Asia, Australia, India, Europe and South America, we maintain accountability and transparency to our team members, suppliers, customers and communities. To learn more, visit www.Chartindustries.com.

For more information on, click here:

http://ir.chartindustries.com/

Investor Relations Contact:

Wade Suki, CFADirector of Investor Relations832-524-7489wade.suki@chartindustries.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b1b2bd72-793d-416f-b068-16fd6a04927b

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d9937511-8803-4ea5-9f75-d4ac246a34cc

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/43b54c5c-ee7b-4e8d-92a7-edc2fbc2dec9

Paula Harris Chart Industries Director Linda Harty Chart Industries Director Roger Strauch Chart Industries Director

Source: Chart Industries, Inc.
Washington, Aug. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced its senior leadership team and key Biden-Harris Administration appointees. This experienced group of staffers will join thousands of SBA career servants working tirelessly to deliver recovery funding to millions of small businesses and rebuild the engine of our nation's economy. In April, Antwaun Griffin was named Chief of Staff to lead the agency as it provides a historic $1 trillion in economic relief to America's entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits.

"The Biden-Harris Administration and Administrator Guzmans commitment to equity is evident, not just in policy, but in personnel. At every level, our staff represents America, and we are a better agency because of it," said SBA Chief of Staff, Antwaun Griffin. These dedicated public servants have answered the call to serve during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. I am incredibly proud of the team we have assembled at the SBA and look forward to the work we will accomplish together serving our nations small businesses.

Appointees and their roles are listed per office, below:

Office of the Administrator

Daniel Krupnick, Counselor to the Administrator. Previously, Daniel served as Chief of Staff and Assistant Treasurer for Policy for Connecticut State Treasurer Shawn T. Wooden, working on initiatives aimed at engaging more financial services companies to respond to the racial equity divide and creating a whole-of-government response to the gun violence epidemic. He is an alum of Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, and the SBA, as Assistant Administrator for Congressional and Legislative Affairs. He attended American University and is a New York native.

Arthur Plews, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. Previously, Arthur served at Stripe, a financial technology company and payment provider, and as a Policy Advisor and then Chief Innovation Officer at SBA. He attended Princeton University and Yale Law School and is an Indiana native.

Kendall Corley, Deputy Chief of Staff for External Affairs. Previously, Kendall served as Senior Advisor for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Biden-Harris Presidential Inaugural Committee, is an alum of the Biden-Harris presidential campaign and served in state and local government with the South Carolina Court System and Department of Social Services. He attended Norfolk State University and is a South Carolina native.

Scott Harriford, White House Liaison. Previously, Scott served as Southeastern Political Director for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign and is an alum of the office of Representative Joe Cunningham (South Carolina-1st) and the James Smith for South Carolina Governor campaign. He attended the University of South Carolina and is a South Carolina native.

Diedra Henry-Spires, Senior Advisor for COVID Programs. Prior to the SBA, Diedra served as CEO of The Dalton Daley Group for Children and Families, a Maryland-based nonprofit, and as a top advocacy, policy strategist, and congressional staffer, helping to engineer the Affordable Care Act along with other key legislation such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), Jobs Creation Act of 2010, The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, and The Middle-Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. She attended The Pennsylvania State University and Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government and is a New York native.

Cynthia Jasso-Rotunno, Director of Engagement (Acting). Prior to the SBA, Cynthia served in multiple positions with the Democratic National Convention Committee and Democratic National Committee, including Latino Political Director, and is an alum of the Clinton and Obama Administrations, working in the Office of Political Affairs and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), respectively. She attended the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and is a Texas native.

Jeri Sparling, Director of Scheduling. Prior to the SBA, Jeri served as Trips Director for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign in Iowa and Virginia and is an alum of the offices of Representatives James Oberstar (Minnesota-8th) and David Trone (Maryland-6th). She attended Pine Technical College and Winona State University and is a Minnesota native.

Katie Frost, Policy Advisor. Prior to the SBA, Katie served as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)s Operating System Team Lead for Rail Operations Control Center Transformation and consulted for federal clients in the homeland security and emergency management space. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and is a California native.

Isabelle James, Special Advisor. Previously, Isabelle served as New Hampshire Deputy State Director for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign and on the Biden-Harris Transitions SBA Agency Review Team and is an alum of Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence. She attended Georgetown and Stanford Universities and is a California native.

Bajeyah Eaddy, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff. Previously, Bajeyah served as Associate Coalitions Director for the Biden-Harris Presidential Inaugural Committee and is also an alum of the Biden-Harris presidential campaign. She attended Barber-Scotia College and is a South Carolina native.

Shea Martinson, Confidential Assistant to the Administrator. Prior to the SBA, Shea served as a Regional Organizing Director for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign and organized across various states. She attended Sonoma State University and is a California native.

Taylor Wright, Special Assistant to the Administrator. Previously, Taylor served as Director of Policy and Programs for Columbia, South Carolina Mayor Steve Benjamin. He attended the University of South Carolina and is a South Carolina native.

Lauren Kerner, Special Assistant to the Deputy Administrator. Prior to the SBA, Lauren served as a Regional Organizing Director for the Florida Coordinated Campaign and organized across various states for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign. She attended University of California, Irvine and Oxford University and is a California native.

Office of Capital Access

Patrick Kelley, Associate Administrator. Prior to the SBA, Patrick served as Executive Vice President for Channel Partnerships at Live Oak Bank and held various positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce and the SBA, including as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor. He attended Colgate University and Boston College Law School and is a Connecticut native.

Veronica Pugin, Senior Advisor. Prior to the SBA, Veronica served the State of California working on equitable small business capital access, led macroeconomic planning at LinkedIn, and consulted government and nonprofit clients on programs targeting underserved communities, with a focus on Latino and underbanked populations. She attended Stanford University and Claremont McKenna College and is a California native.

Nicola Montagna, Special Advisor. Previously, Nicola served on the Biden-Harris Transition and the Financial Operations team for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign. She also worked on product finance at Uber and structured credit investment at Apollo Global Management. She attended the University of Michigan and is a Michigan native.

Office of Government Contracting & Business Development

Bibi Hidalgo, Associate Administrator. Prior to the SBA, Bibi served as a policy lead for the Biden-Harris Transition and is Co-Founder of Future Partners, LLC, advising state and local governments, union leaders, and Fortune 50 corporate executives, including the Walt Disney Company. She attended Catholic University of America and Harvard University and is a Florida native.

Tiffany Townsend, Senior Advisor. Prior to the SBA, Tiffany served as Senior Vice President of External Affairs for the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a mission-driven industrial park focused on growing the modern, urban industrial sector in New York City, and has worked with a range of organizations in both the public and private sectors including local governments. She attended George Washington University and Columbia University and is a New York native.

Sal DeFrancesco, Special Assistant. Previously, Sal served as a Regional Organizing Director for the Pennsylvania Coordinated Campaign and organized across various states for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign. He attended Harvard University and is a Pennsylvania native.

Office of Communications & Public Liaison

Han Nguyen, Associate Administrator (Acting). Prior to the SBA, Han served in the office of Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. Over his career, he has spearheaded integrated communications strategies that have produced innovative, cutting-edge messaging campaigns for various national and local political figures and causes. He attended Juniata College and is a resident of Chicago, Illinois.

Terrence Clark, Director of Communications. Previously, Terrence served as Communications Director for U.S. Senator Reverend Warnocks (Georgia) 2020 senate campaign and is an alum of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warrens (Massachusetts) 2020 presidential campaign, U.S. Senator Bob Caseys (Pennsylvania) 2018 senate campaign, and The Coca-Cola Company. He attended Georgia State University and is a Georgia native.

Christina Carr, Press Secretary. Prior to the SBA, Christina served as Communications Director for U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (Arizona-7th) and is an alum of CQ Roll Call. She attended the University of Miami and is a Pennsylvania native.

Emilie Surrusco, Senior Speechwriter. Previously, Emilie served as the President and Founder of Ellsworth Media Group and is an alum of the SBA, American Federation of Teachers, the American Bar Association, and Alaska Wilderness League. She attended Pitzer and Goucher Colleges and is a Washington, D.C. native.

Tate Mitchell, Press Assistant. Prior to the SBA, Tate served as Regional Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia and organized across various states for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign. She attended the University of Missouri and is a Texas native.

Office of Congressional & Legislative Affairs

Kevin Wheeler, Associate Administrator. Prior to the SBA, Kevin served in the U.S. Senate for more than 20 years, serving seven members, including serving as Deputy Democratic Staff Director for the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee under U.S. Senators John Kerry (Massachusetts), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana), Maria Cantwell (Washington), and Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), and most recently Chair Ben Cardin (Maryland). She attended the University of Houston and is a Texas native.

David Brown, Deputy Associate Administrator for the Senate. Previously, David served as Economic Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Chris Coons (Delaware) and is an alum of Third Ways Economic Program and a former educator. He attended Rice University and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and is a Georgia native.

Alejandro Renteria, Deputy Associate Administrator for the House. Prior to the SBA, Alejandro served as Policy Advisor on small business, banking, tax, trade, and immigration for U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (Nevada) and is an alum of the offices of U.S. Representatives Lou Correa (California-46th), Lauren Underwood (Illinois-14th), and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nevada). He attended San Diego State University and is a California native.

Preston Hardge, Legislative Policy Advisor. Previously, Preston served as a Regional Organizing Director for the Georgia Coordinated Campaign during the 2020 presidential campaign cycle and held legislative and outreach roles with the State of Illinois and City of Kansas City, Missouri. He attended Hampton University and the University of Illinois-Springfield and is a Texas native.

Office of Entrepreneurial Development

Mark Madrid, Associate Administrator. Previously, Mark served as CEO of Latino Business Action Network and Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, CEO of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, COO of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and held senior executive banking roles, including at J.P. Morgan on Wall Street. He is a U.S. Army Honorary Colonel, an alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, and the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business and is a Texas native.

Natalie Madeira Cofield, Assistant Administrator, Womens Business Ownership. Previously, Natalie served as Founder & CEO of Walker's Legacy and the Walker's Legacy Foundation, providing programming to support thousands of multicultural women entrepreneurs and has years of experience leading business and trade associations. She attended Howard University and the Baruch School of Public Affairs and is a New York native.

Shalei Holway, Senior Advisor. Prior to the SBA, Shalei served in a leadership role at Wayfair, an e-commerce company, pioneering strategies to combat COVID-driven disruption by partnering with Wayfairs thousands of small business suppliers, and is an alum of HelloFresh and JPMorgan Chase. She attended Barnard College and Harvard Business School and is a Massachusetts native.

Office of Field Operations

Julie Verratti, Associate Administrator. Previously, Julie served as Founder, Chief Brand Officer, and owner-operator of Denizens Brewing Co. in Maryland, as an advisor to the SBAs Acting Administrator on the Affordable Care Act and is an alum of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. She attended Brandeis University and The George Washington University Law School and is a Maryland native.

Office of Investment & Innovation

Bailey DeVries, Associate Administrator. Previously, Bailey served as Venture Partner at Trail Mix Ventures (TMV), where she dedicated her time to financially inclusive seed stage investments and has served in executive roles with Greenspring Associates, T. Rowe Price Associates, and Sotera Defense Solutions. She has over 17 years of combined experience in business strategy, asset management, government contracting, and investments. She attended Wake Forest University, Northwestern University, and Georgetown University and is an Illinois native.

Jonathan Alter, Senior Advisor. Previously, Jonathan served on campaigns in numerous management and leadership roles during the 2008, 2012, 2018, and 2020 election cycles and has served in executive and strategic advisory roles for numerous private and nonprofit organizations bringing together inventors, investors, and entrepreneurs to incubate, accelerate and commercialize innovation. He attended the University of Chicago and Yale University and is an Illinois native.

Office of the General Counsel

Peggy Delinois Hamilton, General Counsel. Prior to the SBA, Peggy served in several senior legal roles in the financial services sector, including Deputy General Counsel of Sandy Spring Bank, General Counsel of City First Bank of D.C., N.A., and on the faculty at Yale Law School. She attended Brandeis University and Harvard Law School and is a New York native.

Juan M. Sempertegui, Deputy General Counsel. Previously, Juan served as Assistant General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Bank of America, N.A. and is an alum of the State of Marylands Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He attended the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and American University Washington College of Law and is a Maryland native.

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

Press Office United States Small Business Administration Press_Office@sba.gov

Source: United States Small Business Administration
Signage is seen at the headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/Files

By Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to recommend to the White House reducing federal biofuel blending mandates for 2021 to below 2020 levels in what would be a blow to the biofuels industry, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The EPA also is expected to make a separate recommendation to boost the blending mandates for 2022 above the previous two years, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In the short term, the agency is looking to lower the amount of biofuels that refiners are required to blend into the U.S. fuel pool because the COVID-19 pandemic has sapped fuel demand. The move could be a risk for President Joe Biden's administration, as some could view it as favoring oil refiners over the lower-carbon biofuels industry even as the administration presses companies to reduce emissions.

The EPA is expected to propose the 2021 and 2022 mandates at the same time, the two sources said. The proposals could change during a formal interagency review process.

The EPA declined to comment on the matter.

Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, oil refiners must blend billions of gallons of biofuels into the fuel mix, or buy tradable credits, known as RINs, from those that do. Refiners can also apply for exemptions to the mandates if they can prove the obligations would do them financial harm.

Mandates for 2021 have already been delayed by more than half a year because of the pandemic.

RINs have slumped in the past two days on market speculation surrounding the mandates. Renewable fuel (D6) credits traded at $1.42 each on Friday, down from $1.50 in the previous session, traders said. Earlier this week, credits were trading above $1.60.

Biofuel producers rely on the national blending mandate to get their products into the U.S. fuel market. Cutting the mandate would hurt their market share. The mandates are intended to reduce U.S. reliance on imported oil.

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Jonathan Oatis, Will Dunham and Marguerita Choy)
Fort Sills Key Gate West. (U.S. Army)

Army prosecutors have determined no charges should be filed against multiple instructors at Fort Sill, Okla., who were accused of sexually assaulting a solider in training, base officials announced Thursday.

The female trainee on March 27 reported that she was the victim of multiple incidents of sexual assault at various times and locations while attending training at Fort Sill earlier in the year. Base officials have only said numerous instructors were implicated in her allegations.

Following the soldiers report, an unknown number of personnel were suspended, including those named in the allegations, and Army Criminal Investigation Command, known as CID, led an investigation into the incidents. During the investigation, two more soldiers in training came forward with allegations of incidents of sexual assault that were incorporated into the investigation, according to the base.

All three soldiers were training at the Fires Center of Excellence, which conducts training and education for enlisted soldiers and officers working in the fields of air defense artillery and field artillery.

In order to bring this case to me for court-martial, they needed to establish probable cause that the allegations in question occurred, Maj. Gen. Ken Kamper, commander of the base and the Fires Center of Excellence, said in a statement issued Thursday. On those grounds, military prosecutors determined that this case should not come to me because they had no probable cause to believe the allegations occurred.

Those implicated in the allegations were informed they will return to their Army careers, officials said. Prosecutors reviewed possible charges in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but determined there was no evidence to substantiate any of the allegations, according to base officials.

The trainees who reported the allegations are no longer in the Army, but for unrelated reasons, base officials said. They did not elaborate further.

All those involved had access to all support and services necessary through the investigative process, Kamper said.

We conducted a full and thorough investigation into the recent sexual assault reports and dedicated significant investigative resources to ensure we uncovered the facts and evidence, he said. We encourage reporting and take all reports of sexual harassment or assault seriously with an absolute commitment to fully investigate every report to determine the facts and evidence in order to take appropriate actions.

More than 30 CID agents from across the country were involved in the case and they documented 3,000 hours of investigative work, according to the base. The majority had advanced sexual assault investigation training.

The CID team included the Armys most experienced sexual assault investigators, officials said in a statement.

They conducted more than 700 interviews, reviewed more than 5,000 pages of documents, performed the digital forensic analysis of more than 100,000 text messages, and viewed thousands of hours of security camera footage of times and locations of the allegations. CID consulted with other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, according to Fort Sill.

I am confident that this investigation was full and thorough. I have confidence in the independent military prosecutors determination, Kamper said.
A Navy MQ-4C Triton drone lands at Misawa Air Base, Japan, on May 15, 2021. (Joseph M. Buliavac/U.S. Navy)

A Navy MQ-4C Triton unmanned surveillance plane has launched around 20 missions this summer from northeast Japan, where it shares airspace with U.S. and Japanese military and commercial aircraft, according to one of the drone pilots.

The Triton from Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., deployed from Guam to Misawa Air Base, Japan, in May. Another Triton, still on Guam, is also scheduled to deploy to Misawa, according to the Navy.

The aircraft, on their first mission in Japan, support the 7th Fleet at Yokosuka Naval Base throughout its area of operations, which covers the vast Indo-Pacific region.

A team of four drone pilots at Misawa works closely with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and civilian air traffic controllers, according to one of them, Navy Lt. Fiona McCoy, of Aurora, Il.

Misawa is home to the U.S. Air Forces 35th Fighter Wing with its Wild Weasel F-16 fighters as well as the Japans newest aircraft, the F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters. Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance planes and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft operate there, and commercial passenger planes also share Misawas runway.

We coordinate every time we fly so everything is very structured, McCoy said in a telephone interview Thursday.

After launch the pilots in Misawa hand off the drones to counterparts working in Jacksonville, who operate them during missions, she said.

The Tritons perform an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission over the sea, rather than land, said McCoy, who flew drones out of Guam last year.

Its cool to fly a high-tech platform, said McCoy, a former Poseidon pilot.

About 80 maintainers are at Misawa supporting the mission, according to one of them, Petty Officer Jason Grob, of Springfield, Mo.

The mechanics do the same work at Misawa that they perform on Guam, he said in the same telephone interview as McCoy.

Misawa is a great location, but an airfield is an airfield, he said.

The Tritons mission coincides with the deployment of RQ-4 Global Hawk drones to Yokota Air Base, home of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo. U.S. forces have temporarily deployed the Guam-based Global Hawks to Japan each summer since 2014 to avoid typhoons.

Tritons, which the Navy has flown out of Guam since January 2020, are akin to Global Hawks but specialized for maritime, rather than land, surveillance.

We can stay airborne for up to 24 hours, McCoy said of the Tritons. Our camera can provide full motion video so we can provide information in real time.

Seth Robson
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68), right, departs Norfolk Naval Station in March 2015. To pay for the ships and unmanned vessels the Navy hopes to build over the next few years, it wants to decommission seven cruisers. (Rafael Martie/U.S. Navy)

NORFOLK, Va. (Tribune News Service)  To pay for the ships and unmanned vessels the Navy hopes to build over the next few years, it wants to decommission seven cruisers  five of them based in Norfolk  a move the two Virginia representatives on the House Armed Services Committees sea-power panel plan to contest.

Cruisers have a critical role in the U.S. Navy, says Democrat Rep. Elaine Luria, whose 2nd District includes Virginia Beach and parts of Norfolk. Luria spent some of her time in the Navy as executive officer of the cruiser USS Anzio.

Cruisers serve as the air defense center for carrier strike groups, with a team of sailors responsible for tracking aircraft and missile movements around the group. That means figuring out within minutes if a signal on radar or other sensors is a threat, and if so, how to block it.

In addition, cruisers carry more guided missiles than other ships, with 120 cells compared to 90 for guided missile destroyers and 24 for carriers, Luria said.

Cruisers weapons include the Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft and anti-missile system and the long-range Tomahawks that strike land targets, like the Syrian chemical weapons facilities the Navy took out in 2017, Luria said.

Theres really nothing that will be able to replace them in the next five years, she said.

The Navys argument comes down to money.

The cruisers are aging  the warships slated for decommissioning were delivered between 1988 and 1993  and Vice Adm. Jim Kilby, deputy chief of naval operations, told the sea-power subcommittee earlier this summer that it would cost nearly $2.8 billion to retain all seven in service over the next two years.

The price tag to modernize just USS Anzio and Hue City is about $1.5 billion, he said.

Earlier this year, repairs to Vella Gulf kept it from joining the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for 2 months, he said. The cruiser had to return to Norfolk just days after deploying with the strike group in February when crew members found a fuel oil leak while operating in heavy seas.

In mid-March, while at sea to test repairs to its fuel oil system, crew members found another leak, requiring a return to port to replace a deteriorated tank top. In early April, as the crew prepared to head out to sea again, they discovered bits of metal and welding slag in the lube oil system. Cleaning and flushing it took another two weeks,

All that, in my mind, has to go into the mix when we factor the availability and reliability of those ships, Kilby said. Those missile tubes will only count if theyre underway alongside the carrier.

The sea-power subcommittee has formally approved the Navy budget that calls for decommissioning the seven cruisers, comprised of the Norfolk-based USS Anzio, Hue City, Monterey, San Jacinto and Vella Gulf as well as a cruiser based in San Diego and another in Pearl Harbor. More than 1,500 men and women serve on the Norfolk ships.

But the real debate begins next month, when the full committee begins digging into, and revising, the budget submitted by the Navy  the process Capitol Hill calls mark-up  and the fate of the cruisers will be a key topic, said Luria, who is vice-chair of the committee

Thats when Republican Rep. Rob Wittman, whose 1st District includes James City and Westmoreland, expects to raise his concerns about cruiser decommissioning.

Chinas increasingly aggressive posture in the western Pacific is a big worry, said Wittman, who is the most senior Republican on the sea-powers subcommittee. U.S. Navy cruisers could be a big help in lowering the temperature there.

He thinks the Navys whole budgeting approach  which it has tagged divest to invest needs a harder look.

The underlying idea, from the Navys point of view, is that using funds to maintain older ships will slow the pace of developing the new weapons and technologies it needs, particularly unmanned vessels.

Luria worries that, just as with the rising costs and postponed deployment of the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy may be committing to new technologies before it, and Congress, know how much time and money will be needed to launch the ships needed to replace the cruisers.

Slowing the pace of funding for new technology so that it is more in step with the pace of development would free up funds to keep at least some of the targeted cruisers in service.

So, too, would a hard look at the practice of splitting the defense budget into thirds to be equally shared by the Army, Air Force and Navy, Luria said. The shift of strategic concern from terrorism to the threats posed by Russia and China suggest the Navy and Air Force may need a larger share.

And, she said, it is hard to see how to boost the fleet to a total of 355 ships  a goal set just a few years back  if the Navy decommissions more ships over the next couple of years than it plans to build.

It just doesnt make sense to decommission ships when you want to get to 355, she said.

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COVID-19 immunization cards are distributed to vaccine recipients following their vaccination. (Macy Hinds/U.S. Navy)

As vaccine mandates become the norm for workers to return to offices, a complicated challenge is emerging for employers: how best to verify vaccination records.

A growing number of companies, from Facebook to Google and Salesforce, have implemented employee vaccine mandates for the office amid the spread of the delta variant in recent weeks. Vaccine mandates aren't solely hitting office workers. Meat processor Tyson Foods, United Airlines, and state governments including New York and California are all requiring their workers to get inoculated.

Some companies are relying on apps that store health records but require humans to verify the details. Others are turning to software tools that provide other offerings, such as image recognition, contact tracing and the management of employee health records. Some tech companies are still simply asking employees to provide accurate information rather than wrestling with the messy world of disjointed health records and privacy laws.

"Frankly, it's a mess," said Margaret Rimmler, vice president of marketing at ReturnSafe, an Austin-based start-up that helps businesses manage their office safety protocols. "Everyone got their shot in a different place."

Google, which employs more than 144,000 people, has turned to membership-based health-care provider One Medical as one of the services it uses to verify the U.S. vaccination records of its contract workers and employees, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post. Workers are being asked to send proof of vaccination to One Medical via its app or web portal. Starting Aug. 9, Google began conducting "spot checks" to ensure that only vaccinated workers are on-site at Bay Area facilities  a policy expected to expand to other areas.

One Medical uses a team of human reviewers to manually review each vaccination card. The company said it has digitally integrated with "several" state vaccine databases, from which it can pull patient records.

Software tools offer companies various vaccine passports and verifier services to aid with verification. Some, like Excelsior Pass, which was developed by IBM and implemented in New York state, are public-private partnerships, while others are owned and run by private companies.

San Francisco-based start-up Superhuman recently paid for ReturnSafe to help verify the vaccination status of its workforce, which totals about 100 employees. After an employee uploads a vaccination card to the app, a human at ReturnSafe checks to make sure the record matches the employee, that the person had two doses of an approved vaccine, and that at least two weeks has passed since the last vaccination. The app notifies an employee's status within 24 hours to Superhuman's HR team.

"Having a fully vaccinated office is the safest way to have an open office," said Kristen Hayward, head of people at Superhuman.

ReturnSafe, which has about 70 clients including the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and the Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado, said demand has soared in the past couple of months as more companies seek one or several of the start-up's offerings. In addition to reviewing uploaded Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cards, ReturnSafe also offers self-attestation tools and has the ability to link to select health systems. It can also track coronavirus test results, contact-trace with devices or through employee testimony, and control badge access based on whether an employee meets all health requirements.

"Now CEOs of Fortune 500s are drawing a line in the sand and saying, 'This is our protocol,'" Jason Story, ReturnSafe's co-founder, said about vaccine mandates and testing. "It starts to get complex and unwieldy for HR to run the business."

Superhuman implemented its vaccine mandate for all of its employees who work from the office in June. Hayward said the company turned to ReturnSafe to help collect the sensitive data.

"It's best practice to separate employee health data from any of our other system of records to ensure it's stored securely and access is on a need-to-know basis," she said.

The Commons Project Foundation developed its own digital vaccine verification app, called the SMART Health Card Verifier. The app allows businesses to scan vaccine provider-issued QR codes and verifies that the dates are valid and the issuer is from a trusted provider. JP Pollak, co-founder and chief architect of the foundation, said that overall, verifying vaccinations is a complex process.

"Our health system is really fragmented," he said. "Pharmacies have their own systems, health systems, primary health-care providers  they all have their own systems."

Last year, Clear  known for its program that grants travelers expedited airport entry  debuted Health Pass, a mobile app that helps employers verify the vaccination status of their employees. The software can read and verify QR codes, double-check records from big vaccine providers like Walgreens or the Atlantic Health System, and uses image-recognition technology to validate uploaded pictures of CDC cards. The process is somewhat "imperfect," as a person could find a blank CDC card and claim it, said Catesby Perrin, Clear's executive vice president of growth. But Health Pass is expected to help mitigate any obvious forms of fraud, he added.

Perrin said interest in Health Pass has been rapidly growing in recent weeks, but declined to disclose details. More than 60 entities currently use Health Pass, including New York-based Union Square Hospitality Group and the state of Hawaii.

"The realization with the acceleration of the delta variant is that ... this complication isn't going away," Perrin said. COVID "is a true corporate risk."

Aiming to capitalize on privacy concerns, digital ID service Proxy created Proxy Health. The software gives employees a mobile digital health pass, which companies can scan with a tablet at a building's entrance. Companies can then deny access to employees who lack proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test. Because the app stores employees' health information on their respective phones, Proxy Health keeps the data out of the hands of employers. Simon Ratner, Proxy's co-founder and chief technology officer, said that what he hears the most from employers trying to figure out their return-to-work plans is confusion.

"They have to figure it out on their own," he said. "Most are not professionals in this field and ... most of them are honestly lost."

Some tech companies, such as Twitter, Pinterest and Lyft, are opting to trust the honor system, placing the onus on their workforce to provide valid vaccination records. If employees share either a QR code or a CDC card, they are being held accountable that the information provided is indeed theirs and that it's accurate.

Lyft said a dedicated team member will verify employees' name, type of vaccine, that they received the correct number of doses and dates. It does not plan to use any verification software.

"Since there's no standardized way to prove or disprove the validity of vaccination cards ... we're relying on the trust we have in our team members," said Ashley Adams, a spokeswoman for Lyft.

AT&T, which announced its mandate on Aug. 12, is requiring employees upload a copy of their vaccination card to enter one of its offices. The company said it will not review employees' cards "unless there is a concern" that the code of conduct has been violated.

New York-based Gather, which provides consulting services, said the company is requiring workers who want to go to the office to show their vaccine status via the New York state app Excelsior Pass or by providing their CDC card. Citing Gather's culture that is based on trust, Justin Tobin, founder and president, said the company doesn't plan to verify the validity of those records.

"Am I going to say [a fake] is impossible?" he said. "Of course not. Am I worried about it? No."

The honor system is tricky to manage. CNN recently fired three employees for turning up to the office unvaccinated. The policy also has implications for whether employees feel safe at work.

Though verification software may add another layer of reassurance for companies and their workers, it may not solve all of the problems associated with companies' return-to-work plans. The coronavirus has created a multitude of hurdles that may require companies to completely rethink how they manage information and health concerns.

For example, at Google, some workers are worried that they may not know if others in their proximity were exempt from getting vaccinated, said a member of Alphabet Workers Union, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. On top of that, Google hasn't been clear about what counts as an exemption, said the union member. Google declined to comment on the matter.

"If I had to choose between my loved ones and Google, that's an easy choice," said the union member, who has some personal health risks as well as at-risk family members. "Google will never be the one I pick."
A family health technician administers a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at Aviano Air Base, Italy, in February, 2021. (Brooke Moeder/U.S. Air Force)

WASHINGTON  Federal employees who are not fully vaccinated will face discipline if they refuse to be tested for the coronavirus when reporting to work in person, the Biden administration warned on Wednesday.

The latest guidance from an interagency task force says agencies will have discretion regarding how to administer those tests, including in-house, at another agency or through a contractor. Testing will apply only to employees who are not fully vaccinated and who are working on-site, will be done during working hours, and will be at the agency's expense.

"Refusals to take a test may result in disciplinary measures. In addition to pursuing any disciplinary action, an agency may separately elect to bar the employee from the agency workplace for the safety of others," the new guidance says.

Last month, President Biden announced that federal employees would have to attest to their vaccine status else face regular tests and requirements to wear masks, among other restrictions. Employees also face discipline up to firing if they falsely say they're fully vaccinated on a new form that is now being distributed among the 2.1 million civilian federal workers.

For several hundred thousand federal employees for whom inoculation is mandatory, a refusal to get vaccinated could also result in firing.

National Treasury Employees Union president Tony Reardon noted that the latest guidance does not set a deadline for coronavirus testing to start and said the union "believes that the required discussions between agencies and unions about the testing protocols should occur before the testing program is implemented."

He added in an emailed comment, "As with any discipline, discipline for refusing to be tested would need to follow the disciplinary process established by law and our contracts."

Employees won't be disciplined for stating that they are not fully vaccinated  or for refusing to fill out the form  although they will face tighter restrictions. Those who cite religious or medical reasons for declining to be vaccinated or to be tested may be eligible for accommodations under workplace laws.

While teleworkers must fill out the certification form, they only have to take tests if they are not fully vaccinated and reporting to work on-site. Telework among federal employees is down from last year but still historically high. Further, many agency return-to-office plans anticipate continued high rates of telework  although the recent surge in infections has left timing of those plans up in the air.

Stephanie Rapp-Tully, a partner with the Tully Rinckey law firm, said that it's well established that a federal employee making a false statement on an official form can be disciplined, potentially including firing for a first offense.

However, she noted that the guidance regarding testing does not specifically mention firing. "It looks like an agency will follow practices of progressive discipline," in which penalties become more severe for each instance but can ultimately lead to firing, she said in a phone interview.

An accommodation for an employee eligible for a medical or religious exception might include telework if the position allows for it, but "if an employee is required to be in the office, absent some sort of accommodation, there's not a lot of wiggle room in this," she said.

Meanwhile, the number of federal employees required to get a vaccine is growing. The Department of Veterans Affairs initially imposed such a requirement on more than 100,000 employees involved with direct medical care; it more recently expanded that requirement to include potentially about three times as many employees who interact with patients.

The Department of Health and Human Service recently announced a similar mandate for some 25,000 of its employees.
Buy Photo Various types of meats are grilled slowly using an Argentinian method of cooking known as Gaucho style, at Osteria El Gaucho, in Mansue, Italy, which is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

For me, nothing beats grilled meat. So I like going to a restaurant that lets me feel as if Id grilled the food myself.

Since my wife and I found Osteria El Gaucho in Mansue, Italy, we have looked forward to going back every time we crave a great steak cooked to perfection by a true grill master, who happens to be of Argentine and Italian descent.

Jose Polesello and his wife, Jaqueline, who is of Bolivian descent, own the restaurant. Mansue is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base.

The grilling process lasts four to five hours, ensuring that the meat will come out so tender and juicy that you can cut through it with a fork.

The restaurant has always offered grilled meats, Polesello said. Until about four years ago, we also offered a full menu consisting of both Italian and Argentinian dishes.

Nowadays, the restaurant offers only pizzas and an Argentine-style grilled meat entree, which consists of a platter of the customers choice of beef, chicken, pork or Italian sausages.

Buy Photo Steak cooked slowly over an open flame from Osteria El Gaucho, in Mansue, Italy, which is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Pork ribs slowly grilled for hours from Osteria El Gaucho in Mansue, Italy, which is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo The mixed grill entree from Osteria El Gaucho, in Mansue, Italy, which is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base, features delicious beef ribs, pork cutlet, chicken thighs and Italian sausages. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo The pizza oven at Osteria El Gaucho, in Mansue, Italy, which is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

All dinners come with either an Argentine empanada with meat or a mixed salad as an appetizer, dessert and non-alcoholic beverages.

Desserts are a mixture of Argentine and Italian offerings. The former include dulce de leche and flan, while the latter include apple tarts and panna cotta with fruits.

The restaurant offers an extensive wine menu and a small selection of mixed drinks. It also offers artisanal beers and traditional nonalcoholic beverages.

The childrens menu consists of grilled chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs, all of which are served with a side of french fries.

Polesello was born in Argentina to Italian parents. In 1965, while on vacation in Italy, Polesellos father decided that he would relocate his family and open a small restaurant in the Italian town in which he was born.

Polesellos father was well-known in his town, and many people referred to him as El Gaucho because of all the years he had lived in Argentina. Thats how the restaurants name was born, Polesello said.

Buy Photo Jose Polesello, owner of Osteria El Gaucho, in Mansue, Italy, which is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base, rotates his slowly grilled meats. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Jose Polesello, owner of Osteria El Gaucho, in Mansue, Italy, which is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base, shows off his delicious beef ribs. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

I watched my father grill, and I always admired his passion for cooking, Polesello said. He was a master of the grill. He knew the exact temperature that meat should be cooked to come out perfectly cooked. He would show me his ways of cooking various meats and he taught me how to tell when a piece of meat was ready to be turned-over or when it was done cooking.

As a result of the pandemic, the restaurant now requires reservations. It is open Friday through Sunday at 6 p.m. for pizza and at 8:30 p.m. for grilled meats.

Over the last year and a half, there were times when we would grill a bunch of meats and no one would show up to eat, and there were other occasions when we would not grill any meat and many customers showed up asking for it, Polesello said. Thats why we now require customers to make a reservation.

Osteria El Gaucho doesnt have a website. Google searches link to the website of another restaurant with a similar name.

In addition, Facebook also gives an incorrect phone number for the restaurant, so Polesello asks that customers use the number provided with this article.

Every time I eat here, it truly feels like the best dining experience of my life. The Polesellos make customers feel like part of their family.

Buy Photo The indoor dining room at Osteria El Gaucho, in Mansue, Italy, which is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base. The restaurant features delicious pizzas as well as beef ribs, pork cutlet, chicken and Italian sausages. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Outside seating at Osteria El Gaucho, in Mansue, Italy, which is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Patio seating at Osteria El Gaucho, in Mansue, Italy, which is about a 30-minute drive from Aviano Air Base. (Norman Llamas/Stars and Stripes)

Address: Via Raganazzo 2, 31040 Mansue, VN, Italy

Hours: Friday to Sunday from 6 p.m. to midnight. By reservation only. Depending on the number of interested customers, it can be opened any day of the week.

Prices: About 12 to 15 euros for the pizza entrees and 30 to 40 euros for the Argentine-style grilled meat entree. Childrens menu prices range between 8 and 12 euros.

Menu: Theres no menu, as the restaurant serves only pizzas and grilled meats. The owners speak Italian, Spanish and a little English. Some of their servers also speak limited English, but everyone is very friendly and helpful.

Phone: +39 339 812 5248
The Taliban would like the world to know that theyre no longer the child-bride-marrying mass murderers that they used to be.

At a press conference Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said there would be no reprisals against Afghans who worked with the U.S. military. Women would be free to work and study, and the media free to broadcast what it wished, so long as both stayed within our cultural frameworks. How enlightened.

These promises are discredited by events on the ground. Those Afghans hanging from a U.S. military jet taking off from Kabul clearly do not take the Taliban at their word. Nor do the women who Taliban gunmen escorted from their jobs at a Kandahar bank and ordered not to return. Nor do the journalists who work at a radio station in Kabul who saw their station manager murdered earlier this month by Taliban gunmen.

But Mujahed is not trying to convince Afghans about the intentions of the Taliban. He is hoping his make-believe will persuade President Joe Biden and his administration to keep subsidizing the Afghan government these jihadis just overthrew.

Its easy to see why. Mujaheds boss, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the likely interim president of Afghanistan, managed to sucker U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad into thinking the Taliban were interested in a political settlement to share power. Its now apparent that the Taliban used those negotiations as a political weapon to demoralize the Afghan military, with no intention of ever reaching an agreement. The plan worked surprisingly well, as the rapid collapse of the Afghan army attests.

So now the Taliban are hoping to fool America twice. Until this weekend, the Biden administration had committed to at least $300 million in reconstruction assistance after the U.S. withdrawal to demonstrate our enduring support for the Afghan people. And the Afghan people certainly need it. According to a 2019 World Bank study, 75% of the Afghan government budget is funded by international donors, with the U.S. the largest by far.

The good news is that the Biden administration has begun to set out conditions for recognizing the Taliban. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday told CNN that the U.S. would recognize and work with a Taliban emirate in Afghanistan if it respected the rights of its citizens and didnt harbor terrorists. More promising is news that the Treasury Department has frozen all Afghan government assets in U.S. banks.

But one never knows with the Biden administration. After all, it is still trying to negotiate the lifting of sanctions and return of frozen assets with another Islamic regime, in Iran, that shows as much respect for human rights  and as much hospitality to international terrorists  as the Taliban. When Afghanistans rapid collapse became apparent last week, Khalilzad dangled the prospect of U.S. aid for a Taliban-led government if it spared the U.S. Embassy in its rout of Kabul.

Biden would be wise to reject proposals that try to leverage U.S. assistance to reform the Taliban. They are irredeemable. It was bad enough that Biden abandoned Afghanistan despite the warnings of his military leaders. Worse still was how the administration failed to plan for the rescue of American civilians and Afghan allies before the military withdrawal. To subsidize the barbaric regime that has now taken over would be a final, ignominious blow to Americas honor.

Bloomberg Opinion columnist Eli Lake covers national security and foreign policy. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
An elderly Ethiopian woman sits next to a sack of wheat in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia on May 8, 2021. The United States warned late Thursday, Aug. 19, that food aid will run out this week for millions of hungry people under a blockade imposed by Ethiopia's government on the embattled Tigray region. (Ben Curtis/AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya  The United States is warning that food aid will run out this week for millions of hungry people under a blockade imposed by Ethiopia's government on the embattled Tigray region.

Samantha Power, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said in a statement late Thursday that less than 7% of the needed food aid has been reaching the Tigray region of some 6 million people, and USAID and other aid groups "have depleted their stores of food items warehoused in Tigray" after nine months of war.

"This shortage is not because food is unavailable, but because the Ethiopian government is obstructing humanitarian aid and personnel, including land convoys and air access," she said. USAID has warned that up to 900,000 people in Tigray face famine conditions in what has been called the world's worst hunger crisis in a decade. The Associated Press has reported that scores of people have starved to death.

Ethiopia's government, on the defensive after resurgent Tigray forces retook much of the region in June, has accused humanitarian workers of arming and supporting the fighters, and aid workers have described intense searches and confiscation of personal medication, cash and communications equipment as they try to enter the region on rare convoys or flights. The government also suspended the operations of Doctors Without Borders' Dutch section and the Norwegian Refugee Council, accusing them of spreading "misinformation."

A spokeswoman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Billene Seyoum, rejected Power's allegations: "That is not the case." Security is the top priority and there will be "continuous checks and processes" for aid entering Tigray, and any "hiccups" are discussed with affected partners, she told reporters on Friday.

Power's remarks came shortly after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that humanitarian conditions in Ethiopia are now "hellish." On Friday a U.N. humanitarian spokesman, Saviano Abreu, told the AP that if the current situation continues, it poses an "imminent threat" to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people facing famine.

Guterres called for an immediate cease-fire, unrestricted aid access, the return of basic services and the creation of conditions for an Ethiopian-led dialogue.

Dialogue is highly unlikely. Ethiopia's government this year declared the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which dominated the country's government for 27 years before Abiy came to power, a terrorist group after a political fallout turned into fighting. Asked about a peace process, the prime minister's spokeswoman said the unilateral cease-fire that Ethiopia's government declared as its forces retreated from Tigray in June was an "olive branch that the TPLF refused to accept."

Power's statement urged the Tigray forces to withdraw immediately from the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, where they say they are trying to pressure Ethiopia's government to end the fighting. Ethiopia's government, however, has called on all able citizens to stop the Tigray forces "once and for all."

"The TPLF's offensive into other regions will only prolong this conflict and the suffering of the Ethiopian people," Power said, also urging the Amhara regional government to withdraw its forces from western Tigray and neighboring Eritrea to remove its forces from Ethiopia permanently.

Caught in the middle are civilians. Thousands have died.

An aid worker who recently visited the Tigray region told the AP that conditions are so dire, and resources so constrained, that at least one large aid group's staffers had been forced to begin rationing their own food, let alone have enough means to help others.

With bank services still cut off along with telephone and internet access, aid groups are running out of money, the aid worker said. And while access inside Tigray is safer and easier than before the turn in the war in June, fuel is in such short supply that it's only available on the black market and diesel prices are five times higher than before, the aid worker said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

If the cash and fuel shortages can't be resolved, aid work "will grind to a halt," the aid worker said, adding that some groups already had stopped some work altogether.

While the aid worker saw shops stocked with supplies, many people didn't have the means to buy them. "One definition of famine is not a lack of food, it's the lack of access to food," the aid worker said, adding that farmers had largely missed the crucial planting season.

The latest U.N. humanitarian update on Tigray, released on Thursday, said 100 trucks of supplies  90 of them with food  must enter Tigray every day to help meet the needs of more than 5 million people. But just 316 trucks had entered the region between July 12 and last Sunday.

Now hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in Amhara and Afar, creating a new humanitarian crisis. Abiy's spokeswoman accused the Tigray forces of indiscriminate shelling and the destruction of hospitals there. Spokesman for the Tigray forces Getachew Reda has denied targeting civilians.
Patients of OFATMA Hospital in Les Cayes, Haiti, are being cared for in tents on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. Though it did not collapse, the hospital's walls and floor cracked during the earthquake and no one wants to go back inside. (Jose A. Iglesias, el Nuevo Herald/TNS)

LES CAYES, Haiti (Tribune News Service)  International aid began to finally pour into Haiti nearly a week since the devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake, despite bridge and road failures that hampered efforts to reach some of the hardest-hit and remote towns.

Early Friday, there was no road access to the southwestern city of Jeremie, as pictures circulated showing damage to the Dumarsais Estime bridge, one of the main access routes into the city. The local public works department was working early afternoon to secure an alternate route into Jeremie.

The airport in Les Cayes, near the earthquakes epicenter, had become the busy landing ground for relief arriving into Haiti as injured people were simultaneously airlifted to hospitals in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Two U.S. military aircrafts and several U.S. Coast Guard helicopters hovered over Les Cayes, arriving with provisions to the airport.

One of the helicopters, loaned to former Haitian Sen. Richard Herve Fourcand, was on route to Pic de Macaya, a mountainous region in the rural outskirts of the city, to airlift an earthquake victim, one of many injured when the tremors brought down parts of the mountain. Almost a week since the initial tremor, victims were still in need of immediate medical care in rural and remote areas. Fourcand and others laid injured and sick residents on their laps to transport them back to Les Cayes.

Other international organizations  including Swiss Humanitarian Aid, Medic Corps, Samaritans Purse and the United Nations World Food Program and International Organization for Migration  were on the ground assisting earthquake victims. Aid workers dragged suitcases and boxes packed with supplies and loaded them onto vehicles.

World Central Kitchen took a helicopter to survey two of their sites nearby where they have a team of about 40 people providing hot meals with local vegetables and ingredients. Hospital Albert Schweitzer, from the Central Plateau region of Haiti, had sent a team to deal with the responses logistics.

Three army ships from the Dominican Republic were also stationed on the sea of Jeremie to aid earthquake victims.

The hectic day at Les Cayes was also marked by preparations to receive former Haitian President Michel Martelly, who planned to arrive Friday to survey the damage caused by Saturdays quake and powerful aftershocks that have so far killed 2,189 people and injured more than 12,200 others. An estimated 136,800 families are homeless and nearly 700,000 people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

The U.N.S Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed also arrived in Les Cayes on Friday morning, one of the most notable international figures to visit Haiti so far since the disaster. She was accompanied by Helen La Lime, U.N.s special representative in Haiti, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Director General of Haitis Health Ministry Dr. Laure Adrien.

When you hear the figures of the destruction of schools, peoples homes, the numbers that have died ... its tragic, Mohammed told the Miami Herald.

Meanwhile, in South Florida, the aid organization Hope for Haiti told the Herald they issued an emergency appeal to raise $5 million to fund earthquake relief and recovery efforts, in partnership with the Bob & Renee Parsons Foundations, which kicked off the effort with a $1 million gift.

The organization plans to fund medical supplies to support health partners on the ground, provide medicine and health consultations, rubble removal and rehabilitation of homes and other damaged buildings, water filtration systems and micro-grants aimed to support education and businesses.

Haiti National Police said Thursday that it was reinforcing the road to Martissant in Port-au-Prince with specialized police units to protect humanitarian aid passing along the road. Police spokesman Marie-Michelle Verrier said anyone seeking to take aid to quake victims should check in with police first.

The announcement was made after Haitian artist Widler Octavius, known as Wid, complained to the Miami Herald on Wednesday that the police commissioner assigned to Les Cayes had refused to provide him with a police escort to the hospital in nearby Port Salut where he was donating cooked meals and toiletries kits to quake victims. The polices refusal left him at the mercy of bandits, he said, who attacked his group as they headed to the beachfront community.

The police has taken all the necessary steps to reinforce its presence along the Martissant route, Verrier said during a press conference. There are still threats along this road ... Everyone who has donations to take to the Great South, we will remind you again that the police are here to accompany you.

Police said Thursday that some villagers along the route leading to the quake-struck regions had barricaded roads under the pretext that they needed assistance also. She also said that 22 prisoners had escaped from the Les Cayes jail after the quake.

2021 Miami Herald.

Visit miamiherald.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC .
An artists rendering shows an interior view of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance slated to be completed on the National Mall in July 2022. (Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation)

But for one crucial delay, the drive to erect a Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., has in most respects advanced swiftly.

Since President Barack Obama signed the bill in 2016 authorizing the addition of the inscribed names of more than 36,000 Americans who died in the conflict, fundraising and design planning for the wall have moved smoothly.

However, the project, now at a make-or-break stage if it is to complete work in time for the planned dedication next summer, is long in want of only one thing: an official list of names to be etched into the wall.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, which spearheads the effort, has raised the entire $20 million needed for the wall, which will be built within the existing Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall, according to James Fisher, the foundations executive director.

Our design and all the architectural work immediately passed through the Congress, Fisher told Stars and Stripes during one in a series of interviews this month.

Congress also tasked the Department of Defense with generating that list of names, but the foundation and some Gold Star family members of Korean War service members have grown frustrated with how long that is taking.

A year ago, January, we called the Defense Department and asked for an update on the names, Fisher said. And they said, What update? They hadnt even looked into it.

In the meantime, the foundation had requested and received a list of Korean War dead and missing from DOD through the Freedom of Information Act, Fisher said.

They verified spellings of names and ranks, at times even visiting cemeteries to get photos of headstones to use for corroboration, creating a 99%-accurate listing of the dead, Fisher said.

They sent that list to the department with the intent of helping the process move along.

It did not seem to do so.

Fisher said he was told by defense officials that the Pentagon needed to first write a policy memorandum laying out eligibility criteria for names to be placed on the wall.

The memorandum, months in coming, was issued Aug. 13.

Maj. Cesar Santiago, a DOD spokesman, told Stars and Stripes in an emailed statement earlier this month that once the memo was issued, the list would be released to the Department of the Interior, as required by the law authorizing the wall.

Fisher said Thursday that a DOD official told him that theyre almost through with the list and we probably should have it within three weeks.

If they follow that, we can remain on schedule, he said, adding that foundation members are trying to be patient but remain somewhat skeptical in light of the past couple years.

If the etching of names can proceed as hoped for, next years dedication on July 27 will unveil a wall holding the names of the 36,595 Americans who died in the war that lasted from 1950 to 1953. It will also display the names of 7,151 South Koreans who fought beside American troops as part of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army, or KATUSA.

Sgt. William C. Bradley, a medic with the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, went missing during combat on Dec. 1, 1950. (Robin Piacine)

It is a moment some family members of Korean War veterans are anxiously awaiting.

Robin Piacine describes the wall as a priceless gift.

I say this because my uncles remains are still in North Korea, and the exact location isnt known at this time, Piacine, who lives in Crossville, Tenn., told Stars and Stripes in a phone interview Aug. 4.

I, along with my siblings, dont have a place to pay honor to him, to visit him, to tell stories to him or to grieve for him, she said.

Her uncle, Sgt. William C. Bradley, was a medic with the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, when he went missing Dec. 1, 1950. His remains have never been found.

The Wall of Remembrance will be such a hallowed place, a priceless gift and very personal to me, Piacine said. I envision gently tracing the letters of his name, realizing that this may be the closest Ill ever get to him.
Buy Photo Commuters depart Shinagawa Station in central Tokyo around 7 a.m. Aug. 20, 2021. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

TOKYO The capital city of Japan reported a third consecutive day with more than 5,000 people newly infected with the coronavirus, evidence the pandemics fifth wave in the city has yet to peak.

Another 5,405 people in Tokyo tested positive for the the virus, public broadcaster NHK reported Friday, citing the metropolitan government. The number of newly infected individuals has exceeded 5,000 for three consecutive days for the first time during the pandemic that began in March 2020.

The city reported 5,386 new cases on Wednesday and 5,534 on Thursday. The one-day record is 5,773 on Aug. 13.

The U.S. military in Japan on Friday reported 81 newly infected individuals from the past week. U.S. Forces Korea added another 12 individuals on Thursday.

Kadena Air Base on Okinawa said 35 people tested positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, between Aug. 14 and Friday, according to a weekly update on its homepage. The air base said its monitoring 44 people with the virus. Kadena so far in August has reported 83 new coronavirus cases.

The Marine Corps on Friday said another 20 people associated with its forces on Okinawa also tested positive for the disease, according to a Facebook post by Marine Corps Installations Pacific. The Marines have reported 71 new cases so far in August.

Okinawa prefecture is also experiencing a record-breaking wave. It reported 743 new cases Friday, 25 fewer than the record set Thursday at 768, according to the prefectural Department of Public Health and Medical Care. With 321.1 cases per 100,000 people, the prefecture has the highest infection rate of all Japans prefectures, according to the department.

Farther north, Yokosuka Naval Base, homeport of the U.S. 7th Fleet south of Tokyo, reported 19 new coronavirus cases since Tuesday, according to a news release from the base Friday.

Twelve people inoculated against COVID-19 tested positive: one person affiliated with the Navy and one base employee during a screening, another Navy affiliate during contact tracing and nine after falling ill, according to the base.

Another six people with the Navy and one base employee, all unimmunized, also fell ill and tested positive, the base said. There are 58 active cases at Yokota.

Naval Air Facility Atsugi, 26 miles southwest of central Tokyo, on Friday reported one person, a close contact, tested positive. The air facility has five people under observation.

Sasebo Naval Base, on the island of Kyushu, reported one person tested positive Wednesday, according to a Facebook post by the base on Friday.

Despite the record-breaking pace of new infections in Tokyo, the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 are far fewer on a daily basis than during the last viral peak in January. The one-day record for coronavirus deaths in Tokyo is 38 on Jan. 31, according to metro government data.

By contrast, the highest one-day toll since June 1 is 10. Seven died Aug. 10. Currently, two people die each day on average in Tokyo from complications related to COVID-19, according to metro data.

However, 3,864 people were hospitalized Thursday with COVID-19 in Tokyo, 274 of them in serious condition.

Japan on Thursday reported 25,073 people newly infected with the coronavirus and exceeded the one-day record set the previous day, 23,987. Another 24 people died, for a pandemic total of 15,553, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

About 50 million people, 40% of Japans population, are fully vaccinated, according to the center.

In South Korea, the U.S. command reported 12 people tested positive for the virus Monday and Tuesday.

A service member and a family member at Osan Air Base with symptoms of COVID-19 turned up positive after falling ill, according to a U.S. Forces Korea news release.

Contact tracing on Monday and Tuesday discovered five service members and two family members at Osan, a service member on temporary duty at USFK and two family members at the Armys Daegu Garrison

South Korea on Thursday added another 2,052 newly infected individuals to its pandemic total, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Friday. Seoul accounted for 549 and Gyeonggi province, where Osan and Camp Humphreys are located, added 633.

KDCA reported that 21.6% of the population are fully vaccinated, about 11.1 million people. Another 25 million, or 48.3%, have had the first of a two-shot vaccine regimen.

Stars and Stripes reporters Mari Higa in Okinawa and Yoo Kyong Chang in South Korea contributed to this report.

Joseph Ditzler
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 10, 2021. (Evan Vucci/AP)

WASHINGTON  The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has given new urgency to Vice President Kamala Harris tour of Southeast Asia, where she will attempt to reassure allies of American resolve following the chaotic end of a two-decade war.

The trip, which began Friday and has stops in Singapore and Vietnam, will provide a forum for Harris to assert herself more directly in foreign affairs. She will have opportunities to affirm what she and President Joe Biden view as core American values, like human rights. Thats especially important given concerns about the future for women and girls in Afghanistan with the Taliban back in power.

A particular high priority is making sure that we evacuate American citizens, Afghans who worked with us, Afghans at risk, including women and children, Harris told reporters before her departure.

But there are also substantial risks. A longtime district attorney and former senator, Harris is largely untested in diplomacy and foreign policy. Her swing through Vietnam could draw unwanted comparisons between the humiliating withdrawal of U.S. troops there in 1975 and the tumultuous effort this week to evacuate Americans and allies from Afghanistan. And its all happening in the shadow of China, whose growing influence worries some U.S. policymakers.

Shes walking into a hornets nest, both with whats taking place in Afghanistan, but also the challenge of China that looms particularly large in Vietnam, said Brett Bruen, who was global engagement director during the Obama administration and a longtime diplomat. On a good day, its walking a tightrope. On a not so good day, its walking a tightrope while leading an elephant across. Theres just an enormous set of issues that she will run into from the moment that Air Force Two touches down.

Harris said Friday that the nations she will visit are the seat of the Indo-Pacific region. We have interests there that relate to both security interests, economic interests and, more recently, global health interests.

Harris struggled at points in June when her first major trip abroad took her to Guatemala and Mexico. Her unequivocal warning to migrants not to come to the U.S. angered some liberal Democrats while doing little to mollify Republican critics who said the administration wasnt doing enough to address a growth of crossings at the southern border.

Shell have a fresh chance to make a global impression when she arrives in Singapore, anchor of the U.S. naval presence in Southeast Asia.

On Monday, Harris will speak with Singapore President Halimah Yacob over the phone, participate in a bilateral meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and deliver remarks on a U.S. combat ship visiting Singapore.

On Tuesday, she plans to deliver a speech outlining the U.S. vision for engagement in the region, and participate in an event with business leaders focused on supply chain issues.

Harris then heads to Vietnam, a country that holds both strategic and symbolic significance for the U.S. Leaders there have echoed U.S. concerns about the rise of neighboring China and the threat that could pose to global security. But its also a nation etched into American history as the site of another bloody, costly war with an ignominious end.

The vice president will almost certainly address that parallel when she takes questions in Singapore during a joint press conference with the prime minister Monday. Its a potentially awkward position for Harris because Biden expressly rejected comparisons between Afghanistan and Vietnam in July, insisting there would be no circumstance where the world would see people being lifted off the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, a reference to historic images of a helicopter evacuating the U.S. Embassy in Saigon in 1975.

The harried effort to get Americans to the airport in Kabul this week defied that prediction.

While the disorderly conclusion of the Afghan war dominated Washington in recent days, China may be a bigger priority for Harris trip. Biden has made countering Chinese influence globally a central focus of his foreign policy. Relations between the U.S. and China deteriorated sharply under Bidens predecessor, Donald Trump, and the two sides remain at odds over a host of issues including technology, cybersecurity and human rights.

And with Beijings incursions in the disputed South China Sea, engagement with Vietnam and Singapore is key to the Biden administrations diplomatic and military goals in the region.

David Shear, a former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, said Harris must be careful to offer a positive message to the nations, and avoid focusing entirely on China during her trip.

Our relationships with these countries are important in themselves, and they dont want to be thought of solely as a pawn in a U.S-China chess game, he said. They want to be thought of on their own terms, and they want their interests to be considered on their own terms,.

Instead, analysts say they hope Harris will focus in particular on trade issues. The White House has been considering a new digital trade deal with countries in the region, which would allow for the free flow of data and open opportunities for U.S. companies for greater cooperation on emerging technologies in a fast-growing region of the world.

And COVID-19 is certain to be top of mind in two countries facing starkly divergent virus trends. Singapore has experienced just a few dozen pandemic-related deaths and has a relatively high vaccination rate. Its getting ready to ease travel and economic restrictions this fall. Vietnam, meanwhile, is facing record-high coronavirus infections driven by the delta variant and low vaccination rates.

The U.S. has provided more than 23 million vaccine doses to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and tens of millions of dollars in personal protective equipment, laboratory equipment and other supplies to fight the virus.

During her visit to Vietnam, Harris is planning to hold a virtual meeting with ASEAN health ministers and cite the launch of a regional office of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gregory Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said showing a commitment to the region on the pandemic is key for Harris trip.

I think on COVID, the administration realizes that this is the singular issue, he said. If theyre not seen as leading vaccine distribution in the region, then nothing else they do in Asia matters, or at least nothing else they do is going to find a willing audience.
A policeman patrols alongside a steel wall at Evros river, near the Greek village of Poros, at the Greek-Turkish border on May 21, 2021. (Giannis Papanikos/AP)

ATHENS, Greece  Greece's prime minister and neighboring Turkey's president are to discuss developments in Afghanistan in a call Friday evening, the prime minister's office said, as both countries raise concerns about a potential major influx of people fleeing the Taliban.

Athens insists it will not allow a repetition of 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people crossed in smugglers' boats to Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast, on their way to seek asylum in more prosperous European Union countries.

Greece's defense and citizens' protection ministers visited the northeastern Evros land border with Turkey Friday to view barriers against potential migratory pressure and other recently installed security systems.

Greece has bolstered border defenses since March 2020, when Turkey announced its frontier to Europe was open and encouraged thousands of migrants to head to the Greek side, leading to scenes of chaos.

Greece's prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, would be speaking with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at 7:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT), Mitsotakis' office said.

"The Afghan crisis is creating new parameters in the geopolitical sphere, and at the same time creates the possibility of migratory flows," Citizens Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said in the Evros region.

He noted that while Greece is an EU member and supports human rights, "we can't wait apathetically for the possible consequences," adding that Athens would not allow migrants to be used to put pressure on Greece.

"It is our decision to defend and secure our borders," he said. "Our borders will remain safe and inviolate."

Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said Greece had examined ways to bolster the surveillance and guarding of its frontier, while Chrisochoidis noted that a border fence about 40 kilometers (25 miles) long had been constructed in Evros since the March 2020 events.

Turkey has also expressed concern over the potential of large numbers of Afghans heading its way. On Thursday, Erdogan called on European nations to shoulder the responsibility for people fleeing the Taliban, warning that Turkey will not become Europe's "refugee warehouse."

Anti-migrant sentiment has been running high as Turkey grapples with economic woes, including high unemployment, that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, and there is little appetite in the country to take in more people.

"We need to remind our European friends of this fact: Europe  which has become the center of attraction for millions of people  cannot stay out of (the refugee) problem by harshly sealing its borders to protect the safety and wellbeing of its citizens," Erdogan said.

"Turkey has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europe's refugee warehouse," Erdogan said.

The comments came amid an increase in recent weeks in the number of Afghans making their way into Turkey across the border from Iran.

The previous day, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said the current priority was to evacuate Europeans and Afghan citizens who had worked with EU forces there, but that Greece "does not accept to be the gateway for irregular flows into the EU."

Speaking on private Skai TV, he noted that Greece does not border Afghanistan, and "there are countries to the east of us who could provide initial protection where necessary." Turkey, he added, was a safe country for Afghan citizens.

But Turkey already hosts large numbers of refugees. Erdogan said his country is home to 5 million foreign nationals, including 3.6 million Syrians who fled the civil war in the neighboring country and 300,000 Afghans. Around 1.1 million are foreigners with residence permits, he said.

In 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a deal for Turkey to stop the hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees heading toward Europe, in return for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and substantial EU financial support.

Erdogan has frequently accused the EU of not keeping its side of the bargain, while the deal led to thousands of asylum-seekers languishing in squalid refugee camps on the eastern Greek islands.

The migration issue has also led to flare-ups in tension between Greece and Turkey, NATO allies who have come to the brink of war several times since the mid-1970s.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg briefs the media on the situation in Afghanistan at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Aug. 17, 2021. He called on the Taliban to allow foreigners and Afghans seeking to leave Afghanistan to reach Kabul's airport Friday. (NATO)

NATOs top official on Friday urged the Taliban to allow thousands of foreigners and Afghans seeking to leave Kabul to get to the citys international airport.

The alliances top priority is to get people out and continue our operations at Kabul airport, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said while addressing an emergency meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

The main challenge we face is ensuring that people can reach and enter Kabul airport, Stoltenberg said in his opening remarks at the virtual meeting. We expect the Taliban to allow for a safe passage of all foreign nationals and Afghans seeking to depart the country.

In the past week, NATO has been harshly criticized by European politicians and analysts for what they consider its failures in Afghanistan. In particular, they blame NATO for not anticipating a lightning Taliban takeover and not having proper evacuation plans.

Armin Laschet, the conservative candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as Germanys chancellor, has described the deadly chaos in Afghanistan as the biggest debacle that NATO has suffered since its founding. And Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said it was the greatest defeat for NATO in history.

Other policymakers have said the European Union needs to urgently create a military force independent of the United States and NATO.

About 6,000 U.S. troops and nearly 1,000 British soldiers, as well as French special forces, have taken control of the sprawling airport on the outskirts of Kabul.

The establishment of security at the airport has been critical, Stoltenberg said.

Hundreds of NATO staffers and contractors are now playing a vital role in keeping the evacuation flights going, including air traffic control, essential airport services and communications, he said.

During Fridays meeting, the foreign ministers of NATOs 30 member nations will also consider the medium- and longer-term challenges the alliance faces in Afghanistan, he said.

news@stripes.com
Migrants wait in an area between the borders of Belarus and Poland near the village of Usnarz Gorny, Poland, on Friday Aug. 20, 2021. A refugee rights group in Poland said Friday that 32 people who fled Afghanistan have been trapped for 12 days in an area between the Polish and Belarusian borders, caught up in a standoff between the two countries. (AP Photo/Michal Kosc) (Michal Kosc)

WARSAW, Poland  A Polish refugee rights group said Friday that 32 people who fled Afghanistan have been trapped for 12 days in an area between Poland and Belarus while caught up in a standoff between the two countries.

The group, Fundacja Ocalenie, called on Polish authorities to allow the people to apply for refugee status in Poland, saying they have the right to do so. Polish authorities are refusing to let them in, and Belarusian guards will not let them return.

"In accordance with the law in force in Poland, each of these people should be allowed to submit an application for protection," Piotr Bystrianin, the president of the group's management board, said in a statement.

Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of sending migrants across their borders with his country in what they have called an act of "hybrid war." Their borders also form part of the European Union's external border, and the countries believe Lukashenko is acting in revenge for sanctions the EU imposed over his disputed reelection and crackdown on dissent.

Most of the recent migrants traveling from Belarus are believed to be originally from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Poland has deployed hundreds of soldiers to the border and is reinforcing it with barbed wire. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Thursday that he sympathized with the migrants, but insisted that they were "a tool in the hands of Mr. Lukashenko" and vowed that Poland would not succumb to "this type of blackmail."

Fundacja Ocalenie said it arrived at the spot where the migrants were stuck, near the village of Usnarz Gorny, on Wednesday to bring them items such as food, tents, sleeping bags and power banks. They were not given access at first but were successful on Thursday.

Tahmina Rajabova, a member of the foundation, reported speaking to the migrants and learning that they are 32 people from Afghanistan who all want to apply for refugee status in Poland. They included a 15-year-old girl and some people who were ill.

A few days earlier, about a dozen people from Iraq  women and small children  were stranded with them, but Belarusian authorities allowed them back into Belarus, Rajabova said.

"It is an inhumane and scandalous situation that Poland, together with Belarus, condemns these people to imprisonment on the border, in conditions that offend human dignity and are life-threatening," said Maciej Konieczny, a left-wing Polish lawmaker who joined the humanitarian workers at the border.

Lawyers with the foundation plan to submit applications for protection on behalf of the migrants, the group said.
President Joe Biden answers questions from members of the media as he speaks about the evacuation of American citizens, their families, SIV applicants and vulnerable Afghans in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

U.S. troops left Kabuls international airport on Thursday to gather U.S. citizens trapped in the large, chaotic crowds just outside the airfields walls, President Joe Biden said Friday, vowing to provide every resource necessary to get Americans out of Afghanistan.

Let me be clear, any American who wants to come home, we will get you home, Biden said in his second address to the nation since Afghanistans near-total fall to the Taliban last weekend.

The president said American troops helped 169 U.S. citizens enter Hamid Karzai International Airport, the last U.S.-held ground in Afghanistan, after they were stuck for hours in the crowds of thousands outside its gates on Thursday. It was the first known time American troops had moved outside the perimeter of the airport, known as HKIA, since the Taliban captured the city Sunday.

Biden indicated more U.S. troops could leave the relative safety of HKIA to help Americans stranded in Kabul, if necessary. That appeared to be a change in policy for the administration after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Wednesday that he had no capability to send American forces into Kabul.

But the president also said he was not aware of specific reports of Taliban fighters hindering the passage of American passport holders through the city, citing an agreement U.S. military commanders at HKIA struck with Taliban commanders in Kabul with whom they are regularly speaking.

Allowing Americans and U.S.-allied Afghans with proper paperwork through to the airport was in the Talibans best interest, Biden said. He noted, as top Pentagon officials have repeatedly said this week, the Taliban had been warned any violent interference with the evacuation operation would be met with a swift and forceful response. Pentagon officials have acknowledged U.S. fighter jets have been circling Kabul in case commanders need to order a quick response.

A U.S. service member comforts an infant during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2021. (Isaiah Campbell/U.S. Marine Corps)

The president said he had spoken to those commanders on the ground Friday, during a situation room huddle with his top national security advisers and made it clear to them we will get them whatever they need to get the job done.

Biden has faced growing pressure in recent days from lawmakers and nongovernmental organizations to do more to increase the flow of evacuees from Kabul  Americans and U.S.-allied Afghans. Those calls have only grown amid reports, via several news outlets including The Washington Post and the BBC, that European allies had sent their troops outside HKIAs walls to escort people to the airport. The United States has almost 6,000 troops  mostly Marine and Army infantrymen  deployed to the single-runway airport in Kabul, charged with ensuring security and order inside its perimeter. Pentagon officials said there are also some special operators at HKIA.

Among Bidens most vocal critics on his handling of the Afghanistan exit, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said she had urged Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to commit American troops to guarantee safe passage for Americans to Hamid Karzai International Airport. She also signed onto a letter Thursday with 15 other Senate Republicans imploring Biden to keep troops at HKIA beyond the Aug. 31 end date for the mission.

Not only should we protect American citizens in Afghanistan, we must also uphold our promise to the thousands of Afghans who put their lives on the line to work with us to advance our shared security goals, reads the letter, led by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. You must devote all means necessary to ensure every American citizen and all eligible Afghan partners are successfully evacuated.

Ten nongovernmental organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also issued a letter to Biden on Friday, demanding the White House urgently do more to evacuate Afghans from harms way.

Biden said Friday that he still believes the United States could complete its effort to evacuate tens of thousands of Americans, NATO ally personnel, and U.S.-allied and at-risk Afghans from Kabul by the Aug. 31 deadline that he set months ago. But he indicated he was open to extending it, if needed.

I think we can get it done by then, but well make that adjustment as we go, the president said.

Biden spoke just as flight operations at HKIA resumed following an hourslong pause in operations, according to Biden and defense officials. It was the second long pause in evacuation operations since Monday, when U.S. troops spent hours clearing the airports runway of thousands of Afghan civilians who had crowded there.

Defense officials said Friday that several thousand evacuees were inside the airfield gates and cleared for flights once they resumed. Some of those flights were expected to carry evacuees to locations in Europe and the Middle East, after defense officials acknowledged a backlog of evacuees had occurred at its main military hub in Qatar, Al Udeid Air Base. That backlog was at least partially responsible for the temporary stoppage of military flights at HKIA, said an official on the condition of anonymity.

Biden said the U.S. military had evacuate some 5,700 people from Afghanistan on Thursday, its largest single-day total since operations began Aug. 14. He said in total 13,000 people had been evacuated from Kabul on American aircraft since the mission began.

The White House also said 11 nonmilitary charter flights had evacuated people from Afghanistan on Thursday, but officials did not say how many evacuees were on those flights. The White House did not provide a specific breakdown of the numbers of Americans, Afghans and others it had removed from Kabul.

Meanwhile, Biden called news and social media images depicting acts of desperation among scared Afghans seeking to flee the Taliban outside HKIA heartbreaking. New reports documented Taliban fighters harassing and assaulting Afghans trying to escape the country. In one viral video, an Afghan baby is handed to U.S. Marines over the razor-wire wall that forms the airports perimeter. The Marine Corps verified the authenticity of the video on Friday, and the service said the baby was later reunited with its father inside the airport.

We've seen gut-wrenching images of panicked people act out of sheer desperation, Biden said. You know, it's completely understandable. They're frightened or sad, uncertain what happens next. I don't think any one of us could see these pictures and not feel that pain on a human level.
RALEIGH, N.C.  New indictments have been filed against four men, including two former U.S. Marines, in connection with a plot to damage a power grid somewhere in the northwest U.S., federal prosecutors said Friday.

A news release from the U.S. Department of Justice said Paul James Kryscuk, 35; Liam Collins, 21; Jordan Duncan, 26; and Joseph Maurino, 22, were charged on Friday. Duncan, Kryscuk and Collins were previously indicted on charges of planning to illegally manufacture and sell guns.

Prosecutors said the four men researched and discussed a previous attack on a power grid by an unknown group which used assault-style rifles in an attempt to explode a power substation, the news release said. Authorities have not said where that attack occurred.

Between 2017 and 2020, Kryscuk manufactured firearms while Collins  who was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina  stole military gear, including magazines for assault-style rifles and had them delivered to the other defendants, prosecutors said. During that time, Duncan gathered information on firearms, explosives and nerve toxins and shared it with Kryscuk and Collins.

The indictment also says the men discussed using a homemade combination of metal powder and metal oxide, which burns at over 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, to burn through and destroy power transformers.

In mid-2020, Collins asked others to each purchase 50 pounds of an explosive, authorities said. In October 2020, a handwritten list of approximately one dozen intersections and places in Idaho and surrounding states was discovered in Kryscuk's possession, including locations of transformers, substations or other components of the power grid for the northwest U.S.

In a previous indictment, prosecutors said Duncan, Kryscuk, Collins and 21-year-old Justin Hermanson intended for their illegally manufactured guns to be unlawfully used "in furtherance of a civil disorder." Collins, Duncan and Kryscuk were arrested in October. Hermanson was an active-duty Marine at the time of his arrest last year.

Duncan was stationed at Camp Lejeune when he joined a group organized by a fellow U.S. Marine who used a neo-Nazi internet forum to recruit members for what he called "a modern day SS," according to the indictment. He moved to Idaho in 2018 after separating from the Marines and discussed the shooting of protesters with a group member who had been observing Black Lives Matter rallies in Boise, Idaho, the indictment said. Less than a month later, FBI agents notified two BLM movement co-founders that their names were on a list kept by a different paramilitary group member.

During a hearing last December, Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Kocher showed the judge a 90-second recruitment video that she said shows Duncan firing gunshots, participating in military-style exercises and flashing "Heil Hitler" salutes with three other members while wearing skull masks associated with a neo-Nazi group called Atomwaffen Division, the indictment says.

Duncan, a military contractor, served in the Marines from 2013 to 2018. Collins served in the Marines from 2017 to 2020. Hermanson was assigned to the same unit as Collins.

(U.S. Department of Justice)
Broward County Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Vickie L. Cartwright greets students Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2021 in at North Lauderdale Elementary School. More than 261,000 Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) students headed back to school to begin the 2021/22 school year. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP) (Joe Cavaretta)

MIAMI  Florida officials are threatening to withhold funds equal to the salaries of school board members if school districts in two counties don't immediately do away with strict mask mandates as the state continues to battle through high hospitalization rates.

School boards in Broward and Alachua counties received a warning Friday from the State Board of Education giving them 48 hours to walk back their decisions to require masks for all students, only exempting kids that have a doctor's note.

"We cannot have government officials pick and choose what laws they want to follow," said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran in an emailed statement. "These are the initial consequences to their intentional refusal to follow state law and state rule to purposefully and willingly violate the rights of parents. This is simply unacceptable behavior."

Corcoran says the districts in those two areas are violating the Parents' Bill of Rights and a late July executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that prompted rules limiting how far districts can go with mask requirements and other COVID-19 measures.

The Republican governor has pushed for school districts not to mandate masks for all students, ordering the state's health and education departments to come up with rules so that parents can choose whether their children wear them. Corcoran was recommended to the post by DeSantis and appointed by the State Board of Education in 2019.

DeSantis maintains that masks can be detrimental for children's development and that younger children simply don't wear masks properly. But board members in the counties of Broward, home to Fort Lauderdale, and Alachua, home to Gainesville, decided not to allow parents to easily opt out of the mandate as coronavirus cases began straining hospitals in several parts of the state.

Statewide, Florida is adding an average of about 20,300 new COVID-19 infections per day, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported there were 16,849 people in hospitals with COVID-19 patients, with 3,500 of them in intensive care.

Broward County has Florida's second largest school district, and among the largest in the nation, with about 270,000 students and a $5.4 billion budget. Alachua County's school district has about 30,000 students and a budget of $537 million.

Two other school districts originally started the school year allowing parents to easily opt out of wearing masks, but this week their board members imposed a stricter measure, requiring all students to wear facial covering unless they had a doctor's note. And the school board of the state's largest district in Miami-Dade passed a measure this week also requiring masks for all students and only exempting those with a doctor's note.

Because of the size of the school districts' budgets, the cuts are more symbolic than harmful to the district. For Alachua, which has a $258 million general fund budget, its cut would be the equivalent of a 62 cent cut from $1,000. For Broward, with its $2.7 billion general fund budget, the cut would be the equivalent of a 14 cent cut from $1,000.

Corcoran's orders require that school districts provide information regarding the compensation of school board members that voted to impose strict mandates if they don't immediately reverse their decisions. It also outlines it will begin to withhold from state funds the amount equal to their monthly salary, saying districts are prohibited from cutting funds in areas unrelated to the school board members' pay.

According to the Legislature's Office of Economic and Demographic Research, school board members in Alachua County make $40,000 per year and in Broward County, $46,000. The order establishes the punishments for all four members in Alachua and eight of nine school board members in Broward.

Associated Press writer Terry Spencer contributed to this report from Fort Lauderdale., Fla.
FORT DRUM, , N.Y.  A man was arrested Thursday after he snuck onto Fort Drum, injured a solider and stole a military Humvee, New York state troopers said.

Nathan J. McElhone, 46, of Theresa, was accused of driving onto the base near Training Range 41B and stealing the military Humvee at about 5 a.m. Thursday, according to a news release issued by state police.

While stealing the Humvee, McElhone injured the soldier who was trying to stop him, troopers said. The severity of the soldiers injuries was not immediately revealed by state police.

Members of a military unit stopped McElhone before he left the base and he was handed over to Military Police, troopers said. He was in possession of several stolen military items including targets and a wooden shelving unit, they said.

McElhone was arraigned in the Clayton Town Court, and held without bail by the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office. He was charged with second-degree robbery, first-degree reckless endangerment, fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and third-degree criminal trespass.

Troopers were assisted by the Fort Drum Military Police, the Military Police Investigators and the Fort Drum Federal Police.



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Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers have helped at various points during the coronavirus pandemic. These soldiers prepared boxes of personal protecting equipment and loaded them for local distribution. On Friday, Aug, 20, 2021, , about 260 soldiers were deployed to help at local hospitals in Southern Oregon. (Oregon National Guard)

(Tribune News Service)  About 260 soldiers from the Oregon Army National Guard gathered at the Medford Armory Friday to hear details of their latest deployment: To local hospitals, understaffed and overwhelmed by a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the delta variant.

The men and women, mostly from the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry, will serve six weeks, starting Monday. They will perform non-medical work such as being a uniformed presence in anxiety-filled waiting rooms in their communities, including at Asante hospitals in Medford, Ashland and Grants Pass as well as Providence Medical Center Medford and CHI Mercy Health in Roseburg.

For a century, 1-186 combat infantry soldiers of Southern Oregon have been sent to fight wars overseas and wildfires on the West Coast. They have helped Americans recover from devastating floods and hurricanes.

This is the second time, the group, known as the Guardians of the Western Gate, has been mobilized to help their local medical teams battle the coronavirus pandemic. They helped people getting vaccinated at the Jackson County Expo in Central Point when walk-in and drive-through clinics were open earlier this year.

Army National Guard soldiers with medical careers will stay on their full-time jobs as will first responders and those qualified for fighting wildfires, said unit commander Anthony Hess, who will lead his company at the Asante hospital in Medford.

The battalion is engaged in multiple missions and you dont want to rob Peter to pay Paul, said Hess, who lives in Medford.

There are, however, about 20 medics assigned to the Ashland-based 1- 186th Infantry who can administer COVID tests and perform clinical work in the hospitals, and if necessary, in temporary field hospitals.

On Friday, Jessica Griego of Medford, a 14-year veteran of the National Guard, was at the Armory to start her new assignment: Shell be keeping track of the other soldiers locations at the various hospitals.

Griego, who works for ColumbiaCare mental health agency for veterans in Medford, has experience in hospital record keeping but said her primarily role is to offer empathy.

The other soldiers at the Armory were learning about HIPAA privacy regulations and will be given their assignments this weekend.

These are critical, non-clinical jobs, said Major Billy Haden, a social worker and National Guard member who lives in Ashland.

All the soldiers will be masked and following CDC protocols but may not all be vaccinated. The National Guard follows the Defense Department in requiring U.S. military service members be to vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus by mid-September.

Haden said vaccination status was not part of the screening for this deployment.

Ryan Hutchinson, who leads the COVID-19 response command center at Providence Medford, said National Guard assignments were devised to lessen the burden on frontline caregivers and offset some of the nurses duties to allow them to work at the highest level of their license.

National Guard soldiers wearing Army combat uniforms might diminish outbursts at emergency units and waiting rooms, said Chris Pizzi, chief executive of Providence Medford.

People get upset waiting five to six hours and having a National Guard presence may provide some relief, he said.

Pizzi said the National Guard will radio hospital security if a situation escalates, but will not step in.

Its all about keeping people safe, he said. We will find a good place for these helping hands to facilitate care.

Hutchinson has seen the fear in people caused by limited beds, nurses and doctors. The frustration is that everyone is going to the ER for everything, he said. If you have a non-emergent need, see your primary doctor or have a virtual visit. Get a Covid test at a drive-up. The ERs are full.

Other National Guard assignments to relieve hospital employees may include monitoring entrances, taking temperatures and giving people directions. Others will be asked to deliver supplies, unload freight and clean non-infectious areas so hospital housekeeping can clean contagious areas.

jeastman@oregonian.com

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A group of migrants mainly from Honduras and Nicaragua wait along a road after turning themselves in upon crossing the U.S. - Mexico border, in La Joya, Texas, on May 17, 2021. (Gregory Bull/AP)

NEW ORLEANS  A federal appellate court refused late Thursday to delay implementation of a judge's order reinstating a Trump administration policy forcing thousands to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.

President Joe Biden had suspended former President Donald Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy on his first day in office and the Department of Homeland Security said it was permanently terminating the program in June, according to the court record. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk last week ordered that the program be reinstated Saturday.

The Biden administration appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Appeal in New Orleans and asked for a delay in re-implementing the program, formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols, pending appeal. The administration argued in briefs that the president has "clear authority to determine immigration policy" and that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, had discretion in deciding whether to return asylum seekers to Mexico.

Lawyers for the states of Texas said Missouri, which challenged the suspension of MPP, opposed a stay of Kacsmaryk's order. They said the Biden administration had not gone through proper procedures in ending the policy. And they argued that after the policy was implemented immigrants without legitimate claims for asylum had begun to return to their home countries voluntarily.

A three-judge 5th Circuit panel denied a stay of Kacsmaryk's order late Thursday. "Even if the Government were correct that long-term compliance with the district court's injunction would cause irreparable harm, it presents no reason to think that it cannot comply with the district court's requirement of good faith while the appeal proceeds," the ruling said.

The ruling affects thousands of asylum seekers with active cases who were subject to the remain in Mexico program.

Kacsmaryk was nominated to the federal bench by Trump. The 5th Circuit panel that ruled Thursday night included two Trump nominees, Andrew Oldham and Cory Wilson, along with Jennifer Walker Elrod, nominated to the appeals court by President George W. Bush.
Francis Flaherty earned Americas highest honor for military valor in action on Dec. 7, 1941, while serving as a Navy ensign aboard the USS Oklahoma during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)

(Tribune News Service)  When Don Colizzi learned about Francis Flaherty, a Medal of Honor recipient from his town of Charlotte, Mich., he organized a fundraising drive in 2000 that raised $20,000 in six weeks to erect a memorial later that year outside the historic Eaton County Courthouse in Charlotte.

Flaherty earned Americas highest honor for military valor in action on Dec. 7, 1941, while serving as a Navy ensign aboard the USS Oklahoma during the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

On Saturday, Flaherty will be laid to rest between the graves of his parents at Charlottes Maple Hill Cemetery, nearly eight decades after his death. Colizzi will provide the eulogy.

He was on the USS Oklahoma, and the ship got hit seven or eight times by torpedoes, Colizzi said. As it was flipping over, he held a flashlight and shined it on the corridor exit while he was knee-deep in water, and pushed a lot of guys toward the exit.

Flaherty, who was 22 when he died, had only enlisted in July 1940. But his actions earned him several other medals, including the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Ribbon. The escort ship USS Flaherty (DE-135) was named in honor of him in 1943.

He never made it out of the ship. He stayed there helping people, and thats what earned him the Medal of Honor, Colizzi said. That made him a hero.

Flaherty was initially buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, along with 400 other unidentified victims of the attack. But his body was finally identified with the aid of DNA technology in 2019. According to the Navy, remains are identified with help from DNA reference samples from family members as well as existing medical and dental records.

Flahertys heroism has become lore in his extended family, who made the decision to have him honored in his hometown of Charlotte.

It was what we call a no-brainer to have Uncle Fran in his hometown, said John Flaherty, Flahertys 79-year-old nephew.

Flaherty has had a cenotaph  a memorial that is sometimes in the form of an empty tomb  in the area since 1942, John said, as well as a memorial dedicated to him and the towns other Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. Michael Hudson. Hudson was a Marine who fought in the Civil War and helped protect the USS Brooklyn during the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864. Originally from County Sligo in Ireland, Hudson died in Charlotte in 1891.

There have been more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients, John noted, calling the odds pretty low to have two in Charlotte, which had about 9,300 residents in the 2020 Census.

Francis was one of three brothers and a half-sister who all grew up in Charlotte. According to family stories, Francis was famous for once taking inspiration from Argentine gauchos and crafting his own bolas, a throwing tool that uses weights on the end of lengths of rope or other cords to catch animals.

He fashioned his own by tying rocks to the end of some wire. But instead of catching cattle, as a bola is commonly used for, Francis managed to ensnare two power lines.

It shut down the power in all of Eaton County for a good day, according to the family legend, his nephew John said.

When their parents died within a few months of each other in 1932, the children were raised by their grandmother and an aunt.

They also, in no small part, raised themselves, John said. It was a tough time, just coming out of the Depression, and they made it. Theyre all heroes in my mind.

The older John Flaherty, Franciss brother, described the ensign as a great brother, the younger John said. It was Francis service and death that inspired the older John to join the Navy as well. When they were of age, both the younger John and his brother, Bob, followed suit.

Flahertys burial will take place at 11 a.m. at Maple Hill Cemetery, 801 Tully Brown Drive. It will follow a procession through town that will start at 10:30 am at Pray Funeral Home, 401 W. Seminary. Maple Hill Cemetery is also where Hudson is buried, according to cemetery records.

The city of Charlotte has been exceptional at making his family feel welcome as they bring Francis home, John said. The outpouring of gratitude and good human nature has made a huge difference as family members travel to Charlotte, he said.

John is coming from New Mexico. While in Michigan, he plans to meet with distant family members from around the state, all reunited over Franciss return home.

Without the help of others, he said, it wouldnt be quite the same to bring Francis back to Michigan. John said he was glad Charlotte recognized his Uncle Fran as a hero.

Were short on heroes today, so weve got to do everything we can to honor one when one comes along, said Colizzi, the eulogizer.

kbouffard@detroitnews.com

(c)2021 The Detroit News

Visit The Detroit News at www.detnews.com
Kay Ellen McConkey, 83, died August 21, 2021 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. No services will be planned. Condolences may be emailed to the family, and an online obituary may be viewed by visiting www.strodefh.com.
Changes to the SunCommercial's back end processing means the e-edition is getting a facelift. The biggest change is the e-edition, by default, is now presented in Text view.
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Police investigating after a baby girl was found dead at a recycling facility in Onehunga are appealing to the public to help identify clothing that could help us find her mother.

A post-mortem carried out earlier this week confirmed it was baby girl who was born at full term and despite our appeals to the public, we have received limited information to help us identify her or her mum.

Now, Police are releasing images of items of clothing located in a blue plastic bag that was found during our scene examination, says Detective Inspector Scott Beard.

Scott says the baby may have been in the blue bag, which also included several items of baby, childrens and adult clothing.

The clothing includes a childs beanie, a distinctive pink childs sweater and pink t-shirt, womens belts and two womens tops and a sequined skirt that appears to have been cut up.

There were also two baby onesies with colourful prints on them located in the area, which may have also come out of the bag.

Scott says while detectives cant fully determine whether the clothing is definitely linked to the mother of this baby, anyone who recognises the items is urged to contact police immediately.

We are asking that if this clothing is known to you or you recognise who this clothing belongs to please contact us. This information will greatly help us with our enquiries, he says.

Not only do we want to identify the baby girls mother to ensure her welfare and get her the medical assistance and support she needs, but we also want to get some answers for the sake of this little girl.

She has no name and no one to mourn and bury her. The sooner Police can identify her mother, the sooner this baby girl can be treated with the respect she deserves and laid to rest.

Anyone with information can contact 105 quoting file number 210816/2825 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Sir Michael Cullen, the former Labour deputy prime minister and the architect of a national superannuation fund and the popular KiwiSaver scheme, has died in Whakatane aged 76.

In March 2020, Sir Michael announced that he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.

The Government is mourning the passing of former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Sir Michael Cullen.

Sir Michael was one of the most influential figures in New Zealand politics over the last 40 years. Intelligent, funny and kind he left a significant legacy for the country, says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

New Zealand is so much the richer, in every sense of the word, for Michaels life. He gave his life to making this place better for everyone.

He fought for social justice at every turn, understanding the need for balance and pragmatism at times, but always focused on the big picture and the long-term.

He was a great friend to me and to many of the Cabinet and Labour Caucus. We will miss him terribly, and we are sending all our love to Anne and his family. We are devastated, but know that our grief is only a fraction of that which they will feel at the loss of a husband and father.

For his whole adult life Michael has served his country with distinction and courage. As he himself said he has lived a long and very fulfilling life, one for which we are forever grateful. Rest in Peace Sir Michael, says Jacinda Ardern.

Sir Michael Cullen was first elected to Parliament in 1981 as the MP for St Kilda. He was the Government Senior Whip from 1984 to 1987 before becoming a Minister after the 1987 election, becoming Social Welfare Minister and Associate Finance Minister.

He became Labour Party Deputy Leader in 1996, and when Labour returned to Government in 1999 he became Minister of Finance, and from 2002 onwards Deputy Prime Minister, along with a number of other portfolios including Attorney General.

He retired from politics after the 2008 election and continued his public service through a variety of roles as the Chair of New Zealand Post, the Constitutional Advisory Group, the Tax Working Group, the Earthquake Commission and as a negotiator on behalf of various iwi including Ngati Tuwharetoa.

His contribution to New Zealands long-term economic prosperity and stability has been enormous. As the architect of KiwiSaver, the New Zealand Super Fund and Working For Families he has left behind an economically more secure country, says Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson.

Each of these policies on their own would define a political career, but taken together they represent one of the most significant contributions any politician has made in recent times.

But for Michael they are only part of his extraordinary contribution to New Zealand. His tenure as Minister of Finance saw New Zealand have among the lowest unemployment in the OECD, strong economic growth rates and one of the lowest levels of public debt in the world.

While many people will know of these achievements, it is also Michaels small acts of kindness that I will remember. He was always ready with a piece of advice, an insight or just a funny story. He also helped many Labour MPs out, often behind the scenes, and not wanting any publicity.

He was loyal to the Labour Party, but also not afraid to voice his concerns. I can recall a number of more recent Labour Party Conferences where he would pop up to speak and introduce himself as a member of the Whakatane Branch to make a wise and decisive intervention. He maintained his interest and commitment to the causes he believed in for his whole political life, says Grant Robertson.

National mourns passing of Sir Michael Cullen

New Zealand is united today in sadness after the passing of former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Sir Michael Cullen, says National Party Leader Judith Collins.

Sir Michael was a consummate politician  a respected adversary and a man of absolute conviction.

But, most importantly, he was a man of uncommon and uncompromising principle. When he retired from politics in 2009, such was our respect for him we called on his vast skills and knowledge to chair New Zealand Post and Kiwibank, as well as appointing him to lead a wide-ranging review of New Zealands intelligence agencies.

He will be remembered as one of our most effective ministers of finance, with a long-term view of what needed to be done to enhance to New Zealands economic and social prosperity and stability. His passion was to make New Zealand a better place for everyone.

Sir Michaels keen intellect, wit and vast expertise will be missed by us all, and our thoughts and condolences are with his family.

The Bay of Plenty District Health Board has expressed their "great sadness" at the news.

"Sir Michael brought his wealth of experience, wit and intelligence to the position of BOPDHB Board Chair between December 2019 to March 2020," says BOPDHB Board Chair Sharon Shea.

"Although his time with us was comparatively short he left a big impression, as he did wherever he went.

"Sir Michael was a hugely respected man, both professionally and personally, and the tributes we see now bear testament to that. He enjoyed a stellar career and his leadership and commitment to enhancing the wellbeing of New Zealanders was a defining and enduring characteristic of that.

"A giant totara has fallen, and he will be missed but not forgotten."
The Weekend Sun newspaper has not been published today.

The Weekend Sun normally reaches over 70,000 homes and countless businesses and shopping malls across our region, but these are far from normal times.

Were immensely proud of our position as the Bay of Plentys number one community title, and continue to grow our reach of more than 180,000 residents from Paengaroa to Waihi Beach, says directors Brian and Claire Rogers.

Yet the decision not to publish this weeks paper was borne out of a sense of responsibility to each and every corner of our community.

Government guidelines surrounding alert level four services state that publishers must make their own determination on whether or not to print based on a number of conditions.

Newspaper delivery is only permitted in limited circumstances  such as communities that have limited access to digital connectivity and are hard to reach.

However, in all good conscience we could not take any risks during what is a worrying time for all.

As you are no doubt aware, the Delta variant of Covd-19 is the most transmissible variant yet, and with places of interest as close to home as the Coromandel Peninsula, we immediately erred on the side of safety.

We have a moral obligation to you  our readers  when we deliver the news, and take that responsibility just as seriously when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of our loyal readership.

That responsibility also extends out to the dedicated team who deliver The Weekend Sun, many of whom are children and people around retirement age. It is our duty to keep them safe.

Please be assured that The Weekend Sun will return as soon as it is logistically safe to produce and distribute your paper.

In the meantime, SunLive and Rotorua Now will operate as normal throughout this lockdown period, and continue to bring you the Bays news first.

As always, please email your stories and photos to: newsroom@thesun.co.nz

Please stay safe and look after one another.

-The Sun Media team.
New Zealand will remain at Alert Level 4 until 11.59pm on Tuesday, August 24.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield have announced the news at a post-Cabinet press conference this afternoon.

The situation will be assessed again in a Cabinet meeting on Monday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says that whilst New Zealand is currently at a reasonable position in the response to cases of Covid-19 in the community it is too soon to draw conclusions when it comes to the Delta variant.

Therefore, a continued lockdown, which will take New Zealand to a week under Level 4 restriction, is necessary.

Ardern says the cases across New Zealand so far, can all be linked, which is a positive sign.

At this stage, we do not have random cases popping up outside of the places where we expect them, she says.

However, she points out several reasons why New Zealand will remain under the strictest restrictions.

The Ministry of Health is still waiting for a large number of contacts to return results. A large number of high-risk locations of interest have been identified. The outbreak is no longer being confined to Auckland, after three cases were reported in Wellington earlier today. Contacts of positive cases also stretch across the nation, including the South Island.

There are 11 new cases of Covid-19 in the New Zealand community to confirm today - eight are in Auckland and three are in Wellington.

This brings the total number of cases associated with the current Auckland community outbreak to 31, confirms the Ministry of Health.

"All cases have or are being transferred safely to a managed isolation facility, under strict infection prevention and control procedures, including the use of full PPE," says an MOH spokesperson.

"The three in Wellington had recently travelled to Auckland and visited a location of interest there."

The international Air New Zealand crew member, reported yesterday, has now been confirmed as a border-related case, and not linked to the Auckland outbreak, based on the results of whole genome sequencing.

"Nineteen cases are now confirmed as part of the Auckland outbreak, with the remaining 12 under investigation to confirm the linkage to the outbreak. Initial assessment shows in most cases there is a plausible link."

Of the 11 new community cases reported today:



 One case is in a family bubble with a case reported yesterday

 One case is in a family bubble with a case reported on Wednesday

 One case is in a family bubble with a case also reported on Wednesday

 Two of the cases we are reporting today are also in a family bubble together.



Public health officials are currently conducting interviews to establish how the new cases were infected and to determine further details of their movements.

"We will continue to release this information as it becomes available.

"In addition, there are two new cases in recent returnees in a managed isolation facility."

New cases identified at the border

Arrival date From Via Positive test day/reason Managed isolation/quarantine location 11 August Travel history not yet obtained Travel history not yet obtained Day 8/routine Auckland 18 August Philippines Singapore Day 0/routine Auckland

Testing

The Ministry's advice remains the same - please only get tested if you are a contact, have visited a location of interest at the specific date(s) and time(s), or have cold and flu symptoms.

"It is imperative we prioritise testing for these groups."

Yesterday, 27,899 tests were processed across New Zealand.

"Testing centres in Auckland had their busiest day ever, by more than 50 per cent. More than 24,000 community tests were performed across Auckland yesterday, with more than 8000 at community testing centres and around 16,000 at general practice and urgent care clinics. Police are helping to manage traffic flows at sites.

"The Ministry thanks New Zealanders playing their part in complying with Alert Level 4, in getting a test and for their patience at sites while there is high demand. The Ministry also thanks testing staff for stepping up again  these staff are working at pace at the frontline of our Covid-19 response, in high-stress environments, and making personal sacrifices to keep our communities safe."

There are 13 community testing centres available for testing across Auckland today, including seven pop-up community testing centres at Narrow Neck, St Lukes, Wairau Valley, St Johns, Albany, Mangere East, and Pakuranga Heights.

There is additional dedicated testing for Avondale College staff, students and whanau, who are considered to be close contacts.

Additionally, around 2600 swabs have been taken onsite from Auckland City Hospital staff and all have been negative so far, following a fully vaccinated staff member working onsite while unknowingly potentially infectious with Covid-19.

All community testing centres in Auckland are continuing to operate extended hours and many will remain open until 8pm today.

"Pop-up testing sites remain open in Coromandel Township, Thames, and Hamilton  and testing capacity is being surged to increase throughput at sites. Yesterday, Waikato DHBs laboratory processed nearly 2,600 (2,590) tests and all returned a negative result," says an MOH spokesperson.

"In Wellington, Covid-19 testing is under way, with a range of sites already in place, and are ensuring additional testing capacity is available, if needed.

"All DHBs are ensuring there is good access to testing across the regions. Further locations, including in rural areas, are being actively considered for expanding the geographical spread of testing to help determine whether there has been any undetected transmission to date."

For up-to-date information on all testing locations nationwide, visit www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19/

The total number of Covid-19 tests processed by laboratories to date is 2,612,235.

The seven-day rolling average is 9085.

Wastewater

Covid-19 was detected in wastewater samples collected on Wednesday from the Waitakere area in Auckland. This follows detection in the sample from Tuesday, says the Ministry.

"There have been no unexpected detections to report outside the Auckland region.

"Testing is in progress for a number of samples, most of which will be reported later today."

Whole genome sequencing, Crowne Plaza

The latest preliminary results from the recent whole genome sequencing of 10 test results completed last night show that of the community cases sequenced to date all are linked with the series of cases associated with case A.

Separately, the Air New Zealand crew member has been linked to three other cases in managed isolation in a different facility.

These four cases are not linked to the community cluster of cases and have a separate origin from overseas, says the MOH.

"The community cases are genomically linked to a case in managed isolation who stayed in the Crowne Plaza.

"Whole genome sequencing has also linked three cases in a family bubble next door to that original MIF case. As a result, public health officials are now arranging further testing for those returnees who have now left, or due to depart, who were on the same floor.

"ESR has noted that these whole genome sequencing results are preliminary, and that additional analysis will be carried out before they are finally confirmed."

Contact tracing

Public health staff across New Zealand are now engaged in contact tracing work, with focus on higher risk locations.

The Ministrys National Investigation and Tracing Centre, and all the countrys public health units, are working hard on the critical work necessary to investigate community cases, identify their contacts, tracing those contacts, and ensuring theyre in isolation and tested.

Isolation, when in Alert Level 4, means isolating themselves away from other household members.

As of 9am today, 1189 individual contacts had been identified.

This number excludes contacts from large settings, such as Avondale College and the Central Auckland Church of Christ, which are still being assessed.

"Most of these contacts are in the Auckland and Waikato regions, with a proportion located in other areas throughout the rest of North Island and South Island.

"As of 9am today, 642 contacts were in the Auckland and Waikato regions, 149 contacts were located throughout the rest of New Zealand, and the location of the remaining contacts is still being confirmed.

"The total number of contacts across the country is expected to increase as more locations of interest are identified."

Details of additional locations of interest identified have been added to the Ministrys website this morning and will be updated progressively.

The Ministrys website will also include advice on what to do if you were at any of these locations at the time when you could potentially have been exposed.

Text message alerts are being sent to people who scanned in using the Covid-19 Tracer App at locations during the relevant times.

If you were at a location of interest at the specified time, please self-isolate and call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice on testing.

Metro Auckland Hospitals

Hospitals across Metro Auckland are working closely with the Northern Region Health Co-ordination Centre to safely manage anyone in the region needing hospital level care.

This follows a positive case being confirmed as being treated at North Shore Hospital prior to being diagnosed with Covid-19 who could have been unknowingly infectious during their admission.

Patients needing emergency care are being diverted from North Shore Hospital to other Emergency Departments across metro Auckland.

There are about 120 staff at North Shore Hospital who were rostered on and may have been in the affected areas at the same time as the positive patient, says the Ministry.

"Of these, 30 had direct contact with the patient, the Ministry understands.

"These staff have been stood down and are following public health advice. Testing is being set up at the hospital for staff by local public health officials.

"About 107 patients were in the affected areas at the same time as the positive patient. Of these, 29 remain admitted as inpatients and are being isolated and tested for Covid-19. Seventy-eight have been discharged and are self-isolating at home and are being followed-up by public health officials.

"Public health officials are closely monitoring the situation and additional support is available for hospitals across Metro Auckland, if needed."

Section 70

There is a Section 70 notice in place that puts a legal requirement on all people who were at locations of interest at the relevant times.

There is a separate Section 70 notice that applies to household members of those who have been at locations of interest or have been categorised as a contact, says the Ministry.

"The household members are required to isolate until the contact has returned a negative day-five test result.

"It is very important that essential workers regularly check the locations of interest so they can isolate immediately if they have been at any of these locations at the relevant time(s).

"Failure or refusal to comply with this direction is an offence under s 72 of the Health Act 1956."

Covid-19 vaccine update

More than 2.64 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered to date (to 11.59pm on 19 August).

Of these, 1.67 million are first doses and more than 963,000 are second doses.

More than 145,000 Maori have received their first vaccination. Of these, more than 88,000 have also had their second vaccination.

More than 97,000 doses have been administered to Pacific peoples. Of these, more than 60,000 have also received their second doses.

Yesterday, 21,291 first doses were given, and 8626 second doses were administered, bringing yesterdays total doses administered to 29,917.

NZ Covid Tracer

NZ Covid Tracer now has 2,966,100 registered users.

Poster scans have reached 326,384,671 and users have created 13,410,127 manual diary entries.

There have been 497,085 scans in the 24 hours to midday yesterday.
A Bay of Plenty police officer says they, and other colleagues, are feeling vulnerable whilst not being fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

However, vaccination rates amongst the police look set to increase in the coming days, with a ramp-up expected from their vaccine provider.

The low vaccination rates among New Zealands police force came to light this week, following the countrys return to Alert Level 4 restrictions.

Police, as essential workers, continue on the job, dealing with the usual day-to-day front-facing business, albeit with extra precautions taken. Some, including in Tauranga, also had to disperse a small number of anti-lockdown protestors.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster confirmed on Wednesday that just 40 per cent of the nations 10,000 odd police officers were vaccinated.

One Western Bay of Plenty officer, speaking anonymously to SunLive, says they have no issue with the police department regarding the vaccine roll-out to staff, but is still surprised that police have not been fully vaccinated.

The rollout started six months ago and I cant believe that the police are not part of, what is it, the 850,000 people who are fully vaccinated, says the officer.

Weve started receiving our first jab but the expectation is that were meant to interface with the public with this delta strain and yet the government hasnt got us vaccinated.

Its frustrating for many staff. Were quite upset about it.

Were not going to give out much confidence to the public if were out and about, unvaccinated.

There are people in my station who are ordinarily fit and healthy but are still vulnerable and have people connected to them that are vulnerable. Definitely, the older staff are very concerned.

Western Bay of Plenty Police were not in a position to provide specific local vaccination numbers at this time.

Western Bay of Plenty Area Commander Inspector Clifford Paxton. File Image. SunLive.

However, staff in the area have been offered two different dates to get their vaccinations, after the first date was filled, says Area Commander Inspector Clifford Paxton.

Uptake in this has been very pleasing and further opportunities may be available this weekend, says Clifford.

Police have also received offers of additional vaccine provision from other providers in the community.

He also says that all necessary precautions are being taken to keep officers, and the general public, safe.

During Alert Level 4 safety is our number one priority. Officers make risk assessments when attending incidents, maintain good hygiene practices and use PPE where appropriate.

We urge people to abide by the restrictions for the safety and wellbeing of the whole community.

Police were placed in group four for Covid-19 vaccinations, along with the general population.

That is a decision New Zealand Police Association president Chris Cahill has been challenging from the outset.

I one hundred per cent support the officer in question and agree, he says of the anonymous Western Bay of Plenty officer.

Our concern is exactly what has come to play, that there would be another outbreak and unvaccinated police would then be expected to be on the frontline of the response.

It is a situation we should have never had to debate.

Police Association president Chris Cahill. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King.

Chris says it is not only about protecting police officers, but also the general public.

This is not just about protecting police and their families. It also reduces the chance of police becoming the transmitters.

The last thing you want is for the police to be the problem because they are unvaccinated. It was short-sighted by the Government.

Imagine the outrage if a police officer turned out to be a super spreader by responding to multiple events at multiple addresses. Rightly, the public would be pretty outraged.

Chris says he has now received assurances that the vaccination rates among police officers should be set to increase rapidly in the coming days.

The good news is that the vaccines have now been made available for police, he says.

Police have a partnership with a company called MedPro to vaccinate the staff, they are now working through the logistics of how best to get that rolled out.

He says that is likely to involve establishing the areas in which vaccination is most needed.

We cant change where we are at, can only improve going forward and it appears that is happening.

The Minister of Police, Poto Williams, says that New Zealand police officers who were eligible for rotation in managed isolation facilities, as well as their household contacts, were given access to the Covid-19 vaccine as part of the Group 1 roll-out at the start of the year.

Minister of Police Poto Williams. Photo. RNZ. Dom Thomas.

The remainder of Police are being treated the same as other emergency services such as Fire and Emergency New Zealand in the roll-out of the vaccination.

She also says the vaccine rollout is due to accelerate amongst the force in the near future.

Medpro, the police vaccine provider, are able to ramp up delivery as required and will be doing so in the coming days."

But National MP Simon Bridges, the representative for Tauranga, believes the current situation is another indication of the Governments sluggish vaccine approach.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges. File Image. SunLive.

Nearly everything about our current situation comes back to a very slow vaccine rollout, says Bridges.

Its also clear some, including police, should have been prioritised and havent been. Front line workers in critical roles like our local police should have been vaccinated by now.
Tauranga City Councils workforce remains focused on supplying essential services to the community during the Alert Level 4 lockdown.



Understandably, this will cause some disruption to services and the start date of projects, but we thank our community for their understanding as we all work together to stamp out COVID 19, says a Tauranga City Council spokesperson.

Following the Prime Ministers announcement, Tauranga will remain at Alert Level 4, until at least 11.59pm Tuesday August 24.



What you need to know:



Waste collection

Waste and recycling collection and disposal are an essential service so collections will continue to take place in the safest way possible.



The safety of their workers and community are still Councils highest priority during this time. While rubbish and recycling services remain unchanged, the assisted service will recommence from August 23.



Food scraps and glass bin collections

We remain unable to collect food scraps and glass bins as they must be picked up by hand as opposed to being lifted by a truck, which poses a health risk to our drivers and the community, says a Council spokesperson.



Residents are still encouraged to hold onto recycling and food scraps until the next collection. If thats not possible, food scraps and glass can both go in the red-lid rubbish bin. Glass in the red-lid bin should be the last resort as it will be sent to landfill.



If your rubbish bin is too full, glass can be put into the yellow-lid recycling bin, but it won't be recycled.



Parks and playgrounds

All playgrounds are closed, and we ask people to avoid touching any playground equipment.



Picnic tables and public barbecues are also closed.



Under Alert Level 4 you can still exercise but avoid spaces where you cannot practice safe social distancing.



As most of the track up and around Mauao are narrow and people are not able to safely maintain social distances, all Mauao tracks will remain closed.. McLaren Falls and some other parks will also be closed to the public.



Under the current alert level, storm water reserves, parks and reserves cannot be weeded or mowed as it is not an essential service.





Customer Service Centre

The customer service centre is closed but the call centre is available 24/7.

You can reach them on (07) 577 7000. You can also do many of the things you need from us online  please visit our Do it online page at www.tauranga.govt.nz .



Essential service works

People may see staff and contractors out and about  the work theyre doing is essential to keeping the city running so we ask people to please give them a wide berth and maintain a safe two-metre distance, says a Council spokesperson.



Projects on hold or delayed

Under the current alert level, only essential works is permitted. As a result, the start of some projects are on hold or they may be delayed.



Tauranga City Libraries

All Tauranga City Libraries are closed.

If you have any library items, please hold onto them for now.

An extensive collection of eBooks, eNewspapers, eMagazines, and other online resources is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week through the Digital Library.



Art gallery and venues

Tauranga Art Gallery, Bay Venues Limited (BVL), BayCourt Community and Arts Centre will remain closed.



Transportation

Council will continue to deal with immediate safety issues like dangerous potholes and debris on the road. CCTV cameras will still be monitored, and streetlights will still function.



Building inspections

There will be no building inspections under Alert Level 4. Inspections that were planned over will be rescheduled.



Animal Services

Animal services will continue to manage the Pound and respond to dangerous and wandering dogs.



Community welfare

Emergency welfare and support services are being coordinated by Civil Defence Emergency Management, for which Council has an essential role alongside partner agencies and organisations.



For a full update on Council services and facilities, visit: tauranga.govt.nz

For updates on CODI-19 visit: covid19.govt.nz
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TAHLEQUAH [mdash] Glen R. Haddock, born March 14, 1938 in Bakersfield, California to Johnny Aaron and Beulah Bea (Fredrick) Haddock passed away in his home August 24, 2021, at the age of 83 years 5 months and 10 days with his family holding his hands. Glen was the youngest of his twin sister
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Seminole, FL (33772)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 82F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 77F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
red herring BHPian

Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: MUMBAI Posts: 32 Thanked: 276 Times

Booked Tata Safari | My amount is stuck | EDIT: Got full refund Fraud by Tata Motors & its Dealer DSM Autos, Kurla, Mumbai



Quote: red herring Originally Posted by Hi All,



This post is to get some help and advice from you all.



I booked a Safari XZA+ from the TATA dealer My DSM, Kurla in Mumbai in April. I paid an initial booking amount and was informed that the delivery would happen around 10th June. I started following up for the chassis allocation around 1st June and closer to the date of delivery the delivery date was moved and kept moving forward every one week. In early July I got a call from My DSM Kurla to pay some deposit amount so as to secure a vehicle. Hesitatingly I gave some deposit amount (big mistake) for which I received the receipts. All this while the dealer kept refusing to give final delivery date on mail - all verbal communications which were never honored.



Finally around 10th July after much wait, I decided to write emails to the company and also tweeted to Ratan Tata citing a default of payment. Finally things started moving and I received some mail communication and a call from the company - no final date of delivery yet.



While delayed deliveries are a norm, it's not where I need your help. Once I spoke to the company official, he informed me that My DSM is not authorized to sell a Tata Safari as he has some funds crunch at his end. And he is trying to source me a Safari from another dealer. This spooked me out - not sure why but it did. May be the lack of transparency or the outright lies that the dealer kept telling me.



Since this piece of information, I been have insisting on a refund or a mail from a official Tata Motors email ID that what My DSM is doing is an allowed practice and all future commitments of return/service will be honored. My worry is in case the Safari I get develops issues right at the outset and has to be returned, My DSM cannot do jack. The dealer from which he has bought the car wouldn't be able to help me either and I will be stuck with a lemon for life.



What would be the your view here? What would you do - insist on a refund or take the car if Tata's confirm on mail that all's fine with this practice? IMO, this sounds like a compliance issue for which heads should role if it gets caught in audit - its something which would happen in the companies where I've worked. Not sure how strong Tata's compliance practices are.



Looking forward to some help here.



Thanks



DSM as I had mentioned is not authorized to take bookings of Safari as per TM (Tata Motors) guidelines but they went ahead and took my booking. They were to service my booking by purchasing the car from another dealer without really informing me of this arrangement. Whether it was mal intention or sheer incapability to manage their cash flows, they couldn't provide me with a vehicle within the committed timelines and now have gone absent with my initial deposit amount. DSM hasn't refunded my amount yet and doesn't seem like they intend to.



Why I think Tata Motors is also involved in this - well this arrangement of inter dealer car transfer wouldn't have gone unnoticed by TM infact they might have actively encouraged this. Anyways, for a group that prides itself on propriety, this is gaping compliance and integrity issue.



I am thinking of sending a legal notice to DSM and TM. In all this I'm hoping I am able to salvage some of my money. TM asked me to transfer my booking to another dealer so that I can get my car sooner. Now I'm not even sure I want to do that and ever buy a Tata car - a company which makes you grovel for your own money imagine what would they do if there is some issue with my car. They will immediately wash their hands off the issue.



Lesson learnt for me and hopefully others will think twice before doing a transaction with Tata Motors & DSM, Kurla.







Quote: You'll notice that the booking is for a Tata Harrier - which is what I had booked earlier, but then asked them to change it to Safari. They never sent a booking receipt for Safari, except for the WhatsApp confirmation. Now I understand why they didn't send a revised booking for Safari - they were just not authorised to sell it!! Sadly this got escalated to a full fraud from Tata Motors & its Dealer DSM Autos, Kurla, Mumbai.DSM as I had mentioned is not authorized to take bookings of Safari as per TM (Tata Motors) guidelines but they went ahead and took my booking. They were to service my booking by purchasing the car from another dealer without really informing me of this arrangement. Whether it was mal intention or sheer incapability to manage their cash flows, they couldn't provide me with a vehicle within the committed timelines and now have gone absent with my initial deposit amount. DSM hasn't refunded my amount yet and doesn't seem like they intend to.Why I think Tata Motors is also involved in this - well this arrangement of inter dealer car transfer wouldn't have gone unnoticed by TM infact they might have actively encouraged this. Anyways, for a group that prides itself on propriety, this is gaping compliance and integrity issue.I am thinking of sending a legal notice to DSM and TM. In all this I'm hoping I am able to salvage some of my money. TM asked me to transfer my booking to another dealer so that I can get my car sooner. Now I'm not even sure I want to do that and ever buy a Tata car - a company which makes you grovel for your own money imagine what would they do if there is some issue with my car. They will immediately wash their hands off the issue.Lesson learnt for me and hopefully others will think twice before doing a transaction with Tata Motors & DSM, Kurla. Last edited by GTO : 19th August 2021 at 19:07 . Reason: Adding booking receipt
RahulNagaraj BHPian



Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Bangalore Posts: 387 Thanked: 4,094 Times

Mercedes 'Car-to-X' tech allows new C-Class, S-Class & EQS models to detect potholes







As per Mercedes, the Car-to-X technology is activated when the chassis control unit of a car detects a pothole or speed bump. The information is then sent in real-time to the Mercedes-Benz cloud via a mobile phone network. The technology then informs all other Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles in the vicinity by displaying it on the navigational map via icons. Also, 10 seconds before the pothole, the car will provide an audible warning, while also visually highlighting the icon on the map.



The new C-Class, S-Class & EQS models will get an audible message saying 'Lookout, pothole' or 'Attention, speed bump'. Mercedes states that cars will need to have a 'Mercedes-Me' account, along with the activation and online availability of the Car-to-X communication.



The German luxury car brand has already rolled out the new alert system across select markets worldwide. The audible warnings are available in 36 different languages, recognised by the infotainment system.



The Car-to-X technology is said to have been developed and tested in-house by Mercedes-Benz. The company will be offering the new safety alert system free of cost across its models for the first three years, with the option of renewing it for a fixed fee thereafter.



Link to Team-BHP news Mercedes-Benz introduced its 'Car-to-X' technology back in 2016 on the E-Class model. Now, the company has rolled out the technology on the new C-Class, S-Class and EQS models, while also introducing a new feature capable of detecting potholes and speed bumps.As per Mercedes, the Car-to-X technology is activated when the chassis control unit of a car detects a pothole or speed bump. The information is then sent in real-time to the Mercedes-Benz cloud via a mobile phone network. The technology then informs all other Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles in the vicinity by displaying it on the navigational map via icons. Also, 10 seconds before the pothole, the car will provide an audible warning, while also visually highlighting the icon on the map.The new C-Class, S-Class & EQS models will get an audible message saying 'Lookout, pothole' or 'Attention, speed bump'. Mercedes states that cars will need to have a 'Mercedes-Me' account, along with the activation and online availability of the Car-to-X communication.The German luxury car brand has already rolled out the new alert system across select markets worldwide. The audible warnings are available in 36 different languages, recognised by the infotainment system.The Car-to-X technology is said to have been developed and tested in-house by Mercedes-Benz. The company will be offering the new safety alert system free of cost across its models for the first three years, with the option of renewing it for a fixed fee thereafter.
What just happened? Samsung has replaced Intel as the worlds largest semiconductor manufacturer, thanks to a 19% increase in quarterly sales on the back of strong demand and rising prices in the DRAM and flash memory markets.

Like its long-running rivalry with Apple in the phone worldbefore Xiaomi dominateSamsung is constantly fighting with Intel for the number one position in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

According to analyst firm IC Insights August update to the 2021 McClean Report, Samsung moved from second place in Q1 2021 to number one in Q2. The company made $19.26 billion in integrated circuit (IC) sales and $1.03 billion from optoelectronic, sensor, and discrete (OSD) sales, the Korea Herald reports, making a total of $20.29 billion in overall sales.

Intel posted $19.3 billion in second-quarter sales, a QoQ increase of just 3%. The change marks the first time Intel has been knocked off the top position since the third quarter of 2018.

IC Insights believes Samsung will stay on top throughout the current quarter as memory demand increases, beating Intels sales total by around $3.5 billion.

Further down the list, TSMC sits in third place, followed by SK Hynix in fourth and Micron in fifth. The latter two companies experienced 21% and 16% QoQ sales increases, respectively. Elsewhere, Nvidia saw its sales rise 14%, and MediaTek was up 17%. They were two of the four fabless companies in the top ten alongside Qualcomm and Broadcom.

Overall sales for the top ten reached $95.5 billion in the second quarter, up 10% QoQ. IC Insights predicts that the semiconductor market will increase by 23% in 2021.

In related news, we recently heard that Samsung is raising chip fabrication prices to finance new foundries.
(Photo : GettlyImages/ SOPA Images ) Jeff Bezos Blue Origin

Blue Origin is suing NASA over the space agency's decision to award SpaceX a $2.9 billion lunar lander contract.

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Blue Origin, stated that the deal was unfair, and there were fundamental issues that were not addressed.

Blue Origin Sues NASA

The argument between Blue Origin and NASA began in April when the space agency decided to hand the deal to SpaceX instead of giving it to both companies. NASA stated that they could only give it to one company due to funding issues.

In a court filing on Aug. 19, Blue Origin stated that it continued to believe that both companies were needed to manufacture the lunar landing system, which will carry astronauts to the Moon's surface by 2024, according to BBC.

Blue Origin also accused the space agency of improper evaluation during the selection process for the project.

Also Read: Blue Origin vs Virgin Galactic: Jeff Bezos' Space Company Takes Swipes at Competition on Twitter

Blue Origin stated that they want the issues identified and the outcome addressed to restore fairness, create healthy competition and ensure a "safe return to the Moon for America."

When the deal was given to SpaceX, NASA's human exploration chief, Kathy Lueders, admitted that the agency's current budget was not enough for two companies because Congress granted it only $850 million out of the $3.3 billion budget that is requested for the project.

NASA also cited the proven record of orbital missions by SpaceX as one of the factors in the selection. The cost also played a massive role in the process because SpaceX's bid was the lowest-priced one.

In July, Bezos offered to pay $2 billion of the space agency's costs. It was the company's attempt to be reconsidered from the project, but it was eventually denied, according to CNBC.

The US watchdog, Government Accountability Office or GAO, rejected the complaint from Blue Origin and Dynetic, saying that NASA had not acted improperly and unfairly and that the space agency handed the contract to the correct firm.

NASA is obligated to file a response to the lawsuit by Oct. 12. Meanwhile, SpaceX is yet to comment on the issue.

Under the Artemis program, the space agency is hoping to return humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972, according to The Verge.

In April, Lueders stated that this important could put humanity on a path to sustainable lunar exploration. It can also help keep the agency's eyes on missions farther into the solar system, like Mars.

Blue Origin Going Head-to-Head with SpaceX

Blue Origin is not only competing with SpaceX to win contracts. It is also competing with Musk's Starship.

Blue Origin is working on a Jarvis project, which is said to be made of stainless steel and propellant tanks.

Project Jarvis is inspired by SpaceX's reusable Starship rockets. This shows that Bezos is emulating Musk's plan to land and reuse both the booster and the upper stage of Starship.

Aside from the said project, Blue Origin is also selling seats on its spaceflight for $28 million to entice customers and investors.

In 2016, Musk announced the Starship project. The public was skeptical of the idea of having a reusable launch system.

In 2019, a lot of people were still doubtful, but after Musk announced a change from carbon fiber to low-cost stainless steel for the primacy structure, the public began to believe it may work.

Project Jarvis has no official launch date yet, but it has been confirmed that Blue Origin is working on it and may even race SpaceX to Mars.

Related Article: Elon Musk Agrees that Blue Origin Should Spend More Time on Rocket Science Instead of Protesting NASA's HLS Decisions

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
TikTok's plan to collect its users' voice and face biometrics has prompted senators to ask the company why such data is being collected and for what.

Senators Amy Klobuchar and John Thune have sent a letter to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew regarding the matter. Both senators have expressed alarm over the latest change to the TikTok privacy policy.

TikTok Plans to Collect Users' Biometrics

TikTok's plan to collect users' biometrics was first revealed in June. That month, a change was made to the TikTok privacy policy for U.S. users. That change involved a newly added section in the privacy policy called "Image and Audio Information."

Per the new section of the TikTok privacy policy, TikTok may collect information about the things found in the content that you post on the platform, including "objects and scenery that appear, the existence and location within an image of face and body features and attributes, the nature of the audio, and the text of the words spoken in your User Content."

TikTok claims that such information is being collected for content moderation and demographic classifications among other reasons specified in the section.

What has been alarming many, however, is the next part of the section, which talks about collecting users' biometrics.

"We may collect biometric identifiers and biometric information as defined under US laws, such as faceprints and voiceprints, from your User Content," the TikTok privacy policy reads.

TikTok adds that it will ask permission from users where required by law.

Senators Express Alarm Over Change to TikTok Privacy Policy

Since the change to TikTok's user privacy was made, senators have expressed alarm over the collection of biometric information of its users.

In the letter to the TikTok CEO, Senators Klobuchar and Thune asked the company to explicitly define what exactly are "faceprints and voiceprints," according to TechCrunch.

The senators also demanded an explanation for what TikTok will use such information for. They also asked if biometric information will also be collected for users who are under 18 years old.

Related Article: TikTok to Settle $92M Lawsuit After Being Accused of Collecting User Data, Private Information

TikTok's Data Collection Issues

As the report by TechCrunch highlights, this is not the first time that TikTok has been questioned or came under fire for its data collection and privacy issues.

Early this year, TikTok paid $92 million as part of a settlement for a class-action lawsuit over the company's unlawful collection of biometric data and even sharing it with third parties.

TikTok's privacy issue involving children was also investigated last year. At that time, both the Department of Justice and the Federal Commercial Commission investigated the allegations that TikTok failed to live up to an agreement regarding children's privacy.

According to the report by TechCrunch, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) "slapped TikTok with a $5.7 million fine for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires apps to receive parental permission before collecting a minor's data" in 2019.

Read Also: TikTok Enhances Privacy Settings for Young Users by Adding Certain Restrictions by Default

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX moon lander project contract is facing another delay as it has been on hold again due to the lawsuit filed by the rival of the latter, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

It comes after NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, went on to voluntarily suspend the contract up until Nov. 1, allowing the United States federal court to tackle the case that another bidder of the project, Blue Origin, filed.

NASA's move is in accordance with the request of Blue Origin to pause the SpaceX contract as the lawsuit is still ongoing, The Verge reported, citing a source close to the court filing.

NASA and SpaceX Moon Lander Project

NASA has awarded the $3 billion worth of contract to SpaceX to build the lunar lander, which will bring humans to the moon.

It is worth noting that it is not the first time that the project faced a hiccup, which caused delays to the project.

On April 26, Blue Origin already protested the moon contract of NASA with Musk's SpaceX in a complaint filed with the Government Accountability Office or GAO, which was filed swiftly, or two weeks after project awarding occurred.

Bezos' space company alleges NASA of "flawed acquisition" for its Human Lang System, adding that the decision is "high risk."

The protest bought time for Blue Origin by delaying the contract by up to 95 days.

However, according to Space, GAO dismissed Blue Origin's complaint against NASA's contract with SpaceX. Thus, the moon lander project continued as is--or that's what some assumed.

Read Also: Elon Musk Agrees that Blue Origin Should Spend More Time on Rocket Science Instead of Protesting NASA's HLS Decisions

Blue Origin's Lawsuit Halts NASA, SpaceX Contract

The space company of billionaire and Amazon founder took another route to protest the NASA and SpaceX contract by bringing the case to the federal court last Aug. 21.

And now, NASA is working closely with the Department of Justice to cooperate with the litigation, which is expected to end by Nov. 1 as the space agency is trying to follow the project timeline.

Moreover, the oral arguments of the lawsuit is starting by Oct. 14. In hindsight, NASA plans to bring astronauts to the moon again sometime in 2024.

On the other hand, Elon Musk is confident that NASA and SpaceX's lunar lander project will bring humans to the moon sooner than 2024-albeit with the delays that it has been facing.

However, it is to note that the SpaceX exec made this pronouncement on August 15, before NASA agreed to pause the project.

Related Article: SpaceX is Going to Jupiter: NASA Selects Falcon Heavy for Europa Clipper Mission, To Look at Suitable Life Conditions

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Apple's office return mandate for its employees is facing yet another push back as the COVID-19 cases rise again due to the more transmissible Delta strain, as per the latest memo that the Cupertino giant sent to its workers.

According to Bloomberg, the memo to the employees was sent by the human resources and retail senior vice president of Apple, Deirdre O'Brien, on Aug. 19, noting that all retail stores and its offices will remain operational.

Apple Employee's Office Return Postponed

The Apple exec further acknowledged the frustrations that their staff must be experiencing as the pandemic still prevails, as per The Verge. She added on the memo that: "For many colleagues around the world, this period has been a time of great tragedy, suffering, and heartbreak."

O'Brien further assured the employees of the iPhone maker that they are there to support one another as they face the wrath of the novel coronavirus. On top of that, the memo also encouraged Apple employees to get their vaccination to protect themselves from the infection of COVID-19.

It is worth noting that Apple has yet to require vaccinations as well as testing for their employees. However, the tech company hosts a testing program, which regularly tests its employees at least once a week.

Apple has yet to comment on the internal memo that reached the public.

Apple and Employee Office Return

Previously, the Cupertino giant was not a fan of the working from home setup for most of its employees. However, the stance of the tech titan changed later on.

The Apple CEO, Tim Cook, raised the possibility of a hybrid working system, wherein staff will be required to report in the office for at least three days a week.

Initially, the hybrid model was supposed to begin by September, but it has since been moved to October--and now it is most likely to be delayed again until January next year.

It is to note as well that employees of the Cupertino giant strongly denounced the hybrid setup of the tech titan, proposing an option to opt to work from the confines of their homes.

Some Apple employees even threatened that they might be forced to quit the company if there is no option for them to do their responsibilities remotely.

Read Also: Apple Wants To Rely On Frequent COVID Tests for Employees As Vaccine Requirement Is Still Pending

COVID-19 Cases Surge

As per Bloomberg's COVID-19 tracker embedded in the same report, as of Aug. 19, there are a total of 660,038 new cases globally, whereas, in the United States, there are 138,472 fresh cases.

On a more optimistic note, the data shows that nearly 5 billion people have already gotten their vaccine across 183 countries worldwide.

Related Article: Apple Employees Voice Out Concerns Over CSAM Detection Tool-Flooding the Company Slack Channel

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Binance, the largest global exchange for cryptocurrencies, has been involved in a commotion that caused millions of damages to its investors. As a result, some traders on the platform have expressed their concerns about the company.

Binance Traders Are Disappointed After Major Outage

According to a report by CNBC on Thursday, Aug. 19, many traders have been voicing out their opinions about how Binance handled them during the outage that happened over the past months.

For instance, one customer named Fawaz Ahmed has experienced some problems with the trading platform. There was a time when he witnessed the dropping value of $ETH in Binance. When he found a perfect moment to exit from the site, the major outage surprisingly hit them.

As a result, there were many losses that Ahmed encountered with his experience. Back on May 19 when the fiasco erupted, he did not manage to get out fast. When Bitcoin and Ethereum's price plunged, the Canadian investor knew that he would be losing money worth nearly $6 million.

"This loss was not fair. This is something which was out of my control," the 33-year old trader said in an interview with CNBC.

When many people started to complain about their losses, Binance became pressed about the issue. The platform said that it did not cover the unrealized profits of the investors since this was an unforeseen scenario.

Besides Binance, Coinbase has also experienced huge blows from unexpected outages. At that time, the users could not enter the site.

Binance Has No Official Headquarters

According to Binance CEO, Changpeng "CZ'' Zhao, their platform has no known headquarters.

For investors, it's hard to trust a platform that does not have an established office. If they have complaints, they could not easily settle them since Binance has no physical space for negotiation.

For that part, about 1,000 individuals were seeking damages from the platform. They would push through their proposal to discuss the potential headquarters that Binance should build.

As per Liti Capital's chief investment officer, David Kay, since the platform has no headquarters, office, or home, the company only has jurisdiction in international arbitration in Hongkong. This means that when a person wants to raise a case against Binance, he/she will need to travel to Hongkong. The claimant will also consider the additional expenses, which could reach millions.

Read Also: Popular Crypto Experiences 'Short Bounce' Over $30k--Why Digital Currencies Suffer Downward Trend

Binance Amid Crypto Crackdown

The Binance environment has been popular among investors. Even the newbie traders could engage with the platform with ease.

However, the cryptocurrency crackdown has had a big impact on the exchange. Many people are becoming aware of the lack of consumer protection that the platform offers. Moreover, another concern that traders point out is the rampant money laundering activities.

Recently, the Netherlands has joined several countries that imposed a ban on Binance. According to the Dutch central bank, the platform has been participating in illegal operations, Law 360 reported.

Previously, the United Kingdom did the same thing on the platform after learning about its malicious activities.

Earlier this month, Binance US CEO Brian Brooks stepped down from his role following the ongoing scrutiny in the crypto exchange.

According to Zhao, he would resign from this post when he sees someone worthy of the position. He said that the person that will replace him should have more experience when it comes to managing a firm and its regulations.

Related Article: Breaking: Binance Banned from Operating in UK a Day After Japan and Canada Ban, FCA

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Japan has successfully finished an experiment involving a rocket engine in space. The demonstration made use of the rotating detonation engine (RDE), which generates an explosion upon the reaction from oxygen and fuel.

JAXA Completes Rocket Explosion Test in Space

For those who are not familiar with RDE, the component can be enabled through a series of detonations.

The recent experiment of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) showed success in the demonstration of a rocket engine explosion. The team also found out that the test would be a big help to space transportation.

According to JAXA, what they did was a possible key to explore more about deep space exploration. By hitting extremely high frequencies ranging from 1 to 100 kHz, the process gave rise to the emergence of compression and detonation waves.

In addition, this demonstration has paved the way for the detonation engine to decrease the weight of the rocket engine while adding up the reaction speed.

Moreover, the Japanese scientists also aimed to develop the performance of the engine.

Rocket Engine Housed in No. 31 Vehicle

In an article written by Japan Times, the rocket engine was contained by the No.31 vehicle, a space rocket belonging to the S-520 sounding rocket group.

JAXA said that at nearly 5:30 AM in the Uchinoura Space Center, Kagoshima Prefecture, the vehicle took off on July 27.

Upon reaching 235 kilometers within the first four minutes of the release, the vehicle hit the southeast area of Uchinoura in the sea. The duration lasted for about eight minutes.

At the time, JAXA was collecting the data carried in a capsule. The Japanese space team retrieved it after it touched the water.

After a triumphant demonstration of the rocket engine explosion, Japan saw this opportunity to be useful in some cases. In the long run, this would be beneficial to JAXA when setting up experiments in deep space exploration.

Additionally, the crew would also be able to conduct multi-stage tests for the engines in the future.

Outside the deep space exploration, JAXA was looking forward to utilizing what they learned for many scientific demonstrations. They could use the knowledge to improve their planetary preparations ahead of time.

Besides JAXA, the US Navy has shown interest in exploring the capability of RDEs in space. Many American organizations believed that the experiment would aid them to stick with the cost-efficient consumption of fuel for some automobiles.

Last year, some engineers from the US Air Force said that they succeeded in their 271 N RDE tests. The experiment involved the use of oxygen and hydrogen fuel, as per Auto Evolution.

Read Also: Japanese Space Junk Clean Up Mission Fails, Dangerous Debris Still Swirling Around Earth

JAXA's Collaborations With Other Agencies

JAXA has been known to participate in many space collaborations with other firms. Its enthusiasm to create a useful robot for the 2029 lunar mission has finally happened, thanks to Sony, Doshisha University, and popular toymaker, Tomy.

Last May, the Japanese space agency announced that the small rover would be "ultra light-weight" for its size as it only weighs about 250 grams. The robot would be in a running position on the lunar surface in the next few years.

In 2014, JAXA also collaborated with NASA to boost its campaign for informative weather predictions around the world.

Related Article: JAXA Scientists Transmit Wireless Power Through 170 Feet Of Air: Next Up - Orbital Solar Farms

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Monoclonal antibodies have been making the rounds lately as a purported alternative to the COVID-19 vaccine, as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been pushing for the establishment of large sites that allow Floridians to get the treatment.

However, not a lot of people are aware of what these really do. As a result, ABC Action News took the liberty of delving deeper into how monoclonal antibodies work, and the answers are quite interesting, to say the least.

Monoclonal antibodies take advantage of the human body's ability to protect itself against infections. But something like COVID-19 is a different story. Since it's classified as a novel virus, the body often doesn't have the right antibodies required to recognize the disease.

This is where monoclonal antibodies come in. As per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these mAbs are specifically designed in laboratories to help fight a very particular infection. In this instance, it's COVID-19. If administered with the right dosage, these antibodies can help fight off the coronavirus and even help some people avoid getting hospitalized.

There is one catch about monoclonal antibodies, however: not everyone can have them. According to CBSNews, the treatment can only be administered after a coronavirus infection within ten days of the appearance of the first symptoms and specifically before the symptoms get too severe. This is what separates it from a typical COVID vaccine, which can be administered to prevent an infection in the first place.

Read also: New COVID-19 Study Shows Why Delta Can Evade Immune System and How It Becomes US Most Dominant Variant

Monoclonal Antibodies: A Little Iffy in the Wake of Delta

More and more Americans seem to be opting for monoclonal antibodies in the wake of new surges caused by the Delta variant. But therein lies the problem. While these antibodies are effective in specific circumstances, Delta's specific traits are rendering it almost useless.

Since monoclonal antibodies can only be given to a patient who's already got the coronavirus, it presents a multitude of complications. For one, many patients stricken with Delta have moderate to severe symptoms. Any patient with a major oxygen deficiency, continuous high fever, and dehydration is considered too sick to get monoclonal antibodies.

All of these symptoms (lack of oxygen, high fever, dehydration) are typical Delta variant red flags. Not to mention, the new COVID-19 variant is as contagious as Chickenpox, which then puts doctors in a race against time. Add this up to the fact that patients need to wait ten days after the first symptoms appear, and you have a massive problem on your hands.

Vaccines Still Offer THE BEST Protection

Remember the old adage "prevention is better than cure?" That phrase perfectly applies to the current situation. A COVID-19 vaccine will always offer the best protection against the virus, whether it's protection from being infected or preventing hospitalization, severe illness, and death. It's really unwise to wait until you get sick before you get the protection you need.

Read also: Serbian Hermit Living in Cave for 20 Years Learns About COVID-19 Pandemic, Gets Vaccinated

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Written by RJ Pierce

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Louisiana Department of Health reported 2,999 hospitalizations and 56 more confirmed deaths in its noon update Thursday.

Confirmed cases increased by 3,447. Another 2,475 cases and 11 deaths were listed as "probable" by the Louisiana Department of Health, for a total of 5,922 new cases and 67 new deaths.

The number of COVID hospitalizations decreased by 14 from the day before, the second day in a row that patient counts have fallen after more than a week of record-setting numbers.

The number of patients in need of ventilators decreased by 6, for a total of 470 ventilated patients.

All but one of Louisiana's nine health regions have 20% or fewer ICU beds available. Region 5 located in southeast Louisiana around Lake Charles has only 2 ICU beds available.

The number of weekly deaths continues to increase, with 333 coronavirus deaths over the last seven days. The week prior, 250 people died, and one month ago the weekly rate was 59.

+4 After her husband was hospitalized with COVID, here's how a woman 'made peace' with vaccine Editor's note: This is a discrete chapter of a larger story about the strain on Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center as the hospital f

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In Louisiana, around 2,213,602 vaccines have been initiated, about 47.6% of the population, and 1,836,731 have been completed, representing about 39.5% 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.

Parishes with the highest number of new deaths:

East Baton Rouge: 9

Lafayette: 5

Caddo: 5

Orleans: 4

Tangipahoa: 3

St. Landry: 3

Jefferson: 3

Livingston: 2

Iberia: 2

Franklin: 2

Parishes with the highest number of new cases:

Jefferson: 438

Orleans: 288

St. Tammany: 259

East Baton Rouge: 235

Caddo: 195

Terrebonne: 154

Lafayette: 154

Bossier: 139

Ouachita: 130

Calcasieu: 115
If you get infected with COVID-19, there's a simple treatment that could significantly improve your chances of staying out of the hospital: monoclonal antibodies.

Most hospitals offer the treatment, which helps jumpstart your body's immune response to the virus. It typically takes an hour-and-a-half to administer and is given through an IV infusion.

"It's very effective at keeping people who aren't that sick from needing hospitalization if it's given quickly, if it's given with the first few days of somebody having symptoms," said Dr. Joe Kanter, the state's top public health official.

The treatment is time-sensitive: patients should receive the infusion as soon as possible after a positive COVID-19 test result or within 10 days of the development of symptoms to get the best results.

So far, Ochsner Health System has administered 9,700 monoclonal antibody infusions. Of those patients, only 28 were subsequently admitted to the hospital, according to Warner Thomas, the hospital's CEO.

A healthcare provider must prescribe monoclonal antibodies.

If you don't have a doctor, you can call the state's COVID help line at 1-855-453-0774 for assistance in getting connected with the treatment.

"If you're diagnosed with COVID and you're early in that process and you're not in a hospital, I strongly advise you to call your doctor or medical provider, ask if monoclonal antibodies are indicated for you and if they are ask for their help to get you connected," Kanter said.

+4 After her husband was hospitalized with COVID, here's how a woman 'made peace' with vaccine Editor's note: This is a discrete chapter of a larger story about the strain on Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center as the hospital f

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made molecules that mimic the immune system response to SARS-CoV-2. Louisiana has offered the treatment since Nov. 2020, when the FDA approved it under Emergency Use Authorization.

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As of Friday, 176 providers were offering the treatment, according to Gov. John Bel Edwards. He noted that that state has added 41 new locations since July 1.

There were almost 7,000 infusions given last week alone, Edwards said, adding that Louisiana has been on the forefront of offering the treatment since it became available.

"The Trump administration recognized Louisiana for the number of transfusions that were administered in our state very early on relative to other states," Edwards said.

To qualify, you have to be at least 12 years of age or older and weigh at least 88 pounds.

You also must be considered "high risk" and satisfy one of the following criteria: have chronic kidney disease, diabetes, a body mass index greater than 35 or an immunosuppressive disease; are 65 years of age or older; are 55 years of age or older and have either cardiovascular disease, hypertension, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

+15 No peace: During fourth COVID surge, exhaustion spreads inside Our Lady of the Lake Morgan Babins team was able to revive a coronavirus patient who was on the brink of death this week inside the intensive care unit. It was a 

For those aged 12-17, you must meet one of the following criteria: a BMI greater than 85th percentile for age and gender; sickle cell disease; congenital or acquired heart disease; a neurodevelopmental disorder; a medical-related technological dependence; asthma or other chronic respiratory disease that requires daily medication for control.

The treatment isn't intended to replace the vaccines, which are highly effective on their own at combating the deadly virus. But officials hope its use can free up bed space as hospitals grapple with the latest and worst surge of COVID.

"It is effective at keeping people out of the hospital and we can use every hospital bed saved right now that we can get," Kanter said.

Edwards said it's a "big part of our strategy to preserve hospital capacity."
Five years after devastating floods gutted a Denham Springs public housing complex, its tenants are one step closer to returning home.

The Denham Springs Housing Authority is buying land off La. 190 near the Brandon G. Thompson Funeral Home to rebuild the apartments, agency Director Fred Banks said. New Covenant Baptist Church is selling the parcel while the city has rezoned and annexed part of the land to make way for the development.

Its going to be rewarding for the residents, Banks said. They can go back home.

The August 2016 floods displaced people who lived in the old building on Eugene Street, along with about 90% of structures in the town of 10,000 residents.

The complex has been empty ever since.

FEMA provided a $10.6 million grant to rebuild, but agency rules require homes to elevate by 6 or 8 feet if they stay in the same spot, Banks explained. Demolishing and raising existing buildings would be extremely costly, while the added height would make them more difficult to access for elderly and disabled tenants.

With no dwellings to return to, housing authority residents have bided their time in apartments scattered around the Livingston Parish town, their rents mostly covered by the agency.

Finding a new location for the complex proved challenging.

Last year, the housing authority eyed a vacant concrete plant near the old building as a possible site, but the City Council blocked a request to rezone the property amid pushback.

Opponents of the project said they worried the influx of residents would worsen traffic and flooding. They also questioned whether inadequate infrastructure and proximity to train tracks made the concrete plant site uninhabitable.

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When the council denied the rezoning, a representative of the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center said the decision likely ran afoul of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits local governments from making discriminatory land-use decisions.

+2 Denham Springs Council blocks proposed location to rebuild flooded public housing The Denham Springs City Council has denied a request to rezone property occupied by a vacant concrete plant, blocking an effort to rebuild a f

Banks said the church land  a large grassy field separated by a road from the funeral home  is a better location for the housing authority complex than the defunct industrial plant.

We thought the concrete factory had what we needed, Banks said. But some of the (issues) that people raised, like the railroad being too close, might have been true.

Of the new site, he said, I know that this is where God wanted us and felt this was a better fit for the people.

For the housing authority project to proceed, a portion of the property near the funeral parlor had to be rezoned for single- and multi-family homes and annexed into the city proper, said Rick Foster, director of Denham Springs Planning and Development Office.

The City Council has already approved those proposals.

Foster, who also works as a floodplain administrator for the city, said the new site will be safer for than the previous one, which was located in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area, that is, one especially vulnerable to flooding. The new location is in an X-zone  considered outside the floodplain of a 500-year flood and protected from a 100-year flood.

Denham Springs Housing Authority gets final OK from FEMA for $10.6 million reconstruction A public housing complex in Denham Springs that was severely damaged by the August 2016 flood has received permission from a federal disaster 

That doesnt mean that its not at risk of flooding, Foster said. But residents will be in a much safer location than where they were. Im glad to see that and glad to see it get rebuilt, since there's a whole lot of people that need to come home.

According to Banks, plans to break ground at the new site are pending discussions with FEMA scheduled in the coming weeks.
LSU Health dean: People can save lives in virus surge, if they will do it
Mona Hardin, center, mother of Ronald Greene, stands at the gates of the Governor's Mansion as the NAACP, ACLU, and family of Ronald Greene lead a May 27 rally on the State Capitol steps and then a march to the Governor's Mansion to protest Greene's death at the hands of Louisiana State Police.
Queenslander Renee Gracie is one of many adult entertainment creators who was blindsided by subscription content service OnlyFanss decision to pivot away from the very industry upon which it built its success.

From October 1, OnlyFans will limit sexually explicit content on its platform. Gracie, a former V8 supercar racer, is one of OnlyFanss most popular Australian creators. And this isnt the first time shes felt let down by the business.

Australian OnlyFans star Renee Gracie was blindsided by its policy change. Credit:Jessica Hromas/Fairfax Media

I have paid that company thousands and thousands of dollars over the last year and a half, and theyve never promoted me or contacted me to say thank you, she said.

Gracie doesnt know what to make of OnlyFanss latest decision. Despite reading about the new policy, shes yet to be contacted by the company directly or find anything on OnlyFanss website to explain the change.
More than $1 billion in residential development site deals have been racked up in the first half of this year as buyers and developers jockey for a foothold in the property market.

148-150 Queensberry Street, Carlton has sold for $4.2 million. Credit:

The latest to hit the books in the second half of the year is the Churches of Christs Sterling Theological College in Mulgrave which has sold for well over $15 million.

The price for the two-hectare site at 44-60 Jackson Road is understood to exceed the $7.5 million a hectare paid for its neighbour in early August.

Colliers Joe Kairouz and Hamish Burgess who negotiated both deals declined to comment on the price or the buyer.
English muffins with spanner crab, buttermilk and salmon roe. Credit:Eddie Jim I wish I did! My approach is to pursue my own interests within the framework of a suspense novel, he says. Twists for me come relatively early in the writing process, but never before setting out on the first draft. I usually stumble upon them after two or three drafts, then I will tease them out and breadcrumb them in later drafts. Neighbourhood Wine is one of Pomares locals, although with a 13-month-old daughter at home, he doesnt get out as much as he used to. It was a bit hipster-only here for a while, but now its quite foodie, Pomare says as we consider the menu. Despite  or, perhaps, because of  growing up on a racehorse farm, Pomare is pescatarian, so we order starters of English muffins with spanner crab, buttermilk and salmon roe, and the unphotogenic but delicious cured trout with lemonade fruit, oats and isot chili (I had to look that up too). We both opt for the pan-fried cod for main course, with a salad and chips  only after weve settled on wine, which Pomare asks about before the food. Its after 12, right? He has a local chardonnay and I order a French natural wine. Pomare has lived in Australia for years, but grew up near Rotorua on New Zealands north island. Like everyone with a hobby farm in New Zealand, we had 30 or 40 sheep as well and we used to watch the butcher when he came to slaughter the lambs, he says. He and his three siblings have all been vegetarian or vegan at some point. I think you cant really divorce the meal from the source.

Cured kingfish with lemonade fruit, oats and isot chili. Credit:Eddie Jim The Last Guests is set in the same remote area of New Zealand and plays on ideas of voyeurism and surveillance. Lina and Cain are a married couple with personal and financial worries; shes an Auckland paramedic and hes a former SAS soldier with PTSD, having trouble readjusting to civilian life. Looking to make extra money, Cain talks Lina into renovating her remote family lake house and leasing it on WeStay (a legally advised fictional version of Airbnb). Theyre keen to start a family and could use the extra income  but both have their own secrets. Like all Pomares novels, its tricky to write much about The Last Guests without giving anything away, but its possibly not one to read in your rented holiday cottage. Ill certainly be checking the light fittings at my next beach holiday rental. The genesis of the plot came from Pomare and his wifes experiences with Airbnb properties. They rent out a cottage in regional Victoria and the process  from the social media guests use to check in (Airbnb requires guests to have a Facebook account, making casual cyber-stalking easy), to guest feedback and mysterious things left behind  all helped to inform the novel. (He also spoke to former SAS members and a policy adviser who had investigated online paedophile rings as part of his research.) The central idea is that of secret surveillance, but The Last Guests is a twisty thriller, and this is just one of the chilling narrative threads. I am a worst-case scenario guy, generally, but my worst-case scenario is: Oh, if they burn the house down, well get insurance. Theres no sentimental value in anything I own, really. What can they do? Fraud?

That, he says, was his starting point: the absolute worst thing. Someone installing hidden cameras in a holiday home. Then there were his experiences with guests: the zealous guest who started following and chatting to him on all his social media accounts; the one who went into too much detail about how many baths hed enjoyed; and the family who left candle wax all over the hardwood floors. I thought it was in the shape of a pentagram! It was a circle, and it looked like theyd tried to clear it up, but it had smeared everywhere, he says. A holiday human sacrifice perhaps? But it was a family, so  Did they come out with one less child than they arrived with? Good question  maybe I should check the footage 

Loading The storys hidden cameras are just one layer of the voyeurism at work in The Last Guests; Pomare wanted to explore the fact that we all have something of a taste for voyeurism. I didnt quite become a voyeur myself, but I looked at all the ways you could  I mean, just with a persons name you can find out where they eat, hang out from Instagram. At what point does social media become voyeurism? At what point are you stalking someone or looking into someone too much, and it becomes obsessive? Pomare says he indulges in what he calls a bit of method writing, becoming one of his characters. For The Last Guests, he took up running. Not quite SAS level, but I got really fit, he says. He was using a running app and realised that even that could be used to track someone. You can find someones name, you can see where they start their running from each day. The app has privacy settings, but users then cant enter the apps running challenges, which are used to motivate people. Its another form of social media, Pomare says. Its all so pervasive, especially the big three  for our generation  of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We dont have any natural defence for how addictive it is, how its tapping into part of your brain.

Receipt for lunch at Neighbourhood Wine. Credit: Good fodder, though, for a crime writer  although Pomares not sure that he is a crime writer, despite recently being shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award. And that shortlist has about five past winners on it  I felt like a real fraud on there, he says. But Im in the crime aisle. Its weird because I didnt realise I was a crime novelist until I was in the crime aisle. By the time were lingering over those unnecessary chips and a shared third glass of wine, weve traversed parenthood (My daughter keeps bringing home diseases Ive never even heard of from daycare), growing up in rural New Zealand (I wasnt nerdy or scrawny, so the assumption was that at lunchtime, youd play rugby  being a writer wasnt something you aspired to as a 16-year-old boy in Rotorua), recent novels (weve both just enjoyed Mark Brandis latest) and the attitude of superiority many have towards genre fiction. I dont think you should shame someone from reading what they love, he says. Likewise, he advises against reading books youre supposed to rather than those you enjoy.
Review: Muddy People, Sara El Sayed, Black Inc., $29.99

Memoirs by young writers are often not about the authors themselves, but rather, the two most important figures in their lives: the parents. Children of migrants bear a unique burden: they are the carriers of unprocessed trauma, vicariously shouldering the grief of their parents. It is a fanatical kind of love, and only we understand its weight. Only we feel that yearning to be uncontaminated by grief and history while hovering above the jubilation that a new freedom can be afforded to us.

Sara El Sayeds exquisite Muddy People traverses these landscapes with precision and care. Back in Egypt, her father was an engineer and an architect. In Australia, he was nothing, Sayed writes. He started taking cash jobs, laying bricks. Place can grant us new identities or deny us dignity.

Sara El Sayed felt trapped in a hothouse of her parents discontent. Credit:Bec Blooms

El Sayed describes herself as a brown, three-dimensional incarnation of Lisa Simpson, the middle child of three and the quietest, emigrating from Alexandria to Brisbane as an infant of four months after 9/11. At school, she carried a tuba around while a white kid taunted her repeatedly  Shes carrying a bomb!
One question causing angst is whether to ask if someone  be it a friend, relative or your dentist  is vaccinated. Short of carrying flashing vaccinated signs above our heads, the only way to find out if someone has had a COVID-19 jab is through conversation (or, if theyve posted a vaxxie on social media). But do we have the right to ask such a private question? Yes, we do, according to The Ethics Centre executive director Dr Simon Longstaff, particularly if youre expecting to be in close proximity with that person. The notion that you can make an informed decision about who you deal with and under what conditions [seems] uncontroversial, he says. It comes down to asking in a way that isnt offensive or challenging. Dr Longstaff recommends starting by simply volunteering your own status  Just so you know, Ive been vaccinated  because it signals you think its important, creating an expectation of reciprocation. A friend is likely to disclose, Dr Longstaff says, but a service provider may choose not to, at which point youre entitled to choose not to engage with them if youre worried about transmission to yourself or others.

Professor Leask is less convinced that we have the right to ask people if theyre vaccinated. She says that while we need high vaccination rates, we also need to have healthy social functioning for our overall wellbeing. If the way we try to encourage and require vaccination ends up being so imposing ... it creates a whole new set of conflicts and hardships, she says. The notion that you can make an informed decision about who you deal with and under what conditions [seems] uncontroversial. Dr Simon Longstaff Although Professor Leask hopes that more people will choose to be upfront about their vaccine status to reassure others, her position on asking someone is that it depends on your level of rapport. You do need to broach it sensitively with friends and family, Professor Leask says. It might be perfectly fine to ask your mum or sister if shes going to vaccinate, but with the clear intention that youre concerned about her health first.

When it comes to asking a service provider, Professor Leask believes its best not to, and let government worry about the regulatory structures that will protect us. And remember, she says, if were fully vaccinated and wearing a mask, and your hairdresser is wearing a mask, the risk of transmission is markedly reduced. The person who just hasnt gotten around to it yet If someone wants to be vaccinated but isnt yet, Professor Leask says that laziness is rarely a reason. Rather, its often because they are isolated and unaware of government advice, or they are struggling to find supply, get an appointment or use the booking system. If someone tells you they havent been able to get vaccinated yet, her advice is to ask if you can help them book in.

Practical knowledge is one of the biggest factors in driving vaccination, Professor Leask says. People are so confused because the recommendations have chopped and changed so much ... Simply helping them figure out what theyre eligible for, where they can get it, when and how, is a great practical thing you can do. Practical knowledge is one of the biggest factors in driving vaccination. Professor Julie Leask Dr Longstaff adds that sometimes when people are under stress, their world view narrows, so they might not see the significance to the wider community of lagging with their vaccine booking. It doesnt mean theyre a bad person, it may mean theyre really struggling to cope, he says. The key to these conversations is to practise the skill of listening. Credit:iStock

The person who is waiting for Pfizer The advice from authorities regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine has been confounding, to say the least, with fluctuating recommendations following fears of a very rare clotting condition, known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome. This has left some people so-called Astra-hesitant and waiting to be eligible for Pfizer once more doses land on our shores, while the Delta variant continues to wreak havoc. Data from a June survey, conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, shows that 15 per cent of unvaccinated Australians are waiting for a different vaccine. Professor Leask says we cant skirt over the fact that a person is being asked to take a risk, albeit very small, with the AstraZeneca vaccine. But in the setting where there are outbreaks, its perfectly reasonable to encourage and recommend it. She says the best approach is to first respect that there is a choice to be made  having AstraZeneca now, or waiting for Pfizer  then explain the risk calculation.

There are pros and cons to each of those options, but right now the benefits of getting the vaccine far outweigh any risks, she says. The risk is small: its about one in 50,000 of getting TTS and less than one in 1 million of dying. One in 50,000 is like a single person in the MCG or SCG, and the rest of those people  49,999  will be fine and have a good level of protection against COVID-19, particularly severe disease. In the setting where there are outbreaks, its perfectly reasonable to encourage and recommend it. Professor Julie Leask Professor Leask adds that people should be aware that we know how to spot early signs of clotting, which helps to reduce the severity of the illness. People can, of course, choose to wait, Professor Leask says, but they need to plan how theyll reduce the COVID-19 risk to themselves and others in the meantime. They may be waiting for a while ... It might be three weeks, or it might be months.

The person who is vaccine hesitant We must first recognise this: not everybody who questions vaccination is a conspiracy theorist or anti-vaxxer. They may have various genuine reasons, including a phobia of needles, a history of anaphylaxis, concerns for their health or a fear of the unknown. Dr Longstaff stresses the importance of taking the views of others entirely seriously. One of the biggest mistakes when encountering someone who has an alternative point of view is to begin by trying to change their mind, he says. The person then starts to defend their position without ever hearing what you might have to say. This can also solidify their beliefs because theyre reciting their arguments.

Loading On the other hand, Dr Longstaff says, sincerely hearing someone out  and letting them know you understand their concerns  will remove their need to defend themselves, and gives you knowledge to unpick under what conditions they would or wouldnt get vaccinated. Professor Leask recommends starting the conversation by listening and asking questions. You might want to ask straight up, Do you think youll get vaccinated? The aim is to figure out what their attitude is, rather than make assumptions. If you jump in with your answers too early, and you havent fully explored all the barriers and issues for someone ... your comments wont match where theyre at, and then the conversation will begin to fail. Helpful phrases when talking to someone who is vaccine hesitant Do you have any plans to vaccinate at the moment?

What are some of your concerns?

I think its reasonable to be looking to get information about [insert concern].

I can see youve done a lot of thinking about this.

Can I tell you about my experience?

I thought a lot about this decision too. Can I tell you why I decided to get the vaccine?

Im not sure about that. Lets look it up together.

I saw a website recently that seemed to answer this really well, can I share the link with you?

Can I show you how to check your eligibility and make a booking, in case you change your mind?

Id really love you to get vaccinated. I want to see you protected against COVID-19 because all of us are going to encounter it in our lives. Its not going away.

Have you thought about what not vaccinating might mean for you and your family?

If youre not planning to vaccinate, how are you going to best protect yourself and others?

Lets leave it for now, but maybe we can talk about it again later?

Its important to validate someones concerns as reasonable and ensure they know youve heard them, Professor Leask says. It can be a harsh environment for the vaccine hesitant, so you need to create a safe space and build rapport. Next, try to gently direct them to quality information that relates to them. Ask: Do you mind if I share what I learnt? Or: Can I help you find the information that might address your concerns? The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance and the Department of Health are great places to look. One of the biggest mistakes when encountering someone who has an alternative point of view is to begin by trying to change their mind. Dr Simon Longstaff Loading Professor Leask also recommends trying to detect what someones motivation might be to vaccinate, then reinforce it. You might need to elicit what it is by asking, What do you think the benefits of vaccination might be? Then, say, I agree, Im concerned about this as well.
In this episode of Good Weekend Talks, we look at Biloela, the tiny Queensland town thrust into the spotlight after embracing a family of Sri Lankan asylum seekers as their own.

Anne Hyland, a senior writer with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, argues that the towns resistance to the detention of the Murugappan family has put Australias border control policy on the international map. She visited the remote town  150 kilometres south of Rockhampton, with a population of just under 6000  for our cover story this week: From Biloela with love: How a conservative community in outback Queensland  and the family theyre fighting for  changed the national conversation on refugees.

Anne is joined on the podcast by Biloela resident Angela Fredericks, one of the women who has led the campaign to keep Sri Lankan refugees Nades and Priya Murugappan and their daughters Kopika and Tharnicaa in Australia.
Data centres are basically the backbone of how AI and large-scale data processing work, she says. We think of artificial intelligence as something floating above us, disembodied, suspended and without earthly costs or consequences; it is frequently represented in imagery as blue tunnels of suspended numbers, illuminated circuit boards or white robots, the stuff of science fiction. But Crawford believes that such imaginaries misdirect people from what is unfolding in the real world, the material world. AI is anything but immaterial; for its very existence, it relies on an earthly and unsustainable supply chain.

Ive driven past this building on Harris Street, Ultimo, countless times and never noticed it; now, at the start of a walking tour with Crawford designed to get a sense of how artificial intelligence is woven into the texture of our lives and cities, to make the invisible visible, I think it seems almost artfully anonymous, as though designed to be incognito. But its the sort of building Crawford wants people to notice and know about: this building, touted as Australias only hyper-scale data centre campus, is one of many similar centres around the world and stores a cargo of digital infrastructure and data.

But the size of the structure is not the only indication of scale. Crawford points out white, orange and pink fluorescent hieroglyphics on the footpath: numbers and letters, lines and symbols, a secret language of the street identifying what lies beneath: gas and water pipes, power and telecommunications lines, fibre-optic cables. This is huge amounts of data capacity, the kind of grunt for data storage and processing.

By the time I arrive, the staff have left her alone. Crawford, in black boots and leather jacket, directs my attention to a single bulbous black eye, a security camera, high on a wall above us. The levels of security around this building are absolutely out of this world; lets see if we get harassed, she says, striding off to walk its perimeter. Its only when we turn on to the street behind the building that it becomes clear how massive it is: looming above us is a shimmering, curved facade, perhaps 10 storeys high and stretching a city block into the distance like a beached ocean liner. Look at that facility, that is vast, Crawford says.

A woman is the first to come out of the building. Are you meeting someone here, she asks, do you have an appointment? Im fine, Crawford replies. The woman hovers. A man emerges next. He asks Crawford if theres anything she needs. She repeats her answer.

Kate Crawford, one of the worlds pre-eminent scholars on the social and political implications of artificial intelligence, is being watched. She has arrived at our meeting point outside an anonymous inner-Sydney building before me and, while she waits on the footpath, is twice questioned by people who seem to be security staff.

What Kate does so well is she crystallises, in a practical way, what some of the risks and threats are, says Australian Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow. There are plenty of uses of AI that are innocuous, but she shines a very clear light on how AI can cause harm.

Her digital project, Anatomy of an AI System , a collaboration with the Serbian academic and artist Vladan Joler which looks at Amazons Echo smart speaker as an artificial intelligence system made of human labour, is held in the permanent collections of New Yorks Museum of Modern Art and Londons Victoria & Albert Museum. She has affiliations with universities and labs around the world, including the University of Southern California, Microsoft Research, Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris and the University of Sydney.

Canberra-raised Crawford, 44, has lived in Manhattan since 2014 but until early July was in Sydney with her American partner, Jason Schultz, a law professor, and their eight-year-old son, Elliott, spending time with family. But it has hardly been a holiday; her Zoom account and Signal encrypted communication app have been busy. The futurists pioneering work over two decades exploring AIs implications means she is feted as an international speaker. She has advised policy-makers in the White House and the United Nations, and addressed French President Emmanuel Macron at an intimate policy dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

If I were to write Kate Crawford into a science-fiction script, she would be a heroic, flame-haired seer carrying warnings of looming demonic forces to a fragile and uncertain civilisation. In real life, the characterisation is not altogether imprecise.

The creation of contemporary AI systems depends on exploiting energy and mineral resources from the planet, cheap labour, and data at scale, Crawford says. Alongside climate change, she believes AI is the most profound story of our time: omnipresent and pervasive and weighted with potential for exploitation and bias. It is one of the planets biggest political, cultural and social shifts for centuries. And, she thinks, a lot of people are sleepwalking into it.

In his foreword to the report, Edward Santow acknowledges that AI is enabling advances in areas such as healthcare and service delivery. But he also issues a warning: The use of AI can ... open the door to a range of dystopian threats  from mass surveillance to unaccountable exercise of power by government and corporations.

Not surprisingly, its a subject increasingly occupying the minds of watchdog organisations. In late April, the European Union announced a proposal for the first-ever legal framework covering AI. It proposes banning any systems considered a clear threat to the safety, livelihoods and rights of people, including anything that manipulate[s] human behaviour to circumvent users free will ... and systems that allow social scoring by governments. A month later, the Australian Human Rights Commissions Human Rights and Technology Final Report was released. It includes 38 recommendations to ensure new technologies, particularly AI, are developed and used in ways that are inclusive, accountable and with robust human rights safeguards.

Santow believes we are at a crossroads. Were at the end of what Im starting to call First Generation AI because it certainly is an improvement in many areas on what came before it; it allows us to use information more effectively, but its really prone to error.

As AIs application in almost all areas of human life has surged, so, too, have responses from governments and academia: in June, the federal government unveiled a plan to establish Australia as a world leader in artificial intelligence and use cutting-edge AI technologies to solve Australias national challenges. A search for artificial intelligence on Twitter gives a sense of the onslaught: dozens of AI-related tweets spit out every minute. A recent sample: Is this how the world ends? Artificial intelligence and American security; Artificial intelligence is the next step in evolution, Pornhub uses artificial intelligence to restore century-old erotic films; NSW Police using artificial intelligence to analyse CCTV footage; China tests AI emotion-detection software on Uighurs; The future of elder care is here  and its artificial intelligence; Artificial intelligence enables new colonoscopy screening method 

There has never been a more important time for such articulation. In multiple, cascading and interconnected ways, AI is determining the nature of our world; it influences global security and power, the relationships between nation states, the fairness of societies and, as the algorithms targeting voters on Facebook during the 2016 US presidential election illustrated, the functioning of our democracies. AI is increasingly involved in our most banal daily activities, from popping into a shop for a bottle of milk and getting a loan, to working from home during a lockdown.

Artist Trevor Paglen tells me that Crawford has never been interested in hermetic academic texts or writing. To illuminate issues related to AI, the pair have created projects at the intersection of art and academia, including Training Humans, an exhibition of imagery used to train artificial intelligence systems, held at Milans contemporary art museum Fondazione Prada in 2019. The pair frequently have long talks late into the night at a bar near their Manhattan homes, discussing ideas and seemingly obscure subjects such as the politics of classification and 17th-century attempts to develop universal languages. Paglen says theyre both committed to articulating complex ideas in ways that dont require a PhD in a specialised field.

Via Zoom, I speak to two of Crawfords friends in New York. Laura Poitras, the director of Citizenfour, the Oscar-winning Edward Snowden documentary, first met Crawford at a conference in Beijing. She was just one of the most interesting people Ive ever been in dialogue with, in terms of the breadth of her knowledge and curiosity and her analysis of power, Poitras says.

Beyond the geopolitical storyline that the Global Switch facility offers, it is, Crawford says, a reminder of the materiality of data and AI. It was such a tell that it was a complex data problem for the Australian Defence Force; its not as easy as pressing a button; again, its not immaterial. Its a big infrastructure move that takes years.

For Crawford, the Global Switch story illuminates much about AI and big data systems. There is growing geopolitical anxiety and we see this particularly in the so-called AI war between the US and China, in which there is a paranoid vision of defending a national cloud against a racialised enemy. In June last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that China had embarked on a new trillion-dollar campaign to develop next-generation technologies as it seeks to catapult the communist nation ahead of the US in critical areas. Soon after taking office in January, the Biden administration issued executive orders to address supply-chain vulnerabilities that have led to shortages in crucial products such as computer chips, and to counter Chinas dominance in the production of minerals that are core components of phones, computers and rechargeable batteries.

The 73,000-square-metre data centre is owned by Global Switch, which has multi-customer data centres around the world. For some years, its Ultimo facilitys tenants have included sensitive government agencies including the Department of Defence, but when a Chinese consortium bought half of Global Switchs parent company in 2016, the government got nervous and started the process of migrating data, including highly classified military and intelligence files, out of the facility. Earlier this year, reports emerged that Defence had been forced to delay its full departure from the centre and sign a new $53.5 million contract to run until 2025. (The Chinese steel giant, the Jiangsu Shagang Group, is now the majority shareholder of Global Switch.)

As I follow Kate Crawford away from the massive Ultimo data centre towards the Sydney CBD, she stops to look back. That building is a beautiful way to illustrate the story, she says, reminding me of its spy-thriller-worthy background.

To research her final chapter for Atlas of AI, Crawford drove into the west Texas desert to glimpse the rocket base for Blue Origin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezoss private aerospace company. Fearing that Earths soaring energy needs will soon outstrip supply, the worlds richest man has a vision of a future in which millions of people live and work in space. Crawford shares with me some of her thinking behind her interrogation of the aspirations of Bezos and Tesla and SpaceXs proprietor Elon Musk. These are the billionaires who made their fortunes from AI and theyre spending all that money trying to leave the planet. Its not, How do we address the problem?, its How the hell do we get out of here? 

And in the face of the imperative to reduce carbon emissions, the trend in AI is towards faster processing speeds and super computers, which consume even greater volumes of energy. But the environmental costs of AI are not confined to energy consumption. Crawford writes of the unsustainable mining of natural resources such as lithium, of acid-bleached rivers and deracinated landscapes and the extinction of plant and animal species that were once vital to the local ecology; of the massive volumes of water used to cool data-centre servers; and of toxic e-waste dumping grounds in countries such as Ghana and Pakistan.

In her compelling new book, Atlas of AI: Power, Politics and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence, Crawford observes that the carbon footprint of the worlds computational infrastructure has matched that of the aviation industry at its height. But the exact volume of energy consumed by the tech sectors production of AI models is unknown. That information is kept as highly guarded corporate secrets ... the data economy is premised on maintaining environmental ignorance, she says.

The process to build an AI model  a program or algorithm trained to recognise patterns or features in data to make systems such as Apples Siri or Amazons Alexa, or to augment human decision-making, or to teach a self-driving car to identify objects in its path  consumes enormous amounts of energy. Data centre networks carrying the large-scale computation required for AI model-making and cloud computing platforms such as the massive Amazon Web Services are among the worlds largest consumers of electricity.

As we walk past the Chinese Garden of Friendship, with a soundscape of children laughing in the Darling Harbour playground, Crawford talks about the myth of clean tech: how AI and forms of data processing gobble energy and are a major driver of climate change, she says.

Were heading to a city 7-Eleven, but outside an internet cafe on the fringes of Chinatown, Crawford stops and looks up. Thats it, she exclaims, pointing up at a series of arched windows on a vintage building. Its the New York-loft-style space where she lived in the early 2000s while lecturing in media and communications at the University of Sydney and writing her PhD on adulthood and technology.

At the same time, Crawford was writing music as one half (with Nicole Skeltys) of the avant-garde electronic dance music duo B(if)tek. Now, looking back at old B(if)tek videos and their sci-fi visual tropes, its as though theres a direct line between the irony-rich compositions and Crawfords contemporary work on AI. Were interested in the human/machine divide, Crawford told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2003. B(if)teks track Machines Work uses a sample from a 1967 IBM word processor ad: Machines can do the work, so that people have time to think. A single, We Think Youre Dishy, includes the lines, We are the B(if)tek corporation/we have been watching you.

Someone will be watching you if you grab a Slurpee at a 7-Eleven. Outside the outlet, we read a notice on the window: By entering the store you consent to facial recognition cameras capturing and storing your image. Inside, we study an array of CCTV cameras on the ceiling before engaging with a tablet device on the counter. How did we do today? is the question on the screen above four faces emoting levels of satisfaction, from the green-smiley awesome to the red-angry awful. Subsequent questions probe the main reason for my visit and whether staff have asked if I have the My 7-Eleven app. Its only as I tap in my final responses to the survey that I notice the screens small black camera eye.

How would you know how this data is being processed; it could be connected to facial recognition or emotion detection technology, says Crawford as we leave the shop and its prying eyes. For some years shes been arguing for a moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology. Later, I email questions to 7-Eleven. The reply is swift: a spokesperson says the chain uses the tablet-based system to solicit customer feedback and when someone chooses to do the survey, the tablet captures their image to filter out potential duplicates. He says CCTV cameras are for security purposes only and do not operate with facial recognition or other biometric technology. Both the CCTV footage and images captured when customers complete the tablet survey are deleted within weeks. Nevertheless, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner confirmed to me that it is investigating 7-Elevens use of facial recognition technology.

Biometric technology, which uses one or more of a persons physical or biological characteristics for the purposes of identification, has been around since before Arthur Conan Doyle gave Sherlock Holmes a magnifying glass and pointed him in the direction of some fingerprints. But as the Australian Human Rights Commissions report notes, it has been supercharged by AI and its new capabilities to analyse large sources of data.

Facial recognition technology, a subset of biometrics, maps the geometry of a face, the length of a nose, the curve of a mouth, the distance between brow and eyelid. It then uses AI to compare the face to either another image of the same person (one-to-one facial verification such as that used at Australian airport passport control, SmartGates) or a larger one-to-many database of images, such as that which might be held by a police department. Or that used by Chinese authorities to identify people for investigation and/or detention in the Uighur autonomous region of Xinjiang. Or a database such as the one containing more than three billion faces owned by a shady New York-based facial recognition software company with connections to the far right, Clearview AI.

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I would imagine all of us, you, me, anyone whos ever had a picture on the internet, is probably in the Clearview AI system, Crawford says as we walk towards the towers of Barangaroo, where Facebook has its Australian headquarters. The story of Clearview AI and its three billion faces offers an insight into the multi-faceted issues connected to AI and personal data: how data is extracted, how it is classified, how it is used and its potentials for harm.

Last year, The New York Times published an article about Clearview, headlined, The secretive company that might end privacy as we know it. It revealed that Clearviews database of faces had been scraped from public sites including employment and news sites, and social networks such as Facebook, and includes links to the images online sources. Clearview told the NYT that more than 600 law-enforcement agencies were using its technology to assist in investigating crimes including shoplifting, identity theft and child sex-abuse. A month later, Buzzfeed reported that Clearview was working with more than 2000 agencies around the world and that four Australian police forces (the Australian Federal Police and the Queensland, Victorian and South Australian forces) had tested its technology.

Concerns about Clearview AI are legion, including its secrecy, the almost inconceivable invasion of privacy its scraping practices constitute, the chance for errors in matches, and in the genie-out-of-a-bottle dystopia its technology has the potential to launch. The NYT article noted that computer code underlying the Clearview app includes programming language to pair it with augmented-reality glasses. Users would potentially be able to identify every person they saw. The tool could identify activists at a protest or an attractive stranger on the subway, revealing not just their names but where they lived, what they did and whom they knew, the article said. Searching someone by face could become as easy as googling a name. Strangers would be able to listen in on sensitive conversations, take photos of the participants and know personal secrets ... It would herald the end of public anonymity. (Clearview told the NYT that it had designed a prototype for use with augmented-reality glasses but had no plans to release it.)

The backlash against Clearview, and to facial recognition technology more broadly, has been considerable. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the UK Information Commissioners Office are jointly investigating Clearview. In February, the Canadian privacy commissioner announced Clearview was no longer welcome in Canada and should delete Canadian faces from its database. It is completely unacceptable for millions of people who will never be implicated in any crime to find themselves continually in a police line-up, the privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien said. In May, a number of European privacy organisations announced they had filed legal complaints against Clearview.

But corporations are not the only organisations to fear: if George Orwell taught us anything, its that we also need to keep a close watch on our governments. The federal governments attempts to create a national facial recognition database that would enable one-to-many identification were temporarily stymied in 2019 when the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security rejected the proposed legislation, arguing it had insufficient safeguards to protect peoples privacy and rights. Redrafted laws will inevitably resurface at some point. They are likely to ignore one of the key recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commissions report: that all governments should introduce a moratorium on the use of facial recognition and other biometric technology in decision-making that has a legal, or similarly significant, effect for individuals, or where there is a high risk to human rights, such as in policing and law enforcement.

Facial recognition algorithms get things wrong. Video surveillance cameras clocked the faces of thousands of people during London Metropolitan Police Service trials of facial recognition technology which started in 2016. Of the suspects identified in the trials, more than 80 per cent were incorrect matches; they were in fact innocent passers-by. And heres another one: the story of Robert Williams, a Detroit black man accused of stealing watches from a luxury store and arrested in his driveway last year while his wife and kids watched. This is not me, Williams said when, during questioning, police showed him a grainy photograph of the suspect. The photo had been run through the Detroit Police Departments facial recognition system and incorrectly matched with an old drivers licence photo of Williams. According to the MIT Technology Review, the departments AI system was responsible for two other false arrests. They were both black men, too.

People of colour, women, people with physical disability are all far less likely to be accurately identified using facial recognition than basically people who look like me: white, middle-aged men.

What we know is that errors are not evenly distributed across the community, says Australian Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow. People of colour, women, people with physical disability are all far less likely to be accurately identified using facial recognition than basically people who look like me: white, middle-aged men.

But issues of bias in AI go far beyond the potential for facial recognition errors. Bias and discrimination can be embedded in the very brains of AI systems. To understand how this happens, it helps to understand the process through which artificial intelligence becomes intelligent. Our publicly available digital personal data is the fuel that powers AI, and when our faces are harvested, they might not just be used for the purposes of facial recognition/identification. They can be classified and included in vast training datasets which are used to build algorithms for AI functions including object detection and language prediction.

Consider, for example, the task of building an AI system to detect the difference between an apple and an orange: as Crawford explains in Atlas of AI, a developer must first collect, label and train a neural network using thousands of labelled images of apples and oranges. Algorithms then conduct a statistical survey of the images and develop a model to recognise the difference between the two fruits.

To mount the Training Humans exhibition in Milan, Crawford and Trevor Paglen spent two years poring over training sets, including the ground-breaking ImageNet, which was created in the mid-2000s to map the entire world of objects and is led by researchers from a number of American universities. The pair were shocked by what they found in the images labels. Sure, some made sense: cat, dog, apple, tree. But then they looked at how people were categorised. You look at CEO and Oh, its mostly white men, thats interesting, then you look at basketballer and its mostly black men. Then the categories start to shift and become moral judgments. So you have bad person, you have kleptomaniac ... the most appalling racist and misogynistic epithets. Crawford recalls seeing a young womans graduation photo. She had a low-cut dress on and now shes in the slattern training category.

The labels had been imported from a database of words, WordNet and, through the crowdsourcing labour platform Amazon Mechanical Turk, given to a global army of digital pieceworkers, each of whom was paid a few cents an hour to label 60 or more images a minute. Its this idea that you can create ground truth from scraped flotsam and jetsam off the internet, Crawford says.

Atlas of AI notes multiple other examples of embedded discrimination, including gender bias in Apples creditworthiness algorithms, chatbots that adopt racist and misogynistic language, voice-recognition software failing to recognise female-sounding voices, and social media platforms showing more highly-paid job advertisements to men than to women.

In June, The New York Times published a story about the increasing number of start-ups offering systems to identify and remove bias from AI systems. In an echo of the Robodebt debacle in Australia, the article noted the US Federal Trade Commissions recent warning to companies about the sale of racially biased AI systems or those which could prevent individuals from receiving employment, housing, insurance or other benefits. The article also shared an example: in 2018, an American AI start-up aiming to build a system to remove nude or explicit images from the internet sent millions of photos to workers in India who were to tag explicit material. When the work was finished, the start-up discovered a problem: the workers had tagged every image of a same-sex couple as indecent.

Highlighting the processes in how some AI is created, the Training Humans exhibition displayed imagery  as Crawford puts it, scraped flotsam and jetsam off the internet  used to train AI systems. Credit:Marco Cappelletti/Courtesy Fondazione Prada

Crawford and I have roamed Barangaroos shadowy lanes, passed through multiple revolving doors into gleaming office tower lobbies, studied tenants directories, followed security officers directions into other lobbies, and still have not seen even a hint of Facebooks headquarters. Its like an Escher experience of public space, like, Youre not welcome, we do not want people coming to engage with us, Crawford says of our fruitless in-and-out, up-and-down search.

Its not public infrastructure, its for profit; they have no obligation to make sure information is accessible, even in a health crisis.

How clever Facebook has been: it has persuaded us to think its for us, for everybody, for soccer mums and community groups and reconnecting with old friends. Instead, as Crawford explains, the trillions of photos, voice clips and bites of text that make up our Facebook content (and our content on Instagram, which was bought by Facebook in 2012) is training one of the largest AI systems in the world which, in turn, is creating an unbelievably powerful facial recognition engine. Its not public infrastructure, its for profit; they have no obligation to make sure information is accessible, even in a health crisis.

Crawford was appalled when, in February, Facebook blacked out Australian mainstream media organisations newsfeed posts over a new law requiring tech giants to pay for content. It was shocking. That was one of the most stark experiences of platform power, the power to say, We dont like the way this negotiation is going, well switch off the pipes thank you very much. And that, to me, is the most telling experience of how hard its going to be to regulate Big Tech.

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The episode supports one of Crawfords greatest fears about AI: that it gives more power to a highly concentrated sector of already powerful tech companies. Historically, I dont think theres a comparison in the widening asymmetries of power. But in countless ways, the AI power imbalance will also increasingly be felt at a micro level in our everyday lives, especially in the relationship between bosses and workers.

For generations weve worried that robots are coming to take our jobs but, as Crawford notes, the greater threat might be that humans will increasingly be treated like robots. As weve walked through the city, weve noticed innumerable For lease signs on office buildings, a reminder that, around the world, the pandemic has created armies of remote workers.

Get ready for an era of invasive algorithmic management in which your boss watches you remotely (in stealth mode, if they choose): how long you are online, what tabs you have open on your screen, how efficient you are.

If your kid works in a fast-food outlet or a shop, AI management systems will monitor performance indicators such as how fast they make a cheeseburger, or whether they push-sell to customers (no, the 7-Eleven staffer didnt ask me if I have the My 7-Eleven app  will he be in trouble?). If you work in a warehouse or a factory, such as an Amazon fulfilment centre, surveillance systems will record your picking rate: the rate at which you gather products to meet orders. For Atlas of AI, Crawford visited a mammoth Amazon fulfilment centre in New Jersey. She observed multiple workers with knee braces, elbow bandages or wrist guards. At intervals through the factory, she says, vending machines are stocked with over-the-counter painkillers for anyone who needs them.

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In a letter to Amazon shareholders in April, Jeff Bezos noted that, to decrease work-related musculoskeletal disorders, the company was automating staff schedules using sophisticated algorithms to shuffle staff between jobs using different muscle-tendon groups. Theyre resisting unionisation every step of the way and using rampant surveillance technology to try to produce the most efficient mechanism to extract value from human bodies down to the level of muscles and ligaments, says Crawford. By the end of this year, Australia will have six Amazon fulfilment centres, including a new robotics fulfilment centre the size of 24 rugby league fields in western Sydney.

In her books final, chilling chapter, Crawford stops beside a road in west Texas and looks across a valley towards Jeff Bezoss Blue Origin rocket launch facility. She describes it as a techno-scientific imaginary of power, extraction, and escape  a hedge against Earth. As she pulls her car back out onto the road, she realises she has been watched. Two black pick-up trucks start to tailgate her. They maintain their sinister escort all the way to the edge of the darkening valley.

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Tens of thousands of workers in west and south-west Sydney have 10 days to get vaccinated or undergo regular rapid testing at work, raising concerns there are not enough local Pfizer hubs to meet the demand.

It comes as test manufacturers say businesses are trying urgently to access rapid antigen tests as huge increases in demand are straining the supply chain of the fast-turnaround swabs to keep workplaces virus-free.

Crowds of people wait at the Sydney Olympic Park vaccination hub this week. Credit:Brook Mitchell

On Friday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian scrapped three-day testing for workers after reports of more than 100-hour delays in test turnaround times. Authorised workers in the 12 LGAs of concern will now only be able to work outside their council areas if they have a first inoculation by August 30, or if they are screened using rapid antigen testing at work.

But mayors in hotspots said more permanent local vaccine hubs were needed to expedite the 530,000 Pfizer jabs the state government plans to deliver across the region over the next fortnight, expressing concern that operating clinics only for short periods meant they had often closed before locals were aware they were open.
Greater Sydneys lockdown has been extended until the end of September, while a 9pm to 5am curfew will be introduced from Monday, August 23, in the citys 12 local government areas of concern.

Face masks will also be mandatory outside from 12.01am on Monday, except when exercising. This applies across the state, including regional NSW, which remains in lockdown until August 28.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that face masks will be mandatory outdoors across NSW, except for exercise. Credit:James Brickwood

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday described it as a final list of what we can throw at this to drive COVID-19 cases down.

She said the two fundamental things to shift were the sudden escalation in cases this week and feedback from police about a handful of people flagrantly disregarding the rules.
Shaken and wiping away tears, rugby legend Toutai Kefu has opened up about the violent break-in at his Brisbane home where he was stabbed, his son went into beast mode and his wife suffered a wound from which she might never recover.

Toutai Kefu wipes away tears outside his Coorparoo home in Brisbane, following his return home from hospital where he was treated for injuries sustained during a violent home invasion. Credit:Nine News

Im taking it day-by-day, the former Wallabies player said.

At times, there are outbursts of crying.

But, perhaps as a shock to the community that has rallied to support the family, Kefu said he felt sorry for the intruders.
Victorias highest court has flagged serious concerns about the scientific diagnosis known as shaken baby syndrome, which has been used to prosecute and jail a number of young men for child homicide and abuse in recent years.

The Court of Appeal has ordered a hearing into the reliability of the 50-year-old forensic theory as part of an appeal by Jesse Vinaccia, 28, who was jailed in 2019 for killing his girlfriends 3-month-old son.

Joby Rowe, Jesse Vinaccia and Jesse Harvey have launched appeals that will test the science underpinning shaken baby syndrome

In a highly unusual move, the court will hear new forensic evidence from three experts who dispute the scientific basis of shaken baby syndrome and how it was used to secure Vinaccias conviction. The experts called during the prosecution will also be re-examined.

The outcome could have major repercussions nationwide for past convictions for child homicide and assault  as well as child protection proceedings  where experts have relied on the diagnosis as a basis for prosecutions or other action.
A Cheltenham mother and two of her young children died after their vehicle hit a pole and burst into flames on a busy inner-city road on Friday.

Investigators said the 35-year-old mother of four was travelling south along Flemington Road in Parkville about 10am when her Ford Territory struck a kerb and hit the pole.

Police at the scene of a fatal crash on Flemington Road, Parkville. Credit:Jason South

Detective Senior Sergeant Gerard Clanchy, of the major collision investigation unit, said the woman and two children, an eight-year-old girl and a 20-month-old boy, could not be saved and died at the scene.

When it involves a mother and her two children ... its tragic. Its hard to find words to describe whats happened here today. Im at a loss for words, he said.
A man has been found guilty of raping a woman to whom he gave a lift home after she was found lying on a footpath, intoxicated and alone, on Lygon Street in Carlton, in 2018.

A jury in the County Court in Melbourne on Friday found Harley Jarthur Palise, 30, guilty of two charges of raping the woman, who was vulnerable from the effects of alcohol or drugs, and found lying on the footpath after she was separated from her friend.

Harley Palise.

Palise, who had pleaded not guilty, and a friend were driving home together down Lygon Street in the citys inner north after a night out at Crown Casino.

The victim, aged in her early 30s and newly engaged, had also been out in the city, and had taken a taxi with a friend to Lygon Street in search of food in the early hours of June 17, 2018.
Small groups of year 12 students in Greater Melbourne will begin to return to campuses before the end of the month while the rest of the city remains in lockdown, with Premier Daniel Andrews also proposing a national scheme to have senior students vaccinated by the end of the year.

The state government revealed on Friday that the exemption to remote learning rules will be granted for school-based assessments that cannot be done online, such as performances and practical subjects.

VCE students sit for assessments at McKinnon Secondary College last year. Credit:Simon Schluter

The date of the General Achievement Test  already postponed three times this year  has also been set for September 9, health advice permitting.

The test, which is done by all year 12 students, does not count towards students grades but is critical in assessing how significantly each students education has been disadvantaged by COVID-19.
Within three days the government announced a $50,000 reward - the quickest ever recorded. This was because police feared the offender could strike again. Today, with shopfront CCTV, phone records and modern forensics, the murder would have been solved in days. Back then it was a case littered with false hope and dead ends. Phil Cleary didnt know Maria James but is desperate to know if there is a link to the murder of his sister Vicki, stabbed to death seven years later. Vickis murderer, Peter Keogh, was only convicted of manslaughter after claiming he was provoked, an obscene conclusion that blamed the victim for her death. Keogh would serve less than four years. Killer Peter Keogh. Keogh had been Vickis partner and began to stalk her after the relationship ended. At 7am on August 26, 1987, he went to the Coburg kindergarten in Cameron Street to lay in wait for an hour until Vicki arrived for work.

When she pulled up he attacked, first trying to strangle her, slashing her face (classic hate injuries), then stabbing her repeatedly in the abdomen, leaving her bleeding to death in the gutter. Keogh is a suspect in the Maria James case and Phil Cleary believes he will speak at the inquest for his dead sister and hundreds of other family violence victims. Eighteen months after the James murder, when police issued an image of the offender (resembling Keogh) two women rang Crime Stoppers nominating him, adding he attacked their sister with a knife. This victim was Judy McNulty - Keoghs alibi witness who now believed he was guilty. The tip was not passed on to Homicide. The police identikit that prompted two women to nominate Keogh as the killer. Credit:Victoria Police If it had been, Cleary contends, Keogh would have been charged with his latest knife attack and become a major focus of the James investigation. Forewarned, he says, Vicki wouldnt have formed a relationship with him.

Keogh is not the only person of interest. There were dozens, with the list now whittled down to less than 10. One is local priest Father Anthony Bongiorno. Both Bongiorno and Keogh were falsely cleared by DNA tests - only for police to later find the sample was from another crime. There was the slightest glimmer of hope when the bloodstained quilt, misplaced by police for decades, was found. If the offender left a DNA trace it could be a breakthrough, but for a host of scientific reasons it is a long shot. Like so many leads, it may lead nowhere. James son Adam says he told his mother days before the murder that he was molested by the priest.

Police have been told James planned to confront Bongiorno on the day of the murder. More than 30 years after the killing, a witness has come forward to say that on the day of the killing he saw a man matching Bongiornos description entering the church grounds with blood on his face. Despite the blanket publicity, he didnt at the time connect the bloodied man with the murder less than 100 metres away. I spoke to Bongiorno hours after the murder, who described how he told James eldest son, Mark, that his mother was dead. We both had a bit of a sob together, he said. Bongiorno died of natural causes in 2002.

James remained close to her ex-husband, and they spoke regularly about their children, yet she did not share her suspicions on Bongiorno. She was bashed three times and her throat cut. Her wrists were bound in front and her body covered by more than 60 nicks and cuts. She was moved three times and a coffee table overturned and broken. Police said she was tortured, obviously by a maniac. The injuries were not consistent with an offender who wanted to silence his victim but one who attacked with venom, determined to hurt and humiliate; a power crime. On the day of the murder Bongiorno was happy to be photographed by the press - a massive risk if he was seen leaving the bookshop after the murder. Father Anthony Bongiorno outside the bookshop. Credit:The Age

The man believed to be the killer was seen running across High Street. But the church is on the same side as the bookshop, which means if it was Bongiorno he crossed the busy street not once but twice. But by taking that route he would have avoided running past the Catholic school, where he was well known. The initial police profile of the killer was someone who knew Maria James, lived locally, had an explosive temper and a hatred of women. After interviewing witnesses police released a description of a man seen running across High Street. He was paunchy, about 167 centimetres, with dark hair and wearing light grey trousers. Photofit of the man seen running across High Street. Credit:Victoria Police James told friends she was seeing a man named Peter. Police were to find three Peters who knew her. None were Peter Keogh. Police received four separate tips that Keogh was the murderer. He fitted the description, was 167 centimetres, hated women, had an explosive temper, had a prior for tying up females and an obsession with knives.

Within days of the James murder, a local florist told police an unidentified man bought carnations to be delivered to the bookshop, asking her to write the card. Keogh was borderline illiterate. Two women who experienced his violence also received flowers from him  always carnations. He lived in the area and was a regular at the Junction Hotel, just up the road from the bookshop. Years earlier he attacked a man in the bar with a broken glass and was sentenced to one months jail. Interesting but not compelling. In fact, no one confirmed James and Keogh ever met. Yet there were plenty who suspected the brooding former meatworker.

Twelve years after the James murder he dated a Junction Hotel bar staffer (he subsequently tried to burn her house down). Three times a regular at the bar warned her, saying Keogh killed the girl at the bookshop. Another said: He did Maria James, she was his missus. On June 23, 2001, he went to the pub and confided to a bouncer: Im going to neck myself. It was the anniversary of Maria James funeral. He drove to his Mansfield Street home and gassed himself, a bottle of bourbon his only companion. Maria James bookshop was one from the corner of Mansfield Street. Vicki Cleary confided to a friend that Keogh had threatened I will do to you what I did to the woman in the bookshop. Even counsellors need counsellors and when psychotherapist Margaret Hobbs needed to talk she turned to her mentor, Dr Jim Goulding.

Days after the bookshop murder, she rang to discuss one of her clients: Peter Keogh. Peter Keogh, aged 19. She said, I know that bastard did it. He told me he was going to get her, Goulding recalled. If Hobbs was right, it would mean Keogh knew James. But both Hobbs and Goulding are now dead. Goulding tipped off police and in August 1980 Keogh was interviewed by Homicide detectives. His girlfriend, Judy McNulty, provided an alibi that was later discredited. Homicide detective Frank Bellesini wasnt part of the bookshop team but when he heard a witness describe a suspect as having a limp, he nominated Keogh.
Wiradjuri mother Tiani Bartlett waits patiently in bumper to bumper traffic in her car with the family. Its the kind of congestion that wouldnt be out of place in Sydneys CBD. But this traffic jam is in Dubbo, about 400 kilometres west of the nations largest city. After three hours, Bartlett gets a coronavirus test: 19 months after landing on Australian shores, COVID-19 has finally arrived in Dubbo.

Residents wait for a COVID-19 outside a walk-in clinic in Dubbo. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Bartlett lives with her partner and six children in the regional city of 38,000, according to the last census. Despite being eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine because she is Indigenous, she has yet to book in for a jab.

No, we have not been vaccinated yet, she says. But with a coronavirus outbreak spilling out from Dubbo into nearby communities with large Aboriginal populations, she says her family is now planning to get vaccinated when they can.

Indigenous children over 12 are now eligible, and she wants her children to get vaccinated. Its something we recently came to a decision that we would like to, given the statistics between the risks of getting COVID and getting the vaccine, she says.
With sunny weather forecast for Sunday, Mr Andrews said Melburnians could not repeat last weekends scenes of outdoor gatherings and pub crawls again. If they did, he said, Victorias outbreak would become like New South Wales, where 642 cases were recorded on Friday. Sydneys lockdown was extended to the end of September. The question really is: do we spiral out of control or dont we? Mr Andrews said. And that is a question that only every Victorian, through the choices they make and their own actions, can answer. Fridays cases included 13 linked to a childcare centre in Broadmeadows, in Melbournes north, where one case became symptomatic on August 11 but only got tested on Thursday. COVID-19 Response Commander Jeroen Weimar said kids ineligible for vaccination were passing the virus on to both adults and fellow children.

Jeroen Weimar said closing childcare centres remained an option on the table. Credit:Simon Schluter When asked if childcare centres could close as they did during last years second wave of coronavirus, he said, all options were on the table. Weve always wanted to get the right balance between restrictions that are in place, but [weve been] concerned about transition between children all the way through this particular outbreak, he said. Professor Nancy Baxter, head of Melbourne Universitys school of population and global health, said on top of tightening the definition of essential workers to exclude industries such as construction and manufacturing, the government could consider starting the 9pm curfew earlier and shutting takeaway food stores. They are all pretty extreme and Im not saying that is what they should do but those would be the further options on the table, she said.

Rapid antigen testing is a tool that could be used every day with essential workers to pick up infections early. In response to the growing number of cases among children, Mr Andrews took a proposal to National Cabinet on Friday which would see all secondary school and grade 6 students vaccinated by the end of the 2021 school year. The 2700-student Greater Shepparton Secondary College closed on Friday after students were identified as close contacts and the regional city braced for more cases. Professor Baxter said it appeared inevitable Shepparton, if not all of regional Victoria, required another lockdown. There was a wastewater detection in Lakes Entrance last week and with the regions not in lockdown, its clear contact tracing will have a serious task already in Shepparton.

Sharon Gibson, mayor of Latrobe City Council in the states east, said her community would struggle to accept a statewide lockdown if cases had not spread beyond Shepparton. Cr Gibson said the mental health toll and threat of another lockdown were both weighing heavily on residents of the Latrobe Valley. Some are getting angry and some are getting very depressed, she said. Some are getting very worried about their businesses and livelihoods. Mount Hotham Chamber of Commerce president Steve Belli said another lockdown would spell the end of the ski season for alpine businesses, whose takings were down up to 80 per cent. It wont be good. Peoples mental health is not good now, he said. We just dont know whats going to happen. Theres a lot of anxiety because of the unknown.

Alpine businesses fear another lockdown will spell the end of ski season. Credit:Kary Gray Health authorities also expressed concern that some positive cases and close contacts were not following directions to stay at home, with a drip feed of cases in the western suburb of Newport and four mystery cases arising from Point Cook to Pakenham. Eight weeks into her states lockdown, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian introduced a 9pm curfew in the worst-hit western suburbs of Sydney and mandatory mask-wearing across the state. Mirroring Victorias restrictions, a 9pm and 5am curfew will be introduced for residents in 12 Sydney local government areas and masks will be compulsory outside statewide from Monday. Residents in high-risk Sydney suburbs will also be limited to one hour of exercise a day. A NSW government proposal for restaurants and pubs to reopen with capacity limits and other rules when vaccination coverage reaches 70 per cent has received industry support in Victoria.

Loading But hoteliers are demanding both tiers of government provide the industry with legal protections to protect businesses from discrimination claims from staff or customers. On Tuesday, the Victorian board of the Australian Hotels Association passed a resolution calling on the state and federal governments to protect businesses from lawsuits brought by staff or customers denied hours or service because they refuse to be vaccinated AHA Victorian chief executive Paddy OSullivan said the industry would be willing to do whatever it takes to reopen, including checking the vaccination status of customers, but wanted government backing. Whatever indemnities are required for staff and customers there must be a legal framework, Mr OSullivan said.

But Mr Andrews said 80 per cent vaccination remained the benchmark for reopening in Victoria and a significant easing of restrictions prior to that would be a deviation from the agreed national plan. Some things can be eased at 70 per cent, but 80 per cent is the real game-changer. Restaurant and Catering Australia chief executive Wes Lambert threw his support behind NSWs 70 per cent reopening plan. He said it would be a political catastrophe for any premier to have promises a return to normal at 70 to 80 per cent vaccinations and then walk away. Other states including Victoria will need to accept that, with the Delta variant, there are populations that are highly vaccinated where they still have four and five-digit case numbers of COVID; that is the future. Mr Andrews said there was no alternative to strict lockdowns at the current full vaccination level of 28 per cent nationwide.

As of right now, everyone is committed, every leader in the country, regardless of what political party theyre from, is committed to that national plan. There are some changes at 70 [per cent], but the big step changes come at 80 per cent. The state government put out an urgent request for 180 public servants to join the health departments response on Friday. Government departments circulated an email, seen by The Age, to public servants inviting them to fill 180 health roles including as data analysts, policy advisors and logistic officers. Such is the importance of this situation in Victoria, and the need to do everything we can to contain this Delta outbreak right now, that we need to nominate staff today, the email read.
The pandemonium continued over the following days as Afghans tried to scale fences to make it inside the airport. On Thursday, a local waiting in the surging crowd outside the perimeter fence filmed a tiny baby passed over razor wire into the hands of a US soldier.

Its this level of desperation that led thousands of Afghans to swarm the international airport at Kabul on Monday, a day after the Taliban seized the capital. The images of bedlam shocked viewers around the world  especially the sight of Afghans clinging to the side of a military aircraft as it lifted off the tarmac and took flight. At least two people died after falling to the ground.

Some men were seen climbing onto the landing of a military plane as it took off on Monday, and at least two fell to their deaths. Credit:@Mukhtarwafayee

I fear death, Ahmad says. They would not stop with killing me. They would kill my wife, my brother, my family. Today they are showing mercy but in the future there is no guarantee.

After working as an interpreter for the coalition forces in Afghanistan for the past three years, Ahmad fears he will be punished by the Taliban now that they control the country. He doesnt give any credence to the Islamist groups promise that they will not take revenge against Afghans who assisted the foreign forces.

I just want to get out of here, wherever it is, Ahmad (not his real name) says via telephone from the Afghan capital. Even over a glitchy WhatsApp connection you can hear the anxiety in his voice.

Ahmad wants to make it to Australia. Or the United States. Or Britain. He doesnt mind which one. The 29-year-old is simply desperate to escape Kabul.

NATO officials estimate more than 18,000 people have been evacuated in five days from the airport, which is serving as a makeshift embassy hub for several nations. They say the US military could soon be evacuating 5000 to 9000 people per day  if applicants can make it past the crowds and Taliban soldiers into the airport.

The scenes of chaos at the airport were very real. They also provided a powerful visual metaphor for the haphazard and humiliating end to the US-led war in Afghanistan. US President Joe Biden had promised an orderly end to the 20-year war that cost the lives of 3500 coalition troops  including 41 Australians. What transpired was mayhem.

The Taliban could start massacring people at any moment, Moulton warns. There are already reports that they are going house-to-house around the country, starting to hang government officials and assassinate people they thought were collaborators or worked with the Afghan security forces.

The chaos outside the gate right now is so bad that women and children are being crushed literally to death  people are dying just waiting to get into the airport, Seth Moulton, a Democratic congressman who served in Iraq, said at an event hosted by the Centre for a New American Security think tank on Friday.

By the end of the week, US officials estimated that 12 people had been killed in and around the airport. Most died from gunfire or after being trampled in stampedes.

He experienced chaos first-hand on Tuesday when he rushed to Baron Hotel, just 1.5 km from the airport. The hotel is now the site of the British embassy, and a British colleague had told Ahmad that they could issue him a visa and evacuate him if he made it inside.

Ahmad also applied for a special American visa in January. He says he provided all the requested documents  including letters of recommendation from his American colleagues  but his application is still pending.

Complicating the process is the fact that his wife, who is six months pregnant, has been unable to retrieve her passport and birth certificate from the administrative office in Kabul. Like the rest of the city, it is now under Taliban control.

In early August, Ahmad received an email from the Australian government. It looked like good news. Defence Minister Peter Dutton had certified him as eligible to apply for a visa under Australias special asylum program for at-risk Afghan employees. But he is still waiting on final approval for his visa.

Biden and Prime Minister Scott Morrison have vowed to do everything in their power to provide safe haven for Afghans such as Ahmad who assisted the coalition war effort. But he and the more than 20,000 other Afghans who have applied for asylum are looking for more than promises. They need a way out of the country.

Afghanistan was the last thing on most Americans minds when Biden spoke about the status of the US withdrawal on July 8. Summer was in full swing and the threat of COVID-19 seemed to be receding.

Anyone trying to get to the airport must pass through a Taliban checkpoint; many are turned back. Credit:AP

The Taliban were beating people, telling them, Stay here and we will build a good nation. Why are you leaving Afghanistan? We suffered 20 years for you so you should stay here.

To get into the hotel, you had to pass through three checkpoints, all controlled by the Taliban. Because Ahmad did not have a British visa, they did not let him pass through to the makeshift embassy.

It was like all of Afghanistan was there at the gate, he says. It was horrible for me.

These included a Taliban takeover following a rapid collapse of Afghan security forces and government, as well as a civil war or a negotiated settlement.

Bidens claim that a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was highly unlikely was always overly optimistic. Speaking at the Pentagon this week, Mark Milley, Americas top military officer, said that US intelligence agencies had offered a range of scenarios.

These words would come back to haunt Biden just 38 days later when the Taliban took control of Kabul. Ghani, rather than attempt any kind of power-sharing, simply fled the country.

He acknowledged it was possible that the US-backed Afghan government, led by President Ashraf Ghani, would be forced into a power-sharing arrangement with the Taliban. But the likelihood theres going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely, he said.

The draw-down is proceeding in a secure and orderly way, prioritising the safety of our troops as they depart, Biden said.

As he has done since he unveiled his exit plan in April, Biden sounded positive about the withdrawal.

But the timeframe of a rapid collapse, Milley said, ranged from weeks to years following the American departure. There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated the collapse of this army and this government in 11 days, he said.

On Sunday, as the Taliban trucks rolled through the streets, Chinook helicopters started evacuating the US embassy while smoke from burning documents rose into the sky. Credit:AP

Get out now

To get a sense of the deteriorating security situation on the ground, all the Americans had to do was look to Australia. In May, Australian Defence officials presented the government with a damning intelligence assessment. The situation in Kabul could deteriorate rapidly and Australia should urgently close its embassy, the advice stated. Australia was paying for a significant security contingent for a relatively low number of embassy staff, and it should get out now.

The advice was issued on the notion that there could be a protracted fight for the capital between the Taliban and Afghan National Army  nobody anticipated that the Afghan government itself would cut and run.

Senior officials see last weeks chaos as vindication for the decision to close Australias embassy on May 28. But once the diplomats had left, Australia had to rely on other nations  primarily the US  for intelligence.

The first Australian Defence Force evacuation flight departed Kabul with 26 people on board.

Between April and August, 430 former interpreters and other local contractors flew out of Afghanistan and resettled in Australia, but there are hundreds more looking for a way out.

While Canberra started planning for an urgent evacuation mission once the regional cities started to fall to the Taliban in early August, Australia  like its allies  thought it still had more time.

By Sunday, the Armys 3rd and 17th Brigades in Townsville were on standby; the next day they flew out to Australias forward operating base just south of Dubai. The first RAAF C-130 Hercules aircraft finally landed at Kabul airport early on Wednesday morning, dropping off officials charged with the daunting task of getting people onto flights and picking up only 26 passengers  Australians, Afghans and one foreign official.

Another 76 with Australian visas were carried to safety by the British, and then sixty people made it onto the second RAAF flight on Thursday night.

Morrison promises many more flights, but the logistics of sharing the one war zone runway for an international mission are daunting  and its even harder for those trying to make it to the airport.

Those stuck in Kabul must navigate a two-step nightmare: trying to get their urgent visa paperwork from the Australian government, and then trying to make their way past the Taliban checkpoints. One former interpreter for Australia was allegedly shot in the leg by militants as he tried to make his way to Australias first evacuation flight.

Every nation involved in the evacuation mission has to be cleared to land by the US forces that control the airport. There is only one runway and many countries frantically trying to get their people out. Wild weather towards the end of this week has made the rescue operation even more tenuous.

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The Morrison government has been criticised by many former soldiers and national security experts for not evacuating more Afghan staff and contractors before this week. The government is resolute in its belief that it did as much as it could, saying fresh security clearances were needed in all cases and some failed.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton tells The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age there has been a lack of appreciation for the depth of work and effort over the last three months to get Afghans out of the country.

Certainly events have moved very quickly in recent days and it makes us grateful we did get as many out as we did, but it now becomes more difficult day-by-day.

Dutton repeatedly pointed out this week that some former interpreters had switched sides to the Taliban in the intervening years since they assisted Australian troops.

Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, is not convinced. He says Australia could have taken more people in recent weeks and processed them in a third country.

We seemed to allow a very ponderous start to the business to getting Afghan supporters out, Jennings says. Say the total number of people is 300-400 people - if we just had to pack them all up in RAAF C-17 aircraft, and it turns out that some of the people werent quite as close to Australia as they claimed  so what?

Jennings says closing the embassy was the right decision, but probably done too quickly.

We should have hung on a little bit longer and proceeded much faster with the moving out of Afghans who we wanted to bring back to Australia, Jennings says.

A Royal Air Force member assists evacuees as they disembark a Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules at Australias main operating base in the Middle East. (This image has been digitally altered for privacy)

Labor MP Peter Khalil, who served as a senior advisor for both Australia and the US in Iraq, knows all too well the consequences for former interpreters once western forces begin to leave. His former interpreter was beheaded by al-Qaeda on the streets of Baghdad in 2007.

Khalil had been calling on the Australian government for months to fast-track the process for getting Afghan employees out. Its been said theres a moral obligation to the interpreters who have worked with our ADF for two decades, he says. But theres also a national security necessity. Because what kind of message are we sending the world? That those people who worked with us, served with us - we dont have their backs?

Cultural and technological arrogance

Anatol Lieven, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington DC, says the collapse of the Afghan government was entirely predictable. But he thought the Taliban would wait until the Americans had left the country to take over. I was surprised by the speed, but thats what we pay intelligence services for, he says. We had all the people training the Afghan army. Did they not realise how fragile this was?

Chris Miller, the former director of the US National Counter-terrorism Centre, this week described the failure to foresee the rapid collapse of the Afghan state was an intelligence failure of cataclysmic proportions.

We have something fundamentally wrong with the way we do our intelligence assessments in our country, Miller told the Associated Press. Its cultural and technological arrogance.

As well as the Afghan forces lack of will to fight, Biden has sought to blame his predecessor for the botched end to the war. In February 2020 the Trump administration struck a deal with the Taliban to leave the country by May of this year. Biden insists this left him with only two feasible options: to stick as closely to the original deadline as possible or to escalate the number of US troops in Afghanistan.

Then-US secretary of state Mike Pompeo meeting with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Doha, Qatar in November 2020. Credit:AP

David Schanzer, a counter-terrorism expert at Duke Universitys Sanford School of Public Policy, says Trump does bear responsibility for what has unfolded.

We negotiated a withdrawal agreement and left the Afghan government on the side, he says. We said we were leaving no matter what the Taliban did, no matter whether or not they had legitimate peace talks with the actual government of Afghanistan. It was a travesty.

Which is not to say that things could not have been handled more competently by the Biden administration.

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With hindsight, it would obviously have been better if the Americans had kept a few thousand troops and their air force there until the winter and then withdrawn, Lieven says. It would have been much more difficult for the Taliban to launch an offensive in the winter. That could have bought the Americans a decent interval to get people out.

Niamatullah Ibrahimi, a Middle East expert at La Trobe University, says both Biden and Trump are to blame for this weeks events.

There was this powerful narrative coming from Biden and the Trump administration that was suppressing this sort of criticism - you were accused of being anti-peace for questioning the process, he says.

President Biden inherited the deal - but he owned it and actively campaigned around it, and will have to deal with the legacy of it. And I think that legacy will continue to haunt him.

My view its not a failure of intelligence, its a political failure.

While more than 18,000 people have been evacuated since Sunday, tens of thousands still wait for their chance. Credit:AP

By the end of the week Biden was no longer committed to his August 31 deadline for a full troop withdrawal. US forces, he suggested in an interview with ABC America, may have to stay longer to ensure that all American citizens in Afghanistan can get out. He notably did not commit to evacuating all Afghan allies out before US troops leave the country, an omission that was noticed by worried US legislators.

The Talibans rapid ascendancy across Afghanistan and takeover of Kabul should not cause us to break our promise to the Afghans who helped us operate over the past twenty years and are counting on us for assistance, a bipartisan group of 50 senators wrote to Biden following the interview.

American inaction would ensure they become refugees or prime targets for Taliban retribution.

Its a stance that Ahmad, stuck in Kabul, agrees with but is powerless to do anything about. He feels abandoned by Australia, the US and Britain. The process is completely wrong. They left us behind here. Everyone is confused. They told us they would evacuate us, but they did not tell us what we needed to get out.

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For more than three decades in public life, Nicole Kidman has deftly avoided political controversy, but she has now found herself a starring role in a city that has transformed from a liberal enclave to a hub of political oppression.

The 54-year-old received a rare quarantine exemption from the Hong Kong government to fly into the city last week to begin filming Expats, an Amazon series that her production company, Blossom Films, owns the rights to. The series is based on Janice Y. K. Lees book The Expatriates  described by critics as Sex and the City meets Lost in Translation.

Nicole Kidman received a rare quarantine exemption from the Hong Kong government. Credit:

The social satire follows three foreign women going through their own crises and fretting about how to fill their days. They debate if they should wear Dansko clogs or Jimmy Choo mules and whether to talk about nannies or Rwanda? Locals perform the roles of feudal servants, running to obey every whim.

The book, released in 2016, is a product of old Hong Kong, where expats made for good book-club fodder, sunning themselves, drinking cosmos and talking market caps. But it is a world away from todays Hong Kong, where protesters have been arrested for holding up blank pieces of paper, six-year-olds at school are drilled on national security breaches and its residents are buying one-way tickets to London.
Moscow: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has used her final official visit to Russia to tell President Vladimir Putin to free Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, but the Kremlin leader rebuffed her, saying the jailing was unrelated to politics.

The talks on Friday, as Merkel prepares to step down following elections next month, coincided with the first anniversary of Navalnys poisoning, an incident that strained Russia-Germany ties.

Putin who famously invited his two dogs to a meeting with dog-fearing Merkel once before, this time gave her flowers before the talks and said he expected a substantive meeting despite it being a farewell visit.

No dogs this time: Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, presents flowers to German Chancellor Angela Merkel during their meeting in the Kremlin on Friday. Credit:AP

Navalny was flown to Germany last year after being poisoned with what the West concluded was a military nerve agent. Moscow rejects that and alleges a Western smear campaign. Navalny was jailed when he flew back to Russia.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will keep all of New Zealand in lockdown until at least Tuesday August 24, after it was confirmed the new Auckland coronavirus outbreak has spread to Wellington.

The Ministry of Health said earlier three cases had been detected in the nations capital in people who had recently travelled to Auckland.

Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said there were 11 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the community, eight of those in Auckland. This brought the total number of cases associated with the current Auckland outbreak to 31.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Credit:AP

He said genome sequencing had confirmed that of those, 19 were linked to the Auckland outbreak, the other 12 were under investigation.
Just as Rent is turning 25, original star Adam Pascal is looking back on his career. In the streaming concert Adam Pascal...So Far, airing Tuesday, August 17, on Stellar, the original Roger takes us through hits from Rent and Aida, Memphis and Pretty Woman, and much more. Here, Pascal discusses the show and tells us what to expect.

Adam Pascal

( Josh Lehrer)

Tell me about this concert.

For the past couple years, I've been doing an acoustic show which is a retrospective of my career. I play something from every show I've been in and I talk about where I was in my life when I was in each of these shows. I was commissioned during the lockdown to do a recorded version of it, and so that's what I did. When I perform the show live, I'm talking to the audience, and when I was recording it, I wanted to be able to capture some of that, but I didn't want to talk to the camera. So I had a buddy of mine, Jarrod Emick, come over and interview me, and we'll intercut that into the show. Interspersed between the songs is Jarrod and I sitting around with a couple of beers talking.

What are some of the songs we'll hear?

I play my audition songs for Rent and Aida, which people are always excited about. The song I auditioned for Rent with was "Red Hill Mining Town" by U2, and my Aida audition song was "Vienna" by Billy Joel. From Chicago, I do "Funny Honey," which is a Roxie song, even though I played Billy Flynn. People seem to like those.

How did you record this? Was it just you in your house, basically?

Yes. The way I recorded it, and because of the nature of what I had to do...I didn't do it all at once. I shot maybe two songs a day over the course of five days. I had to record the songs on three separate 4k cameras, and I then had to upload the footage, which took several hours. Which was fine. But it worked out better that way. I think it captures it as well as I could have captured it.

Is it hard to do a concert without the audience?

It's hard when you don't have that response from the audience. During lockdown, I did a lot of different types of recorded or live or Zoom stuff. I also did stuff in a club on a stage, which the most unnerving of all of it.

Why?

I'm fine doing it in my living room, but doing it in a club with no audience was horrible. I hated it and I didn't even give a good performance. I was thrown by the whole thing.

We just passed the 25th anniversary of Rent? What is it like to look back on that experience?

The most ironic thing about the whole situation is that I'm playing this character who...All he wants to do is create something he will be remembered for. And I have now become known for that show and that song, and I was a similar person to Roger in that regard. I always wanted that, because I'm a songwriter. I've been connected to and synonymous with this show and song in a way that I have always dreamed of, playing a character who has always wanted to be connected to something like this. I think Roger would have given his right arm to have been in something like Rent.

Does it amaze you that Rent is now a staple of school and community theater groups around the world?

I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it, but I'm amazed by it. Not by the success of the show, but that I'm a part of that. That's what I find so amazing. I think the show deserves all it's achieved. I'm fascinated that I'm part of it, because I think I'm just a schmo from Syosett. I'm amazed by my own career.

For tickets to Adam Pascal...So Far, click here.
Senate Testimony of Dr. Pierre Kory - Ivermectin - Miracle Drug To Treat Covid-19?; Why Doesn't Anyone But Us Gives A Darn...WTF?

Editor's Plea: Isn't it worth a shot to study?

Review of the Emerging Evidence Demonstrating the Efficacy of Ivermectin in the Prophylaxis and Treatment of COVID-19 Study (PDF)

SPECIAL UPDATE (8-2-21): Israeli scientist says COVID-19 could be treated for under $1/day

Testimony Dr. Pierre Kory, Associate Professor of Medicine at St. Luke's Aurora Medical Center appearing before Homeland Security Committee Meeting: Focus on Early Treatment of COVID-19

December 8, 2020

I want to begin by thanking Senator Johnson and the Committee for this critically needed effort to bring attention to the importance and need for effective early treatment approaches to COVID-19. I am speaking today not only as an individual physician, but also on behalf of my non-profit organization, the Front-Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, made up of some of the most highly published and well-known critical care experts in the world with almost 2,000 peer -reviewed publications in the medical literature as well as over 100 years of bedside clinical experience in ICUs around the country.

Although we, like many, are extremely encouraged by the apparent successes in developing effective vaccines, we also are dismayed at the near complete absence of guidance and research on effective early, at-home, or preventative treatment options apart from vaccines, a reality we find unconscionable. Our hospitals are overflowing with over 100,000 COVID-19 patients admitted, and new record deaths are reported each passing day. It will take months for the vaccine to be distributed to the general public and further time to have sufficient impact in this crisis, so we are here to stress the need for effective early treatment. My organization of critical care specialists have spent the almost nine months tirelessly reviewing the scientific literature to gain insight into this virus and the disease process and to develop effective treatment protocols. All the while, we were working long hours in Intensive Care Units full of COVID patients. I was proud to testify in front of the committee about our MATH+ Hospital Treatment Protocol in May which I would like to mention has had nearly every single component of its combination therapies validated in clinical studies and our paper detailing and reporting on the impacts of the treatment protocol will be published within days in the Journal of Critical Care Medicine.

And so, it is with great pride as well as significant optimism, that I am here to report that our group, led by Professor Paul E. Marik, has developed a highly effective protocol for preventing and early treatment of COVID-19. In the last 3-4 months, emerging publications provide conclusive data on the profound efficacy of the anti-parasite, anti-viral drug, antiinflammatory agent called ivermectin in all stages of the disease. Our protocol was created only recently, after we identified these data. Nearly all studies are demonstrating the therapeutic potency and safety of ivermectin in preventing transmission and progression of illness in nearly all who take the drug.

Before proceeding, I want to bring attention to two critical deficits in our national treatment response that has made this hearing necessary in the first place. Besides the early interest and research into hydroxychloroquine, we can find no other significant efforts to research the use of any other already existing, safe, low-cost therapeutic agents. Seemingly the only research and treatment focus that we have observed on a national scale is with novel or high-cost pharmaceutically engineered products such as remdesivir, monoclonal antibodies, tocilizumab, with all such therapies costing thousands of dollars. This is consistent with conclusions drawn by a physician consulting to Congress about Covid-19 when she concluded, There is a pervasive problem on the Hill with how we prove the value of a low cost treatment. Another barrier has been the censorship of all of our attempts at disseminating critical scientific information on facebook and other social media with our pages repeatedly being blocked. Finally, we believe the lack of clinical experts on the existing task forces is further hindering progress on identifying effective therapeutics. We can identify almost no members with any similarities to the skill set, clinical knowledge base, and patient care experience to our group of expert clinicians. Existing members all seem to be either physician leaders of large health care organizations or have research backgrounds. Although many must have had some bedside experience in the care of patients in their careers, there seem to be almost none that have been at the bedside of COVID- 19 patients in any appreciable fashion during this pandemic. Expert clinician panels such as ours have large amounts of valuable insights and wisdom and we are extremely pleased to share our recent discovery of the immense potency of Ivermectin in COVID-19.

is highly safe, widely available, and low cost. Its discovery was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine, and is already included on the WHOs Worlds List of Essential Medicines. We now have data from over 20 well-designed clinical studies, ten of them randomized, controlled trials, with every study consistently reporting large magnitude and statistically significant benefits in decreasing transmission rates, shortening recovery times, decreasing hospitalizations, or large reductions in deaths. This clinical data is also supported by multiple basic science, in-vitro and animal studies. Our manuscript, completed one week ago, is already out of date due to the near daily emergence of new, positive ivermectin studies. The manuscript has been posted on the medical pre-print server OSF (Open Science Foundation) and can be downloaded here https://osf.io/wx3zn/ or on our organizations website, www.flccc.net. A more updated meta-analysis and review authored by a group of Ph.D. researchers and scientists includes all ivermectin studies as of December 4th, 2020 and can be found on the c19study.com website here: https://ivmmeta.com/

These data show that ivermectin is effectively a miracle drug against COVID-19. The magnitude of the effect is similar to its Nobel prize-worthy historical impacts against parasitic disease across many parts of the globe. It should be noted that that Merck, the pharmaceutical company whose scientists helped discover ivermectin, has from the first availability of the drug, donated hundreds of millions of doses for free to support the WHO parasite eradication programs. We believe a similar initiative is needed to eradicate the globe from the scourge of COVID-19. Our group held a press conference this past Friday, December 4th at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, issuing a Call to Action. We made a formal request to our national and global health care agencies and leaders to rapidly assess the growing scientific evidence on ivermectin and update treatment guidelines accordingly. We noted that the last treatment recommendation on ivermectin is from August 27th where on the NIH website, they recommended that ivermectin only be used in clinical trials and they based that recommendation as expert opinion only given the lack of clinical studies at the time. There is now a wealth of studies reporting efficacy of ivermectin. In that press conference, we called for a rapid and updated review of this evidence in the hopes a treatment recommendation could be made and thus saving many thousands of lives, quickly. The press conference was broadcast via the Associated Press and Univision to nearly every country globally. The Health Ministry of the Government of Uganda is currently reviewing our manuscript with the intent of incorporating our treatment protocol into a national treatment guideline. It is now 48 hours later and, although it has been shared widely, we have not heard from:

 Any national news radio, newspaper or television station.

 Any single member of any U.S health care agency.

 One notable exception is the interest shown by the Health Ministry of the Government of Uganda as they are currently reviewing our manuscript with the intent of incorporating our treatment protocol into a national treatment guideline. We know of no similar effort by any US health care agency at this time. (This point can be omitted if necessary)

SEE COMPLETE TESTIMONY
2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Review By Larry Nutson

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

Breaking new ground

By Larry Nutson

Executive Editor and Bureau Chief

Chicago Bureau

The Auto Channel

As things would have it my expected drive of the all-new 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz went awry. On the invite of Hyundai I was to travel to San Francisco and then on to Palo Alto. Well, my direct airline flight got canceled. Then on my rescheduled new route involving a connection one of those flights got canceled.

Needless to say, instead of me driving the new Santa Cruz in and around Santa Cruz, California I waited a week to have my first drive experience in the Chicago suburbs.

Hyundai first hinted at its aspirations for a pickup-like vehicle with its HCD-15 Concept introduced at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Now here in 2021 we have in the flesh the all-new 2022 Santa Cruz. The worlds first sport adventure vehicle.

The 5-passenger Santa Cruz with its open cargo bed is designed to appeal to utility vehicle owners. That was the priority in the design. The Santa Cruz is not intended to appeal to the traditional pickup truck buyer.

A utility vehicle has a balance of attributes to provide for transporting people and things over sometimes varying road conditions. The Santa Cruz extends that balance to still transport people as well as things with its open bed and underfloor storage---a trunk in the bed. The in-bed trunk has a drain plug that allows for cleaning and draining.

The cargo bed is secure. A sliding lockable bed cover that is strong and durable secures cargo. The urban adventurer who wants the versatility of a truck with the footprint of a small SUV will appreciate the Santa Cruz.

The unibody Santa Cruz shares its architecture with the Hyundai Tucson but rides on a longer 118.3 inch wheelbase. Overall length is 195.7 inches. Theres 8.6 inches of ground clearance.

Santa Cruz is front-wheel drive with available all-wheel drive. It uses a multi-link rear suspension which is self-leveling.

Available trim levels are SE, SEL, SEL Activity, SEL Premium and Limited.

SE, SEL and SEL Activity trim levels have a 191-hp 2.5-L engine mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and are available in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. EPA fuel economy ratings are 23 mpg combined with 21 city mpg and 27 highway mpg. Tow rating is 3,500 lb. for a braked trailer.

SEL Premium and Limited trims come with a 281-hp turbocharged 2.5-L paired with an 8-speed wet dual-clutch transmission and are equipped only with AWD. EPA fuel economy ratings are 22 mpg combined with 19 city mpg and 27 highway mpg. Tow rating is 5,000 lb. for a braked trailer.

The cargo bed is 52.1 inches long and 53.9 inches wide. With the tailgate open you have 74.8 inches of length. Total payload ranges from 1,520 to 1,753 lbs. depending on model. The bed has attachment points to secure cargo and a couple storage bins.

Santa Cruz offers excellent safety and convenience features, with an array of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) safety technologies as part of the Hyundai SmartSense feature suite.

The interior is rugged and yet refined. Ingress and egress is easy and the layout of switches and controls is ergonomically comfortable. The center stack display features an edgeless 10-inch infotainment screen. An optional center digital cluster display also measures 10 inches. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as well as wireless device charging are provided. The 60/40 split rear seat flips up for convenient, in-cabin storage. An available Bose audio system delivers premium sound for music listening.

Santa Cruz pricing starts with the SE at $23,990. SEL is $27,190, SEL with Activity Package is $30,460, SEL Premium is $35,680, and Limited is $39,720. All-wheel drive is an additional $1,500 on SE, SEL, and SEL Activity models. In addition theres the $1,185 destination charge.

My Chicago-suburbs drive came about through the Midwest Automotive Media Association Summer Drive program. Im a member of MAMA, as its known, and I drove a Santa Cruz with the 281-hp engine and all-wheel drive. This powertrain combination delivers plenty of satisfying performance. The DCT combined with the turbo engine is nicely responsive.

I didnt drive the lower output engine. If shopping for a Santa Cruz, drive both engines to be sure you get what is really needed to suit the load you would usually be carrying and the terrain in which you routinely drive.

The interior is well appointed and finished very much like Hyundais other utility vehicle in their lineup. The Santa Cruz is quiet, has good road manners and provides a comfortable ride. It drives very much like a compact utility vehicle.

The Santa Cruz is arriving at dealers now. More information and details on the new Santa Cruz can be found at www.hyundaiusa.com.

Hyundai describes the typical Santa Cruz buyer as a tech-savvy single male in the age range of 35 to 45 years. I think well see younger buyers, males and females alike, liken the Santa Cruz. The new Santa Cruz could just be the ute to have for those high school upperclass years.

Happy motoring, or should I say adventuring.

 2021 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy
In an interview with The Irish Times, Lorde revealed that she 'kicked' discussions about her body as a teenager out of the conversation.

I was pretty intent about that. I didnt want people to be talking about what my body looked like. I was a kid."

And I really wasnt in my body. As a teenager, you kind of wear your body like an outfit that doesnt fit yet.

So it definitely was something I very specifically did not invite. I think it all worked out. How my body looks is not a big centre of curiosity now. Which I think is in part because of the grounding I lay as a teenager."

So yeah  I feel good about baby me doing that for future me.

Lorde ensured that she was careful to have healthy boundaries as a teenager going on to say,

There were just things I wasnt going to do if they werent comfortable for me to do. I wore the exact outfits I felt like wearing. I wore suits. I loved suits. I felt powerful in them. The fact that I sort of did it in a way that felt right for me  that meant I dont look back and feel f****d up by it.


1,200 Hawaii 1st Responders Sue State Over Vaccine Mandate

Roughly 1,200 first responders in Hawaii are suing the state over its new vaccine mandate. Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced the mandate on Aug. 5, mandating that state and county employees must provide proof of full vaccination for COVID-19 or be subject to regular weekly testing and travel restrictions (pdf).

Ige said in the mandate that employees had until Aug. 16 to comply or face disciplinary action, up to and including termination. However, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi extended the deadline by one week due to a possible sudden shortage of county workers caused by the unvaccinated employees having to stay home.

The highly contagious Delta variant creates a big risk of infection, especially for members of our community who are not vaccinated. With spiking COVID-19 case numbers, we have to take measures now to prevent an unmanageable strain on our healthcare system. This new vaccination and testing policy for state and county workers will help protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people of Hawaii, Ige said in a statement.

Although religious and medical exemptions are accepted, some workers unions have noted that the mandate lacks information on qualifications for a religious or medical exemption, as well as the procedures for applying for and obtaining such exemptions.

In response to the mandate, police, firefighters, and EMS workers from the counties of Honolulu and Maui filed a class-action lawsuit on Aug. 15 (pdf), calling for the state to rescind the new mandate.

The first responders will be represented by three attorneys: Michael Green, attorney at Michael Jay Green & Associates; Shawn Luiz, attorney at Shawn A. Luiz, Attorney at Law; and Kristin Coccaro, Esq., attorney at Empire Law, LLC.

If they cant prove the testing because theyre waiting for their free tests  theyre going to be home without pay. So its almost the same result as being fired. Youre having a large majority of our first responders off the street without pay and being punished, Coccaro said in a press conference with KHON2 News.

City employees who dont have access to free testing will be responsible for arranging and covering the costs of tests themselves, according to the governors mandate.

The governor also suspended certain sections of Chapter 89 of the Collective Bargaining in Public Employment laws that allow workers unions to bargain on behalf of their union employees.

Some of the strongest unions in the country are here in Hawaii, and the governor threw his emergency proclamation order [to] destroy the unions abilities to fight for their employees, Green said. We have thousands of people who are told, You are going to take this vaccination or you wont have a job.

Green and Luiz explained during the press conference that the concern isnt about the vaccines, but about the mandates and the lack of prior discussion and notice.

Theyre just asking for the chance to choose, Luiz said. Its a personal, autonomous health care decision, and everyone should make their own choice whether or not they want to take a vaccine.

Captain Kaimi Pelekai of the Honolulu Fire Department told KHON2 News during the press conference that the city had only sent a letter to county employees, telling them to get vaccinated or show proof of a religious or medical exemption by Aug. 16. The governor gave employees 10 days to comply with the mandate.

I spent the last 20 years of my life, and 37 years watching my dad do this job, and because I didnt want to put an experimental drug in my body, I got to give that all up? Pelekai said.

If were not there [on Monday], its because of them, he said. Its because of the mayor. Its because of the governor. We want to be there! We signed up for this! This is what we want to do for the rest of our lives! We want to run in. We want to stop the bullet. We want to swim into the 40-foot waves to save your lives! Thats what we want. Thats what we wanted to be. And if were not there on the 16th, you can call Mayor Blangiardi and thank him.

Hawaiis firefighters also occasionally aid California in putting out wildfires. The Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park Fire Crew is currently assisting crews fighting Californias Dixie Fire.

The lawsuit is set for a hearing on Sept. 8 before U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson.
15 Monoclonal Antibody Sites to Be Operational in Florida by Weekend

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is racing through the state to facilitate the opening of monoclonal antibody sites. It is estimated that a total of 15 centers will be open in Florida by Saturday with more scheduled to open next week.

Florida State Senator Wilton Simpson was with the governor and his staff at a press conference on Thursday afternoon in Pasco County where another site had just been set up and awaiting patients. Simpson said he had contracted COVID-19 in December and knew that the monoclonal antibodies treatment was available. However, at the time he received the treatment, it was by doctors referral only.

I can tell you that the treatment works, Simpson said. I was feeling better within 48 hours of the treatment.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters on Thursday that there is currently a standing order in Florida signed by the State Surgeon General, Dr. Scott A. Rivkees that allows patients to receive the treatment without a prescription or referral if administered by an eligible health care provider.

DeSantis said there was some confusion about the cost of the treatment and misinformation had been relayed and he hoped by attending the openings of the facilities he could dispel the erroneous information being put forth.

Referrals are not required at any of the State of Florida monoclonal antibody treatment sites, DeSantis said. These treatments are available at no cost to patients. Dont believe anyone that says they are going to cost thousands of dollars.

DeSantis explained that after then President Trump received the monoclonal antibodies treatment the federal government at his direction bought the lot of antibodies treatment as to make it available to everyone who wanted it.

Another new monoclonal antibody treatment location is open at the Ormond Beach Senior Center. -Its open 7 days a week, 9AM-5PM.

-Over 300 patients per day can receive treatment at this location. Make an appointment at: https://t.co/SVZEvCb03k pic.twitter.com/lIFtuDMWUR  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 19, 2021

Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said that the treatment that is being made available around the state is designed to take the pressure off of hospitals.

These treatments are readily available, Guthrie said at the press conference. At Governor DeSantiss direction, in less than a week we have opened up seven state locations, with many more to come.

A question was posed to the governor concerning the Biden administration funding the financial losses of the two school districts that are not in compliance with state laws regarding Parents Bill of Rights and mandating masks for school children.

We have military equipment that is being gifted to militants in Afghanistan, said a visibly exasperated governor. The Biden administration is focused on making kindergartners wear masks when there are so many problems facing this nationinstead they are playing footsie with the [teacher] unions. They have an obsession that a little 5-year-old should go to school masked all day.

Monoclonal antibodies treatment (MAB) can prevent hospitalization or death in high-risk patients with COVID-19 and are widely available in Florida according to the Florida Department of Health website. Anyone who is 12 years and older, and are at high risk for severe illness due to COVID-19, are eligible for this treatment. Treatment is free and vaccination status does not matter.

To find locations to receive monoclonal antibody treatments around the entire state, visit floridahealthcovid19.gov.
NCDOT workers assess damage to a bridge spanning the Pigeon River, in Bethel, N.C., on Aug. 19, 2021. (Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP)

2 Dead, 20 Missing in North Carolina County Flooded by Fred

RALEIGH, N.C.Authorities combing areas of North Carolina flooded by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred said Thursday that two people have been found dead and about 20 were unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, Frednow a post-tropical cyclonewas pushing through New York and New England with drenching rains, and Tropical Storm Henri was sending dangerous waves onto East Coast beaches. Forecasters said Henri will likely strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the northeastern U.S. early next week.

In western North Carolina, Haywood County Emergency Services announced Thursday that two people were confirmed dead after the flooding that prompted dozens of water rescues. Their identities were not immediately released. Around 20 people remained missing. The storm that blew through the area Tuesday made roads impassible, washed out bridges and swamped homes and businesses.

Another Fred-related death was reported earlier in the week in Florida, where a driver hydroplaned and flipped his car into a flooded ditch.

In this image taken with a drone, a flood-damaged bridge spans the Pigeon River, in Bethel, N.C., on Aug. 19, 2021. (Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP)

More than 200 people searched flooded areas along the Pigeon River. At least 10 bridges were damaged or destroyed in the Cruso community, where engineering teams worked to construct temporary bridges to allow people in and out of their homes.

Our search crews are actively working, searching for more victims and more survivors, Travis Donaldson, emergency services director for Haywood County, said at a news conference.

Kevin Sandefur, CEO and founder of BearWaters Brewing Company in Canton, told reporters the flooding wiped out an outdoor seating section the brewery added to make customers feel safer during the pandemic.

It was very frightening. I was more concerned for everybodys safety, he said. My partner was the last one out of the building and barely made it out of here in his truck before they closed the bridges and the streets because it was up that high. Its very scary how quickly it came up and overwhelmed us.

An emergency shelter at a nearby high school housed 11 people Thursday.

North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper surveyed flood damage Thursday afternoon, vowing afterward to help the area rebuild. Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis toured the area earlier in the day.

Farther north, about 10 families evacuated their homes in the rural town of Western in central New York as waters rose.

Ive got three roads that are closed and 15 that have flooding, said Western town Supervisor Diane Butler, who noted the town is still recovering from a tornado last month that downed trees and damaged homes.

Donella Pressley looks over the flood damage to her home, in Bethel, N.C., on Aug. 19, 2021.

(Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP)

Butler said there were no injuries.

Officials from the Cayuga County sheriffs office in the Finger Lakes tourist region said they were barricading roads as they warned on social media that flooded roads may be washed out or have heavy currents.

Strong winds brought down trees, utility poles, and power lines in northeastern Connecticut. Thompson, Connecticut First Selectman Amy St. Onge, the towns top elected official, said authorities were investigating reports of a possible tornado in the area around 10 a.m. No injuries were reported.

As of late Thursday morning, Fred was blowing through upstate New York with maximum sustained winds of about 25 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Forecasters said it was expected to produce between 1 and 3 inches of rain across New York and New England, with isolated spots getting more. The flood threat was expected to diminish by Friday. Its center was about 50 miles west-northwest of Albany.

Swirling in the Atlantic was Tropical Storm Henri, which is expected to become a hurricane offshore late Friday along a path that will likely take it parallel to the East Coast. Its center was forecast to approach southern New England by Monday.

By Bryan Anderson
A health care worker displays a COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card during a vaccine and health clinic at QueensCare Health Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 11, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

A Los Angeles County School District Will Require Students to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine

Culver City Unified School District in Los Angeles County will require students 12 and older to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 19.

We are mandating vaccines for all eligible staff and students, the school district wrote in an Aug. 17 tweet.

On May 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, under emergency use authorization, adolescents as young as 12 years old to receive the vaccine.

Having a vaccine authorized for a younger population is a critical step in continuing to lessen the immense public health burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research said in May 10 statement.

The school district posted the COVID-19 vaccine mandate announcement on Facebook where it was met with both praise and criticism.

Thank you for all the info and appreciate the districts push to protect our kids, a parent wrote. [But] I dont understand the mandate for students and disagree with it. Kids are still developing and we dont know the long term affects of COVID vaccines on developing individuals.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Do not sacrifice your children to these people and stand up to them! said another parent.

Another parent said: Very pleased to know about the vaccine mandate! Thank you for the efforts in keeping our kids safe.

Regardless of staff or students vaccination status, weekly testing will also be mandated and offered at each school site.

As more students are vaccinated, the school district plans to continue enforcing mask mandates for students in lower grade levels who are not eligible to receive the vaccine.

The announcement from Culver City Unified School district comes after the state announced a public health order requiring all school staff to be fully vaccinated or be tested once a week.

Culver City Unified School district didnt return a request by The Epoch Times for comment by press deadline.
Evacuees from Afghanistan sit in a hall upon their arrival at Al Maktoum International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images)

Afghanistan Evacuees Dont Need Negative COVID-19 Tests: State Dept

The State Department announced on Thursday that evacuees are not required to get a COVID-19 test to travel from Afghanistan out of the country.

A blanket humanitarian waiver has been implemented for COVID testing for all persons the U.S. government is relocating from Afghanistan, a spokesperson for the department said.

As Afghanistan had been a hotspot for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, medical exams, including COVID-19 tests, had been required for evacuees prior to the Talibans takeover of Kabul, which added extra urgency to efforts to get at-risk Afghans out.

Separately, at a State Department press briefing on Thursday, spokesman Ned Price told reporters that there are currently no COVID-19 protocols in place for evacuation flights from Kabul, as the first priority is to get as many people out as we can.

What we are doing, depending on where these individuals go, and as you know, there are several transit countries, there sometimes will be testing in those third countries, he said. But our first priority right now is to bring as many people to safety as we can.

Price added, In Kabul at the airport, we dont at present have the capacity to test everyone 

The Pentagon says that some 9,000 people have been brought to safety since evacuation efforts began on Aug. 14, the day before Kabul was seized by the Taliban terrorist group. Of these, the United States evacuated about 3,000 people, including nearly 350 citizens, from Afghanistans Kabul airport on Thursday, a White House official said, noting that they were flown out of the country on 16 C-17 flights.

Additional evacuees include family members of U.S. citizens, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans, the official said in a media pool report on Friday.

The State Department told The Epoch Times in an email that it believes there are 5,000 to 10,000 U.S. citizens in Afghanistan. The agency described the number as a rough estimate.

President Joe Biden said in an interview released earlier on Aug. 19 that there may be as many as 15,000 Americans still in Afghanistan. He told ABC News a day earlier that his administration wont withdraw U.S. troops until all Americans who seek to leave have been evacuated, despite an Aug. 31 drawdown deadline he set previously.

Were going to stay till we get them all out, Biden said.

The president has promised a swift and forceful response if the Taliban attacks U.S. troops or disrupts their evacuation operations.

We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 16, 2021. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

Afghanistan Response: Does the Shadow of the American Revolution Still Hang Over US Foreign Policy?

Commentary

The way the Biden administration chose to withdraw from Afghanistan is undoubtedly a major public policy failure, not only for the United States and the people of Afghanistan, but also for the free world.

Equally lamentable is the fact that despite the long U.S. involvement, and notwithstanding U.S. military hardware and training, there was no Afghan institution able to show leadership and strength or to coordinate the slightest resistance to this band of evil and dangerous Islamic extremists reassuming their tyrannical dictatorship.

The world may now be looking at the initial development of a base from which terrorism will be launched worldwide, adding Kabul to the emerging BeijingMoscowTehran axis of hostile dictatorial powers.

For many years now, whenever Ive talked to an Afghan immigrant and commiserated with the developments in their country, I ask whether there was ever a time when Afghanistan was at peace and great hope reigned.

Without exception, each immigrant referred to the time when King Mohammed Zahir Shah introduced democratic rule, when the country was at peace, when there was economic progress, when women were increasingly liberated, and when education was becoming more accessible. Without hesitation, many referred to this as a golden age.

Afghan King Mohammed Zahir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. He was deposed by his brother-in-law and cousin Mohamed Daoud Khan on July 17, 1973. (AFP via Getty Images)

This reform period began in 1963, when the king dismissed the authoritarian prime minister, his first cousin and brother-in-law Sardar Muhammad Daoud Kahn.

But 10 years later, when the king went to London for an eye operation and was recuperating in Italy, the same Daoud had his revenge, seizing power and proclaiming a one-party republic.

Daoud was killed soon after in a 1978 military coup, and what followed was a Soviet invasion, a communist puppet government, a civil war, and, eventually, a Taliban dictatorship.

Under Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda engaged in attacks on various targets, including U.S. embassies, culminating in the tragedy of 9/11.

In justifiable retaliation, a U.S.-led international coalition ousted the Taliban regime.

When it came to a new Afghan government, a loya jirga, or grand assembly, was held in Kabul in 2002.

But the United States put all its hopes on Hamid Karzai, even though King Mohammed Zahir Shah had strong support from the Afghan delegates. According to one report, he was obliged to publicly renounce any monarchical leadership at the behest of the United States.

Karzais writ never went far, and he was later often referred to derisively as the mayor of Kabul.

He was succeeded by Ashraf Ghani, who vacated the presidential palace and fled the country as the Taliban advanced into Kabul.

In blocking the return of the king in 2002, the Bush administration rejected the best chance of unifying the country and providing for stability and progress not known in the history of Afghanistan, except for during Shahs earlier reign.

Although the king was old (he passed away in 2007), as a monarch, he would have instinctively realized that one of his most important tasks was to ensure his succession.

Whats most commendable about his son, Crown Prince Ahmad Shah Khan, is that he has never shown any ambition for power, a good prerequisite for a constitutional monarch.

But the United States, with its failure to back the king and its most recent move to pull out of Afghanistan, has exposed a serious lack of strategic thinking. In fact, it has approached Afghanistan in ways similar to yet different from its predecessor, Great Britain.

A benign English-speaking power and a nation under the rule of law, the United States never hungered for a world empire, if only because she already enjoyed an enormous landmass.

But the shadow of King George IIIwho lost the colonies during the War of Independencestill curiously hangs over U.S. foreign policy.

King George III in coronation robes. (By Allan Ramsay, 1765. Public Domain)

U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur was wise enough to see that Japan would be ungovernable if the monarchy werent retained after World War II. Accordingly, he refused to order a trial of the emperor for war crimes.

However, the United States has tended at times to reject the concept of a monarchy when helping nations democratize.

This is despite the U.S. constitutional model falling to authoritarianism on several occasions when exported to lands outside the unique and liberty-loving environment of the United States.

One example of this goes as far back as France in 1851, which, despite its flirtation with an executive presidency and the second republic, was still converted by Napoleon III into authoritarian rule until he was overthrown in 1870.

But the constitutional monarchical model of democracy, which has been exported globally, has worked well.

All the other Five Eyes partners, the inner circle of the United States alliesthe United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealandare constitutional monarchies with the one sovereign, Elizabeth II.

Of similar importance, the two most stable Arab countries are monarchies: Morocco and Jordan.

Thus, its necessary to ask if the United States bias against a monarchical system has clouded its decisions in the international environmentparticularly against one such system that perhaps could have made a nation like Afghanistan stronger.

Its hard to imagine that under such a system, Afghanistan would have seen an unknown and completely untested Hamid Karzai elevated to power.

Nor would the retreat from Kabul have been so mishandled that it became a mere surrender to the Taliban.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The logo for AstraZeneca is seen outside its North America headquarters in Wilmington, Del., on March 22, 2021. (Rachel Wisniewski/Reuters)

AstraZeneca Antibody Cocktail 77 Percent Effective Against Symptomatic COVID-19 in Trial

AstraZeneca said Friday it plans to apply for regulatory approval of an antibody cocktail that a preliminary study showed was highly effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, offering a potential alternative or complement to vaccines.

The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker announced in an Aug. 20 release that the drug, a combination of two long-acting antibodies derived from convalescent plasma, reduced the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 by 77 percent in a clinical trial.

The antibody cocktail, called AZD7442, was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving over 5,000 across multiple countries, including the United States. While the study has not yet been peer-reviewed, AstraZeneca said full results would be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

None of the trial participants who received AstraZenecas drug, administered as a single shot via intramuscular injection, developed severe COVID-19 or died from the disease, according to the release. There were three cases of severe illness and two deaths among those who received a placebo.

AstraZeneca said that over three quarters of the participants had comorbidities that included conditions associated with reduced immune response to COVID-19 vaccines, with encouraging implications for people for whom vaccines provide limited protection.

With these exciting results, AZD7442 could be an important tool in our arsenal to help people who may need more than a vaccine to return to their normal lives, Dr. Myron J. Levin, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the principal investigator on the trial, said in a statement.

While AstraZenecas release cast the product as a complement to vaccines, rather than an alternative, people who refuse to get one of the several COVID-19 vaccines currently available under emergency use authorization are also likely to find the development encouraging.

We need additional approaches for individuals who are not adequately protected by COVID-19 vaccines, AstraZeneca executive Mene Pangalos said in a statement. We are very encouraged by these efficacy and safety data in high-risk people, showing our long-acting antibody combination has the potential to protect from symptomatic and severe disease, alongside vaccines.

AZD7442 is a combination of two antibodiestixagevimab and cilgavimabwhich were derived from B-cells donated by patients who recovered from COVID-19.

By optimizing the human monoclonal antibodies, AstraZeneca extended their longevity, more than tripling the durability of their effectiveness. This means a single shot could provide up to 12 months protection from COVID-19, the company said.

Further, preliminary in vitro findings from investigators at Oxford University and Columbia University showed that AstraZenecas antibody cocktail was effective at neutralizing other variants of COVID-19, including the more contagious Delta.
Australian Hotels Cant Make It Past September Without Help: Hotel Boss

Accor Pacific CEO Simon McGrath has warned that hotels will soon close across all Australian states and territories without financial support from the government.

Across the industry, plans are rapidly accelerating today to hibernate and close hotels due to the lack of government support, McGrath told The Australian. Business owners are at breaking point, and there will be closures. Many dont have the means to keep going beyond September.

Accor runs a wide range of hotel brands, including Grand Mercure, Mantra, Novotel, and Ibis.

The bickering between state and federal governments on border openings impacts the tourism industry greater than any other industry, McGrath said. We are calling on the federal government to resolve these differences and to set an opening date to bring an end to the current uncertainty.

In a letter to the federal government, McGrath said hotels operating in areas outside of COVID hotspots were suffering because people from Sydney and Melbourne were barred from travelling.

Financial relief must be delivered not by hot spot definition, but rather on a shortfall in revenue, he wrote in his letter, adding that the tourism industry was now in a worse state compared to April 2020.

With international borders closure heading towards its 18th month, the tourism industry has shifted to become heavily dependent on domestic tourism.

However, residents in the populous eastern states have been hesitant to travel due to the numerous snap lockdowns in Victoria and Melbourne, making the question of being able to return home uncertain.

Meanwhile, New South Wales is undergoing eight weeks of lockdown restrictions, that was extended by another four weeks today.

A man cycles along a street in Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 13, 2021. (Luis Ascui/Getty Images)

According to figures by the global data and analytics group, STR, while Australia was one of the best-performing countries in the first half of the year, hotel occupancy levels have since rapidly declined after the lockdowns began.

For the week of July 26 to Aug. 1, Sydney reported an occupancy level of just under 16 percent, its lowest weekly level in 2021.

New and extended restrictions amid the latest outbreaks have undoubtedly affected performance in recent weeks, STR Pacific regional manager Matthew Burke said on Aug. 6. Although winter is likely a precipitating factor for some of the decline, these new restrictions across state borders have meant that a lot of travel is simply not possible.

The Northern Territory (NT) had the highest hotel occupancy in the country for the same week, at 65 percent. However, the territory has since been plunged into lockdown as well, prompting Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to provide $9 million in support to its tourism industry.
A man looks at a building with an LED billboard displaying a slogan celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party and the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China in Hong Kong on June 29, 2021. (Bertha Wang/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing Postpones Anti-Sanctions Law for Hong Kong

The Chinese regime decided on Aug. 20 to postpone the decision on the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law for Hong Kong, a law Beijing uses to retaliate against Western-imposed sanctions.

Chinas rubber-stamp legislature was expected to formally approve the law for the Chinese-ruled city on Friday to counter actions by foreign governments amid escalating geopolitical tensions.

However, the vote was postponed for the time being while studying on the issue continues, according to local public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong, citing words from Tam Yiu-chung, the citys sole delegate of the regimes rubber-stamp legislature.

This move will make the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law even more effective, Tan responded to local media outlets inquiries on Friday.

State-run media Xinhua news also didnt mention any decisions related to the law.

The Hong Kong government said in a Friday statement that it fully supports and executes any such decisions by Beijing as a response. But it didnt offer any explanations for the delay.

The Chinese regime on June 10 introduced the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, which mandates individuals or organizations in China, regardless of their citizenship, to follow Beijings countermeasures against foreign-imposed sanctions.

Measures include denying visas for individuals or expelling them, freezing or seizing assets in China, and restricting Chinese entities or people from doing business with those involved.

Under the communist regimes pledge, Hong Kongs mini-constitution, the Basic Law, is expected to protect the independent judiciary in the city. Mainland Chinas law doesnt apply in the Beijing-ruled city unless its in an annex of the constitution.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a press conference on Aug. 17 that Beijing plans to extend the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law to the financial hub, writing it into an annex of the Basic Law. Lam said she didnt have an explicit deadline for implementation, but multinational companies are fretting over the impact on their operations.

Under the planned law, foreign banks and financial institutions would be in a dilemmaeither violating U.S laws by following it or violating the regimes laws by following U.S. orders.

The United States had warned multinational firms who have business in Hong Kong that the regime may force them to comply with Beijings retaliation. The measures could be used against companies that comply with sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries when Beijing imposed the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law.

The Chinese regime had imposed laws directly from its rubber-stamp legislature in 2020, including the national security law and legislative election reforms, which triggered protests by local citizens and foreign sanctions.

The United States imposed more sanctions and warnings against the U.S. companies doing business with the regimes and Hong Kongs officials and institutions, who were accused of implementing the national security law and human rights abuses in Chinas far-western Xinjiang.

Reuters contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the worsening crisis in Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 16, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Biden Denies Allies Are Questioning US Credibility After Afghanistan Collapse

President Joe Biden downplayed concerns that the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal and ongoing evacuation in Afghanistan would damage his administrations credibility around the world.

I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world, Biden told reporters during a Friday press conference, adding that the exact opposite has happened.

Biden added that hes spoken with the United States NATO allies and that other senior White House officials have spoken with their counterparties in recent days.

A number of world leaders and NATO partners have expressed shock or even criticized the United States in recent days over how the withdrawal is being handled. The UK Parliament this week voted to hold Biden himself in contempt for the Afghanistan pullout fracas.

The American decision to withdraw was not just a mistakeit was an avoidable mistake, from President Trumps flawed deal with the Taliban to President Bidens decision to proceed, and to proceed in such a disastrous way, said Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, according to The Telegraph.

To see their commander in chief call into question the courage of men I fought with, to claim that they ran, is shameful, said another Parliament member, Tom Tugendhat, the Tory chairman.

And German politician Armin Laschet, Chancellor Angel Merkels heir apparent, described the Afghan situation as the greatest debacle that NATO has seen since its foundation and called it an epochal change that we are facing.

This week, Biden has received significant bipartisan criticism over how his administration handled the evacuation and pullout, leaving more than 15,000 Americans in the country as the Taliban terrorist group took over Kabul on Sunday. Scenes of violence and chaos have been recorded at the Kabul airport, where U.S. military evacuation flights are ongoing.

Taliban terrorists are seen on patrol while carrying the groups flag in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 19, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)

Taliban extremists man a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 18, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)

All the while, Biden has received flack for not publicly admitting responsibility while going on vacation at Camp David and reportedly his home state of Delaware this week.

Evacuation flights on Friday were stopped for around eight hours, according to reporters on the ground, due to problems over how to transport refugees trying to escape. Flights resumed later in the day, Biden confirmed.

We went in together and were leaving together, Biden said Friday of his NATO allies. And now, were working together to bring our people and our Afghan partners to safety.

The president didnt talk to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson until Tuesday, two days after the Taliban took over Kabul. He spoke with Merkel a day later and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, according to White House-provided readouts of their phone calls.

Therell be plenty of time to criticize and second-guess when this operation is over, but now, lets focus on the mission, Biden said.

Also during his speech, Biden promised to the thousands of Americans inside Afghanistan that we will get you home and added the United States is committed to evacuating tens of thousands more Afghan nationals who worked alongside the U.S. military.

Administration officials have been questioned over public statements that appeared to affirm that the U.S. military is relying on the Taliban, designated by some federal agencies as a global terrorist network, to allow people inside the airport from the outside. Biden appeared to again confirm that the military is in close contact with the Taliban to ensure civilian safety as they go to the airport.

In Washington, some veterans in Congress were calling on the Biden administration to extend a security perimeter beyond the Kabul airport so more Afghans can make it to the airport for evacuation. They also wanted Biden to make clear an Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops was not a firm one.

The deadline is contributing to the chaos and the panic at the airport because you have Afghans who think that they have 10 days to get out of this country or that door is closing forever, said Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), who served in Iraq and also worked in Afghanistan to help aid workers provide humanitarian relief.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
U.S. President Joe Biden gestures as he delivers remarks on the COVID-19 response and the vaccination program in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 18, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Biden to Deliver Speech on Afghanistan Evacuation Before Returning to Delaware

President Joe Biden is scheduled Friday to deliver remarks on the evacuation efforts in Afghanistan, the first time hes addressed the issue since Wednesday.

Biden sat down with ABC host George Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton administration aide, for an interview midweek, but it was not broadcast live and ABC has withheld most footage from the discussion, opting instead to publish a transcript and selected clips.

Biden on Monday delivered a speech on Afghanistan. He primarily defended his decision to pull out U.S. troops and blamed the Trump administration for starting the withdrawal process.

Biden continued that theme with Stephanopoulos, claiming the intelligence community did not say that the Taliban could quickly takeover the country when the United States left.

He also said there was no way to withdraw from Afghanistan without chaos ensuing.

Biden on Friday plans to deliver remarks on the evacuation of American citizens and their families, SIV applicants and their families, and vulnerable American citizens, according to the White House.

SIV stands for Special Immigrant Visas.

The Biden administration is accepting tens of thousands of Afghans fleeing their country. Officials say the Afghans helped the United States during the decades-long war there.

Biden is scheduled to spend the night at the White House before returning to Wilmington, Delaware, where he has a home, according to the White House. He was initially going to Wilmington right after the speech.

Biden was in Delaware last week. He later went to Camp David, Maryland for vacation. Thats where he was when the Taliban took over Kabul on Sunday. Amid growing cries to address the public on the situation, he traveled to the White House on Monday to deliver the speech.

The president after that speech went back to Camp David.

The following evening, Biden went back to the White House.

Commanding General U.S. Central Command Kenneth F. McKenzie tours an evacuation control center at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021. (U.S NAVY/Central Command Public Affairs/LT. Mark Andries via Reuters)

Biden did deliver remarks on Wednesday, but focused on the U.S. governments COVID-19 response. He urged Americans to get a booster COVID-19 shot and denounced Republican governors who are blocking schools from implementing mask mandates.

Biden did not touch on Afghanistan. He did not take questions on Monday or Wednesday. The White House has not held a briefing since Tuesday.

Bidens frequent travel from Washington has drawn criticism from Republicans, who say it shows poor leadership.

Americans are stranded in Afghanistan. The Taliban is obstructing Americans trying to get home. President Biden is going on vacation during this crisis. This is pathetic leadership, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said on social media regarding Bidens Friday flight schedule.

Bidens Week: Vacation, Afghanistan Collapses, Silence, Blame Game, Speech, Vacation, Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) added.

Bidens team has defended his leadership throughout the disaster in Afghanistan, including White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who cut her own vacation short after the Taliban takeover.

Hes taking responsibility for every decision the United States government took with respect to Afghanistan, because, as he said, the buck stops with him, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters this week.

Now, at the same time, that doesnt change the fact that there are other parties here responsible as well who have taken actions and decisions that helped lead us to where we are. So, from our perspective, what we have to do now is focus on the task at hand, the mission at hand, he added.
Former U.S. ambassador to NATO ambassador Nicholas Burns testifies during a U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing about Russian activities in other countries' elections, on Capitol Hill on June 28, 2017. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Selects Career Diplomat Nicholas Burns as Ambassador to China

President Joe Biden is nominating veteran U.S. diplomat Nicholas Burns to serve as the U.S. ambassador to China, the White House announced on Aug. 20.

If confirmed by the Senate, Burns would be the first career diplomat to fill the role in recent years, as the position has been occupied by former politicians over the past decade.

During the administration of President George W. Bush, Burns served as the U.S. ambassador to NATO and undersecretary of state for political affairshistorically the State Departments third-ranking official. He was also the U.S. ambassador to Greece under President Bill Clinton. Burns is currently a professor of international relations at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government.

Burns faces Senate confirmation at a time when countering threats posed by the Chinese regime enjoys rare bipartisan support in Congress. The Biden administration is rallying allies to push back against Beijing over a range of issues, from its human rights abuses to its military aggression in the South China Sea.

While Burns isnt seen as a China policy specialist, neither were the previous four U.S. ambassadors to China. The post has been vacant since October, after former President Donald Trumps envoy to China, Terry Branstad, stepped down.

Burns, however, has ties to Biden, having served as an adviser to his election campaign and having worked closely over the years with some of Bidens most trusted advisers, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Last month, the Chinese regimes new envoy to the United States, Qin Gang, arrived in Washington, pledging to get U.S.China relations back on track amid heightening tensions. In contrast, during two high-level, in-person meetings between Chinese diplomats and Biden officials in 2021, Chinese Communist Party officials took an aggressive tone, lambasting the United States over an array of alleged abuses at home and abroad.

Reuters contributed to this report.
ISIS terrorists waving flags, travel in vehicles as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. (Reuters)

Biden: US Watching for Terrorists, Including From ISIS, Near Kabul Airport

President Joe Biden on Friday said the U.S. military is keeping watch on possible terrorist threats near the Kabul airport, including ISIS, coming after a number of high-profile prison releases occurred as the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

We are keeping a close watch on any potential terrorist threat at or around the airport including ISIS affiliates in Afghanistan that were released from prison, Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday. ISIS in Afghanistan have been the sworn enemy of the Taliban, he added.

ISIS has previously battled with the Taliban in remote areas inside Afghanistan, starting in 2015 when ISIS formed a splinter group in Khorasan province. Fighting between the groups broke out several years ago in Zabul province, and more battles erupted in 2017.

Bidens comment about ISIS being an enemy of the Taliban is an apparent attempt to allay fears that the Talibanitself a designated terrorist groupwont turn on Americans or Afghans who are trying to evacuate.

However, other than ISIS terrorists, members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network that was largely blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, were also reportedly released from Afghan prisons. Biden made no mention of al-Qaeda other than to say that the 20-year-long mission in Afghanistan was ultimately successful in taking out the groups former leader Osama bin Laden.

Last August, ISIS terrorists stormed a prison in Jalalabad, located in eastern Afghanistan, leaving at least 39 people dead.

The aim of this attack was to rescue all Daesh members inside the prison, and unfortunately that included five or six senior Daesh people, one official told The Associated Press last year, referring to a derogatory Arabic term for ISIS. Some prisoners that escaped, he said, included one of the groups leaders.

Some ISIS members have reportedly considered members of the Taliban apostates because of their willingness to negotiate with the United States and their failure to apply Shariah law with enough zeal.

This week, ISIS released a statement via its weekly Al-Naba publication accusing the Taliban of collaborating with the United States and Western forces, reported WION.

According to the editorial, During the Talibans march into Kabul, we saw how the American troops and the Taliban coordinated directly, and how the evacuation procedures for thousands of Crusaders and spies continued amid strong trust between the two sides.

Also in Fridays speech, Biden sought to defend his administrations handling of the pullout and ensuing chaos at the Kabul airport amid reports that 15,000 Americans remain in the country, amid a torrent of criticism at home and abroad. Any American who is trying to leave Afghanistan, he said, will be provided assistance.

A day earlier, Amnesty International said the Taliban, members of which are Sunni Muslims, brutally tortured and killed nine men of the mainly Shiite Hazara minority ethnic group after taking Ghazni province.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the U.S. militarys ongoing evacuation efforts in Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 20, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Biden Vows to Bring Home Every American Who Wants to Leave Afghanistan

The United States still does not know how many Americans are in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday, but will evacuate every U.S. citizen who wants to leave the country.

Any American that wants to come home, we will get you home, Biden said at the White House in Washington. He made a similar pledge to Afghan allies who helped the United States.

Estimates from the government of how many Americans are stranded in Afghanistan have ranged from 5,000 to 15,000. Officials have said theyre not sure of the number in part because Americans do not have to report to the government when they travel to foreign countries.

Biden said officials are still working on verifying the figure.

We want to get a strong number as to exactly how many American citizens are there and where they are, he said.

The United States withdrew most personnel from the country by Aug. 14, but thousands of troops rushed back after the Taliban fought off Afghan forces and took over the country. The United States holds Kabuls airport with about 6,000 soldiers, but little else, and the military has opted not to rescue stranded people, forcing Americans and Afghans who seek special visas to get through Taliban terrorists to reach U.S.-held ground.

Despite some Americans telling news outlets that they have tried reaching the airport and have been stopped by Taliban fighters, and the U.S. Embassy emphasizing that the government cant ensure safe passage, Biden and his administration continue to claim they dont know of people being unable to make it there.

We have no indication that they havent been able to get through Kabul to the airport, Biden said. To the best of our knowledge, Taliban checkpoints, they are letting through people showing American passports.

Now, thats a different question when they get in the rush and crowd of all the folks just outside the wall, near the airport, he added. Thats why yesterday or the day before we went over the wall and brought in 169 Americans.

The Taliban told Reuters that the group is only stopping people who have no legal papers to travel.

U.S. officials have said theyre in regular contact with the Taliban on the situation outside the airport.

Marines with the 24th Expeditionary Unit (MEU) guide an evacuee during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 18, 2021. (U.S. NAVY/Central Command Public Affairs/Sgt. Isaiah Compbell via Reuters)

An Aug. 31 deadline is looming, and the administration has not committed to pushing that back if the evacuation is not complete by then.

The Taliban has warned America to fully withdraw by Sept. 11 or face consequences.

I cannot promise what the final outcome will be but what it will be, that it will be without risk or loss, but as commander in chief I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary, Biden said.

Since Aug. 14, U.S. military flights have taken 12,000 people out, many of which have been Afghans. Others have left on private charter flights, according to the White House.

Just yesterday, 5,700 people were flown out, as the rate of the evacuation increases.

But an hourslong pause on Friday could threaten the progress. That pause happened because U.S. officials wanted to make sure they could process evacuees, Biden said.

The president took questions for the first time since last week. He is planning to stay in Washington on Friday night before traveling to his home in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday.
Counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards recently seized by Customs And Border Protection officers in Aug. 2021. (U.S. Customs And Border Protection)

Border Patrol Seizes Thousands of Fake CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Cards From China

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials seized more than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards in Anchorage, Alaska, that came from Chinathe second such instance in about a week.

According to a news release from CBP, the fabricated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cards from China were of low quality but still closely resemble real CDC vaccine cards provided by healthcare practitioners when administering the vaccine around the United States.

Getting these fraudulent cards off the streets and out of the hands of those who would then sell them is important for the safety of the American public, said Lance Robinson, Area Port Director of the Area Port of Anchorage, according to the release. Looking out for the welfare of our fellow Alaskans is one of the many and varied responsibilities CBP is proud to take on.

Last week, CBP officials in Memphis, Tennessee, said they obtained thousands of fake COVID-19 vaccine cards in Memphis, Tennessee, which were en route to New Orleans, Louisiana. Those cards were also manufactured in China.

Recently, CBP has been seizing a high volume of counterfeit vaccination cards throughout the country, the agency said this week, without elaborating.

In Illinois, the Department of Justice announced it arrested a Chicago pharmacist, Tangtang Zhao, for selling authentic vaccine cards over the internet. Zhao faces as many as 120 years in prison.

With the latest seizure, it appears likely that fake vaccine cards are increasingly in demand as various municipalities like New York City and San Francisco start to mandate vaccine passports for certain public activities.

Vaccine passport systems have been criticized by civil liberties groups for potentially creating a segregated society of those who received the vaccine and those who have not. Other critics have said that these systems could potentially imperil individuals right to privacy, and GOP governors and state legislatures, including in Texas and Florida, have moved to bar their use in recent months.

Nonetheless, top officials, including White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zeints, as well as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in recent days have warned that buying and selling fake vaccine cards with the CDC seal is a crime.

Over the past weekend, Schumer called for a federal crackdown on fabricated CDC cards, claiming that too many people are looking to buy them.

They are paying money for a fake card and risking prosecution, the New York Democrat said during a press conference. Who could be that dumb? Who could be that dumb? The vaccine is free, the vaccine is safe: Get the vaccine.
China Huarong Wins State-Led Bailout, After Losses Record Over 100 Billion

Chinese bad-debt assets management company Huarong just showed the world how the Beijing authorities save troubled state-run companies that it deems too big to fail.

Chinas top distressed assets manager, state-owned China Huarong Asset Management Co., said on Aug. 19 that five state-owned financial institutions would invest in it after the company announced a net loss in 2020 of 102.9 billion yuan ($15.84 billion) late Wednesday.

In the same announcement, the Beijing-based company listed its debt-to-assets ratio as 90.3 percent at the end of June 2020, with total assets valued at 1.73 trillion yuan ($266.6 billion) and total debt at 1.56 trillion yuan ($240.7 billion).

Despite being in such a poor financial status, Huarong said it has no plans to restructure its debt. It said the bailout was from five state-run financial companies: CITIC Group, China Insurance Investment Co., China Life Insurance Assets Management Co., China Cinda Asset Management Co., and Sino-Ocean Capital Co.

Huarong, majority owned by the Chinese Ministry of Finance, is the largest manager of nonperforming loans and other bad debt in China. On April 12, Chinese media Caixin Weekly reported that Huarong might apply for bankruptcy protection.

A bank employee uses a money counting machine to count out 100 yuan notes at a bank in Shanghai, China, on Aug. 8, 2018. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

Bailout

Its a thunder which shocks the sky! Chinese media described the 2020 financial report that Huarong released on the evening of Aug. 18, which should be released on April 1. Over 100 billion valued huge losses in 2020!

The company then held a press conference on Aug. 19 to announce the state-led bailout.

[The five state-owned financial companies] will make strategic investments in our company in the form of purchasing newly issued shares. These strategic investments, once implemented, will effectively supplement our companys assets, Huarongs spokesperson said.

Bloomberg quoted people familiar with the matter that the bailout might be about 50 billion yuan ($7.7 billion).

The company complained that the reason it lost over 100 billion yuan in 2020 was due to the companys former chairman Lai Xiaomin, who made a series of overexpansions, as well as the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Huarong earned 1.43 billion yuan ($219 million) in 2019.

People walk outside the headquarters of the Peoples Bank of China, the Chinese central bank, in Beijing on Aug. 7, 2011. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Lai Xiaomin

Lai Xiaomin, the former chairman of Huarong for six years, led the company to grow into Chinas largest state-run assets manager and to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Market in 2015.

In April 2018, the previous Huarongs hero was placed under investigation by Chinas anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Wang Zhanfeng, then director of Guangdong Provincial Banking Regulatory Bureau, took over Lais position.

On Jan. 5, Lai was sentenced to death without reprieve by the Tianjin intermediate court, on charges of bribery, embezzlement, and bigamy. On Jan. 29, he was executed at the age of 58.

Lais official career started in July 1987, when he entered Chinas central bankPeoples Bank of Chinaas deputy director of the Central Treasury Office of the Planning and Funding Department.

In January 2009, Lai was appointed to be president and Chinese Communist Party vice boss of Huarong. Three and a half years later, he was promoted to be chairman and the party boss of Huarong.

In the verdict, the court noted that most of Lais activities in question took place after the 18th Party congress in late 2012, when Xi came to power. Xi would soon launch a sweeping anti-corruption campaign that has purged many of his political rivals.
Chinas Planned Anti-Sanctions Law for Hong Kong Unsettles Financial Sector

HONG KONGGlobal banks and other financial institutions in Hong Kong are scrambling to find out details of Chinas planned imposition of an anti-sanctions law on the city, and trying to understand how it could impact their operations in the financial hub.

Beijing adopted a law in June under which individuals or entities involved in making or implementing discriminatory measures against Chinese citizens or entities could be put on an anti-sanctions list of the Chinese regime.

Financial firms are closely watching a meeting this week of the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee, the highest organ of Chinas rubber-stamp legislature, for signs on how and when similar legislation will be introduced in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she did not have an explicit timetable for its implementation.

The move came as the U.S. government imposed several rounds of sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials over Beijings suppression of the citys freedoms under sweeping national security legislation.

Under the planned law, if financial institutions in Hong Kong implement U.S. sanctions, they may be exposed to legal risk in Hong Kong for doing so, financial sector executives and lawyers said.

Many foreign multinational companies are asking about the impact of the anti-foreign sanctions law, especially international banks and financial institutions, said Shaun Wu, a Hong Kong-based partner at law firm Paul Hastings.

It is significant because international banks and financial institutions may find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place.

Concerns have swirled over foreign financial institutions prospects in one of their most lucrative markets since Beijings implementation of the security law in the former British colony last year.

The anti-sanctions law now raises the specter of financial firms getting caught in the crossfire as sparring between the worlds two largest economies escalates.

While top executives at Hong Kongs biggest financial firms have not aired their concerns in public, people familiar with the matter said there had been intense discussions internally on how to deal with it.

A senior executive told Reuters that Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan had abruptly cancelled a meeting with business groups scheduled for Thursday, without providing a reason.

The executive, who declined to be identified due to sensitivity of the matter, said businesses were scrambling for information and Chan had made no effort to allay concerns despite repeated requests for meetings.

Offices of the Hong Kong government and Chan did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

Hong Kong is the regional hub for many global financial firms, and accounts for the bulk of the profits for firms such as HSBC and Standard Chartered.

Some of our financial institution clients are trying to plan out different scenarios ahead of the anti-foreign sanctions law, trying to decide what they would do if someone is sanctioned by the U.S. and subsequently run the risk of prosecution in Hong Kong for complying with such sanctions, said Rod Francis, head of FTI Consultings financial crime practice.

But while scenario planning is useful, theres only so much of that kind of navel gazing you can actually do.

Law Enforcement

The U.S. last year imposed sanctions preventing American companies and non-U.S. banks from doing business with several Chinese and Hong Kong officials whom it said implemented Beijings national security law on Hong Kong.

A separate U.S. ban on investments in companies Washington considers linked to the Chinese military forced U.S. banks in Hong Kong to cut exposure this year to several Hong Kong-listed Chinese telcos.

A lawyer at one international law firm in Hong Kong said they had been inundated with calls regarding the anti-sanctions law but they were in no position to provide advice, given the complete lack of clarity.

Were waiting like everyone to see what is contained in the law  its hard to guess what will be in there, one U.S. bank executive said, also declining to be identified.

Senior executives at two large foreign banks in China told Reuters they had not received any specifics about the law even in the mainland and their efforts to seek clarity from regulators had not been successful.

Some financial and legal professionals hoped Hong Kong would implement a watered-down version of the mainland law to make sure the city is able to maintain its finance hub status.

Paul Hastings Wu said a lot would depend on who will enforce the new rules and how. That agency is going to determine, in practice, how wide the space between the rock and the hard place will be.

By Alun John and Scott Murdoch

Epoch Tines staff contributed to this report
Connecticut Governor Edward Miner "Ned" Lamont Jr., a Democrat, speaks about the state's efforts to get more people vaccinated at Hartford HealthCare St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn., on Feb. 26, 2021. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Connecticut Allows Patients, Their Doctors, and Local Health Officials to Access COVID-19 Vaccination Records

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont issued an executive order that allows patients and their doctors to access patients own COVID-19 vaccination digital records stored in the state information system. The order also permits local health officials and school nurses to access the vaccination status of people in their communities.

Gov. Lamont announced on Thursday that patients and their health care providers would be granted access to patients COVID-19 vaccination history, according to a statement.

Connecticut state statutes currently prevent vaccination records from being released to patients and health care providers, the statement said.

The decree will allow individuals to obtain a copy of their immunization records to satisfy vaccine mandates put in place by employers and businesses.

Health care providers will be allowed to see their patients vaccination history, for example, if they needed to administer vaccine boosters, instead of keeping track of it on their own, the statement said.

Local health authorities will be permitted to access the vaccination status of people within their jurisdictions to assess the vaccination status of their community, the statement said.

According to the statement, many communities in Connecticut are still below herd immunity thresholds for COVID-19, so vaccination status data will be used to inform community outreach efforts.

Specifically, school nurses and local health directors will be equipped with timely information about the vaccination status of their communities, the statement said.

The disclosure remains in effect until the end of September, but it can be modified or terminated, the executive order stated.

Without this order, patients will continue to be frustrated that they are blocked from accessing their own vaccination records, and doctors and healthcare providers will be unable to easily lookup when and with what vaccine their patients were administered a COVID-19 vaccine, Lamont said in the statement.

Several Connecticut hospitals, health centers, and health center associations expressed their support for the governors order.

Marna Borgstrom, CEO of Yale New Haven Health, said in the statement, Vaccinations are the only safe and proven way to end this pandemic and giving all Connecticut residents access to their vaccination records will allow us all to return to doing all the things we love with those we love.

Connecticuts immunization information system was created in 1998 and has been recently updated to include vaccination against COVID-19, the disease caused by CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

In order to use the system, all health care providers, school nurses, and local health department users are required to sign a confidentiality agreement that needs to be renewed every two years, according to the statement. Access to the system is monitored and logged, and inappropriate activity can be investigated and addressed, the statement said.
Dairy Farmers to Be Compensated for Losses From Pandemic-Related Price Volatility

Dairy farmers who sold their products at abnormally low prices due to pandemic-related market volatility will be eligible for compensation under a $350 million federal program, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA announced details of the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program in an Aug. 19 press release, with the scheme designed to help smaller farmers whose incomes took a hit when milk markets and prices were distorted by the USDAs big cheese purchases last year for its food box program.

Milk prices plunged in March and April of 2020 as schools, restaurants, and hotels were shuttered due to the outbreak. Cheese prices skyrocketed starting in May, however, after the USDA launched its food box program that was meant to help farmers and others in the food industry by funding deliveries of food directly to needy families.

Yet many producers failed to benefit from the booming cheese prices due in part to a change in pricing rules under the federal milk marketing system, with the American Farm Bureau Federation estimating that dairy farmers across the United States suffered $3 billion in foregone income.

Under the USDAs new Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program, qualified dairy farmers will be reimbursed for 80 percent of the revenue difference per month based on an annual production of up to 5 million pounds of milk marketed and on fluid milk sales from July through December 2020. The agency said the payment rate will vary by region based on the actual losses on pooled milk that were driven by price volatility.

Family dairy farmers have been battered by the pandemic, trade issues, and unpredictable weather and are the life-blood of many rural communities throughout Vermont, the Northeast, and many other regions, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

The agency will make the payments to farmers through independent handlers and cooperatives.

This targeted assistance is the first step in USDAs comprehensive approach that will total over $2 billion to help the dairy industry recover from the pandemic and be more resilient to future challenges for generations to come, Vilsack added.

The market volatility assistance program is part of $6 billion in pandemic assistance that the USDA announced in March. Other pandemic-related programs to dairy farmers include $400 million for a new Dairy Donation Program to address food insecurity and mitigate food waste and $580 million for Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage for small and medium farms.

National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) CEO Jim Mulhern praised the USDAs actions on the donation program and the margin coverage scheme but said the market volatility compensation program falls short.

The governments COVID-19 response created unprecedented price volatility in milk and dairy-product markets that produced disorderly fluid milk marketing conditions that so far have cost dairy farmers nationwide more than $750 million from what they would have been paid under the previous system, Mulhern said in a statement, referring to the impact of changes introduced by the 2018 Farm Bill.

Calling the USDAs announcement an initial step in the effort to help producers recoup as much of their losses as possible, Mulhern said it unfortunately falls significantly short of meeting the needs of dairy farmers nationwide.

He said that arbitrary low limits on covered milk production volume mean many family dairy farmers will only receive a portion of the losses they incurred on their production last year, adding that, these losses were felt deeply by producers of all sizes, in all regions of the country, embodying a disaster in the truest sense of the word.

Mulhern said the federation would lobby Congress for additional funding to close the gap.
Deposition of Harry Dunns Alleged Killer Postponed After Last-Minute Agreement

The deposition of Harry Dunns alleged killer has been postponed just days before it was due to take place.

In a statement released on Thursday, the spokesman for the teenagers family said the decision had been reached by mutual agreement but could not comment any further.

Anne Sacoolas, 43, and her husband Jonathan were due to give evidence under oath on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a civil claim for damages brought by the Dunn family in the U.S. state of Virginia.

Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf following a road crash which killed Harry outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27.

Charlotte Charles (center) and Tim Dunn (right), the parents of Harry Dunn, with Family advisor Radd Seiger (left), arrive at Terminal 2 of Heathrow Airport, London, on June 29, 2021. (Andrew Matthews/PA)

She was charged with causing death by dangerous driving but an extradition request submitted by the Home Office was rejected by the U.S. State Department in January last year.

Issuing a short statement about the postponement, the Dunn familys spokesman Radd Seiger told the PA news agency: By mutual agreement, the depositions of Mr. and Mrs. Sacoolas scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday have been postponed.

The family accordingly are now remaining in the UK and in the meantime they are once again focusing their attention on securing justice in the criminal case.

We are unable to go into any further detail at this time.

By Josh Payne
Designate the Taliban as a Terrorist Organization: Its Long Overdue

Commentary

The chaos unfolding in Afghanistan is the result of a failure of American strategy, intelligence, and will. As the lead member of the alliance against the Taliban, and as the lead country that sought to bring democracy to Afghanistan, the United States must take responsibility for its failure. The elements of that failure are many, but the ludicrous U.S. State Departments failure to designate the Afghan Taliban as a terrorist organization is one of the worst.

While the Afghan Taliban are not on the State Department terrorist organization list, the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is the Pakistani Taliban organization, is so designated. The failure to include the Afghan Taliban is due to a disastrous initiative to negotiate with them. Americans supposedly dont negotiate with terrorists, and to make sure we supposedly dont, we leave the ones we want to negotiate with off our State Department list. This foreign policy of elision only fools ourselves, and its lack of clarity paved the way for the Taliban to waltz back into Kabul while we played the tune.

Now that we are leaving Afghanistan, there is no excuse not to change the tune back to reality: the Taliban are terrorists and they should be added to the State Department list of terrorist organizations. State recognition should be denied the Taliban until they reinstate the prior government and institute elections as do legitimate governments.

Dont hold your breath waiting, though.

As recently as early June, the Taliban claimed responsibility for igniting a truck full of explosives in Balkh District, which killed at least 16 people, and wounded 117 others. Of these, two civilians died, and 67 civilians were wounded. Eighty shops and ten houses were damaged. The district building and police headquarters were almost completely destroyed.

Perhaps the worst of the top-five Taliban leaders is Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also the leader of the murderous Haqqani network. In 2008, the network was accused of attacking Kabuls top hotel. In 2012, it was placed on the State Department list of terrorist organizations. By 2017, the network had about 5,000 fighters in southeastern Afghanistan. It currently oversees the financial and military assets of the Taliban across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The network has also been blamed for a suicide attack on Indias embassy, and an attempted assassination of Hamid Karzai, who was then president of Afghanistan. Haqqani is alleged to lead not only his own network, and in part the Taliban, but also to be part of al-Qaedas terrorist leadership structure.

Professor Mary Habeck at Georgetown University, who has written three books on al-Qaeda, wrote in an email, There is no distance between al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The Deputy head of the Taliban is Sirajuddin Haqqani who is also a subordinate of [al-Qaeda commander Ayman] Zawahiri. The State Department declared Sirajuddin a specially designated global terrorist i.e. al-Qaeda in 2008 and no administration has taken that designation back showing that this administration, like all the others, recognizes this fact.

According to a U.N. report in 2020, The senior leadership of Al-Qaida remains present in Afghanistan, as well as hundreds of armed operatives, Al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent, and groups of foreign terrorist fighters aligned with the Taliban.  Relations between the Taliban, especially the Haqqani Network, and Al-Qaida remain close, based on friendship, a history of shared struggle, ideological sympathy and intermarriage.

According to the report, The Taliban regularly consulted with Al-Qaida during negotiations with the United States and offered guarantees that it would honour their historical ties. Al-Qaida has reacted positively to the agreement [with the United States in February 2020], with statements from its acolytes celebrating it as a victory for the Talibans cause and thus for global militancy.

Al-Qaedas celebration is our despair. To include the al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network on the State Department list, but not the al-Qaeda-linked Taliban, when the Taliban are in large part led by the Haqqani, is a fatal logical flaw.

Clearly, the Taliban is a terrorist organization. That the Biden administration continues with the fallacy that they are not, allows the United States to negotiate and appease the Taliban further. But appeasement of the Taliban, and its enablers in Pakistan and China, is exactly the wrong strategy.

Appeasement kicks the can down the road, as we have done so many times since the 1972 opening to the Chinese Communist Party, which should itself be considered a terrorist organization, according to a University of Chicago scholar. It puts off the day of reckoning, which will be the more painful, the longer we wait to decisively confront the global enemies of democracy.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The 74th Cannes Film Festival. Photocall for the film "Flag Day" in competition. Director Sean Penn and cast member Dylan Penn pose in Cannes, France, on July 11, 2021. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters)

Dylan Penn Takes the Lead in Family-Affair Flag Day

LONDONDylan Penn, daughter of Hollywood heavyweights Sean Penn and Robin Wright, says she initially turned down the chance to star in her fathers new film Flag Dayher first major movie rolebut its lengthy production let her mature into the part.

Based on Jennifer Vogels memoir Flim-Flam Man, the film centres around her relationship with her father John, a petty criminal turned counterfeiter.

Penn first read Vogels book as a teenager and at the time firmly rejected her fathers offer of the lead role.

He asked me when I was around 15, 16, and I solidly said no. I never thought I wanted to act and I just felt like I was too young, Penn, now 30, said.

And then, 15 years later, I think after having real life experience I felt like OK, I can draw from my life, reference my experiences and maybe color this character a little bit more.

Flag Day sees John Vogel starting ambiguous business projects and stumbling in and out of the lives of his children. Interspersed with flashbacks to Jennifers childhood, the film tries to peel back her deep-rooted admiration for her father, while recalling the exuberant show he would put on for the July 4 holiday, or Flag Dayhis birthday.

Sean Penn and Dylan Frances Penn poses for portrait photographs for the film Flag Day, at the 74th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, on July 10, 2021. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Like its subject matter, the movie is a family affair. Penns real-life brother Hopper plays Jennifers brother Nick and their father directs and stars as John Vogel.

Its the first time Ive worked with both of them, my brother and my dad, and I just had so much fun playing with them.

We really used the script as more of a guide than anything else. There was a lot of room to improvise and ad-lib and I think that makes for a more interesting movie.

The film does not get into detail about Vogels illicit affairs, but focuses on the impact his absence has on his family and Jennifers transformation from an angsty teen into a respected journalist.

For Penn, Jennifers ability to forge her own way in life resonated with her own ambitions.

I carry this name and I know that Ill always be associated with my parents, said. Especially because Im now in the same business, it makes me feel even more the need to be independent from that and to have my own identity is really important and crucial.

Flag Day is out in U.S. cinemas on Aug. 20.

By Hanna Rantala
Diego Guerrero, 7, and Sofia Diaz, 7, connect to the internet thanks to Starlink's satellite antenna at the John F Kennedy School, in the village of Sotomo, outside the town of Cochamo, Los Lagos region, Chile, on Aug. 6, 2021. (Pablo Sanhueza/Reuters)

Elon Musks Satellites Beam Internet Into Remote Chilean Fishing Hamlet

SOTOMO, ChileAfter half an hours windswept journey on foot and by boat through a craggy forested estuary to the school he attends in remote southern Chile, Diego Guerrero can finally access the internet.

His school is located in the hamlet of Sotomo, around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of the capital Santiago in the region of Los Lagos and inhabited by just 20 families.

Carlos Guerrero, 40, with his son Diego, 7, start their journey to John F Kennedy School in the village of Sotomo, outside the town of Cochamo, Los Lagos region, Chile, on Aug. 6, 2021. (Pablo Sanhueza/Reuters)

A rain-drenched scattering of brightly painted wooden and tin houses, Sotomo stands out against a mist-swathed row of rocky outcrops jutting out into the Pacific Ocean. It can be accessed only by boat.

For decades, its inhabitants have survived by catching mussels and fish to sell at market, a five-hour round-trip away by boat.

Now, it is one of two places in Chile to be chosen for a pilot project run by billionaire Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, to receive free internet for a year.

Starlink, a division of SpaceX, aims to roll out 12,000 satellites as part of a low-Earth orbiting network to provide low-latency broadband internet services around the world, with a particular focus on remote areas that terrestrial internet infrastructure struggles to reach.

Since October, it has been offering a Better Than Nothing Beta program to subscribers in the United States, while also running pilot trials in other countries. In Chile, a second antenna will be installed in Caleta Sierra, a small fishing port close to the arid northern deserts.

The plan is key to generating the funds that SpaceX needs to fund Musks dream of developing a new rocket capable of flying paying customers to the moon and eventually trying to colonize Mars.

For Diego, aged 7, stable internet is a dream enough.

I really like the internet because we can do homework, he said. Its faster so we can do more of it.

Starlink did not reply to a Reuters request for comment. SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said in a July statement about the Chilean pilot: Starlink was designed for remote communities like those in Caleta Sierra and Sotomo. High-speed connectivity can have a transformational impact on these communities.

Broadening Horizons

Diegos favorite subject at school is math. He wants to be a sailor, and loves to go out on his father Carloss fishing boat.

Diego Guerrero, 7, plays with his toy boat, in the kitchen of his home, in the village of Sotomo, outside the town of Cochamo, Los Lagos region, Chile, on Aug. 6, 2021. (Pablo Sanhueza/Reuters)

Carlos, 40, has more ambitious plans for his son and hopes the window onto the world the new internet connection will give him will broaden his horizons.

He takes Diego to school daily by boat, often battling wind and rain to get him there.

I didnt have the option of going to school so you do it whatever the conditions, good or bad weather or pandemic, even if its difficult, he said.

If he has a good education, he has that option and is eager to do it, then you have all the hopes of any father, that maybe one day all the children from Sotomo can go on to professional jobs.

Using tablets provided by the education ministry, the schools seven pupils can now tap into online learning material, watch films, do virtual museum visits and try out video calls to children in other schools.

Their sole teacher at Sotomos John F Kennedy School, Javier de la Barra, said he also looked forward to using it for professional development.

Teacher Javier de La Barra Casanova, 58, works with Diego Guerrero, 7, during one of his classes at the John F Kennedy School in the village of Sotomo, outside the town of Cochamo, Los Lagos region, Chile, on Aug. 6, 2021. (Pablo Sanhueza/Reuters)

The signal is received via a satellite dish installed on the schools roof, which transmits through a Wi-Fi device to most of its facilities and outdoor patio. Eventually, the plan is to extend it to the rest of the hamlet.

It only works from noon to midnight, because of a constrained supply of diesel to the generator that supplies power to Sotomo.

Nonetheless, said de la Barra, it is a significant advance on the patchy mobile internet signal that residents currently can get on their phones by leaning out of windows or paddling out into the bay.

The Starlink antennae was installed in July and inaugurated earlier this month in a ceremony attended by Transport and Telecommunications Minister Gloria Hutt.

She said she hoped Starlink would prove key in bridging Chile and the wider regions digital dividean issue laid bare with the advent of coronavirus lockdowns that left people without good internet struggling to work or study.

Chile has among the highest internet penetration rates on the continent, with 21 million mobile internet connections among its population of 19 million as of March 2021, according to government figures.

But as the families in Sotomo can attest, having mobile internet does not mean you can always get a signal.

I love living here, said Carlos Guerrero. Its tranquil, my family is without stress, but we do lack connectivity, roads, electricity, and drinking water.

What would be great is if all these services could be extended around our community, not just to a small part, so everyone could enjoy them.

By Pablo Sanhueza
Afghan people sit inside a U.S. military aircraft to leave Afghanistan, at the military airport in Kabul on Aug. 19, 2021 after Taliban's military takeover of Afghanistan. (Shakib Rahmani/AFP via Getty Images)

Evacuees Wont Be Charged for Flights From Kabul, State Dept Says Amid Confusion

U.S. citizens evacuated from Afghanistan by the United States will not be charged for repatriation flights, the State Department clarified, amid reports that some were asked to pay $2,000 or more.

In these unique circumstances, we have no intention of seeking any reimbursement from those fleeing Afghanistan, State Department spokesman Ned Price told several media outlets on Thursday.

The U.S. embassy in Afghanistan had previously said it would seek reimbursement for the cost of evacuation flights from those seeking evacuation assistance once they were safely out of the country.

The Overseas Security Advisory Council said in a security alert published on Aug. 14, the day before Kabul was seized by the Taliban terrorist group that repatriation flights are not free.

Passengers will be required to sign a promissory loan agreement and may not be eligible to renew their U.S. passports until the loan is repaid, it said.

Separately, the State Departments website points out a federal law that requires it to seek reimbursement for U.S.-chartered evacuation flights. Failure to repay the costs in full may lead to U.S. citizens being denied a regular U.S. passport, it says.

By taking a U.S. government coordinated transport, evacuees are obligated to repay the cost of their transportation, it states. The amount billed to evacuees is based on the cost of a full fare economy flight, or comparable alternate transportation, to the designated destination(s) that would have been charged immediately prior to the events giving rise to the evacuation.

Despite Prices clarification, Politico reports that one person said State Department staff were seeking up to $2,000 from American passengers and even more from non-U.S. citizens.

When pressed on the issue by the news outlet, a State Department spokesperson cited the federal law on seeking repayment.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the State Department for additional comment.

Afghan people queue up to board a U.S. military aircraft to leave Afghanistan at the military airport in Kabul on Aug. 19, 2021, after the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan. (Shakib Rahmani/AFP via Getty Images)

The Pentagon says that some 7,000 people, including 2,000 Americans have been brought to safety since evacuation efforts began on Saturday.

The State Department told The Epoch Times in an email that it believes there are 5,000 to 10,000 U.S. citizens in Afghanistan. The agency described the number as a rough estimate.

President Joe Biden said in an interview released earlier on Thursday that there may be as many as 15,000 Americans still in Afghanistan. He told ABC News a day earlier that his administration wont withdraw U.S. troops until all Americans who seek to leave have been evacuated, despite a Aug. 31 drawdown deadline he set previously.

Were going to stay till we get them all out, Biden said.

The State Department also said on Thursday that it is easing travel requirements for evacuees, stating that they wont be required to test negative for COVID-19 in order to travel.

A blanket humanitarian waiver has been implemented for COVID testing for all persons the U.S. government is relocating from Afghanistan, the department said.
Facts Matter (Aug. 19): CDC Director: Concerning Evidence Shows Vaccine Efficacy Waning Against Delta

According to a new announcement by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, the effectiveness of vaccines has been decliningspecifically, among people who received the shots early on.

After citing three new research studies, she and other federal government officials are now recommending that Americans receive a vaccine booster.

Meanwhile, a university in Connecticut is getting creative in trying to get their students vaccinated. They are now fining students up to $2,000 and blocking their internet access if they fail to get vaccinated.

However, these types of tactics are not being used only on college campuses.

On Tuesday, in New York City, a vaccine mandate went into effect. People must now show their vaccination card in order to eat at a restaurant, go to a gym, or take in a show.

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The FBI seal is seen before a news conference at FBI headquarters in Washington on June 14, 2018. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)

FBI in New Jersey Encourages People to Report Hate Crimes

The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Office in Newark, New Jersey, will launch an advertising campaign aimed at informing people about hate crimes.

The campaign will also encourage people who have witnessed or experienced hate crimes to report them to the FBI.

FBI Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch, Jr. announced in a statement on Wednesday that the FBI will roll out in New Jersey a public awareness campaign on hate crimes starting in August and continuing throughout early November under the slogan Protecting Our Communities Together.

Campaign messages will be posted in New Jersey trains and buses, rail stations, billboards along major roadways, and various websites. The campaign will also include community outreach efforts, the statement said.

The operation is a part of a national advertising campaign involving all 56 FBI offices located in major metropolitan areas. The local offices received funding to raise awareness of hate crimes and convince people to report them, according to the statement.

The federal law defines a hate crime as acts that involve physical harm, threats, or intimidation based on bias toward an individual or group because of race, religion, gender, gender identity, physical limitations, national origin, or sexual orientation.

The state law in New Jersey also addresses bias incidents that dont necessarily involve criminal activity and are not considered crimes by federal law. In these cases, the FBI office in Newark will work closely with state and local law enforcement to investigate them, the statement said.

The number of hate crimes in New Jersey increased in the past two years, but the Department of Justice believed the majority of hate crimes go unreported, the statement asserted.

We believe that these are under-reported, which is why we have to get this messaging out there; get to the citizenry and let them know that, hey, this is really, really important that you report this, Crouch said at a press conference on Wednesday.

First, we want the public to be aware that the FBI investigates these matters and places a very high level of priority on such incidents, Crouch said.

Second, we want victims and witnesses to feel secure in the fact that when they report incidents to us, we respect and value their privacy, he said.

Finally, we will be engaging more with those communities that may hesitate to report due to a lack of interaction withor trust inlaw enforcement.

We cant do it alone by any stretch of the imagination. It is critically important that we partner with the community. The community really has those relationships that we need to get that message out, Crouch said at the press conference joined by representatives of the Hispanic, LGBTQ, Orthodox Jewish, Asian Indian, and faith communities.

It is vitally important that the community members that we partner with that have that trust of that community are there with us on this, he added.

FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch, Jr. was joined by a dozen community leaders in announcing the hate crimes awareness campaign. Hate is not a crime until you act on it https://t.co/M2edyUNUcU pic.twitter.com/5veg7O1KTT  FBI Newark (@FBINewark) August 18, 2021

Community leaders participating in the press conference supported the initiative to convince people to report hate crimes to the FBI and law enforcement.

Bishop Jethro James, a founding member of the Interfaith Advisory Council at the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness said at the press conference, This message is important because most communities, wherever they come from, trust their faith leaders.

And so were saying: trust us, and we trust the FBI and all law enforcement, and theyre working together with their community partners, whether its homeland security, whether its the FBI, whether its the New Jersey State Police or local police departments. We encourage you: talk to somebody. Dont try to figure it out: have Ive been mistreated? Thats the FBIs job; thats Homeland Security job; please report,  James said.

The messages promoted by the campaign will be translated into 17 languages, including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese-simplified, Chinese-traditional, Eastern Punjabi, French, Hebrew, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese, and Yiddish, according to the statement.
Florida Education Board Gives 2 Counties 48 Hours to Comply With Mask Order

Floridas education commissioner issued an order to Broward and Alachua counties school board officials, saying they have 48 hours to comply with the states mandate to allow parents and students to opt out of wearing masks.

It is important to remember that this issue is about ensuring local school board members, elected politicians, follow the law, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said in a statement on Friday.

If Broward and Alachua county school board officials do not comply, they will face immediate financial penalties, said the Florida Department of Education.

If the School Board of Broward County fails to provide the requested compensation information within the 48 hour period, the Florida Department of Education shall withhold state funds based on the most recent appropriations estimate until the school board provides the current estimate, according to a letter (pdf) sent by the agency to the school boards.

The Broward County School District and Alachua County Public Schools announced they would require masks for all students without the ability to opt out, providing exceptions only for medical conditions. The school boards have said the face coverings are necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

However, their requirements directly violate an executive order issued by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, on July 30 that grants Florida parents the final authority on whether they want their children to wear masks in class.

We cannot have government officials pick and choose what laws they want to follow, Corcoran added. These are the initial consequences to their intentional refusal to follow state law and state rule to purposefully and willingly violate the rights of parents. This is simply unacceptable behavior.

Several other Florida school boards, including Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach, have also mandated mask requirements. Local reports say that Orange and Sarasota school boards could also join them.

It comes as Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, this week announced his state will similarly block funds from going to schools that employ mask mandates.

Safety recommendations are welcomed and encouragedmandates 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.

One study from Yale University found that child care programs that remained open during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic didnt contribute to the spread of the virus. And in April, a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study published in April found that children are at low risk of developing COVID-19 and also dont play a significant role in the spread of the virus.

A study from March from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found there were more virus-related illnesses in Florida school districts that didnt implement mask-wearing, although the study found that at the time the instances of school-related COVID-19 cases were small statewide.

The Epoch Times has contacted Browards and Alachuas school districts for comment.
A general view of a Bank of America ATM in Park Road Shopping Center in Charlotte, N.C., on April 7, 2020. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Florida Political Consultant Charged With Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Program

A political consultant in Florida who once served as president of the Broward County Democratic Black Caucus was charged this week with lying on a COVID-19 relief loan application and fraudulently obtaining $300,000 as a result.

Damara Holness, 28, of Fort Lauderdale, was charged with conspiring to commit wire fraud. According to court documents, Holness submitted in June 2020 a Payment Protection Program loan application online to an Atlanta-based bank.

Holness is accused of falsely stating that her company, Holness Consulting, had 18 employees and an average monthly payroll of $120,000 a month.

The bank several days later approved the loan, based on the false information provided.

From July through September, Holness allegedly began issuing checks to various people to make it appear as if she were paying full-time employees. But the people, at the direction of Holness, returned the checks to the defendant after endorsing them, authorities say.

Holness would then cash the checks, giving several hundred dollars to each fake employee and keeping the rest herself.

Holness faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted and a fine of up to $250,000.

She was released from custody after being charged on a $100,000 personal surety bond.

The FBI investigated the case.

A lawyer representing Holness, the former president of the Broward County Democratic Black Caucus, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that her client is a single mother who despite having a high profile parent has had to chart her own path personally and professionally and noted that her client is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Despite a full investigation by the feds confirming no involvement by her father or his campaign; there has been an unexplained rush to complete and publicize this indictment. It is unfortunate that the timing of these allegations against my client has seemingly been synced to allow it to be folded into her fathers campaign for federal office, the lawyer wrote.

Ms. Holness maintains her confidence in the judicial process and we stand prepared to have these allegations against her fully and fairly addressed by the Courts at the appropriate time.
A wave of depression, anxiety, and suicide has schools looking for ways to help children get the care they need. (VH-studio/Shutterstock)

Getting Children Help When They Need It

How a hospital and a school district teamed up to help kids in emotional crisis

In 2019, the Rockville Centre school district in Long Island, New York, was shaken by a string of student deaths, including the suicides of a recent graduate and a student.

When you get these losses, one after the other, you almost cant get traction on normalcy, said Noreen Leahy, an assistant superintendent at the school district.

To Leahy, the student suicides exposed a childrens mental health crisis that had been brewing for years. She had observed a concerning uptick in depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among students. Her school district had a team of mental health professionals, but Leahy said they couldnt provide the kind of long-term care many students needed.

Remember, psychologists and social workers and counselors in school districts are there to make sure kids are learning, Leahy said. Were not hospital wards. We dont do psychotherapy. So its very limited what we can do for these students.

She said she saw an urgent need to connect students to mental health care quickly and easily, and the 2019 tragedies drove her to find a way.

Her vision ultimately led to the formation of a unique partnership between several Long Island school districts and the nearby childrens hospital, Cohen Childrens Medical Center, part of the Northwell Health system. That partnership provides prompt access to mental health services for students and includes ongoing support for school staff members in addressing childrens mental health, creating a mental health safety net for kids and families in the area that didnt exist before.

At its heart is a new behavioral health center, which the hospital opened in January 2020. Students are evaluated by the centers child psychiatrist and mental health counselor, who start and continue treatment until a child can be connected to long-term care in the community.

The concerning rise in mental health issues noticed by the Long Island school administrators mirrors national trends. Roughly one in five U.S. children meet the criteria for a mental health disorder, and the rate of suicide attempts among teens has risen over the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Around the country, most kids who have mental health issues dont get treatment. Theres a shortage of providers who work with children and it can take months to get an appointment.

The wait times on average to see a mental health specialist on an emergency basis is somewhere between two to three months and for regular basis is up to 12 months, which is an unacceptable wait time, said Dr. Ujjwal Ramtekkar, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Nationwide Childrens Hospital.

Without timely access to care, many kids end up with worsening symptoms and eventually land in a hospital emergency department as the fastest way to either avert [a mental health] crisis, or as the fastest way to get some kind of mental health evaluation, Ramtekkar said.

It sort of creates this ping-pong effect, said Tina Smith, executive director of special education at Oceanside School District in Long Island.

Its common to see students go to the emergency room (ER) only to be discharged soon after and return to school without a plan for follow-up care, she said.

And then the problems start to spiral again out of control, Smith said. And then theyre sent back to the hospital [ER].

It was with those worries in mind that, after the student suicides in 2019, Leahy began raising her concerns with colleagues, school board members, and other parents, including Gina-Marie Bounds, a hospital administrator at Cohen Childrens Hospital.

Bounds took the idea to the head of emergency child psychiatry and other hospital officials at Cohens and they got to work. Leahy spread the word to neighboring school districts, who were dealing with similar problems, and persuaded them to come on board. Several months later, the mental health center opened its doors.

This couldnt have come at a better time, Leahy said. As many large hospitals around the country saw a surge in the number of kids in mental health crises in their emergency departments, the new behavioral health center reports the opposite trend. The number of mental health visits to the emergency room by students from the school districts declined by at least 60 percent in 2020 when compared with the previous year.

School administrators also say the health center has played a critical role in prevention by promoting the emotional well-being of students, families, and school personnel. School and health center staffers meet twice a month via Zoom to check-in and brainstorm ways to address emerging health and wellness concerns of staff members and families.

The Right Help at the Right Time

The goal of the new health center is to provide kids with care as soon as symptoms emerge.

The center is staffed by a child psychiatrist, a mental health counselor, and a medical assistant. Its located next to a pediatricians office and within a few miles of the school districts it serves.

When a child first arrives, the child is evaluated to determine whether they need to be hospitalized.

Most kids dont need that, said Dr. Vera Feuer, Northwell Healths associate vice president for school-based mental health, who helped create the center and now oversees it. Most kids need outpatient care.

And the center starts that care right awaymedication and/or therapy, depending on what each child needsto stabilize the child and prevent a worsening of symptoms, and to connect them to ongoing care with a provider in the community.

In January, a local resident, Tara, found herself calling the health center to make an appointment for her 17-year-old sister, who had been struggling with irregular sleep patterns and panic attacks for months.

Tara had recently become her sisters legal guardian. KHN isnt using their last names and only using the sisters middle nameJasmineto protect their privacy.

Jasmine said she felt suffocated during her panic attacks.

It felt like I was running, like my heart got really fast, and like I was being put in a little tiny box, she said.

Jasmine and Tara met with a mental health counselor at the behavioral health center. The follow-up sessions were helpful for Jasmine, who learned about the importance of speaking with a trusted friend or adult any time she felt triggered. And the clinic helped Jasmine get connected with a nearby psychologist whom she now sees for weekly therapy sessions, Tara said.

Removing Barriers for the Most Vulnerable

The new health center provides an important safety net for kids who might otherwise fall through the cracks, like 17-year-old Alyssa Gibaldi, who was refused care by other mental health providers because of a disability.

Alyssa attends Oceanside High School and is extremely social, according to her mother, Jennifer.

Shes like the mayor of the school; everybody knows her, Jennifer said.

Alyssa has Down syndrome and the pandemic upped her anxiety. Last fall, she became catatonic and went into what Jennifer described as a zombie-like state.

She couldnt talk. She couldnt move. She couldnt speak. She couldnt feed herself, Jennifer said.

On several occasions, Jennifer called 911. Alyssa was transported in an ambulance to the ER and hospitalized. After her neurologists ruled out seizures and other conditions, they suggested Alyssa see a psychiatrist.

But Jennifer said Alyssa was turned down repeatedly by providers saying they didnt take her insurance or that they didnt work with kids with disabilities.

Thats when Jennifer reached out to the school nurse, who referred the family to the new behavioral health center. The centers child psychiatrist, Dr. Zoya Popivker, reviewed Alyssas medical records and prescribed medications for depression and anxiety.

Jennifer said they got the meds on a Saturday morning, and by Saturday night, she was out of the catatonic state. Ever since then, shes been coming back to us, like her personality came back.

Alyssa continued to go to the behavioral health center for several months, until they were able to transition to a psychiatrist who works with kids with disabilities.

The Case for School-Hospital Partnerships

It makes sense for childrens hospitals to partner with schools, because thats where kids spend most of their day, said Ramtekkar, the psychiatrist at Nationwide Childrens Hospital.

School staffers often know their students well and can spot early signs. Thats why schools in many parts of the country have been working to forge partnerships with nearby mental health care providers.

But such partnerships still depend on mental health care resources in the communities they serve. A 2019 study found that 70 percent of counties didnt have a single practicing child psychiatrist.

Leahy, the assistant superintendent at Rockville Centre in Long Island, said sharing a behavioral health center across multiple school districts leads both to better collaboration and cost savings. The price her district pays for the services is less than the cost of one full-time staff member, and the state chips in to cover part of that.

Cohen Childrens Hospital will add a new behavioral health center this summer, expanding to 14 school districts. At that point, about 60,000 students in Long Island will have access to immediate mental health support should they need it.

This story is part of a reporting partnership that includes NPR, Illinois Public Media, and KHN. Nationwide Childrens Hospital, mentioned in this story, is a financial supporter of NPR.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (en espanol: 1-888-628-9454; deaf and hard of hearing: dial 711, then 1-800-273-8255) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

This story was republished from Kaiser Health News. KHN is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

Rhitu Chatterjee
If the US Leaves Citizens and Allies in Afghanistan, Biden Deserves to Be Impeached: Sen. Lindsey Graham

The former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Friday said if President Joe Biden leaves U.S. citizens and allies in Afghanistan, based on the Constitution, he deserves to be impeached.

Were duty-bound to get every American citizen out. Were honor-bound to get those Afghans who fought along our side out, said Graham during a Friday interview with Fox News, adding, And heres what I would say. If we leave any Americans behind, if we leave thousands of those Afghans who fought along our side behind, bravely, Joe Biden deserves to be impeached for a higher crime and misdemeanor, of dereliction of duty.

Meanwhile, Biden told reporters on Friday that he will evacuate every U.S. citizen who wants to leave the country.

Any American that wants to come home, we will get you home, Biden said at the White House in Washington. He made a similar pledge to Afghan allies who helped the United States.

Estimates from the government of how many Americans are stranded in Afghanistan have ranged from 5,000 to 15,000. Officials have said theyre not sure of the number in part because Americans do not have to report to the government when they travel to foreign countries.

The British and French governments have sent troops into the interior of Afghanistan to extract their citizens, while the United States has its troops in and around the airport in Kabul, to protect those who can reach the airport and get out on flights.

Graham told Fox News that the U.S. military should do what countries like the UK and France are doing, and go into Afghanistan for the specific purpose of getting those U.S. citizens out who cannot get to the airport because the Taliban is threatening their lives.

The French and the British are willing to send their forces inside of Afghanistan to extract the people who helped them and their citizens, said Graham. I think the commander in chief owes it to every American citizen and owes it to the Afghans who fought along our side to get them out because if we leave them behind, theyre going to get slaughtered, Graham said.

Afghan people sit inside a U.S. military aircraft to leave Afghanistan, after the Talibans takeover of the country, at the military airport in Kabul on Aug. 19, 2021. (Shakib Rahmani/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden however, said that U.S. citizens can get to the Kabul airport.

We have no indication that they havent been able to get through Kabul to the airport, Biden said. To the best of our knowledge, Taliban checkpoints, they are letting through people showing American passports.

The Taliban has warned America to fully withdraw by Sept. 11, or face consequences. Without mentioning a date, Biden said he will get all U.S. citizens out.

I cannot promise what the final outcome will be or that it will be without risk of loss. But as commander in chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary, Biden said.

Since Aug. 14, U.S. military flights have taken 12,000 people out, many of which have been Afghans. Others have left on private charter flights, according to the White House.

Biden made the final decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but shortly after the troops exited and the main airbase in Bagram was closed, the Pentagon was forced to send 6,000 soldiers to the beleaguered country to facilitate evacuations from Kabul, which was quickly captured by the Taliban on Sunday.

The Biden administration has faced widespread criticism for how his office handled the pullout and evacuation, with some likening it to previous military failures such as the 1975 fall of Saigon. Meanwhile, the sudden arrival of the Taliban sparked panic and triggered mass waves of people at the Kabul airport, as many hoped they could be airlifted out of Afghanistan.

Jack Phillips and Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Anchor Baptist Church Pastor Randy Barton and Lowe's Home Improvement Store Manager Brent McCrimmon survey the damage after Tropical Depression Fred flooded the Davidson River Valley in Transylvania County on Aug. 18, 2021. (Matt McGregor/The Epoch Times)

In the Wake of Tropical Depression Fred, a Western North Carolina Church Lends a Hand

From providing disaster relief by ship to islands in the Caribbean, to assisting those in need at ground zero in a flooded local community, Anchor Baptist Church has continued its 30-year tradition of helping people left helpless in the wake of a storm.

Randy Barton, pastor at Anchor Baptist in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina, surveyed the post-flood, mud-soaked basin of houses and trailers from the raised parking of Calvary Baptist Mission Church, also in Pisgah Forest, on Wednesday.

The sun appeared an anomaly after Tropical Depression Fred dropped up to 17 inches of rain in some areas in the western region over a period of 72 hours on Monday and Tuesday, resulting in flash flooding that has caused catastrophic damage for many families, withas of Thursday20 people missing and two confirmed deaths in Haywood County, which includes Waynesville and part of Asheville.

The Davidson River in Transylvania County escaped over the banks to drench the valley during the storm, when the Little River Fire Department, led by Fire Chief Jason Merrill, performed swift water recoveries throughout the night.

Beyond the Scope of Our Forecast

After the residents had been evacuated from their homes, the rescue teams returned for their pets, but none survivedexcept for a cat.

Barton said, though there were no human casualties, five dogs drowned, along with chickens, and Pogona bearded dragons that were being raised as pets.

That was a low point for me, Barton told The Epoch Times. The owners never dreamed the water could have gotten that high; they never imagined it could have gotten up to the windows. It was beyond the scope of our forecast.

As two skid-steer loaders cleared the heaps of mud from Cemetery Road that runs through the valley, Caleb Curtis, the pastor at Calvary Baptist Mission, and Jay Kaiser, set up a supply tent, with supplies provided from Anchor Baptists warehouse and Lowes Home Improvement in Brevard, North Carolina.

Having arrived the night before to witness the flooding, Curtis told The Epoch Times, It was a nightmare.

Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Aug. 18, stating that both Haywood and Transylvania counties were the hardest hit.

Transylvania County officials gave an Aug. 18 estimate of over $11 million in assessed damages, though officials said that number is expected to increase as more sites are identified and assessed.

A disaster relief command center forms in the parking lot of Calvary Baptist Mission Church in Transylvania County on Aug. 18, 2021. (Matt McGregor/The Epoch Times)

Hope By Sea

For Barton, the week began with Anchor Baptist Church in preparation to assist islanders of the Caribbean impacted by a volcanic eruption and an earthquake.

On the island of Saint Vincent, the largest island within the country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean Sea, the La Soufriere volcano erupted in April, its fifth since the year 1718.

In December 2020, dying vegetation around the volcano gave an early signal for the eruption, prompting evacuation.

On Aug. 14 in Haiti, a 7.2.-magnitude earthquake left, as of Thursday, 12,000 people injured, 332 missing, and more than 2,000 people dead.

To better respond to these disasters, Anchor Baptist Missions International (ABMI), in partnership with other churches, had purchased a retired U.S. Navy ship and named it Sea Hope, ownership around which itself was formed as a nonprofit corporation.

One of Sea Hopes first missions was to carry 40,000 pounds of rice to Haiti in September 2020.

There were plans to bring a second shipment of food and medical supplies to Saint Vincent when the earthquake hit Haiti on Saturday.

Now that mission has been scrubbed and we are going to Haiti, Barton said.

The ship is docked at a shipyard in San Juan, Puerto Rico, being loaded to take supplies to Haiti.

Bartons previous disaster relief missions used planes, such as in 2017, when ABMI brought supplies to the Bahamas after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

However, the 180-foot-long, 24-foot-wide, and 220-ton vessel can carry in one trip what it took 40 airplanes to carry in and out the Bahamas after Maria.

Bureaucratic Lag

The mission of disaster relief, for Barton, began during Hurricane Hugo in 1989, when he was attending a press conference in Charleston, South Carolina, during which he was able to negotiate three tractor trailers of supplies to take to a neglected part of South Carolina.

Barton was attending the press conference with his press credentials he had through his churchs ongoing AM and online radio station, WGCR.

There was one county that had seen no relief, yet there was this all of these supplies in the parking lot that no one would unload, but the officials didnt like me asking that question on live television, so they gave me the supplies and got rid of me, Barton said.

He learned very quickly, he said, about how not to get supplies distributed.

I saw bureaucratic lag that would make a man sick to his stomach, Barton said. I saw big wheels that turned very slow.

What he found was how to bypass government agencies and energize local people and pastors instead, he said.

I learned very quickly, if they arent badly damaged, empower the local churches, and when we went through churches, I found there was no government lag, Barton said. Local churches get straight to work.

From its massive warehouse of supplies, ABMI supplied some of the hardest hit regions across the world with food, medical and hygiene supplies, clothing, and clean water.

For 12 weeks during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Haiti, ABMI was feeding 1,800 families a week through a network of churches.

Based on previous experience, Barton said, whether it be militia governments in Haiti, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency during ABMIs work after Hurricane Katrina, provisions will come up missing if those organizations are relied upon, which is why using planes, and now a naval ship, became a game changer in getting supplies directly to the network of churches in each region.

Faith Builders

In his work, Barton said hes witnessed complicated, seemingly impossible situations resolve during the planning process to help those in need.

Whether you believe in miracles or not, these are situations that coincidences could not repeat again in a million years, Barton said.

Its those situations that renew his strength when the inevitable low points come, he said, adding that, even the crew of volunteers ABMI sends to help in aid must be rotated to prevent them from burning out.

Though much tragedy and disarray has descended upon western North Carolina this week, its those coincidental faith builders that Barton said he knows will bring hope, and with hope, reconstruction.

Some people call them coincidences, Barton said. I call them miracles.
Iowa Woman Sentenced to 25 Years in Hate Attacks on 2 Children

DES MOINES, IowaAn Iowa woman who said she drove her SUV into two children in 2019 to try to kill them because of their race was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison on federal hate crimes charges.

Nicole Poole Franklin had already been sentenced to up to 25 years, including a mandatory minimum of 17 years and 6 months, on state attempted murder charges in the Dec. 9, 2019, attacks in Des Moines.

In a separate federal proceeding, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose sentenced Poole Franklin on Thursday to 304 months in prison, or 25 years and four months. Poole Franklin, 43, pleaded guilty to two federal hate crimes charges in May.

The sentence will run concurrently with the state punishment but ensure she will be incarcerated for longer, since the federal system does not have parole.

Prosecutors asked for a 27-year sentence in a filing last week, saying Poole Franklin targeted a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl because of their race and ethnicity. Both were walking down the street near their schools.

Federal sentencing guidelines had recommended a term of 30 years to life.

Prosecutors say she first drove over a curb and struck the 12-year-old black boy, saying she ran him over because hes just like ISIS and hes not supposed to be there and hes going to take me out. She narrowly missed the boys older sibling who was walking alongside him.

Minutes later, Poole Franklin drove up over a sidewalk, prosecutors said, striking a 14-year-old Latina girl, who had bruises, cuts, and a concussion. Poole Franklin said she targeted the girl because she thought she was Mexican, was taking over our homes, and our jobs and wasnt supposed to be in the country, the filing said.

Poole Franklin fled after both crashes and was later arrested after going to a gas station where she called an employee and customers racial epithets.

Holding Poole Franklin accountable, not only for her intentional actions, but for the malicious beliefs behind them, is what our justice system should be, and a must to provide just punishment, afford adequate deterrence, and protect the public from further crimes by this defendant, prosecutors wrote.

Poole Franklins public defender asked Rose for nothing longer than a 27-year term. He argued in a filing that she was suffering from severe pre-existing mental illnesses that were exacerbated by methamphetamine use, numerous extremely difficult life events hitting at nearly the same time, and with some of the worst aspects of the culture acting behind the scenes and further poisoning her mental state.

Before the hate crimes, Poole Franklin had received a series of breaks from the legal system, including after she allegedly stabbed a boyfriend in the chest in 2017 and threatened another with a butchers knife months later.
People, some in masks, head to a St. Louis Cardinals game in downtown St. Louis in St Louis, Miss., on Aug. 03, 2021. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Judge Orders St. Louis County to Stop Enforcing Mask Mandate

A judge on Thursday ruled that St. Louis County in Missouri cannot enforce its mask mandate for now.

Circuit Judge Ellen Nellie Ribaudo issued a preliminary injunction ordering the county to stop taking action to enforce the mask mandate, while the court considers the full case. She said that her decision was made based on the law.

This courts decision is purely one of the relevant laws, Ribaudo said in her order (pdf). The court notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a political issue since it first emerged in this country and has continued to be a political flash point for many.

A mask mandate was issued by St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and Health Director Faisal Khan on July 26. The county-wide mandate required masks in indoor public areas, as well as on public transportation, for all those aged 5 and above.

In response, Missouris attorney general, Eric Schmitt, filed a lawsuit against the mandate on the same day.

On July 27, the County Council cast a supermajority vote of 5-2 to rescind the mandate. However, Page at the time maintained that the mask mandate was still in effect.

Ribaudo then issued a temporary restraining order (pdf) on Aug. 3 against St. Louis County for having continued to enforce the mask mandate, despite the county council vote against it. The order prevented the mandate from being enforced, and was in effect until Aug. 19.

The preliminary injunction issued on Thursday overrides the temporary restraining order and allows the mandate to continue to be on hold while the court case continues.

Like in her previous decision, Ribaudo on Thursday found that Schmitts lawsuit was likely to succeed. She added that the parties should work together to resolve the matter.

The court implored for the parties to work together for the benefit of the public to find common ground as this virus continues to be a very real and significant danger to the state of Missouri, St. Louis County, and the world, she wrote.

Both sides agree that the increase in COVID 19 cases is significant and of great concern, they agree that people should take appropriate precautions to stop the spread of the virus. Despite agreeing on these issues they are unable to resolve their dispute, she added.

In a response to the ruling, Page wrote on Twitter, Public health experts tell us masks save lives. I am confident the people of @STLCounty will continue wearing masks to protect themselves & their community from COVID-19.

Schmitt praised the judges decision.

The people prevailed yet again against County Executive Page and his health department for attempting to impose their will illegally on the people of St. Louis County, he said in a statement. I will not stop in my fight against government overreach.

Schmitt has separately filed lawsuits to overturn mask mandates in Kansas City and Jackson County.
Live Q&A: China Holds Assault Drills Threatening Taiwan; Senators Want Durham Report Made Public

The Chinese military held assault drills near Taiwan, amid the regimes renewed threats against the island nation. And in other news, 44 Senate Republicans are demanding that a forthcoming report from Special Counsel John Durham be made available to the public once its complete.

In this live Q&A with Crossroads host Joshua Philipp, well discuss these stories and others, and answer questions from the audience.

Were being heavily censored by Big Tech. Our solution? Create our own independent platform free of censorship.

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Los Angeles City Council Opposes Bills for Multi-Family Housing In Single-Family Zones

LOS ANGELESThe Los Angeles City Council on Aug. 18 passed resolutions in opposition of two California Senate bills that were introduced to help the states housing crisis but that critics say will worsen it.

The resolutions, which were introduced by Councilman Paul Koretz, opposed Senate Bill 9 (SB 9) and Senate Bill 10 (SB 10).

SB 9, introduced by Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Sen Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would allow lots that are zoned for single-family housing to have up to four units, with opponents saying the measure would also allow for two additional accessory dwelling units, or granny flats.

Senate Bill 10, introduced by Wiener, to allow approval of multi-family buildings with up to 10 market-rate units, along with potentially four granny flats, on lots that are zoned for single-family homes only.

SB 9 and 10 are the third annual attempt by San Francisco Sen. Scott Weiner to destroy local control over multi-family and single-family zoning in the state of California. This council has unanimously voted to oppose essentially the same bills twice before and we should do it again, Koretz said.

Councilman Mike Bonin, who voted in support of the resolutions, said that while he sees the shortcomings of single-family zoning, he looked to which groups oppose and support the bills.

I look at whos behind (the bills) and whos opposed to them and when I see the affordable housing organizations here in Los Angeles saying this doesnt do it for us, that concerns me, Bonin said.

Housing Is A Human Right, which is a division of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, came out in opposition to the bills and conducted a statewide poll that found 63 percent of Californians oppose SB9 and 67 percent oppose SB 10.

There is no requirement for affordable housing or homeless housing, and given that we have 161,000 people who are homeless in the state of California, over 60,000 in the county and over 40,000 in the city, it is absolutely unconscionable to have a housing production bill that would not provide for our homeless community or for people who desperately need affordable housing, Susie Shannon, policy director for Housing Is A Human Right, said in a call to the City Council meeting on Aug. 18.

Assata Umoja of the Hyde Park Organizational Partnership for Empowerment called into the meeting to oppose the Senate bills for potentially worsening the homelessness crisis.

Neither of these bills promotes any type of equity nor community stability and will only increase homelessness, she said.

Councilman Gil Cedillo voted against both resolutions, saying the Senate bills included opportunities for the city to address concerns.

We must now act and act affirmatively and build our toolbox so that we can take the actions necessary to build housing, Cedillo said.

Councilwoman Nithya Raman voted against the resolution that opposed Senate Bill 10.

If were going to tell Sacramento to stay out of our way when it comes to housing policies, then we, in Los Angeles, have to be willing to do the work ourselves and all of the data that we have right now points to the fact that we havent been doing it, Raman said.

She noted that the Los Angeles Department of City Planning told council members Aug. 17 that 71 percent of the residentially zoned land in Los Angeles is for single-family homes only, and any new multi-family construction has to be limited to 29 percent of the city.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob waves to media as he leave after meeting with the King at national palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Aug. 19, 2021. (FL Wong/AP Photo)

Malaysian King Names Former Deputy Leader as New Prime Minister

Malaysias king on Friday appointed the former deputy prime minister to Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned after less than 18 months in office, as the countrys new leader.

Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah said Ismail Sabri Yaakob had secured the backing of 114 lawmakers in the 222-seat parliament, clinching the simple majority required to rule.

Ahmad Shah said the 61-year-old politician will be sworn in as Malaysias ninth prime minister on Aug. 21.

The monarch said in a statement they hope the new government will unite in tackling the countrys worsening CCP virus pandemic while also urging lawmakers to set aside their political differences.

King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah of Malaysia arrive to attend the Enthronement Ceremony Of Emperor Naruhito of Japan at the Imperial Palace on Oct. 22, 2019, in Tokyo, Japan. (Carl Court/Getty Images)

His Majesty expressed the hope that with the appointment of the new prime minister, the political crisis can end immediately and all lawmakers can unite to put aside political agendas, the royal palace said.

The government should continue efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic immediately for the benefit and safety of the people and the countrys wellbeing, which are greatly affected by this crisis and the pandemic threat, it added.

The announcement came after the monarch met state Malay rulers who advised him on the appointment. The kings role is largely ceremonial in Malaysia, but he appoints the person he believes has majority support in Parliament as prime minister.

Yaakob was the deputy leader of Yassin, who stepped down earlier this week after losing his parliamentary majority due to political turmoil in his coalition.

Malaysias former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin takes part in the online Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders summit in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 20, 2020. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images)

The kings appointment of the veteran politician essentially restores the Yassin alliance and brings back the rule of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which was voted out during the Malaysian general election in 2018 over a multibillion-dollar financial scandal.

Malaysias political party, UMNO, which is also referred to as the Grand Old Party, dominated politics in the Southeast Asian nation since its independence from Britain in 1957 until the partys defeat in 2018.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 20, 2021. (Evgeny Odinokov, Sputnik, Kremlin/Pool Photo via AP)

Merkel, Putin Spar Over Navalny but Vow to Maintain Dialogue

MOSCOW, RussiaGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their sharply different views of Russias treatment of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, democratic values, and other major topics of dispute Friday but vowed to maintain a dialogue.

Merkel traveled to Moscow as she is nearing the end of her almost 16-year-long leadership of Germany. Despite deep disagreements, she has tried throughout her tenure to preserve close contacts with Putin, who has been in power for more than two decades.

Their meeting Friday came on the anniversary of Navalny falling gravely ill on a domestic flight over Siberia from what European officials would later say was poisoning with a Soviet-developed nerve agent. After the opposition leader was stricken, he was flown to Germany for medical treatment at his wifes insistence and spent five months there recuperating.

Navalny, who is Putins most outspoken critic blamed the Aug. 20, 2020 attack on the Kremlinan accusation that Russian authorities reject. Upon his return to Russia in January, he was immediately arrested and handed a 2year prison term for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 20, 2021. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

Speaking after Fridays talks with Putin, Merkel reiterated a call for Navalnys release, pointing out that the European Court of Human Rights had criticized his 2014 conviction as clearly disproportionate.

Putin rejected the criticism, arguing that Navalnys sentencing wasnt connected to his opposition activities.

He was convicted of a criminal offense, not his political activities, the Russian leader said, customarily avoiding mentioning Navalny by name. No one should use political activities as a cover for conducting business projects in violation of the law.

Putin also rejected the accusations of a crackdown on Navalnys allies in the run-up to Russias Sept. 19 parliamentary election. As he has before, he attempted to turn the tables on the West by pointing to the prosecution of people who participated in storming the U.S. Capitol in January.

Putin also scathingly criticized the West over Afghanistan, saying that the Talibans rapid sweep over the country has shown the futility of Western attempts to enforce its own vision of democracy.

Its necessary to stop the irresponsible police of enforcing its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries based on outside models without taking into account historic, ethnic, and religious issues and fully ignoring other peoples traditions, he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a joint news conference following their talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 20, 2021. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

Merkel, meanwhile, urged Russia to use its contacts with the Taliban to press for Afghan citizens who helped Germany to be allowed to leave Afghanistan.

Another item on the agenda was the situation in eastern Ukraine, where Germany and France have sought to help broker a peaceful settlement to end the fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russiabacked separatists that has killed more than 14,000 people since 2014.

Merkel, who plans to visit Kyiv on Sunday, made clear that she hasnt given up hope of progress in the coming weeks on long-stalled peace efforts in eastern Ukraine.

I will work until my last day in office so that the territorial integrity of Ukraine can be ensured, she said.

Putin pointed at the increasing number of cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine and asked Merkel to reaffirm to Ukrainian authorities during her upcoming trip the importance of honoring their obligations under a 2015 peace deal brokered by Germany and France in Minsk, Belarus.

We have not yet achieved the aims we wanted to achieve in the Minsk agreement, but it is the format for talks that we have  and we should deal carefully with this format so long as we dont have anything else, Merkel said. Every little bit of progress could be important, but the work we have to do is very, very hard, and there have been disappointments of the most varied kind.

The German leader and Putin also discussed the nearly finished Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will carry natural gas from Russia to Germany. The project has angered the United States and some European countries, but the United States and Germany announced a deal last month to allow its completion.

Putin, who said that just 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) need to be finished, emphasized that the new pipeline offers a much cheaper and safer transit route for Russian gas supplies to Germany and other EU nations.

Merkel emphasized her desire to see Russia extend its transit contract to pump its gas via Ukraine after the current deal expires in 2024. Putin said Russia stood ready to negotiate an extension of the deal but noted that specific details, such as transit volumes, would depend on market demand for the Russian gas in Europe.

Other topics the two longtime leaders discussed included stabilizing Libya, the situation in Syria, efforts to help revive the Iranian nuclear deal, and developments in Belarus, where authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has relentlessly cracked down on dissent. Three of Belarus EU neighborsLithuania, Poland, and Latviahave accused Belarusian authorities of encouraging a flow of migrants to destabilize the EU.

Merkel, 67, who grew up in communist East Germany and is fluent in Russian, has always stressed that relations with Russia can only improve through dialogue.

Her visit to Moscow could be one of her last trips abroad as chancellor since she is not running in Germanys national election next month. Its not clear when she will step down, because the outgoing government remains in place until a new one is formed.

Putin, 68, speaks fluent German that he polished while serving as an officer in the Soviet KGB secret service in East Germany during the 1980s. He hailed Merkels role in developing RussianGerman ties and said she would be always welcome to visit after she steps down.

Germany is one of our key partners in Europe and the entire world thanks to your efforts over the past 16 years, he said.

Even though we certainly have deep differences today, we speak to each otherand that should continue to happen, Merkel said during the Kremlin talks.

By Vladimir Isachenkov and Geir Moulson
Sudesh Amman, a home-grown British jihadi who was killed by police on Feb, 2020 as he attacked people with a knife in Streatham, is pictured in this undated police handout. (PA)

Missed Opportunity to Jail Home-Grown Jihadi Before London Attack, Concludes Inquest

Two days before his crazed knife attack in a busy London shopping street, home-grown jihadi Sudesh Amman had been spotted in Poundland buying small bottles of Irn-Bru, parcel tape, and kitchen foil, which undercover police (correctly) guessed he was going to fashion into a fake suicide belt.

Amman was on probation, having been released just 10 days earlier halfway through a sentence for terrorism offences.

Despite concerns by MI5 and police, however, the prison and probation services decided not to recall Amman to jail.

That decision was described as a missed opportunity on Aug. 19 in the conclusion of an inquest into the incident in Streatham on Feb. 2, 2020.

Amman had finished serving a terrorism-related prison sentence just 10 days earlier and was living at a probation hostel in Streatham when he stabbed a man and a woman before turning to charge at two armed police officers who gave chase.

He was shot dead by police.

The inquest jury and the Royal Courts of Justice said in their verdict that he had been killed lawfully by officers.

Police and MI5 teams described Amman as one of the most dangerous individuals that they had investigated, saying it was a question of when not if he would launch an attack.

After he was spotted picking up pieces for the fake suicide vest, which he wore during the attack, he was kept under round-the-clock armed surveillance instead.

Amman, who had pledged allegiance to the terrorist ISIS group and was said to have plotted to kill the Queen.

He had been jailed for three and a half years for obtaining and distributing material used for terrorist purposes.

In jail, he was said to have revelled in his notoriety as a young terrorist, and mixed with other high-profile offenders including the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi.

Despite pleas from the prison governor to keep him in custody, he was granted automatic release after serving only half his sentence.

The case resulted in a new law removing the automatic release of terror offenders on determinate sentences, meaning they now routinely serve two-thirds of their sentence before their custody status is decided by a Parole Board.

Responding to the conclusion, Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick praised the officers for their professionalism, courage, and decisiveness in the most challenging of circumstancesfast-moving, horrific, and frightening.

She added: The attack happened on a busy high street, and quite simply their quick actions almost certainly saved lives.

Ammans family already conceded police had little choice but to shoot the 20-year-old, who was born in Coventry and lived in Birmingham and north-west London.

PA contributed to this report.
Civilians prepare to board a plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 18, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

More than 18,000 Evacuated From Kabul Airport: NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced that more than 18,000 people have been evacuated from Kabul since the Taliban terrorist group took over Afghanistans capital five days ago.

NATOs latest development comes as the White House updated its evacuation tally on Aug. 19, saying the U.S. has evacuated about 3,000 more people from Kabuls airport in the last 24 hours, bringing the total tally of those evacuated by the U.S. to about 14,000 since the operation started at the end of July.

The U.S. evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Hamid Karzai International Airport on 16 C-17 flights, the U.S. official said late on Thursday.

Nearly 350 U.S. citizens were evacuated. Additional evacuees include family members of U.S. citizens, SIV applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans, the official added, referring to special immigrant visa applicants.

President Joe Biden, who has come under fire over the turbulent U.S. withdrawal, is expected to speak on Aug. 20 about the evacuation effort.

Bidens team has defended his leadership throughout the disaster in Afghanistan, including White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who cut her vacation short after the Taliban takeover.

A NATO official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters that thousands of people desperate to flee the country are still thronging the airport, despite the Taliban urging people without legal travel documents to go home.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that over the past few days, the United Kingdom has evacuated more than 300 Britons and over 2,000 Afghans as part of its resettlement programwith a further 2,000 Afghan applications completed and more being processed.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking during the debate on the situation in Afghanistan in the House of Commons, London, as MPs returned to Parliament from their summer break for an emergency sitting on Wednesday, three days after the countrys capital Kabul fell to the militants on Sunday. Picture date: Aug. 18, 2021. (PA/Parliament TV)

We have so far secured the safe return of 306 UK nationals and 2,052 Afghan nationals as part of our resettlement program, Johnson said on Wednesday.

Germany announced they have been flying military aircraft from Kabul to Tashkent to evacuate more individuals. In its latest update, the country has evacuated around 1600 people on Aug. 20, according to a statement by the German Foreign Ministry. They include an unspecified number of Germans, Afghans, and nationals of international partners.

In other parts of Europe; France, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, among other nations, confirmed they have begun an evacuation operation with flights to the Afghan capital underway. Some of the countries already confirmed the safe return of hundreds of people.

Criticism of NATO and other Western powers has risen as images of the chaos and desperate fear of the Taliban were shared around the world.

Several protesters were killed in the eastern city of Asadabad on Aug. 19 when Taliban terrorists fired on a crowd of people demonstrating their allegiance to the vanquished Afghan republic, as the Taliban set about establishing an emirate, governed by a strict form of Islamic rule.

People carry Afghan flags as they take part in an anti-Taliban protest in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on Aug. 18, 2021. (Pajhwok Afghan News/Handout via Reuters)

There were similar shows of defiance in two other cities in the eastJalalabad and Khostwith Afghans using celebrations of the nations 1919 independence from British control to vent their anger with the Taliban takeover.

Our flag, our identity, a crowd of protesting men and women chanted as they waved the Afghan national flag.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
National Security advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during the daily press briefing on the situation in Afghanistan at the White House in Washington, on Aug. 17, 2021. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

National Security Advisor Says US Laser Focused On Potential For Terrorist Attack By Taliban Sworn Enemy

The U.S. government is laser focused on the potential for a terrorist attack in Afghanistan by a group like ISIS-K, a sworn enemy of the Taliban, a senior government official said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC Nightly News on Aug. 19 that the government will continue in its efforts to oversee an evacuation at Kabal airport but is aware of the potential threats of terrorist attacks from groups such as ISIS Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K.

Sullivan added that getting Americans out of Afghanistan was a risky operation given questions about whether the Taliban would continue to allow the safe passage of people to the airport.

One of the contingencies we are very focused on, laser focused on, is the potential for a terrorist attack by a group like ISIS-K, which of course is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, so we will keep working to minimize the risks and maximize the number of people on planes, Sullivan said.

ISIS-K remains active three years after its inception, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington D.C. think tank, which said the group received support from the ISIS terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

The ISIS affiliate is headquartered in the east of Afghanistan and has carried out several devastating attacks, mostly targeting the countrys minority Shiite Muslims.

CSIS said the group was responsible for nearly 100 attacks against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as roughly 250 clashes with the U.S., Afghan, and Pakistani security forces since January 2017.

In 2018, ISIS-K terrorists were thought to be behind an attack that killed at least 68 people, including dozens of young students taking university entrance exams in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood of Kabul.

In May 2020, Peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said the U.S. government believed ISIS-K was also responsible for an attack on a maternity hospital in a majority Shiite Muslim neighborhood in Kabul which killed 24 people including newborn babies and mothers.

On the same day, the terrorist affiliate also targeted the funeral of a pro-government warlord killing 34 people, Khalilzad tweeted.

ISIS-K has not claimed responsibility for the maternity hospital attack.

U.S. officials say they are working around the clock to evacuate Americans and those who aided U.S. forces out of Kabul, but that the security situation on the ground is challenging.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said the federal government and military cannot ensure safe passage to the Kabul airport after Taliban extremists took over the capital on Aug. 15.

The United States government cannot ensure safe passage to the Hamid Karzai International Airport, the U.S. Embassy wrote in a security alert issued on Wednesday, adding that, the security situation in Kabul continues to change quickly, including at the airport.

Sullivan told NBC it was unclear exactly how many Americans were still in the country, but the Biden administration is committed to getting any American who wants to leave and gets in contact with U.S. officials onto a plane.

We right now have established contact with the Taliban to allow for the safe passage of people to the airport and that is working at the moment to get Americans and Afghans at risk to the airport, he said. That being said, we cant count on anything.

Sullivan added that Washington would keep working to minimize the risks and maximize the number of people on planes.
NYC Restaurateurs: Its Not Our Job to Enforce Vaccine Mandates

On Aug. 17, New York City started requiring restaurants and gyms to check guests and workers for proof of COVID-19 vaccination, as well as photo ID.

The Epoch Times interviewed local restaurant owners about their opinions on the vaccine mandate.

Stratis Morfogen, the principal Director of Operations for Brooklyn Dumpling Shop told The Epoch Times that his business was always at the forefront of safety, and even came up with a 40 step safety plan, compared to only 12 steps mandated by the city.

Morfogen believes that the city didnt plan properly for this mandate, and that the pieces of cardboard signed in pen that they were giving out as proof of vaccination earlier this year were too backward technologically.

They didnt plan properly knowing that a vaccine was coming. By last summer, they should have started working on their apps, and their central database, and their technology aspects of creating a place where everybody can share data, and unfortunately they didnt do their homework, he said.

Two months later the apps for vaccination proof started coming out, but there were too many people already vaccinated by then.

Referring to an app called Go pass, Morfogen said not everyone has it because it came out months after they were vaccinated, and not everyone is so tech-savvy.

The government, city especially, and the state have not given us the proper tools to crosscheck, to see if this piece of paper written in pen is validated. It reminds me of my learners permit from 1983.

My question is, why arent they doing this at Home Depot, why arent they doing this at CVS, Why arent they doing this at Stop & Shop? Why are they picking on the only place that people can congregate and have the lowest infection rate? Morfogen added.

Stratis Morfogen, principal Director of Operations for Brooklyn Dumpling Shop. (Courtesy of Stratis Morfogen)

I cant tell people to put something into their body. I can advise them on what food and drink they can have and protect the safety of my product, but I cant tell a pregnant woman, you cant come into my restaurant tonight because youre not vaccinated, or I cant tell someone that has a religious belief, who doesnt want to take the vaccine for religious standards. Its not my job to do that.

T.J. Provenzano, owner of Rosella restaurant in Manhattan, hopes the mandates dont have an effect on his business.

We dont want to get shut down again, Ill tell you that much, Provenzano said. But I certainly dont want to be the enforcer of city and state law.

If theres a law made and if thats the way they would like it to be, then let them figure out how to enforce it. Why is it my responsibility?

Its frustrating, but at the same time we do not want to get shut down. Well do anything they say, he added. Weve got to stay in business.

The Epoch Times reached out to PUBLIC Hotel for an interview after it was applauded by NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio for its early enforcement of the mandates. The doorman acknowledged the request, but upon checking with the management, the doorman returned and repeatedly advised, we have nothing to say to you.

An employee of Suki, a Japanese curry and ramen restaurant, told The Epoch Times that she doesnt trust the vaccine and doesnt want to get vaccinated.

I really dont want to get vaccinated because I dont trust how fast it was created, Ruth Caraballo said. I think it will affect these businesses,  all of them, because some people like me, we dont want to get vaccinated and, if they dont accept the vaccine, how can they come and eat here. Theyre not allowed to eat here because of the vaccine. So I think itll cause disruption.

Enforcement for the mandate is set to start on Sept. 13. Restaurants have already been affected gravely due to the pandemic. A custom burger business called The Counter, located near Times Square, believes it will have to shut down if only vaccinated people can come in.

The Counter custom burger restaurant in Times Square, N.Y., on Aug. 7, 2021 (Enrico Trigoso/The Epoch Times)
90 Percent of Australians Oppose the Chinese Communist Party: Survey

Ninety percent of Australians are opposed to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), one of Australias leading thinktanks has revealed.

A Lowy Institutes 2021 surveyof 2,222 Australian adultsfound that while two-thirds of Australians had positive views about Chinese people, Chinese culture and history, an overwhelming 90 percent of Australians were strongly opposed to Chinas communist system of government, military activities in Australian regions, and the Chinese states investment in a major Australian company.

This year also marks a turning point for Australians trust in the Chinese regime, which dropped to a ten-year low of 16 percent, with CCP leader Xi Jinping receiving fewer votes of confidence than Russian President Vladimir Putin, and only slightly more than North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Further for the first time, the majority of Australians (63 percent) also saw China as a security threat rather than an economic partner.

The poll also showed that concerns about Chinas interference in Australian politics soared to over 80 percent, with foreign cyber-attacks perceived as the biggest threats to the countrys vital interests.

Graph created with Datawrapper based on the Lowy Institute data on August 20, 2021.

Associate Professor at the University of Sydney and expert in the U.S-China relations Salvator Babones told The Epoch Times that Australians shift in attitude towards the communist regime was not surprising as most people will defend their own country in the face of foreign attacks.

But the Lowy Institute Foreign Policy Program Director Natasha Kassam commented that it was unusual for views about nations to decline so drastically over a short period of time.

The endless list of bilateral irritants and concerning storiesfrom the crackdown in Hong Kong to the detention of the Uyghurs, sanctions on Australian industries and the plight of Australian citizens in Chinahas driven the relationship, and driven public perception, to rock bottom, she told the ABC.

A general view of an Australian flag is seen during a welcome ceremony for Australias Prime Minister Julia Gillard outside the Great Hall of the People on April 9, 2013, in Beijing, China. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

CCPs Move to Influence Public Opinions

Meanwhile, as Australias public opinion of China falls, Beijing is seeking to turn the tide using its influence over Chinese language media in Australia as well as social networks, Babones warned.

Chinese influence exercised through Chinese language media is much more dangerous than anything that happens via social networks, he told The Epoch Times.

Babones also noted that while all countries, to some extent, seek to influence public opinion, the difference with China is it does so secretly, through lies and deception.

The United States seeks to influence global public opinion with the Voice of America, Babones said. But the Voice of America is not allowed to lie. Chinese [state media outlets] are allowed to lie. And I think thats a problem.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) noted in 2020 that the CCP has been making persistent efforts to infiltrate the Australian media environment for over 20 years and its work far outmatch the Australian Governments work in the same space.

In marginal electorates with large Chinese-speaking populations, such as Chisholm and Bennelong, interference in Chinese media can become a nationally significant problem, the thinktank said.

ASPI also found that 17 out of 24 Australias Chinese-language media outlets had participated in the United Front Work Department (UFWD) forum for overseas Chinese media. A further 12 had executives who were UFWD groups members, and at least four have received financial support from the regime.

The United Front Work Department (UFWD), is the Chinese communist regimes leading overseas infiltration organ.

It seeks to control representation in Chinese communities, encourage pro-CCP political mobilisation and build platforms for broader political interference efforts, the Canberra-based think tank said.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper speaks during a briefing at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, N.C., on June 2, 2020. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP)

North Carolina Senate Passes Bill That Would Repeal Pistol Permit Law

State House also passed legislation, but governor may veto

The North Carolina Senate this week approved legislation that would repeal a background check currently required before people get a permit to buy a pistol.

The state chamber passed House Bill 398 in a party-line 2720 vote on Wednesday and delivered the bill to Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday.

All yes votes came from Republicans, who control the chamber, and all votes against were from Democrats.

Cooper is also a Democrat and can veto the bill. His office did not respond to a query.

The bill, if signed into law, would eliminate a requirement that sheriffs must conduct a background check on people who want to buy pistols before a purchase happens.

The North Carolina Sheriffs Association backed the repeal because federal background checks are already required for many gun purchases.

This law is simply just ineffective, state Sen. Chuck Edwards, a Republican, said during floor debate, according to the Associated Press. This law is archaic and its duplicative.

But Democrats noted that the federal checks dont happen when private sales between two individuals take place.

This bill would remove one of the few protections that we currently have in place to stop dangerous people from buying handguns, said state Sen. Natasha Marcus, a Democrat.

Josh Stein, North Carolinas attorney general, said he opposed the bill.

When sheriffs grant or deny permits to people to purchase a pistol, they do so after considering the risk that person might pose to their community. This background check process is one of our most effective tools to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, felons, and other dangerous people. However, this bill would remove sheriffs role in granting permits, taking away their ability to protect the people in their communities and making it easier for people who are dangerous to buy pistols, he said in a statement.

The North Carolina House passed the bill 6948 in May.

A Cooper veto would likely not be overridden, since some Democrats would have to side with Republicans.

Cooper vetoed legislation in June that would have let people carry guns in churches on educational property outside of school operating hours.

For the safety of students and teachers, North Carolina should keep guns off school grounds, Cooper said at the time.
Craftsman James McGrath, from McConnelsville, Ohio, sculpted two giant bald eagles for his client, Vietnam veteran Ron Hall. (Courtesy of James McGrath)

Ohio Craftsman Sculpts Massive Wooden Bald Eagles for Veterans: I Am Humbled

The majestic beauty of the American bald eagle never fails to inspire true patriots. An Ohio craftsman has immortalized this inspiration by carving two massive wooden bald eagle sculptures, which were recently honored in a flag-raising ceremony.

Local craftsman James McGrath, from McConnelsville, sculpted the giant bald eaglesFly By and Freedomfor his client, Vietnam veteran Ron Hall.

The impressive project, symbolizing the strength and freedom of America, was undertaken to fulfill the humble wish of honoring veterans for their selfless service.

These are some of the largest bald eagle carvings in the world! McGrath told The Epoch Times.

Hall and McGraths shared project, which started around the Fourth of July this year and has since grown significantly, was conceived as a personal venture. However, it didnt take long for the local residents to notice the mighty sculptures of the king of the birds slowly coming to life; once the carvings were complete, the crowd of admirers only grew stronger.

On receiving an overwhelming response to his iconic creations, McGrath told The Epoch Times that he is truly humbled.

What an amazing project, he said. I am humbled by the publics interest in my art.

Craftsman James McGrath, from McConnelsville, in Morgan County, Ohio. (Courtesy of Teri Greuey McGrew via James McGrath)

McGrath told WTAP-TV that he wanted to put an old tree to full use in a more creative way instead of just carving a 4-foot bird.

After Hall encouraged him, telling him hes got the creative ability to go ahead and just make it, McGrath transformed the wooden lump into a 12-foot-6-inch-tall soaring bald eagle stand-alone masterpiece.

Carving both eagles, said McGrath, took about a week to 10 days, with 8 hours of crafting work each day, according to the report.

A lot of people are taking interest in it  if it satisfies the community that much Im all for it, he told the outlet.

The breathtaking work of art has been attracting traffic to the area since then. On Aug. 13, the bald eagle sculptures were displayed in their full glory after being commemorated in a special, official flag-raising ceremony.

McGrath said that it was amazing to have the veteran color guard do the official flag raising and to witness how much the community has loved their project.

I think this is a wonderful addition for some people to really understand what our country is here for, Hall told the outlet in another interview.

The captivating display is an apt ode to veterans and is surely serving to inspire the community as well. Check out some more photos below:

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
A face mask lies discarded on the ground in Orange, Calif., on June 22, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Parents, Patients Plead for Medical Exemptions, California Doctor Says

A physician based in Roseville, Calif., who has successfully treated hundreds of COVID-19 patients, has recently become well-known for issuing mask and vaccine medical exemptions to select individuals.

When word-of-mouth spread, Dr. Michael Huangs office was swamped with calls and emails from thousands of patientsseveral from out-of-statepleading for mask and vaccine exemptions for themselves and their children, he said.

Huang said he has been working 15- to 16-hour days trying to see as many patients as he can.

I am so tired, he told The Epoch Times. Im pleading for help and pleading for other doctors to step up and do their jobs.

Recent news articles have painted a different picture, publishing accusations that Huang was handing out fake mask exemptions.

On Aug. 17, the state medical board issued a statement encouraging people to report doctors who are granting mask exemptions inappropriately and warning the physicians could face disciplinary action for issuing exemptions without conducting an appropriate exam and without a finding of a legitimate medical reason supporting such an exemption.

However, Huang said he has not acted inappropriately, and many doctors have abandoned their duty to serve the individual needs of their patients by unquestioningly complying with demands of government and health insurance companies.

Huang said that a few doctors have even complained that he saw their patients for exemption-related issues without their consent.

This is just flat out ridiculous, he said.

Doctors never need to get authorization from a patients primary care physician to treat them if the patient chooses to see another doctor, Huang said.

These doctors never complained when I treated hundreds of their ill COVID-19 patients, and now they have an issue with me seeing their patients for mask/vaccine concerns?

Dr. Michael Huang, whose private practice is based in Roseville, Calif., in an undated photo. (Courtesy of Dr. Michael Huang)

Medical Exemption Controversy

Huang said many doctors, especially those who work for big health insurance companies, refuse to write medical exemptions because theyre afraid to get fired.

He accused health insurers of financial fraud by collecting hefty premiums from their patients but failing to properly serve their individual medical needs, which he said should include writing mask and vaccine exemptions when warranted.

They pay a premium to their insurer, and in return they are supposed to provide the necessary medical service, he said.

Right now, their administrators are either directly or indirectly telling them that they cannot provide this medical service  for whatever reasons that may be either political, internal pressure, or government pressure.

Huang said several school districts and health organizations have rejected mask exemptions that he has issued to patients.

This is illegal because I have a license to practice in California without restriction and patients can see any physician they wish.

Its unbelievable, he added.

Huang said he believes his license to practice medicine in California is jeopardy, because he is now on the radar of the mask police. He said that according to Rob Oldman, director of the Placer County Health & Human Services Department, a few doctors have reported him to the state medical board.

Rumors that Huang is selling exemptions are believed to have originated from an official at the Rocklin Unified School District, local sources told The Epoch Times.

Huang has denied the allegations against him and compared himself to a lone firefighter battling a blaze while being accused of arson.

They are trying to paint me as a villain, he said. Were in a crisis mode right now and they want to shut me down.

Huang said he also sometimes prescribes medicine such as ivermectin, and hes never lost a COVID-19 patient.

If they close down my practice, I can guarantee there will be five COVID patients that will be dead in the next couple of weeks, because I cant help them. Out of the hundreds of COVID patients I helped, not one person died, he said. Its treatable.

Though Huang said hes received some several hateful voicemail messages, most of the feedback has been positive. He said more than 100 parents and supporters rallied outside Huangs office on Aug. 16 to support his efforts.

Parents rally outside Dr. Michael Huangs office in Roseville, Calif. on Aug. 16, 2021 to support his efforts to provide medical exemptions to patients for masks and vaccines. (Courtesy Michael Huang)

A Kaiser Nurse Speaks Out

A registered nurse who works for Kaiser Permanente in California and asked not to be named told The Epoch Times she took her daughter to see Huang for a mask exemption.

I know Kaisers stance on this so I didnt even bother to go to my kids pediatrician because I knew it would be useless, she said.

Her children were required to wear masks to school, and she said they complained daily of headaches, that they couldnt breathe, or their ears hurt, she said. When she picked up her youngest daughter from school, her mask would be just sopping wet. It was disgusting, she said.

The nurse said she also refuses to be vaccinated with an experimental drug that has not yet been fully FDA-approved to keep her job at Kaiser.

Huang is basically the only doctor in the area that is actually helping people who are in need, she said.

The nurse knows of several people who were very sick with COVID-19 that went to Huang for help.

In a nutshell, he saved their lives. Their doctors didnt do anything for them, she said.

Kaiser Permanente has not responded to an Epoch Times inquiry about whether its policies discourage Kaiser doctors from writing mask and vaccine exemptions for patients who need them.

However, Kaiser spokesman Marc Brown did respond to another inquiry about the organizations mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for employees, which he noted has been applauded by the White House and other health care organizations and employers.

All Kaiser employees and physicians must submit proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or complete a declination form by Aug. 23, said Brown. The mandate does not apply to patients.

Brown told The Epoch Times via email that the organization is considering all requests for exemptions for medical or religious reasons and granting them where appropriate.

Son Develops Lung Problems

Amber Glynn told The Epoch Times her 7-year-old son would often complain that he couldnt breathe while wearing a mask.

About five hours after wearing one on a flight this summer, her son cried quietly and told her couldnt breathe, but Glynn didnt take the complaints seriously.

I feel like a terrible mom, but I thought he was being a bit dramatic, she said.

But last week, Glynns son complained of acute chest pain and spent hours with the school nurse.

Glynn said she had trouble getting an in-person appointment with a Kaiser doctor and had heard Kaiser doesnt give mask exemptions, so she took her son to Dr. Huang.

Huang examined the boy using two different tests and determined his lungs were functioning at 50 percent capacity.

I was shocked, Glynn said.

Her son had always been healthy and had no history of signs of respiratory problems until he began wearing a mask, she said.

Huang also advised Glynn to take the boy to the emergency room immediately. The Kaiser doctor tested her son and said he was fine. But Glynn insisted the doctor test him a second time while she watched, and the second test showed that her sons lung function was well below normal, she said.

Glynn said she told the doctor I either need a mask exemption or a written statement that it is safe for my son to breathe elevated levels of Co2 for extended periods of time.

Eventually, after an intense discussion, the Kaiser doctor wrote a temporary mask exemption to last until the boy could get in to see his primary care physician.

The Orange County Classical Academy in Orange, Calif., on March 10, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Hearing-Aids, Panic Attacks, and More

Huang said one child with hearing loss was forced to wear a mask with strings behind her ears even though they interfered with her hearing aids. When she refused, the school said she could wear a face shield, which caused an echo and interfered with her vision and hearing.

How disgusting is that? said Huang.

Huang said he doesnt hand out exemptions to just anyone. A patient must have a legitimate medical reason to get one, he said. For example, one mom wanted exemptions for three children, but when the kids told Huang they liked wearing masks and wanted to fit in with other kids at school, he denied the mothers request.

Huang said hundreds of parents and workers, including health professionals, have paid out-of-pocket to see him because they cant find other doctors who will provide exemptions.

He calls his patients medical refugees who have nowhere else to turn.

I dont have any other words to describe it, he said.

Many patients have come to him in tears begging for exemptions because theyre afraid to lose their jobs over the mask and vaccine policies of their employers. Hes seen adult men crying, he said.

Huang said lots of kids get panic attacks from wearing masks.

They freak out, he said. They think theyre going to die. They have nightmares.

Severe panic attacks and anxiety are absolutely legitimate reasons for writing a medical exemption, and adults can suffer from panic attacks too, Huang said. Continually wearing a mask can also affect patients with heart disease, asthma, other respiratory and cardiovascular ailments, and more.

In one case, a child with cerebral palsy was forced to wear a mask to school.

He can barely speak. Its difficult for him to breathe with a mask on. He can barely walk, and yet the childs doctor refused to give the child a mask exemption so the boys mother was left with little choice but to homeschool her son, Huang said.

This is just child torture, he said.

A Preemptive Visit

Lisa Pelletier, whose 13-year-old son suffered from asthma when he was an infant, feared his condition might flare up again from wearing a mask at school. She had already dropped her Kaiser insurance for other reasons and decided take her son to see Dr. Huang.

It was a preemptive visit to the doctor when the mask mandates came down and affected my son, because I did not want a mask to potentially exacerbate a pre-existing condition and then leave my son with a chronic condition for the rest of his life that he would have otherwise not had, she said.

Huang examined her son and determined that wearing a mask would present more of a risk to her son than not wearing one, she said.

My hope is that other physicians will be brave enough to embraceor embrace againthe patient-physician relationship. Its such a valuable foundation for our health and our trust in healthcare providers, Pelletier said.

It seems like with these big institutions of health that limit and dictate what doctors can and cannot do, weve lost the connection and the ability of a physician to treat a patient. Its dangerous. It causes distrust and its a health risk, she said.

Shocking Advice

Nate Lake told The Epoch Times his 6-year-old daughter was sent home from school three times last year because she got sick from wearing a mask. Not long after taking off the mask, she felt better each time.

Though he suspected his daughter might be faking her illness, Lake said the public health nurse at the school assured him his daughter was not feeling well and that she needed to go home.

But when a Kaiser doctor advised Lake to encourage his daughter to wear the mask at home to get more used to wearing it, Lake was flabbergasted.

It was really shocking to hear that, he said.

Lake reached out to another large health insurance carrier. But, when a doctor told him he was not allowed to issue a medical exemption because he would get fired, Lake began searching for an independent physician that wasnt tied to a big health insurance provider.

And, after examining Lakes daughter, Huang issued a mask exemption.

Lake was one of the parents who showed up to support him at the recent rally, but he suspects the authorities will force him out of business.

Theyre going to crucify Dr. Huang, he said.

Lake accused the California Medical Board of using Nazi tactics to get everybody scared and turn neighbor against neighbor.

This is Not America Anymore

Huang doesnt see much of future for himself as a doctor in California, in such a heavily left, union state.

Its basically a free-for-all. You can report anything that you dont like, he said. In California, people love their masks.

Huang said his family fled communist China and is disheartened to see what is happening in America today.

My grandparents fought the Japanese during World War II and the communist Chinese at the same time, he said.

Huang said he is appalled that Americans are forced to beg for proper medical treatment and to fight for their health freedom and right to choose.

This is not America anymore. What country are we in? he asked. The physicians just gave up on it. This is not right.

He added: If you dont speak out, where do you think our country is going to be in five years?
Afghan refugees, who fled Afghanistan in 1996, attend a rally in front of the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP)

Pennsylvania Prepares to Rehome Afghan Refugees

As thousands of people exit Afghanistan, nonprofit groups are preparing to help some refugees resettle in Pennsylvania.

In Pittsburgh, two groups are focusing on the resettlement of Afghan families with special immigrant visas. They are Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) and Acculturation for Justice, Access, and Peace Outreach (AJAPO).

Special immigrant visa recipients are Afghan civilians who worked with the U.S. government and military and are eligible for refugee resettlement services.

We will be helping the Afghan SIVs in the same ways that we help other refugee groups, Ivonne Smith-Tapia, JFCS director of refugee and immigrant services told The Epoch Times.

As part of the resettlement process, each SIV will be met at the airport. We will then bring them to a furnished home and make sure they have clothes, food and basic essentials, Smith-Tapia said.

In the days following their arrival, we will provide essential, immediate and longer term assistance, including but not limited to referrals to human services benefits, set-up of medical appointments, enrolment in school, paperwork, English as a second language class referrals, peer group guidance, transportation support and help getting a job.

Because of the large number of people expected to qualify for SIV status and the quickly changing situation, Smith-Tapia said there is no way to know how many people might arrive in Pittsburgh.

We work with the national resettlement organization Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, who assigns us cases based on capacity and need. Because this situation is so urgent, weve created a collaborative effort with organizations across the city to increase our capacity to help, Smith-Tapia said.

JFCS is prepared to help any and all SIV arrivals we receive and is working together with other resettlement agency AJAPO, as well as a collaboration of organizations across the city, to meet their needs and ensure a successful resettlement.

Afghan refugees, who fled Afghanistan in 1996, hold a U.S. flag as they attend a rally in front of the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP)

Lancaster based Church World Service (CWS) is a global organization responding to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. It provides initial resettlement and placement services for new refugees including housing, food and furnishings, employment services, and support with settling in to life in Lancaster. This includes help registering school-age children for school, scheduling medical appointments and building connections to the community through volunteer support and community friendship.

Since 2001 thousands of Afghan men and women have worked alongside the U.S. military in Afghanistan as translators, logisticians, interpreters, clerks, cultural advisors, drivers and security guards. They have supported our troops and saved American lives, Valentina Ross, CWS Lancaster office director told The Epoch Times. We urgently ask the (Biden) administration to protect all of those still in danger.

CWS Lancaster is supporting efforts to bring U.S. allies and refugees from Afghanistan to the United States. Four CWS Lancaster staff have been deployed to Virginia to assist in processing recent Afghan arrivals to the U.S. and the organization has indicated its interest in resettling Afghan SIV recipients and other Afghan refugees to Lancaster.

When getting started, refugees will be eligible for social services such as access to food through a supplemental nutrition assistance program, and Pennsylvanias Department of Human Services (DHS) is ready to help.

We have been diligently preparing for the imminent arrival of Afghan refugees, DHS Communications Director Ali Fogarty told The Epoch Times.

While the administration does not directly provide placement services, we are in contact with our federal and local partners to coordinate resources and combined efforts, Fogarty said.

DHS role helps provide stability and provide access to high quality employment, medical and mental health screening, support services, and case management for up to 60 months post-arrival, she said.

DHS does not have decision-making authority on who or how many refugees will be resettled in Pennsylvania. That decision is made by the federal government. In anticipation of their imminent arrival, our partners have indicated that the most immediate need is identifying housing. Our local partners across the commonwealth are seeking housing resources.

Pennsylvanias Department of Human Services works with refugee service contractors in seven cities to provide refugee assistance. Those cities are: Allentown, Erie, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Scranton. In the last nine months, Pennsylvania has resettled 30 Afghani refugees, department records show.

Democratic state Rep. Dan Williams has introduced a resolution urging President Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to work together in resettlement efforts in Pennsylvania for Afghan refugees. Wolfs office did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

The U.S. State Department offers Afghani SIV refugees some say in where they are placed.

Refugees may allow a resettlement agency to choose a location based on biographical information about their family; list a person near whom they would like to be resettled, or choose from the list of cities identified by resettlement agencies as having a reasonable cost of living, housing availability, supportive services, and welcoming communities with volunteers and resources. The complete list of those U.S. cities follows:

Phoenix, Az

Denver, CO

Jacksonville, FL

Atlanta, GA

Chicago, IL

Baltimore, MD

St. Louis, MO

Raleigh-Durham, NC

Northern New Jersey

Las Vegas, NV

Buffalo, NY

Cleveland, OH

Portland, OR

Philadelphia, PA

Pittsburg, PA

Austin, TX

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX

Houston, TX

Salt Lake City, UT
Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby speaks during a news briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 16, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Pentagon Aware of Reports That Americans Are Being Beaten by Taliban: Spokesman

A spokesman for the Department of Defense (DOD) said the Pentagon is aware of reports that Americans have been beaten in Afghanistan by Taliban members, appearing to contradict comments made by President Joe Biden earlier in the day.

Earlier Friday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told congressional lawmakers in a confidential call that U.S. citizens were assaulted in Kabul, according to several news outlets citing anonymous sources. The Epoch Times has not been able to verify the reports authenticity and has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.

When asked about the reports of beatings and Austins comments, DOD press secretary John Kirby said, Were certainly mindful of these reports and theyre deeply troubling, and we have communicated to the Taliban that thats absolutely unacceptable, that we want free passage through their checkpoints for documented Americans.

Kirby, however, stressed that by and large, Americans are able to pass through Taliban checkpoints to the airport. The Taliban is considered a terrorist organization by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the group is known to have harbored other terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, in the past when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the U.S. militarys ongoing evacuation efforts in Afghanistan as he is joined by (LR) U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan from the East Room of the White House on Aug. 20, 2021 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

During a briefing call, Austin allegedly told members of Congress: Were also aware that some people, including Americans, have been harassed and even beaten by the Taliban  This is unacceptable and [we] made it clear to the designated Taliban leader. Austin also said that most Americans and credentialed Afghans move through the checkpoints.

The reports of beatings and Austins remarks come in contrast to a statement made by Biden during a news conference when he said there is no indication that Americans have been unable to get to the Kabul airport, where thousands of U.S. military forces are stationed.

To the best of our knowledge, the Taliban checkpoints, they are letting through people showing American passports, Biden said Friday at the White House, adding that we know of no circumstance where American citizens, carrying an American passport, were being blocked.

The president also said that the United States has made an agreement with the Taliban thus far.

Kirby also contradicted a statement made by Biden during his Friday press conference. While the president said there is no al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan, Kirby told reporters that the terrorist network does indeed operate in Afghanistan.

Facing mounting criticism over his administrations handling of the pullout, Biden stressed that any Americans who wish to leave will be able to do so.

This week, CNN reporter Clarissa Ward, who is currently in Kabul, said that her crew had difficulty getting to the airport on Friday, saying its very difficult and dangerous.

Video footage uploaded online showed Taliban members blocking Afghans, ABC News crews, and others from entering the airport. Some Taliban members were seen beating people, including children, amid the evacuation chaos.
Police tape blocks a street where a person was recently shot in a drug related event in Philadelphia, Pa., on July 19, 2021. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Philadelphia Mayor Rejects Calls for National Guard Amid Surge in Murders

Philadelphias mayor will not try to bring in the National Guard to help deal with rising crime in the city.

The National Guard is traditionally not an urban police department. We used the National Guard in the civil unrest period to secure areas that needed to be secured from looting and burning, and it freed up the police to do other things, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney told reporters during a press conference this week.

But to send in the National Guard and a troop carrier into a neighborhood in Philadelphia, to me, is not respectful to that neighborhood, number one. Number two, they are not capable or trained to do urban policing, or do policing of any kind, he added.

Kenney, a Democrat, would have to ask Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, another Democrat, to order the Guard to Philadelphia, unless Wolf made the order without Kenneys support.

Wolf, who activated the Guard to help deal with potential unrest in April as jurors prepared to announce the verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, could not be reached.

Murders have spiked in Philadelphia this year, part of a crime wave that stretches back in many major U.S. cities to early 2020.

The 340 homicides recorded through Aug. 18 is a jump of 20 percent from the same time period, according to city data.

Most of the shootings stem from arguments, with gang activity linked to a small number, police officials told reporters during Kenneys briefing. And officials are struggling to pin down suspects in many of the cases, which they attributed to a reluctance from people to share information with the police. Just 43 percent of homicides have been cleared so far this year.

Some community activists have urged Kenney to try to get the Guard to the city.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney speaks during the Count Every Vote Rally In Philadelphia at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Penn., on Nov. 7, 2020. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for MoveOn)

Bring them in and use them strategically. They have the data and the statistics to know where the violence is occurring. Put the National Guard there, Stanley Crawford, cofounder of the Families of Unsolved Murder Victims Project and the Black Male Community Council, told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Its an action. Something is being done, as opposed to a bunch of talk, and we do need action. And when people say, You want to bring in the man, I have one question for them: Are you ready for somebody in your family to die? added Jamal Johnson, an activist who has lobbied for criminal justice reform.

Officials in other jurisdictions are considering calling for the Guard to help stem rising crime, including council members in Jackson, Mississippi.

Theyre dying in this city, Jackson Councilman Kenneth Stokes told WLBT-TV. They are dying in this city and if we can get the National Guards help, do it. If we have to ask the governor for help, do it.

But still others have, like Kenney, rejected calls.

Well that doesnt surprise me, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, told Fox 45 when told of a poll that found most Baltimore residents want Guard help.The people are that frustrated.  People just dont understand the National Guard is not really built for policing a city, he added.
Raab Defends Handling of Afghanistan Crisis and Failed Phone Call

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has defended his handling of the Afghanistan crisis, saying that a now controversial phone call to his Afghan counterpart had been prevented by the rapidly deteriorating situation.

Raab has come under pressure from the Labour party after it emerged that he was on holiday in Crete before and during the fall of Kabul. Specifically, he has been criticised for delegating out a phone call requested urgently by the Afghan foreign minister to discuss rescuing translators.

The Foreign Office said that Raab was able to handle priority issues from his vacation.

Initially, the Foreign Office said that the foreign secretary had other calls which were higher in priority, so it was delegated to other staff.

The Foreign Office now says that the call was never made.

Until now, Raab had remained silent on the issue, other than to respond with a no to the question of whether he would resign.

In a statement on Aug. 19, Raab said: On Friday afternoon, 13 August, advice was put to my Private Office (around 6 p.m. Afghan time) recommending a call to the Afghan Foreign Minister.

This was quickly overtaken by events. The call was delegated to a Minister of State because I was prioritising security and capacity at the airport on the direct advice of the director and the director general overseeing the crisis response.

In any event, the Afghan Foreign Minister agreed to take the call, but was unable to because of the rapidly deteriorating situation.

Raab said that the government had been working tirelessly to help with the evacuation. As a result, 204 UK nationals and their families, Afghan staff, and other countries citizens were evacuated on the morning of Monday 16 August, he said. Since then, 1,635 have been evacuated.

Labour has previously said there was an unforgiveable failure of leadership from Raab and Prime Minister Boris Johnson and set out a list of 18 urgent questions for the Foreign Secretary to answer about his holiday and his departments handling of the crisis.

Raab returned to the UK on Aug. 16, the day after the fall of Kabul.

Labour, shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said, For the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary to be on holiday during the biggest foreign policy crisis in a generation is an unforgivable failure of leadership.

Labour, the SNP, Liberal Democrats, and Plaid Cymru have all called for Raab to either quit or be sacked by the Prime Minister.

Labour said it is requesting specifics on when Raab was out of the country and on leave from official duties, if he received advice from officials on the advisability of leaving as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated, if he attended a Cobra meeting on August 15, and if other ministers were authorised to approve those intelligence operations designated urgent in his absence.

PA contributed to this report
Reports of Targeted Taliban Killings Fuel Afghans Fears

KABUL, AfghanistanReports of targeted killings in areas overrun by the Taliban mounted Friday, fueling fears that they will return Afghanistan to the repressive rule they imposed when they were last in power, even as they urged imams to push a message of unity at Fridays prayers.

Terrified that the new de facto rulers would commit such abuses and despairing for their countrys future, thousands have raced to Kabuls airport and border crossings following the Talibans stunning blitz through Afghanistan. Others have taken to the streets to protest the takeoveracts of defiance that Taliban fighters have violently suppressed.

The Taliban say they have become more moderate since they last ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s and have pledged to restore security and forgive those who fought them in the 20 years since a U.S.-led invasion. Ahead of Friday prayers, leaders urged imams to use sermons to appeal for unity and urge people not to flee the country.

But many Afghans are skeptical, fearing that the Taliban will erase the gains, especially for women, achieved in the past two decades. An Amnesty International report provided more evidence Friday that undercut the Talibans claims they have changed.

The rights group said that its researchers spoke to eyewitnesses in Ghazni province who recounted how the Taliban killed nine ethnic Hazara men in the village of Mundarakht on July 46. It said six of the men were shot, and three were tortured to death. Hazaras are Shiite Muslims who were previously persecuted by the Taliban and who made major gains in education and social status in recent years.

The brutality of the killings was a reminder of the Talibans past record, and a horrifying indicator of what Taliban rule may bring, said Agnes Callamard, the head of Amnesty International.

The rights group warned that many more killings may have gone unreported because the Taliban cut cellphone services in many areas theyve captured to prevent images from being published.

Separately, Reporters without Borders expressed alarm at the news that Taliban fighters killed the family member of an Afghan journalist working for Germanys Deutsche Welle on Wednesday.

The broadcaster said fighters conducted house-to-house searches for their reporter, who had already relocated to Germany. It said the Taliban also raided the homes of at least three of its journalists.

Sadly, this confirms our worst fears, said Katja Gloger of Reporters without Borders German section. The brutal action of the Taliban show[s] that the lives of independent media workers in Afghanistan are in acute danger.

Meanwhile, a Norway-based private intelligence group that provides information to the UN said it obtained evidence that the Taliban have rounded up Afghans on a blacklist of people they believe worked in key roles with the previous Afghan administration or with U.S.-led forces.

In an email, the executive director of RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses said the organization knew about several threat letters sent to Afghans, including a man who was taken from his Kabul apartment this week by the Taliban.

We had access to hard copies of concrete letters issued and stamped by the Taliban Military Commission to this effect, said Christian Nellemann. A report from the group that was obtained by The Associated Press included a copy of one of the letters.

The AP could not independently verify the claims made by the group.

Under the Talibans previous rule, women were largely confined to their homes, television and music were banned, and public executions were held regularly. But leaders of the movement have pledged more moderation this time.

Its not clear whether the reports of abuses indicate that Taliban leaders are saying one thing but doing another or whether they simply dont have full control over their forces.

The scale and speed of their takeover seem to have challenged the leaderships ability to control their fighters. In Kabul, for instance, there have been reports of fighters promising security to major news outlets, but also examples of them intimidating business owners.

Amid the uncertainty, thousands have tried to flee the country, braving checkpoints manned by Taliban fighters to rush to Kabuls airport, where a chaotic evacuation is underway.

Mohammad Naim, who has been among the crowd at the airport for four days trying to escape, said he had to put his children on the roof of a car on the first day to save them from being crushed by the mass of people. He saw other children killed who were unable to get out of the way.

Naim, who said he had been an interpreter for U.S. forces, urged others not to the come to airport.

It is a very, very crazy situation right now, he said.

The United States is struggling to pick up the pace of evacuations it is running from Afghanistan, where thousands of Americans and their Afghan allies may be in need of escape. European countries are also working to bring their citizens and those who have worked with them out.

But Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Friday that its military transport planes are leaving Kabul partly empty in the tumult.

Nobodys in control of the situation, Robles told Spanish public radio RNE.

Getting to the facility is also a major challenge. Germany was sending two helicopters to Kabul to help bring small numbers of people from elsewhere in the city to the airport, officials said.

As concerns mount about what a Taliban government will look like, the groups leaders are meeting with some officials from previous Afghan administrations.

The Taliban have said they want an inclusive government, but, as with their other promises, it was not clear if they would make good on that.

In addition to concerns about Taliban abuses, officials have warned that Afghanistans already weakened economy could crumble further without the massive international aid that sustained the toppled Western-backed government. The UN said there were dire food shortages and experts said the country was severely in need of cash.

By Ahmad Seir, Tameem Akhgar, and David Rising
Rescue Dog In Minnesota Adopts 10 Orphaned Puppies After Losing Her Own Litter

Rescuers from an animal rescue in Minnesota were overcome by emotion with the story of a grieving mother dog and the 10 orphaned puppies she readily adopted, making their union a miracle.

When Ruff Start Rescue of Minnesotas Twin Cities took in a shy female rescue, named Poppy, from a Houston-area shelter, they had no idea she was pregnant.

I didnt really get to touch her for about two days, Ruff Start Rescue foster carer, Lexi Johnson, 30, told The Epoch Times. She just kind of hid. Then once her and I bonded, we were inseparable  she slept right next to me, in her kennel next to my bed.

Poppy from Houston. (Courtesy of Lexi Johnson)

Poppy gave birth at the rescue center on July 7, surprising volunteers with 10 puppies, but died within 24 hours of birth with suspected heart failure due to heartworm disease. Devastated by the news, Lexi leapt into action to save Poppys orphaned litter.

She and another volunteer tended to the puppies until almost midnight when Lexis husband took over for the complicated 90-minute feeds every three hours.

We just frantically tried to get food into all their bellies, said Lexi, who has a toddler son. We werent sure how much they had eaten at that point. They were all nursing off of Poppy, but if she was on her way out, Im not sure how much she was actually producing.

Lexi Johnson with Poppy. (Courtesy of Lexi Johnson)

The next day, seven puppies went to different foster homes while Lexi kept three. In the days that followed, Lexi and her husband had a lot of different challenges such as putting the puppies on a strict schedule, difficulties with bottle feeding as there are many different types of bottles, syringes, and trying to understand which puppy liked what.

However, two weeks after Poppys passing, a savior came along.

Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota had a grieving female dog in their care named Pepper, who had lost her own litter. Yet it seemed, Lexi said, that she looked like she really wanted to be a mom. Lexi was hesitant, yet moved by Peppers photo, so she decided to take her in.

She collected Pepper on July 22 and put her in a separate kennel next to the orphaned puppies in the back of her car.

Poppy with her newborn pups. (Courtesy of Lexi Johnson)

Immediately she walked over, Lexi recalled. She heard the puppies and smelled the puppies and her tail just started wagging immediately. So that was like, my first, Okay, were going to be able to do this.'

When they got home, Lexi placed Pepper in a plastic kiddie pool. Theres not a lot of information out there on how to introduce orphaned puppies to a new mom, she explained, so I just started kind of putting them in there. I was watching her body language, and by the time the second one got in there, she was laying down waiting for them to hobble over.

Within four minutes, eight puppies were nursing happily. The remaining two returned from their foster carers the very next day.

Pepper, said Lexi, loved every second of it, cleaning the puppies and helping them go to the bathroom as though they were her own. Its her instinct, Lexi marveled. It was incredible to watch.

Lexi posted on Facebook the day after Peppers arrival, writing, I cried again last night, but these tears were happy tears. Tears knowing that mama Poppy would be so appreciative of Pepper taking over the mama role.

Now weeks later, the puppiesRykera, Turkleton, Harold, Gibson, Greta, Smudge, Pudge, Fudge, Cow, and Vickare well-fed and energetic.

Pepper can teach them all the dog things that they need to learn, Lexi told The Epoch Times. Thats what Im the most excited for over the next couple of weeks, as they get out of there. You know, we need to eat and sleep! she joked.

The puppies will be available for adoption through Ruff Start Rescue at the end of August. Lexi hopes the puppies adopters will be kind enough to share updates with her as the little ones grow.

I would love to keep mama, she said, but we have three dogs of our own and our monthly dog food and medication bill is already pretty high. So I cant add in another.

Its hard to say goodbye, she admitted, adding, But worth it. Its absolutely worth it.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks to the media at Parliament House on May 7, 2014 in Canberra, Australia. (Stefan Postles/Getty Images)

Right-Leaning Splinter Parties Could Hand Labor-Greens Government: Former Prime Minister

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned frustrated conservative voters not to give up on the Coalition (Liberals or Nationals) for newer right-leaning parties, saying it would simply fracture the centre-right vote and hand government to the Labor and Greens parties.

Abbott also said Australias preferential voting system made it difficult for a dark horse candidate to win power and that it was essential to work within the parties to change their direction.

His comments come following the July decision by former Queensland premier Campbell Newman to resign from the Liberal National Party (LNP)a party that his family members were a part ofsaying it no longer represented values like fiscal responsibility and free speech. He was also critical of the partys heavy-handed response to COVID-19.

Abbott said Newman was an effective leader during his tenure as Queensland premier, and that he personally had a lot of time for him.

I am nevertheless very disappointed that hes chosen to leave the Liberal Party the way he has, Abbott told the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) Australias Heartland with Tony Abbott podcast. I very much wish that hed gone into the LNP State Council and said all of those things to the Libs in the hope of generating a different response from within the party, rather than simply going away in this ugly public breach.

Former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman speaks to media at Parliament House in Brisbane, Australia, on Jan. 6, 2015. (Glenn Hunt/Getty Images)

When people split from the centre-right to go further to the right, the consequence is not normally a better centre-right; the consequence is normally a Labor-Green government, he added.

The former prime minister cited the formation of One Nation as an example, claiming that its formation in 1997 ended up splitting the Liberal-National vote in Queensland (1998 election) and Western Australia (2001), causing the then-governments to lose power to Labor.

While Western Australia has swung between Labor and Liberal governments for the past 20 years, Queensland has largely remained under Labor control.

Abbott also noted that Australias electoral system meant newer parties or candidates were unlikely to rise to power, which is a key difference to other systems overseas that have allowed populist candidates to win.

For example, elections in the United Kingdoms Parliament or the U.S. Congress use the first past the post system, which means whichever candidate receives the most votes, wins.

However, Australia has a preferential voting system, which allows voters to select their second, third, or fourth preferred candidate. This means that even after a candidate wins the primary vote, the remaining votes will be distributed and can change the result.

Abbott said left-leaning Greens voters were more disciplined in allocating their preferences compared to right-leaning voters.

Green preferences invariably go back to the Labor Party at the right of about 80 to 85 percent. Whereas conservative splinter group preferences tend to come back to the (Liberal-National) Coalition at the rate of more like 60 percent, he said.

The field evidence is that right-wing splinters eliminate centre-right governments in favour of left governments, and surely no one who thinks that the current state of the Liberal Party is not to their taste really wants a Green-Left government.

Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister Scott Morrison during Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on May 13, 2021. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

So my advice to people who are feeling frustrated with the state of centre-right politics right now is not to give up in disgust but to stay in and fight.

Meanwhile, Newman has joined the libertarian-leaning Liberal Democrats to run for a federal Senate seat representing Queensland. Some analysts believe the moves places current Liberal Party Senatorand staunch conservativeAmanda Stoker at risk of losing her seat.

Newman said, (Prime Minister) Scott Morrison has, sadly, let us down with very illiberal big government over-reach.

(Labor leader) Anthony Albanese represents outdated socialism that will saddle our kids with huge debt and destroy our culture with woke nonsense and red tape, he said in a statement. We need a return to real leadership and strong, sensible government.
Santa Ana Police Serve Search Warrant for Illegal Marijuana Cultivation, Find Labor Trafficking Victims

The Santa Ana Police Department recently discovered dozens of labor trafficking victims after serving a search warrant on an illegal marijuana cultivation operation.

The department was made aware of the illicit operation from a community complaint, and after investigating the lead, Vice detectives were able to narrow down the location to an industrial complex near the 2100 block of S. Yale Street, the department said in a statement.

The detectives served a search warrant on the property on Aug. 11, where initially they found a large-scale marijuana grow operation, with about six individuals inside, who were detained.

Santa Ana Police Department public information officer Sonya Royo told The Epoch Times the grow house had the usual elements of typical grow houses, such as lights to mimic sunlight for the plants to grow and regular watering.

After an initial investigation of the building, detectives were led by further evidence to an adjacent building in the same complex.

There was a multitude of [evidence] that led them into that building, Royo said. There was our canine drug detection dog that had a positive hit on there, but in addition to that, they found evidence from the first location that led them to the second location, and having a dog go and do a hit only amplified the reason why they were able to get into that secondary building.

Royo said there were cables running from the first building to the second building that also gave clues.

After getting another search warrant and entering the second business, detectives found a marijuana packaging facility with 93 people inside, along with large amounts of marijuana.

[The second building] would be the aftermath, Royo noted. Once these marijuana plants grew to their full potential, they would then harvest them and then they would process them on the opposite side and dry them and package them.

Of the 93 individuals in the second building, three of them were juveniles, and it is believed they were victims of labor trafficking due to the poor conditions inside the facility.

[To determine trafficking,] the most important thing is people are willing to work and not being told to work for an incentive. The reason why it became labor trafficking is because of the conditions that we found this particular building in. It was a commercial building, but there were 93 individuals that were working in this building that were working at around 4 a.m. until really late hours in the night, seven days a week, she said.

When youre working more than, you know, 13, 14 hours a day, thats labor trafficking, Royo said. There were minimal breaks, it was poorly ventilated, extreme heat with no AC, it was just horrible conditions for someone to be working in.

The Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force is also involved in investigating any human trafficking ties.

There were no arrests made, though the individuals were cited for working in an illegal cultivation facility, and then released. The three juveniles were taken to local county services where they were provided assistance in getting back to their parents, Royo said.
Senate Dems Unlikely to Be Able to Change, Abolish Filibuster

News Analysis

During the confirmation hearings of Amy Coney Barrett, Republicans used their slim majority to expedite Barretts approval through a parliamentary procedure colloquially known as the nuclear option. This procedure allows the Senate to override a standing rule, like the rule requiring a two-thirds majority to end a filibuster, by a simple majority. Last October, Republicans used this pathway to achieve Barretts confirmation with a simple majority.

Now, as they gear up to return from recess, some Democrats are looking to use the same process to push their For the People Act (S.1) through the Senate, where they have a slim one-vote majority. However, these 51 votes would not be enough to meet the 60 vote threshold needed to end a filibuster. Because of this, many Democrats see S.1s way forward as an end to the filibusteror at least a change to the Senates standing rules to make S.1 immune to filibustering.

In an interview, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said that S.1 dealt with constitutional rights and should not be subjected to a filibuster. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who introduced S.1, said in an interview with CBS that it would be election Armageddon if the rules about the filibuster are not changed. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) voiced support for changing or removing the filibuster, saying that at some point you gotta get things done.

Through the nuclear option, Democrats can carry out these changes by a 51-50 majority. With the vice presidents vote, Democrats have this numerical majoritybut that doesnt mean the filibuster is likely to go away any time soon.

First, it is certain that no Republican would support the measure, a move that would give Democrats unrestrained control over passing legislation; this would leave Republican senators with no substantial influence in the upper chamber. Moreover, every single Republican voted in June against so much as opening debate on S.1. A change to the filibuster rules would make the passage of that legislation practically inevitable.

With no Republican support for the bill, the Democrats cannot spare a single vote if they are to change the rules. But this is exceedingly unlikely. Several prominent Democrats, including the president, have maintained that the filibuster should not be removed or substantially gutted.

The most outspoken Democratic proponent of the filibuster has been moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.). In an interview with Fox News, Manchin was asked if he would consider getting rid of the filibuster under any conditions. He responded that he would make it harder to get rid of the filibuster.

Im supporting the filibuster. Im gonna continue to support the filibuster. I think it defines who we are as a Senate, he said, adding that while he would make it harder to get rid of it, he would support changing the rules to bring back the talking filibuster; the filibuster should be painful if you wanna use it, he argued.

A talking filibuster requires a Senator to speak constantly in order to block an end to debate. Sen. Rand Pauls (R-Ky.) 13 hour-long speech on the Senate floor to oppose John Brennans appointment as CIA director in 2013 is one of the most famous talking filibusters in recent memory. Another example came in 2013 with Sen. Ted Cruzs (R-Texas) filibuster of the Affordable Care Act, during which the senator read Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. This option is popular with Manchin and the president because it raises the cost for a party to filibuster while keeping the rule in place as an option for the minority party to stop legislation that it finds especially unacceptable. This is likely the furthest that the Senate would go in reforming the filibuster.

But Manchin is not the only Democrat opposed to ending the filibuster. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) took to The View to defend her support of the Senate rule. Sinema was accused of valuing the filibuster, which the host called a relic of the Jim Crow Era, more than voting rights. Sinema responded by saying that the filibuster was not good or bad itself but is simply a tool. Its value, she said, comes from the way we utilize it.

As an example, she pointed to Senate Democrats use of the filibuster to stop police reform legislation that we felt was inadequate. She commended the usefulness of the rule as well, saying that when either party is in the minority  [they] use the filibuster a lot to force dialogue, bring people together, and make changes. She called the filibuster a tool  [for] protection for the minority. With this attitude, it is unlikely that Sinema will radically reverse course and support ending or debilitating the filibuster.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) agrees. While other Democrats were saying that they would choose democracy over the filibuster in order to pass their election reform bill, Feinstein has been lukewarm about the situation. The long-serving Californian told Forbes that If democracy were in jeopardy, I would want to protect it, but that she [doesnt] see it being in jeopardy right now. Feinstein said that she is not anxious to change the filibuster right away at least. She said that she wanted to wait and see what happens to the Democrats sweeping bill first; When asked whether she would support any reforms or changes, Feinstein responded that she would have to take a look but that right now, nothing comes to my mind.

The position toward the filibuster of these three moderatesManchin, Sinema, and Feinsteinmeans that any major Democratic elections bill is unlikely to pass. The Democrats theoretically could still change or abolish the filibuster. But these reforms are unlikely to range beyond the talking filibuster, the only change with significant moderate support.

Still, even with such a change, S.1 likely would not pass given its unpopularity with Senate Republicans, who would almost certainly commit to a talking filibuster to kill the bill on the Senate floor. Unless some radical shifts take place in these moderates attitudes towards the Senate rule, Democratic hopes for a filibuster-less Senate are practically dead on arrival.
Simple Secrets for Grilling Cheap Cuts of Meat

Getting our outdoor grill cleaned, polished, and ready for summer got me thinking about how much fun it would be to celebrate. After all, summer is just a few months a year, so why not do things up right with an amazing menu and a few good friends?

What happened next I can only attribute to a momentary lapse of good judgment. I visited the Lobels of New York website, which is called the best source for the finest and freshest USDA prime dry-aged steaks, roasts, specialty meats, and gourmet products that money can buy. Unveiling the mother of all outdoor grills seemed like an event worthy of a few high-quality American wagyu steaks delivered overnight on a bed of dry ice. I checked the price. Gulp! One 20-ounce porterhouse steak costs $159.95 plus overnight shipping.

Just the thought of forking out more than a hundred bucks on a single steak jerked me back to reality with enough force to cause whiplash. There has to be frugal ground somewhere between Lobels and whats left of the buy-one-get-one-free hotdogs sitting in the freezer.

Professional butcher and author of Confessions of a Butcher: Eat Steak on a Hamburger Budget and Save $$$ John Louis Smith says that the cheap cuts of beef are often the most flavorfuland the toughest. But dont let that discourage you from buying those meat counter bargains. If you know the tricks, you can buy the flavorful cheaper cuts of meat, not meat that is bland and tough.

Select First

Dont get your mind set on what youll be grilling this weekend before you get to the store. That particular cut may not be on sale. Instead, go with an open mind. Zero in on the cuts of meat that are in season, plentiful, and well-priced. And if its really cheap? Buy extra for the freezer.

Marinade

A marinade is the secret to making a tough cut of meat as succulent and tender as a prime cut. Just make sure your marinade of choice contains acids like vinegar, lemon, and wine. Acid breaks down the meat to make it tender. Enzymatic action from wine, beer, cider, and soy sauce also helps. If youre interested, I have posted my favorite All-Purpose Marinade recipe at EverydayCheapskate.com/marinade.

Temperature

The only way to guarantee that your meat will be moist, tender, and cooked to a safe temperature is with a food thermometer. Forget the poke test where youre supposed to be able to discern a piece of meats level of doneness by poking at it with your finger. You need a decent instant-read food thermometer to take out all the guesswork.

Copyright 2021 Creators.com
Supreme Courts Barrett Denies Attempt to Stop Obama Library Construction

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Friday denied an attempt to stop construction of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicagos South Side.

Barrett, a Trump nominee, denied an application (pdf) by community groups that argued the construction will require demolition of significant parts of Jackson Park and should therefore trigger a fresh review before being built.

We are deeply concerned that construction associated with the groundbreaking in and around Jackson Park puts the historic and environmental elements in the park in imminent danger and may also derail the ability for the Court to thoroughly examine the legal arguments outlined by the Plaintiffs in our lawsuit, Protect Our Parks and other plaintiffs said in a recent statement.

Lower courts rejected the bid to halt work on the center, which started on Monday, prompting the appeal to the nations top court.

Barrett is able to decide whether to elevate emergency appeals to the full court or deny them outright. She chose the latter. She did not explain her decision.

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs did not immediately return requests for comment.

We greatly appreciate the continued support of our project and process by the courts, including now from the highest court in the land, a spokesperson for the Obama Foundation told news outlets. With their support, and the outpouring of support weve received from so many on the South Side and across the city of Chicago, we were so pleased to be able to kick off our construction this past week and get us one day closer to doors opening at the Obama Presidential Center.

Construction crews tear up the turf field and track in Jackson Park starting construction on The Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Aug. 16, 2021. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

The center is being built on a 19.3-acre site within the 550-acre Jackson Park. The multiyear federal review of the center was completed early this year.

Former President Barack Obama said in a video message in February regarding the center that he and his wife, from the beginning, knew there was only one place for the Obama Presidential Center: the South Side of Chicago.

Its where I met Michelle. Just a couple miles from where she grew up. Where Sasha and Malia were born. Where I became a community organizer and won my first election, he said.

Obama and supporters say the center will create jobs and boost the economy of the area. Obama said the plans wont just preserve historic Jackson Park, theyll bring opportunity and breathe new life into the community we love.

Critics say the massive undertaking will dramatically alter the history of the area and that the agencies that reviewed the project failed to study reasonable alternatives, as required by federal law.

At least one such site, located just to the west of Washington Park, would have been found to be not only prudent and feasible, but also superior to the Jackson Park site, plaintiffs argued in a court document.
Taliban Accused of Brutally Killing, Torturing Minority Group Men: Amnesty

Taliban extremists brutally massacred several members of the minority Hazara community after taking control of Ghazni province, according to a recent report from human rights organization Amnesty International, disputing public claims that the Taliban will provide amnesty for certain groups after taking over Afghanistan this week.

On-the-ground researchers spoke to eyewitnesses who gave harrowing accounts of the killings, which took place between 46 July in the village of Mundarakht, Malistan district, said Amnesty. Six Hazara men were shot and three were tortured to death, including one man who was strangled with his own scarf and had his arm muscles sliced off, the report added.

Amnesty noted that the Taliban killings likely represent a tiny fraction of the total death toll inflicted by the Taliban to date, as the group have cut mobile phone service in many of the areas they have recently captured, controlling which photographs and videos are then shared from these regions.

Ghazni province, where the alleged killings took place, is only about 100 miles south-southwest of Kabul. The Hazara group, which is majority Shia, has been reportedly persecuted for decades in Afghanistan, including during the previous Taliban rule between 1996 and 2001.

One of the Talibans victims, identified as 45-year-old Wahed Qaraman, was taken from his home by Taliban fighters who broke his legs and arms, shot him in the right leg, pulled his hair out, and beat his face with a blunt object, Amnesty said.

With the latest revelation, it suggests the Taliban may start targeting Afghan civilians or others who assisted the U.S. military during its 20-year-long stay in the country despite assurances made by the groups top officials this week to the contrary. Also at risk are Americans or foreign nationals who remain trapped in the country amid mass evacuations being carried out by U.S. military planes in Kabul.

Taliban terrorists patrol in a neighborhood in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 18, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)

Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the U.S. Embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (AP Photo)

In a bulletin issued Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned Americans about the potential of violence and security threats in the country. Top White House officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said there are currently no plans for military missions to extract Americans who remain in Afghanistan.

And while Pentagon and other White House officials have said they are working to secure the airport and said thousands have been evacuated in recent days, reports and videos from Kabul show chaos and desperation outside the facility. A news crew with ABC was seen being blocked by Taliban members at the airport and were forced to get back in their car.

Taliban members have reportedly also started targeted searches for Afghans who worked with the U.S. government. Some journalists have also been reportedly targeted, according to a Thursday report from German broadcaster DW.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Al Jazeera on Friday morning there is still a huge task to help evacuate people at the airport.

We have been able to evacuate thousands of people over the last two days, and the situation at the airport is much better now than it was in the beginning of the week, but we really recognize that its a huge task, Stoltenberg said, adding that there has been progress. However, the mission is still highly unpredictable, he added.

Some NATO allies, and especially the U.S., have had operational-tactical contacts with the Taliban to make sure that happens, Stoltenberg continued.  We have seen some progress but still, it is a very difficult situation outside the airport, its very unpredictable.
Iran' Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) meets with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (C) of the Taliban in Tehran. Zarif called for the formation of an "all-inclusive" Afghan government during a meeting with a Taliban delegation in Tehran. A delegation from the movement headed by its co-founder Baradar arrived in Iran on Jan. 26 to exchange "views on the peace process in Afghanistan" at the invitation of the ministry. (Tasnim News/AFP via Getty Images)

Talibans Delicate Situation With Iran and the CCP

Analysis

Afghanistan is known as the Crossroads of Central Asia. Its stability affects neighboring countries such as Iran, Pakistan, and China. With the Taliban returning to power, how will its relations with border countries develop and affect the regional power balance?

The Epoch Times Chinese edition interviewed Yuping Su, former diplomat in Israel from Taiwan, who gave his views on the current situation of Afghanistan in regional order.

At present, the Taliban have just seized power. The most important thing is to peacefully take over the archives, personnel, facilities, funds, etc. Su said.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 and had poor relations with its neighboring states during that time.

However, prior to entering the Afghanistan presidential palace, Taliban leaders had a meeting with 15 diplomats and a delegation of Afghan leaders at Doha, and even sent special envoys to Iran, China, and Russia to express its goodwill. Su said that such moves were unheard of during the Talibans last ruling period. He saw it as a sign of increased flexibility in its foreign relations.

The Taliban May Become a Regional Lever

Pakistan has always supported the Taliban, so its natural for Pakistan to be the first to recognize the Taliban regaining power.

However, the Talibans relations with Iran is more subtle.

Su explained that the split of Shia and Sunni Islam has lasted for more than 1,000 years. The hostility between Iran (the Shia) and the Taliban (the Sunni) has remained at the religious level.

The United States was their common enemy before the Taliban regained its power, Su said. He expected the situation to change very quickly after the Taliban regained rule of the regime.

Iran will be cautious about the Talibans alliance with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. The alliance will flank Iran on both east and west sides. Consequently, Iran could feel threatened and possibly compromise in the nuclear deal talk in Vienna. Su believed that it is good for the United States from this point of view, [T]he Taliban will serve as a pawn for the Arab camp.

Muslim Uyghur men pray at a funeral outside a mosque in Urumqi, Xinjiang Region, China, on April, 21 2002. China has demanded the repatriation of Uyghur fighters captured alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan. China is concerned about Uyghur separatist fighting for their own country in the Northwest of China and has recently begun a crackdown in the region. Amnesty International has accused China of repression and executions of the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Region. (Kevin Lee/Getty Images)

Could the Taliban engage in antagonism or even confrontation with China and Russia? Based on the nature of the Taliban, the history of the CCPs persecution of Muslims in Xinjiang, and Russias persecution of Chechnya and Tatars, the Taliban or its militant leaders probably wouldnt mind punishing the infidels or the atheists on behalf of the Muslims, Su said.

In this way, Afghanistan may become a lever that gains an advantage for the evil axis, and an important ally of the Persian Gulf Sunnis in the GCC Gulf countries, Arab countries, Europe, and America against both Iran and the fragile CCP-Russia alliance.

CCPs Exchange With Iran and the Taliban

The CCP and Iran formally signed a 25-year cooperation agreement on March 27 this year. The CCPs Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the Taliban political leaders in Tianjin on July 28 right before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Does this mean the CCP is at peace with its neighbors?

Su said that Iran and Afghanistan present different interests to the CCP.

To the CCP, Iran is the CCPs important fossil fuel supplier and a strategic partner to contain the United States. Such alliances, based on confronting a common enemy, are often the most vulnerable.

To Iran, the atheist CCP is not so trustworthy. Su believed the relationship is more business than honesty, and the average Iranians do admire Western culture and have little understanding of China.

As for the relationship between the CCP and the Taliban, Su analyzed that the Taliban will please the CCP at all costs in a short period of time. The Taliban needs the CCPs monetary support to restore the economy, develop its mining resources, and supply technology and materials.

However, the CCP has long regarded the East Turkistan forces inside and outside China as terrorists. The entire Xinjiang region has become a concentration camp for the Uyghurs and other Islamic groups. The genocide of Uyghurs in Xinjiang is a well known fact. The CCP also knows that there are East Turkistan forces in the Taliban leaders.

Between the CCP and Taliban, the honeymoon will not last long over the issue of Chinese Muslims, Su said.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Teen Couple Who Met in the 50s Get First Photoshoot After 60 Years of Marriage

Theres no love like old-time love, as one Illinois couple can attest to.

Rockford-based photographer Tiffany Miller was privy to that vintage lovefor her own grandparents, Bob and Judy Kissel, have been married 60 years.

Miller recently immortalized their bond in their first-ever photoshoot together and later told The Epoch Times of the dreamy days when they first met in the late 1950s.

I was talking to my grandma, and she told me that they had never had professional photos taken of them, Miller said. As a photographer, I couldnt believe it.

Bob and Judy have been married since high school.

He was a grocery worker, and she shopped at the store where he worked in Blue Island, Illinois.

Back in the day, ladies never carried their groceries, stock boys carried the groceries to the persons car for them, Miller said.

They were 16 and 17 years old and my grandma jumped into the line my grandpa was bagging. She was trying to flirt with him in the grocery line.

One night, [she] and her girlfriend were walking down the street and grandpa was out cruising with his cousin (as cool young dudes did then) and they pulled over to say hi and started talking to my grandma and her friend.

In high school, Bob was held back a year in a course he didnt do very well in, while Judy, whos a year younger, passed onto the next grade. They found themselves in the same class together.

They started dating as students, and later, Bob got a job in construction while she finished her senior year.

After a while, I got her a ring to show that we were going steady, Bob told The Epoch Times. I was hooked and I knew she was going to be my wife.

After a couple of years, they got married and took a road trip all the way to California for their honeymoon, an experience Bob calls one of the greatest memories in my mind.

We were young, in love, traveling the world together.

Fast-forward to the present day, now living in Palos Heights, they have three kids, nine grandkids, and three great-grandkids.

Miller, whose background is in graphic design, marketing, and photography, ventured to start her own business. Upon learning Grandma and Grandpa hadnt ever done a photoshoot together, she was shocked.

She took the liberty of surprising themplanning with her mom to set up a shoot when they came into town for a visit.

My grandma was a little anxious at first but soon they were both telling me how they wanted to pose. It was the cutest thing in the world, Miller said.

This shoot was emotional.

We took moments throughout the shoot to cry and appreciate what was happening. We had giggle fits when she had ideas she wanted to try.

She added, My grandpa being the gentleman he is, did everything she asked and started suggesting his ideas so that made everything so much fun.

Bob and Judy confided a few of their old-time love secrets.

Feed the love inside you, not the anger, Judy said. Dont ever keep your feelings from your partner. Make sure you are always open because your soulmate will listen, understand, and love you no matter what.

Bob added: Never let things fester. Clear the air right away. Never blame the other person. It takes two to tango. If you want to point the finger at someone for blame, then you may need to take a step back and examine yourself first.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
The Michelangelo of Wood: Grinling Gibbons

The Grinling Gibbons Society exhibition: Grinling Gibbons: Centuries in the Making

Stupendous and beyond all description  the incomparable carving of our Gibbons, who is without controversy the greatest master both for innovation and rareness of work that the world ever had in any age, wrote 17th-century diarist John Evelyn about Grinling Gibbons, the greatest decorative carver in British history.

Baptismal font cover by Grinling Gibbons. All Hallows by the Tower Church, London. (All Hallows by the Tower)

This year marks 300 years since Gibbonss death, and the Grinling Gibbons Society has put together a yearlong festival to mark the tercentenary: Grinling Gibbons 300. One of the events is the exhibition Grinling Gibbons: Centuries in the Making.

Grinling Gibbons, 1690, by John Smith, after Sir Godfrey Kneller. Mezzotint; 13 3/8 inches by 10 5/16 inches. Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1925, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Public Domain)

Hannah Phillip, Grinling 300 director and the exhibition curator, explained in a telephone interview that the exhibition aims to highlight Gibbonss life and legacy and to shine a light on where to enjoy Gibbonss work in situ.

To that end, the Grinling Gibbons Society has created an online catalog called Grinling Gibbons Online to record the artists work worldwide. Any works attributed to Gibbons and his followers, or works that are questionably his are included in the online catalog in the hope of opening up debate about his work.

Discovering a Diligent Carver

In his diary, Evelyn described how he first met the 19-year-old Gibbons. While walking across fields near his home in Deptford, South London, he happened upon a solitary thatched cottage. Inside, he could see Gibbons carving a copy of an Italian Renaissance painting from an engraving. The painting was Tintorettos The Crucifixion. Evelyn recognized the work because he also had an engraving, having purchased it in Venice during his Grand Tour. (The painting is regarded as one of the best examples of the Venetian style of painting.)

Evelyn was astounded by Gibbonss work. The curiosity of handling, drawing and studious exactnesse, I never had before sceene before in all my travells, he wrote.

Puzzled, Evelyn asked Gibbons why he worked in such an obscure & lonesome place. Gibbons replied that it was so he could apply himself to his profession without interruption.

Evelyn was well-connected. Seeing such skill, he suggested that he could introduce the young Gibbons to great men who could employ him. Gibbons insisted that he was just a beginner, but that The Cruxificion carving he was working on could be sold.

Evelyn described the carving: There being nothing even in nature so tender, & delicate as the flowers & festoones about it, & yet the work was very strong.

That chance encounter was fortuitous for the young artist. He made a deep impression on Evelyn, who found him very civil, sober, and discrete in his discourse. Evelyn, in his diary, recounted what he had told King Charles I about Gibbonss work: I would adventure my reputation with his Majestie that he had never seene any thing approch it, & that he would be exceedingly pleased, & employ him.

Gibbonss meeting with the king resulted in his receiving the first of many royal commissions. His first was the remodeling of Windsor Palace for Charles I. He then worked as the official royal carver and sculptor for monarchs from Charles II to George I.

As part of the royal court, he worked alongside the court architects, one of whom was the preeminent architect Sir Christopher Wren, who was helping to rebuild London after the Great Fire in 1666. Gibbonss most illustrious commissions were for Wren: the Quire (the choir stalls) at St. Pauls Cathedral in London, and the ornamentation of Wren Library at Trinity College in Cambridge, to name a couple.

Grinling Gibbons carved the coat of arms of all the benefactors of Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge. (Trinity College, Cambridge)

A detail of a coat of arms from Wren Library at Trinity College, Cambridge. (Trinity College, Cambridge)

Grinling Gibbons

His father was a merchant, and his mother (whose maiden name is his first name, as per tradition at the time) came from a family of tobacco merchants.

The family lived in Rotterdam, in the Southern Netherlands, where Gibbons was surrounded by a myriad of artistic influences. It was the Dutch Golden Age, after all, when the Netherlands became world-renowned for its trade, military, science, art, and culture.

Dutch architecture, carving, sculpture, and the interest in still-life, flower, and genre (daily life) paintings flourished. It was an amazing array of influences that he would have been able to imbibe. And we can  see how he channeled that through his work, Phillip said.

The reredos crest by Grinling Gibbons, pictured from below, at St. Jamess Church, Piccadilly, London. In the center, a pelican can be seen feeding its own blood to its young, symbolic of how Christ sacrificed himself for mankind. (Bob Easton)

Gibbonss carvings are almost the equivalent of still-life paintings, but in wood, she said. She described a panel in the exhibition from St. Jamess Church in Piccadilly, where an array of fruits, flowers, and animals appear real. Not only does he draw on the natural world, but he does very successfully imitate it as well, she said.

The reredos (a large decorative piece behind the altar) showing limewood carvings of flowers, shells, and strings of pearls, by Grinling Gibbons, pictured from below at St Jamess, Piccadilly, London. (Bob Easton)

Early Influences

Its unclear exactly who trained Gibbons, but there are a couple of theories. Documents detail that he once worked in Artus Quellinus the Elders workshop in Amsterdam. Quellinus was the foremost sculptor at that time, specializing in stone, and so some scholars surmise that Gibbons may have developed his amazing skills under Quellinuss tutelage.

But Phillip explained that recent research by Ada de Wit has put forward another theory. De Wit is the curator of works of art and sculpture at the Wallace Collection in London, and has written her doctoral thesis on Dutch carvers operating in England. De Wit believes that Gibbons took an apprenticeship locally in Rotterdam with the van Douwe family of sculptors whose workshop was very close to where the Gibbons family lived.

Carving was part of Rotterdams thriving shipbuilding industry. It would have been a profession on his doorstep, Phillip said. She explained that the designs and carvings that were being created for the vessels were more than just little embellishments. This was not a bit of extra detail being put on. Theyre very lavish and ornate forms of ornamentation. Gibbons would have been surrounded by this carving industry.

In the 1660s, Gibbons traveled to England where he first worked as a journeyman for the preeminent architect and craftsman John Etty, in York, in the north of England. Eventually he traveled south, and settled in Deptford, South London, the center of British naval shipbuilding where his fortunes changed when he met Evelyn.

When Gibbons came to England, wood carvings were executed in oak, but he pioneered the use of limewood. Phillip explained that woodcarving in England at that time was quite flat, and oak was traditionally used to ornament houses.

Limewood is different from oak. It allows [for] much finer cutting and detailing, which is what Gibbonss work is all aboutthat realism, that lightness, and fluidity.  He also exploited the color of limewood, which is very pale, and so set against oak, which is usually somewhat darker, it really brings forward the carving in its own right, she said.

The Barrow coat of arms, Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge. (Trinity College, Cambridge)

Squirrel detail from a coat of arms, Wren Library. (Trinity College, Cambridge)

A detail of a coat of arms from Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge. (Trinity College, Cambridge)

The flair with which Gibbons created his carvings to ornament houses made his carvings art works in their own right; they are almost forms of sculpture pinned to the wall, Phillip said.

Hes innovating in terms of materials, style, and influences, she said. But hes also elevated woodcarving to an art form, she added. Gibbons had great skill in undercutting and understanding the dimensions of things.

He was an amazing draftsman, as well as a carver. Some people can be technically very good at what they do, but they dont necessarily have that understanding of design and he had both, Phillip said.

One iconic Gibbons carving in the exhibition demonstrates his virtuosity: A cravat carved in limewood that imitates Venetian point lace so delicately that its astounding. The 18th-century art connoisseur Horace Walpole, who once owned the piece, decided to wear the fashionable cravat to a dinner party of distinguished French, Spanish, and Portuguese visitors at his neo-Gothic Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham, London.

Cravat, circa 1690, by Grinling Gibbons. Limewood with raised and openwork carving. Gift of the Hon. Mrs. Walter Levy; Victoria and Albert Museum, London. (V&A Museum)

The Business of Making Masterpieces

From Gibbonss correspondences, we see that he had an astute business acumen, perhaps inherited from his merchant father. Phillip explained that he was always looking for his next project, and he didnt hesitate to write and ask his contacts for an introduction to anyone who might be having a house built.

Gibbons had a workshop of woodcarvers and stone sculptors whom he would call upon to help create his commissioned works. Much like a painters workshop, Gibbons would direct the work of craftsmen who specialized in particular elements. For instance, certain woodcarvers might excel at creating cherubs, while others might be better at creating architectural details. In a sense, you would see his hand in everything because he would have been the master of the overarching design, Phillip said.

His works have this great liveliness and three-dimensionality, and partly thats due to how they are constructed. They are made in layers and pinned in place, she explained.

Limewood cherubs surmounting the reredos by Grinling Gibbons at Trinity College Chapel, Oxford. (Bob Easton)

The main architectural feature of Gibbonss carving is called a swag, which surrounds a picture or is an ornament around a fireplace. These swags would consist of a couple of drops at the sides and a crest on the top. Phillip explained that often the drops were made up of a number of components and pieced together with iron pins. Occasionally, those components were rearranged, so that the bottom part of a drop then became the top of the drop. This rearranging typically happened in country houses, where Gibbonss carvings would be reconfigured due to renovations, or sometimes parts of the carvings were completely separated and kept as fragments somewhere else. It can be a real detective puzzle to work out how they [the fragments] were originally intended, she said.

A detail from the limewood reredos by Grinling Gibbons at Trinity College Chapel, Oxford. (Bob Easton)

Exhibition Challenges

Most of Gibbonss work is part of the fabric of buildings, which meant that arranging an exhibition of his works was a phenomenal undertaking, Philip said. You obviously dont want to arrange an exhibition at the risk of the objects.

One of the works on show is part of the Quire in St. Pauls Cathedral, where the choir still sings. Its a stupendous piece and remarkable that its on display. The Quire is his tour de force carving, Phillip said. In the 19th century, the cathedral Quire was shortened and the organ was moved. The part of the Quire that was removed is in the exhibition.

The Quire (the choir stalls) of St Pauls Cathedral in London was one of Grinling Gibbonss most illustrious commissions and a defining symbol of professional triumph. (St. Pauls Cathedral)

A detail of adornment on The Quire (the choir stalls) of St Pauls Cathedral in London. (St. Pauls Cathedral)

Phillip explained that one of the private loans came from a rearranged carving, and because it had been rearranged, it meant that the Gibbons Society didnt have to do any invasive removal of the work to borrow the piece for the show.

Phillip hopes that the exhibition not only highlights Gibbonss life and legacy, but that visitors understand that carvers today continue to emulate and be inspired by him. Grinling Gibbons endures as the Michelangelo of wood.

The Grinling Gibbons Society exhibition: Grinling Gibbons: Centuries in the Making is at Bonhams, New Bond Street, London, until Aug. 27. Compton Verney Art Gallery & Park, in Warwickshire will host the exhibition Sept. 25Jan. 30, 2022. To find out more, visit Grinling-Gibbons.org
Chicago police officer Timothy Grisby holds up a pin button bearing the image of slain officer Ella French outside St. Rita of Cascia Church in Chicago, IL on Aug. 19, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Thousands Honor Slain Chicago Police Officer at Funeral

CHICAGOFamily, friends, and fellow police officers from across Illinois paid tribute to Chicago police officer Ella French at her funeral in southwest Chicago on Thursday.

Thousands of Chicago and suburban police officers stood solemnly on the lawns surrounding St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel. Some officers came from as far as Houston, Texas.

Elizabeth French, mother of Ella French, said, with tears in her eyes, at the funeral, Ella was so proud to be a member of [the law enforcement] family. Every day, you leave home to serve and protect family, friends, and people you will never meet in your communities, towns, and cities.

Ella and I thank you for your service. God bless you all. I close with the words I always told Ella as she headed to work, Be careful and be safe.

Chicago Police Department officers and sergeants stand outside St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel during officer Ella Frenchs funeral service on Aug. 19, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Chicago police sergeants pay tribute to officer Ella French at Frenchs funeral service at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago, IL on Aug. 19, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Illinois State troopers stand outside St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel during officer Ella Frenchs funeral service in Chicago, IL on Aug.19, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Police officers from Harris County Sheriffs Office in Houston, Texas joins thousands of Chicago police officers to honor slain Chicago officer Ella French at her funeral on Aug. 19, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Chicago police pipe band walk outside St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel during slain police officer Ella Frenchs funeral service in Chicago, IL on Aug. 19, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Ella French was fatally shot two weeks ago during a traffic stop in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. On Aug. 7, French and two partners pulled over an SUV for expired license plates. The officers struggled to control one of the passengers Emonte Morgan, who drew a handgun from his waistband and shot French in the head and her partner Carlos Yanez Jr. in the eye and shoulder, according to Assistant States Attorney James Murphy at a bond hearing on Aug. 10.

Yanez remains hospitalized and is partially paralyzed.

Yanezs father Carlos Yanez Sr., a former Chicago police officer, blames the police reform under Mayor Lori Lightfoot for his sons injuries, according to Chicago Sun Times. He said police officers were more hesitant to draw their weapons for self-protection now for fear of repercussions under the current climate. Both French and Yanez had their handguns holstered during their struggle with Morgan, according to Murphy at the bond hearing.

Its not about race. Its about survival of the officer. But they dont have that now. They dont have that confidence that someones gonna back them up, Yanez Sr. told Sun Times.

Luz Martinez, a mother of a 27-year-old Chicago police officer, came to pay tribute to French at the funeral. Martinezs other son just applied to become a Chicago police officer after a stint in the U.S. Army.

Police are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Theyre out here trying to do their job, and they are being punished for what theyre being taught to do, Martinez told The Epoch Times.

In 2021, 38 Chicago police officers were shot at, 11 of them struck, and one died, which is Ella French, according to Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown. In 2020, 79 officers were shot at or shot, a 500 percent increase from 2019.

Emonte Morgan is in custody and held without bail. Two other suspects, Eric Morgan and a woman, are also in custody. Jamel Danzy, who straw purchased the gun used in the murder of French for Morgan, is charged with federal firearm violations.
An Israeli health worker administers a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to a woman, at the Maccabi Health Service in the Israeli town of Rishon Lezion, on Aug. 13, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Vaccine Watchdog Member Says Hes Skeptical About COVID Booster Shots for Everyone

A member of the United Kingdoms Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation watchdog agency has expressed skepticism about COVID-19 booster shots for all adults, coming as U.S. federal health officials said they would start pushing booster shots starting next month.

Speaking on a BBC program, professor Adam Finn said, We will be imminently deciding that there will be some people who will need a third dose, particularly people who we know are very unlikely to be well protected by those first two doses.

However, during the interview, Finn, a member of the committee, said that he was skeptical about the UKs general rollout of COVID-19 booster shots. More data is needed, he said.

We do need more evidence before we can make a firm decision on a much broader booster program, Finn said. And, he added, the UK needs to focus on individuals who are more likely, if you like, to get sick again if theyve not got a booster.

His comment came as the heads of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Institutes of Health said they will recommend booster shots for all Americans eight months after they got both doses of an mRNA vaccine.

The announcement drew indirect criticism from the World Health Organization (WHO), who previously called for a moratorium on booster shots in lieu of providing vaccines for poorer countries. Several WHO officials this week expressed concern over wealthier countries push for third doses of the vaccine.

Within the United States, several scientists expressed concern over the federal governments messaging around boosters.

The message I got from reading all three [studies] was that there may be some reduction in infection protection with Delta in nursing homes, but no data about waning protection from severe disease or hospitalization, Dr. Walid Gellad, professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburghs School of Medicine, wrote on Twitter.

After the White Houses booster announcement, another expert, Johns Hopkins professor Marty Makary, who has advocated for a different dosing schedule for mRNA vaccines, accused the CDC, FDA, and major pharmaceutical firms of being a medical oligarchy and announced: I will not be getting the booster.

Public health officials should have listened to chorus of doctors recommending the 2nd dose be given three months after the 1stas the U.K. did (and I did for myself). Would have saved many more lives while rationing vax & avoided the need for boosters, he said Friday.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who said he wont get vaccinated because hes already contracted COVID-19, tweeted that the FDA and CDC are misleading the public.

Just last month, CDC & FDA said no booster needed. At the time, they worried that the truth about long-term vaccine efficacy would cause vaccine hesitancy, the Kentucky Republican wrote. They ignored widely available data and drug manufacturers, because both indicated efficacy had dropped significantly.
There are regular news stories about Chinese economic theft, cyberattacks, and digital spy operations. Yet less has been said about what ties these operations together.

President Joe Biden recently warned that cyberattacks against the United States could lead to a real shooting war.

Whats really behind the cyber threat? How does the cyber theft system work? And how does the recent Chinese propaganda campaign fit in with the cyber threat?

Join Joshua Philipp, senior investigative reporter and host of Crossroads, to explore these topics in this Epoch Times webinar.

Panelists:

1. Casey Fleming, CEO of BlackOps Partners

2. Gregory Copley, President of International Strategic Studies Association

3. Gordon Chang, Columnist, Author of The Coming Collapse of China and The Great U.S.-China Tech War

4. Nan Su, Senior Reporter at The Epoch Times

The webinar will be live-streamed on The Epoch Times website.

Follow EpochTV on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus
A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., on Sept. 30, 2014. (Tami Chappell/Reuters)

US Appeals Court Rejects Bid to Block CDCs Eviction Moratorium

An appeals court panel on Friday rejected a bid by landlords and real estate groups to block the U.S. governments latest eviction moratorium.

In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied a motion to block the nationwide moratorium in place at the time.

A three-judge panel of the court on Friday referred to that decision, as well as one made by a lower court last week.

In view of that decision and on the record before us, we likewise deny the emergency motion, the panel said in a one-page order.

The panel consisted of Judges Cornelia Pillard, an Obama nominee; Neomi Rao, a Trump nominee; and Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Biden nominee.

Plaintiffs, including landlords, had asked the court to block the near-nationwide moratorium that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put into place on Aug. 3.

Plaintiffs alleged the eviction moratorium was illegal because the CDC does not have the authority to ban evictions. Defendants said the agency does.

Looming over the recent decisions, including Fridays, is a June 29 Supreme Court decision on the CDCs previous eviction ban. In a narrow 5-4 decision, the nations top court left the ban in place until it expired on July 31.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump nominee, sided with four other justices to keep the ban in place. In his concurring opinion, though, he said he believes the CDC exceeded its authority by implementing the moratorium and any extension of the ban would require clear and specific congressional authorization through new legislation.

Congress failed to pass an extension or a new ban, but the Executive Branch several days after the expiration decided to put into place a new one that affects the vast majority of the country.

So far, judges have ruled for the government.

We are disappointed in todays ruling, but the plaintiffs will continue fighting on behalf of Americas mom-and-pop housing providers and plan to file an emergency motion to the Supreme Court immediately, Patrick Newton, a spokesman for the National Association of Realtors, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.

With a majority of the Supreme Court in agreement that any further extension of this eviction moratorium requires congressional authorization, we are confident and hopeful for a quick resolution. Moving forward, federal and state governments should be focusing all energy on the swift distribution of nearly $50 billion in rental assistance available for struggling tenants, he added.
Afghan security guards stand on a wall as hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021. (AP Photo)

US Embassy Warns Americans of Violence and Security Threats During Kabul Evacuation

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned Americans trying to leave Afghanistan that they should be aware of the potential of violence and security threats near the airport.

We are processing people at multiple gates. Due to large crowds and security concerns, gates may open or close without notice. Please use your best judgment and attempt to enter the airport at any gate that is open, the embassy said in a bulletin on Thursday, adding that Americans need to watch out for ongoing threats.

Several officials, including State Department spokesman Ned Price and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, said on Thursday that they are not sure how many Americans are still in Afghanistan. However, President Joe Biden a day earlier confirmed between 10,000 and 15,000 U.S. citizens are still there, while tens of thousands more Afghans may try to leave on U.S. military flights.

In its Thursday bulletin, the U.S. Embassy again said that the U.S. government cannot ensure safe passage to the airport and Americans should consider traveling to Hamid Karzai International Airport when you judge it is safe to do so.

There have been reports over the past week that the Taliban extremist group has deployed its members around the Kabul airport. Video footage uploaded online showed Taliban members blocking Afghans, ABC News crews, and others from entering the airport. Some Taliban members were seen beating people, including children, amid the evacuation chaos.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed this week that the United States doesnt have the ability to go out and gather large numbers of Americans still inside Kabul, while stressing that the current military mission is intended to secure the Kabul airport.

Two civilians processing through an Evacuee Control Checkpoint during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 18, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

In an update Friday, White House spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield told CNN that some 9,000 people have been evacuated since Sunday night, when Kabul was captured by the Taliban.

We are working with the Taliban to facilitate safe passage to the airport, she said. Obviously, as we see these numbers continue to go up each day, thats an encouraging sign. Thats a good sign. Were working to move people quickly.

The Biden administration has faced considerable backlash over how it has handled the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, with even former Obama administration officials and world leaders coming out to offer critical comments. Biden, meanwhile, has faced criticism for not taking questions from reporters and not issuing more frequent updates on the situation in Afghanistan.

The White House also received flack for working with the Taliban to allow passage through the airport despite the State Departments No. 2, Wendy Sherman, saying the group is denying certain people from accessing the facility. Video footage also showed members of the extremist group, designated by some agencies as a terrorist organization, shooting into crowds of people in Kabul.

Taliban extremists pose for a photograph in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)

This week, the UK Parliament voted to hold Biden in contempt over how his administration handled the withdrawal.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, said, The U.S. is, of course, an important ally, but to overlook the fighting of the Afghan troops and forces, and the fact that they have been at the forefront of that fighting in recent years, is wrong.

Biden, meanwhile, during his public remarks this week has taken a defensive tone and argued the Afghan army was unwilling to fight the Taliban despite the United States providing them with billions of dollars in weaponsmuch of which was captured by the Taliban this monthand training. He also went back on statements he made in July and told ABC News that he doesnt believe the pullout would be without chaos.
People cross the U.S.-Canadian border after Canada opened the border to vaccinated Americans in Blaine, Wash., on Aug. 9, 2021. (David Ryder/Reuters)

US Extends Closure of Canada and Mexico Land Borders

The United States on Friday extended limits on travel deemed non-essential at its northern and southern land borders, even after Canada started accepting American tourists.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the 30-day extension, saying it was aimed at minimizing the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

In coordination with public health and medical experts, DHS continues working closely with its partners across the United States and internationally to determine how to safely and sustainably resume normal travel, the agency said in a statement.

COVID-19 is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The Delta variant of the virus in particular drove the extension, officials said.

The U.S. has kept land borders with Canada and Mexico closed since March 2020, repeatedly extending the closures during the COVID-19 pandemic even when COVID-19 metrics decreased significantly.

In recent weeks, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States have risen sharply as vaccine effectiveness wanes.

Canada announced last month that U.S. tourists could begin visiting the country on Aug. 9, but only if they were fully vaccinated against the CCP virus.

Fully vaccinated means a person has received the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna series, or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

So far, it does not include booster shots that were recently recommended for even healthy adults.

U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can still return to the United States from Canada or Mexico, or any of the other countries from which America has restricted visitors.

The closures also dont affect illegal immigration, which has skyrocketed under President Joe Biden, or the tens of thousands of Afghans being flown into the United States, not all of whom are being tested for COVID-19. Republicans have repeatedly hit the Biden administration over the border crisis, which shows no signs of slowing down.

Even some Democrats have expressed disappointment at the continued land border closures.

The safety of NHs families amid the Delta surge is my #1 priority, but this is disappointing news for border communities, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said Friday on Twitter.

NH businesses cant fully conduct trade & tourism, and families across the border are still separated. We must reopen the border to those who are vaccinated, she added.
A ship works offshore in the Baltic Sea on the natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 from Russia to Germany on Nov. 11, 2018. (Bernd Wuestneck/dpa via AP)

US Hits Russian Entities With Sanctions over Nord Stream 2

U.S. authorities have announced sanctions on one Russian vessel and two Russians involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which the Biden administration opposes, fearing it could be exploited by Moscow to weaponize energy deliveries against European allies.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an Aug. 20 statement that a report has been submitted to Congress that lists the Russian entities to be sanctioned under the Protecting Europes Energy Security Act of 2019 (PEESA).

While the specifics of the report have not been made public, Blinken said that the vessel listed in the report, along with one other Russian vessel involved in the Nord Stream 2 project, would be designated as blocked property, bringing the total number of entities sanctioned under PEESA rules for their involvement in the project to seven persons and 16 vessels.

Even as the Administration continues to oppose the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, including via our sanctions, we continue to work with Germany and other allies and partners to reduce the risks posed by the pipeline to Ukraine and frontline NATO and EU countries and to push back against harmful Russian activities, including in the energy sphere, Blinken said in a statement.

It comes as President Joe Biden separately issued an executive order on Friday allowing for sanctions to be imposed with respect to certain Russian energy pipeline projects.

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Biden wrote that the executive order responds to certain Russian energy pipeline projects intended to expand Russias influence over Europes energy resources that would weaken European energy securityincluding that of Ukraine and Eastern flank NATO and EU countriesand thereby threatens the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.

Workers are seen at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, near the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad region, Russia, on June 5, 2019. (Anton Vaganov/Reuters)

Ukraine opposes Nord Stream 2, worried it could be used by Russia as a weapon against it. Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed after Moscows annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for separatist forces battling Ukrainian troops in the eastern part of the country. Kyiv is also concerned about losing fees that it benefits from as a transit point for Russian gas flowing to Europe.

The $11 billion project, which would double Nord Streams capacity to ship Russian Arctic natural gas to Germany, is almost complete with only 9 miles left to construct, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

Putin made the remarks after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Moscow on Friday, with the two leaders determined to finalize the pipeline despite U.S. opposition.

Reuters contributed to this report.
US soldiers stand guard behind barbed wire as Afghans sit on a roadside near the military part of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 20, 2021. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

US Troops Carried Out Operation to Rescue 169 Americans in Kabul

American troops left the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, this week and rescued 169 Americans, officials said Friday.

The operation took place on Wednesday or Thursday, President Joe Biden said while answering questions at the White House.

U.S. troops saw the Americans outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport and decided to act, Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the Pentagon.

The group was very close to to the perimeter of the airport, very close, and in a short amount of time, with a short amount of distance, some of our troops were able to go out there and bring them in, he said.

Pressed for more details, Kirby said he wasnt aware of the tactical details, such as whether guns were drawn, or any similar operations. He later told news outlets that the U.S. used three CH-47 Chineek helicopters to fly to the Baron Hotel to grab the Americans and fly the Americans to the airport.

The mission was significant because its the first time, according to U.S. officials, that American troops have left the U.S.-held airport to rescue Americans.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. military did not have the capability to go out and collect up large numbers of people.

The Pentagon has flown more troops in Kabul and security at the airport is more stable, Kirby said. The capability is there now, but each proposed mission would need to be analyzed for potential risks and benefits.

Thousands of Americans remain in Afghanistan, which was taken over by the Taliban this month. Citizens from other countries are also there. Many are trying to get to the airport, along with streams of Afghans who fear suppression once U.S. troops fully pull out, which is scheduled in a few weeks.

Scattered reports allege rescue missions have been carried out by U.S., British, and French special forces.

For instance, U.S. troops allegedly undertook what was described as Operation Promise Kept to rescue Mohammad Khalid Wardak, an Afghan police officer who for years helped the U.S. military and was under threat from the Taliban.

U.S. Marines stand guard at an Evacuee Control Checkpoint at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 20, 2021. (Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps/Handout via Reuters)

Mohammad Khalid Wardak is seen after the U.S. military and its allies reportedly rescued him and his family, in Afghanistan on Aug. 18, 2021. (AP Photo)

Wardak was rescued at night under the cover of darkness, Robert McCreary, a former congressional chief of staff and White House official under President George W. Bush, who has worked with special forces in Afghanistan, told the Associated Press. The wire outlet published photographs of Wardak and his family after the alleged rescue.

A Pentagon spokesperson did not return a request for comment on the reported mission.

News outlets in Britain and France reported similar operations being carried out by each countrys special forces. The British military, when reached by an Epoch Times reporter, asked for an email containing questions, then did not answer that email.

U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, told reporters in Washington this week that the U.S. military had a variety of special operations forces in Afghanistan.

He also said there were British special forces and other international special operations forces.

Matthew Pottinger, a deputy national security adviser during the Trump administration, said during an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday that he knew of United Kingdom patrols running into Kabul to get British citizens, Afghans and in some cases Americans that they encounter, and helping bring them to safety.

U.S. officials have maintained that Americans are largely able to reach the airport even with the Taliban controlling the ground outside the facility, minimizing the need for rescue missions.

We havent seen that there is that big of a need for that, Kirby said.

Though there have been sporadic reports of some Americans not being able to get through checkpointsI fully admit thatby and large, what weve been seeing is that Americans have been able to get through those checkpoints, he added.
Members of a Taiwanese military band and people wearing hats in the colors of Taiwan's national flag take part in National Day celebrations in front of Taiwan's Presidential Office in Taipei on Oct. 10, 2012. (Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images)

US Will Learn Lesson From Afghanistan and Bolster Support for Taiwan, Expert Says

The United States will likely come to the aid of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, one expert says, pushing back against recent suggestions by Beijings propaganda that the self-ruled island would meet the same fate as Afghanistan if it continues to be dependent on Washington.

Since the Taliban had swiftly seized control of Afghanistan, two weeks before the U.S. forces scheduled withdrawal from the country, Chinese state media has capitalized on the event for propaganda purposes, casting the United States as an unreliable ally of Taiwan.

Taiwan is a democratic island that Beijing claims as its own despite the former being governed as a distinct entity for decades.

Chinas hawkish state-run media Global Times in the past days has taunted Taiwan with threats of war, claiming that Washington would leave the island in the lurch in case of a crisis, just like how it had abandoned Afghanistan.

Most recently, in an editorial published on Aug. 18, the outlet claimed that as China continues to strengthen, there is no doubt the U.S. is doomed to eventually abandon Taiwan.

Ian Easton, senior director at Virginia-based think tank the Project 2049 Institute, hit back at Beijings claims, saying that he doesnt believe the United States would simply cast aside Taiwan.

I dont think thats a narrative that is actually in touch with the reality and with the facts, he said in a recent interview with NTD, an affiliate of The Epoch Times.

Easton said that democratic countries such as the United States do make mistakes, but these governments tend to self-correct since they are open to public debate and criticism.

An example cited by Easton was that of former President John F. Kennedy, who began his presidency with a setbacka failed landing operation in Cuba in 1961, known as the Bay of Pigs invasion. That failure, Easton said, allowed Kennedy to gain the necessary wisdom to successfully handle the Cuban Missile Crisis a year later, preventing the eruption of a possible World War III.

So I think the U.S. government is almost certainly going to learn from what has happened. Its going to reassess its priorities, Easton said.

He added, I suspect the ultimate conclusion that the Biden administration is going to make is that there is no way the United States of America can lose another friendly government.

Easton also said that the Chinese propaganda missed a key point, that the significance of Afghanistan and Taiwan to the United States respectively is different.

Afghanistan was not actually a priority. It was not an important national interest. It was not a tier-one interest of the United States, he said.

In contrast, Taiwan is tier-one, he said. It is absolutely critical for the United States that Taiwan continues to survive and thrive as a free and open democracy.

During a congressional hearing in June, Matthew Pottinger, who served under the Trump administration as deputy national security adviser, gave a dire warning on what would happen if the Chinese regime successfully invaded Taiwan.

If Taiwan falls, China will then be turning that navy into a global navy that will challenge us in every part of the world, Pottinger said, pointing to Chinas recent naval expansion (pdf) that now sees the regime boasting more ships than the U.S. Navy.

This undated photo taken in April 2018 shows Chinas operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning (front), sailing with other ships during a drill at sea. A flotilla of Chinese naval vessels held a live combat drill in the East China Sea, state media reported on April 23, 2018, the latest show of force by Beijings burgeoning navy in disputed waters that have riled neighbors. (AFP via Getty Images)

US Policy

The Biden administration has responded to the Global Times propaganda. Earlier this week, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said U.S. commitment to Taiwan remains as strong as its ever been, while White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, We stand by partners around the world who are subject to this kind of propaganda.

On Thursday, a senior Biden administration official said U.S. policy with regard to Taiwan has not changed, a day after President Joe Biden alluded that the United States had dropped its longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity and would defend the island if it were attacked, in an interview with ABC News.

When asked about the decades-long policy on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a briefing the United States will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait relations.

Easton said the ambiguous nature of the U.S. policy toward Taiwan is destabilizing and harmful to the continuation of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The ambiguous nature of U.S.-Taiwan relations since 1979 has put us in a position where were actually contributing to Taiwans relative weakening over time. Because we dont do large-scale training exercises with the Taiwanese, we dont show them the kinds of diplomatic, political support that we would normally show to other democratic countries that face these kinds of risks, Easton explained.

Washington ended its diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1979 but it has maintained a robust relationship with the island based on the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which was signed into law by former President Jimmy Carter in April 1979. The TRA authorizes the United States to provide the island with military equipment for its self-defense.

Since China could invade Taiwan, Easton said the United States and other democratic governments need to be prepared.

They have to prepare themselves for the possibility that the day could come when they might have to come to Taiwans defense as well and fight side by side with the Taiwanese military, he said.

Today, were simply not there. Were not ready for that.
A small shopping basket filled with vials labeled "COVID-19 - Coronavirus Vaccine" is placed on a UK flag in this illustration taken Nov. 29, 2020. (Dado Ruvic/Ilustration/Reuters)

With Delta Variant, Vaccines Dont Reduce Peak Viral Load: UK Study

Those who caught the Delta Variant of the CCP virus after being fully vaccinated carry a similar level of peak viral burden with their unvaccinated counterparts, a new UK analysis suggests.

This suggests that a vaccinated and an unvaccinated individual, while infected with the variant, would shed similar amounts of the virus at any given time during the peak of their illness.

Its in contrast with the results seen when the Alpha variant was dominant in the UK.

With Alpha, people with two doses had really low levels of virus, Sarah, co-author of the Oxford University-led study, said.

When Delta started to come in, the first thing that happened was that the virus values went up and now we really dont see any difference in the amount of virus people get if they get infected after vaccination, the medical statistics and epidemiology professor said.

Therefore, she added, if a fully vaccinated person does get infected, you will have similar levels of virus as someone who hasnt been vaccinated at all.

However, the study (pdf), which is not yet peer-reviewed, said its still unclear how much this would translate into new infections.

A greater percentage of virus may be non-viable in those vaccinated, and/or their viral loads may also decline faster as suggested by a recent study of patients hospitalized with Delta, leading to shorter periods at risk for onwards transmission, the preprint reads.

The Oxford study analyzed data from more than three million swab tests taken from random households across the UK. It echoed the findings of an earlier analysis by Public Health England, which looked at data from England.

Three CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccines are currently available in the UK: Pfizer/BioNTech, which was rolled out on Dec. 8 last year; Oxford-AstraZeneca, which was rolled out on Jan. 4 but is no longer recommended for under-40s since May 7; and Moderna, which was available since Apr. 7.

The study said that limited real-world data suggest one dose of Moderna vaccine seemed to be more effective than one dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine, but the result may be biased because the average age of people who received Moderna vaccines is younger because the vaccine wasnt available when the older population were vaccinated.

Researchers also said that data suggest two doses of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine still provided at least the same level of protection as having had COVID-19 before through natural infection and that the vaccines have boosted natural immunity.

The efficacy of Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines in preventing infections had slipped to 75 percent and 61 percent respectively 90 days after a second shot, the study found.

That was down from 85 percent and 68 percent, respectively, seen two weeks after a second dose. The decline in efficacy was more pronounced among those aged 35 years and older than those below that age.

Both of these vaccines, at two doses, are still doing really well against Delta  When you start very, very high, you got a long way to go, Walker said.

Walker was not involved in work on AstraZenecas vaccine, which was initially developed by immunology experts at Oxford.

The researchers would not project how much more the effectiveness would drop over time but suggested that the efficacy of the two vaccines studied would converge within 45 months after the second shot.

Reuters contributed to this report.
West Virginia Sues Biden Administration Over Refusal to Restart Remain in Mexico Policy

West Virginia on Thursday sued President Joe Bidens administration, alleging its refusal to restart the Trump era policy known as Remain in Mexico will lead to an increase in drug trafficking.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on June 1 officially ended the policy, concluding it was not the best strategy for implementing the goals and objectives of the Biden-Harris Administration.

In practice, the administration halted the program the day Biden took office.

When he ended it, Mayorkas failed to consider the impact it would have on efforts to stop drug smuggling, including the smuggling of fentanyl, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey alleged in the new lawsuit.

Morrisey said he sent a letter to Mayorkas detailing the concerns in June but never heard back, triggering the legal action.

Ending the Remain in Mexico policy will undoubtedly lead to an increase in illegal drug trafficking and thus senseless deaths from fentanyl, the Republican said in a statement. Ive long believed that a lawsuit should not be necessary to force the government to secure our southern border. We spoke out two months ago, yet the administration has failed to respond to our concerns. The border is more porous than ever. In the face of such silence and inaction, and because so many lives are at stake, litigation is the only remedy left to West Virginia.

The federal court in Charleston was urged to declare the ending of the Remain in Mexico policy arbitrary and capricious, which would violate federal law. The court should instruct DHS and Mayorkas to reconsider whether to end the program, including a consideration of the potential impact on fentanyl trafficking, the suit also said.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Remain in Mexico, formally the Migrant Policy Protocols (MPP), forced many asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims were adjudicated.

The program, which was implemented in January 2019, was aimed at discouraging illegal immigration and spurious asylum applications. DHS found the program to be effective. In a review published Oct. 28, 2019, the agency said it has been an indispensable tool in addressing the ongoing crisis at the southern border and restoring integrity to the immigration system.

MPP was linked to a decrease in illegal immigrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the review. In another review last year, the agency found the program remained effective, describing it as a cornerstone of DHSs ongoing efforts to restore integrity to the immigration systemand of the United States agreement with Mexico to address the crisis at our shared border.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas addresses the media in a press conference about the current immigration situation on the U.S.-Mexico border at Fort Brown Border Patrol Station in Brownsville, Texas on Aug. 12, 2021. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald via AP)

Mayorkas disagreed. He said his own review determined MPP had mixed effectiveness, claiming as proof in part that illegal immigrant encounters increased during certain periods under the program and rose in others.

Any benefits the program may have offered are now far outweighed by the challenges, risks, and costs that it presents, he added later, citing in part how tens of thousands of asylum seekers were waiting in Mexico with uncertainty while immigration courts designated to hear their cases were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 and April 2021.

The administration may be forced to restart the program, due to litigation against Mayorkass decision.

A federal judge ruled last week that the administration failed to consider several critical factors before canceling the program, including ignoring how the program led some immigrants with asylum claims that lacked merit to voluntarily return home.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, ordered the resumption of the program, but stayed his ruling for seven days. The Biden administration asked the judge to keep the stay in place until an appeal was decided on, a motion he rejected on Aug. 17.

Unless an appeals court overrules Kacsmaryk, the ruling goes into effect on Aug. 20.
Two civilians during processing through an Evacuee Control Checkpoint during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 18, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

White House: President Laser Focused on Evacuating Americans From Afghanistan

President Joe Biden is laser focused on getting Americans who want to leave Afghanistan out of the country, a White House official said Friday.

He has directed the Department of Defense and the team working on this to use every possibility available to them to increase the number of people that were getting out, Kate Bedingfield, the White Houses communications director, said on CNNs New Day.

The United States evacuated some 3,000 people from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 19, a White House official said late Thursday. That included nearly 350 U.S. citizens, with the rest primarily being Afghan nationals who got special visas.

But thousands of other Americans remain in the country. Some have reported being unable to get to the airport, the only U.S.-held facility left in Afghanistans capital.

American citizens cant get to the gates, many times, Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) said on Fox News.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday that while he is uncertain of exactly what is happening at the airport, as of Thursday, officials had not received any reports indicating that U.S. citizens were being prevented from making their way into the airport.

I am not certain its not happening, we havent received any reporting here that indicated that American citizens specifically were being stopped or harassed, Kirby told reporters in Washington.

That said, we obviously dont have perfect visibility into what is going on outside the airport. So I cant say definitively that they arent stopping and/or harassing people with U.S. passports or visas. Obviously, we dont want to see that happen, we dont want to see anybody hurt or harassed, period, he added.

The U.S. military is relying on the Taliban to let people through checkpoints manned around the exterior of the airport.

Taliban terrorists have indicated that people with the proper credentials will be allowed through to the airport, in the hopes that they can make it back to America, Kirby said.

Civilians prepare to board a plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 18, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

Military officials have said their mission does not include going outside the airport to rescue Americans, even though troops from other countries are reportedly carrying out rescue missions. Robert McCreary, a former White House official, said that the United States did conduct one mission on Wednesday, saving an Afghan national police officer who spent years working with the American military.

Asked about the apparent lack of rescue missions on Friday, Bedingfield deflected the question, saying that kind of question was better answered by the military.

But what I can tell you is the president is driving his team toward this. We are working every day to do everything that we can to ensure that were able to get more people into the airport in an orderly manner, she said.

Both White House and Pentagon officials say they dont know how many Americans remain in the country, though Biden said in an interview recorded Wednesday that there might be as many as 15,000.

A State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email Thursday that their best estimate was between 5,000 and 10,000.

With the Aug. 31 pullout date looming, there may not be enough time to evacuate all Americans who want to leave, not to mention the Afghans who are trying to get special visas to go to the United States or another country. Biden, who is scheduled to deliver remarks on the evacuation efforts later Friday, has indicated he would push the withdrawal deadline back if needed, something Bedingfield emphasized.

The president has committed: we will get every American who wants to get out out of Afghanistan, she said.

Isabel van Brugen contributed to this report.

Katabella Roberts
Westport Country Playhouse recently announced that when it resumes in-person theatrical production in November, visitors will be required to provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to attend. Over the past three weeks, several other Connecticut entertainment venues announced that they will be requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, including Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford and Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport. The BAR restaurant and nightclub in New Haven and Toads Place in New Haven also announced requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of entry.

While these entertainment venues and restaurant may be the first businesses in Connecticut to do such, they will not be the last.

As the more contagious COVID-19 delta variant took hold across America in July, the number of COVID cases increased exponentially. Connecticut has fared well when compared to most other states although the number of cases here, too, has surged. On Aug. 17 the states positivity rate rose to 4.25 percent  the highest single day rate since April 15. Currently, New Haven, Fairfield, Hartford, New London and Middlesex counties all have been designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as in the high transmission category.

Implementing a vaccination protocol will increase the health and safety of both employees and guests. It will reduce the likelihood of a COVID outbreak which could result in both a shutdown and negative publicity for the venues. Implementing the protocol could generate customer goodwill, potentially positive media coverage and increased revenue.

With a fully vaccinated rate of 76 percent among adults in Connecticut  the second-highest in the country  folks may be more likely to go to a concert or dine at a restaurant if they knew the people around them had been either fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID test. That said, the business is likely going to lose some customers and give rise to some backlash. The most important thing a business owner can do is to get feedback from its employees and loyal customers about their feelings for a vaccine protocol.

The response to Westport County Playhouses vaccine requirement reportedly has been overwhelmingly positive. Most of the feedback to BARs vaccine requirement also has been positive. In a recent poll, 57 percent of the 324 who responded said businesses should be allowed to require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests for guests to enter.

Some businesses have been reluctant to implement vaccine requirements due to fear of being sued by disgruntled parties. That certainly would be a valid concern if the policy was being implemented in one of the 19 states that have passed laws or executive orders limiting the ability to require proof of vaccination. However, Connecticut has not implemented any such restriction. Courts have rejected a lawsuit filed by 117 employees at Houston Methodist Hospital suing the hospital system over its COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Students at Indiana University and the University of Connecticut challenged mandatory requirements to no avail.

The judicial deference to public safety measures was crystallized by the recent decision by a federal court in Florida giving the green light to Norwegian Cruise Lines to require proof of vaccinations despite a Florida law prohibiting them from implementing vaccine mandates on cruise vessels.

A vaccine protocol should incorporate the option of providing a negative COVID-19 test in the previous 72 hours or a more limited alternative of granting possible exemption for medical reasons or sincerely held religious beliefs along with a negative COVID-19 test for those to whom an exemption has been granted. Any new vaccine requirements should be publicized to reduce the number of guests who arrive without proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test.

In its decision upholding the vaccine requirement at Indiana University, unless individuals are exempt for religious or medical reasons, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals observed that a university will have trouble operating when each student fears that everyone else may be spreading that disease. Similarly, companies who want to focus more on serving its customers and less on its COVID-19 metrics should listen to the Seventh Circuits advice.

A vaccine protocol, all things considered, is simply good business.

Gary Phelan is an attorney with Mitchell & Sheahan, P.C. in Stratford, where he practices employment law. He is the co-author of Disability Discrimination in the Workplace and teaches disability law at Quinnipiac University School of Law. He can be reached at 203-873-0240.
As New Englanders scramble to prepare for what could be their first hurricane in three decades, many cant help but think of the last one  Bob, which made landfall as a devastating Category 2 storm.

Thursday marked exactly 30 years since Bob stormed ashore, killing at least 17 people and leaving behind more than $1.5 billion worth of damage. It left streets in coastal towns littered with boats blown free of their moorings and cut electricity and water to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses for days.

The Associated Press covered the devastation. Thirty years later, the AP is making a version of its story from Aug. 19, 1991, available with photos.

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Hurricane Bob Howls Into New England After Lashing Long Island, East Coast

Undated (AP)  Hurricane Bob howled into New England today after hammering Long Island and brushing the central East Coast with gusts up to 138 mph, and highways were snarled as vacationers and residents fled low-lying areas.

High wind cut electrical service to thousands and many state government offices shut down.

Earlier, the storm lashed North Carolinas Outer Banks and other coastal sections with wind and heavy rain but did relatively little damage.

It was the first hurricane to strike into New England in six years.

At 3 p.m. EDT the center of the storm had crossed eastern Rhode Island and was centered at latitude 41.9 degrees north and longitude 71.1 west, or about 30 miles south of Boston. The storm had reached a sustained wind speed of 115 mph with gusts to 138 mph around its center.

Earlier, the hurricanes calm eye passed over Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. The wind there reached at least 105 mph, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Cadima. The islands wind gauge blew out at 105, so it could have been higher, he said.

Some 2,000 to 2,500 people sought shelter in the Block Island school, a medical center and a sewage plant, said police and fire dispatcher Betty Gann.

As the eye passed over, she described the scene as absolutely dead; its almost frightening.

Rhode Island and Massachusetts declared states of emergency, and a special storm barrier was lowered in Narragansett Bay to protect Providence, R.I. Most state workers in Maine and Massachusetts were told to go home early, and the Connecticut Legislature canceled a session.

Providence city officials said the hurricanes storm surge rose to 8.5 feet at 3 p.m. at the storm barrier, which is designed to protect up to 20 feet.

Nuclear power plants in the region were taken off line as a precaution.

Todays high tide of 8.9 feet at 7:43 p.m. in Portland, Maine, was expected to coincide with the arrival of the storm, which was expected to produce a storm surge of 5 feet to 8 feet.

The prospect of a surge, a wall of water that precedes a storm, also raised fears around Rhode Islands Narragansett and Buzzards bays, the weather service said. A bay can magnify a surge as the water rushes into a narrower and narrower space.

Hurricanes in 1938 and 1954 pushed storm surges into downtown Providence at the head of Narragansett Bay, killed hundreds and did millions of dollars in damage. A hurricane barrier built since then was lowered today.

In eastern Long Island, some 300,000 residents were without power as a result of downed lines, said the Long Island Lighting Co. The eye of the storm had passed just east of the island. In Connecticut, Northeast Utilities reported that more than 100,000 customers had lost power by late morning, and about the same number lost service in Rhode Island.

Submarines left the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Conn., and headed out to sea to submerge and ride out the storm safely away from piers. Airlines reported delays and the Trump Shuttle, serving Washington, New York and Boston, shut down until 2 p.m.

As the storm approached eastern Long Island, bumper-to-bumper traffic snaked westward in sheeting rain through Easthampton and water pooled up to a foot and a half deep in low spots. A downed power line blocked the main link to Montauk.

Though many residents were reluctant to leave their homes, they realize the situation is deteriorating rapidly and there they are cooperative, said Sgt. Howard Lewis of the Southampton Village police.

Ferry service across Long Island Sound between Long Island and Connecticut was shut down. Off the Rhode Island coast, Block Island residents and vacationers were stranded as the ferries stopped operating.

Thousands of Rhode Island shoreline residents evacuated homes and businesses. Gov. Bruce G. Sundlun said he ordered the state police to remove residents of low-lying areas forcibly, if necessary; a similar order was issued in parts of Long Island.

Sundlun closed the states roads to all but emergency traffic and canceled public bus service. He said the state would set up barricades at the Massachusetts and Connecticut borders, including along busy Interstate 95.

Its more prudent to have traffic jams than it is to have 18-wheelers cluttered along the road, Sundlun said.

People fled Massachusetts Cape Cod, which juts out into the ocean, and a line of traffic at least 11 miles long formed at the Sagamore Bridge linking the cape to the mainland.

On Chappaquiddick Island, people were ordered to evacuate to neighboring Marthas Vineyard, where residents were taking shelter in churches and schools.

People are getting nervous, said Rebecca Burns, a switchboard operator for the Nantucket Boat Basin marina on Nantucket Island. There have been a lot of calls. People are really concerned.

In New York Harbor, ferry service to the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island Museum was canceled.

Rhode Island officials feared storm surges of water into the states heavily populated bays and declared a state of emergency. Banks and other non- essential businesses were ordered closed, as well as well as non-essential state offices.

Were preparing for what could be a direct hit to the state, Lt. Gov. Roger Begin said. He issued the executive order before Sundlun returned from a conference.

A state of emergency also was declared in Massachusetts, where Lt. Gov. Paul Cellucci ordered all non-public safety and non-essential state employees to go home at 11 a.m. The Coast Guard moved its aircraft from its base on Cape Cod to other bases inland.

Sunday night, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season knocked out power, toppled trees and caused flooding along North Carolinas Outer Banks. There were at least two tornadoes.

Little major damage was reported, but a tornado overturned a mobile home on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks, and a fish packing house at Hatteras was heavily damaged when wind ripped away the building front and part of the roof.

One drowning at Myrtle Beach, S.C., was blamed on high surf and strong undertow caused by the storm.

The storm brought steady rain and wind gusts only up to 50 mph at Maryland and Virginia resort communities, where the eye was 100 miles or so offshore.

Officials estimated about 1,000 people spent the night in shelters in Ocean City, Md., and surrounding Worcester County. But people in some oceanfront condominiums and hotels watched the storms progress from their balconies. A few even walked to waters edge. Said one of them, Don Offhaus of Syracuse, N.Y.: I wanted to experience it. It certainly is an amazing display of nature.

In southern New Jersey, the rain flooded local roads and wind downed some tree limbs, causing scattered power outages, emergency officials said.

Canada issued a high wind and heavy rain warning for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

The last hurricane to hit Long Island and New England was Gloria in September 1985.

With sustained winds up to 115 mph, Bob was a Category 3 storm on an increasing scale of 1 to 5. A Category 3 storm can cause extensive damage.

Hurricane Hugo, which devastated the Carolinas and the Caribbean in 1989, had winds up to 135 mph, a Category 4 storm, when it hit Charleston, S.C.

Bob formed off the Bahamas on Friday and is the second named tropical storm of the 1991 season. The first storm, Ana, formed in early July and died in the North Atlantic without touching land.
Tupper Blake / Special to The Chronicle

A fourth cougar sighting in recent days was reported near the New Canaan border Thursday, according to Animal Control officer Allyson Halm. The large cat was seen on Hoyt Farm Road not far from Route 123 near the Norwalk-New Canaan border.

I was hoping for tracks after the rain, but the area was not conducive for it, Halm said. Since a mountain lions territory is fairly large, hopefully it keeps moving, she said.
New COVID cases among patients of Connecticut nursing homes more than doubled over the past two weeks, state data shows, as the highly infectious delta variant has caused infections to surge statewide.

The states bi-weekly report on nursing home cases and deaths, released Thursday, showed 118 new cases were reported among residents in the last two weeks, up from 50 during the previous two weeks. There were 10 more deaths reported in the past two weeks among patients  seven more than were reported the previous two weeks.

Thursdays report also shows 97 new cases among nursing home staff over the last two weeks, up from 48 in the two weeks prior.

Seabury Health Center, a nursing home in Bloomfield, reported 13 new cases among its 46 residents in the last two weeks, while two of them died. Newtown Rehabilitation & Health Care Center in Newtown and Maple View Health and Rehabilitation Center in Rocky Hill both reported two deaths each in the last two weeks.

Nursing homes and other long term care facilities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. At one point last year, deaths among residents of long-term care facilities comprised nearly three-quarters of all the states COVID-19 deaths.

Because nursing homes were among the very earliest recipients of COVID-19 vaccines when shots became available late last year, residents and staff will likely be among the first to receive booster shots this fall.

Federal health officials announced Wednesday fully vaccinated Americans should begin receiving a third shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine eight months after their initial doses. Health officials said recipients of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will likely need boosters, but are waiting for more data.

By that measure, some residents and staff of nursing homes would be eligible for booster shots by Sept. 20, when state officials said the federal announcement will take effect. The first shots in Connecticut were distributed on Dec. 18, 2020 at The Reservoir, a nursing home in West Hartford.

The state is already offering booster shots for people with compromised immune systems who may need the extra protection afforded by an additional shot.

The surge of cases at nursing homes comes as infections are increasing in Connecticut and around the nation, prompting state and local leaders to resort to vaccine mandates.

Connecticut reported on Friday a daily positivity rate of 3.13 percent of new COVID cases and two more people hospitalized, increasing the statewide total to 346.

In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday state employees, teachers and early childhood workers will have to vaccinate or face weekly testing. The governor had previously ordered workers at nursing homes to vaccinate by Sept. 7 without a testing exemption, and with hefty fines for homes that dont comply.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday student athletes and coaches in high risk sports will need to get at least one dose of vaccine before playing competitively, the Associated Press reported. The category includes football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, lacrosse, rugby and bowling.

All eight Connecticut counties meet the threshold for the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions guidance for everyone to wear masks indoors. With the exception of Litchfield, Tolland and Windham counties, all of Connecticut is considered to have a high transmission of the virus.

As of Thursday, 73 out of the states 169 municipalities were painted red on its color-coded map, the highest alert level from the state, which uses a slightly different metric than the CDC.

Deltas thrown us a curve, we have some extra innings to go, Lamont said Thursday. But before you say, Oh my God, here we go again, I want you to know we are in so much better of a position as a state and as a country than we were during that fall flare-up and where we were ... 16 months ago.
HOUSTON (AP)  The legal battle over whether Texas communities can require students and others to wear masks in response to the current surge in COVID-19 cases remains entangled in a series of lawsuits, orders and appeals.

Ten counties and cities and 52 school districts or systems around the state have imposed mask mandates in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order banning such measures.

Abbott has argued a law known as the Texas Disaster Act gives him broad power in deciding how best to respond to emergency situations, including whether to ban mask mandates during a pandemic. The counties, cities and school districts say the act does not give Abbott unlimited power.

At least seven lawsuits by cities, counties and school districts have been filed against Abbott. With the Texas Supreme Court not yet having issued a final ruling on the matter, the mask mandates will likely remain in place until such a decision is made, according to legal experts.

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What authority does the governor have under the Texas Disaster Act?

Abbott and his attorneys have said the Texas Disaster Act grants the governor wide emergency powers in order to protect citizens in a time of crisis.

The issue is not whether mask mandates are well advised or if parents have the right to decide if their children will wear masks, Benjamin Dower, a lawyer with the Texas Attorney Generals Office, said during a court hearing Thursday on Fort Bend Countys lawsuit.

Its a simple question of who gets to decide and under the Texas Constitution ... that authority is vested in the governor of the state of Texas, Dower said.

Cities, counties and school districts suing Abbott say the governor has exceeded his authority by preventing local jurisdictions from taking action to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

San Antonio cant fight this pandemic with one hand tied behind its back and unfortunately the governor has tied one of the citys hands behind its back by taking away this important tool of mask mandates in this critical time, Bill Christian, an attorney representing San Antonio in its lawsuit, said during a court hearing Monday.

Kellen Zale, a law professor with the University of Houston Law Center, said she believes those suing Abbott have a pretty strong legal argument as the Texas Disaster Act doesnt give Abbott unlimited power.

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What legal action has been taken?

Bexar, Dallas, Fort Bend and Harris counties  some of the states most populous  along with San Antonio, at least eight school districts and the Southern Center for Child Advocacy, an Austin-based nonprofit, have sued Abbott in state court. A federal lawsuit was filed by Disability Rights Texas, an advocacy organization.

This week, Bexar and Fort Bend counties and San Antonio won temporary injunctions, which will let them have mask mandates until their lawsuits go to trial. Dallas and Harris counties, the eight school districts and the Southern Center for Child Advocacy have won temporary restraining orders against Abbott and were set to have court hearings next week on their requests for temporary injunctions. The attorney generals office was expected to appeal any rulings not in its favor ahead of any trial date.

The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday had initially struck down temporary restraining orders that had let some of the mask mandates stay in place. But in turning down on Thursday a request by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to prematurely take action against other mask mandates, it has seemed to signal it wont rush through the process, said Dale Carpenter, a law professor with the Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas.

This is a win for those suing Abbott as it allows them for now to keep their mask mandates in place and help slow the recent surge of cases, Carpenter said.

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When will there be a final resolution?

Its unclear if the Texas Supreme Court will wait to make a ruling until most or all of the lawsuits go through the appellate process regarding any temporary orders that have been issued or if it will use the first case that makes it through that process to issue a decision thats applicable across the board, Carpenter said. It could take a couple of weeks to get to this point.

The perception among some legal experts is that the Texas Supreme Court, which is conservative and made up of all GOP justices, will ultimately rule in favor of Abbott, also a Republican.

Its an understandable perception, Zale said. But I guess I have a good faith view of the judges taking their roles seriously and reviewing the underlying issues in the case.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's campaign for COVID-19 vaccinations gained a new voice with a highly personal testimonial  a one-time vaccine skeptic recounting his debilitating fight against the virus.

Ethan Koehler (Kay'-ler) spoke in stark terms of his journey from downplaying the pandemic to being laid low by excruciating pain, struggles to breathe and then relearning to walk without losing his breath as the coronavirus ravaged his health.

I was very, very big on anti-COVID, anti-vaccine, Koehler said. "I made Facebook posts, public posts, talked to people, made a big deal about it. Made a point to not wear a mask. Made a point to say that COVID wasnt important. And I am eating crow on it, because I experienced it.

Koehler's video message was shown at Beshear's media briefing Thursday afternoon. After months of imploring Kentuckians to take the COVID-19 shots, the governor has turned increasingly to others to help make the case. His briefings routinely feature doctors and nurses warning of the growing risks for the unvaccinated as the fast-spreading delta variant causes the state's worst surge of the pandemic to date.

The 28-year-old Koehler's ordeal highlighted another alarming trend  growing infection rates among younger Kentuckians, who are less likely to be vaccinated. Just 41% of Kentuckians ages 18-29 have received at least a first dose of vaccine, compared to 84% among people 65 and older.

Overall, more than 2.4 million Kentuckians have received at least one vaccine dose, accounting for 55% of the states population. Most of the state's COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths since March 1 of this year have been among partially vaccinated or unvaccinated Kentuckians.

On Friday, Beshear reported 3,869 new COVID-19 cases statewide and six more virus-related deaths. The rate of Kentucky residents testing positive for the virus increased again, to 12.8%.

Koehler, who is from Benton in far western Kentucky, contracted the virus in July and was hospitalized for 17 days. The pain grew so intense that every time I took a breath, it felt like somebody was sitting on the right side of my chest, and with a knife, he said in a phone interview Friday. He credits his doctors with saving his life.

In the video, Koehler said he always thought he was able to handle some stuff, but when he was fighting for breath, that was when I realized, this is really bad right now. I cant even tough it out.

It also led him to reevaluate the social media pronouncements he had made about the pandemic.

Having COVID, I wouldnt wish it on anybody," he said in the video. "Its because of COVID I have to fight now every day to get a little bit better. Im relearning how to walk without catching my breath.

"If I knew that a vaccination would have taken 75% or even half of my struggles the last month out ... I would have gotten it in a heartbeat and I would have never looked back, he added.

Beshear praised Koehler for coming forward to share his dramatic story. But the governor also said it reflected the dangers of misinformation hindering the fight against the virus.

One of the most difficult things that we face in our fight against this virus is folks either putting out information that is blatantly false or sometimes intentionally lying, Beshear said.

He warned Thursday that the states hospitals are filling up as the delta variant accelerates the outbreak, and that every staffable bed could be in use within a week and a half.

Chastened by his experience, Koehler said he's backed off from heated social media exchanges about the pandemic.

I still believe its your right to choose what you want to do, he said by phone. "But I guess the blunt side of it would be, if you dont want to get the vaccine, then dont complain when youre stuck in the hospital parking lot and cant breathe because its full.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday that Oregon is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine requirement to include all teachers, educators, support staff and volunteers in K-12 schools.

Hospitals across the state are near capacity, and some have no available intensive care unit beds. In the western Oregon town of Roseburg, a COVID-19 patient died in a hospital emergency department while waiting for an ICU bed.

"We need your help, grace and kindness, CHI Health Medical Center staffers said Thursday on the hospital's Facebook page. The hospital had expanded ICU care onto other floors, but even that wasn't enough.

This patient died in the Emergency Department waiting for an intensive care unit bed, the staffers wrote, adding that they are reeling from the extraordinary onslaught of new cases and hospitalizations this devastating virus has caused.

No details about the patient, who died Wednesday, were released.

Teachers are the latest to be added to the growing statewide vaccine mandate, which also includes health care workers and state employees. They must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or six weeks after a COVID-19 vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whichever is later.

There are those who will disagree with the actions Im taking today, Brown, a Democrat, said during Thursday's news conference. But school is starting across the state, and COVID-19 poses a threat to our kids. Our kids need to be protected, and they need to be in school. And thats why Im willing to take the heat for this decision.

In addition, Brown announced weekly testing for health care workers will no longer be an option for those who want to avoid vaccination. The only opt-out of the requirement is either a medical or religious exemption.

Brown said the decision to eliminate the weekly testing option is because there are not enough resources to stand up weekly testing systems while also responding to the current hospitalization crisis.

This is about having enough trained health care professionals to treat patients," Brown said. "For over 17 months, they are being stretched to their absolute limits, providing life-saving treatments for the patients in their care.

Oregon's mandate is similar to the one announced in Washington state on Wednesday, which along with K-12 teachers also includes employees at the states colleges and universities. Last week, California announced a mandate that covers both public and private schools, but allows testing instead of vaccination. Earlier this month, Hawaii required all Department of Education staffers to disclose their vaccination status or face weekly testing.

In an effort to keep Oregon students safe in the upcoming school year and minimize disruptions to in-person instruction, Brown announced last month that masks would be required regardless of vaccination status in K-12 schools. Currently, children younger than 12 are not eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Weve seen school districts in the South being upended by COVID-19, with thousands of students quarantined, because they opened without robust safety measures," Brown said. "Our kids need to be in the classroom full time  we have to do everything we can to make that happen.

The Oregon Education Association applauded the governor's mandate, saying the measure will help improve safety in our schools and in our communities.

In addition, on Friday a statewide mask mandate was reimplemented; everyone in Oregon who is 5 years or older, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask in indoor public spaces.

The increased health and safety measures come as Oregon's health system is hammered by COVID-19 cases.

I cant overstate this: What we are going through right now is unimaginable, said Jeff Absalon, the chief physician executive for St. Charles Health System in Bend. We are seeing an incredible surge of patients. ... We are overwhelmed. This is really a dire situation.

On Wednesday, there were just 41 intensive care unit beds available in the state. Oregon's hospitalization records have been shattered day after day as the highly transmissible delta variant spreads across the state.

As of Wednesday, 845 coronavirus patients were hospitalized in Oregon  five fewer than the previous day, which is the hospitalization record for the state. Before this month, the hospitalization record was 622 in November, during a winter surge and when vaccines were not yet available.

In addition, Oregon set a new daily case record for the state with 2,971 identified coronavirus cases on Thursday.

More than a third of the states 652 adult ICU beds are being used for COVID-19 patients. Health officials say the overwhelming majority of hospitalized virus patients are unvaccinated. Around 27% of adults in the state remain unvaccinated.

Health officials say that more than 85% of cases reported between Aug. 1 and Aug. 14 were among unvaccinated people. To date 5.8% of all vaccine breakthrough cases  fully vaccinated people who test positive for the coronavirus  have been hospitalized and less than 1% have died.

Our health care system is on the verge of collapse in parts of the state. In coming weeks, every Oregon hospital could be over-topped, said Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority.

For weeks, Oregon health officials have warned that COVID-19 cases, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, would fill hospitals by September if infection rates didnt slow significantly. Now, a little more than halfway through August, 94% of the states hospital beds for adults and 93% of ICU beds are full.

Health officials say patients are spending days in emergency departments because critical care beds arent available and hospitals are converting outpatient rooms to ICU units.

On Friday, 500 National Guard members will be deployed to serve as equipment runners in the most stricken hospitals and help with testing.

In an attempt to keep hospital beds open, health systems across Oregon have opted to postpone elective procedures, nurses and physicians say they are overwhelmed, and health officials are desperately urging people to get vaccinated and wear masks.

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Selsky reported from Salem, Oregon. Sara Cline is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
The red alert COVID-19 flare up has spread to the vast majority of the state over the last week. Now 73 towns and cities, including Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford, Stratford, Newtown, Trumbull, Westport, West Haven and the entire Naugatuck Valley are reporting dangerous levels of infections even as the state has the second-highest vaccination rate in the country.

Last week, the state reported that 39 towns experienced 15 infections or more per day per 100,000 residents in the two weeks ending Aug. 7, including Stamford, New Haven and Hartford. The new red zone covers the two weeks ending Aug. 14.

The state also reported that the number of so-called breakthrough infections  cases among people fully vaccinated  reached 5,857 in total as of Wednesday. Those cases are spread evenly among all age groups.

The previously reported number of breakthrough cases, 1,171 two weeks ago, is not comparable to the new number because the method of counting changed to more accurately show those cases.

Separate data released Thursday shows that the number and percent of breakthrough cases increased in July and August but at a slower rate than cases for people not vaccinated.

Connecticut has seen 45 deaths among fully vaccinated people as of Wednesday, the report said, and about one-quarter of residents hospitalized with COVID-19 had been vaccinated before falling ill.

The new figures led Lamont to dramatically broaden the number of people covered by vaccine mandates, including all state employees and all K-12 teachers. Connecticuts public colleges and universities, including UConn, also instituted requirements for COVID-19 inoculations.

I think Connecticut has really done very well, Lamont said in a 53-minute briefing of the sort he held daily in 2020. We are so much better-positioned than we were as a country and as we were as a state. Weve got the masks, weve got the vaccines, weve got the testing capacity and we have over 80 percent of our adults vaccinated. Lets build on that.

An additional 23 fatalities were reported for the week, bringing the state total to 8,330 dead in the pandemic  at a recent rate thats among the countrys lowest, Lamont said.

The state reported 534 new infections Thursday, which was 3.4 percent of those tested. The 7-day positive infection rate is about 3.3 percent.

Connecticut hospitals saw a net decline of four inpatients, resulting in 344 hospitalizations statewide. That is up from 50 one month ago but is well below the 1,269 in the December 2020 peak, and the 1,972 in late-April 2020.

The governor said residents are five times more likely to be hospitalized and suffer complications from COVID if they are not vaccinated. There are some examples of breakthrough, he said. There are nine people who are vaccinated who are in the ICU. Thats nine out of 2.3 million. So, keep things in perspective. And youre 10 times more likely to really suffer severe complications and go to the intensive care unit if you are unvaccinated.

Lamont to seek extension of powers

Lamont acknowledged that he expects to request that the General Assembly approve an extension of his emergency powers before they expire on Sept. 30.

I think theres no doubt about that, he told reporters. Either they give me the authority, or they do it through legislation of their own that says this is what the rules should be, assuming we have an infection rate above a certain amount or whatever parameters you want to put on this. I think its easiest if you give the governors office some flexibility with narrowly defined health care protocols so that we can react to the delta variant because you can see how much its changed just in the last 30 days.

Republicans in the General Assembly, with minorities of 23-13 in the Senate and 97-54 in the House, are likely to oppose a further extension of Lamonts powers.

The governor stressed that he does not want a statewide requirement of masks indoors as the coronavirus pandemic continues, because some towns have very low infection cases along with high vaccination rates. I want to give people an incentive to be vaccinated, he said. Ninety seven percent of everybody 65 and over is vaccinated, Lamont boasted. If 12-to-15 can match your grandparents vaccination rate, were over COVID, so step up and do the right thing. This is how we break the back of COVID.

Towns team up on mask orders

More towns and cities are teaming up to enact local mask mandates in regional efforts to stop the spread of the virulent delta variant of COVID.

Fairfield, Westport and Easton on Thursday announced indoor mask requirements starting Saturday.

Capitol Region Council of Governments, representing 38 towns and cities in the Hartford area, on Thursday asked Lamont for a statewide mask mandate for all indoor locations.

The group said the request is consistent with updated guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently encouraged people to return to wearing masks indoors whether they are vaccinated or not. The request came the day after the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments made a similar request to Lamont for its 22 member towns.

We have some places that have low vaccination rates and I think the mask mandate is very appropriate there, Lamont said. We have a lot of places where 80, 90 percent-plus of the people are vaccinated. In those places, I want to give people an incentive to be vaccinated. I think it shows that if youve done that the right way, everybody doesnt necessarily have to wear a mask.

But he left open the option to reinstate a statewide mask order as he reviews data in coming days.

Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, none of them have a statewide mandate on masks at this point, Lamont said. Youve got some cities where you have a very low vaccination rate and I can understand why Hartford and New Haven want to take the lead in terms of making sure that everyone within their confines are wearing a mask indoors. Youve got other places that are 95-percent vaccinated. So I think Ill give a little more discretion because I think the mayors know their communities pretty well.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
NORWALK  The Central Norwalk neighborhood has seen the largest population increase within the city in the last decade, according to recently released census data.

The area had an increase of more than 1,500 residents since the 2010 census, the highest increase by neighborhood in Norwalk by more than 500, according to the data.

In 2010, Central Norwalk had 2,039 residents and 3,602 residents in 2020, an increase of 1,536 in 10 years. The second highest population increase was in West Rocks, which got an additional 1,041 residents since 2010.

Despite the slew of new residents, Central Norwalk is not the neighborhood with the highest population. With 8,083 residents, the Hospital Hill neighborhood has the largest population, according to the census data.

Central Norwalks Common Council representative David Heuvelman did not respond to a request for comment on the statistics Thursday.

It is promising to see that over the last 10 years Norwalk has continued to grow in population, especially when the State has experienced very limited growth, Chief of Community and Economic Development Jessica Vonashek said. Norwalk has actively planned, and zoned, in order to target growth around train stations, where existing infrastructure and amenities are in place and the growth in Central Norwalk shows this has been effective.

Central Norwalk also had the highest vaccination rate in the city when neighborhood-based vaccination data was first released last month, at more than 90 percent.

Overall, Norwalk had the third-largest population growth among Connecticuts biggest cities, behind Stamford and Danbury, according to the data. In the last decade, Norwalks population grew by 6.5 percent, growing from 82,951 to 91,184 people.

The city is splint into census tracts, which correspond to neighborhoods in Norwalk, for census data collection. Three of the citys 22 census tracts had loss in population while the rest increased, however slightly. The Oak Hill neighborhood increased by seven residents.

Silvermine, Springwood and Cranbury all faced a population decline, according to the data.

The Silvermine neighborhood saw the greatest decrease in population, losing 102 residents from its 2010 population of 1,695. Silvermine currently has the lowest population of Norwalks neighborhoods, with 1,593 residents.

Although it has had the largest decrease of 102 residents, that represents only 10 residents on average per year, Vonashek said. This may be representative of many things  over the last 10 years the nation has seen a trend where residents are moving to urban areas, especially those accessible by train and public transportation, and away from suburban or rural areas. In addition, another trend the nation is seeing is smaller families, with less children, which may be another reason for the decrease in population.

A likely cause of the regions decreases is the number of single-family homes in the Cranbury and Silvermine neighborhoods, Common Council member Tom Keegan, who represents northern Norwalk, Silvermine and Cranbury, said.

Most of Silvermine is and has been single-family homes and long-term homeowners, so as the population of those homeowners decreases, so shall the census, Keegan said. Some may be children of owners, they may age out and move away, they may pass on, but I think Silvermine has historically been larger tracts of land that hasnt seen any development beyond whats already existed.

Additionally, Keegan said there may be a swath of Norwalk newcomers who moved from surrounding areas because of the coronavirus pandemic but were not accounted for in the 2020 census data collection.

The people that did move out of New York were people with means, they were people that had money and were looking to buy their own homes, Keegan said. They werent just moving into apartments they were looking to move into their own homes. They had children and wanted the children to have space to play.

As for the increase in Central Norwalk, the multifamily housing opportunities and apartment complexes contributed to the downtown regions increase in population, Keegan said.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
Chinese man arrested for operating illegal loan network

PHUKET: A Chinese man has been arrested in Koh Kaew for operating illegal offering loans with high interest rates that have attracted more than 20,000 debtors.

Friday 20 August 2021, 02:18PM

Speaking at a press conference at the Immigration Bureau headquarters in Bangkok yesterday (Aug 19), Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang confirmed that the 27-year-old Chinese national who he identified only as Mr Liaw has been apprehended although he did not give specifics on the time or date of the arrest.

Liaw was wanted for operating a debt collection business without permission, specifically the Plutus Cat Pro application, possessing the personal details of peoples credit cards and debit cards would could be manipulated to their detriment, and working in the Kingdom without work permit.

The arrest came after officers from the Center for the Suppression of Migrants and Illegal Immigration under the Immigration Bureau investigated the loan provision network in Bangkok and discovered that some members of the network had moved to Phuket.

The network had been contacting their debtors who had received a loan through the app, Lt Gen Sompong said. Police investigated this further until it became clear they had an office presence in Koh Kaew. We then filed a request to the Phuket Provincial Court to issue a search warrant.

Officers went to the premises where they found Liaw being supported by 19 staff members. Officers seized a total of 43 items as evidence, comprising of debtor lists, SIM cards, mobile phones, and laptops, Lt Gen Sompong added.

From checking Liaws personal laptop, officers retrieved more than 20,000 names recorded as his debtors.

After questioning, staff confirmed to officers they were instructed to call between 10-15 debtors per day. The staff confirmed they received a salary of between B10,000-15,000 per month with an additional B8 commission per debtor successfully secured. They added that the debtors had to transfer their money to Liaw through the staffs bank accounts.

Lt Gen Sompong confirmed that Liaw was taken to Phuket City Police station where he was charged with the offences previously listed.
Former Phuket City Police Chief caught in COVID allowance fraud

PHUKET: Region 8 Police Deputy Commander Col Sompong Thiparpakul, who previously served as Chief of the Phuket City Police, has been discharged from the Royal Thai Police after being found swindling police allowances for extra work performed in battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

corruptionpoliceCOVID-19economics

By The Phuket News

Friday 20 August 2021, 01:30PM

Former Phuket City Police Chief, and now Former Region 8 Police Deputy Commander, Col Sompong Thiparpakul is now facing corruption charges. Photo: The Phuket News / file

Region 8 Police Commander Lt Gen Kitrat Panpetch issued the order discharging Sompong from the Royal Thai Police yesterday (Aug 19).

The National Anti-Corruption Commission will send a formal recommendation to the Office of the Attorney General to proceed with criminal charges, the order noted.

The recommendation follows Sompong being found falsely receiving funds dedicated as allowances for officers performing extra duties in response to the COVID-19 pandemic while he was serving as Chief of the Thung Song Police in Nakhon Sri Thammarat. The order did not mark when Sompong was fulfilling that position.

The National AntiCorruption Commission has resolved to point out that when being in the position of Thung Song Police Chief, Col Sompong wrongfully exercised his duties under the Section 157 of the Criminal Code by deducting allowances from the COVID-19 budget of the Thung Song Police Station, the order said.

Thung Song Police Station received B6,046,299 from the Thai Royal Police to be spent on working and providing police officers allowances. The amount of money was divided into three parts  B5,478,300 for officers allowances, B225,999 for COVID-19 protective equipment and B342,000 for petrol costs, the order explained.

According to the Royal Thai Police, officers received an allowance of B60 per hour when they were assigned to work outside their station or police box. The allowance was provided depending on the length of time worked, but not more than seven hours per day  for both on official working days and on holidays, Lt Gen Kitrat explained in his dismissal.

However, Col Sompong ordered all officers at Thung Song Police Station who received allowances in excess of B15,000 baht to donate the extra money back to the Thung Song Police Station so it could be allocated to officers who received less funds for equality and unity [sic], he said.

The leftover money from the allocations was to be kept as a central fund, he added.

At that time, many police officers disagreed, but no one argued or opposed the order, and if any police officer did not agree with the order they were to be transferred or assigned duties to be made an example of, Lt Gen Kitrat continued.

Sompong has 30 days to appeal his dismissal, and the Appeals Tribunal has 90 days from receiving the appeal to reply whether or not the appeal had been accepted, he added.

Of note, Lt Gen Kitrat in the order said that the provision for government officers found guilty of corruption charges to face double the penalty would not apply for Sompong, despite that provision being specifically coded in law.

Sompong served as Phuket City Police Chief from 2018-19. He had previously served as Thalang Police Chief from 2016 into 2017, a position he gained after replacing Lt Col Chanucharn Cholsuwat following the Thalang riots in Oct 2015.

Of note, Sompong was already very familiar with police in Nakhon Sri Thammarat province, as he served as Chief of the Nakhon Sri Thammarat City Police in 2013.
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The official National Hurricane Centre forecast map of the projected path of tropical storm, soon-to-be hurricane Henri. Henri was located southeast of the Carolina coast on Friday morning, expected to intensify and turn towards the north over the next 24 hours. A hurricane watch has been raised for the southern New England coast. (NHC)
A friend recently stopped by the book shop to share an article with me that he thought I would find interesting. All-American Vigilantes, by Adam Hochschild, appeared in the July 22, 2021, edition of The New York Review of Books. It deals with the vigilantes that persecuted anyone suspected of disloyalty during World War I.

Groups such as the American Protective League (APL), Sedition Slammers and Knights of Liberty also directed their wrath against those labor activists who made no secret of their opposition to the war. These militants, many of them socialists and anarchists, saw the war as just another example of the wealthy exploiting and oppressing American workers. Vigilantes harbored a particular hatred for members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members were often referred to as Wobblies.

Founded in 1905, the IWW stood in stark contrast to the conservative American Federation of Labor (AFL), which organized only those Americans who worked in particular craft occupations and concerned itself primarily with wages and hours. The preamble to the IWW constitution proclaimed, The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. While AFL unions demanded a fair days wage for a fair days work, the IWW preamble called for abolition of the wage system as well as the need to do away with capitalism.

In his article, Hochschild included a number of examples of vigilante violence against anti-war and labor activists, including one pretty close to home. In the southern Illinois town of Staunton, he wrote, APL men severely beat, tarred and feathered a Wobbly leader and his attorney.

With the assistance of Lacy McDonald of Hayner Library, I was able to access some newspaper accounts of this assault, which occurred on Feb. 12, 1918.

Severino Oberdan, a coal miner, faced bootlegging and espionage charges, according to the Rock Island (IL) Argus. When arrested at Nokomis (IL) he was said to have been supplied with arms and to have had dynamite in his house. A search of his house allegedly turned up papers that connected him with the IWW as an organizer or agent. John Metzen of Chicago was Oberdans attorney. He had been denied entry to Stauntons Labor Temple, where Oberdan was present, and returned to his hotel. The United Mine Workers were trying to ratify a motion to contribute $100 to Oberdan for legal expenses.

Some vigilantes entered the temple and accused Oberdan of disloyalty. He was thrown out and seized by a mob. Metzen was taken from the hotel lobby, beaten by police and turned over to mob members. According to the Freeport (IL) Journal Standard and other newspaper accounts, both men were tarred and feathered and then told to leave town.

Members of the loyalty mob then went to more than 100 houses and forced men suspected of disloyalty to kiss the American flag, the Sterling (IL) Daily Gazette reported. William P. Beehaussen (other sources spell his name Veehaussen), former Macoupin county clerk, initially refused to kiss the flag. He was escorted several blocks and then told emphatically that something would happen if he did not make the required salutation. He complied.

Staunton Police Chief Benjamin Vollentine praised the mob by noting, There are a lot more Americans in Staunton today than there were yesterday, the Sterling Daily Gazette quoted him as saying.

Here is an excerpt from a jaw-dropped editorial that appeared in the Feb. 13, 1918 edition of the Alton Evening Telegraph. The Telegraph does not suggest mob law. It has, however, the expressed opinion of men whose opinion is worth something that there should be enough public sentiment in every community to make it extremely uncomfortable and inconvenient for any man even to think treason, let alone speak or act treason. For that reason, the Telegraph applauds the Staunton bunch of Americans, and it thinks they showed a remarkable self-control when they stopped with what is credited to them.

The editorial writer expressed genuine admiration for the mob. They are the real stripe of Americans and may their number ever increase. If we leave Alton we may consider Staunton a desirable place to live, since it has increased its number of true Americans and reduced the disloyal population.

While The Telegraph has changed ownership numerous times since this editorial was published, its well worth noting that it has never relocated to Staunton.

John J. Dunphy is an author, the Godfrey 15th Precinct Democratic Committeeperson and recording secretary for the Godfrey Democrats.
After 18 months, the historic American Queen touring riverboat is back in action.

The world's largest paddlewheeler is departing at the mouth of the Mississippi River in New Orleans and making its way to several river cities along the way. Included on its route is a stop in Alton, Illinois later this season.

The American Queen is the flagship vessel of the American Queen Steamboat Co. Other vessels include the American Duchess, American Countess and American Empress.

An immediate positive economic impact is expected in the various port cities the American Queen will stopp in, according to a press release from the company, with pre-cruise hotel stays helping local communities.
EDWARDSVILLE  A man in custody in Missouri has been arrested and charged in the Aug. 4 incident that killed Brooklyn Police Officer Brian Pierce Jr., Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine said Friday.

Caleb Campbell, 22, is charged with one count of first-degree murder, failure to report an accident involving personal injury or death, reckless homicide, failure to stop after having an accident involving personal injury or death, and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

Campbell remains in custody in Missouri on unrelated charges.

Pierce, 24, was struck and killed by a vehicle fleeing police on the McKinley Bridge early Aug. 4, according to the Illinois State Police. A suspect has not been arrested in his death; the vehicle that struck Pierce was later found, abandoned, in Missouri.

Pierce headed home to Southern Illinois Aug. 6 with a send off by police officers and first responders from across the region. He had only been on the Brooklyn Police force for about nine months, and was trying to put stop sticks across the traffic lanes of the McKinley Bridge when he was fatally injured by the suspects vehicle.

Area police officers lined up to salute as Pierces flag-draped casket was loaded into a hearse behind the Madison County Morgue, located in the old Wood River Township Hospital Building on Edwardsville Road, in Wood River. A procession led by Illinois State Police motorcycle troopers stretched down Edwardsville Road, with more than 50 vehicles from regional law enforcement agencies participating in the two-hour trip to the Meredith-Waddell Funeral Home in Herrin.

Pierce, the son of Tammy and Brian Pierce Sr., worked about two years with the police agency in Spillertown, Illinois, and was also a lieutenant with the Makanda Fire Department. Daily he made a 100-mile trip from Makanda to Brooklyn.

Funeral services for Pierce were planned for Aug. 14 at John A. Logan College, in Carterville.

The charges, as well as the statements made herein from the States Attorneys Office, are based upon probable cause. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Submitted photo

GRANITE CITY  GCS Credit Union employees show their support for Madison Junior High School through their Growing Community Schools Jean Program by donating $866 to one of the schools programs.

The Growing Community Schools Program is funded by GCS employees who make monthly, monetary donations out of their own pockets to a local school organization. By donating $15 or more to a specific organization, GCS employees are able to wear jeans on Fridays and Saturdays during that month.
LIVINGSTON  Illinois American Water (IAW) has acquired the village of Livingston water and wastewater systems.

The purchase adds approximately 375 water customers and 352 wastewater customers to the companys Southern Illinois service area.

The village voted in favor of the sale in June 2020. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) recently approved the sale for $550,000. The sale was completed today.

Our team is excited to serve the village of Livingston and further expand our footprint in Madison County, said IAW President Justin Ladner. We have a long history of providing high-quality, reliable service to our customers and we look forward to playing a vital role in Livingston.

Livingston Mayor Richard Kovaly said the sale of the water and wastewater systems to IAW will allow the village to focus on other priorities.

The village will also benefit from future capital investments made by Illinois American Water, which will be completed at a much quicker pace than a community of our size could manage.

IAW plans to invest approximately $3.3 million in the first five years of ownership to upgrade the villages water and wastewater systems. Work will include replacing fire hydrants, outdoor water meters and water main. A new water tank also will be constructed. Upgrades to security and monitoring equipment also are planned.

We are excited to serve Livingston and will partner closely with village leaders to support the communitys success, said IAWs Ethan Steinacher, operations manager. We appreciate the trust and confidence placed in our team.

New customers will receive an Illinois American Water welcome packet in the mail. This packet includes information about online account management, billing and more.

To learn more about Illinois American Water and hear testimonials from communities with which the company has partnered, visit www.illinoisamwater.com.
COLLINSVILLE  Illinois State Police (ISP) and Collinsville School District 10 Superintendent Brad Skertich will discuss the Importance of school zone safety at 10 a.m. Friday at Collinsville Middle School, 9649 Collinsville Road, Collinsville.

ISP District 11 Lt. Brian Wood and Skertich will discuss the importance of school zone safety and their commitment to lowering the number of drivers and students involved in potentially tragic driving incidents.
SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will start a $10.1 million project to modernize rail operations, improve safety and enhance the mobility of goods, people and services throughout Metro East.

The project, a joint federal and state effort with several railroads, will reconfigure an outdated network of tracks and signals, which includes replacing Mitchells Lenox Tower, which was taken down in May. The 97-year-old trackside control towers functions will be located at a centralized facility.

The project represents yet another achievement on the Chicago-to-St. Louis rail corridor, joining enhanced safety and performance between Joliet and Alton, safer crossings and new or improved stations in Joliet, Dwight, Pontiac, Lincoln, Springfield, Carlinville and Alton. New Amtrak locomotives were introduced in 2017, with new passenger railcars and higher speeds anticipated later this year.

For nearly a century, Mitchells Lenox Tower has been the heart of railroad operations throughout Metro East, said state Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon. With this much-needed upgrade, a structure will safely support train traffic, prevent collisions and improve infrastructure efficiency.

The project will streamline rail operations by untangling a complex system of tracks, signals and switches where four lines intersect at one of the most congested areas in the state near Mitchell starting next week. The Lenox Tower, a two-story facility that used antiquated switching machinery to control train traffic, was taken down in May, with operations transferred to a Union Pacific dispatching center.

Im committed to rebuilding and revitalizing Metro East, and this investment in freight and passenger rail is just the latest of our efforts to ensure the infrastructure of the region is worthy of the people it serves, said Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Hand in hand with federal and private partners, Illinois is ensuring our status as the nations transportation and logistics hub remains strong for generations to come.

The project is made possible by a $5.1 million grant from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), with contributions of $1.3 million from IDOT, $2 million from Union Pacific, $1 million from Amtrak, $440,000 from BNSF Railway and $300,000 from Kansas City Southern.

Metro East is one of the countrys critical freight and travel hubs, said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. These improvements will improve quality of life and make the area an even more attractive location for business activity for years to come.

We are especially proud of the teamwork between IDOT, the FRA and our rail partners to find a solution that positively impacts multiple modes of transportation.

When completed this fall, the improvements will increase the speed of freight train operations and decrease traffic congestion on local roads, resulting in fewer blocked crossings and reducing passenger service travel times. Up to 35 trains pass through the Mitchell area location daily.

CRISI grants allow the Federal Railroad Administration to help communities improve passenger and freight rail safety, said FRA Deputy Administrator Amit Bose. This investment of more than $5 million will increase train speeds, permitting passengers and freight to arrive at their destinations more quickly, while easing traffic congestion along this rail corridor.

The project is a great example of state, federal and private entities coming together and supporting an investment that benefits both the public and private sectors, said Union Pacifics Liisa Stark, assistant vice president, public affairs, while providing safe, reliable and efficient freight transportation.

Freight railroads are the backbone of the U.S. economy, supporting Americas transportation infrastructure and enabling economic growth, Stark said.

Amtrak Vice President Ray Lang also weighed in.

Amtrak is proud to contribute to this project, which will improve dependability for our IDOT-sponsored Lincoln Service and National Network Texas Eagle trains, he said.

The best way for our trains to make their schedules is to have reliable, modern infrastructure, and this project will be welcomed by customers and by our train crews on the busiest downstate Illinois Amtrak route.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland's prime minister vowed Thursday that his country would stand firm and block migrants, mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan, who have been seeking to enter from neighboring Belarus.

Poland accuses the authoritarian government of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of sending the migrants across its border, creating a humanitarian crisis.

(The migrants) are people with whom I sincerely sympathize, but they are an instrument, a tool in the hands of Mr. Lukashenko, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, told a news conference.

He vowed that Poland would not succumb to this type of blackmail.

Hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to the border and at least 100 kilometers (60 miles) of barbed wire have been laid as Poland seeks to prevent the migrants from entering.

Several dozen people, mainly from Iraq and Afghanistan, have been wandering for several days in the border zone, near the town of Usnarz Gorny. Polish authorities do not want to let them in while Belarus doesn't want to let them back.

Fundacja Ocalenie (Salvation Foundation), a humanitarian group that sent activists to the border, said there were 32 people from Afghanistan there, among them women and sick people.

The foundation posted a photo of migrants being surrounded by Polish border guards and soldiers. One showed what they said was people from Afghanistan who had carried a cat with them.

Meanwhile, Poland has sent 100 soldiers to Afghanistan to evacuate Poles and Afghans who worked with the Polish mission, vowing to show solidarity to them.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Periods of rain. High near 70F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms likely. Low near 60F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Britain's competition watchdog has recommended an in-depth probe into the 31billion takeover of UK chip-maker ARM by US giant Nvidia amid 'serious' concerns it might stifle innovation and result in higher prices for consumers.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it was concerned that the deal would create 'real problems' for Nvidia's rivals by limiting their access to ARM's technology, which is used by firms that make semiconductor chips and other products.

This potential loss of competition could affect a number of markets, including data centres, gaming, the 'internet of things', and self-driving cars, the watchdog said, adding that an in-depth investigation was necessary.

Britain's competition watchdog is concerned that a loss of competition could affect a number of markets, including data centres, gaming, the 'internet of things', and self-driving cars

'We're concerned that Nvidia controlling ARM could create real problems for Nvidia's rivals by limiting their access to key technologies, and ultimately stifling innovation across a number of important and growing markets,' said Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA.

'This could end up with consumers missing out on new products or prices going up. The chip technology industry is worth billions and is vital to products that businesses and consumers rely on every day.

'This includes the critical data processing and datacentre technology that supports digital businesses across the economy, and the future development of artificial intelligence technologies that will be important to growth industries like robotics and self-driving cars.'

The findings and recommendations were published in a report to the Government, which had ordered an investigation into the takeover earlier this year, citing competition and national security concerns.

It is now up to Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, to decide whether the merger should be referred for an in-depth investigation on both competition and national security grounds, or if it should be passed back to the CMA to investigate on competition grounds only.

A spokesperson for the DCMS said: 'We have received the CMA's phase one report and the Digital Secretary will make a decision on whether to proceed to the next phase of the investigation in due course.'

The takeover comes at a time of mounting shortage of computer chips worldwide

Today's findings by the watchdog mark the latest setback for the takeover, after China recently joined regulators in the Europe and the US in looking at the deal.

When the deal was announced last September, Nvidia and ARM said it would be complete by spring 2022, a timeline that now looks unrealistic.

The takeover has been politically charged as ARM is the UK's premier tech firm - and it comes at a time of mounting shortage of computer chips worldwide.

There are also fears that some of the 3,000 UK jobs could be moved abroad, leaching vital skills that were protected under current owner Softbank.

Nvidia offered a measure to regulate the ongoing behaviour of the business, but the competition watchdog said such this would not alleviate its concerns.

An Nvidia spokesperson said: 'We look forward to the opportunity to address the CMA's initial views and resolve any concerns the Government may have. We remain confident that this transaction will be beneficial to ARM, its licensees, competition, and the UK.'

Neil Wilson, an analyst at Markets.com, said: 'The CMA is only reviewing from a competition point of view at present. That alone may be enough to scupper Nvidias advances.

'But several deals have lately caught the attention and there is a sense of there being a raid on top British companies.

'Tory governments dont like to be too interventionist  Britain is open for business and all that  but they also dont like to appear asleep at the wheel when blue chips get hoovered up.'
The world's two biggest vehicle producers, Toyota and Volkswagen, have revealed yet more evidence that the auto industry remains firmly in the grip of an ongoing semiconductor chip shortage that shows no sign of abating.

After being forced to close plants last year as the pandemic took hold, car makers are now facing stiff competition from the sprawling consumer electronics industry for chip deliveries amid global supply chain disruption.

The two automotive giants have this week confirmed further production cutbacks as reserves of semiconductors run thin, with Toyota saying it will reduce global outputs by 40 per cent from September.

Chip shortage continues to cripple car makers: Volkswagen has already made 100,000 fewer cars in 2021 than it had originally projected but has warned of further reductions to outputs this week

The latest snarl up comes as Covid-19 cases surge in Asian countries home to auto factories and chip plants such as Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, leading to stricter curbs to prevent the spread of the virus.

Electronic markers are also reporting prices for chips rocketing by up to 600 per cent.

Japan's Toyota, thanks to a policy of stockpiling chips that dates back a decade to the 2011 earthquake and Fukushima nuclear disaster, had largely managed to avoid production cuts.

But the world's largest auto maker by sales volumes said on Thursday it will slash global production for September by two fifths from its previous plan, affecting 14 plants in Japan and elsewhere, including most of its North American factories.

Vehicles have become increasingly dependent on chips for everything from computer management of engines for better fuel economy to driver-assistance features such as emergency braking.

However, the shortage since the pandemic first struck has seen outputs at vehicle factories restricted, with some makers pausing production and closing plants.

This has sparked extended delivery delays for new motors, with some buyers being told they will need to wait more than 12 months for their cars to arrive.

It has also sparked a rise in used car prices, with frustrated motorists reverting to the second-hand marked in a bid to find a replacement vehicle sooner than a new car can be delivered.

Toyota will reduce global vehicle production by 40% from September after confirming chip reserves are depleting

Germany's Volkswagen also said on Thursday that it couldn't rule out further changes to production.

'We currently expect supply of chips in the third quarter to be very volatile and tight,' bosses said at the world's second biggest vehicle producer, behind Toyota.

Explained: How chip shortage is making car buying difficult in 2021 Read our in-depth report on why and how the chip shortage is impacting car makers and causing huge delivery delays. We also reveal the knock-on impact chip supply issues is now having on second-hand vehicle prices, with values reportedly 14% higher than a year ago.

Ford said this week it will temporarily shutter its Kansas City assembly plant where it builds its best-selling, profit-driving F-150 pickup truck, while China's Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd warned the recent worsening of the chip shortage and resurgence of coronavirus cases could pose a 'significant threat' to its sales performance over the next few months.

Although Volkswagen said it expected the situation to improve by the end of the year, some carmakers have warned the chip crisis will drag on into 2022 with earlier industry hopes of a quick resolution long since dashed.

As numerous American auto production lines stand idle, at least part of the time, a trio of Democratic senators asked the Taiwanese government for more help to address the chip shortage, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

But even when one kink in the supply chain gets straightened out, others appear, making it difficult to ensure a consistent flow of chips and leaving damage-limitation focused automakers pushing available components to their more profitable models.

'The situation does remain fluid,' General Motors chief executive Mary Barra said on a conference call on 4 August, noting the impact of events such as the current Covid-19 spike in Malaysia.
Investing in emerging markets is not for the faint-hearted, as recent sharp stock market falls in China have demonstrated.

But it can be hugely rewarding for investors who are prepared to be patient and play the long game.

No emerging market encapsulates this better than India. Over the past decade, the country's stock market index  the BSE Sensex  has tripled in value.

On the move: Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, with a fleet of electric rickshaws, is expanding in India

Yes, its upward trajectory has occasionally been rudely interrupted by big global events such as the 2008 financial crisis and more recently the pandemic, but it has been one of the emerging markets' stronger performers.

Yet there are experts  fund managers and investment advisers  who believe the Indian investment party has only just begun.

They predict another decade of solid investment returns from Indian equities  on the back of a booming economy, a young workforce and greater international investment in the country (in part triggered by big multinational businesses wishing to reduce their dependency on an increasingly belligerent China).

Brian Dennehy, managing director of investment scrutineer FundExpert, has been recommending India to clients since 2008.

Indeed, the stock market remains his top investment recommendation for the coming decade.

He says: 'A young population and a reform minded government headed by Narendra Modi can power the Indian economy for many years and decades to come.'

The latest global economic outlook report from the International Monetary Fund backs Dennehy's view. It believes India will lead the world's economic recovery this year and next.

Although the Indian economy shrank last year by more than five per cent as a result of the pandemic, the IMF says it is on course to rebound strongly  growing by 9.5 per cent this year and 8.5 per cent in 2022.

No other economy, it forecasts, will grow by as much  not even China where the IMF says the respective growth figures will be 8.1 per cent and 5.7 per cent.

David Cornell is chief investment officer of London based Ocean Dial Asset Management which runs India Capital Growth, a 127million trust listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Over the past ten years, the fund has generated shareholder returns of 151 per cent from a portfolio of between 30 and 35 stocks.

He describes India as a 'compelling investment story' as a result of a number of inter-connected factors  none more important than prime minister Modi's determination to free up the economy.

Modi, says Cornell, is leading the way, driving through a series of reforms aimed at removing the bureaucracy which previously inhibited many businesses and discouraged competition.

The PM has also simplified and reduced business taxes while signalling a big increase in infrastructure spending.

The economy, he adds, will also get a boost from the trend which has seen a shift of manufacturing from China to India. 'Foreign investment in India is increasing all the time,' he says.

'Mobile phone giant Apple has said it plans to shift a fifth of its production capacity from China to India.

'Similarly, Samsung is looking to expand its operations at its Noida factory in Uttar Pradesh. Amazon and packaging company Procon Packaging are also investing in India.'

As well as concerns over China's geo-political intentions, low wage costs  a third of those in China  are helping drive this investment in India.

It's a point made by Ramesh Mantri, senior analyst at White Oak Capital Management, a boutique investment house specialising in Indian equities and manager of fund Ashoka India Equity.

He says: 'Anti Chinese sentiment is spreading across Asia and the world is waking up to the fact that it is too reliant on China as a manufacturer of goods. It now sees India as a perfect alternative, a large country with a low cost labour force.'

The composition of India's economy is slowly changing, moving from its dependency on industries such as oil and gas, coal and commodities to embrace new technology  a shift given impetus by the pandemic and the need for the country to digitalise. This is seen as a positive for the equity market.

'India doesn't have well-established, stock market listed technology companies to match those in China such as Tencent and Alibaba,' says Cornell. 'But a new economy is slowly emerging.'

He points to last month's listing of food delivery company Zomato as evidence of investor appetite for technology focused businesses.

A wave of other private companies with a digital bent, among them logistics company Delhivery and online eyewear business Lenskart, are also looking to go public.

A young population  50 per cent of India's 1.3billion people are aged under 25  with money to spend will help spur economic growth.

Dzmitry Lipski, head of fund research at wealth manager Interactive Investor, believes the country's young and well educated population is its 'biggest asset'.

He adds: 'India's middle class is expected to grow from around 50million today to 475 million by 2030.

As they move to the cities, their lifestyles will evolve and their aspirations will grow, This in turn will drive consumer spending and generate economic growth.'

Mantri believes the Indian equity market is a dream for stock-picking fund managers.

This is because of its size  there are more than 5,000 listed companies  the diversity of its constituents, and the fact that some companies are poorly researched.

This provides the opportunity to unearth companies that are seriously undervalued. The fund's 65- strong portfolio is correspondingly skewed towards small and mid cap companies where share price inefficiencies are more prevalent.

Over the past three years, the investment trust has generated a return of 66 per cent.

With India's BSE Sensex stock market having enjoyed a good past year (up more than 50 per cent), it could be argued that a lot of good news is already priced into share prices.

It's a point Ocean Dial's Cornell concedes. 'Yes, the market has priced in a sustained economy recovery  and of course that could be stalled if Covid returns with a vengeance,' he says.

'But if you are prepared to take a five to seven-year investment view, and are happy to endure a few bumps along the way, India could be the place to invest a slice of your investment portfolio.'
Sir Terry Leahy has insisted the private equity giant he works for is the right owner for Morrisons after striking a 7billion takeover deal.

As concerns mounted over the swoop on Britains fourth-largest supermarket chain, the former Tesco boss launched a charm offensive to win over critics of the 285p a share buyout by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R).

The 65-year-old, an adviser to US-based CD&R, harked back to his friendship with Sir Ken Morrison, the son of the companys founder who ran the group for 50 years.

Retail knights: Sir Ken Morrison (left) with former Tesco chief exec Sir Terry Leahy who now advises Morrisons' private equity buyer

In a video statement, Leahy said: I knew Ken Morrison well and I understand the vision and values he built his business upon, values now championed by David Potts and the wider team.

And thats why were so excited to work with that team, not only to preserve those traditional strengths of Morrisons but to build on them with innovation, capital and new technologies.

CD&R announced it had agreed the 7billion bid with the Morrisons board late on Thursday, gazumping a 6.7billion deal agreed with rival private equity group Fortress, owned by Japans Softbank.

The pair have been competing for the grocer since June. Fortress could make a higher offer and is weighing up its options.

Shares in Morrisons rose 4.2 per cent, or 11.8p, to 291p  indicating the market thinks the bidding war has been reignited. Nicholas Hyett, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: This might not be the end of the story.

Bosses at Morrisons stand to net a 40million windfall if the CD&R deal goes ahead and long-term bonuses are honoured.

Chief executive David Potts is in line for 22million. But there are fears Morrisons could be broken up, losing a culture that makes it unique among UK supermarket chains.

Asda was sold to private equity in a 6.8billion deal with the Issa brothers, backed by TDR Capital. Private equity firms have swooped on British companies since the Covid crisis began, with the AA, Ultra Electronics and Aggreko among those targeted.

Critics have warned Morrisons 8billion property portfolio could be sold, it could be loaded with debt and its model of buying animals and whole crops directly from British farmers dashed.

Lord Vinson, an adviser to the Institute for Prosperity, said: Its a shame. Morrisons is liked by suppliers, they play it straight and the company is fair. They can do it because they dont pay huge rents and own their properties.

CD&R said it considers that this strong heritage is core to Morrisons and its approach.

Leahy added: We know customers love Morrisons and that the management and staff try to provide a better customer service every day and contribute to the local communities. We at CD&R are determined to help do that.
BHP has sacked almost 50 mine workers for sexual harassment in just two years as it fights to stamp out predatory behaviour endured by women at its remote camps.

It and Rio Tinto are among a string of miners under the spotlight of a parliamentary inquiry in Western Australia following allegations of rape and harassment.

In the last two years, BHP said it found six cases of rape or sexual assault. Another allegation of rape and four of non-consensual touching are being probed.

BHP and Rio Tinto are among a string of miners under the spotlight of a parliamentary inquiry in Western Australia following allegations of rape and harassment

In the two years to June 30, BHP received 73 reports of other types of harassment such as sexual comments, or unwanted advances.

BHP said 48 resulted in 'termination' or 'permanent removal' of the culprit. The firm said: 'We are deeply sorry and apologise unreservedly. We are determined to continue to address this.'

Rio Tinto reported one case of sexual assault since January 1, 2020 had been substantiated, and 29 cases of harassment.

A further allegation of sexual assault and 14 of harassment are being probed.

BHP and Rio Tinto have imposed strict curbs on alcohol at sites, to make them safer for women.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union said male-dominated workforces, isolation, and availability of alcohol combine to make harassment more likely.
MALTA  Computer chipmaker GlobalFoundries has filed confidential documents with U.S. securities regulators for an initial public offering that values the company at $25 billion, Reuters reported.

The $25 billion valuation is lower than the $30 billion that chipmaking giant Intel Corp. reportedly is willing to pay to acquire GlobalFoundries outright.

GlobalFoundries has its headquarters in the Saratoga County town of Malta where it has its Fab 8 manufacturing complex. The campus employs 3,000 people.

A GlobalFoundries spokesman declined comment Friday. The IPO is not a surprise: GlobalFoundries CEO Tom Caulfield has been talking about plans for an IPO for years and earlier this year said the IPO could take place at the end of 2021 or early 2022. GlobalFoundries often gives interviews on major announcements to Reuters in advance of other outlets.

Taking its stock public would give GlobalFoundries a major infusion of capital for its ambitious plans to expand Fab 8 and build a new factory in Singapore. The company is also expanding its German facilities.

Reuters said details of the IPO would be made public in October, and the offering would happen by the end of the year.

Companies can choose to file their preliminary IPO plans with the SEC and have them shielded from public view to enable businesses to test the waters without tipping their hand to competitors. The documents are made public two weeks before the IPO is announced. The process was originally designed for small companies but was expanded to be available for most companies in 2017.

An IPO would also give Mubadala Investment Co., the Abu Dhabi investment fund that owns GlobalFoundries, a return on its investment in the company, which was spun off from Advanced Micro Devices in 2009 as a so-called foundry that would make chips not only for AMD but also other customers.

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Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, has recently jumped into the foundry market, and acquiring GlobalFoundries is seen as a way for Intel to jump-start that new business. Intel is also reportedly looking at New York and other states to build a massive manufacturing campus that would have six to eight factories, or fabs.

The Reuters report said that GlobalFoundries may rather go public than be acquired by Intel, especially since Intel is a major rival to AMD, which is GlobalFoundries' largest customer.

The Reuters report also asserted that the Biden administration would likely not look favorably on the combination of Intel and GlobalFoundries since it would essentially put all of the U.S. foundry market in the hands of one player.

The Biden administration and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have been advocating a $52 billion fund for the chip industry to expand in the U.S. to better compete with China. The funding would help pay for new factories across the U.S. and a new national research and development center that could end up at Albany Nanotech. That plan would work best when the competitive landscape in the industry is strong, although the enormous cost of research in the industry has been driving consolidation.
ALBANY  A Texas man was swept up in the criminal case of MyPayrollHR CEO Michael Mann and charged with several felonies by federal prosecutors for allegedly aiding Mann with his $100 million bank fraud scheme.

Derek Schwartz, 52, of Coppell, Texas, becomes the third person charged in Mann's scheme. He is facing one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud after he was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury. He is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Barnett and Cyrus Rieck in Albany but has yet to be arraigned.

Mann, 51, was sentenced earlier this month to 12 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $101 million in restitution after pleading guilty to 12 felonies in the scheme.

Mann admitted to defrauding a group of banks and lenders from 2013 until Labor Day weekend in 2019 when Mann's Clifton Park payroll company, MyPayrollHR, collapsed as his scheme was uncovered.

Mann had diverted millions of dollars of his customers' payroll money, leading to hundreds of companies nationwide not being able to pay their employees or their payroll taxes for weeks.

The collapse of MyPayrollHR received national headlines, although the payroll company's demise was just a side effect of Mann's crimes, which involved him tricking several finance companies into giving him tens of millions of dollars in loans for his various businesses, some of which only existed on paper.

Mann operated all of the businesses, some of which were real and some of which were fake, under a holding company called ValueWise he operated out of his Clifton Park office.

Schwartz is the third person to be charged with aiding Mann. The other is Luke Steiner, a former employee of Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group in Minnesota. Schwartz used to work for Optum as well but then went to work for Mann in 2013 to operate a consulting company called TrueHR that Mann ran as a ValueWise subsidiary.

Optum did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Schwartz could not be reached either.

Schwartz allegedly recruited Steiner, whom he supervised, to falsify invoices that said that Optum owed Mann's company millions of dollars in consulting fees. The falsified invoices were used by Mann as collateral to get business loans from so-called factoring companies that lend money to companies based on their receivables and expected cash flow. In reality, many of Mann's businesses had no actual operations and therefore did not have any income from consulting work.

At one point, when Steiner indicated that he had an employment offer from another company, Schwartz and Mann tried to get him to remain at Optum so he could continue aiding their scheme.

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"I know you were going to talk to him about staying put a little longer," Mann wrote Schwartz in an undated email, according to prosecutors.

Mann then told Schwartz they might have to recruit other Optum employees to continue the deception.

Schwartz also allegedly helped Mann deceive his lenders into believing that TrueHR was a vendor to another of Mann's consulting companies, Weitz & Associates, and that Weitz & Associates needed a loan to pay its vendors, including TrueHR, which was not actually a vendor to Weitz & Associates.

"Mann, with Schwartz help, fabricated the names and contact information of non-existent people working at fake Weitz vendors," federal prosecutors said in a statement issued Friday.

Schwartz is facing up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted at trial. Steiner, 33, pleaded guilty in February 2020 to aiding Mann to deceive his lenders by falsifying invoices from Optum and awaits sentencing. Steiner was compensated by Mann with $11,300 in Amazon gift cards.


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New York's youth population shrunk by 5 percent in the last decade, even as the state's overall population grew 4 percent. The state had 211,815 fewer people under age 18 in 2020 than it did in 2010  the third largest decline of any state, according to the Brookings Institute, a non-profit think tank. But while the population of kids shrunk, the number of New York children identifying as Asian, Hispanic or multiracial all increased in the last decade, census data shows. (TU)

A state commissioner for the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance told a Senate panel on Friday that New York has distributed 65 percent of its federal pandemic rental relief, relieving a potential threat of having to forfeit the remainder of the funding for not issuing enough of it by a Sept. 30 deadline. (TU)

Heres the rest of your roundup:

Two inmates pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court on Thursday to charges that they had conspired to defraud the state-administered unemployment insurance program from inside a Franklin County correctional facility. The Department of Labor paid out over $30,000 as a result of the alleged scheme. (TU)

A coalition of labor unions and power companies is pushing for more options, including hydrogen and dispatchable power, in the states push toward a carbon-free electric grid by 2040. (TU)

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Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie said they never completely ruled out a report on the Judiciary Committee's impeachment probe into Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, although he initially said a report might interfere with ongoing criminal investigations. (AP)

Analysis: Heastie took heat over Cuomo probe. How did he walk away unscathed? (Gothamist)

What comes after Zee?: Columnist Chris Churchill says 'Cuomo Bridge' might be the right name after all (TU)
ALBANY  Moving trucks were being loaded up outside the residence of outgoing Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Friday morning.

The governor's resignation is expected to go into effect at 11:59 p.m. Monday. He issued two weeks' notice for his job as the state's chief executive last week, amid mounting scandals and a looming impeachment proceeding.
PRATTSVILLE  A raucous group of about 150 central Catskills residents voiced anger and concern at a proposed biofuel production facility during a public information session held by the projects principles.

Hughes Energy Group applied in January for permits from the Department of Environmental Conservation to open the facility, which would convert the organic material from municipal garbage into paper, biofuel and other products.

Hughes Energy Group CEO Dan McSpedon, who led the group through a presentation about the proposed facility before taking questions and comments, said the companys principles were dedicated to fighting climate change.

We believe in divesting from fossil fuel as much as possible and really converting those organic materials that no one wants into consumer products, including energy products, he said.

The facility would cut down on landfills, and thereby methane, a greenhouse gas produced from decomposing organic matter, McSpedon said. Resulting biofuel briquettes could be used in place of coal or wood pellets.

The facility would be in congruence with the states Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, McSpedon said, a watershed law passed in 2019 requiring New York to cut Greenhouse Gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

During the session's second section, community members questioned whether toxins from the garbage could escape the facility and make their way into the surrounding environment or the Schoharie Reservoir, part of the reservoir system that provides water to a million people in the Hudson Valley and much of New York City.

Audience members also took issue with the projects anticipated truck traffic  McSpedon said a truck would arrive every 15 minutes during the day  and the novel nature of the facility, which would be Hughes Energys first in the U.S.

The audiences main contention, however, was placement. One audience member early in the comments period summed it up to wild applause.

This is still the Catskill Mountain Park, she said. The problem with this is youre invading the beauty of the area.

It doesnt belong here, another audience member later said. Were the only beautiful place left from the city to here.

Audience members asked why Hughes Energy chose the Catskills for their first facility. McSpedon replied it was because the companys founder, Brendon Hughes, lived in the area, an answer that did not satisfy the group.

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The 115,000-square foot facility would be built on the site of an existing transfer station less than 2,000 feet from the Schoharie Creek, which feeds New York City's reservoir system. The facility would be under negative pressure to eliminate wafting odors, according to McSpedon, and steam emitting from it would be cooled so there would be no visible plume.

Nearly 40 people spoke, either in person or remotely, during the comments section, with all but one opposed to the project. He said it would bring jobs to the community.

Hughes Energy would create 250 jobs during the projects construction phase and 50 full-time jobs once completed, according to McSpedon, half of which would be highly skilled positions for people with advanced degrees.

The DEC is the lead agency reviewing the project, limiting the ability for localities to reject it. The agency is in the process of deciding if the facility would have significant impacts on its surroundings. If the DEC decides it will, Hughes Energy will have to go through a lengthy review process in order to receive permits to build.

The DEC will come to a decision within days or weeks at this point, according to McSpedon.

Toward the meetings conclusion, an audience member stood up and asked the group to follow him in a chant. Those assembled raised their voices, clapping and thumping tables at each syllable: Hughes get out of town!"
A new supportive housing facility will be established in the Town of Ulster in response to Ulster Countys housing crisis, Ulster County officials announced yesterday.

Through a partnership with affordable housing agency RUPCO, the nonprofit Family of Woodstock, and Catholic Charities of Ulster, Sullivan and Orange, the Quality Inn on Route 28 will be renovated to provide 100 units of supportive housing for families and individuals. Supportive housing refers to a strategic effort to combine affordable housing with coordinated onsite services intended to help formerly homeless, disabled and other vulnerable tenants.

Affordable housing has been a top concern in the Hudson Valley more broadly and Ulster County specifically, as a hot real estate market has squeezed inventory and driven home prices to record highs. This past spring, an adult group home in Kingston was listed for sale, displacing 60 residents of Chizs Heart Street.

Ulster County has been a crisis housing situation pre-dating the pandemic, Michael Berg, executive director of Family of Woodstock, said in a phone interview. The pandemic has exacerbated it, and the moratorium on eviction has meant there have been no available apartments.

The countys median rent price increased by 16 percent since 2010, while the median household income of renters decreased by one percent. A January 2020 count identified 438 homeless people living in Ulster County, where 12 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to U.S. census data.

The move to purchase and renovate the Quality Inn into a supportive housing facility answers one of the recommendations outlined from the countys housing action plan that was released earlier this year, which called for an increase in the supply of supported and transitional housing. Other recommendations included establishing a housing task force, partnering with developers for scattered (re)development, and creating a Housing Smart Communities Initiative to increase housing supply.

The announcement of the hotel purchase and renovation comes after the Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act was signed into law last week. The legislation calls for the creation of a fund to be used by the state to buy financially distressed hotels and commercial properties and convert them into permanent housing.

Coming out of the pandemic, Ulster County will continue to do everything that we can to assist those most vulnerable among us, said Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan in a press release. These new apartments, along with all the supportive services, will allow our residents to live with dignity and pride while accessing critical services and support during a difficult time.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams also attended yesterdays press conference, saying that this project is an essential lifeline and an effective solution that will greatly improve the lives of so many in Ulster County.

The hotel would convert the 145 rooms to 100 apartments with kitchens and other amenities. The facility would also be the site of other support services, including health and mental health care, career counseling and job training, and childcare. Support for finding permanent housing will also be provided at the site. The hotel restaurant will be renovated to provide job training opportunities for both residents and the community.

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Berg said they are currently discussing whether some of the apartments will be emergency shelters or treating all as permanent supportive apartments. The housing will be for both singles and families.

The need is very significant, said Berg. There are people that have been in area motels for too long. Our goal is to address this issue  people are in motels without cooking facilities, without access to services and without transportation.

Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulsters CEO Shannon Kelly said that operating the countys warming center has helped them see how much supportive housing is needed in the community.

For us, we see the stories and get to know the people coming into the warming center who, by and large, have gone through lots of different trauma in their life, said Kelly in a phone interview. We really think this place is going to provide everybody who enters the doors not just a roof over their head but all of the services they need.

Poughkeepsie-based MASS Design Group will do the renovation at the site and are exploring ways to incorporate solar and other green design features. The first housing units are expected to be available to begin meeting needs by the spring of 2022.
GOSHEN  The number of Orange County residents hospitalized with severe COVID-19 cases has climbed from nine to 60 in three weeks as a resurgent virus spreads at a quickening pace, mostly among the unvaccinated.

More than 1,000 people in Orange now have active COVID cases, nearly a quarter of whom are children, according to county data and the county health commissioner. Those rising counts renew the prospect of contagion just two weeks before children are set to return to school with those under 12 still ineligible to be vaccinated.

"Throughout the entirety of the pandemic, we have not seen numbers as high in our population 18 and under," Dr. Irina Gelman, the health commissioner, told county lawmakers on Tuesday.

And in a sign of the potential severity of an illness once thought to pose little risk to the young, Gelman said she knew of two children younger than 10 who were being treated in intensive-care units in Orange County hospitals. She declined on Wednesday to provide more information about those cases because of patient confidentiality rules.

Orange is one of dozens of New York counties, including all seven in the Mid-Hudson region, that now have high COVID transmission rates, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Orange County reached that level on Aug. 8, prompting Gelman to issue an advisory last Thursday to urge residents to wear masks in indoor group settings.

Gelman told lawmakers on the Health and Mental Health Committee on Tuesday that another 132 new COVID cases had been confirmed in Orange that day, the highest daily count since April 16 when the second pandemic wave was receding.

Many residents remain unvaccinated in spite of the renewed risk of catching and spreading the virus with the highly contagious Delta variant in circulation. Only about 51% of Orange County residents are fully vaccinated, which is below the statewide rate of 57% and only slightly higher than the county rate was three weeks ago.

More than 90% of the people hospitalized in Orange with COVID are unvaccinated, Gelman said. And some people who have resisted getting shots are now catching COVID for the second or third time, since the immunity that comes from having had the virus generally lasts no longer than three months.

Gelman, who speaks often with school officials for updates on the evolving COVID situation, said all districts' medical directors support requiring masks in school. She pointed out to lawmakers that about half the people entering schools next month will be unvaccinated on average, based on the county's vaccination rate as a whole.

"An individual has a right to be diseased," she said. "An individual has a right for their children to be diseased. Once you are passing that disease on to another individual in a congregate setting, that's when population health steps in and looks at the propagation of disease as a whole within the population."

At least four of Orange County's 17 school districts  Minisink Valley, Pine Bush, Florida and Chester  declared that students and staff must wear masks in school after Gelman issued her mask recommendation last week. The state Education Department has also recommended that districts mandate masks, but many are now waiting to see if the state Health Department makes that a statewide requirement.

Orange County, which has a population of around 400,000 has now had more than 50,000 COVID cases, leading to 873 deaths, according to county data. Four people died in July, with a median age of 67, Gelman said.

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People still unsure whether to get themselves and their children vaccinated must weigh the potential long-term effects the virus can have on the body's cardiovascular, neurological and reproductive systems, Gelman argued. Medical professionals have begun to see "quite a large number of repercussions" aside from respiratory complications, she said.

"We are seeing other issues, and they're more systemic and they're chronic and long-term, rather than acute," she said.

--

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Priya Winston

Priya Winston is a licensed social worker and lead instructor at a post-secondary education program called Transitions in Mayfield. Her company prepares students for career and college success and to achieve full independence.



Winstons role involves reviewing the curriculum for the program, teaching courses and providing social work services to the students.



Shes also a doctoral candidate in the University at Albanys social work doctoral program.



Winston, who you may follow on Twitter is todays 20 things feature.
Should kids be forced to wear face coverings at school this fall? As COVID-19 cases increase across the state, most schools will implement a universal mask policy  but some parents strongly oppose mask mandates.

On this episode of "The Eagle," Times Union Editor-in-Chief Casey Seiler and Managing Editor Susan Mehalick discuss the week's top headlines, including the story of an Albany mom who is desperately trying to get her children out of Afghanistan. Plus, Cuomo's upcoming departure from the Capitol has us reminiscing about the time he f-bombed a Times Union reporter.



Also on this episode, reporter Ed McKinley discusses his investigation on the Child Victim's Act  and the revelation that the Albany Diocese sent priests accused of sexually abusing children to treatment centers, instead of alerting law enforcement.



McKinley, a Hearst Fellow, just wrapped up his time at the Times Union and is now the Texas state capitol for Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  The former fiancee of Larry Elder said Thursday that the conservative radio talk show host now running for governor in California showed her a gun during a heated argument in 2015.

Elder, widely seen as the leader in the Republican field running to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in next month's recall election, issued a statement saying I have never brandished a gun at anyone." Elder, who is seeking to become California's first Black governor, noted that he grew up in South Los Angeles, an area with high violent crime.

I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is, he said.

Alexandra Datig's accusation, first reported by Politico, comes with less than four weeks until the Sept. 14 election and at a time when mail-in ballots already have arrived at voters' homes. Elder said he intended to stay focused on the issues that inspired the recall drive by Republicans upset with Newsom's progressive policies and handling of the pandemic.

His campaign said he was planning weekend rallies.

Datig, 51 and a longtime Los Angeles resident, said she worked on Elder's show and they lived together during their 18-month romantic relationship from 2013 to 2015. A letter and other records provided by Datig to The Associated Press  including an April 6, 2015, email in which she wrote about the collapse of their engagement  sketched a portrait of an emotionally abusive relationship in which Elder routinely was using medicinal marijuana to excess.

Datig claims Elder was high during the 2015 argument and went to a cabinet where he kept his gun and made sure it was in my view.

He did not point it at me, but he wanted to make sure that I knew that he was checking" to see it was loaded, she told the AP.

Threatening another person with a firearm could be a criminal offense but Datig said she never reported it to police.

Elder did not specifically address the claim about cannabis use in questions submitted to his campaign by AP. His statement in response to Datigs claims of abuse referred broadly to salacious allegations.

People do not get into public life precisely because of this type of politics of personal destruction. I am not going to dignify this with a response  its beneath me, Elder wrote. A short time later he tweeted: Theyre coming at me with every dirty trick because they know whats coming on September 14."

Datig supports one of Elders Republican rivals, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Earlier this week Faulconer began targeting Elder with criticism and specifically questioning his attitudes about women, noting among other things that Elder had written that employers should be able to ask women if and when they plan to get pregnant.

Larry Elder doesnt have the judgment or character to lead our state, Faulconer said in response to Datigs allegations.

Another Republican in the race, state Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, said in a statement that he found Datig's claims disturbing.

I believe that any woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, and Ms. Datigs deeply troubling account should be treated with the utmost seriousness. Mr. Elder should be given every opportunity to respond, he said.

However, in a televised debate Thursday night with Faulconer, Kiley and fellow GOP candidate John Cox, the issue never came up.

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Elder entered the race in July and Datig said she waited until now to come forward because she initially didn't think he would be competitive.

I didnt take it seriously but when Larry started to trend and become the frontrunner, I became extremely concerned, she said.

The documents provided by Datig described months of emotional distress from the unraveling romantic and business relationship. I feel trapped and afraid, she wrote in the mail.

Datig also provided the AP with a copy of a confidentiality agreement she signed in 2014 barring her from speaking about the personal and business affairs of Elder and his business, Laurence A. Elder & Associates, Inc. She said she was breaking it to go public with her accusations.

A March 31, 2015, letter from her attorney to Elder asked for $6,000 in monthly support for Datig for one year, to cover expenses including rent, car and health care costs. She also asked for $195,000 for public relations, marketing and other services she said she provided for his show.

The two ultimately signed an agreement on April 13, 2015, for Elder to pay Datig $20,000 and cover the cost of her $5,000 legal retainer and $185 to dry clean her wedding dress. Elder agreed he and his assistant would sign a nondisclosure agreement regarding anything to do with Datig, that he would write her a letter of recommendation for her work product, and that they two would halt mutual insults."

Datig refers to herself as a sex trafficking survivor and has publicly disclosed working for so-called former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, who was convicted in the mid-1990s of running a high-priced call-girl ring, a conviction that was later overturned. Fleiss was later sentenced to federal prison for cheating on her taxes and laundering call-girl profits. In a 2013 interview with KCAL-TV, Datig described becoming an informant on Fleiss.

__

Ronayne reported from Sacramento.
TROY  Pharmacies in Rensselaer County now have to provide a safe disposal product with each opioid prescription they dispense under a new local law that passed the County Legislature last month.

The law, which is intended to reduce opportunities for prescription pill misuse while providing users with an environmentally friendly disposal option, aims to curtail the supply of opioids on the street at a time when fatal opioid overdoses are climbing both locally and nationwide.

We have heard story after story about opioids being accessed by a child or a relative, and sometimes leading to tragic outcomes, said County Executive Steve McLaughlin, who signed the legislation into law last week and held a news conference Friday to outline the details. This is a simple and easy way to safely prevent opioids from getting taken by a child or others.

While a number of municipalities have passed laws requiring drop boxes at pharmacies and other locations for people to safely dispose of unwanted drugs, Rensselaer County is the first county in the state to require pharmacies to provide safe disposal products each time they fill an opioid prescription.

Such products, which contain ingredients that deactivate the medication when combined with water and shaken, can be used right at home. The end product is able to be disposed of in the trash  and unlike flushing pills down the toilet does not contaminate water supplies or harm aquatic life.

What we think is this is a law that has the potential to be adopted statewide, McLaughlin said.

Indeed, the executive director of the New York State Association of Counties, Stephen Acquario, joined McLaughlin Friday to urge other counties around the state to follow suit.

We have a public health crisis, he said. We have to do something to get these opioids off the street to protect people from substance use disorder.

Albany County has already followed Rensselaer Countys lead. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy announced Friday that he had signed an executive order imposing the same requirements on pharmacies in his county, and urged the county Legislature to pass legislation in its place.

McCoy said his hope is for the state to pass its own version as well.

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I was in the legislature when we passed no smoking in Albany County (and) helmet laws for scooters, he said. These are things that sometimes we have to address county by county. We wish we didnt have to  but it sometimes gets done quicker.

Rensselaer County will be requiring pharmacies to pick up the tab for the disposal products without passing the cost on to customers. Albany County will use opioid settlement funds to pay for the products, McCoy said.

"We did get a lot of pushback from our pharmacists that were saying it's another cost to them," he said.

"It's not a big cost," he added. "But part of the lawsuit money coming in ... can be used for this, so we'll use this to offset it."

Both Albany and Rensselaer counties are on track to see record overdose deaths this year, county leaders confirmed.

Albany County recorded 99 fatal opioid overdoses last year  a 60 percent increase over 2019 and the most in a single year since the overdose epidemic began. Rensselaer County, which was averaging between 20 and 34 fatal overdoses a year in recent years, had 61 as of early December 2020.
ALBANY  A federal judge handed a three-year prison sentence Thursday to a former high school valedictorian who hacked into the computers of dozens of unsuspecting female students at SUNY Plattsburgh to steal their naked photos and videos for trade with interested buyers.

Nicholas Faber, 25, an accomplice of yet-to-be sentenced Albany fraudster Michael P. Fish, in the hacking scheme, had hoped to receive two years in prison at his sentencing Instead, U.S. District Judge Mae DAgostino imposed the three-year term, along with three years of federal supervision when he leaves prison.

"You did tremendous damage young man, you really did," D'Agostino told Faber, whose family was present.

Unlike many defendants she sentences in U.S. District Court, the judge told Faber he has a support system and is extremely intelligent. Faber, who graduated from Greece Olympia High School outside Rochester in 2014, was a valedictorian, the judge said.

But D'Agostino told Faber he has a dark side and that he appeared to delight in gaining access to his victims' computer devices. She told Faber he acted with "laser-like determination" to victimize women who had no idea "evil was lurking."

Faber, who graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2017, was attending St. John Fisher College outside Rochester when he "threw it all away," he told the judge when afforded a chance to speak.

The defendant, whom the judge said was diagnosed with voyeurism, said: "If I could go back in time, I would try to get the help I needed sooner ... you can't undo it and it's going to follow me for the rest of my life."

Faber had asked others to break into the accounts of more than 50 women and personally hacked into more than two dozen, the judge said.

Faber pleaded guilty in February to computer intrusion causing damage and aggravated identity theft. Fish pleaded guilty to the same crimes  then, while awaiting sentencing, fabricated self-serving letters on his behalf to the judge in the names of his mother grandparents, priest and an aide to Rep. Elise Stefanik.

In a sentencing recommendation to the judge, federal prosecutors said Faber tried to minimize his involvement in the crimes by claiming that Fish accessed more computer accounts than he did. But they said Faber "knew full well the extensive measures Fish took to crack into the accounts of his victims.."

Faber boasted to Fish that he had "good stuff" - illicit photos and images - to trade from 30 female victims, stated the memo from Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rosenthal and Deputy Chief Michael Stawasz from the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Divisions Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.

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"Before he was caught, the defendant had no intention to stop this practice," the memo said. "In his own words, '(k)eep sending

and Ill keep making (demeaning collages with stolen pictures) ... I like doing em haha.'"

On Thursday, the judge told Faber his text messages were vile.

"You know how disgusting they are -- and so do I," she said.

The judge rejected Faber's request to report to prison at a later date.
MANDAN, N.D. (AP)  A jury ended its first day of deliberations Thursday without a decision in the trial of a North Dakota chiropractor accused of killing four people.

Jurors were dismissed after three hours of deliberations. They were scheduled to resume discussions Friday morning.

Chad Isaak is accused of fatally stabbing and shooting RJR Maintenance & Management co-owner Robert Fakler, 52, and his employees 42-year-old Adam Fuehrer, 50-year-old Bill Cobb and 45-year-old Lois Cobb at the companys building in Mandan on April 1, 2019. The Cobbs were married.

Isaak, 47, lives in a mobile home in Washburn on property managed by RJR. No motive has been established in the case.

Prosecutors have presented the case as a puzzle in which all of the pieces point to Isaak, including a knife found in his clothes washer, gun parts found in his freezer and the security camera footage tracking his pickup, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

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The defense has painted the case as a rush to judgment, maintaining that authorities overlooked numerous people as possible suspects. Isaaks attorneys also have questioned the sourcing, collection and processing of evidence.

They said some testimony doesnt match police reports and they have questioned the absence of visible blood on the clothing of a person seen in security camera footage leaving RJR the morning of the killings.

A jury of six men and six women is hearing the case. If convicted, Isaak could face life in prison without parole.
COLONIE  A Massachusetts man was killed in an overnight vehicular crash on Central Avenue, according to Colonie police.

Christopher Welter, 36, of Medford, Mass., died after his vehicle ran into the back of a tractor trailer that was stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Central Avenue and Jupiter Lane at approximately 1:55 a.m.
TROY  An apology of sorts ended an angry City Council meeting at which people shouted, cried and expressed disgust.

The council voted in committee to approve a $1.55 million settlement to the family of Edson Thevenin, killed by city police Sgt. Randall French in 2016.

Residents rallied outside and spoke to the council for an hour during the committee meeting, largely to describe their disgust with a memo included with the settlement resolution in the agenda. They said it proved the city would never take police reform seriously, that the council would not protect its own police from having to work with a "murdering racist cop" and that the council couldn't see Black men as human beings.

One woman described her fears as a mother who wont allow her son to wear headphones or a hoodie lest he encounters a police officer having a bad day.

I understand that if you never bore a Black man as a son, you cant feel that, said Jessica Ashley, a member of the Justice Center of Rensselaer County. "This case, this situation, grieves my soul. I appeal to your humanity.

She urged them to see Black men as human beings and apologize for Thevenins death.

There were terrible mistakes, but it doesnt have to stay that way, she said. First of all, Edson was murdered. It has to be said. If you cant acknowledge that Edson was murdered never said to his mother, I am so sorry, then you have not validated him as a human being. If you have not done that, then you will not be able to do that with any of our sons.

Thevenins mother said shell continue to fight for a jury trial, but doesnt object to her sons widow accepting the settlement. She noted with disgust that the city memorandum said giving Thevenins family money was humane.

Treating my son with the respect he deserved would have been the humane thing to do, she said.

Many residents asked the council to withdraw the memorandum attached to the settlement proposal in the council agenda. They said it was offensive and perpetuated lies.

To me that memo says we are white supremacist people and we are very proud with getting away with killing a Black man very cheap, said Rafael Varela. Its horrible. Youre entering that into the record?

Corporation Counsel Richard Morrissey took responsibility for the memo, which he wrote.

The memo represents the position of the administration, he told the council. I stand by the memo. I think it is based on the evidence.

Thevenin was not murdered, he said. But he offered an apology to Thevenins mother.

Her pain is real, he said. I am horribly sorry for her loss.

The council voted, without Mayor Patrick Madden present, to approve the settlement. No council member discussed the incident, except to direct Morrissey to sign his memos in the future.

The whole situation left one resident questioning why he continues to live in Troy.

Why do I own a house here? Why do I pay taxes to people who wont protect me? asked Messiah Cooper in a speech to the council. Yall actually think you can pay us off for killing our babies.

Thevenins family sued the city in federal court, alleging the shooting was unjustified. The family and Troy officials agreed to the court-mediated settlement, in which Troy officials would not have to admit any fault. The City Council will make a final vote on Sept. 9.

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The memo given to the City Council in support of the settlement said that French shot Thevenin after Thevenin reversed his car toward French.

Sergeant French reasonably believed he was going to be crushed, and in those circumstances, the shooting was justified, the memo said.

Residents noted that the police departments internal affairs office determined that French had lied about the encounter.

French said Thevenin crashed into a concrete barrier while fleeing when French tried to pull him over for suspected DWI. But damage to the other side of Thevenins car, as well as to Frenchs patrol car, indicate French sidewiped him, pushing Thevenins car into the wall, according to the internal affairs report.

The report also cites a police captain and a tow truck driver who observed the incident, both of whom said French got out of his patrol car and fired at Thevenin immediately, without being in danger of being run over. After the first two of eight shots, Thevenins car, which city officials said was in drive, slowly rolled into French and pinned him against his patrol car.

City officials criticized that report and hired an expert, Michael Ranalli, who produced his own report on the incident. They have not made that report public, although Madden said it would be released after the case was settled.

On Thursday, a city spokesman would not commit to ever releasing the document, and said the city would not release it prior to the Sept. 9 Council vote.

Further document disclosure must await final approval and completion of the settlement by the City Council, said spokesman John Salka.

French died of COVID-19 last year. That means he can't testify, which is why the city is settling, according to the citys memo.

Although Thevenins widow Cinthia has pressed for a jury trial in an effort to prove that French was at fault, her attorney said she had agreed to the settlement.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  The United Nations secretary-general said Thursday that humanitarian conditions in Ethiopia are hellish as the nine-month Tigray conflict spreads in Africas second most populous country.

Antonio Guterres told reporters that the spread of the fighting has ensnared even more people in its horror. Thousands of people have been killed since November, hundreds of thousands inside Tigray face famine conditions and hundreds of thousands in the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions have been displaced in recent weeks as resurgent Tigray forces move in.

The secretary-general said he spoke with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed earlier Thursday and there was a commitment things would improve, but we have to see what happens in the next few days. Previous commitments have not brought the unrestricted humanitarian access that the U.N. seeks for the Tigray region of some 6 million people.

The latest U.N. humanitarian update on Tigray, released on Thursday, said 100 trucks of supplies  90 of them with food  must enter Tigray every day to help meet the needs of more than 5 million people.

But just 316 trucks had entered the region between July 12 and last Sunday, the update said. The U.N. and U.S. have described the Ethiopian government's almost complete blockade of Tigray as a siege, and humanitarian workers have been subjected to what the U.N. calls intense searches by local authorities at checkpoints. Aid groups are running out of fuel, medical supplies and other resources.

Now many civilians in Amhara and Afar are on the run as allegations grow of shelling and targeted killings by the Tigray forces. Ethiopia's government this year declared the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which dominated the country's government for 27 years before Abiy came to power, a terrorist group after a political fallout turned into fighting.

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The U.N. secretary-general urged an immediate cease-fire, the creation of conditions for an Ethiopia-led political dialogue, unrestricted aid access and the return of basic services. Telephone, internet and banking services remain cut off across Tigray, further challenging efforts to deliver aid.

Guterres said he has been making intense contacts to press for a cease-fire and said he and African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat see eye to eye on what needs to be done. The AU, with its headquarters in Ethiopias capital, has faced criticism for being quiet about the crisis on its doorstep.

The spokeswoman for Ethiopias prime minister, Billene Seyoum, did not respond to questions about Guterres comments or the American initiative he said was taking place in pursuit of a cease-fire. The prime minister this week didnt meet with a U.S. special envoy, Jeffrey Feltman, during his Ethiopia visit, instead going to Turkey to sign a military cooperation agreement.
ALBANY  A state commissioner for the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance told a Senate panel on Friday that New York has distributed 65 percent of its federal pandemic rental relief, relieving a potential threat of having to forfeit the remainder of the funding for not issuing enough of it by a Sept. 30 deadline.

The testimony by Commissioner Michael P. Hein, a former Ulster County executive, came as his agency has faced withering criticism for delays in doling out the funds in a timely manner to thousands of struggling tenants and landlords.

In a report earlier this week, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said an audit by his office found New York had allocated $2.7 billion from federal and state to rental relief programs, but only $108.8 million had been distributed. The slow roll-out meant the state faced the prospect of having its federal aid reapportioned to other states if it did not distribute enough of it by the September deadline.

Renters account for nearly half of New York's households and most live in New York City, where unemployment remains nearly double the national average.

There are billions in federal aid to help renters who fell behind on payments in the pandemic, but this money isnt getting to them, DiNapoli said in a statement accompanying the audit.

The state Senate's committees on Housing, Construction, Community Development and Social Services convened the meeting at Founders Hall in Brooklyn to address New Yorks slow distribution of relief aid as the states eviction moratorium is due to expire Aug. 31. It was not the first time that Hein has been grilled by a Senate committee about his agency's handling of the Emegency Rental Assistance Program.

New York state has experienced significant problems in the implementation of this critical rent relief program, the committees said in a joint statement Friday, adding that the distribution is significantly slower than other states.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back part of the states eviction moratorium, potentially leaving tenants vulnerable to evictions.

K. Michelle Arthur, executive director of United Tenants of Albany, said shes preparing for the worst as the moratorium deadline looms.

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Her organization has seen a 10-fold increase in calls from people seeking emergency assistance during the pandemic. Shes also seen an uptick in the number of illegal lockout evictions.

In addition to federal protections for tenants and the state's Emergency Rental Assistance Program, New York has also enacted the New York COVID-19 Eviction Prevention Act and the New York Tenant Safe Harbor Act.

Arthur stressed that by applying for ERAP a tenant is temporarily safe from an eviction.

The law is estimated to be protecting 169,000 households from eviction and has given $156 million to landlords for nearly 12,000 tenants, Hein added during the meeting.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo first declared a statewide eviction moratorium in March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Just chugging through the heart of the Valley
The leading Republican candidate is California's recall election that could remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is denying that he brandished a gun during a heated domestic argument with his former fiancee
August 18, 2021

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[August 19, 2021] ALYI Expects To Begin Generating EV Rideshare Revenue This Year Entering $16 Billion Motorcycle Taxi Market

DALLAS, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alternet Systems, Inc. (USOTC: ALYI) ("ALYI") today confirmed that it expects revenue from its Electric Vehicle (EV) Rideshare Business to start before the end of 2021. The company added today that it intends to publish a specific revenue target in approximately three weeks from now, shortly after Labor Day which falls on September 6, 2021. CEO Dr. Randell Torno recently returned to Dallas following waypoint meetings in Nairobi managing the company's ongoing EV Rideshare Pilot Program targeting the existing motorcycle taxi market. Africa has millions of motorcycles deployed as taxis or boda-bodas, and ALYI, as one part of its overall EV Ecosystem Business Strategy, is engaged in a project to replace combustion engine motorcycles with electric motorcycles. In conjunction with the EV Taxi Pilot, ALYI has an order for 2,000 electric motorcycles. The global motorcycle taxi market was valued by Verified Market Research at $16 billion in 2018 and expected to grow to over 29 billion by 2026. Dr. Torno reported in a recent follow up to his meetings in Nairobi, "I believe our pilot program is being well received by all boda-boda key parties in regard to all essential boda-boda pacing points. I am optimistic that our first electric motorcycle deployment target following the pilot can be 20,000 electric motorcycles far surpassing the 2,000 trial order we built the pilot around. I believe the number can rapidly grow from 20,000." ALYI management today indicated that it anticipates the pilot transitioning seamlessly into the fulfillment of the first electric motorcycle orders and the corresponding initiation of revenue from the fulfillment of the first orders starting this year. The company expects to soon refine its revenue forecast for revenue from the EV Taxi Business to a specific dollar. ALYI has seeded an overall EV Ecosystem Business Strategy with the development of its own EV motorcycle business discussed above. Instead of introducing a single EV product, ALYI's business focus is on the introduction of an EV Ecosystem that addresses the entire EV adoption environment from the perpetual design of best in class vehicles to the perpetual design of the myriad of mechanical and digital systems that go into a best in class vehicle; from the charging and maintenance infrastructure that goes into supporting onsumer and commercial vehicles, to the EV value proposition itself that drives consumers and businesses to transition from combustion engines to electric powered vehicles.



Ultimately, ALYI does not intend to go it alone on the overall development and rollout of its EV Ecosystem. ALYI is building a core element into its Ecosystem that attracts, if not compels the participation of all would be brand name EV industry leaders in an annual EV symposium and conference. The EV symposium and conference will be anchored by an EV race event in Kenya that comes with a substantial brand name. The EV race market was valued in 2019 at over $80 billion dollars and is anticipated to grow to over $200 billion by 2025.

ALYI's EV Ecosystem is founded on building participation in an EV race event as a central component in advancing EV technology and EV branding. ALYI has been developing a partnership with a major EV racing brand for more than two years now. Over a year ago, ALYI entered into a formal partnership agreement that includes that EV racing brand. The first milestone objectives contemplated under the agreement have been achieved and the next steps are imminent. ALYI expects the next steps to include naming the EV racing brand at which time, ALYI management anticipates ALYI's overall visibility within the global EV market to be substantially elevated. The objective of the EV symposium and conference anchored by an EV race is to advance EV technology by building EV solutions for the African market  a power constrained, rugged environment with one of the lowest per capita transportation deployments in the world. EV solutions for the African market will be applicable the world around. EV solutions designed and built in Africa also contribute to building an autonomous African economy. ALYI has designed its EV ecosystem solution to include democratized participation. ALYI has partnered with ReovltTOKEN to finance ALYI's growth by offering participation in the EV ecosystem through the sale of Revolt Tokens. To learn more about RevoltTOKEN and how to participate in ALYI's electric vehicle ecosystem through the purchase of Revolt Tokens, visit https://rvlttoken.com/. ALYI plans to make a major announcement later this month regarding the EV race that management expects will garner substantial attention to ALYI's overall EV Ecosystem strategy. For more information and to stay up to date on ALYI's overall latest developments, please visit www.alternetsystemsinc.com .



Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.



For more information, please visit: http://www.alternetsystemsinc.com

Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact:

Randell Torno

info@lithiumip.com

+1-800-713-0297 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alyi-expects-to-begin-generating-ev-rideshare-revenue-this-year-entering-16-billion-motorcycle-taxi-market-301359134.html SOURCE Alternet Systems, Inc.

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[August 20, 2021] Global Anti-Collision Sensors Market to Reach $20.2 Billion by 2026

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new market study published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., (GIA) the premier market research company, today released its report titled "Anti-Collision Sensors - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics" . The report presents fresh perspectives on opportunities and challenges in a significantly transformed post COVID-19 marketplace. FACTS AT A GLANCE

Edition: 6; Released: April 2021

Executive Pool: 893

Companies: 46 - Players covered include Analog Devices, Inc.; Autoliv, Inc.; Continental AG; Delphi Automotive PLC; Denso Corporation; Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.; NXP Semiconductors NV; Robert Bosch GmbH; Texas Instruments, Inc.; ZF Friedrichshafen AG and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Segment (Anti-Collision Sensors)

Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; Spain; Russia; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific (Australia; India; South Korea; and Rest of Asia-Pacific); Latin America (Argentina; Brazil; Mexico; and Rest of Latin America); Middle East (Iran; Israel; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates; and Rest of Middle East); and Africa. 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 teplates 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 Anti-Collision Sensors Market to Reach $20.2 Billion by 2026

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Anti-Collision Sensors estimated at US$7.1 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$20.2 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 18.8% over the analysis period.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $2.2 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $4.6 Billion by 2026

The Anti-Collision Sensors market in the U.S. is estimated at US$2.2 Billion in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$4.6 Billion by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 24.2% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 13.6% and 16.6% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 14.9% 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

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Info411@strategyr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-anti-collision-sensors-market-to-reach-20-2-billion-by-2026--301359436.html SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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[August 20, 2021] Global Smart Meters Boost the Growth of Industry 2027

Infinium Global Researchs recent report on the Smart Meters Market (Type- Smart Electricity Meter, Smart Gas Meter, and Smart Water Meter; Technology- Automatic Meter Reading (AMR), and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI); Application- Commercial, Residential, and Industrial): Global Industry Analysis, Trends, Size, Share and Forecasts to 2027 provides a comprehensive outline of the factors responsible for the growth of the market. The reported study estimated the market for smart meters will reach nearly 26.14 billion in 2027, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 6.72%, over the forecast period (2021-2027).







"We are Now Including the Impact Analysis of the COVID-19 on this Premium Report and the Forecast Period of this Report shall be Revised to 2020-2026." The Section on the Impact of COVID-19 on this Market is Included in the Report for Free. To Know More Request Sample of this Report: https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/sample-request/727 The Growing Demand for Energy-Efficient Buildings is Expected to Drive the Growth of the Global Smart Meters Market Smart meters are installed in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings to accurately measure the consumption of utilities, and send this information to utility companies. Communication with utility companies enables to manage the usage. Smart meters also share and exchange data with the smart grid, by providing reminders and alerts to use utilities during off-peak periods. The growing demand for energy-efficient buildings is expected to drive the growth of the global smart meters market. The smart meters are designed to use energy more efficiently by connecting with smart grids, and automatically scheduling the work cycles using time-based electricity programs to ensure the consumption during off-peak hours, when energy prices are cheaper. Moreover, government initiatives to promote the installation of smart meters are anticipated to boost the market further. Several governments are encouraging utility companies, and well as consumers to install smart meters to improve the efficiency of cities and towns.



The spread of the novel coronavirus had a huge impact on the smart meters market. The smart meter industry is heavily dependent on suppliers from China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Lockdown in these countries caused severe demand-supply gaps in the industry. The gap in demand and supply hampered the functioning of the flourishing smart meter industry. Moreover, the impact of COVID-19 on small and middle-sized companies was more severe due to delays in production caused by transport restrictions and strict lockdown.





Furthermore, several residential end-users have stopped working or have lost their jobs and businesses. While many commercial end-users have closed their businesses during the pandemic. This further reduced the demand for smart meters among the end-users. However, over the long term, growth is likely to remain stable, as many of the countries gave permission for reopening manufacturing plants and have cut down travel restrictions. Additionally, the government policies to improve the economic conditions by offering several monetary and non-monetary packages are further expected to augment the market growth over the forecast period.



Higher Convenience and Cost Effectiveness of WiFi Technology is Augmenting its Adoption in Smart Meters In terms of application, the smart meter market is segmented into commercial, residential, and industrial. The residential segment accounted for the largest share in the smart meters market in 2019. Several residential consumers have installed smart meters, while many newly constructed residential buildings come with preinstalled smart meters. Moreover, the increasing spending power and the growing popularity of the smart home trends are majorly driving the growth of the smart meters market globally.



Additionally, the growing government support for promoting smart homes and smart meters acts as a motivating factor for consumers to adopt domestic meters that are used with smart grids. This, in turn, augments the adoption of smart grids in residences and provides customers with an easy interface to monitor their electricity use. These meters are responsible for significantly controlling the residential electricity consumption, while on the other hand offer the best opportunities for demand shifting.



Need Assistance? Send an Enquiry@ https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/customization/727 The Smart Meters Market is Anticipated to Witness Several Product Launches Over the Forecast Period The smart meter market is highly competitive and fragmented in nature. The market is characterized by the presence of several multinational and local players competing for market share. Honeywell, Landis+GYR, Itron, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Sensus (Xylem), Holley Technology, Badger Meter, Circutor, and Wasion are the major players in the global smart meter market. The key market players are focusing on strategies such as new product development and mergers, and acquisitions to remain competitive in the market. For instance, in January 2020 Landis+Gyr launched a next-generation electric meter with grid sensing technology. The Revelo metering platform enables utilities to create custom applications to transform operations on the grid and provide unique services to consumers.



Moreover, Pietro Fiorentini Group acquired 100% of the shares of an Austrian company, Fiorentini Gastechnik July 2020. The acquisition of Fiorentini Gastechnik is anticipated to expand the presence of the Company in the Austrian market and seize the business opportunities in bordering countries. However, the market players are facing challenges of international operations, including changes in foreign regulations, regulatory compliance, and disruptions arising from political, legal, and economic instability. Infinium Global Researchs recent report on the global smart meters market is an encompassment of such recent developments in the global marketplace. The report delivers insights into the leading players that have contributed greatly to the growth of the market and also estimates the impact of product innovations, similar to that of the aforementioned product on the global market.



Asia-Pacific Region to Generate the Largest Revenue in the Smart Meters Market In terms of region, Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest share in the global smart meters market. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest rate over the forecast period. The Asia-Pacific market is largely driven by the growing adoption of advanced technologies and the rise in internet penetration in developing nations, such as China, India, and Taiwan. Furthermore, the adoption of the smart grid and rapid urbanization with a significant rise in household spending augment the revenues in the smart meters market in the Asia-Pacific region. On the other hand, Europe holds the second-largest market share for the smart meters market. The major smart meters manufacturers present in the European regionis are expected to boost the market growth for the smart meters market in Europe.



Browse Complete Report@ https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/energy-mining-infra/global-smart-meter-market Reasons to Buy this Report: => Comprehensive analysis of global as well as regional markets of the smart meter.



=> Complete coverage of all the product type and applications segments to analyze the trends, developments, and forecast of market size up to 2027.



=> Comprehensive analysis of the companies operating in this market. The company profile includes an analysis of product portfolio, revenue, SWOT analysis, and the latest developments of the company.



=> Infinium Global Research- Growth Matrix presents an analysis of the product segments and geographies that market players should focus to invest, consolidate, expand and/or diversify. As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments.

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[August 19, 2021] Strong Client Focus Draws Advisor with Nearly $200 Million to Ameriprise

Financial advisor Jason Williams recently joined the independent channel of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP) from BB&T Securities, LLC in Winchester, Virginia with nearly $200 million in client assets. Williams joined the firm for the opportunity to be independent and align with a client-focused firm that offers a wide range of products and services. Williams will also join The Myrias Group, which is led by Ameriprise private wealth advisor John Everson, CFP, MS. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210819005547/en/ Jason Williams, Ameriprise Financial Advisor with The Myrias Group in Winchester, Virginia. Photo courtesy of Jason Williams. After a merger happened at his previous firm, Williams started exploring other firms, evaluating each one's culture and services for high-net worth clients, including product platform, trust services, lending and banking products, insurance capabilities, estate and retirement planning, and investment services. He found Ameriprise exceeded what he was looking for in each of these categories. "The deision to move firms after 27 years is all about finding the best home for my clients," said Williams. "I was looking for an independent firm that offered the depth and breadth of solutions my clients need. I found Ameriprise values the clients I've built relationships with and gives me the flexibility to continue providing them excellent service."



Williams was looking to join an established team, and he found that at Ameriprise. His Ameriprise field vice president Athena McGuire helped him interview a variety of financial advisors at the firm, and he found that The Myrias Group was the right fit. "John and his team have the same focus I do, which is to help clients build and sustain wealth, and confidently achieve the goals that matter most to them," said Williams. "The team takes a highly collaborative approach to solving client needs, which is what I wanted for my clients."

The Myrias Group was established in 2015 and manages $850 million in client assets. The team, who work out of five offices across Virginia and West Virginia, also includes private wealth advisors Andy Huggins, CFP and Stewart Barnes, CFP, APMA, 11 other financial advisors, and nine support staff members. Ameriprise has continued to attract experienced, productive advisors, with approximately 1,700 joining the firm in the last 5 years.1 To find out why experienced financial advisors are joining Ameriprise, visit ameriprise.com/why. About Ameriprise Financial At Ameriprise Financial, we have been helping people feel confident about their financial future for more than 125 years. With extensive advisory, asset management and insurance capabilities and a nationwide network of approximately 10,000 financial advisors, we have the strength and expertise to serve the full range of individual and institutional investors' financial needs. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements. Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.  2021 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

1 Ameriprise Financial 2020 10-K. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210819005547/en/

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[August 19, 2021] YouScience offers a solution to overcome student learning loss

AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- While educators have worked to battle student learning loss for years, the COVID-19 pandemic and virtual learning have brought this issue to the forefront. According to CNBC, "Nearly all  more than 97%  of educators reported seeing some learning loss in their students over the past year when compared with children in previous years." YouScience, the largest provider of industry-recognized certifications, offers a solution to learning loss: pretesting. YouScience, the largest provider of industry-recognized certifications, offers a solution: pretesting. In March 2020, YouScience merged with Precision Exams to establish a revolutionary education technology company offering an innovative solution for career discovery, exploration, preparation, and connection. The company uses science-based brain games to identify innate abilities (a.k.a. aptitudes) and connect them with real-world careers and offers over 200 certification exams that span across the 16 National Career Clusters.



Pretesting from YouScience provides a method to overcome learning loss for secondary educators. Each exam is written by subject-matter experts that align the content therein to the academic standards. When used at the beginning of a course, pretesting provides teachers with a calculated measure of students' previous knowledge of a particular topic. It helps to measure the learning that did take place while identifying where gaps may have formed because of a break from school, virtual learning, or any number of things. Using the report data, teachers can plan their curriculum accordingly. Secondary school teachers across the country are already taking advantage of the pretesting option with YouScience and have the success to show for it. Robert Kovi, a teacher in Michigan, said, "Precision Exams were a natural fit as they are already aligned to national standards and many of the textbooks and curriculum we already use."

Kovi reported the teachers in his school were able to have more informed discussions using the data provided to guide conversations and instructional decisions. Many are also using the pretesting feature to set yearly learning goals for their students and using single exams for benchmarking throughout the year. "Coming out of remote learning, we're realizing just how important benchmark testing is in guiding the educational experience," said Edson Barton, CEO of YouScience and cofounder of Precision Exams. "Educators can use pretesting to make data-driven decisions to best serve their students and prepare them for the future. Each year, they can learn more and optimize their lesson structure to improve knowledge retention and curriculum efficacy." YouScience aims to help teachers build strong foundations that equip students with the knowledge, skills, and education pathways that lead to college and career readiness, and more importantly, success. From aptitude and career discovery to pretesting and industry-recognized certifications, YouScience connects industry needs to qualified employees straight out of high school. All 200+ certification exams are created by subject-matter experts, based on academic standards and current industry needs; they are updated regularly to support evolving industry demands. If you're interested in learning more about pretesting or exploring the library of certifications, click here. About YouScience

YouScience empowers intentional individual success by aligning talent, education, and industry. With revolutionary career guidance and industry-recognized certifications, we empower individuals to uncover their natural talent, validate their skills and knowledge, and pursue their best-fit educational pathways. To learn more, visit www.youscience.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/youscience-offers-a-solution-to-overcome-student-learning-loss-301359202.html SOURCE YouScience

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[August 19, 2021] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, a Leading Securities Fraud Law Firm, Announces Investigation of Lightning eMotors Inc. (ZEV) on Behalf of Investors

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM"), a leading national shareholder rights law firm, today announced that it has commenced an investigation on behalf of Lightning eMotors Inc. ("Lightning eMotors" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZEV) investors concerning the Company's possible violations of the federal securities laws. If you suffered a loss on your Lightning eMotors investments or would like to inquire about potentially pursuing claims to recover your loss under the federal securities laws, you can submit your contact information at https://www.glancylaw.com/cases/lightning-emotors-inc/. You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at shareholders@glancylaw.com to learn more about your rights. On August 16, 2021, after the market closed, Lightning eMotors announced its second quarter 2021 financial results, reporting a net loss of $46.1 million, compared to a net loss of $2.8 million during the prior-year period. The Company lso withdrew its fiscal 2021 guidance, stating that it "no longer expects to meet full year guidance" citing among other things "chassis production disruptions."



On this news, the Company's share price fell $1.63, or 17%, to close at $8.00 per share on August 17, 2021. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

Whistleblower Notice: Persons with non-public information regarding Lightning eMotors should consider their options to aid the investigation or take advantage of the SEC (News - Alert) Whistleblower Program. Under the program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Charles H. Linehan at 310-201-9150 or 888-773-9224 or email shareholders@glancylaw.com. About GPM Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP is a premier law firm representing investors and consumers in securities litigation and other complex class action litigation. ISS Securities Class Action Services has consistently ranked GPM in its annual SCAS Top 50 Report. In 2018, GPM was ranked a top five law firm in number of securities class action settlements, and a top six law firm for total dollar size of settlements. With four offices across the country, GPM's nearly 40 attorneys have won groundbreaking rulings and recovered billions of dollars for investors and consumers in securities, antitrust, consumer, and employment class actions. GPM's lawyers have handled cases covering a wide spectrum of corporate misconduct including cases involving financial restatements, internal control weaknesses, earnings management, fraudulent earnings guidance and forward looking statements, auditor misconduct, insider trading, violations of FDA regulations, actions resulting in FDA and DOJ investigations, and many other forms of corporate misconduct. GPM's attorneys have worked on securities cases relating to nearly all industries and sectors in the financial markets, including, energy, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, real estate and REITs, financial, insurance, information technology, health care, biotech, cryptocurrency, medical devices, and many more. GPM's past successes have been widely covered by leading news and industry publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg (News - Alert) Businessweek, Reuters, the Associated Press, Barron's, Investor's Business Daily, Forbes, and Money. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210819005800/en/

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[August 19, 2021] Waverley Capital Acquisition Corp. 1 Announces Pricing of $200 Million Initial Public Offering

Waverley Capital Acquisition Corp. 1 (the "Company"), a special purpose acquisition company, announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 20,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trade under the ticker symbol "WAVCU" beginning August 20, 2021. Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share of the Company and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share of the Company at a price of $11.50 per share. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols "WAVC" and "WAVCW," respectively. The Company is sponsored by WCAC1 Sponsor LLC, an affiliate of Waverley Capital, L.P., and is led by Daniel V. Leff, Ph.D. as the Chief Executive Officer and Edgar Bronfman Jr. as chairman of the board of directors. The Company is a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or business combination with one or more businesses. Evercore ISI (News - Alert) and Morgan Stanley are serving as joint book-running managers for this offering. The Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units at the initia public offering price to cover over-allotments, if any. The offering is expected to close on August 24, 2021, subject to customary closing conditions.



The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus. When available, copies of the prospectus may be obtained from: Evercore Group L.L.C., Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 55 East 52nd Street, 35th Floor, New York, New York 10055, by telephone at (888) 474-0200, or by email at ecm.prospectus@evercore.com; and

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, New York 10014. The registration statement relating to the securities became effective on August 19, 2021. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements," including with respect to the proposed initial public offering and the anticipated use of the net proceeds. No assurance can be given that the proposed initial public offering will be completed on the terms described, or at all, or that the net proceeds of the initial public offering will be used as indicated. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's registration statement and preliminary prospectus relating to the Company's initial public offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC (News - Alert) "). Copies are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210819005807/en/

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[August 19, 2021] Affiliate program of MC900 Online Trade launched in 18 countries in August 2021

NICOSIA, Cyprus, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Magic Compass Ltd (MC900 Trade) has seen significant growth in affiliate marketing this month. The Affiliate Program was initially launched in 18 countries/regions in August 2021, Cyprus and will cover 40 countries half a year later. This program showcases the power of social networking and digital influencers and steers the traffic of numerous companies around the world. Thanks to both the Affiliate Program and the IB partnerships of the online trading industry, partners introduce new clients to brokers and connect them to their trading platforms. Generally, partnerships in Forex and CFD trading networks link publishers and individuals to specific services on CPA, CPL, CPC, revenue sharing, or other business models. MC900 emphasized that promoting products on social media represents an "indispensable catalyst for business growth". Online promotion is an effective way to increase brand awareness and acquire more clients. Benefiting from the understanding of marketing, MC900 expands its channels to that of its affiliates for higher growth. Affiliate marketing is considered a powerful business tool due to the audiences' trust in influencers and the importance they attach to the producs they sell. The company is in an advantageous position in promoting products, and it is the responsibility of brokers to ensure their marketing reflects their ethical standards and properly represents their brand.



The MC900 Affiliate Program is one of the company's largest online channels for customer acquisition. In order to satisfy the diversified needs of clients, MC900 offers a multi-model affiliate marketing program that can function normally in revenue sharing (spread rebate), CPA, or CPL commission program. The MC900 Affiliate Program made some achievements in the first quarter of 2021. The total expenditure across 350 affiliates has reached USD 1.5 million since the program was initially launched in some countries.

The recent data showed that the number of Forex and CFD brokers increased by more than 10% during the period from May to June, and this figure in June 2021 was up 84% compared with that of the same period in the previous year. Magic Compass Ltd (MC900 Trade) a Company registered in Cyprus, registration number HE 341562 and regulated by CySEC (Licence Number 299/16), MC900 was founded by a group of like-minded professionals in the area of finance and information technology in 2008. It soon became one of the world's leading online forex brokers and became known for some of the industry's best trading conditions? With more than 10 years of experience in online trading, MC900 have tested many providers and present users at the lower table in our top 3. Additionally, users will learn on this page why a demo account with virtual credit is so important for beginners and advanced traders. If you want to know more about MC900 APP, please visit : WEBSITE: www.mc900.com

FACEBOOK?https://www.facebook.com/MagicCompass.MC900

TWITTER : https://twitter.com/mc900_global

TELEGRAM : https://t.me/MC900_bot SOURCE Magic Compass Ltd

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[August 19, 2021] Algorithmic Trading Market to Record 6% CAGR by 2025 Witnessing Emergence of AlgoTrader AG and Argo SE as Key Market Contributors|Technavio

NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Technavio has been monitoring the algorithmic trading market and it is poised to grow by USD 3.79 billion during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of almost 6% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, the latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Get Vendor Landscape and Report Scope Insights for Algorithmic Trading Market Right Here!

Fetch Sample Report! Algorithmic Trading Market 2021-2025: Scope and Vendor Analysis Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The algorithmic trading market report covers the following areas: Algorithmic Trading Market Size

Algorithmic Trading Market Trends

Algorithmic Trading Market Industry Analysis The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. AlgoTrader AG, Argo SE, Citadel Enterprise Americas LLC, InfoReach Inc., Optiver VOF, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Thomson Reuters Corp., Tower Research Capital LLC, uTrade, and VIRTU Financial Inc. are some of the major market participants. In a bid to help players strengthen their market foothold, this algorithmic trading market forecast report provides a detailed analysis of the leading market vendors. The report also empowers industry honchos with information on the competitive landscape and insights into the different product offerings offered by various companies. Grab access to algorithmic trading market report outlook for effective decision making: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR44209 Impact of COVID-19 Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct & indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations. With the gradual recovery of markets from the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic, the information technology industry is likely to witness mixed impact during the forecast period. As the business impact of COVID-19 spreads, the algorithmic trading market is expected to have positive & superior growth.



Frequently Asked Questions: Based on segmentation by Component, which is the leading segment in the market?

Solutions was the largest segment in 2020 and will continue to lead the market during the forecast period.

Solutions was the largest segment in 2020 and will continue to lead the market during the forecast period. What are the major trends in the market?

Technological advancements are key trends likely to influence market growth positively in the lng run.

Technological advancements are key trends likely to influence market growth positively in the lng run. At what rate is the market projected to grow?







What will be the YOY growth in 2021?

The YOY growth rate for 2021 is expected at 3.07%.

The YOY growth rate for 2021 is expected at 3.07%. How big is the North America market?

34% of the growth is likely to get originated from North America . Attain meticulously researched actionable insights on key factors driving and challenging the market's growth.

View market snapshot before purchasing High demand for market surveillance, rise in integration of financial markets, and growth in opportunities, as well as demand in APAC, are some of the driving factors offering immense growth opportunities for the market participants. In addition, technological advances, the emergence of portfolio risk solutions, and the adoption of machine learning and AI are some of the prominent trends anticipated to influence the market positively during the next few years. However, lack of awareness and limitations associated with algorithmic trading are likely to pose a challenge for the market vendors.

Algorithmic Trading Market 2021-2025: Segmentation Algorithmic Trading Market is segmented as below: Component

Solutions



Services

Geography

North America



Europe



APAC



South America



MEA

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Report that might interest you: ePedigree Software Market by Deployment and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 Digital Intelligence Platform Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 Algorithmic Trading Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist algorithmic trading market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the algorithmic trading market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the algorithmic trading market across North America , Europe , APAC, South America , and MEA

, , APAC, , and MEA Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of algorithmic trading market vendors Table of Contents: Executive Summary Market Landscape Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025 Five Forces Analysis Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition Market Segmentation by Component Market segments

Comparison by Component

Solutions - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Services - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Component Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario Vendor Analysis Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

AlgoTrader AG

Argo SE

Citadel Enterprise Americas LLC

InfoReach Inc.

Optiver VOF

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.

Thomson Reuters Corp.

Tower Research Capital LLC

uTrade

VIRTU Financial Inc. Appendix Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact

Technavio Research

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Website: www.technavio.com/ View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/algorithmic-trading-market-to-record-6-cagr-by-2025-witnessing-emergence-of-algotrader-ag-and-argo-se-as-key-market-contributorstechnavio-301359283.html SOURCE Technavio

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[August 19, 2021] IT Industry Leaders Pinpoint Do's and Don'ts in Digital Transformation at SAP Hong Kong Forum

HONG KONG, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The pandemic-induced shift to cloud infrastructure has not only helped Hong Kong businesses overcome the current crisis, but also accelerated digital transformation to dramatically improve resilience and agility and set up future success, SAP Hong Kong Managing Director Fabian Padilla Crisol said earlier at a forum held by SAP Hong Kong. "Every business today is operating in a world that is very different than it was just 18 months ago, and digital transformation is now crucial for survival. For companies that are already on a transformation journey, this is the perfect time to go further to capture opportunities and run at their best," Mr. Padilla Crisol said at SAP SAPPHIRE NOW 2021 in Hong Kong. "That's why we are increasingly seeing customers moving operations to the cloud as a priority to safeguard their wellbeing for the long term." Hosting the forum, Mr. Padilla Crisol asked leaders from some of the world's largest technology providers for their insights into the drivers and consequences of digital acceleration for local companies. They commended Hong Kong business executives for ramping up digital transformation when anti-pandemic measures slowed other business activity. Many local leaders adopted a growth mindset and embraced transformation as an opportunity to gain competitive advantage and market share. Grasping new opportunities Transitioning to the cloud enabled companies that previously only served Hong Kong or the Greater Bay Area to begin offering products and services globally. It also allowed them to further support this scalability with analytics that draw on the processing power of the cloud and artificial intelligence. Remote working is a key area of innovation. Microsoft's recently released 2021 Work Trend Index found that two-thirds of companies worldwide are preparing for a hybrid model of working, with a similar proportion of employees embracing the remote work concept. "Hybrid work is here to stay. We need to ensure everyone can perform real work anywhere, anytime. This means going beyond the basic functionality of email and video conferencing to migrate business operations to the cloud, such as contract signing, finance procedures and HR operations. Most importantly, companies need to protect their own data, employees and customers against cyberattack while ensuring their remote operations are compliant to various legal jurisdictions. Cloud provides more agility, scalability and security to companies than traditional on-premise alternatives," Cally Chan, General Manager, Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau said. "Businesses that move their proceses to the cloud and apply analytical and business intelligence tools are set for better future success."



Recalibrating mindset Now companies know they must digitize to survive, a growth mindset is the most important thing they need, observed Olivier Klein, Chief Technologist, Asia Pacific, Amazon Web Services.

"There is no stasis; things are constantly changing and you have to set up your company and the technology around it so you can remain agile," Mr Klein said. "Once you start, there is always a way to quickly learn and experiment and better your business." Making a choice Likewise, the pandemic created an added sense of urgency for companies slowed down in digital transformation due to confusion about what technology to choose. Forced to adapt, companies are choosing the cloud to deliver robust, resilient and secure infrastructure and scalable intelligent tools. "Time has long been the enemy of enterprises; the pandemic simply made change even more urgent," said Ronnie Sung, Managing Director, DynaSys Solutions. "When company decision makers are facing 'too many choices', we advise them to select an experienced technology partner that has certified support teams on a range of solutions and features, and that shares clear product roadmaps. To navigate the transformation, we recommend integrated solutions, a strong IT strategy and partners that help you stay with the journey long term." He added that a major benefit of the cloud is that it gives every company access to all of the latest and most innovative tools and technologies, leveling the playing field. Rather than building a data center or analytics application inhouse, companies can focus on their core business. Evolving at speed Good news for companies already undergoing digital transformation is that they are seeing benefits already. According to Wing Lee, Executive Director, IVC Solutions, this encourages business leaders to finetune their solutions, clarify their digital roadmap and seek out new digital tools to support their business. "Before the pandemic, many companies planned to transform gradually. Now, however, most understand that they have to accelerate their efforts and use more digital tools to successfully compete in the new normal environment," he said. Mr. Lee cites supply chain solutions as an example of this in action. Many businesses have operated complex but stable supply chains for many years without full supply chain visibility. Thanks to pandemic disruption and rising legal and safety requirements, that lack of visibility is now a problem, but one which can be solved through digital data solutions that provide the necessary information in real time. To watch SAPPHIRE NOW Hong Kong on demand, please go here. About SAP SAP's strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world's transaction revenue touches an SAP system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers' businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want  without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com/hk. Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

 2021 SAP SE. All rights reserved. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices. Please see our privacy policy here. SOURCE SAP Hong Kong

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[August 19, 2021] ADA Appoints Sherry Tan from Lazada as Regional Head of eCommerce

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ADA appoints Sherry Tan as the Regional Head of eCommerce and will lead a team of next generation leaders who will support the growing demand of eCommerce in APAC. She reports to Anurag Gupta, Chief Operating Officer of ADA. Sherry's appointment strengthens the senior leadership bench and completes ADA's strategy of unleashing end-to-end eCommerce in the region. She brings with her deep strategic expertise and operational capabilities acros the entire eCommerce value chain and will be working closely with the current 150+ eCommerce enablement team to synergise with ADA's data, MarTech, performance marketing, and creative teams. Sherry and her team will lead strategy, growth, and client management, and will be responsible for delivering integrated commerce services to ADA's current and potential clients.



Anurag Gupta, Chief Operating Officer, ADA, said: "ADA is here to help simplify the eCommerce journey and drive business outcomes. I am proud to have Sherry join the ADA All Blues and lead the effort in making ADA the most sought-after eCommerce strategy company with her vast experience from Lazada and Tesco. Her team will set the course for all eCommerce strategies and will be supported by our 150 people strong eCommerce enablement team." Sherry Tan, Regional Head of eCommerce, ADA commented on her new appointment: "We cannot deny that the digital space is growing exponentially, and eCommerce retailing is here to stay. I am thrilled to join ADA and I hope that my experience will support our clients in building successful eCommerce outcomes by leveraging our deep data-driven tools and solutions for growth. My vision is to develop our team to become market leaders in eCommerce and to be known as the go-to-experts in the digital space across the region."

Prior to joining ADA, Sherry was the Chief Business Officer of Lazada Malaysia, responsible for the growth of LazMall as well as managing multiple categories, namely FMCG and Mobile. She was also the Head of Tesco Malaysia private labels and the pioneer in launching Tesco Groceries, which adds to her extensive experience in online and offline retail. When not focusing on campaigns and continuously crunching numbers, Sherry enjoys travelling and is fully in belief that retail therapy reliefs all manner of stress. About ADA ADA is a data and artificial intelligence company that designs and executes integrated digital, analytics, and marketing solutions. Operating across 10 markets in South and Southeast Asia, ADA partners with leading brands to drive their digital and data maturity, and achieve their business goals. We are anchored on the following main services: Providing business insights, data enrichment, and advanced analytics

Understanding the consumer mindset and designing data-driven creative marketing strategies

Executing end-to-end digital marketing solutions for growth hacking, funnel optimisation, and goal optimisation ADA complements its unique digital expertise with deep proprietary data of 375 Million consumers. SOURCE ADA

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[August 20, 2021] Wipro Launches @now Studio in Texas, Expands Its Digital and Cyber Defense Center

Wipro (News - Alert) Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced the launch of its @now Studio in partnership with ServiceNow (News - Alert) to support digital transformations for customers, increase innovation, and develop unique industry solutions. The @now Studio leverages ServiceNow's digital workflows and simplified processes to develop customized solutions. The studio will focus on building competencies, serving as a platform to develop and showcase solutions, accelerating co-selling and co-creation with ServiceNow, and leveraging the ecosystem including universities and leading start-ups. Additionally, there will be a focus on ServiceNow Global Risk & Compliance and Security Operations to help clients protect their data and remain secure. The @now Studio is located at Wipro's Technology Center in Plano, Texas where Wipro has a state-of-the-art facility focused on developing niche capabilities in new and emerging technologies. The Technology Center serves as a hub for advanced analytics and cloud technologies and is the company's US cyber security center. This is Wipro's first @now Studio. There are plans to launch additional studios in Europe and APMEA in the coming months. The @now Studio also supports Wipro's continued efforts to create jobs throughout Texas and hire graduates from universities including the University of Texas at Dallas, University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, and University of Houston. Robert Allen, President and CEO, Texas Economic Development Corporation said, "Today's celebration marks an impressive journey for one of the world's leading IT companies. Over the past several years, Wipro has grown significantly throughout Texas and the DFW region. Texas continues to be the perfect fit for Wipro as they build capabilities to help their customers innovate, optimize and modernize." Nagendra Bandaru, Managing Partner - iCORE, Wipro Limited said, "We are excited to strengthen our partnership with ServiceNow. We look forward to leveraging the @now Studio to increase our ServiceNow capabilities, build solutions across industries, and help our customers simplify processes and automate their workflows. We are also thrilled to expand our presence in Texas and leverage the ecosystem the state has to offer. The Studio also represents an expansion of our cybersecurity capabilities and leveragesthe local workforce to accelerate innovation. Our collaboration with local universities will enhance employment opportunities and expand our intellectual property in cybersecurity."



David Parsons (News - Alert) , Senior Vice President, Global Alliances & Partner Ecosystem, ServiceNow said, "With companies across the world looking to improve business outcomes and experiences, we are proud to partner with Wipro to launch their @now Studio. This will serve as a great platform to help our clients accelerate their digital transformation journeys." About Wipro Limited

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 200,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future. Forward-Looking Statements The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipro's beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipro's control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipro's growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. The conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could decrease technology spending, adversely affect demand for our products, affect the rate of customer spending and could adversely affect our customers' ability or willingness to purchase our offerings, delay prospective customers' purchasing decisions, adversely impact our ability to provide on-site consulting services and our inability to deliver our customers or delay the provisioning of our offerings, all of which could adversely affect our future sales, operating results and overall financial performance. Our operations may also be negatively affected by a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210819005841/en/

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[August 20, 2021] SMH Rail launches its latest innovation in the 'H10 Series' Locomotive Towards Green Mobility

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SMH Rail Sdn Bhd (SMH Rail), Malaysia's leading rolling stock manufacturer and maintenance service provider, today unveiled its newly manufactured 'H10 Series' Locomotives. Built with advanced technology and innovation in design engineering, the 'H10 Series' provide an intrinsic value to the environment and railway ecosystem in reducing emissions and fueling green operations. The Malaysian-manufactured locomotives was recognized by The Malaysian Book of Records as the 'First Made in Malaysia Locomotive' for the export market. With an aim Towards Green Mobility, SMH Rail is redefning mobility to achieve rail sustainability and powers the vision of a clean, fast and green future. The 'H10 Series' could replace 100 cargo trucks, reduce carbon emissions by up to 75%, lower highway congestion, and is four times more fuel efficient than road freight transport on average. Its practical design improves operational efficiency, increases haulage capacity and reduces maintenance challenges, resulting in lower overall life cycle costs.



"With over 20 years of industry experience, we are committed to deliver outstanding and innovative solutions for global railway partners in terms of cost, efficiency and reliability. The first batch of 'H10 Series' will be delivered to Tanzania Railways Corporation, with funding support from the World Bank. I am confident these locomotives will bring enormous economic benefits to the African Rail cargo industry by bridging connectivity, increasing supply-chain access, accelerating industrialization and promoting cross-border trade. With over 60% local content manufactured in Malaysia, the 'H10 Series' marks a cornerstone of our company in the global rail industry," said Yang Berbahagia Datuk PK Nara, Chairman and Managing Director of SMH Rail. Compliant with UIC standards, the 'H10 Series' is designed for heavy haulage and uninterrupted long-haul services. One key feature is its capability to operate in challenging terrains and weather conditions. The Locomotives are equipped with remote monitoring and diagnostics solution to provide real-time updates to rail operators, allowing for remote monitoring performance including speed, maintenance needs, fuel consumption and fault alerts. Data analysis tracks negligent handling, reduces risks of failures and improves operational safety.

SMH Rail aspires to position Malaysia as a regional manufacturing hub for railway rolling stock and continue to leverage global partnerships to develop its national and global footprint. SOURCE SMH Rail Sdn. Bhd.

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[August 20, 2021] General Assembly Pizza Announces Hormis Tharakan As New Chief Operating Officer

General Assembly Holdings Limited (the "Company" or "GA Pizza") (TSXV: GA), a fast-casual, Toronto pizza restaurant turned omnichannel consumer packaged goods ("CPG") brand, is pleased to announce that effective August 23, 2021, Hormis Tharakan has been appointed as the Company's Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Tharakan brings over 16 years of experience spearheading sustainable growth with some of the most innovative companies in North America's food production sector. He is highly skilled in negotiations, strategic sourcing, purchasing, manufacturing, frozen food and inventory management which will be essential to GA Pizza's accelerated future growth. Mr. Tharakan recently held the position of Associate Vice President of Manufacturing with Nature's Path Foods and will bring his previous supply chain, manufacturing, and leadership experience to the Company, "General Assembly is changing the pizza landscape and is well positioned to take a big slice out of the market. Ali and the team in place have an excellent pathway to growth. Together, we will focus on making sustainable, premium, delicious pizzas that will make our consumers happy and team members proud. I'm looking forward to working with the team to ensure we execute this plan and drive this business to further growth." said Hormis Tharakan, Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Tharakan is joining GA Pizza at an opportune time as the Company recently secured a 42,060 square foot master production facility to better meet consumer demand. Transitioning production operations from the Company's 3,700 square foot restaurant to the new master production facility will be Mr. Tharakan's immediate priority. The new facility's initial production line is expected to be live in September, and producing 5,000 pizzas per shift, which is more than double GA Pizza's current production capacity. "I am thrilled to have Hormis join our team. He will be a big asset to our Company, particularly significant at this point in time, as we scale our production and distribution model. Hormis brings a wealth of experience in supply chain management and manufacturing." said Ali Khan Lalani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GA Pizza. The Company also announces the issuance to Mr. Tharakan of 50,000 stock options (the "Options") to acquire that same number of Class A Common shares in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of C$1.73 per share with 25% of such Options being exercisable on the first anniversary of the grant date, and 9.375% on a quarterly asis following the first anniversary of the grant date. The issuance of Options to Mr. Tharakan and his appointment as Chief Operating Officer is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.



About GA Pizza GA Pizza began its life as a fast-casual pizza restaurant in the heart of Toronto. Three years later, we also offer a freezer-to-table consumer packaged goods line and a revolutionary direct-to-consumer eCommerce experience-not to mention a pizza box with more than one pizza in it. Our ambition? Make delicious pizzas available to everyone, everywhere. We're always working to take pizza to new heights-from showing the world that better pizza is possible, to finding new spaces and places to deliver unrivaled pizza experiences. Find us in your freezer or visit gapizza.com for more information.

GA Pizza media assets available for download. 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 Information This press release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (together "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions and includes information regarding anticipated increases to the Company's production capacity at the master facility and the Company's growth strategy. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect the Company's management's expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the combined company. Among key factors and risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information may include, without limitation, the following: there being no market for the securities of the Company; the Company's limited operating history; global economic risk; COVID-19's impact on the Company; the general economic environment; cybersecurity risks; financial projections may prove materially inaccurate or incorrect; the Company may experience difficulties to forecast sales; general competition in the industry from other companies; management of growth-related risks; reliance on management; risks relating to insurance; changes in food and supply costs could adversely affect profitability and ultimately our results of operations; our business could be adversely affected by increased labour costs or difficulties in finding suitable employees; changes in customer tastes and preferences, spending patterns and demographic trends could cause sales to decline; changes in nutrition and food regulation; failure to establish our master production facility; failure to expand production capacity; disruption at our facilities; government regulation of the food industry creating risks and challenges; risk associated with food safety and consumer health; changes in internet and social media search algorithms; risks associated with leasing commercial and retail space; third party reliance for shipping and payment processing; environmental laws; we may not persuade customers of the benefits of paying our prices for higher-quality food; our marketing and advertising strategies may not be successful, which could adversely impact our business; requirements for further financing; the Company may prioritize customer growth and engagement and the customer experience over short-term financial results. This forward-looking information may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of the Company and market conditions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210820005195/en/

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[August 20, 2021] Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of AMN Healthcare Against Competitor Aya

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled in favor of AMN Healthcare (NYSE: AMN) against Aya Healthcare's protracted legal case, stating categorically that Aya failed to prove any anticompetitive behavior by AMN under federal antitrust laws. The federal Appeals Court affirms a similar ruling in June by a U.S. District judge. The Appeals Court ruled that the AMN provision prohibiting its contractors from soliciting AMN employees is a reasonable lawful restraint and rejected Aya's claim for damages. "We are not surprised by the 9th Circuit's ruling in favor of AMN," said Susan Salka, President and CEO of AMN Healthcare. "We take great pride in our business practices that empower and expedite healthcare delivery, especially during this unprecedented time when healthcare organizations and their patients need us more than ever. We are grateful to our clients, partners, and team members that they did not allow this meritless lawsuit to distract them from our shared mission to serve our communities."



About AMN Healthcare AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in total talent solutions for healthcare organizations across the nation. The Company provides access to the most comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals through its innovative recruitment strategies and breadth of career opportunities. With insights and expertise, AMN Healthcare helps providers optimize their workforce to successfully reduce complexity, increase efficiency and improve patient outcomes. AMN total talent solutions include managed services programs, clinical and interim healthcare leaders, temporary staffing, executive search solutions, vendor management systems, recruitment process outsourcing, predictive modeling, language interpretation services, revenue cycle solutions, credentialing and other services. Clients include acute-care hospitals, community health centers and clinics, physician practice groups, retail and urgent care centers, home health facilities, schools and many other healthcare settings. AMN Healthcare is committed to fostering and maintaining a diverse team that reflects the communities we serve. Our commitment to the inclusion of many different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives enables our innovation and leadership in the healthcare services industry. For more information about AMN Healthcare, visit www.amnhealthcare.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210820005042/en/

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[August 20, 2021] Stem Issues Notice of Redemption for Public Warrants

Stem, Inc. ("Stem" or "the Company") today issued the following notice of redemption for all of Company's outstanding public warrants. The Company expects that the public warrants will cease trading on Friday, September 17, the last trading day before the Redemption Date (as defined below), and will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange on the Redemption Date. August 20, 2021 NOTICE OF REDEMPTION OF PUBLIC WARRANTS (CUSIP 85859N110) Dear Warrant Holder, Stem, Inc. (the "Company") hereby gives notice that it is redeeming, at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on September 20, 2021 (the "Redemption Date"), all of the Company's outstanding Public Warrants (as defined in the Warrant Agreement (defined below)) (the "Warrants") to purchase shares of the Company's common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the "Common Stock") for a redemption price of $0.01 per Warrant (the "Redemption Price"), that were issued under the Warrant Agreement dated as of August 20, 2020 (the "Warrant Agreement"), by and between the Company's predecessor company, Star Peak Energy Transition Corp. ("STPK"), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent (the "Warrant Agent"), as part of the units sold in STPK's initial public offering. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock for a purchase price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment. Any Warrants that remain unexercised at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date will be void and no longer exercisable and their holders will have no rights with respect to those Warrants, except to receive the Redemption Price or as otherwise described in this notice for holders who hold their Warrants in "street name." The Warrants are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") under the symbol "STEM.WS" and the Common Stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol "STEM." On August 19, 2021, the last reported sale price of the Warrants was $9.77 and the last reported sale price of the Common Stock was $21.34 per share. We expect that the NYSE will suspend trading in the Warrants prior to the opening of trading on the Redemption Date, and that the last day of trading will be the immediately preceding trading day, which is expected to be Friday, September 17, 2021. TERMS OF REDEMPTION; CESSATION OF RIGHTS The rights of the Warrant holders to exercise their Warrants will terminate immediately prior to 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date. At 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date and thereafter, the Warrants will no longer be exercisable and the holders of unexercised Warrants will have no rights with respect to those Warrants, except to receive the Redemption Price or as otherwise described in this notice for holders who hold their Warrants in "street name." We encourage you to consult with your broker, financial advisor and/or tax advisor to consider whether or not to exercise your Warrants. Note that the act of exercising is VOLUNTARY, meaning holders must instruct their broker to submit the Warrants for exercise. The Company is exercising this right to redeem the Warrants pursuant to Section 6 of the Warrant Agreement. Pursuant to Section 6.1 of the Warrant Agreement, the Company has the right to redeem all of the outstanding Warrants if the last sales price of the Common Stock reported has been at least $18.00 per share on each of 20 trading days within the 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which a notice of redemption is given. The last sales price of the Common Stock has been at least $18.00 per share on each of 20 trading days within the 30 trading-day period ending on August 17, 2021 (which is the third trading day prior to he date of this redemption notice).



EXERCISE PROCEDURE Warrant holders have until 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date to exercise their Warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock. Warrants may only be exercised for cash. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock at a cash price of $11.50 per whole share (the "Exercise Price").

Payment of the exercise funds may be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds. Wire instructions will be provided to the Depository Trust Company and will otherwise be provided upon request. Those who hold their Warrants in "street name" should immediately contact their broker to determine their broker's procedure for exercising their Warrants since the process to exercise is VOLUNTARY. Persons who are holders of record of their Warrants may exercise their Warrants by sending: The Warrant Certificate; A fully and properly completed "Election to Purchase" (a form of which is attached hereto as Annex A ), duly executed and indicating, among of things, the number of Warrants being exercised; and The exercise funds via wire transfer, to: Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th Floor

New York, NY 10004

Attention: Compliance Department

Telephone: (212) 509-4000 The method of delivery of the Warrants is at the option and risk of the holder, but if mail is used, registered mail properly insured is suggested. The Warrant Certificate, the fully and properly completed Election to Purchase and the exercise funds must be received by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company prior to 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date. Subject to the following paragraph, any failure to deliver a fully and properly completed Election to Purchase together with the related Warrant Certificate and exercise funds before such time will result in such holder's Warrants being redeemed at the Redemption Price of $0.01 per Warrant and not exercised. For holders of Warrants who hold their Warrants in "street name," provided that the Exercise Price for the Warrants being exercised and a Notice of Guaranteed Delivery and the exercise funds are received by the Warrant Agent prior to 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date, broker-dealers shall have two business days from the Redemption Date, or 5:00 p.m. New York City time on September 22, 2021, to deliver the Warrants to the Warrant Agent. Any such Warrant received without an Election to Purchase and a Notice of Guaranteed Delivery having been duly executed and fully and properly completed or the exercise funds being submitted will be deemed to have been delivered for redemption at the Redemption Price of $0.01 per Warrant, and not for exercise. PROSPECTUS A prospectus covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants (and the supplements thereto) is included in a registration statement filed with, and declared effective by, the Securities and Exchange Commission (Registration No. 333-256501) (the " SEC (News - Alert)"). The SEC also maintains an Internet website that contains a copy of this prospectus. The address of this site is www.sec.gov. Alternatively, to obtain a copy of the prospectus (and the supplements thereto), please visit our investor relations website (investors.stem.com). REDEMPTION PROCEDURE Payment of the Redemption Price will be made by the Company upon presentation and surrender of a Warrant for payment after 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date. Those who hold their shares in "street name" should contact their broker to determine their broker's procedure for redeeming their Warrants. ********************************* Any questions you may have about redemption and exercising your Warrants may be directed to the Warrant Agent at its address and telephone number set forth above, or at compliance@continentalstock.com. Sincerely,

STEM, INC. /s/ William Bush ________________________________ Name: William Bush

Title: Chief Financial Officer ANNEX A STEM, INC. Election to Purchase (To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant) The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive ____________ shares of Common Stock and herewith tenders payment for such shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the "Common Stock") to the order of Stem, Inc. (the "Company") in the amount of $____________ in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of ____________, whose address is _________________ and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to ____________ whose address is _________________. ____________________________________ (Date) ____________________________________ (Signature) ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ (Address) ____________________________________ (Tax Identification Number) Signature Guaranteed: __________________________________________________ THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO SEC RULE 17Ad-15 (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE)) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED. Cautionary Statement regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements address matters that are, to varying degrees, uncertain, such as the expected redemption of the public warrants, and the delisting of the public warrants from the New York Stock Exchange. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the possibility that the redemption may not occur, and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the SEC on July 19, 2021, and our most recent Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filed with or furnished to the SEC. If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize (or the consequences of such a development changes), or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those reflected in our forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Stem disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly or revise such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210820005058/en/

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[August 20, 2021] Kingston FURY Named Official RAM of Team Liquid, Continuing Decade Plus Partnership

Kingston FURY, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, announced today it is continuing its long-standing partnership with eSports team, Team Liquid. We're proud to continue our decade-plus partnership with Team Liquid with them naming the Kingston FURY line of memory products as their Official RAM (News - Alert) . In the future, you can expect plenty of awesome Kingston and Team Liquid activations, including behind-the-scenes content with our athletes and custom Liquid+ experiences and quests. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210820005059/en/ Team Liquid continues decade-plus partnership by naming the Kingston FURY line of memory products as their Official RAM. (Graphic: Business Wire) Few pieces of hardware are more integral to competitive gaming than memory. The blazing speeds and smooth runtimes offered by top-tier RAM are essential in games where wins and losses are often determined in split-seconds. The Kingston FURY line represents Kingston's commitment to offering high performance memory and storage for gamers everywhere. With Kingston FURY, we're doubling down on the tech and gaming audience, and Team Liquid is happy to help deliver this vision for their fans as a premier partner. Currently, Kingston FURY offers Renegade, Beast, and Impact models of DDR3 and DDR4 memory, with DDR5 versions planned for the near future. In addition to its excellent construction, the Kingston FURY RBG styles feature dynamic lighting effects that visually elevate any build. "We're excited to continue working with Team Liquid and provide the same great high-performance memory and customer service that they can depend on, now with Kingston FURY," said Craig Tilmont, Senior Director of Marketing, Kingston. "Whether you're on an eSports team or just want to game like your favorite Team Liquid players, Kingston FURY will help you achieve the ultimate gaming experience." The fun has just begun, so stay tuned for what's next from Kingston FURY and Team Liquid. For more information visit kingston.com/gaming. Kingston can be found on:







YouTube Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Kingston Is With You

About Kingston Technology Company, Inc. From big data, to laptops and PCs, to IoT-based devices like smart and wearable technology, to design-in and contract manufacturing, Kingston helps deliver the solutions used to live, work and play. The world's largest PC makers and cloud-hosting companies depend on Kingston for their manufacturing needs, and our passion fuels the technology the world uses every day. We strive beyond our products to see the bigger picture, to meet the needs of our customers and offer solutions that make a difference. To learn more about how Kingston Is With You, visit Kingston.com. Editor's Note: For additional information, evaluation units or executive interviews, please contact PR Team, Kingston Technology Company, Inc. 17600 Newhope Street, Fountain Valley, CA (News - Alert) USA 92708, 714-435-2600 (Voice). Press images can be found in Kingston's press room kingston.com/company/press/. Kingston and Kingston logo are registered trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. IronKey (News - Alert) is a registered trademark of Kingston Digital, Inc. Kingston FURY and the Kingston FURY logo are trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210820005059/en/

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[August 20, 2021] Intelligent Debt Management Platform Spinwheel Announces the Hiring of Bento for Business Cofounder Sean Anderson as Head of Platform and COO

OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Spinwheel, the leading intelligent debt API platform for fintechs, announces the hiring of Sean Anderson as Head of Platform and COO. Following the company's $11MM seed funding, Sean joins the team to grow and scale the business and drive the product roadmap as the company extends beyond its student debt solution to offer the same unique approach to other debt categories. A startup and fintech veteran, Sean co-founded Bento for Business, which built a commercial payments platform enabling cards, controls, and payments for thousands of businesses via APIs, web, and mobile apps. Last week, Bento was acquired by US Bank, the fifth-largest bank in the United States. "I'm very excited to be joining Tomas and Tushar to help them realize Spinwheel's massive ambition. The debt management platform's combination of superior daa, intelligence, and payments is unique in the space," said Sean. "Consumers need to do more than access their data and understand their debt, they need to be able to act on it. Spinwheel is creating an embedded smart funds movement to power the next wave of innovative financial apps and services."



Spinwheel is a modern debt infrastructure startup that helps Americans get out of debt sooner by making it possible to embed the application, payment, and management of loans into the apps people use the most. By increasing access, choice, and transparency, Spinwheel aims to improve outcomes and shorten the debt lifecycle for all borrowers and their loved ones. The company has already partnered with a number of leading brands and is expanding its coverage to credit cards, auto loans, mortgage, and other consumer debt types and use cases this year. "We're passionate about improving the financial outcomes of Americans by offering the best consumer debt API platform," said CEO and co-founder Tomas Campos. "We've built the easiest way to add student debt repayment and optimization to any app or service and are expanding these offerings quickly. Sean has a proven track record building and scaling fintech platforms to support broad markets and varied use cases. I'm thrilled to have him join our leadership team and help us execute against this vision."

Eva Ho, Spinwheel Board Member and General Partner at Fika Ventures added, "Spinwheel's superior student debt platform and data allow partners to move quickly and leap ahead of their competition. As they add new debt categories and leverage intelligence in novel ways, they will continue to lead the category. Sean's experience at Bento building and scaling a startup will accelerate growth and unlock new opportunities." About Spinwheel Spinwheel makes it easy for Americans to make smarter debt decisions and take action through a combination of data, intelligence, management, and payments. Their debt API and no code drop-in modules enable fintechs, banks, personal financial management tools, employee benefit providers, and loyalty platforms to quickly create a seamless experience for their customers within their existing applications. Spinwheel is headquartered in Oakland, California, and co-founded by Tomas Campos and Tushar Vaish in 2019. For more information, find us at Spinwheel, LinkedIn, or on our Developer Portal. Media Contact

Media Relations

press@cmand.co

312-775-2856 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/intelligent-debt-management-platform-spinwheel-announces-the-hiring-of-bento-for-business-cofounder-sean-anderson-as-head-of-platform-and-coo-301359705.html SOURCE Spinwheel

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[August 20, 2021] Ambassador Labs Reinforces Commitment to Cloud Native Developer Experience with New Ambassador Developer Control Plane Features and Ambassador Community Advocates Program

New Ambassador DCP capabilities sustain development velocity and fosters better team collaboration for continuous delivery across the enterprise organization

New automated configuration analysis, developer portal and canary release metrics for faster access and easier management of all stages of the development lifecycle

New Telepresence for Windows support allows developers to run apps anywhere

New Ambassador Community Advocates Program delivers expert guidance and resources to support developers wherever they are on our cloud native development lifecycle BOSTON, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ambassador Labs , the cloud native developer experience leader, today announced the newest release of Ambassador Developer Control Plane (DCP), the companys flagship managed developer control plane solution that lets developers code, ship, and run apps using Kubernetes faster and easier than ever before. The newest release of Ambassador DCP includes core features and functionality to streamline the app development lifecycle process for teams across large organizations while supporting existing technologies and role responsibilities. As the GitOps workflow continues to be transformative to accelerating velocity, Ambassador DCP augments existing workflows with the new capabilities to cost-effectively context switch between coding, shipping, and running workstreams. Teams can also take advantage of enhanced automation to gain a unified view for easy management of all services across the development environment. Delivering cloud-native apps has a level of complexity when it comes to building, shipping and running distributed systems, igniting a learning curve for developers that also affects the traditional roles of teams - ultimately causing disruption to development workflows, said Richard LI, CEO at Ambassador Labs. We are steadfast in our commitment to adding new capabilities quickly to the Ambassador Developer Control Plane to address these complexities, support the technologies and processes already in place across the organization, and foster better collaboration for fast dev delivery. The new capabilities available today reinforce our commitment to helping teams to easily view, see changes, and manage the different components of the cloud development loop for fast app delivery. Situational Awareness: Accelerating Cloud Native Developer Productivity With increased adoption of Kubernetes across the enterprise, so too comes the complexity of managing the sped and volume of workflows. As developer responsibility goes beyond coding and now includes shipping and running the code, the need for better cross-team collaboration and a centralized platform to not only manage the technology layers but also gain real-time access into all stages of the cloud-native development life cycle becomes imperative.



Built on major CNCF open-source projects, the newest release of Ambassador DCP continues to augment existing workflows and give distributed teams the ability to have accurate situational awareness into all phases of the dev lifecycle. New features available in Ambassador DCP v1.5 include: Code and share API documentation via the Developer Portal. API documentation is now included in the core Service Details page, allowing developer teams to get a unified, real-time view of their services across environments, whether on prem or in the cloud, with new Telepresence support for Windows. Teams can also view the API documentation of the deployed service alongside the runtime information for a service.

API documentation is now included in the core Service Details page, allowing developer teams to get a unified, real-time view of their services across environments, whether on prem or in the cloud, with new Telepresence support for Windows. Teams can also view the API documentation of the deployed service alongside the runtime information for a service. Run Automated configuration Analysis. The DCP now automatically analyzes configuration changes to Emissary-ingress, posting the results of this analysis as a comment in your GitHub repository. This empowers developers to see the context and impact of those changes before they are released to production - improving situational awareness. 95% of what application developers ever need to do can be done from a dashboard. The more self-service options you can provide from a development platform, the better. It improves the developer experience and productivity while helping teams get more out of their cloud native projects. -Cheryl Hung, VP of Ecosystem, Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Introducing Ambassador Community Advocates In addition to new capabilities available within Ambassador DCP, the company also unveiled its first-ever class of Ambassador Community Advocates. With 15 members in the inaugural class, these cloud native experts are available to share expert knowledge, contribute to Ambassador open source projects, and help individuals at any stage of their cloud native development journey. To learn more about the Community Advocates go here . Additional Resources Read our announcement blog here .

. To learn more about Ambassador Developer Control Plane, visit: https://www.getambassador.io/products/developer-control-plane

To manage your services across environments with the Developer Control Plane, create a free cloud account today!

today! Learn more about local development environments for Kubernetes at https://www.getambassador.io/developer-control-plane/code/productive-local-dev-environment/

Learn more about developing and debugging Kubernetes microservices at https://www.getambassador.io/developer-control-plane/code/investigating-and-debugging-microservices/

Learn more about continuous delivery for Kubernetes application developers at https://www.getambassador.io/developer-control-plane/ship/continuous-delivery-within-kubernetes/

Join the Ambassador Developer Community on Slack: https://a8r.io/Slack

About Ambassador Labs Ambassador Labs, the cloud native developer experience leader, enables developers to code, ship, and run applications faster and easier than ever. Maker of top Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) open source projects, including Emissary-ingress and Telepresence, Ambassador Labs delivers a developer control plane for Kubernetes that integrates the development, deployment, and production infrastructure for developers and organizations worldwide including Microsoft, PTC, NVidia, and Ticketmaster. Ambassador Labs is backed by top investors including Insight Partners, Matrix Partners, Trinity Ventures, and Four Rivers Group. Learn more and get started for free at www.getambassador.io . Media Contact:

Lisa Williams press@datawire.io (339) 788-0067



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[August 20, 2021] Adit EdTech Acquisition Corp. Appoints Two New Industry Advisors

Adit EdTech Acquisition Corp. (the "Company") today announced the appointment of two new industry advisors: Dr. Susan Rivers, Executive Director and Chief Scientist of iThrive Games Foundation, and Cristina Dolan, head of Alliances in North America for RSA (News - Alert) . This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210820005246/en/ Susan Rivers (Photo: Business Wire) Susan Rivers, PhD, is Executive Director and Chief Scientist of iThrive Games Foundation. With her team and partners, Susan designs responsive environments and experiences for teens that facilitate deep learning about themselves, society, and the world. Susan is a social psychologist and expert in social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence. She earned two master's degrees and her doctorate at Yale University and also served on the research faculty in Yale's psychology department for nearly a decade. Her work has been funded by foundations and federal agencies including the William T. Grant Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Education Sciences, the Novo Foundation, the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust, and the Air Force Research Laboratories. Susan is founding Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Games, Self, and Society, the author of numerous scholarly publications and multiple curriculum, and a Large-Scale Social Change Leadership Fellow with Billions Institute. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts where she plays and designs games, with her husband and three children. Cristina Dolan is an engineer, computer scientist and entrepreneur thathas led the transformation of businesses and built revolutionary products utilizing advanced technologies across many industries including Cyber Security, FinTech, Telecom, Media, InsurTech and Retail. In addition to being a cofounder of several blockchain companies, including value-based healthcare company Additum.es, she currently heads up Alliances in North America for RSA NetWitness (News - Alert) , and has been an advisor to several cyber security, data, and next generation cloud computing companies. Cristina was a co-founder of OneMain.com, which grew to be the 10th largest ISP after a successful IPO (Acquired by Earthlink (News - Alert) ). Formerly, she held executive roles at Disney, Hearst, IBM, Oracle and Tradingscreen. The global student coding competition she launched, "Dream it. Code it. Win it", which is the subject of her TED talk, has been honored with numerous awards including: the Trader Magazine Charitable Contribution Award, a MIT (News - Alert) Harold E. Lobdell Distinguished Service Award, and Stevie Awards for Best Organization, Best Female Innovator and Best Executive of the Year. Recognized as an industry thought leader, she has received numerous honors including: 100 Women in Finance; Women to Watch in Crypto and Blockchain; 100 Most Influential Blockchain Women; and Thought Leader in Crypto and Blockchain. She recently co-authored a book, 'Transparency in ESG and the Circular Economy, Capturing Opportunities through Data' which will be released by the publisher in the fall of 2021. Cristina earned a master's degree from the MIT Media Lab and also holds a Master of Computer Science Engineering and Bachelor of Electrical Engineering. Born in New York City, she is a native English speaker and is also fluent in Spanish which was her first language.



The Company is a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. While the Company may pursue a business combination in any industry, the Company intends to focus its search for a business that would benefit from the founders' and management team's experience and ability to identify, acquire and manage a business in the education, training and education technology sectors. The addition of Dr. Susan Rivers and Cristina Dolan augments the Company's existing expertise to explore business combination opportunities in additional technology sectors. Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements," including with respect to the initial public offering and the anticipated use of the net proceeds. No assurance can be given that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (" SEC (News - Alert) "), including, without limitation, those disclosed in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. Copies are available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210820005246/en/

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[August 20, 2021] Tauriga Sciences, Inc. to Operate Corporate Exhibitor Table at The Hampton Cannabis EXPO 2021

The Event Takes Place on Sunday, August 22, 2021 at The Club House Hamptons (East Hampton, New York): From 2:00pm to 9:00pm

NEW YORK, NY, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: TAUG) (Tauriga or the Company), a New York based diversified Life Sciences Company, has today announced that it will operate an in-person Corporate Exhibitor Table (Table) at The Hampton Cannabis EXPO 2021. This event takes place on Sunday, August 22, 2021 at The Club House Hamptons (East Hampton, New York): from 2:00pm to 9:00pm EST. DESCRIPTION BELOW: Hampton Cannabis Expo 2021 is the Place to Meet with Investors and other Cannabis Industry Leaders Looking to Take Advantage of the Immense Business Opportunities Coming to NY and Beyond. Enjoy Cocktails, Dinner, Exhibitors, Live Music, Panel Debates, Product Samples, After Party! Link to Hampton Cannabis EXPO 2021: https://hamptoncannabisexpo.com In other news, the Company will also be operating a Corporate Exhibitor Booth at the AATAC Convenience Store Tradeshow 2021. This event will take place on September 22nd-23rd, 2021 at the Richmond Raceway Complex (Richmond, Virginia). The Asian American Trade Associations Council (AATAC) is comprised of smaller buying groups, regional sub-chapters, independents, and other trade organizations under one blanket that consist of over 50,000 Operators controlling over 80,000 Retail Locations across the United States and Puerto Rico. Currently, there are approximately a little over 152,000 Convenience Stores (C-stores) in the country. The Companys Exhibitor Booth will include: 10ft x 10ft Main Floor Exhibitor Booth Link: https://aatac.co/about-us/ The Company is focused on the national expansion of its enhanced Tauri-Gum product line. The Company is aggressively marketing its propriety product lines in at least 5 major tradeshows before the end of calendar year 2021. COMPLETE UPCOMING TRADESHOW SCHEDULE: 1) HAMPTON CANNABIS EXPO 2021 August 22, 2021 (EastHampton, New York)



September 22-23, 2021 (Richmond, Virginia) 3) The WHITE LABEL WORLD EXPO

September 30, 2021 (New York City, New York) 4) MJ BIZ CON 2021 October 20-22, 2021 (Las Vegas, Nevada) 5) KOSHERFEST 2021 November 9-10, 2021 (Secaucus, New Jersey) ABOUT TAURIGA SCIENCES INC. Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (TAUG) is a revenue generating, diversified life sciences company, engaged in several major business activities and initiatives. The company manufactures and distributes several proprietary retail products and product lines, mainly focused on the Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabigerol (CBG) Edibles market segment. The main product line, branded as Tauri-Gum, consists of a proprietary supplement chewing gum that is Kosher certified, Halal certified, and Vegan Formulated (CBD Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Mint, Blood Orange, Pomegranate), (CBG Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Peach-Lemon, Black Currant), (DELTA 8 THC Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Evergreen Mint), (Vitamin C + Zinc Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Pear Bellini), (Caffeine Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Cherry Lime Rickey), & (Vitamin D3 Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Golden Raspberry). The Companys commercialization strategy consists of a broad array of retail customers, distributors, and a fast-growing E-Commerce business segment (E-Commerce website: www.taurigum.com). Please visit our corporate website, for additional information, as well as inquiries, at http://www.tauriga.com Complementary to the Companys retail business, is its ongoing Pharmaceutical Development initiative. This relates to the development of a proposed Pharmaceutical grade version of Tauri-Gum, for nausea regulation (specifically designed for the following indication: Patients Subjected to Ongoing Chemotherapy Treatment). On March 22, 2021, the Company announced that it had Converted its U.S. Provisional Patent Application (filed on March 17, 2020) into a U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application. The Patent, filed with the U.S.P.T.O. is Titled MEDICATED CBD COMPOSITIONS, METHODS OF MANUFACTURING, AND METHODS OF TREATMENT. On December 18, 2020 the Company disclosed that it had entered into a Master Services Agreement with CSTI to lead the Company's clinical development efforts. The Company is headquartered in Wappingers Falls, New York. In addition, the Company operates two full time E-Commerce fulfillment centers: one located in Montgomery, Texas and the other in Brooklyn, New York. DISCLAIMER -- Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which represent managements beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are often indicated by using words such as may, will, expects, anticipates, believes, hopes, believes, or plans, and may include statements regarding corporate objectives as well as the attainment of certain corporate goals and milestones. Forward-looking statements are based on present circumstances and on managements present beliefs with respect to events that have not occurred, that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences or timing than those now assumed or anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in forward looking statements due to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, such as are not guarantees of general economic and business conditions, the ability to successfully develop and market products, consumer and business consumption habits, the ability to consummate successful acquisition and licensing transactions, fluctuations in exchange rates, and other factors over which Tauriga has little or no control. Many of these risks and uncertainties are discussed in greater detail in the Risk Factors section of Taurigas Form 10-K and other periodic filings made from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release, and Tauriga assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Contact: Tauriga Sciences, Inc. 4 Nancy Court, Suite 4 Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 Chief Executive Officer Mr. Seth M. Shaw Email: sshaw@tauriga.com cell # (917) 796 9926 Company Instagram: @taurigum Personal Instagram: @sethsms47 Twitter: @SethMShaw Corp. Website: www.tauriga.com E-Commerce Website: www.taurigum.com



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[August 20, 2021] Verizon Frontline deployed to support emergency response efforts in N.C.

The Verizon Response Team deployed Verizon Frontline technology to support first responders conducting emergency response operations in Western North Carolina.



Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders, developed over three decades of partnership with the public safety community. HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C., Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon Frontline deployed its advanced public safety platforms and technology Wednesday, via the Verizon Response Team , to support first responders in Western North Carolina conducting rescue operations and dealing with extensive flood damage caused by Tropical Storm Fred. Collaborating with emergency management officials, the Verizon Response Team deployed Verizon Frontline tehnology, including two Satellite Pico-cells on Trailers (SPOTs), that could be used to help provide mission-critical voice and data service to public safety professionals participating in emergency response efforts following Tuesdays flooding.



This support, provided at the request of the local public safety officials, is a continuation of Verizon Public Sectors commitment to working alongside our partners in public safety and government. Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders  developed over nearly three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies  to meet their unique needs. From network priority and preemption and a commitment to real interoperability, to developing and delivering the most innovative product roadmap, Verizon Frontline is built on Americas most reliable network1, and will be able to harness the transformative power of 5G.

The Verizon Response Team provides on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies, emergency responders, nonprofits and communities on a 24/7/365 basis. Verizon Response team members provide Verizon Frontline technology including portable cell sites, WiFi hotspots, free charging stations and other devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance. 1 Rankings based on the RootMetrics US, state, and metro RootScore Reports: 2H 2013-1H 2021. Tested with best commercially available smartphones on 3 national mobile networks across all available network types combined. Your experiences may vary. Not a specific finding as to 5G networks. The RootMetrics award is not an endorsement of Verizon. Media contact:

Eric Durie

eric.durie@verizon.com

(516) 382-8219



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[August 20, 2021] Majic To Host Online Presentation of CGCX

Houston, Texas, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Majic Wheels, Corp. (OTC Pink: MJWL) ("Majic" or the "Company"), a Delaware corporation, that is positioning itself as a player in the disruptive industries of fintech and software development by means of acquisitions, announces it will be hosting an online presentation of its wholly owned subsidiary CGCX. The Presentation will be hosted on the

Majic Wheels Corp, Inc. website on

August 22nd, 2021, at 19:00 Eastern Time To view the presentation, investors are invited to register on the Majic website here: https://majiccorp.co We are excited to share more about CGCX with shareholders and prospective investors alike. There has been a rising interest in CGCXs exchange platform and its ecosystem. We couldnt be more excited to share CGCXs current achievements and future said Dr. Vin Menon, founder of CGCX. As part of the presentation the Company will be delving into further details about the current roadmap set for the Companys subsidiary CGCX. Items discussed during the presentation will cover Actual Revenues, Projected Revenues, Business Lines and Planned Upcoming Developments. Following the online presentation, the Company will be attending a Discord Q&A session to further discuss any questions shareholders may have about the presentation. The Q&A will be hosted on the Companys usual Discord Channel hosted by Apollo Assets. The Q&A will take place on August 25th, 2021, at 18:00 Eastern Time About Majic Wheels Corp. Majic Wheels Corp., a Delaware corporation, intends to position itself as a player in the disruptive industries of Fintech and software development by mens of acquisitions and mergers. Majic Wheels Corp. is listed and traded on the Over-the-Counter Market under the trading symbol "MJWL".



For more information about the Company visit: Our OTC Markets Profile: https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/mjwl/overview

Our website is: https://majiccorp.co/

Our Twitter account is: https://twitter.com/MajicCorp

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/apolloassets

About CGCX Ltd. Founded in 2018, Calfin Global Crypto Exchange CGCX set out to offer a highly sophisticated cryptocurrency exchange for a seamless & secure crypto trading experience. Unlike most exchanges that offer only cryptocurrency trading, CGCX caters to the larger blockchain community by providing four services under a single platform. CGCX Website: https://www.cgcx.io SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "plans," "suggests," "may," "should," "could," "intends," or similar expressions. Many forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results implied by such statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to continue to enhance our products and systems to address industry changes, our ability to expand our customer base and retain existing customers, our ability to effectively compete in our market segment, the lack of public information on our company, our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund our business, operations, our ability to continue as a going concern, and a limited public market for our common stock, among other risks. Many factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the company's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made. SOURCE: Majic Wheels Corp. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: David Chong

Email: info@majiccorp.co



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[August 20, 2021] Natixis Arranges Debt and Equity Financings for Slate Solar Plus Storage Project

NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Natixis today announced the successful closing of two separate financings in support of the Project Slate, a solar plus storage project being constructed in Kings County, California. Project Slate is owned by Goldman Sachs Renewable Power ("GSRP"), an investment company managed by the Renewable Power business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Upon construction completion, the Project Slate will have a capacity of 300 MWac Solar PV +140 MW / 561 MWh Battery Storage, making it among the largest solar plus storage projects in the world. In June 2021, Natixis acted as Administrative Agent and Joint Lead Arranger on $515.9 million senior secured credit facilities to Project Slate. Earlier, Natixis acted as Sole Lead Arranger for a $150 million Equity Bridge Loan, the proceeds of which will be used to fund GSRP's equity contribution into Project Slate. "Together, these transactions finance debt and equity costs for Project Slate demonstrate our ability to service our key clients with financing products across the capital stack," said Nasir Khan, Head of Infrastructure & Energy Finance for the Americas at Natixis. "Natixis is committed to financing clean energy projects and accelerating our energy transition." The Project Slate debt construction financing marks Natixis' second Solar Plus Storage financing in the Americas in as many months and comes on the back of Clearway's $285 million financing for its Mililani I and Waiawa Solar Plus Storage facilities in Hwaii in May 2021, where Natixis acted as Coordinating Lead Arranger. Those transactions are among the 26 Infrastructure Finance transactions Natixis has closed in the Americas in the first half of 2021.



About Natixis

Natixis is a French multinational financial services firm specialized in asset & wealth management, corporate & investment banking, insurance and payments. A subsidiary of Groupe BPCE, the second-largest banking group in France through its two retail banking networks, Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne, Natixis counts over 16,000 employees across 36 countries. Its clients include corporations, financial institutions, sovereign and supranational organizations, as well as the customers of Groupe BPCE's networks. Natixis has a solid financial base with a CET1 capital under Basel 3(1) of 12.4 billion, a Basel 3 CET1 Ratio(1) of 11.5% and quality long-term ratings (Standard & Poor's: A / Moody's: A1 / Fitch Ratings: A+).

(1) Based on CRR-CRD4 rules as reported on June 26, 2013, including the Danish compromise - without phase-in.

Figures as at 30 June 2021 Press contacts:

Meredith Zaritheny

Prosek Partners

+1 212.818.251

mzaritheny@prosek.com

https://www.natixis.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/natixis

https://www.twitter.com/natixis

https://www.instagram.com/natixis_corp

https://www.youtube.com/user/Natixisvideos

Our information is certified with blockchain technology.

Check that this press release is genuine at www.wiztrust.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/natixis-arranges-debt-and-equity-financings-for-slate-solar-plus-storage-project-301359891.html SOURCE Natixis

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[August 20, 2021] Clark Construction Group Partners with Other Industry Leaders to Launch Construction Inclusion Week

Clark Construction Group is proud to announce the company's participation as a founding member of Construction Inclusion Week, an initiative to build awareness, celebrate diversity and equity, and foster inclusion across the construction industry. In 2020, Clark joined fellow general contractors DPR, Turner, Gilbane, Mortenson, and McCarthy, to form the "Time for Change" consortium to identify ways to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within the construction industry. Through this effort, Construction Inclusion Week was created. The inaugural week-long event, which kicks off on October 18, 2021, is open to the entire industry. The theme for this year's Construction Inclusion Week is "Building the Foundation for Inclusion." Topics will include leadership commitment and accountability, unconscious bias, supplier diversity, jobsite culture, and community service and outreach. "As business leaders, we have a unique opportunity to leverage our collective voices and resources to identify and solve key industry and societal challenges," said Robby Moser, president and chief executive officer for Clark Construction. "Clark is honored to be part of this industrywide journey to build and foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, where our people and communities can thrive." lark is continuously evaluating ways to strengthen its Inclusion & Diversity strategy, which is anchored by four key tenets.



Culture - Continually develop a positive, inclusive, and respectful workplace

Growth - Attract, retain, grow, and promote a diverse mix of talent at all levels of the organization

Resources - Provide the resources and support for its employees and company to thrive

Engagement - Positively impact communities by providing access to opportunity These pillars inform the company's efforts to foster meaningful change and yield a more diverse and inclusive business, industry, and society. Like Construction Safety Week, Construction Inclusion Week demonstrates how a united industry can collectively set expectations for behaviors that foster positive and lasting change. Participating firms will have access to materials and resources such as toolkits and conversation guides to bring awareness to diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts for jobsites, teams, and organizations.

Visit www.constructioninclusionweek.com to sign up and learn more. About Clark Construction Group Clark Construction Group is one of the nation's most experienced and respected providers of building and civil construction services companies with annual revenues of approximately $5 billion. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the company has offices strategically located to serve clients throughout the country. For more information, visit www.clarkconstruction.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210820005342/en/

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[August 20, 2021] iSIGN Media Announces the Appointment of Dave Rodgerson as Chief Executive Officer and Director

TORONTO, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. (iSIGN or Company) (TSX-V: ISD) (OTC: ISDSF), a leading provider of interactive mobile proximity marketing and public security alert solutions is pleased to announce that Dave Rodgerson has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Director, effective as of today.

Dave comes to iSIGN following a career with experience both as a line of business executive for some of Canadas leading retailers and more recently with technology companies that support the industry. Dave has worked closely with clients and industry associations that share an interest in enhancing the consumer experience. His work has included consulting with such firms as Tesco, Canadian Tire, Loblaw, Imperial Tobacco, Walmart Canada and Rogers Communications.



More recently, he has been sharing stories about digital transformation and its impact on consumers and the Omni channel experience. His audiences have included members of the Retail Council of Canada, and the North American Packaging Consortium. He has been a featured speaker at Customer Engagement Technology World and the Canadian Gaming Association. Dave holds an MBA from Queen's University and has been a member of the faculty at Meritus University where he taught Marketing in their School of Business. In addition, from an academic perspective, heis on the advisory board of the University of Alberta School of Retail. He has played an active role with the National Retail Federation, the Retail Council of Canada and the Conseil Quebecois du Commerce de Detail.



Alex Romanov, who has been acting as iSIGNs Interim Chief Executive Officer, will be undertaking the role of Strategic Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer. I am very pleased with the Boards choice to appoint Dave Rodgerson as the new Chief Executive Officer of ISIGN, stated Alex Romanov. Dave served as a board member for several years and his past experience at IBM and Microsoft will contributed much valuable guidance and governance to ISIGNs staff, customers and partners. I invite all to join me in welcoming Dave back as the head of ISIGN and our next step into a very exciting future.

About iSIGN Media

iSIGN, a Canadian company based in Toronto (Richmond Hill), Ontario is a data-focused, software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that is a pioneering leader in the areas of location-based security alert messaging and proximity marketing utilizing Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity in complete privacy. Creators of the Smart suite of products, a patented interactive proximity marketing technology, iSIGN enables the delivery of messages to mobile devices in proximity, with real-time reporting and analytics on a variety of metrics. 2019 winner of Richmond Hills Innovator of the Year award. Partners include IBM, Keyser Retail Solutions, Baylor University, Verizon Wireless, TELUS and Mtrex Network Solutions. www.isignmedia.com  2021 iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Investor contacts: Bruce Reilly

iSIGN Media

bruce@isignmedia.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 or accuracy of this release.



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TULLAHOMA, Tenn.  More than 35 Soldiers from the Tennessee National Guards 1-107th Air Operations Battalion, headquartered in Tullahoma, will be leaving this weekend for an 11-month deployment to the Horn of Africa.

The Guardsmen will be traveling to Fort Hood, Texas, on Sunday to undergo final mobilization training before arriving at their final duty station in Djibouti and Kenya.

Were all very excited for the opportunity to deploy overseas, said Sgt. Maj. John Maison, the 1-107ths air traffic operations noncommissioned officer. Were looking forward to do the job weve exhaustively trained for over the last year and we are ready to go.

While deployed to Djibouti, the 1-107ths will provide tactical air traffic control and airfield management capabilities to various airfields and be able to rapidly deploy throughout the area to establish air traffic control facilities. They will also establish an air traffic control tower and radar team in Kenya.

On Saturday, Aug. 21, the 1-107th will host a departure ceremony at the 30th Troop Command Armory in Tullahoma for family and friends.

******MEDIA COORDINATION INSTRUCTIONS******

Media interested in attending the departure ceremony must RSVP by calling the 1-107th Air Operations Battalion Administrative Officer at (931) 393-5840 or email Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Hakala at jason.w.hakala.mil@mail.mil. The ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will be located at the 30th Troop Command Armory located at 1402 East Carroll Street in Tullahoma. Media will be met at the Armorys main entrance and escorted to the ceremony. All CDC guidelines will be adhered to.
ANDERSON COUNTY, SR 61 Bridge over Norfolk Southern Railway and Market Street in Clinton: SR 61 East is reduced to one lane through this bridge repair project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changing conditions, lane shifts, and use extreme caution through this area.

ANDERSON COUNTY, US 25/SR 9 Bridge over Clinch River between SR 61 and Carden Farm Drive: SR 9 northbound is reduced to one lane approaching the bridge as crews continue work in this area. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changing conditions, lane shifts, and use extreme caution through this bridge construction project.

BLOUNT COUNTY, US 129 North and South between SR 35 Hall Road and Tyson Boulevard: US 129 North is reduced to one lane between Hall Road and Hunt Road as crews perform widening and roadway realignment through this project. This closure will remain in place around the clock for an estimated four to six weeks. Motorists should expect potential delays during peak travel times. Motorists should be alert for workers present and brief stoppages of traffic through this roadway construction project. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-115-alcoa-highway-hall-road-to-tyson-blvd.html

BLOUNT COUNTY, SR 335 Hunt Road between Ambrose Street and Ramsay Street: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures at various times as crews install utilities through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present directing traffic and use extreme caution through this area.

BLOUNT COUNTY, SR 33 between Foothills Mall Drive and Henry Street: Motorists should be alert for possible nightly lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this intersection improvement construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changed conditions, and use extreme caution through this area.

BLOUNT COUNTY, US 411/ SR 35 between High Street and Sevier County Line: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

CAMPBELL COUNTY, I-75 North and South between Mile Markers 135 and 142: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this project. Motorists should be alert for slowed or stopped traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

CAMPBELL COUNTY, SR 63 between Myers Lane and Frontier Road/Woodson Lane: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and/or 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for slowed or stopped traffic, expect potential delays and use extreme caution

through this area.

CARTER COUNTY, US 19E/SR 37 Bridge over the Doe River and Riverview Road: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures through this bridge repair project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

CARTER COUNTY, SR 37 between Doe River Bridge and Willow Lane: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

CARTER COUNTY, SR 67 between SR 359 and SR 91: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

CARTER COUNTY, SR 359 between I-26 and Milligan Highway: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

CLAIBORNE COUNTY, SR 33 between New Hope Road and Russell Road: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, expect delays and use extreme caution through this area

CLAIBORNE COUNTY, SR 63 between Old Town Creek and US 25E/SR 32: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, expect delays and use extreme caution through this area.

COCKE/GREENE COUNTY, SR 35 between Cloud Way and Bright Hope Road: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

GREENE COUNTY, US 11E/SR 34 both directions between Blue Springs Parkway and Forest Road in Mosheim: Motorists should be alert for lane closures and lane shifts through this area for bridge repair operations. These lane closures will remain in place 24/7 until repairs are complete. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changing conditions, and use extreme caution in this area. This bridge repair project is estimated to be complete on or before October 31, 2021.

HAMBLEN COUNTY, SR 34 between Jefferson County Line and Walters Drive: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, I-40 East near Mile Markers 382 and 392: On Saturday, August 21, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. as utility crews perform roadway street light maintenance. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, I-640 East and West between Mile Markers 0 and 3.6: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures nightly between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this milling and resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, I-640 Ramps at Exit 8: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures nightly between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, Various Interstates through Knoxville: Motorists should be alert for possible mobile lane closures nightly between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform roadway maintenance activities. Motorists should be alert

for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

KNOX COUNTY, US 129/SR 115 Alcoa Highway between Topside Road and Maloney Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures and lane shifts as crews perform work through this project. Motorists should be alert for new traffic

patterns. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduce speed and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-115-alcoa-highway-little-river-to-maloney.html

KNOX COUNTY, US 129/SR 115 Alcoa Highway between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures and lane shifts as crews perform work through this project. Motorists should be alert for new traffic

patterns. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduce speed, and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-115-alcoa-highway-maloney-to-woodson.html

KNOX COUNTY, US 441 Broadway Viaduct between Jackson Avenue and Fifth Avenue: US 441 Broadway Viaduct over Norfolk Southern Railroad in downtown Knoxville is closed for bridge replacement. The Broadway Viaduct will be closed to all traffic for the duration of the project. During the closure, Broadway will be closed from the intersection of Oak Avenue, Worlds Fair Park, and Jackson Avenue to just north of the Depot Avenue intersection. Depot Avenue will also be closed. These closures will ensure the safety of workers and motorists as crews demolish the old bridge and reconstruct the new bridge. Primary and Local Detour Routes around the bridge closure will be in place. For detour routes and project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/broadway-viaduct.html

KNOX COUNTY, US 441/SR 71 Chapman Highway between Highland View Drive and Burnett Lane: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/chapman-highway-evans-to-burnett.html

KNOX COUNTY, US 11W/ SR 1 Rutledge Pike at Roberts Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. as crews perform turn lane extensions in this area. Motorists should be alert for slowed traffic, expect potential delays and use extreme caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, SR 62 Western Avenue between Copper Kettle and Texas Avenue: Motorists should be alert for possible nightly lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, SR 62 Oak Ridge Highway at Schaad Road: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures through this area at various times as crews perform roadway resurfacing and signal work at this intersection. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, SR 332 Concord Road between Turkey Creek Road and Northshore: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and new traffic patterns through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-332-proposed-widening.html

KNOX COUNTY, SR 332 Northshore Drive between Lyons View Pike and Papermill Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures nightly between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform work on concrete curb ramps through this area. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area.

LOUDON COUNTY, I-75 North and South between Mile Markers 79 and 84: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, expect delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

LOUDON COUNTY, SR 72 between Good Hope Road and Corporate Park Drive: Motorists

should be alert for possible closures at various times through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

LOUDON COUNTY, US 321/SR 73 between I-40 and Simpson Road: Motorists should be alert for possible nightly lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

LOUDON COUNTY, US 411/SR 33 between Blount County Line and Monroe County Line: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

ROANE COUNTY, I-40 West between Mile Markers 340 and 344: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures at various times through this slope stabilization project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, lane shifts, and use extreme caution through this area.

SEVIER COUNTY, SR 71 between US 411 and Macon Lane: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, I-26 East and West between Mile Markers 5.3 and 9.9: Motorists

should be alert for possible temporary lane closures through this resurfacing project.

Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution in this area.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, SR 34 Intersection at Industrial Park Rd: Motorists should be alert for lane

reductions through this intersection improvement project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, changed traffic patterns, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, SR 93 from near I-26 (Log Mile 6.2) to near US 11W/ SR 1 (Log Mile 11.3) : Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures through this resurfacing and bridge repair project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, SR 126 Memorial Boulevard at SR 36: Motorists should be alert for lane reductions through this intersection improvement project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, changed traffic patterns, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

UNICOI COUNTY, I-26 East and West near Mile Markers 33 and 34: I-26 is reduced to one lane in each direction around the clock as crews perform bridge deck repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area. This project is estimated to be complete on or before August 31, 2021.

UNICOI COUNTY, SR 81 between Log Miles 0 and 1.8: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through this resurfacing and safety

project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

UNICOI COUNTY, SR 107 between 6th Street and SR 173: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through this resurfacing and safety project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

WASHINGTON/ CARTER COUNTY, SR 91 between Broadway Street and SR 67: Motorists

should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing

project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, SR 93 between Davis Road and Fire Hall Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, and use caution through this area.

For information on statewide interstate construction motorists can access the Tennessee Department of Transportation SmartWay website at https://smartway.tn.gov/traffic

TDOT is now on Twitter. For up to the minute traffic information in Knoxville and the Tri-Cities follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/knoxville511. For statewide travel information follow www.twitter.com/TN511
This might be another victory for KC Tenants and legacy media . . . After a litany of bad press, leaders at 12th & Oak were forced to pay for a dearth of public relations planning.

Here's the word . . .

Jackson County announces $1.2 million relocation plan



KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Today, Jackson County is announcing a $1.2 million relocation plan to assist residents of Heart Village Mobile Home Park. The plan, subject to approval by the County Legislature, includes a partnership with Community Services League (CSL) to provide specialized housing and relocation assistance to families through the use of social workers, a relocation consultant and housing assistance funds.



In addition to a relocation consultant, Community Services League also plans to hire two family stability specialists who would work with each family to address their individual relocation needs by conducting the following activities, including and not limited to:



- Greeting and forming a working relationship with the families and mobile home park management

- Conducting a baseline assessment of each familys individual situation

- Empowering families to use their voice and choice in deciding where to live and helping them navigate schooling concerns

- Advising families about other CSL programs, like Career Trainings, and informing them on other public and private assistance programs that will make their relocation easier

- Providing ongoing support and tracking the outcomes of families for one year



In addition, Jackson County estimates that costs for relocation and housing assistance will average $10,000 per household, including $5,000 to help cover any additional expenses.



Approximately one month ago, the County Legislature approved the use of $7,050,000 in budgeted funds to acquire the site located at 7000 E. U.S. 40 Highway that meets all of the criteria established by the Countys consultant, JCDC Partners, LLC of Kansas City Missouri. The County finalized the purchase of the property at the end of last week.



###

Developing . . .
Here's today's pandemic reality check on the nice side of the bridge . . .

The sitch:

"The decision was made after several people who were inside the within the Rooney Justice Center tested positive for COVID-19. A vaccination rate of under 50% in Clay County and the fact that the CDC said the county has a high transmission rate also played into the decision . . .



"Most trials and hearings are postponed until further notice. The courthouse said attorneys are working to notify clients and reschedule hearings when the court resumes operations."



Check the www.TonysKansasCity.com news link collection . . .



Courthouse closed, trials postponed in Clay County because of COVID-19 threat LIBERTY, Mo. - Positive cases mixed with low vaccination rates in Clay County caused leaders to close the county courthouse until further notice. The Presiding Judge in Clay County issued the order Wednesday. According to the order, the decision was made after several people who were inside the within the Rooney Justice Center tested positive for COVID-19.

Clay County Circuit Court postpones all trials, hearings due to spread of Delta variant LIBERTY, MO (KCTV) -- Clay County Circuit Court is now postponing all trials and hearings. The court says they're taking this step because of the spread of the Delta variant in the area, and because less than 50-percent of people in the county are fully vaccinated.

Clay County postponing most trials and hearings due to COVID-19 surge Officials with the Clay County, Missouri Circuit Court have issued an order postponing most in-person trials and hearings, citing concern over rising cases of COVID-19 in the county.In a COVID-19 Directive issued by the Presiding Judge, officials announced starting yesterday, most in-person hearings and proceedings have been postponed.Officials cited rising COVID-19 case numbers, prevalence of the delta variant, a low (less than 50%) percentage of vaccination, and multiple positive COVID-19 cases in the Rooney Justice Center as reason for the new directive.

Developing . . .
For the record we don't have any love for the former Guv even if we've heard that he's a hot date.

However . . .



The plan for local progressives and Democratic Party supporters is to continue to hype his name and help his publicity in hopes that he'll siphon off a few votes from Republican contenders.



Accordingly . . . This week's note about the disgraced former Guv was forwarded along by a network of progressive sites that nobody reads anymore . . . Check-it via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link:



Eric Greitens' run for Senate in Missouri represents a perversion of patriotism Former Gov. Eric Greitens delivers the annual State of the State address to the Missouri House in 2018. // Photo by Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications Results from a Saint Louis University poll suggests that disgraced former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens is the frontrunner in the race to fill retiring Sen.

Developing . . .


Per ushe, people trying to make a buck and survive on the ground level are paying an exorbitant price for political drama at 12th & Oak.



Big picture . . .



KANSAS CITY SMALL BIZ SUFFERS SUMMER 2021 AS COVID FEAR & SLAP FIGHTING CHASES AWAY CUSTOMERS!!!



A quick note sent our way on the topic of the public health discourse . . .



"Question for you TKC: Who is going to pay for the Mayor's mask mandate when so many of our businesses are going bankrupt again???

"We've had a couple of good weekends here in Midtown but the 'comeback' has never materialized.

"Sure, it's not all the Mayor's fault but if you look at that mask mandate closely, all of the enforcement is targeted at small businesses. Just like they did last time around, I expect the health department is obviously going to make an example out of anybody who opposes the mask extension.

"In the meantime, the crowds have thinned out and the weekends are the only thing that sustains Westport. I don't see the box stores or chain restaurants having many problems for facing similar scrutiny . . . To my eyes, this mask order is targeted solely at small KC businesses."



Accordingly . . .

We share this latest COVID news collection and take no comfort in the tragic fact that "buy local" hype has been completely abandoned by most local leaders . . . Read more via this www.TonysKansasCity.com news collection . . .

Enforcing KCMO's latest mask mandate as council approves extension KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The owner of the Westport Flea Market says they can't control what city leaders decide but says his business will do whatever it takes to make sure they can keep their doors open.

The KC businesses requiring proof of COVID vaccination before entry Delivered every Tuesday and Thursday morning A donation to The Beacon goes beyond the newsroom. We amplify community voices, share resources and investigate systems, not just symptoms. The Beacon in your inbox. In-depth reporting delivered every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

Don't want to vaccinate or mask up at work or school? You might not have a choice KANSAS CITY, Mo. - You don't have to spend much time on social media to realize there's a lot of bad information being peddled regarding how vaccine and mask mandates are an assault on your civil rights. To clear up the confusion, FOX4 went to Katherine Myers, an attorney who specials in civil rights and employment law.

Unified Government says employees not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 must test weekly The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, announced Wednesday that employees who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be tested weekly for the disease.Unified Government County Administrator Doug Bach announced the new mandatory policy. Starting the week of Sept.

'Believe the science:' KU doctors talk about importance of COVID-19 vaccination, masks KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dr. Steven Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, has a message for Kansas Citians: "Give us a break. Quit believing the baloney and believe the science."

Overwhelmed Kansas City area hospitals struggling to take in 911 patients KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Across the Kansas City metro, hospitals are busy, and emergency department wait times remain high. Doctors believe we need a community response to this crisis. Dr. Ryan Jacobsen said about half the hospitals across the metro are on "high volume," signaling a lack of bed space and staff.

The exception that proves the rule . . .

Local mask makers, retailers keeping up with demand as mandates return KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The shop inside Madison Stitch isn't always quiet, especially when they are sewing masks. "When the pandemic started we pivoted to making fabric style face masks very early on and it exploded," said John Pryor, founder of Madison Flitch and Madison Stitch Madison Stitch converted their entire shop to sewing masks in February 2020, selling and donating close to 35,000 masks.

Developing . . .
There was no victory today for Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, COVID-19 mitigation or science.



Instead, feeble rules imposed on a defiant populace offer a false sense of security.



For the record, TKC endorses the use of masks to help stop the spread of the pandemic. Amateur scientists from both sides of the aisle can debate the practice but we believe that they're better than nothing. History shows us that staying away from people as much as possible is likely the best defense against plague but, essentially, masks are harmless. Sure, wearing a flimsy cloth face covering might be akin to bringing a spork to a gun fight but we'd rather have the spork than walk into a conflict completely unarmed; especially in a world where so many reactionaries refuse a vaccine that former Prez Trump fast-tracked.



And so, here's the question that nobody in Kansas City is asking upon this cowtown triumph for masks/science . . .



HOW EFFECTIVE IS IT TO IMPOSE MASKS ON PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO WEAR THEM?!?!



In the photo featured at the top of this post, Mayor Q dropped his mask in order to yell with "mostly peaceful" protesters at the outset of the pandemic.



Later, as the pandemic worsened, Mayor Q was seen unmasked in the close company of a gaggle of very happy ladies.



Moreover, we've all seen countless people walk around this town wearing masks on their chin like some kind of idiotic bib.



At every step of this pandemic, the U.S. obsession with the bitter debate over masks to help mitigate COVID has been a puerile and insipid argument that only helps to boost the ratings of cable TV news.

Accordingly . . .



Because he's not a real leader, Mayor Quinton Lucas missed his opportunity to enact policy that sidestepped unproductive Beltway politics.

Rather that push orders or mandates, Mayor Q and council could've sought protection for people wearing COVID masks.

A Kansas City COVID Mask Protection Policy would've preserved the rights of people and small biz who sought to wear masks in order try and thwart this horrific plague.



Again . . .

Instead of trusting the people of Kansas City to act like adults and respecting personal freedom, Mayor Quinton Lucas put his faith in flimsy and mostly ignored public health rules whilst ordering everyone to feign obedience as he championed a divisive dress code.



Real leaders don't give orders, they lead by example and seek cooperation.

Real leaders don't chase celebrity and rush toward the spotlight at every opportunity.

The Mayor passed his dress code today, but for many, he lost a great deal of credibility.

Check the links . . .

Kansas City, Missouri City Council votes to extend mask mandate Hide Transcript Show Transcript HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MISSOURIANS. WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWASS KANSAS CITY MISSOURI'S MASK , MANDATE IS BEING EXTENDED. GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. I'M KRIS KETZ. HALEY: AND I'M HALEY HARRIS.ON THAT MANDATE W OASRIGINALLY SET TO EXPIRE NEXT SATURDAY, AUGUST 28.

In 10-2 vote, KCMO City Council extends mask mandate until Sept. 23 KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- The KCMO City Council has voted to extend the city's mask mandate until Sept. 23. It passed by a 10-2 vote. Heather Hall and Brandon Ellington voted against it. This comes after a heated night of debate on Wednesday.

Kansas City Council approves extension of mask mandate into September KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Council has voted 10-2 Thursday to extend the city's indoor mask mandate through Sept. 23. Council members Heather Hall and Brandon Ellington were the only two to vote against the mask ordinance. See the council's discussion and vote in the video player above.

Kansas City Extends Mask Mandate With Hospitals Full From COVID Surge The Kansas City Council voted 10-2 Thursday to extend its indoor mask order to September 23, as COVID hospitalizations and deaths mount and the delta variant remains highly contagious. "We have not kept this virus at bay," said Councilwoman Andrea Bough, noting her frustration that vaccine hesitancy has allowed the virus to proliferate.

Protesters rally again before Kansas City Council's mask mandate vote KANSAS CITY, Mo. - After a Wednesday night meeting full of jeers and heckling, protesters made a last stand before Kansas City council members extended the city's indoor mask mandate Thursday afternoon. Kansas City's new mask order was ultimately approved 10-2. It will remain in effect through Sept. 23.

City council members and opponents discuss 10-2 vote to extend KCMO mask mandate KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- Following a 10-2 city council vote, the indoor mask mandate in Kansas City, Mo will be extended through September 23rd. After Wednesday night's contentious committee meeting discussing the same ordinance, a much smaller crowd of opponents attended Thursday's meeting for the full city council vote.

You decide . . .
Like it or not, the ambitious law man and U.S. Senate candidate might very well pick up some support in Eastern Jack for this power move.

Background . . .



Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt called the mandate unlawful, arbitrary and capricious.



The lawsuit names Jackson County Executive Frank White, the Jackson County Health Department, and others.



Jackson Countys mask mandate is yet another attempt by government officials to obtain, aggregate, and maintain power. Requiring residents to wear a mask, especially in the face of a widely available vaccine, is ridiculous, Schmitt said. My Office will continue our fight against government overreach and intrusion.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

Missouri AG Schmitt files lawsuit over Jackson County mask mandate KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced Thursday that he has filed a lawsuit against Jackson County over their current mask mandate, similar to his suit against Kansas City, Missouri. Jackson County's current indoor mask mandate went into effect Aug. 9 and is set to expire after 30 days.

Missouri attorney general files lawsuit over Jackson County's mask mandate Missouri's attorney general has filed a lawsuit over Jackson County's mask mandate.Attorney General Eric Schmitt said the lawsuit was filed Thursday to stop enforcement of the order.Jackson County Executive Frank White, the Jackson County Health Department and others were named in the lawsuit."Jackson County's mask mandate is yet another attempt by government officials to obtain, aggregate, and maintain power.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt Sues To Block Jackson County Mask Mandate Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has filed yet another lawsuit seeking to block a local mask mandate implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19, this time targeting Jackson County. The lawsuit is similar to the ones Schmitt has filed against Kansas City and St. Louis County, which also imposed mask mandates.

Developing . . .
Having Spent 10 days travelling around Portugal we arrived in Porto. This hotel was the perfect place to stay as it is a great hub to explore Porto and is a very relaxing hotel to stay in. When I received the keys to our room 112 I was blown away by the beautiful view from the small balcony off our room. The hotel is bright, modern, spotlessly clean and staff have excellent attention to detail. Im sorry I dont have staff names. After a busy day exploring Porto we relaxed in the spa centre, hydrotherapy pool, Turkish bath, and steam room. Its an excellent location with an abundance of bars and restaurants in the immediate area and Portos high street via Caitriona a one minute walk away. Kettle/nespresso in the room, typical NH quality toiletries, sumptuous linens and comfy beds for a full nights sleep. Large flat screen TV, a powerful (although heavy) hairdryer - great for long hair, safe in the room and fully stocked minibar. Hotel parking available. Overall I highly rate this hotel and I will definitely stay again.
Good for: Child-friendly, Local cuisine, Groups

Dining options: Breakfast, Dinner, After-hours, Lunch, Reservations

Description: At The Lobster Pound, our philosophy is simple: serve great food and treat guests like family. That philosophy was born in 1926, when The Lobster Pound served its first customers in the exact same spot where it stands today. From day one, weve been committed to providing a high quality meal and outstanding service to every guest who walks through our doors. What began as an outdoor lobster cooker has grown into a 260 seat iconic establishment. The Lobster Pound has become a staple in the Lincolnville community and a second home to families from both here and far away. As we head into our 92nd season the tradition continues for this to be a place where you can enjoy an authentic Maine dinner while catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, and celebrating family milestones. The Lobster Pound is a dining tradition that has been family orientated for generations, a place where you can take a moment, connect through real conversations and enjoy an excellent meal.
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Oh where to begin...LCBB is paradise defined. We were almost speechless by the how beautiful the setting was, how extraordinary the food was, how perfect our bungalow was and the amazing vibe. The owner and staff were gracious, attentive and never ending in their desire to make our experience A+. They achieved that and more. We already miss them all! All the food is locally sourced and prepared with such amazing flavor and care, my daughter and I almost couldn't believe how good everything was. I wish the chef could come back to the US with us as we will miss the lobster and coconut shrimp tacos we ate almost every meal, the care in presentation, the small touches that made the food just plain "wow"! We were so spoiled and now kind of "ruined" ;) in that the bar is so high that it's hard to duplicate. The bungalows are locally inspired but also very modern, clean, well designed and super comfortable. I loved to shower with rain water each night (yes you can also have hot water) before slipping under the crisp white sheets, pulling the mosquito netting around me on the very comfortable bed and blissfully falling asleep with the sound of the Caribbean Sea and the gentle wind through the palms. LCBB is right on a pristine beach with almost no one there, so we loved hanging out, swimming and taking long walks when not diving. LCBB has been the absolute highlight in our trip to Nicaragua. We will never forget the extraordinary experience and are so grateful to the staff for their tremendous commitment to guests. I recommend LCBB and hold the whole operation, setting, staff, food, and experience in the highest regard. I deeply hope I can go back!



Disliked  Even the power shut off on the island could not negatively effect our experience - LCBB has a generator and also has gas for cooking/the restaurant so we were completely happy despite the unexpected short term island wide power challenge. Note that currently they do not serve dinner (closes at 5 p.m.) so you will need to walk down the beach or into the town for dinner so bring a flashlight. It's anywhere from 5 -15 minutes walk. Also, bring cash if you don't want to pay a 12% fee for using a credit card.
With whats going on in the world at the moment it was so nice to feel safe with the professional conduct of all at Ellaidhoo by Cinnamon. All COVID measures were taken into account with discretion so as not to take away the feeling of peace,tranquility and relaxation this resort has to offer.

Firstly the boat journey from Male to Ellaidhoo. Its around 1.25hrs in a very modern speedboat. The boat can take 25passengers plus two crew. Twin high power outboards and all marine safety measures/equipment on board. Radio/gps etc. Passenger are requested to wear Lifejackets for the journey. The boat has a roof to keep the sun off. Great way to start the holiday.

On arrival you are welcomed by Jacky, Marevic and Adreana and their team. Very professional with full brief about the island including safety measures for swimming and snorkelling etc. Meanwhile your luggage is offloaded and sterilised placed on a trolley ready to be taken to your room.

If you stay in a water bungalow as we did, you have exclusive use to the pool restaurant where each bungalow has its designated table. The waiters spoil you, ours-Iqbal and Nauful were excellent, very attentive.

Singh the bbq king was on duty for every meal and gave us nice bbq meats and veg etc.

Chief ran a great kitchen and his marinated fish is simply exquisite. (Had it at every meal).

To wash it all down, within the restaurant there is a bar where Osanda, king of the cocktails will mix you a splendid variety of drinks.

The rooms are cleaned and serviced twice a day and our cleaner, Alarmin worked very hard to set up special surprises. As it was my wifes birthday and our anniversary whilst we were there. When we came back to the room the bed was all decorated with flowers and wishes. A nice touch.

The spa on site is excellent where you can have all sorts of massages. Balinese, hot stone etc and Nova worked her magic with a seaweed warm stone massage.

There is a Dive centre on site where you can book dives, try dives and even escorted snorkel trips plus night snorkelling. All very professionally run. Amjay the manager runs a well organised crew with safety being paramount. Always willing to give advise on currents and direction you should swim for ease. We snorkelled and below us we could see a nervous novice diver being escorted holding hands with two instructors for comfort and reassurance. What an experience she has had. On a night snorkel Amjay and Said look after you and show you the sights. Great to see what comes out at night.

The sea life has got to be one of the best spots in the world. Sharks rays and all manner of fish etc.

Unfortunately, sometime your holiday must come to an end. Even that is done well. If you need PCR tests they are done the day before you leave with results given within 24hrs. Then as you go back to the speedboat for return to Male the kitchen staff and other staff come and wave you off.

This island has got to be one of the best. You feel as though you have your own tropical island. Plenty of space. Spoilt from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave. It takes about 10-15minutes to walk around the entire island. It really is paradise. Snorkelling every morning and relaxing every afternoon either in the pool or just sitting around having cocktails. What more could you want.

Many thanks to all the staff who made this a very memorable trip.
Hi

I am hoping to go to Paphos in early September. My husband and I are both double-vaccinated, so I know that we do not need to undertake any tests prior to departure. However, although I have read that we need to complete the Cyprus FlightPass ahead of our holiday, I am a bit confused about the Safe Pass. Do we then need to apply for a SafePass while we are in Cyprus, or will we just be able to use our FlightPass as proof of vaccination etc. We are planning to be in Paphos for 10 days.

Also, does anyone know of anywhere that does RAT testing in the Paphos area, that meets with UK Govt guidelines for our test before we return home?

Thanks.
Price range: EUR 7 - EUR 132

Description: BRAVA is The Bodrum EDITIONs signature restaurant offering a destination for the night with an al-fresco offering. With an inviting and colourful menu featuring Latin-Aegean inspired dishes, guests will dine on a menu featuring fried calamari with fish & lime emulsion and red onion salsa alongside mains such as lamb rack pistachio and parsley crust with grilled tomatoes and garlic cream or the pan-fried John Dory with caramelized radishes, caper and lemon butter. The elevated design of the menu celebrates the biodiversity of the environment, while using only the freshest local produce that Turkey has to offer. BRAVA Bar at The Bodrum EDITION presents a vibrant spot to enjoy bar snacks representing Munozs gastronomic journey around the world. Here, guests can enjoy a menu offering a selection refreshing drinks and snacks from Fried local peppers with tahini, pistachio and mint to Prawn tail satay. The bars beverage concept is built on handcrafted forgotten classics as well as feat
There have been fully-vaccinated persons who have become severely ill and some who have actu
Despite technical readiness of Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, it will not be able to operate as a commercial pipe.

Thats according to Yuriy Vitrenko, CEO of Naftogaz of Ukraine, who spoke at a briefing following the inspection of company facilities in the city of Odesa and Odesa region, including the oil terminal in the port of Pivdenny, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Odesa Courier newspaper

According to him, a lot of time must pass from the stage of technical launch to commercial use  including certification procedures involving the company running the pipeline.

Vitrenko says the current operator, Nord Stream AG, does not meet European standards and thus cannot be certified.

Read also: Germany appoints special rep for Ukraine gas transit

This means that the pipeline will not be able to provide commercial gas flows.

The Naftogaz CEO has also reminded that systemic work is underway with the United States and European countries on the effective and efficient introduction of sanctions on companies involved in construction and operation of the Russian pipeline.

As Ukrinform reported, on July 21, the U.S. and German governments issued a joint declaration outlining their position on the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The U.S. committed to refrain from hindering the pipes completion, while Germany undertook to impose sanctions on Russia in case Moscow goes for another act of aggression against Ukraine, as well as vowed support for Ukraine in energy transformation.

Ukraine opposes the construction of the pipe since it will connect Russia and Europe bypassing Ukrainian territory. The launch of the gas pipeline threatens Ukraines revenues off Russian gas transit via Ukraine, as well as carries immediate risks to Ukraines national security.

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Cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey in the field of space exploration will open up many opportunities for both countries.

Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine Oleh Urusky wrote about this on his Facebook page following a meeting with Head of the Space Agency of Turkey Serdar Huseyin Yldrm, which took place within the IDEF 2021 International Defense Industry Fair in Turkey, Ukrinform reports.

We discussed opportunities for cooperation in the creation of space carriers and components, monitoring of outer space and remote sensing of the Earth, creation of platforms for satellites, sharing of ground space infrastructure, production of delivery vehicles under the Lunar Program and many other issues," he wrote.

According to Urusky, he informed the interlocutor that Ukraine is finalizing the approval of the State Scientific and Technical Space Program, which envisages many potential areas for possible Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation.

He also added that the reform process is underway in Ukraine and a Rocket and Space Holding will be soon established, which will include key enterprises in the space industry, including the corporatized Pivdenne Design Bureau and the Pivdenmash State Enterprise.

Ukraine is open to a meaningful dialogue in order to find joint promising projects in the space sphere that will be of benefit both for Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey, Urusky wrote.

For his part, Serdar Huseyin Yldrm said he is confident that the Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation in this area will soon yield certain results.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky does not rule out that German Chancellor Angela Merkel will bring certain guarantees of energy security for Ukraine after her visit to Russia.

The Head of State said this in an interview with journalists from the Normandy Four countries and the United States  Washington Post, Liberation, Funke Media, Novoe Vremya, and Novaya Gazeta, the Presidents press service informs.

Answering the question whether he was concerned that the German Chancellor would first visit Russia before her visit to Ukraine, Zelensky said he was completely calm about it.

Read also: Merkel to visit Moscow before meeting with Zelensky

"I am extremely pragmatic in my views and can realistically assess my expectations. This is first of all about real results. I do not expect the Chancellor to come to Kyiv with gifts. She did not do this even in previous years. I hope that Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin will reach a certain agreement with which she will arrive in Kyiv. These can be guarantees for Ukraine. For example, that Russia will agree to supply the minimum amount of gas via Ukraine's gas pipeline system to the EU," the President said.

Zelensky noted that Angela Merkel was guided by pragmatic considerations in relations with Russia but he considered this approach too lenient.

"It is clear that she is trying to maintain relations with Moscow. This can be called a pragmatic approach. And she wants to avoid any surprises during the Bundestag election on September 26. Russia still has influence. My personal opinion is that the Chancellor is advancing a very delicate way of balancing. In my opinion, it is too soft," the Head of State stressed.

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The Embassy of Germany in Ukraine calls on Russia to stop human rights abuses and release political prisoners in occupied Crimea.

"New searches and arrests of Crimean Tatars in the occupied Crimea are religious and political persecution. We call on Russia to stop human rights abuses and release prisoners. Human rights will become an important topic at Crimea Platform," the Embassy posted on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

As reported, on August 16, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly protested against the illegal judgment of the Southern Military District Court of the Russian Federation to convict Ukrainian citizens Ruslan Nagaev, Lenur Khalilov, Ruslan Mesutov, and Eldar Kantimirov, defendants in the Alushta group of Hizb ut-Tahrir case.

The Crimea Platform is a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine to step up the efficiency of international response to the occupation of Crimea, respond to growing security challenges, increase international pressure on Russia, prevent further human rights violations, protect victims of the occupation regime, and achieve the main goal: to de-occupy Crimea and restore Ukraines sovereignty over the peninsula.

The activity of the Crimea Platform will be officially launched at the inaugural summit in Kyiv on August 23, 2021.

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has received credentials from the newly appointed ambassadors of Ireland, Nigeria, Korea, and Armenia, his press service reports.

The president congratulated Ambassador of Ireland Teresa Gili on the outset of the mission and noted the importance of the Irish government's decision to open an embassy in Kyiv. "I am sure that the dialogue between our countries will only be enhanced," he said.

Zelensky expressed confidence that this step would help intensify practical and effective cooperation between the two countries.

During the conversation with Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Shina Fatai Alege, the head of state stressed the importance of intensifying political dialogue and the need to expand mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation with this African country.

"We are glad that you joined us as the representative of Nigeria on this important date for the people of Ukraine. I would really like a constructive and substantive dialogue to take place between our countries 30 years after the restoration of our country's independence, so that we find common projects and interests," the president said.

Zelensky noted the active cooperation between the countries in the field of education and Ukraine's contribution to the professional training of Nigerian specialists.

In a conversation with the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Kim Hyun Te, the head of state stressed the importance of including Ukraine in the list of priority countries with high potential for economic and diplomatic cooperation with Korea.

"This decision, as well as the inclusion of our state in the program of Official Development Assistance for 2021-2025 will contribute to the implementation of the powerful potential of bilateral relations," he said.

The parties also discussed ways to further intensify political dialogue, strengthen the economic component of bilateral relations, and the launch of important investment projects, including in the field of infrastructure.

Speaking with the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia, Vladimir Karapetyan, Zelensky stressed the commitment to the development of bilateral cooperation, in particular in the trade and economic sphere.

As Ukrinform reported, on March 4, President Volodymyr Zelensky received credentials from the ambassadors of Vietnam, Brazil, and Italy. They discussed the agenda of bilateral relations.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that Ukraine has created in recent years an anti-corruption infrastructure that has no analogues in Europe.

The Head of State said this in an interview with journalists from the Normandy Four countries and the United States  Washington Post, Liberation, Funke Media, Novoe Vremya, and Novaya Gazeta, the Presidents press service informs.

No country in the world is completely free of corruption, so this criterion cannot be the main one in the context of resolving the issue of Ukraine's accession to NATO, the President noted.

Commenting on the claim that Ukraine must eliminate corruption before receiving an invitation to the Alliance, Zelensky said: It is easy to accuse Ukraine of corruption. But let's be honest: no country is completely free of corruption, corrupt officials or oligarchs. But over the last few years, Ukraine has created an anticorruption infrastructure that has no analogues in Europe or, perhaps, even around the world".

Ukraine has a number of independent anticorruption bodies, such as the National Anti-Corruption Bureau or the High Anti-Corruption Court, the President stressed.

"Ukraine has the status of almost a member of the EU and almost a member of NATO. The country already lives by European standards. And the military command centers meet NATO requirements," he said.

The fact that Ukraine is not invited to NATO is underwhelming and sends a negative signal to other candidate countries, the President noted.

"The message is that the path to NATO is extremely difficult. This, in turn, creates a vacuum that Russia is glad to fill, Zelensky explained.

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Russia is obliged to comply with the ICJ decisions

Thats according to Ambassador of Ukraine to the Netherlands, Vsevolod Chentsov, who gave an exclusive comment to an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague.

"First of all, the implementation of the decision of the UN International Court of Justice is Russia's obligation and responsibility. The Courts decision is final and binding. The relevant obligation is already enshrined in the Statute of the Court and extends, inter alia, to the Russian Federation. If Ukraine believed that the Court's decision would not have any weight, we would not have filed this lawsuit. If we talk about the mechanism of control over the implementation of the decision, there is no such thing. The UN International Court of Justice considers disputes between sovereign states that have relevant legal and political obligations to enforce decisions, he said.

According to the ambassador, the statistics on the execution of international court decisions are more optimistic than may seem.

In addition, there are many examples of international court decisions being enforced over time. The Russian Federation, too, complied with the decision of the arbitral tribunal in the Arctic Sunrise case a few years after the decision was handed down. It takes courage to enforce a court decision immediately  to admit a mistake and take responsibility. So we'll see, said Chentsov.

He also noted that the phase of consideration essentially began immediately after the Court ruled on November 8, 2019, on its jurisdiction in favor of Ukraine.

The current stage is a written one, thats where the arguments of the parties are presented in the memorandum and counter-memorandum, respectively. The content of the counter-memorandum remains confidential until oral hearings open. Of course, the Russian Federation will claim that it has put forward arguments against Ukraine's claims. In turn, the Ukrainian legal team has worked and is working on the case, so we are ready to oppose any arguments of the Russian side with concrete facts and evidence collected, a large number of which has already been submitted to the Court. We have no doubt that the court finds the arguments presented by Russia in its counter-memorandum unfounded, the diplomat stressed.

Asked when a decision may be made in the case of Ukraine v. Russia at the UN International Court of Justice, Chentsov said it was difficult to make even rough predictions in this category of cases.

"Following the submission of the Russian counter-memorandum, the Secretariat of the Court is expected to consult the parties on the second round of written comments. The case will then be heard, after which the Court will proceed with the decision-making process. In general, taking into account the procedure of the Court, as well as possible restrictions in connection with the pandemic, we can talk about another two to three years for the process to go on, "said Chentsov.

He also explained which issues the UN International Court of Justice will consider for the first time.

"Indeed, possible violations of the provisions of the Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism will be considered by the Court for the first time ever. This is an important international treaty in the field of combating cross-border crime. I am convinced that the international legal community is waiting for the interpretation of the Convention by the UN International Court of Justice. As for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Court already has some experience in this regard. At the same time, issues relevant to Ukraine, such as the ban on the Mejlis, have not yet been addressed under the Convention. Russia will have to explain its actions in its counter-memorandum and during oral hearings. This is exactly what the Russian lawyers tried to avoid, claiming that the Court had no jurisdiction, he stressed.

The diplomat also said that in the context of this precise case, we can say that Ukraine is boldly opening the door to global justice.

"We are suing the Court on issues that are unprecedented and against a permanent member of the UN Security Council. And we have something to say," Chentsov stressed.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Foreign Ministry's press service said Ukraine would continue to defend its position in the trial at the UN International Court of Justice regarding Russia's violation of two conventions.

On August 9, 2021, the Russian Federation submitted a Counter-Memorandum to the UN International Court of Justice in a case initiated by Ukraine. In its memorandum submitted on June 12, 2018, Ukraine claims that Russia systematically violates the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

In November 2019, the UN International Court of Justice ruled that Russia had rejected all previous objections to the Court's jurisdiction, ruled on Ukraine's claims on the merits, and ordered Russia to clarify the merits of Ukraine's claims.

Russia became the first state in the history of the UN International Court of Justice to provide an explanation of the merits of the alleged violations of the two said conventions.

With regard to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, Russia must be held accountable for failing to investigate and obstruct the supply of money and weapons to illegal armed groups in eastern Ukraine involved in terrorist acts, namely the downing of an MH17, shelling of civilian population in Volnovakha, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, and Avdiyivka; and organizing a series of explosions during mass peaceful rallies in Kharkiv and other cities.

Regarding the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Russia must be held responsible for conducting a campaign of cultural destruction against the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian communities since the onset of occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. In addition, Russia must be held responsible as to why it failed to comply with the interim measures imposed by the Court more than four years ago, including the requirement to remove obstacles to the work of the Mejlis on the peninsula.

On November 8, 2019, the UN International Court of Justice recognized its jurisdiction in the case of Russia's violation of the two conventions.

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Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov and President of the Court of Accounts of Moldova Marian Lupu have held a meeting to discuss the prospects of cooperation between the highest audit bodies of the two countries.

According to the Ukrainian parliaments website, Razumkov said that the cooperation between the accounting chambers of Ukraine and Moldova is important for the exchange of best European auditing practices and for general supervision over the implementation of international programs.

Marian Lupu, in turn, outlined possible prospects for cooperation of higher audit bodies on international platforms.

The Ukrainian speaker also noted that at the beginning of work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the IX convocation, the first-ever audit of the Ukrainian parliament was conducted. Dmytro Razumkov also informed that the Verkhovna Rada had adopted the Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine to Ensure Effective Implementation of Parliamentary Control", and added that the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine plays an important role in exercising such control.

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The recognition by the European Union of Ukrainian COVID certificates in the Diia app is a recognition of the effectiveness of Ukrainian state institutions.

Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna said this during a briefing on the implementation of certificates and their mutual recognition with the EU, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"If we talk about European integration, which can be spread on bread, then in fact it is such a decision, because the decision of the European Commission is a recognition of effectiveness and trust in Ukrainian state institutions," Stefanishyna noted.

She emphasized that this is a recognition of trust in the health care system of Ukraine, those products and tools introduced by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, as well as a high level of personal data protection.

"It is also a recognition of the priority of our country, along with those countries that received this decision just a few days ago, as a country that is of strategic importance to the entire European Union," the Vice PM stressed.

In her opinion, the recognition of the Ukrainian certificate will allow not to feel or to feel minimally the restrictions associated with travel to the EU, as well as travel of citizens of EU member states to Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported, on August 19, the European Union officially recognized that the Ukrainian COVID certificates in the Diia application correspond to the European ones.

Each member state now has to make its own similar decision.

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Some half a million Afghans have been internally displaced by violence this year alone.  UNHCR/Edris Lutfi

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is concerned about the prevailing humanitarian needs within Afghanistan, and urges support to ensure that all those requiring assistance are not forgotten.

The situation on the ground across the country remains extremely fluid. While widespread fighting has decreased since the takeover of the country by the Taliban on Sunday, the full impact of the evolving situation is not yet clear. Many Afghans are extremely anxious about what the future holds.

Bolstered support for the humanitarian response inside Afghanistan itself is urgently needed to deliver assistance to the Afghan people, including some half a million displaced this year alone. The vast majority of Afghans are not able to leave the country through regular channels. The footage taken a few days ago of crowds at the airport has shocked the world, speaking powerfully to the sense of fear and uncertainty among many Afghans.

UNHCR welcomes the efforts of several states to protect at-risk Afghan nationals through bilateral evacuation programmes. These bilateral evacuation programmes should not, however, overshadow or substitute for an urgent, and wider international humanitarian response.

Nor should these hamper or preclude the possibility for Afghans the right to seek asylum in other countries. All states  and this applies to countries both within and outside the region  must preserve the right to seek asylum for Afghans arriving through regular or spontaneous means.

UNHCR is also concerned that many are confusing these bilateral evacuation programmes from Afghanistan with UNHCRs traditional refugee resettlement, which is completely unrelated. UNHCR does not transfer citizens from their own countries to other states.

In the past week, several states have announced resettlement or evacuation programmes respectively for Afghans at risk. The full details of these initiatives have not yet been announced.

UNHCR remains concerned about the risk of human rights violations against civilians in this evolving context, including women and girls. As of today, those who may be in danger have no clear way out. UNHCR is calling on countries neighbouring Afghanistan to keep their borders open in light of the evolving crisis in Afghanistan.

Some 200 UNHCR colleagues, both national and international, remain on the ground in Afghanistan as of today. We are continuing to work with 18 local non-government partners with some 900 staff throughout the country. At present, we are able to access all provinces, and are working in some two-thirds of all districts. Together with the wider UN country team, we are committed to staying and delivering aid to the Afghan people for as long as we have access to populations in need and can ensure safety for our staff.

Since the beginning of this year, we have provided emergency assistance to 230,000 people, including cash assistance, shelter kits, hygiene support and other essential relief items. Protection monitoring and needs assessments are ongoing for some half a million displaced Afghans, 80 per cent of whom are women and children.

We call on donors to remain steadfast in their support for humanitarian operations in Afghanistan and are also appealing for support. UNHCRs Supplementary Appeal for the Afghanistan Situation highlights US$62.8 million as urgent needs to support the response for internally displaced people in Afghanistan as well as preparedness in Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries. These requirements are part of the US$351 million requirements for the Afghanistan situation, which remains drastically underfunded at 43 per cent.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Texas State University President Denise Trauth speaks with student Ethan Pena Sept. 30, 2019, at the Student Government Roundtable in the LBJ Ballroom.
For the Fall 2021 semester, the CPL is back in action with hours and services meant to maximize assistance and access to all of our core services. We wish to maintain our high quality of one-on-one project assistance and media production education in the safest manner possible for our staff and patrons. This means our continuation of remote availability via zoom and pick-up service requests PLUS a return of our open-door all-access policy during the bulk of the week.

Our hours this fall, pending any updates:

Weekdays:

Monday - Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Full services. Walk-ins welcome. No appointment necessary!

Weekends:

Friday and Sunday - Appointment-only. Remote service processing and assistance.

General service updates and alterations to note:

Our most popular service for faculty in aid to student learning is Video Streaming...and it only got more popular over the pandemic! We can take physical media such as a VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray disc, convert it into a digital format, and provide you with a weblink to be shared with students to allow at-home viewing of media. Faculty can drop off personal media with our circulation desk or find a title in our collection online. This is done on a per-semester basis, and the link provided to you will only work for the time period the class is offered. To begin the process, fill out our form, or email the team with questions. We generally make links available a minimum of 5 business days from when we receive physical media. Given the current request load, we ask that you make any media requests 2-3 weeks in advance of any assignment that students may need access, and preferably the semester prior to the course. We have made this service a priority for staff time given the shift to partially online delivery of many courses on campus.

Our Large Format Printing and 3D Printing services are operating as normal, with a 24 to 48 hour turnaround. 3D scanning services using our NextEngine scanner are available on request.

ALTERED SERVICES

Tours and workshops are back! Should your class require a software overview, mini workshop, or virtual tour of the CPL, please contact our supervisor to coordinate a safely-sized tour option, in-class presentation, a web-based presentation, or pre-recroded video solution.

Given the lack of student access to Adobe Creative Cloud software outside of limited computer stations on campus, weve compiled an actively updated list of Open Source software for all media creation purposes. It is available for access HERE. Staff is available to assist with learning and transitioning to the majority of these offerings.

Our computer lab is open for your needs. We have three Mac Pro units and one Windows 10 PC available at safe distances for one patron per station. If you need document/art scanning, digitization equipment, or access to our full suite of software, you can still make an appointment 24 hours in advance on our LibCal page. These computers have been set up with CDC recommended spacing and with appointment gaps for additional cleaning measures. Staff will be available during your appointment to assist from a distance.

We have changed the accessibility measures of our GreenScreen recording space. This space can be booked for an appointment via LibCal 48 hours in advance, and must be approved by staff. To accomodate safe spacing we are limiting use of the equipment to a maximum of 2 patrons at any time. Patrons are strongly advised to wear their mask at all times, especially during filming and vocal projection. Staff will set up lighting, backdrops, and cameras, but primary opertion of equipment will be a patron's responsiblity. Until further notice we will not engage in 3D scanning of human subjects with our Sense scanner in the area.

Faculty needing assistance on recording class materials or editing videos for online class applications should email our team directly so we can set up multiple or longer appointments to meet your academic needs.

Our multimedia inkjet, laser engraver, vinyl cutter, and cricut units have been moved to a by-request and case-by-case basis. Patrons can coordinate project completion with CPL staff on a patrons behalf. To coordinate your project with CPL staff, please email our team directly.

TEMPORARILY CLOSED SERVICES

For the safety and health of all, our Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality headsets have been deep cleaned and placed in storage. Direct facial contact with a shared device for extended periods of time in an inclosed area is simply too much of a risk even with enhanced cleaning measures.

Our Whisperbooth and audio recording equipment are not available for patron use at this time. Given the need to remove your mask, vocally project onto a porous surface, and be fully enclosed in a self-circulating micro-room, there is no way to confirm safe operation of this service at this time. To offset this we have one Yeti Blue usb mic available for general use, and hope to reopen the whisperbooth in the near future pending additional safety measures.

For additional questions, project assistance, or special needs please reach out to the CPL Supervisor, Charles Fisher, at cfisher@unomaha.edu
Libreville, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Aug, 2021 ) :Clashes between fishermen and herders in Cameroon's Far North region over the past week have killed 32 people and forced thousands to flee to neighbouring Chad, the UN said Thursday.

"A total of 19 villages were burned," in the violence in the Logone-Birni district near the border, according to the UN Refugee Agency, which said the fighting "caused the death of 32 people and injured 74".

"In Cameroon, local authorities in the Far North are working to restore calm and are providing assistance to victims," the UN said.

The clashes between Choa Arab herders and Mousgoum fishermen were caused by tensions over fishing and agricultural resources.

Machetes, knives and arrows were used in the violence, according to a local authority in Logone-Birni contacted by AFP.

The clashes forced 11,000 people from both communities to seek refuge across the border in Chad.

"These displaced persons are 85 percent women and children," Iris Blom, UNHCR's deputy chief in Chad, told AFP.

Around 7,300 people are displaced within Cameroon.

"In Chad, the new arrivals are in urgent need of shelter, especially during the rainy season. Many are sleeping under trees and some have taken refuge in schools or host families," according to the UN, which said "food and water needs remain pressing".

The governor of the Far North region, Midjiyawa Bakari, said the initial spark for the deadly clashes was a "trivial" incident between two individuals.

Bloody clashes between communities are relatively rare in Cameroon, but frequent in nearby Chad.

At least 22 people were killed on August 7 in a conflict in Chad between sedentary farmers and nomadic herders.

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(@FahadShabbir)

Lubumbashi, DR Congo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Aug, 2021 ) :Teams from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia were set to meet Friday in a bid to settle a decades-long border dispute left over from the colonial era, Congolese authorities said.

Experts from both sides will seek high-tech solutions using satellite equipment, including GPS, to reconstruct the boundaries with input from local traditional chiefs, Congolese authorities said Thursday.

While the disputed stretch of border between lakes Mweru and Tanganyika is only about 205 kilometres (130 miles), it continues to strain relations.

"The DR Congo is tired of this conflict," Dieudonne Kamona Yumba, Minister of the Interior of the Congolese province of Tanganyika, told AFP.

"The Zambian army has been occupying several villages in our territory for several months now, and several milestones have been destroyed and displaced," Kamona said.

As recently as March last year, fighting broke out, killing one person on each side, when Zambian troops occupied two villages in Tanganyika province.

Kamona has been leading a Congolese delegation to the north shore of Lake Mweru since Wednesday.

"I am accompanied by traditional chiefs, military officials from Kinshasa and immigration services," he said, speaking by phone from Lubumbashi.

They were joined on Thursday by a Zambian delegation to prepare for the meeting.

"If the experts conclude that the villages we are occupying belong to the DR Congo, I think the Zambian army will withdraw," said a Zambian diplomat in Lubumbashi.

The border drawn at the end of the 19th century by former colonial powers Belgium for the DR Congo and Britain for Zambia proved to be unclear and disputed.

A commission of experts was set up in 1982, leading to a treaty between the two countries seven years later.

But the confusion remains and incidents have continued to sporadically pit the two armies against each other.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Aug, 2021 ) :President Joe Biden's administration announced steps on Thursday to allow US states to continue expanded unemployment benefits as the country grapples with a surge in the Delta variant of Covid-19, even as data showed jobless claims declining for a fourth straight week.

Congress approved a massive expansion of the unemployment safety net as the pandemic began last year, but after repeated extensions the programs are due to expire nationwide early next month.

States will be able to use money left over from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan approved in March to continue some of the jobless programs, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said in a letter to top lawmakers.

"There are some states where it may make sense for unemployed workers to continue receiving additional assistance for a longer period of time, allowing residents of those states more time to find a job in areas where unemployment remains high," the officials wrote.

The pandemic aid boosted benefit payments and helped the long-term unemployed and freelance workers not normally eligible for regular state benefits, but many states cut them off early amid criticism the programs encouraged people not to work, even as employers struggle to fill open positions.

The US job market has improved since it suffered mass layoffs as business shut down or curtailed operations in March 2020, and the unemployment rate fell in July to 5.4 percent from a pandemic peak of 14.8 percent in April of last year.

New applications for unemployment benefits declined to another post-pandemic low last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Initial jobless claims fell to 348,000, seasonally adjusted, in the week ended August 14, according to the data, 29,000 fewer than the previous week and less than analysts had expected.

However in a sign of the ground yet to be recovered, the report said more than 11.7 million people were receiving unemployment benefits under all programs as of July 31, including expanded Federal aid.

Biden, who is facing intense criticism for his handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, cheered the decline in unemployment filings and credited the improvement to his stimulus policies.

"This morning's news reinforces the historic nature of our economic recovery," Biden said in a rare comment on the weekly economic data.

"While our economic recovery is far from complete -- and while we will have ups and downs along the way as we continue to battle the Delta surge of Covid -- the Biden plan to grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out is working, and delivering real results for American workers," he said.

The American Rescue Plan allocated $350 billion to state and local governments, and Walsh and Yellen said those funds can be used to continue programs aimed at the long-term unemployed and gig workers beyond the September 6 cutoff date.

It is unclear how many states will take them up on this offer: About half of American states, most of which are governed by Republicans, already ended the benefits.

Nationwide, nearly 4.9 million people were receiving benefits under the freelancer program and 3.8 million under the long-term unemployment program as of July 31, the Labor Department said.

The secretaries also announced another $47 million in new grants for programs to help Americans find jobs, including retraining, on top of $43 million announced earlier this year.

They also said Biden supports Congress paying for an overhaul of states unemployment systems, which faced major delays in processing the surge in claims brought about by the pandemic.

Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics called the latest data on jobless claims "encouraging," but warned of the risks posed by the Delta variant, which has already forced some businesses to again modify operations.

"It's entirely possible that firms' first reaction to the Delta wave has been to slow the pace of recruitment, before taking the more difficult decision to let go existing staff," Shepherdson wrote in analysis.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had touched upon the topic of Belarus during the talks, adding that, in his opinion, the situation in this country can be resolved only by the Belarusians themselves

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2021) Russian President Vladimir Putin said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had touched upon the topic of Belarus during the talks, adding that, in his opinion, the situation in this country can be resolved only by the Belarusians themselves.

The talks between Putin and Merkel took place on Friday in Moscow.

"Of course, we also talked about the state of affairs around Belarus. Mrs.

Chancellor touched upon this topic. We believe that contradictions within the Belarusian society can be resolved only within the framework of the constitutional and legal field and exclusively by the Belarusians themselves, without external interference," Putin said at a press conference following the talks.

Merkel said that during her talks with Putin she condemned the actions of the Belarusian authorities in the situation with refugees on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.
PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2021) The Slovakian military has successfully airlifted an unidentified number of people out of Kabul, Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said on Wednesday.

"I can confirm that an Air Forces aircraft of the Slovakian Armed Forces has left the airspace of Afghanistan and is coming back to Slovakia after the successful evacuation operation," the minister wrote on Twitter without any further details.

On Sunday, the Taliban (a terrorist group, banned in Russia) completed their takeover of Afghanistan by entering Kabul. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani resigned and left the country to prevent what he described as bloodshed that would occur if militants had to fight for the city. Many countries chose to evacuate their citizens and diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan due to the precarious security situation.
Slovenia's national broadcaster on Friday sacked its head of television in a move seen by media watchdogs as a fresh attack on media freedom

Ljubljana, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Aug, 2021 ) :Slovenia's national broadcaster on Friday sacked its head of television in a move seen by media watchdogs as a fresh attack on media freedom.

The sacking is the latest strike against the media in the Balkan nation, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

The conservative government that came to power last year has come under fire from activists and rights groups for attacking journalists.

On Friday, the head of Radio-Television Slovenia (RTV) Andrej Grah Whatmough said that Natalija Gorscak was fired, citing a drop in viewership and other management issues.

But Gorscak said her sacking was because she failed to follow Grah Whatmough's "requests concerning staff and programme changes".

The move, which had been expected since last week, sparked outcry even before it was formalised on Friday.

"Replacing the head of the television is a first step towards reducing the editorial autonomy of public television," the Slovenian Journalists' Association (DNS) warned last week.

Prime Minister Janez Jansa's conservative government has been criticised for clamping down on the media since it took power in March 2020.

Shortly after coming to office, Jansa criticised RTV television's reporting on the handling of the coronavirus crisis, saying "there are too many of you and (you are) too well paid".

When Grah Whatmough was appointed earlier this year to head RTV -- with the backing of the ruling centre-right coalition -- Jansa tweeted "let's hope the new broom will fix that false reporting".

The European Commission has expressed its concerns over the pressure on free media in Slovenia, warning it was "the essence of democracy".

It has also called on the Alpine nation of two million people to resume the financing of the sole news agency STA, suspended since January.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st August, 2021) The Russian Defense Ministry does not rule out that Syria may become a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the future, Deputy Defense Minister Andrey Kartapolov said on Friday.

"Why not? If it is beneficial for everyone - Syria, Russia and our CSTO partners, I do not rule out such a case," Kartapolov told the Govorit Moskva radio station.

Syria would have ceased to exist as a state if Russia had not launched the counterterrorist operation in the country, the deputy minister added.

The war in Syria is in its tenth year now. In August 2015, Damascus asked Moscow for military assistance in countering terrorist organizations that had taken large areas of Syrian territory. The Russian forces continue to provide military and airborne assistance, and have also been monitoring the ceasefire, and facilitating the return of Syrian refugees.
Dayton VA Bible from 1800s first VA artifact at History Center

The National VA History Centers first artifact for its collection: the bible from the pulpit of the Dayton VA Medical Center Protestant Chapel.

While renovations to the buildings that will become the permanent home of the National VA History Center await completion, the collecting of VAs important historical records and artifacts has already begun. The building on the Dayton VA Medical Center campus that is serving as a temporary home to the History Center was originally a residence hall that housed primarily Civil War Veterans during the early decades of the 20th century. Like most aspects of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, commonly referred to as Soldiers Homes during those early years, the quarters were organized much like an army barracks, and the interior rooms were large open spaces outfitted with rows of beds, and each floor accommodated about 40 men[1].

Interior of Company 1, showing typical barracks-style lodging at the Soldiers Home in Dayton.





Today, these large rooms are where VA History Center staff receive, process, and house the many documents, images, media, and objects that tell the history of the Department of Veterans Affairs and its forerunner organizations. When the time came to place the first artifact into the newly established collections room, the staff knew that it should be something that represented the rich history of VA and the pioneering spirit of those people attempting to create a government organization for war Veterans on a scale that had never been attempted before.

Because the Dayton VA Medical Centers historic archives and artifacts were the first items to be moved into the new History Center, it was an easy decision to select an artifact from that collection for the honor. The item chosen was the pulpit bible from the first church built in the Soldiers Home system, appropriately named Home Chapel." The bible was officially placed into the National VA History Centers collection by the current Director of the Dayton VA Medical Center, Mark Murdock, and VA's Chief Historian Michael Visconage.

Home Chapel was constructed from quarried limestone onsite by the first Veteran residents to live at the Dayton Soldiers Home; the cornerstone was laid in 1868 and the building was dedicated in 1870. Today it is known as the Protestant Chapel, to distinguish it from the Catholic Chapel that also resides on campus.

Earliest known image of Home Chapel at the Dayton Soldiers Home, circa 1870.





The first chaplain at the Dayton Soldiers Home was Rev. William Earnshaw, a Civil War Veteran who ministered to the Union troops during the war while serving under Gen. George H. Thompson[2]. Rev. Earnshaw was passionate in his service to his fellow Veterans, and functioned not only as chaplain, but also as the Homes librarian, a leader of the Homes temperance organizations, the president of the Monumental and Historical Society[3][4], and Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans organization The Grand Army of the Republic, in 1879-80[5]. He continued to serve as Chaplain at the Soldiers Home until his death in 1885.

Rev. William Earnshaw, chaplain of the Dayton Soldiers Home from 1867 to 1885.





The age of this bible would place it in Home Chapel during the time of Chaplain Earnshaws tenure, and it is likely that he used it in his sermons to the thousands of Veterans who worshipped in the chapel through the years. Telltale color changes to the pages due to light exposure, and cracking along the binding in a certain section of the bible suggests that the bible was frequently opened to the Book of Job, chapters 31 - 33. The title stamped onto the cover reads National Military Home and the inside title page mentions that it was published in 1861 by the New York American Bible Society.



While the bible was the first object placed into the collection, it will be joined by countless others that will help tell the VA story.



Close-up image of the title stamp on the cover of the bible, identifying it as belonging to the National Soldiers Home.







Section of the bible (Book of Job, Chapters 31-33) that appears frequently referenced.





By Tessa Kallman, Associate Curator, National VA History Center and History Office



Note: Photos and images are courtesy of the Dayton VA Medical Center archives.

1. History of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers: With a Complete Guide-book to the Central Home at Dayton, Ohio; by J.C. Gobrecht, 1875; p. 98

2. History of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers: With a Complete Guide-book to the Central Home at Dayton, Ohio; by J.C. Gobrecht, 1875; p. 236

3. History of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers: With a Complete Guide-book to the Central Home at Dayton, Ohio; by J.C. Gobrecht, 1875; p. 67, 147,129

4. https://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/chapoldslodiers.html, referenced 7/2021

5. Records of Members of the Grand Army of the Republic, by William H. Ward, 1886, p. 11
"Our sisters were killed in cold blood," says Sister Christine John Amaa, of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, providing details of the murder of Sister Mary Daniel Abut, and Sister Regina Roba.

Agenzia Fides  Juba, South Sudan.

The two were victims of an ambush along South Sudan's Juba-Nimule highway on 16 August. Sr Mary Daniel Abut and Sr Regina Roba were part of a group of nine sisters travelling together in a mini-bus when gunmen attacked them.

Unknown gunmen killed the nuns

"Our former Superior General, Sr. Mary Daniel Abut, who served the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus from 2006 to 2018, and Sr. Regina Roba were killed cold-bloodedly on their way back to Juba after celebrations of the centenary of the parish of the Assumption of Our Lady," narrated Sister Amaa.

Following the ambush by unknown armed men, says Sister Amaa, the sisters "tried to escape and hid in the surrounding bushes." The criminals managed to find the two nuns and killed them in cold blood.

Five days of mourning

The Archdiocese of Juba has announced five days of mourning throughout the diocese.

"On behalf of the Administration of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba, I wish to inform the public that all Catholic ecclesial institutions (universities, seminaries, colleagues, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools) of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba will be closed for four days to commemorate the late Sister Mary and Sister Regina from today 17 August until 20 August. Work will resume on 23 August," reads a statement from Fr. Samuel Abe, Secretary-General of the Archdiocese of Juba.

Sister Mary Daniel was the headmistress of the Usra Tuna School in Juba. Sister Regina was a tutor and administrator at the Catholic Health Training Institute (CHTI) in the Catholic Diocese of Wau.

The Requiem Mass and burial will take place on 20 August at the parish of the Cathedral of St Theresa-Kator.
The social arm of the Catholic Church of Pakistan is ready to provide humanitarian assistance for Afghans fleeing the Taliban.

By Robin Gomes

Caritas Pakistan has alerted its diocesan units bordering neighbouring Afghanistan to reach out to refugees fleeing their homes the Taliban. Thousands of Afghans have entered Pakistan via the Chaman border crossing, one of the most active trade and travel routes between the countries, according to media reports.

However, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Aug. 18 claimed that there were no refugees entering the country, nor has Pakistan made preparation for Afghans seeking refuge. According to BBC News, while the Taliban are not letting anyone out, except traders or those with valid travel documents, Pakistan, which is already burdened with some 1.4 million Afghan refugees, has been fencing itself off from Afghanistan, making it impossible for more refugees to enter without government consent.

Caritas gearing up for emergency

Amjad Gulzar, executive director of Caritas Pakistan, said more than 200 families have already arrived in urban areas of Quetta in Balochistan province.

Caritas Pakistan Quetta and Caritas Pakistan Islamabad-Rawalpindi have positioned themselves so that we can respond to the emerging humanitarian crisis, he told UCA News. He said that Pashto-speaking staff may be engaged in both field offices. Caritas says refugee crises are often protracted and require strategies that reflect both short-term needs such as water, food, first aid and immunization, and mid-to-long term challenges such as mental health, trauma, chronic diseases and education. Gulzar said Caritas staff have been alerted to avoid any controversial social media posts about the Taliban. Caritas Pakistan has had a meeting with the Afghan Refugees Commissioner Office in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, to pledge its cooperation.

Pakistan is not a party to the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, nor the 1967 Protocol. However, Caritas Pakistan worked with Afghan refugees in the 70s, 90s and in 2001 following the US invasion.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), officially 1.4 million Afghan refugees still live in Pakistan, with over 300,000 in the southern seaport of Karachi. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the north has 43 refugee camps for Afghans.

With an estimated total of 2.6 million refugees, Afghanistan ranks third among the worlds source countries, after Syria and Venezuela. With the current crisis, that number is likely to increase.

UN committed to Afghans

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for international unity on Afghanistan, insisting that human rights are upheld, humanitarian aid continues, and that the country does not again become a hotbed of terrorism. Addressing an emergency session of the Security Council on August 16, the day after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban, he said the international community was following the developments in Afghanistan with a heavy heart and deep disquiet about what lies ahead.

He noted, Conflict has forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. The capital city has seen a huge influx of internally displaced persons from provinces around the country where they felt insecure or fled during the fighting. The humanitarian crisis, he said, affects 18 million people, fully half of the countrys population. He urged that basic services continue to be provided.

The UN chief reminded all parties of their obligation to protect civilians and to allow humanitarian workers unimpeded access to deliver timely and life-saving services and aid. He also urged all countries to be willing to receive Afghan refugees and refrain from any deportations.

Guterres said the UN will stay and deliver in support of the Afghan people in their hour of need. The world is watching. We cannot and must not abandon the people of Afghanistan, he added.

Bishops conferences

The bishops of the US have said that Catholic organizations and partners have been assisting the US government in welcoming Afghan refugees and their families, and pledged to work to ensure that those in danger are brought to safety. The German bishops conference also called on western countries to help evacuate Afghans who are most at risk for having worked with foreign agencies and armed forces. The bishops urged help for countries in the region to accept and care for refugees from Afghanistan. They also called on the European Union to be prepared to welcome refugees who arrive in Europe. Similar appeals on behalf of Afghan refugees also came from Irish and Australian bishops. (Source: UCA News, UN)
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is calling on richer nations to urgently share their millions of excess vaccine doses with countries in Southeast Asia.

By Vatican News staff reporter

Southeast Asia is battling the worlds highest Covid-19 death toll driven by the Delta variant and unequal global distribution of vaccines. Hospitals remain overwhelmed by record surges across Southeast Asia, from Vietnam to Malaysia and Myanmar as fears mount of greater suffering and loss of life with Covid-19 spreading from cities to rural and regional areas, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Wednesday.

Record deaths in SE Asia

In the last two weeks, Southeast Asia has recorded 38,522 deaths from Covid-19, nearly twice as many as North America, according to the John Hopkins University Covid-19 data dashboard.

This Covid-19 surge driven by the Delta variant is claiming a tragic toll on families across Southeast Asia and its far from over, said IFRC Asia Pacific Director, Alexander Matheou. We fear that as the virus spreads from cities to regional and rural areas that many more lives will be lost among the unvaccinated, he warned.

Unfair vaccine access

Matheou lamented the unfair access to vaccinations, pointing out that while they are at record rates in richer countries, many Southeast Asian nations have low portions of the population fully vaccinated and are languishing far behind. The United Kingdom has fully vaccinated 60 per cent of its population, while Canada and Spain stand at around 64 per cent and the United States at 50 per cent, according to Oxford Universitys Our World in Data updated until August 16.

By contrast, Indonesia and the Philippines, the most populous countries in Southeast Asia, have only fully vaccinated around 10-11 per cent of their people, while Vietnam sits at below 2 per cent. Malaysia has fully vaccinated 34 per cent of its population.

Seven of the top 10 countries where Covid -19 deaths have doubled the fastest are in Asia and the Pacific, with Vietnam, Fiji and Myanmar all in the top five, according to Our World in Data. Indonesia is the worst-case Covid-19 scenario in Southeast Asia, where a little over 10 per cent of the people have been fully inoculated. Currently, the country has one of the highest daily death tolls in the world, with 1,466 deaths reported on average over the past seven days.

Sharing

Matheou stressed on the need for richer countries to urgently share their millions of excess vaccine doses with countries in Southeast Asia in the short term. Vaccine manufacturers and governments, he said, also need to share their technology and scale up production.

According to Matheou, These coming weeks are critical for scaling up treatment, testing and vaccinations, in every corner of all countries in Southeast Asia. He said,. We must aim for mass vaccination rates of 70-80 per cent if we want to win the race against the variants and overcome this global pandemic. Until vaccination levels reach a critical mass, in the short-term it is also crucial to reinforce health protection measures, such as wearing a mask, physical distance and meeting outdoors or in well-ventilated spaces.

The IFRC is seeking vital funding for its global emergency Covid-19 appeal, with around 60 per cent of the appeal covered so far. The funds are crucial to support the lifesaving actions of the IFRC and its member societies around the world.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the IFRC is an international humanitarian aid organization that reaches 160 million people each year through its 192-member national societies. (Source: IFRC)
Los Angeles Police Officer Gutierrez, left, puts pressure on the open wound of a demonstrator, who was stabbed during clashes between anti-vaccination demonstrators and counter protesters during an anti-vaccination protest in front of the City Hall in Los Angeles Saturday, Aug. 14. A man was stabbed and a reporter was attacked Saturday at a protest against vaccine mandates on the south lawn of Los Angeles' City Hall after a fight broke out between the protesters and counter protesters, the Los Angeles Police Department and local media said. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP)  A man who was stabbed when a Los Angeles protest against vaccine mandates turned violent has been released from the hospital, police said Sunday, Aug. 15.

The man was stabbed and a news reporter was kicked after a fight broke out Saturday between anti-vaccination demonstrators and counter protesters in front of Los Angeles City Hall.

The identity of the man with the stab wound was not released and no information was given about the extent of his injury, the Los Angeles Times reported.

No arrest has been reported in connection with the stabbing, or in the attack on KPCC radio reporter Frank Stoltze, Officer Mike Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The violence drew condemnation from elected officials.

"We have to be able to have differences of opinions without resorting to violence," City Council President Nury Martinez said in a statement. "Attacking counter protesters and journalists has no place in a democracy and certainly no place in Los Angeles."

Several hundred people holding American flags, Trump memorabilia and signs calling for "medical freedom" turned out for Saturday's rally. A small group of counter protesters gathered nearby.

After a fight broke out, the LAPD said on Twitter that it was "aware of 1 male that was stabbed & is being treated." The victim was rushed to a hospital.

At least one man was seen kicking Stoltze, who told a police officer he had been assaulted while trying to conduct an interview.

Stoltze later tweeted: "Something happened to me today that's never happened in 30 yrs of reporting. In LA. @LAist. I was shoved, kicked and my eyeglasses were ripped off of my face by a group of guys at a protest - outside City Hall during an anti-vax Recall @GavinNewsom Pro Trump rally."

Stoltze added that he is in good condition.
After seizing control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, the Taliban is reportedly killing people found possessing copies of the Bible in their phones.

Before being repulsed by armed forces of the United States in 2001, the terrorist organization had run a brutal regime oppressing political opponents, religious minorities, women, and those suspected of violating their interpretation of Islamic law.

Twenty years later, the Taliban has resurged and surrounded the capital city of Kabul, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to flee. The situation escalated to the point that international soldiers and embassy staff had to be evacuated from the country, in a scene echoing the events of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War.

SAT-7, a Christian non-profit organization aiming to spread messages of faith to Christians in the Middle East and North Africa, has reported that the Taliban is sending spies and informats to oppress the Christian minority in the country.

According to reliable sources, anyone caught with a downloaded copy of the Bible will be executed immediately, as told by SAT-7.

Its incredibly dangerous right now for Afghans to have anything Christian on their phones, Dr. Rex Rogers, president of SAT-7 North America told Religion News Service.

One contact, given the name Micah for protection of identity, told Release International, who work to monitor the events in Afghanistan, that the current situation is dire from fears of the people in the country.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ are telling us how afraid they are, said Micah.

Release International also reported that those who are associated with the government are to receive punishments, Christians are to be killed.

Other than SAT-7, other Christian non-profit organizations and ministries that offer aid to persecuted Christians globally have also been spreading the word on the Talibans brutal leadership.

Taliban persecution

In the 2021 version of Open Doors World Watch List, Afghanistan was declared the second most dangerous place to practice the Christian faith, rivaled only by North Korea.

According to the U.S. State Departments 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom, family members and officials in Afghanistan are issuing death threats to Chrisitan believers, forcing them to practice their faith underground.

Moreover, even without the Taliban, Christians were already facing persecution from the now-former government, with apostasy, the crime of conversion to another faith, punishable by death, imprisonment, or confiscation of property.

One Afghan Christian, who spoke with the International Christian Concern, said that they are aware of the dangers posed by the Taliban since many of them were former Muslims.

Every Muslim-background believer like myself that convert[ed] to Christianity, he knows the consequences of their conversion, explained the contact. Islam is very clear, Quran is very clear, Hadith is very clear for the apostasy. They give three days after that [and] if they dont repent there is no mercy on those people.

With the Taliban firmly in power and the absence of international forces, Afghan Christians are left at the mercy of the ruling regime.

Because it is so dangerous to seek the fellowship of other Christians, many Afghan believers are completely isolated with no other Christians to speak of, said Rogers. Our local director told me: Most people dont dare to attend Christian Church. Domestically they are alone, looking at us in fear. We are their last resort.
The government will spend $1.4 billion on the economy and measures to prevent COVID-19 this year, said a senior minister, while also lowering growth expectations to 2.4 percent.

Finance Minister Aun Pornmoniroth was speaking at a parliamentary workshop organized by the National Assembly to discuss and explain the drafting of the national budget for next year. Aun Pornmoniroth said he expected growth to drop from the projected 4 percent to 2.4 percent.

The minister said the ongoing COVID-19 community transmission was the main reason the government had to lower its annual growth forecast.

The widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the community is severely disrupting commercial activities, causing a drastic decline in tourism, wholesale and retail domestic consumption, construction, and real estate, the finance minister said.

Cambodia has recorded 88,242 COVID-19 cases and 1,762 deaths as of Friday, with more than sixty percent of the countrys population now vaccinated against the virus, according to the Health Ministry.

Finance Ministry Spokesperson Meas Soksensan said he was attending a meeting and refused to comment when reached by VOA Khmer on Friday.

A Finance Ministry document used during the Tuesday parliamentary workshop and obtained by VOA Khmer reveals that the government has earlier estimated to spend only $720 million on the pandemic and economic measures this year but the recent community transmission event had doubled that estimate.

Of the $1.4 billion, around $740 million is being used to provide healthcare services and the rest is being spent to support the countrys economic recovery. The document showed that Cambodia spent $840 million on the COVID-19 health and economic measures in 2020.

The document outlines a proposed budget of $8.5 billion for 2022, of which $910 million is earmarked for the COVID-19 response.

[The 2022 budget] is characteristically designed to be a fierce effort to fight against COVID-19 to concurrently protect peoples lives and build a foundation to live with COVID-19 so that we can rebuild our economy and restore peoples livelihoods, Aun Pornmoniroth told lawmakers.

The National Assemblys Second Vice President, Khuon Sudary, urged the government to maintain the momentum of budget sustainability as a key to maintaining stability.

Economic security is national security. We cannot maintain the nations independence and strategic autonomy unless our economy is strong and resilient, Khuon Sudary said.

According to the Finance Ministry document, foreign debt reached $9.1 billion by mid-year and is expected to top $10 billion by the end of the year. The document said the government would have to rein in spending.

In a letter this week to Civil Service Minister Prum Sokha, Aun Pornmoniroth asked the ministry to freeze all new civil and military recruitments to reduce costs.

Ky Sereyvath, an economist at the state-run Royal Academy of Cambodia, said sustained production and exports would fill the gaps left by other regional production hubs dealing with worse COVID-19 situations.

When we reach herd immunity through the vaccination campaign, our fundamental sectors will rebound, he said. First and foremost, travel could enable domestic tourists to fill the gaps left in the absence of foreign tourists.
For minority Kurds in Iraq and Syria who have found the presence of U.S. troops essential for their protection, watching the extraordinary images of desperate Afghans clinging to a U.S. aircraft as it took off has prompted serious questions about their future.

"Will Afghanistan's scenario repeat in Iraq?" was the headline of two programs Tuesday on the Iraqi Kurdistan region's top television channels, Rudaw and NRT. They were referencing the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan last week as U.S. forces withdrew from the country.

The Kurds in Iraq were able to carve out their autonomous region after the 1991 Gulf War, when the U.S. and its Western allies established a humanitarian no-fly zone in northern Iraq.

When the Islamic State group (IS) gained prominence in 2014, Kurdish fighters became the main U.S. allies on the ground, enabling the Syrian Kurds to also establish a self-proclaimed administration in northeast Syria.

In an interview with the VOA Kurdish service, Sheikh Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa, the Kurdistan region's vice president for security affairs, wanted to assure Kurdish citizens that Iraq was unlikely to share Afghanistan's fate because of "the big difference" between the two countries.

"We do not think the coalition forces will leave Iraq.  But if they did, Iraq's composition is different now. We have the position of the republic's president. We own a political fraction and have Parliament members and ministers in Iraq," he said.

The top government positions in Iraq are divided across the country's main factions: The Kurds hold the presidency, the prime minister is a Shiite, and the speaker of Parliament is a Sunni.

Mustafa said the power division and the Iraqi government's recognition of Kurdish peshmerga forces make any future confrontation between the two governments unlikely in the absence of U.S. troops.

"Iraq has armed and security forces in Defense and Interior ministries. And in the Kurdistan region, we have a robust army of peshmerga who, as seen by everyone, were able to confront the most vicious force on earth, which was IS," he said.

2014 IS attack

That assurance does not ease the worries of many Kurds, who say the quick disintegration of the Afghan army reminded them of summer 2014, when the Iraqi army melted within hours in the face of an IS attack and left its U.S.-provided weapons to the Islamist group.

Ara Ako, a resident of the Kurdistan region's Sulaimani province, said any pullout of U.S.-led coalition forces could lead to "a chaos that Iraq is still not prepared for."

"In Iraq, there are a lot of militias linked to regional countries outside a unified command. Also, there is still a possibility for the resurgence of IS fighters who continue their explosions and slaughtering activities," Ako said.

Danya Osman, another Sulaimani resident, said she was mostly concerned about individual freedoms vanishing if the U.S.-backed system collapsed in Iraq.

"If it was not for peshmerga and the coalition forces, we would not have been able to confidently move around and live this way," she said.

About 2,500 U.S. troops are in Iraq to help Iraqi forces and the peshmerga in their battle against IS.

Last month, after hosting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House, U.S. president Joe Biden announced he would end the U.S. combat mission in the country by the end of this year. Biden said the U.S. will continue to train and advise the Iraqi military but declined to say how many U.S. troops will stay.

Days before the meeting, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told the VOA Kurdish service that his government believed American "fighting forces are not necessary in Iraq at this stage."

VOA Exclusive: Iraq Foreign Minister Says Deal Imminent on Withdrawal of US 'Fighting Forces' Fuad Hussein says he expects an Iraqi delegation to reach an agreement with the Biden administration Friday on the departure of US troops

Asked if he was concerned that Iraq could face violence by IS and other militant groups proportional to the Taliban, Hussein said, "Iraq's situation is different from Afghanistan's." He said IS was destroyed and that Iraqi forces needed intelligence sharing, training and equipment to deal with the group's remnants.

The foreign ministers comments came as a report by the United Nations sanctions monitoring team warned that IS was capable of conducting attacks in the capital, Baghdad, while also reasserting itself in the Diyala, Salah al-Din and Kirkuk provinces.

The report, released July 23 and based on member state intelligence, said: "The group has evolved into an entrenched insurgency, exploiting weaknesses in local security to find safe havens and targeting forces engaged in counter-ISIL operations."

ISIL is another name for Islamic State group.

The report said that in Syria, where the U.S.-backed Kurds make up the nucleus of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), IS was also able to continue its insurgency activities and was poised to remain a problem for some time.

About 900 U.S. troops are in northeast Syria, helping SDF fight IS remnants.

While U.S. officials have not announced any changes to the mission in northeast Syria, any troop withdrawal in the region will likely expose the SDF to Turkey, which sees the Kurdish group as a terrorist organization.

'A stab in the back'

When the Trump administration decided in 2019 to withdraw U.S. forces in the region, Turkish forces and allied Syrian militants followed with a major offensive against the SDF. Kurdish officials then called the U.S. move a "stab in the back."

According to Nawaf Khalil, director of the Germany-based Kurdish Center for Studies, the SDF have, over the years, turned to a doctrine of self-reliance that needs to be further emphasized in preparation for any sudden U.S. withdrawal.

"The Afghan lesson must definitely be considered by the Kurds and Syrians in general," Khalil said.

But he said it was unlikely for Washington to pull U.S. troops from Syria, because unlike Afghanistan, where nearly 20 years of conflict with the Taliban has cost the U.S. more than 2,300 deaths and billions of dollars, the United States' involvement in Syria, which has lasted nearly seven years, has been minimal and has proven very effective in countering terrorism.

"Following the Afghanistan fiasco, the Americans might even reaffirm their involvement in Syria to assure their local and international partners that what happened in Afghanistan won't happen in Syria," Khalil said.

Sirwan Kajjo contributed to this report from Washington.


The U.N. refugee agency says millions of Afghans caught in a rapidly changing and precarious situation are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and protection and must not be forgotten by the international community.

Conflict has prompted more than 550,000 Afghans, 80 percent of them women and children, to flee their homes this year.

These newly internally displaced people are in addition to 2.9 million Afghans who have been forcibly uprooted from their homes prior to this current crisis.

The U.N. refugee agency says these vulnerable people are among 18 million who need humanitarian assistance.

The UNHCR says the situation remains highly fluid and people are extremely anxious about what the future holds, amid sporadic reports of violence since the Taliban took control of the country Sunday.

UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo says most Afghans are unable to leave the country through regular channels. She says her agency welcomes efforts of several states to evacuate at-risk Afghan nationals through bilateral programs.

However, she says these programs should not overshadow the urgent need for a significant international response to deal with this prevailing crisis. Nor, she adds, should they hamper or preclude the possibility for Afghans to seek asylum in other countries.

"All states and this applies to countries both within and outside the regionmust preserve the right to seek asylum for Afghans arriving through regular or spontaneous means," Mantoo said. "UNHCR is also concerned that many are confusing these bilateral evacuation programs with classical refugee resettlement. This is completely unrelated.

How Will the World Help Afghan Refugees? As crisis unfolds in Afghanistan, few countries have enacted new policies to provide safe passage for Afghans seeking refuge abroad

The United States and several NATO members have been evacuating their citizens from Afghanistan over the past few days. They also have pledged to evacuate Afghan interpreters and their families who worked alongside them for years and whose lives are in danger. The Afghans fear retribution from the Taliban because of their alliance with foreign forces.

Mantoo says few Afghans, so far, have sought asylum abroad. But given the rapidly changing circumstances, she says this could change.

UNHCR remains concerned about the risk of human rights violations against civilians in this evolving context, including for women and girls," Mantoo said. "As of today, those who may be in danger have no way out. UNHCR is calling on countries neighboring Afghanistan to keep their borders open in light of the evolving crisis in Afghanistan.

Neighboring Iran and Pakistan are hosting 2.4 million Afghan refugees. Most are holdovers from the decade-long Soviet-Afghan war, which began in 1979.

Some 200 UNHCR national and international staff remain on the ground in Afghanistan. Since the beginning of the year, they have provided emergency assistance to 230,000 people. The agency is issuing a supplementary appeal for $62.8 million to support this critical humanitarian operation.
Afghan journalists say they are living in fear and are frustrated by the slow and complicated process of finding safety in a new country.

I am very disappointed, a journalist who worked with an international media outlet told VOA. I do not know what will happen to me. I really fear for my life.

The journalist, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, says she and her family left Herat a day before it fell to the Taliban. Before that, fighters had been threatening her via phone and in person.

The journalist moved to Kabul. But that too has fallen.

Even in Kabul the journalist says she has received threats and that Taliban fighters visited the area where she and her family are staying. I was scared to death when I was told that the Taliban are in the neighborhood.

We stay in a room as prisoners. We cannot go out, said the journalist, who has reported for an international broadcast outlet and news agency. I just want (us to be) evacuated to a place where we feel safe.

Shifting power

The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and the government collapsed.

At a news conference in Kabul on Tuesday, the Taliban said journalists are free to work as long as they are fair, promote national unity and do not report against Islamic law.

Media Rights Groups Demand Help for Afghan Journalists With threats and fear of violence increasing, news groups push for hundreds of Afghan journalists to be moved to safety

But media rights groups and journalists are cautious, highlighting the threats, attacks and killings carried out by the Taliban in recent years.

At the press conference Tuesday, one reporter pointed out to the Taliban spokesperson that he occupied the seat of Dawa Khan Meenapal, the head of the governments media information center, whom the Taliban killed in Kabul on August 6. Before working for the government, Meenapal was an award-winning reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Libertys Afghan service.

Reporter asks Mujahid: this seat you are sitting in right now Meenapal sat there last week. You claimed responsibility for his killing. Was this just about power?



He says the war was declared by Afghan gov which had publicly announced prep for 6 months fighting.  Mujib Mashal (@MujMash) August 17, 2021

The German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported Thursday that Taliban fighters shot dead a relative of one of their journalists in western Afghanistan. Other relatives of the journalist, who currently works in Germany, have gone into hiding, the broadcaster reported.

The Taliban have searched the homes of at least four journalists, and there are reports that fighters beat two journalists who were covering a protest against the group in the eastern city of Jalalabad, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

A journalist who has worked for Deutsche Welle and other international and local outlets in Afghanistan's eastern provinces doubts the Taliban are committed to the freedom of expression.

It will not be possible to work as a journalist anymore. The situation is worsening day by day, and I am losing hope, he told VOA.

In the two decades since the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan built an extensive media scene, with female journalists taking a central role. The country ranked 122nd out of 180 countries where 1 is freest, in the most recent index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

But a rise in threats and targeted killings since the Intra-Afghan peace process began in September 2020 had already raised concerns about the future of journalism. Hundreds of reporters either quit the profession or left the country in recent months.

Can Afghanistan's Free Press Survive?

Assassins are killing Afghan journalists and forcing others to quit. The planned US pullout could make things worse.

The Deutsche Welle journalist told VOA that he moved with his wife and family to Kabul for safety reasons.

We were balanced and fair in our reporting, but there are some groups in the Taliban who do not know professional journalism. Those groups might create problems for me, the journalist said.

He added that he wanted to leave because of the security threats. Lets see if someone can help us to move to a place where we would be safe.

Western media outlets have been pressing the U.S. and other governments to help relocate hundreds of journalists who worked with their staff in recent years.

Deutsche Welle is among the Western media outlets petitioning their governments for help. The broadcaster said Tuesday it is working with Germanys foreign ministry to try to evacuate employees and their families who are under acute threat."

The fact that they worked for a Western broadcaster could result in torture and death," the broadcaster said in a statement.

The outlet said that Taliban fighters had searched homes, looking for its employees.

The co-chairs of the bipartisan U.S. Congressional Freedom of the Press Caucus have also called on President Joe Biden to evacuate media at extreme risk because of their reporting.

Those who worked with American news outlets are eligible to apply for a Priority 2, or P-2 program, announced by the State Department this month. The program gives them and their families the chance of relocation in the U.S.

A Kabul-based Afghan journalist, who did not want to be named for fear of retaliation, told VOA that the requirements of the program are tough.

One has to go to a third country and stay there for 12 to 14 months on his own expenses. Journalists in Afghanistan are living paycheck to paycheck, and they cannot afford living in a third country for months, the journalist said.

Believing he is in danger, the journalist said he is looking at all options to get out of Afghanistan. I have not written something against them (Taliban), but I have been defending the republic, democracy, and that is enough for being targeted.

We are at risk here, the journalist adding, saying that the U.S. and other nations should speed up the evacuation process.

CPJs Asia program coordinator Steven Butler acknowledged that the P-2 program is not a practical option for many, but said that the U.S. can use a humanitarian parole option.

That option allows an individual to enter the U.S. temporarily for emergency or humanitarian reasons.

We hope that a number of journalists can take advantage of that, Butler told VOA, adding that so far very few journalists have been evacuated.

CPJ is receiving hundreds of pleas for help from journalists in Afghanistan. We are working on identifying those who are most at risk and provide that information to the U.S. government so that they expediate their evacuation, Butler said.

News outlets and nongovernmental organizations are also trying to support Afghan journalists. The Open Society Foundation announced a $10 million emergency fund this week to help move to safety members of the media and those who worked for civil society.

This report originated in VOAs Afghan service.
A story on The Washington Posts website late Thursday said federal officials are investigating reports that the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19 may be linked to a higher risk of myocarditis or heart inflammation in young adults than previously thought.

The Post cited anonymous sources who are not authorized to speak about the investigation being conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S. is using data from Canada, the Post said, that suggests that young people, especially males below the age of 30 or so who were inoculated with the Moderna vaccine face a higher risk for myocarditis than those who received the Pfizer vaccine.

The Post account also said FDA and CDC officials are also scrutinizing data from the United States to try to determine whether there is evidence of an increased risk in the U.S. population.

In June, federal officials acknowledged a likely association between the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and myocarditis in adolescents and young people, the newspaper reported.

The myocarditis side effect of Moderna is extremely rare and is still very uncommon, the report said.

Federal officials have warned that COVID-19 poses a greater risk of heart inflammation and other catastrophic medical conditions than do either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, the Post reported.

Australia reported record-high numbers of COVID-19 cases in two of its most heavily populated states Thursday, prompting new lockdowns.

New South Wales, the most populous state, reported 681 cases in a 24-hour span.

Victoria reported 57 new infections in Melbourne, its capital. The city has entered its sixth lockdown of the pandemic as Australia battles new surges of the delta variant.

On Wednesday, 747 new cases were confirmed  a record high for the country.

Roughly 22% of Australians are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

While many countries struggle to get one shot in the arms of their citizens, others have announced programs to provide booster shots to their most vulnerable populations.

Israel, which began administering booster shots to those over 60 in July, announced Thursday that all teachers and anyone over age 40 would be eligible for booster shots.

The announcement comes a day after the United States said it would begin booster shots for vulnerable populations next month.

The announcements defy the World Health Organization's call for a moratorium on booster shot discussions until more of the global population is vaccinated.

In Washington Thursday, three senators announced that they had tested positive for the coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated.

Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Democrat John Hickenlooper of Colorado and independent Angus King of Maine revealed that they had breakthrough infections, and all said they remained confident the vaccine had lessened the severity of their illness.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says it is clear that profits are trumping humanity when vaccine producers make product distribution decisions.

The IFRC statement was a response to a report in The New York Times that said most doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine produced at a plant in South Africa are being exported to Europe.

"We have long been calling for companies to consider manufacturing doses in regions that remain inequitably served of COVID-19 vaccines," said Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the IFRC. "That they should then be exported to regions that have vaccinated a majority of their population is incomprehensible. The African continent is still the most underserved in terms of receiving doses  barely 2% of people across the region have been vaccinated."

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Friday more than 210 million global infections from the coronavirus and 4.4 million deaths. The center said 4.8 billion vaccines have been administered.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
NATO foreign ministers, meeting Friday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, agreed their immediate priority is the safe evacuation of citizens of alliance member states and at-risk Afghans from the country.

Foreign ministers from the 30-nation alliance met virtually and in person in Brussels to address the swift takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban earlier this week.

The ministers issued a joint statement in which they expressed their priority about evacuations and coordinated efforts to extract their nationals and key local staff from the country, in particular those who have assisted NATOs efforts in Afghanistan.

In the statement, the foreign ministers called on those in positions of authority in Afghanistan to respect and facilitate their safe and orderly departure, including through Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

At a news conference following the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that since the Taliban takeover, around 800 NATO civilian personnel have worked around the clock to maintain operations at the Kabul airport allowing thousands of people to leave.

The NATO foreign ministers also issued a warning to the Taliban telling them to end the violence around the country.

The eyes of the world are on Afghanistan.  The Taliban must put an end to violence around the country, and uphold the fundamental rights of all Afghan citizens  men, women and children, Stoltenberg told reporters.

Echoing the NATO statement, Stoltenberg said it expects the Taliban to uphold commitments to ensure that Afghanistan does not again become a haven for international terrorism.

Stoltenberg said NATOs presence over the years, along with the support of the entire international community, has allowed Afghans to make unprecedented social, economic and political progress. Any Afghan government which attempts to undo this progress risks international isolation.

Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press news service
An Apostolic sect member, Hatirarami Momberume, was on Friday remanded in custody for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl, who died recently while giving birth in Manicaland province.

Momberume, also known as Evans Momberume, appeared before a local magistrate, Lynne Mary Mungwari, who denied him bail and remanded him in custody to early next month.

State prosecutor, Tirivanhu Mutyasira, asked the magistrate to deny Momberume bail saying he is facing serious charges of rape and for causing the death of Anna Machaya.

His lawyer, Brian Majamada, did not challenge the magistrates ruling. Momberume, who is a member of the Johanne Marange Apostolic sect, is expected to apply to the High Court for bail amid an international outcry for him to be punished severely for marrying and impregnating a minor.

The United Nations has expressed concern over the death of Anna Machaya, noting that child marriages should be outlawed internationally.

In a statement, the U.N. in Zimbabwe said that it "notes with deep concern and condemns strongly" the circumstances leading to the death of the 14-year-old girl from rural Marange in the east of the country.

"Sadly, disturbing reports of the sexual violation of under-age girls, including forced child marriages continue to surface and indeed this is another sad case.

Reuters reports that this case has brought to the fore the practice of child marriage within Zimbabwe's apostolic churches, which also allow polygamy.

The government has traditionally turned a blind eye to the practice of child marriage. Zimbabwe has two sets of marriage laws, the Marriage Act and Customary Marriages Act. Neither law gives a minimum age for marriage consent, while the customary law allows polygamy.

A new marriages bill that is before parliament for debate seeks to synchronise the laws, ban marriage of anyone below 18 years and prosecute anyone involved in the marriage of a minor.

One in three girls in Zimbabwe was likely to be married before turning 18 years, said the U.N., whose office in Zimbabwe groups all 25 U.N. agencies operating in the country.

The apostolic churches, which shun hospitals, attract millions of followers with their promises to heal illnesses and deliver people from poverty.

Reuters and VOA Correspondent Loidharm Moyo contributed to this article
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The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has announced that he is convening a virtual summit on December 9 and 10, 2021 to defend "Democracy". Three main themes will be discussed: "defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption and promoting respect for human rights". During the meeting, the leaders present will commit themselves "to improving the lives of their own people and to addressing the greatest challenges facing the world". This will be followed by a second summit in 2022, at which leaders will report on progress made relative to their commitments.

These meetings were announced by Joe Biden during his election campaign. At the time, he said that the aim was to defeat Russia and China. The real objective is therefore to define a criterion that distinguishes the two blocks in formation, as in the past a capitalist world was distinguished from a communist world.

Democracy as a political regime

If in the 19th century, the United States was perceived as a new democratic model - see in particular Alexis de Tocquevilles work, De la democratie en Amerique -, today it is nothing more than an oligarchy: effective power is held by a tiny group of hyper-billionnaires outside public institutions, while the political personnel is reduced to the role of extra.

In practice, the United States has never recognised popular sovereignty, and therefore democracy. Instead, its constitution is based on the sovereignty of governors, although an electoral system has gradually been put in place. In the 2000 presidential election, there was a dispute between two candidates, George W. Bush and Albert Gore, over the recount in Florida. The Federal Supreme Court concluded that constitutionally it did not need to know the election results in Florida, but only the opinion of the local governor, Jeb Bush (the candidates brother). As a result, George W. Bush was declared the winner, while the Florida recount gave Al Gore as President.

Today, democracy as a political system is challenged by the Woke ideology that President Biden claims. Equity between ethnic groups, which he has made his pet subject, is opposed to equality between all [1]. The democratic institutions of the United States are being challenged in practice by the secret counting of ballots, which has given rise to the legitimate assumption of massive electoral fraud. Finally, the mob assault on the Capitol attests to the fact that democratic institutions have lost their sanctity.

All political regimes come and go

In the eighteenth century, Western monarchies had run out of steam. They no longer had any recognised legitimacy. They still claimed to be of "divine right", but their subjects no longer believed in them. Regimes based on "popular sovereignty", democracies, emerged. The remaining monarchies adapted, not by renouncing their divine right, but by combining it with popular sovereignty.

In the 20th century, when the economic crisis of 1929 hit, the Western press claimed that capitalism was dead and that a new political system had to be invented. First it was communism, then fascism. It should be remembered that Benito Mussolini had been Lenins representative in Italy before he came up with fascism. Capitalism was thoroughly reformed by Franklin Roosevelt, fascism was militarily defeated, communism collapsed with the USSR, and democracy survived.

In the 21st century, and more particularly since the Covid epidemic, we have witnessed the sudden emergence of some fifteen very large IT groups, around the GAFAMs (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft). Their power is now greater than that of most states. They do not hesitate to censor the ideas they want and the people they want. This includes information from states about Covids medical treatments, and even messages from heads of state and government themselves, right up to the sitting US president. No political leader keeps Bill Gates (Microsoft) or Jeff Bezos (Amazon) waiting if one of them phones him, but he can delay or even refuse a communication from the US President. They are imposing their agenda, transhumanism, which should turn us into computerised animals and their leaders into superior beings who go out to conquer space.

Under these conditions, all democracy has become impossible. Western voters are going to the polls less and less because they have understood this. Only a third of those registered to vote in the last French elections did so. The institutions are still democratic, but democracy is a practice and the French have become detached from it.

This situation is absolutely new. It is true that the disappearance of the Western middle classes began with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the transformation of the European Common Market into a supra-national structure dates from the same period. But nothing, absolutely nothing, foretold what is happening to us.

Democracy is, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, "Government of the People, by the People and for the People". Today, nowhere does the People govern themselves. Even if some states are resisting, such as Iceland or Switzerland, the fact is that the democratic ideal has become impossible to implement in the face of GAFAM. In the absence of democracy, i.e. the participation of the People in political life, the most important thing is to ensure that the decisions taken are in the general interest, which is what we call the Republic.

This situation is changing month by month. We have to fear terrible developments for our freedoms and for our means of living. In any case, the current facts are already unacceptable.

We cling to our formerly democratic regimes because we do not know what to replace them with. But we increase our problem by denying the obvious. So, just as we have kept monarchies alive beyond the end of "divine right", we keep our democracies alive beyond the failure of "popular sovereignty". However, the situations are not identical: no one believes in divine right power any more, but we have all experienced the validity of the principle of popular sovereignty. It is not a question of making a revolution against the GAFAMs, but of waging a war to make them give back the Power they have stolen from us. It is not a question of imagining a new type of political regime, but of defining rules that make democracy possible again.

Democracy as a political weapon

Just after the dissolution of the USSR, US President Bill Clinton asked himself the same question as his successor Joe Biden: how to distinguish the Western bloc from the others? He devised a Global Democracy Strategy and set up a secret group in the White House to implement it.

We do not know who constituted this group, but we have identified its evolution during George W. Bushs term. It was led by Liz Cheney (daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney) and Elliott Abrams (who organised the parliamentary overthrow of Hugo Chavez at the end of Bush Jrs term [2] ). This group oversaw several overthrows at the National Security Council, such as that of the constitutional president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya. It did not practice the military methods of the CIA, nor the pseudo-revolutionary methods of the NED, but invented a model for parliamentary coups. What followed was an epidemic of parliamentary overthrow of governments in Latin America.

Experience shows that democracy is now only a form, not a reality. One can trample on the Constitution and overthrow a government democratically as long as one puts a parliamentarian in charge.

We have no doubt that this office in charge of the Global Democracy Strategy still exists and will soon be in the news.

Already, this Strategy again rekindles the project of an "Alliance of Democracies" promoted by the essayist Francis Fukuyama, which the Bush Administration had imagined replacing the United Nations. The former Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, created in 2017 a Foundation for the Alliance of Democracies.

Our political future

We need to admit that Russia and China are not worse than us, but rather face the same problem with a different culture. We need their help just as they need ours.

Together or separately, we will not find the solution immediately. We have to start fighting without knowing what form our victory will take, but we already know the basis. We must therefore specify the principle on which we want to build new democracies for ourselves or our children: the Republic.
French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden addressed their nation on the capture of Kabul by the Taliban on August 15, 2021.

1.- The Afghan War is not a response to 9/11, it was planned before the attacks

According to these two politicians, the sole purpose of the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was to "pursue those who attacked us on September 11, 2001, and to ensure that al-Qaeda could not use Afghanistan as a base for further attacks.  [1]

Joseph Goebbels, the Propaganda Minister of the Third Reich, is said to have said that "A lie repeated ten times remains a lie; repeated ten thousand times, it becomes the truth." But the facts are stubborn and, whatever Mr Macron and Mr Biden may think, the 2001 war was decided in mid-July 2001, when the Berlin negotiations between the United States and the United Kingdom on the one hand and the Taliban, not the Afghan government, on the other failed. Pakistan and Russia were observers at these secret talks. The Taliban delegation entered Germany in violation of the UN Security Councils travel ban. After the failure of these negotiations, Pakistani Foreign Minister Naiz Naik returned to his country and sounded the alarm. Pakistan then looked for new allies. It offered China a gateway to the Indian Ocean (what we see today with the Silk Road). The United States and the United Kingdom began to amass their troops in the area: 40,000 men in Egypt and almost the entire British fleet in the Arabian Sea. It was only after this arrangement was put in place that the attacks of September 11th took place.

2. Al-Qaeda is not a threat for the Anglo-Saxons, but an instrument

According to President Biden: "Our mission to reduce the terrorist threat of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and to kill Osama bin Laden has been a success.

However, it was the director of Frances foreign secret services, Alexandres de Marenches, who proposed to his US counterpart within the framework of the Pinay Circle [2] to provoke a Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in order to trap them there [3]. President Carters National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, sought out anti-communist billionaire Osama Bin Laden in Beirut and asked him to lead Arab mercenaries in a terrorist campaign against the Afghan communist government [4]. Bin Laden was in Beirut to meet with former Lebanese President Camille Chamoun, a member of the World Anti-Communist League [5]. Washington chose Bin Laden for two reasons: First, he was a member of a secret society, the Muslim Brotherhood, which allowed him to recruit fighters; second, he was one of the heirs to the largest construction company in the Arab world. As such, he had the men and know-how to turn the underground rivers of the Hindu Kush into military communication routes.

Later, the same Osama bin Laden served as a military adviser to the Bosnian president, Alija Izetbegovic, in 1992-94. His fighters followed him there. They abandoned the name "Mujahideen" for the "Arab Legion". His camp was visited by Russian commandos, who were taken prisoner there. However, before they were arrested, they had time to search his command room and found that all the military documents were written in English and not in Arabic. [6]

Later still, Osama Bin Laden used his fighters for one-off operations. He solicited them by choosing them according to his needs from his "roster", in Arabic "Al-Qaeda" ().

It is therefore indisputable that Osama Bin Laden was for many years an agent of the United States. However, the latter claim that he turned against them, which nothing, absolutely nothing, proves. In any case, Osama bin Laden was seriously ill. He needed daily care in a sterile room. He was therefore taken care of in the American hospital in Dubai in July 2001, as revealed by Le Figaro [7]. This information was denied by the said hospital, but was confirmed to me by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyane (the current President of the United Arab Emirates) who assured me that he had visited him there in the presence of the local CIA chief of staff. Finally, Osama bin Laden was treated at the military hospital in Rawalpindi (Pakistan) [8] where he died in December 2001. His funeral took place in Afghanistan, attended by two representatives of the British MI6 who wrote a report on the matter.

Also indisputably opposing the theory that Osama bin Laden had turned against his CIA employers was the fact that until 1999 - i.e. after the attacks attributed to him against the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia and the US embassies in Nairobi (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) - he had a public relations office in London. It was from this office that he launched his Call to Jihad against Jews and Crusaders.

The fact that for ten years we have heard and seen recordings of people claiming to be Osama Bin Laden only deceives those who want to believe: the Swiss experts of the Dalle Molle Institute of Perceptive Artificial Intelligence, which at the time was used by the big banks in sensitive cases, were formal. These recordings are forgeries (including the one released by the Pentagon in which he claims responsibility for the 9/11 attacks) and do not correspond to the real Bin Laden. If facial and voice recognition was a speciality at the time, it is now a common technique. You can check for yourself with software that is available everywhere.

After Bin Ladens death, Ayman al-Zawahiri became the emir of Al Qaeda. He still holds this position. The latter - who had supervised the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat - lived for several years after 2001 in the US embassy in Baku (Azerbaijan). [9] He was, at least in that period, the only person who could be considered a terrorist. He was, at least during this period, protected by the US Marines. His current whereabouts are unknown, but there is no reason to believe that he is no longer under US protection.

3- The US does not focus on "counter-terrorism", but funds and arms terrorism

President Biden explained at length, during his speech on the fall of Kabul, that the United States was not there to build states, but only to fight terrorism.

The phrase fight against terrorism has been repeated for twenty years, but that does not make it more meaningful. Terrorism is not a flesh-and-blood opponent. It is a method of combat. All the worlds armies can use it in certain circumstances. During the Cold War, the two blocs used it extensively against each other.

Since President George W. Bush (the son) declared the war on terror (i.e. the war on war), the use of this military technique has been increasing. Westerners first think of attacks in a few large cities, but the worst has been achieved with the creation of small terrorist states in the wider Middle East up to the sinister Islamic State of the Levant (Daesh) and now the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Afghans, Iraqis, Libyans and Syrians initially believed the US narrative of events, but they are under no illusion. After 20 years of war, they have understood that the United States does not want to do any good. Washington does not fight terrorism, but creates, finances and arms groups that practice terrorism.

4- The Taliban did not fight a war, they took what the US gave them

Presidents Macron and Biden are playing dumb about the Talibans "takeover of Kabul". According to them, "Afghan political leaders have given up and fled the country. The Afghan army has collapsed, sometimes without even trying to fight. But how did they flee, if not with Western military aircraft? And the Afghan army did not "sometimes seek to fight", it was the other way round: it only "sometimes" sought to fight. The Afghan borders were among the most secure in the world. US soldiers recorded everyones identity with electronic means, including iris recognition.

The Afghan army consisted of 300,000 men - more than the French armies - who were very well trained by the US, France and others. It was over-equipped with sophisticated equipment. All its infantry had body armour and night vision systems. It had a very capable air force. In contrast, the Taliban has no more than 100,000 men, which is three times less. They are hooligans in sandals and armed with Kalashnikovs. They had no air force - they suddenly have one today with trained pilots from who knows where -. If there had been fighting, they would have been defeated for sure.

The regime change was decided under President Donald Trump. It was to take place on May 1st. But President Joe Biden changed that timetable to change history. He used the delay to set up military bases in the neighbouring countries and send at least 10,000 mercenaries. He has mobilised the Turkish army, which is already present in the country, but which no one is talking about. The latter has already recruited at least 2,000 jihadists living in Idleb (Syria) and continues to hire them.

It is important to remember that during the war against the Soviets, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was already a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and the leader of a militia, the Milli Gorus (the one that today opens mosques in Germany and France). It was in this double capacity that he came to kneel before Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Afghan leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and future Prime Minister. Hekmatyar subsequently pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda, which did not prevent him from running in the 2019 Afghan presidential election under US protection.

The allies began repatriating their nationals several months ago. They thought they would have time before September 11th, or at worst before midnight on August 30th. But Washington decided otherwise by choosing August 15th, the date of Indias bank holidays. This was a warning to New Delhi, which does not appreciate the fact that President Ghanis Pashtuns are being replaced by those of Emir Akhundzada, even though they support other ethnic groups.

The scenes of panic we saw at Kabul airports reminded us of those in Saigon during the US defeat in Vietnam. It is indeed quite the same. The Afghans clinging to the aircraft are not mostly translators from Western embassies, but agents of "Operation Omega" set up under President Obama [10] . They are members of the Khost Protection Force (KPF) and the National Directorate of Security (NDS), counter-insurgency auxiliaries, like the Vietnamese of "Operation Phoenix". They were responsible for torturing and killing Afghans opposed to the foreign occupation. They committed so many crimes that the Taliban were like choirboys [11].

Soon we will see a completely different landscape in Afghanistan.

5. The US did not lose Afghanistan to China, but forced Chinese companies to accept its protection

The US has not lost anything in Afghanistan because it does not want to establish peace there. They dont care about the one million deaths they have caused there in 20 years. They just want that region to be unstable, that no government can control the exploitation of the natural resources there. They want companies, from whatever developed country, to be able to exploit them only by accepting their protection.

This is the Hollywood-popularised scheme of the globalised world, protected by a compound, with special forces going abroad to monitor exploitation sites in wilderness areas.

This strategy was developed by Donald Rumsfeld, George W. Bushs Secretary of Defense, and Admiral Arthur Cebrowski, who had already computerized the US military. On September 11, 2001, it became the way of thinking of the US military staff. It was popularised by Cebrowskis deputy, Thomas Barnett, in his book The Pentagons New Map [12].

It was this paradigm shift that President Bush called War Without End. By this he meant that the US would forever be fighting terrorism, or rather forever instrumenting terrorist groups to prevent political organisation in these regions.

Yes, Chinese companies are already mining in Afghanistan, but from now on they will have to pay a price to the US or be subjected to terrorist attacks. So what if its a racket?

6- Westerners do not defend the Enlightenment against obscurantism, but rather instrumentalise it

The first lady of the United States, Laura Bush, made us all cry by telling us the story of little girls massacred by the Taliban because they dared to wear nail polish. But the truth is quite different.

When President Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Alexandre de Marenches supported the Afghan Islamists in 1978, they were fighting the communists who were opening schools for girls. Because for them the fight against the USSRs allies came before human rights. Similarly today, President Biden and his Secretary of State Antony Blinken support the Taliban because, for them, controlling access to the natural wealth of the wider Middle East comes before human rights. And they are doing the same in Iraq, Libya and Syria.

The US has not only supported Islamists in war-torn countries. For example, it put General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, in power in Pakistan to use his country as a rear base for anti-Soviet fighters. He overthrew democracy, hanged President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and re-established Sharia law. President Bhuttos daughter, Benazir Bhutto, who was Pakistans prime minister in the 1990s, was also assassinated by the Taliban.

There is no need to go back over the crimes of the Western counter-insurgency, the panic of their collaborators at Kabul airports is enough.

If Islamism and secularism have been used to manipulate the Afghans and to smoke out the West, political life in Afghanistan is not based on these concepts, but first and foremost on ethnic divisions. There are about fifteen of them, the largest of which, the Pashtuns, are also strongly represented in Pakistan. It is still a tribal country and not yet a nation. Other ethnic groups are supported by other countries in the region because they are also present there.

7- France has not always supported US crimes in Afghanistan, but only since President Sarkozy

According to President Emmanuel Macron: "President Jacques Chirac, as early as October 2001, decided that France should participate in international action, in solidarity with our American friends and allies who had just suffered a terrible attack on their soil. With a clear objective: to combat a terrorist threat that was directly targeting our territory and that of our allies from Afghanistan, which had become the sanctuary of Islamist terrorism". [13]

It is a distracting way to erase a characteristic French conflict. In October 2001, President Chirac violently opposed the participation of the French army in the Anglo-Saxon occupation of Afghanistan. He only authorised deployment under UN Security Council Resolution 1386. The French soldiers were indeed under the orders of Nato, but as part of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF). They were only involved in reconstruction assistance. They did not take prisoners, but eventually arrested fighters and immediately handed them over to the Afghan government. It was President Nicolas Sarkozy who changed this status and made France complicit in the crimes of the United States. It is because of this change that France is currently exfiltrating members of the Khost Protection Force (KPF) and the National Directorate of Security (NDS). And it will probably pay the price.
In overthrowing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate, which has replaced it, seized several hundred thousand weapons, thousands of tanks and Humvees and even a minimum of four Black Hawks helicopters.

The question remains about the fate of 200 fighter jets that are still on Afghan soil.

Republican senators have asked the Pentagon to compile a list of materials nabbed by the Taliban, both weapons belonging to the US or given by the latter to the Islamic Republic.

This modus operandi is reminiscent of Daeshs progression inside Iraq in 2014. The jihadists had thousands of identical vehicles at their disposal, straight out of the Toyota factory in Jordan. They crossed through Iraq at full speed and were promptly joined by Iraqi officers. They then seized stockpiles of US weapons that had just been delivered to the Iraqi military, most of which were still packed. They thus mounted a formidable army against Iraq, but also and above all against Syria. Some of these officers now live in the United States, a sign that they were already on their payroll then.

The CIAs methods of flouting the law are unshakable.

One should wonder about the fact that Daesh and the Taliban have fighters trained to drive tanks, and this time its not just for delivering equipment to an Army, but also to an Air Force. As it is Black Hawks helicopters have magically trained pilots. What will it be in store for the Afghan air force?
With an alarming rise in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, more Americans have recently made the decision to get vaccinated than in the last six weeks.

More than 1 million doses of the vaccine were reported administered Thursday, new US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed, marking the first time since early July for the single-day change in reported doses. The average pace of those initiating vaccination is more than 70% higher than one month ago.

Oklahoma and Louisiana -- two states that have lagged the rest of the nation in vaccinations -- are now outpacing the national average, White House Covid-19 Response Team Chief of Staff Asma Mirza said in calls with local faith leaders Thursday.

"We're seeing a new willingness, a new openness to getting vaccinated," she said in a discussion with Louisiana faith leaders.

And a senior federal official told CNN on Friday that full US Food and Drug Administration approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is "imminent." A Biden administration official said approval of the two-dose vaccine "could be as early as Monday."

Experts have said an FDA approval will likely help convince more Americans to get their shots.

'Tsunami of patients'

For now, health care systems are reporting an increasingly dire situation, with an influx of patients flooding waiting rooms due largely to the spread of the more infectious Delta variant.

And because it takes weeks to gain immunity following full vaccination, even those beginning their inoculations need to remain cautious against infection.

Dr. Robert Jansen, chief medical officer at one of Atlanta's largest trauma centers, Grady Health System, said it was seeing a "tsunami of patients coming into the emergency department."

The situation is also critical in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott announced the state will deploy additional medical personnel to hospitals across the state.

Lauren Meyers, director of the University of Texas Covid-19 Modeling Consortium, warned that area hospitals are at a "breaking point."

"We are sort of in a very dire situation in Austin," Meyers said.

The rate of hospitalizations is still below pandemic highs seen in January, CDC data shows. But at the current pace -- an average of more than 11,000 new hospital admissions for Covid-19 over the past week -- the US might reach a record high within a month, the CDC said.

Mary Mayhew, CEO of the Florida Hospital Association (FHA), told CNN Friday the state's current surge is "fundamentally different" from earlier surges, with more than 17,000 Covid-19 patients hospitalized in about six weeks amid a "severe staffing shortage."

"These are healthy, young 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds who, because of the aggressive nature of the Delta variant, are now being hospitalized," Mayhew said.

Hospitals across the state are doing everything possible to respond to the demand by postponing elective services and bringing in staff from other states, Mayhew said. They're even converting auditoriums and cafeterias "to meet patient demand."

Preventative vaccinations are the most effective means to combat Covid-19 infections, and the US Food and Drug Administration will likely approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine around the end of August, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan said Thursday. Current vaccines have been granted emergency use authorization.

"I think that approval, at least for the Pfizer vaccine, is going to come very soon -- probably by the end of the month or right around there," McClellan told CNN's Chris Cuomo.

Booster shots for those inoculated are expected to be made widely available by September 20, and about 75% of the eligible population will have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine at current vaccination rates, according to a CNN analysis of CDC data.

Around 51.1% of the total US population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Vaccine requirements beginning to take shape

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday continued to push the state's monoclonal antibody treatment centers, saying the state expected to have 21 treatment sites throughout the state by early next week -- an increase from the initial 15-20 centers announced by the governor.

The treatment has been effective at reducing severe disease, but some scientists have been critical of the push for these treatments over other prevention methods, like vaccinations and masking. Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, has said they are "not the path out of this pandemic."

With the efficacy of vaccines continuously proven in keeping recipients out of hospitals, more jurisdictions nationwide are taking steps requiring employees to be inoculated, barring medical or religious exemptions.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker issued an executive order Thursday that will require approximately 42,000 executive department employees to provide proof of vaccination by mid-October or face possible termination, according to a spokesperson.

In New Orleans, all city employees and public-facing personnel will need to submit proof of vaccination or receive routine Covid-19 testing starting August 30, according to Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

The mayor's office said the additional step was taken "to protect residents, City employees and public-facing contracted personnel from the Covid-19 outbreak, and more recently the Delta variant outbreak in Orleans Parish."

In Oregon, all K-12 teachers, educators, staff and volunteers at schools -- both public and private -- will need to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 by October 18 or six weeks after full FDA approval, Gov. Kate Brown announced at a press conference Thursday.

The Houston Independent School District's Board of Education is taking a different approach by offering a $500 stipend for employees who are fully vaccinated by November 19. The board passed the measure on Thursday, though it still needs to be approved by the Texas Education Agency, the district said in a statement.

"The best tool we have in this fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is vaccination," Superintendent Millard House II said in the release. "As vaccinations increase in our communities and schools, the better protected and safe we all will be."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Jake Tapper Thursday that vaccine requirements at schools is a sound strategy to create a safe environment.

"One of the most important ways is to surround the children with people who are vaccinated, if they're eligible to be vaccinated -- and that means teachers and personnel in the school," Fauci said.

'This is not an adult disease anymore'

With schools back in session, local officials are faced with deciding whether to mandate masks in classrooms, plus the day-to-day challenges of quarantining students exposed to Covid-19.

Legal battles over mask mandates continued Thursday in Texas, as the state Supreme Court refused Gov. Abbott's request to quickly intervene over some local jurisdictions' decision to require masks in schools.

Meantime, Alabama is now seeing the highest number of Covid-19 cases among children than at any other time during the pandemic, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said Friday.

From August 1-18, 2020, the state saw 1,831 cases of Covid-19 in children between the ages of 5 and 17. But for that same period this year, the state saw 8,462 cases in that age range.

According to Harris, there were 50 pediatric patients hospitalized as of August 19, 9 of whom are on ventilators.

Dr. Sara Cross, a member of the Covid-19 task force for Tennessee's governor and an infectious disease specialist at the University of Tennessee, said bans on mask mandates would have "catastrophic consequences" for those in classrooms.

"When one child doesn't wear a mask, it doesn't only affect that child. It affects the entire classroom. It affects teachers. We just had a teacher in the Memphis area, a 31-year-old woman, die of Covid in the past few days from acquiring it in the classroom," Cross told CNN's Ana Cabrera on Thursday.

"We can't handle what we're seeing. We are estimating that the number of cases in Tennessee will increase six-fold by the end of September if we don't take measures to mitigate the spread," Cross said.

"This is not an adult disease anymore," Cross said, saying the pediatric hospital in downtown Memphis "currently has at least 9 children in the ICU from Covid-19."

At least 15 states have temporarily or indefinitely required K-12 students to wear masks in schools, according to a CNN analysis, with some provided exceptions: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington.

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President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on Friday about the ongoing US military evacuations of American citizens and vulnerable Afghans as chaos ensues at and around Kabul's international airport.

Prior to his remarks, the President and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with their national security team in the Situation Room to hear intelligence, security and diplomatic updates on the situation in Afghanistan, according to the White House.

The President's speech will focus on the evacuation of American citizens and their families, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families and vulnerable Afghans, the White House says. It is unclear whether the President will take questions.

According to his public schedule, Biden was set to travel to Wilmington, Delaware, after the speech but the White House announced Friday morning that he would no longer be traveling and is set to remain in Washington. The President spent last weekend and several days earlier this week at the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland, returning briefly to Washington on Monday for a speech on Afghanistan before spending another day at Camp David.

Afghans in Kabul are battling massive crowds and violence to make it to the airport gates, and have to wait hours to enter once they've arrived.

Tents are needed for the thousands of Afghans standing out in the blazing sun for hours at Kabul airport, CNN's Clarissa Ward reports. Mothers of children are particularly struggling in the sweltering heat. CNN has met people at the airport who have been waiting there for two days

The US Embassy warned Friday morning of continuing safety concerns over getting to the Kabul airport, and said that -- due to large crowds and security worries -- "gates may open or close without notice."

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield told CNN Friday that the White House does not have a precise number of Americans who are still in Afghanistan, saying the administration is still trying to account for Americans who may have left the country prior to August 14 without notifying the US embassy.

Bedingfield was short on answers when repeatedly pressed by CNN's Brianna Keilar on what concrete steps the administration was taking to reduce the chaos, referring logistics questions to the Defense Department.

"Those are on the ground logistical questions that the Department of Defense is better equipped to handle but what I can tell you is the President is driving his team towards this," she said. "We are working every day to do everything we can to ensure that we're able to get more people into the airport in an orderly manner. Of course the images that we're seeing are heartbreaking."

The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military had increased the pace of evacuations. The US evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, and approximately 14,000 people since end of July, according to a White House official.

Biden, who met with senior staff in the Situation Room on Wednesday, made clear he wants every flight leaving the airport filled to capacity. An official cautioned that, given the chaotic nature of the evacuation, the presidential directive doesn't always mean it will happen for every flight.

The US military hopes to move 5,000 to 9,000 people a day, but they have not been able to meet that goal since the evacuation process started.

Biden suggested in an ABC interview this week that he's willing to keep US forces in Afghanistan until all American citizens who want to leave are out of the country, but stopped short of making the same commitment to the United States' Afghan partners.

The President said Americans should expect for all US citizens in Afghanistan to be evacuated by August 31, the deadline the administration has set for ending the nation's longest war.

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The Biden administration is ramping up efforts to process the influx of Afghans rushing to flee Afghanistan as the Taliban overtakes the country.

In recent days, administration officials worked overtime to pull lists of names of special immigrant visa applicants to push through systems and get security checks cleared, and over the course of the week, solicitations went out to the DHS workforce to assist in processing Afghans.

Weekly visa issuance increased significantly from March to early August, according to the State Department. But despite months of internal discussions over the process, there was a lack of decision making on how best to handle and expedite visas, an administration official said. Now, it's a scramble.

The challenge facing officials is meeting the demand of Afghans desperately trying to leave Afghanistan and eventually reach the United States, with a visa program that's been bogged down by systemic issues.

'Red-headed stepchild of immigration'

Special immigrant visas "have always been the redheaded stepchild of immigration processes," the administration official told CNN. "Very slow, but little attention to fix."

The visa program was established in 2009 specifically for Afghan citizens, along with their spouses and unmarried children under 21, who work for the US government in Afghanistan, and who face threats for their allegiance to the US. While Afghans are thoroughly vetted before working alongside US forces, they still go through a cumbersome and meticulous process riddled with checks before obtaining a visa to come to the US.

That process is now being tested in a tense situation, requiring a surge of resources to comb through the thousands of people fleeing Afghanistan who face reprisals, even death, for working for the US.

It's an "all hands on deck type of approach," a Homeland Security official told CNN, adding that personnel have been asked to assist overseas.

President Joe Biden said the US is looking at evacuating between 50,000 and 65,000 Afghans in total, a figure that includes the Afghan visa and refugee applicants plus their families. There were 17,000 SIV applicants in the pipeline when Biden took office, according to the State Department, and no interviews had taken place in Kabul since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Interviews resumed in Kabul in early February, but were forced to temporarily shut down again this summer due to a coronavirus outbreak and now remain in flux with the rapidly changing security situation on the ground.

A group of US diplomats wrote an internal cable to Secretary of State Antony Blinken in mid-July laying out how the State Department could take more swift action to process Afghans who assisted the United States and get them out of Afghanistan as they watched the situation in the country deteriorate and feared a catastrophe.

The classified cable, signed by more than a dozen US diplomats, urged specific steps to be taken such as starting a biometric enrollment program of the Afghans applying for SIVs or refugee status ahead of the time of the evacuation, as to not waste time when the evacuation began, in anticipation of the collapse of the Afghan government as the US withdrew.

Since the fall of Afghanistan, lists of names have been shared with federal partners to run through the system, though bottlenecks can occur if there's a red flag that requires surging personnel to clear or confirm, the official added.

The vetting process has progressed over time, from individual agencies working in silos to a more holistic effort engaging federal agencies and gathering information from the Department of Defense, State Department, FBI, intelligence community and DHS.

"We're much better at identifying potential threats with better information sharing and better analytical tools applied to that assessment," a former Homeland Security official told CNN. But the process also requires manpower to resolve any issues that may arise and the urgent nature of the situation can pose a challenge.

"Anytime something's happening in a pressure cooker you'll be pushed to accelerate processes that are sometimes deliberate for a reason because you can miss something," the former official said.

"It's an intensely labor-intensive process," another former Homeland Security official echoed. Part of that process is looking up information and trying to resolve things that are "inherently ambiguous" -- for example, did a visa applicant talk to Taliban members because it was part of their job or were they betraying the US, the former official said.

"That takes a lot of manual checking. It takes, ideally, going back to the employer at the time trying to find the major or the captain or the section chief in the embassy or the USAID contractor," the former official added. "All of this has to be de-bottlenecked in a hurry."

There are ongoing conversations at the department about screening and vetting"how not to let anyone slip in that isn't supposed to slip in," a DHS official said.

Special immigrant visas are one legal avenue for Afghans to come to the US. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the administration is also "urgently working on efforts to assist eligible Afghans under the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program, Priority 1 (P-1) and Priority 2 (P-2) referrals to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, and humanitarian parole."

Working against time

But another major issue right now is the rush of Afghans who are trying to apply for these various programs, and did not do so previously because they didn't know the Taliban would overrun the country so quickly, or at all. State Department officials have created a database to add new people into the system but they are facing a shortage of personnel to enter in the Afghans' information, which is creating a major bottleneck, explained two State Department officials familiar with the situation.

In addition to getting Afghans on the list and getting them started in the vetting process, the Afghans also need to get out of the country before it is too late.

Some people with proper credentials have reported challenges getting through the gates at the Kabul airport despite being directed to go there. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the US has "repeatedly communicated" to the Taliban what proper credentials are and what they look like.

"To the degree that it's not working as it's supposed to, I can assure you that our military commanders, in this case Admiral Vasley who is predominantly managing this communication, will continue to take that up," Kirby added.

For those who arrive without credentials -- a possibility for a myriad of reasons including fear of the Taliban -- a "more robust" effort is needed to validate who an individual is, another DHS official told CNN. "That's the challenge really," the official said.

Flights are destined to a handful of locations, including Qatar and Kuwait. Price on Thursday said the State Department expects 20 flights to depart Afghanistan Thursday night, citing the Defense Department, and the operation "will continue at as fast a clip as we can possibly manage."

Consular officers are also on site. Price said that there are 6,000 people at the airport in Kabul who have been "fully processed by our consular team and will soon board planes."

Customs and Border Protection sent additional personnel to Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday to help assist in the processing of people leaving Afghanistan en route to the US, according to a Homeland Security spokesperson.

Agency officials are in Doha working on processing, screening and vetting Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and other eligible vulnerable Afghan nationals before they travel to the US, the spokesperson said.

Volunteer personnel will serve a temporary detail in Doha and/or Kuwait City to assist State Department and Defense Department personnel, according to a memo sent to headquarters and field leadership. Deployments are expected to last 30 days with possible 30-day extensions, the memo issued Monday says.

"Everyone is being vetted at some point, at least once or twice," the administration official said.

Becca Heller, executive director at the International Refugee Assistance Project, told reporters Wednesday that some of the organization's clients in Afghanistan were able to get on planes.

"One of those clients we believe is going to Denmark on a plane operated by Denmark because they happened to have a Danish military supervisor in the past. One got on a plane run by the US military, didn't even know where it was going but just got on the plane. It took them hours to get into the airport, during which they were also teargassed and shot at. And then the third client got on a plane that they know was bound for Qatar," Heller said.

Heller said other clients, including SIV applicants, have received notices that they should report to the airport for evacuation flights.

In recent days, administration officials have said they will accelerate efforts to relocate SIV applicants as well as other vulnerable Afghans. In some cases, Afghans will be housed at military bases in the United States as they wait for final approval of their visas.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin authorized the use of Fort Bliss in Texas and Fort McCoy in Wisconsin to shelter SIV applicants, their families, "and other at risk individuals," Kirby said this week. Fort Lee will also continue to be used.

The-CNN-Wire

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Thursday, WAAY 31 learned about how coronavirus is impacting one North Alabama school district in the Shoals.

Students at Colbert County High School are learning from home after a spike in COVID cases.

One parent of a 10th grader at the high school said she was happy the district decided to have students learn from home. She thought it was too soon to send them back.

According to the COVID supervisor for Colbert County Schools - students at both Colbert County High School and Hatton Elementary School are learning remotely.

He also told us all other schools in the district are requiring masks indoors.

"I think until we all get together and all get on the same page, it's not safe to send the kids back to school just yet. We need to make sure that the kids are safe," said Jennifer Swier, parent.

The superintendent was in Montgomery on Thursday. He is going to receive an update for new guidelines from the state department of education about COVID protocols.

Students and parents of Colbert County Schools will be receiving an update with how the district is moving forward on Friday.
Friday morning, former Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely will learn his punishment, after being found guilty of two class b felonies.

Blakely has been inside the Limestone County jail for the past two weeks as he waited for his sentencing hearing. Friday, he will find out if he is to remain in that jail, move to a different county jail, or walk out on probation.

"I truly believe that the court system in the state of Alabama will work as it ought to work, and by this time tomorrow afternoon, we will have some guidance as to what will happen," says Judge Martha Lynn Sherrod.

Judge Sherrod knows what to expect of a sentencing hearing, as she's ruled on plenty herself.

"Anytime that you're called upon to rule it's a very, very serious matter," says Judge Sherrod.

To help judges determine a fair sentence, they follow sentencing guidelines.

"The law determines what sentencing guidelines are and they are used exactly as it sounds, as a guide for judges and for prosecutors to give them some idea of what sentences should go along with what crime," explains Judge Sherrod.

On top of the guidelines, prosecutors can submit their sentencing recommendations as well

"The recommendation of the prosecutor is given great weight, but not necessarily the deciding factor," explains Judge Sherrod.

State prosecutors are recommending Blakely serve 36 consecutive months in a county jail outside of Limestone County. Blakely would only serve in county jail because the sentencing guidelines show he is not eligible for state prison.

Judge Sherrod says, "often persons convicted of state crimes do not go to the state penitentiary."

Blakely won't necessarily spend any more time in jail, as he could get probation.

"It will be totally up to the judge in this case," says judge Sherrod.

However, with the longest serving sheriff in Alabama convicted of two theft and ethics violations, the judge could use him as an opportunity to get a message across.

"Do we need to send a message to elected officials that everyone can be treated the same under the law in the state of Alabama?" asks Judge Sherrod.

Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, Sue Bell Cobb, will be working for Blakely's defense team during the hearing on Friday, speaking on Blakely's behalf. Cobb used to work in the court of criminal appeals alongside Judge Pamela Baschab, the judge in Blakely's case.

Along with former Chief Justice Cobb, the defense could bring more witnesses to the stand to testify on Blakely's behalf in hopes he does not get the full sentencing the prosecution is recommending.
Saturday is going to be the first time former President Donald Trump is back in Alabama since 2017.

There's a Trump Rally going on this weekend in Cullman and it's expected to bring out thousands of people.

If you're coming to the rally, make sure you leave your pepper spray, umbrellas, and any vapes or e-cigarettes at home or in your car.

Everyone who comes to the rally on Saturday will get screened by the Secret Service and those are just some of the many items not allowed inside the venue. We have a full list below.

They are going to be passing through a TSA type security clearance checkpoint, so things that they wouldnt carry on an airplane, they dont need to bring to the event either. So, theyre very limited in what they can carry into the event," said Jeffery Warnke, a captain of the Cullman Police Department.

Cullman is going to be filled with law enforcement this weekend for the Trump Rally.

Between Secret Service and local law enforcement agencies, it's going to be a well-protected area.

We have all hands on deck for our department and we have a collaborative effort with numerous law enforcement agencies around that are assisting in this effort," Warnke said.

The Cullman Police Department has more than 60 officers working the rally. The sheriff's office is assisting in traffic, and other law enforcement agencies, like the Morgan County Sheriff's Office, will help out wherever needed.

We could expect anywhere from 20,000 to 60,000 people. We dont know, and we wont know until those folks show up," he said.

The city is getting ready for tens of thousands of visitors for the second straight weekend. So, Warnke asks everyone to be patient when driving like they were for Rock the South.

Rock the South brought in about 50,000 people from all over, and the Trump Rally is expected to do the same.

WAAY 31 spoke with a few of Trump's Front Row Joe's. One of whom is visiting from Wisconsin, and another from Florida. They told us we can expect people to come from almost every state.

"This is going to be a huge rally," said Mike Boatman.

Boatman is part of Trump's Front Row Joe's. He traveled down to Cullman from Indiana on Sunday, and he's been camping out since.

Trump hasn't been in Alabama since 2017. So, Boatman said he expects thousands of people to come out.

Alabama is Trump country and its going to be huge. I cant wait," he exclaimed.

One of the owners of the Valley Tavern and Grille, Corey Sandlin, said the crowds were noticeable on Wednesday.

I mean it, definitely a lot of extra people here. I mean, just going through town, you can tell, I mean, its a big deal," said Sandlin.

They received a lot of business from people visiting for Rock the South and they anticipate the same for the Trump Rally.

Hopefully there will be some people from out of town coming in. We expect to get some of that traffic also," he said.

Local and state officials told WAAY 31 that about 40,000 people are expected to come to the rally.
Rome city buses go in smoke in dawn blaze.

A police investigation is underway after three buses owned by Rome municipal transport company ATAC were destroyed in a blaze at a bus depot in the north of the city.

The fire broke out at the Grotta Rossa facility at around 04.30, just before dawn on Friday 20 August, reports La Repubblica newspaper.

There was nobody injured in the blaze which was put out by fire fighters but not before three buses were completely gutted. It is not known how the fire began.

It is not the first time that such an incident has occurred at a bus depot in Rome, with seven buses going up in smoke last summer at the Magliana depot.

Buses in Rome are also known to catch fire while in service, a phenomenon known by Romans as 'Flambus', with poor maintenance and ageing vehicles cited among the factors.
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Cochlear boss Dig Howitt has backed the new COVID-19 safety requirements for authorised workers in New South Wales but says lifting vaccination rates across the country is the only way back to loosening restrictions.

Mr Howitt told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that new rules announced on Friday, including requirements on authorised workers to take rapid antigen tests if working outside their local government area, were sensible.

Cochlear CEO Dig Howitt: Rescheduled surgeries from COVID-19 shutdowns had helped drive the companys growth. Credit:Louie Douvis

We support those changes - I think that is important. The overriding issue here is safety, safety in the workplace, safety of the community, he said.

While hailing the use of rapid antigen tests as an important step, Mr Howitt said it was no substitute for vaccination. It was critical that the science and evidence that supports the effectiveness of vaccinations is clearly available for people, he said.
However, the evidence has been far from straightforward as curfews have been adopted across south-east Asia, South America, the Middle East, Europe and individual US states. In some countries they appear to have no effect, driving a rift between international experts asked to comment on Australias situation. They all agree the problem in determining how effective curfews are is they usually form part of a bundle of restrictions, making it difficult to disentangle how effective each individual measure is. Dr Donald Vinh from the McGill University Health Centre said curfews were an important measure that had clearly contributed to a reduction in cases in the Canadian province of Quebec. He said curfews could curb nighttime social activities that tend to be more close or intimate between different households and reinforced the need to remain vigilant in the public psyche.

There are no randomised controlled trials of curfew versus no curfew because pandemics do not occur sufficiently frequently enough, thank goodness, Dr Vinh said. He added that scientists instead had to rely on observational data where curfews had been used. There was a prime opportunity to collect data over Christmas, when Canadas two largest provinces were locked down. Quebec implemented a nighttime curfew and Ontario did not. Loading The curfew was associated with an immediate, steep reduction in nighttime mobility according to the research team from the University of Toronto and Public Health Ontario.

Nighttime mobility plunged 31 per cent more in Quebec than in Ontario, according to the preprint published in April. Mobility has been strongly tied to growth in case numbers. Curfews were ranked as one of the most effective government interventions in a study published in the journal of Nature Human Behaviour. One of the authors, Professor Peter Klimek from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, said the study found curfews reduced the case reproduction number by about 10 per cent on average. The likely explanation was curfews reduced social contact in high risk settings, such as private gatherings in closed rooms, he said.

However, Professor Klimek cautioned their effectiveness would depend strongly on enforcement and said evidence suggests more stringent measures tend to lose their effectiveness over time. If people in Australia are already exhausted and under mounting psycho-social pressure due to the containment measures in place, the effectiveness of an additional highly intrusive measure like a curfew can be expected to decrease, he said. A recent study on the German city of Hesse found no statistical evidence that night curfews were effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19. One of the authors of the preprint, Professor George Gotz from Justus Liebig University, said the research team compared regions with almost identical restrictions, aside from the curfews. In terms of night curfews I would take from our research and other papers that the effect seems limited at best, he said.

He said a French study in Toulouse had shown a curfew might have even increased infections because it led to additional congestion on public transport. He said there was also the risk people could sidestep the curfew by staying at friends houses overnight. I would guess, and thats perhaps a wild guess, that if the Australian problem is non-compliance with social distancing rules, it is perhaps not the best solution to have rather restrictive measures in place which can be circumvented rather easily and then might even deteriorate the problem. Loading Professor Colin Furness, from the University of Toronto, said the evidence on curfews was complex but believed they could work under certain conditions.

They needed a predetermined end date, to be fair in terms of enforcement and reasonable in the public eye, he said. I had suggested a curfew in Ontario for the week between Christmas and New Years, where there was clearly a ton of illicit household visits, he said. My suggestion was ignored, and we had a very sudden spike in cases about two weeks later. Professor Furness said it would be more effective to target essential workers and their workplaces with aggressive testing, than to lock down populations. In response to questions about its position on curfews, a spokeswoman for NSW Health said they were a decision for cabinet.
The question really is, do we spiral out of control or dont we, Mr Andrews said on Friday. All of us must answer that question in the way we behave and the choices we make this weekend. On Friday, ahead of a national cabinet meeting and confirmation of the 17 Shepparton cases, Mr Andrews said he would not rule out locking down regional Victoria. I cannot stress enough how close to the edge we are. If we dont all make good choices this weekend, then Im not going to be reporting 50-something cases next week, we will be reporting a lot more than that, and then it will be away from us. And thats not good for anybody.

The 17 positive test results in Shepparton, which will be included in Saturdays numbers, come after health authorities warned of repeated wastewater detections in recent days and urged residents of the town two hours north of Melbourne to get tested. Regional Victoria has not been under the same lockdown restrictions as Melbourne since August 10. Hospitality venues are open with capacity limits, retail stores are trading and outdoor gatherings of up to 10 are allowed, but home visits remain banned. A Melbourne police officer was among Fridays 55 new local cases recorded in Victoria overnight, 49 of which have been linked to current outbreaks. Health authorities are investigating the source of the remaining six cases. A breakdown of Victorias new COVID-19 cases Victoria recorded 55 new local cases on Friday. Here is a breakdown of the cases: 14 linked to Al-Taqwa College, all tested positive on day 13 of isolation

Three cases linked to Glenroy West Primary School

Four cases linked to Newport Football Club - three are household contacts within one household, plus one other

Two cases linked to Elite Gym in Spotswood area

Four cases linked to Central Park Pizza in Malvern East

Six cases linked to two emerging clusters in St Kilda

One case linked to a residential tower at 510 Lygon Street, Carlton - a primary close contact

Two cases are household contacts of a previously announced Altona North case

One case has been linked to a Doncaster East case

13 cases linked to Multi-Cultural Youth Centre in Broadmeadows

One case is a domestic cabin crew member who lives in Tullamarine and has travelled to Newcastle, South Australia, and Queensland during their acquisition period

One case in Pakenham

One case in Point Cook

One case in Port Melbourne

One case in Brunswick The 17 positive Shepparton cases were not included in todays official numbers. Source: Victorian COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar update, Friday, August 20, 2021

Fridays cases were detected from more than 48,270 COVID-19 tests, and only 25 were in isolation for their entire infectious period. Two cases of COVID-19 were recorded in hotel quarantine. Childcare centre, public housing tower added to states exposure site list The figures came as health authorities listed a childcare centre in Melbournes north as a COVID-19 exposure site on Friday. MyCentre Child Care at Broadmeadows was declared a tier-1 site over three days, meaning anyone who attended it during the specified timeframes has to immediately get tested for COVID-19, and quarantine for 14 days regardless of the test result. Tullamarine Animal Hospital was also listed as a tier-1 site. The Frankston Community Vaccination Hub at Bayside Centre did not appear on the official exposure sites list on Friday, but public health provider Peninsula Health earlier confirmed a person visited there to receive a COVID-19 vaccination on Monday, and later tested positive for the virus.

Victorian health authorities have identified several new exposure sites after COVID testing returned a record number of cases for this outbreak on Thursday. Credit:Wayne Taylor While they had no symptoms while at the vaccination hub, they subsequently developed symptoms and tested positive to the virus [on Thursday], Peninsula Health said in a statement. Due to the positive case attending the venue earlier this week, the Frankston Community Vaccination Hub has been deemed a [tier-2] exposure site. The clinic was declared a tier-2 site on Monday between 11.30am and 12.45pm, meaning anyone who attended it during that timeframe has to get tested for COVID-19, and isolate until they receive a negative test result. Loading

The Frankston Community Vaccination Hub remains open and is safe for you to visit if you have a booking for your COVID-19 vaccination, Peninsula Health said. The Health Department also declared a new tier-2 exposure site on Thursday at a public housing tower in Collingwood after consistent wastewater detections. The principal of the Darul Ulum College of Victoria, Abdurrahman Gokler, flagged on Thursday that a junior primary school student had tested positive for coronavirus. The student attended the school on Tuesday. The school was closed to all students from Friday until further notice, and Mr Gokler said the closure would allow for it to be deep cleaned, and for the Department of Health to work through a contact and containment strategy. More than 28,600 Victorians received their COVID-19 vaccine doses in the 24 hours to midnight on Thursday.

Mr Andrews said he wouldnt bank on the Pfizer vaccine being available to people between 16 and 39 in the next fortnight. What Im saying is there has been an announcement about eligibility, he said. [But] you cant make a booking for this stuff, I havent seen it. COVID-19 cases detected in Shepparton Matt Sharp, the chief executive of Goulburn Valley Health, confirmed in a social media post the first Shepparton case was currently at home and isolating. Contact tracing is under way and will continue as a primary focus of GV Healths Local Public Health Unit, he wrote.

Health authorities said the first case was a man in his 30s and a parent of children at St Mels Primary School in Shepparton, which has been closed for deep cleaning. Victorian authorities to look closely at childcare centres Health authorities will be looking at COVID-19 testing results from childcare centres to determine if any additional measures need to be introduced, Mr Weimar said. At this stage, all options are on the table, he said. Weve always wanted to get the right balance between restrictions that are in place, but weve been concerned about transmission between children all the way through this particular outbreak.

Weve been concerned about transition between children all the way through this particular outbreak. Jeroen Weimar Twenty-six per cent of everybody who is [an] active [case] is under the age of nine. I mean, this is how this is impacting our very youngest Victorians, so we are concerned. We will obviously look at the results over the course of today and tomorrow to see what other measures we might need to take. Mr Weimar said authorities had seen transmission from teachers to children, from children to adults, and between students and children playing outside during the current COVID outbreak. All those scenarios have eventuated in this outbreak, he said.
BHP has sacked 48 employees in the past two years over sexual harassment complaints at its fly-in, fly-out camps as the regulator slammed WAs mining industry for its ad-hoc reporting of assaults.

In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into sexual harassment against women in the FIFO workforce, the mining giant  which employs 13,500 people in WA  revealed between July 2019 and June 2021, five employees had alleged they had been raped and 13 indecently assaulted.

BHP has committed $300 million to improving safety at its sites since 2019. Credit:WAtoday/Supplied

The serious complaints were among 73 recorded incidents of sexual harassment made to the companys confidential reporting arm, EthicsPoint, over the same period.

This includes inappropriate comments of a sexual nature, unwelcome comments about looks or dress, inappropriate jokes, wolf whistles, unwelcome touching, requests for massage, sending inappropriate text messages or images, staring or leering, or persistent requests for personal information or dates or other unwanted advances, BHP wrote in its submission, made public on Thursday.
The homes of six West Australian climate activists have been raided by police amid allegations they graffitied a Perth CBD bridge with chalk paint during a protest against oil and gas giant Woodside.

Officers from the state security investigation group, whose duties include counter-terrorism, searched the homes for several hours before arresting the protesters on Thursday morning.

The slogans were painted on August 5.

The activists were charged with property damage and told to pay $2000 in reparations each.

They were later released on bail under the condition they did not go within 200 metres of Woodsides headquarters in the CBD or associate with one another, but some members charged are related.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Afghanistans president, driven out by the Taliban, is the latest leader on the run to turn up in the United Arab Emirates. Others who found refuge here include Spains disgraced former king and two Thai prime ministers.

In nearby Qatar, meanwhile, the Talibans political leaders have been given refuge for years.

Qatar and the UAE have much in common, despite their sharp political differences. The two Gulf Arab states have close security partnerships with the United States and both have taken in political fugitives and exiled leaders on the run.

Fled to UAE: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Credit:AP

The skylines of Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai offer an array of stunning high-rise towers and opulent five-star hotels. Man-made coastlines provide reclusive, palatial waterfront properties  plenty of options for political exiles looking for privacy and a place to park their money.
Shawn T. Moore / U.S. Department of Labor

DANBURY  A local bakery owner has been prohibited from retaliating against employees who are cooperating with a U.S. Department of Labor investigation after the agency said he threatened to fire them and notify immigration authorities.

In a statement released Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor began investigating the Padaminas NY Bakery II LLC, and its owner Pedro Coelho, for potential violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act in March.
NWS Weather Alert NOTE: This information is provided by the National Weather Service. Forecast may differ from local information provided by our own 69News Meteorologists

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING... The Flash Flood Watch is now in effect for * Portions of New Jersey...and Pennsylvania...including the following areas...in New Jersey...Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren. In Pennsylvania...Berks, Carbon, Delaware, Eastern Chester, Eastern Montgomery, Lehigh, Lower Bucks, Monroe, Northampton, Philadelphia, Upper Bucks, Western Chester, and Western Montgomery. * From 8 AM EDT this morning through Thursday morning. * The remnants of Hurricane Ida will pass through the region today and tonight. Periods of heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms associated with this low will result in widespread rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches, with locally higher amounts possible. Much of this rainfall may occur in a short period of time, exacerbating the flooding threat. Combined with wet antecedent conditions, this will lead to numerous instances of flash flooding, some of which may be significant. * Flooding of creeks, streams, urban areas, and poor drainage areas is likely in the areas of heaviest rain. Water is likely to cover the roads, especially in low-lying areas. Moderate to major flooding is possible along some main stem rivers, and roads and structures near these rivers may be flooded. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. &&
Aidan McArdle has joined the cast of Leopoldstadt for its West End return  but between appearances in the mammoth Tom Stoppard epic, had a chance to answer some of our questions!









What had you heard about the show  had you seen it before the lockdown and what was it that made you know you had to join the cast?

I was performing in a play in Dublin when Leopoldstadt first opened and I hadn't had a chance to see the show. I had heard that the production was superb but the chance of working with both Tom Stoppard and Patrick Marber was unturndownable (is that a word?)!





Dorothea Myer-Bennett (Eva), Faye Castelow (Gretl), Aidan McArdle (Herrmann)

 Marc Brenner





Performances have just started! What was it like being in a full house with such a large team on stage as well?

It was very reassuring knowing that I was part of a mini tribe that were all going through the same levels of first night terror. It's a wonderful feeling to be back in front of a full house. Privilege is an overused word but if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is not to take anything for granted so I'm determined to enjoy every performance we get to do.





How do you think the piece's pertinence has grown since it first premiered?

Unfortunately we have seen an erosion of liberal democracy and the growth of populist movements both here in Europe and across the Atlantic. Throw in the uncertainty of a pandemic, the anxiety we feel about climate change, burgeoning wealth inequality, a corrupted news environment and the supposed certainty a strong man' government offers is becoming more attractive to many more people than we could have ever imagined just ten years ago.





Felicity Davidson (Hilde), Caroline Gruber (Grandma Emilia), Sebastian Armesto (Ludwig)

 Marc Brenner





How do you think the pandemic has altered your approach to performance in general?

Previously, I was in a show that like Leopoldstadt, got cancelled overnight when the pandemic hit. So I have learned not to take anything for granted and enjoy the ride while it lasts.





What does a Stoppard text offer you as an actor compared to other work you've done?

Stoppardian text is actually sort of Shakespearean. There is a luxuriant quality to the language. He has brilliantly intricate and dense speeches that are fun to navigate through. The language serves more than one purpose. It conveys the meaning in the argument but also is a pleasure to speak and (hopefully) to listen to.




The line-up for this year's West End Live has been revealed.

Presented over two days, the event sees stars from major shows come to the West End to perform numbers and tunes live in front of outdoor audiences.

Disrupted by the pandemic in 2020, this year, the event will take place on 18 and 19 September 2021. The shows will be BSL interpreted by Sue MacLaine and Marco Nardi.

New shows that haven't appeared at West End Live before include Frozen, Back to the Future, Dear Evan Hansen, Cinderella, The Prince of Egypt, The Book of Mormon, Pretty Woman and Hamilton.

Julian Bird, chief executive of SOLT, said: "It is fantastic to be able to bring West End LIVE back this year. I can't think of a better way to fully welcome back our beloved productions and celebrate the incredible talent, resilience and creativity on our stages, and to put on an unforgettable show for the countless theatre lovers who have supported our industry so passionately in its time of need."

Appearing across the two days will be:

& Juliet

Amelie The Musical

Back To The Future The Musical

The Book Of Mormon

The Choir Of Man

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella

Come From Away

Dear Evan Hansen

Doctor Who: Time Fracture

Dreamgirls UK Tour

English National Opera

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World

Disney's Frozen

Grease UK Tour

The Great Gatsby

Hamilton

Heathers The Musical

Jersey Boys

Les Miserables

Disney's The Lion King

Magic Goes Wrong

Magic Mike Live

Mamma Mia!

Mary Poppins

Matilda The Musical

The Phantom Of The Opera

Pretty Woman: The Musical

The Prince Of Egypt

Rock of Ages UK Tour

Six

The Last Five Years

Tina - The Tina Turner Musical
Danny Robins' hit podcast The Battersea Poltergeist will be presented live on tour this autumn.

Led by the BBC podcast's creator, writer and journalist, the show will discuss what has been classed as "Britain's strangest ever haunting", and audiences will be able to discuss the supernatural event in a live Q&A with both Robins and his team of experts.

The evening will also see the production share exclusive footage from the case, as well as providing new evidence not mentioned in the original podcast.

The tour will open on 25 October in Salford, before visiting Guildford, Basingstoke, London, Ipswich, York, Poole, Cheltenham and Brighton.

Robins' 2.22  A Ghost Story is currently wowing audiences in the West End.
TULUM, Mexico (AP)  Hurricane Grace rapidly strengthened into a major Category 3 storm Friday night as it bore down on a second landfall in Mexico, this time taking aim at the Gulf coast after crashing through the country's main tourist strip.

Palm trees are buffeted by the winds of Hurricane Grace in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. The Category 1 storm made landfall at 4:45 a.m., just south of the ancient Mayan temples of Tulum, pelting the Caribbean coast with heavy rain and pushing a dangerous storm surge. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

TULUM, Mexico (AP)  Hurricane Grace rapidly strengthened into a major Category 3 storm Friday night as it bore down on a second landfall in Mexico, this time taking aim at the Gulf coast after crashing through the country's main tourist strip.

The storm had lost punch as it zipped across the Yucatan Peninsula, but it emerged late Thursday over the relatively warm Gulf of Mexico and began gaining energy.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Grace had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) late Friday. It was centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Tuxpan and heading west at 10 mph (17 kph).

The storm headed toward a coastal region of small fishing towns and beach resorts in the state of Veracruz, then was forecast to move over a mountain range toward the heart of the country and the greater Mexico City region.

The National Meteorological Service of Mexico predicted Grace would make landfall late Friday or early Saturday between the Veracruz state towns of Tecolutla and Nautla.

A member of the National Guard walks by a school being used as a temporary shelter after Hurricane Grace blew past Tulum, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. The Category 1 storm made landfall at 4:45 a.m., just south of the ancient Mayan temples of Tulum, pelting the Caribbean coast with heavy rain and pushing a dangerous storm surge. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

By afternoon, Grace was causing strong winds, high waves and rain in the Veracruz communities of Tuxpan, Poza Rica, Xalapa and Veracruz city as well as in coastal towns in the states of Tabasco and Tamaulipas, the agency said.

Some fishermen pulled their boats out of the water and carried them inside harbors to prevent damage, while merchants boarded up the windows of their businesses.

Forecasters said it could drop 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain, with more in a few isolated areas  bringing the threat of flash floods, mudslide and urban flooding.

A family stays at a school used as a shelter after Hurricane Grace blew past Tulum, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. The Category 1 storm made landfall at 4:45 a.m., just south of the ancient Mayan temples of Tulum, pelting the Caribbean coast with heavy rain and pushing a dangerous storm surge. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Authorities expect the central states and the Mexican capital to receive the impact as a tropical storm, with strong gusts and intermittent rains during the weekend.

The Mexican government urged people to remain on alert.

Heriberto Montes Ortiz, the head of the General Technical Sub-Directorate of Mexico's National Water Commission, said Grace could cause rivers and streams to swell as well as flooding in low-lying areas, landslides and damage to roads and highways.

A fisherman talks on his phone in the Veracruz state of Mexico, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. Residents began making preparations for the arrival of Tropical Storm Grace. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

The agency was monitoring rivers, dams and communities expected to see heavy rain, particularly in the states of Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala.

The hurricane hit early Thursday near Tulum, a resort town famed for its Mayan ruins. Some families passed harrowing hours sheltering from cracking trees and flying debris.

As the storm approached, Carlos Gonzalez grabbed his 1 1/2-year-old son and ran from his home with his wife to a school-turned-shelter, using his cellphone light to find his way through darkened streets.

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An employee takes down an installation on the shoreline in Boca del Rio, Mexico, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. Residents began making preparations for the arrival of Tropical Storm Grace. (AP Photo/iFelix Marquez)

The only thing I have left is what I'm wearing, the 35-year-old construction worker said. I knew my house wasn't going to stand it because it's made of cardboard. When the wind came I was really scared and decided to leave.

There were no reports of deaths, but many streets were blocked by fallen limbs and trees that pulled down power lines, leaving thousands in the dark Thursday.

Most businesses remained closed, but the few that opened saw long lines of people waiting to buy tortillas and other food.

Quintana Roo Gov. Carlos Joaquin said the storm had knocked out power to some 84,000 customers in Cancun and 65,000 in Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Puerto Aventura and Tulum. But he said there were no reported deaths.

__

Associated Press journalist Dan Christian Rojas in Cancun contributed to this report.
FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's back-to-school plan ends classroom bubbles for kindergarten to Grade 8 and requires all school and district staff to be vaccinated or subject to regular testing, Education Minister Dominic Cardy said Friday.

New Brunswick Education Minister Dominic Cardy releases the provinces back-to-school plan on Friday, Aug. 20, in Fredericton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kevin Bissett

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's back-to-school plan ends classroom bubbles for kindergarten to Grade 8 and requires all school and district staff to be vaccinated or subject to regular testing, Education Minister Dominic Cardy said Friday.

Vaccination for students 12 and older is strongly encouraged, he added.

"New variants come from people who are not vaccinated," Cardy told reporters. "The more people who choose not to get vaccinated runs the risk of ever more infection, ever more lethal, ever more dangerous variants that can further destabilize and uproot our lives, our communities and bring heartbreak, pain and suffering to all of us. Please get your shots."

Students in kindergarten to Grade 8 will wear masks in indoor common areas and all students will wear masks on school buses. Classrooms are not considered common areas. And unlike last year, children will not be confined to small class sizes or grouped into classroom bubbles.

High school students will return to school full time and will need to be masked during assemblies and in common areas of school buildings until 90 per cent of students in their health zones are vaccinated.

The plan also includes a vaccine mandate for teachers and school staff. "As employees of the provincial government, school and district staff will be required to be vaccinated or undergo regular testing," according to the province's written guidelines. Cardy did not gives details about where and how frequently teachers and staff will be tested.

The minister said schools will stay closed to community groups and others who had used the buildings during off-hours. "The schools will not be open to non-student-related groups," he said. "At high schools, once the 12-19 age group reaches a 90 per cent vaccination level, we will look at removing that restriction."

Buildings will be subject to frequent cleaning and fans will not be allowed in classrooms. If the outdoor temperature or humidex value is 36 C or above, students will learn from home.

Cardy said if one COVID-19 case is identified in a school, students will switch to remote learning and the building will be closed for at least one day to allow for contact tracing and a risk assessment. He called the one-day pause an "effective and appropriate measure."

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New Brunswick schools, Cardy said, did remarkably well during the last school year, with the loss of just 28 days of learning.

Deputy chief officer of health Dr. Cristin Muecke told reporters schools "did not drive any of the outbreaks that occurred."

"For the most part, the infections of students occurred outside of school in gatherings of family and friends and so on, rather than the classroom."

The province's back-to-school plan came slightly over two weeks ahead of the start of the new school year. Cardy apologized for the anxiety among staff and students as they waited for the report, but he said it was important to gather the latest science and get the report right.

He said the New Brunswick Teachers' Association and other unions were consulted. No one from the teachers association was available for comment Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2021.
The federal election campaign finished off its first week with two leaders planning events while Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has no scheduled public appearances Saturday

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet arrives to speak at a campaign event outside the Gatineau Hospital in Gatineau, Que., on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

The federal election campaign finished off its first week with two leaders planning events while Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has no scheduled public appearances Saturday

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole is expected to make an announcement in Edmonton Saturday while his New Democrat counterpart Jagmeet Singh will be doing the same in Toronto.

Singh set the tone on Friday by making the campaign's first stop at a First Nation. Singh visited the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan, where leaders recently announced preliminary findings of 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school.

Singh's emotional response at the site forced the other two leaders to defend their own parties' record on Indigenous issues.

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Both Trudeau and O'Toole had been making their own announcements -- Trudeau with a promise for 10 sick days for federally regulated employees and O'Toole with a plan to encourage employers to rehire workers idled by the pandemic.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh chats with health care workers in Edmonton, on Thursday, August 19, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Trudeau met with three Manitoba chiefs on Friday after his government last week committed $321 million in new funding for programs to help Indigenous communities search burial sites at former residential schools and support survivors.

Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said it was a "good gesture," but more resources would be needed to address the problem.

Dumas said in an interview that he had a good, but brief, conversation with Trudeau about the First Nations-led response to COVID-19 in Manitoba and the continued work needed on water and housing issues on reserves.

The chiefs received an informal invite from the Liberals, but a spokesperson for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said they did not receive one from the Conservatives. Dumas said he received a letter from O'Toole when he first became leader of the party, but there's been no further dialogue.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2021.
TORONTO - Canadian companies in federally regulated industries are starting to announce mandatory vaccination policies, in a bid to protect staff and abide by a recent government request.

Royal Bank of Canada will require employees to be fully vaccinated to work on the bank's premises. A Royal Bank of Canada sign is shown in Toronto's financial district in this Feb. 26, 2009 photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

TORONTO - Canadian companies in federally regulated industries are starting to announce mandatory vaccination policies, in a bid to protect staff and abide by a recent government request.

The country's largest banks said this week that they will require employees working in their offices to be fully vaccinated.

Their policies come a week after Ottawa asked federally regulated industries, including banks, telecoms and airlines, to start implementing mandates requiring workers to get vaccinated because COVID-19 cases in Canada are climbing again and vaccinations have slowed from their pace earlier this year.

TD said Friday its policy will ask staff to register their vaccination status with the bank by Sept. 30 and require full vaccination for all workers entering offices on or after Nov. 1.

Those who are not fully vaccinated or do not disclose their vaccination status must complete a learning module about the benefits of vaccination, submit to mandatory COVID-19 rapid testing and wear a mask whenever they are in TD offices.

"This is the right thing to do to protect the health and safety of everyone who is working in TD locations, and we are encouraged that many other organizations have taken similar measures," Kenn Lalonde, TD's senior executive vice-president and chief human resources officer, said in a Friday memo announcing the policy.

RBC sent a similar memo Thursday, asking employees to confirm their vaccination status, beginning in Canada and the United States, followed by other regions where applicable.

Those working for the bank who are able to be vaccinated will be required to do so by Oct. 31, RBC said in the note to staff.

RBC chief executive Dave McKay said in a LinkedIn post Friday that nothing is more important than the health and well-being of RBC's clients, colleagues and communities.

"We believe vaccines are the best way to keep our workplaces safe and help our communities reduce the spread of COVID-19 variants such as Delta," McKay said.

CIBC set an Oct. 31 deadline for its Canadian and U.S. employees to be vaccinated and told staff "if you havent yet been vaccinated and are able, now is the time."

"We know this raises a number of questions based on your personal circumstances," said Sandy Sharman, the bank's senior executive vice-president and group head of people culture and brand.

"While we dont have all the answers today, we are working out the details now and will share more information with you as quickly as we can."

BMO, which will also use an Oct. 31 deadline, said its policy will apply to all North American employees and contractors eligible for vaccination.

Those who remain unvaccinated after that date will be required to complete twice-a-week COVID-19 testing and comply with alternative health and safety measures to enter a BMO location. The bank did not specify what the alternative measures would entail.

Scotiabank told staff Friday that it is moving in the direction of making vaccinations mandatory for all Canadian-based employees and contractors later in the fall.

Employees were told they will soon receive a link to a mandatory and confidential survey asking them to provide their vaccination status. The survey will allow employees to decline disclosing their vaccination status, but the bank did not say how it will handle staff that refuse to disclose their status or be vaccinated.

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The mandates at the banks follow Sun Life Financial Inc., Shopify Inc., the City of Toronto, the Toronto Transit Commission and several universities and health care facilities throughout Canada, which requested staff be vaccinated over the last two weeks.

A poll released Thursday showed a majority of Canadians support a system that would require proof of vaccination to access some non-essential services.

Seventy-six per cent of respondents in the survey conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies said they would strongly or somewhat support a vaccine passport like the one Quebec is implementing.

Quebec's passport will apply in places such as bars, concerts and festivals where there are many people in a confined space.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TD, TSX:RY, TSX:BMO, TSX:CM, TSX:SLF, TSX: SHOP)
DENVER (AP)  Anxiety in the United States over COVID-19 is at its highest level since winter, a new poll shows, as the delta variant rages, more states and school districts adopt mask and vaccination requirements and the nations hospitals once again fill to capacity.

People in favor of and against a mask mandate for Cobb County schools gather and protest ahead of the school board meeting Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, in Marietta, Ga. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

DENVER (AP)  Anxiety in the United States over COVID-19 is at its highest level since winter, a new poll shows, as the delta variant rages, more states and school districts adopt mask and vaccination requirements and the nations hospitals once again fill to capacity.

The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also finds that majorities of American adults want vaccination mandates for those attending movies, sports, concerts and other crowded events; those traveling by airplane; and workers in hospitals, restaurants, stores and government offices.

The poll shows that 41% are extremely or very worried about themselves or their family becoming infected with the virus. That is up from 21% in June, and about the same as in January, during the country's last major surge, when 43% were extremely or very worried.

I wouldnt have said this a couple of years ago, but Im not as confident as I was in Americas ability to take care of itself, said David Bowers, a 42-year-old business analyst in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria.

Bowers, a Democrat, and his wife, a public school teacher, got vaccinated early. But they fret once again about their daughters, ages 7 and 9, attending school in a state whose Republican governor, Doug Ducey, signed a law to block school districts from mandating masks, let alone vaccines.

A brief summer respite from COVID-19 fatigue included a family trip to New York. COVID was pretty much out of mind," Bowers said. "Now it feels like were going backward.

Close to 6 in 10 Americans say they favor requiring people to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel on an airplane or attend crowded public events. Only about a quarter of Americans oppose such measures.

People in favor of and against a mask mandate for Cobb County schools gather and protest ahead of the school board meeting Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, in Marietta, Ga. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Roughly 6 in 10 also support vaccine mandates for hospital or other health care workers, along with government employees, members of the military and workers who interact with the public, such as in restaurants and stores. Support is slightly lower for requiring vaccinations to go out to a bar or restaurant, though more are in favor than opposed, 51% to 28%.

Nearly 200 million people, or just over 60% of the U.S. population, had received at least one vaccine dose as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just over half of the population was fully vaccinated.

Hospitals across the U.S. had more than 75,000 coronavirus patients as of last week, a dramatic increase from a few weeks ago but still well below the winter surge records. Florida, Arkansas, Oregon, Hawaii, Louisiana and Mississippi have set records for COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks, and the surge in the delta variant, combined with low vaccination rates, has produced a scramble to find beds for patients.

The poll suggests that despite increasing cases and greater concern about the virus, Americans have not stepped up their own precautionary behavior since June, though at least half still say they always or often wear a mask around other people, stay away from large groups and avoid nonessential travel.

Confidence in vaccines to withstand virus variants has not waned, either, as U.S. health officials this week announced plans to dispense booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection. The doses could begin next month.

Carla Jones, 37, of Lafayette, Louisiana, is a paraplegic with immunity problems and uses a wheelchair after she was severely injured in a car accident. Because of her health, she has been told by her doctor she cannot get the vaccine. She gets anxious visiting the doctor or when her grandchildren visit.

I see someone next to me at the doctors without a mask, it makes my heart rapidly beat faster, Jones said.

Jones, a Democrat, strongly favors vaccination and mask mandates, and not just for herself. For the good of all, she said. "I dont have the shot, but I definitely wouldnt want to pass it on to anyone else.

The poll shows that 55% support requiring Americans to wear masks around other people outside their homes, while 62% support mask mandates specifically for workers who interact with the public, such as at restaurants and stores. Eighty-five percent of Democrats and 39% of Republicans are in favor of mask mandates for public-facing workers.

Robbie Allen, a 63-year-old retiree from Clifton, Texas, is fully vaccinated and will wear a mask when required by stores or other places. But the self-described independent who leans Republican insists it is a matter of personal choice, and he sees mandates as taking the joy out of life.

The COVID is not going away very quickly, but I dont think people should live in fear," said Allen, who motorcycled with his girlfriend to this month's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which attracted hundreds of thousands to the South Dakota city. People are going to die, but if we all hunker down, life gets miserable."

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Partisan gaps are also wide on vaccination requirements. In Arizona, Bowers has already taken time off work to pick up his daughter from school after she developed a high fever. They spent hours last week looking for a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site that wasnt overcrowded. She tested negative. But the worries persist.

My thinking is, the people who dont want mandates are the people who need to be regulated, Bowers said. "Theres a slim majority in this country making the right decisions. If it wasnt for a slim majority as a country, wed be in trouble.

-

Fingerhut reported from Washington.

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The AP-NORC poll of 1,729 adults was conducted Aug. 12-16 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
As New Englanders scramble to prepare for what could be their first hurricane in three decades, many cant help but think of the last one  Bob, which made landfall as a devastating Category 2 storm.

FILE In this Sept. 25, 1991, file photo, New England regional FEMA chief Ed Thomas, right, talks with Frank and Mary Mahady, of Mattapoisett, Mass., whose home, seen intact in far background, survived Hurricane Bob because it was built to be hurricane-resistant while touring damage caused by the storm. New Englanders, bracing for their first direct hit by a hurricane in 30 years, are taking precautions as Tropical Storm Henri barrels toward the southern New England coast. (AP Photo/Stephen Rose, File)

As New Englanders scramble to prepare for what could be their first hurricane in three decades, many cant help but think of the last one  Bob, which made landfall as a devastating Category 2 storm.

Thursday marked exactly 30 years since Bob stormed ashore, killing at least 17 people and leaving behind more than $1.5 billion worth of damage. It left streets in coastal towns littered with boats blown free of their moorings and cut electricity and water to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses for days.

The Associated Press covered the devastation. Thirty years later, the AP is making a version of its story from Aug. 19, 1991, available with photos.

___

Hurricane Bob Howls Into New England After Lashing Long Island, East Coast

Undated (AP)  Hurricane Bob howled into New England today after hammering Long Island and brushing the central East Coast with gusts up to 138 mph, and highways were snarled as vacationers and residents fled low-lying areas.

High wind cut electrical service to thousands and many state government offices shut down.

Earlier, the storm lashed North Carolinas Outer Banks and other coastal sections with wind and heavy rain but did relatively little damage.

It was the first hurricane to strike into New England in six years.

At 3 p.m. EDT the center of the storm had crossed eastern Rhode Island and was centered at latitude 41.9 degrees north and longitude 71.1 west, or about 30 miles south of Boston. The storm had reached a sustained wind speed of 115 mph with gusts to 138 mph around its center.

Earlier, the hurricanes calm eye passed over Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. The wind there reached at least 105 mph, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Cadima. The islands wind gauge blew out at 105, so it could have been higher, he said.

Some 2,000 to 2,500 people sought shelter in the Block Island school, a medical center and a sewage plant, said police and fire dispatcher Betty Gann.

As the eye passed over, she described the scene as absolutely dead; its almost frightening.

Rhode Island and Massachusetts declared states of emergency, and a special storm barrier was lowered in Narragansett Bay to protect Providence, R.I. Most state workers in Maine and Massachusetts were told to go home early, and the Connecticut Legislature canceled a session.

Providence city officials said the hurricanes storm surge rose to 8.5 feet at 3 p.m. at the storm barrier, which is designed to protect up to 20 feet.

Nuclear power plants in the region were taken off line as a precaution.

Todays high tide of 8.9 feet at 7:43 p.m. in Portland, Maine, was expected to coincide with the arrival of the storm, which was expected to produce a storm surge of 5 feet to 8 feet.

The prospect of a surge, a wall of water that precedes a storm, also raised fears around Rhode Islands Narragansett and Buzzards bays, the weather service said. A bay can magnify a surge as the water rushes into a narrower and narrower space.

Hurricanes in 1938 and 1954 pushed storm surges into downtown Providence at the head of Narragansett Bay, killed hundreds and did millions of dollars in damage. A hurricane barrier built since then was lowered today.

In eastern Long Island, some 300,000 residents were without power as a result of downed lines, said the Long Island Lighting Co. The eye of the storm had passed just east of the island. In Connecticut, Northeast Utilities reported that more than 100,000 customers had lost power by late morning, and about the same number lost service in Rhode Island.

Submarines left the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Conn., and headed out to sea to submerge and ride out the storm safely away from piers. Airlines reported delays and the Trump Shuttle, serving Washington, New York and Boston, shut down until 2 p.m.

As the storm approached eastern Long Island, bumper-to-bumper traffic snaked westward in sheeting rain through Easthampton and water pooled up to a foot and a half deep in low spots. A downed power line blocked the main link to Montauk.

Though many residents were reluctant to leave their homes, they realize the situation is deteriorating rapidly and there they are cooperative, said Sgt. Howard Lewis of the Southampton Village police.

Ferry service across Long Island Sound between Long Island and Connecticut was shut down. Off the Rhode Island coast, Block Island residents and vacationers were stranded as the ferries stopped operating.

Thousands of Rhode Island shoreline residents evacuated homes and businesses. Gov. Bruce G. Sundlun said he ordered the state police to remove residents of low-lying areas forcibly, if necessary; a similar order was issued in parts of Long Island.

Sundlun closed the states roads to all but emergency traffic and canceled public bus service. He said the state would set up barricades at the Massachusetts and Connecticut borders, including along busy Interstate 95.

Its more prudent to have traffic jams than it is to have 18-wheelers cluttered along the road, Sundlun said.

People fled Massachusetts Cape Cod, which juts out into the ocean, and a line of traffic at least 11 miles long formed at the Sagamore Bridge linking the cape to the mainland.

On Chappaquiddick Island, people were ordered to evacuate to neighboring Marthas Vineyard, where residents were taking shelter in churches and schools.

People are getting nervous, said Rebecca Burns, a switchboard operator for the Nantucket Boat Basin marina on Nantucket Island. There have been a lot of calls. People are really concerned.

In New York Harbor, ferry service to the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island Museum was canceled.

Rhode Island officials feared storm surges of water into the states heavily populated bays and declared a state of emergency. Banks and other non- essential businesses were ordered closed, as well as well as non-essential state offices.

Were preparing for what could be a direct hit to the state, Lt. Gov. Roger Begin said. He issued the executive order before Sundlun returned from a conference.

A state of emergency also was declared in Massachusetts, where Lt. Gov. Paul Cellucci ordered all non-public safety and non-essential state employees to go home at 11 a.m. The Coast Guard moved its aircraft from its base on Cape Cod to other bases inland.

Sunday night, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season knocked out power, toppled trees and caused flooding along North Carolinas Outer Banks. There were at least two tornadoes.

Little major damage was reported, but a tornado overturned a mobile home on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks, and a fish packing house at Hatteras was heavily damaged when wind ripped away the building front and part of the roof.

One drowning at Myrtle Beach, S.C., was blamed on high surf and strong undertow caused by the storm.

The storm brought steady rain and wind gusts only up to 50 mph at Maryland and Virginia resort communities, where the eye was 100 miles or so offshore.

Officials estimated about 1,000 people spent the night in shelters in Ocean City, Md., and surrounding Worcester County. But people in some oceanfront condominiums and hotels watched the storms progress from their balconies. A few even walked to waters edge. Said one of them, Don Offhaus of Syracuse, N.Y.: I wanted to experience it. It certainly is an amazing display of nature.

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In southern New Jersey, the rain flooded local roads and wind downed some tree limbs, causing scattered power outages, emergency officials said.

Canada issued a high wind and heavy rain warning for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

The last hurricane to hit Long Island and New England was Gloria in September 1985.

With sustained winds up to 115 mph, Bob was a Category 3 storm on an increasing scale of 1 to 5. A Category 3 storm can cause extensive damage.

Hurricane Hugo, which devastated the Carolinas and the Caribbean in 1989, had winds up to 135 mph, a Category 4 storm, when it hit Charleston, S.C.

Bob formed off the Bahamas on Friday and is the second named tropical storm of the 1991 season. The first storm, Ana, formed in early July and died in the North Atlantic without touching land.
People exercise at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. All of New South Wales is under strict lockdown after a record number of COVID-19 cases that have authorities concerned for the healthcare system. Australia's most populous state reported its worst day of the pandemic with 478 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths as pandemic restrictions tightened in other parts of the country. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP)

SYDNEY (AP)  A lockdown in Australia's largest city was extended through September and tougher measures to curb the coronavirus's delta variant were imposed Friday, including a curfew and a mask mandate outdoors.

New South Wales state, which includes Sydney, reported 642 locally acquired infections in the latest 24-hour period, the fourth consecutive day of tallies exceeding 600.

Sydney has been locked down since late June after the more contagious delta variant was detected in a limousine driver who became infected while transporting a U.S. cargo aircrew from Sydney Airport.

Since then, 65 people have died from COVID-19 in New South Wales, included four overnight.

The Sydney lockdown was to end on Aug. 28, but the state government announced it will continue until Sept. 30.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses a COVID-19 response update press conference in Wellington, New Zealand, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. New Zealand will now allow youths aged 12 to 15 to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The government announcement Thursday came as the nation remains in a strict lockdown as it deals with a new outbreak of the fast-spreading delta variant, its first virus outbreak in six months. (Robert Kitchin/Pool Photo via AP)

The entire state has been in lockdown since last week because the virus had spread from the city.

A curfew will apply from 9 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday in the worst-affected Sydney suburbs. Wearing masks will be compulsory across the state outside homes. Previously, masks weren't compulsory in all circumstances outdoors.

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Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region:

Health workers and police officers are seen at a unit block under lockdown in Campsie, southwest of Sydney, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. A lockdown in Australia's largest city was extended throughout September and tougher measures to curb the coronavirus's delta variant were imposed Friday, including a curfew and a mask mandate outdoors. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)

 India has given emergency use approval for a domestically developed coronavirus vaccine for people age 12 and over. The three-dose ZyCoV-D vaccine produced by India-based Cadila Healthcare uses a DNA plasmid vector to transport a gene for the coronavirus spike protein. Cells in the recipient of the vaccine then produce the spike protein, triggering an immune response. Interim results from phase 3 clinical trials in over 28,000 volunteers showed an efficacy rate of 66.6% against symptomatic COVID-19 cases, the Health Ministry said. The company said it plans to manufacture 100 million to 120 million doses of ZyCoV-D annually. We are particularly happy that our vaccine will contribute to this fight against COVID-19 and enable the country to vaccinate a larger population especially in the age group of 12-18 years, company chairman Pankaj R. Patel said. India launched its vaccination drive in January after giving emergency approval to the AstraZeneca vaccine made by Serum Institute of India and another vaccine made by the Indian company Bharat Biotech. The Russian Sputnik V vaccine has also been approved for emergency use. India, with a population of nearly 1.4 billion people, has given vaccines to 570 million people, but only 11% with two doses, according to the Health Ministry.

 Malaysia expanded freedoms for those fully vaccinated Friday, allowing them to dine in at eateries and visit night markets despite record high daily infections. More businesses have been allowed to reopen as authorities this month begun to ease restrictions after nearly three months of lockdown. It's widely viewed as a flip-flop in policies to tackle the pandemic. Daily infections in Malaysia hit 22,948 on Thursday, more than doubled since a lockdown began June 1. The countrys total infections have surged to nearly 1.5 million while 13,000 people have died. Caretaker leader Muhyiddin Yassin also said picnics, camping and non-contact sports are allowed for those fully vaccinated. He said the decision was made as over half of Malaysias adult population have been fully vaccinated. Some eateries reportedly voiced concern due to high daily virus cases. The Malaysian Medical Association also said authorities should focus on ramping up vaccination to cover at least 80% of the adult population.

 New Zealands first virus outbreak in six months has spread from the largest city of Auckland to the capital, Wellington. Health authorities said Friday that three people in Wellington who recently visited Auckland had tested positive. They said the outbreak had grown to 31 cases. The government also expanded the lockdown that had been put in place Tuesday after the first community case was found in Auckland. All of New Zealand will remain in lockdown until at least next Tuesday. Previously it had been a three-day lockdown for the nation and a seven-day lockdown only for certain areas. Genome testing has linked the outbreak to an infected traveler who returned from Sydney earlier this month and was quarantined, although health authorities dont yet know how the virus escaped quarantine. New Zealand is continuing to pursue an elimination strategy aimed at wiping out the virus entirely.

 South Koreas new infections exceeded 2,000 for the second straight day as officials extended the highest level of social distancing restrictions short of a lockdown in large population centers. Seoul, Busan, Daejeon and the southern resort island of Jeju will remain under the strongest social distancing rules for at least another two weeks. The rules prohibit private social gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m. and force nightclubs and churches to close. Senior Health Ministry official Lee Ki-il said indoor dining hours at restaurants and cafes will be reduced by an hour to until 9 p.m. Some experts say officials should tighten social distancing even further, such as forcing more white-collar workers to work from home and expanding the gathering restrictions to daytime hours.

 Thailand passed 1 million total coronavirus infections Friday as its latest surge dropped below 20,000 daily cases for the first time in 10 days. Over 97% of the cases counted since the pandemic began have been since April. The new outbreak, connected to Bangkok entertainment venues and travel during the traditional new year in mid-April, grew more serious when the delta variant was detected in crowded construction worker camps and spread into markets, communities, and families. The government closed public places and imposed other restrictions last month, but infections and deaths remain high. On Friday, however, the Disease Control Departments daily statistics report showed the average number of COVID-19 tests had fallen over the past seven days. Thailand reported 19,851 new cases on Friday. Apisamai Srirangsan, a deputy spokesperson for the governments Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, said in a briefing that although the number of daily cases remains high, it seems quite steady.
FARIBAULT, Minn. (AP)  President Joe Biden's administration is sticking by the decision under former President Donald Trump to lift protections for gray wolves across most of the U.S. But a top federal wildlife official on Friday told The Associated Press there is growing concern over aggressive wolf hunting seasons adopted for the predators in the western Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains.

FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2014, file photo, released by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, a wolf from the Snake River Pack passes by a remote camera in eastern Wallowa County, Ore. President Joe Biden's administration is sticking by the decision under former President Donald Trump to lift protections for gray wolves across most of the U.S. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP, File)

FARIBAULT, Minn. (AP)  President Joe Biden's administration is sticking by the decision under former President Donald Trump to lift protections for gray wolves across most of the U.S. But a top federal wildlife official on Friday told The Associated Press there is growing concern over aggressive wolf hunting seasons adopted for the predators in the western Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains.

Wolves under federal protection made a remarkable rebound in parts of the U.S. over the past several decades, after being driven from the landscape by excessive hunting and trapping in the early 1900s.

States took over wolf management last decade in the Northern Rockies and in January for the remainder of the Lower 48 states, including the Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest.

The removal of Endangered Species Act protections had been in the works for years and was the right thing to do when finalized in Trump's last days, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Director for Ecological Services Gary Frazer told AP.

On Friday, attorneys for the administration asked a federal judge in California to reject a lawsuit from wildlife advocate s that seeks to restore protections, signaling the conclusion of Biden's promise on his first day in office to review the Trump move.

But wolf management policies in place at the state level have shifted dramatically since protections were lifted, and Frazer suggested the federal government could take steps to restore protections if population declines put wolves back on the path to extinction.

Certainly some of the things were seeing are concerning, he said.

Wisconsin moved quickly to reduce the states wolf numbers, after a pro-hunting group with close ties to conservative Republicans won a court order that allowed hunters  some using hounds  to kill 218 wolves in four days.

FILE - In this Feb. 2021, file photo released by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, shows a gray wolf (OR-93), seen near Yosemite, Calif., shared by the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife. A top federal wildlife official on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, said there is growing concern over aggressive hunting rules adopted by states in the Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains. (California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP, File)

Meanwhile, Republican-dominated legislatures in Idaho and Montana loosened hunting rules to allow tactics shunned by many wildlife managers, including hunting wolves at night and from the air and payments for dead wolves reminiscent of bounties that drove them to near-extinction.

Frazer said the different states showed a common approach: legislatures and politically appointed wildlife commissions taking determined steps to reduce populations.

We're aware that circumstances have changed and we'll be watching closely to see how the population responds," he added.

The lead attorney in the lawsuit to restore protections for wolves outside of the Northern Rockies said he was disappointed in the Biden administration for not responding immediately to the push by states to cull more packs.

Why should we hammer the population back down and lose all the gains that have been made before any kind of remedial action?" asked Tim Preso with the environmental law firm Earthjustice. "The writing's on the wall. Montana and Idaho are clear on what they're intending and Wisconsin is right behind them.

Montana wildlife commissioners on Friday adopted hunting rule changes in accordance with new state laws that allow the use of snares to kill wolves, night hunting and use of bait  methods criticized as unethical by some hunters and former officials. The new rules went further than recommended by state wildlife experts, who for example wanted to limit snare use to private land only.

Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission Vice Chair Patrick Tabor, a hunting outfitter from the Whitefish area, said in voting in favor of the changes that he was proud of his hunting ethics. Tabor said the loosened rules allow more opportunity for hunters, to give them in essence better odds in trying to be successful because they (wolves) are an incredibly difficult animal to hunt.

Defenders of the move to lift federal protections noted efforts to put wolves under state management enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington going back to President Barack Obama.

Yet the policies adopted by the states reflect an increasingly partisan approach to predator management in legislatures dominated by Republicans.

The wolf population in the Midwest has grown to more than 4,400 wolves, according to government figures disputed by some scientists who say officials undercount wolves killed by poachers.

There's been growing frustration in recent years among livestock producers and hunters over attacks on cattle and big game. In Wisconsin, a Republican-controlled board set the states fall hunt quota at 300 animals, rejecting a 130-animal limit recommended by state wildlife managers.

Wisconsins Democratic attorney general is seeking a court order to oust the boards chairman, whose term expired in May. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has appointed a successor, but the incumbent is refusing to step down until the Senate confirms the appointment. The Senate, dominated by Republicans, hasnt held a hearing on the appointment.

Hundreds of wolves are now killed annually by hunters and trappers in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. The Northern Rockies' population has remained strong  more than 3,000 animals, according to wildlife officials  because wolves breed so successfully and can roam huge areas of wild land in the sparsely populated region.

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Some state officials are intent on reducing those numbers to curb livestock attacks and protect the big game herds that wolves prey upon. Supporters of restoring protections warn that will tip the scales and reduce wolf numbers to unsustainable levels, while also threatening packs in nearby states that have interconnected populations.

An indication of how deeply federal officials are worried about the states' wolf policies is expected in the next several weeks, when they respond to petitions filed in June to again put wolves in the U.S. West under federal protections.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect the name of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official. He is Gary Frazer, not Frazier.

___

Iris Samuels contributed from Helena, Montana. Brown reported from Billings, Montana.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  It's one of the stranger, lesser-known aspects of U.S. health care  the striking, milky-blue blood of horseshoe crabs is a critical component of tests to ensure injectable medications such as coronavirus vaccines aren't contaminated.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster holds a model of a horseshoe crab, whose blood is a vital component in the contamination testing of injectable medicines - including the coronavirus vaccines - at Charles River Labs on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  It's one of the stranger, lesser-known aspects of U.S. health care  the striking, milky-blue blood of horseshoe crabs is a critical component of tests to ensure injectable medications such as coronavirus vaccines aren't contaminated.

To obtain it, harvesters bring many thousands of the creatures to laboratories to be bled each year, and then return them to the sea  a practice that has drawn criticism from conservationists because some don't survive the process.

The blood, which is blue due to its copper content, is coveted for proteins used to create the LAL test, a process used to screen medical products for bacteria. Synthetic alternatives aren't widely accepted by the health care industry and haven't been approved federally, leaving the crabs as the only domestic source of this key ingredient.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, right, listens as Foster Jordan of Charles River Labs, left, talks about the properties of horseshoe crab blood, which is a vital component in the contamination testing of injectable medicines - including the coronavirus vaccines - at Charles River Labs on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Charleston, S.C. McMaster says the South Carolina company that bleeds horseshoe crabs for a component crucial to contamination testing of injectable medications is vital to development of a domestic medical supply chain. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Many of these crabs are harvested along the coast of South Carolina, where Gov. Henry McMaster promoted the niche industry as key to the development of a domestic medical supply chain, while also noting that environmental concerns should be explored.

We dont want to have to depend on foreign countries for a lot of reasons, including national security, so its good to see this company thriving in the United States," McMaster told The Associated Press. He spoke this month during a visit to Charles River Laboratories at its Charleston facilities, to which AP was granted rare access. We want to do everything we can to onshore all of these critical operations.

Horseshoe crabs  aquatic arthropods shaped like helmets with long tails  are more akin to scorpions than crabs, and older than dinosaurs. They've been scurrying along the brackish floors of coastal waters for hundreds of millions of years. Their eggs are considered a primary fat source for more than a dozen species of migratory shore birds, according to South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources.

Their value to avoiding infection emerged after scientists researching their immune response injected bacteria into horseshoe crabs in the 1950s. They ultimately developed the LAL test, and the technique has been used since the 1970s to keep medical materials and supplies free of bacteria.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster watches a video on the bleeding of horseshoe crabs, whose blood is a vital component in the contamination testing of injectable medicines - including the coronavirus vaccines - at Charles River Labs on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Charleston, S.C. McMaster says a South Carolina company that bleeds horseshoe crabs for a component crucial to contamination testing of injectable medications is vital to development of a domestic medical supply chain.(AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Their biomedical use has been on the rise, with 464,482 crabs brought to biomedical facilities in 2018, according to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

In South Carolina, thats done only by Charles River, a Massachusetts-based company that tests 55% of the worlds injectables and medical devices  like IV bags, dialysis solutions and even surgical cleaning wipes, according to company officials.

We are almost the last line of defense before these drugs leave the manufacturing area and make it to a patient, senior vice president Foster Jordan told McMaster. If it touches your blood, its been tested by LAL. And, more than likely, its been tested by us.

Charles River employs local fishermen to harvest the crabs by hand, a process governed by wildlife officials that can only happen during a small annual window, when the creatures come ashore to spawn.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster listens to a presentation on horseshoe crab blood, which is a vital component in the contamination testing of injectable medicines - including the coronavirus vaccines - at Charles River Labs on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Contractors bring them to the companys bleeding facilities, then return them to the waters from which they came. During a year, Jordan said his harvesters can bring in 100,000 to 150,000 horseshoe crabs, and still can't satisfy the growing demand.

We need more, though, Jordan told McMaster, adding that his company is working with the state to open up more harvesting areas. The population's steady. ... We need access to more beaches, to get more crabs."

The practice is not without its critics, some of whom have argued that bleeding the crabs and hauling them back and forth is harmful. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 10% to 15% of harvested crabs die during the process.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the species overall as vulnerable," noting decreasing numbers as of a 2016 assessment. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission listed 2019 stock as good in the Southeast, but poor in areas around New York.

Conservationists sued last year, accusing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of shirking its duty to protect areas including South Carolina's Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge by allowing horseshoe crab harvesting. They argued that taking out the crabs affects other species in the protected area. A federal judge temporarily halted the harvest, but was reversed following Charles River's appeal.

The environmental groups asked to withdraw their complaint this month after federal officials imposed a permitting process for any commercial activity in the refuge, including horseshoe harvesting, beginning Aug. 15. Even if such permits are denied, Jordan told McMaster that only 20% of its harvest came from the refuge, with most coming from further down the South Carolina coast.

There is a synthetic alternative to the horseshoe crab blood, but it hasnt been widely accepted in the U.S., and meanwhile, Charles Rivers international competitors are making synthetics and also pressing for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, which Jordan said could hamper domestic efforts like his own.

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My mission is to make sure that any competitor that comes into the United States, from China or any of these other producers, has to go through the same regulatory process that we had to go through, to make sure that its safe, Jordan said. If all these synthetics start coming in from other countries, were going to lose the protection that weve had for all these years, and the safety, and the control of the drug supply.

We want to have as much stuff made here as we can, McMaster said in response.

As for the environmental concerns, the governor said maintaining a healthy balance between scientific demands and the state's ecosystems, which bolster a significant portion of South Carolina's tourism economy, is paramount.

Its like a house of cards. You pull out one part, and the rest of it will fall, McMaster said. So I think we have to be very careful, and be sure that any company, any business, any activity, whether its commercial or otherwise, meets whatever requirements are there to protect the species  birds, horseshoe crabs, any sort of life.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A federal appeals court on Friday said a pause on evictions designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus can remain in place for now, setting up a battle before the nations highest court.

Gary Zaremba knocks on an apartment door as he checks in with tenants to discuss building maintenance at one of his at properties, Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, in the Queens borough of New York. Landlords say they have suffered financially due to various state, local and federal moratoriums in place since last year. Without rent, were out of business," said Zaremba. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

WASHINGTON (AP)  A federal appeals court on Friday said a pause on evictions designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus can remain in place for now, setting up a battle before the nations highest court.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected a bid by Alabama and Georgia landlords to block the eviction moratorium reinstated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month.

The landlords filed an emergency motion hours later with the Supreme Court, urging the justices to allow evictions to proceed.

Landlord Rick Martin poses outside one of his properties in the Dorchester neighborhood, which he has decided not to rent out all of the units, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, in Boston. Many landlords like Martin say they have suffered financially due to various state, local and federal eviction moratoriums in place since last year. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The Supreme Court voted 5-4 in June to allow the moratorium to continue through the end of July. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh  who joined the majority  warned the administration not to act further without explicit congressional approval.

As five Members of this Court indicated less than two months ago, Congress never gave the CDC the staggering amount of power it claims," attorneys for the landlords told the Supreme Court on Friday.

In a short written decision, the appeals court panel said the court had rejected a similar bid and a lower court also declined to overturn the moratorium.

In view of that decision and on the record before us, we likewise deny the emergency motion directed to this court, the judges said in the ruling.

Gary Zaremba stands at the back entrance of one of his rental properties, Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, in the Queens borough of New York. Landlords say they have suffered financially due to various state, local and federal moratoriums in place since last year. Without rent, were out of business," said Zaremba. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The Biden administration allowed an earlier moratorium to lapse on July 31, saying it had no legal authority to allow it to continue. But the CDC issued a new moratorium days later as pressure mounted from lawmakers and others to help vulnerable renters stay in their homes as the coronavirus delta variant surged. The moratorium is scheduled to expire Oct. 3.

As of Aug. 2, roughly 3.5 million people in the United States said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey.

The new moratorium temporarily halted evictions in counties with substantial and high levels of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives.

The Trump administration initially put a nationwide eviction moratorium in place last year out of fear that people who cant pay their rent would end up in crowded living conditions like homeless shelters and help spread the virus.

President Joe Biden acknowledged there were questions about the legality of the new eviction freeze. But he said a court fight over the new order would buy time for the distribution of some of the more than $45 billion in rental assistance that has been approved but not yet used.

In urging the appeals court to keep the ban in place, the Biden administration noted that the new moratorium was more targeted than the nationwide ban that had lapsed, and that landscape had changed since the Supreme Court ruling because of the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

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The landlords accused Bidens administration of caving to political pressure and reinstating the moratorium even though it knew it was illegal.

In light of the Executive Branchs statement that its litigation efforts are designed to buy time to achieve its economic policy goals  and the fact that landlords are now subject to federal criminal penalties for exercising their property rights depending on where they do business  applicants respectfully ask this Court to issue relief as soon as possible, their lawyers told the Supreme Court.

A lower court judge ruled earlier this month that the freeze is illegal, but rejected the landlords request to lift the moratorium, saying her hands were tied by an appellate decision from the last time courts considered the eviction moratorium in the spring.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Friday that the rise of the delta variant made the continuing moratorium vitally important and she praised the appeals court decision. Psaki called on state and local officials to move more aggressively in distributing rental assistance funds and urged state and local courts to issue their own moratoriums to discourage eviction filings" until landlords and tenants have sought the funds.

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Richer reported from Boston.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) 

More than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards have been confiscated at cargo freight facilities at the Anchorage airport as they were being shipped from China, officials said Thursday.

Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized the cards in the past week as they arrived in small packages, said Jaime Ruiz, an agency spokesperson.

There were between 135 and 150 packages found in Anchorage, all sent by the same person in China, Ruiz said. The packages contained small amounts of the fake cards, about 20 or 25 each.

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The cards confiscated in Anchorage closely resemble the authentic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention certificates given out by health care workers when U.S. citizens receive their vaccinations, the agency said. However, this shipment had cards that exhibited low-quality printing.

The seizure comes as a cottage industry for counterfeit cards has sprung up online to accommodate people who say they wont get vaccinated for either personal or religious reasons.

Another 3,600 fake cards were found recently at cargo facilities in Memphis, Tennessee, Ruiz said.

The Federal Aviation Administration ranked Memphis and Anchorage among the busiest cargo airports in the U.S. in 2020.

"Getting these fraudulent cards off the streets and out of the hands of those who would then sell them is important for the safety of the American public," Lance Robinson, the agencys director in Anchorage, said in a statement.

Other federal agencies are investigating the shipments.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  The mayor of the Florida city of Orlando asked residents on Friday to stop watering their lawns and washing their cars immediately, saying water usage needed to be cut back because of the recent surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

FILE - In this June 26, 2016, file photo, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer addresses the the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis. Dyer on Friday, Aug. 2021, asked residents to stop watering their lawns and washing their cars for a least a week, saying water usage needed to be cut back because of the recent surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations. The Orlando Utility Commission treats the city's water with liquid oxygen and supplies that ordinarily go toward water treatment have been diverted to hospitals for patients suffering from the virus, Dyer said. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  The mayor of the Florida city of Orlando asked residents on Friday to stop watering their lawns and washing their cars immediately, saying water usage needed to be cut back because of the recent surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The Orlando Utility Commission treats the city's water with liquid oxygen and supplies that ordinarily go toward water treatment have been diverted to hospitals for patients suffering from the virus, Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

We acknowledge that the No. 1 priority for the liquid oxygen should be for hospitals," Dyer said at a news conference.

The city-owned utility typically goes through 10 trucks of liquid oxygen a week but its supplier recently said that it would be cut back to five to seven trucks a week to accommodate hospitals, said Linda Ferrone, OUC's chief customer and marketing officer.

About 40% of the utility commission's potable water is used for irrigation so any strains on the water supply will be greatly reduced if residents stop watering their lawns, washing their cars or using pressure washers, she said.

On its website, the utility said residents should prepare to follow the conservation measures for at least two weeks.

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We realize this is drastic and unprecedented," Ferrone said. If worse came to worse, we would have to look at a boil water alert."

Since the 1990s, the utility has used liquid oxygen to remove the slight discoloration and rotten-egg smell that is found naturally in Florida's water supply.

Officials at one of the Orlando area's largest health care systems said this week that they had 1,620 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, twice the level of what it was during last winters peak high for AdventHealth.

This is unfortunately a crisis of unprecedented proportions, said Dr. Vincent Hsu, executive director of infection prevention and epidemiologist at AdventHealth.

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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  General Motors said Friday it is recalling all Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles sold worldwide to fix a battery problem that could cause fires.

FILE - This Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020 file photo shows a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV on display at the 2020 Pittsburgh International Auto Show in Pittsburgh. General Motors is recalling all Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles sold worldwide to fix a battery problem that could cause fires. The recall raises questions about lithium ion batteries, which now are used in nearly all electric vehicles. President Joe Biden wants to convert 50% of the U.S. vehicle fleet from internal combustion to electricity by 2050 as part of a broader effort to fight climate change. The recall was announced Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  General Motors said Friday it is recalling all Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles sold worldwide to fix a battery problem that could cause fires.

The recall and others raise questions about lithium ion batteries, which now are used in nearly all electric vehicles. Ford, BMW and Hyundai all have recalled batteries recently.

President Joe Biden will need electric vehicles to reach a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half 2030 as part of a broader effort to fight climate change.

The GM recall announced Friday adds about 73,000 Bolts from the 2019 through 2022 model years to a previous recall of 69,000 older Bolts.

GM said that in rare cases the batteries have two manufacturing defects that can cause fires.

The Detroit-based automaker said it will replace battery modules in all the vehicles. In older versions, all five modules will be replaced.

The latest recall will cost the company about $1 billion, bringing the total cost of the Bolt battery recalls to $1.8 billion.

GM said owners should limit charging to 90% of battery capacity. The Bolts, including a new SUV, also should be parked outdoors until the modules are replaced.

The original recall was blamed on a manufacturing defect at a South Korean factory run by LG Chemical Solution, GMs battery supplier. But the company said an investigation showed that the defects are possible in batteries made at other sites. Most newer Bolt batteries are made at an LG plant in Holland, Michigan.

GM issued the first Bolt recall in November after getting reports of five of them catching fire. Two people suffered smoke inhalation and a house was set ablaze.

At first the company didnt know what was causing the problem, but it determined that batteries that caught fire were near a full charge. It traced the fires to what it called a rare manufacturing defect in battery modules. It can cause a short in a cell, which can trigger a fire.

GM said it began investigating the newer Bolts after a 2019 model that was not included in the previous recall caught fire a few weeks ago in Chandler, Arizona. That raised concerns about newer Bolts.

That fire brought the total number of Bolt blazes to 10, company spokesman Dan Flores said.

GM says it is working with LG to increase battery production. The company says owners will be notified to take their cars to dealers as soon as replacement parts are ready.

Flores said he is not sure when that will be.

The company said it will not produce or sell any more Bolts until it is satisfied that problems have been worked out in LG batteries, Flores said.

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Our focus on safety and doing the right thing for our customers guides every decision we make at GM, Doug Parks, GM product development chief, said in a statement.

Batteries with the new modules will come with an eight year, 100,000 mile (160 kilometer) warranty, the company said. GM will replace all five battery modules in 2017 to 2019 Bolts. Defective modules will be replaced in newer models.

GM said it will pursue reimbursement from the LG.

The Bolts are only a tiny fraction of GMs overall U.S. sales, which run close to 3 million vehicles in a normal year. But they are the first of an ambitious rollout of electric models as GM tries to hit a goal of selling only electric passenger vehicles by 2035.

Other automakers are also announcing additional electric models worldwide to cut pollution and meet stricter government fuel economy standards.

Shares in General Motors Co. were down about 2% in extended trading following the recall announcement.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Millions of students in Florida, Texas and Arizona are now required to wear masks in class as school boards in mostly Democratic areas have defied their Republican governors and made face coverings mandatory.

Crane Middle School student get off the bus, Wednesday, July 28, 2021 on the first day of the 2021-2022 school year for all campuses in the Crane School District in Yuma, Ariz. (Randy Hoeft/The Yuma Sun via AP)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Millions of students in Florida, Texas and Arizona are now required to wear masks in class as school boards in mostly Democratic areas have defied their Republican governors and made face coverings mandatory.

The three states are all hot spots in the nation's recent COVID-19 surge, and defiant boards in Miami, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and other urban areas argue that requiring masks protects students, teachers and staff from contracting and spreading the virus as many pediatric hospitals fill.

The districts often cite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends teachers, staff and students all wear masks regardless of whether theyve been vaccinated.

This thing (the virus) is not playing with us, Marcia Andrews, a member of the Palm Beach County, Florida, school board, said this week as it passed a mask mandate, according to the Palm Beach Post. I dont want to see a kid die.

The governors argue that wearing masks stifles learning and does little to stop the virus's spread but children rarely get seriously ill from the disease. They say mandates violate parents' rights to determine how best to protect their children.

Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said when he banned local mask mandates.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a July executive order barring masks, cited a Brown University study that examined schools in New York, Florida and Massachusetts. He said it showed masks at schools made little difference, but it had a caveat he doesn't cite: It analyzed cases associated with schools and not cases spread in schools.

One of the study's authors, Brown economist Emily Oster, said recently that she was not consulted by the governor and the study relied on data from before the emergence of the more contagious delta variant. She supports masks in schools.

Dr. Jessica Snowden, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Arkansas Children's Hospital, said masks are proven to cut the virus's spread among children if worn consistently. She said the delta variant infects children more often and makes them sicker than last year's variants, adding that masks do not impede learning.

There is lots of evidence that supports masking and there is no evidence that it causes any harm, she said. Children are much more adaptable than adults are.

Florida and Texas combined make up 15% of the U.S. population but 28% of its recent COVID-19 cases, according to the CDC, and both states have seen their hospitalization numbers skyrocket over the past two months. Arizona's COVID-19 cases have jumped sixfold since June.

Mask rules in U.S. public schools vary widely. Eleven states require masks, including California, Illinois, Louisiana and Kentucky, while Florida, Texas and five other states ban them: Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Iowa and South Carolina. Arizona's ban takes effect Sept. 29. The other states leave the decision to local officials.

In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey this week barred districts that mandate masks from accessing a $163 million virus relief pool and said parents could receive $7,000 per student for private schools if their district mandates masks or goes into quarantine. More than two dozen districts, accounting for a third of the state's 930,000 public school students, require masks.

Safety recommendations are welcomed and encouraged  mandates that place more stress on students and families arent, Ducey said in a statement.

Save Our Schools, an Arizona group that successfully repealed a statewide voucher program, said Ducey is trying to use COVID-19 to restore public funding of private schools.

We are ready to fight the abhorrent policies, the group said in a statement.

In Texas, the states biggest districts, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, are all defying Abbott and requiring masks. Abbott, who recently tested positive for the virus, is fighting the districts in court, but they aren't budging.

Were going to continue our mask mandate to keep students safe, to keep parents safe, to keep families safe and most importantly our teachers, Dallas school superintendent Michael Hinojosa said.

In Florida, where the battle is particularly heated, DeSantis and the state Board of Education, which he appoints, have threatened to cut funds from districts that impose mandates that don't provide an easy opt out for parents. The state is also allowing students who feel bullied into wearing a mask to apply for a private school voucher.

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Forcing young kids to wear masks all day, these kindergartners, having the government to force them, thats not defying me; that is defying the State of Floridas laws, DeSantis said this week. This is not something we are making up.

But four of Florida's five largest school districts  Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough and Palm Beach counties  along with mid-size Alachua, the home of the University of Florida, have adopted mask mandates with exemptions only with a doctor's approval. They represent more than a third of the state's 2.8 million public school students.

Miami-Dade, the nation's fourth-largest district with 341,000 students, adopted its mask mandate Wednesday, hours after Superintendent Albert Carvalho told the state board the district would not back down.

For the consequences associated with doing the right thing, whatever that right thing is, I will wear proudly as a badge of honor, Carvalho said, according to The Miami Herald.

DeSantis has accused the defiant boards of playing politics.

The five Florida districts that have imposed strong mask mandates are all Democratic strongholds that supported President Joe Biden in Novembers election even as former President Donald Trump carried the state. Biden recently told districts that the federal government would replace any funds the state cuts because of mandates.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has given new urgency to Vice President Kamala Harris' tour of Southeast Asia, where she will attempt to reassure allies of American resolve following the chaotic end of a two-decade war.

FILE - In this Aug. 10, 2021, file photo, Vice President Kamala Harris speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has given new urgency to Harriss tour of southeast Asia, where she will attempt to reassure allies of American resolve following the chaotic end of a two-decade war. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has given new urgency to Vice President Kamala Harris' tour of Southeast Asia, where she will attempt to reassure allies of American resolve following the chaotic end of a two-decade war.

The trip, which began Friday and has stops in Singapore and Vietnam, will provide a forum for Harris to assert herself more directly in foreign affairs. She will have opportunities to affirm what she and President Joe Biden view as core American values, like human rights. That's especially important given concerns about the future for women and girls in Afghanistan with the Taliban back in power.

A particular high priority is making sure that we evacuate American citizens, Afghans who worked with us, Afghans at risk, including women and children, Harris told reporters before her departure.

But there are also substantial risks. A longtime district attorney and former senator, Harris is largely untested in diplomacy and foreign policy. Her swing through Vietnam could draw unwanted comparisons between the humiliating withdrawal of U.S. troops there in 1975 and the tumultuous effort this week to evacuate Americans and allies from Afghanistan. And it's all happening in the shadow of China, whose growing influence worries some U.S. policymakers.

Shes walking into a hornets nest, both with whats taking place in Afghanistan, but also the challenge of China that looms particularly large in Vietnam, said Brett Bruen, who was global engagement director during the Obama administration and a longtime diplomat. On a good day, its walking a tightrope. On a not so good day, its walking a tightrope while leading an elephant across. Theres just an enormous set of issues that she will run into from the moment that Air Force Two touches down.

Harris said Friday that the nations she will visit "are the seat of the Indo-Pacific region. We have interests there that relate to both security interests, economic interests and, more recently, global health interests.

Harris struggled at points in June when her first major trip abroad took her to Guatemala and Mexico. Her unequivocal warning to migrants not to come to the U.S. angered some liberal Democrats while doing little to mollify Republican critics who said the administration wasn't doing enough to address a growth of crossings at the southern border.

She'll have a fresh chance to make a global impression when she arrives in Singapore, anchor of the U.S. naval presence in Southeast Asia.

On Monday, Harris will speak with Singapore President Halimah Yacob over the phone, participate in a bilateral meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and deliver remarks on a U.S. combat ship visiting Singapore.

On Tuesday, she plans to deliver a speech outlining the U.S. vision for engagement in the region, and participate in an event with business leaders focused on supply chain issues.

Harris then heads to Vietnam, a country that holds both strategic and symbolic significance for the U.S. Leaders there have echoed U.S. concerns about the rise of neighboring China and the threat that could pose to global security. But it's also a nation etched into American history as the site of another bloody, costly war with an ignominious end.

The vice president will almost certainly address that parallel when she takes questions in Singapore during a joint press conference with the prime minister Monday. It's a potentially awkward position for Harris because Biden expressly rejected comparisons between Afghanistan and Vietnam in July, insisting there would be no circumstance" where the world would see people being lifted off the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, a reference to historic images of a helicopter evacuating the U.S. Embassy in Saigon in 1975.

The harried effort to get Americans to the airport in Kabul this week defied that prediction.

While the disorderly conclusion of the Afghan war dominated Washington in recent days, China may be a bigger priority for Harris' trip. Biden has made countering Chinese influence globally a central focus of his foreign policy. Relations between the U.S. and China deteriorated sharply under Bidens predecessor, Donald Trump, and the two sides remain at odds over a host of issues including technology, cybersecurity and human rights.

And with Beijings incursions in the disputed South China Sea, engagement with Vietnam and Singapore is key to the Biden administrations diplomatic and military goals in the region.

David Shear, a former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, said Harris must be careful to offer a positive message to the nations, and avoid focusing entirely on China during her trip.

Our relationships with these countries are important in themselves, and they dont want to be thought of solely as a pawn in a U.S-China chess game," he said. They want to be thought of on their own terms, and they want their interests to be considered on their own terms,.

Instead, analysts say they hope Harris will focus in particular on trade issues. The White House has been considering a new digital trade deal with countries in the region, which would allow for the free flow of data and open opportunities for U.S. companies for greater cooperation on emerging technologies in a fast-growing region of the world.

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And COVID-19 is certain to be top of mind in two countries facing starkly divergent virus trends. Singapore has experienced just a few dozen pandemic-related deaths and has a relatively high vaccination rate. It's getting ready to ease travel and economic restrictions this fall. Vietnam, meanwhile, is facing record-high coronavirus infections driven by the delta variant and low vaccination rates.

The U.S. has provided more than 23 million vaccine doses to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and tens of millions of dollars in personal protective equipment, laboratory equipment and other supplies to fight the virus.

During her visit to Vietnam, Harris is planning to hold a virtual meeting with ASEAN health ministers and cite the launch of a regional office of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gregory Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said showing a commitment to the region on the pandemic is key for Harris' trip.

I think on COVID, the administration realizes that this is the singular issue," he said. If theyre not seen as leading vaccine distribution in the region, then nothing else they do in Asia matters, or at least nothing else they do is going to find a willing audience.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect the name of an Obama administration official. He is Brett Bruen, not Bruin.
Johnson & Johnson will replace Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky with another veteran company executive starting next year.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, file photo, Joaquin Duato attends the fourth annual Save the Children Illumination Gala at The Plaza Hotel in New York. Johnson & Johnson said late Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, will replace Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky with Duato starting next year. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Johnson & Johnson will replace Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky with another veteran company executive starting next year.

The worlds biggest maker of health care products said late Thursday that Joaquin Duato will become CEO and a member of the companys board of directors on January 3.

Duato, 59, currently serves as vice chairman of J & Js executive committee, which involves working with the companys pharmaceutical and health sectors and overseeing its global supply chain.

Duato, a dual citizen of Spain and the United States, has been with Johnson & Johnson for more than 30 years, the company said.

Gorsky, 61, has served as chairman and CEO since 2012 and will become executive chairman of the board.

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He said in a prepared statement from the company that the timing was right for his decision, both for the company and personally, as I focus more on my family due to family health reasons.

J&J reported a 73% jump in second-quarter profit last month, driven by strong sales growth as hospitals and other parts of the health care industry rebounded from COVID-19 pandemic slowdowns the previous year.

The New Brunswick, New Jersey, company made more than $6 billion in the second quarter but received little help from its one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, which brought in just $164 million in sales. The vaccine  one of three approved for use in the United States  has been plagued by concerns about some very rare side effects and the temporary shutdown of a contract manufacturers factory due to contamination problems.

Gorsky, who joined Johnson & Johnson in 1988, oversaw the companys biggest-ever acquisition, a $30-billion deal for Swiss biopharmaceutical company Actelion that was completed in 2018.

The company also noted that investment in research and development has jumped more than 60% during Gorskys tenure to $12 billion last year, with oncology being a focus.

Shares of J & J gained $1.13 in Friday morning trading, climbing to $179.70 while broader indexes also rose slightly. The stock price has climbed more than 12% so far this year.
MOSCOW (AP)  German Chancellor Angela Merkel traveled to Russia Friday to discuss the crisis in Afghanistan, the separatist conflict in Ukraine and Moscows treatment of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, among other issues.

FILE - In this Friday, June 1, 2012 file photo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, welcomes President of Russia Vladimir Putin, left, for a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany. Merkels trip to Moscow on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, comes as the chancellor is nearing the end of her almost 16-year-long leadership of Germany. Despite their many political differences, Putin and Merkel, who is fluent in Russian, always held up a line of communication true to Merkels conviction that relations in general can only improve if one continues talking with each other. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file)

MOSCOW (AP)  German Chancellor Angela Merkel traveled to Russia Friday to discuss the crisis in Afghanistan, the separatist conflict in Ukraine and Moscows treatment of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, among other issues.

Merkels visit to Moscow comes as she is nearing the end of her almost 16-year-long leadership of Germany. Despite sharp differences, she has maintained close contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been in power for more than two decades.

Even though we certainly have deep differences today, we speak to each other -- and that should continue to happen, Merkel said as she sat down for talks with Putin in the Kremlin.

She said Libya, Afghanistan, bilateral and trade relations and civil society issues would feature in Fridays talks.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, prior to talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The talks between Merkel and Putin are expected to focus on Afghanistan, the Ukrainian crisis and the situation in Belarus among other issues. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Putin noted the importance of ties with Germany and hailed Merkel's role in developing them. Germany is one of our key partners in Europe and the entire world thanks to your efforts over the past 16 years, he said.

Before the talks, Merkel laid flowers at the Unknown Soldier's Tomb near the Kremlin wall to honor the Soviet victims of World War II.

High on the agenda of Friday's talks is the situation in eastern Ukraine. Germany and France have sought to help broker a peaceful settlement to end the fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists that has killed more than 14,000 since 2014.

Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said earlier this week that Russia could do much more to help the settlement.

Merkel plans to travel back to Berlin on Friday night and head to Kyiv on Sunday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center right, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, prior to talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The talks between Merkel and Putin are expected to focus on Afghanistan, the Ukrainian crisis and the situation in Belarus among other issues. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Seibert noted that Friday's talks will also touch on the situation in Russia's ally Belarus, where authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has unleashed a sweeping crackdown on dissent. That followed protests against his re-election for a sixth term in an August 2020 vote which the opposition and the West denounced as rigged.

Merkel visited Russia on the anniversary of Navalny's falling gravely ill on a plane over Siberia on Aug. 20, 2020. At his wife's insistence, he was flown for medical treatment to Germany, where officials said tests revealed he had been poisoned with a Soviet-developed nerve agent.

Navalny, who is Putins most outspoken critic, spent five months in Germany recuperating from the poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin  an accusation that Russian authorities reject.

Upon his return to Russia in January, Navalny was immediately arrested and a month later received a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated.

This still unsolved case is putting a very severe burden on the relationship with Russia, Seibert said. Mr. Navalny is wrongfully imprisoned.

Earlier this week, Russias Foreign Ministry rejected accusations over Navalny's poisoning as a planned provocation by the West to discredit Russia.

Merkel, 67, who grew up in communist East Germany and is fluent in Russian, has always stressed that relations with Russia can only improve through dialogue.

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Her visit to Moscow could be one of her last trips abroad as chancellor since she is not running in Germany's national election next month. Its not clear when she will step down, because the outgoing government remains in place until a new one is formed, a process that could drag on for months.

Putin, 68, speaks fluent German that he polished while serving as an officer in the Soviet KGB secret service in East Germany during the 1980s.

Another topic of discussion with Putin will likely be the nearly finished Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will carry natural gas from Russia to Germany. The project has angered the United States and some European countries, but the U.S. and Germany announced a deal last month to allow its completion.

Critics say the pipeline threatens European energy security, heightens Russias influence and poses risks to Ukraine and Poland in bypassing both countries.

___

Grieshaber reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson, Frank Jordans and Dorothee Thiesing in Berlin contributed to this report.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A jury found a chiropractor and Navy veteran guilty Friday in the gruesome killings of four people at a North Dakota property management firm two years ago.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, file photo, Chad Isaak, right, of Washburn, sits with his defense team during the third day of his murder trial at the Morton County Courthouse in Mandan, N.D. Jurors returned guilty verdicts Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 on all counts against Isaak, who was charged in the deaths of RJR Maintenance & Management co-owner Robert Fakler and employees Adam Fuehrer, William Cobb and Lois Cobb in April 2019. (Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP)

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A jury found a chiropractor and Navy veteran guilty Friday in the gruesome killings of four people at a North Dakota property management firm two years ago.

Jurors returned guilty verdicts on all counts against Chad Isaak, who was charged in the April 1, 2019, deaths of RJR Maintenance & Management co-owner Robert Fakler, 52, and employees Adam Fuehrer, 42, Bill Cobb, 50, and 45-year-old Lois Cobb. The Cobbs were married.

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the North Dakota Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification Program shows Chad Isaak. Jurors returned guilty verdicts Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 on all counts against Isaak, who was charged in the deaths of RJR Maintenance & Management co-owner Robert Fakler and employees Adam Fuehrer, William Cobb and Lois Cobb in April 2019. (North Dakota Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification Program via AP, File)

Isaak 47, of Washburn, whose mobile home was on property managed by RJR, pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder and three other counts. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Isaak, in handcuffs, looked down before the verdicts were read but showed little emotion as the jurys decision on each count was announced.

A jury of six men and six women deliberated four and a-half hours before finding Isaak guilty following the three-week trial.

It was one of the most heinous crimes in North Dakota history, defense attorney Bruce Quick acknowledged in his opening statement. Three of the victims were shot and stabbed at the business in Mandan, a city of about 20,000. Combined, the four of them were stabbed about 100 times.

Judge David Reich did not immediately schedule a date for sentencing.

Quick said during the trial that the case amounted to a rush to judgment based on bad information that led to the wrong conclusion. The defense rested its case Wednesday.

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Prosecutor Karlei Neufeld described the horrific crime scene during the trial and said evidence that included photos, surveillance video, bullet fragments, a knife and other items found during searches of Isaaks home and vehicle led to the charges against him.

Prosecutors presented the case as a puzzle in which all of the pieces pointed to Isaak, including a knife found in his clothes washer, gun parts found in his freezer and security camera footage tracking his pickup.

BCI Supervisory Special Agent Arnie Rummel testified that investigators were not able to determine a motive, but that a motive isnt a requirement for conviction.

The defense maintained that authorities overlooked numerous possible alternative suspects. Isaaks attorneys also questioned the sourcing, collection and processing of evidence; said some testimony doesnt match police reports; and questioned the absence of visible blood on the clothing of a person seen in security camera footage leaving RJR the morning of the killings.

Prosecutors showed security camera footage from numerous businesses that authorities said tracked Isaaks white pickup from Mandan to Washburn on the day of the slayings, along with footage from a week earlier that they said indicated the killer planned out the attack.

Forensic experts testified that fibers on the clothing of the slain workers were matches for fibers taken from Isaaks clothing, and that DNA evidence found in Isaaks pickup truck was linked to Fakler and possibly Lois Cobb.
LES CAYES, Haiti (AP)  As if Haitis 7.2 magnitude earthquake, a tropical storm and the coronavirus pandemic werent enough, the temblor damaged the only medical oxygen plant in the southern part of the country.

Children play next to field sown with vetiver grass back left in Les Cayes, Haiti, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. Many of the factories that contributed to the multimillion-dollar industry responsible for refining more than half the world's vetiver oil used in fine perfumes, cosmetics, soaps and aromatherapy, are now inoperable because of the earthquake. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

LES CAYES, Haiti (AP)  As if Haitis 7.2 magnitude earthquake, a tropical storm and the coronavirus pandemic werent enough, the temblor damaged the only medical oxygen plant in the southern part of the country.

The building that housed the oxygen concentrator machines that the region depended on partially collapsed, and the machines were upended. The Etheuss company is run by the a family famous for their vetiver perfume oils plant in the city of Les Cayes, one of the areas hardest hit by Saturday's earthquake.

We are trying to get the oxygen production started again. That is our responsibility, because many people depend on it, said Kurtch Jeune, one of the brothers who run the plant, as he showed reporters through the damaged, rubble-strewn plants on Thursday.

The quake left concrete pillars and roofs at the facility leaning, and cement block rubble battered the tanks, electrical system and the delicate web of copper tubing that fills vital oxygen plants. The oxygen generators are upside down, Jeune said. We did get a promise of help from the public works department to get the rubble out with excavators.

Jeune said that, apart from two medical oxygen plants in the capital, Port-au-Prince, his factory was the only one serving local hospitals. As the COVID-19 pandemic grinds on, Jeune says demand for oxygen has gone up 200% in the last month.

We have the capacity to supply 40 oxygen cylinders per day, Jeune said. We supply several hospitals.

Vehicles drive through a roundabout in Les Cayes, Haiti, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2021, five days after the city was struck by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

The powerful earthquake that struck Haiti's southwestern peninsula killed at least 2,189 and injured 12,268 people, according to official figures. More than 300 people are estimated to still be missing, said Serge Chery, head of civil defense for the Southern Province, which includes the small port city of Les Cayes.

More than 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, leaving about 30,000 families homeless, according to official estimates. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches also were demolished or badly damaged.

The earthquake was trailed by a tropical storm that brought heavy rain and strong winds at the beginning of the week.

Private relief supplies and shipments from the U.S. government and others began flowing more quickly into Haiti on Thursday, but the Caribbean nations entrenched poverty, insecurity and lack of basic infrastructure still presented huge challenges to getting food and urgent medical care to all those who need it.

Adding to the problems, a major hospital in the capital of Port-au-Prince, where many of the injured were being sent, closed for two days beginning Thursday to protest the kidnapping of two doctors, including one of the countrys few orthopedic surgeons.

The abductions dealt a blow to attempts to control criminal violence that has threatened disaster response efforts in the capital.

Further, a group of 18 Colombian volunteer search-and-rescue workers had to be escorted out of the quake-hit city of Jeremie under police protection after a false rumor circulated that they had been involved in the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The workers took shelter Wednesday night at a civil defense office, and police escorted them to the airport on Thursday.

Moises killing, still unsolved, is suspected of being carried out by a group of Colombian mercenaries. Despite what happened to the Colombian rescue workers, Haiti is welcoming everyone who is coming to bring assistance, said Jerry Chandler, the head of the national Civil Protection Agency.

Health care facilities in the Western Hemisphere poorest nation were already at a critical point before the earthquake because of the pandemic. The country of 11 million people has reported 20,556 cases and 576 deaths of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Haiti received its first batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines only last month via a United Nations program for low-income countries.

The rest of Jeunes factory, which produces an essential oil used in fine perfumes, was also badly damaged.

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The familys business processes bales of beige, stringy roots culled from the vetiver plant to produce more than half the worlds vetiver oil.

Vetiver oil is also used for cosmetics, soaps and aromatherapy. It generates an estimated $12 million in revenue a year and employs anywhere from 15,000 to 60,000 farmers.

The damage to the factory threatens Haitis already perilous rural economy, plagued by drought, soil erosion and tropical storms.

Haiti produces more than 70 tons of vetiver oil a year, surpassing Indonesia, China, India, Brazil and the neighboring Dominican Republic. It is one of the countrys top exports, with up to 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) harvested annually. But more than 60% of the crop still comes from individual producers, many of whom are struggling financially, according to Gabriel Gelin, a spokesman for the United Nations Environment Program in Haiti.

___

Associated Press writer Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City contributed to this report.
TORONTO - Canadian companies in federally regulated industries are starting to announce mandatory vaccination policies, in a bid to protect staff and abide by a recent government request.

Royal Bank of Canada will require employees to be fully vaccinated to work on the bank's premises. A Royal Bank of Canada sign is shown in Toronto's financial district in this Feb. 26, 2009 photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

TORONTO - Canadian companies in federally regulated industries are starting to announce mandatory vaccination policies, in a bid to protect staff and abide by a recent government request.

The country's largest banks said this week that they will require employees working in their offices to be fully vaccinated.

Their policies come a week after Ottawa asked federally regulated industries, including banks, telecoms and airlines, to start implementing mandates requiring workers to get vaccinated because COVID-19 cases in Canada are climbing again and vaccinations have slowed from their pace earlier this year.

TD said Friday its policy will ask staff to register their vaccination status with the bank by Sept. 30 and require full vaccination for all workers entering offices on or after Nov. 1.

Those who are not fully vaccinated or do not disclose their vaccination status must complete a learning module about the benefits of vaccination, submit to mandatory COVID-19 rapid testing and wear a mask whenever they are in TD offices.

"This is the right thing to do to protect the health and safety of everyone who is working in TD locations, and we are encouraged that many other organizations have taken similar measures," Kenn Lalonde, TD's senior executive vice-president and chief human resources officer, said in a Friday memo announcing the policy.

RBC sent a similar memo Thursday, asking employees to confirm their vaccination status, beginning in Canada and the United States, followed by other regions where applicable.

Those working for the bank who are able to be vaccinated will be required to do so by Oct. 31, RBC said in the note to staff.

RBC chief executive Dave McKay said in a LinkedIn post Friday that nothing is more important than the health and well-being of RBC's clients, colleagues and communities.

"We believe vaccines are the best way to keep our workplaces safe and help our communities reduce the spread of COVID-19 variants such as Delta," McKay said.

CIBC set an Oct. 31 deadline for its Canadian and U.S. employees to be vaccinated and told staff "if you havent yet been vaccinated and are able, now is the time."

"We know this raises a number of questions based on your personal circumstances," said Sandy Sharman, the bank's senior executive vice-president and group head of people culture and brand.

"While we dont have all the answers today, we are working out the details now and will share more information with you as quickly as we can."

BMO, which will also use an Oct. 31 deadline, said its policy will apply to all North American employees and contractors eligible for vaccination.

Those who remain unvaccinated after that date will be required to complete twice-a-week COVID-19 testing and comply with alternative health and safety measures to enter a BMO location. The bank did not specify what the alternative measures would entail.

Scotiabank told staff Friday that it is moving in the direction of making vaccinations mandatory for all Canadian-based employees and contractors later in the fall.

Employees were told they will soon receive a link to a mandatory and confidential survey asking them to provide their vaccination status. The survey will allow employees to decline disclosing their vaccination status, but the bank did not say how it will handle staff that refuse to disclose their status or be vaccinated.

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The mandates at the banks follow Sun Life Financial Inc., Shopify Inc., the City of Toronto, the Toronto Transit Commission and several universities and health care facilities throughout Canada, which requested staff be vaccinated over the last two weeks.

A poll released Thursday showed a majority of Canadians support a system that would require proof of vaccination to access some non-essential services.

Seventy-six per cent of respondents in the survey conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies said they would strongly or somewhat support a vaccine passport like the one Quebec is implementing.

Quebec's passport will apply in places such as bars, concerts and festivals where there are many people in a confined space.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TD, TSX:RY, TSX:BMO, TSX:CM, TSX:SLF, TSX: SHOP)
When Congress sent states billions of dollars early in the coronavirus pandemic to help make schools safe, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee saw an opportunity.

Susan Agel, President/CEO of Positive Tomorrows, is pictured in the Literary Lab at the school, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, in Oklahoma City. Positive Tomorrows, an Oklahoma City school exclusively for students in families experiencing homelessness, received money from Gov. Kevin Stitt's Stay in School program and forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans from the federal government. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

When Congress sent states billions of dollars early in the coronavirus pandemic to help make schools safe, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee saw an opportunity.

He used part of the windfall to further his goal of offering school choice options for parents, sending millions to charter schools that operate without traditional public oversight. That included funneling more than $4 million to new charters that are not scheduled to open until at least next year.

It was an easy way for the Republican governor to advance a long-held priority. For Lee and some other GOP governors, the discretionary money was a chance to sidestep their state legislatures and advance school choice, which typically involves funding charter schools or offering vouchers so parents can use taxpayer money to pay private school tuition.

Teachers unions and other critics view the efforts as a way to siphon money away from traditional public schools.

This feels like hes taking advantage of the pandemic and the pandemic relief to further his ideological goal of defunding the traditional public schools, said state Rep. Gloria Johnson, a Democrat and retired teacher.

In a series of bills since the COVID-19 outbreak began last year, Congress has allocated $190 billion to help public and private schools weather the pandemic. Although there is no centralized way to see how districts and private schools are spending the aid, The Associated Press tracked most of that money to determine how much was received by virtually every school district in the country and to analyze the ways governors distributed the assistance they were free to dole out as they wished.

In the initial wave of funding, governors were given $3 billion with few strings attached but the expectation that it be used to help schools and colleges most significantly impacted by coronavirus.

They used that money in a variety of ways: New Jersey supported colleges. Oregon used it to make sure even tiny rural districts received minimum amounts of aid. States including Indiana and Colorado established competitive grant programs for school districts.

This week, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced he was using a separate pot of federal pandemic aid to create a $10 million grant initiative similar to the state's existing private school voucher program. It was the Republican governor's latest attempt to push back against public school districts that are defying a state ban on mask mandates. The funding allows grants up to $7,000 per student if their public school requires masks, orders quarantines due to COVID-19 exposure or gives different treatment to vaccinated students.

In Tennessee, Lee has long been an advocate of launching more charter schools -- institutions that are publicly funded but operate outside traditional school districts. In a feature that appeals to many conservatives, they usually do not have unionized teachers.

Of the nearly $64 million in discretionary pandemic education money that came to his office, Lee dedicated $10 million to charters. The governor used it to make sure every charter received some aid and to help existing schools add grades. He reserved a chunk of it  $4.4 million  to help launch new charters, none of which is scheduled to welcome students until at least 2022.

Lee spokeswoman Casey Black did not directly respond to a question from the AP about funding for charter schools that are not yet open but said the use of the money would help provide families with access to a high-quality education. Brian Blackley, a spokesman for Lee's state Department of Education, said the charter school funding is meant to give families more options.

Education is not one size fits all, and the pandemic showed us just how important it is to provide families with better access to high-quality school options, he said in an email.

Beth Brown, president of the Tennessee Education Association, criticized the spending.

Using pandemic relief money to open new charter schools is an insult to the public school teachers who have worked tirelessly since March 2020 to keep public schools open, said Brown, a high school English teacher in rural Grundy County.

U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat who serves as chair of the House Labor and Education Committee, said the federal money was not intended to be used that way.

The 5% or 10% that end up in charters may or may not improve their education situation, he said. Its hard to make an argument that reducing the money available to public schools helps the 90% to 95% of those who are in public schools.

Oklahoma's GOP governor, Kevin Stitt, used $10 million of the nearly $40 million in his governor-controlled fund to create a stay-in-school program that funded scholarships for lower-income students who already attend private schools.

The state education secretary, Ryan Walters, said the state was hearing from parents who lost income early in the pandemic and could not keep paying private-school tuition.

Moving them in the middle of a pandemic to a brand-new school would create even more trauma for them, he said.

Most Oklahoma private schools are religious. One exception is Positive Tomorrows, an Oklahoma City school exclusively for students in families experiencing homelessness.

The school usually costs around $3 million a year to run, with many expenses paid through donations. It got about $350,000 from Stitts program, plus another $250,000 in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans from the federal government to keep paying teachers and staff. Public schools did not have access to the forgivable loans.

Because of the role that we serve, I think we deserve some government funding, said Susan Agel, president of the school. This is a kind of thing that Id really like to see more of, particularly for our school.

State Rep. Jacob Rosecrants, a Democrat who was a public school teacher until he was elected in 2017, said there are still major needs in public schools that should be met before taxpayer money is considered for private schools.

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If you want to go to a private school, you have that choice," he said. "Youre private for a reason.

Governors in Florida and New Hampshire also used portions of their discretionary money for private-school scholarship programs.

A South Carolina program championed by GOP Gov. Henry McMaster was larger  $32 million  and scholarships were planned for students who were not already in private schools. But the scholarships were never awarded because the program was blocked unanimously by the state Supreme Court.

Shaunette Parker, board chairwoman for the Second Baptist Christian Preparatory School in Aiken, said McMaster's proposal could have been a toehold for establishing a broader voucher program in South Carolina, something that has never been adopted in the Legislature.

We were hoping the success of that one-year funding would have shown people how this wasnt going to create a mass exodus of the public schools, Parker said. It would have improved education all around.

After the court rejected McMasters effort, he redirected the money to other programs, including launching regional computer labs, boosting technical colleges, funding summer and extended-day programs for 4-year-olds  and helping helping public charter schools where enrollments have risen.
BOSTON  Taliban websites that delivered the victorious insurgents official messages to Afghans and the world at large in five languages have abruptly gone offline.

BOSTON  Taliban websites that delivered the victorious insurgents official messages to Afghans and the world at large in five languages have abruptly gone offline.

It is not immediately clear why the sites in the Pashto, Urdu, Arabic, English and Dari languages went offline Friday. They had been shielded by Cloudflare, a San Francisco-based content delivery network and denial-of-service protection provider.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, civilians prepare to board a plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

Cloudflare has not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment on the development, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Also Friday, the popular encrypted messaging service WhatsApp removed a number of Taliban groups, according to Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online extremism.

The websites disappearance may just be temporary as the Taliban secures new hosting arrangements. But the reported removal of the WhatsApp groups followed the banning of Taliban accounts by Facebook, the services parent company, on Tuesday after the U.S.-backed Afghan government fell to the Taliban.

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MORE ON THE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN:

 Report: Taliban killed minorities, fueling Afghans fears

 US struggles to speed Kabul airlift despite Taliban, chaos

 Western groups desperate to save Afghan workers left behind

 Allies embraced Biden. Did Kabul lay bare "great illusion"?

 Afghan president latest leader on the run to turn up in UAE

 Afghanistan war unpopular amid chaotic pullout: AP-NORC poll

A porter pushes a wheelbarrow carrying an elderly Afghan man as he enters into Pakistan through a border crossing point, in Chaman, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. Chaman, is a key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, normally thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis cross daily and a steady stream of trucks passes through, taking goods to Afghanistan. (AP Photo)

 Afghan officer who fought with US forces rescued from Kabul

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON  Secretary of State Antony Blinken says 13 countries have thus far agreed to at least temporarily host at-risk Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan and a dozen more have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.

Blinken says in a Friday statement that potential Afghan refugees not already cleared for resettlement in the United States will be housed at facilities in Albania, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Rwanda, Ukraine and Uganda.

Transit countries include Bahrain, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

Blinken says: We are encouraged by other countries that are also considering providing support. We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas and to fulfill our commitments to citizens of partner nations and at-risk Afghans.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  U.S. helicopters have ferried 96 Afghans to the Kabul airport for evacuation, signaling that U.S. military flights are taking place beyond the airport perimeters in the Afghan capital.

Senior American military officials told The Associated Press that an American CH-47 Chinook helicopter picked up the Afghans, mostly women and children, and ferried them to Hamid Karzai International Airport on Friday. U.S. Armys 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division airlifted the Afghans from Camp Sullivan, near the Kabul airport.

The officials say sorties like this one have been underway for days as Afghans seek to flee the country taken over by the Taliban. Intelligence teams inside Kabul are helping guide both Americans and Afghans and their families to the airport or are arranging for them to be rescued by other means.

For those living in other cities and provinces outside Kabul, CIA case officers, special operation forces and agents from the Defense Intelligence Agency on the ground are gathering U.S. citizens and Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. at pre-determined pick-up sites.

Annie Osborn, right, and other volunteers, receive, sort, and pack thousands of items donated to refugees resettling in the Washington region who are fleeing Afghanistan at Lapis, an Afghani restaurant in Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. The restaurant, owned by an Afghan family, will be accepting an assortment of household items including toiletries, linens, kitchen supplies and more at two restaurants, Lapis and The Berliner, each weekday until Aug. 27 to give to refugees resettling in the Washington region who are fleeing Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The officials would not detail where these airlift sites were for security reasons. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing operations.

James La Porta in Boca Raton, Florida.

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MOSCOW  Uzbekistan says it has sent 150 Afghan refugees who fled from the Taliban takeover back to Afghanistan, in accord with their own wishes.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the move followed talks with the Taliban, who have pledged not to persecute those who come back.

The ministry said it has contacted the Taliban to obtain security guarantees for citizens of Afghanistan who illegally crossed the border during those dramatic days as the Taliban blitzed across the country, just weeks before the final U.S. and NATO pullout.

It said the ministry learned from those Afghans who returned from Uzbekistan that they were now safe at their homes after the necessary formal procedures. The ministry did not elaborate.

The ministry noted that Uzbekistan was cooperating with the countries working to evacuate their citizens from Afghanistan, including the United States, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and others. It said the country has allowed them to use its airspace and airports and provided the necessary technical and logistical support to help evacuate a total of 1,982 people.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden says his administration is also committed to evacuating Afghans who assisted the United States during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.

Biden spoke at a White House press conference on Friday, vowing to evacuate every American still in Afghanistan who wants to get out. Bidens said no American citizens who want to leave the country will be left behind.

Biden was asked whether all Afghan allies will be evacuated. He responded, Yes. Were making the same commitment to evacuate Afghan allies as has been made to Americans in Afghanistan.

The exact number of Afghans who qualify for evacuation is not clear, but it is believed to number in the tens of thousands.

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Afghans migrants take part in a rally outside the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, requesting Kyrgyz citizenship or resettlement to the USA or Canada. (AP Photo/Vladimir Voronin)

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is pledging to evacuate any American currently in Afghanistan who wants to come home.

Biden made the promise on Friday as he provided an update on the tense situation in Afghanistan. The president has been under mounting pressure over his decisions in Afghanistan, which led to the Taliban completely taking over the country on Sunday.

Thousands of Americans, Afghans are clamoring to leave and chaotic scenes have unfolded at Kabuls international airport.

Addressing Americans in Afghanistan, Biden said: Let me be clear. Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.

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WASHINGTON  U.S. officials say that American military planes will resume evacuation flights from the Kabul airport after an hours-long pause due to a lack of places available to take evacuees.

One official said there was a backlog on Friday of about 10,000 people at the airport who have been cleared for departure and were awaiting flights.

The backlog, in turn, caused the military to close gates at the airport perimeter, where many people are trying to get on flights. The State Department was working on arranging additional places to take the evacuees.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matter not yet publicly announced ahead of President Joe Bidens speech Friday on the situation in Kabul.

Robert Burns in Washington;

This item has been corrected to say that flights are to resume, not that they have resumed.

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MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has sharply criticized the United States and its allies over their role in Afghanistan.

The Russian leader spoke on Friday after his talks in Moscow with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He said that the Talibans quick sweep over Afghanistan showed the futility of Western efforts to enforce its own vision of democracy.

Afghans who live in Greece take part in a rally against the Taliban, in Athens, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. A U.N. official warned of dire food shortages in this nation of 38 million people reliant on imports and experts said the country was severely short on cash, highlighting that the Taliban face the same problems as the civilian government they dethroned without the level of international aid it enjoyed. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

Its necessary to stop the irresponsible efforts of the U.S. to enforce its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries ... without taking into account historic, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoring other peoples traditions, Putin said.

Putin said that we know the country well and became convinced that its counterproductive to try to enforce forms of government and social life that are alien to it.

The remark was an apparent reference to the 10-year Soviet war in Afghanistan that ended with the Soviet troops withdrawal in 1989.

Putin noted the Talibans pledge to maintain public order and protect civilians and foreign diplomatic missions. He made no reference to reports of atrocities underway across Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover.

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ROME  The U.N. food agency says it has been able to negotiate access with the Taliban to distribute aid in one provincial capital in Afghanistan but hasnt been able to resume food deliveries to three other provincial capitals it supplies.

The World Food Program, headquartered in Rome, has said that some 14 million people are facing severe hunger in the nation of some 39 million. A second drought in three years, combined with fighting, had afflicted Afghanistan even before the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.

Andrew Patterson, WFPs deputy country director, told The Associated Press on Friday that after Faizabad, a provincial capital in the north, fell to the Taliban last week, the agencys field office succeeded in negotiating access with the local Taliban command, and we had (a food) truck on the road the next day.

However, Patterson said the situation in Kandahar, Herat and Jalalabad so far hasnt allowed the U.N. agency to resume distributing food in those areas.

According to WFP estimates, some 2 million children are malnourished in Afghanistan.

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BRUSSELS  NATO foreign ministers vowed on Friday to center their efforts on assuring the safe evacuation from Afghanistan of citizens from the alliances member countries and allies, as well and Afghans deemed at risk after the takeover by the Taliban.

During a virtual meeting, the ministers also expressed concern over the grave events in Afghanistan and called for an immediate end to violence amid reports of Taliban atrocities and serious human rights violations and abuses across Afghanistan.

The ministers insisted that the new rulers in Kabul would have to make sure that the nation does not become a center for terrorism. They said that under the current circumstances, NATO has suspended all support to the Afghan authorities.

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 16, 2021 file photo U.S. soldiers stand guard along the perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Hundreds of Western nationals and Afghan workers have been flown to safety since the Taliban reasserted control over the country. Yet still unprotected, and in hiding, are untold numbers of Afghans who tried to build a fledgling democracy. They include Afghans who worked with foreign forces, and who are now stranded and being hunted by the Taliban, along with aid workers.(AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani, File)

Any future Afghan government must adhere to Afghanistans international obligations . And ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists, a statement from the alliance said.

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BERLIN  Germanys foreign minister says the United States will use its Ramstein Air Base in western Germany as a temporary transit point to transport people from Afghanistan seeking protection to the United States.

Germany, like other Western countries, has sent military aircraft of its own to Afghanistan in recent days to evacuate German nationals and Afghans who worked for its forces prior to their withdrawal amid the Taliban surge.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement on Friday that the focus is on evacuating as many people from Kabul as is possible under the very difficult circumstances and that Germany is working closely with international partners.

Maas said: We agree with all our partners on the ground that no place on our planes should remain empty. He said that, as a result, U.S. flights will also take Germans or people named by German authorities to Ramstein, while Germany also will evacuate people from various nations on its own planes.

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PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron sent a message of welcome in a tweet on Friday to Afghans evacuated to France, following the arrival from Kabul of a third group of more than 200 people, mostly Afghans.

He also noted that health rules are not being forgotten, posting photos of Afghans surrounded by doctors and a man getting a COVID-19 test, obligatory for all arrivals.

All people coming to France from Afghanistan must observe a 10-day quarantine under pandemic restrictions because their country is on the French red list of color-coded risks for coronavirus, with red the highest, the Foreign Ministry noted Thursday.

To ensure that France and other nations can continue evacuations, Macron insisted in a phone call with President Joe Biden of the absolute need for rapid and concrete coordination among allies, according to a French statement Friday about the conversation the day before.

The U.S. military is in charge of the evacuations at Kabul airport, meaning that other countries must go through them to evacuate their own citizens and Afghans considered at risk in their homeland following the Taliban takeover of the country on Sunday.

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ROME  A retired Italian general who commanded Italys initial contingent in western Afghanistan in 2001 says NATOs retreat should have been planned for winter, after the end of the Talibans so-called fighting season.

Afghan people enter into Pakistan through a border crossing point, in Chaman, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. Chaman, is a key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, normally thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis cross daily and a steady stream of trucks passes through, taking goods to Afghanistan. (AP Photo)

Gen. Giorgio Battisti, in an interview on Sky TG24 TV Friday, also said the U.S. air base at Bagram should have been left operating during withdrawal to help evacuate civilians.

Probably, in my modest opinion, it was necessary to spread out the final withdrawal, assuming one wanted to completely leave Afghanistan, Battisti said.

He contended that militarily it would have been better to pull out after the end of the traditional fighting season, which lasts from spring through much of autumn.

Instead, they left in the middle of fighting season, left, like thieves in the night, this immense base of Bagram, the general said.

Noting that Bagram is some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Kabul, he suggested it could have served as a second escape valve for thousands of citizens now clamoring to get into the one operational airport at Kabul or for those who cant make it through Taliban checkpoints along the way.

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LONDON  Britains embattled foreign minister has defended his decision not to call while on vacation his Afghan counterpart about the evacuation of translators who had helped British forces.

Dominic Raab has come under increasing pressure to resign for failing to follow the advice of officials in his department to make a call to Hanif Atmar on Aug. 13, while he was vacationing on the Greek island of Crete.

Two days later, the Taliban took over Afghanistan, 20 years after they had been ousted from power, and Raab headed back to the U.K. after cutting his vacation short to deal with the crisis.

Raab on Friday posted a statement on Twitter to counter what he described as inaccurate media reporting over recent days. He said he prioritized security at Kabul airport and delegated the call to a junior minister in his department.

Raab said Atmar wasnt able to take that call because of the rapidly deteriorating situation.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister says his government has taken on the responsibility as a NATO member to organize the evacuation of some 300 Afghans who have cooperated with the military alliance.

Mateusz Morawiecki said Friday on Facebook that following his talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Poland will be evacuating from Kabul 300 Afghans who in recent years cooperated with NATO. He did not elaborate what that cooperation entailed.

Afghan families cross the border into Pakistan from Afghanistan, in Chaman, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. Chaman, is a key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, normally thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis cross daily and a steady stream of trucks passes through, taking goods to Afghanistan. (AP Photo)

They will be brought to Poland and then on to other NATO countries, which Morawiecki did not name.

Morawiecki said that Poland is taking seriously its obligations within the alliance and that the evacuation was not the last word from Poland in the NATO response to the crisis in Afghanistan. Poland has been a NATO member since 1999.

In three previous flights, Poland has evacuated some 130 Afghans and another 100 are waiting at the Kabul airport, according to Michal Dworczyk, a top aide to Morawiecki. They were first flown on Polish military planes to Uzbekistan and then on national carrier LOT planes to Warsaw.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Swedens Foreign Minister Ann Linde said that her ministry is aware of the great difficulties in getting to the airport and through the gates amid the chaos at the airport in the Afghan capital.

Linde was writing on Twitter on Friday about plans to evacuate Swedes and local hires in Kabul from the country following the Taliban takeover.

All countries are experiencing this problem and we are working on possible solutions at the airport in cooperation with other countries, Linde wrote.

She said her Foreign Ministry had staff at the Kabul airport with resources needed for further evacuation work, and added that transport capacity is available.

Linde stressed that it is important to follow the information and always put safety first.

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MADRID  Spains defense minister says the countrys military transport planes are leaving Kabul partly empty because chaos at the citys airport is preventing Afghans from evacuating.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Friday that one Afghan family taken out by Spain had left behind a daughter they lost in the airport crush.

She told Spanish public radio RNE that an ideal solution would be to set up corridors into the airport, but thats impossible because nobodys in control of the situation.

She said that after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country, the airports air traffic controllers and security staff walked out, rendering it inoperative until U.S. forces took it over.

FILE - In this Apug. 16, 2021 file photo, 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. Twin tragedies on opposite sides of the world are piling misery on people that have seen far more than their share. In Afghanistan, a group of gunmen known for sadistic tyranny rocketed back into power after 20 years as Western and Afghan leaders walked away with a sad shrug.(Verified UGC via AP, File)

She said the U.S. has given assurances that its forces wont leave the airport until the last person awaiting evacuation is out.

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WARSAW, Poland  A Polish diplomat says the most difficult thing in evacuating Afghans is finding and extracting them from pressing crowds at the Kabul airport. Poland has so far evacuated a few hundred people in three flights.

Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said Friday that sometimes consulate staff can identify the individuals in the crowd but that it was difficult for them to make their way through to the gate to be pulled into the airport.

There are thousands of totally determined people in the crowd, in extremely difficult conditions pressing on the walls and gates of the airport, Przydacz told reporters.

From this desperate crowd, sometimes understandably aggressive crowd, our people are trying to extract those who are on our list, Przydacz said.

The transport logistics goes very smoothly but the greatest challenge now is how to find these people. Even if we know where they are, and sometimes our consuls can see them 40-50 meters (yards) away, they have no possibility of getting closer, Przydacz said.

These people must first of all, on their own, get as close as they can to the entrance to have not only eye contact but real contact with the consul, because very often these people are simply pulled by the hand, jerked from the crowd with the help of the soldiers, Przydacz said.

A former ambassador to Afghanistan, Piotr Lukasiewicz, has appealed to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on social media to send more evacuation planes to Kabul.

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WASHINGTON  The United States says it evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Kabul via military transport aircraft on Aug. 19.

In a Friday statement, the White House said multiple C-17 flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport evacuated nearly 350 U.S. citizens, as well as family members of U.S. citizens, asylum applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans.

We have evacuated approximately 9,000 people since August 14. Since the end of July, we have evacuated approximately 14,000 people, it said.

It added that in the last 24 hours, the U.S. military facilitated the departure of 11 charter flights, and that those numbers were not included in the other totals.

In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, a Marine assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit escorts evacuees at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (Cpl. Davis Harris/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  The Danish Defense Ministry is urging interpreters who have worked with them and need evacuation from Kabul to urgently make contact.

In a message sent by Twitter Friday, it urged the interpreters to contact an included email address, saying: Urgent  Urgent Contact Danish Authorities NOW.

The tweet ended with We will do our best to assist.

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BERLIN  Germany says a civilian suffered a gunshot wound before being evacuated from Kabul on a German air force plane.

German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Friday that the wounded person was not in a life-threatening condition, but didnt immediately further details about the person or incident.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said Germany is providing 100 million euros in immediate funding for humanitarian aid inside Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

He said the money would exclusively go to aid organizations, particularly UNHCR, and not to the Taliban.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  An Afghan official familiar with talks with the Taliban says the group does not plan to make any decisions or announcements about the upcoming government until after the Aug. 31 U.S. withdrawal date passes.

The official, who is not authorized to give information to the media and thus spoke anonymously, says Taliban lead negotiator Anas Haqqani has told his ex-government interlocuters that the insurgent movement has a deal with the U.S. to do nothing until after the final withdrawal date passes.

He did not elaborate on whether the reference to doing nothing was only in the political field. Haqqanis statement raises concerns about what the religious movement might be planning after Aug. 31, and whether they will keep their promise to include non-Taliban officials in the next government.

Until now the Taliban have said nothing of their plans to replace the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, or what a replacement would look like.

In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, a corpsman with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) checks the well-being of evacuees' during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

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VATICAN CITY  The Vaticans newspaper is calling on the international community to welcome Afghan civilians fleeing the Taliban, expressing incredulousness that before deciding to abandon the country no one thought through such a foreseeable scenario or did anything to avoid it.

In a front-page article in the Friday edition of LOsservatore Romano, deputy editor Gaetano Vallini said the West was obliged to urgently remedy the situation with concrete action and welcome refugees to avoid a catastrophic humanitarian emergency.

The commentary was an unusually blunt criticism of the U.S., though Washington wasnt singled out by name. After expressing shock at the chaos created by the U.S.-led Western withdrawal, Gallini wrote: It would be even more serious if such a decision was taken with the knowledge of such dramatic consequences.

Pope Francis has expressed alarm at the chaos that has engulfed Afghanistan with the Taliban takeover. During his Sunday blessing, Francis asked for prayers for an end to the violence and for Afghan men, women and children to be able to live in fully reciprocal peace and security.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  Friday prayers were uneventful in the Afghan capital, with no Taliban gunmen seen guarding the entrances of mosques or enforcing dress code restrictions as they have in the past. Some mosques even saw higher numbers than normal in attendance.

The Islamic-fundamentalist Taliban issued guidance to imams around Afghanistan on Thursday, saying they should use the weekly sermons and prayers to appeal for unity, urge people not to flee the country, and to counter negative propaganda about them.

The benefits of state should be explained to all, a commission of Taliban monitoring religious affairs and mosques said in the guidance they circulated.

Kabul resident Jawed Safi was please to see the mosques secure. The Afghan government had previously posted guards at mosques to ward off attackers due to frequent bombings in the past.

People were as normal, as in the past, but there were more of them, Safi said, adding that there were no restrictions so far.

An imam in eastern Kabul, Bashir Wardak, said that Afghans should unite to stop the decadeslong bloodshed. Allah has ordered us to peace and brotherhood so we must get united, he said.

Abdul Boghdi, another imam in northern Kabul, said that people together should collect money to help those displaced.

One attendee, Qasim Ahmadi, saw people wearing jeans attend prayers as usual. There should be no restrictions on us, we are already Muslims, he said. The Taliban should aim for an inclusive government in order to be successful.

In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, evacuees load on to a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (Sgt. Isaiah Campbell/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

Thousand of internally displaced people are living on the streets and in the parks of Kabul, with limited access to drinking water and food. Some reports indicate that their situation has worsened since the Taliban overran the capital, causing donors to shy away.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia  Indonesia has evacuated 26 of its citizens, including 5 diplomats, from Kabul on a special military flight to Jakarta.

Indonesias foreign minister Retno Marsudi said in a tweet that the Friday flight that would land later in the day also carried five Filipinos and two Afghans, including the spouse of an Indonesian national and a local staff member of the Indonesian Embassy.

The Indonesian military aircraft carrying out this mission is now in Islamabad and will proceed to Indonesia soon, Marsudi said.

The ministrys spokesperson, Teuku Faizasyah said the evacuation was planned once the Taliban took control of the capital and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

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KABUL, Afghanistan  Life is returning to normal for some Afghans in the capital, although Kabuls normally crowded streets appear empty of their usual traffic congestion.

The Taliban have not imposed any restrictions on people so far, as they prepare for Friday prayers. Having a long beard and wearing traditional hats and clothes were required while the group was ruling the country in the late 90s.

Fewer stores have opened, and few cars could be seen on the streets. Taliban checkpoints have sprung up around the city, searching cars and checking documents. Some Taliban are patrolling in cars as well.

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MADRID  Top European Union officials will visit a Spanish military airport being used as a hub to receive Afghans flown out of Kabul before they are distributed to other countries in the bloc.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Friday that EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel will visit a temporary camp at the Torrejon de Ardoz military airport near Madrid on Saturday.

Albares told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE that Spain is receiving evacuated Afghans who have worked for EU bodies or EU member nations.

The evacuees are expected to spend several days at the camp for health and security screening before moving to reception centers ahead of their journeys to other European countries.

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ISLAMABAD  Pakistans state-run airline has resumed special flights for Kabul, in order to evacuate Pakistanis and foreigners stranded in Afghanistan.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet said Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will send its two planes to the Afghan capital on Friday to evacuate 350 passengers.

Chaudhry says Pakistans interior ministry is also facilitating the evacuation of Pakistanis and foreigners from Afghanistan through border crossings.

The latest development comes days after PIA halted all flights to Kabul to protect passengers, the crew and the planes after consulting the Afghan civil aviation authorities.

Pakistans government has been trying to evacuate its citizens and foreigners by air and land routes since the Taliban took over Kabul.

For this purpose, Pakistan is issuing visas upon arrival to all diplomats, foreigners and journalists who want to leave Kabul over security concerns.

___

BERLIN  Germany says it has flown out more than 1,600 people from Kabul this week.

The Defense Ministry on Friday said that the German military has carried out 11 evacuation flights so far, with more planned.

The German government has pledged to help bring all citizens and local Afghan staff who worked for the German military, aid groups or news organizations out of the country.

Senior German officials have also said efforts will be made to help Afghans who are particularly vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban, such as human rights defenders.

But Germanys commanding officer in Kabul, Gen. Jens Arlt, said the evacuation has been hampered by the large number of people outside Kabul airport hoping to get onto planes out of Afghanistan.

___

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  A plane with people who have been evacuated from Afghanistan landed Friday at the Oslo airport in Norway.

Norways Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Norwegian news agency NTB that onboard were citizens from the Scandinavian country, family members to local employees and some other European citizens. Eriksen Soereide didnt give any figures or elaborate.

Among the group were reporters for Norways TV2 and NRK television channels.

The plane arrived from Tbilisi, Georgia.

On Wednesday, a plane with 13 Norwegian citizens, mostly diplomats, arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark.

___

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CANBERRA, Australia  More than 160 Australian and Afghan citizens have been evacuated from Kabul after a third rescue flight, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.

Morrison said 60 Australians and Afghans who helped Australia during the 20-year war were flown to the United Arab Emirates overnight.

The first Australian flight carrying 94 evacuees touched down in the Australian west coast city of Perth on Friday, he said.

Australia could not evacuate parts of Afghanistan beyond the Kabul airport, he added.

The situation in Kabul does remain chaotic, Morrison said. The government has not commented on media reports that Australia plans to evacuate 600 Australians and Afghans.

___
MOSCOW (AP)  Russian authorities on Friday designated a top independent TV channel as a foreign agent, intensifying pressure on critical media ahead of next month's parliamentary election.

Tikhon Dzyadko, Editor-in-Chief of the Dozhd TV channel walks in a news room of the Dozhd (Rain) TV channe lin Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. Russian authorities have designated a top independent TV channel as a "foreign agent," intensifying pressure on critical media ahead of next month's parliamentary election. The Justice Ministry announced Friday that the Dozhd (Rain) TV channel and the Vazhnye Istorii (Importrant Stories) investigative online outlet have been added to the list of "foreign agents" along with seven of its journalists.(AP Photo/Denis Kaminev)

MOSCOW (AP)  Russian authorities on Friday designated a top independent TV channel as a foreign agent, intensifying pressure on critical media ahead of next month's parliamentary election.

The Justice Ministry announced that the Dozhd (Rain) TV channel and the Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories) investigative online outlet have been added to the list of foreign agents, along with seven of its journalists. The label implies closer government scrutiny and carries a strong pejorative connotation that could discourage potential viewers.

Dozhd's head Natalya Sindeyeva denounced the move as unfair, saying the TV channel has been fully transparent about its funding and published its financial documents.

It's a silly decision, Sindeyeva told The Associated Press. "We aren't a foreign agent, we are a media outlet that has been working in Russia for 11 years and is known to everyone, including decision-makers."

Dozhd has been sharply critical of Russian authorities' crackdown on dissent and regularly carried live reports from opposition protests. It has extensively covered the poisoning and the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the criminal cases launched against his allies.

In June, the Kremlin purged Dozhd from the pool of journalists covering Putin, charging that it was supporting unsanctioned demonstrations during a wave of opposition protests earlier this year against Navalny's arrest  an accusation the channel rejected.

Navalny, the most outspoken political foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill on a domestic flight over Siberia on Aug. 20, 2020 and was flown for treatment to Germany, where officials determined that he was poisoned with a Soviet-designed nerve agent. He blamed the attack on the Kremlin, an accusation that Russian authorities reject.

Navalny was arrested in January upon returning to Moscow from Germany and handed a 2 1/2-year prison sentence in February for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated.

In the following months, authorities unleashed a sweeping crackdown on Navalny's groups and associates. In June, a court outlawed Navalnys Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a network of his regional offices as extremist organizations. The verdict carried long prison terms for those associated with it and was widely seen as part of efforts to bar Kremlin critics from running in the Sept. 19 parliamentary election.

The Justice Ministry acted under a law that is used to designate as foreign agents non-governmental organizations and individuals who receive funding from abroad and engage in activities loosely described as political.

The foreign agent designation requires those who receive it to add a lengthy statement to their reports, social media posts and audiovisual materials specifying that the content was created by an outlet performing the functions of a foreign agent.

Sindeyeva said that the move would make Dozhd's work more difficult and could discourage some companies from extending their advertising contracts and make some newsmakers more reluctant to come on air. But she added that Dozhd will continue to operate.

We hope that our viewers will not abandon us, she told the AP.

Dozhd's editor Tikhon Dzyadko said the channel will appeal the Justice Ministry's action, which he said doesn't conform with the law and common sense.

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Russian authorities have previously applied the designation to several independent media outlets, including Meduza and VTimes. VTimes shut down after that, while Meduza launched a crowd-funding campaign.

Another law has been used to outlaw groups deemed undesirable and makes membership in them a criminal offense. It has been used to ban scores of opposition groups, foreign NGOs and critical media outlets.

The punitive machine has toughened its action over the past year, branding one after another as foreign agent, an undesirable organization or an extremist," Sindeyeva said. It could be connected with the election.

Russian authorities have raised the heat on the opposition and independent media ahead of the September parliamentary vote, which is widely seen as important to Putins ability to cement his rule in the runup to the countrys 2024 presidential election.

___

Daniel Kozin in Moscow contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden pledged firmly on Friday to bring all Americans home from Afghanistan  and all Afghans who aided the war effort, too  as officials confirmed that U..S. military helicopters were flying into Taliban-held Kabul to scoop up would-be evacuees.

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden pledged firmly on Friday to bring all Americans home from Afghanistan  and all Afghans who aided the war effort, too  as officials confirmed that U..S. military helicopters were flying into Taliban-held Kabul to scoop up would-be evacuees.

But Biden's promises, and the limited U.S. helicopter sorties beyond the concrete barriers ringing the Kabul airport, came as thousands more Americans and others seeking to escape the Taliban struggled to get past crushing crowds, Taliban airport checkpoints and sometimes-insurmountable U.S. bureaucracy.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, civilians prepare to board a plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

We will get you home, Biden promised Americans who were still in Afghanistan days after the Taliban retook control of Kabul, ending a two-decade war. American officials confirmed to The Associated Press that limited helicopter rescues were underway.

Biden's comments, delivered at the White House, were intended to project purpose and stability at the conclusion of a week during which images from Afghanistan more often suggested chaos, especially at the airport.

His commitment to find a way out for Afghan allies vulnerable to Taliban attacks amounted to a potentially vast expansion of Washington's promises, given the tens of thousands of translators and other helpers, and their close family members, seeking evacuation.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, two civilians during processing through an Evacuee Control Checkpoint during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

Were making the same commitment" to Afghan wartime helpers as to U.S. citizens, Biden said, offering the prospect of assistance to Afghans who largely have been fighting individual battles to get the documents and passage into the airport that they need to leave. He called the Afghan allies equally important in the evacuations.

Meanwhile, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had disconcerting news for the lawmakers he briefed on Friday, confirming that Americans are among those who have been beaten by the Taliban at airport checkpoints.

Biden is facing continuing criticism as videos and news reports depict pandemonium and occasional violence outside the airport.

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, center, the commander of U.S. Central Command, meets with U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan-Forward, at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Capt. William Urban/U.S. Navy via AP)

I made the decision on the timing of the U.S. withdrawal, he said, his tone firm as he declared that it was going to lead to difficult scenes, no matter when. Former President Donald Trump had set it for May in negotiations with the Taliban, but Biden extended it.

Thousands of people remain to be evacuated ahead of Biden's Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw most remaining U.S. troops. Flights were stopped for several hours on Friday because of a backup at a transit point for the refugees, a U.S. airbase in Qatar, but they resumed in the afternoon, including to Bahrain.

A defense official said about 5,700 people, including about 250 Americans, were flown out of Kabul aboard 16 C-17 transport planes, guarded by a temporary U.S. military deployment that's building to 6,000 troops. On each of the previous two days, about 2,000 people were airlifted.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pauses while speaking during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Senior American military officials told the AP that an American CH-47 Chinook helicopter picked up Afghans, mostly women and children, and ferried them to Hamid Karzai International Airport on Friday. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the Armys 82nd Airborne Division airlifted the Afghans from Camp Sullivan, near the Kabul airport.

The officials said such sorties have been underway for several days from various points in Kabul as Afghans seek to flee the country taken over by the Taliban. Intelligence teams inside Kabul are helping guide both Americans and Afghans and their families to the airport or are arranging for them to be rescued by other means.

For those living in cities and provinces outside Kabul, CIA case officers, special operation forces and agents from the Defense Intelligence Agency on the ground are gathering some U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked for the U.S. at predetermined pick-up sites.

In this photo made available by Britain's Ministry of Defence, a civilian charter flight arrives at a British midlands airport (exact location withheld) from Kabul on Wednesday Aug. 18, 2021. The flight carried eligible Afghans under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy Programme along with British Nationals who were based in Afghanistan. (SAC Samantha Holden RAF via AP)

The officials would not detail where these airlift sites were for security reasons. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing operations.

In Washington, some veterans in Congress were calling on the Biden administration to extend a security perimeter beyond the Kabul airport so more Afghans could get through.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said a small number of U.S. troops did go outside the perimeter a short distance for a short amount of time to help bring in 169 people, but gave no details. Those were Americans, Biden said. The administration has said its not capable at current deployment levels in Kabul of bringing order to the chaos.

Taliban fighters display their flag while on patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. The Taliban celebrated Afghanistan's Independence Day on Thursday by declaring they beat the United States, but challenges to their rule ranging from running a country severely short on cash and bureaucrats to potentially facing an armed opposition began to emerge. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The lawmakers also said they want Biden to make clearer that the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops is not a firm one.

The deadline "is contributing to the chaos and the panic at the airport because you have Afghans who think that they have 10 days to get out of this country or that door is closing forever, said Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., who served in Iraq and also worked in Afghanistan to help aid workers provide humanitarian relief.

With mobs of people outside the airport and Taliban fighters ringing its perimeter, the U.S. renewed its advisory to Americans and others that it could not guarantee safe passage for any of those desperately seeking seats on the planes inside. The Taliban are regularly firing into the air to try to control the crowds, sending men, women and children running.

Taliban fighters patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. The Taliban celebrated Afghanistan's Independence Day on Thursday by declaring they beat the United States, but challenges to their rule ranging from running a country severely short on cash and bureaucrats to potentially facing an armed opposition began to emerge. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The advisory captured some of the pandemonium, and what many Afghans and foreigners see as their life-and-death struggle to get inside. It said: "We are processing people at multiple gates. Due to large crowds and security concerns, gates may open or close without notice. Please use your best judgment and attempt to enter the airport at any gate that is open.

While Biden has previously blamed Afghans for the U.S. failure to get out more allies ahead of this months sudden Taliban takeover, U.S. officials told The Associated Press that American diplomats had formally urged weeks ago that the administration ramp up evacuation efforts.

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Biden said Friday he had gotten a wide variety of time estimates, though all were pessimistic about the Afghan government surviving.

President Joe Biden speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug 18, 2021, on the COVID-19 response and vaccination program. U.S. health officials Wednesday announced plans to offer COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and signs that the vaccines' effectiveness is falling. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

He has said he was following the advice of Afghanistan's U.S.-backed president, Ashraf Ghani, in not earlier expanding U.S. efforts to fly out translators and other endangered Afghans. Ghani fled the country last weekend as the Taliban seized the capital.

Biden has also said that many at-risk Afghan allies had not wanted to leave the country. But refugee groups point to yearslong backlogs of applications from thousands of those Afghans for visas that would let them take refuge in the United States.

Afghans and the Americans trying to help them also say the administration has clung to visa requirements for would-be evacuees that involve more than a dozen steps, and can take years to complete. Those often have included requirements that the Taliban sweep has made dangerous or impossible  such as requiring Afghans to go to a third-country to apply for a U.S. visa, and produce paperwork showing their work with Americans.

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Associated Press reporters Josh Boak, Lolita C. Baldor and Kevin Freking contributed from Washington, James LaPorta from Boca Raton, Florida.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Greg Ryken showed up to his favorite lunch spot in San Francisco on Friday with an appetite and his vaccination record in hand.

FILE - In this June 3, 2021 file photo California Gov. Gavin Newsom walks with San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Geary Street to a news conference outside Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco. San Francisco will require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for a number of indoor activities such as visiting restaurants, bars and gyms. A city supervisor confirmed the new mandate shortly before Breed was scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg,File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Greg Ryken showed up to his favorite lunch spot in San Francisco on Friday with an appetite and his vaccination record in hand.

A manager at Sam's Grill and Seafood restaurant verified he was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, put him on a list of customers who have met the city's new requirement for future reference, and walked him to his table.

Easy, Ryken said as San Francisco became the first major city in the U.S. to enforce the strictest vaccine mandate for entering restaurants, bars, gyms and large concerts.

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2020, file photo, diners Mitchell Bryant, left, and Darla Scott eat inside at the Buena Vista Cafe amid the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco. San Francisco will require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for a number of indoor activities such as visiting restaurants, bars and gyms. A city supervisor confirmed the new mandate shortly before Mayor London Breed was scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Businesses posted signs and added extra staff to begin verifying people's vaccination and identity cards before allowing them in. Many gyms had already been checking their members' vaccination status before the health order went into effect.

We tested systems in place to see how we would do it, we were talking to our customers, getting our staff prepared, and we are so thrilled to have the full-throated support of the leadership of our city so we can confidently walk into this new landscape together, said Tracey Sylvester, owner of a Pilates studio in the Mission neighborhood.

Pete Sittnick, a managing partner of Waterbar and EPIC Steak restaurants on the city's waterfront, said he was worried about slow check-ins, resistance from guests against the requirement or people showing up without proper documentation. So far, he said, the lunch crowd came with vaccination cards in their hands, and the line to get through the door was short.

The good thing is, if somebody doesn't have their verification of vaccination they can still eat outside. There is an option and we just need to be ready for different scenarios, he said.

FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2020, file photo, people wear masks while working out in social distancing spaces in an indoor class at a Hit Fit SF gym amid the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco. San Francisco will require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for a number of indoor activities such as visiting restaurants, bars and gyms. A city supervisor confirmed the new mandate shortly before Mayor London Breed was scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu,File)

Mayor London Breed announced the requirement more than a week ago in an attempt to stem rising COVID-19 cases, saying she was worried the highly contagious delta variant could disrupt the citys economic rebound. She also hopes it will encourage vaccine holdouts to join the 79% of the population that have gotten their shots.

This is not a punishment, Breed said Friday. It's really about a chance to try and get us moving in the right direction and keeping people safe.

The mandate goes further than New York City, which requires people to be at least partially vaccinated for a variety of high-risk indoor activities, and New Orleans, which requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for indoor dining or drinking. All three cities make exceptions for people who don't qualify for the vaccine, including children under 12.

It follows a number of tough safety measures San Francisco imposed since the beginning of the pandemic. The city and its neighboring counties in the Bay Area were the first in the U.S. to issue a stay-at-home order, and was the first big city in the nation to require all city employees to be vaccinated, without the option of testing regularly.

From left, Stephen Lee, Adrianne Tong and Audrey Tong, wait to have their vaccination records checked before entering the Waterbar restaurant Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, in San Francisco. San Francisco became the first major city in the nation to require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 on Friday for people dining inside restaurants, working out in gyms or attending indoor concerts. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

This week, the city sent letters recommending a 10-day suspension without pay for 20 employees in police, fire and sheriff's departments who refused to report their vaccination status by the Aug. 12 deadline, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has also tighten the rules after announcing the reopening of Californias economy in June. He has required health care workers to get vaccinated to keep their jobs and all teachers and state workers to either get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

Local business groups have supported the new vaccine mandate, saying it will protect their employees' and customers' health and keep them from having to limit capacity indoors. Some businesses that had taken it upon themselves to check for proof of vaccination at the door said a citywide policy helps set clear expectations for all customers.

Jody McCord said the mandate forced her to cancel plans to meet relatives visiting from Wisconsin at her favorite dine-in spots because not everyone in her party is fully vaccinated. They had to take their reunion across San Francisco Bay to a restaurant in Sausalito.

Peter Quartaroli, right, talks with customers about their vaccination status as they enter Sam's Grill & Seafood Restaurant Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, in San Francisco. Anyone who wants to eat, drink or exercise indoors in San Francisco must show they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 when one of the nation's most stringent restrictions on unvaccinated people takes effect Friday. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

It puts people between a rock and a hard place, McCord said.

Online ordering and reservation systems such as OpenTable are helping businesses by warning customers of the mandate ahead of time. The city's hospitality industry has launched a campaign called Relax, We're Vaxxed to get the word out to travelers.

City officials said a paper card issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a photo of the CDC card, or a digital vaccine credential will suffice. Proof of vaccination issued by foreign governments is also acceptable.

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Pearce Cleaveland, co-owner of the Temple nightclub, said his security guards have been trained to check all forms of vaccination proof and they have caught some people with fake vaccination cards.

Weve had people who get upset at the door when theyre turned away, but in general theyre understanding, he said.

Workers have until Oct. 13 to prove they are fully vaccinated and Cleaveland said he expects to meet compliance by then.

After a sharp increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the Bay Area over the summer, the numbers appear to be leveling off but remain high, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an expert on infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco.

He said reinstated restrictions have helped slow the spread.

There is no magic bullet, just a combination of a hard stick and soft stick, he said. The proof of vaccination mandate is a soft stick because you can still eat outdoors, but if you want to hang out with people indoors you better get vaccinated.
OTTAWA - Canada will accelerate processing the families of interpreters and others who supported its mission in Afghanistan to quickly evacuate as many approved people as possible, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Friday.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says his department will accelerate the processing of the families of interpreters and others who supported Canada's mission in Afghanistan to evacuate as many approved people as possible quickly. Refugees from Afghanistan and Canadian Citizens board a bus after being processed at Pearson Airport in Toronto, Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021, after arriving indirectly from Afghanistan. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Canada will accelerate processing the families of interpreters and others who supported its mission in Afghanistan to quickly evacuate as many approved people as possible, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Friday.

Mendicino made the remarks as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan confirmed that the first Canadian plane full of Afghan refugees took 188 people out of the Kabul airport Thursday night.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Mendicino said his department is ramping up processing Afghan refugees by adding resources to the operation.

He said the government is not requiring passports or COVID-19 negative tests from the Afghan passengers and is deferring biometric screening to a third country, where it's safe for evacuees and government officials to be screened.

"We have now two of our largest air carriers running back and forth from Kabul. We're going to keep those flights going for as long as possible," he said.

Mendicino said the main obstacle remains the Taliban checkpoints that Afghans have to go through to reach the Kabul airport.

"It's our expectation that every Afghan that is eligible under our program be permitted safe passage to get to the airport," he said.

The Department of National Defence announced this week that two C-17 transport aircraft had been deployed to conduct regular flights out of Kabul.

Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said in an email Thursday that the C-17s have been reconfigured to maximize the number of passengers they can carry and have begun to fly in and out of Kabul.

In a tweet, Sajjan said Thursday's flight took out 175 Afghans and 13 foreign nationals.

"Canadian flights will continue for as long as the situation on the ground permits," he wrote.

Mendicino says almost 1,000 Afghan refugees have already arrived in Canada.

"We have been working closely with our allies, particularly with the U.S. and the U.K. on ensuring that we are as effective as possible, all together, bringing out as many Afghans as possible and getting people to safety," Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said at a campaign stop in Winnipeg.

He said several more round-trip flights from Kabul were to follow Friday.

Lamirande said Afghans evacuated Thursday have been accepted under the immigration programs of other nations and will be transferred to their care. Other participating nations are carrying Canadian citizens and Afghan nationals destined for Canada.

An interpreter currently waiting in Kabul to be evacuated to Canada with his wife and three children said the Taliban militants knocked on his door Friday morning asking what he does for a living and why he is not in his home province.

The interpreter that The Canadian Press is not naming to protect his safety said he had to lie to the militants by telling them he worked at a bakery shop and he is in Kabul for work.

"They were searching every house where I live," said the interpreter who previously worked with the Canadian Armed Forces in Kandahar.

He said he submitted his application for resettlement in Canada last month and he and his wife visited the Canadian Embassy in Kabul on Aug. 5, before the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital.

He said he has not heard from the Canadian government since then.

"It is very dangerous to be in Kabul," he said. "Things are getting worse hour by hour."

He said he can make his way to the Kabul airport but he is not sure he will be able to get inside with his family because of the large crowd of people waiting outside.

"It's a very difficult situation outside, he said. I have seen some videos from outside the gate  and they are shooting in the air just to scare the people."

Canada is trying to evacuate Afghans including former interpreters and support staff as well as their families, who are now at risk of Taliban arrest or worse for having worked with the Canadian military and other organizations.

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The Trudeau government promised last week to resettle 20,000 refugees who have already fled Afghanistan.

Veterans and advocates have complained for weeks about the government's handling of the crisis. Their concerns include complicated forms for Afghans to fill out, unrealistic and confusing application requirements and complete silence from the department after paperwork has been submitted.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2021.



This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said a plane full of Afghan refugees landed in Canada on Thursday night.
OTTAWA - The Green Party of Canada has elected a fresh group of officials to its top spots, with staunch supporters of leader Annamie Paul comprising much of the new crop and shoring up her perch atop the party  at least temporarily.

Green Party Leader Annamie Paul canvasses a neighbourhood after launching her election campaign in the riding of Toronto Centre, on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

OTTAWA - The Green Party of Canada has elected a fresh group of officials to its top spots, with staunch supporters of leader Annamie Paul comprising much of the new crop and shoring up her perch atop the party  at least temporarily.

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The results of the internal vote were posted today and grant Paul a little breathing room after a months-long clash between her and some party executives who sought to oust her in the lead-up to a federal election, which is set for Sept. 20.

While the fresh makeup of the 18-member federal council also includes some who have been less gung-ho about Paul, three sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter say the chance of a non-confidence vote against the leader is now drastically reduced.

Party executives  several of them no longer on board the council  aimed to dethrone Paul this summer in a non-confidence vote and a membership suspension, though both were halted by an independent arbitrator.

The new crew includes Matthew Piggott  who volunteered on Pauls leadership campaign in October and went on to serve as the party's national field director before being fired against the leader's wishes  as well as Clement Badra, who Paul named to her shadow cabinet last month.

The Green party mandates a vote on the leader within six months of an election, rendering her current spot precarious post-vote, particularly if she fails to win the riding of Toronto Centre, a Liberal stronghold she has lost twice in the past two years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2021.
SAINTE-MARIE-DE-BEAUCE, Que. - A 54-year-old Quebec man has been charged with attempted murder after a provincial police officer was shot and wounded during a traffic stop south of Quebec City earlier this week.

A Surete du Quebec police car is seen in Montreal on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. The police officer who was shot and wounded during a traffic stop earlier this week is thanking the public for their support. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

SAINTE-MARIE-DE-BEAUCE, Que. - A 54-year-old Quebec man has been charged with attempted murder after a provincial police officer was shot and wounded during a traffic stop south of Quebec City earlier this week.

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The Crown prosecutor's office said today Marco Rodrigue appeared Thursday at the courthouse in St-Joseph-de-Beauce, Que., where he was also charged with two weapons offences.

A 40-year-old Quebec police officer ended up in hospital with a bullet wound Wednesday after stopping a vehicle for a traffic violation in Ste-Marie, Que., in the Beauce region south of Quebec City.

Officer Catherine Giroux took to Facebook on Thursday to thank her partner, her superiors and members of the public who sent her hundreds of messages of support following the incident.

She described Wednesday as a "dark day" for her and her family but said she's recovering at home and looking forward to getting back to work.

Rodrigue was arrested Wednesday night based on a description provided by Giroux and with the help of the public. Quebec police have said the suspect had weapons in his car and appeared to bear a grudge against police officers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2021.
Manitoba politics is in a state of suspended animation after Premier Brian Pallister was undermined by his cabinet but appears unwilling to immediately step aside.

Manitoba politics is in a state of suspended animation after Premier Brian Pallister was undermined by his cabinet but appears unwilling to immediately step aside.

There's talk about a prorogation of the legislature, retaliatory strikes from Pallister, or even a standoff that could provoke an election.

"We're into a twilight zone period, in which the premier continues to be premier and other people are vying for the leadership," said University of Manitoba political scientist Christopher Adams.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS One week after Pallister announced hed step down before the next election, Tuxedo MLA Heather Stefanson resigned from cabinet to become the first declared candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"We've gone from quite low-key, fairly opaque comments about the tone set by the premier, to almost outright rebellion."

On Wednesday, Tuxedo MLA Heather Stefanson resigned from cabinet to become the first declared candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party  just one week after Pallister announced hed step down before the next election.

She announced shed scrap Bill 64, an education reform bill that has become politically toxic, even among the Tory base outside the Perimeter Highway.

Glover on fence about PC run Former Winnipeg Conservative MP Shelly Glover says she is still considering whether to run for the PC leadership. click to read more Former Winnipeg Conservative MP Shelly Glover says she is still considering whether to run for the PC leadership. This is a big decision that I am considering with family, friends and party members, Glover wrote Thursday, saying she is waiting to see the partys leadership campaign rules. Although leadership provides an opportunity to rebuild the party and hit the reset button, I believe strongly in a team approach to transformation, so Im taking the time to consult widely, Glover wrote to the Free Press. Glover describes herself on LinkedIn as a retired police officer and recovering politician. She said she would repeal Bill 64, implement a seniors advocate, restore the Mature Women's Centre at Victoria Hospital and apologize on behalf of the party for insensitive comments made by Premier Brian Pallister, which Indigenous leaders deemed to be racist. Dylan Robertson Close

The roughly 15 MLAs who surrounded Stefanson at her news conference cheered in approval, including Education Minister Cliff Cullen, who is responsible for shepherding the bill through the legislature. In the past, he argued that false information had made the reforms unpopular.

His actions are a breach of a fundamental tenet of the Westminster model of government in which a minister who cant support government policies must resign.

"The majority of the caucus and the cabinet have taken a firm position. They cant walk it back," said Raymond Hebert, a political science professor emeritus at Universite de Saint-Boniface.

Hebert said it was stunning that Stefanson won over 24 of her 35 fellow Tory MLAs just a week after Pallister said he would step down, suggesting there is widespread discontent among his caucus.

He argued Pallisters team needs to revoke Bill 64 as soon as possible, or face a revolt that rivals the dramatic downfall of former NDP premier Greg Selinger.

Stefanson announced shed scrap Bill 64, an education reform bill that has become politically toxic, even among the Tory base outside the Perimeter Highway. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun files)

"If they can't manage that, then I think all hell could break loose, either within caucus or cabinet, or the party."

PC sources say senior officials have discussed proroguing the legislature, an effective restart button that would kill Bill 64 and other legislation that has been delayed by NDP tactics.

Adams suggested it would make sense for Pallister to formally step down and have an interim premier until the PCs choose their leader. One choice could be Kelvin Goertzen, who cannot endorse anyone because he is house leader, and has stated that he does not want to be premier.

"Hes respected widely in the caucus, so that might be one approach," said Adams.

"My thinking with the premier is the more people push him to do something, the more he resists it."

As chairman of the Council of the Federation, Pallister is eager to oversee the premiers meeting set for Winnipeg on Oct. 5 to 7, after the federal election.

The premier is banking on convincing the newly elected federal government to commit to more generous health transfers at the meeting. Such a move would allow Pallister to end his political career with a victory.

The question is, will he make it to that point?

One source said the premier was livid after Stefansons campaign launch on Wednesday and that he is looking to take action against the MLAs who lined up behind her. The former health minister is the front-runner to be the next premier.

"The retribution began yesterday, the Tory insider told the Free Press Thursday.

"There is certainly speculation in the party machinery that the premier is angry enough that he could consider moving ministers."

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS MLA Heather Stefanson annoucned her leadership run to be premier and leader of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative party at the South Winnipeg Community Centre in Winnipeg. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files)

There are concerns Pallister could declare a vote on Bill 64 a matter of confidence, a game of brinkmanship that could trigger a snap election after months of the PCs polling at historical lows.

However, the legislature isnt scheduled to sit until October, and the government could decide to delay that.

Spokespeople for Pallister and Stefanson did not respond to interview requests about the gulf between the premier and his caucus. Cullens staff claimed he was away Thursday.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew said the PCs are putting the publics concerns on the backburner, such as a safe return to school and the preparation for the fourth wave of the pandemic, fuelled by the delta variant of concern.

Instead, the Tories seem focused on internal party conflict versus government business.

"They're in such a desperate scramble to distance themselves from Mr. Pallister's legacy that they're ignoring some pretty fundamental functions of our democracy," Kinew said.

He said Cullen should leave cabinet, arguing it makes no sense for him to be education minister when he is opposed to his main legislation.

"If you don't support a bill, you're supposed to resign (from cabinet)," Kinew said. "I think the other folks (in cabinet) need to think long and hard about what it is they're trying to do."

Kinew also argued the MLAs who support Stefanson are trying to change the channel on decisions they supported as a caucus.

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For example, Stefanson seconded Bill 64 when the government tabled it last November. She was health minister during the disastrous second and third waves, in which Manitoba became the only province that had to airlift ICU patients to other provinces, yet on Wednesday she insisted the health-care system isnt at a crisis point.

"Its a clear sign that nothings going to change," Kinew said.

Hebert said that perception could empower an outside candidate for the PC leadership, such as former Winnipeg Conservative MP Shelly Glover and current rural Tory MP Candice Bergen.

But until the PCs determine whos calling the shots, confusion could lead the party to turn on itself, Hebert argued.

"Things can't stay where they are. It's just impossible with such radically different positions taken by Pallister (versus) the majority of his caucus and cabinet."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
One of three things could happen to Manitobas controversial Bill 64, now that the perceived front-runner in the race to replace Premier Brian Pallister said she plans to scrap the proposed legislation: it could be substantially amended, withdrawn or quashed if the legislature is prorogued.

One of three things could happen to Manitobas controversial Bill 64, now that the perceived front-runner in the race to replace Premier Brian Pallister said she plans to scrap the proposed legislation: it could be substantially amended, withdrawn or quashed if the legislature is prorogued.

However, that doesnt mean the idea of reducing the number of school divisions across the province is dead. Manitobans will probably see a scaled-down version of the bill sometime in 2022.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS PC MLA Heather Stefanson has said, as leader of the PC party, she would scrap Manitobas controversial Bill 64.

As anticipated, Bill 64, the Education Modernization Act, will never see the light of day as it's currently written, now that Pallister has confirmed hes quitting early in his second term. The bill was destined for the shredder even before leadership candidate Heather Stefanson, the MLA for Tuxedo, said Wednesday she would "kill" the bill if elected. It was dead the moment Pallister announced he was stepping down.

Bill 64 was a Pallister invention designed solely to put his stamp on the public school system. It was never grounded in sound education policy and has been widely rejected by Manitobans. In its current form, it could single-handedly sink the Tories in the next election. Its that unpopular.

The Tories now find themselves in the unusual position of having a leadership candidate and most of caucus openly opposing a bill thats still on the government order paper.

They have a few options on how to proceed.

Bill 64 was a Pallister invention designed solely to put his stamp on the public school system. It was never grounded in sound education policy and has been widely rejected by Manitobans. In its current form, it could singlehandedly sink the Tories in the next election. Its that unpopular.

The legislature was scheduled to resume sitting Oct. 6, but it doesnt have to. The premier could delay it until after the Tories elect a new leader. If he does, the current session could proceed at a later date with the existing bills still in motion.

Regardless of when the session resumes, Education Minister Cliff Cullen could seek leave to withdraw Bill 64 (which has to occur by unanimous consent of the house). That would kill the bill in its tracks. He could also amend it, but that seems unlikely. The Tories would prefer to avoid the spectacle of the bill going to public hearings.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister will not be seeking re-election. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

Government could prorogue the house, meaning the current session would end and all bills before the legislature, including Bill 64, would die on the order paper. Thats a real possibility. If thats the route the Tories take, they could return with a new leader and a throne speech and decide which bills, if any, they want to resurrect.

Bill 64 would not be among them.

What the Tories will likely do is introduce a scaled-down version of the bill at a later date, probably next year. There are valid reasons for doing so.

With teacher bargaining moving to a centralized model and school property taxes being phased out, there are now fewer reasons than ever for the existence of school boards and elected trustees. There are also legitimate concerns about the amount of administrative duplication that exists under the current structure.

At the same time, there have been compelling arguments made since Bill 64 was introduced in favour of maintaining some elected representation in the public school system to reflect regional priorities.

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The challenge for a new Tory leader will be to find a happy medium between the two. That will require listening to the concerns of Manitobans, something Pallister was not very good at.

The debate over school divisions goes back to at least the 1990s when the Norrie boundaries commission recommended substantially reducing the number of school boards across the province. The Filmon government at the time ultimately rejected those recommendations, opting instead for voluntary mergers. It wasnt until the NDP won government in 1999 that consolidation was mandated for some divisions.

Bill 64 may be the single most unpopular policy the Pallister government has tried to push through since it was first elected in 2016. Its why any new Tory leadership candidate has to come out strongly against it, even if they supported it in the past, as Stefanson did (she seconded the motion to introduce the bill last year).

Bill 64 may be dead, but there will almost certainly be a sequel to this story.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
Brandon University's decision to recommend  and not mandate  that students and staff be vaccinated has rankled some who work and study on campus.

Brandon University's decision to recommend  and not mandate  that students and staff be vaccinated has rankled some who work and study on campus.

While most post-secondary schools announced Thursday they would mandate vaccinations, Brandon University issued a statement strongly encouraging it.

"I worry even more now about the safety of campus, after this, than I did before," said Allison McCulloch, an associate professor in Brandon University's political science department.

McCulloch must teach in-person this fall, though she'd prefer to stay online.

"I'm disappointed and certainly nervous to be going back into the classroom in a few weeks time with this vague sort of encouragement (rather) than mandate on vaccinations," she said.

Institutions, including the University of Manitoba and Red River College, have set dates on when staff and students must have their doses. Schools have outlined alternative measures, such as regular testing or remote learning, for people who can't be inoculated.

"We are trailing considerably behind in terms of ensuring safety," McCulloch said. "There's lots of places we can look to on how to ensure that people are safe, as well as making sure that we aren't unduly restricting access to anyone."

Mandatory vaccination is not off the table, said Grant Hamilton, director of marketing and communications at Brandon University.

The university is consulting with several groups, including unions and public health officials, about its COVID-19 policies.

"We're hoping that we can support a transition to a fully vaccinated campus as quickly as possible," Hamilton said. "Whether that is a mandate or something else has yet to be determined."

Some schools outside the province have COVID-19 testing mandates that fully vaccinated people don't have to participate in, Hamilton said.

"The upshot is the same, but the way it's portrayed is slightly different," he said. "We're looking at all kinds of things."

He didn't have a timeline on when Brandon University would release more information but said it wouldn't be long.

Gautam Srivastava, president of the Brandon University Faculty Association, said the association wants a vaccine mandate and hard dates on when people must have their doses by.

"When the press release came out and I saw there was some disparity (from other post-secondary institutions) there, I was a little bit disappointed," Srivastava said. "We were hoping for something... more concrete."

However, there's still time for Brandon University to update its policies, which Srivastava said he wishes would take place soon.

More than 1,200 employees and enrolled students of Brandon University have been vaccinated, Hamilton said. The school typically has about 3,000 students, and the faculty association represents 280 members.

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Classes will generally be capped at 25 people this fall, and masks and physical distancing will be required. Brandon University is giving prizes to folks who get fully vaccinated during the summer, and it's hosting a vaccination clinic on campus during the first week of school.

Onello Bahingawan, a second-year music education student, said he'd prefer people on campus be vaccinated, or otherwise subject to testing.

"I feel like that would be a good balance," he said.

Bahingawan, 18, will attend all of his classes in person. He said he'd be fine sharing a room with people who aren't fully vaccinated if they've tested negative for the virus.

Classes will begin the week of Sept. 7.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca
Caught on camera cheering for Bill 64 to be scrapped  despite months of publicly supporting the Tories controversial reforms to public schooling, Education Minister Cliff Cullen is facing calls to resign from cabinet.

Caught on camera cheering for Bill 64 to be scrapped  despite months of publicly supporting the Tories controversial reforms to public schooling, Education Minister Cliff Cullen is facing calls to resign from cabinet.

The official Opposition demanded Friday the PC MLA for Spruce Woods quit overseeing the K-12 education portfolio if he cannot back the Education Modernization Act.

PC MLA Heather Stefanson at her announcement Wednesday that she will be running for the leadership of the Manitoba PC party, attended by Education Minister Cliff Cullen, far left. John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press

"Its a parliamentary tradition: if you cant support your own bill, then you need to resign," said Nello Altomare, NDP education critic.

In a video captured by the NDP, Cullen is standing behind Heather Stefanson, PC MLA for Tuxedo, at her campaign kick-off event on Wednesday as she declares, "Bill 64 is done" if she is elected leader of the governing party. Cullen then smirks and claps, alongside more than a dozen colleagues who have also endorsed Stefanson as frontrunner for the Tory leadership.

The clip is a stark contrast to his steadfast support for the 300-plus page bill that aims to replace elected school boards with a centralized education authority made up of government appointees, which Cullen unveiled in March.

He declined media requests on his appearance earlier this week and directed reporters to his office. Cullen has not given any interviews since the event.

On Friday, the minister's press secretary indicated Cullen was unavailable again.

Altomare accused Cullen of being focused on internal caucus politics rather than ensuring a safe back-to-school season and "abdication of duty," since he is not answering to his actions.

Over the last five months, the minister has touted changes that will empower parents with new school councils and redirect as much as $40 million in repetitive administrative costs to classrooms. He has also accused critics of the bill, who he once called "a vocal minority," of spreading "misinformation" about it.

"People are absolutely right to be questioning the education ministers suitability for his role," said Jon Bettner, a middle school band director and member of ProtectEdMB, one of many anti-reform campaigns that has launched in recent months.

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Bettner noted Cullen was "very dutifully carrying water for this (Pallister) government" until Stefanson's announcement, which occurred one week after Premier Brian Pallister announced his imminent leave.

ProtectEdMB  alongside the teachers union, school boards association, and parent councils, among others  has raised concerns about the bills centralization of power and lack of proportional representation.

"Bill 64 doesnt address any of the glaring problems in Manitoba classrooms," Bettner said, "Those are, namely: child poverty, the Indigenous graduation gap, (the fact) our current system doesnt do a good job of reaching Indigenous learners, and theres not enough support for students with exceptionalities."

Critics, Bettner and Altomare included, want confirmation from the Pallister government that the bill will be tossed in its entirety.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
Railwaymen, barroom brawls and ointments for cannibal chickens. These are a few of the memories etched into the charred walls of the Beveridge Block, a 113-year-old building licked up in flame Tuesday and now doomed for demolition.

Railwaymen, barroom brawls and ointments for cannibal chickens. These are a few of the memories etched into the charred walls of the Beveridge Block, a 113-year-old building licked up in flame Tuesday and now doomed for demolition.

The building at 802 Main St. went up in 1908 and was originally an apartment block. It was not a place for marble or moneyed folk, but rather for Winnipegs working class. It housed railway workers and their families, for the most part. It would continue to serve blue-collared people as years passed.

"It was a lot of the people that really built the city," said Christian Cassidy, a local history writer who wrote about the Beveridge Block in his blog Winnipeg Places. "By built, I dont mean a politician that made decisions or the financier, but people that actually swung sledgehammers and drove the trains and unloaded the cargo  the people that physically built the city with their hands."

These were boom days in Winnipeg, as immigrants continued to drive Canadas colonial efforts westward through our keystone province.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Beveridge Block at 804 Main St. is slated to be demolished after suffering fire damage.

The Canadian Pacific Railway station on Higgins Avenue was a short walk away, and hotels and cheap housing started to pop up everywhere on nearby Main Street to serve people who were often passing through.

"It came in during what wouldve been a pretty wild time along that strip," said Cassidy. "People that were building would stay here and then hop on a train and go into the bush to bush camps and things like that, then come back into town for the winter."

Through different eras, farmers would come to town to shop, salesmen would set up before going east and troops would funnel through in wartime.

The buildings owner, Florence Crump, tried to capitalize on migrant populations shortly after the building opened its doors. She applied for a liquor permit as part of a plan to convert the space into a single-occupancy hotel. While long-term residents could stay, opening a bar was still a potentially lucrative venture.

It came in during what wouldve been a pretty wild time along that strip. People that were building would stay here and then hop on a train and go into the bush to bush camps and things like that, then come back into town for the winter.  Local history writer Christian Cassidy

Residents and the local alderman protested the move, and for a time, they were successful. But in 1913, the building became the Selkirk Hotel. Where theres a hotel, theres a bar, and the Selkirk wasted little time making its boozy reputation.

"It certainly had its share of incidents and liquor violations and things like that. It was probably not the most appreciated building along that stretch of Main Street," said Cassidy.

In 1914, a fight broke out in the bar and rumbled into the street, where someone struck a man in the head and killed him. It became known for drunken soldiers and men who harassed women.

Cassidy said the concentration of hotel bars in the area probably didnt help matters.

"People would get thrown out of one saloon and go to the next building, get thrown out of the next one, and that type of thing," he said. "But that, too, is part of the citys history. You take the good and glorious with the rough and tumble."

ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service members douse the fire in the four-storey commercial/industrial building on August 17.

Winnipegs red-light district also happened to be in Point Douglass "segregated vice area," and overflow from its bars and brothels could easily end up on Main Street, said Cassidy.

Perhaps keeping up a rowdy hotel became tiresome, because by 1931 the building had reverted to an apartment block, still under Crumps ownership.

When the building became a hotel, it divided its 31 rooms into 54, making some of the rooms hellish for permanent living.

A social worker visited a client there in the 1930s, said Cassidy, to find she lived in a one-room bedroom with no outside windows. The social worker noted the "nightmarish situation" was a likely cause of her clients depression.

In 1914, a fight broke out in the bar and rumbled into the street, where someone struck a man in the head and killed him. It became known for drunken soldiers and men who harassed women.

"It sounded like it was a pretty horrible place," said Cassidy. But people continued to live in the building until at least the 1970s. Its difficult to track after that, said Cassidy.

The building lived its final life as home to Dominion Veterinary Laboratories, a company created by pharmacist Hy Earn, Cassidy wrote in his blog.

Earns claim to fame: an ointment for chickens that suppressed their cannibal behaviours.

The laboratory operated on the main floor of the building, helping chickens to conquer their inner Hannibal Lecter, until moving into a new location on Sanford Street, where it remains. A worker who would not give her name said Dominion used the Main Street building as a warehouse until selling it last year.

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There was no one inside the building when the fire broke out Tuesday; only the whispers of a blue-collared past lingered in its squalid air.

"A lot of people think that its the mansions and the fancy office buildings with their marble entrances that are the important history buildings,"Cassidy said. "But I would make an argument that the little boarded-up corner stores and little tenement apartment buildings are just as important to telling the history of Winnipeg."

The fire inflicted structural damage on the Beveridge Block. As a result, it will be demolished.

cody.sellar@freepress.mb.ca
The list of opponents to Bill 64 now includes multiple contenders for the Tory leadership, including MLAs who had kept quiet about their partys controversial education reforms until the premier announced his impending leave.

The list of opponents to Bill 64 now includes multiple contenders for the Tory leadership, including MLAs who had kept quiet about their partys controversial education reforms until the premier announced his impending leave.

Tuxedo MLA Heather Stefanson has made scrapping the Education Modernization Act a centrepiece in her bid to become the next leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS PC MLA Heather Stefanson at her announcement Wednesday that she will be running for the leadership of the Manitoba PC party, attended by Education Minister Cliff Cullen, far left.

Stefansons promise the legislation would be "done" under her leadership was met by a round of applause from roughly 15 PC MLAs, including Education Minister Cliff Cullen, who attended her campaign kick-off Wednesday.

Since Bill 64 was unveiled in mid-March, teachers, parents and trustees have been outspoken about their concerns that replacing elected boards with a centralized authority of government appointees will silence local voices.

Numerous campaigns with corresponding lawn signs were launched to call on the province to kill the bill and more than 500 people  a record in the history of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly  have signed up to speak about the legislation at committee stage, which is anticipated this fall.

When reached by phone Thursday, Finance Minister Scott Fielding, who is still considering whether to run for the leadership, indicated he is also in favour of ripping up the bill.

"Once the legislative assembly ends, you go back into your own community and you listen to people. You listen to whats going right. You listen to whats going wrong  and clearly, what people have said is weve gone too far with Bill 64," said Fielding, noting he heard constituents concerns loud and clear this summer.

Fielding said theres an appetite for change in the education system, but the governing party needs to listen to Manitobans and take seriously rural concerns about the loss of local autonomy.

Other potential PC leadership candidates who have indicated they would reconsider the legislation include former MP Shelly Glover and city Coun. Scott Gillingham, who represents St. James.

Glover has said she would halt Bill 64 and undertake "proper consultation" with teachers and local governments. Meantime, Gillingham said the fact the reforms would take power from local elected officials and centralize it in the premiers office goes against his personal beliefs.

Despite the fact more politicians both in and outside the PC caucus are raising alarm bells, the legislation is still on the table.

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"We thought last year was the toughest start to a school year for everyone, but deja vu  were going through all that again, and layered on top of that is Bill 64. Is it dead? Is it alive?" said Nathan Martindale, vice-president of the Manitoba Teachers Society.

Teachers and trustees alike remain especially confused given the fact that Cullen appears to support tossing out the bill he has long championed, after his appearance at Stefanson's kick-off. The minister directed media questions to his office Wednesday.

"By all accounts, Cliff Cullen applauded her plan," said Alan Campbell, president of the Manitoba School Boards Association. "He needs to announce the immediate withdrawal of Bill 64 so that divisional leadership, school boards, front-line education staff and all of our education leadership partners can simply focus on a safe start to the school year."

In a statement Thursday, a government spokesperson said government house leader Kelvin Goertzen will address issues related to the fall session before it starts in October.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
Providence University College has joined other Manitoba post-secondary institutions by instituting a vaccine mandate for staff members and students.

Providence University College has joined other Manitoba post-secondary institutions by instituting a vaccine mandate for staff members and students.

The school, located in Otterburne, had been planning to only encourage vaccinations. It decided to revise its policy because of the increased threat of the delta variant and Thursday's decision by other universities and colleges.

"We now face a legal and moral situation that risks the viability of our university and its existence," president Kenton Anderson said.

"While we recognize that a change to our current policy will be disruptive and distasteful to some members of our community, we find ourselves without a choice. We also need to act in the most powerful way possible for the health and safety of our students, staff and faculty."

Providence will require full vaccination or proof of negative testing at reasonable and appropriate intervals for all its staff members faculty and students in the fall semester. A specific time frame will be announced soon.

"We believe that education should be as accessible as possible to the widest audience possible," Anderson said. "We also believe in science. We believe that vaccination will be the quickest way out of this pandemic. We also believe that being fully vaccinated is showing love to our neighbours."

While recognizing "many of our students and friends will struggle with this decision," Anderson said Providence is concerned for the "health, wellness and safety of each member of our community."

Leadership at Steinbach Bible College is discussing its stance toward a vaccination mandate.

"We just found out about the announcement (from the other schools) on Thursday," president Rob Reimer said. "Up until now, the conversation has always been that vaccinations were not going to be required. We are meeting to discuss these changes and how it might impact (Steinbach)."

Booth University College in Winnipeg is not planning to hold in-person classes in fall.

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"Were still deciding about vaccinations for those who come to campus," Michael Boyce, vice-president academic and dean, said. "We should have a decision by next week."

Students, staff members and faculty at Canadian Mennonite University will be required to be vaccinated.

"CMU sees vaccination as a social responsibility and an expression of care for others in our community and far beyond our setting," president Cheryl Pauls said.

The university will help students who are not yet vaccinated to get the vaccine before arriving at school, Pauls said. Masking protocols will remain in place as the term begins and will be re-evaluated on a monthly basis.

The campus, located in Tuxedo, will remain largely closed to visitors for the fall term except for the bookstore and Folio cafe.

faith@freepress.mb.ca
A Manitoba municipality with the lowest vaccination rate in the province is encouraging its residents to gather in big groups at neighbourhood block parties.

A Manitoba municipality with the lowest vaccination rate in the province is encouraging its residents to gather in big groups at neighbourhood block parties.

The Rural Municipality of Stanley launched a block party program this year, which provides residents with free party packages including invitations, outdoor games kits and coupons for food.

"It is time to get the community together! The RM of Stanley council wants to encourage community building by assisting with neighbourhood block parties!" the brochure reads.

The four-page document includes an application form and hosting requirements, which calls on residents to make a "reasonable attempt" to invite everyone in the neighbourhood.

The brochure includes only a brief mention of COVID-19 and provincial regulations about the pandemic.

Stanley has the lowest COVID-19 immunization rate of any health district in Manitoba. As of Wednesday, 21.8 per cent of eligible residents had their first dose, and just 19.4 had their second. Nearby Winkler has the second-lowest vaccination rate in the province, with 34.5 per cent of residents fully vaccinated. Comparatively, several Manitoba health districts are reporting vaccine rates that exceed 80 per cent.

According to the municipality, interest in the block parties has been strong.

This doesnt sit well with RM of Stanley resident Ashley Hoitink, who said she was shocked when her husband received the brochure via email on Aug. 9.

"To me, its like were just pretending the pandemic is over. I dont know, if I was the lowest-vaccinated RM, I would be sending out emails reminding my community members that they could still get vaccinated," she told the Free Press Thursday.

"Not, Hey, why dont you gather when its likely given the statistics that a high percentage of you are unvaccinated?"

Hoitink, a 32-year-old teacher and new mom, said she doesnt remember the RM advertising block parties in the past, and she believes its a pointed message from council to its constituents.

"I think theyre making their point pretty clear if theyre focusing on block parties instead of vaccination rates," she said.

Shes reached out to the RM of Stanley about the initiative, but hasnt heard back.

Stanley Reeve Morris Olafson did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

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Hoitink, who is fully vaccinated, said living in the health district with the lowest immunization rate has been a struggle, particularly as the mother of a six-month-old. Shes constantly afraid of her child being exposed to the virus, especially with the removal of the mask mandate. She wont risk walking into a grocery store and collects her groceries in Winkler after ordering online.

Hoitink, who is on maternity leave, wont be teaching again until February.

"Its been hard to be on maternity leave, and youre kind of home with your kid all day. You cant go to mom groups. You cant just go out and about with your kid," she said.

"It gets lonely, for sure. And youre trying to do whats the safest option for them."

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
Premier Brian Pallisters announcement last week that he plans to step down as leader of Manitobas Progressive Conservative Party was likely music to the ears of many party faithful. The premiers abrasive and autocratic leadership style has hurt his partys standings in public opinion polls, with Tory support falling to 29 per cent in the most recent Probe Research survey. Its the lowest approval rating for the party since the Pallister government was re-elected in 2019 with 47 per cent popular support.

Premier Brian Pallisters announcement last week that he plans to step down as leader of Manitobas Progressive Conservative Party was likely music to the ears of many party faithful. The premiers abrasive and autocratic leadership style has hurt his partys standings in public opinion polls, with Tory support falling to 29 per cent in the most recent Probe Research survey. Its the lowest approval rating for the party since the Pallister government was re-elected in 2019 with 47 per cent popular support.

Mr. Pallisters departure from Manitoba politics, expected by the end of this year, would undoubtedly contribute to a reversal of that trend. A new, more appealing leader who could better connect with voters would likely have an immediate impact on the partys popularity. However, it would not be a magic bullet. Even with a new leader, the PC Party will face significant challenges regaining the trust of Manitoba voters between now and the next provincial election, scheduled for October 2023.

The Pallister governments less-than-stellar response to the pandemic was a major contributor to its precipitous fall in the polls. No new PC Party leader can change that, except to acknowledge that government made mistakes (an admission Mr. Pallister has been loath to make) and pledge to do better during the recovery stage of the pandemic.

What a new leader can and should do, if she or he wants to be competitive in the next election, is reassess the legislative agenda and better align it with the priorities of Manitobans. Bill 64  proposed legislation to revamp the public school system, including eliminating most elected school boards  would be at the top of that list. It has been met with fierce and widespread opposition, including from some in traditional Tory ridings in rural parts of Manitoba.

The proposal to replace elected school trustees with appointed government boards came as a complete surprise to most Manitobans and was not reflective of the public engagement that took place over the past year on the future of public schools.

Whoever takes over from Mr. Pallister would do well to pause Bill 64, re-evaluate its contents and find a more enlightened solution to improving Manitobas public school system. Former health minister Heather Stefanson, who declared her candidacy for the leadership position Wednesday, said if she becomes premier she will withdraw Bill 64.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Former health minister Heather Stefanson, who declared her candidacy for the leadership position Wednesday, said if she becomes premier she will withdraw Bill 64.

A new Tory leader should also revisit several other aspects of Mr. Pallisters legislative agenda, including proposed changes to labour laws and the Public Utilities Board oversight of Manitoba Hydro.

One of the first actions a new PC Party leader should take is to repair the damage Mr. Pallister has caused between the provincial government and Indigenous people in Manitoba. Meaningful reconciliation cannot occur until that relationship has been repaired.

Manitobas PC Party does not have to completely reinvent itself. It is a fiscally conservative party that offers Manitobans an alternative to the organized-labour-backed NDP and the left-leaning Liberal party. However, it needs to put the "progressive" back into the Progressive Conservative Party if it wants to get re-elected in 2023.

Hard-right parties of the sort Mr. Pallister (who was influenced by his Canadian Alliance background as a former federal politician) has tried to create have little appeal in Manitoba. A new Tory leader has to rebrand the party as one that is more receptive to the views and values of a broader cross-section of Manitobans, particularly in Winnipeg, where provincial elections are won and lost.

If she or he can do that, the party will have a fighting chance at the polls two years from now.
When we look back at the pandemic, will we wonder why prescriptions that should have been filled so early took so long?

I ask that question because today was the day Manitobas major universities and colleges announced COVID-19 immunization mandates in a clearly choreographed way.

"Its a message on a united front. A commitment to students, the faculty, and staff. Its not about competing, who can do it first, its just about doing the right thing for Manitoba students and employees, and doing it together," said Jan Stewart, interim provost and vice-president academic at the University of Winnipeg.

In addition to my alma mater, that united front also includes the University of Manitoba, Red River College, Canadian Mennonite University, Assiniboine Community College and the University College of the North.

So finally, a few weeks before classes begin, our places of higher learning have lowered the boom on the unvaccinated.

It really should have been done much earlier, especially to give the unvaccinated the time needed to get the shots to get on campus. For months now, universities south of the border have been making these kinds of announcements. For weeks now Canadian institutions have started doing likewise.

I could raise questions about how the very institutions that produce the scientists leading pandemic responses across the country along with research into vaccines waited until today. But that would involve going down a rabbit hole, which would only end up making this newsletter intro way too long.

Instead, I will simply note the timing of this announcement comes only a week after Brian Pallister announced he would be stepping down as premier, a move that significantly changed the political terrain for our universities and colleges.

 Paul Samyn, Winnipeg Free Press editor

THE LATEST NUMBERS

Note: We have removed some graphics from this newsletter and added new ones. To see the previously included graphics -- as well as a larger selection of charts showing the state of COVID-19 provincially and nationally -- visit COVID-19 by the numbers.

THE LATEST IN MANITOBA

 Manitoba recorded 27 new COVID-19 infections and one new death on Thursday. The province reported a Winnipeg man in his 40s infected with the virus as the latest death. New cases were detected in all health regions, including eight cases in Winnipeg, nine in Southern Health, four in Interlake-Eastern, one in the Northern Health region, and five in Prairie Mountain Health. The five-day test positivity rate provincewide was 1.9 per cent and 1.4 per cent in Winnipeg. Sixty-nine patients were being treated for COVID-19 in hospital, including 14 in intensive care. As of Wednesday, 81.1 per cent of eligible Manitobans had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 74.8 per cent of them were fully vaccinated.

For the latest information on current public health orders, restrictions and other guidance, visit the provincial government's website.

All Manitobans born on or before Dec. 31, 2009 are eligible to schedule a first-dose vaccine appointment. Anyone who has received a first dose of any vaccine can now book their second-dose appointment. There must be a minimum of 28 days between receiving the first and second shots. For the latest information on vaccination, visit the provincial government's website.

Manitobans who have a Manitoba health card and have received all required doses of a vaccine at least 14 days ago can request an immunization card to prove complete vaccination. To request a digital or physical card, visit the provincial government's website.

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

THE LATEST ELSEWHERE

 Blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors didnt help newly infected patients when tested against a dummy infusion, doctors reported. The results of the experiment are the latest disappointment for a treatment known as convalescent plasma. The new study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, ran a test in about 500 patients with COVID-19 symptoms in hospital emergency rooms. Half received antibody-rich plasma donated by recovered COVID-19 patients. Half received a dummy infusion. Outcomes were about the same. About 30 per cent in both groups got sick enough to come back to the hospital. Five patients in the plasma group died compared to one death in the other group.

 Children are filling hospital beds instead of classrooms in record numbers across the U.S., sick with COVID-19. The surging virus is spreading anxiety, turmoil and infighting among parents, administrators and politicians, especially in Florida and Texas, where Republican governors have barred schools from requiring masks. Health experts say adults who have not gotten their shots are contributing to the surge among grown-ups and children. It has been especially bad in places with lower vaccination rates, including parts of the South.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

"Every hospital is full. Only a handful of patients can be accepted, and even then, it's only after their condition gets quite serious."

 Dr. Iori Motohashi of Kawasaki Municipal Tama Hospital discusses the surge of COVID-19 infections sweeping through Japan

LOCAL NEWS

NATIONAL NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

COVID-19 BASICS
Staff members in the Louis Riel School Division are slated to become the first public school employees in Manitoba to be mandated to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Staff members in the Louis Riel School Division are slated to become the first public school employees in Manitoba to be mandated to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Superintendent Christian Michalik issued a community notice Thursday afternoon in which he indicated division administration is working out the details of a vaccination mandate for its employees, with support from the local teachers association.

Michalik said all employee groups will be consulted as policy and procedures are developed on both vaccines and mask usage, while noting the division is liaising with government officials to explore the possibility of rapid testing for employees who aren't vaccinated.

"These developing mandates and the supporting policies are not intended to be barriers; rather, they are a means to promote safety and incentivize collective behaviours to not only start school in September in a safe and welcoming way, but also to sustain that effort and stay in school despite the fourth wave," he wrote.

Draft policies are to be shared at a special board meeting in Louis Riel on Tuesday.

The division will launch an online survey to collect community feedback before final consideration of the policies on Sept. 7, the first official school board meeting of 2021-22.

Calling compulsory immunization "one more layer of protection for every one of us," the president of the Louis Riel Teachers Association confirmed the unions support for the mandate.

"There's a likely fourth wave on the way. We know that vaccines work and that some children are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. COVID-19 and the delta variant will pose a real threat to teachers, students, and everyone who walks through our doors," said Marcela Cabezas, in an emailed statement.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents school support staff in Louis Riel, supports the division's move to protect staff.

"We do however, want to ensure that CUPE members have their human rights respected, and so we will fight to make sure that members who have a valid medical reason for not getting vaccinated are not fired or disciplined unfairly," a union spokesperson said in an email.

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Last week, the board of trustees in the Pembina Trails School Division penned a letter to the province asking it to make full vaccination a condition to work in public schools.

In his Thursday update, Michalik indicated Louis Riel has been lobbying the province for a similar universal policy to be enacted since July.

The Manitoba Teachers Society, Manitoba NDP, and Manitoba Liberals have since expressed support for a vaccine mandate in public education.

Earlier this week, Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead for the COVID-19 vaccination task force, indicated public health had not ruled out providing a recommendation on mandating vaccines in certain front-line fields.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
The welcome signs were out, the doses available  still, time stretched wide between groups of people walking into a pop-up vaccination clinic hosted by the Manitoba Islamic Association.

The welcome signs were out, the doses available  still, time stretched wide between groups of people walking into a pop-up vaccination clinic hosted by the Manitoba Islamic Association.

Sabawoon Jamdar and two of his sons were among just over a dozen people to get a COVID-19 shot at the Edmonton Street clinic across from Central Park on Monday.

"I have to get my vaccine now," said Jamdar, who received his first dose. "There is (basically) no option."

Sabawoon Jamdar and his two oldest kids, Mohammed (15), About Baker (13) received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose at the Manitoba Islamic Association vaccine clinic at 406 Edmonton. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

Community-led pop-up clinics across Winnipeg have not seen enough traffic to use up their available doses. However, they're vital in reaching marginalized groups. Without them, many people wouldn't get vaccinated, organizers say.

Jamdar, 38, had held off; rules are constantly changing around which doses are approved to visit various countries. And then there's the bombardment of information about the virus, he said.

But he and his children want to travel, and he is also worried about the future.

"If you go to a job site, maybe they say it's mandatory," he said. "I don't want to lose my job... I have kids, I have to support my family."

He noted the vaccine is safe, which provided an incentive to get the shots.

The Manitoba Islamic Association had 50 doses available Monday. Raza Muhammad, the clinic co-ordinator, attributed the slow uptake to the clinic's new location and the vaccination rate. As of Wednesday, 81 per cent of Manitobans had at least one dose, and nearly 75 per cent had received both.

Community-driven pop-up clinics are necessary to meet people where they're at, Muhammad said.

Between Aug. 1 and 17, the province distributed nearly 13,000 doses to pop-up and community-hosted clinics. A provincial spokesperson was unable to provide the number of total doses circulated to such clinics since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Manitoba Islamic Association vaccine clinic provided easy access to COVID-19 vaccines within the community. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

North End community family support group Fearless R2W saw at least 15 people in the first hour of its clinic Tuesday evening in St. John's Park.

"Even if we only had one person, it would've been a win for us," said executive director Mary Burton.

Two Winnipeg Regional Health Authority nurses administered vaccines in a tent. Outside, volunteers and folks who'd received their shots sat at a picnic table and in lawn chairs.

Burton greeted people by name and offered them water and healthy snacks.

"I know there's a lot of people, in the North End community specifically, that are very resistant to listening to government... intervention into their lives," she said.

She used social media to get the word out about the clinic, which she organized with the North End Community Renewal Corp.

"When groups like Fearless R2W and NECRC step up and say, 'Hey, look, we're vaccinated, come get your vaccination  it's safe, it's reliable, you're protecting yourself, you're protecting the community,' then it becomes real to them," she said.

Mary Burton (left), executive director of Fearless R2W, Lalonnie Shimonko and Jessie Leigh, executive director of the North End Community Renewal Corporation, and John Morrissette ran an evening pop-up clinic in St. Johns Park. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

"They start to think, 'Well, maybe I should get it,' because people that they trust, organizations that they trust are saying it's OK."

Fearless R2W paid for supplies to host a clinic at the park last weekend. There were 50 doses available, and 12 people got vaccinated.

"It does not take much (time), if you're dealing with the right people, to pull it together," said John Morrissette, a volunteer with Fearless R2W.

The group made Tuesday's clinic happen in less than 24 hours.

"People need to remember that polio was eradicated by a vaccine that we still give to families today," Burton said. "All of those childhood vaccinations that we get as children protect us now. Having the COVID shot is just the same thing. It's a vaccination that's there to help us."

However, Burton said she isn't looking to change minds  the clinics are about accessibility.

"Some people... are against it, and there's nothing anyone can say or do to stop that," she said.

"People need to remember that polio was eradicated by a vaccine that we still give to families today. All of those childhood vaccinations that we get as children protect us now. Having the COVID shot is just the same thing. It's a vaccination that's there to help us."  Mary Burton, Fearless R2W executive director

Raj Sandhu contacted the Women of Colour Community Leadership Initiative to organize a pop-up clinic in the Khalsa Diwan Society temple on McLeod Avenue.

"(I) thought that it would be a brilliant idea (for) people that don't speak English," the community member said. "Most of our parents come from India.... We just wanted to make sure that the message was very clear."

More than 50 people showed up during the day-long clinic on Aug. 6, he said, adding he printed information pamphlets in Punjabi about the vaccines and promoted the event on social media.

"It's word of mouth," he said. "That's how they find out, and that's how they came."

The group had 200 doses available, but Sandhu wasn't worried about leftovers  the organizers he'd partnered with would take them to their next pop-up clinic.

"Even a single vaccinated (person) would've made us feel better," he said.

Seven Oaks School Division superintendent Brian O'Leary has seen a dropoff in the number of people showing up at the division's pop-up clinics.

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There have been eight in the Maples area since the end of June. In early July, 150 doses were being used every hour. Another 150 people got their shots at a Monday clinic, but it took much longer, O'Leary said.

"I think we see that as a positive sign, as we're reaching a bit of a saturation point," he said.

The division might hold a couple more clinics before the end of the month, but organizers are looking ahead to getting children vaccinated in school, he said.

Manitoba will continue to provide doses to community-hosted clinics, a provincial spokesperson said in a written statement.

"The community clinics, in partnership with trusted partners, are an important and highly essential option in reaching individuals who might not otherwise have an opportunity to get immunized due to barriers," the spokesperson said.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca
WINNIPEG - Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says he believes doctors must refer patients seeking services like abortion or medical assistance in dying to another provider if they object to performing these procedures themselves.

WINNIPEG - Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says he believes doctors must refer patients seeking services like abortion or medical assistance in dying to another provider if they object to performing these procedures themselves.

O'Toole faced questions Friday about his position on conscience rights for health professionals after a promise to uphold them appeared in his party's election platform.

"They will have to refer, because the rights to access those services exist across the country," he told reporters at a campaign stop in Winnipeg.

"We have to respect conscience rights but allow there to be referrals."

The stance marks a shift from O'Toole's leadership run last year, when he vowed to protect the conscience rights of health professionals who say their beliefs prevent them from performing a service or offering patients a referral.

Social conservatives have advocated that doctors and nurses with moral or religious objections to a particular procedure shouldn't have to refer patients for these services, including abortion, assistance in dying or gender reassignment surgery.

O'Toole courted the party's social conservative base in the leadership contest in a move many believe contributed to his win over rival Peter MacKay.

On the campaign trail earlier this week, O'Toole didn't directly answer whether he thought conscience rights extended to referrals, but said Friday he believes that is something doctors must do, as he sought to blunt a potential wedge issue.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Conservative leader Erin OToole with daughter, Mollie O'Toole, at Bison Transport in Winnipeg on Friday.

O'Toole accused Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau of trying to divide Canadians with his attack on Conservatives over the issue.

"Its important for me to state that Im pro-choice and I have a record very clear as an ally for the LGBTQ community. Because out of the gate in this pandemic election that no one other than Justin Trudeau wanted, every day hes been trying to divide people, whether its on the pandemic itself or whether its on misleading people with respect to my record," he said.

The Tory leader also rejected suggestions he reversed his stance on the matter since winning the leadership.

"My position has never changed."

Unveiled in spring 2020, O'Toole's leadership platform pledged to defend the conscience rights of all health care professionals whose beliefs, religious or otherwise, prevent them from carrying out or referring patients for services that violate their conscience.

O'Toole made the lane change on Friday at a long-haul truck company warehouse on the outskirts of Winnipeg, where he was joined by prominent Manitoba Conservative MPs Candice Bergen and James Bezan.

Flanked by corrugated steel siding and a dozen mustard-toned semi trucks, O'Toole stressed his plan to incentivize hiring and create one million jobs as he sought to keep the focus on economic recovery.

Social conservative groups and some Tory candidates remained fixated on the revised position, chafing at what they believe to be an encroachment on freedom of conscience.

"OToole is wrong and must walk this back," Jack Fonseca, a spokesman for anti-abortion group Campaign Life Coalition, said in an email.

Conservative Leader Erin OToole makes a transportation announcement at a trucking company while campaigning in Winnipeg, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

"Medical practitioners should not lose their constitutional rights just because of their profession," he said, calling the switch "catastrophic" and a "grave infringement."

Leslyn Lewis, a Conservative candidate in southern Ontario, slammed Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett on Thursday for criticizing "independent thought" after Bennett posted a clip of a conversation where Lewis said she would support legislation allowing doctors to refuse referrals for abortion or euthanasia on grounds of conscience.

"This is straight out of the Liberal playbook of divide and demonize," Lewis said in a Twitter post, dubbing Bennett a "radical leftist."

RightNow, a group that opposes abortion, said socially conservative voters expected O'Toole "to stick with his promise of respecting conscience rights for health care professionals," including the referral opt-out.

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The Liberal government has previously said health professionals rights are already protected because nothing in its legislation, which took effect in March, forces someone to provide or help to provide a medically assisted death if it conflicts with their personal beliefs.

Medical practice and other health-care matters typically fall under provincial jurisdiction. The federal government was able to weigh in on medical assistance in dying by amending the Criminal Code  a step O'Toole said Friday he would not take for abortion.

That issue has not seen Criminal Code changes in more than 30 years after the Supreme Court struck down a provision it said violated a woman's right to life, liberty and security of the person in the 1988 case R. v. Morgentaler.

The provision, which passed into law in 1969 under then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau, had allowed doctors to perform abortions only in accredited hospitals and if a pregnancy threatened a woman's life or health.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2021.

 With files from Stephanie Taylor in Ottawa
ROME, N.Y.  Businesses along East Dominick Street in Rome are cleaning up Friday after water from the Mohawk River flooded the area the day before.

Much of the water receded by Friday morning, but some businesses remain closed, including The Vigneto and Iron Kettle.

The Vigneto posted to Facebook Friday saying "due to property damage and lack of power" they will be closed until further notice.

The Savoy closed Thursday night, but reopened Friday at 4 p.m.

National Grid crews were called in to assess the damage and check for electrical hazards in the homes and businesses in that area.

Nearby River Street was underwater Thursday and many residents had to be evacuated.

Severe flooding was also reported near Pinti Field and Staley Elementary school.

City officials are continuing to survey the damage and decide next steps, but in the meantime, the city is under a State of Emergency.

The Mohawk River is expected to get back below flood stage by Saturday.
VERONA, N.Y.  Two Schenectady women were sent to the hospital after a crash in front of Turning Stone Resort Casino Friday around 9:45 a.m.

According to Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol, 64-year-old Paul Cayen of East Syracuse was going too fast and following too closely while entering the left turn lane into the casino, and rear-ended the car in front of him causing heavy damage.

The driver of the car, 29-year-old Amanda Manchester, and her passenger 31-year-old Christine Arguinzoni, were sent to St. Elizabeth Medical Center to be evaluated after complaining of neck and back pain.

Cayen was issued tickets for following too closely and speed not reasonable and prudent.
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (UPDATED)  A man from Jefferson County was arrested after allegedly trying to steal military vehicle from the Fort Drum base on Thursday.

Nathan J. McElhone, 46, of Theresa, is accused of driving to a training range and trying to drive away in a Humvee around 5 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 19.

McElhone was stopped by members of a military unit and turned over to the Fort Drum military police, who say they found other stolen property on him, including targets and a wooden shelving unit.

Police say a soldier who tried to stop McElhone from driving off was also injured during the incident.

McElhone is charged with:

Second-degree robbery, a felony

First-degree reckless endangerment, a felony

Criminal possession of stolen property

Criminal trespass

He was arraigned and remanded to the Jefferson County jail without bail.
VIENNA, N.Y. (UPDATED)  New York State Police found a 13-year-old boy in good health on Friday after he was reported missing from the town of Vienna.

Police say the last time someone saw Jaquez Saxon, he was walking on Teelin Road around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. He was located before 11 a.m. on Friday.
CLINTON COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)  Prosecutor Anthony Sommer on Friday charged Gary C. Ferrell II, 26, of Frankfort, with two counts of murder in connection to a deadly shooting at a manufacturing plant that left two people dead.

Sommer also filed a notice of his intent to seek the death penalty.

Ferrell also faces charges of criminal confinement, resisting law enforcement and carrying a handgun without a license.

As News 18 previously reported, the shooting happened at about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday at the NHK Seating of America plant on State Road 28 near I-65. Police say the victims were attacked in the parking lot as they walked into work.

First responders found 21-year-old Promise Mays and her 62-year-old grandmother, Pamela Sledd, dead with multiple gunshot wounds.

Ferrell appeared Friday morning for an in initial hearing in shackles and a yellow jumpsuit. Afterward, dozens of tearful family members gathered outside and formed prayer circles.

Mays' mother, also Sledds' daughter, and her partner, Mays' father-in-law, said off-camera they're hopeful justice will be served.

A probable cause affidavit filed with Ferrell's charges is also revealing new details about Ferrell and the NHK shooting

Prosecutors say surveillance video shows Ferrell forcing Mays into the trunk of his blue Ford Focus then shooting Sledd and Mays multiple times.

He allegedly ran over Mays as he sped out of the parking lot. He was arrested after he crashed his car in a high-speed chase near Frankfort.

Detectives say they recovered a .45 caliber handgun from Ferrell's car believed to be used in the shooting. They also found what appeared to be blood splatter on the gun and a bullet fragment with a piece of hair on it.

Production at NHK resumed Friday after the company suspended operations yesterday.

NHK set up a memorial outside the plant for family, friends and co-workers. In a Facebook post, the company said, "Words cannot express the loss to our NHK family."
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)-Senator Bernie Sanders is coming to Tippecanoe County. The former presidential candidate will be in West Lafayette on August 27th at the Tippecanoe County Amphitheater Park.

He will be hosting a town hall to discuss the 3.5 trillion dollar budget package that focuses on Human Infrastructure.

That legislation would invest in things like paid family leave and in-home healthcare for the elderly and disabled people. Tippecanoe County Democrats hope this will help get factual information out about the legislation.

"Democrats really want to see policies that help the everyday life of working families here in Tippecanoe County," said Jacque Chosnek the chair of the Tippecanoe County Democratic Party. "I think the spending plan I am really curious to hear what he has to say and how it's going to help our community."

"I think this is a good opportunity for us to get the message out that democrats are about helping people not just building a treasure chest for certain special interests," said Sherry Shipley a former Indiana Senate Candidate

The event starts at 6:00 PM with doors opening at 5.

Per the most recent CDC guidelines masks are advised for all attendees.

To RSVP click here.
FRANKFORT, Ind. (WLFI)  A man who was arrested for shooting two people in the NHK parking lot has been charged. Gary Ferrell II was charged on Friday with the following:

Two counts of murder

Criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon

resisting law enforcement

Carrying a handgun without a license

According to court documents, the prosecution is seeking the death penalty in the case.

Ferrell, 26, is suspected of killing co-workers Promise Mays, 21, and her grandmother, Pamela Sled, 62, both of nearby Rossville, in the NHK plant's parking lot as they arrived about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.
CoCoPIE tech startup wins NSF small business innovation funding

Spin off spins up: CoCoPIE, a start-up firm co-founded by William & Mary computer scientist Bin Ren, received a $250,000 SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation. The partners are offering software-enhanced artificial intelligence for end-user devices. Photo - of - Hide Caption

A tech startup co-founded by a William & Mary computer scientist has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

The NSF grant is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award to CoCoPIE, LLC. Bin Ren, assistant professor in William & Marys Department of Computer Science, is a co-founder of the company, which offers a novel software-based approach to endowing end-user devices with artificial intelligence (AI) functionality. For instance, the CoCoPIE website describes how the software can upscale low-resolution smartphone videos and images to high definition in real time.

Ren explained that most AI improvements are hardware-based, often coming in the form of new chips. Increases in AI functionality usually require consumers to continually buy new phones and devices to benefit. He said devices containing CoCoPIE-enriched software are not only more energy efficient, but wont need to be replaced as often.

CoCoPIE enables efficient AI with a software solution, Ren explained. CoCoPIEs compression/compilation co-design can extend the period that a device provides satisfying performance of certain AI functionalities to users, thus reducing the frequency of purchasing new hardware. This is an immediate and effective solution to address the emerging chip crisis.

Moreover, CoCoPIE capability can easily be installed into existing devices as part of software updates, Ren added. He said potential customers for CoCoPIE include software and hardware producers, basically anyone interested in providing advanced AI support.

Companies that may consider adding CoCoPIE capability would range from chip producers to manufacturers of end-user devices such as smartphones, robots, autonomous vehicles, and the ever-growing range of IoT (Internet of Things) things such as smart thermostats, doorbells and so on. Its a large customer base, Ren noted.

Mobile phone shipment alone in the past five years has been at almost 1.5 billion units a year, and IoT devices and all mobile devices combined are expected to reach more than a trillion units in the next decade, he said. We expect our CoCoPIE technique can run on all of these devices.

Rens collaborators and partners in CoCoPIE are researchers from Northeastern University, North Carolina State University and the autonomous-vehicle firm PerceptIn. Ren says the company will use the SBIR money to ramp up CoCoPIE operations, opening new headquarters in California and hiring software engineers to advance the product. CoCoPIE was incorporated last year near Boston. Jason McDevitt, William & Marys director of technology transfer, says the company has a bright future.

This technology has great potential, which is immediately apparent to anyone who takes a quick glance at the CoCoPie website, McDevitt said. We're pleased that CoCoPIE has received this SBIR award, and very excited about the prospects for the company.
 Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday China is ready to work with Arab states to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality and advance China-Arab strategic partnership to a higher level.

 Bound by the history of the ancient Silk Road, China and Arab states are natural partners for BRI cooperation and have notable complementarity.

 China will now work to meet the need for COVID-19 vaccines in Arab countries, and work with Arab states to further cooperate on the local production of vaccines, said Zhai Jun, China's special envoy on Middle East affairs

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday China is ready to work with Arab states to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality and advance China-Arab strategic partnership to a higher level.

Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory letter to the fifth China-Arab States Expo, which opened Thursday in Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the main venue of fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The four-day event will feature trade fairs and forums on digital economy, clean energy, water resource, modern agriculture, green food, cross-border e-commerce and tourism cooperation. [Xinhua/Wang Peng]

More than 1,000 domestic and overseas enterprises have registered as exhibitors in offline and virtual events.

As one of the expo's major events, the Belt and Road Investment Promotion Conference held on Thursday afternoon witnessed the signing of 13 cooperation projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), involving a total of 4 billion yuan, or about 617 million U.S. dollars.

Fruitful Cooperation

China and Arab states have in recent years continued to strengthen strategic coordination and synergy of actions, and the joint construction of the Belt and Road has achieved fruitful results, Xi said in the letter.

Bound by the history of the ancient Silk Road, China and Arab states are natural partners for BRI cooperation and have notable complementarity. So far, China has signed BRI cooperation documents with 19 Arab countries and the Arab League.

The initiative serves as an opportunity to achieve the common development of participating countries and advance China-Arab strategic partnership, as noted in a declaration of actions on China-Arab BRI cooperation inked in 2018.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the healthcare exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The fifth China-Arab States Expo opened Thursday in Yinchuan. [Xinhua/Wang Peng]

Xi said that China remains the largest trading partner of Arab countries.

In 2020, the total trade volume between China and Arab states was 239.8 billion U.S. dollars. Arab states' imports from China reached 122.9 billion U.S. dollars, up 2.1 percent year on year despite the impact of the pandemic. That is proof of the great resilience, potential and concrete achievements of China-Arab cooperation.

Xi also said that in the face of COVID-19, China and Arab countries have joined hands to fight the pandemic, setting an example of helping each other and overcoming difficulties together.

China and Arab states have shown great sincerity in jointly countering pandemic challenges. Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was among the first foreign heads of state to hold a phone call with Xi voicing support for China's COVID-19 response back in 2020, and China and the United Arab Emirates jointly conducted the world's first international phase three clinical trials of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines. So far, China has donated and exported more than 72 million doses of vaccines to 17 Arab states and the Arab League.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the digital economy exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. [Xinhua/Wang Peng]

"The construction of the BRI in the economic and health sectors, among others, has been gaining momentum during the pandemic, which demonstrates progress toward the construction of a China-Arab states community with a shared future, oriented to the new era," said Su Xiaohui, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies.

China will now work to meet the need for COVID-19 vaccines in Arab countries, and work with Arab states to further cooperate on the local production of vaccines, said Zhai Jun, China's special envoy on Middle East affairs, at the opening of the expo. "We will build on the BRI cooperation momentum to further synergize development strategies and help realize the dreams of national rejuvenation for both sides," he said.

Promoting Cooperation, Development

China is ready to work with Arab states to seek cooperation and development, promote peaceful development, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, Xi noted in the letter.

The expo features exhibition areas with themes including the digital economy, clean energy and cross-border e-commerce.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the cross-border e-commerce exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. [Xinhua/Feng Kaihua]

"These arrangements stand as barometers of the continuous upgrading of the BRI in the post-pandemic era, indicating new growth areas in technology-empowered sectors  not including infrastructure and production capacity cooperation  as well as new cooperation dividends for both sides," said Ding Long, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute at the Shanghai International Studies University.

Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said via video that Arab countries and China are highly complementary in economy and enjoy broad prospects for cooperation. He noted that Morocco has actively participated and played a constructive role in the BRI, and has seen great progress in the country's infrastructure.

Kazakhstan's First Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said that the BRI has proven to be practical and successful, and the proposal of building a digital Silk Road and a green Silk Road will make contributions to the low-carbon development of the world.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2021 shows the green food exhibition area of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. [Xinhua/Wang Peng]

Stressing that new opportunities will be brought to countries along the Belt and Road, Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi said that joint efforts to safeguard regional security and stability are vital for the further development of the initiative.

"China-Arab BRI cooperation will help rally forces to build clusters and highlands of advanced economies, providing powerful engines of technology, expertise and service so as to promote global recovery and contribute to maintaining an open world economy that benefits all," said Gao Shangtao, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at China Foreign Affairs University.

(Source: Xinhua)
Wrexham science centre visited by Wales economy minister

A Wrexham science discovery centre played host to Waless economy minister this week.

Vaughan Gething MS visited Xplore!, on Henblas Street, on Wednesday during a North Wales tour to sites that had received support from the Welsh Government.

In 2019 Xplore!  which was formerly Techniquest Glyndwr  received funding from the Inspiring Science Fund, a partnership between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome, Welsh Government and Wrexham Council.

It enabled the Wrexham-based science centre to relocate to the town centre and to create a dedicated outreach team.

With the funding continuing throughout the pandemic the team were able to support communities by co-creating fun and educational science-based activities for children during such a tough year.

During his visit the minister took a tour of the centre, which includes a living wall

and a driving simulator currently on loan from Tenstar Simulation and Llay-based training provider Gatewen Training Services.

Mr Gething was also told of how school children would have an opportunity to build their own hydroponics system as a workshop delivered to schools in the coming term.

Recognising the impact of the science centre to the wider economy, he commented on the local STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills gap before referencing the national shortage of drivers in the logistics sector and of the importance that centres such as Xplore! play in creating a pipeline of skilled individuals.

Katie Williams, business development officer at Xplore! said: The on-going support from Ministers including Vaughan Gething is helping us to secure the future of science engagement in Wrexham.

It was fantastic to welcome the Minister to the centre as an opportunity to witness first-hand the hard work of all the staff here and to see families enjoying Xplore!.
On Monday, staff at the University of Liverpool returned to work after two weeks of strikes. It is the second strike by around 1,300 members of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences called by the University and College Union (UCU) after the university announced 47 planned redundancies in January.

Staff protesting at Liverpool University at a rally during the strike (WSWS media)

The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences carries out important research in areas such as health inequality, with its Institute of Population Health taking part in many local projects, including a major new study into Long COVID. The faculty has over 1,850 staff, 5,000 undergraduates and 1,000 postgraduate students.

The university has absurdly claimed that in order to free up resources to invest in the health sciences, it has to first make cuts to the health sciences! Its job cuts are part of the universitys Project SHAPE restructuring of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, which it claimed was implemented in order to help tackle the extreme health inequalities and unmet health needs in the Liverpool City Region.

In reality, the plan is yet another cost cutting measure to compete in the marketised higher education system. The proposal for Project SHAPE, obtained by Freedom of Information campaigner Julian Todd, alludes to societal benefit and health outcomes but these are not mentioned. Higher on the list are increased student recruitment and [i]ncreased financial stability, creating headroom for re-investment in emerging strategic priorities, and ongoing investment in facilities.

The proposal makes clear the reforms are intended to implement cuts to strengthen the universitys finances and league table position, not improve health services. The success of the restructure would make a substantial contribution to fulfilling the aims of Strategy 2026, including a top 100 world ranking for the University. Strategy 2026 commits to generating an annual surplus of at least 4% by 2026, while maintaining a minimum holding of 60m in cash.

These plans will cause enormous damage to health services for the most vulnerable. The Liverpool Echo interviewed an academic targeted for redundancy, Dr Luna Centifanti, a clinical psychologist working in North Birkenheadone of the most deprived areas in the UK.

Dr Centifani said that the plans were not going to lead to a better research environment, [or] a better teaching environment. The cuts also undermine the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences plays an important role in the Liverpool STOP COVID group.

These attacks expose the Johnson governments lie that it is committed to scientific education. In launching philistine attacks on the arts and humanities as dead-end courses, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson claimed the government aimed to create the valuable and technical courses our society needs.

The attempts of the Tories to play off one section of academics against another is merely a cover for planned attacks on education and research all down the line. The government has no interest in promoting health research which would reveal the devastating impact of its austerity policies and its homicidal herd immunity response to the pandemic, and it enforces the competitive market mechanisms driving cuts in all areas of education.

An Office for Students was founded in 2018 to promote university competition, and Times Higher Education recently reported that figures within the Department for Education are considering cuts in tuition fees. To pay for this, universities will pursue even more aggressive student recruitment strategies, pushing up class sizes.

As it has done in many disputes, the UCU has called only for compulsory redundancies to be withdrawn. While the number of planned compulsory redundancies has been reduced from 47 to 2 since the first strikes in May, neither the UCU nor the university has announced how many workers have been pressured into accepting voluntary redundancy or early retirement.

Throughout the dispute at Liverpool, the UCU has worked to limit and isolate its members. The union insisted on an unnecessary consultative ballot before it would arrange a strike ballot, and then waited over a month after the second ballot closed before calling any strike action.

The union did everything it could to undermine the marking boycott begun in June. It agreed with the universitys demand that marking be prioritised before the boycott to minimise its impact. Once the university announced it would deduct 100 percent of the wages of anyone taking part in the boycott, the UCU publicly condemned it, but did nothing to escalate the industrial action. In fact, it quickly reached an agreement with the university to call off the boycott within three weeks of results day.

The UCU reports that the local strike fund has increased by over 500 percent since the first strike in May due to an influx of donations. However, the union has responded to this show of mass support by calling for more donations, rather than calling out other members in a common struggle. The UCU Solidarity Movement, a mouthpiece for elements of the union leadership, shamelessly wrote if we all gave 10 a week the branch would easily win.

The only joint action the UCU has arranged is a global boycott of the University of Liverpool, supposedly the unions ultimate sanction. This ineffectual measure, calling on academics elsewhere to refuse to apply for jobs, attend events or collaborate with research projects at the university, serves only to isolate staff from their colleagues in the UK and internationally. It has had so little impact that the university has not mentioned it once in its response to the dispute. An identical boycott did not prevent job cuts at the University of Leicester, where the UCU agreed last week to 21 redundancies.

The treacherous role played by the UCU has been systematically covered up by the pseudo-left press.

The Socialist Workers Party (SWP) leads the UCU Left faction, which holds many leading positions in the union. UCU Left has made absolutely no criticism of the unions policy of only opposing compulsory redundancies, and it has said not a word about the isolation of the Liverpool dispute.

While it advances mealy-mouthed criticisms of the UCUs delaying tactics, the UCU Left claims that the union can be reformed by pressure from below. The current president of the Liverpool branch of the UCU is Anthony OHanlon. He was promoted by the UCU Left in the 2019 executive elections as a supposed reformer but has presided over the same policies as any other UCU official.

The SWP itself has published mainly uncritical interviews and articles written by local UCU officials. The closest any of the pseudo-left groups have come to criticising the UCUs tactics was an article in the Socialist Worker in May arguing that the strikers should be picketing the campus. Even this has been mostly ignored. When WSWS reporters visited the location of an announced picket line on the final day of the strike last week, it had ended within 45 minutes, after a brief photo opportunity.

The UCU has also been endorsed by the centre of gravity of the British pseudo-left, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Speaking at a rally in Liverpool on August 9 alongside the UCU General Secretary and branch president, the head of the Liverpool Guild of Students, numerous Labour MPs and the founder of Merseyside Black Lives Matter, Corbyn told the large crowd that the UCU would not stop until every job has been saved and claimed that it would also stop the university going after the cleaners, the catering workers, the contractors and all the other workers in the university.

The record of the UCU and other campus trade unions throughout the pandemic reveals the opposite: the universities went after thousands of workers while the unions refused to lift a finger. Figures obtained by education platform Edvoy reveal that from May to September 2020, universities made over 3,000 redundancies, which the UCU failed to oppose. At Liverpool, in the same period, 536 fixed-term contracts expired and most of them were not renewed.

The cancellation of most compulsory redundancies at Liverpool shows that the university has warmed to the UCUs suggestion it can make huge staffing cuts through voluntary redundancies, as countless other universities have. A campaign to defend all jobs in the university sector requires a socialist strategy directed against the marketised system itself. The Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee is founded on this basis and will fight to unify the struggles of all workers in higher education and the working class more broadly. Contact the committee to join the fight!
The no-concessions strike by 900 workers at Rio Tinto Alcans Kitimat aluminum smelter and powerhouse in northwestern British Columbia is in grave danger of being betrayed. Although there have been no formal negotiations since the strike began July 25, officials from Unifor met with Rio Tinto representatives in Kitimat August 12 to thrash out a plan to relaunch talks. On Wednesday, the company revealed that a further meeting will take place in Vancouver early next week.

Striking Rio Tinto Alcan workers (Photo Credit: Unifor Kitimat)

The strikers, members of Unifor Local 2301, have received no information from the union about these unusual meetings. On the contrary, the company blurb sent out to all employees announcing next weeks Vancouver meeting explicitly stated that both parties had agreed to keep the contents of the discussions confidential. There can be little doubt about what this means: Rio Tinto and union representatives are conniving to cook up a rotten deal to end the strike on terms favourable to the company.

The strikers are fighting concession demands that include the slashing of benefit eligibility for temporary workers at the smelter and hydroelectric powerhouse, and the reduction of benefits for current retirees and all future retirees and their survivors.

Workers on the picket line have indicated they are determined to overturn a series of union-endorsed concessions imposed in previous contracts, and to defend job protections and pension rights. Fully 100 percent of the unionized workforce voted for strike action.

Workers are also determined to put an end to the employers drive to gut working conditions by systematically violating the contracta practice that has led to some 300 outstanding worker grievances. Many of the grievances concern the companys ever-expanding use of temporary contract labour, its denial of benefits to the temps by manipulating their hours of work, and its refusal to grant workers hired since 2019 defined-benefit pensions.

The companys ruthless exploitation of its workers takes place on a global scale, and has enabled it to amass vast wealth for its executives and super-rich shareholders. The Australian-based conglomerate is the third-largest mining company in the world, with leading interests in iron ore, copper, aluminum, lithium and other minerals. Following on from a whopping US $9.8 billion net profit in 2020, the company has just reported its highest-ever half-year earnings, racking up US $12.2 billion in profits just in the first six months of 2021. Rio Tinto responded by announcing late last month a blockbuster dividend payout to its shareholders. The company will reward investors with $9.1 billion at $7.60 per share, which more than triples previous payouts. Industry analysts predict that such windfalls will continue throughout the decade, as prices for metals will remain high.

Unifor, which boasts incessantly about being the largest private sector union in Canada, has done virtually nothing to inform its more than 300,000 members about the Kitimat strike, let alone mobilize them and the working class more broadly in support of the smelter workers struggle against the mining multinational. This is not an oversight, but the direct product of the unions nationalist and corporatist agenda, which prioritizes the bureaucrats relations with big business executives and the capitalist state over the interests of the workers Unifor claims to represent. While the Kitimat strikers have been isolated on the picket line on a miserable C$400 a week in strike pay, Unifor and its allies are lavishing millions of dollars on a nationwide Anybody but Conservative advertising campaign, which serves to promote the re-election of the pro-war, pro-austerity Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. For his part, Trudeau has repeatedly boasted about his governments close relations with his Unifor partners.

During last years auto negotiations, Unifor President Jerry Dias trumpeted the unions endorsement of the further expansion of temporary low-wage labour in the Detroit Threes plants and the entrenchment of the hated multi-tier wage system, proclaiming that the concessions-laden agreements the union reached with Ford, GM, and Fiat-Chrysler would make Canada a competitive location for investment.

Unifor has already made clear that it is ready to surrender key elements of the workers demands to Rio Tinto. As the clock was ticking towards a strike on July 24, company management made it known that they were prepared to hibernate the majority of smelting pots at the facility rather than continue negotiations through the deadline. A union bulletin to the strikers notes, the Company was very firm on achieving one of their demands, which amounted to a major concession for our membersIn the end, considering what was at stake, we tentatively agreed to their proposed concession which would allow our members to return.

Outrageously, Unifor has never informed its members precisely what this major concession was. But it evidently did not go far enough for Rio Tinto. It called a halt to the discussions, ordered almost 75 percent of the pots to be hibernated and insisted that other of its concession demands were still on the table. In a statement released prior to the August 12 meeting, Rio Tinto arrogantly declared that it suspended bargaining because the union raised too many demands, making it impossible to reach a collective agreement comparable with the ones we find in our other businesses in Canada or with our competitors.

The global cost-cutting record of Rio Tinto is notorious. After the 2007 purchase of Alcan, Rio Tinto (Alcan) immediately cut its aluminium production by 6 percent and shut the Beauharnois smelter in Quebec in 2009, eliminating 220 jobs. Telegraphing the companys current strategy in Kitimat, then-chief executive officer Dick Evans announced, Our goal is to align production with customer demand and reduce our operating costs as much as possible.

If the Kitimat strikers are to prevail, they must respond to Rio Tintos aggressive global cost-cutting drive with an international strategy of their own. Conditions are ripe for the building of a mass working-class movement to fight wage cutting, temporary contracts, the gutting of benefits, and corporate profiteering. Thousands of workers across Canada, the United States and other countries are engaged in strikes and job actions. In northeastern Quebec, 2,500 workers affiliated with the USW recently struck the global steel giant ArcelorMittal for close to a month. Mine, mill and smelter workers at Vales massive Sudbury, Ontario operations struck for 64 days before the USW pushed through a rapid end to the dispute, at the beginning of this month, on managements terms. De Havilland aerospace workers in Toronto, also represented by Unifor, are continuing their strike against concessions and potential massive job losses. The key task is to unify all of these struggles with those of workers in the United States, Mexico and internationally, in a working-class counteroffensive to secure decent-paying, secure jobs for all.

For the Kitimat strikers, the first step in this struggle is to draw a balance sheet of the reactionary role of the corporatist trade unions. Over the past four decades, they have repudiated any association with militant working class struggle, and in Canada, as around the world, served ever more nakedly as junior partners of management.

Rank-and-file workers must take matters into their own hands. If Unifor remains in control of the strike, it is becoming ever clearer that it will organize an abject betrayal, whether that follows directly on the heels of next weeks Vancouver meeting or after another round of closed-door talks. Given Rio Tintos bumper profits, the company may decide to make a few token gestures to Unifor, allowing the union to sell a future agreement as a victory. This was the experience of the striking miners in Sudbury, where mining giant Vale withdrew a demand to end retiree health care benefits but concluded a deal with the USW that retains all the concessions given up over the past three decades. These include the widespread use of temporary labour and the institutionalization of a multi-tier wage system.

To prevent their struggle being betrayed, Kitimat strikers urgently require their own fighting organization. Strikers should immediately form a rank-and-file strike committee led by the most trusted and militant workers that can take action independently of Unifor, to oppose any and all give-backs and spearhead the fight to rally support from Rio Tinto and other workers across Canada and internationally.
The takeover of power by the Taliban in Afghanistan has not only led to the complete collapse of the puppet regime headed by President Ashraf Ghani and the Afghan army, it has also exploded the mountain of lies used to justify the longest, biggest and most expensive military mission conducted by Germanys post-war army (Bundeswehr).

Soldiers of the German army in Afghanistan

For 20 years, the government, the opposition and the countrys servile media have led the German public to believe that the Bundeswehr was in Afghanistan to drill wells, enable girls to go to school and encourage nation building. None of this was true. The Afghan war was a dirty colonial war from the very start, with all that entails: massacres, torture, crime and corruption.

Bagram was not only the largest American airbase in the country, but also a prison and torture centre where political prisoners from all over the world were interrogated and transferred to Guantanamo. Two Kabul prisons alone held close to 10,000 political prisoners who were set free by the Taliban when they took over the city.

According to official figures, almost 165,000 Afghans were killed during the war. The actual number is probably many times higher. Thousands of civilians died under a hail of bombs from American planes. The largest such massacre, which claimed the lives of over 130 civilians and numerous children, was ordered by a Bundeswehr officer, Colonel Georg Klein, near Kunduz, on September 4, 2009.

Even before the Bundeswehr entered the north of the country, the ally of the Western powers, Abdul Rashid Dostum, had murdered between 3,000 to 8,000 captured Taliban fighters. They were squeezed like sardines into containers, where they died in agony from lack of oxygen, overheating and thirst. Those who survived the ordeal were shot.

The Afghan governments of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani, who installed, propped up and funded to the tune of billions by the Western powers, were, like other imperialist puppet regimes in Africa, Latin America and Asia, brutal, ruthless and corrupt to the bone.

The Afghanistan Papersinternal US government documents leaked in 2019estimate that 40 percent of the US aid of over a trillion dollars landed in the pockets of corrupt officials, officers, warlords and criminals. President Ghani had $169 million in cash when he fled the country last week, according to the Afghan ambassador to Tajikistan, Mohammad Zahir Aghbar.

This is the reason for the precipitous collapse of the Afghan government and army after imperialist troops left. Ghanis supposedly democratic regime lacked any social support, apart from a layer of Kabuls narrow middle and upper class. For the vast majority of the Afghan population, his regime and the imperialist occupation were hell on earth.

When the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Chancellor Angela Merkel now declare in unison that we misjudged the situation, this can only mean that they earnestly believed their own propaganda and have lost all sight of social reality. In fact, there was never the slightest doubt, even in Berlin, about the real aim of the war.

When the US used the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 as a pretext to attack Afghanistan and overthrow the Taliban regime, it was putting into action plans prepared long before. In reality, the American strategy was, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, to dominate a region of extraordinary importance with regard to geopolitics and energy supplies.

By attacking Afghanistan, setting up a client regime and moving vast military forces into the region, the US aims to establish a new political framework within which it will exert hegemonic control, wrote the WSWS, three days after the war began, in the statement Why We Oppose the War in Afghanistan.

German imperialism could not and would not stand aside. Since the reunification of Germany in 1991, there have been intensive discussions in leading political and military circles about how Germany could once again play a global political and military role in line with its economic interests. In 1999, the SPD and the Greens dispatched the Bundeswehr to Yugoslavia to conduct its first post-World War II foreign combat mission. Then the opportunity arose to gain a foothold in one of the worlds most important geostrategic regions.

On October 11, 2001, four days after the start of American hostilities in Afghanistan, Chancellor Gerhard Schroder (Social Democratic Party, SPD) announced to the Bundestag a fundamental reorientation of German foreign policy. The period during which Germany had merely participated in international efforts to secure freedom, justice and stability through secondary aid was irretrievably over, he declared. We Germans in particular ... now also have an obligation to do full justice to our new responsibility. This explicitly includesand I say this unequivocallyparticipation in military operations.

One month later, the Bundestag decided by an overwhelming majority to provide 3,900 Bundeswehr soldiers for the fight against international terrorism. In addition to the governing parties, the SPD and the Greens, the conservative opposition at that time led by Angela Merkel, also voted in favour of the Afghanistan mission.

In addition to foreign policy aims, the intervention also served domestic political purposes. German soldiers were once again expected to get use to killing and dying on the battlefield, following decades of abstinence from war, while the broad mass of the population was expected to overcome its deep, historically rooted anti-militarism and become enthusiastic about war missions.

Since then, more than 150,000 German servicemen and women have received their baptism of fire in Afghanistan, 59 died and thousands more have been injured and traumatised. At the same time, the mission has become a breeding ground for right-wing extremist tendencies. When the extent emerged of the influence of far-right elements in the Special Forces Command (KSK)which carried out behind-the-lines operations in Afghanistanthe German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer felt compelled to disband one of the four KSK companies.

The debacle in Afghanistan is a major blow to German militarism. The willingness of the already pacifistically inclined Germans to choose militarily robust means to enforce security policy interests will decline even further in view of the images of the past few days, complained the right-wing Neue Zurcher Zeitung.

However, this will not stop the German ruling class from pushing ahead with its militaristic plans. It will rely even more than ever on the far-right Alternative for Germany and repressive measures against opponents of war. The plans by the Berlin police to ban demonstrations and the hanging up of posters throughout the entire government district during the course of the official ceremony to salute soldiers returning from Afghanistan on August 31 must be seen as a warning.

Militarism is supported by all parties represented in the Bundestag. While they blame each other for the Afghanistan debacle in the current election campaign, not one of them denounces the criminal character of the war. This is also true of the Left Party, which has long signalled its willingness to support Bundeswehr war missions if the party is accepted as a coalition partner by the SPD and the Greens at the federal level.

The Socialist Equality Party (SGP) is the only party that categorically rejects militarism and war and is contesting the federal elections with a socialist programme aimed at eliminating its root cause, capitalism.
In little over a week, approximately 100,000 concertgoers from all around the country will descend on Manchester, Tennessee, located about an hour outside of Nashville, for the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. To put it bluntly: the event, taking place under conditions in which the US is in the midst of a devastating new wave of the coronavirus pandemic, driven in part by the highly infectious Delta variant, is a social crime whose logical outcome will be more deaths and the further spread of the virus in communities throughout the country.

The Centeroo arch at Bonnaroo marks the entrance from the campgrounds into the music area. This year's construction glowed in the dark, flashing fluorescent colors throughout the night.

The perpetrators of this crime are not only the organizers behind the festival, but also local and state officials, and above all, the Biden administration itself, which is pursuing the homicidal policy of reopening schools and the economy, all the while refusing to take any serious measures to combat the virus.

While the festival is scheduled to run from Thursday, September 2 through Sunday, September 5, guests are able to begin arriving as early as Tuesday of the same week.

Bonnaroo is but one of a number of festivals and concerts being held this year as part of a continuous effort on the part of the ruling class to normalize the pandemic, i.e., to numb the publics consciousness to mass death. Bonnaroo, which first took place in 2002, was forced to cancel altogether in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. It now follows in the wake of Chicagos four-day Lollapalooza festivalcorrectly characterized as a superspreader eventwhich over 385,000 people attended.

It was recently reported that there have been over 200 confirmed casesan undercount to be sureamong attendees of Lollapalooza. Significantly, 127 of those cases are among vaccinated individuals, with 76 confirmed cases among unvaccinated individuals. Lollapalooza required its attendees to show proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test issued within 72 hours of entry. The predictable outcome of cases following the festival exposes the lie that these events, even with certain measures in place, can be conducted safely and responsibly.

Taking cues from Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo issued an announcement on Twitter stating, The safety of our patrons and staff is our number one priority. As such a full COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test will be required to attend Bonnaroo 2021. Supposedly, masks will only be required for indoor spaces, although if Lollapalooza is any indication, any masking guidelines will quickly fall to the wayside.

Notably, a Dutch electronic dance music festival called Verknipt, held last month in Utrecht, Netherlands, has been linked to over 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, despite having stricter requirements than what Bonnaroo is demanding. For instance, unvaccinated Verknipt attendees were required to show proof of negativity within 40 hours in order to gain entry. City officials have since revised this to 24 hours.

Coffee County, where the city of Manchester is located, is a predominantly rural area, with a median household income of $50,351 in 2019 and 14.4 percent of the population living in poverty. To date, Coffee County has experienced 13,212 confirmed cases of COVID-19 along with 123 deaths. From August 10 to August 16, there have been an average of 57 confirmed cases per day. In terms of vaccination, less than half of the countys population has received one dose, including the hundreds of children under 12 who are unable to be inoculated. The number of fully vaccinated individuals is even lower. The festival threatens to overload the countys already inadequate and underfunded health care system, which has just one hospital.

As for Tennessee itself, the state is experiencing a rapid surge of COVID-19, driven largely by the reopening of schools. As of this writing, the state has seen 5,478 new cases and 27 deaths since the previous day. The total number of cases in the state is close to 1 million, while deaths are at 13,045. The states Republican governor, Bill Lee, has refused to take any serious measures to contain the virus while demanding that the economy fully reopens.

Taking his cues from Floridas homicidal governor, Ron DeSantis, Lee recently issued an executive order which allows parents to opt out of school mask mandates. Meanwhile, members of Tennessees state legislature have been threatening to withhold funding from districts which enact safety measures aimed at protecting students and educators.

Amid the latest deadly surge of the pandemic, some musicians have taken the principled stand of canceling their shows altogether out of concern for the lives of attendees and workers. Stevie Nicks, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac, announced earlier this month the cancellation of her tour. Limp Bizkit, a metal band popular in the 2000s, after performing at Lollapalooza, announced that they were canceling the remainder of their tour, citing COVID-19 concerns.

Nicks, for her part, wrote in her statement, These are challenging times with challenging decisions that have to be made. I want everyone to be safe and healthy and the rising COVID cases should be of concern to all of us.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is preparing to send over 340,000 mostly unvaccinated students back into classrooms on August 30, in spite of the massive surge of the delta variant underway across both the country and the state of Illinois. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has endorsed the citys reopening and agrees in principle that teachers should go into the unsafe schools, although the city and the union have not yet reached a final agreement on the terms of reopening.

Pre-kindergarten teacher Sarah McCarthy works with a student at Dawes Elementary in Chicago.(Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, Pool, File)

The current plan for in-person classes walks back a significant number of already-insufficient restrictions put in place when schools first reopened last spring. Social distancing recommendations are being reduced from six to three feet, even then to be observed only when possible. Only unvaccinated students will be required to quarantine if they become exposed to someone who is infected, and there has been no indication from CPS of any criteria, either total cases, test positivity rates or other metrics, which would require the closure of schools.

At the time of this writing, the seven-day average of new reported infections in Cook County, which includes Chicago and its closest suburbs, is nearly 900 per day, a 25-fold increase from early July.

Earlier this week the city announced that it is re-instating an indoor mask mandate. While the limited measure is totally inadequate for combating the pandemic, it is a backhanded admission that conditions are rapidly worsening.

Despite this, the CTU is supporting the CPS reopening plans and says it hopes to form a partnership with the city for this purpose. In the past week the CTU has held press conferences to announce that they are in the process of negotiating with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoots office on a handful of supposed safety measures.

The union has said that regardless of the progress of negotiations, it will be sending its teachers into classrooms on August 30. On Wednesday, CTU President Jesse Sharkey held a press conference to give an update on the talks with the mayor. Sharkey attempted to posture as an opponent of an unsafe reopening versus a safe reopening, a scientific impossibility under the present conditions.

If this winds up being a runaway surge, where people are getting sick, being hospitalized and dying, conditions which already exist, were going to take action, Sharkey said. I think parents are going to support that and were not going to simply sit there and participate in mass spreader events inside of our schools. We would take action before that happens, so well see.

Such empty threats will concern CPS and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot not in the slightest, given that the CTU sabotaged the teachers struggle against reopening in the spring semester, forcing through a deal which it had worked out behind their backs with the Lightfoot administration. Indeed, unlike in the spring, there is no indication that the CTU will even put any deal up to the pretense of a vote by the membership.

Later in a Twitter post that same day, the CTU admitted to the immense dangers presented by the Delta variant. The challenge we face is that Delta is nearly as contagious as chicken pox but far more deadly and problematic from a public health perspective. In just the last week, the city saw an average of 400 new Covid cases, which was the metric last year to close schools.

Both the city and the CTU are well aware that opening the schools for in person learning will cause a major outbreak of COVID-19, regardless of whatever toothless measures are in place. But as opposed to previous strains of the coronavirus, however, children are especially vulnerable to the delta strain. Since April, 73 children aged 17 and under have died of COVID-19 nationwide, mostly during the summer months when schools were closed.

The impact of school reopenings is already being felt in southern states such as Florida and Mississippi, where schools traditionally open in mid August. More than 10,000 students in the school district serving the city of Tampa, Florida, are currently out on quarantine after only a single week of classes.

While CPS is requiring that teachers be fully vaccinated for the school year, students are not. Indeed, students under 12 years old are not even eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and will not become eligible anytime soon.

Even among older students, however, the vaccination rate is dangerously low. As the CTU itself acknowledged in a separate tweet, only a small minority of eligible students have actually been vaccinated, including a mere 12 percent of black students.

This is a product not of racial, but of class oppression. Indeed, almost none of the poor and working-class areas of the city have a vaccination rate above 50 percent with several of these areas being well below 40 percent. These areas are where CPS draws its largest numbers of students and is where the Delta variant will be most devastating if it is allowed to spread to children in the schools, who will then take it home to their parents.

The insistence that schools open under these conditions is a conscious decision by both the city and the CTU to allow children to be infected and die so that Wall Street and the major corporations can continue to make profits.

The disastrous level of infections that will come with opening the schools must be opposed by teachers, parents, and students alike. To counter this, teachers must develop the network of rank-and-file safety committees which were founded in the spring, in opposition to the union-backed reopening plans taking place nationwide, into the center of a powerful movement of the whole working class against both the government and the unions. We encourage all teachers to contact us today and help build the Chicago Educators Rank-and-File Committee to protect their lives and those of their students and the population as a whole.
The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Australia held a successful online meeting last Saturday, reviewing the escalating global coronavirus catastrophe, the resurgence of the class struggle and the political issues posed before young people amid an unprecedented breakdown of the world capitalist system.

The reports provoked a lively discussion among the more than one hundred participants, who included university students from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Newcastle, TAFE pupils, academics and tertiary staff, school teachers and other workers. Attendees also took part from New Zealand and Sri Lanka, while a student from Indonesia tuned in and posed a question on the pandemic.

The meeting, streamed live on Zoom, has now been uploaded to YouTube and can be watched in full below.

Covid chaos, job cuts, war dangers: The crisis of capitalism and the resurgence of the working class

Chairing the meeting, Elle Chapman, a leading member of the IYSSE in Sydney, explained that it was taking place under circumstances that were extraordinary and history-making.

Young people, along with the working class, were on the frontlines of the homicidal policies of capitalist governments around the world, which centred on subordinating public health to private profit amid a deadly pandemic. This was being accompanied by an offensive against social conditions, with youth unemployment and poverty sharply rising, and an escalating drive to war.

Evrim Yazgin, the president of the IYSSE club at the University of Melbourne, reviewed in detail the medical impact of the pandemic on children and young people. Contrary to the claims of governments and the corporate media that young people were posed with little risk by the virus, close to 100,000 children were testing positive each week in the US, and thousands had died around the world. The dangers were also revealed in the current Australian outbreak, where more than half of infections were among children, teenagers and young adults.

Yazgin explained that under these conditions, there was widespread opposition to a drive by governments to fully reopen schools, as part of a broader big business campaign to force workers back on the job. The plan to resume face-to-face teaching for Year 12 students in Sydney, amid a major spread of the Delta variant, had been met by a petition campaign that won the support of thousands of pupils.

The speaker cited one of the petitions, which demonstrated that the students were taking a stand, not only for themselves but for the working class more broadly. It stated: [T]he NSW government is not only endangering us, but our families too, as many of us have grandparents, younger siblings, and immuno-compromised family members living at home. Whats more, if teachers become infected, our learning will be compromised even further. They do not deserve to be called upon to risk their wellbeing during this crisis.

There was also widespread hostility among university students to a stepped-up assault on the tertiary sector, which has claimed over 90,000 jobs since the pandemic began. Students at a number of universities had also issued petitions, opposing the sacking of academics and restructuring involving the gutting of courses and entire departments.

Yazgin said that these emerging struggles confronted many obstacles that needed to be politically dealt with. This included pseudo-left organisations, such as Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alliance, whose role is to divert the leftward movement of young people behind parties of big business and the thoroughly corporatised and anti-worker trade unions on the basis of phony left-populist rhetoric. He concluded with an exposure of the nostrums of identity politics and postmodernism, explaining that both were directed against Marxism and its fight to build a leadership in the working class, the only revolutionary force in society.

Cheryl Crisp, the national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party and a decades-long leader of the Trotskyist movement, delivered the main report.

Reviewing the mass deaths and infections of the past 18 months, Crisp explained: What is becoming increasingly evident to billions of people globally is that capitalism is unable and unwilling to protect the lives of the population. Not because the knowledge of how to deal with the pandemic does not exist but because the response of capitalism and their government representatives is that profits, production and wealth must be prioritised to lives.

Australia was no exception. The corporate and financial elite, along with the state and federal governments, Labor and Liberal alike, were engaged in a frenzied campaign for the lifting of safety restrictions, an end to lockdowns for all time and for working people to be forced to live with the virus.

The current outbreak was the direct product of the homicidal policies of the New South Wales Liberal-National government, which, with the full support of the state Labor opposition, had rejected the necessary lockdown measures required to curb transmission. The crisis was being used by the authorities, to implement a roadmap to reopening the economy, adopted by the national cabinet, composed of all the state and territory administrations and the federal government.

In working-class areas of Sydney, where the virus was spreading most rapidly, residents were being subjected to a major police-military deployment rejecting any bolstering of the chronically-underfunded healthcare system. Instead, as is the case internationally, the crisis was being used to accelerate an onslaught on jobs, wages and conditions.

Crisp explained that the criminal response of governments to the pandemic was an international phenomenon. The crisis was a trigger event, analogous to World War I, in that it was accelerating all of the underlying contradictions of capitalism, and ushering in a new period of wars and mass social upheavals.

The speaker outlined the growing resistance of the working class internationally, including the protracted strike by Volvo workers in the US state of Virginia. They had established a rank-and-file committee to resist a combined offensive on the rights and conditions by the transnational auto manufacturer and the United Auto Workers union.

This approach is posed everywhere, Crisp said, and explained that the International Committee of the Fourth International, the world Trotskyist movement, had called for an International Alliance of Workers Rank-and-File Committees, to coordinate the emerging struggles of workers the world over.

She concluded by raising the necessity for students and youth to take up the fight for a socialist and internationalist perspective in the working class. You have attended this meeting because you are looking for an alternative, because you want answers to these great historical questions of the day. The IYSSE and the Socialist Equality Party, the Trotskyist movement, will provide you with those answers and analysis. We will train you as conscious revolutionaries in the necessary and inevitable class struggles and upsurge which is beginning. We will educate you in the history of the class struggle and most importantly the lessons which must be drawn and finally we will provide you with the organisation which must be built to lead these struggles.

The reports provoked a lively discussion. Questions were raised about the motives underlying the school reopening campaign; the attitude of the socialist movement towards vaccination, and the meaning of ruling class calls for the population to live with the virus. One student asked where he could read more about the history and program of the Trotskyist movement. Crisp and Yazgin encouraged all those in attendance to read the World Socialist Web Site and directed the questioner to Mehring Books, the SEPs publishing house.

Attendees expressed their appreciation for the reports and discussion. A 21-year-old politics student said: The IYSSE meeting highlighted the deadly policies of the ruling class. Despite the high number of deaths and infections globally, the policy of reopening schools is being followed around the world and is having disastrous results in every country.

The meeting correctly highlighted how schools are being used as childcare facilities to ensure that parents can be forced into workplaces to ensure the continued profits of businesses. This drive back to work campaign is coupled with the rising cost of living in most countries, which means that ordinary working people cannot even afford basic commodities.

However, there is resistance worldwide to the ruling class policies by the working class. This resistance is evident in the demonstrations of the Volvo workers. It is evident in the protests of thousands of students worldwide who called for the closing of schools and the cancellation of exams.

Most importantly the meeting highlighted that these pockets of resistance should come together under the leadership of the working class and oppose the capitalist system as a whole and fight for the building of socialism internationally.

James, a University of Newcastle student who also works in mining backfill, said: I agree completely with the points raised regarding the unwillingness of our government to go into lockdown. They are protecting large businesses at the expense of working people. The push to bring students back into school for their final Year 12 exams is concerning.

I would also like to point out that right now our government is directly involved in creating a McCarthyite campaign against China, which is currently the worlds largest vaccine delivering nation. In a time of global pandemic, our establishment is working to manufacture a divide that is directly opposed to the interests of working people not only within Australia, but also to people all around the world.
In the four days since the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest district in the US with over 600,000 students, reopened on Monday, multiple positive infections have been detected in various school sites. The mitigation measures touted by the district in advance of reopening, while wholly inadequate to stop the spread of the virus, have not even been systematically implemented across the district, and the dilapidated infrastructure of many of the districts over 1,000 schools is proving to be an insurmountable barrier in providing necessary ventilation to limit the spread of the airborne virus.

Parents and students line up to pick up school materials outside the Aurora Elementary School in Los Angeles [Credit: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes]

Interim LAUSD Superintendent Megan Reilly spent opening day running from campus to campus telling everyone that schools were safe, and that everyone needs to understand the many layers and how our safety protocol works. According to Reilly, Weve created here at Los Angeles Unified some of the safest environments. Its a controlled environment. Its safer in many of our schools than it is out in the public.

According to data released Thursday by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH), 118 students and staff tested positive in the 24 hours from Tuesday to Wednesday morning. 107 of those cases were K-12 students who were on campuses during that time. Ten outbreaks and nine clusters have been reported associated with the positive cases and 56 of those cases were reportedly isolated cases. Only positive cases and close contacts, or people who were within 3 feet of the infected individual for longer than 15 minutes, have been notified and asked to quarantine.

On Wednesday, the LACDPH recorded 34 new deaths and 4,046 new infections, with 1,790 people in local hospitals with the virus and 406 people in intensive care units. Hospitalizations increased by more than 100 over the previous day. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 1.36 million cases in Los Angeles County with 24,952 deaths.

LAUSD has implemented a program to test all students and staff once per week regardless of vaccination status. On Monday night, LAUSD released their baseline COVID-19 results from tests of students and staff during the two weeks prior to the first day of school, which found 3,255 positive cases among students and 399 cases among school employees.

However, 19 percent of students did not get tested through the district during this period. LAUSD asks that students not participating in the school testing program get tested through an outside site, but will not include these results in its overall data reports. With 451,026 students returning to in-person schooling, that would mean about 85,694 of those students were not included in the reported baseline test results.

Still, the baseline data presented online Monday night was quickly removed by Tuesday morning.

Some school sites only tested students on campus Monday morning and allowed students to go to class the entire day, only to have some students informed later that evening they had tested positive. On social media, parents have expressed outrage and concern that their child, or a student in their childs classrooms, tested positive and was on campus during the week. Such conditions, in the context of a very high transmission rate in Los Angeles County and an 1872 hour window of viral shedding before showing a positive test, expose the LAUSD testing program as nothing but safety theater.

Dr. Jorge A. Caballero spoke out on Twitter in opposition to alarming case rates in LAUSD schools. On Monday, he tweeted that based on the LAUSD COVID-19 dashboard, case rates at 59th Street Elementary School were 77.81 per 100,000, far above the community case rate of 37.71 per 100,000. Caballero wrote, Id like to meet the optimists and ask them what they think about most LAUSD schools showing this kind of disparity in case rate.

Many parents have spoken out on social media to express their outrage and in opposition to the lack of and poor implementation of safety measures in the schools.

One parent exclaimed, Lets all protest and not send our kids to school by going on strike until LAUSD, the governor, the state legislature provides the same online virtual learning as last year before all the kids get covid and thousands die!

Another parent of a South Gate High School student posted on the LAUSD Facebook page, Yesterday was my daughters first day at school. They came home complaining that there is no AC in [any] of their classes. Not sure how they expect the kids to learn when they cant even concentrate because its too hot, or when they cant even hear the teacher because the fan they have in the classroom is too loud. Come on, South Gate High School! You guys had enough time this whole past year with no kids in school. You guys couldve fixed the AC in the classrooms!!

According to the LA Times, many classrooms throughout the district do not have working air conditioning and in at least two schools, the entire HVAC systems are not working. Yet, according to interim Superintendent Reilly, We believe Los Angeles Unified has the highest COVID safety standards of any public school district in the nation. Our preparations for the new school year include continuing to require masking for all students, staff, and visitors; maximizing physical distancing as much as possible; continuing comprehensive sanitizing efforts, including frequent hand washing; upgraded air filtration systems; requiring vaccines for employees and COVID testing for employees and students.

Social distancing measures are also not being implemented. According to the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) website, physical distancing within the schools must be consistent with county guidelines, and those guidelines currently require districts to maintain physical distancing to the degree that allows for daily attendance by all students.

This essentially makes a mockery of social distancing guidelines when one considers the size of the typical class in the district. As one parent said on Facebook, her daughters first day of transitional kindergarten had no social distancing, two kids per desk, desks close together, plus 25 kids in her class and maybe more.

One parent commented angrily, Students are not even distanced when unmasked during lunch. Or as another parent exclaimed, 2nd day back and already too many students are exposed! Its time to rethink opening zoom back up with the regular teachers at the normal school.

The United Teachers Los Angeles union, which rammed through a deal to reopen schools in the spring without even the pretense of a vote, is once again playing a leading role in facilitating reopenings. Since schools opened Monday, the union has not even said a word about unsafe conditions throughout the district, instead focusing attention on getting teachers to vote in the recall election for Governor Gavin Newsom.

This shows that teachers, students and parents must organize themselves not only against the school district and city government, but the union as well. The World Socialist Web Site is fighting to build such organizations in the form of educator rank-and-file safety committees across the country.

The West Coast Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee meets next Saturday, August 28 at 2 p.m. PDT. Sign up now to register for the meeting and become involved.
A North Carolina man who claimed to have a bomb in his pickup truck near the US Capitol surrendered to law enforcement Thursday after a standoff that lasted for five hours. Police have identified the suspect as Floyd Ray Roseberry, 49, from Grover, North Carolina. Roseberrys bomb threat sparked a massive police response in an area that was the site of an attempted coup by a violent mob of Trump supporters just seven months prior.

Authorities investigate a pickup truck parked on the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The incident began around 9:15 a.m. when witnesses reported that a suspicious vehicle drove onto the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress. Kelsey Campbell, a University of Wisconsin-Madison student visiting Washington for a class trip, told the Associated Press she and another student encountered Roseberry standing outside his truck, holding a bundle of dollar bills.

Campbell said Roseberry told her to call the police and tell them to evacuate the street while offering her the money he was holding. Campbell said she told Roseberry no, and he threw the money at Campbell and her friend as they ran away. Campbell said she and the other student found some police officers standing nearby and told them what happened. The officers then went to confront Roseberry.

Roseberry, now sitting inside his truck, told an officer that he had a bomb and was holding what appeared to be a detonator in his hand, US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told a news conference.

Police did not immediately know if there were explosives in the vehicle, but the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, the Cannon House Office Building and the offices of the Republican National Committee were quickly evacuated. The Capitol came to a virtual standstill as police cordoned off the streets and the area was swarmed with officers from the Capitol Police, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Washington D.C. police.

Manger said police began communicating with Roseberry using a whiteboard and sharpshooters were deployed to the area surrounding the truck. Police delivered Roseberry a cellphone with a robot in an attempt to speak with him, but said he refused to use it. The standoff was resolved after roughly five hours of negotiations, ending when Roseberry crawled out of the truck and was taken into police custody.

Police were still searching the vehicle Thursday afternoon and had identified some concerning items, like propane containers in the bed of the truck, Manger said. But it was not clear whether Roseberry had any explosives in the vehicle.

Roseberry posted several videos on Facebook from his truck in the hours before he surrendered, where he professed anti-government views, directly addressed remarks to President Joe Biden demanding his resignation and called for US airstrikes on the Taliban in Afghanistan. The video and Roseberrys Facebook profile have since been removed.

Roseberry could be seen inside a truck, holding a canister that he said was a bomb and speaking about a revolution. He claimed on the video that he had a seven-pound keg of gunpowder and 2.5 pounds of the explosive Tannerite in the truck bed and suggested there were four other bombs in the D.C. area. He also said his wife has cancer and their health insurance would not cover her treatment.

I promised my wife Id be home Sunday, whichever home it is. Ive cleared my conscience with God, Roseberry said in the video.

Roseberry frequently made pro-Trump posts on his now-removed Facebook and videos on his page appeared to show him at the November 14 Million MAGA March attended by thousands of Trump supporters claiming the 2020 presidential election was stolen. In one video, Roseberry appears to be filming as he marched with a crowd of people carrying American flags and Trump flags, shouting stop the steal.

As the news of Roseberrys actions spread, Republican Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama made a tweet saying he sympathized with the citizenry anger directed at dictatorial Socialism.

Although this terrorists motivation is not yet publicly known, Brooks wrote, generally speaking, I understand citizenry anger directed at dictatorial Socialism and its threat to liberty, freedom and the very fabric of American society.

He added that the way to stop socialism is for patriotic Americans to fight back in upcoming election cycles. I strongly encourage patriotic Americans to do exactly that more so than ever before. Bluntly stated, Americas future is at risk, Brooks said.

Brooks, who voted to overturn the election of President Joe Biden, quickly drew criticism for his statement because of his role in the January 6 coup. Brooks spoke to the crowd at the Stop the Steal rally that morning and told them to start taking down names and kicking ass.

Tell us you stand with the terrorist without telling us you stand with the terrorist, Representative Eric Swalwell, Democrat from California, wrote in response to Brooks statement on Twitter.

Swalwell filed a civil lawsuit against Trump, Brooks, Donald Trump Jr. and former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani in March, accusing them of being wholly responsible for the injury and destruction caused by the mob.
The New Zealand government this week dispatched an Air Force Hercules plane with 40 military personnel to Afghanistan to evacuate over 100 NZ citizens, plus foreign nationals and Afghanis who collaborated with the allied occupation of the country.

New Zealand Army soldier and NZLAV in Afghanistan (Credit: Wikimedia/NZ Defence Force)

Following the ignominious collapse of the US-backed regime in Kabul, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference that the security situation in the beleaguered country had deteriorated far more quickly than could have been predicted. What will matter, Ardern intoned, is the actions, particularly around human rights, and particularly from New Zealands perspective, well be looking to see how women and girls under a Taliban regime will be treated.

The comment underscores the attempt by the government, media and entire ruling elite to whitewash the countrys near 20-year involvement in the US-led imperialist invasion and occupation involving 3,500 New Zealand troops and 10 combat deaths.

Asked to reflect on New Zealands role, Ardern bluntly declared that it would be a complete disservice to go back and rewrite history. Decisions were made at the time, she said, that we could make a contribution for the better. New Zealands contribution was not a failure, she added, baldly claiming: It made a difference for those living in Afghanistan and their daily lives.

Defence Minister Peeni Henare concurred, declaring: our contribution was a positive one. The Dominion Post also assured readers that New Zealands peacekeeping presence in Afghanistan was essentially a human story, that had brought advances like education and plumbing to the community.

The invasion and occupation of the impoverished country was in reality a filthy criminal enterprise from the start that ensured the virtual destruction of an entire society. New Zealands Labour-Alliance government had joined the invasion primarily to fully restore relations with the US following the Labour-led anti-nuclear posturing in the 1980s, and as a quid-pro-quo for Washingtons endorsement of its own neo-colonial operations in the Pacific.

On October 3, 2001, the NZ parliament approved a motion presented by Prime Minister Helen Clark that it endorse Labours despatch of Special Air Services troops and totally support the US in Afghanistan. The record shows Labour in favour with 49 votes; its left wing coalition partner the Alliance with 10 votes for, and the conservative opposition parties ACT and National both in favour. The Greens with 7 votes opposed the deployment, but would later justify NZs role in the ongoing occupation as peacekeeping.

The media hailed the operation. The Evening Post in December 2001 excoriated doubters who dared to make any comparison with Vietnam. In the space of little more than two months, the Post insisted, America, with the support of opposition Afghan forces, has routed the Taleban President George W Bushs war against terrorism has been far more decisive than his critics ever imagined. The newspaper brushed aside concerns about civilian casualties, asserting that the world is a safer place because of the invasion. It added that America was sending a blunt message to countries such as Yemen and the Sudan: If you follow Afghanistans example, we will come after you too.

Speaking to media this week Clark decried the surreal and devastating outcome, but declared she had no regrets about the decision to join the occupation. She told Stuff: Theres so much effort gone on to investing in human development, and peoples rights, and better governance. And its just gone up in smoke. The US should have played the role it had after the Korean War, Clark said, i.e., deploying 50,000 soldiers in the country for decades.

Tens of thousands of civilians were killed during nearly two decades of war. Drone strikes, bombings, assassinations and torture were routinely used to instill terror in the population. The NZ military, which received a unit citation from Bush, was complicit in serious war crimes. A royal commission of inquiry into Operation Burnham, a night-time raid on a village by the SAS in 2010, confirmed that a child and at least seven other people were killed. Labours Attorney-General David Parker defended the killings, saying they were undesirable but legal.

Several civilians, including children, were also killed by unexploded ordnance left behind by NZ troops.

Green Party co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson have issued a statement condemning the new surge in terror by the Taliban. Employing the nostrums of human rights imperialism, they declared: It is heart-breaking to know that Afghans face the prospect of living under Taliban rule once again, with women and girls at the greatest risk of sexual and gender-based violence. The pair called on allies and partners to ensure the Taliban has no more funding and resources, even if that means standing up to our trading partnersthus inviting a confrontation with China.

Meanwhile, the pseudo-left fraternity who in 2001 gave their imprimatur to Labours imperialist venture are now scrambling to wash their hands of any culpability. Writing in the Daily Blog on August 16, Liz Gordon, one of the 10 Alliance MPs who voted in support, described how the party leader, Jim Anderton, for some reason that is still not clear, was set on sending the troops. Gordon described how she was later pressured against her instincts and beliefs to speak in defence of the partys pro-war position. Not a moment of great glory in my life. I hope you can all forgive me now, she wanly pleaded.

Others simply engage in blatant lying and historical falsification. Laila Harre, at the time a cabinet minister and another hand-raiser in parliament, tweeted on February 17, after the announcement of NZs troop withdrawal in May: 20 years since the Alliance stood against this predictably destructive deployment. 20 years wasted on war.

Alliance operative and former Pabloite Mike Treen also posted on Facebook this week: We can collectively be proud that ultimately we stood up against war and empire and were proved right. The word ultimately betrays the fact that Treen has nothing to say about this bourgeois partys abject capitulation in parliament. Treen then moved to cover his tracks by reposting a December 2001 letter to the Labour Party, written on behalf of the so-called Antiwar coalition, in which he unsuccessfully appealed for it to reverse course.

The horse had, by then, well and truly bolted. In April 2002 the Alliance split, just seven months out from a general election, and after six months of internecine warfare, brought on by the rightward, anti-working class trajectory of the coalition government and its craven support for the US-led war in Afghanistan. The Alliance is now defunct, a case study in the dead-end of opportunist, pro-capitalist politics.
The Biden administration doubled down Wednesday on its efforts to force schools to resume in-person education amid a surge of COVID-19 cases, with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona declaring our priority must be to return to school in person.

Caleb Laurent, a Minnesota teen intubated while suffering from multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, a COVID-related illness that crops up in children and teens. (Courtesy photo)

The White Houses statement came as COVID-19 cases continued to surge nationwide, with 155,000 cases reported Thursday, a more than ten-fold increase in the span of just two months.

In states throughout the country, hospitals were filled to capacity as the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients hit 85,000, a six-fold increase since June.

And most troubling of all, 967 people died Thursday, representing a quadrupling of the daily deaths compared to two months ago.

Cardona opened his statement Wednesday by boasting that more than 62 percent of students across the country will complete their first day of school this week.

As educators, we know in our hearts how important in-person learning is for student success, Cardona said, adding, The truth is that we know what works to keep students and educators safe: following the science-based strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19 recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In reality, the CDC, under political pressure from a White House determined to reopen schools at any cost, is directly contradicting public health guidance that has been used to successfully control the spread of COVID-19 in China.

In July, the CDC encouraged schools to reopen at any level of community spread and with any level of social distancingeven if they cannot guarantee three feet of distance between students.

The CDC took another step this month, encouraging students who come into contact with infected students not to quarantine if both were wearing masks.

As Yahoo News reported, Under many school systems quarantine protocols, spending 15 minutes within a six foot radius of an infected individualsitting next to them in class, for examplecan force students to stay home for up to two weeks. The new exemption allows schools to bypass that rule in cases where both individuals mask up.

The practice of quarantinepracticed for millenniais critical to stopping the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, and its abandonment effectively guarantees the uncontained spread of COVID-19 in classrooms.

The reopening of schools is already fueling a massive surge in cases. At least 5,993 Mississippi students tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks, a case rate 30 times higher than in the previous school year. This has been accompanied by 1,496 teachers getting sicka six-fold increase over the previous school year.

In Mississippi, only seven ICU beds were available in the state, and 96 patients needed them, the state Department of Health said Thursday.

Despite this disaster, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves made clear that the state would continue its efforts to reopen as cases surge throughout the state.

Childrens of Mississippi, the only pediatric hospital in the state, said it was treating the largest number of COVID-19 patients during the entire pandemic.

Today, Childrens of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi Medical Center reported 28 children with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, the highest number of pediatric COVID-19 patients at the states only childrens hospital since the beginning of the pandemic, the hospital said in a statement on Facebook. Of these hospitalized children, 100% are unvaccinated. This number includes eight children in the ICU, including five who are too young to receive the vaccine.

As cases continue to surge throughout Florida, the Florida Hospital Association said in a statement that hospitals will soon run out of capacity.

While hospitalizations continue to increase, three out of four Florida hospitals expect to face critical staff shortages in the next seven days, an increase of nearly ten percent since last week, and half of our hospitals will no longer accept transfer patients from other facilities, the FHA said in a statement.

The continued drive to reopen comes amid a torrent of new information pointing to the dangers of in-person instruction not only to children, teachers and school staffbut to the families of students.

Research published this week showed that children eight and under are 40 percent more likely to spread COVID-19 than the general population. Commenting on the data, epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding warned, Kids transmit damnit. And younger kids transmit even more!!

It is becoming clear that the ongoing reopening of schools amid a massive surge of the COVID-19 pandemic is a recipe for the preventable deaths of tens or hundreds of thousands of children, educators, family members and the general public.

The Biden administration, speaking for the entire political establishment and with the support of the pro-corporate trade unions, is determined to push ahead with the reopening of schools with the aim of getting parents back to workincreasing the pool of labor available to major corporations and pushing down wages to boost profits.

This absolutely criminal policy must be opposed by all educators and studentsand the working class as a whole. Educators and parents must form rank-and-file safety committees in every school and workplace, independent of the unions and the Democrats and Republicans, to coordinate the struggle to stop the reopening of schools and put an end to the pandemic.

To coordinate this struggle, the World Socialist Web Site will be holding an online event featuring leading scientists on Sunday, August 22, entitled, For a global strategy to stop the pandemic and save lives! We urge our readers to attend and promote this critical event.
In the days following the desperate evacuation of US troops from Afghanistan, the corporate press has launched an international propaganda campaign raising concerns for the human rights of residents of the Central Asian country.

Taliban fighters patrol in Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021.

For the last 20 years, the corporate media and imperialist powers of the world raised no objections as the United States killed over 100,000 people, set up black site torture chambers, carried out drone assassinations and robbed the country of its resources. The major imperialist powers joined the US in the invasion and occupation. The corporate press facilitated the commission of horrific crimes by promoting the war as a just cause, a necessary response to September 11, 2001. Those who exposed the real character of the war in Afghanistanincluding Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Daniel Halewere locked up in prison.

But now, all of the tropes employed by the corporate media to sell to world public opinion the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan in 2001, no matter how moth-eaten and worn out, are being revived.

This serves two purposes: to paper over the war crimes carried out by the US in the past and to prepare public opinion for an intensification of imperialist pressure on the war-ravaged population.

Reports of the suppression of a handful of small protests against the new government give few details about the nature of that opposition, including whether those engaged in the protests are acting at the instigation of the thousands of CIA agents and contractors left behind in Afghanistan by the US government.

The media campaign over repression, however, is entirely cynical and two-faced. Nothing done in Jalalabad or Kabul this week comes close to the mass slaughter carried out by the US on a weekly basis over the course of the last 20 years.

The media is not up in arms over Egyptian military dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, whose troops and police killed more than a thousand protesters at a single anti-government demonstration held after his 2013 military coup. El-Sisi, with tens of thousands imprisoned, thousands of them under death sentences, is now one of the pillars of US foreign policy in the Middle East.

The Democratic and Republican parties and the entire corporate media are replete with pious denunciations of the treatment of Afghan women. This same political establishment paid no attention as tens of thousands of Afghan women were killed by American soldiers in US drone strikes or through the devastating social collapse caused by the invasion and occupation.

The New York Times, the mouthpiece of the Democratic Party and identity politics, has taken the lead on this issue, publishing an op-ed column by Malala Yousefzai, the one-time teenage advocate of education for girls and survivor of an assassination attempt by the Pakistani Taliban. She urges Americans to listen to the voices of Afghan women and girls. They are asking for protection, for education, for the freedom and the future they were promised 

But again, the media double standard is of staggering hypocrisy. In Saudi Arabia, the leading US ally among the Arab nations, women cannot drive, vote or appear in public except under escort of a male relative. Adultery is a crime punishable by death, although Shiites engaged in political opposition to the Sunni-based monarchy are the main victims of the mass beheadings that take place on a regular basis.

None of these barbaric practices has threatened the close collaboration of the Pentagon that makes possible the ongoing Saudi war in Yemen, which uses mass starvation as a major weapon, enforced by a naval blockade and air strikes guided by US satellite intelligence.

The media and military-political establishment also repeat concerns that Afghanistan will become a safe haven for Al Qaeda. We have heard this one before. This was, after all, the main pretext for the US invasion in October 2001, one month after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

It has long been known that Al Qaeda was first formed under Osama bin Ladens leadership in the 1980s, as part of the US-backed guerrilla war by Islamic fundamentalists against the Soviet-backed government of Afghanistan. But after the interval of ferocious hostility that included the 2001 terrorist attacks, Al Qaeda has returned to its roots as an instrument of US imperialism in both Libya and Syria.

In Libya, the commander of the NATO bombing campaign described his role as acting as Al Qaedas air force, since the Islamists were carrying out the ground war against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. In Syria, both Al Qaeda and its offshoot ISIS received backing from US allies like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as direct support from the CIA.

Meanwhile, ISIS efforts to gain a foothold in Afghanistan have erupted in violent clashes with the Taliban and their allied militia, such as the Haqqani network. Those raising the supposed danger of renewed anti-US terrorism emanating from Afghanistan have not been able to identify any actual terrorists who would be empowered by the new regime in Kabul.

Biden made a significant concession to the pressure to reverse his policy when he declared, in the course of his interview with ABC News broadcast Thursday morning, that the August 31 deadline for the completion of US evacuation operations from the airport was flexible. If theres American citizens left, were going to stay to get them all out, he said.

This formulation is so elastic that it could well serve to justify a nearly indefinite extension of the US occupation of the Kabul airport and even renewed American military aggression against the country.

The more fundamental obstacle to a renewal of American aggression against Afghanistan, however, is not in that tortured country. It is the opposition within the United States itself. A poll conducted by the Associated Press during the final week of the collapse of the Afghan puppet regime found that nearly two-thirds of those interviewed thought the Afghanistan war not worth fighting.

The American people are adamantly opposed to further intervention in Afghanistan. That is one reason for the increasingly hysterical character of the media campaign for war. The US ruling elite senses this and through its media outlets expresses a fear that it is losing its political grip on the majority of the US population. The American people, and above all the American working class, are coming to their own conclusions about vital questions of war and peace and calling into question the social, economic and political structures of American capitalism.
In a bizarre press conference yesterday, New South Wales (NSW) Liberal-National Coalition Premier Gladys Berejiklian declared that she could see light at the end of the tunnel, even as the most populous state recorded its highest number of daily COVID infections since the beginning of the pandemic.

Thursdays tally of 681 infections followed Wednesdays total of 633 cases, the first time the state had exceeded 500. Another 644 infections were announced this morning. Each day, the vast majority of cases are unlinked, meaning that authorities do not know the source of transmission, and to what extent they were potentially infectious in the community, signalling a further spread and foreshadowing an even greater increase in the numbers.

Inner-west Sydney COVID-19 testing station (Photo: WSWS Media)

The daily infections have tended to double every 11 to 14 days since the outbreak began on June 16, a trend that is continuing. The R-Factor, which indicates how many other individuals each COVID-positive person is infecting sits at 1.39, so for every 10 people infected they are transmitting it to 14 others. A figure greater than 1 all but guarantees a continuing rise in infections.

Berejiklians visions of light, under conditions in which all metrics show that the crisis is deepening, can only be understood in the context of her governments political strategy.

In line with the drive by the ruling elite for an end to all lockdown measures and for a full reopening of the economy, the state government has openly dispensed with any, even nominal, commitment to eradicating COVID transmission in Sydney. Instead, it is pitching increased vaccination as a means of living with the virus, even though all modelling and international experience demonstrates that this will result in a catastrophic rise in illness and death.

Speaking yesterday, Berejiklian presented the NSW government as the trailblazer, whose lead would have to be followed by state and territory governments across the country. I appreciate what we are going through looks difficult but every state in Australia will need to come to terms with the fact that when you get to a certain level of vaccination and open up, Delta will creep in, she said. We cant pretend that we will have zero cases around Australia with Delta.

Berejiklian cited the national roadmap for reopening, adopted by all of Australias governments in July: As the Doherty report says, once you get to 80 percent double dose and you have to open up, everyone will have to learn to live with Delta. The only difference was that in New South Wales, we are learning that earlier than others.

The refusal of the government to institute the lockdown measures necessary to end transmission, including workplace closures and uniform, city-wide restrictions in Sydney, is provoking increasing opposition. Journalists, including from corporate outlets that have promoted the reopening drive, are increasingly asking Berejiklian critical questions, in a limited reflection of the popular sentiment.

Epidemiologists are denouncing the government in increasingly strident terms. Speaking on Channel Nines Today Show yesterday morning, Professor Brandan Crabb, the director of the Burnett Institute medical research organisation, stated that unless urgent action were taken, daily cases in NSW could reach 3,000 to 4,000 within 30 days.

Were in now what is a national emergency, Crabb said. Were in a steam train that is heading towards a cliff, not heading towards a station which is where we should be going. He warned that the worse-case scenario is we have an Italy-style health catastrophe. That is actually the trajectory at the moment.

Already, there are infection clusters at a number of Sydney hospitals, over 1,000 staff are in isolation after having been potentially exposed to COVID, and medical procedures, including mammograms and many elective surgeries, are being indefinitely postponed.

The greater the crisis the more vociferous the NSW government has become in blaming working people for the spread of COVID. Berejiklian and other senior government ministers have repeatedly asserted that all would be well, except for residents of the working-class suburbs of western and southwestern Sydney breaking the rules.

This assertion was refuted at yesterdays press conference by NSW Health representative Marianne Gale, who admitted, in response to a journalists question, that the vast majority of the new infections were not the result of infractions. Instead, they were the outcome of workers contracting the virus in their places of employment, and it then being spread in large households.

But while it refuses to implement broader workplace closures, because of the impact this would have on corporate profit, the Berejiklian government is stepping-up its police-state response.

This morning, the government announced that 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the west and southwest, already under greater restrictions than any other part of Sydney, will also be subject to a curfew between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. every night. The measure was instituted at the request of the NSW Police, and despite the states Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant conceding that the evidence was mixed as to whether it would have any impact on transmission.

Residents of the LGAs will not be permitted to leave without a permit, most likely for authorised work. People entering the areas will also need written permission from the authorities. Under conditions where the boundaries between LGAs are arbitrary and often not well known, this is a recipe for punitive measures on a vast scale, with fines for violations as high as $5,000.

The announcement came a day after the Sydney Morning Herald revealed that NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller had delivered a video statement to officers, in which he gave them carte blanche to harass the working-class communities.

I have said before, if you write a ticket, and you get it wrong, I understand, and I wont hold you to account for that, Fuller said. We have to shape the behaviour of people to get out of lockdown, and I know all of us want to be out of lockdown by Christmas, so please take the challenge.

Even as the police-state measures are being expanded, health measures are being withdrawn. It was also announced today that workers in the 12 LGAs who travel elsewhere for broadly defined critical work, will no longer be provided with surveillance testing for COVID every three days as previously.

What is emerging in Sydney is a tale of two cities, with more affluent areas subject to lighter restrictions, and the working-class suburbs flooded with the police and military-personnel and facing draconian limitations on personal movement.

Berejiklian continues to flag that from next month fully vaccinated people outside the 12 LGAs will have greater freedoms, though as yet these are undefined. Today, the Australian published what it described as Berejiklians freedom plan.

Once adult vaccination reached 70 percent, fully-inoculated people would be able to visit restaurants, cafes and other public venues. It is possible that those in the 12 LGAs would be excluded. The model, set to begin in early October, would also see the full resumption of face-to-face teaching, even though thousands of children are being infected every month, and they are not eligible for a vaccine.

The NSW governments open implementation of the live with the virus policy is provoking consternation from other state and territory leaders. Andrew Barr, the Labor chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) told the Guardian today that the NSW government was placing young people at risk by not tightening restrictions in Sydney.

I just see young people being horribly exposed by the decision of another government and I dont know what I can do to protect my community against that, Barr said. He condemned Berejiklian, for having abandoned any perspective of eliminating COVID transmission in Sydney. That decision has massive implications for the ACT, Victoria and Queensland, and then South Australia and the Northern Territory, he stated. The only two jurisdictions that can conceivably protect themselves from NSWs decision to a certain degree are Western Australia and Tasmania.

Barr also warned against the increasing presentation of vaccine rates hitting 70 percent, or even less, as being the trigger for a freedom day. This program, pursued by the British government, has seen cases skyrocket.

Barr and others are fearful of the political consequences of the escalating COVID crisis. They are well aware that the vast majority of working people are in favour of lockdown measures aimed at ensuring health and safety above profits.

With the majority of infections in all states under 30 years of age, and a significant proportion being children, all governments are acutely aware of mounting opposition to reopening face to face teaching and lifting lockdowns. Barr said: My view is Australian parents will just not tolerate the country opening up with their kids being exposed, because that is where the virus is going to go.

But the Labor premiers and chief ministers are themselves responsible for what is unfolding in NSW and elsewhere. They formed a majority of the national cabinet, composed of all state, territory and federal leaders, which in July approved a plan for a phased reopening of the economy, even as the virus circulates.

If they are now recoiling at this program, it is because they are terrified that mass working-class opposition will take the form of major social and political struggles.
A report issued this week by the global corporate consultancy firm EY, formerly known as Ernst & Young, provides a naked picture of the financial aristocracys exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic to accelerate the pro-business restructuring of tertiary education.

Part of Macquarie University in Sydney [Credit: mq.edu.au]

The report, entitled The Peak of Higher Education, issues a blunt threat. It demands the end of universities as they currently exist, to be replaced by corporate vocational and research services, tailored to the dictates of the corporate elite. It declares in capital letters:

HIGHER EDUCATION IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE KNOWLEDGE SERVICES SECTOR! THE FUTURE IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK. CHANGE MUST START NOWOR NEVER.

Based on interviews with 32 vice chancellors and other senior figures in Australian and New Zealand universities, the report reveals the far-reaching agenda being pursued by university administrations, as well as governments.

The report underscores the warnings issued since the start of the pandemic by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the Committee for Public Education (CFPE). The unprecedented destruction of jobs, conditions and courses underway across the country and internationally can be fought only on the basis of a completely opposed economic and political perspective, one that rejects entirely the dictates of the financial markets and employers, i.e., a socialist program.

Worldwide, the wealthy elites are using the global COVID-19 disaster, for which they themselves are responsible, to ratchet up their decades-long offensive against the jobs, conditions and essential social programs of the working class, including public education and healthcare.

According to EY: The pandemic proved that, while universities have been with us for centuries, they are not immune to the business reinvention that is taking down giants in media, automobiles and energy

By 2030, a quarter of universities could go bankrupt, merge, restructure or close as the sector is reinvented. Survivors will need to have forged ever closer commercial relationships with industry, disrupted themselves or coalesced into new networks of alliances.

Outlining EYs vision, the report states: Universities are just one category of a plethora of knowledge services providers accessed via digital platforms, which reduce the marginal costs of distributing content to almost zero while enabling almost infinite scale and reach.

This involves halving the number of educators and handing over knowledge services to corporate outfits. Traditional higher education revenues decline by $5-6bn and the non-research workforce shrinks by more than 50 percent as new learning services proliferate. Winning universities pivot early, think ahead of the market, embrace learning platforms and acquire new capabilities.

Revenue declines for incumbents as industries digitise; rise of services like Clubhouse, Substack, YouTube and podcasts to replace pre-recorded lectures; availability of $500 Google career certificates and free corporate MBAs as substitutes for university degrees.

Due to the pandemic, EY brought forward by a decade the bold forecast it made in 2018, that such a reinvention of tertiary education would be imposed by 2030. Because of COVID-19, much of the 2030 we predicted arrived in 2020. And the sector was not ready, it proclaimed.

Universities would lose their monopoly on course accreditation and government funding, and non-degree credentials would become mainstream. Employers and industry bodies would compete directly with the traditional accreditation system while others partner with universities to develop bespoke credentials.

EYs modelling builds on the shift in funding already made by Prime Minister Scott Morrisons Liberal-National Coalition government, to tie university revenues to the churning out of job ready graduates and providing short courses to deliver micro-credentials that meet the immediate needs of employers.

The report predicts that first movers in digital accreditation (e.g., stackable micro-certifications) would gain access to a new $10bn marketplace. In some instances, corporates would buy enterprise learning licenses from universities.

The global education market would feature the full spectrum of learning providers (many offshore). Any public universities that survive would compete with different value propositions. These value offerings would include innovative and effective pedagogical approaches, close partnerships with industry and potential employers and simply value-for-money.

Private universities would be free to cherry pick profitable courses. They would enter markets where they can apply agile commercial models to selective courses at scale. Increasingly, universities would shift to cheaper, online, forms of educationa shift propelled by the shutdowns of many campuses during the pandemic.

Research and the futures of post-graduate students would be subordinated to the narrow profit interests of the corporate giants as well. University research shifts to prioritise commercial, demand-driven research and development, creating closer collaboration between universities and industry and capital markets. Universities repurpose their under-used campus assets for business incubation. PhD students have clear career paths into industry, eventually working for companies whose commercial research they undertake.

EYs report celebrates the crisis created by the loss of international student enrolments, on which the universities have become increasingly dependent, because of billions of dollars in spending cuts by the current Liberal-National government and the previous Greens-backed Labor government. The COVID-19 pandemic is a systemic shock that brings our higher education sector to the fork in the road.

In line with the EY report, an Australian Financial Review editorial on August 17 reported that Baroness Alison Wolf, who works for Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street, told the newspapers Higher Education Summit this week that the traditional model of post-school university or vocational education is no longer fit for purpose, and that a flexible lifetime learning entitlement being planned in the UK would allow for upskilling and retraining throughout working lives, as required in a modern, dynamic economy.

The editorial concluded: This suggests that far beyond debates about shoring up the pandemic-hit business models of universities in the short term, the longer-term future of higher education could involve much bigger disruption.

While the EY report sets out the agenda of the capitalist class in stark terms, its vision is erected upon and based on the same pro-corporate logic as the education revolution imposed by the last Greens-backed Labor Party government from 2010 to 2013.

That funding regime, continued by the Coalition government since 2013, forced universities to compete with each other for enrolments in the most lucrative courses, tailor their teaching programs to the needs of employers, and seek alternative sources of revenue, including from exorbitant international student fees.

From the outset, the World Socialist Web Site warned that this education revolution was a third wave of economic restructuring, in favour of the corporate elite. As Prime Ministers Rudd and Gillard themselves boasted, their measures expanded the first two waves of privatisation and attacks on working class conditions that were implemented by the Hawke and Keating Labor governments of 1983 to 1996, in partnership with the trade unions.

By contrast, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) supported Labors Demand Driven System and has enforced it ever since, via enterprise bargaining agreements negotiated with individual university managements. That is because the NTEU shares the underlying outlook that universities must serve the interests of the ruling class, always hailing the billions of dollars in revenues they generate for Australian capitalism every year.

The EY blueprint makes it clear that public education cannot be defended without a fundamental break with the thoroughly pro-corporate NTEU, as well as the political servants of big business: Labor and the Greens.

What is essential is the formation of rank-and-file committees of staff and students, totally independent of all the trade unions, and a turn to other sections of educators and workers, in Australia and internationally, facing this intensified onslaught.

Such a struggle requires a socialist perspective that fights for the complete reorganisation of society in the interests of all, not the soaring wealth accumulation of the billionaires. That would provide the billions of dollars needed to establish free, high quality education, from kindergarten to university, and the basic right of all education workers to full-time employment, with decent pay and conditions.

This is the program advanced by the CFPE, established by the SEP, as part of the worldwide fight for the formation of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees. We urge all those who want to take forward this global struggle to register for and participate in the CFPEs online public meeting this Sunday: Form rank-and-file safety committees to oppose school reopening amid COVID-19 pandemic.
As alarming testimony and facts have continued to emerge about former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the election that he lost, a lively debate has unfolded. Experts are battling over whether and how the former president can and should be held to account.

We believe that the full scope of Trump's conduct must be investigated by federal authorities, for the same reasons and in the same way they usually investigate credible evidence of major wrongdoing. But we recognize that much is not yet known, and that charging decisions are premature.

Attorney General Merrick Garland's lifetime of dedication to the even-handed, apolitical administration of justice, combined with his performance of the job to date, make clear that he is well suited to oversee the process and make the ultimate decisions.

On one side of the debate, legal scholars and former prosecutors have called for a federal criminal investigation on the grounds that it is essential to defend the integrity of our system of government. They point in part to evidence from eyewitnesses and documents alike that Trump repeatedly tried to overturn the election based on outright lies.

We take exception to those who say there is "little reason" to open an investigation. Trump's statements like "I just want to find 11,780 votes" (made to the Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger) and "just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me" (made to Trump's own acting attorney general) suggest Trump knew that he had lost and was openly procuring fraud.

There was no reasonable basis for him or anyone to genuinely believe he had won. Any notion that Trump was articulating an honest but misguided belief is belied by his long record of lies. And claims that the criminal statutes for election fraud and related offenses don't fit here are wrong. The Justice Department regularly prosecutes public officials for asking election officials to do things like "adding ballots to increase the vote totals for certain candidates," which is what Trump allegedly asked for here.

All of that and much more justify a federal investigation. But we also recognize the challenges that choosing to prosecute Trump would represent. Even if we disagree with those who say those concerns should preclude an investigation, the difficulties must still be addressed.

For instance, commentators have noted that prosecution of the former president -- especially if for things he did while president -- may lead many to allege political motives. That would make more difficult the restoration of trust in evenhanded justice that is so essential after former Attorney General William Barr's gross political misuse of the department. The idea of a prevailing presidential candidate's Justice Department prosecuting his predecessor for things done while serving as president sounds like the stuff of dictatorships -- in the abstract.

Both President Joe Biden and Garland are sensitive to this as well. But facts matter. And a president working to destroy our system of democratic electoral government is arguably a concern on a level by itself. The stronger and more compelling the direct and admissible evidence becomes that Trump did exactly that, the clearer it becomes that it must take precedence.

That is why a thorough investigation is needed, one that does not prejudge the outcome and so is as credible as possible, even to partisans.

Then there is the practical argument that a criminal case against Trump for his post-election conduct will, if brought, be very tough, turning as it does on the jury's assessment of Trump's state of mind. No doubt that is true, and the last four years make clear that he is, if nothing else, a very accomplished liar.

But the ability to prove a case against a chronically dishonest defendant is truly a prosecutor's question, and one that arises regularly in complex cases where particular actions only become criminal when done with a certain state of mind. While it is not possible to read anyone's mind, powerful inferences about intent or purpose are often possible from surrounding circumstances. Prosecutors (and juries) make such inferences all the time.

Should we conclude from the seriousness of such challenges that no investigation is ongoing? Absolutely not. There are powerful reasons for not disclosing any ongoing investigation. Indeed, that is how the system is supposed to work.

The basic idea is that the government, in fairness to all concerned, should investigate wrongdoing as quietly as reasonably possible, and inform the public when it is ready to take public action -- either in the form of charges being filed or the termination of an investigation with no charges in an instance where the existence of the investigation has unavoidably come to light.

More specifically, departmental policy expressly rules out publicly acknowledging or discussing an investigation while it is underway. This basic principle has been flagrantly ignored in recent years by FBI Director James Comey discussing Hillary Clinton's emails days before the 2016 election, and then Barr's far more overtly political handling of information supposedly derived from the Durham investigation into purported misconduct investigating Russian interference.

Thus, we can be thankful that Garland is not acting like his predecessor, but instead scrupulously following the spirit and letter of longstanding policy by simply remaining silent on what, if anything, is to be done about Trump. That is how it should be.

Of course, we don't know whether the Justice Department will ever bring criminal charges against Trump. We do know that the attorney general is acting forcefully to address some major electoral and national security concerns, as well as to hold some Trump associates accountable. These include the hundreds of prosecutions of those involved in the January 6 insurrection, and major initiatives to protect voting rights, counter domestic terrorism and address critical cybersecurity concerns.

The department has also done the right thing in the parallel civil litigation arising from the January 6 insurrection, for example, rejecting the absurd claim by Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks that he should be indemnified by the government for claims he urged an attack on the government.

Other encouraging signs include the indictment of Thomas Barrack, chairman of Trump's inaugural committee, on charges including failing to register as an agent of a foreign government, and the investigation of Rudy Giuliani in connection with his Trump-related activities in the Ukraine. And we know that the Justice Department is generally allowing critical evidence concerning Trump's efforts to steal the election to come forward and be developed.

The decision on whether to prosecute Trump federally is in good hands with the attorney general and his professional staff. Their rigorous review process, along with Garland's long record of making sober judgments under the law, separate from politics and parochial concerns, can be trusted to redeem the national interest and secure public trust.

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Click Play to watch the 2021 broadcast.

To learn more about the Chamber, click here.

The theme of the 2021 Annual Meeting really encompasses what so many of us are trying to do; Moving Forward, says Chamber President Kristin Craig. This year, were able to bring together the best of both worlds by combining virtual and in-person opportunities and expand on the success of our reimagined event from last year.

The Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting took place on Thursday. WTHI-TV partnered with the chamber to air the event.

Audiences will have the opportunity to watch the many award presentations throughout the 30-minute program. The annual Building Business Award sponsored by CenterPoint Energy will be presented to an outstanding business that has brought significant economic growth to the West Central Indiana region.

The Building Community Award, sponsored by Indiana State University, honors an organization or individual(s) for making significant progress toward enhancing quality of life issues in the West Central region.

A member of Leadership Connect of West Central Indiana is also recognized with the Emerging Leader Award. The award spotlights an emerging and exemplary young professional in the community. The award, sponsored by the Wabash Valley Leadership Institute and RJL Solutions, awards the winner a spot in an upcoming WVLI cohort.

At this time last year I think we were all still trying to figure out how we can move forward. Now that direction is a little clearer, but the hard work for many of us is just beginning, says Chamber Board Chair John Collett. Many businesses look to the Chamber for resources, advice and guidance. Its so important that we continue with the Annual Meeting and continue business in West Central Indiana.

With the help of WTHI-TV, the Annual Meeting, which traditionally hosts around 700 people each year, will be accessible to anyone watching via TV or Live Stream. Craig says the 2020 broadcast was a large success, which she plans to expand upon in 2021.

Weve all learned a lot over the past year and we have all gotten better at finding new ways to do things, she says. The Chamber Annual Meeting is one of the first steps we will all take as we begin moving forward.
(CNN) -- With an alarming rise in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, more Americans have recently made the decision to get vaccinated than in the last six weeks.

More than 1 million doses of the vaccine were reported administered Thursday, new US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed, marking the first time since early July for the single-day change in reported doses. The average pace of those initiating vaccination is more than 70% higher than one month ago.

Oklahoma and Louisiana -- two states that have lagged the rest of the nation in vaccinations -- are now outpacing the national average, White House Covid-19 Response Team Chief of Staff Asma Mirza said in calls with local faith leaders Thursday.

"We're seeing a new willingness, a new openness to getting vaccinated," she said in a discussion with Louisiana faith leaders.

The boost in vaccinations, however, comes as more health care systems are reporting an increasingly dire situation, with an influx of patients flooding waiting rooms due largely to the spread of the more infectious Delta variant.

And because it takes weeks to gain immunity following full vaccination, even those beginning their inoculations need to remain cautious against infection.

Dr. Robert Jansen, chief medical officer at one of Atlanta's largest trauma centers, Grady Health System, said it was seeing a "tsunami of patients coming into the emergency department."

The situation is also critical in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott announced the state will deploy additional medical personnel to hospitals across the state.

Lauren Meyers, director of the University of Texas Covid-19 Modeling Consortium, warned that area hospitals are at a "breaking point."

"We are sort of in a very dire situation in Austin," Meyers said.

The rate of hospitalizations is still below pandemic highs seen in January, CDC data shows. But at the current pace -- an average of more than 11,000 new hospital admissions for Covid-19 over the past week -- the US might reach a record high within a month, the CDC said.

Mary Mayhew, the president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association (FHA), told CNN Friday the state's current surge is "fundamentally different" from earlier surges, with more than 17,000 Covid-19 patients hospitalized in about six weeks amid a "severe staffing shortage."

"These are healthy, young 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds who, because of the aggressive nature of the Delta variant, are now being hospitalized," Mayhew said.

Hospitals across the state are doing everything possible to respond to the demand by postponing elective services and bringing in staff from other states, Mayhew said. They're even converting auditoriums and cafeterias "to meet patient demand."

Preventative vaccinations are the most effective means to combat Covid-19 infections, and the US Food and Drug Administration will likely approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine around the end of August, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan said Thursday. Current vaccines have been granted emergency use authorization.

"I think that approval, at least for the Pfizer vaccine, is going to come very soon -- probably by the end of the month or right around there," McClellan told CNN's Chris Cuomo.

Booster shots for those inoculated are expected to be made widely available by September 20, and about 75% of the eligible population will have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine at current vaccination rates, according to a CNN analysis of CDC data.

Around 51.1% of the total US population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Vaccine requirements beginning to take shape

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday continued to push the state's monoclonal antibody treatment centers, saying the state expected to have 21 treatment sites throughout the state by early next week -- an increase from the initial 15-20 centers announced by the governor.

The treatment has been effective at reducing severe disease, but some scientists have been critical of the push for these treatments over other prevention methods, like vaccinations and masking. Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, has said they are "not the path out of this pandemic."

With the efficacy of vaccines continuously proven in keeping recipients out of hospitals, more jurisdictions nationwide are taking steps requiring employees to be inoculated, barring medical or religious exemptions.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker issued an executive order Thursday that will require approximately 42,000 executive department employees to provide proof of vaccination by mid-October or face possible termination, according to a spokesperson.

In New Orleans, all city employees and public-facing personnel will need to submit proof of vaccination or receive routine Covid-19 testing starting August 30, according to Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

The mayor's office said the additional step was taken "to protect residents, City employees and public-facing contracted personnel from the Covid-19 outbreak, and more recently the Delta variant outbreak in Orleans Parish."

In Oregon, all K-12 teachers, educators, staff and volunteers at schools -- both public and private -- will need to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 by October 18 or six weeks after full FDA approval, Gov. Kate Brown announced at a press conference Thursday.

The Houston Independent School District's Board of Education is taking a different approach by offering a $500 stipend for employees who are fully vaccinated by November 19. The board passed the measure on Thursday, though it still needs to be approved by the Texas Education Agency, the district said in a statement.

"The best tool we have in this fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is vaccination," Superintendent Millard House II said in the release. "As vaccinations increase in our communities and schools, the better protected and safe we all will be."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Jake Tapper Thursday that vaccine requirements at schools is a sound strategy to create a safe environment.

"One of the most important ways is to surround the children with people who are vaccinated, if they're eligible to be vaccinated -- and that means teachers and personnel in the school," Fauci said.

'This is not an adult disease anymore'

With schools back in session, local officials are faced with deciding whether to mandate masks in classrooms, plus the day-to-day challenges of quarantining students exposed to Covid-19.

Legal battles over mask mandates continued Thursday in Texas, as the state Supreme Court refused Gov. Abbott's request to quickly intervene over some local jurisdictions' decision to require masks in schools.

Meantime, Alabama is now seeing the highest number of Covid-19 cases among children than at any other time during the pandemic, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said Friday.

From August 1-18, 2020, the state saw 1,831 cases of Covid-19 in children between the ages of 5 and 17. But for that same period this year, the state saw 8,462 cases in that age range.

According to Harris, there were 50 pediatric patients hospitalized as of August 19, 9 of whom are on ventilators.

Dr. Sara Cross, a member of the Covid-19 task force for Tennessee's governor and an infectious disease specialist at the University of Tennessee, said bans on mask mandates would have "catastrophic consequences" for those in classrooms.

"When one child doesn't wear a mask, it doesn't only affect that child. It affects the entire classroom. It affects teachers. We just had a teacher in the Memphis area, a 31-year-old woman, die of Covid in the past few days from acquiring it in the classroom," Cross told CNN's Ana Cabrera on Thursday.

"We can't handle what we're seeing. We are estimating that the number of cases in Tennessee will increase six-fold by the end of September if we don't take measures to mitigate the spread," Cross said.

"This is not an adult disease anymore," Cross said, saying the pediatric hospital in downtown Memphis "currently has at least 9 children in the ICU from Covid-19."

At least 15 states have temporarily or indefinitely required K-12 students to wear masks in schools, according to a CNN analysis, with some provided exceptions: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington.

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VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - The Vigo County Health Department released some of their stats on COVID-19 cases in the county.

The health department posted on social media they discussed 83 cases during their Friday morning meeting.

Of the 83 cases they discussed, here is a breakdown of vaccination status:

48- Unvaccinated

2- Partially Vaccinated

13- Fully Vaccinated

12- Unknown (no answers)

8- Not eligible

The Vigo County Health Department says if you need to be tested for the virus, click here, or to schedule a vaccination appointment, click here, or call 211.
VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - A new program for one local elementary school is helping keep kids safe! This new program will encourage students within a one-mile radius of Fuqua Elementary to walk to school.

They have four full weeks of fun to promote the Safe Routes to School Program!

Riverscape received a grant from the State Department of Health to start this program in Terre Haute.

"A survey was mailed to all the students who qualify to walk to school. The school has a one-mile policy. So we asked the school corporation can you send us a list of the kids who are in that mile. So we have their addresses and sent them a letter or survey to see what their barriers were and why they were not walking to school," says consultant to Riverscape Jane Santucci.

Organizers say this program will help build community relationships with students and adults in the community. The principal of Fuqua Elementary school says she is excited to see this new program start.

"We have a great neighborhood around Fuqua and I think for those students to walk to school and be able to appreciate that coming or walking back home. I think sometimes they don't have that opportunity to stop and take notice of what's around them, and I think this program will help them do that."

Local celebrities include the Terre Haute Police Department, ISU's honor students, the Terre Haute Fire Department, and ISU's softball team. They will all take turns each week walking with students to school. Detective Rumsey says it's important for students to see officers in a positive environment.

"Our officers this particular week, I think it's more important that we're being there other than a reason other than something negative," Rumsey told us.

Santucci says this is also a way to get kids active and release some energy before class.

"Coming from the State Department of Health this is all about getting our kids healthier. We all know there's obesity and a lack of activity," Santucci said.

This program will kick off next week with children helping paint gold stars on their sidewalk, it will run through September 17.
OBLONG, Ill. (WTHI) - School operations are changing for many local districts as COVID-19 continues to have an impact. One school district in Illinois is finding itself in hot water with the state.

The state board of education has put the Oblong Community Schools on probation.

The district posted the letters on Facebook. One is from the state board of education dated August 17. The letter says the district is not in compliance with the mask mandate.

The district recently unveiled its COVID-19 plan. It says school officials would not require masks.

This is an issue because Illinois mandated mask-wearing for preschool through grade 12 schools.

The letter says under Illinois code, the district is showing deficiencies that present a health hazard or danger to students or staff.

According to the letter, the district is required to have a meeting and submit a corrective plan.

The state superintendent said schools that don't take corrective action could lose access to state funding.

The district also posted a letter from the superintendent. It says a meeting with the state superintendent has been scheduled.

News 10 reached out to the Oblong Community School superintendent and Crawford County health officials.

Neither group was able to speak with us today.

For the letters click here. To view Oblong's COVID-19 guidelines, click here.
JASPER COUNTY, Ill. (WTHI) - The search continues for a missing Jasper County woman.

Bethany Ruby Bower,36, was last seen on July 28 in Newton, Illinois.

Bower is described as having brown hair and hazel eyes. She's 5'8" and weighs around 160 pounds.

Illinois State Police and the Jasper County Sheriff's Office says they've investigated several leads, but so far, none have been successful.

If you see Bower or have any information on her location, call the police at 618-783-8478 or 618-783-8477.
WABASH VALLEY, Ind. (WTHI) - Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb recognized top officers for impaired driving enforcement, and two of those officers are from the Wabash Valley.

Sixty-five Indiana police officers earned the "Traffic Safety All-Star Award."

This is all in an effort to save lives and put a stop to drunk driving. To qualify, the officer must have at least 20 OWI arrests.

Andrew Thomas, from the Vigo County Sheriff's Office, was honored after he made 24 arrests.

Brandon Mahady of the Clinton Police Department was also honored with 29 arrests.
MAYHEW, Miss. (WTVA) - Alarms are ringing a little earlier for college students attending East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) as they started classes on Monday.

Thomas Jackson started his second semester at EMCC.

He feels like the coronavirus is already looming over the school year.

Theres like this feeling of like going back to online classes," he explained. "Im just going to enjoy it while I can, I guess.

As of right now, a majority of the students at EMCC are in-person.

While in the classroom, students have to temporarily wear masks.

EMCC President Scott Alsobrooks said they ultimately went with the mandate to keep their students and staff safe even after leaving the school's premises.

Were not immunologists or epidemiologists," said Alsobrooks. "Were just listening to the experts and I just have faith in that.

Students don't seem to mind the mask mandate.

Katylan Fulgham said she knows the school is doing what they feel is best for their students.

I feel like since its been like a year and a half, youve kind of just got used to it," she said. "It's kind of like the new normal now.

Along with the masks, students will find sanitizer all over campus.

The college is also offering COVID testing and vaccinations on-campus for students and staff.

The online classes at EMCC will begin on Monday.
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - Governor Tate Reeves held a press conference on Thursday to talk about all things COVID.

He started off with the facts, saying Mississippi has 1,633 patients in the hospital batting COVID and 486 in ICU beds on Thursday.

These are the largest numbers the state recorded during the pandemic.

He discussed two ways to avoid ending up in the hospital: getting your vaccine, and if you do get COVID, getting monoclonal antibody therapy.

Reeves also explained that his priority this year is to keep kids in school.

He believes in-person learning is crucial to a student's success.

However, his biggest message was for those asking about the lack of mask mandate across the state.

I do not give a damn about any political agenda," said Reeves. "My objective is to give Mississippians the facts, give them and their local officials the tools they need to make good decisions, and then trust them to love each other enough to do it.

Reeves asked Mississippians to make the smart choice for their family, friends, and fellow Mississippians and get the vaccine.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Authorities say a police officer has been shot and wounded after what police describe as a gunfight in Jackson.

WLBT-TV reports that a suspect was taken into custody after Thursday's shooting.

Officer Allen Mays was taken to a hospital for surgery.

Police said he was in stable condition.

Jackson Police Chief James Davis says officers were called about men in a park with guns.

He said that as they were investigating, a suspect on the porch of an abandoned house began shooting at them.

Officers then returned fire.
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan tested negative for COVID-19 after he met with U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., this week.

Wicker, who is fully vaccinated, tested positive for the virus on Thursday.



U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi.

The two men met on Tuesday.

Jordan will quarantine Friday and will test again on Sunday.

If he tests negative again and remains asymptomatic, hell return to work on Monday.

Wicker was tested after experiencing mild symptoms. According to the senator's office, he's in good health.

Read More - Wicker tests positive for COVID
TOKYO (AP)  Toyota is scaling back production in North America and Japan as the surging coronavirus pandemic in Southeast Asia and elsewhere crimps supplies.

Japans top automaker said Thursday that it will cut back production at home by 40%, affecting 14 auto assembly plants in the country.

In North America, Toyota said it expects August production to be slashed by 60,000 to 90,000 vehicles. A representative from Toyota said that output fluctuates month to month, but that it would equate to a production cut of between 40% and 60%.

Due to COVID-19 and unexpected events with our supply chain, Toyota is experiencing additional shortages that will affect production at most of our North American plants," the company said in a prepared statement Thursday. While the situation remains fluid and complex, our manufacturing and supply chain teams have worked diligently to develop countermeasures to minimize the impact on production.

The company said production cuts in North America are not expected to have an impact on staffing levels.

In Japan, production will halt completely next month at some plants and partly at others, affecting a wide range of models, including the Corolla subcompact, Prius hybrid and Land Cruiser sport utility vehicle.

Global production for September will decline by 360,000 vehicles, according to Toyota Motor Corp. But it stuck to its annual forecast to produce 9.3 million vehicles, as coronavirus risks were figured in.

Of the lost production out of Japan, 140,000 vehicles are for Japan and 220,000 for overseas, with 80,000 in the U.S., 40,000 in Europe, 80,000 in China, 8,000 in the rest of Asia and about 10,000 in other regions.

Toyota had already announced smaller production cuts for July and August in Japan.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers and suppliers due to these changes, Toyota said.

A shortage of the computer chips used widely in vehicles has been problematic for months as the world appeared to emerge from the pandemic and demand surged. Toyota had not been hit as hard as some other major automakers, and now the spread of the delta variant has introduced new complications.

David Leggett, auto analyst at GlobalData, said auto demand is now down in Vietnam, and sales have already been hurt in some markets for all manufacturers.

The pandemic is clearly far from over and appears, as far as the auto industrys recovery path is concerned, to have a sting in the tail, he said.

Toyota has held up relatively well amid the pandemic, racking up a record profit for the April-June quarter at about $8 billion, an increase of more than fivefold from the same period the previous year.
A Saints Row Movie is in the Works With Fate of the Furious Director Attached
Julie Jarmon, most recently VP Scripted Programming Development at The CW, has been named SVP Development for Freeform, overseeing scripted series development for the Disney network.

This marks Jarmons return to Freeform where she previously served as an executive director in development. She replaces Lynn Barrie who in March left Freeform after a three-year stint as SVP Original Programming and Development.

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Jarmon, who starts Aug. 23, will oversee the Freeform scripted series development team, identify new ideas and concepts for scripted series at the network, and supervise creative production on series pilots, as well as the first season of all new scripted series.

Julie has a keen understanding of our audience. She has a proven track record for finding unique and captivating stories and understands the importance of authentically reflecting the spirit of the millennial and Gen Z generation, said Jamila Hunter, EVP of Programming and Development, Freeform, to whom Jarmon will report. I couldnt be happier to have Julie back on the Freeform development team, and I cant wait to see what she brings us next.

As VP, Scripted Programming Development at The CW, Jarmon developed such series such as Batwoman, All American and Walker. During her time at Freeform, Jarmon worked on such series as The Bold Type, Alone Together and current hit series Motherland: Fort Salem. She started her television career as part of NBCs Associates program, rising to manager of Drama Development at the network.

I am so proud to have been part of the original Freeform launch and couldnt be more excited to return to the brand that has flourished under Tara and Jamilas leadership, said Jarmon. I love the Freeform audience, and I cant wait to join this incredibly talented team and help build on their fantastic programming slate.

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As the Delta variant continues to take hold in the U.S., unvaccinated people are seeing their day-to-day life affected more than others. Due to the heightened risk of infection, more institutions and companies are requiring individuals to show proof of vaccination. In some major cities, like New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco, vaccine mandates are being put in place for indoor spaces like restaurants and event venues. And now, if you're not vaccinated, your travel plans could be upended too.

RELATED: You Can't Go Here Without Proof of Vaccination Now.

The Bahamas Customs and Excise Department released an emergency order on Aug. 19, requiring all cruise passengers to be fully vaccinated against COVID in order to enter any Bahamas' ports. The order, which was signed by Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, goes into effect on Sept. 3 and will be in place through at least Nov. 1.

According to the order, all passengers must be fully vaccinated prior to a cruise ship's departure, but exceptions will be made for passengers younger than 12 or those who can't be vaccinated for medical reasons. In order to dock, a ship's captain must submit a crew and passenger manifest disclosing everyone's vaccination status.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the Bahamas currently has high levels of COVID transmission. The country has reported more than 700 new cases this past week and has only vaccinated about 12 percent of its population, per data from Johns Hopkins University.

"Unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential travel to the Bahamas," the CDC says. "Because of the current situation in the Bahamas, all travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants."

RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Many major cruise lines have already announced changes to their own requirements to adhere to the Bahamas' new order. MSC Cruises says that unvaccinated guests will be unable to sail from Sept. 3 through Oct. 31. Passengers who have already bought tickets for cruises during this time and are now ineligible to sail can get a full refund, per Travel Weekly.

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Royal Caribbean had previously been requiring proof of vaccination for all U.S. cruises, except for those departing from the state of Florida due to an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis banning vaccine mandates. But as a result of the new order from the Bahamas and a recent court win against DeSantis' ban by Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean says it will now be requiring proof of vaccination for Florida-based cruises on Sept. 1.

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) also recently passed a similar law to that of the Bahamas, according to Royal Caribbean, which played a part in the cruise line's decision to require vaccination for passengers leaving from Florida as well. On Aug. 2, Royal Caribbean said the USVI government had informed the cruise line that it will not allow cruise ships with unvaccinated passengers to dock at its ports.

"This is a requirement of The Bahamas and St. Thomas governments for a cruise ship to enter their waters, and is currently planned to remain in effect until November 1, 2021, at which point the policy may be updated," Royal Caribbean now states on its website. "We remain in contact with local governments in the ports we visit and will update the policy if advised."

RELATED: Moderna Says These 3 Things Will Cause More Vaccinated People to Get COVID.
Today

A few clouds early, otherwise mostly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 99F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low around 80F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

Mainly sunny. High 101F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
The Delhi government has recently announced that its citizens should not worry about carrying their driving licenses, registration certificates, etc at all times. Instead, they can easily store these documents in the Digi-locker or m-Parivahan mobile apps and show them for verification to the traffic police officials and transport department.

A notice issued by the government revealed that these documents are totally valid under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The electronic record of driving license and registration certificate which is made available on Digi-locker, or m-Parivahan, is also seen to be at par with the original documents as per the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the notice stated.

"The Traffic Police and Enforcement Wing of the Transport Department duly accept the electronic form of driving license and registration certificate if shown in the Digilocker and m-Parivahan app," the notice said.

Notably, these soft copies or digital copies will not be accepted as the original records of a persons license and registration certificate if they are kept in any other form.

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New Delhi: Onam is the major harvest festival in Kerala which falls on the 22nd Nakshatra Thiruvonam in the Malayalam calendar month of Chingam. According to the ancient legends, the Malayalam festival marks the annual trip of King Mahabali to the state he once ruled.

The festival is celebrated in the month of Chingam according to the Malayalam calendar which is equivalent to the Hindu solar calendar followed by people in other parts of India. The festival is spread over 10 days and culminates with Thiruvonam, the most important day.

Numerous fun activities like Vallam Kali (boat races), Pulikali (tiger dances), Pookkalam (flower Rangoli), Onathappan (worship), Pookalam take place during these 10 days.

This year Onam will fall on Saturday, August 21, 2021.

Take a look at these heartfelt WhatsApp, Facebook and Text messages for your loved ones on the occasion of Onam:

(Pic Courtesy: Dreamstime)

(Pic Courtesy: Dreamstime)

(Pic Courtesy: Dreamstime)

(Pic Courtesy: Pixabay)

I wish you good fortune and much pleasure this Onam! Wishing you and your loved ones a joyous Onam!

I wish you a life as vibrant as pookalam, as joyous as this Onam festival, and as prosperous as the abundant harvest. I wish you a happy Onam!

May the colours and lights of Onam bring happiness and joy to your home. On the eve of Onam, my warmest greetings to you and your family!

Onam isn't like any other day. It's the Lord's unique method of showing everyone and saying, "Living with faith, letting go of doubts, Happy Onam."

I wish you a long and happy life. May the festival of Onam usher in fresh beginnings in your life. Onam greetings!

On this day, people get together to participate in a number of cultural activities to celebrate the festival in unison. Boat race (Vallam Kali), Pulikali (folk dance in the disguise of a tiger) and other dance and art forms specific to Kerala.

Sadya, an elaborate meal with 26 food preparations adds more fervour to the festivities.

Onam greetings to all our readers!
New Delhi: Air India has published a long list of COVID-19 guidelines for air travel. The list points out the protocols followed in most Indian states on the arrival of a domestic traveller via a flight.

Air India said in a circular that it is the sole responsibility of the passengers to ensure that are complying with the COVID-19 protocols as set by respective states. State Governments are issuing various guidelines for travellers. Passengers are requested to check the state-specific requirements before travel, the state-owned carrier said in a tweet.

Heres the list of COVID-19 rules being followed in Indian states

Andaman and Nicobar Islands air travel rules

Passengers arriving at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands need to produce an RT-PCR negative report not older than 48 hours and issued from an ICMR recognised lab to visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Passengers will also need to undergo a Rapid Antigen Test at the airport.

Besides the COVID-19 tests, passengers will have to home quarantine themselves for 7 days, and for 10 days if theyre visiting Swaraj Dweep, Shaheed Dweep and Little Andaman. Violators will be fined Rs 5000 for each violation.

Goas COVID-19 air travel rules

Passengers will need to carry a negative report not older than 72 hours before entering Goa. Medical tourists need to produce the proof before entering the state.

Asymptomatic Goa residents and individuals coming for business and employment, who are fully vaccinated at least 14 days before the entry, will be allowed in the state.

Andhra Pradesh air travel rules

Asymptomatic passengers coming to the state will have to undergo home quarantine for 14 days. Travellers will also have to register their details on the Spandana website - www.spandana.ap.gov.in

Assam COVID-19 protocols for incoming travellers

On arrival, passengers will have to undergo thermal screening and rapid Antigen Test. Travellers will also have to undergo compulsory home quarantine for 7 days, irrespective of the result of the COVID-19 test.

However, government Officials and passengers travelling for medical reasons or family bereavement have been exempted from following Assams mandatory quarantine.

Bihar rules for flight passengers

Bihar airports will conduct a thermal screening of passengers on arrival. While theres no requirement of RT-PCR Negative reports on arrival at Patna airport from other domestic airports, passengers are required to undergo 10 days of home quarantine. However, Passengers will be tested at the airport for COVID-19.

Travellers arriving in Gaya from Madhya Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab will need to carry either a vaccination certificate or an RT- PCR report or a RAT negative report from ICMR accredited labs.

Chhattisgarh COVID-19 air travel rules

RT-PCR negative reports not earlier than 96 hours from ICMR certified labs are required to enter Chhattisgarh. Passengers arriving at the airport will be tested on arrival.

Delhi COVID-19 air travel protocols

Domestic passengers need to quarantine themselves for 14 days. However, government employees are exempted from quarantine, only if they are asymptomatic. Thermal scanning of passengers at the airport.

Gujarat air travel rules

No RT-PCR test is required for domestic travel on arrival in any of the airports. However, passengers arriving at Surat airport need to install the SMC Covid-19 Tracker App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.smc.covidout

Passengers will also have to fill the Novel Corona Self Reporting form - http://www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/EServices/Covid19SelfReporting

Haryana COVID-19 flight rules

Passengers need to go thermal screening upon arrival, and need to undergo home quarantine for 14 days.

Uttarakhand Covid-19 air travel protocols

Uttarakhand airports will conduct the COVID-19 test for free for Maharashtra, Kerala and Gujarat passengers. Those with negative RT- PCR/True NAT/CBNAAT/Antigen test reports wont have to quarantine themselves.

Moreover, fully vaccinated individuals entering the state after 15 days of the second dose wont have to bring any COVID-19 reports. However, visitors coming for 7+ days will have to home quarantine themselves first.

Passengers need to register themselves at http://smartcitydehradun.uk.gov.in

Rajasthan air travel rules

Passengers administered with 1st COVid-19 vaccine dose dont need to carry RT-PCR COVID-19 negative report. These passengers wont even need to undergo Home / Institutional Quarantine.

However, unvaccinated passengers need to carry a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours. With no report, passengers will be quarantined for a period of 15 days.

Tamil Nadu air travel protocols

Symptomatic passengers from Maharashtra and Kerala will have to undergo COVID Testing at Tamil Nadus airports. All passengers will also have to carry an Auto E-Pass and also carry a negative RT-PCR report not earlier than 72 hours before the departure.

Asymptomatic passengers from Maharashtra and Kerala will have to undergo seven days of home quarantine and seven days of self-monitoring. Passengers can register themselves on https://tnepass.tnega.org before their travel.

Maharashtra air travel rules

Passengers need to carry negative RT-PCR reports not earlier than 72 hours before entry into Maharashtra. Without a report, passengers will not be permitted to board the flight.

Passengers returning in 7 days or less wont have to quarantine themselves upon sharing the details of their return journey.

Karnataka air travel protocols

Passengers coming from Kerala and Maharashtra need to possess a negative RT-PCR report not older than 72 hours. Travellers from other states with COVID -19 symptoms should carry an RT- PCR Negative Test report. RT -PCR tests are also conducted at the airport for Rs 800.

Kerala air travel rules

Travellers need to carry an RT- PCR negative report not older than 72 hours before the start of the journey. Asymptomatic passengers need to undergo home quarantine for 14 days while those visiting the state for less than seven days are exempted from quarantine.

RT- PCR testing can be done at the airport at passengers expense. Moreover, travellers need to register themselves on states Jagratha portal - https://covid19jagratha.kerala.nic.in/home/addMedicalEmergencyPass

Himachal Pradesh air travel protocols

Asymptomatic travellers will be exempted from quarantine upon producing a negative RT-PCR test or TRUNAAT t/CB NAAT test report by an ICMR authorized lab. The report shouldnt be issued earlier than 96 hours from the time when the sample was taken.

Passengers arriving from cities with high Covid- 19 rates will have to undergo 7 days of institutional quarantine, and a 7 day home quarantine. Such passengers can be exempted from institutional quarantine if they are travelling for exceptional reasons. However, theyll have to undergo home quarantine for 14days in such cases.

Travellers need to Aarogya Setu App and also register on the Covid E- Pass portal http://covid19epass.hp.gov.in 48 hours before their entry into the state. Only Army/CAPF personnel wont need to register on E -Pass if they are returning to join their duties.

Jammu and Kashmir COVID-19 air travel rules

Travellers need to undergo the RT-PCR or Rapid Antigen test upon arrival. Covid-19 negative passengers will have to undergo home quarantine for 14 days. Also Read: Sensex tumbles 300 points; Nifty ends below 16,500

Asymptomatic business travellers carrying a confirmed return ticket along with hotel booking details will be exempted from quarantine. Also Read: A floating ATM --SBI's gift to Srinagar people
New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday (August 19) said that the Central government is democratising air services in the country under the UDAN project. The newly appointed Union minister also noted that efforts are being made to facilitate 1000 new air routes and establish 100 new airports by 2025.

UDAN, which stands for Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik, is a Central government scheme aimed at making air travel affordable. The other aims of the mission are to boost inclusive national economic development, job growth and improve the air transport infrastructure across India.

Giving credit to the UDAN scheme, Scindia said that the air traffic to and from Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, his home state, is increasing. The number of flights from these places would go up to 738 from 424 from September 1, he added.

An expansion plan of Indore's Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport to enable operations of big aircraft from there has been drawn up, under which 2,300 acres of land has been sought from the state government, Scindia said.

Scindia also said the disinvestment process of national carrier Air India was on the "right track". Also Read: Petrol, Diesel Prices Today, August 20, 2021: Diesel prices reduced yet again today, petrol remains unchanged

Speaking about the Air Indias disinvestment plans, he said that the progress is on track. For this the financial bids should come in by September 15 and after that the next move would be initiated, he added. Also Read: CRED to offer up to 9% returns to investors with peer-to-peer lending platform Mint

- With PTI inputs.

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New Delhi: Afghanistan is going through a huge political crisis and the Taliban has taken over the country. The Taliban visited closed Indian consulates in Kandahar and Herat respectively two days ago, to conduct searches. According to sources in the security set-up, they also took some documents along with parked vehicles from the two missions. Notably, India has four Indian consulates located in Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Jalalabad which were closed after the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15.

We expected this. They ransacked the place searched documents and also took away our parked vehicles from both embassies, a senior officer told NDTV.

After reports of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan surfaced Talibans takeover, India evacuated its Embassy personnel by an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft on Tuesday, bringing back 120 Indians, including ITBP personnel from the Kabul airport.

The evacuation of remaining Indian workers was also discussed in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) wherein Prime Minister Narendra Modi was directed to take all necessary steps to bring them back.

Modi, in the two back-to-back meetings of the CCS on August 17 and 18, instructed officials for speedy evacuation of Indians who are still in the war-torn country, in the next few days and also to provide all possible help to Afghan brothers and sisters who are looking towards India for assistance, an official privy to this development had said.

The Taliban are currently hunting down people who worked for and collaborated with NATO and the US forces said a UN document. The confidential paper was produced by the Norwegian Centre for Global Analyses, which provides the UN with intelligence information.

The Taliban are arresting and/or threatening to kill or arrest family members of target individuals unless they surrender themselves to the Taliban, the BBC reported.
New Delhi: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said that the 'so-called' human rights supporters talking about injustice to women in Afghanistan were silent on the atrocities in India. He questioned their silence on the recent Kanpur incident in Uttar Pradesh where a girl was begging for mercy when her father was being beaten up in the presence of police.

The Hyderabad MP was addressing a meeting at a mosque in the old city late Thursday on the eve of 'Yaum-e-Ashura' which marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussain. Owaisi said for the last few days all TV channels were talking about Afghanistan. "When I was asked about Afghanistan, I said talk about Kanpur not Kabul. In Kanpur, a nine-year-old girl was begging for mercy when her father was being beaten up in the presence of police. These so-called human rights supporters are concerned about girls in Kabul and are talking about atrocities on women there but nobody is bothered about the Kanpur girl. They don't talk about the widows of Akhlaq, Tabrez, Pehlu Khan and Aleemuddin Ansari," he added referring to the men lynched by mobs of cow vigilantes.

The Hyderabad MP said according to one report, one out of nine girls die before reaching the age of five in India but nobody was concerned about it. "There are atrocities and crimes against women here. But they (human rights supporters) are worried about what is happening to women in Afghanistan. Isn`t it happening here?," Owaisi asked.

The AIMIM chief said the governments of Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and Modi invested USD 3 billion in Afghanistan. The Afghan parliament was built at a cost of Rs 700 crore and it was jointly inaugurated by Narendra Modi and former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Nobody responds to the question about the taxpayers' money spent by India in Afghanistan, he added.

Owaisi said since 2013 he had been drawing the attention of the successive Indian governments that Taliban will reorganise and may come back to power and therefore talks should be held with them. "We have nothing to do with Afghanistan or Taliban but we drew their attention in view of the possible threat to India`s security in future to which nobody paid attention," he added.

He said after the Taliban came to power, Al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists started shifting to remote parts of Afghanistan. He claimed that ISI, which is India`s enemy, is controlling the Taliban and China is trying to take advantage of this situation. He reiterated that China has occupied Indian territory but those in power were not worried.

Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje hit out at Owaisi and said that the AIMIM chief should be sent to Afghanistan to protect their women and their community. "It is better to send Owaisi (Asaduddin Owaisi) to Afghanistan to protect their women and their community," Karandlaje said on Owaisi's comment about the atrocities and crimes against women in India.

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New Delhi: The Yogi Adityanath government on Friday (August 20, 2021) announced that the weekly curfew on Sundays is being completely lifted in the the wake of drop in COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh.

In the wake of drop in COVID-19 cases in the state, the weekend curfew on Sunday will not be imposed anymore. The markets will open normally like weekdays, ANI tweeted.

In the wake of drop in #COVID19 cases in the state, the weekend curfew on Sunday will not be imposed anymore. The markets will open normally like weekdays.  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 20, 2021

According to the reports, the decision was taken in view of the declining cases of COVID-19 in the state.

Additionally, a number of women organisations had urged the UP Chief Minister to lift the Sunday curfew in view of the Raksha Bandhan on August 22. Even cinema hall owners had requested the state government to end the weekly closure since it was affecting the business.

The government spokesman said that markets will now observe their earlier weekly closure on designated days.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh has become the first state in India to carry out more than seven crore COVID-19 tests. A government spokesperson said that, "The testing protocol by the World Health Organisation for Uttar Pradesh is 32,000 tests per day, whereas Covid testing in the state has averaged 2.5 lakh tests a day for the past few weeks."

The state reported 29 new COVID-19 cases and 35 recoveries on Thursday, bringing the total number of active cases in the state down to 407. Cases were reported from just 16 districts, with Lucknow reporting the highest number of new cases at five. Banda and Bulandshahr also reported one death each.

(With Agency inputs)

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Introduction

The Term 1 Board Examinations are just a few months away, and many students have finalized their examination strategy and commenced their examination preparation. Timely preparation reduces exam anxiety and gives students the confidence to attempt questions.

However, many students might still be looking out for some guidance on how to prepare for the Term 1 examinations. Here is the blueprint that is designed to help you score 40/40 in mathematics, Science, and Social Science.

1. Unit-Wise Weightage Plan For Each Subject

With only a few months to go, students now need to shift gears to move towards an exam-oriented strategy. For that, it is essential for students to understand the unit-wise weightage for each topic in Mathematics, Science, and Social Science. It will ensure that students give more time and focus to those topics which have more weightage in the exam.

For mathematics, topics that have higher weightage include Algebra (10), Coordinate Geometry, Geometry, and Number systems (6 marks each). Topics such as trigonometry (5), mensuration (4), statistics, and probability (3) have lower weightage than the first few topics.

In Science, focus on Chemical Substances: Nature and Behaviour (Chapters 1,2 and 3), which have a weightage of 16 marks, followed by and Natural Phenomena (Chapters 10 and 11) with a weightage of 14 marks. These 5 chapters have the bulk of the weightage (30). World of Living (Chapter 6) has a weightage of 10 marks, the lowest weightage amongst all the units, but it comes from a single chapter.

In Social Science, India and the Contemporary World -1, Contemporary India  I, Democratic Politics  I and Economics, are each of 10 marks each.

Like-wise, we may prepare for all subjects for CBSE 10TH Board Exams 2021-22 For Term 1

2. Create a daily time schedule for each chapter

Create a schedule that incorporates the chapter difficulty (easy/difficult), days, and hours needed, followed by the examination resource. If you chart this in a tabular format, you will have full visibility into how much time do you need to complete the full syllabus.

For example, Real Numbers, Coordinate Geometry, and statistics are easier topics, and you should devote 3-4 days each to these topics to finish the syllabus, devoting at least 8 hours. For the resources, you may want to refer to the NCERT textbook and a comprehensive question bank like the Oswaal CBSE MCQs Question Bank Chapter wise for Term-I, Class 10, available for Mathematics, Social Science, and Science.

Similarly, create a table rating the chapter difficulty, the time needed, and the examination resource for Science and Social Science also.

3. Solve Every Question Type

Practicing with a question bank improves student's confidence as it reduces exam anxiety around the correct answering strategy. MCQ examinations need a slightly different preparation strategy as students to need to be aware of distractors (plausible but incorrect answers), answering strategies like elimination, fitment, and so on.

New Syllabus Oswaal Chapter-wise CBSE MCQ Question Banks Class 10 For Term 1 Board Exams 202122 | Maths, Science, Social Science, English & All Subjects are strict as per the "Special Assessment Scheme" issued by the Board on July 5, 2021 & CBSE Syllabus Announced on 22 Jul for Term 1 Board Examination in 2021-22. They feature MCQs based on the latest typologies introduced by the board like stand-alone MCQs, MCQs based on assertion-reason, case-based MCQs. Extensive practice with this largest MCQs Question Pool will empower students to approach the exam with confidence.

These CBSE Term 1 Question Banks Class 10 includes Answers with Explanations & also unit-wise periodic tests, mnemonics, concept videos via QR codes for practice, enabling students to practice rigorously and exclusively for CBSE 10th Term 1 Board Exams 2021-22.

Heres the recommended link for New Syllabus Chapter-wise CBSE MCQ Question Banks Class 10 For Term 1 Board Exams 202122 | Maths, Science, Social Science, English & All Subjects: https://bit.ly/3j4XFU4

New Syllabus Chapter-wise CBSE MCQ Question Banks Class 10 For Term 1 Board Exams 202122 Maths: https://bit.ly/3j2ZrFB

4. Refer NCERT books

Students should refer to the NCERT textbooks as they help clarify fundamentals and drive understanding of basic concepts. NCERT books also offer in-depth knowledge in easy-to-understand language and strictly follow the CBSE curriculum. Covering the NCERT books thoroughly ensure that students do not miss out on any important topics.

5. Decode Exam Pattern Via Solving Sample Papers

Solving examination papers regularly is a sure-shot way of securing high marks, in this case, and decode the exam pattern for Term 1 Board Exams For CBSE 10th 202122. It will help to boost self-confidence, beat exam fear. Stay tuned at cbseacademic.nic.in for sample paper release for CBSE 10TH Term 1 Board Exams. Question banks help students gain practice, improve their speed and accuracy, and test their performance in a mock exam situation. They also instil time management and discipline in students, which are great traits to have to ensure good scores.

Conclusion

Diligent application of the above steps will surely instil confidence in students appearing for their Term 1 examinations in a few months. Students need to understand that they need to be as much aware of the subject as techniques like time management and MCQ strategy. Starting well ahead of time and practicing with high-quality resources will help them to score high.
New Delhi: Amid threat of the third COVID-19 wave, the Andhra Pradesh government on Friday (August 20) extended the night curfew till September 4. Issuing an order, Principal Secretary, Health, Medical and Family Welfare, Anil Kumar Singhal said the 11 pm to 6 am COVID-19 curfew has been extended for another fortnight, IANS reported.

The decision was taken after reviewing the COVID-19 situation and keeping in mind the positive cases.

"District collectors, superintendents of police and commissioners must strictly enforce these rules," Singhal said.

Only 150 people will be allowed at marriages, functions and religious events. COVID-19 appropriate behaviour has to be mandatorily followed at all congregations.

Any violation will attract action under Sections 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and other applicable laws, Singhal said.

Earlier on August 15, the Andhra Pradesh government extended the curfew imposed due to COVID-19 till August 21. The COVID-19 curfew is implemented from 10 pm to 6 am on all days.

On Thursday, 1,501 new coronavirus cases and 10 fatalities were reported in Andhra Pradesh, pushing the cumulative tally to 19.9 lakh and the death toll to 13,696, as per official data. There are 15,738 active cases in the state currently.

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Shimla: Schools in Himachal Pradesh will not be allowed to reopen till August 28, as per an order from the Revenue Department of the state`s Disaster Management Cell issued on Friday (August 20).

Only teaching and non-teaching staff will be allowed to attend the school, the order said.

Residential schools, however, will continue to function while following the COVID guidelines issued by the state education department.

Those violating these measures will be punishable as per law, the order stated.

Meanwhile, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Friday that the Centre is fully ready to tackle a possible third wave of COVID-19 and a provision of Rs 23,123 crore has been made for this purpose.

He said special emphasis is being given to strengthening paediatric care amid apprehension that the third wave may affect children more than others.

Thakur, who is on a five-day 'Jan Ashirwaad Yatra' in his home state Himachal Pradesh, was speaking to reporters here. This is his maiden visit to the state since being sworn in as a Union Cabinet minister last month.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is fully ready to tackle a possible third wave of COVID-19. A provision of Rs 23,123 crore has been made to deal with it, said Thakur, who is also the minister for youth affairs and sports.

Special emphasis is being given to strengthening paediatric care as experts fear that the third wave may affect children more than others. The Centre has also set aside Rs 35,000 crore for free COVID vaccination, he said.

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New Delhi: After CBSE's landmark judgment on syllabus rationalization and assessment policy, the entire focus is on MCQs examinations. The rationalized syllabus has been divided across two terms, with approximately 50% syllabus across each term. The examinations are now MCQ-focused, with a 90-minute MCQ-based examination in Term 1 and a two hours examination for Term 2 comprising of case-based, situation-based questions, open-ended, short answer, and long answer type questions.

So, what should be the strategy of students now that only a few months are left for the Term 1 examinations? How should they balance their time between theory and practice? What should be their examination strategy?

Here are a few tips:



1. Focus on theory



Only a few months are left for the Term 1 examinations  hence students should turn their full attention to the theory. It is a misconception that MCQ-based examinations are more scoring and students need not go through the full syllabus. MCQ-based examinations are naturally designed to cover the syllabus more exhaustively than subjective examinations. Hence full coverage of the theory part is a must.

2. Focus on MCQs parallelly (Solve Every Question Type)



Given the focus on MCQ questions in the assessment policy, it is essential that students gear up for their exam preparation using MCQ-based question banks. Question banks are a robust assessment technique for evaluating learning outcomes. They give students enough visibility into the concepts learned, translation of concepts into the application, weak areas where they need to devote more time, strengthening their exam preparation.

There is one top seller book on Amazon, the New Syllabus Oswaal Chapter-wise CBSE MCQ Question Bank For Term 1 Board Exams Class 10 &12 For Term 1 Board Exams 2021-22 are strict as per the "Special Assessment Scheme" issued by the Board on July 5, 2021, for Board Examinations 2021-22. Students will find that it provides a veritable storehouse of MCQs, making it one of the most comprehensive resources in the market right now. It includes MCQs based on the latest typologies introduced by the board like stand-alone MCQs, MCQs based on assertion-reason, case-based MCQs. It contains the largest MCQs Question Pool & many exclusive features for term 1 boards exams, including videos-based learning via QR Codes, mnemonics, explanatory answers for MCQs.

There is one top seller book on Amazon, the New Syllabus Oswaal Chapter-wise CBSE MCQ Question Bank For Term 1 Board Exams Class 10 & 12 For Term 1 Board Exams 2021-22 are strict as per the 'Special Assessment Scheme' issued by the Board on July 5, 2021, for Board Examinations 2021-22. Students will find that it provides a veritable storehouse of MCQs, making it one of the most comprehensive resources in the market right now.

It includes MCQs based on the latest typologies introduced by the board like stand-alone MCQs, MCQs based on assertion-reason, case-based MCQs. It contains the largest MCQs Question Pool & many exclusive features for term 1 boards exams, including videos-based learning via QR Codes, mnemonics, explanatory answers for MCQs.

Here's the recommended link for New Syllabus Chapter-wise CBSE MCQ Question Bank For Term 1 Board Exams Class 10 For Term 1 Board Exams 2021-22 (With Largest MCQs Question Pool): https://bit.ly/3j1vANC for Maths, Science, Social Science & All Subjects.

New Syllabus Chapter-wise CBSE MCQ Question Bank For Term 1 Board Exams Class 12 For Term 1 Board Exams 2021-22 (With Largest MCQs Question Pool): https://bit.ly/3D1uGbY for Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English & All Subjects.

3. Practice rigorously



Use the last few months for rigorous practice. Try to solve all the objective questions available in NCERT textbooks, and the MCQ Question Banks for Class 10 & 12 also includes Practice Questions from CBSE's official Question Bank and unit-wise periodic tests, which further help students in getting thorough practice.



4. Solve Sample Papers To Decode The Exam Pattern



CBSE Sample Papers helps in preparation analysis, beating the exam stress. It helps in revision and gives an idea of the marking scheme. So altogether, it boosts self-confidence, speed & accuracy to attempt the final board exams. We may also look out for CBSE Sample Papers by Oswaal Books. You may stay tuned on oswaalbooks.com for the sample paper release.

5. Examination-day strategy



Finally, on the day of examination, read the instructions carefully, which are very important for any objective examination. Once you do that, scan the question paper quickly. Attempt the question paper with those questions that you are most confident about, increasing your speed and accuracy by filling out the OMR sheet simultaneously. Once you are done with your first attempt, use the second question to answer those questions which you had earmarked for deeper thought and analysis. In the third round, use the elimination strategy or insertion/alignment strategy to weed out incorrect answers.

Conclusion



MCQ examinations are as much about subject knowledge as choosing the right examination strategy. To ace the Term 1 examination, students should review theory thoroughly, practice all question types, test, learn and analyze to ensure high scores in the examination.

(Disclaimer: This is a Brand Desk content)
New Delhi: With heavy rain forecast in Uttarakhand, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued a warning of rise in water levels in rivers of the hill state with some areas likely to witness flash floods.

Due to heavy to very heavy rainfall predicted over Uttarakhand on Friday (August 20), there is likelihood of rise in water levels in rivers such as Bhagirathi, Alaknanda, Mandakini, Ganga, Ramganga, Sharda, Sarju, etc. a CWC advisory stated, according to news agency IANS.

"There is likelihood of flash floods in some of the hill districts in association with cloudburst. Necessary precautions have to be taken for possible landslides and blockages of river flows due to landslides in high ranges of the state. Hence alert may be kept in all hill districts of Uttarakhand," the CWC flood advisory said.

In lower Ganga reaches, downstream of Patna, the river is flowing above danger level at all stations except at Bhagalpur, which is flowing above HFL, with a falling trend.

Ganga at Bhagalpur is expected to fall below extreme flood situation and the forecasted water level by 4 pm on Friday will be 34.54 m.

Ghaghra river in Barabanki, Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) and Siwan (Bihar) districts is flowing above normal with severe flood situations respectively with falling trend and in Ballia district (UP), it is flowing in severe flood situation with rising trend.

Rapti is flowing in severe flood situations in Balrampur (UP) with falling trend and in Siddharth Nagar and Gorakhpur districts (UP) with rising trend, the CWC said.

Currently, the Kosi in Supaul, Khagaria and Katihar districts (Bihar), Sone and Punpun in Patna, Bagmati in Sitamarhi, Muzzafarpur, and Darbhanga districts (Bihar), river Gandak in Kushinagar (UP), Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, and Vaishali (Bihar) districts, Parman in Araria (Bihar), Adhwara in Darbhanga district, Kamla and Kamlabalan in Madhubani district, Burhi Gandak in Purba Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, and Khagaria districts, Mahananda in Kishanganj, Purnia, and Katihar districts (Bihar) are flowing in severe flood situations.

Flood situations may exist in the lower reaches of these rivers in the coming days, the CWC said.

Meanwhile, precautions have to be taken for possible landslides and blockages of river flows due to landslides in hilly Darjeeling and Kalimpong (West Bengal).

Brahmaputra main river is flowing in above normal flood situations to severe flood situations in Goalpara, Dhubri, Dibrugarh and Jorhat districts (Assam). Also, tributaries of Brahmaputra namely Beki river in Barpeta district (Assam), Siang river in East Siang (Arunachal Pradesh), Jia-Bharali river in Sonitpur (Assam) and Sankosh river in Murshidabad (West Bengal) are flowing in above normal flood situations to severe flood situations, the CWC advisory said.

Most of the dams in Upper Krishna Basin in the Krishna basin in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are having very high storages.

Hidkal, Almatti, and Tungabhadra Dams are filled to their full capacity while Narayanpur and Bhadra Dams are 98 per cent filled up. Malaprabha Dam on the Malaprabha is filled to 93 per cent of its full capacity. Dams Koyana, Warna, and Veer are also having high storage.

"Round the clock watch has to be maintained for proper reservoir operation. Releases from any of these reservoirs may be done as per rule curve and standard operating procedure," the advisory cautioned the dam operators.

For west flowing rivers Tapi and Upper Godavari in Maharashtra and Gujarat, the river catchment located in areas such as Nashik, Palghar (Maharashtra), Valsad and Dangs (Gujarat) is expected to receive good rainfall.

Hence alert may be kept in rivers such as Damanganga, Wagh, Upper Godavari, Tapi and its tributaries, the advisory said.

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Thiruvananthapuram: It's been long since Kerala celebrated Onam with a lot of fanfare. The massive floods in 2018, followed by another one next year, and then the two years of COVID pandemic - for four years, the state hasn't had the chance to celebrate Onam on a grandscale. However, Keralites are trying to make the most of the festival and celebrate in the intimate way possible. Onam is the traditional harvest festival of Keralites and which is one festival that is celebrated by the 3.30 crore population.

Even though the Onam festival is a 10-day affair, the three key days started this time with August 20, a Friday, and will end with Avittam on Sunday (August 22), with Thiru Onam on Saturday (August 21) being the most important day.

Congress Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor recalls his days at the United Nations and said he was amazed that be it Namibia, Vienna or Geneva, he was always lucky to have celebrated Onam in several countries. "We, Malayalis are there all over and I have been extremely fortunate to have had the traditional Onam lunch in numerous countries, but today given the pandemic days that we are all passing through, the buzz word now is each and every one has to get vaccinated and all efforts should be for that," said Tharoor.

Be it, COVID or floods, the indefatigable attitude of Keralite during the three days of Onam is the savouring of the 26 course vegetarian lunch eaten on a planarian leaf.

"Gone are the days of the yesteryears when the entire family comes together with the single agenda of preparing the Onam lunch and then eating it with one, two or three different `payasams`. Now the easiest way is to relax and wait for the ordered Onam lunch to arrive from either hotels or caterers. Times have changed," said hugely popular Malayalm film comedian and character actor Jagdeesh.



(With IANS inputs)
New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday (August 19, 2021) issued a yellow alert for over 21 districts in Madhya Pradesh, warning of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning strikes.

A weather official said that at least eight districts in the state received heavy rainfall (64.5 mm to 115.5 mm), while Singrauli in eastern Madhya Pradesh recorded very heavy showers (123 mm) in the last 24 hours.

The weather departments prediction revealed that heavy rainfall (64.5 mm to 115.5 mm) with thunderstorm and lightning is likely over Sagar, Chhatarpur, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Panna, Niwari, Rewa, Satna, Anuppur, Umaria, Dindori, Katni and Narsinghpur districts.

The alert, which is valid till Friday, also covers Chhindwara, Seoni, Rajgarh, Vidisha, Raisen, Hoshangabad, Betul and Dhar districts, senior meteorologist P K Saha of the IMD's Bhopal office said.

The Met department has also forecast rain or thundershowers for most places in 10 divisions of the state, including Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur.

The state is witnessing the second wet spell this month. Earlier, over 24 lost their lives during the first spell that ravaged Gwalior and Chambal divisions in northern part of the state.

The monsoon trough is now passing through Gwalior and Sidhi, bringing in moisture and causing rains, Saha said, adding that the wet spell is expected to continue for the next two to three days.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi: India recorded 36,571 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Friday (August 20, 2021). The country also reported 36,555 recoveries in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery count to 3,15,61,635. Additionally, the country also reported 540 deaths on Friday, taking the death toll to 4,33,589.

The number of active cases has dipped to 3,63,605 which is the lowest in 150 days. The recovery rate is at 97.54% which is the highest since March 2020. The daily positivity rate is at 1.94% while the weekly positivity rate is at 1.94% less than 3% for the last 56 days, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 50,26,99,702 samples have been tested up to August 19 for COVID-19. Of these 18,86,271 samples were tested on Thursday.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, a study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in Chennai has found that the Delta variant of the coronavirus has the potential to infect both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. However, the findings also revealed that vaccination reduces the chances of mortality.

Additionally, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday claimed that COVID-19 vaccines for children will likely be launched in India "very soon".

"The Indian government has already given permission to Zydus Cadila and Bharat Biotech to conduct research for developing a COVID-19 vaccine for children. We are expecting that results of their research will arrive next month. I am confident that vaccines for children would become a reality very soon," Mandaviya told reporters.

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NEW DELHI: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday (August 19, 2021) over the chaotic situation in Afghanistan. Blinken and Jaishankar last spoke on Monday, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Sunday.

"Secretary Blinken and Minister Jaishankar discussed Afghanistan and agreed to continued coordination," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a readout of the call.

Taking to Twitter Blilnken wrote:

Productive call with @DrSJaishankar today about Afghanistan. We agreed to continue our close coordination.  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 20, 2021

Meanwhile, Blinken also got in touch with several Foreign Ministers on Thursday to discuss the Afghanistan situation. He held a videoconference with the Foreign Ministers of the G7 countries -- the UK, France, Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada -- and Joseph Borrell, the European Union`s High Representative for Foreign Affairs.

"All leaders underscored the imperative of safe passage for those who wish to leave Afghanistan and the need for an inclusive political resolution that protects the fundamental human rights of all Afghans," Price said in an official readout.

They also discussed counter-terrorism, humanitarian efforts, and refugee migration, he added.

While, Jaishankar was in New York for two days of UN Security Council programmes on protecting peacekeepers and fighting terrorism and was leaving the city on Thursday. The Taliban's sudden victory close to the heels of US withdrawing its troops from the country has sparked chaos.

America and other nations are scrambling to safely evacuate thousands of citizens and nationals of ally countries.

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New Delhi: In the Vikas Dubey encounter case, a three-member judicial commission, formed on the Supreme Court direction, gave clearance to the police action. The report was tabled in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Thursday.

The three-member judicial commission, which was headed by retired Supreme Court Judge BS Chauhan and with retired Allahabad HC judge Justice Shashi Kant Agarwal and former UP Director General of Police KL Gupta as its other members, recommended an inquiry against the erring public servants.

The commission cited enough evidence that Vikas Dubey and his gang were patronised by local police, revenue and administrative officials, according to The Indian Express report.

Citing the patronage to Vikas Dubey and his gang by police and revenue officers, the report said, Police and revenue officers patronised him and his gang. If any person lodged any complaint against Vikas Dubey or his associates, the complainant was always humiliated by the police. Even if the higher authorities directed to lodge the complaint, the local police dictated the terms.

It further said that the investigation in any case lodged against the gang was never impartial, adding "Sections relating to serious offences were dropped before filing the chargesheet. During the trial, most witnesses turn hostile. Vikas Dubey and his associates got bail orders from the courts easily and quickly as there was no serious opposition by the state authorities and government advocates."

It said that the state authorities never considered it appropriate to engage a special counsel for his prosecution, adding "The state never moved any application for cancellation of bail or approached the superior court for cancellation of any of the bail orders.

Last year on July 3, a police team had gone to Bikru village in Kanpur to arrest Vikas Dubey but came under heavy gunfire from rooftops near the gangsters home, and eight policemen, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Mishra, died in the ambush.

Vikas was reportedly killed in an encounter on July 10 morning when a police vehicle ferrying him from Ujjain met with an accident near Kanpur and the gangster tried to escape.

Prior to Dubeys encounter, five of his associates were also killed in separate encounters, while 36 including two policemen and four women were arrested and sent to jail.

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New Delhi: Amid debate on oxygen-related deaths due to COVID-19, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday (August 20) that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has once again rejected the proposal to form a committee to "investigate deaths due to oxygen shortage" in the national capital.

Addressing an online press conference, Sisodia said that it cannot be denied that people died due to shortage of oxygen in Delhi. No one can deny that Delhi grappled with an oxygen crisis in April and May during the second Covid wave and also no one can deny that people died in the capital due to shortage of oxygen, the AAP leader said.

We had resubmitted a file for the constitution of a panel to probe deaths due to oxygen shortage. The LG (lieutenant governor) is saying that there is no need for that," PTI quoted Sisodia as saying.

Attacking the Centre, Sisodia said that on one hand the central government is asking the states to furnish the number of deaths that occurred due to dearth of oxygen, and on the other, "you have not been allowing us to investigate such deaths". He questioned, "Then how will states tell?"

Sisodia alleged, "That means the Centre deliberately wants us to give in writing that no death occurred due to the shortage of oxygen in the entire country. It will be a big lie. It will be a cruel joke with the families who have lost their loved ones.

Further, he asked why the Centre does not want the oxygen-related deaths to be probed. "People have died due to oxygen shortage in the 21st century, but the Centre is saying these fatalities should not be probed. Why?"

The Delhi Deputy CM added, "The Centre will have to accept that it was responsible for the oxygen crisis. People across the entire country bore the brunt of it."

Last week, Sisodia wrote to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya that it is difficult to ascertain without a probe if there were any oxygen-related deaths during the second Covid wave, and had sought a fresh nod from the LG to form an expert panel.

On July 20, the Central government had said in the Rajya Sabha that no deaths due to lack of oxygen have been specifically reported by states/Union territories during the second wave of COVID-19. In a written reply to Congress MP KC Venugopal, Minister of State for Health Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar claimed, No deaths due to lack of oxygen has been specifically reported by states/UTs. However, Government of India has supported the States and undertook a series of actions including provisioning medical oxygen, and other consumables to ensure clinical care of COVID-19 patients in view of steep rise of COVID-19 trajectory in the country during April- May 2021. The Centre had received a lot of flak from the opposition as well as online for the statement.

(With agency inputs)

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Mumbai: While the state government is yet to take any decision on school reopening in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday (August 20) said the state Task Force is not in favour of reopening schools before Diwali. Going by the opinion of the state COVID Task Force, the deputy CM said that the schools in the state may not open before Diwali.

Saying that the decision regarding the reopening of schools will be taken in consultation with the task force, Ajit Pawar said the state will go ahead when it says to do so. He said that the task force is of the opinion that the schools shouldnt be reopened before Diwali.

Giving further details, the Deputy CM said that theres an opinion that the state government should provide permission to reopen schools in the districts where Covid-19 infections is low.

A section of parents and management of educational institutions feel that the government should not wait for so long. They believe that schools should be opened in districts which have zero per cent positivity. The final decision will be taken by the chief minister in this regard, Pawar added.

Earlier, school education minister Varsha Gaikwad had stated that the offline classes would commence on August 17 in rural areas for students from class V to VIII, while in cities, physical classes will be held for students from class VIII to XII following Covid-19 protocols.

On Friday (August ), Maharashtra reported 4,365 new coronavirus cases and 105 deaths, while 6,384 patients recovered from the viral infection. The states infection tally thus rose to 64,15,935, while the death toll reached 1,35,672.

Nandurbar district in north Maharashtra did not record a single active COVID-19 case for the fifth day in a row. Ahmednagar district reported the highest 577 new infections, followed by Satara at 554. Satara district also recorded the highest 17 deaths during the day.

The Nashik region reported 699 new cases, Mumbai 696, Latur 161, Aurangabad 29, Akola 18 and the Nagpur region recorded 14 new cases. Mumbai city reported 319 new cases and six deaths, while Pune city reported 201 infections and one fresh fatality.
Shillong: In an embarrassment to the Meghalaya government, a section of police officers and constables have shown sympathy on social media for a former militant leader who was killed in an encounter, leading to arson and curfew on Independence Day in Shillong.

It took a stern warning from the Director-General of Police R Ramachandran to get the police personnel to withdraw offending social media posts that included displaying black flags, an SP-ranked officer told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, the former self-styled general secretary of the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), was shot dead by the police on August 13 when the force raided his home in Shillong''s Mawlai area in connection with the recent IED blasts across the state.

On August 15 when his body was taken for the funeral, violence erupted in the state capital forcing the authorities to clamp curfew which was partially lifted on Thursday.

Some officers and constables were found to have set black flags as their display pictures or status. Some posted comments against the police force showing sympathy to Thangkhiew. The DGP himself has noticed this during a video conference with officers," the officer said.

On August 16, the authorities sent a message to all police stations directing the officers-in-charge to issue orders to all concerned to delete those posts immediately, otherwise the staff concerned will face strict disciplinary action.

Those posts were then removed and no action was taken against anyone, the officer said.

Thangkhiews family members told PTI that they have lodged a complaint against two police officers - East Jaintia Hills district SP and East Khasi Hills district SP (Traffic) -- accusing them of being involved in the encounter killing.

The Meghalaya government has instituted a judicial inquiry to be conducted by Justice (retd) T Vaiphei, the chairperson of the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission, into the incident.

Meanwhile, the curfew was further relaxed from 5 am till 6 pm on Friday as there were no fresh reports of violence, East Khasi Hills district Deputy Commissioner I Laloo said. On Thursday, the curfew was lifted for 12 hours from 5 am.

Night curfew will remain in place from 6 pm onwards until further orders, she said.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Seventy-two women officers from the Indian Army have issued a legal notice to the Defence Ministry over strict compliance with the Supreme Court order on granting permanent commission to females in the force. The development came in view of the Supreme Court's recent interim order, allowing women candidates to sit for the National Defence Academy (NDA) entrance exam scheduled to be held on September 5.

Notably, the SC granted permanent commission to women officers of the Indian Army serving under Short Service Commission over a year ago.

The 72 women officers, who sent notice to the Defence Ministry, are reportedly fully entitled to be granted permanent commission on the basis of a clear and unambiguous order of the Supreme Court this year.

Counsel of the women officers, Major Sudhanshu Pandey, told ANI, "The notice has been sent on behalf of 72 women officers who are fully entitled to be granted permanent commission on the basis of a clear and unambiguous order of the Supreme Court on 25 March this year."

Pandey further said the order was clearly asking the Defence Ministry and authorities concerned not to compare the women officers with the benchmark of male officers of their batch and grant permanent commission to all women officers found unfit by the Number 5 Selection Board held in September last year who had obtained 60 per cent marks for which the Defence Ministry was given two months to implement the same.

As per the petitioners, the Army authorities after the expiry of three months moved an application seeking clarification on the ground that the Board has found these 72 officers unfit even though they are above 60 per cent for other reasons of negative remarks etc which are not a disqualification for permanent commission.

This aspect was reportedly never brought to the notice of SC by the Army in their reply or submissions which took place in multiple hearings.

Pandey said the clarification has been dismissed on August 2 for being devoid of any merit and now these officers are being kept under suspended animation causing severe mental stress to them.The lawyer alleged that the subordinate officials out of their deep-rooted prejudice against women officers are trying to mislead the higher authorities to approve denial of permanent commission to these officers which are clear defiance of the order of the Apex Court.

Pandey told ANI, "We wanted to apprise the decision-makers of the repercussions of such defiant order inviting contempt and therefore the notice has been sent to all officials including the Defence Secretary and Chief of Defence Staff," adding "We hope and pray that the better sense prevails to these authorities and they don`t adopt an attitude of confrontation with court orders."

The women officers claimed that as per the apex court`s directions, all women officers who have fulfilled the cut-off grade of 60 per cent in the Special No 5 Selection Board held in September 2020, and those who fulfil the medical criteria as prescribed by the General Instructions dated August 1, 2020 on 5/10th year of service as the case may be and those who are not under any disciplinary and vigilance Ban which implies that the Women Officers should be granted a commission.

(With Agency Inputs)

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New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw who is in Odisha for BJP's 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra', took part in the tribal dance on Friday (August 20). The video which has gone viral shows Vaishnaw joining the tribal women and performing the folk dance.

Vaishnaw, who also held a roadshow in Koraput, was seen shaking a leg along with other leaders. Taking to Twitter, the Union Electronics and Information Technology minister wrote, Folk Dance! Happiness! Memories! Trying to match the dance steps with local folk dancers at Payakut Village in Odisha.

Take a look at the bureaucrat-turned-politicians performance:

#WATCH | Odisha: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw joins in the dance performance of tribal women in Koraput. The Minister also held a roadshow here. pic.twitter.com/zgfQfJJWcD  ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2021

Vaishnaw reached Bhubaneswar on Thursday to embark on the Jan Ashirwad Yatra along with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

After visiting the Lord Jagannath Temple the same day, he told reporters that the Vande Bharat Express service will be extended till the pilgrim town of Puri.

Odisha is my karma bhoomi' (place of work). I am spiritually attached to the social and cultural traditions of the state. I will take steps to expedite railway sector growth in Odisha, PTI quoted the Union minister as saying.

Vasihnaw also inspected the Bhubaneswar Railway Station and spoke with passengers.

Vaishnaw and Pradhan were also felicitated by party workers at the BJP's state headquarters in the state capital before the railway minister boarded a train to Rayagada district. Ditching the VIP protocol, he boarded Hirakhand Express to reach Rayagada.

During the four-day yatra, the two Union ministers will travel 419 km in four days and hold programmes at 115 places in seven districts, BJP sources told PTI.

Vaishnaw was district magistrate and collector of Cuttack and Balasore in the 1990s. He was later appointed as the private secretary to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The Railway minister, who hails from Rajasthan, was elected to Rajya Sabha in 2019 with the support of the ruling BJD in Odisha.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi will conduct a virtual meeting of top Opposition leaders from across the country today (August 20). The aim is to finalise a 'common strategy against Modi government' and to raise several issues related to the public, including price rise, Pegasus snooping, COVID-19 mismanagement, unemployment and economic slowdown.

Those who are attending the meeting include West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, as per news reports.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury affirmed that he would be joining the meeting of opposition leaders too."We will discuss and finalise the strategy to raise the problems faced by the general public and the issues that the government did not allow to discuss in the monsoon session of the Parliament that concluded recently," Yechury told ANI.

The CPI(M) General Secretary further told ANI that in the opposition meeting, the leaders will discuss and finalise a common strategy to go in public with and to expose the Modi government's "real face". The meeting is a part of the Congress party's efforts to unite various opposition parties on key issues to set the platform to defeat BJP in the upcoming assembly elections in five states.

In the recently concluded monsoon session of the Parliament, opposition parties displayed unity, leading to disruption of both Houses. The opposition leaders had given several Suspension of Business notices, Adjournment Motion Notice and had sought a discussion on the Pegasus snooping row, along with the farm laws and other issues.Today's meeting is being held in the backdrop of the government demanding strict action against those who indulged in unruly behaviour in the Upper House during the passing of the Insurance Amendment Bill.

Notable ommission: Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party

As per reports, invitations for the meeting have not been extended to Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party. While no official confirmation has been given for this or the reason behind it, a Hindustan Times report has anonymously quoted a top leader, who would apparently be present in the virtual meeting, saying, We have not invited AAP as the meeting is chaired by the Congress president. Both the AAP and the Congress are uncomfortable sharing the same political platform."

(With ANI inputs)

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New Delhi: Two Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) jawans including assistant commandant were killed in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district on Friday (August 20), a police official said.

Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI that the incident took place around 12.10 pm near Kademeta camp of 45th battalion of the ITBP under Chhotedongar police station limits.

Two ITBP officers, including Assistant Commandant Sudhakar Shinde lost their lives in the naxal attack in Narayanpur.

Assistant Commandant Sudhakar Shinde and Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Gurmukh Singh, both from the ITBP's 45th battalion, were martyred in the firing," Sundarraj P said.

Assistant Commandant Sudhakar Shinde and Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Gurmukh lost their lives in the line of duty, during a naxal attack near ITBP Camp Kademeta, in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh today. pic.twitter.com/LlhJSu9h8R  ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2021

Post the attack, Naxals looted and escaped with one AK-47 rifle, two bullet-proof jackets and one wireless set of the security personnel, IG Bastar added.

Reinforcement has been rushed to the spot and the bodies of martyred personnel were being evacuated, he informed.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, three Naxals, identified as Sitanadi LOS (local organisation squad) member Ramesh Madkam alias Jeevan, CNM (Chetna Natya Manch) 'commander' Kawasi Joga and militia platoon member Doodhi Bhima, had surrendered before police in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, an official said.

Impressed by the surrender and rehabilitation policy of the Chhattisgarh government, three ultras surrendered before the police on August 17. Of the surrendered cadres, two were carrying cash rewards of Rs 1 lakh each, said Sukma Superintendent of Police (SP) Sunil Sharma.

(With agency inputs)

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Srinagar: Two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed in an ongoing encounter with the security forces at Khrew in Pampore area of South Kashmir's Pulwama district on Friday (August 20).

Arms and ammunition including incriminating material was recovered after the encounter.

Kashmir zone police tweeted  #AwantiporaEncounterUpdate: 01 more #terrorist killed (Total=02). #Search going on. Incriminating materials including arms & ammunition recovered. @JmuKmrPolice.

A top police officer said that one killed terrorist has been identified as Musaib Ahmad from Khrew while the other one's identity is yet to be ascertained.

He added that both terrorists were associated with the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit and were in their hit squad. He said that they were responsible for the civilian killings in South Kashmir.

Police claimed to have recovered one AK-47 rifle, one pistol with other ammunition and incriminating material was recovered from the encounter spot.

Earlier during v hours on a specific input about the presence of terrorists a joint cordoned and searches were launched in Khrew area by security forces.

A police officer said that as the suspected spot was cordoned the hiding terrorists fired upon the searching party. He added fire was retaliated and the encounter started at around 2.45am during night.

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Lucknow: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has questioned the clean chit given to UP police team by a three-member judicial commission in Vikas Dubey encounter case. The judicial commission submited its report in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Thursday.

Formed on the Supreme Court direction, the three-member judicial commission was formed under the chairmanship of of retired Supreme Court Judge BS Chauhan along with two other members including retired Allahabad HC judge Justice Shashi Kant Agarwal and former UP Director General of Police KL Gupta.

BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra on Friday questioned the clean chit to police in the encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey, saying the matter will be looked into again if his party forms the government in the state next year.

"There is no value of this report. What happened in the Hathras probe? Anything is possible in the Bikru case. Let the BSP form the government, we will look into it again," Mishra told reporters in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh.

The commission in its report said the Kanpur ambush took place because of "poor planning" by police as it did not assess the situation correctly and there was "total failure" of the local intelligence.

Last year in July, Vikas Dubey was killed in an encounter when a police vehicle carrying him from Ujjain to Kanpur met with an accident and he allegedly tried to escape. The incident had taken place days after Dubey's henchmen shot dead eight policemen at Kanpur's Bikru village in July last year.

The report, however, reportedly cited enough evidence that Vikas Dubey and his gang were patronised by local police, revenue and administrative officials.

Prior to Vikas Dubeys encounter, five of his associates were also killed in separate encounters, while 36 including two policemen and four women were arrested and sent to jail.

Notably, UP's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna had tabled the report in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Thursday.

(With Agency Inputs)
New Delhi: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur has invited applications for the post of professor, additional professor, associate professor and assistant professors. The applicants need to note that the applications are invited on a direct recruitment/deputation basis/contract basis.

The application process for this recruitment started today (August 20, 2021) and the last date to apply is October 4. The interested and eligible candidates need to note that initially, the candidates shall be on deputation for 3 years, which will be further extendable Up to 5 years, a total of 7 years allowed on a deputation basis as per DOPT OM.

Additionally, the appointment of the selected candidates will be on a contract basis which shall not be extended beyond the period of two years.

AIIMS Raipur Recruitment 2021: Vacancy details

This recruitment drive is to fill up 168 vacancies.

ALSO READ | India Post Recruitment 2021: Application deadline extended for over 2300 vacancies, details here

AIIMS Raipur Recruitment 2021: Application fee

The application fee for the General/OBC/EWS candidates is Rs 1,000

For SC/ST category is Rs 800.

For the PWBD category, no application cost is required.

The application fee is waived for retired faculty on a contractual or deputation basis.

AIIMS Raipur Recruitment 2021: How to apply

Candidates can apply on the official website of AIIMS Raipur- aiimsraipur.edu.in

Candidates will have to submit the application form with all the relevant documents.

The documents will have to be sent via Speed/Registered Post/Courier to below mentioned address within 15 (Fifteen) days from the last date of submission of the online application.

The address to send the documents is- 2nd floor, Medical College Building, Gate No-5, AIIMS Raipur, G.E. Road, Tatibandh, Raipur (C.G.) Pin 492099.

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Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday (August 20) asked opposition parties' leaders to put aside differences and fight unitedly against BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and proposed the setting up of a core group to decide on the future plan of action and movements.

The TMC supremo, who was addressing a virtual meeting of opposition parties convened by Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, said that the opposition parties should forget who will be the leader, a press release by the party said.

"Let us forget who will be the leader and keep our personal interests aside. Every opposition party should be brought in. The fight is against BJP. In these meetings those not allied with the Congress must also be invited," she said.

"The people will lead, they are the leaders. Let us set up a core group and work together to decide on the next line of action and programmes," the release quoted her as saying.

Banerjee during the meeting also raked up the issue of how impartial institutions like the NHRC have been misused by the Centre to malign opposition-ruled state governments.

"Our party supremo at the meeting raised the farmers' issue and the issue of torture unleashed by the central government against various opposition-ruled state governments," it said.

Banerjee proposed issues on which joint movements could be launched such as repealing farm laws, unprecedented fuel price hike and judicial probe into the Pegasus snooping row.

"She also proposed movement against privatization of the public sector assets," the release said.

Banerjee said the opposition parties should also fight for the demand to avail Rs 7500 per month for those outside the income tax bracket, it added.

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New Delhi: Multi-talented filmmaker, author Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari today took to her social media to share her first day on a shoot in November 2020 after the relaxation of lockdown was put in place.

She shared, "One day in November 2020 post first wave pandemic, A 'how to comprehend a new way of working me taking the first shot for #ankahikahaniya with @nowitsabhi inside the Auto. Arriving on 17 Sep 2021 on @netflix_in"

The trailer of Ankahi Kahaniya released yesterday and is being loved by the audiences. Ashwiny's novel has received heaps of praises and has lived up to the hype.

The filmmaker is also ready to debut in the OTT world with the web series 'Faadu' on Sony LIV and docu-drama 'BREAKPOINT' on Zee5. Also, is currently working on the life story of Mr Narayana Murthy and Mrs Sudha Murthy, which she considers her most cherished project.
New Delhi: Actor Jackie Shroff has his diaries full with a slate of releases lined up. He will be seen in films such as 'The Interview: Night of 26/11' and the much awaited and talked about movie 'Sooryavanshi', where he will be seen playing an antagonist.

Talking about his character in the Akshay Kumar-starrer, Jackie in an exclusive chat with IANS said: "I can't talk about it much. It's a main part. They always introduce their villain right, in the film, they have introduced me in this."

'Sooryavanshi' marks the fourth instalment of filmmaker Rohit Shetty's cop universe after 'Singham' franchise and 'Simmba'. The film stars Akshay as Anti-Terrorism Squad chief DCP Veer Sooryavanshi and also features Katrina Kaif .

It was initially locked for theatrical release on March 24, 2020 but got pushed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The new release date given was April 30 this year, however it was delayed once again.

The 64-year-old actor too does not know when the film will see the light of day.

"I don't know when it'll come. They are all waiting because it is a big film. So they will wait for the cinema halls to open. Theatre experience is different."

The film revolves around Veer Sooryavanshi, the chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad and his team who join forces with Inspector Sangram Bhalerao and DCP Bajirao Singham to stop a terrorist group planning to attack Mumbai.
New Delhi: Director Kabir Khan recalls a chilling incident related to the Taliban in light of the group taking over Afghanistan. In a recent interview with a leading daily, he revealed that he had once interviewed a Taliban member in 2001 and his words left him terrified to the core.

He told Hindustan Times, "It makes me remember one little incident from my documentary, where we were interviewing some of the Taliban members in 2001 post the 9/11 incident. And one senior Taliban member just looked straight into my camera, said, You think we are gone, we will be back. The confidence with which he said at that time sent chills down my spine. And now, when I remember that statement, it haunts me."

Talking about the Taliban returning to power, he said, "All of this is bizarre that after 20 years an organisation like the Taliban can come back."

Bollywood filmmaker Kabir Khan is well known for making a number of films in Afghanistan such as Kabul Express and several documentaries such as Taliban years and Beyond and The Titanic Sinks in Kabul.

He was quite interested in the Taliban and Afghanistan which is what motivated him to bring the story of Afghanistan to the mainstream audience with Kabul Express.

In another recent interview, he had revealed that one of the actors who starred in Kabul Express reached out to him for help. He expressed that the actor was an aggressive critic of the Taliban. Khan said that he had reached out to him for help after the Taliban ransacked his home.

Kabir Khan is best known for his unique Bollywood flicks such as New York, Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Phantom and Tubelight.
New Delhi: Bollywood filmmaker Kabir Khan is well known for making a number of films in Afghanistan such as Kabul Express and several documentaries such as Taliban years and Beyond and The Titanic Sinks in Kabul. He was quite interested in the Taliban and Afghanistan which is what motivated him to bring the story of Afghanistan to the mainstream audience with Kabul Express.

In a recent interview, he revealed that one of the actors who starred in Kabul Express reached out to him for help. He revealed that the actor was an aggressive critic of the Taliban. Khan said that he had reached out to him for help after the Taliban ransacked his home.

He told the Quint, "There is an actor who was a part of Kabul Express, who's very vocal, he's an anti-Taliban critic, he has very openly expressed his love for cinema and especially Bollywood and India, he's in Kabul. He reached out to us, day before yesterday they ransacked his house and he's underground now. He's been reaching out to us and saying can we help him get a visa and reach India."

Although Kabir is trying to reach out to authorities and if they can send help, he feels there is not much that he can do. He also added that most times, the people hiding in Afghanistan are underground and hence, their phones are switched off.

"But one feels heartbroken and helpless really because we don't know what to do - of course we are reaching out to authorities, we are reaching out to people and seeing if we can send guarantees, send some letter or whatever we can do to help them get a visa and come here but I don't think there is much one can do right now. Most of the time their phones are off, they are scared, they are underground," he concluded.

Kabir Khan is best known for his unique Bollywood flicks such as New York, Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Phantom and Tubelight.
New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan recently flew out abroad to shoot for his upcoming film Tiger 3 co-starring Katrina Kaif. A video of him at the Mumbai airport has now gone viral in which a CISF officer was seen stopping the star from entering the airport before checking his documents.

In the video, we see Salman Khan emerge out of his car, put on his mask and then walk towards the entrance of the airport. However, when he reaches there, he is stopped by a Central Industrial Security Force officer as a cue to show his documents to the gate officials.

Netizens were highly impressed with the officer's dedication to his duty and for enforcing all rules equally for citizens irrespective of their celebrity status.

Check out the viral video of Salman Khan at the airport:

While one user commented, "Loved the way the CISF guy stopped him from entering", another wrote, "The power of Uniform CISF".

According to an IANS report, Salman and Katrina Kaif will be shooting for a 45-day gruelling schedule that is filled with action sequences and will see them shoot in at least 5 international destinations including Austria and Turkey.

For the unversed, Tiger 3 is the third instalment in the spy thriller trilogy. The first film was Ek Tha Tiger directed by Kabir Khan and the second part was Tiger Zinda Hai which was helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar.

(With IANS inputs)
Many people are interested in the mining industry, but few know all of the ins and outs. Mining is a very technical field that requires a high level of skill to navigate successfully. Many companies have been looking for partnerships with other businesses as they try to grow their market share. It has recently come out that Asic Miner has partnered up with Mining Buddies Company! We will be exploring this partnership and see how it impacts both parties involved.

Introduce the company

ASIC Miners: Asic Miner is a company that specializes in the design, manufacturing, and supply of cryptocurrency mining hardware. They specialize in ASICs or Application Specific Integrated Circuit. These are chips specifically designed for mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin. Their niche is in providing pre-assembled systems with the latest ASICs that are ready to mine.

MiningBuddys: MiningBuddys Company is a company that specializes in everything related to mining. MiningBuddys provides miners with all the information they need to succeed in this harsh and cut-throat industry. They offer excellent guides and support for people who want to start mining cryptocurrency. They also provide mining contracts, which are a more cost-effective way of getting into the mining game.

Explain what ASIC miner does and how it works

ASIC Miners is a company that offers end-to-end mining services. The company takes care of everything from start to finish, except installation

and setup. ASIC Miner's employees are experts in the industry who have been working as miners for years and know what it takes to succeed in this business. They offer all types of mining services, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Dash, Monero etc., so you can invest your money wisely without needing any knowledge or experience on how to mine cryptocurrencies yourself.

The benefits of being a partner with ASIC Miners

 You don't need any knowledge or experience with cryptocurrencies to get involved in this business - we'll take care of all the details for you.

 Invest your money wisely without any risk  by investing in ASIC Miners, and you won't be risking anything at all as our service is guaranteed 100% safe & successful.

 Please consult with our professional employees so you can make the best investment.

 Have more free time to focus on other things

 Save time with them because they promise quick customer service.

 Affordable and high-quality equipment - ASIC Miners delivers a reliable and affordable mining experience.

 Professional advice and information on how to clear customs with ease-don't worry, you're in good hands!

Wrap up by talking about the new partnership of ASIC miner!

According to companys latest press release, In India people are demanding crypto mining as a profitable business. But due to lack of trust no body no where they can purchase miners with complete trust. Now with the new partnership of Asic Miners and MiningBuddys everyone can purchase mining machine without having any fear.

According to company news, MiningBuddys providing smooth and hassle free transactions, quality products and customs clearance responsibility. Hope this partnership will help a lot of miners in India who are interesting in Crypto Mining.

(Disclaimer - Brand Desk Content)

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#mute
Samsung had already launched the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G and now in its latest announcement, the company has revealed that it will host Indias first live pre-book event on August 23.

Samsung has now announced the pre-booking dates for the two newly launched Galaxy smartphones. The live pre-booking event will start at 6 PM on August 23. Customers can easily pre-book the Galaxy smartphones in the live event itself and also get early delivery and exclusive limited period offers in addition to the existing pre-book offers.

Samsung further revealed that there will be attractive offers available to customers who pre-book the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G during the live pre-book event on Samsung.com. Besides the early delivery, customers can also get free Galaxy SmartTag, Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G Flip Cover with S Pen and Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G Silicon Cover with Ring.

In addition to the above-mentioned offers, Samsung revealed that customers can also get an option to either an upgrade voucher of up to Rs 7,000 or HDFC Bank cashback of up to Rs 7,000 on credit and debit cards. The buyers can also get a free one-year Samsung Care+ Accidental and Liquid Damage Protection worth Rs 7,999 on pre-booking Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Rs 4,799 on pre-booking Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G.

In terms of prices and specifications, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be available in India in Phantom Black and Phantom Green colour variants. The 12 RAM and 256GB storage variant of the phone costs Rs 1,49,999 and the 12GB RAM and 512GB storage variant costs Rs 1,57,999.

Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G will be available in India in Phantom Black and Cream colour variants. The 8 RAM and 128GB storage variant costs Rs 84,999 and the 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage variant will be available in India at a price of Rs 88,999.

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#mute
Lahore: A powerful explosion ripped through a Muharram procession in central Pakistan's Punjab province on Thursday, killing at least three people, including a seven-year-old girl, and wounding 59 others, the local government and police officials said.

The incident took place in Bahawalnagar, some 260 kilometres from Lahore when a Shia procession was heading to an Imambargah as part of the annual Ashura commemoration.

The Punjab government issued the list of the dead and injured. According to it, three mourners lost their lives.

It said the condition of three of the injured persons was critical.

"The (Shia) procession (was) comprising 500 men, women and children, when an explosion took place. It seems to be a terrorist activity," the report said, adding that most of the injured are young men.

Punjab Home Minister Raja Basharat confirmed to the media that at least two people were killed in the attack carried out by a man who threw a hand grenade at the mourners in the procession which was passing near a mosque in Bahawalnagar.

He said the attacker had been arrested and pictures shared on social media showed police dragging a bearded and shirtless man in handcuffs.

Basharat said besides the two people killed in the explosion, two of the injured were in critical condition and undergoing treatment at Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital, where all wounded had been shifted.

Videos circulating on social media showed people running around in panic after the blast and ambulances rushing injured persons to the hospital.

A senior police officer told PTI that apparently a man threw grenades at the procession despite high security.

"Two persons including a seven-year-old girl Maheen and 20-year-old Salman lost their lives while over 25 were injured," he said.

He said the suspect threw grenades when the procession passed by the Jamaia Masjid Mohajir Colony at 10 am this morning.

"Police have arrested the suspect on the spot," he said.

Another police source said the attack seemed to be sectarian in nature.

"The suspect who threw grenade(s) was hiding in a mosque and when the Ashura procession reached there he suddenly appeared on its rooftop and threw a grenade at it," he said, adding that in the south of Punjab, anti-Shia group Lashkar-e-Jhanghvi (LeJ) has its roots and it leaves no chance to target the minority community.

A senior police official from Multan also said the police had arrested the man who threw the grenade on the Ashura procession.

"He is in police custody and investigations will be carried out to find out his links and contacts as well," he said.

Rescuers have shifted the injured to district headquarters hospital Bahawalnagar where the condition of five of them is said to be critical.

Another senior officer of the Punjab government confirmed the death of two persons and scores of injures in the attack and said it was a sensitive matter that is why the police and the government were not issuing any statements.

"Ashura processions are underway in the country and we don't want to create panic through this tragic news," he said.

Opposition Senator Sehar Kamran condemned the attack on the Shia procession and termed it a "cracker attack" and prayed for the recovery of those who were injured.

Rights activist Ammar Ali Jan said in a tweet: "Shocking reports of explosion during Ashura procession in Bahawalnagar. All sections of society must strongly condemn sectarian violence. Sectarian bigots are continuation of Yazid's legacy. Hussainiat always defeated the terror of cowards. It will win against it today as well."

Bahawalnagar was trending on Twitter on Thursday with people posting videos of the incident, even as mobile services remained suspended in Pakistan's major cities, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta, and Sukkur to avoid any untoward incident during the Ashura processions.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar chaired a high-level meeting at the Safe City Authority and ordered the Counter Terrorism Department to submit a report on the Bahawalnagar blast after completing the combing operation and investigation.

As many as 218 processions were taken out in Karachi on Ashura and the Karachi police said a total of 12,455 security personnel had been deployed across the city. In Lahore, police said 46 processions are taken out from different areas of the city.

Shiite Muslims took out processions across Pakistan amid tight security arrangements on Thursday, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussain on Muharram 10.

The annual commemoration mourns the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein, one of the most revered figures of Shiite Muslims.

Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi urged citizens in their separate messages to ensure compliance with coronavirus standard operating procedures.

"Imam Hussain became a symbol of force against falsehood and strength for all movements fighting against tyranny in the times to come," Radio Pakistan quoted Khan as saying.

The president urged the nation to rise above hatred, malice, and sectarianism in line with the teachings of Imam Hussain, the state broadcaster reported.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar chaired a high-level meeting at the Safe City Authority and ordered the Counter Terrorism Department to submit a report on the Bahawalnagar blast after completing the combing operation and investigation.
Kabul: The Taliban has taken over Afghanistan and the country is in deep danger. All the leading countries have evacuated their consulate personnel and ambassadors. The Afghani citizens are scared to death as the Taliban gains control.

In view of the Taliban taking control of entire Afghanistan, thousands of panic-stricken Afghan people had gathered at the Kabul International Airport to board flights to flee the country. Several disturbing images and videos of thousands of worried Afghan citizens rushing to the Kabul airport forcing the US troops to fire shots in the air to disperse the crowd has now surfaced online.

People are so desperate to escape the #Taliban that theyre passing babies and kids forward to the gate at #Kabul airport. #kabulairport #AfghanEvac pic.twitter.com/6NSlIffrD1  Matt Zeller (@mattczeller) August 18, 2021

In a recent development, a video in which desperate Afghan people have gathered near the Kabul Airport and are seen throwing a little baby towards the gate. The video was shared by Matt Zeller from his Twitter handle.

The videos and images show hundreds of Afghans jamming the Kabul airport and trying to get out of the country after Taliban insurgents entered the capital.

The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over after insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as US-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled to evacuate their citizens.

President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday (August 15) as the Islamist militants entered the city, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed, while hundreds of Afghans desperate to leave flooded Kabul airport.
New Delhi: As Canada sends its first rescue aircraft to Afghanistan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday (August 19, 2021) said that its almost impossible to evacuate as many people as his government wants to.

The statement comes as the Canadian Armed Forces assets and personnel have arrived on the ground at the Kabul airport, and two C-17 planes will be making regular flights in and out of Kabul for as long as possible. However, Trudeau said the Taliban were still blocking access to the airport.

"To get many people out, as many as we want, is going to be almost impossible in the coming weeks," Trudeau told reporters. "Our focus is to get as many people out as quickly as possible," he added. The situation on the ground is extremely complex, extremely difficult.

Read more about Taliban here: Taliban's History

According to the reports, Canada, under a special immigration programme, is targeting to bring in 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan. But Canadian PM stated that those figures dont appear to be attainable at this time.

Unless the Taliban shift their posture significantly, which is something the international community and Canada are working on, it is going to be very, very difficult to get many people out, he said.

Trudeau also added that the focus of his government is towards rescuing Afghans, including Hindu and Sikh minorities, women, human rights activists and those from the LGBTQ community.

Meanwhile, many other nations have been evacuating their citizens and taking Afghans as refugees on humanitarian grounds. An Indian air force plane too evacuated over 170 people from Kabul on Tuesday, including India`s ambassador to Afghanistan.

(With Reuters inputs)

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KABUL: A nearly empty plane carrying wife of former UK Royal Marine commando took off from Afghanistan's Kabul as thousands of people, with one bag each, were waiting at the airport, to escape from the 'torture' of Taliban. She subsequently boarded a C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft as she made her way to her native Norway. She was flown in what appeared to be an almost empty plane, while others waited in complete chaos to leave the country.

A former Royal Marine commando, Paul 'Pen' Farthing explained to Sky News his journey to Kabul airport so that he could help his wife Kaisa evacuate the war-torn country. Farthing expressed despair that some planes are not even fully loaded with passengers due to the continuing chaos at the airport.

Aircraft are taking off from the airport every hour "regardless of whether they're full or not...People can't get in, they cannot get into the airport," Sky News quoted him as saying.

"We are going to leave people behind, that is an absolute given...This is an absolute screw-up of an evacuation. We are going to be watching some absolutely horrific scenes."

He expressed anger at the Western governments and despaired at the "terrifying, absolutely terrifying" situation in Kabul.

Terrified that the new de facto rulers would commit such abuses, thousands have raced to Kabul's airport desperate to flee following the Taliban's stunning blitz through the country. Others have taken to the streets to protest the takeover acts of defiance that Taliban fighters have violently suppressed.

The Taliban have sought to project moderation and have pledged to restore security and forgive those who fought them in the 20 years since a U.S.-led invasion. Ahead of Friday prayers, leaders urged to imams to use sermons to appeal for unity, urge people not to flee the country, and to counter 'negative propaganda' about them.

But many Afghans are skeptical, and the Amnesty report provided more evidence that undercut the Taliban's claims they have changed.

The rights group said that its researchers spoke to eyewitnesses in Ghazni province who recounted how the Taliban killed nine Hazara men in the village of Mundarakht on July 4-6. It said six of the men were shot, and three were tortured to death.

The brutality of the killings was 'a reminder of the Taliban's past record, and a horrifying indicator of what Taliban rule may bring," said Agnes Callamard, the head of Amnesty International.

The group warned that many more killings may gone unreported because the Taliban have cut cellphone services in many areas they've captured to prevent images from there from being published.

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Aleppo: An al Qaeda-linked group in Syria has lauded the Taliban "victory" in Afghanistan, and compared the terror group`s control of the majority of the country with the early Muslim conquests.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, also known as HTS is the powerful faction in rebel-held parts of northwest Syria, expressed hope that terrorists in Syria will also be victorious by learning from the experience of the Taliban, Fox13 News reported.

In a statement released late Wednesday, HTS said "no matter how long it takes, righteousness will end up victorious." It added: "Occupiers don`t last on usurped lands no matter how much they harm its people."

Meanwhile, Al-Qaeda`s Yemeni branch too congratulated the Taliban on their takeover of Afghanistan and vowed to continue its own military campaigns. Taliban had sheltered Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden during its rule from 1996 until 2001.

Experts have raised concerns that Afghanistan might again become a breeding ground for terrorism with the Taliban taking control of the country.

Last Sunday, the Taliban captured Bagram Air Base and the prison there, and "released thousands of prisoners, including many senior Al Qaeda operatives," Axios reported.

"The prisoners were some of the Taliban`s most hardened fighters and could pose a threat not only to Afghan citizens but to American security interests."

CNN reported that an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 prisoners were left behind following the withdrawal. The Bagram prison, Pul-e-Charkhi, was the biggest in Afghanistan and included a maximum-security cell block for Al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners.

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: "the United States could now face a rise in terrorist threats from a Taliban-run Afghanistan."

The U.K.`s defence secretary, Ben Wallace, reportedly shares Milley`s concerns noting that Bagram`s prison housed "5,000 `highest value` Taliban, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters captured on the battlefield. Wallace cautioned that Afghanistan may again someday "harbour terrorists as they plot against the West."



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New Delhi: A new approach for spreading positivity among students is going on at Kindezi at Gideon Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. Neffiteria Acher, a fourth-grade teacher, is the superstar who went viral for her method of teaching.

In a video posted by 'The Honest Company' on Instagram, Neffiteria can be seen holding a mirror in class while her students say positive affirmations about themselves. "I am smart, I am a good person, and I am strong and independent," the children said.

The video has gone viral with millions of views online.

Speaking to FOX Television Stations, Neffiteria Acher said, "I practice these affirmations with myself too. My daughter who's 5 years old also practices this and I have seen a tremendous amount of confidence and self-value increase with her. So I decided to do it with our students".

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London: Britain and the United States imposed sanctions on Friday (August 20) on men they said were Russian intelligence operatives responsible for the poisoning one year ago of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

The two countries both targeted seven Russians with sanctions and also issued a joint statement warning Russia over chemical weapons.

Washington separately imposed sanctions on another two men and four Russian institutes it said were involved in chemical weapons research or what it described as an assassination attempt against Navalny.

Navalny was flown to Germany for medical treatment after being poisoned in Siberia on Aug. 20 last year with what Western experts concluded was the military nerve agent Novichok.

Moscow has rejected their findings and accused the West of a smear campaign against it.

An updated version of the British sanctions list published by the government on the first anniversary of Navalny`s poisoning included seven new names. "The sanctioned individuals are directly responsible for planning or carrying out the attack on Mr Navalny," a Foreign Office statement said.

British foreign minister Dominic Raab said the move was a warning to Russia. "We are sending a clear message that any use of chemical weapons by the Russian state violates international law, and a transparent criminal investigation must be held."

The sanctions will affect those people named who have overseas assets. The U.K. document listed Alexey Alexandrov, Vladimir Panyaev, Ivan Osipov, Vladimir Bogdanov, Kirill Vasilyev, Stanislav Makshakov and Alexei Sedov. It said they were all members of Russia`s FSB security service and were either directly or indirectly involved in the poisoning.

The U.S. Treasury later said it was imposing sanctions on the same seven men and two additional Russian officials it said were involved in the poisoning: Konstantin Kudryavtsev and Artur Zhirov. It also targeted the FSB Criminalistics Institute, a lab where most of those implicated in the attack worked, and the Russian defence ministry`s State Institute for Experimental Military Medicine.

The State Department also imposed sanctions on two other Russian military scientific institutes involved in chemical weapons, it said. Neither the Kremlin nor any of those named offered any immediate comment.

The British government cited evidence including phone and travel records showing some of the operatives were present in the Siberian city of Tomsk at the time of the poisoning.

For others it said there were reasonable grounds to suspect that, due to their positions in the intelligence service, they had "responsibility for, provided support for, or promoted the actions of the operatives who carried out the operation".

Navalny was jailed for parole violations on what he says were politically motivated charges when he flew back to Russia earlier this year from Germany. "We call on Russia to comply fully with the Chemical Weapons Convention, including its obligations to declare and dismantle its chemical weapons programme," the joint U.S.-British statement said.

"We remain determined to uphold the global norm against the use of chemical weapons."
A Pakistan court on Friday has granted bail to the man who vandalised the statue of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the Lahore Fort in the country.

According to The Express Tribune, counsel of the accused identified as Rizwan informed the court that the police completed their investigation and have recovered a hammer from his possession. The accused was arrested on Tuesday, according to Samaa TV.

The vandalism has happened for the third time in recent years. Ranjit Singh's statue was also vandalised in December 2020.

The nine-foot-tall structure in cold bronze was unveiled at the Lahore Fort on June 27, 2019, to mark the former ruler's 180th death anniversary.India has condemned the vandalisation of the statue.

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Manjinder Singh Sirsa also condemned the incident, stating Pakistan's radicals have once again hurt Sikh sentiments by vandalising Maharaja Ranjit Singh's statue.

"I have apprised Jt Secretary, Minister of External Affairs (PAI) JP Singh about this incident who has assured me that he would take up this matter with Pakistan embassy in India and ask them to take a strict action to curb such hateful vandalising events," Sirsa said in a video posted on his Twitter handle.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, known as Lion of Punjab, Singh was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire who ruled over Punjab for close to four decades.

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Paris: The UN cultural agency has called for the preservation of Afghanistan`s cultural heritage in its diversity and in full respect of international law. This statement comes a few days after the Taliban blew up slain Hazara leader Abdul Ali Mazari`s statue in Bamiyan, a grim reminder of the destruction of Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001.

"Afghanistan is home to a wide range of rich and diverse heritage, which is an integral part of Afghan history and identity, as well as of importance for humanity as a whole, that must be safeguarded," the UNESCO statement said.

This includes sites such as the Old City of Herat, the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam and the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley, as well as museums like the National Museum in Kabul.

Amid the rapidly unfolding events, UNESCO is closely following the situation on the ground and is committed to exercising all possible efforts to safeguard the invaluable cultural heritage of the country.

In a statement issued on Thursday (August 19) the UN agency said that any damage or loss of cultural heritage will only have adverse consequences on the prospects for lasting peace and humanitarian relief for the people of Afghanistan.

UNESCO further underlined the need for a safe environment for the ongoing work of the country`s cultural heritage professionals and artists. It is crucial for the future of Afghanistan to safeguard and preserve these landmarks, the statement added.

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